THe Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung has read the riot act to the contractor handling the rehabilitation of the swimming pool complex of the National Stadium in Lagos, Joseph Odebeatu, alias Ojex to complete the project before the end of the first quarter of the year or face the consequences.

As part of activities to mark World AIDS Day 2015, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, embarked on a 4-day free HIV Counselling and Testing, HCT, as well as tests for diabetes, hypertension and malaria and deworming of children in Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The African Sun Times, Africa’s number one and largest newspaper in America, has announced Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as its International Persons of the Year.

PRESENTLY, Bayelsa State is under a situation of suspended animation characterised by eruption of violence particularly in the politically fertile Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. The December 5 and 6 2015 governorship election was, indeed, declared inconclusive following tension between the two major political parties, the APC and PDP, and the polls in the Ijaw area rescheduled for January 9, 2016. While the mutual finger-pointing war continues, the Joint Task Force which was responsible for security during the polls has alleged complicity on the part of the PDP and the state governor, Seriake Dickson in the violence that torpedoed the election.

THE Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, of Bayelsa State, Mr. Baritor Kpagih, has denied the bribery allegations levelled against him by a political party in the state, describing same as lies.

Former Commissioner for Information and Communications in Rivers State, Mrs Ibim Semenitari and acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has challenged her successor, Dr Austin Tam-George to show proof that her ministry obtained N1 billion bank loan while she was in office.

Nigeria Youth Project Monitoring Initiative, NYPMI, has urged Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari in his anti-corruption drive to sanitise the already battered economy.

Technology giant, Microsoft Corp has began singing a new song in the Nigerian smart phone market with the introduction of Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL respectively.

Data from the innovative mobile-phone-based survey, led by the Centre for Research, Evaluation Resources & Development, CRERD, and Bayero University Kano, and implemented by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, demonstrate that there have been considerable gains in access to and use of modern contraceptives, particularly for long-acting methods such as intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) and contraceptive implants.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Chief Stephen Emuan, has defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the area in support of the governorship bid of his son, Mr Austin Emuan, on the platform of the party.

INDIGENE Muslims in Delta State have asked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to reverse his recent reconstitution of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, complaining that the new board gave prominence to non-indigene Muslims.

The Police in Anambra State have arrested eight persons in connection with the alleged setting ablaze of a house in Mgbachu village Nkpor, Idemili North local Government Area, Anambra State.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment said on Monday it has not started the collection of curriculum vitas for the employment of Nigerians.

The hiring of Zinedine Ziidane as Real Madrid boss on Monday makes the French legend the 11th coach to serve under Florentino Perez during his two spells as club president between June 2000-February 2006 and from June 2009 until the present day.

A few months ago, my best friend’s brother paid a visit to one of the top managers in the office I worked for. He didn’t know I worked there and was actually glad to see me.