Ngozi Braide, Lagos police public reations officer

   

                                            Ngozi Braide, Lagos police public reations officer

By EMMANUEL UDOM
The officials and members of the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) wish to condole the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ngozi Braide and family members over the death of their father, Chief Cypril Uzoma Nwadike, whose sad event happened in Imo State on Sunday 21st, 2013.
In a press statement made available to www.allvoices.com report on Monday, CRAN prayed that the good Lord would grant Chief Nwadike eternal rest, while He comforts the PPRO and family members.
We urge the PPRO to take solace in Christ. God knows everything from the beginning of the world. We enjoin the family members to keep on the good works their father was known for. CRAN members share in your grief.
Meanwhile, the PPRO Braide told CRAN that her father died at the age of 67 after he slumped.
She described the death as sudden and unnatural, stressing that he was never sick before his death.
``My father was not sick, he was heal and healthy. No symptom of any sickness before now, he just slumped and died.’’
She said that the burial arrangement would be announce later.
Moses Omorogieva
CRAN Secretary

Tonto Dike Promise To Joined With D’banj

D’Banj’s offer to sign her to his DB Records.
In an interview with Toolz on Ndani TV, D’Banj had this to say about the actress turned singer: “I actually just met her and I’m thinking of signing her on my record label…don’t worry, I will sign her to my record label (and) she’ll blow… Aha, Tonto ma blow gan!”
In an interview with Nigezie’s E-Xtra, Tonto said she would be interested in a potential deal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbsh0kCklLc&feature=player_embedded#t=0s

“It is just a very exciting thing,” she said “He needs to make a decision.
“I am new in this part of the industry wilk dover well… I have all the resources to make it work but being with D’Banj will add credit to me – it’s a 50-50 thing.
“But it’s a thing for D’Banj to think about, I will think about it too and hopefully we can do it.”

Tonto Dike Promise Not Joined With D’banj

Presidency to govs: Jonathan alone can’t sack Tukur

The Presidency  on Sunday dismissed  the reported insistence of  five northern   governors  on the sack of  the Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman,  Dr. Bamanga Tukur.

The governors — Muritala Nyako (Adamawa),  Rabiu Kwankanso (Kano), Babangida Aliyu (Niger),  Sule Lamido (Jigawa), and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) —had on Saturday  met with President Goodluck Jonathan  on issues that  included  the political impasse in Rivers State and the crisis in the PDP.

They were quoted to have told the President that only Tukur’s exit would guarantee peace in the party.

But Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, told one of our correspondents that the governors ought to know that Jonathan alone could not remove Tukur  since he (Tukur) was  a product of an election.

According to him,  it  amounts to political immaturity for the governors to “ambush” the President and ask him to sack the  PDP chairman.

Though he admitted that he did not attend the meeting, Gulak said the governors’ reported position was not the right line of negotiation.

Gulak said, “It is political immaturity for the governors to ask the President to sack Alhaji Tukur. That is not supposed to be the line of negotiation. When you go for a negotiation, all cards must be on the table.

“You can’t go and ambush the President and ask him to sack somebody that was elected at a national convention of the party.

“As senior members of the party, the governors know that Tukur is a product of election. The President can’t sack him  alone. That will  not  be proper.

“There are processes stipulated in the PDP constitution for officers to be removed from office and they (governors) are aware of the procedure.”

The PUNCH learnt on Sunday in Abuja that the five governors also demanded fresh elections into all the positions in the party’s National Working Committee.

They were said to have told Jonathan that having a fresh set of members in the NWC would go a long way in rejuvenating the peace process.

Two of the five governors, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed these to the correspondent.

One of them   said “We want the President to support our position that all the offices in the   NWC should be declared vacant; to allow for fresh elections.’’

The 12 offices in the NWC are national chairman, deputy national chairman, national secretary, deputy national secretary, national treasurer, national financial secretary,  national organising secretary, national publicity secretary, national auditor, national legal adviser, national woman leader and national youth leader.It was gathered that Nyako complained about his continued isolation from the affairs of the party,  especially  in his  state.

A source close to the meeting  said,  “He (Nyako) told the President that he was left with no choice but to speak out after several attempts to get the party to see reason over the issue( his isolation) failed.

“The governor  also accused Tukur of high- handedness and undue interference in the affairs of the state chapter of the party.”

It was learnt that the governors also expressed displeasure that certain individuals, who were openly hostile to them were being given positions of responsibility within the scheme of things in the PDP.

Another governor, who spoke with one of our correspondents, said   Kwankwaso  was   aggrieved because no one either from the Presidency or the PDP had contacted him to  find out  how the state was faring after the terrorist attacks which claimed many lives in the state.

However, the Chairman of the PDP ‘Special Convention, Prof. Jerry Gana, has said the party will continue to survive  in spite of its  many challenges.

  He stated this while fielding questions from journalists at the public presentation  of three books written by  the Head,    Department of European Languages, University of Lagos, Prof. Jide Timothy-Asobele, in Abuja.

Gana, who recalled that five major groups  came together to form the PDP,  said when “people see a little bit of crisis in PDP,  they think it is going to die.”

He  appealed to Nigerians to use public offices to serve humanity, adding that, “We should come together to make progress; we must not rig elections and we   must  allow the people to speak. That is the essence of democracy”.

Meanwhile, an  Abuja High Court will today(Monday) hear an amended motion in which some members of the PDP  are insisting on  the  sack of  Tukur  and the acting members of the PDP  NWC

The PDP members want the court to compel the party to conduct fresh elections into all the offices in  the committee.

The court, presided by Justice Suleiman Belgore, had   on Thursday ordered the party to refrain from conducting a special national convention slated for August 31, 2013.

The court however refused to restrain Tukur from serving as the national chairman. It also  declined to sack the acting members of the NWC.

The plaintiffs, through their counsel, Jibrin Okutepa, told the court that “the resignation of other members of the NWC of PDP have incurably affected the election and the continued stay in office of the National Chairman of the PDP.”

They noted  that, “It is in the interest of justice to order fresh election in the national offices of the PDP as specified in article 29 (1) (a) – (b) (d) ((h) and (j) (l) of the constitution of PDP by empowering the NEC of PDP to do so.”

Lionel Messi Won Goal 50 Award

The Barcelona forward says he is “very excited” after topping our annual list of the world’s most outstanding players for the the third time
Lionel Messi has won the Goal 50 award for the world’s best footballer after another record-breaking season.
The Argentinian forward claims the title for the third time in recognition of an incredible campaign during which he beat Gerd Muller’s 40-year-old record of 85 goals scored in a calendar year.
The 26-year old scored 91 goals in 2012 and increased his total as Barcelona’s all-time top scorer to 313 goals in all competitions by the end of the season.
GOAL 50 Award:
Messi’s hat-trick of honours 2008
CRISTIANO RONALDO 2009
LIONEL MESSI 2010
WESLEY SNEIJDER 2011
LIONEL MESSI 2012
CRISTIANO RONALDO 2013
LIONEL MESSI
Messi struck in his 19th consecutive La Liga game in March 2013, becoming the first footballer in history to score in consecutive matches against every team in a major professional league.
After receiving the trophy from Goal’s Barcelona correspondent Pilar Suarez at the club’s training ground, Messi said: “I’m very excited about this. As players, we work the entire year to win honours for the team, we don’t look for the individual awards, but when they come it’s an incentive and gives us strength to continue on the same path.”
The Goal 50 is regarded as one of the most credible and respected awards in sport because it is chosen by the world’s biggest football website.
Voting takes place at the end of domestic and international seasons for the majority of countries.
More than 500 Goal journalists from around the world vote to select their top 50 players, giving a truly global view.
Messi heads this year’s list in front of second-placed Franck Ribery, who helped European champions Bayern Munich win an historic treble. Last year’s winner Cristiano Ronaldo is third.
Commenting on the results, Graham Shaw, Editorial Director, said: “Messi had a spectacular season and it is incredible to think he has achieved so much by the age of 26. His award this year takes him past Cristiano Ronaldo to a record three Goal 50 titles and recognises the individual brilliance of a player who is rightly recognised by some as the greatest of all time.”

Lionel Messi Won Goal 50 Award

UK visa: Nigerians begin payment of £3,000 bond Nov

OUTCRY against its £3,000 tourists visa bond notwithstanding, Britain will commence the scheme in the six listed Commonwealth countries in November, Financial Times report quoted the Home Office as saying.

The Commonwealth countries to be affected by the policy which was announced in June are Nigeria, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The affected countries are considered to be source of “high risk” tourists to the UK.

Some visitors from the six countries, under the scheme, will be asked to pay a £3,000 cash bond in return for visitor visas that allow them to stay in the UK for up to six months.

According to official data, these six countries accounted for more than half a million visa applications in 2012.

There have been outpours of anger by governments of the affected countries, especially Nigeria and India against the policy.

A protest in India last month forced the British Prime Minister David Cameron to declare that final decision had not been taken on the policy, while the Nigerian government asked Britain to renounce the scheme.

The Federal Government, through the Foreign Affairs minister, Olugbenga Ashiru,  had in June expressed “the strong displeasure of the government and people of Nigeria” over the “discriminatory” policy.

Ashiru warned British High Commissioner Andrew Pocock at a meeting in the minister’s office in Abuja, barely 24 hours after the policy was announced, that the move would “definitely negate” the two country’s commitment to double trade by 2014.

The minister told the British diplomat that Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, had “a responsibility to take appropriate measures to protect the interest of Nigerians who may be affected by the proposed policy, if finally introduced.”

The British High Commission in Nigeria after the meeting issued a statement quoting Pocock as saying that his government planned to undertake “a very small scale trial of the use of financial bonds as a way of tackling abuse in the immigration system (which occurs when some people overstay their visa terms).”

He said that the details of the pilot scheme were still being worked out and if it goes ahead in Nigeria, it would affect only a very small number of the “highest risk” visitors.

“The vast majority would not be required to pay a bond. Those paying bonds would receive the bond back, if they abided by the terms of their visa,” he said.

More than 180, 000 Nigerians apply to visit Britain each year and about 70 percent or around 125, 000 of these applicants are successful, he said.

A Home Office official said the six countries highlighted were those with “the most significant risk of abuse”

The Home Office said on Friday that only individuals deemed “high-risk” would be asked to pay the bond. But some officials admits that the mere mention of a bond would be enough to deter visitors.

 “In the long run, we are interested in a system of bonds that deters overstaying and recovers costs if a foreign national has used our public services,” an unnamed Home Office official said.

Ashiru said on Sunday that the UK embassy had not communicated to his office the plan to commence the bond scheme.

““They have not communicated with me,” the minister said when The PUNCH sought his reaction to the latest development.

In the UK, luxury goods retailers have denounced the plan as an “insulting deterrent” to wealthy tourists, which will hit sales and damage London’s reputation.

They are urging the government to drop the pilot, saying the restrictions will damage their business if Commonwealth tourists – particularly Nigerians, now the sixth biggest spenders on luxury goods in the UK – are put off.

“It’s embarrassing that our country would consider these measures against visitors who spend so much in our stores,” Managing Director of Harrods, Michael Ward, said .

“There seems to be a deeply frustrating attitude in Westminster that they should do whatever they can to actively prevent people coming to the UK,” Ward added.

Harrods is reputed to be the biggest department store in Europe, occupying a five-acre site in the royal precinct in London.

Boko Haram Kills 25 Civilians, Vigilante Youths In Borno – JTF

Suspected members of Islamic sect, Boko Haram, have killed more than 25 civilians, including five vigilante youths, when the youths attacked the sect members in Dawashi Village of Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, a border town with Niger and Chad Republic.
The vigilante youths, also known as Civilian JTF and popularly called Yan Gora, in Maiduguri, who have been assisting the men of the Joint Task Force, JTF, in arresting suspected Boko Haram members, were said to have been ambushed and killed, weekend, in Mainok Village of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.
It was gathered that the Mainok incident took place when some volunteer youths from Ajilari, Gomari and Bulunkutu Kasuwa wards of Jere and Maiduguri metropolis, stormed the village in their patrol vehicles. They were there to arrest suspected sects members. But the Civilian JTF, who went without the cover of the military task force were overpowered as the terrorists fired gunshots on their convoy, killing five of them, with one injured.
Mainok, about 50 kilometers away from Maiduguri, is one of the areas dominated by suspected Boko Haram members until last month when JTF raided the village and killed over 40 terrorists, burning of over 100 motorcycles suspected to have been used for terrorists activities.
When news of the killings of the five civilian JTF filtered into Maiduguri yesterday, as their corpses arrived Umaru Shehu Specialist Hospital, some members of the vigilante youths mobilized to Mainok village with the back up of military JTF and set the entire village ablaze. Confirming the Mainok incident, JTF spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, in a statement to newsmen said the vigilante youths were on operation in Mainok town over the weekend.
He said that in the course of their operation, they were attacked by suspected Boko Haram members. Sagir said both the deceased and the wounded were in Shehu Umar Specialist Hospital Bulumkutu in Maiduguri metropolis. He added that on hearing the news at about 11p.m. last Friday, JTF troops were drafted to the area and have been operating on Mainok and surrounding villages to apprehend the bandits, pointing out that the situation in the area was now calm.
On the killing of 20 innocent civilians in Dawashi, it was gathered that a group of volunteer youth from Maiduguri stormed Dawashi village in search of Boko Haram members when the suspected sect members came armed and fired sporadic shots that killed over 20 innocent civilians, while a dozen had serious gunshot injuries. The victims, it was gathered were mostly fishermen and traders. It was also gathered that the Dawashi, Daban Masara and Malan Karanti of Kukawa areas were considered stronghold of the sect.
Media Coordinator of the Multinational Joint Task Force, MJTF, in Baga town of Kukawa Local Government, Lieutenant Haruna Mohammed, also confirmed the incident. He said: “At the time of compiling this report, the victims were still lying within the premises of MNJTF Field Ambulance, receiving medical treatment from the injury sustained during the attack.”

Businessman protests demolition of house used by kidnappers

A Ghana-based Nigerian businessman, Amaechi Ofulue, has accused the Delta State Taskforce of demolishing his house without any authority to do so.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the government pulled down the building after it was discovered that it served as kidnappers’ hideout.

But Amaechi said the house in  Idimu Idu Quarters, Ubulu-Uku, Aniocha Local Government Area of the state, was used by kidnappers without his consent or knowledge.

He said after the kidnappers were arrested, he went to the police to explain his innocence when task force officials arrived and started pulling the house down.

He said, “I have been building the house since 2009. In January this year, I hired a security guard, Samuel, and I told my brother to help me monitor the construction.

“In April, while I was in Ghana, I was told by policemen that Samuel and some people kidnapped a man and hid him in my house.

“The policemen arrested Samuel and his group members after the man they   kidnapped escaped. They also arrested my brother, Ikechukwu Ofulue, and a cousin of mine. I came to Nigeria immediately and went to Ogwashi Ukwu Police Station.”

The businessman said the prime suspects absolved him and members of his family of complicity.

He said after police investigations did not find anything linking them to the incident, he continued with the construction of his building.

However on June 3, 2013, taskforce officials stormed the building and began demolishing it without any prior warning.

He said, “I was initially with labourers at the building site; but   a few minutes  after  I left   to see off a friend,  I received a phone call that task force officials had driven out the labourers and were demolishing my house.

“When I rushed back to the scene, I saw about 50 armed policemen. The officials were using a bulldozer to pull down my house. As I approached the building, the policemen threatened to shoot me if I came closer. I had to turn back.”

Ofulue, who   said he had spent about N30m on the property, wondered why it was demolished without prior notice.

He said all efforts by him to speak with the relevant authorities had proved abortive.

He said, “The property had been completed. It was only plumbing work that remained. The taskforce men just demolished the house without any reason.

“I am not a criminal. Even if you check my passport, you will see that I was not in the country when the kidnapping took place. Must I suffer for a crime I did not commit?”

When contacted on the telephone, Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State Command, Lucky Uyabeme, said he was not aware of the incident. He however said it was not the job of policemen to demolish buildings.

“We (police) do not carry out demolition; it is the task force that does such. We only enforce the law,” he said.

All efforts to contact the Delta State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Frank Omare, proved abortive as calls made to his telephone rang out. A text message sent to the phone was also not replied.

 

Bloody Clash In Anambra Catholic Diocese And Umudioka Village

Hail was let loose Wednesday evening, in Awka, the capital city of Anambra State, as members of the Awka Catholic Diocese and natives of Umudioka village, Awka, had a bloody clash over dust-to-dust burial rites. In the clash, over 30 persons were seriously injured while about four vehicles were damaged.

Though some of the victims of the bloody clash have been discharged from the hospital, about eight, including a 70-year-old man, were still lying critically at the Regina Caeli Hospital, Awka, as at press time yesterday. The clash, which was said to have taken place between 4.30pm and 7pm, caused pandemonium in the area, as various dangerous weapons, including machetes, were freely used, forcing residents of the area to run for their dear lives.
While the Catholic Church claimed that her members were attacked by the Umudioka youths, as they where coming back from Mass at the family of the late Mr. Samuel Nwanna Nnebolise in Umudioka, the villagers said they were attacked by thugs brought by the Catholic Church over their insistence on their burial customs and tradition.
It could be recalled that there has been a feud between the Catholic Church and the Awka community over the dust-to-dust burial rite, which escalated on May 23, 2013 during the planed burial of the late Nnebolise, when the youth of Umudioka allegedly disrupted the burial and desecrated holy things. At the hospital yesterday, some of the victims, who could speak, alleged that they were ambushed by Umudioka youths, on their way home from the Nnebolise family, after the prayers.
Nurses said they battled all night to save the lives of the victims, especially, 19-year-old Moses Ogah from St. John’s Church Umuokpu, whose throat was almost chopped off and 23-year-old Aduaka Jonah Ekene, from St. Martins Church Abagan, who had severe machete cuts all around his body. Narrating his ordeal to news men on his hospital bed, 70-year-old, Sir Peter C. Offodile, a knight of St. Molumba said: “Someone sent me a text yesterday that the Bishop wanted to address us by 2pm.
I came and they said that we should go and pray for the family of Nnebolise and everybody should march to the place for the celebration of Mass. All of us, including priests, indeed, about 50 of them, we went there and celebrated Mass and sermon was said and communion served. “After the Mass, we all marched through Majoua Street on our way home. A group of boys from Umudioka stopped us and started attacking us with sticks and stones. They pushed me into the gutter.
One of the boys broke my hand with a big stick and some used their machetes to hit me. I managed to get out of the gutter almost naked, holding my trousers; I even lost one pair of my shoe. It was at the end of the road that we saw the police. From there we were taken to the Cathedral and then to the hospital, Regina Caeli, where I am being treated.”
Another victim, Sir Obuekwe Obikwelu from Umuanaga village Awka, whose head was bandaged because of the machete cuts he got said: “We went to celebrate Mass at Umudioka at late Nnebolise’s family and after celebrating the mass, we were coming back when we were waylaid by some bad boys.
As we were running I looked back and saw an old man my fellow knight of St. Molumba being beating by the boys and I felt if I left him, they may kill the old man. I went to them and said this person you are beating is an old man and your brother; why beat him?
They turned round and swooped on me, the first one gave me a machete cut here, as I was holding the side, stones were rained on me and I was rushed to this hospital.” The Cathedral Administrator, St. Patrick Cathedral Awka, Rev. Fr. Patrick Amaobi Chukwuma, who has been at the centre of the matter, told news men at the hospital that they went to Nnebolise family to pray for them only to be attacked again by the Umudioka youths.
He said: “Yesterday some priests from Awka Diocese, from Awka region and Adazi region and some laity, including Catholic men, Catholic women and some youths we went to identify with poor family of Nnebolise, who have been suppressed by some people from Umudioka because they are poor. This thing has been happening since May 24, when their father, Samuel Nnebolise, died.
The man before he died willed that he will be buried according to Catholic rite but the villagers said no, he would be buried according to traditional rite that is the controversy. “But the family invited us to bury their father, according Catholic rite, which they refused and the corpse was returned to the mortuary and the family went into prayers. Last week, they wanted to stage a prayer and after putting canopies and chairs for the prayers, the same youths masked themselves, with about 20 masquerades; that was last Monday.
They came into the family, armed and destroyed the canopies, took away the seats, snatched handsets, destroyed the altar set and carried everything away with some clothes. “Yesterday, the church organised herself to celebrate Mass with the family. We went there with many priests and laity. After celebrating the Mass, we were about to go when stones started flying from hidden places, from uncompleted houses, some houses. Stones were being thrown by unknown people. Our youths have to defend the members of the church.
They threw back the stones. We were going, not knowing that the Umudioka youths were armed with machetes and they started stabbing people. You have seen some of the victims. They were about 36, who sustained injuries from machete cuts and stones. About 36 of them were affected. Some have been discharged. Those who are critical are still in the hospital.” Disagreeing with Rev. Fr. Chukwuma’s account, the Chairman, Okolobia Umudioka, Chief Ejike Nwude, said the church members attacked the village.
He said: “It’s unfortunate, the mayhem was caused by the thugs. They waylaid us yesterday, beat up our boys, destroyed our houses, even vehicles. Yesterday morning we went to the Area Command with Father Chukwuma for peace, and the Area Commander instructed everybody to be at peace and not to go to Umudioka again.
“We accepted what the commander said and left, everybody went home and that was why they took us unaware because we were not expecting them. We thought we’ve reached a point of agreement. Unfortunately, around 4pm, I started getting phone calls that the Catholic priest, with heavily armed people, marched from St Patrick through Majua and when they got to Majua Street, they started breaking glasses of Umudioka buildings, throwing stone, singing war songs and making abusive insinuations.
“In the process, one Igbogi Ejikeme, unaware that they were coming for war, ran into them and they pounced on him. The young man is still in the hospital as I am speaking with you. While they were going, they saw Chukeudeme’s house and they destroyed it. “They started throwing stones on anybody they met on the way. We ran away.
We could not do anything because we were not expecting such magnitude of thugs.” On who injured the church people, Nwude said: “Because they came from different places. They did not know themselves. They attacked themselves, because immediately you step out of the land and tried to come back they take you as an enemy. They inflicted the injuries on themselves because they came from different places. They were hired. Some came from Nise, Mbaukwu and Nanka and so on.”

Bloody Clash In Anambra Catholic Diocese And Umudioka Village

Rapper, M.I Reveals How He Washed Toilet To Survive In The U.S

Popular rapper, M.I Abaga actually gained the respect of his teaming fans when he opened on his early days in music industry, and how life looked like when things were hard. He told his grass to grace story to station crew of Dream 925FM, where he chose to hang out just a few hours before the Star Music Trek concert in Enugu on Saturday.

M.I disclosed that during his hustling days, he was employed as Personal Assistant to popular Jeremiah Gyang. And that he met Waje and Djinee in Enugu for the first time while struggling to establish his career. He equally disclosed that 7000 miles away from home, in (U.S,) he had to resort to washing toilets to put food on his table.

Even after returning to Nigeria, while passionately nurturing massive dreams of fame and fortune, this artiste also had to work as a waiter at a popular café in Jos.

M.I said “I’m really proud of these indigenous art forms and it’s a blessing for me to be a part of an industry that has notable artistes such as Olamide, Phyno, Mr Raw and others in it. This is the future of great music in Nigeria,” he added.

Does hard work pay? All you have to do is look at M.I’s life to find the answer.

PHOTOS: Iceprince Rocks Same Designers With Billionaire Rapper, P.Diddy At The BET Awards

PHOTOS: Iceprince Rocks Same Designers With Billionaire Rapper, P.Diddy At The BET Awards.... Nigerian star wore exactly the same shirt as American star and rapper, P Diddy to the same event. P.Diddy wore a Givenchy top to the BET event, the Nigerian million naira worth singer also rocked the red carpet in the same Givenchy design. hmmmm!

Tonto Dikeh Finally Repents, Advises The Youths To Stay Out Of Drugs *Checkout Her Recent Tweets

You can recall that Tonto Dikeh was all over the news over threat from NDLEA for posting Marijuana on her twitter page and talking cool about smoking it. NDLEA threaten her with 15-years jail term, recently the sultry actress Showing remorse and probably shaken by the NDLEA threat, Tonto took to twitter to advice her fans to stay away from drugs and marijuana, which she reportedly earlier encouraged.

She wrote today, “all the best. Do some good things this month (July) and Say No To Grugs and of course, Weed (marijuana).”
Nawa oooo... Can't believe her sermon!

PHOTO: OJB Replies Actress, Juliet Ibrahim Over Her Doubt About The $100k Needed For His Kidney Transplant

About a week ago sexy Ghanaian actress Juliet Ibrahim posted a statement on her Twitter page saying kidney transplant does not cost more than $50k and wondered why people raising funds for OJB were requesting for $100, 000. She also claims she has a foundation and knows the protocol to follow. OJB took his time despite his ailment to reply Juliet Ibrahim in what i will call a healthy response. Read OJB's response below, and read Juliet's statement....

 He told Encomium magazine

"The mistake she's making is that it depends on the hospital you are going to in India. She says she runs a foundation, they might give her a rebate. The procedure itself is $55, 000. When you take out $55, 000, you are left with $45, 000. What about the running cost of the procedure? You don't go to India only to come back and start asking for help again. At least, I need some money to maintain myself for the next one year. So when you factor in all these costs, add air tickets and lodging, you will appreciate what we are talking about.





ASUU Declares Indefinite 'Strike' *ASUU President Explains Reasons For The Strike

 The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nasir Issa-Fagee has said that the union embarked on the current strike because the Federal Government has only implemented two of the nine issues agreed on since 2009.

Mr Issa-Fagee, who was a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, said the government did nothing about the agreement until the union went on strike in 2012.
“On 2nd February 2012, the union decided to suspend that strike on the understanding that the Memorandum of Understanding that we signed with the government will be fully implemented within the shortest possible time,” he said.

According to Mr Issa-Fagee, the only two items of the agreement that have been implemented are the review of the retirement age of Professors from 65 to 70 and the reinstatement of prematurely dissolved Governing Councils.

“The other issue that mostly has to do with adequate funding for the system for revitalizing of Nigerian Universities have not been met by government,” he said.
ASUU had on Monday declared indefinite strike action to compel the Federal Government to implement the agreement reached with the union in October 2009.

Below is the text of the press conference addressed on Monday by Mr Issa-Fagee to explain the rationale for strike:
Gentlemen of the Press,
At the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) held at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, between 29th and 30th June 2013, a number of issues were raised on developments affecting the country’s education system and the Nigerian nation as a whole. These include the lingering crisis at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), the continued violation of the rights of the re-engaged 49 academics at the University of Ilorin, and the non-release of the White Paper on Special Visitation to the University of Abuja. Others include the parlous state of the economy, and Government’s disregard for its Agreements with our Union.
The Nigerian Educational Logjam
Gentlemen of the Press, the crisis affecting the Nigerian education sector stems largely from the failure of the Nigerian governments, over the years, to boldly address the suffocating challenges, which have stymied the development of the sector. It seems that while the Government is fully aware of the enormity of the infrastructural, personnel and other forms of decay at all levels, it does not have the courage to tackle these challenges for the good of the nation. This attitude on the part of Government has given critics the impression that perhaps Government is more comfortable with the uneducated class than it is with the educated one.
To compound this problem, the impression is often given that we are not in control of our educational policies as external and other influences have tended to show a national inclination to a weakened intellectual class which in turn prognosticates a desire for an ideologically barren, colonially dependent and financially deprived structure that is not primed for the growth and development of the system. ASUU challenges the Federal and State Governments, and other stakeholders who have responsibility for the education of the Nigerian people, to show great courage in implementing decisions, policies and agreements produced over time so as to put Nigerian education back on the fast lane. This should lead to the liberation of the Nigerian education system from the cloud of despair and despondency.
Gentlemen of the Press, you will recall that ASUU recently issued a Press Release over the untimely death of some Students’ Union leaders who were on their way to the University of Uyo. We used the opportunity to call for the common struggle to enthrone democratic governance in our tertiary institutions, with full respect for the rights of students to unionize. While this must be invigorated, we wish to note the unfortunate situation on our campuses today wherein most Students’ Union leaders, especially at the level of NANS, are possible drop-outs, government agents, Youth Corp members, and other questionable characters being foisted on genuine undergraduates in our universities by politicians and other officials of the State.
As a Union with a stake in the future of our youth and our nation, ASUU shall use her networks to monitor and identify the true status of those who currently parade themselves as student leaders nation-wide. We are determined to indigenize student unionism on our campuses. This is the only way the Students’ Union Movement can genuinely engage issues of noncommercial education with access to all; allocation of at least 26% of yearly budgets to education; declaration of emergency on the whole education system, revitalization of University system, etc.
The Crisis at RSUST
Gentlemen of the Press, you will recall that the crisis at River State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, has become a recurring decimal at our interactions with the media since August 2012 because it is an issue that is very close to our hearts. We remain steadfast in our support and solidarity with our members at RSUST in their principled struggle against poor governance and maladministration being perpetrated by the Vice-Chancellor and the Governing Council of the University.
It has become more evident that the Visitor to RSUST, Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, is brazenly adamant in his refusal to respect the laws establishing the University. The assault and harassment of our members in that University has continued unabated since the because of his determination to stick with the re-appointment of Prof. B. B. Fakae as Vice-Chancellor, after serving an undeserved first term which did not follow due process. The most worrisome dimension is the scandalous involvement of security agents in this show of shame.
Today, at RSUST, there is widespread abuse of university statutes and mind-boggling illegalities; unqualified lecturers teach postgraduate courses while examinations conducted without respect for requisite requirements. It is disheartening to observe that the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) has been playing an active role as an accomplice in the desecration of our University system by giving its approval to these despicable acts at RSUST. NUC’s continued disregard for its statutory responsibility as a regulatory agency, with the responsibility of maintaining the highest level of ethical and academic standard in Nigerian universities, as evident in RSUST, creates a grave cause for concern among the membership of our Union. We call on the National Assembly, through its oversight functions, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the role of NUC in the shameless acts of executive obduracy at play in RSUST.
Re-engaged University of Ilorin Lecturers
You would recall that 49 lecturers of the University of Ilorin were unjustly sacked for participation in a nation-wide strike action of our Union in 2001. Despite the Supreme Court judgment, which re-validated their right to unionize and removed the toga of criminality woven around union activities by Unilorin authorities, their entitlements are still denied them. Three years after the landmark judgment, the University still withholds the salary and allowances of some of the affected staff while their entitlements for sabbatical leave and promotions have not been addressed.
We, once again, call on authorities at Unilorin to desist from gagging our members and pitching academics against themselves. A university scholar cannot creatively engage knowledge in an atmosphere of rancor and sponsored bitterness. Neither can they auspiciously fulfill their obligations as agents of change and transformation in their micro community and the wider context of humanity. We shall, therefore, continue to use all legitimate means available to us to protect and defend the interests of academics at the University of Ilorin.
The Seemingly Intractable University of Abuja Crisis
Gentlemen of the Press, it is becoming crystal clear that the Government is insincere in resolving the crisis at the University of Abuja. As you are possibly aware, the Special Visitation Panel, which looked into the monumental crisis that engulfed the University last year, submitted its report in September 2012. However, the Visitor to the University, President Goodluck Jonathan, has continued to vacillate on what to do with the report of the Panel. Meanwhile, the Uniabuja Vice Chancellor, Prof. Samuel Adelabu, continues to operate like a lord and master whose words are laws!
ASUU-NEC calls on the Visitor to Uniabuja to release the White Paper on Special Visitation to Uniabuja without further delay. It is only by doing so and implementing the recommendations of the Visitation Panel that the University can be given a new lease of life that befits a 25-year old university.
IMF/World Bank and Nigeria’s Economic Development
Gentlemen of the Press, as you are well aware, the Nigerian economy is fraught with contradictions and inconsistencies. Unfortunately, it is glaringly under the jugular clutches of Western economists, experts and interests who promote exogenous (external) instead of endogenous (internal) model of development. This model took a firm root when, in “the early 2005 a group of economists, mainly from the Breton Woods Institutions introduced the concept of Inclusive Growth (IG) to replace the erstwhile notion of Growth and Development (GD).” What is most significant about the IG model is its “attempt to run away from the need to accelerate economic development through deliberate policy interventions so as to move millions of humanity out of poverty”.
Having imposed the IG on the country by agents of the World Bank and IMR, it is little surprising that today “economic growth” does not equate to “Nigeria’s development” and prosperity of Nigerians. Key sectors that ought to provide the planks for development and prosperity such as education, power/energy, agriculture and health are in dire state. Government at all levels rather hoists frivolities over the essentials. As recently observed by Prof. Akpan Ekpo, “The implementation of the Transformation Agenda does not preclude the fact that the economy today is characterized by high and rising rate of unemployment particularly among the youths, decayed public school system at all levels, lack of quality public health system, massive corruption, security challenges, among others”.
ASUU-NEC rejects externally imposed models of economic growth that discounts human elements in the equation. The Bretton Woods experts can only further under-develop Nigeria and pauperize her citizens. This is because IG “stresses productive employment rather than income redistribution”; implying that the tiny rich Nigerians will continue to get richer while the mass poor will become poorer.
A non-insulated economy will only be a subservient economy. The solutions to our problems as a nation must be wholly Nigerian-based, Nigerian-driven and Nigerian-centered. The current reliance on the veiled but obvious drivers of our “envelop economy” being presided over and supervised by agents of the IMF/World Bank will only leave us in a worse state than the IBB era. The current jig-saw dilemma of economic blueprints of NEPAD, Vision 20 2020, Transformational Agenda, etc. are bound to fail in so far as they are not based on any indigenous economic paradigm.
2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement
You will recall that ASUU declared a total, indefinite and comprehensive strike on 4th December 2011 in order to prevail on government to sincerely and judiciously implement the 2009 Agreement it freely entered into with our Union. Specifically, ASUU identified the following key areas that were yet to be implemented:
i. Funding requirements for Revitalization of the Nigerian Universities
ii. Federal Government Assistance to State Universities
iii. Establishment of NUPEMCO
iv. Progressive increase in Annual Budgetary Allocation to Education to 26% between 2009 and 2020
v. Earned Allowances
vi. Amendment of the Pension/Retirement Age of Academics on the Professorial cadre from 65 to 70 years
vii. Reinstatement of prematurely dissolved Governing Councils
viii. Transfer of Federal Government Landed Property to Universities
ix. Setting up of Research Development Council and Provision of Research Equipment to laboratories and classrooms in our universities.
However, the strike was suspended on 2nd February 2012. As our Union noted then, “NEC decision had been taken in the interest of the revitalization of the Nigerian Universities. To achieve these goals, ASUU expects the government to fulfill its obligation in respect of funding and all other matters contained in its offers.” When the strike was suspended, ASUU drew attention to the fact that the unimplemented agreement was due for renegotiation in June 2012.
Following the suspension of the strike, government responded by setting up a Committee via TETFund to assess the needs of Nigerian Universities in terms of infrastructure and required quantum of fund. Government also mandated the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) to document and compute the financial implication of implementing the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement. At ASUU’s insistence, many of these conditions have now been met. Yet, the Government has continued to dilly-dally on the implementation.
Out of nine items earlier highlighted, only two of the commitment – reinstatement of Governing Councils and the Amendment of Retirement Age Act – were met. For the past 16 months, several steps, including formal and informal consultations, meetings, personal contacts, have been employed to avert resumption of the suspended action. We seem to have now exhausted all available options. Our members cannot understand why a Government finds it difficult to fulfill an Agreement voluntarily entered into with the Union in 2009 as well as the MoU that was introduced following ASUU’s protest against government’s demonstration of bad faith in 2012.
Gentlemen of the Press, one key aspect of the Agreement where Government has demonstrated insincerity is on the Earned Academic Allowances (EAA). Components of these allowances include responsibility allowances to Heads of Department, Deans of Faculties and other functionaries of the university system.
After the MoU of 26th January 2012, Government accepted in principle to pay EAA. As if to demonstrate its commitment, the IMC under the chairmanship of Dr. Wale Babalakin was assigned the responsibility of working out practical and sustainable ways to do this. When the IMC submitted its recommendations on this aspect of the Agreement, which has run into almost four years, however, the Government suddenly began to give excuses. And, finally, it set aside the recommendations of the IMC on the account of financial difficulties; these were recommendations that came out of serious engagements with officials from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Our Union sees this sudden reversal of gears as a betrayal of trust.
From all indications, it appears Government is yet unprepared to address the challenges facing the Nigerian University System with the urgency that is required. This trend is dangerous, as it constitutes a threat to the relative peace in Nigerian Universities. There can be no justification for Government’s position given what all Nigerians know about the management of the nation’s resources. It is evident that Government is highly deceptive and is not interested in sustaining relative stability in our universities. If Government can betray our Union on the 2009 Agreement, where is the basis of trust for the impending review that was due for 2012?
It is in the light of the above, especially having exhausted all other options, that ASUU-NEC at its meeting in Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, between 29th and 30th June 2013 resolved to call out all its members on a nation-wide strike action beginning from Wednesday, 3rd July, 2013. The strike action is comprehensive and total. Our members shall withdraw their services until Government fully implements all the outstanding aspects of the 2009 Agreement, and commences the process of review of the same Agreement.
Concluding Remarks
Gentlemen of the Press, the time has come to rise in defense of the true liberation of our country. We believe this liberation must begin with education, which is a veritable weapon for socio-economic transformation. The IMF/World Bank and their local collaborators would make Nigerians believe that “basic” or little education is good enough for the children of the poor. It is a ruse.
Our Union counts on the renewed support of the media in challenging agents of underdevelopment who deny less-privileged Nigerians quality higher education, health, employment and other life-transforming elements of development. We equally invite labor activists, students, traders, professional groups, civil society organizations and other progressive segments of the public to join our determined efforts to save Nigeria from her captors.
Thank you for your kind attention.
Nasir F. ISA
President
1st July 2013

"I'm Not Number One In Nollywood" - Actress, Mercy Johnson Confesses *Talks About Hawking Of Cleavages In The Name Of Promoting Brand

Mercy Johnson is a well known Nollywood star in Nigeria, nay Africa. After taking a break from the klieg lights to get married and have her baby, she’s now ready for a new project – the Mercy Johnson Foundation.

Last Friday, Sunday Sun caught up with Mercy Johnson at the Boys Correctional Center, Oregun, Lagos, where she went to speak to the boys and donate some gifts. She spoke briefly about motherhood and living beyond the moment. Samuel Olatunji recorded this excerpts…

You were at OJB’s house to see him and donate money, now you are here to donate to the Boys Reform Home in Lagos. What’s the idea?

No idea, we are just promoting the ideals of Mercy Johnson Foundation. The idea is to identify the needs, evaluate and help in our own little way. All fingers are not equal; those in position to help should do so without hesitation. You will be hearing a lot about Mercy Johnson Foundation from now on. We have put our house in order and now ready to help those we can. I strongly believe that as stars we should live beyond the euphoria of stardom and the moment. We will not always be here, what happens if you look back and realise you could do a lot to make the world better when you had the spotlight and you didn’t? I want to live beyond the moment.

Why the reform homes in Lagos?

I know I’m not glamorous to a lot of people, but we must know that if we do charitable things for publicity alone, we defeat the purpose. We need to find ways to reform young boys and girls otherwise they will make life uncomfortable for the children of the privileged. At this point, I must commend the government of Lagos State for making efforts at reforming the kids. We are looking at what we can do with the state to help make the future of these children better.

Motherhood seems to have changed you…

Yes, motherhood changes women. You begin to see yourself as a co-creator. You begin to see yourself as a protector. Few days ago, I was feeding Purity and she started dragging the bottle with me with the hot water in it. She pushed the bottle, I had to quickly push her away from the water and let it pour on my arm instead. That’s the kind of protection I am talking about. I think it will also make you feel more responsible for other children as well. You begin to see them as children of some other mothers. You have a sense of responsibility to want to protect them as well.

How are you coping with your husband and the baby?

There’s nothing like coping, he’s making my job easier. He dots on her. He carries her, feeds and does everything for her such that she misses him when he’s not around. You won’t believe she sleeps on his chest every night. He understands whatever adjustment I need to make when it comes to the baby. He’s a loving father?

What about being a loving husband?

Come on now, you know that Sam. He’s the best thing that happened to me. People usually say men are not reliable, in the case of my husband he’s a blessing. It’s obvious we are his priority.

So, your step of faith is paying off?

Yes. I am not saying its perfect, but this is close to perfection. If this is what it feels to be married, I want to marry my husband again and again.

How come you took a break and still returned as number one in Nollywood?

There’s nothing like number one in Nollywood. We are all doing our jobs; it’s just that some people are busier than others. I’m glad of what God has given me.

What should we expect from you career-wise?

I’m trying to be more selective with what I do. If the script is not good, I don’t want to do it. Our market is getting core aware and advanced as the day goes by.

How come you are not an ambassador of any brand yet?

We are having discussion with a couple of brands, when we agree with the terms, you will hear from us. However, I need to quickly point out that Mercy Johnson is a blend of youth and family brand. We just can’t stand and represent any brand. If it’s not representing the youths, which is our major consistency or the family, we will not be favourably disposed to it. I can’t at this point be ‘hawking’ cleavages in the name of promoting brand. Things have changed; this is the beginning of a new era for me.

Amaechi, Jang, others attend Jonathan’s dinner

For the first time since the election that  caused a division in  the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, almost all the 36 state governors converged on the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday for a   mid-term dinner organised by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The two main antagonists in the NGF crisis Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, who won the  May 24 election of the forum and Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, who leads a faction of the group- attended the event.

Although Jang and members of his faction were already seated before the arrival of the President which signalled the commencement of the dinner, Amaechi and his loyalists arrived at the same time shortly after the event had started.

A mild drama however played out when Amaechi, who cancelled a meeting of the NGF earlier scheduled for 8pm on Wednesday,  joined the table where Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State and others were already seated.

In the process of exchanging pleasantries, Amaechi was heard pointing to Akpabio and saying, “No, you can never be a democrat.”

Some governors in the Amaechi faction were initially  seated among journalists at the back of the hall before they were  ushered in   to the front where seats were reserved for them.

The other  governors  in attendance were  those of Niger, Lagos, Nasarawa, Imo, Edo, Adamawa, Zamfara, Ogun, Kano, Ekiti and Jigawa.

Others were the governors of  Sokoto, Cross River, Bauchi, Abia, Plateau, Kogi, Ebonyi , Ondo, Delta, Anambra and Kaduna states.

The  acting governor of Taraba State and the deputy governors of Bayelsa, Kwara, Katsina, Benue and Gombe States were also in attendance.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwwal, was however  absent at the dinner attended by the President of the Senate, David Mark; and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.

The dinner was still ongoing at the time of filing this report.

Before the cancellation  of the NGF meeting, some of the Pro-Amaechi governors had converged on the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, where they took the final decision to  attend the dinner.

In a brief chat with journalists before they moved to the Villa, Amaechi said “We have shifted the meeting to honour the invitation sent to us for dinner by the President. We would have loved to meet, but we have to honour the President’s invitation.

Sambo, Jang tie stable democracy to strong parties

VICE President Namadi Sambo and the Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang have said that without strong and focus political parties in the country, Nigeria’s democracy cannot be sustained due to lack of vibrant policies that will impact positively on the lives of the electorate.
Sambo added that political parties in the country lacked capacity to develop into strong instruments for developing sound institutions. He said that rather than developing strong political institutions to deepen the country’s democratic culture, more attention was being paid to the establishment of governmental bodies and civic organisations.
The duo spoke Wednesday at the inauguration of Political Party Leadership and a Development Centre at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos in Plateau State.
The Vice President who was represented by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Senator Isaiah Ballat, added that both institutions were important but that without strong and dynamic political parties, democracy cannot survive on the long run.
According to him, political parties like any other institutions should continually seek to enhance their capacity in response to changing circumstances.
Sambo added: “Leaders of political parties owe themselves the obligation to take advantage of the opportunities offered by this all important Centre for self-improvement. Let participation in this training become the turning point in your lives as you position yourselves to effectively take up the challenges of being the successor generation to today’s leaders.”
He added that leadership is developed through a never-ending process of self-study, self-assessment, education and training, saying that there was the need to constantly sharpen the skills of political party leaders to be in tune with the developing environment.
Jang stressed that political parties play critical roles in the sustenance of democracy hence a forum that will bring the parties together to brainstorm in the interest of the country cannot be over emphasized.
Jang who was represented by his Deputy, Mr. Ignatius Longjan said the development has encouraged him to continue to work for enduring peace in the state to provide a conducive environment for political discourse, adding that the state had hosted several national political events.

West Brom won’t sell Osaze cheap

West Bromwich Albion will not allow want-away front man Peter Odemwingie to leave the Hawthorns this summer until they receive a offer that meets their valuation of the player, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.

The controversial Nigeria international caused outrage in the Midlands last season when trying to force through a move to Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the January transfer window.

However, the Baggies are now adamant that the 31-year-old will have to remain at the club until a potential buyer for the striker stumps up the right amount of money for the player, who still has a year left on his current deal at the Hawthorns.

“We have a player who is under contract until the end of the season,” West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace told the Birmingham Mail.

“Unless something comes in to change our way of thinking he will be back in pre-season and we will deal with that.”

Keshi wants Yobo, Osaze back

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has opened the national team door to striker Osaze Odemwingie and skipper Joseph Yobo, but Taye Taiwo may not find a way back in.

All three players, along with a few other established internationals, have been on the outside looking in under the former national captain. Yobo since the African Nations Cup, and Odemwingie just before.

Both players reacted with very public disaffection to their exclusion.

But shortly after the Super Eagles’ FIFA Confederations Cup campaign came to a grinding halt against Spain, Keshi told KickOffNigeria.com how the players can get back in.

“They should just be themselves, play their game,” Keshi said. “Yobo is still my captain. It’s unfortunate that he’s not here, but he’s still the captain of the team.

“Taiwo is still playing but I have younger players that are playing well. I have Juwon (Oshaniwa), who is not here. I have Benjamin Francis, and I have (Elderson) Echiejile whose performance has improved greatly. So it will be a difficult thing for Taiwo to get back in.

“For Osaze, he still has a place in the team.

“I’m not looking for an apology from him. Osaze is somebody that I like very well and he knows that. The thing is, it’s about the team that I’m worried about.

“I don’t want to have a player that will come in and divide the team, or want to come and do something to destabilise the team, because when the team is not together, it becomes very difficult to win.

“I’m not saying he is going to come in and do that, but a little bit of what he has shown has told me that this is possible.

“I really want to have him in the team, and I would like to give him another opportunity.”

One player that Keshi says he really wants to see back in the national team is Obinna Nsofor, along with Seattle Sounders forward Obafemi Martins.

“The person I am really keen to have is Obinna Nsofor.

“Unfortunately, each time I call him, he’s always injured. Hopefully next time he will be fit.”

Bauchi female teachers protest against non-payment of salary arrears

FEMALE teachers in both primary and junior secondary schools in Bauchi State on Wednesday defied all odds to stage a demonstration over the non-payment of their six months’ salaries by the state government allegedly hinged on their low educational standard.
The school teachers in the state early this year experienced non-payment of their salaries when the Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) under which they operate, claimed that over 5,000 of them lacked the basic requisite qualification to teach.
The Board, in what was termed as a cleansing exercise to determine the qualification or otherwise of each and every teacher, in conformity with the required teaching standard of National Certificate in Education (NCE), embarked on tests to screen teachers.
However, under the auspices of their union, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the teachers decided not to partake in the exercise as, according to the union, the board’s action was geared not only to discredit but also victimise its members.
In Ekiti State, Governor Kayode Fayemi has appealed to teachers in public schools to call off their three-week-old strike in the interest of the pupils.
He urged them to accept the 15 per cent out of the 27.5 per cent Peculiar Allowance being demanded by them, pledging to commence the payment of the remaining 12.5 per cent as soon as the state’s finances improve.
However, civil servants in the state have demanded that they must also benefit from the teachers’ allowance because the teachers were also included in the 33 per cent Relativity Allowance meant for the core civil servants.
Fayemi, who made the appeal while featuring on his monthly media chat, “Meet Your Governor,” urged the teachers to consider the very lean purse of the state and the future of their pupils and students rendered idle by the strike.
It will be recalled that last week, Bauchi female teachers took their protest to the state House of Assembly penultimate week and urged the state government to pay the teachers within two weeks their backlog of salaries.
However, Governor Isa Yuguda at an event marking the 2013 Civil Service Day celebration in the state, said about 2,400 of the 5,300 teachers purportedly laid off have been screened and re-engaged into the service while the second batch of the exercise was about to start

Amaechi urged to drop planned protest against police commissioner

RIVERS State residents have urged Governor Chibuike Amaechi to drop his planned protest against the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu, warning that the action may exacerbate the political tension in the state.
Meanwhile, a member of the House of Assembly, Mr. Evans Bipi, has faulted a statement credited to the former state chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Mr. Eugene Ogu to the effect that the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan’s week-long stay in Port Harcourt was aimed at worsening the political tension in the state.
The residents said though it was sad that the commissioner allegedly did not have regard for the governor who remains the Chief Security Officer of the state, Amaechi should maintain calm for the sake of peace.
They lamented the political uproar in the state and the role of the police commissioner, alleging a calculated plan to distract the governor whom they advised to remain focus and avoid yielding to political pressures.
In an interview, one of the residents, Mr. Chukwuma Obi, said it was needless calling for the removal of Mbu as the powerful forces allegedly controlling him from Abuja may send a similar character whose actions may be worse than Mbu’s.
“We urge the governor to continue to be peaceful, God is watching the whole drama and will surely intervene. The protest may result to something else.
Another resident, Mrs. Franca Akpan, urged Amaechi to channel his grievances to the appropriate authorities like the Police Service Commission or write to President Goodluck Jonathan, rather than taking the laws into his own hands.
“We feel the frustrations of the governor, it’s obvious that the battles were meant to distract him, but he should remain focus and allow peace to reign. It is not good to over heat the polity for the sake of future generations,” she said.
Amaechi had on Tuesday vowed to lead a protest to demand removal of Mbu, alleging that the Police Commissioner, in partnership with those he described as Abuja–based politicians, has played some roles that caused serious problems in Rivers State.
The lawmaker who represents Ogu/Bolo Constituency in the House of Assembly, said the clergy did not have the right to ask Mr. President to withdraw his wife from Rivers State, noting that Ogu does not know the reasons for the First Lady’s visit. He therefore described the call as worthless and baseless.
According to Bipi, Mrs. Jonathan was in Rivers State to attend some important functions and not for any political reason.

Why We Killed Condemned Convicts – Edo AG

The condemnation that followed the execution of four condemned convicts by the Edo State government was the best thing to rid the society of unwanted elements, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Henry Idahagbon, has disclosed, stating that one of the condemned convicts, ThankGod Ebohs, was yet to be executed because he was sentenced to death by firing squad. Idahagbon explained that the reason was because the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS), had only one hangman noose for executing condemned persons. Those executed were Chima Ejiofor, Daniel Nsofor, Osarenmwinda Aiguokhan and Richard Igagu. According to Idahagbon, Ebohs was convicted in Kaduna State, by a Robbery and Firearm Tribunal and the judgment stipulated the method of execution.

Idahagbon told journalists that Ebohs was convicted for robbing a family, raped the wife of the family and forced a bottle into the private part of the woman which led to her death. He said Ejiofor, a spare parts dealer in Benin City, killed a child delivered to him out of wedlock. The Commissioner revealed that “Chima impregnated an Edo woman and had a child. Several years later, he went back to his village and married an Igbo woman. During Christmas, he invited the child to spend the holiday with him. When the child came, he killed him, saying he did not want to have a child outside wedlock.” He stated that Aiguokhan killed his victim and buried the dismembered body in different places. Idahagbon, therefore, advised those against death penalty to direct their energy to the National Assembly for an amendment of the law on murder and armed robbery. To him, “These are gory murders done by hardened criminals. If a person is convicted for armed robbery, the only thing the judge can give is the death penalty.”

I Killed 23 People In 2 Days – Boko Haram Member

A front-line member of the dreaded Boko Haram Islamist sect who is currently begging for forgiveness, has confessed to how he single-handedly killed 23 people including a traditional ruler and police officers in only two days in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The Boko Haram member who was arrested on Tuesday evening, was said to have rented a room in the area about a year ago. According to one of the vigilante group popularly called Civilian JTF who arrested the dangerous killer, he was a resident of Gwange, a stronghold of the sect. He said the arrest was made possible when the youths went looking for him and arrested his younger brother, who took them to Ngomari where the suspect had been hiding. The arrested sect member who is now begging the Federal Government to forgive him, confessed when the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, visited some detained Boko Haram members with about 50 of them repented, saying they were brainwashed into joining the group fully understanding what they were doing.

Oil Discovered In Lagos

Lagos State, the commercial nerve center of Nigeria may soon join the ranks of oil producing states in the country after it was reported that oil has been discovered in the state. We gathered that Optimum Petroleum Development Limited and its partners, Afren Nigeria Plc and Lekoil Limited, have discovered a significant crude oil in commercial quantities accumulation at the high impact Ogo-1 well located on the OPL 310 licence offshore Nigeria. Afren Plc and Lekoil Limited, announced the discovery in offshore Dahomey Basin in Lagos, according to the London Stock Exchange. Statements from the partners in OPL 310, on Wednesday, said the discovery was based on the results of drilling and wireline logs. The Ogo-1 well was drilled by Optimum Petroleum Development Limited and its partners to a total measured depth of 10,518 ft (10,402 ft true vertical depth subsea). According to the partners, further wireline log evaluation is currently underway prior to extending the well to target deeper prospectivity above basement, to a total measured depth of 11,800ft (11,684ft TVDSS). The expected timetable for completion of this further drilling together with additional testing is four to six weeks, inclusive of drilling a planned Ogo-1 side-track well.

Igbo will dump PDP for APC in 2015- Gov Okorocha

From GEORGE ONYEJIUWA, Owerri
Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha has stated that there are clear indications that the people of the Southeast have decided to dump the People Democratic Party (PDP) for the rival All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 forthcoming general elections owing to the criminal neglect of the zone by the ruling party.
Governor Okorocha stated this when a delegation of Igbo Rescue Mission from Abia State paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House, Owerri.
Okorocha described APC as a child of circumstance arising from the abysmal failure of the PDP to deliver quality and good governance to Nigerians in the last 14 years, adding that the new party, which represents a coalition of major opposition parties in Nigeria is presently being positioned to provide the credible and acceptable platform that will enthrone the leadership Nigerians desire in the 2015 general elections.
He lamented that the level of marginalisation meted out to Ndigbo by ruling PDP, pointing out that the party has continuously denied Ndigbo the five principal positions, which he listed as the office of the president, vice president, senate president, speaker House of Representative and the chairman of the ruling party.
He, however, enjoined Ndigbo to play politics that can guarantee them national relevance as APC now remains the only party that has future for Ndigbo and Nigerians going by its ideology.

Youths mob Onoja at ACF meeting over Jonathan endorsement

I’ve no apology to Northern leaders- Ex-milad
By  ADE ALADE and NOAH EBIJE,  Kaduna
The alleged endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 election by a chieftain of Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF and former military governor of Katsina as and Plateau states, Gen. Lawrence Onoja (rtd) has earned him not only the reprimand of Northern leaders but a physical threat from youths who almost lynched him at the forum’s annual general meeting in Kaduna on Thursday.
National Chairman of ACF, Alhaji Mohammed Aliko had in his opening remarks at the Forum’s AGM condemned the alleged endorsement of President Jonathan for a second term by Gen. Onoja along others who recently visited the presidential villa.
According to him “We noticed with dismay that some members of this organization have gone to the President and assured him that he must contest for 2015 election. We are really surprised that some members who went there are also members of ACF. It is very sad that the Presidency has employed the divide and rule  tacties against the North.
“I am speaking particularly of two gentlemen; the two gentlemen I am referring to, one is ACF and the other is of Northern Elders Forum.  The ACF is retired General Lawrence Onoja, he was actually part of the group that went to see the President. Also, one of the elders, Senator John Wash Pam was there.
“It is the considered view of ACF that starting politics of 2015 is too early, it is counter-productive. Apart from heating up the polity, such early start can distract from governance, more so that INEC is yet to give the green light for political activities to begin.
“We were surprised that really they have gone to see the President, particularly Onoja that is here with us in ACF. We have gone with Onoja to every meeting we have held, and he turned round to say the President must contest in 2015, using the word, must.”

CAN, NSCIA tackle CBN over freezing of accounts

A showdown is looming between the Central Bank of Nigeria and Christian and Islamic leaders across the country over the freezing of their accounts on the orders of the apex bank.

CBN Governor, Lamido Sanusi, had two weeks ago directed banks to commence the updating of the accounts of designated non-financial businesses and professions with evidence of registration.

The CBN circular, which was obtained by Saturday PUNCH, stated that the DNFBPs include religious and charitable organisations, dealers in jewellery, precious metals and stones, cars and luxury goods, audit firms, tax consultants, clearing and settlement companies, lawyers, notaries, other independent legal practitioners, chartered accountants and trust company service providers.

Others include hotels, casinos, supermarkets, real estate agents, non-governmental organisations, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment or appropriate regulatory authorities.

It said, “In consideration of some challenges encountered by the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering as a result of the number of persons seeking to enjoy late compliance, the CBN has decided to further extend the second deadline of April 30, 2013 by eight months to December 31, 2013.”

The bank warned DNFBPs that were yet to register to take advantage of the extension or risk losing their accounts.

Under the new regime, the designated institutions are required to fill forms listing their shareholders and directors.

Religious organisations are registered under Act C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act which is for non-governmental organisations while the new regime has placed them under Act F, which applies to businesses.

They are also required to get their forms endorsed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, as part of CBN’s ongoing tracking of sources of funds for Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the country.

Sources said the Christian Association of Nigeria had directed churches not to fill any form in any bank. It has also asked affected members to forward evidences of the freezing of their accounts to their respective state secretariats for onward transmission to the national secretariat.

CAN’s Public Relations Officer for the 19 Northern states and Abuja, Mr. Sunny Oibe, confirmed the development to Saturday PUNCH on the telephone on Friday.

He said, “We are preparing our grounds in CAN for that and we will respond in a big way. What has the church got to do with the issue of Boko Haram? Churches are not profit-making organisations and so how can somebody now begin to equate churches with business that doesn’t concern them?

“They know those who are sponsors and financiers of Boko Haram and the people through whom this money are paid.

“We are therefore pleading with President Goodluck Jonathan to caution the CBN Governor.”

When contacted, the media aide to the President of CAN, Mr. Kenny Ashaka, said, “For now, we don’t want to make any comment on the issue. We will act as at when due.”

The General Overseer, Evangelical Ministries, Lagos, Bishop Steven Ogedengbe, described the CBN order as a “distraction that will not last.”

Ogedengbe said his church’s account was not affected but called on affected religious organisations to resist the move.

The Secretary-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said the organisation was worried about whether bank officials and security agents involved in the matter would be transparent, sincere and avoid sentiments.

In a telephone interview with Saturday PUNCH on Friday, Oloyede said, “I do not have any objection to it. I have seen the form. It is not limited to churches and mosques. It has a lot of people on the list.

“From what I see, it is for transparency. As far as Islam is concerned, we do not do anything under the table so why are we afraid? The only fear I have is those who are involved and claim to be doing for the government or security agencies should be transparent in the way they do it.

“Except for fear of misuse by government agencies, I have no reservation at all. The only problem I have is about whether government or their agencies and security agencies will be sincere and unsentimental in their issues..”

But the Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr. Ugo Okoroafor, told one of our correspondents on Friday that the directive was not targeted at religious organisations but was meant for all designated non-financial businesses and professions.

He said, “The directive is expected to enable the regulator check money laundering and other malpractices in the sector. We want to know who is moving what at any point in time. If you don’t fall under the financial institutions category, then you must fall under another category.

“Churches are under what we call DNFBPs. All we told them was that they should update their account information with their banks. They are not the only ones in the category. Besides, the directive has been extended by six months so we have not frozen any account. This is the second time we are extending it to allow for proper registration.”

In a statement issued on Friday night, CBN said it had not directed any bank to freeze the accounts of churches and mosques.

It reads, “The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria has been drawn to some reports being circulated in the media to the effect that the CBN had ordered the freezing of the accounts of some religious organisations, citing alleged suspicion of links with terrorist groups.

We wish to state as follows:

1. That the CBN has not ordered the closure or freezing of the bank account of any religious body or any institution whatsoever as alleged in the publications and posts. There is, therefore, no iota of truth in these allegations.”

The statement by Okoroafor said the affected bodies are expected to present certificate of registration showing registration number with the Special Control Unit Against money Laundering.

He also said the deadline was extended from February 2013 to June and finally to December 2013.

When contacted, EFCC Acting Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said, “It is not a new thing; it is part of anti-money laundering revolution in the banking system. Banks are required to report any transaction that is above $1000 by Designated Non-Financial Institutions to the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering.

“It is not a special directive to churches; it is for all Designated Non-Financial Institutions which include churches, casinos, supermarkets, accounting firms and dealers in jewelleries and precious stones, among others.”

On April 23, the SCUML arrested officials of a real estate firm and two hotels in Abuja for non-compliance with extant regulations mandating DNFIs to register with the Unit in line with the anti-money laundering laws.

The special operation was conducted in conjunction with the EFCC.

 The Nigeria Bar Association is currently challenging the regulation in court.