NIGERIAN NOTCH

A report into the regulatory concerns surrounding a charity run by Didier Drogba is due to be released by the Charity Commission in the UK, within a month. There was a report in April, which claimed that only £14,115 out of £1.7m donated to the Didier Drogba Foundation was utilise in the foundation to help causes in Africa. The Didier Drogba Foundation was set up in the Ivory Coast in 2007 and registered in the UK as a separate entity in 2009 to allow Drogba to raise funds while in England playing for Chelsea. The report necessitated an investigation into the allegation by The Charity Commission which said it was close to conclusion. However, 38-year-old Drogba who played for Chelsea said the story was “false and defamatory”. He previously said in a statement: “There is no fraud, no corruption, no mismanagement and no lies.” But an article by the Mail insisted that it “stands by every word of this important story” and had not alleged corruption or fraud. In the article,

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has announced Monday, Sept. 12 as the Eid-El-Kabir Day, 1437 AH. This followed the declaration of Saturday, Sept.3 as the 1st of Zulhijja, 1437 AH. This is contained in a statement signed by Prof. Sambo Junaidu, Chairman, Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Sultanate Council of Sokoto and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto. “The committee in conjunction with the National Moon Sighting Committee had received reports from various Moon sighting committees across the country. ” The reports confirmed the sighting of the New Moon of Zulhijja,1437 AH, on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, which was the 29th day of Zulka’ada, 1437 AH. ” The Sultan and President, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), accepted the reports and accordingly declared Saturday, Sept. 3, as the first day of Zulhijja, 1437 AH. ” Therefore, Monday, Sept.12, which will be equivalent to 10th Zulhijja, and will be marked as this year’s Eid

Poultry farmers in Plateau state are facing double jeopardy: low patronage and escalating costs of feeding the birds. Mr John Dasar, Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) in the state,  said the industry is facing ‘tough times’. He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Jos, that that situation was worsened by the sharp rise in the price of feeds. .“The market is indeed tough for us; market is low, while cost of production is high. Government must step in to help us,” he said. He attributed the low patronage to the poor purchasing power of most families occasioned by the worsening economic situation nationwide. He explained that low patronage had led to an excess in supply of poultry products, particularly eggs, compared to the demand. “Most farmers cannot cope and have shut down their farms. “The price of egg has gone so down that many of us cannot stay afloat,” he said. According to him, a crate of egg which, which used to sell for between N800

President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to fulfill his promise of protecting Nigerians and securing its territory from the menace of Boko Haram and other violent extremists in the country. The President stated this on Tuesday, when he launched the revised National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST) developed by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja. Represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, President Buhari condemned the activities of Boko Haram militants, describing it as “mindless killing of children and innocent citizens.” Buhari said: “The government is determined to ensure that the safety of every single Nigerian is a priority this is why I have repeatedly ordered our law enforcement agents to ensure that perpetrators of violent acts are arrested and made to face the law. “We will not allow anyone, under any guise, whether it is politics, culture or religion to violate life or property of another citizen. This is the oath to which I swore and I will uphold

The burial of Ojo Maduekwe, a former minister of foreign affairs, at his hometown in Asaga, Ohafia local government area of Abia, on Saturday, was dominated by eulogies from those who knew him. Those who extolled his virtues include Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia state; Ita Enang, senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on national assembly matters; Godswill Akpabio, majority leader of the senate an d former governor of Akwa Ibom state; and Mba Uka, prelate of Presbyterian Church. But it has now emerged that the burial provided the platform for two sworn enemies to meet again; and even if the extent of conciliation that went down is yet to be established, they at least exchanged pleasantries. For much of Goodluck Jonathan’s full-fledged presidential tenure, he was at loggerheads with Rotimi Amaechi, then governor of Rivers state. However, theirs was a secondary battle. It was clear the real quarrel was between Jonathan’s wife, Patience, and Amaechi, beginning f

MILITANTS in the Niger Delta, weekend, rejected the grandstanding of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, as their chief negotiator and selection of a group of persons, dubbed Aaron Team 2, by the group to dialogue on their behalf with the Federal Government. A militant group, Ultimate Warriors, which conveyed the stand of other militant groups in an exclusive electronic mail to Vanguard also gave President Muhammadu Buhari three weeks to name a high-powered government Dialogue Team, comprising members of the international community with an unambiguous mandate to parley with militants and other stakeholders to stop pipeline bombings. The Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders, NDRC, also insisted that MEND was neither in the position to speak for Niger Deltans nor impose a negotiation team on the people because the group has taken sides with the Nigerian government against the Niger Delta. This came as the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, the leading militant group in the