World News Delight

The Senior Pastor of Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has hit out at the practice of tithing saying it should not be compulsory. Pastor Bakare told the BBC Yoruba service. Giving tithes is a controversial topic in Nigeria and many churches compel members of their congregations to tithe, even though many people cannot afford to do so. It is estimated that 80% of Nigerians live on less than $2 (£1.40) a day. Pastor Bakare did not mince his words: "Tithing is not compulsory. No-one should feel compelled to pay - no-one is holding a gun to their head." The words of the pastor, who is also a politician - he served as President Muhammadu Buhari's running mate in the 2011 elections won by Goodluck Jonathan - are likely to spark a fierce debate. He warned: " Churches where pastors are becoming fat and the members are growing lean, God will judge them." Click  HERE  to watch video on BBC

Former Catholic priest, Rev. Patrick Henry Edet, is set to tie the knot with his lover on March 17. According to  New Telegraph , Edet made the disclosure on Tuesday during his Grace Family service. The man of God said he will unveil his fiancée next week. Edet’s resignation from Catholic Church about six months ago generated a huge discourse in the media for weeks. The popular Uyo-based priest and radio preacher, while addressing his radio audience on Planet 101.1FM, Uyo, said then that “the resignation marked the beginning of ‘freedom’ for his spirit and soul”. He said: “From today henceforth, I cease to be a Catholic priest, in my spirit and in my soul. I forgive those who will criticise me, I live for God. I seek freedom for my soul. As I leave, I leave smiling. I am so happy that I am free.” While expressing his joy, Edet said he should be addressed as Rev Patrick Edet. Edet, who hosts a weekly Christian programme entitled: “Grace and Inspiration,”

A day after Yobe State authorities said some schoolgirls reported missing after a Boko Haram attack had been rescued by Nigerian soldiers, the Defence Headquarters has told PREMIUM TIMES it has no such information. “We cannot confirm” the statement by Yobe State that some of the girls have been rescued, Defence spokesperson, John Agim, told PREMIUM TIMES Thursday morning. Suspected Boko Haram operatives on Monday evening stormed the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Bursari Local Government Area, Yobe State, a state government-owned school. The insurgents reportedly carted away foodstuff and other valuables before kidnapping some of the girls at the school, according to witnesses. Mr. Agim, a brigadier-general, said he could not give further details about the military’s intervention in the matter. The comment, the first from the Nigerian military since the attack, comes as Nigerians and the international community press for more details of

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday pushed his call to arm teachers following last week's school massacre in Florida, saying it would be limited to those with military or special training but "would solve the problem instantly." His idea has already drawn a strongly divided reaction in a country where there are fierce divisions on how to curb mass shootings and everyday gun violence. Trump, a Republican who has backed gun rights, raised the idea of arming teachers during an emotional, hour-long discussion on Wednesday with students who survived the attack on a Florida high school and a parent whose child did not. "Highly trained, gun adept, teachers/coaches would solve the problem instantly, before police arrive. GREAT DETERRENT!" Trump wrote in a series of posts on Twitter early on Thursday. Seventeen students and staff members were killed in the Feb. 14 attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the second-dea

Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International has ranked the public sectors in sub-Saharan Africa as the most corrupt in the world, with two countries hit by instability - Somalia and South Sudan - topping the list. Releasing its 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index, the German-based group says that the majority of countries in the world are making "little or no progress in ending corruption". The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories based on the perceptions of business sector and experts, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. This year, New Zealand and Denmark rank highest with scores of 89 and 88 respectively. Syria, South Sudan and Somalia rank lowest with scores of 14, 12 and 9 respectively," Transparency International says. "The best performing region is Western Europe with an average score of 66. The worst performing regions are sub-Saharan Africa (average score 32) and Eastern Europe and

The people of Ovahimba and Ovazimba tribes in the Kunene and Omusati regions in Northern Namibia have an upheld culture that has defied western influence and agitation. With a population of over 50,000, the women engage in the daily activity of milking their cows, taking care of the children and other extensive duties while the men go hunting leaving, sometimes, for an extended period of time. These nomads’ wealth is determined by the number of cattle one has. A polygamous people, the Himba girls are married off to male partners selected by their fathers once they attain puberty. You cannot ignore the red skin they have. The red colour seen on their skin is called, the otjize paste ( a combination of butterfat, omuzumba scrub and ochre) and its function is to protect their skin from the sun and insect bites. They are also guided by the belief that the colour red signifies “Earth and blood”. Rather than take their baths, the women take a smoke bath and apply aromati

Corruption is getting worse in Nigeria, according to the latest corruption perception index (CPI) released by Transparency International (TI) on Wednesday. While the country scored 27/100 and was ranked 136th in 2016, the latest CPI scores Nigeria 28/100 but with a rank of No. 148 out of 180 countries surveyed — a significant 12 places below where it was the previous year. This will come as a blow to the President Muhammadu Buhari administration who came into office on the strength of his anti-corruption credential. Although the administration has put many suspects on trial and seized assets of politicians and government officials, it has also been accused of condoning corrupt practices by top government officials. The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption in the opinion of experts and business people, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean, according to TI. NIG

Zimbabwe's former leader Robert Mugabe was celebrating his first birthday since his resignation in near solitude on Wednesday, far from the lavish affair of years gone by. The government that removed him with military assistance in November declared Feb. 21, Mugabe's birthday, a national holiday. But there were no signs of past celebrations, no giant cakes or thousands of supporters wearing clothing with Mugabe's image, no live state television broadcasts. The 94-year-old, once a fiery and tireless speaker, has been quiet since he resigned in the face of impeachment efforts by the ruling party. He has not made public appearances. He skipped the funeral Tuesday of opposition leader and former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, sending written condolences instead. On Wednesday, former cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo shared photos on Twitter of a severe-looking Mugabe in a suit sitting next to his wife, Grace, in what resembled an official portrait.

First lady Melania Trump's parents have become permanent US residents, their lawyer said Wednesday, apparently taking advantage of a family unification program pilloried by the president. "I can confirm that Mrs. Trump's parents are both lawfully admitted to the United States as permanent residents," lawyer Michael Wildes said in a statement. Viktor and Amalija Knavs, like their daughter, are from Slovenia. They appear to have taken advantage of a system that Donald Trump has dubbed "chain migration" and has promised to end. The program allows naturalized citizens, in this case likely the first lady, to sponsor visas for close family members. The news, first confirmed by the Washington Post, prompted allegations of White House hypocrisy Wednesday. "Almost every US family is connected to immigration programs Trump wants to kill, including his own," said Democratic congressman Luis Gutierrez. Trump has made a hardline stan

Abdullahi Bego, Director-General Press Affairs to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, on Wednesday announced the rescue of the school girls missing since Boko Haram attacked their school on Monday. In a statement today, Mr. Bego said: “The Yobe State Government hereby informs the public that some of the girls at Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC) whose school was attacked by Boko Haram terrorists last Monday have been rescued by gallant officers and men of the Nigerian Army from the terrorists who abducted them. “The rescued girls are now in the custody of the Nigerian Army. “We will provide more details about their number and condition in due course. “His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, who is very grateful for the gallantry and hard work of the officers and men of the Nigerian Army involved in the operation, is monitoring the situation closely and will make a statement in due course.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has finally spoken out on the alleged kidnap of school girls by Boko Haram terrorists. The school girls have been missing since Boko Haram terrorists attacked their school - Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi, in Yobe - on Monday. Yobe State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abdulmaliki Sumonu, on Wednesday told journalists that 111 girls were still missing following Monday’s attack by Boko Haram. Reacting to the incident on Wednesday, President Buhari said:  “I have directed the Military and Police to mobilize immediately to ensure that all the missing girls of Government Girls Secondary School, Dapchi, are found. The Minister of Defence will also lead a Federal Government delegation to Yobe tomorrow, to ascertain the situation. “I share the anguish of all the parents and guardians of the girls that remain unaccounted for. I would like to assure them that we are doing all in our power to ensure the safe return of a

Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has said that Nnamdi Kanu, who is the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), lies too much and equally worse than a chameleon. Ikpeazu stated this during an interview with British Broadcasting Cooperation, Igbo (BBC) monitored from IGBERE TV studios. The governor also said that Nnamdi Kanu speaks from both sides of his mouth as he never consulted him before taking any action. He equally said that Igbos do not want Nigeria to break up as they are ready to rule the country when the time comes. In his words: ”Nnamdi Kanu hates South East governors, he does not want to associate with us despite the love we have for him. ”Whenever you talk with Nnamdi Kanu, he always speaks from both sides of his mouth, he is not a straightforward person ” ”He never consulted me before taking any action, although we all agreed that Igbos are being marginalised but we should sit down and discuss the way out ” he said. Governor Okezie

Former Minister of Education and co-coordinator of the Bring Back Our Girls Group (BBOG), Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, on Wednesday condemned the silence of President Buhari over the reported kidnap of 111 school girls in Yobe State. The school girls have been missing since Boko Haram terrorists attacked their school - Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi, in Yobe - on Monday. Two days after the attack, there has been no official statement from the presidency. Yobe State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abdulmaliki Sumonu, on Wednesday told journalists that 111 girls were still missing following Monday’s attack by Boko Haram. “815 out of the 926 students were physically seen in the school as at Tuesday. There are reports that more girls have returned to the school after the head count,” the Police chief said. Reacting to the silence, Mrs Ezekwesili wrote on her Twitter handle: “God forbids that the presidency, President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerian a

A Nigerian lady has penned her parents and friends a heartbreaking note, and attempted suicide after her man broke up with her. In the suicide note, Itunuoluwa Ogunwuyi named her lover, accusing him of cutting her life short. It is not known if she eventually carried out the threat. According to her friends, Itunu wrote a suicide note that reads: “I don’t have other chouce than to cut it short. I got betrayed by a man I deeply love, he claim he loved me too, people warned me about Imo state men, but I didn’t listen, Kenny Eze you cut my life short due to your sweet words, YOU! To my people this is my account details ***** password ***. Let the world know about me and learn from me, Sorry mum, sorry dad, I can’t hold it to people I may disappoint. IKENNA EZE, I still love you by my spirit, and no one will ever love or have baby for you in your life, Keep this date. 20-2-2018. Good bye to this wicked world. Itunu” Find the suicide note and her posts on Facebook bel

The N70 million handed over to the Northern Senators Forum has been swallowed by monkeys in the farm of a ranking senator.  Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna) told newsmen minutes after  Senator Abdullahi Adamu was removed as the chairman of Northern Senators forum.  Senator Adamu was accused of mismanaging N70 million belonging to the Northern Senators. Shehu Sani said that it was alleged that some monkeys swallowed the money at the senator's farm. Daily Trust