BADAGRY DIASPORA FESTIVAL WILL SHOWCASE NIGERIA AS A BETTER PLACE ~~DABIRI-EREWA

Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, on Wednesday said the Badagry Diaspora Festival would help to improve the economy of the country.

Dabiri-Erewa disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry on the sideline of the International Symposium Day which is part of the activities to mark the Badagry Diaspora Festival 2017.

According to Dabiri-Erewa;  “The festival is a doorway to the people in the Diaspora and it is going to bring so many people to the great ancient city of Badagry so they can see and explore its culture.



“People in the Diaspora want to be part of the country so they are willing to invest in it and this will  help in improving the economy.

“The major problem of the country is corruption and the present administration is really tackling it. So the people in the Diaspora are seeing Nigeria as a better place and this will encourage them to come back.

“It is also important to note that the festival will  improve tourism in Badagry and ensure that Badagry becomes the hub of tourism in  Lagos State and in the whole of West Africa,’’ she said.

She noted that infrastructure was the key to development of the country.

“In developing this country, infrastructure is very important because it will help in bringing in investors who will invest in the country.

“The Federal Government is making sure that infrastructure are put in place in the country so this will also encourage Nigerians in the Diaspora to come back home,’’ she said.



She urged Nigerians to always attend festivals as it would help to showcase the country’s tourism to the world.

Dr Ence Bennett, a member of Africa Union Diaspora Forum Mission, told NAN that the festival would encourage people in the Diaspora to retrace their roots.

“I have been really impressed with all that I had seen and I have just been here for a few days.

“The festival will help in encouraging people in the Diaspora to retrace their roots back to Africa because a lot has changed and Nigeria in particular is very impressive.

“Nigeria is blessed and its culture is unique so this is one of the attractions because at the end of everything, there is no place like home,’’ he said.

However,  Mrs Mere Jah Evejah, Founder of Cultural Embassy of Pan-African Diaspora, said  that her family had difficulties in resettling in Africa adding that the relevant authorities should tackle the problem.

“To get back to Africa for repatriated Africans, the gap between the dream and reality is wide.

“The geography of South Benin resembles Guadeloupe, but its environment lacks control, particularly concerning the management of household garbage and the state of the roads.

“The difficulties on the ground are so serious as there is no formal structure of advice, no guide for the newcomer who becomes an easy prey for swindlers on the lookout for quick profits.

“The relevant authorities must look into this and set up an agency who will tackle this problem so that repatriates will not be discouraged from coming back,’’ Evejah said.

Also, Mr Babatunde Mesewaku, President, African Renaissance Foundation (AREFO) said the annual Badagry festival had been encouraging Nigerians in the Diaspora to return to the country.

Mesawaku who is also the Chief Organiser of the event added that the festival had been showcasing the tourism centres  of the ancient city.

“The annual festival has been a means to lure Nigerians in the Diaspora back to the country so we are always encouraged by that aspect.

“It always showcases the tourism attractions of the ancient city to the world,’’ he said.

BABA SALA IS ALIVE !

Ace comedian, Moses Olaoluwa Adejumo, aka  Baba Sala, was rumoured to have died on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the comedian has swiftly dismissed the rumour, urging Nigerians to discard the report trending on social media.

In a statement, Adejumo said those spreading the rumour wanted a cheap popularity on social media.

He said the report, the second in less than two years, came as a rude shock, and asked God to forgive those behind it.

WAYNE ROONEY RETIRES FROM INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL

The England and Everton's striker, Wayne Rooney ,  31,  has announced his retirement from international football.  Rooney, who won 119 caps, putting him second only to Peter Shilton, and scored 53 goals since making his debut in February 2003, breaking Bobby Charlton’s national record of 49 in September 2015.

Rooney was permanent England captain since replacing Steven Gerrard in the role after the 2014 World Cup.

Rooney’s statement read: “It was great that Gareth Southgate called me this week to tell me he wanted me back in the England squad for the upcoming matches. I really appreciated that.

“However, having already thought long and hard, I told Gareth that I had now decided to retire for good from international football. It is a really tough decision and one I have discussed with my family, my manager at Everton and those closest to me.

“Playing for England has always been special to me. Every time I was selected as a player or captain was a real privilege and I thank everyone who helped me. But I believe now is the time to bow out.

“Leaving Manchester United was a tough call, but I know I made the right decision in coming home to Everton. Now I want to focus all my energies on helping them be successful.

“I will always remain a passionate England fan. One of my very few regrets is not to have been part of a successful England tournament side.

“Hopefully the exciting players Gareth is bringing through can take that ambition further and I hope everyone will get behind the team.

PHOTOS: BAALE AND THREE OTHERS ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY BURYING POLICE OFFICER ALIVE IN LAGOS

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, disclosed that the command has arrested the Baale of Oshoko village, Ibeju-Lekki and three others for allegedly burying a police Inspector alive.

The police boss said: “On November 25, 2016, Inspector Musa Sunday, attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) disappeared from Ibeju-Lekki while performing his duty. During an Anti-Kidnapping patrol, Sunday and other members of his team were alerted   to a fight between two families. The families were fighting over a land. Sunday and his team responded to the distress call. On getting to the scene, one of the communities involved turned against the SARS team, and at the end of the day, Sunday didn’t return.”

Owoseni added: “The next day, I led a team of policemen to the community, to appeal to the religious leaders, traditional heads and members of the community to release Sunday, but they all denied having him in their custody.

"With the technical support of Intelligent Response Team (IRT) headed by DSP Philip, and a sustained detective activity, Sunday's corpse was recovered with his AK-47 rifle, which was buried somewhere along the waterway. Four suspects have been arrested. The Baale of Oshoko village is among the suspects.”
The CP said that investigation has revealed that the Baale led other suspects to take oath of secrecy, to say they didn’t know the whereabouts of Sunday.

He disclosed that part of those that took the oath was the Baale’s two sons, who are still at large.The Baale, who identified himself as Aroki Badiru, denied his involvement in the murder of the policeman.

Badiru said: “I was in my house, when I heard that land grabbers had entered our community. Thereafter, I heard that one of the policemen had been attacked. I called a chief on phone to ask what happened; he told me that a policeman was killed by members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC).”

It will be recalled that Sunday’s remains were exhumed and taken to hospital for examination. He was discovered to have been tortured, his hands tied backward, before he was buried alive.
Owoseni said that the suspects would be arraigned. He reiterated that the law does not respect anyone. 

FRAUDULENT MICROFINANCE BANK:HOW CHRIST EMBASSY PASTORS DEFRAUDED POOR CUSTOMERS

According to one Akin Kunle on Facebook, The Suisse microfinance Bank is owned by Christ Embassy Church a.k.a Believers Loveworld, the bank is located at Gacoun Plaza, 23 Road Festac Town Lagos.

 It is among the fleets of banks owned by the church, which also owned Parallex microfinance Bank and Refuge Home Savings. The Suisse MFB is run and manage by Pastor Ayodele Olusola who is the MD/CEO of the bank and members of the board of directors are senior pastors in the church including Pastor Lanre Alabi, Tokubo Odimayo, Adebisi Sogunle, Tim Onebamo.

Pastor Ayodele Olusola is the pastor of Christ Embassy Church ,Mafoluku ,Oshodi, Lagos. Ayodele Olusola who allegedly ran the bank as a personal business throwing all the ethics and rules of running microfinance Bank to the wind.

He recruited people who are members of the church as marketers to collect money from people on daily basis as savings. The marketers usually go about with savings cards, the first one thousand naira you save with them belongs to the bank and at the end of the month the bank will deduct another one thousand naira for helping you to save.

The Suisse MFB also have big savers who have their millions as investment in the bank. They collected Millions of naira from these set of people as investment with the promise of paying interest on it. Now the bank has ran into deep financial mess and the bank can not pay the poor savers and the big savers who have their Millions with them.

The estimation of the money the bank owned people is over 200 Million. The bank locked their premises on 16th of December and went hiding, all of a sudden resurface first week of February and paid few small savers less than two million and again have gone into hiding. And the church being money minded church is unwilling to rescue the situation.

I guess pastor Chris Oyakhilomen must be aware of this situation as The Nation newspaper carried it on the 28 of January as http://thenationonlineng.net/were-finished/ . This shows the church does not practice what they preach and is only after people money. And there is an allegations that Pastor Ayodele Olusola might used the money for Ponzi Scheme as he can not disclose what he actually used the money for. This is a big criminal offence which the government should look into.

NBC BANS OLAMIDE....DAVIDO AND 9ICE'S SONGS

The National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC] has banned Olamide, Davido and 9ice's songs from being played on Radio and TV stations across Nigeria.

Apart from "Wo" by Olamide which just came out, the rest are basically old songs. Check them out below...

A FAKE BLIND BEGGAR APPREHENDS IN IKORODU

A fake blind beggar, Abdullahi Abbas,37, who was apprehended in the Ikorodu area of Lagos state yesterday August 21st, has confessed to making between N5,500 and N8,000 daily just by disguising as a beggar.

Abdullahi who is always led by a 12-year-old boy (name withheld), begged for alms  every day at the First Gate and Odogunyan area of Ikorodu.

He was apprehended after an inquisitive resident of the area, Adeoye Baliks, engaged him in a conversation that made her raise an eyebrow. According to Vanguard, she raised an alarm and the man was examined by passersby and it was discovered that he was not blind.

When interrogated, Abdullahi who is from Oyo state, said he belongs to a group of beggars who feign various types of deformity just to get people to sympathise with them and give them money. But for the timely intervention of the vigilante group members in the area, the mob that had gather gathered were in the process of lynching him. He was rescued and then handed over to the police in Sagamu.