ONE WORD

King Mohammed VI of Morocco has called on its citizens to work toward creating a new development model to place the country on the ranks of developed nations. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 55-year-old king made the call in a speech celebrating his 20 years on the throne. The speech was made available to NAN on Tuesday by the Embassy of Morocco in Abuja. Mohammed, a member of the Alaouite dynasty, was enthroned in Rabat, Morocco’s Capital, on July 30, 1999 after the death of his father, King Hassan II. Although the country has made a lot of progress in all sectors under his watch, the Monarch said that the effects of the achievements had not been felt by all segments of the Moroccan society. He therefore assured that the country was working toward a new development model to tackle social inequalities, while urging a government reshuffle. He said a government advisory body would be set up to make suggestions to improve reforms in education, health, agric...

China orders business owners to take down Arabic, Islamic signs Authorities in the Chinese capital have ordered halal restaurants and food stalls to remove Arabic script and symbols associated with Islam from their signs, part of an expanding national effort to “Sinicize” its Muslim population. Employees at 11 restaurants and shops in Beijing selling halal products and visited by Reuters in recent days said officials had told them to remove images associated with Islam, such as the crescent moon and the word “halal” written in Arabic, from signs. Government workers from various offices told one manager of a Beijing noodle shop to cover up the “halal” in Arabic on his shop’s sign, and then watched him do it. “They said this is foreign culture and you should use more Chinese culture,” said the manager, who, like all restaurant owners and employees who spoke to Reuters, declined to give his name due to the sensitivity of the issue. The campaign against Arabic script and Islamic...

A police officer has been caught on camera collecting bribe from a bus driver in the city of Lagos.     A policeman was caught on camera on Wednesday receiving a bribe from a motorist at Igboelerin road, along the Lasu-Ojo Expressway in Lagos State, Punch Metro reports. The eyewitness who sent in the photographs said it was a usual practice by policemen along that route. He said,  “They usually demanded between N50 and N100  from the commercial bus drivers. “If a driver delays in paying, they will seize his car keys and keep the passengers, mostly Lagos State University students waiting for hours.   See more photos below:      

Nigerian Senate during plenary The Coalition of Public Interest Lawyers and Advocates (COPA) has urged the Senate to set a parameter or criteria for confirmation and rejection of ministerial nominees and others sent to it by the president, to ensure transparency. The Convener and leader of the coalition, Mr Pelumi Olajengbesi, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Olajengbesi said such criteria would guide the process and ensure fairness and patriotism during screening rather than the “take a bow” method granted to most of the nominees in the just-concluded exercise. “The Nigerian Senate has just announced the completion of the screening and confirmation of the ministerial nominees and Nigerians are made to wonder if the Senate is aware of its onus as an important body vested with constitutional powers to carry out this crucial assignment. “The entire screening process was a demonstration of disloyalty to the Nige...

Afro pop star, David ‘Davido’ Adeleke has become the most viewed Nigerian artist on streaming platform, YouTube. The News Agency of Nigeria reports  that the ‘Aye’ singer has amassed over 500 million views across all his uploads on the platform to achieve this feat. In January, Davido’s hit song, ‘Fall’ beat out Yemi Alade’s ‘Johnny’ to become the most viewed Nigerian music video on YouTube. He then became the first Nigerian artist to reach over 100 million views on YouTube racing ahead of Yemi Alade and Tekno. As the head of his label, DMW, Davido’s YouTube page also streams the tracks and videos of his label mates including Mayorkun, Peruzzi and Dremo. In 2017, Davido had an unprecedented career resurgence with his row of hits including ‘If’, ‘Fall’, ‘Fia’ and ‘Like Dat’. Davido was the first Nigerian artist to reach one million, two million, five million and nine million followers on Instagram and now one of the most bankable Nigerian on the platform. NAN report...

A boat load of migrants crossing the sea to Europe. Spain now favourite destination At least 15 Ethiopians died after the boat trying to smuggle them into Yemen broke down and left them stranded in the sea without food or water for a week, the U.N. migration agency said. Survivors said some died from hunger and thirst and others drowned themselves, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said. “A number reached Yemen but died before they could get medical help,’’ it added. Yemen is more than four years into a civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the impoverished nation to the brink of famine. But thousands of migrants mostly from the Horn of Africa arrive there every year in the hopes of moving on to wealthy Gulf Arab states and escaping poverty and unemployment at home. “The migrants were travelling from Djibouti to Yemen when the smugglers’ boat broke down,’’ IOM said on Twitter late on Tuesday. “Those on board reported that live...

The Lion King has become the fourth Disney film this year to make $1bn (£821m) in worldwide box office sales. The Disney remake of the 1994 classic has achieved the feat less than three weeks after being released in cinemas. The movie, which features the voices of Beyonce and Donald Glover, joins Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel and Aladdin in Disney’s $1bn class of 2019. As reported by Variety, director Jon Favreau’s version is already the fifth-biggest global release of of the year. In North America, it has racked up sales of around $361m (£267m) and $638m (£324m) overseas, with cinema-goers in China and Brazil leading the way. Music was always a big part of The Lion King’s success, with Sir Elton John bagging an Oscar for his performance on Can You Feel the Love Tonight in the original. He actually fended off competition from himself, twice – The Circle of Life and Hakuna Mata – to take the prize for best original song. Now a hat-trick of Lion King-related albums f...

Buhari says he has no plans to anoint or handpick the person who would take over from him in 2023. President Muhammadu Buhari traditionally heads the nation's federal executive council (Presidency) President Muhammadu Buhari says he really doesn’t care who succeeds him and won’t be handpicking one, as permutations concerning a likely successor for the retired Army General trickles into social media and mainstream chatter every other day. The Nigerian leader won a second term in office on February 23, 2019 and was sworn-in on May 29, 2019. With his second tenure set to elapse in the spring of 2023, campaign billboards of notable APC chieftains have noticeably sprung up in Lagos, the nation’s commercial capital, even though the signature ink on Buhari’s second term documents is yet to dry. 'Let them try like I did' “Succession? To me, this is very funny. If I find anybody, I will create more problems for him or her. Let those who want to be president try as muc...

US, China to hold more trade talks after ‘constructive’ meeting US and Chinese negotiators agreed to meet again in the United States in September after holding “frank” and “constructive” talks in Shanghai on Wednesday, state media said following meetings overshadowed by a Twitter tirade from President Donald Trump. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer met with Vice Premier Liu He in the Chinese financial hub for the first face-to-face negotiations since a trade war truce was declared last month. “The two sides conducted frank, highly efficient and constructive in-depth exchanges on major issues of common interest in the economic and trade field,” according to the official Xinhua news agency, adding that the purchase of US agricultural goods by China was discussed. Washington and Beijing have so far hit each other with punitive tariffs covering more than $360 billion in two-way trade in a row centred on demands for China to curb the a...

Actress Regina Daniels has told her haters to hide their faces as she professes love to her husband.   Regina Daniels has professed love to her husband   After disturbing photos of Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels surfaced online some days ago showing her loking lean, the actress has finally addressed the issue and that of her marriage to Ned Nwoko.   In a new video posted on her Snapchat account, the 21-year-old told haters to back off as she loves her husband, Ned with all her heart.   She said:  “It’s not to my face… Can somebody please just help me tell my husband how much I love him so so so much. So fcck what y’all say but take it or not, I love you Mr Ned Nwoko, with all my heart”   Watch video below:    tori.ng

  A petrol tanker has gone up in flames in a community in Gombe state, causing serious commotion in the area. Scene of the incident   According to Vanguard, a petrol tanker has, Wednesday, exploded in Gombe State. Reports say the tanker suddenly exploded in Tunfure, along Gombe-Bauchi express Road. Details are still sketchy as no casualties have yet been ascertained. Firefighters have arrived the scene to contain the fire. Details soon…       tori.ng

He was in Senegal on holiday after the African Cup of Nations when he jetted to France over the weekend to seal his move. Marco Silva has already signed one senior midfielder at Goodison, Manchester City and England's Fabian Delph, and may look for another now that Gueye's departure is close to being confirmed. Everton have been linked with Chelsea's out-of-favour Timoue Bakayoko who plays in a similar position to Gueye, and reportedly shown interest in forwards Moise Kean of Juventus and Wilfried Zaha. Gueye was a popular figure at Goodison after signing from Aston Villa in 2016 but found the incentive of playing alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in the Champions League too tempting. Though reluctant to sell, Everton didn't want to stand in the player's way once PSG had made an acceptable offer. Gueye, who started his career with Lille, scored four goals in 108 appearances for The Toffees. Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye has completed his £30million...

Though Everton have stepped back from a proposed move for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, they have pulled off a significant coup with the purchase of 19-year-old Italy international Kean, who is due to arrive for a medical on Wednesday. Marco Silva remains in the market for a winger but Zaha is considered too expensive after Palace rejected Everton's bid of £52million last weekend. Kean, who scored six Serie A goals in 13 appearances last season and has scored twice in his three games for Italy, should provide Everton boss Silva with the clinical edge his attack has been lacking. He also hopes to add another four signings before August 8. Gbamin apart, Everton have asked about Real Sociedad defender Diego Llorente and Chelsea's Fikayo Tomori while they have also discussed Celta Vigo midfielder Stan Lobotka and Southampton's Mario Lemina. However, Palace maintain a desire to sign Everton midfielder James McCarthy in a projected £10m deal and retain an intere...

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria is to challenge the court order obtained by the federal government banning the operations of the organization. Spokesman of the Movement, Ibrahim Musa confirmed that “we will be in court challenging the proscription”. Musa who spoke through a phone message on the recent accusation by a rival Shiite group that IMN was a fake organisation accused the leader of the rival Shiite sect, Al-Thaqalayn Cultural Foundation, Sheikh Hamza Lawal of being a government agent out to destabilise IMN. According to Musa, “Hamza Lawal, had failed woefully to create division within the ranks of the Islamic Movement in the past, and the government. “He is not worth being dignified with a response. He has been in the corridors of power for a while now and on their payroll to distract attention, cause confusion, and are known by various names in the past – Shia traitors, commercial Shia and the rest. “When in 2015 government massacred members of the Islamic Movemen...

It was gathered that the killing sparked protest among Tiv students and staff of the institution.     The scene of the controversy   The Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, has been temporarily shutdown following the protest that greeted the killing of two students and a lecturer of the institution.   The victims were allegedly killed when some persons believed to be Jukun militias invaded the university campus on Tuesday afternoon.   It was gathered that the killing sparked protest among Tiv students and staff of the institution.   Consequently, the management of the institution has ordered for the suspension of all academic activities in the university till further notice.   A circular signed by the school Registrar, Magaji Thomas Gangumi, and obtained by a reporter on Wednesday morning, indicated that all students are expected to leave the University premises before 12:00noon on Wednesday.  tori.ng ...

President Muhammadu Buhari Mr Henry Adewumi, Deputy Registrar of West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in charge of School Registration on Wednesday said that President Muhammadu Buhari, obtained a Cambridge University West African Examination certificate with five credits. Adewumi, made this known while testifying before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja. NAN reports that Buhari on Tuesday opened his defence against the petition filed by the PDP and its candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. PDP and Abubakar, alleged in their petition challenging the victory of Buhari’, that results were transmitted to a central server managed by INEC. The two witnesses, Abba Kyari, two former secondary school mates testified to having obtained Cambridge University West Africa Examination Certificate in 1961.

The names of all the 69 standing committee chairmen and their deputies have been announced.   Senate President Ahmad Lawan   The Senate has announced the constitution of 69 standing committee chairmen and their deputies.   President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan made the announcement shortly before the lawmakers went on annual recess on Tuesday.   He named Jubril Barau as the chairman of the Appropriation Committee and Stella Odua as the deputy.   Adeola Olamilekan got Chairmanship of Finance Committee, while Gabriel Suswan, was named chairman of Committee on Power. Of 69 Standing Committees.   Others are with their deputies are:   1. Agriculture – Abdullahi Adamu, Bima Enagi.   2. Airforce – Bala Ibn Na’Allah, Michael Nnachi.   3. Anti-corruption and Financial Crimes – Suleiman Kwari, Aliyu Wamakko.   4. Appropriation – Barau Jibrin, Stella Oduah.   5. Army – Ali Ndume, Abba Moro. ...

The signing will be an impressive coup for the Gunners hierarchy given Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Napoli have all been credited with an interest. He will form part of what will be a hugely exciting attacking force for Arsenal fans, consisting of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Pepe himself.    Aubameyang and Lacazette scored 50 goals between them last season and Pepe will add to manager Unai Emery's firepower. Nicolas Pepe is on the brink of sealing his sensational £72million transfer to Arsenal from Lille after a video emerged online of him donning his new colours. Arsenal are set to announce their club-record transfer of the Ivory Coast international imminently as they continue to splash the cash before the start of the 2019-20 Premier League season. And on Tuesday evening, a leaked video emerged on social media of Pepe wearing the new adidas home strip while he pats the Arsenal badge He was second only to PSG's Kylian Mbappe i...

The quake hit at 2.13pm local time near the town of Magoúla, 14 miles north of Athens with a magnitude of 5.1, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Institute. Those caught up in the quake described it as powerful and prolonged, with some running out into the streets in order to avoid buildings collapsing on them.  Telecommunication networks were knocked out by the tremor, while power was also cut to some parts of the Greek capital. An earthquake has struck the popular tourist Island of Crete, Greek authorities have said. The shock was given a preliminary magnitude 5.2 and left people shaking. No injuries or damage has been reported. The Athens Geodynamic Institute says the tremor happened at 7.40am local time, (4.40am GMT) on Wednesday in Heraklion about 14 miles west of the Island's capital Iraklion.  Authorities inspected areas close to the epicenter by helicopter and police patrols but no deaths or serious injuries were reported. 'The house was shaking and t...

 Lagos State Government has allayed the fears of motorists over the planned four-month repair works on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, saying that adequate measures have been put in place by the present administration to effectively manage the impending traffic situation. The Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Taiwo Olufemi Salaam, who disclosed this yesterday at Ikeja, stated that in the project brief made available to the State Government, the repair works will narrow both Lagos and Sagamu bound traffic into two lanes on both carriageways respectively and is planned for two months each for inward and outward traffic from the State. He emphasised that Lagos is well prepared and ready for the attendant traffic situation through extensive traffic management and control for the repair works which commences on Saturday, 3rd August 2019 and is envisaged to trigger and compound traffic along the corridors. Salaam affirmed that the State has identified four loca...

The Federal Government has reiterated its determination to continue to procure sophisticated weapons to keep the nation’s military in good fighting shape, saying the country will take delivery of Super Tucano fighter jets in 2020. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Tuesday night, said the fighter jets, expected from the United States, would be deployed in checking terrorist activities in the country. He said: “While the military arsenal is not something you pay for and get, requiring mostly long-time orders, weapons will come in accordance with the terms of contracts. “This country is expecting the commencement of the delivery of Super Tucano fighter jets, very effective in this kind of warfare, beginning next year from the United States.’’ Shehu, who lauded the efforts of the armed forces in suppressing the activities of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the country, described as `fantas...

The APC has accused Atiku of felony The All Progressives Congress (APC) accused the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, of behaving as though he is the duly elected president of Nigeria. Atiku had lost to Muhammadu Buhari, the candidate of the APC, in the February 23, 2019, poll. Atiku, a former vice president, is challenging the outcome of the poll at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. While the tribunal is yet to decide on the matter, the APC says Atiku is trying to usurp the powers of the president by issuing statements on topical issues both within and outside Nigeria. In a statement by its spokesman, Lanre Issa-Onilu, the APC said Atiku might be committing a felonious offense. The ruling party noted that it would take decisive action against Atiku if he continues to act in a manner that portrays him as the president of Nigeria. “The All Progressives Congress (APC) strongly condemns the 2019 presidential candidate o...

L-R Venita Akpofure and Elozonam Ogbolu Two new housemates Venita Akpofure and Elozonam Ogbolu were introduced on Tuesday, stirring up excitement among fans of the show. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at exactly 7pm, the Big Brother Naija doors were open to the newest members of the ‘pepper dem’ gang following a prior announcement by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu. The new female housemate, Venita is an actress, model and video vixen who rose to fame by paying ‘Mimi’ in the widely acclaimed ‘AYs crib’ produced by comedian, Ayo Makun. She played AY’s quirky but uptight love interest in the sit-com and has also appeared in several other movies and music videos. The male housemate, Elozonam is graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. He is an actor, voice artist, director and also a producer. The resident 14 housemates, who thought they were expecting visitors, were visibly shocked at the addition of two more housemates. While Omashola...

A student of Ibadan Polytechnic has reportedly gone missing some days after writing his examinations.   Damilola Bada   According to a rpeort by Punch Metro, four weeks after a student of the Department of Computer Science, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Damilola Bada, went missing, members of his family are anxious about his whereabouts. It was gathered that the National Diploma 2 student went missing few days after he finished his examinations. According to Damilola’s brother, Timilehin, the 20-year-old was last heard from on July 4 when a member of the family called to inquire when he would come home. Speaking with PUNCH Metro, Timilehin, who noted that Damilola’s friends do not know his whereabouts, said the family’s effort to find him had so far proved abortive. He said,  “Damilola finished his exams on July 1 and on July 4, we called him to ask when he would be coming home and he said the following day, but since then, we have not been able to ascertain his ...

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has injected the sum of 210 million dollars into the inter-bank Foreign Exchange Market after the transactions on Tuesday, July 30. The bank’s Director, Corporate Communications Department, Mr Isaac Okorafor made this known in a statement in Abuja. Okorafor explained that authorized dealers in the wholesale sector of the market received 100 million dollars, while the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the invisible segments were allocated the sum of 55 million dollars each. He said the efforts of the CBN had helped to ensure the stability of the Naira and also increased the level of investors and public confidence in the economy. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CBN had in the last intervention on July 26, injected the sum of 284.2million dollars and CNY36million into the Retail Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) segment. Meanwhile, the Naira on July 30 exchanged at an average of N358 to a dollar in the Bureau De C...

Meghan writes of the charity: ‘The reason why I was drawn to Smart Works is that it reframed the idea of charity as community.....it’s a network of women supporting and empowering other women in their professional pursuits.’ It’s was Meghan’s passion for Smart Works that set the whole British Vogue ball rolling and promoted her to approach its editor in chief, Edward Enninful, she has revealed. She writes:‘It’s the enthusiasm of the volunteers, the earnestness of the staff and, most of all, the blushing, bashful and beautiful smile that crosses a client’s face when she sees herself in the mirror, that I have found so profoundly compelling.’ Mischa Nonoo is one of Meghan’s closest friends and is rumoured to have introduced her to Prince Harry as she was once married to Alexander Gilkes, a royal pal. Meghan famously wore her £135 white ‘husband’ shirt the first time she publicly stepped out with the prince at the Toronto Invictus Games. But she has been accused of cashing in...

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles around 155 miles into the Sea of Japan early Wednesday as it tries to pressure the US and South Korea to abandon joint military drills North Korea has fired two new short-range ballistic missiles, almost exactly a week after it tested two other missiles in an attempt to put pressure on the US to halt upcoming military drills with South Korea and restart nuclear disarmament talks. The two missiles fired Wednesday were launched at 5.06am and 5.27am local time from near the city of Wonsan on North Korea's east coast - the same area where last week's tests were conducted. South Korea said the missiles flew 155 miles out to sea at a maximum altitude of about 19 miles and appeared to be a different type from previous launches. Some experts say North Korea wants a U.S. promise to ease sanctions, accept a slow, step-by-step disarmament process by the North or for the U.S. to make other concessions once the diplomacy restart...

The Senate has confirmed all 43 ministerial nominees sent last week by President Muhammadu Buhari. The confirmation came shortly after the upper legislative chamber screened the last three candidates yesterday. The lawmaker had to postpone their yearly end of session break to get the job done – even sitting on Friday and Monday – their off days. It was learned that the ministers-designate would be assigned portfolios and sworn today. This comes as Buhari praised the swiftness of the lawmakers and the process he described as efficient. The commendation was contained in a statement issued by his spokesman, Garba Shehu. Senate President Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks to round off the exercise, commended his colleagues for displaying what he called total devotion, urging the would-be members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to discharge their duties in a way that promotes the existing cordial relationship between the legislative and the executive arms of government. He su...

Health The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it is offering free medical services to 3,000 victims of banditry from Kanoma Community in Maru Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara. Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. ” The medical intervention, which began July 30, is designed to bring succour to villagers who were displaced by the activities of bandits prior to the commencement of the ongoing dialogue between the Zamfara Government and the bandits,” he said. Daramola said the humanitarian initiative was in furtherance of the directive by the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, for the NAF Medical Services Branch to provide immediate medical assistance to residents of Kanoma and adjoining communities in Maru LGA. He said Mr Bala Moru, the Secretary to Zamfara Government, who represented Gov. Bello Matawale, thanked NAF for the kind gesture in assuaging the...

The Wole Soyinka interview cover design On Friday, 27 June 1980, at Oduduwa Hall, University of Ife, a memorial rally was held with speeches and poems for Walter Rodney, the Guyanese author of  How Europe Underdeveloped Africa  and other path-breaking, radical writings, who was assassinated in Georgetown, Guyana, on 13 June 1980. Organised by Positive Review  and  Socialist Forum , the hall was packed. The speakers included BiodunJeyifo, Wole Olaoye, Kole Omotoso, Ike Okafor-Newsum, Femi Falana, the Marxist historian Segun Osoba, Femi Osofisan, John Ohiorhenuan, and Wole Soyinka. Grief-stricken speaker after speaker mourned the loss of Rodney and expressed solidarity with all those who should carry on the struggle and who should keep the flame of hope kindled in their hearts.In a voice laden with pain, Wole Soyinka said that Walter Rodney, 38, who preferred actuality to cant, was not a phrase-monger and ideological mouther. Soyinka argued more fully and cle...