₦airaland Forum

The immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Dimeji Bankole, Thursday filed an application for bail.

In the application filed by his lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), Bankole said he should be given bail on self-recognition as the immediate past speaker of the House of Representatives.

He also stated that he had never been tried nor convicted for fraud either in Nigeria or any other country.

As a holder of a national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR), Bankole said he was entitled to bail on self-recognition.

He also said he has aged parents who depended on him and that denying him bail would deprive him of the opportunity to cater for them.

The former speaker also said that his aged parents are emotionally attached to him, adding that the charges against him were baseless because he had never inflated any contract.

He had on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to the 16-count charge levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He is being remanded at the custody of the EFCC on the order of the trial judge, Justice Donatus Okorowo.

The bail application will be argued Friday while the substantive trial will resume July 26.

Last Tuesday, the commission filed a 16-count charge of contract inflation amounting to N894 million against him.

Details of the charges show that Bankole was accused of colluding with some people who were said to be at large to increase the cost of purchasing Samsung television sets, HP computers, digital copiers, two units of Range Rover Bullet Proof vehicles and three units of Mercedes Benz S-600 Cars, among others.

The offences were said to have been contrary to Section 58(4) (a) of the Public Procurement Act punishable under section 58(5) of the same law.

Count 1 of the charges reads: “That you, Dimeji Bankole and others now at large on or about the 28th of May, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, being Body of Principal officers of the House of Representatives responsible for the approval of contracts in the House of Representatives, with intent to defraud, did conspire amongst yourselves to inflate the cost of 400 units of 40-inch Samsung (LNS.3410 Television sets by approval the purchase of the said item at the rate of N525, 000.00 per unit, instead of the prevailing market price of N295, 000.00 and thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 58 (4) (a) of the public Procurement Act No. 14 of 2007 and punishable under Section 58 (5) of the same Act.”

He was also accused of colluding with other people whose names were not disclosed and with intent to defraud, rigged the bid for the purchase of 100 units of Sharp digital copier 5316 by refusal to follow all the procedures prescribed for public procurements in Sections 17 to 56 of the Public Procurement Act N0.14 of 2007, leading to a loss of value to the national treasury.

The commission further alleged that Bankole and other principal officers of the House of Representatives responsible for the approval of contracts in the House, with intent to defraud, did conspire amongst themselves to inflate the cost of 800 units of Desktop Computers (HP Compaq dc 5700) by approving the purchase of the said item at the rate of N330,000.00 per unit, instead of the prevailing market price of N160,000.00 per unit.

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birdman:
I'm not so sure its just a Nairaland phenomenon. If you look at the political moves of the SW in the last 20 years, not only have we been unable to forge any meaningful political alliance with the SE, we have been sabotaged by the SE even when it was against their own interests to do so. You don't even have to go back to the Abiola-Abacha-Ojukwu saga. Look at the last election. Any attempt at alliance by the SW was immediately rebuffed, even by so-called SE progressives.

Why would you trust someone again, especially when they have given you reasons not to. Ndigbo tried joining forces with the SW in the past but your leaders betrayed us badly and chosed to work with Nigeria, now you are reaping exactly what you sowed

^^^And what has that got to do with what i said. Are you older than those guys you posted their pics up here or you dont think they deserve some respect too? Or wouldnt he have won them if he had contested?

It means he hates you so much

OBJ would have easily beat them hands down if he had contested

nedu666:
i feeel for this nation and its citizens

Am telling you the truth. Am really concerned

Tinubu is getting it all wrong this time. How are we sure he is not even paid for all these favors he is doing the North cos dude is out to sell even Lagos for cowries.

I dont think that man is mentally stable

A middle-aged man, Mr. Jamiu Sikiru, who attempted to commit suicide by cutting off his penis with a razor blade at Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, has regained consciousness.

Sikiru, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria on his sick bed at the Ogun State Hospital, Ijebu-Ode on Tuesday, said frustration made him to carry out the act, explaining that he made several attempts to kill himself, “due to frustration and depression.’’

Sikiru had on June 3, at the popular Oyingbo Street in the commercial area of the town, cut off his penis with a razor blade in broad daylight. He was later rushed to hospital in a pool of his own blood by sympathisers.

He said, “On my way from Lagos sometime ago, I picked a car borris from the road side in order to use it to poison myself due to frustration, but a friend, who later saw the object, told me that it was not borris that I was holding but rather a bullet.

“It was then I decided to do away with it because I was afraid that I could be arrested if the police found out that I was keeping a bullet.

“On a Friday after the incident happened, while I was returning from where I went to dispose of the bullet, I saw a police vehicle coming in my direction.

“And I thought it was me they were coming to arrest because of the bullet I went to dispose of. Immediately I saw the police, I decided to commit suicide by cutting my male organ with blade because I didn’t want to be arrested.

“That was the last thing I remembered before I woke up in the hospital. What I need now, is prayers for forgiveness for attempting to kill myself.’’

When asked about his family, Sikiru, who said he lost his parents a few years back, gave his sister’s address.

When the address he gave was visited, the supposed sister ran away immediately she got wind of what NAN correspondent came to find out.

The Chief Medical Director of the hospital where Sikiru was admitted, Dr. Wellington Ogunsanya, however, said Sikiru would be referred to a psychiatric hospital when he fully regained his strength.

Ogunsanya explained that Sikiru was responding to treatment and that he showed signs of depression.

The doctor said, “I will say he is stable physically but mentally I don’t think he is stable yet. He shows symptoms of depression.

“We are hoping that by the time his wound is healed, we will discharge him to his family and advise them to seek psychiatric evaluation.

“Although we are managing his depression by giving him anti-depressant, he still needs an expert evaluation.”

The CMD, however, said none of Sikiru’s relations had come to visit him.

According to Ogunsanya, it was members of staff of the hospital who are soliciting assistance for Sikiru to buy drugs and food.

CRISIS is brewing in the Osun State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) over the imminent composition of the state executive council.

With each passing day, there are indications that the ambition of party members within and outside the state who are jostling for commissioner and board chairmanship positions in Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration may likely precipitate a crisis in the party.

The Court of Appeal judgement of November 25 declared ACN’s Aregbesola as the duly-elected governor of the state.

But since the coming on board of the new administration, Aregbesola has not announced his cabinet.

The composition of the seven-man caretaker committee for each of the 30 local government areas and Modakeke Area Office in the state was enough tell-tale sign for the governor as to what to expect, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers explored their numerical strength in the House to bargain for slots in the committees.



The governor has since restrained himself from further bargaining that would end up in sharing of offices with the opposition in the state.

But, with the inauguration of the Seventh Assembly of the state’s legislature last week, with all the 26 lawmakers coming from the fold of the ACN, the coast is now clear for easy approval of the long overdue list of appointees from the governor.

Following this, members of the party at home and outside (Lagos) have started lobbying for one position or the other.

The Nigerian Compass reliably gathered that the home-based members of the party, who are apparently tired of the delay in the appointments, are not giving anything to chance.

Investigations revealed that the home-based ACN members believe that the governor has been tilting more towards the other group from Lagos as well as from outside the country who should not have domineering power over them (home-based).

Based on this assumption, the home-based politicians have vowed to slug it out with the ‘foreign’ members, arguing that they were the ones at the forefront of the struggle that ensured victory for the governor at the 2007 gubernatorial election.

On the other hand, the Lagos-based members believe that they were instrumental to the successful legal firework that eventually saw the governor reclaiming his stolen mandate.

The few appointments so far made have shown that the Lagos-based politicians have the upper-hand in Aregbesola’s administration.

Apart from the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, and the Assistant Director (Press) in the Bureau for Communication and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Fayemiwo, who are both home-based ACN members, other appointees of the governor are “ACN abroad”.

These include the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola.

Commercial banks marketing executives jostled for the attention of senators and members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday in Abuja, wooing them with gifts.

The most sought lawmakers were the new legislators, who were inaugurated in both chambers of the National Assembly only on Monday.

There are over 70 new senators, while in the House, the newcomers are 266.

The elegantly dressed executives, thronged the lobby of the Assembly, negotiating business deals with lawmakers.

A particular bank, known for its dominant green background colour, printed gift packs for the lawmakers.

The engaged the lawmakers were seen distributing the items to the legislators as they engaged the lawmakers excitedly at the lobby.

At the entrance to the chamber of the House of Representatives for example, the packs were lined out in several rows.

Each member was handed a pack as they emerged from the chamber.

Findings indicated that the discussions between the banks marketers and some of the lawmakers centered on the “possibility of opening accounts and accessing other offers such as loans and support services.”

One of the bank employees confided in our correspondent that they were “marketing the bank and its attractive offers.”

“These are our potential clients; there is nothing wrong in welcoming them to their new responsibilities as lawmakers with gift items,” the employee explained.

Checks conducted on the packs showed that they contained calendars, diaries and brochures on the business offers available at the bank.

The development came as hundreds of job seekers flooded the National Assembly on Tuesday.

The majority of them were seeking for opportunities to be picked as aides.

Investigations showed that some of them had served as aides to lawmakers who failed in their re-election bid on April 9.

However, there were more who came apparently in search of opportunities to work with the 266 new members and over 70 senators.

The job seekers filled every available space in the lobby and ran after legislators brandishing their CVs.

Security agents and the Sergeant-At-Arms, Col. Emeka Okere (retd), had a hard time trying to disperse the crowd of job seekers.

Carrying a loudspeaker, Okere consistently asked the crowd to disperse but the number overwhelmed him.

Senate President, David Mark has said he could not have played any role in the events that led to the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election when he was prematurely retired from the Army because of his support for restoration of democracy in Nigeria.

In a forthcoming book entitled, The Shepherd Cometh, edited by former editor of New Nigeria Newspapers, Mallam Yakubu Aliyu, Mark denied any involvement in the annulment of the election won by the late Chief MKO Abiola.
Mark, who was unanimously re-elected Senate president for another four years on Monday said he was not aware of any grand design to annul the said election: “I was certainly not a party to it nor was I aware of it.”

He said he was retired from the military because he insisted that democracy must be restored in the country.
Rubbishing recurring allegations that he was party to the events that led to the controversial annulment of the election rated most free, fair and credible in the history of the country, Mark dismissed such allegation as wild, untrue and must be discarded.

“Although, I was a brigadier general, I was not part of the administration at that time. I was not a member of the National Defence Security Council, NDSC, or the executive council. I had been assigned as director of Strategic Studies at the National War College and, in fact, was lecturing on the role of military in a democratic society,” he said.
Speaking about the book yesterday, the editor said the publication chronicled the objective political events between 1992 and 1999, putting Senator David Mark in perspective.
According to him, the book touched on major activities of Senator Mark, which were either misinterpreted or misrepresented by the public in the course of serving his fatherland.

Foreward to the book was written by Mark’s bosom friend and former military administrator of former Bendel State, Brigadier General Tunde Ogbeha, himself a former senator, while the preface was written by the former chairman, Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, Mr. Abubakar Gimba.
Describing Mark as democracy personified, Aliyu noted that the Senate president was retired alongside other senior officers by former head of state, General Sani Abacha, because they met with him and insisted military should support the Head of the Interim National Government, ING, Chief Ernest Shonekan to conduct the presidential election successfully as was in the transition programme.

“The Abacha palace coup, which toppled the ING was a betrayal of hope and aspirations for all Nigerians, a betrayal of democracy. It was a coup against the ING but as it turned out it was coup against democracy, supported and nourished by politicians who behave like chameleons,” he said in the book.
He said parts of efforts by Mark to restore democracy in the country were the interview he granted the Newswatch Magazine and published in the edition of April 11, 1994, which revealed to the world the intention of Abacha’s regime to stay in power for a minimum period of five years and maximum of eight years.

Even in the midst of agitations regarding the N150,000 withdrawal limit policy, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday brought backward the implementation time of the programme from June 2012 to December 2011 with Lagos as a pilot state.

Rising from the 304th Bankers Committee meeting in Abuja, the Director, Banking Supervision of the apex bank, Mr. Samuel Oni, told newsmen that before the date, CBN will flood the state with Point of Sales (POS) terminals. Besides, he said that the bank will deploy about 40,000 Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) by December this year and by June 2012, the number will increase to 75,000 and by December of 2012, it will further be increased to 150,000.

Oni observed that by December 2015, Nigeria would have attained 275,000 ATMs per 100,000 persons assuring that the process of transition would be seamless. According to him, the idea is to replicate what obtains in other parts of the world. He said that the banks have decided to collaborate with the telecom operators to increase their bandwidth to be able to accommodate the volume of transactions.

On how the CBN arrived at the N150,000 limit, he said that through survey, over 90 per cent cash transactions that take place in Nigeria today is below N150,000.
“We think that this policy will accommodate everybody. This is the world best practice and we should not be left behind,” he said.

Oni also noted that the cash economy is very costly as the cost of transportation, security and printing cost Nigeria N200 billion annually.
He warned the shareholders against stalling the process of merger and acquisition, which September this year is the deadline. He, however, recalled that the shareholders are not the owners of the banks, insisting that CBN is resolute in recapitalizing the banks and already three Memoranda of Understanding had been signed with the banks.

Oni observed that the banks have been run by shareholders and managements and the process of approval has been that of management. So, he asked where the shareholders were when the banks were being run down. The director noted that the banks were in critical condition before CBN injected N620 billion lifeline and that in the event that the money is withdrawn, the banks would go back to their former state.

To this effect, Oni warned the shareholders to desist from their planned action as the apex bank has other options to deal with the issue.
He reminded the shareholders that the objective of CBN is to ensure financial system stability and that is not negotiable, adding that customers have no need to be afraid as their interests have been taken into consideration.
“We want to assure customers that they must be protected. If shareholders have any issues, they should find a better way to do that. These banks are existing because of the money we injected. Those banks that will be recapitalized need N1.5 trillion. We make an appeal to those shareholders that are stalling the process to rethink because CBN has other options.

Dyt:
Dettol mixed wit jik n hot water

ROFLMAO

Mumu thread

If well taken care of, I love natural hair on women

Am addicted to making money

The Turkish Football Federation has accepted that Guus Hiddink is likely to leave his job as national team boss and return to Chelsea, reports the BBC.

According to a senior source at the TFF, the Dutchman "can't say no to Chelsea, we believe he wants to leave".

Hiddink, 64, led Chelsea to an FA Cup victory as caretaker manager in 2009.

Despite an indifferent qualifying campaign, Turkey remain in contention for a Euro 2012 play-off place after a 1-1 draw against Belgium on Friday.

But Hiddink is unhappy that the man who brought him to Istanbul, TFF chief Mahmut Ozgener, is likely to be replaced following presidential elections on June 28.

"If Ozgener was staying, Guus would probably stay, too," said the source. "Ozgener has gone on holiday and hasn't decided if he will stand for re-election. Even if does, he's likely to lose.

"Hiddink says he has a contract but these promises don't have value. Chelsea is too good an offer to turn down and the TFF understands this.

"Hiddink feels he still has a job to do there [Chelsea}. He wants to work every day and win championships, maybe the Champions League.

"We will understand that he has coached his last Turkey game as long as Chelsea pay the compensation."

The TFF is yet to receive a formal approach from Chelsea asking for permission to talk to Hiddink but expect one this week.

With just over a year left on a 3.7m euro contract that runs until the end of the 2012 Euros, releasing Hiddink could cost Chelsea around 4m euros.

Hiddink, who has also had spells as manager of the Netherlands, South Korea, Australia and Russia, won the FA Cup with the Blues during a three-month stint at Stamford Bridge at the end of the 2008-09 season.

He enjoys a close relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who bankrolled his spell as Russia manager and has used him as a footballing consultant.

Turkey's next Euro 2012 qualifier is against Kazakhstan on 2 September but Hiddink refused to confirm he would still be in charge for the Group A game when asked following the draw in Belgium.

OGUN State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, newly-inaugurated 26 members of the state House of Assembly, friends and well-wishers, on Monday, escaped death as a substance described as Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was discovered a few metres from the Assembly complex.

The device, Nigerian Tribune learnt, was detonated by the officers of the Nigeria Police Anti-Bomb Squad, as the yellow light in the explosive was blinking when it was detected.

Some members of the Gateway Television (GTV) Outside Broadcast (OB) van crew told the Nigerian Tribune that the explosive was spotted inside the grass very close to a window pane at about 11.45 a.m. when the inauguration of the seventh session of the House was under way.

A member of the police anti-bomb squad was said to have discovered the explosive while combing the assembly premises.

A source, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune on condition of anonymity, said, “immediately this was spotted, he alerted his colleagues, who combed the spot and discovered the explosive, with the yellow light blinking. It was immediately cut off and was taken into the van and they drove away.”
The detonated explosive was taken away in a police van marked NPF 1756C to the police headquarters, Eleweran.
Governor Amosun, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Adviser on Media and Communication , Funmi Wakama, while speaking on the development condemned the act, saying, “this action depicts the height of desperation and wickedness by some agents of violence still prowling the state.
“This development is alien to the state and the administration will not allow agents of violence to peddle their trade in the state.”

He directed all relevant security agencies to investigate and unmask those behind it and bring them to book.

Also, commenting on the development, a member of the assembly, Honourable Motunrayo Adeleye-Oladapo, said, “why would anyone think of killing people, innocent people for that matter?

“What could be the motive behind it? This could have been a tragedy to the state. We shall continue to pray and this shows that our governor has God’s backing and we shall continue to rely on Him to take this government to the land of progress.”

Governor Amosun, in his inaugural speech, called for genuine collaboration from all the tiers of government in the mission of rebuilding the state.

He promised to uphold and strengthen the principle of separation of powers needed for checks and balances for the nation’s democracy.

Reacting to the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the nature of the device, saying “it is an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).”

Adejobi described the incident as unfortunate, saying “we have to commend the officers and men at the scene of the incident for being vigilant enough to detect the explosive early.”

He hinted that the state Commissioner of Police, Musa Daura, had directed that proper investigations be carried out on the incident.

THE election of Honourable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who represents Kebbe and Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State as the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Monday signals the exclusion of the South-West geopolitical zone from the top four positions in the land since the return of democracy in 1999.

Though the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which performed poorly in the South-West in the April general election, had attempted to boost the confidence of the people of the zone by allotting the nation’s number four seat to its members from the area, agitation by members of the House, who insisted on preserving the status quo in the chamber, prevailed on Monday.

The agitation saw to the election the deputy chief whip of the immediate past House as the speaker.
Tambuwal emerged the House Speaker, after polling 252 votes to defeat Honourable Mulikat Adeola-Akande from Oyo State in the South-West, who polled 90 votes.

Even when it appeared unlikely that the PDP’s zoning arrangement would favour the emergence of a speaker from the North-West, Tambuwal had continued his campaigns tour of states and heightened the tempo of his contacts with political leaders and other stakeholders.

He went on tour of all geopolitical zones, meeting with the newly-elected members and their godfathers and spreading the gospel of independence of the legislature.

The immediate past House, headed by Honourable Dimeji Bankole, had helped Tambuwal set the stage for his election and emboldened his campaigns when it amended its rules to ensure the usage of open secret balloting on the floor.

Notwithstanding the declaration on the floor by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, that members’ votes could not remain as secret as they would want it for record purposes in the chamber, they still went ahead to defy the PDP.

With Tambuwal’s emergence, the power configuration at the federal level is now skewed heavily against the South-West and the North-East.

While the PDP had calculated that each of the six geopolitical zones in the country would get feel of the topmost echelons of government, through the sharing equation, the decision of members to vote Tambuwal and upset the voting arrangement had ensured that the North-West and the South-East are the main beneficiaries of federal appointments.

The South-South had claimed the presidency through Dr Goodluck Jonathan, while Vice-President Namadi Sambo had emerged the number two man.

The position of Senate president was allotted to the North-Central; speaker was meant to come from the South-West, while it was intended that the North-East would produce the deputy speaker and the national chairman of the PDP.

The South-East had earlier been assigned the position of Deputy Senate President and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

Last week, President Jonathan announced Senator Anyim Pius Anyim as the new SGF.

But with Monday’s election in the chamber of the House, North-West now has two top positions; the vice-president and the speaker.

The South-East already has three top positions at the topmost hierarchy of the Nigerian government, including the deputy Senate president, the SGF and the deputy speaker.

Although questions could be raised whether the configuration has not offended Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for the Principles of Federal Character and the need to avoid the perpetuation of a zone of a people in government, the reality of the power set up in the House is that the South-West will not be represented.

Both the South-West and North-East are left in the cold, with none of the two zones represented in the top seven positions.

It has been observed that while the PDP had limited options for the position of speaker in the South-West, its choice, which was backed by the party leaders, would have eventually emerged if the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which won majority of the seats in the zone, had agreed to vote for a candidate from the zone.

As the speakership election got underway, the ACN decided to rate party affiliation far ahead of regional interests.

In fact, leaders of that party were of the view that the South-West should be denied the speakership slot, so as to stop the PDP from having a rallying point in the zone.

It means that the zone has gone back to the situation it was in the National Assembly in 1999, when it produced only one PDP member.

As it is, since the South-West failed to clinch the number four post, it may have lost a cotton edge representative who could take its cases directly to the topmost hierarchy of power.

Now that the precedence has been set, the zone can only work on its liabilities in the power equation in the future election.

Else, it would continue to go farther from the centre of power gravity in the nation, while other zones amass a heap of top governmental positions.

The emergence of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as the sixth Speaker of the seventh Assembly, despite the much-touted zoning of the position to the South-West by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has continued to generate controversy.

The Nigerian Compass gathered that Tambuwal created an upset because of the support from some leaders in the North.

Former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the Northern Political Leadership Forum led by Malam Adamu Ciroma and some powerful Emirs did the magic.

The group was said to have opposed the candidature of Muraina Ajibola, the candidate of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.



The grouse of the leaders from the North was that Obasanjo championed the “no zoning arrangement” when it was convenient for him, a move that led to the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The election of Tambuwal has also sent a strong signal to the Presidency that 2015 presidential election will be fought on all fronts.

This is because despite the support of the First Lady, Dame Patience Goodluck for Adeola-Akande, she lost to Tambuwal. This might have also foreclosed any investigation against Tambuwwal by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) based on the confessional statement made by Bankole that he shared the N10 billion loan with Tambuwwal and other lawmakers as it will seem as if he is being persecuted for not toeing the party line.

As if the Tambuwal group knew that the speakership is a foregone conclusion, it said recently that it would engage the PDP leadership, if it decides to wield the big stick to whip erring members who would not toe the line of zoning to the South-West.

“We will engage the leadership of PDP. Nobody can force us to present a candidate that won’t enjoy the support and confidence of the House. Our interest is to stabilise the House and, by extension, the fledging democracy,” the group said.

The South-West also played into the hands of the Northern leaders who was more cohesive in its approach and planning. While the group was reaching out to other geo-political zones to canvass for the candidature of Tambuwwal, both Adeola-Akande and Muraina Ajibola were locked in a bitter war over who should take the slot from the South-West.

Eventually, both lost out because while they were at each other’s throat, Tambuwwal, apart from his vast networks, was reaching to the opposition party led by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Labour Party (LP).

West Brom manager Roy Hodgson is hopeful of keeping star striker Osaze Odemwingie at the club, with a bumper new contract reportedly in the pipeline for the player.

The Nigeria international has been a huge hit since moving to the Baggies last summer, scoring 15 goals in his debut season and becoming one of the Premier League’s hottest properties.

Chelsea and Arsenal are reportedly looking at a possible deal to lure the 29-year-old away from the Hawthorns, with the player’s current deal set to expire next summer.

Hodgson is set to double Odemwingie’s wages, with a £42,000 a week extension over a further two years the reported offer.

However, should they decide to offload the £12m rated forward, Hodgson knows that any profit made will enable them to find a replacement of the same quality.

“I’m confident of keeping our top players, including Peter (Osaze). They have contracts and the club are not keen on selling.

“We don’t need to sell players because everyone knows Albion are a well run club.

“We have no debts and we are not in the situation that many clubs are in, having to sell to match budgets.”

A 21-year-old unemployed youth, Esther Josiah, suspected to have been jilted by her lover has committed suicide in Ondo State.

Crime Gist gathered that Josiah was found dead in her room at Oba-Ile town near Akure on Saturday.

Our correspondent learnt that Josiah, who came to Akure about two years ago from Abbi village in Delta State, met a young man whose identity was yet to be to be known as at press time, and fell in love with him.

It was learnt that their love turned sour when Josiah started suspecting that her lover-boy was cheating her.

Some of her neighbours, who spoke with our correspondent on conditions of anonymity, explained that Josiah caught her boyfriend with another lady sometime last week and had since been behaving funny.

Tragedy, however struck on Saturday when the neighbours discovered that Josiah did not come out of her room on time. After banging the door several times and there was no response, the neighbours forced the door open and met her corpse.

Josiah left a suicide note and some drugs suspected to have been swallowed on her bed.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Alhaji Aremu Adeniran, confirmed the incident, to our correspondent on Sunday.

He explained that the suicide note left behind by Josiah indicated that she was jilted by her lover.

Adeniran explained that her corpse had been deposited at the mortuary and that investigation was ongoing in the matter

Who killed Mufutau Olanipekun, a prominent member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the Foko area of Ibadan? That is one mystery the police in Oyo State are striving hard to unravel.
Having contributed to the success of his party in the just concluded general elections in Oyo state, particularly in his Foko area, an interior part of Ibadan where he mobilized the youths to vote massively for the ACN, he had hoped that his efforts would be appreciated with either an appointment or contract awards.

Even, some of his family members had already started thinking in the same direction. And to make things easy for him, youths in the area had started touting 51-year-old Olanipekun, a patent medicine dealer, as the next councillor for the area. Anytime, they saw him, shouts of “Honourable” usually rented the air. However, his dream of moving to the next level in his political career was abruptly brought to an end on Monday, May 23, 2011. On the fateful day, some merchants of death, numbering about six, stormed his Foko residence around 3.00a.m and silenced him forever.

According to reports, Olanipekun was in his bedroom with his wife of 10 years, Bunmi, when the assailants arrived. Taiwo and Kehinde, his twin sons from his estranged wife, were sleeping in the sitting room. Bereaved Bunmi and Kehinde, who tried unsuccessfully to hold back tears as they spoke with Daily Sun, said his assailants told the deceased before he was killed that he was too stubborn. They thereafter shot him at close range in his left arm, leaving him in a pool of his own blood without stealing anything from the room.

It was gathered that the gunmen had entered the bungalow by breaking in through the ceiling of the house. One of them, in an attempt to jump in, fell into some buckets of water at the passage. The resultant noise, according to one of the neighbours who craved anonymity, woke up some of the residents.“Immediately they saw me, they held me,” Kehinde said. “And because I only had my towel on at the time, they ordered me to wear my pair of knickers, which I did. They tied my hands and blindfolded me before they forced their way into Olanipekun’s room. I later heard a gunshot. By the time they left and I was left off the hook, I discovered that the deceased had been killed.”

Not believing that the man who was loved by everyone had been killed, residents of the area besieged his Ile Atere residence, only to see his blood-stained lifeless body on the floor of his bedroom. Mr. Ayo Olatunji, the head of the family, told Daily Sun: “I could not even look at the corpse. I was too shock and frightened. This is somebody that I saw on Sunday only for me to be called on the telephone at about 6am on Monday that he had been killed. This is pure wickedness.”

Bunmi, amidst tears, described the death of her husband as shocking and unbelievable. She described her late husband as a gentleman who, she said, hated being involved in any controversial issue and easily got bored with arguments.“He did not tell me that he had any disagreement or any deal whatsoever with anybody. As regards his political ambition, it is the youths of this area that were calling on him to contest as the next councillor after his efforts for ACN in the last election, but he kept telling them to wait and see how things would go.”
She said her husband had told her, after returning from the party’s meeting the previous day that he observed many strange faces while the meeting was on. “He did not tell me that he had any disagreement with anybody there,” the widow further said.

Kehinde, a National Diploma student of The Polytechnic Ibadan, in his reaction, said it was shocking seeing his father killed in his presence while watching helplessly. He said he had escaped through the same ceiling broken by the assailant alongside his twin brother. He lamented that he was no longer sure of the fate that would befall his education and that of his twin brother, an Accountancy student of the same institution as a result of their father’s death, especially as their own mother had long been separated from the deceased (their father).

After the assailants had completed their devilish assignment and the deceased had been despatched to his early death, many people from far and near continued to converge on the home of the late politician, weeping and mourning the wicked act. The case was immediately reported at the Iyaganku Central Police Station in Ibadan.
The remains of the deceased were buried the same day in accordance with Islamic injunction.
The state police command has since vowed to unravel the mysterious death.

THE controversies surrounding the alleged dual citizenship status of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State appear to be far from over as the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the governor was trying to cover up “his sin bordering on legality”.

The Oyo State PDP secretary, Alhaji Bashiru Akanbi, who made this known while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune last week, said that the recent visit of Senator Ajimobi to the embassy of the United States of America (USA) in Lagos was suspicious and should thus be looked into.

The party also called on the Federal Government and the US Embassy in Nigeria to put the controversy surrounding the alleged dual citizenship of the governor at rest by making known to the public his real status, without a prejudice to the ongoing judicial probe into the issue.

The state PDP scribe said that the party had decided, in the interest of peace, not to challenge the outcome of the April gubernatorial election in the state in which its candidate, former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, lost to the newly-sworn in governor.

The PDP had said that the governor, who won the election on the ticket of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), was not constitutionally qualified to contest the election, having allegedly breached Section 182, Subsection 1 (A) of the Nigerian Constitution which forbade persons with the citizenship of any other country apart from the country of his birth (Nigeria) from contesting for the office of the governor.

Meanwhile, the state governor has denied the insinuations from the PDP, describing the party as “wicked and apparently uninformed.”

Reacting through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, Dr Festus Adedayo, the governor said the meeting between him and US officials discussed a way of partnering on issues bordering on the development of the state.

“The truth of the matter is that Governor Abiola Ajimobi met with the United States of America’s Consul General, Joseph D. Stafford and the Vice Consul, Stacy M. Session, on Tuesday, May 24, 2011, in Lagos to discuss the prospect of Oyo State partnering the United States, so as to make the state the pacesetter that the PDP government denied it for years.

“Indeed, the meeting had been scheduled between the governor and the US Consul General long before the PDP went to town with its unfounded rumour about alleged dual citizenship of the governor.

“At the meeting with the Consul General, the governor requested for ways through which his state could benefit from the American government and partner with it. Specifically, the governor communicated his earlier meeting with the IITA Director to the Consul General and said that the government would network the institute towards uplifting the agricultural base of the state. He specifically stated that Oyo, with its vast land mass, could conveniently feed the whole of nation.

“Among other discussions, Governor Ajimobi requested the American government to help the state in the areas of education, agriculture, infrastructure, health services, commerce, infrastructural development, among others,” Dr Adedayo said.

The statement stated further that the Consul General promised assistance in the sectors, specifically promising to facilitate contact between the state and foreign agricultural services agencies for assistance and that he would forward the request to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

“There was no mention of dual citizenship at all during this open discussion and indeed, there was no basis for the governor to discuss this since he has never been an American citizen. The issue of dual citizenship remains in the fertile imagination of the PDP which has not come to terms with the fact of its grand loss at the polls in April.

“If the opposition PDP is in doubt of the veracity of the above, it could ascertain same from the American government through its embassy which, we are sure, would not join the PDP in its journey on a lie alley,” the release said.

Stereotyping

Shame

This is a nice one