Scenes from C.L.U 19: A Walk through the Tabernacle

INTRODUCTION

Christian Leadership Upgrade (C.LU) is a TRUMPET calling the bride to upgrade into the fullness of Christ which is the ultimate upgrade and also to follow the revealed pathway of the Holy Spirit in to Jesus Christ.

The Third Temple has hosted Upgrade for 18 times since its inception in April, 2013, it runs 6 times in a year between the months of April to September, on the 3rd Saturdays respectively.

CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP UPGRADE, APRIL 16, 2016.

AEROBICS: Cardio Fat Blast Workout

MUSIC: All I once held dear - Robin Mark

BIOGRAPHY: Benson Andrew Idahosa- A General in Nigeria's Church history.

Idahosa, Benson Andrew (1938 -1998)
Church of God Mission International Inc. Nigeria 

His Early Christian Ministry Testimony

As a young Christian, I once heard my pastor say during a morning service that Christians could raise the dead in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believed it with all my heart. And flying around on my bicycle in those days, I went through the city of Benin in search of a dead person to raise to life. After about five hours of hard searching I found a compound where a little girl had died a few hours before. The corpse had been cleaned and prepared for burial. I walked boldly up to the father of the dead child. "The God whom I serve can bring your baby back to life," I told him. "Will you permit me to pray for the child and bring her back to life?" The man was startled, but he agreed. With great enthusiasm, I walked into the room and up to the bed. The child was cold and dead. With strong faith in the Lord, I called on the Lord to restore the child back to life. I turned to the corpse and called it by name, "Arise in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Oh Glory to God! The corpse sneezed, heavily, alas. The child had come back to life! (Benson Idahosa)

Benson Idahosa's Childhood

Benson Andrew Idahosa was born in Benin City on September 11, 1938 of Apoor pagan parents. He was a sickly infant who was always fainting. As a result of his constant illness his father ordered the mother to throw him in the dust bin. When he was eighteen months old he was left on a rubbish heap to die. He was rejected by his father, sent to work on a farm as a servant and was denied education until he was fourteen years old. His education was irregular due to the poor financial status of his parents. He later took correspondence courses from Britain and the United States while working in Bata Shoe Company.

Nigeria already collating information on corrupt persons – Buhari

President Buhari arrives for the Anti Corruption Summit and Participates at the Leader’s Breakfast at the Lanca.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in London said that Nigeria is favourably disposed to the initiative of restricting corrupt people from traveling, investing and doing business abroad.

This was even as the president unveiled the Open Contracting Data Standard, (OCDS) a new strategy to effectively curb corruption in Nigeria.

The new plan was contained in Nigeria’s country statement to the Anti-Corruption Summit hosted by Prime Minister, David Cameron of Britain.

The president said that Nigeria would soon begin the full implementation of the new principle.

The OCDS enables disclosure of data and documents at all stages of the contracting process by defining a common data model.

President Buhari said that the Federal Government would apply the new system to major projects in the oil, transportation, power, health, education and other sectors.

2016 budget: FG identifies 34 priority actions

Budget 2016: President Buhari , Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, with others during the signing of the 2016 budget into Law on 6th May ,2016.

The Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning has said that 34 measurable and veritable priority actions have been identified to achieve the implementation of the 2016 budget under six thematic areas.

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo-Udoma, said this at the breakdown on the 2016 Budget and the Budget Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) on Thursday in Abuja.

Udo-Udoma said the budget would be implemented under six major strategic invention areas in the SIP to revive the economy.

According to him, SIP for the 2016 budget of change is an implementation plan for a road map of key macroeconomic and sectoral policies.

“It is a strategic target for the 2016 fiscal year.

“The plan will place the economy on the upward trajectory as it is repositioned for change, inclusive growth and sustainable development.’’

The minister, however, listed the six areas as policy environment, national security and governance; economic diversification; priority critical infrastructure; oil and gas reforms; ease of doing business and social investment.

Facebook Tells Woman to Remove Posts Opposing Men in Women's Bathrooms

(SCREENGRAB: FACEBOOK/KRISTI MERRITT)

Facebook has attempted to censor a Washington woman who posted viral meme-like photos opposing the push to allow men who self identify as female into women's bathrooms after some angry viewers falsely flagged her post for "nudity."

In photos posted to Facebook earlier this month, Kristi Merritt of Lakewood, Washington, dressed up in a series of costumes to prove her point that no matter what or who she dressed up like, she will never actually be a what she appears to be in the photos.

One photo shows Merritt dressed up like a pirate, holding a sign that reads, "Does this make me a pirate?" Another photo shows Merritt wearing a sombrero and holding a Corona and a sign that states, "Does this make me a Mexican?" In another photo, Merritt wore a Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks jersey while holding a football and a football helmet along with a sign that asks, "Does this make me Russell Wilson?"

Joyce Meyer Reveals Father Raped Her 200 Times, Sexually Assaulted Other Girls Too

(PHOTO: HTTP://WWW.JOYCEMEYER.ORG VIDEO SCREENCAP)

Joyce Meyer in an interview for her website posted on April 25, 2016.

Christian author and speaker Joyce Meyer has revealed further details about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her father growing up, sharing that she was raped at least 200 times.

In an interview posted on her website Monday, Meyer admitted that some of the things her father did were too crude to publicly talk about, but said she is sharing her testimony in order to inspire others and give them hope that recovery and healing through God is possible.

"He didn't force me physically, but through lies, and manipulation, and fears, and threats, I was still forced," she said.Although Meyer has talked about the sexual abuse she suffered as a child numerous times in the past, in the latest interview she said using the term "sexual abuse" is not enough anymore, and the real truth is that her father raped her.

Target Boycott Grows to 700K Over Transgender Bathroom Policy

(PHOTO: REUTERS/BEN NELMS)

People are seen in front of a Target store in Delta, British Columbia January 15, 2015.

More than 700,000 people have now pledged to boycott retail giant Target over the store's transgender bathroom policy which allows people to use the company's restrooms and fitting rooms according to the gender they identify with and not their sex.

"In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity," said Target, reiterating the company's position on transgenderism in a statement last Wednesday as a national discussion on bathroom laws raged.

In a swift reaction to Target's announcement, the American Family Association called for a boycott of Target, dismissing the policy as an open door for sexual predators.

A Satanic movement is shaking up politics across the US

Associated Press/Brendan FarringtonAn angel ripped from a Satanic Temple display at the Florida Capitol sits on a table, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014, in Tallahassee, Fla. A woman damaged the Satanic display a day after an atheist group put it up as a counter to a nativity scene that was set up by a Christian group.

Robert Eggers' period horror film “The Witch” has been one of the surprise hits of 2016. It’s even gained a second wind since its February 23 release: the first weekend of April it played on 666 screens around the country, raking in an additional USD$465,000.

The tale of a Puritan family turning on each other as they attempt to root out the supernatural evil plaguing their farm, the film won Eggers the award for best director at Sundance – and even frightened horror master Stephen King.

But neither of these accolades has generated as much buzz as an endorsement from The Satanic Temple (TST), a satanic political movement that first appeared in 2013.

In December, TST and A24 studios began collaborating on a four-city tour called The Sabbat Cycle, which consisted of screenings of the film followed by politically driven satanic rituals. The stated goal of The Sabbat Cycle was to inspire a “satanic revolution.”

TST believes that the separation of church and state is currently under attack by radical religious conservatives. They also believe there is a silent majority that opposes this agenda, but remains too apathetic to do anything about it.

Nigeria agrees currency swap with China to shore up naira, help fund deficit

BEIJING (Reuters) - Nigeria on Tuesday agreed a currency swap deal with China, officials said, as it looks for ways to shore up its ailing currency and fund a record budget deficit, possibly by issuing yuan-denominated bonds in China.

The West African nation is facing its worst economic crisis in decades as sinking oil prices eat into its foreign reserves and the naira weakens against other currencies.

Nigeria has been for months looking for sources to help plug a projected 2016 deficit of 2.2 trillion naira ($11.1 billion) as President Muhammadu Buhari plans to triple capital spending.

During Buhari's visit to Beijing, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC), the world's biggest lender, and Nigeria's central bank signed a deal on yuan transactions.

FG, telecommunication regulators sign agreement on telecommunications regulation

Adebayo-Shittu, Communications Minister

Abuja – The Federal Government and West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) on Wednesday in Abuja signed a Headquarter agreement on adopting a comprehensive framework for the regulation of telecommunications activities.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Communication, Mr Adebayo Shittu said WATRA was established by member states of ECOWAS.

WATRA is an organisation that consists of Independent National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) and departments for regulation of telecommunications services established by governments of member-states in ECOWAS and Mauritania.

Blackout: Shiroro, Sapele power plants shut

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola

The nation’s electricity woes worsened on Tuesday as two additional power generating plants were shut down, bringing the total number of plants not generating any megawatts of electricity to 10.

The two shut plants are Shiroro Power Station in Niger State and Sapele II in Delta State, industry data obtained by our correspondent showed.

Shiroro, whose capacity was put at 600MW, was said to have seen its unit 411G1 tripped on emergency shutdown on the 86ES lockout relay; units 411G2 and 3 out for under water repair work; and unit 411G4 out on maintenance.

The Sapele II, built under the National Integrated Power Project, with its capacity put at 225MW, has four units. The GT1 was shut down for maintenance, GT3 out due to work by the Nigerian Gas Company at the gas station, while the GT2 and 4 units are out as a result of gas constraints.

Buhari advises States to undertake background checks on foreign partners

Kaduna – President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday cautioned state governments and the private sector against engaging foreign partners without conducting proper background checks.

Buhari gave the advice in a message to the opening of the maiden Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit, organised by the Kaduna State Government, in Kaduna.

The President, whose speech was delivered by Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’i, noted that various state governments have been making efforts to shore up their revenue base in view of the current economic problems.

“In the face of dwindling oil revenue, I am very pleased to note the efforts being made by State Governments to diversify their internally generated revenue sources by opening up their economy for investors and providing a conducive enabling environment.

Forex scarcity: Demand for real estate drops

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun

The lingering scarcity of foreign exchange and economic slowdown hitting the country have created a glut in the Nigerian property market due to a sharp drop in demand, findings have revealed.

Our correspondent gathered that since the last quarter of 2015, the number of real estate transactions in terms of outright sale of properties and new developments had fallen significantly.

It was learnt that the continued drop in demand, exacerbated by weak consumer confidence, had led to consistent drops in property prices in 2015, especially during the third and fourth quarters.

According to players in the real estate sector, the fall in prices has continued into this year.

“All aspects of real estate, from residential to commercial, are affected as about 30,000 square metres of retail mall space across the country billed for delivery in the last quarter of 2015 have been put on hold, primarily due to the restrictive foreign exchange supply and low demand for space by retailers,” a major player in the property market, who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity, said.

No provision for military in Nigerian satellite –Chief of Defence Space

Satellite Communications

No provision was made for the military in the design, construction and launching of the Nigeria’s earth observation satellite known as NigeriaSat-2, Chief of Defence Space, AVM Tommy Udoh, has said.

Udoh said this when he led a team from the Defence Space Agency on a courtesy call to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, in Abuja on Thursday.

He said at the conception of the satellite about five years ago, the military requirement for space operation was not taken care of and urged the minister to ensure that the requirement of the military would be taken care of when the satellite was being replaced.

The military chief said, “We are supposed to leverage on the satellite to give us intelligence from the space but we couldn’t take advantage of all we needed in the satellite. As at the time it was launched five years ago, we are not where we are now. They payloads did not carry all the things required by the military.

Panel indicts 300 military contractors, N7bln recovered

President Buhari

A panel set up by Nigeria’s Federal government to probe military and defence contracts awarded by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) from 2011 to 2015 has indicted more than 300 companies and prominent citizens including serving and retired officers of the armed forces.

Over N7 Billion has been recovered so far from the indicted companies and individuals.

Another N41 Billion is to be refunded by the indicted companies while further investigation by the EFCC has been ordered to determine whether another N75 Billion should be recovered from some of the companies for unexecuted or partially executed contracts.

The committee further established that one of the indicted companies, Societe D’Equipment International was overpaid to the tune of 7.9 Million Euros and $7.09 Million.

The committee which is different from the committee that is investigating the Defence Arms and Equipment Procurement, discovered that there was a total disregard of salient provisions of the Public Procurement Act in the award of contracts by ONSA.

Several contractors were apparently over paid, while others were given full upfront payments contrary to their contract terms and agreements in force.

N500b cash for the poor stays in N6.06tr budget

Lawmakers have retained the N500 billion intervention fund for the poor in this year’s N6,077,680,000,000 budget.

The Muhammadu Buhari administration plans to dole out N5,000 to the poorest in the land and feed school pupils, among its populist programmes.

But the National Assembly yesterday passed the 2016 controversial budget with a reduction of over N17 billion.

President Buhari on December 22, last year presented to the joint session of the National Assembly an Appropriation Bill of N6,077,680,000,000 for consideration and passage into law.

The lawmakers passed N6,060,677,358,227 as the 2016 budget, slicing off N0,017,002,641,773.

National Assembly slashes 2016 budget by N17b

PHOTO: Senator Danjuma Goje

The Senate Wednesday passed the 2016 controversial budget with a reduction of over N17 billion.

President Muhammadu Buhar had on December 22, 2015 presented to the joint session of the National Assembly Appropriation Bill of N6, 077,680,000,000 for consideration and passage into law.

But the Senate passed N6, 060,677,358,227 as the 2016 budget, a reduction of N0, 017,002,641,773.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje who presented the report of his committee noted that in view of the revenue and general economic challenges confronting the country, “the committee, has in a landmark decision, not witnessed since the advent of the present democratic dispensation in 1999, reduced the size of the aggregate expenditure and consequently reduced the total recurrent, deficit and borrowing plan.”

Power situation in Nigeria no longer laughing matter – Buhari

ABUJA – President Mohammadu Buhari on Monday woke up to the realities of epileptic power supply in Nigeria, saying that the situation was no longer funny.

Should the situation persisits, the president said it would seriously affect the change agenda of the present administration.

The president said his administration must do everything necessary to increase power generation and distribution from its present status of about 1,500 to 3,500 megawatts with additional 2000 before the end of the year as a way of halting the ripple effect effects on the economy.

But giving high hopes on the power sector, the president stated that before his government winds up in 2019, he would achieve a historic 10,000 megawatts of electricity.

The promise was contained in a keynote address which he presented at the opening ceremony of a two day summit of the National Economic Council, NEC, in Abuja.

22 modular refineries to produce 1.429mbpd

According to Vanguard Newspaper, Nigeria’s quest for domestic fuel sufficiency may have been given a lift with the award of 22 licences for modular refineries to private individuals. The refineries have combined capacities of 1.429 million barrels per day, mbpd.

Efforts to boost domestic refining capacity through other alternatives like modular refining, follows the inability of the nation’s five refineries, with combined capacity of 446,000bpd to meet daily national requirement of 40 million litres per day.

The development comes as the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, weekend, refuted a national daily report (not Vanguard) that it had withdrawn the licences awarded to some private investors.

A statement from the Oil and gas industry, reiterated that it “has not withdrawn the licence of any private refinery.”

It added, “The Department is in alignment with Government’s aspiration of improving Nigeria’s refining capacity by strengthening its regulatory oversight function of the petroleum sector in Nigeria.”

CPC probes banks for customer rights abuse

The Consumer Protection Council on Thursday said it was investigating cases of consumer rights abuse by the banking and hospitality sectors of the economy.

The Director-General, CPC, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ workshop held in Abuja as part of activities to commemorate the World Consumer Rights Day.

She said owing to the rising complaints in these sectors of the economy, the council was determined to pursue the protection of consumer rights with vigour.

Atoki said while a lot of success had been recorded in the food and beverage sector of the economy in protecting the rights of consumers, other sectors had yet to feel the regulatory impact of the council.



She said the success recorded under her watch since her assumption of office needed to be replicated in the financial sector owing to the widespread abuse of consumer rights.

Nigeria's ex-defence chief raided staff salary funds

Nigeria's former chief of defence staff Alex Badeh was arrested as part of a large anti-corruption campaign and is on trial in a federal high court (AFP Photo/Pius Utomi Ekpei)

Abuja (AFP) - Nigeria's former chief of defence staff bought property including a $5.5 million mansion with air force money, passing off his fraudulent withdrawals as staff salaries, a court heard Wednesday.

Retired air chief marshal Alex Badeh is on trial at a federal high court in Abuja, accused of diverting 3.97 billion naira ($19.8 million, 18 million euros) for his own use.

The 59-year-old, arrested as part of a wide-ranging anti-corruption campaign by President Muhammadu Buhari, denies 10 counts of fraud, criminal breach of trust and money laundering.

The finance director under Badeh when he was chief of air staff at the time of the alleged offences in 2013 said he exchanged 558.2 million naira for dollars every month on his boss' instructions.

The money was part of some four billion naira set aside for monthly salaries for air force personnel, retired air commodore Salisu Abdullahi Yushau told the court in evidence.

ISIS committing ‘genocide’ against minorities, U.S. declares

Secretary of State John Kerry today formally declared the Islamic State group to be perpetrators of “genocide” against ethnic minorities in Middle East, including Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims, capping a months-long internal Obama administration debate about how to address the atrocities committed by the terror group.

“We must recognize what Daesh [the Arabic name for ISIS] is doing to its victims,” Kerry said, speaking from the State Department podium. “We must hold the perpetrators accountable.”

As first reported by Yahoo News last November, the State Department has been weighing the extremely rare move of invoking a 1948 international genocide treaty, drafted in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust, as a means of ramping up global pressure against the Islamic State group. The treaty commits signatory nations to take steps to “prevent and to punish” the “odious scourge” of genocide.

Licensing of 2.6 GHz spectrum will boost 4G roll-out in Nigeria – GSMA

The planned auctioning of the 2.6 GHz spectrum by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, is expected to support a successful 4G roll-out in Nigeria, the Director of Africa, GSMA , Mortimer Hope has said.

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors.

It would be recalled that after several postponement for the auction of the 2.6 GHz spectrum by the government, NCC recently had informed parties interested in participating in the auction of frequency spectrum licences in the 2.6GHz band that the process of the auction has resumed.

Stating that the spectrum auction is key to affordable mobile services, Hope in an interview with Vanguard yesterday said that since the first 4G network was launched, the 2.6 GHz band has played a key role in the roll-out of 4G networks around the world.

AMCON is owing 6.6trn – DG

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, Wednesday admitted before an investigative panel of the House of Representatives that its current liabilities stand at N6.6 trillion following purchase of bad loans worth N3.3 trillion at the sum of N1.7 trillion.

This was disclosed by the Managing Director of AMCON, Ahmed Kuru during an investigative hearing Wednesday.

The House Ad-hoc committee headed by Rep Albert Abiodun Adeogun, investigating alleged fraudulent sale of banks by AMCON, had raised eyebrows at the rise in liabilities particularly as AMCON owes the Central Bank of Nigeria N4.5 trillion.

The Committee stated that it heard that the CBN is closely monitoring and supervising AMCON to ensure that its liabilities are cleared by the time the corporation is expected to be wound down in 2024.

Singapore blogger Roy Ngerng gets 17 years to pay off defamation damages to PM Lee

Blogger Roy Ngerng speaks to the media after attending a damages hearing in a defamation case by Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Supreme Court in Singapore July 1, 2015.

Singaporean blogger Roy Ngerng sealed a deal with the legal team of Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loog that allows him to pay off the damages in a defamation lawsuit over the next 17 years.

Ngerng's lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam said the agreement reached on Monday stipulates that the blogger will pay S$100 a month for five years, followed by S$1,000 a month until he pays the damages in full.

The blogger does not have to pay the interests if he makes each payment on time, the lawyer told TODAY.

"In the event that he breaches the terms of the agreement (i.e fails to make any one of the payments), the full amount outstanding plus Court Judgment interest will be immediately payable," the lawyer told the daily.

Nigerian Army couple who are both generals:How we met, married and coped with war

Brig.-Gen. Clifford Wanda and Brig.-Gen. Cecelia Akagu are arguably the only couple to become generals in the Nigerian Army. 

        When and how did you join the Nigerian Army?

Wanda: I started my military career as a Boy Soldier in the Nigerian Military School in 1974. That was my entrance into the army. After graduating from the military school, I proceeded to the university where I read medicine. After graduation, I was then commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1986 as a Lieutenant medical doctor.
Akagu: I didn’t know much about the army until 1984 when I went to Makurdi, Benue State. I went out with my uncle and I saw some people running. I asked my uncle what they were doing and he said ‘they are people who want to join the military.’ I picked what my uncle said and went away. During the next intake, I went there. I had a friend called Stella, a Calabar lady. She came to me and said ‘Cecelia, how do you feel being called retired Colonel Cecelia?’ That was how we went for the form and I went for the recruitment (exercise). During the recruitment, they were not too sure of my name. I used to be very skinny and slim but when they assessed me, they knew that I was fit for the job. When they were doing the selection, they picked a lady and said, if she was not picked (shortlisted), I would be the second person to be picked. When I got to the camp, they asked if I was Monica, I said no. They said, ‘Thank God. We didn’t want to make a mistake. We wanted you to be among the girls to be picked.’ That was how I started the journey.

Row in Kaduna as el-Rufai moves to license pastors, Muslim clerics

KADUNA State governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, who, in January 2013, allegedly insulted Christianity in a tweet and received bashing from adherents has, again, stirred the hornet’s nest as Christians, across the state, are voicing their opposition to an executive bill before the state House of Assembly, allegedly designed to restrict all forms of religious preaching in the state.

Gov. Nasir-El-Rufai

In recent weeks, the social media has been awash with reactions from Christians who have kicked against the Religious Regulation Bill, arguing that it is at variance with Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution which presupposes that every Nigerian has a right or freedom of thought, conscience and religion and a right to change religion.

The Religious Regulation Bill, designed to replace the Religious Regulation Edict of 1984, is geared towards regulating Christianity and Islam as it seeks to create an inter-faith Ministerial Committee to be appointed by the governor and exercise control over Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, and the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN. 

GE, Bresson’s 500MW power project ready next year

The 500 megawatts power project of Bresson Nigeria Limited, which is being supported by General Electric, will commence operation by the second quarter of next year.

The project, which has already received commendation from the Federal Government, is expected contribute about 10 per cent of electricity to the national grid.

This is expected to reduce the epileptic power supply currently being experienced in the country due to gas shortage, vandalism of critical electricity facilities, including gas pipelines, and sabotage.

Editorial Cartoons on the 2016 Presidential Elections

Steve Breen/Creators Syndicate

US NEWS

Video of the chaos that erupted at Donald Trump rally in Chicago

Video scenes of the violent protest against Donald Trump rally in Chicago. Police had a running battle keeping the anti-Trump campaigners at bay leading to the cancellation of the rally. 

Donald Trump’s Rally in Chicago Canceled After Violent Scuffles

CHICAGO — With thousands of people already packed into stands and music blaring to warm up the crowd, Donald J. Trump’s campaign abruptly canceled his rally here on Friday night over security concerns as protesters clashed with his supporters inside an arena where he was to speak.

Minutes after Mr. Trump was to have taken to a podium on the campus of a large, diverse public university just west of downtown, an announcer suddenly pronounced the event over before it had begun. Hundreds of protesters, who had promised to be a visible presence here and filled several sections of the arena, let out an elated, unstopping cheer. Mr. Trump’s supporters, many of whom had waited hours to see the Republican front-runner, seemed stunned and slowly filed out in anger.

Around the country, protesters have interrupted virtually every Trump rally, but his planned appearance here — in a city run for decades by Democrats and populated by nearly equal thirds of blacks, Latinos and whites — had drawn some particularly incensed responses since it was announced days ago.

Donald Trump wins support of former rival Ben Carson in race for White House

Trump is the favourite for the Republican nomination                                                 Reuters

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has won another high-profile endorsement - from former candidate Ben Carson.

Carson became the second former Republican candidate to back Trump in the race for the White House on Friday.

“We buried the hatchet. That was political stuff,” Carson said during a joint appearance with the billionaire businessman at a news conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

“I have found in talking with him, that there’s a lot more alignment, philosophically and spiritually, than I ever thought that there was,” added Carson, warmly praising his former rival and seeking to present him as more thoughtful than his public image often suggests.

The latest endorsement for Trump followed a CNN-hosted Republican debate in Miami on Thursday night at which Trump and the remaining three candidates in the Republican race struck a markedly more civil tone.

FG uncovers fresh 11,000 ghost workers March 10, 2016

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun

The Federal Government is currently working to expose another 11,000 ghost workers on its payroll in its second batch of staff audit.

This is coming shortly after the government deleted 23,000 ghost workers from its payroll and saving the nation N2.29bn per month.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, disclosed this to State House correspondents on Wednesday at the end of a meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

She was joined at the post-FEC briefing by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal.

The minister said her ministry was using what she called computer techniques to investigate the 11,000 affected cases.

We’ll not forget Nigeria’s sacrifice for S’Africa – Zuma

South African President, Jacob Zuma, on Tuesday acknowledged that Nigeria and Nigerians indeed sacrificed for his countrymen to be freed of the clutches of apartheid.

He said particularly remarkable was a point in the history of the liberation struggles in South Africa when Nigerian civil servants voluntarily contributed part of their monthly salaries to the struggles.

Zuma, who spoke in Abuja as he addressed a joint session of the National Assembly, noted that the price Nigeria paid for the freedom of his country was not lost on his people.

He also recalled how in 1976, Nigeria established the South African Relief Fund to support his country’s students in the biting days of apartheid.

Zuma is on an official visit to Nigeria on the invitation of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Nigerian President had accompanied his guest to the National Assembly where the latter delivered his address.

Dangote plans to generate 12,000MW of electricity

Aliko Dangote

The President, Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote, has said his company should be able to generate about 12,000 megawatts of electricity for the country by 2018.

He also said that his business estate would start selling foreign exchange to the Central Bank of Nigeria by 2020.

Dangote, who spoke in Lagos on Monday at the Nigerian Economic Summit organised by Economist Events, an arm of The Economist of London, said, “We are looking at a situation that by 2020, we will be the one selling FX to the CBN. Our projects are mainly import substitution. We are working to be self-sufficient to grow about a million tonnes of rice over the next five years.

“Our gas project would have our gas pipelines on the seabed. The output should be able to provide about 12,000MW of power. We see a lot of transformation when we are done with most of our projects by 2018.

Ben Carson announces campaign is over

Ben Carson signaled his exit from the race on Wednesday following a string of dismal performances. | John Shinkle

'I will still continue to be heavily involved in trying to save our nation,' the retired neurosurgeon said.

Ben Carson is suspending his bid for the presidency, the retired neurosurgeon announced Friday, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

"Even though I might be leaving the campaign trail, you know there’s a lot of people who love me, they just won’t vote for me. But I will still continue to be heavily involved in trying to save our nation," he said.

The outgoing candidate peppered his speech with implicit warnings to the country about its future, both for fellow candidates and for the media, which intensely scrutinized claims about his biography throughout the course of his campaign.

$20bn idle in Nigerians’ domiciliary accounts –CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria on Thursday raised the alarm that about $20bn (N3.94tn) was lying idle in different domiciliary accounts of the citizens.

The Deputy Governor, Financial System Surveillance, CBN, Dr. Joseph Nnana, stated this during a meeting of the Joint Appropriation Committees of the National Assembly with government officials on the 2016 budget.

Nnana said, “Distinguished chairman sir, we have $20bn lying idle in various domiciliary accounts of many customers at the various banks across the country.

“This is part of the reasons why the naira has continued to slide against the US dollar.”

He alleged that some privileged Nigerians were behind the consistent slide in the value of the naira by embarking on dollar speculation to the detriment of the local currency.

The evidence is clear: Amazon is already after its next $400 billion opportunity

 
(AP Images) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

During Amazon's most recent earnings call, Baird Equity Research analyst Colin Sebastian asked two questions to Amazon CFO Brian Olsavky: one about Amazon Web Services' margins, and another about the chances of Amazon expanding its own shipping logistics services to other companies.

The first one got answered promptly, though Olsavsky had to stop mid-sentence because the operator accidentally jumped in early. Still, Olsavsky made it a point to get back and finish his answer.

The second question never got answered.

"If he wanted to talk about it, he would have remembered to answer," Sebastian told Business Insider. "Either way, I think the answer is that Amazon doesn't talk about potential or future services."

Antonin Scalia Spent His Final Hours With Members of Secret Society

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spent his final hours with members of a secret society of elite hunters, it has emerged.

Before he was found dead at a lodge in Texas on February 13, he took a hunting trip with members of a secret society known as "The International Order of St. Hubertus," according to the Washington Post.

The men-only hunting club, which dates back to the 1600s, has the motto: "Honoring God by honoring His creatures." Members wear plush dark green velvet robes with cherry lining and some hold titles like "knight" and "grandmaster."

The Cibolo Creek Ranch, where Scalia was found dead, is owned by millionaire John Poindexter, a leader in the International Order of St. Hubertus, according to the Washington Post. It is not clear if Scalia was affiliated with the group.

NERC, CPC to enforce metering of power consumers

The Consumer Protection Council and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission on Tuesday agreed to enforce the mandatory 60-day order to electricity distribution companies to either meter or stop billing their customers under the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation scheme.

NERC had, in its recent directive to the companies, directed that any customer who elected to procure meters under the CAPMI scheme must be metered within 60 days.

It said any distribution company that failed to achieve this would lose the power to bill or disconnect electricity supply to such customers.

The CPC said in a statement on Tuesday that in order to effectively enforce the directive, it and NERC had signed a Memorandum of Understanding that would ensure conducive environment for consumers and investors in the sector.

Editorial Cartoons on the 2016 Presidential Elections

Chris Britt/Creators Syndicate

US NEWS

Trump triumph leaves Republican party in disarray

Donald Trump's triumphal march toward the Republican presidential nomination left his party in disarray Wednesday, as Democrats coalesced around their White House front runner Hillary Clinton after her slew of Super Tuesday victories.

Both candidates emerged the clear winners on Tuesday after several party nominating contests, piling up delegates on the biggest, most pivotal day of primaries in the race to succeed President Barack Obama.

Trump was victorious in seven of 11 states, weakening but not eliminating his top rivals Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, both US senators.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson meanwhile announced after his poor Super Tuesday showing that he did not "see a political path forward" in the race.

Carson's campaign soared last year but steadily lost steam amid questions over his personal narrative and lackluster debate performances.

US bans the use of electronic cigarettes on commercial flights

WASHINGTON - The US Transportation Department announced on Wednesday it has banned the use of electronic cigarettes on commercial flights.

The rule applies to all scheduled flights by U.S. and foreign carriers involving transportation in, to and from the United States, the department said in a statement.

"This final rule is important because it protects airline passengers from unwanted exposure to aerosol fumes that occur when electronic cigarettes are used onboard airplanes," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.

The Transportation Department said it took the action to eliminate any confusion over whether its existing ban on smoking on flights includes electronic cigarettes.

World’s costliest train station to open at site of NY’s 9/11 tragedy

REUTERS

New York on Thursday opens the most expensive train station in the world, on the site of the World Trade Center destroyed 14 years ago in the 9/11 attacks.

Twelve years in the making, there will be no official ceremony to mark the 3 pm opening to rail commuters of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub next to the site of the Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the Al-Qaeda hijackings.

The center connects the PATH commuter rail to New Jersey with New York subway lines, provides indoor pedestrian access to the Trade Center towers and will also house an enormous shopping and restaurant plaza.