President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived Benue State to meet with the Governor Samuel Ortom, and stakeholders

The President, Muhammadu Buhari, has arrived Makurdi, the Benue State capital, to meet with the Governor Samuel Ortom, and stakeholders. The President arrived at the Makurdi Airport at exactly 10:43 am on Monday morning. He will head to the Government House, where the stakeholders are already waiting to meet with him. This is the President’s first visit to the state since the New Year killings which claimed the lives of over 70 people. He was earlier scheduled to visit the Tor-Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, visits the Exercise Cat Race Camp and also meet IDPs in Gbajimba, Guma LGA headquarters but will unfortunately not be able to make other visits asides the meeting with stakeholders. The President had last week visited Taraba State, one of the hotbeds of the herdsmen-farmers crisis which has left scores dead and displaced hundreds. The President who was in the northeastern state to commiserate with the people over the recent killings there described the attacks and bloodshed as unfortunate.

Noting that that collective effort is required for peace and security, President Buhari appealed to all Nigerians the victims of the attacks get justice through the identification and prosecution of the perpetrators. The Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku who received the President assured him that the state government and the traditional institution would be mobilised to work together to ensure that the plans of the government to protect lives and property is actualised.

Apart from Taraba and Benue, he is also expected to visit Yobe, Zamfara and Rivers states where cases of terror attacks and clashes have been recorded.

Read More

Bill seeking upgrade of Federal Polytechnic Auchi to a university passed second reading

The Bill seeking upgrade of Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, to a university on Thursday passed second reading at the House of Representatives. The sponsor of the Bill, Rep. Johnson Oghuma (Edo-APC), said when passed, the Bill would reduce the number of prospective undergraduates in Nigeria. Oghuma said that the bill would achieve global standards where polytechnics were being converted to universities to bridge the gap and harmonize standards of tertiary education. “In developed nation’s like America and United Kingdom, most polytechnics have been converted to universities of technology and helped to upgrade education generally.” He added that the measure was also to achieve one of the set goals of government of upgrading education standards in science, engineering and technological training in the country. Another aim, according to him, will be to provide the much-needed space for post-graduate studies which no polytechnic provides. The lawmaker disclosed that as currently placed, Auchi Polytechnic had all it took in terms of manpower and facilities, to take off as a full-fledged university. He also said that youths from that catchment area would now have a place to go and study to meet their various lifetime aspirations previously denied them due to quota and catchment policy in the country. The bill was subsequently passed by members when it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara. The bill was later referred to the Committee on Tertiary Education Services for further action

Read More

Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu has denied calling for military take over

The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has denied calling for military intervention in the affairs of Nigeria. Ekweremadu said this in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, when Governor Seriake Dickson hosted him and other African lawmakers attending the 74th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Africa Region) Executive Committee to a dinner, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu. He maintained that his comments on the floor of the Senate, though “unambiguously in defence of democracy,” were either being twisted or misconstrued by some persons. While reinstating his respect for the Nigerian Armed Forces, Ekweremadu stated that comments made by lawmakers in the course of their duty should be situated within the proper context before any form of reaction. He added that parliamentarians had a duty to continue to defend democracy in the country, making him to clearly caution fellow politicians against the mistakes of the past, which inevitably led to the abrupt end of the previous republics. Ekweremadu said, “Of course, some people took it out of context and said I was calling for a military coup. I never called for a military coup. I never said the military was planning any coup. Even the military’s statement admitted that my statement was only cautionary and that we were sincere. But they went as far as saying that the international community should ignore my words of caution.” The Deputy Senate President added, “I hold the Nigerian Army and the Armed Forces in high regard. They have defended our democracy, our people and have acquitted themselves creditably. If they need anything now, it is encouragement because this is not the best of times for them. But we do hope that when parliamentarians make statements, they (the military) should be able to know exactly what they said before reacting so that we don’t overheat the system.”

Read More

Zodwa Wabantu deported from Zambia due to indecent Dressing

Controversial South African dancer Zodwa Wabantu, has been deported from Zambia on the grounds that her performance would “undermine national values”

Her promoter Lucky Munakampe told AFP, “I can confirm that Zodwa has been deported back to South Africa by the immigration department,” he gave no reason for her deportation. Zambia’s religious affairs minister Godfridah Sumaili told AFP last week that Zodwa would not be allowed to perform in the country. In his words, “Zambia is a Christian nation where morality and ethics have to be followed. We don’t expect a woman to dance without underwear. If she is ready to come with her panties, fine, we will welcome her”. The dancer had been due to perform on Saturday in Lusaka at the launch of a music album organised by a local entertainment company, Sunset Sound Production.

The organisers of the show said in a statement earlier this week that Zambia’s National Arts Council had rejected their application. “The Council stated that… Zodwa’s performances were not in the public interest and undermined our national values,” the statement said.

Zodwa who was sent back when she landed at the Kenneth Kaunda international airport in the morning told her fans that she feels she has become a pawn in a fight between Zambian authorities and her promoters in the country. The er*tic dancer went ahead to promise her fans that she would be back and that it was just a matter of time.

Read More

Check out how much GTBank pay their staff

GTBank Staff Salary Structure 2018 – Check out how much GTBank pay their staff There are always industry leaders in every sector and when you talk about the banking industry in Nigeria Guaranty Trust Bank comes to mind. The bank’s innovation in their products and customer service is worthy of note; the innovation also extends to their workforce because GTBank has been able to secure a happy workforce both internally and external. GTBanks is most loved by customers because they have a tradition of going the extra mile to please their customers and soothe all their worries and complaints. As a customer, nothing beats being treated executively; and this indirectly impacts upon the stability and growth of the bank’s customer base within a specific period; this is possible because the bank have happy workers who carry out their functions satisfactorily. Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB) is one of the banks that have endeared herself to many Nigerian bank customers. Their products and services are personalized and user-friendly, and their staffs are usually friendly and willing to help customers at all times. But how much exactly are GTBank’s staffs paid to put up such a high level of excellence in products provision and service delivery? Keep reading to find out. GTBank Staff Salary Structure Firstly, GT Bank has two categories of staffs. We have the Permanent staffs and the Contract/temporary staffs.

GTBank Contract/Temporary Staffs Salary: As the name implies, contract staffs are those that are employed on temporary basis. Their employment agreements are reviewed periodically. The average monthly salary of contract workers at GT Bank is around 70,000 naira. However, in a few cases, this amount may be slightly higher or lower, as it may be influenced by the employee’s qualification, level of experience, and department within the bank. Contract IT staff may earn higher than other contract staff in other departments. I.T students, i.e. students on Industrial Attachment also qualify as temporary staff – to an extent – and are paid a minimum of 40,000 naira. under normal circumstances, all permanent staffs earn considerably more than contract staffs. The reason for this, among others, includes the fact that they will have been serving in the system longer than the contract staff. Permanent staffs at entry-level positions earn a minimum of 209,000 naira monthly, irrespective of one’s unit in the bank. Asides the basic salary, permanent staffs also have access to a number of benefits and allowances; and, their salary also increases as they stay longer in the system and climb up the ladder of leadership and relevance in the organization. Other staffs in the bank and their salaries include: Assistant Banking Officers, which earn an amount of 250,000 naira every month. Banking Officers, which go home with a monthly salary of 350,000 naira. Senior Banking Officers, which earn around 500,000 naira monthly. Assistant Managers, which earn up to 650,000 naira monthly. Deputy Managers, which are paid up to 800,000 naira monthly. Branch Managers*, which are the bosses at the branch level, and so earn in excess of 1.3 million naira monthly.

Read More

Usher and his wife Grace Miguel announced their separation

After nearly 10 years together, Usher and his wife Grace Miguel announced their separation. The couple released a joint statement confirming their split. The duo have been married for two years and started dating in 2009. The split comes after several people have accused the singer of giving them herpes .. This is reported to be Usher’s second marriage. He and ex-wife Tameka Foster share two sons, Usher Raymond V, 10, and Naviyd Ely, 9.

Read More

Nigerians Who’s Names Are On Guinness World Record

Meet 6 Nigerians Who’s Names Are On Guinness World Record So far, at least 6 Nigerians have been able to add their names to the all famous Guinness Book of World Record with the latest addition being Olawunmi Treasures Bayode; 1. Olawunmi Treasures Bayode The 40-year old father of three began reading at 1:30 PM on Monday, February 26, 2018, and has set a record of 150hours, a total of 5 days beating Nepali Deepak Sharma’s record of 113 hours 15 minutes in 2008. Bayode set the record at exactly 3:30 on Saturday, March 3, 2018, at the YouRead/Herbert Macaulay library, Yaba. Read also Nigerian Reads Aloud For Over 5 Days Straight, Bids For Guinness World Record 2. Kafayat Shafau Kafayat Shafau is popularly known as Kaffy. She broke the world record in longest dance with a time of 52 hours and 3 minutes in 2006. She did this with her team, Imagneto, at the Nokia Silverbird Danceathon. The renowned fitness and dance instructor, Kaffy has her own dance school. The 36-year-old has now been married for four years with two children. 3. Chidera Anemege Popularly known as Chiddy of Chiddy Bang, rapped his way into the Guinness book of records in 2011. He is the current holder of the longest rap freestyle by an individual. He set the record at the MTV O Music Awards in Las Vegas, the U.S.A. Chiddy freestyled for 9 hrs, 18 mins and 22 secs. He even had to keep rapping while using the toilet twice, to set the record. 4. Obi Ajuonuma Obi Ajuonuma is popularly known as DJ Obi, he broke the world record for the longest ever DJ set. He started on 22nd of June and continued until 11.30pm on 2nd July, 2016. Thereby completing a 240-hour marathon on the decks at a Lagos cafe, smashing the previous record of 200 hours set in Dublin by a Polish DJ called Norbert Selmaj in November 2014. He reportedly set the record in honour of his father, Levi Ajuonuma, who was a TV producer, before dying in the Dana aeroplane crash of 2012. His record is yet to be ratified. 5. Harrison Chinedu A Nigerian footballer, Harrison Chinedu has walked his way into the Guinness book of records, for something strange. He broke the previous record for the ‘farthest distance walked with a ball on the head’. He walked a total distance of 48.04 kilometres in 6 hours, 15 minutes on the 6th of March, 2016 to beat the record formerly held by Indian soldier Naib Singh who walked a total distance of 45.64km in his country in 2014. 6. Adetunwase Adenle Adetunwase Adenle is reportedly the only Nigeria citizen who has four Guinness world records to his name. The class room teacher and artist holds the record in different categories. He holds the record of the biggest painting that has been painted by the largest number of people and this painting is as big as a football field. It measures about 63.5m (208 ft 3.99 in) x 49.3 m (161 ft 8.94 in) and it was painted by 350 volunteers and this painting represents the map of Nigeria. Other times Nigeria’s name got on the world record book was for the biggest football jersey in the world. And when 300,000 students from the 600 public secondary schools in Lagos brushed their teeth simultaneously at different locations to defeat India who had set the previous tooth brushing record and put Nigeria on the map.

Read More

Lassa Fever in Edo State: 100 fresh cases recorded

A Nigerian photojournalist, Etinosa Osayimwen who is presently working for an International Non-governmental Organization, The Bright Continent has lamented about the spread of Lassa Fever in Edo State. Miss Etinosa Osayimwen, a photojournalist has been in Edo State, South-south part of Nigeria covering the present outbreak of Lassa fever in the state which has been largely unreported. According to her, the Federal Government hasn't done enough in containing the disease which has been claiming lives. Etinosa took to her Facebook page to make a staggering revelation that Irrua Specialist hospital in Edo state has had over a 100 admissions in the last two months while locals are plagued with ignorance about the disease.

Read her words below: "This year, the outbreak of Lassa fever has been overwhelming. Irrua Specialist hospital in Edo state has had over a 100 admissions in the last two months, yet lots of locals in Irrua Don't really know much about the deadly disease talk less of how to avoid it. Lassa fever is the younger brother of Ebola so that gives you an idea of how deadly it is. The Nigerian government is down playing the reality of the outbreak because, 2019 is just around the corner. International organizations are doing all they can to curb the spread. Weeks back the NCDC falsified data to make it look like they were winning the fight, but thank God for white people and how they collate and value data. I've been trying to get my PVC but the queue has been so discouraging. However, I need to ensure I get it because my vote counts. I need to exercise my rights and we all need to do same. So much chaos in the country but it seems our leaders don't give a sh*t. It's tough being a Nigerian sometimes, it really is."

Read More

Wenger Out: I won't quit but will Turn the club Around vow Wenger

The Frenchman finds himself under intense pressure following a sorry run of form, but he believes he remains the right man to lead the Gunners. Arsene Wenger maintains he can “turn things around” at Arsenal and is refusing to contemplate quitting his post. Calls for the Frenchman to walk away from a club that he has served for 22 years are mounting in intensity amid a sorry run of form. A 2-1 defeat at Brighton on Sunday was a fourth in succession for the Gunners, and an eighth reversal in their last 13 outings. Wenger has never faced such opposition during his iconic reign in north London, but he retains full confidence in his ability to steer the club through a testing period. He told Sky Sports following another disappointing display against Brighton: "It's the first time it happens in my whole career, I must say. "It's not easy, but I have enough experience and enough desire to turn things around and I must say that, at the moment, when you need to stay in the game we are making a few mistakes at the wrong moments. "We have to stick together and focus. We have no other solution." Wenger can expect to face further criticism over the coming weeks and months, with it already suggested that he has outstayed his welcome, but the 68-year-old insists he has given no thought to resigning. He added:"You focus on your job. These are always the questions you get when you are in the situation we are in. "You do your job and you do the right thing and the things you think are right for the team and that's it." Speaking at the post-match press conference, Wenger said: "I must tell you, honestly, at the moment my future is not my main worry. My worry is to get Arsenal to win football games, and then we see where we go from there. "I will try to give my best as long as I am here, and do everything to get the team back to more confidence. We need to recover physically first. The program we have is at the moment a bit too demanding. "There's no uncertainty [with the players about his future], I told you many times. What is the uncertainty is at the moment the quality of our performance. When you go through a difficult patch, uncertainty before the game is the quality of the performance we can give. "Look, I don't want to talk about my future today. I'm long enough in the job to know what's going on and I'm long enough in the job as well to know that what's most important is to make sure you focus on what's important, that you give absolutely your best with full commitment." Arsenal have just one opportunity to salvage their season, with Wenger having conceded that a top-four finish is now beyond his side – as they sit 13 points off the pace. They have already suffered a Carabao Cup final defeat and a shock third round exit to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, with a defence of that trophy never getting started. Europa League success can still be secured, which would over the Gunners a route back into the Champions League, but AC Milan await at the last-16 stage and there are still several other heavyweight outfits setting their sights on continental glory.

Read More