ONE WORD

Free and fair polls: I'll give my opponents the opportunities I didn't have - President Buhari President Buhari has once again promised a level playing field for all contestants into political offices in next year's elections. Receiving a delegation from International Republican and National Democratic Institute, United States of America, at State House, Abuja, on Monday, the President said: "I am glad you are here to assess our pre-election preparations. It reminds me of the visit by the then Secretary of State, John Kerry, before the 2015 polls. We appreciate the concern of America for stability in developing countries. "Having run for president three times, ending up at the Supreme Court all three times, before God and technology made a way for me the fourth time, I know what it is to be cheated at the polls. What they used to do was just to award votes, and tell anyone who was dissatisfied to go to court. But we won't do that. I a...

Wizkid Appreciates His Female Fan Who Drew Him (Photos) A Facebook user has professed her happiness as she was opportuned to meet popular Nigeria pop singer Wizkid popularly known as starboy! The lady who draws and sells portraits for a living shared pictures and advice for upcoming talents.. She wrote ''No matter how little you start,be confident in that very little thing.I'm not the best but I've got to do what I know how to do.. https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2018/12/wizkid-appreciates-his-female-fan-who.html

Why Buhari was called Jubril of Sudan – Femi Adesina Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, said wicked people tagged his principal ‘Jubril of Sudan’ because they wanted him dead. He said this in a birthday tribute in honour of the president. Titled “Why we love Buhari”, Adesina described the president as a man of integrity, man of accountability, one whose word you can take to the bank. He wrote: “Don’t misunderstand me. Not all estimated 196 million Nigerians share this sentiment. Not possible. There are those who are passionately opposed to the President. They are a very vocal minority, who abhor his integrity, hate his sense of accountability, and even want him dead. But we are not talking about those who Fela Anikulapo-Kuti called “opposite people.” On this day of his 76th birthday, we are talking of the teeming masses who love Buhari, and who can go to the ends of the earth for him. “I have said it before, and sa...

Diamond Bank Announces Acquisition By Access Bank By Mod - [ Update Business ] Diamond Bank has announced its decision to merge with Access Bank Plc. The acquisition was midwifed by the CBN in a bid to further consolidate the banking industry. In a statement on Monday, the bank said the strategic decision will help it become the retail biggest retail bank on the African continent. Read below; “The Board of Diamond Bank Plc (“Diamond Bank”) today announces that following a strategic review leading to a competitive process, the Board has selected Access Bank Plc (“Access Bank”) as the preferred bidder with respect to a potential merger of the two banks (“the merger”) that will create Nigeria and Africa’s largest retail bank by customers”. The Board of Diamond Bank believes that the merger is in the best interest of all stakeholders including, employees, customers, depositors and shareholders and has agreed to recommend the offer to Diamond Bank’s shareholders. ...

Pope Francis Celebrates His Birthday At 82 HIS HOLINESS, POPE FRANCIS, IS 82YEARS TODAY Pope Francis is the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and Sovereign of the Vatican City. Born: December 17, 1936 (age 82), Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina Nationality: Argentine Full name: Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio ) We, his children from around the world, are grateful to God for having him as our spiritual father on earth. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE HOLY FATHER!!! https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2018/12/pope-francis-celebrates-his-birthday-at.html

Over 100,000 vehicles required for 2019 polls – INEC  [ Update Vanguard ] ABUJA— Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said it requires over 100,000 vehicles for logistic purposes in the 2019 general elections. Consequently, the commission has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with stakeholders in the transportation sector, including Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW; Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, and National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO. Performing the ceremony, yesterday, in Abuja, INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, urged the stakeholders to avoid breaching the MoU, especially at the last minute. He recalled past instances where hours to the polls, some union members failed to deliver the required number of vehicles, while others hiked their fares, a development that put the commission in a quandary. Yakubu said: “Learning from the experience of the past, I would like...

NUPENG strike: Buhari, Senate c’ttee meet to avert fuel scarcity By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA—PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, weekend, met behind closed doors with Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum, Downstream, Kabir Marafa, on measure taken to avert fuel scarcity during the festive season, following the threat by Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG. fuel The meeting took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, Senator Marafa, who is representing Zamfara Central senatorial district said though there were some technical issues threatening the free flow of the products, there were adequate quantities of the petroleum products in the country that will last six months. He said from the outcome of the meeting with the President and coming meetings with stakeholders in the next few days, he was optimistic that the issues  bordering on the payment of subsidies, forex differen...

Theresa May Warns Against Call For Second Referendum File Photo of Theresa May Prime Minister Theresa May will on Monday warn MPs against supporting a second referendum, saying it would do “irreparable damage” to British politics. “Let us not break faith with the British people by trying to stage another referendum,” she is expected to tell parliament, according to extracts from her speech released by Downing Street. “Another vote… would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics,” she will say, adding that a second vote “would likely leave us no further forward”. She will warn that another referendum would also “further divide our country at the very moment we should be working to unite it”. Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum in 2016 and is set to leave on March 29 next year, although May is struggling to get parliament to accept a divorce agreement she struck last month. May has faced calls for a second referendum to resolve...

                                          DR Congo to vote in end-of-an-era pol l A military officer stands in front of the crowd during the election rally of the presidential candidate Emmanuel Ramazany Shadary in Goma, North-Kivu, on December 16, 2018. – Tensions are rising in the vast, unstable country ahead of the December 23 election when voters will choose a successor to the President who has remained in power as a caretaker leader even though his second and final elected term ended nearly two years ago. (Photo by ALEXIS HUGUET / AFP) The Democratic Republic of Congo goes to the polls this week in elections which could see the country emerge from 17 years of conflict-ridden rule under controversial President Joseph Kabila. Twenty-one candidates are running to replace Kabila, whose hand-picked successor Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary is one of the front-runners. At st...

Latest embarrassment leaves Mourinho running out of time at Man United Manchester United had not lost to Liverpool in the Premier League for eight games and over four years prior to Sunday’s 3-1 defeat, but the current chasm between the two sides was exposed as Jose Mourinho’s men fell 19 points behind the league leaders at Anfield. Match-going United fans have been reluctant to turn on Mourinho, instead often pointing fingers at executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward’s reluctance to back the manager in the transfer market this summer or the club’s American owners, the Glazer family. Mourinho However, by the end of proceedings on Sunday, as two deflected Xherdan Shaqiri strikes in the final 17 minutes sealed a thoroughly deserved victory for the hosts, it was Liverpool fans who sarcastically sang “don’t sack Mourinho”. The Portuguese coach said he accepted responsibility for a fifth defeat of the season that leaves the 20-time champions of England 11 po...

                                                   Macron’s Govt Admits To Mistakes Over ‘Yellow Vest’ Protests French Minister for Solidarity and Health Agnes Buzyn, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, French President Emmanuel Macron, French Ecology Minister Francois de Rugy and French Labour Minister Muriel Penicaud meet with representatives of trade unions, employers’ organisations and local elected officials at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris, as part of consultations in search of a way to end the so-called “Yellow vests” crisis, on December 10, 2018. Yoan VALAT / POOL / AFP The French government was on Sunday hoping the sharp drop in “yellow vest” demonstrators signalled an end to the biggest crisis of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency, but conceded “mistakes” had been made. Around 66,000 people turned out again on Saturday across Fra...

2019 Election; ‘Buhari Was Not Really Prepared For Governance’ – Atiku The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign for admitting on Friday that the nation’s economy was in bad shape. Buhari reportedly made the confession during his meeting with the 36 governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday. In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr Phrank Shaibu,  on Sunday,  Atiku said the President’s confession that the economy was in bad shape was not only a  ploy to attract the sympathy of Nigerians but also aimed at getting a soft landing. He said,  “The result, of course, is his confession of failure on the eve of our general elections in the hope that millions of Nigerians, whom he has condemned to poverty and hardship, will give him a clap for failing abysmally. “I dare say that President Buhari has miscalculated badly on this matte...

How I Almost Ended My Marriage With Olu Jacobs Several Times — Joke Silva Opens Up About Her Marriage Journey It is not unusual for celebrity marriages to crash. In fact, these days, it’s almost expected. But despite the downfall of many, a few Nollywood relationships have stood the test of time. The union of veteran actors, Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva, is a shining example in this regard. Having recently celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary, the couple have earned the bragging rights. PREMIUM TIMES recently caught up with Joke on the set of a new Nollywood movie, ‘Two Weeks in Lagos’ where she spoke about what has sustained her marriage thus far. PT: Congratulations on your 33rd wedding anniversary. How would you describe the journey so far? Joke: The journey has been incredible and extremely interesting. It has also been one of learning. I don’t think anybody can ever prepare anyone for marriage. I had friends who were married until one partner died or de...

North Korea Condemns US Sanctions, Issues Fresh Warning Nuclear-armed North Korea condemned the United States over its latest sanctions measures, warning Washington’s approach could “block the path to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula forever”. After a rapid diplomatic rapprochement this year that culminated in the Singapore summit in June between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, progress has stalled in talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. In Singapore, the two men signed a vaguely-worded statement on denuclearisation, but have since disagreed on what it means. Now Pyongyang is demanding sanctions relief and condemning US insistence on its nuclear disarmament as “gangster-like”, while Washington is pushing to maintain the measures against the North until its “final, fully verified denuclearisation”. Washington last week added three senior North Korean officials to those subject to sanctions over human rights abuses, ...

Messi Hat-Trick Restores Barcelona’s La Liga Lead Levante’s Spanish midfielder Ruben Rochina (L) vies with Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi during the Spanish League football match between Levante and Barcelona at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium in Valencia on December 16, 2018. JOSE JORDAN / AFP Lionel Messi continued his sublime form by netting his 31st La Liga hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed Levante 5-0 on Sunday to regain their three-point lead at the top of the table. The 31-year-old Argentinian arrived in Valencia having scored two free-kicks in last weekend’s derby thumping of Espanyol. He took his goals tally for the season to 20 after a virtuoso display, while also teeing up Luis Suarez’s 35th-minute opener and Gerard Pique’s late fifth. Barca were under pressure after Atletico Madrid and second-placed Sevilla had both moved level on points with the Catalan giants. But after resting his key stars for their final Champions League group stage match a...