Special Adviser to the FCT Minister on Project Implementation and
Monitoring, Prince Ajah Nwabueze Igwe has been accused of homosexual practices,
an act which is clearly stipulated as a crime under the laws of the Federal
Republic Of Nigeria.
Saturday, 21 September 2013
Sunday, 25 August 2013
Ethiopian Airline in Maiden Flight to Addis from Enugu
It was jubilation galore in Enugu, eastern Nigeria on Saturday as the first international flight from Akanu Ibiam Airport took off to Addis Ababa at 2.20 p.m, with 153 passengers on board.
The flight was operated by Ethiopian Airline with a Boeing 737-800, the type that is used to lift passengers in Abuja.
7 Editors Honoured as Guild Ends Asaba Confab
The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) on Saturday in Asaba honoured three senior journalists of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and seven others with fellowships.
The beneficiaries from NAN are the Acting Managing Director of NAN, Mr. Jide Adebayo; the immediate past Editor-In-Chief, Mr. Olusegun Aribike; and Mr. Buki Ponle, Managing Editor. Mr. John Ndukauba, a former Deputy Editor-In-Chief of NAN, also bagged the fellowship.
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
House Of Reps Takes Over Rivers State House Of Assembly Functions
The House of Reps this afternoon announced that the National Assembly should take over the functions of the Rivers State House Of Assembly until such a time that peace,security and decorum is guaranteed.
[SEE VIDEO] BLOODSHED AT RIVERS STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
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Tuesday, 9 July 2013
RAMADAN! Senator Saraki Donates 100 Million To Feed Senatorial District
"Yesterday, on behalf of my family and I, I donated the sum of 100 Million Naira
AMAECHI: Junaid Muhammad Blasts ‘Illiterate’ Patience Jonathan
Popular political critic, Junaid Mohammad has shown concern over the recent crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) warning that they are soon going to cause a major security crisis in Rivers State.
Sunday, 7 July 2013
‘Ogun Governorship Not a Do-or-die Affair’
A governorship aspirant in Ogun State , Hon. Sikirulai Olawale Ogundele, who is also a two-term lawmaker at the State House of Assembly, where he represented Ifo Constituency I, has declared that the 2015 governorship election in the state will not be a do-or-die affair.
Ogundele, who also served as chairman, Ifo Local Government Area of the state in 2007, stated this in Abeokuta, the state capital , while declaring his intention to contest under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with a promise to give the state a face-lift.
“The (2015) race is not going to be do-or-die affair. It is God’s dream and the electorate are my godfathers. If I don’t contest, people will ask me why have I not come to reciprocate my success in Ifo, Ogun State. It is our turn in Egba,” he stated at a meeting with journalists where he made his intention known, saying if that fails, it would not come to Egba in the next 24 years.
He said he’s contesting under PDP platform but not in the hands of those he described as unfaithful party members, stating “I am contesting on the platform of the PDP that is nationally recognised. PDP is my party and I will be committed to my party.”
According to Ogundele, “I am aware of the OGD camp, comprising GNI, Sina Kawonise, Hon Sarafa Tunji Isola; they are credible, but I am more credible than they do. We are not in the same level. The party leaders know our pedigree, antecedents and they know whom to pick.
“Money is just secondary to winning election these days. My credibility is more than billions of naira. If somebody tells you PDP is dead in this state, you must definitely check that person. PDP is waxing stronger.”
While speaking on Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s government, he said Amosun is running a penny-wise pounds-foolish administration and policies.
“His (Amosun) policies have always been penny-wise-pounds-foolish, he makes policies and reverses them. He promised to make education free; if you make education free, it will not be qualitative.
“At a time, Ogun State tax payers became the highest tax payers. He revokes the certificate of occupancy of many and killed businesses in the state. His policies are anti-people, obnoxious,” he said.
95 ships to arrive Lagos ports from July 3 to July 28
(NAN) The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), on Wednesday said that 95 ships carrying various cargoes would sail into Lagos ports from July 3 to July.28.
This is contained in NPA’s daily publication, ``Shipping Position’’ made available to newsmen in Lagos.
The document indicated that the ships were carrying boats, petroleum products, bulk fertilizer, new and used vehicles and frozen fish.
It said that some of the ships would sail in with steel products, bulk malt, bulk salt, general cargo, bulk urea, steel products, bulk wheat, containers and crude palm-oil.
The NPA reported that five ships, laden with bulk malt, bulk fertilizer and bulk wheat, were waiting to berth to discharge their cargoes.
It said that seven fuel-laden ships were also waiting to berth and discharge petrol.
The NPA said that the ships would berth at Single Buoy Mooring (SBM), Atlas Cove Jetty (ACJ), and Bulk Oil Plant (BOP). (NAN)
APC, danger to Nigeria — Ezeife
Third Republic governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, in this interview with ALLWELL OKPI, states that adopting a two-party system would help Nigeria overcome its political woes
President Goodluck Jonathan recently suggested a two-party political system for the country. Do you agree with him?
I’m a staunch supporter of a two-party system. It is the best for the country because it is based on distinct ideologies – the conservatives on one side and the progressives on the other side. If we want to adopt it, then we should have the courage to register the National Republican Convention again. The Social Democratic Party has already been re-registered and many people are showing interest.
Considering the present political situation, is Nigeria ripe for such?
The situation on the ground does not seem to encourage the establishment of a proper two-party system based on ideological distinction. The All Progressives Congress cannot be a part of a proper two-party system. In fact, APC constitutes a danger to Nigeria. It is only complicating our political situation because it is not based on ideology.
Has the two-party system been effective in Nigeria and other countries?
When Ibrahim Babangida wanted to transit to civilian rule, he empanelled ex-permanent secretaries to prepare a transition programme. I was one of them. We analysed the situation of the country and we came to a conclusion that Nigeria has two major religions – Islam and Christianity – but there are the pagans. Nigeria has tribes – Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and others. We looked at the country and decided that the only way to unite this country was by establishing a two-party political system. So, it was the ex-permanent secretaries that proposed it to IBB and he announced it to Nigerians. Because he was the one that announced it, people thought it was a military idea and people opposed it. But in practice, the bonding that happened in Nigeria during that period is better than the bonding that has happened at other times in this country since amalgamation. If somebody from Sokoto State is going to Anambra State in those days, it was like he was going home. If you were a member of the SDP in Sokoto, and you came to Anambra where I was the governor, you would feel at home. You would have no fear. The same thing happened between states where the National Republican Convention was in charge. Someone from Enugu NRC could go to Kano, which was another NRC state and feel at home. All the governors were like one; there was no division. In practice, the two-party system has proven to be superior to all other alternatives. In theory, the two-party system is clearly better than other alternatives. In the United State of America, you have the conservatives called the Republicans and the libertarians called the Democrats. Anywhere you have uncountable number of political parties, you will have many problems. It is no use. An example is Israel. In a two-party system, you have two strong parties. One may be stronger than the other in one area, but rigging of elections will be minimal compared to the large-scale rigging that will now have under multi-party system. I usually say that in a two-party system, giant will meet giant and they will negotiate. But now, we have a situation where a giant meet Lilliputians and there is no negotiation. In any way you look at it, the two-party system is superior. To balance the two-party system, the only thing we have to do is to allow independent candidacy.
Assuming we have a situation where some Nigerians do not believe in any of the two parties. What options do such people have?
Like I said, to give a breathing space, the two-party system should allow space for independent candidates. We should be clamouring for a two-party system plus independent candidacy in order to satisfy the aspirations of people who may disagree with the two main parties.
Are you saying the people who do not conform to the two major parties cannot form political organisations to support independent candidates?
No, people will be free to form smaller political parties but they will not be funded by the government. It does not take away the right of Nigerians to form political associations. It is just that other political associations outside the two main political parties would be independent of the two-party system.
You said SDP and NRC should be re-registered. Do you recommend that Nigeria should return to the early 1990s when the two parties reigned?
That is the best thing, if we can find a way to go there. Every Nigerian should know that that is the best for the country.
But don’t you think the ideologies that governed those parties and the conduct of politicians then have been eroded from today’s politics?
No. There is something called conservatism and there is something called progressivism. These are international ideologies. They don’t get eroded. Sometimes some people are convergent. So, there can be progressivism, conservatism and convergence.
The suggestion of a two-party system today is based the emergence of the All Progressives Congress as a giant umbrella of major opposition parties to challenge the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. Do you think PDP and APC fit into the conservative-versus-progressive mould of a two-party system?
APC clearly does not qualify as an alternative party. Like I said before, APC has no ideology and it is therefore not good for Nigeria.
What of PDP?
PDP has no ideology but it is not the fault of the party. It occurred that way because of how things happened. I was a founding member of G34. When Abubakar Abdusalami came up with the idea of taking Nigeria to civil rule, I proposed that since members of the G34 were the credible people at that time, we should break into two – some into a conservative group, following their own ideologies, and some into a progressive group. There were many progressives and many conservatives in G34. But it turned out that nobody wanted to be in the opposition. About seven people agreed with me but it was overruled because the majority wanted to be opulent; nobody wanted to be in the opposition; nobody wanted to lose election and grow as opposition. So, people from different parties, including SDP and NRC, joined the PDP. As a result, PDP from the start became a party of ideological strange bed fellows. It is not the fault of PDP; it was the way things happened when the military handed over to civilians.
As Nigeria prepares for the 2015 general elections, how can the country arrive at the type of two-party system that existed in the SDP-NRC era?
We need to evolve. There is no way to do it by fiat. If we have a determined government, Nigeria can become the super power that it is supposed to be. Maybe from there, we can re-register NRC. SDP has been re-registered. We need some support for these two bodies. Just any show of interest or intervention by government can spark up growth and development within these parties.
Can a two-party system also answer the question of the different regions of the country seeking their slot at the presidency?
Two-party system has nothing to do with who becomes President. The Presidency will be a matter of rotation among the geopolitical zones. We can just end up with the South-East, then after that, it will be free for all. Then, we can have the six zones nominate presidential candidates and we will choose based on meritocracy.
COURT GRANT DEATH SENTENCE FOR POLICE OFFICER WHO KILLED WIFE FOR RITUAL
The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the death sentence passed on Usman Maigari, a former policeman, for killing his wife, Sa’adatu.
Delivering judgment, Justice Mary Peter-Odili held that the appellant’s appeal lacked merit.
“In conclusion, therefore, I have to state that this appeal lacks merit and I dismiss it.
“I affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeal which affirmed the decision, conviction and sentence of the appellant for culpable homicide punishable by death.
“I order that the sentence as passed by the trial High Court be carried out,’’ she said.
The appeal emanated from the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Judicial Division.
The appellant was arraigned before the Sokoto State High Court on one count charge of culpable homicide punishable with death contrary to section 221(a) of the Penal Code.
On Feb 22, 2006, leave was granted to the respondent to amend the charge.
The appellant pleaded not guilty to the charge but the respondent called seven witnesses and tendered numerous exhibits to prove the case.
However, the appellant testified in his own defence and did not call any other witness.
The trial judge, Abbas, convicted the appellant and sentenced him to death by hanging.
Dissatisfied with the decision, the appellant approached the Court of Appeal which upheld the conviction and sentence.
Again, not satisfied, the appellant appealed the decision of the appellate court to the Supreme Court on May 13, 2010.
Mr. Maigari had approached the court to determine whether the Court of Appeal was right in holding that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. He further prayed the apex court to determine whether the Court of Appeal had not considered his submissions before affirming his conviction.
The appellant committed the offence on January 11, 1999, at his house in Yabo, Yabo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The former police officer had strangulated his wife to death for ritual purposes and conveyed her corpse and dumped it in a culvert near Janzomo Village along Kanjiji-Shagari road.
The death sentence will only be carried out if the Sokoto Governor approves the death warrant. A similar death sentence approved by the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and carried out recently was condemned by local and international right groups.
DRUG TRAFFICKING: NDLEA, ARMY RAID MUSHIN, RECOVER 3,166.15KG OF CANNABIS, COCAINE, HEROIN & METHAMPHETAMINE
DRUG SUSPECT HIDES CANNABIS IN BITTER LEAF
 |
| Obianwo Josiah Okwuchukwu |
Saturday, 6 July 2013
Exclusive! THE TINUBU AND FASHOLA CORRUPTION DOSSIER! Shocking Revelations of How Chagouri & Chagouri, Muiz Banire and others Helped in Massive Loot of Lagos State CONCLUDING PART
Tinubu solely
sold the prime land on Aboyade Cole, Victoria Island which was recovered from
some allotees, to UACN Properties Plc. The amount of proceeds was shrouded in
secrecy.
Eludoyin,
fronting for Tinubu, built the estate directly opposite Goshen Beach Estate in
Lekki area.
Tinubu’s wife,
Remi Tinubu, built the massive New Era Foundation youth camp at the junction of
Eleko, off the Lekki-Epe express road, with Lagos State funds and has now
converted it to personal use.
Tinubu owns
the Fara Park Estate and the Beach Wood Estate both in Lekki.
The Critical
Care unit at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja,
built and equipped with state funds, is now owned personally by Tinubu. He has
put one Dr. Sikiru Tinubu, (a supposed cousin of his) to run the outfit. It is
run as a private unit and the proceeds are pocketed by the duo. The unit
charges its users exorbitantly and most Lagosians can hardly afford to pay its
high charges. Much of the revenue is derived from fees paid by the State
Government for patients referred there by its General Hospitals.
Several
prominent Nigerians in the judiciary, police, INEC, and other sensitive
agencies have obtained prime land from former Governor Tinubu and incumbent
Governor Fashola over the years without paying a kobo. Many of them had turned
around to sell the land to third parties at substantial profit. Many top
officials in the police, INEC and the judiciary who participated in the 2003
and 2007 elections and tribunals in states where Tinubu has interest were
compromised with parcels of free prime Lagos lands and cash. If the Lagos State
Land’s Bureau could publish the names and identities of beneficiaries of land
allotees from 2000 to date, the scandal that will result is not better
imagined. Gbenga Ashafa, now a Senator, and Mrs. Awofisayo were the conduits
through which these acts were being perpetrated. Both were also personally
involved in various dubious land transactions on their own.
Prime land and
properties have been used to pay off public officials who are personally close
to Tinubu and Fashola for “jobs well done” or for being privy to sensitive
information, notably:
(a) Dele
Alake, former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, was sold a whole house
on Alexander Road, Ikoyi where he lived as official quarters at a give-away
price.
(b) Rauf
Aregbesola, Osun State Governor, who was a former Commissioner in Lagos as well
as Muiz Banire, also a former commissioner, got detached houses at Ladoke
Akintola Street, GRA Ikeja for their “good job” while serving under Tinubu.
(c)
Yemi Cardoso and Wale Edun, both former commissioners, were sold houses on Iru
Close, and another location in old Ikoyi at give-away prices by Tinubu. No
doubt, if Nigeria were country where justice and equity is practiced,
Tinubu, Fashola and their cohorts ought to be serving jail terms in a mosquito
infested prison in far away Northern Nigeria or it equivalence for the rest of
their lives.
Exclusive! THE TINUBU AND FASHOLA CORRUPTION DOSSIER! Shocking Revelations of How Chagouri & Chagouri, Muiz Banire and others Helped in Massive Loot of Lagos State PART 1
The massive looting of Lagos state by the Leader of the Action Congress
of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has reached monumental proportion. Tinubu whose
companies recently cornered a multibillion road construction job in Ogun State,
has in his pocket all the juicy contract in all the Action Congress’ states.In retrospect, it might be difficult to come to terms with the fact
that an individual could hold the entire south west on its balls. There is no
doubt that Tinubu has succeeded in buying the Lagos State government, and he
has done this using government funds.Whenever someone in Lagos begins to wonder where their 4th mainland
bridge went, or what was the fate of the pipe-borne water project, or even
where the schools and hospitals had vanished to, there is a silence that
contains it all. The largest landlord in Lagos has done as he has pleased, and
the rest of the state just has to deal with it. For instance: Number 4, Oyinkan
Abayomi (formerly Queens) Drive, Ikoyi: A 5-bedroom detached house on one acre
of land which was originally the Lagos State Governor’s guest house since 1979,
now belongs to Tinubu. The certificate of occupancy of the property valued at
N450 million was signed and released to him by Fashola in 2007 shortly after he
assumed office.
Tinubu’s residence at 26 Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi was initially falsely
presented as Oando Plc Guest House. Later, he purportedly bought it from Oando,
and used public funds to rebuild and renovate it. The Lagos State Government
bought the property and paid an undisclosed sum to him and thereafter gave the
property back to him under the bogus Pension Bill he signed to law shortly
before he left office in 2007. The property is worth over N600 million
according to source.The annex of the Lagos State Guest House in Asokoro, Abuja was bought
by the State Government in 2006 for N450 million, purportedly to protect the
main house from security breach. Shortly after Tinubu left office, the property
was transferred to him under the pension plan he signed into law before leaving
office.The 250-hectare land valued at about N35billion and strategically
located at the Ajah junction on Lekki Road was initially meant for a General
Hospital for the people of Eti-Osa Local Government but was stolen by Tinubu
and handed over to Trojan Estate Ltd – a company owned by Deji and Wale Tinubu
– to develop as Royal Garden Housing Estate at the expense of the taxpayers of
Lagos.The 1,000 hectares of land valued at about N75billion located at Lakowe
near Abijo at Ibeju-Lekki Local Government and given to Lekki Concession
Company (LCC) which is partly- owned by Tinubu and Fashola and being developed
as golf course and housing estate by Assets and Resource Management Ltd (ARM)
as ADIVA project.The prime land of 157 hectares with 2.5km of Atlantic beachfront valued
at about N10billion and stolen by Tinubu from the communities of Siriwon,
Igbekodo, Apakin, etc in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government and given to Ibukun
Fakeye – his crony to build a golf course and luxury villa with little or no
compensation to the villagers. In addition, Tinubu paid $20million (N3billion)
out of public treasury to Ibukun Fakeye to commence the project in late 2006.
Fashola has since released additional funding for this project, which is not
owned by the state government.The 14-hectare Parkview Ikoyi Estate foreshore land reclaimed by Lagos
State Government is now owned by Bola Tinubu.While in office, he allocated to himself the former Strabag yard beside
the Lagos State Secretariat at Alausa, Ikeja. The property is now being
developed into a shopping mall as big as the Palms in Lekki. This is public
property brazenly stolen and now owned by Tinubu, aided by his cohort, Fashola.The choice property at Lekki-Epe road on which he built and owns the
multi-billion Naira Oriental Hotel and the extension of multi-storey car park
beside it. Also, the multi-level recreation centre by Mobil in Oniru Estate on
Lekki-Epe road jointly owned with ARM and Tunji Olowolafe. All these assets
valued at over N25billion were obtained without paying a kobo to the Lagos
State Government.Tinubu and Fashola sold the following prime Lagos properties to their
personal friend and frontier – Prince Dipo Eludoyin at very ridiculous prices:
• The 3.8-hectare of land of Lagos State Fisheries office in VI (beside
the Institute of Oceanography) valued at N3billion.
• The fishery landing jetty at Badore (where the Ilubirin fishermen
were to be relocated) valued at N500million
• The entire Ogudu foreshore scheme initially earmarked for a low-cost
housing scheme valued at N5billion
• The Ilubinrin housing estate (which used to house Lagos state civil
servants and judges up till 2007) valued at N2.5billion.
• The former Julius Berger yard at Oko Orisan, Epe valued at
N450million .Tinubu raised a loan of N4.7billion on Eko Akete project for which
nothing was achieved before he turned around to sell the property to his
Chagouri friends of Chagouri & Chagouri and Hitech Construction Ltd at a
ridiculously low price once again at the expense of the taxpayers of Lagos.Tinubu applied to personally purchase the Federal Secretariat building
while in office. When he couldn’t get to buy it, he directed Fashola to stop
the eventual owner of the complex to develop it. The complex is presently
wasting away courtesy of the Lagos State Government.It took several months of horse trading and underhand payments before
Fashola could allow the new owners of 1004 flats to redevelop the complex.
Several other buyers of Federal Government properties and developers of
properties in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Government Reservation Area Ikeja were
forced to succumb to the outrageous demands of Tinubu, Fashola, Commissioner
Abosede and other officials of the Lagos State Physical Planning Ministry and
were made to pay ridiculous amounts to private accounts before their
redevelopments were approved. Those who refused or were unable to pay could not
develop their properties. This is a major economic strangulation of property
developers and has contributed largely to the skyrocketing rent in Ikoyi, VI
and Lekki axis of Lagos.Tinubu converted all the plots of land where Lagos Polytechnic was
located at Ikosi near the old toll gate. He chased away the Polytechnic
management in 2006 and went ahead to locate the choice plots to himself, his
cronies and political associates. The headquarters of Television Continental
(TVC), which is owned by him, is located there. He deprived the youths of Lagos
of decent education because of his greed and selfishness.
To be continue...
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