₦airaland Forum

‘Adeniran Ogunsanya is born again’

WEDNESDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2011 00:00 BY ISAAC TAIWO NEWS - METRO


Lagos hands over upgraded popular street, warns residents against abuse of infrastructure

IT may not be that long, just 1.024 kilometres, but Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, stretching from Alhaji Masha/Shita Roundabout to Bode Thomas Street could well rank as one of the best-known streets in the Lagos metropolis.

Originally, a single-carriageway that grew in importance as Surulere, also called ‘New Lagos’ expanded, Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, over the years, became a vital artery that fed innumerable flourishing businesses and their owners.
Soon, minor problems worsened and became intractable; the road became prone to daily traffic jams that could last for hours due to over-use of the road capacity.

Rapid and monumental increase in commercial activities as a result of conversion of residential buildings to commercial use without regard for improvement of available infrastructure further worsened matters.

Potholes became craters and pools of water that lasted for weeks on several sections of the road were common until May 2009, when the Lagos State government intervened and contracted the road-upgrading project to Messrs HFP Nigeria Limited

The task included scarification of entire asphalt surface; demolition of inadequate drains; construction of new covered drains, expansion of the road from single to dual carriageway; earthworks and stone base; asphalt works introduction of service ducts; installation of median and provision of streetlights with alternative source of power.

On Friday, Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, which used to be a 10metre-single-carriageway but now upgraded and expanded to a dual carriageway with two lanes each way, including befitting road furniture, was handed over to the residents.

Speaking at the occasion, the Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola Fashola (SAN), who was accompanied by top government officials including, his Deputy, Princess Adebisi Sarah Sosan and Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, described the new Adeniran Ogunsanya Street as “ true dividend of democracy in continuity.”

Going down memory lane, Fashola recalled, “Surulere, the neighborhood where this road is sited is called “new Lagos”.
“This is where I was born, raised and educated.

“Road and building infrastructure at “new Lagos’ started in 1950’s when it was apparent that Lagos Island was getting congested and overstretched and there was need to relocate people to a more auspicious area.

“The construction of the Eko Bridge, which came to be in the 1960s also contributed to the movement and relocation of affected people from Lagos Island to the “New Lagos.

“Many years of population growth that was not complemented by infrastructure growth led first to emigration of middle-class residents and later businesses, and the businesses that remained thrived in excruciating conditions while residents endured flooding and chaotic traffic.

“It is, therefore, apparent that Adeniran Ogunsanya Street that we are handing over within “New Lagos” had undergone various facelifts in the past which has not been comprehensive and effective.

“There is no gainsaying that since we started the regeneration from Funso Williams to Eric Moore Road, to Orile and Lagos Badagry Expressway, life has been increasingly better evidenced by the faces and life style of residents showing improvement day by day.
“This is why we are in government,” he said.

Fashola added that improvement was not limited to Adeniran Ogunsanya alone as other road projects awarded within the same vicinity, which included Amosu, Idita and Oyediran Streets were going on while that of Akerele (which has been going on concurrently with Adeniran Ogunsanya Street), Ogunlana Drive, Adelabu and Bode Thomas Streets were making progress.

“I am of the strong conviction that the roads would be completed to high standard and handed over to the good people of Lagos very soon, just as we are doing today,” he said.

He enjoined the Community Development Association (CDA) and the entire residents of Adeniran Ogunsanya to keep and protect the ‘asset’ from all forms of abuse while assuring it is used for the benefit of Lagosians that will use it from day to day, for many years to come.

In address, the Special Adviser, the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Ganiyu Johnson, an engineer said the single carriageway has been successfully upgraded to dual carriageway with features such as: walkway, streetlights, service ducts among others which form part of the inner ring roads which include Adeniran Ogunsanya, Akerele, Ogunlana, Adelabu, Babs Animashaun and Bode Thomas currently under construction.

According to him, the ring when completed would compliment Funsho Williams, Eric Moore and Lagos- Badagry expressway and enhance commerce and economic growth in Surulere being the hub of the local council.

Johnson adduced the major factor responsible for government’s intervention on the road project as the state’s commitment towards boosting commerce as well as fulfilling its promise to promote private sector participation.

He acknowledged the support and understanding shown by Adeniran Ogunsanya Street Landlords and Residents Association throughout the period of execution of the project describing them as reliable partners in progress.

“I want to implore the Community Development and Residents’ Associations to assume responsibility for this road by ensuring amongst others that your drains are desilted and carted away regularly.

“You should ensure that the walkways are not converted to car parks and stalls.
“I am imploring residents, road users, the corporate community to ensure that all forms of abuse, including cutting across or along the road, are prevented since provisions have been made for service ducts.

“This project has been executed to high engineering standard and I want to enjoin motorists to be patient and obey all traffic rules most especially at the median openings, to avoid traffic gridlock,” he said.

http://punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2011022119943

Lagos begins pensioners verification exercise

NewsFeb 23, 2011


BY Olasunkanmi Akoni

Governor Babtunde Fashola of Lagos State has expressed his administration’s commitment and determination to all matters affecting pensioners and their well being.
The state Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions, Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu, stated this yesterday, at the flag-off of the 2011 pensioners biometric verification exercise at Agege Local Government Area.
He explained that the quest for the improvement and better life for the retired state workers prompted the state government to embrace biometric exercise.
He said it will not only curb the rigorous experience pensioners go through while collectting their monthly allowances, but will also ease the process and stamp out ghost pensioners that has also characterised the system.
He said: “Fashola is committed to all matters affecting pensioners so as to ease the burden of retirement and ensure their comfort even at old age because they have served and contributed in no small measures to the growth and development of the state while in active service.”
Permanent Secretary in Civil Service Pensions Office, Mrs. Folasade Adesoye, advised pensioners to cooperate with the field officers by presenting their pensioner’s identity cards, original copy of final letter of retirement and two passport-size photographs.
She said: “I must further assure you that our officers are ready to assist you with any challenges you may face and will make clarifications when necessary.”
Stating that the exercise has assisted the state government to check double appearance or ghost pensioners, Sanwo-Olu added that adequate provisions has been made for pensioners who for one reason or the other could not make it to the designated centres to be captured through special arrangement.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary in Civil Service Pensions office, Mrs. Folasade Adesoye explained that the biometric technology was introduced and adopted in 2008 because of the need for proper identification of all exiting pensioners on the pensioners’ payroll and to eliminate multiple identity, fraud and ghost pensioners.
On the exercise held at Agege to cater for those in Agege and Orile_Agege, she said that the state government has decentralized the exercise to ensure a stress_free participation by all pensioners across the state, saying, “The effort is just to demonstrate how pensioner friendly the state government is.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/lagos-begins-pensioners-verification-exercise/

ACN vows to sweep away PDP govt

HeadlinesFeb 22, 2011

BY KOLADE LAREWAJU

ABEOKUTA—THE ancient town of Abeokuta virtually stood still Tuesday the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, stormed the Ogun State capital for a rally to kick off the campaign of the Governorship candidate; Senator Ibikunle Amosun and other candidates in the forth coming April elections.

ACN supporters at the flag off Campaign of Ogun State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Governorship Candidate, held at Ake Palace Ground Abeokuta, Tuesday
Traffic came to a stand still from Sapon through the major street leading to the Ake Palace Square, venue of the rally as vehicles were parked on both sides of the road while the crowd spilled over on to the road with the venue filled to capacity.
Party chieftains led by the National Chairman; Chief Bisi Akande, former Governors of Lagos State and Ogun State; Sen Bola Tinubu, and Chief Olusegun Osoba respectively, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, (Edo) and Babatunde Raji Fashola (Lagos) all vowed to “sweep away’’ the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, government in the state.
Chairman of the party, Chief Akande in handing over the flag of the party to Amosun said the leadership of the party had since August last year decided to hand over the reign of governance to the youth adding “we old men want to sit back because we know you can do it.”
Amidst lots of singing drumming and dancing, the former Lagos State Governor; Senator Bola Tinubu in his speech said “we will sweep away their lion here that cannot roar.
We will change Ogun State from cultism to a state that would be on the path of progress; through education, rural and infrastructural development and employment generation.
“It is a broom revolution. Are you ready to sweep away the inept government that has squandered millions? Ever since they stole the state from the progressives, it has been darkness and you have to be ready to sweep them away. We will not vote for Poverty Development Party.
They have spent eight years; and what they have is assassination, inept governance and looting of our funds.”
Governor Fashola of Lagos State in his own address, lamented the deplorable situation in Ogun, explaining that passing through Sapon, the commercial nerve centre of the ancient town, the road had been bad for three years and that government has not done any repair on the road.
He said “I commend you for your perseverance. No water no electricity; nothing. But God has come to your rescue. A vote for ACN will be a vote for better things, better schools and better roads. We used the Lagos State House of Assembly to enact laws to provide security for people of Lagos State, but your own House of Assembly has not functioned for two years.
How can they work for you to make laws to protect you? I see mismanagement and poverty; and my heart bleeds. PDP is an infection in Nigeria that should removed”
Former Governor Olusegun Osoba in his own speech said that in the next elections “all votes must be for ACN. We will sweep all of them away. We will sweep away those who are creating problems for our state”
Chief Osoba then took time to explain that the voting process would not allow for any rigging and asked the people to protect their votes legally by staying around to do accreditation, voting and counting of the votes
The Governorship candidate; Senator Amosun in his campaign flag off speech titled “mission to rebuild Ogun State” said “I have news for the plunderers of our state; your time has come and gone, the change is here and inevitable. Today’s event signposts a new dawn in Ogun State. You cannot stop it.
This time around, we will ensure that all votes are counted and they count in the final results. We will protect the mandate that the people of Ogun State will confer on us at the polls. “We shall ensure, through all means legal and legitimate, that the will of the majority of Ogun State people prevails”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/acn-vows-to-sweep-away-pdp-govt/

I’m open to talks with Jonathan, others – IBB
HeadlinesFeb 23, 2011

By HENRY UMORU

ABUJA — FORMER Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, said, yesterday, that he was yet to seal a deal to support President Goodluck Jonathan in the forthcoming presidential election, affirming that he was still open to supporting the President or any of his major rivals.

Former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida
The former Head of State who was an aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, also drew a distinction between ongoing talks between the President and the Mallam Adamu Ciroma-led Northern Political Leaders Forum, NPLF, on one hand and discussions between the President and himself, Babangida as a person.
Affirming his continued belief in the principles and philosophy of zoning, Babangida said he was, nevertheless, open to constructive dialogue with all presidential candidates from all sections of the country, if not, then for the unity and stability of the country.
A statement issued on behalf of the former military ruler by his media spokesman, Prince Kassim Afegbua, said that Gen. Babangida’s response was in reaction to recent claims of a deal between the NPLF and Jonathan that would restrict the President to a single term tenure.
Calls by numerous supporters
The statement entitled ‘No Deal With President Goodluck Jonathan’ read thus: “We have been inundated with telephone calls and text messages from our numerous supporters nationwide over the news report that indicated that a deal had been sealed between President Goodluck Jonathan and former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.
On behalf of General Ibrahim Babangida, GCFR, I wish to state that up till this date, Tuesday, February 22, 2011, no deal has been sealed.
“Let me state in very clear terms that there are overtures being extended by the Jonathan/Sambo campaign organization being led by the President himself, to the Northern Political Leaders Forum on the need for reconciliation in order to boost his campaigns. Even at that, there is nothing to suggest that a deal has been struck.
“There is a clear distinction between General Ibrahim Babangida as a private citizen and the Northern Political Leaders Forum led by Mallam Adamu Ciroma. This distinction must be properly understood each time the media tries to draw its conclusions.
It should also be noted that General IBB has access to Mr. President and can engage him anytime in the interest of the country.
“Expectedly, any presidential candidate should ordinarily reach out to those he feels could enrich his campaigns and support base. It is a usual democratic and electoral practice that is not peculiar to us in Nigeria.
It is also expected that when such a candidate is reaching out, certain convincing reasons would be advanced to woo his potential supporters.
“While it is not out of place for President Jonathan to reach out to people he feels could enrich his campaigns, it is out of place for the media to run into premature conclusion that a deal has been struck as if the object of political participation is to appropriate the collective destinies of Nigeria in naira and kobo.
“General Ibrahim Babangida is not a dealer. He has never been a dealer and he does not intend to be one. He is a distinguished elder statesman who is not persuaded by pecuniary benefits but a leader who is genuinely concerned about the development, unity and stability of the country.
Dynamics of democracy
“General Babangida’s understanding of the dynamics of democracy is that rule of law, collective bargaining and constructive engagement should prevail in a manner that puts the national interest far and above personal interest. He still believes in the principles and philosophy of zoning which prompted the setting up of the Northern Political Leaders Forum in the first place.
“General Babangida and his political family are open for political dialogue and constructive engagement to all presidential candidates irrespective of where they come from, insofar the object of the dialogue borders on the unity and stability of the country.
He is still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party and by implications, would be willing to help the party succeed once the internal contradictions are sorted out.
It should be understood that the idea being sold out that President Jonathan would serve one term as a precondition for getting the Northern support is non_applicable. By law, if President Goodluck Jonathan gets re-elected, he would be statute-barred from contesting in 2015 having been sworn-in twice. General Ibrahim Babangida remains passionate about one Nigeria and would go to any extent to sustain that ideal.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/i%E2%80%99m-open-to-talks-with-jonathan-others%E2%80%94ibb/

(ON)GOING CONCERNS: Choosing the next president

By Tolu Ogunlesi

February 23, 2011 01:03AM

Former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd recently told the Financial Times: “I believe in politics for the two questions it asks of us. One is: ‘What do you stand for and why?’ And the second is: ‘Do you know what you are talking about?”

These are excellent questions to carry over into the Nigerian situation.

Think of Nuhu Ribadu. What comes to mind is a man who came into public reckoning on the strength of his fearlessness, and determination to rid Nigeria of financial crime. Think Fola Adeola and Pat Utomi, and their impressive resumes speak for them, evidence of a consistently-manifested genius for visionary thinking, and for the management of people and resources. Tunde Bakare brings “conviction”, “fearlessness” and “integrity” to mind.

I think of Dele Momodu and of a certain drive and eclectic ambition; a man who, once he sets his eyes on a goal, will work to make it happen. Muhamadu Buhari evokes frugality and (to borrow from Wole Soyinka) “dis’plin” – qualities sorely needed in a country ravaged by lawlessness and recklessness.

Now think of Goodluck Jonathan, and what comes to mind? Perhaps it’s time to confess my confusion. Has Mr. President done a great job of letting us know what exactly he stands for, and to what extent he knows what he’s talking about. I honestly can’t say for sure.

Maybe it’s simply a personality issue. Mr. Jonathan does seem to be an introvert, which in itself is not a bad thing. But I fear that he is not doing a good enough job of asserting himself in the office he occupies. (Now, sadly, this is one of those lines that I fear someone in one of the anti-Jonathan camps will seize and proclaim on Facebook, for campaign purposes).

Nigeria’s challenges demand presidents with a certain verve, an awareness both of the intimidating challenges they face, and the intimidating power they wield to bring transformation.

Ribadu, Buhari, Bakare, Adeola, Utomi, Momodu have all clearly demonstrated that verve, that ambition, in one way or the other, even if it has sometimes played out in flawed ways. I suspect that there are quite a number of Nigerians frustrated by President Jonathan’s ten months thus far in office – for one who came to the presidential palace by way of a most unusual path, as an ‘outsider’ in a system dominated by complicated tribal and cabal ties, there is too much same-old-same-old in this presidency.

Come April we will know if he’ll get a second chance or not. What is most important for now is for him to realise that, unlike in 2007, or 2003, Nigerians now have the kinds of alternatives we’ve dreamed about for long.

I think Nigerians deserve to celebrate the fact that in theory Nigeria has perhaps never had it this good in terms of choice of presidential palace material. That Nuhu Ribadu, Fola Adeola, Tunde Bakare, Dele Momodu, and even Mr. Jonathan himself (in the face of the tribal challenge by the so-called ‘Northern Elite’) can seriously aspire to be President or Vice President, is a sign of how far we’ve come from, say, 1998, when Sani Abacha was the only man “whom the cap fit.”

I think – or should that be ‘hope’ – events of this election season, that have thrown up this impressive array of candidates – constitute strong evidence that Nigerians are ready to sing ‘Nunc Dimittis’ to our long-cherished tradition of ‘anything goes’ in our political space. Everyone who remembers how an ailing, uninterested Yar’Adua was arrogantly foisted upon us in 2007 ought to weep again and again for this country.

It appears (alas for now one can only say ‘appears’) to be dawning on Nigerians that there is a connection between the ‘quality’ of those who roll around town in lengthy, noisy convoys, and the ‘quality’ of life lived in the country.

For too long, our matches have been played by ball boys, whilst the ‘first eleven’ remain seated on the bench, watching helplessly, sometimes even cheerleading. Now, hopefully, a revolution beckons.

But I still have one fear: that after the dust has settled, and April’s spoils of victory have been shared, everyone who is not a winner will immediately go to sleep beneath a “Wake me up in 2015” banner.

Surely no country that is serious about its destiny treats its politics like a ‘Leap Year’. In sensible countries, every day counts. Politicians are judged not by the last-minute promises they manufacture, but by how they have conducted themselves, in and out of power, since the last elections. In Nigeria however, politicians – winners and losers alike – go to sleep as soon as election results are out.

In the event that the Ribadus and Adeolas and Bakares and Shekaraus and Momodus and Utomis do not win come April, I do not expect them to return to “personal life.” And if they do, Nigerians should not take them seriously next time. Ribadu for example has a strong youth movement that should seek, whether its candidate wins or not, to blossom into a force as significant in Nigeria as the Tea Party is in America.

Hopefully no one thinks it’s too early to start talking about 2015.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Opinion/5679492-146/story.csp

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/nvs/nigerians-arrested-in-los-angeles-over-medicare-fraud.html

Nigerians Arrested In Los Angeles Over Medicare Fraud

NVS

February 22, 2011

United States Attorney's Office
Central District of California
February 17, 2011

SIX LOS ANGELES-AREA DEFENDANTS INDICTED FOR SUBMITTING NEARLY $30 MILLION IN FRAUDULENT BILLS TO MEDICARE

LOS ANGELES – As part of a nationwide crackdown on Medicare fraud, six local defendants were arrested today on charges of submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare, mostly for electric wheelchairs that were never delivered.

Three indictments charging six defendants were unsealed today in United States District Court in Los Angeles. The local charges are among cases filed in nine cities across the United States that charge a total of 111 defendants, who cumulatively are accused of being involved in nearly a quarter billion dollars worth of false billings submitted to Medicare.

The Southland defendants arrested today are:

Camillus Ehigie, 50, of Woodland Hills;

Evans Oniha, 48, of Rancho Palos Verdes, who self-surrendered this morning;

Charles Achike Agbu, 56, of Carson;

Obageli Brooke Agbu, who is Charles Agbu’s daughter, 24, of Carson;

Joseph Ofoegbu, 58, Gardena; and

Sarah Hua, 64, of Monterey Par, who self-surrender this morning.

The six defendants are expected to be arraigned on the health care fraud charges this afternoon in federal court in downtown Los Angeles, with the exception of Ehigie who is being treated for an undisclosed medical condition.

Over the course of nine years, Camillus Ehige and Evans Oniha allegedly submitted more than $16 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for durable medical equipment and in-home nursing services that typically were not provided to Medicare beneficiaries.

Ehige and Oniha were the owner/operators of Caravan Medical Supplies in Culver City and Prosperity Home Health Services in Lawndale. Ehige owned and operated Osbed Medical Supply in Woodland Hills. Ehige and Oniha were charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and several substantive counts of health care fraud for billing the Medicare program for durable medical equipment and home health services that were not medically necessary and, in many instances, not even provided. Ehige and Oniha allegedly paid “marketers” for access to Medicare beneficiary information or to have Medicare beneficiaries obtain fraudulent prescriptions for equipment or services. Ehigie and Oniha were also charged with making a false statement in a health care matter, and Ehigie was charged with obstructing an investigation into a healthcare offense for instructing a co-conspirator to lie to law enforcement agents about the scheme run out of Caravan, Osbed, and Prosperity.

In the second case, Charles Achike Agbu and his daughter, Obageli Brooke Agbu, were charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and several counts of health care fraud for submitting fraudulent claims for durable medical equipment through their Carson companies. Charles Agbu owned and operated Bonfee, Inc. and Obageli owned and operated Ibon, Inc. The indictment alleges that the Agbus billed Medicare for durable medical equipment, such as electric wheelchairs and orthotics, that was not needed, wanted, or even delivered to the Medicare beneficiaries for whom the bills were submitted. As part of the scheme, the Agbus allegedly obtained prescriptions from doctors for the medically unnecessary equipment and then used those prescriptions, along with the Medicare beneficiary information, to submit fraudulent claims to the Medicare program. Bonfee and Ibon allegedly submitted to Medicare a total of approximately $12 million in fraudulent bills for durable medical equipment.

Joseph Ofoegbu, the owner and operator of Iyke Associates in Torrance, and Sarah Hua, a marketer who procured beneficiaries for Ofoegbu, were charged with three counts of health care fraud for submitting fraudulent claims for reimbursement for motorized wheelchairs. The indictment alleges that Ofoegbu used marketers, including Hua, to recruit beneficiaries who were then seen by physicians who prescribed medically unnecessary durable medical equipment. The prescriptions were sent to Iyke Associates, which fraudulently billed Medicare using those prescriptions. According to the indictment, the beneficiaries either did not receive the equipment or they received less expensive equipment than the items Iyke billed to Medicare. Iyke billed a total of approximately $1.5 million in claims for DME it purported to provide to Medicare beneficiaries.

In announcing the nationwide crackdown on Medicare fraud today, Attorney General Eric Holder said: “With this takedown, we have identified and shut down large-scale fraud schemes operating throughout the country. We have safeguarded precious taxpayer dollars. And we have helped to protect our nation’s most essential health care programs, Medicare and Medicaid. As today’s arrests prove, we are waging an aggressive fight against health care fraud.”

The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations are part of the Health Care Fraud Prevention & Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), a joint initiative announced in May 2009 between the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.

“Today’s actions show that we will not tolerate criminals who pay kickbacks for referrals of Medicare business or who will bill for services that were medically unnecessary,” said Glenn R. Ferry, the Los Angeles Region’s Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services. “These actions are part of a coordinated, nationwide sweep in our continuing battle against greedy criminals who profit from exploiting federal health care programs.”

Tony Sidley, Senior Special Agent in Charge for the California Department of Justice, stated: “The California Attorney General’s Office is committed to fight fraud against the state Medi-Cal program. CAL DOJ has supported the HEAT initiative from its inception in the Los Angeles region. Today’s operation is another example of a successful and coordinated effort to fight Health Care Fraud in Los Angeles.”

An indictment merely contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at trial.

The Strike Force cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Medical Fraud and Elder Abuse.



1
posted on 02-22-2011, 18:28:23 PM
First-lady
Re: Nigerians Arrested In Los Angeles Over Medicare Fraud
Nigerians again?
When the medical supplies raid swept through Houston some husbands even left their wives and absconded to Naija while the Iyawo was captured and jailed.
Doctors o
Chiropractors o
lawyers o
psychologists o
nurses o
many are in jail for healthcare fraud
Our people are just too greedy
Everyone wants to live in a mansion and show off and drive the flashiest cars
go home and obtain chieftaincy titles
to what gain?

You see a couple just struggling like everyone else and overnight they start a medical supplies business and blow up
na so person dey get rich?

See the list below of 30 Nigerians captured in medicaid fraud
https://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/releases/2006/113006suspects.pdf


QUOTE:
Many US-based Nigerian professionals are concerned that such developments like this Texas Medicaid fraud continue to stain the mostly good records of Nigerians in this country.

One of them, who is also a public commentator, Professor Bolaji Aluko said he expects the Nigerian government to fully cooperate with FBI authorities in bringing to justice those who might have escaped into Nigeria.

Said he, “we cannot allow Nigeria to be a haven for run-away suspected/confirmed criminals - that would not be consistent with the budding “Heart of Africa” project being launched around the world by the Nigerian government.”
Thank you prof,you spoke well
Specifically, the suspected criminals used about 32 companies in the state to falsely make phoney medical financial and supply claims that did not exist. Throught the Medicaid system, these firms took money from the state of Texas for adult diapers, wheelchairs, and other medical supplies that were never delivered. According to the indictments, the suspects accepted reimbursements, based on billings for supplies that were never delivered to patients as was meant to be.

For instance, one of the Nigerians whose arrest was prominent and recorded on video, currently available on the internet and shown around the world is Ededem Edem. He has been indicted by a Harris County(equivalent of a local government area) grand jury on Nov. 27, 2006, for second-degree felony aggregate theft by a government contractor for billing and receiving payments of over $100,000 from the Medicaid program for adult diapers that were never delivered to Medicaid recipients. If convicted, Edem and others may face a 2-20 years jail term and a fine of up to $10,000.

The list of the names of the 31 suspects aslo indicated that most of them were linked with one of the 32 medical supply businesses involved in making the fraudulent and phoney medical claims. Some of such compnaies include Interstate Medical Supply, Edima Health Management Group, Essential Healthcare Clinic&Supplier, Ollie Ross Medical, Edison Medical Supply, Semeds Medical Equipment, Citizens Medical Equipment, EMCO Medical Supplies Inc., Goldnet Medical Supplies Corp, Sinex Medical Supply, all in Houston.

Outside Houston, there are several other companies involved. They include Sam’s Medical Supplu in Richmond, Blue Rose and C&M Medical Equipment in Missouri City, Pinnacle Medical Supply, in Katy and Perfect Medical Equipment in Sugarland.

Of all the 31 indicted suspects, 5 are females, some of which may include Non-Nigerians judging from their names. Phone calls by Empowered Newswire to the homes of several of the suspects did not produce any substantial reaction as many of the families of the suspects feigned ignorance of the news.

Aluko, a university professor based in Washington D.C. described the incident as a disgrace. According to him, “First, to have so many Nigerians involved in such a scam in the Houston area is a disgrace, particularly in the aftermath of the CNN report which was vigorously protested by both the Nigerian community in the US and the Nigerian government. “

He urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to take a more proactive role as a matter of must, in order to ensure “better role modeling by its fellow citizens.”

With the preponderance of names from a particular section of the country, Aluko called on US-based Nigerian ethnic and national organizations to ensur that their members with questionable wealth be put under the microscope.

Prominent among the Nigerians arrested is Ededem Edem, whose photo was displayed at the press conference on Friday by the Texas Attorney-General.


http://odili.net/news/source/2006/dec/4/552.html

Is Jonathan Playing For Ibori? By Okey Ndibe
Posted: February 21, 2011 - 23:06

Okey Ndibe
Columnist: Okey Ndibe
Last week, SaharaReporters – which has emerged as Africa’s Wikileaks – reported that Mr. Jonathan Goodluck was “seeking a deal with the UK and United Arab Emirates (UAE) to allow former Governor James Ibori of Delta State to return to Nigeria.”

My first reaction on reading that report was, “Jonathan, say it ain’t so!” The very thought of Nigeria negotiating with two countries – Britain, where Mr. Ibori is wanted to answer grave money laundering charges, and Dubai, where he fled when Nigerian authorities sought his arrest – struck me as absurd. But therein lay the rub. For, as an attorney friend of mine often reminds me, Nigeria has become an address where the absurd makes sense.

There are other reasons to take the expose by SaharaReporters seriously. One, I had heard the speculation before. During my recent trip to Nigeria, I ran into an acquaintance who has a nose for sniffing up scandals in the halls of government. With confidence, this fellow told me that Mr. Ibori would arrive in Nigeria before the April elections. I wasted no time in expressing my doubts. “The British government, which went to great lengths to secure the rights to Ibori, won’t negotiate away their quarry,” I contended.

The man laughed off my skepticism. “Do you think the British government really cares that Ibori stole Nigeria’s money and put it in their banks? Do you think they would still ask for Ibori if President Jonathan tells them that security reports indicate that Niger Delta militants would unleash fire and brimstone if Ibori is sent to London?”

“But,” I said, changing the grounds of the argument, “Ibori and Jonathan are political foes. Ibori was an insider in Yar’Adua’s administration and made a point of humiliating Jonathan. I believe that was one reason, if not the major one, the EFCC tried to take another look at Ibori after Justice Awokulehin said he couldn’t see even a tiny stain on the man’s clothes.”

“This is politics,” my interlocutor said in an assured, didactic tone. “Jonathan doesn’t need to punish Ibori; all he wants is for Ibori to submit. Ibori is down at the moment and will head to prison if he lands in London. However, if Jonathan manages to get him back to Nigeria, he has a good chance of never going to jail. Even if he’s ever sentenced, it would be the Tafa Balogun way – for a few months. And he can get a doctor’s certificate of sickness and spent the six months in a cozy hospital bed.”

I was not persuaded, but I was hardly in the mood to pursue what seemed to me a ludicrous argument. I merely shrugged and shook my head. The man sensed my resistance. As if to settle the matter with finality, and to underscore his surpassing confidence, he asked me, “How much are you willing to bet?”

By constitution not a betting man, I passed. Still, I stuck to my position. I had seen many acts of impunity, many depraved scenarios and schemes, imaginable and unimaginable, come to pass in Nigeria. Even so, the prospect of Mr. Jonathan championing the cause of Ibori’s release seemed somehow farfetched. That, I thought, would be the ultimate act of self-indictment – tantamount to Mr. Jonathan confessing, before Nigerians and the international community, to being a hypocrite, a fraud, and a political suicide rolled into one. No man or woman, I felt, would debase him or herself so shamelessly.

In the wake of the recent report by Saharareporters, I am no longer sure that the acquaintance I encountered in Lagos was just pursuing some will-o-the-wisp.

Here’s another reason why I can no longer sustain my doubt. It was on December 13, 2010 that the Court of Cessation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ruled that Mr. Ibori could be extradited to the UK. It was the second time that a court in Dubai – part of the UAE – would rule against the former looter-in-chief of Delta State. It was also, as far as the legal process went, the final stop.

Why, then, I wondered had Mr. Ibori not been flown to the UK since mid-December?

SaharaReporters suggested that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who is Ibori’s cousin, was behind Mr. Jonathan’s reported move to process the former governor back to Nigeria. According to the website, Mr. Uduaghan insisted on the quid of cousin Ibori’s return to Nigeria for the quo of supporting Jonathan’s presidential ambitions.

Even though Saharareporters has proved that it’s hardly wise to bet against its reports, Nigerians must hope that this one is not true.

As I write, the Jonathan administration has maintained a telling silence. This is one occasion when silence cannot be golden. It behooves Mr. Jonathan to instruct his handlers to issue an unambiguous statement, one, denying the report and, two, affirming that Mr. Ibori should head for the UK to stand trial there.

Ibori elicits sympathy in some quarters because, as his supporters often argue, he is not the only one who stole. That argument contains a helpful fact – that too many Nigerian public officials are cut from the same (immoral) cloth as Ibori – but also makes a perverse leap by implying, a, that Mr. Ibori is being persecuted and, b, that he should be allowed to go his merry way.

We should insist that all traitors of the Nigerian people be held to account, in Nigeria and elsewhere. But since some Nigerian judges are blinder than bats, we ought to welcome any occasion when a foreign jurisdiction indicts a Nigerian official for breaking their money laundering laws. Instead of seeking to spring Mr. Ibori from British justice, we should encourage UK prosecutors to investigate other serving and retired Nigerian officials.

I have heard an even sillier case made for Ibori. It is stated that numerous Nigerian officials from non-oil producing regions have carted away the nation’s resources – and have been permitted to live in their opulent mansions and bask in the splendor of their ill-gotten wealth. Then there’s the argument that goes like this: Since Mr. Ibori hails from the region that produces Nigeria’s wealth, he is entitled to his looting.

It is a pernicious contention. True, the high greed index by too many Nigerian officials, from presidents to local government councilors, has deepened the plague of misery in the oil-producing Niger Delta. If Nigeria is ever to reclaim its much-betrayed, now emaciated promise, then its enlightened citizens, in all sectors, must insist on recovering all identifiable stolen funds.

Still, the fact that most who have bankrupted Nigeria are not from the oil-rich region is no justification for the manner of depredation practiced by the likes of Ibori. If anything, the Iboris of the Niger Delta ought to let their conduct be informed by the memory of their people’s festering destitution. To steal so mindlessly from a people who have been so callously treated by others is to demonstrate an absence of memory and sympathy. It is akin to snatching hope from a panting, writhing people.

Mr. Jonathan’s credentials as a crusader against corruption are meager at best. He is embedded with too many corrupt elements. Yet, if he enlists to help Ibori get away with looting crimes, then he would have removed all doubts about where he stands. He would establish himself, without question, as a warrior for corruption. In that event, both he and Ibori are bound to end up, ultimately, as objects of profound ignominy in the eyes of the world – in the eyes of history.

http://saharareporters.com/column/jonathan-playing-ibori-okey-ndibe

Written by Biola Azeez, Yemi Banjo and Adewale Ajayi, Lanre Adewole, with Agency Report
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
IT was confirmed on Tuesday that the topmost echelons of the nation’s security had received details of the petition

sent in on the gubernatorial appeal case in Ekiti State and were already investigating the allegations contained therein, just as the lawyers alleged to have made telephone conversations with Justice Ayo Salami reacted sharply to the allegations.

Former governor of Ekiti State, Chief Segun Oni, elected on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was removed from office on the basis of the ruling of the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin, in October last year.

It was confirmed in Abuja that the petition had been received at the presidency and that the authorities had sent the petition to appropriate security outfits.

A source, who asked not to be named, said that the presidency did not want to comment on such issues and that immediately the petition came, it was referred to appropriate security outfits.

A source said that the National Security Adviser (NSA), General Owoye Azazi, had been asked to take a look at the document and act appropriately.

The petition had listed call logs made by senior lawyers to Justice Salami and other persons. But some of the lawyers mentioned in the petition, while reacting to the allegation, threatened to sue the petitioner and the newspaper that published the story.

When the Nigerian Tribune called Yusuf Alli (SAN) on 0803 334 0330, he said he had not seen the publication that contained the petition at the time he was called, adding that he would take legal action when he sees it, stressing that “people can’t just sit down somewhere to write rubbish against another person.

“People know me and they know my antecedents. They can vouch for me. I was lead counsel for PDP’s former governors, Oyinlola of Osun State and Olusegun Oni of Ekiti State. I won’t do what they said against my clients. I don’t do underhand dealings with anybody. I rejected ministerial appointments twice because of all these insinuations,” he said.

When the Nigerian Tribune also spoke with Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) on 0803 764 3770, he said the publication came as a surprise to him, just like some of his other colleagues, adding that he would surely take legal action against the newspaper that published the petition.

Akintola said he was not just a lawyer but a responsible and respected one at that and that it was crass ignorance to read meanings into conversation between a lawyer and the judge, saying that he had never spoken with a judge on any matter pending in court.

He said he met Justice Salami at a seminar held in Kaduna last August, explaining that the judge chaired the occasion. He added that he spoke with Justice Salami when the issue of resignation came up.

Akintola also said he was highly disappointed in former Governor Oni, adding that he never expected him to involve him or any lawyer in the petition.

“I have handled many cases. I was the lead counsel in the Abia State matter and I handled many other cases. Human memory is very short. I’m highly disappointed in Oni, if not other people. I was not even a counsel in the Osun matter. The records of the court speak well of the writer of the petition. They would be joking to think they can use mudslinging to get their cases reviewed.

“We are looking at the matter and it won’t be funny, because we will make example of all of them; the writer and the newspaper. All of us will take legal action against them. You can see how malicious people can be. I would have gone to the street to attack Oni, I only hope he would be able to defend himself, because we have a duty to protect the sanctity of the legal profession.

“We have no apology for standing for Salami. They can’t intimidate or scare us. All Nigerians, irrespective of religion, tribe or profession, Oni inclusive, are free to seek our legal services. We won’t discriminate against anyone for anything, even the worst criminal. It will be unprofessional to discriminate,” he said.

I’m not involved -Tarfa
In his reaction, Mr Ricky Tarfa aid he was not involved in the case, adding that “the newspaper report is a baseless publication. I don’t know anything about the case in question.”

When asked how his phone number came up in the report, the senior advocate said “anybody can have anybody’s phone number, there is no big deal about that.”

I’m a retired civil servant -Abdulahi
However, the Ibrahim Abdulahi mentioned in the petition turned out to be a retired civil servant of 35 years meritorious service in Kwara State.

Pa Abdulahi, who called the Nigerian Tribune after the initial attempt to reach him was unsuccessful, said “I am not a politician. I am not a lawyer or advocate. Nothing concerned me with either the Osun or Ekiti State matter.”

Call logs, a ruse -ACN
Meanwhile, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has said that the purported MTN call logs insinuating a deal between the ACN chieftains, lawyers and Justice Salami, as contained in the petitions by Chief Oni and Osun PDP chieftain, Sunday Ojo-Williams, were a ruse and selective perception, designed to muddle the waters.

It, however, warned the PDP-led Federal Government not to throw Nigeria into an avoidable crisis over its desperation to reverse the Appeal Court judgments on the Ekiti and Osun governorship election petitions.

The party, in a statement issued in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Tuesday, by its national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the judgments in the cases were final, irrespective of what the ousted governors were being told by their advisers or the buttons they were pressing at the federal.

“We have the strength of character, the courage and the conviction to mount a sustained campaign in defence of justice, and in defence of our mandate. We will not surrender a mandate freely given to us by the people, which was evident in the massive jubilation that greeted the rulings of the appeal court in both Ekiti and Osun states,” the party stated.

It stated that if the petitioners and their sponsors wanted to really convince Nigerians about their allegations, they should be courageous enough to publish all the call logs of Justice Salami during the period in question, so that all can see all the calls that Justice Salami received during the period.

According to the ACN, the fact that Justice Salami was the president of the Court of Appeal did not mean he will not have a social life, or that people could no longer call him.

The party said despite the clandestine meetings in the highest echelon of the PDP and also involving some top officials of the Federal Government, the PDP could not re-write the Nigerian constitution, just because the rulings in those cases did not favour it.

The ACN, however, warned that should the PDP think it could re-open the cases and overturn the judgments, then it should be ready for an epic battle, the end of which no one could predict, and the consequences of which could only be imagined.

Responding to the publication, Chief Emeka Ngige said that the newspaper, Oni and the acting chairman of the PDP in Osun State, Chief Sunday Ojo-Williams, would meet him in court where they would have to justify what he called their wild allegations.

Ngige said he was not on the legal team in Ekiti or Osun State election petition appeal panels and, as such, could not have reached out to any judge on the appeals.

Osun PDP charges NJC
However, the Osun State PDP has charged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to probe the alleged response of Justice Salami that he was not bothered by the allegation raised linking him to telephone conservations with chieftains of the ACN and its lawyers, while the Osun and Ekiti state governorship appeal cases were ongoing.

The party, in a statement signed by its director of publicity, Mr Adeolu Adeyemo, said Salami’s alleged statement that he was not bothered about the allegation could be a tactical way of wanting to bury the matter and appealed to the NJC not to be bamboozled by the response but rather investigate it.

Reacting to the admission of culpability by ACN spokesman, who was named among others as being involved in the illegal phone deals with Justice Salami, the PDP said for the first time, the ACN had admitted that it was not averse to crooked means to get results.

“As for the challenge that we should publish the entire log of Justice Salami, we want to say that we have Justice Salami’s call logs from September 2010 to January 2011. We don’t mind publishing all for the world to see if only the ACN and Bola Tinubu will make pages available in their newspapers. If we publish it, we would have had to opportunity to show the whole world, as is clearly shown in the call logs we have submitted to the NJC that on November 16, 2010, Justice Salami (08034004887) exchanged text messages eight times at 4:34 a.m. with the ACN gubernatorial candidate in Kebbi State in the coming April elections, Turaki Kabiru Tanimu (08033120001)! What were they discussing even before morning prayers?” the PDP asked.

Also, the PDP asked security agencies to pick up chieftains of the ACN involved in the scandal.

Salami, 4 others yet to answer query
Meanwhile, the ultimatum given Justice Salami and four others to respond to query issued to them by the NJC expired at the close of work on Tuesday, without the NJC receiving any reactions from them.

The query, dated February 8, 2011, directed the affected jurists to respond within two weeks, the ultimatum which expired on Tuesday.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/17969-ekiti-security-agencies-probe-petition-on-salami-others-well-make-example-of-our-accusers-akintola-purported-call-logs-a-ruse-acn-we-have-salamis-call-logs-from-sept-2010-to-jan-2011-pdp-salami-appeal-court-justices-fail-to-submit-respon

12 killed in Plateau midnight attack

By John Ameh with agency report

Wednesday, 23 Feb 2011


Twelve persons were feared killed and several others injured in a fresh attack by unknown assailants on Rwang Fang village in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State in the early hours of Tuesday.


Among those killed were a driver, his wife and their four children.


The Military Special Task Force spokesman, Capt. Charles Ekeocha, who confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria, blamed the villagers for not contacting the force on time.


He said, “The attack was carried out around midnight, but the villagers did not inform us until the attackers had fled.


“A military helicopter has been deployed there for aerial surveillance, because some cattles were also rustled during the attack,” he said.


Ekeocha said more troops had been deployed to beef up security in the area, and that men of the force were on the trail of the assailants.


He said relevant information about the victims would be released later, and promised that the military was on top of the situation.


In a related development, 60 persons have been arrested by the Military Special Task Force in several parts of Jos. STF media Officer, Captain Charles Ekeocha, told newsmen that the hoodlums were arrested based on intelligence report provided by the intelligent unit of the STF.


Ekeocha said that the hoodlums would be interviewed and those found innocent would be released while those with questionable character would be kept to assist the STF in its investigations.


Meanwhile, an attempt by the House of Representatives to investigate plans by the Plateau State Government to set up a security outfit failed on Tuesday.


The outfit, code-named “Operation Rainbow,” is to complement the efforts of law enforcement agencies in maintaining peace and security in the volatile state.


A motion by a member from Bauchi State, Mr. Abdul Ningi, seeking to stop the government’s proposal, failed in a majority voice vote.


Ningi, who is the Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, quoted Governor Jonah Jang as saying that he got the approval of the Presidency to set up the security outfit.


He, however, told the House that he had some reservations about the intention of the Presidency and the Plateau State Government.


“My fear is that I don’t know what this ‘operation rainbow’ is about.


“What is going to be their mode of operation? How is it funded? What is the aim? We have to be told,” Ningi argued.


Besides, he held the view that the National Assembly should be involved in setting up the outfit.


Ningi urged the House to mandate its relevant committees to summon “the National Security Adviser and the Director-General of the SSS” to brief the House on why the Plateau State Government proposed such an outfit.


But, a member from Plateau State, Mr. Bitrus Kaze, opposed the motion, describing it as unnecessary.


He said that the government took the measure to improve security in the state and maintain peace in view of the recurring sectarian violence in the area.


The development came as lawmakers berated the Federal Government for allegedly treating security issues in the country with levity.


At a 2011 budget defence session with the Committee on Police Affairs on Tuesday, lawmakers discovered that the capital component of the 2010 police budget was poorly funded.


The committee learnt that only 29.8 per cent of the capital vote of around N15bn was funded by the Federal Government.


Lawmakers said that they could not understand how the government, which listed security on its priority list, could starve the police of funds.

http://punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201102230523193

**************************Please can this story be put on the front page of NL - Thanks **************

‘Enioluwa needs your prayers’

By Adeola Adeyemo

February 23, 2011 04:18AM


The family of 10-month-old Enioluwa Odegbaike who went missing 11 days ago has called on Nigerians to pray for the return of their baby because other efforts to find the child has proved abortive.

A member of the family who refused to give his name, said in a telephone interview with NEXT that the mother of the baby remains traumatised by the experience.

“She just wants to be left alone. All we need from Nigerians is their prayers that he is found and in good health,” he said.

The child was taken away from his parents’ home in Magodo, Lagos by his nanny on Sunday, February 13 and was never seen again. The nanny is believed to be working with some unknown persons.

Useful leads

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police command, Samuel Jinadu, said the police has arrested the man who acted as the nanny’s referee and introduced her to the Odegbaike’s home. He is reportedly being questioned by the police.

“The person who introduced the nanny to the family has been arrested and is being quizzed by the police. The case has been transferred to the State CID. All efforts are being made to find the missing boy. The case is still under investigation.” He said.

Underground kidnapping in Lagos

The spate of kidnapping in recent times has led many victims and their families to find various means of finding their loved ones who go missing.

The Internet, through websites, BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms have become tools that residents now use to spread news of kidnapping and other crimes in the state.

When five-year-old Sharon Omolayo was kidnapped from her school, Avicenna International School, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos by a trusted employee, on December 13, 2010, the Internet played a major role in spreading the news of her kidnap.

For the seven days she went missing, her pictures and that of her abductor was widely circulated online through several blogs, websites, Facebook and Twitter and within a few days, her name and pictures were imbedded in the minds of almost every Internet user within the country and abroad.

“It was hard not to see her,” said Efemena Mayo, a student. “Her pictures were everywhere. I first got it on my BlackBerry. Then I saw it on Facebook, Twitter, and different blogs. Before I knew it, I was looking closely at every young girl I passed on the street to see if she was Sharon because she had a birth mark on her face that was hard to miss.”

According to David Ogburn, Principal of Avicenna International School, the Internet was a very helpful tool in circulating information about Miss Omolayo, and once the information got on to Facebook, it spread quickly.

Also, when the duo of Ify Eneli and Michael Neri were kidnapped on Friday January 28 while leaving a night club in Victoria Island, Lagos, their pictures and the information about their kidnap spread quickly over the Internet with friends and family members asking for the support of the people in helping to find them.

They were released some days later after their families paid a ransom to their abductors and this information was again circulated over the Internet.

Recently, a picture of missing 10-month old Enioluwa Odegbaike has been circulated over the Internet, ensuring that more and more people get to know about the kidnap and lookout for him.

Still searching for Enioluwa

According to a release by the family, any information concerning the missing child should be reported to the nearest police station.

“If you have any information about Enioluwa or the nanny no matter how trivial, please call 07085534788, or the nearest police station. Enioluwa’s mother (Foluso) can be reached on this number, 08022228422,” said the family member who refused to comment further on the issue.

If you have any information concerning the disappearance of Enioluwa Odegbaike please call the numbers above or send a mail to metro@234next.com


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/5679290-146/story.csp

**************************Please can this story be put on the front page of NL - Thanks **************

‘Enioluwa needs your prayers’

By Adeola Adeyemo

February 23, 2011 04:18AM
 

The family of 10-month-old Enioluwa Odegbaike who went missing 11 days ago has called on Nigerians to pray for the return of their baby because other efforts to find the child has proved abortive.

A member of the family who refused to give his name, said in a telephone interview with NEXT that the mother of the baby remains traumatised by the experience.

“She just wants to be left alone. All we need from Nigerians is their prayers that he is found and in good health,” he said.

The child was taken away from his parents’ home in Magodo, Lagos by his nanny on Sunday, February 13 and was never seen again. The nanny is believed to be working with some unknown persons.

Useful leads

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police command, Samuel Jinadu, said the police has arrested the man who acted as the nanny’s referee and introduced her to the Odegbaike’s home. He is reportedly being questioned by the police.

“The person who introduced the nanny to the family has been arrested and is being quizzed by the police. The case has been transferred to the State CID. All efforts are being made to find the missing boy. The case is still under investigation.” He said.

Underground kidnapping in Lagos

The spate of kidnapping in recent times has led many victims and their families to find various means of finding their loved ones who go missing.

The Internet, through websites, BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms have become tools that residents now use to spread news of kidnapping and other crimes in the state.

When five-year-old Sharon Omolayo was kidnapped from her school, Avicenna International School, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos by a trusted employee, on December 13, 2010, the Internet played a major role in spreading the news of her kidnap.

For the seven days she went missing, her pictures and that of her abductor was widely circulated online through several blogs, websites, Facebook and Twitter and within a few days, her name and pictures were imbedded in the minds of almost every Internet user within the country and abroad.

“It was hard not to see her,” said Efemena Mayo, a student. “Her pictures were everywhere. I first got it on my BlackBerry. Then I saw it on Facebook, Twitter, and different blogs. Before I knew it, I was looking closely at every young girl I passed on the street to see if she was Sharon because she had a birth mark on her face that was hard to miss.”

According to David Ogburn, Principal of Avicenna International School, the Internet was a very helpful tool in circulating information about Miss Omolayo, and once the information got on to Facebook, it spread quickly.

Also, when the duo of Ify Eneli and Michael Neri were kidnapped on Friday January 28 while leaving a night club in Victoria Island, Lagos, their pictures and the information about their kidnap spread quickly over the Internet with friends and family members asking for the support of the people in helping to find them.

They were released some days later after their families paid a ransom to their abductors and this information was again circulated over the Internet.

Recently, a picture of missing 10-month old Enioluwa Odegbaike has been circulated over the Internet, ensuring that more and more people get to know about the kidnap and lookout for him.

Still searching for Enioluwa

According to a release by the family, any information concerning the missing child should be reported to the nearest police station.

“If you have any information about Enioluwa or the nanny no matter how trivial, please call 07085534788, or the nearest police station. Enioluwa’s mother (Foluso) can be reached on this number, 08022228422,” said the family member who refused to comment further on the issue.

If you have any information concerning the disappearance of Enioluwa Odegbaike please call the numbers above or send a mail to metro@234next.com


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/5679290-146/story.csp

Assassins attack Inc President

NewsFeb 22, 2011

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

PORT HARCOURT— PRESIDENT of Ijaw National Congress, Dr Atuboyedia Obainime, Monday, survived an assassination attempt but he sustained injuries from shots fired by his attackers.
According to the Police, the incident occurred at about 8pm on Monday around Choba area of the state capital. Atuboyedia, who is a lecturer in the Sociology department of the University of Port Harcourt, was reportedly attacked by some gunmen around Choba Roundabout while in his car.
The police Public Relations Officer, Dr Rita Inoma Abbey said the gun men made attempt to kidnap the victim and also flee with his vehicle which he resisted. While the struggle was on, the hoodlums opened fire on him.
The shots apparently attracted attention of a Police patrol vehicle that raced to the scene. On sighting the patrol vehicle, the hoodlums fled into a small market close to the scene.
She added that the fleeing hoodlums abandon two AK 47 riffle, two magazines and 21 live ammunition.
Effort made to reach the victim, Dr Obainime on his mobile was futile as it was switched off. Meantime, the Police PRO said he (Atuboyedia) was responding to treatment at an undisclosed hospital in the state capital.
Her words, “on 21/2/11 at about 2010 hrs at Choba Roundabout, there was an attempt to kidnap and snatch a vehicle from one Dr Obainime, Uniport lecturer and President, Ijaw Congress. He was shot and wounded on the thigh in an ensued struggle.
Metro Patrol Policemen arrived in good time to prevent the snatch and his kidnap. He was rushed to the hospital where he is stable.”
“The pursued hoodlums fled into the market area, no shot fired which saved innocent lives. But it forced them to abandon their AK 47 riffles with numbers 28926 and 14442, two magazines and 21 live ammunition. Investigation continues”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/assassins-attack-inc-president/

Jonathan To “Bribe” Opponents With National Honours
Posted: February 22, 2011 - 16:19

By SaharaReporters, New York

Saharareporters has learned that Goodluck Jonathan has told associates he plans to include some of his high-profile political opponents in the roster of recipients of national honors for 2011 as a way of neutralizing the opposition.

“President Jonathan wants to use the award of national honors to secure the support of dissenting members of his fractious party,” said one source. In pursuit of this goal, Mr. Jonathan has instructed the minister of special duties to forward a list of "worthy Nigerians" to be endowed with national honors before the end of March.

A directive from the presidency, which was seen by Saharareporters, asked the minister of special duties to expedite the process of granting national awards to ensure that Mr. Jonathan can bestow the honors by the end of March 2011.

The directive was issued to enable Jonathan to use the discredited national awards to woo some of his adversaries. “The president is especially interested in using the instrument of national honors to pacify prominent Northern political elders with whom he has engaged in negotiation in recent days,” said a source close to Jonathan and the deal.

Our source said some of Jonathan’s northern advisors had proposed that he use the bestowal of national awards as part of his bargaining chips with disaffected party opponents.

In recent days, some of Jonathan’s aides have accused Abubakar Atiku, who lost to Mr. Jonathan in a contentious party primary, of grandstanding. They claimed that Mr. Atiku was asking Jonathan for oil concessions before he can fully declare support for him.

A senior campaign staffer to Jonathan said the president was panicked over recently released voter's registration figures which show that the northwest section of Nigeria, where Muhammad Buhari (rtd), is extremely popular, and the southwest, where the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) party holds sway, have the largest number of registered voters.

A political analyst said Mr. Jonathan “can only count on carrying some south-south and southeastern states.” The analyst noted that Mr. Jonathan’s popularity in the south south, which has approximately 8 million registered voters, is undercut by his poor electoral prospects in Edo State, which has 2 million voters. In addition, the analyst said that Mr. Jonathan remains unpopular in parts of Rivers State.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/jonathan-%E2%80%9Cbribe%E2%80%9D-opponents-national-honours

Jonathan’s spokesman lies about presidential aides

by Idris Akinbajo

February 22, 2011 03:55AM

A NEXT investigation has shown that the media assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan, Ima Niboro, lied when he tried to contest this newspaper’s exclusive story that President Jonathan hired 133 advisers and assistants whose wages cost the nation about N780million per annum. Mr. Niboro claimed in his telephone rejoinder that Mr. Jonathan only appointed a few aides upon assuming office and that the “majority of all the names on the list are old names; most of them have been there since Obasanjo’s time.”

A review of the dates of appointment of the aides, however, shows that none of the 133 presidential aides, in the official list as published by NEXT, was appointed during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Mr. Jonathan appointed 57 of the aides upon becoming president while the remaining 76 were appointed while he was the vice president.

Our findings show that Mr. Jonathan, who assumed office on May 6, 2010, appointed the first set of eight presidential aides on May 24, 2010. Two weeks later, four aides were appointed on June 9, 2010. A month later, the first lady got 11 presidential aides, including one of her ladies-in waiting, Justin Adaba.

Mr. Niboro was also wrong when he said that he “ignored those enquiries because they did not come through the state house correspondent.”

The lead reporter of the original story, Elor Nkereuwem, sent her questions to Mr. Niboro through text messages when he did not answer his phone. The state house correspondent for NEXT, Elizabeth Archibong, also sent Mr. Niboro a reminder. Several attempts were also made by other reporters and editors to seek Mr. Niboro’s clarification. The presidential spokesman still did not respond.

Civil society condemns large number of aides

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda has condemned the high number of presidential aides. Olanrewaju Suraj, the chairman of the group, stated this in a telephone interview. Mr. Suraj condemned the position of the secretary to the government of the federation whose spokesperson stated that “the president has all the right to choose his assistants and advisers and there is no constitutional limit to the number he decides upon.”

“If the constitution does not limit the presidential aides, is that now enough reason to waste taxpayers’ money for such high number of aides who are largely irrelevant to the growth of the nation?” Mr. Suraj asked.

We approve presidential aides

But the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Eseme Eyiboh, yesterday defended the president’s large number of aides.

“I do know that the president usually sends that request (the number of aides required) to the National Assembly,” he said.

Section 151(2) of the 1999 constitution empowers the National Assembly to limit the number of presidential aides. “The number of such advisers and their remuneration and allowances shall be as prescribed by law or by resolution of the National Assembly,” the law states.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5679193-146/story.csp

We are not into politics to make money, says Jonathan

By Elizabeth Archibong

February 22, 2011 03:08AM

President Goodluck Jonathan has said he is not vying for the office of president to make money, but to entrench unity and pursue economic transformation of the country with the help of his running mate, vice president Namadi Sambo, and other key stakeholders nationwide.

He stated this yesterday during a courtesy call on the Kogi State traditional rulers council led by its vice chairman, Ado Ibrahim, the paramount ruler of Ebiraland, in Lokoja.

"Myself and vice president Sambo mean well for Nigeria. We are not into politics to make money. We stand for the unity of this country. We have no enemies to fight. We will not discriminate against anybody of any tongue, tribe, or religion," he said.

Mr. Jonathan noted that himself and Mr. Sambo are united for the cause of national transformation because the issues begging to be resolved in the country defy all known sentiments.

He particularly urged other communities around the areas where the proposed nine new federal universities are to be cited not to be disenchanted, noting that "we are not citing the universities to create problems, but to bring development to those areas."

"We do not want the good intentions of government to bring problems for people," the president said.

He further described Kogi State as a unique state historically, serving as a link between the north and south of the country both through land and water, and pledged that government would resuscitate the Ajaokuta Steel Company, and also establish other mining plants and green refineries towards a technological and industrial revolution in the country.

"For our Vision 20-2020 to be realised, we must develop our oil and steel potentials, and Kogi State is key in this regard given its rich mineral deposits," Mr. Jonathan said.

Earlier, Ado Ibrahim commended President Jonathan for his respect for the traditional institution in the country, noting that his humility and performance in governance so far has endeared him to the Nigerian masses.

Also speaking, Kogi governor, Ibrahim Idris, said the people of Kogi are determined to cast their votes en masse for President Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo.

"We are going to deliver hundred per cent for President Jonathan" Mr. Idris said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5679255-146/we_are_not_into_politics_to.csp

From todays 234next ------

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5678619-146/story.csp


The story of Brazilian Lagos
By Obidike Okafor
February 19, 2011 04:14AM
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The story of Lagos is never complete without mention of its significant Portuguese influence. The relevant portion of the city is made up of places like ‘Campos Square’ and ‘Brazilian Quarters’, with are spotted with historical buildings in Portuguese architectural style. This section of the city is also replete with families bearing South American names like Da Silva, Cardoso, Marinho, Faustinho and Vera Cruz. These various aspects of Lagos Island keep the Brazilian memories alive.

The Brazilian community, comprised of Yoruba descendants of returnee ex-slaves from Brazil, came together with the Lagos community and lovers of culture to celebrate their heritage in an exhibition titled ‘Letters From Africa’. The exhibition which opened at Lagos art venue, Terra Kulture on January 21 and ran till February 7, also gave families of Brazilian ancestry in Lagos the opportunity to reach out to unknown relatives in Brazil with goodwill messages and pictures of their descendants on this side of the divide.

The Brazillian deputy Consulate-General, Caesario Alexandria shared his thoughts with journalists at the beginning of the event. “The idea of the exhibition is to tell the stories of the older generation to the younger ones; and to tell them how they got their surnames and the stories behind their families,” he said.

“It also tells the story of former slaves that left Brazil and returned to Africa. There are still Brazilians in Brazil with strong African influence. The idea is to keep the heritage alive,” the Consulate-General added.

On entering the venue, one was presented with the historical timelines - the journey to the Americas and back again - with pictures. This was followed by large pictures depicting many aspects of life that link the two nations, from language to food to architecture to culture. There was also a section for the families. Though the presentation was not as large as the others, it allowed the families the opportunity to share their familial histories. Some of the pictures were shot by the families themselves and so came across as amateurish, but this did not detract from the human value added to the exhibition.

There was also a pictorial presentation titled ‘Letters’ that displayed simple messages from the Africans in Brazil to their relatives in Nigeria Lessons learnt The exhibition showed in many ways the relationship between the two communities. Akara and Garri are two foods common among them. The famous Shitta-Bey mosque with its high walls, gardens, courtyards and balconies was built by Portuguese-influenced Brazilians settlers.

Though mostly Catholics, the returnees had influences from traditional Yoruba religion and Islam. The timeline also testified to the Islamic presence, as it revealed that the first mosque was built by Joao da Costa in 1894.

Brazilian descendants also had the opportunity to send their good wishes via video across the seas to their relatives. An elderly woman whose great grandparents left Bahia in Brazil for Nigeria decades ago and who gave her name simply as Mrs. Ige, said she was happy that the Brazilian consulate had thought about organising the event.

Eloisa Moura, a Brazilian national who teaches Portuguese culture at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, also commended the show. “There is a common history between Nigeria and Brazil. I hope that this will mark the beginning of an exchange between Nigeria and Brazil. I hope in the future we will be able to organise more events that will allow inter-cultural dialogue,” she said.

Bahia, which has the highest number of blacks in Brazil, is full of people who still have most of their African traits intact, while their relations in Nigeria have their names, as reminders of the strong links; making this a pertinent and worthwhile exhibition for all who saw it.

Nigerian Politics 102

20
FEB
2011

Reuben Abati

One fellow had sought my advice on how he could become a candidate in the 2011 elections. He was hoping one of the major political parties will notice him, be impressed by his credentials and then invite him to lead the process of change in his constituency.
He has a Masters degree, many years of experience in the private sector; he spent 15 years in the United States, he has seen the world literally. He is comfortable, and he thinks he is the kind of knowledgeable and articulate person that can make a difference either as a Governor or a member of the National Assembly. I had to tell the fellow to stop dreaming! There may be some countries in the world where some individuals are specially invited to come and serve in a public capacity because of their sterling credentials, but certainly not in Nigeria. I asked him: does he belong to any political party? No. Does he know the grassroots politicians in his ward, including the ward chairman, deputy chairman, councilors (old and new), the local cults, the witches and the wizards, the pastors and the imams, the Chairman of the Landlords Association, and particularly the area boys?

Has he ever been to their houses, bought marijuana and local gin for the area boys, tubers of yam and bags of rice for the big men? No. No. No. He thinks the local people are too mercantile, and he would rather not descend so low. "I see, I see," I muttered, shaking my head. Does he have a Godfather, and if not, has he identified one? "No," he said. He wanted to start a long story about how he had lived in the United States, how he was a volunteer for the Bill Clinton Presidential campaign; something about his passion to transform Nigeria, and how he wants to make his own modest contribution because he believes Africa is the last frontier, I promptly told him to keep his imported ideas of politics to himself. The culture here is different. I recommended to him a crash course in Nigerian Politics 101 and 102 combined.

Nobody goes to anyone's home to invite them to join politics and represent the community. With Nigerian lawmakers in Abuja earning as much as N40 million per month, and elected officials at other levels: Governors, House of Assembly lawmakers, councilors - all making a fortune out of politics, anyone who is hoping that his talents will be discovered by existing politicians is merely hallucinating. Why should anyone invite you, when they also want to make money for themselves and their families? These days, even carpenters are ready to put up a billboard and seek party tickets to go to the National Assembly, if they can. To become a professional politician, you simply have to join a party, collect a membership card, and get well known in your ward, the state and the party. You have to start much earlier though; you shouldn't wait till all the possible positions have been shared. Oh yes, the positions are allocated long before the election by party chieftains. And for you to be considered for such allocations, you need certain guarantees.

The best guarantee is to be the son, daughter, nephew, niece, cousin, in-law, wife or mistress, of an influential politician. With that, you don't need to do or say anything. The influential power broker, after many years of wheeling and dealing already knows the territory of Nigerian politics. He will smuggle you in there, and if you lose, he can still arrange an appointment for you. If you fall into this category, you only need to make appearances during election campaigns, print posters and pretend to be smart enough on your own merit. Lucky fellow, you can become Governor, Minister, Commissioner, Senator, House of Reps member, Board Chairman, Your Godfather has bought that space for you, by being a member of the in-crowd of the Nigerian political establishment. Your strongest credential is that you are related to him by blood or marriage. Why should he use his goodwill for the benefit of other people's children when his own children also have Masters and Ph.D? You will be expected in the future to do the same for your own children and other relations. It is better to keep the business within the family. Get that straight: politics is a business enterprise, a capital investment in Nigeria.

You don't have a Godfather? Please, you must cultivate one or get out of politics. Just identify a power broker with a record of achievement in politics and throw yourself under his wings. But don't just join any political party. You must choose wisely. It is better to go with a political party that is popular in your area, and likely to win elections. All those foreign ideas about ideology and principles don't work here. You can always change your party, as soon as it can no longer win elections in your constituency or it does not offer you want you want. You can always change your Godfather too. And if you are lucky, you could become very influential within the state or community, and gain an opportunity to dethrone the Godfather, and become the boss in due course. But you must bid your time.

Politics in Nigeria is a very complex game: it doesn't require any sacred beliefs or ideology. Don't forget: this is about power, not your abilities or your commitment to the common good. While serving out your apprenticeship, you are expected to kow-tow to the Godfather. You must show that you can be relied upon to do the Godfathers' bidding. If you have any original ideas, keep them to yourself. What do you know? The Godfather and his inner circle know it all. If you show any sign of independence, your political career will end even before it starts. If you are rich, you must be seen to be generous to the Godfather and the party, but don't upstage the Boss. If you are not rich, you can be useful in other ways. Be ready to run errands. Hang around. Some really ambitious young men report to the Godfather's house every morning; they close for the day only when he goes to bed. You can be summoned at any hour; learn to smile a lot and say "Yes sir." Get your wife to become a friend of the Godfather's wife. Through her, you can exert quiet behind-the-scenes influence.

Godfathers don't like liabilities. Demonstrate some potential. Try and get popular in your local area. Show the Godfather that you are also learning the ropes. Visit your ward regularly. Give the ward people money. Buy gifts for their wives. Attend naming ceremonies, weddings and funerals. Go to local drinking joints and declare free booze. Get close to the area boys, and make sure they know you are now a politician and who your Godfather is. Soon, you will acquire some name recognition. That helps. Of what use is a politician who has no following among local thugs? With time, you too should be able to boast about "the boys" under your control. The Godfather will be impressed. He knows you are his boy and that your boys know that you are his boy: he is the Boss of all bosses. He expects you to tell your boys that he is the real masquerade. The day you begin to get high on your own supply, the same Godfather will find a rival for you in your own constituency. Or you may be ordered to step down. Politics is a game, not charity. The Godfather is investing; he expects returns. Play along.

Or maybe this time around, you didn't get any party ticket. You are expected to remain loyal nevertheless. If the party wins, you could be rewarded with a public appointment: Commissioner, Board Chairman, Minister, Director General of an agency, or a Special Assistant/Adviser. It is a great opportunity and you are expected to make the best use of it. Some smart guys in the past have used such positions to make themselves very relevant. A certain level of notoriety may also help. Use the position to promote yourself with the public, while pretending to be better than everyone else. Who knows? In the next election, you could suddenly show up as a Presidential candidate or a Senatorial aspirant. Nobody is going to ask questions. They know you already. It is your luck.

You have done well, brother, you have now been given the opportunity to be a candidate in the 2011 elections. You have been given the party's flag. How did you get here? Never forget that. Your Godfather asked some better qualified persons to step down for you. They are angry, they have gone to other political parties and they are prepared to sabotage you. They believe they are better qualified. They think it is the turn of their political zone, ethnic group, or family to produce the next candidate for that position and that they have been cheated. You and your "political family" – your relationship with the godfather is non-linear, it involves other stakeholders - have managed to stay ahead by buying up voters cards during the voters' registration exercise.

In 2011, INEC introduced the idea of thumb-printing and computer registration. They think they are smart. But your cabal has bought up the cards, and taken down the names and addresses of the voters on your pay roll. You have to remain in touch with them till election day. On D-Day, your party will organise transportation to the polling booth, feeding and financial assistance for the voters. You have bribed the Resident Electoral Commissioner. You have taken care of the election officials with a promise of more to come. Your party thugs are on standby. They have been equipped for the war ahead. It is the UN that calls it an election, in Africa it is war. That is why in Cote d'Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo, a Professor of History and his supporters are insisting that the only alternative to their being dislodged from power is a full blown civil war.

You still have to go out there and campaign, though. The Godfather(s) will lead the campaign. But if you are a Presidential or Gubernatorial candidate, you'd get a chance to do and say a lot more than others. Print and distribute posters. Erect billboards. Make sure you look handsome in the photograph. And if you have a big tummy, hide it. People are turned off by ugly faces. They may think the first thing you'd do when you get to office is to steal public funds to go and do a plastic surgery. Engage the services of a good photographer and try out many attires. There is something called photo-shop. The photographer knows what to do. In this age of technology, you can be made to look handsome. Have a fashion code. Introduce a unique element to your wardrobe. But don't dress like "a rascal" or "a drunken sailor fisherman". Tell the electorate that you are not really interested in a position, you are happy running your successful business and that by accepting to run for public office, in response to pressures from every quarter, you are in fact taking a pay cut and your businesses are likely to suffer. In fact, you won't spend more than a term of four years in office. Don't bother, in four years time, nobody will remember and if they do, abuse journalists for quoting you out of context.

Religion helps. The people are impressed by it. Start going to church regularly, attend night vigils, ask the Pastors to pray for you, if possible, let them lay their hands on you and proclaim your anointment! Remember to do something for the church and the Pastor. They expect you to pay for all the prayers. If you are a Muslim, go and learn some Quranic verses by rote and mouth them at every convenient opportunity. If you are too dumb to learn anything, then just learn to preface every speech with Bismillahi Rahamani Raheem and end it with Allahu Akbar. Know your constituency. Recruit media consultants. Let them put your pictures in the papers and make you look good. It does not matter that your involvement with the private sector in the United States was as a shop floor attendant at Macy's for 15 years. You are now an international businessman!

Cultivate traditional rulers. They can be very good party agents - for a fee of course. Pay their children's school fees. Send their wives abroad on holiday. They will soon give you chieftaincy titles. Collect as many as you can. Add as many prefixes as possible to your name: High Chief, Double Chief, even the commonest one will do: Otunba. Even Igbo politicians these days bear Otunba. Nobody is going to query you. Learn how to abuse your opponents. You don't have to discuss programmes, just mount the soap box and threaten to wrestle your opponents to the ground, and crush them. Talk nicely about your Godfather, and remind them that their own Godfather is an ex-convict.

But before then, send your wife and children and your aged parents abroad until after the election. They could be kidnapped or assassinated by your enemies, to spite you. Opponents are enemies in Nigeria. Recruit bodyguards. You will also need an anti-bomb squad as part of your advance party. Don't even get into a car until the anti-bomb squad has checked it. Never eat in public. Don't even take a sip of water. You could be poisoned. Hold your campaigns inside enclosed spaces. Once you gather enough crowd, make sure all entrances and exits are locked. You can't risk some of the audience walking out on you while you are making a speech, they may be double agents who have been paid by your enemies to ridicule you. Imprison them until they have served your purpose, By the way, join a secret society, For now, this is all you need. There are other pathways for another day,

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/reuben-abati/nigerian-politics-102.html

‘I swallowed 65 wraps of heroin at gunpoint’

Tuesday, 04 January 2011

Oguke Emeka Macaulay

THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency is currently investigating the claim of a drug suspect, Macaulay Oguke, that he was forced to swallow 65 wraps of heroine at gunpoint by a stranger.

Oguke allegedly made the claim recently following his arrest at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, while trying to board a flight to Monrovia, the Liberian capital.

The imagemaker of the anti- drugs agency, Mr. Mitchel Ofoyeju, stated that the 53-year-old Nigerian trader, who has been residing in Liberia for five years, claimed he swallowed the drugs under duress, saying his involvement in the trade was a mystery to him.

“It is a very painful experience to me because I used to tell people not to get involved in drug trafficking. I am indebted to a man in Liberia. I have paid some of the debt; it remains $1,000. When he learnt that I was in Nigeria, he called me that his brother would give me a parcel to be delivered to him in Liberia. The day I was to leave my village in Imo State, I got a call from a man who claimed to be his brother. That was how we began talking until I got to Lagos,” stated Oguke The suspect stated that, he was in Nigeria to bury his late father who passed on recently.

“I am a businessman in Liberia. I sell motorcycle parts and ladies weave-on. My pregnant wife and child live in Nigeria.

Though I visit home regularly, my purpose of coming this time was for the funeral rites of my father.”

He said his trouble, however, began at Mile 2, Lagos, when he met the man to take the parcel he had for his brother. Oguke said, “He took me to the back of a big building. I got the greatest shock when he brought out the drugs and a plate of soup and pulled out a gun and ordered me to swallow the drugs. He threatened to kill me if I should shout. That was how I began swallowing the drugs. In the process I began to vomit. When he noticed I could no longer swallow, he counted the remaining wraps and said I had taken 65 wraps.

“He told me not to ask any question that when I get to Liberia, his brother would collect the drug and settle me accordingly. He then took me to the airport. I am totally disorganised because I am the pillar of my family.”

Meanwhile,preliminary findings by the NDLEA revealed that the drug suspect has established link with his sponsors and the position of the agency was that if Oguke did not know about the deal he would have alerted the NDLEA or security agencies at the airport.

According to the anti-drug agency, “ordinarily, if the suspect had reported the incident to drug law enforcement officials, he would have been treated as a victim and allowed to go after he must have excreted the drugs. That is the position of the law, but by keeping silent and proceeding on the trip, knowing that he had drugs on him showed he has a case to answer,”.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NDLEA, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, who confirmed the arrest, wondered how a 53-year-old man would be asked to swallow narcotics at gunpoint.

“There may be some understanding between the suspect and his sponsors if truly he was asked to ingest the drugs under duress. As investigators, we are definitely going to unravel the motive behind the criminal act. This is an interesting case and we shall get to the bottom of it and let the court determine the true position.”

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/crime-a-security/15625-i-swallowed-65-wraps-of-heroin-at-gunpoint

Indian firm ready to take over Transmission Company

Energy UpdatesFeb 20, 2011

By Oscarline Onwuemenyi

ABUJA – The preferred bidder for the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Management Contract held in 2007, Power Grid of India, has announced its readiness to take over the management of the electricity transmission system of the country.
The announcement was made when the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Mahesh Sachdev, led a delegation of two of Indian foremost electricity companies, POWERGRID Corporation and NTPC Limited to the office of the Minister of Power, in Abuja.
According to the High Commissioner, the visit was in connection with Management Contract of Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, for which Power Grid of India emerged as the preferred bidder in 2007.
He said the delegation had come to reaffirm their commitment in carrying out work for the improvement of the Nigerian Transmission System for faster economic transformation.
Power Grid Corporation of India is the largest Power Transmission Utility, PTU, in India and the third largest PTU in the world.
It is the Central Transmission Utility, CTU, in India responsible for planning, construction, operation and maintenance of transmission network in the India sub century.
Sachdev noted that the striking similarities between the two nations demand that India and Nigeria could be economic talking point of the globe in the next decade if they work together and appropriately deploy their surplus natural and human gifts.
The Envoy noted that at the moment, Indian authorities were hosting more than 30 engineers of the Ministry of Power in various capacity enhancement programmes in Indian Institutions.
Meanwhile, the federal government has said it is taking special note of the exceptional interest the Indian government has taken in the development of her power sector in particular.
The Minister of State for Power, Mr. Nuhu Wya, who conveyed the government’s gratitude noted that diplomatic relations between the India Subcontinent and Nigeria, had taken a great leap as a result of the versatility and commitment of the High Commissioner since his arrival to Nigeria.
He told the delegation that Nigeria has taken irreversible steps to confront the electricity challenges of the country through some bold steps earmarked by a Roadmap.
Wya described the content of the Roadmap as an interpretation of existing laws which had been in existence which succeeding administrations in the country lacked the will to enforce.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/indian-firm-ready-to-take-over-transmission-company/

Alleged N50bn scam: EFCC arrests Lawal, ex-Works Minister

NewsFeb 11, 2011

By EMMAN OVUAKPORIE
ABUJA — THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, arrested Dr Hassan Lawal, a former Minister of Works in late President Umoru Yar’Adua administration over an alleged N50 billion scam bordering on money laundering and gross neglect to the tenets of due process in the transaction of government business
Lawal, who was arrested in the early hours of yesterday, was said to have been playing a hide and seek game with the operatives of the anti-graft agency since he was placed on the watch list last year.
It was reliably gathered that Lawal allegedly perpetrated massive fraud, gross abuse of office, monumental financial recklessness and indiscriminate award of contracts to allies and cronies.
It was further revealed that he also allegedly awarded contracts to unregistered companies running into over N50 billion.
Operatives are said to be on the trail of the companies used to allegedly commit the financial crime.
While Lawal remains in the custody of the anti-graft agency, operatives are leaving nothing to chance to bring his alleged fellow financial crime perpetrators to book.
Contacted, Head, Media and Publicity, of the commission, Mr Femi Babafemi, confirmed that the former Minister was in the net of the commission but refused to make any comment on the issue.
Hassan, a founding member of the PDP in Nasarawa State recently explained to reporters after his defection that even though he was elected by his local government as delegate to the presidential election of the PDP, his name was arbitrarily replaced.
He was reported to have pledged to pull the same string he pulled to contribute to the victory of the governor, Aliyu Akwe Doma, in 2007 to support the CPC governorship candidate, Umaru Tako Al_Makura, in the April election.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/alleged-n50bn-scam-efcc-arrests-lawal-ex-works-minister/

“We have symptoms of semi-terrorism in the country,” says Jonathan

By Armstrong Bakam

February 11, 2011 06:04AM

The endless security challenges in the country may soon be a thing of the past, as President GoodLuck Jonathan promised to punish perpetrators of violent crimes.

The President said at the PDP Presidential flag-off for the North-East Zone which took place at the IBB Square, Bauchi that, ‘‘One thing we will take seriously is the issue of security of lives and properties. We have symptoms of semi-terrorism in the country and I want to assure all of you that government will do everything possible to address these issues.” He said his administration will go after those behind these acts. “We will pursue them until we arrest them and punish them no matter how influential or highly placed they might be, The days of impunity are now over. The days when one will commit a crime in this country and get away with it are over.’’

He promised never to be biased if elected as president for the next four-term, “I will run a transparent government in which all Nigerians, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, tribe, or political affiliation will be treated equally. We will work together so that we can get to where we want to go to.’’ President Jonathan, who reiterated his commitment to the development of Nigeria, pointed out that power, agriculture, water, wealth creation, and construction of Kafin Zaki Dam among other policies.

Earlier in his speech, Vice President Namadi Sambo, said that their victory at the recent PDP primaries was as a result of the confidence the delegates have in the Jonathan-led administration saying that ‘‘it was not just a choice but a wise decision from the delegates’’ Mr. Namadi, who said government is poised to develop the education sector in the country, added that the federal government has set out a plan to ensure that the over 9.5 million ‘almajiris’ or urchins in the country were educated both formally and ‘Islamically.’

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5676352-146/story.csp

Adeboye to appear on Glo/CNN African Voices

By Agency Reporter

Friday, 11 Feb 2011

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, is the star guest on this weekend’s edition of “African Voices,” a CNN International’s magazine programme sponsored by Globacom.


The 30-minute interview show runs on Saturdays, from 10.30 to 11am and 4.30 to 5pm. There are also repeat broadcasts on Sunday from 10 to 10.30am and 11.30pm to 12am and on Monday from 12.30 to 1pm and 7.30 to 8pm.


A statement from Globacom said the company was delighted to bring Adeboye to millions of viewers across the globe.


It explained that the choice of Adeboye as “the guest on “African Voices” was in line with the programme‘s objective to showcase successful and high-profile African personalities who are shaping the continent.”


It added, “Pastor Adeboye who is hugely admired by millions of followers has turned RCCG into one of the fastest growing and biggest churches in the world. His monthly Holy Ghost Service is attended by hundreds of thousands of worshippers.


“The Redeemed Church, which was not well known before Adeboye took charge, has branches in over a hundred countries, including more than 14,000 in Nigeria. He has stated that his vision is to put a church within five minutes of every person on earth.”


Newsweek_magazine named Adeboye one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.


Globacom said Adeboye would take the audience through his inspirational life journey and how he battled severe poverty to see himself through university education as well as his encounter with God and how he built a hitherto unknown RCCG into one of the most popular churches in the world.


http://punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201102112344746

Tiv/Fulani clash claims 17 in Benue

NewsFeb 10, 2011

By Peter Duru

MAKURDI— No fewer than 17 persons have been reported killed in Tyotegh council ward in Gwer West local area of Benue State following reprisal attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen on the indigenous community.
Vanguard gathered from a reliable source that crisis broke out in the community when last Tuesday, members of the community alleged that their farmlands were destroyed by grazing cows belonging to the Fulani herdsmen.
Angered by the level of destruction, the aggrieved community members mobilized and attacked and killed large stock of cows belonging to the herdsmen.
Our sources further informed that the herdsmen fled the community only to return hours later riding on horsebacks and motorbikes killing anyone on site, burning down over 25 houses, farmlands and other valuables while displacing over 3000 persons in the process.
It was also gathered that the crisis has spread to Mbakyondo village in Makurdi, where Fulani herdsmen also invaded the community allegedly killing two farmers.
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents of Mbakyondo village have fled the scene of the fighting to Adeke village some 5 kilometers from Makurdi town, where they have found safe haven.
Reacting to the unfortunate development, the Special Adviser to Governor Gabriel Suswam on Security Matters, Colonel Basil Kwembe confirmed the killings and burning of homes of Tiv farmers.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/tivfulani-clash-claims-17-in-benue/

Man with 4,054 voters’ cards nabbed

NewsFeb 10, 2011

By CHIDI NKWOPARA

OWERRI — A middle aged man, Obinna Micheal Chukwuemeka, has been arrested by Imo State Police Command for being in possession of 4,054 duplicate copies of voters registration cards.
The Command is currently working on the suspicion that the cards must have been stolen or unlawfully obtained, especially as the suspect could not give a good account of how he came in possession of such sensitive electoral materials.
Obinna, who hails from Bende in Abia State but resides at Road One, World Bank Housing Estate, New Owerri, was apprehended February 8, 2011, at about midnight along Concord -Akanchawa road with a bag containing the voter registration cards and some laminating papers.
Answering questions from newsmen in the Command Headquarters, Owerri, Chukwuemeka, who claimed to be a freelance journalist, denied any complicity in the acquisition but rather said that he picked it up along Concord road.
When contacted, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Mr. Deji Adebanjo, confirmed the arrest and said the Criminal Investigation Department had commenced investigation into the case.
He assured that the suspect would appear in court after police investigation.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/man-with-4054-voters-cards-nabbed/

CJN Katsina-Alu Must Promote Himself Now

Posted: February 10, 2011 - 19:48

By Ayo Turton

Promotion is generally viewed as a positive process, like raising a person to a higher office, rank or grade as a compensation for an exemplary work and having shown aptitude for a position with more responsibility.

Promotion usually will be accompanied by pay raise, benefits and responsibility; this indicates that the person is useful, valuable and successful. It is meant to be an encouragement for the beneficiary to do better. Well, that is not always the case, at least not in Nigeria.
The word ‘promotion’ has joined other words that have their own peculiar meanings in the Nigerian lexicon.

When Prof. Dora Akunyili was in charge at NAFDAC, her exemplary work in that organization was widely acknowledged by all and sundry, her outstanding works fetched her several accolades and awards across the world. Then she got promoted – she was appointed the Minister of Information. Tongues started wagging; many curious minds want to know why a performing regulator/Pharmacist should be promoted to be the mouth piece of an administration generally perceived to be inept, redundant and non-performing. It turned out that Aunty Dora as she is popular called was not promoted to do better in what she knows how to do best, she was promoted by the government who wanted to exploit her positive image as a cover up for its own severely battered image. No sooner has Aunty Dora accepted the position against wise counsels than she started to speak in tongues, Dora the Enforcer has suddenly become Dora the Rebrander, she tried to white-wash Nigeria as against addressing our fundamental issues, Dora the Rebel, at least to the late President Yar’Adua kitchen cabinet and worse still, Dora the Rabble-Rouser, to the rest of us watching her trying pull a rabbit out of a hat for the government she served, a trick she apparently never learnt. We lost the real Aunty Dora to promotion.

When Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iwealla was brought back to Nigeria to help in ex-President Obasanjo’s administration, she was widely applauded for what she was able to accomplish for the country in the Finance Ministry by helping to shore up our foreign reserves and paying off our debt to the Paris Club. Then she got promoted. She was moved from the Ministry of Finance, her area of expertise, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and according to the government spin masters we were told, using the American example that the Secretary of State the equivalent of our Minister of Foreign Affairs is the most senior cabinet office, they insisted that what Aunty Ngozi got was a promotion and we all shouted, haaa!. It turned out that Aunty Ngozi did not want to be promoted, but her effrontery to question the power that be got her the promotion, Dr. Iwealla resigned, we lost her to promotion.

There used to be this woman known Oby Ezekwesili she headed the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit, she was reputed to be so thorough that she got nick-named Madam Due Process, but then she became too efficient that she has to be rapidly promoted away from where her ever prying eyes will be useful.

There is Nuhu Ribadu, a fearless corruption fighter; he took on the big and mighty fighting the monstrous evil that has towered over Nigerian landscape like Colossus. His work as the head of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was internationally recognized and applauded, his efforts moved Nigeria out of the ignominious list of the most corrupt countries in the world and our position on world corruption index rapidly improved, but unfortunately some powerful people became uncomfortable with Ribadu, the corruption fighter-in-chief had to be promoted and promotion was what he got, he was asked to proceed on one year full time course to Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, to ease him out of the office, an acting Chairman was to be appointed to replace him, Ribadu protested, one thing led to the other, he got fired for insubordination. Ouch! We lost another one to promotion.




This ugly scenario is beginning to play itself out again. Justice Kayode Eso (JSC rtd) Panel came out with a damning report of unbridled corruption in the Nigerian Judiciary, but there are still some shinning spots amidst the cloudy landscape, one of the most outstanding judges of the Nigerian Judiciary is Justice Ayo Salami, the present President of the Nigerian Court of Appeal. He is reputed to be fair, fearless and honorable. The Appeal Court under his leadership has overturned many of the decisions of INEC in the 2007 general elections widely acknowledged intra and internationally to be one of the worst elections ever conducted in Nigeria.

Just as we begin to praise his courage, the news broke, as is usual for all crusaders for justice, due process and rule of law in Nigeria, Justice Ayo Salami has to be promoted from the President of the Court of Appeal to a Justice of the Supreme Court, whether he likes it or not, against due process and the rule of law, they did not even bother to ask him. This move is being protested by all Nigerians of good conscience, some like Chief Femi Falana actually went to court to challenge the move, it is generally believe that the ruling party has been uncomfortable with the decisions emanating from the Court of Appeal under his watch and so he has to be promoted to pave the way for another President of the Court that will be amenable to “discipline”

But that is not the real bombshell. The real bombshell is contained in the affidavit filed in support of the suit challenging his removal, sorry promotion, Justice Ayo Salami revealed under oath that the Chief Justice of the Federation, Chief Justice Katsina-Alu had invited him to his office and asked him to pervert the course of justice by instructing the Justices sitting on a case before the Court of Appeal to either rule in favor of a particular party or disband the team and appoint other ones that would be amenable to “discipline” Lord have mercy! This is serious, this is not a journalistic speculation, this is not an investigative reporter’s scoop from his “reliable sources” it is also not a beer parlor gist, this is an allegation by the sitting President of the Court of Appeal against the sitting Chief Justice of the Federation under oath. How did we get here? To lend credence to the allegation raised by Justice Ayo Salami, the way that particular case was hijacked and disposed off by the Supreme Court has been confounding to all legal minds in Nigeria and beyond.

The judiciary is considered the last hope of the ordinary man for the enforcement of his rights, there is no doubt that this weighty allegation whether true or not has created a doubt in the mind of every Nigerian regarding the possibility of getting justice under the leadership of Chief Justice Katsina-Alu, our confidence in his ability to carry on in this position has been totally eroded, the time for Justice Aloysius Iyorger Katsina-Alu to honourably promote himself out of our Supreme Court is now!

Ayo Turton is a US based Attorney.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/cjn-katsina-alu-must-promote-himself-now

Governors promise not to rig April elections

By Taiye Agbaje

February 10, 2011 06:29AM

The governors of the 36 states of the federation wrapped up a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday night promising Nigerians that they would not be involved in rigging the April elections. The closed-door meeting was presided over by the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum and Kwara State governor, Bukola Saraki, and lasted for over five hours. The governors also promised to allow opposition parties to survive in their respective states in the interest of the development of democracy in the country.

The governors also sought a review of the revenue allocation formula, setting up a six-person committee to work on the matter and submit recommendations for the consideration of the forum. The members of the committee are the governors of Sokoto, Niger, Enugu, Adamawa, Lagos and Rivers states. Babatunde Fashola, the governor of Lagos state, is the chairman of the committee. The governors also signed an undertaking which included the following statements: “To commit to free, fair, credible and transparent electoral process in the upcoming elections; to remain unflinchingly committed to democracy and the integrity of the electoral process.”

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5675800-146/story.csp

Apologise To The South West People Now- Ribadu Tells Jonathan
Posted: February 9, 2011 - 15:31

ACN Presidential candidate, Nuhu Ribadu

By Citizen Reports/PM, News, Lagos

The Nuhu Ribadu Campaign Organisation has described the statements credited to President Goodluck Jonathan as “unbecoming of a President” and “one that smacks of desperation.”

President Jonathan while flagging off his south west presidential campaign in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital claimed that his party, the PDP “must” win the south west and salvage the region from “rascals.”

In a statement by Ibrahim Modibbo, it’s Director of Media and Communications, the organization stated that President Jonathan had “finally shown Nigerians how desperate he is to remain in power by resorting to name calling and character assassination instead of addressing issues that bother on the welfare of Nigerians and the people of the south west in particular.

“We recognise the Presidents dilemma. Of course he knows that both he and his fellow PDP governors in the south west have no achievements to brandish. They have no alternative to proffer to the positive changes being witnessed by the people in Lagos, Ekiti and Osun.

“It is however unbecoming of the President that in his frustration at the failure of him and his party to provide good governance to the people of the region and all Nigerians, he would resort to name calling.”

Modibbo also advised President Jonathan to use the opportunity of his campaigns to apologise to Nigerians for the 12 years of misrule and mis-governance that he and his party, the PDP have subjected Nigerians to.

“One would have thought that the President would use the opportunity of his presence to apologise to the people of the Southwest and indeed to all Nigerians about the failure of the PDP governors and the federal government,”

The President should have been man enough to apologise to the Yoruba’s that his party, the PDP, after mismanaging the opportunity they had from 2003 to 2007 to provide good governance in the 5 south west states they controlled , went ahead to steal the peoples votes and manipulate the electoral process in 2007,” Modibbo stated.

The Ribadu campaign organisation also questioned the moral right the President or any other PDP stalwart had in referring to the progressive leaders of the south west as rascals.

“When supporters of a PDP governor and supporters of a PDP senate leader engaged in a gun duel in the same Ibadan killing three people, the President did not refer to them as rascals. When minority PDP state legislators in Ogun, in an historic feat, sacked the majority members of the parliament, the President did not call them rascals.”

“Even in the Presidents home state of Bayelsa, when supporters of the PDP governor attacked supporters of Mr. President’s former adviser, killing six people, the president did not refer to anybody as rascals. On what basis can he now refer to anyone as a rascal,” Modibbo stated.

The organisation therefore urged all the people of the Southwest to continue to show support for purposeful leadership that the ACN provides.

“When the ACN picked Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as its presidential candidate, the party signified its intention to take to the federal government the positive transformation going on in Lagos, Edo, Ekiti and Osun Sates. The people of the south west like all other Nigerians know that the PDP has failed and this will be manifested again to the PDP and President Jonathan during the general elections.”

Ibrahim Modibbo

Director of Media and Communications

Nuhu Ribadu Campaign Organisation




Jonathan Slammed For Mapo Hall ‘Rascality’-, Lagos


The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN and a cross-section of Nigerians have criticized President Goodluck Jonathan for what they called his unpresidential comments yesterday at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, Oyo State, South West Nigeria that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP will wrest power out of the hands of ‘rascals’ governing Lagos, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states.


Reacting to the president’s comment today, National Publicity Secretary, ACN, Mr. Lai Muhammed described the president’s remarks as very unpatriotic, saying that “we will not join issues with him because attacking him is attacking the office of the presidency.

“The president should mind his language and face issues. What Nigerians want to know is how the coming election will be free and fair and what the PDP has in store for the people.”

Publicity Secretary, ACN, Lagos State , Mr. Joe Igbokwe lashed out at Jonathan for calling dependable and committed leaders in Lagos, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states rascals, saying that these leaders had been re-branding the nation which the PDP had destroyed.

“This is a horrible tale from some political nonentity and nitwits, full of sound and fury signifying nothing. This statement is coming from a bunch of clueless touts and political neophytes that have destroyed Nigeria .

“They think they can capture South West again after eight years of disaster in Ogun, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo and Oyo States . The Ibadan show of shame is going to be the last they will get such gathering in the South West.

“They are busy making all the noise in the world but we are busy rebuilding Nigeria . Remember they said these same things in 2003, 2007 and now 2011. The world is not taking them seriously,” he stated.

According to Igbokwe, there was no way the PDP could get back the states the ACN had taken over from them in the South West, adding that the nation had earned more money between 1999 and 2011 than what the nation earned between 1960 and 2008 which the PDP-led government had squandered.

He lamented that in 12 years, the nation’s hospitals, roads, electricity and the rest had been bastardized by the PDP, saying that the PDP is the rascal itself because of how it had plunged the nation into the abyss.

Speaking with P.M.NEWS, an ACN member in the Senate, representing Lagos West Senatorial District, Hon. Ganiyu Solomon said it was unfortunate that such an unpresidential statement would be coming from the mouth of the president.

“We are not surprised; we will soon come up with a collection of the president’s statements. He needs to undergo orientation in public speaking on how to respond to issues.

“It is an embarrassment of the position of the president for him to have used the word ‘rascal.’ As far as winning South West is concerned, the electorates are now wiser,” he said.

National President, Campaign for Democracy, CD, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin said she felt disappointed by the president’s unbecoming utterances, saying “how can the president address governors as rascals? It is unbecoming of the president.

“He needs to apologise; politics should be that of issues. His statement is strongly condemned and it should never happen again. Any attempt by the president to say that again will spell doom for the coming election,” he stated.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga & Yisa Jamiu

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/apologise-south-west-people-now-ribadu-tells-jonathan

Odili's Wife Ascends To The Supreme Court

Posted: February 10, 2011 - 02:28


By SaharaReporters, New York

Justice Mary Odili, the wife of the former governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili, has been elevated to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Mrs. Odili, who was originally appointed to the Court of Appeal on the South South slot, is being elevated to the court to fill the space left by Justice Nikki Tobi.  Also elevated to the Supreme court are Justices Sylvanus Ngwali Ngwuta and Olu Ariwoola.


Judicial sources told Saharareporters that  Justice Ngwuta will take up the slot formerly occupied by Justice Ikechi Francis Ogbuagu from Abia State, who retired from the Supreme Court in September 2010 while Justice Olu Ariwoola takes the South west slot formerly occupied by Justice Peter Aderemi.

Mary's husband, Peter Odili, ruled Rivers State between 1999 and 2007 and notoriously looted it throughout the period.  He has since then hidden from the law behind a perpetual of injunction by Justice Ibrahim N Buba, who currently serves at the federal high court in Asaba.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/odilis-wife-ascends-supreme-court

Unending tears for Nonye Okere

WEDNESDAY, 09 FEBRUARY 2011 00:00 FROM TERHEMBA DAKA, ABUJA NEWS - METRO

Following fatal shooting of woman and protests by residents, family cries for justice
IT was Monday, January 31, 2011 and Mrs. Doris Nonye Okere was eager to get to work in good time that morning.

An employee of Bank PHB, Zone 1, Wuse, she knew there was busy day ahead.

Having said goodbye to her husband, Eugene and a brief cuddle of their baby, Chidiebere Promise, who would be eight months old in three days time, Mrs. Okere left her home in Mpape, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, for work in a taxi.

But she did not get to work and that was the last time her husband and baby boy would see her alive.
She was still on her way to work when a mobile police officer, attached to Mpape branch of Zenith Bank, opened fire on the taxi and shot her dead.

Another woman was wounded in the mouth while a third person, a student, also sustained injuries from the shooting.

A native of Ezinihitte Mbaise in Imo State, Nonye as she was popularly called, was the third daughter in her family.

On completion of her National Diploma at the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, she got married to Eugene Okere on November 14, 2009 at the St. Matthew Anglican Church, Maitama, Abuja.

Encouraged by her husband, she proceeded to the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, where she graduated with a Higher National Diploma (HND) last year.

She had earlier also worked with United Bank for Africa (UBA) at its Asokoro branch before she got the Bank PHB offer.

Investigations by The Guardian showed that the taxi in Abuja colours, in which Mrs. Okere was going to work, had made a U-turn in front of the Zenith Bank branch, when the police officer controlling traffic at that location stopped the driver.

The policeman was said to have confronted the driver and an argument ensued leading to the officer shooting at the vehicle and Mrs. Okere was fatally hit where she sat on the passenger seat.

An auto technician within the vicinity of the bank told The Guardian on Friday that irate passersby on seeing the lifeless body of the woman had accosted the policeman, who took refuge inside the bank premises.

According to him, “after shooting the woman, the policeman escaped and this led to protests from the people around the area, who were mostly auto- technicians.

“The angry mob took to the street, setting up bonfires on the road, which stopped all vehicular and pedestrian movement.

“Then, they set the Zenith Bank on fire as a result of which vehicles and other property within the bank were destroyed.

“Bank workers and customers took to their heels to escape the mob.

“It took the arrival of a team of policemen from the Mpape Police Division and the FCT Police Command to the scene before the mob was dislodged.

“The police were later joined by soldiers deployed from Guards Brigade as well as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)”.

When The Guardian visited their residence on Road 3, off Berger Quarry Road, Mpape last Friday, Eugene, a public servant, his eyes still moist and red with tears and obviously still in pains said:

“I was still at home preparing for work that morning when my phone rang and it was her number.
“I said to myself: ‘ She has just left to work, what could be the matter?’

“I picked and now heard a male voice that asked me: ‘ do you know the owner of this phone? The owner of this phone is dead.’

“ I fell down. I called back the number again and the voice said I should come over to Zenith Bank. I called my neighbour and told him what I heard.

“On reaching there, I saw a mammoth crowd at Oceanic Bank close to Zenith.

“Luckily, I saw one of my neighbours called Solomon and told him the message I received.
“We now called my wife’s number and the person picked and I told him I was at Oceanic Bank and also raised my hand up for the person to identify me. We met and indeed, it was my wife’s phone.

“I asked him what happened and he said I should go and see if it was my wife that the Police had shot. “As at that time, there was still shooting and I saw one taxi on the middle of the road painted in Abuja colours.
“I checked inside and on the passenger side was the lifeless body of my wife.

“I held her and started shouting before people came and dragged me away from the scene.
After sometime, an ambulance came and they took her body to the hospital”.

Earlier last Wednesday, the FCT Police Command Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, while appealing for calm, had said the police authorities had begun investigation into the incident.

He said the police authorities were not hiding or trying to exonerate the policeman who killed Mrs. Okere “but the police were investigating whether the Mobile policeman acted in consonance with the Police Force Order.

“ If not, he will be charged to court for prosecution”.

On whether the police would pay compensation to the family of the deceased, the Public Relations Officer told The Guardian “the issue of compensation is a Force policy.

“ The best the police can do in the circumstance is to charge the culprit to court for prosecution.
“Let’s try not to be emotional when it comes to matters involving the police.

“If we have to be emotional, then it will be terrible for us in the country.
“We have also been training our policemen not to be emotional when dealing with members of the public”.

The police spokesman, while also appealing for patience, said the Police were making efforts to reach the family of the deceased for dialogue.

“We want the family to be part of the investigation to ensure that justice is done”, he said.

But Okere told The Guardian last weekend that the police had not contacted the family since the incident happened even though he had earlier gone to the FCT Police Command to make a formal statement.
“Up till now, the police authorities have not contacted me.

There has been no attempt by the Police to know how we are doing. Nothing”.

He is, therefore, calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene and ensure that justice is done in the matter.

“What I want is justice. That is all. I am also calling on the President, the Inspector General of Police, civil society groups, the media, the Labour Unions, all well- meaning Nigerians, Christians and Moslems to rise up so that we can curb this type of menace and brutality by the Nigeria Police”, he said amid tears.
“I never knew that one day it would be my turn.
“The security agents are supposed to secure our lives in this country but the Nigeria Police is no longer providing security for the people”, he added.

The devastated widower said the family was still awaiting the autopsy report from the Asokoro District Hospital where the body was deposited.

Since the incident, heavily armed soldiers and policemen have been guarding the bank premises and environs, ostensibly to prevent further demonstration and damage by the irate residents.

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=37991:unending-tears-for-nonye-okere&catid=3:metro&Itemid=558

Daniel might dump PDP

NewsFeb 8, 2011

ABEOKUTA – There are hints that the embattled Governor of Ogun State, Governor Olugbenga Daniel might dump the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP]
Addressing members of the party, who thronged his “Asoludero “country home in Sagamu, after a meeting with all his candidates who were dropped by the ruling party, Daniel said that his new party of choice would be announced on Wednesday.
Addressing the huge crowd who came to prevail on him not to attend the Presidential Campaign flag off in Ibadan, Daniel after detailing how the PDP had continuously being ruined in the South West said “if they want us here, we will stay; but if they don’t want us, we will not. But I can assure you we will break our fast tomorrow.
“We did conduct the primaries; they sent people from Abuja. Security came, INEC came and one week after they started everything and INEC listed those who did not participate in the primaries as the candidates. Since I have been taking you around, have I ever directed you wrongly?
“After fasting, it would be broken. We have fasted and we will break our fast tomorrow [Wednesday] then you will all know where we are going. This is Ogun State where we have been truthful”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/daniel-might-dump-pdp/

My nomination an act of God, says Abacha

NewsFeb 8, 2011

Kano – Alhaji Mohammed Abacha, the governorship candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Kano State,says his nomination as the party’s flagbearer in the April elections is “an act of God”.
Abacha’s name appeared on the list of Candidates displayed by the INEC in Kano,against earlier speculations that his closest rival, Brig.-Gen.Lawal Ja’afaru was the CPC’s candidate submitted to the electoral body.
The Director-General of Abacha’s campaign organisation, Alhaji Sulaiman Mohammed,also described the acceptance of Abacha’s name by INEC as an indication of the persuit of the rule of law by the commission.
“Power belongs to God;He gives it to whomsover He so wishes and takes it whenever He so wishes,and by the grace of God, Mohammed Abacha will become the next Governor of Kano,” Mohammed added.
Other Candidates who made the INEC list for the state include former Governor of the state,Dr Rabi’u Kwankwaso (PDP) and the incumbent Deputy Governor, Alh.Abdullahi Gwarzo who is contesting on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN).
Gwarzo had earlier defected to the ACN from the ruling ANPP in the state,alleging manupulations of the Ward’s congresses.
NAN reports that Abacha’s emergence on the list prompted jubilation by his supporters who took to the streets in Kano.
In Umuahia, 15 political parties will contest the elections, following the approval of their lists by INEC.
The parties, with their governorship candidates, include Chief Paul Ikonne (ACN), Mr Onuoha Christian (ALP), Chief Reagan Ufomba (APGA), Mr Ukpabi Uchenna (AD), Mr Chukwuemeka Ikpo (ANPP), Mr Obioma Onyeaghalam (CPN), Mr Ndukwe Ndukwe (NCP) and Mr Samuel Chukwuma (CPP).
Others are Mr nwachukwu Kelechi (CDC), Mr Owanta Emenike (DFPF), Chief Theodre Orji (PDP), Mr Chikwendu James (PPP), Chief Chris Akoma (PPA), Chief Staley Ohajuruka (LP) and Mr OnuohaAkwari (NTP).
While fomer Governor of Abia, Chief Orji Kalu made the list as Abia North Senatorial candidate (PPA), Chief Ako Atuloma’s name as Governorship candidate of CPC was not displayed as the list of CPC was not released.
But Mr Edwin Enabor, INEC Public Relations Officer (PRO) said that the Commission only released names that were forwarded from the parties’ headquarters.
“It could be that names of those who did not make the list were wrongly taken to other states,” Enabor said.
Meanwhile, Chief Stanley Ohajuruka, the state governorship candidate of Labour Party has commended INEC
for the prompt release of the lists nationwide.
Ohajuruka told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia that the electoral body had proved that it was determined to ensure the success of the elections.
He said although names of LP candidates in three constituencies of Ukwa East, Bende North and Aba Central had not been released, the party had taken necessary steps to remedy the situation.
Ohajuruka urged Nigerians to eschew all forms of political misgivings and unite to ensure the success of the exercise.
(NAN)

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/my-nomination-an-act-of-god-says-abacha/