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The nanny, who kidnapped three children in the Surulere area of Lagos State, has said her husband, Waheed Kareem, is the mastermind of the kidnap. She added that Kareem was the head of a kidnap ring that involved some members of his family. It was gathered that Kareem escaped arrest. The nanny, who adopted a pseudonym, Mary Akinloye, to deceive the Orekoyas, confessed that her actual name was Funmilayo Adeyemi, a 35-year-old indigene of Osun State.

PUNCH Metro had reported that the Orekoyas had posted on OLX, an online sales portal, saying they needed a nanny for their children. The suspect was said to have contacted the family and was employed immediately. Barely 24 hours after she was employed, the nanny abducted three children of the family – Aderomola (11 months), Adedamola (4 years) and Demola (6 years). Our correspondent reported that N15m ransom was initially demanded from the family, which was later reduced to N13 after much appeal by the victims’ mother.

PUNCH Metro reported that the family paid an undisclosed amount of money into the bank account of the kidnappers before the children were released on Tuesday. On Thursday, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Kayode Aderanti, announced that the nanny had been arrested. She was paraded at the Lagos State Police Command Headquatres in Ikeja. The suspect told our correspondent that it was the second time she would be abducting kids in the state. She confessed to have been responsible for the kidnap of two kids– Rapheal and Michael – in the Magodo area of Lagos State.

Adeyemi said her husband, four children and she were formerly living in the Ajah area of Lagos State, but relocated to Shasha to evade arrest after kidnapping the Magodo boys. Adeyemi claimed that the victims’ parents paid N2m, adding that she was paid N30,000 by her husband. She said she was contacted for maid jobs through her brother-in-law and his wife, who were always online to track posts.

On how she kidnapped the Orekoya children, she said, “On Wednesday, their father and mother went to work. I put the little one on my back, while I held the others by the hands, telling them that I wanted to buy them something. We boarded a vehicle to Ojuelegba and from there; I took another bus to Iyana Ipaja and contacted my husband.

“I took them home, where they stayed with me in one of the rooms. I bought cereal for the 11-months-old baby; he was always fed with pap at his mother’s place. I gave the others normal food. They always watch cartoon on the television; they never missed home. “My husband told me that he wanted to collect a token from the parents, but the following day, I found out that the kidnappers demanded N15m. “I challenged my husband for asking for such a big sum. He said I should shut up because I had already fulfilled my part and that it was time for them to do theirs. Later, I heard in the news that he had reduced it to N13m.” The 35-year-old said she did not feel any remorse for her action until she saw the victims’ mother weeping on a national television.

She said she begged her husband to release the kids. “But my husband said he would not release the kids until he collected the money. Later, he told me they had paid the money,” she added. PUNCH Metro learnt that the kidnap gang consisted of four people– Adeyemi’s brother-in-law, Hakeem Kareem; her husband, Waheed Kareem; her sister-in-law, Ajoke Oseni, and herself. She said when the police arrested her, she was at a fan repairer’s workshop, adding that her husband saw them taking her away and fled. Adeyemi said she was a victim of bad marriage, advising parents to always investigate on the kind of man their daughters intended to marry.

She appealed to the Orekoya family to forgive her of her wrongs. She said, “Mummy Damola, don’t be offended at what I have done. This is what bad marriage did to me. I only delivered the message of my husband.” PUNCH Metro learnt that when the police arrested the suspect, a 16-year-old girl, Henrietta Odili, was equally apprehended. Odili, an indigene of Delta State was said to be living with an uncle in Benin, when she saw a post on OLX that the gang needed a maid.

Odili, a Senior Secondary School pupil, told our correspondent that she ran away from home to work with the group and she was overwhelmed by the love they showed her. She said, “I met this woman (Adeyemi) through OLX. I was searching for a job online when I saw that she needed a maid and I decided to work with her. When I got to their place in Lagos, they took my phone and said they would return it after one month. But they never did until after two months. When they returned it, they had removed my SIM card. I observed that all their things were done in secrecy.”

Asked if she saw the Orekoya kids when they were kidnapped, she said Adeyemi told her they were children of a popular artiste, Waje. She said, “When she brought the first two kids– Michael and Rapheal – she said they were her family members and were on holiday.“She told me that the new boys were Waje’s children and their mother asked her to take care of them. I never suspected I was living with kidnappers. “But yesterday (Wednesday), we went to visit somebody. I just noticed she started running and I ran with her. The police caught up with us and said she was a kidnapper, and I was a suspect.”

The Commissioner of Police said the police got the suspect by tracking her telephone line. He said, “Upon the rescue of the kids, I gave the directive that she should be arrested. We tracked her down through her phone, using the technological tools at our disposal. We arrested her at Shasha, where the children were rescued. “Initially she denied that she was involved in the kidnap. But eventually she opened up. We are in hot pursuit of others and we will get them soon.” Aderanti advised parents and guardians not to be in a hurry to employ house helps without doing background checks on them.”

When our correspondent visited the residence of the Orekoyas on Lawanson Road, he met the family in a joyous mood. The children were seen playing around the house. On their experience, one of the children, Demola, said, “Our aunty took us to our new house. She gave us bread, indomie and rice. They put us in a bag, like the one they put rice in, and put us inside the car.” Their mother, Adebisi, said despite the criticism that had trailed her decision to hire a nanny on OLX, she did not think she was wrong. She said by employing a nanny, she was also creating a job. Their father, Leke, refused to disclose the amount paid to the kidnappers.

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Still smarting from the plunge in revenue, Nigeria saw the highest drop in crude oil production in March among its peers in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the latest monthly report from the 12-member oil cartel has shown. The report, which was released on Thursday, put oil output from Nigeria at 1.67 million barrels per day in March, down from 1.80 million bpd in February, based on direct communication. The country pumped 1.96 million bpd in January.

Four other OPEC members, Algeria, Angola, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela, recorded declines in production, while the rest (excluding Kuwait whose production remained unchanged), led by Saudi Arabia, saw an increase. Crude oil production from Algeria, Angola, UAE and Venezuela fell to 1.12 million bpd (from 1.13 million in February), 1.75 million (from 1.79 million), 2.91 million (from 2.98 million) and 2.73 million (from 2.74 million), respectively, based on direct communication. Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer, also saw the second-largest drop in rig count after Venezuela in March, data from Baker Hughes Incorporated and OPEC’s estimates showed.

Rig count, which is largely a reflection of the level of exploration, development and production activities occurring in the oil and gas sector, dropped to 32 in Nigeria last month from 36 in February and 38 in January. The PUNCH had on March 19 reported that the number of rigs in the country looked set to decline further amid the plunge in global oil prices, which had taken a huge toll on companies’ capital expenditures on exploration and production. Nigeria has the second largest amount of proven crude oil reserves in Africa, but reserve estimates have been stagnant as exploration activities have been low, the United States Energy Information Administration noted in its ‘Nigeria Brief’.

It said rising security problems coupled with regulatory uncertainty had contributed to decreased exploration activities. In March, the global benchmark Brent and United States’ West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures ended lower amid a growing glut, storage constraints in the US, and the US dollar rising to fresh highs earlier in the month. OPEC said, “Signs of higher output in the United States also pressured the market. Global crude prices struggled to find a bottom over the month as initial fears that a 60 per cent price drop since June was excessive were later offset by growing oil production.

”Slowing growth in China’s economy as well as high US production have contributed to a global surplus in oil supplies. Meanwhile, the rally in the dollar in the first half of the month brought further pressure on dollar-denominated commodities, making them more expensive to holders of the euro and other currencies.”

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Dear Politics moderators, does one need to play politics to get one's post to front page these days? Because this same post had actually been submitted way earlier before this one which made it to FP. You may double check here: https://www.nairaland.com/2258938/tinubu-role-model-kashamu

The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, is said to be considering the reduction of the number of ministers as part of his strategies for reducing cost of governance. The PUNCH learnt that this formed part of the cost-saving proposals which Buhari presented during the All Progressives Congress’s National Working Committee meeting in Abuja on Wednesday. Those to be done away with are ministers of state. The NWC which is yet to conclude its deliberations on proposals, according a high-ranking member of the APC NWC, include streamlining the ministries and parastatals. The NWC member said, “No concrete decision has been reached on any of the issues yet. We are still meeting tomorrow.”

The meeting, which was chaired by the party’s National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, also reviewed the just-concluded general elections, the deadlock in the Taraba State governorship poll as well as the alleged electoral fraud in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states. The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Lai Mohammed, who spoke to journalists during a short break by the committee, confirmed that the NWC reviewed the governorship election. He also said that with the “election behind us, we have to prepare the ground for the transition committee and for the business of the governance.” When asked to comment on the proposals made by Buhari on streamlining the ministries and parastatals, he dismissed the question.

Mohammed said, “I think you have been listening to a lot of gossip; nothing like that was discussed. All we discussed was to make recommendations into the transition committee; how the government should hit the ground running and what should be the immediate, mid-term and long term policies of the incoming government. So, all these issues of ministers and MDAs, are your own imagination. Responding to another question on power sharing, he said, “This government is not going to be like before; we discussed serious issues and honestly, I am telling you what we discussed since morning has been what should be the priority of the incoming government. “Power sharing was not discussed. I don’t know who gave you information on what was discussed and not discussed. Anyway, we are going to resume the discussion tomorrow (today).

He said the party was not satisfied with what happened in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Taraba and Imo states. Earlier, the party’s candidate in the Taraba State governorship race, Aisha Alhassan, who joined the meeting at some point, drove out of the party’s headquarters at 7.48pm. She declined comments when reporters approached her. It was however learnt that the NWC received a briefing from her about the happenings in the state after which she answered a few questions and was allowed to leave. Muhammed also declined to make public the names of the chairman and members of the transition committee. It was however learnt that the Vice-President- Elect, Yemi Osinbajo, would chair the Buhari transition committee.

Meanwhile, the National Organising Secretary of the APC , Osita Izunaso and a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipreye Sylva, have condemned the April 11 elections in the South -East and the South- South. They said but for the timely intervention of the APC leaders, the people in some states of the regions would have taken the laws into their hands. Sylva said the APC and its members especially in Bayelsa State, were confronted with a choice between winning the elections and protecting the lives of the people who were being attacked, intimidated and killed.

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SENATOR-ELECT and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Chief Buruji Kashamu, has described the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, as his role model.

Kashamu, who is the chairman of the Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the PDP in the South-West, paid a rare tribute to the former Lagos State governor in an open letter, describing Tinubu as a true hero to be emulated by every Nigerian.

Kashamu is the senator-elect of Ogun-East senatorial district and one of the most vocal opponents of the APC before the party won the presidential election of March 28.

He said that it was important to honour those deserving of honour now that elections are over.

In the open letter addressed to Tinubu, Kashamu said, “Truth be told, men like you are made up of sterner stuff and are rare to come by in every generation. Little wonder you are called the Asiwaju and Jagaban of Borgu. I doff my hat.

“I hope that in spite of our membership of different political platforms, we would be able to collaborate for the upliftment of Yorubaland in particular and Nigeria as a whole.

“My sincere prayer is for the Almighty Allah to keep you and give you good health and long life to be able to see the Nigeria of your dream. For me, I join other Nigerians in wishing you the best, even as we aspire and pray Almighty Allah to make us – the younger ones – be like you, the Jagaban of Borgu.” Kashamu described Tinubu as the architect of modern Nigeria, who, he said, made history by leading an opposition party for 16 years and then grabbing power at the centre.

He noted that without Tinubu, the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, would not have won the March 28 election. He said, “Although I now belong to the opposition, your achievements transcend political divides and I am not ashamed to publicly acknowledge them. There is no denying the fact that your place in the history of the Yoruba race in particular, and, in Nigeria in general, is well etched.

“The fanatical support that the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, enjoys in his homestead was matched with your commanding influence in the politics of the South-West and indeed the Yoruba race to produce the results we witnessed during the elections. “By your sheer wit and unwavering commitment to democratic ethos, true federalism and economic prosperity, you led the Alliance for Democracy from a one-state party to a regional party and now a national party that is about to form the government at the centre.”

Buruji, who sued former President Olusegun Obasanjo last December over a controversial book authored by the ex-President, also congratulated Obasanjo and Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun. He promised Amosun that he would ensure that the nine PDP legislators in the Ogun State House of Assembly give him maximum cooperation.

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Moyosore Ogunlewe, the son of a former Minister of Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe, has accused the All Progressives Congress of rigging the April 11, 2015 elections in Lagos State.

Moyosore, 26-year-old Peoples Democratic Party candidate, contested the Kosofe constituency 1 election but lost to Mr. Bayo Osinowo of the APC by 87 votes.

The controversy surrounding the election led to wild protests resulting in the death of about three people in the Ogudu and Ojota areas of the state. Moyosore, who spoke to our correspondent on Tuesday, said the APC connived with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission to rig the election. He said, “The election was a flop because clearly, I won it. Go out and ask people on the streets and they will tell you I won. On the day of the election, we found out that two bunches of ballot papers were missing and we wrote a petition to INEC and signed so that the election could continue.

Credit: http://www.punchng.com/news/apc-stole-my-mandate-ogunlewes-son/
“During the election in Oworonshoki, which is my major base, I won with 1,260 votes, not knowing that in Ifako/Gbagada Ward B, the population of the voters was not high; we found out that ballot papers from Amuwo Odofin local government in majority of the polling booths which led to a lot of irregularities, giving my opponent the advantage.” When responding to questions on how people were killed, Moyosore, said the violence was sponsored by APC supporters.

He said, “They organised thugs from Oworonsoki, Ketu and other areas of the state to come and beat up our supporters and that was what led to the death of a passer-by.”Moyosore said he would challenge Osinowo’s victory at the Election Petition Tribunal. However, Osinowo told our correspondent that Moyosore was only making accusations that had no basis.

Osinowo, a member of the Lagos House of Assembly since 2003, said, “Moyosore is my son and his father is my brother. I pray for him and hope God guides him so that he will understand politics better in future. “Do I look like a thug? Why would I bring thugs to fight my constituents? He is a small boy; he does not even know what a bill is. I learnt he is still in law school. May be when he starts practising law, he will understand politics more.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it has no power to cancel the results of the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states. It made this known to The PUNCH a few hours after the European Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria on Monday called for a probe of the “severe problems” that characterised the polls in the two states.

The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Kayode Idowu, said those calling on the commission to cancel the results were misdirecting their request. He explained that once results had been announced by INEC , only election petition tribunals had the power to cancel and order fresh elections. Idowu said, “The law does not allow us to cancel any result after it has been announced. Everyone knows this. “It is only the election petition tribunals that can order that or even cancelled the elections. We would advice anyone who is aggrieved to go to the court.“Also in Abuja on Monday, EU EOM said the elections in Akwa Ibom and Rivers states needed to be probed because of accusations of rigging, intimidation and violence by opponents of the winners. Udom Emmanuel won the governorship in election in Akwa Ibom while a former Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, triumphed in Rivers.

The Chief Observer of the EU EOM, Santiago Fisas, said at a news conference that even though the elections witnessed “more efficient polling, “there were “increased incidents of violence and interference.” He added, “On April 12, INEC referred to 66 reports of violent incidents targeting polling units, INEC officials, voters and election materials in 19 states in all geopolitical zones except for the North-East. “Both the main parties made many accusations of rigging, intimidation and violence by opponents. Problems were most pronounced in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states where there are multiple credible reports of violence and interference, which warrant further investigation.”

Fisas however encouraged those with grievances to address them through official channels. The Chief observer also commended President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat before the last result was read. Fisas, who described the election-related killings as regrettable, stressed that loss of lives was unacceptable in election conduct. He said, “It is very regrettable that so many people lost their lives during the elections. Election must be violence-free; loss of lives is not acceptable. Citizens should be able to express their political will freely without fear for their lives. “My full condolences go to families and friends of those who have been killed during this election process; also to the family of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, who perished with his family in the tragic fire.”

Also on Monday, the United States which congratulated Nigerians and INEC on the successful conduct of the general elections, said it had “seen the reports of violence and alleged irregularities, particularly in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.”

In a statement by its Embassy in Nigeria, the US callED on those dissatisfied to pursue their grievances peacefully through the judiciary.

The statement read in part, “The US Embassy in Nigeria congratulates the people of Nigeria and INEC for an electoral process on April 11, 2015 that generally went well across the country and built on the success of the March 28 polling process.

“We have seen the reports of violence and alleged irregularities, particularly in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, and call on those dissatisfied to pursue their grievances peacefully in the judicial arena. We regret any loss of life and destruction of property.” It lauded “the leadership of Nigeria’s political parties, notably President Goodluck Jonathan and President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, for urging their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully throughout the electoral process.”

Presidency, militants rigged elections in Rivers, A’Ibom –APC

But in Lagos, the national leadership of the APC accused the Presidency and Niger Delta militants of rigging the elections in two states.

The APC, at a news conference by its Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, described the elections in the states as a mockery of democracy. It therefore called on INEC to cancel the elections. The party said, “It is clear that the script for the distortion of the Rivers elections was written by the Presidency and executed by the PDP, the police and militants. “As you would recollect, our party’s chapter in Rivers had written a petition complaining of the crass partisanship of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police in the presidential and National Assembly elections held on March 28.

“Because of this petition, the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, posted three police commissioners from the Force Headquarters in Abuja to oversee the April 11 elections in Rivers State. “As soon as the President learnt of this development, he directed the IG to reverse the decision and instead requested that AIG Tunde Ogunsakin be posted to oversee the April 11 elections in Rivers State.”

The APC spokesman said as soon as electoral materials were distributed, a senior police officer in Akukutoru Local Government Area simply handed over the election materials for this local government to the militants. He said upon learning of this development, Ogunshakin ordered that the materials should be recovered and handed over to the electoral officer for the LGA within the next hour. Mohammed said, “Irked by A Ogunsakin’s directive, the Presidency ordered him to leave Rivers State within six hours and a pliant replacement was asked to take over from him.

“From then on, unimaginative terror was unleashed on the electorate, in particular on APC members and supporters. It was a straight fight between the police, the militants and the PDP on the one hand and the APC on the other hand.” He said in former Governor Victor Attah’s ward in Ibesikpo Asutan, three contiguous polling units did not receive election materials. Mohammed said that electoral officers even told the APC governorship candidate, Umana Umana, that the election process was marred by security failure, which allowed PDP thugs to hijack election materials and take them to private homes for thumb-printing. The PDP however said it was wrong for the APC to call for the cancellation of the results because there was no way it would not have won the polls in the two states.

APC is wrong, says PDP

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, told one our correspondents that the PDP might as well demand that the presidential election be canceled because of the irregularities it noticed. He said, “There was no way we wouldn’t have won the elections in both Rivers and Akwa Ibom states because they are our stronghold. “Maybe we should as well ask that the presidential election be canceled because of the irregularities we noticed during the conduct of the election.” Metuh called on the APC to learn to accept the outcomes of elections

Meanwhile, THE announcement of the governorship election results by INEC enetered a second day on Monday with the APC winning additional six states and the PDP, three. The states whose results were announced in APC’s favour are Zamfara, Jigawa, Adamawa, Niger, Nasarawa and Borno. The PDP had Rivers, Delta and Cross River states. As of Sunday midnight, INEC had formally declared the candidates of the APC in 13 states as winners. The states are Sokoto, Kebbi, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Yobe and Benue.

It also declared the PDP candidates in Gombe, Enugu, Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom victorious. When the results began to trickle in between 1pm and 7pm on Monday, INEC announced more APC candidates as winners. In Nasarawa State, Governor Tanko Al-Makura scored 309, 746 votes to beat his closest rival,Yusuf Agasi of the PDP, who had 178, 983 votes. Abdulaziz Yari scored 716,964 votes while Mamuda Shinkafi of the PDP in Zamfara State had 201,938 votes. Also in Jigawa, Badaru Abubakar defeated Aminu Ringim of the PDP by polling 648, 045 votes. Ringim had 479,447 votes.

INEC merely confirmed unofficial reports of Jibrilla Bindow, Abubakar Bello and Kashim Shettima’s victories in Adamawa, Niger and Borno states.Bindow defeated PDP’s Nuhu Ribadu by scoring 362,329 votes. Ribadu had 98,917 votes. While Bello had 593,702 votes, Umar Nasco of the PDP in Niger State had 239,770 votes. In Borno State, Shettima scored 649, 913 votes as against 34,005 votes by Gambo Lawan of the PDP.

The PDP candidates however floored their APC counterparts in Rivers, Delta and Cross River states.

In Rivers State, a former Minister of State for Education and PDP torch-bearer, Nyesom Wike, trounced APC’s Dakuku Peterside having polled 1,029,102 votes. Dakuku had 124,896 votes. In Delta State PDP’s Ifeanyi Okowa became governor-elect after defeating APC’s O’tega Emerhor by garnering 724,680 votes. Emerhor had 67, 825 votes. Benedict Ayade of the PDP in Cross River also handed defeat to his APC closest rival Odey Ochicha. He polled 342,016 votes as against Ochicha’s 53,983. INEC which also updated the results of the Benue State election, had declared the Imo, Abia and Taraba state governorship results inconclusive. As of Sunday night when the Imo results were announced uncompleted, Governor Rochas Okorocha of the APC was leading his PDP counterpart and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha. APC’s candidate in Taraba State, Jummai Alhassan, was also leading other candidates in the state.

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Winners of Saturday’s governorship election began to emerge on Sunday afternoon with the All Progressives Congress topping the Peoples Democratic Party in the results so far released by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

There were however still pockets of protests and killings in a few states even as the results were being announced and collation taking place in many other states. The first to be officially announced victorious was Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who defeated PDP’s Ganiyu Isiaka. Amosun of the APC is therefore set for a second term in office. The Gboyega Nasir Isiaka Campaign Organisation rejected the result of the governorship poll, saying it was “unfortunate and a travesty staged to help the APC achieve victory.” It claimed that the outcome of the election was clearly not a true reflection of Ogun people’s wish and said that the result would be challenged as appropriate. In the neigbouring Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, also of the APC became the first governor of the state to clinch a second term in office.

He defeated former governors, Rashidi Ladoja of the Accord Party and Adebayo Alao-Akala of Labour Party in the race. While the governor polled 327,310 votes; Ladoja had 254,520 and Alao-Akala , 184,111. APC’s candidate in Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, polled 811,994 votes to defeat PDP’s Jimi Agbaje,who scored 659,788 votes. Agbaje accepted defeat and congratulated Ambode but the state PDP rejected the result, citing ‘controversial’ circumstances within which the elections were conducted in the state as reasons.

The media aide of the governor-elect, Idowu Ajanaku, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that Agbaje called to congratulate Ambode at 6.50pm on Sunday. “Mr. Jimi Agbaje called at exactly 6.50pm to congratulate Mr. Ambode. He prayed for Mr. Ambode and told him that he was looking forward to a more prosperous Lagos, ” Ajanaku said. Shortly after being declared winner, Ambode in his acceptance speech, extended his hand of fellowship to Agbaje by urging him to join in making Lagos a better place. The governor-elect, who commended Agbaje for congratulating him , added that his government would not victimise those who voted against him.

He said, “To my main opponent, Mr. Jimi Agbaje of the PDP, I thank you for a keen contest and invite you, alongside other governorship candidates, to join hands with me in moving Lagos forward.” Ambode also lauded the people of the state for voting him and the APC, adding that by aligning Lagos with the centre, unprecedented development would come to the state. He gave special thanks to a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Babatunde Fashola for believing in him. Ambode said like former United States President, Abraham Lincoln, his government would be run “with malice toward none and with charity for all.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); a former Speaker of the House, Aminu Masari (Katsina); and erstwhile Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir el-Rufai(Kaduna) also emerged victorious. El-Rufai floored Governor Mukhtar Yero of the PDP. The other APC governorship election winners are Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Ibrahim Geidam(Yobe) and Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa).

Bindow handed Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission a shocking defeat. Ribadu conceded defeat when results from most of the LGAs showed that he was trailing behind in results from the LGAs. Ganduje, who is the current deputy governor of Kano State polled 1,546,434 votes. His PDP rival, Salihu Tokai had 509,726 votes. The governorship candidate of the APC in Benue State, Samuel Ortom, raced to victory by polling 387,753 votes as against PDP’s Terhemen Tarzoor, who scored 296,189 votes.

Geidam polled 334, 847 votes to defeat Adamu Waziri of the PDP,who had 179, 700 votes. PDP’s candidates Udom Emmanuel, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Dave Umahi, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi triumphed in Akwa Ibom, Gombe, Ebonyi and Enugu states respectively. Umahi garnered 289, 867 votes as against Labour Party’s Edward Nkwegu,who came second with 124, 817 votes. Ugwuanyi polled 482,227 votes to defeat Okey Ezea of the APC, who got 43,839 votes. In Cross Rivers state, results from 16 out of 18 LGAs in Cross River State showed that the PDP candidate, Ben Ayade, was leading clearly.From the results announced as of 11pm on Sunday, Ayade secured 283, 549 votes, while the APC candidate, Odey Ochicha and his Labour Party counterpart, Fidelis Ugbo, polled 52, 562 and 35, 848 respectively.

Imo State Governor and APC candidate, Rochas Okorocha, was clearly winning in 20 out of 27 LGAs in the state as of 8pm on Sunday .His PDP counterpart and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, was trailing behind. INEC later declared the announcement of the results inconclusive. The results of the election in Abia ended in a deadlock midway following the reversal of the cancellation of three council results by the Returning Officer, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba. Ozumba had announced the cancellation of results from Osisioma, Obingwa and Isialangwa North Local Government Areas on the grounds of “incontrovertible evidence of violence’’ and reports from international observers.

The returning officer reversed the decision after Governor Theodore Orji-led chieftains of the PDP consulted with the Resident Electoral Officer, Prof. Selina Oko and Ozumba. The governor was in company with the Minister of State for Defence, Col. Austin Akobundu(retd); the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh and Chief Onyema Ugochukwu .Ozumba said the cancellation was reversed due to fresh information concerning the conduct of the election in the three councils. He said that polling centres with issues would be isolated and decisions taken on them later. The pronouncement heightened tension at the centre, leading to the adjournment of further announcement of results. The controversial result from Osisioma, which had earlier been announced, showed that PDP scored 42,442 while APGA polled 1, 017. Meanwhile, results from 10 LGAs have so far been announced.

In his reaction, All Progressives Grand Alliance governorship candidate, Alex Otti, described the governor’s appearance at the collation centre as ‘‘an abuse of power, designed to intimidate and exert undue influence on the electoral officials.’’ The PDP lost its grip also on Plateau State as its candidate, GNS Pwajok was defeated by APC’s Simon Lalong. As of last night Lalong scored 537,050 votes while Pwajok had 501,938 votes. In Gombe State, Governor Ibrahim Geidam of the PDP had an easy ride as he coasted to victory by beating his APC counterpart, Inuwa Yahaya. He scored 285,369 votes while Yahaya had 205, 132 votes. Also in Delta State, INEC adjourned further action on the results till 7am on Monday. Before then, PDP’s Ifeanyi Okowa was leading in 20 out of the 24 LGAs in the state.

There were earlier reports on Sunday that the APC had made history by producing the first elected female governor in Nigeria in the person of Jummai Aisha Alhassan of Taraba State. But as 12 midnight her reported victory had yet to be confirmed.

Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, in an interactive session with journalists spoke on diverse issues including the Boko Haram insurgency, abduction of Chibok schoolgirls and his future plans. KAYODE IDOWU was there

The last four years of your administration have been quite eventful especially in the area of security. How have you been coping?

Honestly how I am coping is a secondary issue; what is more important is how the over six million people of Borno State are coping. These are people, who even in the best of time were poor and now further pauperised by the Boko Haram insurgency. Parents were killed, their sons and daughters slaughtered by some demented monsters who were trying to impose their alien ideologies on the beleaguered people of Borno, now turned to beggars; rendered homeless; orphaned, and widowed. My heart goes out to them. I do not care about my feelings, security or comfort; I am more concerned about the welfare of the victims directly affected and how we can get them back on their feet. We have 1,000 years of recorded history – I believe that there is a silver lining in the horizon. I believe that we shall very soon get out of our problems especially with the successes recorded in the on-going counter insurgency operations. Yes, we have won the first phase of the war; but the battle is still on. The insurgents have melted into the hinterland. Two days ago, they killed 25 people in Kwajaffa. They have refocused their energy now towards the periphery of Sambisa, from there they have been launching attacks on the Askira Uba Local Government Area. They killed quite a number of people in Chul village; they have attacked several other communities along the corridors. But by the grace of God we shall get out of it.

What other efforts are being made to get your state and the North-East geo-political zone out of the clutches of insurgents?

We have always made support for security agencies our number one priority. We have inspired our sons to support the military. We trained, equipped and employed them and they are working. We have created a strong political will. We coordinate community involvement in fighting insurgency and we provide modest leadership. This was why when there were strong fears that Maiduguri was to be attacked in December last year, I flew into Maiduguri from the United Kingdom where I went officially in order to be with the people of Borno State who had nowhere to run to and this was against security advice. I was ready to go through whatever it was with them whether to die or survive. I had mentally bid farewell to my children when I decided to come into Maiduguri that day because the fears were so intense that Boko Haram insurgents were coming in through Konduga. I didn’t want to be remembered as a governor that abandoned his people to their fate. I do not want to be remembered as a governor that stayed in the UK while Maiduguri was taken by insurgents and people killed. It is better to die for something than to live for stupidity. Luckily, the military and the youth volunteers worked very hard, we gave them all the support, citizens prayed ceaselessly and with Allah’s help, the insurgents were repelled from entering Maiduguri which is the most populated place here. I am proud to be part of the success story and of being responsible for coordinating counter insurgency operations. But the most important thing now is that hope springs from our hearts. I am by nature an eternal optimist. My candid belief is that tough times do not last forever but tough people do. I believe that we have a people that have the resilience and the indomitable will to chart a peaceful course for our people. But I want to assure you that the government and the people of Borno will continue to partner with the security agencies in bringing everlasting peace to this part of the world. I cannot but commend security agencies, the army in particular for their unflinching commitment towards restoring peace in our fatherland. The Chinese have a word for danger, the word for crisis that means danger and opportunity. This means that despite the challenges we face it also provides us with an opportunity for social reengineering; to reposition our state to meet the challenges of the future.

It will soon be a year that over 200 schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok. Are there other efforts being made other than what we have heard in the past towards rescuing them?

The Chibok girls’ issue is really very sad; no responsible parent would be happy with what happened to those poor girls. I am a father of two little girls. Any time I look into the eyes of any of my daughters, I fight to hold back tears because I remember that girls like them, born and so dearly loved by parents, are missing and worst of all, in the hands of people that love to kill. It is one issue that has caused so much heartache not only for the parents of the girls, or the people of Borno, but the people of Nigeria as a whole. It is so sad. Last year, when I read an account of one of the parents of the missing girls, I couldn’t sleep all night long because he said he would prefer to pick up the corpse of his daughter and bury her rather than have her in the hands of some misguided vandals who do not have limits to what they can do. Imagine a father preferring to see his daughter’s corpse? Look at how the leader of the insurgents said he wanted to sell the girls into slavery, that some were married off etc. It is disturbing because their capabilities for committing heinous crimes are beyond human comprehension. But like I said earlier, hope springs eternally from the heart of men. Only an insane parent will give up on a missing child. We believe quite passionately and realistically that these poor girls will be found. We have been working hard with some international agencies towards their rehabilitation, trauma management and how they can be made to pick up the pieces of their lives once we get them. We believe that at the risk of compromising their safety, the hopeful assessment of most security agencies, is that probably they may be in the Sambissa forest which is very large. Hitherto we heard they were being held around the Gwoza and Damboa axis. But for now Damboa, especially the township has been recovered and is relatively safe. Gwoza too has been recaptured. Thus, our hopeful assessment is that probably the girls are in the Sambisa forest and we hope that they would be found in good shape – the most important thing is to get them alive; and alive we shall get them.

How right is the assertion that the initial attitude of the government to the news of the girls’ kidnap may have been responsible for their long stay in captivity?

This is correct. Vital hours were lost soon after the attack. Hours that might have paid off if the search for the girls was vigorously done within that time frame. For about two or three days they were at the bank of a river and some of the commanders were said to have gone into the hinterlands of Sambisa to get directives from their masters. That could have been a golden opportunity for us to recover the girls. But scepticism and sheer indifference really compounded our problems. Some were even compounding theories that it was the Borno State government that abducted the girls and kept them in the Government House. I found it quite amusing; why should we abduct our daughters for whatever political gains and keep them in the Government House? But there is no need to cry over spilt milk. It took some time for the Federal Government to invite us over the issue. Even when I was invited, I was really delighted that at last some solutions would be proffered as to how to rescue these girls. But it was amazing that the whole crux of the meeting was geared towards scapegoating. The Commissioner of Education, the principal of the school and others were being railroaded to make phantom confessions which were alien to our knowledge. But what is important is what we can do to bring back these girls. We have succeeded in rehabilitating the 56 that escaped; the state government has committed N100 million for their education in some of the best schools in the country so that they can realise their full potential. These girls, like many of us here, are from the humblest of background; some are the first generation girls to be educated in their families. Therefore, we will do whatever it takes to see that they are rescued; and once they are recovered we will spend whatever resources to ensure that they are rehabilitated.

The Boko Haram insurgency has virtually brought the education sector to its kneel. Now that peace is returning, how do you intend to getting this sector back on its feet?

Yes, it is absolutely true we have challenges; but we have a robust framework. Once peace is established, we are going to pick up the pieces of our lives and restore education to its enviable status. It pains me so much because most of us are from the humblest of backgrounds; and it is because most of us have access to public schools that is why we are who we are. Posterity will judge us harshly if we allow the public schools to collapse. With all sense of modesty, what we spent on education in the last three and half years were not spent in the last three governments that came before ours. We have renovated public schools more than the ones renovated by the governments of Mala Kachalla and Ali Sheriff fused together. We have sent our teachers to India to learn the modern Kayan technology and using projectors to teach in secondary schools. We have increased funds in feeding of our students from N20 million to N100 million every month. Today, students get very nutritious meals. We have set up a quality assurance team to monitor standards in our public schools. We have invested about $3 million on the Kayan technology alone – all geared towards addressing the issue of education. But I want to assure you that with the re-emerging peace we are going to address our problems soon. ?

How far has the Federal Government Safe-School-Initiative gone in your state?

I am sorry to say that the project like most projects of the Federal Government here in Borno is more of hype than action. We have been attending several meetings to that effect but till now there is nothing on ground to show for it. We believe on our part that things are in the pipeline and will start yielding dividends very soo


Source: http://elections2015.punchng.com/story/315647/

Oronto Douglas, special adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on research, documentation and strategy, died in the early hours of Thursday three weeks after his doctors told him he had a few days to live. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and had been battling the disease since then with “encouraging signs” of improvement, family sources told TheCable. At some stage, he was thought to have survived as the cancer went into remission, but he suffered a relapse in 2011. He had been visibly sick in the last one year, losing weight dramatically and sometimes needing a wheelchair to move around in the last three months.

Douglas, a trusted aide of Jonathan, travelled to the US in March for his regular check-up and was told by his doctors that he could not survive further medication. “They told him he would die in a matter of days. That was on March 18, 2015. He had to choose between dying in the US and returning to Nigeria. He decided to return home,” the source said. He was said to be in high spirits up till the moments leading to his death, which occurred at 4:58am on Thursday at the State House clinic, Abuja. “You would not believe he was so sick if you listened to him on the phone. Only if you saw him physically would you know his state. As at Wednesday, he was still working even though he could not move around the house,” the source added.

Unlike in 2011 when he went on the nationwide campaign tour of Jonathan, he was not strong enough to participate in the 2015 campaign, and could no longer go to office. Douglas, who would have clocked 49 on August 6, cut his teeth as a young lawyer and environmental rights activist. He was the deputy director of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, a group devoted to “protecting the environment”. He was a member of the legal team that represented Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists at their trial under Gen. Sani Abacha’s government in 1994-95. The Ogoni Nine, as they were called, were executed in November 1995 in what was described as “judicial murder”. The Okoroba-born humanitarian had degrees in law from the University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, and De Montfort, Leicester, England. He was commissioner for information in Bayelsa state, but resigned in 2005 when DSP Alamieyeseigha, then governor, was impeached.

Read more at: http://www.thecable.ng

President Goodluck Jonathan and his family members have started moving their personal belongings out of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, few days after the President lost his re-election bid, Saturday PUNCH can authoritatively report. Our correspondent sighted some buses loaded with travel bags moving out of the President’s official residence at about midday on Friday.One of the buses, a white 18-seater Hiace bus marked PF 6244 AL, was still being loaded with bags of different shades and sizes at the time of filing this report.

It was not clear at press time where the buses were heading for. A source said the early removal of the personal effects of the first family might have been necessitated by the need for the renovation of the residence ahead of the May 29 handover date. For renovation work to commence on time, the President may have to be operating from outside the residence in the days ahead.

Saturday PUNCH also learnt that the Presidency had commenced a discreet investigation into how a recording of the telephone call by the President to Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on March 31, congratulating him on his victory at the last Saturday’s presidential election was leaked. The recording which revealed details of what transpired between the two leaders went viral on the Internet on Thursday. The audio of the conversation credited to one ENDS.ng @EveryNigerian was titled, “Historic congratulatory call from President Goodluck Jonathan to President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on March 31, 2015.”

A government official, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent on Friday that the Presidency was embarrassed by the leaked recording.
While saying that a thorough investigation is underway, the security source said the first step was to ascertain whether the recording was leaked from the Presidency or was made public from the President-elect’s camp. He said it was only if it was discovered that the recording was leaked from the Presidency that further investigation would be conducted to ascertain those behind it in order to mete out appropriate punishment.

He, however, refused to talk on how long the investigation will take. “Definitely, unauthorised release of a raw recording of the President’s telephone conversation, if from our (Presidency’s) end is a security breach that cannot go without being investigated,” he said. The President also promised on Friday to break his silence on his experience in office and other sundry issues at the appropriate time. He, however, did not give any indication on when the appropriate time will be.

Jonathan made the promise when State House correspondents approached him for interview at the end of the Good Friday Service organised by the Aso Villa Chapel. “Don’t worry; I will talk to you at the appropriate time,” the President said amid smile as he made his way from the chapel to his official residence. He was accompanied to the three-hour service that featured the Seven Words of Christ on the Cross by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, and the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christians Pilgrims Commission, Mr. John Kennedy-Okpara.

The seven short exhortations that accompanied the seven lessons all centred on the sacrifice the preachers said Jonathan made to keep the county united. They likened Jonathan’s decision to concede defeat in the last Saturday’s presidential election and congratulate the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) of the All Progressives Congress to the sacrifice Jesus Christ made to save mankind. All the preachers agreed that the bold step taken by the President at the appropriate time was commendable. They urged him to remain focused because his future is in the hands of God.

“This man (Jonathan) said here that he is the most criticised President and he prophesied that by the time he will be leaving, he will be the most celebrated President. That has come to pass with the way he is being celebrated worldwide for conceding defeat,” one of the clergymen who led intercessory prayers said. The service also featured renditions of special hymns as well as intercessory prayers for the President, for peace and for the country at large.

Apart from Dickson and Kennedy-Okpara, the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, Mrs. Joan Ayo; Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Ima Niboro; and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali, also attended the service. Wife of the President, Patience; and his mother, Eunice, were however absent. Both of them have hitherto been accompanying Jonathan to such service.

The poorly-attended service saw only the first three rows of both sides of the chapel occupied by worshippers. Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, on Thursday evening admitted that the Peoples Democratic Party had not been able to properly manage its successes. He said in the last 16 years of being in charge of the country, the party made what he described as “very very costly mistakes.”

Lamido made this position known to State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The governor, whose state is one of the states where Jonathan lost the March 28 presidential election, however did not give details of the mistakes he claimed the party made. He said, “I am sure if you know the party’s history, what it went through in the last 16 years, it has the capacity to bounce back. “And more with the elections with pains and the anger, PDP made some mistakes.

“I have been saying so, the party made very very costly mistakes and we have not been able to properly manage our successes. But to me, I don’t think quitting PDP is the answer.” Reacting to the result of the election that produced Buhari as the President-elect, the governor said whoever becomes the President is a Nigerian President and not a President for a particular region. On the belief that PDP governors who lost their states to opposition did not work hard enough, Lamido warned against going into blame game.

“We won’t go into blame game. In what way will this blame change the attitude of the crowd? Leadership is a very huge burden and is normal for followership to stick in other to look at things from their own perspective,” he said. Lamido said Nigerians had spoken in very loud and unmistaken ways and so their choice and rights should be respected. He commended Buhari for his hard-earned victory, while adding that the victory belongs to the nation. “We praise Buhari for being able to take the ticket from the PDP even though I am not happy, but it’s Nigeria that won, not Buhari. “None of them lost but Nigeria won and enough of the anxiety, enough of the worry and the fear in Africa,” he added.

While admitting that there is a tendency of the bandwagon effect of the presidential and National Assembly elections rubbing off on the April 11 governorship election, the governor said it was up to PDP leaders to work. Buhari defeated Jonathan in the March 28 presidential election believed to be the keenest in the political history of Nigeria. Though pockets of violence were recorded in some polling units in the country, the presidential election was adjudged to be credible. President Jonathan had congratulated Buhari on his victory in the poll. He was also said to have asked the Peoples Democratic Party not to challenge the outcome of the poll at the election petition tribunal.

Two days before the conduct of the election, Jonathan and Buhari were made to renew their peace accord they signed on February 14 which committed them to credible and violence-free election. The renewing of the peace accord was initiated by the Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee on 2015 Elections. President Jonathan had, however, met with some members of the House of Representatives elected on the PDP platform. It was learnt that the meeting was part of the efforts aimed at resolving the post-primaries crisis in the party.

It was further learnt that the meeting was also meant to avert the impeachment moves against the President by some aggrieved lawmakers.The meeting which was held inside the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja was also attended by the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu; and the National Deputy Chairman, Uche Secondus. The lawmakers were led to the meeting by the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha; and the Majority Leader, Mulikat Adeola-Akande. Apart from Ihedioha who was driven to the venue in his official car, others were driven to and from the venue in two Coaster buses. None of them spoke with journalists after the meeting. The President later met with security chiefs in continuation of efforts to tackle insecurity currently being witnessed in parts of the country.

Credit: http://www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-family-move-personal-effects-from-aso-rock/

The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, on Monday led a gang of thugs to attack a Federal High court in Bayelsa, a video obtained by PREMIUM TIMES has shown. The video shows the governor, dressed in traditional Ijaw blazers, walking into the court premises, accompanied by his police guards and hangers on, before hooligans, including rifle wielding police officers, invaded and attacked the court.
The thugs were chanting “we no go gree, for this state, e no possible” as they walked into a court hearing. Loud gunshots could be heard shortly before the hooligans began breaking glasses and destroying properties inside the court.


At least 15 lawyers, including a pregnant woman and two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, were in the court during the attack.
The governor walked out of the court premises at the peak of the attack. Most police officers seen within the court premises during the attack either aided the attacker or looked on, idly. Only one police officer was seen, in the video, after the attack, trying to help the injured. The thugs upturned chairs within the court room, scattered files all over and shattered glass windows as lawyers ducked under tables. A female lawyer covered herself with a chair. Another could be heard saying her upper arm was hurting. An elderly man, who was seemingly brought out of the court room by police officers, gasping for breath, said he was badly beaten by the thugs who came into the court room. “The governor and his troops walked into the court room and I was beated (sic),” the victim said.


Why Dickson stormed the court

According to Heineken Lokpobiri, a serving senator, the court was in session to deliver a judgment on his case against the governor’s preferred senatorial candidate, Foster Ogola, over the validity of the later’s candidacy for Bayelsa West senatorial district.
Mr. Lopkobiri claimed his party, the Peoples Democratic Party illegally substituted his name with Mr. Foster’s, and had filed a suit accusing Mr. Foster of issuing false information to INEC. Mr. Lokpobiri added that the attack on the court was the second, claiming that earlier, thugs had come to seal the court and stopped the Judge from entering the court, forcing an adjournment. Mr. Lokpobiri told PREMIUMTIMES he was shocked and irritated by the governor’s action at the court. Mr. Lokpobiri said the governor has the right to support his opponent, but has no right to bring thugs to attack the court.
“All these things happened in the presence of the commissioner of police and am surprised. If the governor did not lead the thugs, it would have been a different thing entirely,” he said.

The governor’s spokesman, Daneil Iworiso, told PREMIUM TIMES the incumbent governor did not lead any gang to the court.
But in the video, Governor Dickson was clearly seen storming, and at the end of the attack, leaving the court accompanied by thugs and police officers. Mr. Iworiso however described the video as photoshopped. “You know its election time and we need to ensure that no violence occurs in our state, as soon as we heard of the clash we went there with commissioner of police and armed men to try to cub the situation that was when we found out it was a case between the incumbent governor and aspiring governor,” he said.

He explained that the governor was not there when the clash started, stating that it was all propaganda. “When I saw the video I was just laughing because it was all photo shoot, and I describe that as poor representation of what happened there and I was also there,” he said. Mr. Iworiso accused Mr. Lokpobiri of also bringing thugs to the just-concluded PDP primaries, stating that he is known for carrying thugs around Bayelsa state. Mr. Lokpobiri admitted he has a loud crowd and followership but that his followers and loyalists are peaceful. “If he is accusing me of carrying thugs in the last primaries, did they destroy anything or harm anyone during the election,” Mr. Lokpobiri said. Although several police officers were present when the attack occurred, the Bayelsa Police Command said no arrest has been made in relation to the incident.

Asinim Butswat, the state police spokesperson, said he had no information that the governor led the thugs to the court premises. “What we know is that the governor visited the court and the thugs took advantage of his visit to force the gate open and invade the court,” Mr. Butswat said.“The police officers on the court premises did not know the thugs came to cause havoc because they were not armed. “After they attacked the court, they all fled before they could be arrested.” Mr. Buswat denied the state police commissioner was present when the court was attacked, saying he only visited the court “shortly after the incident”.

Credit:http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/180532-video-bayelsa-governor-seriake-dickson-leads-thugs-to-attack-sack-court-in-yenagoa.html

Stumbled on this on Mrs Aisha Buhari's tweet line and I found it quite interesting.. see below

The Resident Commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commissioner in Kano, Mikaila Abdulahi, has died, a PREMIUM TIMES correspondent in Kano has said. He quoted residents of Kano as describing the fire incident as “strange”. Mr. Mikaila, who oversaw last Saturday’s presidential and national assembly election in the state, reportedly died in a strange fire incident at his residence on Thursday night or Friday morning.

Details of the incident are still sketchy, but our correspondent said Mr. Mikaila’s wife and two children were also killed in the incident.
The spokesperson of the Kano state Command of the Police confirmed the incident to our reporter.
More details coming….

Credit:http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/180515-breaking-inec-resident-commissioner-wife-children-killed-in-strange-fire-incident.html

A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned all the suits challenging the eligibility of presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari,till April 22 and 23, 2015. Justice Adeniyi Ademola fixed the date after he dismissed applications by two intended parties to join the suit as defendants. ‎The judge said the adjournment would affect all the pending suits against Buhari in his court.

Credit: http://www.punchng.com/news/buharis-eligibility-suit-suffers-setback-adjourned-to-april-22/

An Indian bride has walked out of her wedding after her bridegroom-to-be failed to solve a simple maths problem, according to police in Uttar Pradesh. The bride asked the groom to add 15 and six. When he replied 17, she called off the marriage. Reports say the groom's family tried to convince the bride to return, but she refused saying the man was illiterate.

Local police said they mediated between the families, and both sides returned all the gifts given before the wedding. Most marriages in India are arranged by the families, and it is common for a bride and groom to get married without spending time in each other's company. A police official of Rasoolabad village where the incident happened told BBC Hindi that local resident Mohar Singh had fixed his daughter Lovely's wedding to a man called Ram Baran.

"But just before the marriage ceremony Lovely came to know that Ram Baran is illiterate and she refused to marry," he said. Mohar Singh told the Associated Press news agency that the "groom's family had kept us in the dark about his poor education". "Even a first grader can answer this [the maths test]," he said. Last month, another bride in Uttar Pradesh married a guest at her wedding after her groom-to-be had a seizure and collapsed. Reports said the groom was epileptic and he had kept the information from the bride and her fami

Credit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-31865479

A campaign billboard of the Peoples Democratic Party bearing the photograph of President Goodluck Jonathan was set ablaze in the early hours of Saturday by an unidentified man. The incident was said to have taken place following earlier rumours that the Independent National Electoral Commission had postponed the February 14, 2015 Presidential election. The billboard is located on the ever-busy Suleija-Kaduna Expressway at the Federal Housing junction, beside the office of the National Emergency Management Agency in Kubwa. On it was boldly written, “On February 14, vote Goodluck, vote PDP…The Goodluck Thumb.”

THE PUNCH learnt that the arsonist drove to the billboard, parked his car, brought out a tyre and set it on fire. But the arsonist, according to officials of NEMA, who pleaded anonymity, came back in the night and on seeing that the fire didn’t do much damage poured petrol on another tyre and set it ablaze. It was not however clear who was responsible and what prompted it. But a taxi driver within the vicinity, who simply identified himself as Yahaya, said, “The incident happened following earlier rumours that the February 14 presidential election has been postponed.”

Our correspondent saw ashes of the burnt billboard during a visit to the site on Sunday. Some youths had recently pelted the convoy of President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi states and burnt his campaign vehicles in Jos. The Nigeria Posterity Project had expressed concern over the use of stones and destruction of campaign posters belonging to Jonathan by some northern youths. According to the organisation, northern leaders should tone down their utterances and allow free campaigns by all candidates in all parts of the country.

The National Coordinator of the NPP, Mr. Louis Ebodaghe, had said, “The burning of President Jonathan’s campaign vehicles in parts of the North and the pulling down of his posters in parts of the North can only be likened to Nazi Germany where, for the fear of Hitler, everybody must fly the Nazi flag even against their conscience. This cannot be tolerated in modern day Nigeria and should not be encouraged.” Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in Cross River has disclosed plans to embark on a One- Million Youth March in the state to reiterate support for the party’s presidential candidate, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), despite the poll shift. The party condemned the postponement of the general elections earlier scheduled for February 14 and 28, saying it was obvious that the leadership of the PDP was afraid of impending defeat at the polls.

Speaking on behalf of the party after a crucial meeting on Sunday, the state APC Youth Leader, Mr. Effiom Otu, said the youth wing of the party would organise a one-million youth march in solidarity with the APC presidential candidate and other APC candidates to garner support for the party ahead of the elections. Otu also said the youths had endorsed a door-to-door campaign for the party, adding that the objective was to educate and sensitise the electorate in order for them to be convinced. He said the campaign would ensure that all the 2,283 polling units in the state were aggressively covered in the exercise. Otu said, “We will organise a one-million youth march in the state capital soon in solidarity with our presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) and other candidates to garner more support for the party ahead of the elections.

“We (the youths) have endorsed a door-to-door campaign for the party in the state. The objective is to ensure that those who hold suspicious view about the person and capacity of the party candidates for the election are educated and sensitised to jettison their held conviction.” He castigated the Presidency for using insecurity as a reason for the polls shift, explaining that there was no strength in the argument advanced for the postponement. Otu said, “The Presidency was caught in another web of cajoling by feigning insecurity as the reason for the postponement because it could not convincingly pull through the issue of PVCs collection as initial reason for the shift.

Credits:http://www.punchng.com/news/poll-delay-jonathans-campaign-billboard-burnt-in-abuja/

Two female suicide bombers have struck a crowded market in Maiduguri the Borno state capital early this morning killing several people. Eyewitness reported that the suicide bombers detonated their explosives across from the Monday market in the metropolis this morning around 11:30 AM. More details to follow.

Credit: http://saharareporters.com/2014/11/25/female-suicide-bombers-hit-market-maiduguri

The Nigerian presidency has been caught showcasing projects executed by the Kano State Government as part of the legacy projects executed by the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in the North-West geopolitical zone of the country. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, had in a 10-part series of tweets on Sunday highlighted key projects he said the Jonathan administration executed in the six North-West states of Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara.

Using the hashtags #DidYouKnow?#TransformationintheNorthWest #ForwardNigeria #UpJonathan #UpNigeria, Mr. Abati deployed images and graphics to illustrate what he called the President’s transformation of the North-West zone. Reuben Abati Vs. Kano State Government: The contentious tweet and images Reuben Abati Vs. Kano State Government: The contentious tweet and images The presidential spokesperson’s tweets appear to be part of the ongoing massive publicity of President Jonathan’s legacy projects across the country in a bid to shore up his reelection chances in the forthcoming presidential election.

But Kano state officials are now accusing the presidency of fraud and demanding apology, saying some of the projects exhibited by Mr. Abati were actually executed by Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso. Jaafar Jaafar, the Special Assistant on Media to Governor Kwankwaso, was livid on the telephone as he complained to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Abati, who he said speaks for a non-performing President, had coveted his state government’s projects to federal projects in a deliberate ploy to mislead the unwary public.

“This clearly shows the desperation of the Jonathan team for reelection,” Mr. Jaafar said. “Why should they lie? Why should they mislead the world?” Specifically, the Kano governor spokesperson’s grouse with Mr. Abati has to do with the two photographs he used in illustrating his sixth tweet. “Did you know? That President Jonathan’s administration has established four new universities in the North West zone?” Mr Abati had tweeted. He then used images of a multi-storey complex as well as that of a computer laboratory to illustrate the message.

Mr. Jaafar said the multi-storey complex used in the tweet is a 10-storey building on the temporary campus of Kano-state owned Northwestern University. “That building was built entirely with funds belonging to Kano people,” Mr. Jafaar told PREMIUM TIMES. “Abubakar Rimi started the building during the Second Republic as headquarters for the Kano State Investment and Property Company. When Ibrahim Shekarau came, he tried to turn it to an ICT park and he changed the name to Ado Bayero House.

“When Governor Kwankwaso came, he spent hundreds of millions of naira to complete and furnish it. It was then put to use as one of the structures at the temporary site of Northwestern university.” Mr. Jaafar also said the photograph of the computer lab published by Mr. Abati was that of Kwankwaso Informatics Institute currently located right inside the Kano State Library. “The institute was built by Governor Kwankwaso and it has already graduated many students. In fact, the government is trying to move it to its permanent site in Kura local government.”

The Kano governor’s spokesperson added, “Our advice to the Federal Government is that they should ensure that they achieve something, that they execute projects that can be shown, not talking in abstraction when they have done nothing for Kano and the North-West.
“But in the interim, we deserve apology from the Federal Government for taking credit for something they did not achieve.”
Contacted, Mr. Abati declined to comment for this story.


Credit: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/171851-presidency-caught-showcasing-kwankwasos-projects-jonathans-achievement-north-west.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

In a video published to the Internet on Sunday -- purportedly from terror group ISIS -- militants claim to have beheaded American hostage Peter Kassig. The video shows the aftermath of a beheading, in which the victim is not clearly recognizable. CNN has not been able to confirm the authenticity of the video nor the identity of the victim. Kassig, 26, who converted to Islam in captivity and also went by the name Abdul Rahman Kassig, is a former U.S. soldier. After returning to civilian life, he did aid work in Syria, where he was captured. He has been held hostage for over a year. Kassig's life was threatened last month in an ISIS video that showed the apparent beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning.


Credit:http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/16/world/meast/isis-kassig-killing-images/index.html

The decision, which has drawn the ire of Israel, comes unexpectedly early. The Swedish government became the first E.U. member to officially recognize a Palestinian state on Thursday. Newly elected Prime Minister Stefan Lofven first announced the move at his swearing-in ceremony on Oct. 3, but he was not expected to follow through so soon, Haaretz reports. “Some will claim that today’s decision comes too early. I’m rather afraid it’s too late,” writes Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom in the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. “The past year, we’ve seen how the peace negotiations once again have halted, how decisions on new settlements on occupied Palestinian land have obstructed a two-state solution and how violence has returned to Gaza.”

Wallstrom writes that the recognition aims to support moderate forces among the Palestinians, make future negotiations more equal and give young Palestinians hope of a peaceful solution to the conflict. Israel has publicly protested the move, which some believe is feeding unrealistic Palestinian expectations of working out a resolution with the international community but without involving Israel, writes the Jerusalem Post. A total of 134 other countries recognized Palestine before Sweden. Hungary, Poland and Slovakia all did so before joining the E.U.

Credit: http://time.com/3547418/sweden-becomes-the-first-e-u-member-to-recognize-the-state-of-palestine/

The decision, which has drawn the ire of Israel, comes unexpectedly early. The Swedish government became the first E.U. member to officially recognize a Palestinian state on Thursday. Newly elected Prime Minister Stefan Lofven first announced the move at his swearing-in ceremony on Oct. 3, but he was not expected to follow through so soon, Haaretz reports. “Some will claim that today’s decision comes too early. I’m rather afraid it’s too late,” writes Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom in the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. “The past year, we’ve seen how the peace negotiations once again have halted, how decisions on new settlements on occupied Palestinian land have obstructed a two-state solution and how violence has returned to Gaza.”

Wallstrom writes that the recognition aims to support moderate forces among the Palestinians, make future negotiations more equal and give young Palestinians hope of a peaceful solution to the conflict. Israel has publicly protested the move, which some believe is feeding unrealistic Palestinian expectations of working out a resolution with the international community but without involving Israel, writes the Jerusalem Post. A total of 134 other countries recognized Palestine before Sweden. Hungary, Poland and Slovakia all did so before joining the E.U.

Credit: http://time.com/3547418/sweden-becomes-the-first-e-u-member-to-recognize-the-state-of-palestine/

isrecole:
If Tambuwal is principled as he want Nigerians to believe,he should be honest enough to resign the Speakership. Tanbuwal as a Lawyer knows the provisions of the 1999 Constitution. He cannot eat his cake and have a penny! Tambuwal should be honest with himself. APC as a party can never take it and APC should not expect PDP to accept it. How can the opposition preside in a House where the ruling party is in the majority? Haba,Nigerians should be honest!!

Bro, but you are the one twisting the 1999 Constitution upside down. No where was (is) it expressly stated in the 1999 Constitution that the Speakership or the Senate Presidency should go to the majority or minority. It is merely a logical arrangement from the membership of both Houses.

Emotions ran wild on Friday when Segun Adepegba, the father of the three children abandoned in a boarding school in Abule-Iroko, in the Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, finally reunited with his children. Adepegba, who visited Solid Rock Model College where they had been abandoned for eight years, was locked in a tight embrace with his children, promising never to leave them again. Adepegba told his children, “I am sorry for leaving you, Titi, Seun and Seyi. I am really very sorry. I have missed you all so much. I will not leave you again.”

Many were greatly moved as father and children bonded in what they described as “a mystery and a miracle.” Last week, PUNCH Metro had exclusively reported the story of the abandoned children, Seun, 14, Titilola 13, and Seyi 10. The story of the abandoned children reached its climax on Friday when Adepegba bowed to pressure after reading the reports in PUNCH Metro and visited the school. When he arrived, an angry mob was prevented from attacking him when they learnt he was the father of the “abandoned children.”

The father of three was accompanied by four friends who pleaded on his behalf, saying that he was a changed person. A friend of the school proprietor, Mr. Ademola Adeyemi , described Adepegba’s return as a miracle, saying he had held vigils to ensure that he returned. “This has shown that God truly answers prayers, “he said. The news of Adepegba’s arrival attracted passers-by and residents who trooped into the school compound to see him. The students of the school also gathered in groups, discussing the story. They were all smiles seeing their friends reunited with their father.

This moment of joy and reminiscence, however, lasted for a short time as the staff of the school and the residents swooped on Adepegba, blasting him for abandoning his children. A mild drama ensued when an aged sports facilitator in the school, Godfrey Olopele, who sighted Adepegba from the gate, asked, “Is this the father of the children?” When told it was him, he said, “I have some words for this man. You have not done well. You are very wicked. How could you abandon your children for so long?”Adepegba’s friends, who spoke with PUNCH Metro, said he never told them he had children in a boarding school.

One of them, identified as Mr. Muyiwa Akinseye, said, “I have known Adepegba for a very long time but I never knew that he had children somewhere. It was until I saw his photograph in the PUNCH that I was shocked to know that my friend had some children somewhere. He had never mentioned a thing like that. I still wondered why he kept something as important as this from me.” Another friend of Adepegba, identified as Ola, said, “I am a father and I can’t leave my child for that long. Adepegba’s behaviour is really condemnable. When I saw his picture on the PUNCH front page, I had jokingly told him, ‘Adepegba, you have become a superstar. So you have children somewhere?’ I was surprised.”

Adepegba swallowed the rebuke in penitence, prostrating himself intermittently before a crowd in the expansive hall of the school. He said, “I have offended a lot of people. I have offended my children. I have offended Nigerians. I accept all the blame. And I am really very sorry. I understand that what I have done is very wrong. I was afraid of two things: One was that if I came here, I would be arrested and the second reason was the accumulated debt of the children’s school fees. I reasoned that if I should come to the school, I would be handed over to the police.

“I really miss my children and this time around, I am going to change. I want them to have a good educational background so that they can become important persons in the future. I don’t want them to suffer. I will never leave them again. But all these years, I have been battling with hard times. Things have been very tough for me. His excuse, however, seemed to aggravate the issue, as more people chided him for his negligence. The Chairman, Parent-Teacher Association of the school, Mr Busari, urged Adepegba to seek the face of God in prayers.

He said, “I advise you to lock up yourself for three days in deep prayers. It is only then that God will open doors for you. You have committed a grievous offence. You have put the proprietor of the school and residents of the neighbourhood into trouble with your untoward behaviour. It is only after doing this that God would forgive you and open doors for you.” A teacher, Mrs Grace Ajayi, described Adepegba as a bad example of a father. She urged him to look for his wife and reconcile with her. She said it was unfortunate that while many couples were praying to have children, Adepegba chose to abandon his.

Recounting his ordeal, the school proprietor, Mr Samuel Ayegbusi, said he suffered in the hands of the police when Titilola ran away from the school. “When Titilola ran away from the school and I went to report the matter at the Sango Ota Police Division, the police arrested me, saying I was the first suspect . The matter caused trouble in this community and the issue dented my image. I was forced to cough out close to N50,000 to be bailed,” he said. Adepegba, however, promised to visit the children regularly. He appreciated many PUNCH readers that indicated interest to pay his children’s debts.

Although Adepegba’s children were relieved that their father was back, they told PUNCH Metro that they were still longing to meet their mother. Seun, the eldest, expressed his joy on the fact that he would not have to spend the holidays in the school hostel while Seyi, the youngest, asked her father to buy her a gift. Titilola said, “I am very excited that my father is back. All I can say is that I am happy. But I want to see my mother too.” Adepegba told our correspondent that he would look for their mother. He said her name is Ruth Okochi from Ogwashi-Uku in the Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State. “I know a place she lives in Abuja but I am not sure if she still lives there. I owe it a responsibility to find her for the sake of my children,” he said.

Credit: http://www.punchng.com/news/eight-years-after-abandoned-kids-reunite-with-father/

Reports emanating from the Nigeria Football Federation indicates that the trio of Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, Daniel Amokachi, and Ike Shorunmu have been relieved of their positions. This was made known at the end of the meeting held by the NFF board at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja shortly after the Team's 3-1 victory over Sudan in Abuja. Coach Amodu Shuaibu and a consortium of other coaches have been appointed to lead the team through its remaining two AFCON qualifiers, after which an expatriate is to be appointed for the Super Eagles.

Similarly, the duo of Samson Siasia and Fatai Amao have been appointed as permanent team coaches for the Male U-23 football team.

More details to follow


Source: Brila fm.

News coming in indicates that Ali Al'amin Mazrui an academic, professor, and political writer on African and Islamic studies and North-South relations has died. Born on February 24, 1933 in Mombasa, Kenya Mazrui studied in Columbia University, University of Oxford, University of Manchester, Nuffield College, Oxford. Professor Mazrui died on October 13, 2013. May Almighty Allah accept his soul and grant him Al Janah firdraus.


Credit: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/660657-prof-ali-mazrui-dead.html

A former managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria, Oluremi Oyo is dead. Her Husband, Vincent Oyo, confirmed the death. Oluremi Oyo was born in 1952 in Ilorin, Kwara state. Her formal education began in St. James’ Catholic Primary School Ilorin and then St. Louis Secondary School, Bompai, Kano. She earned a Diploma in mass communication with distinction from the University of Lagos, a post graduate Diploma in international relations at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs and a Master’s degree in International relations at the University of Kent at Canterbury, U.K.

She began her career as a cub reporter in the then Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (now Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria) rising to the position of Principal Editor before moving to the News Agency of Nigeria where she served as Editor and Pioneer Head of the quality control desk. She worked for more than a decade as Nigeria Bureau chief, for the Inter Press Service Global News Agency, ranked as one of the top 10 news agencies in the world.

Oluremi served from 2003 as the Senior Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo for media and publicity, the first woman to be appointed to such a position. After four years of distinguished service, she was appointed in 2007 as the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria where she has led a massive service delivery improvement initiative to bring the Agency into the digital age.Mrs Oyo is a fellow and was the first female president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors. She is also a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management and the Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria.

She has received many awards including a 2006 National award of Officer of the Niger Award, OON and she is a Dame of Saint Gregory the Great, a knighthood bestowed on her by Pope Benedict the 16th for her tireless work in supporting the education of girls especially in her Alma Mater , St Louis Secondary School, Kano. Oluremi Oyo is a Wife, Mother and Grandmother.

Credit:https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/168926-breaking-oluremi-oyo-dies.html

Born in June 1936 in Kaduna, Adekunle served in the the Nigerian Army from 1958-1974. According to Wikipedia, Adekunle who served in the Congo crisis and the Nigeria civil war assumed command of the Lagos Garrison as a substantive Lt. Col. “When the Nigerian Civil War erupted in July 1967, Adekunle was tasked to lead elements which included two new battalions (7th and 8th) – to conduct the historic sea borne assault on Bonny in the Bight of Benin on 26 July 1968 (carried out by Major Isaac Adaka Boro’s unit).

“This happened after the federal government gained confidence of most south western ethnic groups as a direct result of Biafran push to mid-west state and probe into Western region. Adekunle was promoted to Colonel after the Bonny landing. “The 6th (under Major Jalo) and 8th (under Major Ochefu) battalions of the Lagos Garrison subsequently took part in operations to liberate the Midwest following the Biafran invasion of August 1967. The 7th (under Major Abubakar) stayed behind to hold Bonny. Because Major Jalo’s Unit was seconded to Lt. Col. Murtala Mohammed’s 2nd Division, Adekunle was left with only the 8th Battalion at Escravos.

“He was therefore, protested to Army HQ and got the Lagos garrison upgraded to Brigade status through the creation of the 31 and 32 Battalions (under Majors Aliyu and Hamman, respectively). This formation, combined with elements of the Lagos garrison along the eastern seaboard, was officially designated the 3 Infantry Division. However, Colonel Adekunle did not think the name “3 Infantry Division” was sensational enough nor did it project the nature of the unique terrain in which his men had to fight. Therefore, without formal approval from Army HQ, he renamed it the ” 3 Marine Commando (3MCDO).”

The “Black Scorpion” as he came to be known, was easily the most controversial, celebrated and mythologized figure in the war of attrition that laid the foundations for Nigeria’s contemporary crisis; and threw a wedge into the national fabric. “

Credit: http://saharareporters.com/2014/09/13/general-benjamin-adekunle-dead

Families and non-military staff residing in two major military barracks in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, are being evacuated after Islamist insurgents dropped letters announcing their plan to take the most important city in Nigeria’s northeast region. The letters were dropped at the gates of Giwa and Maimalari military barracks as well as different parts of the city of Maiduguri.

Several soldiers also told SaharaReporters that some of their colleagues had fled the barracks after the letters were circulated amongst military personnel yesterday. A military officer at Defense Headquarters in Abuja said he was not aware of any desertions.The letter detailing the planned attack on Maiduguri was written in the Hausa language.

It specifies that Boko Haram’s unpredictable leader, Abubakar Shekau, planned to personally lead insurgent fighters to attack Maimalari, the more formidable of the two barracks, and to fight to the death as a martyr. “Soldiers are moving their wives and children out because they should not be there if a battle begins,” a security source said.

Boko Haram appears emboldened by its success in capturing Bama, the second largest city in Borno State. The Nigerian army and officials of Borno State were so rattled by the insurgents’ seizure of Bama that they claimed for two days that the town remained under Nigerian troops’ control. However, a senior official of the Borno State government told SaharaReporters yesterday that there was no doubt that Bama had fallen to the insurgents.

A senior United States official also acknowledged the capture of the town by insurgents, and disclosed that the US would provide logistical assistance to the Nigerian government to help secure Maiduguri. Yesterday, the Islamist terrorists began an apparent push towards Maiduguri by killing some 30 people near Kawuri town. They now have just an army checkpoint in Konduga standing between them and Maiduguri, a city with more than two million residents.

Credit:http://saharareporters.com/2014/09/05/soldiers-evacuate-families-barracks-boko-haram-drops-fliers-about-plan-seize-maiduguri