Sahara Reporters: How it all began The full story by Omoleye Sowore Founder

He has been described as controversial, a political activist and his passion to see the Nigerian project work has inspired him to stand up against The Establishment in various ways most of his adult life. This also led to his founding an online news medium in a small room in Manhattan in the United States of America that has today become a household name, subscribed to by many all over the world. In a very interesting encounter The Interview had with Omoyele Sowore, founder of Sahara Reporters, he speaks about his days of student activism while at the University of Lagos, Sahara Reporters and the danger he has often had to face as he pushes on with

Former Nigeria Interior Minister, Others called to account in court

The Nigeria former Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, will be in court on Monday, 29th February, 2016 on an 11-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence, procurement fraud and money laundering before Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Meet Mabou, 8 yr. old polyglot

 Mabou Loiseau

Can you imagine from one second meeting a human that can speak English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Haitian Creole, Japanese, and sign language fluently? And on top of that can play the piano, violin, guitar, harp, clarinet, conga, drums and the flute.

Bassey Okon is dead!

Joseph Abiodun Babatunde Adu

One of the few surviving actors in popular old TV drama, The Village Headmaster, Joseph Adu, popularly known as Jab Adu, is dead. The veteran actor passed on in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Sunday. A source close to his family confirmed the passage though he could not yet provide details of it.

First Lady christens NLNG ship in Seoul

Mrs Buhari at the ceremony

Nigeria's first Lady, Mrs Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, recently unveiled a new vessel of the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas company to add to the fleet of the coy.

The vessel was christened in Seoul, South Korea last Thursday and the ship named LNG ABUJA 11. Mrs  Buhari noted that the ship was an additional impetus to the growth of export-related businesses that will improve revenue generation for Nigeria.

Maro Itoje becomes the latest England Rugby sensation

In a sport that requires ferocious power and unrelenting drive, it is no surprise that the hulking figure of Maro Itoje has become England’s latest rugby sensation.

PMB is almost one year - so far what?

Muhammadu Buhari - Campaign picture

How does the foreign media assess President Muhammadu Buhari in his nearly one year in civil dispensation?

Almost a year after winning an election on promises to fix Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari's grand vision of reform is fading, with power centralized in his increasingly remote presidency and the bureaucracy in disarray.

Petition to EFCC against new Ooni?

Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi

Report has it that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced action on a petition against the new Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi and his Company named Metropole Interproject Limited over an alleged N400 Million forgery which involved the immediate past Ooni of Ife, Late Oba Okunade Sijuade Olubuse’s Business Empire.

Innoson Motors rolls out Made-in-Nigeria cars

Innocent Chukwuma (Chairman, Innoson Motors) 

Made-in-Nigeria cars Innoson Group of Companies is set to launch its brand new cars oriented for low and middle class Nigerians. The company, which produces cars, buses, tankers and other products, will from August 8 launch brand new cars into the Nigerian auto-market at the price of N1.5 million.

Nigeria govt plans to provide free healthcare to 100m citizens

Professor Isaac Adewole (Hon. Minister for Health)

The Federal Government of Nigeria plans to provide free healthcare services toa hundred million Nigerians in the next two years under the country’s new health plan. This was unfolded by the Minister for Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole. 

He added that pregnant women across Nigeria will also enjoy free antenatal and delivery services, particularly at the primary healthcare level, the government said.

Buhari abolishes security vote

Muhammadu Buhari - the chief change agent

President Buhari has ended the controversial practice of routine security vote allocation to top government, military and security officials, according to reports from Sahara Reporters.

Report has it that sources in the Finance and Budget ministries said that the order extends to the President himself, and the Vice President.  

Breaking News! Osinbajo, Tinubu, Atiku, Oyegun, Saraki in closed door parley

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo V-P

News filtering out of Abuja state that the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo hosted a  meeting at his Villa office today in what is thought to be serious crunch talks. The meeting which started at 11.00am this morning had in attendance Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; the party’s National Chairman,

Nigerian Navy rescues oil tanker from sea pirates

Nigerian sailors rescued a hijacked oil tanker in a dramatic night-time rescue in which they killed one pirate, the Nigerian navy announced as it escorted the ship into Lagos harbour.

Four pirates were captured while another two members of the gang escaped in a separate boat. One other pirate was killed in the army raid on the Panama-flagged Maximus, owned by a company in the United Arab Emirates, said Rear Admiral Henry Babalola. 

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Nigerian sailors rescued a hijacked oil tanker in a dramatic night-time rescue in which they killed one pirate, the Nigerian navy announced as it escorted the ship into Lagos harbour

Mayor of London Boris Johnson trails behind wife as she is made Queens Counsel

Boris Johnson and his children were pictured trailing behind his wife as she was made a QC alongside the spouse of former Labour leader Ed Miliband. 

Marina Wheeler, 52, and Justine Miliband, 45, were among 107 senior barristers to be appointed to the prestigious legal position of Queen's Counsel at a ceremony in central London yesterday.

Ms Wheeler was seen leading the Johnson pack, as she walked to the ceremony with her husband and their sons Milo Arthur and Theodore Apollo and daughters Lara Lettice and Cassia Peaches.

Dr Bankole NHS staff fighting for life in US hospital seeks financial help

An NHS doctor is fighting for his life in a Las Vegas hospital after being hit by a lorry while on holiday for a friend's wedding.

Dr Sebastian Kola-Bankole, 35, broke three vertebrae in his neck and had to undergo emergency surgery on his spine following the collision just off the city's famous gambling Strip on February 15.

His family flew out to his bedside but were immediately faced with the prospect of mounting medical bills because they could not find a record of Dr Kola-Bankole taking out travel insurance.

They have now launched a £250,000 fundraising appeal for his treatment and to fly him back home to the UK once he is stable enough to be repatriated.

Nigerian Banks to refund N6.2b

Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, said it compelled Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to refund N6.2 billion to customers they over charged as cost of transactions in 2015.

No Money to Chase Stolen Funds - PACC

                                                                               

Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye

                                                                        

Lack of funds is stalling Nigeria’s effort to trace and recover its stolen monies, and prosecute former government officials responsible for the heist, the presidency has said.

A letter by the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption (PACC) to a United Kingdom-based anti-corruption organization, Global Witness, soliciting assistance in raising funds, revealed that due to the fall in crude oil prices and the general economic downturn, the government lacked the needed funds to pursue recovery of loots.

Osinbajo seeks new 'tribe' of Nigerians

In what seems to be Vice President Osinbajo's reality check on the culture of the Nigerian society, he has called for a renewal of virtues which is also a renewal of the Nigerian psyche. The report below accounts for this point of view.

Abacha to Abubakar in Al-Mustapha's revelation

Gen. Abdulasalami Abubakar

For a weekend 'read and ponder', this was dug out of the archives as Nigeria's anti-corruption crusade smokes near the habitation of people in government over the years.

THIS ABOUT THE PEACE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, GEN ABDUSALAMI ABUBAKAR

"When General Abdulsalami came to power, he exhibited an accumulated and accentuated thirst for money. I stumbled on some documents and video cassettes even while in retirement.

"There was the case of $40 million contributed by multinationals for General Sani Abacha’s transmutation to civilian president. I gave the cassette of his disclosure to help him clean the system not knowing that he would use it to clean me out of the system because three days later I was arrested. I urge the commission to investigate this money contributed by multinational towards Abacha’s self-succession.

Nuhu Ribadu being considered for post of PDP national chairman

Nuhu Ribadu (Former EFCC CEO)

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in its bid to appoint a new national chairman had looked favourably to appoint the former chief of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu but he could not be found.

SAN has defence team of 90 lawyers

Rickey Tarfa, SAN

A Nigerian judge has criticised a lawyer facing criminal charges after he turned up to court in Lagos with a defence team more than enough than anyone would probably guess or imagine.

What will they think of next?

Science is moving so fast it may soon be able to replace human body parts by simply printing them. Eventually that process will even mean printing directly into the body. For now a big step has been made with 3D printed body parts.

The breakthrough has involved scientists from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre printing body parts that actually function normally when implanted in living creatures.

We've already seen a 3D printed liver but the issue here was that without blood vessels to feed the cells it died. This new technique involves creating a sponge like structure, which can grow.

The machine that creates these wonders is called The Integrate Tissue and Organ Printing System, or Itop. This combines biodegradable plastic for structure and water-based gel to hold cells.

These have already been implanted in animals where the plastic was broken down and replaced by natural proteins made by the cells. Blood vessel and nerves then grew into the implants.

On a human scale this could mean replacing a broken part of a jaw, say, with the exact shape needed.

In the future these printers may be able to print right into the human body, using the same material as the patient so rejection isn't an issue. Lost an arm? Just pop to your local limb dispenser and have a new one grown on. It's a long way off but we're going in that direction, and fast.

(courtesy of pocket-link.com)

Local Government has one car and thirty drivers

Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura, Executive Governor of Nasarawa

It is not clear what this report will convey to anyone but the fact has been made that the Nasarawa local government council of Nasarawa state, Nigeria, has 30 drivers on its payroll. Yet the only functional car in the council is the official car of the local government chairman.

Nigerian Govt sacks heads of Parastatals/agencies

The Presidency has issued the following statement announcing the removal of 20 more heads of federal parastatals and agencies.

The list adds to the six heads of agencies under the Ministry of Information and Culture that were sacked earlier today.

How Boko Haram converts girls to suicide bombers

It began with efforts to erase all sense of identity. Minutes after Boko Haram fighters stormed into Michika, a speck of a town in north-eastern Nigeria, they singled out all the teen-aged girls and herded them onto trucks. The terrified prisoners were told their names would be changed. Those who protested had their throats slit.

FG to save N5.6bn winding-up militants

THE Presidential Amnesty Programme is exiting 7,242 former militants this year which will save the Federal Government over N5.6 billion, Presidential Special Adviser on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig Gen Paul Boroh (rtd) has told journalists in Abuja.

Nigerian child labelled a witch is rescued by a Danish mother

This is the heartbreaking moment a starving two-year-old Nigerian boy is given water by a charity worker after being left for dead by his family because they thought he was a witch.

The boy, now named Hope, was found emaciated and riddled with worms after being forced to live off scraps thrown to him by passersby for eight months.

He was finally rescued after being discovered naked and wandering the streets on January 31 by Anja Ringgren Loven, a Danish woman living in Africa. 

Rising Star Wars! The Force Awakens actor John Boyega gets breakthrough Bafta Awards

And John Boyega cemented his place in the film industry on Sunday as he picked up the EE Rising Star award at the glitzy BAFTAs.

The 23-year-old beamed with delight as he beat out competition from more established stars including 50 Shades of Grey's Dakota Johnson and Brie Larson, who was named Best Actress at the prizegiving for her turn in Room.

London Luxury Properties drop an average of £5 million thanks to George Osborne's stamp duty increase

Owners of high-end luxury houses in the UK are suffering a sinking feeling – thanks to George Osborne.

The Chancellor's dramatic stamp-duty increases a year ago have shocked the top end of the property market, sparking a price slump.

One newly renovated house in North London's prestigious The Bishop's Avenue now costs a bargain £24,995,000, a mere £9 million down on the original asking price.

And an eight-bedroom mansion in Windlesham, Surrey, has been reduced by nearly £5 million to £19.75 million.

Newcastle: Man walks into Boots chemist and slits own throat sad

Shoppers have spoken of their horror after a man walked into a crowded Boots store and slashed his own throat with a razor blade. 

Paramedics rushed to the scene but the 50-year-old could not be saved and was pronounced dead inside the shop.

It happened just minutes after the store in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, opened at 9am yesterday.

Shoppers recalled hearing screams as the man slit his throat inside the high street store. 

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Police cordoned off the High Street store following the incident where a man, 50, slit his throat with a razor 

Dambazzau expresses optimism on Chibok girls

The Honourable Minister of Interior, Mr. Abdulrahman Dambazau, has expressed confidence that the abducted Chibok girls will be rescued. He made this statement on a working visit to Lagos State to inspect the federal government agencies under his ministry. “Though the rescue of the Chibok girls is not within my jurisdiction, as a parent, I would like to see the Chibok girls back home. It is unfortunate that...

CBN prohibits Overseas fees & medical tourism

 

Could the Nigerian Central Bank have included overseas school fees and medical tourism on CBN’s foreign exchange prohibitive list in its drive to reduce the demand for foreign exchange?

German President brings EU news to PMB

President Joachim Gauck of Germany said “Nigeria is a country full of determination to make a change and Mr President you are determined to make the change.”

But it was not only the Mr. Gauck that shared his this view, the European Union too as the Union recognised the need to support the Nigerian President in his crusade for support against stolen funds lodged in foreign countries is yielding dividends.

Price of crude oil rises by 5% to $31 per barrel

Shares in London and the rest of Europe moved higher this morning as the price of oil jumped 5 per cent following comments from the United Arab Emirates about the possibility of cutting production to balance the market.

The FTSE 100 index was 90 points, or 1.6 per cent higher, at 5,626, after closing 2.4 per cent lower at 5,536.97 yesterday as investors sold off banking and mining stocks amid fears over the state of the global economy.

But this morning commodity stocks led the recovery of the Footsie as the price of Brent Crude bounced back 5 per cent, rising again above $30 a barrel after having fallen to a 12-year low yesterday.

NHS Doctor avoids being struck off for referring patient to God Channel

An NHS doctor who lost his job after he suggested a patient needed to be exorcised of demonic 'forces' has been cleared of wrongdoing after watchdogs said he was using his own Christian beliefs to help her.

Locum psychiatrist Dr Julius Awakame, 50, gave the woman the name of a 24-hour Nigerian television station run by an evangelical church in Lagos saying: 'Neither psychiatry not psychology would be able to help because there are special forces at play.'

But the disturbed woman - who said she was a childhood victim of a ritualistic satanic paedophile ring - was so upset at the consultation she 'switched off' before fleeing the room at a health centre in Harwich, Essex.

She later claimed the church was 'an abusive place' for her and the fact Awkame mentioned it had 'destroyed' her faith in doctors and affected further therapy.

Later when a community psychiatric nurse quizzed Awkame whether the woman - known as Patient A - was possessed by demons, the medic replied: 'She may well be.'

The consultation took place on January 23 2014 when Awakame was treating the vulnerable woman as an outpatient.

Lost Elephant Runs Amok in Indian Town

Indian bystanders watch a wild elephant walk through a busy street in Siliguri on February 10, 2016. The adult male elephant was tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials and transported to a nearby forest. DIPTENDU DUTTA / AFP - Getty Images

Two Nigerian born Londoners set up Fanbytes celebrate a six figure turnover

Two internet-savvy friends who decided to put their university studies to one side and set up their own business are celebrating after their company raked in a six-figure turnover last year.

Timothy Armoo and Ambrose Cooke, both 21, and from London, established Fanbytes, which helps brands such as Nickelodeon, GoPro and Adidas run collaborations with social media stars to reach their YouTube, Instagram and Twitter audience.

Severe drought in Somalia 50,00 children affected , UN warns

More than 50,000 children in Somalia are now left to face death because of the ongoing drought in the country. A stark warning issued by the UN's humanitarian office, Ocha, said the malnutrition situation is alarming.

It added that nearly one million Somalis, one in 12 of the population, "struggle... to meet their food needs".

The drought in Somalia has been partly caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon which has affected east and southern Africa. Earlier in this decade, some 260,000 people died in Somalia as a result of a drought.

Nigeria Labour Congress paralyses business activities protesting against 45% increase in electricity tariffs

The organised labour on Monday paralysed business activities of the electricity distribution firms as it led a nationwide protest against the over 45 per cent increase in electricity tariffs, demanding an immediate reversal of the hike.

The stupendous wealth of the Lagos born Otedola heiresses

 Lagos-born Temi Otedola, 19, the daughter of one of Nigeria's richest men. Born in London, she returned to Nigeria for the first seven years of her life before coming back to attend boarding school, and is now settled in the capital.  

Temi's is the youngest daughter of energy tycoon Femi Otedola - worth an estimated £650million. 

He was listed as the 16th richest man in Africa by Forbes in 2015, and in Nigeria, where money is measured in dollars, he's referred to as a billionaire - with a fortune of $1.57billion.

Rescued Chibok girl says she would rather be with the Boko Haram militant who kidnapped and impregnated her

Almost a year after she was rescued from Boko Haram captivity by the Nigerian army, Zara John, 16, is still in love with one of the fighters who abducted her and impregnated her, AlJazeera reports.

She was delighted to discover that she was pregnant with his child following a urine and blood test carried out by a doctor in the refugee camp to which she was taken after her rescue.

Panama expected to follow Brazil's lead and release genetically modified mosquitoes whose offspring die as larvae in a bid to stop the spread of the terrifying Zika virus

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Panama is the latest country to consider releasing millions of genetically modified mosquitoes on its territory to try and combat the spread of the fast-moving Zika virus.

The country's health ministry is looking into the 'viability and feasibility' of expanding a study that killed off disease-carrying mosquito populations by genetically altering the lifespan of their offspring.

It involves introducing male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes whose genes have been altered to mate with the females.

Senate President Bukola Saraki to face trial at Code of Conduct, Supreme Court

Senate President, Bukola Saraki will face trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) according to a 7-man panel at the Supreme Court which rejected his appeal challenging the decision of the Appeal Court which upheld his trial.                              

 A three-judge panel of the Supreme Court led by a retiring Justice John Fabiyi had on December 4, 2015, ordered a stay of proceeding by the Tribunal

James Ibori neither released nor re-arrested...Ibori’s Media Assistant

Read the press statement below...

The Chief James Onanefe Ibori Media Office hereby informs Ibori’s teaming supporters that the news about the release of their champion and political leader from prison is not true. This news had set off a frenzy of activities in the entire South-South geopolitical zone, as many people took off from their respective towns and villages to storm Ibori’s home town of Oghara. Many kept vigil at his gate; but the vigil was in vain as Ibori has not finished serving his term.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ready to leave Ecuadorian embassy and accept arrest

Julian Assange, 44, says he may leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Friday

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he will leave his hideout in the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Friday and accept arrest if he loses a case that is pending with the United Nations.

Ibori released from from UK jail and re-arrested

The former Delta state governor has been released and rearrested after completing his jail term in a London hospital.

The ex-governor, who reportedly completed his prison terms in the United Kingdom bagged a 13-year in April 2012 by a Southwark Crown court in London and was released by prison authorities on January 22.

David Bowie's wife, Iman 60yrs, coming out after husbands passing

Iman Abdulmajid has been seen for the first time since her beloved husband David Bowie died of cancer two days after his 69th birthday.

The supermodel left their New York home to take her dog for a short walk on Tuesday morning. She wore a black coat, thick scarf and gloves to keep warm. 

Iman, 60, married Bowie in 1992 and the couple have a daughter called Lexi, who is now 15.

Dasuki, Okonjo-Iweala petitioned in Hague

The threat of legal action by Human Rights Lawyer and campaigner, Femi Falana, SAN, has eventually been carried out. News reaching us indicate that the   International Criminal Court, ICC, at The Hague has confirmed that it is considering petition submitted to it by the legal luminary over alleged crimes against humanity committed in the context of the arms procurement scandal popularly referred to as Dasuki-gate.

Dead on Arrival

We share this is a very touching, true life story about the great expectations and travails of love from abroad to the home country. Read on:

(We have changed the characters, out of respect for the grieved and dead person.) This is a tear jerker, but you decide:

“Jebose, in life’s drama, there are no rehearsals. The realities of living, loving and existing just hit me. I am navigating through a hectic and wicked Lagos traffic, laced with confusion, arrogance, stubbornness of road users and abusers.

Zika virus is STD also

The Zika virus which was first noticed in Brazil has indeed proved to be the latest epidemic to threaten world health. The virus, whose effect threatens pregnant mothers the most, has broken boundaries from Brazil and is now reported to be in America. 

White Zimbabwean farming family are handcuffed and driven off their land to make way for black British doctor

 A family of white Zimbabwean farmers have been evicted from their land after it was handed over to a British doctor who runs a weight loss clinic in Nottingham.

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The Rankin family, who have farmed tobacco in Zimbabwe for decades, were handcuffed by police and dragged off their land so it could be claimed by Sylvester Nyatsuro.

Dr Nyatsuro, 45, is originally from the African country but has lived in Britain for at least 15 years, and is now in charge of his own GP practice.

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Owners: British doctor Sylvester Nyatsuro and his wife Veronica have been given a farm belonging to a family of white farmers in Zimbabwe