FRESH: Suntai Celebrates Birthday, Opens Up

The Governor of Taraba State Danbaba Suntai gave his interview from New York on a Sunday evening -- amidst an event arranged by a former Nigerian Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Kennedy F. Apoe, to honour Suntai's 52nd birthday.

Your Excellency, how are you, Sir?
Suntai: I am fine [smiles]. I am very fine.
Good. Sir, can you recollect the incident that brought you to the United States?
Suntai: Yes, a crash. They said I was involved in a plane crash, but I do not want to talk about it now because the memory takes me back. The doctors advised that I should not be made to remember the incident. But I am fine now.
Okay, Sir. So how do you feel today, having your family members and some aides around you for your birthday celebration?
Suntai: I am happy that I am alive to witness today. I thank all of them for their supports...
The Governor asked a Christian group, Hillsong, to perform a worship song 'Mighty to Save' for him. After listening to the song and singing along with his daughters, Mariam, Edigwa and Zainab, Suntai confessed he liked the song, as it reminds him he has to forgive his offenders just like God forgived him his own wrongdoings.
Having said this, the Governor also disclosed that he has no grudge against his insulters, including those who "had been heating up Taraba state just because of their selfish interests".
The Governor further admitted that he misses "many things" since he has been away from his homeland, emphasizing the annual Christmas celebration he would hold together with his community people in his hometown.
Dressed in a dark blue suit, sporting a red-coloured T-shirt under it, expressed the desire to be present at the upcoming celebration this year.
Mrs Mabel Apoe, wife of the host and organizer of the indoor celebration, served the Governor some food -- rice, beans, salad, green tea and water-melon, -- which he ate.
During the birthday celebration, which lasted for about three hours, Governor's wife transferred several phone-calls to him, including one from the former Deputy Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Honorable Abel Diah.
Hajia Hauwa Suntai, the Governor's wife, admitted that her spouse's life is "truly a living testimony", adding that it was only the intervention of God that brought the Governor back to life: "I am quite happy and excited, and I thank God for everything.
"As you can see, we are all over him and everybody here present is happy with him. I do not really care about all the negative reports that some journalists have been writing about my husband, and you can see it for yourself now that he is really doing well. You can even see that he has improved more than the last time you came to visit him at home," she further continued.
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Asked about how she received the terrifying news of the notorious plane crash in which her husband was injured, Mrs Suntai remembered thus: "It was so shocking, and it created missed feelings and emotions for him because I never thought he could survive it. It was very tough, but we thank God that he survived it at the end of the day."
Meanwhile, the organizer of the social event, Ambassador Kennedy Apoe, said he was "glad" that the Governor was alive to witness his birthday celebration and went on to described his health condition as "excellent". He added that he and the Governor had spent the last couple of days together discussing several issues, ranging from the Governor's health to the political situation in Nigeria.
Ambassador Apoe stated: "With where the governor is coming from, I will say his health condition is excellent. Anytime we go to see him, he always talks with us normally as against media propaganda by his political opponents. He always remembers previous discussions, so how do you say such a man has lost his memory?"
One of the Governor's daughters, Mariam, disclosed she was "not happy" with her Father's condition, but added that she "thanked God for bringing him back to life."
One of Suntai's physicians confirmed the fact that he had been discharged from the hospital about two weeks ago, but was asked to visit the rehabilitation centre for therapies. This would make his doctors determine when he is fit to undergo a long-distance flight back to Nigeria.

Prophet Wants Justice Over Policeman Who Killed His Son

The family of Prophet Omisande Kolawole was thrown into mourning after the 20-year-old Olayinka Kolawole was allegedly killed by policemen attached to Ejigbo Division.
The father of the deceased, Prophet Omisande Kolawole, told Punch Metro that  Kolawole had been trying for three years to further his education after finishing from Sam Glory Secondary School, Ejigbo, Lagos, but the fatal incident occurred on June 15, 2013.
Narrating what transpired on the fateful day, Omisande said, “My son went out to attend his friend’s birthday party not too far from our home. He said he would not stay long and we told him not to stay out too long. The following day, which was a Sunday, we did not see or hear from him and we began to panic.
“Later we heard that police embarked on a raid the previous night. We even thought he had been arrested. His mother, Grace Kolawole, and her nephew, Segun Adio, went to the Ejigbo Police Division but they were told that there were no suspects in their cell.
“However, residents told us that they had seen my son’s corpse being conveyed by policemen. After about three hours later, the policemen opened up and told us that my son had been killed. My wife immediately fainted.”
Prophet Omisande said even after his wife had been revived, the police refused to take her statement as well as the statement of Adio, her nephew.
He stated that Adio and other residents set out to investigate what actually happened and it was discovered that his son was killed by a stray bullet which emanated from the gun of a policeman popularly known as Oba.
He said, “We were told that around 8pm on the fateful day, Titan Hotel, located at Asaolu Close, was holding an event tagged Ladies’ night. At the hotel, one policeman popularly known as Oba was having a drink and dancing with a lady.
“We learnt that Oba left the hotel premises to receive a telephone call but on returning to the hotel, Oba got into a fight with a youth over the lady he was dancing with. The altercation degenerated into fisticuffs and Oba ran out of the premises and called his colleagues for back-up.
“When his colleagues arrived at the scene, a shoot-out ensued. During the shooting, my son, who was on his way home from another party was hit in the head by a stray bullet and died instantly.”
Omisande said since his son’s killing, life had not been the same. He said his wife was hospitalised and was only recently discharged.
The deceased’s mother, Grace, fighting back tears, confessed everything was still like a dream: “Olayinka was the first of my three children. My other children are still young and it feels as if all my labour has been in vain. I want justice for his death,” she said.
Omisande described his son as a responsible boy and wondered why the police would attempt to cover up his murder.
“The policemen at Ejigbo prevented us from seeing the Divisional Police Officer. We are being treated with contempt because we are not rich. All we want is justice for our son’s murder.”
Ngozi Braide, the spokesperson for the state police command, during the phone conversation, confirmed Olayinka’s murder.
She said the matter would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, for further investigation.

Sexual Offenders Register Opens in Ekiti

Ekiti State Government says it has opened a black book, called the Sexual Offenders Register, to compile a list of convicted sexual offenders in the state.
A statement on Monday said the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olawale Fapohunda, said this during a visit of the Gender-based Violence Prohibition Law management committee.
The team was led by the wife of the Governor, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, in her capacity as the chairperson of the committee; and Commissioner for Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment, Mrs. Fola Richie-Adewusi.
The commissioner said the sexual offenders register would ensure that perpetrators were ostracised from the society.
Fapohunda said, “This step will serve as a deterrent to men who find pleasure in assaulting women and young girls.”
He told the visitors that the ministry was proposing a bill on rights of persons with disability, especially women and children, adding that works on the Equal Opportunities Bill had reached an advanced stage.
Fayemi urged the commissioner to assign GBV-related cases to lawyers adequately trained for the purpose and who are sensitive to gender issues.
She also called for the retention of such lawyers for a reasonable period of time as prosecuting GBV counsel before they are transferred to other departments of the ministry.
Governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, had on November 25, 2011, signed into law the gender-based violence bill, which was initiated and promoted by his wife.
As part of efforts to strengthen the new Law, the delegation had paid similar advocacy visits to the Vice Chancellor, Ekiti State University, Prof. Oladipo Aina; state command’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sotonye Wakama; and Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola.

Hausa-Fulani Have Ruined FRCN, Says Acting DG, Samson Shaibu

This is an excerpt of a brief interview with the acting Director General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, Samson Shaibu (SS). He is still in office even though he, by civil service rules, should have retired after turning 60.
You are supposed to retire on June 22, yet you have approval from the Minister of Information to travel to Ireland to represent the country on July 22. Why is that the case?
SS: It is so because I have finished my retirement from service, but I am now acting DG, and that is political appointment. And the antecedents are these. The former DG who left before me was brought from retirement. Eddie Iroh was brought from retirement, and then Kevin Ejiofor was brought from retirement.
The DG’s position is a political appointment. So, people are just being mischievous saying what they are saying. There are antecedents. But, my former career as a civil servant has expired. And I am acting DG, and there are antecedents. You know if you want to go emotional, the former man who finished before me was Hausa-Fulani.
He was brought from retirement to serve as DG. Are there two rules in Nigeria – one for the minority and one for the Hausa-Fulani? There was an Igbo man, who was brought from retirement too (Kevin Ejiofor) and Eddie Iro. So, people are just talking about what they don’t understand. For further information, the assignment I am going on, is funded by Chinese Government and not by Federal Government.
The recent fire incident in the studio at the corporation, how was it handled? Any report of the probe?
SS: The fire incident was teleguided by detractors who feel they should create a crisis situation for somebody they feel is not a team player. For your information, I am not a team player in corruption. I am acting DG for three months now, and if you ask the workforce, they would tell you there is an added difference.
Within these three months, I have bought a bus for FRCN. Within these three months, 22 studios that were conduit pipes for corruption in FRCN have been resuscitated, and there is light there now. And if I have opportunity of meeting with you, I will give you a catalogue of achievements. This has not happened for the past 15 years.
But, people who are corrupt in our system would not like to see the likes of me. For example, there are people being teleguided from the Legal Department and Admin who are beneficiaries of corruption in the system.
There is an allegation that you don’t carry everyone along, particularly on issues of staff welfare
SS: As a journalist, if you can please ask the workforce, through independent investigation, the people who ruled before me, who were carrying people along, what did they do? In these three months time of my tenureship, I have paid more T&B (travelling and basic tours allowance) than any other person in the last two years. Records are there for all to see.
It is said that you employed over 125 people and ignored the people employed in 2012, yet there are no offices and tools for them to work with?
SS: That employment was done by the previous regime that I inherited. The former DG, Barrister Yusuf Nuhu is the one who employed people, and that employment, to be fair to him, I don’t want to condemn my predecessors, was a collective decision of management. I have not employed a single person since I came.
The former DG employed, I don’t know the specific figure. That is what I inherited. So, people are just peddling this. These are people who believe they must rule FRCN forever. And Nigeria is a country of six geo-political zones. I am saying this, not as a slight to any tribe, because I know that Nigeria is a partnership of six geo-political zones. Nigeria is not owned by Hausa-Fulani, neither is it owned by Igbo or Yoruba. It is owned by all Nigerians. There six geo-political zones in this country. The Hausa-Fulani has serially ruled FRCN, or ruined FRCN all these years. Thank you very much.

Pastor Kumuyi’s Son Renders His Apology To Deeper Life Church Over Marriage Scandal

After the scandal that followed the marriage of John and Love Kumuyi over her make over, the couple have tendered their apology to the church stating that they take full responsibility for any controversy stirred by their wedding.
Here is the full letter below:
June 22nd, 2013
The Church Secretary
Deeper Christian Life Ministry
LETTER OF APOLOGY
John and Love Kumuyi, write to express our deepest and most sincere apology for the turn of events, that have resulted on our traditional and wedding ceremonies, that took place in Jamaica on 13th June and 15th June, 2013 respectively.
We unreservedly and wholeheartedly state, that we did not intend that our acts or omissions will in any way undermine the great works that God has done through the Deeper Christian Life Ministry Worldwide and more specifically, through our Father in the Lord, the General Superintendent (GS).
We also use this medium to profusely and sincerely apologies to the general superintendent for the embarrassment and heartaches our actions have caused him, more so that he had earlier declined to be at the events.
We acknowledge that we may have been distracted by cultural differences, as both of us have been outside the country for the past two decades. This notwithstanding, we fully accept that having being nurtured, taught and brought up with the sound teaching of the word of God, we should have been able to draw the line, which we failed to do.
We have now realized the effects of our actions and omission and do plead with the church for forgiveness and also appealing that any action that should be taken be directed at John and Love, as we take this time to prayerfully reflect on our actions.
We take full responsibility for what happened, and this action should in no way be blamed on the GS, or the leaders of the church in Nigeria, United States, Jamaica or United Kingdom and beyond.
Yours Sincerely,
John and Love Kumuyi

Arsenal Signs French International Yaya Sanogo

Arsenal Football Club, has completed the signing of French youth international striker Yaya Sanogo from Auxerre.

The 20-year-old signed a three-year contract with Auxerre in October 2009. It is now confirmed that the French under-20 striker has signed a long-term contract at Arsenal FC when his contract with the Ligue 1 outfit expires.
Sanogo, both of Ivoirian and Malian decent scored 11 goals in 24 appearances for Auxerre, and currently with France at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.
He scored twice in the group stages which helped his side qualify for the knock-out stage, where they face the host nation.Responding to the news of the recruitment, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said Sanogo was a good young signing for the team.
“He has shown he has potential with his recent performances for Auxerre and also for the France Under-20 side.
“We are looking forward to Yaya joining us and continuing his promising career.”
Sanogo will be the Arsenal’s first signing of the summer, with the club keen on bringing in a top-class marksman in the coming days.

We Want To Age Gracefully - Elderly People

Scores of elderly persons – particularly septuagenarians and octogenarians – thronged the Lagos Island Local Government Secretariat, Lagos State, to collect stipends and foodstuffs provided by the council last Thursday.
Elderly people appealed passionately to the government, particularly the Federal Government to look into the plight of the elderly.
The main question was the appearance of institution of social security scheme for the elderly to enable them to age gracefully.
Among the beneficiaries at the bi-monthly poverty alleviation programme for the aged in the council were 88-year-old Rafiu Ajakaiye and 80-year-old Salau Amudah.
Ajakaiye, a local government pensioner, said such a scheme was necessary to assist elderly people who had no means of survival to live long.
He said, “There are some old people who do not have anything to depend on. It is proper for the government to support them as it is done in advanced countries.
“The government should institute social security scheme for the aged in the country. As for me, I am fortunate that I have children who are well off and during the time I was working, I had some investments which I depend on now. Not every elderly person has such privilege.”
On how he feels as an octogenarian, Ajakaiye said, “I thank God for giving me good health and for making me have understanding children. I also thank the Lagos Island LG for deeming it necessary to help the elderly. I wish other LGs in the country would emulate this gesture.”
Amudah spoke in similar vein, urging the government to design a scheme to ameliorate the sufferings of the elderly in the country.
He said, “Government should not treat elderly people with disdain. Those in government should know that one day, they will also grow old. They should design a scheme to assist the elderly in the society.
“I am not speaking for myself; I know there are many old people today that cannot feed themselves. Some retirees are not paid their pensions as and when due. Many elderly people have died while queuing for their pension.”
The Chairman, Mr. Wasiu-Sanni Eshilokun, provided cash and foodstuffs to no fewer than 200 elderly persons in the council.
He said, “I want to place on record that 200 beneficiaries of this programme are drawn from various communities and religious groups within this LG.
“This administration will continue to cater for the aged. We shall continue to carry out laudable programmes to meet yearnings of our people.”

Borno ANPP Chairman’s House Set Ablaze By Youths

Civilian Joint Task Force, JTF, yesterday, invaded the residence of All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, Chairman, Alhaji Mala Othman, at the New GRA, Maiduguri, the state capital, and set it ablaze. 

 The angry youths who have decided to take the bull by the horn claimed, they were on the hunt for Boko Haram insurgents.

Sources say that the youths proceeded to the former Governor Ali Modu Sherrif’s multi billion Naira residence in the same area, afterward with the aim to set it ablaze. The timely intervention of the security agents guarding the house however restraint have shot sporadically into the air to scare away the youths who scattered without accomplishing their mission.

 

However, the party chairman was said to have narrowly escaped as security agents reportedly whisked him away in a tinted Toyota Camry saloon car before the youths arrived.
Youths on a similar mission, had earlier invaded Othman’s house but were stopped from carrying out the action by security agents who informed them that the chairman was not in town.
The youths whose efforts had earlier been commended by Governor Kashim Shettima and other concerned individuals for helping in the arrests of several Boko Haram sect members in Maiduguri and Damaturu, the Yobe State capital in the last couple of weeks have vowed that they would arrest both Othman and former Governor Sheriff and hand them over to security agencies for appropriate action.

Jibril Calls For The Scrapping Of 36 States

Elderstateman  and former presidential aspirant, Dr. Lema Jibril has called for the scrapping of the 36 states of the federation, including the 774 local governments due to the cost of running government in the country.

He said this on monday at a Special Memorial Lecture organised by the Northern Youth Forum in honour of the late Dr. Abdulrahaman Okene, the founder and first Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum, in Kaduna.

Jibril described as unacceptable, the huge resources spent by the Federal Government on the existing federal and local government structures.

He said, “The present situation, whereby the Federal Government continues to spend most of the nation’s resources on the maintenance of the 36 states and 774 local government structures is not helpful for the development and growth of the country.

“Today, the federal, states and local governments take 80 per cent of the yearly budget just to service bureaucracy, leaving only 20 per cent for development.

“From the President to governors, the Senate, LGA chairmen, councilors – and all kinds of advisers  – all government workers constitute maybe, just about two per cent of Nigeria’s 160  million population.”

He further spoke about the disunity in the country, saying that there is no more unity among the regions more especially the North.

Okada Riders Drag Edo Government To Court Over Ban

Commercial motorcycle operators in the Edo have dragged the state government before a Federal High Court sitting in Benin City over the recent ban on their operations.
The commercial motorcycle operators are contending in the suit that the ban constituted a violation of their rights to fair hearing and freedom of movement as guaranteed by the Constitution of Nigeria as amended and Articles 7 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The Okada operators in the suit by their counsel, Mr Dele Igbinedion, described the ban on their operations by the state government as unconstitutional and illegal.
Plaintiff, Mr. Charles James on behalf of himself and others is contending that the governor does not have powers to verbally ban Nigerians from using their validly licensed motorcycles; neither can he make laws nor abrogate existing Road Traffic Laws.
In a 24-paragraph affidavit, he averred that Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s verbal ban impliedly cancels his licences, all duly obtained and still valid, adding that the duty of the governor, “is to execute laws validly made by the state House of Assembly,” insisting that the threat to confiscate and destroy his Okada with valid registration number QC 093 GBZ, was ultra vires.
The applicant is therefore, praying the court to restrain the respondents from carrying out the orders of the governor in the affected local government areas.
He also wants the court to set aside Oshiomhole’s verbal ban on the use of motorcycles from plying all roads in the three affected councils, which took effect from Sunday, June 16, 2013 and N50million as damages against the respondents as general and or exemplary damages/compensation for the breach of his fundamental rights.

500 naira NYSC Foundation Levy Not Extortion

The Lagos State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps  Scheme, Mrs.   Adenike Adeyemi, has said that the N500 levy being collected from each corps member is not a means of extortion but their own contribution to the NYSC Foundation.

Adenike gave this clarification during a chat after the swearing-in ceremony for the 2,151 corps members deployed to the state for the 2013 Batch B scheme against the backdrop of allegation that the state NYSC was extorting money from corps member.

“It is not true that NYSC has been extorting money from corps members, that is not just possible. The N500 levy per corps member is just their own contribution to the NYSC Foundation and it is known to them and even the management of the scheme. And the money is collected when the corps members are passing out. Corps members are our children, we cannot do that to them; those who are saying that are ignorant,” she said.

During the ceremony, the NYSC boss urged the deployed corps members to use their service year in promoting national unity and integration.

Earlier, she had urged new corps members deployed to the state for the 2013 Batch B scheme to use their service year to promote national unity and integration.

“You should avail yourselves of this once in a lifetime opportunity an experience and assimilate all training modules as packaged for your development. We cannot always build the future for our youth but we can build our youth for the future”.

“You have to be very proud that the NYSC you are enlisting into today has after 40 years of existence become a household name and provides an answer to youth development and productivity. NYSC has become a globally recognised platform for participants to gain practical, experiential knowledge before facing the challenges of the real world,” she said.

Adenike added that the expected outcome of the exercise in the corps members include increased levels of self-confidence, caring, networking and good character and competence and she urged the corp members to obey camp rules and regulations.

She further thanked the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) for his support, assistance, love and consistency he has been demonstrating for the realisation of the objectives of the scheme but however, pleaded with the governor to urgently provide the state NYSC with a befitting permanent orientation camp as this would help the NYSC to be able to accommodate the ever-increasing population of corps members being deployed to the state.

Welcome To The UK Visa Lottery

Congratulations, Nigerians! By paying a mere three thousand pound sterling, you get a visa that enables you to live in the United Kingdom permanently. And it is all legit, courtesy, Ms. Theresa May, the UK Home Secretary.
Now, you can legally become an “eroya” (emigre) with all the rights appertaining to every Briton. Your money qualifies you for a modern day equivalent of the Middle Age’s papal pardon. After you’ve paid to the British Exchequer, you can give the Immigration Department the slip, and overstay your welcome in the UK. The Home Office promises to look the other way. When, like little foxes, you make little holes in the pockets of the Exchequer, your sins will be forgiven. Nigerians should have a more favourable attitude toward the proposed visa bond.
For such a little amount, you can pretend to stay for six months only, and end up staying permanently. You can even form a pressure group to enforce your rights to the facilities that you paid for. Nigerians, just chill, appreciate your good fortune, then hurry up, scrape money from anywhere, everywhere — beg, borrow, liquidate your “esusu” (thrift) contribution or work overtime — and get the visa to the Anglo el dorado. To think that this break comes without the drills and hassles you go through for the American visa lottery.
From November 2013, citizens of British Commonwealth nations such as Nigeria, Ghana, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who propose to visit the United Kingdom through the six-month Tourist or Family Visitor visa plans, must post a refundable three thousand pounds sterling financial bond. Incidentally, these countries contribute the highest number of illegal immigrants to the UK. This bond is to ensure that they will return to their countries when their visa expires. But if they abscond, they forfeit the money to the British Government. And it will be used to defray costs they would incur for using British public services as they extend their stay beyond the six months allowed by their visa. Media reports indicate that of the 2.2 million people who visited the UK in 2012, about 101,000 were Nigerians. But the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Andrew Pocock, insists that the figure was 125,000, about 70 per cent of the number that actually applied for the visa.

Drugs Wrapped In Condoms Removed From Woman's Pelvis

A woman arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs from Mexico into the United States had to have a one-pound package of methamphetamine surgically removed from her pelvis last week.
Claudia Ibarra, 31, was taken into custody after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents patted her down and "realized there was something down there," spokeswoman Teresa Small told The Associated Press on Friday.
A doctor removed from Ibarra a black package of drugs double-wrapped in condoms.
Ibarra, a U.S. citizen and resident of Yuma, Ariz., had attempted to cross the border at San Luis alone and on foot, according to authorities.
Per a tabulation of U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection data by the Center for Investigative Reporting, more than 36,000 pounds of methamphetamine were seized by agents along the U.S.-Mexico border between 2005 and 2011.
Although that number pales in comparison to the amounts of marijuana and cocaine seized in the area during the same time period, the amount of meth reported appears to be increasing year over year.
A separate report by the AP notes that the spike in meth seizures "reflects a shift in production to Mexico after a U.S. crackdown on domestic labs."
According to the AP, drug mules - including children - have been discovered withcaches of meth hidden in many unlikely places.

Drugs Wrapped In Condoms Removed From Woman's Pelvis

A woman arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs from Mexico into the United States had to have a one-pound package of methamphetamine surgically removed from her pelvis last week.
Claudia Ibarra, 31, was taken into custody after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents patted her down and "realized there was something down there," spokeswoman Teresa Small told The Associated Press on Friday.
A doctor removed from Ibarra a black package of drugs double-wrapped in condoms.
Ibarra, a U.S. citizen and resident of Yuma, Ariz., had attempted to cross the border at San Luis alone and on foot, according to authorities.
Per a tabulation of U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection data by the Center for Investigative Reporting, more than 36,000 pounds of methamphetamine were seized by agents along the U.S.-Mexico border between 2005 and 2011.
Although that number pales in comparison to the amounts of marijuana and cocaine seized in the area during the same time period, the amount of meth reported appears to be increasing year over year.
A separate report by the AP notes that the spike in meth seizures "reflects a shift in production to Mexico after a U.S. crackdown on domestic labs."
According to the AP, drug mules - including children - have been discovered withcaches of meth hidden in many unlikely places.

Shocking Confession Of A Soldier's Son

32-year-old, Sanni Umaru son of a late soldier made a shocking confession in court that he is a thief but only steals in churches.
The Kano State-born Umaru was charged before the Abule Egba Magistrates’ Court with stealing after he was arrested for burgling St Barnabas Anglican Church and Redeemed Church of God at Oko-Oba, Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.
Umaru pleaded guilty to the two-count charge of burglary and stealing before the court and confessed that he prefers to steal in churches because it is easier to do so as he does not need to carry arms or go with anybody for operations.
Umaru, who attended Army Children School, Oshodi, Lagos and did not go further in his education, said that  it was not the first time he stole in a church.
The suspect, who was initially a scavenger, confessed that he went into full time stealing in churches some years ago after the death of his father who had served with the Nigerian Army.
He said he had stolen in many churches in the area and sometimes got a lot of money.
Umaru was caught in the act when he burgled the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
He had initially broken into Anglican Church but when he did not find any money in the offering box, he stole some musical instruments and went away with them.
Not satisfied with his success that night, he went to the Redeemed Christian Church of God to steal and while he broke into the church, a security man raised  the alarm and he jumped into the next house to escape.
While he was trying to escape, he was caught with the stolen items by some of the residents of the area and handed over to the police at Oko-Oba division.
At the station, he reportedly confessed that he was a thief and he was charged to court where he pleaded guilty.
Some of the items he stole included jazz musical instruments and offering pans. They were tendered as exhibits before the court.
When asked whether he regretted his action, he said he knew that  he would be caught one day and be prosecuted in a court of law.
The court ordered that he should be remanded in Kirikiri Prisons in Lagos and adjourned the matter.

Taribo West Arrives in Ghana to Spread Word of God

Taribo West, a Nigerian retired professional footballer-turned-pastor, was last week seen in Accra, the capital of Ghana. He arrived there to spread the word of God to Ghanaians.

The 41-year-old is said to be set to embark on his international broadcasting of the word of God. This will the first time the former international center-back is in Ghana.
West represented the Nigerian national team in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. He is known for the various unusual and colourful hairstyles that he has sported over the years. He has been capped 41 times by the Nigerian national team and played in the 1998 and (all matches and minutes) and 2002 FIFA World Cup (two appearances). He was also a member of the Nigerian team that won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
West is expected to visit various congregations in Accra for the period within which he will stay in Ghana.

ASUU Commences Nation Wide Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has commenced indefinite strike  nationwide  today,  national president of ASUU, Dr Nasir Isa Fagge has said.
He made this declaration Monday at the University of Lagos UNILAG after their NEC meeting held at Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago Iwoye, Ogun State.
Speaking to news men, he said: “We are embarking on indefinite strike nation wide because the Federal Government reneged in the Memorandum of Understanding MoU  signed with ASUU in 2009 to pay lecturers their earn allowance.”
According to Fagge, the Federal Government, in 2009 made a law to pay each lecturers N12,500 per month as earn allowance which it never did since 2009.
More details soon

NUPENG Strike Leads to Fuel Scarcity in Abuja

1 July, Abuja – A three day waringn strike embarked upon by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) led to long fuel queues in most filling station in Abuja.
The queue at the popular NNPC Mega Station in the Central Area caused a partial blockage of the adjoining road and a horrendous traffic jam. The situation was also not different at the Conoil Filling Station, Central Area, opposite the NNPC Towers as long queues of vehicles were seen around the station.
Some motorists at the filling station had expressed dismay at the development, with a call on the relevant government agencies to immediately step in to address the situation.
Mr Pius Adejoh, a civil servant at the filling station described the situation as a set-back to the transformation agenda in the oil and gas sector. “I think it’s really very sad that we are back to those days when we have to queue at filling stations to get fuel. “The Federal Government needs to step in and meet with the oil unions with a view to finding a lasting solution to this perennial problem.”
The NUPENG President, Mr Achese Igwe, told NAN that the union had to call for the strike “due to unfair treatment of our workers by some oil companies which include Shell Petroleum development Company (SPDC), Chevron Nigeria Ltd., and Agip Oil Company.” He accused the oil companies of unfair treatment of Nigerian workers through casualisation and outsourcing of workers, among other matters. Igwe said that the leadership of the union had directed its members at various depots to stop loading of petroleum products to press home its demand.
He warned that the union would embark on an indefinite strike after the three-day warning strike if government and the relevant authorities failed to address its grievances.

Why Proposed Single-tenure for President, Governors Is Dangerous to Democracy

A lecturer of the Department of Political Science and International Relations in the University of Abuja, Kabir Mato, on Monday criticised the proposed six-year single-tenure for president and governors.

Mr. Mato said in Abuja that single-tenure was dangerous to democracy and would take the country back to where many countries had passed several decades.

“The proposed six years single-tenure for the office of the president by the Senate in the on-going constitution review in my view is dangerous to our evolving democracy.

“It will take the country back to many stages that several countries across the world have passed through for many decades.

“We are recommending that on the fear that things are not going well in the country and we are assuming that things will not work right.

“I don’t subscribe to that idea, it is better to retain the four-year renewable mandate,” Mr. Mato said.

He noted that the present renewable four-year tenure had the potential of making those who were elected in the first tenure to work harder for re-election.

According to Mr. Mato, when the system provides for six years or eight years single-tenure, it may create room for abuse of office or poor performance.

He said emphasis should be on building strong institutions that could develop the country’s democracy instead of individuals or advancing the interest of any vested group.

Mr. Mato noted that credible electoral process was very vital to the survival and development of democratic institutions such as the judiciary, legislature and the executive.

The don said, “When we get our electoral system right all this issue of fears that some set of people or group will dominate political position will give way.”

He decried weak political culture among politicians in the country, noting that building democratic institutions required independence of the police, judiciary and legislature to ensure justice and fair play.

Mr. Mato called on the Federal Government to build a credible electoral body that would ensure that sanctity of the people’s vote was protected at all levels of election. He said that people holding public offices should be those who were genuinely elected by the people and not selected by any group.

“Once we get our elections right those who represent us will work and perform to satisfy the yearnings and aspirations of the people,” he said.

He added that the foundation for building strong democratic institutions could only be guaranteed by a credible and transparent electoral process.

(NAN)

Confederations Cup Conclusion: Triumphs and Failures

 

AFP Sports has selected selects the winners and losers from the 2013 Confederations Cup, the quadrennial tournament of continental champions that concluded on Sunday, when Brazil beat Spain 3-0 in the final in Rio de Janeiro:

TRIUMPHS

Neymar (BRA)

The 21-year-old superstar came into the tournament carrying a gigantic burden of expectation on his shoulders after his $75.3 million (57 million Euros) move to Barcelona, but he delivered in thrilling style. He sparked the competition into life with a stunning half-volley in the third minute of Brazil’s opening 3-0 win over Japan, and after two more spectacular goals against Mexico and Italy, he created both goals as Brazil edged neighbours Uruguay 2-1 in the last four. Another great strike in the final where he orchestrated a tumultuous performance to see off the world champions and a lovely dummy also provided a goal for Fred.

Luiz Felipe Scolari (BRA)

Brazil was divided on his reappointment last November yet here he has delivered a trophy at the first time of asking. And even if there is a bigger prize to chase next year, the veteran coach has swiftly done something arguably even more important than putting a cup on the sideboard. He has restored confidence and self-belief at home and made the Selacao once again a team to be truly feared, especially on their own patch.

Andres Iniesta (ESP)

Even when Spain laboured, such as in the narrow penalty shoot-out win over Italy in the semi-finals, Iniesta provided a guiding light, illuminating the path to goal with his shimmying runs and feathery touches. “He’s made us great as a team and it’s really important that a player makes himself available to the team,” said coach Vicente del Bosque. “He has that collective sense of the game, but he’s also capable of doing things as an individual.” In the final he and his teammates clearly had nothing more to give as the Spanish wilted after the early opening goal by Fred.

Jonathan Tehau (TAH)

Tahiti’s first taste of a global tournament proved a chastening experience, but 25-year-old midfielder Tehau made history by becoming the first player from the Pacific island nation to score a goal at a FIFA event. Tehau found the net with a back-post header in the 54th minute of Tahiti’s opening 6-1 loss to Nigeria, although he undid some of his hard work by putting through his own goal later in the game.

Centurions

Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo and Uruguay forward Diego Forlan both celebrated their 100th caps in goal-scoring style at the tournament. Pirlo netted with an exquisite free-kick in his side’s 2-1 win over Mexico, while Forlan claimed a magnificent winner in a 2-1 victory against Nigeria with a first-time shot that flew into the top-left corner. But Forlan would later experience penalty misery against both Brazil and then the third-place playoff against the Italians.

17 Soldiers of the Nigerian Army Face Court Martial over Murders, Human Rights Abuses and etc.

A total of 17 soldiers are facing court martial at the Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Rukuba Barrack in Plateau State over various allegations including murder, manslaughter, and human rights abuses against civilians.

The General Officer Commanding, GOC, of the cantonment, Ebiobowei Awala, stated this on Monday at the inauguration of the court martial on the erring officers.

The general court martial was exerted on erring members of Joint Task Force, JTF, (Operation restore order 1) and the Special Task-Force STF (Operation Safe Haven) keeping peace in Plateau State, whom the GOC said were duly investigated by the military police for various offenses.

Mr. Awala, a Major General, said that soldiers have guiding principles and laws regulating their profession that demand total respect for human life, adding that military laws give him the power to order the trial of the affected officials.

“It is the duty of superiors to observe, correct and instantly deal with negligence or any misconduct on the part of subordinates. When there is any breach, it is expected that appropriate disciplinary measures must be taken by commanders to forestall future occurrence. The kind and amount of punishment should be adequate enough to achieve its purpose and serve as deterrent to others,” he said.

If found wanting, the accused persons may be sentenced to life imprisonment, death by hanging or dismissed from the force

While inaugurating the court martial, the GOC urged members of the committee overseeing the court-martial to act according to laid down rules.

“I therefore enjoin all parties to this court martial to discharge their duties expeditiously and with a degree of commitment that will ensure the accused persons know their fate in good time,” he said.

How 10 Suspected Cultists Were Arrested During Initiation

Ten suspected members of a secret cult have been arrested at a forest at Amai, Ukwuani local government area of Delta State, conducting initiation for new members into their fold.
Delta State Police Command’s spokesman, Mr. Lucky Uyabeme who confirmed the story told newsmen in Asaba, Monday, said that the incident occurred on Sunday.
According to him, “on 30th of June, 2013, at about 1600 hours, operatives of anti-kidnapping squad Asaba in a joint operation with Amai community vigilante arrested 10 young men who are members of mephitis secret cult in a bush at Amai during initiation of new members.
While others escaped the arrested members have confessed to the crime”.
“The  command wishes to advise youths to channel their youthful energy towards  profitable ventures and shun all forms of vices which cannot add value to their lives” he added,

2015: Jonathan's Re-Election Will Be Based On His Treatment Of Muslims– Sultan of Sokoto

Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Sa’ad has said that Jamatrul Nasril Islam,JNI, will take a common position on the 2015 Presidential election, after assessing the condition and welfare of Muslims under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Sultan made the statement on Sunday, at the opening ceremony of the national conference on the role of Muslim scholars in fostering unity, peace and security in Nigeria.
The conference was held to brainstorm on ways that could lead to a lasting solution to the violence that has ravaged northern Nigeria in recent years.
According to the Sultan, the evaluation of the present government had become necessary, so as to find out if the president has treated Muslim faithfuls fairly since he assumed power.
The outcome, he said would be the basis for the faithfuls to decide whether or not to support Jonathan’s re-election in 2015.
He accused the elites for the security challenges in some parts of the country, insisting that Muslims are not responsible for the ongoing insurgency which has claimed thousands of lives.

Gov Mimiko Declared Winner Again As Appeal Court Dismisses ACN, PDP’s Appeals

The Court of Appeal has struck out the application filed by counsel to the Action Congress of Nigeria and its candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu, and that of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Wole Oke, against the election of the Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko.

The appellants had appealed the ruling of an election tribunal which declared Mr. Mimiko of the Labour Party as the duly elected winner of last year’s governorship election in the state.
More details later…

Ondo Jail Break Stats: 54 / 175 Fleeing Inmates Re-Arrested

The Ondo State Police Command said 54 of the 175 prisoners that escaped when gunmen attacked the Olokuta Medium Prison on Sunday have been re-arrested.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Wole Ogodo, said in Akure that the arrested inmates had been returned to custody.

Mr. Ogodo said it was not true that 10 travellers were killed during the jail break. He said no death was recorded during the incident, adding that the attack was mainly aimed at freeing some members of the gang being held in the prison.

No fewer than 175 inmates, on Sunday Morning, escaped from the facility when gunmen numbering about 30 attacked the prison located on Ondo Road on the outskirts of Akure.

The Comptroller of Prisons in the state, Tunde Olayiwola, had told journalists that the attack was unusual and that the culprits would soon be brought to book.

Mr. Olayiwola said the incident happened around 12.05 a.m., adding that the attack was not masterminded by the Boko Haram as being speculated in some quarters.

“We cannot specifically identify those behind the attack, but the attack is unusual.

“One of our officers was injured during the attack and he is in the hospital right now receiving treatment.

“But I am assuring that those behind the attack will brought to book,” he said.

Mr. Olayiwola said the attack was the first of its kind in the history of the prison.

Meanwhile the new video from the place of escape has become available today. Watch is below:

    

Flood Prevention: No Excuse Will Be Accepted - Jonathan Warns

President Goodluck Jonathan has warned all relevant public officials to ensure a prevention of the massive flooding witnessed across Nigeria in 2012.

The president ordered heads of all federal government ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, whose duties are related to flood prevention and control, to ensure that every necessary action is taken to prevent a recurrence of the floods which displace over a million people and lead to the death of dozens according to official statistics.

Mr. Jonathan said this while addressing ministers and other officials at a meeting he called at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday. The meeting was called to review ongoing flood containment measures.

Nigeria’s meteorological agency, NIMET, has warned of heavy rainfall in many parts of Nigeria in 2013 that could lead to flooding. The president, however, warned that he would not tolerate any excuses for a repeat of last year’s flooding disasters.

“We have no excuse to be caught unprepared again after the floods of last year,” the president said, adding that he expected all relevant MDAs to be very proactive in speedily implementing required flood prevention and management measures.

Kidnappers Of NYSC Members Demand N20m Ransom

According to reports, Kidnappers of the three corps member that were abducted in Rivers state have demanded a ransom of 20million naira.
The image maker of the Rivers State Police Command, Angela Agabe confirmed this in Port Harcourt.

 

The location of the corps member is still unknown.
The corp members (a male and two females) serving at Ogonokom Comprehensive Secondary School, Abua-Odual local government council, Rivers state were kidnapped on saturday, June 29, 2013.

Presidential Committee: Boko Haram Dialogue Possibilities Are Not Depleted

The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of the Security Challenges in the North, Kabiru Turaki, on Sunday, said that the committee still intended to engage Islamist sect, Boko Haram, in dialogue.

Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of the Security Challenges in the North, Kabiru Turaki.

Despite the clampdown of the Joint Task Force and the declaration of a state of emergency in some states in the north, members of the terrorist group are still carrying out attacks.

However, Turaki said that in spite of the situation, dialogue would bring lasting solutions to the states affected by the insurgency.

“Let me say that conflicts are resolved not on the battlefield but on the negotiation table. We are hoping that this one will also be resolved the same way,” he said.

“There is no option to dialogue because whatever cannot be achieved through peace, we cannot achieve through violence.”

Commending the Borno State Government and security agencies for their efforts in maintaining peace in the state, Turaki, who is also the minister of special duties, thanked the state government for rehabilitating people who had to be evacuated in the course of the operations of the security agencies.

He also dispelled rumours that the committee members were shot at on a visit to Bama Local Government Area, explaining that they “met an exchange of fire between security agents and some suspected gunmen.

“The gunshots were not meant for us and it did not deter us from doing our job,” Turaki said.

Road To Nigeria’s Revolution

Nigeria is bogged on a fork on the road but now fumbles a choice between peace and justice.

In its 53-year history, not once has that choice been so stark, as the now blood-soaked country can’t move forward without deciding it.
On December 8th last year, the country’s former Vice President, Abubakar Atiku, direly put Nigeria’s un-employment figure at 75 million people, comprising mostly youths.
Interpreted in  terms, those hard done by in Nigeria without a job and a means of livelihood therefore exceed the whole population of six (6) African countries put together, namely, Ghana, Togo, Cameroon, Senegal, Liberia and Sierra-Leone, whose combined population of 73 million, is less than the 75 million un-employed people in Nigeria alone.
As the Nigerian State rapidly loses legitimacy for this inability to consequently plan or care for its denuded populace, Nigeria’s laws are now as defiled as they are defied by the country’s growing apathetics.
Indeed, looking in from outside, there’ll hardly seem to be any law in Nigeria anymore. Pistols and revolvers are, for example, publicly sold at the Lagos beachfront on a cheap to any willing buyer who feels angry enough to want to kill or maim somebody, despite that the possession and bearing of arms is criminally prohibited in Nigeria, where paradoxically, gunshots continue to shatter the silence of each night on the Lagos mainland, before the corpses of those robbed or assassinated are later picked up for burial each morning.
“I am afraid - and you know i am an army General, “ said ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on 27th July last year, “and when a General says he is afraid, that means the danger ahead is real and potent. The danger posed by an army of unemployed youth in Nigeria can only be imagined.  There is absence of serious, concrete, realistic, short and long term solution to youth unemployment. Nigerian youths have been patient enough. This patience will soon reach its elastic limit. Nigeria will witness a revolution soon, unless government takes urgent steps to check growing youth unemployment and poverty,” Obasanjo said.
For Nigeria to decide its choice, its government has to firstly forgo the dalliance of official thefts, such as the ₦1.2 trillion representing 25% of the national budget stolen from its federal treasury last year through counterfeited bills of lading used for oil subsidy re-imbursement claims. But so far, the evidence of that dalliance being forgone in Nigeria is not obvious. On the contrary, since January last year when mass protests forced the issue and caused a probe which later un-earthed this ₦1.2 trillion theft, no government official has been named or arraigned as criminally answerable.
A former Lagos State governor, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, later took a second look at Nigeria virtually un-ravelling amid such eye-watering thefts, of which he himself is strongly suspected as linchpin, and said “The situation our country is in today is both sad and unacceptable. We are like a people without a leader, a country with no trustworthy men at the helm of affairs, and a nation now lost at sea. Our leaders must commit to a better country, not tomorrow, but beginning now – today, because time is not on our side and the continued patience of the people may no longer be guaranteed.”

Patience Jonathan’s Excesses Must Be Restrained – Punch Report

A report written by Punch Editorial Board:

Each time the wife of the President, Patience Jonathan, hits the road with her long motorcade, including bulletproof and bombproof limousines, or is having a whale of a time at an event, drivers and commuters who find themselves on her routes always have to live with the bitter experience of the encounter. As police empty the roads of traffic, forcing drivers to wait as her glamorous convoy drifts by, motorists are trapped in traffic for hours on end, while social and economic life of the affected community is brought to a halt abruptly.

The recent visit of Mrs. Jonathan to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, in which her security details forcibly grounded the movement of residents, is the latest of such excesses that Nigerians have been forced to endure for the past three years. This impunity must stop.

According to newspaper reports, Mrs. Jonathan’s security arrangement paralysed activities in the Port Harcourt Government Reservation Area for the four days of her visit. Armoured personnel carriers were deployed at two points, while gun-wielding operatives manned the points leading to her private residence. Many people missed their appointments because they were prevented from moving in and out of their houses.

When she came to Lagos last year, on a “thank-you visit” to some women groups for electing her husband president, she enacted a similar repulsive scenario.  During the visit, Lagos residents were subjected to an unprecedented road blockade, which gave rise to an unnerving five-hour traffic that grounded all human and economic activities. The First Lady was attending that event at Ocean View Restaurant on Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island.

Mrs. Jonathan’s misdemeanour, which still resonates more than a year after it happened, forced Governor Babatunde Fashola to lament, “Lagosians were needlessly inconvenienced… It dawned on me the need for public officers generally to be more sensitive to the people we serve. It is particularly worrisome that this (she) is not an elected person. I think we all must check how security agencies use the movement of high officers, especially VIPs, to disrupt citizens and taxpayers, whose money is used to fuel all the vehicles and all the apparatus that we use to block the roads against them. It should not get to the level that we close the roads in the state because VIPs want to pass.” It cannot be said better.

But not long after the ridiculous show of power in Lagos, Mrs. Jonathan headed for Warri, Delta State, where she also caused hardship to residents through her security arrangements.  Needless to say, these foul-ups compound gridlocks on our roads.  On a few occasions, the First Lady has also broken protocol. During President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to the United States in September 2012, she breached protocol by disembarking from the aircraft before the President, and shaking hands with officials waiting on the tarmac while her husband was still coming down from the plane. The First Lady is setting a bad example for wives of governors.

The position of the First Lady in the United States, from where the convention spread to other countries, is not an elected one, carries no official duties, and attracts no salary. But it glows with much glamour and the occupier is expected to handle the position with sublime grace. In the United Kingdom, the role of the Prime Ministerial Consort is not official and as such whoever occupies the office is not given a salary or official duties. Many of them prefer to remain very much in the background.  Indeed, the late Denis Thatcher once summed up the role of the ideal prime ministerial spouse as “always present, never there.” This is the ideal.

But operating under the loosely-defined, unconstitutional office of the “First Lady,” Mrs. Jonathan has been bringing the highest office in the land into disrepute since her husband assumed full duties as President in May 2010, by her public conduct. Her behaviour – when there is no reason for it – is leaving many citizens who have had their rights trampled on bitter but helpless.

Senator Pius Ewerhido Dies

Senator Pius Ewherido, who represented Delta Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, has died.
The senator reportedly fell down three days ago and collapsed at his Abuja home while making a phone call. He then and had been hospitalized at the National Hospital Abuja in preparation for treatment in Germany when he suddenly collapsed.
Senator Pius Ewherido died in hospital today.

Military Winning War on Terrorism due to Attitudinal Change - Lt.-Gen. Ihejirika

Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) affirmed that the military has been winning the war on terrorism due to attitudinal change of officers and commanders.

He said this on Sunday at the Inter-Denominational Service held at the All Saints Military Protestant Church, Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja, to mark the 2013 Nigerian Army Day Celebration.

Lt.-Gen. Ihejirika stated the military had achieved great results. However, a lot still had to be done, he admitted.
“When I remark that we are winning the war on terrorism, according to a Chinese General Sunzu which says, you know yourself, you know the enemy then you can fight a thousand wars. “Wining the war starts from in-house, I am aware of the improved capacity of the units, improved capacity of the officers and men, and this is what gives me the confidence that we will excel. “And as for the operation itself, the nature of insurgency is such that you will continue to have occasional setbacks because you are dealing with people who disguise as civilians,’’ he said.
Mr. Ihejirika disclosed that some soldiers had been ambushed a few times in the current operation, which happened because the insurgents disguised themselves as civilians. He said as such some of the soldiers might not be on their best guard.
Lt.-Gen. Ihejirika said attitudinal change was one the most important attribute that had helped to drive his vision to “transform the Nigerian Army into a force able to deal with contemporary challenges." He said commanders and officers in the field now adopt positive attitude in carrying out their duties and no longer “sit on the fence’’.
He revealed that a lot of initiatives originated in the field. Among such initiatives is repair of equipment that would be on display on July 6, 2013. “There are some officers and commanders; we have lost out of dexterity and zeal to their jobs, my heart goes to those officers and their families. “So, with these change in attitude, we have taken a quantum leap,’’ Ihejirika said.
Mrs Olusola Obada, Minister of State for Defence, said the event calls for celebration as the army and the entire armed forces had come a long way to see to the unity and peace of the country. She stated, “We have course to celebrate and be happy. “The Army is doing its very best as our officers and men are among the very best in the world. “There is no doubt about it because they are well-trained and they are on top of their work and their contribution to international peace-keeping under the UN was commendable.’’
Rev, Fr. Charles Iroegbu, Director Nigerian Army Chaplaincy, said during his sermon it was good to take some time to reflect on our failures and setbacks. Iroegbu, a colonel, said it was time to repent from those failures and to resolve to live a better life and put them into practice. “Humility is given free of charge and anything given freely, there is a corresponding responsibility. “If God had given us what we do not merit, it is expected that we should use whatever given to us to achieve a better Nigeria and a better army and a better armed forces. The inter-denominational service is to marked the 150 years of Army existence.

'Civilian JTF' Arrests 2 Women With Assault Weapons In Maiduguri

A youth vigilance group, popularly called “the Civilian JTF’’, said it apprehended two women attempting to smuggle assault weapons into the Monday market in Maiduguri on Sunday.
Eyewitnesses told newsmen that the women, who concealed the weapons in their dresses, were nabbed at the Bulabulin entrance gate of the market.
One of the witnesses, Malam Modu Bulama, a trader, said that they were in the market when they heard noise from the gate.
“We rushed to scene, but on getting there, we saw two women in veil with assault weapons,’’ he said.
Bulama said that each of the women concealed an AK 47 rifle, a pistol and some items believed to be Improvise Explosive Devise (IED) in their veil.
A member of the vigilante, Malam Usman Ibrahim, corroborated Bulama’s claim, adding: “we were on a routine checking at the gate when these women came with heavy veil.
“At first we did not bother to look at them, but we realised that one of them was shivering, we said something must be wrong,’’ Ibrahim said.
He said that when they were searched, “we found that each of them concealed an AK 47 rifle, a pistol and IED in their veil.
“We were surprised at the discovery, so we took them to officials of the Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore Order (ORO) for investigations,” Ibrahim said.
The JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, could not be contacted for comment, but a senior military officer, who spoke on condition anonymity, confirmed the story.
The official said the JTF was already investigating the case.

Obama Warns Africa's 'Tyrant' Leaders

Cape Town — US President Barack Obama warned Sunday that Africa could only fulfil its rising potential with leaders who serve their people, not tyrants who enrich themselves.

In a strident call for democratic change and good governance, Obama used the political legacy of ailing Nelson Mandela and South Africa's emergence from grim years of apartheid as proof that freedom will ultimately prevail. "In too many countries, the actions of thugs and warlords and human traffickers hold back the promise of Africa," Obama said at a speech at Cape Town University.
"America cannot put a stop to these tragedies alone, and you don't expect us to. That is a job for Africans. But we can help you and we will help you," he said, announcing major new US programs to boost electricity and health care.
"History shows us that progress is only possible where governments exist to serve their people and not the other way around," said Obama, in a line that drew loud and prolonged cheers from his audience of more than 1,000 people.
The speech was delivered from the same spot where American political icon Robert Kennedy delivered his famous "ripple of hope" speech in 1966, which called on students to decry the "racial inequality of apartheid".

Death of Senator Ewerhido Attributed to “Spiritual Attacks” over 2015 Elections?

The death of Senator Pius Ewherido of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) representing Delta Central Senatorial district in the National Assembly today has received various explanations, including "spiritual attacks", allegedly linked to 2015 elections.
According to Sahara Reporters' sources, Senator Ewherido slumped three days ago while answering the phone and had blood gushing out of his mouth and nose before he was rushed to the National Hospital in Abuja, where the preparations to fly senator to a German hospital had began before he passed away.
Another source close to the senator disclosed to Sahara Reporters that Ewherido has already been designated as the Delta state governorship candidate of the yet to be registered All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming 2015 elections and all plans to that effect were already sealed awaiting the registration and full fledge take off of the party.
However, a medical source at the National Hospital told Sahara Reporters that the senator died of heart attack after he had a stroke some 48 hours ago.
Senator Ewerhido was recently expelled from the Democratic People's Party (DPP), accused of attending the meetings of the APC without authorization.
Insisting that the senator was "killed" by his enemies, Sahara Reporters' source also revealed that the spiritual attacks have several angles to it. The sourse added that they suspect an unnamed politician serving in governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s government who had a running battle with Ewherido during the PDP primaries for the senatorial district before the senator cross carpeted to the DPP and defeated him in the 2011 elections. He reportedly boasted severally that he is still a senator in waiting. Sahara Reporters' source also disclosed that "spiritual attacks" on politicians happened before but the victim survived through divine intervention.
"My brother, the death of Senator Pius Ewherido is not ordinary. Delta state has lost a gem, our only hope for 2015 election. The most painful aspect of it all is that he has already gotten the ticket to fly the APC governorship flag in the state and now look at what has befallen us. Delta state politics has turned into something else. Those behind the death of Chief (Barr) Pius Akpor Ewherido, our distinguished Senator, alias "Gogorogo" shall never go unpunished" he said before hanging up the phone.
Several political associates of the senator who did not want to be quoted mourned the sudden passing of Ewherido describing him as their best hope for a shot at the governorship of Delta state in 2015. They said he was a good man and a keen politician who has helped his people.
In the past two months social media platforms as well as political groups have been buzzing with the plans by Ewherido to contest the governorship seat come 2015.
It would be recalled that the Delta state chapter of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) on May Ist, 2013 suspended Senator Pius Ewherido, the acting national deputy chairman, Olisemeka Akamukale, the vice chairman of Delta central senatorial district, Henry Olori as well as a leader in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State, Cyril Ogodor from the party.

Dana Crash: Why the Anyenes Reject Compensation, Urge Reform

The Anyenes, which lost almost a whole family, six members and three in-laws, on June 3, 2012 in Dane plane crash, met again on Saturday and resolved not to negotiate for any financial compensation from the airline for their loss.
The family members came to Lagos to hold first year memorial lecture and service of songs in honour of victims from the family.
Spokesperson of the family, Christian Anyene, who is a New York medical doctor, said the family’s interest was beyond financial compensation.
Anyene said, “Keeping the family together within the last one year was tough, but as children of a catechist in the Catholic Church, we were determined to move on. It was rough but we were resolute in our decision.
“The Anyene family wishes not to deal with Dana Air to negotiate any compensation. We lost a whole family and money will not bring them back.”
Christian claimed the family would rather appeal to the Federal Government to show interest in the life of air passengers.
“We will prefer that the government erects functional air safety measures so that no family will suffer such a painful loss again in Nigeria. To honour more than 150 victims of the crash, government should show more interest in the safety of those who choose to fly.”
Onyeka’s mother had to be taken away from the event as she broke down in tears a few minutes after entering the venue. Hovewer, Christian insisted that the family members were putting the grief behind them.
He stated, “I’m quite glad that we are at this stage. A year ago, we were depressed, we cried and grieved for months.
“Today, We have out sad event behind us. We remember the successful life that my brother, Onyeka, his wife, Maimuna and their four children lived. They used their God-given gift to help many others and that is what we remember them for a year after their demise.
“When he was leaving Connecticut, US for Nigeria, I went to the house and picked the whole family and our in-laws to the airport, I never knew that I was seeing them for the last time. A week later, they were all gone.
“When Onyeka was born as twins, the civil war had just started in Nigeria and I helped in taking care of him and the twin sister because our father was posted away from where we lived. He was an active boy in his youth and his brilliance earned him success in the short life he lived.”
Onyeka’s aunt, wife of the former Vice President of Nigeria, Alex Ekweme, Beatrice, said it was important to recognise the positives in the lives of the victims.
Beatrice said, “I was in Onyeka’s house when I heard the news. We were waiting for his arrival but instead of welcoming him, we heard of the tragic news of his death and that of other members of the family. It’s a day we wish to put behind us.”

ALERT: How to Avoid Tricky Facebook Scams

From snake-oil salesmen and pool-hall hustlers to Nigerian princes and Spanish prisoners, scams were happening long before the Internet. Unfortunately, the Internet has only made things worse. Modern scammers can reach billions of potential victims with a single message. And their scams are getting better every day. If you aren't paying attention, you could fall for a scam and not ever realize it.
One of the easiest places to encounter online scams is Facebook. Facebook encourages sharing, which means certain scams can travel far and wide. These aren't harmless scams either. Some of them can install viruses that take over your account or steal your money!

NUPENG Begins 3-day Strike Today

All depots in the country from today till wednessday will cease to load petroleum products in accordance with the three day warning strike ordered by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
NUPENG Also gave directives to its acting members in all branches in the country to join the strike raising fear of fuel scarcity. NUPENG is, among others, protesting unfair labour practices of multinational oil companies like Chevron, Shell and Agip.
NUPENG’s General Secretary Comrade Isaac Aberare in a statement yesterday said the strike is also to protest the refusal of National Association of Road Transport Owners to implement an agreement with the Petroleum Tanker Drivers as well as the sorry state of Nigerian roads.
He said: “The oil workers have no choice than to embark on the warning strike as NARTO refuses to implement the signed collective bargaining agreement with the petroleum tanker drivers and the sorry state of our roads across the nation.
“The union calls on the Nigerian public for understanding, as all efforts by the Federal Ministry of Labour intervention three weeks ago has failed,” he added.
“The union has exhausted all efforts for a stakeholders’ meeting in the oil and gas sector to address the situation; the oil multinationals have failed to implement the agreement reached for a truce in the meeting brokered by the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu.”

Why Nigeria Is Not Working - Sultan

After a critical review of the state of the nation, the Sultan of Sokoto and president-general of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday said that so many things are not working in the country because the leaders refuse to allow them to work.

The Sultan said this at a national conference on peace, unity and security organised by JNI in Kaduna said “So many things have gone wrong in this country and things are still going wrong.
“As leaders, we are committed in ensuring justice in whatever we do; we are committed in ensuring that those leaders whom Allah placed on us to lead us do what is right. And we must continue to tell them when they do wrong. No leader is ever right.”
The Sultan added that “the reason of our coming together today is to unite our senior brothers and sisters in Islam, especially the Ulama”.
“If there is unity amongst Muslims there will be peace; if there is peace amongst Muslims of this great country of ours, there will be total security in Nigeria. If there is security, definitely there will be development.
“What we have been experiencing in the northern part of the country -- in particular the unfortunate incident which has been forced on us for so many reasons.
“I believe it’s high time that all of us come together and discuss those things that have been festering in our lives as Muslims in this country,” he said.
He noted that “our coming together and sitting together under one roof shows that we are ready to be united. Sitting down to discuss the main issue facing us is a plus for all of us.”
To the Muslim community, the Sultan said: “We are very aware of the challenges facing us as Muslims and i believe with constant prayers we shall overcome the challenges and move to the greater heights.
“We must put aside personal interest to put Islam above all. We will not allow anybody to stop us from being Muslim, because that is what we choose to be.
“We will not allow anybody to turn our lives upside down. We will not allow anybody to ascribe any form of violence to Islam. We must come together and solve our problem together.
“I remember in this very hall when President Goodluck Jonathan was campaigning; it was in this very hall we listened to what he wanted to see us for. And we the Muslim leaders gave him our agenda -- what we wanted from him.
“But whether he has done what we told him or not is a different thing altogether. We have not sat down to articulate it because of the so many insecurity problems that came up.”

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I Have Been Betrayed! - Amaechi

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has described the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, as “too small and insignificant to discuss.”
Wike, who is Amaechi’s former Chief of Staff, has been involved in a long drawn political battle with the governor.
Amaechi said this while  speaking on Saturday during a church service to mark the 60th birthday of the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief O.C.J. Okocha, at the Emmanuel Anglican Church in Port Harcourt.
The governor, who was reacting to the questions directed at him by the officiating priest, the Bishop of Anglican Communion, Niger Delta Diocese, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, expressed regret that most of those that had betrayed him were from his Ikwerre ethnic group.
The governor said, “This will be the first time I will be talking about my former Chief of Staff in public. My former Chief of Staff is too small for me to talk about. I don’t want to discuss him and I have never done that before. Today will be my first and last day.
“There are men with character and there are men without character.  I don’t believe that money can solve all problems and I don’t worship money.
“My greatest fear is that where am I going after here on earth? Let me also tell you that I have been betrayed several times in politics and majority of those who betrayed me are from my Ikwerre ethnic group.
“Before I became a Speaker, can we look back at Ikwerre history? We were crying; we wanted governor, we wanted this and that and the last ministerial appointment was Chief Emmanuel Aguma, a long time ago, and that was the last Ikwerre ministerial appointment.”
The governor, however, maintained that Opara betrayed him when it was time for the former deputy speaker to support him.
“Again, you can ask Mr. President, I submitted his name (Nyesom Wike) as minister. Where is he now? I, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, submitted his name as minister to President Jonathan. But where is he now? You must have character, you must be known for something,” Amaechi insisted.

Tinubu Under Attack!

National leadership of  Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, described the national leader of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,  as a despot for imposing his daughter, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, as President-General of the Association of Nigerian Market Women and Men.
The party said Folashade Tinubu-Ojo was not a full-time trader and cannot on that note succeed Tinubu’s mother, late Alhaja Abibat Mogaji.
In a statement, yesterday, by PDP’s Acting National Publicity Secretary, Tony Caesar Okeke, the party also lampooned the leadership of ACN for asking President Goodluck Jonathan to probe reports that security operatives prevented Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi, from personally exchanging pleasantries with him at a dinner at the Presidential villa last Wednesday.
Okeke described the demand by the ACN as “irresponsible, meddlesomeness and foolish scandal-mongering.”
He said ACN and its co-traveller, Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, were merely embittered by the reconciliations in the PDP and were, as such, crying wolf where there was none.
Stating that such protocol issues were understood by all, PDP said ACN and CPC had, over time, showed that they were quarrelsome parties which derived pleasure in causing disaffection among Nigerians.
He said: “The ACN and the CPC are merely embittered by the reconciliations so far achieved in the PDP and seek to use all means to undermine it. That is why they are crying wolf where there is none. Protocol issues are understood all over the world. Therefore the demand by the ACN smacks of irresponsible meddlesomeness and foolish scandal-mongering aimed at causing disaffection among our leaders and party members.”
The party said President Goodluck Jonathan had a good relationship with all state governors, including that of Rivers State, and commended him for the reconciliations so far achieved in the PDP.
On Tinubu, the PDP said the ACN leader, “who parades himself as a democrat” has clearly shown his despotic tendencies, with the installation of his daughter as the leader of traders without recourse to democratic processes. Nigerians have clearly seen that the so-called democrats and self-styled messiahs in the ACN are, indeed, wolves in sheep’s skins.”

"Boko Haram Gives Me Sleepless Nights" - Says Ihejirika

Lt-General Azubuike Ihejirika has revealed that he has had sleepless nights since 2010 when he was appointed COAS because of activities of the Boko Haram sect.
The Chief of Army Staff admitted that the military has done a great job in battling against the violence in the northern part of the country, although he did say there is still a long way to go to achieve piece.
Speaking yesterday at an interdenominational church service to mark 150 years of existence of Nigerian Army, he reassures Nigerians that the capacity of all the units and those of the officers and men of the force had greatly improved, adding that the situation was what gave him the confidence that the operation would succeed.
He said: “The occasional setback suffered in the operation is made possible by the fact that the insurgents disguise as civilians and as such some of the soldiers may not be on their best guard.
“Overall, we have made tremendous achievements but a lot still have to be done. In terms of welfare, it is encompassing and talking about logistics, we are talking about transport which is the vital part of logistics.
“We are aware of the current security challenges which I identified way back in 2010 on appointment as the Chief of Army Staff.
“It was in recognition of this challenge and strategy for dealing with it that made me evolve the vision to transform the Nigerian Army into a force better able to deal with contemporary challenges.”

JTF Kills 50 Terrorists In Borno

It has been reported that the Joint Task Force in Borno has killed 50 suspected terrorists in Zabarmari Ward of Jere Local Government Area of Borno State, Maiduguri metropolis.
Concerning the killings, a security source said

“Over the weekend, we received an intelligence report that several Boko Haram terrorists have regrouped and were residing or hiding in Zabarmari Ward. We then mobilized our troops to the area, and on reaching the place, the suspected terrorists upon noticing our presence, began to shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ (Allah is Great) and started shooting at the JTF troops. We had no option than to repel the attacks while we succeeded in killing about 10 of the suspects.
“We decided not to take away any of their corpses as we left them in the area, but the following day when we mobilized our men to the area, we found out that hundreds of the terrorists were at one of the grave yards burying their dead members, and when we approached, some of them started shooting at our troops which led to the exchange of gun fire. We succeeded in killing over 40 of them.
“As I am talking to you now, our men are still in Zabarmari hunting for any suspected terrorists who might have escaped the deadly encounter”.

Reasons Why Ex- Gov, Gbenga Daniel May Be Expelled From PDP

There are strong indications that the suspended former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, may eventually be expelled from the party.

It was learnt that the Ogun State executive of the PDP is planning to hold a meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Jubril Martins-Kuye and party financier, Buruji Kashamu, to determine the fate of Daniel in the party.
The state PDP Chairman, Adebayo Dayo, in an interview with our correspondent on Friday, said the leaders would meet to determine if Daniel would remain in the party or not.
The Chairman, Ogun-East Senatorial District, PDP, Doyin Fakoya, had on Thursday announced Daniel’s suspension along with 12 others over alleged anti-party activities.
Daniel was suspended for defecting with his loyalists to the Peoples Party of Nigeria prior to the 2011 elections and for his alleged romance with the Labour Party in the state.
Fakoya had said, “As of today, I am the chairman of the PDP in Ogun East Senatorial District. I have a copy of the letter that Daniel has been suspended. He was suspended by Ward 12, Sagamu Constituency 2.”
Dayo, however, chided Fakoya for publicising Daniel’s suspension without the knowledge of the party leadership.
“Before we publicise something of that nature, the leadership of the party must be aware of it,” he stated.
While he said he agreed with the suspension, Dayo said Daniel became the first victim of the party’s disciplinary action because he was a leader of the party.
He added that the punishment became necessary at a time when the party was consolidating its efforts to win back the state from the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria.
“I am not saying that I am aware of what happened, as I’ve been out of Ogun State for four days and I am not aware of the publication (of the suspension). I only saw it in the papers.
“When I get back home, I’m going to call the leaders of the party because we, as the officials of the party, still have some leaders ahead of us. I’m going to call all the leaders, starting from former president Obasanjo, Martins-Kuye, Kashamu and all the prominent leaders.
“I will visit them to schedule a meeting where this issue will be discussed at length. If it is the decision of all elders in Ogun State that Daniel should leave the party, so be it. There’s nothing we can do.
“We cannot involve somebody whose interest is divided in our plan for the coming elections. That is the problem we have. The leadership of the party will sit and decide.”
The party chairman noted that while the PDP wanted more members, particularly from opposition parties, it would not condone acts of indiscipline among its members.
“That does not mean that somebody who had been a very active member and leader of our party can be fraternising with various political parties. He was in PPN and recently we heard that he intended to go LP, and he’s romancing the United Party of Nigeria as well. How can a leader of our party be doing all these? You cannot be in PDP and PPN at the same time.”
He said disciplinary measures would soon be extended to other parts of the state