Nedu Echianu's Blog

Everyone wants to have a flat stomach, it seems to be in the rave these days, but aside from the fashion appeal of a flat abdomen, there are also health implications; abdominal fat can increase a person's risks of getting heart attacks, hypertension and even diabetes, there are some other conditions like metabolic syndrome that I won't bore you with. Not all foods are equal, same way not all currencies are equal, some have more value than others, the same way when it comes to food, some are denser than others when it comes to calories. One gram of cake does not have the same caloric value as one gram of fruits, you also need to know that the energy currency of the body is calories, no matter what you eat, it is saved as calories. The body does not understand waste, so everything you eat is stored, and one way the body saves energy is fat, one place, the abdomen. Here is a list of foods you should avoid if you want to keep your belly flat because of their high calori

Unai Emery has been sacked as Arsenal manager after 18 months in charge. The Spaniard, who previously led Paris St-Germain to the French league title and won three Europa Leagues with Sevilla, was appointed Gunners boss in May 2018, succeeding Arsene Wenger. He has been replaced on a temporary basis by assistant and former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg. Arsenal said the decision had been "taken due to results and performances not being at the level required". The Gunners have not won in seven games and lost 2-1 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on Thursday. It is their worst competitive run without a victory since February 1992, which was eight games under George Graham. They are without a Premier League victory since 6 October and eight points off the top four. Ljungberg took training on Friday and the Arsenal statement added: "We have full confidence in Freddie to take us forward. "The search for a new head coach is unde

The Federal Government will on Thursday confer the National Productivity Order of Merit Award on Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote; chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, and the Chairman of Channels TV, John Momoh among others.   The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday. Ngige said that 25 individuals and 7 organisations were drawn from all sectors of the economy to be conferred with the National Productivity Order of Merit Award (NPOM).  He noted that the award has created desired competitive spirit among government officials at the Federal, State, Local government levels and the private sector who constantly strive to improve productivity.    The awardees also include Prof Ishaq Oloyede, Chief Richard Onwuka Egbule, Deputy Corps Marshal Ojeme Ewhrudjakpor, Aishatu Abubakar, Hajia Vivian Idama, Georgina Ekpeoma Ehuriah, Prof Hussaini Doko Ibrahim, Abubakar Mamu, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), Ahm

*...Calls on Police IG to arrest, prosecute killers of PDP women leader* *...Holds a minute silence in honour of PDP women leader* The Senate on Tuesday unanimously condemned electoral violence, particularly killings in the Kogi and Bayelsa states' elections, following consideration of two motions during plenary. The upper legislative chamber, while calling on the Inspector-General of Police to arrest and prosecute the killers of the Women Leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State, Mrs. Salome Abu, held a minute silence in honour of the deceased. In one of the motions titled “Curbing Electoral Violence”, its sponsor, Senator George Thompson Sekibo (PDP, Rivers East), quoting the National Human Rights Commission said about 58 people were killed in 61 incidents of election violence across 22 states in the country between January and February, 2015. He observed that political thuggery increased in 2019 compared to previous elections, adding that privile

The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23, 2019 poll, Atiku Abubakar, has returned to Nigeria after spending about seven months in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Credible sources close to Atiku confirmed to Daily Trust newspaper that Atiku returned in the early hours of Monday.  Atiku, a former Vice President, who jetted out of the country since April, remained in the UAE over alleged plot by the current government “to give him the Abiola kind of treatment.” 

A warrant of arrest has been issued against Allen Onyema of Air Peace Limited for alleged money laundering and bank fraud in the United States, court documents seen online newspaper, Premium Times shows. The warrant was signed by Justin Anand, an American magistrate of the United States District Court of the Northern District of Georgia, on November 19. The warrant authorised U.S. Marshals Service to take Mr Onyema into custody. The current whereabout of Mr Onyema could not be immediately ascertained, but reports say he was seen at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on Thursday. The U.S. and Nigeria have a mutual legal assistance policy that allows both countries to extradite suspects facing criminal charges. Several Nigerians have been sent to the U.S. to stand trial for alleged fraud. In August, Temitayo Fatunmbi was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of $8.3 million fraud. His conviction in the U.S. followed his extradition from Nigeria. The Economic

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Thursday said the Senate is yet to receive any formal request from President Muhammadu Buhari for confirmation of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu. Lawan made the disclosure when a delegation of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption paid a courtesy visit to his office at the National Assembly, Abuja. Chairman of the Presidential Committee and leader of the delegation, Prof. Itse Sagay, in his address, craved the cooperation of the upper chamber in ensuring the confirmation of the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, as well as the consideration of several Anti-corruption Bills introduced under the Eight National Assembly. Sagay also informed the Senate leadership present at the meeting that the Committee had severally received complaints that members of the National Assembly, particularly Chairmen of Committees, solicit monetary compensation for undertaking oversight

The Senate on Thursday passed President Muhammadu Buhari’s Finance Bill, 2019, which seeks an amendment of Nigeria’s tax laws. The passage of the Bill was sequel to the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Finance. In his presentation of the report, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, said the Bill specifically seeks to amend Nigeria’s tax provisions and make them more responsive to the tax policies of the Federal Government, among other things. He added that the amendment and passage of the Finance Bill would enhance the implementation and effectiveness of government’s tax policies. According to Adeola, the initiative to reform the tax system and the proposed modifications to the fiscal rules around taxation are clearly aimed at creating an enabling business environment aimed at minimizing the tax burden for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The Acts amended in the Finance Bill are: Companies Income Tax Act, Cap C21 2004 (as

Senator Dino Melaye, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Kogi West Senatorial poll, has called for total cancellation of the Nov. 16 election. Melaye disclosed this while submitting a petition at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquartres in Abuja over the election on Wednesday. The petition addressed to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, was received by INEC National Commissioner, Mr Festus Okoye and the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony. Melaye said he had also copied INEC National Commissioner supervising Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa. He said that attached to the petition were 21 video CDs and documentary evidence to prove that there was no election in Kogi West on Nov. 16. “The object of my petition is that I am demanding for the entire cancellation of the election. “The demand is based on electoral malpractices, violence, ballot boxes stocking, the use of helicopters to intimidate voters among other electoral crime committed on

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the Senate, on Wednesday, rejected the Bayelsa and Kogi Governorship election results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The senators, led by the Minority Leader of the Senate, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, made the rejection at a news conference in Abuja. INEC had declared the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), David Lyon and Yahaya Bello winners of the gubernatorial elections. “We want to call the attention of Nigerians. We are very disturbed by the elections that were held last weekend in Bayelsa and Kogi. “We totally reject the pronouncements after the elections by INEC and we are worried about the trend of what happened during the election. “We know that the results that were announced were not a true reflection of what happened in the field. “We are much more concerned about the fact that it seems that all the gains made by the PDP in all the period of democracy starting in 1999 seem to have

Efforts by the National Assembly to get a new electoral legal framework for Nigeria ahead of the 2023 General Election received a major boost on Wednesday as the Electoral Act Amendment Bill passed Second Reading in the Senate. The bill titled: “A bill for an Act to amend the Electoral Act No. 6 2010 and for other related matters, 2019 (SB. 122)" is sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta Central) and co-sponsored by Senator Abubakar Kyari (APC, Borno North).   Recall that the proposed legislation was read for the first time on the floor of the upper legislative chamber on October 29, 2019. The bill seeks to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accommodate new technologies in the accreditation of voters during elections, reduction of nomination fees charged by political parties as well as granting party agents the right to inspect original electoral materials before the commencement of polls. Other highlig

The Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has called on the federal government to dedicate more funding to agricultural education as a means to improved job creation, food security and specialized training for the country's teeming population. Okorocha stated this while lending his support to a bill seeking to establish the Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Funtua in Katsina State. The bill which was sponsored by Senator Mandiya Bello seeks to establish a university of Agriculture and Technology in Funtua, Katsina State, as a way to professionalise agriculture and as well equip Nigeria's undergraduates with the technological know-how, thereby empowering them with the right skills in agriculture and technology. Senator Okorocha who is renowned for his passion for educational and economic empowerment of Nigerians from across tribes and languages argued that the bill is a step in the right direction as it would go a long

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr Seriake Dickson, has said leaders of the All Progressives Congress are using the image of former President Goodluck Jonathan to give legitimacy to the alleged electoral fraud the party committed during the just-concluded governorship election in the state. Dickson, who stated this during a press conference in Yenagoa on Tuesday, said the move was a strategy designed by the APC leaders to justify the irregularities and the takeover of Bayelsa “by force.” Some APC leaders, including the governor-elect, David Lyon; Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru; Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu; and the Minister of State for Petroleum  Resources, Timipreye Sylva, had visited Jonathan after the APC defeated the PDP in the Bayelsa governorship election. But Dickson said the APC leaders were aware that Jonathan did not contribute to their manipulation of the electoral process to gain the upper hand against the PDP. The governor said, “That’s why they had

Jose Mourinho has been appointed Tottenham manager, succeeding Mauricio Pochettino who was sacked on Tuesday. Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho has signed a contract until the end of the 2022-23 season. "The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me," said the 56-year-old Portuguese. "Working with these players is what has attracted me." Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said: "In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football." Tottenham reached the Champions League final last season under Pochettino but lost to Liverpool in Madrid. The Argentine, who was appointed in May 2014, failed to win a trophy in his time in charge of the north London club with Spurs' last silverware being the League Cup in 2008. Levy added: "He (Mourinho) has a wealth of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician. "He has won honours at every club he has coached. We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dress

Tottenham have sacked head coach Mauricio Pochettino after five years in charge of the Premier League club. The former Southampton boss, 47, was appointed in May 2014 and led Spurs to the Champions League final last season, where they lost to Liverpool. But the club have made a disappointing start to the current campaign and are 14th in the Premier League. "We were extremely reluctant to make this change," said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. "It is not a decision the board has taken lightly, nor in haste. Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing." BBCSport

...commends Oshiomhole, Bagudu and Sylva for working hard   The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has congratulated the Bayelsa State Governor-Elect, Chief David Lyon on his victory in the November 16 governorship election. Omo-Agege also commended the state and national leadership of the party, particularly the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva; Jigawa State Governor and Chairman of the APC campaign council for the Bayelsa governorship election, Abubakar Badaru and other leaders who contributed immensely to the overwhelming success recorded at the polls. In the final election results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the early hours of Monday, it declared David Lyon of the APC winner of the  gubernatorial poll, having garnered 352,552 votes to defeat his closest rival and candidate of the Peooles Democratic Party, Senator Duoye Diri, who scored 143,172 votes. In a s

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has felicitated with the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello on his reelection in the just-concluded governorship election in the state. According to a statement on Monday signed by Mr Yomi Odunuga, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Deputy President of the Senate, Omo-Agege also applauded the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; Kaduna State Governor and Chairman of the APC Campaign Council in Kogi State, Nasir El-Rufai and other leaders who contributed immensely to the Party's victory in the November 16 exercise. While thanking the people of the state for reelecting the governor for second term, Senator Omo-Agege called on Governor Bello to deliver more dividends of democracy to the electorate by surpassing his first term achievements. "I urge the governor to be magnanimous in victory by carrying all stakeholders in the state along," he said. The lawmaker also tasked contenders not satis

Premium Times quoting sources close to the Presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to arrive in Nigeria late Friday. The president’s flight was said to have taken off from Stansted Airport, London, at about 3:27 p.m. Nigerian time. The online newspaper quoting sources at the presidency said they have been asked to be at the airport by 7:30 p.m. to welcome the president, who is expected to arrive at about 9 p.m. The president has been on a 15–day “private visit” in the United Kingdom since November 2. He was due to return on November 17. On Thursday, a Nigerian diplomatic car believed to have been carrying the president was booed by an angry mob in the UK. Many of the protesters carried placards calling for freedom for the detained publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore. Others condemned the treatment of the leader of the Shiite movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky. “Buhari, Stop Poisoning Sheikh Zakzaky,” one of the placards read. “Omoyele Sowore is not a

The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has granted an ex parte order of injunction restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC from disqualifying the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, David Lyon in the Bayelsa State elections holding on Saturday.  The three-man Appeal Court panel led by Justice A. O. Lokulo-Sodipi also restrained INEC from executing the orders of Federal High court to remove the name and logo of the APC and its governorship candidate, David Lyon, from the governorship race. Justice Lokulo-Sodipi, in a ruling on Friday, held that the panel abides by the decision made by Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, which compelled INEC to maintain status quo from the September 18, 2019, when the matter was instituted, pending the determination of motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.  The Appeal panel, thereafter, ordered that applicants should serve all the respondents notices and other

Governor Nasir el -Rufai of Kaduna State on Thursday knelt before the people of Kogi State, asking them to forgive Governor Yahaya Bello for any wrong he had done. The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, also knelt down next to el - Rufai. However, Bello did not join them in kneeling down. El -Rufai, while addressing a crowd at the All Progressives Congress rally in Lokoja, noted that Bello was young when he became governor and had made many mistakes. The Kaduna governor, however, said Bello had since retraced his steps. He said, “Many people say Yahaya Bello is young; that he has fought many people. For every one that the governor has offended, l’m asking all of you to forgive him. He is young; he is supposed to make mistakes. When you are young, you make mistakes but you learn from them. “On his behalf, I ’m kneeling down, to beg all of you to forgive Yahaya Bello if he has offended you. He cares about the people of Kogi State. He cares about this state. He has brou

The All Progressives Congress APC has rejected the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa which ruled that the party has no candidate in the Bayelsa State governorship election on Saturday. The APC said at a press briefing on Thursday that it would appeal the judgement as its lawyers were already working on the processes to first secure a stay of execution.

The All Progressives Congress has been disqualified from participating in the Bayelsa State governorship election on Saturday. The Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa ruled in a judgment on Thursday that the APC does not have a candidate for the election. Delivering judgment, Justice Jane Inyang, held that the primaries were conducted arbitrarily outside the rules of the party. The suit filed by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri challenged the conduct of the governorship primaries of APC which held on September 4. She held that since the process was conducted in violation of the party’s constitution and guidelines as clearly spelt out for the conduct of governorship primaries, none of the aspirants should be fielded as the party’s candidate. She, therefore, restrained the Independent Electoral Commission from including Lyon as the APC candidate in the governorship election slated for Saturday. Inyang noted that according to the APC guidelines for the conduct of the 2019 gove

The Nigeria Television Authority NTA has been criticised by many for the poor coverage of Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and the Squirrels of Benin Republic. South African cable sports channel Supersport had days back announced that they would be unable to continue broadcasting any Confederation of African Football content following the sudden cancellation of the deal between the continent’s football governing body and French company, Lagadere Sports. The deal worth $1 billion was cancelled according to what CAF termed “breach of contract “. Since then, Supersport has not aired the ongoing U-23 African Cup of Nations in Egypt and also did not air the Super Eagles game; a development which left many to rely on NTA to watch the AFCON qualifying match. However, instead of NTA becoming the beautiful bride, they turned to a laughing stock with the poor quality of pictures, graphics and commentary that greeted Wednesday’s game played at the

There was confusion in Benin, the Edo State capital, on Tuesday, as the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress announced the suspension of its chairman, Anselm Ojezua. Shortly after the announcement, another message emerged from the Government House announcing the removal of the state secretary, Lawrence Okah and the suspension of the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole. It was gathered that the sacking of Ojezua caught the state government unawares, forcing Governor Godwin Obaseki to summon an emergency meeting of party leaders in the state. At the end of the meeting, the ruling party announced the suspension of  Okah and Oshiomhole, having passed a vote of no confidence in them. Earlier in the day, the State Working Committee of the APC had passed a vote of no confidence in Ojezua. Eleven out of the 16-member SWC voted against him during their meeting. Consequently, Col. David Imoise (retd.) was elected to oversee the affairs of the party pending when “allegations