Not ALL processed food is bad for you

When it comes to the different food groups, the definition of 'processed' varies widely.

And nutritionists and dietitians are quick to point out that some foods, such as milk, need to be processed to make them safe for us to eat.

Furthermore, studies have shown that in the case of fruit and vegetables, the term 'fresh' may not always mean you're getting the most nutritious produce.

The definition of 'processed food', according to the NHS, concerns any food that has been altered from its natural state in some way..

'Yet, according to NHS Choices, "processed food" relates to any food that has been altered from its natural state in some way - either for safety reasons - such as milk, which needs to be pasteurised to remove harmful bacteria or convenience - such as pressing seeds to make oil. 

'This means that we may all be eating more processed food than we realise,Freezing, canning, baking, drying and pasteurising products all counts as processing.

The Food Standards Agency defines 'fresh' fruit and vegetables as those that have recently been harvested. 

'Many of us think that frozen fruits and vegetables must be the poor relative to fresh, as soon as produce is harvested they start to lose water-soluble vitamins B9-folate and vitamin C.

'The longer it takes for them to reach our kitchen table, the more chance vitamins will be lost, as they are nutrients that are easily damaged by sunlight, heat and storage,'

The danger of sugary drinks & Carbohydrate food

Sugary drinks kill as many as 184,000 adults each year, scientists claim.

Fizzy soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks and sweetened iced teas are causing thousands of deaths and have no health benefits, they said.

And they warned that governments across the world should make it a priority to eliminate such drinks from people’s diets.

Researchers said sugary drinks were implicated in 133,000 diabetes deaths worldwide in one year. Another 45,000 died from cardiovascular disease and 6,450 from cancer. All three diseases have been linked to high sugar consumption.

In the UK 1,316 people are said to have died as a result of drinking sweetened drinks. Mexico topped the list, with 30 per cent of adult deaths under 45 attributed to sugary drink consumption, while Japan was lowest with 1 per cent.

Kawther Hashem, a nutritionist from the campaign group Action on Sugar, said: ‘More evidence is showing the alarming impact of sugary drinks on our health, the healthcare service and the economy. It is time these huge profit-making drinks companies took to reformulating their products with less sugar.’

OOU students rally over dead colleagues

There is a heavy traffic gridlock now along Sagamu-Benin road, as students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (O.O.U) Ago Iwoye, Ogun state embarked on a peaceful rally to remember their dead colleagues.

 Also, in a release some hours ago, the students are demanding N10m each on the dead students, while, it called on the Federal Government to stop taking accident victims to private hospitals.

 Seven of the varsity students lost their lives last Friday, when a container-laden truck fell on their passenger bus along the Sagamu-Benin expressway.

 The Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Students,NANS,Ogun state,Comrade Okikiola Ogunsola, listed the victims as  Odubanjo Eunice ( Pol. Science 200 level), Ogunnoiki Omolade Mariam EFM (History100 level), Aribiola Yetunde Elizabeth (Biochemistry 100 level), Adams Suliat Oluwatobi (Accounting, 100 level), Pampam Funmilayo Latifat (Chemical Science 100 level) Asade Christianah Ibukun (Law 200 level).

 The students, led by the Southwest leader of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS),Sunday Achefon among others held the rally at the spot where the accident occurred. The development led to the traffic gridlock, which paralyzed movement on the ever busy road for several hours.

 As early as 7.00am the students, who were also joined by others from nearby tertiary institutions arrived the spot, and it began to stretch several meters away from the scene.

 Achefon said the death of the students was regrettable even as he urged governments at all levels to be more proactive in giving commuters protection on the country's roads.

 The release, which was signed by the trio of Achefon, Ogunsola and the students' leader of the university, Adenola Adegbesan, sought compensation of he N10m each on the seven dead students.

 As at 3.00pm, the students ware returning back to their Ago Iwoye campus, where they are also expected hold a candle light procession later in the evening.

For the next 2 months, no ministers

President Muhammadu Buhari may not be appointing any cabinet members within the next two months, a credible source said yesterday.
Speaking in an off-the-record chat with a set of journalists in Abuja, the source said that President Buhari was reluctant to build on a “rotten foundation” he inherited from the PDP administration.
The source who is close to the President, but who is not authorised to speak publicly regarding the issue said:  “You cannot even begin to imagine the situation we have met on the ground.”
He added: “Almost everything is in a state of decay. There is absolutely no way the new government can hope to achieve anything long-lasting without first building a new foundation.”
The president plans to cut down the number of ministries and parastatals,” he said.
“He wants to cut down the cost of running government. He wants to make sure that all the loopholes that enable corruption to thrive are blocked.
“All these are procedures that require time and careful planning. You cannot do it in a rush.”

Terrified Nigerian migrant girls who was forced to work as prostitutes

There are estimated to be 25,000 Nigerian girls working as prostitutes in Italy and the numbers arriving rose 300 per cent in 2014, experts say. 

Back in Nigeria a witchdoctor had performed a powerful voodoo spell to bring luck for the girl’s journey, she told Italian aid workers.

After leaving her village in the Edo State, with the promise of a job as a hairdresser in Italy, she was taken to a shrine in Benin City.

There, in a terrifying ritual she was made to undress – they cut her pubic hair and toenails and made her swear over the blood of a chicken that she would never betray her benefactor.

Like many others for whom the promised job as a hairdresser did not materialise. Favour believes nevertheless that she has to pay off the debt or face terrible repercussions.

Favour, one of thousands of Nigerian women trafficked to Europe to become sex slaves every year, has been told she owes her female pimp €80,000 for her journey. This will take around 4,000 clients each paying as little as €10 or €20 to pay off.

Although the chains tying her to her madam are only psychological, they are extremely powerful.

It makes them close up and become incommunicative. Whether they believe or not, there are so many reasons to be afraid. The risk that something terrible happens to their family 

many women are forced to streetwalk from 10pm to 5am before returning to their homes where they pay rent of €300 a month to live in terrible conditions.

She has seen many cases of girls beaten, tortured with cigarettes or hot irons. Other have told how they forced to drink the water in which the other girls have washed their vaginas as a form of humiliation.

Could breast cancer be wiped out by 2050?

A haunting new campaign film from charity Breast Cancer Now features real women who have been diagnosed with the disease voicing a pledge to eradicate breast cancer deaths by 2050.

In the emotional clip, entitled The Last One, each woman says she won’t be the last one to endure endless tests, break the terrible news to her children, or lose a breast to the disease. Perhaps the most poignant of them all is Alex Jones, who at just 25 cannot be cured.

Gazing directly at the camera, she says that she won’t be the last one to die from breast cancer, but that one day ‘there will be a last one’.

The message is clear – and one that campaigners hope will spur the public to fund much-needed research into new treatments for those cases most difficult to tackle.

But medical experts have questioned the campaign’s 2050 mission, claiming a complete cure may be much further away and that the promise might even ‘discourage women from taking responsibility for their own health’.

Alex, recruited to the campaign via a Facebook appeal, was eager to appear as – due to her age – her symptoms were initially dismissed by doctors. She is having chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but the disease has spread.

Tea for Cancer, diabetes, Arthritis and other Inflammatory Disease(Read it here)

You need like 40 pcs of Guyabano (Sour sop) Leaves, lf you want to keep it for future used don't dry it with the sun.
Preparation:- Boil 1 liters of clean water in a pot, as soon as it boil add the leaves and lower the burner (fire).
Simmer it for 20min, the water will turn to golden brown or just like a regular tea, this preparation is only good for 7 -8 hours and may be refrigerated.
Dosage:-One glass cup before meals, 3 times a day for 30 days, after a period of 30 days see your doctor for medical checked, if the symptoms is still persist reduce the dose to maintenance dose which is 1 glass of tea a day before meal.

A GODLY MARRIAGE AND A HEAVENLY -MINDED FAMILY.

A GODLY MARRIAGE AND A HEAVENLY - MINDED FAMILY.

N L C in Anambra seeks extension of BVN

 The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Central Bank of Central (CBN) to extend the June 30 deadline set for bank customers to obtain their Bank Verification Number (BVN).

The NLC Chairman in Anambra, Mr Jerry Nnubia, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Friday.

Nnubia said that findings within the union had shown that most workers in the state had not been captured in the exercise.

He said adhering to the June 30 date would amount to shutting members of the union from the banking system as most workers in the state were yet to register.

Nnubia decried the number of branches of the banks where BVN were been done compared to the number of branches in the state, and called for more decentralised capturing points.

He urged the Anambra and other state governments to help workers partake in the exercise by declaring half workdays so that they could go to less congested areas to obtain BVN.

The chairman noted that workers could not afford the consequence of being shut out of the banking services.

He said denying them banking services could cause financial crunch for their families.

27 dead after terrorists attack tourists on sunbeds at Tunisia beach

Gunmen have killed at least 27 people in an attack on two hotels at a popular holiday destination in Tunisia.

Militants, feared to be from ISIS, exchanged gunfire with security services on a beach packed with British holidaymakers.

The attack took place at the Al-Qantawi resort in the city of Sousse, around 140 kilometres south of the capital Tunis on the Mediterranean coast.

Local media have reported that those killed were mostly German and British tourists.

The body of one gunman lay at the scene with a Kalashnikov assault rifle after he was shot in an exchange of gunfire with police,

British tourist Gary Pine told Sky News said: 'We thought fire crackers were going off but you could see quite quickly what was going on.

'There was a mass exodus off the beach. My son was in the sea at the time and myself and my wife were shouting at him to get out and as he ran up he said I've just saw someone get shot.

Elizabeth O'Brien, an Irish woman on holiday with her two sons in the resort, described how she grabbed her children and ran for their lives when they heard gunfire erupting from one of the hotels.

Shesaid: 'We were on the beach. My sons were in the sea and I just got out of the sea. 

'It was about 12 o'clock and I just looked up about 500 metres from me and I saw a (hot air) balloon collapse down, then rapid firing, then I saw two of the people who were going to go up in the balloon start to run towards me - because I thought it was fireworks.

'So, I thought "oh my God, it sounds like gunfire", so I just ran to the sea to my children and grabbed our things and as I was running towards the hotel.

'The waiters and the security on the beach started saying "run, run run!" and we just ran to our room, which is like a little bungalow. So we are actually trapped in our room.' 

The British Government's emergency Cobra committee will meet this afternoon following the attack in Tunisia and another one in France where a man was decapitated at a gas factory by terrorists carrying Islamist banners.

Prime Minister David offered 'our solidarity in fighting this evil of terrorism'. 

He added: 'Our hearts go out to the victims of appalling terrorist acts in France and Tunisia.'

Asamoah Gyan Charged For Rape

The captain of the national Ghanaian football team, Asamoah Gyan, has recently been charged by police for the rape and sodomy of Sarah Kwablah, a 22 year old student at the University of Ghana. Kwablah’s lawyer, Maurice Ampaw, said the complaint was made two days ago at the Victim Support Unit (DOOVSU) of the Ministry Police Station in Accra.

Gyan has admitted to having sex with Sarah Kwablah. However, he claims that the sex was entirely consensual.

Kwablah, is also accusing Gyan of fathering her pregnancy. Hospital scans have shown that she is indeed pregnant but Gyan claims that the child is not his. He has demanded a paternity test to determine the veracity of her claims. Reports say he is prepared to take responsibility of the child if it is proven that he is the father.

According to numerous reports, Kwablah is also asking for a fully furnished apartment, a housemaid, and a $1,000 monthly stipend from Gyan. The Black Stars captain, Gyan, has called the demands outrageous.

Kwablah has also threatened to release a sex tape of the couple, from the time they had a relationship, which supposedly began in February. A case of blackmail was subsequently filed by Asamoah Gyan’s lawyer, Kissi Adjabeng, at the Ordorkor Police Station.

In light of the madness, Gyan spoke to the Ghanaian radio station, Happy FM, saying “all through my career, I have always contended with obstacles whenever I’m trying to do anything but I never give up because I am mentally strong. I have not always had things running smoothly for me but I try to sail through."

"What has kept me going up to this time is my mental toughness," he went on, confident that his history of dealing with challenges on his way to greatness will come in handy again.

"You will notice that at almost every point in my life I have had challenges. I am blessed to have been able to go through all the time so I will go through this one too, again."

Most Rev. Adewale Martins advised house of Representatives

 The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Adewale Martins, has advised the federal lawmakers and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to put their house in order in the interest of the nation.

Martins said this in a statement in Lagos on Friday, in reaction to the leadership crisis rocking the National Assembly.

A copy of the statement was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

The archbishop said the interest and well-being of Nigerians should, as a matter of priority, take precedence over those of the party and its members.

``The leadership of the All Progressives Congress and indeed members of the National Assembly should, as a matter of national interest, put its house in order and resolve the crisis, particularly over the leadership of the National Assembly.

``The continuous bickering in the Senate and House of Representatives should be resolved soonest to allow for smooth governance at the federal level.

``The continuous crisis within the party’s fold is slowing down the business of serious governance, thereby sending negative signals to the masses of this great country over its readiness and ability to deliver on the change it promised the nation.

``So much time has already been wasted while the people watch with great concern and anxiety,’’ Martins said.

The Archbishop warned that failure of the ruling party to put its house in order and resolve all contending issues amicably, could further polarise the fragile unity of the nation.

``The warring parties must sheathe their swords now and allow peace to reign in the interest of the nation,’’ he said.

Martins said that the infighting was contrary to the effort and determination of President Muhammadu Buhari to engender the much vaunted positive change promised Nigerians during the party’s electoral campaigns.

``We are worried that the positive change in the fortunes of our people is being put at abeyance by this narrow self-interest that is being exhibited in the Senate, in these past few weeks.

``Nigerians voted APC at the last elections because they believe it has the capability to bring about the much needed positive change in all aspects of our lives,’’ he said.

The archbishop urged the APC National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the entire leadership of the National Assembly to put the wellbeing of the Nigerian masses first.

Martins applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for effort made so far in repositioning the country towards the part of economic prudence.

He urged all the state governors to follow suit by cutting down on the cost of governance in order to ensure prudent management of available resources for the benefit of the masses. (NAN)

Barack Obama to host Buhari in White House

Unites States President Barack Obama will host his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari on July 20, a statement by the White House National Security Council said yesterday.

“The visit will underscore our commitment to expanding our partnership with Nigeria’s new government and support for the Nigerian people,” the White House said on its Twitter.
“On Monday, July 20, President Obama will host Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the White House,” the stament said.
The statement said: “The visit will underscore the United States’ longstanding friendship with Nigeria, our commitment to strengthening and expanding our partnership with Nigeria’s new government, and our support for the Nigerian people following their historic democratic elections and peaceful transfer of power.
“President Obama looks forward to discussing with President Buhari our many shared priorities including US.-Nigeria cooperation to advance a holistic, regional approach to combating Boko Haram, as well as Nigeria’s efforts to advance important economic and political reforms that will help unlock its full potential as a regional and global leader.  

House of Representatives get one month adjournment

he House of Representatives was forced to adjourn for a month yesterday after members came to blows over choice of principal officers.
Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won control of the House after the February 28 poll, but they have been factionalised since the election of Yakubu Dogara as Speaker.
Dogara defied the party to contest the election for speakership and subsequently won with the help of the opposition PDP.
This has enraged his party which on Monday presented him with a list of members to be appointed as House principal officers as a way of restoring unity and peace in the party.
The Speaker failed to read the letter from the APC chairman when the House session began but instead called for the House to go into executive session to discuss how the principal officers would be elected.

At this point majority of the APC members demanded that the Speaker read the letter from their chairman.

French taxi strike protesters smash up rocker Courtney Love

Terrified rock star Courtney Love today told how her car was smashed up and her driver 'taken hostage' after getting caught up in violent demonstrations in Paris. 

The 50-year-old actress and singer tweeted pictures and videos from inside her taxi after it was attacked by cabbies protesting against rival firm Uber.

She said: 'They've ambushed our car and are holding our driver hostage. They're beating the cars with metal bats. This is France?? I'm safer in Baghdad.' 

Her car was attacked shortly after she landed at Charles de Gaulle airport this morning as mobs of taxi drivers blockaded roads and targeted Uber drivers, even flipping some of their cars over.

Love said she eventually managed to escape by catching a lift with some motorcyclists, but not before being attacked once again.

She posted: 'Paid some guys on motorcycles to sneak us out, got chased by a mob of taxi drivers who threw rocks, passed two police and they did nothing.' 

She later uploaded a picture of her posing on a motorbike with her two rescuers.

She said: 'We got out after being held hostage for an hour thanks to these two guys. I'm scared out of my wits.

'Mr François Hollande president or libertine? I can't believe this really just happened. Love French people, but your government blows.' 

Kanye West's wife, the reality star Kim Kardashian, was caught up in taxi chaos in the seaside town of Cannes on Tuesday, where drivers were also protesting against Uber.

Today, riot police were involved in running battles with taxi drivers protesting against Uber across France, with Britons among those caught up in the chaos. 

Similar scenes of disruption were being played out across France with cabbies blocking access to the train station in the southern city of Toulouse and others slowing access to its airport.

Fight Breaks Out In House Of Reps Over Election Of Principal Officers

The House of Representatives descended into full blown crisis today as rancorous members disrupted its session and engaged themselves over the election of House principal officers.

The House broke into two factions, one supporting the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which seeks to choose the House principal officers, and another, backing the the speaker, Yakubu Dogara, who insists on defying the party.

The House and the Senate have been rocked by crisis over the election of their principal officers.

NDLEA Seizes 681.267kg Drug in Adamawa State

The Adamawa Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA) said on Thursday that it seized illicit drugs weighing 681.267kg from January to June 20, 2015.

Commander of the agency in the state,Yakubu Kibo, disclosed this in Yola in his speech at the commemoration of the United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Kibo explained that out of the seizure, Indian hemp accounted for 231.91 kg while psychotropic substances weighed 449.357 kg.

“The agency, between January 2015 and June 20, seized 681.267 kg of illicit drugs.

“Out of the seizure, Cannabis Sativa accounted for 231.91 kg while psychotropic substances weighed 449.357 kg," Kibo said.

He said that 37 suspects were counseled, 33 convicted to various jail terns while others were rehabilitated.

The commander thanked the state government for assisting his agency.

He however appealed to the government to assist the agency with additional operational vehicles, to boost its activities. (NAN)

Kashamu Flees From Aero Flight From Lagos to Abuja

Kashamu was billed to travel to Abuja from Lagos,

He had sat in the Business class of Aero Flight 127, Abuja-bound, along with his lawyers when the captain announced a minor problem with the plane. The captain said the light of an indicator had not come on brightly enough and that the Aero engineers are fixing the problem.

To keep the passengers at ease, the captain gave the assurance that the problem was nothing to worry about. And that the resolution of the problem will not take three minutes.

No sooner the captain finished talking, than Kashamu signalled to his lawyers, asking them to alight from the plane. 

Aero Flight 127, which left Lagos at 14.45 landed in Abuja without incidents.

A I T Benin Station was shut down over unpaid salaries

Members of staff of DARR Communications, owners of AIT/Ray Power stations in Benin City, Edo, on Wednesday shut down the station in Benin City over 17 months of unpaid salaries.
The members of staff took over the entrance into the premises of the broadcast outfit situated along Iqueniro along the Benin bypass shutting down the station’s transmission.
Aside the issue of salaries, they also alleged high handedness on the part of the management.
The protesting staff alleged that the management was prepared to replace permanent workers with contract appointments, adding that the steps were anti-labour law.
Efforts to reach the Station Manager, Ms Oyeghe Oyarekhua, to state the position of its management, were unsuccessful.

Wardrobe Allowances

"He who fail to, take care for his own family, must surely pay for it in future."
These are the ones who needs wardrobe allowances, Not our Senators........be warn.

Total cure for Diabetes (part 1) Read it here

Diabetes is commonly found among adults but it can be treated with local plant call Phyllanthus amarus in English, oyomokeso amanke edem in Efik, geeron-tsuntsaayee in Hausa, ngwu in ibo and olobe (eyin lolobe n so) in yoruba.
You can prepare it fresh or sun - dry for future use, to prepare the fresh one, boil it with water, for dried one, put few one inside jug and fill it with hot water for about 2 hours before use.
Dosage:- 75cl bottle 3 times daily, after 1week try to check your Sugar level or you discontinue, unless the symptoms persist.

skinny jeans should come with a health warning

News of a 35-year-old woman having to be cut out of a pair of skinny jeans after her legs swelled and she lost feeling in her ankles left many of us lunging for our loosest-fitting, baggiest clothes.

The woman had spent hours wearing the ultra-tight trousers while crouching to clear out cupboards and found that, by evening, her feet were numb and she was unable to stand. She collapsed and was taken to hospital, where she was put on an intravenous drip.

But it was too late: her muscles had become so weak that she couldn’t walk for four days.

Tim Hutchful, from the British Chiropractic Association, says the side-effects of skinny jeans can be felt from the back to the ankles.

‘Very tight trousers can reduce blood flow in the lower limbs,’ he says. ‘This can make your body ache, a bit like having a stitch while doing exercise, because your muscles need more oxygen than your body is able to give them.

‘Sitting or squatting compresses your body even more, intensifying the effect. People need to be aware of the potential risks.’

Muscles can be damaged internally, too. If worn for a long time — between 12 and 16 hours — the jeans may cause a condition called ‘compartment syndrome’ in the legs.

This occurs when an enclosed bundle of muscles starts to bleed or swell, building up pressure under the skin and causing the area to throb.

Consultant dermatologist Dr Walayat Hussain, a specialist skin surgeon in Leeds, says prolonged compression can lead to whitening of the skin and, ultimately, death of the dermal cells as they are deprived of vital bloodflow by the tight fabric.

‘Restrictive clothing starves the skin tissue of oxygen and glucose,’ he says. ‘This is called ischemia, and it can lead to ulcers and breakdown of the skin cells, as well as bruising and clots caused by tiny blood vessels.

‘Don’t wear them for too long, either. If you’re wearing them out at night or to work, take them off when you get home.’

Local Government Workers Begin Strike in Bayelsa

Local government workers in Bayelsa on Tuesday resolved to embark on a three-day warning strike on Wednesday over non-payment of their two to four months salaries.

The state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), said in Yenagoa that the action became necessary due to the workers untold hardship.

The Secretary of NULGE in the state, Mr Tonye Jaja, explained that several efforts to address the situation with the local government council chairmen had not yielded the desired outcome.

According to him, the non-resolution of the issue necessitated the decision by the union to call on its members to embark on the three-day warning strike.

``We have made several attempts to get the matter resolved, but it is not working. You can imagine what the families of these workers are going through.

``They find it difficult to feed their children. The politicians are being paid, the councillors are being paid.

``The chairmen have collected their own security votes of N5million. ALGON has also collected their deductions but they find it difficult to pay the workers.”

U. S. and other Countries, will help Nigeria recover Stolen Money.

President Muhammadu Buhari said Tuesday in Abuja that his administration has received firm assurances of cooperation from the U.S. and other countries on the recovery and repatriation of funds stolen from Nigeria.
A press release from the presidential spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, said Buhari gave the indication at an audience with members of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar.
The release noted that Buhari said that it was now up to Nigeria to provide the international community with the facts and figures needed to drive the recovery effort.

Pictures from yesterday bombs blast in Maiduguri

The attack took place yesterday near a crowded mosque in a bustling market in Maiduguri - northeast Nigeria's largest city and the birthplace of the Boko Haram Islamic extremist group.
Witnesses said one teenage girl blew herself up as she approached a mosque crowded with people from the nearby Baga Road fish market, who were praying during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Togolese President Health Condition Remains Mystery

The silence surrounding the President and his aides is emboldening rumors of his hospitalization, and there has been no public notification from anyone in his government.

This is not the first occasion where the Togolese government remained silent about the illness or death of its Head of State. The father, and previous President of Togo, Gnassingbe Eyadema, died while being evacuated to seek medical treatment in Tel Aviv which was not immediately announced by the government.

The last time Gnassingbe was spotted in public was two and a half weeks ago, on June 5, 2015. He was seen in Ghana consoling the families of victims of the gas station explosion in the nation’s capital Accra, He has not been seen in public for the past two weeks. His sudden disappearance from public life has led to speculation about the state of his health.

Jonathan Administration, Left N7 Trillion debt for Nigeria

Ahmed Joda, the Chairman of the Transition Committee formed by President Muhammadu Buhari to facilitate the transfer of power from the Jonathan administration, has said that the former President left a debt of N7 trillion.

This number is a contradiction from of the administration's officials claim that Nigeria's debt was N1.3 million.

Before the handover, Yemi Osinbanjo, the Vice-President, said that the new government would inherit a debt of $63 billion.

In opposition to this statement, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former Minister of Finance, said, in defence of Jonathan, that the previous administration only received a debt of $21.8 billion. Okonjo-Iweala said that the $63.7 billion Osinbajo alluded to includes different loans taken on by many governments since 1960.

The former Federal Permanent Secretary said, "I often wondered, since the beginning of this exercise, if the PDP and President Jonathan had won the election what would have been the fate of Nigeria."

NSCDC to deploy drones Surveillance against oil theft

Dr Ade Abolurin, Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), says the Corps had concluded plans to deploy about 500 drones and aircraft for proper surveillance of oil installations in the country.

Abolurin disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a meeting with senior officers of the Corps as part of efforts to strengthen its operational strategy.

He said that the move was in line with the new administration’s resolve to tackle the issue of oil theft headlong to boost the economic revenue accrued to the country.

The NSCDC boss, who decried the spate of pipeline vandalism and oil theft in the country, said the corps was working round the clock to stem the tide.

He said the corps was exploring new ways to monitor and protect the pipelines, especially the use of technology and sophisticated gadgets to track down the vandals.

He said that some drones had already been deployed on a test run basis in some areas in the Niger Delta region such as Bayelsa, to test its efficacy.

Abolurin also said that officers of the corp’s anti-vandalism unit had also undergone refresher training in line with international best practice to deal with the menace.

He said that so far this year about, 250 vandals had been directly arrested, while another 100 were arrested by other security agencies and handed over to them for prosecution, with 35 successfully convicted.

UBA donates to insurgency victims in Borno

The management of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) on Monday donated relief materials to the Borno Government for the upkeep of insurgency victims in the state.

The UBA Borno Regional Manager of the bank, Alhaji Salihu Ngulde, presented the materials to Gov. Kashim Shettima in Maiduguri.

Ngulde said that the object was to assist the state government in its efforts to ensure comfort for the victims.

Ngulde expressed optimism that the renewed military action would crush the insurgency, soon.

``It is our prayer that the insurgency will soon end, so that the numerous Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) taking refuge in camps will return home,'' he said.

Items donated include; 200 bags of 50 kg rice and 100 cartons of noodles, among others.
Responding, Shettima thanked the bank for the gesture and promised judicious utilisation of the items for the purpose intended.

As Unpaid Worker Crisis Worsens,Buhari plan to Meets With State Governors

President Buhari is scheduled to meet with Governors of 36 States today to address the dire economic troubles of the issue of unpaid civil servant workers across the country.

State governments not paying workers has been a major issue in recent months, most notoriously in Osun State where workers have been without pay for months.

This meeting was called after an appeal by the 36 State Governors for a Presidential intervention into the empty accounts and inability to pay civil and State servants. The focus of the meeting will be the sourcing of funds to enable the affected States to pay their debts.

Governor Aregbesola of Osun State has been under intense pressure by the civil servants in his State. His spokesman, Semiu Okanlawon, said“this issue [financial instability and inability to pay workers] didn’t start today, we gave enough notice to Nigerians that this was a problem.”

He added, “we are not surprised about this issue.”

Mr. Okanlawon also said “ [Governor Aregbesola] is optimistic that the result from these meetings” will be good for the people of Osun State.

He also admitted that the federal government giving money to States to pay workers will need to be part of the solution. Mr. Okanlawon also said that “States need to raise revenue so we don’t rely on the federal government.”

Another government official from a State in fiscal crisis told Vanguard that “the President has graciously accepted our overtures to him to help us. Some of us are owing workers over nine months salary arrears and this has brought activities in the public service to a standstill.”

The 18 States that are currently indebted to their workers are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Ekiti, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, and Zamfara.