MODERN NEWS

Killing of innocent people with no just cause‎ is against the teaching of Islam, an Imam of the Prophet's Mosque in Madina, Saudi Arabia, She‎ikh Salah Al-Budair, has said. He blamed the growing trend of indiscriminate killings across the world on extremist elements who are bent on forcing unwholesome innovations down the throat of the Muslim world. Sheikh Al-Budair spoke through an interpreter when he received a 250 member delegation from 10 African countries including Nigeria in Madina on Umrah (lesser hajj) under the auspices of the Saudi Arabia government. "Bid'ah (innovation in religion) is ‎a great affliction on the land. It causes transgression and killing of people in the land," he said. The Imam said deviant groups over the centuries have been responsible for the shedding of innocent blood which are not part of the teaching of Islam. He warned Muslim scholars against ‎making hasty pronouncements but to be patient with one another...

Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr. I have followed the unfortunate story of students and parents protesting that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board conducted one of the worst university entrance examinations this year. I have also watched in amazement as JAMB has worked tirelessly to defend its reputation, labelling those who are protesting as being angry that they were unable to cheat at the last examination, which was why they took to the streets in protest. Quite frankly, I do not want to get involved in the argument as to who is right or who is wrong. My major concern at this moment is the fact that the House of Representatives has ordered JAMB to revert to the paper-based test that it had been using in years past. So the question is; should we simply run away from computer-based-tests that many parts of the world have already embraced, or should we take a critical look at the problems surrounding these and other examinations with a view to proffering sol...

Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, says, in this exclusive interview, that the budget passed by the National Assembly was not accompanied by details, hence President Buhari will await the details before giving assent. Shehu also speaks on Nigeria’s membership of the Islamic anti-terrorist coalition, Buhari’s foreign trips and other issues   The National Assembly has just passed the 2016 Appropriation Bill. How soon should Nigerians expect the President’s assent? That would be done as soon as the National Assembly presents the details to the President. Yes, the National Assembly has passed the budget and sent the bill to the President but the details did not come with the bill. Of course, the President cannot sign something without seeing the details. The normal practice is that the details would have accompanied the bill. When the President presented the Appropriation bill it was accompanied by the details. So...

Engr. Mansur Ahmed, Director, Stakeholder Relations and Corporate Communications, Dangote Group, in this interview, speaks on the level of progress of the Dangote refinery and how the Group plans to overcome forex challenges, source crude for the refinery, escape pipeline vandalism and transform Nigeria to a net exporter of refined petroleum products when the refinery comes on stream. Could you give us the update on the Dangote refinery, petrochemical and fertilizer project? The project currently is under development as we have virtually completed the engineering design. We are now in the process of preparing the ground. It is a very huge complex of about 250,000 hectares there. As you know, it is in the Lekki Free Zone basically on the coastal waters so there is a lot of dredging and clearing that needs to be done. We are clearing the forest, filling up the land and getting it ready for the equipment and machinery that will come. We are also in the process of p...

In the latest findings of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-graft campaign, the EFCC has revealed how Femi Fani-Kayode, Achike Udenwa, Olu Falae, Usman Nenadi, Prof. Alikali, and other PDP members shared N3.145 billion wired from the Central Bank of Nigeria days to the March 28 election. n the latest findings of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-graft campaign, the EFCC has revealed how Femi Fani-Kayode, Achike Udenwa, Olu Falae, Usman Nenadi, Prof. Alikali, and other PDP members shared N3.145 billion wired from the Central Bank of Nigeria days to the March 28 election. Out of the largesse, Fani-Kayode got N840 million, Falae, chairman of SDP and crony of PDP strong manToni Anenih, got N100 million, Udenwa and Viola Onwuliri, an ex-minister, received N350 million, Goodluck Jonathan Support Group coordinated by Alikali, a special adviser to Jonathan, received N320 million, while Nenadi got N36.9 million. About N100 million was received by Okey Ezenwa, a featherweight politi...

The vice president of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, has cancelled his trip to India due to protocol errors by the Protocol Department of the Presidency and awkward situation it puts the government in, as Senate President Bukola Saraki would have to perform the functions of the president. A presidency official commented on the situation:“When the President and VP are out of town, the running of the country will fall automatically into the hands of the Senate President. We did not want the awkwardness that would come with that scenario.” A 27-member delegation, including Yemi Osinbajo and two ministers, were to travel to India for a conference but due to conflicting schedules of vice president and president it was decided to cancel it. However, by the moment of the trip cancellation $250,000 have been already spent on hotels booking and arrangements for ground transportation. President Buhari is to travel to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, for a two-day visit that starts on Monday, March 14. If ...

Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has been forced to play this season despite suffering a hip injury, according to his father, Thierry. Thierry told Belgian newspaper Le Soir: “Eden’s lack of form is due to an injury, an inflammation in the hip, that he’s been carrying now for three or four months. “It’s not a bad injury, but when the pain arrives, it feels like a stabbing. It feels like a knife is stabbing [his hip].” The winger’s father also suggested that his problems from a game against Leicester in December while Jose Mourinho was still in charge. Hazard asked to be substituted but his pleas were not heard and he continued playing.   Hazard said: “[Eden] was feeling the pain early in the game and that’s why he has asked for a substitution. “Instead of giving Eden time to overcome the injury and have a proper rest, they push him to play because they have some important games. He has no choice. “Which player hasn’t had highs and lows in his career? It’s the fir...

Soldiers of 113 Battalion have destroyed a Boko Haram camp in Alajeri village in Guzamala local government area of Borno state killing 40 terrorists in the process. In the operation, the troops killed 40 Boko Haram terrorists and captured one rocket propelled grenade 7, six AK-47 and two Fabrique Nationale rifles, 10 magazines, 188 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition and 64 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition. Other items recovered by the troops included three mobile phones, six copies of Holy Quran and 20 motorcycles. The troops are in high spirits because of the success of the operation coupled with the fact that there were no army casualties. Operations to clear all known Boko Haram terrorists camps and hideouts are ongoing as troops remain committed to the clearance and apprehension of the Boko Haram terrorists in the country. Recently, an unnamed highly wanted terrorist was killed on March 10 after troops of 7 multinational joint task force brigade Quick Respons...

NASA released the asteroid’s flight path earlier this week The asteroid is expected to be roughly the same size as Earth’s largest animal, the Blue Whale An asteroid the size of a blue whale is shooting past Earth today and conspiracy theorists believe it could bring about the biblical last hour! There are allegedly two other signs that the end is nigh, including a super moon that will appear to grow in size as it reaches the closest point to the planet. Earth is also expected to enter darkness as the moon passes in front of the sun, blocking its light and creating a solar eclipse. Some believe these are biblical omens that could suggest the doom of the world and the second coming! However, the American space agency NASA reviewed its calculations and discovered it had previously estimated the wrong date that the asteroid would fly past Earth. Initially the space station claimed the asteroid would hurtle past on March 8. Paul Chodas, manager of NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth...

The death of Nigeria’s minister of state for labour and productivity, James Ocholi, has overwhelmed many Nigerians, especially his close associates.  A body recovered from the scene of the accident that resulted in the death of the late minister. Photo: Sahara Reporters The minister was said to have lost his life alongside his son and wife, with the driver in a critical condition as at the time the incident was reported. Nigerians also took to the social media to react to the death of the man who was in October, 2015, confirmed as one of Nigeria’s minister after impressing the members of the upper chambers of the National Assembly during the ministerial screening. Ocholi, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), a rank only attained by outstanding legal luminaries, is from Igala in Kogi state, where late Aubu Abubakar, the 2015 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state also hails from. Naij.com has compiled six facts...

Nigeria’s minister of state for labour and productivity, James Ocholi, wife and son are dead!  According to Daily Trust, the minister reportedly died today in an accident on his way to Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital territory. Minister of state for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, also shared his thoughts on the incident this afternoon, tweeting that he and the late minister still met on Friday. He tweeted: Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth frontier also paid tribute to the minister. President Muhammadu Buhari’s special assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, also confirmed the incident. Minister of state for environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril, also confirmed that the late minister died with his son during the car crash. As at the time of filing this report, it was confirmed that Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has arrived the National hospital, Abuja to receive the remains of the minister as one of his aides tweeted. Read more: https://www.naij....

Ronnie McFall had been in charge of the Northern Irish club for an amazing 29 years but stepped down after a shock cup defeat to Lurgan Celtic on Saturday afternoon Ronnie McFall has brought his incredible 29-year stay in charge of Portadown to an end - leaving Arsene Wenger as the longest-serving manager in European football. McFall, who was set to leave the club at the end of the season, resigned minutes after his side's shock Irish Cup quarter-final defeat to Championship outfit Lurgan Celtic. The 69-year-old took charge at Portadown in December 1986 - the same year Sir Alex Ferguson took over at Manchester United.  Ferguson stepped down at Old Trafford in 2013, leaving McFall as the longest-serving manager in Europe until his decision to step down on Saturday. That honour now belongs to Wenger, who has been at the helm at Arsenal since October 1996 and is in his 20th year as Gunners boss. McFall won more than 20 trophies, including four league titles, during his 29...

Gobsmacked! British moms and dads were fuming after a school instructed students to write an essay explaining why they had converted to Islam. Gemma Gough posted the assignment on Facebook – and said her child would not be completing the assignment. “This is not acceptable,” she wrote. ‘Kids are too impressionable and imagine if these letters got in the wrong hands in years to come.” The 12 and 13-year-old kids at Beaucamps High School in Guernsey were told to consider what it would be like to become a Muslim. They also had to write a letter to their loved ones explaining their decision to become a Muslim. ...

The most expensive cars in the world are so much more than transportation. These rolling art pieces encapsulate the priorities of the one percent, and in that universe, flamboyance and swagger take precedence over practicality and efficiency. Lifestyle criticisms aside, these are truly mind-boggling machines, and we’d like to count down our favorites for you here. Zenvo ST1 ($1.2M) Kicking off our list is less of a car and more of an unchained animal in the ST1. Assembled in Zealand, Denmark, the Zenvo creates an absolutely obscene amount of power by combining a 6.8-liter V8 with both a supercharger and a turbocharger. Just how much is obscene exactly? How about 1,104 horsepower and 1,054 pound-feet of torque, all channeled to the car’s rear wheels.

Nigerian University Scholarships, a website that advertises academic opportunities, says it is in possession of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result of a “genius” from Kogi state who scored 399 marks out of a maximum obtainable 400.  Although not yet verified, but the result is fast gaining traction online. According to electronic version of the result, the student, Ibrahim Shamwifu, scored 99/100 in Use of English, 100/100 in Physics, 100/100 in Biology and 100/100 in Chemistry.  See result below:

Two people are held over public order offences as ugly scenes erupt before a tense North London derby. Gallery: Arsenal And Tottenham Fans Involved In Ugly Scenes Ugly clashes broke out between Arsenal and Tottenham supporters ahead of the North London derby ...

An octopus with a spooky resemblance to a cartoon ghost has been discovered for the first time, two and half miles under the sea. Scientists have discovered what might be a new species of octopus - with a spooky resemblance to a cartoon ghost. The small, white, specimen was found at a depth of about 2.5 miles (13,500ft) in the Pacific Ocean, near Hawaii. The octopus did not have fins and all suckers were in one row on each arm, said Michael Vecchione, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The octopus "did not seem very muscular," he added. ...

The veteran Zimbabwean leader gave a prickly response on state television after being asked about plans for his succession. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has threatened to punch an interviewer who asked him about his retirement plans. Speaking on state television, Mr Mugabe responded testily after the journalist quizzed him about a potential successor. "Why 'successor' when I am still there?" the 92-year-old said in the interview. "Why do you want a successor? Do you want me to punch you to the floor to realise I am still there?" he added, clenching his fist. Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since the country was formed in 1980 from the ashes of white-ruled Rhodesia. ...