FIFA U-17: Golden Eaglets On Fire, Bury Iraq 5 - 0

Sensational Nigeria rounded off their Group F campaign with a 5-0 hammering of Iraq, a result which is good enough to see them finish top of the section as they get set for the Round of 16 here at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in UAE. Four goals in the first half set the tempo for the contest which was never really going to end well for the Iraqis, who now head for home after three straight losses. Mexico and Sweden also go through from the section as second and third-place finishers respectively. 

Nigeria hadn’t lost a group-stage game at a U-17 World Cup since way back in 1993, and they weren’t in the mood to start today. Chidiebere Nwakali hit the woodwork after only two minutes, and it was a hint of things to come as the Africans roared into incredible form. Seconds later, they were into the lead when Musa Yahaya was fouled in the area and Musa Muhammed converted form the spot. 

The scorer turned provider a minute later, his cross picking out Nwakali who had loads of time and acres of space to put the ball away from close range. The Iraqis were stunned, but they managed a shot in the 13th minute. Captain Mohammed Salam’s free-kick was saved well by Dele Alampasu. The effort was a false dawn, however, and Nigeria were 3-0 up five minutes later. Kelechi Iheanacho, the Golden Eaglets’ danger-man, laid on a fine pass for Taiwo Awoniyi, but it broke loose and fell to the feet of Musa Yahaya, who made no mistake. 

Iraq’s coach Muwafaq Adlool, knowing his side needed a win, made a change, bringing on Yasir Ammar for Mustafa Mohammed. The substitution sparked a positive spell for his side, but the next goal came at the other end with the Nigerians in irresistible mood. Yahaya took advantage of a rather grand error by the Iraq keeper Hayder Mohammed, and poked home with ease from six yards out just before the half. 

There wasn’t much action in the second half, with the Nigerians taking their foot off the accelerator and Iraq looking defeated and out of ideas. On the stroke of full-time, however, Nigeria scored a fifth when substitute Chigozi Obasi hit home from 20 yards to take the Africans’ goals-for tally in the group stages to 14, one less than Brazil. 

Group F has proven one of the strongest here at the UAE finals and it’s only just that three of its combatants – three-time champions Nigeria, Sweden and defending champions Mexico – should go through. Iraq, playing in their first junior finals, can hod their heads high as they head for home.

Source: FIFA

nigeria national identity card project President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday inaugurated the National Identity Card Project with a directive that all eligible Nigerians should be registered by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) by December 2014. Jonathan gave the directive during a ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he also launched the National Identification Number (NIN), expressing displeasure at the proliferation of data capturing activities by private and public institutions in the country. “Aside from being unwieldy, the cost of operating multiple discordant data bases and infrastructure is unsustainable. “Government cannot afford continued proliferation of data capture activities. Proliferation does not grant any advantage in efficiency neither does it make good economic sense. The growing identity verification needs, therefore, calls for harmonization and integration of identity data bases in the development of a universal service infrastructure. “To achieve this goal, the National Identity Management Commission should ensure that by Dec. 31, 2014 all persons eligible for registration as provided for in section 16 of the National Identity Management Act No. 23 of 2007 are enrolled into the national identity data base.“ According to the President, all government agencies requiring identity verification and authentication services or involved in data capture activities should align their activities with a view to switching over to NIMC infrastructure. He said: “The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Finance must ensure that these objectives, which are aimed at streamlining biometrically-linked databases and optimising scarce resources, are accomplished in record time.“ He expressed the hope that by the time the projects were completed, they would assist the National Population Commission (NPC) in carrying out the 2016 census. He stated that in spite of their separate obligations, NIMC and NPC needed to work more closely to deliver a comprehensive centralised national database urgently. Jonathan also urged the private sector to partner with NIMC in ensuring an efficient national database for the country. “While Government remains committed to the accelerated development of the National Identity Management System (NIMS), the private sector must also rise up to its role. “Corporate operators must seize the unique opportunities provided by the Concession Agreement to make investments in the scheme. “Private sector participation would mean extended optimization of resources typically devoted to addressing issues of Proof of Identity across the nation. “It would also mean seamless integration and use of a common facility for identity verification and authentication in both the public and private sectors,“ the President said. In his remark, the Director-General of NIMC, Mr Chris Onyemena, expressed the hope that the identity card project would collapse other data capturing activities earlier embarked upon by some institutions in the country. He said the project remained the most important tool for the harmonisation and integration of government policies and programmes. Onyemena added that NIMC would partner with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to educate Nigerians, especially rural dwellers, on the need for them to obtain their national identification numbers. Source: NAN

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday inaugurated the National Identity Card Project with a directive that all eligible Nigerians should be registered by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) by December 2014.

Jonathan gave the directive during a ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he also launched the National Identification Number (NIN), expressing displeasure at the proliferation of data capturing activities by private and public institutions in the country.

“Aside from being unwieldy, the cost of operating multiple discordant data bases and infrastructure is unsustainable.

“Government cannot afford continued proliferation of data capture activities. Proliferation does not grant any advantage in efficiency neither does it make good economic sense. The growing identity verification needs, therefore, calls for harmonization and integration of identity data bases in the development of a universal service infrastructure.

“To achieve this goal, the National Identity Management Commission should ensure that by Dec. 31, 2014 all persons eligible for registration as provided for in section 16 of the National Identity Management Act No. 23 of 2007 are enrolled into the national identity data base.“

According to the President, all government agencies requiring identity verification and authentication services or involved in data capture activities should align their activities with a view to switching over to NIMC infrastructure.

He said: “The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Finance must ensure that these objectives, which are aimed at streamlining biometrically-linked databases and optimising scarce resources, are accomplished in record time.“

He expressed the hope that by the time the projects were completed, they would assist the National Population Commission (NPC) in carrying out the 2016 census.

He stated that in spite of their separate obligations, NIMC and NPC needed to work more closely to deliver a comprehensive centralised national database urgently.

Jonathan also urged the private sector to partner with NIMC in ensuring an efficient national database for the country.

“While Government remains committed to the accelerated development of the National Identity Management System (NIMS), the private sector must also rise up to its role.

“Corporate operators must seize the unique opportunities provided by the Concession Agreement to make investments in the scheme.

“Private sector participation would mean extended optimization of resources typically devoted to addressing issues of Proof of Identity across the nation.

“It would also mean seamless integration and use of a common facility for identity verification and authentication in both the public and private sectors,“ the President said.

In his remark, the Director-General of NIMC, Mr Chris Onyemena, expressed the hope that the identity card project would collapse other data capturing activities earlier embarked upon by some institutions in the country.

He said the project remained the most important tool for the harmonisation and integration of government policies and programmes.

Onyemena added that NIMC would partner with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to educate Nigerians, especially rural dwellers, on the need for them to obtain their national identification numbers. 

Source: NAN

FACTS: Why Nigeria May Not Win The Boko Haram War!

Since the crisis that engulfed the North Eastern part of Nigeria started, there has been mourning in many families, communities, states and even across almost all the regions of the country. Nigeria has also lost a good number of military officers while thousands of civilian casualties have been recorded.

When the President declared a state of emergency in three states in order to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency, many Nigerians were a bit relieved that the end to the problem was near. Months after however, the war with the terrorist group rages on with the group focusing more on innocent civilians. Villages, members of vigilante teams as well as students have suffered deadly attacks from the Boko Haram sect.

What has become the subject of many debates is whether Nigeria’s military forces are capable of winning the war against terror or not.

Findings have shown that some factors are responsible; with both the government and the military partly to blame for the inability to successfully quash the rebellious group. One of the factors is the politicization of the war in some areas. There are allegations that some “powerful” politicians are behind the group. Political statements are being made on a daily basis, further laying credence to insinuations that some forces are more powerful than the state.

The absence of a substantive Defence Minister is also not helping matters. The Minister for Defence should be someone who will be able to decipher military language, so that the Defence Ministry will live up to its billing. Presently, it is an open secret that the Ministry of Defence is not operating at its full potential.

Operational deficiencies especially within the chain of command has also given the terrorists more confidence in the war. For instance, it recently became obvious that the anti-terror fighting force had grossly under-stocked armouries. General Mohammed Yusuf of the Nigerian Army confirmed that during a gunfight with Boko Haram in Gubio, Borno State in September, soldiers ran out of ammunition and as a result, the country lost an officer and dozens of valiant men. That gave an indication that the terrorists in some cases could be better equipped even than the army as the General disclosed that the terrorists were armed with anti-aircraft guns. One other thing that worked against the soldiers according to findings conducted by Street Journal was that the aerial operation that should have preceded the advancement of the troops was cancelled at the last minute without proper communication with the soldiers who had already advanced.

Though military spokesman, Brigadier General Ibrahim Attahiru has stated that the terrorists are not better armed than Nigerian troops, findings have revealed that the last time the military authorities acquired weapons in large quantity was years ago, as such, Nigerian forces may be facing terrorists with weapons that may be inferior to what the insurgents carry.

While Nigerians were told that the military repelled an attack on its camp in Borno State some months ago, findings later revealed that the terrorists actually swooped on the military camp and caught the soldiers unaware. While 15 of the terrorists were killed in the shootout that ensued, not less than 12 military men were lost or unaccounted for. Even Abubakar Shekau had the effrontery to claim that his men overran a military camp and soldiers fled. In the video that has been tagged “fake” by military authorities, Shekau claimed that Boko Haram captured an Armoured Personnel Carrier and a Hilux van belonging to the Joint Task Force.

Street Journal’s investigations have revealed that the soldiers that ran out of ammunition were issued 60 rounds of ammunition each as against terrorists that have stockpiles. It was also found out that the issuance of 60 rounds per soldier goes against the Nigerian military’s ordinance that stipulates 150 rounds per soldier in such situations; with room for reserve.

Street Journal’s findings have shown that it even in war situations, Nigerian soldiers are often under-equipped. A Major who was serving in Sudan’s Darfur region was shot after he ran out of ammunition and some of his men were captured by rebels. Street Journal found out that the Major survived and was brought to Nigeria for further treatment. He was however court-martialled while he was still on hospital bed; reason being that his men were captured.

The case was eventually dropped after the Major wrote petitions to the National Assembly stating that he and his men were issued 60 rounds of ammunition in a war situation. The Armed Forces Committees in the National Assembly had to wade in, that has however not changed the situation as officers still have to run after firing the 60th round of ammo.

It is also doubtful whether the Defence Headquarters is aware that soldiers combating insurgents are underequipped despite the funds allocated for military armament.

Human blunders too have been found to be a major causative factor for most of the losses suffered by the military. An example is the August 4 attack on the camp at Malam Fatori. Investigations showed that the army was caught unawares by the Boko Haram terrorists who stormed the camp around 4.30 am. The surprise attack threw the camp into a state of confusion with the terrorists having an edge. It was gathered that the terrorists fired on as they chased fleeing soldiers, some of who ran almost as far as across the Niger Republic border.

The soldiers were obviously not expecting Boko Haram to bring the war to them in their own camp.

In some quarters, there is the belief that the military has not adopted a clear cut strategy of dealing with the insurgents. No strategy to deal with insurgency.

Another factor that is not helping matters is that just like the military, terrorists too have intelligence sections. Some soldiers work with and for the insurgents. While some of their commanders with military backgrounds like Habibu Bama have been taken out, it is fast becoming obvious that there are still soldiers sympathetic to the Boko Haram cause. As long as such soldiers remain in service, the enemy still has an edge.

In terms of policies too, reviews of the present one, if any should be carried out with the military staff colleges, the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies which graduates lots of military officers yearly should work together and draw up plans on how to combat the scourge of terror.

Source: Street Journal

SHOCKING: Nigerians Waste N250 Billion Yearly On Foreign Medical Trips?

The organising committee of the Nigerian Centenary Charity Ball has said the Nigerian elite, both in public and private sectors spent about N250 billion annually on medical treatments abroad.

The Secretary of the Organising Committee of the Charity Ball, Dr. Kingsley Esegbue, stated this at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday.

Esegbue said his committee planned to raise N8 billion at the upcoming centenary celebrations for the upgrading of medical facilities in the country.

He lamented the quantum of capital flight arising from medical tourism by Nigerians, stressing that the development has continued to drain the nation’s scarce resources.

According to him, the various medical problems that drain the country of such resources could be tackled at home if the necessary facilities were put in place.

Esegbue said: “Sealing a hole in a child’s heart need not cripple the parents financially or take place in India. Replacing a damaged kidney could be done within our borders.

“Every breast, cervical or prostate cancer patient should have access to quality care within Nigeria.

“Our neurosurgery units need to serve the Nigerian people; no woman should have her bladder torn in the process of giving birth; and for victims of acid attacks, reconstructive surgery should be done within our borders.

“Nigeria is blessed with skilled healthcare professionals. The requirements are the infrastructure/technology and perhaps the will.

“Certainly, this is what the Nigerian Centenary Charity Ball hopes to achieve by equipping already existing National Referral Centers for heart and kidney diseases, neurosurgery, cancer care and management.”

The committee scribe added that Nigerians, at home and in the Diaspora, would be mobilised for collective action towards making life more abundant for the average citizen.

Source: The Nation

TERRIBLE: FUTA Staff Stabbed To Death?

A middle age man Udoh Johnson, a staff with the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), was stabbed to death with a broken bottle in a drinking joint over a minor argument.

Report said that Udon had gone to a drinking joint not too far from his house

at Adinlewa street to charge his hand set when he met his untimely death.

Vanguard gathered that the ugly incident occurred at about 11:30pm on the ill fated day.

Udoh was said to have gone back to remove his hand set but one of the customers in the joint claimed that udoh stepped on his legs without apologising.

The suspects simply identified as Wale who is still at large reportedly removed the hand set and the charger and flung it away.

An argument ensued and this was followed by a fight and  Udoh was said to have been  stabbed by the suspect with a broken bottle which made him bleed until he died.

While the fight lasted others at the joint fled and nobody could rush Udoh to the hospital following which he reportedly died after losing much blood.

Police source said that the owner of the joint and some family members of the suspect have been picked up for questioning.

The state Police Command Image Maker Wole Ogodo confirmed that the deceased was stabbed by one Wale now at large during an argument.

Ogodo however explained that Udoh was stabbed on the leg and was  immediately rushed to the State Specialist Hospital, Akure for medical attention before he died while receiving treatment.

He said the corpse of the deceased was thereby deposited at the hospital morgue for autopsy.

According to him the case has been trasfered to  the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for thorough investigations.

Ogodo assured that the drag net of the police detectives in the state  would soon catch the suspect.

Source: Vanguard

UNBELIEVABLE: Woman Run University From Flat?

 

Dr. Beloveth Powerful, whose school is named Havard School UK, has also been sued by the American university of almost the same name.

The United Kingdom’s (UK) Milton Keynes Trading Standards department has commenced investigations into the controversy surrounding a Nigerian national, Dr. Tina Beloveth Powerful, who runs a university from a city centre flat in North Third Street in CMK.

Dr. Beloveth Powerful, whose school is named Havard School UK, has also been sued by the American university of almost the same name, reports The Nigerian Telegraph.

A spokesman for Trading Standards confirmed that the Nigerian is under investigation but refused to give details.

“As it is an ongoing investigation we cannot comment in detail about it,” he said.

Media reports, however, suggest the trading standards investigation may involve false claims on Havard’s website that the school is affiliated to the Institute of Administrative Management. The wording on the school’s website has been changed to read “is to be accredited to.”

However, Dr. Beloveth Powerful insists she has not done anything wrong, adding that she was on a “mission from God to help people study.”

“I have six degrees myself, two of them from Nigeria where I came from,” she said in a report. “I transformed my life and God has given me power to transform others’.”

The Nigerian claimed she is not aware of the trading standards investigations into Havard.

America’s Harvard University files suit

Dr. Powerful, whose school is named Havard School of Management and Technology UK, is also being sued by Harvard University of the US. The American university, which name differs from Dr. Powerful’s institution by just a letter, is suing for alleged trademark infringement.

But Dr Powerful is counter-claiming for £2 million – the money, she says, she has spent so far on setting up her school.

“A good name is better than silver and gold,” she said. “Having said that, we are telling them we want to step aside but we have spent money in advertising, marketing and productions.”

The 46-year-old Nigerian also denied claims she caused academic confusion by calling her school Havard, explaining that the name ‘Havard’ was from her grandfather.

“My paternal grandfather’s first name was Havard. I chose to immortalise his name. I never thought about Harvard,” she said.

Source: Daily Times

WORLD CUP: Nigeria 2 Vs Ethiopia 1

Emmanuel Emenike: brace puts Nigeria ahead of Ethiopia
Emmanuel Emenike was the star of the Nigeria-Ethiopia clash in Addis-Ababa today, scoring a brace to put Nigeria’s first leg in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Emenike first scored the equaliser in the 67th minute, after Ethiopia’s midfielder the 20 year old, Behailu Gobeze Assefa had shocked the Nigerian Super Eagles out of their doldrums on the 57th minute.
Nigeria took control of the match thereafter, dictating the pace and notching several missed opportunities in front of the Ethiopian goal.
The clincher came via a penalty in the 88th minute. Emenike wasted no time, two minutes after and slotted the ball in the right hand corner of the Ethiopian goal post.
More details soon....
Source: PM News

DRAMA: Patient Escape With Native Doctor’s Baby?

The family of Vincent Amafule, a herbalist from Ozara village in Mbutu, Aboh Mbaise Council Area of Imo State must be blaming themselves for admitting a total stranger who pretended to be a patient into their home. The renowned traditional medicine doctor and his wife are now in quandary over how the yet-to-be-identified patient and his wife who claimed to have come from Bayelsa State for treatment vanished into the thin air with the six-month-old baby of the native doctor.
The family’s nightmare, Sunday Sun, learnt began when one Ifeanyi from Uvuru, a neigbhouring community brought two unidentified people, a lady and a man said to have come from Bayelsa where he resides to Mr Amafule for treatment. The said Ifeanyi who is also at large was himself once treated by Amafule.
The distraught trado-medical doctor narrated how their ordeal started. “This whole problem started last Sunday morning at about 7:30 am when an old Mercedes Benz 190 model drove into my compound and I saw Ifeanyi who is from Uvuru, our neigbhouring village with a man and a woman who I had thought was the wife. Ifeanyi told me that he had brought them to me because the woman had been suffering from fibroid and needed treatment. He said they would be spending a week for the duration of the treatment. I welcomed them because as a trado–medical doctor, I have been treating women with similar problems.
“I prepared one of the rooms in my house for the man and his wife to sleep and my wife also prepared food for them to eat and it never crossed my mind that the people were planning to steal my little baby girl.
“The following day, I commenced the fibroid treatment for the woman. In the evening, while my wife was preparing dinner in the kitchen, I was inside my room preparing another dose for the woman. My other daughter of six years was with her little sister, Esther in front of the house.
“Later my older daughter ran in to inform my wife that the strange woman said she wants to help her carry Esther. When my wife came out, the strange woman and my six-month old daughter had disappeared into the night. It was later that I discovered that the car they came in was no longer parked in the compound and I suspected that the man must have rolled the car out into the street because I did not hear any sound. It was then it dawned on me that the man and woman who claimed to be a couple were actually baby thieves. At this point, I raised the alarm.”
Amafule told Sunday Sun that when his supposed patients made away with his little daughter, he tried to contact Ifeanyi who brought them from Bayelsa through his cellphone but discovered that the number does not exist. He also disclosed that on inquiry, he learnt that Ifeanyi’s mother lives in Aba, in Abia State, while he resides in Bayelsa State.
Corroborating her husband’s story, Mrs Geraldine Amafule said amidst sobs that she never knew that the man and the woman who came for treatment only used that as a ploy to steal her six-month-old daughter from her.
“When they came here last Sunday morning with Ifeanyi who said that he recommended my husband to them for treatment, we did not suspect any thing because many people come here for the treatment of fibroid, acute malaria and even typhoid. Ifeanyi who brought the couple here was treated by my husband. The man who claimed to be the husband of the woman and speaks Igbo told my husband that his wife has fibroid and that he wants him to treat her and that they would spend a week for the treatment before going back to Bayelsa where they reside.
The distraught mother further lamented: “That Sunday night, I gave them food and my husband gave them one of the rooms to sleep in, but on Monday night while I was preparing dinner in the kitchen at the backyard, I asked my older daughter to look after Esther because they were in the front of the house. Later my older daughter came to inform me that the woman wants to help carry Esther. But before I came out in front of the house, both the woman and my daughter had disappeared.”
When Sunday Sun visited Amafule, sympathizers were trooping into his compound to console the family. One of them who simply identified himself as Stephen told our reporter that it was unbelievable that people who claimed to come for treatment turned out to be child thieves.
Sunday Sun also gathered that this was not the first time such a strange incident would be happening in Mbutu Mbaise community as a similar took place in Amawo Mbutu about three years ago when two unidentified men on a motor bike snatched a three-month-old baby boy from her sister by the roadside, as the mother was weeding the farm. Sunday Sun learnt that the incident had been reported at the Lagwa Police station.
Source: Sun News

IMO STATE: Police Stop Okorocha’s Birthday?

A planned reception in honour of Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha was yesterday aborted by police who barricaded the Abia State Polytechnic venue of the event, Aba threatening to deal with anyone who defies the order.
The police team comprising seven Hilux patrol vans and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) blocked the two gates of the institution as well as PZ and Brass Junctions. The situation held up traffic at the ever busy Aba—Owerri road in the heart of the commercial city as motorists and pedestrians were confined to only one lane of the road.
The event organized under the banner of Rescue Missionaries comprising clerics from South South and South East zones of Nigeria was scheduled to mark Okorocha’s 51st birthday anniversary.
But the event was cancelled at the 11th hour by the Abia State government who alleged that the reception is a ploy for Okorocha to launch his Rescue Mission programme and the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Abia.
In an interview with Pointblanknews.com, Deputy Chief of Staff to Imo state Government, Mr. Chinedu Offor said the ceremony was a religious one organized by the South East and South South to honour the governor.
“It is unfortunate that the Abia state government could descend so low to stop a religious event. The decided that Aba was central for the event which they will also to use to honour His Excellency. They got police permit, paid for the venue and had their receipt only to get there and be shut out. They had canopies upturned and food containers destroyed. We just heard that the powers that be ordered the event stopped. Somebody is to trying to be funny by cancelling the event.
They should be careful when they are dealing with God.”
Offor denied reports that the event was meant for the launch of the APC in Abia state, stressing that it was meant to offer prayers to the nation and had nothing to do with politics.
“The event had nothing to do with politics or APC. It was being organized by missionaries who want to use the occasion to honour the governor for his birthday. Have you not gone to the venue? Did you see the APC flag? Have you heard of any APC governor or any chieftain that came? What of the APC people in the state, did you see anybody?
If the APC wanted to do a rally, it can’t be a secret affair; at least there must be publicity. There is no politics in the event,” Offor said.
But in a swift reaction, Abia state government said it will not be drawn into unnecessary matters with its Imo state counterpart over mundane issue that has to do with the purported birthday event of Governor Rochas Okorocha in Aba.
Chief press secretary to Abia state governor, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue alleged that Okorocha planned to use the occasion to launch his pet project called Imo Rescue mission without permission from the school authorities.
According to Emezue, investigations revealed that apart from Abia poly authorities not having any idea of the programme, security agencies in Abia are equally not aware.
Emezue wondered why Imo state government would want to sneak into Abia to hold such a programme without observing the laid down procedures.
The Chief Press Secretary advised Okorocha to restrict his Rescue Mission programme activities to Imo state, and added that Gov. Theodore Orji is going the extra mile to ensure that the hard earned security in Abia state is not compromised from any quarter.
Source: Pointblank News

PDP CRISIS: Seal Aso Rock, Akwa Ibom Lodge Now - Rebels

The Kawu Baraje faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has demanded the immediate sealing of the Presidential Villa, Akwa Ibom State Governor’s Lodge, Legacy House (PDP Secretariat Annex) and other venues where political meetings allegedly holds, if the action of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, on the Adamawa Governor’s Lodge, was to be justified.
The National Publicity Secretary of the faction, which is also called the “New PDP”, Chukwuemeka Eze, who stated this in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, argued that since President Goodluck Jonathan hold political meetings in the Presidential Villa, while the PDP Governors also meet in the Akwa Ibom Governor’s Lodge, both places should be sealed as, according to him, they belonged to the people.
Mr. Mohammed had on Saturday ordered the sealing of the Adamawa Governor’s Lodge, saying it had been turned to the secretariat of the PDP faction.
Denying that the New PDP had already turned the Lodge into its secretariat, Mr. Eze noted that Mr. Mohammed was desperately working to provoke the faction as well as Nigerians, adding that it would only halt its plan to take legal action on the matter if FCTA sealed the Presidential Villa, Akwa Ibom Governor’s Lodge, Legacy House (PDP Annex) and other places where political meetings were similarly held.
“If they are serious about what they are suggesting about the Adamawa Governor’s Lodge, they should go ahead and make sure they close Akwa Ibom Governor’s Lodge, Legacy House, and any other place political meetings are held,” he said.
“If they do so within 48 hours, we will not go to court. We have already instructed our lawyers to take legal action. We want them to apologise to the Adamawa people. These are extra conditions we are giving them.
“So, they should seal wherever they are doing political meetings, even the Aso Rock because it is for all Nigerians. Anything above that is not acceptable.
“Bala Mohammed is a political appointee, he should wait and see.”
However, Nosike Ogbuenyi, the Special Adviser to the FCT Minister, described Baraje faction’s demand as laughable because, according to him, the Presidential Villa, Akwa Ibom State Lodge had not been converted to party secretariat as the faction had done with the Adamawa Governor’s Lodge.
He also said the area where Legacy House was located was commercial and not residential.
“That is a different issue, villa is just one and nobody has converted it to a party secretariat. The Akwa Ibom Governor’s Lodge has not been turned to a party secretariat. So, it is a different issue,” Mr Ogbuenyi told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview on Sunday.
On the Legacy House, where the ruling party conducts some of its ceremonies, the minister’s media aide insisted that it was not a residential area, but a commercial area and therefore there was nothing wrong in holding political meeting there.
“Do you have the title? It is not a residential area, it is commercial,” he said.
Mr. Ogbuenyi admonished the faction “to do the normal thing because they have contravened the rules. Anybody can come to your house to meet, but they have turned the Adamawa Lodge to party secretariat.”
Meanwhile, the National Publicity Secretary of the Afenifere Renewal Group, ARG, Yinka Odumakin, said although the decision of the FCT Ministry to seal the Adamawa State Governor’s Lodge, could not be divorced from the crisis in the PDP, the Adamawa State Government played into the hands of the ministry.
He insisted that there was no justifiable reason why a Governor’s Lodge should be turned to the secretariat of a party, whether it was a faction or not.
Also speaking, Osita Okechukwu, a stalwart of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, and spokesperson of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, said although the ministry’s action was condemnable, members of the Baraje faction of PDP should quit the ruling party.
“Whereas one does not encourage the excesses on the side of the government, the New PDP should exit to any of the 25 parties,” he said.
“They were not born inside the PDP and PDP is not their father. They should not live on the hangover of the old one party, PDP where all elections were won by do or die affair. Let them exit and leave the shell for Bamanga Tukur.”
Source: Premium Times

STRANGE: We Heard Prophet Ajanaku Voice - Neighbours

The controversy surrounding the purported death of the General Overseer of the Christ Revival Victory Chapel International, Prophet Ireti Ajanaku, has taken a dramatic twist as his members are insisting that their spiritual leader is alive.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that this is also the family’s position, even though his family and some of his pastors had earlier reportedly announced his death to the landlords’ association around his residence at 15, Folarin Williams Close, Ikola-Odunsi in Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Authority, Lagos. An evangelist, who had spoken as an authority in the church, but declined to give his name, told Saturday PUNCH on Wednesday that Ajanaku was alive.
He said, “There is still life in him and we are praying for his recovery. That’s all I can say. People are peddling rumours and saying so many bad things about the church, but those things are wrong.”
Ajanaku reportedly died on Saturday in his hometown, Gbongan, Osun State, after returning from a trip to South Africa. But the family is yet to make any public announcement on his death.
Residents of the area said they already suspect that he was never dead, but information on the true state of his condition is what they seem to be divided on. Some of the residents were of the opinion that Ajanaku was in a coma, while others said he must have been in a trance.
Although, Ajanaku’s wife, Joy, had not been seen in public since last weekend, it was learnt that she and some old members of the church had been holding vigils at the family’s residence since news of her husband’s death broke.
But a landlord on the street, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said Ajanaku might have been ‘back’ from the supposed coma or trance. Speaking on Thursday morning, he said, “At the vigil they held from last night till this morning, we heard what sounded very much like Ajanaku’s voice leading the worship for the first time since the news that he was dead got to us.
We were discussing it this morning and some of us believe that it must have been him. “Although some of his family members and pastors came to tell us that he was dead on Sunday, we were not allowed into his compound and none of us has seen his body.
It’s just what we were told and there is no proof so far that he’s dead. “We heard that the family has again claimed that he’s not dead. So what we heard may be proof that he was sick or in a coma or in a trance.
But one thing we’re sure of is that his body (Ajanaku) is still in the house.” Also, some residents said there was drama on Ajanaku’s street on Monday night while a vigil was ongoing in his house.
Eye witnesses said that some men in white attire and holding bells, who were suspected to be cultists, stormed Ajanaku’s residence singing and chanting. A resident, who did not want to be named, said the suspected cultists, who were about 20 in number, arrived the street at 10pm on Monday and left around 2am, the next morning.
The source said, “The alawo (cultists) were not allowed inside Ajanaku’s compound. So they moved up and down the street, singing and chanting. They were all dressed in white and came with all the kits cultists normally wear and even had small bells in their hands which they rang as they sang.
The cultists really disturbed our sleep that night as everybody was glued to the walls. We, residents, suspect that the pastor must have belonged to a cult group, otherwise those people would not have come as they did.”
Saturday PUNCH also observed a general disappointment among the residents, following Monday’s experience.
Source: Punch

STRANGE: We Heard Prophet Ajanaku Voice - Neighbours

The controversy surrounding the purported death of the General Overseer of the Christ Revival Victory Chapel International, Prophet Ireti Ajanaku, has taken a dramatic twist as his members are insisting that their spiritual leader is alive.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that this is also the family’s position, even though his family and some of his pastors had earlier reportedly announced his death to the landlords’ association around his residence at 15, Folarin Williams Close, Ikola-Odunsi in Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Authority, Lagos. An evangelist, who had spoken as an authority in the church, but declined to give his name, told Saturday PUNCH on Wednesday that Ajanaku was alive.
He said, “There is still life in him and we are praying for his recovery. That’s all I can say. People are peddling rumours and saying so many bad things about the church, but those things are wrong.”
Ajanaku reportedly died on Saturday in his hometown, Gbongan, Osun State, after returning from a trip to South Africa. But the family is yet to make any public announcement on his death.
Residents of the area said they already suspect that he was never dead, but information on the true state of his condition is what they seem to be divided on. Some of the residents were of the opinion that Ajanaku was in a coma, while others said he must have been in a trance.
Although, Ajanaku’s wife, Joy, had not been seen in public since last weekend, it was learnt that she and some old members of the church had been holding vigils at the family’s residence since news of her husband’s death broke.
But a landlord on the street, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said Ajanaku might have been ‘back’ from the supposed coma or trance. Speaking on Thursday morning, he said, “At the vigil they held from last night till this morning, we heard what sounded very much like Ajanaku’s voice leading the worship for the first time since the news that he was dead got to us.
We were discussing it this morning and some of us believe that it must have been him. “Although some of his family members and pastors came to tell us that he was dead on Sunday, we were not allowed into his compound and none of us has seen his body.
It’s just what we were told and there is no proof so far that he’s dead. “We heard that the family has again claimed that he’s not dead. So what we heard may be proof that he was sick or in a coma or in a trance.
But one thing we’re sure of is that his body (Ajanaku) is still in the house.” Also, some residents said there was drama on Ajanaku’s street on Monday night while a vigil was ongoing in his house.
Eye witnesses said that some men in white attire and holding bells, who were suspected to be cultists, stormed Ajanaku’s residence singing and chanting. A resident, who did not want to be named, said the suspected cultists, who were about 20 in number, arrived the street at 10pm on Monday and left around 2am, the next morning.
The source said, “The alawo (cultists) were not allowed inside Ajanaku’s compound. So they moved up and down the street, singing and chanting. They were all dressed in white and came with all the kits cultists normally wear and even had small bells in their hands which they rang as they sang.
The cultists really disturbed our sleep that night as everybody was glued to the walls. We, residents, suspect that the pastor must have belonged to a cult group, otherwise those people would not have come as they did.”
Saturday PUNCH also observed a general disappointment among the residents, following Monday’s experience.
Source: Punch

STRANGE: We Heard Prophet Ajanaku Voice - Neighbours

The controversy surrounding the purported death of the General Overseer of the Christ Revival Victory Chapel International, Prophet Ireti Ajanaku, has taken a dramatic twist as his members are insisting that their spiritual leader is alive.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that this is also the family’s position, even though his family and some of his pastors had earlier reportedly announced his death to the landlords’ association around his residence at 15, Folarin Williams Close, Ikola-Odunsi in Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Authority, Lagos. An evangelist, who had spoken as an authority in the church, but declined to give his name, told Saturday PUNCH on Wednesday that Ajanaku was alive.
He said, “There is still life in him and we are praying for his recovery. That’s all I can say. People are peddling rumours and saying so many bad things about the church, but those things are wrong.”
Ajanaku reportedly died on Saturday in his hometown, Gbongan, Osun State, after returning from a trip to South Africa. But the family is yet to make any public announcement on his death.
Residents of the area said they already suspect that he was never dead, but information on the true state of his condition is what they seem to be divided on. Some of the residents were of the opinion that Ajanaku was in a coma, while others said he must have been in a trance.
Although, Ajanaku’s wife, Joy, had not been seen in public since last weekend, it was learnt that she and some old members of the church had been holding vigils at the family’s residence since news of her husband’s death broke.
But a landlord on the street, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said Ajanaku might have been ‘back’ from the supposed coma or trance. Speaking on Thursday morning, he said, “At the vigil they held from last night till this morning, we heard what sounded very much like Ajanaku’s voice leading the worship for the first time since the news that he was dead got to us.
We were discussing it this morning and some of us believe that it must have been him. “Although some of his family members and pastors came to tell us that he was dead on Sunday, we were not allowed into his compound and none of us has seen his body.
It’s just what we were told and there is no proof so far that he’s dead. “We heard that the family has again claimed that he’s not dead. So what we heard may be proof that he was sick or in a coma or in a trance.
But one thing we’re sure of is that his body (Ajanaku) is still in the house.” Also, some residents said there was drama on Ajanaku’s street on Monday night while a vigil was ongoing in his house.
Eye witnesses said that some men in white attire and holding bells, who were suspected to be cultists, stormed Ajanaku’s residence singing and chanting. A resident, who did not want to be named, said the suspected cultists, who were about 20 in number, arrived the street at 10pm on Monday and left around 2am, the next morning.
The source said, “The alawo (cultists) were not allowed inside Ajanaku’s compound. So they moved up and down the street, singing and chanting. They were all dressed in white and came with all the kits cultists normally wear and even had small bells in their hands which they rang as they sang.
The cultists really disturbed our sleep that night as everybody was glued to the walls. We, residents, suspect that the pastor must have belonged to a cult group, otherwise those people would not have come as they did.”
Saturday PUNCH also observed a general disappointment among the residents, following Monday’s experience.
Source: Punch

STRANGE: We Heard Prophet Ajanaku Voice - Neighbours

The controversy surrounding the purported death of the General Overseer of the Christ Revival Victory Chapel International, Prophet Ireti Ajanaku, has taken a dramatic twist as his members are insisting that their spiritual leader is alive.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that this is also the family’s position, even though his family and some of his pastors had earlier reportedly announced his death to the landlords’ association around his residence at 15, Folarin Williams Close, Ikola-Odunsi in Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Authority, Lagos. An evangelist, who had spoken as an authority in the church, but declined to give his name, told Saturday PUNCH on Wednesday that Ajanaku was alive.
He said, “There is still life in him and we are praying for his recovery. That’s all I can say. People are peddling rumours and saying so many bad things about the church, but those things are wrong.”
Ajanaku reportedly died on Saturday in his hometown, Gbongan, Osun State, after returning from a trip to South Africa. But the family is yet to make any public announcement on his death.
Residents of the area said they already suspect that he was never dead, but information on the true state of his condition is what they seem to be divided on. Some of the residents were of the opinion that Ajanaku was in a coma, while others said he must have been in a trance.
Although, Ajanaku’s wife, Joy, had not been seen in public since last weekend, it was learnt that she and some old members of the church had been holding vigils at the family’s residence since news of her husband’s death broke.
But a landlord on the street, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said Ajanaku might have been ‘back’ from the supposed coma or trance. Speaking on Thursday morning, he said, “At the vigil they held from last night till this morning, we heard what sounded very much like Ajanaku’s voice leading the worship for the first time since the news that he was dead got to us.
We were discussing it this morning and some of us believe that it must have been him. “Although some of his family members and pastors came to tell us that he was dead on Sunday, we were not allowed into his compound and none of us has seen his body.
It’s just what we were told and there is no proof so far that he’s dead. “We heard that the family has again claimed that he’s not dead. So what we heard may be proof that he was sick or in a coma or in a trance.
But one thing we’re sure of is that his body (Ajanaku) is still in the house.” Also, some residents said there was drama on Ajanaku’s street on Monday night while a vigil was ongoing in his house.
Eye witnesses said that some men in white attire and holding bells, who were suspected to be cultists, stormed Ajanaku’s residence singing and chanting. A resident, who did not want to be named, said the suspected cultists, who were about 20 in number, arrived the street at 10pm on Monday and left around 2am, the next morning.
The source said, “The alawo (cultists) were not allowed inside Ajanaku’s compound. So they moved up and down the street, singing and chanting. They were all dressed in white and came with all the kits cultists normally wear and even had small bells in their hands which they rang as they sang.
The cultists really disturbed our sleep that night as everybody was glued to the walls. We, residents, suspect that the pastor must have belonged to a cult group, otherwise those people would not have come as they did.”
Saturday PUNCH also observed a general disappointment among the residents, following Monday’s experience.
Source: Punch

STRANGE: We Heard Prophet Ajanaku Voice - Neighbours

The controversy surrounding the purported death of the General Overseer of the Christ Revival Victory Chapel International, Prophet Ireti Ajanaku, has taken a dramatic twist as his members are insisting that their spiritual leader is alive.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that this is also the family’s position, even though his family and some of his pastors had earlier reportedly announced his death to the landlords’ association around his residence at 15, Folarin Williams Close, Ikola-Odunsi in Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Authority, Lagos. An evangelist, who had spoken as an authority in the church, but declined to give his name, told Saturday PUNCH on Wednesday that Ajanaku was alive.
He said, “There is still life in him and we are praying for his recovery. That’s all I can say. People are peddling rumours and saying so many bad things about the church, but those things are wrong.”
Ajanaku reportedly died on Saturday in his hometown, Gbongan, Osun State, after returning from a trip to South Africa. But the family is yet to make any public announcement on his death.
Residents of the area said they already suspect that he was never dead, but information on the true state of his condition is what they seem to be divided on. Some of the residents were of the opinion that Ajanaku was in a coma, while others said he must have been in a trance.
Although, Ajanaku’s wife, Joy, had not been seen in public since last weekend, it was learnt that she and some old members of the church had been holding vigils at the family’s residence since news of her husband’s death broke.
But a landlord on the street, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said Ajanaku might have been ‘back’ from the supposed coma or trance. Speaking on Thursday morning, he said, “At the vigil they held from last night till this morning, we heard what sounded very much like Ajanaku’s voice leading the worship for the first time since the news that he was dead got to us.
We were discussing it this morning and some of us believe that it must have been him. “Although some of his family members and pastors came to tell us that he was dead on Sunday, we were not allowed into his compound and none of us has seen his body.
It’s just what we were told and there is no proof so far that he’s dead. “We heard that the family has again claimed that he’s not dead. So what we heard may be proof that he was sick or in a coma or in a trance.
But one thing we’re sure of is that his body (Ajanaku) is still in the house.” Also, some residents said there was drama on Ajanaku’s street on Monday night while a vigil was ongoing in his house.
Eye witnesses said that some men in white attire and holding bells, who were suspected to be cultists, stormed Ajanaku’s residence singing and chanting. A resident, who did not want to be named, said the suspected cultists, who were about 20 in number, arrived the street at 10pm on Monday and left around 2am, the next morning.
The source said, “The alawo (cultists) were not allowed inside Ajanaku’s compound. So they moved up and down the street, singing and chanting. They were all dressed in white and came with all the kits cultists normally wear and even had small bells in their hands which they rang as they sang.
The cultists really disturbed our sleep that night as everybody was glued to the walls. We, residents, suspect that the pastor must have belonged to a cult group, otherwise those people would not have come as they did.”
Saturday PUNCH also observed a general disappointment among the residents, following Monday’s experience.
Source: Punch

STRANGE: We Heard Prophet Ajanaku Voice - Neighbours

The controversy surrounding the purported death of the General Overseer of the Christ Revival Victory Chapel International, Prophet Ireti Ajanaku, has taken a dramatic twist as his members are insisting that their spiritual leader is alive.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that this is also the family’s position, even though his family and some of his pastors had earlier reportedly announced his death to the landlords’ association around his residence at 15, Folarin Williams Close, Ikola-Odunsi in Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Authority, Lagos. An evangelist, who had spoken as an authority in the church, but declined to give his name, told Saturday PUNCH on Wednesday that Ajanaku was alive.
He said, “There is still life in him and we are praying for his recovery. That’s all I can say. People are peddling rumours and saying so many bad things about the church, but those things are wrong.”
Ajanaku reportedly died on Saturday in his hometown, Gbongan, Osun State, after returning from a trip to South Africa. But the family is yet to make any public announcement on his death.
Residents of the area said they already suspect that he was never dead, but information on the true state of his condition is what they seem to be divided on. Some of the residents were of the opinion that Ajanaku was in a coma, while others said he must have been in a trance.
Although, Ajanaku’s wife, Joy, had not been seen in public since last weekend, it was learnt that she and some old members of the church had been holding vigils at the family’s residence since news of her husband’s death broke.
But a landlord on the street, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said Ajanaku might have been ‘back’ from the supposed coma or trance. Speaking on Thursday morning, he said, “At the vigil they held from last night till this morning, we heard what sounded very much like Ajanaku’s voice leading the worship for the first time since the news that he was dead got to us.
We were discussing it this morning and some of us believe that it must have been him. “Although some of his family members and pastors came to tell us that he was dead on Sunday, we were not allowed into his compound and none of us has seen his body.
It’s just what we were told and there is no proof so far that he’s dead. “We heard that the family has again claimed that he’s not dead. So what we heard may be proof that he was sick or in a coma or in a trance.
But one thing we’re sure of is that his body (Ajanaku) is still in the house.” Also, some residents said there was drama on Ajanaku’s street on Monday night while a vigil was ongoing in his house.
Eye witnesses said that some men in white attire and holding bells, who were suspected to be cultists, stormed Ajanaku’s residence singing and chanting. A resident, who did not want to be named, said the suspected cultists, who were about 20 in number, arrived the street at 10pm on Monday and left around 2am, the next morning.
The source said, “The alawo (cultists) were not allowed inside Ajanaku’s compound. So they moved up and down the street, singing and chanting. They were all dressed in white and came with all the kits cultists normally wear and even had small bells in their hands which they rang as they sang.
The cultists really disturbed our sleep that night as everybody was glued to the walls. We, residents, suspect that the pastor must have belonged to a cult group, otherwise those people would not have come as they did.”
Saturday PUNCH also observed a general disappointment among the residents, following Monday’s experience.
Source: Punch

TERRIBLE: Cultists, Kill Final year LASPOTECH Student?

A final year student of Lagos State Polytechnic, Ibrahim Oluwaseun, 26, has been killed by suspected cult members at his parents’ home in Somolu area of Lagos. The deceased, a student of Business Administration, was said to have been preparing to defend his final year project this week when he was killed on Friday night.
Our correspondent also gathered that the deceased was sitting with his mother outside their home on New Balogun street, when he was shot around 9pm.
An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said the gunmen were about seven.
He said, “They were seven in number; they came to the area fully armed. All those guys were strangers to us but have been coming to the area for some time now. Nobody knew exactly what they were up to.
“That night, they confronted the boys in the area with guns and immediately people saw them, they ran for their lives.
“They shot at Oluwaseun who was with his mum outside their house. It wasn’t as if Oluwaseun was involved in any fight. He fell into the gutter immediately he was shot, just as everybody tried running for cover.”
PUNCH Metro gathered that in the ensuing confusion, neither of Oluwaseun’s neighbours nor relatives, witnessed his fall into the gutter. It wasn’t until after the confusion had subsided that residents allegedly observed that Oluwaseun was nowhere to be found.
Another source told PUNCH Metro that the Divisional Police Officer, Somolu Station, responding to a distress call on the shooting, drafted some patrol teams to the area.
He said, “Two patrol vehicles were sent to the area but even while the police patrolled the streets, no one noticed that Oluwaseun was in the gutter. Perhaps he might have survived the shooting if he had been discovered on time.”
Oluwaseun was said to have been discovered, few minutes after the shooting; by then, he was already dead. His corpse was said to have been recovered from the gutter by the police and taken to the Gbagada General Hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
When our correspondent visited the scene a day after the incident, there was an uneasy calm on the street; shops were under lock and key.
While a candlelight procession was held in the deceased’s honour on Saturday, there were fears among residents of more attacks. At the Oluwaseuns’ residence, visitors poured in to condole with the deceased’s family and pay tribute to his memory. His distraught mother was said to be unavailable for comments.
However, a close friend of the family, Alhaja Modupeola Kazeem, described Oluwaseun as gentle and an easygoing young man.
Kazeem said, “I was shocked on hearing the news because I am like a second mother to him. I was one of the people who brought him up; he was a cheerful person who never made trouble. We were all surprised how those guys just came and shot at him without any provocation. Ibrahim was just a victim; he was never part of any bad group.”
She added that Oluwaseun had been buried on Saturday in accordance with Muslim rites.
The Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Damasus Ozoani, confirmed the incident to our reporter on the telephone. He said, “There was indeed an incident on Friday night in which some suspected cultists shot one Oluwaseun in Somolu. Police immediately swung into action. They saw him lying down and he was rushed to the hospital where he died. We are investigating the case to ensure we bring the culprits to book.”
Source: Punch

REVEALED: Why Rebel Governors Can’t Leave PDP

Fresh facts have emerged on why the New Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has chosen to stay back within the main PDP, despite the refusal of President Goodluck Jonathan to yield to any of their seven demands.
Credible insiders confirmed to Sunday Tribune that the G7 governors stayed back in the PDP when negotiations on their joining the opposition coalition became deadlocked, due to the conditions they presented.
It was gathered that few weeks ago, one of the G7 governors from the North-Western zone approached the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on behalf of his colleagues and submitted request of the Kawu Baraje-led faction to join the opposition so as to defeat the main PDP in 2015.
The leadership of APC was said to have welcomed the idea and went ahead to propose that the G7 meet the eleven governors of the APC. The meeting was held in Abuja and Nasarawa State, according to our source, but it was the last between the two groups.
The source confided in our reporter that: “The G7 governors’ main condition was that the APC structures in Rivers, Kwara, Niger, Sokoto, Kano, Adamawa and Jiagawa be handed over to them, if they were to join the opposition. This was what they called the first condition upon which they would publicly declare for the APC.
“The APC team at the meeting rejected the condition as the APC itself is made up of three parties just trying to fuse together. They were told they can only join as ordinary members and without preconditions.”
It was learnt that many APC leaders, especially those from the North-West, kicked against the idea on the grounds that most members of the G7 from the zone are political rivals to leaders of the APC in their respective states.
According to our source, the APC in Sokoto, led by former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa, rejected any possibility of the party structure being handed over to Governor Aliyu Wamakko, his old rival in Sokoto politics.
The same situation was said to have played out in Kano State where former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau was said to have rejected such condition on the ground that the opposition in the state is well grounded even without Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Sunday Tribune was told that the national leadership of the APC also believed the G7, if admitted, might create another round of political rancor within the new party. According to an APC chief from Kano State, “we actually rejected the New PDP when they wanted to join us.
“They want to take over what they don’t know how we built. We in Kano said we don’t want Kwankwaso. Bafarawa people also said they don’t want Wamakko. Since the last talk, the G7 has not approached us again.”
Source: Pointblank News

SCARY: Another Aviation Disaster Averted?

An IRS Airline plane, on Sunday, had to disembark 89 passengers right on the runway in the northern Nigeria city of Kaduna, after a landing itch, the airline said in a statement.
IRS managing director, Yemi Dada, said the pilots of flight 3390 with 89 passengers onboard received a low hydraulic warning minutes before landing.
An hydraulic warning means there is a problem with landing gear, nosewheel steering, brakes, cargo doors, thrust reversers or both primary and secondary flight controls.

IRS aircraft: passengers disembark on runway

“On final approach to Kaduna today on our flight 3390 with 89 passengers, our cockpit crew got a low hydraulic in system 1 warning and decided to take precautionary measures to ask for ground confirmation that all gears were down and locked,” he said.
Dada said the aircraft landed normally after the control tower had confirmed that the gears were all down normally.
“The crew proceeded to land but followed procedure to disembark on the runway and not taxi in accordance with the procedure,” Dada said.
All passengers disembarked normally and the aircraft was towed to ramp.
“The maintenance crew are inspecting to confirm the issue that caused the warning to the crew,” he said.
Source: PM News

CBN: Sanusi Bags 2013 Central Bank Governor Award?

The Central Bank (CBN) Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has bagged the 2013 Central Bank Governor Award for Sub-Saharan Africa.
The award is in recognition of Sanusi’s efforts to reduce inflation to a single digit.
Sanusi
Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi,
It was conferred on him by Emerging Market Magazine, an international organisation, on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) taking place in Washington DC.
The CBN has successfully stabilised inflation rate in the country at 10 per cent.
The CBN governor, in his four years in office, received the award three times.
Commenting on the award, Sanusi said it represented the efforts of the about 6,000 staff of the apex bank.
He said “we have worked day and night through the banking crisis and now we are working toward restoring stability, financial inclusion and payment system transformation.
“It’s a great honour for me because this is going to be my last annual meeting. I thank all my colleagues for their support and the government for the confidence reposed in me.
“I have worked with two wonderful Finance Ministers, Dr Mansur Mukhtar and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and I thank them for their support.
“The relations between the CBN and the finance ministry is one that is characterised by bulk of hostility, sometimes interrupted by gunfire, but we have been able to remain good friends and respect each other’s right to agree and disagree.’’
He said building stability in the system was not an easy task and applauded the Federal Government for the transformation reforms in various sectors of the economy.
The Ambassador of Nigeria to the U.S., Mr Adebowale Adefuye, said the award showed the confidence the international community has in the Nigerian community and Sanusi’s professionalism on the job.
“This is a plus for the Federal Government for putting professionals in different offices to manage our economy. It is an endorsement of the good efforts of the government for Nigeria’s CBN to be selected as the Central Bank of the Year for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr Sarah Alade, the CBN Deputy Governor on Economic Policy, said the award showed that Nigeria’s conscious efforts to stabilise the economy was being recognised.
“When the world recognises you among peers, it means that you are doing the right thing.
“The efforts at being able to have macro-economic stability has been recognised and that is an attestation to the hard, collective and collaborative work we do with Ministry of Finance and all the other agencies,’’ she said.
Mr Tunde Lemo, the CBN Deputy Governor, Operations, also said that taming inflation rate in Nigeria was a difficult task.
He, however, added that “we have been able to achieve it under the leadership of the current CBN Governor, Malam Sanusi.
“But all of these may not have been possible without the political and capital support from the President, as well as the support of the Ministry of finance. For me, this is what we are celebrating.
“We celebrate key public officers who work in harmony and ensure that the Nigerian economy achieve sustainable growth.
“I am optimistic that the moment Nigeria succeeds in its structural reforms, the economy will record double digit growth, year on year,’’ he stressed.
Source: NAN