Friday, 27 May 2016
DONE DEAL: Mourinho confirmed as United manager on a four-year deal as he shows off his contract and says 'there is a mystique and a romance about it which no other club can match'
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Jose
Mourinho has spoken of the 'special honour' to manage Manchester United
after being confirmed as their new manager on a four-year contract with
the option to cut ties after three years.
United
executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward hailed the former Chelsea boss as
'the best manager in the game today' after the club broke the news on
football's worst-kept secret on Friday morning.
Mourinho
will earn £15million per year and work has already started on a summer
recruitment drive with £200m available to create a squad capable of a
Premier League title challenge.
APC Chairman dismisses calls for EFCC to probe APC campaign fund
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According to Premium Times, Oyegun dismissed the call at “The Encounter with Constance Ikowu,” a programme on WEFM yesterday May 26th.
“You are comparing apples and grapes. It is the people’s money. You can’t use the money of the people to run parties and so the APC today is suffering from that basic correct policy decision. But campaign funds cannot come from the monies that belong to the generality of Nigerians. Individuals can donate, and companies can donate subject to limits that the law provides. We are not touching those. But where you take monies meant for positioning troops in the North East to fight against Boko Haram to fund parties (and) the most recent when you take our crude, gave unregistered crude to exporters, repatriate the proceeds and use them to finance your political campaigns that is wrong. That is impunity at its worst. So they are not comparable.”Oyegun revealed that there are some APC governors that are presently under investigations
“As at today, of course there are APC governors and ex governors that are under investigation, maybe not in respect or specifically campaign funds but there are. The basic principle is, impunity must be removed from the system and wherever the tree falls, so let it be! I am sure that if that happens, the kind of president that we have will look the other way. Normal process must take its course.”he said
Jose Mourinho shows off his Man Utd contract (photo)
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Friday, 13 May 2016
UK To Hasten Assets Recovery For Nigeria
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A plan to speed up international efforts on asset recovery has been
announced by the UK Prime Minister David Cameron at the Anti-Corruption
Summit held at Lancaster House, London.
The Global Forum for Asset Recovery will bring together governments and law enforcement agencies to discuss returning assets to Nigeria, Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
Foreign firms that own property in the UK must also declare their assets publicly in a bid to stamp out money-laundering, the government says.
The meeting will be held in the US next year, co-hosted with the UK, and supported by the UN and the World Bank.
Mr Cameron’s plans for a register of foreign companies owning UK property would include those who already owned property in the UK as well as those seeking to buy.
Downing Street said the register would mean “corrupt individuals and countries will no longer be able to move, launder and hide illicit funds through London’s property market, and will not benefit from our public funds”.
It said foreign companies owned about 100,000 properties in England and Wales and that more than 44,000 of these were in London.
David Cameron said cracking down on corruption was needed to “tackle extremism,” adding that people in developing countries wanted justice as much as they wanted clean water and health care. John Kerry, US secretary of State, agreed that corruption fed drug and human trafficking as well as terrorism.
http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/uk-moves-to-speed-up-assets-recovery-for-nigeria-others/146577.html
The Global Forum for Asset Recovery will bring together governments and law enforcement agencies to discuss returning assets to Nigeria, Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
Foreign firms that own property in the UK must also declare their assets publicly in a bid to stamp out money-laundering, the government says.
The meeting will be held in the US next year, co-hosted with the UK, and supported by the UN and the World Bank.
Mr Cameron’s plans for a register of foreign companies owning UK property would include those who already owned property in the UK as well as those seeking to buy.
Downing Street said the register would mean “corrupt individuals and countries will no longer be able to move, launder and hide illicit funds through London’s property market, and will not benefit from our public funds”.
It said foreign companies owned about 100,000 properties in England and Wales and that more than 44,000 of these were in London.
David Cameron said cracking down on corruption was needed to “tackle extremism,” adding that people in developing countries wanted justice as much as they wanted clean water and health care. John Kerry, US secretary of State, agreed that corruption fed drug and human trafficking as well as terrorism.
http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/uk-moves-to-speed-up-assets-recovery-for-nigeria-others/146577.html
Fuel Subsidy Removal: A Good Decision Taken Too Late
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Fuel subsidy removal: a good decision taken too late
I really don't know how I should greet my readers and in what languages I should greet them. I'm a Nigerian not vast at speaking any local language fluently,but will try and greet in English language and the little yoruba language I know.
Congrats on the subsidy removal/happy subsidy removal!(English)
Eku subsidy o!!!(Yoruba)
Now that we're done with the greetings,let's get down to business. Pls,permit me to be as vocal and rude as I want to be. It won't be forever;it will be just this once and the reason I'd like to go that way,is cos I think it's payback time and like you and I know,payback is always a Dam!
I'd love for us,to cast our minds back to january 2012 under the regime of ex-president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan popularly known as GEJ. The PDP government at the time,had concluded that paying subsidy on petroleum products,was a collosal waste of scarce national resources,as the exercise was riddled with monumental fraud,the subsidy itself wasn't getting to the ordinary Nigerians,and that the act of subsidy payment wasn't economically sustainable due to the fact that it only created wealth for a few Nigerians. Government at that time,had decided to take the bull by the horn and do what was right. However,the opposition party at the time,the labour unions,and the oil cartel enjoying the subsidy payments,decided to twist the arms of govt behind,by sponsoring protests to kick against the policy. This protest gave birth to the popular occupy Nigeria protest. Economic activities were shut down for over a month,people couldn't even access cash via ATMs,riots and protests took place at various locations,a lot was said in the media and the whole thing was blown out of proportion. Some irate youths who took to the streets to protest and riot,never made it back home;they were gunned down by trigger happy security agents. The opposition,were very much ready to make the country boil. Government tried in futility to sell this idea to the country,as the very best decision. Some of us who knew this was the right thing to do,tried in our own little ways to educate those around us both one-on-one,and on social media. But our efforts were in futility. We were called all manner of names,maligned so badly,accused of being beneficiaries of the fraud,etc. I took a barage of insults from lots of ignorant folks,arguements became heated and I ended up deleting some friends from way-back,on my facebook. Even my ex-fiancee took part in throwing shades at me and considering we had just broken up,what a perfect opportunity it was for her.
Well,since Nigeria is a land made up of mostly illiterate and ignorant folks,their voices were louder. Negotiations went back and forth and govt jettisioned the idea of a full subsidy removal. Those in power today,were the ones who vehemently opposed the removal of subsidy then. The new government has given us divergent opinions over this subsidy issue. When they were not yet in power,they said there was nothing like subsidy and it was all fraud. They got into power,said there was nothing like subsidy,agreed there was subsidy,back tracked on it,and finally agreed that there was a lot of corruption entangled in the subsidy scheme(the same thing the previous govt said in 2012),and have finally decided to stop paying subsidy. The saying that spectators are always the best players,aptly describes this present govt. Prior to the elections,they had dazzled and bamboozled their teeming supporters with the notion that they had full grasps of how the ideal Nigerian environment should function and work. One of them,a certain Professor David Tam West,had gone on air to do a ludicrous arithmetic of how petrol should be sold for not more than #40 naira per litre. Fans of the new govt had eulogized him and even tipped him to be the incoming petroleum minister. It's amusing that this same "erudite scholar" who had told Nigerians that they could buy PMS for #40 naira,can't help the present govt make that possible. According to unconfirmed statistics,Nigeria spends between $7-8 billion dollars a year on subsidy. If we take the mean of this figure for the last 4 years when subsidy should have been removed,it would give us $7.5 billion dollars a year and when you multiply that by 4,it gives you $30billion dollars in 4 years which amounts to roughly about 5trillion naira in 4 years. This figure sounds too huge to be true and in a bid to give our arguement some kind of credibility,I'd love for us to halve this figure into 2. This would leave us with a conservative figure of about 2.5 trillion naira spent on subsidy in the last 4 years. That's more than half of our previous yearly budgets. In a nutshell,about 2.5 trillion naira has gone into private pockets in the last 4 years. I read a report that stated that Nigeria had spent over 4.5 trillion naira on petrol subsidy in the last 7 years. This was an article published in 2015. It is obvious to every sane person that subsidy should have been removed a long time ago. But the insincerity on the part of politicians in power today,the gullibility of a larger percentage of the populace,and the wickedness and greed that generally permeates the Nigerian society,made this impossible.
In 2012 when subsidy should have been removed,I watched different celebrities(actors and musicians),media practitioners,politicians et al,converge at the popular Ojota garage for days,protesting this noble action. Where are the likes of Seun Kuti,Femi Kuti, KWAM 1, Ras Kimono, Pasuma Wonder, Salawa Abeni, Dede Mabiaku, Eldee, 9ice, Olamide, Ruggedman, Eedris Abdulkareem, Banky W,Ade Bantu,Desmond Elliot, Kunle Afolayan,Bimbo Akintola,Pst Tunde Bakare and others who gathered to dance at Ojoto like witches and wizards in their covens practising witchcraft in excitement? What do they have to say? Do they still want to continue the witchcraft dance at Ojota? Or will they humble themselves to admit they erred in opposing the right decision? These set of people led gullible youths to reject a sound policy,and to encourage profilgacy in the name of subsidy payments. Yes,most of these people are people I personally like in the industry,and some of them are people I have huge admiration and respect for their works. But the truth must be said;they have to tender unreserved apologies to Nigerians,most especially the ignorant youths they misled(those who joined the protest cos they looked up to them as role models).
I am not a fan of Buhari and I have never hidden that fact. Forget about all these integrity gibberish being fed us about him;there are men and women of honor with integrity other than Buhari. Nations all around the world,are looking at electing leaders with charisma and bright ideas and innovations to move their country forward,not old men who should be enjoying their retirement in peace,and acting as elder statesmen. In almost a year of Buhari being in power,we have seen how he has dragged us all back to 1983. Even kids being born today,are being forced to experience the wonders of 1983. It's a shame that in 2015,a country of a 170million Nigerians,couldn't present a better candidate other than a 73 years old leader who had ruled the nation before,to challenge the former president. Everytime I think about it,I almost weep for the youths of my generation.
That being said,I won't act like a hypocrite and join in condemning the subsidy removal;I'm not that silly. If I supported the policy under Jonathan,why shouldn't I support it under Buhari? The only painful thing is that,we're taking a decision that should have been taken when we still had life in 2012,now that we're almost dead in 2016;I hope and pray we survive it. The naira is almost useless and worthless as at today. Prices of goods and services are already too high and by the time we factor in the subsidy removal,it will further push the cost of goods and services high;how do we navigate this? As painful as it is,as daunting a task as it is,we just have to face it head long. But all in all,this is the only sensible thing I have seen this government do. It's just that it is coming at a bad time.
I read on a few social networks how people are already preparing to do an occupy Nigeria season 2. I hear labour unions are already pushing for a showdown. I'd love to appeal to all those who have this protest and economic shutdown in mind,to please desist from it. They'd only succeed in causing more hardship cos the current Nigerian president is a man that has ears but doesn't listen. If the security agencies kill 1,000 people as a result of this,it won't move him. Infact,as the security agents starts killing you guys,he'd be on the way to the airport to board the Nigerian "Airforce 1" to UK,and from there announce to the world that the Nigerians being killed,are the ones supporting corruption. You and I know that the only thing Buhari knows,is corruption. You can't ask him any question without him adding corruption to the answer. Please,do not disrupt the plans of other people. I have mouths to feed,I have debtors to settle,I have projects to execute and the economy isn't helping right now. The last thing we want is to lose everything we've worked for and invested in. This is the change you were promised;take up your cross and walk. Let's hope that the removal of subsidy would go a long way in sanitizing the oil sector,and that the subsidy funds would be channeled into more profitable ventures.
Once again,"eku subsidy"(happy subsidy).
This article was written by @RIO_BILLS
I really don't know how I should greet my readers and in what languages I should greet them. I'm a Nigerian not vast at speaking any local language fluently,but will try and greet in English language and the little yoruba language I know.
Congrats on the subsidy removal/happy subsidy removal!(English)
Eku subsidy o!!!(Yoruba)
Now that we're done with the greetings,let's get down to business. Pls,permit me to be as vocal and rude as I want to be. It won't be forever;it will be just this once and the reason I'd like to go that way,is cos I think it's payback time and like you and I know,payback is always a Dam!
I'd love for us,to cast our minds back to january 2012 under the regime of ex-president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan popularly known as GEJ. The PDP government at the time,had concluded that paying subsidy on petroleum products,was a collosal waste of scarce national resources,as the exercise was riddled with monumental fraud,the subsidy itself wasn't getting to the ordinary Nigerians,and that the act of subsidy payment wasn't economically sustainable due to the fact that it only created wealth for a few Nigerians. Government at that time,had decided to take the bull by the horn and do what was right. However,the opposition party at the time,the labour unions,and the oil cartel enjoying the subsidy payments,decided to twist the arms of govt behind,by sponsoring protests to kick against the policy. This protest gave birth to the popular occupy Nigeria protest. Economic activities were shut down for over a month,people couldn't even access cash via ATMs,riots and protests took place at various locations,a lot was said in the media and the whole thing was blown out of proportion. Some irate youths who took to the streets to protest and riot,never made it back home;they were gunned down by trigger happy security agents. The opposition,were very much ready to make the country boil. Government tried in futility to sell this idea to the country,as the very best decision. Some of us who knew this was the right thing to do,tried in our own little ways to educate those around us both one-on-one,and on social media. But our efforts were in futility. We were called all manner of names,maligned so badly,accused of being beneficiaries of the fraud,etc. I took a barage of insults from lots of ignorant folks,arguements became heated and I ended up deleting some friends from way-back,on my facebook. Even my ex-fiancee took part in throwing shades at me and considering we had just broken up,what a perfect opportunity it was for her.
Well,since Nigeria is a land made up of mostly illiterate and ignorant folks,their voices were louder. Negotiations went back and forth and govt jettisioned the idea of a full subsidy removal. Those in power today,were the ones who vehemently opposed the removal of subsidy then. The new government has given us divergent opinions over this subsidy issue. When they were not yet in power,they said there was nothing like subsidy and it was all fraud. They got into power,said there was nothing like subsidy,agreed there was subsidy,back tracked on it,and finally agreed that there was a lot of corruption entangled in the subsidy scheme(the same thing the previous govt said in 2012),and have finally decided to stop paying subsidy. The saying that spectators are always the best players,aptly describes this present govt. Prior to the elections,they had dazzled and bamboozled their teeming supporters with the notion that they had full grasps of how the ideal Nigerian environment should function and work. One of them,a certain Professor David Tam West,had gone on air to do a ludicrous arithmetic of how petrol should be sold for not more than #40 naira per litre. Fans of the new govt had eulogized him and even tipped him to be the incoming petroleum minister. It's amusing that this same "erudite scholar" who had told Nigerians that they could buy PMS for #40 naira,can't help the present govt make that possible. According to unconfirmed statistics,Nigeria spends between $7-8 billion dollars a year on subsidy. If we take the mean of this figure for the last 4 years when subsidy should have been removed,it would give us $7.5 billion dollars a year and when you multiply that by 4,it gives you $30billion dollars in 4 years which amounts to roughly about 5trillion naira in 4 years. This figure sounds too huge to be true and in a bid to give our arguement some kind of credibility,I'd love for us to halve this figure into 2. This would leave us with a conservative figure of about 2.5 trillion naira spent on subsidy in the last 4 years. That's more than half of our previous yearly budgets. In a nutshell,about 2.5 trillion naira has gone into private pockets in the last 4 years. I read a report that stated that Nigeria had spent over 4.5 trillion naira on petrol subsidy in the last 7 years. This was an article published in 2015. It is obvious to every sane person that subsidy should have been removed a long time ago. But the insincerity on the part of politicians in power today,the gullibility of a larger percentage of the populace,and the wickedness and greed that generally permeates the Nigerian society,made this impossible.
In 2012 when subsidy should have been removed,I watched different celebrities(actors and musicians),media practitioners,politicians et al,converge at the popular Ojota garage for days,protesting this noble action. Where are the likes of Seun Kuti,Femi Kuti, KWAM 1, Ras Kimono, Pasuma Wonder, Salawa Abeni, Dede Mabiaku, Eldee, 9ice, Olamide, Ruggedman, Eedris Abdulkareem, Banky W,Ade Bantu,Desmond Elliot, Kunle Afolayan,Bimbo Akintola,Pst Tunde Bakare and others who gathered to dance at Ojoto like witches and wizards in their covens practising witchcraft in excitement? What do they have to say? Do they still want to continue the witchcraft dance at Ojota? Or will they humble themselves to admit they erred in opposing the right decision? These set of people led gullible youths to reject a sound policy,and to encourage profilgacy in the name of subsidy payments. Yes,most of these people are people I personally like in the industry,and some of them are people I have huge admiration and respect for their works. But the truth must be said;they have to tender unreserved apologies to Nigerians,most especially the ignorant youths they misled(those who joined the protest cos they looked up to them as role models).
I am not a fan of Buhari and I have never hidden that fact. Forget about all these integrity gibberish being fed us about him;there are men and women of honor with integrity other than Buhari. Nations all around the world,are looking at electing leaders with charisma and bright ideas and innovations to move their country forward,not old men who should be enjoying their retirement in peace,and acting as elder statesmen. In almost a year of Buhari being in power,we have seen how he has dragged us all back to 1983. Even kids being born today,are being forced to experience the wonders of 1983. It's a shame that in 2015,a country of a 170million Nigerians,couldn't present a better candidate other than a 73 years old leader who had ruled the nation before,to challenge the former president. Everytime I think about it,I almost weep for the youths of my generation.
That being said,I won't act like a hypocrite and join in condemning the subsidy removal;I'm not that silly. If I supported the policy under Jonathan,why shouldn't I support it under Buhari? The only painful thing is that,we're taking a decision that should have been taken when we still had life in 2012,now that we're almost dead in 2016;I hope and pray we survive it. The naira is almost useless and worthless as at today. Prices of goods and services are already too high and by the time we factor in the subsidy removal,it will further push the cost of goods and services high;how do we navigate this? As painful as it is,as daunting a task as it is,we just have to face it head long. But all in all,this is the only sensible thing I have seen this government do. It's just that it is coming at a bad time.
I read on a few social networks how people are already preparing to do an occupy Nigeria season 2. I hear labour unions are already pushing for a showdown. I'd love to appeal to all those who have this protest and economic shutdown in mind,to please desist from it. They'd only succeed in causing more hardship cos the current Nigerian president is a man that has ears but doesn't listen. If the security agencies kill 1,000 people as a result of this,it won't move him. Infact,as the security agents starts killing you guys,he'd be on the way to the airport to board the Nigerian "Airforce 1" to UK,and from there announce to the world that the Nigerians being killed,are the ones supporting corruption. You and I know that the only thing Buhari knows,is corruption. You can't ask him any question without him adding corruption to the answer. Please,do not disrupt the plans of other people. I have mouths to feed,I have debtors to settle,I have projects to execute and the economy isn't helping right now. The last thing we want is to lose everything we've worked for and invested in. This is the change you were promised;take up your cross and walk. Let's hope that the removal of subsidy would go a long way in sanitizing the oil sector,and that the subsidy funds would be channeled into more profitable ventures.
Once again,"eku subsidy"(happy subsidy).
This article was written by @RIO_BILLS
Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy named Premier League Player of the Season
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Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has been named the Barclay's Premier League Player of the Season. Leicester
lifted the league trophy last weekend, marking the first time that the
club has won a top-flight title in their 132-year history.
29-year-old
Vardy has been pivotal in the Foxes' surprise title win as he has
scored 24 goals this season, just one fewer than the league's leading
scorer Harry Kane.
He
also holds the record of scoring in 11 consecutive top-flight games,
beating Ruud van Nistelrooy's 10-game record, which he set while at
Manchester United.
Source: Sky Sports News/Sports Mole
Buhari Departs London, Speaks To Nigerian Press
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President Muhammadu Buhari is on his way back to Nigeria after the anti-corruption summit that took him to the United Kingdom.
While in London the President spoke to journalists on his assessment of the fight against corruption, insecurity and how he uncovered the padding of the 2016 budget.
He said that if he had not uncovered the padding of the budget, corruption would have crept into that 2016 budget, blaming it on technocrats.
But many critics say the anticorruption fight is lopsided, while others wonder when the President would begin to publish names of the alleged corrupt officials and how much he has recovered so far.
The President said that he would be making a comprehensive broadcast of what has been recovered and from which individuals on May 29.
The President explained that he was taking his time because he wants to make sure that those indicted are successfully prosecuted.
President Buhari also spoke on security issues; the fight against Boko Haram, the havoc by herdsmen, kidnapping and the resurgence of militancy and what will happen to those blowing up gas pipelines in the Niger Delta.
President Buhari’s statements are coming at a time many Nigerians are in doubt about the change mantra that his administration came in with, but he says Nigerians should have confidence in his ability to secure and manage the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday morning held a closed-door meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the UK, Justin Welby, before leaving for Abuja.
This was after world leaders had agreed that there is need to eradicate corruption among nations at the high profile anti-corruption summit in London.
At the opening session of the summit, British Prime Minister, David Cameron, promised to set up a public register to show owners of properties in Britain, in an effort to stop stolen funds from being laundered through London’s property market.
http://www.channelstv.com/2016/05/13/buhari-departs-london-speaks-nigerian-press/
While in London the President spoke to journalists on his assessment of the fight against corruption, insecurity and how he uncovered the padding of the 2016 budget.
He said that if he had not uncovered the padding of the budget, corruption would have crept into that 2016 budget, blaming it on technocrats.
But many critics say the anticorruption fight is lopsided, while others wonder when the President would begin to publish names of the alleged corrupt officials and how much he has recovered so far.
The President said that he would be making a comprehensive broadcast of what has been recovered and from which individuals on May 29.
The President explained that he was taking his time because he wants to make sure that those indicted are successfully prosecuted.
President Buhari also spoke on security issues; the fight against Boko Haram, the havoc by herdsmen, kidnapping and the resurgence of militancy and what will happen to those blowing up gas pipelines in the Niger Delta.
President Buhari’s statements are coming at a time many Nigerians are in doubt about the change mantra that his administration came in with, but he says Nigerians should have confidence in his ability to secure and manage the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday morning held a closed-door meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the UK, Justin Welby, before leaving for Abuja.
This was after world leaders had agreed that there is need to eradicate corruption among nations at the high profile anti-corruption summit in London.
At the opening session of the summit, British Prime Minister, David Cameron, promised to set up a public register to show owners of properties in Britain, in an effort to stop stolen funds from being laundered through London’s property market.
http://www.channelstv.com/2016/05/13/buhari-departs-london-speaks-nigerian-press/
Tomorrow 14th May, You have a chance to change your future forever!
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Take that bold step. Join the world class leaders that have benefited from Prepclass in Nigeria. Prepclass is a trusted study abroad education consultant, we provide high achievers around the world with top class International study application processing, career advisory counselling and study visa guidance.
Now, thanks to our partnerships with leading universities and colleges abroad we offer students, parents and sponsor a great opportunity to meet with representatives from these universities and colleges in the UK, USA, Canada and Ireland.
Only 70 students will be allowed to participate in this maiden exhibition by Prepclass, so unlike other exhibitions that are overcrowded with teeming prospective students you get a 1-on-1 opportunity to sit and discuss comfortably with the rep of the school of your choice. To secure a spot register now!!!
Major attractions:
• Simplify the whole admission and study visa process.
• Opportunity to be assessed directly by international delegates from different institutions
• Opportunity to start the application process on the spot
• One on one counseling and advise
• Access to financial information
• Initiate your admission applications
• To learn about courses and career pathways that may best suite your career
• Networking and contacts
• Get bespoke answers on opportunities peculiar to your career/discipline
A few of the Schools in attendance:
• University of Essex (UK)
• Sheffield Hallam (UK)
• Centennial College(Canada)
• Selkirk college(Canada)
• Saint Lawrence college(Canada)
• Parkland college(Canada)
• Pfeiffer University (Canada)
• University of Northern British Columbia(Canada)
• University of Windsor, Northern Ireland
Exhibtion will hold at our very accessible office on the 3rd Floor, 315 Herbert Macaulay Way Sabo Yaba Lagos (Opposite KFC).
Date: Tomorrow, 14th May 2016
Time: 10am – 2pm
Registration is free. Click here to register
NB: Students are expected to come with their credentials as admissions can be initiated at the venue.
For more inquiries can call Mr. Emmanuel on +234-908-341-4474
Throwback to the time Ibe Kachikwu rejected the removal of subsidy calling it unrealistic
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'Came like a king, left like a legend'- Zlatan Ibrahimovic confirms he's leaving PSG
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He has been linked to Arsenal, Man U, Chelsea and even the U.S Major league soccer.
He won the French League's player of the season award. See his tweet after the cut.
Friday, 6 May 2016
Mind of a Billionaire: Peter Okoye shares new photo
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Iranian artist and activist who was forced to undergo a virginity test has been freed - Amnesty
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"The release of Iranian artist and activist Atena Farghadani yesterday is a long-overdue step towards righting the injustice against her and must be followed by the immediate and unconditional release of other peaceful artists and activists who remain behind bars, Amnesty International said today.
"Atena Farghadani’s release represents a legal and moral victory for her and encourages the efforts of activists worldwide to campaign for the release of other prisoners of conscience in Iran, as well as for reforms to the unjust laws used to put them behind bars in the first place," said Magdalena Mughrabi, interim Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.
"While this is a time for celebration, it is vital that the world doesn’t forget that Atena Farghadani should never have been imprisoned in the first place and that many others like her continue to languish in cells or have the threat of prison hanging over their head for peacefully exercising their rights."Atena Farghadani’s release came after an appeal court in Tehran dramatically reduced her original 12-years and nine months sentence to 18 months, most of which she had already served. The court, however, suspended a three-year prison sentence imposed for “insulting the Iranian Supreme Leader” for four years meaning that the threat of imprisonment will hang over Atena Farghadani during that period. The Iranian authorities often resort to suspended sentences to create a climate of fear, coercing activists, journalists and others into silence or self-censorship.
Atena Farghadani was sentenced on 1 June 2015 after a Revolutionary Court convicted her, following a grossly unfair trial, of charges including “gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security”, “spreading propaganda against the system”, “insulting the Iranian Supreme Leader”, and “insulting members of parliament through paintings”.
All the charges stemmed from her peaceful activities including meeting with families of political prisoners, criticising the authorities on social media and through her artwork, which included a cartoon that satirized members of Iran’s parliament for considering bills that restrict access to voluntary contraception and family planning services.
In August 2015, Atena Farghadani said in a note, smuggled out of prison, that the authorities had subjected her to a forced ‘virginity test’. Earlier in 2016, the authorities confirmed her subjection to these tests. “Virginity testing” is highly discriminatory, compromises women’s dignity and rights to physical and mental integrity, and has been recognised as a violation of the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment.
Earlier in December 2014, when she was out on bail, Atena Farghadani released a video message describing how female prison guards at Evin prison had beaten her, verbally abused her and forced her to strip naked for a body search.
“The Iranian authorities have 18 months of appalling injustice to make up for and they should start by investigating Atena Farghadani’s torture and other ill-treatment including forced ‘virginity testing’. They should also ensure that her conviction and suspended sentence are quashed,” said Magdalena Mughrabi.Atena Farghadani’s release comes at a time when scores of others face harsh prison sentences imposed for their peaceful human rights activism. They include Atena Daemi, Omid Alishenas, Saeed Hosseinzadeh, and Asou Rostami, all of whom were arrested at around the same time and have been sentenced to harsh prison terms following grossly unfair trials on similar charges to Atena Farghadani.
“The conviction and sentences of all these young activists must be immediately quashed and the Iranian authorities must stop using the threat of incarceration to stifle Iran’s young generation of activists,” said Magdalena Mughrabi.
“Of course, a prisoner release is only a first step – the Iranian authorities must also reform the country’s repressive laws, which for too long have been used to clamp down on dissent. As long as these laws remain on the books, human rights defenders and activists will remain at risk of being jailed simply for expressing their opinions.In its April 2016 ruling, the Appeal Court in Tehran upheld Atena Farghadani’s 18 months prison term imposed for the charge of “spreading propaganda against the system” but acquitted her from the charge of “gathering and colluding against national security”. It commuted the nine-month imprisonment sentence for “insulting members of parliament through paintings”, “insulting the President” and “insulting prison officials” to a cash fine.
Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, adopted in May 2013, maintains vaguely worded “crimes” such as “spreading propaganda against the system”, “creating unease in the public mind”, “insulting Islamic sanctities” and “membership of an illegal group”. These “offences” are frequently used to curb the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Such laws and practices violate Iran’s international obligations, including those under Articles 19, 21 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.
