Thisday Tell:

Shops, schools and businesses were shut in south-east Nigeria on Tuesday, 50 years to the day since an independent rRepublicof Biafra was declared, sparking a brutal civil war. In Onitsha, the economic hub of Anambra state on the banks of the River Niger, most markets were closed and the streets were largely empty of people and traffic. Separatist sentiment persists in the region, which is dominated by the Igbo people, and the main pro-Biafran independence group has called on supporters to stay at home. “No work today, we are Biafran, we are not Nigerians,” said Ebere Ichukwu Eli, one of the few people to venture outside, where there was a visible security presence. “No violence, it is a peaceful sit at home. We are protesting peacefully,” the 47-year-old told AFP. A woman who gave her name only as Justine, said: “The market is closed today. I’m just going home to stay with my children. “W

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un AFP North Korea on Tuesday boasted its test of a precision-guided missile was “successful”, saying it had zeroed in within a few metres of a target provocatively close to Japan the day before. The North’s leader Kim Jong-Un supervised the launch of the guided ballistic rocket — the third missile test by the nuclear-armed regime in less than three weeks and carried out in defiance of US threats of military action and UN sanctions. “The ballistic rocket flew toward the east sky where the day broke and correctly hit a planned target point with deviation of seven meters after flying over the middle shooting range,” the state-run news agency KCNA said. South Korea’s military earlier said the Scud-type missile travelled eastward for 450 km (280 miles). Japan said it believed it had fallen into its exclusive economic zone, extending 200 nautical miles from the coast. The missile test tr

Prison   A woman in northern Thailand chopped off her unfaithful husband’s penis and then drank pesticide, leading to her death. Kawinnart Saezong, 33, was declared dead on Monday at a hospital in Phayao province, said Narin Cherdyoo, Phayao police officer said on Tuesday. Kawinnart’s suicide happened soon after she chopped off her 38-year-old husband’s penis while he was asleep early Saturday after she learned of his multiple infidelities, Narin said. Her husband, Niran Saewang, survived the attack.   He was transferred from Phayao to Lampang hospital, which is a three-hour drive, and had his penis reattached, a hospital staff confirmed to dpa. Hospital staff in Phayao managed to retrieve Niran’s penis and froze it with ice during the hospital transfer, according to Lampang Hospital. This is not the first time Lampang hospital has had to deal with such a case, the hospital said, adding that

Ye Wei tows the helicopter with his penis, makes history.   A kung fu master who dragged seven cars with his penis has become a new world record holder by towing a helicopter even further with his manhood. The Mirror Online reports that several hundred people as well as official adjudicators watched as Ye Hongwei, who goes by the stage name “Ye Wei,” towed the heavy military helicopter with a rope tied around his genitals. Footage of the incredible feat shows him stuttering at first, unable to get the momentum needed to get the aircraft’s wheels rolling on the tarmac outside the hangar. But he eventually summons the inner strength necessary to drag the helicopter over 10 metres (32 feet 9 inches) – beating his intended target of 8 metres (26 feet 3 inches). He was then given his world record certificate by officials representing the World Record Academy. Ye is f

President Muhammadu Buhari   The Presidential Adviser on Political Matters, Babafemi Ojudu, has chastised Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, over his call for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari. He said the governor by his tirade against the president was portraying Ekiti in bad light. Mr. Fayose on Tuesday called for the resignation of the president on grounds of his ill health. ‎”He can do us the great help by resigning. Not resigning bothers on his integrity. ‎ His absence allows others to suppress and oppress others and that means he is allowing others ‎to suppress their fellow human beings,” Mr. Fayose said. “There are many governments in one and they are clueless. ‎ We need an active president going by our numerous challenges. ‎How long will Nigerians wait for an incapacitated president‎? “We cannot wait again for somebody to hold us to ransom. ‎I don’t have any bad blood against Buhari, Osinbajo has no powers without the president. H

There is tension in Owode Street and its surrounding locations in Oshodi over fears of a reprisal attack after Rasaq Bello, popularly known as Hamburger, a prominent member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) was shot dead in Shogunle Lagos during the local council primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Hamburger was the Lagos State Treasurer of Tricycle Operators, a branch of NURTW. Bello was allegedly shot on Monday by members of a rival gang allegedly led by one Samson Agbetoye, popularly known as Golden.   According to witnesses, trouble started after the primary in the Shogunle ward, held at the area’s town hall, was abruptly aborted due to calls against the modalities for the conduct of the exercise. After the cancellation, Hamburger and his group reportedly stormed the base of Golden in Ago Owu street. Both camps exchanged gun shots

Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari Photo credit: Aljazeera "If that is the only thing he can achieve and clean the system for the next four years, then he has my support." The worst thing that can happen to Northern presidential aspirations in 2015 is for Buhari to be on the APC ballot. On Friday, 23rd August, 1985, the military government of Major-General Mohammadu Buhari decided to place me under arrest. My crime was that I wrote, among others, an article entitled:… He never called himself a revolutionist – he was a former military dictator who imposed draconian laws – but President Muhammadu Buhari electoral campaign in 2014 and 2015 can be described as revolutionary. His campaign was more or less a mass movement championed by the masses, especially the youth in northern villages, town and cities. People yearning for the return of Mai Gaskiya (The Forthright One) to power sacrifices and contributions in various forms to ensure that the th

Aisha Buhari The wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, on Tuesday left Nigeria for London, United Kingdom, to join her husband who has been on medical vacation since May 7. According to a statement by her spokesperson, Bisi Olumide-Ajayi, the President’s wife thanked Nigerians who have been praying for her husband. The statement read, “The wife of the President, Her Excellency, Mrs. Aisha Buhari today (Tuesday) left for the United Kingdom. “Her Excellency will spend some time with her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is presently on medical vacation. “She expressed her appreciation to the millions of Nigerians who have been praying for his quick and safe return.” Mrs. Buhari’s journey came three weeks after her husband embarked on his latest medical vacation. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, had announced shortly before President Muhammadu Buhari left the count

    The Archbishop of the Enugu Province, Anglican Communion, Emmanuel Chukwuma, said on Monday that the clergy is not in support of the sit-at-home declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB. IPOB and MASSOB urged Igbos to sit at home on May 30  to observe the group’s anniversary. Mr. Chukwuma, a most reverend, made this known at the Democracy Day celebration and second year anniversary of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in Enugu on Monday . The cleric, who spoke before offering the opening prayer of the Democracy Day, called on all people in South-East to go about their legitimate businesses, saying that the clergy were against the declaration. “Before I offer the opening prayer, let me first of all state the position of the clergy on the sit-at- home declaration by IPOB and MASSOB. “We are not in support of the call. We advise all to ignore it and go about th

President of the National Association of Science Students, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Comrade Adefuwa Christopher died in a ghastly auto crash along Ile-Ife road, Osun State on Sunday. The deceased was involved in the accident while returning to school from an excursion to the Idanre Hills in Akure, Ondo State. The accident involved a trailer which collided with the bus that was conveying Adefuwa and his colleagues. He was the only one who died in the accident which occurred only days to his graduation while 21 others sustained serious injuries. See some of his last photos and tributes to him below

President Muhammadu Buhari An overwhelming number of Nigerians think corruption is on the rise and that the government is doing little to fight it, a new survey by Transparency International and Afrobarometre published on Tuesday, has shown. The report, which is a result of a survey of 43,143 people in 28 Sub-Saharan African countries conducted between March 2014 and September 2015, shows that Nigerians are among the least confident about the sincerity and effectiveness of efforts by their government to fight corruption in the continent. While 75 per cent of Nigerians believes that corruption is on the rise, a shocking 78 per cent say government is doing badly in fighting corruption. “People and Corruption: Africa Survey 2015,” as the report is titled also shows that Nigerian only ranked below Liberia and Cameroon in the number of times they have paid bribe to access public service such as healthcare, school, court and polici

Consul General of the United States of America, John Bray   To attract more American companies to invest in Nigeria, the Federal Government needs to address challenges around access to foreign exchange, inconsistency in tax policies and unpredictable energy cost, the Consul-General, United States Consulate, Lagos, Mr. John Bray, has said. Other issues that must be addressed, according to him, include security concerns over personnel and business, and lack of transparency on the part of the government. Bray stated these during the March 2017 edition of the Nigerian-American Business Dialogue organised by the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce in Lagos on Tuesday. The theme of the event was: ‘Improving the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria’. Bray said, “If these concerns are not addressed, they (American companies) will not put their money in Nigeria to create the jobs Nigeria badly nee

Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari   A report released in the early hours of Monday reveals that 57 per cent of Nigerians say President Muhammadu Buhari has done well in office. The report, released by the Centre for Democracy and Development was described as “Buharimeter Citizens’ Scorecard on the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB), and the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on the three broad campaign promises (Corruption, Economy and Security) in the first two (2) years in office.” Although 57 per cent of the sampled population of 4,097 across 111 local governments in Nigeria approved of the president’s performance, the result varied across regions. “While the North-West (85 per cent) and North-East (66 per cent) regions constitute the majority of those who approve of his job performance, respondents from the South-East (72 per cent) and South-South (60 per cent) region

Nigerian international and Chelsea player, Victor Moses, on Sunday married his long-time partner in London. The low-key wedding ceremony comes after Moses won the Premier League alongside his team, Chelsea and a day after being red carded in Chelsea’s FA Cup final 2-1 loss to Arsenal. Only a few family members and friends witnessed the ceremony between the couple who already have two children together, a five-year-old son Brentley and a two-year-old daughter Nyah. This has been a breakthrough campaign for the 26-year-old Nigeria international, who has finally forced his way into the Chelsea team after being loaned out in the previous three seasons.

Dollars The dollar retreated Monday, with warnings of wild volatility ahead as Donald Trump began his presidency promising to put America first and attacking global trade deals. With trading floors ravaged by uncertainty over the tycoon’s plans, many key stock markets also fell, with Wall Street, London, Frankfurt, Paris and Tokyo all lower. In foreign exchange, the euro hit a six-week high against the dollar at $1.0755. “The greenback… seems to have been shaken both by the apocalyptic tone set by Trump at his inauguration, and the global protests that greeted the former Apprentice host’s ascension to the highest office in the land,” said Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell. Trump’s inauguration speech Friday continued his campaign rhetoric, saying “every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families”. On Sunday, he vowed

Many adults and students alike have resorted to football betting as a way of surviving the current economic recession in the country. The News Agency of Nigeria  observed this on Wednesday when he visited different betting centres in Ilorin, Kwara State capital. NAN reports that both unemployed and workers have embraced various kinds of betting as an alternative to survive. A civil servant, Mr. Dayo Olaolu, told NAN that he was surviving on football betting as things get tougher every day. “I am not a gambler, but the situation in the country has forced me to it now, as there is no alternative at the moment,” he said. A fashion designer, Mr. Quadri Idris, said he had been trying his luck to win a bet to cater for his family’s needs, as his business was no longer thriving. “Man must survive and I think the best way for this present situation is to gamble. I will not steal to survive, as the situation

The bags of rice   The Federal Government has threatened to shut some land borders if the smuggling of rice continues from neighbouring countries. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, gave the warning on Monday i Abuja while speaking to newsmen on some of the Federal Government’s achievements in the agriculture sector in the last two years. Ogbeh said the decision became necessary to encourage local rice farmers and to enable the country achieve self sufficiency in rice by 2018. “We believe they are determined to sabotage the efforts that we are making to guarantee self sufficiency in rice and to save foreign exchange which we don’t have. “They insist on bringing in rice through the land borders, avoiding the duties and the levies we put on them and they are definitely bent on sabotaging our efforts and we are getting increasingly unhappy with them. “And I must say th

The Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari.   There was no celebration of Democracy Day in Katsina on Monday as many residents stayed indoors for the better part of the day. Business activities in the markets and commercial centres in the town also went on normally. There was no official statement from the government to celebrate the day while there were no formal activities to mark the day, also. A visit to the state stadium along Mani road which normally serves as the venue for the celebration showed no activity. A top government official who pleaded anonymity attributed the development to the mood of the nation. “What do you expect us to celebrate?”, he fired back at the inquiry on why there was no celebration of the day in the state, adding “the President is out of the country seeking medical attention, the economy is yet to be out of the woods and you are