Obasanjo Shocks Many, Flies Economy Class In Lagos

Previous President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday stunned travelers at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos, by flying the economy class on board a business carrier, to the astonish of numerous.

Baba Iyabo funny shaa.... Lolz

Pleased Dad!! Charming Photo Of Teebillz And His Son Jamal

 

He shared the photograph via web-based networking media…

Fani Kayode And Wife Share Beautiful White Christmas Family Portrait

Former aviation minister, Femi Fani Kayode, and his ex-beauty queen wife, Precious and their son Aragorn shared this lovely family portrait.

Tiwa Savage Shares Cute Photo Of Her Son, Jamil In His G-Wagon

Awww! This is cute, i can’t wait to be a father..
She wrote:
Jam Jam’s whip is better than mine o
#MerryChristmas
Thank you Jesus for the many blessings. You ALONE are worthy of my praises.

Ekiti State Government Promotes Over 15,000 Workers

No fewer than 15,772 workers, cutting across the local governments, the teaching service commission and the core civil service, have been promoted by the Ekiti State Government.
The beneficiaries are those whose promotions were due in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, according to a statement on Sunday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, approved the mass promotion at a meeting held with labour union leaders and top civil servants in Ado-Ekiti.

“The governor also ordered that the letters of promotion be given the affected workers without delay.
“However, the cash backing for the promotions would be effective as from March 2017,” the statement read.

Fayose, who noted that though the state was grappling with some economic challenges, said the challenges should not hinder the recognition of hard work.

The governor added, “We won’t deny our workers their dues and entitlements, economic recession or no economic recession. As leaders of the state, we must be fair to all and that is what we are doing.”

Bloody Christmas in Kaduna as 10 were Killed In Fresh Attack

In spite of 24 hours curfew imposed on three Kaduna State Local Government Areas of Jema’a, Kaura and Zango Kataf for security reasons, it was a bloody Christmas eve as Goska village in Kaninkon Chiefdom of Jema’a in Kaduna State was attacked on Saturday night , leaving 10 persons dead and several houses razed.

Police Public Relations Officer, Kaduna Police Command, ASP Aliyu Usman confirmed the attack, but said there was no casualty. He described it as ”attempted attack” on the community.
Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has however condemned the attack, describing it as inhumane and handiwork of forces of darkness.

El-Rufai in a strong-worded statement empathised with the families that lost their loved ones and charged security agencies to redouble their efforts.
He said the attackers will not know peace as they will be chased to their hideouts and brought to justice.

A local in Goska Bulus James told The Nation that, “the Fulani herdsmen had earlier informed the community that they will launch an attack on it. We didn’t take it seriously until when they came at about 5pm on Saturday. They encircled the village and started shooting anybody at sight.
According to him, “that shooting continued through the night. They killed one of the daughters of two term member of Kaduna State House of Assembly and a one time Chairman of Jema’a local government, Gideon Yakubu Morik and burnt his house and several other houses.

Only a very few houses are left. As I speak with you, we can still hear the gunshot.
“It was very pathetic. It was a serious attack. While that was ongoing, they released their cattle to feed on beans yet to be harvested. We tried to call security people around who were outskirt of the village but we discovered that they don’t have bullets. So, we are only in the hand of God”, the source said.

Lagos Businessman Arrested For Defrauding Chinese Company Of N165M

A businessman, Saheed Audallahi, has been arrested by the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police Force for allegedly defrauding a Chinese company of N165, 480,000. According to the police, the suspect defrauded JI Chu Industries Nigeria Limited of the sum under the pretext of changing it to its dollars equivalent.

The policemen at the Milverton, Ikoyi office of the SFU, added that when operatives stormed the suspect’s home at Magodo, Lagos, a shrine was discovered, while 30 passports and four cars were recovered.

The SFU spokesman, Lawal Audu, said the unit received a petition from Akande and Akande Chambers, on behalf of its clients, JI Chu Industries, which manufactured foot wears at its factory in Ejigbo, Lagos.

Audu, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said, “ The petitioner alleged that one Saheed Audallahi, aka Ibile, who operates under a business name, BMTC Logistics, obtained the sum of N165,480,000 under the pretext of transferring the sum of $400,000 to JI Chus business partner in China. As soon as the suspect received the said sum, he generated a fake telex transfer slip and gave same to the complainant as a proof of transfer of the money to China.”

The SFU spokesman further explained that when the complainant received the telex, he contacted his business partner, who denied receiving any money.
“It was at this point the complainant realised he had been swindled by the suspect, hence the petition,” said Audu.

It was gathered that detectives from SFU later arrested the suspect at a house in Magodo Phase II, Lagos, on December 17, 2016.
“The suspect’s arrest was dramatic as he tried to prevent policemen from gaining access into his home. When policemen got into his home, they made a shocking discovery of a fully equipped shrine, which is believed to be a powerful tool for deceiving his victims. Various incriminating items, such as 30 passports, four cars, different forged certificates purportedly authourising him to recruit students from Nigeria to institutions in America and Cyprus, were found” Audu added.
The police said further investigations revealed that the suspect was involved in numerous criminal activities, ranging from illegal bank transfers, hacking, and visa racketeering to issuance of fake foreign academic certificates.

“The suspect is also operating fake freight forwarding at our airports and seaports. The suspect is neither a licensed BDC operator nor a licensed customs clearing agent.
“It is also worthy of note that the latest fraudulent trick of these forex scammers is pretentiously paying back little amount from the whole sum that was swindled, thereby falsely building the minds of the victims that there is willingness to refund, whereas it is a pure scam.”

The suspect, however, denied defrauding the Chinese company.
He explained that the business deal between him and the company was just a forex business that went wrong.
He said, “I need between three to four months to sort everything out from the UK end of the transaction.”

He said things started going wrong when the UK government alleged that the money could be proceeds of money laundering.
He said to show good faith, he had already raised N60m, which he gave to the Chinese company.

We Can Negotiate – President Buhari Tells Niger Delta Millitants

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday appealed to the militants vandalising oil installations in the Niger Delta to come to the negotiation table in order to end their arms campaign in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

Buhari said this would afford both the government and the militants the opportunity to decide how the nation’s resources could be managed instead of agitators picking up arms against their fatherland.
Regretting that the problems he identified during the campaigns that preceded the 2015 presidential election, which he won, still lingered even with him in the saddle for almost 18 months, the President appealed to Nigerians to be patient with his government.

Buhari spoke when residents of the Federal Capital Territory, led by the Minister, Muhammad Bello, paid him a Christmas visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The President said Nigeria and its citizens were uppermost in his mind, stating that he would continue to do all within his powers to improve their living conditions.

He said, “I want you to talk to people to be patient with the government. We are always thinking about our country and we are thinking about our people.

“I assure you that the country and the people of the country are always uppermost in our minds. With our performance in the North-East, Nigerians know that this government is serious.
“For our friends in the Niger Delta area, we will persuade them that they should please sit down with us and agree to manage our resources rather than think of fighting it out.”

While saying that the problems he identified during campaigns were still the nation’s fundamental problems, Buhari specifically identified power and lack of infrastructure as major challenges.
He regretted that during the oil boom, the nation’s handlers at that time failed to save for a rainy day.
He noted that while proceeds from agriculture were used to develop oil, he lamented that agriculture was discarded immediately oil started yielding resources for the country.

The President promised that his administration would concentrate on infrastructure development, saying jobs would be created through the process.

Buhari added, “It is about 18 months since we resumed here. I believe some of you followed us during our campaigns and what we identified are still fundamental problems.

“The first is security, and we kept on saying whether it is an organisation or a country, we have to first secure it before we can manage it properly. Without security, nothing can work.
“Secondly, the economy and the unemployment of able-bodied persons. From 1999 to 2014, the crude production was over 2.2m barrels per day. The average cost per barrel was $100.

“When we came, it was $37. I think it is now between $40 and $50. I asked for savings, there was no saving. I asked them what they used the money to buy, they said they bought food and oil. I do not know how long it took me to recover from the shock.

“Some of you will recall either by history or discussion that it was cocoa, palm kernel, cotton, agro allied industry that we used to build infrastructure, be it rail or school.

“We also used the proceeds to develop oil. When we got the oil, we threw everything away. We thank God this year, the harvest was quite good; otherwise, I do not know what we would have done.
“There was no money saved, no infrastructure built, and power is still our main problem. Old roads are dilapidated and they need to be repaired from Lagos to Kano, Port Harcourt up to Maiduguri. There are rail lines we want to develop from Lagos to Calabar, from Lagos to Kaduna and the Abuja one.

“If we can get the infrastructure done, we cannot even know the number of Nigerians that will get jobs. So, we have to get infrastructure. It will take tankers and other articulated vehicles off the road; we will save vehicles and we will save lives and we will get jobs for a lot of Nigerians.”
Bello, in his opening remarks, commended Buhari for the success recorded by the nation’s troops that cleared Sambisa Forest of insurgents last week.

“We are very proud of this milestone and we prayed that Boko Haram never rears its head in any part of the country again,” the minister said.

Also, the Chairman of the Christians Association of Nigeria, FCT branch, Rev. Jonah Samson, said they were in the Presidential Villa to identify with Buhari and commend him for his leadership, which he said had impacted positively on Nigerians.
Samson particularly commended the President for his administration’s anti-corruption war.
He expressed the hope that the anti-graft war would not end with this administration.
Samson said, “Corruption is a cankerworm. It is a terrible thing that we must kill. We urge you to ensure that the war continues. It should not end during this administration.

“We thank God for the victory over Boko Haram. It is a thing of joy worthy of celebration.”
The minister and his aides later presented a giant greeting card to Buhari.
Representatives of the Aso Villa Chapel also presented a card and locally-made artworks to the President.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the visit, the Senator representing FCT, Philip Aduda, urged Nigerians to support the present administration.
Aduda expressed the hope that 2017 would be better for the nation.

See The Top 10 Richest Fuji Musicians In Nigeria 2016

 There have been a lot of agitations and speculations among fuji fans as regards to who and who are the Richest Fuji Musicians In Nigeria and this matter has been trending for years.
At this moment, African Olofofo is officially intervening on this matter . This quest is to reveal those Fuji musicians that are the richest in Nigeria today.

We are engaging on this quest because of the controversy about whom the richest Fuji musician in Nigeria is, at the end of this article it would now be clear on whom or who are the richest fuji artistes in Nigeria. Before we go further on this post, we want to take out time to give a precise definition of Fuji Music because it is not possible that everybody knows what fuji music means.

Fuji music is a type of music that encompasses Aro, Afro,Sakara, Apala, juju, gudugudu and high life . Now that we all know what we mean by the word Fuji music , let’s go straight to business of today which is revealing to our fans the richest fuji musicians in Nigeria.

There is a lot of change in Nigeria Music Industry and it no longer shocking that Fuji music has become a “hot cake” in Nigeria today with hordes of artist vecturing into the music genre.
In time past, Fuji music was not accepted by many and because of this fact it was very impossible for it to go viral. But fast farward to 2016, fuji music is now one of the most soughted after music in Nigeria. Resulting from this fact, fuji musicans has been able to make alot of cash from the business putting them among the richest musicians in Nigeria today.

It worthy to note that Fuji music is more dominant in the Western part of the country. The Yorubas listen and dance to Fuji music in any occasion whether its a birthday party, naming or marriage ceremony etc. Fuji music is their kind of song. Fuji musicians are from the Western part of of Nigeria and Yoruba is their dialect.

1. Ayinde Wasiu Mashal – Net Worth | N750 Million

Ayinde Wasiu Mashal popularly known as Kwam 1 and Obaluaye of Fuji. He was born on 3rd of March, 1957 in Lagos Island.
Ayinde Wasiu Mashal has released over 50 albums since he started singing. K1 De Ultimate, has been the most recognizable name in the genre since the mid – to late 1990s and in the late 1990s. Kwam 1 is the current richest Fuji musician in Nigeria, with a total net worth of N750 million.



2. Abass Akande Obesere – Net Worth | N500 Million

Abass Akande Obesere is well known for his radical songs, he is one of the most successful Fuji musician in Nigeria, he started music right from his primary school days. Obesere has released many albums since he started singing such as Asakasa, Omorapala Overthrow, Egungun Be Careful, Obaadan, Mr. Teacher, Effissy etc. Obesere is also a businessman, and have acquired many properties over the years, his net worth is N500 million.

3. Pasuma Wonder – Net Worth | N455 Milllion

Alhaji Pasuma Wonder was just an ordinary Fuji musician before his block buster “Orobokibo” album was released in 1995 and his life never remained the same again.
The “Orobokibo” has become a popular slang in the western part of Nigeria, Pasuma has properties worth millions of naira.

4. Saheed Osupa – Net Worth | N450 Million

King Saheed Osupa is a native of Ibadan, Oyo state, he started singing in 1983 and has released over 20 albums. He is the only musician that released four in one albums in Nigeria.
Saheed Osupa performs in more than ten shows in a week, he has made a lot of money and name for himself as a Fuji musician in Nigeria and his net worth is N450 million.

5. Adewale Ayuba – Net Worth | N400 Million

Adewale Ayuba is among the few Educated Fuji Musician in Nigeria. The Bonsue Fuji act was among the first set of Glo Ambassador unveiled many years back.
His style of Fuji is Unique and Distinctive among the rest. The Hotelier is no doubt one of the Richest Fui Musicians in Nigeria.

6. Sule Alao Malaika – Net Worth | N300 Million

Sule Alao Malaika, known as Malaika as his stage name, he has performed in numerous countries such as Canada, Malaysia, Ireland, Wales, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Libya and so on.
Malaika is a talented Fuji musician that is loved by many he recently completed his multi million house in Ajah, Lagos state, he is one of the richest Fuji musician in Nigeria.

7. Shefiu Alao – Net Worth | N200 Million

Shefiu Alao is the king of Ogun State with his ‘musical palace’ situated in the heart of Abeokuta.
Love or it or hate it, this list can’t be complete without the inclusion of the fuji singer. He sings good songs and majority of Yoruba’s prefers him to other Fuji musicians because of the quality of his songs.

8. Muri Thunder – Net Worth | N100 Million

Several years ago, Muri Thunder rose from the Ajegunle/Amukoko slums to become a respected fuji artiste.

At a young age, Muri appealed to a much older audience as he consistently maintained that he took cues from the late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister.

He has remained consistent in his game doing as much as he can to remain relevant and just like a few others on this list, he shares a considerable fan base with other fuji acts.


9. Taiye Currency – Net Worth | N85 Million

Currently, the most successful and popular fuji act in Oyo State with an impressive fan base in Ibadan, Taiye Currency joins the list as one of the leading and popular fuji artistes in recent time.
For over a decade, Taiye has held down his Ibadan base and remains committed to giving the large fan base in Oyo State quality fuji music.

10. Remi Aluko – Net Worth | N55 Million

This is one man who – as a Christian – has made a name for himself as one of the leading fuji stars around.

Remi Aluko‘s songs aren’t only the best you can get around, and he also has interestingly amazing following. He’s well known as Ajela.
He’s fond of giving a fuji touch to several hip hop tunes, but he appeals to a large audience that are mostly transporters or conductors.

Ghana's women national team stage march to demand unpaid bonuses

Ghana’s women national team, the Black Queens staged a march on Thursday to demand payment of over a year’s unpaid bonuses amounting to US$25,000 per player.

The team is demanding bonuses for the 2015 All Africa Games, 2016 Olympic qualifiers and November’s Africa Women’s Championship in Cameroon where they placed third, local Ghanaian media Starr FM reports.

Over a dozen of the players marched to the West African country’s Sports Ministry in Accra in their red jerseys and carrying placards with inscriptions expressing their displeasure.

“Stop Discrimination”, “Honour Your Heroes”, “We Need Our Money” and “Equal Treatment” were written on the placards held by members of the team as they marched in the streets of Accra starting from the Ghana Football Association to the Parliament House and back to the Sports Ministry in search of the minister.


According to Starr FM, the Black Queens began their protest on Wednesday and were informed by the Ghana Football Assosication president Kwesi Nyantakyi that the Sports Ministry promised to settle the arrears on Thursday but to no avail.

“It’s been the same routine because we have been waiting and waiting and nothing is happening. We wanted to see the Minister at parliament which was not successful, so we will go to the sports ministry and if we don’t get any good response, then we will do everything possible today to see the father of the land so that they will pay our money,” player Samira Suleman threatened to meet President John Mahama for his intervention.

The Black Queens held talks with the Sports Minister Nii Lante Vanderpuije Thursday evening and he assured them that he will get their cheques signed before the end of the holiday season.
Samira Suleman told local media that the minister gave them a hundred Ghana cedis each ($23) to aid in their transportation back home.

Nigeria’s women national team also held a sit-in protest at a hotel in Abuja for weeks since December 6 demanding for unpaid bonuses of US$23,650 per player for winning the 2016 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

They ended their strike two days ago after President Muhammadu Buhari intervened before the money owed them was paid by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Cranes intensify training for first AFCON show in 38 years

 

 As days draw closer to the eagerly awaited Total Africa Cup of Nations 2017, the Uganda National football team, Uganda Cranes, completed day five of their residential training on Friday.

Cranes will be returning to the competition after 39 years. But the draw has not been kind with them, as they have been pooled in a very tight group that comprises of big names like Mali, Egypt and Ghana. But altogether the team is full with ambition.

Milutin Sredojevic, Uganda Cranes coash says: “Our goal, after 39 years, is to score the first goal, to score first, to be the first to win and to be the first to reach the quarter-finals. Once through to the quarters, everything is possible afterwards.”

The coach is counting on the motivation of his players who cannot hide their joy to take part in the biggest football competition on continental scale.

“This is the first time I’ll be playing here. I’ve always dreamed of playing with the best in Africa. And today that’s what it means to me, the AFCON, to play with the best in Africa,” says Tonny Mawejje, Cranes midfielder.

This determination is reflected for the time being by the intensity of their preparations. The Ugandans know that the whole country will be behind them, and concentration will therefore be key to their success.

Chad: Government wont pay striking workers

Just a few months after government workers went on strike in Chad, the government confirmed its intention to amend the law on striking and industrial action. The changes include propositions whereby public servants are no longer paid on non-working days.

Trade unions in the country are demanding payment of wage arrears and the non-reduction of allowances for civil servants who are opposed to this decision.

The Chadian government has maintained a strict stance, saying that from January, any striking worker will not be paid.

Trade unions have said they intend to petition against the bill which they described as draconian. The bill must however first be approved by the Parliament before its implementation. Despite the establishment of minimum service in critical areas such as health in Chad, the government seems to have chosen a tougher option.

Two die as police building collapses in Nigeria's megacity Lagos

Two people were killed when part of a two-storey building in a police training college collapsed in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos on Sunday (December 25), the police and the emergency agency said.

The collapse happened at about 04:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) in the densely populated Ikeja district of the city, an official from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.

“There was a partial building collapse as early as 4 a.m. this morning and we were called to attend to it and immediately we swung into action. Two bodies were found dead,” the zonal coordinator of the South-West National Emergency Management Agency, Yakubu Suleiman, said.

Building collapses are frequent in Africa’s most populous nation and often blamed by officials on the use of cheap materials.

On December 11, more than 100 people were killed when a church collapsed in the southeast of the country.

Suicide Bomber Kills 2 in Cameroon Market

 A suicide bomber in the northern Cameroon town of Mora killed a young student and a woman in an attack on a market full of Christmas shoppers, an aide to the governor of Far North region said Sunday.

Suicide bombers suspected of belonging to the Islamist militant group Boko Haram have launched attacks in Mora, about 30 km (20 miles) from the Nigerian border, several times before. The bomb also killed the attacker and wounded five other people, said the aide to Governor Midjiyawa Bakary.

The suicide bomber was pretending to be a beggar walking towards the market which was full because of Christmas, when members of a vigilance committee spotted him before he could penetrate the market, and it was then when he paniced and detonated the explosive.

Fighters from Boko Haram have killed thousands in their campaign to carve out an Islamist state in their base in northeast Nigeria and have also launched attacks in neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

The group has frequently used female bombers and children to hit targets.
Similar attacks used to happen on an almost daily basis in Cameroon, but the International Crisis Group reported this month that the frequency had fallen since September, leading analysts to believe Boko Haram was weakening there.

Queen misses Christmas Day church service 'because of cold'

Members of the Royal Family arrived at church without the Queen

The Queen has not attended church on Christmas Day because she is still suffering from a heavy cold.

Buckingham Palace said she was staying indoors to help her recover but added that she would still participate in the family's Christmas Day celebrations.

Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince Harry and others attended church at the Queen's Norfolk estate, Sandringham.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went to church in Berkshire, where they are spending Christmas with the Middletons.

Nicholas Witchell, BBC royal correspondent, said the Queen's absence from the church service - the first time she has missed the service "in many years" - is understood to be a "precautionary measure".
Our correspondent said there was "no sense of undue concern" from Buckingham Palace.

Prince George left church sucking a candy cane

The Queen and Prince Philip began their Christmas break this week one day late, postponing their trip because they were both suffering from colds.

They flew from Buckingham Palace to the Norfolk estate by helicopter on Thursday, having missed a train on Wednesday.

A palace spokesman said: "Her Majesty the Queen will not attend church at Sandringham this morning.

"The Queen continues to recover from a heavy cold and will stay indoors to assist with her recovery.
"Her Majesty will participate in the Royal Family Christmas celebrations during the day."

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge are spending Christmas with the Middleton family in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

Prince Harry attended church at Sandringham

Prince Harry met members of the public after leaving the church

The Duke of Edinburgh, who has also suffered from a heavy cold, did attend the service

Members of the public wait to see the royals at the Sandringham estate

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall

Freed Chibok girls reunited with their families for Christmas

Pictures of the girls returning home

More than 20 Nigerian "Chibok girls" who were released by the Islamist group Boko Haram in October have rejoined their families for Christmas.

It is the girls' first return home since they were kidnapped from their school in Chibok in April 2014.
The young women were freed in October after Switzerland and the International Red Cross made a deal with Boko Haram.
Since then, the 21 girls have been held in a secret location for debriefing by the Nigerian government.
One of the girls, Asabe Goni, 22, told Reuters news agency it was a "miracle" that she was home again.
Helping her mother prepare for Christmas, she said she was excited to go to church on Christmas Day.
"I never knew that I would return (home)," she said simply. "I had given up hope of ever going home."
Of the 276 students kidnapped, 197 are still reportedly missing, and negotiations for their release are under way.

The girls pictured in May 2014, shortly after their kidnapping

Many of the Chibok girls were Christian, but were encouraged to convert to Islam and to marry their kidnappers during their time in captivity.
Ms Goni said some were whipped for refusing to marry, but otherwise they were well treated and fed, until food supplies recently ran short.
After the deal in October, the girls' captors announced that any girl who wanted to be released should line up.
Ms Goni was ill and too exhausted to move as the others scrambled into formation - but she soon learned she would be among the lucky few to leave.
Who are Boko Haram?
Boko Haram 'ousted from forest bastion'
"I was surprised when they announced that my name was on the list," she said.
Her joy was lessened, however, when she was forced to leave behind her cousin Margaret, with whom she had lived since childhood.
The young woman was interviewed at her family's home in the northern city of Yola, surrounded by her father, stepmother, five siblings, and several neighbours.
"Some of the other girls left behind started crying," Ms Goni said. "But the Boko Haram men consoled them, telling them that their turn to go home would come one day."
Before the girls' release, there had only been one confirmed release of a student kidnapped from Chibok.

The young women are returning home for the first time since their kidnap in April 2014

Relatives of the freed Chibok girls were able to see them in October 2016 when they were first released

On 24 December, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari said the army had driven Boko Haram's militants from the last camp in their Sambisa forest stronghold.
"The terrorists are on the run and no longer have a place to hide," Mr Buhari said in a statement.
The army has been engaged for the last few weeks in a major offensive in the forest, a huge former colonial game reserve in north-eastern Borno state.
There has been speculation that some of the Chibok girls are being held in the forest, after it was named by a small number of those who escaped.
Mr Buhari said that efforts to find the remaining girls were being intensified.

Nigerian officials row over 'plastic rice'

Nigeria's food safety agency has denied claims by the health minister that it has cleared the reported "plastic" rice.

A senior official at the National Agency For Food and Drugs (Nafdac) said the minister's Twitter statement "is not their position".
Health Minister Isaac Adewole had tweeted that tests by the agency found "no evidence" of plastic material.
About 2.5 tonnes of the "plastic" rice has been confiscated.
Rice is Nigeria's staple food and it is a tradition for people to give bags of rice as a gift during the Christmas period.

Lagos customs chief Haruna Mamudu said on Wednesday the fake rice was intended to be sold during the festive season but has not commented on the health minister's statement.
The official at Nafdac told the BBC's Stephanie Hegarty that the tests were still ongoing:
"We are not done with comprehensive tests. We are still in the laboratory. We haven't concluded analysis and it is not something we can conclude in two days."
"We are yet to conclude the chemical and biological analysis," he added.
Mr Adewole had said the agency would "release detailed findings to public as soon as it concludes investigations", adding that Nigerians should remain calm.
It is not clear where the 102 seized sacks of rice came from but rice made from plastic pellets was found in China last year.

Mr Mamudu had said the rice was very sticky after it was boiled and "only God knows what would have happened" if people ate it.
The BBC's Martin Patience in Lagos, who felt the rice, said it looked real but had a faint chemical odour.
The Lagos customs chief had called on "economic saboteurs who see yuletide season as a peak period for their nefarious acts to desist from such illegal" business activity.

Is the rice still on sale in the markets?

We haven't heard any reports that the rice is still on sale in markets. Customs officials were investigating but as of now have found nothing.
Nigeria's custom officials say they seized a total of 102 sacks, each containing 25kg (55lb), branded "Best Tomato Rice".
It is, however, unclear how many bags had been sold, if any, and if there are other forms of contraband in the market.

Has anyone eaten it?

We haven't heard of any members of the public eating it.
Customs officials cooked the rice and said that the texture was very gummy and it smelled odd, they refused to eat it.
When asked the same question on Twitter, Health Minister Isaac Adewole joked that no, he wouldn't eat it without salt.

An unverified video of the rice being cooked has been shared on social media.
In it the cook says the rice catches fire and sticks on the pan.

How worried are Nigerians?

Very worried. There have been several media reports warning the public about fake foodstuffs especially from China and their potential dangers.
Speaking to the BBC's World Have Your Say programme Ibrahim, from Kano State, said selling fake rice was wickedness of the highest order.

How could there be such a disagreement between different Nigerian officials?

Customs officials did say that they were awaiting tests by Nafdac, the food standard agency, before they could confirm what the rice was made of.
They suggested they would accept the results of those tests.
However, a customs agent told the BBC that the texture of the rice was like nothing he had seen before.
It is possible that this is a different type of rice that they weren't familiar with.
It is also possible that the Ministry of Health is making an effort to avoid public hysteria in the run-up to Christmas.

Underdogs Zimbabwe ready for 2017 AFCON

With barely 20 days to go for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Zimbabwe appears ready and fired up.

Head coach Kalisto Pasuwa has released a 31-man provisional squad which he says will be trimmed down to 23 by December 30.

The warriors have been in camp since December 22 and are scheduled to play Ivory Coast on December 26.
Pasuwa’s men are largely seen as the underdogs in Group B but may pull a surprise.
“Looking at names on the ground, we are the lowest ranked team if not the second from the bottom, but again football is football, its the right attitude and preparation that will make one to be on top of the situation.We are not going there to add numbers, we want to go and do something better for the country,” Pasuwa said.
Comprising mostly local players, this may be just the tournament for them.
“We want to go and prepare and bring the cup home if possible, we are going there to fight ,we are going there to make the nation proud,” Defender, Hardlife Zvirekwi said.
Gabon will only be their 3rd AFCON appearance, and they would certainly want to make it past the group stages.
The team will play their final warm up match against Cameroon on January 10 before heading to Gabon for their opening match on January 15 against Algeria.

Maiduguri residents prepare for Christmas as security improves

Residents of Maiduguri, Northeastern Nigeria are out shopping for Christmas, a reflection of a greater sense of security in the city after security forces made gains against a militant insurgency in the region.

“It seems Christmas this year is going to be better because the security improvement in Maiduguri and we believe we will celebrate Christmas right inside our church to our home, maybe going to one place or the other with our family members,” said Sebastian Ali, a resident.

Boko Haram has killed about 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million in the conflict.

The militant group still stages suicide bombings in the region, as well as in neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Churches are holding evening concerts as more people flock venues in the predominantly Muslim city, to revive part of the Christmas tradition here.

“Concerning this coming Christmas I’m afraid of it because I don’t think there will be movement because of the bomb blast been happening these two days because that is how it has been for the past few years here in Maiduguri but I just pray they can just allow us to move around to hang out with friends,” said another said Maiduguri resident, Jessica Gazama.

According to the U.N. World Food Programme some 4.4 million people are also reported to be going through hungry across northeast Nigeria, and two million need food aid urgently.

Angola declares end to deadly yellow fever epidemic

Angola on Friday declared the end of a yellow fever outbreak that killed at least 400 people, after an emergency United Nations vaccination campaign covering 25 million.

The outbreak erupted in December last year in the slums of the capital Luanda, spreading to 16 of Angola’s 18 provinces and into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Officials said no new cases had been reported in Angola since June after the mass vaccination campaign was launched in both countries.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) described it as the world’s worst yellow fever outbreak in a generation.

“Since June 23 that Angola has not registered new epidemic cases of yellow fever, everything is under control and it is finished,” Health Minister Luis Sambo told a press conference in Luanda.
Last month WHO said the outbreak in Angola and DR Congo was “coming to a close” after more than 7,300 suspected cases and a vaccination effort involving 41,000 volunteers.
There is no specific treatment for yellow fever, a viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted mainly by the same species of mosquito that also spreads Zika and dengue.

Yellow fever vaccinations are routinely recommended for travellers to Angola, though the country had not previously seen a significant outbreak since 1986.
WHO has warned of future outbreaks in Africa due to increased urbanisation as transmission rates are higher in densely populated areas.