THEO WALCOTT SIGNS NEW 4 YR DEAL WORTH £140,000 A WEEK AT ARSENAL.

Theo Walcott has signed a new four-year contract at Arsenal which places him among the club’s top earners.

The England forward’s new deal sees him earn in the region of £140,000 a week alongside the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.

Walcott, who is Arsenal's longest-serving player, suffered an injury-ravaged campaign last season but has been on form this summer, netting the winner against Wolfsburg in last weekend’s Emirates Cup.

GOVERNORS WERE WARNED TO SAVE FOR RAINY DAYS - PETER OBI.

The former governor of Anambra state and president of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Peter Obi, has revealed that governors were warned about saving for the rainy day by the Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former minister of finance. 

According to Post Nigeria, Obi further revealed that the governors were advised to eschew fiscal irresponsibility which was a bane to economic development.

In a recent interview with journalists, Obi explained the the recent bail out approved for states from the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company, dividends by President Muhammadu Buhari and the rationale behind the creation of the Excess Crude Account, as well as the Sovereign Wealth Fund.

EFCC ARREST SACKED NIMASA BOSS.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested the immediate past Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency [NIMASA], Patrick Ziakede Akpobolokemi, two weeks after he was fired from his post.

A source in NIMASA said Mr. Akpobolokemi was arrested in Lagos Thursday morning and was detained at the Lagos office of the EFCC in the Ikoyi area of the city.

“He was taken in this morning around 10 a.m.,” the NIMASA insider said. “Some of our other officials have also been summoned while EFCC operatives have been conducting discreet investigation here. There is tension everywhere.

BOMB EXPLOSION ROCKS MAIDUGURI BUS STATION.

A bomb explosion has rocked a crowded motor park in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, residents and security operatives have said.

The incident occurred at a busy location where tricycles pick passengers, and may have killed dozens and injured even many more. 

The thunderous blast, which sounded at about 6:30am, resonated all over Maiduguri, residents say.

SENATE COMMENCES PROBE INTO JONATHAN'S CONTROVERSIAL IMPORT WAIVERS.

The Senate on Thursday commenced the probe of alleged abuse of the waiver regime under former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The upper federal legislative chamber has set up a committee to investigate alleged abuse of import waivers by the Jonathan administration. The ad hoc committee, headed by Senator Adamu Aliero, will probe import waivers from 2011 to 2014.

The President Muhammadu Buhari government had a few weeks ago said it would probe the Jonathan administration.

POWER TRANSMISSION HITS 4662MW.

The Federal Government said, Wednesday that power transmission from the national grid has increased to 4662 megawatts.

Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, which disclosed this in a state signed by the General Manager, Public Affairs, Seun Olagunju, noted the new peak was attained at 08.00pm on Tuesday, 28th July, 2015.

It would be recalled that TCN Management had announced the attainment of the previous peak transmission of 4656MW on Wednesday, 15th July, 2015.

#NASS: DOGARA'S DEAL, GBAJABIAMILA'S GAIN.

Signs of unity pervaded the atmosphere in the early hours of yesterday morning as members of the All Progressives Congress, APC for the first time sat down as a team to pronounce peace between the one time warring factions. 

“There are no more factions in the House what we have today is a group of lawmakers loyal to the House leadership and our great party,” Speaker Dogara said following his gesture of conciliation towards his one-time rival, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila who he conceded the office of House Leader to.

His words were echoed by Gbajabiamila, the minority leader in the immediate past House who has now been transformed into the majority leader.

CRISIS ROCKS PDP AS WORKERS ACCUSE NWC OF SQUANDERING N11BN PARTY FUNDS.

Angry workers of the Peoples Democratic Party have accused the members of the National Working Committee of the party of squandering N12bn in nine months.

Out of the total sum, the workers said N11bn was realised from the sale of nomination forms while N1bn was got from the sale of delegates forms.

They alleged that the money was squandered shortly after the sale of the forms commenced on October 27, 2014 till date.

TRAITORS IN THE ARMED FORCES SABOTAGED THE WAR AGAINST BOKO HARAM - ALEX BADEH

This is the full text of Valedictory Speech of Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh CFR at his Pulling-Out Ceremony from Nigerian Armed Forces on July 30, 2015.

PDP IS BROKE, SACKS & SLASHES SALARY OF WORKERS BY 50%.

Barely two months into its new status as the opposition political party, having governed the country for sixteen years, the Peoples Democratic Party, has started struggling with the challenge of being an opposition, as it yesterday announced that the party will reduce allowances, staff strength by 50%. 

The party has also said it would reduce the salaries and allowances of its staff by 50%, even as the allowances of members of the National Working Committee, NWC would be slashed down by 50%.

In a letter signed by PDP National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo and addressed to all director and administrative staff of PDP, the leadership of the Party would also reduce the number of its security by 50%.

AGONIZING LAST MOMENTS OF AFRICA'S LION KING & HOW ONE MAN'S VANITY LED TO ITS TROPHY KILLING.

LION KING "CECIL" WITH A LIONESS

Death did not come quickly for Cecil, an alpha male lion and leader of his pride in a protected sanctuary inside one of Africa’s great national parks.

With a distinctive black mane, this magnificent creature was, at the age of 13, known for his imperious attitude towards tourists on game drives — he would sometimes charge their vehicles to let them know who was boss.

He was named Cecil after Cecil Rhodes, the British mining magnate, having first been spotted in 2008 at a place called White Man’s Watering Hole inside Zimbabwe’s famous Hwange National Park, and subsequently given a collar to track his movements for an Oxford University project.

But he was tricked earlier this month into leaving his sanctuary. Pieces of meat had been left just outside the boundary of Cecil’s territory, where no hunting is allowed and anti-poaching patrols operate.

PORT HARCOURT & WARRI REFINERIES BEGIN CRUDE PRODUCTION.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has announced the successful re-streaming of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries after nine months of phased rehabilitation conducted by its in-house engineers and technicians.

The national oil company made the announcement on Wednesday through a statement.

It said the plants had commenced preliminary production of petroleum products after successful test-runs, noting that while the Port Harcourt Refining Company was ramping up capacity to about 60 per cent of the 210,000 barrels per day of crude capacity, production from the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company had been projected to hit 80 per cent of its installed capacity 125,000 bpd.

NDLEA ARREST CHINA BOUND MAN WITH "1.185KG" OF COCAINE.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 44-year-old man, Chide Chibude, for attempting to smuggle 1.185kg of cocaine to China.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mitchell Ofoyeju, Head, Public Affairs, NDLEA, on Wednesday in Lagos.

Mr. Ofoyeju said Mr. Chibude was arrested by NDLEA officers at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.

CRUDE OIL WORTH $13.7BN WAS STOLEN UNDER NNPC'S WATCH BETWEN 2009 - 2012.

The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Hajiya Zainab Shamsuna-Ahmed, on Wednesday said between 2009 and 2012, about 160 million barrels of oil valued at $13.7bn was stolen under the watch of the national oil giant, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

She also said that subsidy payment from 2005 to 2012 indicated that $11.63bn had been paid to the NNPC but that “there is no evidence of the money being remitted to the federation account.”

The NEITI boss, who called on the Federal Government to privatize the refineries, stated this during a courtesy call on Governor Nasir el-Rufai, at Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna, on Wednesday.

NIGERIANS COMES AFTER GAY ACTIVIST BISI ALIMI.

A gay rights activist, Bisi Alimi, caused a stir on Wednesday as he mocked Nigeria on the Facebook.

Alimi, the first Nigerian to declare publicly his support for same sex union, noted that the country “will go down soon unless it stopped praying to God and started acting”.

He wrote from the United Kingdom where he is on a self-imposed exile.

WAR ON CORRUPTION: FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GOES AFTER SUPER RICH CIVIL SERVANTS.

Federal Government’s anti-corruption operatives have been sent after ‘super rich’ public officers who have multiple properties and other assets suspected to have been the rewards of graft.

For now, the searchlight of the anti-corruption agents was on civil servants that possess many properties in the Federal Capital Territory.

Our correspondents learnt in Abuja on Wednesday that operatives in the Assets Tracing, Recovery and Management Unit of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission had been asked to haul in suspects for interrogation and recovery of ill-gotten assets in their possession.

MAJOR SHAKE-UP!!!!!!!!!! ARMY REDEPLOYS 334 TOP OFFICERS.

The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has approved the redeployment and appointment of 334 officers to various units across Nigeria.

The officers appointed include some Principal Staff Officers at Defence and Army Headquarters, Corps Commanders and General Officers Commanding as well as other commanders, army spokesperson, Sani Usman, said.

Some of the senior officers appointed include 37 Major Generals, 57 Brigadier Generals, 128 Colonels and several Lieutenants Colonels among many others.

PRESIDENT BUHARI HAILS REV. MBAKA AS HE CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF PRIESTLY ORDINATION.

President Muhammadu Buhari has commended fiery Catholic priest, Ejike Mbaka, for his patriotism in the run-up to the 2015 general elections, saying his courage has earned him a mark in the sands of time.

In a statement Thursday to congratulate the leader of the Adoration Ministries Enugu, Nigeria, on the occasion of his 20th priestly ordination, the President said history would favour Mr. Mbaka for courageously speaking truth to power, even at great risks.

In the statement signed by Garba Shehu, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Buhari said Mr. Mbaka chose the part of honesty, despite realising that it could attract hostility from those he described as “leaders detached from reality”.

NIGERIAN MAN JAILED FOR EIGHT & HALF YEARS FOR THE VIOLENT RAPE OF A STRANGER IN LONDON. #SAYNOTORAPE

A Nigerian has been jailed for eight and a half years for a violent stranger rape in north west London last year.

Olaoluwa Ibrahim (15.3.77 - 38 yrs), a Nigerian national of Relf Road SE15 appeared at the Central Criminal Court today, Tuesday 28 July, where he was sentenced for rape and theft.

The victim had been on an evening out with friends in central London and was travelling home by bus in the early hours of 24 June 2014. At around 02.30hrs she got off the bus in the Maida Vale area to walk the short distance home.

WOMAN JAILED FOR 4 MONTHS FOR KILLING HER DOG AS PROTESTERS CALLS FOR STIFFER PUNISHMENT.

 A woman has been jailed after she killed her dog by wrapping duct tape around its muzzle then brutally strangling her with a collar and lead.

Hayley Cowan, 22, then buried Staffordshire Bull Terrier Beau in a shallow grave in the back garden of her home in Tyldesley, near Wigan.