BlackBox Nigeria

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

The Igbo community in Lagos State yesterday conferred a chieftaincy title on Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, just as he promised that the state would be home to all tribes, where no one would be discriminated against.

Conferring the title of 'Ezi Nwanne Ndigbo 1' on Agbaje in his palace in Surulere area of Lagos, Eze Cyril Anomneze, who dressed the politician with the insignia of office, including the titular staff, beads and robe, described Agbaje as a true friend of Igbo people.
'Ezi Nwanne Ndigbo' translates to 'the Dearly Beloved Brother from another Land'.
‎
Present at the occasion were several titular heads, including the President- General of Igbo associations in Lagos, Chief Ebere Ubani.

Eze Anomneze said that Igbo people saw Agbaje as their standard bearer in the Lagos gubernatorial race.
Ndigbo said it has thrown its weight behind Agbaje, advising Igbo indigenes to collect their PVCs and remain in Lagos to vote for Agbaje.

It advised Igbos in Lagos not to travel out of Lagos for the Easter celebration, "considering the proximity of the April 11 gubernatorial election to the Easter celebration, to enable us optimise our electoral franchise for Agbaje."

At a subsequent interactive programme organised by paramount rulers of Ndigbo in Lagos at the National Stadium, Agbaje said the masses of school-leaving youth failing the West African School Certificate Examination meant that the army of touts in the state would continue to swell and constitute nuisance to the society.

Blaming politicians who used young men as political thugs during elections, Agbaje warned that the use of young men as political thugs could boomerang and result in another Boko Haram menace.
Dehinbo Odunayo Francis

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎‎

Just a few days after Davido told a fan on Twitter that his other talent apart from music is love making, the HKN star is now in the news for allegedly impregnating an older lover based in Abuja.

A recent report revealed: 'Davido and Sophie, an Abuja based university drop-out kicked off their affair around July 2014 after she was offered as the 'soul-calmer' for the night during one of his trips to the prestigious Transcorp Hilton hotel, Abuja. The relationship between Davido and Belladona, as she is popularly known, we further obtained, started getting serious around early September 2014 even though his HKN gang never supported it.'

Going further, the report says: 'This is a girl that is known as a big time runs girl in the whole of Abuja, she and her friends Harriet and Rockxy have slept with virtually all the big boys and politicians in Abuja, so Shina Rambo and the rest of the gang know her story and can never be happy she is now claiming to be pregnant for Davido.'

With the news having gone viral,  media reached out to Davido who is currently in Atlanta but the superstar declined making any response on the matter.

However, a member of his team who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, said: 'People like to talk, the fact that the girl is pregnant doesn't mean that Davido is the one responsible. Anyways, we both know it's not today that we've been having all this pregnancy allegations for Davido.'

When asked if Davido truly knows the lady in question and has had any sexual relationship with her, the source went on to add:‎
'The truth is Davido sure knows the girl, but they are not as close as they used to be so I really can't tell, and if she comes tomorrow and says Davido is the father of her baby or Davido got her pregnant then we'll demand a DNA test.'

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

It seems our darling actress, Tonto Dikeh, a.ka. Poko Queen has decided to go 'wild' and blond after the messy husband snatching drama.
The Nollywood bad girl got the social media buzzing few weeks back when she finally unveiled the face of her supposed mystery boyfriend, she addresses as Mr. X.

Few hours after the grand revelation, details emerged about an Instagram page that was created on February 22, just a day before Tonto Dikeh shared the face of her boyfriend, in which the user detailed that 'Mr. X' is a married man.‎

Regardless of the news making the rounds Tonto Dikeh, a while ago, she posted a new picture of herself on Instagram, half nude and blonde with the caption 'Life is too short to be miserable'.

Perhaps the criticism that she has been receiving is making her at the verge of going miserable.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested a suspected fraudster, Obiechina Chikeluba for allegedly swindling Kieran Oakes, a UK citizen, the sum of £54,000 (equivalent of N20m) in love scam. Chikeluba, a 21-year-old student of Federal Science and Technical College Yaba, Lagos, met the victim on Facebook sometime in 2013.
The suspect, using the assumed profile of an American, Lisa Jackson, entered into a relationship with Oakes, with the pair agreeing to get married. In the course of their relationship, 'Jackson' at various times collected money to the tune of £54,000 from Oakes, to enable him travel to the UK to meet her.

After an endless wait for her fiancé, it dawned on the Briton that she had been conned, and consequently petitioned the EFCC. Operatives of the Commission arrested Chikeluba in a sting operation on February 24, 2015 in Lagos while attempting to collect a parcel sent to him.‎

He will appear in court as soon as investigation is concluded

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎

It is now official that Cristiano Ronaldo is the wealthiest footballer in the world. He leads the pack with a personal fortune of £152m – some £7m more than his rival Lionel Messi who boats of £145m.

According to the Goal.com Rich List, released on Thursday, Ronaldo and Messi enjoy fortunes considerably higher than any other footballer currently playing professionally.

Ronaldo's success follows an outstanding 2014 where he inspired Real Madrid to Champions League success and a personal achievement with the Ballon d'Or.

The Portuguese retained his Ballon d'Or accolade in Zurich back in January

Barcelona's Lionel Messi was second on the Rich List with a personal wealth of £145m.

Their totals, which take into account sponsorship revenue as well as wages and bonuses, are well above that of Neymar, who comes third in the list with a fortune of £97.9m.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Paris Saint-Germain and Sweden is worth £76.1m, while Manchester United's Wayne Rooney is the highest-ranked English man on the list in fifth on £74.6m.

Brazilian star Kaka, about to start his career with Orlando City in Major League Soccer, is sixth in the rankings on £69.6m, followed by Samuel Eto'o (£63.1m), Raul (£61.6m) and Ronaldinho (£60.2m).

Former England midfielder Frank Lampard, currently playing for Manchester City ahead of his move to New York City in the MLS, rounds out the top 10 with a personal fortune of £58m.

Other English players in the top 20 are Rio Ferdinand (12th, £52.2m), Steven Gerrard (14th, £46.4m) and John Terry (20th, £40.6m).

Real Madrid fans chase Ronaldo in his new white Rolls Royce Barcelona and Brazil star Neymar comes in third on the list with an estimated fortune of £97.9m

The Top 10 List

1. Cristiano Ronaldo £152.3
2. Lionel Messi £145m
3. Neymar £97.9m
4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic £76.1m
5. Wayne Rooney £74.6m
6. Kaka £69.6m
7. Samuel Eto'o £63.1m
8. Raul £61.6m
9. Ronaldinho £60.2m
10. Frank Lampard £58m

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎
Alexandre Lacazette believes club will happily cash in on him at the end of the season if the right offer comes along.

Lacazette was heavily linked with a move away from the Stade de Gerland before the start of the season and after scoring 25 goals so far in a campaign in which he missed almost a month due to a recent thigh injury, the attacker is likely to be a hot commodity again, with Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool all said to be keen on the France international.

Last year, when I was being talked about regarding a possible transfer. That worried me because I struggled to deal with all the speculation, which was coming from all sides," Lacazette told OL TV.

My aim is now to do my best this season and at the end of the season we shall see. I know that several clubs are watching me, but I will think about whether I want to leave or stay later on and then we shall see.

At the moment I cannot say if I am staying or not, because if a club puts a certain amount of millions of euros on the table, the president
will probably tell me to leave.
Yhemmy_blaq

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎
Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse has accepted an FA charge relating to a spitting incident with Jonny Evans during his side's 1-0 defeat to
Manchester United at St James' Park on Wednesday.

The two men clashed towards the end of the first half at St James' Park after Evans had tackled Cisse and TV images appear to show the Northern Irishman spit at the Newcastle striker, who then responds in kind.

Evans released a statement insisting he was "shocked" by the accusations of spitting, while Cisse publicly apologised for reacting to something he described as "very unpleasant".

A three-man panel of former elite referees reviewed footage of the incident and unanimously concluded that both men were guilty of a red card offence earlier on Thursday.

Cisse will now face a seven-game ban after
accepting the charge as it would class as his second red card of the season, ruling him out of action until May.

Evans, meanwhile, would face a six-game ban if he accepts or is found guilty of the charge.‎
Yhemmy_blaq

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎
National team coach Dunga named his first squad of 2015 at a press conference in Rio on Thursday,  as two high profile players are included .

There was disappointment for Ricardo Goulart and Everton Ribeiro, however, whose recent switches to Asia and the Middle East, respectively, appear to have contributed to their omissions.
There was also no room for Corinthians defender Gil, who also missed out on the previous squad, which earned victories over Turkey and Austria and was solely for foreign-based players.
The Selecao meet Les Bleus in Paris on March 26 before heading to London to host Copa America hosts Chile at the Emirates Stadium on
March 29.

Goalkeepers :
Jefferson (Botafogo), Marcelo Grohe (Gremio), Diego Alves (Valencia)

Defenders :
David Luiz (Paris Saint-Germain), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), Miranda (Atletico Madrid), Fabinho (Monaco), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Filipe Luis
(Chelsea), Danilo (Porto).

Midfielders :
Luiz Gustavo (Wolfsburg), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Elias (Corinthians), Souza (Sao Paulo), Oscar (Chelsea), Willian (Chelsea), Coutinho (Liverpool), Douglas Costa (Shakhtar Donetsk).

Forwards :
Roberto Firmino (Hoffenheim), Neymar (Barcelona), Diego Tardelli (Shandong Luneng), Robinho (Santos).
Yhemmy_blaq

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎

Nigeria Professional Football league(NPFL) champions Kano pillars were attacked at about 1:15pm on Thursday while on their way to Owerri for their 2015/16 NPFL season opening fixture against Heartland Fc.

One cap Super Eagles Player Muhammed Gambo, Oneji Otekpa, Adamu Murtala, Rueben Ogbonnaya and Ubong Ekpai all got injured when the gun men suspected to be armed robbers attacked the team bus along Abaji-Lokoja road.

The Spokesperson of the team Idris Walikawa on his account said the armed robbers shot at the bus sporadically and gave the Sai Masu Gida no chance of escape and also confirmed that the injured players are currently receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre in Lokoja.

BBN has also gathered from a source within the team that the injured players have left the hospital and are currently recuperating at an undisclosed location pending their return to the team.

However, the League Management Company(LMC) has issued a statement concerning this tragic event and ruled that the Opening match against Heartland Fc that was billed for March 7 will be postponed, although the other league game would still go on as planned with Dolphins Fc of Port Harcourt taking on newly promoted Kwara United in the Early hours of March 7.‎

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎

Ten more auto plants have finalised plans to begin operations in Nigeria before the end of this year.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, disclosed this during a meeting with vehicle manufacturers, dealers and licensed Customs agents in Abuja.
He said, "From the stakeholders meetings we have held so far, I must say that we are particularly encouraged by the level of interest and enthusiasm being shown towards the new automotive policy by Nigerians and also by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
"The bottom line is that everyone is saying that so far, we have exceeded our expectations. If anyone had told us that about 22 OEMS would sign into the new auto policy in less than one year of its implementation, we might not have believed it. Currently, we have about four of them that are assembling vehicles in Nigeria. We are expecting another 10 OEMs to start assembling cars in the country before the end of this year."
"Since the commencement of the implementation of the policy in July 2014, we have been meeting with all the stakeholders in the auto industry. This is to ensure that we carry everyone along so that we can fast-track the implementation of the policy and achieve the overall objectives of the policy in terms of job creation, industrialisation, local content development and reduction of pressure on our foreign exchange due to massive importation of vehicles into the country.
"Together with the major players in the sector, we have discussed and agreed on ways of accelerating the local production of automotive component parts on a product by product basis. Also, we have focused on how to establish an affordable vehicle financing scheme as quickly as possible.
 "In this regard, we have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with WestBank, (the bank that finances one out of every three cars produced in South Africa) to finance the purchase of new cars for Nigerians at a very low interest rate. The bank will commence operation very soon. The whole idea is to make finance available for Nigerians who are buying new cars assembled in Nigeria, with an option to pay back within a period of four to five years," he said.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎‎

Ahead of the Presidential election slated for March 28 this year, Muslim and Christian religious leaders operating under the auspices of Inter-faith Prayer Forum are to hold a joint prayer rally for President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo in Abuja on March 20.

The churches and mosques involved in the expected prayer session number more than 3000.

This was disclosed by leaders of the prayer forum led by Archbishop Leonard Kawas and Sheik Dan Zanga when they paid a courtesy call on the Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr Ahmadu Ali, in Abuja.
Spokesman of the Inter-faith Prayer Forum, Archbishop Leonard Kawas said they are in support of the administration of President Jonathan and applauded the PDP-led administration for doing "great works."

According to him, no one can ascend the presidency if he does not have the blessing of God and that is why religious leaders have been praying ceaselessly for the present administration.‎
"Koran and the Bible agree on the fact that only God Almighty gives power," he said.
Dehinbo Odunayo Francis

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎‎

Hundreds of candidates wishing to sit for Monday's Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination escaped death in Jos after they were fired at by policemen called to maintain law and order.
This happened on Wednesday after they went berserk following the inability of the authorities to release examination slips to them.

The candidates had gathered at the Murtala Mohammed Way office of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board following announcements that they should come for the details of their examination centres.
One of our correspondents gathered that the candidates were asked by JAMB officials to leave their slips and come back later to collect their details.
However, the authorities were overwhelmed by the sheer number of students who had converged on the office.

The candidates were said to have become restive when the staff of JAMB were very slow in releasing the slips to them.
In the confusion that ensued, the officials closed their offices and asked the candidates to come back the next day. At this juncture, they became enraged and started smashing doors and windows of the offices.
The policemen were said to have fired gunshots in the air to disperse the candidates.

One of the candidates, who identified herself as Kemi, expressed dismay at the development, saying that the officials were endangering their lives. She said JAMB had chosen its office as the only centre to get the information instead of decentralising to other business centres.
She said many students would have been knocked down by motorists fleeing from the gunshots.
She said, "The huge number of candidates at the office was enough to attract any suicide bomber and in the event of any such incident, the casualties would be monumental."

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Emmanuel Abuh, told one of our correspondents that the police were called to maintain law and order after the candidates became riotous.
He said, "The police only dispersed them because they constituted a great danger to motorists because the office is located at a major highway."

Also, pandemonium engulfed the office of JAMB in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital and the College of Education, Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, as a result of protests by the candidates and students respectively.
While scores of candidates in Lokoja protested against the alleged plan by JAMB workers to cheat them by demanding extra charges than the stipulated fees, the students in Ilorin on Wednesday made attempts to disrupt examinations being taken by their colleagues.

Our correspondent gathered that some people had accused some workers in JAMB office in Lokoja of demanding more than the prescribed fees.
It was gathered on Wednesday that the aggrieved candidates stormed JAMB office in Phase 2 Lokoja and engaged the JAMB officials in a free for all which led to the collapse of the entrance gate.

One of the candidates, who spoke to journalists in Lokoja on condition of anonymity, said during the time they were purchasing the forms, JAMB officials allegedly demanded extra fee of N700.
He said, "Ordinarily we can do the registration online from any internet-based platform, but because they wanted to extort that N700 from each of the candidates, they gave the order.
"When it was time to check for our centres and get the print outs for Saturday computer-based test, they asked us to pay the money."

The state JAMB Coordinator, Mr. Daniel Agbo, was said to have sought the assistance of officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to bring the situation under control.

A visit to the JAMB office was also futile for our correspondent, a lady, who declined to disclose her name, but said she was a JAMB worker said Agbo was not in office.

In Ilorin, the rampaging students disrupted the examinations being taken by their colleagues and other academic activities. They also obstructed the free flow of traffic on Ilorin General Hospital to Saw Mill Road.‎
Some of the students, who spoke with journalists in Ilorin, but declined to mention their names, said they embarked on the protest because some students were ejected from the examination hall for not paying certain levy of N4,500 called, "Course form fee".
They further alleged that the protest was triggered off when some of them who had paid their schools fees were sent out of examination hall for not paying the course form levy.

But the Rector of the college, Dr. Isiaka Opobiyi, said the protesters had not paid their school fees and attempted to prevent those who had paid from taking their examinations.
He said, "The members of the school management are managing the situation."

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎‎

The Islamic sect, Boko Haram, yesterday, slaughtered 74 men and 20 children at Njaba Village in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State for refusing to join the insurgents.

There was, however, no official confirmation from either police or military authorities on the claims by residents of both Damboa and Chibok, where over 200 schoolgirls were abducted early last year.
It was gathered from some security operatives that some of the insurgents, led by a commander, Sidi Babangida, also known as Abu Sid, who had been on the wanted list of security operatives, was said to have attempted taking Damboa town on two occasions, but failed and had been recruiting more fighters for the sect in and around Damboa and Gujba Local Government areas in Borno and Yobe states.
A security source, who spoke on grounds of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the issue, said they received the news of the attack and killing of 74 men and 20 children, but added that there was no official report on the incident as security operatives had been detailed to Damboa area to authenticate the claim by locals.
The source said: "At times, when reports like these come to us, it turns out to be true because the locals naturally tell security operatives of happenings around them.
"They have been very helpful. There was report earlier by some local traders that they saw the sect members holding a meeting after they had been dislodged from Gujba and Damboa is next to Gujba, along Yobe and Borno border.
"So it may be true. But try to speak with the commissioner. He may oblige you more on that."
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Gideon Jibril's phone was busy and when this reporter visited the police headquarters in Maiduguri for confirmation, the PPRO and Police Commissioner were said to be out on assignments.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎
President Goodluck Jonathan has admitted that his his chances of winning the March 28 presidential poll was slimmer than in 2011.

Jonathan expressed confidence that he was going to win the March 28 election under the platform of the PDP, but admitted that his chances were not as bright as they were   in 2011.
He said, "Globally, a sitting president wins with fewer votes than during his first attempt. The PDP still has better chances of winning a national election. The PDP is still the dominant party; there's no polling unit where you don't have PDP members.
"If you remove the PDP elements in the opposition, it   collapses like a pack of cards. PDP still has an edge over every other party; I am not worried about what the outcome of the presidential election would be."

He said he believed that Nigerians would vote for him because his administration had done well.

Jonathan added that   sometimes, his administration was busy developing the country that it forgot to advertise its achievements.

He said if Nigerians considered the present state of the nation with its position some years back, they would prefer that he continued in office for the next four years.

He said the additional years would afford him the opportunity to stabilise the country.
"If Nigerians really know what we were before and what we did within these four years, then they will encourage us to at least continue for the next four years," Jonathan added.

On the alleged plot by the Peoples Democratic Party and his administration to foist an interim government on the nation, Jonathan maintained that there was no provision for such in the country's constitution.
"There's no provision for interim government in our constitution. The only interim government is military government. Talking about interim government to me is treasonable. There are some Nigerians that are bent on creating crisis in this country. There is no reason to doubt the May 29 handover," the President said.

Jonathan also spoke on the difficulties faced by motorists at filling stations   across the country, saying that the pain was temporary.

He said with the issue of payment being addressed by his government, fuel queues   would end in the next one or two days.
"For   fuel scarcity, we are doing everything humanly possible to ensure it is taken care of. It is very temporary. Of course, there are issues of payment being addressed and we believe that within one or two days, this will completely go," the President said.

He however explained that Nigeria might not be completely free from   fuel scarcity until the nation started refining crude oil.
The President faulted claims in some quarters that the recent reduction in the pump price of petrol was politically-motivated, saying the decision was purely an economic one.
He said, "It (price reduction) is not politically-motivated. The way people play politics with everything in Nigeria is quite unfortunate. Pump prices are not constant but are based on changes in the international market.
"When I came on board as Vice-President in 2007, the price of crude oil at the international market dropped to about $40, there was a day it dropped to $38 per barrel and we dropped the pump price to N65 per litre.
"We had to keep it up to N97 when the price went up to about $111 per barrel at the international market. The cushioning gap was because the subsidy became unbearable to government. So we had to push it up to N97 per litre.
"Now that the international crude oil price has dropped back to about $60 or so, it would not be fair for you to still ask Nigerians to pay N97 except you want to deregulate completely.

"But if you are not deregulating completely then the pump price will oscillate based on the international price of crude oil. So it has nothing to do with politics."

When asked whether he would privatise the nation's refineries, Jonathan said the private sector was better in terms of managing enterprises.

He said globally, the best practice was for government to create an enabling environment for the private sector to drive the economy.

The president added, "If the refineries are privatised and the private sector takes over, they are not going to bring people from the moon to work, they are still going to employ Nigerians but there is the fear of the unknown which is normal in human behaviour.
"That makes people to resist some changes. But for the refineries, we will definitely do that. We will privatise them completely in a way they would have no effect on Nigerians.
"So, we cannot continue to have refineries that would not work. It is not even helpful to them.
"But the most important thing is not just to privatise the government-owned refineries but allow the private sector to build their own refineries and that is where we are going."

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎

President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed confidence that the over 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram in their hostel   in Chibok, Borno State last year are still alive.

The President based his position on the fact that terrorists would naturally display the corpses of the girls if they had been killed.
He spoke while featuring on Kakaaki, a breakfast programme on a private television station, African Independent Television.

Reiterating his promise that the girls would be rescued alive, Jonathan said, "The good story is that they ( insurgents) have not killed them   because when terrorists kill, they display the corpses   to intimidate the people.‎
"So, these girls are alive. And so, we will get the girls. Luckily, we are narrowing down the areas of their(insurgents) control. So we will get them."

The President stressed that   security forces were   wary of storming the main stronghold of Boko Haram because the insurgents might   use the girls as human shields.
"Because they may use them as shields so we are working with the global best practices. We can't just move in with artillery and clear the place," he said.

The President however contradicted his earlier assertion during his Monday interview with the international   television news channel, Al Jazeera, that the Federal Government did not mishandle the Boko Haram insurgency.
Jonathan said, "Yes, I agree that at the beginning, probably we did not really estimate the capacity of Boko Haram. Boko Haram started as a non-violent group led by (Mohammed) Yusuf and limited to around Maiduguri, of course, from Yobe to Maiduguri. It did not even get up to Adamawa, muchless of Yobe or Kano or Bauchi.
"So, it started as a non-violent group. But just like every group made up of youths or young people taking to criminality, Boko Haram expanded their network and linked up with other terrorist organisations in North Africa. Of course like al-Qaeda and others all over the world. So, they continue to build their capacity."

While admitting that the nation, at a time, had issues procuring weapons to fight the insurgents, the President said the challenge had been overcome.
He disclosed that the country had been able to procure between 60 and 65 per cent of the weapons needed to prosecute the anti-terrorism war.

But Jonathan's assurance that the abducted girls would be freed was doused by the   Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, who said they might not be found.

Chidoka, who featured on a programme – BBC HARDTalk – monitored by one our correspondents in Abuja on Thursday, however expressed confidence that the   military would successfully dislodge   Boko Haram.

He said, " Boko Haram is a terror group. It has decimated the girls across vast areas, 98,000 square kilometres of land area in Borno State, which is even bigger than Scotland.
"The size of Borno State is bigger than Scotland and we don't have these girls packed in a room and waiting for ransom. This is an evil terror organisation."

When probed further to state if the   government will rescue the girls, the minister replied, "Well, as we dismantle them (Boko Haram) in their areas, we are going to see what is behind those lines; we are going to see what they are doing in those forests and maybe we will find them (Chobok girls), maybe not.
"But we are looking forward seriously to see what is behind those lines."

The minister   refuted claims that the United States   experts gave intelligence obtained from their drones to the Nigerian military and faulted reports that the Nigerian forces failed to act on the intelligence report from the US.
He said, "(That is) not correct, not correct, because every time they talk about intelligence they've given to Nigerians. We do know that at some point when we were in the middle of the major crisis, most of the intelligence we got from them was in relation to the Chibok girls."

Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Wednesday night had a closed-door meeting with parents and relatives of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

Plans to get the girls released from Boko Haram captivity was discussed at the meeting attended by 30 parents of the kidnapped girls, five Chibok elders and three youth leaders from the community.

The Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil, represented Jonathan at the meeting which took place in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Wakil, according a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media, Olawale Rasheed,   assured the parents that the government remained committed to the safe return of the girls.

He told the parents that the government had devised comprehensive counter- insurgency strategies with four focal goals: reclaiming occupied territories; rescuing   abducted persons; resettling   internally displaced persons and rehabilitating insurgency ravaged communities.

The statement quoted the minister as saying , "Mr President is pursuing multi- faceted strategies which address the pains, anger and frustrations of victims . Our President directed me to tell you that his government is committed to doing everything possible for the safe return of your daughters.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) General Muhammadu Buhari, last night departed London for Nigeria on British Airways Flight #083.

He is believed to have arrived in Abuja earlier this morning Friday at 5:45 a.m. according to a flight itinerary.

The APC didn't plan any major airport ceremony to herald Buhari's return because his arrival was rather too early, but a close source said he will be returning to the campaign train right away.  He had visited 35 States before his trip to the United Kingdom.

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) had made Buhari's absence a major campaign issue, claiming that he was hospitalized for an undisclosed disease, but Buhari defied the rumors and made a working trip to Chatham House to deliver a speech last week.
At the event Buhari waved aside any notion of illness.‎

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

The lingering fuel scarcity which hit had on the entire country in the last four days, may easy up this week.
‎
It was learnt that the 58 million litres of fuel promised by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, have been released to major marketers. Confirming the development, Mr. Taofeek Lawal, Head Corporate Affairs of NIPCO Plc disclosed that they have started dispensing the product
"We are part of the 58 million litres allocation. I don't have the actual volume received by NIPCO, but we were given together with Aiteo. In fact, we have started dispensing. We are even doing a marathon night loading to make sure we reach all our customers. We are always ready to serve them," he said.
Efforts made to reach Aiki Odianwe, Head Corporate Affairs of Aiteo were not successful as her phone was switched.
However, most of the filling stations visited were closed to customers, while few that opened were besieged by motorists who formed long queues to get the product. Conoil, MRS, Total, Acorn and Oando stations at Alapere area of Lagos were closed, while Oando and Conoil station at Marina, Lagos, were open with long queues of buyers, which resulted in the traffic snarl that engulfed the area. At Mobil and Forte stations on Moloney Street, Lagos Island, there was also traffic jam, as motorists struggled to get fuel.
Motorists claimed that they bought a litre of petrol at N100, as against the approved pump price of N87.The situation has created an opportunity for "black market" to thrive as fuel hawkers make brisk business. It was further learnt that in such areas as Ogba and Agege, two litres of fuel sold for N250.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎‎

NAFDAC has declared one Mr Kenneth Okereke wanted for operating several warehouses of counterfeit medicines and where counterfeit medicines worth N1billion were seized in lagos. OKEREKE (agama) resides at House 3, Ameze street, off Magodo road, Shangisha, lagos.

According to the DG NAFDAC, Dr Paul ORHII while addressing the press, he stated that OKEREKE almost overran policemen who went to effect his arrest with his car while fleeing from one of his warehouse but that a manhunt has been instituted.

Also the agency paraded one Mr. Victor Okeke-Chinonyeluma for the forgery of NAFDAC, customs, immigration and various bank documents. Similarly Tochukwu Michael-ozala, Ifeanyi Okoro, Peter Nwabuife and Nnaka Christian were also paraded for counterfeiting Codrux codeine cough syrup and coflin cough syrup in onitsha, Anambra state.

The seizure from Wanted suspect OKEREKE is one of the biggest NAFDAC has recorded in recent time. The drugs are:

• Tarivid 200mg tablet
  
• Augmentin 625mg tb
  
• Proviron tb
  
• Novasc tb
  
• Glucophase 500mg tb
  
• GSK hologram for loparex
  
• Ciprotab
  
• Lexotan
  
• Septrin packaging materials
  
• Ampiclox packaging materials
  
• Cytotec 200mcg misoprostol... including many others

@blackboxupdate