A Nigerian state governor was back in trousers and at his desk yesterday after dressing up as a woman and skipping bail in Britain on charges of laundering £1.8m.
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha returned to his home village a folk hero after apparently escaping Europe in a dress and on a forged passport. Crowds cheered and waved leaves to welcome back the governor of Bayelsa state and a paper, ThisDay, published a photomontage of him in a red dress, necklace, head-dress and lipstick. "Today I am back at my desk, forever committed to serve the people of Bayelsa and Nigeria. I thank the almighty God for his protection," said Mr Alamieyeseigha.

The governor was arrested at Heathrow airport in September and had his passport confiscated. He faced three money-laundering charges after police found £1m in cash at his London address and property in his name worth £10m.

Having returned to Nigeria last weekend - forfeiting a £1.25m bail bond - he is expected to be immune from legal action until his term as governor ends in 2007.

Mr Alamieyeseigha was coy when asked how he evaded British controls to make it back to his village in the Niger delta. "I don't know myself. I just woke up and found myself in Amassoma."

Nigerian newspapers quoted unnamed aides who described a journey in drag. Dressed as a woman, the governor is said to have taken a Eurostar train from London to Paris and then flown to Douala, a port city in Cameroon neighbouring Nigeria, where a speedboat took him home under cover of darkness. The disguise was helped by the fugitive's weight loss during his stay in Europe, which included a tummy tuck operation in Germany.

Thousands lined the streets to cheer his cavalcade through the province but elsewhere several thousand people marched in protest at his return.

The economic and financial crimes commission, part of the federal government's anti-corruption drive, hinted that it would seek to prosecute him. "What I feel bad about is that Nigeria is viewed as a safe haven for people to be protected," said Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the commission's chairman.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/nov/23/hearafrica05.development

Say a word of prayer to his departed soul.

ABUJA- NATIONAL leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP alleged yesterday that the governing party, the All Progressives Congress, APC was planning to plunge the country into anarchy with its planned moves to arm-twist the various election tribunals to subvert the will of the people and upturn democratically elected governments in some states, just as it stressed that it was dangerous to democracy.
According to PDP, the APC was already hounding the PDP senators-elect and threatening to use its new federal might to influence to coax the tribunals against them if they fail to do its bidding in the ongoing politicking to raise new leadership in the Senate.
In a statement yesterday by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh , the party which vowed to rigidly resist such an action, said that as a party, it was privy to intelligence reports showing certain clandestine moves and nocturnal meetings in Lagos and Abuja on how the APC has put in place ways on how it would compromise the sanctity of the electoral tribunals in their compositions and locations to suit the purpose of the ruling party.
Metuh said, “We are aware that there are moves by the APC to cause the doctoring of the membership of the gubernatorial elections tribunals in some PDP states, particularly Akwa-Ibom, Abia, Rivers and Delta with the aim to bring in friendly officers, possibly to push through their agenda against our great party.

Mohammed: Promised not to dignify PDP’s allegations and Metuh: APC is championing anarchy
“Also we question the so-called security reasons adduced for the decision to relocate the Akwa-Ibom state Governorship, National and State Assembly elections tribunals out of the state and wonder why Akwa-Ibom was singled out.
“Nigerians and the international community would recall that we had earlier alerted of furtive moves by the APC to procure and compromise some stakeholders in the elections including INEC and security personnel to bear false witness and doctor electoral materials against the PDP at the tribunals.
“In the same vein, we had earlier alerted of a groundswell of plots by the APC to foist a one party rule in our country by attempting to destabilize the PDP, take over some of our states and legislative seats, all to ensure that there is no strong opposition when they eventually assume power.
“It is apparently in line with this heinous agenda that the APC has started hounding our senators-elect with threats to use the tribunals against them if they fail to do their bidding in the parliament.
“It is worrisome that this ‘jackboot mentality’ and rape of our democracy which is averse to the spirit of the healing process is happening with the knowledge of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is a direct beneficiary of the huge sacrifice the PDP made to ensure that the nation remains peaceful and stable.
“We want President Buhari to note that the plot by his party to alter the will of the people and unlawfully take over states genuinely won by the PDP is obviously an invitation to anarchy capable of truncating our hard-earned democracy as it would be stiffly resisted by the people.
“We invite the international community and lovers of democracy worldwide to note the ugly developments and hold the APC responsible should there be any break down of law and order in the polity. The PDP wishes to restate in the strongest possible terms that we are not vanquished and will therefore resist these plots with all the energy and force availed by the law.
“Let it be known that there is no way we can fold our hands and watch while the mandates freely given to our governors and National Assembly members fall prey to the ravenous ambition of the APC.
“It is on this note that we once again draw the attention of the leaderships of the judiciary, INEC and security forces to the plots intended to compromise their men, drag in their institutions and pitch them against the people. We therefore charge them to protect their sanctity by closely monitoring their officials to ensure that they are not in anyway manipulated in this direction”.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/apc-plotting-to-plunge-nigeria-into-anarchy-by-doctoring-electoral-tribunals-pdp-alleges/#sthash.k6Vjwdm6.dpuf

ABUJA—SENATE Minority Leader, George Akume, yesterday, foreclosed the possibility of the National Assembly overriding former President Goodluck Jonathan’s veto on the 1999 Constitution Amendment Bill, passed by the National Assembly.

Akume said the inability of Jonathan to assent to the bill before the end of his tenure has rendered the bill dead, saying there was nothing the legislature can do to get the amendment becomes law.

Speaking with newsmen in Abuja, Akume, who represents Benue North West in the Senate under the All Progressives Congress, APC, said even as the Supreme Court asked both the Federal Government and the National Assembly to settle the issue out of court, the court did not ask that the government made concession nor ask the legislature to override the president’s veto

“The issue here is very clear, if it was not assented to, I do not know what you want us to do. It is very clear that this particular bill will now struggle to find a place in the new Senate, which is the 8th Senate.

“Jonathan has left and the bill is still a bill until it is assented to. The Supreme Court has made its own pronouncement, the Supreme Court didn’t say go and override or the president should go and make concession. One way or the other, this issue has not been resolved, so that is the responsibility of the 8th Senate if they feel it is a major priority for the Senate, “he said.

Responding to question on why he jettisoned his ambition to become the Senate President in the 8th Senate and instead, seeking to become deputy, Senator Akume said the decision was informed by what he called the “dynamism of politics” in the race.

He said: “That is the dynamism of politics, politics is like that and what we have sought to do and we have been trying to do is to as much as possible, have an internal realignment, consolidate and move forward. Basically, that is what has been done.

He defended the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to move the military command headquarters to Maiduguri, saying it was the only way out if the nation was prepared to win the war against insurgency in the North East.

“The movement of the military command headquarters to the epicenter of the insurgency is a step in the right direction.

There is no way you will be fighting terror in, for instance, Makurdi and then your headquarters is in Abuja or it’s in Jos. It is always good to be there to make direct assessment and to confront the challenges headlong. I think apart from saying he was moving it, he was also dedicated to the training of the Armed Forces. I think these are very important, “he insisted.

Akume said the APC- led government was aware of the expectations of Nigerians from it, saying the party, through its leader and president, Muhammadu Buhari, was up to the task.

“First of all, we have never doubted the difficulties and challenges that lie ahead, yet we are deciding to throw the hat into the ring. If you look at the caliber of personalities in the APC, you are left in no doubt that we have the personnel, we have the commitment, and the patriotism to fight and these are confrontations that we have to start from the top.

“The president himself is a tested person as I had said and he is going to live by example. And so, we have no doubt that these problems are going to be tackled but he himself said these problems can never be over within a fortnight.

“He had said it before, that solutions to complex problems cannot be as instant as coffee and I employ Nigerians not to look back, we are very determined and by the grace of God, we are going to meet the expectations of the people, “he added.

The senator, who refused to assess the 7th Senate, saying it would be inappropriate for him as one of the key actors to do so, however, said the outgoing Senate did not fail the people of Nigeria.

“Well, it may be inappropriate for me as one of the key actors of the National Assembly to evaluate our performance, I believe Nigerians will do so. But let me reinstate with all equivocation that in spite of the difficulties, the 7th Senate was able to do well.

“Through oversight functions, we have been able to harness some of the untoward and unhealthy practices in the executive. These are there clear for everybody to take note of.

“ We have come but many of my colleagues may not be coming but a few are returning to the Red Chamber and together, we will continue from where we stopped and I believe that with more dedication, we will do our best, “he added.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/amendment-of-1999-constitution-dead-with-jonathans-exit-says-akume/

LAGOS — THE shape and faces to the Muhammadu Buhari administration will begin to unfold today baring any last minute change of mind by the president, Vanguard has learnt. Among those to be named are the Chief of Staff, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF and personal staff of the president and the vice-president.
Yesterday, the president requested the Senate to approve 15 special advisers for him. Meanwhile, the delay in the announcement of senior officials of the new administration, it was learnt yesterday, flowed from the delay by the former officials of Goodluck Jonathan administration in forwarding their handover notes to the transition committee constituted by Buhari.
Sources close to the President and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, disclosed yesterday that the president would make known the senior officials of his government today. Besides the Chief of Staff and SGF, other officials to be named may include the Special Adviser to the National Assembly, Political Adviser among senior aides of the president.
“The announcements will be made today baring a last minute change of decision,” a source privy to the development told Vanguard last night even as he added that the president’s scheduled trip to Niger and Chad may be the only factors that may delay the announcement. Meanwhile, a senior associate of the president yesterday traced the delay in the announcement of the president’s senior aides to the delay in the transmission of the handover notes by the Jonathan officials to the transition team constituted by Buhari ahead of his inauguration.
“All we have been doing since Friday is poring over these notes. This is because you need to know the position of things before you delegate the appropriate personnel to any establishment of government,” a source privy to the ongoing developments told Vanguard last night.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/buhari-set-to-name-chief-of-staff-sgf-other-aides-today/#sthash.KrdXrRjR.dpuf

Do you remember this man? What do think he would have done differently, if he were still alive.

cramjones:
Professor Moyo the Zimbabwean Minister of Information has been outraged at the treatment Pres Mugabe received in Nigeria! Well, Nigeria is definitely a rising super power! Well done to GEJ for making our press and media bold! Africa must rise up from its timidity and challenge the hawks that have kept them enslaved and backward for to long. If Zimbabweans can speak out we will help them. Great job Sahara Reporters. Shame on you and your government Mr. Minister of Information!

-CramJones

Ditto: BeremX

PS: Watch the video he is referring to here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L95kciDCBfw

This stupid girl should be fired, what an insolent? She has no respect.

TO describe the auto crash that claimed the lives of a couple, and eight other members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) traveling from the monthly camp meeting on the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway to Ondo town as tragic is an understatement.
Three of the victims, a Zonal Pastor in Ondo Province 2, Pastor Dominic Folorunso Akinseye, 52; his wife, Beatrice; and Pastor Festus Akinsoyinu Fadakinte, were staff of the Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo while the seven other passengers in the bus were staunch members of the church. Reports had it that the impact of the crash was so much that it took time before the mangled bodies of the deceased persons could be removed from the wreckage.

Sunday Vanguard was informed that seven persons died on the spot while four others were rushed to the Trauma Centre in Ondo town but three others later died.
Some members of the church equally returning to their states after the programme, who saw the crash, made frantic efforts to free the mangled bodies of the victims from under the stationary vehicle their bus reportedly rammed into in Kajola village near Ore.
Tears flowed freely as traffic around the scene of the crash built up and, for hours, traffic on the express road came to a stand still. The passengers of the bus were said to have left Redemption Camp earlier with the intention of getting back to Ondo for a wedding ceremony of a member of the Province slated for Saturday, May 2. Akinseye was a second term Chairman of the Non- Academic Staff Union, NASU, of the Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo while the wife, Beatrice, was also a member of the union and the Secretary in the Guidance and Counselling Department of the institution. He was said to have been re-elected the NASU Chairman few months ago.
Sources said the wife had gone to Lagos ahead of the husband to visit relations only to join the team at the camp for the programme. It was learnt that Akinseye was driving the Toyota bus belonging to the NASU Chapter of the college when the crash occurred. Sources hinted that the crash might have been caused by poor visibility which made the bus to ram into a trailer said to have been parked along the ever busy Lagos/ Ore Express way.
Eleven of the church members reportedly boarded the NASU bus to attend the monthly programme because of the fuel scarcity in the country. Many other church members who would have loved to join the bus could not because the pastor insisted that he would not overload the vehicle.
The tragic and sudden death of the Akinseyes threw Adeyemi College of Education into mourning. Worst hit was the NASU which both couple belonged to before their death. The union building was adored with the posters of the obituary of the couple while workers wore long faces. Sunday Vanguard learnt that the General Overseer (GO) of the church pastor Enock Adejare Adeboye, visited the families of the deceased, the church and the college to commiserate with them while the only survivor is still receiving treatment at the Trauma Center, Ondo.
A funeral service was held for the Akinseyes while a lying in state was done at the College Quadrangle before they were interred in their residence located at No 3 Adebusoye Street, Ayeyemi, Ondo. Akinseye’s former colleagues described him as a rare gem, vibrant and a fearless leader, friendly and an uncompromising union leader.
They said these attributes earned him second term as NASU Chairman. They paid tributes to the couple and wondered why death took him at this period when leaders like him are few in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
“Who are we to blame God? He giveth and taketh. Glory be to His holy name”, said a Christian colleague at the college. Another colleague, Mr Adebare Akinsiku, prayed God to grant the deceased couple eternal rest and send help to their children and dependants they left behind. Speaking with Sunday Vanguard, Ondo State Chairman of NASU, Comrade Clement Asepiri, described the late Akinseye as a “ good man, hard working, uncompromising and a loving leader.” Asepiri said the union has lost a worthy leader who was forthright and a good example of a Christian.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/pastor-wife-8-church-members-killed/#sthash.j34VVPAv.dpuf

politricks:
Buhari did not relocate the command centre to another country according to your argument. The relocation of the command centre will send a strong message to Boko haram that its not business as usual. And besides, its not like its the whole military that was relocated there, its just a section of it.

And what happens to Adamawa, Kano and the rest?

Outgoing Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, in this interview with Arit Essanga, a freelance journalist with the African Free Press, in London, explains the intricacies and how she tackled the cabals in Nigeria’s oil industry. Excerpts.
Thank you for granting me a few minutes of your time for this pressing discussion about the future of policy evolution in Nigeria. But I want to quickly talk about the fuel scarcity that has come just weeks before the hand-over to the new administration.
The time of my appointment as Minister of Petroleum Resources 5 years ago was a time when the nation was in the throes of many years of continuous fuel scarcity and the abandonment of our fuel facilities. This was having such an adverse impact on the masses, especially in terms of livelihood and quality of life.
This situation certainly affected me and my household. I was one of those who went out to queue at filling stations and what left an indelible mark on me was the plight of the many, many women who were queuing for this essential commodity for their families! We are looking at time when women where losing their lives as a result of adulterated products as kerosene stoves were exploding all over the country! So the problem was not just about getting access to the product but also purchasing the right quality products to ensure the safety of their households of my fellow women.
It was a time when cars were ‘knocking’, generators that cost hundreds of thousands of naira were also breaking down because of adulterated products. People around the country were losing many millions of Naira as a result of loss of business incomes and we are talking of taxi drivers, face-me-I-face-you traders in the market, the lorry drivers transporting food to the markets, the okada drivers – basically the engine room of the economy was affected.
I am a mother and grandmother myself and I understand the pressure that women go through in order to put food on the table for their families. I am very sensitive to the struggles of the Nigerian woman. So, when granted the opportunity to serve the country as Petroleum Resources minister, I made this my first priority. Dealing with the fuel scarcity was a key issue that I resolved to address as soon as I stepped into office. Nigeria is a country that relies on access to petroleum products for businesses to thrive, for families to survive and for communities to evolve. For me it was a fundamental issue. I
immediately set to the task. Several inter-ministerial committees were formed to get to the root of the matter including liaising with marketers and the unions.
A few things were identified such as the process of payment to marketers as well as the improvement of the distribution & monitoring mechanisms. The Ministry of Finance is charged with addressing the payment process while the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and its parastatals tackle production, distribution and monitoring aspects.
What did you do in terms of tackling the issue of access to products?
Firstly sectorial reforms were put in place, and an attempt was made to establish a uniform pricing regime across the country, which still requires task forces to be put in place to oversee its success. Secondly, an aggressive strategy was completed to build as well as refurbish over 23 Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depots across the country many of which, had lain fallow for several years. This is the result of the determined efforts of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the NNPC.
The aggressive establishment of the depots occurred from Aba to Benin, from Gusau to Suleja, in an attempt to ensure a more robust delivery of products, to not only those areas but also all contingent areas.
Thirdly many vandalized pipelines have been restored and expanded in addition, fuel products are now transported by rail where possible to ensure that the products get the depots in good time to avert situations of shortage. Furthermore, NNPC now holds and maintains a 30-day stock of PMS, as part of the National Strategic Stock Reserve for products.
The Ministry has also increased the flash point for DPK (kerosene) from 44 to 45 (curbing the incidences of kerosene cookers exploding) – I cannot remember the last time a kerosene cooker has exploded; implemented inspection of trucks at each NNPC Depot for cleanness (preventing contamination) and lab testing of truck samples for quality control.
DPR also introduced colour coding for all trucks loading any petroleum product, this means the trucks cannot be used for any other purpose apart from what it has been coded to load. Many Nigerians will attest to the fact that before now, the country has been “wet” with products with even filling stations in remote areas, able to dispense products.
I also led the roll out of robust measures to identify and penalise those behind the activities of fuel adulteration as well as pipeline vandalism, in a joint effort between security agencies, the NNPC and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). The first joint meeting between the key parastatals, the Service Chiefs and Inspector General of Police took place at the Oriental Hotel. It was the first meeting of its kind in the history of the sector.
If all these measures have been put in place why has there been this crippling fuel crisis?
The fuel scarcity that we see today I can only describe as the ‘fear of the unknown’ in these last few days before hand-over. It is also a backlog following the attempts by the government to stamp-out the subsidy fraud and clean the system in November 2011. Identifying and cutting out up to 92 marketers who had been round-tripping reduced the subsidy payments by about 50%. This also brought about a few delays in payment, as the investigations to identify erring marketers were robust and took time.
We are faced with a situation where the marketers want this administration to pay them all the money they are owed before the tenure runs out on May 29. This is a difficult situation more peculiarly because this administration did not incur all the debt, which actually goes back 40 years. It is a rolling obligation.
There has never been a time, when the debt obligations was reduced to zero it is cyclical. What the marketers are asking for is not just the outstanding amount to be paid but also for the exchange rate differential that they have incurred. This is in the light of the many conversations that are on going about deregulating the subsidy payments. The transition period is allowing the marketers to try to forestall any losses as a result of a change in regime, while this makes good business sense it is the polity that suffer. The Ministry of Finance and the presidency are giving this situation the priority it deserves.
Let’s talk about some of the allegations that you face with regards to ensuring stability of supply across the country, more specifically about the debate on the subsidy. The memory of Occupy Nigeria is still distant but we see this same situation by marketers holding the country to ransom?
Let me start by making the distinction that the decision as to whether subsidy payments are made or not is entirely economic and outside my purview as Ministry of Petroleum Resources. What we are responsible for is the production, distribution and marketing aspects. What we also do is give a view as to the status in terms of these 3 areas and the decision becomes an economic one from the Presidency.
In terms of my direct actions in November 2011, following the high incidence of subsidy claims, with a stroke of the pen, I removed 92 throughput marketers from the PPPRA scheme because we believed that within the group were the round trippers who were causing problems for the country in term of the burgeoning levels of subsidy payments. As a consequence of this action, the amount of subsidy payments dropped by over 50%.
A series of probes where kicked-off to investigate the transactions of these marketers and to begin to bring in a level of accountability and transparency into the system of subsidy payments. The lists of these marketers were also published in the local press and a series of probes ensued. The marketers had to justify their claims to the payments. This was the first ever-major cleanup of the subsidy programmes and yet again the ministry was vindicated and offending marketers are going through the legal implications of their actions.
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) was also restructured and the processes in place for the determination of subsidy payments were comprehensively reviewed.
But these actions led to major push back by many with accusations of corruption against the ministry and NNPC to get us to back down. I am sure I stepped on the toes of the greedy cabals that have dominated the sector for years, upset at the change in the system. The push back has come from many other sources beyond the marketers the funny thing is these are the same people that shout corruption the loudest but yet are unable to accept the reforms that are being put in place to make the sector more accountable so we are almost caught between a rock and hard place in the sector.
[The minister at this point puts her hands on her head and sighs]
In fact this is where the bane of my problems as a woman in government began. I wonder why people seem to want to put a tag of corruption against my name when all I have ever tried to do is to open the sector up for more Nigerians and make it work better for the benefit of the country. If I were corrupt would we have achieved the extent of reform that has occurred in the sector to date? Ah my brother, I have worked tirelessly to curtail the excesses while ensuring that the country remains wet with products and the sector run more efficiently. I have constantly ignored the viciousness and focused on my job.
The most important point to make in terms of stability of supply is that today, marketers have a clear contract to deliver their products on specified dates. Marketers are put under strict terms to deliver products at dates specified if they miss the cut off date for delivery then their cargo goes into demurrage which in itself acts as an incentive to ensure supplies.
More recently, as part of the transition activity I have instructed that all of the swap operators across the board provide detailed and clear reports about their export and import activities so that a reconciliation can be conducted and published for all Nigerians to see. These swap transactions involve extremely high volumes and huge cost obligations to banks. The contracts with these operators are very stringent indeed and delivery specifications clear. There are serious ramifications to the operators for non-delivery most especially by the banks for non-delivery this is dependent generally on the lines of credit arrangements.
This is being done as part of my commitment to accountability and transparency to Nigerians. It will also put to bed the various claims in the press about different alleged practices by the operators that are being associated to me. The operators deal with the NNPC according to tight contractual agreements.
All the swap operators were well vetted and passed as credible Nigerian corporations capable of executing such major stringent contracts with no room for any offences to the system. So when you have strict contracts in place and bank obligations it is surprising that mischief-makers can say that I am in league with some of these operators in acts of corruption! It shows that they have no idea how the system works and I would ask that they educate themselves before they speak. If Aiteo, Talevaras or any other operator were cheating the NNPC it would be made public as the system has been reorganized to do this automatically. The publication of the reconciled transactions from the time the contracts were assigned to them will also be a testament to this commitment. Erring contractors will be made to face the legal implications of any wrongdoings that are uncovered.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/how-we-tackled-cabals-in-oil-industry-diezani/

A Federal High Court, Lagos, on Thursday said that Digital Satellite Television (DStv) had the right to increase its subscription rate as it did last month.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke then struck out a suit filed by some aggrieved subscribers challenging the company’s recent 20 per cent increment on subscription.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that DStv is being operated by Multi-Choice Nigeria Ltd.
The aggrieved subscribers: Messrs Osasuyi Adebayo and Oluyinka Oyeniji, who are also lawyers, had filed the class action on behalf of themselves and all other DStv subscribers across the country.
The plaintiffs had sought an order of the court restraining Multi-Choice from implementing the 20 per cent increment on DStv subscription rate which began on April 1.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, in a ruling, upheld the preliminary objection filed by Multi-Choice, and ruled that the suit amounted to an abuse of court process.
The judge rejected an argument by the plaintiffs that Multi-Choice should not to be given right of audience having failed to abide by an earlier ex-parte order of the court restraining the company from implementing the increment.
Aneke said the court was bound to entertain arguments from all parties before it, irrespective of the alleged violation of the court order.
He further ruled that the suit disclosed no reasonable cause of action, as the plaintiffs were not under any obligation to continue to subscribe to the services of Multi-Choice in the face of the increment.
Meanwhile, the judge upheld Multi-Choice’s argument that the suit failed to comply with mandatory provisions of Sections 97 and 98 of the Sherrifs and Civil Processes Act.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sections stipulate that a writ to be served outside jurisdiction must be concurrently issued.
The plaintiffs, through their counsel, Mr Yemi Salma, had urged the court to discountenance such argument, as Section 19 of the Federal High Court Act, had clearly defined the jurisdiction of the court to be one within Nigeria.
Salma had further urged the court not to punish any irregularity in the issuance of the writ on the plaintiffs, as such emanated from the court.
He also stated that such irregularity could be corrected by the court in doing substantial justice.
However, the judge rejected the plaintiffs’ argument, and upheld the objection.
He was also silent on an argument by the plaintiffs that the objection should be treated as a demurrer, which has been abolished from the rules of court.
Demurrer is an attempt by a defendant to get dismissal of a suit without filing any process to the substantive issues.
In the instant suit, Multi-Choice only filed preliminary objection, and did not file any process against the substantive suit.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the judge had earlier rejected an attempt by a human rights lawyer, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, to opt out of the suit.
Adegboruwa had filed an application to be joined as a co-plaintiff, but later filed an application to opt out.
Aneke, however, said he was persuaded by a Supreme Court decision which stated that once an objection was raised challenging jurisdiction, the court was duty bound to first determine the objection before entertaining any other application.
According to the suit, the plaintiffs had sought an order of the court compelling the NBC to regulate the activities of Multi-Choice so as to prevent what they described as an arbitrary increment in subscription rates.
They specifically urged the court to impress it on the NBC to be alive to its statutory responsibility by ensuring that Multi-Choice is compelled to implement the pay-per-view scheme in Nigeria.
They said that with that subscribers would only pay for programmes they watched, as was done in other parts of the world where Multi-Choice operated.
But Multi-Choice, through its lawyer, Moyosore Onigbanjo, argued that the plaintiffs had no cause of action, adding that a court did not have the power to regulate the price of services that a business was offering to its customers.
It said that neither the government nor the court could regulate prices in Nigeria, being a country that operates a free-market economy.
Multi Choice also said that under its conditions of agreement, especially clauses 40 and 41, it was free to change the fees payable by subscribers for the services it was offering them. (NAN) http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/court-upholds-dstvs-20-increment-on-subscription/

doctokwus:
U think INEC doesn't know that these people did nothing but help Wike win d elections either by acts of omission or commission?
Let them go and meet Wike,he is d person to pay them.

Are you sure you are read the same news I read? They said LG election, Wike didn't contest for LG chairmanship why bringing Wike name here? Is Wike the governor of the State or the Inec boss in the State? This is nothing, but political bitterness. I think if we put sentiment aside we could achieve more in this Country.

By Ben Agande
Abuja — The Vice President Namadi Sambo, yesterday, submitted the handover note prepared by the transition committee of the Federal Government to the president-elect’s committee with a promise that he and members of Federal Executive Council under President Goodluck Jonathan were open to questioning.
Sambo handed over the report to the Ahmed Joda-led Buhari’s transition committee.
According to Sambo, the report chronicled the activities of President Jonathan from 2011 till date.
His words: “The handover notes of the Federal Government of Nigeria of this administration between 2011 and 2015 have been properly articulated and printed.
“The Permanent Secretaries of each ministry have signed each page of this report to authenticate it and it is our pleasure to present it to you and pray that it will guide you, guide the incoming administration towards the achievement of positive objectives, development and progress of Nigeria.
“I want to add that all of us are always available, after this report between now and May 29, anytime you need to meet with us, we are ready to come and sit and clarify.
“All the Ministries, Departments and Agencies will also be ready to meet with you, give you any additional clarifications that you would want to have on this report that we are presenting.”
While promising to study the report before final submission to the incoming Buhari’s administration, Joda noted that it appeared everything has been captured in the report.
“It is my honour and my privilege to receive this comprehensive set of report from the government transition committee which was chaired by the Vice President.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/sambo-submits-handover-report-to-buharis-cttee/

Caption this.

A Malawian couple got the biggest shock of their lives when it turned out that, the 27-year-old maid they hired 8 months ago is a man.
According to Malawi News Network, the man fooled his boss for 8 months into believing he was a woman. He was arrested after stealing some household items, which the value is yet to be revealed.
The suspect’s wife said her husband told her he was only disguising as a lady because he was desperate for a job which he could not secure honestly.

By Esther Onyegbula
LAGOS—The 45-year-old commercial driver, Saturday Akpomose, who was attacked by seven dogs at Ajah area of Lagos State, has received N30,000 and a job offer from the owner of the dogs.
However, his family members expressed anger when they heard that Akpomose collected money from the dogs’ owner, who is a soldier.
Vanguard learned that the victim, who was admitted at Akodo General Hospital after the attack, was discharged on Friday, May 1, after about eleven days.
It was gathered that before the victim was discharged from the hospital, he demanded N5 million compensation from the soldier, but was persuaded and later given N30,000 to take care of himself, while a bag of rice and beverages were also given to his wife.
When Vanguard visited Akpomose in his residence, he said the money given to him was not a pay-off, as the man had promised to further take good care of him and his family.
He said: “I believe you saw all the injuries on my body. They have not healed completely. I collected the money from him because I am not a troublesome person. I have left everything to God.
‘How I defended myself’
“When the dogs attacked me, I tried to protect my neck, my private parts and my stomach, because I knew if the dogs touch any part of these places, I am gone.
“That was one of the reasons I decided to settle out of court with the owner of the dogs. If I had died my family member would have collected the money and enjoyed it.
“However, I cannot work with him. All I want him to do for me is to assist me in my hotel business. How can I start waiting for salary at this stage, when I have grown up children who are in the university to cater for?”
When Vanguard visited the house where the dogs are domiciled, the Chief Security Officer working in the building, who identified himself simply as Victor, said the matter had been settled out of court.
He said: “After we footed his medical bill, he was demanding N5 million from my boss to set up a business and feed his children, claiming that he cannot work now due to the injuries all over his body.
Family’s ritual claim
‘’But to our surprise, after the incident, Akpomose’s family members came to our house and started accusing us of using him for ritual. They claimed that after the incident, we slaughtered four cows and rams to appease the gods in the house.
“We have told his family members, who are threatening us with law suit, that after settling with the victim, they should go ahead with whatever they want to do because we have done our best.
“My boss gave him a bag of rice and some beverages to take care of the children.”
It would be recalled that in the early hours of Tuesday, April 22, seven dogs, allegedly owned by a captain serving in the US marine, were reportedly being taken out of the compound to ease themselves when they attacked Akpomose.
It took the intervention of residents and passers-by to rescue him from the dogs.
The incident was later reported at Ogombo Police Division, which referred Akpomose to the General Hospital at Akodo, Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area due to the severity of the injuries he sustained.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/man-attacked-by-7-dogs-gets-n30000/

micronut:
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the appointment of Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), a statement by the presidency has said.

Mr. Sanusi, a lawyer, from Kano State, takes over from Habib Abdullahi, who has been relieved of his appointment as Managing Director of the Authority.
No reason was given for Mr. Abdullahi’s removal.
The appointment of the new NPA boss takes effect from Thursday, April 30.

“President Jonathan thanks the outgoing Managing Director for his services and wishes well in his future endeavours,” the statement said.




http://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/182255-jonathan-sacks-npa-managing-director-appoints-sanusi-lamido-as-replacement.html

Haba, can't we rest in this Country again? They have won the elections, they have Four years to rule, why all these attack upon a man who has less than a month to rule? You call him clueless yet he sets you off balance. Nigeria is the only Country where post election campaign is more stuff than the election campaign itself. Don't you guy get tired? Most we abuse everything? I think internet access is the cause of all these nonsense talks. GEJ has the right to even fire and hire on 28th of April. Let GEJ be.

Katsina – Three persons, Shitu Sale, 38, Sulaiman Lawal, 35 and Adamu Jume, 34, were on Wednesday arraigned in a Katsina Magistrates’ Court for allegedly raping three minors.
The accused persons, who reside at Danmusa Local Government Area, appeared before Magistrate Abdurrahman Umar on a count charge of rape.
The police prosecutor, Insp. Hashimu Musa, told the court that the accused conspired and raped the three minors on April 12.
Musa said that one Tanimu Danmusa reported the case at Danmusa Police Division that the accused committed the offence at about 2p.m.
He said that the accused persons criminally deceived the underage girls, while hawking sachet water and had carnal knowledge of them.
The prosecutor said that the accused had established a syndicate that specialised in raping underage girls by luring them with monetary gifts.
Musa said that the case was transferred from Danmusa to the State’s Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
‘’During police investigation, the accused confessed that they have been giving some minors N200 for sex,’’ he said.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge and applied for bail.
The Magistrate said that the court would not grant bail to them as their file had been forwarded to the State’s Ministry of Justice for advice.
Umar ordered that the accused to be remanded in prison custody and adjourned till May 25 for continuation.
Wife seeks end to 20-year-old marriage
Kaiama (Kwara) – A mother of three, Fati Tanko, on Wednesday approached a Kaiama Area Court in Kwara to dissolve her 20-year-old marriage to Tanko Usman for lack of love.
Fati, a resident of Kaiama in Kaiama local government area of Kwara, told the court that she was no longer interested in the union.
She said she was blessed with three children from nine deliveries.
“I’m tired of this marriage. The union is lacking in love, which I believe should be the first rule of marriage.
“So I want the court to separate us,” the plaintiff urged the judge.
The respondent, however, pleaded with the court to grant him adjournment to enable him reconcile with his wife.
The Presiding Officer, Malam Ahmed Yahaya, adjourned the matter till May 27 to enable the respondent carry out his plea.
He advised the plaintiff to think twice and query herself on what she wanted again after a 20-year-old marriage. (NAN)

fagbalex:
He's truly a gem, I so much respect him. He's an activist and a fighter. Thump up to Ameichi

Fighter keh? The one who lost all elections in his State? If he is a fighter what then do you call Rochas? If one must eat toad, it should be a matured one. Someone came to your house beats you up, and you still have the nerves to claim credit for a fight won by others? Osho represented APC in the South South, Rochas represented APC in the South East, these two men never makes noise like market women. Amiechi is everything but a fighter. That dude is a bad loser.

“Oby” thinks #BringBackOurGirls has not failed and Boko Haram can still be defeated
Former government minister and World Bank vice president says Nigeria has a problem with the “political class” and insists she is “not a politician”
Former President Obasanjo was “aware of the elements of corruption” but the government “didn’t succeed fully” in tackling them
She believes the IMF and World Bank should pull out of Africa by 2033
Obiageli Ezekwesili, co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, former Nigerian Minister of Education, and former World Bank vice president for Africa, tells Al Jazeera’s Head to Head that Nigerian armed forces have committed human rights abuses in their fight against the violent group Boko Haram in the north of the country. “It clearly does have instances where human rights violations have happened,” she says.
In this new episode of Head to Head, airing 1 May 2015 at 20.00 GMT on Al Jazeera English, Oby, as she’s affectionately referred to in Nigeria, tells host Mehdi Hasan and an audience at the Oxford Union that, a year after over 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped in Chibok, northern Nigeria, by Boko Haram, the #BringBackOurGirls campaign was not a failure. “No, I wouldn’t say that we have failed. I would say that we have not been able to move the elephant.”
Oby blamed the outgoing administration of President Goodluck Jonathan for its inaction and failure to rescue the young hostages, and said she thought it was still possible to defeat Boko Haram.
Oby founded Transparency International in 1996, was an advisor to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and served in two of his cabinets as Minister of Education and Minister of Solid Minerals between 2003 and 2007. After leaving government, Oby moved on to become vice president of the World Bank for Africa, where she stayed until 2012. More recently she coined the phrase “Bring Back Our Girls,” which turned into a world-famous Twitter-hashtag campaign.
Questioned by Hasan about endemic corruption in Nigeria, Oby said her country has a “political class problem,” but refused to condemn her former boss and mentor President Olusegun Obasanjo, who ruled between 1999 and 2007.
Under pressure by Hasan, she conceded Obasanjo was “aware of the elements of corruption, and it was his responsibility to tackle”them, but categorically denied he was corrupt himself. “Of course it [the government] was [corrupt]! [But] There was no way it could have been more corrupt than the government of Abacha,” she said, referring to the military dictatorship of Sani Abacha that preceded Obasanjo’s rule. Oby lamented that the government she was part of was not able to “succeed fully” in tackling corruption, and defended her own track record, saying she had not been “window dressing” for a corrupt regime and insisting – despite holding two ministerial positions in the Nigerian government, being an advisor to presidents and holding high office at the World Bank – that she was not a politician.
During the interview, Ezekwesili and Hasan discussed whether widespread poverty, inequality and corruption are at the root of the brutal Boko Haram insurgency, and debated whether World Bank policies have helped or hurt Africa’s development.
Challenged over the effects of Word Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditionalities for African countries, Oby told Hasan she would “define an exit date” for both institutions. When pressed about setting the exit date, she said she stuck to her 2008 suggestion of a 25 year deadline by 2033.
Hasan is joined by a panel of three experts: Priscilla Nwikpo, a British-Nigerian broadcaster and commentator; Richard Itaman, a Nigerian economist and researcher at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies; and Richard Dowden, executive director of the Royal African Society in the UK and former correspondent for The Economist.
In each episode, Hasan goes head to head with a special guest, asking the probing and hard-hitting questions few dare to ask on the big issues such faith, foreign intervention, the Middle East, US foreign policy, and the economic crisis.
The interview with Ezekwesili is part of the fourth series of Head to Head, which is Al Jazeera’s forum for ideas, hosted by Mehdi Hasan. The fourth series saw Hasan interview former NATO boss Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former head of Pakistani Intelligence Agency ISI Gen. Asad Durrani, and Israeli historian and anti-Semitism expert Robert S. Wistrich.
Nigeria: Failed state or African superpower? with Obiageli Ezekwesili will be broadcast on 1 May 2015 at 20.00 GMT and will be repeated on 2 May at 12.00 GMT, 3 May at 01.00 GMT and 4 May at 06.00 GMT.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/boko-haram-nigerian-army-has-committed-human-right-abuses-ezekwesili

Indonesia early Wednesday executed eight drug convicts including two Australians and four Nigerians but a Filipina was spared at the 11th hour, local media reported.
The convicts, who also included a Brazilian, four Africans and one Indonesian, were put to death by firing squad on the prison island of Nusakambangan, MetroTV and the Jakarta Post newspaper reported.
Profiles of foreigners due executed in Indonesia
Here are brief profiles of the inmates, who include two from Australia, one each from Brazil and the Philippines, and four from Africa.
Myuran Sukumaran
A ringleader of the Bali Nine drugs smuggling syndicate, Sukumaran was born in London in 1981 and moved with his Sri Lankan family to Australia when he was a child.
He dropped out of university and became involved in the Sydney drugs and party scene. Enticed by the prospect of easy money, in 2005 he helped to organise a shipment of heroin destined for Australia, but was caught and sentenced to death a year later.
Sukumaran said the shock of jail prompted him to change his life and he has become a model prisoner, teaching other inmates English and art. He has also become an accomplished artist himself, painting several pictures in his final days on Nusakambangan, the high-security prison island where Indonesia carries out executions.
One of his lawyers returned from a visit to the island Tuesday with a painting signed by all nine death row convicts. It was entitled “One Heart, One Feeling, One Love” and depicted a heart in bold colours.
Andrew Chan
Like Sukumaran, Chan, 31, also hails from Sydney. He was born in 1984 to Chinese-immigrant parents Ken and Helen, who spent some four decades running restaurants. Chan started taking drugs when he was 16 and said his parents were unable to control him.
Just two years after Chan’s parents retired, they were told their 21-year-old son had been arrested in Indonesia for being a ringleader of a heroin-smuggling gang. In jail he has become a committed Christian and, after six years of theology study, he was ordained as a minister in February.
On Monday, he married his Indonesian girlfriend, Febyanti Herewila, in a jailhouse ceremony, his final wish before facing the firing squad. Like Chan, Herewila is a pastor. She got to know Chan while helping inmates at the jail on Bali island, where he was until recently imprisoned.
Mary Jane Veloso
Born to a poor family in the Philippines, Veloso, 30, is a single mother of two boys who insists she went to Indonesia for a job as a maid and was duped by an international drug syndicate.
She was arrested in 2009 with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin sewn into the lining of her suitcase.
Veloso says she was first offered a job by a friend in Malaysia, but upon her arrival she was told the work was actually in Indonesia so immediately flew there. She claims the heroin was secretly hidden in her suitcase in Malaysia.
Her sons, now aged six and 12, are spending her final days with her in Indonesia.
Her case has attracted huge attention in the Philippines, with near daily rallies of support and world boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao pleading for her life to be spared.
Rodrigo Gularte
Brazilian Gularte, 42, was arrested in 2004 while trying to enter Indonesia with six kilograms of cocaine stashed in his surfing gear.
His family have tried without success to obtain clemency for him by saying doctors have classed him as paranoid schizophrenic, which would normally see him transferred to a psychiatric facility.
Sylvester Obiekwe Nwolise
Nwolise is a 49-year-old Nigerian who was found guilty in September 2004 of trafficking 1.18 kilos of heroin through Sukarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta two years earlier.
His clemency appeal was rejected in February this year.
The previous month, Indonesia’s national narcotics body said he was running a drugs ring in jail, according to Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Okwudili Oyatanze
Fellow Nigerian Oyatanze, 45, was sentenced to death for trafficking heroin, also through Sukarno-Hatta airport, in 2001.
His clemency appeal was rejected earlier this year.
Raheem Agbaje Salami
The NDLEA said Salami appears to be Nigerian but holds a Spanish passport and is thought to be also known by the name Jamiu Owolabi Abashin.
He entered Indonesia using a Spanish passport under the name Raheem Agbaje Salami.
He was caught with five kilos of heroin inside a suitcase at the airport in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, on September 2, 1998 and was sentenced to life imprisonment the following year.
That was reduced by the high court to 20 years, but he was later given the death sentence by the supreme court.
Martin Anderson
There is some confusion about Anderson’s nationality. A spokesman for Indonesia’s attorney-general said he is Nigerian but Nigeria’s NDLEA said he is a Ghanaian citizen who was born in London in 1964.
He was arrested in Jakarta in 2003 and sentenced to death.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/indonesia-executes-three-nigerians-others-convicts/

By Levinus Nwabughiogu
ABUJA – President-elect, General Mohammadu Buhari may have just started a revenge mission on the African Independent Television, AIT when, Monday, the security men attached to him barred the station’s correspondent, Bebei from covering Buhari’s functions.
Vanguard gathered that directive was discreetly given to the correspondent by an official at the Defence House where the crew had gone to cover the visit of Cuban ambassador to Buhari.
Source http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/hate-campaign-buhari-fights-back-bars-ait-from-covering-his-activities/

Amosun signs $3.2bn light rail contract with Chinese govt.
on april 27, 2015 at 8:47 pm in news
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Ogun State government, Monday, signed a $3.2 billion light rail project contract with Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) for the intracity and intercity rail network in the state.
The state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, while signing the contract at his office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, with Consul General , the People’s Republic of China in Lagos, Kan Liu
said the project would cover cities such as Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ijebu Ode, Idi-iroko among others.
According to Amosun, when completed, the project will take pressures off the roads as well as open up the cities for further development.
The Governor said that within the next three years, the Abeokuta intra city Project would have taken shape.
He added that the contractors would be encouraged to ensure that feasible development of the project is witnessed by the time Ogun State celebrates its 40th anniversary next year.
The project which has two phases will be have one aspect cutting across the entire cities in the state, while the other phase will be for the Abeokuta intra city light rail. Governor Amosun however assured that all ongoing roads and bridge projects in the state would be completed with the laying of the final asphalt, before the commencement of new projects.
While giving insight to the scope of the project noted that at first instance the intracity rail network that would commence from Abeokuta-sagamu- -Ilaro-Ota and Idiroko would be the priority of the State in the next 2-3 years while the intercity network to Lagos and other neighbouring states which may stretch to about 8 years would follow.
Chairman CCECC, Mr. Cao Bao Gang said the company was fully ready to work with the Ogun Government noting that they more motivated to do the job because the Governor was focused and determined to make life better for the people.
Gang said the intra city Rail network was achievable within three years and the company would also help the state to raise fund for the project.

A man who was mad at his girlfriend decided to deny her of any further sexual enjoyment when he used a scissors to cut off his own manhood during a fight.

According Chinese newspaper Kwong Wah Yit Poh, the drunk man in Jilong, Taiwan, was so mad at his girlfriend that he cut not just his penis but the testicles as well.

The 46-year-old, whose name has not been released, reportedly flushed his his ‘sugar stick’ down the toilet before the girlfriend rushed him to the hospital but by the time he got there, he had fallen into a coma due to blood loss.

Doctors said that had the man not flushed his penis, they likely would have been able to reattach it.

With only 1.2 inches of manhood left, the man is reportedly still able to urinate but may not be able to have sex ever.

Boko Haram gunmen killed dozens of soldiers and massacred civilians in a weekend attack on an island on Lake Chad, after 21 people were shot dead in northeastern Nigeria.
The region has been relentlessly targeted by Boko Haram throughout the jihadist group’s six-year uprising, but there has been a lull in violence in recent weeks.
A coalition of troops from Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria has claimed major victories over the rebels since February, reportedly flushing the militants out of areas they previously controlled.
But the latest unrest highlighted the continuing and grave threat posed by Boko Haram, an extremist group which has killed at least 15,000 people and forced 1.5 million from their homes.
– Island attack –
Islamist fighters travelling in motorised canoes stormed the island of Karamga on Lake Chad before sunrise on Saturday.
Troops from Niger stationed on the island “were caught off guard” and suffered heavy losses, said Umar Yerima, a fisherman who witnessed the raid but managed to escape.
Niger’s military has confirmed the attack but defence officials were not immediately available to provide a death toll.
A security source in Chad who requested anonymity said Niger lost 48 soldiers and another 36 were missing.
Another source, an official from southeastern Niger’s Diffa region, said the toll was much higher at 80 dead and some 30 missing.
Yerima told AFP the Islamic State group-allied militants “turned their guns” onto civilians after overpowering the troops.
“Some sought to escape by plunging into the lake but gunmen stood on the shore shooting them…
“They would aim their gun from the edge of the lake and shoot any head that emerged from the water, shouting ‘Allahu akbar’ (God is greatest),” he added.
“They burnt the entire village and went on a shooting spree. Many residents were burnt alive in their homes.”
Yerima said he managed to stay out of sight by hiding in the long grass that lines the water’s edge.
The gunmen remained on a rampage until about roughly midday (1100 GMT), withdrawing when a military jet started bombarding the area, according to Yerima, who estimated the civilian death toll was “huge” but could not provide specifics.
The security source in Chad said an aerial bombardment on the island was carried out by Chadian helicopter gunships based in Diffa.
– ‘Returnees’ killed –
Suspected Islamists disguised as soldiers on Friday intercepted a group of people trying to return to their homes to collect abandoned food supplies in northeastern Nigeria’s Yobe state.
“The men, 21 of them, were stopped at Bultaram (village) by gunmen we believe are Boko Haram who shot them dead,” said Baba Nuhu, an official with the Gujba local government in Yobe state.
Nuhu and Haruna Maram, the brother of one of the victims, spoke to AFP from Yobe’s capital Damaturu, where many Gujba residents have sought refuge from the violence.
“My brother and 20 others wanted to bring back their grains to augment their lean food supplies,” Maram said. “Unfortunately, they were killed by (the) same Boko Haram we ran away from.”
Gujba is one of a handful of districts in Yobe that Boko Haram captured during its sweeping offensive last year.
It was also the scene of a gruesome massacre at an agricultural college in 2013 that targeted students sleeping their dormitories.
– Warning –
Following the purported victories secured in the joint offensive, Nigeria’s military and outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan have encouraged those displaced by the uprising to return home.
But community leaders in the embattled region have warned civilians are still at risk, especially those returning to remote areas like Gujba where the military’s deployment has typically been thin.
Many experts agree that Boko Haram is likely to transition from capturing and holding territory — a tactic seen from mid-2014 — and revert to a pattern of hit-and-run attacks.
Analysts say boastings from regional armies should be treated with caution, as the Islamists are far from defeated and can easily regroup, especially if there is a let-up in the military pressure.
Nigeria’s president-elect Muhammadu Buhari, an ex-army general, takes office on May 29. He has vowed to fight Boko Haram more effectively than Jonathan. Source Vanguard.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday said he is ready for any probe of activities under his watch when he leaves office on May 29.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President said that he is not afraid of any investigation after leaving office.

He noted that investigations will not be out of place since Jonathan’s administration also reviewed the actions of previous governments on assumption of office.

“As Alhaji Mohammed threatened in his statement, the incoming administration will be perfectly within its rights to review all actions of the present government as it may deem fit.
“We see nothing wrong with that. After all, the present administration reviewed the actions of previous governments on assumption of office with resultant benefits for policy and project implementation,” he said.

He also disclosed that President Jonathan has ordered the immediate release of the full report of PriceWater Cooper’s investigations into the alleged unremitted $20 billion to the Federation account by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

He said: “President Jonathan is also deeply concerned by the continuing suggestions that his administration still has something to hide about the unproven allegation that about $20 billion is unaccounted for by the NNPC during his tenure.

“To lay the matter to rest, President Jonathan in line with Section 7(2) of the NNPC Act, has directed that the full report of the PWC Forensic Audit of the NNPC accounts be released immediately to the public so that all Nigerians will be properly informed on the matter.



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/jonathan-to-buhari-i-am-ready-for-probe/#sthash.EoZ2WL6q.dpuf

ozioma11:
Gov. Uduaghan of Delta state has commissioned Eku Baptist Govt Hospital which was built by his administration.

  The Hospital which is equipped with modern facilities like computerized tomography scan(CT scan) etc is expected to assist in the tackling of health challenges in the state.The inside view of the Hospital really look good.

Nonsense, what is there to praise? This is just like a private clinic ward.

ALADI Sule lies critically ill at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, Kogi State. Her body is wrapped in bandage, from the head to the chest. Part of her back and her right leg are socked in foil. One of her eyes has been “eaten” by acid and her right ear is rolled into a small ball. Aladi’s critical situation is no thanks to an alleged angry ex-lover who was said to have promised to destroy her beauty and fulfilled his promise.
Two months ago, Aladi was a pretty lady in her community, Idah, the headquarters of Idah Local Government Area of Kogi State. At 25, Aladi’s beauty was like a springing bud of flower whose nectar was attractive to men. But that beauty was destroyed few weeks ago when the alleged ex-lover bathed her with acid and left her in agony. A visit to the hospital showed that Aladi knew her body had been ‘recreated’ by the acid. However, she did not know the degree of the attack.

She was yet to come to terms with the fact that her right ear and right eye had been damaged by the acid. Aladi, who struggle in pains to narrate the ugly incident, said was suffering because she failed to take serious the threat of her ex-lover, Kazeem Abdullahi, who, she alleged, had come to her fruits shop, to deal with her if she failed to pack out of the house he rented for her. Sunday Vanguard gathered that Aladi and the suspect were secondary school lovers in Idah.

Shortly after their secondary school education, Aladi became pregnant for him in 2011, a development that caused Aladi to moved into Kazeem’s house. The pregnancy produced a baby girl. Unfortunately, the baby died shortly after her first birthday. Kazeem was said to have married another wife in 2011 who also moved into the house with them – that was the beginning of Aladi’s travail.

The new wife was said to have raised the alarm shortly after that Aladi was the reason she was unable to conceive. She alleged that Aladi had been visiting a neighboring community to affect her spiritually.
The second wife was also said to have alleged that the sudden disappearance of her clothes and other house hold items was a product of Aladi’s spiritual attack; a development that made Kazeem to send Aladi’s away to her family house. Few months after, Kazeem was said to have approached Aladi to return to the house. This time around, Aladi’s family kicked against it. The paternal uncle was said to have frowned against it.
He was said to have told Kazeem to prepare for marriage rites before he could get her back to his house. His position was hinged on the fact that Aladi was subjected to such maltreatment because there was no proper marriage between them. Kazeem promised to perform the marriage rite. In the interim, he rented a house, for her. However, few months after, Kazeem was said to have recanted and said he was no longer interested in continuing with the marriage.
The family was said to have raised money for Aladi which she used to start the business of selling provision in the market in day time and, in the evening, retired to her street corner ( Bishop Junction) selling fruits. Bishop Junction is a popular area of Idah with taxi and Okada riders using the place as their park. In few months, she was able to raise fund and was already planning to seek admission to the university. It was at this Bishop Junction that Kazeem approached her and demanded that she pack out of the house he rented for her. “He told me to pack out, threatening to deal with me.

He said he was going to recreate me and make me ugly saying it was because men were still looking at me that made me think I was pretty. He also said if I failed to pack out, he will deal with me and destroy the beauty that I was using to ‘pose’ around town. I thought he was just jealous that I was looking good and making progress with my business after he said he was no longer interested in me. I told him it was mere anger and I decided to ignore his warning.”Aladi also said she did not bother to inform any of her family members about the threat until the sad event happened. Not done, Kazeem was said to have approached the land lady he rented the house from, urging her to send Aladi’s packing.

The landlady was said to have informed him that she could not send her away on the grounds that she had been able to renew the house rent on her own. Kazeem was said to have stormed out of the building but not before telling the land lady to expect him back in a manner she will never forget. Two weeks later, it happened. Aladi said it was around midnight when she was sleeping at home with her niece staying with her. Because of the heat, she decided to open her door; afterall, some occupants of the building were also sleeping outside. She said she was woken up by the sound of her niece struggling with a man beside her on the bed.”I saw my niece struggling with him.

After: Aladi Sule
Kazeem was holding a container in his hand. Immediately I saw him, I began to scream his name but, before my shout could attract people, he had already poured the content on me. Immediately, it felt as if my body was set up on fire. I didn’t know what happened next until I found myself at the village cottage clinic”. The niece was also affected at the head as the acid poured on her. It was from the hospital that she was referred to the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja where she spent one month at the emergency ward before being transferred to the theater for her first surgery and now lies in critical condition at the female surgical ward. Her sister, Fatima Sule, who is looking after her, said the family received a distress call from a neighbor, who heard her shouting and rushed to her room.

The neighbor was said to have seen a familiar figure bolting out of the room, and, on getting inside, saw her with the acid sprayed on her body. They immediately rushed her to the village clinic. “When we got to the hospital I could not identify my sister again. Part of her body had been burnt beyond recognition”. The elder brother, Isiaka Sule, a VIO officer, who has been responsible for the medical payment, said it was around 2 o’clock in the night when her sister, Fatima, called him to say their sister had been bathed with acid. Isiaka said the next day he and some family member went to the police station in the community to lodge a complaint. But to their surprise, Kazeem was said to have been there to lodge a similar complaint.
But Kazeem, in his statement, told the police that he heard that a lady in her street (even though he allegedly lives far away from the place) had been bathed with acid. He was quoted as saying he only came to the station to report as a good citizen and because some people may say he was the one who did it. Aladi from the sick bed, insisted the estranged lover was the person she saw on the day she was attacked. The police arrested Kazeem but three days later set him free as his(Kazeem) parents promised to take care of Aladi’s medical bill. The Sule family decided against pursuing the case in court, opting instead to focus on saving the life of their sister. “How can I have the time, energy or money to go to court or continue visiting the police station when our sister is still lying critically ill in hospital?

As I speak with you we have spent over N300,000 on her treatment. I have even taken a soft loan of N100, 000 from Sharp – Sharp. That along with the money from sympathizers has all been expended. We have exceeded our financial limit,”Isiaka said. Aladi still has a long way to go. The doctors treating her said there are two other surgeries to be carried out aside the fact that her right eye had been lost and the right ear eaten by the acid. Since the doctors could not get vein in her hands; they had to lacerate one of her legs in order to pass drips. Aladi fears she may not be able to walk again.
“All I’m after is to be able to walk again. Presently I cannot put my leg on the ground . I know I am already disfigured. I also know that he (Kazeem) has succeeded in his plan.I don’t care about my body or look again; I just hope I can walk,” she stated. The doctors however give a glimpse of hope. The laceration of Aladi’s leg will not make her paralyzed. They said she will still be able to use the leg to walk again. The families are however in the dilemma on how to raise money for the other surgeries and pay medical bills that will arise. The efforts of the family to approach Kogi State Government through the Ministry of Women Affairs have not yielded positive result. The family is appealing to individuals and organizations to come to their aid to give their sister ‘life’ again. The family can be assisted through the following account: ISIAKA SULE, U.B.A, LOKOJA, Account Number: 2032301751. Source Vanguard.



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/dont-let-me-die-lady-bathed-with-acid-by-ex-lover-cries/