Bini Times

petrol Nigerian Government has announced plan to further review its pricing template for petrol with the aim of removing several multi-layered charges and costs that affect the pump price of petrol at service stations across the country. Government said it would continue to work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to find ways of providing subsidised foreign exchange interventions for oil marketers in the country. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, on Saturday, lamented that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) currently imports nearly all litres of petrol used in the country at a huge cost. According to him, marketers in the country were no longer importing petroleum products because of the unfavourable business fundamentals which had been influenced by the rising prices of crude oil. “Downstream continues to be an area that has numerous challenges, that is why throwing ideas on them will continue to be something that any ministe

The NUT, in a communique signed by its Chairman, Mr Kala-Ama Tonpre and Secretary, Mr Johnson Hector, said the union took the decision after its Executive Council meeting held on Saturday in Yenagoa. The Bayelsa chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), on Sunday threatened to commence a three-day warning strike from May 2, over unpaid nine-and-a-half months salary backlog. The NUT, in a communique signed by its Chairman, Mr Kala-Ama Tonpre and Secretary, Mr Johnson Hector, said the union took the decision after its Executive Council meeting held on Saturday in Yenagoa. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the NUT in Bayelsa had embarked on a strike which shut public schools in Bayelsa for six weeks at the beginning of the 2016/2017 academic session in September 2016 over unpaid salaries.

NDE Dr. Nasiru Mohammed has officially assumed duty as the Director General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE). In a chat with newsmen after taking over leadership of the agency, Mohammed revealed the discussion he had with President Muhammadu Buhari before he was appointed. He said Buhari directed him to ensure that more Nigerians get job as soon as possible. “I was posted to this place by the President with a clear mandate to make NDE work”, he said. “The new NDE we are thinking of is not just an issue of creating jobs, providing employment, creation of wealth; we are thinking far ahead of that. “What we are planning to do in the future is to export labour.” “We are looking at the situation whereby no Nigerian will risk his or her life traveling across the desert and Mediterranean sea just because they are trying to get to Europe. “They will definitely travel to Europe but they will do it in a more dignified manner. “Our website will be activated for emplo

The World Bank has told Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) that it “cannot locate any additional information on the projects executed with recovered stolen public funds by the late General Sani Abacha.” According to the response sent to SERAP, the World Bank Access to Information Appeal Committee said, “In response to your request under case number AI4288 (related to your initial request case number AI3982), we wish to inform you that we have thoroughly searched our records and databases but have not been able to locate any additional information that is responsive to your request beyond what we have already shared with you. Therefore, we are unable to fulfill your request.” World Bank last year asked for more time to release details on the spending of recovered loot by Abacha. This followed the bank’s decision to refer portion of appeal by SERAP to the Bank Archives Unit for processing for public access. The Bank’s request for more time followed the

North-Korea North-Korea North-Korea North-Korea IF A North Korea war does become a reality, one unmanageable $3 trillion consequence that hasn’t been widely acknowledged threatens to wreak havoc on the world. The defiant nation launched another missile test today, just hours after stern warnings from Donald Trump that a “major, major conflict” was possible. The conflict between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump could unfold in several ways, but it is the 30 million citizens of the hermit state whose fate could trigger a global catastrophe. A thermonuclear war would be a humanitarian and ecological disaster for the entire region, with radiation causing a nuclear holocaust that tears into South Korea, China, Russia and Japan. But if conventional weapons are used and the Kim regime collapses (a more likely scenario), we may face an alternative nightmare. ‘NO SPACE FOR THE KIMS’ The first consequence would be that the Kims and all those connected with the ruling Worke

Adekunle-Gold Adekunle-Gold Adekunle-Gold Former YBNL Artist, Adekunle Gold shown his love for the street again as he appeared in a market in Lagos and proved to the meat sellers that he’s no learner in that field.

North-Korea North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Saturday shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that failure to curb Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs could lead to "catastrophic consequences". U.S. and South Korean officials said the test, from an area north of the North Korean capital, appeared to have failed, in what would be the North's fourth straight unsuccessful missile test since March. The test came as the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group arrived in waters near the Korean peninsula, where it began exercises with the South Korean navy on Saturday, about 12 hours after the failed launch, a South Korean navy official said. Tillerson, in a U.N. Security Council meeting on North Korea on Friday, repeated the Trump administration's position that all options were on the table if Pyongyang persisted with its nuclear and missile development. "The threat of a nuclear attack on Seoul, or Tokyo, i

Gardaí Gardaí in Buncrana are investigating a single vehicle fatal road traffic collision that occurred between Quigley’s Point and Whitecastle on the R238 at approximately 3.35am this morning. Two males in their late teens were fatally injured when the car they were travelling in was involved in a collision. One male was pronounced dead at the scene and the second was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The three other occupants of the car, also males in their late teens, were taken to Altnagelvin and Letterkenny Hospital and are described as being in a stable condition. The stretch of road is currently closed to facilitate an examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators and local diversions are in place. Gardaí wish to appeal for witnesses and in particular anyone who may have travelled this road between 3am and 3.40am this morning to contact Buncrana Garda Station on 074- 9320540, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Ga

 President-Muhammadu-Buhari  The Chairman of the Katsina State Chapter of National Conscience Party, NCP, Abdulmumini Shehu Sani, and a resident of Katsina State has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign and attend to his health issues. Speaking in the state, Sani said Buhari cannot hold Nigerians to ransom with his health condition as there were other people better positioned to lead Nigeria. He noted that those playing with the health condition of the President were only bent on destroying the nation and the President himself. According to Sani, “In whatever situation of life, health matters and you cannot lead without proper health. You cannot be a dictator or mentor without proper and adequate health. And you cannot think and do the right thing without health. “Let’s look at Nigeria as a whole that comprises over 180 million people, inasmuch as the leader (Buhari) is incapable based on his health status, let us follow the rule of law constitutionally for him

Azibaola-Robert The trial of the cousin of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Azibaola Robert, and his wife, Stella, over alleged laundering of $40 million cash, continued on Friday, with all the witnesses called by the Economic and Financial Commission, EFCC, denying knowledge of the couple. Rather, they admitted transacting business with his firm, Oneplus, which was reportedly awarded the contract for the supply of Strategic Communications kits by the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2014. The witnesses, Mohammed Abdurazak Bello, Confidence Onabu Iwade and Remiginus Ugwu, told Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court Abuja that they neither knew nor did any business with the defendants. Prosecution Witness 5, Folashade Ibrahim, said she neither knew nor did any business with Robert or Stella and that they were not beneficiaries of the money she disbursed from the accounts of Tunji Adeniyi & Co, a property firm owned and managed by Tunji Adeniyi. U

Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets on Friday successfully destroyed an artillery piece being sneaked into Sambisa forest by insurgents. Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, Director of Public Relations and Information, in a statement, said the artillery piece was concealed under a tree and sighted by a NAF Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft while on daytime patrol in the Sambisa general area. He said that about seven insurgents were also observed to be moving out from under the tree. “The crew on board the ISR platform therefore, immediately called for air strikes by NAF combat platforms. “Following the alert, one Alpha Jet and one F-7Ni fighter aircraft were scrambled for air interdiction on the artillery piece. “The Alpha Jet and F-7Ni strikes were observed to have hit the target. Thereafter, the Alpha Jet strafed the area with rockets and the location of the artillery piece was completely engulfed in an inferno. “Subsequently, Battle Damag

Godwin-Emefiele Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has appeared before the committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the $43million recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from an apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos. Emefiele was summoned on Friday before the committee, headed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and has the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno as members. The CBN Governor was invited to answer questions, after the suspended Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayo Oke, claimed the cash was collected from the apex bank for covert operations. Details of Emefiele’s submission to the committee remain unknown. The Osinbajo-led panel is expected to submit its report within 14 days. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has said both Oke and the suspended Secretary to

 Uchechi-Kanu  The wife to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, Uchechi Kanu has disclosed that her husband will continue to pursue the Biafra restoration agitation. Uchechi, who made the remark in a video online, described Nigeria as a contraption with its foundation laid by the British. The wife of the IPOB leader maintained that government was using the resources of the South East to develop other regions at the detriment of Igbo people. She said, “The British laid the foundation of the contraption called Nigeria, made up of the Biafra people, Oduduwa and Arewa people and these people were all of different culture, religion and believe towards things of life. “We are all different in everyway and are not actually meant to be together. “In fact, all the resources in Nigeria is coming from the Biafra land but then they are using the proceeds to develop the Nothern and Southern part. They, government, is using all the resources from Biafra

Kylian Mbappe Former Arsenal midfielder, has claimed that the club will land Kylian Mbappe from Monaco this summer. Gunners manager Arsene Wenger, this week admitted that he was a fan of the forward, but expressed concern about the 18-year-old’s price tag . Mbappe has scored 23 goals in 37 games for Monaco, who have reached both the Champions League semi-final and lead the title race in Ligue 1. Pires, who is currently coaching at Arsenal, believes that Mbappe will move to the Emirates, and says it could cost a club-record amount. “I do think Arsenal will sign him. The problem is how much,” Pries told Bwin. “Mbappe has the potential to play for Arsenal and Wenger is the right manager to manage him. “Monaco and Arsenal are very similar in clubs, so it won’t be much of a transition.”

Abdulsalami Abubakar Former Nigerian Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Friday, declined to comment on allegations made by a former Chief of Army Staff , Ishaya Bamaiyi, on the death of the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election, Moshood Abiola. Mr. Bamaiyi had in a new book, ‘Vindication of a General’, alleged that Mr. Abubakar knew about Mr. Abiola’s death. “I believe only Gen. Abubakar and those he used to handle Abiola’s death can tell Nigerians how Chief M . K. O . Abiola died. Abiola could not have died the way he reportedly died,” he had claimed in the book. He had added that the late businessman could not have died of natural causes, adding that he was full of life when they met. Mr. Abubakar, who chaired the book launch of Olusegun Adeniyi ’s ‘Against the Run of Play’ in Lagos, however, said he had no comment on Mr. Bamaiyi’ s allegations when probed by journalists. “I have no comments… no comments!” he told journalists who asked him to comment on the

Rkelly-Law-Sued Rkelly American R&B singer Robert Kelly may be facing legal consequences for having an alleged affair with a Mississippi sheriff’s deputy’s wife, reports say. Hinds County Deputy Kevin Bryant filed the lawsuit April 21, and the “Same Girl” singer received a court order on April 24 requesting that he respond to the complaint. According to Bryant, his soon-to-be-ex-wife, Asia Childress, began her affair with Kelly in 2012 after attending one of his concerts. He also claims that she tricked him into quitting his job and relocating to Atlanta on the premise of furthering her career, but she really just wanted to be closer to the singer, Yahoo news reported. According to the lawsuit, R. Kelly was blamed for acting according to one of his songs, “I’m A Flirt”. He was accused of seducing Childress, which led to her filing for divorce and causing Bryant “emotional, psychological and financial stress.” The paperwork also includes photocopies of text messa

Wale has Teamed up with Major Lazer, WizKid & Dua Lipa on a joint he tagged “My Love”. My Love is an upbeat track off his forthcoming Shine album.

Nigeria police Nigeria Senate Committee Chairman on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje on Wednesday accused the Nigeria police of carting away documents relevant to the 2017 budget from his home during a raid last week.  He said the police carted away laptops and documents that had the processed 2017 budget earlier scheduled to be laid on Tuesday.  “Police officials broke into his apartment and raided, taking away the sum of 18 million naira and about 18 files on his appropriation committee’s work. The officials also broke doors they couldn’t get keys to,” the Senate’s official Twitter handle said.

Former Presidential aide Reno Omokri has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to handover power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.  He was reacting to Buhari's absence at the Federal Executive Council meeting for the third time since his return from his medical trip to the UK on Wednesday. He said if President Buhari is sick he should hand over to Osinbajo, as it is hypocritical for the government to penalise ghost workers while the country has a Ghost President.

Senator Abubakar Girei, (Adamawa Central, 1999 to 2003) has condemned Nigeria's ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for blaming his 2015 electoral defeat on certain persons. Jonathan had recently said then INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega disappointed him along with western powers. In a statement released on Wednesday, the APC chief said Jonathan only is to blame for his defeat because he imposed Boko Haram insurgency, Niger Delta militancy, armed banditry, and all forms of insecurity to remain in power. “The likes of Col. Dangiwa Umar and their pay masters cannot save him (Jonathan) and his cohort from paying for sins sooner than later.” “Having failed woefully, he has now turned round to blame local and international leaders who have seen through his foolery and decided to ditch him in the interest of Nigerian, their respective countries and humanity in general. “GEJ and his cohorts should bury themselves in shame as the nation await their eventual prosecution and imprisonment

Nigeria's former minister of education, Prof Babalola Borishade, is dead, aged 71. He died at a London hospital on Wednesday. According to reports, he was initially rushed to Reddington Hospital in Lagos, last week from where he was taken to London. The cause of death was lung and heart –related. He was born in Usi- Ekiti on March 7, 1946 into the Ebi Ilotin family. He served as a minister four times between 1999-2011. Between February 2001 and May 2003, he served as the Minister of Education. In 2004, Borishade was appointed as Minister of State, Power and Steel. Between July 2005 and November 2006, Borishade was Minister of Aviation before he was reassigned to the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism as a Minister. He was also an electrical engineer, a teacher and a political strategist. Publisher: J. kendrick Akhimie Babalola-Borisade

Arsenal  Arsenal kept their hopes of a top-four Premier League finish alive as a late Robert Huth own goal was enough for them to see off reigning champions Leicester. After the toxic atmosphere of recent weeks diminished somewhat after an FA Cup semifinal victory over Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday, Arsene Wenger was in danger of being brought back down to earth by a competitive Leicester side. However, Nacho Monreal’s late effort flew in off the unwitting Huth to seal a scrappy 1-0 home win. Until that point, the hosts had been kept at bay by a well-drilled Leicester defence and some smart saves from Kasper Schmeichel. But the deadlock was broken with four minutes remaining to leave Arsenal sixth and four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City. Arsenal’s new-look back three was a little wasteful in the early minutes, leading to a good chance for Jamie Vardy, who fired into the side-netting having been picked out by Marc Albrighton. The hosts were soon on the fron

James Rodriguez  James Rodriguez scored a brace as Real Madrid did their part to keep pace with Barcelona in the La Liga title race with a 5-1 win at Deportivo La Coruna. Zinedine Zidane rested a number of starters from Sunday’s 3-2 Clasico loss to Barcelona, calling on the likes of James, Isco, Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez and Alvaro Morata up front. And the Los Blancos reserves repaid his faith on the day with Morata opening the scoring in the first minute. James followed up with his first of the match in 14 minutes — the Colombia international passing out wide before stabbing home Vazquez’s cross from the centre of the box. Florin Andone gave Real something to think about with his goal in the 35th minute. But Vazquez restored Real’s lead a minute before half-time. A straightforward strike from James and a wonderful goal from Isco after the break made it a rout before former Castilla product Joselu added a second for Depor. Substitute Casemiro scored a stunner from dastanc

Hungary The European Commission has opened a legal case against Hungary over a new higher education law that threatens to shut down a Budapest university founded by US financier and liberal philanthropist George Soros. The Commission, which upholds EU laws, said on Wednesday that it had sent a letter of formal notice to Budapest as “a first step towards an infringement procedure”. “The Hungarian authorities will now have one month to respond to the legal concerns,” it said. The move against the Central European University (CEU) is not the first time Hungary is targeting an organisation funded by Soros. Prime Minister Viktor Orban – in power since 2010 – has repeatedly clashed with NGOs sponsored by the philanthropist. Orban dislikes the liberal and internationalist worldview Soros promotes through his organisations. The CEU has stood as a bulwark of liberal thinking in Hungary and across eastern Europe since it opened in 1991 after the fall of Soviet-backed communism in the r

At least 16 people, including two children, have drowned when an inflatable boat sank in the eastern Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, according to Greek authorities. Greece's coastguard said on Monday that the bodies of nine people - six women, two men and a child - had been recovered overnight from Greek waters off the island of Lesbos, while Turkish authorities found the bodies of a further six men and a child in Turkish waters. Two women from the boat were rescued and several other people were believed to be missing. Several vessels are continuing the search. The boat was believed to have set sail from Turkey late on Sunday. The alert was raised on Monday morning by a Greek navy vessel that spotted bodies in the water. Citing survivors, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said 25 people were on board. Two survivors, one of whom is pregnant, were from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the agency said. Hundreds of thousands of people, most of them fleeing t

 A fireman tries to extinguish a fire during a rally against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela April 24, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Gunmen killed two more people during political unrest in Venezuela on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths to 12 this month, as anti-government protests entered a fourth week with mass "sit-ins" to press for early elections. A 42-year-old man who worked for local government in the Andean state of Merida died from a gunshot in the neck at a rally in favor of President Nicolas Maduro's government, the state ombudsman and prosecutor's office said. Another 54-year-old man was shot dead in the chest during a protest in the western agricultural state of Barinas, the state prosecutor's office added without specifying the circumstances. Seven others were injured in both places. The latest deaths come amid a month of protests that have sparked politically-motivated shootings and clashes between

 FILE PHOTO: Italian-born conservationist Kuki Gallmann Kuki Gallmann poses for a photograph during the Highland Games in Laikipia Kenya, September 22, 2012. REUTERS/Stringer. Kenya has arrested an unspecified number of suspects and recovered a gun linked to the shooting of Italian-born conservationist Kuki Gallmann at her conservation park over the weekend, the interior minister said on Monday. The 73-year old author of the memoir "I Dreamed of Africa" was shot in the stomach on Sunday in her 100,000-acre (400 square km) ranch and nature conservancy in Laikipia in the north. Gallmann was recovering in intensive care at a Nairobi hospital, where she underwent a seven-hour operation, after being airlifted from Laikipia, her family said on Monday. "We have recovered a gun which is now undergoing ballistic tests to confirm whether it was the gun used to shoot Kuki," Joseph Nkaissery, the interior minister, told a news conference. He did not say how many suspects th

Three female suicide bombers were on Monday, April 24, intercepted in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The suicide bombers had attempted to enter Mamanti village Jere local government area. One of the bombers detonated her bomb which claimed her life but the other two were shot dead while trying to flee. A statement by NEMA said:     "They were intercepted by Civilian JTF. In the process, one of the bombers detonated IED strapped to her body killing herself alone. The other two tried to escape but were shot dead by security personnel on duty. EOD mine drafted to the scene to sanitise and render the area safe. Normalcy is restored." More photos below...

 The 24 year old Australian model who was rumoured to have dated singer, Justin Beiber, took to Instagram to share a completely nude photo of herself to her 1.2million followers. See the full photo after the cut.

The United States has asked Nigerians not to harbour fears over their visit to the country. The spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, Mr Russel Brooks, disclosed this on Monday when he visited Channels Television in Lagos. Mr Brooks explained that President Donald Trump’s travel ban has been misinterpreted as Nigerians with valid visas are welcome to the U.S. However, he said they would have to go through the proper border checks at the port of entry. “People shouldn’t have cold feet, I think it is probably a misinterpretation to say that the difficulty that some people may have had in travelling to the United States is the responsibility of the current administration. I will say that it can be difficult at times for certain people, depending on their qualifications to obtain visas. “Some people may encounter difficulties in entering the United States because even with the visa, it is the responsibility of the immigration officials at the port of entry to determine whether or not that pers

Kano Pillars Technical Adviser, Kadiri Ikhana, has been sacked ahead of the second stanza of the league. The former Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions suffered a 1-3 defeat to defending champions, Enugu Rangers, in a rescheduled game on Sunday. The 65-year-old paid for the club’s lack of results, seeing them lie 12th with seven wins in 19 games. Coach Ikhana was appointed as Mohammed Babaganaru’s successor, following Pillars unimpressive campaign last season. The team has conceded 16 goals and scored 16 in their 19-league games this season to be sitting three points from safety.

Real Madrid supporters were left disappointed after watching Barcelona take the three points from the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Fans of the club pointed at Coach Zinedine Zidane, as the guilty party in the Clasico’s 3-2 score, while others blamed Christiano Ronaldo for being wasteful on the goal. The match, however, was a thriller which will go down as one of the best Clasicos in history, with end-to-end action from the start. Messi’s last minute goal fired Barcelona to the top of the Spanish league, as they share same points with Real who have an outstanding match. Netting his 500th goal for Barca, the Argentine is the highest scorer in El Clasico with 23 goals.

Nigeria may have recorded remarkable success in its fight against malaria, more still needs to be done to completely end the disease. The United States Government has announced a $300 million commitment towards achieving this, while asking government to increase efforts in eliminating the disease. The Deputy Chief of Missions at the U.S. Embassy, David Young, noted that ending malaria in Nigeria would prevent over 80 million illnesses and more than 300,000 related deaths each year. He further stressed the need for both Federal and State governments to develop the primary healthcare through significant funding. in their separate remarks, Malaria Ambassador and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulazeez Yari, as well as the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, disclosed how far they have been working to intervene, especially with funds from donor agencies. They promised to ensure transparency and accountability in projects geared towards a reduction of the malaria scourge. “All preg