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.