Leader of the Worldstar Movement, Dammy Krane unleashes the video to his earlier release track ‘Balance Well‘, where he features Olamide, South African Pearl Thusi and rapper Medikal from Ghana.
The video was shot and directed by The Alien & The Emperor.
Abubakar Shettima, a resident of Duala in Dogon Dutse, Jos North local government area of Plateau state has relocated to his polling unit at Dogon Agogo where he is already queuing up ahead of Saturday’s Presidential election.
Shettima, aged 59, said he wants to be the first person to cast his vote for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari, as a payback for his freedom after he was falsely accused of being a member of Boko Haram in 2015.
Having left his home on Wednesday morning, Shettima said he has already spent a night at his polling unit and would spend the next 48hours at the same spot to exercise his franchise.
Veteran hip hop artiste and rapper, Vector makes his debut for the year 2019 with the tune titled ‘This Vector Sef‘.
The GRAP Entertainment boss goes as hard as he can get on his new joint. This tune is a preliminary to his upcoming EP ‘Vibes‘ billed for a June release.
A great-great-grandmother, who has six grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren, was given an extra-special treat for her 100th birthday.
It was Doll Jenkins’ wish to have naked butlers for her birthday and the cheeky birthday wish was fulfilled when staff at her retirement home hired the buff butlers for her very special birthday party.
Residents at Milton Lodge made international news last year after they requested the naked hunks to come and serve a three-course meal. This happened after residents told staff they wanted to spend some time with a man.
Then, for Doll’s birthday this year, two hunks were invited back to join Doll, her family and staff at the home in Colchester, Essex to celebrate her big day last Friday.
Leigha Jones, senior carer at the home, said Doll had a great time with them.
She said,
Her face just lit up when they came in, she was beaming. We all sat in the lounge area waiting for them and when they came in she was a bit taken aback.
She told them to go and put some clothes on, but she soon came out of her shell and was flirting and smacking their bottoms.
She loved it and she kept asking them to come back and say goodbye to her properly.
Leigha said:
She kept asking if we could go and find the naked men again.
She is a lot younger at heart – she still gets around and walks when she feels strong enough and she still laughs and jokes.
The naked butlers, who are familiar to residents at the home, served dinner as part of the home’s Sparkle initiative, where staff raise money to grant the wishes of residents.
Ace music producer Young D teams up with DJ Norie for a dope dancehall piece titled ‘Play Am‘, featuring Oritse Femi, Konshens and Burna Boy.
This is about the best track to groove as the weekend kicks in.
A Facebook user has taken to his page to laud a physically challenged man who has defied being helpless because of his condition and made sure he earns a living.
The Facebook user shared photos of the physically challenged vulcanizer, who owns a shop in Okene, and wrote;
“He is handicapped physically but his mind is by no means incapacitated. I had just brought my car to his workplace to have my tires gauged. He quickly and adeptly got down to business. His actions almost didn’t show any form of incapacity and I was marveled,” the Facebook user said.
“He emphasized that he would close down his shop until he has performed his civic responsibility.
Now if a physically challenged man can think intelligibly like this, what stops you who is fit physically? I mean you are not stupid now so I expect you not to behave stupid”
The photo of a valentine’s day gift a cleaner gave to her boss on the lover’s day has had people massaging their eyelids after it was shared by Twitter user @pankomane.
According to the Twitter user, the valentine’s day gift a cleaner gave her boss today was the realest gift ever.
He wrote;
My home boy got this from a colleague and I don’t know what’s more realer than this. Apparently it was the cleaner lady at the office who got him this. I hate when I cut these onions. My home boy was close to tearing up.
Here is a screenshot of the tweet below;
A young lady on twitter is in a celebratory mood after her bank account was blessed with the sum of Fifty Thousand Naira from an anonymous follower in order to mark Saint Valentine’s Day.
The lady identified as Precious, shared screenshots from her DM as she wrote ;
My own annonymous came through at the last minute
God ?????
See below :
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s broadcast to Nigerians as a farewell speech that is less than a presidential address to the nation.
Shortly after the speech, Atiku in a statement on Thursday, February 14, through his special assistant on publication, Phrank Shaibu, faulted what he described as the president’s attack on the opposition in his nationwide broadcast, Vanguard reports.
“We see President Muhammadu Buhari’s attack on the opposition in his nationwide broadcast, Thursday night, as part of the many gaffes which have come to define last days of the Buhari Presidency, rather than an address to be taken seriously by Nigerians,” he said.
Atiku said Buhari’s conducts and latest negative comments against opposition elements in his nationwide broadcast does not reflect the attributes of a leader who is seeking to be re-elected for another term of office. The statement from the PDP candidate noted that a review of comments on Buhari’s Facebook page to the broadcast shows that many Nigerians were advocating for regime change.
When you compare these to the comments on HE Atiku’s page to his Facebook Live broadcast this morning, the contrast could not be greater. The final verdict is in the hands and fingers of the millions of voters this Saturday,”the statement read.
“As our candidate HE Atiku said in his final message of the campaign ‘Even if you are not voting for me, still come out to vote on Saturday. It is about Nigeria, not Atiku Abubakar. It is about you and your future.’” “So, we appeal to every eligible voter to express their will and contribute to our democracy.”
A Twitter user, @AtuanyaKene, has taken to the social media platform to share a photo of the expensive gifts her friend bought her man for Valentine.
According to the lady, her friend got the man gifts from Versace and the package came with perfume, belt, sneakers and branded Versace chocolate.
Sharing the photo, she wrote;
“Levels to this Valentine Gift. My girl got her man Versace only.. Even the Chocolates are from Versace ???”
Bbnaija reality star Alexandra Asogwa is celebrating her 23rd birthday today and the reality star took to her Instagram page to celebrate herself.
Sharing a musical video and other photos, she wrote ;
Singing it myself because I can’t keep calm. 23 years ago, a Queen was born and today, I stand tall and proud as I scream!!!! It’s my birthday!!!!!!! Happy birthday to me.
Birthday Queen. I can’t keep calm. Happy birthday to me.
See below :
Alexandra Sandra Asogwa Amuche popularly known as Alex Unusual shot to limelight after she contested in the Big Brother Naija reality TV show and emerged 3rd Runner-Up. She is currently a model, a dancer, an actress and a fashion enthusiast.
Sensational Nollywood actress, Ini Edo has over time, been vocal about her love and support for her state and PDP as her party.
Even in the face of mass defection from PDP to APC, the actress has remained loyal to her Governor and her party – she flaunted her loyalty to her state governor, Udom Emmanuel on several occasions and even till this forthcoming elections, nothing has changed.
She took to her Instagram page to share new photos of herself rocking a lovely dress made out of the PDP campaign material while pitching in during the campaigns in her state.
Photos below,
The steamy romance between Cardi B and Offset continues as recent Public Display of Affection showed that they are fully back together.
As they danced to Cardi and Bruno Mars’ new music, Offset kept grinding his groin against Cardi’s backside. He soon bent her over and continued to grind against her.
Sharing the video on her IG, Cardi wrote :
PLEASE ME OUT NOW !!!!! CARDI B XBRUNO MARS ….HAPPY VALENTINES DAY WE GETTING REAL FUCKING FREE TONIGHT ???
Charly Boy’s daughter Dewy Oputa and her partner SJ celebrated Valentine’s Day by sharing intimate photos of themselves posing together.
The US-based singer, Dewy who is dating her girlfriend simply known as SJ, came out last year as a lesbian to mixed reactions and she has not held back from seizing the opportunity to show off the love between them.
See more photos below :
You would recall Dewy admitted that it was not easy for her parents when she revealed her sexuality to them. “I can’t pinpoint the exact age I found out about my sexuality, but I was much younger. When I came out to my parents, it took them a while to adjust but my happiness comes first. I don’t feel bad about the negative comments my sexuality post has generated. I knew Nigerians would always have negative things to say and I was mentally prepared for it. I’m not here to sway anybody’s point of view; I’m here to bring awareness,” she said.
Reality TV star and mother of three, Kim Kardashian was surprised by her husband, rapper, Kanye West on Valentine’s day as he hired renowned saxophonist, Kenny G to play for her in her living room.
The living room was filled with red, white and pink roses to create an aura of romance and love and Kenny G was right in the middle of it playing the tune “Somewhere around the Rainbow”.
An excited Kim Kardashian took to Twitter to reveal the award her husband just won for the lovely gesture he showered on her.
She tweeted:
“Best husband award goes to mine ?????!!!! Most thoughtful gifts ever!!!!”
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, VP Yemi Osinbajo has revealed what Pastor Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God told him before the 2015 presidential election which saw him emerge as vice president.
Osinbajo revealed this yesterday when he spoke at a special day of prayer for the general election, organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Plateau State Chapter, at Eliel Centre, Jos.
“I urge you to continue to pray and fast for those of us in government; especially, pray for me and the Saturday elections,” Osinbajo said.
Osinbajo went on to speak on what God did for him after he survived a recent helicopter crash.
“God gave me a verse in the Holy Bible of Luke 13:13, and I know the devil can not interfer with the plans of God for this nation.
On what Pastor Adeboye said before he was elected vice president:
“When I was picked as the presidential running mate in 2014, I ran to meet my father, Pastor Adeboye, and told him.
“Since it was the will of God, he told me, four times, that I would be the vice president of Nigeria and he blessed me.”
Congolese Singer, Koffi Olomide is currently facing a risk of spending more than 6 years in jail over sexual assault charges in France.
The Congolese musician is being accused of sexually assaulting his female dancers in Paris.
Part of the charges against him include violence, coercion and kidnapped, all of which happened between 2002 and 2006. Some of the accusers claim they were forcefully held at his house in Paris.
This is not the first time Koffi Olomide would be getting into trouble with his dancers. The last time was in 2016 in Kenya where he was detained and deported for assaulting his dancers at the airport.
When he returned to his home country, he was slapped with similar charges by authorities.
A 200 Level student of the Department of Public Health, in Babcock University, on Valentine’s night, caused a frenzy in her hostel after she jumped down a 3-storey building over Valentine’s Day gift.
According to her colleagues, the lady decided to attempt suicide after a disagreement with her boyfriend who failed to get her gifts.
The incident happened at the Havilah Gold residence and the victim has since been rushed to the hospital, and is currently unconscious.
Watch the clips below;
A Teenage girl, was rescued from committing suicide by jumping from a rooftop on Valentine’s day in South Africa.
The 15-year-old girl who threatened to commit suicide at a block of flats in the Verulam CBD, South Africa, was rescued after her mother called for assistance from the Reaction Officers and Medics who proceeded to the roof where the grade 10 student positioned herself.
The girl who was counselled and escorted back to her residence, reportedly took the suicide decision after her mum reprimanded her on getting information that she was seen walking with two boys after school was dismissed early yesterday.
The Lagos Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested six members of a syndicate of Internet fraudsters.
The suspects, Samuel Ndubisi, Samuel Gaza Tanko, Efe Godwin Okoye, Onyekachi Emanuel, Sari Isaac Felix and Ahmed Quadri, were arrested during a sting operation carried out by operatives of the Commission on February 13, 2019.
Items recovered from the suspects at the point of arrest include laptops and mobile phones.
According to the EFCC, the six suspected internet fraudsters will soon be charged to court as soon as investigations
Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court, sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday, February 14, 2019, sentenced Festus Ojomola, an internet fraudster to one year imprisonment with hard labour for possessing fraudulent documents and engaging in dating scam.
Ojomola was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Office, in May 2018 following intelligence report the Commission received on the activities of some persons alleged to be involved in love scam.
He was arraigned on February 13, 2019 on an amended two-count charge. The first count reads: “that you, Festus Olaoluwa Ojomola (a.k.a Lizzy Miller), on or about the 29th June, 2018, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, had in your possession hang-out chats wherein you presented yourself as Lizzy Miller to David Waters, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 318 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.”
The second count reads: “that you, Festus Olaoluwa Ojomola (a.k.a Lizzy Miller), on or about the 29th June, 2018 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, had in your possession hang-out chats, wherein you represented yourself as Lizzy Miller to Joe Badess, a representation you knew to be false and committed an offence contrary to Section 318 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.” He pleaded guilty to the charges.
At yesterday’s sitting, the prosecution counsel, G. C. Akaogu, filed a review of facts dated February 13, 2019 and served same today.
He said: “Sometime in May 2018, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission received intelligence report on the activities of some persons involved in internet scam. The operatives of the Commission swung into action and arrested the defendant with electronic devices such as a laptop, an apple macbook and an Iphone.
“The devices were analysed and documents containing false pretences were found in them. When he was confronted with the documents, he admitted to be involved in dating scam.”
The prosecution counsel further presented before the court a certified true copy of the intelligence report dated May 7, 2018, confessional statements of the defendant dated June 29, 2018 and the attestation letter.
He also tendered in evidence the electronic devices and hordes of scanned documents retrieved from the defendant. He urged the court to rule for a forfeiture of the devices to the Federal Government and convict the defendant.
The defence counsel, A. Eze Ugboaja, however, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing her client.
She noted that “the defendant is a young man of 20 years and a 200-level student of Environmental Management and Toxicology at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, and the only son of his mother who is a widow and a petty trader striving to raise responsible children.”
Justice Dada convicted the defendant on both counts and sentenced him to one year imprisonment, which commenced from his time of arrest on September 3, 2018 with an option of N200,000.00 fine (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) only and a community service of grass cutting in front of the court premises. Ojomola is also to forfeit the devices retrieved from him to the Federal Government.
Popular singer, Mr Real drops the visuals to his latest project titled ‘Antidote‘. The song was produced by Cracker.
Mr Reals makes a love tune in line with valentine. The singer who is best known for his song ‘Legbegbe’ hopes to win our hearts again with his latest tune.
In the evening of Valentine’s day 2019, incumbent Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhariw addressed the nation ahead of Saturday’s presidential election.
While giving his speech, Nigerian singer, Davido was quite attentive as he watched the president address the nation on TV – the singer then shared a photo of himself watching the president and captioned it,
‘I hail o’.
Read in part, the text of the President’s speech below,
Fellow Citizens,
On Saturday, February 16, 2019, you will, once again, be called upon to choose the leaders who will pilot the affairs of our great nation for the next four years. This is a constitutional right which should be freely exercised by all eligible voters.
2. I wish therefore to start by assuring all Nigerians that this Government will do its very best to ensure that the 2019 elections take place in a secure and peaceful atmosphere.
3. It was indeed such free, fair and peaceful elections that made it possible for our Government to emerge, despite the fact that we were contesting against a long-standing incumbent party.
4. And as your president and a fellow Nigerian, I ask that you come out and queue to fulfill this important obligation you have to yourselves and your fellow citizens – and to our common future.
5. Let me at this point, reaffirm the commitment of the Federal Government to the conduct of free and fair elections in a safe and peaceful atmosphere. Just yesterday, I signed the Peace Accord alongside 72 other presidential candidates.
6. I want to assure all Nigerians, the diplomatic community and all foreign election observers of their safety and full protection. Any comments or threats of intimidation from any source do not represent the position of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
7. As Government has a critical role in maintaining the democratic traditions, so do citizens. I therefore urge you all, as good Nigerians, to take a personal interest in promoting and maintaining peace in your respective neighbourhoods during the elections. This is certainly not a time to allow personal, religious, sectional or party interests to drive us to desperation.
8. At this point, I want to make a special appeal to our youth: Do not allow yourselves to be used to cause violence and destruction. The people who want to incite you are those preparing the ground for discrediting the elections. Having lost the argument, they fear losing the elections.
9. When you elected me in 2015, it was essentially in consequence of my promise of CHANGE. We committed ourselves to improving security across the country, putting the economy on a sound footing and tackling rampant corruption, which had in many ways become a serious drawback to national development.
10. Our Government spent the last 3 years and 9 months striving faithfully to keep this promise, in spite of very serious revenue shortages caused mainly by a sharp drop in international oil prices and an unexpected rise in the vandalisation of oil installations, which, mercifully have now been curtailed.
11. We nevertheless pressed on in our quest to diversify the economy, create jobs, reduce commodity prices and generally improve the standard of living among our people.
12. The damage that insecurity and corruption have done, over time, to our collective livelihood is incalculable. However, it is pleasing to note that our frontal attack on these twin evils is gaining momentum and bringing about visible progress.
13. The recovery of the economy from recession is complete and Nigeria is back on the path of steady growth.
14. The key to creating more jobs lies in accelerating this momentum of economic growth. Happily, we have succeeded in making the fundamental changes necessary for this acceleration, and we are now beginning to see the efforts bearing fruit.
15. Our ease of doing business policies and programmes are already impacting medium, small and micro industries, as well as Manufacturing, Mining and Agriculture, among other key sectors.
16. Our commitment to critical infrastructure – that is Roads, Rails, Bridges, Airports and Seaports – will create more jobs, improving the efficiency and competitiveness of our industries.
17. Many of these projects are at different stages of completion, and those who use them regularly will attest to the fact that even while construction is ongoing, they are beginning to see reduced travel times. This will ultimately translate to reduced costs and greater convenience, making transportation, and business in particular, much easier.
19. The economic recovery that we promised is well underway, as demonstrated by the recently released statistics. In 2018, the economy grew by 1.93%, with the Fourth Quarter growth being 2.38%, up from 1.81% in the Third Quarter.
20. Remarkably, the strong economic performance was driven by the Non-Oil sector, which grew at 2% as at full year. Indeed, Non-Oil growth rose to 2.7% in the Fourth Quarter of 2018, up from 2.32% in the Third Quarter. These results further underscore our commitment to diversifying the economy away from the past dependence on Oil.
21. Other indicators confirm the economy’s steady recovery. Our monthly food import bill has declined from $664 million in January 2015 to $160 million as at October 2018. Inflation fell from 18.72% in January 2017 to 11.44% in December 2018. Our External Reserves have risen from $23 billion in October 2016 to $43.12 billion as at 7th February 2019.
22. Now that the recession is well behind us, our next task is to redouble our efforts, accelerate the growth and use it to create even more jobs for our people.
23. The Executive Orders, No. 5, and No. 7 issued by me, and the recently approved National Infrastructure Maintenance Policy demonstrate our commitment to accelerated job creation and infrastructure development.
24. We believe that Governments cannot simply proclaim jobs into existence. Job creation will only expand as a result of economic policies that enable the private sector to flourish, and this is the approach our Administration has taken.
25. Executive Order No 5, which Promotes Nigerian Content in Contracts, as well as Science, Engineering and Technology, will preserve and prioritize job creation for our citizens.
26. Executive Order 7, on the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, seeks to mobilize private capital and capacity for infrastructure development.
27. It responds to the demands of manufacturing and industrial complexes which wish to construct access roads without waiting for government, so long as they are allowed to recover the cost from taxes they would have paid to government. (READ FULL TEXT HERE)
Ghanaian songstress and delectable actress, Nana Frema Koranteng is claiming that Jesus Christ was one of the first people to perform a “plastic surgery” during his time on earth.
Thus she says there is absolutely nothing wrong if one decides to go under the knife for a surgical procedure.
Nana Frema, who is a proud product of Dr. Dominic Obengfo of Obengfo Hospital, is one of the few Ghanaian female celebrities who have admitted publicly to have undergone body surgery to gain a curvy shape.
In her defence, she claimed she visited Dr. Obengfo to suction excess fatty tissue from her body to make her buttocks big, because growing up, she had a “stomach bloated and you know when your stomach becomes big, your buttocks starts to shrink. So, I had a go at it in order to return to my former state”.
Some people have however condemned her and other ladies who go for liposuction to develop a curvaceous body. One of such loud voices against such practice is renowned former highlife artiste now Evangelist, Papa Shee.
Papa Shee believes people who go in for plastic surgery have committed a grievous sin and will end up in hell, and has therefore advised Ghanaians, particularly women, to desist from such practice.
But in defence, Nana Frema Koranteng, speaking in an interview with host Kwame Adjetia on Neat FM’s “Entertainment Ghana” show, shockingly asserted that Jesus Christ was the first person to perform plastic surgery on a human being.
Quoting the scripture from Luke 22:51, Frema said “Jesus Christ did a plastic surgery. Somebody’s ears were cut off and he fixed it. It was surgery. God is the one who has given doctors the knowledge”.
Yesterday, February 14th is the 6th death anniversary of singer, Goldie. Her very close friend, Denrele, paid a visit to her graveside.
Sharing photos via his Instagram page, he wrote:
I wonder what u were thinking as ur life ended.
Did you wonder if ur life mattered? Then let me tell u that it did. That in those few days together u touched my heart with your kindness, ur laughter, ur positive energy. And above all else with ur beautiful, beautiful smile.As u were dying, did u wonder if people would remember u? Then let me tell u that I will remember u forever & hold you close in my heart.
Morning of the 14th;
I wake after a night of crying, a day of loss, & I have one moment…one beautiful, solitary moment when everything is right in the world because THAT is the moment before the moment when reality crashes into me like one of those displaced trailers in the wrong lane speeding!And Im suddenly awake & without air.
I started to write about her ystdy, but found myself at such a loss.
For 36 hours, I’ve been struggling to find the right words to describe my friend – to tell you about her, to explain why this loss is so tragic. And, I can’t seem to find them. Any death of someone so young is a tremendous loss, I know.GOLDIE was special. Dare I say extraordinary.
How do I describe the most selfless person I know? How do I explain the multitude of ways she made me better, or how she never missed an opportunity to encourage me, tell me she loved me or supported what I was doing? How do I begin to recount the dozens of organizations she helped, the people she inspired, the lives she touched?You were a treasure, my friend.
When I last wrote about GOLDIE, it inspired music from someone. That’s the kind of soul stirring she motivated.
She was THAT good.
I am better for having known this beautiful soul. I will always miss her.
For me GOLDIE was a fiery spark full of love & determination. She was beautiful, smart, challenging, empathetic & encouraging. She always looked to grow; to better herself as a person and a professional. She was aware & spiritual – A great listener with time for friends from al walks of life. She was as selfless as she was determined & left her mark on so many ppl.
Goodbye my friend. I hope that wherever u are, u finally hv peace in ur heart & soul.
RIP SUSAN GOLDIE HARVEY.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently addressed the nation ahead of Saturday’s presidential election.
Below is the full text of his speech;
Fellow Citizens,
On Saturday, February 16, 2019, you will, once again, be called upon to choose the leaders who will pilot the affairs of our great nation for the next four years. This is a constitutional right which should be freely exercised by all eligible voters.
2. I wish therefore to start by assuring all Nigerians that this Government will do its very best to ensure that the 2019 elections take place in a secure and peaceful atmosphere.
3. It was indeed such free, fair and peaceful elections that made it possible for our Government to emerge, despite the fact that we were contesting against a long-standing incumbent party.
4. And as your president and a fellow Nigerian, I ask that you come out and queue to fulfill this important obligation you have to yourselves and your fellow citizens – and to our common future.
5. Let me at this point, reaffirm the commitment of the Federal Government to the conduct of free and fair elections in a safe and peaceful atmosphere. Just yesterday, I signed the Peace Accord alongside 72 other presidential candidates.
6. I want to assure all Nigerians, the diplomatic community and all foreign election observers of their safety and full protection. Any comments or threats of intimidation from any source do not represent the position of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
7. As Government has a critical role in maintaining the democratic traditions, so do citizens. I therefore urge you all, as good Nigerians, to take a personal interest in promoting and maintaining peace in your respective neighbourhoods during the elections. This is certainly not a time to allow personal, religious, sectional or party interests to drive us to desperation.
8. At this point, I want to make a special appeal to our youth: Do not allow yourselves to be used to cause violence and destruction. The people who want to incite you are those preparing the ground for discrediting the elections. Having lost the argument, they fear losing the elections.
9. When you elected me in 2015, it was essentially in consequence of my promise of CHANGE. We committed ourselves to improving security across the country, putting the economy on a sound footing and tackling rampant corruption, which had in many ways become a serious drawback to national development.
10. Our Government spent the last 3 years and 9 months striving faithfully to keep this promise, in spite of very serious revenue shortages caused mainly by a sharp drop in international oil prices and an unexpected rise in the vandalisation of oil installations, which, mercifully have now been curtailed.
11. We nevertheless pressed on in our quest to diversify the economy, create jobs, reduce commodity prices and generally improve the standard of living among our people.
12. The damage that insecurity and corruption have done, over time, to our collective livelihood is incalculable. However, it is pleasing to note that our frontal attack on these twin evils is gaining momentum and bringing about visible progress.
13. The recovery of the economy from recession is complete and Nigeria is back on the path of steady growth.
14. The key to creating more jobs lies in accelerating this momentum of economic growth. Happily, we have succeeded in making the fundamental changes necessary for this acceleration, and we are now beginning to see the efforts bearing fruit.
15. Our ease of doing business policies and programmes are already impacting medium, small and micro industries, as well as Manufacturing, Mining and Agriculture, among other key sectors.
16. Our commitment to critical infrastructure – that is Roads, Rails, Bridges, Airports and Seaports – will create more jobs, improving the efficiency and competitiveness of our industries.
17. Many of these projects are at different stages of completion, and those who use them regularly will attest to the fact that even while construction is ongoing, they are beginning to see reduced travel times. This will ultimately translate to reduced costs and greater convenience, making transportation, and business in particular, much easier.
19. The economic recovery that we promised is well underway, as demonstrated by the recently released statistics. In 2018, the economy grew by 1.93%, with the Fourth Quarter growth being 2.38%, up from 1.81% in the Third Quarter.
20. Remarkably, the strong economic performance was driven by the Non-Oil sector, which grew at 2% as at full year. Indeed, Non-Oil growth rose to 2.7% in the Fourth Quarter of 2018, up from 2.32% in the Third Quarter. These results further underscore our commitment to diversifying the economy away from the past dependence on Oil.
21. Other indicators confirm the economy’s steady recovery. Our monthly food import bill has declined from $664 million in January 2015 to $160 million as at October 2018. Inflation fell from 18.72% in January 2017 to 11.44% in December 2018. Our External Reserves have risen from $23 billion in October 2016 to $43.12 billion as at 7th February 2019.
22. Now that the recession is well behind us, our next task is to redouble our efforts, accelerate the growth and use it to create even more jobs for our people.
23. The Executive Orders, No. 5, and No. 7 issued by me, and the recently approved National Infrastructure Maintenance Policy demonstrate our commitment to accelerated job creation and infrastructure development.
24. We believe that Governments cannot simply proclaim jobs into existence. Job creation will only expand as a result of economic policies that enable the private sector to flourish, and this is the approach our Administration has taken.
25. Executive Order No 5, which Promotes Nigerian Content in Contracts, as well as Science, Engineering and Technology, will preserve and prioritize job creation for our citizens.
26. Executive Order 7, on the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, seeks to mobilize private capital and capacity for infrastructure development.
27. It responds to the demands of manufacturing and industrial complexes which wish to construct access roads without waiting for government, so long as they are allowed to recover the cost from taxes they would have paid to government.
28. We expect that this approach will boost industrial expansion and rural development, consequently creating more jobs for our people.
29. Similarly, our recently issued Maintenance Policy targets artisans, carpenters, welders, tailors, painters, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, landscapers and many more Ordinary Nigerians at the base of our economic pyramid who will get regular and large-scale opportunities to improve themselves.
30. It is an economic solution that also brings the relevant artisans and professionals into long term sustainable employment to maintain our Schools, Court Rooms, Hospitals, Police Stations, Federal Secretariats and other Public Buildings.
31. Human Capital Development has also been a key priority for this Administration, which has increased investments in health and education. Innovative measures have been introduced to complement the traditional budgetary allocations to the relevant Ministries.
32. For instance, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority has invested US$21 million in three healthcare projects as a Public Private Partnership with three Federal medical institutions. These include two modern Medical Diagnostic Centres located at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano and the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia; as well as one outpatient Cancer Treatment Centre in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos – which I commissioned on 9th February 2019.
33. Of course, our radical commitment to developing Critical Infrastructure is the foundation upon which we will deliver an all embracing national prosperity and a shared commonwealth.
34. There is no country that aspires to greatness without spending massively on its Critical Infrastructure. Rather than the discredited policy of ‘stomach infrastructure’, which could only benefit a few for a little while, we are focused on real infrastructural development for the growth of our economy and the long-term benefit of all Nigerians.
35. When you voted for our message of CHANGE, you invited us to assume office and depart from that bad and most regrettable choice. We have responded by making a choice for real infrastructure of Roads in every State, Housing in 34 States, Power Stations across Nigeria, Rail from Lagos to Kano.
36. The choice that now confronts us is whether we want to continue with real infrastructure development, which is the road to prosperity and jobs or return to the era of ‘stomach infrastructure’.
37. Agricultural Self-Reliance and Food Security is also a choice we made in fulfilment of your mandate for change.
38. Our Presidential Fertiliser Initiative has resulted in savings of US$150 million in foreign exchange due to local sourcing of inputs at 16 Blending Plants. It has also conserved N60 billion in Subsidies as well as supported tens of thousands of farmers and agro-dealers nationwide.
39. Our Anchor Borrowers’ Programme has substantially raised local rice yields from as low as two Metric Tonnes per hectare, to as high as eight Metric Tonnes per hectare.
40. Through this programme, the Central Bank of Nigeria has cumulatively lent over N120 billion to over 720,000 smallholder farmers cultivating 12 commodities across the 36 States and Abuja. Targeted crops and livestock have included cattle, poultry, fish, cassava, soybeans, ground nut, ginger, sorghum, rice, wheat, cotton and maize.
41. As a result, we have seen a remarkable rise in the production of key agricultural commodities. I am pleased to note that in major departmental stores and local markets, there has been a surge in the supply of high quality Nigerian agricultural produce.
42. Behind each of these products, are thousands of industrious Nigerians working in factories and farms across the nation. Our interventions have led to improved wealth and job creation for these Nigerians, particularly in our rural communities.
43. Again, these outcomes have been a major departure from the previous focus on consuming imported food items, which literally exported our children’s jobs to food-exporting nations, whilst depleting our precious foreign exchange reserves. This, of course, caused a closure of our factories while keeping open other peoples’ factories.
44. The choice made by this Administration to assist farmers directly and promote agriculture in every way possible has gone a long way to enhance our food security while enabling us to tackle poverty by feeding over nine million children daily under our Home-Grown School Feeding Programme. It also puts us clearly on the road to becoming a food secure and agriculture exporting nation.
45. Next to Agriculture, we are focusing on Manufacturing Sector. The Purchasing Managers Index, which is the measure of manufacturing activities in an economy has risen for 22 consecutive months as at January this year, indicating continuous growth and expansion in our manufacturing sector.
46. I will conclude by going back to where I started: that our choices have had consequences about employment and cost of living.
47. In making your choice this time, please ask yourself whether, and in what ways, others will do anything different to address the issues of Agriculture, Infrastructure, Security, Good Governance and Fighting Corruption.
48. If they are only hoping to do what we are already doing successfully, we are clearly your preferred choice.
49. Think carefully and choose wisely. This time, it is a choice about consolidating on growth for Jobs and Prosperity.
50. February 16th is all about a choice. But it is more than a choice between APC and the opposition. It is a choice about you, it is a choice between going back or keeping the momentum of CHANGE.
51. The road to greater prosperity for Nigeria may be long, but what you can be assured of is a Leadership that is not prepared to sacrifice the future well-being of Nigerians for our own personal or material needs. You can be assured of my commitment to remain focused on working to improve the lives of all Nigerians.
52. Thank you very much for listening. God bless you, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Rave of the moment Zlatan Ibile is back with another tune ‘Kokosa‘ and on this track he reaches out to Ghanaian stars Juls, Worlasi and Damibliz
The tune is energetic and jumpy with the right kind of vibe to get you started.
The war on “Who’s richer” has begun has Hushpuppi’s former friend, Mompha has decided to cop for himself a brand new Bentley Bentayga.. Same brand of car Hushpuppi got for himself this Valentine.
Mompha who noted that “No one can outshine the money man”, as he declares that a ‘new race’ with his former friend, puppi, has begun.
Sharing the multi-million naira whip on his page, he wrote;
“Just Copped Bentley Bentayga Brand New ??? Wow Bobo New School Ride ?? No one can outshine the money Man!!! Let the Race Begin”
Watch the video below;
IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu has called off the election boycott. The leader disclosed this through a message on his tweet handle today.
“Having confirmed this evening that all our preconditions and terms have been met, signed, sealed and delivered; I hereby call-off the election boycott across Biafraland on Feb. 16, 2019.
I dedicate this historic victory to the formidable #IPOB family worldwide.”
