Marie Wiseborn, the wife of Moses Bliss, has advised young ladies trying to copy her dance steps that led to her marriage to the gospel singer. 

Bliss and Marie tied the knot over the weekend in Ghana.

Last week, the lovebirds held their court, traditional, and church weddings including a praise concert in Accra, Ghana’s capital city.

During his performance, Bliss invited his wife to the stage wherein she revealed how they met on Instagram.

Wiseborn said she was reluctant to give the singer a response after he had watched her dancing video and sent her a message.

The Ghanaian-born, British-trained lawyer said she gave in to Bliss’ proposal after she was “convinced by the Holy Spirit”.

She also cautioned single ladies who think copying her dance would get them husbands.

“I remember when God said to me go ‘back and message him’. I remember saying God why? How can I go back and message him? I was dragging my leg. So I did not know that all this while he had been praying,” she said.

“One thing that I want you all to take away is that I see a lot of people doing the same dance I do on Instagram. As soon as I posted, everybody wants to post their dance, but one thing God dropped in my spirit was that people were too focused on the vehicle and not the driver. So one thing I want us to leave with is that all of us came to this destination with different vehicles.

“So ultimately is not about that if you do my dance you will get married too, if you want to get the same result it shows that the right driver is going to drive us here.”

Bliss engaged Wiseborn in January. He also spoke about how he met the lawyer on Instagram.

According to him, she posted a video of herself dancing to ‘Miracle No Dey Tire Jesus’, one of his hit songs, about a year ago.

[TheCable]

Former Super Falcons goalkeeper, Bidemi Aluko-Olaseni, has passed on.

Naija New reports that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed the sad news on its X handle on Saturday.

According to the terse statement, Aluko died after battling with breast cancer for eight years.

NFF wrote, “We are sad to hear of the passing of former Super Falcons goalkeeper Bidemi Aluko-Olaseni after an eight-year battle with cancer.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. May her gentle soul rest in peace.”

Aluko was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2017 and was given the all-clear a year later after undergoing treatment and a mastectomy.

However, she was again diagnosed with the disease in January 2019 and underwent 10 chemotherapy sessions.

A foundation member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Osita Okechukwu has hit out at state governors over the non implementation of the 4th and 5th amendments to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Okechukwu, spoke amid the renewed calls for restructuring. Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka further put restructuring on the frontburner, weekend, while delivering a lecture at an event organised by the Punch Newspaper.

Soyinka at the Punch's 50th Anniversary, said, “When the word restructuring is booted around, we often have the challenge, what do you mean by restructuring? Well, I don’t even like the word restructuring, I prefer the expressions like reconfiguration, decentralisation. And those who lead us, they recognise the necessity of it, they recognise the importance and almost the inevitability of decentralisation until they get in power.”

And former Secretary General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku added his noble voice. “I am on record for saying that these challenges cannot be effectively addressed under the constitution and governance system we have at the moment.
“We cannot effectively address these challenges that have assumed a nationwide dimension, especially insecurity which has pervaded the Northern part of the country and other communities,” he said.

However, addressing journalists on Sunday, Okechukwu, who is the immediate past Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, said though he was not against restructuring, if restructuring is patriotic search for prosperous society and the good of greatest number of Nigerians.
“If restructuring is for prosperous society and the good of the greatest number of Nigerians; do governors need restructuring before implementing the 4th and 5th amendments of the country’s constitution?” Okechukwu retorted.

It could be recalled that many governors have been foot-dragging towards the full implementation of financial autonomy for the state Houses of Assembly and the Judiciary, which is the 4th Amendment.

Expressing his views on the renewed restructuring calls, Okechukwu cautioned that “the lukewarm attitude of majority of the governors to adherence to the rule of law, welfare and security of our citizenry; dampens our zeal to advocate for concession of more powers to Governors cum Emperors.”

He stressed that, “Whereas one is not against restructuring or reconfiguration, especially the imperative of devolution of powers to the sub-national units, once more do our dear governors need restructuring before they implement the 4th and 5th amendments of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?”

“Simply put, is financial independence of the State Judiciary and the State Legislatures, not deepening of our democracy and fundamental restructuring?” Okechukwu asked.

Reminded that why the agitation for restructuring gained momentum and President Tinubu’s attention was being drawn to it is because he was an advocate and apostle of restructuring before he assumed presidential powers; and therefore to whom much is given much is expected.

He agreed that much is expected of President Tinubu as a progressive; but he reminded those who haul blame game at his doorstep that “sincerely under our rigid constitution, Mr President should be given benefit of doubt, for he cannot restructure single handedly, he has the National and State Assemblies to contend with and some them are pessimistic and cynical of devolving more powers to governors who ape emperors with their authoritarian antics.”

When told that the indigenes of the sub-nationals will automatically swing into action when restructuring comes into play, and flush out any authoritarian state governor.

The APC chieftain disagreed with such puerile assumption, recalling that the governors had in the last 24 years entrenched and consolidated authoritarianism.

He said for example the governors had in bi-partisan unholy alliance serially voted against first line charge of funding to local councils, made a mess of State Independent Electoral Commissions and blatantly refused to implement the first line charge funding of state judiciary and state legislatures which is the 4th amendment.

“And since the 5th Amendment we are yet to see visible cooperation of state governments from any of the would be regional bloc or geopolitical zone embarking on regional electricity chain or railways project?”

“May the question be asked- did we forget why issues like region failed in all the constitutional conferences - 1978/9, 1988/9, 1995/6, 2005 and 2014? Reason in a nutshell - phobia of local hegemony.

“And where were the guardrails, guardians or muscle men who would flush out governors cum emperors when they were trampling on our civil liberties, squandering our commonwealth and violently breaching all the extant provisions of the constitution highlighted above.

“Or are we going to go to heaven after restructuring to plead fervently with Almighty God for secondment of our holy ones from heaven?” Okechukwu quipped.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said its operatives on Saturday, 2 March 2024 intercepted a 40-year-old businessman, Ejike Chibuke Solomon with 1.45 kilograms of cocaine concealed in his luggage while attempting to board an Ethiopia Airlines flight number 950 to Vietnam via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja.

According to the Agency, Ejike was arrested at the Abuja airport on Sunday after NDLEA officers subjected him to a thorough search, and “in the process, discovered the illicit substance concealed, factory fitted, in his bag”. 

“In his statement, the suspect claimed he was on a business trip to Vietnam”.

“In another operation, operatives of a special unit of the Agency on Friday 1st March swooped on members of a syndicate that deals in methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin in their hideouts in parts of Lagos.

“The operatives assigned for the operation raided the home of Esimone Amachukwu Christopher at 14 Arochukwu street, Ejigbo, where 10.012 kilograms of methamphetamine was found in possession of his associate, 40-year-old Evelyn Nneka Okem. Esimone is currently at large.

“While the Ejigbo operation was going on, another set of officers were simultaneously busy in the residence of another member of the syndicate, 45-year-old Ebele Edwin Iwuegbunam, located at Plot 1604 Close D, 4th Avenue, Festac town, Lagos where they arrested him and recovered 429.5grams of cocaine and 7 kilograms of heroin”.

In Kogi state, NDLEA officers on a stop and search operation along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway on Friday 1st March intercepted a commercial bus marked GRM 347XA (Borno) conveying 28 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 11kg; 100 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup and 500 tablets of diazepam.

They were all concealed in three plastic drums covered with cattle fats, heading to Jos Plateau state.

In Ogun state on Thursday 29th February, operatives recovered 169kg consignment of cannabis abandoned in a truck at Sagamu tollgate, their counterparts in Lagos seized 25 cartons of tramadol containing 325,000 pills in Ikeja the previous day Wednesday 28th Feb.

Same day, a suspect, Abdullahi Garba Khalil, 42, and 2,745,000 capsules of pregabalin recovered from him at Singer market, Sabon Gari area of Kano were handed over to the Kano state command of NDLEA by the Department of State Security, DSS.

In the same vein, the 243 Recce Battalion, Nigerian Army, Badagry on Saturday 2nd March transferred 27 sacks of cannabis sativa weighing 1,110kg recovered at a coastal community, Ajido by soldiers, to the Seme Special Area Command of NDLEA.

A suspect, Hassan Muhammad, 34, was on Saturday 2nd March arrested with 44,950 pills of tramadol at Moranti area of Borno state by NDLEA operatives.

In Abia state, NDLEA operatives on Thursday 28th Feb raided a drug joint at Cemetery Barracks, Aba, where Ifeanyi Uche, 37, was arrested with different quantities of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.

Another raid was carried out at the abandoned Eyimba Hotel, Ogbor Hill, Aba, where illicit substances were seized and suspects arrested on Friday 1st March.

With the same zeal, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaign in the past week including WADA sensitisation lecture for students and teachers of Fobin Primary and Secondary School, Idiroko, Seme, Lagos.

Others were at Army Barracks Grammar School, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo state; State Model Secondary School, Awka, Anambra state; and Government Girls Secondary School, Okumgba-Ama, Ogoloma, Okrika, Rivers state.

There was also WADA advocacy campaign to leaders and residents of Lapan community, Gombe state, among others.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the NAIA, Abia, Ogun, Kogi, Lagos, Seme, Borno and Kano Commands of the Agency as well as those of the Special Unit for their outstanding feats in the past week.

He equally applauded them and their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.

One Nonso Nwobodo, 39, has been arrested by operatives of the Nigerian Police Force in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for allegedly repackaging local rice into bags labelled as foreign rice.

The trader was said to have been involved in the act in a bid to maximize profits.

Naija News understands that Nwobodo was arrested on Saturday at around 4:15 pm in the Durumi area of the FCT, specifically at Plot 740 centenary credentials.

A government source who confirmed the development to journalists said Nonso was discovered to be packing locally produced rice into printed bags that were made to resemble foreign rice bags.

According to him, this deceptive act aimed to mislead the public into believing that the rice was imported. As a result of the operation, a total of 160 bags of rice, varying in size from 5kg to 50kg, were seized as evidence.

“Nonso Nwobodo was re-packaging local rice to a different designed foreign bags of rice with an attempt to sell them as foreign rice.

“He was arrested with 160 bags of different sizes of rice ranging from 5kg to 50kg already rebagged to look like foreign rice. 53 empty bags of local rice that had already been rebagged to foreign bags were recovered.

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“While 590 new empty foreign bags of rice that are yet to be filled with rice were also recovered at the scene. Police have confiscated the rice,” SaharaReporters quoted the source as saying.

A government storage facility in Gwagwa town, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), fell victim to a brazen act of looting on Sunday morning, with large quantities of food items stolen.

Eyewitnesses reported to Daily Trust that a crowd of youths forcefully entered the warehouse around the Tasha area of the community at approximately 7 am, making away with bags of maize and grain.

According to Jaafar Aminu, a local resident, the looting spree went unchecked for about two hours until 9 am.

The incident attracted individuals from nearby Jiwa and Karmo towns, exacerbating the chaos and resulting in significant traffic congestion along the Gwagwa-Karmo road, which connects to the Dei-Dei and Jabi axes.

Aminu, who suffered bruises in the turmoil, described a scene of desperation as people from various areas converged on the site, hoping to partake in the looting.

Another resident, Christopher Agbo, noted that the looters were indiscriminate in their plunder, taking not only food items but also any other materials they found useful, including protectors initially set up to secure the site.

This incident marks the second time the warehouse has been targeted, recalling a similar episode during the Covid-19 lockdown when grains and pumping machines intended for relief efforts were stolen.

Following the raid on the government facility, the mob proceeded to Idu Industrial Estate, targeting additional warehouses owned by both individuals and the government.

At the time of reporting, there was an alarming absence of security personnel at the scene.

However, FCT police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, assured that police forces were mobilized and working to restore order amidst the ongoing crisis.

Popular Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw has lost her mother.

This comes on the same day John Okafor, aka Mr Ibu, was confirmed to have died of cardiac arrest.

The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, Emeka Rollas made the announcement in a post on his official Instagram page on Saturday.

Rollas, in his post, described the passage of Henshaw’s mother as a “sad day” for the AGN.

He wrote; “Sad Day for Actors Guild of Nigeria. Kate Henshaw lost her mother earlier today.”

Kate Henshaw’s illustrious career spans two and a half decades, and she has established herself as one of Nollywood’s most revered characters.

Henshaw sprang to fame after playing a notable role in the 1993 film ‘When the Sun Sets,’ and has since become a household name, capturing audiences with her talent and flexibility on screen.

Aside from her acting skills, Henshaw is well-known as a fitness devotee who exudes perseverance and discipline both on and off film.

Her enduring career in the Nigerian film industry is distinguished by countless prizes and accolades, a testimony to her indelible imprint on the cinematic landscape.

The Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft on Operation Delta Sanity has intercepted a vessel, Motor Tanker SWEET MIRI suspected to have been involved in crude oil theft.

The navy said on Saturday evening that the vessel had 13 crew; one Ghanaian and 12 Nigerians.

While briefing newsmen onboard the vessel, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral MB Hassan stated that the vessel had been a vessel of interest to the Nigerian Navy and she is being arrested on suspicion of crude oil theft.

He added that, on 25 February 2024, the vessel was observed to have switched off its Automatic Identification System to avoid detection. The vessel was arrested 174 nautical miles of the coast of Nigeria, approximately 320 kilometers, heading to Benin Republic.

“This necessitated the deployment of Nigerian Navy Ship ABA to investigate the vessel. Subsequently, she was found carrying products suspected to be crude oil. Thereafter, NNS SOKOTO was deployed to double up the search and interdict the vessel. On arrival, it was discovered that she was carrying about 2 million liters of suspected product without approval.

“The FOC further disclosed that, in line with the directive of Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral EI Ogalla, the ship is opened for other agencies to come and take samples and carry out their own independent investigations to find out the culpability of the vessel. Also speaking, the FOC said that, the vessel is owned by a Ghanian and registered in Ghana by a Ghanian company.

“In the same vein, while giving update on the earlier arrested Motor Tanker VINNALARIS, the FOC said that, the CNS has instructed that the investigations of all arrested vessels should be conducted beyond the level of crew. In this regard, the FOC has extended the investigation to uncover the kingpins. He finally appreciated the efforts of DSS for assisting the Nigerian Navy in conducting investigations when matters of crude oil theft are brought to them,” the release by Lieutenant Hussaini Ibrahim, the Base Information Officer, read.

Embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele is moving out of the apex bank Governors’ quarters in Lagos.

Emefiele was accompanied to the quarters by a team led by the CBN Special Investigator, Jim Obazee.

The former CBN’s helsman is moving his personal effects from the building located on Glover Road, Ikoyi.

The Federal Government filed 14 fresh charges against Emefiele following a report submitted by the CBN special investigator.

Emefiele was accused of criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to conduct forgery, procurement fraud and conspiracy to commit a felony in the amendment.

He is facing accusations for charges relating to financial crimes after President Bola Tinubu removed him from his position as CBN Governor in June 2023.

The Senate also resolved to probe how the N30tn Ways and Means loans of the CBN was obtained and spent by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The senate stated that the reckless spending of the loan collected from the CBN under Emefiele largely accounted for the food and security crises in the nation.

The Presidential Panel on Social Investment Programmes has recommended the removal of intervention initiatives from the purview of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

According to the panel led by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, sent its recommendation to President Bola Tinubu.

The social investment programmes are currently domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

By law, they are implemented by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).

The programmes – Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, N-Power Programme, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, and Home Grown School Feeding Programme – were put on hold after Tinubu suspended Betta Edu as the humanitarian affairs minister.

Edu has since submitted herself to a probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

She ran into trouble after a memo surfaced where she asked the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer the sum of N585 million to a private account.

Thereafter, other documents where she made controversial approvals, including approving airfares to Kogi, a state without an airport, went viral, prompting the president to suspend her.

Before Edu ran into trouble, Halima Shehu was suspended as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NSIPA over alleged financial malfeasance. Edu had alleged that billions of naira went missing on Shehu’s watch.

Apart from the EFCC probe, Tinubu directed that the panel led by Edun should “among other functions, conduct a comprehensive diagnostic on the financial architecture and framework of the social investment programmes to conclusively reform the relevant institutions and programmes”.

In an interim report seen by TheCable yesterday, the panel recommended that the programmes should be resumed to alleviate the sufferings of poor and vulnerable Nigerians, but that a new board under the leadership of Edun should oversee the social investment programmes.

“Convene a steering committee/board under the leadership of the Hon. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy to oversee the coordination of programmes,” it reads in part.

“Determine the future of the NSIPA by advocating for a proper review and amendment of the NSIPA act.”

A government official who pleaded anonymity said before the social investment programmes are transferred to a new body for implementation, the relevant laws would have to be amended.

“The executive bill sent by Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to the National Assembly, placed the NSIPA, which is in charge of these social programmes, in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation,” the official said.

“A bill would have to be sponsored to amend the principal act.

“Anything outside of that is illegal and against the laws setting up the NSIPA.”

The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Mr Bayo Onanuga did not immediately respond to TheCable’s requests for comments.

Before the humanitarian affairs ministry and NSIPA got embroiled in this saga, the Senate, in October 2023, commenced moves to place the agency under the presidency.

A bill to that effect has since passed second reading at the upper legislative chamber.