Akwa Pluz

Five Americans Jailed For Years In Iran And Widely Regarded As Hostages Are On Their Way Home To The United States. The last pieces in a controversial swap mediated by Qatar fell into place when $6bn (£4.8bn) of Iranian funds held in South Korea reached banks in Doha. It triggered the departure of the four men and one woman in Tehran, who are also Iranian citizens, on a chartered flight to Qatar's capital. They were met by senior US officials and are now on their way to Washington. The Americans include 51-year-old businessman Siamak Namazi, who has spent nearly eight years in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, as well as businessman Emad Shargi, 59, and environmentalist Morad Tahbaz, 67, who also holds British nationality. The US has said its citizens were imprisoned on baseless charges for political leverage. In the first indication a deal was reached, they were moved in mid-August from Evin to a safe house in Tehran. Five Iranians imprisoned in US jails, mainly on charges of vi...

The Ugandan military had reinforce the security on the border with South Sudan after the weekend clashes that left 19 people dead, Brig. Richard Karemire, the Ugandan military spokesperson said on Tuesday. Karemire said that security has been enhanced at Kaya border to ensure the South Sudan warring parties do not cross into Uganda without being detected. “We have intensified our security and intelligence at the border with South Sudan as we continue to follow and monitor the latest clashes in the country. “We shall continue to screen all the people fleeing from South Sudan into Uganda. “We are interested in knowing the government and oppositions fighters who might want to cross,” he said. According to the South Sudan government, the clashes on Saturday between government troops and the rebels left 19 people dead, including an American journalist. Thousands of South Sudan refugees continue to cross into Uganda after fighting erupted in December 2013. Karemire said the...

  The Founder and General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries, Apostle Dr. Chibuzor Chinyere, on Monday, gifted a widow, Mrs Patricia Iyere, a bungalow house in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. A Monday statement by Kenneth Nwachi, the Special Adviser (Special Duties) to Apostle Chinyere, noted that the cleric also gave the widow a car that would be used for an Uber transport business that would generate income for her. The elderly widow was said to always clean the altar at the church headquarters. “Iyere was firstly gifted a car after which she came back to the man of God to complain about her house rent which has expired. “Apostle Chinyere quickly intervened and called those in charge of the OPM free estates to enable him to move Iyere to one of the flats in the OPM 18 free estates but was told that the estates were fully occupied. “Apostle Chinyere thought about giving her money to pay but changed his mind and called his agent and directed him to look for a mini estate so he could b...

•Fishim granted bail on self-recognisance THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned judge of the National Industrial Court (NIC), Justice Agbadu Fishim, for allegedly collecting N4.65 million from seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs). The judge, who was arraigned before Justice Raliat Adebiyi of an Ikeja High Court, was however granted bail on self-recognisance. Justice Fishim was arraigned on a 19-count charge of unlawful enrichment. EFCC’s prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo alleged that Justice Fishim received an aggregate of N4.65 million from seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria, one other Lagos-based lawyer and a law firm between 2013 and 2015. Oyedepo claimed the money was paid into the judge’s First Bank account, numbered 3008199491. He said the judge could not give a reasonable explanation of how the money came into his First Bank account. Justice Fishim, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. His counsel, Prof. Amuda Kehin...

To-promoters  of the Imperial International Business City (IIBC), the Elegushi Royal Family (ERF), has said the IIBC is designed to align with the Cleaner LagosIntiative (CLI) of Lagos State in line with the new global order. According to the royal family, the IIBC, on completion, will have facilities to cater for its own sewage and water control to ensure that the dream of making it a smart city is fully actualised. ERF head, Oba Saheed Elegushi, disclosed this in a chat with  The Nation , after an inspection tour of the site with the city’s project consultant on infrastructure development, Messers Mott MacDonald Limited of London, United Kingdom. According to Oba Elegushi, sewage control is a huge task in any city. This, he explained, is the reason for the promoters’ determination to effectively manage waste and reduce its attendant burden on the new development. One of the strategies to be used is by  providing recycling facilities in the city. “The waste stra...

What makes an Embassy or Consulate reject providing you with a Schengen Visa? This is the question many people ask anytime they are about to apply for such a visa. The fact is that whenever a Schengen visa or any visa gets rejected, there is something UNSATISFACTORY as regards of that visa application. Many visa applicants get confused and unable to exactly understand the reason for their visa refusal. That is why the article will focus on presenting the commonly known reasons for such refusal. A visa application might be considered unsuccessful if the consular officer fails to get from the candidate all the needed information about him/her. Lacking to possess such information, the consular officer will be incapable of deciding if the candidate qualifies to be given a visa. On the other hand, sometimes the consular might get information from the applicant that is unacceptable or beyond the fixed procedures. Sometimes the candidate is prone of illegitimate and/or dishones...

Jude Onah, 24, may not be a university graduate or an auto engineer. But one Sunday, he drove to church in a locally-assembled three-wheel aerodynamic car, which he designed, writes Udemma Chukwuma. It was difficult for those present to believe that Jude Onah is a junior secondary school dropout when he drove his 2017 locally-assembled three-wheel aerodynamic car to Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Grace Land, Kaduna, where he worships, a few Sundays ago. A crowd, including children, who could not hide their surprise, gathered around the red car in admiration after the service. They cheered Onah and the children ran after the car as he drove home. Describing how he felt, Onah said it was a dream come through. “I was overwhelmed with joy. I never expected the number of people I saw that day. I feel excited and fulfilled,” he said. It all started last year when Onah told his friends and neighbours that he was going to construct a three-wheel aerodynamic car. A self-imposed proj...

  A privately owned radio broadcast station, Fresh FM 106.9 FM, Ado in Ekiti State, on Tuesday morning, banned the playing of songs by Nigerian singer, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, from airing on the station till further notice. The radio station disclosed this in a post shared on its Instagram handle (@freshfm1069adoekiti) and signed by its Head of production and Music Content, Oluwaseunfunmi Williams. The ban follows the death of Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Oladimeji, popularly known as MohBad, and criticism surrounding Naira Marley. Earlier, on Monday, a radio broadcast station, Splash FM 105.5 Ibadan, Oyo state, banned the playing of songs by Naira Marley. PUNCH Online reports Mohbad, a former signee of Naira Marley at Marlian Records, died at the age of 27 last Tuesday. “Following the public outcry from the general public trialing the death of Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba (Mohbad), the alleged victimisation from different videos going viral and the involvement ...

 The presidents of Niger, Guinea-Bissau and Benin arrived at the Aso Rock Villa today Tuesday, to visit their Nigerian counterpart, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is on the march again. The All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart is being wooed by his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Assistant Editor GBADE OGUNWALE examines his moves. Former Vice President Atiku Abukakar is, no doubt, one of the few politicians that have invested considerable time and resources in the pursuit of their political careers. His foray into politics dates back to the Third Republic where he narrowly missed a chance to be the running mate to the late Chief Moshood Abiola during the June 12, 1993 presidential election. There was a serious push by some powerful elements in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) for an Abiola-Atiku ticket. But, the power brokers within the SDP had settled for Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe to run with Abiola, a ticket that eventually won the election. As a protege of the late Major General Shehu Musa Yar ‘Adua, Atiku had his support base firmly rooted in the Peoples Democrati...