Pastor Advises Actresses to Use Her Big Buttocks to Win Souls

Ghanaian actress, Vivian Okyere, popularly known as Tundra, says that her pastor advised her to use her buttocks to lead people to Christ. The actress made this known during an interview with NEWS-ON where she insisted that her big behind is actually natural but makes her feel guilty sometimes. Sometimes I feel guilty about my […]

Okonji " $600m Chinese Rail Loan not Diverted"

The immediate past Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Sunday described as untrue allegation that a substantial part($600m) of the $1bn Chinese loan obtained for railway projects, was diverted.Okonjo-Iweala, in a statement by her Media Adviser, Mr Paul Nwabuikwu, also explained that contrary to the allegation, the Kano-Lagos rail project was not part of the project listed for funding from the Chinese loan.President Muhammadu Buhari had last Monday queried the Ministry of Finance for alleged diversion of foreign loans obtained for rail projects by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.Specifically, the President was seeking clarification on alleged diversion of a substantial part of a $1.005bn loan obtained from the Chinese Exim Bank for the construction of a standard gauge rail line, linking Lagos to Kano.The funds were said to have been moved elsewhere.Okonjo-Iweala, who spearheaded the negotiation for the loan during her time as finance minister, said the China-Exim Bank kept and disbursed funds for approved projects to contractors based on milestones.The funds, she added, were not domiciled in the Finance Ministry.Giving a breakdown of the loan and how it was utilised, the minister said $500m was used for the expansion of four International Airport Terminals in Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt; $500m for the Abuja Light Rail project; $984m for the Zungeru Hydro-electric power project and $100m for the Galaxy Backbone projectThe minister, in the statement, noted that even if the alleged project was on the list of China-EximBank funded projects, diversion of any Chinese funds would have been extremely difficult because the terms of the contract and the processes would simply not have permitted such action.The statement reads in part, “We have continued to receive media inquiries regarding an allegation reportedly made by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Alhaji Mohammed Bashar, that a substantial part of a $1bn loan obtained from the China-EximBank by the Jonathan administration for a Kano-Lagos rail project was diverted to other projects.“I want to state categorically that there is no truth in the reported allegation. Anyone who is interested can cross-check with the China-EximBank or the Chinese Embassy.“It is noteworthy that even though President Buhari, in his reported comments on the allegation, made no reference to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala but rightly stressed the need for due process and transparency in the execution of public projects, a sponsored media campaign has once again been launched by political elements to make the former Minister the culprit in a non-existent scandal.“The alleged diversion has no substance for the simple reason that the Kano-Lagos project was not even among the projects presented for funding by the China EximBank for several strategic infrastructural projects across the country.“In fact, it was the Lagos–Ibadan rail project, not Lagos-Kano rail project that was proposed in the original application to the China-EximBank. But in the end, no funds were assigned for the Lagos-Ibadan rail project by the China-EximBank.”

Shekau " I am still in charge"

Leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau has again resurfaced in a recording and denied claims by Chadian president, Idriss Deby that he has been replaced by another sect member.Mr Deby claimed that Boko Haram was no longer led by Abubakar Shekau and that his successor was open to talks.“There is someone apparently called Mahamat Daoud who is said to have replaced Abubakar Shekau and he want to negotiate with the Nigerian government,” Deby said.The Boko Haram leader denied that he had been killed or ousted as chief of the extremist group in an audio recording released yesterday attributed to him by security experts.In the eight-minute Hausa-language message, Abubakar Shekau denied claims by Chadian leader Idriss Deby that he had been replaced and called the president a “hypocrite” and a “tyrant”.“It is indeed all over the global media of infidels that I am dead or that I am sick and incapacitated and has lost influence in the affairs of religion,” he said in the recording released on social media obtained by AFP.“It should be understood that this is false. This is indeed a lie. If it were true, my voice wouldn’t have been heard, now that I am speaking,” Shekau said.Mr Deby declared that efforts to combat neighbouring Nigeria’s Boko Haram jihadists had succeeded in “decapitating” the group and would be wrapped up “by the end of the year”.“Gratitude be to Allah and with his help, I have not disappeared. I am still alive and I am not dead. And I will not die until my time.”

IBB " BUHARI CAN RECOVER STOLEN FUNDS"

Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (retd), has affirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari has the capacity to recover Nigeria’s stolen funds.Gen Babangida, who spoke in an interview with correspondents yesterday in Minna, Niger State, to mark his 74th birthday, also gave reasons why the war on insurgency was very difficult and narrated how former head of state, the late General Sani Abacha, saved him during the failed Gideon Orkar-led coup d’état.On the efforts by President Buhari to recover stolen money, the former military ruler said: “My boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo created a similar strategy and, to be fair to him and his government, he made a lot of recoveries when he was in office; so we should support this present federal government in what is trying to do, to achieve the same objective”.Asked further whether he thought the president’s strategy in this direction would yield the desired results, he stated that Buhari needs commitment to succeed.“If he is resolute, I believe he will achieve some degree of stolen funds,” Babangida said. “You talk about oil theft, I am sure President Buhari is resolute to stamp out all those and to bring to book all those who have tampered especially in stealing our oil.”He also gave reasons why the federal government could not negotiate with Boko Haram just as he cleared the air on his ancestral background.On the new wave of attacks by Boko Haram since President Buhari assumed office, the former military leader said that the war against insurgents was exceptionally difficult because it was not a conventional war where military could test their full strength.“I think there is a general misunderstanding of the whole concept of insurgency; you can call it anything – instability, guerilla war, terrorism. We are not fighting a regular army where you can confront them with sheer use of force and weapons to overwhelm the enemy; no, we have gotten a small trained army whose tactics is to inflict maximum casualty on its so-called enemy, inflict casualty on him when and where he least expects it.“The army is not fighting a conventional war; that makes it exceptionally difficult. They (Boko Haram militants) blow our bridges; they go as far as blowing up barracks and so on; this is an unconventional war. I think the soldiers are trained for it and they know this is the sort of thing they do. I think the public should be educated about this unconventional war.”Asked whether he subscribed to the idea of the government negotiating with the Boko Haram, he said: “Unfortunately the president got it right. He said he will talk to people who are credible, who have been identified as some of the leaders of the insurgency but, so far, apart from one or two names, we do not hear any other name. I don’t think the government will like to talk to a vacuum, to talk to people who are not worth talking to, as far as these issues are concerned. So the government is right in being careful to identify and talk if there is anything to talk about.”Babangida praised the efforts of President Buhari’s government so far in fighting the group, and stated that, beyond weapons, it was the mind behind the weapons that wins war, adding that troops training should be emphasized also. He also commended effort of the United States in training Nigeria military over time.Also speaking on the bloody Orkar coup of 1990, the former Nigeria leader stated that the late General Sani Abacha and some loyal officers actually saved his life.“That I can remember very well. I had some loyal officers who were supposed to be my protectors and my body guards. Initially, they told me to leave but I told them no, that I was not leaving to anywhere but they remained stubborn, and later I took my family outside Dodan Barracks and joined my guards.“So we went out of Dodan Barracks and we went to a safe house where we got in contact with loyal troops. May God bless (the late) Sani Abacha. Sani Abacha was the chief of army staff; I got in touch with him and we sat down and talked about what we were going to do. I and Abacha rallied round the loyal troops and then I left my state house and joined Abacha in his house, that was what happened.”He also denied the rumour that he has ancestral link to Ogbomosho in the South West.“I had to answer the question way back in November 1962 because of my name, Badamasi. I answered the question during my final year in secondary school when I had to answer that question. Now, 52 years later, I am glad I am answering the same question.“The truth is that I hail from here, Niger State. My parents were from between Wushishi and this town (Minna). My grandparents travelled to settle down here, though I think that, that says it all. There is nothing wrong in being from any part of the country, but the truth is that I hail from Niger State. My grandparents and great grandparents moved from somewhere to settle down in Niger State.“There are some who still call you the settlers in Niger State, that we are not indigenous to the state because our grandparents came from somewhere to settle here but I have lived all my 74 years in Niger State and I think I am more than qualified to be called a native of Niger State.”Babangida further remarked that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) failure in the last election was a hallmark of democracy, adding that the people were resolute to vote PDP out and they did it peacefully.The former military president, however, advised the party to reassess itself and ascertain what went wrong in order to prepare well for future elections.“I hope, they (PDP) learn from their mistakes; what they did wrong – what they did right and what they can do now to re-launch their party.” 

APC RELEASES LIST OF LOOTED FUNDS SAYING NO LOOTER WILL GO FREE

The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday released list of looted funds in the country, saying no good leader will ignore such massive looting of the nation’s treasury by public officials.The party, in a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said nothing but the total recovery of the funds will be acceptable to all patriotic Nigerians.APC said anyone who attempts, either by deeds or words, to sabotage the recovery efforts is not a patriot and deserves nothing but public denunciation.‘’It is absolutely gratifying that Nigerians are vehemently opposed to the few who would rather have the government of the day turn a blind eye to the looted funds and, in their words, carry on with the process of governance.‘’Truly, what sort of governance can go on if the billions of Naira in a few hands are not recovered? In the first instance, the government needs every kobo of the funds it can muster to bring about the change it has promised Nigerians.“Secondly, leaving such hair-raising funds in the hands of the few looters is dangerous, because they can use the funds to destabilize any government. In fact, no one will be surprised if the looters use their dirty funds to sponsor public demonstrations against the government’s determination to recover the funds.‘’Thirdly, allowing those who privatized the commonwealth to get away is offering a thumbs-up for looting. No responsible government will do that,’’ APC said.The party remarked that, already, the looters had embarked on a relentless and an increasingly-bold campaign to discredit the government of the day and sabotage the funds’ recovery process, using newspaper columnists, and otherwise respectable opinion leaders.‘’They and their paid hirelings have tried to employ sophistry to muddle the waters, but Nigerians are much wiser, and will not succumb to the dirty antics of the looters’ megaphones,’’ it said.The party noted that it was necessary to remind Nigerians of the kind of massive looting of the treasury that took place in the past few years, so that they can better appreciate the seriousness of the issue at stake. It therefore listed some instances of the looting as follows:
– N3.8 trillion out of the N8.1 trillion earned from crude oil (2012-2015) withheld by NNPC
– $2.1 billion from Excess Crude Account unaccounted for– Department of Petroleum Resources’ unremitted N109.7 billion royalty from oil firms
– $6 billion allegedly looted by some ministers of the last administration– 160 billion barrels of crude worth $13.9 billion lost between 2009 and 2012
– $15 million from botched arms deal yet to be returned to Nigeria
– $13 billion NLNG dividends mostly unaccounted for
– N30 billion rice waiver
– N183 billion unaccounted for at the NDDC
The party said the listed ‘missing’ funds constituted just a fraction of the total sum since they are mostly from a few sectors of the economy, mostly the oil sector, and were discovered even before the forensic audit now being undertaken in some key areas.‘’The level of looting that went on in other sectors is better imagined, hence the need for all Nigerians to rally around the Buhari administration to recover the loots, bring the looters to justice and put in place measures to prevent such looting in the future,’’ it said.The governing party thanked Nigerians for their overwhelming support for the Buhari administration in its tough but important task of tracing and recovering the loot.

Segun Abaje, MD GTbank win CEO of the year in London.

The Foremost African financial institution, Guaranty Trust Bank plc has again endorsed its position as a leading global brand with the recent recognition of its Managing Director/CEO, Segun Agbaje, as CEO of the Year at the 2015 Finance Monthly Global Awards, which was held in London.The award, which is in its seventh year, is one of the most sought after industry awards because of its integrity.The CEO Awards is compiled by a dedicated team of researchers, who draw on the views of thousands of stakeholders including investors, analysts, executives, employees, and media professionals worldwide.The research results are used to inform and identify best management practices and critical success factors, and ultimately recognize achievement in business.Every year, Finance Monthly magazine identifies and honours the most respected companies and their leaders, by recognizing extraordinary individuals who have shown the strategic foresight and leadership to deliver superior performance over the past 12 months, effectively managed all key stakeholders and prepared the organization for the next phase of growth.According to Mark Palmer, Finance Monthly Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, “The success of every business starts with a strategic, resourceful and engaging leader. It is these qualities that help foster team spirit and employee motivation, which in turn create a successful company.“The CEOs listed within Finance Monthly’s 2015 CEO Awards publication are corporate leaders who deliver results and have achieved considerable success in their sectors. In winning this award, Segun Agbaje, Managing Director/CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc stands out as one of Africa’s most successful, innovative and forward thinking CEOs whose inspiring leadership has helped create an enduring organization with deep beneficial impact on the wider community and society at large.”Commenting on the award, Agbaje said, “We operate in challenging business environments, but we believe that our stakeholders should be better off for partnering with us thus, we set high goals and benchmark ourselves against global standards which influence our service culture and product offerings, thereby enabling us to remain relevant to our customers while adding value to all stakeholders.“For us, this award is an indication that we have earned the loyalty of our customers and an attestation of the hard work and dedication of our staff, management and board without whom this award would not have been possible and the hardwork of our staff is truly appreciated.“I am deeply honoured to have won this award, I want to especially thank all the employees of GTBank, whom without their unrelenting hard work and dedication, the success we all enjoy today would not have been possible.“We operate in sometimes challenging times, but we set ourselves high goals, benchmark ourselves against global standards, follow the best principles of corporate governance whilst adhering to a set of enduring values.”He added that, “This award and all the Bank’s successes in recent years can only be credited to the loyalty of our customers, the experience of our board, the passion and dedication of our staff as well as the support of our regulators.”GTBank has consistently played a leading role in Africa’s banking industry. The brand is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run financial institutions across its subsidiary countries and serves as a role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for world class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation.