Internet banking to break Christmas day records

Christmas Day online shoppers were predicted to set a new spending record splashing out an estimated £636m on Thursday.

Shoppers were expected to make 142 million visits to retail sites – a 25 per cent increase over last year.

Sky News reported that research by Experian and online retailing trade association IMRG found Britons would spend around £441,000 a minute.

“The ease of shopping online via connected devices raises the prospect of a very large amount of shopping activity on Christmas Day itself,” said Experian general manager of consumer insight Giles Longhurst.

Dominic Trigg, managing director for Europe of digital advertising technology company Rocket Fuel, said, “Shopping online on Christmas Day is now a normal part of UK consumers’ holiday experiences every year.

“It is clear that UK consumers now see shopping from the comfort of their own home, following Christmas Day dinner, as much of a tradition as a turkey and ham dinner.”

Nigeria needs N56tn for housing —Mortgage banker

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Brent Mortgage Bank, Mr. Kola Abdul, says a sum of N56tn is required to close the housing funding gap in the country.
He also stressed the need for mortgage houses to contribute meaningfully to economy growth, by tackling the increasing challenges facing the housing sector.
Abdul said, “At an average of N3.5m per unit excluding cost of land, Nigeria requires about N56tn to remedy the housing deficit gap. The amount is 12 times the size of the country’s 2014 budget of N4.69tn.
“This means if every spending other than housing finance is put on hold, it will take Nigeria over 12 years to bridge the housing deficit. It would even take much longer time if the population growth is considered.”
He added, “Housing deficit in Lagos State is estimated at about 2.4 million units for a population of about 17 million that accounts for about 12 per cent of the country’s population and growth rate of eight per cent. “Lagos State has the highest out of the 17 million housing deficit in Nigeria for a population of over 160 million”

Naira trades below CBN band at Christmas

The Central Bank of Nigeria says the post-devaluation band for the naira is “appropriately priced”, but black market hawkers are trading it at around three to five per cent below its floor in the run-up to Christmas.

Despite an eight per cent devaluation of the target band and efforts last week to crack down on currency speculation by squeezing liquidity, the naira remained at record lows on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Confusion over Jonathan’s campaign committee

There is confusion in the Presidency and the Peoples Democratic Party over when the party will inaugurate its Presidential Campaign Committee.

The committee, which is headed by a former National Chairman of the party, Ahmadu Ali, was made known during the inauguration of the party’s National Campaign Council, headed by its National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on December 11.

Heaven Can Wait By Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo

I believe in heaven. And I bet you do.

Heaven is located somewhere across the bridge of life. It is a place devoid of the iniquities of this life. In heaven, tranquility abounds. It is a treasure trove where God keeps the best of everything.

All our pursuits in life can be divided into two: the pursuit of heaven and the pursuit of happiness.

Correct Me If I am Right
Heaven is the only place where happiness is guaranteed. But for some reason, we are determined to pursue happiness here on earth when it has been proven that such is an impossible goal.

We dream of heaven when we face the travails of life on earth. We remember heaven when we lose someone we love. We embrace heaven when we face our own mortality.

How Nigerian Army Presents Unverified “Lt. Col” To Refute Petition Against Military Hierarchy

Officers of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army today presented a lieutenant colonel without a name tag to the media, claiming that the officer was the one named by SaharaReporters in a devastating petition that revealed why Nigerian troops had been unable to win the war against Boko Haram.
Speaking to the press, Colonel Sani Usman, the spokesperson for the 7th Division, stated that “Lieutenant Colonel” Wende had denied authorship of the petition, which accused top military commanders of siphoning off budgets meant for the war against terrorism.
SaharaReporters had reported that the colonel and his family had come under intense pressure to renounce the petition he sent to President Goodluck Jonathan and copied to the President of the Nigerian Senate, David Mark.
Since our publication of the petition, Nigerian military authorities have scrambled to discredit the leak by claiming that Colonel Wende had not written the letter. Military brass also went as far as claiming that the petition was written by Boko Haram militants and their supporters.
However, the attempt to blame Boko Haram for the petition was not persuasive as the document outlined strategies for defeating the insurgent Islamist group.

Tonye Princewill Responds To Rivers State Gov’t Wants Specifics About Sale of Government Properties

When we received the news that the Hon Commissioner of Finance had responded to news reports on the secrecy surrounding the sale of Rivers state assets to friends and cronies, we anticipated that finally we would have a meaningful engagement and that a debate on the issues was imminent. We quickly sought to see what details and substance he would provide. We were not expecting him to be totally open, because we knew he knew little about what was going on. However what we didn't expect was an empty and verbose monologue.
Claims about a malicious publication, yet no redress sought from publishers, personal attacks on the Prince, bogus allegations and references to unnamed projects of questionable intent with no clear objectives, yet governments are the ones who should set objectives and deliver on them. Plenty waffle, little substance and in the end we are still where we are. Without answers. Little or no detail. All from a government of eight years.

Opposition Mounts Against Yar’adua Cabal Operative Tanimu Yakubu’s Membership Of Buhari’s Think-tank | TheCable

Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, former chief economic adviser to late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, is facing serious opposition over his imminent membership of the policy think-tank of Muhammadu Buhari, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Former Economic Adviser to late Nigerian President Umaru yar'adua, Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi
Since TheCable reported that the economics graduate of Wagner College, New York, US, was tipped to head the economic policy directorate of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, the former head of state and senior APC chieftains have been inundated with calls by concerned Nigerians who kicked against Kurfi’s membership. An APC official who spoke with TheCable said it is going to send the wrong signals if Kurfi plays any major role in the Buhari team. “I am aware that many well-meaning Nigerians have been expressing worries over Yakubu. Buhari has not told any of us categorically that Yakubu is his choice to head the team. He is already aware of the possible repercussion,” the official said. The head of the policy think-tank is expected to end up holding a major position in government if Buhari wins the presidential election next year.

Watch Video of Osinbajo campaigns in BRT bus, says Nigeria needs Buhari

The vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2015 presidential election, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday said the country needed a man of integrity, such as the APC’s flag bearer, Maj. Gen. Muhamadu Buhari, to end corruption in the country.

Wike accuses Gov Amaechi of funding Buhari’s campaign Wtih Rivers Fund To Tune Of N30bn

A former Minister of State for Education and the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has accused the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, of spending N30bn to fund the presidential campaign of the All Progressives Congress.

Wike explained that the development had made it impossible for the state government to pay workers’ salaries, adding that the governor was using state resources to fund the APC with the hope that he would be picked as the running mate to the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.

The PDP governorship candidate pointed out that Amaechi was being deceived by the leadership of the APC to continue to fund the party, adding that the APC leadership had never been interested in selecting the governor as Buhari’s running mate.