Churchill Choken

For the second time in a row, Japan has topped the list of the world's most powerful passports. This is according to the Henley Passport Index, which periodically measures the access each country's travel document affords.  Japan retains its top spot as the world's most travel-friendly passport thanks to the document's access to 190 countries.  Below is a full list of the world's top ten which contains no African country. 1. Japan (190 countries) 2. Singapore, South Korea (189) 3. France, Germany (188) 4. Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden (187) 5. Luxembourg, Spain (186) 6. Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States (185) 7. Belgium, Canada, Greece, Ireland (184) 8. Czech Republic (183) 9. Malta (182) 10. Australia, Iceland, New Zealand (181)

Update:: President Muhammadu Buhari has named the Managing Director of the Financial Derivatives Company, Bismarck Rewane as the chairman of the 24-man Presidential Advisory Committee on the New Minimum Wage. The Director General of the Budget office, Ben Akabueze is to serve as the secretary of the committee. The panel is given a month to submit its report on the new minimum wage. Members of the committee selected from the private sector are former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, Sulieman Barau, Dr. Ayo Teriba, and Prof. Akpan Ekpo. Those selected from government institutions are Chairman of FIRS, Dr Babatunde Fowler, a representative of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission; Richard Egbule, Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office of the Head of Service of the Federation; Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, Permanent Secretary of General Service Office, Office of the Secret...

We all know about seniority in secondary schools but who knew corps members will one day claim seniority and ask to be respected by those who began service months after them. A batch A corp member was filmed confronting a batch C corps member and demanding that she respects her because her batch began serving the nation first. The confrontation took place in Ekiti state on Monday, January 7, 2018, during the CDS meeting of dance and drama CDS and soon degenerated into a fist fight. According to reports, batch A and B corps members in the local government have been demanding respect from batch C corps members on the grounds that they are their junior and ought to show them respect. This demand for respect has reportedly led to various fights in the past but on Monday, it turned physical.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics has said that it had no option but to continue its strike action in the new year because the Federal Government failed to release the N15bn revitalisation fund for the polytechnics promised in 2017. The National President of ASUP, Usman Dutse, stated this in an interview with our correspondent on Friday, noting that the government, in the 2009 agreement, had promised about N603bn to polytechnics but it was agreed in 2017, that due to paucity of funds N15bn should be released to show the government’s commitment. The polytechnic union said it hoped that on January 10, 2019, when its leaders meet with the Federal Government to review negotiations, there would be positive responses and commitment from the government. ASUP began its nationwide strike on December 12, 2018, citing the failures of the Federal Government to implement the 2009, 2013 and the 2017 agreements which it reached with the union. Dutse, told our correspondent that some s...

Update:: Ngige The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have reached agreement on Monday toward resolving the ongoing lecturers’ strike. Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, said this after a reconciliatory meeting with ASUU in Abuja. Ngige said the meeting was fruitful as an agreement had been reached between the Federal Government and the striking university lecturers. According to him, the Federal Government has released N15.4 billion for the payment of the salary shortfalls, which was one of the major demands of the union. “On the issue of salaries in tertiary institutions, especially in universities, the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant- General provided evidence that as at December 31, 2018 the Federal Government had remitted N15.4 billon. Ogunyemi “Also on the issue of Earned Allowances in the universities system, they also showed us evidence that Mr President has approved the N20 billion to ...

Update:: US President Donald Trump is set to argue that an immigration "crisis" requires his long-promised wall along the Mexican border. Mr Trump will make his case in his first speech from the Oval Office at 21:00EST (0200 GMT Wednesday), ahead of a trip to the border on Thursday. A partial government shutdown has been in effect for 17 days after lawmakers failed to break a budget impasse. The president is insisting that $5bn (£4bn) be included for the border wall.

Update:: The official appointed by the French government to lead a national debate over the grievances raised by ‘yellow vest’ protesters quit on Tuesday following a controversy over her salary. Former sports minister Chantal Jouanno said she could not guarantee conditions for a calm debate as she had become a focus of attention after a news magazine revealed she was paid 14,700 euros (13,225 pounds) per month to head France’s National Commission for Public Debate.

Update:: At least three people were killed and around 300 injured on Tuesday after two trains collided in the South African capital Pretoria, an emergency services official said. The crash, which occurred at 9:30 a.m. (07:30 GMT), left 82 passengers with serious injuries after a packed train careered into a stationary train at Mountain View station. “We do not rule out the possibility of additional fatalities as we search under the wreckage,” emergency official Charles Mabaso told Reuters.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, the Saudi Arabian woman who fled her family and is now under UN protection in Thailand, has been sustained through the “terrifying” ordeal by thousands of online messages of support that probably saved her life, a friend has said. Nourah Alharbi, 20, told the Guardian: “Yesterday, they [social media supporters] made the difference in Rahaf’s life. You saved Rahaf’s life yesterday: the people, the media.” Speaking on Tuesday morning, Alharbi said Qunun was buoyed when she saw how many messages about her were being posted online. “She couldn’t believe it. Today when I was calling her ... [she said] she can see the thousands of messages, all of them supporting her. She’s terrified and stressed, and when she saw the messages it really made a difference for her.” Now based in Sydney, Alharbi said she fled Saudi Arabia herself after suffering abuse from her family, and is seeking asylum in Australia. She has kept in close contact with Qunun throughout her or...

Here are the steps that would be required by all JAMB applicants, before commencing registration in any Accredited CBT Centre; 1. Each candidate will be registered with one mobile phone number only. The Cell phone number used to create the profile code is automatically tied to the Candidate’s name and will be used in all communications related to his/her 2019 Application/Examination. 2. Candidate sends his/her name [Surname, First Name & Middle Name (if any)] by text (SMS) to 55019. This should be maximum of 38 characters + 2 spaces between names = 40 characters in all 3. A Profile Code is received by the candidate on the same telephone number 4. The candidate presents the Profile Code to the point of procurement of form (Banks, MMOs, MFBs, Switches, USSD Partners). The form ePIN is then sent as text message to the candidate.   5. The candidate presents the ePIN at any JAMB accredited CBT Centre for registration You are advised to wait until the registration...

Update:: A US trafficking victim serving a life sentence for killing a man who bought her for sex when she was a teenager has been granted clemency Monday following a celebrity-backed viral campaign for her freedom. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam said Cyntoia Brown, now 30, had been given “too harsh” a sentence for the 2004 murder of a real estate agent in the city of Nashville.  Johnny Allen had picked up Brown, who was 16 at the time and a runaway under the influence of a dangerous pimp, and taken her to his home for sex.  The ex-Army sharpshooter allegedly showed off his firearms and “grabbed” Brown forcefully between her legs. She said she shot him in fear for her life. A jury convicted Brown of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery, and she was given life with the possibility of parole after serving at least 51 years in prison.  Calling the case “tragic and complex,” Haslam granted clemency under the condition of a 10-year parole. Brown will be r...

Kenya’s earnings from tourism jumped by almost a third in 2018 from the previous year to 157.4 billion shillings ($1.55 billion), after the number of visitors rose by 37 percent, the tourism ministry said on Monday.

Update:: Gabon foiled an attempted military coup on Monday, killing two suspected plotters and capturing seven others just hours after they took over state radio in a bid to end 50 years of rule by President Ali Bongo’s family.

Update:: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korea's state media has confirmed. The news follows speculation earlier on Monday that Mr Kim was possibly on his way to China by train. Mr Kim will be in the country 7-10 January with his wife Ri Sol-ju, North Korean news agency KCNA said. It comes amid reports of negotiations for a second summit between Mr Kim and US President Donald Trump. The two met last June in what was the first such meeting for a sitting US president.

Update:: World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim has made the surprise announcement that he is stepping down after six years in the post. His resignation will take effect from 1 February. Mr Kim, 59, was not due to leave until 2022, after he was re-elected for a second five-year term in 2017. He will "join a firm and focus on increasing infrastructure investments in developing countries", the World Bank said.

Update:: The European Commission repeated on Monday that EU leaders would not renegotiate a Brexit treaty agreed last month with Prime Minister Theresa May and was pressing on with planning for Britain to crash out of the Union without a deal. "The deal that is on the table is the best and the only deal possible," chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas told reporters when asked about a phone conversation on Friday between May and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. "This deal will not be renegotiated." He also repeated that there were no talks planned between negotiators from the two sides as "negotiations are complete". Schinas repeated that Juncker's conversation with May on Friday was "friendly" and that the two would speak again this week. May has failed to win parliamentary support for the treaty she agree with fellow leaders of the European Union last month and is expected to put it to a vote next week. At a summit on De...

Nigerian soldiers have raided the main office of the private Daily Trust newspaper and confiscated computers. It follows the arrest of some staff at the newspaper's office in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency. The Daily Trust says it may be connected with its lead story on Sunday about the military preparing an operation to recapture territory. The army denies it recently lost control of some towns to militants

Update:: US President Donald Trump has said that a location for another summit with North Korea is being negotiated. Mr Trump told reporters in Washington DC that "a good dialogue" was taking place with North Korea, but sanctions on Pyongyang would remain in place. Mr Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last June, the first such meeting for a sitting US president. No tangible progress has been achieved so far on the main US goal: North Korea's denuclearisation. President Trump said last week that he had received a "great letter" from Mr Kim, although he did not reveal its contents.

Update:: President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has inaugurated Egypt's largest cathedral in the new administrative capital east of Cairo, a day after a deadly bomb blast near a Coptic church. The newly built Cathedral of Nativity had its first Mass under heavy security on Sunday, the eve of Coptic Christmas. On Saturday, a policeman died trying to defuse an explosive device hidden on a roof in Nasr City outside Cairo. Copts make up about 10% of Egypt's Muslim-majority population. Many say the state discriminates against them and does not offer them enough protection.

Singer, songwriter Michael is an  up coming force in the gospel music world. He defies any easy pigeonhole. By turns, to accompany an ancient Gospel, sings a witty song about modern gospel, and then reaches deep for a soulful expression of values in a troubled world,all skillfully blended into a seamless flow.  An upcoming mainstay on the gospel circuit in  the coming years,Michael has some unproduced songs to his credit; the latest is  SAVED (2018) . Speaking with Www.churchillchoken.blogspot.com Here is a self recorded song of his about SAVED after a brief interview with ChurchillChoke Follow him on Instagram   to know more about him and to get the full video or contact +2348164447070 for sponsorship

Update:: See their conversation below; Unique and Rare to find Guy, I don't do Normal i stick with Special, i am a big fan of my COUNTRY and i love Entertainment, Politics and Sports.

Update:: In his words: “This state is bigger than any one person and any single interest. We cannot grind the state to a halt because chieftains within the ruling APC cannot see eye to eye. They must put their differences aside and move the state forward. This begins with the immediate passing of the budget.” Reports have highlighted palpable tension between the State House of Assembly and the Ambode-led Executive as both trade blames over which arm to blame for the delay in presentation and passing of the 2019 budget. “Clearly, Lagos has been on auto-pilot since Governor Akinwunmi Ambode failed to pick the ticket at the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries,” Agbaje said. “Things as routine as allowances, bonuses and road maintenance have suffered. And now, the prevailing apathy has spread to the 2019 budget that has been reported missing somewhere between the Executive at the Alausa Roundhouse and the hallowed chambers of the Legislature.” While the Executive, throu...

Update:: British actress Olivia Colman was director Yorgos Lanthimos' first and only choice to play Queen Anne in The Favourite.In the new period comedy, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz star as two warring cousins vying to become the Queen's favourite right-hand person in early 18th century England. When the Greek director began casting the film in 2014, years before production got underway in 2017, he sent the script to Olivia because she was his only choice. "For me, casting is very instinctive," he explained to The Hollywood Reporter magazine. "It's one of those things when you feel you're right and you need to insist no matter what." Olivia agreed straight away, making the film her second turn as a queen after playing Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in the 2012's Hyde Park on the Hudson. She will also be portraying Queen Elizabeth II in season three of Netflix series The Crown. The casting for her supporting stars wasn't as straightforwa...

The Benue state chapter of the PDP has faulted the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari for the 2019 presidential election by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association - The opposition party alleged that with Buhari as president, the bloodshed and carnage being wrecked by herdsmen is sure to continue - The PDP added that the Miyetti Allah group knows that with Atiku as president, their nefarious agenda and criminality will have no place in Nigeria The endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari for the 2019 presidential election by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has been faulted by the Benue state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In a statement released on Sunday, January 6, the state publicity secretary of PDP and chairman, publicity sub-committee of Benue PDP State Campaign Organisation for 2019 Presidential Election, Bemgba Iortyom, faulted the cattle breeders association over the endorsement, Daily Trust reports. “T...

Update:: Chancellor Angela Merkel's junior coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), demanded on Sunday that her interior minister quickly find out what Germany's security agencies knew about a huge data breach and how they reacted. The breach has shocked Germany's establishment and risks rocking Merkel's awkward 'grand coalition' again just months after a row over the fate of the domestic intelligence agency chief came close to tearing apart the ruling alliance. The government said on Friday that personal data and documents from hundreds of German politicians and public figures including Merkel had been published online, in what appeared to be one of Germany's biggest data breaches. Lars Klingbeil, secretary general of the center-left (SPD), told the Funke media group the government must quickly shed light on "which agencies knew what exactly when, and how that was dealt with". "This should be a priority for (Interior Minist...

Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has tasked women and youths of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to ensure victory for the party in the forthcoming Presidential election. She made the call on Saturday during the launch of the APC Zonal Campaign Rally for the North-West held in Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofar Mata, Kano. The wife of the President explained that she was encouraged to drum support for the APC because of the various social intervention programmes initiated by the Buhari-led administration. Mrs Buhari, who spoke in Hausa, said: “In 2015, the APC made some promises; and I have come out to campaign for its victory in the 2019 polls because the party has fulfilled some of the promises it made to Nigerians. “Those promises include; the school feeding programme for primary school pupils, the N-Power programme, under which some unemployed graduates are being gainfully engaged and are earning N30,000 monthly. President Buhari to inaugurate APC Presidential Campaig...