2015 SENATE RACE: ETTA ENANG, NDOMA EGBA, LOKPOBIRI CRASH OUT …MARK, EKWEREMMADU, AKPABIO, SUSWAN EMERGE

• MRead 552 times

The senatorial primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held across the country yesterday witnessed several upsets, with many bigwigs suffering humiliating defeat.

The following summary of how the primaries went in some states is courtesy ofDaily Sun:

CROSS RIVER

The major upset of the primaries was the crashing out of the race by Ndoma Egba

The Senate leader lost the battle to return to the Red Chamber. In the primaries for Central Senatorial Zone of Cross River held at Ikom Local Government Council Secretariat, Ikom, John Owan Eno polled 2017 votes while Ndoma Egba had 37 votes only.

Ambassador Mark Egbe scored 20 votes to clinch the third position in the tension-soaked race. Announcing the result, the returning officer, Mr. Uko Inaku, said: “By the power conferred on me, I do hereby state that Eno has been declared the winner having polled 276 votes out of 276 votes cast.”

BENUE

MAN GULPS EIGHT CANS OF ENERGY DRINK, DIES

• Published in News
• Read 370 times

A man, identified as one Elijah Nwankwo, from Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has allegedly died after drinking eight cans of Bullet Energy drink, following a bet with a friend.

This was contained in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Enugu State Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, on Friday.

2015: PATIENCE JONATHAN RALLIES SUPPORT FOR WIKE

• Published in Politics
• Read 51 times

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has expressed confidence in the ability of Rivers PDP governorship candidate, Chief Nyesom Wike, to govern the state.

REPORT ON SYNAGOGUE BUILDING COLLAPSE NOT READY - POLICE

• Wednesday, 17 December 2014 14:30

• Published in News
• Read 7 times

The Police anti-bomb squad on Wednesday said the report of its investigations into the collapse of a building within the Synagogue Church of All Nations was not yet ready.

NIGERIA WILL REMAIN UNITED AFTER 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS, SAYS KUKAH

• Wednesday, 17 December 2014 14:37

• Published in News
• Read 10 times

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Very Rev. Fr. Hassan Kukah, has said that in spite of challenges in the country, it would remain a united entity after the 2015 general elections.

Kukah stated this in Sokoto on Wednesday during a news conference on the Golden Jubilee celebration of the diocese which comprised Sokoto, Zamfara , Katsina and Kebbi states.

INSURGENCY DISPLACES 700,000 PERSONS IN NIGERIA, SAYS UN

• Tuesday, 16 December 2014 03:20

• Published in News
• Read 45 times

The United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA), said on Monday in Abuja that no fewer than 700,000 Nigerians were displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Mr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the UN for West Africa, said this at the 46th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government (HOSG).

COURT SENTENCES FUND MANAGER TO 3 YEARS IMPRISONMENT OVER N4.9M FRAUD

• T

• Published in News
• Read 46 times

An Ikeja High Court on Tuesday sentenced a fund manager, Segun Bright, to three years imprisonment for defrauding over 40 investors of N4.9 million.

Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye handed the sentence to Bright, 27, after he pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

SPECIAL REPORT: SALARY OF NIGERIAN SENATORS

• Friday, 05 December 2014 23:41

• Published in News
• Read 25446 times

After reading through this Special Report, any shred of doubt in the reader's mind that Nigeria is doomed and heading for a headlong, downward Plummeting will simply dissipate. The details of the remuneration of an average Nigerian Senator is detailed below:

Basic Salary (B.S) - N2 484 245.50

Hardship Allowance (50 per cent of B.S) - N1 242 122.70

Constituency Allowance (200 per cent of B.S) - N4 968 509.00

THIS REAL BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING IN UK.HOW DO WE OUR OWN BLACK FRIDAY GOES IN NIGERIA

Shopping madness! After Black Friday sales mayhem, police fear MORE anarchy over the weekend - as retailers attacked over failing to protect shoppers 

• Police have appealed for calm after bargain hunters 'acted like animals'
• Men and women of all ages fought over computers and games consoles
• Police and paramedics were called to mayhem at Tesco and Asda stores
• Fears disorder will continue over weekend as retailers roll out more offers
• A chief police constable said appalling scenes were 'totally predictable'

Police chiefs appealed for calm today after sales-crazed shoppers sparked a wave of Black Friday disorder and violence.

Bargain hunters were accused of behaving like animals as they grappled over computers, coffee machines, hair-dryers and games consoles. 

In extraordinary scenes, men and women of all ages fought to secure deals in the sales frenzy imported from the US.

Scroll down for video 

+7

Tug of war: A woman fights desperately to cling on to a widescreen TV in London as other shoppers try to wrestle it from her. A staff member from Asda can be seen intervening

Tugs of war broke out over TVs and shoppers resorted to lying on top of goods to stop them being snatched by rivals. 

Police and paramedics were called in to deal with mayhem and injuries at Tesco and Asda stores. At least three arrests were made.

Forget taxi drivers. Look how Mellor abused those closest to him! We reveal what happened AFTER his notorious affair.

• Mr Mellor hit the headlines in 1992 following revelations of affair
• The married Tory minister had been seeing a 31-year-old actress
• Their liaisons took place at a flat in Earl's Court where he stayed overnight
• Despite this, his sons grew up to become PR and investments gurus
• He later cuckolded Lord Cobham, who was left contemplating suicide
• This week it emerged he had launched foul-mouth tirade at taxi driver

After calling his taxi driver a ‘sweaty, stupid little s**t’, David Mellor rattled through the long list of things that make him a superior human being. ‘You’ve been driving a cab for ten years? I have been in the Cabinet!’ he declared. ‘I am an award-winning broadcaster, I’m a Queen’s Counsel. You think your experiences are anything compared to mine? Just shut up!’

Sadly, the former Tory minister neglected to mention, in the now notorious tape-recorded dispute over taxi navigation (which became public this week), his most famous achievement: becoming a national joke. The date he was elevated to this status was July 24, 1992. The location was Thistle Cottage, his parents-in-law’s Sussex home. The occasion? A photo-shoot in which he co-opted them, along with his wife, Judith, and two small children, into a display of family unity.

Five days earlier, the gap-toothed ‘Minister for Fun’ had been splashed across the front pages after it was revealed that he had conducted a three-month extra-marital affair with Antonia de Sancha, a jobbing actress who, at 31, was 12 years his junior.

Their liaisons had taken place at a tatty rented flat in London’s Earl’s Court, where Mellor stayed overnight, sleeping on a crumpled mattress surrounded by half-empty champagne and brandy bottles.

Scroll down for video 

+8

Show of unity: David Mellor poses for the infamous 1992 'five-bar-gate' photocall with wife Judith (far right), their two sons Frederick and Anthony (centre, left and right respectively) and his parents-in-law Edward (far left) and Joan Hall (second from right)

David Mellor's foul mouthed rant in 2010

In a tape-recorded conversation with his paramour, obtained by a Sunday newspaper, the Cabinet minister even

No law prevents lawmakers from scaling fence –Victor Ndoma-Egba, senate leader

Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba

The Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, who is representing Cross River Central Senatorial District in this interview withSUNDAY ABORISADE defends criticisms against the Nigerian senate and the recent police invasion of the National Assembly

Some Nigerians believe that the executive has been taking the federal parliament for a ride because of the passive nature of the Senate. They cite last Thursday’s invasion of the National Assembly by the police as a case in point. What is your comment on this?

Agony of child slaves raped, abused by their bosses

 

Agony of child slaves raped, abused by their bosses

Theirs is a life devoid of any joy. People see them but never see the tragic lives they are trapped in. Day and night, many Nigerian children used as house helps labour and suffer in silence. They are locked in domestic servitude while their lucky peers go to school and live normal lives. KUNLE FALAYI, takes a look at the lives of such children, whose very existence are controlled by their bosses. They sometimes endure unimaginable trauma that changes their lives forever

Tosin Adeyanju rocked the six-month-old baby she was carrying gently to keep the child quiet. As the girl spoke, with a voice that belied the suffering and agony she had endured since she was a child, she looked around in fear.

Tambuwal asks court to jail IG for contempt

Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal
| credits: File copy

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to summon the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, to explain why he should not be jailed for disobeying the court order.

Tambuwal accused Abba of consistently disobeying the court order made on November 7, 2014, which directed parties in his substantive suit filed to stop his removal as a member and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Speaker had on Thursday filed the fresh application before Justice Ahmed Mohammed, alleging that Abba’s instruction to the men of the police to deny him access into the premises of the National Assembly preventing him from carrying out his lawful duties on November 20, amounted to flouting the court order.

Fayose blasts Obasanjo for criticising Jonathan

Ayo Fayose

The Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, flayed former President Olusegun Obasanjo for allegedly criticising   Jonathan’s administration on corruption and insecurity.

Fayose, who spoke at a summit in Ife, said that Obasanjo had no moral justification to criticise Jonathan’s administration because the former President’s government was far more corrupt than the one he criticised.

The attack from Fayose came just as notable leaders of the Yoruba race present at the summit endorsed Jonathan for a second term in office.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, led notable traditional rulers from many Yoruba towns majority of who are from Ekiti State to the summit.

120 killed in mosque bomb explosions

120 killed in mosque bomb explosions

No fewer than 120 died and 270 were injured on Friday as the violent Boko Haram sect bombed the 10,000 capacity Kano Central Mosque where the Emir, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, usually leads prayers.

About 10 gunmen went on a shooting spree after the blast at the mosque, which is close to the Emir of Kano’s palace.

A rescue official, who spoke with Agence France-Presse, put casualty figures at almost 400, adding that 120 were killed and 270 hurt in the three explosions that rocked the mosque.

The emir was said to have travelled to Saudi Arabia late on Thursday night from Paris.

Witnesses said the incident happened just as residents were getting set for Friday prayers.

“The attackers have bombed the mosque. I saw people screaming,” a local reporter who resides in Kano, Chijjani Usman, told Reuters.

APC ticket: Senator asks Buhari, Atiku to withdraw

 

former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Head of State, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

The senator representing Kano South Senatorial District, Kabiru Gaya, on Thursday, appealed to a former Head of State, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); and a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, to step down for Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso in the struggle for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress.

Gaya, who was also a former governor of Kano State, stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja.

He said since Buhari and Atiku were elder statesmen, they should allow a younger Kwankwaso to be the candidate of the APC.

Gaya said, “I am not trying to introduce politics into the situation but we have to tell ourselves the truth. Governor Kwankwaso was a minister of defence, and now a serving governor. He was a legislator, once being a deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.

“He was also Special Adviser to the President on Dafur. He was a member of the Niger Delta Development Commission, hence he has the credentials. He is a young man too. He can work for 18 hours a day.

“I believe that all our elders and leaders in the APC would support him. If you look at the situation in other countries, their citizens are going for young people to become their president.

President’s wife shuns Dickson at Jonathan’s birthday

Mrs. Patience Jonathan
| credits: kenetomagazine.blogspot.com

                                                                                          

Wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, tactically avoided the Bayelsa State delegation, led by Governor Seriake Dickson, who came to rejoice with the President on his 57th birthday in Abuja on Thursday.

No member of the National Assembly from the state was also on the delegation.

There has been no love lost between the governor and the President’s wife over an alleged plan by Mrs. Jonathan to stop Dickson from being re-elected as the state governor.

The PUNCH had reported exclusively on Thursday that Bayelsa senators and members of the House of Representatives at the National Assembly had joined forces with the First Lady against Dickson.

The report had it that the federal legislators had formed a strong alliance to counter the moves by the governor and his loyalists to re-elect them in the 2015, through zoning, allegedly orchestrated by Dickson.

Assembly crisis: Oshiomhole, Fayose exchange hot words

Edo State governor, Adams OshiomholeEdo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his Ekiti State counterpart, Governor Ayodele Fayose, on Thursday exchanged hot words over the state of the legislature in their respective states.

Edo While Oshiomhole told Fayose not to drag his (Oshiomhole) name into the “political gangsterism that has become peculiar with the Ekiti State Governor,” the Ekiti governor said his Edo counterpart lacked the moral right to question developments in Ekiti when he had not managed well the crisis in his state legislature.

The Edo governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, said there was no crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly, and that 15 of the 24-member Assembly were members of the All Progressives Congress, while the other nine were of the Peoples Democratic Party.

He explained that out of the nine PDP members, three were on suspension while the seat of another member had been declared vacant.

Commotion at National Assembly

Commotion at National Assembly

There was commotion at the National Assembly on Thursday as a plot to stop the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, from entering the assembly complex failed.

Riot policemen   tear-gassed angry lawmakers, who were protesting against the development.

Although the general belief was that the security operatives were deployed in the assembly to prevent Tambuwal from   presiding over Thursday’s “special plenary,”The PUNCH gathered that it was to stop some   lawmakers, especially those in the All Progressives Congress Caucus,   from   tabling a motion for President Goodluck Jonathan’s impeachment.

Synagogue: TB Joshua snubs coroner again

TB Joshua

The Thursday sitting of the coroner probing the September 12 Synagogue building collapse was hampered by faulty electronic recorder, leading to further adjournment till Friday (today).

Scheduled for appearance on Thursday before the coroner, Magistrate O.A. Komolafe, were the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, the Lagos State Ministry of Works, the founder, Synagogue Church of All Nations, Prophet T.B. Joshua and the contractor that built the failed structure.

While the SON and Ministry of Works were represented, both Joshua and the contractor were however absent and no reason was given for their non-appearance.

But the proceeding was however halted mid-way into the testimony of the SON witness, Mr. Bede obayi, who is the Head, Inspectorate and Compliant Department of the SON.

Prior to the adjournment, Obayi, an expert in Metallurgical and Material Engineering, had submitted to the coroner results of three separate tests carried out on samples of the materials used in building the collapsed building.

Introducing the test results, Obayi told the coroner that immediately his team received the news of the building collapse, they visited the site and collected relevant samples, including iron rods and the broken bricks.

According to Obayi, SON’s investigations traced the iron rods used as the reinforcement timbers of the failed building to four different companies.

Mark shuts National Assembly over violence

Speaker jump fence

 

There was pandemonium in the National Assembly on Thursday when armed security personnel invaded the federal parliament and locked out the senators and House of Representatives members.

The convoy of the Senate President, David Mark, who attempted to pass through the gate that links the National Assembly from the State House, was delayed for about 30 minutes.

Africa's 50 Richest 2014: The Newcomers

This year, six newcomers join the ranks of Forbes’ fourth annual ranking of the richest people in Africa, down from nine last year. Nigeria and Morocco produced the highest number of newcomers, with two each, while Kenya and Egypt produced one new member each.

The wealthiest newcomer to this year’s list of Africa’s 50 Richest is His Majesty, King Mohammed VI of Morocco, who debuts with a fortune estimated at $2.1 billion. King Mohammed VI owns an estimated 40% stake in Société Nationale d’Investissement (SNI), a Moroccan investment holding company which owns almost half of Attijariwafa, Morocco’s largest bank, and significant stakes in mining company Managem Group and sugar producer Cosumar.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco, newcomer to FORBES list of Africa’s 50 Richest.

Nigerian Tycoons Lead Africa's 50 Richest To Gains In 2014

Reported by Zina Moukheiber and Mfonobong Nsehe, with additional reporting from FORBES AFRICA, Christopher Helman, Chase Peterson-Withorn and Katia Savchuk. Edited by Kerry A. Dolan with Abram Brown and Luisa Kroll

For the first time in the four years that FORBES has been tracking Africa’s richest, Nigeria bests South Africa. At the top yet again is cement tycoon Aliko Dangote of Nigeria, joined on the list of Africa’s 50 Richest by 12 other countrymen.  In comparison South Africa claims 11 spots, down from 14 a year ago. Nigeria is showing its strength, having earned commendations for its efforts to snuff out Ebola in the country, which Dangote helped fund — and despite a recent drop in oil prices.

The Richest Man in Africa: Aliko Dangote

There are three new billionaires on the list: Orji Uzor Kalu of Nigeria, Tony Elumelu of Nigeria and King Mohammed VI of Morocco.