Delegates vote on derivation, others as consensus fails

IT is now obvious that moves by the leadership of the on going National Conference to cultivate the desired compromise leading to the consensus required, to pass the amended recommendations from the report of its Committee on Devolution of Power, have failed.     The committee chaired by Victor Attah and Ibrahim Coomasie had submitted some recommendations that have further widened the North-South dichotomy and also polarised the regions, such that after two days of negotiations, reconciliatory meetings and horse-trading, no compromise has been  reached, as each delegate insists their individual beliefs, regional interest and sectional considerations must sail through.
    The issues of resource control, derivation principle, revenue sharing and the development and exploitation of mineral resources nationwide among others form the fulcrum of the report.
After critical assessment and valid inputs from the delegates, the report needs to be passed on with the appropriate amendments for final recommendations.

2015 Is The Cause Of Insecurity in Nigeria – Sultan

The Sultan of Sokoto and president-general, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, said yesterday that the devastating degree of insecurity in Nigeria was simply high-power politics ahead of 2015 political offices. This was just as the traditional-cum-religious leader fingered politicians as the main problem of Nigeria and added that every Nigerian should see himself/herself as a leader who is in the business of ensuring we live in peace.
“We must all come together to fight insecurity,” the Sultan stated, adding that Nigerians should learn to separate politics from religion. “As religious leaders, we must be apolitical, but we must also show concern for our leaders who rule us.”
The Sultan asked: “All of us claim to be very religious but the question now remains, are we doing what our religions say? Let’s take a look at where we are coming from.”
Frowning at recent developments where Muslim leaders are always being criticized for not doing enough to curtail insurgency in Nigeria, the Sultan urged people to do research and advise them on what else they should do, since people don’t seem to be satisfied with their open condemnation of the acts of insurgency in the country.
The Sultan lamented that it has gone so bad that anywhere they see a northerner, whether a Christian or a Muslim, he is termed a Boko Haram member.
Doing a census to determine how many Nigerians from other regions reside in one’s domain is simply a waste of time, he said, because “God has a reason for bringing us together and, as such, we should appreciate staying together at all times without discrimination”.
“Certain meetings are very important in our lives as leaders. Though all of us are leaders in one way or the other, it should be noted that what we say, do or do not say as leaders matters.
“All of us are in the same boat of ensuring a safe country; therefore, all of us are stakeholders when it comes to helping one another.
“As for those who are saying we should not dialogue with insurgents, I believe that there are issues we must all face. We read, watch and see all what happened elsewhere. All of us are adults; we read what you journalists write, watch on the television screen or listen to the radio; and there is nowhere in the world where the use of force has ended anything related to insurgency. There is nowhere in the world that it has ever worked out.
“We are shedding too much blood of the innocent people who know nothing about leadership, enjoy nothing about the government but suffer the same pain as we do. But we should understand that those causing insurgency in Nigeria are not spirits; they are there. People should understand that Danfodiyo Jihad never forced people to join Islam; he only transformed the way those that claimed to be Muslims were practising the religion. Religion is so important in our lives but it is important for us to come together to collectively tackle the issue of insecurity.”
On the part of the Nigeria security and the velocity of the Boko Haram insurgency, Sultan said, “Nigerian security agents are doing their best, just that they have not been used to that before; therefore, we have to pity the condition which the Nigerian security operates. And we have to collectively pray for the end of the insurgency. However, besides the prayers, we must get up and be doing something. We must come together to fight insecurity and, as such, young people have to be nurtured for a better tomorrow to be able to discard provocation.”

17 Persons Killed in Latest Boko Haram Attack

Reported that at least 17 people were killed in a Thursday attack by boko haram terrorists on a village market in Borno state.

News of the attack is coming late due to the communication shut down around the area.

Describing the attack, Borno state Police commissioner , Lawan Tanko said, "An explosion in the market in Nguro-Soye killed 17 people. The attack on Nguro-Soye, as in previous attacks, is the handiwork of Boko Haram insurgents.

Michael Essien heading to AC Milan

Michael Essien is heading to Italy to speak to AC Milan

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien is poised to move to AC Milan.

The 31-year-old has found opportunities limited at Stamford Bridge since returning from a loan spell at Real Madrid last season and has permission from Jose Mourinho to leave.

Milan were one of a number of interested parties and on Friday announced Essien is expected in northern Italy later in the evening.

A statement on acmilan.com read: “Michael Essien in expected in the city this evening.”

Essien joined Chelsea from Lyon for £24.4million in 2005.

He suffered from a succession of knee injuries and the signing of Nemanja Matic from Benfica saw Essien slip further down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.

The Ghana international arrived in Milan on Friday evening.

He told Milan Channel: “I’m happy to be here. I will do my best for Milan and I hope to be ready to play.

“I spoke with Mr (Clarence) Seedorf (the Milan head coach) two days ago. I cannot wait to be available.

“I really want to thank the chairman and the team and thanks to Mourinho, who has allowed me to wear the Rossoneri shirt.

Charles Novia: How signing Genevieve as Etisalat ambassador may affect relationship with Dbanji

Movie producer and critic Charles Novia has expressed concern over the emergence of Genevieve Nnaji as Etisalat ambassador will have her relationship with music maestro, Dbanji.

According to Novia,  Geneveive Nnaji may be forced to break up with her boyfriend D'banj - a Glo ensignee.

Genevieve Nnaji was recently announced as one of the new Brand Ambassadors of Etisalat, a telecommunications company operating in Nigeria.

He said 'Amid the congratulatory messages from her fans sent to her on some sites, a few cynical remarks caught my attention. (By the way, congrats Ms Nnaji!)

'Congrats, Genevieve. But wait o…your Boyfriend, D'Banj is a Glo Ambassador and now you are an Etisalat Ambassador. It has been reported that two of you will marry this year after being live-in-lovers and dating steadily for a while now. Since both of you have not denied this piece of news, I assume that it is true.

Lady Gaga has shown us time and time again how comfortable she is with her body — but this is the controversial superstar’s most revealing video yet! We’ve seen her side boob, we’ve seen her butt, and now we’ve really seen it all!

Lady Gaga spent three days at a retreat in upstate New York learning the Abramovic Method, “a series of exercises designed to heighten participants’ awareness of their physical and mental experience in the present moment.” And what better way to be self-aware than by getting totally nude? Lady Gaga tries out various poses and outfits — most notably her birthday suit — in this bizarre video she filmed to promote a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the Marina Abramovic Institute. Read on for more details!

Lady Gaga Naked In New ’Abramovic Method’ Video

Lady Gaga strips down to … well, absolutely nothing in this latest NSFW video. The “Born This Way” singer took a brief hiatus after undergoing hip surgery, but in true Gaga fashion, the eccentric singer is back doing what she does best — dropping jaws and dropping trou.

The video shows Mama Monster — sometimes in the buff, sometimes not — letting out a few excessively long, guttural notes while bending over in a forest; standing in a lake with two yellow spikes covering her eyes; and — our favorite — cuddling up to a giant crystal while totally naked.

We’re not sure exactly what the take-away is, but hey — we’re always game for more Gaga!

Lady Gaga Raises Funds For The Marina Abramovic Institute

The Kickstarter campaign has already raised more than $220,000 from over 1,000 backers — and we’re sure many more of Lady Gaga’s little monsters will contribute once they see this video.

Lady Gaga has long been a fan of performance artist Marina Abramovic, who collaborated with the fame monster on her upcoming album,

 

“I’m obsessed with this woman,” Gaga says of Marina in a 2010 interview. “She is so incredible.”

So are you, Lady Gaga. So are you.