₦airaland Forum

Uche Nwofor, hero of the Nelson Mandela Challenge match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, has joined SC Heerenveen.

He joined the Dutch side on a season-long loan from relegated VVV Venlo.
“I am happy. This is an opportunity to further improve my development as a player.

“I want to continue my football education in Holland and I believe I am at the right club. I’m excited and looking forward to working under Marco Van Basten,” Nwofor said after a successful medical on Friday.

The 21-year-old’s agent, Tony Harris, said that he is confident the player made the right decision.

“He has an incredible opportunity to grow under legendary Dutch striker Marco Van Basten. But more significantly Nwofor wants to keep improving and get better as a striker. He has a chance to do that in Heerenveen,” Harris said.

Nwofor was earlier linked to English clubs Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle United.

Heerenveen is notable for producing strikers such as Ruud van Nistelrooy and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas and her actor husband Josh Duhamel have welcomed their first child into the world on Thursday and have decided to name the baby boy Axi Jack Duhamel, who weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz.

The singer gave birth to her bundle of joy in Los Angeles after checking into Cedars-Sinai Hospital – the same hospital Kim Kardashian had her baby North West – for a pre-scheduled C-section earlier in the day.

An elated Duhamel said that starting a family together was “something we’ve wanted for a very long time. We’re both just over the moon about it,” he added.

The doting dad took his new role very seriously throughout each trimester and confessed that he had been serenading Fergie’s baby bump for months.

“They say they’ll recognise your voice when they come,” he said. “It’s very important to me that we raise this kid right. There’s a connection that’s established,” he added.

“I’ll take anything I can get.” Fergie added. “He speaks to my tummy, it’s quite hilarious.”

The singer is however excited about her playing out her new mama role and is readier than ever to start this next chapter with her leading man saying, “He’s going to be an amazing father,” she said. “I’m so blessed. I’m on top of the world. Me and my baby are on top of the world.”

Nigeria’s Nations Cup hero, Sunday Mba, has left Warri Wolves for French Ligue 2 team, CA Bastia.

According to the Corsican outfit, the 24-year-old has signed a one-year deal.

Mba, who was on target in the 40th minute of the 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in the Nations Cup final in Johannesburg in February, cost CA Bastia a fee of one million euros.

Newly promoted Bastia are currently fifteenth in the 20-team table with two points from four games.

The Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Suntai, on Wednesday dissolved the state executive council and appointed a new Secretary to the State Government (SSG), and a new Chief of Staff to the Government House.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Silvanus Giwa, announced the dissolution and new appointments at a news conference in Jalingo.

Timothy Kataps, who is the outgoing Commissioner for Justice, emerged the new SSG while Aminu Jika is now the new Chief of Staff.

Giwa said that the appointments were with immediate effect and noted that he was speaking on the orders of Suntai.

The special assistant also announced that all Commissioners and Special Advisers were relieved of their duties as well.

Giwa passed the governor’s goodwill message to the out-going Commissioners and Special Advisers for their services to the state, saying he wished them well in their future endeavours.

It will be recalled that on Tuesday, the State House of Assembly said that the Deputy Governor, Garba Umar, should continue to act in the capacity of acting governor until Suntai was able to appear before the lawmakers to confirm that the transmitted letter to the House was genuine.

Suntai was involved in a plane crash in Adamawa State last October while trying to land his self-piloted plane, and was flown to Germany, and later United States were he spent 10 months receiving medical attention before he returned to the country three days back.

http://telegraphng.com/2013/08/suntai-dissolves-cabinet/

Nigeria was not among 74 countries that secretly pressed social media giant, Facebook, for the private data of their nationals or residents, the company indicated in a report released Tuesday.

Facebook said in its first report showing how governments snoop on the citizens that it received requests asking for the release data of at least 38,000 users between January and June 2013.

Four African countries – South Africa, Uganda, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Botswana – made the list.

In all, the United States, by far, sought the most user information from Facebook — from 11,000 to 12,000 requests for access to more than 20,000 accounts. Facebook said that it supplied data in roughly 79 percent of those cases.

The United States allows companies to release only the ranges of the number of requests the government makes. Facebook complied 79 percent of the time.

Britain filed the second-most requests for data from Facebook: 1,975 requests from 2,337 user accounts. Facebook said it complied 68 percent of the time. France, Germany, India and Italy also made more than 1,000 requests during the first half of 2013.

South Africa led in Africa with 14 requests on nine users, followed by Egypt with eight requests on 11 users. Uganda requested the least – only once.

The report, released on Tuesday, covers every request the company has received from every government from January through June 30.

Facebook said the report includes requests made for security reasons and for criminal cases.

Nigeria’s absence on the lists would appear a boost to the government’s claim about its respect for the privacy of Nigerians and their right to free speech; an assertion which came under intense criticism after the government’s secret internet surveillance contract to an Israeli firm was exposed in March 2013.

The report by Facebook came as part of the fallout of the leak by former CIA analyst, Edward Snowden, on United States of America’s clandestine phone and internet spy program.

Facebook said that it plans to release the data reports regularly.

Several technology firms, including Google and Twitter, have released regular reports in past years. Others, such as Yahoo, have recently started sharing information on government requests in the wake of Snowden’s revelations.

The Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL) has demanded that the Taraba State legislature declare Governor Danbaba Suntai unfit for office and and take steps to ascertain his true medical situation; as stated in the constitution.

In a statement made available to Nigerian Telegraph, and signed by its chairman, Abdul Mahmud, the group warned that it would go to court if the demands are not met within seven days.

The full text of the statement reads:

“Yesterday, Governor Suntai returned to the country almost exactly ten months after he was evacuated to Germany and later the United States for treatment of injuries he suffered in a plane crash. That he survived the crash and ten grueling months of recuperation from injuries that Nigerian newspapers and online blogs speculate range from a debilitating head injury to permanent mental and physical incapacitation is a testimony to his indomitable spirit.

However, his prolong absence raised, and still raises, questions over the state of his health, the extent of his injuries and the more specific question: is he fit to govern Taraba State?

The picture of a man being helped by aides down the gangway of an aircraft fuels the speculation that Governor Suntai is gravely ill, incapable of discharging the functions of his office. The failure of Governor Suntai to address the media or the people of his state since his arrival in Jalingo appears indicative of a more serious medical case.

We have travelled the beaten path before. Recall President Yar’Adua’s saga. As it was then, so it is now: a public servant, feeling very poorly, is corralled by a criminal cabal intent on subverting the spirit and letters of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

Today, like yesteryear, Governor Suntai is imprisoned by his aides and a wife who is more interested in power than that the desire to help her husband deal with his fate, the circumstances he has found himself, away from prying and inquisitive public.

Nigerians must help Governor Suntai out of his misery.

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) is very clear. Section 189 provides that:

(1) The Governor or Deputy Governor of a State shall cease to hold office if:

(a) By a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of all members of the executive council of the state, it is declared that the Governor or Deputy Governor is incapable of discharging the functions of his office; and...

A man hit by a vehicle few minute ago is lying dead at the BRT lane at Onipanu bus stop.

An eye eyewitness said a car ran over the yet to be identified man as he attempted to cross the Lagos Ikorodu road about 10.45pm on Sunday.

The car hit the man and threw him on the BRT lane where his corpse is still lying.

"The man is wearing a shirt and trousser. He should be about middle age. He was trying to cross the road from the onipanu bus stop when a private car hit him hard and threw him on the BRT lane. He died instantly and his corpse is still on the BRT lane".

Sadly this death would have been avoided as a bridge is at the bus stop but few people make use of the overhead bridge.

Hit and run deaths happen once in a while on the busy Express road.

Another source who identified herself as Sarah express worried over hit and run death.

She said "I have seen the corpse of a pregnant woman on that Ikorodu Express road. I was driving to work early one morning when I saw it and it made me sad. People should learn to use the overhead bridge," Sarah said.

The Lagos State government has put measures in place to stop residents from dashing through the Express roads but few people still make use of the bridge. The officers of the Kick Against Indisciple brigand, as well as local government officers were deployed at major bus stops to stop people from crossing the road.

The government in some cases also set up perimeter fence to stop residents from crossing express ways but to no avail.

Agege is a well-known suburb in Lagos. Two years ago, it cost less than half of what is currently charged to rent an apartment there. Residents in the community, amongst others on the mainland, are now concerned about the spike in house rent. Certain factors are responsible for this hike, one of which is improved infrastructure.

By virtue of infrastructural development (on roads, schools, and commercial buildings), business activities and a steady influx of people have caused rents to go up. In Oke Afo near Lagos-Badagry Express Way, for instance, house rents and land prices have doubled over the last two years that the state government has been upgrading the highway.

Certain government policies have also contributed to the increase in house rents in the state. The first is the federal government’s fuel subsidy removal in 2012, which led to a rise in cost of certain goods and services. The second one is the state government’s introduction of its Tenancy Law. The Law prohibits landlords from collecting rent exceeding one year from new tenants and six months from existing tenants. Even though the Law ought to regulate house rent, in a sense, it does not because landlords and estate agents then charge more for the permitted six-month and one-year rents.

Furthermore, some landlords and estate developers argue that they increase rent to defray the growing cost of building and maintaining houses that have standard facilities. They say the cost of materials and labour that are used in building and maintenance is rising because of inflation, and that the only way to offset the increasing expenses is to raise rents accordingly.

Babatunde Quadri, a senior official at the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation, buttressed this point recently. He said, “The rising [rents] are actually because of facilities put in place [in modern buildings and buildings that are being renovated]. Estate developers and landlords want to ensure their homes have all the basic things, such as water supply. All of these inevitably add to cost.”

House rents are also going up in the state because there is a shortage of housing when supply is compared to demand, experts say. Olajugba Oluropo, a top real estate executive, said investors in the industry are too few to build houses that would meet the demand for housing in Lagos, and so the available houses are not enough to meet this demand....

Few Nigeria banks are currently ranked among the world’s top 400, according to The Banker magazine of the Financial Times Group, London.

The President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mr. Segun Aina, is of the opinion that Nigerian banks can do better and that they have what it takes to be ranked among the top 100 in the world.

According to latest reports published by the Banker magazine on July 1, 2013, only two Nigerian banks made the list of top 400 banks in the world, while eleven other Nigerian banks made it to the top 1000.

The banks include Zenith, which moved 35 places from 322 in the world last year to 287, while First Bank fell from 338 to 367.

Others are Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank, United Bank for Africa, Ecobank, Fidelity Bank, First City Monument Bank, Skye Bank, Diamond Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Union Bank and Standard Chartered Bank.

Guaranty Trust Bank moved to 417 from 455, Access Bank moved to 506 from 541 and UBA moved to 553 from 563.

Segun Aina said the top 100 ranking is possible and achievable despite the sloppy movement of some banks in the rankings.

“The indigenous banks [should receive] the necessary support from stakeholders in Nigeria’s banking industry to develop services that will enable them compete head to head with their foreign counterparts.

“I challenge bankers to up their game by putting every necessary effort to see that the Nigerian banking sector moves steps forward from its current ranking position to first 100.

“The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria is at the forefront to assist banks design best practices and services, supported with the best corporate governance and integrity, as this is one of our primary motives,” Aina said.

The CIBN president urged banks to cooperate with the Central Bank of Nigeria to reach the unbanked population through financial inclusion...

The people of Ile-Ife in Osun State will celebrate Oranmiyan in a three-day programme starting on Monday, August 26, 2013.

Oranmiyan was said to be the only Yoruba King that was confirmed to have established other towns like Oyo and Benin, became their King and later returned to his abode in Ife, also to be crowned King before his eventual transformation, as denoted in the Oranmiyan Cenotaph.

Speaking in preparation of the event, Oba Abimbola Akinyele, the Olu of Famia Ife, said the celebration is to make some clarification, especially to those claiming the Oranmiyan deity as theirs.

Over the years, the Oranmiyan Cenotaph has drawn million of tourists to Ile-Ife and has continued to do same. Oranmiyan worship is a religion to some in Yoruba land, who visit the Cenotaph to pay homage and reverence to the deity.

History has it that Oranmiyan was one of the seven sons of Okanbi, the only child of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba.

Oranmiyan, despite being the grandson of Oduduwa was the pioneer Alaafin of Oyo. He was famed as a strong enigmatic leader, who led his people onto a path of greatness that lasted several centuries, leaving a heritage that lasts till today.

After establishing Oyo, he left and conquered the Benin people and again founded the Benin Kingdom. After several wars and conquests, Oranmiyan returned to Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba and was the 4th Ooni of Ife.

The festival, which has received the approval of the Ooni of Ife, Alaiyeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade, will bring all Ife indigenes and the entire Yoruba at home and in diaspora like Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Cuba, United States of America together.
Former minister of Agriculture, Engineer Basheer Awoterebo, at a press conference in Ile-Ife said that different programmes have been lined up to enrich the festival.

According to hi$, the festival which will be used to bring to limelight the unique and binding tradition for the Yoruba people, will feature a paper presentation with the theme, ‘What is the name?” to be delivered by a renowned professor of history.

Other activities expected to add glamour to the occasion will be quiz competition, traditional procession, and vacant space for traders to display their wares as well as homage to be paid to the Ooni of Ife, Imperial Majesty Oba Okunade Sijuade.

Scores of commercial motorcycle riders have besieged the General Hospital at Ikorodu to protest the killing of a motorcyclist allegedly shot dead by policemen in the area.

According to a witness, Chima Onwe, a crowd of sympathisers took over some roads in Ikorodu demanding justice over the killing of the okada rider said to be in his twenties.

Mr. Onwe said the policeman, who shot dead the okada rider, was part of a patrol team enforcing the ban on okada on the road.

“The policemen stopped this young chap on the bike. They wanted to seize his bike but he fled and the policeman in the van opened fire and shot him. The man died immediately and the policemen fled.

A family member of the murdered okada rider identified the deceased as Lanre Ifa. He was a 21-year old student of Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Akure. He was reportedly operating an okada in order to make ends meet because of the current university lecturers’ strike.

“The other okada riders, who witnessed the incident took the corpse to the Ikorodu General Hospital. There is a riot going on at the moment in front of the hospital,” Mr. Onwe said, adding that policemen and soldiers have been drafted to the area to quell the riot.

Two police vans arrived the scene of the protest and officers were forced to release four seized okada.

The police officer who allegedly killed Lanre has been identified as Aruna Ayodele and is currently at large.

The incident comes after the fatal shooting of a father of six, Adamson Bello at Aka Town, in Iba area of Lagos State. It was gathered that at about 8.30 pm on Monday, a policeman attached to South-Bound hotel in the area opened fire at a crowd of boys, who attempted to force themselves into the dance hall. Unfortunately, the bullet hit Mr. Bello.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday directed new measures to immediately bring the on-going strike by university teachers to a close, in an intervention that comes nearly two months since the lecturers shut down the classrooms.

Jonathan ordered two government committees involved in long-drawn negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to implement immediate measures that would end the strike, said Governor Gabriel Suswam, Governor of Benue State and head of the Universities Needs Implementation Committee, after a meeting attended by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, who is the Chairman of the Earned Allowance Committee.

“The president has instructed us as to what to do, and he has shown a lot of commitments to flagging off projects worth about N100 billion in all the universities in the country, about 61 of them,” he said on Tuesday.

“So, we are hoping that we will be able to see the end of the strike very soon. At the end of the day, we hope ASUU is satisfied with the measures that have so far been taken.”

He said the government is to meet with university councils and vice chancellors within the week on the new decision.

The decision came after a meeting, which held earlier on Tuesday between the federal government and ASUU representatives, ended without an agreement.

Long strike

President Jonathan has come under intense criticism for his handling of the industrial action by the ASUU, particularly as a former lecturer and member of the association.

The strike, which began June ending, has continued despite intervention and negotiations by the National Assembly and the ministries of education and labour.

The federal government said its resources could not meet the union’s demands for backlog of allowances, while ASUU insists its demands also cover mainly better funding and equipping of universities.

Suswam said the meeting was summoned by the president “to take some decisions that would end the strike.’’

“The president has graciously agreed that in the first week of September he will be able to flag-off the projects,” he said.

“You also know that the procurement process will have to be followed and these projects include hostels in our universities, classrooms and theatres, libraries and laboratories among others. Some are renovation some are new and all the 61 universities are going to benefit from one project or another.”

The union has, however, rejected the government’s offer of N30 billion to pay part of their allowances, insisting on N87 billion.

Asked whether government would be willing to shift ground on ASUU’s insistence, Suswam said negotiation was still on-going.

ASUU reaction

Speaking on phone with Nigerian Telegraph, a Prof. Festus Iyayi, a former president of ASUU, said that the union was unaware of any such order. According to Iyayi, as things stand, the strike would go on because in the most recent meeting, the government still insisted that the implementation of the last agreement was impossible.

“If they are ordering an end to the strike without honouring the agreement, let them go to the schools and teach,” he said.

Some residents of Court of Appeal Estate II in Kubwa, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja got the shock of their lives on Saturday as bulldozers from the Department of Development Control pulled down their buildings without notice. Those affected were living along railway corridors in the area.

An eye witness, Kingsley Ohen, who is a younger brother to one of the victims, said he received a distress call from his sister that their building was being pulled down.

“When I arrived at my sister’s house, I was shocked at what was going on in the area. I met her devastated and confused due to the suddenness of the demolition. As you can see, everybody is running around due to confusion caused by their sudden appearance,” Kingsley said.

Although he agreed that they were given until this August to vacate the area, no actual date was given and residents assumed that it would be the last day in August.

Mrs. Justina Acha, one of the victims, said, “I was cooking, when members of the development control arrived our estate with bulldozers and mobile policemen and announced to us that they are to pull down our buildings. We were confused and begged them to give us more time to vacate since we are still in August but they refused and started demolishing our houses,” she said.

When asked if they were properly notified of the demolition date and compensated, Mrs. Acha said they paid N5.5 million to owners of 2-bedroom flats and N6 million to owners of 3-bedroom flats. She claimed, however, that they were underpaid as that amount was not enough for such houses anywhere within Kubwa.

Some other victims where unable to speak with Nigerian Telegraph as they were all busy salvaging what they could of their property before the buildings were finally pulled down.

When contacted, officials of the Development Control carrying out the demolition exercise said that the demolition commenced yesterday afternoon but declined further comments. They referred Nigerian Telegraph to their office for more comments on the matter.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nathaniel Temije, an assistant director, Monitoring and Enforcement said, on Friday, that all buildings on the railway corridors would be removed to pave way for ongoing construction of rail lines in the territory...

Chimerase: Game over kudos to de league leaders

The eagerly anticipated 2013/2014 English Premier League season gets underway Saturday with the usual suspects, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City overwhelming favourites to clinch the title, and the three promoted teams – Hull City, Crystal Palace and Cardiff City – looking like going straight back down to the Championship.

Even before the kickoff, this season has been described as the most interesting Premier League season in history, and it’s hard to argue with that with everything has happened (and is yet to happen) with managerial changes at the Premier League’s biggest clubs and teams spending big to push up the table.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City all begin the season under new managers, although Jose Mourinho has worked at Stamford Bridge before, delivering Premier League titles and plenty of other trophies.

Manuel Pellegrini’s new stars at Manchester City will be eager to prove their worth to City’s loyal fans, who are desperate for more success after finishing in the top-two during the last three seasons. And with David Moyes now at the helm of affairs at Manchester United, the question on everybody’s lips is how well the Red Devils will fare without the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.

But regardless of who is now in charge at Old Trafford, no one can rule out the Red Devils from making a push for the title, even though it looks likely that they will only get their acts together around Christmas after a tough start to the season.

Moyes has perhaps the hardest task on his hands. He has the unenviable task of replacing Sir Alex, who was in charge for 28 trophy-filled years.

On the pitch, with so many world class players on show, it’s hard to single who will be the standout player this time around. But the supreme talent of Robin van Persie, Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero, Juan Mata and reigning Player of the Year Gareth Bale will light up the league.

There are also a couple of youngsters expected to light up the league during the campaign such as Wilfred Zaha, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Stevan Jovetic and Victor Moses. There is also Sone Aluko, whose performance could well determine whether Hull City remain with the big boys or make a swift return to the Championship.

Manchester United

The Premier League champs probably won’t go out full blast at the start of the season, and are third favourites behind Manchester City and Chelsea to defend the title, but they still have the pedigree to go all the way yet again having retained the core of their victorious squad. No notable new signings yet, but that could change before the end of August.

Player to watch: Wilfried Zaha

Manchester City

Manuel Pellegrini has every reason to be unhappy with his backline after watching his side ship eight goals in their past three pre-season outings, including three against Arsenal, but he will be happy with the potentials in midfield and attack having brought in Fernandinho, Stevan Jovetic , Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo, although it remains to be seen how quickly they bond.

Player to watch: Stevan Jovetic

Chelsea

ose Mourinho returns as Chelsea manager for a new season, and there is pressure on him to sustain a decent challenge in the EPL and in Europe. The Portuguese will be seeking more silverware, a quest that will be boosted if the Blues can persuade Manchester United to sell Wayne Rooney.

Player to watch: Victor Moses

Tottenham Hotspur

With new arrivals Paulinho and Roberto Soldado now at Tottenham, Andre Villas-Boas’ side will harbour ambitions of finishing in the top-four and return to the Champions League next season. But much will depend on whether or not they can resist Real Madrid’s advances for Gareth Bale.

Player to watch: Roberto Soldado

Arsenal

A promised summer of big spending has yet to materialize (and probably never will). There has been interest in Gonzalo Higuain, Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez, but Arsene Wenger, typical of him, left it late to do his business. Only Yaya Sanogo has arrived so far, and that level of signing does not signal improvement.

Player to watch: Chuba Akpom

Liverpool

Liverpool have an immense amount of flair, but continue to lack consistency. Have brought in Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas, Simon Mignolet and Kolo Toure but like Spurs with Bale, much will depend on whether they can retain the services of Luis Suarez. Should challenge for fourth though if all the pieces fall into place.

Player to watch: Luis Alberto

West Ham United

May not be rated as the prettiest side to watch, but you could never accuse Sam Allardyce of not knowing what he wants. And he now has Andy Carroll on a permanent deal while the arrival of Stewart Downing should also prove helpful. Should finish in the top half of the table.

Player to watch: Ravel Morrison

Everton

Roberto Martinez has a hard act to follow in David Moyes, but there is no reason why the Toffees cannot produce under the Spanish coach. Arouna Kone proved his class with Wigan last season and they still have Victor Anichebe, who will onve again prove a handful for EPL defenders....

Tears flowed freely as the remains of Ifechukwudi Nwanikpor was laid to rest at the Badagry Cemetery in Lagos yesterday. The 24-year-old was one of two young men lynched by villagers from the Tozukame community area in Ajara, Badagry .

Policemen watched as both men – Nwanikpor and Kazeem Onayemi (26) were beaten and killed by the community members after being labelled armed robbers.

Mourners and family members came out in their numbers at the Badagry cemetery but couldn’t hold back their tears at the burial.

Nigerian Telegraph spoke to the Sam Nwanikpor, a retired Immigrations officer and father of the deceased after his son’s interment. The senior Nwanikpor, who served for 30 years before he retired in 2008, said that John was the oldest of his two sons.

“He was born on 25th September, 1988 and he was born here in Badagry, the same area where he was murdered. He read Geology and Mining at the Delta State University, Abraka and he was home, hoping to put some things in place.

“Instead of being idle, myself and his mother decided that he should go into clearing and forwarding though with his consent. We handed him over to a relation, who is from Isialuku and ever since then, that’s what he has been doing; his only free time is Sundays due to his job.”

Asked if he intends to press charges, he said, that they would wait for the outcome of the investigation by the police.

“We are watching and waiting. The whole world is watching,” Nwanikpor said.

“I have a lawyer and I think he is in the best position to answer that question. He is not around now, if not I would have referred you to speak to him because he knows the next line of action.”

Nigerian Telegraph also spoke to some of the deceased’s family members.

One of them, Mrs Rose, said, “[He] is my nephew and I hope the Nigerian police comes out with a better investigation [The police] are currently doing a very good job with the arrest of some youths involved in the killing, the Baale of the community, who gave the order and the police officers, who were at the scene to supervise the horrible incident. But we are still going to press charges; we want justice. All the people who have a hand in the death of my nephew must be brought to face the law.”

Blood money on the table

Some sources said that the community is now pleading with the families of the lynched young men and have offered about N2.5 million to the families so that the matter is closed and forgotten.

The ‪Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Anambra has said it will hold a three-day fasting and one-day prayer session in Awka to seek God’s divine intervention over what it termed “the precarious condition of workers in the state”.

The chairman of the Anambra state Chapter of the NLC, Patrick Obianyo, said this in Awka on Friday.

According to Obianyo, the decision to seek the face of God became necessary because the public civil service in the state had suffered so much under successive governments.

Obianyo, who doubles as the chairman of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) in the state, enjoined the workers to participate actively in the prayer programme.

“The permanent secretaries in the state civil service were more of glorified clerks in terms of salary, with the net pay of about N150,000 per month and directors receiving N110,000,” he said.

“If these are the salaries of permanent secretaries and directors, then come to think of what the salaries of other workers down the ladder would be.

“Anambra workers are the least paid throughout the federation and it is not more of lack of fund, but the willingness by the powers that be to accord workers their due rights.”

The chairman said that Anambra remained the only state where organised labour had never gone into any meaningful dialogue with the government.

He said this could be part of the reasons the government is still holding on to seven months check-off dues of some workers for going on strike to protest implementation of the minimum wage.

“The workers will vote only for the aspirant in the forthcoming gubernatorial election that will be ready to pay them the minimum wage,” the labour head said.

“Enough of the sacrifice, enough of the sufferings. Our children have the right to quality education, they must have food on their tables.”

Uche Nwora, the Permanent Secretary, Head of Service, Anambra, said that government had been sensitive to the plight of workers in the state.

He said that although they had not met all the workers’ demands, that was not to say that the government was insensitive.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the registration of two new parties-Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) and Independent Democrats (ID).

The PDM is linked with a former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, and the registration come a day after the Abubakar acknowledged that his allies had filed a request for the registration of the party to INEC.

But he maintained that he remained a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

A statement signed by INEC secretary, A. C. Ogakwu, said the commission has approved the constitution, manifesto, logo/flag and list of National Executive Officers of the two new parties.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has registered two new political parties in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended) and the Electoral Act 2010 (as Amended).

The former vice president had on Thursday gave what was the clearest indication that the new party, was in the works.

Atiku said while he remained a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, several of his political associates were involved in filing for the registration of a new party, to be PDM.

“Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said while he remains a loyal PDP member, he doesn’t have the right or power to stop others from associating or seeking registration for new parties,” the statement by his media office said Thursday.

The clarification came amid increasing speculation that the former VP was working to create a new party, upon which, he intends to stand for the 2015 presidential election.

Several of his associates had earlier confirmed he was laying the groundwork for the new party, in anticipation of the difficulty in securing PDP’s presidential nomination with President Goodluck Jonathan all but a certain to seek re-election.

Frustrated in PDP

The decision to push ahead with the registration intensified after the former Atiku became increasingly isolated from his current party, the PDP, one close associate of the former vice president, who refused to be named, said.

Atiku has recently protested to the PDP national chairman, Bamanga Tukur, about how he was treated by the PDP leadership, citing the particular exclusion of his name amongst the delegates for the upcoming PDP special convention.

He also complained about the systematic withdrawal of his privileges as a former vice president, in line with the party constitution.

In the letter, dated July 11, Atiku urged the party to restore the respects and privileges conferred on occupants of the office of the Vice president and founding members of PDP.

ochongonoko: You're always fond of jumping from one thread to another spewing your frustration on celebrities, calling people ugly, while you're no better. You did this same thing on rita dominic's birthday thread, Cussing her out cos she's not yet married, calling her all sorts of names. Did she personally tell you that she's desperate for a husband. Did she tell you that without a man, her life won't be complete. You might never achieve a quarter of all she has and will achieve yet you insult her

Now, How can you call beverly ugly?. She's anything but ugly. If you wanna criticize her, criticize her for the wrong things she did but not calling her ugly when she's a billion times prettier than you. Why all this vitrol on this girl for a bra in the BBA house?.I'm not supporting her bad acts on the BBA show, she deserve to be criticized but base your criticism on her deeds not her looks. I swear if you join Mr NL competiton. You'll get only one like on your pic and one vote, all from yourself!!.


Your case is not a matter of kettle calling a pot black, but a matter of black kettle calling a clean pot, black. Rubbish

See who he's calling ugly just cos of his innate hatred for her. Smh

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8087/8348705618_cc2e3ab432_z.jpg

https://cdn.bellanaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Beverly-Ada-Osu.jpg

A special police team set up by the Lagos State police command to investigate the lynching of two men Ifechukwudi Nwanikpor (25) and Kazeem Onayemi (26) by villagers from the Tozukame community in Ajara, Badagry, has begun gathering evidence against the suspects.

The team is said to be headed by a former Officer -In-Charge of the Homicide Department of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba.
Other officers are said to have been drawn from the State Intelligence Bureau as well as other police formations in the state.

A source, who requested anonymity said that the team was set up to carry out a thorough investigation of the lynching following the role the officers attached to the Badagry police station played while the victims were murdered in cold blood. Prior evidence showed that they did nothing but watch as both men were killed.

It was also gathered that the DPO of the Badagry police station has since been transferred for calling the victims armed robbers before an investigation was carried out.
A new DPO is expected at the station on Monday.

The special team has since visited the families of the deceased at Ajara to commiserate with them and also take statements and exhibits of the daylight murder.

Last week, the policemen also visited the scene of the crime, where the victims were murdered and gathered the planks and other objects used by the villagers in the killing on July 21.

It was further gathered that the team arrested about nine persons in connection with the murder including the traditional ruler of Agamathen, a ruler in Tozukame community.

Also, the police team arrested the station officer of the Badagry police station Inspector Adefemi Ashagbon for his role in the lynching. All are said to be in custody at the State Command in Ikeja.

The deceased were killed and labelled armed robbers but video clips, which went viral on Youtube shows how they were framed and murdered in cold blood.

A second video clip also exposed the policemen identified as Inspector Adefemi Ashogbon, the station officer of the Badagry Police Station and one Sergeant John Sonayon as they stood and allowed the jungle justice; the video clip also shows a police van with a team of policemen at the scene.

An unprecedented find by US researchers, capable of providing humans, for the first time in history, 100 percent protection against malaria, has offered a broad new glimpse of hope for the estimated 97% of Nigeria’s population at risk of the sickness.

The vaccine, announced this week after two years of a limited trial, can provided absolute protection if a full dosage of five intravenous injections is administered; the first time that happens experts say.

Separately, another team of researchers have also announced a new product, Kite Patch, capable of keeping people invisible from mosquitoes for up to 48 hours, furthering hope for the millions of Nigerians afflicted by malaria yearly.

Grim statistics for Nigeria

No nation is worse ravaged by malaria than Nigeria, according to WHO statistics; and alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria accounts for over 40% of the estimated total of malaria deaths globally.

There are an estimated 100 million malaria cases with over 300,000 deaths per year in Nigeria, according to Nigeria malaria factsheet. This compares with 215,000 deaths per year in Nigeria from HIV/AIDS.

Malaria contributes to an estimated 11% of maternal mortality while the nation loses billions of naira yearly in treatment efforts and economic cost of the sickness.

Hope on the horizon

Kite Patch holds a faster hope that could help drive back the attack, with an adhesive square that pumps out a cocktail of human-safe chemicals that neutralises the Carbon Dioxide produced by humans – which normally is the attraction for mosquitoes.

The card can be worn on the cloth and mosquitoes will be unaware of the person’s presence.

Developed by California-based Olfactor Laboratories, Kite Patch is to be tested on a large scale in Uganda and the firm estimate is that the product will be available in the market in the six months.

But the new vaccine, dubbed PfSPZ, gives absolute protection from malaria infection when administered.

In total, 57 people took part in the trial, with 40 receiving some doses of the vaccine after which they were attacked by infectious mosquitoes after a week.

The six persons who were given five intravenous doses of PfSPZ were entirely protected, with none becoming infected with the disease.

Of the nine who received four doses of the vaccine, three became infected. But of 12 who received no vaccine, 11 tested positive for the disease. The people who were infected were then treated with an anti-malarial drug.

None of the participants, who all took part in the study between October 2011 and October 2012, had any side effects from the new vaccine.

The absolute protection for volunteers who received full dose is the first in history and very key to the future development of a vaccine, scientists said.

Several vaccines for malaria have been developed over the past few decades, but none offered complete protection...

Ahead of the 2015 general elections, Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Ahmed Makarfi, has called on Nigerians to vote based on ability, rather than religious affiliation.

The Chairman, who was speaking to a delegation of Arewa Christians’ Political Forum (ACPF) at his residence in Kaduna, advised the group to ensure the unity of the North by not championing overzealous politicians based on religious sentiments, which was capable of destroying the corporate existence in the region.

“As a nation, the basic requirement for good governance is security, and this requires all stakeholders to pursue it holistically,’’ he said.

Makarfi added that voting for candidates with ability would promote peace and unity in the country.

Speaking on the ACPF’s visit, spokesperson of the Forum, Victor Bobai, said that it was in line with the wider consultations by the forum to sensitise and mobilise political support in preparations for the 2015 elections.

He said that the inequality and non-effective representation of Christians in the North led to the emergence of the forum.

Bobai described the forum as a voice for marginalised Christians from the Northern states.

“Christian youth in the North should be given equal opportunities like their Muslim counterparts in the region.

There is need for the government to balance up developmental programmes in the region to avoid acrimony,’’ he said.

Recently, the group has been conferring with several Northern leaders with political and economic influence to come to their aid in ensuring fairness.

Dubemkelly: Being a clown aint yhu calling, try sth impressive,huh??

Shakara123: @ op, I have some prayers for u;
1. May u not sleep off on the day of ur final exams in sch.
2. May u not use ur touch light nokia phone as source of light while turning fuel in ur gen.
3. May VIO not impound your car for 14 days for various violations.
4. May ur Z10 bb phone not fall into boiling water.
5. May ASUU strike not make u miss ur dream job due to age barrier
6. May that typist not mistakenly skip ur name for NYSC.
Amend. Amend. Amend.

Extremist group, Boko Haram, took part in an al Qaeda-organized electronic meeting that was intercepted by US authorities, setting off the closure of 20 embassies in the Middle East and Africa, according to US media reports.

The embassies were closed after US
intelligence officials said last week they intercepted communication between Ayman Zawahiri, al Qaeda’s leader since Osama Bin Laden’s killing, and Nasser al-Wuhayshi, al Qaeda leader in Yemen.

However, new reports on Wednesday said the meeting was actually a conference call that involved representatives of several affiliate networks, including Boko Haram.

“Al Qaeda members included representatives or leaders from Nigeria’s Boko Haram, the Pakistani Taliban, al Qaeda in Iraq, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and more obscure al Qaeda affiliates such as the Uzbekistan branch,” an exclusive report by website, The Daily Beast, said.

“Also on the call were representatives of aspiring al Qaeda affiliates such as al Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula, according to a U.S. intelligence official.”

The terror network’s leaders had thought the communication channel was safe before initiating the call, the report said. At least 20 networks participated in all.

The presence of aspiring al Qaeda affiliates operating in the Sinai region of Egypt, the report said, was one reasons the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv was closed.

“These guys already proved they could hit Eilat. It’s not out of the range of possibilities that they could hit us in Tel Aviv,” one official was quoted as saying.

The report comes amid renewed spate of killings by suspected Boko Haram fighters in northern Nigeria.

More than a dozen people were killed in Kano State last Monday after a bomb was detonated in a busy area. The sect launched an intense attack on soldiers and police on Sunday, leaving 35 people dead, according to the military’s Joint Task Force.

The US report said at the meeting that was intercepted, the various al Qaeda leaders discussed in vague terms plans for a pending attack and mentioned that a team or teams were already in place for such an attack.

One student has been confirmed dead and several others injured in a gun battle between two rival cult gangs in Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia.

The shootout lasted for several minutes outside the school premises.

The deceased, Goodness Ogochuckwu, and his friends were said to have been traced to a football pitch by a rival cult.

Cult activities are on the rise in Nasarawa Polytechnic and hardly does a semester pass without the school witnessing a major incident of cult-related crisis, including killings.

Cornelius Ocholi, police spokesperson of the command, confirmed the incident and said that three truck-loads of armed policemen were immediately deployed there.

“I can’t give details now, but two rival cult groups clashed. Our men were there on time, and they brought the situation under control,” Ocholi said, adding that four suspects were arrested.

The Acting Rector of the school, Engr. Emmanuel Jatau, who described the incident as unfortunate, said that the management of the institution was working with security agencies to ensure the arrest of the culprits.

The incident happened barely two weeks after the school resumed.

The five injured students are currently receiving treatment at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH).

Everyday, Mallam Yahaya goes to work at Government Secondary School, Mamudo, where he serves as the vice principal; to meet soldiers, a few teachers and no students. His life is a nightmare as he relives the massacre of twenty-two of his students and one teacher.

Every day, since that tragic day – July 6, 2013 – he goes to school and tries to clean up evidence of the massacre. Try as much as he can, the blood remains. The surviving students are too traumatised to resume; their parents are not sure they ever will.

Mamudo, near Potiskum in Yobe State, has become a ghost town. The residents talk in hushed tones and wonder how the world could have moved on so quickly after the massacre. Usman, who offered to guide Nigerian Telegraph around the town and the school, is bitter. Apart from the comforting presence of the soldiers, nothing else shows that the country cares for the community that suffered such a tragedy.

The massacre

Gunmen suspected to be members of dreaded Boko Haram sect stormed the boarding school at dawn on July 6. In what many have described as the most horrific attack since the insurgency begun, they rounded up some of the students, shot some at close range, smothered others with pillows, and burnt the rest alive. By the time the attack was over, 22 students, one teacher and a villager were confirmed dead. Four other students were injured and taken to hospital. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and no arrests have been made since then.

“They rounded the ones from the front blocks up, laid them on the mat and shot them,” the commanding officer of the soldiers deployed to the school after the attack told Nigerian Telegraph. “Then look at that room (Nasarawa Block), they used pillows to suffocate the children inside that room. The rains have fallen now so the blood on the floor have been washed away; but before there was blood everywhere.”

The officer, who did not want his name published, said there were fears that the attackers may strike again. “They are everywhere around here,” he said. “We are just here to ensure that they don’t make any move and to protect the environment. The way these people attacked shows that they must be animals and we have to ensure they don’t come back.”

Evidence of the gruesome nature of the attack abound everywhere, but the most striking is the spot where the teacher, identified as Mohammed Musa, was shot. “See, these are some of the shells on the floor; we counted about 15,” said the soldier. The apartment where the teacher lived was still scattered, with a mat in the sitting room and his clothes placed in a heap on a corner.

The conflicting statistics

Conflicting media reports trailed the massacre, with some giving the casualty figures as forty-two.

Mallam Yahaya is aghast that the figure is under contention, even after he had submitted a list of the victims to the government; as well as accounted for all surviving students of the school. Before the attack, the school had 1,200 students registered on its books.

“I don’t know what these people are trying to achieve by lying about the figures,” he said. “See, only 22 students were killed; one teacher. How many is that? And then they now killed one man outside in the village. That makes how many people? That is simple maths. So I don’t know where they got 43 or 44 from.”

“It was like a miracle that day, I don’t even know how I got the courage to use it that day but all I can still remember is that I was not robbed because I used pepper spray on that hoodlum,” said Sade Adewoyi, a banker who resides in one of the satellite towns in Abuja.

Ms Adewoyi told Nigerian Telegraph that she was waiting to board a cab about 8 in the evening after a colleague’s birthday party at Garki Area 1 in Abuja when she was accosted by an armed man who ordered her to surrender her valuables.

“As I dipped my hand in my bag to surrender my phone, I remembered I had pepper spray which was given to me by a friend, so I quickly grabbed it and sprayed it uncontrollably at the dark fellow, screaming and running at the same time because I never thought it will be that effective,” she said. It did turn out to be effective as her attacker fled in pain.

Unlike her, however, many Nigerian ladies move around unsecured places without having any form of self-protection, thus making them vulnerable to robbery and rape. In recent times, incidents of robbery, kidnap and rape have reportedly been on a steady rise in several parts of the country. In most cases, females are targeted.

The pepper spray solution

Bala Dangana, the Managing Director of Stockade Security Services, a company based in Abuja, advises people prone to travel regularly to arm themselves with a can of pepper spray. According to him, pepper spray, like every other lachrymatory agent, is used to cause temporary blindness.

“Basically, pepper spray is more like a smaller version of a tear gas in a pressurised can for self defence,” he said. “It’s not tactical because it cannot be used for crowd or riot control as it is designed against personal attacks and to protect yourself. It can also be said to be used for distracting or temporary distablising an attacker while you create an exit or escape from the particular scene of attack.”Dangana said various miniature versions of the canned product are readily available. “It is a very small can that can be put in a hand bag or large pockets,” he said. “It has been designed in a way that it can be concealed anywhere you want to have it.”

Pepper spray and the law

According to Dangana, there is no existing law in Nigeria prohibiting individuals or companies from dealing or using pepper spray.

Nigerian Telegraph reported some weeks ago about the controversy surrounding a football competition organised by Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike. Tagged ‘Emeka Ike Desert Competition, the actor had promised cash prizes of N500,000, N100,000 and N75,000 to the first, second and third positions respectively.It was gathered that the actor paid the 2nd- and 3rd-place winners but has allegedly refused to pay the N500,000 to the team (Golden Star) that came first place after the cheque he gave them bounced.

After several attempts by the team to settle the case between both parties, they decided to go public and also involved a lawyer.

With the intervention of the team’s lawyer, Emeka Ike promised to pay the money by the first week in July even after he refused to pay as promised on previous appointments fixed for May 2, May 14, May 26 and June 11.

July 1 went by with Ike still not paying the half-a-million naira cash prize he owes Golden Star.

On his part, the actor claims that the team is being used against him by Nollywood colleagues to ensure his removal as sports ambassador for Rhythm ‘N’ Play, a youth-oriented grass-roots sports programme initiated by the Federal Government.
Golden Star’s lawyer served Ike with a letter on June 17, giving him a 14-day ultimatum to pay up or face the wrath of the law.

The actor, however, did not fulfil his own side of the bargain but rather sued the team for defamation on July 31, 2013.

When the Golden Star’s head coach, Mr Afolabi Thomas appeared in court in the company of his lawyer and a representative of the John-Okeke-owned blog, Entparrort.com, which published the story, thugs suspected to have been hired by Emeka Ike showed up claiming that the actor would not appear before the court until reporters vacated the premises.

After waiting outside the courtroom for some time, the coach was called back in but Ike’s counsel still insisted that his client would not appear before the panel.