₦airaland Forum

Suspected members of the terrorist sect, Boko
Haram, have captured another Borno town,
Abadam, after laying a massive siege to it.
It was gathered from security sources that
over 100 heavily armed suspected Boko Haram
members, in a convoy of Toyota Hilux vans and
motorcycles, invaded the town.
The terrorists group was also alleged to have
attacked the town in the North of troubled
Borno State with Improvised Explosives
Devices and petrol-bombs on Saturday night
before it was captured.
They had on Friday evening, few hours after
the Federal Government announced that a
ceasefire had been agreed with the terrorist
sect, attacked a neighbouring town of Abadam,
Mallam Fatori, where they were alleged to have
killed 10 persons.
Mallam Fatori, is a Nigerian border town with
Niger Republic and few kilometres from
Abadam.
It was learnt that the sect, as in other places
they had captured, hoisted its black and white
flag and had started moves to declare the town
another Islamic caliphate.
A resident of the area, who called journalists in
Maiduguri on the telephone on Sunday, said
with the capture and occupation of Abadam,
the black and white flag of Boko Haram, were
hoisted in three strategic locations in the town.
Some Borno towns and communities under the
control of the sect include Dikwa, Gwoza,
Marte, Damboa, Banki, Bama, Wulgo, Kirenowa
and over a dozen border villages.
Abadam is second largest town to Baga in
Northern Borno and 265 kilometres north of
Maiduguri, the state capital.
One of the residents of Abadam, who fled to
Maiduguri, told journalists on the telephone,
“Boko Haram gunmen entered Abadam town
on Friday night; and shot at any resident
sighted for almost two days; until early hours
of Sunday, when many of us started to flee for
safety into various directions, including
farmlands, bushes and border areas of Bosso
town in Niger Republic.”


source: http://www.punchng.com/news/boko-haram-captures-another-borno-town-hoists-flag/#comments

Less than 24 hours after the much-publicised
ceasefire deal reached by the Federal
Government and the Boko Haram sect, the
terrorist group attacked two communities in
Borno State, a security source told SUNDAY
PUNCH.
The Nigerian government had announced on
Friday that the Islamic sect and the military
had agreed to a ceasefire.
According to the military source, about 20
Boko Haram fighters in two pick-up vans
stormed Maikadiri in Abadam Local
Government Area, northern part of Borno on
Friday evening, shooting into homes.
A member of the local vigilance group, Adam
Kolo, in a telephone interview with our
correspondent in Maiduguri on Saturday, said
the sect had shown that there was no ceasefire
with the latest attack.
He stated that the insurgents killed the father
of the former Speaker of Borno State House of
Assembly, Goni Ali-Modu.
Another indigene of the attacked communities,
Masta Ibrahim, said in Maiduguri that, “My
parents are there and my brother called from
Monguno to inform me early this morning but
we couldn’t get across to our aged parents.”
Also in a renewed attack on Shaffa, Hawul
Local Government Area, south of Borno on
Saturday morning, scores of Boko Haram
insurgents rode to a village near the town in
the early hours of the day, shooting
indiscriminately.
Eight people were killed, according to a
resident, Elijah Msheliza.
He told our correspondents that many of the
residents of the town had fled into the bush.
Msheliza said, “There was pandemonium in
Shaffa as Boko Haram invaded the nearby
village, shooting at everybody at sight. We had
to flee into the bush and, as I am talking to
you, many of us are taking refuge in the bush.”
Shaffa is about 230 kilometres from
Maiduguri, the state capital, and had recently
witnessed series of attacks by the insurgents.


source: http://www.punchng.com/news/boko-haram-breaks-ceasefire-agreement-attacks-borno-villages/

Boko Haram militants have killed several
people in two attacks in Borno villages that
occurred after a government announcement of
a ceasefire, security sources and witnesses said
on Saturday.
According to Reuters in the first attack,
suspected insurgents attacked the village of
Abadam on Friday night, killing at least one
person and ransacking homes, while another
attack on the village of Dzur on Saturday
morning left at least eight people dead.
Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex
Badeh, announced on Friday a deal with Boko
Haram for a ceasefire that would enable the
release of girls whose abduction in the remote
northeastern town of Chibok in April caused
international shock and outrage.


source: http://thecallng.com/2014/10/boko-haram-breaks-ceasefire-kills-nine-in-2-villages/

Former Vice President and presidential aspirant
on the platform of the All Progressives
Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has denied the
report that a former Lagos State Governor,
Bola Tinubu, is lobbying for another aspirant
and former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari (retd.).
He said Tinubu would not make such moves, as
the ex-Lagos State governor remained an elder
statesman that would not be involved in
favouritism.
A national newspaper (not PUNCH) had
reported on Wednesday that Tinubu, who is
allegedly backing Buhari’s candidacy, might be
picked as the General’s running mate.
Atiku’s media adviser, Mr. Garba Shehu, who
spoke to our correspondent on Friday, said it
was expected that the leadership of the APC
would be divided by the contest between the
ex-vice president and Buhari.
Shehu said, “It is expected; there will be
people who will support Gen. Buhari and there
will be those who will support Atiku. The party
is not a military organisation. There is no
regimentation and there will be no forced
opinion on anyone.
“We have no knowledge of that (Tinubu’s
support for Buhari); we have no evidence of
that. All we know is that he has resolved to
play the role of a statesman and to stay above
the fray. There is nothing on ground to suggest
to us that Tinubu has moved away from that
position.”
Atiku’s spokesperson also denied reports that a
recent statement by the ex-vice president
suggested that Buhari is a fanatic.
In what reports described as a veiled reference
to Buhari, Atiku had in a statement issued on
October 2, 2014 said, “I believe that the next
president of our country, who, by the grace of
God, will be produced by our great party, must
be someone who is a unifier, bridge-builder
and not someone who bears ethno-religious
bias. Above all, he must embody a vision of a
Nigeria for all.”
Shehu, however, denied that the statement was
targeted at Buhari.
He said, “We did not say that. If you read our
statement, it is not saying that. If you go to
the market and make a general abusive
statement, if somebody raises his hands to say
‘I am the one he is referring to,’ that is his
own choice.
“I am sure Gen. Buhari himself will agree that
the country doesn’t need a fanatic. And we
didn’t say he is a fanatic. We never said he is a
fanatic; we never said that. If others say he is,
that is their view of him. We are happy that
the General himself has not raised his hands to
say ‘I am the one you’re referring to.”


source: http://www.punchng.com/news/tinubu-wont-back-buhari-against-atiku-ex-vps-aide/

There are strong indications that former
President Olusegun Obasanjo may have warned
the All Progressives Congress not to field
former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku as its
flagbearer in the 2015 elections.
Obasanjo, during a recent visit by the APC
national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to his
residence in Abeokuta, was said to have warned
the opposition party against fielding an
“unclean vessel” as its presidential candidate in
2015.
An impeccable source, who was at the meeting
but did not want his name mentioned, told
Saturday PUNCH that last week’s visit by
Tinubu to Obasanjo was meant to remind the
former President of the need to support the
APC to realise its ambition of winning next
year’s presidential election.
The source said, “Chief Obasanjo appreciated
Tinubu’s visit to his home, but specifically
warned the APC to shut its door against
“unclean vessel.”
“Chief Obasanjo reiterated his refusal to join
the APC when Tinubu visited him in his
Abeokuta residence, but warned the party to
beware of Atiku.
“The former President appreciated the move by
the APC to find out what he knew about two of
the APC aspirants seeking the party’s
presidential ticket. He was happy that the party
consulted him over whom to pick as its
presidential candidate. The former President
gave detailed information on the APC
presidential aspirants to Tinubu.”
But Atiku’s media aide, Garba Shehu, said he
was not aware of such comments by Obasanjo
against the former vice-president.
Shehu, who said that Atiku had consulted
relevant stakeholders on his plan to become
Nigeria’s president next year, said, “You can
quote me; we are not in any way aware of such
comment. What I can say is that the former
vice-president has written a letter to his
former boss, respectfully informing him of his
wish to bid for the APC ticket.”
He also said that Atiku had sent similar letters
to other Nigerians.
“These letters, which were personally signed,
had gone to thousands of other Nigerians,
including politicians, traditional and religious
leaders as well as friendly-diplomatic
missions.”
Senate President David Mark and Tinubu had
last Friday held separate closed-door meetings
with Obasanjo. Both Mark and the former
Lagos State governor said the issues discussed
at the meetings held at the Obasanjo’s Hilltop
residence in Abeokuta centred on the state of
the nation.
Tinubu had told journalists that he had
discussion with Obasanjo on “some of his
former boys” who would vie for elective
positions in the 2015 general elections,
especially the Presidency.
He had said, “We are here to pay homage to
our former President and discuss with him
because he has a number of influences in the
political sphere.
“We need to talk to find out his thinking about
Nigeria and the future. We need to seek his
observation on some of his former boys who
are running for Presidency in our party.”
Mark had also described Obasanjo as the
father of the nation with a wealth of
experience.
The Senate President had told journalists after
the meeting that he came with his team,
including Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel
Uduaghan; the Peoples Democratic Party
Women Leader, Mrs. Josephine Anenih; and
Senator Polycarp Nwite, among others to
discuss with the former President and raise
some basic issues that affected both the party
and the nation.
He said, “We discussed issues that will move
Nigeria forward because Chief Obasanjo’s love
for Nigeria is unquantifiable. So, we had a
good discussion with him.”
Saturday PUNCH also learnt that the former
president would support APC in its bid to win
next year’s presidential election.
Party sources said Obasanjo did not need to
defect to the opposition party before he could
support it to win the poll.
The APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai
Muhammed, told one of our correspondents
on telephone on Thursday that the recent visit
to Obasanjo by Tinubu was part of efforts to
ensure that the opposition party got the
former President’s support ahead of the poll.
Though the APC spokesperson said that he was
not fully privy to the topic of discussion
between Obasanjo and Tinubu, he said that if
the party leader had gone to visit the former
President, it was about how the former
president could help the opposition party win
in the 2015 general elections.
He said, “I am not fully aware of what they
(Obasanjo and Tinubu) discussed. But of
course, did you expect they would discuss
church matters? Clearly if he went to visit
Obasanjo, it had to be about politics and the
party. What else would you expect them to talk
about?
“That would not be the first time the party
chieftains would meet with the former
President. There is no secret about it. We want
the party to win in next year’s elections. That
is it.”
When asked whether the former President
might defect to the APC to help the party
achieve its goal, Mohammed said, “Obasanjo
does not need to defect to the APC before he
could help the party.
“The former President needs not declare
openly or defect to our party before he can
help us. Someone went to visit him, he was
chased out; Asiwaju Tinubu went to visit him
and he was entertained. What are you talking
about? What does that tell you?”
Obasanjo had in 2013 embraced the APC when
some of the party’s national leaders and
governors elected on its platform visited him
in Abeokuta.
The APC leaders then sought Obasanjo’s
support for the party’s bid to win the
forthcoming elections.
Among Obasanjo’s visitors during the
December 2013 visit were Tinubu, former APC
Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande;
former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari; former Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Aminu Masari; former Borno
State Governor, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff;
Senator Osita Isunazor; and Senator Bukola
Saraki.
Tinubu, who hailed Obasanjo’s contributions to
nation-building, had lamented that the country
was divided more than ever.
Tinubu had added that the APC had resolved to
rescue Nigeria and appealed to the former
President to lead the mission.
He had said, “You have come out of tribulation
and held the highest position in this country.
We are here because of your courage. Nobody
can say he has information more than you. You
have surmounted a number of crises. Nigeria
is divided more than before; to realise stable
Nigeria, we want to encourage you to continue
to speak the truth. We are resolved and
determined to rescue Nigeria. We want you as
navigator.”
But the Peoples Democratic Party, which
apparently sensed that the APC might finally
get Obasanjo’s full support, on Wednesday,
made entreaties to beg the former President.
Obasanjo, a former Chairman of the party’s
Board of Trustees, had refused to identify with
the party following series of disagreements he
had with President Goodluck Jonathan and the
running of the party.
The former President even as the chairman of
BoT of the party shunned the meetings of the
various organs of the party, including its
National Executive Committee.
But speaking while receiving former Ogun State
Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who defected
from the Labour Party to the PDP in Abuja on
Wednesday, the National Chairman of the
party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’Azu, begged Obasanjo
to return to the PDP.
Mu’azu, who was reacting to an earlier apology
offered by Daniel, said every member of the
party must beg the former President for
forgiveness.
He described Obasanjo as a pragmatic leader,
who he said hailed from a zone he claimed had
produced the best educated people in the
country.
Mu’azu said, “I want to join former Ogun State
governor, I want to join my dear elder brother
and indeed all the teeming members here to
very sincerely apologise to our leader, to our
baba, my baba, General, President, Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo to forgive us.
“We cannot continue. I know he has been very
prayerful. In the Villa, I know he used to pray
every morning. Very early, 5:30 to 6am, he is
praying.
“And I know he keeps on praying all the time.
As we say in our Lord’s Prayer: ‘Forgive us our
sins, as we forgive those who trespass against
us’; Baba, you have to forgive us. I beg you in
the name of the Almighty God, so that you too
can be forgiven. We are your children. We are
making mistakes, we have made mistakes, we
have apologised.
“We will not agree even if you want to throw
the baby away with the bath water, the baby
will not go without you.
“So, please baba, we apologise. Come and lead
us. Even the President (Goodluck Jonathan) is
waiting for you. Come and lead us. You are our
leader, we appreciate you, we thank you for
your leadership.”




source: http://www.punchng.com/news/dont-field-atiku-obasanjo-warns-apc/

The All Progressives Congress says ex-militant,
Alhaji Mujaheed Dokubo-Asari, was involved in
the $9.3m arms deal which led to the arrest of
two Nigerians and an Israeli in South Africa.
The party, therefore, asked President Goodluck
Jonathan to explain to Nigerians what Dokubo-
Asari was doing on the plane where the money
was found and confiscated by the South
African authorities.
But Dokubo-Asari had distanced himself from
the $9.3m botched arms deal.
The party said this in a statement by its
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, on Wednesday.
It said, therefore, that the Federal Government
had a lot of questions to answer on the deal,
including whether Dokubo-Asari was the
contractor or the end user, who he was
procuring arms for and for what purpose.
The APC said the questions became pertinent
because even the National Security Adviser,
Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), who issued the end-
user agreement for the purchase, “does not
and cannot purchase arms for any of the
armed services.”
The statement read in part, “Under our
constitution, the NSA is an adviser and has no
executive powers to deploy troops from any of
the services or purchase arms for them. That
the arms purported to be purchased from
South Africa were ordered from the office of
the NSA is nothing but a mere fabrication, and
raises serious questions about the motive for
the purchase.
“Nigerians will therefore like to know on whose
behalf Asari Dokubo was purchasing arms. This
is very crucial because Asari Dokubo has been
threatening that Nigeria will not know peace if
his benefactor, President Jonathan, is not re-
elected. Therefore, Nigerians will like to know
whether he has started stockpiling arms to
make his threat a reality, since elections are
due in a few months’ time.
“If these arms are meant to fight insurgency,
as the government has claimed, what is Asari
Dokubo’s business purchasing arms for the
Nigerian military, if indeed they were for the
military? Does it not occur to the Nigerian
government that this man who once took arms
against the state may not have jettisoned his
sinister plan against the same state?”
The party said the President should also come
clean on the $5.7m that was also seized by
South Africa on Monday. He said Jonathan
would so well by revealing the identities of the
Nigerians that were arrested in South Africa.
Dokubo-Asari in a telephone interview with
journalists from Saudi Arabia where he is
presently performing the 2014 Hajj, said the
last time he visited South Africa was in 2002
and could not have gone to any country
without a visa.
He said, “Can you enter any country without a
visa? No person can enter any country without
a visa. Presently, I am in Saudi Arabia
performing my Hajj as the Amirul Hajj of
Bayelsa State and this can be confirmed. I flew
Flynass from Kaduna on September 27. So, it is
really a shame that Lai Mohammed who has
defiled the name of Allah has become a
pathological and award-winning liar.
“Nobody enters any country without a visa and
I have not been to South Africa since 2002. I
flew Arik airline from Lagos on the September
27 and went to Kaduna where I flew Flynass
airline and came to Saudi Arabia.”


source: http://www.punchng.com/news/asari-dokubo-took-part-in-9-3m-arms-scandal-apc/

Forbes has published its 2014 Africa Rich list
which ranks Nigeria’s leader, President
Goodluck Jonathan the sixth richest with a net
worth of $100 million, about N16 billion.
The leader of oil rich Angola, Jose Eduardo dos
Santos, who has been at the helms for 34
years is ranked number one, with a net worth
of $20 billion. His wife is the richest African
woman on earth, with an estimated worth of $
3.8billion, making her shove our Folorunso
Alakija aside as Africa’s and world’s richest
African woman.
Here is the full report as culled from AIT
website:
Africa is the second largest continent in the
world. It is also world’s second most populous
continent and regarded as the poorest
continent. There are 47 nations in Africa, led
by different leaders who have been ruling for
several decades. Some of these leaders and
their families are very rich and their wealth
are considered ill-gotten. They make their
wealth from natural resources of these nations
through the creation of companies under the
names of their families. Here is a brief
overview of the richest Presidents in Africa.
The 9 Richest African Presidents and Kings as
of 2014:
9) Robert Mugabe – Net Worth: $10 Million
Country: Zimbabwe, Years in Power: 26
Robert Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe.
His net worth is estimated to be around $10
million. The dictator’s family is very wealthy.
Mugabe has won many elections, although
frequently these have been criticized by
outsiders for violating various electoral
procedures.
Idriss Deby – Net Worth: $50 Million
Country: Chad, Years in Power: 23
Idriss Deby has been the President of Chad
since 1990. His net worth is estimated to be $
50 million. Towards the end of August 2006,
he made international news after calling for
his nation to have 60 percent stake in its
output after receiving crumbs from foreign
companies running the industry.
=6) Goodluck Jonathan – Net Worth: $100
Million
Country: Nigeria, Years in Power: 4
Goodluck Jonathan is the President of Nigeria.
His net worth is estimated to be around $100
million. He launched a “Roadmap for Power
Sector Reform”, launched the Youth Enterprise
with Innovation in Nigeria and launched the
Transformation Agenda. He is a member of the
ruling “People Democratic Party”.
=6) King Mswati III – Net Worth: $100 Million
Country: Swaziland, Years in Power: 28
The 15th richest royal in the world, according
to Forbes Magazine. Mswati III is the King of
Swaziland. He is worth more than $100
million; down $100 million of his 2012 ($200
million) fortune. The King has often been
criticized for his lavish spending. In 2009
summer, several of his 13 wives reportedly
spent over $6 million in a shopping spree. In
the 2014 budget, parliament allocated $61
million for the King’s annual household
budget, while 63 percent of Swazis live on less
than $1.25 per day. His luxury car collection
include a $500,000 Daimler Chrysler’s flagship
Maybach 62. And has banned the photography
of his cars.
5) Paul Biya – Net Worth: $200 Million
Country: Cameroon, Years in Power: 31
Paul Biya has been the President of Cameroon
since November 6 1982. His estimated net
worth is around $200 million; this figure was
published by the ForeignPolicy.com. Around
48 percent of the citizens of Cameroon live
below the poverty line. Catholic Committee
against Hunger and for Development (CCFD)
and several on-and-offline media has placed
him in the list of leaders with ill-gotten wealth.
In 2009, French online newspaper, Rue 89,
reported the Cameroon President’s vacation
was the top most expensive among world
leaders. More than that of the American
President. He was criticized for spending
30,000 euros ($40,000) per day on renting a
villa.
4) Uhuru Kenyatta – Net Worth: $500 Million
Country: Kenya, Years in Power: 1
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta is the President of
Kenya and the son of Kenya’s first President,
Jomo Kenyatta. In 2011, Forbes estimated his
net worth at $500 million. Most of his wealth
comes from property. With his family, the
President owns stakes in Kenya’s largest dairy
company Brookside Dairies, media company
Mediamax, Heritage Hotels, Commercial Bank
of Africa and hundreds of thousands of prime
Kenyan land. He is regarded as man of the
people due to his sociability. During his
inaugural speech, he promised economic
transformation through Vision 2030, free
maternal care and unity among all Kenyans.
3) Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo – $600
Million
Country: Equatorial Guinea, Years in Power: 34
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is the
President of Equatorial Guinea. He came to
power in August 1979 by ousting his uncle
Francisco Macias Nguema in a military coup.
He has overseen the emergence of the nation
as an important oil producer, beginning in
1990s. This President and his family literally
own the economy, his personal fortune exceed
$600 million, according toForbes Magazine. In
October 2011, the United States government
seized $70 million assets of his son, Teodoro
Nguema Obiang Mangue. Though Equatorial
Guinea is Africa’s second richest nation,
majority of the population actually live under
the poverty line.
2) Mohammed VI of Morocco – Net Worth: $
2.5 Billion
Country: Morocco, Years in Power: 15
Mohammed VI is the current King of Morocco.
He is also the country’s leading businessman.
He is worth more than $2.5 billion, according
to Forbes. The King ascended to the throne
following his father’s death in 1999 and he
immediately set about improving upon his
appalling human rights record and alleviating
poverty.
1) Jose Eduardo dos Santos – Net Worth: $20
Billion
Country: Angola, Years in Power: 34
Jose Eduardo dos Santos is the President of
Angola. He has held on to this post since
1979. His personal estimated wealth exceed
more than $20 billion, according to Cabinda
Online. While around 70 percent of Angolans
live on less than two dollars a day. His
daughter, Isabel dos Santos is among the
Forbes Africa’s billionaires with a net worth of
$3.8 billion. She’s currently Africa’s richest
woman and also the world’s richest black
woman.


source: http://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2014/10/07/forbes-ranks-jonathan-6th-richest-african-leader/

Forbes has published its 2014 Africa Rich list
which ranks Nigeria’s leader, President
Goodluck Jonathan the sixth richest with a net
worth of $100 million, about N16 billion.
The leader of oil rich Angola, Jose Eduardo dos
Santos, who has been at the helms for 34
years is ranked number one, with a net worth
of $20 billion. His wife is the richest African
woman on earth, with an estimated worth of $
3.8billion, making her shove our Folorunso
Alakija aside as Africa’s and world’s richest
African woman.
Here is the full report as culled from AIT
website:
Africa is the second largest continent in the
world. It is also world’s second most populous
continent and regarded as the poorest
continent. There are 47 nations in Africa, led
by different leaders who have been ruling for
several decades. Some of these leaders and
their families are very rich and their wealth
are considered ill-gotten. They make their
wealth from natural resources of these nations
through the creation of companies under the
names of their families. Here is a brief
overview of the richest Presidents in Africa.
The 9 Richest African Presidents and Kings as
of 2014:
9) Robert Mugabe – Net Worth: $10 Million
Country: Zimbabwe, Years in Power: 26
Robert Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe.
His net worth is estimated to be around $10
million. The dictator’s family is very wealthy.
Mugabe has won many elections, although
frequently these have been criticized by
outsiders for violating various electoral
procedures.
Idriss Deby – Net Worth: $50 Million
Country: Chad, Years in Power: 23
Idriss Deby has been the President of Chad
since 1990. His net worth is estimated to be $
50 million. Towards the end of August 2006,
he made international news after calling for
his nation to have 60 percent stake in its
output after receiving crumbs from foreign
companies running the industry.
=6) Goodluck Jonathan – Net Worth: $100
Million
Country: Nigeria, Years in Power: 4
Goodluck Jonathan is the President of Nigeria.
His net worth is estimated to be around $100
million. He launched a “Roadmap for Power
Sector Reform”, launched the Youth Enterprise
with Innovation in Nigeria and launched the
Transformation Agenda. He is a member of the
ruling “People Democratic Party”.
=6) King Mswati III – Net Worth: $100 Million
Country: Swaziland, Years in Power: 28
The 15th richest royal in the world, according
to Forbes Magazine. Mswati III is the King of
Swaziland. He is worth more than $100
million; down $100 million of his 2012 ($200
million) fortune. The King has often been
criticized for his lavish spending. In 2009
summer, several of his 13 wives reportedly
spent over $6 million in a shopping spree. In
the 2014 budget, parliament allocated $61
million for the King’s annual household
budget, while 63 percent of Swazis live on less
than $1.25 per day. His luxury car collection
include a $500,000 Daimler Chrysler’s flagship
Maybach 62. And has banned the photography
of his cars.
5) Paul Biya – Net Worth: $200 Million
Country: Cameroon, Years in Power: 31
Paul Biya has been the President of Cameroon
since November 6 1982. His estimated net
worth is around $200 million; this figure was
published by the ForeignPolicy.com. Around
48 percent of the citizens of Cameroon live
below the poverty line. Catholic Committee
against Hunger and for Development (CCFD)
and several on-and-offline media has placed
him in the list of leaders with ill-gotten wealth.
In 2009, French online newspaper, Rue 89,
reported the Cameroon President’s vacation
was the top most expensive among world
leaders. More than that of the American
President. He was criticized for spending
30,000 euros ($40,000) per day on renting a
villa.
4) Uhuru Kenyatta – Net Worth: $500 Million
Country: Kenya, Years in Power: 1
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta is the President of
Kenya and the son of Kenya’s first President,
Jomo Kenyatta. In 2011, Forbes estimated his
net worth at $500 million. Most of his wealth
comes from property. With his family, the
President owns stakes in Kenya’s largest dairy
company Brookside Dairies, media company
Mediamax, Heritage Hotels, Commercial Bank
of Africa and hundreds of thousands of prime
Kenyan land. He is regarded as man of the
people due to his sociability. During his
inaugural speech, he promised economic
transformation through Vision 2030, free
maternal care and unity among all Kenyans.
3) Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo – $600
Million
Country: Equatorial Guinea, Years in Power: 34
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is the
President of Equatorial Guinea. He came to
power in August 1979 by ousting his uncle
Francisco Macias Nguema in a military coup.
He has overseen the emergence of the nation
as an important oil producer, beginning in
1990s. This President and his family literally
own the economy, his personal fortune exceed
$600 million, according toForbes Magazine. In
October 2011, the United States government
seized $70 million assets of his son, Teodoro
Nguema Obiang Mangue. Though Equatorial
Guinea is Africa’s second richest nation,
majority of the population actually live under
the poverty line.
2) Mohammed VI of Morocco – Net Worth: $
2.5 Billion
Country: Morocco, Years in Power: 15
Mohammed VI is the current King of Morocco.
He is also the country’s leading businessman.
He is worth more than $2.5 billion, according
to Forbes. The King ascended to the throne
following his father’s death in 1999 and he
immediately set about improving upon his
appalling human rights record and alleviating
poverty.
1) Jose Eduardo dos Santos – Net Worth: $20
Billion
Country: Angola, Years in Power: 34
Jose Eduardo dos Santos is the President of
Angola. He has held on to this post since
1979. His personal estimated wealth exceed
more than $20 billion, according to Cabinda
Online. While around 70 percent of Angolans
live on less than two dollars a day. His
daughter, Isabel dos Santos is among the
Forbes Africa’s billionaires with a net worth of
$3.8 billion. She’s currently Africa’s richest
woman and also the world’s richest black
woman.


source: http://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2014/10/07/forbes-ranks-jonathan-6th-richest-african-leader/

There are strong indications that the decision
of the South African authorities to seize the $
5.7m involved in a botched arms purchase
deal between a Nigerian Company, Societe D’
Equipment Internationaux, and a South African
company, Cerberus, may have done severe
damage to the image of the two leading African
nations.
The $5.7m was seized by the Asset Forfeiture
Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority in
the deal which was burst by the South African
National Conventional Arms Control.
Investigation revealed that top officers of the
Federal Government were embittered that the
South Africans were carrying out a deliberate
plot to ridicule Nigeria in the international
arena with the issue of the two frustrated arms
deals.
A highly placed government official, who
confided in our correspondent on Tuesday,
said that the Federal Government might be
compelled to take some tough steps to address
the harsh actions of the South Africans against
the country.
The source said that operatives of an office
strategic to government operations in the
country had commenced gathering information
on the continuing aggression of South Africa to
Nigeria with a view to come up with the
appropriate response.
The source said that the South Africans went
too far by seizing the money involved in the
arms deal between legitimate two firms from
the two countries.
There were strong indications that the Federal
Government and its operatives might take
reciprocal steps which might target economic
activities between both countries negatively.
“Look, what I can tell you is that this country
will not allow the South Africans who have
benefitted so much from us to continue to act
this way for ever without a response. I think, it
is now time to call their bluff.
“How can you seize the money belonging to
the Nigerian firm in the deal between two
companies? I think that is absurd and we have
started gathering information.
“If this situation is not handled with maturity,
it could affect diplomatic relationship between
the two countries.
Indications that the botched deal and the
seizure of the $5.7m may attract the ire of the
Federal Government emerged on Monday night
when the office of the National Security
Adviser defended the deal describing it as a
transaction between two legitimate companies.
Another source said that it would not be out
of place for the Federal Government to
summon the Ambassador of South Africa in
relation with the arms deal.
The Special Assistant, Media, to the Office of
the National Security Adviser, Mr. Adekunle
Karounwi, had said in a statement on the
matter that the transaction could not be said
to be illegitimate.
The NSA Office pointed that the South African
had a responsibility to ensure the provision of
a conducive business atmosphere for Nigerian
companies just as Nigeria did for South African
firms in the country.
“We want to state clearly that a business
transaction actually took place between a
legitimate company in Nigeria and another
legitimate one in South Africa through the
bank.
“In the course of events, the South African
company could not perform and decided to
refund the money. What is illegitimate in this
transaction done through the bank?
“Nigeria provides the enabling environment for
South African companies like MTN, DSTV and a
host of others to do business unhindered.
It is our hope that South Africa would
reciprocate this noble gesture.
“There is no alternative, we must win the war
against insurgency, irrespective of the
demeaning activities of fifth columnists.”
When one of our correspondents contacted the
South African Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Lulu
Mnguni, on the issue, he said that the seizure
of monies meant for purchase of arms by his
country would not affect the existing
relationship between Nigeria and South Africa.
The envoy noted that Nigeria and South Africa
had come a long way, stressing that the spat
between the two countries over the arms
purchase debacle would not destroy the
relationship between them.
Mnguni, who said he would not comment on
the separate seizures of $9.3m and $5.7m
meant for purchase of arms by Nigeria,
explained that the incidents were being
investigated by the South African Police.
The ambassador, however, said the Police
investigation would clear the controversy
around the seizures, and reveal whether the
arms deal followed the due process or not.
He said, “Nigeria and South Africa have come a
long way, so I don’t think this incident can
destroy it. But I won’t be able to comment on
the incidents because they are under
investigation by the Police and I cannot pre-
empt the investigation.”




source: http://www.punchng.com/news/5-7m-scandal-threatens-nigeria-south-africa-relations/#comments

Investigations are under way at a hospital in
Madrid after a Spanish nurse became the first
person known to have contracted the deadly
Ebola virus outside West Africa, BBC reports..
The nurse had treated two Spanish missionaries
who died of the disease after being flown home
from the region.
Three other people, including the nurse’s
husband, have been quarantined.
The European Commission has asked Spain to
explain how the nurse could have become
infected.
Some 3,400 people have died in the outbreak,
mostly in West Africa.
The Spanish auxiliary nurse, a 40-year-old
woman, who has not been named, was one of
about 30 staff at the Carlos III hospital in
Madrid who had been treating priests Manuel
Garcia Viejo and Miguel Pajares, officials say.
Mr. Garcia Viejo, 69, died at the hospital on
September 25 after contacting Ebola in Sierra
Leone. Mr Pajares, 75, died in August after
contracting the virus in Liberia.
The nurse had twice gone into the room where
Viejo had been treated, to be directly involved
in his care and to disinfect the room after his
death. Both times she was wearing protective
clothing.
Madrid healthcare director Antonia Alemany
told reporters that according to the
information available, “The nurse went into the
room wearing the individual protection gear
and there’s no knowledge of an accidental
exposure to risk.”
Shortly afterwards the nurse went on holiday,
a hospital spokesman said, but fell ill on
September 30 and was admitted to Alcorcon
hospital in South-West Madrid on Sunday after
being tested positive for Ebola.
The Ebola case was down to “procedure
problem or human error,” says a Spanish
public health expert.
The Spanish health authorities said the nurse
was being treated with a drip using antibodies
from previous Ebola patients.
Her husband and a second nurse who treated
the missionary are now in quarantine, officials
said, as well as a man who recently arrived on
a flight from Nigeria.


source: http://www.punchng.com/news/spain-investigates-new-evd-case/#comments

Super Eagles safe hands Vincent Enyama has
assured Nigerian soccer fans that the country
will qualify for Morocco 2015 African Cup of
Nations (AFCON) despite her slow start to the
on going qualifiers.

The Super Eagles lost their first game at home
to Congo and managed a draw against South
Africa in the second game played in Cape Town
but the former Enyimba International goal
tender said the team will win the two legged
encounter against Sudan this month.

Speaking exclusively to Sports Vanguard after
the team’s second training at the main bowl of
the refurbished Abuja National Stadium,
Enyeama said the odds favour the Super Eagles
even as he quickly said the Sudanese will not
be underrated in any way.

“Yes we are on a tight rope with just one point
from a possible six but I want to assure all
Nigerians that we have resolved as a team to
make sure we go to Morocco to defend our
trophy.

“The game against Sudan this weekend will be a
tough one because they are playing at home,
secondly after losing to South Africa, they will
not like to lose again at home but the record
favours us and we will beat them again even in
front of their home fans” Enyama assured.

However the team captain who was not
available when the Super Eagles lost at home to
Congo down played his absence insisting that
the players who played that match must have
given their best.

According to him the result may not have been
different if he had played the last two games as
he argued that there are many factors that
could make a team win or lose a match.

The training was very business-like with all the
23 invited players duly in camp with the sole
aim of convincing the technical crew to hand
them a starting shirt.


source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/well-beat-sudan-front-fans-enyeama/

Uganda is grappling to contain the deadly
Marburg hemorrhagic fever after confirmatory
laboratory tests turned positive.
The outbreak of the viral hemorrhagic fever
which was announced here on Sunday by
Elioda Tumwesigye, the minister of state for
health, has left one person, the index case
dead, one person in isolation and over 80
others being monitored both in central and
western Uganda.
“The Ministry of Health would like to inform
the country of an outbreak of Marburg which
has so far killed one person,” Tumwesigye told
reporters here at the ministry of health
headquarters.
According to the ministry of health, the index
case died on Sept. 28 after developing signs of
Marburg which were later confirmed by
laboratory tests. The deceased’s brother has
also developed signs and is currently under
isolation at Mengo Hospital in the capital
Kampala.
Out of the 80 people being monitored, over 60
are health workers who made contact with the
index case who was also a medical worker.
Thirty-eight workers are being monitored at
Mengo Hospital while the 22 others are being
monitored in Mpigi.
Tumwesigye said 20 other people who were
involved in the burial process of the deceased
are also being monitored in Kasese district in
western Uganda.
“The ministry of health calls upon the public to
remain calm and on alert amidst this epidemic.
All suspected cases can be reported to the
ministry of health hotline,” he said at the joint
media briefing with the World Health
Organization (WHO).
Wondimagegnehu Alemu, WHO Country
Representative to Uganda said that the disease
can be contained and therefore there is no
cause for alarm.
“WHO does not recommend any travel ban but
the public should follow all the necessary
precautions which have been put in place, ”
Alemu said.
“We are doing what is recommended to
contain the outbreak and also making sure all
the listed contacts are got,” he added.
Minister Tumwesigye said WHO and Médecins
Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders have
already dispatched assistance.
“WHO is providing technical and logistical
support to all the affected facilities,” he said,
adding that the ministry of health has also
delivered personal protective equipment and
other supplies to Mengo Hospital, Mpigi and
Kagando Health Center in Kasese district.
Tumwesigye said that there is no relation
between this Marburg outbreak and the Ebola
outbreak in West Africa which has left over
3,000 people dead.
“There is no connection between these two
outbreaks. We cannot link this to what is
happening in West Africa,” he said noting that
two hemorrhagic fevers are different.
The Marburg virus was last reported in Uganda
in 2012. It was reported that at that time four
members of the same family in the western
Ugandan district of Kabala died of Marburg.
According to the WHO, Marburg is a severe
and highly fatal disease caused by a virus from
the same family as the one that causes Ebola
hemorrhagic fever.
According to the global health body, the illness
caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly, with
severe headache and malaise.
Case fatality rates have varied greatly, from 25
percent in the initial laboratory-associated
outbreak in 1967, to more than 80 percent in
the Democratic Republic of Congo from
1998-2000, to even higher in the outbreak
that began in Angola in late 2004.
Currently some West African states are facing a
related disease- – Ebola — which has left more
than 3,000 people dead.


source: http://www.punchng.com/news/deadly-marburg-hemorrhagic-fever-breaks-out-in-uganda/#comments

Uganda is grappling to contain the deadly
Marburg hemorrhagic fever after confirmatory
laboratory tests turned positive.
The outbreak of the viral hemorrhagic fever
which was announced here on Sunday by
Elioda Tumwesigye, the minister of state for
health, has left one person, the index case
dead, one person in isolation and over 80
others being monitored both in central and
western Uganda.
“The Ministry of Health would like to inform
the country of an outbreak of Marburg which
has so far killed one person,” Tumwesigye told
reporters here at the ministry of health
headquarters.
According to the ministry of health, the index
case died on Sept. 28 after developing signs of
Marburg which were later confirmed by
laboratory tests. The deceased’s brother has
also developed signs and is currently under
isolation at Mengo Hospital in the capital
Kampala.
Out of the 80 people being monitored, over 60
are health workers who made contact with the
index case who was also a medical worker.
Thirty-eight workers are being monitored at
Mengo Hospital while the 22 others are being
monitored in Mpigi.
Tumwesigye said 20 other people who were
involved in the burial process of the deceased
are also being monitored in Kasese district in
western Uganda.
“The ministry of health calls upon the public to
remain calm and on alert amidst this epidemic.
All suspected cases can be reported to the
ministry of health hotline,” he said at the joint
media briefing with the World Health
Organization (WHO).
Wondimagegnehu Alemu, WHO Country
Representative to Uganda said that the disease
can be contained and therefore there is no
cause for alarm.
“WHO does not recommend any travel ban but
the public should follow all the necessary
precautions which have been put in place, ”
Alemu said.
“We are doing what is recommended to
contain the outbreak and also making sure all
the listed contacts are got,” he added.
Minister Tumwesigye said WHO and Médecins
Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders have
already dispatched assistance.
“WHO is providing technical and logistical
support to all the affected facilities,” he said,
adding that the ministry of health has also
delivered personal protective equipment and
other supplies to Mengo Hospital, Mpigi and
Kagando Health Center in Kasese district.
Tumwesigye said that there is no relation
between this Marburg outbreak and the Ebola
outbreak in West Africa which has left over
3,000 people dead.
“There is no connection between these two
outbreaks. We cannot link this to what is
happening in West Africa,” he said noting that
two hemorrhagic fevers are different.
The Marburg virus was last reported in Uganda
in 2012. It was reported that at that time four
members of the same family in the western
Ugandan district of Kabala died of Marburg.
According to the WHO, Marburg is a severe
and highly fatal disease caused by a virus from
the same family as the one that causes Ebola
hemorrhagic fever.
According to the global health body, the illness
caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly, with
severe headache and malaise.
Case fatality rates have varied greatly, from 25
percent in the initial laboratory-associated
outbreak in 1967, to more than 80 percent in
the Democratic Republic of Congo from
1998-2000, to even higher in the outbreak
that began in Angola in late 2004.
Currently some West African states are facing a
related disease- – Ebola — whic?h has left more
than 3,000 people dead.


source: http://www.punchng.com/news/deadly-marburg-hemorrhagic-fever-breaks-out-in-uganda/#comments

Wenger ought to have retired a long time ago.*Jealousy has set in*

GIRLFRIEND: (low voice) sweety, i had a
dream about u last night
BOYFRIEND: (excited) tell me something,
honey
GIRLFRIEND: we were travelling and suddenly
our bus lost control
and fell into the river
everybody swam to save their lives but you
were still swimming and
searching for someone
BOYFRIEND: (with love) searching for u....
right?
GIRLFRIEND (frown) no. u were searching
and shouting.
BOYFRIEND: what was i shouting. ur name...
right?
GIRLFRIEND: u were shouting conductor!
conductor!! please give me
my change before u die.
Happy Today....

•Orders massive air strikes on sect
•To take delivery of Cobra gunships soon
•Friends identify pilot
Vengeance: That is the warning from the
Defence Headquarters, Abuja, to Boko Haram
following claims by the sect to have beheaded
a pilot of the Nigeria Air Force.
Although the DHQ on Friday disputed the claim
that any pilot was killed by the terrorists,
friends of the military man who was shown by
Boko Haram in its latest video as the man they
murdered, took to the social media yesterday
to ‘confirm’ his death in the hands of the
terrorists.
The Nigerian Army Support Group as the
‘friends’ call themselves named him as Wing
Commander Chimda Hedima, 39.
They described him as “a true Nigerian hero.”
They said of the circumstances of his death:
“On 11/09/14, a company of NA soldiers
attempted to overrun a BH position in Borno.
Due to the low altitude, the plane suffered
significant damage from the terrorists’ gunfire.
Wing Commander Hedima and his partner
realised that they were going to crash.
“They, instead of hurriedly parachuting to
safety within Nigerian controlled territory,
chose to embark on a mission to destroy as
many terrorists and their weapons as possible.
They parachuted out at the last minute but not
before ensuring their plane slammed into a
column of terrorists; 63 Boko Haram members
were killed as a result of their bravery.
“Wing Commander Hedima was captured. On
12/09/14, he was killed.
“He chose Nigeria, he chose all of us. We
cannot forget him. Please share his story. His
name should be known by everyone.
“Rest in peace, Commander, we are grateful.
May you find eternal peace. Thank you for
your service.”
But sources at the DHQ said yesterday that
regardless of claims about its missing pilot, the
military will battle on and deal decisively with
Boko Haram.
One of the sources said: “In spite of whatever
the insurgents may claim, I can tell you that
the battle has shifted more to the air than
land. The military has ordered more air strikes
against all the positions or camps of Boko
Haram.
“We will bombard the insurgents into
submission. They cannot intimidate our jet
fighters. As a matter of fact, more pilots are
willing to join the aerial raid. It is going to be
a battle to the finish.
“More fighter jets have been deployed in the
relevant areas in strategic manner. The
purported shooting down of 10 aircraft is a
hoax.”
Responding to a question, the source added:
“We are not only after those who claimed to
have beheaded a pilot; we will deal with all the
leaders of the sect and their members.
“We have the capacity to take the battle to
them. We will engage these insurgents and
overcome them.”
Already, the military has placed an order for
AH-1 Cobra helicopters for attacks on Boko
Haram enclaves in Sambisa Forest and the hilly
terrains of Gwoza and Madagali in Borno and
Adamawa states.
Another source said: “Actually the AH-1 Cobra
helicopters are good for the terrain in the
North-East. Many countries, including the
United States, have used these gunships in the
past.
“The Cobra helicopters were deployed by the
US during the Vietnam War. The situation in
Sambisa Forest could be likened to what was
then obtainable in Vietnam.”
The Huey Cobra, according to Wikipedia
“provided support for ground forces during
the Vietnam War.”
The AH-1 (company designation: model 209) is
a two-blade, single engine attack helicopter
manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was
developed using the engine, transmission and
rotor system of the Bell’s UH-1 Iroquois.
Some people call it Snake.


source: http://thenationonlineng.net/new/boko-haram-military-vows-to-avenge-beheaded-pilot/

•Orders massive air strikes on sect
•To take delivery of Cobra gunships soon
•Friends identify pilot
Vengeance: That is the warning from the
Defence Headquarters, Abuja, to Boko Haram
following claims by the sect to have beheaded
a pilot of the Nigeria Air Force.
Although the DHQ on Friday disputed the claim
that any pilot was killed by the terrorists,
friends of the military man who was shown by
Boko Haram in its latest video as the man they
murdered, took to the social media yesterday
to ‘confirm’ his death in the hands of the
terrorists.
The Nigerian Army Support Group as the
‘friends’ call themselves named him as Wing
Commander Chimda Hedima, 39.
They described him as “a true Nigerian hero.”
They said of the circumstances of his death:
“On 11/09/14, a company of NA soldiers
attempted to overrun a BH position in Borno.
Due to the low altitude, the plane suffered
significant damage from the terrorists’ gunfire.
Wing Commander Hedima and his partner
realised that they were going to crash.
“They, instead of hurriedly parachuting to
safety within Nigerian controlled territory,
chose to embark on a mission to destroy as
many terrorists and their weapons as possible.
They parachuted out at the last minute but not
before ensuring their plane slammed into a
column of terrorists; 63 Boko Haram members
were killed as a result of their bravery.
“Wing Commander Hedima was captured. On
12/09/14, he was killed.
“He chose Nigeria, he chose all of us. We
cannot forget him. Please share his story. His
name should be known by everyone.
“Rest in peace, Commander, we are grateful.
May you find eternal peace. Thank you for
your service.”
But sources at the DHQ said yesterday that
regardless of claims about its missing pilot, the
military will battle on and deal decisively with
Boko Haram.
One of the sources said: “In spite of whatever
the insurgents may claim, I can tell you that
the battle has shifted more to the air than
land. The military has ordered more air strikes
against all the positions or camps of Boko
Haram.
“We will bombard the insurgents into
submission. They cannot intimidate our jet
fighters. As a matter of fact, more pilots are
willing to join the aerial raid. It is going to be
a battle to the finish.
“More fighter jets have been deployed in the
relevant areas in strategic manner. The
purported shooting down of 10 aircraft is a
hoax.”
Responding to a question, the source added:
“We are not only after those who claimed to
have beheaded a pilot; we will deal with all the
leaders of the sect and their members.
“We have the capacity to take the battle to
them. We will engage these insurgents and
overcome them.”
Already, the military has placed an order for
AH-1 Cobra helicopters for attacks on Boko
Haram enclaves in Sambisa Forest and the hilly
terrains of Gwoza and Madagali in Borno and
Adamawa states.
Another source said: “Actually the AH-1 Cobra
helicopters are good for the terrain in the
North-East. Many countries, including the
United States, have used these gunships in the
past.
“The Cobra helicopters were deployed by the
US during the Vietnam War. The situation in
Sambisa Forest could be likened to what was
then obtainable in Vietnam.”
The Huey Cobra, according to Wikipedia
“provided support for ground forces during
the Vietnam War.”
The AH-1 (company designation: model 209) is
a two-blade, single engine attack helicopter
manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was
developed using the engine, transmission and
rotor system of the Bell’s UH-1 Iroquois.
some people call it snake.


source: http://thenationonlineng.net/new/boko-haram-military-vows-to-avenge-beheaded-pilot/

Agimor:
Jonathan living in self deception since 1313 AD.Even the staunch Muslim would argue this with you.

Yea u rite...........But did he lie wen he said he had no shoes?

Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on
Saturday expressed optimism that Nigeria
would soon overcome the challenges currently
facing the country.
Speaking to newsmen at the Lagos Central
Mosque, where he observed the Eid prayers,
the governor said he was optimistic that all
would be well with the country.
Fashola, however, said the destiny of the
country rested largely in the hands of
Nigerians, urging citizens to resolve to do
things right to put the country on the path of
progress.
The governor wished Nigerians a happy Eid-el-
Kabir celebration and admonished them to use
the occasion to renew their commitment to
peace and development of the nation.
“I wish all Muslims Eid Mubarak and all
Nigerians, peace. But whatever we want for
ourselves and the nation lies in our hands to
achieve.
“I am sure that all will be well and citizens
must also want things to be well. If it is well
within us, it will be well around us and it will
be well with our nation.”
The governor said that Nigerians still had good
reasons to thank God and celebrate, in spite of
some of the challenges in the country.
He said that being alive to see another Eid
celebration in good health should give the
people some hope and opportunity to learn
and better the future.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that
some officials at the prayer ground with
Fashola include Mr Lateef Ibirogba,
Commissioner for Information and Strategy,
Mr Hakeem Bello, Special Adviser on Media
and Mr Lanre Babalola, Chief of Staff to the
governor.
The Commander of the state’s Rapid Response
Force, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, was also at the
mosque.
NAN reports that Muslim faithful turned out in
their numbers for the prayers, even as traders
made brisk businesses, selling religious
materials to worshippers at the mosque.
On Nnandi Azikwe Street, where the mosque is
located, some people were spotted making last
minute shopping while a few rams were seen
being pulled along the road by their owners.
It was a big feast at the governor`s Marina
residence as residents who had come to
celebrate with Fashola ate and drank at the
tents that dotted the compound.



source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/will-well-nigeria-says-fashola/

President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday in
Abuja restated that the activities of terrorist
groups across the world had nothing to do
with Islam.
The president stated this when a delegation of
the Muslim community led by Vice President
Namadi Sambo paid him Sallah homage at his
official residence in the Presidential Villa.
Jonathan maintained that there was nothing
Islamic about the atrocities being perpetrated
by Boko Haram in Nigeria or Islamic State
(ISIS) militants in Iraq who claimed to be
fighting for the propagation of Islam.
“What is happening globally now has no
religious basis. Only yesterday, a British aid
worker was slaughtered by ISIS and that is not
Islamic.

“Boko Haram killing innocent children and
women in market places, in mosques and
schools definitely has nothing to do with
religion,” he said.
The president noted that this year’s Sallah
celebration was significant, citing certain
natural coincidences which, according to him,
showed that something good was happening to
Nigeria.
“This year is quite significant in terms of
celebration of Sallah, because the Day of Arafat
coincided with a Friday, and from what I was
told it takes a long time to have that
coincidence.
“And remembering the fact that 2014 is our
centenary year, it shows that something good
is happening to this country.
“We may have our challenges as other nations,
but when things begin to happen in a
particular way, I begin to see light at the end
of the tunnel.
“A number of things that have to do with our
belief system suppose to encourage us to see
our neighbours as ourselves,’’ he said.
While congratulating Muslims all over the
world, the president urged them to use the
period to seek God’s mercy for those hiding
behind religion to perpetrate evil.
He restated his belief in Nigeria, emphasising
that the country had a lot to offer not only to
its citizens but also to the entire world.
“Whatever obstacles we see are very ephemeral
and part of history of nation building.
“If you read the history of all nations, there is
no nation that does not pass through some
challenges.
“But, they got over them and moved ahead; I
think we are getting over our problems,’’ he
said.
Earlier, the vice president had prayed for
peace and unity in the country.
He also prayed that Allah would grant the
president the strength, wisdom and good
health to lead the country out of its current
challenges.
Among the vice president’s entourage were the
National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki;
the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr
Suleiman Abba, and former Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) National Chairman, Bello Haliru.
Others included Primate, Church of Nigeria
(Anglican Communion), the Most Rev. Nicholas
Okoh; former Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Na’Abba, the
Deputy Chief Imam of Federal Capital Territory,
Sheik Ahmed Onilewura.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that
the Day of Arafat falls on the 2nd day of
pilgrimage activities in Saudi Arabia.
On this day, the pilgrims make their way from
Mecca to a nearby hillside, Arafat, to pray for
peace. (NAN)



source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/terrorism-has-nothing-to-do-with-islam-says-jonathan/

The leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau,
has described as “propaganda,” the claim by
the Defence Headquarters that he was killed
early September in Kodunga, Borno State.
Shekau, in a new video obtained by Agence-
France-Presse on Thursday, boasted that
“nothing could kill him” until the day Allah
stopped his breathing.


He also claimed in the 36-minute video that
Boko Haram fighters shot down the Nigerian
Air Force fighter jet which was reported
missing three weeks ago by the Defence
Headquarters.


Last week, the Director of Defence
Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, told a
news conference in Abuja that troops killed
Shekau and that his corpse was identified by
the people of Kodunga.
Olukolade illustrated his claim with pictures of
the bullet-ridden corpse with Shekau’s
semblance and a video of the battle in which
he was killed.


He had also said that Shekau whose real name
he gave as Mohammed Bashir had other names
like Abacha Abdullahi Geidam and Damasack.
A day before the DHQ claim, a newspaper,
quoting a military source, reported that Shekau
was killed by Cameroonian soldiers during
aerial bombardment of his hideout in Nigeria.


The Cameroonian newspaper also printed
pictures of a bullet-ridden corpse of a man it
said was the Boko Haram leader.
A former United States Ambassador to Nigeria,
John Campbell, however questioned the
credibility of the Nigerian military’s claim.
Campbell said, “Who knows whether Shekau is
alive or dead? The question may not matter
much. As Boko Haram’s resurrection after the
killing of its genuinely charismatic leader,
Mohammed Yusuf, shows, the movement is
remarkably resilient, and not dependent on a
single leader.
“If Shekau is alive, as I suspect he is, evidence
is scant as to what his actual role in the
movement’s leadership is. Boko Haram is more
than Abubakar Shekau, alive or dead.”
In the new video, Shekau is seen standing in
front of three camouflaged vans and flanked by
four heavily armed and masked fighters.


He wore combat fatigues and black rubber
boots and firing an anti-aircraft gun into the
air, Shekau spoke for about 16 minutes in
Arabic and Hausa languages widely spoken in
most parts of northern Nigeria.
But there was no indication of where or when
the video was shot.


Denouncing his killing by the military, the
heavily bearded Boko Haram leader, who
appeared to be the same as those in previous
clips, said “I hereby put to lie the claim that I
was killed.”
“Here I am alive. I will only die the day Allah
takes my breath,” Shekau said amidst
thunderous shout of Allahu Akbar “Allah is
great” from his well-armed lieutenants.
He consequently taunted the military, saying it
had nothing to prove its claim.
He said, “I challenge you(military), I challenge
you. You even said I was killed. If you kill me,
does that mean you kill (the) religion? You are
not honest. You have no proof, you have
nothing to say.”


The Boko Haram leader boasted that the wish
of President Goodluck Jonathan; President
Barack Obama of the United States; Prime
Minister Francois Hollande of France; Queen
Elizabeth and the United Nations Secretary
General, Ban-ki Moon, for his death would not
materialise.


He said, “The wish of Obama (United States
President) will not kill me, the wish of Francois
Hollande (of France) will not kill me, the wish
of Benjamin Nattanyahu (of Israel) will not kill
me, the wish of Ban-ki Moon(of the United
Nations) will not kill me, the wish of Queen
Elizabeth will not kill me, the wish of the
infidels of the world will not kill me, much less
of President (Goodluck Jonathan) , much less of
Kashim (Shettima of Borno State ) , much less
of Bra-Bra (Yobe State Governor Ibrahim
Geidam).


“Nothing will kill me until my days are over.
Do whatever you want to do. If you think what
I’m doing is not the truth, even if you don’t
fight me I will crumble.
“Nothing will kill me until my days are over…
I’m still alive. Some people asked if Shekau has
two souls. No, I have one soul, by Allah. It is
propaganda that is prevalent. I have one soul.”
Shekau described himself as an Islamic student
whose seminary was burnt in 2009.
He was apparently referring to the destruction
of the group’s mosque in Maiduguri, Borno
State that year.


Shekau also claimed that Boko Haram fighters
shot down the NAF fighter jet which was on
routine operational mission but did not return
on September 12, 2014.
A man the sect leader claimed was one of the
two pilots aboard the plane was shown in the
latest video stating that the jet was brought
down by “fighters of the Jama’atu Ahlis
Sunnah.”


The ruin of an aircraft with the insignia of the
NAF was also shown.


The pilot, who said he did not know the
whereabouts of his colleague, was thereafter
decapitated with an axe by an executioner who
dressed in (military) fatigues.
In the video, Shekau said he had gone far in
ensuring that Sharia was strictly observed in
Boko Haram’s “Islamic Caliphate” and showed
footages in which a man “convicted of
adultery” was stoned to death.


The right hand of another man accused of
“stealing” was chopped off while an unmarried
young man and a young lady “convicted of
fornication” were given 100 lashes each.
But the DHQ however said it was studying the
claims made in the new video.
It said, “From immediate observation and what
some online news outlets claimed to have
seen, the video did not indicate when it was
shot neither did it show any proof of life or
currency such as screen time or date.


“The video also did not make any reference to
anything that has happened since the
impostor’s reported death.
“It is also noteworthy that the air plane said to
be mentioned in the video had been missing
before he was killed. It should not surprise
anybody if the terrorists decided to manipulate
pictures, clone another Shekau or upload a
pre-recorded video all in a bid to prove
invincible.
It further stated in a short statement on its
official blog that as far as the military was
concerned, the individual who appeared in the
latest video was killed in the Konduga battle in
September.
The DHQ argued that the resemblance of the
corpse and that of the “eccentric character was
incontrovertible.”


It said, “While waiting to see the new video
before any further statement, our message to
them (insurgents) is that justice will be served
to whoever bears that name(Shekau) or
designation(leader of Boko Haram).”
There had been two previous claims by
Nigeria’s security forces that Shekau was dead.
The first was in 2009 during unrest in
Maiduguri and again in 2013.
Boko Haram had issued denials in video
messages.


A united Arab Emirates-based Nigerian
journalist, Ahmad Salkida, has said that it was
“witless” for the military authorities “to ascribe
cosmetic science to Boko Haram that cannot
even develop arms and ammunition instead
depend mainly on looting the Nigerian Army
armouries.


“Most of you are educated and as a country,
we can’t manufacture even toothpicks but
some ‘Almajiris’ have suddenly become
scientists before our watch.”


Tweeting on Thursday, Salkida, who is believed
to have links with the insurgents, said, “If
Boko Haram can perfect the art of cloning
either through medical research or by way of
photography then the entire world must be
concerned. That means, they can perfectly
mimic some leaders and have undue access?
They can as well develop nuclear bombs and
drones.”



source: http://www.punchng.com/news/im-alive-says-shekau-in-new-video/

A man claiming to be Boko Haram leader
Abubakar Shekau has appeared in a new video,
contradicting Nigerian military reports that he
was killed, French news agency AFP reported
on Thursday.

In the video, a figure in boots and combat
fatigues who looks similar to the man claiming
to be Shekau in previous videos was seen.

“Here I am, alive. I will only die the day Allah
takes my breath,” he says in the northern
Hausa language, reported the news agency,
which normally receives Boko Haram tapes
first, before they are distributed online.
Nigeria’s military said last week that the man
who had been posing as Shekau in the group’s
growing number of videos had been killed in
clashes over the town of Konduga.

The military announced the death of Shekau a
year ago, saying he had died in battle. After
that, the man appearing in videos as Shekau
did look different from before, with a wider
nose, less defined bridge and a rounder face.

In the most recent video, Shekau says “nothing
will kill me until my days are over … Some
people asked you if Shekau has two souls. No,
I have one soul, by Allah,” AFP said.

Boko Haram, whose violent five-year campaign
for an Islamic state has killed thousands, has
in the past two months progressed from
bombings, raids and kidnappings to trying to
seize territory.

In his last video, the Shekau figure declared
the remote areas they control near Cameroon
as “Muslim territory”, echoing the declaration
of a caliphate by militants in Iraq and Syria.

But holding territory has also made them more
vulnerable to attacks by Nigerian forces backed
by fighter jets, security sources say. The
military said it inflicted heavy losses on the
Islamists in the past two weeks.

Bellicose as ever, Shekau stands on the back of
a pick-up truck, firing an anti-aircraft gun into
the air.

The video also shows people being stoned to
death and being given lashes, both traditional
Islamic punishments, AFP said. And it shows
Boko Haram fighters picking through the
wreckage of an air craft they claim to have
shot down. Nigeria’s military is still looking for
a war plane that went missing more than two
weeks ago


source: http://www.today.ng/news/boko-haram-new-video-shows-wreckage-of-missing-jet-allegedly-shot-down-people-being-stoned-to-death/

Lokoja – A cross section of Nigerians on
Wednesday said Nigeria’s 54th Independence
anniversary was worth celebrating because “we
are still a united nation’’ in spite of the
numerous challenges.

Other citizens, however, said that the
atmosphere was not ripe for celebration due to
insurgency in parts of the country and the
Chibok girls, among other challenges.

A PDP member in Kogi, Mr Adelodun Obaseki,
said in Lokoja that “Nigerians have every
reason to celebrate as in spite of all odds, God
has always been by our side’’.

Obaseki pointed out the level of developments
that the country had experienced in the last
few decades as some of the reasons for
celebration.

He noted that the PDP had proved itself to be
a party that all Nigerians should embrace
through its infrastructural developments in all
aspects of national life through the
transformation agenda of President Goodluck
Jonathan.

Another resident, Mr Salaudeen Mohammed,
however, said that there was need for sobriety
because of the security challenges threatening
the country.

“What are we celebrating when over 200
Chibok girls are still being held captive by
insurgents in the North, with killings and
kidnappings in the South?,’’ he asked.
He noted that the nation still suffered epileptic
power supply, massive youth unemployment,
corruption and persistent strikes.

“Just give me a reason why we should celebrate
when at 54, Nigeria still depends on
importation of domestic goods, building
materials and many other things,’’ said
Salaudeen.

He, however, advised political leaders and
governments at all levels to shun corruption
and work for the betterment of our nation.
A taxi driver, Mr Samuel Elian, lamented the
poor condition of the state and federal roads
across the country, saying it was a cause for
concern.

He enjoined the various tiers of government to
do the needful to restore people’s confidence
in the polity by delivering the benefits of
independence.

Mr Ibrahim Tola, a private legal practitioner in
Abuja, called for the construction of quality
road network across the country and the
provision of educational facilities, healthcare
service, agricultural inputs and improved
electricity supply, among other basic social
amenities and infrastructure.

Mrs Eletta Awoniyi, a civil servant, said Nigeria
should celebrate the sustained unity of the
nation at 54 in spite of the various ills
bedevilling the country.

She urged Nigerians to set aside religious,
political and tribal differences, and embrace
unity and peace which were needed to
surmount the security challenges facing the
country.

“Nigerians should join hands in the spirit of
oneness and support our President Goodluck
Jonathan in the fight against the enemies of
our nation,” she urged. (NAN)


source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/celebrating-chibok-girls-still-captive/

About 60 soldiers are to be arraigned before a
General Court Martial for mutiny by military
authorities in Abuja on Tuesday .

The servicemen were said to had refused
to join troops in Maiduguri for “an
operation,” August 4, 2014.

It was gathered that their arraignment will take
place at the Sani Abacha Barracks in Abuja.
It was also learnt that some of the 12 soldiers
convicted on September 15, 2014 by the GCM
had notified the Court of Appeal of their
intention to challenge their sentences.

The court headed by Brig. Gen. C. Okonkwo
had sentenced 12 out of 18 soldiers facing
trial guilty of mutiny among other offences and
sentenced them to death. Five of them were
however discharged and acquitted and one
sentenced to 28 days’ imprisonment with hard
labour and reprimand.

The soldiers were charged with mutiny among
other offences, including attacking the former
General Officer Commanding the 7th Division
of the Nigerian Army, Ahmed Mohammed.
A copy of the charge sheet filed against the 60
soldiers which was obtained by Punch in Abuja
on Monday revealed that the soldiers,
comprising two corporals, nine lance corporals
and 49 privates, are to be arraigned on two
counts of conspiracy to commit mutiny and
mutiny.

The accused allegedly committed the
offences at the Mulai Primary School,
opposite African Independent Televisio
in Maiduguri, Borno State on August 4,
2014 by refusing to join “111 SF Bn
troops” led by Col. E.A. Aladeniyi to
Maimalari Barracks in connection with
an operation.

According to the charge sheet, they
“conspired to commit mutiny against th
authority of 7 Division,” an offence sai
to be punishable under Section 91(1) o
the Penal Code Cap P89 LFN 2004.
The soldiers were also accused of
committing mutiny which is said to be
punishable under Section 52(1)(a) of th
AFA CAP A20 LFN 2004.
The charges are said to be triable in th
GCM under Section 114 of the AFA Cap
A20 LFN 2004 and punishable under
Section 91(1) of the Penal Code Cap P8
LFN 2004.

The two corporals are Andrew Ogolekw
and Saturday Efa.
The charge sheet reads, “Count One:
Criminal conspiracy to commit mutiny
triable by the General Court Martial by
virtue of Section 114 of the AFA Cap A2
LFN 2004 and punishable under section
91(1) of the Penal Code Cap P 89 LFN
2004.

“Particulars of offence: In that you at
:Mulai Primary School Camp opposite A
Maiduguri on or about 4 August 2014
conspired to commit mutiny against th
authority of 7 Division.
“Count 2: Mutiny contrary to and
punishable under section 52(1)(a) of th
AFA CAP A20 LFN 2004.

“Particulars of offence: In that you at
Mulai Primary School Camp opposite A
Maiduguri on or about 4 August 2014
refused to join 111 SF BN troops led b
Col. E.A. Aladeniyi (N/9695) to
Maimalari Barracks in connection with
an operation.”



source: http://www.today.ng/news/another-set-of-60-soldiers-to-face-trial-for-mutiny-today/

Qatar’s Femi Ogunode won the Asian Games
100 metres gold in a new continental record
time of 9.93 seconds despite wet conditions in
Incheon on Sunday, AFP reports.
Nigerian-born Ogunode, who won the
200-400m double at the 2010 Asiad, beat
China’s Su Bingtan, with Japan’s Kei Takase
third.


Hopes for an Asia-born athlete finally breaking
the 10-second barrier sank with Su crossing in
10.10 and his Chinese teammate Zhang
Peimeng timing 10.18 in fourth.
Ogunode’s win is Qatar’s second athletics gold
of the tournament, pulling them level in their
shootout with fellow wealthy Gulf state
Bahrain.
His time bettered the 9.99 that teammate
Samuel Francis ran at the Asian Championships
in 2007. Francis, visibly struggling with a leg
injury, finished last.







Meanwhile, Ogunode says he can outsprint
Usain Bolt to gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio
de Janeiro – even without the help of a coach.
Ogunode told reporters he would now turn his
attention to next year’s world championships
and then to the Olympics in Brazil the
following summer.
Asked if he could beat Jamaica’s Bolt – the
world’s fastest man at 9.58sec –Ogunode ,
according to The Malaysian Insider, said, “I
have confidence in myself that I can challenge
anybody.”

“I see myself winning the gold medal in Rio.”
He added, “I am fine without a coach, I know
what to do,” said the confident sprinter, who
returned from a lengthy doping ban at the
start of this year.
“Without a coach I can discipline myself and
train myself. I’ve been training alone. When
I’m training myself I believe in myself so
strongly and I improve so much.”

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One person was killed and about 20 others
sustained injuries when a three-storey building
under construction collapsed at Eziora village,
Adazi-Ani in Anaocha local council area of
Anambra yesterday.

The building, jointly owned by Mr. Uche Okeke
and his five siblings who are children of the
transport magnet, Chief GU Okeke, was at the
completion stage when it collapsed.
It was gathered that over 25 persons were
working on the site when the incident occurred
and at the time of filing this report, one
person was still trapped under the rubble.
Okeke, who spoke to reporters said: “It is a
sad thing and we are still confused over the
incident because we awarded the contract over
a year ago to a professional. We have spent
millions of naira on the project and we were
not in doubt that quality materials were used
in the construction.
“One worker was still trapped and we
immediately ordered for earth moving
equipment from Onitsha to remove the rubbles
to save his life.

“We reported to the Police immediately and
they helped us in the rescue mission.
Unfortunately, the man under the rubble died
before he could be rescued.”
According to him, the body of the deceased
had been deposited at St. Joseph’s Hospital
mortuary at Adazi-Nnukwu.
One of the labourers, who identified himself as
Mr. Olisa Obaze, said he broke his knee cap in
an attempt to jump down from the three-
storey building.

He said: “We were carrying blocks upstairs
when we suddenly heard a large crack sound.
We scampered for safety and I had to jump
from the three-storey building. After the
incident, we started calling on our members
and realized that one man was still under the
debris.”
Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr.
Uchenna Ezeh said that full investigation into
the matter has begun.

source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/one-killed-many-injured-another-building-collapses-anambra/

Emmanuel, Akpan, Ugonna and Lawal new
players for AFCON cracker

Super Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi has recalled
goalkeeper and skipper Vincent Enyeama,
striker Victor Moses for next month’s 2015
Africa Cup of Nations must-win qualifying
tango away and home to Sudan.
Both teams clash in Khartoum on Saturday,
11thOctober before trading tackles at the
National Stadium, Abuja four days later.
Keshi has also included a hatful of new faces,
including former junior international Raheem
Lawal, China –based striker Aaron Samuel and
relatively unknown Anyora Ugonna, who plays
in Norway.

There are also opportunities for World Cup
star-boy Babatunde Michael, back from injury,
Reading FC of England’s Hope Akpan and
Austria –based forward Sunday Emmanuel.
African champions Nigeria must win both
matches against pointless Sudan next month to
have any realistic chance of reaching the finals
in Morocco early next year.

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Lille OSC,
France); Austin Ejide (HapoelBe’erSheva,
Israel); Chigozie Agbim (Gombe United)

Defenders:Elderson Echiejile (Monaco FC,
France); Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod FC, Israel);
Efe Ambrose (Celtic FC, Scotland); Godfrey
Oboabona (Rizespor FC, Turkey); Azubuike
Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves, Nigeria); Kenneth
Omeruo (Middlesbrough, England)

Midfielders: John Mikel Obi (Chelsea FC,
England); Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio, Italy); Nosa
Igiebor (Maccabi FC, Israel); Omatsone Aluko
(Hull City, England); Hope Akpan (Reading FC,
England); Raheem Lawal (Eskisehirspor FC,
Turkey); Anyora Ugonna (Haugesund FC,
Norway)

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow,
Russia); Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce FC,
Turkey); Gbolahan Salami (Warri Wolves,
Nigeria); Osaguona Ighodaro (Enugu Rangers,
Nigeria); Victor Moses (Stoke City, England);
Aaron Samuel (Guangzhou R & F, China);
Sunday Emmanuel (SV Scholz Grodig, Austria);
Babatunde Michael (Volyn Lutsk, Ukraine)


source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/keshi-recalls-enyeama-moses-sudan/

The drumbeats of war have been beating at
high pitch as the Elective Congress of the
Nigeria Football Federation holds next Tuesday
in Warri, with a new President set t to succeed
Aminu Maigari.

In this report, JOHN EGBOKHAN chronicles the
agenda of the aspirants bidding to take
Nigerian football to the proverbial next level.
I ‘ve seen everything in football—Dominic
Iorfa
I am the
best person
to lead
Nigerian
football to
the next
level
because I
have put in
over 30
years of
service to
football,
first as a
player, who
played at
the top level in the Nigerian league, before
going to Europe to play professional football,
with top clubs in Belgium, England and Turkey
and went on to play for the Super Eagles and I
am presently a top administrator of a leading
club in Nigeria.

I have administered Lobi Stars of |Makurdi
for 15 years, uninterrupted. Of all the other
aspirants going bidding to succeed Aminu
Maigari, I can confidently say, with all sense of
modesty that I am the only one who has the
all-round experience to properly position the
NFF to achieve better results. Those conversant
with the league can readily testify that I’m one
of the best administrators around today. I have
the magic to change Nigerian football.
One of the things that I will offer if elected
President of the NFF, is strong leadership.
The administration of Maigari achieved a lot. It
was during his time that we won the 2013
Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, won the
2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in UAE, qualified
for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey and
qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in
Brazil, where we reached the semifinal and
are in the race to qualify for the next edition
in 2015.

However, despite all these achievements,
Maigari’s administration was tainted because
of weak leadership. Maigari was a weak leader
and that is why, even with all his outstanding
achievements that he cannot seek re-election.
It was during his tenure that we had crises,
which came because of weak leadership, When
elected NFF President, crisis will be a thing of
the past because as a team player, I will carry
everybody aboard the train of progress .
Take the case of our league, the weakness of
the Maigari’s board was evident in our league,
where a team got banished to another venue
for five matches, only to get a reprieve after
serving two matches of the stipulated period.
That is not good for our football. We have to
be seen to be strong and firm in decision
making.
There are so many things that I plan to do for
the Nigerian league, which remains the
bedrock of our football development. Our
league remains the surest foundation for a
strong and virile football development because
once we have a very strong and highly
competitive league system, from the amateur
rant to the professional level, then we are
surely going to excel as a football country.
Having been in the league since 2000, it is a
fact that I am the most eminently qualified
person who can readdress the problems of our
football. As a former player and current top
administrator, I know the stakeholders who
will help drive the vision of the incoming
administration to every nook and cranny of the
nation. I am well known and respected by
players, match officials and players and that
gives me the edge over others. I can solve our
problems within one hour.
The biggest problem of our football is greed,
where one person wants to control everything
and run a one-man show. This sort of greed
breeds problems and under-development.
I don’t want to talk about Eagles because I
know the problems of the team. I played for
the Eagles at a time when some of the
candidates were still in school.
I was the Nigerian player from the local league
to play in the English league with Queens Park
Rangers in 1988-89 season. Alongside Peter
Luck from Zimbabwe, we were the first two
Africans to play in the English league.
I was also the first player to feature in the
Turkish Super Liga and because of that, was
denied a place in the 1992 Africa Cup of
Nations in Senegal. They said that they can’t
invite a player playing in Turkey to play for
Nigeria but today, most of our players in the
Super Eagles are based in Turkey.
It is clear that the current disagreement
between Keshi and NFF members has affected
the performance of the team. As NFF
President, I will ensure that the coach and us
are on the same page for the growth of the
team. If we are not agreeing, there will be
problems. You have to have an understanding
with the technical crew.
I was part of the people who made Stephen
Keshi the coach. Keshi has not been happy
because of the contract. And the reason being
that when a local coach is made Nigerian
coach, what he gets is so small when compared
when a foreigner is appointed Eagles coach.
And there is no way an indigenous coach will
be happy with such a pay. If they want Keshi
to succeed, you have to give him the same
contract as the expatriates because our local
coaches believe that the foreigner is not better
than them…

My final message to the delegates is that they
should vote for the candidate who will
guarantee the progress of our football. The
delegates are important stakeholders in
Nigerian football and I urge them to vote for
me because I will change the face of our
football. I’m the right person to be the
President and I promise to run an all-inclusive
administration.


source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/gladiators-jostling-maigaris-seat/

After an intense exercise which saw them
overcoming several obstacles when other
hopefuls fell by the wayside; and after a
suspense-filled final selection party, which
coincided with the launch of a new Gulder
bottle, the contestants for this year’s Gulder
Ultimate Search have finally proceeded to the
Aguleri forest.
Their search for this year’s hidden treasure
has commenced in earnest.
The lucky contestants for this year’s search,
tagged ‘The Mission’ are: Iwuoha Ikenna,
Nwagboso, Joshua, EmedikeIkenna, Nne Cosy
Joe, Ubachukwu, Chinedu, Otto, Canon
Chimenem, Afolabi Emmanuel Olusegun,
IrohNoela and Appi Samantha.
ErijakporLoretta, Robinson Sharon, Eriata
Blessing Ese, AddohEvi and Nwagbagiro Sandra.
Prior to their entry into the jungle, the
contestants paid a courtesy call on the
Executive Governor of Anambra State, Chief
Willie Obiano, at the State Government House
in Awka Anambra State.
The delegation from Nigerian Breweries Plc.,
manufacturers of Gulder lager beer, which led
the contestants to the Anambra State
Government House included Kufre Ekanem,
Corporate Affairs Adviser, Emmanuel Agu,
Marketing Manager, Gulder, Legend and Life,
OnyekaOkoli, Senior Brand Manager, Gulder
and Seun Lawal, Brand Manager, Gulder.
In his remarks, Gov. Willie Obiano expressed
satisfaction that the Gulder brand deemed the
Aguleri jungle of Anambra State, fit enough to
host the 11th edition of Gulder Ultimate
Search.
He said: “I’m very happy to receive all of you
here in Anambra and I commend your wisdom
in choosing Anambra for the Ultimate Search.
The choice of Aguleri is commendable. You are
going to find very interesting places in our
State.”


source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/gulder-ultimate-begins-drill-aguleri-jungle/