The
story of how James Ibori went from convicted thief in London in the 1990s, to
become governor of a wealthy oil-producing Nigerian state and then to a British
prison is a remarkable one. It is the story of a wily political operator,
backing the right political horses and shifting allegiances when expedient.
Given slightly different circumstances, according to one observer, it could
have seen Ibori in the presidential villa rather than a British jail cell.
Ibori’s defence in the face of allegations had always been that he had a
successful business career and had made money independent of government. But in
1991, he was working in a hardware store in the London suburb of Neasden. The
prosecution in this trial told a judge he was earning around £15,000 ($24,000)
a year. He was caught by his employer allowing his wife to walk through the
till he was manning without paying for goods.
ASABA
– POLITICIANS mainly from Delta State and other parts of the country are
flocking to London to rejoice with Chief James Ibori after his release from
prison in the United Kingdom. The decision by many of his stalwarts to meet him
in London follows news that the former Delta helmsman would not be returning to
the country soon given his plans to appeal his conviction. Friends, family and
political associates it was learnt, have made the trip and many others are
planning to meet with him in his London residence. Among the early callers was
Senator Peter Nwaoboshi who served in different capacities under Ibori. “The
senator representing Delta North senatorial district, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi,
and a host of others, who have the means, are already in London to meet with
Ibori. Many are on their way; they are coming from different parts of the
world,” an associate of the former governor told Vanguard. Those who have not
travelled are also speaking to him on telephone. One of his close associates,
Chief Ayiri Emami, confirmed to Vanguard that he spoke to the former governor
after his release,
How nauseating and ridiculous too that
on the list of African leaders who recently visited Gambia to prevail
on President Yahya Jammeh to concede defeat and step down, that
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari who lacks every moral ground as a
dictator, was part of the mediators to render advise to President Jammeh
who has upturned his decision to step down after losing his
presidential ambition at the recently conducted election in Gambia.
Buhari’s visit to Banjul has raised some questions here in Nigeria.
Since he was sworn in as president in 2015, he has traveled out of the
country on countless occasions to the chagrin of many Nigerians.
Founder, Galilee Christian Centre, Prophet Williams Onuoha has said that 2017 will be tougher than the out going year.The prophets made the assertion at the church’s end of the year thanksgiving, called Gibeon 2016 tagged, “There is a prophet in the land,” where he said, with the current economic condition, inflation would be high adding that there would be drastic change in governance in 2017 Prophet Onuoha however said, the year 2017 which he tagged, “Year of Laughter” in his church would be a controversial year.
Tragedy struck in the least anticipated place, yesterday, Reigners Bible Ministry, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, after the church building collapsed during a service. Conflicting accounts put the death toll at between 50 and 200 while Governor Udom Emmanuel, who was present when the incident occurred, survived
The relative peace enjoyed in Adamawa State in the last one year was truncated, on Friday, following twin suicide bomb blasts that rocked Madagali Local Government Area of the state. No fewer than 50 lives were lost, even as 80 others were said to have been injured in the attack that happened in the Madagali Market.
Republican
Donald Trump has won the 2016 US presidential race. What are his policies and
beliefs? 1) Arab-Americans cheered the attacks on 9/11. Trump repeatedly
claimed that on 11 September, 2001, there were thousands of Arab-Americans
celebrating in New Jersey after two planes flew into the Twin Towers. He says
such public demonstrations “tell you something” about Muslims living in the US.
However, there are no media reports to back up the claim. 2) There should be
surveillance on US mosques. Trump believes Muslims should be tracked by law
enforcement as a counterterrorism initiative. He has walked back some comments
about keeping a database on all American Muslims, but says he doesn’t care if
watching mosques is seen as “politically incorrect”.
BENIN—PRESIDENT
Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to leave Nigeria a better nation than he met it,
urging the various ethnic groups in the country to maintain unity and assist
the nation become greater again. The President
lamented that the nation made some grievous mistakes in the past by her over
dependence on oil, saying, “that is what we are paying for today as a nation.”
He spoke after commissioning the Edo State University, Iyahmo, Etsako West
Local Government Area and Ugbegun-Ujiogba-Ebudin- Igueben-Ewohinmi Road in Edo
Central senatorial district. President Buhari, whose two days working visit to
Edo State ended yesterday, emphasized that his administration had made
tremendous success in the three key areas he promised Nigerians; security,
economy and fighting corruption, irrespective of the view of
Donald
Trump’s jaw-dropping White House win is a slap in the face for Barack Obama,
elected eight years ago as the country’s first black president on the promise
of a nation united.
Herdsmen operating in Ekiti State will now have to register within 14
days so as to ensure a smooth operation of the cattle rearers in all
parts of the state.This is just as the state government and members of the Miyetti Allah
Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), the umbrella body of
cattle rearers in the country, on Thursday, signed a communique to
ensure seamless operation of the grazing law in the state.
SMOKE
billowed from the bonfires made by protesters across the major towns in Ondo
state to express their displeasure over the substitution of the governorship
candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Eyitayi Jegede, SAN, last
week Friday. The riot that erupted was spontaneous and happened immediately the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, made a u-turn following a
court order directing it to do “elimination by substitution” of the
governorship candidate of the PDP in the state. Eyitayo Jegede and Jimoh
Ibrahim Eyitayo Jegede and Jimoh Ibrahim Palpable tension had enveloped the
state for about three days before the final sledge hammer was wielded. Both the
Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi factions in the state boasted that the
Court of Appeal verdict would be in their favour. But when INEC finally spoke,
A day after President Muhammadu Buhari met with leaders of the
Niger Delta to resolve the crisis in the region, a major oil pipeline
was sabotaged.
No group has, however, claimed responsibility for the explosion at
the oil field operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company,
NPDC, in Delta State.
A sad looking Lionel Messi was flanked by armed police men as he left
the Manchester airport this morning following Barcelona's 1-3 loss to
Manchester city in last night's champions league clash.
Messi scored Barca's only goal in the clash.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said it will
adopt “pin vending” for the 2017 UTME test, advising intending
candidates to get familiar with the new approach. Dr Fabian Benjamin, the board’s Head of Media and Information, told the
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, in Lagos that it would no
longer use scratch cards. “Candidates, wishing to sit for the 2017 examination, should start
getting themselves familiar with the newly adopted process of pin
vending by the board. We must make ourselves open to change like it is obtained in other climes.
With clear indications that Nigeria may finally be on the way to
meeting its rice consumption needs, some foreign countries are already
displaying dissatisfaction and mounting opposition.This is as farmers across 13 states are starting near the end of wet
season rice production with the help of N23 billion loans provided by
the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.A few weeks ago, the Ambassador of a European nation led a delegation to
the office of CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, complaining that Nigerians
had been importing stock fish from his country long before
independence.
According to our sources, he lamented the decision of CBN to exclude
the commodity from those that were eligible for importation with foreign
exchange sourced from official window.
Emefiele bluntly informed his guest that while his country had over
$1 trillion in its foreign reserve, Nigeria as at then had just about
$25 billion and challenged the Ambassador to arrange for business people
from his country to come to Nigeria and develop the wide coastal line
from Lagos to Calabar.
Abuja
– The Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Tunde Fowler, has
said that the organisation received more than 700,000 applications from the
recent job advert it placed. Fowler made this known on Wednesday in Abuja when
he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petition.
The Court of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS,
on Tuesday declared the arrest and detention of former National Security
Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, as unlawful and arbitrary.
The court also held that the further arrest of Mr. Dasuki by
government on November 4, after he was granted bail by a court of law,
amounts to a mockery of democracy and the rule of law.
Mr. Dasuki is facing multiple trials for alleged diversion of $2.1
billion meant for the purchase of arms in the immediate past
administration.
He is also accused of illegal possession of fire arms.
He approached the ECOWAS court after he was rearrested by members of
Nigeria’s State Security Service shortly after meeting his bail
conditions in November last year.
He has remained in the custody of the SSS since his arrest.
Former
Chairman, Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan closely followed
by Former President Goodluck Jonathan and Former Head of State, Gen.
Abdulsalami Abubakar on their arrival for the National Council of States
chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Chambers, State House, Abuja
ABUJA-Former
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday made a surprise appearance at the
second meeting of the Council of States presided by president Muhammadu Buhari.
This is the first time he would be attending the meeting since exiting office
on May 29,2015.
Former President, Goodluck Jonathan has replied his critics who accused him of handing over a nation at the verge of collapse to his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari. . Jonathan recounted the achievements of his government to include, handing over a country that produced the richest man in Africa.
Popular Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele and her new husband
Abdulrasheed Bello, music artiste/producer, popularly known as JJC
Skillz, said on Tuesday that they chose to have a private wedding in
London because they didn’t want their union to be another society
wedding.
The Federal Government has described as sadly out of tune with
reality the published letter from US Congressman Tom Marino to Secretary
of State John Kerry, asking the US to withhold security assistance to
Nigeria on the strength of some imaginary infraction by the Buhari
Administration.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, the Minister of Information
and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said Congressman Marino was poorly
informed about the issues he commented on, wondering why he did not take
the pains to get first hand information from the US Embassy in Nigeria
or any other credible source before engaging in what is nothing but a
‘propaganda of his own imagination’.
Four days to the governorship election in Edo state, the Ahmed
Makarfi faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has dragged the
governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr.
Godwin Obaseki, to court, seeking to disqualify him, for allegedly
providing false claims and information on oath to the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Philippines President, Rodrigo Duterte, is seriously seeking to
defuse a row with the United States, voicing regret for calling
President Barack Obama a “son of a bitch”.
President Duterte, on Tuesday in Manila expressed remorse and regrets that his remarks to the press had caused much controversy.
Facebook has spent more than $16 million protecting Mark Zuckerberg
and his family in just five years after ‘specific threats’ to the
31-year-old.
The firm, according to Daily Mail report, disclosed the staggering
amount spent on security for Zuckerberg – the fourth richest person in
the world – in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.
It reveals that, in 2015, $5 million was invested in bodyguards and
other protective services to ensure the safety of its founder and CEO.
· 3 factors led to high cost —Ram sellers’ chairman
ABOUT eight days to Ed-El-Kabir celebration, prices of various sizes
of rams have gone up astronomically in cities like Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan
and many other parts of the country, Sunday Tribune findings have
revealed.
At the Federal Housing ram market in Kubwa, Abuja, where Sunday
Tribune saw ram sellers setting up stands with their rams just arriving,
potential buyers were seen trooping out to inquire about the prices of
each category of rams.
Checks revealed that the prices were higher than what the rams sold
for in 2015, with a small size ram now being sold for N30,000 as against
N17,000 it was sold last year.
Mrs Taiwo Oluwanisola, 42, has told
an Igando customary court in Lagos State how she stumbled on a message
where her friend was begging her husband, Olajide Oluwanisola, to return
her pant.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Taiwo said this in an
application she filed before the court seeking the dissolution of her
18-year-old marriage to her clearing-agent husband over alleged
infidelity.
“My husband is dating my married friend and I discovered this when I was with his cell phone.
“Then, a whatsapp message entered with my friend’s picture appearing on the screen begging my husband to return her pants.
Is it that everyone has been
silenced, or these times are just normal or what really is happening?
One Igboman wrote a provocative piece last week challenging what he
called the inexplicable silence from the South West in the face of the
debilitating economic crisis in the country and, in particular, the
zone’s manifest marginalization in the present power order. I read it
online. He claimed that in private discussions, he found Yoruba people
livid with anger at the shut-out they suffer presently but they just
won’t vent their spleen in the open. Why? Are they afraid? Afraid of
what and of whom? He asked.
The Oodua People’ s Congress has
commended the Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose for the anti-grazing
law,which was recently passed into law in the state .
The national coordinator of the group, Otunba Gani Adams described the law as a “ right step in the right direction “
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has reacted to today’s visit of
Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying
it was a coming together of collaborators in the total annihilation of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).The governor said it was on record
that both Obasanjo and Sheriff collaborated to destroy the All Nigerians
Peoples Party (ANPP) and their meeting today must be to further
collaborate to destroy the PDP.
Our attention has once again been drawn to the recent inconsiderate
statement attributed to the Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru
and similar comments from people of like minds to the effect that the
previous Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Administration was responsible
for the current Economic Recession.
Former
Group Managing Directors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC,
weekend, called for an upward review of the price of Premium Motor Spirit, also
known as petrol, stating that the present price cap of N145 per litre is not in
line with current economic realities. According to a statement by the NNPC, the
Former Group Managing Directors (GMD) stated this at a one-day meeting with the
Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru and the
immediate past GMD and current Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr.
Ibe Kachikwu in Abuja. The former GMDs said the PMS price cap of N145 per litre
is not congruent with the liberalization policy especially with the foreign
exchange rate and other price determining c0omponents such as crude cost,
Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) charges, among others, remaining uncapped.
This
is the story a two-year old boy snatched from the jaws of death by a ‘Good
Samaritan’ Obaloluwa Mark Kolade, born with hole in his heart, needed a
corrective surgery available only abroad, specifically India. The father is
into furniture works while the mother is a trader. In short, they were unable
to raise the amount for the surgery, a little shy of N5,000,000 for the child
to live. The beleaguered but prayerful parents took their plight to Sunday
Vanguard which revealed their financial challenges to the reading public.
family On March 23, 2016 when the paper published their cry for help,
Former
President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, said factional National Chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, might be the party’s
undertaker. Modu Sheriff Obasanjo, while emerging from a meeting with Sheriff,
held behind closed doors at his Hilltop residence in Abeokuta, said Sheriff was
nursing a party whose soul had already departed.
Aisha Wakil, a Nigerian lawyer declared wanted by the military on Sunday has said she is available for interrogations.
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, Ms. Wakil said she
received news of her being wanted with “rude shock,” because she is “not
a stranger to the military” hierarchy in the country.
“They know me very well. Right from [former President Goodluck] Jonathan’s time. I am not hiding,” Ms. Wakil said.
One of the three persons declared wanted by the Nigeria Army, Ahmed
Bolori, who had turned himself in on Sunday evening but was asked to go
back home without questioning, has returned to the army barracks.
Mr. Bolori has continued to update his trip to the barrack on his Facebook page.
At about 10am, Mr Bolori posted a picture that showed him signing a
security post visitor’s book with a comment that reads: “I have signed
the visitors register since and I am still waiting to be taken in.
Although, the Army guard doesn’t have airtime to contact his heads”.
An hour later, he posted another photo saying, “Finally, I am driving into the Army Operation Headquarters now”.
In
18 months France has been the target of three major terrorist attacks claimed
by jihadists in which more than 230 people have died. Candles and white roses
are displayed on the French flag in Toulouse on November 14, 2015 as a tribute
to the victims of the attacks in Paris in which 128 people were killed. Islamic
State jihadists on Saturday claimed a series of coordinated attacks by gunmen
and suicide bombers in Paris that killed at least 128 people in scenes of
carnage at a concert hall, restaurants and the national stadium. AFP Candles
and white roses are displayed on the French flag in Toulouse on November 14,
2015 as a tribute to the victims of the attacks in Paris in which 128 people
were killed. Islamic State jihadists on Saturday claimed a series of
coordinated attacks by gunmen and suicide bombers in Paris that killed at least
128 people in scenes of carnage at a concert hall, restaurants and the national
stadium.File Photo
GOVERNORS
of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of the Progressives
Governors Forum, Saturday at the flagging off of the governorship campaign of
the candidate of the party in the September 10 governorship election in Edo
state, Mr Godwin Obaseki, declared that the peoples power are behind President
Muhammadu Buhari, saying that Nigerians would resist any attempt to impeach the
President.
The
Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has said that he is unmoved by the
media trial, allegations levelled against him by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), and that “the anti-corruption agency and its
collaborators in the All Progressives Congress (APC) should not be in a hurry
in their ill-motive, rather they should wait till 2018 after my tenure when I
will confront their lies.”
MORE than 1,500 rebels have been
detained after their failed military coup that killed at least 90 and
wounded more than 1,000 as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed
revenge for the bloody uprising.
Erdogan made his triumphant return back to Istanbul after his forces
quelled the coup on Friday evening, as he warned that the members of the
military behind the plot to oust him would pay a ‘heavy price for their
treason’.
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has compulsorily retired a judge
of Osun State Division, Justice Olamide Folahanmi Oloyede who attacked
Governor Rauf Aregbesola in a controversial letter.
Also, compulsorily retired is Justice Yunusa, mentioned in the Ricky
Tarfa bribery saga, though he was fired for a different corrupt act.
YBNL act, Adekunle Gold, is ready to
step up his music career in a big way. After dropping four hit singles
in the last two years and bagging awards from within and outside the
country, the Sade crooner believes this is the right time to test the
acceptance of his music among his fans with his first album on Olamide’s
YBNL record label.
Engaging controversial Nollywood
actress, Judith Opara Mazagwu, popularly known as Afrocandy, is always a
delightful experience anytime the opportunity presents itself. The 45
year-old actress spoke with SEYI SOKOYA about life, renunion with
husband, among other issues, in this revealing interview. How was it like joining citizens of United States to celebrate their Independence Day recently?
I was delighted to celebrate the day. It is one of the memorable
events of the country. Unknown to many, I am a US citizen and
celebrating as one should not be strange. I love US because it is a
country that gives one so many opportunities to become whatever one
wants to be. It is a country with so much abundance, where even retarded
people can become millionaires, where freedom of speech is practised.
You can insult the president or the authorities and go free. It is also
where one can walk into the hospital anytime and get treated without
health insurance or being asked to deposits arms and legs to see
doctors. The list goes on. I don’t think they have it better anywhere
else in the world.
Fresh out of prisons where he was remanded for two months as he
faced corruption trial before a Federal High Court, a former Minister of
Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, came out swinging Friday night, using his
first press statement since his release to lob scathing assaults against
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Mr. Fani-Kayode, who was announced released only a few hours ago
after spending 67 days in Ikoyi Prisons, said his arrest and ongoing
trial were a handiwork of Mr. Buhari’s government that aimed to “silence
me, break me, discredit me and destroy.”
President Buhari’s critics on Friday carpeted his government for
allegedly lying about the terms of reference of the latest interim
reports on the ongoing probe into arms procurement by successive
governments since 2007.
Mr. Buhari had on August 24, 2015, raised the Committee on Audit of
Defence Equipment Procurement in the Nigerian Armed Forces to keep with
his “determination to stamp out corruption and irregularities in
Nigeria’s public service.”
But many are now raising concerns not about what the committee
included in its latest report but what it might have deliberately left
out.
CHAIRMAN, Senate Committee on
Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Dino Melaye, hassaid he
attacked the wife of national leader of APC, Senator Oluremi Tinubu,
because she called him names.
Melaye, who addressed newsmen in the Senate, said his attacks on Mrs
Tinubu was in response to verbal assaults she had unleashed on him.
FORMER
Spokesperson to the ex- President Goodluck Jonathan’s Campaign Organisation,
Chief Femi Fani- Kayode, has regained his freedom after spending over 65 days
in detention for allegedly laundering of N4.9 billion. Ex-Aviation Minister,
Femi Fani-Kayode arriving the EFCC Abuja office on Monday, May 9, 2016 for
questioningFile: Ex-Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode arriving the EFCC Abuja
office on Monday,
Cristiano
Ronaldo has continued his celebrations after Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph in
style by spending 2.5 million euros on a new Bugatti. Ronaldo in his new
BugattiRonaldo in his new Bugatti
Dino Melaye, the senator of the ruling All Progressives Congress
representing Kogi West, has confirmed his reported clash with Oluremi
Tinubu, the senator representing Lagos central, during senate’s
closed-door session on Tuesday.
Mr. Melaye, however, denied using some words reported by the media.
Senators at the session had told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday that Mr. Melaye verbally assaulted Mrs. Tinubu.
One source said quoted Mr. Melaye as saying, “Look this is not
Bourdillon (referring to the famous Lagos residence of Mrs. Tinubu’s
politician husband). I will beat you up, ….. impregnate you and nothing
will happen.”
Ado-Ekiti—Counsel
to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has
replied the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mrs Aisha Buhari through her
counsel, Mary Ekpere & Co, saying the governor’s claim as regards her
involvement in the infamous Halliburton scandal was correct and justified in
law. Aisha-FayoseAisha-Fayose Ozekhome insisted that there are documentary
evidences to support the governor’s claim that Mrs Buhari was indeed mentioned
in the scandal. In the letter dated July 8, 2016, Ozekhome affirmed that the
statement made regarding the involvement of Mrs Aisha Buhari in the Halliburton
scandal was “correct and justified in law, having regards to a court judgment
convicting one Mr William Jefferson for bribery in the Halliburton case.”
Counsel to the president’s wife, Mary Ekpere & Co had written to Governor
Fayose on June 22, 2016, demanding a retraction of the governor’s statement
that the President’s wife was involved in the Halliburton scandal, threatening
legal action if the retraction was not made within five days.
THE Federal Government has said it
cannot fund National Assembly constituency projects listed in the
budget, while it cannot, as well, guarantee the full implementation of
the budget as signed by the president.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), David Babachir
Lawal, who stated this while appearing before a Joint Senate Committee
on Wednesday, said the government was, after all, not in a position to
fully implement the N6.06 trillion budget.
The SGF, who was summoned by the Senate on Tuesday to clarify his
statement to the effect that the government may not implement
constituency projects, said revenues of the Federal Government had
dropped by 50 to 60 per cent.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has received an endorsement from her former rival Bernie Sanders.
The Vermont senator and former Democratic presidential candidate is
appearing with Mrs Clinton at a campaign event in New Hampshire.
Mrs Clinton and Mr Sanders have been negotiating since she all but guaranteed the nomination in June.
Mr Sanders hopes to have a large influence the Democratic platform.
“She will be the Democratic nominee for president and I intend to do
everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the
United States,” he said.
“This campaign is about the needs of the American people and
addressing the very serious crises that we face. And there is no doubt
in my mind that, as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and
away the best candidate to do that.”
It was a sad Saturday for residents of Pipeline, Kubwa, a suburb of
the Federal Capital Territory, when a 42-year-old woman, Deaconess
Eunice Olawale, was murdered in cold blood as she was observing her
early morning preaching near her house.
The incident, which took place at the early hours of Saturday, July 9, left the entire neighbourhood speechless and confused.
AN Osun State High Court judge,
Justice Jide Falola, on Friday warned parties involved in a litigation
over the wearing of hijab in public schools to desist from encouraging
students to defy court order or judgment.
Falola had on the 3 June, 2016 delivered a judgment, allowing female
Muslim students in public schools to wear hijab to school, citing their
fundamental human rights and religious belief as reasons that informed
his judgment.
Wife of the Ooni of Ife, Olori Wuraola Ogunwusi has spoken against
gender equality. While speaking at the Emerging Women's Forum in
National Harbor, Maryland two days ago, Olori Wuraola said men and women
can never be equal as both gender have their roles to play in life
Fresh
trouble for Senate President Bukola Saraki is on the way with the resolve of
the Federal Government to press forgery charges against him and his deputy,
Senator Ike Ekweremadu. The suit against the two presiding officers of the
Senate, which flow from last year’s Senate leadership election, is coming more
than a year after police investigations into the alleged forgery of the Senate
Standing Rules 2015. The move was, however, being interpreted in quarters as
another dimension in the quasi-battle between the presidency and the
legislature directed at paralysing the Senate with the simultaneous prosecution
of the two presiding officers.
The
12th edition of the prestigious African Movie Academy Awards, AMAA, may have
come and gone. But for those who attended the awards night the show will remain
fresh in their minds. Pete Edochie, RMD and RIvers First Lady, Eberechi Wike.
Pete Edochie, RMD and Rivers First Lady, Eberechi Wike. Besides the glamour,
the entertainment and the moving speeches made by the winners of the various
categories of the awards, there were moments that either made or almost marred
the night. Here, we bring to you the inside story of 2016 AMAA. When Pete
Edochie, RMD met on AMAA stage One of the memorable moments of the awards night
was when veteran actor Pete Edochie mounted the stage to present the Lifetime
If
Mr Donald Trump has his way and becomes the next American President come
November, ‘a big, big wall’ will spring up to divide Mexico and the United States
of America. Mexico’s economy is on the rise and is billed to get to the top 10
among the world’s largest economies in about five years. The US economy on the
other hand, is on the wane and might even stop being the world’s largest
economy by the end of next year. trump vs clintonPeople like Mr Trump blame
Latin America in general and Mexico in particular for much of what is wrong
with America today—from unemployment, to values, to lifestyles. Everybody in
fact, but their decadent, xenophobic selves. Heck, Trump even blames Nigeria
and Nigerians for seizing job opportunities in America and has promised to
deport us. Mr Trump is a bully. And like most bullies, he is shallow. It is
amazing what you can see through someone’s books if you know where to look as
every book takes on some of the personalities of the writer. I was a fan of his
books at the beginning, especially ‘What
Osogbo—Osun
State Christian Association of Nigeria, OSCAN, has directed all female
Christian students in both primary and secondary schools in the state to wear
their church garments to their different schools, beginning from Monday. There
was however palpable tension in some schools in different parts of the State
including Osogbo, the state capital yesterday over the controversy on the use
of hijab by female Muslim students during school hours. Christian leaders
having realised that Muslim girls now wear hijab to public schools, agreed that
by next Monday,
•Alaafin, Olubadan support govt
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT)
yesterday shunned the postponed “Stakeholders Interactive Forum on the
Management of Public Secondary Schools” organised by the Oyo State
Government.
Governor
Rochas Okorocha, his Kaduna and Bauchi States’ counterparts, Mallam Nasir El
Rufai and Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, and the National Chairman of All
Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun, met yesterday, with leaders of
Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo led by its President-General, Chief Gary Igariway in Owerri.
Vanguard gathered that the discussions centred mainly on the beheaded Igbo
woman in Kano State, the issue of herdsmen and the unity of the country. All of
them harped on the need for the government and all patriotic Nigerians to see
those behind these unlawful acts as criminals and common enemies of the nation
and her people.
Former
Super Eagles coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi was born in 23 January 1962 and
died on the 8th of June 2016. Keshi was married to his wife Kate (née Abureme) for
33 years. She died on 10 December 2015, after battling cancer for three years.
They had four children. Kesh’s playing career started at ACB Football Club, and
later played for New Nigeria Bank, Stade d’Abidjan, Africa Sports, Lokeren,
ABUJA—President
Muhammadu Buhari yesterday subscribed to an age-long belief that all mortals
can fall sick and that he, too, can take ill. BuhariBuhari The President made
the admittance at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, en route London,
United Kingdom, for medical attention on his ear. Recall that the State House
had on Sunday night, announced that the President was ill and needed to see his
doctors in a London hospital to attend to his ear. While departing Nigeria, the
President, who spoke to journalists, said he had also communicated the National
Assembly about his trip.
Former
Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, Professor Peter
Okebukola, has said that Nigerian universities deviated from the initial
agreement NUC had with Vice-Chancellors in 2004 when it introduced post-UTME to
screen candidates on oral interview and written essay. Prof. Peter
OkebukolaProf. Peter Okebukola
…Explains why he congratulated Buhari on election victory
…Defends record on curbing corruption
Abuja—Former President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, defended his
government’s record on fighting corruption and denied his successor’s
assertion that the country’s Treasury was left empty when he handed over
power last year. Jonathan, 58, was succeeded in May 2015 by President
Muhammadu Buhari, who accused the previous administration of looting
billions of dollars and leaving the country’s finances “virtually
empty.” Former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan handing over reports of the 2014 National Conference to President Muhammadu Buhari
“There’s no way he would have inherited an empty Treasury,” Jonathan
said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in London, adding “It’s
not possible.” Nigeria’s economy is contracting after a decline in the
price of Brent by about half since the middle of 2014.
Crude exports accounted in 2014 for as much as two-thirds of
government revenue, with most state budgets relying on monthly handouts
from the federal administration.
Mabel
Green a.k.a Gussy Baby is a budding singer who has everything going for her,
the looks, voice and charisma. She is the kind of artiste that sets strict
rules for herself and ready to stick to them. Gussy was part of Project Fame
Season 9. Since then, she has continued to pursue her passion for music
relentlessly. She talks about music, her love life and more in this interview:
How did an Estate surveyor go into music? I have been doing music right from
when I was young. I started singing at age 5 as a chorister in my church till a
certain age. In fact, I also went for MTN Project Fame Season 9 and got into
the academy.
The
Oyo State House of Assembly has received the names of the 14
Commissioner- nominees as forwarded to the house by the Governor of the
state, Sen Abiola Ajimobi.
Also sent with the names of the proposed Commissioners was a list of
eight members to constitute the Oyo State Independent Electoral
Commission (OYSIEC).
