Akhigbe’s body arrives Nigeria on Saturday

The body of late former Chief of General Staff, Vice-Admiral Mike Akhigbe, will arrive Nigeria on Saturday. Nigeria’s Consul-General in New York, Amb. Habib Habu had disclosed this to reporters on Thursday. He said that, the corpse would leave New York on Friday night for Nigeria.
“Earlier on Friday, a church service in honour of the former Naval chief will take place at the Holy Family Church located at 315E, 47th Street in New York,’’ habib further revealed.

TUC tells FG to end ASUU strike

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Friday called on the Federal Government to take measures to end the four-month-old strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
This call is contained in a statement signed by Mr Musa Lawal, the Secretary General of the union, in Abuja.
ASUU had embarked on strike to protest against the non-implementation of 2009 agreement
reached between the union and the Federal Government.
The TUC said the union was disturbed that in spite of protests and appeals by parents, students, market women and others, government had not shown concerned about plight of the students.
“TUC is again appealing to government to address this critical issue that bothers on our collective future as a nation.

Police disrupts pro-Oduah protest in Abuja

With the final hearing on the controversial purchase of two BMW bullet-proof cars for the Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah concluded Friday, a group of Nigerian women took to the streets of Abuja yesterday, to challenge the various agitations by some Nigerians who have been calling for the sack of the Minister over the ongoing saga. In what could be termed a solidarity march, the women had asked a pertinent question on whether Ms. Oduah was the only Minister who has ever acquired a bullet-proof car in the country.
The women, numbering about 50 stormed the Federal Secretariat, chanting solidarity songs, displaying different placards with inscriptions such as “Leave Stella Oduah alone,” “Stella has transformed the aviation sector.”

ASUU strike: FG has not released a kobo out of N100billion intervention fund – Union insists

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has again debunked claims by the Federal government that the sum of N100billion had been disbursed to public universities to improve infrastructure.
According to ASUU, none of the 59 government-owned varsities had received the said sum as reported in some publications.
Chairman of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi branch of ASUU, Dr. Celestine Aguoru, stated this yesterday after leading members of the branch on a peaceful march.
The members numbering about 200 converged on the Kenville Parks and Gardens, High Level in Makurdi, the Benue State capital as early as 8.am, chanting solidarity songs.

Chieftain warns against replacing Kaduna State APC Coordinator

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, Alhaji Lawal Maiturare, has cautioned the national secretariat of the party against replacing the state Coordinator of the party Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Kaduna that doing so would amount to sowing the seed of discord in the new party.
Maiturare said the current agitation by a group against the selection of Baba-Ahmed was not in the interest of majority of the party members.
The chieftain said that those calling for the replacement of Baba-Ahmed were not members of APC.
Maiturare, who spoke on behalf of the former leaders of CPC, ANPP and ACN in the three senatorial zones of the state, added that the agitators were sponsored to cause disunity in APC.
NAN reports that a group, led by Mr Mataimaki Tom-Maiyashi, a former commissioner in the second republic, had questioned the method used in the selection of the coordinators and other officials of the party.

He claimed that it isolated most stakeholders in the party and insisted that the selection must follow due process.

© GettyImages.com / DJ Dave Herman

DJ Dave Herman arrested in child sex sting

TheWrap
Retired New York radio host Dave Herman was arrested this week for allegedly trying to set up an encounter with a 7-year-old girl, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced Friday.
The 77-year old Herman was a longtime rock and roll DJ at the FM station WNEW, and a radio fixture for listeners throughout the five boroughs, who offered up a steady diet of Bruce Springsteen songs.
Prosecutors say he was arrested in the U.S. Virgin Islands by Homeland Security agents where he had arranged to meet a young girl. In a series of web chats he allegedly told an undercover officer from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey that he wanted to have sex with her fictitious daughter.
Click here for the full complaint

Ozil makes shortlist for Ballon d'Or

Mesut Ozil has been named on the 23-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or.
The Germany international has made a major impact at the Club since joining from Real Madrid this summer, scoring three times and claiming four assists in nine games.
The 24-year-old is joined on the shortlist for the prestigious Fifa award by the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery.
The winner will be announced on January 8.
Shortlist in full:
Mesut Ozil (Arsenal/Germany)
Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/Wales)
Edinson Cavani (Paris St Germain/Uruguay)
Radamel Falcao (Monaco/Colombia)
Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris St Germain/Sweden)
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/Spain)
Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich/Germany)
Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund/Poland)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich/Germany)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich/Germany)
Neymar (Barcelona/Brazil)
Andrea Pirlo (Juventus/Italy)
Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich/France)
Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich/Netherlands)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal)
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich/Germany)
Luis Suarez (Liverpool/Uruguay)
Thiago Silva (Paris St Germain/Brazil)
Yaya Toure (Manchester City/Ivory Coast)
Robin van Persie (Manchester United/Netherlands)
Xavi (Barcelona/Spain)