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2019: Tinubu, Fashola, other S’West APC leaders meet, agree to unite Ahead of the 2019 general elections, APC leaders from the south west part of the country met on Thursday in what is arguable the largest public gathering of such in recent times. The All Progressives Congress leaders who have been reportedly forming new alliances to solidify their individual positions in the region, agreed on one thing during the meeting that held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital; the need to unite. The South West APC appear to have begun jettisoning interests that separate them in order to pursue their political aspirations as a united group. The leaders who deliberated for about five hours, resolved afterward that it was important the region unites. A former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, who let out the sole purpose of the meeting when he spoke to newsmen on the mandate of the other leaders, disclosed that the meeting was held for the leaders to look at myria...

Rejoice! Marijuana Is Effective As Medicine   The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on Thursday released a report that states, conclusively, that marijuana has medicinal value. As a result, drug policy lobbyists have called on the federal government to stop impeding on cannabis research in order to fully discover the plant’s many medical benefits. The committee that conducted the study reviewed research published since 1999 and considered more than 10,000 scientific abstracts. Along with reaching nearly 100 conclusions about medicinal marijuana, the committee also proposed how to bolster cannabis research, address roadblocks and improve data collection. “For years the landscape of marijuana use has been rapidly shifting as more and more states are legalizing cannabis for the treatment of medical conditions and recreational use,” said Marie McCormick, chair of the committee, in a statement. “This growing acceptance, accessibility, and ...

Iraqi forces 'retake Mosul University' from ISIL Army says it has seized strategic university complex used as base by ISIL fighters following two days of fierce clashes. Iraqi forces have captured most districts of east Mosul in nearly three months of a US-backed push [Reuters] Iraqi special forces have taken full control of a strategic university in eastern Mosul, according to senior commanders, the latest advance in a major push to drive ISIL out of its last urban stronghold in Iraq. The capture of the Mosul University campus, seized by ISIL fighters when they took over the city in 2014, came after two days of intense clashes. "Security forces have fully liberated the Mosul University," Talib Shaghati, the commander of the elite terrorism-combat service, told state TV on Saturday. "The forces seized chemicals in the laboratories of the universities and defused explosives and car bombs," he added, without providing...

Syria warns Israel after rockets hit air base Large plumes of smoke rise over the capital with the Syrian army accusing Israel of targeting Mazzeh military airport. Israel neither confirms nor denies involvement in striking targets inside Syria [YouTube] The Syrian army has warned Israel of "repercussions" after rockets struck a major military air base outside Damascus. Explosions were heard in the capital early on Friday and residents in city's southwest suburbs saw a large plume of smoke rising from the area. Footage on social media showed flames leaping from parts of the Mazzeh military airport compound. Syrian state television quoted the army as saying several rockets were fired from an area near Lake Tiberias in northern Israel just after midnight which landed in the compound of the air base, used by President Bashar al-Assad's elite Republican Guards. "Syrian army command and armed forces warn Israel of the repercussions of the flagrant a...

    Alcoholic mother who hosted naked Twister party with teen daughter won’t face jail A Georgia mother who hosted a naked Twister sex party for her teen daughter and friends last year won’t face jail time.  Rachel Lehnardt, 35, was sentenced to six years’ probation and $600 in fines for charges stemming from a 2015 party she threw for her 16-year-old daughter and her teen friends at her Evans home. According to the Police report Lehnardt told her Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor of a wild night in April that led to the mother losing custody of her children. Lehnardt told her sponsor that her 16-year-old daughter was at her father’s house when she texted her mom to ask if she could come over with some friends to “party,” according to the police report. Lehnardt responded “come on, let’s party.” Lehnardt told her sponsor she allowed the teens to smoke pot and drink booze in her home. The mother also joined the group i...

Tony Rosato, Canadian ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘SCTV’ alum, dead at 62 The Italian-born comic actor joined Martin Short and Robin Duke as the only three performers to have been cast members of both “Saturday Night Live” and “SCTV,” the classic homegrown comedy show that was spun out of Second City shortly after “SNL” launched in the mid-1970s. One of his most memorable “SCTV” characters was Marcello, a clumsy TV chef whose “Cooking with Marcello” lessons always ended up in a kitchen disaster. Rosato was a TV regular, with appearances on shows including “Due South,” “Street Legal,” “L.A. Law,” “Lonesome Dove,” and “RoboCop,” and the Canadian cable movie “Kissinger and Nixon.” He was also the voice of Luigi in a pair of “Super Marios Bros.” TV series. Rosato ran into legal trouble in later years. In 2007, he was found guilty of criminally harassing his wife. He was diagnosed with Cascaras syndrome, a condition that caused him to bel...

CNN at war with Trump over report and fallout over dossier     A week before the inauguration, CNN is at war with an incoming president, not necessarily for what it reported but for what its reporting unleashed. For all the noise — accusations of “fake news,” the confrontation between Donald Trump and CNN’s Jim Acosta at a news conference, false claims about what CNN had reported or linked to — that realization emerged toward the end of a remarkable 25-minute televised confrontation between Anderson Cooper and Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. When it reported on Tuesday that national intelligence officials had informed the president-elect that the Russians had collected a dossier on his behavior, CNN did not specifically detail what that behavior was because it couldn’t vouch for its veracity. But it was CNN that gave Buzz Feed the cover to do so, Conway said. “You got the party started,” she said. The question is raised: if one person unlocks a box and wal...

Buhari removes Ooni's brother from fresh list of ambassadorial nominees (SEE FULL LIST)   President Muhammadu Buhari sent a revised list of 46 non-career Ambassador for confirmation to the Senate. This was contained in a letter read on the floor by the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, January 12. When Buhari first presented the non-career ambassadorial list in November, the Senate rejected it because there were numerous petitions against the nominees. Also, two nominees, Pauline Tallen, a former deputy governor of Plateau state, and Usman Bugaje, from Katsina state, turned down their appointment. Several new names are on the new list while others like Adegboyega Ogunwusi (Osun), brother of Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife; George Oguntade, a former supreme court judge; Olorunnibe Mamora, a former Lagos-east senator; and Musa Ibeto from Niger were removed. Below is the full list. 1. Uzoma Eminike (Adamawa) 2. Aminu Lawal (Adamawa) 3. Godw...

APC Senator Advises Deputy Senate President to Decamp APC senator and spokesperson of Senate Unity Forum (SUF) has called on Deputy Senate President to decamp to All Peoples Congress (APC - The senator said the only seat remaining for the APC to clinch is Deputy Senate President’s position The spokesperson of the Senate Unity Forum (SUF), a forum that canvassed for Lawan’s Presidency, Senator Kabiru Marafa (APC, Zamfara) has advised the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu to decamp to the APC. APC senator advises Deputy Senate President to decamp Marafa who said the emergence of Lawan has ended the storm in the Senate said the only seat remaining for the APC to clinch is the Deputy Senate President's position. Marafa said: “I am using this medium to call on Ekweremadu to simply decamp. Section 68(G) of the 1999 Constitution captures this. Thank God the rift between Makarfi and Sheriff’s faction has made this possible. The sitting ...

US tanks and troops in Poland a threat, Russia says        Russia says it views the arrival of more than 3,000 US soldiers in Poland as a threat to its own security. The troops are part of President Barack Obama's response to reassure Nato allies concerned about a more aggressive Russia. It is the largest US military reinforcement of Europe in decades. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the move "threatens our interests and our security". "It's a third country that is building up its military presence on our borders in Europe," he said. "It isn't even a European country." Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Mechkov called the deployment a "factor destabilizing European security". Poland's Undersecretary of State for De fence Tomasz Szatkowski said the deployment was necessary because of Russia's "large exercises" next to its border and its "aggressive actions in...

President Buhari sends new ‘revised’ list of ambassadorial nominees to Senate President Muhammadu Buhari has sent to the Senate a revised list of 46 non-career ambassadorial nominees for legislative approval The Punch reports that Bukola Saraki, the President of the Senate, read President Buhari’s letter to the lawmakers during Thursday, January 12’s plenary session The Senate has received a new ‘revised’ list of ambassadorial nominees from President Buhari.

39 APC senators that signed letter removing Ndume as Senate Leader have been revealed  The list of senators who voted to removed senator Ndume Ali of Borno South as Senate Leader has been revealed -The ruling party was said to have been delighted with the removal of Senator Ali Ndume as the Senate Majority Leader -Thirty-nine out of the 63 All Peoples Congress (APC) senators signed the letter which demanded for the replacement of Ali Ndume How 39 APC senators signed letter removing Ndume as Senate Leader (FULL LIST) It has been revealed that 39 out of the 63 members of All Peoples Congress (APC) senators signed the letter which demanded the replacement of Ali Ndume with Ahmed Lawan as the Senate Leader. According to Premium Times, the letter titled: ‘Notice of Vote of No Confidence/Change of Leadership’ was read by Senate President Bukola Saraki before the Senate adjourned on Tuesday, January 10. Recall that Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South was removed as Sena...

Chief US spy James Clapper denies Trump leak claim    The head of US spy agencies has rejected President-elect Donald Trump's claim that US intelligence leaked content from a classified briefing. Mr Trump accused US spies of leaking allegations that Russia had compromising material on him. But James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, said he was "profoundly dismayed" by the leak. He also said the intelligence community had not "made any judgment" that the information was reliable. His statement said he had spoken to Mr Trump on Wednesday evening. "I emphasized that this document is not a US Intelligence Community product and that I do not believe the leaks came from within the IC." Mr Clapper said they agreed the security breach was "extremely corrosive and damaging to our national security" and the intelligence community "stands ready to serve his administration". The president-elect gave a press confer...

How did President-elect Trump handle press conference? Nailed it . How did President-elect Donald Trump's first press conference go? He nailed it. It was strange, abusive,  occasionally misleading. But he nailed it. And while the media will complain that he tried to silence individual reporters -- which he did -- the reality is that the conference was about as raw and detailed as you're likely to get from a president-elect. He gave us a dozen headlines from just one encounter. This is the Trump paradox: Trump and the press hate each other yet they feed off each other. Trump's press conference We actually learned a lot. Trump's two legislative priorities are building the wall and repealing and replacing Obamacare. What he'll replace Obamacare with remains a mystery -- but at least we know what's coming. Trump also said that he'll name his Supreme Court nominee within two weeks of his inaugurati...

             Trump: 'I think it was Russia'              President-elect Donald Trump said for the first time he believes Russia was behind hacking ahead of the election. "I think it was Russia," Trump said during his first news conference as President-elect. He added that Russia is not the only nation that hacks US targets and accused Democrats of not having sufficient cyber security programs. The news conference opened with his spokesman, Sean Spices, slamming a "political witch hunt" following reports that Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Trump. Vice President-elect Mike Pence also criticized the media before introducing Trump, who kept up his criticism of US intelligence. "I do have to say and I must say that I want to thank a lot of the news organizations here today because they looked ...

Obj and PDP: A marriage made in heaven There was a small frenzy over the weekend with the sighting of former President Olusegun Obasanjo at a PDP event. Observers were of the opinion that he just may be meandering his way back after publicly denouncing the party in the lead to the last general elections. Obj, as he is popularly called, had seriously denounced the party and also dramatically supervised the tearing of his identification card which to me finalized his exit. This movement over the weekend, although denied has brought to my mind the lack of ideology in Nigerian politics. Our leaders are not steeped in ideology, hence the ease with which they shift camps and grounds. We are bereft of issue-based politics and continue to chase material value and ego-driven ambitions to the detriment of ideology which is usually the cement with which you weld political cohesion. The bandwagon movement towards the APC during the last epoch perfectly explains this. Or, how d...

ECOWAS leaders plan second attempt to convince Jammeh to step down Rising after a one-day summit in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, ECOWAS leaders decided they will visit Gambian President Yahya Jammeh on Wednesday in a second attempt to press him to hand over power. That much information was revealed by Nigeria’s foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama who also revealed on Monday after the summit staged in Abuja that the delegation for the second meeting will be led by the presidents of Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia. “They resolved that three presidents will visit Jammeh on Wednesday to press him again to hand over (power). They are the presidents of Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone,” Onyeama said after a one-day ECOWAS summit. Onyema also revealed that the meeting will also be attended by the former president of Ghana, John Mahama, along with representatives of the United Nations and African Union.

Eyebrows raise in Uganda after Museveni makes son his adviser There is a feeling of suspicion in Uganda after President Yoweri Museveni appointed his son as his senior adviser in a move many critics see as a plot to groom someone to succeed him in power. Museveni who has been accused in the past of giving powerful positions to members of his family moved his son, Major General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, from his position at the head of the army’s Special Forces. According to reports, Museveni’s brother, Salim Saleh, is another presidential adviser and his wife, Janet Museveni, is minister of education. “Muhoozi … is going to play a significant role in a post-Museveni Uganda, there’s no doubt about it,” said political commentator and rights activist Nicholas Opiyo. “He is just giving the boy a hand in experiencing how government works on the side of politics.

NAMA, AIB, NIMET bosses booted out The Federal Government on Monday announced that it had relieved the chief executive officers of the four aviation agencies in Nigeria. No reason was given for the action. The agencies are, the Nigerian Airspace ManagementAgency (NAMA), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria and the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) with new appointees directed to resume work with immediate effect. The Presidency announced that President Muhammadu Buhari, who approved the sack appointed Captain Fola Akinkuotu, a former Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as the new Managing Director of NAMA, while its acting Managing Director, Emma Anasi, who was due for retirement was asked to proceed on terminal leave. Government also appointed a deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Abuja, Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi as Director-General, NIMET, as Dr. Anthony Anufor...

Neighbours in court for fighting with faeces A hairdresser identified as Gbemisola Adejumo and a 30-year-old driver Michael Godwin have both landed in court after they were both involved in a public fight which saw them both smear themselves with faeces. The pair who were arraigned on a two -count charge of public fight and polluting the atmosphere with faeces appeared on Tuesday before an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan. The accused both of NW6/116 Ayorinde Street, Queen Cinema, Adamasingba area, Ibadan, according to the Prosecutor, Sgt. Salewa Hammed were engaged in a public fight on January 5, at about 7:30am at their residence. While addressing the court, the Prosecutor said; “During the fight the two accused persons allegedly fought each other by pouring faeces on themselves thereby polluting the atmosphere with faeces. “This makes it noxious to the health of the general public.” He said that the accused persons engaged in the fi...

Investigations… SEC suspension of Heritage Capital Markets and the untold story The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had recently informed Nigerians that it had suspended Heritage Capital Markets Limited indefinitely from all capital market activities. The regulator, however, did not tell industry stakeholders and Nigerians in general of the circumstances that led to the action, or how its own internal communications gaps led to what could be described as an avoidable error. An investigation by Ripples Nigeria revealed that the suspension order on Heritage from all capital market activities came over a family crisis on the control of the estate of a late business tycoon, Prince Cyril Ukachukwu. SEC had on December 21, 2016 slammed the indefinite suspension on Heritage Capital Markets, a stockbroking and dealing firm, its directors and sponsored individuals “in connection with the unauthorized sale of shares belonging to an investor and its ...

POLL: Nigerians want Buhari to retain Magu at EFCC, despite Senate rejection Even though the Senate rejected Mr Ibrahim Magu as the chairman of the EFCC, Nigerians have voted that President Muhammadu Buhari retain him in that position. The Senate, had on the 15th of December, 2016, declined to confirm Magu as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), basing its decision on a report from the Department of State Services (DSS). The decision had even threatened to divide the Red Chamber, as Majority Leader, Ali Ndume gave an interpretation to the action saying Magu was not rejected. However, Senate spokesman, Abdullahi Sabi faulted Ndume’s claims, and even dissociated the Senate leadership from Ndume’s denial. According to him, “the Senate rejects the said nomination and has returned the said nomination to Mr. President for further action. There is no confusion here. We have said it is based on security reports”. Few days af...

      Senate to commence debate on 2017 budget next week Senate to commence debate on 2017 budget next week The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has revealed that the Red Chamber will commence debate on the 2017 budget document next week. Saraki who spoke on Tuesday when the Senate reconvened after a 3-week Christmas break, also revealed that the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) will be passed Thursday. Saraki assured that Nigerians will be carried along throughout the process of budget consideration by the relevant committees of the Senate. He noted: “It is therefore imperative that we immediately begin work earnestly on the MTEF to ensure passage by the end of the week. In this way, consideration and debate on the 2017 budget will immediately follow in the 3 “sitting days” of the next week. “It is our hope that we will with this budget begin the implementation of the report of t...