Buhari approves new Board of Directors for NNPC

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the composition of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), as provided for under Section 1(2) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Act of 1997, as amended.

The new board is composed of the following:

A. Chairman-Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum;

B. Group Managing Director- Dr Maikanti Kacalla Baru;

Ghana begins visa-free travel for Africans

The Gold Coast country Ghana, has begun offering visas upon arrival to all African nationals, a step towards creating a continent-wide zone of free movement.

The West African country rolled out the policy on Friday, allowing citizens of African Union (AU) member-states to get visas for up to 30 days upon arriving in the country. Fifty-four African countries are members of the AU – the only country not in the bloc is Morocco, which resigned its membership

Police arrest suspected serial facebook scammer

The State Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (SIIB) of the Lagos State Police Command has arrested a serial Facebook scammer, one Peter Ajani, for using the name of former Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ngozi Braide, a Superintendent of Police, to defraud people.

It would be recalled that similar cases happened in 2013, when Braide was the command’s image-maker, where about seven fake Facebook accounts were opened in her name and used to defraud innocent citizens.

Already, a check as at last Friday revealed that 22 fake Facebook accounts had been opened with her name and with different introductions. The fraudulent accounts have since been yielding money for the perpetrators, who demand monetary gifts from their unsuspecting victims.

Ambode and the street traders of Lagos – By Reuben Abati

I am writing this piece after holding a series of conversations with Lagos street traders and hawkers who seem not be aware of or are just indifferent to, or may be they are intrigued by, the fact that the State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has declared on television that the state government is prepared to enforce an existing law banning street hawking. The relevant law, the Lagos State Street Trading and Illegal Market Prohibition Law, 2003 prescribes a punishment of N90, 000 or a six-month jail term, for both the buyer and the seller of any goods or services on the streets.  So I asked this vendor, who kept pushing copies of the day’s newspapers in my face, so close, you wouldn’t even be able to read the headline free of charge. 

“My friend, are you aware that what you are doing is illegal? You never hear say Governor Ambode don ban street trading?”

“That one no concern vendor oh. Na these other people wey dey sell chewing gum and water dem dey talk about”

“No. Street trading is street trading.  You are hawking your newspapers, why don’t you get a shop or

EFCC discovers N2.5bn in Stella Odua’s Housemaid’s Bank Account

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has discovered the sum of N2.5 billion in a bank account opened in the name of a housemaid to former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, who is now a senator representing Anambra State in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Two senior EFCC sources told SaharaReporters that the bank account and its huge deposits had been opened and operated without the knowledge of the former minister’s housemaid. “Senator Oduah apparently opened the account with her housemaid’s name, image, and details without the housemaid knowing about it,” said one EFCC agent familiar with the scandal. 

Another EFCC source said Ms. Oduah had been going around to some top officials of the Muhammadu Buhari administration seeking their help to scuttle her impending trial. Last week, she asked for a meeting with EFCC chairman Ibrahim Magu, claiming she wanted to meet in her official capacity as a senator. 

The two EFCC sources briefed  on the “housemaid” account disclosed that Ms. Oduah was the sole signatory to the account, adding that they were still connecting the dots to uncover how the ex-Aviation Minister managed to pull off such a money laundering operation. 

"As of last week, the account was still active and contained over N2.5 billion," said one EFCC source. He added that he could not ascertain whether the EFCC chairman, who is currently traveling

The Nigerian Police force retires Joseph Mbu, 20 Others

The police service commission has approved the retirement of Joseph Mbu, an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), and 20 officers who were senior to Idris Ibrahim, the new acting IG, before his appointment.

Ikechukwu Ani, spokesman of the commission, disclosed this in a statement, saying Mike Okiro, chairman of the PSC, congratulated the retirees. Below is the list of

Flash floods kill 33 in northern Pakistan

Flash floods caused by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 33 people in northern Pakistan, the majority from a village near the border with Afghanistan, officials said Sunday.

The rains began late Saturday and were concentrated mainly in the northwestern province of Khybher Pakthunkwa, which has been badly affected by flooding in recent years that some scientists have linked to climate change.

The worst hit district was Chitral, on the country’s northwest border, where flood waters swept away a mosque, dozens of houses and army post in the remote village of Ursoon, district mayor Maghfirat

Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel dies

Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor, writer and Nobel peace laureate who worked to keep alive the memory of Jews slaughtered during World War II, has died aged 87.

Wiesel, a Romanian-born US citizen, was perhaps best known for his memoir “Night” detailing his experiences in the Auschwitz concentration camp

Atleast 10 dead ,20 injures as bomb explodes at Istanbul airport

At least 10 people have been killed and 20 others injured in the attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, Turkey’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told CNN. The two suicide bombers were also killed. Bozdag said one attacker “first opened fire with a Kalashnikov then detonated himself” at the airport entrance.

In total two bombs exploded. One of them was located just outside the terminal on the pavement, the other was at the security gate at the entrance to the airport.

Authorities said no bombs exploded within the airport building itself, according to the minister.

A Turkish official told CNN that police fired shots at suspects near the international terminal in an

Pope tells Catholic Church to apologise to Gays

The pontiff, Pope Francis has urged the Roman Catholic Church to apologise to gays for the way they are being treated, saying they deserve to be respected. He said the Church had no right to judge homosexuals and should not be discriminated against.

The Pope, who spoke to reporters on his plane on his way from Armenia, also demanded the Church to seek forgiveness from other people it had marginalised, including women, the poor, and children forced into labour.

BBC reports that the Pope has been hailed by many in the gay community for his positive attitude towards homosexuals while some conservative Catholics have criticised him for making comments

Argentina begs Messi not to quit

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona and the country’s President Mauricio Macri urged Lionel Messi on Monday not to leave the national team despite his vow to quit after a humiliating defeat.

The Barcelona superstar left the field in tears after missing a spot-kick in the Copa America Centenario final shootout against Chile on Sunday.

He promptly told reporters he was quitting, throwing Argentine football into turmoil ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

“He has to stay because he still has playing days ahead of him,” Maradona was quoted as saying by La Nacion newspaper online.

Court Sacks Abia state Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu over fake Tax Clearance

A judge of the federal High Court, justice Okon Abang, sitting in Abuja has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria to cede the certificate of return to the opponent of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state as he was never qualified to run for the party primaries in the People's Democratic party as a guber candidate.

Photos: University Prof helps Mom writing Exam take care of her Baby

A Professor in a University is pictured backing a crying baby belonging to a mother, who is writing her examination. The Professor helped pacify the baby, while supervising at the exam hall in Bouake, Cote D’Ivorie. See more photos below...

EgyptAir black boxes arrive in France for repairs

The damaged black box flight recorders of an EgyptAir plane that plunged into the Mediterranean last month arrived in France on Monday for repairs, said the country’s air safety agency, amid hopes they will provide clues on why the aircraft went down.