A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
Enyimba major signing for the forthcoming NPFL season goalkeeper Fatau Dauda has been called up by Black Stars of Ghana ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in January in Gabon.
Fatau Dauda was Ghana No.1 choice at the 2013 AFCON in South Africa.
He has previously featured for Ashanti Gold as well as in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) of South Africa with Orlando Pirates and Chippa United.
Fatau Dauda
He has joined the overseas players who have moved to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) recently.
Compatriot and fellow goalkeeper Nana Bonsu won the Nigeria league with Rangers in October.
The Black Stars call-ups are to report for the training at Acquinas Secondary School from today till December 31 at 3:30 pm daily.
By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide Monday said the statement credited to the Kaduna State governor, Mallam El rufai that Niger Delta militants were contracted to carry out attacks in southern Kaduna is capable of inciting the people of Kaduna and the entire north against Niger Deltans.
Spokesman of the IYC, Eric Omare in statement issued in Yenagoa described the governor's comment as reckless and highly condemnable adding that Niger Deltans have no business going all the way to Kaduna or any part of Nigeria to attack Nigerians.
The statement read in part, "The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide states that the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam El Rufai is inciting the people of Kaduna State and by implication the entire north against Niger Deltans by his statement that Niger Delta militants have been hired to carry out attacks in southern Kaduna.
"This statement is reckless and highly condemnable. Mallam El-Rufai having failed in his duty to protect the lives and properties of the people of southern Kaduna should not use innocent Niger Deltans as scapegoats. Niger Deltans have no business going all the way to Kaduna or any part of Nigeria to attack Nigerians.
"We call on Nigerians and the security agencies to hold Governor El-Rufai responsible for any attack on Niger Deltans in the north as a result of his irresponsible statement.
"The Fulani herdsmen who El-Rufai paid for killing people are well known to the world, hence Niger Deltans should not be linked under any circumstances to the unwarranted killings going on in southern Kaduna.
"We also call the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency bring the killings in southern Kaduna to a stop and bring the perpetrators to justice including Governor El-Rufai."
In a related development, the IYC also described the call by President Buhari on Niger Delta agitators to come to negotiation table "as a subterfuge to deceive Nigerians and the world to create the false impression that the Federal Government is ready for dialogue whereas it is not.
"The Buhari administration is the one frustrating attempts at negotiation and not Niger Delta agitators. The Niger Delta leaders and stakeholders have done everything possible to start the negotiation process which has been frustrated by the Federal Government.
"IYC therefore call on President Buhari to demonstrate sincerity towards negotiating with the Niger Delta people by constituting the government negotiation team rather than Christmas day rhetoric."
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday said it arrested two suspects with cocaine at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport.
A statement by the agency's spokesperson, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, said one of the suspects was arrested on his way to Hong Kong after ingesting cocaine.
"Another suspect, who lives in Athens, Greece, was also apprehended in connection with unlawful possession of wraps of substances that tested positive to cocaine.
"The arrests were made at the MMIA, Lagos, during screening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline flight to Hong Kong and Egypt Airline flight to Athens.
"Preliminary investigation suggests that the suspects had targeted the Christmas holiday to smuggle cocaine out of the country but drug law enforcement officials at the Lagos airport were able to uncover their plan.
"The total weight of cocaine seized from the suspects is 1.150kgs.
"One of them excreted 45 wraps of cocaine he ingested, weighing 935 grammes while the other excreted five wraps of cocaine weighing 215 grammes.
"Both suspects tested positive for narcotic ingestion and while under observation; they expelled wraps of cocaine which they had wanted to smuggle out of the country.
"The suspects are currently under investigation.
"The high expectations of both suspects making quick money this festive season from drug trafficking had been dashed by vigilant anti-narcotic officers," the statement stated.
The statement also reported the Chairman of the agency, Mr Muhammad Abdallah, as saying that those wishing to get rich through drug trafficking would end up in prison.
"This is a warning to drug traffickers that the agency is determined to detect all hidden drugs and prosecute offenders.
"There are control measures in place to detect narcotics at all exit and entry points."We shall continue to improve on our strategies in line with our mission of providing a safe and healthy society for all." Abdallah said. (NAN)
Love him or hate him, Solomon Dalung, Minister of Youth and Sports, is one man that is so proud to mingle with his people, even with any kind of attire.
Recently, the social media has been abuzz with photos of Minister Dalung celebrating the Tarok Cultural Carnival 2016, an event Dalung said provided him the opportunity to identify and showcase the rich cultural heritage of his people,
See photos below:
Sports Minister Dalung steps out in style at 2016 Tarok CarnivalSports Minister Dalung steps out in style at 2016 Tarok CarnivalSports Minister Dalung steps out in style at 2016 Tarok CarnivalSports Minister Dalung steps out in style at 2016 Tarok Carnival
Abuja – The Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari over the successful routing out of the Boko Haram sect from Sambisa forest.
The faction also congratulated the Armed forces for the feat in successful clearing of Sambisa forest of the terrorists.
Mr Dayo Adeyeye , the Party's National Publicity Secretary made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
He described the news as a welcome development in the fight against terrorism in the country.
Adeyeye, however, said the feat was a collective efforts and sacrifices of Nigerians.
"We congratulate Nigerians for this important milestone in the long and bitter struggle against the forces of evil that have wreaked so much suffering and hardship on our people in the last few years.
"We also congratulate the President for his dogged pursuit of the war against insurgency, we are happy that he has built on the efforts of his predecessors.
"Whatever we are witnessing now is as a result of all the efforts and sacrifices of the past and present administrations," Adeyeye said.
He lauded the victory which earlier made it possible for elections to hold peacefully in almost all the local government areas in the North east states last year.
"We are therefore very much delighted with the continuation of this great effort by the President.
"We salute the men and women of our beloved armed forces for their courage, determination and sacrifice which made this achievement possible.
"The men and women of the Nigerian armed forces have served and continue to serve with distinction in many peace keeping operations all over the world.
"We salute them for fighting with great courage to keep the peace in their own country. "
He also commended the support and encouragement of international communities, particularly countries that helped in the procurement of critical military hardware.
The PDP advised the government and the military not to rest on their oars.
He called for the continued hot pursuit of the terrorists until the entire North east was rid completely of them.
"Beyond Sambisa, all the other forests which criminals use as hideouts and bases must equally be cleared by the military.
"Forests such as Birnin Gwari, Zamfara, Southern Kaduna, Enugu and Benue have become killing fields, "he said.
The Cross River State chapter of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Tuesday, decried the high cost of living in the country, saying it has inflicted untold hardship on the people with many of them dying from hunger and starvation.
MASSOB in a statement in Calabar, by its Public Relations Officer, Comrade Okon Effiom, said due to the current economic hardship most Nigerians can no longer afford to buy basic food items and medical bills, a situation he said has led to the loss of lives.
President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the opening of a 2-day National Economic Council Retreat at the Statehouse Conference Centre on 21st March 2016.
The statement read: “With the state of things, there are clear indications that the Nigerian state cannot no longer take care of its people which accounts for the failed system which has led to the high cost of living.
“Even at Christmas, a period characterized by celebration and merriment, many people could not afford to cook rice meal for their families which is the basic staple during such time because of high level of poverty in the land.
"The standard of living in the country has depreciated abysmally in just one year where the cost of basic items have quadrupled taking them beyond the reach of the ordinary person, and making them to easily succumb to diseases and death while some are unable to bear the situation which has resulted to them taking their own lives.
"Between last year, (2015) and this year, the cost of living has risen over 500 per cent which is way beyond the ordinary citizen which accounts for the high death rate through disease and suicide amongst our people.
“The state of affairs in the country gives credence to MASSOB's struggle for secession through peaceful means to leave the Nigerian state and build a nation of their own based on the vision of Ralph Uwazurike.
"46 years after the Nigerian civil war, injustice is still being perpetrated against the people of Biafra especially the minorities as seen with the devastation of Odi in Rivers State, the handing over of Bakassi to Cameroon by the Nigerian government.
“We hereby call on President Muhammadu Buhari to let the people of Biafra go so that we can decide our fate and build our nation not to continue to languish in this unholy state called Nigeria.”
BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI-ABUJA. The Commissioner of Police in the FCT, CP Mohammed Mustapha has ordered a manhunt for suspected armed robbers who killed an Inspector and two Non-Commissioned Police Officers (NCOs) Monday morning at a check-point in Karmo, Abuja.
The three Police officers were on patrol in the Idu Industrial district that stretches up to Karmo and had embarked on stop and search action following information that robbers planned to attack residents of the area.
Unknown to them however, a vehicle carrying several heavily armed robbers, emerged from the Karmo Forest, close to the checkpoint, pretended to be obeying the order to stop, before the robbers opened fire on the Police officers.
The three officers were said to have died on the spot as they were shot at from close range.
The robbers later made away with the arms and ammunition of the Police officers from their Patrol Van.
A visibly disturbed CP Mustapha told Vanguard that he has ordered a round the clock search for the perpetrators who operated in an ambush style to kill his officers.
He said the killers will not know peace until they are apprehended noting that the entire FCT is being searched to get the hoodlums.
Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina head Gabon’s Africa Cup of Nations squad unveiled Tuesday by the hosts’ manager Jose Antonio Camacho.
Also figuring in the 23-player list for the Jan 14-Feb 5 continental showpiece is Bruno Ecuele Manga, a defender with English Championship side Cardiff City, China-based striker Malick Evouna and Didier Ndong with Premier League strugglers Sunderland.
Gabon co-hosted the 2012 Nations Cup with Equatorial Guinea, making it into the quarter-finals.
The Panthers are drawn in Group A with Guinea-Bissau, four-time winners Cameroon and Burkina Faso, runners-up to Nigeria in 2013.
Gabon captain Aubameyang could lead his team as African Player of the Year should he retain his crown.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The 27-year-old French-born forward is on the shortlist with Leicester City and Algeria winger Riyad Mahrez and Liverpool and Senegal winger Sadio Mane with the winner announced on January 5.
The Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Joe Abah, has stated that the process of getting passport, driver's license among others will be made easy in 2017.
Abah in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, yesterday, said there will be new reforms in public service in 2017 that would adequately foster the country's growth
Abah said: "We have a 10-year plan for reforms we've been following, however, as with every plan the sequence and prioritisation ranges with government emphasis.
Dr. Joe Abah, DG BPSR
"And so for 2017 we will be focusing very heavily on making it easier to do business in Nigeria.
"And that is why the bureau has commissioned a number of studies to look at the bottlenecks to service delivery and we are looking at those things that affect the ordinary Nigerian directly.
"For instance, the processes for getting a passport, the processes for getting a driver's licence, the process for getting a tax clearance and the process for seeing a doctor in a government hospital.
"And the gap between when you retire and when you actually start to get your pension. We have instances where people have retired and for one year they haven't got any pension.
"So, these are some of the topical issues we will be looking at to see where the bottlenecks are and what we can do to ease the process.
"We are also optimistic that our report on restructuring of the merged ministry will go to council very early in the new year, with a recommendation that we do the same for all the other ministries.''
The D-G BPSR said the recent announcement by the National Economic Council chaired by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo showed that the government was now willing to address some of the issues.
According to him, the government is now willing to look seriously at the issue of rationalisation of agencies and parastatals, as we will finally have a go ahead with the work that we have designed.
Abah also emphasised the need to break the communication gap between the government and the citizenry as it relates to how government works.
He, however, said that the bureau would in January 2017 commission a policy paper essentially to address the gaps.
"We are also concerned that the communication function of government doesn't work as well as it should and this is not unique to this administration.
"It's been an ongoing problem for a very long time where government is simply not getting the message along to the citizens and citizens are not engaging with the government.
"So we will be commissioning a policy paper in January essentially showing how the disconnection in communication is actually hurting the government.
"And the need for a coordinated message that citizens can engage with and the opportunity for citizens to be put through the way that government works.
"We've already spoken with the Ministry of Information about it and also spoken with one of the Special Assistants to the President on new media on how we can work together to address these issues,'' he said.
The director-general also noted that the rate of unemployment in the country was worrisome, adding that the bureau will be engaging with the youth ministry and stakeholders in line with this.
Besides, he said that the bureau was working towards ensuring that there was coordinated approach to dealing with the problems of unemployment in Nigeria rather what it used to be.
"We will be doing a study in March on youth unemployment because again there is a problem with coordination.
"We have the Ministry of Youths and Sports doing something on youth unemployment, we have the Ministry of Women Affairs doing its own; we have the Ministry of Labour and Employment doing its own.
"We also have the National Directorate of Employment, we have various people doing various things but there is no coordination.
"So that is one thing we also want to look at.
"Because the issue of youth unemployment is something that is at the very fore front of our consciousness and something we are really concerned about,'' said Abah.
Argentine coach Diego Simeone will remain at Atletico Madrid next season, the club’s chief executive officer Miguel Angel Gil Marin said Tuesday.
Simeone, 46, signed a contract extension in 2015 that originally tied him to the club until June 2020, an unusually long deal by Spanish standards.
But in September he reduced the deal to 2018 after talks with Atletico, sparking speculation that he may leave.
Simeone
Asked about Simeone’s future, Gil Marin said he will stay at Atletico “this season and the next for sure.”
“He has been with us for five years and it would be reasonable if he stayed with us many more because we are delighted,” he added during an interview with private television La Sexta.
“We continue to grow, both him and the club, and what would be most intelligent for both parts would be to continue.”
Simeone, a former Atletico midfielder, has led the club to a host of trophies since becoming coach in 2011, including the domestic title in 2014 and two Champions League finals, in 2014 and 2016.
But the club’s form has stuttered this season and Atletico find themselves in sixth in La Liga with 28 points.
Atletico are not in league action again until January 7 as La Liga takes a winter break over the new year.
Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has granted state pardon to 20 prisoners convicted for offences ranging from stealing, armed robbery, conspiracy, intent to commit felony, advanced fee fraud and assault.
The state's Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Umeh Kalu made this known in a statement in Umuahia on Tuesday.
Kalu said that the prisoners held in Aba, Arochukwu, Port Harcourt and Enugu prisons were granted pardon on the advice and recommendation of the Abia State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy.
Ikpeazu
He said that three among the 20 prisoners were on death row and had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment while the others sentenced to various prison terms were released.
Kalu explained that the governor's exercise of clemency to the prisoners was in commemoration of the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
"Government expects the pardoned prisoners to be law abiding and contribute to the drive to provide a better future for the state and the country at large,'' he said.
Justice Iyabo Oladunni Kasali, a Lagos high court judge, has been cleared of an allegation of judicial misconduct by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
The NJC also dismissed a petition written against her over alleged perversion of justice by a lawyer, Evans Azuike.
Judges
Azuike had in the petition dated May 24, 2016, written to the NJC alleged that Justice Kasali struck out suit number LD/1791/2010 without justification and deliberately refused to release exhibits tendered in the suit.
He also said the alleged refusal to release the exhibits eleven months after the suit was struck out had hindered immediate commencement of a fresh suit.
The petitioner alleged further that the delay in releasing the exhibits enabled the defendants to mobilise men and materials to complete the structure which they had erected on the disputed Land, prior to the assignment of the suit to Justice Kasali in 2013.
However, following deliberation by NJC, it resolved that the petition lacks merit and evidence to establish the allegations levelled against Justice Kasali.
Therefore, the Council in a letter with ref. No. NJC/S.24/LAG.HC/12/1/461 held that no act of judicial misconduct was established against the judge.
Part of the letter reads: ''The NJC set up a three-man Committee to investigate the allegations contained in a petition dated 24th May 2016 against Justice Iyabo Oladunni Kasali of High Court of Justice, Lagos state. The Committee finds that no act of judicial misconduct is established by the petitioner against the Judge. At its meeting, which was held on 3rd November, 2016, Council considered and deliberated on the Report of the Committee.
"At the end of the deliberation, Council decided to dismiss the petition for failing to establish the allegation of judicial misconduct against Justice Kasali''.
Both the petitioner and Justice Iyabo Oladunni Kasali led evidence before the three-man Investigative Committee of the NJC.
Justice Kasali in her evidence stated: "I did not sit on the exhibits as alleged and that she neither delayed nor obstructed Justice through alleged sitting on Exhibits".
She also told the Committee that suit No: LD/1791/2010 was a case inherited by her as a trial court when she was newly posted to Lagos Judicial Division of High Court of Lagos State.
Prior to inheriting the case from Justice Oyekan-Abdullahi (as the trial Judge) the Petitioners' Counsel sought and obtained an Interim and interlocutory injunction from the Case Management Judge.
After trial commenced in the suit the defendants filed an application challenging the Court's Jurisdiction to entertain the suit on the ground, that at the time the suit was commenced, the petitioner's client's name had been struck off the Register of Companies by the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Petitioner's client subsequently had her name restored in the Register of Companies at the Corporate Affairs Commission.
The said restoration was well after the case was instituted and well after the claimant's client had obtained interim and interlocutory orders during CMC.
In her ruling delivered on February 18, 2015, Justice Kasali held that the suit was incompetent on account of same having been commenced when the name of the claimant had been struck out of the Register of Companies.
The claimant though dissatisfied with the ruling elected not to appeal
By Levinus Nwabughiogu ABUJA-To rid the public service of corruption, the Federal government successfully identified and sacked 50,000 ghost workers.
This has also saved the country a huge amount totaling up to N200 billion.
The is consequent upon the taking off of N13 billion from the payroll, monthly, from February to December in 2016.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu who made the disclosure to State House correspondents on Abuja also hinted that 11 persons championing the syndicate of ghost workers have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.President Buhari
According to him, some were also undergoing trial at the courts.
“The flagship program of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to rid the system of fraud and instill good governance is on course. Through a notable initiative, the Efficiency Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance, the government has embarked on the continuous auditing of the salaries and wages of government departments.
“When the the Committee was constituted in February 2016, Federal government monthly salary bill was N151 billion excluding pensions. Now the monthly salary warrant is N138 billion, excluding pensions. Which means that the government is making a monthly saving of about N13 billion. That is from February 2016 to date,” he said.
He added that the “the pension bill was 15.5bn monthly as at February. Now it is down to N14.4 billion, which means average monthly saving is made of about N1.1 billion.”
Speaking on the welfare of the recently-released 21 Chibok Girls, Garba said the girls have become the adoptees of the Federal Government even as he revealed that there local and international interests in the future plans of the girls were rising.
He said that an America billionaire had opted to sponsor them in school.
“A black American billionaire, Mr. Robert Smith who is currently sponsoring the education of 24 girls from Chibok, among them the first set set of escapees from Boko Haram at the American University of Nigeria, Yola has offered to pay for the education of the 21 released through negotiations and is offering to take responsibility for all the others who will hopefully be eventually set free. The Murtala Mohammed Foundation in the country is equally interested,” according to the the Presidential spokesman.
Responding to complaints by some of the parents of the 21 Chibok Girls that they did not have enough room for interaction with their daughters brought home for Christmas by the Department of State Services,DSS, the Senior Special Assistant to the President admitted that there were some hitches arising from a lack of understanding of the objective of the trip on the part of some security operatives but that following the receipt of this complaint, a directive has been given from the headquarters for the access by the parents to be eased. “If the situation persists, pls let us know so that the higher authorities will make a further intercession,” he assured.
Also touching on board appointments as it affected members of the ruling the All Progressives Congress, APC, Garba assured that the process would continue early next year.
” You know that the reconstitution began methodically, from sector by sector. You should expect that to resume at the beginning of the new year. The President has given directions on what to do,” he said.
On the agricultural programs of the administration, Malam Garba said that the President’s persistent calls for a return to farming was yielding good results.
“The talk about agriculture has driven people to the farm. This year, there is a huge boom in the rural economy. We have witnessed an excellent harvest. Farmers are getting value for their output. What has encouraged farmers the more is the increasing availability of extension services. New farming techniques are helping farmers to do their occupation better. The readiness of off takers to buy the produce is also a major boost.
“When you put all these together with the systematic move to curb importation as a boost local production through the restriction of the available foreign exchange to critically important sectors of the economy, you have favorable environment for the diversification of the economy.
” As we speak, several of the country’s major manufacturing industries are actively backward-integrating- Nestle, Unilever, the breweries are looking what we have as local materials, changing their formulations to maintain production levels and keep their share of the market. Manufacturers who are hooked on import of raw materials are advised to re-strategize and take full advantage of local raw materials. The future belongs to those who employ the use of local raw materials,” Garba said.
Disturbances that included gunfire, massive brawls and food-court fights played out at more than a dozen malls across the country in what proved to be a chaotic day after Christmas.
The disturbances, some of which were captured on social media, prevented some shoppers from clearing off clearance racks and returning Christmas gifts as they intended on Boxing Day.
The Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the U.S. Government had issued a security alert about planned attacks on Churches and had consequently beefed up security in the event of any eventualities during the festive period.
However, the mall incidents, which ranged from minor melees to mass evacuations, occurred nationwide from Colorado to Tennessee, Texas to New Jersey, according to CNN reports.
In Aurora, Colorado, it all started with a social media post that promised a fight at the Town Centre at Aurora.
Aurora Police Department spokesman Sgt. Chris Amsler said about 100 people had gathered in the food court before the brawls broke out, prompting the Colorado mall to close early on Monday afternoon.
"(It) kind of morphed into this large disturbance," Amsler said.
When off-duty police officers working as security guards tried to break up a fight, people circled the officers, who called for backup, Amsler said.
As police officers on duty arrived, fights broke out throughout the mall, at a movie theatre and at a nearby park-and-ride lot, he said.
He estimated that 500 people were involved.
Authorities arrested five people, all juveniles, and recovered no weapons, he said.
"One person assaulted at the park-and-ride lot suffered 'significant' injuries and was taken to a hospital", Amsler said.
In Memphis, Tennessee, seven people were arrested after incidents at two malls.
Police said a group started a disturbance in the Wolfchase Galleria food court and started running, which prompted some customers to call 911.
Then a crowd gathered outside Oak Court Mall, about 10 miles west, and started a disturbance; both malls were cleared and closed early for the night.
Shots were reported in both incidents, but police said they found no evidence of gunfire and no injuries were reported.
In Fayetteville, North Carolina, people panicked after teenagers fought in the food court, Fayetteville police spokesman Shawn Strepay said but that no shots were fired, in spite of reports of gunfire.
"Once people start running in that area or chairs are getting knocked over, tables, that sort of thing, that echoes and it could resemble the sound of a gunshot to a lot of people," he said.
In Elizabeth, New Jersey, the first calls from the The Mills at Jersey Gardens came in just after nightfall Monday, and witnesses said they thought they had heard shots fired.
That, along with a fight, led to what Elizabeth police Officer Greg Jones described as a "chaotic panic and everybody running all at once".
Ultimately, though, patrons had mistaken the sound of a chair slammed during a fight for gunfire, city officials said.
Two people, an eight-year-old and 12-year-old, were injured, the station reported.
In Fort Worth, Texas, the security guards had no other choice but to place the Hulen Mall on lock-down.
At one point, police said at least 100 people were involved in a series of fights.
Fort Worth Police spokeswoman Tamara Velle said officers initially responded to reported gunfire inside the mall, adding that after breaking up the fights, officers stopped by each store to let people leave while the lock-down remained in effect.
"There were no reported injures or property damage thanks in large part to local police.
"You keep hearing the horror stories of the mall shootings across the nations right now.
"Anytime we're hearing about a mall shooting and it's the day after Christmas, where you have tons of people holiday shopping … we're going to get in there as fast as we can," Velle said.
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Rural Development, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu has described the recently conducted Local Government elections in Ogun State as a sham orchestrated by the Governor Ibikunle Amosun led administration.
Hon Adebutu
Hon. Adebutu made this declaration while addressing candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2016 Local Government elections in the state at the PDP Secretariat, Legacy Building, Abeokuta.
He admonished the candidates to consider themselves as the vanguard of the moment for a better change in Ogun State.
“I stand here to say boldly that what was sold to the public as a free and fair local government elections in Ogun state is merely a ruse. The daylight robbery of your mandates by the state government has further exposed the criminal nature of the APC led government and their penchant for illegality.
“I want you all to know that I am a firm believer in the autonomy of the local government administration in Nigeria and I promise to ensure the functionality of the council when elected in 2019,” he said.
Speaking further, Hon. Adebutu berated the State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun for what he described as a ‘reckless statement’ on his successor.
He enjoined the State Governor to stop playing God but rather face his primary role of governance as only God can decide who gets to lead the people.
Leaders of the party commended the candidates for holding forth and standing with the Sen Ahmed Makarfi Caretaker Committee and Ogun State PDP Chairman, Alhaji Sikirulai Ogundele.
They were urged to continue to work for the success of the party in all ramifications.
Present at the gathering were Chief Mrs Iyabo Apampa, the Apex Body Chairperson, Elder Akinwonmi, Chief Oyekunle, PDP state executive officers and all local government party chairmen.
No fewer than 48 shops and properties worth millions of Naira were on Tuesday burnt to ashes at Gombe old Market as a result of fire incident.
Malam Mohammad Abba, Chairman of the market told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incident occurred in the night, adding that the cause of the fire had not been identified.
He said that about 300 shop owners lost their goods to the inferno.
According to him, some of the shops consist of various goods, while the shops occupy by some tailors were also affected by the inferno.
He advised the shop owners to take it as an act of God and to be careful in handling everything that had to do with electricity.
Abba called on government to come to the aid of the victims.
Some of the victims also said that they were suspecting that the fire was caused by electrical fault.
However, they commended the men of Fire Service and the security agents for their immediate response.
They appealed to Gombe State Government and public spirited individuals to assist them.
Ayo Opadokun, Convener, Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform, yesterday, said that the non-confirmation of the acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, is an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari is no longer in firm control of his government.
President Buhari
Opadokun, who spoke with journalists, in Offa, Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State, said that it also indicated that the presidency was divided.
He said it was surprising that the Department of State Services, DSS, a part of the executive arm of government, wrote a report against Magu, the head of the anti-corruption war, whose confirmation nomination by Buhari was at the Senate.
Opadokun said: “It (the non-confirmation of Magu by the Senate) is an unfortunate development, very unfortunate dimension to our national crisis. Our national crisis of identity is being further damaged by the conduct of the Nigerian state.
"First, I like to say that President Muhammadu Buhari by conduct and behaviour over Magu's confirmation is indicating to his admirers and those who voted for him that he is no longer in control of his government. There are two or three major unfortunate developments that are showing a divided presidency, clearly telling Nigerians, perhaps that the Buhari we thought we knew in the 80s is totally a different personality now.
"The fact that the so-called DSS will now be writing a spurious and pedestrian report on Magu is an unfortunate dimension. I see this as humiliation of what Magu stands for and it is an unfortunate dimension to our so-called anti-corruption determination of President Buhari. Let me say clearly, President Buhari needs to be on his guard. The only reason that people voted for him was because of his promise to fight corruption because if we do not fight corruption, corruption will fight us and it fought us too badly."
Former Governor of Delta, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, says those people going to London to see his predecessor, Chief James Ibori, and posting pictures and comments about him, are creating more problems for him.
Uduaghan, who stated this in a Facebook post on Tuesday, asked those involved to "stop it".
Ibori, who was the governor of the oil-rich state between 1999 and 2007, was released from a United Kingdom prison on Wednesday after serving a concurrent13-year jail term for money laundering.
The Southwark Crown Court jailed him on April 17, 2012 after he pleaded guilty to a 10-count charge of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud.
Former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, flanked right by Senator Ighoyota Amori and left Senator Peter Nwaoboshi during the Christmas day celebration at London
Since his release, friends, family member and political associates have been paying him visits in his London home, where he is under house arrest pending the conclusion of his asset confiscation case.
A video of one of such visits which has been trending on social media shows a Senator from the state, Peter Nwaoboshi, boasting about how Ibori "installed" governors and lawmakers from prison.
The video immediately drew public criticisms with many already calling for Ibori's extradition and further prosecution in Nigeria.
Uduaghan wrote: "For those going to London to see Chief James Ibori and posting pictures and making comments, please stop it.
"We appreciate your love for him but you can go quietly without the unnecessary publicity.
"You are creating more problems for him than you can ever imagine.
"Nigeria is a complex country and you must understand and respect people's sensibilities."
That Uduaghan, who is Ibori's first cousin, is largely blamed by many for the latter's travails.
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