₦airaland Forum

As tension mounts in Anambra State over release of the list of candidates for the November 16, 2013 governorship election, Comrade Tony Nwoye, the candidate the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has called on his supporters to remain calm and law abiding, as the matter was being resolved.

Though Nwoye was the candidate that won the PDP primaries and his name and that of his running mate, Dr. Amamchukwu Ezike, duly submitted to INEC by the PDP, INEC published the name of Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, who came second as the party’s candidate, saying it acted on court order.

INEC’s action has raised a lot of dust in the state since Tuesday night, with many, saying they would not accept the commission’s action as, according to them, it amounted to denying the people their mandate.

But addressing a press conference yesterday, the Director General, Tony Nwoye Campaign Organisation, Prince Okey Ezenwa, urged the supporters not to lose sleep over the development, as it would be resolved in a very short time, assuring them that “our candidate has not forged any document and will not forge any.”

But in a swift reaction, Prince Ukachukwu, who appeared confident, told newsmen that in a democracy, people were bound to campaign and express their views but emphatically insisted that he remained the candidate of PDP and cannot be upturned as the court has spoken.

Meanwhile, the factional chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Maxi Okwu has said that he does not believe that INEC was a law abiding establishment, urging it to explain the court that it was acting on its order in the case of APGA.

He said, “Two things; INEC said they are complying with the law, let me believe them. I don’t believe that they (INEC) are law abiding but let us go on with that impression for now. They said in the cases of APGA and PDP, they acknowledged challenges and problems and said they are obeying a court order”.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/tension-in-anambra-over-inec-guber-list/

Money can't buy human life. What NYSC should concern themselves should be the fight for promulgation of laws that will prevent coppers from serving in states that posses threat to their lives.

The News: No fewer than 8,000 women on Thursday matched to the Zamfara Hisbah Commission, seeking the state government’s assistance to enable them to get married.

Led by the Chairperson of the Zamfara Widows Association, Hajiya Suwaiba Isa, and the patron, Alhaji Sa’idu Goshe, the women said they were not living a normal life and needed husbands to become whole.

“Many of us cannot afford two meals in a day because there are no men to support us,” they said.

The patron said the association had over 8,000 women, comprising 5,380 divorcees, 2,200 widows, 1,200 orphans and 80 others, whom he said, were looking for men to marry.

He said the women also needed assistance to purchase household items such as beds, mattresses and other basic necessities needed to move to their husbands’ houses.

Goshe appealed to the commission to assist the association in screening suitors for the women.

He said the screening would determine the suitors’ health status, source of livelihood and ability to maintain a family.

Who To Blame: this has raised a lot of dust and debate in my crib. Who are we to blame for this? Boko Haram for murdering their men? Women giving birth to many females? Hardship preventing their men from getting married? Homosexuality on the increase? I tire o!

http://www.punchng.com/news/8000-zamfara-women-protest-over-scarcity-of-husbands/

blesoh: God dong save Rev fathers.u for show dem heaven fast fast lol.

Big Brother Africa 2013 finalist, Beverly Osu who represented Nigeria and became one of the most talked-about housemate has now revealed that being controversial has never been her goal and also about her earlier plans to become a reverend sister.


In a recent interview on Abuja, she talks about life before the house and what her future plans her.

Read Excerpts:
Life before Big Brother:
Before Big Brother, I was into entertainment. Big Brother Africa was just a platform for me to do what I wanted to do. Before now, I wanted to be an actress, I wanted to be a reverend sister, but things did not just work out the way I planned it.
Being a controversial housemate:
Going to the house, I didn’t have any plan or strategy. I just went in there. While in the house, I used to be blunt every time, it used to be me living my normal life. The controversial side, I don’t know because I used to be a very sweet person.

On how she was never up for eviction:


I didn’t do anything. I know that people picked my name but I wasn’t bothered because I also got to pick one or two people. I knew when Natasha or anybody else picked me for eviction but I understood it was just a game. However, I was generally liked in the house because I’m a people’s person.
On her relationship with Angelo
Me and Angelo were so business minded people, we think alike, we  do a lot of things together. We have projects we are working on together so, it was much like we went to BBA as individuals but we didn’t come there to mark time. And now, we have a platform we have to use. Now, he is in his country but when there is something to do, we  will go together. It is not that we won’t have our time but it’s more of the business because we all came for something in our lives and since we have gotten  the opportunity, we should use it right.
Her future plans:
School, my career-acting, so many things in next year let me feel I’m not sure what to say next because my voice is Ok

http://www.informationng.com/2013/09/i-wanted-to-be-a-reverend-sister-before-bba-beverly-osu-reveals.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

The police, yesterday, arraigned a 14-year-old student before an Abule Egba magistrate’s court, Lagos, for allegedly defiling a five-year-old girl.

The teenager is facing a charge of defilement of a child.

The prosecutor, Inspector Rachael Williams, told the court that the offence was committed on September 9, at Iyalode Street, Agege, Lagos.

The prosecutor said: “The accused inserted his finger into the private part of a five-year-old girl with the intent to have carnal knowledge of her.”

Williams said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Section 137 provides that any person who has sexual intercourse with a child is guilty of a felony and is liable to life imprisonment, but the accused pleaded not guilty.

The Magistrate, Mr. Tajudeen Elias, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

He adjourned the case till October 8 for hearing.d

Jeffery Hawkins, U.S. Consul-General, on Thursday, gave reasons why Nigeria was banned from participating in its 2015 Diversity-Visa-Programme registration.

Mr Hawkins told journalists at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, that Nigeria was among other countries that had in the last five years, sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. through the programme.


Jeffery Hawkins, U.S. Consul-General

“As at today, Nigerians have graduated from being under-represented to being a fully well represented group in the U.S,” he said. “There is therefore no longer any need to encourage Nigerians to apply to travel to the U.S. through the Diversity-Visa-Programme. Already there are too many Nigerians in the U.S. that have benefited from this programme.”

The envoy explained that the diversity visa was created to promote countries with low rates of immigration to the US.

He, however, said that the U.S. authorities would continue to give preference to Nigerians travelling to U.S for visits, business transactions, studies and professional engagements.

“All other types of immigration from Nigeria to the US, apart from the diversity visa, would continue unabated,” he said. “Also, let me say that the ban has nothing to do with our relations with Nigeria now, and in the years ahead.”

He also dismissed insinuations making the rounds that the move was to reduce the number of Nigerians travelling to the U.S.

The U.S official also said that the development had “nothing to do with insecurity, activities of Boko Haram and other forms of upheaval in Nigeria”.

The U.S. Department of State recently banned Nigeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador and Haiti from participating in the 2015 Diversity-Visa-Programme. Other affected countries are: India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, U. K. and Vietnam.

http://telegraphng.com/2013/09/nigeria-banned-us-visa-lottery/

There are pointers that the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may soon be called off as the last meeting which the Vice President, Namadi Sambo held with the sector’s stakeholder seemed to be fruitful.

Although the individuals involved in the meeting failed to officially disclose the outcome of the deliberations, a source revealed that “all went well” during the meeting.

However, the ASUU team only assured that the union would make its decision on the strike known after the subsequent NEC meeting which is said to be slated for the next Saturday.

National President, ASUU, Dr. Nasir Faggae,, however, insisted that that the union would make its position known after the National Executive Council meeting.

But an anonymous source who was at the meeting, said the new offers made by the Federal Government could end the strike within the next two weeks.

The source said it the Federal Government had agreed to continue to “release fund to revitalize the university system” until the system is upgraded to a reasonable standard.

“The meeting went well, the vice-president made some new offers that were different from what was on ground before. For instance, the Federal Government had agreed to start the injection of revitalisation fund into the university system starting with N100bn this year and N150bn in 2014 and this will continue until the university system is solid enough to stand.

The strike embarked on by the public universities’ lecturers rises as the Vice-President Namadi Sambo met with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in Abujaon Thursday.

The meeting which held behind closed doors was attended by the acting Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike and the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie while the union was led by its National President, Dr. Nasir Faggae, and two former Presidents of ASUU; Dr. Dipo Fasina and Dr. Abdullahi Sule-Kano.

Other stakeholders at the meeting were the Vice-Chancellors of Bayero University Kano, Prof. Abdulrasheed Abubakar; Prof. Isaac Adewole of the University of Ibadan; and Prof. Muhammed Hamisu of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.

http://www.theheraldng.com/ASUU-may-stop-strike-in-two-weeks-as-fg-agrees-to-inject-n150-bln-in-2014/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

THE Peoples Demcratic Party (PDP) has raised an alarm over new Culled plot to impeach both the Senate President, Senator David Mark, and House Speaker, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, in connection with the visit of the “Progressive Governors” and the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the National Assembly on Tuesday.
The PDP in a press release signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, called the move a sinister plot on the leadership of both Houses of the National Assembly.
The statement stated that the “plot by the hawks in the Presidency is politics taken too far and illustrates the extent to which they are prepared to go in their determination to plunge this country into chaos.
“We wish to warn those who are planning this coup to desist forthwith as such a misadventure is capable of plunging this nation into a crisis of monumental proportions.
“These undemocratic elements should stop overheating the polity just because of their selfish ambitions.

“Those who feel that politics is better practised by way of threats and the unseating of those who do not share their unprogressive thoughts should know that there is a limit to how far they can push us.

“Both President David Mark and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal have brought in a unique style of leadership which has resulted to the sanity, brotherhood, unity being witnessed in the National Assembly since they came on board and any negative attempt on them will be resisted considering that we now have the majority in the Assembly.”

The party, however, assured the leadership of the House of the safety of their seats, promising them that nobody can unseat them in the struggle to ensure peace and internal democracy reign in the party.

“We wish to advise the leadership of the National Assembly not to lose sleep over this evil plot as it is destined to fail. They did nothing wrong by warmly welcoming the Progressive Governors and the NWC of PDP to the National Assembly.

“The visit was well-intentioned and part of the nation-wide consultations being undertaken by our people in our efforts to correct the evils being perpetrated by the undemocratic leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and his cohorts.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Progressive Governors have for the past three months been visiting past Heads of State and some other great minds in their search for a peaceful way out of the logjam in the PDP orchestrated by the failed Tukur leadership of the party.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, House of Representatives, committee on Media and Public Affairs, Honourable Zakari Mohammed on Thursday punctured the reports doing the round over the alleged moves  to impeach the Speaker of the House, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal saying that there was no time such was contemplated since there was no basis for that.

The House spokesperson however, claimed that such plot might be taking place outside the House, but certainly not within, stressing that impeachment of the Speaker would require the collective votes of the majority members of the House and not just a few members of a party.

According to him,  “When we resumed, there was a motion passing vote of confidence on the Speaker. I will reiterate it once again that the power to remove the Speaker lies with the majority of us, about 359 of us as the case may be.

“In this case, the Speaker is one individual that we have all placed on. So, I don’t think we have any issue with impeachment. There may be talks outside, but we in the House are not contemplating such. I want to put it on record that by the grace of God, we’ll finish with the Speaker.”

Honourable Mohammed also took time to clear air over allegations that money has started exchanging hands in a plot to remove the Speaker, saying, “On the issue of money flying, I cannot confirm or deny it. I’ve not seen any money. As far as I’m concerned, the House of Representatives, the leadership is not involved in that. What I can tell for free is that whatever happens is not in the purview of House of Representatives. If we’re to be given money for our oversight function or anything, we have our channel of reaching out.”

To this end, Honourable Mohammed said that the House would suspend plenary on Tuesday next week and proceed on one week oversight function to Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to ascertain the level of implementation of the 2013 Budget, saying, “we are suspending plenary next week Tuesday for oversights in MDAs while Committees will continue.”

http://naijalog.com/presidency-plots-to-remove-mark-tambuwal-pdp/

Yoma A: This is just an act of wickedness.

U say?

emmysenior: I love that man... Some governors are only concerned about what they stand to gain and nothing else.

yeah! He is down to earth. There is nothing more fascinating in politis than an examplary leader.

Senate President David Mark has pleaded with Beijing to release 490 Nigerians languishing in Chinese prisons. He begged the Chinese leader, Mr. Zhang Dejiang to review the cases of  366 Nigerians in Chinese prisons, 120 awaiting trial and four already sentenced to death under the transfer of prisoners arrangement.Nigeria and China have pledged military co-operation especially in the training and retraining of  security personnel in tackling terrorism and disaster response capabilities.Under the arrangement, both nations would exchange programmes for military officers and students of Defence Colleges.
These were part of the high-points of the bilateral talks between Mark and President of the Chinese Parliament, Mr. Dejiang who also doubles as the Chairman of the National Peoples Congress (NPC) in Abuja yesterday.

Senator Mark had requested his guest to prevail on his government for assistance to Nigeria in the mass production of military and police hardware  as well as aircraft’s spare parts production centre in Nigeria. The Senate president also requested China to support Nigeria’s bid for the UN Security Council seat  as non- permanent member from 2015 and as a permanent member from Africa in an expanded UN Security Council.

Besides the  agreed exchange of parliamentary visits between the National Assembly and the Chinese parliament, Senator Mark demanded that China reciprocates Nigeria’s friendly visa regime by honouring Diplomatic Notes and simplifying visa procedures for Nigerians.

Although  the trade and commercial ties between both countries have increased with a deficit of N270 billion against Nigeria, Mark requested that the imbalance be addressed by encouraging Chinese government and industrialists to increase investments in the non-oil sector in Nigeria as well as offering duty waiver on Nigerian exports.

Mr. Dejiang noted that China runs a friendly administration and upholds the sanctity of the rule of law, but would table Mark’s requests before his home government for a possible review especially on those convicted on criminal offences. He promised co-operation with the government and people of Nigeria in all areas that would improve her economy and general welfare of the people .

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/national/mark-begs-china-to-release-490-nigerian-prisoners/

There appears no respite to the festering  crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the parallel national working committee of the Alhaji Kawu Baraje faction has denied any agreement with President Goodluck Jonathan on his eligibility for the party’s 2015 ticket.

Addressing newsmen after Sunday’s peace meeting with PDP governors, some party elders and the Presidency, Akwa Ibom State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio had declared  Jonathan’s eligibility for the  presidential ticket had been settled. He told reporters that both parties agreed that the issue of political aspiration was personal and a non-issue.

But reacting yesterday in a statement, the factional chairman, Alhaji  Baraje, dismissed Governor Akpabio’s claim as misleading and not a true representation of what transpired during the peace talks.

Baraje claimed no agreement “was reached on any of the issues we tabled before the President and until we see results, Nigerians should ignore the present efforts by the Tukur camp to deceive them”

Baraje said that the party has a standing mechanism on the emergence of its candidate, noting that Jonathan’s fate would be decided at the appropriate time.

“The Alhaji Abubakar Baraje-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wishes to advise Nigerians to ignore the tissue of lies and propaganda from the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur faction of the party on the outcome of our meeting with President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan at the Presidential Villa last Sunday, 15th September, 2013.

“We have read various misleading accounts of what transpired at that meeting between our progressive governors –Kwankwaso of Kano,   Wamakko of Sokoto, Amaechi of Rivers, Babangida Aliyu of Niger, Nyako of Adamawa, Abdulfatah of Kwara and Lamido of Jigawa with President Jonathan on how to resolve the self-inflicted crisis in our party.

“We wish to specifically urge Nigerians and our supporters to ignore the concocted tales of Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom and Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum. Akpabio lied by claiming that we have accepted that President Jonathan should contest the 2015 election and that most of our demands are being met. The fact of the case is that no agreement has been reached on any of the issues we tabled before the President and until we see results, Nigerians should ignore the present efforts by the Tukur camp to deceive them.”

“On whether the President  should contest the 2015 election, we wish to say that we have a mechanism and system of electing our flag-bearers for any election and until the time to choose the party’s presidential flag-bearer comes, any speculation on this is just a mere academic exercise,” he said.

Even as it claimed that there was no agreement, the Alhaji Baraje faction also accused the Tukur leadership of working against the spirit of genuine reconciliation “by unilaterally setting up a caretaker committee to run the affairs of our Kano chapter”.

It declared that the composition of the committee to administer the Kano State chapter of the party was” done without recourse to either the leader of the party in Kano State, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, or other stakeholders of the party from Kano.

“This illegality is a clear violation of our party’s constitution and was hurriedly done just to spite Governor  Kwankwaso, the party leader in the state.

“We hereby urge our people in Kano State to ignore this illegality as we have set in motion the machinery to organise a proper election as stipulated by our party’s constitution.

“We are still at a loss why Tukur and his cohorts do not want peace to reign in PDP but no matter the odds, we are very determined to ensure that peace is restored to our party with the prayers of Nigerians.

“Along this line, we once more appreciate the efforts of our party elders to resolve the current crisis bedevilling our party and wish them success irrespective of the evil designs of Tukur’s faction to elongate the crisis for selfish reasons,” he said.

Reacting, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, told Daily Sun that the Tukur leadership would not join issues with the aggrieved faction in order not to jeopardize the trouble shooting efforts of the concerned elders of the party.

“Well, because we are doing reconciliation we will refrain from commenting on the conduct and actions of our aggrieved brothers. But we must take this: our party has a constitution and part of its stipulations is that we shouldn’t engage in authorised publicity of party disputes,” he said.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/2015-no-deal-with-jonathan-baraje/

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole yesterday led organised labour on protest march to the National Assembly to demand a reversal of the transfer of labour matters from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List.
Oshiomhole pleaded with the National Assembly leadership to revisit the issue as the matter of minimum wage for Nigerian workers was settled as far back as the Second Republic during the administration of former President Shehu Shagari.
The governor stressed that minimum wage was an electoral issue promised workers by his colleagues and they intend to fulfill their own part of the bargain.
His words: “The consequences of removing labour issues from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List goes beyond rhetorics. For example, the National Assembly is obliged to make laws on health and safety issues; if you remove these to concurrent list, every state can go and remove those basic protections on health and safety, on social security, on working hours, on pensions, on those kind of things that go beyond naira and kobo.
“The idea of a national minimum wage is not entertained to fix a national salary scale. The logic of a minimum wage in a democracy is that government is the greatest asset of a citizen. Its responsibility is to protect the weak from those with enormous economic powers
“In the absence of a national minimum wage, some employers would go and pay as low as N5,000. National governments fix a minimum wage to protect weakest workers who have no voice; it is not meant to be a living wage, it is not an average wage, it is the minimum, exactly the same way the National Assembly will legislate on road traffic. These are the rules, that is why we have a Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).
“If we do not want anything to set national standards, then, we would not need a national parliament. We believe in moving Nigeria going as one united indivisible entity and the National Assembly is our most outstanding national democratic, people-driven, people-responsive institution.”

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/minimum-wage-oshiomhole-leads-workers-protest-to-n-assembly/

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole yesterday led organised labour on protest march to the National Assembly to demand a reversal of the transfer of labour matters from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List.
Oshiomhole pleaded with the National Assembly leadership to revisit the issue as the matter of minimum wage for Nigerian workers was settled as far back as the Second Republic during the administration of former President Shehu Shagari.
The governor stressed that minimum wage was an electoral issue promised workers by his colleagues and they intend to fulfill their own part of the bargain.
His words: “The consequences of removing labour issues from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List goes beyond rhetorics. For example, the National Assembly is obliged to make laws on health and safety issues; if you remove these to concurrent list, every state can go and remove those basic protections on health and safety, on social security, on working hours, on pensions, on those kind of things that go beyond naira and kobo.
“The idea of a national minimum wage is not entertained to fix a national salary scale. The logic of a minimum wage in a democracy is that government is the greatest asset of a citizen. Its responsibility is to protect the weak from those with enormous economic powers
“In the absence of a national minimum wage, some employers would go and pay as low as N5,000. National governments fix a minimum wage to protect weakest workers who have no voice; it is not meant to be a living wage, it is not an average wage, it is the minimum, exactly the same way the National Assembly will legislate on road traffic. These are the rules, that is why we have a Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).
“If we do not want anything to set national standards, then, we would not need a national parliament. We believe in moving Nigeria going as one united indivisible entity and the National Assembly is our most outstanding national democratic, people-driven, people-responsive institution.”

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/minimum-wage-oshiomhole-leads-workers-protest-to-n-assembly/

Wow! She is lucky. I just pray she understands the fact that she is getting married to an artiste and a public figure. If she understands and accepts that fact, then they will really last. Congratulations to her. Ee no easy ee, finally a beautiful onyinye. He will take you many places where you've never been before.

I will start by criticising our prisons. A prison should be more like a rehabilitation center and not a hardening center. It's only in Nigeria that people come out of prison only to go back few weeks later because they committed even a higher crime. Hand work and other businesses should be taught in our prisons. As for the dead inmate, well, it's a pity but the wardens should have employed stiffer punishments for him instead of beating him to death. Even a prisoner has a right to life. I rest my case.

And it made front page. Although some lessons can be learnt but it is as a result of this kind of publicity that people like her go extra mile to get it. I have never even heard about her before but Nairaland has made me to. If we start shuning such stunts, then we wouldn't be hearing of people doing stuffs like this. Cheap publicity I must say. Should I join the ETT crew?

In relationships, what works for Ahmed might not work for Musa. What works for Goodluck might not work for Jonathan! One just needs to understand what moves the patner and do it. Never you cause a fight when you are dating a Warri boy or person that smokes weed. You will be dead before you realise it.

Imagine Ghana vs Egypt! It's gonna be a cracker! Even though there are no underdogs nowadays in football but I think we will have a good ride against the Ethiopians.

Rap maestro: Eh? That's good... Odigba ti mo ba to gbo, ni ma to gba.(seeing is believing)

I hav seen and believed. PSquare are really making waves outside the shores of Naija

The 2014 World Cup Play-offs Draw: Nigeria vs Ethiopia, Ivory Coast vs Senegal, Tunisia vs Cameroon, Ghana vs Egypt & Burkina Faso vs Algeria.
This means that the super eagles have a clear chance of making it to the mundial having avoided the likes of Egypt and Cameroon. The first and second leg will be played in October and November. The draw was made this morning in Cairo, Egypt, CAF headquaters.

During a chat with football legend Paddy Creramd, Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie talked about playing for the English club, working with Sir Alex Ferguson and much more. When asked what he does off the pitch, like what kind of music he listens to, RVP said:

"I like to listen to music. ..all sorts honestly. I can listen to dutch songs, English songs..whatever...if the tune is good I like it." When asked who in particular he likes, he replied "Michael Jackson, Usher, P-Square...all sorts honestly.
To watch the interview video, check out the source below.

http://212breakingnews..co.uk/2013/09/video-man-u-striker-robin-van-persie.html?m=1

Toktee: Peace should not return to pdp untill after 2015 election,and so shall it be in jesus name

omo U get mind o!

I attended an early mass and the theme today centers on the worst sinner and the greates apostle. The mass was awesome. God is great!

Today is sunday and for christians, it is obligatory to attend mass or service. Irrespective of the obligatory nature of the sunday service/mass, there are some people that couldn't make it to church due to some reasons. Some who couldn't make it to church still find little time to visit nairaland. Let's bring the church to them by updating them with the theme or central message in the service/mass we attended. Thank you

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested 38-year-old wanted kidnap suspect, Okafor, a graduate of Mathematics from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Okafor popularly known as Igwe did not only fall afoul of the law as a kidnapper, he also messed up the temple of God by keeping his victims in a church and sharing his loot with the pastor.

Once on a mission to collect N5 million ransom from the family of victim in Asaba, Delta State, he was rounded up by crack policemen and locked up in a cell.

Okafor, however, escaped through the window of the cell to continue his evil trade until the hardworking members of the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Anambra ended his reign of terror.

The kidnap kingpin spoke with Sunday Sun: “I graduated from Unizik in 2006 and I studied Mathematics. I did my NYSC in Abuja and I served in NNPC at Berger. After graduation I was going to Ghana to buy clothes to sell in Lagos State.

“I am now involved totally in kidnapping where I make quick money. When I kidnapped I used to take my victims to my church in Awkuzu where the General Overseer, Pastor Nwaezeagu always collects the victims from us and at the end, we would give him his own share. We decided to join the church so that the members would not suspect us that we were keeping some victims we kidnapped inside the church.”

“I was the one who was involved in the kidnapping of the traditional prime minister in Enugu-Ukwu and we collected N50 million from the victim before we released him and I gave Pastor Nwaezeagu his 20 per cent share on that day.

“I kidnapped another woman in Awka and collected N30 million from the family of victim and kept her in the church and, after the family paid the ransom, I released the suspect and I gave Pastor Nwaezeagu the sum of N200,000.”

Okafor who hails from Anambra West Local Government Area continued: “Myself and my gang kidnapped one victim, Chief John Uchachuwu at Asaba and we demanded the sum of N5 million. The family of the victim called me to come and take the money at Asaba. When I got to Asaba I collected the N5 million but the policemen from the anti-kidnap arrested me and they took me to Delta State and put me inside their cell.”

He said that he escaped through the toilet of the cell and quickly moved to Anambra State to continue his kidnapping job.

“I was arrested in Onitsha market by the men of SARS and I have confessed to them about my involvement in kidnapping,” he said.

Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Ballah Nasarawa told Sunday Sun that the suspect had been declared wanted by Anambra State Police Command before he was eventually arrested on September 2, 2013 in Onitsha.

The police commissioner said Okafor was the same suspect that the Delta State Police Command declared wanted after he escaping from the cell through the toilet in 2013.

He stated that the suspect had kept several victims he kidnapped in the church in which he was a member and which he used as a hideout.

CP Nasarawa added that, besides the kidnap instances that Okafor gave, the suspect was also behind the abduction of the Chairman of Association of Electronics Dealers in Nnewi and collected N30 million that he shared among his gang members and released the victim from the church in which he was kept.

Also commenting about Okafor, Delta State Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba told Sunday Sun  that the notorious kidnapper had with his gang kidnapped one Chief John Uchachuwu in Asaba and they demanded N5 million as ransom and the police played along as they negotiated ransom payment. He was told to come and collect the money in Asaba. It was in the process of collecting the ransom that he was arrested.

“Also we had to rescue the victim, Chief Uchachuwu while the suspect, Okafor came to Asaba to collect the ransom of N5million. What shocked me was that the notorious kidnapper, Okafor escaped from the cell in our custody despite the fact that he has injury on his legs. The policemen involved were one ASP, one Inspector and one Corporal. I had to detain them in my custody.

“I have written to my AIG in charge of Zone 5, Benin who appreciated that action had been taken. They will definitely face the music. How can a notorious kidnapper escape from their custody?” he queried.

CP Aduba added that later the information got to him that the SARS in Anambra had re-arrested the kidnapper and I sent my officers to Anambra State Police Command and they saw him.

“There was a time we traced Okafor to Niger Republic and Ghana and he escaped. We couldn’t take over the case from Anambra State Police Command because he did a lot more of kidnapping in Anambra State than Delta State and he has more questions to answer in Anambra State Police Command and they should continue their investigation,” he stated.

The Anambra police boss assured that the suspect would soon be charged to court after investigation had been concluded.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/i-keep-abducted-victims-in-church-share-ransom-with-my-pastor-anambra-kidnap-kingpin/

President Goodluck Jonathan, the seven aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and certain elders of the party will tonight continue their peace talks aimed at resolving the whirling crisis in the party.

The peace talks could not be concluded last Wednesday because of the governors’ demand for further consultations.

But Sunday Sun checks revealed that today’s meeting promises to be stormy as the demands of the seven governors for the removal of the embattled national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur will again be restated by them.  Before the creation of a parallel national working committee of the party by the governors and certain disenchanted chieftains of the party who stormed out of the venue of the party’s last national convention, five of the governors tagged, the G-5 had embarked on trouble-shooting trips across the country, asking party elders and elder statesmen to intervene in the crisis.

A party source, however, noted that tonight’s meeting could result in a deadlock, because of what he claimed to be the “unreasonable demands” of the governors.

The governors are asking for Tukur’s removal, the recognition of Rotimi Amaechi as chairman of NGF, the reversal of his suspension by the party and a commitment from President Goodluck Jonathan that he would not be seeking the party’s ticket for the 2015 presidential election.

“Jonathan doesn’t want to be seen as weak. Even when he has acknowledged that members of virtually all organs of the party are asking for Tukur’s exit, conceding to Governor Lamido and his ilk could be perceived wrongly that he is losing the grounds,” the Sunday Sun source submitted. Indication has also emerged that the ‘recalcitrant’ governors will on Tuesday continue with their mission for an alternative political platform. Sunday Sun findings revealed that at the meeting of the Governor Rotimi Amaechi led Nigeria Governors’ Forum slated for Tuesday, the APC governors would also continue discussions with their aggrieved colleagues to consider the APC as a formidable platform for their individual political careers ahead of 2015.

Part of the agenda of the meeting officially disclosed to the media include, disagreement trailing the May 24 election, polio eradication and update on Federation Accounts Allocation Committee and Excess Crude Account.

Although the invitation for the meeting was extended to those who had since pitched tent with the Governor Jonah Jang faction, the PDP governors expected at the meeting besides the host Governor Rotimi Amaechi include, governors Sule Lamido, Aliyu Babangida, Dr Aliyu Wamakko, Abdulfatah Ahmed, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Murtala Nyako of Jigawa, Niger, Sokoto, Kwara, Kano and Adamawa states respectively. Governors from the APC controlled states expected at the meeting include, those of Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Lagos, Ekiti and Edo states. Others are Borno, Yobe, Zamfara,Nasarawa  and Imo states.

But the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has denied that the Tuesday meeting of the NGF was meant to seek a deal with the aggrieved PDP governors.

“That’s not true. You know that the NGF is independent of the party. I am not aware that their meeting fixed for Tuesday is for the purpose of opening discussion with APC national executive. I am not aware of that at all,” Mohammed told Sunday Sun on phone.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/jonathan-pdp-govs-decide-tukurs-fate-today/

[quote author=Doc_Miss]GREAT UNIBEN ..

Well...I believe If Lecturers are Paid Well,they'll have no reason to extort money from Students. [/quote]are you trying to justify their actions? And besides, who told you that Lecturers are not well paid? How come almost all of them in my school ride big cars?