New Law To Make June 12 Official Democracy Day

The Osun State Government on Friday said that this year’s June 12 anniversary will be celebrated amidst pomp and pageantry as a mark of honour for the repose of the soul of the acclaimed winner of the annulled election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
Also, the state Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola is working on sending a bill to the state House of Assembly to make June 12 issue a constitutional one in the state in order for the government to recognize it as the state’s Democracy Day.

Speaking at a press conference to herald activities for the June 12 celebrations, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere, said that the present administration in the state will continue to give recognition to June 12 as the real Democracy Day in the country.


Akere who noted the significant contributions of Late MKO Abiola to the enthronement of democracy in the country, stated that some beneficiaries of democracy in the country were those who stood against the declaration of the outcome of the June 12, 1993 presidential election believed to have been won by Abiola.

His words: “what we are celebrating is the election held on 12th June, 1993 in which Nigerians went out with the goal of electing a president under the supposed handing over agenda of then military junta. The election adjudged as the freest in the democratic history of Nigeria was clearly won by MKO Abiola but the powers that be in their maradonic way and wisdom refused to declare him as winner, scuttling the process after over half of the results have been made public by the electoral body.”

The commissioner also informed that the state government was doing everything possible under the law to ensure that proper recognition is given to June 12 even by successive administrations in the state.

Also speaking, a human right activist, Comrade Amitolu Shitu observed that the beneficiaries of democracy in the country today were those who stood against the declaration of Chief MKO Abiola as the winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election.

Shittu declared that the spirit of democracy would continue to torment those who enjoy the present democracy in the country without paying the due price for it.

“The Late MKO Abiola sacrificed his life for Nigerian democracy to thrive. The messenger was actually killed but the message can never be killed,” he added.

Late MKO Abiola’s Wife Vows To Rule Lagos In 2015

One of the wives of the late MKO Abiola, the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential elections has announced her intention to run the affairs of Lagos come 2015.

Modupe Onitiri-Abiola told newsmen that her intention to run for the highest seat in Lagos was born out of her unquenchable desire to assist in the eradication of poverty from the state.
However, she is yet to name the party on which she will run.
Read Ontiri-Abiola’s speech below:
‘There should be no more poverty in this state or in this country. There is so much poverty and the situation on ground is extremely terrible, worse than what we thought it was at that time. But I am trying to look at what exactly is in the interest of the people.
What I am trying to do now is eradicate poverty and I know once you remove poverty, you remove everything and for you to be able to remove poverty, you need to have programmes. Some of these programmes include social welfare, free education, free health, affordable homes, good roads, providing for people that are not employed, helping people that are in business and who want to get into business.
When all that is put in place, you will eradicate poverty. Poverty should not exist in this country, not even in Lagos State’.
Today is the 20th anniversary of the annulled elections, generally agreed to have been the freest and fairest in Nigeria, ever.

8 Ways To Make Your Phone's Battery Last Longer

One big difference between the ‘torchlight’ feature phones and what we call ‘smartphones’ like BlackBerry, iphone and Samsung S3 and other such brands is battery life.
There’s no way smartphones can match up with feature phones in this regard. Even the best batteries don’t have enough reserves to power big, bright screens, along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and 3G.
However, by making a few changes to your phone’s settings (and maybe even changing the way you use your phone a little) you should be able to extend its battery life quite well. The aim here is to show you how to reduce your handset’s power consumption without making it unusable.


Here are eight ways you can boost your smartphone’s battery life.

Dim the screen brightness
Screen brightness is about the highest consumer of battery power. Most phones include an auto-brightness feature that automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness to suit ambient lighting levels. This mode uses less power than constantly running your screen at full brightness would. However, you can get far better results by reducing the brightness (under Settings/Options menu) to the lowest level you can tolerate Even if you do nothing else we suggest, following this one tip will extend the life of your battery dramatically.

Shorten the screen timeout
Screen time out is the amount of time the screen stays lit after receiving input. Under your phone’s display settings menu, you should find an option labeled ‘Screen Timeout’ or Backlight for BlackBerrys. Every second counts here, so set your timeout to the shortest available time. On most Android phones, the minimum is 15 seconds. If your screen timeout is currently set to two minutes, consider reducing that figure to 30 seconds or less. On a BlackBerry, the minimum you can set is 10 seconds.

Turn off Bluetooth
No matter how much you love using Bluetooth to transfer music or photos, once you are done, turn it off. Most phones ask for permission to switch on Bluetooth to send or receive a file, but will not turn it off automatically when done. By turning off the Bluetooth radio, you can add an hour or more to your phone’s battery life.
Turn off Wi-Fi
As with Bluetooth, your phone’s Wi-Fi radio is a serious battery drainer. While you will need to use your home or office Wi-Fi connection rather than 3G for internet access and other data services, there’s little point in leaving the Wi-Fi radio on when you’re out and about. Toggle it off when you go out the door, and turn it back on only when you plan to use data services within range of your Wi-Fi network. Look in the notifications area of you device to know if it’s on or not.

Don’t run apps in the background
Multitasking - the ability to run more than one application (app) at a time - is a powerful smartphone feature. It also burns a lot of energy, because every app you run uses a share of your phone’s processor cycles. By killing apps that you aren’t actually using, you can drastically reduce your CPU’s workload and cut down on its power consumption. For BlackBerry, press the Menu button and scroll to ‘Switch Application,’ a list of all running apps will show up. You can then select the ones not in use and close them. Sometimes, it’s worth closing all the apps and rebooting your phone from time to time as well.

Don’t use vibration only
Some people prefer to have their phone alert them to incoming calls by vibrating rather than playing a ringtone. Unfortunately, vibration uses much more power than playing a ringtone does. After all, a ringtone only has to make a tiny membrane in your phone’s speaker vibrate enough to produce sound. In contrast, the vibration motor rotates a small weight to make your whole phone shake. That process takes a lot more power. If you don’t want to be disturbed audibly, consider turning off all notifications and leave the phone in view so you can see when a new call is coming in. This approach is as courteous to your battery as it is to your friends and colleagues.

Switch from 3G to 2G
It is possible to switch Network Mode from 3G to 2G under Network and Connections Setting under Options menu for BlackBerry. Doing this can double battery power. The only implication is that download speeds are reduce when browsing. Everything else like calls, text messages and BBM, work just as fine under 2G setting.

Use Power-saving modes
Depending on your handset, you may find the manufacturer has provided power-saving features. Enabling this mode manages the phone’s various power-sapping features for you. It might, for example, prevent your apps from updating in the background, dim your screen, reduce the screen timeout setting, disable on-screen animations, and turn off vibration.
By default, this mode usually turns on when your battery level drops to 20 per cent, but you can set it to kick in at 30 per cent instead. And the sooner the phone switches to this power-saving mode, the longer its battery will last.

N’West PDP Warns Tukur Against Suspending Govs

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, has been told that it will be disastrous to force any of the six governors from the North-West out of the party.

The party in the zone also stated that none of the governors had done anything wrong to warrant suspension from the party.
The Vice Chairman of the party in the North-West, Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure, stated this in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Tuesday.
He was reacting to the suspension of the Governor of Sokoto State,  Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, from the party by its National Working Committee last Wednesday.
Announcing the suspension, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, had said the governor was suspended because he was rude to Tukur.
His suspension came few days after the party announced the suspension of the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, from the party.
Justifying Wamakko’s suspension, Metuh said the governor was axed after the party had carried out wide and exhaustive consultations in accordance with the party’s constitution.
Metuh, in a statement, said the governor was rude to the office of Tukur, and therefore, needed to be disciplined.
But Kazaure said all the six governors in the zone were loyal to the party, including Wamakko.
There are seven states in the North-West; six of them are being governed by the PDP.
The states under the rule of the PDP are Sokoto, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Katsina and Kano. Only Zamfara State is being ruled by the opposition, the All Nigeria People’s Party.
Kazaure said Wamakko did not do anything wrong to deserve his summary suspension from the party, adding that members of the party in the state and the zone were solidly behind him.
He said, “The PDP in the zone is solidly behind the six governors, including the governor of Sokoto State.
“He has not done anything wrong to warrant his suspension from the party at any level.
“Let it be known that we are going to remain in the party and nobody can force any of the governors, and even members, out of the PDP.
“If anyone has such ambition or think it is possible to do, tell the person he would fail. In fact, he has failed.”
Asked if the suspension of the governor would not make him or any of his colleagues to seek help in another party, especially the newly formed All Progressives Congress, Kazaure answered in the negative.
He said, “How would you leave your own house, where you are a landlord to go and bea tenant in an uncompleted building?”
Meanwhile, there were fears that the suspension of Wamakko, which came few days after Amaechi was suspended, was creating tension among the governors and members of the party.
The tension, it was gathered, had been communicated to the headquarters of the party in Abuja.
This was the reason, according to sources, why the national leadership of the party asked Metuh to issue a statement, asking its members to remain calm and that the disagreements would be resolved.

Why I Dumped My Marrriage -Actress, Chika Ike

Nollywood actress, Chika Ike in a recent interview bares her mind on the reason for her divorce.

According to her: ‘Well you get to a point in your life where you have to stop lying to yourself, you have to come terms with your person and tell yourself the truth. If it’s something that is working, it’s working and if it’s not, it’s not.
I believe in something, I believe happiness is everything to me so I just had to take that decision because it wasn’t working and I just thought I should tell myself the truth’.
Anambra State-born Chika and now ex-hubby, Tony Eberiri were married in 2006, but got separated in 2011 and finally sealed the divorce in May 2013.

Forget 2015 Presidency, Northern Youths Tell Buhari

Jibril Vatsa, son of former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the late Major-Gen. Mamman Vatsa, leading other northern youths under the aegis of the Concerned Northern Youths Forum, on Tuesday asked former Head of State and presidential candidate for the Congress for Progressive Change, Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to forget contesting the 2015 presidential election.

Vatsa, who is the Coordinator of the forum, noted that the former military head of state could no longer be trusted with power because of his unguarded utterrances.
He also asked Buhari, whom his late father worked with as FCT minister, and his new party to “not drag President Goodluck Jonathan and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, into their affairs.”
The forum, in a statement on Tuesday in Kaduna, was reacting to a statement in which the former head of state accused the CAN president of working for the Presidency ahead of the 2015 presdential election.
The CAN president had earlier called for the arrest of Buhari over some comments credited to him, where he said the Nigerian military personnel in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States were killing innocent civilians and destroying their homes.
Vatsa also described as unforunate comments credited to the former head of state, accusing CAN of working for Jonathan too realise his presdential ambition in 2015, saying Buhari could no longer be trusted.
Vatsa, “In 2003, when Buhari was reported to have asked Muslims to vote for only Muslim candidates, he claimed he was misquoted.
In 2011, after the presidential poll, when his inciting statement forced some northern youths to go on the rampage, Buhari claimed he was misquoted. Again in 2012, similar things were said by him ahead of the 2015 elections, if they are not free and fair, he claimed he was misquoted. Buhari can therefore not be trusted.
“We disagree with General Muhammadu Buhari that Oritsejafor’s statement “is lacking in facts” as presented by him. As northerners, who are concerned about the terrible state of the socio-political and economic activities in the North, we expect to see northern elders sit up to put their house in order.”

Increasing Cases Of Mass Murder: Security Operatives Cry Out

In recent times, several disasters have been recorded in different parts of the country, ranging from buildings collapse, fire outbreak, flooding, plane crash and detonation of Improvised Explosive Devices IEDs, which have resulted in serious casualties.

A typical example is the Kano bomb blast of January 2012 which claimed the life of Channels TV reporter, 31-year-old Enenchie Akogwu, who was on official assignment. Another example is the December 25, 2011 bomb blast at a Catholic Church in Bauchi State which claimed many lives, including children.
The culprit in most cases were members of the dreaded Islamic extremist sect popularly called Boko Haram who delight in using the IEDs in their orgy of mass killing of innocent Nigerians. Research has it that components of IEDs are readily available and can be easily packed inside small containers which makes detection difficult.
They can be hidden in toys or cans and planted in strategic places like meeting venues, churches, town halls, hotels, cinema houses, motor parks or garages, while the executioners stay at a safe distance to detonate the object without being hurt.
To pre-empt such acts of mass murder,the South-West zone of National Emergency Management Authority NEMA, recently gathered security operatives and emergency bodies together to brainstorm on appropriate response at  the scene of disasters especially where IEDs are involved.
The event which took place simultaneously in Lagos and Ogun drew participants from the Nigerian Navy, the Nigeria Police Force, the Airforce,the Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Red Cross, Nigeria Security and Civil defence Corps, federal and state fire services and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agencies, to mention just a few.
According to NEMA’s South-West coordinator, Iyiola Akande, disaster in Nigeria has reached an alarming level, saying this disturbing reality  prompted the workshop whic was designed to share and harness experiences from stakeholders on how they have been responding to various disasters, including mass casualty with a view to improving response mechanism. Also, it was used to address major challenges faced in the field and proffer solution.
Fire Officer 1 of the Lagos State Fire Services, Olukotun Afeez, called for mutual understanding among stakeholders, adding: ‘’Safety of lives should be paramount at the scene of disasters; so overlapping of duties must be handled with maturity. Superiority and rivalry among us has posed a major challenge to the smooth operation at the scene of a disaster. ‘’
Head of Operation, Ikeja Unit Command of FRSC, Abdulahi Mohammed, called for collaboration of stakeholders at the scene of a disaster. ‘’We need the support of one another, especially in crowd control without which we shall find it difficult to rescue victims,’’ he said and urged the general public to call the helpline 122 in case of road accidents.
Head of Operation Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, who represented his boss, called for identification of local disaster management involving local government chairmen and community development associations and committees before the arrival of emergency bodies at emergency scenes.
Also contributing, Chief Maritime Safety Officer Search and Rescue, NIMASA, Olaniyan Taiwo said his organisationNIMASA does not have the  “does not have the wherewithal to handle disaster alone; so, we work in synergy with other emergency bodies like NEMA, LASEMA and oil companies”.
Brigadier General A. Oyebade of the Nigerian Army Cantonment Ikeja, urged the general public to send text messages to 08160251041 or 08055002266 in case of IEDs and similar occurrences.
NEMA South-West Information Officer, Ibrahim Farinloye, said within the past few years, the agency has been able to prevent cases that would have led to mass casualties or fatal incidents’’.

Flashback: How MKO Abiola Was Killed By Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Theodore Bethnel Zadok

We relieve the last moments of the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola  publicly by the man who should know: Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Theodore Bethnel Zadok, who for the two years before the chief’s death was in charge of his living and imprisonation in government custody.
Zadok in his evidence-in-chief at the hearing of the petition by Abiola’s first son, Kola and physician, Dr. Ore Falomo, related how he was apparently handed away from Chief Abiola, and by the time he returned to him, he had been offered tea, only to be dead a few minutes thereafter.
Reading from a prepared text, the police officer said: "I was posted to head the detention base of Chief M. K. O. Abiola with about thirteen (13) body guards under me. and since the day I took over the duties of the detention camp of Chief M. K. O. Abiola I was responsible for collecting the sum of N800,000 (Eight Hundred Thousand Naira) quarterly from Major Hamza Al-Mustapha to the commissioner of police FCT command Abuja for his feeding.
That is three times a day subject to what he wanted to eat. I also took care of his health by seeing the Doctor any time he complained of any illness. In view of this he never ate any food or drank any thing without me tasting it first before giving it to him to eat or drink.
"I always collected some money from the Chief Security Officer Major Hamza Al-Mustapha to buy toiletries, fruit drinks, bedding and water.
"The Chief Security Officer Major hamza Al-Mustapha ordered me to give Chief MKO Abiola Koran and Bible for reading and I used to collect some money from the Chief Security Officer to buy some newspapers and magazines for the chief to read, and also give the chief some plain sheets for anything he might wish to write. My lord, Chief MKO Abiola never believed that I was a Security man who came to guard him, but a son who came to take care of his father. I will like to support this statement with a written note, written to me by Chief MKO Abiola.
"Before General Oladipo Diya’s coup attempt, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, on the 10th of December, 1997 ordered me to take Chief MKO Abiola to any safe place, preferably the commissioner of police guest house at Wuse. And after the said failed coup attempt Major hamza Al-Mustapha ordered me to move Chief MKO Abiola from the commissioner’s guest house to Kado Housing Estate popularly known as Jeremiah Useni Housing Estate Kado.
"On the 8th day of June 1998 the day the Head of State General Sani Abacha died the chief Security Officer Major Hamza Al-Mustapha ordered me along with Lt. Ikilama to move Chief MKO Abiola from Kado Housing Estate to Gado Nasko Barracks and from there all the 13 body guards attached to me were withdrawn except the driver and leaving the soldiers of the Guards Brigade to take over the guard.
But I was still left behind to be bringing food to Chief MKO Abiola as usual from the police officers mess Wuse Zone 7. Chief MKO Abiola was informed of the death of General Sani Abacha and the appointment of General Abdulsalami Abubakar as the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief. he wrote letters to general Abdulsalami Abubakar and the service Chiefs gave them to me to Photostat them for him.
He gave me some copies to give to Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and passed the rest to the respective owners. After the expiration of the second quarter allocation of N800,000 (Eight Hundred Thousand naira) I approached Major A. S. Aliyu Chief Security Officer to General Abdulsalami Abubakar to collect the money for the next quarter. He only told me he had heard me.
"On the day in question, the 7th Day of July 1998 at about 11.30hrs, the Chief Security Officer to General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Major A. S. Aliyu called me on the radio set, asking me to see him in his office. I then proceeded to his office and he instructed me to bring Chief MKO Abiola to Aguda House for an interview to be held by 1300 hrs.
"I then went back to the base and informed Chief MKO Abiola of the interview and he asked me whether Major Hamza Al- Mustapha was aware of the said interview. I told him didn’t know because Major Hamza Al-Mustapha was busy handing and taking over but I would see if I could locate him to inform him.
"He asked me to bring his dresses which he would wear and also asked me to give him 30 minutes to enable him get dressed. At about 1230hrs the Chief Security Officer to general Abdulsalami Abubakar Major A. S. Aliyu came to the base. To the best of my knowledge, that was the first time he knew that place, wanting to know if we were ready and I replied him almost ready. As we opened the door the Chief was already waiting for us. Together we went out and headed to Aguda House, venue of the Interview".
"Before we all left the base, chief MKO Abiola was in sound and healthy condition. He did not complain to me of any illness. About 100 metres from the door stand of the Aguda House, the controller from the control room called me on the radio set and said, I quote, "30 BRAVO your LOG I answered ALFA GOLF UNIFORM DELTA ALFA, HOTEL. And he said MAIG SYRIA GOLF from the OSCAR FOXTROT FOXTROT OF CHARLIE OSCAR GOLF SYRIA you should ROMEO PAPA TANGO to see the subject INDIA MIKE MIKE I answered RECEIVED."
Meaning 2i/c Prescort your present location. I answered Aguda House and he gave the message from the office of the Chief of General Staff and that you should see the Chief of General Staff Admiral Mike Akhigbhe immediately please and I answered noted please.
"As we arrived at the Aguda House door step, I led Chief MKO Abiola inside the house and I took permission from the Chief Security Officer to General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Major A. S. Aliyu in whose custody I left Chief MKO Abiola.
"He asked me to use his vehicle, leaving my vehicle at the door step where it was parked. I then took his vehicle as entrusted and left to see the Chief of General Staff Admiral Mike Akhigbe at about 1310hrs and I came back from seeing Admiral Mike Akhigbe at about 1350hrs, only to discover that my vehicle was not there at the parking spot. On arrival, I saw one of my Body Guards Sunday Pada standing by the side of the door.
I asked him where they had gone. He replied me they were inside and that the Chief Security Officer only sent my vehicle to Aso-Clinic and as I was about to enter the room, I met with the Chief Security Officer, Major A. S. Aliyu who told me that Chief MKO Abiola was not feeling fine and after taking a cup of tea he coughed and feel down.
"I quickly went inside and I saw Chief MKO Abiola lying on the floor facing down. I called him. for the first time he answered, and I lifted him up and turned him upside and called him again for the second time he did not answer. At that time doctor Sadiq Sani Wali from Aso Clinic arrived and about examining the chief.
I told him we should rush the Chief to the clinic for proper treatment. Myself, the Chief Security Officer, Major A. S. Aliyu, Doctor Sadiq Sani Wali and the two white men standing lifted Chief MKO Abiola into my vehicle outside for onward movement to Aso-clinic.
Before getting to Aso-Clinic I saw Dr. Sadiq Sani Wali pressing his (Abiola’s) stomach up and down a kind of resuscitating him. As we arrived the clinic, Chief M.K.O. Abiola was rushed to the Emergency Room where I stood by with the doctors including the two white men and the Chief Security Officer Major Aliyu until when Dr. Sadiq Sani Wali later confirmed to us that Chief M.K.O Abiola was dead.
"We came out of the Emergency Room and the Chief Security Officer Major A. S. Aliyu phoned the villa, I heard him saying to the ADC please, connect me to the Head of State I have an important message for him. For about three minutes they continued the discussion with the Head of State while he was moving towards his vehicle outside. So I didn’t hear what he was discussing with the Head of State. After the phone call, we both left for the villa,
"The questions to ask are:
Who gave Chief M.K.O. Abiola tea in my absence?
Who tasted the tea before giving it to him?
And in whose presence was the tea tasted?
"The questions are for the Chief Security Officer to General Abdulsalam Abubakar; Major Aliyu to answer. And I want to testify before this Honourable Commission that on the 6th day of July 1998 at about 2200hrs Kola Abiola the son to late Chief M.K.O. Abiola his step mother; and about three of his sisters were with their father at Aguda House until 0130hrs of 7th July, 1998. I want to say categorically here that his father Chief M.K.O. Abiola was in a sound and healthy condition.
"Based on the statement made to the Commission by Femi Falana on the 5th day of July 2001 that Chief M.K.O Abiola was driven from Kano State to Abuja where he said that the Chief fell inside the Black Maria four times before arriving Abuja is totally false, because to the best of my knowledge Chief M.K.O Abiola was never detained out of Abuja.
"On the 28th day of July 1998, I collected, from the Commander Brigade of Guards, Gado Nasko Barracks, the late Chief M.K.O Abiola’s property and handed them over to Alhaji Babagana Kingibe on the 31st day of July, 1998 who ordered his orderly Sergeant Mustapha Gana to check, sign and collect the property from me and he, Babagana Kingibe, made a contact call to the family of Chief M.K.O. Abiola to come forward and collect the said property.

Military Operations In North Successful – FG

The ongoing military operations in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states have been successful, the Federal Government has said.

It also said the civilians in the states were adequately protected, stressing that it was doing all in its powers to reduce disasters in the country.
The Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Sani Sidi, stated this in Abuja on Tuesday.
He spoke when he received the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa, and Chairman, Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, Mr. Said Djinnit.
He said, “At the moment, the military campaign going on in the North has been successful and the civilian communities in the areas are been protected. It will interest you to know that the government is doing all within its might to address the challenges that arise, whether natural or man made in this country.”
Sidi said the UN had shown confidence in Nigeria disaster management procedures.
According to him, NEMA is tasked with the responsibility of working with the military Joint Task Force to provide humanitarian assistance and ensure the welfare of citizens in the affected states throughout the duration of the emergency rule.
He added, “In carrying out this function, NEMA in collaboration with JTF has set up a humanitarian cell at the JTF headquarters in Maiduguri and sub-cells in the sector commands to facilitate the coordination of humanitarian operations during the period.
“NEMA is also working closely with State Emergency Management Agencies in the three states and relevant ministries, department and agencies to facilitate a smooth and efficient humanitarian operation.”
Djinnit urged the Nigerian security operatives to protect the innocent citizens that might be caught in cross-fire in the affected states.
He said, “It is your duty and that of the military to protect the innocent citizens in these states because whatever affects them affects you as a country and affects West Africa. You have the responsibility to help, which is solidarity.
“We want political security, peace and stability in West Africa and we must do whatever is possible to make this happen. We at the UN have the duty to support you in whatever capacity we can because we cannot live in an unsafe world.”
President Goodluck Jonathan on May 14 declared a state of emergency in the three states.

"Corruption Among Leaders Embarrassing Nigerians"

The  Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye, has said corruption among Nigerian leaders has become a source of embarrassment to Nigerians living outside the country.
Ajakaye said this in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday at a special thanksgiving service to mark the 50th birthday of the wife of Ekiti State Governor, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, which was held at the Government House Chapel.
He said,  “The bad image Nigeria is having in the international community is caused by the activities of corrupt Nigerian leaders  and the involvement of some Nigerians  in criminal activities. Nigeria is seen as bad because we make it to look so.”
The cleric urged those in power to be serious about the war against corruption, saying this would tarnish the image of the country and ensure that Nigerians were not treated with respect outside the shores of the country.
The bishop lauded the governor and his wife for the role their played in the struggle for the actualisation of June 12, 1993 presidential election, believed to have been won by the late Chief M.K.O Abiola.
 He said, “June, 12, 1993 was a dark time in the history of this nation. After the annulment of the election, Dr. and Mrs. Fayemi were  seen protesting on the streets of London. This showed  how far a child of God could go to ensure justice.”

PDP Warns Aregbesola Against Naming Airport After Abiola

The Peoples Democratic Party has warned Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, not to name Ido-Osun Airport after the winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief M.K.O Abiola.

A statement by the Chairman, Osun PDP, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, on Tuesday, said it was wrong to name the airport after Abiola because the airport had not been completed.
Olaoluwa added that it was wrong of the state government to name a Federal Government project after Abiola.
“No state government can name any edifice or project belonging to the Federal Government. When President Goodluck Jonathan named University of Lagos after MKO it was the Action Congress of Nigeria that were criticising the action or have they forgotten so soon?” he said.
Describing MKO Abiola as a symbol of democracy, Olaoluwa said the naming of the airport  after the late business mogul was political.
Osun State  Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Sunday Akere, however dismissed the claims by the opposition party, describing the claims as “false and infantile.”
“The MKO Abiola Airport is solely financed by Osun State government. The Osun PDP is an unfocused and rudderless party without compunction and integrity. The PDP is intimidated by the enormity of projects being executed by the Rauf Aregbesola administration,” Akere said.
State   Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Integration, Mr. Basiru Ajibola, said, “The claim is the height of hallucination.
“Let the PDP show Federal Government’s letter of award for the contract. Aeronautic Engineering and Technical Service, which is an arm of the Nigerian Air Force, is involved in the project being handled solely by Osun State.”
“Governance is not about jesting, selfishness and corruption. The PDP is a party of jesters. These are people who sleep and wake up every day from the wrong side of the bed. Otherwise, how can the party wake up and lay claim to a project being financed 100 per cent by the state government?”

Nollywood Actress, Oby Edozien Expecting First Child

Nollywood actress and movie producer Oby Edozien and husband, former Nigerian pop icon, Alex Okoroigwe, popularly known as Alex O are expecting their first child together as Oby is said to be pregnant and already showing.

The couple have been married for 2 years and there were reports that Oby was once pregnant but suffered a miscarriage.
Congrats to them.

Man Walks 40km Through Forest With Pregnant Wife On Shoulder To Save Her Life

In an effort to save his pregnant wife and their child, a man walked through forest for about 40km in heavy rains carrying the ailing woman on his shoulders to get her to a hospital, India.
The tribal youth, Ayyappan, carried his seven-month pregnant wife, Sudha set off for the hospital from the Konni forests on Tuesday last week.
Ayappan walked to Kokkathod, said to be about 40km from the place he was staying in the forest, and then managed to get a jeep to take his wife to Pathnamthitta district hospital from where she was referred to Kottayam medical college hospital as she had convulsions.
"The woman's life had been saved since she was carried all the way, but the baby could not be saved.
Labour was induced for the delivery of the dead foetus," Dr Kunjamma Roy, head of the Gynaecology department of the Kottayam Medical college hospital told PTI.
The delivery was on Wednesday and the mother is recovering, she said.
When the woman was brought to the hospital, she had oedema, high blood pressure and convulsions. Convulsions during pregnancy can affect both mother and child, Dr Roy said.
The couple were living in the Konni forests and eked out a living by selling honey and various other products from the forest.
As media reports came in about the couple, offers of financial assistance have started pouring in.

Empowered & Entrepreneurial: Nigerian Women Receive Boost From New Business Network

Launched on 1st March 2013, Women Of West Africa In Entrepreneurship (WOWe) was created to meet the needs of Nigeria’s ‘missing middle’, young educated African women who are driven to start in business but face significant challenges in competing with their male counterparts.

The Global Banking Alliance for Women says women entrepreneurs drive 20% more revenue in spite of 50% less being invested in them. This picture becomes even more extreme when viewed at a national level; according to the IFC, in Nigeria women owned businesses represent over 25% of registered businesses but have access to less than 3% of commercial bank finance.

Launched just a few weeks ago; Women Of West Africa In Entrepreneurship (WOWe) has garnered wide support from the female business community in Nigeria, connecting a landmark 10,000 members in just under 4 weeks. Entrepreneur and WOWe member Victoria Benedicta Okpanachi says “I have waited a long time for this kind of organisation. I have two products, both are doing well but there are lots of challenges in getting things done. Labour is scarce for me to get as a starter; I can't pay more than I gain. The banks are not helping matters at all. If more women get empowered in Nigeria things will get better.”

The organisation’s first conference will take place on the 20th and 21st of June at the Eko Hotel on Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, and workshops will take place on the 22nd at the Wheatbaker Hotel on No 4 Opitolo Rd, Ikoyi, Lagos. The objective of the WOWe conference is to raise the profile of excellence in entrepreneurship to Nigerian women between 18 – 40, as well as profile and promote young upcoming female entrepreneurs. A key aim is to make entrepreneurship accessible to women through social media, interactive panels, Q&A sessions and participation from young upcoming female entrepreneurs.

PhD Student, Entrepreneur and WOWe member Tosin Alabi agrees with this approach, “I get inspiration, especially from the stories of other women who have succeeded in their own businesses. These success stories reassure you that with hard work you can also succeed. It is not just a community for me anymore, it’s a family of successful female entrepreneurs who encourage and support each other.”

She goes on to observe, “Nigeria has a population of about 50% women and only in the last couple of years did their role in development gain serious attention. As women, there is still a lot of work to be done as regards our contribution to the development of Nigeria. Women are still yet to totally overcome the clutches of the cultural set back placed on them, as they are often viewed only as mothers and wives. I believe we can only contribute our quota by working hard ourselves and encouraging as many hard working women around us as we can.”

The cultural obstacles faced by women are universally acknowledged. It is widely accepted that creating entrepreneurial opportunities and building capacity in financial literacy, business and financial management and ICT for women and girls is critical for economic development and prosperity in Nigeria. However, while there are many high profile initiatives, funds, grants and training programs available to empower and support women in this regard, there isn’t an impartial national platform that allows all the key stakeholders in this sector to meet.

Additionally, many women entrepreneurs are not aware or have the skills or network to take advantage of these initiatives designed for their development. In fact some of the funds and special budgets allocated to support women entrepreneurs remain unspent in Nigeria. Student and WOWe member Anurika Kenneth says “We need to enlighten society on the dangers of excluding our women and girls from education. Society also needs to know the potential dangers of such acts to national development.”

Recently, CBN launched N200bn fund for SMEs, 60% of which should go towards women-owned enterprises providing them with single digit interest rate repayment terms. According to a study released by the World Bank, if girls in Nigeria were employed at the same rate as boys, they would add $13.9 billion to the country’s annual GDP. Unlike men, women tend to invest 90 percent of their income back into their families and communities (Cherie Blair Foundation for Women on April 29, 2013).

Speaking at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Christine Lagarde said, “When women do better, economies do better.” The writing is on the wall, the message is clear and the time in now for the women of Nigeria to drive their nation’s development to the next level.


Event Information

The first WOWe conference will gather representation from women from all walks of life from female entrepreneurs to aspiring businesswomen. The forum will also include banks, financial services organizations, development finance and impact fund investment institutions, Government agencies with responsibility for the empowerment of women, SME development organisations, corporations, NGOs and Charities, ICT & mobile companies.

This event will be one of the largest Women Entrepreneur Conferences to hold in Nigeria.

WOWe is sponsored and supported by Eden Lifestyle, Internal Revenue Service Lagos State, QuickBooks Accounting Made Easy, The Wheatbaker Lagos and more!

WOWe also has strong media partners including Forbes Africa, New African Woman Magazine, Ventures Africa, Exquisite Magazine, The Guardian Newspaper, Thisday Style, Bella Naija, Cool FM, Nigeria Info, Wasabi FM, Precious Success, TW Magazine and more!

No Cellphones For Unmarried Girls, No Jeans For Women

India — Joining the ranks of "self-appointed" guardians of public morality, BJP's Rajya Sabha member and Madhya Pradesh party vice-president Raghunandan Sharma has come up with bizarre suggestions to check crime against women: Girls shouldn't be allowed to use mobile phones before marriage and women shouldn't wear jeans.
Sharma's gave vent to his thoughts while addressing a meeting of Brahmins in Ratlam district on Sunday. He termed cellphone usage by students, particularly young girls, as a big menace and the genesis of other evils.
The BJP leader lambasted girls wearing jeans, saying it was the attire of American cowboys and in no way gelled with the Indian culture.
When contacted by TOI over phone on Monday, Sharma stood by his statements, but said these were his individual views and in no way reflected the BJP's official line.
The Congress and National Commission for Women have condemned the statements.
Commission's chairperson Mamta Sharma said it seems that the politician still wants women to live in the ancient era. '
"This leader must be deplored by all women."
The Congress demanded a public apology from Sharma as well as the BJP.
"These statements have once again proved beyond doubt the double standards in the ruling party in MP. While chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan tom-toms his pro-women schemes, senior leaders of his party like Vijay Shah, Babulal Gaur, Kailash Vijayvargiya and Raghunandan Sharma by their statements have revealed the anti-women face of the party.
We demand a public apology not only by Sharma, but even his party over his statements," state Congress spokesperson Narendra Singh Saluja said.

Mixed Reactions Greet Cremation Bill

Mixed reactions have greeted the signing into law of the cremation bill by Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State.
The law had given legal teeth to state authority to burn unclaimed corpses in its mortuaries– after a period of time.
Reacting to the development, Mr Charles Audu, a lawyer, told NAN that the signing into law of the bill was a commendable effort by the governor because it would help reduce the problem of unclaimed corpses.
“This is a commendable effort by the Governor because it will help reduce the problem of mortuaries being filled with unclaimed corpses,” he said.
Mr Adewale Adeleke, also a Lagos based lawyer, told NAN that though the Lagos state government had signed the bill into law with good intentions, including decongesting morgues, some other things should have been considered.
“This is Africa where we have people with different beliefs, superstitions and traditions that could contradict the idea of cremating corpses. I just personally feel all these things should have been considered.”
Mrs Olaitan Aina, a teacher, said that though the act was not compulsory on all residents, but the feelings of the masses should have been considered before its enactment because nobody would like to see or hear that the corpse of a relative, friend or family member was burnt.
“The act of cremating unclaimed corpses could have psychological effects on their families, if they later find out and think of what must have been done to the body. I just hope there is a form of counselling for them,” she said.
Miss Adenike Sobowale, a trader, noted the novel idea behind cremating unclaimed corpses, but questioned what happened to those without the means for burying their relatives.
“If we can’t keep the corpse at home and we have no money for a burial yet, are we now going to be forced to leave the corpse for cremation?”, she asked.
The law empowers medical practitioners, with government approval, to cremate abandoned and unclaimed corpses, after a reasonable period of time has been given as notice.

ATTEND THE LARGEST XPERIENTIAL MARKETING CONFERENCE IN WEST AFRICA

Brands are realizing that awareness is no longer enough—it’s about brand experiences and creating brand relationships. Hence the need to stay ahead of the curve, utilizing new ways to create and amplify brand experiences.

 

Participate in the forthcoming Xperiential Marketing Conference (XMC) 2013 set to hit Lagos Nigeria on June 28-29^th 2013 at the Civic Centre Victoria Island, Lagos.

 

Over 200 middle to senior level marketers from Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique and Ghana have secured their seats. Why not join them and participate in this revolutionary conference. Thanks to our support partners and exhibitors, you can now pay 20% less. The first 300 delegates also get a book by Max Lenderman.

 

Xperiential Marketing Conference features International renowned experiential methodology strategists like Erik Hauser (Global Speaker and Thought Leader on Experiential Methodology, Founder Experiential Marketing Forum, Founder IXMA International Experiential Marketing Association, Executive Creative Director epicentre USA) and Max Lenderman, (Executive Creative Director MDC Partners ‘The Arsenal USA, Team Enterprises, Director OuterActive at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, Award Winning Author, Global Speaker on subjects of strategic branding, experiential marketing and emerging global business trends).

 

Other notable speakers and panelists expected at the conference are Folake Ani-Mumuney, (General Manager Marketing, First Bank of Nigeria Limited) and Dele Anifowose (The Marketing Director, Cadbury Nigeria) Kayode Olagesin (Managing Director Towncriers) Joshua Akinbanjo (Director and Head of Promotions & Sponsored Assets, HNI & Enterprise Portfolio in leading Telco) Tolu Medebem (Managing Partner Eventplus Integrated Marketing Services) and lots more.

 

If you are still considering why you should register, we will give you THREE REASONS why this event is a MUST ATTEND!

 

1. LEARN & BE INSPIRED

The speakers will inspire you with fresh ideas. Germaine questions and issues as relating to the evolution taking place in the marketing world will be discussed. Getting direct access to some of the brightest minds in the business is an invaluable asset and source of inspiration and knowledge.

 

2. STAY INFORMED

Get the latest trends from leading industry professionals, Share and Discuss Case Studies and Participate in the Interactive Panel Discussion.

 

3. CONNECT & NETWORK

Join key influencers in the marketing industry. Company Directors, CEOs, Marketing Managers, Brand and Communications Managers, Account Directors, Event Managers alongside entrepreneurs and SMEs from across Africa. Re-connect with old industry buddies and make new experiences.

 

There will be exhibition points for brands to showcase their product and services

XMC is expected to become the largest yearly experiential marketing conference and exhibition in Africa, attracting international participants from America, Europe and Asia.

 

Facebook like page; www.facebook.com/XMConference

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LinkedIn Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Xperiential-Marketing-Conference-Nigeria

 

Register Today! Visit www.xmc.com.ng

 

For more enquiries call 08106762999, 08106768000 or send an email to info@xmc.com.ng

VIDEO: Racist Police Officers Caught Beating Woman

The video without audio captures two Texas police officers slamming an afroamerican woman’s head into a counter top and wrestling her to the ground.

[Scroll down for video]
As the woman, 25-year-old Keyarika Diggles, speaks to her mother on the phone to make an arrangement for payment, Officer Ricky Grissom cuts the line off.
He then hands her something, and she snatches it off of the counter. He gets visibly angry and approaches her, screaming in her face drill sergeant style.
Then another cop, Officer Ryan Cunningham, comes into the picture and tries to detain her.
He wrestles her to the floor but not before slamming her face on the counter and pulling her hair — with such force that her scalp is visible — and handcuffing her. And if you thought the attack was over, it wasn't.
It is very disturbing that this happens even in the most civilized nations. Where is the respect for human rights?
One cannot help but wonder how often incidents like this happens where it isn't reported or caught on camera.
While she is on the floor, Officer Cunningham attempts to drag her by her foot, but he holds onto her shoe, which slips right off and sends him tumbling backward into a little hallway.

But that does not stop him from dusting himself off and trying again, this time with a better grip. He drags her around the counter while Officer Grissom struggles to hold open the door to the holding cell.
Just then another woman who works at the station comes from seemingly nowhere and holds the door open. However, you see in the second half of the video from the other angle that this woman stood there watching the entire attack take place.
The woman tried to file a written complaint, and when her protests were ignored, Jasper City Council Member Alton Scott handed the tape to a local news station.
After both officers were terminated on Monday, the council requested both officers be investigated for possible criminal charges.
She is being represented by Cade Bernsen, a top Jasper lawyer. In the attack, Diggles suffered her hair being pulled out, her braces coming loose and a broken tooth.
This attack comes on the heels of the 15-year anniversary of the famous Jasper racist attack on a man who was dragged behind a pickup truck and ultimately decapitated by a culvert.

Democracy Has Come To Stay Despite Imperfections – Abdulsalami

Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has said democracy has come to stay in Nigeria despite imperfections still being experienced.
He, therefore, urged Nigerians to be patient as the nation wades through the learning process.
Abubakar who transited Nigeria into the current democratic dispensation in 1999 told journalists in Jos, weekend, that democracy was still on track despite various challenges which he viewed as part of the learning process.
He spoke after a courtesy call on Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State during which he commended the gradual peace being experienced in the state.
He regretted the crisis that rocked the once peaceful state in the past  and called for collective effort to sustain the peace, adding: “May this evil never visit us again.”
The former military leader who was on his way to Bauchi, commended Jang for the transformation the state had witnessed in recent times, noting how he did not recognise Rayfield, where he once served during his military career, because of the new road network.
He urged the governor to continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people and enjoined the people to cooperate with government to sustain peace.
Jang praised Abubakar for being the midwife of the current democracy in the country, adding that without his patriotism and personal sacrifice, democracy might have remained elusive.
He described him as a man of destiny who has continued to contribute to the development of the country in various capacities

Ghana To Deport 200 Chinese Illegal Miners

Some Chinese involved in illegal small scale mining are to be deported after their   arrest in southern Ghana over the past several weeks, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) announced on Monday.
Francis Palmdeti, the Head of Public Relations of the GIS, who made this known while fielding questions from journalists said the Chinese had “voluntarily” opted to be repatriated.
A task force set up by President John Dramani Mahama had been arresting foreign nationals involved in illegal small-scale mining in the Central, Western, Eastern and Ashanti regions over the past several weeks.
They include Chinese, Italians and Niger nationals.
Palmdeti said the Chinese, who were at the GIS, would be screened before being deported. The Chinese embassy last week complained of the arrests.
The Ghanaian authorities have been concerned about the increase in activities of small-scale miners that had degraded the environment and polluted water bodies.
Illegal miners pollute rivers with the use of chemicals such as mercury used in recovering the gold. There has been an invasion of the area by foreigners, especially Chinese, who use heavy earth moving equipment in their operations.
The government has called for swift and decisive action against illegal mining, which is rampant in gold and diamonds. Some of the illegal miners encroach on concessions of registered mining companies.Illegal mining has also led to deaths of illegal miners in pits that collapsed on them or are flooded by rains

Single Tenure: Presidency Gives Condition For Support

The Presidency on Monday gave a condition for it to support the six-year single term for President and governors recommended by the Senate Committee on Constitution amendment.
The condition which is a U-turn on its earlier promise to abide by any law on single term, is that such an amendment must take effect from 2019.
The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Dr. Ahmed Gulak, made this known while featuring on a Channels Television programme, Sunrise.
Gulak had on May 1 said President Goodluck Jonathan was ready to forget his ambition to run for second term in 2015 if the proposal for a single non-renewable six-year tenure sailed through.
He had added in an interview with The PUNCH that Jonathan’s ambition to stage a return would be shelved if Senators decided in favour of a single term for the President and governors.
The Presidential aide had said, “Nigerians will remember that it was President Jonathan that suggested an idea of a single term from the beginning. So if the proposal becomes a law, the credit should go to the President.
“If it becomes a law and is enshrined in our constitution, the President and everybody will be bound by the provision of that law. We are not seeing the move as a way of stopping the President from re-contesting in 2015. The law cannot be made because of one individual. When it takes effect, everybody will be bound by it.”
But on Monday, Gulak hinged support for the single tenure amendment on 2019 commencement date. This, he explained, would give President Jonathan and first term governors the opportunity to contest the 2015 elections.
Gulak said by 2019, the President and state governors who are currently serving their first term of four years would have completed their second and final term as allowed by the 1999 Constitution.
He said with the amendment taking off in 2019 , the country would then start on a clean slate with the President and governors that would emerge then already aware that they would serve only a single tenure of six or seven years as the case may be.
Gulak insisted that denying the incumbent President and first time governors the opportunity of participating in the 2015 elections would be unfair to them since the constitution under which they were elected allows them to contest a maximum of two terms.
He said, “The President has the single tenure idea and he still stands by it. The difference is that the amendment should not be in such a way that it will be targeted at a group of people.
“The committee’s proposal is that those incumbent governors and the President who are supposed to enjoy second term will not participate.
“What we are saying is that laws are not amended to target a particular group of people. It could have been okay if all those first term governors are allowed to participate, and after 2019, anybody coming in will know that he is going to be elected under the amended constitution.
“As it is today, it appears that the first term governors will be shortchanged because their rights to be re-elected or to contest under the 1999 Constitution as amended would have been abridged if this proposal goes through.
“Is it proper to shortchange them when they were elected under a constitution that allows them two terms of four years each? That is the crux of the matter.”
Gulak explained that Jonathan agreed not to benefit from the single tenure proposal when he moved the idea because he believed that the amendment would commence after he or the governors might have finished their second term.
He expressed the belief that the proposal would not scale through since the process involved in amending the constitution was a long one.
He was confident that party politics would come to play at the appropriate time.
On the proposal by the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, for the party’s automatic tickets for the President and first term governors, Gulak said the suggestion was his (Anenih ) personal opinion.
He said since the party’s constitution recognised primary elections, automatic tickets were not the position of the party and that of the President.
Gulak said, “One of our leaders was the one who said his opinion. That was his opinion; it was not the opinion of the party. It happens all over the world. In the United States, Barack Obama did not contest primary election in his party when he was running for a second term.
“If we are to follow the US option, it therefore means that the incumbent President or governors should be given the first choice of refusal but here we are in Nigeria, in 2011, the President was subjected to primary when he was an incumbent President.”
Meanwhile, Afenifere, the pan Yoruba socio – political group, has described as improper, any move that could exclude the President and first term governors from seeking releection.
Secretary General of the group, Bashorun Seinde Arogbofa, in an interview with our correspondent in Akure, said, “It is not proper to make laws that would favour some people and exclude some others. We should not give excuse to legitimise illegality.”
Arogbofa noted that Afenifere had never supported the fact that the National Assembly should amend the constitution on behalf of Nigerians because most of the members were not the real representatives of the people.
He however described the single term tenure proposal as commendable because it would reduce a lot of problems usually identified during second-term struggle by elected politicians at the federal, state and council levels.

67-Year-Old Man Commits Suicide In church Premises

A 67-year-old church guard identified as Matthew Isidahume, yesterday,  reportedly committed suicide with his lifeless body found dangling  within the premises of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Gbagura, Ago- Oka, in Abeokuta  North Local Government of  Ogun State.
It was learnt that members of the church who converged for the morning prayers discovered the corpse of the deceased where he allegedly hung himself.
When the scene was visited, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and some policemen were seen at the place.
Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi,  who confirmed the incident said  three guards were supposed to be on duty when the incident happened.
Adejobi  said: “The deceased left a suicide note which is currently assisting us in our investigation, but the command will do a thorough job toward getting to the bottom of the matter.”
However, a  member of the church council, who identified himself as Adekunle Adegoke, said the deceased was the church’s night-guard, adding that those who came for the morning prayer meeting met the gate locked and waited for about 30 minutes thinking the late Matthew was busy.
He said: “When there was no trace of him, the people decided to push a small boy across the fence and  the boy later returned with the sad news that Matthew had hung himself.
“Really, if you see him, the first thought will be that there was a sort of complex issue, probably there is a foul play. But looking closely you will see his footprints on the generator which showed that he climbed, tied something on his neck and then jumped.”

FG Uncovers 46,821 Ghost Workers, Saves N118.9bn

The Federal Government on Monday said it had so far identified 46,821 ghost workers in 215 of its ministries, departments and agencies where it had introduced the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System.
The IPPIS is a new innovation of the government that is meant to enhance efficient personnel cost planning and budgeting by making personnel cost to be based on actual verified numbers and not estimates
The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, confirmed the development during her presentation at the 2013 Ministerial Platform in Abuja.
The event provided an avenue for ministers to present their mid-term stewardship to Nigerians about their contributions to the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Okonjo-Iweala said as of January this year, the IPPIS had 153,019 members of staff of 215 MDAs, adding that work was currently ongoing to bring in the other 321 MDAs into the system.
This, she said was part of the reform measures aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of government resources.
The minister said, “The Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System enhances efficient personnel cost planning and budgeting, as personnel cost will be based on actual verified numbers and not estimates.
“Two hundred and fifteen MDAs (153,019 staff) are on the IPPIS as of January 2013. Savings on payroll cost to date is N118.9bn and work is ongoing to bring in other 321 MDAs not yet on the IPPIS. About 46,821 ghost workers have also been identified.”
The minister also said the introduction of the Government Integrated Financial Management and Information System in April 2012 had helped to boost the speedy execution of the budget.
She said, “The GIFMIS is aimed at improving the acquisition, allocation, utilisation and conservation of public financial resources, using automated and integrated, effective, efficient and economic information systems.
“Fifty-eight per cent of the budget is now executed through GIFMIS. This is expected to rise to 79 per cent by end of the third quarter of 2013.”
On the Treasury Single Account, which is a unified structure of government’s bank accounts that gives a consolidated view of the cash position, Okonjo-Iweala explained that its introduction had helped to reduce how government’s accounts were being overdrawn.
“Ninety-three MDAs are currently on the TSA. Government’s overdrawn position has dropped from N102bn in 2011 to N19bn in 2012,” he said.
The minister also said the Federal Government had taken adequate measures to increase non-oil revenues.
For instance, she said through tax enforcement mechanism, the government had recovered over N10.65bn as outstanding tax liabilities.
She also said the modernisation of tax administration and operation helped the government to register 227,140 new tax payers in 2012 alone.
Okonjo-Iweala also used the occasion to clarify what she called misconception about the country’s debt position.
She said that contrary to the widely held opinion that Nigeria was becoming a highly indebted nation; the country’s national debt was still low.
The minister explained that what the government was doing was to reduce domestic borrowing and take advantage of the interest-free loans from international financial organisations.
Giving a flow of the domestic borrowing, Okonjo-Iweala said N107bn was borrowed in 2006; N200bn in 2007 and N155bn in 2008.

Youths Hunt Boko Haram In Maiduguri

There are reports that youth groups from several areas in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, have launched a manhunt for suspected Boko Haram members.

According to witnesses, yesterday, that the youths who are on a voluntary mission to help security operatives, arrested some suspects, weekend, tied them up and handed them over to the Joint Task Force.

 

More than 500 youths from Gwange I, Gwange II, Blabirin, Mafoni and Hausari wards of Maiduguri are said to have organised themselves and resolve to go after insurgents who are sneaking back to the city, and hand them over to the authorities.

 

The JTF spokesman Lt. Col. Sagir Musa could not be reached for comments. The absence of mobile telecommunication services and the ongoing offensive against the Boko Haram have left journalists in Maiduguri handicapped in reaching out to military authorities.

 

But when contacted, Defence spokesman Brigadier General Chris Olukolade said he could not confirm the story but that the military would welcome any such cooperation from the civil populace.

 

“I am not aware. But every effort that is complimentary or consistent with current security operations by way of  cooperation  from the civil populace  to put an end to the activities of  terrorists in the land will continue to be welcomed,” he said.

 

Many members of the Boko Haram are believed to have run back to the city following the military offensive which began shortly after President Jonathan declared state of emergency and moved in troops into northern Borno to fight the insurgents and recapture territories under their control.

 

“We, the youths in Maiduguri have resolved to fish out any member of Boko Haram sect who ran back into the city, to his or their house or community, after they had left for villages and bushes from where they were recently displaced by the federal troops,” a vigilante group leader in Gwange II ward said.

 

The leader who prefers anonymity added: “We thank God that we in Gwange II have so far caught more than 10 Boko Haram members in our area and handed them over to the soldiers and we are glad that our counterparts in GwangeI have also mobilized themselves for this patriotic community service. Insha-Allah we will soon carry this movement to Gwange III, Gwange IV and even other communities which are yet to take similar action.”

 

A witness told our correspondent that some youths in Hausari ward, last weekend crossed over to a neighbouring ward, Blabirin, and fished out a Boko Haram suspect who had ran back to the area, and handed him over to soldiers.

 

“This action of Hausari youths had provoked some Boko Haram members who manoeuvred their way into the city for reprisal; they came from the outskirts of Maiduguri, disguised as villagers conveying a corpse to the cemetery in a pick-up van. But they were repelled by the JTF,” a resident said.

 

South African timeslive.co.za yesterday corroborated this when it quoted local residents as saying that 10 attackers came into Hausari in a pick-up truck, with a coffin in the exposed flatbed rear.

 

“Everybody thought they were going for burial until they alighted from their vehicle and started bringing out their guns. They opened fire into different direction,” it quoted a local resident, Mohammed Aji as saying.

 

It also quoted military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa as confirming that gunmen launched attacks on Friday evening in the neighbourhoods of Hausari, Fizzan and Gwange.

 

Meanwhile, as a result of the closure of all roads leading to the northern and southern parts of Borno, village dwellers are reported to be suffering from food shortages because they cannot access markets to buy food items.

 

“There is no food in our villages. All the foods we stored have finished and our people have been dying from hunger. If the situation continues, no one would be spared,” a food trader, Adamu Kuranabasa who maneuvered his way from Gwoza through bush paths of Cibok to Damboa into Maiduguri, lamented.

 

“Our people who are dwelling in villages came this week as usual to buy food items on market day of this week in Gwoza, unfortunately just a few of them were lucky to get some food items and I am sure it will not take them up to next week; that was why I decided to come to Maiduguri through these risky roads,” he added.

 

Commenting on this, military spokesman Olukolade said Special Forces only mounted road blocks on designated areas for stop-and-search exercises, often causing delays for travellers. But he urged people moving along such roads to be tolerant with the soldiers.

 

“There was no basis for soldiers to block the roads and put off movements. In fact I was in the area last week and I didn’t see any spot where roads are blocked and people could not move. But those who are patient enough with the troops have been passing through the check points,” he said.

 

He said : “You only have the necessary control of movement essentially to keep the populace out of harm. There is certainly no intention to make life unbearable as movement of essential goods and services have not been restrained, especially when they have been duly cleared, or authorized to the satisfaction of commanders on the ground.  Safety of the people is very paramount now.”

You Are Backing Boko Haram – PDP Tells ACN

National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP yesterday alleged that the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN was supporting the activities of members of Boko Haram that have engaged in massive killing and wanton destruction of property in the country.
In a statement yesterday by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party noted that for ACN to criticise the Federal government’s order to proscribe all terrorist groups in the country, the opposition party never liked the country.
According to PDP, the ACN was out to use the press as a subterfuge to hide its support for insurgents as well as whittle the current efforts by the Federal Government to end acts of terrorism in the country.
The PDP however reinstated its support for President Goodluck Jonathan for the move, adding that contrary to claims by the ACN, no part of the Presidential Order proscribing terrorists groups, directly or indirectly violated any provision of the constitution or impinged on the freedom of the press in the country.
Metuh who described the allegation by the ACN that the order was aimed at gagging the press as despicable and a clear indication of how far the opposition party can go to distort facts to support violence and cause disaffection among Nigerians, said, “Our attention has been drawn to a statement sponsored by opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in which, in its usual homage to falsehood, deceit and distortion of facts, tried to suggest that the recent order by President Goodluck Jonathan proscribing groups engaged in acts of terrorism violates the constitution and aimed at stifling the press.
“This deliberate distortion of facts clearly betrays ACN’s support for such groups as well as the heinous attempt to whittle efforts by the Federal Government and well-meaning Nigerians to end insurgency in the country.
“For the avoidance of doubt, no section of the order stifled the press; violated or seeks to violate any provision of the constitution. Instead the order reinforced the provisions of the constitution guaranteeing the security and welfare of all Nigerians.
“Section 5 (1), of the order which the ACN is kicking against prescribes a term of imprisonment of not less than 20 years ”for any person who knowingly, in any manner, directly or indirectly, solicits or renders support for the commission of an act of terrorism or to a terrorist group”.
“The ACN is feverish because the order defined “support” to include ”incitement to commit a terrorist act through the Internet, or any electronic means or through the use of printed materials or through the dissemination of terrorist information”.
“By all indications, it is clear that neither this section nor any other section of the order for that matter, infringed on the rights of Nigerians and the freedom of the media as guaranteed by the constitution. Rather the section clearly seeks to stop incitements to commit a terrorist acts”.
“In trying to distort the facts, the ACN sought to weaken the fight against insurgency, but ended up betraying its support for acts of terrorism and Nigerians have taken note.’’
According to PDP, it was solidly behind President Goodluck Jonathan in what it termed, his untiring efforts to ensure an end to acts of terrorism in the country. It commended the President for the Order which it described as a welcome development adding that “those who have nothing to hide need not be afraid”.
The party therefore urged Nigerians to continue to go about their legitimate businesses as well as note the activities and interests of parties such as the ACN

FG Appoints Paradang As New Immigration Boss

Contrary to speculations that the acting Comptroller -General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Alhaji Rilwan Musa, would be confirmed as substantive successor to the former immediate NIS boss, Rosemary Uzoma, the federal government yesterday shocked Nigerians when it announced Mr. David Paradang as successor to Uzoma.

We have gathered that Paradang, an assistant comptroller of NIS until his appointment,was in charge of state coordination at Immigration headquarter. Abuja. Paradang hails from Plateau state.
Alhaji Musa came to power after Uzoma who was put on retirement leave. also seven senior officers will be asked to vacate their current positions from the Deputy Controller General of Immigration and everyone from the Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration (ACGs)
Paradang will be sworn in this morning and be decorated by tomorrow by early as 9:00 am
 

Anambra Communities Seek Juju’s Help To End Kidnapping

The 21 communities in Anambra West and Anambra East local government areas have agreed to consult a traditional oracle to combat kidnapping and other crimes in the area.
Chinedu Obidigwe, the Chairman of Anambra East Transitional Committee, confirmed the move in Aguleri on Monday. Mr. Obidigwe said an oath would be administered to the people to stamp out the kidnapping and killings that had bedevilled the area in recent time.
He said the oracle, known for its powers in the area, would help to instil discipline because the people know its potency. “We decided to resort to traditional oracle because it acts fast, no going to police and seeking for bail or trying to bend the law.
If anyone defies the oracle’s orders, he pays instantly,” he said The Chairman of the traditional rulers of the communities, Roland Odegbo of Nteje, corroborated the development and said that the essence of the exercise was to reduce criminality to the barest minimum.
He advised the citizens to abide by the decision and avoid committing crimes, noting that such did not bring development to the area.
The communities have experienced kidnappings and killings in recent times by rival groups in the area.
Some of the communities in the two local governments are Ezi-Anam, Ifitie-Anam, Nzam and Oweelle in Anambra West; as well as Aguleri, Umuoba-Anam, Igbariam, Nando, Nsugbe, Umueri and Mkpunando-Otu Aguleri in Anambra East.

M.K.O., Rice And A Deadly Cup Of Tea - Fani Kayode

Susan Rice was up until recently the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Her long-standing aspiration of becoming the US Secretary of State was dashed when the Republicans in the Senate started sharpening their knives in anticipation of her formal nomination for that position by President Barak Obama.
Sensing that her nomination would not scale through the Senate and that she would not be confirmed as Secretary of State due to the role she played in the cover-up of the Benghazi shooting in which the US envoy to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other American citizens were murdered by a group of Islamist terrorists, her nomination was withdrawn.
Instead of Secretary of State, Obama has now nominated her for the position of the National Security Advisor which is a job that does not require Senate approval or confirmation. I wish Rice well in her new assignment but I am constrained to ask the following questions: What did she put in the tea that she served to Chief M.K.O. Abiola on July 8, 1998 just before he died? She was one of the last people who saw Abiola alive. She was said to have served him some tea, after which he reportedly coughed violently and one hour later, dropped dead. What was in the tea? Was it Abuja ”green tea”, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, Lipton or some other more exotic brand?
Can someone please ask Rice what her role was in the death of Abiola? Who sent her to do the job and who was she working for? As of that time, she was Assistant Secretary of State for America in President Bill Clinton’s government. Was she acting on his direct instructions or simply on the instructions of her boss and controller in Langley?
Abiola was the winner of Nigeria’s freest and fairest election. That election took place on June 12, 1993. The election was annulled by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. Shortly after that, as a consequence of the sheer outrage that was generated by the annulment, Babangida was compelled to ”step aside” and hand over power to Chief Ernest Shonekan. In what was clearly a strategic maneuver, he left Gen. Sani Abacha (his own Chief of Army Staff) behind to be the Minister of Defence for the incoming administration.
A few months later Abacha toppled the Interim National Government of Chief Ernest Shonekan which he had served and seized power for himself. Abiola was arrested and detained. He was never granted his freedom again. Four years later Abacha himself was murdered by forces that are yet to be identified and General Abdulsalami Abubakar took power. Exactly 30 days after Abacha was killed, those same forces that killed him murdered Abiola as well in an attempt to ”balance the equation”.
These are the facts and sequence of events. One thing is self-evident and cannot be denied no matter which side of the divide one may have been on in the June 12 saga — certain questions must be answered. And some of those questions are as follows: Who killed Abiola? Who killed Sani Abacha? What role, if any, did officials of the Abubakar administration play in the murder of both men? What role did the CIA play and exactly what transpired in the room when Rice, Ambassador Thomas Pickering and two other faceless and nameless officials from the American Embassy met with Abiola on the very day that he was meant to have been “released”. Sadly, instead of being released on that day, he dropped dead in what can only be described as mysterious and questionable circumstances.
This is all the more so because Abiola’s security officer and the man that was charged with looking after him and protecting him throughout the time that he was incarcerated (ASP Zadok) told the Oputa panel in 2002 that Abiola was ”hale and hearty” and in ”very high spirits” just before going into the meeting with the Americans.
He went further by telling the panel that as he was about to enter Aguda House (the premises where the meeting was scheduled to be held) with Abiola he was asked to leave his principal, to step out of the premises and to go and pick up another car from somewhere else by one of General Abdulsalami’s security officers. He promptly obeyed the order but half an hour later when he came back he found Abiola in a terrible condition, coughing violently, writhing all over the floor in pain and breathing his last breath. Thirty minutes later he gave up the ghost.
Another question that needs to be answered is the one that the veteran journalist and respected columnist, Mr. Gbolabo Ogunsanwo, has dubbed as ”the question of the missing one hour”. Permit me to explain. According to the testimony that was given to the Oputa Panel by Major Hamza Al Mustapha, who was Abacha’s Chief Security Officer, from the first day that Abiola was arrested right up until the day that he was murdered, he (Al Mustapha) was in charge of his (Abiola’s) security. Each time Abiola was moved from one safe house to another, he had to sign for it.
Each time Abiola ate his food or drank anything, his men tasted and drank it before-hand. He went as far as to say that each time Abiola went to the toilet he was made aware of it and that nothing happened around Abiola or to him without his direct permission and the involvement of his most loyal men. After Abacha was murdered and Abdulsalami Abubakar became Head of State, Al Mustapha was still in charge of Abiola’s security and he still maintained direct responsibility for his life, his well-being and his welfare right up until the minute that he was murdered.
When Mustapha appeared before the Oputa Panel, he exposed the fact that in the entire period of four years that he and his team watched over Abiola, it was only in the one hour that he was killed that they had no knowledge or control of what was happening to or around him. According to him, Abiola was removed from the guest house that he had been staying without his (Al Mustapha’s) signature or knowledge and without anyone seeking his permission. Simply put, he was kept in the dark about the whole thing.
Secret orders were given to keep him out of the loop, to take Abiola to a destination which he knew nothing about and to ensure that none of the usual trusted food tasters and minders was with him. The only person that accompanied Abiola from the old guard of those that had watched over him for the previous four years was Zadok and when they arrived at Aguda House (the venue of the meeting), he was reportedly conveniently sent on a meaningless errand by Abubakar’s Chief Security Officer and told to leave.
Hence, for the first time in four years, Abiola was left completely on his own and he was surrounded by a coterie of strange faces who had no genuine affection or empathy for him. He was with them for one hour and during that period, not one of those that had watched over him, that had secured his safety and that he had grown familiar with him over the entire four-year period of his incarceration, was with him. It was during that ”missing hour”, when he was all alone and very vulnerable, that he was poisoned.
Given these circumstances I have no doubt that this was a case of premeditated murder but the question is whose call was it and why did it have to happen? What was the motive? Was it done just to ”balance the equation” as some said at the time or was it done in an attempt to pave the way for an Obasanjo Presidency one year later? Could Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo have been released from jail and elected President if Abiola had lived and if he had insisted on claiming his mandate? The Nigerian people have a right to know the truth and it is high time that those that have wielded power in this country for the last few decades told them.
The powers that be must appreciate the fact that they cannot sweep things under the carpet forever and that one day, no matter how long it takes, they will be held accountable by God and the Nigerian people for the morbid, secret and oftentimes homicidal choices and decisions that they made.

Okeke Allegation: Falana Denies Ever Appearing For Mrs. Ibru

The intrigues surrounding allegation by retired Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court that a Justice of the Supreme Court tried to influence a case before him, took another dimension with a Lagos Lawyer
Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, denyed ever representing Mrs. Cecilia Ibru as claimed by the judge.
In a statement by Falana in Lagos, the lawyer alleged that the retired judge used the occasion of his valedictory, to accuse a justice of the Supreme Court of interfering with proceedings before him to save his face.
In his defence to the allegation that he represented Mrs.Ibru in a case before the judge, Falana said: “We wish to state, without any fear of contradiction, that contrary to Justice Okeke’s allegation we did not file any application on behalf of Dr. Cecilia Ibru before him or any other judge.
“The clients being represented by us are: 1. Engr. Chief Michael Afolabi Dada, (2) Engr.. Charles Ndubuisi O. Amadi, (3) Mallam Lawan Sheikh Muhammad, (4) Mrs.. Comfort Nduka Odili-Iwuafor and (5) Anthony Abiodun Abikoye who are employees of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.”

45m Nigerians Risk Losing Internet Freedom—Study

More than 45 million internet users in Nigeria comprising the general public are on the verge of losing their Internet privacy on every form of cyber-communication as the federal government intensifies efforts to monitor them online according to a new study by Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), a not-for profit organisation.
Paradigm Initiative in a policy brief entitled “Nigeria: Making a Case for Enduring Internet Freedom” which was sent to LEADERSHIP said it has discovered gaping holes in the actions of the federal government towards curtailing Internet privacy.
Paradigm Initiative had earlier made a request to the federal government through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to avail it details of the $40M Internet Surveillance Contract awarded by Nigerian government to an Israeli company.
This is in connection with trending information revealing that Command and Control server for FinFisher, a product described by its distributor, Gamma International, as “Governmental IT Intrusion and Remote Monitoring Solutions” had been spotted in Nigeria.
Paradigm Initiative Nigeria’s Executive Directors, Mr. ‘Gbenga Sesan, and Bankole Oluwafemi said concerns about this state of intended abrogation of Internet freedom by the government compelled them to release the document which is available on the website with the purpose of promoting advocacy towards public freedom in the cyberspace.
The brief raises pertinent issues concerning National Security and Internet Freedom, elaborates on scenarios and causes for concern, and also gives recommendations on the way forward.
It draws analysis from the dawn of the democratic dispensation in the country to the contemporary administrative approach to Internet Freedom and the need for understanding the implications that could militate against the nation’s growth.
Paradigm Initiative’s chief operating officer, Mrs. Tope Ogundipe, said PiN is all out to promote Internet Freedom. “The absence of data privacy and lawful interception laws raises issues of possibility of grave abuse.
A society in which perceived ‘enemies’ of the government could lose their fundamental rights in the name of ‘keeping Nigeria safe’ cannot be said to be free and democratic.
“It is in the interest of all concerned that the Internet surveillance and monitoring contract be annulled. Nigerians must also be sensitised to understand the (direct and indirect) implications of unchecked government access to the private data. Enduring Internet Freedom is in Nigeria’s best interest.”
In another development, lawful interception has already begun in Nigeria. A Netherlands company, Digivox is the key supplier of interception technology tools to Nigerian government and telecommunication operators which includes State Security Service (SSS), MTN, Airtel, Etisalat and Glo.