Why Hariri resigned as Lebanon Prime Minister?

BEIRUT (Reuters) – After hitting a dead end in efforts to defuse the crisis sweeping Lebanon, Saad al-Hariri informed a top Hezbollah official on Monday he had no choice but to quit as prime minister in defiance of the powerful Shi’ite group.

The decision by the Sunni leader shocked Hussein al-Khalil, political advisor to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who advised him against giving in to protesters who wanted to see his coalition government toppled.

 

The meeting described to Reuters by four senior sources from outside Hariri’s Future Party captures a critical moment in the crisis that has swept Lebanon for the last two weeks as Hariri yielded to the massive street protests against the ruling elite.

The resignation has left a political vacuum and paralyzed a state in need of urgent action to steer Lebanon out of an economic crisis that is hitting all Lebanese hard, including Hezbollah’s Shi’ite constituency.

 

Officials at Hariri’s office and Hezbollah could not immediately reached for comment.

The meeting which began at 8 p.m. at Hariri’s Beit al-Wasat residence in central Beirut did not last long.

“I have made my decision I want to resign to make a positive shock and give the protests some of what they want,” Hariri told Khalil, according to one of the sources.

Khalil sought to change his mind. “These protests are nearly over, breathing their last breaths, we are next to you, steel yourself,” Khalil told Hariri.

But Hariri stuck by his decision.

 

He complained he was not getting the support he needed to carry out a major cabinet reshuffle that might have defused the street and allow the quick implementation of reforms. “I can no longer bear it and I am not getting any help,” Hariri said.

The main sticking point, Hariri said, was Hezbollah’s Christian ally Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, a son-in-law of President Michel Aoun with whom the prime minister had clashed repeatedly since his cabinet was formed in January.

While Hariri sought a major reshuffle that would remove Bassil – a target of protester ridicule – and others, Bassil and Aoun had resisted any reshuffle on the basis that demonstrators might not leave the street and demand even more concessions.

“You, Hezbollah, are standing behind Gebran and supporting him,” Hariri told Khalil, according to the source.

Bassil could not be reached for comment.

After announcing his resignation, Hariri expressed relief.

 

 

 

LEBANON

A senior official familiar with his thinking told Reuters he could form a new government if his conditions are met. [ID:nL8N27F1LU]

A BLOW TO HEZBOLLAH

The resignation is a major blow for Hezbollah, which is more deeply involved than ever in the affairs of Lebanese government and as keen as anyone to stave off deeper financial problems that could lead to a destabilizing currency crisis.

Ahead of the resignation, Nasrallah had twice said he was against the resignation of the Hariri government, suggesting that some of the protesters were financed by the group’s foreign adversaries and implementing their agendas.

The post of prime minister must be filled by a Sunni Muslim in Lebanon’s sectarian system, and while Hezbollah has Sunni allies, Hariri is seen as critical to navigating a way out of this crisis because of his international backing.

“This is a strong blow to Hezbollah. Its hands have now been tied,” said a source familiar with Hezbollah’s thinking. “The biggest winner is Hariri.”

Hariri entered this cabinet, his third, with the balance of power tilted against him and in favor of the heavily armed Hezbollah, which together with its allies won more than 70 of parliament’s 128 seats in a 2018 election.

Hariri had lost more than one third of his lawmakers in that election, including some to Sunnis aligned with Hezbollah.

Hezbollah allies, including the FPM of Bassil and Aoun, secured the lion’s share of cabinet seats in Hariri’s cabinet. Hariri clashed with Bassil, particularly over long-elusive reforms needed to plug gaping holes in the state finances.

Hezbollah forged its alliance with the FPM in 2006, winning an influential Christian friend as Lebanese politics was recast by the withdrawal of the Syrian government forces that had dominated the country since the end of the 1975-90 civil war.

As foreign minister, Bassil has consistently spoken in international forums such as the Arab league to defend Hezbollah and its possession of weapons. He is seen as a presidential hopeful.

In line with Hezbollah’s view, Bassil called for Syria to be allowed back into the Arab League at a meeting earlier this month, generating more friction with Hariri because it was at odds with Lebanese government policy.

The source familiar with Hezbollah’s thinking said the group had refrained from attacking Hariri over his decision to quit, to leave open the possibility of him becoming prime minister of a new coalition cabinet. Hezbollah “must preserve a way back” from the crisis, the source said.

 

SOURCE:

 

MSN

Nigeria lifts suspension of two aid groups in northeast -minister

Nigeria has temporarily lifted a suspension of the operations of two aid groups, Mercy Corps and Action Against Hunger, in the country’s northeast, the minister of humanitarian affairs said.

The army forced both groups to close some of their offices in September, accusing Action Against Hunger of aiding terrorist groups and alleging that a large amount of money in a car found in northeastern Borno state belonged to Mercy Corps.

The two groups did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Action Against Hunger has rejected the accusation of “aiding and abetting” a terrorist organisation and Mercy Corps has expressed concern at the consequences of suspending its operations in northeast Nigeria, saying it left hundreds of thousands of people at risk.

 

 

Humanitarian affairs minister Sadiya Umar Farouq told a news conference in the northeastern city of Maiduguri that the concerns raised by the army would “continue to receive attention and scrutiny,” and that the government would take new steps to vet and monitor all humanitarian groups working in the region

A decade-long insurgency by Islamist militant group Boko Haram has terrorised the northeast, killing some 30,000 and forcing two million to flee their homes. In 2016, Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) split from Boko Haram and has launched its own attacks in the region.

 

The United Nations has described it as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, estimating that 7.1 million people need assistance.

 

SOURCE:

 

MSN

How Messi produced a master class with a brace against Real Villadolid.

Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde said he has ‘run out of words’ to describe Lionel Messi after the captain inspired a 5-1 rout of Real Valladolid.

Messi produced a masterclass with a brace and two assists as defending champions Barca moved top of the La Liga table on Tuesday.

Barca captain Messi set up Arturo Vidal with an exquisite pass before scoring a stunning free-kick – the 50th of his career for club and Argentina – prior to half-time at Camp Nou.

 

Messi netted his second of the match after the interval and the five-time Ballon d’Or winner teed up team-mate Luis Suarez as Barca climbed above Granada and Atletico Madrid atop the summit.

“What else can be said about him? I’ve run out of words,” Valverde told reporters. “We always know that he will appear, whatever the match.

“His talent isn’t comparable to anything; the reality is that every time he touches the ball, something special happens. I just don’t know what to say.”

Valverde added:

 

“He is getting closer to his best form [after injury], when Leo gets it something bad will happen to the rival.

“He has that talent that nobody has, he escapes anyone and it is not only that he can make an individual play but he does things that nobody sees.

“It happens to me sometimes, he does things that are not seen even from the crowd, every day is better.”

Although Clement Lenglet’s second-minute opener was fortuitously cancelled out by Valladolid’s Kiko Olivas 13 minutes later, Messi was able to inspire Barca against the visitors.

Barca are two points clear of Granada and Atletico Madrid – the latter of whom have played an extra match due to the postponement of El Clasico last weekend – after 10 games.

“We value very much what we do,” Valverde added. “We have in memory what we have done but we want to look forward and win this league.

“It is not easy to take the games forward, Valladolid tied against Atletico and Real Madrid and it is not easy to beat them.”

The Catalans‘ next match comes in the league at Levante on Saturday.

 

SOURCE:

 

MSN

Why Nigeria action is a big blow to regional integration in West Africa?

President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo of Ghana on Tuesday, October 29 lamented over the border closure by the Nigerian government.

The Ghanaian president described the action of Nigeria as a big blow to regional integration in West Africa, adding that it could negatively affect the regional integration agenda.

He made the comment at a meeting with a delegation from a top Nigerian bank at the Jubilee House in Accra, Daily Trust reports.

 

His words:

 

“We are about to enter a delicate period in the ECOWAS journey looking ahead of the possibility of a single currency and trying to forge greater integration among our economies and at the same time have important security and other issues which confront us.

“We have this business of the closure of the Benin Border, which seems to some people to be a big blow to the ECOWAS project.”

He argued that the overall interest of member states should override individual national interest.

 

“I believe that there are other considerations that we have to look at and examine to find a way so that we can live in this region in harmony and allow each one of us our national ambition to be fulfilled,” he added.

Recall that Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, had a meeting with two Ghanaian ministers on the issue on Thursday, October 17 in Abuja.

Ghana’s minister of foreign affairs and integration, Shirley Botchwey and her trade and industry counterpart, Alan Kyerematen, visited Onyeama at his office in the Nigerian capital.

Onyeama told his visitors that no country was targeted in the border closure, adding that the move is a measure to address a particular issue.

 

SOURCE:

 

MSN

WHEN A NATION PRESERVES THE MEMORY OF HER DEAD CITIZENS.

Kayla Mueller was an Aid worker alleged to have been abducted and raped repeatedly by Abu Ali Baghdadi before she was killed.

She was an American citizen.

 

KM

I ran and copied this introduction when I was reading about the mode of operation that killed one of the most wanted man on earth by USA on Sunday.

To my surprise,the operation was named after Kayla Mueller.

After reading through,my mind was busy thinking about the level of humanity displayed by American government to preserve the memory of this young lady who was just 26 years old as at the time she lost her life.

This made me to think about my country which has no value and respect for the living not to talk about the dead.

Insurgency has claimed the life’s of many in Nigeria and many people are still dying including soldiers on the field of battle but nothing meaningful has been done to preserve the memory of these people.

Just as Kayla Mueller was an aid worker,there has been news about many aids workers that have been kidnapped and maimed by Boko Haram but no single idea has been put in place to preserve their memory.

This is a confirmation of how low we have gone in giving due respect in terms of dignity to both the living and the dead in a world we call our own.

Kudos to the American government that made it a point of reference by ensuring that the life of a single soul is precious and it must be protected and preserve anywhere in the world as long as such a soul carries the American green card.

Reverse is the case in my country as many occurrences has point to the fact that Nigeria as a nation has no premium for the citizens our leaders are expected to protect and preserve.

This is why we have many Nigerians been treated as a second class citizen both at home and abroad.

It is a pity that we are where we are due to the plague of bad leadership that has been recurrent on the corridor of power in this part of the world.

At 26 years of age, Kayla Mueller died gruesomely in the hand of Abu Al Baghdadi but American government ensured that she didn’t died in vain but she became a national hero by ensuring that the operation that executed her abductor and killer was code-named after her.

What a good way to preserve her memory.

 

Giving an ordinary citizen of a country such a recognition shows how such a nation believed in the dignity of her citizen which must be preserved and protected no matter how costly it might be.

 

This is a gesture that other nations of the world should imbibe in going to the extreme in protecting the dignity of humanity without any constraints.

 

In Nigeria,the thought of Leah Shuaibu,Chibok girls and other victims of Boko Haram insurgency is still fresh in our minds with no possible solution ahead to nip this evil against humanity in the bud.

 

leah 1

 

Life has been unbearable in many parts of Nigeria and even abroad with many Nigerian becoming species of attack and maltreatment across the length and breadth of the entire world.

 

Humanity must be preserved and protected at all cost by our leaders.

 

An injustice to one is an injustice to all.

 

 

usa-flag-std_1

God bless the United States of America.

 

©mlstcommunications 2019

 

How a 14-year old Nigerian girl became a saint.

The Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis, on Sunday described the late 14-year-old Vivian Ogu as an example to all Christians in Nigeria and the rest of the world.

The Pope, represented by Archbishop Guampetno Dal Toso, International President of Pontifical Mission Societies, spoke at the closing ceremony of the National Mission Congress of Nigeria at the Vivian Ogu Missionary Animation Centre in Benin City at the weekend.

 

“She showed us how we can live our faith without minding the consequences,” the Pope said and expressed joy that “we have here in Nigeria this good example of a young woman who gave her life for the fidelity of her faith.”

Recall that Vivian was on November 15, 2009, shot dead by armed robbers after she resisted being raped by the robbers who invaded her family house in Benin City.

The robbers were said to have taken her and her sister out of town to a rural area where she was killed.

 

Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki; Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan; President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Augustine Akubeze, eulogised the life and times Vivian Ogu, saying her life was worth of emulation.

Onaiyekan said, “You must see the hand of God in this. How many times have we been hearing that armed robbers killed people? This is not the first time armed robbers are killing people but this particular case is special.”

Akubeze said her death was a clarion call for Christians to practise their faith.

 

SOURCE:

MSN

Why Pep showered encomium on Messi?

Pep Guardiola knew Barcelona “would win everything” after seeing Lionel Messi play for the first time.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner developed into a superstar forward during Guardiola’s four years in charge at Camp Nou after being crafted into a false-nine.

In an interview with Catalunya Radio, Guardiola explained how Messi made an instant impression by scoring freely during a pre-season tour of Scotland.

“I had already been told by someone from the squad that there was a very good player in the squad,” he said. “They told me that he was very young but scored many goals and he was very good.

“I did not know him and one day I saw him and his father at a Nike store. I saw him, he looked small and shy and I thought: ‘Is this one as good as they say?’

“We started pre-season in Scotland, we won 6-1, 5-0 and he would score three goals a game for you. I thought that, with him, we would win everything.”

 

Barcelona won 14 trophies with Guardiola as coach, including three LaLiga titles and two Champions League crowns.

The Catalan coach left Camp Nou in 2012 and took over at Bayern Munich the following year.

Opening up on his special bond with the players he managed at Barcelona, Guardiola said: “I enjoyed the process of building the team; seeing that the changes we made worked and everything was flowing; how they were brought together, the chemistry, the respect.

“They were a group of friends who went out to dinner often; a group that knew how to move forward in moments of difficulty.

“All this was very good, but the importance of leading such a big club as Barca means that you do not have much time to enjoy it.

“The relationship that we have with those who formed part of that group is insurmountable. There are no championships or world titles that can compensate.

“We gave each other a lot. But there is a moment, due to the natural process of time, that things end.”

 

SOURCE:

 

MSN

How Messi scored his 50th free kick goals in La Liga.

Lionel Messi bent in a trademark breathtaking free kick in the first half of Barcelona’s La Liga game with Real Valladolid and set a personal milestone in the process.

Messi has now scored 50 goals direct from free kicks in his career.

The Argentina international’s strike was the Blaugrana’s third goal of the first half, following strikes by Clement Lenglet and Arturo Vidal.

Kiko Olivas had pulled Valladolid level after Lenglet’s opener, before Messi took over.

He provided a magical assist for Chile international Vidal’s second goal before putting the ball in the top right-hand corner of the goal from 30 yards.

 

He went on to score another, from open play, in the second half before another assist, this time to Luis Suarez, saw Barca get five.

The 32-year-old’s goals were his 100th and 101st for head coach Ernesto Valverde.

Messi’s now has four goals in his last three games, after an injury-hit start to the season saw him miss four of Barcelona’s first six matches.

The limited availability of their talisman saw Valverde’s men get off to a rocky start, worryingly losing twice in their opening five fixtures.

The win over Valladolid sees them leapfrog one of the teams they lost to, surprise package Granada, and ascend to the top of the Primera Division table.

A total of 44 of Messi’s free kick goals have come in the famous blue and red stripes of the Catalan icons, with the remainder coming for his country.

 

Messi is some way short of overhauling the leading free kick scorers of all time.

Former Lyon star Juninho Pernambucano banged home 77 in his career and fellow Brazilian Pele is in second place having scored 70, with another member of the Selecao, Ronaldinho tied with Victor Legrottaglie on 66.

Behind the South Americans sits David Beckham, who netted 65 goals from dead-ball situations in a career that took in spells at Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy and England.

One player Messi may overhaul sooner than later is the man in tenth place on the list, another Brazilian, Rogerio Ceni, who scored 59 in his career.

Ceni might claim his feat is more impressive than the others on the list as he made his living as a goalkeeper for Sao Paolo.

 

SOURCE:

 

MSN

Nigeria mourns the death of Balewa Matriach

The only surviving wife of Nigeria’s first prime minister, late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Hajiya Jummai Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, is reportedly dead.

According to The Nation, she was recently discharge from an India hospital after she went to seek medical attention for her heart disease.

 

The late Hajiya Jummai reportedly died in Lagos in the early hours of Sunday, October 27,

Hajiya Hajara Yakubu Wanka, granddaughter of the late Balewa was said to have confirmed the development.

Meanwhile, recall that Legit.ng had reported that Senator Mojisola Akinfenwa, a former Alliance for Democracy (AD) national chairman, died at the age of 89.

The demise was confirmed by a former AD chairman in Osun state, Hon Oladape Fakunle, who said Akinfenwa enjoyed good health till his final moment.

 

SOURCE:

 

MSN

IPPIS: Sheathe Your Swords, Don Jazzy Pleads With ASUU, FG — Information Nigeria

Don JazzyNigerian music producer Don Jazzy has appealed to the Federal Government and the members of the Academic Staff Union of University ASUU over the use of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System IPPIS. The FG had given October as the deadline for the commencement of the use of the IPPIS but ASUU insisted it…

via IPPIS: Sheathe Your Swords, Don Jazzy Pleads With ASUU, FG — Information Nigeria

Raid against Baghdadi was named for Kayla Mueller, US hostage killed in ISIS custody

The “dark and dangerous” operation that claimed the life of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was named after American Kayla Mueller, 26, who was kidnapped by the extremist group and killed in 2015.

Mueller, who was described by her family as a “compassionate and devoted humanitarian,” traveled to Turkey in 2012 after her graduation and then crossed the border into Syria, on a mission to help those fleeing the civil war in the country. She was leaving a hospital run by the medical charity Doctors Without Borders in the Syrian city of Aleppo when she was kidnapped in August 2013.

In a letter to her family that she wrote while in captivity, she urged her loved ones not to let her situation burden them. “I DO NOT want the negotiations for my release to be your duty,” she wrote, adding: “I know you would want me to remain strong. That is exactly what I am doing.

“I remember mom always telling me that all in all in the end the only one you really have is God. I have come to a place in experience where, in every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to our creator,” she wrote, invoking her religious beliefs throughout the letter.

In February 2015, the Islamic State claimed that Mueller was killed when a Jordanian fighter plane bombed the building in which she was being held. U.S. officials expressed skepticism about the claim, while the Jordanian government denied that its airstrikes had killed the American hostage.

The details surrounding Mueller’s death and the whereabouts of her body are still unclear.

 

SOURCE:

 

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/raid-against-baghdadi-was-named-for-kayla-mueller-us-hostage-killed-in-isis-custody-1.605071

Nigerian pastor accused of abusing children who fled Boko Haram.

Deep in the tropical forest in southern Nigeria, an evangelical pastor runs a sprawling camp billed as a refuge for thousands of children who fled the Boko Haram jihadist insurgency in the north.

Solomon Folorunsho, known as Pastor Solomon, says he is on a self-proclaimed mission to help humanity, creating the International Christian Centre for Missions (ICCM).

His camp in Benin City claims to provide accommodation, medical care and education for 4,000 children, “most of them orphans”, as well as 500 widows and missionaries, using funding from local institutions, NGOs and churches abroad.

 

But witnesses AFP interviewed across Nigeria — children, their relatives, former missionaries and social workers — paint a far darker picture of the pastor and the treatment of those in his care.

“At first he’s very subtle, quiet — like somebody who wouldn’t hurt a fly,” one former church worker said of the charismatic preacher.

“I loved him, I loved his charisma.”

But during months of interviews, witnesses detailed how those living at his 30-hectare (75-acre) facility frequently go hungry and thirsty and endure atrocious hygiene conditions.

All accused the pastor of physical abuse, while some accused him of sexual harassment.

 

‘We don’t do abuse’ 

Pastor Solomon, aged in his 50s, admits having problems with food and sanitary conditions in the camp but denies any mistreatment.

“There is no bad treatment here. We don’t do abuse,” he told AFP.

“Feeding them is a challenge… but we don’t have anything to hide. We are helping humanity.”

 

Concerns about the camp have a long history. Three years ago, the UN children’s agency UNICEF sent an assessment team to the site, who filed a report with damning conclusions.

“Pastor Solomon runs this camp as if it is his ‘kingdom’. He controls the movement and actions of every person in the camp through a group of ministers and specially selected children,” the team wrote in the confidential report, seen by AFP.

The UNICEF investigators said what they saw, coupled with interviews with children, caregivers and NGO workers, prompted “strong concerns regarding the possibility that Pastor Solomon may be engaged in sexual activities, or at a minimum, displaying grooming behaviours with girls in the camp”.

Witnesses also told AFP that around a dozen young girls work for the pastor as his personal servants and receive preferential treatment.

“A girl who refused to work for him was punished and starved. When he beat you, he wouldn’t stop until you bled seriously,” said Rahila, a 16-year-old girl who left the camp several months ago.

“He had names that he called different girls… He would comment on the size of my b**t, and he would say our chests looked like pineapples or stuff like that,” she said.

All the witnesses’ names have been changed to protect their identities.

 ‘We got beaten’ 

Other children and adults said that those who upset the preacher were treated brutally.

“I was always hungry, there was never enough food or water. When we complained we got beaten with anything he could lay his hands on,” said 12-year-old Hauwa.

“No one leaves Pastor Solomon without a scar — whether it is psychological or physical,” a former follower told AFP after hesitating at first to talk about his ordeal.

Convincing people to talk about their experiences with Pastor Solomon is a painstaking task. Some have refused to speak out for 20 years.

“Most of the girls were coming from poor homes. They would sleep with him and in exchange, he would pay for their school fees,” said a former female follower who was at the church in the late 1990s.

She said her going to the authorities about the abuse she experienced and witnessed was out of the question in a country where powerful men are rarely brought to justice.

She was also scared of juju, the traditional black magic widely feared by people in the region.

“I was scared to talk. He uses juju, people told me I would die.”

Evangelical preachers draw fanatical followings across the deeply Christian south of Nigeria. Pastor Solomon’s power stems greatly from his beliefs.

“He says he’s sent by God. To confront him is like confronting God himself,” a former church worker said.

Those who have served under him and lived in the camp say the pastor uses the fear of devil to keep people in line.

On the church’s website, in a short biography entitled “I Saw Jesus” — translated into six languages including Russian and Chinese — he claimed that he was saved from Satan by God himself.

Foreign evangelical support 

Pastor Solomon’s International Christian Centre for Missions has expanded hugely since he founded it in 1990 with just a dozen young female followers.

In 1992, he set up the first “Home for the Needy”, taking in poor children whose parents entrusted them to his care on the promise of an education.

A former missionary said the pastor would sometimes misrepresent the children as orphans to raise sponsorship in Europe or the United States.

Ten years later, the church had grown to more than 200 branches, with missionaries and preachers working across southern Nigeria and funds coming from evangelical churches abroad.

“He was always browsing the internet to look for church organisations all over the world” to target for donations, the missionary said.

“He would send pictures of us or of the children, asking us to look sad. He was saying that white people are so emotional.”

But it was the Boko Haram jihadist insurgency more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) to the north of Benin City that caused a surge in the numbers at the camp.

As the violence displaced millions of people and grabbed global attention in 2013, Pastor Solomon’s group turned its attention to children in the conflict zone of northeastern Nigeria.

“The pastor’s people came (to Maiduguri) and convinced parents to send their children to Benin City where they would have a good education, with free food,” said Rakiya, who allowed five of her six children to go.

“At the camp, parents would be given bags of rice, bus fare, jerrycans of palm oil and the like. So when they returned to Maiduguri they would tell other parents ‘Benin is good’,” she said.

No records 

No records are publicly available about how many children were brought from northern Nigeria to the camp.

Pastor Solomon told AFP that the Nigerian army and the intelligence service “have a copy of the register”, but this could not be verified.

UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) wanted to set up a programme to reunite children from the camp with their families, but were denied access to their identities.

“At this time, camp management has been unable/unwilling to provide this information,” UNICEF said in its report.

UNICEF maintains that it passed on the report to local authorities in 2016 to make them aware of the “concerns”.

But nothing appears to have been done.

On the contrary, Pastor Solomon had full support from the then regional governor, Adams Oshiomhole, now head of Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress.

“With the former governor, we once had a good relationship,” Pastor Solomon told AFP. “When parents wanted to get their children back, he would give them money, he would give them a gift.”

Today, while denying any accusations of maltreatment, the pastor admits that the huge influx of children placed a major strain on the camp and that the church struggles for money.

Camp workers have told local media that to feed the estimated 4,000 children and 500 adults at the camp costs hundreds of dollars a day — and that does not include medicine, water, education and clothing.

“We also have a problem with hepatitis, measles, chickenpox and scabies; we don’t have enough accommodation for them, this is a big challenge. the pastor acknowledged.

Witnesses said that children sleep on mats on the ground in huge hangars without adult supervision, relieving themselves in the forest, complaining of hunger and thirst and not washing, and that many have died in the disease-ridden conditions.

 ‘It’s our responsibility’ 

While conditions keep deteriorating at the camp, some European and US evangelical groups still send donations and materials to Nigeria.

The congregation of German pastor Gunther Geipel — who describes Pastor Solomon as a “friend and brother” — is one of them.

Geipel dismisses the allegations against the pastor as “tales” from “jealous people”.

“I cannot imagine that this is true,” he told AFP.

AFP put the allegations against Pastor Solomon and his camp to Edo State minister for social affairs Maria Edeko, who took up her duties several months ago.

She said she had never heard of the UN report or accusations of abuse and poor conditions at the camp but insisted they would be investigated.

She confirmed the authorities did not have access to the camp registry.

“From now on, I can assure you that my ministry will be on top of the situation. We need monitoring,” she said. “It’s our responsibility.”

 

SOURCE:

 

MSN

DO YOU KNOW THAT MOTHERHOOD IS A LIFETIME COMMITMENT?

With the experiences and observations made by me in the couple of two months,I realised in practical that to be a good mother is not by mere wishful thinking but a practical desire that demands practical level of commitment.
Seen many grandmothers scrambling to stay and sleep with their daughter-laws or daughters during and after delivery is a role that does not belong to anyone who is not prepare. A woman needs a heart filled with love and compassion to nurse,train and tutor her children and grandchildren in the course of her existence on earth.
This is one of the major reason that made the welfare of a girl child to be as important as the life we are living.
It will not be an aberration to submit that a girl child or a woman is the engine room of human creation.
It is a pity that many female folks have no understanding of their purpose in the course of their existence on earth,a reason behind the unacceptable ways they are fond of behaving in the Society.
The good ones must be praised and the bad ones must be encouraged to have a better understanding of their role as it relates to human creation.
Motherhood is all about a show of strength and valour.It is not about fashion,jamboree and partying.
It is not for the weak and the lazy.
Motherhood entails been available in all ramifications for people around you from your children to your great grand children.
It is a way of life that every girl child must be tutored about and every girl child must see a reason in becoming one that will not just be there but end up becoming the hope of generation unborn.
From the depth of my heart,I celebrates every good mothers.
My mum,my wife,my daughter and all the good women around me.
Generations unborn will continue to talk about you all.

 

 

m1
This is simply dedicated to the Celebration of the girl child that happened recently all over the world.
Our girls or daughters are the anchor of light in our life’s and our mothers as are the pillar of human continuity on earth.
They made human continuity possible with love, dedication and commitment that is divine and natural.
May God bless our daughters.
May God bless our mothers.

 

©mlstcommunications2019.

Christianity saved me and it’s now my “job to spread the gospel, to let people know what Jesus has done for me.”–Kanye West.

In a wide-ranging interview with Apple Beats 1 radio host Zane Lowe ahead of his new album, “Jesus is King“, West re-affirmed he “will be president of the United States.”

“There will be a time when I will be president of the US, and I will remember … any founder that didn’t have the capacity to understand culturally what we were doing,” he said.

The two-hour interview, which was released Thursday night, saw the unpredictable rapper chat with Lowe at his Wyoming compound. 

 

 

 

kw

“I am unquestionably, undoubtedly, the greatest human artist of all time. It’s not even a question at this point. It’s just a fact,” West told Lowe.

When asked about his controversial relationship with the current US President Donald Trump, West said: “For the greatest artist in human existence to put a red hat on was God’s practical joke to all liberals. Like, ‘No! Not Kanye!'”

Aside from politics, West spoke about his battle with porn addiction, which began as a child.

“For me, Playboy was my gateway into full-on pornography addiction.

“My dad had a Playboy left out at age five, and it’s affected almost every choice I made for the rest of my life, from age five to now, having to kick the habit.”

But the rapper said Christianity saved him and it’s now his “job to spread the gospel, to let people know what Jesus has done for me.”

West’s views on sexual relationships are now much more conservative – he said he even asked people working on his new album to abstain from premarital sex.

West thanked fans Friday morning after the release of “Jesus is King” was delayed due to mixing issues. At the time of writing it has still not been released.

 

 

SOURCE:

 

MSN

South Africa apologises to Nigeria — Africa Online News

South Africa deployed a special envoy to Nigeria yesterday after waves of violence, arson and looting mostly targeted at the migrant business community swept through the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria. Special envoy from South Africa, Jeff Radebe was in Abuja to attend a meeting on Monday to convey the apologies on behalf of the […]

via South Africa apologises to Nigeria — Africa Online News

South Africa begs as exit of Nigerians hurts economy — DailyUpdates

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday apologised to Nigeria for the xenophobic attacks on its citizens. The apology was tendered to President Muhammadu Buhari in the State House, Abuja, by the two special envoys the South African leader dispatched to Nigeria yesterday. Addressing State House correspondents shortly after a closed- door meeting with the Nigerian […]

via South Africa begs as exit of Nigerians hurts economy — DailyUpdates

South Africa, Nigeria beef up security after xenophobic attacks — DailyUpdates

South Africa and Nigeria stepped security on Wednesday after deadly attacks on foreign-owned stores in Johannesburg triggered reprisal assaults on South African businesses in Nigerian cities. The centre of Johannesburg and the impoverished suburb of Alexandra were calm as police stepped up patrols following two days of looting, AFP reporters saw. Shops cautiously began to […]

via South Africa, Nigeria beef up security after xenophobic attacks — DailyUpdates

South Africa Flays NANS’ Call for protests Against Its Businesses — Breaking Down Boundaries with Information

South Africa has expressed concern over the call by the National Association of Nigerian Students for the expulsion of South Africans and protest at South Africa-owned businesses in Nigeria. The country made its feelings known in a statement issued by Ms Anna-Maria Jojozi, Counsellor in charge of Political Affairs at the South African High Commission […]

via South Africa Flays NANS’ Call for protests Against Its Businesses — Breaking Down Boundaries with Information

I was on S/African ‘Wanted List’ – Urhobo, ex-Executive Secretary of S/African Relief Fund. — Assumptablog

former Executive Secretary of South African Relief Fund, SARF, Dr. Omawumi Urhobo, in this interview, explains how South Africa and Nigeria can foster permanent harmonious relations. Urhobo, who is the President/Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Smart Development Foundation, also shares her experience as the student counsellor to more than 500 South African students in Nigeria […]

via I was on S/African ‘Wanted List’ – Urhobo, ex-Executive Secretary of S/African Relief Fund. — Assumptablog

Xenophobia: The Govt of S/Africa has not ask us to leave – Nigerians — Basehitz Media

The Nigerians leaving in South Africa, Sunday said they have not been ask by the South African Government to leave the country. Some angry residents attack houses of immigrants in Johannesburg. A source told Basehitz Media that the situation in South Africa is a bit calm. According to him, ” We are monitoring the situation […]

via Xenophobia: The Govt of S/Africa has not ask us to leave – Nigerians — Basehitz Media

Why Nicki Minaj flew her pastor half way across the country to perform her marriage ceremony?

Nicki Minaj flew her pastor half way across the country to perform her marriage ceremony.

The ‘Superbass’ hitmaker tied the knot with Kenneth Petty earlier this week and flew her pastor, Lydia Woodson-Sloley, from Brooklyn to Los Angeles to make sure she’d conduct the nuptials, TMZ reports.

 

Nicki confirmed she had married Kenneth, 41, on Instagram this week, when she posted a short video of bride and groom baseball caps, and Mr and Mrs mugs.Captioning the clip with a bride and groom emoji, Nicki – who was born Onika Tanya Maraj – wrote: “Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty 10-21-19 (sic)”

The happy couple obtained their marriage license in July but have been waiting for their particular pastor to be free to officiate the ceremony – and Nicki revealed last week (17.10.19) that the pair could marry “in the next seven days”.

She said: “We’ve gotten our marriage license, but there’s a particular pastor who I want to officiate and so she was just made available as of today. She told me she’s available within the next week, so we could be married in the next seven days.”

In an August episode of her Queen Radio show, Nicki revealed the pair would be married in “about 80 days” after obtaining their marriage license.

She said at the time: “We still had to pick it up and I was traveling, by the time I came back, we had to renew it again. From that time, you have 90 days to get married. That was about a week ago, so now I have about 80 days. I have to work on my album and I have a lot to focus on that I don’t want to do the big wedding now. We’ll do the big wedding later.”

 

SOURCE:

 

MSN