EXTRA: Obasanjo, Kukah turn horse riders in Sokoto

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Matthew

Kukah, Catholic archbishop of Sokoto diocese
were among the 3,000 horsemen at a grand
Durbar held to mark the 10th coronation
anniversary of Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan
of Sokoto.
The occasion was witnessed by dignitaries such
as President Muhammadu Buhari; former Vice-
President Atiku Abubakar; Senate President
Bukola Saraki; and Yakubu Dogara, speaker of
the house of representatives.
In a remark at the event, Aminu Tambuwal,
governor of Sokoto, who was also among the
horsemen, said the durbar was organised to
celebrate the Sultan, whom he described as an
astute leader, peace maker and bridge
builder.

He also spoke on the leadership of Buhari,
saying he had restored hope to the nation
through his fight against corruption and
insecurity.
Tambuwal noted that the Buhari
administration had tamed insurgency, while
efforts were on to solve problems of militancy,
cattle rustling and other security challenges.
The governor also expressed optimism that the
Buhari administration would reinvigorate the
economy and set the nation on the path of
growth and development.
In his response, the Sultan emphasised his
belief in a united and indivisible Nigeria, and
urged all Nigerians to come together and work
for sustainable peace and unity in the
country.

According to the monarch, Nigerians should be
more pious and patriotic to ensure a more
prosperous country.
Abubakar said: “There must also be equity and
social justice, as without them there will be no
development.”
Earlier, Muhammadu Sanusi II, emir of Kano,
who was the chairman of the main organising
committee, said the durbar was to celebrate
the invaluable contributions of the Sultan to
national development.
On November 2, 2006, Abubakar was appointed
as the 20th Sultan of Sokoto Caliphate.

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Risky romance. Reptile handler proposes to his girlfriend while feeding crocodile

If you want to pop the question, it's best to choose an auspicious moment for luck. For one guy, he picked a massive crocodile for company when he got down on one knee and asked the hand of his girl.

Billy Colett from Australia proposed to his girlfriend Siobhan Oxley after inviting a 4.5metre crocodile named Elvis to witness the occasion.

He had used a piece of meat to coax the crocodile out of his pond before asking his girlfriend to “have a crack” at feeding the reptile.

But he left her shocked by suddenly announcing: "Three years ago, next week, I actually met the girl of my dreams. The girl I love more than anything.”
Billy then tells the crocodile to “stay there” and “behave yourself” before turning to his partner to propose.

He continued: “Siobhan, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, will you marry me?"
The reptile handler then joked that proposing was "worse than feeding a crocodile”.
Siobhan tearfully said yes but expressed her regret at missing out on feeding the crocodile.

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Remembering Aluu 4

Another day to remember UNIPORT student Ugonna, Tekena, Chidiaka, and Lloyd beaten to death in Aluu community on October 5th, 2012.

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Federal Government Finally Pays 81 Months Pension Arrears

President Muhammadu Buhari has cleared the backlog of allowances owed to pensioners by previous administrations.

File Photo: pensioners

 

The Federal Government has paid 81 months pension arrears which were incurred from 33 percent pension increment, but left 87 months outstanding.

The money was paid to Police, Customs, Immigration, Prisons and civil service pensioners, according to the Punch.

A detailed breakdown of paid pension arrears and outstanding months were made available to journalists in Abuja, when the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, chaired by Senator Emmanuel Paulker, visited the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate for its oversight functions.

According to the documents, three months of 33 per cent increment were paid to Police Pension Department, leaving outstanding of 39 months to Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pension Department which had all its 42 months arrears paid off.

The Parastatals Pension Department had its 12 months arrears paid leaving 30 months outstanding. The Civil Service Pension Department was paid 24 months leaving 18 months outstanding.

Similarly, the 33 per cent pension payment came as a fall out of the upward review of the minimum wage to N18,000 in 2010.

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