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
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Friday, announced the appointment of Mr Olusegun Adekunle as the Alternate Chairman of the Economic Commission Board.
OPEC made the announcement in a statement released in Abuja on Friday by Mr Idang Alibi, Director Press Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
Alibi said: "In a welcome development, OPEC announced the appointment of Nigeria's Mr Olusegun Adekunle as the Alternate Chairman of the 127th OPEC Economic Commission Board.
Dr Ibe Kachikwu expressed delight at the development while congratulating Adekunle and urging him to continue to work hard to justify the appointment and make Nigeria proud.''
Adekunle was before this appointment Nigeria's representative to the organisation.
The Commission is saddled with the responsibility of writing reports and making recommendations to the Conference of OPEC Oil Ministers on oil prices and other economic issues.
It also assists OPEC in promoting stability in international oil prices at equitable levels.
The Police in Winnebago County, Wisconsin in the United States have begun a manhunt for thieves who stole a Nigerian goat.
This is not a SeyiLaw joke!. It is true!.
The riddle the police are trying to crack is: Who would steal a goat named Cinnamon?
Winnebago County Sheriff's Office is now in search of the answer after the Nigerian Dwarf goat was stolen from the Town of Poygan, which has a very small population of just over a 1000 people, with 397 households, and 308 families, according to the census figures available.
Cinnamon's owners say the goat was taken on May 25, and they are hoping for her safe return.
The missing Nigerian goat
The Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post says Cinnamon is under a vet's care and needs medication.
The Facebook post has attracted many comments, with one saying:" who the hell steals a goat?"
Anyone with information should call the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office at +1-920-236-7300.
LAGOS—Zaria Mimano Foundation, a non-profit organization, has kicked off a nation-wide campaign to help indigent patients in hospitals, which have since started with National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos.
The foundation which offers relief to the needy, has reached out to five-year-old, Adegboye Daniel an accident victim whose parents could not pay his medical bills.
Showing appreciation to the foundation, Medical Director, Dr O.O Odunbi, through B.A Ayidina, thanked the foundation for offsetting Daniel's bill which his parents had tried to pay to no avail.
Speaking in Lagos on the work of the foundation, Zaria Mimano, said; "Zaria Mimano Foundation pays outstanding fees for patients that have been kept after discharge due to their inability to pay for treatment. However, the foundation requires that patient cases be genuine with no financial means to pay. The foundation takes care of the rest and the doctors can focus on helping others.
"Our Foundations offers many services and relief for the needy and one of those services is to free those in hospitals caught up in unexpected debt they cannot pay. Zaria Mimano Foundation pays outstanding dues and the patients walk away free from debt and ready to focus on their health. No strings attached."
Crystal Palace F.C. has agreed a five year contract extension with homegrown star Wilfried Zaha, securing the winger’s long term future with the club.
Wilfred Zaha
Zaha has been awarded Palace’s Player of the Season for the past two campaigns, and was instrumental in securing the club’s fifth consecutive season in the Premier League.
The Ivory Coast international has made 258 appearances for the Eagles over two spells with the club, scoring 34 goals.
Zaha said, “Palace is in my heart and I don’t think the story is over. I spoke with Steve and I think I still have more to give this Club. The supporters have been amazing and I want us to do more than just stay in the League next year. I would like to thank the Chairman for being a big part of my journey and his fellow owners for backing me and rewarding my progression. Let’s do this!”
Commenting on the news, Chairman Steve Parish said, “Wilf has been with the club since he was 8 years old and in the first team from the day I arrived. He is our talisman and someone that week in week out gives everything for the Red and Blue. I’m delighted he has committed his future to us and look forward to climbing up the table with him next year.”
I believe that it is not only the height of naivety but also deeply insulting to say that the way to stop the Biafran agitation is to offer the Igbo cake.
Quite apart from that I find it curious, incredulous and somewhat patronising that those behind the “Biafra at 50” event, which took place at the Yar’adua Centre in Abuja today, would think it appropiate to invite the leaders and representatives of a government that is committing genocide against the Igbo and IPOB members on a daily basis to their programme.
They talk peace and reconciliation but can there really be peace and reconciliation without restitution and justice?
You can say anything and rationalise it in any manner that you deem fit but the reality is that 1 million innocent igbo children were purposely starved to death in the civil war and 2 million igbos were killed.
Worse still the problems and atrocities that the Igbo complained of in 1966 are still with us today. The very reasons that they were forced to fight that war are still with us today.
If you want peace and reconciliation, if you want to celebrate or remember Biafra at 50 and if you want to honor the memory of those that lost their lives during the struggle for Biafra the promise of a greater share in the national cake will not cut it.
Instead the first thing that you need to do is to get the Nigerian state and authorities to give an unconditional apology for the atrocities committed against the Igbo during before and after the civil war.
Secondly you must reach out to those that are agitating for Biafra today with love and genuine affection and endevour to make it worth their while to stay in Nigeria by treating them with love, compassion, respect and sensitivity.
You do NOT kill them in the streets, lock up their leaders and attempt to kill their dream of emancipation from subjugation and servitude and at the same time claim that you want and believe in reconciliation. It is either one or the other.
You either love and honor them or you fight them and reject their attempt to express themselves freely or to exercise their right of self-determination.
This charade of kill them and pretend to love them all at the same time sickens me. It dishonours the memory of ALL those who fought for and believed in the ideal of Biafra.
It is like dancing on their graves and spitting on their blood.
How can you talk about Biafra and celebrate Biafra at 50 when the leaders of the new Biafra like Nnamdi Kanu of IPOB and others are not there.
How can you talk about Biafra when a contractor and compromiser from Igboland who has lost every sense of self-worth and dignity is invited to the gathering.
The Federal Government is killing his kinsmen with their security forces and refusing to protect them from the relentless carnage and barharic slaughter of the Fulani militias and this despicable man who has fed fat on Nigeria will come to such a gathering and say that he will fight anyone that wants to leave Nigeria, including Oduduwa and Arewa. I really dont know whether to laugh or cry.
These are clearly the words of a desperate comedian who has lost all sense of self-respect and who is prepared to do anything in order to remain in perpetual servitude.
Such a man is shameful. He is dishonorable. He is cowardly. He is evil. Worse of all he is a grave danger to those that he claims to speak for and represent.
If anyone really wants peace in this country and true reconciliation the only way to achieve it is to set into motion a process of and a programme for restructuring and the devolution of power from the centre. They must also accord due respect to every ethnic nationality in this country including the Igbo.
Failing that it is only a matter of time before Nigeria breaks into two or more pieces and this will be done peacefully or not so peacefully depending on the attitude and disposition of those who believe that they own Nigeria and that the rest of us are slaves.
Encouraging was the fact that Chief John Nwodo, the respected and much-loved Chairman of Ohaeneze, was at the Abuja event.
Of all the Igbo leaders that attended he, together with Pat Utomi and a handful of others, are amongst those that I trust and admire.
What a leader this man is. Nwodo is a man of immense wisdom and courage and he is very well bred too.
He comes from a well-educated, noble and illustrious lineage of statesmen and political leaders of the rarest kind. That explains his courage.
He will never bow down to ANYONE that attempts to undermine the interests of the Igbo and he will never sacrifice or betray any of the millions of young men and women from the south-east who are yearning for Biafra.
With him at the helm of affairs of Ohaeneze I have no doubt that the Igbo are in safe hands and that they will not be fooled by the wolves in sheeps clothing that organised and engendered this shameful event.
By Femi Nnamdi Kanu and wife Uchechi Okwu-Kanu after his release from detentionFani Kayode
New York – The U.S. on Friday wished Muslims a happy and blessed Ramadan as they commence the Ramadan fasting on Friday night.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in a press statement, said the Ramadan period reminded everyone of the common values of harmony and empathy humanity shared.
"On behalf of the United States Department of State, Renda and I sincerely wish Muslims around the world a peaceful and blessed Ramadan.
"Ramadan is a month of reverence, generosity, and self-reflection.
"Most importantly, it is a cherished time for family and friends to gather and give charity to those who are less fortunate.
"This time reminds us all of the common values of harmony and empathy we hold dear.
"I wish all those celebrating a very happy Ramadan Kareem", Tillerson said.
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is expected to start on Saturday, May 27.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) alongside the League Management Company (LMC) have consummated a multi-faceted strategic agreement in general football development with the Football Federation and Premier League body of the Kingdom of Morocco.
On Thursday, NFF President Amaju Pinnick and NFF 2nd Vice President/LMC Chairman Shehu Dikko put pen to paper on a memorandum of understanding with their Moroccan counterparts, the result of detailed discussions, deliberations and considerations over time. The FA Presidents signed their own side in the offices of the Federation Royale Marocaine de Football in Rabat, while Dikko and and Chairman of the Ligue Nationale de Football Professionnel, Said Naciri signed at the LNFP office, watched by the two FA bosses.
Both Pinnick and FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaa (who is also Director of Budget in the Kingdom of Morocco) are Members of the CAF Executive Committee.
"The strategic partnership is for technical development, exchange of ideas and contacts, training support, friendly matches, use of facilities and joint marketing where necessary," Dikko, who is also Chairman of NFF Marketing, Sponsorship and Television Advisory Committee and NFF Strategic Committee, explained to thenff.com.
"Morocco has one of the best technical centres globally and they are still developing it, and they are delighted to make the facilities available for use by the National Teams of Nigeria and Nigerian Clubs. The Kingdom also has one of the most innovative structure in managing the domestic media rights of both their National Teams and the elite League, which we intend to replicate.
"The agreement between the two League bodies is to collaborate in areas of mutual interests between the Leagues and participating Clubs. The Moroccan FA only recently set up an independent elite League body in line with global practice, and wants to learn from LMC Governance Structure of the NPFL. On their side, they would help our Clubs understand the structure and principles of community club ownership, elite players development, youth development et cetera. It is all about fostering mutually beneficial relationships."
On Friday, Pinnick and Dikko were at the offices of a Moroccan multinational company with extensive business interests in Nigeria, where an MOU was executed to explore the sponsorship of some activities in Nigerian Football including the NPFL. A steering group has been set up to ensure the conclusion and activation of the milestone MOU.
The agreements represent another landmark feat by the Amaju Pinnick –led Nigeria Football Federation, coming exactly one month after the N2.5 Billion, 5-Year partnership with Nigeria's foremost energy solutions company, Aiteo Group for payment of salaries of Coaches of the National Teams.
The latest pact also sits comfortably with the ever –improving strong working relationship between the Governments of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco.
Only last week, both Governments signed pacts to drive the implementation of gas regional pipeline and fertilizer initiative. The proposed Morocco-Nigeria Gas Regional Pipeline will have a direct impact on 300 million people through the speeding up of electrification projects in West Africa.
A civil servant in Kogi, Mrs Husseina Mohammed has returned the sum N1, 780,500 paid in excess of her March salary to the coffers of the state government.
Mohammed said this on Friday in Lokoja while on a courtesy visit to the Director – General, Bureau of Information and Grassrrots Mobilisation, Alhaji Abdulkareem Abdulamlik .
She said that she received an alert from her bank in the afternoon of May 21 and discovered that a huge sum had been credited in her favour.
Mohammed said that she immediately called the attention of her husband to the development and a decision was taken to return the money to the coffers of the government.
The civil servant, who works at the state Teaching Service Commission, said she started the process of returning the money back to government on May 22, saying that the money was paid into the government account with the Lokoja branch of the Zenith Bank Plc.
She then handed over the bank teller and other documents used in paying back the money into the government bank account to the Director General
Mohammed praised Gov. Yahaya Bello for paying her salary up till March, 2017, saying that she was not in any way affected by just concluded staff screening and verification exercise.
She, however, pleaded with the state government to reciprocate her good gesture by paying the outstanding 15 month salary arrears of her husband, Mr Yakubu Mohammed.
The civil servant said that the salary of her husband was being withheld for the discrepancy in his age declaration, saying that the discrepancy had since been rectified.
In his response, the Director- General commended Mohammed for her honesty.
He said with people like her in the society, Nigeria was sure of winning the ongoing war against corruption.
The Director -General urged other civil servants and residents of the state to emulate Mrs. Mohammed.
He said that her good conduct would not go unrewarded, adding that her exemplary conduct would be recorded for generation yet unborn to learn and emulate.
Abdulmalik also reiterated the resolve of Gov. Yahaya Bello to carry the restructuring of the state civil service to the end.
Former president Goodluck Jonathan has reacted to a statement credited to Kaduna State governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai where he said ‘”What President Goodluck Jonathan did was to take N2bn each from the Ecological Fund and gave to some PDP states. Any PDP state that was not his friend, like Kano and Kwara, didn't get.”
A statement released by Ikechukwu Eze, Media Adviser to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, titled “ON EL-RUFAI’S LIES AGAINST JONATHAN ON THE SHARING OF THE ECOLOGICAL FUND” reads:
“That Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State has an incurable knack for lying has been proven by his own boss, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo who described El-Rufai in his book-My Watch Volume 2 as follows:
"Nasir's penchant for reputation savaging is almost pathological. Why does he do it? He is brilliant and smart. I grant him that also. Very early in my interaction with him, I appreciated his talent and brilliance. At the same time, I recognised his weaknesses; the worst being his inability to be loyal to anybody or any issue consistently for long, but only to Nasir el-Rufai. He barefacedly lied which he did to me against his colleagues and so-called friends. I have heard of how he ruthlessly savaged the reputation of his uncle, a man who was like, in the African setting, his foster father. I shuddered when I heard the story of what he did to his half-brother in the Air Force who is senior to him in age."
“With such a description, we are not surprised at his recent comments after the just concluded National Economic Council meeting where he accused former President Jonathan of only sharing the National Ecological Fund to PDP States. Mr. El-Rufai lied as follows:
“What President Goodluck Jonathan did was to take N2bn each from the Ecological Fund and gave to some PDP states. Any PDP state that was not his friend, like Kano and Kwara, didn't get.”
“It is so easy to expose Malam Nasir El-Rufai as a liar being that Akwa-Ibom, a PDP state governed by the then Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and a close confidante and major supporter of the then President, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, did not get the monies alluded to by Malam El-Rufai from the Ecological Fund as did multiple other PDP states including Ekiti state, a state governed by a thoroughbred patriot and Jonathan supporter, Ayo Fayose.
“Also, it is false that non-PDP states did not get monies from the fund. Nemesis catches up faster with liars than any other agent of evil. El-Rufai was probably led by the gods against his own sinister plot to confess in another breathe that States under non-PDP parties like APGA and Labour party also benefitted.
“The fact remains that the Ecological Fund is a specialized fund with certain constitutional requirements which must be met before a state can access the funds. EVERY state benefitted from the fund under President Jonathan who bent over backwards to accommodate states that had difficulty meeting the criteria for accessing the fund.
“El-Rufai's sinister narrative was intentionally silent on the over N10 billion specially deployed to fund the Great Green Wall (GGW) project in some northern states, in view of the need to work with the rest of Africa on the African initiative to check desert encroachment in the Sahelian states. These states included Zamfara, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina and Adamawa.
“Others are Yobe, Borno and Kano which belong to Mallam El-Rufai's class of 'non-friendly' states that he alleged never benefitted from any discretionary fund.
“Similar principle applies to the conditions for accessing the Universal basic Education fund where some states have not had access to what is due them, because they are yet to fulfill the mandatory criteria for allocation. Would it then be right in the name of El-Rufai's position on equity to blame the failure of those states to access their UBEC funds on Jonathan?
“It is really sad that judicious presidential interventions to tackle emergencies and other pressing national needs are being interrogated in a rather facile manner, by those who never get tired of playing dirty politics.
“Nigerians may recall that this is not the first time that El-Rufai has vented his known passion for lying against the former President.
“The public will recall that in October 2015 he falsely alleged that former President Jonathan spent a whopping N64 billion on Independence Day celebrations, during his tenure when in fact only N333 million was spent.
“Nigerians may also recall that this same El-Rufai falsely accused former President Jonathan and former CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor of founding and funding Boko Haram to the tune of N50 billion.
“We can only wonder what new false accusation El-Rufai may come up with tomorrow, as with him it is a case of one day, one lie!
“We therefore urge Nigerians to “be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” whenever this notorious liar opens his mouth.
Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State on Friday said that his administration attracted investment worth $65 million to the state within four years.
He made the disclosure on Friday while unveiling the Transformation Industrial Park Project on the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway.
The governor unveiled the industrial park and flagged off the Phase 1 of the Polaris Pacesetter Free Trade Zone as part of activities marking his administration's sixth year anniversary.
The industrial park has 162 plots of land, with the Free Trade Zone located on 4,000 hectares of land.
"From the National Bureau of Statistics figures on Foreign Direct Investment inflow into Nigeria over the period between 2011 and 2015, Oyo State attracted a total of $64.8 million investment.
"This places the state second only to Lagos State in the South West,'' the governor said.
Ajimobi said his administration also attracted 34 new companies, while two others, Leyland Busan Motors Limited and Dizengoff, were resuscitated by their owners.
According to him, the companies have yielded a turnover of N32 billion and have created over 3,000 jobs.
The governor also said that the industrial park had been divided into 162 plots of various sizes to accommodate medium and small scale industries.
"We assure investors that the paper processing for their plots would not exceed 30 days.
" Let me state here that the first 20 allottees would enjoy 70 percent discount,'' he said.
He assured the former land owners of the benefit from the investment through profit sharing.
Ajimobi said that the state was uniquely blessed with land mass and resourceful people, noting that 75 percent of the state's land mass was arable.
"Our state is blessed with arable land and mineral resources. With all the blessings, the state was trapped in violence, decadence and culture of impunity.
"It was also tagged the dirtiest in the country until we came on board.
" Let me tell you that in the last six years, we have been able to make the state clean, safe and healthy for residents and investors,'' he said.
Mrs Folake Akinleye, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Investment, Promotion and Public Partnership, said the park was established to elevate the state from its civil service status to an industrialised one.
This, he said, was in line with the restoration, transformation and repositioning agenda of the Ajimobi administration.
"With the unveiling of this park today, the state is set for better opportunities for investment, investors and industrialists from all over the world,'' he said.
Chief Kola Akosile, the Chairman of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Oyo/Osun/Ondo/Ekiti branch, commended the governor for his doggedness and commitment to the tenets of Public-Private Partnership.
Akosile, who was represented by his deputy, Vikroam Gursahanei, said industrialisation was critical in driving development.
"Industrialisation provides the brightest hope for sustained growth, employment generation, improved savings and poverty alleviation,'' he said.
Mr Olaitan Alabi, the Chairman of Oyo State Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, said that the efforts of the state government deserved commendation.
Ahead of the committal proceedings initiated against the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, by the Young Democratic Party (YDP) at the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal, the Barrister Georgina Dakpokpo (Mrs.) led faction of the party, has declared that no court in the country can stop them.
The Henry Nwanbueze and Horsfal Sebibo led national leadership of the YDP have cited the INEC boss for committal for disobeying the judgment of the Court of Appeal directing the Commission to re-issue a certificate of registration to Young Democratic Party (YDP) as a dully registered political party as at May 2, 2014. Already, Form 49 has been issued against the INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu by the appellate court commanding him to show cause why an order of committal to prison should not be made against him.
The party is pressing for an order committing Yakubu to prison for refusing or neglecting to obey the order of the Court of Appeal dated December 8, 2015, affirming and confirming the judgment of the trial court delivered on March 4, 2015 and dismissing the appeal by the electoral body. Specifically, the appellate court had in its judgment of December 8, 2015, granted all the reliefs of the party to the effect that it was registered as a political party as at May 2, 2014 considering section 78 (4) of the Electoral Act.
The court which dismissed the appeal by INEC directed that its judgment and that of the lower court must be obeyed to the letter. This was one of the reliefs brought by YDP and granted by The Federal High court and also affirmed by the Court of Appeal: “Whether considering the letter of submission of Application dated 17th March, 2014 and received by the Defendant on 1st April, 2014 to be registered as a political party and also considering Section 78 (4) of the Electoral Act the Plaintiff was a political party as at 2nd of May, 2014?”
But ahead of the committal proceedings, a faction of the party in a press statement in Abuja boasted that no court can stop them. The statement signed by Khairat Animashaun-Ajiboye National Publicity Secretary with the theme “Putting the Record Straight”, Stated that it had no legal issue with INEC as the Commission is not in disobedience of any order of court.
According to the statement: “In 2014 after the party had applied for registration, we went to court. We had some outstanding issues with INEC over our registration. By 4th of March 2015, the court gave a judgment ordering INEC to issue our certificate of registration. INEC which had a right of appeal, appealed to the court of appeal and by 8th of December, 2015, the court of appeal Abuja dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court.
Consequently, INEC obeyed that court order and issued us with a certificate of registration and same was handed over to us on 15th of January, 2016 through the former National Chairman and National Secretary, Arch Nya-Etok Ezekiel and Hon. Nkem Nze respectively.
According to the factional leadership of the party; by February 11th, 2017 the party had its First National Convention producing Barrister Georgina Aye Dakpokpo as the first female National Chairman of a political party in Nigeria. In that same convention, other executives emerged while the party unveiled its new logo as well as its amended constitution which were ratified at the convention.
“Our attention has been drawn to some actions being taken by meddlesome interlopers, lovers of chaos, pretenders and fraudsters purporting to come from the Young Democratic Party. We want to put the following records straight:
“The Chairman of Young Democratic Party is Barrister Georgina Dakpokpo (Mrs.) Please confirm from the official record of INEC. The official logo of the Young Democratic Party is a tractor with Green and White background. INEC obeyed the court order when it issued Young Democratic Party with a certificate of registration after the court of appeal case. The court of appeal never at any time gave any order to INEC to backdate our certificate of registration to 2014. The Young Democratic Party did not officially initiate contempt proceedings against the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmud Yakub. Other court cases against INEC did not originate from our party."
"According to our very first registered constitution, an amendment to a constitution can only be done at a convention. Hence our very first convention held February 11th, 2017 amended and ratified our constitution. Notice is hereby placed that one Henry Nwanbueze was expelled from the party November 15th, 2016 while Horsfal Sebibo was never a member of the party.
Hence both men are not members of Young Democratic Party. We advise the public, innocent Nigerians and influential Nigerians to beware. They do not represent Young Democratic Party in anyway whatsoever. Please report to the nearest police station if they come to you in the name of Young Democratic Party. Note that Young Democratic Party is in good terms with INEC within the provisions of the law."
The Federal High Court, Abuja, has disagreed with the Department of State Services (DSS) over the amount of money admitted into evidence in the ongoing trial of Supreme Court judge, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta.
The money in question is said to have been recovered from the residence of Ngwuta by the DSS during a search on the residence on Oct. 7, 2016.
At the resumed hearing on Friday, Justice John Tsoho, said that he was informed that the Naira denomination in the court's custody was different from the amount the witness gave on Thursday while giving evidence.
"I am just receiving the information that there was a problem with the exhibit because the amount announced by the prosecution in respect to exhibit 11h should have been N35,358,000, but when counted, it was N35,335, 840.
"So, it doesn't agree with what the witness said as there appears to be a shortfall."
The money is N22,160 less the amount the witness gave.
However, during cross-examination by the defence counsel, Mr Kanu Agabi (SAN), the witness, Mr John Utazi, an operative of the DSS, insisted that the amount was N35, 358,000.
"I am not aware of any discrepancy between the money I recovered and the money tendered in court.
"My Lord, I stand by what I delivered to the court on Thursday because I meticulously counted the money before bringing it forward to the court."
Utazi also told the court that his team left some insignificant amount of monies at Ngwuta's residence after searching the place because they got tired of counting the money they found.
"There were pieces of monies that we left behind because we could not take all the money, after counting and counting, we were tired but what we left behind cannot be matched with what was taken away."
When Agabi sought to know who the money they recovered belonged to, the witness said that ownership of the money was for the court to determine.
Utazi also told the court that he did not know the origin of the money contained in the charge against Ngwuta.
The prosecuting counsel, Mrs Olufemi Fatunde, prayed the court for an adjournment since there was no need to re-examine the witness.
She said the next witness the prosecution intended to call was absent in court because he was bereaved.
Moreover, Fatunde said that an adjournment was necessary to enable the appropriate officers move the money to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as was ordered by the court.
"When they finished counting the money on Thursday, it was late to convey it to the CBN since the bank has closed, and to avoid that, we want to close early since the exhibit was kept in court pending the end of today's proceedings."
The judge adjourned the matter until July 3 for continuation of trial.
The court had on Thursday admitted in evidence nine bags containing money said to be recovered from Ngwuta's residence by the DSS.
The fifth prosecution witness who was being led in evidence, told the court that he led a team of DSS operatives to conduct a search on Ngwuta's residence in 2016.
He said they recovered various sums of money in both local and foreign currency, including N35, 385 million, £35, 915, 319,096 dollars, 50 South Africa rands, €280, 000, 380 Dirhams and 420 Dalases.
The court had ordered that the money recovered be deposited with the CBN.
Ngwuta is facing a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering, retention and concealment of various sums of money in local and foreign currencies.
He is also charged with giving various sums of money above the statutory threshold to his building contractor for the building of various houses without going through a financial institution.
Birmingham City boss Harry Redknapp has played down chances of signing Benoit Assou-Ekotto because "he wants to be a pornstar".
Ekotto
Redknapp has been linked with several of his former players since agreeing to stay on at St Andrew's last Friday.
He even had a call from an agent offering him Assou-Ekotto, who played under him when the pair were at Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers.
Redknapp quipped that he would be open to the idea of signing the 33-year-old Cameroon left back if it wasn't for his desire for a career change.
The Blues boss speaking to the Spurs Show podcast said “He was mad, Benoit, but do you know what? I think I'm mad as well,” Redknapp joked on theSpurs Show Podcast.
“I got a phone call – it's the gospel truth. I agreed I might go to Birmingham and suddenly I get a phone call from this guy.
“'Oh Mr Redknapp, I've got a fantastic player for you'. Oh yes? 'One of your old players'. Yes? ‘Benoit’. No! But seriously you know what? I'm thinking: ‘Yeah!’ Somewhere inside I'm thinking I can get him going again.
“The only trouble is that he's admitted he wants to be a pornstar. Maybe I can get another year out of him before he decides to do that.
“What a good player. He could well end up in the Birmingham colours next year, Benoit.”
A governorship aspirant and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ekiti State, Hon. ( Engr.) Bamidele Faparusi has said the newly constituted Judicial panel by Governor Ayodele Fayose to probe his predecessor, former Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi was a predetermined and well orchestrated attempt to ridicule President Muhammadu Buhari as well as smear the personality of the minister.
Faparusi & Fayose
Faparusi warned that any attempt to ridicule Fayemi will be resisted by Ekiti people. This is as he advised Fayose to be cautious of the security implications of the exercise.
Sequel to allegation of financial impropriety allegedly committed under Fayemi's administration, Fayose had on Monday constituted a judicial panel, led by former Acting Chief Judge of the State, Justice Silas Oyewole to probe the immediate past government.
In a statement sent to Vanguard, Faparusi said the timing of the probe coming at a time the parties are already scrambling for the governorship poll slated for 2018 signaled that it was a mere political contrivance being used to distract our party .
He stated that it stands common sense on its head for a Governor who supposed to be preoccupied with how to solve the litany of hydra-headed problems pummeling the state, like non-payment of salaries and the daunting youth unemployment to get entangled with such a political misadventure.
He said: "The timing of setting up the panel has shown that it is in bad faith with a dual motive to smear Fayemi's reputation and deride his achievements to cover-up Fayose's shameful performance. Ekiti people are much wiser now to be able to discern his highly endemic deceptive antics.
"What has Fayose and his bunch of illiterate assembly be doing for the past three years before waking from their deep slumber to know that Fayemi must be probed? Fayose is gradually turning Ekiti into a huge laboratory where all sorts of political experiments, shoddy ones for that matter were being practiced.
"The only positive side to his action is that he has succeeded to set a template and precedence through which his numerous criminal and financial crimes will be immediately beamed to the world after his exit. The APC will not tarry in setting up its own mock 21 –man judicial panel of enquiry to receive and begin compilation of his fraudulent actions with the hope of sending him to jail in no time after leaving office".
On the governor's intention to seek redress in court over possible extension of his tenure beyond 2018 on account of his impeachment in 2006, Faparusi said such could only exist in the wildest imagination of a theatric like Fayose, who sees governance as a comic relief, rather than a serious business.
Faparusi clarified that the Supreme Court in case of Muritala Nyako Vs FG ruled that a governor whose tenure was abruptly terminated via illegal impeachment can only be entitled to the perks of office throughout the time there was a vacancy and not tenure elongation.
"The governor should have known that he cannot be entitled to third term in office, neither can the oath of office be administered on him three times. What former Governor Nyako wanted to achieve was to finish the remaining nine months of his second term tenure before he was ousted and supreme court was so unequivocal that since that dispensation had lapsed, he could only be entitled to the benefits and that has become a functus officio as far as this case is concerned.
"Governor Fayose should refrain from wasting the precious time of the court by wanting to engage in mere academic exercise that has no legal fecundity, having been earlier determined by the apex court."
Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Kogi have called on Gov. Yahaya Bello to resign over accusation that he registered twice for Permanent Voter Card.
Spokesman for the members, Sen. Dino Melaye made the call at a news briefing in Abuja on Friday.
Melaye said the people of Kogi State and the party were dissociating themselves from the act and called on Bello to resign immediately or risk impeachment.
Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello and Dino Melaye
"This executive recklessness and impunity is what we are reacting to.
"We are saying that as stakeholders in Kogi politics and the All Progressives Congress (APC), we condemn in its entirety the fraudulent behaviour of Yahaya Bello, the Executive Governor of Kogi State.
"This criminal behaviour has embarrassed the people of Kogi state and the APC. We dissociate ourselves from this criminal behaviour.
"Kogi people are responsible people and we expect to have a responsible governor. As at the time he was contesting that election, it showed that he was not a registered voter in Kogi state.
" Since he knew he was not registered in the state, why did he in the first place accept the candidacy of the party?
"So, on this note, we are calling immediately for the resignation of the governor because a criminal awaiting trial cannot be representing the people of Kogi state as governor.
"If he has integrity, he should honourably resign and if the governor refuses to resign, we are going to mobilise our members in the House of Assembly to start an impeachment process against him.
"We will do this because we have a valid point as expressed by INEC'', he said.
Melaye further said that besides the move for impeachment, Kogi citizens would be mobilised to stage peaceful protest in strategic locations across the country should he refuse to resign.
He stressed that the people would be mobilised to INEC's head office, the National Secretariat of APC and strategic locations in Lokoja to protest, adding that power belonged to the people.
The lawmaker emphasised that the governor's action was an embarrassment to the state and the party.
"He has disgraced the party we are so proud of; he has disgraced the people of Kogi state enough by not paying salaries.
"Our people are dying. This 419 entrant into government should cease and we are going to follow it to the letter.
"This will give the APC electoral deficit in 2019 if we did not separate Yahaya Bello from the APC.
"We will not allow him to destroy this platform because it is still useful to many of us because we want to use it in 2019.
"He must be honourable enough to step aside because he who must go to equity must come with clean hands.
"INEC said it contravenes the provisions of the Electoral Act and that he has committed a crime and because of his immunity they cannot prosecute him now.
"INEC said the second registration has been cancelled and that the officer who went to conduct the registration will face disciplinary action.
"INEC also said Government House Lokoja is not a designated local government registration centre, meaning the governor must have taken INEC to Government House either through corruption, coercion or through diabolic means'', he said.
The Chairman of APC in Kogi, Alhaji Hadi Ametuo, agreed with Melaye, adding that it was the position of the party.
He said, "we know the law and INEC says it is criminal. We will abide by what Melaye has just said. That is our position.''
The call for the governor's resignation came on the heels of a statement from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying Bello registered twice to vote.
INEC, in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, accused Bello of double registration for Permanent Voter Card in contravention of the Electoral Act.
The statement was issued by Prince Solomon Soyebi, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.
The statement noted that Bello had his first registration on Jan. 30, 2011 in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja and the second registration on Tuesday, May 23, at the Government House, Lokoja.
It further noted that the Government House was outside the designated centre for the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration.
R-L: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Co-Chairman, Lagos @50 Committee, Prof. Wole Soyinka and former Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Evander Holyfield during the Rhumbles in Lagos, tagged; A Charity Boxing Match – Jagaban vs Holyfield to commemorate Lagos @50 at the Landmark Event Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday, May 25, 2017L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Country Senior Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria, Mr. Uyi Apkata; Co-Chairman, Lagos @50 Committee, Prof. Wole Soyinka and former Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Evander Holyfield during the Rhumbles in Lagos, tagged; A Charity Boxing Match – Jagaban vs Holyfield to commemorate Lagos @50 at the Landmark Event Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday, May 25, 2017.L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, with President, Boxing Board Control, Alhaji Rafiu Oladipupo and Evander Holyfield during the Rhumbles in Lagos, tagged; 'A charity Boxing match – Jagaban vs Holyfield to commemorate Lagos @ 50 @ the Landmark Event Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday, May 25, 2017.L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa; Co-Chairman, Lagos @50 Committee, Prof. Wole Soyinka; former Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Evander Holyfield and his Lawyer, Shevon Harris during the Rhumbles in Lagos, tagged; A Charity Boxing Match – Jagaban vs Holyfield to commemorate Lagos @50 at the Landmark Event Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday, May 25, 2017.Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (3rd left), with female Amateur Boxers, Adijat Gbadamosi (2nd left); Funmilayo Kushimo (middle); Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa (left); former Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Evander Holyfield (3rd right); Chairman, Lagos Amateur Boxing Association (LABA), Hon. Monsuru Liasu (2nd right) and Co-Chairman, Lagos @50 Committee, Prof. Wole Soyinka (right) during the Rhumbles in Lagos, tagged; A Charity Boxing Match – Jagaban vs Holyfield to commemorate Lagos @50 at the Landmark Event Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday, May 25, 2017.L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, with President, Boxing Board Control, Alhaji Rafiu Oladipupo and Evander Holyfield during the Rhumbles in Lagos, tagged; 'A charity Boxing match – Jagaban vs Holyfield to commemorate Lagos @ 50 @ the Landmark Event Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday, May 25, 2017.Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (3rd right), with male Amateur Boxers, Imole Adebayo (3rd left); Olaitan Ganiyu (2nd right); former Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Evander Holyfield (right); Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa (2nd left) and his Deputy, Hon. Wasiu Eshinlokun during the Rhumbles in Lagos, tagged; A Charity Boxing Match – Jagaban vs Holyfield to commemorate Lagos @50 at the Landmark Event Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday, May 25, 2017.
The South Sudanese government on Friday freed a South Sudanese journalist working for a UN radio station after two and a half years of imprisonment, officials said.
George Livio, who worked for Radio Miraya, was arrested in August 2014 but never brought to trial.
"He has been released and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is looking into his needs right now," said Daniel Dickinson, spokesman for the mission.
Prof. Ahmed Sanni, Imam of the Lagos State University (LASU) mosque, on Friday advised Muslims to shun indecent and immoral acts during the Ramadan.
Sanni, who is also a lecturer in the department of foreign languages at the university, gave the admonition during the Jumaat sermon at the mosque.
He advised that fasting was more than abstinence from eating, drinking and other basic necessities, within a certain period of the day.
"Fasting is not just about abstaining from eating, drinking and some other basic human needs at a particular time of the day.
"The time of fasting is for us Muslims to keep away from all evils; if one fasts and still gets involved in backbiting and other immoralities, there is no reward for such a person,'' he said.
Sanni advised fasting Muslims to be more engaged in special prayers and supplication for increased blessings from Allah.
"Fasting is not the period to engage in worldly pastimes; it is the time to engage in special prayers and supplication for the favour of Allah,'' he said.
The Cleric advised governments to take urgent steps to solve prevalent economic challenges in the country, in the interest of the masses.
"The economy is so tough that hunger has made some people to be fasting, even before the Ramadan, and this is not right.
"I urge the governments at both national and state levels to take urgent steps to alleviate the hardship,'' he said.
The Cleric urged Muslims to seize the opportunity of the Holy month of Ramadan to increase prayers for the country and its leaders, so they will have divine wisdom to lead aright.
