Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh
(born 25 May 1965) is a Gambia politician and former military officer. He is
the 2nd President of the Gambia. As a young army officer, he took
power in a 1994 military coup.
He was elected as President in 1996;
he was re-elected in 2001, 2006, and 2011.
He was defeated by Adama Barrow in the 2016
election. Although he initially conceded defeat, on 9 December 2016, he
later refused to recognise the results. On 18 January 2017, the Gambia
Parliament voted to extend his term by 90 days.
Carlo Ancelotti says the key to Zinedine Zidane's success at Real Madrid is his relationship with the players, telling ESPN FC that his predecessor Rafa Benitez struggled even though he "probably has more experience and more knowledge of the game."
Zidane, who worked as Ancelotti's assistant during Madrid's Champions League-winning 2013-14 campaign, was appointed head coach in January last year after Benitez was sacked after less than seven months in charge.
Zidane's only managerial experience prior to taking the job was an underwhelming stint with Madrid's Castilla reserve team in the third division, but the former France international led the club to the Champions League title last May and his side are currently top of La Liga.
Asked if that meant anyone could manage Madrid, Ancelotti told ESPN FC's Gab Marcotti: "No, not everybody can manage Real Madrid. The key to success I think is the relationship with the players. The knowledge of football is secondary, as is the experience.
"I mean, sure, Zidane had not managed in the top-flight, but he played for a long time, he had worked as an assistant, he had managed Castilla, he knows the game, he knows the tactical aspects, he knows the club.
"The key question I think was the relationship with the players, as I said, and the ability to work with them on the training pitch. I mean structuring a training session in such a way that you get your message across and the players are happy and receptive.
"There's a teaching/coaching element there that not everybody who knows or understands football has. If none of my coaching staff showed up to training tomorrow and I simply told the players go ahead and structure a week's worth of training sessions, they couldn't do it. Or, at least, they couldn't do it well.
"As for the relationships, you need charisma, you need respect, you need personality. Zidane has all that and he proved it as a player, as a leader but also in the time he spent as my assistant."
Zinedine Zidane worked as Carlo Ancelotti's assistant at Real Madrid when they won the Champions League in 2013-14.
Benitez, who had various coaching roles at Madrid earlier in his career, failed despite an impressive managerial history at clubs including Valencia and Liverpool.
Ancelotti said: "Look, a guy like Rafa Benitez probably has more experience and more knowledge of the game but maybe he wasn't able, in the short time he was there, to build the kind of relationships that are necessary. And Zidane, in that respect, had an edge, because he'd been at the club, he'd coached many of the players, heck, he'd even played with some of them.
"So, yes, I value experience and knowledge, but they are not the most important thing. The most important thing is being able to talk to the players and teach them and work with them, and you can only do that if they respect you and listen to you.
"You don't need to give an inspirational monologue every time. Sometimes you don't even need to talk much. Zidane doesn't talk much, though I'm sure it's still a lot more than he talked before, but the thing is, when he does speak, people listen. He commands respect. And he builds on that."
Jose Mourinho was also reported to have had a poor relationship with many players by the time he left Madrid, and he had complained shortly after his Madrid exit in 2013 that Cristiano Ronaldo had refused to listen to his tactical advice.
Ancelotti, though, said it can be "very difficult" to give technical direction to established professionals.
"Maybe you can do it with a youngster, but at this level it's hard, especially with veterans," he said. "First of all, they're exceptional technically so there aren't that many faults to iron out, but also they've been through a lot to get where they are and you can upset things."
He gave the example of Danish striker Jon Dahl Tomasson, who played under Ancelotti at AC Milan between 2002 and 2005.
"He'd only ever side-foot the ball when shooting," he said. "He wasn't a bad finisher, but obviously when you side-foot it, you're not going to get the same power as you do when you put your laces through it, so I tried to get him to change his body shape and try finishing with power.
"We worked on it a lot but his finishing didn't improve. In fact, it got worse, so we left it. Sometimes, when you're fully formed as a player, your technique won't change, and that's fine."
However, he said that "part of the skill of a top manager is understanding the qualities and characteristics of each player and being able to give that advice that helps them improve technically as well."
He also said motivation had not been an issue for him when working with players at the highest level.
"There's a hunger and a desire in guys like Xabi Alonso and Pepe, to name but two, that means they are never satisfied, they never settle, they always want more."
He said Ronaldo is "the ultimate example" of that kind of hunger, adding: "His belly is never full. People had told me he was like this before I went to Real Madrid, but until you actually work with him every day, you don't realise to what degree he takes it. He is hugely professional and he works as hard anybody out there. From recovery to diet, he takes care of every detail, ensuring everything is optimal.
"When I compare it to my playing days, there is no comparison -- players today are far more professional -- but he takes it to another level."
A prosecution witness and staff of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Nwachukwu Amazu, yesterday, revealed how the Senate President, Bukola Saraki made foreign funds transfer of over $3 million while he was governor of Kwara State.
Testifying as a second prosecution witness (PW2) at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Amazu disclosed that Saraki made several transactions, including a transfer of over $73,000 from his dollar account with the GTBank to his foreign account in the American Express Service Europe Ltd.
The banker, who was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), explained that the purpose of the transfer was to fund a foreign credit card belonging to the American Express Bank and owned by the defendant.
He said Saraki has a domiciliary account, with the GTB in US dollars and in pounds sterling. The domiciliary account is domiciled in Ilorin.
The witness told the tribunal that he worked with the funds transfer unit of the GTB, between 2006 and 2009 before he was transferred and then returned to the unit in 2011, as its head.
He further revealed how the Senate President made other transfers, including the transfer of £761, 904. 76 in February 2010.
Amazu said another sum of £632, 411.7 was transferred for the defendant to Fortis Bank in London.
He revealed several other funds transfers through Saraki’s domiciliary accounts to foreign accounts belonging to the Senate President abroad.
However, when asked to explain the mode of operation of Saraki’s foreign credit card, the witness said he did not know how the card operates.
“I don’t know anything about the card, except I explain with my knowledge of the GTB credit card in the Nigerian perspective,” he said.
However, when cross examined by Paul Usoro (SAN), Counsel to Saraki, the witness said, “I was just asked to read the documents, not that I know anything about them.
“I saw the telexes said to have been used for funds transfer to foreign countries when I came into contact with this case. I have nothing to do with the transfer, I was not the one who conducted the transfer.”
Amazu further told the tribunal he did not see the documents when being processed at the Ilorin branch of the bank, and that he never saw the forms filled by Saraki for the alleged funds transfer.
Pressed further by Usoro, the witness admitted he was not the one that collated the forms and that he did not source for the documents from the Ilorin branch to authenticate the alleged funds transfer.
“I am only concerned about my unit, and I am talking as a staff of the bank and not as one who works at the branch where the alleged funds transfer was carried out in Ilorin.
The witness further told the tribunal that he made his statement to EFCC on September 10, 2015, five days after Saraki had been charged before the tribunal by the federal government.
On Saraki’s relationship with American Express Bank and Fortis Bank of London, the witness informed the Justice Umar Danladi led tribunal that he did not consult with the two banks to know their relationships with Saraki.
He further said he did not know anything about the mortgage serviced by Saraki when he was the governor of Kwara State, adding, “I have never seen the agreement paper or any account opening mandate with Fortis Bank to establish that the defendant maintained a foreign accounts with Fortis Bank of London. I have never seen the fund transfer request forms from the defendant in my unit; the fund transfer unit does not have direct interface with the customer. We do not also interface with beneficiaries of transferred funds.
“I am aware that American Express Services Europe Limited, where Saraki allegedly transferred money to, was not a bank. The E-payment unit of GTB carries out such foreign funds transfer, and I have never worked at the unit. I cannot give evidence on the operation of the American Express Bank, too, because I have not worked there.”
On the alleged fire that gutted the foreign operations unit of the bank in 2011, the witness said he did not say anything on the fire outbreak in his statement to the EFCC because he only answered broad questions put to him during interrogation and the inventory of what the fire consumed was not made available to the tribunal.
Earlier in his evidence in chief, the witness told the tribunal he “never met with Saraki in person until today” and that he had never worked at the Ilorin branch of the GTB.
He told the tribunal that “anytime foreign fund transfer is to be implemented, the account holders are always requested, at the branch where the accounts are domiciled, to fill forms and after filling the forms, they will be handed over to the accounts officers who, in turn, will forward same to the foreign funds transfer unit where transaction will be executed when mandate signature are found to be okay.”
Meanwhile, the tribunal adjourned further cross examination of the witness to today.
The House of Representatives has summoned the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen Tukur Buratai, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris and the Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Lawal Daura, over recent attacks in the Kaura Federal Constituency of Southern Kaduna.
This was subsequent to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Gideon Gwani.
Condemning attacks on innocent Nigerians including women and children, the lawmakers urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Armed Forces and the Police to deal decisively with the perpetrators of the attacks, be more proactive in identifying the exact areas from where the unidentified gunmen launch their attacks from.
In his lead debate, the lawmaker stated that attacks between January 6-9, at Tachirak, Adu and Tsonje villages of Kagoro town in Kaura Federal Constituency of Southern Kaduna led to the death of 13 people.
He said despite the 24-hour curfew imposed on the area and the presence of men of the Armed Forces and the Police, gunmen have continued to attack villages and unleash mayhem, while the security personnel deployed remained in the township.
Taking a similar position, Baballe Bashir asked Speaker Yakubu Dogara how his meeting went with President Muhammadu Buhari, following the mandate from the House.
The lawmaker who said he read of the outcome of the meeting in the newspaper as part of a report on the Speaker’s welcome address to the House on resumption from the Christmas break, further emphasised that it was time for the current leaders of the country to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
In his response, the speaker described as satisfactory, President Buhari’s explanation on the action taken by the Federal Government to deal with those carrying out the killing.
Dogara however said that the House would be compelled to seek explanation from heads of security agencies if the crisis continues.
Though a date has not been fixed for the closed door session with heads of security agencies, the House in the meantime, mandated its Committees on Army, Air Force, Police Affairs, Interior and Internal Security and Intelligence to analyse the situation and proffer solutions to the security challenges in the area.
The metro system and some schools in Italy's capital, Rome, were being evacuated Wednesday following a series of powerful earthquakes that struck the heart of the country.
An initial 5.3-magnitude quake hit central Italy 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) west-northwest of Amatrice, a town devastated by powerful temblors last year, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
While the epicenter was 90 kilometers northeast of Rome, the quake was felt strongly in the capital, sending people running from buildings in a panic.
It struck at 10:25 am (4:25 am ET) at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, the USGS reported, and was followed by three aftershocks, including one as strong as 5.7.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage but firefighters told CNN that heavy snow blocking roads has hampered their initial assessment.
Disaster authorities in Rome said they had been inundated with hundreds of calls from the city.
Officials have begun looking for cracks and damage to structures in the city, many of them ancient and vulnerable from previous tremors.
Nearly 300 people were killed in central Italy in an August quake and a series of aftershocks that reduced much of Amatrice's center to rubble.
Another series of quakes hit the region in October, but the impact was small as most people had evacuated from the previous tremors.
source:http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/18/europe/italy-earthquake-rome-amatrice/index.html?adkey=bn
A massive white Islamic flag signals our entry into rebel-held northern Syria on a cold, cloudy winter day.
The road is dotted with signs: "Smoking is a sin," and "Look only at what Allah wants you to see" -- this second one urging people not to leer at women or watch Hollywood movies.
As we make our way through the hills of Idlib province, west of Aleppo, our driver Abdullah (not his real name) tells us jets have just bombed Maarrat Misreen, a 15 or 20-minute drive away.
"They say there is a ceasefire," he sighs. "Maybe in Aleppo. But there is still bombing in other parts of the country."
Idlib is almost all that remains of the Syrian opposition's dream of an independent state, and the fractured political and militia groups are all trying to stake their claim to part of an ever-shrinking pie.
Our instinct is to head to Maarrat Misreen immediately, but our escorts all say it's too dangerous; once the planes are overhead there is no telling what they will decide to target next.
The closest we can get to the bombed town is a hospital, its parking lot overrun with vehicles, fighters, and those mourning the dead. As a woman wails, her pain piercing through the shouting, a man puts his hand in front of our camera and yells at us to stop filming.
It's not clear who is in control, and allegiances here are murky, since eastern Aleppo's fall back into regime hands has left all of the rebel groups crammed into this one area, jostling for position.
READ MORE: Escape from Syria 'more terrifying than Aleppo'
No target off limits
We drive on towards one of the makeshift refugee camps that dot the hilly landscape and Abdullah, who worked as a lawyer before civil war tore his homeland apart, gathers more information about the attack on Maarrat Misreen as he drives.
Activists tell him nine people were killed and 26 wounded when a market, bakery and other sites were hit. Women and children are among the dead. Jabhat al-Nusra, which is not part of the ceasefire agreement, is said to have checkpoints nearby.
But then again, this is Syria, where no target -- hospitals, schools -- is off limits. Where red lines are crossed with no consequences. Where atrocities are committed with no accountability.
And where children beg to die.
"They bombed us, and in just three minutes -- not three hours -- they destroyed our entire neighborhood," says Umm Bilal.
Her seven-year-old son, Bilal, stands next to her, looking warily up at us. "He asks why are there so many strikes?" Umm Bilal says. "He starts to cry. Sometimes he even says, 'I want to die.'"
How can a mother respond to that? What promises can she make to her child when she can't even be certain she can keep him safe?
Aleppo's displaced citizens
Most of those here are from Aleppo. The children chase us, cheeks pink, noses red with the cold as clothing hangs, half frozen, from lines that whip about in the wind. There are armed men here too, ostensibly protecting the camp.
Umm Bilal's family is among those who were evacuated -- or, as they see it, forcibly displaced -- from rebel-held eastern Aleppo in December, after months living under siege and relentless bombing.
Her head shaking with emotion, she explains: "Our home was destroyed, not even a single paper is left, and we suffered to get out. We were forced to leave with indignity, this is how it was."
What is the point in telling you all this she asks, wearily?
It's a question we have been asked time and time again, whether by Syrians still inside their country, those living as refugees, or along the wretched route through Europe.
I can't argue that there is a definitive point. I can't argue that it will make a difference to bare her soul to strangers.
I can't argue that the world needs to hear it, that we need to tell the story of what is happening in Syria. It already has. We already have.
But we can't stay silent, we can't give up. So I tell her that. And then I silently repeat it to myself.
The Gambia’s outgoing leader, Yahya Jammeh, continued to insist on Monday he would not step aside for President-elect Adama Barrow to be sworn-in on January 19, brushing aside international calls and pressure from the regional bloc, ECOWAS. Mr. Jammeh issued the latest threat to the country’s fist change of leadership in 22 years in a telephone call to the chairperson of ECOWAS and Liberia’s President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. During the conversation posted on Youtube, Mr. Jammeh told Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf, who is leading efforts to ensure respect for the outcome of last December’s election, that the “status quo” had to remain until his country’s Supreme Court decides on an application by his party. The application wants the court “to restrain Adama Barrow from being sworn-in as well as restraining the Chief Justice or any other person from swearing him, Adama Barrow, into office.” But the Chief Justice and at the moment sole judge of the court, Emmanuel Fagbenle, a Nigerian, on Monday said he could not entertain the application because it includes him as a defendant. The Gambia went to the polls on December 1 to elect a new president. Mr. Jammeh running for a fifth term came up against two other candidates. The electoral body returned Mr. Barrow winner of the election, and within 24 hours made a phone call to concede defeat and congratulate the declared winner. The gesture had earned Mr. Jammeh, who had seized power in a military putsch against the first president of the country, Dauda Jawara, in 1994, instant praises. But a week later, Mr. Jammeh shocked the world when he rejected the results on national television citing irregularities and ordering a rerun of the polls.
Judges from Nigeria and Sierra Leone traditionally preside at the Supreme Court of The Gambia in special sessions between May and November because the country does not have enough qualified judges to sit at the apex court. Mr. Jammeh therefore appealed to Mrs. Johnson to help facilitate the availability of the judges, although the Nigerian and Sierra Leonean judiciary had already said they could not do so until May. In his telephone conversation with Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf on Monday, Mr. Jammeh said: “With regards to our last meeting when you came here. I want to request your assistance as the chairperson of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State. I want to request you to help us resolve this matter through the court. “I want you, I want ECOWAS to facilitate the release of the Judges so that they can come to help us resolve constitutionally through the constitution of the Gambia. As I said the only resolution of this impasse is through the court. “Everything that will be done let it be based on the Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia. An application has also been filed before the Supreme Court of The Gambia for injunction to restrain Adama Barrow from being sworn-in as well as restraining the Chief Justice or any other person from swearing him, Adama Barrow, into office. “Until this application is decided either way, the status quo must remain, that is until the Supreme Court makes decision on this the status quo can’t change.” Mr. Jammeh’s fifth term runs out on January 19. Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf, first said: ‘you want to talk to again’ on answering the call, before Mr. Jammeh added, that “date is not cast in stone.” He then persisted thus: “As we have matter in court and have issue with our election, all parties should await the judgement of the Supreme Court which will be the only legal entity to trash out this case once and for all. “I want to assure you that whatever we are going to do will be based on the constitution of The Gambia. All as we discussed must pass through the constitution of The Gambia which is the supreme authority. “So once again, I am requesting the ECOWAS to facilitate the coming of the judges so they can resolve this case as soon as possible. I count on you,’ said Mr. Jammeh, to the Liberian President whom he called “my sister”. In her response, Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf assured him she would go “to work on this right away.” She said she would consult with other authorities “to tell them what you said.” She then asked Mr. Jameh to make a “short statement” of commitment that “there will be peace, there will be no violation of the constitution.”
Over 92 hours since the ponzi scheme, Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox, MMM, announced its return and unfreezing of Mavros after a month’s freezing of access to requesting financial help (GH), it has again begun removing the Get Help (GH) access of some of the participants, otherwise called Mavrodians. The reason given is that the measure is to ensure a balance between Get Help (GH) and Provide help (PH). Although a few participants have claimed they had been paired with who would pay them their returns, otherwise known as Provide Help (PH), no one has been paid so far. Many have even begun lamenting the inability to get help despite the scheme’s announcement that the Mavros had been unfrozen. However, more anxiety have begun looming as most of the participants woke up today again to discover that their request for help have been removed, a situation that has further heightened the fears of the ponzi scheme really coming back to normal.
Other promoters of the scheme wrote to allay the fears of the participants, saying the removal of the GH is a further measure taken to moderate those requesting for help and hence, have a balance between (GH) and (PH). One of them, Olaarowolo wrote, “Please be informed that some GH are temporary removed because measures to ensure that there are balances between PH-GH, GH-PH. Please do not panic. As matched orders are cleared, relief with spread. Thank you.” Another promoter, Prince_Demilade, wrote, ” pls do not panic U may have observed that you cannot find your GH order in your dashboard as well as d introduction of letters to the catcha on logging. This is just evidence of work going on on d new model… Your money is not lost and u can still see it in your mavro as pending withdrawals.. BE INFORMED.” “Good morning Mavrodians, I have been receiving complaints regarding GH request no longer on MMM Dashboard and GH amount exceeds allowed daily maximum limit when GH button is clicked.” “Like i said earlier the new model has been introduced and programmers are working relentlessly on the website to make sure everything is working perfect so we should play our own role by exercising patient and wait for the programmers to finish what they have started.” “Please do not panic if you experience any changes and please do not cancel any processed GH or PH to avoid your account being placed on moratorium.Your money is still intact and in safe hands. Long live MMM Nigeria!” And yet, another promoter gave the following reasons for the removal of the GHs. In what he titled, “Why Your Get Help (GH) Orders Were Removed, ” he explained thus: “Many participants woke up this morning to see that their Get Help (GH) orders have been removed completely from their PO’s Dashboard. Though some people called it canceled but the truth of the matter is that it was only removed not canceled. Please note that the GH orders were not cancelled because if cancelled, you will see it at the right hand side as deleted.” “It was removed because of the following reasons: There is an ongoing upgrade because programmers are always working on the MMM system every day so the promised New Model can be unveiled as soon as possible. You might notice earlier this morning, the login Captcha was showing alphanumeric as against the numbers until it restored to numbers later today.” “Why is the upgrade taking so long? Why not shut down the website and finish the upgrade once and for all? Have you thought of the unprecedented panic it will cause if MMM Nigeria Personal Office website is shut down for 1hour? Again, www.mmmoffice.com is not only for Nigeria, it is being used by MMM in other countries too.” “Moreso, many participants have formed the habit of cancelling their GH orders and creating new GH orders hoping they will be matched earlier. There is no need for that anyway but to forestall that, the created GH orders were removed and that is why you can’t create new GH orders because the old GH orders have not been cancelled but removed and withdrawal is still pending.” “There is no cause for any alarm over the removed GH orders, if you check your Mavro, you will notice the value of the removed GH order has been restored and had also increased though it is still showing pending withdrawal.” “Incase you missed these tweets from @MMMNigeriaHelp earlier: There have been reports of “removed GH orders” in some POs. The removed GH orders are mostly GH orders created on Friday/Saturday.” “There is no cause for any alarm. The value of the removed GH order has been restored and increased though showing pending withdrawal.” “ The removal of the GH orders and other changes/errors you might notice are indications that the #NewModel is taking shape gradually.” “Tuesday (Mavro growing day), a lot of participants created GH orders thus the message “GH amount exceeds allowed daily maximum”. “Please await further instructions either to create a new GH order or if it will be automatically restored and matched. We crave your indulgence, patience & understanding at this period. We are doing our best to have these issues/upgrades resolved ASAP.” “Let’s be patient while the Administrators of MMM do their best to restore the confidence we have in the system,” he wrote.
Sultan of Sokoto and President, Jama’at Nasril Islam(JNI), Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Tuesday, in Ilorin said that there are too numerous problems confronting the country, admitting that there is palpable tension among Christians and Muslims.
“We have problems in this country. Let’s not deceive ourselves, there is friction between Muslims and non Muslims,” he delcraed.
The Sultan made the declaration at the opening of a- two day international conference on “Security And Peaceful Co-existence In Nigeria, holding in Ilorin, Kwara state.
The conference is being organised by Kwara State government through the state’s Arabic Education Board.
The Sarkin Muslim noted that the foundation of our problem is “injustice which leads to bad governance”.
He added that” we have been having problems in Nigeria because of impunity. The small percentage of criminals in our midst should,however, not be used to label all of us.”
The Sultan, however, said” with proper understanding,we can overcome our problems”.
The foremost monarch said such problems shouldn’t have arisen, giving the fact that over 90 percent of Nigerians are Muslims and Christians and they have a guide.
He said “God did not make a mistake when he created us as Muslims and Christians and made us people of Nigeria”.
The Sultan who decried killing of innocent people in the name of religion, asked religious leaders to stop inciting people against one another through their preaching.
While there is uncertainty over Lionel Messi's contract situation at Barcelona, there will be suggestions that -- however unlikely it might seem -- he could move elsewhere.
Reports that he could link up with his old boss, Pep Guardiola, at Manchester City have surfaced more than a few times, and now The Sun claims City have told Barca they "will pay £100 million" to sign him.
It reports that talks between executives of both clubs "were held at the end of last month to determine whether a world-record transfer is possible."
Although City did not use those discussions to table any formal bid, Barcelona's "willingness to listen" is reported to have encouraged them, with the Sun saying a source had described the meeting as positive.
City also believe "the relationship Guardiola forged with Messi at Barcelona can seal a move" -- a move the Sun says would bring the player a weekly wage of some £800,000.
It is no longer news that prices of essential/goods have shot up due to the recession the country is currently grappling with and which has brought about inflation on the prices of goods in Nigeria.
The prices of the essential goods/services before and after recession have been compiled below;
1.) Rice Doubled in price as it went from N10,000 to N20,000 on the average per bag.
2.) Beans Which is widely accepted to be the brother of rice went up from N18,000 to N27,000 per bag.
3.) Vegetable Oil
25 litres of this essential commodity went from N6,500 to N13,000 – a 100 percent increase. Price of Palm Oil also doubled, from N5,000 to N10,000
4.) Yam Flour
Popularly known as Elubo, yam flour which is used to make Amala saw an increment of N20,000 as the price changed from N40,000 to N60,000
5.) Garri Our dear garri, one of the most common food in the land went from N8,000 to N12,000 per bag
6.) Flour
50Kg of flour has gone up from N8,640 to N10,800 and which has inevitably led to increase in the prices of puff puff, buns, meatpie among others.
7.) Semovita and wheat
10 kg of the above two went from N1,800 to N3,600
8.) Cooking gas and Kerosene
Gas of 12.5Kg went from N2,400 to N3,700, while Kerosene went from N150 per liter to N225 per liter.
9.) Cement
Even cement went up from N1,500 to N2,300.
10.) Chicken and Turkey
Chicken of 1kg went from N650 to N1200, while Turkey of 1Kg went from N700 to N 1,400.
11.) Bread
The smallest loaf of bread that usually sold for N70 now goes for N100
12.) Egg
A full crate of egg now goes for N850 as opposed to its former price of N700
13.) Indomie
A carton of indomie went up from N1, 400 to N2,400 and the smallest Indomie size went from N60 to N80.
14.) Transportation
Transportation also took a massive hit as normal bus fares of N50 have gone up to N70 and the ones of N100 now N150. The aviation sector also has its fair share of inflation as local ticket prices that were formally as low as 12,000 now starts from N20,500 if you book in advance. Lagos to the USA that used to cost between N350,000 and N400, 000 now costs between N600,000 and N700,000, while Lagos – London flights have gone from N250,000 to minimum N400,000.
15.) Auto sector
The automobile sector too is affected as Tokunbo (fairly used) vehicles that had price tags of between N500,000 and N600, 000 now sell for at least between N1.3 million and N1.5 million.
16.) Insecticides
Insecticides like Raid for example have even been affected as it now goes for N830 as opposed to N450
17.) Sanitary pad
Always sanitary pad (14 pieces) is now N600 – N650. It used to be between N250 – N350.
Tianjin Quanjian owner Shu Yuhui has said he had looked into a move for Chelsea's Diego Costa and drawn up a contract for Monaco's Radamel Falcao before the Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced rule changes on overseas players.
On Monday, the CFA imposed a reduction of the number of foreign players able to be fielded in the forthcoming season, which begins in March, warning that limits would be imposed in order to reduce "irrational investment."
Shu, who said he had also been exploring moves for Paris Saint-Germain's Edison Cavani and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, has been working with agent Jorge Mendes on his plans to strengthen the squad.
"Our club had a massive investment plan for the new season but it was tightened up by the new rules," Shu told Tianjin Sports Channel.
"I made an appointment with Mendes and he came to my hometown to visit me. At that time, we were interested in signing Costa.
"We need an out-and-out striker so we made a bid for Benzema. We also made an attempt for Falcao.
"As a matter of fact, the club had even prepared the contracts for Falcao and Raul Jimenez, but the new rules forced us to give up on them.
"PSG told us Cavani would only be allowed to leave in June, even though the player himself was willing to join us. The same can be said for Costa because Chelsea will also only let him leave in June.
"However, the new season of CSL will almost have reached the halfway stage in June -- and we can't wait that long."
Shu, who made his fortune in herbal medicine, said Tianjin had now turned their attention to Fiorentina striker Nikola Kalinic.
The club gained promotion to the top flight under coach Fabio Cannavaro, with the Italian steering the club to the China League One title last season.
"We are currently discussing whether to hold onto [former Brazil striker] Luis Fabiano," Shu said. "But Cannavaro told us he preferred Kalinic, who would perfectly fit into the team's style of play."
Donald Trump has a problem on his hands ... what to do with 2 private jets and 3 helicopters.
Our Trump sources say the fate of Trump's 757, Citation X and 3 choppers are in limbo. He can't sell them because if he does it will look like he's profiting off the presidency. Likewise, he can't charter them out because it will open the door to criticism that he's getting a POTUS premium.
Trump, we're told, will not let the kids use the planes ... they fly commercial and if they choose private it's on their own dime.
And putting the aircrafts in storage poses other problems. They need to be maintained, which is a complicated and expensive process ... requiring pilots and mechanics.
London (CNN)British Prime Minister Theresa May has committed to placing a final Brexit deal to a vote in both houses of the UK parliament.
In a much-anticipated speech in London, May said that once Britain had negotiated a final deal to leave the European Union, it would be placed before the House of Commons and the House of Lords for approval.
She confirmed that Britain would leave the single market. But she said that, in the forthcoming negotiations with the EU, Britain would see seek a customs arrangement to replace the provisions of the EU customs union. Such a deal could amount to "associate membership" of the customs union, she said.
May said Britain would not adopt a "half-in, half-out" approach to the European Union, indicating that a so-called hard Brexit is on the cards.
"We seek a new and equal partnership -- between an independent, self-governing, global Britain and our friends and allies in the EU," May said.
"Not partial membership of the European Union, associate membership of the European Union, or anything that leaves us half-in, half-out. We do not seek to adopt a model already enjoyed by other countries. We do not seek to hold on to bits of membership as we leave.
"The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. My job is to get the right deal for Britain as we do."
May warned other EU member states not to seek a "punitive" deal for Britain in order to send a message to Euroskeptics in other countries. Britain would not accept such as deal and would go it alone. "No deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain," she said.
Talks on a deal can only begin once the British government invokes Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which sets the rules of EU membership. May has said she wants to trigger the mechanism by the end of March. The UK Supreme Court is due to rule in the next few weeks on whether there must be a vote in the UK parliament before that can happen.
May has previously refused to give a "running commentary" on her negotiation plans when asked by Parliament. But in her speech she acknowledged it was important for businesses and others to have as much clarity as it was possible to give.
Criticism of May
May has faced recent criticism over her Brexit strategy and was dealt a blow earlier this month when Ivan Rogers, Britain's ambassador to the EU, resigned from his role in Brussels.
"We do not yet know what the government will set as negotiating objectives for the U.K.'s relationship with the EU after exit," Rogers wrote in a goodbye note to staffers, while also accusing Whitehall of "muddled thinking."
May rejected Rogers' assertion last week.
READ: Why Brexit talks just got much harder for the UK
"Our thinking on this isn't muddled at all," she told Sky News in her first interview of 2017.
"There hadn't been any plans made for Brexit so it was important for us to take some time to actually look at the issues, look at the complexity of the issues."
Rogers' resignation came just weeks after Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, warned Britain it was facing a race against time to strike an exit deal.
Barnier said the process would need to be completed by October 2018, ensuring enough time for ratification by the 27 remaining member states within the two-year time scale according to EU rules.
source:http://edition.cnn.com/
Donald Trump has a problem on his hands ... what to do with 2 private jets and 3 helicopters.