BEFORE APC FALLS APART - DELE MOMODU.

Fellow Nigerians, it is not a hidden fact that I’ve been a great admirer and ubiquitous supporter of the current governing Party in Nigeria, the ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC), from its inception though I belong bodily and spiritually elsewhere in the National Conscience Party. My love for APC was not because I expected its members to be extra-terrestrial beings without foibles and idiosyncrasies but due to the fact that I saw in them the opportunity for possible re-alignment and a veritable platform for an incorruptible leader like General Muhammadu Buhari even if the rest of us are not as perfect. I was also looking forward to the possibility of establishing a new tradition of sacking an underperforming government and banishing the idea that an incumbent leader can never be defeated in Africa. I was under no illusion that any stand-alone Party would achieve this extraordinary feat of terminating the PDP behemoth without the collaboration of other mainstream/mushroom Parties.

50 CENT ORDERED TO PAY $5M TO WOMAN WHOSE LEAKED SEX TAPE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO HIM.

Someone else's sex tape is proving to be costly for 50 Cent: A jury ordered the rapper-actor Friday to pay $5 million to a woman who said he acquired a video she made with her boyfriend, added himself as a crude commentator and posted it online without her permission.

And the Manhattan jurors are set to continue deliberating next week on possible further, punitive damages in Lastonia Leviston's invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against the multiplatinum-selling "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" artist.

Attorney William A. Brewer III says 50 Cent and his legal team are "disappointed in the verdict but very appreciative of the service of the jury and the court." Leviston's lawyer, Philip Freidin, declined to comment on the award, first reported by the Daily News of New York.

BOLA TINUBU MAY EMERGE APC BOT CHAIRMAN.

To further placate the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, most forces in the party may have decided to influence his emergence as the chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT of the party, Saturday Vanguard gathered yesterday.

The party is due for the constitution of its BoT on June 20, 2015 following the rectification of the process by the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, last week.

Tinubu who is a big brain behind the formation of APC by the four defunct political parties- Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, All Nigerian People’s Party, ANPP, and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA- now known as legacy parties, apparently lost out in the power game when his candidates for the Senate Presidency and the Speakership of the House of Representatives were defeated at the National Assembly leadership election.

15 YR OLD GIRL COMMITS SUICIDE IN ABIA STATE AFTER BEING GANG RAPED BY 3 MEN. #SAYNOTORAPE.

Rage, shock and confusion pervaded Okwoyi village, Isieke community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State as a 15-year-old girl committed suicide after being ganged-raped.

The deceased, Comfort Uche-Ume, a native of Amaeke Abam in Arochukwu LGA of the state, was allegedly raped by three boys; Ndubuisi Wogu, Chinaza Ufomadu, and Francis Onwoboro now on the run.

The deceased was a JSS 3 student of Isieke Community Secondary School and had just finished writing the “Junior WEAC” exam, according to a source.

PRESIDENT BUHARI & VP OSIBANJO SLASH THEIR SALARIES BY 50%.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have announced their decision to take only 50 per cent of the salaries approved for them by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

Their decision was contained in a statement made available to journalists on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.

The President’s current annual remuneration as approved by RMAFC is put at N14,058,820.00.

With this development, Buhari will be earning N7m per year throughout his four-year tenure.

I AM NOT DATING ASA ASIKA (@AsaAsika) - DJ CUPPY(@cuppymusic) SPEAKS.

Popular disc jockey, DJ Cuppy, who is also the daughter of business mogul, Femi Otedola, has finally cleared the air about her relationship status. In a recent chat with Saturday Beats, the fair skinned damsel said she was not in a relationship because she is facing her music squarely.

“My last relationship ended two years ago. I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing well and in order to achieve a lot with my Cuppy brand, I have to put 101 per cent into it. I don’t have a lover and with my tour coming up, I don’t have time to get into anything serious. Maybe I would find someone around Africa,” she said.

The petite disc jockey who is currently warming up for a tour round eight African countries tagged, Cuppy takes Africa, appointed popular artiste manager, Asa Asika, as her tour manager. With this, people began to raise an eyebrow because the two were once rumoured to be lovers.

21 LAWYERS BAG SENIOR ADVOCATE OF NIGERIA RANK AS FESTUS KEYAMO WAS OVERLOOKED AGAIN!!!!!!

Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, was once again over-looked by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee which conferred the rank of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria on 21 others on Friday.

The successful lawyers include: the National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Muiz Banire; Dr. Oladapo Olanipekun, who is a son of a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun and Emeka Etiaba, a son of a former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Mrs. Virgy Etiaba.

Others conferred with the rank are Director, Legal Services of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Ibrahim Bawa; Edward Ashiekaa; Benson Nwankwo; Joseph Bamigboye; Patrick Okolo; Prof. Maxwell Gidado; Dr. Tahir Mamman; and Dr. Akinpelu Onigbinde.

INSURGENCY HAS WORSENED UNDER BUHARI - IKE EKWEREMANDU (DEP. SENATE PRESIDENT) SPEAKS.

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Thursday said the Boko Haram insurgency had worsened under President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ekweremadu said the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration had almost rolled back Boko Haram and its activities in the North-East.

The deputy senate president also expressed the fear the insurgents could also attack Abuja and the southern part of the country soon.

2016 NATIONAL CENSUS MAY NOT HOLD - NATIONAL POPULATION COMMISSION.

The National Population Commission has hinted that the conduct of the population census and head count for all Nigerians scheduled for 2016 would depend on the willingness of Nigerians and the Federal Government because of poor budgetary allocation.

The commission also called for a review of The National Policy on Population to accommodate current realities “in view of recent changes in the demographic profile of the country.”

NPC said, “The review is to assess the performance of the programmes outlined in the policy and also to respond to emerging national and international issues in population and development. We are currently leading the review process”.

FORMER GOV OF IMO IKEDI OHAKIM GRANTED BAIL TO THE TUNE OF N27OM.

Former Governor of Imo State, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim, who was on Wednesday, remanded in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, after he was arraigned before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over money laundering charge, yesterday, regained his freedom.

Trial Justice Ademola Adeniyi granted Ohakim bail to the tune of N270million.

Ohakim who was Imo state governor between May 2007 and May 2011 is answering to a three-count criminal charge bordering on money laundering, abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds.

EX-GOV SULE LAMIDO & HIS SONS SENT TO KANO PRISON.

There was a mild drama Thursday in Kano between former Governor of Jigawa state, Alhaji Sule Lamido and the Deputy Chief Registrar of Federal High court, Barrister Solomon Akpedah when the former was excused to move to a waiting van for a journey to Kano central prison.

The Peoples Democratic Party stalwart was docked over a 28-count charge alongside his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha, and one Wada Abubakar in connection with alleged corruption and money laundering of over N1.34 billion.

The former governor shortly after he lost his freedom, following the refusal of the court to grant his bail application exclaimed, ‘you mean I’m now a prisoner.’

WHY DOGARA CONCEEDED LEADERSHIP POSITION TO GBAJABIAMILA'S CAMP.

Members of the Consolidation Group loyal to Speaker Yakubu Dogara have explained that they were conceding the contentious position of House Majority Leader to the opposing Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila group in order for peace to reign in the lower chamber given the workload before the House.

Spokesman of the group, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, told journalists in Abuja yesterday that the concession was a fallout of ongoing peace efforts of the party through the immediate past speaker of the House and current Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who held separate meetings with the warring groups on Tuesday and yesterday.

Jibrin added that he was mandated as the spokesman of the group to brief the press on the conclusions reached so far after a lengthy and tough meeting with Tambuwal, who rein in members of the group on the need for concessions and compromise on the matter.

GOVERNOR ADAMS OSHIOMOLE WANTS STIFFER PUNISHMENT FOR RAPISTS.

The Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has called for stiffer penalties for persons convicted of rape, defilement and other forms of child abuse to serve as a deterrent to others.

He also urged the people of the state to stop giving alms to child beggars to discourage the rising trend of child beggars in the state.

Oshiomhole, who spoke when he received members of the state chapter of International Federation of Women Lawyers who paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, decried the rising cases of the menace in the state and the country which he described as “heinous crimes” that must be prosecuted diligently.

NFF CONFIRMS SUNDAY OLISEH AS NEW SUPER EAGLES COACH.

The Nigeria Football Federation has confirmed that former Nigeria international Sunday Oliseh will coach the Super Eagles with a team that will include a Dutch as an assistant.

A manager close to Oliseh in Europe, who has full knowledge of the talks between the NFF and Oliseh in London, confirmed on Wednesday that the former Eagles captain had accepted the job offer and would work with an assistant from Europe.

He said, “I can confirm that Sunny (Oliseh) has accepted the offer and he will be working with an assistant coming down from Europe as well.”

APC EXPELS SENATOR DANJUMA GOJE.

The Gombe State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Monday expelled the senator representing Gombe-Central senatorial district, Danjuma Goje, from the party.

State chairman of the party, Magaji Doho, disclosed this at the party’s secretariat in Gombe.

He said the former Gombe governor was expelled with effect from July 1, 2015 for his engagement in anti-party activities.

UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN RANKED BEST UNIVERSITY IN NIGERIA.

University of Ibadan has been rated the best university in Nigeria and the 8th in Africa, according to a new ranking of 1,447 African universities and higher institutions, using research publications, citations from 2010 to 2014, as well as visibility on the Internet

University of Cape Town is number one in Africa, followed by Cairo University, then the University of Pretoria comes third in the Top 10 Universities in Africa. The rest are 3 more from South Africa, two from Egypt, one from Kenya and one from Nigeria (university of Lagos).

FLOYD MAYWEATHER LOSES WBO TITLE AFTER FAILING TO PAY $200,000 FINE.

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. has lost his welterweight world title after failing to meet a deadline to pay a US$200,000 "sanctioning" fee to the World Boxing Organization (WBO) for his "fight of the century" against Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather, who won the belt with a unanimous points victory against the Filipino fighter in Las Vegas in May, earned at least $180 million for the fight.

The 38-year old American also failed to vacate his World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) titles at junior middleweight -- an issue as WBO rules state a boxer can only hold titles in one weight division.

WHY WE INVITED SEN. IKE EKWEREMANDU & OTHERS FOR QUESTIONING - NIGERIA POLICE FORCE.

The Nigerian Police Force has given reasons for inviting the deputy president of the senate, Ike Ekweremadu, to its headquarters for questioning.

The police explained on its Facebook page that it received a petition from a senator who alleged unauthorized substitution of senate document.

It said in line with the policy of the police leadership on evidence gathering, the matter was referred to the Force CID in Abuja for investigation.

FOUR SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH IKORODU BANK ROBBERY.

Four suspected members of the gang, led by a lady, that robbed banks at Ikorodu, Lagos, a fortnight ago have been arrested by police in Lagos.

Information revealed that three of the suspects were arrested around Ikorodu,while the fourth was arrested in Ondo State.

Police sources revealed that the suspects at Ikorodu were arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Friday, following a confessional statement by one of them.

STEPHEN KESHI SACKED AS NIGERIA'S NATIONAL TEAM COACH, SHAIBU AMODU APPOINTED .

Stephen Keshi has been sacked as coach of Nigeria and replaced by Shaibu Amodu, the country's Football Federation (NFF) has announced.

The move comes barely two weeks after the NFF opened an investigation into reports that Keshi applied to manage Ivory Coast while under a valid contract with Nigeria.

Keshi recently claimed an un-named agent had submitted his name without his knowledge for the Ivory Coast position.