Embattled Nigerian rapper, Naira Marley has been granted bail in the sum of 2 Million Naira with two sureties, one with a landed property in Lagos and a level 10 officer and above in the civil service.

Naira Marley was arrested on his birthday, 10th of May in Lagos and has remained in EFCC custody since then. He was charged to court on 11-counts of fraud and internet scam.

Chelsea have been crowned champions of the Europa League competition after thrashing Arsenal 4-1 to lift the trophy on Wednesday night at Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan.

The Gunners had a good start into the game, but Chelsea ran riot in the second half with three goals in quick succession following a disastrous second-half performance from Arsenal.

Former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, broke the goalless deadlock with a wonderful header in the 49th minute before Pedro Rodríguez doubled Chelsea's lead in the 60th minutes.

Eden Hazard added a third in the 65th minutes after Giroud was fouled in the box.

Arsenal's Alex Iwobi did produce a moment of inspiration after scoring a thunderbolt goal in the 69th minutes before Hazard sealed the win for Chelsea in the 72nd following a sweeping counter-attack.

Wednesday's final appeared to be the last game for Eden Hazard who is moving to Real Madrid for £115m, with Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri set to be named the new manager of Juventus.

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech also played his last game. The 37-year-old who is set to be Chelsea's sporting director announced he would retire at the end of the season after 15 years playing in England's top-flight.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been sworn-in as the next governor of Lagos State.

He took the oath of office moments ago as conducted by the Chief Judge of the State with his family members standing by his side.

Obafemi Hamzat was also sworn in as the deputy governor of Lagos State.

Lamar Odom told in his new memoir that ex-wife Khloe Kardashian once "beat up" a stripper she caught him with during their marriage.

In the book titled "Darkness to Light", Lamar recalled being in a room at the Hotel Roosevelt in 2012 with a bevy of naked women for a cocaine and marijuana-fueled party. The former Lakers player said that while he was there with the naked girls, Khloe and her mom Kris Jenner barged into the hotel room with their security guards after getting a key from hotel staff.

"[She] opened the door and pounced on the first girl she saw," he said.

Lamar added that Khloe, "beat the sh*t out of one of the girls who tried to protest. She's dropping vicious blows all over the top of this girl's head."

Lamar said Kris Jenner was apparently screaming during the fight as security attempted to pull Khloe off the woman. Lamar says Khloe then told him to pack up his things as the security staff cleared the hotel room of all traces of drugs.

The incident wasn't the first time Khloe attacked one of Lamar's mistresses. In 2013, Khloe was accused of trying to attack a woman named Polina Polonsky after she caught her with Lamar at the Vagabond Inn. That same year, Khloe split from Lamar.

Former President,  Olusegun Obasanjo and 393 other passengers, escaped a plane crash in Lagos.

According to reports, the former president was among the passengers onboard an Ethiopian Airlines plane that found it difficult to land at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The Ethiopian Airlines aircraft, ET-901, had departed the Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa, at 9:10am, Ethiopian time (7am Nigerian time). Five hours after flying, the plane attempted to make a landing at the Lagos Airport but failed.

The rain and heavy wind obstructed the pilots vision. On realising that landing might be difficult, the pilot who is said to have many years experience, quickly manouvered the plane back on air, flying out of the Lagos airport. After hovering around between Lagos and areas suspected to be in Ogun, causing panic among passengers and crew members, the plane landed in Lagos airport, some 20 minutes after the initial false landing.

The former president had gone to Ethiopia for a Stakeholders Dialogue on Continental Trade and Strengthening Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) in Ethiopia which ended yesterday Tuesday, May 28th.

Many passengers came out of the plane thanking God for sparing their lives.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have been sworn in for their second term by CJN Tanko Mohammed at an event holding at Eagle Square, Abuja.

Embattled musician, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley who is currently in detention has granted an interview saying he has two wives and four children who are all British citizens.

He said he is not a criminal and has no idea what the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission found on his laptop. Naira Marley, 28, said apart from storing his songs and music videos, he had never done anything illegal with his laptop. 

He said this in his statement on oath which he made while in EFCC custody, which was obtained exclusively by Punch where he said;

“My name is Azeez Fashola. I am married to two wives and I have four kids. They are all British citizens staying in the United Kingdom. I studied in the United Kingdom, started studying at Porlock Hall, then I moved to Walworth School where I received my GCSE.

“My results for my GCSE are English (C), Maths (B) and Science (C).  “I left Walworth School with my qualification and went further to study at Peckham Academy, where I got distinction in Business. Then, I went further to study at Crossways College where I finished my Business Law; but I had kids at that time, so I took a break and started making music till date.”

 According to Naira Marley, he did not own a laptop but was given one to use temporarily to upload videos on YouTube.  He said, “I started making music in 2014 individually (sic), but now I’m signed to Marathon, a United Kingdom-based record label. I had a deal with Coca-Cola for my song, Issa Goal, in which I featured Olamide and Lil Kesh. I also had deals with Nike to participate in the Nigerian sportswear (sic). 

“I’m in possession of a MacBook laptop, which I borrowed from a friend named Yad Isril in England, because while returning to Nigeria, I knew I was going to need a laptop to upload my music videos on YouTube and also to keep my exclusive songs. I’m in possession of the laptop but I have no idea what is on it apart from my music videos.” 

Naira Marley also said laptop had no password and could be accessed by anyone.  He claimed to have met Isril in a secondary school in England. “He owns the butcher’s and an electronics shop in England. He is a British citizen, though his family is from Iraq.  “I don’t have a personal laptop at the moment because I don’t need it.  “My management team handles everything I need to do on the laptop. I only use my iPhone X for everything I do,” he said.

President Buhari has said that the people who have referred to him as Baba Go Slow during his first term in office, will be shocked at the pace he will work in his second term which commences tomorrow Wednesday, May 29th.

The President made this known during a special interview session with the Nigerian Television Authority NTA which aired last night. According to President Buhari, he will be more ruthless and he will ensure the judiciary and police work effectively.

When asked if he will be more ruthless in his second term, he said “Those who call me ‘baba go slow’ will see whether I am slow or fast.”

Expantiating, President Buhari said

“It means I will persuade the police and the judiciary to be hard and where I uncover that they are not hard, I will find out who is responsible for the slowness in terms of command from the DPO upwards. The IG cannot do it alone; he needs to depend on commissioners who in turn depend on DPOs.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially recognized gaming addiction as a Mental Health Disorder.

The WHO's International Classification of Diseases (ICD),  describes addiction to digital and video gaming as "a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior" that becomes so extensive it "takes precedence over other life interests".

The WHO's expert on mental health and substance abuse, Shekhar Saxena, said some of the worst cases seen in global research were of gamers playing for up to 20 hours a day, forgoing sleep, meals, work or school and other daily activities.

He stressed that only a small minority of people who play digital and video games would develop a problem, but said recognition of early warning signs may help prevent it.

"This is an occasional or transitory behavior," he said, adding that only if such behavior persists for around a year could a potential diagnosis of a disorder be made.

Responding to the decision to including gaming addiction, the Video Games Coalition,  an industry lobby group said their products were "enjoyed safely and sensibly by more than 2 billion people worldwide" across all kinds of genres, devices, and platforms.

It added that the "educational, therapeutic, and recreational value" of games was well-founded and widely recognized and urged the WHO to reconsider.

Here is the official definition of gaming disorder from the WHO:

“A pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior (‘digital gaming’ or ‘video-gaming’), which may be online (i.e., over the internet) or offline, manifested by:

Impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context);

Increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities; and

Continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

The behavior pattern is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Sokoto zonal office, on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 arrested one suspected politician with N60, 000, 000 (Sixty Million Naira) cash, following intelligent report of his suspicious money laundering activities.

The suspect Murtala Muhammad who is alleged to be a brother to Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Professor Abdullahi Shinkafi, was arrested at No.145 Igala Hausing Estate, Off Byepass Road, Gusau, Zamfara State, by the operatives of the Commission.

Items recovered from him at the point of arrest include: one Black Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Jeep with registration number DKA 67 PX Kaduna loaded with 4 bags of Ghana Must go containing One Thousand Naira Note of Fifteen Million Naira each, totalling to Sixty Million Naira; One single barrel gun; One locally made Revolve Pistol, 25 rounds of cartridges and 12 rounds of 12.9mm live ammunitions.

He will be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has handed over the reins of government in Lagos State to Babajide Sanwoolu.

According to Ambode, 'its been a rewarding 4-year experience. This would not have been possible without the support, cooperation and prayers of all Lagosians. I remain eternally grateful to you all. God bless you all. And to God be all the Glory'.

See his full speech below...

My fellow Lagosians.

With a heart full of gratitude, I address you today for the last time as your governor. It has been an honour and a privilege of a lifetime to serve you for the last four years.

It has been a remarkable journey which has had a lasting impact on my life and I want to thank all Lagosians for the experience of these last four years.

As in the beginning when we visited every single corner of this state, listening to you and asking for your votes, I have felt the power of your support, your collective energy and the endless goodwill that has propelled us to achieve many things.

For this administration, policies, programmes and projects aimed at lifting more of our people out of poverty and making every part of the State safe, accessible and economically viable were always the priority; the driving force behind all our decisions and plans.

A few of our policies might have been unpopular but these were decisions taken with the best interest of our State in mind. With the benefit of hindsight, maybe we could have done some things differently but our intention was always clear, for the good of Lagos.

Even in those tough times, your constructive feedback and patience helped us surmount the challenges and enabled us grow stronger.

As a little boy growing up in Lagos, all I wanted was to be an accountant. This State gave me that and so much more. Our State is a land of opportunities, a home for everyone and a place where dreams come true. It is our duty and responsibility to ensure that we remain a centre of opportunities and growth for everyone; a place where people can achieve their dreams and aspirations.

From being just a commercial centre, our State has now become a prime destination for tourism, sports, entertainment and culture. And the future is even brighter with more exciting prospects and possibilities. In the near future, with God on our side, Lagos will take its rightful place in the comity of major city-States of the world.

Fellow Lagosians, it has been a remarkable journey. One in which we have pushed boundaries and moved our State to another level. A journey in which we have transformed many aspects of our State and set the ball rolling in other sectors. But there is still a lot more to be done.

But it is a job not for only the government; it is a responsibility for us all. In Lagos everyone counts and we all have a part to play.

By tomorrow, there will be a change of guard in our State. I will be stepping down and a new Governor will be sworn in. We will have a new Governor and a new administration with the same objective; achieving a better Lagos.

Those who have had the privilege of serving our dear State in different capacities especially as Governors owe their successes to your prayers, understanding and support. The same courtesy and cooperation that you gave to my predecessors from the first elected Governor of the State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande to our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) to my humble self, I urge you to extend same to the next administration of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and ensure that he succeeds. It is in our best interest to do so.

I am immensely grateful to the three arms of Government, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary for their immense support throughout the tenure of our administration.

I also reserve special thanks for the leadership, elders and members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, the Local Government Councils and community leaders, all our Security agencies, civil society groups and our religious leaders.

I also owe a debt of gratitude to the President, Muhammadu Buhari, and the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo (SAN) for their support in the last four years.

To my wife, Bolanle and the children, who have had to endure many days and nights without me; I thank you for your love and steadfastness. You will continue to be my pillar of strength.

To all Lagosians; for your love, compassion, cooperation and support, I am eternally grateful. My love always.

God bless you.

God bless Lagos State, and

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Itesiwaju ipinle eko lo je wa logun!

Hundreds of British teenagers are reportedly being sent by their African parents to East Africa to avoid knife crime in the UK, representatives of the Somali community say. Some names have been changed to protect the identity of the interviewees.

"In those few years I was doing my A-levels it was tough. Just seeing people being dropped every other day, being stabbed," Yusuf tells BBC

Yusuf was born and raised in London but moved to Nairobi after a close friend in his neighbourhood was stabbed to death.

It is a decision an increasing number of parents are taking, for their children's safety.

Of the 100 people stabbed to death in the UK so far this year, 8% were of Somali heritage, according to the Rise Projects which works with young British Somalis in north London.

Jamal Hassan mentors young men in London, many from Somali families. He explains parents "want to protect that child by all means necessary".

"If it means that child doesn't finish school, college, university or he will not have a good job by the time you come for them the future is not really important.

"What's important is that child's life."

One mother who had sent her child to Africa told him she could now sleep at night, because she knew any police sirens she heard were not for her son.

Jamal went to Kenya as a teenager, when he says problems for him in London "were at their peak".

He says there are parallels with the present day.

"One of the things I'll never forget, is the fact that when you walk in the streets in Kenya you don't have to look over your shoulder. Here I could travel in and out of the city, go and visit whoever I wanted, and it was good. I felt a sense of freedom. But for these kids [in London that can be] life and death."

Others, such as Abdul, who is in his early 20s, left London because they had started to get into trouble with the police.

"When I came here it was like a clean sheet," Abdul said. "No-one knew me, no-one knows my history. There [in London], you have people that look like you going after you. My mum feels I'm much safer here than anywhere else in the world."

Parents say they do not view the move as a long-term solution - some children stay in Africa while others return.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all travel to Somalia, including Somaliland, and highlights a heightened threat of terrorism and kidnappings, across Kenya.

But Amina sent her 15-year-old son to Somaliland, when she was worried about the new friends with whom he was mixing.

In his year there, she says he became a studious child again. He had even wanted to stay in East Africa. But within 17 days of being brought back to the UK in November 2018, he was stabbed four times.

"He's been completely traumatised by the experience," she says.

"They damaged his bladder, his kidneys, his liver. He's got permanent damage. He was safer there [in Somaliland] than he was here… 100% more safe than in London."

The new mayor for Islington, Rakhia Ismail - a mother of four who came to London from Somalia as a refugee - believes that some areas of the city are unsafe for young people.

"Does the parent wait for her child to be killed? Or does the parent take a decision - quite a drastic decision - to take him all the way back to wherever that child is from originally?"

She says she knows families who are waiting for their children to finish primary school so they can leave the UK. She estimates that out of every five Somalian families, two are taking their children back home.

Dr Fatumo Abdi - a mother of Somali origin - said parents were struggling to know how to react to knife crime.

"This is not something they've encountered before. But we know living here in Britain, the context is Britain. This is a British problem and it's a problem that we've fallen into. It's not the answer but these are desperate parents."

She believes poverty, inequality and exposure to violence are big factors as to why young people fall into criminality.

"Our communities are living in very poor disadvantaged areas with poor educational attainment. All these things affect how our children move through the world."

Rhoda Ibrahim, who runs the Somali Advice and Forum of Information, which supports Somali mothers, says that as many of them have poor English, they are forced to take jobs such as cleaning, which lead them to being away from their families for long periods of time.

"When you get sent back to your country by your parents, it's the worst feeling," says Mohamed, who lived in Kenya for six and then nine months.

He was sent there after being excluded and sent to a pupil referral unit when no other school in his area would accept him.

"It feels like you're going to prison, and your mum's the judge. You can't come back until the judge has let you free. You have to show that you're good, you've changed."

But he feels like it has made him a "better person".

"I could have been out on the streets right now selling drugs, but... the kids in Kenya put school first."

Forty-two inmates have been confirmed dead after they were found hanged inside their cells at three different prisons in Brazil's Amazonas state.

According to the Amazonas state prison agency, all the 42 prisoners were on Monday found dead in the city of Manaus and they showed signs of Asphyxiation.

Brazilian outlet, Exame reported that the deaths occurred by hanging and were reported at Antônio Trindade Criminal Institute (Ipat), the Puraquequara Prison Unit (UPP) and the Provisional Detention Center (CDPM I), all located in Manaus.

Local authorities said prisoners began fighting among themselves before noon Sunday, and security reinforcements were rushed in and managed to regain control within 45 minutes.

The death toll comes just a day after 15 others died during fighting among prisoners at a fourth prison in the same city.

The State Department of Penitentiary Administration (Seap) has said the main lead in the investigation is factional disputes in the states after the Amazonas state prison agency confirmed that several prisoners were 'found dead by hanging inside their cells'.

Brazil’s justice and public security ministry said it was sending a federal task force to help local officials handle the situation.

'I just spoke with (Justice) Minister Sergio Moro, who is already sending a prison intervention team to the State of Amazonas, so that he can help us in this moment of crisis and a problem that is national: the problem of prisons,' Amazonas state Gov. Wilson Lima said.

The prison agency said that the situation was 'under control' and that prisoners were under lockdowns.

Secretary Col. Marcus Vinicius de Almeida said an investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the fight on Sunday.

'Some died inside the cell with the bars closed,' Almeida said.

'Some deaths occurred by asphyxiation andothers by perforations with the use of ... [sharpened] toothbrush.'

Heartbroken families have been visiting the prisons since the news broke, asking and pleading for answers on the cause of the death of their lo

Malaysian officials have disguised as waiters in restaurants to catch Muslims who are not participating in the Ramadan fast.

32 enforcement officers in the Malaysian district of Segamat are dressing up as cooks and waiters to catch Muslims who choose to eat during the holy month of Ramadan, the New Straits Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

Tea-brewers and noodle chefs were selected from the ranks of the department’s officers to carry out the task of being Ramadan Police. These officials will be placed at 185 food premises where they will identify Muslims who aren't fasting, snap a photo of them, and send it to the local religious affairs department.

Segamat Municipal Council president Mohamad Masni Wakiman told the New Straits Times: "We have specially selected enforcement officers who are dark skinned for the undercover job,"

Dark skinned officials were chosen because their cover will be more convincing since many restaurant staff are migrants workers.

Wakiman added: "They sound convincing when they speak in Indonesian and Pakistani lingo, so that customers will believe they are really hired to cook and serve meals and take menu orders."

If a Muslim is caught breaking the fast by one of the officers, he or she might face a fine of up to $329 or up to six month detention or both.

The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has said the commission is seeking partnership with Nigerian entertainers to fight corruption particularly internet fraud.

He made this statement on Wednesday while speaking on the prosecution of musician, Afeez Fashola, a.k.a Naira Marley, for charges bordering on internet fraud at an interactive session with artistes, comedians, and On-Air-Personalities in Abuja.

“I have said it in the past and I will also like to restate, that the EFCC does not go after an innocent person.

“Our mandate is to rid Nigeria of any form of economic and financial crimes, and internet.

Magu also sought to partner with Nigerian artistes and comedians in the fight against corruption particularly internet fraud.

EFCC acting spokesman, Mr. Tony Orilade quoted the chairman to have told the stakeholders in the entertainment industry that they had a part to play in discouraging criminality in the society.

He said, “You have a very wide reach, so lend us your voices. Please let your works propagate and promote integrity and the right values.

“I urge you to raise a collective slogan against all forms of criminality among our youths, condemn in strong terms, ostentatious living without credible sources of income, particularly the get-rich-at-all-cost syndrome among the youths.

“We need you to join hands with the EFCC in this fight against corruption because we need you more than ever before to change the negative narratives about our country being havens of internet fraudsters.

“I have always stressed that we cannot claim to have the monopoly of knowledge of how to fight corruption at the EFCC.

“We are, however, driven by the passion to explore all frontiers that will enable us to achieve a better society for our children yet unborn – an egalitarian society and one which we all can be proud of.”

Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy have been banned Indefinitely from the annual Ghana Music Awards.

The ban was announced at a press conference the organizers of the awards held on Thursday in Accra to brief the press about the outcome organizers have taken.

Announcing the sanctions for the two dancehall artistes, chairman of the VGMA board 2019, Nat Brew Amandzeba said the two artistes are also to return the award plagues they won on the night of the event.

He said that Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale have lost their legibility for VGMAs nominations, selections and performances. He noted that the decision was taken after “careful deliberations” and “extensive consultation” with stakeholders in the music industry.

Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale clashed on stage when Stonebwoy was announced the winner of Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year. In the ensuing confusion, Stonebwoy pulled a gun; an action he explained later in a press statement as self-defence. The two were subsequently arrested and detained.

Recall that Shatta Wale was banned in 2013 from the VGMA because he maligned the board of the awards scheme. The ban was only lifted last year, 2018.

The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal has dismissed the suit filed by the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) and its Presidential Candidate, Ambrose Aworu, seeking to stop President Muhammadu Buhari’s inauguration. 

In a lead judgment delivered by Justice Joseph Ikyechi, the tribunal dismissed the application for lacking merit. Respondents in the suit which include the President, his party the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) faulted the application and asked the tribunal to dismiss it for lacking merit. 

The HDP in its application said it will be unfair and unjust to inaugurate President Buhari for a second term on the ground that the validity of the election that produced him has been challenged at the tribunal. 

The party also prayed for an order stopping the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Ibrahim Tanko Mohammad from inaugurating or administering the Oath of Office and Oath of Allegiance on him (Buhari) until all court actions against him are determined. The two petitioners said they are challenging the validity of President Buhari’s election on the ground of non- compliance with the electoral laws and have dully served the President, INEC and the APC despite notice of hearing of their petition against his election. 

They noted that the President has been making frantic efforts and preparations to be sworn in and inaugurated on May 29 by inviting the CJN and the general public. They, therefore, insisted that restraining order by the tribunal is appropriate to preserve the subject matter of their petition and rendering their petition nugatory.

Fifty companies, including financial institutions that have held their Annual General Meetings (AGM) for the 2018 financial year, have so far declared a total of N578.114 billion dividends for payment to shareholders.

Dangote Cement Plc paid the highest dividend of N16 per share, which translated to N272.640 billion.

The Breakdown: Guaranty Trust Bank Plc paid N80.84 billion dividend, Zenith Bank Plc paid a total of N78.491 billion dividend, Nestlé Nigeria Plc paid N30.517 billion, Access Bank Plc paid N17.772 billion, and Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc paid N15.361 billion.

Nigerian Breweries Plc, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, FBN Holdings, Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc, Total Nigeria Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, 11 Plc, and Okomu Oil Palm Plc paid N14.634 billion, N13.212 billion, N10.641, N9.333 billion, N5.257 billion, N4.753 billion, N3.187 billion, N2.975 billion and N2.862  billion, respectively.

FCMB Group Plc paid N2.773 billion, Nascon Allied Industries Plc paid N2.650 billion, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc paid N2.640 billion, Custodian Investment Plc paid N2.059 billion, CAP Plc paid N2.031 billion, United Capital Plc paid N1.8 billion, and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc paid N1.219 billion.

More Details: Wema Bank Plc, Transcorp Hotels Plc, and Africa Prudential Plc paid N1.157 billion, N1.140 billion and N1 billion, respectively.

Other companies paid dividends in nine digits, while one company― The Initiates Plc ― paid in six digits (N444,990).

Why this matters: This is a positive development for the shareholders of these companies because the whole essence of investing in a company is to receive dividends as at when due.

Understanding Dividend: A dividend is a payment made by a company to its shareholders, usually as a distribution of profits. When a company earns a profit or surplus, it reinvests a portion of the profit in the business (retained earnings) whilst paying a portion as dividends to the shareholders.

Distribution to shareholders may be in cash (usually a deposit into a bank account) or the issuance of further shares, otherwise known as shares repurchase. But this is usually if the company has a dividend reinvestment plan.

In other words, a dividend is allocated as a fixed amount per share with shareholders receiving a dividend in proportion to their shareholding. For the joint-stock company, paying dividends is not an expense; rather, it is the division of after-tax profits among shareholders.

Christian Pulisic has been officially unveiled as a Chelsea player as he posed with the club's shirt at Stamford Bridge.

According to MailOnline - Sports, the 20-year-old American footballer completed his £58million move from Borussia Dortmund last week when the transfer window officially opened.

The deal was first struck in January but the youngster stayed with the German club for the rest of the season.

In his first interview for the club, Pulisic revealed he is especially looking forward to playing with N'Golo Kante next season.

He told Chelsea's official website: 'There's so many good players here. I'm really excited to play with N'Golo Kante.

'I'm excited to meet him, I love him as a player. The backline too, Luiz, Rudiger and those guys.

'It feels amazing I'm super excited. I can’t wait.'

'It’s going to be an amazing experience. To be back in England, to be able to speak English and to meet the guys. I'm thrilled.

'It's one of my biggest dreams to be here and play in the PL. To be a Chelsea player is a huge honour.'

When Pulisic was asked what the Chelsea supporters can expect from him he said: 'They can expect a really good team guy who is going to give everything.

'He's going to bring his attacking style to the team and doing everything he can to win games.'

The Katsina State Police Command said on Monday that it has so far arrested no fewer than 70 suspected kidnappers from April to date across the state.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Sanusi Buba disclosed this during a press briefing in Katsina on the achievements recorded by Operation Puff Adder in the state.

He said that the police also recovered 43 AK 47 rifles, two Light Assault Rifles, 19 Dane guns, two pump action rifles and two pistols during the period under review.

Others were five motor vehicles, 44 motorcycles, 200 cartridges, 25 liters of Jerry cans loaded with fuel, five bags of food items and over 1,500 ammunitions, among others.

The commissioner further said that the police had succeeded in arresting the kidnappers of the Gov Aminu Masari’s 80-year-old mother-in-law, Hajiya Hauwa Yusuf.

He said that those arrested were Abdullahi Sani, 23, Abubakar Dani, 25, Rabe Hamza, 30, Marwana Gide, 25, and Abdulhakim Bishir, 22.

The governor’s mother-in-law was kidnapped on the eve of the governorship and state assembly elections in Match 9, 2019. She regained her freedom after payment of about N30 million ransom to the kidnappers.

Embattled rapper, Azeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley, was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos this morning to face 11 charges bordering on fraud against him for alleged credit card fraud.

He was remanded in EFCC custody till May 30th pending his bail application.

Read the full statement below by EFCC.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, on May 20, 2019, arraigned a Nigerian artiste, Azeez Adeshina Fashola, also known as Naira Marley, before Justice Nicholas I. Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos on an 11-count charge bordering on cybercrime.

The defendant was arrested on May 10, 2019, following intelligence report received by the Commission about his alleged involvement in internet fraud.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Azeez Adeshina Fashola, aka Naira Marley, and Yad Isril (still at large), on or about the 26th  day of November, 2018, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired amongst yourself to use Access card no : 5264711020433662 issued to persons other  than you in a bid to obtain gain and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1) (b) of the Cybercrime Prohibition, Prevention etc Act 2015 and punishable under Section 33(2) of the same Act.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

In view of his pleas, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, asked the court for a trial date.

He also prayed for accelerated hearing of the case and urged the court to remand the defendant in prison custody.

Counsel to the defendant, Taiwo Oluwa Ore- Agba, asked the court for a date to hear the bail application on behalf of his client.

Consequently, Justice Oweibo adjourned the case to May 30, 2019, and ordered the defendant to be remanded in prison custody pending the hearing of the bail application.

In his first ever recognition by Fortune Magazine, the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has been ranked the eleventh World’s Greatest Leaders for 2019.

With his eleventh position out of the 50 other leaders on the list, Africa’s richest man is the only Nigerian on the list; clinching a significant position among other world leaders.

Dangote was considered to be among those transforming the world and inspiring others to do so in business, government, philanthropy and the arts.

“GREAT LEADERS NEVER KNOW FOR SURE IF THEIR PLANS WILL WORK, BUT THEY PLUNGE AHEAD ANYWAY. THAT’S WHY WE RECOGNIZE SHEER AUDACITY, WELL-INTENDED, EVEN IF THE RESULTS AREN’T KNOWN AND EVEN IF THE PLANS AREN’T UNIVERSALLY APPLAUDED … THESE THINKERS, SPEAKERS, AND DOERS MAKE BOLD CHOICES AND TAKE BIG RISKS- AND MOVE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME,” THE MAGAZINE SAID.

Dangote’s wealth portfolio: According to Bloomberg, Aliko Dangote has a net-worth of $16.4 billion. This makes him the richest man in Africa. Interestingly, Dangote’s four quoted companies which are all under the Dangote Group, now account for about a third of the value of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Back to the ranking – the top ten: The top 10 greatest men and women, according to Fortune Magazine, include the followings:

Bill and Melinda Gates

Jacinda Arden (Prime Minister, New Zealand)

Robert Mueller (Special Counsel, Department of Justice)

Pony Ma (Founder and CEO, Tencent)

Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft)

Greta Thunberg (Student and climate activist, Sweden)

Margrethe Vestager (Commissioner for Competition, European Union)

Anna Nimiriano (Editor-in-Chief, Juba Monitor)

Jose Andres (Chef/Founder, World Central Kitchen)

Dough Mcmillon and Lisa Woods (CEO; Senior Director, Strategy & Design for U.S. Benefits, Walmart).

About the Rating: The rating for the World’s Greatest Leaders for 2019 was carried out by Fortune Magazine, an American multinational business magazine headquartered in New York City, United States.

The rating is published with a focus on global businesses, and how their owners have used them to impact their society positively.

Shareholders have unanimously lamented the huge fines slammed on seven lenders by regulatory authorities as the penalties for certain infractions during the 2018 business year.

Nairametrics understands that the banks, which include: GTBank, Access Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), FBN Holdings, Sterling Bank, Fidelity Bank, and Zenith International Bank, have all been mandated to pay a total of N145 million in fines to regulators for various offences.

The N145 million fines are to be paid to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC), and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

More Details: As contained in the banks’ annual reports, FBN Holdings and its subsidiaries, First Bank of Nigeria, FBN Quest Merchant Bank, and FBN Insurance Limited, will pay the highest fine of N32.65 million to the CBN. This is followed by UBA followed which will pay N30 million.

Similarly, GTBank was fined N24 million, Access Bank was fined N20 million, Sterling Bank received N15.33 million fine, Fidelity Bank N13.01 million, and Zenith International Bank got N10 million, respectively.

Shareholders’ Stance: The shareholders under the auspices of New Dimension Shareholders Association, Shareholders Association of Nigeria, and Proactive Shareholders Association, are protesting against the fines.

According to them, the penalties imposed on the banks impacted negatively on their bottom-line, ultimately affected their dividend payout.

The shareholders argued that rather than impose such huge fines, the regulators should meet with the banks’ management to determine other penalising strategies.

The President of New Dimension Shareholders Association, Patrick Ajudua, said the fines did not just affect the dividend payment but also had a negative effect on the shareholders’ fund.

“WE ARE NOT AGAINST PAYMENT OF FINES AS IT IS A MEASURE OF CORRECTING FINANCIAL/GOVERNANCE BREACHES, BUT SUCH MUST BE DONE WITH HUMAN FACE. THIS MEANS THAT THE STAFF THAT COMMITTED THE OFFENCE SHOULD BE PENALISED. IF THIS IS DONE, IT WOULD FORESTALL FURTHER VIOLATIONS AND SERVE AS A DETERRENT TO OTHERS.”

Meanwhile, the President of Proactive Shareholders Association, Boniface Okezie said:

“NO DOUBT, IT IS AFFECTING THE SHAREHOLDERS’ DIVIDEND; IT IS REALLY UNFORTUNATE. THE REGULATORS CAN WORK OUT OTHER WAYS OF PUNISHING BANKS THAT CONTRAVENE THE LAW.”

Similarly, the President, Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Ibadan Zone, Eric Akinduro said;

“THE QUESTION TO ASK IS WHETHER THE PENALTY IS PART OF THE BUDGET PROVISION, IF YES? IT IS OK, BUT IF NO, THEN THE OFFICER RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH AN OFFENCE MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE NEGLIGENCE.

“THIS IS WHY SHAREHOLDERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO PUT THE BOARD AND MANAGEMENT ON THEIR TOES. IF THE GAME IS PLAYED BY THE RULES, THERE WILL NOT BE ANY REASON FOR CONTRAVENTION.”

By Damilare Famuyiwa

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has withdrawn 25 Certificates-of-Return issued to some candidates that won some elections during the 2019 General Elections.

This was disclosed by the Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Festus Okoye, at a `Forum on Media Coverage of 2019 General Elections’ held in Enugu today Monday, May 20th.

According to Okoye, the certificates were withdrawn following different court orders. He disclosed that 20 of the 25 certificates-of-return were withdrawn from All Progressive Congress (APC) members to other APC members; while two from People Democratic Party (PDP) members were withdrawn and issued to other PDP members. He said that the other three were withdrawn from APC and PDP; and given to other political parties.

Speaking at the forum, Okoye said

“The commission has withdrawn 25 certificates-of-return from the first owners to their new owners following court orders to do that''.

The Federal government says it has credible evidence pointing to the fact that the main opposition party, PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, are planning to sabotage the Buhari-led administration. Lai Mohammed's comment comes few days after the Nigerian Army raised alarm that some persons are working with foreign powers to stop the inauguration ceremony on May 29th.

Speaking at the 2019 edition of his Annual Ramadan Lecture held at his home town Oro, Kwara yesterday Saturday May 18th, Lai Mohammed said

“As you are aware, a few days ago we raised the alarm that either by themselves or via their proxies, the PDP and its presidential candidate are doing everything possible to sabotage the Buhari Administration.

Our interventions are based on credible evidence, and no government, with the kind of evidence that we have, of plans to subvert the power of the state, attack the nation’s economic live wire and generally unleash mayhem on the polity, will keep quiet.

The security agencies are all alert to their responsibilities and will not sit by and allow anyone to reverse the gains of our democracy under any guise''.

Bayern Munich stars, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben who played their last games for the German club yesterday signed off in style as they came off the bench to score on their final appearances and helping to retain a seventh consecutive Bundesliga title.

Robben and Ribery who have been at the club for 10 years and 12 years, respectively, winning numerous domestic titles and the Champions League in 2013 made a combined total of 729 appearances and 268 goals.

 Bayern Munich stars Franck Ribery & Arjen Robben sign off in style as they help win Bundesliga title for the German club

The pair enjoyed a perfect send-off as Niko Kovac’s side powered to a 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

Frankfurt's Sebastian Haller's 50th-minute strike canceled out Kingsley Coman's early opener before David Alaba restored Bayern's lead minutes later with Renato Sanches then making it three five minutes later.

French footballer Franck Ribery and Dutch star Arjen Robben later scored in the 72 and 78th minutes to seal off the game.

Although, the stars are yet to decide if they will be moving to another club or retire from playing football.

Juventus striker, Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Serie A Player of the Year award in his first season in Italy.

According to Goal, Ronaldo will be recognised for the award before the game against Atalanta on Sunday.

Ronaldo scored 21 goals in 30 league matches, picking up eight assists for Juventus this season. The Portuguese also picked up six goals in the Champions League, and a goal in the Supercoppa Italiana.

He is also the first player to pick up the equivalent award in England, Spain, and Italy.

Ahead of the announcement, Ronaldo took to Twitter on Saturday to wish Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, farewell.

Ronaldo wrote: 'Thank you Mister! We lived a single year together but it was awesome because besides being a great coach you are a great man. It's been a pleasure working with you!'

The head coach will be leaving the club before the start of next season in a decision Juventus president Andrea Agnelli said was 'the toughest decision he has ever had to make.'

The Nigerian Senate has passed the Public Holiday Act Amendment Bill to recognise June 12 as the new Democracy Day. 

The bill was passed almost one year after President Buhari announced that the date would replace May 29 for Nigerians to commemorate the return to the civilian government. While some members of the National Assembly had criticised the President that Democracy Day cannot be changed by just a declaration, others commended his decision.

President Buhari’s declaration was later approved in the Senate by an act of parliament after the lawmakers considered the bill seeking to amend the Public Holiday Act on Thursday. The bill, which is in concurrence with that of the House of Representatives, will now be forwarded to the President for assent.

President Buhari had on June 6, 2018 announced June 12 as the new date which Democracy Day would be celebrated in the country, to honour the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election, Moshood Abiola, who was fondly known as MKO.

He explained that the date was more symbolic of democracy in the Nigerian context than May 29, or even October 1. The President had also conferred a posthumous GCFR title on Abiola, while his running mate in the election, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, got a GCON national honour.

Six months later, the House of Representatives adopted June 12 as the new Democracy Day.

On Tuesday, 25 white male Republicans out of 27 that dominate the 35-seat in Alabama senate voted to ban abortion in the state at every stage of pregnancy, unless the mother’s physical or mental health is in jeopardy. Two Republicans did not vote.

Kay Ivey, the female governor of Alabama signed the bill on Wednesday, putting in place one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws.

Since the ban was passed it has generated criticisms from many including singer, Rihanna who took social media to slam the 25 white male Republicans politicians who voted to ban abortion and Governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey for signing the bill.

She posted a collage photo of the 25 white male Republicans via her Instagram page and wrote: 'take a look. these are the idiots making decisions for WOMEN in America. Governor Kay Ivey...SHAME ON YOU!!!!'

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a total of 29,723 Nigerian immigrants who travelled to the United States of America in 2018 overstayed their visas.

In a new report released by the DHS, the number of Nigerian immigrants who overstayed their non-immigrant tourism/business (B1/B2) visas between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018 represents 15.18% of the total 195,785 expected departures. 

The DHS described an overstay as a non-immigrant who was lawfully admitted to the U.S. for an authorised period, but remained beyond his or her authorised period of admission. Of the 29,723 culprits who arrived in the North American country through the air or sea port of entry, there's no departure record for 29,004, while 719 left after their visas officially expired.

Nigeria's high overstay rate might not be unconnected to the announcement this week by the U.S. embassy in Nigeria that the visa interview waiver for those renewing visas in the country has been indefinitely suspended. 

Before the suspension, Nigerian holders of US visa types B1/B2, F, H, and L could renew their visas online by processing it through DHL using one of several dropbox locations across the country without attending physical interviews. 

With the suspension, such people will now have to visit the embassy in Abuja or consulate in Lagos for in-person interviews, a process that's expected to lead to delays in scheduling appointments.

Spanish club, Real Madrid have reportedly completed the signing of Serbian and Eintracht Frankfurt striker, Luka Jovic for £52.4million.

According to Sky in Germany, the 21-year-old signed a five-year contract with the Spanish giants, which will earn him £43.7m (€50m) in total a year.

Frankfurt will pay Jovic's former club Benfica around £10.5m of the transfer fee.

The striker joined Frankfurt on loan from Benfica in the summer and last month the Bundesliga club exercised their option to make the move permanent.

Jovic has scored 17 goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances this season and 10 more in the Europa League.

The signing of Jovic would bring the number of new additions to Zinedine Zidane's squad for the 2019/20 season to three. Porto's Brazilian defender Eder Militao agreed to a move to Bernabeu in March, while Santos forward Rodrygo Goes will join up with the squad after agreeing his move last year.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has preferred 11 charges bordering on fraud against upcoming musician, Azeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley, for alleged credit card fraud.

The musician effectively risks seven years in jail if found guilty, as Section 33 (2) which he was accused of breaching, reads: “Any person who uses: a counterfeit access device; an unauthorised access device; an access device issued to another person; resulting in a loss or gain commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not more than seven years or a fine of not more than N5,000,000.00 and forfeiture of the advantage or value derived from his act.

The charges with suit number FHC/L/178C/19 were filed before a Lagos State High Court.

Some of the credit cards, according to the EFCC, bore the names- Nicole Louise Malyon, and Timea Fedorne Tatar.

The alleged crimes were in contravention of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act and the Cyber Crimes Act.

The charges read in part, “That you, Azeez Adeshina Fashola, aka Naira Marley, and Raze (still at large), on or about the 11th day of December 2018, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired amongst yourselves to use access card 42658840359191132 issued to persons other than you in a bid to obtain gain and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(b) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015 and punishable under Section 33(2) of the Same Act. “That you, Azeez Adeshina Fashola, aka Naira Marley, and Raze (still at large), on or about the 10th day of May 2019, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud possessed counterfeit card 4921819410257431 issued to Timea FedorneTatar and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 33(9) of Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015.”

 The artiste has been enmeshed in controversy in the last one month following his decision to openly support online fraud commonly called ‘Yahoo Yahoo’. He was arrested last Friday along with four others including his bosom friend, Zlatan Ibile.

A petition on Change.org titled "Remake Game of Thrones Season 8 with competent writers." now has over 440,000 signatures.

The petition reads; "showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have proven themselves to be woefully incompetent writers when they have no source material (i.e. the books) to fall back on,. This series deserves a final season that makes sense. Subvert my expectations and make it happen, HBO!"

The goal of the petition is to gather 500,000 signatures of people dissatisfied with how the eighth and final season of the show is playing out.

However, despite the fact that some people aren't digging it, they certainly are watching it. According to HBO, Season 8 of the series is averaging 43 million viewers per episode in gross audience, an increase of more than ten million viewers compared to Season 7.

"Game of Thrones" penultimate episode, titled "The Bells," which Sunday, was watched by a record 18.4 million viewers across all of HBO's platforms. That exceeded the previous series high of 17.8 million viewers two weeks ago for "The Long Night" episode which focused on the Battle of Winterfell.

The much anticipated series finale is set to air this Sunday.

The showrunners knew there would be plenty of debate over the final season. Benioff and Weiss talked to Entertainment Weekly before it started airing and Benioff told EW, "From the beginning, we've talked about how the show would end."

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced new dates for the Kogi and Bayelsa State governorship elections. 

Festus Okoye, INEC Chairman on Information and Voter Education Committee, said in a statement moments ago that the change is a result consideration of appeals received by the commission. 

He said: "after careful consideration of the appeals, the Commission at the regular weekly meeting held today Thursday 16th May decided to shift the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states to Saturday 16th November 2019. The timelines for all other activities leading to the elections have also been adjusted to align with the new date".

Premier League champions, Manchester City are set to be handed one-year ban from Champions League by UEFA.

An investigation into accusations that Manchester City misled European soccer’s financial regulators in pursuit of its success on the field is expected to recommend that the team be barred from the Champions League, European soccer’s richest competition.

According to New York Times, English soccer authorities and officials at UEFA, European soccer’s governing body and the organizer of the Champions League, have for months been investigating Manchester City amid allegations of rule-breaking revealed in damaging leaks over much of the past year.

Members of the investigatory chamber of UEFA’s financial control board, a group set up to analyze the accounts of clubs suspected of breaking strict cost-control regulations, met two weeks ago in Nyon, Switzerland, to finalize their conclusions.

Yves Leterme, the investigatory panel’s leader and the former prime minister of Belgium will have the final say on the submission to a separate adjudicatory chamber, which could be filed as soon as this week. The body is expected to seek at least a one-season ban.

British-Nigerian heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, is the latest sports star to be affected by the 'Drake curse' after his opponent Jarrell Miller failed a drug test.

US boxer, Miller tested positive for a banned substance on April 17, less than a month after Joshua posted a picture of Drake on his Instagram account on March 21, leading to the fight which was supposed to take place in June cancelled.

Speaking on The Michael Kay Show in New York ahead of his bout with late replacement Andy Ruiz Jr, the 29-year-old said:

‘You know about the Drake curse? It is real though. Do you know what is weird actually? I took a picture with Drake before Miller got banned.'

'Miller had his drug test and the whole fight went to pot. The fight got cancelled.’

Other victims of the supposed Drake curse who lost their next games after getting a selfie or picture with Canadian rapper Drake are Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba and Paris Saint-Germain defender Layvin Kurzawa among others.

Hackers were able to remotely install surveillance software on phones and other devices using a major vulnerability in messaging app WhatsApp.

WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, confirms that the attack targeted a "select number" of users and was orchestrated by "an advanced cyber-actor". WhatsApp has urged all of its 1.5 billion users to update their apps as an added precaution. 

The surveillance software involved was developed by Israeli firm NSO Group, according to a report in the Financial Times. Facebook first discovered the flaw in WhatsApp earlier in May.

However, the surveillance software would have let an attacker read the messages on the target's device.  Some users of the app have questioned why the app store notes associated with the latest update are not explicit about the fix.

How was the security flaw used?

It involved attackers using WhatsApp's voice calling function to ring a target's device. Even if the call was not picked up, the surveillance software could be installed. According to the FT report, the call would often disappear from the device's call log.

WhatsApp told the BBC its security team was the first to identify the flaw. It shared that information with human rights groups, selected security vendors and the US Department of Justice earlier this month.

"The attack has all the hallmarks of a private company reportedly that works with governments to deliver spyware that takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems,” the company said on Monday in a briefing document note for journalists.

John Obi Mikel has confirmed his return to Nigeria’s Super Eagles for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

The Middlesbrough midfielder last played for Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and didn't play a part in the qualifier for this year’s Nations Cup.

Confirming his availability, a top team official said: “Mikel has met with coach (Gernot) Rohr in England and he has confirmed he will feature at the Nations Cup in Egypt.”

This comes after the head coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr had a chat with the former Chelsea star ahead of the Nations Cup.

The 32-year-old Obi who has won 85 caps for Nigeria also has six goals since his full international debut in 2005 against Libya.