FORMER Governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, who was arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, was, cording to reports, arraigned in a Dubai court yesterday morning and subsequently granted bail.
Media Assistant to the former Governor, Tony Elumunor, in a statement, subsequently gave a graphic account of how Ibori was arrested and how he was placed on bail.

Meantime, UK’s Scotland Yard, yesterday, in an email said: “A 47-year old man has been arrested today, Thursday, 13 May, by authorities in Dubai on suspicion of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud.”

However, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, said that the anti-graft agency had sent operatives to Dubai to help extradite the former Governor.

At Oghara, the country home of the former governor, the situation was calm despite news of his arrest in Dubai.

My arrest story — Ibori

A statement signed by the former Governor’s media assistant, Tony Elumunor, gave his account of the arrest in Dubai as follows: “Chief James Onanefe Ibori walked out of a Dubai court this morning (yesterday) on bail, after having been arrested on Wednesday. He was in a hotel room by 9.00 p.m., Wednesday, when some agents walked into his room, introduced themselves as acting on behalf of Interpol, saying he was wanted in London.
“When Ibori asked why he was wanted in London, they said over credit card fraud. When Ibori replied that he had not been to London since 2005, they modified the reason and said he was wanted for theft. So Ibori said that as they were not sure of the charge, he would not go with them to London. So they took him to a Police station instead.

“The following day, Thursday, 13 May, he was taken to court where he was granted bail, and he was allowed to go free.

“He has asked his supporters, aides, friends and political associates not to be unduly bothered about the ordeal he is going through as the rule of law is always there to protect any victim of persecution – as I am presently being persecuted owing to my political belief.

“He has also accused his political enemies in Nigeria and their United Kingdom co-conspirators of declaring him wanted over charges that have not yet been made public just to influence the outcome of the case against some of his associates in a London court.

“That case has gone on for months, and is on its final stretch now and judgment should be given within days. The Prosecution has since closed its case while the defence will make their closing statement on Friday, 14 May. That is why both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and their London Metropolitan Police collaborators have renewed their malicious legal battering against me for no reason whatsoever.

“It is on record that up till this moment, both agencies have not been able to categorically state the charges they have against me – whether individually or collectively.”

[url]http://gistboard.com/content/my-arrest-story-%E2%80%93-ibori[/url]

Typo error. Meant to be Monday.

Electricity workers in the country have vowed to go ahead with the Monday planned strike nationwide to press home their demands except the Federal Government intervenes to save the nation from total blackout.
It was also gathered that the Federal Government’s delegation yesterday met with the officials of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE,  in a bid to resolve the problems. Though details of the meeting between the two parties were not known as at the time of going to press. It was however, gathered that, the union leaders were not ready to shift their ground.
The union leaders told Vanguard that the strike would be total as “we are not dogs that only bark but do not bite, we will show to the world that we can bark and bite.”
According to the union, none of the 15 private companies licensed by the Federal Government to generate power has added one mega watt to the power generation in the country.
The union also accused those who were given licences to generate power independently of only showing interest in buying the old power stations owned by the Federal Government instead of building new ones.

http://gistboard.com/content/electricity-workers-insist-strike-monday

On a day Nigerians were mourning the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, his successor, President Goodluck Jonathan, was busy directing the police hierarchy to restore the rank of the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, whose reduction in rank and sack from the police were approved by the late President.

It emerged at the weekend that President Jonathan ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ogbonna Onovo and the Police Service Commission (PSC) to reverse Ribadu’s sack from the police, restore him to his former rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) and thereafter, retire him with full benefits.

The directive was said to have been given on Thursday, the day Yar’Adua was being buried.

Sources said Jonathan is considering Ribadu for the chairmanship of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

[url]http://gistboard.com/content/jonathan-orders-police-boss-restore-ribadu%E2%80%99s-rank-aig[/url]

Many will remember Mujahid Dokubo-Asari for the gang wars that turned the Rivers State capital city of Port Harcourt into a garden of blood between 2003 and 2005. Pit against another dreaded gang leader at the time, Ateke Tom, their names evoked fear among residents of the famed Garden City.

Whenever they clashed, they left a trail of sorrow, tears and blood. But Dokubo-Asari metamorphosed into a ‘freedom fighter’, and through his group, Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), began championing the Ijaw cause in what came to be regarded as the Niger Delta struggle. One of the consequences of his agitation was an almost two-year incarceration by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

In the last eight months or thereabout, he had been on self-exile, having fled when he claimed his life was no longer safe in Nigeria. But his return to the country last week almost caused another stir as reports filtered out that some apparently overzealous security agents had arrested him at the Nigeria-Republic of Benin border at Seme. After about five hours, he was however asked to go. This was not before some highly placed Nigerians had intervened through phone calls from Abuja and all over Nigeria.

But the NDPVF leader, who has willy-nilly acquired fame, notoriety, and, perhaps, fortune, is an enigma of sorts. One moment, he talks softly and comes across as somebody that cannot hurt a fly. Almost immediately, the warlord in him manifests and he vibrates at the top of his voice - his passion effusive and vociferous as he kicks against former military president, Ibrahim Babangida’s bid to return to power in 2011.

Hear him: “…how can anybody allow IBB to even campaign? Everywhere he goes they ought to chase him. It is not democracy to allow a man who made thousands of people to die campaign for power…IBB ought to be in prison. Nigerians can stop him.

[url]http://gistboard.com/content/dokubo-asari-explodes-we%E2%80%99ll-stop-ibb[/url]

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is piling pressure on President Goodluck Jonathan to look in the direction of Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State and Alhaji Muktar Shagari, deputy governor of Sokoto State in picking his deputy.

The Governors Forum, on the other hand is rooting for Governors Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Sule Lamido and Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State.

http://gistboard.com/content/obj-govs-scheme-over-v-p

2011 is going to be a strange year. I will not be surprise it Goodluck leaves pdp.

A LEADER of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Lawal Kaita yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan not to vie for the presidency in 2011 in the interest of peace and tranquility in the country.

But the Action Congress (AC) chairman in Plateau State, Chief Amos Gizo has said that Jonathan is free to contest if he feels that Nigerians are satisfied with his performance.

Kaita who was governor of the old Kaduna State based his position on the PDP's rotation of power principle between the north and the south.

Fielding questions from reporters after paying a condolence visit to the family home of the late president, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, he warned that the north would do all within its power to stop Jonathan from occupying the presidential seat beyond 2011.

Wishing Jonathan the best of luck between now and 2011 when the seat of the presidency would be vacant, he noted: " He must not dare contest because he would suffer defeat at the poll. The seat of the presidency is a northern slot and unless Jonathan resigns from the PDP; or unless there is a convention and the PDP reverses the rotation of power formula, there is nothing he can do about the situation."

Reminded that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had just flatly denied the existence of an arrangement like the rotation of power principle in the PDP, he retorted: "He is lying. He is telling lies. When the formula was initiated, he wasn't in the PDP; he was in prison. But he knew about it. If there was no formula, how could he be the president? He is up to mischief; this is pure mischief. The north would resist it totally."

On the challenge before Jonathan on whom to pick as the vice president, he said such person must be a Moslem from any part of the northern part of the country.

http://gistboard.com/content/pdp-ac-chiefs-differ-alleged-jonathans-presidential-bid

vigasimple:

I hope no one is taking any serious notice of the utterance of this political love-peddler.

He left PDP to AC to enable him got Presidential candidate ticket, and when he did not succeed he ran back to see if he can succeed.

Where was his Priniciple? his ideology? beliefs?

So, he believes in Zoning? shege

I can't blame him for trying the zoning argument. It is the only way he thinks he has a shot at the presidency.

Apparently towing the line of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, that the presidential ticket of the party has been zoned to the north till 2015, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday said the zoning arrangement between the North and South must be respected.

Unlike the former President Olusegun Obasanjo who denied knowledge of the zoning arrangement, Atiku said he was aware of the zoning.

Fielding questions from the British Broadcasting Corporation on the issue, Atiku said: “Well, yes, I am aware of that agreement. I was a party to it, it exists and I expect the party will implement that policy and if the party decides not to implement it, it will also have to meet and review it.”

http://gistboard.com/content/vice-president-may-emerge-tuesday

There are strong indications that President Goodluck Jonathan may name his vice president next week Tuesday and subsequentlyseek approval of the National Assembly.

Also yesterday, the United States hailed the "timely inauguration" of President Jonathan, whom it described as the "lawful successor" of late President Umaru Yar'Adua.

"The president is holding consultations as part of efforts to arrive at who will be the nominee for vice president. He will likely send the name to the National Assembly for approval, according to constitutional requirements, by Monday or Tuesday,” a presidency source was quoted to have told Reuters.

Jonathan, who was sworn in on Thursday hours after the death of Yar'Adua, spent most of yesterday, meeting former Nigerian heads of state, governors, and top officials from the ruling People's Democratic Party on the choice of his vice president.

http://gistboard.com/content/vice-president-may-emerge-tuesday

Fight!!!!

A rift in Nigeria's ruling party ahead of presidential polls, resurgent crime in the Niger Delta oil region and tough financing conditions for businesses and consumers are clouding an otherwise bright investment outlook.

Africa's most populous nation is a compelling frontier market and some foreign investors are slowly returning to its capital markets, but its volatile politics with elections due by early next year means many remain on the sidelines for now.

Following are some of the factors investors are watching.


http://gistboard.com/content/key-political-risks-watch-nigeria

The death of Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua is unlikely to plunge Africa's most populous state into crisis, but it intensifies what was already shaping up to be the fiercest succession race since the end of military rule.

Yar'Adua has been absent from the political scene since last November, when he left for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, and his deputy Goodluck Jonathan has been running the country since February, when he assumed full powers as Acting President.

After initial fears of a power struggle as the camp around Yar'Adua fought to maintain influence, Jonathan has consolidated his position, naming a new cabinet and advisers, and Yar'Adua's death is unlikely to have any immediate impact on policy in the OPEC-member nation.

But it does pile pressure on the powerbrokers in the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) to resolve a months-old impasse over who should succeed him.


http://gistboard.com/content/nigeria-succession-wide-open-after-yaraduas-death

Lagos — President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was Nigeria's 13th Head of State. He served as governor of Katsina State in northern Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 28 May 2007. He was declared the winner of the presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 2007. He was a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Early life
Yar'Adua was born into an aristocratic Fulani family in Katsina; his father, a former Minister for Lagos during the First Republic, held the royal title of Mutawalli (custodian of the treasury) of the Katsina Emirate, a title which Yar'Adua inherited. He started his education at Rafukka Primary School in 1958, and moved to Dutsinma Boarding Primary School in 1962. He attended the Government College at Keffi from 1965 until 1969. In 1971 he received a Higher School Certificate from Barewa College. He attended Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria from 1972 to 1975, attaining a BSc in Education and Chemistry, and then returned in 1978 to achieve an M.Sc Degree in Analytical Chemistry.

http://gistboard.com/content/yaradua-his-life-and-times

kosovo:

Typical OBJ . . .

The guy is just a classic case

na their birth right?

On April 1st 2010 Nigerian policemen in Ajegunle Lagos raided a crowded TV watching centre beating Charles Okoroafor to death after he refused to pay a bribe. Saharareporters interviews the father of the victim, community activists and residents of Ajegunle-one of Nigeria's poorest suburbs- about police brutality and extra-judicial killings by the Nigerian police force in Lagos. In this video interview the family speak out.

http://www.gistboard.com/content/nigerian-police-killings-ajegunle-lagos

Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, said yesterday that there were certain things he did in office 17 years ago that he wanted to do again by contesting in 2011.

Responding to a question on what he forgot in Aso Rock that he wants to go and pick, he said: “'Seventeen years ago, when I left Aso Rock, I Ieft so many things that I think I should go and bring back. I left for example, the value of Naira, I left, again for example stable price of fuel.

“I also left a whole lot of reforms, and I need to go back and get them back. So there are lot of things that I left behind that I want to go and pick up for the benefit of ordinary Nigerians.”


http://gistboard.com/content/ibb-what-i-forgot-aso-rock

globalaid:

useless and moronic post. Ghana is not like nigeria that anything goes, there is rule of law here and no big man syndrome and moreover nothing like that happened.

It is obvious you did not read the story. the rape thing is just some new movie Jackie is promoting. Try to lighten up   

P.s How do you know she is from Ghana?

[url]http://gistboard.com/content/president%E2%80%99s-son-rapes-jackie-appiah[/url]

A former Minister of Information and prominent leader in South-South, Chief Edwin Clark, has described the former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, as a coward.

The action of the former governor, who had been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Niger Delta leader said, had shown that he was not a courageous person.

[url]http://www.gistboard.com/content/ibori-coward-%E2%80%93-clark[/url]

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been accused of acting vigorously to prevent the extradition of Mr. Sunday Akinyemi, a Nigerian fugitive, back to the US where he is wanted for tax fraud.  Mr. Akinyemi, a popular Lagos socialite and businessman, mingles with the politically well heeled in Lagos and is known to have political connections stretching from Lagos all the way to Abuja.

One of our sources said that Akinyemi made a lot of money through his closeness to former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos. “Chief Akinyemi was very close to Governor Tinubu, and was able to use his connections to establish his businesses.”

[url]http://www.gistboard.com/content/efcc-protects-lagos-%E2%80%9Cbig-boy%E2%80%9D-sunday-akinyemi-extradition-us[/url]

At least five people have been killed in Nigeria's central city of Jos after violence broke out following the killing of a Muslim man, an army spokesman and witnesses say.

Donald Oji, the spokesman for the military task force set up to police Jos after violence between Muslims and Christians killed hundreds of people in March, said three of those attacked on Saturday died in hospital.


http://www.gistboard.com/content/several-killed-nigeria-violence

The spate of kidnappings, assassinations, political murders and general insecurity in the country may have forced politicians, top government officials, wealthy businessmen and other affluent Nigerians into a rush for bullet-proof cars.

Latest information released to our correspondent by a top American auto armoring company also revealed that the closeness of the 2011 general election has caused politicians to massively place orders for heavily fortified anti-ballistic vehicles.

http://gistboard.com/content/2011-elections-politicians-mad-rush-bullet-proof-cars

1 badgirl:

     The headline was very crazy. those people know how to sell a story.

i have to agree. This is the kind of thing that stupid newspaper call the sun would use to sell more copies.

ikamefa:


despoil koo! amend ni i

rumour mongers!

lol

Joseph Igbineweka, 23, president of the Associated Students at Chico State University, was the victim of an apparent racially motivated attack early Sunday morning as he was returning home from a party on West Sacramento Avenue. He is in stable condition and recovering at Enloe Medical Center.

Chico police said the suspects reportedly made racial comments before the attack. Igbineweka is a Nigerian foreign exchange student attending Chico State.

At approximately 2:17 a.m., Igbineweka was walking home alone when two males approached and began to threaten him and make racial slurs, according to a press release from the Chico Police Department.



http://www.gistboard.com/content/apparent-racial-attack-nigerian-student-chico-california

Ten local government chairmen in Benue Sate have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly misappropriating over N900 million excess crude funds allocated to their council areas.

It was gathered that the chairmen were picked last Tuesday when the operatives raided the state, and they are currently in the custody of the EFCC.




http://gistboard.com/content/efcc-arrests-10-benue-lg-bosses-over-n900m-excess-crude-fund

Nedum Onuoha’s name has been struck off Nigeria’s provisional World Cup squad after the Manchester City defender ruled himself out of consideration to represent the country of his birth.

http://gistboard.com/content/onuoha-rules-self-out-eagles

The Nigerian Football Federation on Sunday released the list of players invited to the Super Eagles with France -based ex- youth international, Haruna Lukman, Swiss- based Blessing Ideye and Italy-based Michael Odibe getting first time call up.

Portsmouth‘s John Utaka, FC Zurich‘s Onyekachi Okonkwo and Salzburg‘s Rabiu Afolabi were, however, handed recalls by Technical Adviser Lars Lagerback.

see full list at the link below.

[url]http://gistboard.com/content/s%E2%80%99africa-2010-haruna-ideye-odibe-make-lagerback%E2%80%99s-list[/url]

[url]http://gistboard.com/content/ibb-younger-generation-can%E2%80%99t-rule-nigeria[/url]

The old fossil thinks thinks that the young generation cannot be trusted with the country. Does he forget them it was his generation that got us into the mess we are in now.  . The man is loco!!!!

A play on the afro beat king Fela has swept USA like wildfire. The play which is drawn crowds on broadway is based on the life and times of the great musician who is an inspiration to many artist world wide is produced by Jay-z, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett.

http://gistboard.com/content/fela-broadway-does-justice-black-president

http://gistboard.com/upcoming/newest

It is nice to see that Fela is getting the respect he deserves. Long live FELA!!!!!!!!!!!

The ex- governor of Zamfara state Senator Sanni Yerima is apparently in trouble for his marriage to a 13 year old Egyptian girl. The marriage took place in Nigeria because the Egyptian laws do not allow underage marriage.

source -- [url]http://gistboard.com/content/senate-debate-ex-gov%E2%80%99s-marriage-minor[/url]