₦airaland Forum

The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party is set to take a turn for the worse as party stalwarts loyal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo have decided to have a showdown with the supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The latest development follows the party’s decision to sack senior party officials known to be loyal to the former President from its National Working Committee.

SUNDAY PUNCH’s investigations showed that the removal, announced on Friday, shocked the former President and his group.

The leadership of the PDP had on Friday sacked loyalists of Obasanjo in the National Working Committee. The Bamangar Tukur-led leadership is known to be loyal to President Jonathan.

Those sacked included the National Auditor, Mr. Bode Mustapha; and the National Vice-Chairman (South-West) Mr. Segun Oni.

The PDP also announced its recognition of an Ogun PDP faction bankrolled by a businessman, Mr. Buruji Kashamu. The Kashamu faction is led by Bayo Dayo. The party failed to recognise the faction led by Senator Dipo Odujinrin, which is backed by Obasanjo.

SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that the consensus in the Obasanjo camp was that the recent actions of the PDP leadership were targeted at the former President.

On Saturday, the Obasanjo faction said it had concluded plans to write a petition to the highest organ of the PDP, the National Executive Committee over the matter.

Speaking at the end of a four-hour meeting of the members of the Obasanjo faction of the Ogun PDP in Abeokuta, the sacked Odujinrin said the decision by the party’s NWC was also “shocking and predetermined.”

“We received with shock the pronouncement of the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, in the newspaper. I found it very disturbing because we saw the signs during the week when we observed that J.K Gadzama (SAN), issued a notice of discontinuance of the appeals against the court cases which Metuh referred to as reasons which the committee used to take their decision.

“It was very obvious that the appeals were going against the Kashamu group. If the appeal had been heard, the whole situation would have been different but in order not to allow the appeal to be heard, that was why the NWC withdrew the appeal suddenly and was now able to use the ruling that was subsisting in taking their decision,” he said.

Odujinrin said the Obasanjo group had decided to take its case to the highest organ of the party, the National Executive Committee.

“The NWC is not the final authority. We are PDP bona fide members. That’s why we are appealing to the NEC. We are law-abiding people. We could have gone to court like some people. Our constitution requires us to explore all mechanisms internally before going to court. We are preparing a petition and an appeal to the NEC which will be tabled before their next meeting,” he said.

Odujinrin stressed that the NWC decision had further polarised the crisis-ridden party, warning that it could have negative effects on its electoral fortunes in future elections.

“I don’t think that this is how to ensure genuine reconciliation; this has further polarised the situation. The fact that the appeals were withdrawn smelt suspicious.”

He added that his group would “take another decision” if the NEC upholds the NWC decision sacking his executive.

A top member of the Obasanjo camp, who pleaded anonymity because the faction was not willing to reveal its strategy, told one of our correspondents that the ‘other decision’ Odujirin spoke about was for Obasanjo’s camp to support the opposition in 2015.

“We know all these are targeted at Obasanjo. But if the situation remains as it is now, the PDP should forget Baba’s support in 2015.

“In the months ahead, Obasanjo will intensify consultations across the country. If the President succeeds in getting the PDP presidential ticket with Baba’s rivals in control of the party, he (Obasanjo) will have no option but to back opposition candidates.”

Besides the sacking of his loyalists, the former President also lost out in the South-West caretaker committee constituted by the leadership of the party.

As a result of the changes and appointments, a former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Bode George, and an ex-Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, have regained lost grounds in the South-West PDP. George and Daniel were estranged from Obasanjo, their godfather, while he was in power.

Our correspondents report that not one of Obasanjo’s loyalists is in the 17-man South-West caretaker committee constituted by the PDP NWC on Friday.

However, George, Daniel and Kashamu have at least one of their supporters in the committee.

For example, the Secretary, Mr. Pegba Otemolu, is a loyalist of Daniel, while the Organising Secretary, Mr. Adedeji Doherty, is said to be a strong ally of George. An ex-officio, Seun Adesanya, is a known supporter of Kashamu.

One of Obasanjo’s supporters, who spoke with SUNDAY PUNCH, on the grounds of anonymity, said when the group saw the list of the caretaker committee, it came to a conclusion that some people were bent on pushing Obasanjo out of the PDP.

However, the Senior Special Adviser on Political Affairs to President Jonathan, Dr. Ahmed Gulak, denied widespread speculation that the changes and appointments were targeted at Obasanjo.

Gulag said this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, in Abuja, on Friday.

He said, “It is just natural that people are struggling to be party officials but not everybody can be a party official. So, there must be the principle of give and take in every given society.

“The right thing to say is that PDP is one united party and it will not lose sleep because of any of these merger talks. Action Congress of Nigeria plus Congress for Progressive Change, plus All Nigerian Peoples Party is equal to APC less than PDP.”

He insisted that there was no friction between the duo, adding that the size of the PDP made it impossible for every member to become a party official.

He said, “I don’t think there is any friction between Obasanjo and Mr. President. There is none. This is the handiwork of mischief makers and a section of the media that always wants to see the negative side of the PDP; that is my belief.

“There is no friction. The PDP is a very big united party and in a party as big as the PDP, there are bound to be challenges and divergent interests and we are working round the clock to see that we remain united.

“PDP has gone into much more crisis than what you are witnessing. It is because the party is the party to beat. It’s the party that everybody wants to belong.”

When contacted, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisah Metuh, dismissed the speculation that the party was after Obasanjo.

“It is a court decision. It has nothing to do with former President Obasanjo,” he said.

http://www.punchng.com/news/pdp-crisis-obasanjos-men-may-back-opposition-in-2015/

Global Financial Integrity a Washington-based research and advocacy organisation, in its newly released report, has said out of the 20 biggest exporters of illicit financial flows for decades, Nigeria occupies the 7th position with $19.66bn (N3.047tn).

It said Nigeria, termed the 7th biggest money laundering country in the world, exported N3tn by leaders who had access to the nation’s money between 2000 and 2010.

The report, which was co-authored by GFI’s Lead Economist, Dev Kar, and GFI’s Economist, Sarah Freitas, is the first by the organisation in incorporating a new, more conservative estimate of illicit financial flows.

It facilitates comparisons with previous estimates from GFI updates and identifies crime, corruption and tax evasion as biggest channels with nearly $6tn stolen from poor countries

According to the report, China is leading the pack with $274bn average ($2.74tn cumulative); followed by Mexico with $47.6bn average ($476bn cumulative); Malaysia, $28.5bn average ($285bn cumulative); Saudi Arabia, $21.0bn average ($210bn cumulative); Russia, $15.2bn average ($152bn cumulative); and Philippines, $13.8bn average ($138bn cumulative).

“Astronomical sums of dirty money continue to flow out of the developing world and into offshore tax havens and developed country banks. Regardless of the methodology, it is clear that developing economies are haemorrhaging more and more money at a time when rich and poor nations alike are struggling to spur economic growth.

“This report should be a wake-up call to world leaders that more must be done to address these harmful outflows. The estimates provided by either methodology are still likely to be extremely conservative as they do not include trade mispricing in services, same-invoice trade mispricing, secret transactions, and dealings conducted in bulk cash. This means that much of the proceeds of drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other criminal activities, which are often settled in cash, are not included in these estimates,” it said.

The report further stated that $858.8bn of illicit outflows lost in 2010, was a significant uptick from 2009, which saw developing countries lose $776.0bn under the new methodology.

“This has very big consequences for developing economies. Poor countries lost nearly a trillion dollars that could have been used to invest in healthcare, education, and infrastructure. It’s nearly a trillion dollars that could have been used to pull people out of poverty and save lives,” it said.

http://www.punchng.com/news/nigerian-leaders-stole-n3tn-in-10-years-report/

Was she really married?

Goldie and her husband, Andrew at their traditional marriage and church wedding on April 2, 2006.

Nice poem! BTW, why was he saying we and not I, how many of una o?

How does this bring my Goldie back to life?

It’s no longer a hoax or a rumour, it’s been confirmed by everyone close to the singer; Goldie is dead.
Her record label Kennis Music CEO, Kenny Ogungbe released a statement confirming her death. Several close associates like Denrele Edun and Linda Ikeji have also confirmed her death.
“Goldie Harvey. Goldie, 31, died on Thursday after she complained of a severe headache shortly after her arrival from the United States where she went to witness the Grammy Award. She was rushed from her Park View, Ikoyi, Lagos residence to her official hospital, Reddington, Victoria Island, Lagos, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival at exactly 7:30pm in the evening,” the statement by Kenny Ogungbe read in part.
Goldie’s death was painful enough and so no one really cares about what killed her. Fans and friends just want to mourn the loss of this gone talent. However, unconfirmed sources revealed Goldie might have died of pulmonary embolism.
Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). It most commonly results from a blood clot in the deep veins of the legs or pelvis (deep vein thrombosis) that breaks off and migrates to the lung, a process termed venous thromboembolism (VTE). A small proportion of cases are due to the embolization of air, fat, talc in drugs of intravenous drug abusers, tumors, or amniotic fluid.

The obstruction of the blood flow through the lungs and the resultant pressure on the right ventricle of the heart lead to the symptoms and signs of pulmonary embolism. The risk of pulmonary embolism is increased in various situations, such as cancer; recent surgery involving the legs, hips, belly, or brain; prolonged bed rest; pregnancy and childbirth(especially in the case of cesarean section); taking birth control pills or hormone therapy; smoking.
Pulmonary embolism may be hard to diagnose because the symptoms are like those of many other health problems.
Symptoms of pulmonary embolism include sudden shortness of breath, sharp chest pain that gets worse when you cough or take a deep breath, pneumonia, and palpitations. You could also feel anxious or on edge, sweat a lot, feel lightheaded or faint. Clinical signs include low blood oxygen saturation and cyanosis, rapid breathing, and a rapid heart rate. Severe cases of pulmonary embolism can lead to collapse, abnormally low blood pressure, and sudden death.
Could this have been what took Goldie away suddenly?
May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

http://www.informationng.com/2013/02/goldie-died-of-pulmonary-embolism.html

Stop the expensive joke!

I guess the moderator has activated sleeping mode! How come you are just bringing a thread of Nov., 2012 to the front page now. Hmmm, something is not right here

What a waste of space!

The Chapel of the Healing Cross, Idi-Araba, Lagos has donated N6m to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital for the acquisition of an echo-diagraph machine, critical for diagnosis of heart ailments.

In a statement on Wednesday, the church also planned to refurbish an existing cardio-thoracic laboratory in the teaching hospital at the cost of N3m as part of its corporate social responsibility to the community.

The statement said a cheque for N6m had been given to Acouns Nigeria Limited, suppliers of the echo-cardiogram machine.

It said the cheque was presented to the Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Prof. Akin Oshibogun, by the Chief Resident Minister of the CHC, Venerable Tunde Osho, who led a delegation of members of the chapel council to LUTH.

It said the gesture was part of the chapel’s 50th anniversary celebrations, adding that the chapel’s council was raising N100m towards the execution of various projects.

It said through a fund raising walk tagged, “Walking for Christ” which was held on December 8, 2012 and a dinner held at the MUSON Centre, Lagos on January 18, 2013, funds raised would be used to purchase the echo-diagraph machine.

http://www.punchng.com/metro/luth-gets-n6m-to-acquire-heart-diagnosis-machine/

Federal Government on Monday decried the huge number of job losses in the textile industry, saying the number of workers employed in the sub-sector had fallen from 800,000 a few years ago to just 24,000.

The Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, disclosed this in Abuja at a stakeholders’ retreat for the textile sub-sector.

The retreat provided the platform for stakeholders to brainstorm and develop policies towards repositioning the sub-sector.

The retreat, with the theme, ‘Economic growth, wealth and job creation for Nigeria,’ was attended by the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, representatives of the ministers of Power, Mines and Steel, Agriculture, and Science and Technology, among others.

Painting a gloomy picture of the sector, Ortom said the Nigerian textile and garment industry, which had a fixed investment of $4bn (N640bn), used to be the second only after South Africa in sub-Saharan Africa.

He said, “Nigeria once had a very vibrant textile and garment sub-sector with fixed investment of $4bn second only to South Africa in sub-Saharan Africa, and was third largest in Africa.

“It also had 63 per cent capacity of textile manufacturing in West Africa and controlled 60 per cent of the textile market in Nigeria. Within the same period, the sub-sector had 175 fully functional mills that employed over 800,000 people.

“Today, the reality has changed and the picture is no longer the same. Employment is at an all-time low level with 24,000 employees working in 25 functional mills that are characterised by low capacity utilisation as at 2008.

“This is further compounded by low export and high influx of cheap products.”

This scenario, the minister added, did not represent the global recognition of the textile sub-sector as a significant catalyst for economic growth.

Ortom said the Federal Government’s aspiration for the sector was to revive its job creation potential, thus contributing significantly to economic development.

He said, “Our aspiration for the sub-sector is to increase its share of the domestic market from the present position of 12 per cent to 25 per cent by 2020.

“This increase is expected to create over 60,000 additional direct jobs and put food on the table for thousands of other Nigerians within the period.”

In order to achieve this, Aganga, who chaired the event, said the strategy for the sector would be to revive its entire value chain.

This, he said, would be carried out in areas where the country had both competitive and comparative advantage.

For instance, he said the production of cotton for domestic utilisation and exports would be strengthened, adding that existing players in the sub-sector would be supported to expand their current operations.

This, according to him, will help to attract strong brands as well as enable operators to set up local manufacturing plants in the country.

Aganga blamed the deterioration in the sub-sector on weak linkages in the value chain, adding that the Industrial Revolution Plan for the textile sector would help address all the weak linkages.

He gave an example of how the IRP had helped to revive the cement sector, which he said, had helped the country to not only save foreign exchange of about N210bn per annum, but also helped in creating about two million direct and indirect jobs.

He said, “For this sector, we are looking at all the value chains and the idea is to remove the obstacles and barriers to increased productivity.

“When you go through where we started from and where we are today, we should all be ashamed of ourselves. This is the time for us to think out of the box and start taking actions that will make this sector number one in Africa and number 10 globally.”

But the General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, Mr. Isa Aremu, said in order to reposition the sector, the issue of funding needed to be given priority.

For instance, he said the current N100bn textile intervention fund should be increased to about N500bn and made available to the operators in the sector at zero per cent interest rate, which should be repaid within 20 years.

The intervention fund is currently being disbursed by the Bank of Industry. It has a repayment period of seven years with interest rate of about six per cent.

Aremu said, “There is a need for affordable financing for the sector. For instance, the BoI intervention fund of N100bn though commendable, needs to be increased to maybe about N500bn.

“The tenor of the fund should also be elongated to about 20 years and the fund should be given to us at an interest rate of zero per cent.”

http://www.punchng.com/business/business-economy/776000-jobs-lost-in-textile-industry-fg/

BigBenoski: Lets see their candidates first. I don't give a rat's ass what name the party goes by, neither do i care whether or not they are the opposition, if they throw up people like buhari or any of his vindictive 'mallamic' friends, i'l gladly giv gef my vote again. If they want to succeed, let them present marketable candidates (which i'm pretty sure tinubu wouldnt allow bcause of hs penchant 4 thievery and control). My people, sad to say but it's business as usual

Don't just conclude like that. It is only a fool who does same thing repeatedly and expect a change. It is not about the candidate but about the party!

Adura_ngba: He said, “Our programme priorities shall be agricultural development, job creation, free education, affordable healthcare, infrastructural development, adequate power supply, eradication of poverty and corruption and rapid technological advancement and industrialisation.


Can we use your ten states as a yardstick to judge what you have to offer?

10 states? They are just coming together, hence new manifesto and ideology!

Geomac: The same law will turn you into a prisoner

People’s Democratic Party on Tuesday opposed an application in which its sacked National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, asked an Abuja Federal High Court to stay the execution of the order that removed him from office.

The Abuja FHC, presided over by Justice Abdul Kafarati, had on January 11, 2013, in its judgment on the substantive suit filed by the Ogun State Chapter of the PDP, held that Oyinlola was not fit to occupy the position of National Secretary of the party after a Lagos FHC cancelled the zonal congresses through which he emerged.

At the last hearing in the matter on January 16, 2013, PDP counsel, Chief Joe Gadzama, SAN, had asked the court for leave to withdraw an earlier application in which the party’s legal adviser also asked for a stay of the order that removed Oyinlola.

When the matter came up again on Tuesday, Oyinlola, through his counsel, Chief Awa Kalu, SAN, argued that the court did not ask the PDP to enforce the judgment by removing him from office.

However, PDP maintained that it only complied with the court’s decision by immediately removing Oyinlola as its national secretary.

Also, PDP held that the ex-governor’s application for a stay of execution of the judgment was belated, as the order had already been executed before he filed the application.

Gadzama noted that Oyinlola himself had also complied with the judgment by not attending any meeting of the PDP since the court ordered his removal from office.

Earlier, Oyinlola’s counsel, Kalu, had moved an application for a stay of the January 11, 2013 order, which sacked the former governor from office as the National Secretary of the PDP.Kalu said the application was brought pursuant to order 32, rules 1, 2 and 4 of the FHC.Asking the court to grant the application, and thereby restore Oyinlola to office, he said, “The point we have made in our written address is that there is no argument as to whether or not declaratory reliefs can be stayed. The argument we have seen on the other side is that the order has already been executed.”Responding, counsel for the Ogun State chapter of the PDP, R. A. Oluyede, informed the court that he attached copies of The PUNCH and Nation newspapers of January 15, 2013, as exhibits to show that the January 11, 2013 judgment had already been executed before Oyinlola applied for its stay.

“We ask the court to dismiss the application with cost. It is not at all in controversy between the parties that the defendant (Oyinlola) is no longer the national secretary of the party today.

“He is not contesting the fact for the application to now seek to restrain something that had already happened.

“It is a fact that the applicant is a contemnor – there is an application pending before your Lordship to commit him to prison for criminal contempt.

Also responding to Oyinlola’s application for stay of execution of the court judgment, Gadzama, informed the court that the party was opposing the motion.

“On our part, we have opposed the application,” he said.

Counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mr. Wilsom Iorshe, urged the court to use its discretion in deciding the application.

The court adjourned the matter to March 21, 2013, to rule on the application for stay of execution of the January 11, 2013 judgment

http://www.punchng.com/news/pdp-opposes-oyinlolas-bid-for-reinstatement/

24-year-old Ibrahim Shoheeb, is recently cooling his heels at the State Criminal Investigation Department(SCID) Yaba, Lagos, following his arrest by members of the Lagos State Neighborhood Watch at Oto Awori community.

Saheed, in the company of two others, reportedly attacked a customer who had gone to withdraw money from one of the second generation banks around Ojo area at the weekend.

The trio of Yusuf Ahmed(35), Chinedu Okafor (28), and Shoheeb reportedly positioned their motorbike opposite the bank and immediately they sighted their victim, report said they trailed him to Alaba International market and while he(victim), was about to board a bus, they snatched the money from him and zoomed off.

They reportedly ran into a hotel in Ojo community and booked for a room.

But unknown to them, a motorist said to have been chasing the motorcycle saw them entering into the hotel and alerted leader of the vigilante group who coinci-dentally lives on the same street the hotel is located, consequent upon which they were apprehended.

In his confessional statement, Shoheeb said, “ I knew it would result to this but I did not know it will be this soon. The new Lagos State Traffic Law pushed me into this because I had my motorcycle seized by the Lagos state task force. I made efforts to get it back but to no avail.

“Since then, I have been feeding from hand to mouth. Do you know what it means for someone to beg before eating?

“Just when I was contem-plating on what next to do, a member of the gang, Chinedu, introduced me into this. I hesitated at first. But when I went to beg him for money, he refused. Thus, I was tempted to join”, he stated

His partners in crime on their parts,confessed to have been into the crime for three years. Their modus oparandi included, driving their motorbike along routes where banks are located. On sighting a customer coming out from the bank, they would reportedly trail him or her to a convenient place, from where they would snatch the withdrawn money.

Asked how they were able to determine anyone with money, they revealed that for men, their pockets were usually bulky, while the women usually clung their bags in a manner that arouse suspicion.

The suspects as gathered, were handed over to policemen at Ajangbadi police division from where they were transferred to SCID. Sources at SCID said they would be charged to court soon.

Meanwhile the sum of N50,000 snatched from their victim, was reportedly recovered while the gang was at the verge of sharing it.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/12/lagos-traffic-laws-turned-me-into-a-pick-pocket-ex-okada-rider/

VETERAN presidential candidate and former Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) is not dropping his ambition to take another shot at the presidency in the 2015 general election, the Congress for Progressive Change said on Tuesday.

“It is not true that Gen. Buhari is stepping down. He will make himself available for the 2015 election if he is accepted by the new arrangement. If he is not accepted, he is a democrat, he will not force himself on the party,” the spokesman for Buhari’s CPC, Rotimi Fashakin, told The PUNCH.

Fashakin said the one-time All Nigeria Peoples Party presidential candidate was electable and that the CPC wanted him to contest the 2015 poll.

The CPC, ANPP, Action Congress of Nigeria and the All Progressives Grand Alliance are currently engaged in a merger arrangement and had announced the All Progressives Congress as the new platform under which they intend to contest.

The new party, the merging parties said, would provide them the strong platform on which to confront the ruling Peoples Democratic Party that has monopolised power at the centre since the return of democracy in 1999.

Fashakin said Buhari would be accepted by the APC because of his high electoral value.

He said, “Many people do not understand the average northerner. The preponderance of these people is in rural areas. These are people Gen. Buhari is popular with. The general belief is that Gen. Buhari is adjudged as a leader.

“There are not many of these northern elements that have the kind of popularity that Gen. Buhari has. The electoral value of Gen. Buhari is never in doubt. It is a fact. He has created a niche for himself.”

Explaining why the CPC wanted Buhari to contest the 2015 poll, Fashakin said the former Head of State would provide transparent leadership for the country.

“The truth of the matter is that Buhari is a man with amazing and remarkable character. He is a dependable leader in terms of service delivery,” he said.

The clarification on Buhari’s ambition for 2015 came even as the PDP National Chairman, Bamangar Tukur, said in Abuja that “ambition will tear the APC to rags” and an APGA lawmaker in the House of Representatives, Victor Ogene, said the new party could not guarantee a president from the South-East.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Tukur said, “Don’t worry, this is not the first time Nigerians would hear about merger. Let elections come and everyone will see the problems within them. They will be torn to rags because of ambitions.

“PDP is a united party, even when we disagree; we are able to reconcile our differences because of our belief in the unity of Nigeria as an indivisible entity.”

Ogene, representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency of Anambra State, said APGA was not dead and described as erroneous the thinking “of some politicians” that APC would ensure the enthronement of a president of Igbo extraction.

He spoke in response to Senator Annie Okokwo (APGA) who had expressed interest in the APC.

He said, “The leader of a political party is distinct from its national chairmanship, as the absence of one does not distract from the powers and functions of the other.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, therefore, Governor Peter Obi remains the national leader of the APGA.

“It is also laughable that politicians are flirting with the new party because of their erroneous belief that APC holds the key to the realisation of a ‘President of Igbo extraction”.

Meanwhile, the governors of the four parties fusing into APC on Tuesday met in Abuja and rolled out the programmes for their new party.

The governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Almakura, surrounded by his colleagues from nine other states, read the communiqué of the meeting and said the state chief executives were happy at the APC name adopted by the merging parties.

He said, “Our programme priorities shall be agricultural development, job creation, free education, affordable healthcare, infrastructural development, adequate power supply, eradication of poverty and corruption and rapid technological advancement and industrialisation.

“We shall pride ourselves as social democrats that are committed to organise our society based on the values of justice for all and individual freedom where everyone’s basic needs are fulfilled.”

He called on Nigerians to understand their (the governors’) call and see the formation of the new party as a credible process to deepen democracy and national renewal.

The governor also said that the overwhelming support that greeted the announcement of the merger had made the governors to establish Zonal Contact and Mobilisation Committees across the six-geopolitical zones.

Those named as leaders of the committee were Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Geidam (North-East); Almakura (North-Central), Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari (North-West); Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha (South-East); Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole (South-South); and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi (South-West).

At the meeting, which held in the Lagos Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, were Geidam, Almakura, Yari, Okorocha, Oshiomhole, Fayemi, Abiola Ajimobi, Oyo; Babatunde Fashola, Lagos; Rauf Aregbesola, Osun; and Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun.

http://www.punchng.com/news/buhari-not-dropping-out-of-2015-race-cpc-%E2%80%A2-ambition-will-tear-apc-apart-tukur/

A Turkish doctor who documented a 23-year-old man who showed signs of clinical vampirism in an article for the world-renowned Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in 2011 says his patient has recovered following two years of treatment.
The Turkish patient's name was not revealed by the medical journal, but the study documents showed how the man's compulsion progressed from drinking his own blood to stabbing and biting others and even recruiting his father to bring him blood from the local blood banks.

Turkish doctors diagnosed the man with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative identity disorder (DID), brought on by witnessing a variety of violent acts throughout his life. Doctors also diagnosed him with having multiple personalities.

The young man was arrested several times after stabbing and biting others to drink their blood. The doctors said they uncovered traumatic events in the man's life leading up to his two-year bloodsucking phase. His four-month-old daughter fell ill and died. Then he witnessed the murder of his uncle. He also saw another violent killing in which “one of his friends cut off the victim's head and penis,” according to the journal.

The man had for a long time been seen talking to himself, and he claimed to be tormented by an imaginary companion who forced him to carry out violent acts and attempt suicide. He also had memory gaps in his daily life and reported instances of being in a new place without any idea of how he got there. "Possibly due to 'switching' to another personality state, he was losing track during the 'bloody' events, did not care who the victim was anymore, and remained amnesic to this part of his act," the report said

http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=306699

Emenike will be on the bench while moses starts

About 12 governors, who are members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, may join the newly formed political party, All Progressive Congress.

Our correspondent gathered that the governors were already talking with the leaders of the newly formed political party.

Investigations further showed that some of the governors were already thinking of how to leave the party and join the newly formed APC.

The new party was formed by the merging of the Action Congress of Nigeria, All Nigeria Peoples Party, All Progressive Grand Alliance and Congress for Progressive Change.

It was gathered that some other minor political parties had also discussed with the newly former political party.

Sources close the PDP said the party was already fidgeting that some of its governors and lawmakers could leave the party.

A member of the National Working Committee of the PDP, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the leadership of the party and the Presidency were afraid that their governors could abandon the umbrella.

Umbrella is the symbol of the PDP.

He said behind the show of ‘we don’t care’ by the party’s leadership, there was concealment of fear, as the party was afraid that the current crisis rocking the party could consume it and make it a minority party in the future.

He said, “The party’s leadership is afraid. I must tell you. We are not convenient at all because the formation of the party is coming at a time we are having problems in our party.

“Don’t forget that the NWC is divided. The governors are angry. We cannot hold National Executive Committee meeting. We are even finding it difficult to elect the chairman of our Board of Trustees.

“We are also having financial problems in the party as the governors have refused to fund us the way they used to do before the crisis started.

“So, if anyone is telling you that we are at peace and are not worried as a result of the formation of the party, such a person is being economical with the truth.”

The source also added that though the party is convenient with the attitude of his members in the Senate, the same thing could not be said of the House of Representatives.

“We know that the opposition is in control of the House, because though the Speaker, Mallam Aminu Tambuwal belongs to our party, he is more popular among the opposition political parties,” the NWC member said regrettably.

Among governors touted that could leave the party, four are from the North-West, three from the North-East, two from the South-South and three from the North-Central.

Our correspondent further gathered that these governors, especially those from the North, would move if it was clear that President Goodluck Jonathan would run for a second term.

“His second term ambition, if he declares it, will quicken the death of this party,” a source close to the party said.

Reacting to the development, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, told our correspondent that that would not happen.

He said he was sure that none of the governors would leave the ruling party and join the opposition, whose future he said was not known.

Metuh said, “Definitely, such will never happen. We are not afraid of the newly formed party. Our governors are too committed to the PDP to join the APC.

“You cannot leave the ruling party to join an opposition party, whose future you cannot even tell. It has never happened in the history of this democracy for the PDP to lose any of its governors to the opposition.

“Yes, it is agreed that the party is having some challenges, but we are managing the situation. When other parties had challenges, we knew how they handled them.

“We are therefore not afraid that some of our governors could leave the PDP and join the APC.”

Also, the spokesperson for the CPC, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, told our correspondent that the APC would gladly welcome the PDP governors, adding that it was high time the governors abandoned what he called the “torn umbrella, which can no longer stop the rain.”

Fashakin said, “It is not impossible for the governors to join us. The governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, just said today (Thursday) that Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) remains his leader and that he is happy at the birth of APC.

“APC is a success story that has come to stay. The governor also added that the formation of the new party would stop all riffraffs from contesting the presidency.

“So, even if all the governors of the PDP want to come, they are welcome. APC is a party with large heart.”

http://www.punchng.com/news/12-pdp-governors-may-join-new-party/

The London Evening Standard reported today that Naomi Oni, a 20 years old London based Nigerian who was attcked with acid by an unknown person dressed in niqab a few minutes away from her Dagenham, east London home, will be receiving a free facial reconstruction surgery by one of the worlds top cosmetic Surgeon, Dr. Cap Lesesne.

Dr. Lesesne, an American surgeon who has done re-constructive surgery as well as normal operations on hollywood actors, United States Senators, royalty, read of Naomi’s travail in the Evening Standard and decided to offer his heart- felt service.

Ms. Oni suffered terrible burns on her face, neck, arms, legs, head and body, she is partly blind in her right eye and doctors fear she would need years of continous treatment before she is fully ok.

http://nigerianbulletin.com/world-news/london-based-nigerian-woman-bathed-with-acid-gets-free-facial-surgery-from-top-plastic-surgeon/

Maxymilliano: Oshiomole is only being diplomatic here, he's more closer to the GEJ led government at federal level than his political party.

They share nothing in common! One is a waster and embezzler while the other is a progressive!

FOLLOWING Stephen Keshi’s insistence that he might not be Super Eagles coach after Sunday’s final of the African Cup of Nations, many countries have swooped on him asking for his signature to take over their national teams.

A highly authoritative source informed that some agents have been bordering the former skipper of the national team to talk him into considering their clients if indeed he refuses to go ahead with his contract with the Nigeria Football Federation.

Though the identities of the countries were not revealed, the source however said that Keshi has refused to commit himself as he reportedly told them he was still on contract with the NFF.

The rush for Keshi’s signature is not unconnected with his statement that he was not sure if he would remain Eagles coach after CAN 2013 since he is a professional coach and would go for the highest bidder.

He made this statement since according to him the Nigerian people seem not to appreciate what he is doing with the team.

But that had changed since his team woke up from their slumber and performed excellently against bookmaker’s choice, Cote d’Ivoire. Nigerians in South Africa have been singing Keshi’s praise and his Eagles to high heavens.

The Nigeria Football Federation which had supported Keshi financially and morally are yet to react to Keshi’s threat of jumping the ship.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/02/afcon-many-countries-hunt-for-keshis-signature/

A new twist was added on Thursday to the controversy surrounding the mystery corpses found floating on the Ezu River three weeks ago, when the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra claimed that the corpses belonged to its members arrested and detained by security agencies in Anambra State.

In its first reaction to the discovery of the corpses, MASSOB said the corpses were bodies of its members, who were never released from detention or charged to court by the police.

The Director of Information, MASSOB, Mr. Uchenna Madu, said the movement had petitioned the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon; President Barack Obama; the United Nations Human Rights Commission; and Amnesty International, protesting the mass killing of its members by Nigerian security agencies.

He gave the names of MASSOB members the movement suspected to be among those killed and dumped in the Ezu River to include Basil Ogbu, Michael Ogwa, Sunday Omogo, Philip Nwankpa, Eze Ndubisi, Ebuka Eze, Obinna Ofor, Joseph Udoh and Uchechukwu Ejiofor.

He said they were arrested at MASSOB security office at Onitsha Anambra State on November 9, 2012, by a combined team of the army, police and State Security

Service men and handed over to the State Anti-Robbery Squad headquarters, Awkuzu Anambra State, where they were detained until their disappearance.

He said, “Efforts by our counsel to secure their bail from the police proved futile. Our demands for their arraignment before a competent court of law were frustrated by SARS officers. They claimed that the court was not sitting because of Christmas.

“We got information from an insider at SARS headquarters, Awkuzu, that armless MASSOB members detained at SARS were secretly killed alongside other robbery suspects.”

The Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka, however dismissed the claims of MASSOB, saying the police were still waiting for the report of the autopsy carried out on the corpses dumped in the river.

Meanwhile, an Onitsha Magistrate Court, presided over by Mrs. E.O. Ughanze,has ordered the police to issue a hearing notice to Directorate of Public Prosecution in a case involving the Region 4 Administrator of the movement of MASSOB, Chief Arinze Igbani,

Igbani and two others (Ugwu Chikezie and Chukwudi Udemobi) were on Thursday arraigned at the magistrate court on a two-count charge of conspiracy, aiding and abetting.

http://www.punchng.com/news/mystery-corpses-were-our-members-massob/

Mali goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa compared their Wednesday’s opposition to five-time World Cup champions Brazil after they succumbed to a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the semi-finals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Durban.




The 22-year-old, who plays for Guingamp in France, said they don’t deserve any blame for such a huge loss because they met a fire-spitting side that could have dismantled any team at the competition.

“I feel the team we played against was Brazil and not the Nigeria we used to know. From my post I was seeing more than 15 green shirts pouring forth against us and not the usual 10 players. They were strong, slippery, focused and pacy,” Samassa told Supersport.com here in South Africa.

“We did our best. We heeded our coach’s instructions but they fell below what was needed to stop the Super Eagles. They were winning all the balls, pursuing us mercilessly each time we had the ball and their finishing was always on target and that was their major advantage. They have forwards that can transform the slimmest goal chances.”

Mali will face Ghana in the third place match on Saturday February 9 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. Both sides met in a similar situation last year at the Africa Cup of Nations held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, with the Eagles triumphing to claim bronze.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/02/we-played-brazil-not-nigeria-mali-goalkeeper/

Cooked story! where is the evidence that the baby was actually delivered in a Maruwa?

God is a God of justice, He has paid them back

This is robbery!

The Niger state Disaster Management Agency (NISEMA) has completed arrangements to commence the disbursement of money donated to the Madalla Christmas day bomb victims of 2011 by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The money will be handed out on Monday.

The Agency initially planned to disburse the N25m today Tuesday but had to shelve the plan because of a police case involving one of the Reverend Fathers of the St Theresa church Madalla and some of the beneficiaries.

NISEMA Director General in the state Mohammed Saba told Daily Times that the Reverend father and some of the beneficiaries were in Minna to answer questions from the police on a kidnapping case which involved the religious leader and some of the victims.

“We have completed arrangement to commence the disbursement of the money next Monday we already have the approval of the government and the Reverend of the St Theresa church’ Mohammed Shaba said”

According to him, the Church will have the highest share of the N25m when it will get N5m while the highest amount to be got by the victims is N1m and the lowest N350,000.

He however explained that the 47 beneficiaries are property owners who did not benefit from the previous assistance given by governments apart from building materials released to them by NEMA.

http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/victims-madalla-bomb-blast-receive-n25million-cbn-assistance-monday

The Niger state Disaster Management Agency (NISEMA) has completed arrangements to commence the disbursement of money donated to the Madalla Christmas day bomb victims of 2011 by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The money will be handed out on Monday.

The Agency initially planned to disburse the N25m today Tuesday but had to shelve the plan because of a police case involving one of the Reverend Fathers of the St Theresa church Madalla and some of the beneficiaries.

NISEMA Director General in the state Mohammed Saba told Daily Times that the Reverend father and some of the beneficiaries were in Minna to answer questions from the police on a kidnapping case which involved the religious leader and some of the victims.

“We have completed arrangement to commence the disbursement of the money next Monday we already have the approval of the government and the Reverend of the St Theresa church’ Mohammed Shaba said”

According to him, the Church will have the highest share of the N25m when it will get N5m while the highest amount to be got by the victims is N1m and the lowest N350,000.

He however explained that the 47 beneficiaries are property owners who did not benefit from the previous assistance given by governments apart from building materials released to them by NEMA.

http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/victims-madalla-bomb-blast-receive-n25million-cbn-assistance-monday