Friday 26 February 2016

Rev King to die by hanging, says supreme court

                        
The supreme court has dismissed the appeal filed by Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, general overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly (better known as Reverend King), challenging the judgment of a Lagos high court sentencing him to death by hanging.
In his lead judgment, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, said the facts of the case were “like what you see in a horror movie”. He added that the appeal lacked merit.
The court upheld the judgment of the lower court senten‎cing him to death.
‎In December 2015, the apex court, presided over by Justice Walter Onoghen, adjourned for judgment after entertaining arguments from counsel to prosecution and defence in the matter.
Adeniji Kazeem, Lagos state attorney-general and commissioner for justice, appeared before the supreme court alongside Idowu Alakija, director of public prosecution and other senior counsel in the state, urging the court to dismiss the appeal and uphold the judgment of the lower courts.
Ezeugo was arraigned on September 26, 2006 on a six-count charge of attempted murder and murder. He pleaded not guilty to the allegation but was sentenced to death by the then Justice Joseph Oyewole of the Lagos state high court, Ikeja, on January 11, 2007, for the murder of one of his church members, Ann Uzoh.
Justice Oyewole is now a judge of the appeal court sitting in the Calabar division.
The Lagos state government had said that the convict poured petrol on the deceased and five other persons and that Uzoh died on August 2, 2006 – 11 days after the act was perpetrated on her.
Specifically, Ezeugo was convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the attempted murder, and death by hanging for the offence of murder.
Dissatisfied, he challenged the verdict before the court of appeal in Lagos, but the appeal was thrown out.
’’I hereby rule that the prosecution effectively discharged the burden of proof on it. This appeal is devoid of any basis and accordingly fails,” Justice Fatimo Akinbami had said while reading the judgment.
“The judgment of the high court is hereby affirmed, and the conviction imposed on the appellant (which is death by hanging), is also affirmed.”
Amina Augie and Ibrahim Saulawa, the two other members of the panel of Justices, concurred with the lead judgment. Again, Ezeugo not being satisfied with the verdict, approach the supreme court, seeking invalidation of the judgment.

Tuesday 23 February 2016

COWBELLPEDIA LAUNCHES MOBILE APP TO FIGHT MATHS PHOBIA

                   
As part of the build-up to its 2016 Secondary School Mathematics Television Quiz Show, Cowbellpedia has developed a multi-level mobile app that will allow students to practice Mathematics questions everywhere with a lot of fun.
 Festus Tettey, Head of Marketing, Promasidor Nigeria Limited explained last week in Lagos, that the move was part of measures to stimulate greater interest by students in Mathematics, which is regarded as the bedrock of science and technology. The Mathematics Association of Nigeria, MAN has identified Mathematics phobia as a major drawback for the interest of students in the subject.This Cowbellpedia Mobile app, according to Tettey, can be downloaded on Google Play Store and Apple Store. He added that this year’s competition will be in two stages: Qualifying Written Examination and TV Quiz Show. The National Examination Council NECO will conduct the Stage One examination according to him on Saturday, March 19, 2016. NECO is an examination body in Nigeria that conducts the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination and the General Certificate Examinations in Education in June/July and December/January respectively.
Under this year’s arrangement, NECO will deploy its massive infrastructure to improve the conduct of the examination across the country.  Tettey added that the Stage One of the Mathematics Competition is open to students from 10 - 18 years of age attending full time Secondary Education in both Public and Private Schools in Nigeria. Entry into this competition is FREE. Each school is required to present their best ten (10) students in Mathematics (five from JSS3 and five from SSS2), irrespective of religion, tribe or state of origin, to enhance their chance of qualifying for the next stage of the competition. According to Tettey, the Stage One registration, which is online, involves visiting www.cowbellpedia.ng
Also speaking on the occasion, Managing Director of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mr. Olivier Thiry acknowledged, the support of NECO, state Ministries of Education, school principals and teachers, the press and other agency partners for their continued support for the initiative over the years. He explained from 2016, Promasidor has taken a strategic decision to bring all Mathematics intervention activities by Cowbell under one umbrella, COWBELLPEDIA.
 Thiry also informed that the company has significantly increased the prize money for the finals for both students and teachers. This year he said, the top prize student winner in each category will go home with One Million Naira in addition to other prizes, while the teacher will be awarded Four Hundred Thousand Naira.
“All these improvements are to underscore Promasidor’s effort to provide a credible platform that discovers, recognizes and rewards excellence in Mathematics, a critical component of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Nigeria. This is in addition to the quality nutrition that is provided by the Cowbell brand for the nourishment of the Nigerian populace especially children,” he said.
 In order to encourage the Girl Child Education, Thiry appealed that Mixed Secondary Schools must nominate minimum two (2) girls for each category to represent such school. “This is our own little way of encouraging the girl child to take interest in education especially the STEM courses,” he said.The winner in each category this year will go home with a cash of One million naira, a medal, a trophy and an all-expense paid vacation. The first and the second runner-up will take N750,000 and N500,000 respectively. There will also be a plaque, mathematics textbooks, desktop computers and printers for the winning schools.

Friday 19 February 2016

Police raid Psquare’s Omole residence

                    
Hardly had the dust over the rift between Peter of Psquare and his brothers; Paul and Jude settled when the iconic music family is faced with another messy , bothering on alleged breach of contract.
Residents of Omole Estate woke up Friday morning to the invasion of the Square Villa, home of Psquare, by policemen, purportedly carrying out a court order to reclaim about N8million said to have been paid to Psquare for a show they eventually turned down.
A leader of the delegation who spoke exclusively to NET said they were carrying out an order passed by the Ikeja High Court, Lagos. “Psquare were paid over 8million Naira for a show and they didn’t show up for the show. Our job here is to enforce the court injunction and retrieve the cash. Right now they say they are trying to transfer the money and that’s why we are waiting.”
Although the group neither showed the court injunction to the NET correspondent nor revealed the name of the client, an eye witness said the singers appeared beaten by the situation which attracted a mammoth to their residence.
Paul was seen driving out of the Sqaure Ville in a tinted BMW, refusing to speak to anyone. There were indications the singer was going to sort out the refund rather than allow further molestation.
Recall that few days ago, Peter started a Twitter rant, calling it quits with their elder brother and manager, Jude. The matter appeared to subside after Paul took sides with Jude.
Peter had gone ahead to reveal more bitter secrets, including how Jude hijacked reggae star, Cynthia Morgan from him.

UBA Earns ISO-IEC 20000-1:2011Certification

                         
Pan African financial services group, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has earned the prestigious ISO/IEC 20000-1: 2011certification from the British Standards Institution (BSI). The certification which was awarded to UBA after a process and systems audit, recognizes businesses that are able to link and execute business and IT objectives effectively through the implementation and consistent maintenance of service management requirements.  “This certification validates our commitment to delivering quality services, using the best in class technology and processes,” said Phillips Oduoza GMD/CEO UBA Plc.   An ISO 20000 certification involves integrating all IT component services, processes and people into a single inter-operable and interdependent system via best practice standards, to ensure maximum realization of business objectives, resource optimization and continual improvement. Also speaking on the certification, Lanre Bamisebi, Chief Information Officer, UBA said it shows that UBA’s IT Processes  are mature and robust for speedy and effective service delivery. “With a customer base in excess of eight million, we are consistently investing in technology as a strategy to improve efficiency in service delivery and enhanced customer experience across all channels” he stated.   He assured that UBA will continue to successfully deliver value to its customers by adopting best practices that provide measurable performance improvements and reduce costs.
 

Thursday 18 February 2016

Oyakhilome’s marriage dissolved

                        
United Kingdom High Court has finally dissolved the marriage between the founder of Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and his former wife, Anita.
Consequently, Anita has severed her link with the church also known as Believers LoveWorld INC.
A statement issued on Anita’s behalf by her solicitors: Attwaters Jameson Hill, said the divorce was finalised on February 8 after which she dropped Oyahkilome from her name.
The statement published on the United Kingdom-based law firm’s website reads, “We have been requested by Anita Oyakhilome to confirm that on 8th Februray 2016 a decree absolute was pronounced in the High Court of Justice Principal Registry of the Family Division dissolving her marriage to Christian Onehirokpeana Oyakhilome.
“Anita Oyakhilome would like to confirm that she is no longer involved in or part of Christ Embassy AKA Believers LoveWorld INC.”
Anita, a pioneer member of Christ Embassy got married to Oyakhilome in 1991 and have two daughters.

Tonto Dikeh Delivers First Child In Texas

                       
Reports just coming in have it that, weird actress, Tonto Dikeh has been delivered of a bundle of joy, a bouncing baby boy and her first child in far away USA, this much Natioanl Enquirer can reveal. The Igbo born actress who has been on 9 months family course and was said to have jetted out to the US last weeks back in anticipation of the delivery of her first baby is now a mother.
The successful and controversial thespian who's so elated has broke the news on her instgram page this evening where she gave thanks and glory to God for the wonder in her life. Hear her, ''Today I experience the greatestr miracle known to man...I can begin to explain the joy I feel, its super awesome. I bless the Lord Almighty for His protection/safety and strenght and the birth of my baby. My pregnancy was such a beautiful one (stress free, lovely, spiritual great, healthy and safe)..Please join me in welcoming my baby into a perfect and loving world that GOD, My KingKong and I will create..I am overwhelmed and overjoyed, I am a mother now...woow, that's something I never saw coming but God is indeed the master planner of our lives. His grace, love, mercy, unlimited blessings, protection, peace and so much more than I can express I have known & can testify to. Thank you God (The father, The Son and The Holy Ghost) for this blissful journey. I indeed gave birth like a hebrew woman, her instagram message.
 

Tuesday 16 February 2016

Cowbell Supports Girl Child Education in the 2016 Cowbellpedia Secondary School Mathematics TV Quiz Show

                    
One of the goals of the 2016 edition of the Cowbellpedia Secondary School Mathematics TV Quiz show is to encourage the girl child education in Nigeria. Managing Director of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mr. Olivier Thiry explained at a press conference in Lagos that in order to stimulate the interests of more female students in this year’s competition, mixed Secondary Schools must nominate a minimum of two (2) girls for each category to represent such school. “This is our own little way of encouraging the girl child to take interest in education especially the Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics, STEM courses.” he said. Mr. Charles Nzuki who stood in for Ms. Jean Gough, the United Nations Children Educational, Scientific Fund, UNICEF representative in Nigeria, at the finals of the competition last year, maintained that girls’ education needs higher priority and more investment from government and other stakeholders. 
According to him, evidence has shown worldwide that the most marginalised child is a girl coming from the poorest, living in rural areas and with ethnic or linguistic background. He reiterated UNICEF’s support increased access and improved quality in education in Nigeria through the Girls Education Project, Female Teachers Training, Early Grade Reading and Nomadic Education.
Nzuki maintained that  evidence has shown that one year of secondary education for a girl correlates with as much as 25 per cent increase in wages later in life – wages that can help support children, a family and a future. “We know that investing in education is perhaps the single best, most cost effective opportunity to break cycles of poverty once and for all, “ he said.
 
The UNICEF official congratulated Promasidor, the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders for the strive towards “Education for All in Nigeria.”
 
The competition will also this year, work in partnership with the National Examination Council, NECO to widen the reach to participants across the country.
Festus Tettey, Head of Marketing Promasidor Nigeria Limited added that the competition would be in two stages: Qualifying Written Examination and TV Quiz Show. The National Examination Council NECO will conduct the Stage one of the examination.
Tettey added that the Mathematics Competition is open to students from 10 - 18 years of age attending full time Secondary Education in both Public and Private Schools in Nigeria. Entry into this competition is FREE.Each School is required to present their best ten (10) students in Mathematics (five from JSS3 and five from SSS2), irrespective of religion, tribe or state of origin, to enhance their chance of qualifying for the next stage of the competition. To register for the competition, candidates are required to visit www.cowbellpedia.ngThe company has also significantly increased the prize money for the finals for both students and teachers. This year, the top prize student winner in each category will go home with One Million Naira in addition to other prizes, while the teacher will be awarded Four Hundred Thousand Naira.
 
“All these improvements are to underscore Promasidor’s effort to provide a credible platform that discovers, recognizes and rewards excellence in Mathematics, a critical component of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Nigeria. This is in addition to the quality nutrition that is provided by the Cowbell brand for the nourishment of the Nigerian populace especially children,” Thiry said.
 
 

Monday 15 February 2016

Why we don't celebrate Valentine's Day In CLAM ---- Pastor Wole Oladiyun

                                     
The General Overseer of Christ Livingspring Apostolic Ministry, CLAM, Pastor Wole Oladiyun, today condemned the celebration of Valentine’s day by Christians saying it’s human and against God’s principle. The very eloquent Pastor said “Valentine’s day celebration is an human doctrine and so the church should distance itself from anything that’s worldly and against the will of God.
Pastor Oladiyun backed up his message by reading out the history on Valentine’s day as published on the internet said ” Saint Valentine was a priest from Rome who served in the 3rd century.
Emperor Claudius II banned marriage when he decided that single men made better soldiers and when Valentine felt this was unfair he broke the rules and arranged marriages in secret.
But when the emperor found out he was thrown in jail and sentenced to death. During his imprisonment, Saint Valentine raped the daughter of his jailer, Asterius and before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell. The CLAM pastor stressed the need to show love to everyone on a daily basis, he said ‘Love is meant to be celebrated everyday and not on a particular day; it’s normal and expected for you to show some love to your spouse on his/her birthday but celebrating love on Valentine’s day is against the doctrine of God and the church. Continuing, Oladiyun said “I speak today as the annointed of God that even when i leave this world for his glorious kingdom, this doctrine should remain in CLAM; let it be known that we forbid the celebration of Valentine’s day in this church now and forever’. In Conclusion, he said “As a member of CLAM, I urge you to stay away from anything that’s not ordained of God; if they call you Old school, please tell them that your God is an ancient of days’.

Saturday 13 February 2016

Sex as we age

                         
Has it ever occurred to you what your sex life will be like in five, 10, 20 and 30 years to come as a couple? Have you ever experienced the best sex of your life? Well, now imagine it getting better. According to our exclusive report, sex never has to stop becoming hotter.
When boys transform from boys to teenagers and later young adults, one of the greatest changes that ever happen is the change in their sexuality. According to scientists, most people are not prepared for such changes and mismanage them due to confusion, myth, delusion and taboo. The best of sex any man will enjoy in his later married life is actually pivoted by the attention given to the changes that occur during this stage. For instance, it is in this stage that the teenage boy starts experiencing night emission or night fall or wet dreams or the feelings of ‘aglow’. This feeling is not only a normal physiological phenomenon; it is a basic human expectation. This is the stage that parental guidance is needful. When parental guidance is lacking, what becomes the norms for a young teenager and adult is watching pornography and masturbation. A teenager can still emerge with a good sexual orientation that will help him adjust sexually under any condition and environment when told the absolute truth with his interest at heart. Science has revealed [regardless of anything anyone posts on the internet] that pornography does not only paint a distorted sexual opinion, it also altogether alters the normal human mind-set of the young ones about an ideal sex, sexual act, sexuality and fantasies. Porn does not set an ideal sex scenario because pornography sex is a script well written and well-acted in which the actors are not only being filmed, the actors are given addictive destructive steroid to make them have a euphoric feelings to act beyond normal human tolerance level.This is also the stage where the effect of pornography or bad peer pressure makes many teenagers and young adults become destructively addicted to masturbation. Contrary to popular opinion, as a medical health provider and a certified sex therapist, I can say that 60 to 64 per cent of the causes of erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, weak erection, poor ejaculation, abnormal curvature of the penis and abnormal shrinking of the penis size has been as a result of addictive, habitual non-stop masturbation of men at any age. And ironically, this habit is normally picked up at the teenage-hood stage which still boils to the fact that the parent has to come out straight with their young ones about sexual awareness and its effect. Scientifically, the vagina is and still remains the only healthy and conducive environment for the penis. As long as the penis is in its normal environment, many dangers will be averted. The pressure and suffocative tension the penis goes through during masturbation [with or without a lubricant] has been the major reasons for the numbness of the penis nerves. And definitely, all these play major roles in the erection, sustenance of erection and turgidity of the penis during foreplay and the actual sexual periods.While couples that get married at 20 years and above have one thing in common-; their testosterone are usually at its peak, at this stage sexual encounter is always an intense, rip-off-your-clothes, explosive sex, or an adventure type of sex, or an escapade which is extremely frequent and continual but in late 30s sexual escapades begins to be steady but slowly and insignificantly decline. Yet couples in their late 30s tend to have heightened orgasms. At this stage, many married couples are sexier, more confident and less concerned about impressing their partners or putting on a show but rather want to have more fun with sex. At this stage, many couples do not bother comparing themselves with sex actors but rather indulge in self-improvement type of sex. 
Couples in their early 40s to late 50s want to have sex more often just like the younger couples. This is obvious especially with the women. According to a survey, at this stage though a woman’s vagina begins to lose elasticity and her pelvic floor weakens, and arousal may happen more slowly, arousal is more intense deep and lasting. This is because these women are more emotionally stable and are less cumbersome with raising a family or nursing a child. They are more relaxed and the will to really enjoy sex is at its peak while their sexual appetite is more pronounced than before. At this stage with Kegel exercise and pelvic wall training, many women gain the elasticity of their pelvic wall back in no time. There are also many available natural herbs that could help strengthen both the pelvic floor and vaginal wall of the woman. You can contact me for this.In addition, though the lining of the vagina thins out and many women have less natural lubrication. However, many married women still find sex after menopause very liberating, since the chance of pregnancy is drastically reduced. They are also more likely to engage in sexual experimentations and plan to spend more time on foreplay to achieve this. Many lubricants can help couples maximise this stage to the fullest. The same reduction of hormone production happens in men, but the reduction is not just in such a dramatically short amount of time like the women. In fact, scientists say this decrease in testosterone and growth hormones particularly as a man enters middle age can lead to decreased muscle mass and reduction of vitality and energy. For a lot of husbands as they get older, it is advisable to start checking hormone levels.Sex with couples in their early 60s to late 70s should really get better with age, say researchers. They are of the opinion that age is no barrier to good sex. Although older husbands may not necessarily possess the energy or vigour for impulsive or spontaneous sexual activities the way younger husbands do due to aging. However, the level of desire, arousal, and turgidity of erection is almost at the same level with younger husbands. That is why on this note, scientists concluded that sexual activities at this age bracket should definitely get better by the age. Scientists insist that when couples in this stage make each other feel very important, it will increase their sexual confident level and they will be happier and healthier. Sex at this stage may not appear to be that voracious, fully ravenous, animalistic kind; but it is more peaceful, complete and of a deeper level. Scientists say that what is important to this category of couples at this stage now is waking up next to see someone they were married to because they were in love with them all these years and they still are in love and they are still willing to spend the rest of their lives with them. Moreover, they are willing to enjoy sex to the maximum with them.
Many men think they need to hide their feelings or risk being seen as weak when it comes to expressing their fantasies to their wives. Nevertheless, scientists say that not sharing your emotions can be a real discouragement to many wives, “The woman feels like she’s missing a close sexual connection that she wants with her husband when he is reserved.” So set aside 30 minutes of uninterrupted time together perhaps in the bedroom after the children are asleep in a relaxed setting; sit down together and share your sexual fantasies. Reach out and touch each other, a full-body massage helps stimulate the energy centres, throughout the body, so you’re aroused from head to toe. Start massaging your partner’s hands and wrists, then move up the arms and shoulders until you reach the chest. Next, starting from the feet and ankles, work your way up the legs and thighs until you reach the belly. This sequence helps awaken sexual energy.
Scientists say about 40 per cent of women will discover a breast lump at some point in their lives. Breast lump does not necessarily mean cancer, but women need to be able to separate myths from facts, what a woman does immediately after this discovery of either lump or cancer can mean the difference between survival or not.
The older a woman is, the more frightened that she may get breast cancer but not every breast lump is cancer until proven otherwise, although the lump is more likely to be cancerous in older women who have gone through menopause than in younger women. However, a lump may turn out not to be cancer; it could be a cyst, a fluid-filled sac that can be drained, or an abnormal noncancerous growth such as a fibroadenoma or, much less often, a blood clot that causes lumpiness. It could also be a “pseudo lump,” this is a ‘make believe’ lump caused by hormonal change that is not a lump at all. Whatever the cause, it is important to get any lump evaluated.
Breast cancer is not always accompanied by a lump that one can feel by mere touching the breast. Most cancers are picked up on screening mammograms. One can’t always tell by how a cancerous lump feels from a benign lump, even sometimes some breast cysts could feel scary, if they are deep.
Size is never a good way to decide whether a lump is something to worry about however, women should not ignore any small lump; it may be typically something to worry about. A lump can be cancer even in a woman with no family history. Only five or 10 per cent of breast cancer is hereditary. The majority of women who get breast cancer have no risk factors.
Scientists also explain why some couples may have sexual headache. This they say is pain in the head that often starts during sexual intercourse. Sometimes it lasts for a short time, say between five and 10 minutes. At other times, the pain may last longer than an hour. Those who have suffered migraine, or other types of headaches, are actually more prone to sexual headache. In addition, men are actually more likely to get sex headaches because they tend to do much of the thrusting and moving during sexual intercourse. Essentially, what happens is that a man is afflicted with a headache that is similar to what he would have suffered if he had just completed an overly strenuous exercise activity.
Sex is actually an exercise and you may find it helpful to warm up a little before bringing yourself up to full speed and pace during intercourse. Actually, foreplay helps prevent sexual headaches. Reaching orgasm too quickly may also trigger off this headache. If a spouse is tensed up sexually, he or she may experience rapid increase in blood pressure, which will in turn cause the head to throb with pain. If you have sex headaches, you might want to consider allowing for a slow build-up to orgasm.
On the other hand, some sexual headaches might just be the consequence of adopting certain positions during sexual intercourse. Certain sexual positions can put a strain on some parts of the body or increase the flow of blood to the head. For example, keeping your head hanging down lower than the rest of your body or putting your neck in an awkward and stiff position during sex can cause you to have head pain. Changing your sexual positions or limiting the amount of time spent in those positions can make a vast difference in whether or not you suffer from sex headaches. In addition, incorporating massage into foreplay can help relax those neck muscles that tend to get too tense during sex.
Not only can longer, better-paced sex reduce the risk of sex headaches, but also having sex frequently may actually help you ease migraines and other types of headaches. Until I come your way again with another exciting topic, I remain your one and only devoted loyal sex therapist.
Source- Funmi AKINGBADE

Friday 12 February 2016

Otunba Gani Adams to Benin Chief : Don't sow seed of discord between Yoruba

                                   
The National Coordinator of Oodua Peoples ‘Congress. OPC, Otunba Gani Adams has called on the Chiefs of Benin Kingdom to steer clear from making unhistorically balanced statement capable of upsetting the socio- cultural chord of brotherhood between the children of Oduduwa and the Week the great
Otunab Adams who made this observation in response to the lingering controversy stoked by a purported claim of the origin of Yoruba churned out by a Chief from the palace of Oba of Benin .said that “such poorly researched, lacking in historical credibility could be inflammatory and set the two nobles race against each other
He pointed out that the relationship between the Yoruba Omo Oduduwa and the Edo is rooted in history which is shrouded in mystery in other to keep the two vibrant nations together and oil the chord of communal relationship for ever .

Otunba Adams said “Even, though some writers of historical documents about the relationship and chord of brotherhood between the two have allowed personal sentiments and pecuniary consideration to overrule their sense of judgement, clarity, fairness, objectivity and harmonious cohabitation. And the purported statement from an high chief of Benin belong to this trend “
He remarked that “We should not indulge in diluted information coined by agents of destabilization which emphasised those things that divide us instead of talking of those things that unite us “

Otunba Adams said , whatever angle  or point of view any writer come out of this discourse on fact remain constant that there is a bond of relationship which is mot fleeting but fundamentally essential between the Yoruba Omo Oodua and the Edo Omo Eweka the Great “
He appealed to the traditional institution s in Benin and Ile –Ife to be wary of palace chief who are only out to pitch the two noble royal houses against each other by their sheer impetuosity and face service”

Otunba Adams commended the royal sagacity and visionary posture of the Ooni of IFE, His Imperial Majesty, and Oba Enitan Adeyeye Babatunde Ogunwusi   not only at remaining calm, but at having refused to dignify the sender of those ill research statements with any response
“I must also commend the political maturity and sagacity being displayed by the Imperial Majesty , Oba Enitan Adeyeye Babatunde Ogunwusi , Ojaja 11 who has been consistent in his PEACE  DIPLOMACY SHUTTLE  among the traditional Obas in Yoruba land which has kicked – off a brand new era of harmonious relationship among the Obas in the south – west “

Otunba Adams warned the scripter of divisive statements, the procurer of false history and the spreader of ill – researched historical fallacy to put a stop in their unholy act and allow peace, unity, harmony and era of brotherly interaction take control among the Obas in the south west including their sibling in Edo State.
We are warning them to “stop sowing seed of discord among the Omo Oduduwa and their siblings in Edo State.

 

GTBank Announces Final Tender Results

                              
Lagos, Nigeria – Guaranty Trust Bank plc (“GTBank” or the “Bank”) announced today the expiration and final tender results of the any and all cash tender offer (the “Tender Offer” or “Offer”) with respect to the U.S.$500,000,000 7.50 per cent. Notes due 2016 (the “Securities”), which Securities were issued by its wholly owned subsidiary – GTB Finance B.V. (the “Offeror”) – and unconditionally and irrevocably guaranteed by the Bank.
 
As the Expiration Deadline for the Tender Offer was February 10, 2016, the deadline for tendering the Securities under the Offer has now passed.
 

An aggregate principal amount of U.S.$ 126,586,000 of the Securities that were validly tendered on or prior to the Expiration Deadline and not validly withdrawn were accepted. No Securities were tendered through the guaranteed delivery procedures described in the Tender Offer Memorandum dated February 4, 2016 (the “Tender Offer Memorandum”). The Settlement Date for the Tender Offer is February 16, 2016.
The Tender Offer is consistent with GTBank's liability management strategy and reflects the Bank’s ongoing efforts to enhance the efficiency of its funding and capital structure as it seeks to reduce its overall funding costs. Subject to applicable law, the Offeror or any of its affiliates may at any time and from time to time following completion of the Offer, purchase the remaining outstanding Securities by tender, in the open market, by private agreement or otherwise on such terms and at such prices as the Offeror or, if applicable, its affiliates may determine. Such terms, consideration and prices may be more or less favorable than those offered under the Tender Offer.
 
According to the Bank’s CEO – Segun Agbaje, “we are pleased at the outcome of this exercise. The Offer, which is the first of its kind involving a Nigerian corporate in the international financial markets, has enabled us achieve the objective of reducing some of the Bank’s borrowing costs ahead of the maturity of the Eurobond in May of this year. The tender result is also a testament to the strength of the Bank’s credit in the international capital markets. It is gratifying and humbling at the same time to note this level of investor confidence in the Bank”.
The Tender Offer was made pursuant to the Tender Offer Memorandum, which set forth in more detail the terms and conditions of the Offer. Capitalised terms used but not otherwise defined in this announcement shall have the meaning given to them in the Tender Offer Memorandum.
 
J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley acted as the Joint Dealer Managers for the Offer. Lucid Issuer Services Limited acted as Tender Agent and Information Agent. Legal Advisers were White & Case LLP (English and U.S. Law Counsel to the Bank and the Offeror), Linklaters LLP (English and U.S. Law Counsel to the Joint Dealer Managers), NautaDutilh N.V. (Dutch Law Counsel to the Bank and the Offeror) and Banwo& Ighodalo (Nigerian Law Counsel to the Bank and the Offeror).
 
This press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation to buy any of the Securities nor is it a solicitation for acceptance of the Offer. The Offer was made only by, and pursuant to the terms of, the Tender Offer Memorandum. The Offer has not been made to (nor have tenders of Securities been accepted from or on behalf of) holders of Securities in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. This announcement must be read in conjunction with the Tender Offer Memorandum.

Thursday 11 February 2016

2016 COWBELLPEDIA SECONDARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TV QUIZ COMPETITON PARTNERS NECO, GOES ONLINE

The 2016 edition of the Cowbellpedia Secondary School Mathematics TV Quiz show will work in partnership with the National Examination Council to widen the reach to participants across the country.
Festus Tettey, Head of Marketing Promasidor Nigeria Limited explained at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday that this year’s competition will be in two stages: Qualifying Written Examination and TV Quiz Show. The stage one examination according to him will be conducted by the National Examination Council NECO on Saturday, March 19, 2016.
The NECO is an examination body in Nigeria that conducts the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination and the General Certificate in Education in June/July and December/January respectively.
NECO was mandated to take over the responsibilities of the National Board of Education Measurement (NBEM) and is headed by a Registrar, appointed by the President under section 9(1) of its establishing Act. Under this year’s arrangement, NECO will turn in its massive structures to participants all over the country.
Tettey added that the stage one of the Mathematics Competition is open to students from 10 - 18 years of age attending full time Secondary Education in both Public and Private Schools in Nigeria. Entry into this competition is FREE.
Each School is required to present their best ten (10) students in Mathematics (five from JSS3 and five from SSS2), irrespective of religion, tribe or state of origin, to enhance their chance of qualifying for the next stage of the competition. According to Tettey, the stage one registration, which is online, involves the following processes:
 
2. Click on link to register your school
 
3. Fill the form and submit. Ensure to fill all required fields.
 
4. An email will be sent to the School and Primary contact email addresses provided when filling the form.
 
5. Use the link in the email received to verify the email addresses. Both email addresses must be verified before you can login.
 
6. Once school email address is verified, login to the portal using the school email and password used to register.
 
7. On successful login, you click on the Add Candidates under Candidate Management.
 
8. Fill in the candidates’ information on the form, upload the candidate's picture and click the Save Draft button.
 
9. You will need to save draft information for 5 candidates before you can submit their registration. If your school is a mixed school, at least 2 of the candidates must be female or you won't be able to complete the registration.
 
10. After creating the draft registration for 5 candidates in a category (junior/senior) button will be shown on the page to "Register junior/senior candidates". Click the button to complete the registration of candidates for that category. 

 
11. A confirmation slip will be generated for you to download and will also be mailed to the School, candidate and parent/guardian email address.
 
12. Print this confirmation slip and have it stamped and signed by the school principal.
 
13. The confirmation slip will be required for admitting candidates at the examination venue.
Also speaking on the occasion, Managing Director of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mr. Olivier Thiry acknowledged, the support of NECO, state Ministries of Education, school principals and teachers, the press and other agency partners for their continued support for the initiative over the years.
He explained from 2016, Promasidor has taken a strategic decision to bring all Mathematics intervention activities by Cowbell under one umbrella, COWBELLPEDIA.
Thiry added that the company will continue with its Mathematics intervention activity for Secondary Schools in Nigeria using the name Cowbellpedia Secondary Schools Mathematics TV Quiz Show.
Thiry also informed that the company significantly increased the prize money for the finals for both students and teachers. This year he said, the top prize student winner in each category will go home with One Million Naira in addition to other prizes, while the teacher will be awarded Four Hundred Thousand Naira.

 All these improvements are to underscore Promasidor’s effort to provide a credible platform that discovers, recognizes and rewards excellence in Mathematics, a critical component of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Nigeria. This is in addition to the quality nutrition that is provided by the Cowbell brand for the nourishment of the Nigerian populace especially children,” he said.
In order to encourage the Girl Child Education, Thiry appealed that Mixed Secondary Schools must nominate minimum two (2) girls for each category to represent such school. “This is our own little way of encouraging the girl child to take interest in education especially the STEM courses,” he said.
 
The winner this year will go home with a cash of one million naira, a medal, a trophy and an all-expense paid vacation. The first and the second runner-up will take N750,000 and N500,000 respectively. There will also be a plaque, mathematics textbooks and a desktop computer for the winners.
 




 
 

Duke, others decry cancer deaths in women

                                      
The Chairman, Child Survival and Development Organisation of Nigeria, Mrs. Onari Duke, has decried the number of Nigerian women and children dying of cancer. Duke, who spoke at a dinner organised by CS-DON, as part of activities to mark the World Cancer Day in Lagos, urged stakeholders to take collective responsibility towards creating awareness and providing support for cancer patients. She called on the Federal Government to invest more in its cancer screening and intervention programmes, saying that many Nigerian patients were too poor to pay for their treatment.

According to Duke, the foundation has provided free cervical screening and cryotherapy treatment for cancer patients in Lagos and Calabar.In his address, a Professor of Radiology Therapy and Oncology at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Francis Durosimi-Etti, condemned the state of cancer care facilities in the nation’s public hospitals.
According to Durosimi-Etti, the personnel and equipment needed to adequately treat and diagnose patients are lacking in many of the hospitals.He also urged medics to endeavour to specialise in oncology in order to address the shortage of specialists in the field.
Prof Etti, also stressed appropriate training and retraining for healthcare professionals and practitioners in the oncology therapy and treatment practice in Nigeria.In attendance at the dinner where Mr Donald Duke, former Governor of Cross River State, Erelu Angela Adebayo,  Mr Iyke Chioke, the Managing Director Afrinvest Nigeria, representative of the American Consul General Lagos, Mr Akin Fatunke of ExxonMobil, First Bank Plc, Leadway Insurance and other  professionals from various  organisations.


Tuesday 9 February 2016

Popular Yoruba actor, Arakangudu Is dead

                     

Going by the latest information reaching Yorubamoviegist.com this morning, we can authoritatively tell you that popular Yoruba actor, Sikiru Adeshina a.k.a Arakangudu is dead. According to what we heard, the fantastic actor died yesterday 8th February 2016 in Kaduna State-Nigeria after suffering from heart attack .His remains YMG.com was told will be moved to his home town in Osogbo, the Osun State capital for burial this morning. Some of his colleagues confirmed this news to us while his photos has now been using as RIP. For several years, the well-built, popular and talented actor who is known for his mastery of the roles of herbalist and armed robber in most Yoruba movies has gone off the scene where nobody could figure out his whereabouts. Then, series of questions and reports started flying in the media claiming that he has relegated himself from acting finally. The baritone-voiced actor made his turn back into make-believe industry not long ago.The versatile actor bounced back with his role in a recent movie titled Ayaba Oosa written and produced by Yetunde Abubakry and directed by Okiki Afolayan. It was released on Monday 2nd June 2015 from the stable of Okiki Films & Music Productions. Arakangudu played the role of one of the chiefs in the palace. The flick also featured the likes of Antar Laniyan, Ojopagogo, Moji Olaiya, Tomiwa Alajogun and many others.

Yoruba Movie gist.com

Monday 8 February 2016

HERITAGE BANK REWARDS CUSTOMERS IN ITS HAVE A NICE DAY CAMPAIGN

L-R: Mr. Obioma Emenike, Group Head, Market Strategy, Heritage Bank Limited; Mr. Ike Williams, the bank’s Chief Information Officer; Mrs. Agela Okeke, one of the ten beneficiaries, Mr. Jubril Adeojo a staff of the bank and Mr. Davidson Regha, Heritage Bank’s Divisional Head, Retail & SME during the presentation of the cheques to Angela for encountering the bank’s iconic Heritage Man during the Have a nice day campaign in Lagos…recently

 

A Lion In The Desert-By Prophet Bamiduro

                               
The Ogun State government has conferred the special recognition award on the distinguished Statesman, Business Mogul, renowned Philanthropist and Group Chairman of FBN Holdings Plc, Dr. Oba Otudeko, CFR. The award, which is part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of Ogun State, was conferred on five outstanding Ogun stakeholders on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016. Oba Otudeko (CFR) is a Nigerian entrepreneur and visionary reputed for his highly successful domestic and foreign investments that cut across diverse sectors of the economy.  He was a former President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and assumed responsibility for the change transformation of the Nigerian capital market along with its Council driving the market to its highest capitalization ever during his tenure.
Outside of the private sector, Oba Otudeko has had a distinguished career in public service, especially in the area of education. He was Chancellor of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (formerly Ogun State University), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, between 2001 and 2010 and a member of the Africa Regional Advisory Board of London Business School, London, UK.  Dr. Otudeko also served on the board of several blue-chip companies including Airtel Nigeria Limited, Fan Milk Nigeria Plc, Central Bank of Nigeria and the Chairman of Honeywell Nigeria Plc. He is a recipient of several awards and national honours including the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 2011. He is Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, UK; Fellow of the Institute of Chartered and Corporate Accountants, UK; Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Nigeria and Fellow of the Institute Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria.
According to the Global Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, FBN Holdings Plc, Folake Ani-Mumuney, FBNHoldings celebrates this honour bestowed on its Chairman by the Ogun State Government. “Dr. Otudeko has brought about advancement to the Group as he applies his far-reaching experiences in his leadership of the Board. We are immensely proud of him even as he adds another feather of success to his cap”, she further stated.A pregnant woman who has been tormented with bad dreams was also delivered. " Your dream has not been pleasant for the past three days, this has caused fear within you, relax your mind, you are free from any yoke of nightmare as from today" Pastor F.E Bamiduro decreed.
Another woman who has been disturbing her over some amount of money was warned by holy spirit to desist from such act in order not push her husband to wall. " I can see that you are about to stop giving your husband food, you even gave him one meat instead of two meats three days ago, it is better you stop that devilish attitude" the founder revealed.
A young man who has been tormented by hereditary curse received his breakthrough through the prophetic pronunciation by Pastor FE Bamiduro.
A fish seller who was also liberated from evil spirit which has been preventing her from fulfilling his destiny for years when Pastor Jeremiah instructed everybody to shout God of fire in seven times.
It was glorious day as every present soul received one blessing or the other. The founder advised people to always attend the weekly program tagged "the voice of the lord" (Ohun Oluwa) and the monthly vigil popularly known as "the night of you and

Saturday 6 February 2016

I’m not in jail, Ibinabo assures

                           
FOLLOWING a Court of Appeal’s directive in Lagos, last week, that actress Ibinabo Fiberesima should appear in court for judgment in the appeal challenging a five-year prison sentence handed out to her in 2009, many have gone to town with purported news of the actress’ incarceration.
Refuting the rumour, the ex-beauty queen chided the reporters, telling them not to predict the outcome of the court, which is yet to fix a date for judgment.
She said in a social media post: “Our attention has been drawn to reports in some section of the media that I have been sentenced earlier today.
“Let it be on record that the court of appeal has not even set a date for judgment talk less of giving judgment…”
According to Fiberesima who expressed gratitude to those who have reached out to her after reading the reports, “we believe in the fairness of our judiciary and we hope for the best.”
Recall that the actress was sentenced to five- year imprisonment without option of fine by Justice Deborah Oluwayemi for reckless driving which resulted in the death of one Dr. Giwa Suraj on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos, in 2009.
At the hearing of the appeal penultimate Thursday, the court presided over by Justice U.I. Ndukwe-Anyanwu, reserved judgment in the case after counsels adopted their written addresses.
Justice Ndukwe-Anyanwu directed Fiberesima to appear in court on the date picked for ruling. She said the judgment date will be communicated to the parties.

#LagosMarathon2016: Kenyan Abraham Kiptom wins Lagos marathon

         

Kenyan, Abraham Kiptom, beat other top world marathon runners to win the first Access Bank Lagos City Marathon on Saturday.
He crossed the finishing line in 2 hours, 16 minutes, 21 seconds.
EKiptom will be pocketing the sum of $50,000 for winning the tournament, while the Nigerian, Gyan, from Plateau State, will be given the sum of N1m for his effort.mmanuel Gyan emerged in the seventh position, the first Nigerian to cross the finishing line.

Friday 5 February 2016

President Buhari begins short vacation - Presidency

                         
President Muhammadu Buhari has begun a short vacation from Feb. 5 to Feb. 10., a statement said in Abuja on Friday.
The statement, issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr Femi Adesina, said during the period, the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, would perform the functions of the president.
It stated that a formal notice of the president’s vacation had since been dispatched to the president of the Senate and speaker of the House of Representatives as required by the constitution.
``In compliance with Section 145 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution, President Buhari has dispatched a formal notice of his vacation to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives,’’ the statement stated. (NAN)
 

BREAKING: Face your CCT trial, Supreme Court tells Saraki

                            
The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, challenging the validity of his trial on charges of assets declaration preferred against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
A seven-man panel of the apex court presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, unanimously ruled on Friday that Saraki’s appeal against the jurisdiction of the trial and competence of the charges, lacked merit.
Justice Wallter Onnoghen, who read the lead judgment, held that contrary to Saraki’s contention, the Danladi Umar-led Code of Conduct Tribunal was validly constituted by two members.
Justice Onnoghen also held that the tribunal was by the provisions of its enabling laws and the Constitution conferred with the quasi-criminal jurisdiction and thus could validly issue bench warrant.
He thus held that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 was applicable to the proceedings of the tribunal.
He dismissed the allegation by Saraki that he was not properly served with the charges and also held that the charges filed before the CCT before the appointment of the Attorney-General of the Federation were valid.
He also noted that there was an attempt by Saraki to intimidate the ‎CCT by claiming that it disobeyed the order of a Federal High Court barring it from continuing with the proceedings pending the determination a suit filed by the Senate President to challenge the trial.
“I have looked at the records, there is no where such orders was made,” Justice Onnoghen ruled.
The CJN and other Justices on the panel agreed with the judgment.
The rest of the panel members who consented are Justices Tanko Muhammad, Sylvester Ngwuta, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Chima Nweze and Amiru Sanusi.
After the judgment on Friday, an army of political associates, who attended the proceedings walked out of the court quietly.
Following the Supreme Court judgment it is expected that the CCT will soon issue hearing notice for the continuation of the Senate President’s trial on three counts of false assets declaration.
-Punch
 

GTBank launches Unprecedented and Historic cash tender for $500,000,000 7.50% Eurobond

                             
Nigeria’s GTBank yesterday launched a cash tender for its $500,000,000 7.50 percent Eurobond maturing May 2016. This being the first transaction of its kind in Nigeria would boost the financial strength of the banks as well as its commitment to excellence and best practices.
In its statement, the bank said the liability management exercise allowed the bank to efficiently manage its liquidity by addressing in full debt maturing in 2016.
The extent to which this goal can be achieved through the offer will depend on the number of Securities that will be tendered, given the voluntary nature of the offer. The bank intends to maintain cash available to repay any outstanding Securities not tendered in full at maturity.” It added that any Securities purchased by the Offeror would be surrendered for cancellation to the principal paying agent in respect of the Securities. “If the Offeror decides to accept valid tenders of Securities pursuant to the Offer, the total amount the Offeror will pay Holders on the Settlement Date for each $1,000 in principal amount of Securities accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offer will be an amount (rounded to the nearest $0.01) equal to the Purchase Price and Accrued Interest on such $1,000 in principal amount. “If, following acceptance of Securities for purchase by the Offeror pursuant to the Offer and following purchase of the relevant Securities on the Settlement Date, a Holder continues to hold in its account with the relevant Clearing System less than U.S.$200,000 in principal amount of Securities, in order to ensure that it will be possible to trade any residual holding in the Clearing Systems such Holder would need to purchase an additional principal amount of Securities such that its aggregate holding amounts to at least U.S.$200,000”, the statement added.On the purchase price, the bank said that the Offeror would pay for Securities accepted by it for purchase pursuant to the offer at the fixed purchase price of $1,002.50 per $1,000 in principal amount of such Securities.

Thursday 4 February 2016

Ecobank Hands Over Three Fraudulent Staff To Police Over Forgery And Stealing From Customers' Accounts

                            
Ecobank Nigeria has handed over to the police for prosecution three of its employees found to have stolen a total sum of N2.8 Million from customers’ accounts through forged signatures. The alleged offence was discovered by the Quality Assurance Unit of the bank during weekly reconciliation. Consequently, the three accused have already been charged to a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court on Lagos Island, Lagos State, on a three-count charge of conspiracy, forgery and stealing.The prosecutor, Inspector Nurudeen Thomas, told the court that the accused persons – Oluwatoyin Adetunji (41), Oluwatosin Obademi (32) and Olushola Ogunshina (39) – were discovered in a routine inspection conducted by Ecobank Quality Assurance Department to have forged signatures of some customers and stolen N2.8 million from their accounts at the Iyana-Ipaja branch of the bank between July 10 and 14, 2015. The fraud was discovered a few days later. Thomas who said Adetunji and Obademi were cashiers, while Ogunshina was an Information Technology personnel in the bank, averred that the bank called in the police to effect the arrest of the three. According to the prosecutor, Obademi and Ogunshina in their confession statements claimed that Adetunji came to them with the deal and promised to pay them N350,000 each. Thomas said that the offences contravene Sections 285, 361 and 409 of the Criminal Code of Lagos State, 2011.The Chief Magistrate, K. B. Ayeye, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties each in like sum and adjourned the case to February 22 for hearing.

Supreme Court rules on Saraki CCT trial today

               
The Supreme Court will on Friday (today) determine whether or not to stop the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on charges of false asset declaration before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
A seven-man bench, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, had on December 4, 2015, fixed Friday for judgment after entertaining arguments on an appeal by Saraki, with the Federal Government urging the apex court to dismiss the Senate President’s case and allow the trial before the CCT to continue.
Saraki’s appeal filed through his lead counsel, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), is challenging the majority judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, delivered on October 30, 2015, which affirmed the jurisdiction of the CCT to try him and the competence of the charges of false asset declaration preferred against him by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government had, in September 2015, arraigned Saraki before the CCT on 13 counts of false asset declaration which he allegedly made in 2003 as governor of Kwara State.
The Danadi Umar-led CCT had dismissed Saraki’s protest against the competence of the charges and jurisdiction of the tribunal.
Saraki had appealed against the decision of the tribunal, but the appeal was dismissed by a two-to-one split decision of a three-man bench of the Court of Appeal in Abuja on October 30, 2015.
He further appealed to the Supreme Court, maintaining that the charges were not competent and that the CCT lacked the jurisdiction to try him, because it was not duly constituted as it comprised two instead of three members provided for by the Constitution.
The Supreme Court had, on November 12, 2015 through a five-man panel, led by now retired Justice John Fabiyi, granted an order of stay of proceedings in Saraki’s trial before the CCT, pending the hearing and determination of his appeal.
After granting the order of stay of proceedings, the apex court ordered parties – Saraki and the Federal Government – to exchange their briefs of argument within 14 days.
A new panel, headed by the CJN which he
Saraki’s lawyer, Daudu, raised seven grounds of appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, urging the Supreme Court to set aside the lower court’s judgment, the entire proceedings of the CCT and the charges preferred against him before the tribunal.
At the hearing of the appeal, Daudu faulted the judgment of the appeal court on, among other grounds, that it erroneously affirmed the competence of the proceedings of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, which sat on the appellant’s case with only two members as against the three provided for in the provisions of Paragraph 15(1) of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.
Daudu also maintained that the charges filed by the then Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Muslim Hassan (now a Federal High Court judge), when the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation had not been occupied by any person, were incompetent.ard the appeal on December 4, 2015, comprised Justices Walter Onnoghen, Tanko Muhammad, Sylvester Ngwuta, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Chima Nweze and Amiru Sanusi.In its respondent’s brief of argument opposing the appeal filed by Saraki, the Federal Government through its counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), urged the Supreme Court to uphold the majority decision of the appeal court which held that the Danladi Umar-led CCT was duly constituted.
-Punch

Tony Elumelu Applauds US Congress for the passage of the 'Electrify Africa Act'

                           
Leading investor and Chairman, Heirs Holdings, UBA Plc and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Tony O. Elumelu has applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for the passage of the “Electrify Africa Act,”  which took nearly three years trying to get the measure through both chambers of Congress.   The Electrify Africa Act creates a framework for a major public-private partnership between the United States and sub-Saharan African countries to help millions of people gain access to affordable and reliable electricity.  It also codifies access to electricity in Africa as a U.S foreign policy priority, thereby preserving President Barack Obama’s Power Africa Initiative for years to come.  Launched in 2013, Power Africa is an innovative partnership to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa where more than 600 million people currently lack access.
 
Mr. Elumelu through his investment company, Heirs Holdings has been in the forefront of promoting Africa’s power initiatives. In 2013, Heirs Holdings, made a commitment of $2.5 billion investment in the power sector to generate 2,000 megawatts of power, about 20% of the initial Power Africa target.  Through Transcorp Power, the company currently generates 19% of the power consumer in Nigeria. 

 According to Mr. Elumelu, Africa must win the energy challenge if it seeks to become an industrial power in the 21st century. “Power outages on the continent must spark power outrage. The kind of outrage that ignites the activist in us” he noted. Channeling their power outrage into global advocacy, in a letter and op-ed supporting passage of the bull last week, Tony Elumelu and Aliko Dangote, both cofounders of the African Energy Leaders Group (AELG), urged U.S. legislators to pass this critical legislation.  Mr. Elumelu also gave a keynote address at the “Powering Africa Summit” in Washington D.C. last week, where he mobilized investors and technocrats in the power sector to join him in lobbying their Representatives in the U.S. to pass the bill.
 
Elumelu said that ”Power is a cross-cutting issue that impacts job creation, education, healthcare delivery, food security, communications and virtually every other sector of commercial activity.”  He described the passage of the bill which now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature as “A landmark decision which will help to transform the lives of millions of Africans who cannot wait for power'. I'd like to thank Representatives Ed Royce and Eliot Engel; Senators Bob Corker, Ben Cardin, Jeff Flake Chris Coons and Ed Markey for their friendship towards Africa and for their bipartisan leadership to move this important legislation, my hope is that President Obama will sign it into law as soon as possible.”