President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Daura called on Nigerian youths to make the country great again through pursuit of knowledge, patriotism and commitment to values that promote national unity.

Receiving over 100 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in Daura local government area, in his residence, President Buhari pledged his unalloyed commitment to the unity and prosperity of Nigeria.

He urged them to remain focused in life, pursue their dreams and reject those fanning embers of discord and disintegration of Nigeria.

The President, who specially recognised corps members from the Niger Delta and South-Eastern states serving in Daura, praised the vision of former President Yakubu Gowon in setting up the scheme in 1973.

The President said the scheme had creditably promoted national unity and cohesion by exposing young people to the uniqueness and cultural diversity of Nigeria.

“I asked for those from the other extreme of Nigeria because I very much appreciate the NYSC scheme and whenever I see General Gowon, I always thank him for that”, he declared.

Speaking specifically to corps members from the South Eastern states,
the President said: “Tell your colleagues who want Biafra to forget about it.’’

“As a military commander, I walked from Degem, a border town between the north and the east, to the border between Cameroons and Nigeria.

“I walked on my foot for most of the 30 months that we fought the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, in which at least 2 million Nigerians were killed.

“We were made by our leaders to go and fight Biafra not because of money or oil, because oil was not critical factor then, but because of one Nigeria.

“So if leaderships at various levels failed, it was not the fault of the rest of Nigerians who have no quarrel with one another.

“So please tell your colleagues that we must be together to build this country. It is big enough for us and potentially big enough in terms of resources.

”Those who work hard will earn a respectable living. I have seen this country, I fought for this country and I will continue to work for the unity of this country,’’ the President said.

In his remarks, Mr Egbewumi Adebolu, the Corps Liaison Officer in Daura, thanked the President for the honour of receiving them and making their stay in Daura memorable.

He said the youths strongly believed in the programme of the President to reduce unemployment and create jobs for more Nigerians.

Adebolu thanked the President for his personal gifts of cows, bags of rice and cash to corps members in the community for Salah celebration.

– DailyPost

The Defense Headquarters yesterday described as a joke and dream of the century, a threat made on the life of President Muhammadu Buhari in a new video released yesterday by Boko Haram militants.

Defence spokesman, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, told Daily Trust yesterday in a reaction: “The threat to President Muhammadu Buhari is a complete joke and dream of the century.”

He described the video as the actions of washouts, noting that the public had been appreciative of the achievements of the military in decimating Boko Haram.

“The only ground Boko Haram can go into, hide and pretend to be alive, is the social media, because it is everybody’s home where sources can hardly be traced. More-so, which Boko Haram, I believe the group is near ending, the video is a complete sign of weakness and poses no threat to us,” he said, adding that the video was an attempt by remnants of the group to remind the public that there were once Boko Haram elements.

Abubakar said the military was committed to wiping out remnants of the group and people shouldn’t be deceived by their use of photo shop.

In the new video released yesterday and posted on YouTube, the Boko Haram members were shown observing Eid prayers in some unidentified locations.

A man who spoke in Hausa in the video said the group had not been defeated and threatened to continue their campaign.

They added:

“[President] Buhari is saying that he will finish us. Let him know that before he said so, others said so before now and they couldn’t. So Buhari saying that he will finish us, he should know that by the grace of Allah, he cannot finish us. Rather, he will die, he will die, he will die. By the will of Allah, under the leadership of our leader (Shekau), we will capture Buhari with our hands.”

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on Wednesday in Abuja said Nigerian businessmen demanded 2.5 billion dollars (about N492 billion) a week for importation of goods and services into the country.

Ogbeh made this known in a meeting with officials of VICAMPRO, an indigenous Agro Company investing in production of Irish Potato on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that the ministry was willing to support local investors with capacity to produce goods and save the country’s foreign exchange.

He said that the consumption of rice in the country was rising and that a lot of people were not aware that the rice had some degree of arsenic.

The minister said that consuming rice in large quantity on a regular basis was a bit of health risk, adding that substituting it with potato would be welcomed development. “The volume of importation of virtually everything into this country is too much.

“The demand for dollars in this country as at today is 2.5 billion a week; this is the quantum of dollars Nigerians are asking for to import things.

“Since 1986, we began this habit of importing everything and doing virtually nothing at home to sustain ourselves; now, we do not have the dollars and people are very hungry.

“This day was coming anyway, no matter who was in power; we have the most ridiculous method of devaluing our currency; every week, we auction the dollar and naira goes up.

“We sat and were hoping that by devaluation, we are going to arrive at Eldorado; if we continue like this, it will be a thousand naira to a dollar,’’ he said.

Jessica Beer, a 19-year-old female student of Dyege Memorial College, Akpehe, Makurdi, Benue State, on Wednesday committed suicide after her boyfriend, identified simply as Labi, impregnated another girl and subsequently dumped her.

A close friend of the victim, who did not want her name mentioned, told Punch correspondent that Beer killed herself because she loved Labi and could not accept that she had been jilted.

The friend further said her late friend believed that after impregnating another girl, her future plans with Labi was in jeopardy.

The source said when she went to Beer’s residence, she met the victim on the floor, vomiting blood.

She said, “My friend had brought a sharp knife the day before the incident to my house. She said I should follow her to her boyfriend’s house, threatening to deal with him. But I advised her not to take the law into her own hands.

“When I went to see her the next day, I met Jessica (Beer) on the floor, vomiting blood and I quickly raised the alarm.”

Punch Metro gathered that the victim was rushed to a private hospital, Yiman Hospital, in the area, where doctors certified her dead.

When Punch correspondent visited the victim’s school, many of her classmates were seen crying, while some teachers in the school discussed the incident.

One of the victim’s classmates told Punch correspondent in tears that she was shocked that Beer would “intentionally kill herself because of a man.”

Another classmate said, “I was told that the boyfriend (Labi) is a cultist and an armed robber, who had refused to further his education. Why should my friend commit suicide over such a person? I can never do such a thing.”

The proprietress of the school, Mrs. Mercy Dyege, told our correspondent that she was surprised when the news of the suicide was broken to her.

According to Dyege, the news of Jessica suicide filtered into the school while the students were on the assembly ground.

She described the action of the student as barbaric and ungodly, saying she always advised students to focus on their studies and devote their time to God rather than engaging in carnal issues.

Dyege said, ‘’My teachers always pray with the students and teach them the words of God, especially the female students. I also told the girls that when they put their minds on their studies and complete their education, men will look for them. This kind of incident has never occurred in my school and I condemn this behaviour in strong terms.”

One of Beer’s teachers, Mr. Timothy Tyoyange, described her as an average student, who was ready to learn from both teachers and her fellow students.

Tyoyange said, “Jessica (Beer) was a beautiful young lady and in our last prize giving and graduation day, she contested for Miss Dyege, organised by the college, and won the crown. So, she killed herself at a time she was about to fulfill her dream in life. May her soul rest in peace’’.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Moses Yamu, confirmed the incident.

“Investigation has commenced. I advise other students to desist from such acts,” he added.

A popular and notorious child trafficker, Abigail Nwakama, a.k.a ‘Madam Cash’ has finally been arrested by the police in Delta State for operating a kidnapping ring. It was revealed that her kidnapping syndicate abducted children before selling them into slavery.

She was arrested with other people who are also part of the child trafficking syndicate. It was gathered that Nwakama specializes in stealing babies and selling the kids to buyers.

According to reports, Nwakama stole a one-year-old girl, identified as Fatimah Yahaya, from her mother after paying her mother N3,000. She then sold the young girl to a popular radio preacher and founder of Gospel Fire Army Ministry, Nkwele-Ogidi, Anambra State, Chinedu Strongson, for N400,000.

Based on an alarm raised after little Fatimah was abducted, the commissioner said detectives swung into action and arrested one Onyinye Nwakama, daughter of Madam Cash, at a drinking bar in Asaba.

Also arrested was Ifeoma Anyadike, (32) at Okpanam before they led detectives to Ogidi where the pastor was arrested.

The State Police Commissioner, Zana Ibrahim, confirmed that 12 stolen children were rescued from the pastor, after he allegedly paid N400,000 for each child sold to him.

Authorities of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State on Sunday said that they had accepted the voluntary withdrawal of a student, Jephtaph Abolarin, from the institution.

Abolarin, a 300-Level Sociology student, had written to the university confessing to cheating during his West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

Abolarin, who claimed he had become a ‘born again’ Christian, said continuing his university education, using an unmerited certificate was unjust and immoral.

He wrote the letter to the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, Prof. Sidiqat Ijaiya, on August 5, 2016.

According to him, he wanted to withdraw from the school because he got his WASSCE through examination malpractice.

Reacting to the letter on Sunday, the university Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Kunle Akogun, confirmed the withdrawal of the student.

Akogun, who noted that the Senate of the university had accepted the withdrawal letter, added that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali, commended Abolarin for his repentance and sincerity.

The VC, Akogun added, wished Abolarin well in his future endeavour.

Part of Abolarin’s letter to the DVC read,

“Just as a house that was built on a faulty foundation will surely collapse, it is also certain that a career that is built on a faulty foundation will definitely collapse. All through my secondary school days, I was just a church ‘goer’, without genuine salvation and the fear of God. As a result, I got my WASSCE result through examination malpractice.

“By the grace of God, now, I have encountered the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which called for repentance and restitution.

“Sir, with deep conviction, I have realised that there is no point building my academic career on a faulty foundation; since the WASSCE result I got through malpractice is the basis in which my admission into this university was anchored.

“Therefore, I have decided to withdraw from the university and start all over again.”