ESUT, UNN resume on monday despite ASUU strike

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), said their academic activities would resume on Monday 2 December, two days ahead of the 4 December deadline given by the Federal Government to university vice-chancellors to reopen their universities. Academic staff who have been on strike since 1 July were also told to back to work before the deadline or consider themselves sacked.

Both ESUT and UNN made the announcement about the resumption in separate statements today.

The Registrar of the UNN, Mr Anthony Okonta, in the statement, stressed that “normal academic activities would resume immediately.’’

The statement directed students who had outstanding examinations for the 2012/2013 session to report to their respective faculties and departments in Nsukka and Enugu campuses.

The ESUT Registrar, Mr Chris Igbokwe, also advised students and academic and non- academic staff to report to the institution on 2 December.

According to the statement, students are advised to return to their campuses at Agbani and Enugu campuses as the second semester examination would commence on Monday, 9 December.

The Federal Government had on Thursday, directed all federal universities to resume work on or before Dec. 4.

The statement, issued by the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr Nyesom Wike, directed the striking members of ASUU, to resume work on or before 4 December or consider themselves sacked

Saheed Balogun reportedly drags wife fathia to court over name

According to unconfirmed reports, popular actor Saheed Balogun has dragged his ex-wife actress Fathia Balogun to court over the use of his name, Balogun, insisting that she drops it. The two were married for many years before ending their union, which produced three children, a few years ago.

Saheed has been trying for years to get Fathia to revert to her maiden name but Fathia has always insisted she made a career using the name and has no plans to ever drop it.
"My name is Fathia Balogun and it’s going to remain Balogun for life. Nobody can ever change that or stop me from answering that name" She said in an interview in 2011.
Well, now Saheed has reportedly gone to court to get her to drop the name. Can the courts really force her to drop her ex-husband's name? And why is Saheed so insistent on this, how does it affect him?

THE MAN TINUBU WANTS IN ALAUSA

Strong indications have emerged that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos have acquisced to the request of Christians in the state for a Christian governor in 2015. The candidate of choice is Ayo Gbeleyi, the present Commissioner of Finance in the administration of quintessential Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola.

The decision to present a Christian candidate emerged after due consultations with eminent Christian leaders and clerics who have promised to mobilise other faithfuls to vote enmasse for the party if a Christian emerges as gubernatorial candidate in the state. The leadership of the All Progressives Congress after a thorough search have found a willing and reliable Christian candidate in Ayo Gbeleyi, a thoroughbred professional known for his exceptional brilliance and intelligence.

Since the searchlight has beamed on Gbeleyi, Christian leaders are delighted that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not only heeded to their demands but responded accordingly. They had argued that Moslems have successively governed the state since the inception of democracy.

It is just fair and equitable to allow a Christian to govern Lagos, given the fact that succesive governors of the state since 1999 that democracy returned have been Moslems. Besides, they argued that the three Senatorial seats are occupied by Moslems. The call for a Christian governor, observers of politics in the state reasoned is not to ignite any religious crisis but to ensure balance and equity.

Observers opined that the efforts of successive administrations in the state in the areas of governance, accountability and reliability are not and should not be exclusive of faith or religion.

A thorougbred candidate like Gbeleyi, they posited, is equally suitable for the exalted post. With his pedigree and insights in public service, finance, procurement, constrtuction, project management, etc, he is, no doubt, a round peg in a round hole. It could be recalled that he singlehandedly planned and made a major breakthrough with his well-thoughout Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative in Lagos. While he served as the Director-General of the parastatal, he also doubled as the Senior Adviser to the Executive Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola on the project.

Overtime, his visionary leadership amid pressure, necessity and even adversity on several projects in his purview yielded unprecedented positivity and growth that sooner than ever, Lagos becomes an envy spot in PPP. Commendable is his ability to work seamlessly with the Ministries Department Agencies (MDAs) to realise and institutionalise Lagos of our dream and the government strides to make the state a Megacity is achieved.

The beauty and elegance we see in the services of the Bus Rapid Transit, (BRT), Lekki-Epe Toll Concession, the Independent Power Plant, Oluwole and Tejuoso Market Developments, Adeniran Ogunsanya Ultra Modern Shopping and Retail Commercial Centres are some of the lofty ideas he has shared and executed with the support of the purposeful leadership in the saddle of governance in the state.

Asiwaju after wide consultations with all interest groups and political blocs in the state is optimistic that Gbeleyi with his background can effortlessly manage the internally generated revenue of over N18billion of the state aand continue in the stride of previous governnments to make Lagos an enviable commercial base.
It takes a visionary leader to fish out a promising successor. Asiwaju Tinubu, from all ramifications have proven that he knows one when he sees one. His ability and confidence in his choice of BRF as his successor has proven his insightful leadership. He will not go wrong with Ayo Gbeleyi.

According to reliable sources, Gbeleyi, in readiness for the task ahead, has not only received the nod of formidable stakeholders in politics, he has built a financial war chest in excess of N8 billion to prosecute his electionering campaign. His readiness from all fronts, our sources hinted, gives Asiwaju a strong conviction that he is the man for the job and other contenders are pretenders. He has also built a formidable media team to actualise his dream.

For Gbeleyi, it has been a calculated rise to the top. His recent appointment on the recommendation of his immediate past boss, the former Finance Commissioner, Hon. Tokunbo Abiru, the express approval by the Executive Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and the state's Assembly speak volume of his character and disposition towards public service. With his record of service, wisdom and support from all stakeholders and the people of Lagos State, Hon. Ayo Gbeleyi is poised to steer the ship of the state to greater heights.

SHOCKING: "I Can’t Count How Many I Killed In Lagos Black Sunday Robbery" – Godogodo

Sunday, September 9, 2012, will remain indelible in the minds of some families in Lagos State, who lost their loved ones to the brazen attack of a gang of heavily armed robbers, with at least 3 policemen and several civilians killed and many others injured.

But the arrest of all the members of the gang that operated that day, including the notorious South-West robbery czar, Abiodun Ogunjobi, aka, Godogodo, would bring relief to relatives and friends of those killed or injured during the encounter.

Godogodo, arrested on August 1, 2013, now reveals all the chilling details in terms of how he coordinated this bloody operation.

"On that fateful day, I called one of my boys, Sayeed Omolopa, to meet me at Alfa Beach in Ajah, and some other boys led by Kasali and Ejike.

"They were about seven and my boys were five. Yemi Boss, who came with Ejike, said we should go to Agege and rob some bureau de change operators." Godogodo narrates.

The men agreed that each robber would get what he laid his hands on. They had 2 vehicles and over nine AK-47 rifles.

"When we got to Agege, some bureau de change operators that saw us ran to us thinking we wanted to change money and we opened fire on them and ran into their shops to pack all the money we found.

"In fact, we robbed from shop to shop and we also shot sporadically to scare people. We shot at people who tried to block the road and prevent us from moving.

"I can't count the number of people killed in that operation. Wherever people tried to block the road, we opened fire on them."

Godogodo confesses they made big money from that operation. However, when the robbers tried to escape, the police blocked them and the gang members opened fire on the van, killing all the policemen inside the vehicle.

It has been learned that Godogodo made over N500,000 on of the other gang members made over N6 million from the operation.

"Everybody made a lot of money from the operation. I didn't border to read the newspapers the next day to know the extent of damage but I knew many people lost their lives in that operation.

"You know, as robbers, we do not go for operations to kill but we kill when we don't have option."

Godogodo also narrated how he and members of his gang killed four policemen at Ajah, in February 2013, snatching three AK-47 rifles from them.

He said he killed the policemen because he wanted to recover his nine rifles seized by the SARS operatives from one of his boys, Tosin.

Godogodo also disclosed facts about several other killings. According to him,

"Ife and Oleh brought the job, they told me that we should go and rob a man who had just returned from London with huge sums of money and some drugs.

"We went to his house and discovered that he was not at home and we left in annoyance and went on to rob some people from house-to-house.

"On our way out, we spotted some policemen at Oko-Oba police station, they didn't know that we were robbers. We killed them before collecting their rifles.

Thus, as a result of numerous operations by Godogodo and his gang members a lot of policemen and innocent people were killed.

Stella Oduah’s armoured cars will buy 51 police patrol vehicles' -Gov Fashola

During the 7th annual Town Hall Meeting on Security held in Lagos, Governor Fashola said the two BMW cars bought for Stella Oduah will purchase 51 patrol vehicles for the Nigerian Police.

“It is sad to know that the Federal Government that allocate three patrol vehicles for one state police command of 370, 000 police men, is unable to resolve how N255 million was used to purchase 2 saloon vehicles for one officer. It is a very grave irony. The cost of average vehicle needed to patrol the state is just N5 million. And with such fund, we will have put at least 51 patrol vehicles on the road, patrolling the streets of Lagos.”
"In spite of all this, they resist the idea of a state police. The money from the fund was in the last one year used to provide vehicles for the Nigerian Prison Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, National Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC and indeed the airport wing of the Nigerian police, is funded from this money. And it is the same aviation ministry that manage the airport that we had this very odious car scandal of N255 million.” (PM News)

ASUU Strike: Government threatens lecturers, deploys police officers to university campuses

The Acting Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, had told journalists on Thursday morning that the lecturers, ASUU, had until December 4 to resume. In the evening, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, through the police spokesperson, Frank Mba, released a statement announcing the increased deployment of personnel to the campuses.
“This is designed to help secure life and property in the Ivory Towers and provide enabling environment for lecturers, students, academic and non-academic staff to go about their lawful businesses without let or hindrance,” the statement said.
The police boss also said the directive is a proactive and confidence-boosting measure designed to ensure that nothing untoward happens in the academic communities. He directed all Command Commissioners of Police to personally oversee the intensification of surveillance activities around universities within their State Commands.
The police commissioners are also required to take all necessary security measures needed to provide for the safety and security of staff and students as well as property within the various campuses.
Mr. Mba advised lecturers, students and all Nigerians within the Institutions to remain law abiding and go about their legitimate businesses without fear of molestation or intimidation from any quarters.
The minister’s statement followed by that of the police appear an indication the government is finally ready literarily force the lecturers resume work.
ASUU has been on a nationwide strike since July 1, demanding the government implements a 2009 agreement it had with the union.
The lecturers had last week, at the end of the ASUU NEC meeting, resolved to take a definite position on the government’s offer, and the strike, after meeting President Goodluck Jonathan this week. The meeting, a follow up to an earlier one held with the president, was yet to hold before government’s threat on Thursday.

BREAKING NEWS: Abuja court sentences Lebanese to life imprisonment for terrorism, frees Amigo Supermarket owne

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a Lebanese, Tahal Roda, to life imprisonment on terrorism charges.
Mr. Roda was charged to court by the Department of State Security Services, SSS.
The court, however, freed two other Lebanese, Mustapha Fawaz and Abdullah Thani, of the charges.
Mr. Fawaz is a co-owner of one of Abuja’s largest supermarkets, Amigo Supermarket, and Wonderland Amusement Park, also in Abuja
Both buildings have been sealed since the suspects were arrested by the military and the SSS.
The Court had on October 21 failed to deliver judgment in the suit, with Justice Adeniyi Ademola reserving judgement on the matter after the parties in the case separately adopted their written addresses.
The Federal Government had dragged the accused, Mustapha Fawaz, Abdallah Thahani and Talal Ahmed Rodo, to court over terrorist activities bordering on illegal importation of firearms.
The Nigerian military had uncovered heavy weaponry in a building in Kano allegedly owned by the Lebanese.
Nigerian authorities subsequently sealed off two buildings in Abuja, Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park, also co-owned by Mr. Fawaz.
The Lebanese were also accused of being members of Hezbollah, the Lebanon based group considered a terrorist organisation by the U.S.
During the trial, Simon Egede, who is the prosecution counsel, maintained that the accused persons were guilty of the charges, especially based on the evidence given by the witness.
Mr. Egede said that Hezbollah was a terrorist group and should be treated as such. He explained that any organization that was involved in bombing and destruction was a terrorist organization and therefore prayed the court to convict the accused.
Robert Clarke, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, who is the defence counsel, however, opposed the submission of the prosecution counsel, saying Hezbollah had not been pronounced a terrorist organization by the Nigerian Government.
He said Hezbollah was like any other group and therefore prayed the court to acquit and discharge the accused.
More to come…

Nigeria drops in FIFA ranking as predicted by Daily Sun

A s reported on Tuesday by D aily Sun , the good run of the Super Eagles in past four weeks has paradoxically brought the fortunes of the team down rather than improve on it. That was the highlight of the monthly FIFA ranking released yesterday as Nigeria slumped in ranking from 33 to 36 with a 14 point loss from the last month’s 724 points.

In effect, the 2-0 defeat of Ethiopia and the 2-2 draw with three time World Cup holders, Italy as well as the 1-0 loss of Nigeria’s team B to Jordan brought mystery to the fortunes of the country in the monthly rating.

Julius Agwu Sues Etisalat For N100million

Remember a couple of days ago when I told you how ace comedian, Julius Agwu blamed telecommunications giant – Etisalat, for poor customer representation?? Well, Julius Agwu has taken a step forward.

The veteran comedian has now dragged the telecommunications company to court, suing them for the sum of N100million for jobs lost, contact lost, for the inconveniences, and for being mistreated by Etisalat staff.

Yul Edochie: ” “I Have Gotten To Where I Am Without My Father’s Influence”

Handsome Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie made an appearance on VillageSqaure TV’s On My Honour, and the actor talked women, romance, his nine-year marriage and success as an actor. Yul Edochie is son of veteran Nollywood professional – Pete Edochie.

However, when asked by during the interview if his father, Pete Edochie had played an important part in him becoming him a star, he admitted that while his father’s name had opened doors for him, his rise to fame has mainly been by his own hardwork.

Woman, 20, Bags 7-year Jail Term For Stealing Baby

A chief magistrates’ court sitting in Benin, on Thursday, sentenced a 20-year-old woman, Chidinma Eze, to seven years in prison for stealing a four-month-old baby.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Magistrate Peter Asemota, convicted and sentenced Eze, following her guilty plea during arraignment on September 30, 2013.

Asemota did not give the accused any option of fine.

“I have listened to the unequivocal plea of guilt by the accused person, I have listened to the facts as presented by the prosecutor and I have also read through the statement made to the police by the accused.

“From the statement, the accused admitted that she stole the baby and that she and two others took the baby to Lagos to solicit for funds.

“They went out on three occasions and realised about N30, 000, out of which they paid their hotel bills and fed the baby,” Asemota said.

Asemota stated that it was clear from the statement and the action of the three suspects that they had no intention of returning the baby to its biological mother.

“I am satisfied from the evidence before me that the accused committed the crimes which she has freely admitted to, both at the police station and in the court.

“In the circumstances, I find the accused person guilty as charged on both counts, and convict her accordingly in each of the two counts,’’ Asemota said.

The prosecutor, ASP Samuel Ogar, during Eze’s arraignment, had submitted that she and the two others stole the baby on September 3, 2013 at No. 2, Agbado Lane, Off Ogbado Street, Benin City.

Ogar said that her accomplices, aged 15 and 16, had been taken to the juvenile court.

NAN reports that Eze was charged with stealing a baby and depriving him of parental care.

She had pled for leniency through her counsel, Mr Ogiebor Osarentin.

Tecno customers receive premier access to BBM

Tecno mobile phones will now preinstall BBM™on TECNO phones running the Android operating system.With BBM preinstalled, customers will be able to easily get started chatting and connecting with friends and family on the popular private social network from BlackBerry®.

BBM, with its privacy, control and immediacy, is very popular in the Nigerian market, where everybody wants a BBM PIN. Continue... According to Vice President, TECNO Group, Mr. Arif Chowdhury, BBM will be preloaded on TECNO phones in 20 countries. For customers already using TECNO phones, BBM will of course be available as a free download on the Google Play store.
“This collaboration is good news for customers,” saidChowdhury. “It is our objective, not only for Nigerians, but for Africans as a whole, to acquire smartphones and enjoy a smart life and to be able to use the phone to its maximum benefit, and that is why we are working with BlackBerry to preload BBM on all new TECNO smartphones.
“After the huge success of the Phantom A series, TECNO is now launching the next star product named Phantom AIII, and of course, this high technology smartphone will come preloaded with BBM,” added Chowdhury.

From Our News Desk

UPDATES: G-5, APC Merger Fallout: PDP Reps Demand Automatic Ticket. Katsina Awards N9.7bn Road Contract. FG Orders Lecturers To Resume Work Or Face Sack. NCPC Plans To Extend Pilgrimage Operations To Turkey, Uganda. Soldiers Kill 51 Terrorists In Another Raid Of Camps. Apo Killing: No Case Of Extra-judicial Killing - Senate. Apo Killing: No Case Of Extra-judicial Killing - Senate. Early Detection Saved Me From Breast Cancer – Mrs Fashola. Edo Homosexual Pastor Arraigned In Court. Lagos Issues N87.5bn Final Tranche Bond Programme. Govt opens bid round for 31 marginal oil fields. Timilehin: Killer cop arraigned for manslaughter, gets bail. Our govs’ defection, a sad development – Anenih. Protest: Soldiers, police bar Buhari, Tinubu, others from INEC office. Sylva, New PDP members in Bayelsa defect to APC. I didn’t resign over ‘missing’ N500bn SURE-P funds – Kolade. New car tariff: Reps divided, defer debate. Beninoise gunrunner arrested in Ogun. Cash-less policy to go nationwide in 2014 – CBN. Female pupils sweep laurels at WAEC awards. Keshi, Amokachi, Others to Be Paid Next Week.

Why I resigned as SURE-P boss – Kolade

Christopher Kolade on Thursday said his resignation as Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) was not because of the alleged missing N500 billion SURE-P funds.
Mr. Kolade told journalists in Abuja that his resignation was rather on age grounds.
He said that he had explained in his letter of resignation sent to president Goodluck that having attained 80 years; he wanted to slow down on energy-demanding activities.
“I explained in the letter that having done this SURE-P programme for two years and because within the next month I would be clocking 81, I am giving up some activities that take my energy.
“The letter I wrote was sent on the 26th of September long before the rumour of the missing fund started, so there is no connection between the two.”
Mr. Kolade said that it was unfortunate that some media houses did not do enough investigation on the alleged missing N500 billion before going to press.
“To write an editorial based on rumour (because they refused to get the truth before writing) is a waste of energy and a betrayal of trust.
“The media has the responsibility of informing the public and they (it) must do so with facts,’’ Mr. Kolade said.
He explained that the SURE-P committee was responsible for managing, on behalf of the Federal Government, only 41 per cent of funds accruing from the subsidy removal.
According to him, out of the remaining 59 per cent, 54 per cent goes to the states and local governments while the remaining 5 per cent is allocated to the Ecological Fund.
“The group that started this rumour said that this committee appeared before the National Assembly and only accounted for N300 billion out of the N800 billion that is the totality of the money.
“So if the committee accounted for N300 billion, in order words, we have accounted for our 41 per cent. So, is the remaining N500 billion really unaccounted for?
“The answer is ‘no’ because we know that the 59 per cent goes to states, Local Governments and the Ecological Fund and this does not show that the fund is missing.
“It just shows that the persons who said the fund is missing is deliberately ignorant of the fact of case.
“I say so because the Federal Minister of Finance published the breakdown of the amount of money that goes to each area.”
Mr. Kolade, therefore, urged the media to verify their facts before reporting and not to heat up polity by giving members of the public the impression that they were being defrauded.
(NAN)

Why I dumped PDP – Amaechi

The Rivers State Governor, Chubuike Amaechi, on Wednesday outlined the reasons that informed his defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC, saying the state was not getting a fair deal from the Goodluck Jonathan-led federal administration.
In a statement he personally signed and titled “The nPDP APC Merger, My Constraints,” Mr. Amaechi said the demand by the state that the federal government should return oil wells belonging to it, but which were ceded to Bayelsa, Abia and Akwa Ibom States, had gone unheeded and had been treated with levity under this Peoples Democratic Party-led administration.
According to him, even after Rivers State got a court judgement that the oil wells wrongly ceded to Akwa Ibom should be returned, only the dry ones were returned to it.
The governor also said that there was absolutely no federal presence in Rivers State, stressing that the federal government refused to reimburse the state government the N103 billion it spent on fixing the federal roads despite several representations and letter sent to it (federal government).
Mr. Amaechi also alleged that apart from actively discouraging investments in Rivers State, the federal government treated the state with levity in the area of federal appointments.
He also claimed that internal party democracy had been sacrificed on the altar of personal greed and injustice as the Rivers State chapter of the PDP was being run by persons who neither collected forms nor indicated interest in running for office while the legitimate holders of the office are left in the cold.
Read his full statement addressed to Rivers residents below:
My dear people of Rivers State, when by God’s grace and with your kindness this administration took over the mantle of leadership on October 26, 2007, we made a promise to serve you “with humility and render transparent and accountable stewardship anchored on integrity and good governance.” We also promised to “use our God given resources to improve the quality of life of our present and future generations.”
We made this commitment to you, fully conscious of the fact that you were hungry for service delivery and that you had placed on us a burden to prove to the world that our beloved Rivers State had the potential to rise above the murk and redefine governance and leadership in our country. We understood your mandate very clearly and we remain resolute in our determination to make you proud.
In keeping with our pledge therefore to render transparent and accountable stewardship, it has become necessary that we brief you about the recent happenings in our state and my own position on the issues.
For me, no personal interest or ambition can be higher than the welfare of a people that gave me their mandate without conditions. While this crisis has raged, many have asked me about what drives my insistence that the Federal administration treats Rivers state justly and fairly. To these people I say: I am driven by my original vision to bring health to the sick, to extend opportunities for education to children of all classes, to bring opportunities for employment to the doorsteps of our youth. I remain stubborn in the hope that this state deserves the benefits of good governance. My disagreement is with some negative forces that stand against the entitlement of Rivers people to a better life.
It is an indisputable fact that I was elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party–a conglomeration of several individuals with different ideals but with a goal of edging out the military and ensuring a return to democratic rule. No one was under any illusion that this would be an easy task but that we have enjoyed an unprecedented 14 years of uninterrupted civilian dispensation is a demonstration of how far we have come in our democratic journey.
However, the vestiges of military dictatorship have also remained with us, especially within the context of managing our party but many of us kept faith. Even when the unfortunate incident of an attempt to deprive us of our lawful mandate occurred, we remained with the party urging our supporters to maintain party loyalty and discipline. In the face of great provocation we refused to rock the boat. Our hope was that even when we suffered personal injury our collective interests as a state would remain protected within the party we call our own.
Unfortunately, recent events within the PDP have given me reason to reconsider our collective interest as people of the South South and indeed as Rivers people. At various times, as the one in whom you had gave your mandate, I had cause to complain about the marginalization of our state and our people despite our huge contribution to the national coffers and our unflinching commitment and support for the ruling PDP.
While the political and economic importance of Rivers State cannot be contested, we continue to hold the shorter end of the stick.
A few instances may suffice:
1) Our demand that the federal government return oil wells belonging to Rivers State to us has gone unheeded and been treated with levity under this administration. Rather, our oil wells have been ceded to Bayelsa, Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Even after we got a judgment that the oil wells were wrongly ceded to Akwa Ibom state and should be returned to us, only dry wells that were no longer producing oil were returned. In the specific case of the Soku oil wells, despite a decision reached that the monies should remain in an escrow account till all matters concerning it are resolved, the federal government continues to pay neighbouring Bayelsa state the revenues meant for Rivers State in a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is indeed noteworthy that we have made several representations formally and informally on this matter. Our chiefs and elders have attended several meetings and protested this injustice to no avail. As your governor entrusted to keep guard over your common wealth, we could not keep quiet and allow this grave injustice. For this reason, we have been vilified, threatened and blackmailed but we insist on discharging our responsibility to you, no matter the odds.
2) A second instance is the total absence of federal presence in Rivers State. The “national good governance tour” provided a good opportunity for the Federal Government to showcase its presence in Rivers State. The tour, if nothing else, was evident that there was not much to show for in a state that is the cash cow of the federation. The East west road remains abandoned, work has been deliberately slow on the Port Harcourt International Airport, the third busiest airport in the country, while all airports started along with it have long been completed and commissioned. The Bonny-Bomu road that leads to the only functional liquefied natural gas project remains uncompleted. In the midst of all these, our administration went ahead to fix federal roads to the tune of N103 billion. Several representations and letters after, not one kobo has been repaid.
3) The federal government is actively discouraging investments in Rivers State. The Minister of petroleum has refused to allow the commencement of train seven of the NLNG that would have provided tens of thousands of jobs insisting that investors should go and invest in the Brass NLNG project rather than in the train seven project.
4) When boards and other appointments are considered at the federal level, Rivers State is treated with levity. Out of xxx councils of universities, no Rivers person was found worthy of becoming a university council chairman.
5) Internal party democracy has been sacrificed on the altar of personal greed and injustice as the Rivers State chapter of the PDP is being run by persons who neither collected forms nor indicated interest in running for office while the legitimate holders of the office are left in the cold. Our several representations and pleas on this matter to the party leadership at the highest levels have gone unheeded and unanswered. We are left in a quandary and have been denied the appropriate support to lead our party in line with acceptable democratic norms. The result of this is that politicians with questionable antecedents now hijack the PDP in Rivers State.
Given the foregoing, it has become clear to us that we will be unable to achieve our goals and aspirations as a people under the People’s Democratic Party as it is presently constituted. Our quest for a democracy where the people would remain the focus of government and governance is bound to suffer a stillbirth under the present arrangement. We are Nigerians and people of the Niger Delta, but we are also Rivers people and live in Rivers state. We are concerned that our well-being is not central to the leadership of the PDP. We do not find this satisfactory. We have therefore decided that it is in our best interest that we move to a party that shares the hopes and aspirations of our people and realizes and recognizes our right to exist and be treated as equal partners in our democracy. We are not and will not allow ourselves to be treated as a second rate poor cousin. We are equal stakeholders and daresay major contributors to the common wealth.
It is this mindset that will inform our action in the coming days. We will of course consult with all our stakeholders as we try to fashion out a way forward for us and for our people. We are convinced that as always you will trust our commitment to your mandate and to your service.
Finally, let me re-affirm my commitment to the emancipation of the long-suffering people of Niger Delta. I know their pains because I have lived it and I live it everyday. But let me also say that the pursuit of politics of self-interest at the expense of development is not the best way of ensuring justice and equity for the region. Drafting the police to cause confusion in Rivers State is not more urgent than completing the East-West Road or bringing in investments that will create jobs and prosperity for our people.
To the good people of Rivers State, we are grateful for your trust and will not treat it with levity. We promise you that as always, you will be our primary concern and our priority
Signed
Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, CON
Governor, Rivers State

Medicine after death -PDP expels Baraje, Oyinlola, Jaja

The National Disciplinary Committee set up by the leadership of the Bamanga Tukur led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has recommended the expulsion of Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Dr. Sam Sam Jaja.

They were suspended on November 11 for what the leadership of the party described as anti -party activities.

Baraje was the national chairman of the New PDP while Jaja was his deputy.

Oyinlola was the national secretary of the Baraje faction.

He, however, said he remained the national secretary of the ruling party.

Oyinlola has been at war with the leadership of the PDP over the latter’s failure to reinstate him as the party’s national secretary.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja had on November 6, ordered the PDP to reinstate him as the national secretary of the party. The party suspended him instead.

Announcing the committee’s recommendation on Wednesday, Deputy Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, pronounced Baraje, Oyinlola and Jaja guilty as charged.

Babatope, who spoke on behalf of the committee however said the case of Senator Ibrahim Kazaure who was also suspended alongside the trio, had been deferred for one month.

According to him, Kazaure would still have to appear before the committee on December 10 to clarify certain issues relating to his case. The committee therefore extended his suspension by 30 days.

But in a reaction yesterday, Oyinlola maintained that he remained the national secretary of the PDP and that his expulsion cannot stand.

CBN to revert N5, N10, N20, N50 polymer notes back to paper notes in 2014

The Central Bank of Nigeria has said it will start printing the naira in paper notes in 2014.

It signed a deal in 2006 with Australia’s Securency International to print lower more-circulated units of the naira in polymer, while higher denominations were kept in paper form.

But six years after and following allegations that the manufacturer had bribed foreign officials to secure contracts, including in Nigeria, the CBN said it was being forced to reverse the policy.

A report by AFP on Tuesday quoted the spokesman for the CBN, Mr. Ugochukwu Okoroafor, as saying, “Polymer has been on a test run since 2007. This explains why we did not go the whole hog by printing all the notes in polymer.

“We only used polymer for N5, N10, N20 and N50, while N100, N200, N500 and N1,000 are in paper form. We soon discovered that the [polymer] notes easily fade out because of our peculiar hot climate in Nigeria… making them look tattered when in use over time.”

Earlier experiments indicated that the polymer-based notes, which are in use in 23 countries around the world, including Australia, could last longer than traditional cotton-paper notes.

But the CBN said there had been a public outcry about the poorer quality of some of the new currency in circulation.

Securency International was reported to have supplied 1.9 billion of its guardian brand polymer-based notes to Nigeria between 2006 and 2008.

In the wake of the bribery claims, the Reserve Bank of Australia sold its 50 per cent stake in the firm.

Innovia Security, which bought out Securency International earlier this year, said it did not comment on clients or their business but added that a number of countries with hot and humid climates used their product.

“We have had no issues of premature ink wear or colour fading in these markets,” a spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement.

The report said Nigeria, with a predominantly cash-based economy, was looking to increase people’s use of electronic payment methods such as credit cards, online trading and introducing cash-point machines in a bid to try to reduce the amount individuals could carry around.

However, there are concerns that switching back to paper notes is a sign of a lack of a coherent policy.

“My concern is that Nigeria is fond of policy somersaults,” said a former banker, Mr. Moruf Akamo.

Ex-Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo arrested in Benin Republic

Ex-Niger Delta militant, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, has been arrested in Cotonou, Capital of Benin Republic, his lawyer, Festus Keyamo, said in a statement.

"Today, Tuesday, November 26, 2013, my friend and client, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, was arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic, around the hours of 1:00pm and 2:00pm by the country's gendarmes (Police Force).

"He was picked up around the Lubeleyi roundabout and taken to an unknown destination," Keyamo said.

He said Asari-Dokubo carries on legitimate business in the tiny West African country and has been living partly in Benin Republic for many years now.

"In fact, he owns houses, schools and an academy in that country. All these places have been searched as at this evening and nothing incriminating was found," Keyamo said.

He said there are indications that Dokubo's arrest and detention are a ploy by certain forces in Nigeria in unholy alliance with the Beninoise government to keep him away as 2015 approaches.

"We call on the Nigerian government to immediately intervene and ensure that no harm befalls Alhaji Dokubo-Asari and to use all diplomatic means to secure his immediate release and safe return to Nigeria," he said.

From Our News Desk

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Why The Church Is Called Deeper Life PLUS The Real Meaning Of My Name & Why I Changed It – Pastor W.F Kumuyi

Pastor Kumuyi narrated why he changed his original name Ikumuyiwa meaning “death brought this” to Kumuyi.
Excerpts:
African names have meanings. What does Kumuyi mean?
The full name is Ikumuyiwa, which means ‘death brought this”. After I became a Christian, I realised it was the death of Christ that has brought us salvation, and also the redemption and reconciliation we have with God. So, for me, the name, Ikumuyiwa, is very significant – death has brought something good. The death of Christ has brought us the grace and goodness of God, and the relationship we have now with the Lord.
How many siblings do you have?
I have two siblings – a sister who is three years younger than I am, and a brother who is far much younger, 18 or 19 years younger than I am. Both of them are in Nigeria . My sister lives in Ondo State . A born-again Christian, she attends Deeper Life. My brother lives in Osun State, and he is also in the Church. Both of them are following the Lord.
You left the Anglican Church for the Apostolic Church. What made you switch?
I was teaching in Mayflower School, my alma mater. I completed my secondary school education in 1961, and started teaching mathematics at Mayflower in 1962. It was there that I was introduced to the Apostolic Faith, not Apostolic Church, and really heard about the change that Christ could make to our lives when we turned from our sins and believed in him and how he died for us on the cross of Calvary. It was there that I had the salvation experience and things really turned up for me.
You became a born-again Christian at the age of 23, on 5th April 1964. Do you still remember what happened?
Yes, a preacher was preaching a simple message, and because I had become almost like a moralist in the sense that I protected my name and personality, when that preacher preached, I saw that it was not just our actions that made us unacceptable to God, even our wrong thoughts and wrong plans or planning our lives as if God didn’t exist, also made us unacceptable. I then realised that I needed God. And when the preacher made an altar call, he pointedly said if “anybody needed Christ to fill the void in their lives, such people should come forward”, I felt drawn to what he was saying. I went forward, knelt down and prayed.
In fact, it was such an important day for me that I still remember it to this day, even where I knelt, how it all happened, and the peace and joy that came to my heart, that now I was reconciled with God through Jesus Christ. It was very definite.
Was it in Lagos ?
No, it was in Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State , about one-and-a ­half hours drive from Lagos.
Why did you call it Deeper Life?
Actually it came from the people. When they received the articles, they came to the Bible studies and said: “We’ve been Christians before, but this one is deeper than what we used to know.” So they used the name Deeper Life. We also knew that we were leading them to deeper relations with God; that is how those articles became Deeper Christian Life Articles. Then as we continued with the Bible studies, the group became known as the Deeper Christian Life Ministry. And when it became a Church in 1983, we called it the Deeper Life Bible Church.
Are you saying the name, Deeper Life, didn’t come from you?
Well, yes and no. We called the articles we sent out “Deeper Life Articles”. The people themselves were saying those articles were deepening their Christian lives. So the name came from both sides.
Source: Naija Gists

My husband planned using me for money ritual – Pastor’s wife

A trader on Tuesday prayed an Orile-Agege Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve her 27-year-old marriage to a pastor over the man’s alleged plan to use her for ritual purposes.

Fifty-two-year-old Roseline Seseboh submitted that she had packed out of her matrimonial home because of the alleged plan.

She said her husband, Oluwalomo was desperate to be wealthy and would not mind to sacrifice any of his family members.

“My stomach became swollen as if I was pregnant with twins. I carried this shame for months until I consulted some elders. It was then I was told that my husband wanted to use me for a ritual and that he would carry out this plan through sexual intercourse with me,” she said.

Roseline submitted that she left her matrimonial home at midnight when Oluwalomo attempted to force her to have sexual intercourse with him in an attempt to carry out the plan.

“My husband is evil; he can use our children for rituals if he cannot get me. He is desperate to make money. I want the custody of my children,” Roseline, mother of seven and resident of 1, Anjorin Street, Iju-Ishaga, Lagos, said.

Oluwalomo denied the allegations but consented to the dissolution of the union.

“Roseline is blackmailing me because she found another man’s arm to fall on. She is adulterous and wicked. My wife was punished in our church when she was caught on another man’s bed,” the resident of 29, Isale Oro Street, Iju-Ishaga, Lagos, submitted.

Don’t work against our interest’, ASUU urges members

Dr Oghenekaro Ogbinaka, Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Lagos Chapter, on Tuesday urged the union’s members to desist from working against its interest.

Ogbinaka made the appeal in a statement he made available to journalists in Lagos.

He said that the members should not allow their selfish interests to overshadow the interest of the union.

He alleged that some members of the chapter called an illegal congress recently but failed in their bid to carry out `illegal activities’.

“`Congress anticipated their plot that was borne out of greed.

“No member of the University of Lagos Branch of the ASUU is, therefore, taken aback on their action, “ he said.

He described such as an action as misguided, and urged ASUU members to desist from such.

The chairman gave the assurance that the chapter would remain indivisible. (NAN)

BREAKING NEWS: I remain in PDP, Governor Aliyu of Niger says

The Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, has said that he remains a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Mr. Aliyu stated this hours after the All Progressives Congress announced a merger with the Abubakar Baraje- faction of the PDP called ‘New PDP.’
Mr. Aliyu and six other PDP governors are members of the ‘New PDP.’
Governor Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, in a statement said his principal was shocked “at the announcement of the merger of New PDP and APC even before a final decision was taken on the matter.”
Mr. Ndayebo said Mr. Aliyu was not present at the meeting where the merger deal was sealed between the New PDP and APC leaders as widely reported by the media.
The spokesperson said the Niger governor “insisted that talks were still ongoing with the president and would await the outcome of the negotiation before taking a final decision.”
Mr. Baraje had told journalists at the media briefing in Abuja, to announce the merger on Tuesday, that Mr. Aliyu left the merger meeting early but agreed with the decision.
With Mr. Aliyu’s announcement, the merger has 17 governors (11 APC and 6 New PDP

From Our News Desk

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BREAKING NEWS: Seven PDP rebel governors join APC

NigerianEYE can officially confirm that the Seven aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party have announced their decision to leave the old PDP and merge with the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governors, at the meeting they had with the leadership of the APC in Abuja on Tuesday, said their decision was aimed at rescuing the country.

A former Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, announced the decision after the meeting, which was held at Kano Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

Among the governors at the meeting were that of Rivers (Rotimi Amaechi), Kano(Rabiu Kwankwanso), Adamawa(Murtala Nyako), Kwara(Badulfatah Ahmed) and Niger(Dr. Babangida Aliyu).

The governors of Jigawa and Sokoto states, Sule Lamido and Aliyu Wamakko respectively were absent.

Baraje said the governors were part of the decision.

Some leaders of the APC like its Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; and a former Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), were in attendance.

The meeting ended at about 12.30am.

JAMB increases CBT centres to 256

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board says it has designated 256 centres for the 2014/2015 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination Computer Based Test across the country.

JAMB’s Head of Public Relations, Mr Fabian Benjamin, said this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Monday.

Benjamin said the centres were increased from 56 in 2012/2013 to 256 for the forthcoming examination.

He said the increase was made to accommodate the large number of candidates applying for the CBT.

He said, “Application form is out; preparation for the technical aspect is in top gear and we are always ready.

“Centres that had hitches during the 2012/2013 examination will be corrected, while some may not be used.

“What we already have on ground is close to perfection.”

The board, in an earlier statement, had announced the commencement of the sale of the application forms for the 2014/2015 academic session

It advised qualified candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria that online registration would be on until March 14, 2014, while the website would be closed on March 25.

JAMB said the examination would be conducted on April 5, 2014 for those writing the Paper Pencil Test and Dual Based Test.

It said that the date for the Computer Based Test would be announced later.

We have returned the $700 Million Abacha loot – Switzerland

Government of Switzerland said it had returned to the Nigerian government about $700m traced to the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria, Dr. Hans-Rudolf Hodel, stated this in Abuja at a press briefing ahead of a two-day seminar on Anti Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism.

Hodel added that the Swiss government would be ready to reopen the case if Nigeria presents fresh evidence of any money still being held in any Swiss bank.

“Switzerland and Nigeria agreed to request the World Bank to participate in the review of the use of funds, in the framework of a budget control process of various welfare projects,” he said.

The envoy, who maintained that Switzerland had no interest in withholding illicit funds, said his country had returned about $1.7bn to their countries of origin in the last 15 years.

He, however, said his country had yet to receive any request for information on the November 4 Berne Declaration report: Swiss Traders Opaque Deals in Nigeria, which allegedly accused the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation of conniving with some Swiss-based oil firms of fraudulent deals worth $6.8bn.

“I have no knowledge that we have been contacted by the authorities. In case they will start proceedings and they will need our help; of course with international legal cooperation, we will help them if they approach us. But until now, they have not approached us,” he said.

He said however that the report by the Berne-based NGO did not represent the position of the Swiss government.

Enemies printing me and Buhari's posters for 2015 – Amaechi

The Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has raised the alarm over an alleged printing of his presidential posters with that of a former Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.).

While Buhari is being portrayed as a presidential aspirant, Amaechi says he’s being taunted as his running mate for the 2015 election.

The plot of those printing the posters, according to sources, was to portray the governor as working in tandem with the opponents of President Goodluck Jonathan in order to scuttle the President second term ambition.

Amaechi, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Mr. Tony Okorocha, with reporters in Abuja on Monday, accused a serving minister from the region as being behind the said posters.

He decried the antics of the minister, which he said was aimed at making him (the minister) gain undeserved favour from the President.

He said the governor was aware of the ban on political activities, adding that he had also not told anyone that he would be running for any political office after his tenure in 2015.

The Chief of Staff said, “We want to call on Nigerians to plead with the minister to leave Amaechi alone and face the arduous task of his ministry so as to save the country from producing illiterates.

“What the minister is trying to do is to deceive the undiscerning minds in Rivers State and Nigeria so as to gain undue attention and continue to stay on in his post when he is nothing more than a mischief-maker and an expert in frivolity.

“The governor has not told anyone that he is contesting any elective position come 2015 and I don’t know why people would be printing his posters without his permission just because they want to tarnish his image and be seen to be working.”

Global smartphone subscriptions to hit 5.6bn by 2019 – Ericsson

Global mobile subscriptions are expected to reach a threshold of 9.3 billion by 2019, with smartphones accounting for about 5.6 billion (or 60 per cent), due to rising smartphone user experience.
According to the Ericsson Mobility Report, released at the International telecommunication Union Conference in Bangkok Thailand, last weekend, about 90 percent of the world’s population will be covered by WCDMA/HSPA in 2019 and 65 percent by the Long Term Evolution (LTE)/ 4G.
Smartphone subscriptions, the report disclosed would triple and smartphone traffic would increase 10 times between 2013 and 2019 reaching 10 exabytes. It also noted that video is growing at  55 percent annually, and this will represent more than 50 percent of the mobile data traffic, while social networking and web services will account for 10 percent each in 2019.
The reports, Ericsson maintained includes an appendix providing data and insights on telecommunication trends in sub Saharan Africa over the next 5 years, noted that mobile subscriptions are projected to grow to around 930 million by the end of 2019, with a 446 percent growth in low cost smartphones, PC’s and tablets, and increased viewing of video.
Speaking on this latest report, Ericsson’s Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy, Mr. Douglas Gilstrap, noted that the  rapid pace of smartphone uptake has been phenomenal and is set to continue. It took more than five years to  reach the first billion smartphone subscriptions, but it will take less than two to hit the 2 billion mark1. Between now and 2019, smartphone subscriptions will triple, it noted.
“Interestingly, this trend will be driven by uptake in China and other emerging markets as lower-priced smartphone models become available”.
Currently, smartphones represent 25-30 percent of all mobile phone subscriptions globally, but account for the majority (55 percent) of mobile phones sold in Q3. Over the forecast period, smartphone uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa will be relatively rapid, driven partly by low-cost smartphones entering the market and the increasing demand for content services to be delivered over mobile devices.
Gilstrap ,further explained that this edition of Ericsson Mobility Report also includes further analysis of applications (Apps) coverage2, a new approach to evaluating network performance and user experience, with particular focus on indoor and city environments. Radio signals attenuate rapidly as they go through buildings and the high concentration of users, building material and height all pose additional challenges.
Said he: “Having good mobile coverage is an important aspect of life for many; it is now ranked among the top five satisfaction factors of life in a city. As the majority of mobile traffic originates from cities, Ericsson compares three different strategies to provide indoor coverage using simulation software to predict the extent of app coverage in high-rise buildings in this
Issue”. Adding that Ericsson has created the Traffic Exploration Tool, for creating customized graphs and tables using data from the report and that this  information can be filtered by region, subscription, technology, traffic and device type.

12-year-old girl commits suicide in Ebonyi

A12-year-old girl, Miss Chisom Okechukwu, has committed suicide, hanging herself at her family compound at Nnoche-Uduke Community in Okpoitumo in the Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Okechukwu, a primary five pupil at Nnoche-Uduke Primary School, was said to have left home on Saturday and was not seen until Sunday morning, hanging on a tree at the back of her compound.

Her dangling body was discovered by her younger sister, Ndidi, who was going to the toilet dug at the back of the compound.

An eye-wtness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that Ndidi raised an alarm which attracted their parents and other members of the community who came and brought her down.

“The whole scenario brought tension and confusion in the community as people were seen in clusters discussing the death.

“People, especially some members of Okechukwu’s family are of the opinion that she did not commit suicide and insisted on a thorough investigation to unravel the true cause of her death,’’ said the witness.

He claimed that a neighbour to the Okechukwu family had reported to the girl’s parents that she stole her egg which made them to beat her.

“After the incident, Okechukwu went inside their house, changed into her new cloth and left the house only to be seen dangling lifeless on a tree on Sunday,’’ he said.

An elder in the community, Mr Friday Itumo, told NAN that the incident had brought confusion to the community as such a tragedy had never been experienced before in the community.

“Mr Okechukwu is not the girl’s biological father as her mother came in with her when she re-married Mr Okechukwu after her former husband’s death.

“Her former husband’s family members are now insisting that Mr Okechukwu should provide their daughter alive and this has compounded the problem,” he said.

Hundreds of sympathisers were seen trooping in and out of the compound, including her school mates who were visibly shocked by her sudden death.

The Ebonyi State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Chris Anyanwu, confirmed the incident, saying that the matter was reported to the Police Division in Ikwo.

“We have commenced investigation into the girl’s death to ascertain why she should engage in such act.

“We can’t confirm that she committed suicide because one can be killed and hanged by his or her killer, to claim that the person committed suicide.

“We assure her family, members of the community and the whole state that we would get to the root of this matter,’’ he said.

The girl’s body has been deposited at the Onueke General Hospital Mortuary in the Ezza South Local Government Area for autopsy.

Edo police kill 7 suspected robbers

The operation was personally led by the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Folusho Adebanjo.

At press time, the CP and a special squad of detectives were still combing the area popular referred as haven for robbers.

Some of the robbers, according to CP Adebanjo, were still in the bushes with bullet wounds.

As at 10:30am when the bodies of the dead policemen were brought to the Edo State Police Command, one of the robbers who identified himself as Sanda from KebbiState, was still alive and he confessed that he only joined his dead colleagues for the first time, because he needed money to go back to KebbiState.

One AK 47, cutlasses and assorted charms were recovered from the armed bandits. It would be recalled that passengers and drivers have been robbed almost on daily basis along the Benin by-pass, while in most cases the women among the passengers were raped by the armed bandits who are mainly Hausa Fulanis.

However, Adebanjo who is known for his zero tolerance as regards activities of robbers in the state narrated that “this operation took place at about 5:30-6am. Because we noticed that arm robbers who operate there always come out early hours when people are travelling or going to the market for their businesses so we.

Their activities along that by-pass have become an embarrassment and with intelligence which we gathered, we laid an ambush.

“What happens is that they normally come with a bus where they load themselves and when they get to the by-pass they distribute themselves to different locations to perpetrate their evil. You will look at the bus as an old one, may be you will even think they are going to the farm but they are dare devil armed robbers.

“You that the by-pass leads to different states but unfortunately these hoodlums made that place haven for operation. So we stormed there this morning following a tip off, we met them and enged them. They engaged us too the result is what you are looking at now.

Some of them are still in the bushes with bullet wounds, my men are still there pushing them and I am going back there myself because we are going to round all of them up.

“Armed robbers cannot be safe anywhere in Edo state. That is the message we have for them throughout this festive period and next year” he asserted.

Five killed, 200 houses burnt in Plateau communal clash

Five persons were reportedly killed yesterday and over 200 houses burnt in an attack on Kuka village in Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The attack, according to sources, was a result of unresolved communal conflict between the Tarok of Langtang South Local Government and the Gomai of Shendam Local Government.

Sources from southern Plateau said over 300 attackers stormed Kuka village with sophisticated weapons shooting and burning houses.

Shendam is in the southern part of the state and about 300 kilometres from Jos.

A resident, Abdullahi Ragmin, who is Gommai, confirmed that the attackers burnt 200 houses and shot five persons.

He listed the victims as: Malam Inuwa (60), Yakubu Kaura (43), Alhassan Abdullahi (50), Abdullahi Dungu (35).

Abdurrahman, he said, sustained a fractured arm and Musa dan Union was shot in the abdomen.

It was gathered that the attackers outnumbered the policemen at Kuka.

The attackers allegedly burnt houses and mosque and shot at people but 30 minutes later military reinforcement came from Taraba State, which borders Kuka.

Police spokesman Felicia Anslem confirmed the incident.

She said five people were killed when the attackers stormed the village.

But the Media and Information Officer, Special Task Force (STF) on Jos crises, ‘operation Safe Haven’, Capt Salisu Mustapha, confirmed two deaths.

He said: “The attackers were estimated to be about 100, they burnt houses but they were repelled. Calm has returned.”

Aero Contractors becomes national carrier, renamed NIGERIAN Eagle

Nigeria’s Federal Government is set to turn heavily indebted Aero Contractors Airline into the country’s national carrier, photographs made available NE show.Nigeria’s oldest commercial airline will now be called the Nigerian Eagle and will be launched by President Goodluck Jonathan once he returns from London, sources said.

One of Aero Contractors’ planes with registration number 5N BLC has already been painted into Nigeria’s national colours of green and white, a photograph shows.

The plane now resembles the aircraft once used by Nigeria Airways, the mismanaged government airline that crumbled years ago.

Sources said the government has also bought ten new Embraer planes to flag off the new national carrier.The ten Embraer aircraft will be added to the planes already in the fleet of Aero Contractors Airline, the source said.

Critics have criticised the move saying that Aero Contractors was so badly indebted that the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, took it over last year, when the airline couldn’t pay its debts.

They said with the takeover, billions of naira borrowed from Nigerian coffers have been erased and nobody has been held accountable for the big losses.

Besides, critics argue that national airlines are no longer viable in the world as they are often being mismanaged or abused.

The new national carrier to be launched by President Goodluck Jonathan will be a privileged airline that will receive waivers for virtually everything, the source said.”Arik Air will just die because it won’t be able to compete.

The Nigerian Eagle will operate from the General Aviation Terminal in Lagos,” the source said.

Jonathan back from London, Confirms Receipt Of N255 million BMW armoured Cars Scam Report

The president also said he has received the report of the three-member administrative panel of enquiry set up to probe the Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah’s role in the purchase of two bullet proof cars.

The President had in October instituted the panel to probe the procurement of two bullet proof cars by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, under the directive of Mrs. Oduah. The two cars were allegedly bought for N225million.

The panel was asked to investigate the minister’s role in the procurement and to determine if due process was followed in the procurement of the vehicles.

The three-member panel, chaired by the immediate former Head of Service of the Federation, Isa Bello, also has the National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, and Dick Iruenebere as members.

Speaking to State House correspondents on his arrival at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, the president was silent on the state of the report or whether government had decided to act on it.

A separate investigation by the House of Representatives had indicted Mrs. Oduah for the purchase and allegedly called for her removal and prosecution.

Several lawyers, activists and other Nigerians have also called for Mrs. Oduah’s removal and prosecution following the scandal.

Thanks Nigerians on illness

Also at the airport, Mr. Jonathan thanked Nigerians for the show of love and concern towards him over his health issues; saying

“I had health challenges, we thank God again because (of) the concern showed by Nigerians.”

“First let me thank and appreciate Nigerians for the show of love and concern. First on Wednesday, even though I was in London I read how people congratulated me, remembering my birthday that I don’t normally celebrate anyway.

“I really had some health challenges I have to thank God again because, the concern shown my Nigerians and the love. I thank God that I am very okay to resume work I believe from this night.

“The most important thing is that I am back. You will expect that when you are holding a political office as the president of a country, anything that affects

you attract a lot of attention. So that the President is sick alone even if you don’t know ailment definitely it will cause apprehension,” he said.
The President also disclosed that he would meet with aggrieved governors (G7) of his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but did not state when the meeting would take place.

“I don’t know I am just coming in, I believe within the week we will be able to meet,” he said.

“Politics is about discussion, we belong to the same political party or even people from different political parties engaged in political discussion and political discussion is a continuous process, even during election people discuss. So we will continue to discuss.”

The G7 governors belong to a faction of the PDP led by Abubakar Baraje and are opposed to Bamanga Tukur as the national chairman of the party and also allegedly opposed to the planned re-election bid of Mr. Jonathan in 2015

Deacon shoots dead his pastor while preaching in church

A pastor in Lake Charles, Louisiana was on Friday shot and killed as he preached in his church.

The man who shot him is allegedly Woodrow Karey, a 53-year-old deacon in the church. He is said to have called 911 and told the dispatcher what he had done.

According to witnesses, Karey went into the church – Tabernacle of Praise Worship Centre – at around 8:20 p.m. and shot Pastor Ronald Harris two times.

He shot him the first time as he entered the church and the second time at close range after he (Harris) fell on the floor.

The suspect then fled the scene on foot but called the sheriff’s office later to surrender.

The deacon has no known criminal record and his motive of killing his pastor is still unknown. His bond was set at $1million.

Zimbabwe orders Nigerians, other foreigners to close shops by Jan 1

Zimbabwean authorities say they have given foreign shop-owners mostly Nigerians and Chinese an ultimatum to shut down their businesses by Jan. 1.

A top official of the black empowerment ministry said only Zimbabweans had the right to run shops that have sprung up across the country and are termed foreign businesses targeted under the nation’s black empowerment laws, the state-controlled Herald newspaper reported Friday.

Those laws, passed in 2007, demand foreign businesses to cede 51 percent control to local blacks.

The foreign shop owners have been criticised for taking retail trade opportunities from Zimbabwean traders by selling cheap imports.

Poor townships and city flea markets have in recent years been inundated by shops run by foreigners.

According to state media, shop owners who fail to comply will be arrested.

Illegal immigrants: Saudi arrests 562 Nigerians – Envoy

Nigeria’s Consulate in Jeddah has issued Emergency Travel Certificates (ETC) to 45 Nigerians in Saudi Arabia to return home after the Saudi authorities began a clampdown on illegal immigrants three weeks ago.

Nigeria’s Consul General in Jeddah, Amb. Ahmed Umar, made this known in a telephone interview on Sunday in Abuja.

Umar said that the names and identity of the affected Nigerians had been dispatched to the Foreign Ministry in Abuja.

He that the Saudi authorities had arrested 526 Nigerians since the three-month amnesty given to undocumented immigrants to regularise their stay ended.

“It is not peculiar to Nigerians; it is applicable to all nationalities,” he said.
Umar dismissed reports that Nigerians detained in the country were kept in inhuman conditions at detention centres.

According to him, some of the detained Nigerians are being kept at the general services centre in Al-Shumaisi near Mecca, equipped with “modern facilities”.

He recalled that prior to the clampdown on illegal immigrants, the Saudi authorities had taken some foreign consular representatives to the centre.

Umar said that he had deployed some staff of the Nigeria consulate to the centre to identify Nigerians, collect their bio-data and issue travel documents for their deportation.

He explained that the new law in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stipulated a ban of 10 years for illegal workers deported from the country.

Umar said that some Nigerians living in the country had ignored repeated appeals by the Consulate for them to regularise their stay since the Saudi government announced the clampdown early in the year.

“We have been talking to our people and organising town hall meetings on the need for our people to come forward and regularise their papers or leave the country.

“But our people became very adamant and complacent,’’ he said.

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Amb. Abubakar Bunu, also told NAN that an estimated one million Nigerians lived and worked in the country, although it remained unknown how many were illegal.

He observed that not many Nigerians had come forward to seek consular help since the crackdown began and warned that those staying in the country illegally could face arrest and detention, if caught.