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Tag: statement

  • Distinct in statement pieces

    Distinct in statement pieces

    • By Priscillia Ojochenemi

    Tolulope Oniru popularly known as Toolz is a radio personality, talk show host, and presenter who is best known for hosting The Midday Show on The Beat 99.9FM. Toolz is a well-known media personality, who is known for her unique and stylish sense of fashion. She is a trendsetter and a fashion icon, with her own distinct style.

    Toolz is often seen wearing bold, statement pieces that reflect her strong and independent personality. She’s not afraid to take risks with her fashion choices, and she always looks effortlessly chic and put-together. She often opts for bright colors and patterns, and she has a knack for accessorizing.

    Her fashion choices are often reflective of her bubbly and outgoing personality. She is known for her cheerful and energetic demeanor, and her clothes often reflect this. Her style is youthful and playful, yet sophisticated and chic. She has a keen eye for color, and she often mixes and matches different prints and patterns. Her accessories are bold and eye-catching, and she is often seen carrying a statement handbag or wearing oversized sunglasses.

    Read Also: We’re awaiting signal to investigate Adeleke’s 332 borehole project, others – ICPC

    In addition to her signature style, Toolz is also known for her incredible versatility. She is able to transition from day to night looks with ease, and she can pull off both casual and formal looks with equal aplomb. No matter the occasion, she always looks polished and put together. Her versatility is a testament to her understanding of fashion and her ability to adapt her style to any situation. This makes her a fashion icon for women of all ages and backgrounds. It is not just the clothes that make Toolz a fashion icon – it is also her attitude and confidence. She always carries herself with poise and grace, and her style is an extension of her personality. Her confidence is infectious, and she inspires others to be bold and take risks with their own style.

    She exudes an effortless coolness that makes her stand out from the crowd. This confidence and attitude make her a true fashion icon. What is especially remarkable about Toolz’s fashion is her ability to look stylish on a budget. She’s often seen wearing affordable brands and pieces that can be found at mainstream retailers. This proves that you don’t have to spend a fortune to look like a million bucks! This down-to-earth approach to fashion makes her even more relatable and likable.

    Another aspect of Toolz’s fashion that makes her unique is her love of African fashion. She often incorporates traditional African prints and styles into her looks, and she’s a champion of the African fashion industry. She has a deep respect for her heritage and culture, and she uses fashion as a way to celebrate and promote her roots. She is an example of how to combine traditional elements with modern style to create something truly special. This sets her apart from other fashion icons and makes her even more special.

  • Obasanjo’s ‘open statement’ revisited

    Obasanjo’s ‘open statement’ revisited

    FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has grabbed the headlines again. He has just bagged a doctorate degree in Theology at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

    By the way, have you seen the video of a party to mark the award? Obasanjo shows his dancing skills as he holds his wife’s hands, twisting his waist and spinning round to face her again and again. Of course, there is applause. And then, he suddenly leaves madam on the dancing floor and walks away. What a spectacle.

    Now Obasanjo has ignited a big debate on President Muhammadu Buhari’s political future that has generated so much sentiment and emotion. Internet warriors are up in arms. Newsrooms, staffrooms and restrooms are buzzing with comments on the latest bulletin from the Presidential Library, Abeokuta.

    The former president has advised Buhari not to run in 2019. He should go home and have a deserved rest, after which he should join the league of statesmen to find a way out of the Nigerian malaise.

    After a long time – of facts and figures, fun and fury – in the newsroom, I decided to feel the mood of the ordinary man on this matter. So, off to the barber shop I went yesterday for a rather belated haircut. You never get it wrong here. Everybody has an opinion. Two men in white shirts and ties – they are teachers from the nearby model college, I learnt – were slugging it out in a fierce debate; noisy.

    The barber, a rotund, fairly old, half-bald fellow, seems to be disturbed by the noise of the debaters. “Order, gentlemen; order! I need to concentrate; this is a new customer,” he shouted at the duo locked in a noisy argument.

    For a while all is quiet. Then, an old man, a big brownish leather bag slung on his right shoulder, appears. An excited kid announces his presence, screaming: “Papi D is here. Paaaapi!”  A small crowd gathers. Papi D shakes hands with everybody and sinks into a chair.

    “I’m sorry I’ve been away for some time. I have been out there on the mountain to seek answers to some of our common problems. These times call for spiritual hibernation, for ethereal sanctification and not for sanctimonious exhibitionism. So, pardon my rather long absence,” he says and begins to lick his lower lip.

    A long silence. “We don’t understand you sir,” one of the teachers said.

    “Even you; an educated fellow,” says the old man as he rumbles through his bag from which he whips out a small bottle of a popular gin. The cover creaks as he battles to open it. He pours the content into his mouth, frowns his wrinkled face and gulps the drink. A broad smile lights up his face.

    “Young man, it is simple; I’m in high spirits. These are spiritual times. When big men are throwing blows, bombs and bangers, you should ask if it is a New Year party all over again. We must remain sober and constantly be in the spirit. Okay?”

    “Papi, Obasanjo has issued a special statement asking Buhari to go home and rest instead of running in 2019. He is advocating a coalition. Obasanjo said and I quote, sir:’ President Buhari needs a dignified and honourable dismount from the horse. He needs to have time to reflect, refurbish physically and recoup and after appropriate rest, once again, join the stock of Nigerian leaders whose experience, influence, wisdom and outreach can be deployed on the sideline for the good of the country.’ What do you think sir?”

    Papi D smiles broadly, strokes his beard and says slowly: “Thank you, young man. I’ve also read the special statement. You know me, I always look at the literary stylistics and lexical gymnastics of any writer. My fear is that before the anarchy some of us are scared of, we may ignite a huge protest of animals the way we court the animal imagery.

    “And I’ll explain shortly. The other day it was hyenas and jackals. We were assured they would be ejected upon the lion’s arrival. The lion arrived actually, but some rats conspired and barred him from his office. We found a way round it. Then cows got angry. We paid with blood in Benue and some other places. Now Obasanjo is invoking the spirit of lice and horses and all that. I’m following the drama closely o.”

    “Papi, what Obasanjo is saying is that Buhari should not run again. He should retire into statesmanship like him.”

    “Look, boy. I understand the statesman and his statement. But, let me ask you, when did Obasanjo become a premiership team owner, announcing the striker to buy and the one to transfer? Is the transfer window open? Is it time to buy and sell players? Who is to do that; Nigerians or a conclave of former leaders with their own business and political interests? How do you offload a player? Has the referee blown the whistle for the game to start?

    “Don’t get me wrong o. Obasanjo has a right to author an epistle, a special press statement or letter to his countrymen and people of like minds among who many men of no-distinct-position are counted, but we have a duty to reflect on it – the motive, the timing and all that. Many people feel he is a terrible interloper and unrepentant opportunist, who feels Buhari is vulnerable and it is time to deliver the killer blow.

    “Yar’Adua was not good, you forced Jonathan off the horse and Buhari now is bad because ‘the economy does not obey military order’, APC is bad and PDP is bad. Will Buhari surrender? I doubt it; no General can intimidate another General.”

    “Sir, he says the President should not overstretch his luck concerning his health.”

    “My dear, it is only the manager who is at a boxer’s corner who knows when to throw in the towel. If the pummeling is so much and your man is bleeding badly and he collapses on the canvass, you know it is time to throw in the towel. Not when he is on his feet, even if his footwork is not that fast and his punches seem not to be hitting the target well. You don’t give up. A good coach must know the essence of endurance.

    “Besides, young man, these are spiritual matters. Only God knows who is tired and who is as fit as a fiddle. It is a marathon; it is not a 100 metres dash for speedsters.”

    “Papi D, Baba Obasanjo seems to be speaking the minds of many Nigerians o.”

    Gbauu! Gbauuu! Huumm! Papi D coughs, his red eyes blinking with tears.”You see, Obasanjo spoke for many; you’re right. I read the statement o. Why the preamble of effusive praise of his himself, his peregrinations and how he is the poster boy of all that is good? Is he telling us that he alone has the answer to Nigeria’s problem and, ipso facto, must pick the surgeon who will perform the operation that will save Nigeria? He wants a Coalition for Nigeria Movement in which he will obviously play a major role. When the movement begins to dabble in politics, he says, he will step back. Subterfuge, obfuscation and sheer chicanery. It’s an old military strategy of ambush and attack. Come off it.”

    “But, Papi, even the media are celebrating Obasanjo’s statement.”

    “Wait a minute. The media are only doing their job – reporting. I saw some of the headlines at a newsstand yesterday. Leadership said, ‘3rd Term Godfather, OBJ, Opposes 2nd Term for PMB’. How about that?

    “I believe Obasanjo must have contacted some  former leaders before delivering this punch of a statement; he is also speaking for them. The herdsmen crisis is being mismanaged, there is cronyism and all that, but can we say for sure that Buharii has failed on all fronts? No. I have also heard people say statesmanship demands soberness. Was Obasanjo not joining the hysteria of the moment and, by that, helping to heat up the polity? He has a right to his freedom of speech, but was a public statement the right tool to deploy here ?”

    “Sir, what do you think about the coalition Obasanjo is pushing?”

    Papi D smiles derisively. He dips his hand into his bag and brings out the bottle. He gulps what is left of the content, holding the bottle in a way to ensure that all liquid content has been drained.  He tugs at his beards. “You see, coalition is different from collation and collusion. When you mix them up, you get commotion.

    “It is all settled in the ethereal realm. What will be will be. Nobody, no matter his self-glorification, has all the answers. Nigerians will decide. “

     

    Cattle colony row settled – at last

    Many states have rejected the idea of cattle colonies – the Federal Government’s antidote to the herdsmen/farmers clashes that have claimed many lives. The difference between human life and a cow’s seems blurred by the crises.

    I am pleased to announce that Nigerians, ever inventive, have found an imaginative solution to this monster of a problem. A source close to the intellectuals who have been involved in this mental exertion sent me the result of their work. Here he goes: “

    “Sambisa Forest – 686 square kilometers, 8 million hectares and 68 million plots of 100 feet by 100 feet. At five cows per plot, it can take 340 million cows; 340 million cows is 18 times the number of cows in Nigeria.

    “There are 19 million herds of cattle in Nigeria, 72 million goats and sheep. Let the colony be built in Sambisa. With space for 340 million, Sambisa can accommodate all donkeys, cattle, goats, sheep and there would still be enough space.”

    What remains is to demarcate that vast expanse into cattle colonies, with exclusive, unfettered grazing rights in perpetuity.

  • Safety policy statement coming in Lagos

    The Lagos State Safety Policy Statement will be signed next year, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has said.

    He said the policy was part of initiatives to ‘’effectively address emerging safety challenges inhibiting the Lagos mega city vision’’.

    Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Tunji Bello,  at the unveiling of the rebranding of Lagos State Safety Commission, Ambode said the policy would help in  developing knowledge-based communities, using mechanisms that appreciate local laws, cultures and international best practices.

    The rebranding, he said, entailed the establishment of a safety training institute.

    The institute, he said, would phase out quack consultants who operate under the pretext of government backing.

    “This unique identity will help in abating the activities of impostors who have formed the habit of extorting money from the public under the guise of working for the government. It will ensure Lagosians are not defrauded.

    “I urge Lagosians to support the rebranded commission in every way possible especially by giving timely information on activities likely to jeopardise safety,” he said.

    The Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Mr Oluseye Oladejo said prevention and detection of potential risks of mishap were central to the state’s security measures.

    The rebranding idea, according to him, would create more awareness and deepen the commission’s cooperation with the public.

    He said: “We intend to embark on massive advocacy that will cut across all the sectors to ensure we are all on the same page as regards prevention of mishaps.

    ‘’The important thing is not to apprehend people. We need to create that awareness. The safety business is not a revenue generating venture but to ensure that we stay safe because staying safe is cheaper than imposing fine for infractions.”

    Lagos Safety Commission Director-General Hakeem Dickson said the rebranding would eliminate disaster through zero-tolerance for safety threats.

    Stakeholders, he said, would from next year sign a safety commitment pact for workers’ protection.

    “If they leave their home safe, they must be able to go home safe. We would project to people the measures they need to be safe in advance, and ensure utility safety becomes a culture for all. Being proactive simply means prevention is better than cure. The badge indicates you possess the authority to preach safety. We are also going to have consultants who will be registered practitioners,” Dickson said.

  • Tagbo’s death: Davido releases statement, CCTV footage

    Tagbo’s death: Davido releases statement, CCTV footage

    Following the controversies of the death of Tagbo Umeike who passed on some weeks ago, the ace hip-hop singer Davido as promised, has broken the silence by taking to his Instagram page to release a press statement and a CCTV footage debunking the claim that he lied to the police and was arrested by the police.

    Read Also: Davido attends Dj Olu’s funneral

    The statement claims that he was not arrested by the police and rather, he made himself available.

    ‘Our client maintains that he has not in any way lied about what he knows about the unfortunate incidence’ the statement reads.

    See the press release and video below

     

    The Video:

    PART 2

    A post shared by Davido Adeleke (@davidoofficial) on

  • ASUU denies issuing statement on hike in varsities’ fees

    The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan Chapter, Dr. Deji Omole, has called for investigation into an alleged false and damaging report on hike in universities’ fees.

    Omole, while expressing dismay over the report attributed to him, denied issuing any statement to any media house on increment of fees in 38 universities.

    The union chief described the report, which originated fromthe News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), as mischievous.

    Omolesaid he was never in Abuja and did not speak with any medium nor issue any statement concerning fees hike in universities.

    He said ASUU is a well-coordinated union and places factual data in public domain in an incontrovertible manner.

    The union chief called on Director-General of NAN, which was quoted by national dailies as the source of the news, to investigate the matter.

    Omole, who noted that he was shocked when people called him over the news item, noted that ASUU as a responsible pro-public education and masses union must not be linked to independent investigations conducted on education to make it authentic.

    He stated that his comments on the second year anniversary of President Muhammadu Buhari was clear on poor funding and inadequate budgetary provisions for public education.

    Omole maintained that both Federal and state governments continue to play politics with the lives of the children of the masses by planning to deny them quality education.

    “I need to place it on record that I was never in Abuja nor issued any press release to NAN or any other news medium in Abuja as falsely presented to the public.

    “Therefore, I do not know the sources of the figures quoted in the report. ASUU is a well-coordinated union, who will carry out incontrovertible research and present this to the public.

    “It is the duty of journalists to carry out investigation and if you have done that, why can’t you state that to the public? Why must you link it to ASUU that never spoke to you?

    “Is it because NAN is a federal institution and does not want government to sanction them for stating the obvious? This is bad journalism practice. For me, my position remains that the government has not lived up to the electioneering campaigns of funding public education. We shall continue to fight for the funding of public education and resist any attempt to deny children of the poor masses public education,” he stated.

     

    ‘ABUAD has not increased school fees’

    The Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) has condemned the publication in some national newspapers on hike in universities’ fees.

    The said publication listed ABUAD among 38 Nigerian universities that recently increased their school fees.

    In a statement yesterday, the university’s Head, Corporate Affairs Tunde Olofintila, said: “We want to say in clear, unambiguous and unmistakable terms that the information, which was attributed to the Chairman of the University of Ibadan Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Deji Omole, is absolute falsehood with intent to misinform and mislead the public and deliberately distort the facts and circumstances surrounding our fees regime in ABUAD.

    “No increase in fees in any programme in ABUAD:

    We would like to say very equivocally and unambiguously that very much to the contrary of this spurious and speculative claim and for the records, we have not increased our tuition fees. For the avoidance of doubt, we have not in any way increased the tuition fees from N675,000 to N1,075,000 as claimed in the publication or at all.

    “We make bold to say that our fees have remained the same in the last two years, the biting economic recession the country is wading through notwithstanding. To ensure that we continue to provide quality and functional education, we have been subsidising the education of our students with part of our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and additional funding by our Founder and Chancellor, Aare Afe Babalola, OFR, CON, SAN and this will continue to be the case.

    “We take a serious objection to the opening paragraph of the said publication which said: ‘Thirty eight universities across the country have increased their tuition as a result of poor funding by the Federal and state governments’.

    “Ours is not a Federal Government owned university, but a Federal Government licensed non-profit private university, which does not enjoy any form of funding either from the Federal or state government. It is the peak of mischief for anyone or body to claim that we have increased our tuition fees because of poor funding by government.

    “We are, therefore, demanding for a retraction of this obviously offensive, misleading and malicious publication.”

  • ‘I didn’t issue statement on Lagos council poll’

    The Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has urged the media and the public to disregard a statement purportedly issued by him on the state’s APC primaries.

    He said the statement was a forgery and the figment of the imaginations of its writers.

    Igbokwe said: “I read with utmost consternation, the statement allegedly issued by me, warning candidates for the forthcoming councillorship and chairmanship election in Lagos and whose names have gone to the state’s Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) that they may be changed anytime.

    “I wonder on what premise I could have issued such a horrific statement, given that I am a well-known party man who abides by the party’s rules and regulations. Even as the cowards who hacked that issued that statement did not mention me in their statement, by issuing same in the name of State Publicity Secretary, they inferred that I issued such press statement which is false, deceitful, dangerous and reckless.

    “I wonder why anybody who has any issue with the party’s primaries cannot muster enough courage to state same rather than hide under cowardly masks to issue a false statement and credit same to me. That proves that they are hideous characters who can adopt any foul means to achieve their evil intent. I denounce such tactics as it does not show courageous and faithful party men. I believe that like in any contest, primaries are bound to throw up diverse reactions but I also believe the party has enough in-built mechanisms to tackle these challenges. Why some people will be hiding behind others to manufacture and trade bare lies to achieve their detestable purposes still confounds me…”

  • APC cautions Soludo on statement

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State has cautioned former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Prof Chukwuma Soludo on his statement about the November 18 governorship election in the state.

    The party said it did not expect the don to talk in such a manner.

    Soludo, on Friday, during alecture as part of Governor Willie Obiano’s third year anniversary, said there was no vacancy at the Government House.

    He told those angling for the position to have a rethink, declaring that the people were happy.

    Briefing reporters yesterday in Awka, an APC governorship aspirant, Barth Nwibe, said Soludo should allow the people decide.

    He said Soludo had made mistakes in the past, adding that he was not aware if the statement was part of such mistakes.

    Nwibe said he joined the race to reposition Anambra by bringing wealth back to the people.

    He debunked claims that APC had an anointed candidate.

  • Make a style statement with an ankara skirt

    Make a style statement with an ankara skirt

    As the months roll on and the fashion scene experiences fast changes, the popularity of ankara fabric has refused to go down. No matter the changes in style, taste or pattern, ankara fabrics have maintained their space despite fierce competition from other fabrics.

    Last year, it was more of ankara mixed with other fabrics, but since the second quarter of this year, it has been more of stylishly sown ankara skirt or pants (trousers).

    These days, an event is never completed without this simple but exquisitely designed ankara skirt.

    Savvy designers are experimenting with ankara fabrics to sew all manner of skirts; from the western to the African designs.

    The trend now is to wear your ankara skirt with a “ready-made” top.

  • $2.1 arms scam: Jonathan named in torn statement by Metuh

    $2.1 arms scam: Jonathan named in torn statement by Metuh

    •EFCC tells court PDP chief regretted he revealed too much

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday demonstrated  to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) how the spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, tore the statement he made to investigators, and gave reasons why he attempted to destroy the statement.

    The EFCC, at the commencement of Metuh’s trial before Justice Ishaq Bello, said the PDP chieftain tore the statement on realising that he made reference to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and had implicated himself by admitting that he received money from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

    Metuh is facing a three-count charge of destroying his statement and obstructing investigation.

    The first prosecution witness, Junaid Said, who was led in evidence by prosecution lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, said he took statement from Metuh, who, he said, later tore a sheet of the four-page statement.

    He said: “My Lord, when he concluded writing his statement, which was on four sheets of the EFCC statement form, I collected the statement and read over it, I then handed the statement over to my superiors Musa and Wetkas. When I was handing over the statement, the defendant said he was surprised that he had written that much and that he felt he had given too much information.

    “Because of the comment, I was worried I gave him the statement sheets one after the other for endorsement. He endorsed the first and second sheet, but tore the third sheet. The third sheet was where the defendant (Metuh) disclosed that he received the money for PDP political activities, settled his personal needs and made reference to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “My lord, he suddenly tore the statement sheet into pieces. In great shock and surprise, I stood up I asked him why he did what he did. He said he did that because he was no longer willing to give the information on that statement sheet.

    “I then requested the pieces of the statement, he declined and attempted to put them in his pocket, I then cautioned him and told him to respect himself. He insisted that he was going to dispose the torn sheet.

    “I persuaded him to handover the torn sheet and brought one plain paper to him. He poured the pieces on the plain sheet. My colleagues were there looking at us in surprise as well. He further tore them into pieces, saying only in the movies would they be recovered.

    “I poured the pieces in the commission’s transparent polythene bag as exhibit and made entry of the incident into the EFCC’s incident duty station diary as well as EFCC’s pocket notebook. Later, in the day he requested to make additional statement, which he made, wrote his name and signed but declined to make any other statement on the torn paper.’’

    The EFCC’s incident duty station diary, EFCC’s pocket notebook and pieces of the torn statement were tendered and admitted as exhibits.

    The witness, under cross examination by Metuh’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) admitted not including the issue of the torn sheet in his statement.

    When Ikpeazu requested for the original copy of the statement, Tahir gave him a photocopy of the statement. He said that the defence should had served him with notice to produce the document.

    Justice Bello said it would be difficult to proceed without the original copy of the witness statement.

    “Documents must meet the status as required by the law; there must be a certified copy of your documents. It is a healthy practice to produce the documents in your custody, especially in a criminal trial,’’ the judge said. He adjourned further hearing to March 16.

    Earlier, Metuh was rearraigned on an amended charge, which now includes a third count. Tahir said the third count of “mischief” contravened Section 326 punishable under Section 327 of the Penal Code.

  • Akwa Utd to make statement on head coach soon

    Akwa Utd to make statement on head coach soon

    Akwa United have confirmed to SportingLife that the club would make their position known on the make up of the Promise Keepers’ technical crew ahead of next season where they will be competing in three different competitions.

    The Uyo side captured the 2015 Federation Cup title last month at the expense of Lobi Stars which made them qualify for the 2016 CAF Confederation Cup and they will also compete on the domestic front in the league and Federation Cup.

    Immediately after the team lifted the 2015 Federation Cup crown in Lagos so many things have been said and written about the set up of the team’s technical crew with the Uyo side being linked with several top coaches including Belgian, Maurice Cooreman.

    The incumbent coach of the team, Zachary Baraje only signed a season contract which terminated after the Federation Cup final and nothing has been said whether his contract would be renewed or not.

    The Media Officer of the club, Uwem Ekoh told SportingLife that no decision has been taken regarding the team’s technical crew and that very soon the management would meet to decide on the best options for the club with the team getting more matches to play next year.

    He said the club has not appointed anybody or group of persons and that at the right time a decision would be made in the best interest of the club.