“This is a happy moment for me and for all Nigerians” Says President Buhari as He Meets Released Chibok Girls
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The 21 Chibok Girls who were released by terrorist sect, Boko Haram, met with President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and other top government officials on Wednesday.
The girls were accompanied by their family members and the medical personnel that have been taken care of them since their release.
Below is the president’s speech at the meeting:
My dear children. This is a happy moment for me and for all Nigerians. I welcome you back to freedom. It is a moment your parents, the Nation and the International Community have been eagerly waiting for, since your abduction on 14th April 2014.We must from the onset, thank Almighty God for this day that 21 of the Chibok girls have again breathed the air of freedom and are reunited with their parents. We are equally prayerful, that God in his infinite mercies and benevolence, will see to it that the girls remaining in captivity will be freed and returned to us soonest.All Nigerians recall, sadly the night of 14th April 2014, 276 young female Nigerian students were abducted from the Government Secondary School in Chibok Borno State by the Boko Haram.Fortunately, 57 of the kidnapped school girls were able to escape, leaving 219 in captivity. One of the abducted girls, Amina Ali was found in May 2016. And today we are here celebrating the freedom and return of another 21 girls that regained freedom on Thursday 13th October. We are equally as hopeful as we are praying, that the remaining girls will be freed and returned to us without further delay.The release of these 21 girls followed a series of negotiations between Government and the Boko Haram group, brokered by our friends both local and International. Since this Administration assumed office, we have been working towards the safe release of the girls. The Nigerian DSS, Military and other Security Agencies have spared no effort to secure our girls. These 21 girls are the manifestation of our doggedness and commitments to the release and return of the Chibok girls.While joining their parents to rejoice and praise the Almighty, we shall redouble efforts to ensure that we fulfill our pledge of bringing the remaining girls back home. Already, the credible first step has been taken and Government will sustain the effort until all the remaining girls return safelyThese 21 girls will be given adequate and comprehensive medical, nutritional and psychological care and support.The Federal Government will rehabilitate them, and ensure that their reintegration back to the Society is done as quickly as possible.Aside from rescuing them, we are assuming the responsibility for their personal, educational and professional goals and ambitions in life.Obviously, it is not late for the girls to go back to school and continue the pursuit of their studies. These dear daughters of ours have seen the worst that the world has to offer. It is now time for them to experience the best that the world can do for them.The Government and all Nigerians must encourage them to achieve their desired ambitions.The Federal Government appreciates the patience and understanding of the parents of all the abducted Chibok girls.We equally thank Nigerians and the International Community for their support and prayers, and for never losing confidence in our ability to secure the safe release of our girls.Once again, I congratulate the 21 released girls, their parents, the Chibok Community the security agencies and all Nigerians on this day of delight and rejoicing. Thank You.
See photos below:
Drake, Wizkid and Kyla have shown that three heads are better than two and definitely better than one as their collaborative song “One Dance” becomes the most streamed song, ever, on Spotify.
Even though Drake has an exclusive deal with Apple Music, that hasn’t stopped his songs taking over on another music platform. According to reports, the song “One Dance” is currently the most streamed song of all-time after pulling in up over 880 million plays.
The last song with that achievement was Major Lazer’s “Lean On” with 526 million global plays.
Dare we say it is Nigerian artist Wizkid’s magic touch that did the trick? What do you think?
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode
The Lagos state government has dropped three commissioners in a minor cabinet reshuffle.
The reshuffle was announced on Wednesday, exactly one year after the constitution of the state Executive Council.
Those sacked are: Commissioner for Tourism, Folorunsho Folarin-Coker; Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Mustapha Akinkunmi; and Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Ekundayo Mobereola.
The Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello, said on Wednesday that the governor had directed the Special Adviser, Arts and Culture to take over as the Acting Commissioner for Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
Also the Special Adviser on Transportation will take over as Acting Commissioner for Transportation and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance takes over as the Acting Commissioner for Finance.
These acting appointments would prevail, pending the appointment of new commissioners.
According to Bello, the government was appreciative of the contributions made by the sacked commissioners to the development of Lagos state.
The Indian police have managed to uncover a huge tax scam where a large number of Americans were duped of millions of dollars by people posing as tax authorities and asking for the payment of unpaid taxes. Seventy people have been arrested as of Thursday, and hundreds questioned in relation with the fraud, a Mumbai police officer said.
The scam ran for almost a year, the Indian police told the Associated Press (AP). Fake call centers were used to voice mail messages to U.S. nationals, telling them to call back regarding the back taxes they owed. When any of these people did call back, the scammers would manage to take out thousands of dollars from them to “settle” the tax cases.
“They would make threatening calls to honest taxpayers in the U.S., ask them to deposit money through pre-paid cards,” Param Bir Singh, the police chief of Thane, a Mumbai suburb, told Indian news network NDTV.
According to Mumbai police officer Parag Marere, the elaborate plan brought in more than $150,000 a day — possibly amounting to almost $55 million in the one year the scam ran.
“We are questioning those who were involved in the fraud, including those posing as tax investigators,” Marere said, according to the AP.
Of the 600 or more people being questioned, many are expected to face charges for running the fake call centers, the police said. They include alleged leaders of the scam, as well as those associated with other tasks within the fraudulent enterprise that ran out of several stories in a Mumbai office building.
The criminal charges filed against those involved include extortion, impersonation and violations of the country’s information technology laws, the AP reported.
Indian media reported that the scam involved collaborators based out of the United States as well. At least one company in the U.S. reportedly supplied the Mumbai call centers with personal information of those targeted by the scam. Almost 70 percent of the money made stayed in India, while the remaining was shared with those based outside the country.
In police raids this week, hundreds of hard disks, high-end servers and other electronic equipment were seized from the offices of the fake call centers
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EXCLUSIVE: Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt Divorce a 'Long Time Coming' -- Here's What Went Wrong
14:57Unknown
Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt on Monday, but their split has been a "long time coming," a source tells ET.
Jolie, 41, and Pitt, 52, tied the knot in August 2014, but according to the source, the two have been having problems for the last year.
"They haven't slept in the same bed for a big chunk of that," the source says. "When they were in New York City the last time together, they had separate rooms and were on their own schedules."
The last time Pitt and Jolie were together in New York City was at the 2015 WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards on Nov. 4, 2015.
According to another source, Pitt has also been more "carefree" in recent months. During his visit to NYC in July, people who worked with the A-list star commented that "the old Brad is back," the source says.
" ... They said [that] because 'he was back to being totally carefree and easygoing. Back to the aloof Brad,'" the source says. "It was a working trip but he was making the most out of his free time. He was going out to lunch, walking around. It's almost like he didn't care about anything. He wasn't your classic, uptight A-list celebrity walking around with a big entourage."
"Angelina runs a tight ship, and for years, Brad followed her orders," the source further claims. "She always called the shots and he went along with it. In recent months, he hasn't been and has been living his life how he wants to live it."
According to another source, Jolie and Pitt also struggled with issues when it came to agreeing on a parenting style for their six kids -- 15-year-old Maddox, 12-year-old Pax, 11-year-old Zahara, 10-year-old Shiloh, and 8-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.
"Brad has traditional parenting skills -- thinks the kids need structure [like] bed times, consistent schooling," the source says. "Angelina's parenting style is much more freeform. She's not into setting boundaries."
Most recently, Pitt took a solo trip to Croatia on Sept. 1, where he met with investors and toured a real estate development. A source tells ET that Pitt "seemed fine" during his recent stay.
As for Jolie, she was last spotted in Syria on Sept. 12, making her fourth visit to the refugee camps in Jordan since the conflict in Syria began.
The last sighting of Pitt and Jolie together before their bombshell divorce announcement was in July, when they took Knox and Vivienne out for a birthday breakfast at the Griddle Café in West Hollywood, California.
Jolie lists their separation date as Sept. 15 in her divorce filing, and is asking for physical custody of their six children.
"They haven't slept in the same bed for a big chunk of that," the source says. "When they were in New York City the last time together, they had separate rooms and were on their own schedules."
The last time Pitt and Jolie were together in New York City was at the 2015 WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards on Nov. 4, 2015.
According to another source, Pitt has also been more "carefree" in recent months. During his visit to NYC in July, people who worked with the A-list star commented that "the old Brad is back," the source says.
" ... They said [that] because 'he was back to being totally carefree and easygoing. Back to the aloof Brad,'" the source says. "It was a working trip but he was making the most out of his free time. He was going out to lunch, walking around. It's almost like he didn't care about anything. He wasn't your classic, uptight A-list celebrity walking around with a big entourage."
"Angelina runs a tight ship, and for years, Brad followed her orders," the source further claims. "She always called the shots and he went along with it. In recent months, he hasn't been and has been living his life how he wants to live it."
According to another source, Jolie and Pitt also struggled with issues when it came to agreeing on a parenting style for their six kids -- 15-year-old Maddox, 12-year-old Pax, 11-year-old Zahara, 10-year-old Shiloh, and 8-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.
"Brad has traditional parenting skills -- thinks the kids need structure [like] bed times, consistent schooling," the source says. "Angelina's parenting style is much more freeform. She's not into setting boundaries."
Most recently, Pitt took a solo trip to Croatia on Sept. 1, where he met with investors and toured a real estate development. A source tells ET that Pitt "seemed fine" during his recent stay.
As for Jolie, she was last spotted in Syria on Sept. 12, making her fourth visit to the refugee camps in Jordan since the conflict in Syria began.
The last sighting of Pitt and Jolie together before their bombshell divorce announcement was in July, when they took Knox and Vivienne out for a birthday breakfast at the Griddle Café in West Hollywood, California.
Jolie lists their separation date as Sept. 15 in her divorce filing, and is asking for physical custody of their six children.
I have come to realise that life happens to us in seasons. Nobody goes through life without using his or her tear ducts. Your moment of mourning might be someone’s moment of celebration. We all experience situations that shake us, question our decisions and even redefine us as humans.
We wake up each day with the uncertainty of what the hours ahead hold. In my few years on earth, I have read about and seen people go through traumatic experiences but I have never met a man who woke up wishing to have an absolutely horrible encounter with Life. Who unhappiness epp?
I am a sucker for new beginnings. There is an indescribable joy and warmth that comes with new chapters. It could be shopping for graduation, giving your partner hints on the kind of engagement ring you want, reading pregnancy books as a mum to be, or choosing brand colours for the logo of that business.
There is something about new beginnings; it is a sign of hope. To me it feels like life handing me a plain canvas and paintbrush and saying to me “Hey Debbie! Paint what you want your life to look like”. Thankfully it does not work like that, because my painting skills are almost non-existent.
But don’t you wish it were that easy? Paint a picture of the life you hope to live and then you actually get that? Sometimes life happens and that new chapter isn’t always so easy to write because people die, businesses fail, the love of your life walks away and with all of this you’re forced to keep living or be left behind.
So today I want to discuss laying things to rest after we have tried severally to fix them. Let us discuss true healing and not acting like we have healed. Let us talk about moving on with fear in our hearts of what the future really holds. How do we control our reaction to uncertainty? How do we let go of situations, people and businesses we had big dreams for? How do we release that failed business and trust in the beauty of new beginnings? How do we forgive that boss that wrote our sack letter at the office? or that investor who pulled out on a deal?
What makes tough situations even harder to deal with is the fact that somehow our environment has put a constraint, called time, on us. It feels like the best advice to give someone hurting is “ time heals all wounds” but what happens when the doctor called time is healing everyone but you?
According to my role model Bishop TD Jakes, we often get trapped in our wounds, hideous experiences and feeling like victims, that we forget that there is always a choice to move forward. We have the power to quicken our healing processes with the proper mentors, tools, spiritual insights and much more.
This article in no way discusses the situations we run into, but rather letting go of the uncontrollable situations that happen – while we experience life. Of course you can trust me to relate it to business, like I always do.
Let Those Emotions Flow
For the longest time I was afraid of emotions. Because for some reason the world had made it seem like such a horrible thing. Right from secondary school days of “odeshi”, proving to our mates that we didn’t feel the pain from the whips our teachers used to discipline us. I am not sure I even knowing the meaning of that word, I just know what it stood for, back then.
For the longest time I was afraid of emotions. Because for some reason the world had made it seem like such a horrible thing. Right from secondary school days of “odeshi”, proving to our mates that we didn’t feel the pain from the whips our teachers used to discipline us. I am not sure I even knowing the meaning of that word, I just know what it stood for, back then.
Maybe the reason why you cannot seem to get over that situation is because you haven’t allowed yourself to connect with your emotions. See emotions are such a beautiful thing. The minute you realize that your ability to feel is not a sign of weakness, you’re definitely closer to healing. Understand that this may not mean weeping or throwing objects like some do. Sometimes it is recognizing how you feel towards that situation. It could be anger, sorrow, disappointment or even fear. Often times when we struggle with letting go it is due to our perspective on uncertainty.
Dear reader, in this moment you are allowed to feel all those emotions you have been running away from. If for no other reason connect with your emotions because you are human. Breathe and know that there is nothing new under the sun and that you need to understand those emotions to even begin the healing process. You cannot treat what is not diagnosed; this is why doctors run tests before giving medication. Breathe and decide that you will take the necessary steps needed in letting go of that situation.
Get Knowledge
There is power in knowledge. I always advice people to get knowledge first then get wisdom.
There is power in knowledge. I always advice people to get knowledge first then get wisdom.
I love observing situations or people and reading about them. This is probably why I understand that there is nothing I have been through or will ever go through that is unique to me. There is always someone out there who has been exactly where you are and this is why you must seek knowledge.
Sometimes all you need is to hear how someone got over his or her situation. Stories of how they had 4 failed businesses but are extremely successful today; how their child died after 6 years of waiting, but they are now blessed with twins. Read biographies, blogs, listen to or watch people share experiences.There are so many people out there willing to share experiences with you.
For every story that you find that is similar to your situation, look at it analytically and compare. Where did I go wrong? What could I have done differently? Is there still hope for this business? Do I let it go completely and start afresh? Is this my purpose? What can I learn from this? Who can I seek counselling from?
It is in seeking knowledge that we are motivated to do better. Do you ever look at weight loss before and after pictures and stories and all of a sudden you’re sending emails to Shreddergrang or Nazomscorner asking for weight loss tips? Happens to me every time! You should begin to feed your mind with the information it needs to drop that deadweight and push to better and bigger things.
Take Action
This is where wisdom comes in. One of the reasons why I do not completely dislike pain or discomfort is because over the years it has pushed me into my purpose and potential. Pain will introduce you to your strength if you let it. It will introduce you to a new you.
This is where wisdom comes in. One of the reasons why I do not completely dislike pain or discomfort is because over the years it has pushed me into my purpose and potential. Pain will introduce you to your strength if you let it. It will introduce you to a new you.
Some of the best ideas have come out of a place of pain.
There are some experiences that change you forever…and for better, of course. In the moment, it feels like the worst thing ever, but when you come out of it you’re most likely always thankful for the lessons learnt along the way.
Change how you react to your pain and use it to empower others. I have heard a million and one times that the best way to get over a failed relationship is to get busy; this applies to failed businesses too.
You simply have to put in work to see results even in letting go of hurt. Just like you will cut ties with an ex while getting over a breakup, you have to cut ties with that failed business if you are absolutely sure there is no hope moving forward. You can start by evaluating and selling assets, brainstorm on your next project. Find a hobby or your passion and turn it into your purpose. Spend time with the right people.
You must realize that the sooner you accept situations the better and the faster the healing process is. I strongly believe in starting the day with positive affirmations. So at the start of everyday from tomorrow, write out the kind of day you want, or future you see and read it to yourself till you never question it.
Change your outlook on life today. You are smart enough to run a business. You are good enough and you deserve the very best from life. You need to begin to trust yourself enough and understand that, like TD Jakes will say, your destiny is never tied to anything that didn’t work or anyone that left.
