Davido Vows Never To Take A Break From Music Again, Unveils Artwork, Release Date Of EP

After 11 months of music silence,
Davido has finally unveiled the art
work of his EP (Extended Play).
The long awaited project according
to the singer, is set to be dropping
September 30th, after approval from
Sony Musicdavido-art-work.
Davido unveiled the art work of his
Extended Play, which he titled ‘Son
of Mercy’.
“who ever tried to count me out cant
count, pre-order #SOM September
30th. thanks to my fans and family
that have been patient! i will never
take a break like that again.” He
wrote
He also disclosed that he would be
dropping 20 videos, as he reveals big
plans to finish the year in grand
style.
Davido, who has been quiet for
almost a year, has still stayed
relevant in the music industry, as he
has collaborated with artistes’ like
Rayce, Skales and his signee,
Danagog.

Davido Vows Never To Take A Break From Music Again, Unveils Artwork, Release Date Of EP

After 11 months of music silence,
Davido has finally unveiled the art
work of his EP (Extended Play).
The long awaited project according
to the singer, is set to be dropping
September 30th, after approval from
Sony Musicdavido-art-work.
Davido unveiled the art work of his
Extended Play, which he titled ‘Son
of Mercy’.
“who ever tried to count me out cant
count, pre-order #SOM September
30th. thanks to my fans and family
that have been patient! i will never
take a break like that again.” He
wrote
He also disclosed that he would be
dropping 20 videos, as he reveals big
plans to finish the year in grand
style.
Davido, who has been quiet for
almost a year, has still stayed
relevant in the music industry, as he
has collaborated with artistes’ like
Rayce, Skales and his signee,
Danagog.

Saudi Arabia deports 27 Christians for praying

Saudi Arabia has deported 27 Christians, including children, for praying and celebrating a church festival in a private home.

The believers who are Lebanese Maronites, the largest Christian denomination in Lebanon, were arrested after religious police raided the home in Al Khafij, in the east of the country.
Details have only just emerged of the arrest and those involved were charged with "un-Islamic prayer," according to EWTN News.
The Christians said their prayers and celebrations were not an insult to Islam.

Saudi Arabia:
Population: 32.2 million, 1.4 million Christians
Main Religion: Islam
Government: Monarchy
World Watch List Rank: 14
Source of Persecution: Islamic extremism

In 2006, Saudi Arabia said Christians would be allowed to practice their faith in private settings.
The Islamic country ranks at number 14 on Open Doors World Watch List.

Converting from Islam to another religion is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.
Open Doors says Christians in the country must keep their faith completely secret.
"If not executed by the state, they risk becoming the victim of an honour killing by a family member - leaving Islam is a great disgrace," it says.
It is estimated there are around 5,000 religious police in the country, but any Muslim can enforce the law themselves, for example removing a Rosary.

Hilarious!! Shameless Man Strips N*ked And Dances On A Pole In Public (Photo)

A man has publicly shamed himself after
dancing n*ked on a pole as people watched
and filmed the shocking act.
A man has left people totally in shock after he was
arrested by the police in Moscow, Russia for wandering
around a city n*ked and talking to himself.
After he was handcuffed on a pole, he started pole
dancing to the shock of the officers and passersby.
The police revealed that the man was high on drugs as
he had taken too much of it earlier.
He was arrested after people had complained he was
wandering and misbehaving in public.
The man was later restrained by the police.

Goodnews! Prices Of Local Rice, Beans, Other Foodstuffs Crash

The price of foodstuffs have crashed further
in Bauchi state after months of soaring food
prices.
Checks in some of the major markets in the state
revealed that prices of foodstuffs have reduced by 50% ,
Daily Trust reports.
According to Malam Adamu Kafin Maigari, a grain
seller at Muda Lawal Market, Bauchi, a bag of maize
which few months ago was going for N18,000 now sells
for N9,000 while local rice that used to cost N35,000
is now being sold at N20,000.
He also said that a bag of beans is now sold at
N16,000 from its previous price of N25,000, while a
bag of millet and white rice popularly called Shinkafar
Tuwo, now cost N9,000 and N20,000 respectively
from their previous prices of N15,000 and N37,000.
Kafin Maigari attributed the crash in prices to the
bumper harvest recorded in the country following the
massive engagement in farming by many people.
However the grain seller expressed concern with the high
cost of foreign rice which is still sold at N18,500 per
bag.
He called on the federal government to address the
shortage of foreign currencies particularly the dollar, to
enable importers conduct their legal businesses without
hitches.
Meanwhile, the prices of food items have crashed in
Hadejia, Jigawa state. PM News reports that the crash
in food price is as a result of ‘a significant increase in
the supply of agricultural produce to the market’.
According to investigations by NAN at Hadejia market,
food prices were down by about 30 percent. Now, a bag
of millet goes for N14, 000 as against N18, 000 while
a bag of paddy rice went for N8, 500 as against its
previous price of N11, 000.

Shocking! Read The Confessions Of A Man Who Killed 114 Babies And Two Of His Sisters

According to reports, a former Ghanaian
ritualist known as Nana Wan, confessed to
killing lots of people including 114 babies
and two sisters, during his native doctor days.
Nana Wan who confessed his deeds at a deliverance
session in Resurrection Power Ministry church in Accra
on Sunday, September 25, said he did all he did in a
bid to be very wealthy. According to him, he ran to the
church after being told that he would be a dead man by
8pm on Monday, September 26.
Nana claimed to have become a ritualist after he was
forced to assume the role of a breadwinner to his family
after his father abandoned his mother and his five
siblings, about six years ago. He claims the hard time
they faced, made him follow 12 men to an island in
Benin Republic where he was introduced to marine
spirits. He reportedly went through two stages of rituals
before becoming a ‘certified’ native doctor/ritualist.
Nana also claims the marine spirit ordered him home to
Ghana, stating that whatever work he chose to do in one
week, would bring him riches beyond his wildest dreams.
Armed with that assurance, he went ahead to work
with a plantain seller for a week, and the day after, a
lady from the marine world who was reportedly the first
daughter of the mermaid, asked him how much wealth
he wanted.
He reportedly told her he wanted GH¢20 million (about
N2 billion), he was asked to go out and on his return,
he discovered that a bag he had in the room was
already filled with millions of cedis. He also said the
woman visited him every week to top up his ‘account’
and to also have s*x with him.
According to him, this continued for three whole years
until the marine spirit made a demand he couldn’t agree
to. He was reportedly asked to sacrifice a newborn baby
every two months, or risk dying like two other people
who joined the kingdom at the same time he did. In
order to make things easier for him, he found a nurse
at the 37 military hospital in Accra, whom he paid GH
¢100,000 (about N10 million) per transaction, to get
him new born babies. He reportedly sacrificed a total of
114 babies, before he pleaded with the marine spirit to
allow him change his mode of sacrifice.
Nana Wan’s sacrifice now changed from sacrificing
newborns, to having s*x with the spirit daily, and he
almost died from the frequent s*x and also discovered he
urinated blood almost all the time.
He was eventually asked to bring members of his family
for the sacrifice to save his life, and he ended up
offering his son and two of his sisters. He revealed that
he sacrificed his sisters who the marine spirits killed
through road accidents while driving the Range Rover
jeeps he gifted them. The marine spirits however did not
stop at killing his sisters, they demanded for his
mother’s life as well and despite his pleas to have her
spared, the spirits insisted.
Nana Wan said his mother was saved after heeding a
prophet’s warning against receiving the car her son
bought in her name. His mother’s rejection caused the
marine spirit to give him a deadline about his death
(one month). Facing his imminent death, he ran to
different churches and eventually ended up at the
Resurrection church where he repented and was
delivered, and told that he would lose all the wealth he
got from the marine world.

Justice At Last? Ethiopian Housemaid Finally Executed For Killing Employer’s Child

Saudi Authorities On Monday Executed An Ethiopian
Housemaid Convicted Of Killing The Child Of Her
Employer More Than Three Years Ago, The Interior
Ministry Said.
An Ethiopian housemaid who is convicted of killing the
child of her employer more than three years ago, have
been executed on Monday by Saudi authorities.
In an official statement the Interior Ministry said that
the execution was carried out after the death sentence
was endorsed by the king.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the convict
had confessed having knifed to death the 6-year-old
girl in June 2013, allegedly in retaliation for her
family’s ill-treatment.
Monday’s beheading brings to 119 the total number of
executions so far this year in the conservative kingdom.
According to international rights groups, Saudi Arabia is
among the top executioners in the world.
On Jan. 2, authorities beheaded 47 people, including a
prominent Shiite cleric, on terrorism-related charges.
Report says Saudi Arabia has imposed death penalty for
murder, armed robbery, banditry, r*pe, drug-trafficking
and witchcraft.
The kingdom, which applies a strict interpretation of
Islamic law, has repeatedly rejected calls to end the
death penalty, saying the punishment deters would-be
offenders.

Revealed: 5 Reasons Surulere Is The Best Place To Live In Lagos

If you live in Lagos State and you have not
been or heard of Surulere, chances are you
live under a rock. These reasons will reveal to
you why the Lagos town is a hot cake to live
in.
A residential and commercial Local Government Area
located in the state, Surulere is one of the most exclusive
areas on Mainland Lagos.
Aside from the fact that Surulere is known as the sports
city of Lagos seeing as it houses two international sport
venues, some of the most famous streets in Lagos state
such as Adeniran Ogunsanya, Adelabu, Ogunlana Drive,
Bode-Thomas and Eric Moore, are found within the
district.
If you are a lover of Nigerian music or you are active on
the Nigerian social scene, you may have heard lines and
comments affirming Surulere as one of the best places to
live in Lagos.
If you are wondering why the district is so acclaimed,
Jumia Travel have shared 5 possible reasons Surulere is
the best place to live in Lagos.
1. It is mid-point
Surlere is undoubtedly one of the key transport nodes of
Lagos, as it connects the city’s mainland with Lagos
Island and Victoria Island.
Basically, it serves as a mid-point between the island
and mainland and living there ensure you have quick
and easy access to both areas.
2. Diversity
Surulere is full of ALL types of people. Young families,
Grandparents, Politicians, struggling musicians,
millennials, students, Igbo people, Hausa natives – you
name it, they all live in Surulere and they all love it.
It is very easy to fit into the different neighborhoods
within the district without fear of segregation or any
form of culture shock.
3. The best street food in Lagos
It is no secret that the best of Lagos street food can be
found in Surulere and at the best rates too.
On the hunt for the best shawarma, to the best Suya,
people travel from as far as the Lekki Peninsula to
Surulere for a palatable and affordable taste.
Surulere also has more local independent restaurants
and bukkas than it is possible to choose from, and you
most rank very highly among the best places to eat
authentic meals in Lagos.
4. Surulere is full of independent businesses
Aside from restaurants and bars, there are so many
businesses, in all sorts of industries, based in Surulere.
You will find Clothing stores, Interior Design boutique,
car dealers e.t.c among other business in this district,
and not only will you be spoilt for choice when it comes
to buying locally but there are plenty of opportunities for
jobs too.
The most popular street in the district that harbors some
of these independent businesses is Adeniran Ogunsanya.
There is literally nothing you cannot find on the street
and all are of good quality too.
5. Active nightlife
You will never be bored at night if you live in Surulere.
There is a load of great bars, lounges, and pubs…and
most importantly, there is good security in most of the
areas.
You find clubs where you can stumble along to for a
dance on a rogue Tuesday night, as well other bars that
open from 10am to 4am every single day including
Sundays.

What They Did To This Lady After Breaking A Man’s Head During Football Match (Photos)

When have ladies become this violent? A
female football supporter was arrested and
embarrassed by angry youths after assaulting
another football fan during an epic match at
in Lusaka, Zambia.
According to reports, the lady broke the guy’s head with
a bottle after an argument on Saturday September 24,
2016 (yesterday) .
These pictures which have gone viral online -are being
trailed with mixed reactions.

Buhari Approves Appointments For 13 Government Agencies (See Them)

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved
new appointments in 13 Federal Government
agencies.
The appointments according to a statement by the
Director (Press) in the Office of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Bolaji Adebiyi, include
Mr. Joseph Ari as Director-General of Industrial
Training Fund (ITF),
Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) as Director-General of
the National Information Technology Development Agency
(NITDA).
Others are Engineer Simbi Kesiye Wabote as the
Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Monitoring
Board,
while the new Director-General of the Standard
Organization of Nigeria (SON) is Aboloma Osita
Anthony.
Also appointed at the Director-General of the Bureau of
Public Procurement (BPP) is Mamman Amadu,
Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD)
has Barrister Sharon Ikeazor as Executive Secretary,
New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
National Coordinator/CEO is Princess Akodundo Gloria,
Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF) new Executive
Secretary is Alhaji Ahmed Bobboi,
Oil & Gas Free Zone Authority has Umana Okon
Umana as Managing Director.
Others are Sa’adiya Faruq as Federal Commissioner for
the National Commission for Refugees,
Migrant and Internally Displaced Persons, Nigeria
Railway Corporation (NRC) new Chairman is Engineer
Usman Abubakar,
Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has Dr.
Bello Aliyu Gusau as the Executive Secretary
and Yewande Sadiku is the Executive Secretary of the
Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).

Corper Donates His September Allowance To Akeredolu For Campaign In Ondo

A member of the National Youth Service
Corps, NYSC in Ondo state, Gbenga Ayodele
Oladimeji has donated his allowance for the
month of September 2016 to the Akeredolu
Campaign Organization, ACO as part of his
contribution for Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN
success in the November 26 gubernatorial
election.
Oladimeji made the donation on Monday at the ACO’s
secretariat in Akure.
According to him, his decision was borne out of his
patriotic resolve that Ondo state is in dare need of
personality like Akeredolu.
“This is borne out of my patriotic resolve that Ondo state
is in dare need of personality like Oluwarotimi Odunayo
Akeredolu.
A man with matchless professional integrity, convincing
administrative dexterity and exceptional leadership
acumen to salvage the people of Ondo state from the
current socio economic quagmire and political
directionless exhibited by the present administration in
Ondo state.
“It is no longer a news that the government of the day
in Ondo state is financially incapacitated to address
most of the needs of the masses particularly the civil
servants and the youths, it therefore become very
sacrosanct for all right thinking individual to join
Akeredolu in providing the needed requirement to
salvage the state.
“I use this medium to call on well meaning citizen of
Ondo state and Nigeria in general to donate generoulsly
to this campaign in order to actualize Ondo state of our
dream,” he said

Corper Kidnapped In Rivers State Rescued (Photos)

The NYSC member that was kidnapped in
Omudeme, in Kelga, in Rrivers state has
regained her freedom.
Helen who was kidnapped at the corpers’ lodge in
Omademe, Ikwerre LGA of the state, at about 3am on
Friday was rescued today,by the men of security agents
in collaboration with the Ikwerre Local Government
council and assisted by the immediate past
CTC chairman of the council and State PDP publicity
secretary, Hon. Samuel Nwanosike.
She has been taking to the clinic for treatment.
See more photos below;-

Problem!! NLC To Protest Nationwide Due To Assets Sale By President Buhari

The Nigeria Labour Congress has said it will
mobilise Nigerians for nationwide protests to
resist the plan by the Federal Government to
sell strategic assets under the guise of using
the funds to be generated to get the country
out of recession.
The President of the NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, said the
consequences of the proposed sale of the strategic assets
would be more grievous if Nigerians did not stop the
government from carrying out the policy.
He made the comment on Monday in Abuja while
inaugurating a think-tank of the NLC and the
Academic Staff Union of Universities, entrusted with
the responsibility of leading the intellectual engagement
with the Federal Government on the contentious move to
sell the country’s assets.
According to him, the NLC is making preparations to
battle the Federal Government in courts to prevent the
planned sale of the assets, explaining that the congress
had secured the services of 20 volunteer lawyers, who
had offered their services to the NLC on the issue.
The members of the 10-man NLC’s ‘Think-Tank on
Socio-Economic Issues’ are a former President of
ASUU, Dr. Dipo Fashina; Prof. Toye Olorode, Dr.
Mohammed Aliyu, Dr. Mustapha Usman and Dr. Isaac
Nwogugu.
Other members of the committee are Dr. Yemisi
Bamgbose, Mr. Issa Aremu, Mr. Sonny Atuma, Dr.
Peter Ozo-Eson, and Mr. Auwal Mustapha, who is the
secretary.
Wabba stated, “While it is important to rescue our
country from the current economic recession, sale of our
commonwealth and strategic assets is certainly not a
move in the right direction, and all Nigerians must have
the courage to oppose it.
“All the (national) assets are under threat depending on
the interest of who is speaking; the NLNG, refineries, all
the assets are presently under threat. If we work
together, then we can try to defend these assets. It will
take the effort of all of us to stop them.
“Nobody will buy what is not profitable. That is why
people are looking in the direction of the most
profitable.”
Wabba stressed that the problem with Nigeria was
corruption, which had become endemic in both the
private and public sectors, and not the economic model to
use.
The NLC president believed that politicians, who stole so
much money and had been hiding the loot, were looking
for ways to buy the assets with their looted funds.
Wabba assured Nigerians that organised labour was
united in the quest to preserve the nation’s strategic
assets for Nigerians and future generations.
“We are sure of ourselves; this is of concern to every
citizen. We should not allow the bidding of those few
who don’t mean well for the country. On the issue of
selling out, we are on the same page, we will do
everything possible to try to work together.
“We shouldn’t be discouraged because of the fact that
we envisage sabotage or an effort to undermine the
struggle. In every struggle, there would be moves to
sabotage such,” he added.
ACF, economists oppose sale of national assets
Meanwhile, opposition against the plan of the Federal
Government to sell some national assets continued to
mount on Monday as the Arewa Consultative Forum and
the Nigerian Economic Society condemned the proposal,
asking the Federal Government to rescind its decision to
sell the assets.
The NEC stated that the decision of the government did
not make economic sense in the face of the current
challenges.
It faulted the argument by the government that the
proceeds of the sale would be used to fund the 2016
budget, noting that the sale of the assets would further
widen the level of income inequality in the country.
The President, NES, Prof. Ben Aigbokan, stated this in
an interview with journalists on the forthcoming national
conference of the society on Monday in Abuja.
Aigbokan described the approach being adopted by the
government as “generationally irresponsible”.
The conference, scheduled to commence on Tuesday
(today), has as its theme ‘‘The developmental state and
diversification of the Nigerian economy’’.
The NES president added, “It is an irony that the
government is planning to sell some of our national assets
at this time because it is a contradiction of one of the
policies of government, which is sustainable development.
“The economics of selling national assets now at a time
of economic recession is very poor because we will not get
a good value for these assets, because people understand
that the county is in need of money.
“If you sacrifice our national assets now because we are
in need of money, what do you leave for the future
generations?
“So, generationally, it is irresponsible to sell these assets
without subjecting the decision to a referendum because
all Nigerians have a stake in them.”
Also, the ACF on Monday argued that it was needless
for the Federal Government to sell off national assets to
bail out Nigeria from its current economic woes.
The pan-northern socio-political organisation, through
its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammadu Ibrahim,
argued that the bloated allowances of public officers,
which he said accounted for 40 per cent of the national
budget, should be converted to capital allocation to boost
the economy.
The ACF argued that selling off national assets to
service the economy was completely “unwise” as such
move never yielded the desired results in the past.
The statement read in part, “The growing calls by some
prominent politicians and business tycoons on the Federal
Government to consider the selling of strategic, viable
national assets as an option to take the economy out of
recession at this material time are inappropriate.
“Past privatisation did not yield the desired result in
terms of judicious use of proceeds by the government or
management of the assets by the new owners. Moreover,
the amount to be realised is not worth the exercise.
“Government enterprises like the Nigeria Airways,
Nigeria National Shipping Line, Ajaokuta Steel
Company, NITEL, PHCN, etc, that were sold to selected
Nigerians and their foreign collaborators in the spirit of
privatisation, only succeeded in converting public
enterprises to private ones, and some later became
comatose. The ones that survived, their service delivery
cannot be said to be better.
“ACF therefore considers it unwise for the Federal
Government to contemplate the selling of our major
national assets like the crude oil refineries, federal
airports, NLNG, while we can use them as security
against needed funds to boost the economy, as the
recession is considered to be temporary.
“In addition, ACF wishes to suggest that unnecessary
allowances of public officers and overhead cost that form
over 40 per cent of our annual budget should be
converted to capital allocation to boost the economy.
“This is the time for national sacrifice in order to
bequeath an enduring legacy to the next generation.
Positive change usually comes with painful necessary
sacrifice.”
On its own, the National Union of Textile, Garments
and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria has cautioned
President Muhammadu Buhari against the sale of the
nation’s assets.
A member of the National Executive Council of the NLC,
Mr. Issa Aremu, in a statement in Kaduna on Monday,
said Nigeria was not short of resources, arguing that
the nation lacked “genuine resourceful leaders at all
levels”.

See Diezani Alison-Madueke’s Meriden Hotel In Port-Harcourt (Photo)

Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s former Petroleum Resources Minister, purchased Port Harcourt’s Le Meridien Hotel for $25million from a former Rivers State military administrator, Anthony Akpo, SaharaReporters learned at the weekend.

Our sources say that the transaction was carried out using several persons, including Dauda Lawal, a First Bank of Nigeria Executive Director.
Lawal’s role, according to investigators at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was to pick up from Skye Bank in Lagos and innocuously drop off $25million cash into a bank account at Sterling Bank PLC.
The directive to pick up the huge cash haul was coordinated by Stanley Lawson, a former group executive director of Finance and accounts at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
During EFCC interrogations, Dauda claimed he did not know that the transaction was aimed at purchasing Le Meriden Hotel in Port Harcourt, and that he was only helping a friend, Mr. Lawson, to run errands.
People knowledgeable about Mr. Lawal’s closeness to Diezani, which some say sometimes appeared to be romantic, said he may not be telling the whole truth.
Lawal was one of the bankers arrested by the EFCC in a recent fraud-related raid of high profile bankers involved in financial crimes perpetrated by Mrs. Alison-Madueke.
Others include Herbert Wigwe of Access Bank PLC, Nnamdi Okonkwo of Fidelity Bank PLC, and Yemi Adeola, the MD of Standard Bank PLC.
Le Meriden hotel was conceived as a five-star hotel. It was built in 2003 by retired Brigadier General Ukpo with the help of Julius Berger, the construction company with whom he became acquainted during his early days first as the military administrator of Rivers state and later as the Principal Secretary to former Military dictator, Ibrahim Babangida.
Ukpo sold the 87-room luxury hotel to Mrs. Alison-Madueke through a web of actors with the hope that no one would find out.
After the EFCC discovered the fraudulent sale, Ukpo reportedly offered to hand over the hotel to the federal government, but President Buhari is believed to have rejected the offer, saying the government has no business managing a hotel, and insisting that Ukpo return $25m to the federation account.
It is unclear why the former army chief has not yet been arrested.

A University Of Ibadan 400L Student Is Dead (Photo)

With deep regret, I announce the sudden death of a fellow friend, brother, comrade Israel Adeyoju a 400L student of the department of Educational Management Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan.
He has been ill for months now and was been referred to the University College Hospital UCH for a surgical operation.
Due to the love students had for him, students moved from one hall of residence to another to raise fund to save this bright and promising student.

Dear Uites
Thanks for the money
Thanks for the prayer
Thanks for being there
Thanks for everything
You have tried all your possible best preventing Israel from dying
No matter how much money we contribute, only God can save any soul…..
No matter how hard doctors try, only Almighty can heal….
Who are we to blame God for taking him from us?
Who are we to challenge God that what he has done isn’t right?
Who are we to say, “it shouldn’t have been ISRAEL” ?
I was hoping to graduate with my friend …
I was hoping to leave UI without losing any friend….
I was hoping that Israel would get well and join us sooner….
Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts.

Man City’s Yaya Toure Criticises Scrapping Anti-racism Taskforce By FIFA

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure says players and fans may “suffer” as a result of a Fifa’s decision to disband its anti-racism taskforce.
Toure, 33, was part of the taskforce set up in 2013 to help tackle racism.
Fifa secretary general Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura said it “had a specific mandate, which it has fully fulfilled”.
Toure, who was racially abused by CSKA Moscow fans in October 2013, said: “Are Fifa being complacent ahead of a World Cup in Russia?”
The former Ivory Coast international added: “It will be the fans and players that suffer if Fifa do not get this right.
“When I received the letter telling me the Fifa taskforce was to be discontinued I was very disappointed.
“The letter listed the good work that had been carried out as a result of the taskforce’s advice and recommendations.
“So my question is, after failing to deal with racism sufficiently for decades, why stop when something is beginning to work?”
Following the racist abuse he received during City’s 2013 Champions League game in Moscow, Toure suggested that black players might boycott the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

6 take-aways from the first presidential debate

Hempstead, New York (CNN)Hillary Clinton stepped onto the debate stage Monday night determined to show that only one candidate is ready to be president.

Clinton poked, prodded and quoted Trump's own words, goading the famously thin-skinned Republican nominee. Trump took the bait, repeatedly interrupting angrily or dismissively throughout the night.

He couldn't resist attacks, even when it was obvious they would backfire -- such as his criticism of Clinton for dropping off the campaign trail ahead of the debate to prepare.

CNN's Reality Check Team vets the claims

"Yes, I did. And you know what else I prepared for?" Clinton shot back. "I prepared to be president."

Here are six takeaways from the first presidential debate:

Trump takes the bait

Trump is the self-proclaimed counterpuncher, but it was Clinton whose restraint was on display: She waited for Trump to create an opening before she pounced.

She let moderator Lester Holt grill Trump about his refusal to release tax returns before delivering her own withering assessment of his insistence that a "routine audit" be completed first.

"Maybe he is not as rich as he says he is," Clinton said. "Maybe he is not as charitable as he claims to be... Maybe he doesn't want the American people to know that he has paid nothing in federal taxes."

"There is something he is hiding," she said.

Trump lost his cool -- at a cost. He came close to admitting that he didn't pay federal taxes, saying that "makes me smart" and that the money "would be squandered" anyway.

At another point, he insisted his refusal to pay contractors who'd done work for his businesses was smart.

"I'm certainly relieved that my late father never did business with you," Clinton said.

Trump, meanwhile, paid the price for his decision to wing it.

Unlike the GOP primary debates, where Trump would often disappear while other candidates bickered, only to interject with a zinger, he had no other candidates or aggressive moderators to save him -- and it showed.

Despite opportunities to do so, he never hit Clinton on the 2012 Benghazi attacks or Clinton Foundation donors' access to the State Department, and he only briefly mentioned her use of a private email server. All three attacks -- elevated by Trump himself at his rallies -- are at the core of the GOP case that Clinton is untrustworthy.

Trump's pitch to blue-collar voters

Trump's brightest spots came early in the debate, when he invoked Clinton's 2012 praise of the Trans-Pacific Partnership as the "gold standard" of trade deals. (Clinton now opposes the deal.)

"You were totally in favor of it," Trump said. "Then you heard what I was saying, how bad it is, and you said, 'I can't win that debate.'"

It was part of a theme he worked hard to drive in the debate's early stages: Clinton, he said, has been in Washington for nearly 30 years, and has done little to improve economic conditions for Americans -- a message that could resonate in manufacturing-heavy states like Ohio and Pennsylvania that are crucial to Trump's electoral math.

Attacking Clinton's comments on solar energy powering "new economic activity," Trump said: "You've been doing this for 30 years. Why are you just thinking about these solutions right now? For 30 years, you've been doing it, and now you're just starting to think of solutions."

After a barrage of Trump attacks, Clinton sarcastically said, "I have a feeling that by, the end of this evening, I'm going to be blamed for everything that's ever happened."

Trump shot back: "Why not?"

Trump's strained relationship with the truth

Trump lied repeatedly Monday night -- including some real whoppers.

When Clinton claimed Trump "thinks that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese," Trump shot back: "I do not say that. I do not say that."

Of course, Trump did say that. On November 6, 2012, Trump tweeted, "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive." It became the most-retweeted item on Twitter during the debate.

He called Holt's factual citation of a 2002 interview in which Trump endorsed the war in Iraq "wrong, wrong, wrong," as fact-checkers disagreed.

He falsely blamed Clinton for birtherism. He said murder rates in New York City are climbing, when they are on the decline. And he said Clinton had been fighting ISIS "her entire adult life." Clinton was born in 1947; ISIS only formed in the mid-2000s.

"I hope the fact-checkers are turning up the volume," Clinton said at one point.

Trump questions whether Russia behind hacks

Clinton calls Trump's behavior racist

Trump said he knew he'd face questions about his five-year history of birtherism.

Yet he had no new answers to offer. When Holt asked why Trump decided to finally acknowledge that President Barack Obama was born in the US, Trump said it was because he wanted to change the topic. 

"I want to get on to defeating ISIS, because I want to get on to creating jobs, because I want to get on to having a strong border, because I want to get on to things that are very important to me and that are very important to the country," he said.

While falsely blaming Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign for the questions about Obama's birth, Trump also took credit for bringing up the non-issue in the first place. "I was the one that got him to produce the birth certificate," he said. "And I think I did a good job."

Clinton responded by turning the spotlight back on her GOP foe.

"Well, just listen to what you heard," Clinton said.

She pointed to the 1970s Justice Department lawsuits that Trump faced over accusations of racial discrimination in housing properties he owned.

"He has a long record of engaging in racist behavior," Clinton said. "And the birther lie was a very hurtful one."

Trump's misplaced aggression

Trump has long polled better with men than women -- and that gap could grow after Monday night's debate.

He interrupted Clinton dozens of times, and talked over Holt when he tried to interject. He blasted Clinton's "stamina." And when Clinton attacked Trump over his remarks about women, Trump proved her point by digging in against an old foe.

"Rosie O'Donnell, I said very tough things to her, and I think everybody would agree that she deserves it and nobody feels sorry for her," Trump said. 

He zealously defended himself, but didn't attack Clinton with the same gusto. And because of it, Clinton was able to easily move past potential problem areas.

Asked about her use of a private email server during her tenure at the State Department, Clinton gave a shorter, simpler answer than she has before. "I'm not going to make any excuses, it was a mistake," she said.

Trump shot back that it was "more than a mistake. That was done purposely." But then he dropped the topic.

Later, he briefly came back to it, saying he'd release his tax returns "against my lawyers' wishes," under one condition: "I will release them as soon as she releases her 33,000 emails."

The crowd cheered, violating Holt's admonition to keep silent. And then, again, Trump moved on -- never mentioning that James Comey, the FBI director, also harshly criticized Clinton's email practices, and never again returning to the topic.

They really don't like each other...

...And it shows. With two debates to go, this is going to get nastier.

A preview of what's in store came at the end, when Clinton -- attacking Trump's treatment of women -- called him "a man who has called women pigs, slobs and dogs."

She said he'd referred to a Latina beauty contestant as "Miss Piggy. Then he called her Miss Housekeeping."

An agitated Trump twice asked, "Where did you find this?"

The woman, 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado of Venezuela, told The New York Times and "Inside Edition" this year that Trump repeatedly mocked her weight.

Who is Alicia Machado? Former Miss Universe said Trump called her Miss Piggy

Trump went into the spin room after the debate -- a move unheard of at general election debates - and credited himself with not taking a shot at Bill Clinton's extramarital affairs.

He told Fox News conservative host and Trump supporter Sean Hannity afterward that it seemed inappropriate with Bill and Chelsea Clinton in the front row -- but implied he might in the future.

For Clinton's campaign, the challenge will be turning a debate-night victory into sustained success -- pressing the same themes in the days ahead as she attempts to reverse Trump's climb in national and battleground state polls.

Trump will have to wait until Oct. 9 for another shot at Clinton.

Oshiomhole talks too much, people have abandoned him – Igbinedion

A former Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky
Igbinedion, in this interview with ALEXANDER
OKERE, speaks about the corruption
allegations against his eight-year
administration and the forthcoming
governorship election in the state
Why have you been silent on the political
developments in Edo State?
I always wonder why people would be reading
meanings to my silence. I think I am a very
dignified person in the sense that I have served the
state as a local government chairman. I have served
as a two-term governor. I really have nothing to
prove and our own candidate is mature enough. He
does not need to be babysitted; he does not need a
feeding bottle. So, as far as I am concerned, our
party is well-grounded. Our party chairman is very
versatile, he is capable and he has been doing very
well. He has my full backing. He has my
endorsement and I give them my tacit support and
cooperation at all times.
How would you react to the criticism that
your administration was very corrupt?
They said that the PDP stole money. There is
nowhere in any of the charges where they said that
Lucky Igbinedion embezzled money. There is nowhere
in the charges where they said that Lucky
Igbinedion mismanaged so many resources. But a lot
of people just talk because of lack of knowledge or
maybe their illiteracy is worrying them.
We did not have the money to be corrupt with. We
were receiving one of the lowest incomes in the state.
For the first four years, all we were doing were just
paying pensions and wages. If you look back at the
records, there was nothing to be corrupt about
because there was no money to be corrupt with. So, I
can say categorically that my administration was not
corrupt.
So, why did you opt for plea bargaining
instead of pursuing your corruption case at
the court?
Well, it depends on what you mean by opting for a
plea bargain. You do not know whether it was the
EFCC and I who initiated the plea bargain. I just
felt that I should move on with my life, first and
foremost. I have done my thing. What has happened
has happened but I can tell you that I never stole
Edo State money. I never mismanaged Edo State
money. I was never charged locally or internationally
for embezzlement of fund. So, as far as I am
concerned, the people are talking rubbish.
What is your assessment of the level of
preparedness of the Independent National
Electoral Commission to conduct the
governorship poll?
Well, we have been hearing all sorts of rumours and
information about their level of preparedness. We
just have to take them for their word that they are
fully ready, just as they were before the initial date
of September 10. So, I do not have any reason not
to believe them that they are fully ready for the
September 28 election.
How did you feel when your party’s
candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu left
your government and campaigned for
Oshiomhole?
Like I said, he is a matured politician. Everybody
has the right to do what they have to do and you
know that our polity is not really based on ideology
as of today; that is the truth. People jump from one
party to the other for different reasons. Maybe they
have been pressurised out of the system. You have to
know why they did what they did. You cannot just
use a blanket judgment to say that what they did
was right.
Do you think he could be trusted with a
public office having allegedly betrayed you?
Pastor Ize-Iyamu has never betrayed me. He has
always kept me in the know on all his political
moves.
Ize-Iyamu was said to have enriched himself
while in your government. Is this true?
I am not aware he enriched himself with public
money while I was in office. There was paucity of
funds during my tenure, so it was not possible for
anybody, including Ize-Iyamu or myself to enrich
ourselves.
You did not respond to series of criticisms
against your administration by Governor
Adams Oshiomhole. Why?
Well, I do not have the same background with the
incumbent governor. We come from different
backgrounds and we have our ways of approaching
various issues. I do not believe in calling people
names. I have never criticised his government; that
is not my style. I believe that I have given him
enough rope to do his own thing. It is now time for
the people of Edo State to really look inward and
search their souls to see under whose administration
they have lived a more comfortable life, a more
secure life, and a more people-oriented life. So, I
will leave the people to make that judgment.
He believes in ‘listening to himself’. I believe in
‘watching and listening to other people’ rather than
making unnecessary and vile, rude statements about
other people. I was not brought up in that way. I
was brought up under a very strict, disciplined
family. Both my father and mother brought me up
well; they did not teach me to start abusing my
elders or even abusing people of equal status.
The seat of the governor is highly important that you
must watch what you say because people are
listening. People associate your words with that seat
of authority. So, when you talk, you have to be very
diplomatic. You have to be dignified in your words
and carriage. It is not a position or seat where you
talk just because you feel like talking. Like they
always say, if you have nothing better to say,
maintain the silence.
He replies to everything. As a governor, you do not
reply to every comment that is made. Otherwise, you
will just over-talk, which is what everybody now
knows him (Oshiomhole) for. He overreacts,
exaggerates the truth and blows his trumpet. He
should let the people decide. Let the people create
that opinion; he is trying to force it down their
throat and the people say, enough is enough.
I once asked him to look back at his inaugural
photographs and find out how many people are still
with him. If he found out that most of them are
still there, then he is doing well. If he could not
find those people that were there on the first day of
his inauguration in 2008, then there is a problem.
So, do you think that he has failed?
Definitely. His loyalists left when they started
discovering his characteristics and his mannerism.
What comes out of your mouth goes a long way. It
is like an egg; once it comes out of your mouth, you
cannot put it back together. You can think that you
can go back and apologise behind, just like him
telling a woman to go and die. How can you tell a
widow that is struggling and wanting to make ends
meet to go and die? The worst part is that the
people he is now abusing are the people he knelt
down for before his election and started praising
them. But today, he is abusing all of them. So,
where is his judgmental capacity? When you talk too
much, you talk nonsense.
But the governor accused your
administration of massively laying off
workers and grounding the state civil
service.
When you get to the retirement age, you retire.
When we came on board, we discovered that our
wage bill was high and, for one reason or the other,
we had to do some restructuring. We employed many
teachers. It is like in the private sector when
companies retire people and employ new hands. The
Federal Government retires and employs, so it is a
continuous exercise. But we did not owe anybody. The
backlog of salaries that were up to 18 months was
paid up to date.
Today, the state owes over $200m and I do not
know how many billions of naira inclusive. But when
I left in 2007, I was not owing any bank, not even
overdrafts, not salary arrears, not pension arrears,
even though they are lying left and right now. It is
a well-known fact and well-documented. I believe
in the development of human capital and I believe
that I did that very satisfactorily.
What is your reaction to the ranking of Edo
as the state with the third highest debt?
It is not normal. It is very unusual. It is very bad
for our people. I feel sorry for the next PDP
government coming in on September 28 because it is
going to meet an empty treasury, a big hole in our
finances. So, I just pray that by God’s grace, he
(incoming governor) has the wisdom and the
wherewithal to create some ingenuity. The state of
indebtedness they have put us is frightening.
What are your regrets after leaving office?
I have no regrets whatsoever. I did my best. I
believe my best benefited the people of Edo State. So,
I have no regrets at all.
There has been a speculation that you are
gradually withdrawing from the PDP. Are
you still an active member of the party?
I have never left the PDP; that is one thing for
sure. I have remained a staunch member of the
PDP since inception. We are the founders and I
have never denied being a PDP member and I
remain so. It is true that I have not been active the
way some people expect me to be. I believe that after
serving the state at the highest level, it is better to
take the back seat. I am not a political jobber. I
have other jobs to do. I have businesses to run. I
have my family life to live.
I believe (that) once you have served the public,
there must be a time when you should now take the
back seat and let the new hands come on board,
rather than trying to pamper them as if they are not
mature. These people (candidates) at the stage now
are mature. When I was the governor, I was not
even 50. I was just 42.
So, the person running on the platform of the PDP
is over 50 years already. He is not a small guy. He
is not a baby, so he does not need me to carry him
on my back. He does not need me to start talking. He
is matured. He knows the state very well, so you do
not need to entertain any fear.
What role are you playing in the current bid
by the Edo people to elect a new governor?
I am playing my role as a PDP helmsman and as a
two-term governor of the state. They say experience
counts. So from time to time, I do meet and discuss
with the party chairman and other members of the
party that come to seek my advice. So, just because
I am not in the public glare does not mean that I
am not in full support of our party or that I am not
making the statutory contributions or obligations that
are expected of me.
I just decided not to be in active politics because,
like I said earlier on, I am not a political jobber. I
believe there should be a time to move on in some of
these aspects of life.

I will not appear before panel – Jibrin

John Alechenu, Abuja
The former Chairman of the House Committee on
Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin has said he will
not appear before the House Committee on Ethics and
Privileges.
Jibrin who is expected to have his day before the
committee on Monday told journalist in Abuja on
Sunday that he will not honour the committee’s
invitation.
Details later…

Miss SaHHara: From attempting suicide in Nigeria to Miss Transsexual final

Miss Nigeria Miss saHHara (L) blows a kiss
to the audience during the Miss Trans Star
International beauty pageant in Cornella de
Llobregat on September 18, 2016.

Miss SaHHara was born in the wrong country, and
in the wrong body.
Repression in her native Nigeria almost drove her to
suicide, but this weekend she was cruising down the
runway in a cream dress – one of several finalists
at the Miss Trans Star International beauty pageant
in Barcelona, Europe’s main such event.
Set up in 2010 in the Spanish Mediterranean
seaside city, the fifth edition of the contest this
weekend crowned Brazil’s Rafaela Manfrini as this
year’s transsexual queen, although winning was
secondary for participants who have often
experienced discrimination and repression.
“Here all of us are winners already, we won our
life,” said runner-up Tallen Abu Hanna from Israel.

Persecuted by their governments, victims of
discrimination or rejected by their own families,
many of the 25 candidates went through hell and
high water before summoning up the courage to strut
their stuff in swimsuits or evening gowns.
“This is an attempt to engage society,” said Thara
Wells, the contest founder.
“We want to go beyond beauty and tell the life story
of each girl.”
– Escape or death –
Among the candidates were transsexuals from Japan,
South Africa, Colombia, Turkey, and Nigeria, whose
activist chat stood out.
Sporting a cream dress with a plunging neckline,
Miss SaHHara glided down the runway without a
hint of shyness, drawing in the 300-strong
audience with her light-green eyes.
Nothing much remained from the young 19-year-old
man who fled Nigeria for London more than a
decade ago.
“I had severe disphoria. My breasts weren’t growing,
I didn’t have a vagina, I looked at myself in the
mirror and I did not feel comfortable with my body,”
she told AFP before the gala final Saturday.
Miss SaHHara, as she is known, always knew she
was a woman.
She would put on make-up and wear her mother’s
high heels.
But in Nigeria, where homosexuality and
transsexuality are illegal and punishable by 14 years
in jail, her situation was tough.
“In the street, they were always attacking me,
harassing me,” she said.
“I came back home and my family would harass me,
they said ‘you’re wrong, you need to change, act like
a man’.”
She twice attempted suicide and says she was
imprisoned in Nigeria for wearing women’s attire
before escaping to London, first as an illegal
migrant, then as a refugee.
“There was no way I could have survived in Nigeria,
this is why I had to leave,” she said.
In Britain, she underwent surgery to become a
woman with long, curly blond hair, big breasts and
full lips.
She works as a model and singer, and also manages
her own NGO to help transsexuals.
“London gave me the opportunity to pursue my
dreams and be my true self,” she said.
“I’m hoping that by speaking out and coming to Miss
Star, I will try to influence people or perhaps
influence my government to revoke 14 years
imprisonment for LGBT in Nigeria.”
– 2,000 murders since 2006 –
In recent years, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender people have scored small victories around
the world.
Nepal, Argentina, Bolivia and Ireland are just some
of the countries to have approved laws recognising
transgender people and the United States is
considering allowing them into the army.
But there is still a lot to do.
LGBT people are still persecuted in some 80
countries, and more than 2,000 transsexuals have
been murdered since 2006, according to the Trans
Murder Monitoring Project, part of the Berlin-based
Transgender Europe NGO.
“We have very few opportunities in life, very few,”
said contest founder Wells.
Israel’s Tallen Abu Hanna concurred, saying
transsexuals have huge difficulties in finding jobs.
“In the end, lots of them have to have sex for
money.”
She has been lucky though.
A Christian Arab Israeli, she has become a celebrity
since winning a transsexual beauty pageant in her
country, and wants to take advantage of this fame
to inspire Arab people, who like she once did may
feel trapped “inside a cage.”
“I became a woman and I found peace between my
body and my soul.”