₦airaland Forum

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has claimed owner Roman Abramovich has promised not to sack him if he fails to win anything this season.

Abramovich has fired every boss to have ended a campaign empty-handed since buying the club more than eight years ago.

But Villas-Boas insists the Blues’ billionaire owner has assured him his job is safe, even if he does not deliver silverware come May.
read more and leave your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/02/avb-insists-chelsea-job-safe/

Midfielder suffers cruciate ligament damage and is set for surgery



Liverpool’s worst fears have been confirmed after midfielder Lucas Leiva was ruled out for the season as a result of the knee injury he suffered against Chelsea.
read more and leave your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/01/lucas-out-for-the-season/

The duo of Emmanuel Enize and Gege Soriola has described late Bayelsa United striker, Aruwa Ameh as a true “professional.”

Ocean Boys’ playmaker, Enize told SuperSport.com that he met Late Ameh on several occasions during open training sessions in Yenagoa and his behaviour on and off the pitch was “always professional.”

“You know at times Bayelsa United and Ocean Boys train almost on the same pitch. I wasn’t so close to him but for the few times I’ve met him, he was always professional and gave his best during training,” said Enize.
read more and leave your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/02/enize-soriola-pay-tribute-to-late-ameh/

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has claimed owner Roman Abramovich has promised not to sack him if he fails to win anything this season.

Abramovich has fired every boss to have ended a campaign empty-handed since buying the club more than eight years ago.
read more and leave your comments : http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/02/avb-insists-chelsea-job-safe/

Former Defence Minister, Lt.-Gen. Domkat Bali (retd.), has given reasons why he rejected the Commander of the Federal Republic award which was to be conferred on him by President Goodluck Jonathan.

He said the award amounted to an “insult” since he had a higher national honour. Bali, who is now the Paramount Ruler of the Langtang People, the Ponzhi Tarok, was also a chief of Defence Staff.
read more leave your comments :[url]http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/02/why-i-rejected-national-award-%e2%80%93-bali/[/url]

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ekiti State has said it is not happy conducting a rerun in Ekiti Central but said it had learnt its lessons from the court order that mandated the conduct of the election.

In a related development, the candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the election slated for December 10, Mrs C.O. Oluwafemi, has withdrawn from the race, following her defection to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
read more and leave your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/02/ekiti-central-ii-rerun-election-we-have-learnt-our-lesson-inec/

Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, who sponsored the National Tobacco Control Bill, said the country has a lot to benefit from the signing of the bill.

What prompted you to sponsor the National Tobacco Control Bill in the Senate?
It is out of concern for the welfare of Nigerians in general. I felt as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria then and a medical practitioner, I should take up the challenge.
read more and leave your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/02/sign-tobacco-control-bill-now-mamora-urges-president/

A printed chiffon dress worn by the late singer Amy Winehouse for the cover of her chart-topping album “Back to Black” has sold for 43,200 pounds ($68,000) at auction.

The hammer price, minus buyer’s premium, was 36,000 pounds, still well above pre-sale estimates of 10-20,000 pounds, said a spokeswoman for Kerry Taylor Auctions which specializes in high-end vintage fashion.

read more and leave your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/01/amy-winehouse-dress-fetches-68000-at-auction/

Grey’s Anatomy star Eric Dane and his pregnant wife Rebecca Gayheart had a lucky escape last night when strong winds sent a tree crashing down on their Beverly Hills home.

Gayheart, 40, was reportedly putting their toddler daughter Billie to bed when the eucalyptus tree was blown down shortly after 8pm on Wednesday evening.
read more and leave your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/02/tree-crashes-into-l-a-home-of-greys-anatomy-stars-eric-dane-and-pregnant-wife-rebecca-gayheart/

THE battle to determine the standard-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State, on Thursday, shifted to the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, as Governor Timipre Sylva told the five-man panel, headed by Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, that the PDP had invoked its jurisdiction in order to stall hearing of the substantive matter at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

The PDP had filed an application for a stay of proceedings at the Court of Appeal, challenging the ruling of the trial court, warning it against taking steps relating to governorship primary election in the state.
read more and leave your comments :[url]http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/02/bayelsa-guber-race-battle-shifts-to-appeal-court-%e2%80%a2as-pdp-constitutes-reconciliatory-committee/[/url]

The Kogi State governorship election billed for Saturday and asks whether the ruling Peoples Democratic Party will be able to maintain its grip on power in the state.

Irrespective of whatever decision of the Supreme Court on the tenure of five state governors in the country, Governor Ibrahim Idris of Kogi State must have commenced the process of his final movement out of the Lugard House in Lokoja,
read more and leave your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/02/the-struggle-for-the-soul-of-kogi/

The All Share Index recovered at most extreme marginal levels, gaining just a point in daily trading. The volume of shares traded today on the Nigerian Stock Exchange appreciated by 70% hitting north of 300 million units even as the value of shares traded was N 2.65 Billion, an improvement of 73% from yesterday’s levels.
READ MORE AND LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS :http://businessnews.com.ng/2011/11/30/stock-market-watch-activity-levels-pick-up-as-asi-makes-marginal-gain/

The Central Bank of Nigeria is gearing to sell N 125 Billion worth of treasury bills as part of its regular process of monetary supply control measures.

The sale will take place next week Wednesday via the Dutch auction process.

Of the aggregate amount, N 30.09 billion will be sold in 91 day paper, N 45 Billion in 182 day treasury bills, and N 50 Billion in 364 day bills.
read more and leave your comments :http://businessnews.com.ng/2011/12/01/central-bankto-sell-n-125-billion-worth-of-bills-next-week-bills-outperforming-inflation/

For a country that will be contending with fuel subsidy removal, increase electricity bill and others in 2012, FRSC is rushing forward to implement a policy that will snatch NGN21, 000 from certified and qualified driver who own a vehicle. They said It is even costlier for higher grades of vehicles.
read more and leave your comments :[url=http://businessnews.com.ng/2011/12/01/frsc-the-new-driver’s-licenseand-number-plates-controversy/]businessnews.com.ng/2011/12/01/frsc-the-new-driver’s-licenseand-number-plates-controversy/[/url]

it’s the perfect pick-me-up as she recovers from throat surgery.

Adele, the Brit with the powerhouse voice, earned six Grammy Award nominations Wednesday night, including nods in all three of the award show’s major categories: album of the year; record of the year; and song of the year.

Kanye West, however, snagged the most recognition, leading with seven nominations, many for his collaboration with Jay-Z, Watch the Throne.
read more and live your comments : http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/01/adele-kanye-west-bruno-mars-lead-grammy-nominations/

THE Federal Government plans to add 600 megawatts to the national grid this month, to meet the target it set for itself with regards to electricity supply.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Shiroro hydro power station, Mr Daudu Abdulaziz, made the disclosure when the Minister of State for Power, Mr Darius Ishaku, made a routine tour of the station.
read more and live your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/01/power-supply-to-increase-by-600mw-this-month-fg/

Obasanjo should be punished for BPE failures – senators


OPPOSITION lawmakers in the Senate on Wednesday asked for sanction to imposed on ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo for lapses in the Federal Government’s privatisation exercise in the past 12 years.

The Senators argued that sanctions recommended by the senate ad hoc committee that probed the exercise for the former heads of the Bureau of Public Enterprises should also be extended to Obasanjo who approved the sale of the affected government companies.

The committee in its report which was debated by the Senate on Wednesday had recommended sanctions for the past DGs of BPE, especially the pioneer DG, Nasir el-Rufai, for non-transparence in transferring government enterprises to private individuals. The current DG, Ms Bola Onagoruwa, is also recommended for sacking.

During the debate, Senator Abu Ibrahim (CPC, Katsina South), queried the propriety of sanctioning the DGs while leaving out Obasanjo who signed the deal for which they were recommended for punishment.

“My worry is the castigating of smaller mortals who took their files somewhere to be approved and the main culprit, the man who signed the papers, who signed the law, and broke the law, has been left out. I believe that this Senate should have the courage to indict that person.

“As a leader of the country, he signed the law, broke the law, and that person is former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“So this Senate should have the courage to indict the former President for breaking the law. We should have the courage to reprimand the former President of Nigeria for breaking these laws. The report showed that he personally signed these companies off. The committee should consider these companies one by one, if the former President is involved, he should be prosecuted.”

While Ibrahim was making his contribution, the microphone went off intermittently, a development some Senators described as Senate President David Mark’s way of calling Senators to order.

When the microphone came on again, Ibrahim’s colleagues asked him to “rewind,” but Mark declined, insisting that the Senator had made his point.

Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (ACN, Ekiti North) blamed Obasanjo for the failure of the privatisation exercise.

Adetunmbi said, “We must point to anywhere the issue lays. We have in this report Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, a former leader of this country, who under oath, swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic and the laws of this country, and that same person, in imperial and messianic judgment, took decisions (microphone went off), this person took decisions and issued executive directives and approvals numbering about 47 of them in contravention of the processes that are enshrined in the Privatisation Act, which was signed by himself.

“It is true that people by virtue of their leadership positions can act in the best interest of their countries, but not in the apparent belief that their views are equivalent to the law and that is the reality of this report.”

He noted that the report also cast aspersions on the Senate Committee on Privatisation, which had existed during the period of the privatisation exercise.

Although Senator Olusola Adeyeye (ACN, Osun Central) did not mention the name of the former President in his comments, he noted that those who perpetrated the illegalities should be brought to book, whether “they are former senators, former President or former Directors.”

He said that while it was assumed that a former Vice- President was involved in the sale of the enterprises, it was clear by recent information that the buck actually stopped on the desk of the former President himself.

“We also know that the former DG of NSE presided over the sale of Transcorp, with the sitting President having, if not the lion’s share, the leopard’s share. We are also aware that the ‘First Son’ was an agent in the sale of the Steel companies. I have argued that he has a right to be an agent, but not at the detriment of the process,” he said.

Adeyeye called on the Senate to ensure that the recommendations were not only passéd but pursued to a logical conclusion and implemented.

Deputy Leader, Abdu Ningi, said the BPE and the NCP had betrayed the trust reposed in them by Nigerians, noting that the companies privatised had gone worse than they were before they were privatised.

Most senators who spoke supported the recommendations, but feared that the recommendations might not be implemented as it had happened with previous investigations.

Senator Smart Adeyemi called on President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that the recommendations were implemented so that the wrongs could be corrected.

Senator Nkechi Nwaogu said, “We should not just stand up today to talk about this, but we must ensure that the recommendations will be enforced. When it comes to looking at those prayers we need to take stiffer penalties.”

But Senators Suleiman Adoke, Abubakar Bagudu and Bukar Ibrahim warned that while considering the recommendations, care must be taken not to create legal issues out of the report.

Responding to the criticisms of the report, Chairman of the committee, Ahmed Lawan, averred that the committee conducted its work dispassionately and patriotically, and urged the Senate to approve the recommendations.

According to him, Volkswagen of Nigeria Ltd has turned its plant into a warehouse for imported vegetable oils and imported cars.



http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/01/obasanjo-should-be-punished-for-bpe-failures-senators/

The House of Representatives has restated its determination not to let Nigerians down on the proposed removal of subsidy from petroleum products by the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
read more and live your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/01/reps-reaffirm-opposition-to-fuel-subsidy-removal/

Indications emerged in Abuja on Wednesday that the Peoples Democratic Party might deny the Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Magatakarda Wamakko, the party’s ticket in the forthcoming governorship primaries in the state.
read more and live your comments : http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/01/pdp-may-give-sokoto-gov-the-sylva-treatment/

A coalition of civil society groups under the aegis of Project Swift Count has deployed 800 personnel to monitor Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State.

The group made this public at a news briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.

A member of the National Steering Committee of the project, Mr. Reuben James, told journalists in Abuja that the move was consistent with the group’s set objective.
read more and live your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/01/kogi-group-deploys-800-observers/

The Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, has said security agencies would ensure that Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State holds without violence.

According to him, the election will be “free, fair, safe and secure.”

Ringim spoke in Lokoja, the state capital, when he led heads of other security agencies to receive 63 Hilux vans donated to them by Governor Ibrahim Idris.
read more and live your comments :[url]http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/01/ringim-promises-%e2%80%98safe-and-secure%e2%80%99-election-in-kogi/[/url]

Former Lagos Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s integrity remained intact yesterday, with the Code of Conduct Tribunal freeing him of the three-count charge brought by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

The National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was charged with allegedly operating foreign accounts while in office.
Tribunal Chairman Justice Danladi Umar said the charge constituted an abuse of court process, judging by the manner the prosecution withdrew it and filed an amended charge. This, he said, robbed the tribunal of jurisdiction.
read more and live your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/01/tinubu-has-no-case-to-answer-tribunal/

The Raw Material Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has set in motion the machinery to create about 26 million jobs and over 15,000 small scale processing industries across the country in the next 10 years.
READ MORE AND LIVE YOUR COMMENTS :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/11/30/fg-targets-26-million-jobs-15000-industries/

The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufai, has said the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board and universities are empowered by law to screen candidates seeking admission into universities.
READ MORE AND LIVE YOUR COMMENTS :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/11/30/minister-backs-varsities-on-post-utme-test/

THE fate of the nominated Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) chairman was hanging in the balance yesterday, after President Goodluck Jonathan failed to administer the oath of office on him.

Mr Fracis
READ MORE AND LIVE YOUR COMMENTS :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/11/30/jonathan-stops-swearing-in-of-icpc-chairman/

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on Wednesday freed former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of the one count charge slammed against him by the Code of Conduct Bureau.
read more and live your comments :http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/11/30/foreign-accounts-tribunal-dismisses-case-against-tinubu/

A month after it suspended flights between Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and London- Heathrow Airport, Arik 　Air said yesterday that it is set to resume operations by December 12, this year.
read more and live your comments :http://businessnews.com.ng/2011/11/30/arik-air-readies-to-resume-abuja-london-flights/

Lekki-Epe international airport which has been a conversation in and out of the country has finally gotten a financial partner,L Stanbic IBTC Bank. The bank CEO, Sola David-Borha has described it as a testament to their commitment to infrastructural development in Lagos State, their strong belief in Nigeria and sureness in its huge developmental potential.
read more and live your comments :http://businessnews.com.ng/2011/11/30/lekki-epe-international-airport/