IYANDA'SBLOG

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Othelia Maimane, a mother-of-two from South Africa, describes her two-year battle with breast cancer.

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YouTuber and make-up artist Manny Gutierrez found himself an outcast following an online feud.

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Desi Bouterse was found guilty of ordering the execution of 15 political opponents in 1982.

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All matches were suspended six weeks ago due to security concerns amid anti-government protests.

Hundreds of civilians have fled their homes as suspected Boko Haram insurgents are currently attacking Lassa town in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, local vigilantes and resident sources have said.

The terrorists stormed the town of Lassa through Dille axiz at about 6pm on Friday evening, shooting sporadically and set houses ablaze.

According to a resident, Britus Apagu, hundreds of people had fled into bushes for safety.

He said, "They came through Dille Road and engaged military there while others came from another axis shooting all angles. 

"We are helpless now, as I am speaking to you we are in the bush, heavy gunshots are going on."

Vigilante source disclosed that many houses are being set on fire.

"They stormed Lassa m, shooting in two directions, one group engaged troops with RPGs and heavy weapons, they came on military vehicles and motorcycles. 

"I could sight flame inside the town, many houses are on fire," a vigilante source said.
 

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The review comes after the tech giant was criticised for maps showing Crimea as Russian territory.

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Christians await the return of the thumb-sized relic, which spent almost 1,400 years in Rome.

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The East India Company commissioned some remarkable artwork from Indian painters in the 18th Century.

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Katy Watson covered a turbulent time in South America while still producing a food supply for baby Isadora.

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Carlota Prado had no memory of what had happened until she was shown it in the diary room.

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Websites that copy news stories from legitimate sites are making money from Google and Amazon ads.

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The fictional female superhero and her pet tiger fight trafficking in the latest Priya Shakti comic.

Former Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt, Shehu Sani, has said that he and his colleagues turned down a $30bn loan request from President Muhammadu Buhari. 

He said that the action was aimed at averting a situation where the country would be recolonised by creditor banks. 

He disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja while reacting to the loan request submitted by President Buhari to the National Assembly. 

Sani said the current escalation of borrowing would plunge the country into debt, slavery and move us from landlords to tenants.

He said, "They will always tell you that even United States is borrowing and I don’t know how rational it is to keep borrowing because another country is borrowing.

"We turned down the FG loan request for N30bn to save Nigeria from sinking into perpetual debt trap. 

"We don’t want our country to be recolonised by creditor banks."

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Oil Pipeline in Nigeria ThisDay Live

Some angry youth at Ore under Odigbo Local Council Area of Ondo State on Friday protested their exclusion from the oil pipeline reticulation project in the community.

The protesting youth, who took over the busy Ore-Benin Highway, chanted solidarity songs for several hours.

Speaking during the demonstration, Mr Matthew Akinsola, Youth Leader of Odigbo Kingdom, said they were not carried along in the execution of the project.

He said, "In any contract, there are some benefits meant for youths and the community but Zhakhem and Bradama companies are treating us like cowards.

"There is a percentage they should give us and we are supposed to be part of the workforce. 

"They have not employed any youth here and they came with all their workers to our land."

According to him, when Shimat company was handling the reticulation project, many indigenes were employed and the community benefitted.

Akinsola called on President Muhammad Buhari to intervene in the process.

Akindele Olatunja, a representative of the Odigbo communities, explained that he signed an undertaking with all stakeholders in the area that they should not foment trouble. 

He said, "Why should a contractor complete his job without being paid since 2016? 

"To worsen the matter, we have been sidelined having even signed an undertaking with youths, community to allow peace to reign.

"I want to appeal to President Buhari to get involved in this matter because we are ready to stop the job until we are settled."
 

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Modupe Kolawole

Modupe Kolawole, the woman whose child went missing at Sotitobire Miracle Centre, Akure, Ondo State, has said that the police were yet to make any arrest over the incident. The child named Gold was declared missing during a Sunday service held in the church. 

While speaking with SaharaReporters on Friday, Kolawole said that the prophet of the church and his workers were behind the disappearance of her child. 

She said, "I want Nigerians to help me as my child has not been found. 

"I have been living in pains since then but my husband has been the one standing by me.

"I have been listening to lots of rumor that my child had been found but that is a lie. My child has not been found. 

"It has not been easy since my child was missing in the church and the pastor could not even do anything about the incident.

"The police has not been helping matters because they have not arrested anyone yet."

Speaking, Udie Adie, Ondo State Commissioner of Police said they were still investigating the incident.

Adie, who spoke with SaharaReporters, said, "The fact of the case is that when the child got missing the parents did not report to the police.

"The child got missing on Sunday and we didn't know anything about it. They didn't come to us until the day she decided to mobilise thugs to the church to launch an attack. 

"We have questioned those persons that we feel needs to be questioned.

"We have recorded their statements and investigation is still on going and we have not gotten a concrete lead to enable us effect any arrest.

"We cannot just go about arresting innocent people on the ground that the child was stolen or is missing but what I can tell you on authority is that the police have not comprised as far as this case is concern. 

"We won't relent until this child is found and we would go to any lent as far as investigation is concern."
 

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AFP

 

The Federal Government has deployed at least 120 Aviation Security personnel to the non-viable Katsina Airport out of the 727 engaged recently.

Government, through the Ministry of Aviation, had in September this year graduated 727 AVSEC and Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Services personnel in Kaduna State.

The graduation took place at the Service Development Centre, Afaka, Kaduna State, where Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation, said that the government would continue to improve on safety and security at the nation’s airports.

Meanwhile, only 79 of the AVSEC personnel were deployed to Lagos, which is the busiest aerodrome in the country, while the other 528 personnel were posted to the other 20 airports across the country.

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Daily Trust

 

The House of Representatives has passed the 2019 finance bill. 

This comes one week after the Senate approved the piece of legislature sent by the executive.

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, had told a gathering at financial analysis firm, PWC, on Wednesday that the provisions of the bill will come into effect on January 2, 2020. 

The intent of the bill is to overhaul the country’s tax provisions and raise more revenue for the government.

The acts that would be affected by the new law include the Companies Income Tax Act, Value Added Tax Act, Petroleum Profits Tax Act, Personal Income Tax Act, Capital Gains Tax Act, Customs and Excise Tariff Etc. (Consolidation) Act and Stamp Duties Act.

The next step will be for a harmonised version of the clauses passed by both houses to be sent to President Muhammadu Buhari. 

Nigerians have so far been reacting to the Stamp Duty act and the VAT act.

Reports emerged in September that the government planned to increase VAT from its present rate of five per cent to 7.2 per cent. 

The government soon clarified its stance, saying it had heightened the rate to 7.5 per cent. 

This was followed by the Central Bank of Nigeria issuing a circular directing all merchants to unbundle stamp duties and pay N50 per every transaction worth N1,000.

According to reports, the Senate’s version of the finance bill proposes that the lowest unit on which stamp duty should be charge be increased to N10,000.

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Civil society organisations have called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to allow detained activists Omoyele Sowore, Olawale Bakare and Agba Jalingo  to spend New Year in custody. 

The groups made the appeal while submitting a petition to the Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, in Abuja on Friday.

The groups also condemned the silence and insensitivity of the party on the rising intolerance and disturbing cases of human rights violations in the country. 

The petition reads, "It is unfortunate that as the leading opposition party which regularly condemns the lawlessness of the ruling party at the centre, some of your governors, specifically Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State and Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State have chosen the odious path of intolerance while embarking on coercive campaigns of arrest and arbitrary detention of social critics and political activists perceived as enemies for being critical of their governments."

According to leader of the groups, Deji Adeyanju, the act of executive tyranny is a gross violation of the fundamental human rights of victims as guaranteed under Sections 39 and 35 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). 

He said the action of Governor Ayade and Governor Udom amounted to violation of the right of Jalingo and Itok  to free speech and press freedom. 

Adeyanju urged President Buhari to do everything within his power to release the the activists from detention.
 

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Rights group, Amnesty International, has asked the Nigerian Government to immediately launch a thorough investigation into the shooting of a female student and peaceful Shiite protesters in Abuja.

AI in a statement by Isa Sanusi, Media Manager, Amnesty International Nigeria said, "Verified video footage and eyewitness testimonies confirmed that police officers fired live ammunition at IMN protestors as they rounded up their daily peaceful protest in Abuja demanding the release of their leader Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

“This frequent resort to shooting at peaceful protesters with live ammunition is another stain on Nigeria’s human rights record. 

"The authorities must immediately end this brutal and deadly crackdown on peaceful protestors and show respect for human life."

The group called on the Nigerian Government to remedy it's dwindling human rights record by investigating the shootings.

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The Christian Association of Nigeria has asked the National Assembly to discard the social media and hate speech bills because of its potential to gag citizens including the church.

CAN described the bill as "an ill wind that will blow nobody any good". 

Samson Ayokunle, CAN President, made the call in a statement by Samuel Kwamkur, the National Director, Legal and Public Affairs of the association, in Abuja. 

He said, “These two bills have generated so much misgivings and criticisms that they have led to uncommon tension and fears among Nigeria’s citizens.  
"This is doing no good to the fears and apprehension of the citizens already on ground as a result of insecurity, deplorable infrastructural amenities and the general welfare of the people. 

“Having looked at all sides to the debate, CAN is calling on the National Assembly, particularly the President of the Senate and all distinguished senators to discountenance the two bills and put off completely any contemplation to pass them into Acts of the National Assembly as sincere lovers of the nation.

“The bills, in the general view of majority of Nigerians, and in ours too, appear to separately seek to gag Nigeria’s citizens from speaking out freely, but responsibly on matters that affect their lives in all spheres. 
"This, to us, is an ill wind that will blow nobody any good.
“The Penal Code, Criminal Code, Cybercrime Act and other legal provisions on crimes that deal with hate speeches, defamation, libel and similar offences are clear and strong enough.

“In this wise, we desire that governments at all levels and indeed members of the National Assembly pay greater attention to the issues of insecurity, economic hardship, poverty, bad roads, poor education and the dearth of infrastructure.

“We, therefore, call on our governments to respect the sanctity of the Nigerian constitution and other extant laws and provide for all Nigerians a better nation to live in.”

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The Central Bank of Nigeria has failed to submit it's audited accounts at the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum given it by the Senate.

The Senate in a statement on Thursday by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Matthew Urhoghide, read the riot act to Ministries, Departments, Agencies that have failed to disclose their financial transactions as stipulated by the constitution.

He said the refusal to disclose the accounts of the CBN is a danger to Nigeria's democracy and not in the best interest of citizens.

SaharaReporters had exclusively reported in June 2019 how governor of the apex bank, Godwin Emefiele, worked with top bank officials to cover up a missing N500bn, which put a hole in the banks balance sheet.

The money SaharaReporters confirmed was diverted by Emefiele for a private deal in Dubai which failed.

According to Urhoghide, institutions like the CBN, Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Niger-Delta Development Commission failed to honour the seven-day ultimatum given to them to forward to the committee their audited accounts.

He listed several other  agencies among the defaulting institutions.

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French activists threaten a "Black Day for Amazon" as they criticise its environmental impact.