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Apostle Suleman sex scandal: I’m now a born again After weeks of media battle with the General Overseer of the Omega Fire Ministry, Apostle Johnson Suleman, Canadaian based singer, Stephanie Otobo, said she has now handed everything to God. She said this few weeks after dropping a gospel single, adding that it does not matter to her how people will look at her as ‘born again.’ Recall that Stephanie had accused the cleric of entering into amorous relationship with her, impregnating her in the process and abandoning her. The singer also explained how she started singing gospel song even after being seen as a stripper by some persons. She said her inspiration to do gospel music came from her experience in Kirikiri prison when she was locked up by Apostle Suleman. According to her, “What really inspired me was my experience in jail in Nigeria. It was the fear and terror I lived through while in jail in Kirikiri prison. “I live in Canada and if ...

  People with type 2 diabetes are generally aware of potential complications like nerve damage, heart disease, and eye problems. But did you know that type 2 diabetes is also associated with hearing loss? In fact, people with diabetes have two times the rate of hearing loss as people without the condition, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The link between hearing loss and diabetes isn’t well understood. One theory: High blood sugar levels cause damage to the small blood vessels in your inner ear, similar to the way they can damage blood vessels in your heart, kidney, and nerves, according to the ADA. “Diabetes affects the small blood vessels in the ear, just as it affects blood vessels throughout the body,” explains endocrinologist Kashif M. Munir, MD , medical director of The University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology in Baltimore. There are several reasons why it's challenging for researchers and...

Falomo High School, Ikoyi, Lagos   After an eyewitness shared on social media how final year secondary school students sexually assaulted their female counterparts on their last day in school at Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos, in what has been described as a “tradition”, the Lagos State Government is said to be hunting for the students responsible. It was learnt that on Thursday that four of the students of Ireti Grammar School, Falomo, Lagos, have been arrested after the Lagos State Government tasked the police with tracking the perpetrators down. According to the story shared by Michale Matthew, female students of Falomo Senior High School, who had just finished their final exam were targeted by male students of Ireti Grammar School, South West Ikoyi, who had also taken their last paper on Wednesday. Matthew gave a graphic account of how some of the students pinned down their struggling victims,...

  Photos of two National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who proposed to their girlfriends on their Passing Out Parade (POP) day have emerged online. One of the scenes reportedly played out in Jos, the capital of Plateau State while the other reportedly happened in Bayelsa State on Thursday. The names of both couples are yet to be ascertained. In both cases, the couples were pictured in the act while other corps members take photos of the beautiful moment. See the photos that have since gone viral below. Jos Bayelsa

Japan baby Ever since 1950 when Japan began tracking its population of children, the number has never been as low as it is today. New data from the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry finds the population shrank by 170,000 kids from this time last year, to a new low of 15.71 million. This is the 36th consecutive year the population has dropped. Japan's fertility crisis has been many years in the making. As older generations start to die off without younger generations starting families behind them, economists say Japan shows all the signs of a "demographic time bomb." Without any intervention, Japan's economy will only continue to shrink. "We will continue to put efforts into support for child-rearing," welfare minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki told The Japan Times in December of last year. Japan's fertility rate is among the lowest in the world, at just 1.4 births per woman. Sociologists have found populations stay steady ...

• Some masqueraders Photo: PM News    No fewer than 25 people were said to have been injured when followers of the traditional Egungun religion and some Islamic faithfuls clashed in Kishi town, in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State on Wednesday. The clash came at a time when the traditional ruler of the town, the Iba of Kishi, Oba Moshood Arowoduye, was celebrating his 20th coronation anniversary. It is, however, not clear if the clash had anything to do with the celebration. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Abiodun Odude, told our correspondent that he was aware of the clash and that he had sent policemen from the Ogbomoso division to ensure the return of peace to the area. He said, “I am aware of the clash between Egungun worshippers and Muslims in Kishi. Let me also confirm that no life was lost and no record of injury. “The clash happened because of a misunderstanding. We ar...

The Comac C919, China's first large passenger jet, lands on its maiden flight at Shanghai's Pudong airport on May 5, 2017. The first large made-in-China passenger plane took off on its maiden test flight on May 5, marking a key milestone on the country's ambitious journey to compete with the world's leading aircraft makers. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / GREG BAKER     The first large made-in-China passenger plane successfully completed its maiden test flight Friday, marking a key milestone on the country’s ambitious journey to compete with the world’s leading aircraft makers. The narrow-body C919 jet — white with green and blue stripes — disappeared into the clouds after taking off from Pudong international airport in the commercial hub Shanghai as a crowd of thousands cheered, including top officials. It successfully landed some 80 minutes later and the five-member crew ...

Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives gained seats in Friday’s early results from local elections in Britain, while Labour, the UK Independence Party and the Liberal Democrats all lost seats. After declarations from around 1,000 of the nearly 5,000 seats in Thursday’s elections, the Conservatives had gained more than 100, Labour had lost about 60 and UKIP had lost all of the 30 seats it held at the previous elections. Turnout dipped below 30 per cent in some of the polls, which followed last year’s Brexit referendum and a general election in 2015, and will be followed by another general election on June 8. British Prime Minister Theresa May Polls were held for 88 of the 418 local councils in Britain as analysts watched for clues on how the country could vote in the general election. Liberal Democrat Vince Cable, a former business secretary in a coalition government with the Conservatives, told the BBC the Conservatives were profit...

The General Overseer of Synagogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN), Prophet T.B. Joshua has declared his intention relocate his ministry to Israel. He disclosed this while speaking on Sunday, April 30, 2017, that he had just returned from the ‘Holy Land’ after holding meetings with three prominent Israeli mayors of Jerusalem, Tiberias and the Jordan Valley. TB Joshua said Israel offered him both land and facilities in an area around the biblical site of the Sea of Galilee for the Nigerian Pastor to organise meetings for international pilgrims. “This is where my Father in Heaven came from – it’s non-negotiable,” Joshua explained, adding it was not a decision he undertook lightly. “It’s the best place for you to meet Prophet T.B. Joshua. After your healing, blessing and deliverance, you can move around all the spiritual monuments which will establish your faith,” he clarified. Joshua said his decision to leave was not connected to the “persecution” he endured during hi...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The U.S. Army has published the final photo of a combat photographer who captured on camera the blast that killed her in an accidental mortar explosion in Afghanistan nearly four years ago. The Army's professional journal says the image ill...

Charity Thilza The life of a 25-year-old corps member, Charity Thilza, has been brought to an abrupt end three days to the completion of her National Youth Service Corps programme in Abuja. The Borno State indigene was killed by some robbers along Wuse 2 Road while she was returning home from a nightclub in Carribean, Wuse 2, around 3am on Monday. The ‘passing-out parade,’ which marked the completion of her one-year programme, would hold on Thursday (today). She studied Linguistics and English at the University of Maiduguri. Thilza and four friends, identified simply as Lola, Bisi, Pooja (an Indian) and a man had attended a show at the club, where a hip hop artiste, Chibuzor Azubuike, popularly called Phyno , performed on Sunday. They were said to be returning home from the party in a car the following day when the robbers gave them a chase. The assailants reportedly shot at the car repeatedly and some of the bullets pierced throu...

Egyptian Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty AFP PHOTO / SAIFEE HOSPITAL" -    An Egyptian once believed to be the ‘world’s heaviest woman’ left an Indian hospital Thursday for the United Arab Emirates where she will continue treatment following drastic weight-loss surgery, doctors said. Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty weighed roughly 500 kilogrammes when she arrived in Mumbai in February but has shed an astonishing 323 kilogrammes since undergoing a series of medical procedures. With her weight now standing at 176.6 kilogrammes, she will begin a year-long course of physiotherapy at VPS Burjeel hospital in Abu Dhabi, her doctors in Mumbai said. “We have arranged for a hydraulic stretcher from Italy for Eman’s journey and she will have doctors, paramedics and nurses with her during the journey,” Sanet Meyer, director of medevac at VPS Burjeel, told AFP. Abd El Aty was put on a special liquid diet in India to re...

The Northern Patriotic Assembly (NPA) has warned Bola Tinubu and other political leaders from the south west against exploiting President Muhammadu Buhari’s health. The group particularly zeroed in on Tinubu, telling him to stop using the ill-health of the president for political gains, saying such action was immoral and despicable. In a statement signed by its President, Hon Idakwo Jibrin and Secretary General, Alhaji Adamu Wakil it lamented the ‘exploitation of President Buhari’s health by some Yoruba leaders’. The statement in part says: “Even more unnerving is situation whereby people we once held in high esteem as elders, leaders and professionals decided to descend into the mud, using President Buhari’s health as their new object of obsession. “They have fanatically tried to impose this obsession of theirs on other Nigerians in a desperate bid to cause panic and confusion. “Sadder still is the fact that these mischief makers are people who pose as Presiden...

Ijaw Chieftain, Edwin Clark has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the mastermind of corruption in the country. Clark gave the description while responding to Obasanjo's comments he made about Goodluck Jonathan in Segun Adeniyi’s new book, Against the Run of Play. THIS DAY reports that Clark said, “In your narration in Adeniyi’s new book, there’s nothing you said which you had not said in your despicable and false and self-aggrandised book containing assertions and character which you do not possess yet you are assassinating the character and libeling of patriotic and decent leaders and people of Nigeria including the innocent late President Yar’Adua and Jonathan. “What character has a man who was a head of state and president of a country with over 180 million people and who is now 80 years old being accused by his own eldest son, Mr. Gbenga Obasanjo, of sleeping with his wife and thereby doubting the paternity of his children and leading to t...

British Prime Minister Theresa May   Voting began Thursday in Britain’s local elections, the first nationwide electoral test for Prime Minister Theresa May. Polling stations opened at 7:00am (0600 GMT) and will close at 10pm, with results from nearly 5,000 local authority races due on Friday. Details soon.

An evening downpour flooded the lobby of the main building of the National Assembly on Wednesday. The area affected is the lobby of the popular ‘White House’, which houses the chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives. According to Punch observation, the rain, which started about 6 pm and lasted for close to 30 minutes, let in water that covered the entire protocol box of the lobby. Findings showed that the heavy wind that accompanied the rain, forced the water from outside into the lobby. A portion of the roof around the lobby also leaked water, a development that worsened the flooding. The National Assembly building is said to have suffered from lack of adequate maintenance over the years. The Clerk of the bureaucracy of the legislature, Mr. Mohammed Sani-Omolori, has launched efforts to cover the years of neglect. See photos below:  

Ecobank Nigeria has shut down about 74 of its 479 branches. The bank says it will deploy staff from the merged branches to other projects but failed to touch on reports that the bank had terminated the appointment of about 50 top personnel staff. A statement by the bank reaffirmed its commitment to digital transformation, which would enable customers carry out banking activities online, thereby reducing the need to visit physical locations. Charles Kie, the managing director, said the bank hopes to shift its activities to digital channels and improve customers’ experience at reduced cost. This, he said, also supports the bank’s financial inclusion strategy and the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Kie said the bank has enhanced its retail internet banking platform with the Ecobank mobile app that enables customers to do instant payments; open accounts, as well as do instant transfers across 33 countries in Africa. “A...

7 Types Of Men Every Woman Should Be Wary Of As the saying goes men will be men! While it is great in some respects, the last thing you want in is to be in a relationship with a guy who tells barefaced lies, without batting an eyelid! It can be emotionally and psychologically devastating for the partner to experience especially, when it involves infidelity. The cornerstone of any healthy relationship is to be true and honest with one another most if not at all times. Some of the tell tale signs that you are in relationship with a man who has no qualms in lying are: The single card: Most men pretend to be single and ready to mingle at the drop of a hat. Even if they are in a relationship most will not hesitate to claim that they are footloose and fancy free, by claiming to be single. I am not into womanising : If you hear a man make that oft repeated claim you need to be on your toes. They will check out every eligible female they set their eyes on, ...

5 Traits Nigerian Men Search For In A Wife Marriage and just being in a relationsh ip are poles apart. Since they are so very different, it is only natural that different yardsticks are used in measuring the traits in a prospective life partner. Naija men have their head on their shoulders, when it comes to deciding whom they would pick as a future partner. While a woman may be attractive, it is not essential that she would make a good spouse necessarily. Like all other men, Naija guys are well aware of the women they just want to have a good time with, and those they seriously want to marry. No matter if they met on black dating website or offline. Any woman who is wise will not be manipulated by a guy and have her own moral code and ethics, which she will adhere to strongly. Some of the traits that Nigerian men look for in prospective partners are as follows: Homely : The number one quality that makes a woman a great life partner. Naija men look for ...

President Muhammadu Buhari   The Nigeria Labour Congress, Ekiti State chapter, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, fulfil his campaign promises “before Nigerians are pushed to the wall.” The state’s NLC chairman, Raymond Adesanmi, made the remarks during the Workers’ Day celebration held at the Oluyemi Kayode Staidum in Ado-Ekiti, state capital on Monday. The NLC also used the occasion to honour Governor Ayodele Fayose with the titled of Comrade Governor “for his contributions towards workers’ welfare and the development of the state.” Adesanmi said, “Government at the national level has been paying lip service to unemployment , the fight against corruption has been one sided and no prosecution has been made and judgement obtained, the money recovered through the anti-corruption war has not been declared and above all, all the campaign promises of the present g...

The Senate, on Tuesday, suspended passage of the conference report on the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill, over the allegation of fraud in the recruitment exercise by the organisation which is being prosecuted in a court. The bill sharply divided senators at the plenary. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives had separately passed the bill before the harmonisation of its provisions.  

The Nigerian Senate minority leader, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday described Peace Corps of Nigeria as the Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (MMM) scheme, which can be liken to “419”. Senator Akpabio, while contributing to a debate on the peace corps of Nigeria bill at plenary, said the upper legislative chamber could not afford to pass the bill given the issues surrounding the peace corps. He argued that if the senate passed the bill, it was “going to legitimise illegitimacy” and it would be like giving a legal backing to “Honestly speaking my submission will be to support the earlier speakers, it is better for us to tread on the part of caution, when you talk about para-military organisation, we may be adding to insecurity in the nation vetting and other things have to be done before we start putting uniform on people and giving ranks,” Akpabio told his colleagues. “It is also almost like our government to make a law on MMM where youth ha...

A group of prominent Nigerians has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, 74, to take medical leave, amid growing concern about his health. There was an "apparent deterioration" in his health following his failure to attend the last two cabinet meetings, the group said. Mr Buhari took about seven weeks of medical leave in January, and flew to the UK for treatment. When he returned home in March, he said he had never been so ill in his life. Mr Buhari has not disclosed his illness, but hinted that he had had a blood transfusion. The president had not been seen in public for the last week, and his absence from the cabinet meetings, as well as the weekly Friday Muslim prayers, "has fuelled further speculation and rumours" about his medical condition, the group of 13 Nigerians said in a statement. The group included some of the Nigeria's most influential civil society figures, including lawyer Femi Falana, political analyst Jibrin Ibrahim,...

Russian President Vladimir Putin / AFP PHOTO / SPUTNIK / Aleksey Nikolskyi   US President Donald Trump will speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by telephone Tuesday, the White House said. There was no indication about the topics of discussion for the two leaders. The call was scheduled for 12:30 pm (1630 GMT). Trump has already spoken by telephone twice with Putin since taking office in January. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the planned conversation Tuesday, in comments to the Ria Novosti news agency. On January 28, the two men discussed how to defeat the Islamic State group in a congratulatory call from Putin, according to officials. The last time, on April 3, Trump pledged support to Russia over a deadly bomb attack in the Saint Petersburg metro that killed 15 people. US ties with Russia are under scrutiny after US intelligence agencies said hackers directed by...

World Bank blames Nigeria’s forex crisis on fixed exchange regime Naira notes   The World Bank has blamed Nigeria’s enduring foreign exchange instability on the fixed exchange regime in the official forex market. In a publication on African economies titled: ‘Africa’s Pulse,’ the World Bank singled out Nigeria and Angola as two countries that had yet to experience stability in the forex market despite rebound in the prices of commodities being exported. The report stated, “The rebound in commodity prices and improved growth prospects in some countries have helped stabilise commodity exporters’ currencies. “However, with the Nigerian naira and Angolan kwanza remaining fixed against the US dollar, the imbalance in the foreign exchange market remains substantial in both countries.” The report also mentioned Nigeria as one of the countries in the region where there were substantial risks in the banking ...