I’m ready to commit suicide if… – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that he wouldn’t mind to commit suicide if Nigeria loses hope even as he offered reasons why he could not chose to remain silent when he sees things going wrong in the country.

He says because he is an incurable optimist in the Nigerian project, he would continue to talk and point out things going wrong because he still believes that Nigeria has great hope.

Answering questions from students of the Ijaw National Academy(INA) Kaiama at the school auditorium as part of activities lined up for his two day working visit to Bayelsa, Obasanjo said in spite of the economic and political challenges confrontingthe country, there is great hope for Nigeria.

While admitting that there are things that could havebeen done differently, he insisted that Nigerians should not give up hope as that would spell doom for the country.“If Nigeria does not have hope I would find a rope and commit suicide immediately because then what am I living for? I am an incurable optimist in Nigeria.

Nigeria has hope. There are many things we should have done as we should have done them. There is no doubt about that. But that does not mean Nigeria does not have hope.  Look, hope is what drives any human being. A person without hope is like a personwithout life.

How can I therefore say that Nigeria hasno hope? Nigeria has hope and you are part of the hope of Nigeria. You asking me that question heightens my conviction that Nigeria has hope.  This country in spite of our difficulties, we have hope.

I just came back from Rome and while there I asked the Ambassador what are his major problems and he told me that there are 1600 Nigerians in Italian prisons, that is a problem but we shouldn’t because of that say that there is no hope for Nigeria.

No, I won’t say that. I would say that we have a problem that we have to address and if we don’t address thatproblem we are postponing the evil day. That doesn’t mean that Nigeria has no hope.

Never lose hope. If you lose hope you lose everything. Great hope because of you and great hope because I would not keep my mouth shut when I see things or anything wrong in Nigeria”Obasanjo who insisted that he has no single regret as military Head of State and civilian President said he did everything humanly possible with the resources, facilities and knowledge at his disposal at that material time.“Is there anything I would have wanted to do with theresources that I had, with the knowledge that I had when I was in government, with facilities that I had that I did not do? I would say no.

Now If I had more resources there are things I would have done differently.

But with what I had at the time that I had at my disposal and some of the people who worked with me are here, I did all the things I believe are humanly possible for me to do. Now mind you, I did not say that I was perfect, I would never say that, only God is perfect.

I did not have any regret when I was in government”When asked to compare and contrast his challenge as a military Head of State and an elected President,he explained that the Dimka coup and subsequent assassination of Muritala Mohammed was a major challenge which he had to deal with.

As an elected President, he said he had to come to grips with the fact that he was dealing with democratic institutions with its own peculiarities.“Dealing with democracy is far different from military government.

That was what I had to understand. As military Head of State I did not have a party to contend with, I did not have a National Assembly to contend with, I did not have the opposition to contend with;  Labour Union, ASUU etc.

These are things that you had to contend with and manage them.”

Young Nigerian man set to marry two beautiful ladies in Abia State..

This young man named Ejindu is set to marry two women, Ebere and Oyediya at the same time and same venue, on Sunday, February 25, 2018, in Abriba, Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State.

However, the traditional wedding ceremonies of the two ladies will hold on February 23 and 24 at their family compounds, also in Abriba.

Buhari loses two family members...

President Muhammadu Buhari’s extended family has been struck by the loss of two senior members who died within a few hours of one another.

Halima Dauda who was buried in Daura on Saturday morning is the president’s niece andyounger sister to his close associate and nephew, Mamman Daura.

She died at about the age of 56, leaving behind 10 children, four of them male and six female including one of President Buhari’s personal assistants, Mohammed Sabi’u Tunde.

The burial, according to Garba Shehu, the spokesperson to the president, was attended by a federal government delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.

The Buhari family had earlier buried Ai’sha Mamman on Friday. She was the wife of the president’s older brother, Alhaji Mamman.

Ex-senator dies in road accident..

A former senator, John Shagaya, was on Sunday afternoon involved in a ghastly car crash.He died from the accident, an official confirmed.

Dan Dandur, a former chairman, Langtang North Local Government in Plateau, confirmed the death to the News Agency of Nigeria.

Mr. Shagaya, a retired army general, was saidto have been returning from his country homein Langtang on his way to Jos wh

Ex-Super Eagles Defender Now A Professional Hunter..

Ex-Super Eagles defender, Uche Okechukwu is now a professional hunter in Abia State. A twitter user, Imam Imam disclosed this. See a photo of Uche when he was active below;

Nigerians who own property in UK panic over new law...

Nigerians who own properties in the United Kingdom have inundated the Federal Ministry of Finance’s Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme hotlines with calls, causing the lines to crash on Friday.

A source at the VAIDs office told theNews Agency ofNigeriathat the unprecedented level of calls was not unconnected with the new UK regulation on Unexplained Wealth Orders.

The source disclosed that the VAIDs office received massive calls and frantic requests from tax payers based in the UK in the last 72 hours, asking for extension of time to enable them complete their VAIDS declaration forms.

The UK Government had, last week, introduced a new law that requires foreigners who own propertiesin the country to explain the source of their funds or risk forfeiting them to the government.According to the new law, the UWOs could be obtained on any property or combination of properties valued at 50,000 pounds (N25m) or more, for which the owner is unable to explain a legal source of its funding.

The source said the data already in the possession of the VAIDS office in the Federal Ministry of Financerevealed that many UK property owners had underpaid their taxes before transferring funds overseas to buy properties.“Concerted efforts are ongoing to restore the hotlines following the crash on Friday.“Most of the calls received are from high net worth individuals, including company executives, bankers and even a governor.“All seem to be in panic over the prospect of losing their investments,” said a source within the VAIDS Office.

The official said that some of the apprehensive Nigerian property investors in UK had even visited the Federal Ministry of Finance, requesting to see the minister and also the Head of the VAIDS office.

The source explained that most of the inquiries wereabout seeking assurance from the Nigerian government that the VAIDs programme could protectthem from potential asset forfeiture to the UK Government.

Buhari appoints Tinubu to lead APC strategy committee..

President Muhammadu Buhari has named Bola Tinubu to lead the charge for a united All Progressives Congress as 2019 election season draws closer.

In a statement Tuesday morning, the president said the former Lagos would focus on “consultation, reconciliation and confidence building efforts” for the ruling party.

The assignment will involve resolving disagreements among party members, party leadership and political office holders in some statesof the Federation,” the statement, which was posted on the president’s Twitter handle said.

The statement did not elaborate Mr. Tinubu’s new role, or whether the party’s national leader had accepted the offer.

Mr. Tinubu is also seen as one of the disgruntled leaders in the APC, although he often dismisses this claim in the media and regularly reiterates his loyaltyto Mr. Buhari.

The APC has been grappling with internal crisis since it became the ruling party in 2015.

Many of its state chapters, especially Kano, Kogi andKaduna, are drawn in separate battles for supremacy.

The party had previously raised different committeesto resolve the crisis across the states. The latest appointment appears to be an indication the party’s internal efforts had failed.

Mr. Buhari has yet to formally launch his bid for 2019 election, but he has made pronouncements and taken steps that suggest he is scheming to keephis job for another term.

The president has been urged by many, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, not to run for reelection for various reasons that include his unstable health condition.

Quack doctor infects 33 with HIV..

Police on Tuesday filed a complaint against a quack doctor who infected 33 people in northern India with HIV after a quack doctor used contaminated syringes and needles to administer injections.

The police in Uttar Pradesh state’s Unnao district filed a complaint against Rajendra Yadav, who has fled the region in anticipation of arrest, the district’s chief medical officer SPC houdhary said.

Choudhary said the state’s health department had launched an investigation following reports of the high number of HIV cases from the Bangarmau region.

The official said 33 of 566 people screened were confirmed HIV positive.

“Locals say the fake doctor who used to treat them for common ailments rarely changed needles and syringes, often using them repeatedly,” Choudhary said by phone from Unnao.

We suspect that most if not all of the cases here are due to the contaminated syringes and needles being used time and again,” he added.India has poor standards of medical care due to lack of doctors and hospitals for its burgeoning population.

Millions of poor in towns and villages rely on quack doctors for cheap treatment, with the Indian Medical Association estimating there are one million fake doctors practising in the country in spite of campaigns by health authorities.

-NAN

Nigerians to experience ‘I pass my neighbour’generator powered AC..

Goneare the days, when air conditioners were regarded as luxury items in the home because it came with extra cost that included big generators to power and, even when powered with on grid electricity, they consumed a lot of power that cost a lot of money.

To ensure that it meets the desires of its consumers,LG has come up with the advanced all-new Gencool air conditioner with dual inverter technology; this is in its determination to offer Nigerians cutting-edge technology, especially consumers seeking energy-efficient products.

The air conditioner is renowned for its ability to save as much as 70 per cent on electricity consumption with 40 per cent faster cooling, thereby reducing bills.

The all new Gencool Air Conditioner features a DUAL inverter compressor with a 10-year warranty that helps users enjoy benefits of LG’s air conditioner for a longer period of time.

According to a consumer, Mr. John Gbadebo, who shared his experience: “The Gencool AC works seamlessly with his 0.7 KVA generator (popularly referred to as ‘I better pass my neighbour’), which is a common source of power among Nigerians.

This is a clear departure from the conventional ACs.

He added that with this unique feature, LG has demonstrated clearly that it possess the ability to meet the needs of consumers who wants to use AC with small capacity generators “without necessarily worrying about the start-up electric power for optimum performance in Nigeria anymore.

LG Electronics has said it remains determination to offer Nigerians cutting-edge technologies, especiallyconsumers seeking energy-saving products.

Unlike the conventionalair conditioner that cannot operate at lower speeds due to its constant rotation, the dualinverteris designed to save energy by 70 per cent by constantly adjusting the compressor speed to maintain desired temperature level thereby reducing energy costs.

The AC comes with dual Rotor inverter compressor, making it more stable hereby increasing durability.

– Sun News

FG renames Federal University after Ekwueme

The federal government has renamed the Federal University Nduflu Alike, Ebonyi state, after Alex Ekwueme, former vice-president, who died in London last year.

Buhari asks ministers to account for funds...

President Muhammadu Buhari has mandatedministers to give account of their stewardshipat the weekly cabinet meetings.

Ministers have since last week been explaining to the Federal Executive Council how funds released so far to their respective ministries were being spent.

The process began with the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh and his Health counterpart, Professor Isaac Adewole.Information Minister Lai Mohammed confirmed to State House reporters yesterdayafter the Federal Executive Council meeting presided by President Buhari that ministers were asked to account for funds received so far by their ministries.

According to him, ministers are to explain how far they have gone with execution of projects for which their ministries had received funds.

Mohammed said this was aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability.

Woman marries man, pays his family N289 million (Photos)...

A newly married Chinese couple has been making waves on the internet for their unorthodox match- she is a wealthy 38-year-old mother of one, and he is a 23-year-old whose mother is only a year older than his bride.

The wedding, which was filmed on Jan. 10, took place in Qionghai, Hainan, China, where it first went viral and stirred up controversy.

The woman apparently fell pregnant after a romancewith the younger man, after which he proposed marriage.

Initially, the groom’s parents opposed the wedding, citing the 15 year age difference between them, as well as the bride’s 14-year-old child from a previous marriage.

However, the bride – a wealthy real estate businesswoman – offered them a dowry of 660,000 yuan (USD 104,273) in cash, a real estate lot, and a Ferrari sports car, altogether worth an estimated a 5,000,000 yuan (USD 789,950). The parents gave their blessing immediately following the generous offer.

They married in an extravagant ceremony, arriving ina red Ferrari with the bride bedecked in gold and other expensive jewelry.

Chinese netizens have had mixed reactions to the union, with many congratulating the pair, but some claiming the young man only married the woman for her money rather than love.

2019 Elections May Not Be Credible — PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party has said there are signs that the 2019 elections may lack credibility.Apart from this, the opposition party said the ruling All Progressives Congress administration was not ready to conduct free, fair and credible elections.

The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, stated this in Abuja on Wednesday while playing host to a United Nations delegation which paid him a courtesy visit at the party’s national secretariat.

Speaking with the delegation, Secondus said the conduct of elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office had shown that the 2019 polls might not be credible.