Churchill Choken

Report has emerged on the reason the presidency quickly removed the name of billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote, from the President Muhammadu Buhari's presidential campaign council. The presidency was said to have removed Dangote's name from the list of appointees that was recently released due to a quiet protest by the business mogul, The Guardian reports. The source said: “There is no other reason the APC has for including the name of Dangote on its campaign committee other than seeking to gain undeserved popularity. But in doing so, the APC and the Presidency have been so wicked and mischievous. "We are aware that the businessman has protested against his inclusion but won’t want to make a media issue out of it.” According to another source, Dangote’s quiet protest was what prompted the reversal by the presidency on Friday, December 28. He said: “Also, information at our disposal is that Dangote threatened to open up against the Presidency and the APC if they failed ...

Some suspected armed bandits reportedly killed an unspecified number of Nigerian Army personnel at a forest in Doburu, a town in the Zurmi local government area of Zamfara state on Saturday, December 29, 2018. The Cable reports that the information was relayed by a military source who also said may of his colleagues sustained injuries in the incident. According to the source, some of those injured were receiving treatment at Zurmi General Hospital. It was learnt that the officer who led troops into the forest was captured by the bandits. “We ran into an ambush in the forest today. “The bandits opened fire on us and we responded but they surrounded us from different directions. They had bombs and sophisticated weapons,” the source said.

As little kids, we used to look forward to our birthdays because we were sure to be pampered and treated like a star. For parents it was also an exciting affair seeing their child look happy. Nigerian celebrity parents have been known to share good times with their kids on social media. When their kids add a year to their age, it is an even more splendid occasion. Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson-Okojie, recently took to her social media handle to show of her first daughter, Purity, who clocked six on December 30, 2018. The excited mother of three shared photos of the birthday girl online as she explained how much she means to her. The pretty thespian also made sure to share a photo and video of her kids enjoying the celebration. See below: Happy sixth birthday to Purity. It looks like the month of December is always going to be a celebratory one for the actress and her family. Her second daughter, Angel, clocked three on December 11 and the movie star also took to social media to cele...

Religion is a big part of people's lives, especially those in Nigeria. Many would go to any length to obtain the favour and mercy of whoever they consider to be the supreme Being. Because pastors and men of God are usually to be messengers of the Sovereign, they usually receive a fair share of the loyalties people give to the Divine. The assertion above recently proved itself true through what can be regarded as a quizzical and surprising situation. A video showing an undisclosed man of God as he walked into his own church has been making rounds online and attracting the attention of people. What is remarkable about the video is not the man or the car he came down as he walked into his church. Rather, it is the attitude and disposition of his church members at his arrival that has got many people talking. As seen in the video, as soon as the man's car approached, the members of his church who were loitering around the environment instantly knelt down and put their two hands tog...

President Muhammadu Buhari has departed Abuja for Sokoto to pay a condolence visit to late president Shehu Shagari's family - The former president died on Friday, December 28, after a brief illness - Buhari was represented by the SGF, Boss Mustapha, during Shagari's burial in Sokoto on Saturday, December 29 President Muhammadu Buhari has left Abuja for Sokoto on a condolence visit over the death of former president Shehu Shagari. Premium Times reports that the president’s plane took off from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja some few minutes after 9 am on Sunday, December. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president was received at the airport by the state governor, Aminu Tambuwal, his deputy Manir Dan-Iya, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, and Senator Aliyu Wammako. It was reported that also on ground to receive the president were traditional and religious leaders as well as his admirers and supporters. Buhari in his speech said: “The late president repr...

This festive season is all about love, affection and support and many Nigerian celebrities who know the essence of this have been demonstrating a lot of goodwill during this period. One of these celebs is Daniella Okeke. The lady who is a Nollywood actress did something really special during the celebration of the festive season, and that is, she took the spirit of the season, bundled it into a lot of gifts and goodies, and then, went to Kirikiri prison to unload it. In essence, Daniella celebrated the season by going to Kirikiri prison to spend some time with the female inmates. The beautiful lady also went with a lot of good stuff which she blessed the women with. During the outing, Daniella took quite a number of shots which she later shared with her fans on Instagram. The photos posted showed that the actress was not alone during the dispensation of goodwill to the inmates. She was with several team members who were part of a foundation owned by her. The foundation was aimed toward...

Update:: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to meet the South's President Moon Jae-in "frequently" next year to discuss denuclearisation of the peninsula in a rare letter sent to Seoul, Moon's office said Sunday. The leader of the isolated North met with Moon three times this year -- twice at the border truce village of Panmunjom and once in the North's capital Pyongyang -- as a reconciliatory push gathered pace. During Moon's visit to Pyongyang in September, Kim promised to pay a return visit to the South's capital Seoul "at an earliest date," sparking speculation he may visit by the end of this year. But the much-anticipated trip has not yet materialised, which left the young ruler feeling "much regret," according to Kim's letter sent to mark the end of the year, Moon's spokesman said. The North's leader "expressed a strong determination to visit Seoul while watching future situation," Kim Eui-kyeom told repo...

Update:: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied that some governors elected on its platform, were secretly working to help President Muhammadu Buhari win next year’s election. There have been speculations, that some of these Governors, especially from the South-East, have promised Buhari votes. However, speaking to Vanguard, Kola Ologbodiyan, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, insisted it was a ploy by the All Progressives Congress (APC), to rig the 2019 poll. “I find it strange that any member of the PDP will pledge a particular percentage of votes for President Buhari. If that is true, it confirms our fear that there are plans to rig the 2019 elections by writing figures. You cannot determine a percentage of votes that will go in any direction in a free, fair and credible election. You do not know the mindset of every voter. “I do not think that it is attainable to pledge a certain percentage of votes; all I know is that the governors on the platform of the PDP are supportin...

Update:: Nigeria may have opened a new chapter in its efforts to give the country’s automotive industry a lift as it commences talks with renowned automakers, including Volkswagen, on its electric vehicle project. With fossil fuel being phased out and mobility largely powered by electricity and batteries, the government says it will not augur well to stick with the old order while others are moving ahead. It is also holding talks with power station manufacturers. But some experts, who are sceptical about the project, express worry about the power problem and the seeming lack of direction for the nation’s automotive industry and high cost of fuel-powered automobiles, making it difficult for many to buy new vehicles. The Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, Mr Jelani Aliyu, insists that electric vehicles are desirable in Nigeria as the world’s attention is focused on vehicle electrification. He says the country cannot afford to be left behind. This...

Fatai Owoseni, and nine other senior police officers have retired from the Nigeria police - They were pulled out from the Force on Saturday, December 29, after 35 years in service - Among the retiring officers were AIG Abdul Bube, AIG Hilda Ibifuro-Harrison, CP Agyole Abeh, CP Joseph Agaji and CP Gbemisola Akinpelu Former Commissioner of Police in Lagos state, Fatai Owoseni, and nine other senior police officers, were pulled out from the Force on Saturday after 35 years in service. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Owoseni was police commissioner in Lagos from July 1, 2015 to September 1, 2017. NAN reports that the retiring officers were pulled out at a colourful ceremony in Lagos amidst cheers by family members, colleagues and other dignitaries. Deputy inspector general of police, Force Criminal Intelligence Investigation Department (FCIID), Peace Ibekwe Abdallah, who represented I-G Ibrahim Idris, commended the retiring officers for their service to the nation. “Congratul...

Update:: Lucy Hale would "love" to take part in a musical production. The former 'Pretty Little Liars' actress is looking to branch out into musical theatre after wrapping the final season of the hit ABC drama last year, as she says she's already been to several auditions, although she's yet to secure a role. When asked if she'd be interested in musical theatre, she said: "I actually auditioned for the 'Rent' that they're doing right now. I've auditioned for a couple of them, and I've gotten close, and then things just didn't work out. So, yes, I would definitely love to do that." Lucy, 29, already has plenty of singing experience, as prior to landing her role as Aria in 'Pretty Little Liars', she was crowned as one of the winners of 'American Juniors' - the 'American Idol' spin-off show that lasted just one season back in 2003. On top of her talent show victory, she also dropped a country album in...

Update:: Lady Gaga gave an emotional speech about feeling "misunderstood" at the opening show of her Las Vegas residency on Friday (28.12.18). The 32-year-old singer kicked off her 'Enigma' residency in the Nevada city this week, and performed 'A Star Is Born' song 'Shallow' - which she recorded with co-star Bradley Cooper - live for the first time. But before launching into the track - in which she sang both her and Bradley's parts - she gave a moving speech, thanking her fans for always sticking by her and helping her feel more confident in herself, as she said she felt "misunderstood" early in her career after being treated differently because of the way she dressed and talked. She told the audience: "I love you so much. I've known some of you for so long. And for a really long time, I felt so misunderstood. I thought the way I dressed, the way I talk, the attitude, they thought it was shallow. But this s**t is deep as f**k. ...

Update:: A Swiss man living in Morocco was arrested in Marrakesh on Saturday, for alleged links to suspects in the recent murder of two female Scandinavian hikers, authorities said. The man is "suspected of teaching some of those arrested in this case about communication tools involving new technology and of training them in marksmanship", Morocco's central office for judicial investigations said in a statement. The counter-terror organ added he subscribed to "extremist ideology" and also has Spanish citizenship. The ongoing investigation into the double murder uncovered the man was involved in the "recruitment of Moroccans and sub-Saharans to carry out terrorist plans in Morocco", the statement said. Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland were found dead at an isolated hiking spot in the High Atlas mountains, south of Marrakesh on December 17. The two women were beheaded, authorities have said. Ahead of...