Mother Teresa to be declared “Saint” on Sunday by Pope Francis

Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be made a Catholic saint on Sunday by Pope Francis.

She was one of the most influential women in the Church’s 2,000-year history, known for her works of charity amongst the poor in the slums of Kolkata, an Indian city.

She was born Agnese Gonxha Bojaxhiu of Albanian parents in 1910 and became a nun at 16. Mother Teresa moved to India in 1929 where she gained worldwide recognition for her work which won her a  Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She died of a heart attack on Sept. 5, 1997 and was beatified in 2003.

The late Pope John Paul II bent Vatican rules to fast track her cause for sainthood to be launched two years after her death instead of the usual five.

According to Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, the Canadian priest who promoted the cause, hundreds of thousands of faithful are expected to attend the canonization service to be held in front of St. Peter’s basilica.

glean: SUN

WEMA BANK VOWS TO SHUT LOANS DOOR TO BAD DEBTORS

The Management of the Wema Bank Plc, has restated its determination not to allow any bad borrower access credit from the bank. The Managing Director/Chief Executive, Wema Bank Plc, Mr. SegunOloketuyi, has assured prospective investors in its proposed N50 billion tier 2 capital issue that the bank has put in place concrete strategies to guarantee sustainable profitability. This assurance, he said arises from the fact that the management has enhanced its corporate governance structures to a level that no bad borrower can access credit from the bank. Speaking at an interactive session in Lagos recently, Olukotuyi said his team which piloted the affairs of the bank in the last seven years has a compelling story to tell Nigerian and the Diaspora business community on why the offer would be a success.

According to him, the capital raising is intended to further boost Wema Bank’s growth at a time its profit rose by 2.7 per cent in the first half of the year in an environment with average inflation rate of about 12 per cent. “Times are hard but you don’t need to run away from your customer. We advise customers to watch their accounts. We also control our costs using technology to drive activities such that meetings that ordinarily would have entailed traveling are now conducted through conference call,” he said. According to him, the number of the bank’s customers has increased since the coming on board of the current management as he hopes the new capital injection would further improve service delivery to customers. Wema Bank, according to its chief executive, intends to raise about N20 billion in debt capital and another N30 billion in equities in the months to come in recognition of the nation’s weak capital market buy sentiments, which are not buoyant today to raise the amount required for the business. “We are pre-selling the offer and the response we are getting is encouraging. If we go for tier 1, which is equity; it may lose value because demand is low. “We have spoken to our investors and showed the compelling story of Wema. We have been in the business for seven years and every year we are adding value. We are optimistic it will be a success. We are also going to be competitive with our pricing,” he said.

glean: Daily Times

Jesus rescue Brazil

Brazil secure an impressive win over Ecuador in the thin air of Quito, which is situated a dizzying 2,850 meters (9,350 feet) above sea level.

Brazil had never won a qualifying game in the Ecuadoran capital before, but two goals from teenage prodigy Gabriel Jesus and a penalty from Neymar handed the five-time world champions a 3-0 victory.

Jesus, the 19-year-old who signed for English side Manchester City from Palmeiras in August, was outstanding, underscoring his status as the brightest talent in Brazilian football.

Jesus won the penalty for the first goal after bursting into the area and drawing a foul from Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez.

Neymar duly converted before Jesus doubled Brazil’s lead three minutes from time with a sublime flicked finish from Marcelo’s low cross to make it 2-0.

Jesus, who like Neymar had played in Brazil’s gold medal-winning Olympic football campaign, then added a third in stoppage time with a crisp finish into the top corner.

The win left Brazil in fifth place overall in the standings with 12 points from seven games.

In other matches on Thursday, Colombia defeated Venezuela 2-0 in their port city stronghold of Barranquilla.

Goals from Real Madrid star James Rodriguez and Macnelly Torres secured the points for Colombia, who would have won by more had it not been for two missed penalties in the final 10 minutes.

The win leaves Colombia level with Ecuador and Uruguay on 13 points, just behind leaders Argentina.

Paraguay meanwhile are level on 12 points with Brazil after scoring a stormy 2-1 win over South American champions Chile in Asuncion.

Oscar Romero and Paulo da Silva fired Paraguay 2-0 up after only nine minutes before Arturo Vidal pulled a goal back just before half-time.

A fractious second half ended with Chile defender Gary Medel being sent off in the closing stages as Paraguay held on.

In the day’s other game, Bolivia defeated Peru 2-0 in La Paz.

glean: PUNCH

Julius Agwu's wife clears the air on comedian's latest health challenge

The apprehension over the health of top comedian, Julius Agwu, has been cleared by the comedian’s wife, Ebiere. Signs of the fact that all may not have been well emerged when he failed to appear for his recent show, Crack your Ribs in London and this fueled specula­tions in the media of a possible health challenge, especially, after the ace co­median had undergone a brain sur­gery last year. The wife had posted a clarification on Instagram, stating the true position of her husband’s health. Her words are captured below.

“THANK YOU ALL!!! On behalf of my husband Julius Agwu, my children Zahra and Zadok and the entire Reel Laif Entertainment family, I say a big THANK YOU to all that have wished us well; prayed for us and shown con­cern during the past 96 hours. We thank God for his faithfulness and his restoration power.

Let me also use this medium to dif­fuse the fears created by some media outlets that had good intentions but used old pictures from Julius’ May 2015 craniotomy, and many people mistook it for his current situation. The pictures displayed on social media in the past 72 hours are old pictures and do not correctly represent his cur­rent situation.

Julius was admitted due to stress-related issues that necessitated proper rest and rehabilitation. As many of you may already know, he had several shows lined up in the UK during the Nothing Hill Carnivals. By the grace of GOD Julius is doing well and receiv­ing adequate care.

As you continue to keep him in your prayers, it is our sincere prayer that God will do for you what no man can do! Ephesians 6v8.

Thanks and God bless you all

Ibiere Agwu”.

Julius is currently receiving treat­ment in a London hospital and col­leagues and fans have called out to Nigerians to pray for the ailing come­dian as they wish him quick recovery.

Glean: Authority 

President Buhari Remains Committed To Resuscitating Nigerian Economy – APC

Mai Mala Buni, Abuja: The All Progressives Congress (APC) assures Nigerians that the President Muhammadu Buhari APC-led administration remains solidly committed to resuscitating the economy in the quickest possible time and in the best interest of the people.

The statement by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday is the latest in the Party’s insensitive plot to deflect attention from the voodoo economics and reckless fiscal policies the country was subjected to during its 16-year rule.

For the umpteenth time, the PDP lacks the moral basis and credibility to comment or condemn the government on the economy after the mess it left behind. Instead, the PDP must apologize to Nigerians.

The warning signs were glaring to the immediate-past administration but it choose the path of economic sabotage by looking the other way and squandering the country’s commonwealth – a reckless decision that has brought the country to its knees.

Nigerians will recall that even the immediate-past finance minister and coordinating minister of the economy, confessed that the zero political will to save under the immediate-past administration is responsible for the challenges facing the country.

Happily, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has embarked on well- thought economic agendas, policy actions, appropriate fiscal, governance, and socio-political reforms to revamp the economy and tackle the nation’s current challenges in the short to long term.

Under the new flexible foreign exchange policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in June 2016, we now have a single market-determined exchange rate which enables suppliers of foreign currencies to bring in their money and take the same out at market-determined rates. The new foreign exchange policy being implemented will ensure our economy recovers in the medium to long term.

As contained in the assented 2016 National Budget, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is aggressively formulating and implementing policies aimed at diversifying Nigeria’s economy from oil to other sectors such as agriculture, mining and manufacturing.

The administration is also proactively tackling increased attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta region which has led to disruptions in crude production.

The President’s shuttle diplomacy has yielded positive effects on the country’s economic policies. As a result, several agreements concluded during the visits are positively impacting on key sectors of the Nigerian economy including power, solid minerals, agriculture, housing and rail transportation.

The fight against corruption remains a top priority for the President Buhari APC-led administration. In spite of desperate attempts by some partisans to discredit anti-corruption efforts in some quarters, the war against corruption is being won and has been well-received and supported. The generality of Nigerians agree that the days of impunity are over.

Through the full implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by the President Muhammadu Buhari APC-led administration, revenue leakages have been greatly plugged.

The new petroleum products supply and pricing framework which eliminated corruption-tainted subsidy payments has among others greatly solved fuel scarcities by ensuring availability of products at all locations in the country; reduced hoarding, smuggling and diversion substantially and stabilise price at the actual product price; encouraged investments in both Refineries and Retails; provided Government more revenue to address social and infrastructural needs of the country.

In line with the critical infrastructural focus of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, an unprecedented 30 per cent of 2016 budgetary provision has been committed to capital projects.

As the administration works assiduously to build a new solid foundation, credible image and pull the country out of the present hardships, the APC appeals for patience and cooperation from Nigerians.

Glean: NTA