₦airaland Forum

Confirmation from medical professionals at the Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja that Stella Oduah’s son, Maxwell Omabuwa Chinedu Etoromi, died after suffering a brain hemorrhage.
According to doctors who spoke anonymously Mr. Etoromi was admitted into their care from another hospital-Zankli Medical Centre, but died almost promptly. “He was brought to us with the request that we admit him, and we said, why not?” one of the doctors told our correspondent. He added: “Despite our best efforts he died in our care just 30 minutes after we admitted him. We could not do anything to revive him because he arrived in a coma. We tried cardiac life support, but it was too late by the time he arrived.”
Another doctor who spoke said Mr. Etoromi arrived at their health facility with a “subarachnoid hemorrhage” on Thursday evening around 6PM and was already in the worst stage of coma possible, he died some 30 minutes later. Subarachnoid hemorrhaging can have several causes, including a traumatic head injury, a bleeding disorder, or the incorrect use of blood thinning medication.
The medical doctors who spoke with a correspondent said they were in no position to immediately declare the cause of Mr. Etoromi’s death, but said they just issued a death certificate in which they reported that that he had significant hemorrhaging.
A source close to Ms. Oduah, a former Minister of Aviation and current senator representing Anambra State, told us that Mr. Etoromi had been given the wrong kind of medication after he had his tooth pulled at another hospital creating complications that ultimately led to his death.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) attached to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos yesterday arrested a 51 year old woman in possession of 180 grams of heroin.
The NDLEA stated that four parcels of brownish powdery substance, testing positive for heroin was found inside her luggage.
A statement by the spokesman of NDLEA, Mitchell Ofoyeju, stated that the suspect, who he gave her name as Akinyemi Monsurat Olajumoke, and hails from Ogun State, was apprehended with the prohibited drug during a screening of passengers on an Ethiopia Airlines flight.
Speaking on the development, NDLEA Commander at MMIA, Ahmadu Garba, said that the drugs were neatly concealed inside her luggage.
Mr. Garba emphasized that the suspect had travelled to Uganda for one week and, on her return, she was found with four parcels of heroin concealed inside her luggage.
He added that, “the case is under investigation and will be charged to court soon.”
According to Mr. Ofoyeju, Mrs. Akinyemi confessed to its investigators that she embarked on the illicit business in order to expand her business.
She confessed that her friend, who invited her to Uganda, had introduced her to the narcotics trafficking business noting that she invested about $3,000 of her business funds with the hope of reaping 100 per cent profit.
She purportedly confessed, “I got married after I graduated from Muslim Comprehensive High School Ijebu-Ode. I am a trader. I used to buy and sell female clothes from India. However, due to family problems and the economic situation, my capital is getting smaller and I wanted to expand my business.
“I was introduced into drug trafficking by a friend who invited me to Uganda. I invested my $3,000 into the deal in expectation of over 100 per cent profit. I am sad that things did not go as planned. When the drug was discovered at the airport, I felt as if it was all over for me.”
Also commenting on the arrest, Chief Executive of NDLEA, Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah, said that the anti-narcotics agency was battle ready to tackle drug trafficking cartels in the country.
He declared that Uganda was not a source country for heroin but noted that cartels were not predictable.
“They constantly change their mode of operation, but we are prepared to counter all their tricks. We will remain vigilant in securing our country from the criminal activities of drug trafficking syndicates.
“Investing the sum of $3,000 in drug trafficking when there are numerous legitimate businesses is ill-advised. People must look inwards and protect their family name, ” he said.

Like a human giraffe, sniffing down his nostril at mortals beneath his gaze, Olufolarin Ogunsanwo, the beleaguered boss of the money-spinning Lagos Inland Revenue Service (LIRS), in the first few months of Governor Ambode administration, affected the poise of a beautiful bride. He paraded himself as the nearest thing beyond a tin-god so much so that friends, political associates worshipped the ground upon which he walked; albeit reluctantly.
Eventually, like all man-made deities, Olufolarin stopped resembling a ‘god’ or something like one and he was forced to resigned as the head honcho of LIRS and has been replaced with APC chieftain, Chief Bisi Akande’s daughter, Bolaji Akintola.
The suddenness of his descent down the ladder of eminence and acclaim dealt a fatal blow to his psyche; Folarin couldn’t just deal with the fact that he had lost worth like the fast fading smile of a cosmic Cheshire cat.
However, his ugly fate couldn’t be helped by his political godfather, Tinubu; and that is because he happens to be the force behind Governor Ambode’s sweeping whirlwind.
Interestingly, according to the people who are very close to him, Olufolarin was not sacked but retired. Olufolarin is a very brilliant and easy going man who doesn’t know how to play acerbic politics. We believe them.
–TheCAPITAL

Upwardly mobile actor, Kevin Mike Irechukwu, popularly known as K-Mic, has relished his relationship with star actress Yvonne Jegede, describing her as one of the greatest role interpreters and motivators.
K-Mic, who has worked with many A-list divas in Nollywood, reiterated that his experience working with Yvonne on the set of an epic movie remains the one to beat. The flick, produced by Uche Nancy and directed by Okey Zubelu, was shot in Asaba, Delta State.
K-Mic hinted that he really enjoyed working with Yvonne because “she has this motivation spirit, and it really made things work out well between us during the shoot.”
K-Mic on the setHe added that “when working with her on set, we encouraged one another, even inside the deep forest in Illa Community (Delta State). This really helped us to understand our lines very well. I would love to work with her over and over again.”
K-Mic has featured in productions like ‘Dirty Little Secret,’ ‘Ngige,’ ‘Loyal House Boys,’ ‘Going West,’ ‘Last Wedding,’ ‘Secret IV,’ ‘Poison IV,’ ‘I am Directed,’ ‘Campus Queen,’ ‘Unthinkable’ and ‘Bloody Will’ among others.
He has also worked worked as a location manager for movies like ‘War Front,’ directed by Teco Benson and ‘Last Wedding’ by Dickson Iroegbu.

Dear Mr President, ranka de de Sir! It would have been better meeting with you on this matter but the difficulty of protocols has made the option of writing you an easier access.

Recall that in the past few weeks the media was awash with insinuations that you plan to or had already opened dialogue with stakeholders in the Niger Delta with a view to addressing the renewed violence particularly attacks on oil infrastructures in the region. This is commendable; at least it represents a paradigm shift on your side.

Commendably, all the deviant militant groups involved in the renewed violence in the Niger Delta now seem to agree on one thing- and that is sitting down with the Presidency to discuss the issues around the Niger Delta question. However, what is puzzling is that the expressed mindsets of the groups including the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), and its reformed alibi RNDA shows that they are more if not totally interested in discussing the issue as it pertains to the Ijaws in the riverine areas particularly of Delta and Bayelsa and a segment of Rivers states. This is very wrong and would do anybody including the federal government any good.

Now, Mr. President, as you have agreed to discuss the issues around the Niger Delta question, it is important to let you know that the term “Niger Delta” and the problems thereof is far bigger than the term “Ijaw” and its own problem also. Both terms are not synonymous and whosoever pretends otherwise is an enemy of not only your government but genuine progress in the region.

There are two Niger Deltas: the physiographic and geological Niger Delta. The issues around the Niger Delta question borders on resource control or access to the wealth generated from oil and gas exploitation; and the devastating environmental consequences from oil activities. These issues are not restricted to the Ijaw areas of the region but in every corner where oil and gas activities including dangerous pipelines operations take place. So that takes the issues to the purview of the geologic Niger Delta.

The arrogance and disposition of the Ijaws in this whole issue of neglect of the oil producing Niger Delta is fast becoming annoyingly intolerable to say the least. This was how they hijacked and completely messed up the few genuine serious efforts by the federal government to redress some of the development issues at the core of the agitation. From the Amnesty programme through the federal government intervention projects such as the east-west road, to the Niger Delta Development Commission, it has been a case of ‘if it’s not Ijaw then no one else.”

In the entire Orashi region including ONELGA, Ahaoda, in Rivers state; Oguta, Egbema, Ohaji in Imo stae, how many of their people benefitted or still benefits from the amnesty programme? Or does Gbaramaturu produce more oil than Ogba, Egi and Ndoni or even Ahaoda?

It is vexing that as far as these Ijaws are concerned, the Kwale/Ukwuani man should not benefit anything from oil because he is Ibo. Meanwhile, the entire Ukwani area produce more oil and gas than some of these areas that want to claim they are more Niger Delta than every other person because they live inside water. Let’s not even talk of the Itsekiri areas and its people.

In the old Rivers state, Ahoada local government was the biggest contributor to daily oil production followed by Oyigbo. Ikwere and Etche are all big contributors in terms of daily volume output from their areas. How many people from these areas benefitted from the amnesty programme and its largess including lucrative overseas scholarships? How many infrastructure development projects were executed in these areas was even planned to be executed?

Make no mistake about this: there is no section of the oil producing Niger Delta that does not have the capacity and soldiers to form militant groups and sabotage facilities and infrastructures in their own and even other areas. Is it the Ogbas, or the Ukwanis who are more or less the same breed that cannot come together to form a formidable militant group that can stand their own anywhere? Or is it the Ndokis coming together with the Asas and Omuma/Etche as the same people to equally do their own thing? Or the Ikwerres? Ogoni is already a well known theatre. So if armed insurrection is the yardstick for government to listen and pay doles, the capacity exists across the different sections of the region.

And if every oil producing section or rather peoples begin to form their own militant group to get attention from the government, is that not anarchy? But if that is what some ethnic groups and even the federal government want by their attitude, I wish them what they wish themselves.

By the way, what are we even forming a negotiating team for? What is there to negotiate as pertains infrastructure and human capital development in the Niger Delta- payment of doles and/or gratification and pacification to a few armed insurgents and their elder statesmen at the expense of the real battered and neglected peoples of the Niger Delta and their environment?

There have been many attempts, many negotiations and many plans made in the past to improve the lives of the people of the Niger Delta by bringing the oil producing areas at par or near to what anybody can call sustainable physical and human development. Sadly, each ended with very little to show for the time and resources spent because of the insincerity of past Abuja governments and the naivety and outright stupidity of those who claim to be more Niger Delta than every other person. Na me talkam!

These people scheming for negotiations for doles and gratification or pacifications from the federal government, they should actually be told and in the language which they understand very well (and that’s obviously Ijaw) that the people of the Niger Delta are quite disenchanted with dialogues, ‘plans’ and promises at this time.

No doubt, in as much as there is an urgent need to de-escalate the armed insurrection in the region, the focus of such effort should not be to pay doles to whoever and in whatever disguise but to create an enabling environment for the federal government to actually convince not only the people of the region but the international community that it is serious about correcting and/or ameliorating the development imbalance in the region.

My suggestion Mr President Sir: There is a very well conceived, articulated, and fully developed “Development Master Plan” for the Niger Delta region. This Master Plan was basically conceived as a tool that the federal, states, local governments and millions of people of the Niger Delta Region can use to actualize their common vision and build their future to the standard they desire by starting from somewhere, afterall “at all at all no be imm be witch”? The problem is that nothing is happening anywhere in the region to convince the people including the militants that Abuja is serious with all their promises.

Where is this document- The Niger Delta Development Master Plan? Mr President, truth be told, most concerned indigenes of the region would agree that this all important document should be the only basis of dialogue/negotiation whatever you call it on the region’s agitation rather than doling out money to pacify a few people from a tiny segment of the battered and disenchanted oil producing region.

In the document there are well marshalled- out short-, medium- and long-term development intervention frameworks that could produce immediate, medium and long term visible impacts in the region and in the lives of its people. It also stipulates the responsibilities of every stakeholder including the federal, states, and local governments; the oil companies and even development agencies such UNDP and others. Let’s look at them and start from somewhere. This is the only dialogue I believe will produce the desired peace and calm in the region. God bless Niger Delta! God bless Nigeria!!

Ifeanyi Ifeanyi Izeze writes from Abuja. You can reach him at iizeze@yahoo.com and 234-8033043009.

David Bakare, a Bishop and zonal chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the north-west, says the federal government is not doing enough to tackle the menace of religious killings in the country.
Addressing journalists in Kaduna on Wednesday, Bakare lamented that the northern part of the country in recent times had “become killing fields where Christians are murdered without restraints”.
The CAN chairman said government only issues statements and then “goes to sleep”,while nothing concrete is done to stem the tide of attacks.
He also said the inaction on government’s part shows that the authorities at all levels have abdicated their responsibilities of securing lives, especially that of Christians in northern Nigeria.
“We want a stage-by-stage report of what government and security agencies are doing about these killings because what we have had were statements of condemnation. We have not heard whether anybody had been arrested, prosecuted and jail. We have not heard whether government is still searching for them,” he said.
“When these killings happen, government will make statements and everybody goes to sleep! It doesn’t give us assurance that anything is being done at all.
“Arrests must be made, the perpetrators must be made to face the full weight of the law so that justice will be seen to have been done.”
While recounting recent killings in different parts of the north, Bakare said it was unacceptable and could not be “the Nigeria we long to see”.
“There is the well-publicised hacking to death of a Redeemed pastor’s wife in Kubwa, Abuja, an ECWA pastor who was murdered in Nasarawa state; just last Friday, a Redeemed pastor was shot in his farm by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Kafanchan, Kaduna state,” he said.
“Few days ago in Zamfara State, a boy was accused of blasphemy and attacked. The incident led to the killing and burning of eight Christians in the state.”
He said if arrests are made by the government as regards religious killings, it would give assurance to the Christians in northern Nigeria that they are safe.

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) has denied reports that it has been banned by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over non-remittance of NNPC/NLNG dollar deposits.
In a press statement issued by the bank’s corporate communications head, Charles Aigbe, the bank stated: “Our attention has been drawn to report of the ban of UBA from the foreign exchange market by the CBN over the non-remittance of NNPC/NLNG dollar deposits.
“We wish to state very categorically that UBA has completely remitted all NNPC/NLNG dollar deposits. “We thank all our numerous customers, business partners and other stakeholders who have reached out to us on account of this report.”

The Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, has cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari against blaming the previous government for the country’s current economic challenges.
The former Central Bank Governor, CBN, who was the Chairman, Special Session at the 15th Joint Planning Board and National Council on Development Planning, said the Buhari-led administration may end like the Jonathan’s administration if it continued to play the blame game.
Sanusi stated that the inability of the government to create employment for youths, had created terrorism in the country.
According to Sanusi, “There is nothing we are facing today that we did not know would happen. We made mistakes, many of them deliberate. We ignored every single warning.
”We should not continue to blame the previous administration, as we have also made some mistakes in the current administration.
“We must retrace our steps; otherwise we may fall into the same trap we fell the last time when the government was always right.
“The bottom line is that if your policy is wrong, it is you that must change.”
Recall that since the Buhari’s administration was sworn in last year, the government has continued to blame its successor for the country’s challenges.

Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe instructed the Commissioner General of Zimbabwe Police Republic, Augustine Chihuri to arrest and detain the whole Zimbabwean Olympic Team members immediately they arrived the Harare International Airport on Tuesday, August 23.
Zimbabwe which is one of the countries in the Olympics without a medal presented a team of 31 athletes. The closest any of the athletes came to win a contest was at the 8th position.
Mr. Mugabe who is incensed with the team’s performance told the Police Chief to arrest all the team members and detain them.
“We have wasted the country’s money on these rats we call athletes. If you are not ready to sacrifice and win even copper or brass medals (referring the 4th and 5th positions) as our neighbors Botswana did, then why do you go to waste our money” he said.
”If we needed people to just go to Brazil to sing our national anthem and hoist our flag, we would have sent some of the beautiful girls and handsome guys from University of Zimbabwe to represent us.”
He added that, the money invested in the team to represent the country could have been used to provide amenities and build schools.
“This situation is like an impotent man who is married to five women, what is the essence? I will make sure we share the cost across board for all of them to pay back to government chest even if it takes 10 years to recoup, now it turns out to be a soft loan we have given them to go and visit Brazil as tourist, they are useless” he concluded.

A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Chukwudi Onyereri, has urged state governments still workers’ salaries to pay them and ease their hardship.
Onyereri made the appeal on Wednesday in Abuja at the 16th National Conference of the Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria (IPAN).
He said that the states had no justification for owing workers their salaries, and advised the governments to find way to boost internally generated revenue for the sustenance of governance.
He said that the conference’s theme of “Activating Institutional and Attitudinal Change in Public Sector Administration” was apt and “a step toward proffering solutions to various challenges facing the country”.
“Our country is a nation with many ethnic and religious groups, and governing this multi-ethnic society and remaining committed to democratic principles is an uphill task.
“This is so because incorporating several ethnic groups into a single political system means bringing together the basic problem of ethnic conflict as well.
“Group loyalties dividing a multi-ethnic society can undermine a common identity, national culture or consensus on democratic values.
“The preferred solution, therefore, is activating institutional and attitudinal change in both our private and public lives,” the lawmaker said.
Onyereri said that the country had witnessed successions of change which had not been beneficial to the common man but people in the corridor of power, with the multiplicity of riches and fat bank accounts, both local and foreign.
He said that the agenda of the conference would be beneficial and a welcome development to the bold step being taken by the current administration to fight corruption to a standstill.
IPAN’s Registrar, Dr. Emmanuel Olufowose, in his remarks, said the focus of the conference was to proffer solutions for attitudinal and institutional change toward service in line with the current administration’s change mantra.
He stressed the need for service providers and workers, in particular, to have the right attitude towards work.
Also, the IPAN North Central Zone Coordinator, Mohammed Itodo, called for quick industrialisation of the country to address current economic situations.
He said that government should also set up an economic team made up of professionals, irrespective of their party affiliation, to address the challenges being faced by the country.

The burial of Ojo Maduekwe, a former minister of foreign affairs, at his hometown in Asaga, Ohafia local government area of Abia, over the weekend, was dominated by eulogies from those who knew him.
Those who extolled his virtues include Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia state; Ita Enang, senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on national assembly matters; Godswill Akpabio, majority leader of the senate and former governor of Akwa Ibom state; and Mba Uka, prelate of Presbyterian Church.
But it has now emerged that the burial provided the platform for two sworn enemies to meet again; and even if the extent of conciliation that went down is yet to be established, they at least exchanged pleasantries.
For much of Goodluck Jonathan’s full-fledged presidential tenure, he was at loggerheads with Rotimi Amaechi, then governor of Rivers state. However, theirs was a secondary battle. It was clear the real quarrel was between Jonathan’s wife, Patience, and Amaechi, beginning from how the first lady tongue-lashed the governor for conceiving the demolition of houses in her native Okrika to make way for educational structures.
Patience’s grouse is that Amaechi looked certain to demolish and compensate the people without first seeking their consent; Amaechi’s is about the manner in which the first lady addressed the matter in public without according him due respect as man constitutionally saddled with the task of running the state.
The crisis led to bad blood between Amaechi and President Jonathan. The former would later lead six other governors to break away from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and form the nucleus of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which eventually toppled Jonathan at the presidential election.
Although there’s only an eight-year gap between the two of them, Patience once referred to Amaechi — at the heat of their disagreement — as “my son”.
“Hebrews 12:14 urges us to embrace peace with all men without which we cannot see God. Amaechi is my son, I cannot fight him and I cannot kill him,” she said at the villa in 2013 while hosting 16 bishops from the south-south.
“He shouldn’t be used by outsiders against his own blood because this seat is vanity. One day, no matter how long it takes, we will leave this seat.
“Power is not forever; this seat is vanity. Others sat here and left, so one day I will also leave and we will meet at home, so why should I fight him?”

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Tuesday, carpeted the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, saying the country’s economy fared better during the party’s 16-years than it is now.
In a series of tweet on its twitter handle, @pdpNigeria, the opposition party charged the APC to focus on resolving the economic woes currently ravaging the country.
The opposition party also slammed the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, John Odigie Oyegun, over his recent comment, saying the data it presented on the country’s economy was doctored.
PDP had recently presented a statistics, which painted the country’s current economic picture in bad light.
The party which took to its twitter handle, wrote: “There are no indices anywhere by which the Muhammadu Buhari administration can be assessed as better than ours.”
“APC should focus on resolving the economic woes they have brought on Nigerians.
“Chief Oyegun’s response to our media statement of 19/08/2016 is a summary of the APC led FG– long on prose & badly short of substance. His retort that we hired spin doctors to bandy figures is badly unfortunate.
“Our collective misfortune is made worse when we consider that the chairman of the ruling party thinks that figures that show the parlous state of the economy under the APC-led FG are spin or that the poor state of the economy is an act of God.
“Chief Oyegun needs to concern himself more with the salient issues.”

Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says Nigeria’s oil industry and pension administration is hugely corrupt.
Magu said this in Lagos on Friday as he presented a paper titled ‘This is our Chance’ at a symposium for the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADL).
“The biggest form of corruption is not the ones you find in government offices or banks; it is not the ones that is plaguing the oil industry or pension administration,” Magu said.
Magu also said the judiciary is virulently corrupt and is being held captive by a “tiny fraction”.
“The biggest, most virulent form of corruption that ever existed is the one that has eaten deep into the fabric of the Temple of Justice,” he said.
“It is to you who minister in the temple of justice that we all run to, high or low, mighty or weak, lawmakers, law breakers and law enforcers. It is to the courts that we all run for protection.
“However, we are all witnesses to the abuse of skills, knowledge, powers, position and privileges by a few rogue elements, who, whilst being a tiny fraction, have an outsized influence on the direction of the Nigerian judiciary and indeed, the Nigerian nation.”
Magu charged the lawyers to rescue Nigerians from the “dark forces” holding Nigeria captive.
“When these dark forces gather (as they have), our expectation is that bodies such as the National Association of Democratic Lawyers would rise up, without any further prompting and come to our rescue,” Magu said.
Assuring his listeners that EFCC would continue fighting corruption.
“Whilst we may not claim omniscience, one thing we are convinced of in the Commission is that Nigeria will be doomed if we fail to win the war on corruption,” he said.

Tunde Bakare, general overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, says it is too early to judge President Muhammadu Buhari.
Appealing to Nigerians to exercise patience, Bakare said there is no pain without gain.
He expressed confidence in the abilities of Buhari to turn the country around for the better, and bring the country “out of the woods”.
The pastor was speaking at the presidential villa in Abuja after holding a closed door meeting with Buhari on Friday.
“It’s too early and just too soon to begin to judge. If there is anything I know about Mr. President, it is that he has a good heart. He loves this country and he wants the country to run well,” he said.
“But it takes time. I know we are all impatient and in a hurry and I trust we will come out of the woods.‎
‎”When you are driving on a wrong direction, for example, you are going to Ibadan and you face Badagry, and you get to Cotonou and you realise you have gone in the wrong direction for too long a time, then you make a U-turn, there will be some suffering you have to go through.
“Pain is part of gain. No pain no gain. The years of wastage and all that we have done wrong has finally caught up with us.
“All we are praying for is wisdom for this government to do things right and to do the right things so that gradually, we can begin to come out of the woods.”
When asked if the idea of ‎cabinet reshufflement would be necessary, the preacher said: “‎That’s your opinion, not mine. And it is Mr. President’s. He can do what he likes when he likes it.
“He knows what he has given them. For example, I have not given any appointment to anyone, so I can’t judge their performance.
“But if there are yardsticks and standards given to them and if they have performed below par, definitely, the president would not mind at the right time to do those things.”
Bakare was Buhari’s running mate in 2011 when the president contested on the platform of the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

Barely 72 hours after a trader, Joe Fortemose ‎Chinakwe’s detention at the police for naming his pet dog after President Muhammadu Buhari, a woman, has named her dog after the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed.
The woman, who goes by the name, Ada Ogbonna, caused a massive stir on the social media after she posted a photo of her carrying her dog.
She shared this on her wall on Facebook on Thursday, saying she named the dog after someone she admires.
She tagged the photo: “Meet my dog, Lai Mohammed.
“I named it after someone I admired. I wonder why that other man got arrested for naming his dog after a look alike, na wa o.”
Meanwhile, recall that the detained trader, ‎Chinakwe explained that he had been an ardent supporter of the President and saw nothing wrong with his action.
Upon his arrest, he had insisted: “I did not commit any offence. I named my beloved pet dog Buhari, who is my hero. My admiration for Buhari started far back when he was a military Head of State.”
The 30-year-old trader has, however, since been released following the intervention of both the Serkin Hausa and President-General of non-indigenes in Ogun state.
While some users lambasted the lady for her act, others said she was right as some of our leaders deserve to be called animals and other unprintable names.
See reactions below:
Tilo: “Some of our leaders deserve to be called animals. Dey behave as such and this is a kul idea. I go be nxt o, my snail will be Aisha Buhari.”
Duke: “Me sef get dog wey be Nnamdi Kalu!
Matty: “But this is so bad, have respect for God and leaders. People should grow up…madam u no get value for man eyes!
Bola Tosin, “The reason is simple, you are yet to be caught… Just wait.”
Kike Lucky: “Lmao…go girl! Lai has a name sake…But hope your Lai wldnt betray you like his counterpart?”
Funnybone: “Hahahaha! So, so hilarious! Apc supporters oya kill yourselves. Na me talk am!”
Igho Otori: “Follow follow copycat attitudes of our people.”
Ruth Pete: “Nigerians like trouble,dis got me laughing tho.”

A High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has declined to grant an ex parte order sought by the Ayo Fayose administration to restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating the finances of the state.
Justice Cornelius Akintayo refrained from granting the order on the grounds that all the defendants in the case should be put on notice to prepare for their defence at the court.
The judge consequently adjourned the suit to August 23 and ordered all parties in the suit to appear before him when the motion on notice would be heard.
The suit was filed by Ekiti State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Owoseni Ajayi, to stop the impending investigation of the accounts of the state government by the EFCC.
Another relief sought by the plaintiffs was an order stopping the arrest of the Commissioner for Finance, Accountant General and the managers of the affected banks.
Defendants in the suit including the Speaker of the House of Assembly, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Department of State Services (DSS), Commissioner for Finance, Accountant General and five banks doing business with state government and the managers of those banks.
The plaintiffs were represented by Barrister Ejelonu, a lawyer in the chambers of the Attorney General and held brief for Ahmed Raji (SAN) who argued the motion ex parte.
A senior lawyer, Kolade Ilesanmi, who came for another matter in the same court commended Justice Akintayo for rejecting the motion to prevent the anti-grant agencies from investigating Ekiti government accounts.
Ilesanmi said: “Myself and another counsel, Abubakar Ajibade, who came for different matters stood up as friends of the Court and commended the judge for the ruling.
“We also adverted the minds of the Court to similar case before the Akwa Ibom High Court in which the judge granted a motion Exparte which has now landed him trouble with the National Judicial Council (NJC).
”From the legal point of view, any matter involving federal institutions is usually heard by the Federal High Court save for the matters that border on Fundamental Rights enforcement in which both the Federal High Courts and State High Courts are seized with jurisdiction.”

The World Health Organisation, WHO, reports that 2.6 million babies worldwide are stillborn annually, lamenting that cases of stillborn are under-reported.
The WHO, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland decried that the day of birth is potentially the most dangerous time for mothers and babies as many die each year during child birth.
“Every year, worldwide, 303 000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth, 2.7 million babies die during the first 28 days of life and 2.6 million babies are stillborn. Most stillbirths and neonatal deaths are preventable with quality health care during pregnancy and childbirth.
“Nearly all babies who are stillborn and half of all newborn deaths are not recorded in a birth or death certificate, and thus have never been registered, reported or investigated by the health system. As a result, countries often do not know the numbers of deaths or the causes of these deaths and thus are unable to take the effective and timely actions to prevent others babies and mothers from dying,” the health body says.
“We need to ensure all births and deaths are counted, and that we can understand what to do to prevent future deaths, no matter where they occur,” says Ian Askew, Director of Reproductive Health and Research at WHO.
“By reviewing the causes of maternal and infant deaths countries can improve quality of health care, take corrective actions, and prevent millions of families from enduring the pain of losing their infants or mothers,” he adds.
To address the issue, the WHO yesterday launched three publications to help countries improve their data on stillbirths, maternal and neonatal deaths. The first publication, the “WHO Application of the International Classification of Disease-10 to deaths during the perinatal period” (ICD-PM), is a standardized system for classifying stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
The system helps countries link stillbirths and neonatal deaths to contributing conditions in pregnant women, like diabetes or hypertension. Previously, there was no classification system that could be used across all low-, middle- and high-income countries in a consistent way.
The second publication: “Making Every Baby Count: Audit and Review of Stillbirths and Neonatal Deaths,” is a guide to help countries review and investigate individual deaths so they can recommend and implement solutions to prevent similar ones in the future. It also incorporates ICD-PM classification in order to help countries complete at least a basic death review, which is an in-depth investigation into causes and circumstances surrounding the death.
“Every time a death is reviewed it has the potential to tell a story about what could have been done to save a mother and her baby,” says Dr Anthony Costello, Director of Maternal, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health at WHO.
Official reports underestimate the true magnitude of maternal mortality by up to 30% worldwide and 70% in some countries.
The third WHO publication: “Time to respond: a report on the global implementation of maternal death surveillance and response,” helps countries strengthen their maternal mortality review process in hospitals and clinics.
The document also provides guidance for establishing a safe environment for health workers to improve quality of care within clinics and an approach to recording deaths occurring outside the health system, such as when mothers deliver at home.
Maternal death surveillance and response (MDSR) is a relatively new approach to investigating maternal deaths in real-time by a maternal death review committee (a group of experts) so that health facilities can then take corrective actions. By WHO standards, committees should meet at least twice a year, however, currently only 46% of countries are meeting this standard.
The WHO said conducting mortality audits and reviews is a key strategy for reducing preventable deaths among mothers and babies as it helps health system managers understand the causes of death, and the contributing factors, so they are able to take corrective actions to improve the quality of care.
“It is an important mechanism for holding countries accountable for meeting targets to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths laid out in the Sustainable Development Goals and Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health. WHO is also participating in a global multi-partner effort to improve the quality of health information, including data on maternal and child health, through the Health Data Collaborative. More than 30 global health organizations are contributing to the development of a user-friendly package of guidance and tools designed to strengthen countries’ health information systems,” the WHO said.

One of the aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State, Tunji Abayomi, has accused the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, of being behind the crisis rocking the state chapter of the party.
Abayomi claimed that Tinubu’s support for the candidature of Segun Abraham, had thrown the party into untold crisis and confusion ahead of its primary slated for next week.
Tinubu had reportedly invited all the party leaders in the state to Lagos, where he allegedly directed them to ensure that his preferred candidate, Abraham, is handed the ticket.
Abayomi said since Tinubu allegedly imposed a candidate, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu, on the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria in the 2012 governorship election in the state and failed, he should not repeat the same style in the 2016 governorship primary of the APC.
The letter was titled, “Tonic of democracy is the right of the people to choose their leaders.”
The letter reads, “I maintain, based on the reliable information of the attendees, that your meeting with the party leaders go beyond mere a ‘meeting’ or ‘assembly and talk’ as observed in your letter. You told them who the candidate of the party would be and directed them to work for him assuring them of your financial support.
“I maintain that considering that all the aspirants had all been subjected to the same processes, including serious conditional payments, it would have been expected that as a national leader of the APC and especially as you have severally assured many aspirants who came to you, that the party would guarantee to all, equal protection in the process, you should have refrained from directing the party to support an aspirant.
“Your summoning of party officials to a meeting and your instruction to them to support one aspirant, in my humble view, violated the right to fairness. It amounted to undue influence to unjustly favour an aspirant.
“Perhaps, I need to add that the confusion in the APC in Ondo State at the moment, like it was in the ACN in 2012, emanated from the unfair directive you gave to the party on July 31, 2016.”

An air of uncertainty currently hangs over the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled for Wednesday in Port Harcourt as the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday insisted that the convention should not hold, until the hearing and determination of the substantive suit filed by Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff.
But Governor Nyesome Wike of Rivers State, the host governor, declared that the planned convention will hold as scheduled at the Port Harcourt Stadium.
The order stopping the convention was the second to be made by the court and this time, it restrained the Inspector General of the Police and the Independent National Electoral Commission from participating in the convention.
Justice Okon Abang also barred the PDP from presenting and electing candidates as National Officers of the party.
The court gave the ruling in a motion on notice filed by the factional national chairman of the party, Sen. Ali Modu Sherriff, against the convention.
Justice Abang further restrained INEC from monitoring any convention pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Furthermore, the court ordered the Inspector General of Police to enforce the order against the planned convention.
Besides, the judge directed Sheriff to obtain Form 48, so as to commit anybody or group who may disobey the order.
Abang upbraided Justice Mrs Ibrahim Watila of the Port Harcourt Division of the court for dabbling into the PDP matter in spite of the pending one in Abuja.
He said that the Port Harcourt division would have done well if it had referred the suit instituted by Sen. Ben Obi instead of assuming jurisdiction.
Apparently furious with the conflicting decisions of the two courts; Abang said the Port Harcourt division has set a stage for legal combatants to determine which legal decisions to be obeyed.
“This division is strongly with Port Harcourt on jurisdiction, but the Port Hacourt division should not have assumed jurisdiction because the Supreme Court has made it clear that when a situation like this arises, a judge should confer with the CJ.
“Let me make it clear that Port Harcourt division cannot overrule me; any party who disobeyed my decision should have himself to blame,’’ Abang warned.
He adjourned to September 7, for hearing of the substantive suit.
Despite the latest court order, Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers and chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention Planning Committee, said on Tuesday that its convention would hold on Wednesday as scheduled.
He told newsmen in Port Harcourt, that arrangements have been completed to hold the convention and elect new leaders for the party.
Wike also said that members of the necessary organs of the party were already in the state for the convention.
On Abuja court order suspending the convention, Wike said the Federal High Court Port Harcourt delivered judgement directing that the convention should go on.
He said the Abuja court gave an interlocutory order which did not vacate the judgement.
“ The judgment of the Federal High Court validates the judgement of July 4, 2016. We are not violating any order.
“ We stand by the judgement of the Federal High Court which has not been set aside July 4 which has not been vacated.
“ The truth of the matter is that we do not disobey court orders. We are obeying judgement of court that said go ahead with the convention. That is our position as far as this matter is concerned,” the Governor said.
Wike also described as false and untrue, that he and Gov Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state had imposed a candidate to be the new national chairman of the party.
He said delegates from the states would elect the chairman and other national officers of the party.
As the controversy over the validity of the court order rages, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which is meant to witness the convention, said it was yet to receive the Federal High Court, Abuja judgment on the National Convention.
INEC Deputy Director on Publicity and Voter Education, Mr Nick Dazang, said that INEC would come up with its position on motoring of the convention, adding that its staff were on standby for further directive.
“Even though the commission has been served the Port Harcourt High Court judgment, it is yet to be served the Abuja High Court judgment by Justice Abang.
“ As soon as it (the Commission) is served the Abuja High Court judgment, it will take a decision.
“In the meantime, and following the Port Harcourt judgment, our monitoring staff are on standby,’’ Dazang said.

At least four persons reportedly lost their lives on Tuesday, in Ibara Housing Estate area of Abeokuta, Ogun State capital after consuming excessive local liquor, popularly known as “ogogoro” .
It was gathered that the seller of the deadly substance, one Salako Taloju, a gateman who operates a kiosk in front of the house of a prominent man in the area, Alhaji Sule Onabiyi, has since been picked by the police.
The seller of the liquor, however, said only three people died and that they were living around the area before the incident.

A former Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Ola Makinde, has lashed out at the current All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government, saying the party is not fit to be in power.
Addressing Journalist in Abuja, Makinde said except stringent measures were taken, the country may explode because of the current economic hardship in the country.
According to Makinde, the situation of insecurity and hardship in the country could lead to a breakdown of law and order.
Makinde said, “The APC is part of the corruption in the country. They are not fit to be there, they must handle the issue of padding very carefully. We are sitting on a keg of gun powder. The day it will explode, it will consume us. So many graduates are not employed. Unemployed people are the people behind the militancy in the Niger Delta region.
“I want to warn Christians in the National Assembly. They should be careful, they should not take the issue of Sharia law and the grazing bill in the National Assembly lightly. Nobody can acquire my land. Northerners cannot acquire my land to graze their cattle. Let them go and graze in their own part of the country.”

Youths from former President Goodluck Jonathan’s local government area of Ogbia in Bayelsa State has warned against linking Jonathan to the militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, adding that it was unthinkable for the former President to contemplate violence against anybody.
Rising from their meeting in Ogbia on Saturday, the youth wing of the famous Ogbia Brotherhood held that the former president loves the country so much, stressing that it was senseless and stupid to think that Jonathan who saved Nigeria from bloodshed by willingly handing over to the opposition would think of sponsoring a violent gang against the same country.
The National President, Ogbia Brotherhood Youth Wing, OBYW, Dr. Laguo Gilbert, insisted that Jonathan has no avenging traits, describing him as a man of peace and father of modern democracy in Africa.
According to Gilbert, “History has it that even from his youth, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has been a humble peace-lover who values good and quality education. This is why with such great thoughts he was able to grow to this current political position not minding his background.
“Moreover, Dr. Jonathan’s political activities from deputy governor to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria were in line with his true thoughts and characters which anchor on of peace, integrity and drive for quality education. Truly, this has been demonstrated in last 2015 general election.
“This is why, the Ogbia Brotherhood youths wonder why detractors and enemies of progress would at this time come up with falsehood to intentionally deceive the public and discredit the former president,” he said.
Gilbert said while in various offices as a political leader, Jonathan recorded tremendous contributions towards nation building, and has remained consistent in that position as a former president.
He said: “Therefore, it is totally unreasonable for any group to intentionally drag this famous name to the mud. We the Ogbia Brotherhood Youths have discovered that the recent publication is not just senseless and baseless but also lacks merit and extremely unreasonable. It does not reflects the true character of Dr. Jonathan.
“We the Ogbia people are equally affected negatively by the activities of the militant groups in the Niger Delta just as every other Nigerian. We have been on the same page with other good Nigerians to finding lasting solutions to resolve this menace. Therefore, will not allow unreasonable utterances against the name of Dr. Jonathan.
“The Ogbia Brotherhood youths and the entire good people of Ogbia Kingdom condemn and reject these good-for nothing-elements and their wicked attitude. We warn that this must stop. Time for elections are far gone and what is required now is reasonable contribution towards moving Nigeria forward.
“We appeal to the general public to continually disregard these disgruntled elements capable of inciting negative impacts in society as their view remains senseless and selfish.
“Ogbia is known for peace and will at all time demonstrate peaceful coexistence. We encourage all well-meaning Nigerians to join hands with the government in making a better Nigeria.”

Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives, on Saturday said the allegations of Abdulmumin Jibrin, his former ally, made him break his silence.
Jibrin, the former chairman of the house appropriation committee, had alleged that Dogara and 12 others padded the budget through “unnecessary insertions”, an allegation that the lawmakers denied.
In a statement by Turaki Hassan, Dogara’s spokesman, the speaker insisted that “no kobo” was lost in the budget saga.
He said having observed the “damage Jibrin’s misrepresentations and lies” was inflicting on the country, he decided to offer some explanations.
“Dogara had initially adopted silence as his response, but having observed the grievous damage Hon Jibrin’s extensive misrepresentations and lies was inflicting on the country and distracting our common and urgent resolve to tackle our distressed economy and security challenges, he opted to offer some explanations on the issues as continuous silence may have amounted to insensitivity, admission or arrogance,” the statement read.
“No kobo belonging to Nigeria has been misappropriated, stolen or lost in this budget saga. There was no act of corruption by during and after the preparation of the 2016 budget.”
Dogara accused the media of misconstruing his statements on the crisis rocking the house.
“Unfortunately the media reported him as saying that padding was not a crime. This tended to insinuate that the Hon speaker admitted there was budget padding but that this did not constitute a crime,” the statement read.
“There could be nothing further from the truth. The Hon Speaker’s assertion was and remains that nothing untoward had been done by the house and indeed the national assembly with respect to the 2016 budget.
“In the second instance, while responding to questions at the Civil Society Dialogue at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja on Thursday 12th August, Rt. Hon Dogara made reference to Sections 3, 24 and 30 of the legislative houses (Powers and Privileges ) Act to buttress the point that the legislature while carrying out its constitutional responsibilities is protected by law.
“He did not say or mean that he is above the laws of the land or that he is shielded by the law or has immunity for any infractions of the law.
“Dogara should not be portrayed as insensitive or arrogant as this is contrary to his true nature of humility and humaneness that has endeared him to his colleagues and Nigerians.”

Popular Nollywood actress, Ireti Doyle, has waded into the incessant rape incidents in the country.
The Ondo state-born says there is virtually no day that a rape case is not reported in the news in Nigeria and as such, serial rapists should have their manhood cut off if convicted.
She told the Punch, “People tend to think that rape is on the increase but I don’t think so; I think it has always been a part of our society but you are hearing a lot more about it now because people are talking about it. That veil of secrecy has been removed and the more we talk about it, the more we blow the whistle against the offenders. Eventually I think we would get it right. We need to put stronger laws in place and enforce them and justice must be done.
“In Nigeria, as in almost everywhere in the world, I do not think that rape cases are handled properly often times. What makes it worse for us in Nigeria is that in advanced countries, they have strict laws and most times, the law is enforced and justice is done. In Nigeria, we have laws in place but are they enforced as they should be? I don’t think so. But I am happy that there is a lot more conversation about it.
“When you hear about a law that castrates rapists, you may think it is extreme but when you think of the ripple effect, the damage that rape causes not just to the victims but people around them, you might want to rethink. I think that the punishment should be hard especially for repeat offenders. Maybe if you are a first time offender, the law might give you room for rehabilitation but if you are a repeated offender, they should cut off your manhood,” the actress advocated.

Ours is supposed to be a representative democracy, but it is either we do not understand what it truly means or we have been forced to accept this Nigerian version of craze demonstration (apologies to Fela Anikulapo Kuti) as the true meaning of democracy. One of the hallmarks of a democracy is the constant review of the performance of representatives to determine if they are truly serving the people on whose trust they hold whatever offices they hold.
Also known as psephocracy, representative democracy is the only form of democracy possible in a mass society like ours, because unlike the direct form of democracy where all citizens of a country are expected to come together in a town hall meeting kind of gatherings to regularly debate issues of State, take and uphold majority decisions on issues, representative democracy allows for a small group of people to be elected into office by the people, whereas this small group will in turn own their loyalty to the people to whom they should be accountable. On paper, Nigeria practices this kind of democracy.
Imo prides itself as one of the most politically exposed States in Nigeria with an avalanche of national political shakers. We have contributed our own to the development of the Nigerian political culture, and times there were when the State was unrivaled as the State that produces some of the best and most productive legislators in the country. From the most controversial Senator Arthur Nzeribe to one of the most resourceful, Evan Enwerem who emerged the Senate President in 1999, to Emeka Ihedioha who rose from becoming the Chief Whip to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, to Bethel Amadi who was at a time the Chief Whip of the House and the President of the Pan African Parliament, national legislators from Imo State have always shone like the proverbial golden fish which has no hiding place.
But how is a legislator’s efficiency supposed to be rated? Do you rate a legislator by how well he speaks or juggles with words, like Patrick Obahiagbon of Edo? Or do you rate them by how well they are able to maneuver their way into holding principal positions in the congress? Or do you rate them by the number of controversies they have their names on? I do not know if you should also rate them by the number of people they are able to smuggle into good positions in their Party or on boards of the Federal government?
You may decide to create your own parameter for rating your legislators, but for me, I think that by the definition of what a representative democracy is, a legislator should be rated primarily by how responsible and responsive he or she is to his or her constituents especially and the entire people of Nigeria in general. There is no better way to determine this than finding out how well such a legislator has stood up for his people to fight for them on issues that have to do with them and how he has tried to properly monitor the activities of other arms of government towards ensuring that the ordinary people get the best deal possible.
In deciding to write this essay, I had to carry out my personal research on the activities of our legislators at the National Assembly. That is; members of the Senate and members of the National House of Representatives from Imo State. This study is restricted to the activities of these members in the last one year of this present administration. So, for those who may be in their second or even third term in the National Assembly, whatever they did or failed to do in their earlier term is not considered in arriving at this rating. I interacted with people from the various constituencies of the State and also put up a Facebook article on the matter, in which people responded and made their observations on the 12 members of the National Assembly whose performance is under discussion. This rating shall be on a scale of 1-10 for 12 National Assembly members. The period under scrutiny is June 2015 till date.
The people of Imo North Senatorial District also known as Okigwe zone have not had a Senator since December, 2015. The recently concluded rerun election also produced a Senator-elect who is yet to be inaugurated as a Senator of the Federal Republic.

Senator Samdaddy Anyanwu: He is arguably Imo’s best man in the National Assembly within the period under review. Representing Imo East, alias Owerri Senatorial District, the first term Senator of the Federal Republic has through his undisputable political savviness become one of the most influential Senators in the 8th Senate. However, his position as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions and his general influence in the Senate are not part of the benchmarks for rating his performance.
He has sponsored a good number of people oriented bills, including the Bill that seeks to establish the Southeast Development Commission and also has his name and signature on almost all bills and motions that seek to serve the interest of the masses. He is also the lawmaker who has the closest touch with the grassroots. He is always on the lookout for opportunities that may benefit the people. His office and home are meccas of sorts as he grants regular audience to both his constituents and non-constituents alike to see ways his office held in trust for the people could be best put into use for the benefit of the people. He is also noted for his job creation and youth empowerment credentials, as he ensures that his constituents do no miss any opportunity for them to take up positions in Federal Ministries and Agencies. During the last Nigerian Armed Forces recruitment exercise, he helped a good number of youths both from his Owerri Constituency and outside to get the application forms and also followed up to ensure that a good number of those who qualified were shortlisted and eventually recruited into the Army, the ongoing Police recruitment, Navy and the Armed Forces. Apart from his legislative strides, he is also arguably, one of the most popular politicians in Imo State today, maybe after the immediate past Governor of the State, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim. Samdaddy gets the Number one spot with a rating of 9/10.

Hon. Henry Nwawuba: This is undoubtedly one of the best times for the people of Mbaitolu/Ikeduru Federal Constituency as they have produced the finest legislators presently. The soft-spoken Henry Nwawuba understands that legislation is nothing without the people; hence, he is steadily associated with programs and causes that best serve the interests of the people. While some of his colleagues in the National Assembly were still finding their feet on the job and possibly negotiating for some personal gains, Nwawuba had swung into action as a representative of the people and is notable for his involvement in people oriented programs. Long before the Imo State Government saw the need to invest in Agriculture, Nwawuba had provided good assistance to small scale farmers in his constituency and gave hundreds of them good starts in their farming businesses. Most of these people are already reaping from their different farming endeavors, thereby contributing to the growth of our economy. He also has his name to a good number of bills and motions that are beneficial to the masses. He won the hearts of many of his constituents and more than a good number of Nigerians when he took the initiative to travel to Kano long before man other politicians thought about it to identify with the family of the Late Bridget who was beheaded by some Kano Muslims for what they tagged blasphemy against their religion. Through that action, he showed that he is could take a bullet for his people. His intervention helped in no small way in ensuring that the case got the attention it needed and some culprits have since being arrested in relation to that incident. He responds fast to issues that have to do with his people and supports noble ideas and startups. He is one of the most active legislators in Nigeria, with about four bills to his name in just one year of being in the National Assembly. In the House of Representatives, he is the most active member from Imo State, if not the entire Southeast. Rating: 8/10.
Hon. Goodluck Opiah: A former Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly and a respected peoples’ representative, he has shown himself to be efficient and committed in the representation of his people. Responsive, responsible and grassroots sensitive, Opiah has availed himself well as a representative of the oil rich area of Ohaji-Egbema and Oguta and has sponsored bills targeted at extracting the best deals for his people. He has also shown himself to be youth friendly and proactive, when a foremost youth leader in the country, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere was unlawfully detained by the DSS, Opiah was the legislator who called his colleagues’ attention to that illegality and galvanized them to send a strong message of condemnation against the DSS for intimidating an innocent Nigerian over what was suspected to be spurious allegations. Opiah, is always speaking out for his people on issues that affect them. He is also seen as a homebred politician who is always in touch with the people. Rating: 7/10.
Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, write from Abuja, Nigeria

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on economic matters, deployed to the Vice-President office, Ayodele Adu, has died in an Indian hospital on Friday.
The Minister of Solid Mineral Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, confirmed the death of the Presidential aide in a condolence message issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Olayinka Oyebode.
Fayemi, who expressed shock and sadness, described Adu’s death as a personal loss to him and a major loss to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Nigeria in general.
The minister stated that the deceased, who served as a board member of the Fountain Company Limited of the Ekiti state government when he was governor of the state, was a man of courage, character and conviction.
“He was a distinguished Nigerian, an honourable Ekiti man, who through hard work and determination worked his way to the top of his professional calling and left marks of excellence on every assignment he undertook,” Fayemi was quoted as saying.
“He was a man of courage, character and conviction, who had a great passion for the Ekiti Project. It is indeed a painful loss.
“We shall surely miss him.”
He prayed that Almighty God would grant him eternal rest and give his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
However, no official confirmation on the death of the presidential aide from the office of the vice-president as of the time of filing this report has been made.

At least 10 houses have been shut at Ilasamaja area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria as 12 illegal diesel oil wells have been uncovered in the houses where massive bunkering activities were being carried out.
Officials of the police, led by the Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni; Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA and others were at the scene on Friday evening and sealed off the houses while residents have fled to avoid arrest.
General Manager, LASEMA, Michael Akindele said the agency received a distress call via the 767 toll-free line on Friday about diesel theft around Ibadan and Abeokuta Street, Ilasamaja area of Lagos.
“Investigation by the Emergency Rescue Team, ERT of LASEMA at the scene of the incident revealed that over 10 houses were said to have diesel in their wells.
“Further probing into the incident revealed that it is a case of bunkering as eyewitness gave reports of trucks coming in at night to load diesel. However, the source of the diesel is still unknown. There was no loss of lives; the area has been assessed to be a site of potential disaster. There was swift and prompt action by the agency and its stakeholders.
Also present at the scene were officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Anti-vandal unit, police officers, officials of the Isolo Local Council Development Area, LCDA.
According to Akindele, the affected area had been cordoned off, while occupants of the affected houses were asked to vacate immediately to avoid any disaster.
He said the Lagos State Government would soon come out with further action to be taken on the matter, while commending Lagosians for given out the information on time.
Investigation revealed that illegal oil bunkering usually take place in the area around 12 midnight. The illegal business is said to have been going on in the last two years.
In one of the houses, the landlady is said to have a pumping machine used in pumping diesel from the well for sale.
The woman was said to have driven away the tenants as she concentrated solely on diesel oil bunkering in the dead of the night.
State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde said the government discovered 12 shallow wells with the presence of diesel oil in them where diesel were being pumped out and sold to unsuspecting members of the public.
He said a combined team led by the Commissioner of Police, Owoseni visited the area and carried out thorough inspection and discovered the presence of 12 oil wells.
Ayorinde said samples of the oil had been taken for test to determine the nature of the substance, adding that for safety, the affected wells had been sealed off.The commissioner disclosed that a few landlord had been taken advantage of the situation to sell diesel products to the public.
He said affected residents would be relocated by the government, while calling on residents to always give useful information to the government whenever such things occur.
Speaking, Owoseni disclosed that three people had been arrested by the police in connection with the illegal oil bunkering, adding that some landladies in the area had taken advantage of the situation to profit from the business.
Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe said the fire station at Ilasamaja was on ground to prevent any outbreak of fire, while advising residents to report anything that might lead to outbreak of fire to the fire service for prompt action.

A manager with Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Ejigbo branch, 41-year-old Ikechukwu Aghanenu, has been arrested for allegedly collaborating with a suspected fraudster, Anthony Okpala, to defraud two customers of N14m.
The customers are Mrs. Oluremi Egunjobi (now late), and one Rabiu Lawal, who is based in the United Kingdom.
Punch reports that the suspects arrested on Wednesday, reportedly diverted N4.014m from the deceased’s bank account 5323007058, while N10m was said to have been fraudulently withdrawn from Lawal’s account, 2741128259.
34-year-old Okpala and one other suspect at large, had presented themselves to Aghanenu as the relatives of the deceased with some forged documents authorising the bank to release the sum between September and November, 2015.
Within the same period, the police said Okpala paraded himself as a business partner of Lawal and allegedly collaborated with Aghanenu to withdraw N10m from Lawal’s account in tranches.
A police source said, “The bank reported the fraud to the police and in the course of investigation, it was discovered that the fraudulent transactions were carried out by Okpala with the knowledge of the ex-manager and others at large.
“Okpala presented himself and another suspect at the Ecobank’s branch in Ejigbo as relatives of the late Oluremi (Egunjobi) and instructed the bank to liquidate her account, which was done through the help of the ex-manager. But he (Aghanenu) denied knowing Okpala.
“The other victim, Lawal, works in UK and saves money at the bank with the hope of using the money to invest when he relocates to Nigeria. It was when he checked his account balance that he discovered the withdrawals and complained to the bank.”
Aghanenu and Okpala were arraigned in an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on five counts bordering on fraud and forgery by a police prosecutor, Friday Mameh.
Mameh told the court that the offences contravened sections 287, 361, 409 and 378 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The counts read in part, “That you, Ikechukwu Aghanenu, Anthony Okpala and others now at large, between September 2015 and November 2015, at the Ecobank Nigeria Plc, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit: forgery and stealing.
“That you did forge the instruction of one Oluremi Egunjobi, a deceased and an account holder of Ecobank Nigeria Plc, fraudulently liquidated the customer’s investment in account number 5323007058 of the sum of N4.014m property of Ecobank Nigeria Plc.
“That you, and others at large, did fraudulently convert the sum of N10m in tranches from Ecobank account number 2741128259 belonging to Rabiu Lawal to account number 53220002455 with the name Okeneme Samuel.”
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the counts before the magistrate, Mr. P. A. Adekomaya.
They were granted bail in the sum of N3m each with two sureties in like sum, while the case was adjourned till September 6, 2016.

The United Kingdom has launched super priority visa service in Nigeria to allow customers to process their applications within 24 hours.
In a statement posted on its website, the British high commission said the new service was brought up to particularly meet the needs of those requiring urgent traveling service.
The statement said Paul Arkwright, British high commissioner to Nigeria, hailed the introduction of the super priority visa service in Nigeria.
“I am pleased to see the super priority visa service being launched in Nigeria,” he said.
“This comes with an additional cost but is designed to give greater flexibility to our customers and underlines our strong commitment to improving the visa services we offer.
“We expect this new service to be particularly useful for business. We understand that business opportunities and urgent requirements can arise at very short notice.
“We recognise this and want to facilitate such travel to the UK with this new super-fast service.”

Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has failed to broker peace between Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and the National Caretaker committee chairman of the party.
Ali Modu-Sheriff, who met with the caretaker committee, also insisted that the new convention which he is proposing must be held in Abuja and the governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike should not head the convention committee.
According to Vanguard, Sheriff also insisted that the ward, local government and state congresses already concluded and approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) must stand.
At a joint press briefing with the reconciliation committee chairman, Professor Jerry Gana at the end of the meeting, Sheriff said the committee had taken serious note of analysis of problems causing disaffection within the party.
“We are delighted that there have been a clear resolution on the determination and the desire that the problems been resolved, unity be re -established and for PDP to move forward.
‎”Nigerians are waiting for PDP; they are missing the PDP, they are crying and yearning for PDP because the 16 years of democracy cannot be wasted away.”
Other reconciliation committee members present at the meeting were former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, his Enugu State counterpart, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Senate Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Abodu Olujimi‎, former Senator Whip, Senator Stella Omu, former Minister of Aviation, Ambassador Fidelia Njeze, former Minister of Woman Affairs, Hajia Inna Ciroma, AVM Dan Suleiman (rtd) among others.
On Sheriff’s side were former PDP Vice Chairman (South-South), Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, Senator Hope Uzodinma, former presidential Political Adviser Alhaji Ahmed Gulak,‎ among others.