Tuesday 10 September 2013

Photos: Nollywood Actress "Gbogbo Bigs Girl" Eniola Badmus Celebrates Birthday With The Less Privileged

The actress who was a year older on the 7th of September, visited an orphanage home this morning in Lagos to celebrate with them. Here is what she said about her gifts to them.
See more photos below.





Pastor In Trouble As Boy Dies During Spiritual Bath

                                                                  Not real picture

A 25-year-old pastor, Samson Bamgbose, was, yesterday, arraigned before an Abeokuta Chief Magistrate Court, Isabo, Ogun State for allegedly causing the death of a church member, who drowned during a spiritual bath.

Bamgbose, a pastor at the Celestial Church of Christ, Alaapa, is facing a one-count charge of negligence.

The police prosecutor, Mr Paul Etusi, told the court that the offence was committed on August 15 at 3p.m. in Ogun River, Alaapa village, Abeokuta.


He said the accused took some church members, including the deceased, Toheeb Odusanya,13, to the river for spiritual bath.

“Bamgbose took the little boy to the river without his parent’s consent. He did not take the necessary precaution, and allowed the boy to drown,” the prosecutor said.

Etusi said the offence contravened section 344 of the Criminal Code of Ogun, 2006.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty.

The magistrate, Mr Anthony Araba, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200,000 with one surety in like sum and adjourned the case till October 2.

Jonathan disgraced me out of office despite my service to Nigeria — Farida Waziri



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 Former chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Farida Waziri, has spoken of her distress at how, despite committing more than three decades to serving the nation, she was booted out of office without a proper notification by the government.
Mrs. Waziri said in an exclusive interview granted Zero Tolerance, a magazine produced by the EFCC, that she got to know of her sack by President Goodluck Jonathan in November 2011, in the news media; and said she did not deserve the humiliation since she had not been found wanting for any misdemeanour.
“If you are removed like that, it has a tendency to scare some people. I wasn’t bothered that I left because my philosophy of life is simple, “what has a beginning has an end,” Mrs. Waziri said in an interview with the agency she headed for more than three years. The interview was part of events marking the EFCC’s 10th year anniversary.
“The manner of the sack was what bothered me. I have done a span of 35 years, fighting for my fatherland, I deserve some little dignity and respect. When you wake up and you see on AIT, Waziri sacked! NTA, Waziri sacked! Channels, Waziri sacked! That is the style I am talking about.”
“My predecessor’s case was even worse, but I do hope that the authorities will take note. Except you are removed as a result of gross misconduct, any other way you should be treated with dignity, respect for the human person,” she said.
Mrs. Waziri insisted it was the approach of her removal that she frowned at, not about leaving. “I knew I would one day leave. In fact, the handwriting was on the wall. I knew it was matter of time,” she said.
The former EFCC boss was sacked in November 2011 in what seemed a controversial circumstance, ending a tenure that many Nigerians and foreign partners believed largely diminished whatever gains Nigeria had made in the fight against corruption.
The sticking point of her career as the EFCC boss was the abysmal trial of former governor of Delta state, James Ibori, who escaped conviction in Nigeria due to what many believed was the EFCC’s unserious approach to the trial.
A powerful backer of the then Musa Yar’adua government, which appointed Mrs Waziri, the former governor was assisted to side-step justice by the then controversial minister of justice, Michael Aondakaa.
Mr. Ibori was later arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirate, before being repatriated to the United Kingdom where he was convicted and is currently serving a 14-year jail term for stealing state funds.
Mrs. Waziri denied helping to free Mr. Ibori, and claimed she never knew the former governor as many claim. She also denied knowing Mr. Aondoakaa ahead of her appointment to the EFCC, but made clear Mr. Aondoakaa’s relationship with the former governor may have played a role in Mr. Ibori’s escape from the law.
“I never knew him. I never knew James Ibori. When I was appointed, I went to the villa very often because the president called his staff and told them Farida has free access to him 24/7, whether in the office or villa. So I went there very often and I met Ibori; he was always there,” she said.
“I think what happened was that my younger brother, Aondoakaa, the former attorney general was close to Ibori.”
“….if I was in league with Ibori and was not sincerely pursuing him, would he have run, gone out of this country to Dubai?”
Mrs. Waziri dismissed claims she tipped Mr. Ibori off, to flee the country after Mr. Yar’Adua’s death as “all lies of the enemies.”
“By my training and upbringing I can never betray my country for anyone, for any reason; never! Of course I was all out and that was how he ran out and went and got himself in more trouble,” she said.
She also denied widespread belief that her leadership of the EFCC lowered Nigeria’s effort against corruption when compared with the record set by her predecessor, Nuhu Ribadu.
“Go and check the record of convictions, the first conviction ever that went to logical conclusion was during Farida,” she said. “190 billion naira, one single recovery from one person that went to jail was during Farida Waziri.”
She said the negative impression accusing her of bungling several investigations, was more of a fierce media campaign against her stay in office, and said she faced intense interference in her work. She declined to give names.
“The enemies were many, ferocious; they kept on mounting the campaign of calumny, injecting the poison pen for three and half years,” she said.
“If you open the newspapers, it is Farida; if you open Saharareporters, it is Farida; if you tune the radio, it is Farida. It seems as if I was the worst civil servant in the history of Nigeria.”

Islamic group wins: Miss World pageant moved out of Jakarta to Bali


Days after an Islamic group staged a protest against the organizers of the 2013 Miss World pageant, demanding that the pageant should not be held in Jakarta as it runs against their culture, the pageant organizers have been forced to move the final of the pageant to Bali - where they said today that it would be 'impossible' to stage the finale there, because of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where world leaders and thousands of officials are expected to attend. The summit begins at the beginning of October while the pageant is scheduled to take place on September 28.
“I think people can appreciate how complex it would be to move everything to Bali. Just getting the venue and all the accommodation is impossible with APEC here" Nana Putra, executive director of organizer, told AFP.
The Miss World organizers have said they have no plans to cancel this year's event, vowing to petition Indonesian authorities to move the event back to Java. But also said they would use a back up venue in Indonesia if authorities don't change their mind.

President Jonathan Rejects G-7 Govs’ Demands

President Goodluck Jonathan has drawn a battle line with the governors who staged a walkout on him and announced the formation of a faction penultimate Saturday, a day the party was holding its special convention.

A pro-Jonathan governor confided in LEADERSHIP that the president had resolved not to acquiesce to any of the demands the seven governors presented to the PDP Elders' Committee led by former president Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday.

At the meeting summoned by the former president which was attended by former military president Ibrahim Babangida, chairman of the party's Board of Trustees (BoT) Tony Anenih, senators Ahmadu Ali and Barnabas Gemade (both former national chairman of the PDP), the governors led by their factional chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, insisted on the following as the immediate terms for peace: immediate resignation of PDP national chairman Bamanga Tukur, conduct of a fresh national convention, a commitment from President Jonathan that he would not run for a second term in 2015, recognition of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State as chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), lifting of the Rivers governor's suspension, reinstatement of the Rivers and Adamawa state chapters of the PDP, a directive by the president to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to stop investigating some of the governors in the new PDP, their officials and certain leaders in the fold.

According to the governor, President Jonathan had received early briefings from Anenih and the Bayelsa State governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, on his arrival from Kenya on Saturday.

While Anenih was said to have briefed the president in the evening of Saturday, Governor Dickson was the president's guest in the early hours of Sunday to present what the source described as "preliminary report" by the governors in the president's camp. The Bayelsa governor was said to have also used the meeting with the president to request a meeting with the pro-Jonathan governors.

As at the time of this report, the president was in a dinner with members of the PDP BoT, stakeholders and other loyalists after his meeting with the governors loyal to him.

The governor said: "There is no way the president can allow such impunity to continue in the party all in the name of unity and cohesion; none of these governors, I am sure, would have tried this nonsense under Chief Obasanjo; and maybe because the man had always presented a meek mien, they think he is weak and does not know what to do at the right time.

"I know he is waiting for the report of the Elders' Committee, maybe on Monday or Tuesday, but I can tell you that the issues raised by the seven governors are dead on arrival. I can beat my chest on this because they have crossed the lines of respect, and disrespect has crept in.

"From all indications, Mr President has called their bluff because, in the first place, most of the terms for settlement are either premature or irresponsible. How can they say the president should say he would not run? Is that possible by any circumstance?

The governor further disclosed that the president's resolve was informed by the fact that he had held a closed-door meeting with three of the seven governors at the villa two days to the walkout and the formation of the new PDP. The president was said to have pleaded with them to sheathe their swords in the war of attrition that had characterised the party, he said. It was agreed at the meeting that Governor Amaechi was to have a one-on-one meeting with the president after the convention where all issues of discord were to be ironed out.

"The outcome of the walkout and swiftness with which the new PDP was formed, including the prepared speech by Baraje, meant that the action of the governors was premeditated, hence agreeing to their terms may be difficult," the governor added.

However, it was gathered that President Jonathan has set up three special committees to deal with the festering PDP crisis. Details of the membership of the committees are still sketchy as at press time. But it was gathered that the committees are political, legal and contacts committees.

G-7 governors will not work with Atiku

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the governors who staged a walkout during the party's national convention in Abuja will not work with former vice-president Atiku Abubakar.

The coordinator of the Northern Emancipation Network, Alhaji Abdulazeez Sulaiman, said yesterday in Abuja that the seven governors were "all former president Olusegun Obasanjo's boys".

According to him, the former president, who is leading the PDP Elders' Committee to reconcile the factions, not only made these governors politically but ensured that they were elected into their respective offices during his time as president.

Though both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) have openly invited these governors to join their parties, Suleiman maintained that the governors would not join PDM but would rather take instructions from Obasanjo.

"The seven governors that staged a walkout with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar are not his political bedfellows. They are all former President Olusegun Obasanjo's boys. They will not join the PDM with Atiku. Wherever Obasanjo asks them to go, they will go," Suleiman declared.

The seven governors who staged the walkout penultimate Saturday at the Eagle Square were: Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Abdulfattah (Kwara), Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers).

Suleiman recounted that it was during Obasanjo's watch as the president and leader of the PDP that he convinced the governor of Sokoto State to dump the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the political platform on which he won the governorship election, to join PDP.

"The governor of Niger State was a permanent secretary at the FCTA when he was tapped to run in the 2007 general elections; he had to vie for the PDP ticket, which he won," Suleiman said. "The governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, besides enjoying espirit de corps with the former president, was literally drafted to fly the PDP flag in 2007. The Kano state governor was made the minister of defence by Obasanjo in 2003, which prepared him for the task of successfully vying for the number one office in Kano in 2007. Ditto for the governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, who served as the foreign affairs minister under former President Obasanjo for four years.

"Though the governor of Kwara State may not be a direct beneficiary of Obasanjo, his political benefactor and his predecessor in office, Senator Bukola Saraki, is. Saraki served as a special assistant to Obasanjo during his first term, and he rode on the goodwill to clinch the governorship of Kwara State in 2003."

Jonathan free to run in 2015 - Olisah Metuh

Amid the crisis, the party has said that President Jonathan is free to contest the forthcoming 2015 presidential election.

The national publicity secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisah Metuh, who disclosed this to  newsmen in Lagos yesterday, said it is undemocratic for the party or anybody to stop the president from running.

He said: "I believe personally that their demand is undemocratic; to start to be talking about someone's ambition or o give him condition ,like they are saying 'forgo your ambition or 'we cannot talk'; that is undemocratic. It is not fair. You cannot tell the man that you deny him his constitutional right except there is a pronouncement by the court or the constitution is against his ambition.

PDP crisis will affect Nigeria - Oyinlola

But the national secretary of the new PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has said that the face-off within the ruling party was capable of causing setback for the country.

Addressing a crowd of supporters from all the 30 local government areas and Ife East Area Office at his home town, Okuku, Osun State, Oyinlola said the PDP has been in the saddle of governance since the return to democracy, adding that the crisis may rob the nation of the gains of democracy.

He however expressed hope that the effort of elders of the party like former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Chief Tony Anenih to resolve the crisis will yield fruitful dividend.

Oyinlola, who attributed his removal from office as the national secretary of the party as the genesis of the crisis rocking the party, accused President Jonathan of taking sides in the process that led to his removal, adding that all peace meetings called by notable leaders of the party to resolve the matter were deadlocked.

Those responsible for sealing off of new PDP office should be jailed - APC

Amidst the intrigues within the PDP, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said all those behind the sealing off of the secretariat of the new PDP in Abuja must be immediately identified and jailed for crass lawlessness and palpable impunity.

''The festering crisis in the PDP is not our business, but when the crisis leads to repression, disregard for court orders and constitutional provisions, we cannot keep quiet because those issues have grave implications for our democracy,'' the party said in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by its interim national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

It described the sealing off of the new PDP secretariat as a throwback to the nation's darkest era, saying it also confirms the fears being expressed by the opposition that the Jonathan administration will become increasingly intolerant and repressive with the approach of the 2015 general elections.

''There is no doubt that the rump of the ruling PDP which has the ears of President Jonathan is behind the sealing off of the new PDP secretariat, in a dangerous defiance of a court order that the parties must maintain the status quo," APC stated. "The egregious nature of this action becomes even clearer when viewed against the lies being peddled by the old PDP: that the sealing off of the secretariat, which it instigated, has the imprimatur of the courts. 'This is why those who are behind the secretariat's sealing in Abuja must be punished without delay to serve as a deterrent. After all, no one is above the law.''

We'll soon resolve the minor disagreement  – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the crisis rocking the party is a minor issue which will soon be resolved.

Speaking during the party's post-convention dinner in Abuja yesterday, the president who spoke in a reconciliatory gesture, said: "What happened during our recent mini-convention is a minor disagreement and we will soon solve it with our aggrieved members. We should discuss as members of the same family."

Jonathan, who expressed gratitude to party elders and governors for their effort to resolve the matter, said no party could replace PDP.

We'll bring everybody on board – Anenih

On his part, the PDP BoT chair, Chief Tony Anenih, said that the party elders would ensure that genuine reconciliation was put in place to bring everybody on board.

On the recent division in the party, Anenih described the task ahead as enormous and said, however, that the party would address the grievances of members.

According to him, "We will not fire any shot and we will win the war. We should not recognise opposition in the PDP. We stand for unity, cohesion and abhor indiscipline."

Obasanjo, IBB, New PDP Govs Shun Post-convention Dinner

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former military president, Ibrahim Babangida and the seven governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who boycotted the party's special convention penultimate Saturday were absent at the party's post-convention dinner last night.

The dinner, which held at the banquet hall of the presidential villa, however, had over 16 governors of the party in attendance, while about nine former governors also attended

The governors who were absent were Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Ahmed Fatai (Kwara), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers).

But the presidency said yesterday described those absent at the dinner as those who had chosen to toe the wrong path.

Special adviser to the president on political matters, Ahmed Gulak, who gave the welcome address, said that more than 90 per cent of Nigerians were on the side of Jonathan and the PDP.

According to him, "Sixteen governors are here. Those who are not here are on the wrong path and they had better return before it is late".

He further said that what happened at the just concluded special convention was not the result of poor management of the event, but a premeditated plan to cause confusion in the party. He, however, declared that the party was surefooted to tackle the problem.

Former minister of information and PDP chieftain Professor Jerry Gana insisted that the party was always ready to face the challenges confronting it, even as he added that, while it does not show weakness of the party, reconciliation was a good option for the moment.

Also in attendance were PDP Board of Trustees chairman, Tony Anenih; PDP national chairman, Bamanga Tukur; former chairmen of the party, Ahmadu Ali, Barnabbas Gemade, Vincent Ogbulafor, Okwesilieze Nwodo and Bello Haliru.

Source: Leadership

12yr Old Girl Commits Suicide In Bayelsa



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(NAN ) – A 12-year-old girl on Monday allegedly committed suicide in Yenagoa, the police told the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday.
Alex Akhigbe, Bayelsa Police Public Relations Officer, said that the girl hanged herself early on Monday.“Yes, police have confirmed the death of the young girl, who killed herself behind her father’s house early in the morning yesterday.“The police have also evacuated the corpse from the scene and deposited it in the mortuary. The corpse is still awaiting autopsy.“It was a very strange act and a surprise to see a young girl of that age take her life; it is a real mystery,” Mr. Akhigbe said.
He, however, said that investigations were still ongoing in the matter to establish the motive behind the girl’s alleged action.“Her parents have not talked to the police. We are still investigating to get to the root of the matter.“Parents should always keep a watch over their children. They should know the character and kind of friends their kids keep.“This is not good to our society. What could cause a young person of that age to hang herself to death?; we should improve on moral teaching of our children,” M. Akhigbe said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Association for Prevention of Suicide set aside September 10 to raise global attention on the prevention of suicide.
WHO estimates that the number of people who die by suicide is expected to reach 1.5 million per year by 2020.A WHO estimate in 2011 showed that one million people die per year by suicide representing “a death every 40 seconds or about 3,000 every day “.

35m Nigerian Adults Are illiterates — Minister



Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike
Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike

Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, yesterday, said Nigeria’s adult illiterates have increased from 25 million in 1997 to 35 million in 2013.

Wike stated this at a ministerial briefing to commemorate the 2013 International Literacy Day themed “Literacy for 21st century.”

He said Nigeria had over 10.5 million children out of school which, according to him, is embarrassing to the nation.

He said: “Indeed, the embarrassing literacy statistics on Nigeria, justifies the need for all stakeholders to redouble their efforts.

“The current Education for All, EFA, Global Monitoring report ranks Nigeria as one of the countries with the highest level of illiteracy.

“The report on Nigeria stated that the number of illiterate adults has increased by 10 million over the past two decades, to reach 35 million.

“Besides, Nigeria has the highest number of out of school children put at 10.5 million and based on this premise that the Ministry of Education has intensified effort in the task of eradicating illiteracy. The non-formal education sector, implementation of programmes for revitalising adult and youth literacy have begun.”

The Minister of State tasked state and local governments to redouble efforts at eradicating illiteracy in the country.

He said the eradication of illiteracy in the country should not be left in the hands of the federal, state and local governments alone.

“It is important to note that the bulk of the task of eradicating illiteracy in most of the E-9 countries like India, China, Brazil and Indonesia among others is borne by non-governmental organisation.
“The era of leaving such sensitive issues of our national life entirely in the hands of government is gone. This is the time to reiterate the importance of literacy to the individuals and our national life. The importance of literacy speaks for itself. ”

He identified literacy as one of the key solutions to some of the nation’s challenges, adding that “literacy as we all know is one of the solutions to our national challenges of insecurity, poverty, poor health condition, among others.”

Wike said: “This requires commitment and funding, and when you see lot of state governments emphasising most of their budget on issues that cannot help in reducing the level of illiteracy, it means that at the end of the day, instead of literacy reducing, it will be increasing, building roads and bridges, are important but if you scale your priorities you will know that education is very, very important.”

“So the only way we can solve this problem is to take formal and informal education as an emergency, it is very, very necessary and anything short of that, we will not be able to achieve any meaningful result but unfortunately, it is something that is within the ambit of state and local government, it is not the responsibility of federal government but the federal will surely do her part”.
“If we allow the level of illiteracy to continue to increase, as it increases, it poses security problems, and when this happens, you cannot govern, and when you cannot govern, the investors cannot come, and when the investors cannot come, there will be no employment”.

Alhaji Jibrin Paiko, Executive Secretary, National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, NMEC, said basic literacy had the potential of liberating individuals and families from poverty, ignorance and diseases.

Lagos Police Command Emerges Best In Africa



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Going by the result of an annual survey that rates all police stations across the African continent, the efforts of the Lagos State Police Command in people-centred policing is beginning to show. This is because, one of the stations, Victoria Island Police Station,Lagos State police command emerged the top police station and regional winner of the Police Station Visitors Week (PSVW) 2012 in Africa.

The police station emerged winner during the Altus’ annual Award ceremony which took place on August 9th 2013 at the Laico Regency Hotel in Nariobi Kenya beating 343 police stations from five other African countries -Benin, Cameroon,Kenya,Liberia and Ghana to clinch the top spot.

List Of 2013 Africa’s Happiest Countries

Angola is Africa's happiest country, followed by Mauritius and Algeria, according to a new global survey of 156 countries released Monday.
The southern African country surprisingly toppled last year's leader, Mauritius, according to the World Happiness Report 2013.
Angola, Zimbabwe and Albania experienced the largest increases across all the countries surveyed.
While "the world has become a slightly happier and more generous place over the past five years," economic and political upheavals have resulted in greatly reduced levels of well being for some nations, the report said.

Algeria, Mauritius, Algeria, Libya and Nigeria are the top five happiest countries on the continent, while Ghana, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa and Lesotho are the next five African nations that are most content.
No African country ranked in the top 50 of the survey, now in its second year, while the five lowest ranked countries were from the continent.
The ranking also threw up some other surprises, including placing countries such as Somaliland, Zimbabwe and DR Congo well ahead of others perceived as more prosperous and stable such as Botswana, Senegal and Tanzania.
The report is sponsored by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network which was established by United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and comes ahead of the annual General Assembly.

Overall African rankings:
1-Angola,
2-Mauritius,
3-Algeria,
4-Libya,
5-Nigeria,
6-Ghana,
7-Zambia,
8-Mozambique,
9-South Africa,
10-Lesotho,
11-Morocco,
12-Swaziland,
13-Somaliland,
14-Zimbabwe,
15-Tunisia,
16-Mauritania,
17-Djibouti,
18-Congo DR,
19-Ethiopia,
20-Uganda,
21-Cameroon,
22-Kenya,
23-Sudan,
24-Sierra Leone,
25-Congo-Brazzaville,
26-Egypt,
27-Burkina Faso,
28-Mali,
29-Liberia,
30-Niger,
31-Gabon,
32-Malawi,
33-Chad,
34-Botswana,
35-Madagascar,
36-Senegal,
37- Comoros,
38-Guinea,
39-Tanzania,
40-Rwanda,
41-Burundi,
42-Central African Republic,
43-Benin,
44-Togo
Egypt had the greatest fall in happiness levels. On a scale of 1 to 10 — with 10 rated as happiest — Egypt averaged 4.3 in 2012, compared to 5.4 in 2007.

World's Happiest Nations
Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden are the world's happiest countries, according to the survey of 156 countries. Rwanda, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Benin and Togo — all nations in Sub-Saharan Africa — are the least satisfied with their lives, the report said.
The United States came in at number 17 in the world in terms of overall happiness, but it still lags behind Canada (6), Australia (10), Israel (11) the United Arab Emirates (14) and Mexico (16), according to the Earth Institute.
The report ranks the United Kingdom as the 22nd happiest country in the world. Other major nations included Germany (26), Japan (43), Russia (68) and China (93).

Shareholders Fight JJ Okocha & Wife Over Sports Company  

Culled from PMNews

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has fixed 18 September to decide either to relist or not Jay-Jay Okocha Group West Africa Limited in a petition filed against the former captain of the Super Eagles, Okocha Austin Azuka a.k.a Jay-Jay Okocha and his wife Nkechi Okocha.

Also joined as co-defendant is a limited liability company; Jay-Jay Okocha Group West Africa Limited, jointly formed by the former footballer and six other shareholders namely; Friday Nwankero-Kuja, Ijeoma Kuja, Nwankwo-Kuja, James Chinedu, Nwankwo Kuja Daniel Chukwudi, Nwankwo Kuja Mary Chioma.
Two other companies Africa Shelter Sports Consultant Limited, Friday Nwankwo and Sons Limited are also petitioners in the impending legal hostility.

In an affidavit sworn to by a Director and shareholder of Jay-Jay Okocha Group West Africa Limited, Friday Nwankwo Kuja, and filed before the Court by a Lagos Lawyer, Barrister Caleb Rotimi Oyekola, the petitioners who claimed to be shareholders of the company which was incorporated to arrange, organise, finance  and present sporting events, alleged that Okocha and his wife, Nkechi, who are the Chairman and Managing Directors of the company respectively are conducting the affairs of the company in an illegal and oppressive manner.

Mr. Kuja alleged further that at the formative stage of the company located at 46, Saka Tinubu Street, Victoria Island, he expended a total sum of N63m, while he was performing his duties as the Executive Director in the affairs of the company diligently and productively.
He said he and other shareholders have now been sidelined.

However, when he started clamoring for the auditing of the company's account in line with the provisions of the Company and Allied Matters Act to ascertain if the company was making profit and to also enable the company to file its annual returns to the Corporate Affairs Commission, the respondents decided to illegally and unlawfully ease him out of his position as a Director contrary to the provision of the Company and Allied Matters Act.
Consequently, the respondents without any valid resolution of the company conspired together to have his properties thrown out of his office without any authorisation from the Board of Directors whereas himself and other petitioners mentioned earlier are the majority shareholders of the company.

Thereafter all efforts to have General Meeting of the company as well as have the account of the company audited and preparation of the general statement of the company were met with strong resistance by Okocha and his wife.

The petitioner alleged further that since the formation and commencement of the operation of the company, no board and general meeting ever held.
It was also alleged that the respondents are at the verge of selling off one of the business company called Club 10.

"I was paid N3,000 for my first role, my dad even collected it" —Daughter of Nollywood veteran,(Jide kosoko) Sola Kosoko reveals!!!

Sola Kosoko-Abinna has been active in Nollywood since 1999, but fame did not come her way until her role in a chart-busting movie entitled: Omo Olorire. In this interview she spoke on her acting career and other issues.
Being a star must have its effects. How has it affected your life, especially when you compare yourself with your peers that are not in the movie industry?
Being a star affected me both positively and negatively; but being a star has a lot of advantages.

Which of the movies you have starred in brought you to limelight?
Omo Olorire was the film that brought me to limelight in 2002; then Abesekele by Oga Bello and then Orire by Muyiwa Ademola. Both were released in 2003.

When did you start acting?
I started acting professionally in 2001. If I can recollect, I started with Omo Olorire, which incidentally was produced by my father, Prince Jide Kosoko. Before then, I had been acting. I starred in Ola Abata. It was my father's movie as well, produced in 1999 and released in 2000. I also participated in Oko Irese, also produced by my father. It was released in 2001. Between 1999 and 2002, I featured in my father's films. From 2002, other producers started beckoning. 'Iya Rainbow' (Idowu Philips) first called me for a role. Adamu Seniyan was about the second or third movie she invited me to participate. The same year, Taiwo Hassan (Ogogo) called me for his movie entitled: Tolulope. In 2003, Muyiwa Ademola called me for his own film too entitled: Ori, a movie that further gave me immense popularity.

You said earlier on that being a star has its advantages.  Can you tell us some of these advantages?
For example, when I was still in school, whenever it was time to do my course clearance and the queue was so long and we were suffering under the scorching sun, because my face was familiar to the officials in charge, they would ask the other students to allow me in because I was a star. Some of the students would protest. That is one of the benefits, and I got a lot of them.

But it cannot be all positive; being a star must also have its own disadvantages
You are right. The negative side of it is that we spend a lot of money for street urchins or Area boys. They don't want to know if you have the money or not. Sometimes you might be going out without much in your pocket, but they will collect at every junction. We cannot help it; it is the kind of society we have. I have been to Europe a number of times. When you are there, they don't ask for money; instead they give you gifts. Someone once removed the SIM from his phone and gave it to me. But in our society, it is the other way round.

If you had not been an actress, what would you have been?
Initially I wanted to become a broadcaster; I love to be seen on TV, reading news. Maybe that was why it was easy for me to become an actress. But I also yearned to be a lawyer. Unfortunately, I did Industrial and Labour Relations for my diploma, so it was difficult to cross from Social Science to Law. Then, I said if I could not study Law, let me go and study Mass Communication, which unfortunately again is an Arts course at the Olabisi Onabanjo University. So, I went for Sociology.

The roles you played in the films produced by your father, did you get them on merit or did he create them to accommodate you?
My father is a professional. There are times when my stepmother would exclaim 'that is Sola's role', but my father would not hear of it. He would say I could not play the role; that being his daughter does not mean I would be given a role just anyhow even when I do not deserve it. My father is a professional when it comes to that.

Since you became a professional, how do you pick your roles?
I scrutinise my scripts very well and ask myself if the film is the kind that I can participate in. For instance, a producer has been calling me for weeks now to come and take a role in a film; but when I went through the script, I discovered that it is not the kind of film I will like to participate in. I must know who the director of the film is.

What would you consider the most trying period of your life?
My staying at home for five years before I could get admission into the university. Though I was doing a certificate course, it was not like the real university. Then I was being called for movie jobs, so I became distracted. Sometimes there were forms that I was supposed to obtain, but I would keep procrastinating till I eventually missed the opportunity. Before my four-year degree progamme, I did a two-year diploma course. That experience hurt me.

How much was your first pay as an actress?
My first pay? Hmm. I can't remember the title of the movie now, but it was produced by Adebayo Salami ('Oga Bello'). I was paid N3,000. When I got home, my father shared the money. He gave my stepmother a share; he gave my brothers and sisters and I took the rest.

Are you a shy person?
Yes I am. Forget the fact that I am an actress. I always have a stage fright. When I see a crowd, I can easily forget everything I want to say and I will start stammering. But I think I am outgrowing it now. When it comes to my work, and I take to the stage, I become transformed.
 
Before you finally chose to marry your husband, how many men did you date?
I dated like a hundred (general laughter). Really, I didn't have the experience. The man that is my husband has always been with me since I was in secondary school. I remember the first JAMB I wrote. We were doing the running together. At that time, he was already a graduate.

How was your growing up like?
Growing up was fun. My secondary education was at Aje Comprehensive High School, while my primary school was at Aje Methodist Primary School. Both schools are side by side at Ebute-Meta, along Borno Way, which used to be called WEMA Street. That was where I grew up in Ebute-Meta.
It was my grandmother who brought us up, my elder brother and my younger ones. We were staying with her, though my father was in Lagos. He was always traveling, always on tour. I lost my mum when I was very young. Whenever my father was around, he was always with us, playing with us, taking us to different places, like the Amusement Park.

Can you recall the day you lost your mum?
It was in September 1993.

Where were you that day when you got the news?
I was with my grandmother who, like I told you earlier, was training us before my mother's death. It was my dad himself that came to break the news to my grandmother.

How did you react to the sad news?
The normal reaction when you lose someone you love; but because I was young, you won't compare the kind of feeling that I would have then to what I would have now. If my mum just died now, the way I would feel is not the way I felt the other time. Then I just felt, 'Oh, my mother died' and I cried.

What would you say you would have benefitted from her if she was around?
I cannot begin to count the benefits. There were a lot of times when I was in the university, that I really felt the vacuum. A lot of mothers were always coming around bringing palm oil and other stuff for their daughters. That was when it actually hit me that I didn't have a mum. My daddy could not bring palm oil.
He was always coming to see me, but it's not the same as the impact of a mother. Secondly, when I was getting married, I felt that something was missing and that was my mum. Though I hardly cry, I felt the pain deep inside me. There are a lot of times I would remember her and I would cry, in my closet though.

Source Tribune

Pastor Kumuyi Says He Does Not Case About The Deeper Life 'Prophetess' Who Visited Heaven, Hell and Came Back
[09:51 am, 10-sep-13]

Linda Ngaujah who claimed to have died and seen vision before coming back to life Pastor William Kumuyi, General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry has disowned the controversial videos of a 'prophetess' and others who claimed to have died, gone to heaven and came back to narrate their extra-terrestrial experience.

In the controversial videos being sold all over Nigeria, two women and a boy claimed they died, went to heaven and came back to narrate what they said God showed them. One of such CDs is that of a Sierra Leonean woman, simply called Sister Linda Ngaujah. Linda said she died and was shown happenings in heaven and hell and that many of the members of a large church on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway are on their way to hell and that the founder of a leading church in Lagos should repent as he allegedly acquired his powers from the devil, saying that a Bishop of another large congregation and his members are not even recognised in heaven.
She added that women who used rubber and wool to plait their hair will go to hell as it is a sin and that the only way for people to be prepared for heaven is to go back to the old Deeper Life Bible Church's method of dressing. The video CDs released by Linda is causing serious controversy in the church of God as some women in Deeper Life, who plait rubber hair have vowed never to do so again as they want to get to heaven.

Some female worshippers have even shaved their hair in one Christian Assembly in Ikorodu, saying that they don't want to have anything to do with attachment as they want to get to heaven. Another person who claimed to have gone to heaven said she saw the late wife of Kumuyi, Biodun, in heaven and narrated her encounter there. Other CDs were released by Margaret Amure from Church of God Mission, who also claimed to have gone to heaven and another 10-year old boy from Edo, named Samuel. Reacting to this development on Sunday during the church service, Pastor Kumuyi warned members of his church not to have anything to do with such CDs as these are the last days where many people would come up with different things to deceive the church of God. Kumuyi urged members of the church not to waste their money on such CDs, saying that the church should not rely on purported CDs of people who claimed to have gone to heaven to come back to produce CDs to sell to people narrating their encounter.

He referred to Linda's CD which said people need to dress like Deeper Life to get to heaven, saying that "if you dress like Deeper Life without salvation and sanctification, will you get to heaven? These are the last days." The man of God emphasized that dressing like Deeper Life would not take anybody to heaven but that righteousness and holiness of heart are the keys to getting to the kingdom of God and warned members to desist from lwatching such CDs. Kumuyi further said that one of the people who claimed to have gone to heaven said they saw Mummy Kumuyi in the kingdom of God, saying that he did not need such CD to know that his wife was in heaven and that the word of God has told us the criteria for getting to His kingdom.

According to him, such people were merely deceiving the people, saying that when Apostle Paul was translated to heaven and came back, he did not produce CDs about what he saw in heaven and began to sell them. "When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, Lazarus did not go about telling people that this was what he saw in heaven. We should rest on the word of God to tell us what we need to know about heaven and how to get there. How do you know that they have actually gone to heaven? These are the last days. Don't waste your money on buying these CDs," he stated.

PM News

Unbelievable News: A Man Gives Birth to Baby Boy

A Berlin man has become the first in Germany to give birth to a baby. He identifies as male, but has a female reproductive system. The baby boy was born on March 18th this year in a home birth, as hospitals are required to write the name of the mother in their records when a child is born. It was delivered with the help of a midwife in the Neukölln area of Berlin. On government records the new father, who is transgender, is registered as a man. This makes him the first male in Germany to give birth, Berlin newspapers reported on Monday. He reportedly became pregnant through a sperm donation, the Bild newspaper reported. Officially the child does not have a mother, only a father. The case is reminiscent of transgender Thomas Beatie who has given birth to three children in the US. Transgender people are able to give birth to children because even when a woman undergoes hormone therapy to become more physically masculine, they can retain female sex organs.

74-Year-Old Man Plans To Marry His Goat In Devil’s Church (PHOTO)

Aparecido Castaldo, a retired stone cutter from Jundiai, Brazil has decided to marry his beloved Carmella, a goat. Because no Christian minister would agree to perform the marriage ceremony, the two will be wed by a known satanic leader, in the Church of the Devil. People have married their pets in the past, although in most cases the marriage ceremony was just a symbolic one performed by family or friends. However, 74-year old Aparecido Castaldo, a widower and father-of-seven, apparently wanted to be united with his goat Carmela in a church, by an evangelical minister. Unfortunately, none of the churches he contacted with his unusual request wanted to perform the ceremony, so Aparecido eventually contacted Toninho do Diabo (Tom the Devil), an old friend who just happens to be one of the most famous satanists in Brazil. The wedding is scheduled to take place at midnight, on October 13, at the Devil's Church, in Sao Paolo. "Only our church accepted this love between man and animal because we have no prejudice," Toninho said. Aparecido fell in love with his pet goat two years ago, and apparently she has already been accepted as a "stepmother" by the man's seven children, who will all be at the wedding. Although their upcoming wedding has caused a lot of controversy in the community, and attracted accusations from animal rights activists, Castaldo said they have no plans to consummate their marriage. He just needs a life companion and Carmella is just perfect. "Whenever someone says I am doing something wrong I reply the goat does not speak, ask for money to go shopping and doesn't get pregnant – and she can't talk," the groom-to-be praised his future wife. She does have one fault, though – she tries to eat everything, including the first wedding dress Aparecido got for her. Luckily, he was able to find another. After the October 13 wedding, Aparecido plans to celebrate his union to Carmela with a barbecue party, but makes it very clear that there won't be any goat meat served.

Romance With Yahoo Boys: This Is My Story ––Alhaji Rasaq

On Monday, LTK published a story of how some men are extorting yahoo boys in Lagos and how they are using the name of the IG of Police, MD Abubakar to operate. The message was sent to me by a young guy who gave his name as Ibrahim Dipo.

Anyway, the man who was accused of using 'fake' security personnel to dupe Yahoo boys, Alhaji Rasaq got across to me and gave his own side of the story. He said he is a patriotic Nigerian who is helping the Police and the EFCC to tame the activities of 419 and Yahoo boys.

He said the IG of Police is aware of his actions. Below is a note from Alhaji Rasaq:

Dear LTK,
I have helped the Nigerian Police and EFCC arrest over 500 yahoo boys in Nigeria, they know I have done a good job so far. I started with police men from Alagbon when the IG confirmed I am doing a good job, he invited me to Abuja and assigned the Commisioner, DIG and AIG, EFCC Chairman to work with me. I have made them recover a lot of expensive SUV's and properties bought by yahoo boys and 419ers.

Nigerians should always thank me for a good job as the Police authorities has always have my support.

The Allegations [by Ibrahim Dipo] are not fully true because we returned his car back to him, the money in his account was not up to that amount; it was just below N2million and the IG took the money from him because it's stolen money.

Please publish it so people will not see me as a bad person and give me a bad image.

PICTURE OF THE DAY: Naija Comedian Gbenga Adeyinka D First caught urinating on the street in London

What do you have to say about the picture???

I Never Left Nollywood – Movie Star Opeyemi Aiyeola Reveals

After her marriage a few years ago, popular Yoruba actress, Ope Aiyeola, who was known for her regular appearances in home videos, relocated to the United Kingdom with her husband.
In a recent interview, the mother of two, who has returned to Nigeria, shared secrets of maintaining a happy home, her absence/return to Nollywood and other issues.See excerpts below:
It was reported that you are back in full force into the industry.
Yes I am, but not in the way people are putting it. My plan is to come home regularly to work; but I still have my family and home in the UK.

When you were away, what did you miss most about being a celebrated actress?
I was always travelling round to different locations. I really missed that.
How has marriage changed your conception about life?
Marriage has made me understand that two heads are better than one. Actually, being in the right relationship is a blessing. Life isn't a bed of roses, but with a good partner and good people around me, and of course, God on my side, I am always victorious.

What does it take to have a great marriage?
Well, God's grace, true love, contentment, submission and of course, forgiveness.

People said you were arrogant. Has that changed now that you are married?
Arrogant? There is nothing to change. Or what do you think? Do you say I am arrogant?

But that is what we heard…
People are entitled to their opinions.

Why did you come back to Nollywood?
I never left.

If you never left, what were you doing during those moments that you were out of the country?
I was building my home. I still am.

Now that you are back, would your hubby not complain about the tight schedules and all?
Complain?

Yes, you know men and their attitude
My commander in chief is the captain of the ship while I am the sailor; so, he doesn't complain. My man is not like the others, and that was why I married him. He is 100 percent in support of my career.
Is Ope Aiyeola still as sexy as she used to be?
To my husband, I am very sexy. I love what I see when I look into the mirror, and you can be the judge of that.

As a married woman, do you still get advances from men?
Most definitely. It just corroborates the fact that my hubby is taking good care of me. People always admire good things, you know?

Do your male fans still harass you sexually?
No one harasses me, but they express themselves; and you know people express themselves differently. So, I no longer see it as sexual harassment.

It was said that Baba Suwe got you pregnant and your husband threatened to divorce you?
Okay nah! There is no air to clear. People know the truth.

So, you never dated Baba Suwe?
All I can say is people know the truth.

On a lighter note, what did your hubby say attracted you to him?
My beauty of course.

Beauty and not intelligence?
Well, what the eyes see comes first before other things.

What's the most priceless asset that you possess?
That would be my salvation.

Unlike those years when you hit the movie industry, you seem now to be behind in the female fold of leading actresses. Does that not bother you?
Behind? Never! I am ever in front. The results from the break are worth a million years break.

But people say you came back to the industry because you are broke?
Okay!

You haven't answered my question.
I have answered you. My reaction to this is 'okay'; or have you got a better answer?

What is Ope Aiyeola up to now?
I have two productions on ground. One of the movies should be released this month and the other in December. They are entitled Agbeko and Jaiye Oba.

What's your relationship with other female acts, especially Fathia Balogun?
We are colleagues

Just colleagues? Nothing more; you are not even friends?
Nothing more.

I thought you would have settled the issues you had with her years back.
Issues with whom? I have not got issues with anyone. Life is too short for all that

Apple Planning 6-inch ‘iPhablet’

Apple is reportedly evaluating a plan to offer iPhones with screens ranging from 4.8 inches to as big as 6 inches.

A 6-inch iPhone – which would be two inches bigger than Apple's current iPhone 5 model – would fall into the so-called 'phablet' category, being the same size as the Acer Liquid S2 and fitting in-between Samsung's 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 3 and its 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega.

Devices of that size are not expected to appear among the ones that Apple is unveiling next Tuesday. However, a report in The Wall Street Journal indicates that Apple could be considering an entire family of screen sizes for upcoming iPhone releases.

This would match the approach that Apple has taken with the iPad and iPod lineups, which consist of multiple products in varying sizes. The iPhone is currently the only Apple product family that does not offer a choice of screen sizes on the newest model.

This is just the latest in a series of reports to suggest that Apple is experimenting with larger iPhone displays. In July the WSJ suggested the tech giant has been testing iPhone screens ranging up to 5.7 inches, while a similar report from Reuters in June claimed the company was working on both a 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch screen.

The rumours suggest that Apple is shifting its smartphone strategy in response to increased competition from its South Korean rival Samsung, which has released numerous products in different sizes and prices in order to cater to a broad swath of customers – particularly in India and China.

A recent report by market research firm IDC revealed that 'phablets' (smartphones with screen sizes of 5 to just under 7 inches) overtook shipments of both laptops and tablets in Asia in the second quarter of 2013. The growth of phablets was primarily due to adoption in emerging markets, according to IDC.

telegraph.co.uk

Man Found Inside Locked Tomb In Edo

Residents of Akenzua Street in Benin City woke up on Monday to find a 25- year old man inside a locked tomb of one Emmanuel Obasogie Obayuwana without any visible signs of break in or entry.

The man, who was dressed in red, wore white hand gloves and tied a red cloth on his forehead.

He was found sitting on the grave and stained clothings were found inside a wooden box with him.

Some spiritualists and pastors who were invited to pray against whatever evils the man brought were afraid of going inside to bring the man out of the tomb after the first son of the deceased, Isaac, brought the keys.

Eyewitnesses said they were afraid of going near the man inside the tomb for fear of possible spiritual attack.

The Nation gathered that was some chiefs from the Oba of Benin Palace later came to take the unknown man away.

Isaac said he has been holding the keys to his father's tomb for over 11 years.

He said, "The place was locked. I don't know his mission in my father's graveside. He was taken to the palace. We don't know him from anywhere and how he got inside the locked house remains a mystery."

Fake Soldier Batters Man Over Refusal To Give Him N3k Bribe [Photo]

The battered victim, Ihonde

The police at Elemoro Division, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, have arrested a suspected fake soldier after he battered a labourer for allegedly refusing to give him a N3,000 bribe.
The incident occurred at Hi-Tech yard, Eko Akete, Awoyaya, Ibeju Lekki.

After investigation by Corporal Raymond Udoeka and his team, the suspect, Emmanuel Joseph, 34, was charged before a Tinubu Magistrate's court, Lagos on a five-count charge of felony to wit, assault occasioning harm, stealing and impersonation.

Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the suspected fake soldier to the police from his hospital bed, the severely injured victim, James Ihonde, a native of Benin City, Edo State, southsouth Nigeria, said: "I went to Hi-Tech yard to eat in a canteen and I met a man in military uniform with his friend inside the canteen. I requested for food from the owner of the canteen.

"Suddenly the man in the military uniform barked at me and said I have no respect for the Nigerian Army and that I was supposed to salute him, a military man, before requesting for food inside the canteen. He later said I must pay him and his colleague the sum of N3,000 as bribe before I could eat food in the canteen.

"Immediately I replied that he has no right to challenge me inside the canteen, the man and his friend descended on me and beat me with military belt and wood. They stripped me naked and inflicted injuries on my two eyes and parts of my body.

"They stole my handset, the N4,000 in my pocket and the sum of N6,000 belonging to the owner of the canteen. They later demanded for the sum of N3,000 from me as bribe before they could allow me to go and treat myself. Residents in the area contributed the money and gave it to them before they abandoned me and left the scene."

Following the incident, the police traced the suspect to a beer parlour and arrested one of them. During interrogation, Joseph, the arrested suspect, allegedly confessed to the crime and denied being a military officer.

When asked how he came about the military camouflage uniform he was wearing, Joseph allegedly told the police that he wears the uniform to cheat members of the public because he was jobless.

"I am not a soldier. I wear the military camouflage to harass and intimidate people and dispossess them of their belongings to survive since I am jobless. I learnt the military tactics when I attended a military secondary school in Akure, Ondo State. I regret my actions," he allegedly told the police.

The offences the suspect committed, said the prosecutor, Supol A. C. Orji, contravened sections 409, 171,285 and 77a of the criminal laws of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge and the Magistrate, Mrs. S. K Matepo, admitted him on bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She adjourned the matter till 24 September, 2013 for mention, while the defendant was taken to Ikoyi Prisons pending when he will fulfil the bail conditions.

Bicycle Dealer Ingests 1.7 kg Heroine

A 40 year-old bicycle parts dealer has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with 1.700kg of heroin.

The suspect, Nweke Livinus Uchenna whose journey originated from Pakistan was found to have ingested narcotics during routine search of passengers on Etihad flight at the arrival hall of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.

NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Hamza Umar said that the suspect excreted 100 wraps of substances that tested positive for heroin weighing 1.700kg.

"While he was under observation, Nweke Livinus Uchenna excreted 100 wraps of heroin. He has provided useful information that the investigation team are working on" Hamza stated.

The suspect who is married with a child said that he is heavily indebted. "I was a successful dealer of bicycle parts until I lost 9 million naira to fraudsters in 2009. That was the beginning of my problems.

As I speak, I am heavily indebted to the extent that I am afraid to switch on my cell phones. My brother is also bedridden for three years and they look unto me for assistance. I feel sad that I am in this condition. Circumstances forced me to collect 450,000 naira to smuggle drugs from Pakistan. I pray for forgiveness" Nnweke apologized.

Fashola Is Not The Best Governor In Nigeria -PDP

Photo-PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh

The Peoples Democratic Party has said that the Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), is not the best governor in Nigeria.
The PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, who said this in an interview with journalists in Abuja, said there were PDP governors who had done better than Fashola.

"I disagree with the view that Fashola is the best governor in Nigeria. There are PDP governors who did better than Fashola in terms of delivering dividends of democracy to their people. Have you been to Akwa Ibom, Jigawa, Cross Rivers and some other states that are being ruled by PDP governors?" Metuh said.

He said the seven governors who left the PDP performed better that Fashola and that the party was still proud of them despite their disagreement with the Bamangar Tukur-led executive.

He said, "The seven governors that said they had left the PDP are all great achievers. They have done well in their respective states and we are proud of them.

"The only grievance we have against them is that if they express the same commitment with which they transformed their states to the PDP, our party would have been greater.

"How can you say Fashola has performed better than our governors? I think the problem is that we don't go to the media to shout. You need to visit those states and see the kind of development I am talking about."

He said the PDP would not remove Tukur as a pre-condition for reconciling with its aggrieved members and that members of the party seeking for the chairman's removal as a precondition for reconciliation without recourse to due process was not only undemocratic but unfair.

Alleged Fraud: EFCC Resumes Grilling Of Saraki Today

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will today continue to interrogate Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki over alleged financial impropriety when he was the governor of Kwara State and director at the defunct Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria Ltd (SGBN).

The former governor, who is currently the Senator representing Kwara Central in the Senate, returned to EFCC headquarters yesterday after his first appearance upon his return from the lesser hajj (Umrah) in Saudi Arabia when he was later allowed to attend to his health matters.

The Senator was said to have been quizzed by a crack team of the commission for several hours during which he was said to have made useful statements. He was thereafter asked to return to the commission today for further questioning.

There have been insinuations that his ongoing interrogation by the anti-graft agency is a politically-motivated witch-hunt since the alleged crimes were committed long time ago.

But the EFCC's head of media and publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said that the allegation of witch-hunt was baseless, saying that nobody is above the law. According to him, the commission is at liberty to invite anybody for questioning at any time.

On why the interrogation now when the alleged crimes were allegedly committed some years ago, Uwujaren explained that a thorough investigation can take a long time before arriving at a concrete evidence depending on the nature of the crime.

Amaechi blasts Tukur over APC sponsorship allegation

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, yesterday, took up issues with the embattled National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhanji Bamanga Tukur, for accusing him of sponsoring All Progressives Congress, APC.

The governor, who spoke through his Information and Communications Commissioner, Ibim Semenitari, said it was unbecoming of Tukur to make such a wild allegation that was not backed by any thread of evidence.

A statement by the Commissioner read: "The attention of Rivers State Government has been drawn to comments credited to Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, alleging that Governor Rotimi Amaechi is sponsoring All Progressives Congress, APC.

"The Government of Rivers State finds this statement rather unfortunate and incongruous coming from the same person who, only in February, roundly commended Governor Amaechi, describing him as one of the brightest lights of Peoples' Democratic Party and one of the country's best performing governors.

"We are certain that Governor Amaechi is still a member of Peoples' Democratic Party and has remained so despite the shenanigans of unscrupulous persons and the humiliation meted out to his person and office by the party leadership.

"Perhaps we should remind Alhaji Tukur of his own words uttered after two days of exhaustive inspection of the projects undertaken by Amaechi's administration.

"Tukur had declared, after the visit, that 'God has given us land, water and people.

'If you take our people and give them education, a secured environment and sustainability, so that things can keep revolving and evolving, making it a continuous process, that state or nation becomes a developed nation.

'Without mincing words, since Friday, when I arrived Port Harcourt at noon, I have been inspecting one project or the other till this morning (Saturday). It is very difficult to praise your son because he (Amaechi) is the best for me.'

"Also speaking at a dinner party held in his honour, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur declared that the 'PDP will never lose to any party if transformational leaders like Governor Amaechi remain behind the party.

"He said 'Believe me, PDP will never lose to any party, if people like Governor Amaechi stand boldly behind us. We will win and continue to win in any election… support your governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amae-chi; support our party, then be sure to win your elections'.

"We are happy to remind Alhaji Tukur that his comments only reiterated what other party leaders like President Goodluck Jonathan and Chief Tony Anenih have said about Governor Amaechi and his judicious use of the people's resources.

"Governor Amaechi's commitment to Rivers people is unambiguous and unwavering."