President Buhari Congratulates ARISE News On 10th Anniversary

 

President Muhammadu Buhari congratulates the owners and management of Arise News Channel, on their 10th anniversary, commending them for their efforts in ridding Nigeria of colonial mindset and promoting pride for the nation’s heritage.

“I pay my respects to Arise News on this historic occasion, marking a proud chapter in the development of broadcasting in the country.

I urge you to not just give news but also mould the thinking of our people to appreciate the positive developments brought about under the aegis of the Change agenda of our administration. 

The media should continue to lead the way in transforming society,” 

Customers Fighting Inside Banking Hall

 

Dozy Mmobuosi Is Set To Acquire Sheffield United In A £90 Million Deal

 Nigerian billionaire Dozy Mmobuosi is 'closing in on a £90m takeover of Sheffield United' with the promotion-chasers under a transfer ban after struggling to keep up with payments to Liverpool for £23.5m Rhian Brewster

*Sheffield United are reportedly close to being bought by a Nigerian billionaire
*But the takeover is believed to be close in timely easing of club's financial issues
"EFL placed them under a transfer embargo after they failed to make payments 

Sheffield United are reportedly close to being bought out by Nigerian billionaire Dozy Mmobuosi in a deal worth £90million.

The Blades are pushing for promotion back to the Premier League this season but were hit by a transfer embargo last month amid financial difficulties.

However their problems are reportedly about to be eased by the takeover by Mmobuosi, a Nigerian tech entrepreneur whose company Tingo has been valued at around £7billion.

The Times report that Mmobuosi is the subject of the EFL's owners' and directors' test at present but no problems have been flagged so far.

They say that the embargo, which prevents them buying a player for the next 18 months unless they win promotion, was imposed because the Blades failed to keep up payment instalments on signings.

This included payments to Liverpool for forward Rhian Brewster, who was signed in October 2020 for £23.5m but has failed to live up to expectations or his price tag.

Kanu’s Medical And Feeding Regimes Emerge Amidst Failing Health Claims

 Amidst claims and counter claims of Nnamdi Kanu’s worsening health condition and feeding in the custody of the State Security Service, some details of his feeding and medical regimes have emerged.

The document detailing the menu record and medical treatment of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra was sighted by Vanguard on Thursday morning.

The records showed that contrary to the claims by his associates of poor feeding of Kanu and denial of access to medical services, the IPoB leader is given the luxury of choosing any food and drink of his choice on a daily basis.

It was learnt that what Kanu’s chooses to eat, is what is procured and prepared for him on a daily basis by dedicated officials and in keeping with a standard operating procedure of the agency keeping him.

The records also indicated that Kanu sometimes chooses fast foods and where it should be obtained for him and he has never been denied such demands.

Vanguard also obtained the list of medical experts and consultants frequently deployed from both the public and private medical institutions in Nigeria to attend to Kanu as and when due.

The document indicated that although Kanu was brought into the DSS custody with a common health challenge since June 29, 2021, the doctors have since stabilized and regularized the health condition so that it does not pose a threat to him.

A source familiar with Kanu’s feeding and medical services told Vanguard in confidence that there was no basis to subject the IPoB leader to any inhuman treatment since the DSS does have any case with him but is only keeping him safely in its custody based on a court order.

“The DSS does not have any case or issue with Nnamdi Kanu but was only mandated by the court to keep him in safe custody and it would therefore be absurd to deny him adequate food and medical attention available to every human being.

“It is on record that since Kanu was brought into the DSS custody since June 29, 2021, he has been the one choosing his meals and that is what has always been prepared and served him. In fact, many times, if he does not want food prepared for him, he chooses by himself where and what should be bought for him.

“The same maximum attention is given by the service to his medical services since his arrival in the custody in June of 2021. The best of Nigeria’s consultants in the various fields of medicine are regularly deployed to render services to Kanu without any reservation,” the reliable source stated.

Vanguard however gathered that despite the team of medical experts who have been attending to him, his wish is to be united with and be examined by his friend former medical doctor with the Federal Medical Centre Owerri, who recently relocated abroad with his family.

The 44-year-old doctor from the South-East, is however said to be pursuing a higher degree in public health and is yet to become a consultant as those who have been attending to Kanu in Nigeria.

But when contacted for confirmation, the Public Relations Officer of the Department of State Services, Dr. Peter Afunanya, declined, insisting that the service does not comment on any matter that is pending in court.

It would be recalled that some IPoB officials had claimed that Kanu had been poisoned in the custody of the DSS and that the IPoB leader’s health was waning due to poor medical attention until his family came out to push back some of the claims.

Bandit Leader, Kachalla Baleri, Flaunts Redesigned Naira Notes

 Kachalla Baleri, a bandit kingpin, terrorising Kaduna communities has released a video clip showing off the redesigned naira notes.

In the video, Baleri could be seen alongside some armed men displaying N1000 and N200 notes.

The bandit kingpin who claimed to have used some of the new notes to buy ammunition said only God knows the amount of the new naira notes he has stored in sacks.

“We want to send a message to Nigerians, their leaders, and the masses, to be fair and just because of God and his holy prophet,” Baleri said.

“All the tribalism that is happening in the country will not solve anything unless things are done because of God.

“They (government) redesigned the naira, poor people who are innocent don’t even know about it. Some don’t even own up to N10,000. He has to wake up early in the morning to go and hustle.

“What of those who have millions in the cities? You see, it is between them. The money they are saying people are changing, we that are in the bush are changing it, some people who are in the cities haven’t even received it.

“But you see, the people they are referring to as terrorists have hold of the money. This is the new N1000 note, this is the new N200 note.

“We are just showing them a little out of what we have. We have plenty sacks of the new money and Only God knows the amount of the new notes that we have.”

A voice could be in the background of the video saying “I have N10 million at home”.

“We have bought ammunition that we will fight them (government), and we are waiting for what they will say next on the new naira notes,” Baleri added.

Over 6,600 APC Members Defect To PDP In Katsina

 Katsina State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday received over 6600 defectors from the pressure group in the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) otherwise known as APC Akida into its growing fold in Batsari Local Government Area of the state.

At the opposition party campaign rally held in Batsari town, shouts of joy rang out loudly in midst of the thousands that converged on the Batsari market square with big portraits of the candidates of the PDP.

In an impassioned address made against the backdrop of the continued support for the party in the area and the state, the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Sen. Yakubu Lado said that he believed all well meaning people of the state and the nation would vote the party to better their fortunes.

According to him, judging from the antecedents of the nation’s two dominant political parties, especially in the delivery of democratic dividends, the PDP was by far the best.

Consequently, he called on the people to vote for the PDP presidential candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and all its flag bearers, adding that the task of fighting the insecurity, hunger and other socio – economic challenges bedeviling the area, parts of the state and the nation was not the responsibility of state governments alone.

He revealed his plans, if elected, to invest heavily in agricultural sector through establishment of industries for the processing of farm produce to support creation of job opportunities and development of the state.

According to him, the PDP administration would focus on boosting agriculture to ensure food security and improve socio – economic status of people.

Sen. Lado added that the party’s cardinal programmes included free and qualitative education as well as health care delivery to the citizens at the grassroots.

In their separate remarks, the state chairman and director general of the party’s campaign council, Sen. Umar Ibrahim Tsauri and Dr. Mustapha Inuwa, reminded the people of the various developmental projects executed by the party hence the need for them to turn out massively to elect the party’s flag bearers for more dividends of democracy.

The PDP leaders also cautioned people, especially women, to avoid selling their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) which they described as Nigerians’ birthrights.

Earlier, the state chairman of the party, Lawal Magaji Danbachi, expressed gratitude to the people of the area for supporting the party, saying PDP government will reposition not only the area or the state but the nation, if given the mandate.

Fashola: Naira Notes Scarcity Hurting Nigerians, The Policy Must Be Reviewed

 Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, says the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) “is hurting Nigerians” and needs to be reviewed.

The apex bank has fixed February 10 as the new deadline for the swap of old naira notes.

It initially fixed January 31 as the deadline but many Nigerians have not been able to get the new N200, N500, and N1000 notes, prompting a scarcity.

Speaking with Morayo Afolabi-Brown, a talk show moderator, on Wednesday on Instagram Live, Fashola said Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was fighting for Nigerians when he expressed concern about the scarcity of the new notes.



“I feel sympathy for the Nigerian people and what they have had to go through. Sometimes policies play out like this in the process of implementation, sometimes it all ends well and sometimes it calls for reconsideration and review,” Fashola said.

“In spite of the fact the CBN has acted within the spirit and letters of its independence by law, it is important to remember that we serve the public and the public says it is hurting, it is important to take a step back and ask where it is hurting and how we can make it better. It must not be a matter of ego.

“All the credit must go to our candidate being one of the first strong voices, first voice out of the candidates to speak out in Abeokuta.



“Though some were quick to say he was fighting Buhari or he was fighting his own party but it is his nature as a fighter for people. Our candidate hasn’t said don’t change the naira but it is hurting people.

“So the implementation needs a relook.”

‘I WAS NOT TINUBU’S PUPPET’

The minister said he was never a puppet to Tinubu while he was the governor of Lagos but he consulted with him because “of his experience”.

“When I was governor I realized that someone sat in my chair for eight years, that person is still alive, that person has had time to reflect, that person would have made mistakes and I told myself if I wanted to succeed I shouldn’t learn from my own mistakes I should learn from his experience,” he said.