Nigerian man says people should do this with their tithes "instead of giving out money to those who already have private jets"

   Nigerian Facebook user Donatus has advised Christians to channel their tithes into helping people in need, especially the elderly.

Recall that few weeks ago, one Chief Charles Nzechi built a new home for Mrs Onyemechi, Nwanmo, an old homeless widow in Abia State, who had been living in a dilapidated mud house for decades.

He shared photos of the old woman, nothing how young she looked since her life changed for good.

Facebook, Google, Others Confirm Nigeria’s Requests For User Information

  A new report has confirmed what many Nigerians have long suspected to be true: that the federal government is spying on its citizens through the social media and email accounts.

The report titled, “The Growing Trend of African Government’s Requests for User Information and Content Removal from Internet and Telecoms Companies,” was released last month by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) established under the Catalysing Access to Information and Communications Technologies in Africa (CATIA) initiatives funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).

The organisation analysed transparency reports released by telecommunications and social media companies.


The reports by these companies including Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Twitter and others showed that there has been a surge in African governments’ requests for user information.

10 things you need to know this Wednesday morning

  1. A top member of the dreaded Boko Haram group on the wanted list of the Nigerian Army has been arrested in Isua, Akoko South-East local government of Ondo State. The Boko Haram member, Idris Ibrahim Babawo, was arrested by vigilante group and handed over to the Police. The Police spokesperson in the state, Femi Joseph confirmed the arrest of Babawo. He said he had been handed over to the Military.

2. Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose will on Thursday, formally declare his intention to contest for the position of president of Nigeria in 2019, under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The event will hold at Chelsea Hotel, Abuja. Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said the Governor Fayose, in a letter addressed to leaders of the PDP, declared that his ambition to be president was without prejudice to the party’s position, but in the overall interest of the party and Nigeria.

3. The Naira on Tuesday exchanged at N364 to the dollar at the parallel market as the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the CBN holds benchmark interest rate at 14 per cent. At the Bureau De Change (BDC) window, the Naira was sold at N362 to the dollar, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro traded at N492 and N436. Trading at the investor’s window saw the Naira closing at N306.05 and selling at N305.8 at the CBN official window.

FG to deploy 50,000 non-graduate N-Power volunteers

  No fewer than 50,000 non-graduate applicants in the N-Power volunteer programme would be deployed in late September and trained in October, the Presidential aide on job creation and youth empowerment, Mr Afolabi Imoukhuede, has said.

Imoukhuede on Tuesday in Abuja said that the deployment was delayed to enable the job creation team to provide all needed training materials for the volunteers.

He explained that the volunteers would be deployed to begin three-month vocational training in seven disciplines followed by a nine-month apprenticeship in related industries before venturing into self-employment.

He said that September deployment was because officials had mapped the volunteers who applied in 2016 to go to the various centres for physical verification to ensure that those in existing N-Power scheme were removed.

Netherlands has swapped Visa Issuance in Nigeria with French & Belgian Missions – Official

  The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria, on Tuesday reminded Nigerians that it is no longer in the business of issuing them visas.

The Embassy’s Charge d’ Affaires, Michel Deleen, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the Embassy had since 2013 swapped its visa issuance processes in Nigeria.

Deleen said that the Embassy had since 2013 swapped its visas issuance to Nigerians with the French Consulate-General in Lagos and the Embassy of Belgium in Abuja.

“Let me remind Nigerians that since 2013, the Embassy of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands in Nigeria had signed agreements with the French
Consulate-General in Lagos and the Embassy of Belgium in Abuja.

“What this means is that we have swapped our visa application
processes in Nigeria with the French Consulate-General in Lagos and
the Embassy of Belgium in Abuja.

RCCG GO, Adeboye visits President Buhari in London

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on Friday visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the Abuja House, London.

Buhari has been receiving medical attention in the British capital since May 7.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, posted two photographs taken during Adeboye’s visit on his Facebook page.

In one of the pictures, Buhari and his visitor were seated on a sofa while he was scanning through a book which is suspected to be from the religious leader.

A bag which appeared to have been used to take the book to the President was placed in between Buhari and Adeboye.

Japan defense white paper warns of enhanced North Korea threats

  Japan warned on Tuesday against the acute threat posed by North Korea's weapons programs as Pyongyang's continued series of missile and nuclear tests, in defiance of U.N. sanctions, brings technological progress to the reclusive state.

Japan released its annual Defense White Paper after North Korea fired two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) last month on lofted trajectories to land off Japan's west coast.

"It is conceivable that North Korea's nuclear weapons program has already considerably advanced and it is possible that North Korea has already achieved the miniaturisation of nuclear weapons and has acquired nuclear warheads," the Defense Ministry said.

Fox News hit with new charges to its credibility

  Things had started settling down following a tumultuous year at Fox News Channel before it was hit with a cover headline in the New York Daily News, "Fake News Channel," and questions about the independence of its journalists on Wednesday.

A defamation lawsuit filed this week accuses the network of making up quotes and pushing a false story that benefits President Donald Trump, even inviting the chief executive into the editorial process.

In essence, Fox is accused of creating fake news to debunk a story Trump has complained is fake news.

From 2018 No National ID number, No Passport – Immigration

  The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has said that beginning 2018, anyone without a national identification number will be unable to obtain the Nigerian passport.

According to Thisday, the NIS Comptroller General Mohammed Babandede said this after a meeting with the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Department of the Presidential Villa.

He said the decision was made in conjunction with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), with the aim to harmonize all data collected from citizens by government agencies. He said:

The bulk lies on all our table. It is the harmonisation of data and requires all of us to act but the biggest problem we are facing is that everybody is deploying his own technology. There is a practical commitment to this.

We have agreed that from 2018 1st January, anybody who is going to apply for Nigerian Passport, whether renewal or fresh must first have an NIMC number, national identity number.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigns after 6 months

  White House press secretary Sean Spicer has resigned from his post 6 months into the Trump Administration.

Spicer resigned on Friday ending a brief, turbulent tenure that gained global notoriety, after President Donald Trump named adviser and Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci as his top communications official.

The decision is believed to have not gone well with Spicer who had taken the responsibilities associated with the job in the interim since Mike Dubke resigned from the role in May.

Spicer’s departure reflected turmoil within Trump’s legal and communication teams amid investigation into possible ties between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.

In his first public comments since the news broke, Spicer told CNN’s Dana Bash: “I wanted to give the president and the new team a clean slate.”

FG approves equal pay for B.Sc, HND holders in Civil Defence, Immigration, Fire Service

Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau

  In a statement released on Thursday, the federal government announced that it has approved the regularisation of “the dichotomy between holders of university degrees and higher national diploma” in the civil defence, fire, immigration, and prison services.

The statement said that the minister of interior Abdulrahman Dambazau gave the approval. It read in parts:

The civil defence, fire, immigration and prisons board (CDFIPB), at the end of its meeting held on Tuesday, 11th July 2017, under the chairmanship of the honourable minister of interior, Lt.-Gen. (Rtd) Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, approved the regularisation of the dichotomy between holders of university degrees and higher national diploma (HND) in all the services.

To this end, the board directed that all officers with HND to be upgraded to Compass 08, which is the salary grade level for holders of degree certificates at entry point. While the nomenclature for the HND holders will start with the rank of senior inspector, the degree holders are with the rank of assistant superintendent II.



Before now, degree holders are one level higher at entry point than their counterparts with HND.

Prepare for heavier rainfall, Lagos warns residents

  Chaos is a milder way to describe the state of Lagos Island, Victoria Island, Lekki, Ajah and environs as panicked citizens endured a weekend of torrential downpour and thunderstorms, which left many parts of the city flooded.

Residents woke up on Saturday morning to flooding in their homes and their cars submerged under water. Those who were far from the disaster zone could only stare at their hand-held devices and television screens in awe at the flood that didn’t take many by surprise.

One brave resident took to swimming in the infested waters on Lekki road, an affluent suburb that is home to some of the most expensive real estate in the coastal city. Another was spotted kayaking across Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island.

The nation’s commercial capital was hit by days of persistent heavy rain and storms at the height of the rainy season. However, poor drainage systems and inadequate urban planning have compounded the effects of the downpour.

Police shoot gang leader dead as robbers invade Ogbomoso

  Suspected armed robbers have engaged policemen on patrol in a gun duel during a robbery operation in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

The leader of the gang was shot dead during the operation, while five others were later arrested.

While parading the suspects at the state police command in Ibadan on Friday, the state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Odude, said that the gang invaded Ogbomoso on June 17, 2017 around 10pm.

The gang first snatched a Toyota Corolla and used the car as their operational vehicle for operations they carried out that night.

North Korea missile test: US ready to use ‘considerable military force’

  The United States vowed Wednesday to use military force to defend the country and its allies against a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile if necessary, but said it prefers to use its clout in international trade to address the growing threat.
In a hard-hitting speech at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council following Pyongyang’s successful launch of an ICBM, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said that “the world has become a more dangerous place” and China has a key role in promoting peace.
China is responsible for 90 percent of trade with North Korea and Haley warned that Beijing risks its massive trade with the United States if its business dealings with Pyongyang violate U.N. sanctions.
She said the United States doesn’t seek conflict, “in fact we seek to avoid it.” But she said the launch of an ICBM “is a clear and sharp military escalation” and the U.S. is prepared to use its “considerable military forces” to defend itself and its allies “if we must.”
But Haley said the Trump administration prefers “not to go in that direction” but to use its “great capabilities in the area of trade” to address “those who threaten us and … those who supply the threats.”