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South Africa has said it would evolve a legal framework with Nigeria to ensure that the Federal Government did not suffer future embarrassment of having its fund for arms procurement seized again .

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has unveiled the necessary guidelines for getting foreign exchange from deposit money banks (DMBs) for the importation of the 41 items on the forex prohibition list. The apex bank said the 41 items, tagged “not valid for foreign exchange”, can be sought from commercial banks, but the CBN must be in the loop on how the bank itself sourced the forex to be sold.

var uid = '119726'; var wid = '243814'; The cost of living is continuing to soar in Nigeria. Inflation in June accelerated to 16.5%, the highest rate in almost 11 years. A recent hike in fuel costs, after the end of decades of subsidies, and continuing restrictions on foreign exchange have affected Nigerians across the board. It's not just imports that are going up, the costs of local produce has been on the rise too. Nigeria is one of Africa's main oil producers and the global fall in crude prices has hit the economy hard. Hauwa Mustafa is an economist and head of research at the Nigeria Labour Congress, and talked to the BBC's Susannah Streeter about the impact of high inflation on ordinary Nigerians.

The Court of Appeal on Monday in Abuja adjourned until October 6 to hear an appeal filed by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, challenging his criminal trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Justice Abdul Aboki leading four other Justices of the Court, gave the date at the instance of counsel to the parties. Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN) and Mr Rotimi Jacob (SAN) represented Saraki and the Federal Government respectively. At the resume hearing, Agabi had urged the court to adjourn the matter on account of the convenience of the presiding justices.

A Benin High Court on Monday sentenced three people to death by hanging over the murder of a three-year -old girl. The convicts, Betty Stephen, the stepmother, and the two teachers- Johnson Ogbeide and Nancy Aiwuyor, committed the offence on February 24, 2009, at Erhiborhibo village, Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo. The judge, Justice Geraldine Imadegbelo, in his judgment said that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. She said that the prosecution proved that the stepmother, gave the three-year -old girl to Ogbeide, who in turn handed over the baby to his colleague, Aiwuyor, to be sold for ritual purposes.

Arase says he didn’t steal 24 police vehicles before his retirement – He says all vehicles bought by the police under him were distributed to the state commands and other appropriate units of the force – He criticizes his successor Ibrahim Idris for taking the matter to the media Former Inspector of Police, Solomon Arase, has denied reports that he took 24 vehicles before his retirement. Arase who is in London for his son’s graduation, said in a statement on Monday, July 18, that all vehicles bought by the police under him were distributed to the state commands and other appropriate units of the force. Solomon Arase, former IGP According to him, every information needed by his successor on vehicles bought by the police were in his handover notes.

The Game The rappers called on fans not bring weapons or act violently as they rallied. Rappers The Game and Snoop Dogg invited fans to hit the streets of Los Angeles on Sunday morning (17Jul16) to lead another peace rally with members of rival gangs the Bloods and Crips. The hip-hop stars have become leading voices in the fight for social justice, particularly after the deaths of African-Americans Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, who were both fatally shot by police in separate incidents earlier this month (Jul16). They have also called on fellow activists to protest peacefully, after five cops were targetted by a sniper in an attack at a Black Lives Matter march in Dallas, Texas on 7 July (16) in the wake of Sterling and Castile's killings.

The Court of Appeal on Monday in Abuja adjourned until October 6 to hear an appeal filed by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, challenging his criminal trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Justice Abdul Aboki leading four other Justices of the Court, gave the date at the instance of counsel to the parties. Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN) and Mr Rotimi Jacob (SAN) represented Saraki and the Federal Government respectively. At the resume hearing, Agabi had urged the court to adjourn the matter on account of the convenience of the presiding justices.

Militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, has once again attacked a crude oil trunkline belonging to the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria in Batan, Warri South West Council Area of Delta State. It was gathered that the militants blew up the trunkline at 12:05am on Monday. The fresh attack happened around Camp Three, few kilometres away from the spot where the militants had attacked oil installations early this month. It took soldiers over five hours to locate the spot of the incident and confirm the attack.

Yakubu Dogara The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, said on Monday that President Muhammadu Buhari has not sent the Petroleum Industry Bill to the National Assembly. He explained that there was the urgent need to make the clarification because of insinuation in the public that the President sent a PIB to the legislature but that lawmakers were not treating it. Dogara spoke in Abuja at a stakeholders forum on the reform of the petroleum industry. The speaker said the House started mounting pressure on the executive early in a bid to avoid the pitfalls of the past where the PIB was forwarded late as if it was planned to fail. Dogara said amid the silence from the executive, the House opted to work on its own PIB, using two private member bills.

Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari met with some ex- leaders of the National Assembly on Monday. Those sighted include former Senate Presidents, David Mark and Ken Nnamani, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang. While Nnamani and Masari arrived the same time, Mark arrived the President’s office together with Enang about one hour later. It is still unclear if all of them met the President together, as Nnamani and Masari were said to have been driven out from the President’s office in a vehicle, the Nation reports.

Former factional Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Oyo State branch, Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi (aka Auxiliary), and four others have been sentenced to six years in prison. Others jailed with him include Saheed Kareem, Taiwo Tijani, Abu Kareem and Kazeem Kayode. The five of them had been facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, murder and attempted murder at the Oyo State High Court for the June 4, 2011 fracas at a motor park in Iwo Road, Ibadan, which claimed lives of some innocent persons including a final year Medical student, Adekunle Oladipupo.

Gov. Ayodele Fayose Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has faulted the arms procurement probe by President Muhammadu Buhari, claiming that Buhari’s probe was one-sided. He stated that claim by the federal government that the probe panel only looked into procurement and contracts awarded by the military between 2011-2015 because documents regarding procurement from 2007 to 2010 were not available was a sign that the probe was one-side. This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, He said: “it is now obvious to the entire world that anyone that is in President Buhari’s good books can never be adjudged as corrupt even if such a person is caught looting the entire money in Nigeria’s treasury.”

The Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius Okojie, has disclosed that some Nigerian students studying in foreign countries are seeking transfer to Nigerian universities. Okojie, who spoke during an interactive session with newsmen at the weekend, in Abuja, said some parents and students had also realised that some universities abroad which their children were attending were substandard and that in some cases, they offered unapproved programmes. He added that the request to transfer home was further heightened by the scarcity of the foreign exchange. His words: “It is not only the cost of school fees alone, but also the quality of the programmes. Some of these courses are not approved. And some of them know that the institutions they are attending are not approved.

One of the Army Generals recently retired by the Army Council, Major-General Nwokoro Ijioma, has dragged the Nigerian Army, Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Army Staff to the National Industrial Court over his purported compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Army. In an originating summons filed by Chief Mike Ozekhome on his behalf, Major-General Ijioma wants the court to declare his purported compulsory retirement from the services of the Nigerian Army, illegal. The letter dated 9th June, 2016, entitled, “Compulsory retirement NA Officer Major General Ijioma Nwokoro Ijioma (N/8304)”, said pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 09.02c(4) of the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers of the Armed Forces (HTACOS) 2012 Revised, it did not follow due process and is consequently illegal, invalid, wrongful, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever”.

  The Rivers State Government says some criminals have started making efforts to key into the amnesty programme offer by the state governor, Nyesom Wike. Speaking when he appeared on a radio programme monitored in Port Harcourt, the State Commissioner for information and communication, Austin Tam-Gorge said the special adviser to the governor on Amnesty had been receiving calls from those he described as hardened criminals who had promised to lay down their arms and embrace the amnesty offer. The commissioner also disclosed that a rehabilitation scheme will be made available for the repentant criminals to integrate them into the society.

  Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has disclosed details of his discreet meeting with the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). Dalung said he traveled to Oporoza in Gbaramatu kingdom in Delta State last Wednesday for a face to face chat with the agitators as part of the federal government’s commitment to ending bombing of oil installations in the region. Dalung told newsmen at the end of a stakeholders’ meeting of the Southern senatorial zone of Plateau State, that he took a two-hour journey to the creeks via the sea. He said: “As youth minister, I know that the Avengers are mostly youths who have potentials to be great citizens of this country.”

The South-East and South-South lawmakers have called on the Federal Government to review the ownership structure of oil wells in the country to allow for at least, 65 per cent ownership by the people of the Niger Delta region. The South- South and South-East states Houses of Assembly stated this when they rose from their inaugural joint session at the weekend in Owerri, Imo state. The joint session had in attendance speakers and deputy speakers of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu and Imo states. They held that contrary to the present ownership structure where less than 10 percent of the oil blocks are owned by their people, the South-East and South-South people should possess at least 65 percent of the oil wells.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump answers a question during an interview in Virginia Beach on July 11. (Steve Helber/AP)   As he has prepared to be named the Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump has not read any biographies of presidents. He said he would like to someday. He has no time to read, he said: “I never have. I’m always busy doing a lot. Now I’m more busy, I guess, than ever before.” Trump’s desk is piled high with magazines, nearly all of them with himself on their covers, and each morning, he reviews a pile of printouts of news articles about himself that his secretary delivers to his desk. But there are no shelves of books in his office, no computer on his desk.

Manchester United Boss Jose Mourinho’s house was recently burgled by an unidentified person in his £25million London house. Gabor Roman was jailed for four weeks by Westminster magistrates on Tuesday after admitting attempted burglary. Roman tried to break into the house through the basement while the former Chelsea Manager was watching the Euro 2016 final match between Portugal and France. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Mourinho's house Bulgar rounded up by Police officers outside Mourinho’s house The maid spotted the 25-year-old and screamed for help but a security guard who had been tracking him caught up with him and got him arrested.

Okupe also added that he received N10m monthly from Dasuki to pay salaries and run a program on the Nigerian Televison Authority (NTA).    Doyin Okupe (Punch)  Doyin Okupe, a former aide of ex President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that Jonathan instructed the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki to give him N100m. Okupe also added that he received N10m monthly from Dasuki to pay salaries and run a program on the Nigerian Televison Authority (NTA). The EFCC grilled Okupe following revelations from their investigations, that he got N162m from Dasuki, but was later allowed to go home on health grounds.

Anita Ifeoma Isedeh aka Omalicha is an on air personality (OAP) of Rhythm FM 93.7 in Lagos. She got engaged to long time boyfriend Alex Hughes (aka DJ X-EL) in December, 2015 and over the weekend, they had their white wedding. Anita was dressed in a gorgeous off-shoulder lace dress by Purple Lagos. Her make up was done by Stella’s Addiction (who also beat her face at her traditional wedding) and her hair was in braids and an updo. Alex was handsome in his grey suit and black velvet tie. Their photographer was Tièm Okóri who also took their pre-wedding shoot and traditional wedding pictures. See more pictures below:

He was said to have also disclosed that Obanikoro's men loaded about eight big green tarpaulin bags onto the plane. Musiiliu Obanikoro Punch Captain Ahmed Borodo, the pilot hired by a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, to transport the sum of N1.219 billion to Governor Ayodele Fayose has reportedly been grilled by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The money is believed to be part of the N4.7 billion transferred from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser to the bank account of Sylvan McNamara, a company allegedly owned by Babajide and Gbolahan Obanikoro, the ex-minister's two sons. Borodo, according to Punch, confessed to the EFCC during interrogation last week that he flew Obanikoro on June 17, 2014 from Lagos to Akure on an HS-125 aircraft.

The late chief Bola Ige. Oyo state governor between 1979 and 1983 and one time minister of power as well as ttorney-general of the federation between 1999 and 2001 President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, July 17 ordered the acting Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris to commence fresh investigations into the unresolved murder case of one-time Attorney-General of the Federation and justice minister Chief Bola Ige as well former deputy national chairman of the South-south geopolitical zone of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Aminosari Dokubo and fish out the masterminds of the heinous acts. The death of the two eminent men resulted into national outrage outcry as Nigerians then called on the administration of ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo to fish out the murderers who have still not been found. It should be recalled that Bola Ige, a former Oyo state governor was shot dead in his bedroom in Bodija area of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital around 9pm on December 23, 2001 after he ...

Manchester United star Juan Mata says fans shouldn’t listen to what social media and media says regarding his future at the club. Juan Mata would not be going for Euro 2016 Speaking to a fan while stopped in a car with teammate Ander Herrera, the Spaniard said: “Don’t believe everything that social media and media says.” However, when asked if he’s definitely staying, the 28-year-old only laughed and refused to answer.

  Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), says he would arrest president Jacob Zuma if his party was elected into power, the SABC reported. Speaking at the University of Venda in Limpopo on Sunday, Malema said that because Zuma had agreed to repay a portion of the money for non-security upgrades to his Nkandla homestead, it is an admission of guilt to corruption. Malema said that the next step for the EFF would be to force law enforcement agencies to arrest the president. “After he pays, we will then take him to Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Pretoria. He will stay with Oscar Pistorius and after that we will convert Nkandla into a college education so that our children can receive education from there because it was built out of our money, so we can do anything we want with it.”

Football legend Pele is expected in Nigeria for a historic visit in August 2016 as part of events planned by the Winihin Jemide Series and Youth Experience Days Africa. Pele The three-time World Cup winner will headline a youth football tournament that will take place at the Astro-Turf in Ikoyi as well as a leadership meeting with Corporate Nigeria, Goal.com reports. The WJS/YEDA Legend Edition 2016 is a 2-day event (11th -12th August, 2016) focused on youth development and empowerment through a once-in-a-lifetime inspiring experience with Pele. The event will include a sports clinic (legend tournament), a gala night with the legend, other African football legends and an auction of Pele memorabilia at the gala night with proceeds from the auction expected to be donated to an eligible local youth football academy.

Gugu Zungu, Letshego Zulu (Photo: Instagram) Cape Town - South African race car driver, Gugu Zulu, has died while attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on Sunday, eNCA reported . Gugu reportedly experienced breathing problems on Sunday and was rushed to hospital. On Saturday he wrote on Instagram: "Am having flu like symptoms and struggling with the mountain but taking it step by step. (sic)"

Former acting chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to subdue the opposition. Lamenting the arrest and prosecution of members of the PDP in the past year, Secondus told The Punch that Buhari’s aim is to “kill” PDP. “There is absolute absence of the rule of law in the pursuit of this anti-corruption crusade,” he said. “We in the PDP are in total support of the anti-corruption fight but we believe that due process and the rule of law are not being followed. “We are not in a garrison command structure, a person can be invited or arrested if he resists but the rule of law must be followed.

A man nabbed for sodomising male children in Enugu State says the devil pushed him into the act. But for the intervention of operatives from the Central Police Station of the Enugu State Command, two men caught in the act of having homosexual sex with young boys, Odinaka Orji, 32, and 22-year-old Nonso Ejimeme, would have been dead by now after the angry mob was bent on lynching them. According to Vanguard, the two were severely beaten, stripped naked and would have been burnt if not for the police that arrived at the scene and whisked them away into the safety of their custody.

     SoftBank Group Corp ( 9984.T ) has agreed to buy UK chip designer ARM Holdings PLC ( ARM.L ) in a 24.3 billion pound ($32.2 billion) deal, the two companies said on Monday, in an ambitious bet on mobile internet that will transform the Japanese tech group.

July 17, 2016: This undated photo provided by Trenisha Jackson shows her husband, Baton Rouge Police Officer Montrell Jackson, one of the three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers who were killed. (Courtesy of Trenisha Jackson via AP) Just days before he was shot and killed Sunday morning, a Baton Rouge police officer posted an emotional Facebook message saying

Hip-hop stars Will.i.am and Lil Boosie have conflicting views regarding the recent police shootings. Boosie, born Torrence Hatch, weighed in on the Baton Rogue shooting Sunday that left three police officers dead. “It’s a lot of anger down there, a lot of people are angry down there. Everybody I’m talking to when I call home they mad,”

Kim Kardashian has shocked fans by sharing a recording of the phone call between Taylor Swift and Kanye West which seemingly proves the songstress approved his lyrics about her. Kim, 35, shared several videos on her Snapchat account on Sunday showing the rapper talking to Taylor, 26, on speakerphone about his controversial Famous track.

Inyama said: “The deal was completed today (Sunday) with both clubs and player agreeing on the terms of the contract Abia Warriors have disclosed that CHAN 2016 sensation, Chisom Chikatara, has completed his move to Wydad Casablanca. The striker, according to Abia Warriors Chairman, Emeka Inyama, put pen to papers for the Moroccan club on Sunday.

Festus Adegboye Onigbinde African Cup of Nations’ 1984 silver medal-winning coach, Chief Festus Adegboye Onigbinde, has described the current ranking of Nigeria’s Super Eagles on the just-released FIFA log as a case of “getting what we deserve.” Onigbinde, a member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)’s technical committee, said that the refusal of the nation’s football administrator to factor in the developmental aspect of the game led to the current ranking and could see the nation crash to more embarrassing depths and out of global reckoning in the game in no time.

Paul Le Guen The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will today name Frenchman Paul Le Guen as the Head Coach of the country’s senior national football team, the Super Eagles. A dependable source close to the Federation told Daily Trust that the former coach of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon has been picked ahead of Nigeria’s Salisu Yusuf and Belgian Tom Saintfiet by the recruitment panel based on his credentials and track record.

NIGERIAN Army yesterday said its troops in training exercise code named “Exercise Harbin Kunama”, to mark the 2016 NADCEL, on patrol of the forests in Zamfara State, killed 11 armed bandits and cattle rustlers. Army This came as a patrol team of 157 Task Force Battalion, 7 Brigade, killed a Boko Haram terrorists spy at Barwati village, Kukawa Local Government Area. A statement from Army headquarters said:

 NASD OTC Plc, the over-the-counter securities exchange that facilitates secondary market transaction in unlisted securities in Nigeria, has entered into agreement with the League Management Company, LMC, to repackage Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, clubs and make them commercially viable for listing on the NASD platform. Following the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed in Lagos by both parties, football clubs that meet the listing requirements and corporate governance structure of the NASD will have their shares listed on the platform and traded by interested investors.

NLC, PDP condemn Turkish coup attempt 290 dead, 6,000 held President Muhammadu Buhari has joined other world leaders to condemn the aborted coup in Turkey. He said the toppling of a government through a coup was no longer acceptable. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) also condemned the plot.

A pilot has told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) how he flew a former Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro, with N1.299 billion cash for Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose. Capt. Ahmed Bashir Borodo said the cash was wrapped with green military tarpaulin bags before it was loaded onto the chartered aircraft registered HS125-800 5N-BMT, owned by Gyro Air Limited.

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele Rising bad loans due to the slow growth in the economy will drag a good number of Nigerian banks to record low profits when their financial results for the second quarter are released any time from now, findings have shown. As a result, 13 out of the 15 banks whose shares are quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange may post a combine decline of 15 per cent in their second quarter financial reports, according to top bank executives familiar with the situation.

 Acting Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, yesterday said investigations  into the disappearance of many vehicles parked at Force Headquarters a week to his appointment had commenced. Idris, who disclosed this at an interaction with some reporters in Abuja, alleged that from  preliminary investigations, the former IGP, Solomon  Arase (retd) alone took 24 vehicles, while some of the retired Deputy Inspector-Generals of Police (DIG) also went away with quite many.

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the compulsory retirements of two judges, Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, and Justice Olamide Oloyede of Osun State High Court. The NJC, in a statement signed by the Council’s Acting Director of Information, Mr Soji Oye, said the judges were found guilty of professional misconduct at the 77th meeting of the council held on July 15

China says it is closing off a part of the South China Sea for military exercises this week, days after the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against Beijing's claim to ownership of virtually the entire strategic waterway.