In the first week of the year, there was a drama on social media about an aggrieved bride who called out a Nigerian designer, Maryam Elisha of RikatoByMe, for giving out her wedding reception dress to actress Mercy Aigbe for her 40th birthday photoshoot.

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III and Gov. Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State have advocated the creation of State Police in the country to tackle insurgency.

The duo spoke in Sokoto on Sunday, when the Sultan paid the traditional Sallah homage to the governor.

According to Abubakar III, state governments were already spending huge sums of money to provide vehicles and security gadgets among others, to enhance the operational capabilities of security agencies in the country.

“Most state governments, if not all, provide one form of assistance or the other to security agencies; they build or renovate offices for them.

“The time for the creation of state police is now”, the sultan said, adding that the creation of state police would help in addressing current security challenges in parts of the nation.

In his response, Wamakko said state police, when created, would assist in reducing difficulty currently faced by policemen often deployed to states other than theirs.

“State governments have continued to suffer so much as a result of security challenge, the security of lives and property will be enhanced if state police is created”, Wamakko said.

" data-medium-file="" data-large-file="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-246973 td-animation-stack-type0-1" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.yabaleftonline.ng/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/26151404_769291103259998_63260435863830528_n.jpg?resize=640%2C767" alt="" width="640" height="767" />

Although it was reported that all the parties involved, later apologized and resolved the issue amicably, it turns out we just might not have heard the last from the Red dress Brouhaha, because the said bride has taken legal action against the fashion designer and is demanding compensation

See Legal Papers below;

The immediate past Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Andrew Yakubu, has urged the people of Southern Kaduna to rally round President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the 2015 general elections.

The ex-NNPC boss also dismissed speculations that he was nurturing a political ambition in 2015.

Yakubu stated these at a grand civic reception and thanksgiving service in his honour in his village, Angwan Wakili by the Atyap Traditional Council of Zangon Kataf local government area of Kaduna State.

He said having worked for President Jonathan, he is convinced that he means well for Nigeria with deep patriotism and determination to serve the country.

He further said that throughout his tenure as head of the state-owned oil corporation, he enjoyed working with President Jonathan, who he said gave him every opportunity and support to discharge his responsibilities to the best of his ability.

Yakubu said: “It must be noted that I enjoyed working with Mr President throughout my time as GMD of the NNPC and that enabled me to discharge my responsibilities to the best of my ability. That ultimately, is my greatest joy, my reward and satisfaction above all else.

“Having worked with the president, I have no doubt in my mind that he means well for the country. Therefore, I urge us all to give him our support in his bid for a second term”, he said.

He said he faced enormous challenges during his tenure at the helm of affairs at the NNPC, particularly the politics, sleepless nights and pressure.

“This is no time to tell the story of my time as GMD – the enormous challenges, the politics, the sleepless nights, the pressure, the successes, achievements and prospects.

“I stand here neither to itemise my achievements or challenges nor rate my performances as I cannot be my own judge. The best I can say is that I went, I saw, I did my best and left the rest to time, posterity and God, who rewards every man or woman according to their work.

“I wish to use this opportunity to state clearly that I have no political ambition whatsoever at this time at the state or federal level; and the allegations that I am sponsoring persons or groups of persons in pursuit of their political ambitions are untrue”, he said.

“However as a Nigerian with full franchise, I have the right to support any candidate of my choice”, he added.

The former GMD of NNPC commended the Atyap community, especially the Angwan Atyap, Dr. Harrison Bungon for welcoming him back home.

Recall that Mr. Yakubu was relieved by President Jonathan of his position as head of one of the country’s most powerful institutions and the source of about 80 per cent of government revenues on August 1, 2014 amid speculations that he did not see eyeball-to-eyeball with the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke on how best to run the NNPC.

" data-medium-file="" data-large-file="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-246962 td-animation-stack-type0-1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.yabaleftonline.ng/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/mercy-aigbe.jpg?resize=492%2C592" alt="" width="492" height="592" />

The poor leadership command provided by President Goodluck Jonathan and the politicisation of the Nigerian Army have been identified as some of the reasons responsible for the inability to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency.

A Kaduna-based retired army officer, Capt. Abdulhakeem Adegoke Alawuje, spoke while fielding questions from reporters in Kaduna at the weekend.

Capt. Alawuje, who served in the 29 Motorised Infantry Battalion of the Nigerian Army, said he participated in peacekeeping and during such assignments, the army never failed to crush insurgents.

Said he: “If there is anything worse than poor command, I will use such word. There is no effective command and no sincerity from the commanders. These are the two things I see. There is no sincerity in the command and it is very poor.

“When you look at the Army of yesteryear compared to that of today, it is still the same Army. But in the past there was no serious politics. When you look it at it now, it is different. When there is politics in the Army, definitely it will be very difficult for it to deliver. This is the problem we are facing.

“The chief security officer of the country is Mr. President. He is the one everyone will cry to in a time as this. But in a situation whereby the President is politicising security matters, there will be a serious problem. I am speaking from experience.

“This Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast has been ravaging the country for almost five years. With my own experience, I don’t believe this thing is just happening. I don’t want to believe that. I want to believe that some people, even in the government, are involved in this thing. If not, the Nigerian Army, which has been in every part of the world to keep the peace, would have crushed the insurgency.

“I thank God, I was part of the operation in Sierra Leone. I was involved in that operation. We know the order with which we left Nigeria. We know how we penetrated Sierra-Leone and we know how we dealt with the rebels there.

“But, to my greatest surprise, we are facing the same problem in our country. It is still the same here. I know the competence of the Army. I know what they can do. But in this situation, they find it difficult to solve the problem. Nigerians should unite. They should forget about their religious and ethnic differences. We should ask President Jonathan what he has been doing.

“I discussed with a friend recently and he said the President has been doing his best. But, I said, if he has actually done his best, then it means his best has not yielded any positive result, he should re-strategise. The President said he knows those behind Boko Haram. Nigerians have failed to ask him to bring those behind the insurgency to book.

“Let us ask them what they want. What are they up to? Nigerians have refused to do that and Mr. President has refused to bring them to book. They keep killing innocent people. If we keep quiet, the situation will worsen”.

" data-medium-file="" data-large-file="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-246963 td-animation-stack-type0-1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.yabaleftonline.ng/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/mercy-aigbe1.jpg?resize=492%2C592" alt="" width="492" height="592" />

The Minister of National Planning and Deputy Chairman, National Planning Commission, NPC, Dr. Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman, yesterday, advised politicians in Kwara State against rigging in the 2015 general election, warning that anyone caught engaging in electoral fraud, no matter how highly placed, would be arrested and prosecuted.

The minister made this known at a reception organized in his honour by the 1984 set of his alma mater, Community Secondary School, Ballah, in Asa Local Government of the state.

Addressing residents and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the area, Sulaiman said: “Unfolding events in Kwara of today has shown that the people are ready for change, and Inshallah (God willing), that change must come.

“Anybody, no matter how highly placed that attempts to stop that change by attempting to rig next year’s election, will be jailed. There is imminent danger starring us in the face in Kwara. We need to act fast and stem the spate of thuggery and unemployment among our youths, who just eulogise a ‘leader’ who has not done anything to change their lives”.

" data-medium-file="" data-large-file="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-246964 td-animation-stack-type0-1" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.yabaleftonline.ng/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/mercy-aigbe12.jpg?resize=492%2C626" alt="" width="492" height="626" />

One of the leading governorship aspirants on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for Oyo State and former Minister of Sports and Special Duties, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, has vowed not to give up until he becomes the governor of Oyo State.

He said this at the weekend when speaking with reporters in Ibadan.

The ex-minister, who had been a governorship candidate twice in 1998 and 2007, said he would not relent until he becomes governor of the South-West State.

“Life is such that you don’t give up”, he said.

Adedoja boasted that of all the aspirants, he has the best shot at the government house because of his political experience.

Dismissing the rallies organised by some of his co-contestants as unnecessary, he hinted that until the party picked its candidate for the election, it was needless to be going about organising rallies.

“You can only seek for people’s votes after you have become the party’s candidate. Since I have declared my interest, I have not gone anywhere to campaign. I am a popular politician who is known by all. What I need to do is just to renew my relationship with them”, he said.

The ex-minister boasted that if the party chose him, it could be rest assured of nothing short of victory, adding that he was grossly under-utilised in the state, going by his antecedents and political record.

" data-medium-file="" data-large-file="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-246961 td-animation-stack-type0-1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.yabaleftonline.ng/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/mercy-ai.jpg?resize=493%2C646" alt="" width="493" height="646" />

Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has dashed the hopes of families of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls saying many of them may never be reunited with their families.

Obasanjo, who made this known in an interview with the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday, said that many of the girls may also give birth to children of the Boko Haram insurgents, thereby confirming fears that the teenage girls maybe victims of forced marriages or even s*xual abuse in the hands of their captors.

He also said that the insurgents may have separated the girls and not kept them in the same place, pointing out that even though he had a way of communicating with them, he has not been given the green light by government to speak with them.

The former president said that succeeding generations would continue to remember the girls who were abducted from their hostel in April by the Boko Haram insurgents who have held them captive since then.

Chief Obasanjo said that only some of the girls, who would later get pregnant and find it difficult to cater for the babies while being held captive, might be released by the group.

“I believe that some of them will never return.  We will still be hearing about them many years from now, some will  give birth to children of the Boko Haram members, but if they cannot take care of them in the forest, they may release them”, he said.

" data-medium-file="" data-large-file="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-246960 td-animation-stack-type0-1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.yabaleftonline.ng/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/mercttt.jpg?resize=472%2C540" alt="" width="472" height="540" />

Let's block ads! (Why?)