Open Heavens 10 March 2017:- When God loses a battle

 

WHEN GOD LOSES A BATTLE – Friday March 10^th 2017

Memorise: Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Psalm 24:8

Read: Acts 7:57-8:4 (KJV)

⁵⁷ Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

⁵⁸ And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

⁵⁹ And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

⁶⁰ And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

8 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

² And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

³ As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

⁴ Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

Bible in one year: Genesis 44-45, Isaiah 56, Hymn: Sing hymn 13

MESSAGE:

For quite a long while in times past, I usually said that the Lord of Host never loses a battle, but quite recently, the Lord corrected me and said, “Son, I can lose a battle to win a war. I never lose a war.”  According to His divine wisdom, when it pleases the Lord, He can choose to lose a battle in order to win a war. He can give up a battle, but He has never lost a war. We need to tap into this divine wisdom and apply its principle in our lives. It’s all about looking at the bigger picture. You will gain more from winning a war than from winning a battle. You will also lose more when you lose a war than when you lose a battle. Some people are not ready to lose any battle, and as a result, they lose the war that is more crucial. Take for instance, evangelism. If you go to preach to an individual about Christ and an argument ensues, you are faced with the choice of winning a battle (the argument) or winning the soul of the sinner (a war). If you choose to win the argument, you will most likely lose that soul. This is why you should get involved in arguments when preaching the gospel to unbelievers. Time to evangelise is not a time to argue about whose religion is more superior. Faith in Christ Jesus is more than just a religion. Simply tell the sinner about Jesus and God’s love towards him or her. Share your salvation experience with him or her. Stir up his or her interest in Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit will do the necessary work of conviction. After playing your part, you can then invite the person to surrender his or her life to Christ.

When you observe that God is seemingly losing a battle or battles, it is because there is a bigger war He wants to win. For instance, in the midst of intense persecution of the early Church, God allowed His beloved Stephen to be martyred. Open Heaven 10 March 2017:- When God loses a battle. Why did He allow this? It’s because He wanted to win the war of saving the ring leader of Stephen’s murderers, Saul. Through Saul, He planned to convert whole cities and to virtually turn the world upside down, and He succeeded in this (Acts 17:6). At the end, it became a double gain for the Lord as Stephen had a triumphant entry into Heaven while Paul, who supervised his martyrdom, became a mightier instrument in the hand of God for the salvation of souls on a massive scale across the globe. This testimony about Paul in Acts 19:26 show the awesomeness of God’s wisdom:

“Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:”

Anytime you follow God’s wisdom, you will know when to lose a battle in order to win a war.  

Prayer Point

Father, teach me to give up the battle that will enable me to win the most crucial wars.

Open Heaven Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

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Relax ban on importation of rice, cars through land borders – Sultan begs Osinbajo

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has appealed to Acting-President, Yemi Osinbajo to relax the ban on importation of rice and vehicles through land borders, stressing that the ban added to the suffering of Nigerians who are already feeling the brunt of the current recession.

He made the call in Sokoto when he received Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who paid a courtesy visit to his palace.
While congratulating Osinbajo at 60, the monarch further pledged to provide sustained support, prayers and wise counsel to the government

The Sultan, who said the policies were ill-timed, said removal of the ban will help in addressing the brewing tension between the people and the government.
He said: “We will continue to serve as the voices of the voiceless and in this direction, we are calling on the federal government to look into some recent policies, especially the ban on the importation of rice and vehicles through land borders. These policies should be relaxed.
“Not doing so, will further tighten the noose on the necks of Nigerians.
” Nigerians are already going through difficult times and policies should not be taken to further aggravate the suffering of Nigerians.
“We will always work for the peace, unity, stability and even socioeconomic development of Nigeria.

“We are also assuring the government of our sustained total support, loyalty and commitment and would work towards the spiritual and temporal development of Nigerians.”

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Fight Erupts In Kaduna As Igbo Trader Names His Dog 'Muhammad'

A fight broke out in new Panteka market along the Nnamdi Azikewe bypass when an Igbo man allegedly named his dog Muhammad.


Daily Trust gathered that the market has been closed down by men of the Nigerian Police who stormed the area to restore law and order after the fight broke out.

Panteka market is a major Spare parts centre which houses many mechanic garages in the state.


A witness Aminu Ibrahim said trouble started when one Muhammad bought a dog and allegedly named it Ibere after an Igbo trader.


“Since the boy named the dog after the trader, the trader had warned him on several occasions to rename the dog, but the owner of the dog Muhammad refused. The Igbo trader, Ibere also bought a dog and named it Muhammad, this is when all hell was let loose,” the witness said.


He said a fight erupted between Hausa and Igbo traders in the market which led to the closure of the market by the police.


The police spokesperson was not available for comments at the time of filing this report as he did not pick calls put across to his phone.

Source DailyTrust

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8,000 Evacuated in German City After WWII Bomb Found

Policemen block a road near the site where a unexploded World War II bomb was found in Duesseldorf, western Germany, on March 8, 2017.

• 8,000 Evacuated in German City After WWII Bomb Found

Some 8,000 people were evacuated Thursday from homes, shops and offices in the western German city of Duesseldorf after an unexploded World War II bomb was uncovered, local authorities said.
The 250-kilogramme (550-pound) dud explosive was found on Wednesday evening during construction works in the northern district of the city.
A one-kilometre radius was sealed off, and several roads blocked, including two highways, city authorities said, warning that this could affect traffic to the airport.
A hotel with 250 guests was also evacuated, with the bomb expected to be defused in the early afternoon.
More than 70 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs are regularly found buried in German soil, a legacy of the Allies’ intense bombing campaigns against Nazi Germany.
Authorities estimate that some 3,000 unexploded bombs remain underground in Berlin alone.
Last Christmas, 54,000 people were evacuated from southern Germany’s Augsburg city, after the discovery of a 1.8-tonne WWII-era unexploded bomb.

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Abuja Airport closure: Osinbajo makes first presidential landing at Kaduna International Airport (photos)

Following the closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International, flights are being diverted to the Kaduna International Airport. Acting President this morning made the first presidential landing to the Kaduna airport enroute Sokoto state. More photos below...

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Nigeria Domestic Debt Stock Rises to N11.05tn – NBS

• Domestic Debt Stock Rises to N11.05tn

The country’s total domestic debt profile rose to N11.05 trillion as at December 30, 2016, compared to N10.84 trillion in September, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

According to the information posted on its website, federal government bonds accounted for N7.56 trillion, representing 68.41 per cent of total debt instrument.
Nigerian Treasury Bills accounted for N3.27 trillion, representing 29.64 per cent of total domestic debts while Treasury Bonds totalled N215.98 billion in the period under review.
Nigeria borrows from both domestic and foreign markets from time to time to meet its budgetary expenditure.
The total public debt stock including the external component as at June 30, 2016, stood at N16.29 trillion.
Meanwhile, the debt management has also released the subscription form for the federal government Savings Bond which is expected to enhance the participation of individuals in government debt instruments as opposed to institutional investors.
The facility has a minimum and maximum subscription offers of N5,000 and N50,000 respectively.

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See what the twitter user wrote about Kemen few weeks beofre he was disqualified

Would you say he predicted his disqualification?

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Government targets additional N800billion yearly from oil

Crude Oil Production

The Federal Government has unveiled plans to restore crude oil production to 2.2 million barrels per day (mbpd) and increase its revenues by additional N800 billion yearly.

It also expected to optimise the delivery of at least 10 Giga Watts (GW) of operational power capacity by 2020 to boost economic activity across all sectors and improve the quality of life of the citizenry.
This is part of the short term plans to boost the Nigerian economy, which is about 90 per cent dependent on petro-dollars for its survival, while also enhancing the petroleum industry’s contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) put at about 45 per cent by the National Planning Ministry.

The Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which made this disclosure in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017 -2020, added that government also plans to reduce petroleum product imports by 60 per cent next year. It also hopes to become a net exporter by 2020, save foreign exchange and prevent reversion to the fuel subsidy regime. According to the agency in the report released on Tuesday, the energy sector is fundamental to development across all other sectors of the economy.
It stated that the ERGP will address issues of energy from the perspective of electric power and the petroleum sector. With regard to the power value chain, efforts will be concentrated on overcoming the current challenges, which relate to governance, funding, legal, regulatory, and pricing issues across the three main power segments of generation, transmission and distribution, and ensuring stricter contract and regulatory compliance.
It stated: “The ERGP aims to optimise the delivery of at least 10GW of operational capacity by 2020 and to improve the energy mix including through greater use of renewable energy.
“The Plan also aims to increase power generation by optimising operational capacity, encouraging small-scale projects, and building more capacity over the long term. Government will also invest in transmission infrastructure. With regard to the oil and gas sector, the intention is to increase the production of crude oil and gas while adding value in the downstream petroleum sector.
“Nigeria has 12.5 GW of installed capacity, but less than one-third is operational (average 3.9 GW in 2015; 3.2 GW in November 2016). Overall, only about 15 per cent of installed capacity is eventually distributed to end users, resulting in a huge shortage of electricity supply across the country.”
Dwelling on the oil and gas sector, the ERGP noted that the upstream sector has been the main pillar of Nigeria’s economy for decades, contributing only 10 per cent to GDP in 2015, and accounted for 94 per cent of export earnings and 62 per cent of Government revenue.
It said that Nigeria has proven reserves of 38 billion barrels of oil and 187 trillion cubic feet of gas, making it the 10th largest oil producer in the world and the seventh-largest owner of proven gas reserves.
It added: “In 2012 to 2015, crude oil production was stable at an average 2.2 mbpd, but in 2016, repeated attacks on oil pipelines and production facilities by militants in the Niger Delta reduced production from 2.1 mbpd in January to 1.1 mbpd in August.
“However, oil production averaged 1.8 mbpd by end 2016. This was attributed to the repairs of damaged facilities and agreements to cease sabotage and related vandalism.
“The downstream sector accounted for just 0.3 per cent of GDP in 2015. Nigeria has four refineries with an installed capacity of 445,000 bpd, which operated far below installed capacity. The nation accordingly had to import $7.83 billion worth of refined petroleum that year alone.”

Speaking on how to achieve high production target, a partner with a leading commercial law firm in Lagos, Ajumogobia & Okeke, Patrick Osu, stressed the need for the Government to bring an end to the Niger Delta. He said: “So what you really should be focused on is identifying the problems of the Niger Delta people. Why are they agitating as the first thing? The second thing is having identified why they are agitating, what then do I do to resolve their problems? If you haven’t answered those first-two basic questions, it will be difficult to resolve the crisis in the region.
“Amnesty ordinarily involved training people and trying to pay them a salary to a certain period or whatever it is. But I am saying the lasting solution cannot be that. It cannot be just paying them amnesty because some people hijacked it. The original plan probably wasn’t followed and if it wasn’t followed, it means the money is given to the people it shouldn’t get to and if the money doesn’t get to people it supposed to get to, it means that you have some other people who are waiting and should have benefitted from that, but didn’t benefit.”
The Chairman, Society for Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council, Dr. Saka Matemilola, lamented that progress in domestic gas utilisation has been slow.
The reason for this, he noted is not the lack of market. “The challenges range from lack of adequate domestic gas infrastructure and gas pricing mechanism, to the extent that some companies consider it cheaper to burn associated gas rather than to sell.”
He therefore called for more incentives ranging from security for return of investment and policy consistency, as the catalyst for realising the fortune in Nigeria’s gas industry.

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Bentley:Meet Their First Ever Electric Car

The first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word Bentley ,is class,luxury,money,speed and more money.
The entire car world is gradually going electric.Why should this legendary automaker be left out ?.

They have unveiled an electric car concept at the on going Geneva Motor Show.The call it  “Bentley EXP 12 Speed 6e”
This sweet looking baby can go about 190 miles on full charge according to them .
While there are presently concerns on the weight of the car ,since they are known for genuine wood,leather and metal.Their engineers and designers are working hard on reducing the weight without compromising on the quality and luxury that Bentley is known for.
Details on its full features at this point are still sketchy.We expect that they would release its full features soon.
Feed your eyes with the images below

SHOWCASE

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World Bank to Raise $1.6b to Combat Hunger in Nigeria, Others

• World Bank to Raise $1.6b to Combat Hunger in Nigeria, Others

World Bank Group President Jim Yong-Kim on Thursday said the bank was working toward raising 1.6 billion dollars to build social protection systems to end food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen.

In a statement made available to newsmen by the Head of Communications, World Bank Nigeria in Abuja, Mrs Olufunke Olufon, Yong-Kim said about 20 million people in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen were on the “tipping point” of famine.
“We at the World Bank Group stand in solidarity with the people now threatened by famine.
“We are mobilising an immediate response for Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen. Our first priority is to work with partners to make sure that families have access to food and water.
“We are working toward a financial package of more than 1.6 billion dollars to build social protection systems, strengthen community resilience, and maintain service delivery to the most vulnerable.’’
Yong-Kim said he was also working with the bank’s board of directors to secure the approval of new operations amounting to 770 million dollars, funded substantially through the International Development Association (IDA) Crisis Response Window.
“The World Bank Group will help respond to the immediate needs of the current famine, but we must recognise that famine will have lasting impacts on people’s health, ability to learn, and earn a living.
“So, we will also continue to work with communities to reclaim their livelihoods and build resilience to future shocks. We are coordinating closely with the UN and other partners in all areas of our response.
“We know that resolution to this acute crisis will not be possible without all humanitarian and development actors working together.
“We call on the international community to respond robustly and quickly to the UN global appeal for resources for the famine.’’
Famine was officially declared on Feb. 20 in South Sudan, impacting approximately 100,000 people.
There is a credible risk of famines in Yemen, Northeast Nigeria, and other countries, says United Nations (UN).
Ongoing conflicts and civil insecurity are further intensifying the food insecurity of millions of people across the region, and there is already widespread displacement and other cross-border spillover.
For instance, food insecurity in Somalia and famine in South Sudan are accelerating the flow of refugees into Ethiopia and Uganda.
The UN estimates that about 20 million people in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen are affected.

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Who is after Emeka Ike? - His personal assistant, Oruma Michael writes

Read Oruma's post below...

Its about time we all think deep into stories to spore hatred and damage a talented and vision driven,hard working man. His wife has left his house for over 5years abandoning her 4 little children only for reasons best known to her.

I am close to Emeka and he has beautiful kids, only to find out from the Kids all that she had done and all what she said Emeka did are all lies, accusing him falsely and trying to ridicule a Nigerian star.

Now we have kept quite for too long,allow time to run by to allow them to settle their differences but what I've found out that some disgruntled wealthy men are bent on wrecking his home and taking his wife as their slut. okay now, take the wife and leave this guy alone!!!!wetin??

He told the court,he wanted her back, a pastor rented a house and man bought her a new car, take her oga and let this guys live in peace,he has moved on with his Kids, all 4 of them,  happy with their new lives and he has built his business back and his reputation stable.

His wife is making more money now, so why is she still having Emeka's time, why is she spending this amount of energy on a dude she claims hurt her.She really thinks she hurting emeka,No. She traumatising her own children not emeka,I'm old enough to smell b.s from afar but the kids aren't. They are ridiculed in school because of their mothers posts which they know are all lies. Who knows emeka wife's name, but because emeka is a celebrated actor, she thinks she's hurting him at the end of the day which wife beater is ever given custody of 4 children.

Going about acting a slut to a pastor will not help you because the other women that have passed  through that process are all junkies now because your pastor lover lace them with drugs before sex. You will end up dismantled and deformed like the other women of Pastor Chris Okotie.

Do people go around having press conferences over family matters? people enjoy thriving on others people's despair, Everyday is for the thief one day for the owner of the house.

I AM MY BROTHERS KEEPER

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Anambra rally – Take whatever you see – IPOB warns Obiano, APC members

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Thursday vowed to scuttle a rally planned to hold in Anambra State by the All Progressives Congress, APC.

In a statement made available to DAILY POST by Emma Powerful, IPOB publicity secretary, the group warned of dire consequences of holding the rally.

It, therefore, cautioned “Governor Willie Obiano along with certain elements within APC Anambra State to scrap their solidarity rally in support of Buhari’s Government or face the incalculable consequences of their actions at the hands of the people.”
Giving reasons for the threat, the IPOB said, “it smacks of crass insensitivity that certain Igbo speaking people in desperate need of money to feed their children at these austere times, would go as far as planning to shamelessly hold a rally in support of this Buhari administration that has killed and abducted over 1000 Biafran men and women.
“Does it mean these individuals are not aware of the recently released reports by Amnesty International, INTERSOCIETY, Human Rights Watch and Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), the militarisation of Igbo speaking parts of Biafraland or the illegal detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu the leader of IPOB. We would like to warn those behind this show of shame to retrace their steps or face the consequences of their greedy actions.
“It was in the same Anambra State that Buhari ordered his Nigerian Army led by Brigadier General Tukur Buratai to massacre hundreds of defenceless IPOB rally goers at Nkpor and Onitsha Head-bridge with scores missing, presumed dead.

“Whoever came up with this idea of holding a rally in Anambra State in support of Buhari who has not hidden his hatred and genocidal intent towards Biafrans in general and Igbos in particular, must have his brain examined.
“That a few persons, perhaps out of financial desperation considering the extreme hunger in the land, dreamt of rallying to support an unrepentant mass murderer like Buhari, shows the level of moral decay at the heart of leadership in Anambra State and Igboland in general.
“Any person or group of persons stupid enough to come out to rally for Buhari on the 10th of March 2017, whatever they see they take.
“In the course of our investigations, we have discovered the shocking fact that certain immoral Buhari agents in Anambra State supposedly announced the availability of the sum of Three Hundred Million Naira (300,000,000.00) to be shared amongst those foolish enough to attend the proposed rally.

“It was also alleged, though not verified at the time of this press statement, that Willie Obiano the Executive Governor of Anambra State offered to contribute about Two Hundred Million (200,000,000. 00) of Anambra State funds towards this rally as a show of support for Buhari.
“We have consulted traders, market women, churches, clergy, students union, transporters and all IPOB family members in the state to be on alert and not to be part of this disgraceful rally organised with blood money against our dead heroes and the restoration of Biafra.
“IPOB will use all available means to stop this show of shame and crass insensitivity to our brave heroes and heroines killed by Buhari. We would hold Ngige and Obiano responsible should people assemble to show any form of support for the mass murderer Buhari. The consequences of such an action will be incalculable and on the heads of the organisers will it squarely lie.
“We know this show of shame was planned by APC in Anambra State as an effort to diminish the the historically significant World Biafra Genocide Exhibition organised by IPOB Worldwide kicking off in Spain on the 10th of March 2017.
“This IPOB organised exhibition in Vittoria Basque Region Spain, is the first of its kind in the history of Biafra restoration and will attract visitors from all over the world including major European media houses. IPOB will feature pictures and video footage of genocide committed by the British and Nigerian governments from 1966 to date.
“The exhibition will feature in every major capital city of the world and is designed to bring home to the world the horrors of the genocide committed and still being committed against the people of Biafra by the likes of Gowon, Obasanjo, Buhari and lately Tukur Buratai led Nigerian Army.
“We know that these charlatans organising this rally for Buhari have perfected their plans to send videos, pictures/photos of their blood money rally to all the media houses around the world to give the misleading impression that not all in Biafraland are in support of Biafra genocide exhibition in Victoria Spain and that those fighting for the restoration of Biafra are only in diaspora.
“Therefore, we caution every Biafran to desist from such call from Obiano and APC in Anambra State on that day because the wrath of our youths will descend on those responsible.
“We also warn those still using the name of IPOB under the supreme leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to parade in front of politicians and political parties, to desist forthwith because IPOB have no hand whatsoever in any discussions with any political party.
“IPOB is 100% against any electioneering or voting in Biafraland come November 2017, until our total freedom is achieved. Therefore any politician or political party claiming understanding or partnership with IPOB is a dreamer and deceiver, such a person should be stoned in public.
“Politicians are hereby warned to beware of IPOB because we are not and can never be interested in Nigerian politics. Our focus is on Biafra restoration not further participation in Nigerian politics.”

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Osinbajo can save Naira by adopting Jonathan’s crude oil swap – Okupe

Former aide of ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, has said Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo can save the Naira, by adopting a crude-oil-swap arrangement.

The arrangement, which was adopted during the Jonathan regime, saw government exchanging crude oil for refined petroleum products, through third party traders.

It has been replaced with a direct-sale-direct-purchase of crude oil initiative, which has removed middlemen, in the Buhari government.
In an open letter addressed to Osinbajo on Thursday, Okupe urged the government to return to the crude-swap arrangement.
“Nigeria is nearly totally an import dependent economy, we earned about N4.6 trillion from export of crude oil in 2015, while our total import bill was in the region of about N6 trillion; 30 percent of which was dedicated to the import of petroleum products. Actual figure was about N1.8 trillion or $5bn,” he wrote.
“It is obvious that if we can remove or substantially decrease this demand of $5bn from our forex pull, the value of naira will significantly appreciate further.

“Your Excellency, I want to submit that this is achievable through a responsibly and transparently organised crude swap scheme.
“I am not unaware that this administration has undertaken a limited crude oil swap arrangement, but this will not suffice. We need to carry it to the level at which we will not commit any significant amount of forex to import of petroleum products anymore.
“No doubt this option was also tried and to a large extent poorly executed and abused by the previous NNPC leadership. The errors in its manner of implementation can be corrected to give a major relief to the demand for dollar in our economy.
“The statutory allocation of 450,000 barrels of crude oil daily for domestic consumption which has been on for several decades needs to be readdressed for better productivity.

“In this dispensation, the government can start by committing the seven oil majors to the new scheme and after a period of about one year of successful implementation, qualified indigenous companies can be brought in, to join and participate.”
Speaking on how the crude-oil-swap arrangement can be a sustainable alternative to the current intervention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the forex market, Okupe said: “The current intervention of the CBN, though highly successful, which is based on injecting hard earned forex (to the tune of over $1bn a month) into the forex market through the banks, also grossly reduces the amount of forex inflow from sales of crude oil to the federation account; for sharing by the state and federal govt. The crude oil swap is a better sustainable alternative as it does not affect in any way our revenues from crude oil sales.
“Your Excellency, with all humility, I submit that while the above may not exactly represent the actual details in the suggested transactions, I strongly believe that this proposition of mine, if fine-tuned by experts, will give results with much commendation to your administration and more importantly, improve the strength of our national currency further and relieve some of the current hardship in the nation.”

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TBoss Celebrates Her 33rd Birthday With BBNaija Housemates

Its TBoss' birthday and Biggie sends her few surprises to celebrate her special day. Some cake, a bottle of bubbly and a special message from ex-Housemate Miyonse which got her a bit teary eyed.

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Senate orders Customs boss, Hameed Ali, to appear before it in his Uniform

The senate today ordered Comptroller General of Custom, Hameed Ali, to appear before it on March 15th in his complete Customs Officers uniform.The senate gave the order following the refusal of Customs to comply with its directive to suspend the collection of duty on old vehicles. Hameed who is a retired Nigerian Army Colonel, has never worn the Customs officers uniform since assuming office in August 2015.

The senate during plenary on Tuesday ordered the Nigeria Customs Service to suspend its directive to collect duties on old vehicles whose importer might have failed to pay for duties while importing the car into the country. Customs had sent out a circular informing old car owners to go to the nearest Customs office to verify if the duties of their cars were fully paid for as cars with unpaid duties would be impounded.

Despite the senates directive to suspend the order, Customs says it would go ahead with its own directive. This decision apparently irked the senators who during its plenary today ordered that the Customs Boss, Hameed Ali appear before them on March 15th.

Speaking during the deliberation, Dino Melaye said

"The senate will take a resolution and an agency of government will have the temerity, will have the guts, the strength to blatantly disregard the Nigerian senate. It is a very dark day for democracy. I’m a member of the customs committee, I want to educate some of us today, the position of CGC is rank, as I speak today, the deputy controller of customs is next promotion is CGC.  

I asked him in the committee why he is not wearing uniform rank and he said uniformed men don’t wear uniform twice. I reminded him that he retired as a colonel and General Ananiah retired as a general and was appointed as the corps marshal of the FRSC, and proudly wears the uniform of the road safety. If we are taking a decision of the people and agency disrespects the Nigerian senate, however we will need to check this properly. If they are taking duty on Nigerian road but if the president is passing no customs officer will stop him and ask for papers, they will salute and they will pass. The senate resolves that we invite the CGC to appear in plenary with his uniform to either justify or falsify this statement.”he said

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Tonto Dikeh: 6 Incidents That Crashed Actress’ Marriage

 

Nollywood actress, Tonto Dike’s marriage to Dr. Churchill Olakunle Oladunni came to a sudden end last month.
Since then, the actress has been lamenting, sharing photos and videos of abuses she allegedly suffered in the hands of her estranged husband.

She has also made several allegations which portrayed her husband as a ”woman beater, a liar and fraud.”

As Nigerians keep sympathizing with the controversial actress, here are six things gathered from her revelations as the real causes of the crash of her 17-month-old marriage.

1. Churchill allegedly abandoned Tonto and her son because of Rosaline.
Tonto said, “I am aware of her. I am aware that she is sleeping with my husband. I am aware that my husband is taking care of her. I am also aware that she is the reason that my husband abandoned his son and me for close to two months just before the Big Foundation thing we did in December” disclosed Tonto Dikeh in the interview.

“I am aware that’s the reason he abandoned his family because he took her on a trip. No she is not my husband’s sister. My husband is not her brother. She does not know me. Like I said I have not seen her before. I have never even spoken to my husband about her before but I do know their story. And I do know that they are in love.”

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2. She was accused of pushing her mother-in-law down who it was alleged, caught her smoking.
And on this she said, “That is a lie from the devil. I am close to my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law has never ever seen me smoke. There are times when I am really, really sick. ‘Mum if you are watching you know this is true.

“There are times you have even offered me panadol. There are so many times you have offered me drugs that would have made my body better but I didn’t take because I knew I was breast-feeding’.”

“Every time my mother-in-law came to me and I was sick ‘I would tell her no mum I don’t want to take Panadol’, as little as Panadol, as little as Alabakun, as little as anything that would make me get my strength back. I would tell her I don’t want to take it. I didn’t know what it would do to my child,” she further said.

“My mother-in-law has never ever, and I am saying this with God put in this, that she has never ever caught me smoking. I did not push my my mother-in-law down.”

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3. She was accused of taking hard drugs but she reportedly keeps a file of monthly drug tests and letters she writes to her son.
According to her, “Someone coming out to associate me with drugs as a mother. That hurts me so much because no one sees how good of a mother I am.

“Nobody knows the sacrifices I have made for my son. I have a file at home, I do a drug test almost every month and I write a letter to my son and I put it (breaks down in tears)

“I write a letter to my son every month on his birthday and I tell him how much he has changed my life, how much I am a better person because he is in my life.

“I tell him how much I have stopped so many things for him. That really destroyed me. It really broke me into a million pieces. That’s the worst thing I have heard.”

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4. She alleged her husband has other children besides Andre.

Tonto said, “My son is not the first child my husband has. And that was one of the major concerns in my marriage, in the early part of it because he lied to me about not having a child.

“He even lied to me about not being married. I did not know he was married until the day they posted the picture of the wedding. He didn’t tell me he had a child. He always lied about it. I don’t know how I found out but I did find out.

“Recently two women have contacted me that they have children for my husband but I cannot verify
it.

“One of them said her child is 9 months old. The other said her child is 2 years but I cannot verify it just like I can’t verify the gay claims on him.

“I have no knowledge about it. I don’t know if it is true or not true. I don’t know anything about it.”

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5. Her husband infected her with STDs.
She said, “There are some things I will not like to re-discuss. I did post something about the STD. I am not taking back my words because it is not a lie but I will not promote it” in reference to her claim that her husband gave her STDs.

“I will not go ahead and embarrass my husband in that manner even if I have. I will like that to just end,” she further said.

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6. She said her husband constantly abused her, showing proofs.
She said, “The domestic violence is real. It’s real. How I lived to suffer it and go through it over and over again, I do not understand.

“A lot of people have blamed me. A lot of people have said a lot of things. I have read a lot of things.

“I stayed back in my marriage not because of my child but because I believe you cannot be abused or you cannot leave a child where there is abuse and you claim you are doing it for your child.

“No. I stayed because I was doing it for myself. I stayed because I loved my husband with all of my heart.

“I stayed because he had begged me to stay a couple of times. I stayed because I didn’t just want to give up. I didn’t want to give up on the marriage just like that. People change.

“Anytime something like this happens, my husband comes up with a pastor who is always in the house the next day or two days later who is begging, who is doing stuff. Yes but we have never had a real counseling.




“He would never accept that he is doing it. That’s the point. That’s the worst. And I keep asking him that if you are so ashamed of what you do to me then why you did it.

“My husband has humiliated me so much with this. And for anybody to tell me that I am lying against my husband that even hurts me more.”

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Apo Six Killings: Court sentences two policemen to death over extra judicial murder

Justice Ishaq Bello of the Abuja High Court, today, Thursday March 9th, sentenced two police officers to death for their roles in the killing of two of the Apo six spare parts dealers in 2005.

The officers sentenced are the 4th and 5th defendants, Emmanuel Baba and Ezekiel Achenege. 

The court discharged and acquitted Danjuma Ibrahim, Othman Abdulsalami, Nicholas Zakaria and Sadiq Salami, of all 9-counts charge.

The accused persons had been arraigned on a 9-count charge of conspiracy and culpable homicide, which contravened the provisions of Sections 97 and 221 (a) of the Penal Code Law.

The deceased, Ifeanyi Ozor, Chinedu Meniru, Isaa Ekene, Paulinus Ogbonna, Anthony Nwodike and Augustina Arebun, aged between 21 and 25 years, were returning from a night party in 205 when they were killed.

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Shiites massacre: What the army did to my family, others – Zeenat Zakzaky tells her story

Wife of the embattled leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, Ibraheem Zakzaky, Zeenat Zakzaky, has claimed that former President, Goodluck Jonathan ordered the murder of her three sons while President Muhammadu Buhari slaughtered thousands of the sect’s members.

Zeenat alongside her husband have been held in custody of security agents since 2015 despite a Federal High Court ruling ordering their release.

In an open letter to the President, who is currently on a medical vacation in London, Zennat demanded an explanation from Buhari on why despite the court ruling, they have not been released.
Read full letter below:
“Dear Mr President,
I greet you with peace as you rest in the United Kingdom. My salutations and warm wishes to you and your loved ones there to take care of you in your time of need. I pray Allah’s mercy on you.
Sir, do you remember July of 2014? I am sure you remember the tragedies of July 2014. It was that month that faith put us together in tragedy and survival. July 2014 was the month when Nigeria roused up, perturbed by the attempt on your life in the bombing that claimed almost a hundred innocent lives.

That was a month that Allah’s divine mercy spared you. July 2014 was also the month that the Nigerian army under president Goodluck Jonathan extra-judiciously killed three of my sons among 35 Muslims exercising their constitutional rights of assembly. Destiny bound us together that month as Nigerians said they could not take it any more.
The current Kaduna state governor, Nasir el-Rufai, paid his condolences to my husband, and on July 26th, referenced the tragedy that afflicted me when I lost three of my sons with this caption, “Genocidal Jonathanian Army Kills Once Again,” as he shared a Premium Times article covering the incident.
El-Rufai was not inciting the people against the army or Jonathan’s government, he was laying the truth of my tragedy bare as was his responsibility and Nigerians could take it no more. They voted for you.
Dear President Muhammadu Buhari, as administrator of Nigeria who Allah(s) has charged with the responsibility of serving justice to 180 million people, you are yet to probe the Jonathan government for this massacre that Governor Nasir el-Rufai verified their guilt in.

And while we waited for you to deliver justice for us as you have been charged, on the tragic July 2014 massacre of my three sons, rather December the next year, 2015, the army under command of your General, Tukur Buratai, massacred 1000 more Muslims across Zaria after some disgruntled youth protested and blocked his path.
Additionally, the army assaulted our daughters, burned many Muslims alive as they demolished our properties across six locations in Zaria. Your army did not stop there, they bombed and demolished our family home on our heads and burned it down. When they found me and the rest of my family hiding in a bathroom, saved by Allah’s grace by the boiling water tank which exploded setting off the fire; they shot at all of us and killed another three of my sons right in my eyes.
Under your watch, the Kaduna government and army under Buratai’s command, in the dead of the night, secretly went and buried 1000 Muslims, men, women and children, many while still alive at an unmarked mass pit in Mando cemetery.
There has been no exhumation of the graves, no apology, no list of names of victims published, no investigation and no atonement. Not a single army officer or state official indicted by your very own judicial panel report as you ordered Governor El-Rufai execute, has been punished almost a year and a half later in spite of global reminders and condemnation.
Your army, DSS and Kaduna government has since detained many of us for over a year without charge. Me and my husband who sustained several gun shots with him paralysed on one side and blinded, have been locked up since, denied our freedom even in contempt of court orders.
We are sick, we are broken though we have not lost faith in Allah(s). We are unable to see our families, we missed our son’s wedding. Dear President Muhammadu Buhari. Why do you keep me locked up like this? What have I done to deserve this? God has blessed you with the opportunity and Nigeria’s wallet and presidential jet to travel to the United Kingdom and afford the best therapy in the world at any cost. We praise Allah(s) for his mercies.
All I wish to know is why you remain in defiance and above the law and will not obey the law and abide by the judgement of the court that still stands regardless of appeal, which mandates you to free me so I can hug my last surviving son and embrace my two daughters?
May Allah(s) have mercy on you and give you long life. May He protect you and your children from harm as we have faced in your and Jonathan’s hands. May He forgive you.

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Don't postpone or cancel your trip, Nigeria is not on the list of Executive Order on Immigration- US Embassy in Nigeria says

Following reports of alleged denial of some Nigerians entry into the US by some US immigration officers, the US embassy in Nigeria has released this statement saying Nigerians with valid visas should not postpone or cancel their trips as they are not on the list of Executive Order on Immigration. The statement reads:

"The U.S. Embassy in Abuja wishes to clarify that there is no reason for Nigerians with valid visas to postpone or cancel their travel to the United States. Nigeria is not named in the Executive Order on Immigration issued on March 6, and there is no prohibition against Nigerian lawful permanent residents or persons with a valid visa or other U.S. government authorization from entering the United States".

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Government spends N2.4tr on fuels, lubricants import

Crude Oil Tanker. PHOTO: sweetcrudereports.com

The Federal Government spent N2.4 trillion on the importation of fuels and lubricants in 2016, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The agency in its fourth quarter (Q4) foreign and merchandise trade statistics released at the weekend, disclosed that about 18.4 per cent of the total cost was used for the importation of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) during the year under review.
On a quarterly basis Nigeria spent N699.2 billion for the importation of fuels and lubricants, which if retained in the country, could build institutions that would provide jobs for graduates.

The bureau further disaggregation of fuels and lubricants revealed that Premium Motor Spirit dominated fuel and lubricants imports with 20.2 per cent or N469.2 billion, while other fuels and lubricants accounted for the balance of 9.9 per cent during the period. The bureau said the structure of Nigeria’s export trade is still dominated by crude oil exports, which contributed N2.4 trillion or 81.4 per cent to the value of total domestic export trade in Q4 2016.
The percentage of crude exports to total exports in Q4 thereby decreased to 81.4.0 per cent from 84.3 per cent in Q3, but increased when compared to Q4 2015, accounting for 79.3 per cent of the exports.
It disclosed that Nigeria’s import trade by origin in Q4 showed the country imported goods mostly from China, Belgium, Netherlands, the United States and India. They respectively accounted for N404.1 billion or 17.5 per cent, N356.4 billion or 15.4 per cent, N230.0 billion or 10.0 per cent, N205.6 billion or 8.9 per cent, and N113.9 billion 4.9 per cent of the total value of goods imported during the quarter.
Further analysis of Nigeria’s imports by continent during the period, revealed that it consumed goods largely from Europe with import value of N1, 127.9 billion or 48.9 per cent, adding that it also imported goods valued at N761.9 billion or 33 per cent from Asia and N312.8 billion or 13.6 per cent from the Americas.
The bureau stated: “Import trade from Africa stood at N82.7 billion or 3.6 per cent while imports from the region of ECOWAS amounted to N15.1 billion.
“For full year 2016, Nigeria imported mostly from China with 19.7 per cent of total imports followed by the Netherlands, 11.7 per cent then the USA, eight years.
“With respect to import by continent, Nigeria imported the most from Europe, 46.7 per cent then Asia, 35.8 per cent and the Americas, 12.2 per cent. Nigerian imports from Africa stood at 4.1 per cent of total imports in 2016, with imports from within ECOWAS at 1.2 per cent.”
The total value of Nigeria’s merchandise trade at the end of Q4 was N5, 286.6 billion, or 10.6 per cent above the N4.781 billion recorded in Q3.
“Total export value for fourth quarter of 2016 stood at N2.978 billion, which was 28.3 per cent more than the value of the previous quarter. Total import for fourth quarter of 2016 was N2.308 billion, which represented a decrease of 6.1 per cent with the value of the preceding quarter.

“The much faster rise in the value of exports relative to the rise in imports brought the Country’s trade balance to N671.3 billion during the review period, showing a stark improvement from the negative trade balance of -N136 billion recorded in the preceding quarter. “This development stemmed from a rise of N656.3 billion or 28.3 per cent, in the value of exports combined with a decline of N150.9 billion or 6.1 per cent, in the value of imports against the levels recorded in the preceding quarter,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary, Lubricant Producers Association of Nigeria (LUPAN), Emeka Obidike, said indigenous blenders are constantly being threatened with the shutting down of their plants and seizure of their consignments.
He said they are also persistently faced with the risk of losing their businesses, corrosion of their goodwill and professional integrity, asphyxiating demurrages and transactions and default in the repayment of facilities.
Obidike alleged that the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) had in many occasions confiscated their consignments and also gone ahead to detain the consignments of importers, insisting on being presented with NAFDAC licences and proof of payment of dues.
He explained that LUPAN members are duly licensed by the DPR to import, store and blend base oil in Nigeria.

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FG Launches Harmonised Departure & Arrival Cards At Airports

The federal government on Thursday launched harmonised departure and arrival cards at the Kaduna International Airport, as it begins the service of alternate airport to Abuja, which was shut down in the midnight of Wednesday.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Abdulrahman Danbazau, accompanied by the Minister‎ of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, explained that the harmonised departure/arrival cards for international passengers was done in line with international best practices and in pursuit of the federal government policy of ease of doing business.


To facilitate seamless access for international investors, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) is also introducing visa on arrival at the airport ‎for those “who have serious business to do in the country”.

Danbazau said the introduction of departure/arrival cards is also intended to keep records of movement of international passengers and the process of mandate for travellers for security reasons. The international passengers are expected to fill the departure/arrival cards, which contain passenger profile, address and other personal details in one harmonised form.

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Evicted BBNaija Housemate, Uriel, Reveals "Who Will Win" Big Brother Naija

 

Uriel, the latest Big Brother Naija housemate to be evicted was recently at Pulse Nigeria.
During an interesting chat with the former housemate, she spoke about Efe being her favourite housemate and who she is rooting for to win the show.
On favourite housemate, she said, "I would say Efe. Efe cracked me up. You know, sometimes Efe is talking to me and in my head I'm just laughing. I'm like 'this guy.'

On why she likes the housemate, Uriel said,

"Efe is so real. Sometimes I will just be cooking and Efe doesn't know what it is, or sometimes when I'm speaking, he will be like 'hey Uriel, I no understand wetin you just say. Abeg, wetin you just talk now. This your English eh."
"And I will just crack up. I will be like 'okay, this is what I just said.'


"He wasn't afraid to say 'I don't know what this is.' He wasn't afraid to take correction, he wasn't afraid to ask. For me, that is real, and that just spoke enough for him.

"He is down to earth and he is just my G. based on logistics as Efe will say, Efe go win," he continued.

Uriel further stated that she was rooting for Efe to win the show. "All the way. All the way," she said.

"You know what I like about him? You can see the drive. I'm not rooting for Efe to win, he is gonna win. That's what I'm saying."

Uriel was evicted on Sunday, March 5, 2017. She was the fifth housemate to officially get evicted from the Big Brother Naija show.

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