President Buhari reportedly refused to meet with Bukola Saraki

According to a report by Punch, Pres. Buhari has resisted new moves by Saraki to meet with him because he's still upset over what Saraki did during the National Assembly elections...

An official in the Presidency said the President and the Senate President had only met once since the latter’s emergence as the leader of the senate. The official said all efforts by Saraki to have another meeting with the president, after the party’s National Executive Council meeting two Fridays ago, have proved abortive.

The reliable source said that Saraki had at different times reached out to people to help him persuade Buhari to grant him audience.

“The truth is that the President is still displeased with what transpired in the National Assembly, especially the Senate. Their encounter during the APC National Executive Council meeting, when they shook hands, was the first meeting between President Buhari and Saraki since he emerged as the President of the Senate.

“We are aware that Saraki has been going about begging people to assist him to plead with the President to meet with him. That was one of the reasons why he visited former President Obasanjo.

“I can tell you that the President is very pained by what happened. He felt that since he had been transparent with the party, everybody should play that way. But since Saraki took that path, the President was and he is still pained. Let us just hope that at the end of it all, they will be able to put the matter behind them.” the source said

Source: Punch

Amaechi, Bakare, others on Buhari's 18-man delegation to the US

Former Rivers state governor Rotimi Amaechi, and former VP candidate to Buhari, Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly and 16 others are said to be among those Pres. Buhari plans to take with him on his 3-day visit to the US on July 20.

According to Sahara Reporters, others are; Oyo state governor Abiola Ajimobi, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and two others. The delegation will also include top aides, political associates of the President, former member of the House of Representatives Farouk Adamu, top civil servants, representatives from the Office of the National Security Adviser, and reps from economic policy and foreign affairs think tanks.

Photos from the wedding of Coscharis boss, Cosmas Maduka's son

Some photos from the white wedding of Junior, son of Coscharis motors, Cosmos Maduka to his beautiful bride, Tope which held at Oriental Hotel in Lagos today July 11th. More pics after the cut...

Male suicide bomber disguised as a female kills 14 in Chad market

14 people have been confirmed dead after a male suicide bomber dressed in Burqa, blew himself up in the main market in Chad's capital N'Djamena this morning. Chadian police say 14 people were killed while 74 others sustained injuries.

"Our current count is 15 dead," police spokesman Paul Manga, said, a total which included the suicide bomber.

Several witnesses say the bomber had tried to enter the market wearing a woman's burqa. Chad authorities banned the head-to-toe religious garment last month saying attackers could use it as a disguise or hide explosives underneath.

"The suicide bomber was a man disguised as a woman (in a burqa). He tried to enter the market when he was intercepted by police. That is when he detonated the bomb." the Chadian police spokesperson said.

Buhari Meets Amaechi inside Aso Rock, Set to Make Him SGF

President Muhammadu Buhari has not abandoned his friend, Chief Amaechi (that's how he calls him) and he is said to be seriously considering him for the position of Secretary to the Federal Government or any other top position in government for the important role he played as his Campaign Director.

Premium Times Attacks Bayelsa State Governor; Alleges He Paid Hackers To Hack Systems In Nigeria

According to an investigation report by premium times, the Bayelsa state government paid close to one hundred million naira to an Italian firm Hacking Team, to hack computers and phones in Nigeria. This report is based on new information emerging from the firm’s leaked internal data.
This hacking team is reportedly notorious for equipping governments with tools to hack citizens’ computers and phones, was itself hacked Sunday night and 415 gigabyte of internal data leaked to the public.
Researchers have been pouring through the leaked documents since it was first leaked Sunday night, throwing up many shocking details of the firm’s secret dealings with Bayelsa state and other repressive governments, including Sudan, Russia, and Bahrain.
Documents allegedly seen by premium times show that the Bayelsa government, a small state in Nigeria’s oil rich Niger Delta, paid Hacking Team N98 million to carry out internet attacks, in what appears to be the most ambitious hacking project by a Nigerian state government.
The contract was signed in late 2013, Hacking Team’s internal documents, leaked after the Sunday night hack attack on the company, show.
Details of the extent of the attacks Hacking Team carried out on behalf of the state is not clear at the moment.
The contract with the Bayelsa government is classified as “intelligence ” the same class with contracts the firm unlawfully held with Russia and Sudan.
Hacking Team, now learning how it feels to have one’s privacy breached, is notorious for developing intrusive soft-wares for state clients who use them to hack citizen’s computers and smartphones. Hacking Team’s twitter account was hacked and used to announce the hack. The cost of Bayelsa government’s contract with the firm is equivalent to what the Russian government recently paid the firm for maintenance of its Remote Control System. And worth more than what Turkey, Columbia and Bahrain paid to the firm.
The firm claims its intrusion softwares – Remote Control Systems – are the most invasive and ruthless, with ability to compromise most operating systems, except iOS but including jail-broken iOS.
In one video commercial, it boasted that its software could hack offline and encrypted computers and smartphones, even if the target was outside the government’s “monitoring domain”.

Galileo, one of the company’s most evil soft-wares, is also able to secretly take snapshots and record conversations of its victims.
The Hacking Team is loathed by digital activists and freedom of expression advocates all over the world for helping oppressive regimes abuses citizens’ right to privacy and freedom of speech.
Reporters Without Borders listed the firm on its enemies of the internet index due to its primary surveillance tool, Da Vinci.
The intentions of the Bayelsa state government in purchasing the software is unclear at this time.
As at the time the Bayelsa state government acquired the software, the state was not known to be under any external cyber aggression. But it’s governor, Seriake Dickson, was persecuting a citizen over critical Facebook comments.
It was also in the run-up to the 2015 general elections.
During the same period, PREMIUM TIMES and few other Nigerian news organisations believed to be critical of the former regime, led by Goodluck Jonathan, suffered several cyber attacks.
Mr. Jonathan is from Bayelsa state and enjoyed absolute loyalty from Mr. Dickson at the time.
Hacking Team did not sell its software directly to the Bayelsa state government. The transaction was channeled through an Israeli company, NICE, and then V&V Nigeria.
V&V, also Israeli-owned, is known to have close relationship with former Bayelsa state governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.
V&V is responsible for the supply of many government hacking tools in Nigeria.
The Bayelsa Governor could not be reached to comment for this story.
His spokesperson, Daniel Iworiso-Markson did not answer or return calls seeking comment. He is also yet to respond to a text message sent to him. And so also is Dan Kikile, the state commissioner for information.

Despite making all these bold claims, premium times are yet to come up with any concrete evidence to back up the claims being made.

EFCC Set to Begin Probe Of Godswill Akpabio: Investigates alleged N108.1 Billion Fraud

Following a petition forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by an Abuja based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong, the commission has now begun investigations into claims that former Governor of Akwa Ibom state Godswill Akpabio was involved in the theft of N108.1 Billion of state funds.
Mr. Ekpenyong had on June 8 petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the EFCC, calling for Mr. Akpabio’s probe and accusing him of looting Akwa Ibom state treasury. On his part, Mr. Ekpenyong was summoned on Wednesday, June 17, to adopt his petition and provide more details to some of the allegations he made against Mr. Akpabio.
The former governor, now senator, was elected in 2007, at a time the nation enjoyed robust oil revenue.
Akwa Ibom State and Rivers State are Nigeria’s largest oil-producing states. The two states alternate as first and second top producers periodically.
The two states receive the highest funds allocation from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, monthly.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation indicate that under Mr. Akpabio, known for ostentatious spending, Akwa Ibom received a staggering N1. 6 trillion from FAAC between June 2007 and May 2014.
At the time he vacated office on May 29, the state received more, excluding other revenues like Ecological Funds, internally generated revenue etc. In a new petition to the EFCC dated June 22, and copied to Mr. Buhari and the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, Mr. Ekpenyong gave details of some of Mr. Akpabio’s alleged financial recklessness.
He indicated that between January and December 2014, the ex-governor colluded with two of his top aides to steal a whopping N108.1 billion from the state’s treasury.
Mr. Ekpenyong told the EFCC that the former Government House Permanent Secretary, Etekamba Umoren, and the former Accountant General of the state, Udo Isobara, colluded with Mr. Akpabio to steal the funds.
The former governor is also being accused of using state funds to acquire several assets across the country. Some of those listed include Plot 5 Okogosi Spring Close, off Katsina-Ala Crescent, Maitama-Abuja, a multi-billion naira mansionette at Plot 28 Colorado Close, Maitama, Abuja and another multi-billion naira mansion at 22 Probyn Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Others include a multi-billion naira mansionette at Plot 23 Olusegun Aina Street, Parkview, Lagos and a multi-billion naira 25 storey building at Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Strange, mischievous and untenable
In an interview with Premium Times, Mr.  Aniekan Umana, the former commissioner of information under Akabio’s administation dismissed the claims as being pretentious and false, explaining,
“Every sum withdrawn from a government account is tied to a subhead and there must be a budgetary provision. To attribute fraud to withdrawals, which had the full sanction of Government and was accommodated in the budget is strange, mischievous and untenable.”
The former commissioner also challenged the veracity some of the claim being made
“Senator Akpabio does not own a 25-storey building in Victoria Island or in any part of the world, as alleged by the petitioner. It is also a patent falsehood that the house at 22 Probyn Road, Ikoyi belongs to Senator Akpabio. It is a rented building which ownership can be verified from Lagos State Lands Registry.

“Senator Akpabio does not own the properties mentioned in the petition to belong to him. You can verify the ownership of the properties (5 Okokosi Close, Maitama and Plot 28 Colorado Close, Maitama) from the land registry in Abuja,” he said.

Wizkid links up with Skepta as he gets into London (photo)

Skepta is the British-born Nigerian Grime artist who introduced Wizkid's song Ojuelegba to Drake. Wizkid arrived London a few hours ago and hooked up with him describing him as 'my bro for life!' 

EXPOSED: NLNG Funds Not Remitted Under Jonathan

Truth be told, for many Nigerians the first time they ever heard that NLNG paid money into Nigeria's national account is during this Muhammadu Buhari government. So, what's been happening before?

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole has revealed Goodluck Jonathan administration illegally refused to transfer funds remitted to it by Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) into the federation account.

Noting that the remitted NLNG funds were not been transferred to the federation account, Oshiomhole said, “For example, all the noise that have been generated over what happened last week, there was nothing extraordinary. 

“What was extraordinary is that the NLNG has over the years been remitting funds to the federal government. But the federal government illegally refused to transfer these funds to the consolidated revenue fund which belongs to the three tiers of government."

According to him, with the renewed transparency being returned to the system by President Buhari, Edo State would have gotten N10 billion consecutively in four years of the Jonathan administration.

The governor who spoke to journalists after meeting with President Buhari at the presidential villa, regretted that his state lost N10billion under Jonathan and ex-finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

He said Nigerians have always been happy with Buhari because he had been very clear from day one on his campaign promises “about putting an end to impunity and fragrant disobedience of law and order”.

Oshiomhole explained that the NLNG was not just starting to remit, as it had been doing that every year plus taxes paid by Shell, amounting to about $500 million.

He said the $500 million added to the amount of $1.6 billion from NLNG was what totalled to the amount of $2.1 billion that was shared last week.

“All that President Buhari has done is in line with his commitments to ensuring that all funds and monies accruing to the federation account are so remitted. He has directed the CBN to transfer the funds to the consolidated account.

“Our commissioners along with federal officials met last week to share those funds in line with the revenue allocation formula. If this money had come under the last president, it will have gone the same way as in previous years."

He continued: “The truth is that so much was not paid to the federation account and that explains the huge gap. That was why in some of my statements, I said it is not just question of drop in price but it is also the denial of a lot of revenue that ought to have accrued into the federation account. So, no state has gotten a dime from what we called bail out or Excess Crude Account”.

OAP Freeze and Wife Divorcing after 13years of Marriage

Sometimes, no matter how much you try to manage a fraudulent marriage, it just can't stand. Lagos based OAP Freeze has finally filed for divorce from his wife, Ope. The couple has two kids together before things went south between them. Below is what the husband wrote about his experience with her:

"The Lord’s goodness is awesome. His love conquers all. This birthday has been my best in over 15 years!! The Lord has removed the monster that tormented me all this while. The cause of all my misery and affliction, the plaque in my tent, the thorn in my flesh, the source of my torment that bedeviled me, taunted and teased me, yet was the force behind my ordeal. Thank you lord for setting me free."

If you're lucky to have a good wife or good husband, cherish him/her dearly. What some folks go through can be classified as hell on earth, all thanks to fraudulent marriages. See their kids...

...I just feel for their kids!