₦airaland Forum

A Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday transferred the case filed by the Nigerian Police Force against 23 officials of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Port Harcourt division of the court.

The officials were to be prosecuted for allegedly receiving N360 million bribe from Rivers State government to compromise the results of the December 10, 2016, re-run parliamentary elections in the state.

The accused were to enter their plea on March 14 to a seven-count charge bordering on bribery, but the defence counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN), urged the court to decline hearing of the charge on grounds of territorial jurisdiction.

He, therefore, asked the court for an order transferring the matter to the Port Harcourt division of the court.
According to the defendants, trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja was in breach of the constitution.
The prosecution counsel, Aliyu Alilu, however, argued that there was insecurity in Rivers State, which could interfere with the trial.
At the resumed sitting yesterday, Justice John Tsoho, ruled that the argument of the police that the insecurity in Rivers State will affect the trial was not tenable.
He said: “So, based on Section 22 of the Federal High Court Act, the case has been transferred to the Port Harcourt division of the Federal High Court.”
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday, adjourned commencement of hearing a suit on fundamental rights brought against the Police and four others by the Incorporated Trustees of the Peace Corps of Nigeria and its National Commandant, Ambassador Dickson Akoh, till May 31.
Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) has slammed a N2 billion suit against the Police, Inspector General of Police (IGP), National Security Adviser (NSA), Department of State Services (DSS), its Director General and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/court-transfers-alleged-bribery-case.html

The member representing Ezza South/Ikwo federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Lazarus Ogbe yesterday denied a facebook account (Ebonyi patriot) that accused him of forging his West African Examination Council (WAEC), which he presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) in the 2015 general elections.

The lawmaker also threatened to sue a facebook account, Ebonyi patriots and all those that accused him of forging his WAEC certificate.

The facebook account had posted on its timeline at the weekend that the lawmaker forged his WAEC certificate.

In a press conference in Onueke, Ezza South local government area of Ebonyi state, Ogbe denied the allegation, describing it as handiwork of his opponents and mischief makers who are hell bent in destroying his hard earned image.
His attention, he said, was drawn to a facebook post, which has gone viral that I forged my WAEC certificate, which was included in my academic qualifications that I submitted to INEC for 2015 election for House of Reps.
“Actually, I have come to clear the air that in 1979, I enrolled into Ezza high school, Onueke and by 1984, I took my WAEC and thereafter was given original certificate. My examination number in the WAEC certificate which I used and sat for the examination is 04608112, while the certificate number is SG 526723A and is verifiable anywhere. You can browse it and know the name that is there. You will see Lazarus Ogbe if you purchase WAEC scratch card and browse the exam number.
“I couldn’t have gone to fabricate or to forge anybody’s certificate, when I have mine. This campaign of calumny and character assassination is emanating from some people I defeated in the 2015 polls. Since I defeated them, it has never gone down well with them and they have been fighting to pull me down. They took me to tribunal and later appeal court and I won them.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/i-didnt-forge-my-waec-certificate-says.html

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said on Monday that the anti-corruption war in the country has been largely unsuccessful because the nation’s anti graft agencies were playing to the gallery instead of facing the substance.

He accused the nation’s anti graft agencies of abandoning the substance of corruption and focusing on showmanship.

Saraki said the approach to the anti-graft campaign by the agencies was largely responsible for their inability to secure any conviction for all the high profile cases they had handled since they started operation few years ago.

Speaking at the public presentation of a book “Antidote For Corruption” written by Senator Dino Melaye, the Senate president said the anti-graft agencies were under pressure “to show that they are working,” forcing them to do more of showmanship than actual prosecution of corruption cases.


He said: For the country to win the war on corruption, we must return to that very basic medical axiom that prevention is better than cure. The reason our fight against corruption has met with rather limited success is that we appeared to have favoured punishment over deterrence.

“The problem with that approach, however, is that the justice system in any democracy is primarily inclined to protect the fundamental rights of citizens. Therefore, it continues to presume every accused as innocent until proven guilty.

“Most often, it is difficult to establish guilt beyond all reasonable doubts as required by our laws. It requires months, if not years, of painstaking investigations. It requires highly experienced and technically sound investigation and forensic officers.

“It requires anti-corruption agents and agencies that are truly independent and manifestly insulated from political interference and manipulation. We must admit that we are still far from meeting these standards.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/why-anti-graft-war-is-not-succeeding.html

Police in Ogun have arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly killing his 27-year-old roommate, Friday Michael.

The police spokesman in Ogun, Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi, said in a statement that the incident happened on Friday at Mamu area of Awa-Ijebu.

“The suspect came in around 6.30 a.m. and shot the deceased, who was sleeping, with a locally-made pistol.
“The sound from the gun attracted other occupants of the house to the scene and they quickly alerted the police.“The DPO of Awa-Ijebu Division led his men to the scene and the suspect was promptly arrested,’’ said the police spokesman.
He said that preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect was member of a notorious armed robbery gang terrorising the area.
According to the police spokesman, the deceased had accosted the suspect on several occasions while coming from robbery operations.
“It was the fear that the deceased may expose him that prompted him to sniff life out of him.
“The suspect has, however, gave useful information to the police which will help in nabbing other members of his group,’’ Oyeyemi said.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr Ahmed Iliyasu, has ordered the transfer of the suspect to the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad for further investigation.The body of the deceased has been deposited in the morgue for autopsy.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/police-arrest-man-for-allegedly-killing.html

The Redeemed Christian Church of God General Overseer (Worldwide), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, in Jos on Sunday urged Christians in the country not to lose hope but to believe that there is no problem impossible for God to solve.

The cleric also urged Nigerians to maintain a peaceful disposition towards one another, no matter the situation they find themselves, saying it was only through such acts that their prayers would be answered.

Adeboye spoke at the RCCG inter-denominational service held at Kassa in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, where he rounded up the RCCG 2017 Northern Ministers and Workers Conference, with the theme, “The Almighty.”


At the event, the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, called on citizens to live in peace and support his administration to achieve its mandate.
Adeboye’s message was taken from the Book of Genesis 17:1-10.
He said, “Know that there is a God who is the Almighty; hide nothing from Him no matter the situation but put your trust in Him and the Almighty will be available to you. Though you have no one to help, the Almighty will help, remember that He knows all.”
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/dont-lose-hope-in-nigeria-adeboye-to.html

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it is monitoring the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), through its central Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in Abuja.

Its Niger Coordinator, Mr Muhammed Ibrahim, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Minna that all the examination centres were linked to the CCTV.

“Our staff, candidates and supervisors in all examination centres are being watched and recorded; it is part of our efforts to reduce or eliminate malpractices in the conduct of the test,” he said.
The Coordinator said that 32, 000 candidates registered for the examination in Niger and were writing the test in 14 centres.
He said that the exercise was smooth in many centres except at Jumai Aliyu Babangida Development Centre, Minna where a system failure was recorded.
“The issue lingered a bit, so we immediately moved the candidates to the zonal office to write the examination,” he said.
He said that the examination, which started on Saturday, would end on Wednesday, and promised a hitch-free exercise.
A candidate, Fatima Mustapha, who spoke to NAN in Minna, said that the process was smooth, and particularly commended JAMB for the speed of the bio-metric verification of candidates before being admitted into the hall.
Mr Saidu Abubakar, a personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, who also spoke with NAN, commended the candidates for being orderly.
“The candidates have been very orderly. There are no hitches,” he said.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/jamb-to-monitor-utme-through-cctv.html

The greatest football player in the world is getting married.Lonel Messi set to wed childhood sweetheart Antonella.The mother of his two children , set to tie the knot on june-30-2017.
Value: The pairs hometown of Rosario in Argentina
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/messi-set-to-wed-childhood-sweetheart.html?m=1

Can these be how Nigeria police sleep on their way out
more photos at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/photos-see-how-these-policeman-was.html?m=1

Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, has encouraged the freed 82 Chibok schoolgirls to put their ordeal in the hands of boko haram terrorists behind them and refocus on a brighter future ahead of them.

Speaking during a visit to the girls in Abuja, Mrs. Buhari urged them to be strong and to forget their ordeal so that they can continue their education as she charged the girls to take their studies seriously.

She further advised the girls that apart from their education they should also learn a trade in order to empower themselves.
She said that the prayers of offered by the nation on their behalf had kept them going, revealing that frantic efforts were made through negotiations under the direction of the President to secure their release also believing that the remaining girls still in captivity would soon be released.
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She also hailed the security agencies, international community and other individuals for roles they played.
Speaking earlier, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, told the girls that they would soon be reunited with their parents, adding that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari would not relent until all the girls had been released.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/put-your-ordeal-behind-you-aisha-buhari.html

The operatives of the Lagos State Task Force has arrested a commercial bus driver for impersonating the police.

The suspect, Faith Sunday John, 32, claimed he was an Inspector attached to the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, Lagos.

Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, Olayinka Egbeyemi who paraded the suspect, disclosed that he was arrested on Wednesday, while extorting money from some members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers ( NURTW) in Oshodi.

Egbeyemi disclosed further that the suspect, from Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State who claimed to be operating a commercial bus plying between Egbeda and Shasha was caught wearing original cardigan and an identity card belonging to the Nigerian Police Force.
The Chairman said preliminary investigations revealed that both the cardigan and identity card belonged to his late father who was an Assistant Superintendent of Police before he died last year in Lagos.
According to him, the suspect, who lived at No. 37, Anjorin Street, Shasha, Egbeda removed his late father’s passport from the Nigerian Police Force identity card and re-laminated his own passport on it.
He said the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni directed that the suspect be charge to court immediately.
According to the suspect “I was working with a security company (King David Security Limited) before my father died last year. The owing of several salary arrears by this company prompted me using my late father’s Nigerian Police uniform and identity cards to extort money from members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and other commercial buses at night around Oshodi,” he said.
The suspect, however, pleaded with the government to ‘temper justice with mercy’, claiming it was the devil’s work.
Some commercial bus drivers who witnessed the arrest hailed the enforcement unit of the agency claiming that the suspect collects N200 each from different commercial buses commuting between Egbeda and Shasha on daily basis.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/taskforce-arrests-fake-police-inspector.html

In a bid to improve and democratise technology through affordable innovative products, AfriFone Limited, an emerging ICT experts have come up with a locally made smartphone called, ‘AfriOne Mobiles.’

The new smartphone model seen as a technological breakthrough and precedent for the enterprising Nigeria’s populace was unveiled yesterday in Lagos by the State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode alongside other dignitaries who include AfriOne Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sahir Berry; Managing Director, Contec Global, Roheen Berry; AfriOne Founder and Chief Technical Officer, Hemang Kapur and Lekan Akinjide among others. According to the founder: “This marks the availability of the first-in-country produced Smartphone for sale through the Nigerian marketplace.

AfriOne champions corporate socio-economic development, while wholly supporting the “Made in Nigeria” mantra. We model products that utilize cutting-edge technology, reflect a modern, sleek design and integrate the latest and arguably necessary financial technology such as mobile health, mobile education and mobile banking—all with the goal of facilitating connectivity among Nigerians and the rest of the world,” stated Sahir Berry. Speaking also, Hemang Kapur stated,“AfriOne aims to democratise technology, by offering affordable innovations through our product offerings and removing barriers for large scale adoption of advanced technologies in Nigeria—hence our motto: “AfriOne – one for everyone.”


We offer a wide range of feature rich and technologically loaded product lines from dual sim mobile phones to educational tablet PCs and even android smart watches, explained Hemang Kapur.
“We are tangibly investing in Nigeria’s future while providing a valuable skill—set to its work-force that will facilitate continued innovation in Nigeria’s emerging, dynamic and robust market. In adherence to the AfriOne in-house agenda, young men and women have the opportunity to be involved in product development and strategic management training programmes,” explained Roheen Berry.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/afrifone-launches-smartphones-made-in.html

A Hot couple have gassed themselves to death while romping in a parked car. Cops broke into the locked BMW after passers-by spotted the half-unclad pair slumped motionless in New Taipei, Taiwan.
The woman’s head was lying on top of the man’s lap. Officers believe she was performing a s*x act on him when they died.
Investigators suspect the pair were overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning as exhaust fumes built up inside the vehicle. No signs of suicide or foul play were found, police said.The tragedy has sparked speculation that the couple, both 49, were having an extramarital affair. But cops have not disclosed any further details to confirm this.
The man has been identified by his surname Song and the woman as Chen. Her sister told officers she got worried about Chen when she failed to turn up for work after going out the night before.
She and Song were found 48 hours later, unclad from the waist down in the parked car.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/randy-couple-found-dead-while-having-sx.html#more

Dozens of students’ West African Examination Council (WAEC) result and property worth millions of naira were destroyed as 32 flats were razed in a fire incident that occurred at Satellite Town area of Lagos at the weekend.

One person was seriously injured in the incident, which occurred between Saturday evening and Sunday morning. In another incident, an eight-day-old baby was burnt to death after a fire broke out in Abeke street, Makoko area of Lagos, which razed down houses.

The raging inferno swept through the shanty Makoko settlement, burning about 20 structures, and rendering over 80 people homeless. An eyewitness said the fire started around 8:00p.m. due to the negligence of a resident who was cooking.


By the time the fire fighters got to the scene, the fire had engulfed nearly the whole street. One of the victims said: “The first fire service tanker that got to the scene didn’t have water. Before support could come, the fire had wrecked its havoc. The sad part is that the fire killed a small baby that was named just a day before. The mother didn’t know that the foam where she kept her baby was on fire.”
Bashir, one of the residents, was at mosque when the fire broke out. He said, “we heard people shouting but we were not moved because it is a regular thing for people to shout in this area. After the prayer, I headed home and saw people gathered around my area. I saw the fire and it was still far from my house.”
It was gathered that the fire at Satellite Town, which gutted the former Stepping Stones Comprehensive Girls College that had been converted to a residential building, started from one of the flats late on Saturday evening and raged till around 1:00a.m. on Sunday.
Fire fighters had a tough time battling the inferno, which sources said was caused by a spark from a power surge when electricity was restored in the area. The spark burnt all the electrical wirings connected the affected buildings.
Residents battled to put out the fire but it grew raged on uncontrollably for hours, prompting them to resort to the fire fighters. The fire fighters, who arrived the scene nearly an hour later could not access the major point of the fire for more than 45 minutes as a result of what was described as the “nature of the building.”
The fire grew wilder, as gas cylinders and air-condition compressors exploded, spreading from one apartment to the other. A woman, who jumped from one of the floors of the building, was also badly injured.
The only unoccupied flat, where WAEC results of former students of the converted school were stored, was also burnt in the inferno. The spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in charge of the South West zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident to The Akelicious.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/eight-day-old-baby-waec-results-burnt.html

All appears set for the conduct of this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday directed candidates to check for their examination centres with effect from tomorrow on its website.

Head of Media and Information of the board, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, who disclosed this in a telephone interview ahead of the board examination billed to commence on Saturday, May 13 assured that necessary machinery has been put in place to ensure a hitch free exercise.

“We are good to go, every machinery has been put in motion, we enjoined parents and candidates to give us their support and on our part, we are assuring of a level playing filed for everyone.”


Benjamin disclosed that the board had so far registered more than 1.7 million candidates for the 2017 UTME across the country.
The board concluded the sale of 2017 UTME application document in a grand style recording over 1.7 million candidates at the close of the site by 12 midnight on Friday, May 5, 2017.
The JAMB’s spokesman who described the figure as unprecedented however assured that adequate facilities had been put in place to accommodate the upsurge in the number of candidates.
He said, “In 2016, about 1.2 million candidates wrote the examination. It was the same in 2015 and that was why we projected for 1.5milion candidates this year. Although registration period was reduced from six weeks to one month, despite this, we have recorded 1.7million candidates. This shows the effectiveness of our processes. It also shows that whenever you have a setback you should not give up.
“We have put everything in place to ensure the success of the examination. We have the capacity to accommodate 1.7million candidates. In 2016, we used 510 computer-based centres, including six foreign centres for 1.2million candidates. This year, we are making use of 633 centres. There is an increase of more than 100 centres to take care of the additional candidates.’’
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/jamb-directs-candidates-to-check-utme.html

President of Ijaw Monitoring Group, Joseph Evah, has said former President Olusegun Obasanjo is hiding the truth about his disagreement with ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

He declared that Obasanjo was angry with Jonathan for not fulfilling a secret deal the duo had.


Evah, a former National Publicity Secretary of the Ijaw National Congress, dared Obasanjo to open up and prove him wrong.
Obasanjo was critical of Jonathan in a new book, “Against The Run of Play”, written by the Chairman of ThisDay Editorial Board, Olusegun Adeniyi.
Among other comments, Obasanjo said Jonathan did not heed his advice not to seek a second term in office in line with the agreement he had reached with prominent Northern leaders.

But Evah told Punch that Obasanjo, who nominated Jonathan for the positions of governor, vice president, and president, could not say he did not know the man he nominated into those positions.
His words “Our position is that it is not fair for Obasanjo, who was the one that nominated him to now be rubbishing Jonathan. He is not diplomatic at all. As a former president, we expected him to be diplomatic.
“There is something else he has against Jonathan. He is not telling us the real qualities of Jonathan. Jonathan’s qualities are more than that.

“So, if he did not see the qualities of Jonathan, why did he nominate him in the first place to be president of the country?
“His comments against Jonathan are unfair. He might have something against Jonathan. Maybe they had an agreement that Jonathan did not meet. That is what Obasanjo is angry about.
“He is not giving us the true position. He cannot tell us that Jonathan is incompetent. Let him tell us the hidden agreement that Jonathan did not fulfill, which is making him to abuse the former president.”
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/real-reason-obasanjo-is-angry-with.html

Basketmouth’s wife, Elsie, took to social media to congratulate Bovi and his wife, Kris, for purchasing a new G-Wagon. She also shared these photos of the new ride!
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/photos-comedian-bovi-purchases-new-g.html

Fake products from Benue and Nasarawa States worth over N105 million were yesterday, destroyed by the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Speaking at the dumpsite in Lafia, the Acting Director General, NAFDAC, Mrs Yetunde Oni, represented by the Director of Special Duties, NAFDAC, Alhaji Abubakar Jimoh, said the periodic destruction exercise was one of NAFDAC’s strategies in preventing circulation of fake, counterfeit medicines and unwholesome products in the country.

“In NAFDAC, zero tolerance is what we are out for. A drug counterfeiter is worst than an armed robber. That is why we are pushing for a life sentence for drug counterfeiters at the National Assembly,” she said.

In his welcome address, Nasarawa State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Mr. Micheal Attah, said the exercise is a proof that NAFDAC is leaving no stone unturned in ridding the society of spurious, fake and counterfeit products.
He revealed that the total amount of products destroyed was worth N105, 350, 900 with 80 percent of the products coming from Benue State because the agency in Nasarawa State had earlier destroyed products worth N24million.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/nafdac-destroys-n105m-fake-products.html

Dr. Sola Fosudo is not a stranger in the movie industry. Having featured in different soaps, movies and stage performances, the university lecturer cum actor can best be described as a veteran of stage. In a chat with IBIKUNLE LANIYAN, the former Director of Lagos State University (LASU) Centre for Press, Information and Public Relations, speaks about his life, the film industry and the teaching profession

How has it been combining the teaching and acting?
Everything in life is based on time. I structure my time to fit into my acting schedule. Anytime I am assigned to be on location, I would go play my role and come back to my office. Since I am not directing the film, it won’t be ideal for me to be on location 24 hours. The director, producer and other crew members can remain on location, but an actor can go when his/her scenes are recorded. The scenes can be recorded within a day or two. So, it is all about working out a timetable with the people engaging you to know when to come and when to leave.

Where do you come from?
I am an Ijebu man. I come from Igbo Oye in Epe Local Government Council of Lagos State. I am a Lagosian.


For how long have you taught in LASU?
Let’ s say 19 years

Could you compare the conditions of service in the university when you started and now?
There have been some tremendous improvements in terms of structure, the academic, infrastructure and size. I joined LASU through the English Department and after a few years I recommended the establishment of the Theatre Arts Department and it was approved.

When did you venture into acting?
I cannot remember, but I know I have been acting since primary school days

And Nollywood?
I am not a Nollywood actor. I have been acting before the coming of Nollywood. Nollywood is a recent development; I have done different soap operas before the initiative, which is why I say I am not a Nollywood actor. I had featured in different soap operas, including Village Headmaster, Sound of Destiny, The Third Eye and Ripples. It was some of the things we were doing then that actually prepared the ground for Nollywood.

Which film actually brought you to limelight?
It was Ripples. But in the real sense, it was Michael Enahoro’s Sound of Destiny that brought me to limelight. It was an NTA programme. So, it was shown across the country.

How would compare the movie industry from when you started to date?
Well, we have to look at it from different aspects. In those days, most of the people, who are involved in the movie industry, were trained. So, their presentations were both qualitative in terms of acting and production. All that has changed, as most of the people currently involved are not trained. Secondly, most of them are commercial people; they are not concerned with creativity, but the financial gains. However, having said that, one can also say that the activities of the marketers and the Igbo producers have further opened up the industry. There is a lot of money circulating now in the industry because these marketers and producers pumped in some money into it. So economically, the industry brings huge income for many people, including those not trained.

The summary of it all is that the industry needs regulation; it has become an industry that has made Nigeria popular.

How many movies and soaps have you done so far?
They are between 30 and 40, and in English and Yoruba languages.

Why, with your many years experience in the industry?
As I said earlier on, I am not a Nollywood person. I studied theatre arts and not films. So, if you ask me now how many plays I have featured I would say over a 100.

Between soap operas and home videos, which is more profitable?
Well, I have not done soaps before as a producer; I have only acted in it and I can tell you that soap opera is more profitable for an actor because one gets his/her money as it runs, while in films one gets his/her money once. Though soap operas do not pay much, one will surely get paid.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/i-am-not-nollywood-actor-says-fosudo.html

The story of the miraculous and audacious escape of Nollywood star, Mr. Mcdonald Oti, from a gang that kidnapped him about two weeks ago is reverberating throughout Ebonyi State.

Oti, who is the Special Assistant to the Chairman of Ebonyi State Universal Basic Education Board (ESUBEB), was abducted from his home in Abakaliki on April 22, 2017 about 8.30 pm and driven away in his Toyota Highlander SUV, to Ohatekwe forest in Ezza North Local Government Area of the state.
The kidnappers took everything he had on him and then stripped him naked. While narrating his ordeal, Oti said that he was abducted by three stern looking men, who forced him into the boot of his vehicle.
His words: “They were three persons, two came down from their car while the third person who drove their own car remained inside the vehicle. The two men got into my vehicle. One drove my car while the other pointed a gun at my head where I was in the boot section of the SUV. They told me that someone sent them to kidnap me, warning that I should cooperate so that they would not kill me. They took everything I had with me and then asked for the PIN of my ATM card. They also asked me where I work and inquired whether the vehicle has a tracking device. They drove through Abakaliki metropolis without any policeman stopping them. Their own vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, was behind us.”
When they stopped near a forest, Oti explained that a vehement argument broke out between the abductors as to whether he should be shot or not. At this point he felt an overpowering urge to run for his life. As the argument continued, he responded to the urge and bolted into the dark forest, discountenancing any thought to slow down. As he was running in the darkness, he sustained injuries. Fortunately, the abductors could not pursue him through the forest in the dark. After waiting for 30 minutes, thinking that he would come out, and he did not, the abductors drove away in the direction of Ezza North LGA, as he watched from behind a thicket.
Continuing the harrowing tale, Oti said: “I came out from the forest completely nude and traumatized. I approached a woman for assistance but she immediately took to her heels. I met another man and he took off too. While I looked for safety and covering, I saw a flex banner that announced a burial that had taken place. I tore off the banner and wrapped it around my waist, to cover my unclothedness.
“Then I walked across the expressway and got to the secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. After identifying myself and explaining what happened, the people I met gave me boxer shorts to wear. I honestly don’t know the last time the boxer shorts had been worn, but I was very grateful for it. It was when I got to the police station that succour came to me. What actually helped the situation was that my wife was not also abducted with me.
“When I was taken away, she raised the alarm, and informed the police and my associates. Men of the police force sprang into action and were able to recover my SUV. And since then, they have been working hard to arrest the culprits. I am quite grateful to my neighbor, who is a retired naval officer. He alerted police and other security agents when he was informed about the abduction. The headquarters of the Ebonyi State Police Command, sent signals to all police divisions and stations as well as patrol teams and alerted them to watch out for the vehicle.”
After getting to the expressway, Oti reported to the police traffic post along Enugu-Abakaliki expressway, and the policemen there radioed the police command headquarters about it. Not long after, some policemen from the headquarters came and took him to the command, where he met with the Commissioner of Police and other senior police officers.
As would be expected, Oti is filled with gratitude to God, who he said threw confusion into the midst of the abductors, which created the opening for him to escape successfully without being shot or even pursued into the bush. He is more grateful for the grace and courage God gave him to make the escape bid without fear.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/i-escaped-from-kidnappers-naked-oti.html

Bernard Nnagha, the Sole Administrator and Chief Executive, National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe, Kogi State, says the Federal Government spends between N3 million and N4 million monthly to maintain the company.

Nnagha stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Lokoja.
The sole administrator also said the amount, representing overhead allocation, was spent to maintain the security of the $1 billion government invested in the company, among others, in spite its moribund condition.
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Nnagha also said about 800 members of staff working in the company receive their salaries through the Integrated Pay Role and Personnel Information System.
He also said that the police had been providing security, while efforts were on to engage the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp personnel to beef up security in the company.
Nnagha said the Osara dam envisaged for the washing of particles from mined iron ore had been completed.
He commended the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, for helping to solve the 21 months of power outage in
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/fg-spends-n4m-monthly-to-maintain.html

Heavyweight boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn, has said that a fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, is not feasible in the immediate future.

Joshua defeated Ukranian Wladimir Klitschko in the 11th round at the Wembley Stadium last Saturday, in his International Boxing Federation (IBF), International Boxing Organisation (IBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title.


After winning the bout, the 27-year-old called out Fury.
Fury defeated Klitschko in November 2015 by unanimous decision, to become the world heavyweight champion.
However, Joshua’s promoter, Hearn insists a possible bout is “miles away”, as Fury hopes to get back to shape.

“He (Fury) is miles away from fighting,” Hearn told TalkSport.
“He is in a terrible physical way at the moment. He doesn’t have a licence, he needs to go back to the board (after losing his license), and he is under investigation for (an alleged) failed (doping) test.
“There is no one that wants to see him back more than me, but it is miles away. He is not the next fight because he won’t be ready in time.”
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/promoter-hearn-rules-out-joshua-vs-fury.html

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, said on Monday that the federal government has commenced payment into the Excess Crude Account (ECA), in line with efforts to rebuild fiscal buffers.
Adeosun said for the first time since the administration took over, the federal government last month paid $87 million into the ECA.

“Even though things are difficult, we are saving. As you know, when we came in, we gave the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) an extra $500 million and we are still going to do more. We cannot afford to waste because we don’t have money to waste,” Adeosun said while speaking at The Platform, a programme organised by Covenant Christian Centre in Lagos on Monday.


She said a lot of foreign investors were interested in investing in the country.
Adeosun told her audience: “When I leave here (The Platform), I am going to meet a group of investors that came in from America. Long-term investors are now looking at Nigeria and saying it is time to come in. On Thursday, we had a group of Japanese.

“We are not talking about people that are bringing in sachets of things to come and sell here, we are talking about people that want to set up factories to manufacture transformers. We are talking about industrialists. They are coming back into Nigeria because Nigeria is showing that it is serious.
“We have taken the pains. Often, the medicine that does it the best is the bitterest medicine and we have had very bitter medicine in the last one year. But now, we would have the long-term benefits in terms of growth and jobs.”

According to Adeosun, in terms of entrepreneurship, the federal government recently revived the Development Bank of Nigeria, saying it was a development finance institution project that started under the previous government, adding that the bank would have $1.3 billion of capital that would be lent to microfinance and banks, specifically for on-lending to SMEs.

“Actually, our economy is 50 per cent driven by SMEs and only 10 per cent of them have access to loans. So, if you begin to improve their access to capital, you can rapidly grow jobs and businesses,” she said.
Furthermore, the minister said the policy direction of the federal government would help lay the foundation for a sustainable economy.

She said: “We are going to build an economy that really doesn’t care about what the price of crude oil is. There are 180 million of us in the country and we have two million barrels of oil per day.
“Kuwait has 3.9 million people and three million barrels of oil per day. So, we can’t afford to continue to behave like an oil economy. An oil economy simply pumps the oil out, then use the dollars to buy everything they need.

“That is the economic model that Nigeria has largely been following. We export crude oil and then we buy everything. We don’t add value, we don’t get any of the by-products and that means that Nigeria has become a very unproductive economy. That is not the intention of the Nigerian dream.”

The minister reiterated that a recent study showed that only 214 individuals pay tax in excess of N20 million, saying that the government would take measures to broaden the tax base.
“Oil has made us extremely lazy. The truth is that what we spent monies on in the past were all on wrong things. We are now suffering the effects of the things that were done three years ago.

“When we started the whistle-blowing policy, people were saying why should we pay somebody five per cent? But our argument was that, what about the person who stole 100 per cent? Why fixated on the person that is getting five per cent to bring the money back.”
Adeosun justified the federal government’s increased borrowing, citing the case of the renovation of the runway of the Abuja airport
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/fg-resumes-payment-into-excess-crude.html#more

Super Eagles’ Captain, John Mikel Obi, looks set to miss the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa scheduled for the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on June 10.

Mikel recently underwent surgery and is currently recuperating in England and is in a race against time to be fit for the game.
Eagles number goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme and Vincent Enyeama, who Coach Gernot Rohr wanted to come out of retirement to replace Ikeme, are both out injured.

With the injury list increasing, Rohr will have to tinker with his squad as the team gets set for the 2019 AFCON qualifiers.
The game against Bafana Bafana might have come too soon for the Tianjin Teda captain as his camp has suggested he might skip the June 10 game and try to make the game against Cameroun in August.
Mikel, alongside the other Nigerian contingent in China, were not selected for the recent friendly against Senegal with Rohr electing to allow them to concentrate on their league games, which were about to start then.
The Super Eagles gaffer quashed rumours that he was dropping China-based players from his team as he insisted the likes of Mikel and Jude Ighalo are in his plans.
Nigeria is in Group E of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier alongside South Africa, Libya and Seychelles.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/mikel-to-miss-super-eagles-bafana.html

Telecommunications giant, MTN has disengaged 280 of its employees in Nigeria​.

​Staff​ affected include some 200 permanent employees and about 80 contract staff across various cadres, ranging from new graduates to senior managers‎​.


​Many had 15 years with the company having joined MT​N after it opened office in ​Nigeria in 2001.
​It was gathered that workers were given a​ ​severance of 75% of their gross monthly income multiplied by the number of years with the company.
“Given that the company is about 16 years old in Nigeria, the severance package brought pain and discontent among the affected staff,” ​a source told Premium Times.

“With the payoff structure, senior managers with 15 years of service were left with about N15 million. Most of the staff got less than N5 million.”
The source said the company introduced the voluntary severance scheme, VSS, to provide a window for one week in April, for persons who have served in MTN for five years and above to take up.
Th​e 280 who ​decided to leave under the VSS were to be paid the equivalent of their three weeks gross salary for every year they worked with MTN.

“What it means is that if one worked in MTN for five years, one would be paid three weeks of their gross salaries times five,” the source ​added.
MTN, a few weeks ago, paidadditional N30bn fine to Nigerian government​.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/mtn-disengages-280-staff.html

This year's Biafra Day Celebration Activities shall commence on this May 22nd, 2017, to coincide with the Very Day Chief R. UWAZURUIKE, leader of Biafra Actualization Movement, re-declared New Biafra. Activities will be rounded off on May 30th.

Programme of Events:

MAY 22ND 2017
MARCH PAST IN ALL STATES OF BIAFRALAND BY UNARMED BIAFRA MILITARY AND POLICE.

It will be a celebration of Glamour and Excellence in Uniform. COME TO ALL STATES CAPITALS AND BE A WITNESS TO OUR PRIDE.

MAY 30TH 2017
ZONAL FOOTBALL MATCHES

ENUGU VS EBONYI: VENUE. ONITSHA
IMO VS LAGOS: VENUE . OWERRI
RIVERS VS DELTA: VENUE. ASABA

INDEPENDENCE IS A CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM. DON'T HIDE INDOORS EXCEPT YOU ARE SICK OR INDISPOSED. IT IS YOUR DAY, BE THERE AND DON'T BE LEFT OUT.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/uwazuruike-announce-biafra-day.html?m=1

As workers in Bayelsa State join their counterparts around the world to celebrate the 2017 International Workers Day often referred to as May Day, the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, has restated his administration desire to improve on their welfare. He stated that improving their welfare is key in order to encourage them to be more productive and offer their best to the government and the state in general. In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the governor also disclosed that his government has put in place measures to strengthen the state civil service and further boost the capacity of its workforce.

He enjoined the workers to accept the challenges they had to face in the verification exercise embarked on by the administration aimed at sanitising the system and fish out those who for long has derailed the ideals of the civil service and retarded its growth.

Dickson who used the opportunity to remind the workers of the importance of discipline in the service, equally assured them of prompt payment of salaries within the availability of the state government resources.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/05/dickson-their-welfare-remains-top.html

More than 400 persons of Fulani ethnicity across the country have converted to Christianity.

Rev. Copper Sebok in charge of COCIN Church Panyam, Plateau State, made the disclosure on Sunday at the end of a 3-day conference organised for all Fulani converts of all denominations nationwide.


He urged the converts to preach the gospel of peace to their kindred in order to reduce the prevailing crises in the country.

Sebok said: “The conference is also a re-union service for all Fulani converts regardless of their denominations and to share experiences and encourage one another in the propagation of the gospel of peace.

“It is a concept of COCIN 43 years ago, and to debunk the notion that Fulani’s are nomadic and can’t be reached with the gospel of Christ.’’


In his sermon, the cleric said man must have compassion on the unsaved to draw them to Christ for eternal salvation.

He decried the level of crises in Nigeria which usually resulted to loss of lives and property, adding that Nigerians must embrace peace for the progress and development of the nation.

Rev. Hassan Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of the converts, expressed gratitude to God for giving them a new lease of life as Christians.


He disclosed that the conference was an eye opener for them to go and proclaim the gospel not only to their kindred but to all nations.

“We have a total of seven Fulani people ordained Reverends beside other Pastors and Evangelists and we are doing our best to enlighten our brothers and sisters about Christianity”.

He thanked the organizers of the conference and appealed to both Christians and Muslim to continue to pray for the peace of the country.
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/04/400-fulani-across-nigeria-convert-to.html

After more than a year and a half of incomprehensible judicial rigmarole and executive procrastination that began in October 2015, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was finally released on bail with stringent conditions. In three days, surprisingly, the bail conditions were met. Mr Kanu had been asked to (a) Produce 3 sureties, who must deposit the sum of 100m each; (b) Produce a highly placed person of Igbo extraction; (c) Produce a respected person who resides and owns landed property in Abuja; and ensure that (d) One of the sureties must be a highly respected Jewish leader since Kanu practices Judaism as his religion; (e) Must not attend any rally or grant an interview; (f) Must not be in a crowd exceeding 10 persons; and (g) Must surrender his Nigerian and British passports.
Apart from the trial itself been needless, it is doubtful whether the stringency of the bail conditions did not violate the purpose of a fair trial and the constitutionality of bail. Contrary to what the federal government hoped, the Biafra issue was kept on the front burner for the entire duration of the incarceration of the IPOB leader. In fact, by default, the previously little known IPOB had soared in significance over the months to rival the far better known Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). Instead of one or two organisations dedicated to promoting Biafran ideals, now the country must contend with three, no thanks to the government’s pigheadedness.
Mr Kanu went into detention a comical, little known figure. He has emerged in less than two years as a force to reckon with in a hydra-headed movement that may yet shake Nigeria to its foundations. The reason is tied to the reckless and tyrannical show of force by the executive arm and the abdication of a somewhat pliant and shackled judiciary. How the government hopes to defeat by force a movement that exists more in the mind than in active and tangible use of violence is hard to understand. Biafra has over the years morphed into an ideology, partly as a result of the complicity of an insensitive government that failed to understand the beginnings of the movement and was also unable to offer a closure to the fractures and contradictions that triggered the 1967-1970 Nigerian civil war.
Should Mr Kanu possess the deftness to exploit the fame foisted on him by a bungling executive arm, should he indeed be imbued with the charisma he seemed to have exuded in prison and the ideas to drive the movement in an engaging and easily accessible way, he will in the coming months present a far more worrisome dilemma, if not nightmare, to the government in or out of prison. This is often the
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/04/ipobs-kanu-and-road-to-erehwon_30.html

A National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu has revealed that Yemi Osinbajo was a bit hesitant when he was chosen to be President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate for the 2015 Presidential election.

The former Governor of Lagos State, who made the revelation in the ‘Against the Run of Play’ authored by Chairman of the ThisDay Editorial Board, Olusegun Adeniyi, said Osinbajo had told him to first inform the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the decision.


According to Tinubu, “He was a bit hesitant as he asked me to go and tell Pastor Adeboye. I replied by telling him that he needed to inform Pastor Adeboye himself, after all, there had been times when if we needed to see Pastor Adeboye, he was the one who facilitated it.

“I reminded him that since the final choice was not for me to make, I should not go to Pastor Adeboye until after the announcement of his name.‎”
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/04/osinbajo-initially-refused-to-be.html

The wife to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, Uchechi Kanu has disclosed that her husband will continue to pursue the Biafra restoration agitation.

Uchechi, who made the remark in a video online, described Nigeria as a contraption with its foundation laid by the British.


The wife of the IPOB leader maintained that government was using the resources of the South East to develop other regions at the detriment of Igbo people.

She said, “The British laid the foundation of the contraption called Nigeria, made up of the Biafra people, Oduduwa and Arewa people and these people were all of different culture, religion and believe towards things of life.

“We are all different in everyway and are not actually meant to be together.


“In fact, all the resources in Nigeria is coming from the Biafra land but then they are using the proceeds to develop the Nothern and Southern part. They, government, is using all the resources from Biafra land to give others a better life, whereas, the Biafrans are suffering.

“We don’t have better schools, roads and not even jobs. They just continuously press us down politically and otherwise and is why they don’t want us to leave.

“I will say referendum is not a bad idea but the people need to understand why we want Biafra and when that is done almost everybody is voting out. That is what Nnamdi Kanu is doing, sensitising his people, creating awareness.


“People have come to realise that this is really what it should be, if he stops along the way then it means he has been defeated or he don’t know what he wanted in the first place.

“If you ask for a bread because you are hungry and then you are thrown into jail and released still without the bread, you are still hungry aren’t you? So you still ask for your bread, except you weren’t hungry in the first place.

http://www.akelicious.com/2017/04/nnamdi-kanu-will-continue-agitation-for.html

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has called on its members to ensure that all roads leading to South-East zone were blocked on 30 May, a day set aside to honour its members who lost their lives during the civil war.This was made known to newsmen in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful. However, in its statement IPOB, ordered every Igbo person to sit at home and remember their heroes and heroines past.

According to him, “We should not be discouraged by the court ruling of April 25, 2017. rather, we should be focused on May 30, 2017 remembrance day, which is the priority of every IPOB member to ensure that no movement of any sort, both human and vehicular, across Biafra land on that day, will take place.

“We must make sure that all areas occupied by Biafrans for the remembrance and honour of our heroes and heroines, who laid down their lives during the genocidal war are shut down.

“Our leader (Kanu) has been in high spirit since his arrest in 2015 and we cannot afford our spirit to be dampened towards the liberation of Biafra because of conditions attached to his release.”
more at http://www.akelicious.com/2017/04/biafrans-to-shut-down-nigeria-may-30.html?m=1