TARABA MAN COMMITS SUICIDE DUE TO HARDSHIP !!!

I saw this photo on Linda Ikeji's blog but can't ascertain the authenticity of the news but according to the user who shared it, the man hanged himself on a tree at Hassan Suleiman Primary School, opposite Roman Catholic Church, Drowa, Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State. He was said to have been battling with difficulties prior to his death. See the photo after the cut.....

OKAY NOW! GOVERNMENT BANS ''I BETTER PASS MY NEIGHBOUR' GENERATORS !!!

The Federal government has banned the importation of smaller generators popularly called "I better pas my neighbor”. The Controller, Federation Operations Unit Zone A, Lagos of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Madugu Sanni Jubrin, made this known to newsmen yesterday Nov. 17th.

“The smaller generators have been banned by the Federal Government because it is causing air pollution and destruction of our lungs and breathing system.

That is why they have banned it but people are still interested in smuggling them in, that is why we intercepted them. If you go to the market, you still see them because people have imported them before the ban. So it is the leftover they had before the ban that they are selling because the law did not backdate the ban and it is not an absolute prohibition.

 It is prohibition by trade which means you cannot bring it in large quantity and sell to the public. That is the type of prohibition we have on this but if you buy one piece, Customs will not seize it.

THE FOOD OF MY HERITAGE..CASSAVA-OKRA SOUP-FISH STEW...SEAL

Nigerian- British born, soul and R&B singer ,who was born Henry Olusegun Adeola Olumide Samuel, is a celebrated singer and songwriter made references to his Nigerian heritage and bits and pieces of childhood memories. Read below...

I was born in Paddington but went to Romford in Essex to live, from age zero to four, with foster parents who were English and Caucasian. I have vague memories of lots of fried eggs, with mashed potatoes and possibly bangers.

I went to live with my father and his wife, my stepmother. I started eating Nigerian food, made by my father – so my diet changed completely, to the food of my heritage. Cassava, okra soups, fish stews. I remember helping Dad make moi-moi and frejon at Easter, soaking the best beans in hot water for at least 24 hours before going through the arduous process of rubbing off the skins and blending the naked beans into the creamiest paste.

I remember walking to Harrow Road to shop for food. I was the designated shopper, sent by my father to pick out exactly the right cuts from the butcher, and tomatoes, onions and other vegetables from the grocers, which all had to be perfectly ripe and unbruised. I don’t know whether Dad appreciated it. I suppose when I didn’t get a thick ear it meant he appreciated it.

Goat tripe was Dad’s favourite and I remember cleaning it for him on numerous occasions. After the correct amount of soaking, two people would hold an end each while I’d scrape off all the crap with a blade. My father was a very good cook. I’ve been to Nigeria and I’ve eaten the same dishes he used to make in Kilburn, only his were better.

In the 80s I was a poor working-class boy from Kilburn, seemingly confident yet insecure underneath, aspiring for a better life. I hung around Chelsea where everything seemed fresh, exciting and wonderful and everyone beautiful and wealthy. I certainly didn’t dine there. Are you kidding me? I couldn’t afford to even think about it. Eating out was chips or a Cornish pasty in Kilburn.

I moved to California in 1992. Food there doesn’t have much taste, to be honest. After a while you get the feeling it all tastes the same, for the most part. The quality of the ingredients isn’t very good. There’s more concern over the appearance and quantity of food than the taste and quality. It’s very hard, even when buying food under the moniker of ‘organic’, to get food that hasn’t been genetically assisted or chemically expedited. There’s lots of bending of rules.

I also have a place in Mexico. Most Mexican food is just terrible – a ridiculous fat diet with lots of re-fried stuff and loads of beans and oil and cholesterol and urgh. They make things like flan for dessert with condensed milk and sugar and more sugar and then more condensed milk with more sugar. We Nigerians aren’t big on desserts. Yet what I do marvel at in Mexico, compared with California, are the tastes of the fruits. They’re smaller fruits but look healthier and subsequently taste so.

The greatest food on earth is Italian and you have to go to Italy for great Italian food, because it’s about the way the produce is grown. The most spectacular meal I have ever had was tagliatelle in Venice five years ago. I was really hungry and someone prepared it with tomatoes and salmon and just a little olive oil. I can taste it now. My mouth’s watering thinking about its simplicity and perfection.

Before I got married to my ex-wife [the model Heidi Klum], she cooked me schnitzel and potatoes, and it was romantic and very hearty and I thought: “Oh, this is quite amazing.” That was the final time she was in the kitchen. A one-time offer only.

They don’t do good sausages in California, that’s the problem. I had sausages, bacon and scrambled eggs with HP sauce this morning at the Soho Hotel and it was just delightful. None of those fancy, knobby chicken sage sausages they sell in the local delis in Malibu. At least you can have a proper pork sausage in London.

Source: the Guardian

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE: BUHARI RECEIVES INTERIM REPORT ON ARMS PROCUREMENT...ORDERS ARREST ON INDICTED PERSONS

                                                           STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

On the authority of Mr President, a 13 man committee was set up by the Office of  the National Security Adviser to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to date.

While the committee which was inaugurated on 31 August 2015 is yet to complete its work, its interim report has unearthed several illicit and fraudulent financial transactions.

As part of the findings, the committee has analyzed interventions from some organizations that provided funds to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Defence Headquarters, Army Headquarters Naval Headquarters and Nigerian Air Force  Headquarters, both in local and foreign currencies.

So far the total extra budgetary interventions articulated by the committee is Six Hundred and Forty Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Seventeen Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty Five Hundred Naira and Eighteen Kobo (N643,817,955,885.18).

The foreign currency component is to the tune of Two Billion, One Hundred and Ninety Three Million, Eight Hundred and Fifteen Thousand US Dollars and Eighty Three Cents ($2,193,815,000.83).
These amounts exclude grants from the State Governments and funds collected by the DSS and Police. It was observed that in spite of this huge financial intervention, very little was expended to support defense procurement.

The committee also observed that of 513 contracts awarded at $8,356,525,184.32; N2,189,265,724,404.55 and €54,000.00; Fifty Three (53) were failed contracts amounting to $2,378,939,066.27 and N13,729,342,329.87 respectively.

Interestingly, it was noted that the amount of foreign currency spent on failed contracts was more than double the $1bn loan that the National Assembly approved for borrowing to fight the insurgency in the North East.

The committee also discovered that payments to the tune of Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N3,850,000,000.00) were made to a single company by the former NSA without documented evidence of contractual agreements or fulfilment of tax obligations to the FGN.

Further findings revealed that between March 2012 and March 2015, the erstwhile NSA, Lt Col MS Dasuki (rtd) awarded fictitious and phantom contracts to the tune of N2,219,188,609.50,  $1,671,742,613.58 and €9,905,477.00. The contracts which were said to be for the purchase of 4 Alpha Jets, 12 helicopters, bombs and ammunition were not executed and the equipment were never supplied to the Nigerian Air Force, neither are they in its inventory.

Even more disturbing was the discovery that out of these figures, 2 companies, were awarded contracts to the tune of N350,000,000.00, $1,661,670,469.71 and €9,905,477.00 alone. This was without prejudice to the consistent non-performance of the companies in the previous contracts awarded.

Additionally, it was discovered that the former NSA directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to transfer the sum of $132,050,486.97 and €9,905,473.55 to the accounts of Societe D’equipmente Internationaux in West Africa, United Kingdom and United States of America for un-ascertained purposes, without any contract documents to explain the transactions.

The findings made so far are extremely worrying considering that the interventions were granted within the same period that our troops fighting the insurgency in the North East were in desperate need of platforms, military equipment and ammunition. Had the funds siphoned to these non performing companies been properly used for the purpose they were meant for, thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided.

Furthermore, the ridicule Nigeria has faced in the international community would have been avoided. It is worrisome and disappointing that those entrusted with the security of this great nation were busy using proxies to siphon the national treasury, while innocent lives were wasted daily.

In light of these findings, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the relevant organizations arrest and bring to book, all individuals who have been found complicit in these illegal and fraudulent acts.
Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)

FACEBOOK ACTIVATES 'SAFETY CHECK' AFTER YOLA BOMBING

To ba dake tara a abae dake ! Facebook has activated its “Safety Check” feature for the first time in Nigeria, after a bombing likely carried out by Boko Haram killed 32 and wounded 80 late Tuesday evening. It is important to know that ‘Facebook’ had come under criticism from those caught up in last Thursday’s blasts in Beirut that they were not offered the service but those in Friday’s Paris attacks were- in a case of all animals are equal but some are more equal than others !!!

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the social network, however, made the announcement in a post on his account early Wednesday.

"We've activated Safety Check again after the bombing in Nigeria this evening," Zuckerberg said after Tuesday's attack.

Facebook's decision to implement the feature - which allows users to "check-in" and let family and friends know they're safe - comes after the network received a heavy backlash for activating it for the attacks in Paris on Friday - but not after bomb blasts hit the Lebanese capital, Beirut, a day earlier.

Critics accused the San Francisco-based website of valuing the lives of Western victims more than those in other regions - a charge denied by Facebook.

"After the Paris attacks last week, we made the decision to use Safety Check for more tragic events like this going forward. We're now working quickly to develop criteria for the new policy and determine when and how this service can be most useful," Zuckerberg said.

The tool allows users to check whether friends are safe after attacks or natural disasters. Zuckerberg said at the weekend the feature would be used more widely in the future.

SNOOP DOG CONDEMNS 'BILLBOARD 10 GREAST RAPPER OF ALL TIME'-SAYS IT'S DISRESPECTFUL....

Biggie is the greatest and top 10 rapper of all time? That's according to a new list by Billboard magazine. If all of you agrees with the list, Snoop didn't. He shared this and wrote "This is so disrespectful.!!! Whoever did this list need a swift kick in the Ass. No. Tupac. Come on cuz. Jus my opinion"…read his reaction after the cut….