H e a r d n e w s

The remains of late Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki, was interred in Sokoto today., Tuesday, November 15th. Dignitaries from across the country attended the Janaza prayers led by the Chief Imam of the Sultan Bello Mosque, Alhaji Usman Bello. Federal Government's delegation was led by Chief of Staff to the President, Alhaji Abba Kyari. Also in attendance were state governors, Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, among others.

Yinka Adeparusi, an award-winning Nigerian photo-journalist with online publication, Naij.com earlier declared missing, has died. Naij announced in a statement published on its website that Mr. Adeparusi was killed in a motorcycle crash  on Sunday , November 13th. Read their statement after the cut.. "NAIJ.com confirmed that he was involved in a motorcycle accident in Abuja and died on the spot," the statement said. Mr. Adeparusi left his residence in Abuja suburb of Kugbo  on Sunday  afternoon with a message that he will be back. But when he didn’t return, his neighbours and later his colleagues became worried, especially when they couldn’t reach him on the phone. "This was quite unusual because Yinka was a soft-spoken, very professional and clear-headed individual; not the kind of person to wander off," Naij.com said Adeparusi graduated from Lagos State University School of Communication, where he bagged double honours in Photojournalism and Cinematography and m

 Read the press statement below... Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has said that the Federal Government was planning to impose more hardships on Nigerians by increasing Value Added Tax (VAT) from the current five per cent to 10 per cent, describing the move as insensitive to the plight of Nigerians who are suffering from the bad economic policies of the President Mohammadu Buhari led All Progressives Congress (APC) government. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had said on Thursday, in Lagos that the current five per cent VAT rate in the country was very low, and went on to add that the Federal Government would increase the taxpayer base this year. Reacting through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said any increment in VAT or any other tax being paid by Nigerians at this time will further make life unbearable for the people. “Nigerians are suffering and the little that they have, federal government is planning to take b

 *CBN appoints 2 super agents for financial inclusion By Babajide Komolafe The Bankers Committee has said that the scarcity of foreign exchange in the country requires adjustment on the part of every Nigerian. Addressing journalists at the end of the Committee’s meeting in Lagos on Thursday, Managing Director/ Chief Executive, GTBank Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje said that the Committee is of the opinion that foreign exchange situation calls for adjustment on the part of everybody. Naira-Dollar He spoke in company of Director, Banking Supervision Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs Tokunbo Martins, Managing Director/ Chief Executive, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Nwankwo, Managing Director/ Chief Executive, Unity Bank Plc, Mrs Tola Somefun and the Acting Director, Corporate Communication Department, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor. Agbaje said, “The reality on the ground is that we are coming from  $115 per barrel oil price to somewhere around N37 per barrel. We all have to ma

 LEICESTER City’s re­markable surge towards the title shows no signs of slow­ing up after battling to a 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Sunderland at the Stadium of Light yesterday. Jamie Vardy’s second-half brace – the striker’s first league goals since Febru­ary 14, seven matches ago – proved to be the difference between the two teams. Claudio Ranieri’s men have now won their past five league games without conceding, picking up their 14th clean sheet of the cam­paign yesterday. They have lost just three of their 33 league games so far. With five games left, Claudio Ranieri’s unfash­ionable side need a maxi­mum of nine more points – or three wins to become English champions for the first time. Their supporters stayed inside the ground well af­ter the final whistle chant­ing “we’re gonna win the league” and it now seems only an astonishing collapse will stop them from lifting the trophy. Sunderland remain deep in trouble in the relegation zone, though, four points fro

 Samson Folarin The family of Iseoluwa Omomowo, a final year student of Technical College, Ikorodu, Lagos State, who disappeared after withdrawing money from an Automated Teller Machine, has lamented police’s alleged reluctance to track down his abductor. His stepbrother, Dr Omoteyinshe Oluwole, who spoke with PUNCH Metro on Sunday, said one of the victim’s phone numbers that had been unreachable, was now active. He added that a man who picked the call claimed to have Omomowo with him, adding that the man did not allow any of the relatives to speak with him. PUNCH Metro had reported that the 27-year-old Ilaje, Ondo State indigene, lived with Oluwole in the Ebute-Meta area of Lagos State. Our correspondent reported that he had returned home after a vacation from school. He was asked to withdraw money from the ATM penultimate Saturday, but he did not return home. The case was said to have been reported at the Denton Police Division. Oluwole said the family members were

 Afeez Hanafi A 21-year-old suspected robber, Akeem Popoola, says a police inspector attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, uses him to swindle unsuspecting victims. He said he had worked for the policeman, identified as Inspector Festus, aka Ijaya, for about four months before he was arrested. The carpenter, who is currently in custody at the Agbado divison, Ogun State, was arrested for robbery and burglary. A mattress and speakers of a sound system were reportedly recovered from him in the Giwa area of Agbado on April 6. He told PUNCH Metro that apart from burglary, he used to collect phones from the inspector and he would later sell them. He added that Ijaya and two others – Abbey and Aluko – would get the buyers arrested minutes later for buying stolen items. Akeem said their victims paid Ijaya between N120,000 and N150,000 before they were released, adding that he got N5,000 as his share on each ‘deal’. “In November 20

Sunday Aborisade and John Ameh, Abuja Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has accused members of the National Assembly of corruption and extravagant wastage of the nation’s resources despite the harsh economic reality confronting the nation. Obasanjo stated this in a letter addressed to Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Mr. Yakubu Dogara, dated January 13 but received at the Senate registry on January 18. The former president, in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by one of our correspondents on Wednesday, specifically alleged that the federal legislators allocated to themselves, salaries and allowances above the template approved by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission for National Assembly members. Obasanjo also accused the Senators and members of the House of Representatives of receiving huge sums as constituency allowances despite the fact that most of them did not have functional offices in their v

Eniola Akinkuotu A Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has berated the immediate past Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, describing her service to Nigeria as one based on lies, deceit and disregard for due process. The senior advocate said this in a three-page statement on Wednesday while reacting to Okonjo-Iweala’s diatribe against him. Okonjo-Iweala had on Monday described Falana as an ‘integrity-challenged charlatan’ who was being sponsored by corrupt elements. The former minister had also slammed Falana for attempting to implicate her in the $2.1bn arms scam and drag her before the International Criminal Court. However, Falana said it was hypocritical of Okonjo-Iweala to attempt to extricate herself from the corruption that characterised the last administration. He said her service record was that of scandals and scams. He noted that the N2.5tn fuel subsidy scam, the $2bn arms scam, the mismanaged $1bn Gen. Sani Abacha loot and many other

Eniola Akinkuotu Former President Goodluck Jonathan says he cannot speak on the current $2.1bn arms scam now because the matter is in court. A former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, and others are currently standing trial for their alleged role in the scam. Jonathan, however, said in due time, he would tell his own side of the story.   The former President said this in a series of tweets on his official Twitter handle on Wednesday. He said, “My voice will certainly be heard at the appropriate time regarding the alleged arms funds mismanagement. I would not want to interfere with the proceedings by the judicial system that my administration worked tirelessly to strengthen. “My post-presidential focus is advancing democracy and good governance in Africa. If we do not spend billions to educate Africa’s youths today, we will spend it fighting insecurity tomorrow.” Speakin

Ade Adesomoju, Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday called an employee of Diamond Bank, Eno-Mfon Effiong, as its fourth witness in the ongoing trial of the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, on charges of money laundering and fraudulent receipt of N400m from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014. Effiong, the account officer who manages the five accounts owned by Metuh and his firm, Destra Investments Limited, with Diamond Bank testified before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja, that the balance on the company’s account before its account was credited with N400m by the NSA office on November 24, 2014 was N6,676,576.06. The company was said to have opened the account in February 2013.   The third prosecution witness, Mr. Bali Ndiam, who is a legal adviser at the ONSA, had testified on Tuesday that Metuh’s firm was among 78 companies and individual

BY CHRISTY ANYANWU S he modeled as a young girl in the late eighties and early nineties before leaving the shores of this country for greener pasture. Coming back, she noticed the industry has expanded with the proliferation of designers in Nigeria. Still in shape with the right curves, she decided to go back to her first love, which is runway modeling. In the course of interacting with designers and models , she has this penchant to improve modeling in Nigeria by starting a school for budding models. Bukola Taiwo visited The Sun in Lagos lately to tell her story. Excerpts: Tell us more about who you are? I’m Bukola Taiwo and I’m a super model. I have been modeling for over 20 years now. I modeled in the late eighties and early nineties. I did that for a while and came back to Nigeria to complete my tertiary education. I am married and I had four kids. After I had all my children, I still discovered I’m still in shape and I know that being a model is my calling. I