OJB to Tonto Dikeh: You need to learn how to sing

Popular producer, Babatunde Jezreel Okungbowa, better known as OJB, has criticized the new album of controversial Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh.
OJB noted this after listening to Dikeh’s much publicized album, with its multi million naira video premiered days back amidst pomp and ceremony some where on Lagos Island, Lagos State.
The Kennis Music producer said: “Dikeh still has a long way to go when it comes to music.
“Her problem is that she wasn’t listening to key.
“People did not download the song out of love but out of surprise.
“If she really wants to go into music professionally, she needs to take out her time and learn how to sing properly.
“As far as I’m concerned, Tonto Dikeh’s delving into music industry is a bad idea right now.
“Her decision to sing is not bad but using her movie star as a platform will not help because music is a natural thing.”

Jonathan using SURE-P funds for 2015 campaign – ACN

The Action Congress of Nigeria has said the crisis that is now tearing apart the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party over the sharing of SURE-P funds among its members in the state, has vindicated its stand that the funds meant to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal have now become a 2015 campaign war chest for President Goodluck Jonathan.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said when it alerted the nation to the abuse of the SURE-P funds in a statement on February 3, 2013, the Federal Government as well as SURE-P managers rushed to deny any abuse of the funds and called the ACN unprintable names.
The statement added: “Today, the truth has prevailed as the PDP members themselves have confirmed that the SURE-P funds are being shared among them across the federation.
“Thanks to the alleged hijacking of the SURE-P funds meant for the PDP members in Lagos State by the Bode George faction and the crisis that it has generated, the nation can now see that the Jonathan Administration has willfully converted the money accruing from SURE-P to campaign funds.
“This is a very serious violation of the constitution, because the State Implementation Committee, a body not recognised by law, has been set up to distribute the SURE-P largesse to PDP members in all the states.
“Recall that money being spent on fuel subsidies was in the past taken out of the Federation Account, hence it is money that would have been divided among the three tiers of government in accordance with the revenue allocation formula.
“But by virtue of the SURE-P arrangement, part of the funds are now available for the FG to share freely by approving contracts, programmes and activities in accordance with its whims and caprices.
“The PDP-controlled FG has now seen the accruing huge funds as money which may well be spent with special favour for its cronies and party affiliates, without regard to the constitution. For President Jonathan, this is an impeachable offence.”
The ACN said in order to buttress its point on the abuse of the SURE-P funds, most – if not all – state coordinators for President Jonathan’s campaign in 2011 are also the current state coordinators for SURE-P, adding that this is not a mere coincidence but a well-orchestrated attempt to give the Jonathan campaign an unfair head-start ahead of 2015 – with public funds.
The ACN listed some of the coordinators as Alhaji Bode Oyedele (Lagos); Joseph Ishekpa (Nasarawa); Alhaji Garba A. Kurfi (Katsina): Alhaji Aliyu Mamman (Niger); Alhaji Adamu Yaro Gombe (Gombe); Hon. Femi Akinyemi (Ekiti); Jarigbe Agbom Jarigbe (Cross River); Chief Abdullahi Ohioma (Kogi); Dare Adeleke (Oyo); Alhaji Al-Kasim Madoka (Kano) and Alhaji Kolo Bukar (Borno).
On the crisis in Lagos PDP over the SURE-P largesse, ACN said a public statement by a faction of the PDP in Lagos has let the cat out of the bag.
The PDP factional statement said: “Bode Oyedele cannot coordinate Sure-P in Lagos State. We reject him. He has packed all Bode George’s agents as Sure-P beneficiaries. Is this the objective of Sure-P? Some local governments like Eti-Osa, Ajeromi, Lagos Islands etc. Please find out how they got the beneficiaries.
“In Eti-Osa there are names of criminals as beneficiaries, especially Ward HI. This is a waste of Subsidy money and defeating the objective of the programme. There are responsible eminent citizens who should be contacted to verify and screen the submission of names for beneficiaries but Bode George’s loyalists are putting names of touts and miscreants for his own personal agenda. We won’t allow this to happen. We intend to go to court to obtain an order to dissolve the state Exco if the Caretaker Committee won’t do it.”
The ACN said from the statement by members of the PDP themselves, no one should be left in any doubt that the SURE-P funds have now become campaign funds for President Jonathan and his party ahead of 2015.
Mohammed added in the statement: “On the basis of this, we are now calling for an independent investigation into how the money accruing to SURE-P has been disbursed since the inception of the programme, with a view to establishing to what extent the funds have been abused, and in order to prescribe the appropriate sanctions for those found culpable.”

14 killed as JTF raids suspected Boko Haram home

No fewer than 14 persons were killed on Sunday when officers and men of the Joint Task Force in Kano, Kano State launched an attack on the home of suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
The 14 persons killed by the military were said to be members of the dreaded sect, Boko Haram.
Information made available by the military said the attack on the home was preceded by an event at a military checkpoint when a driver refused to stop.
The driver was said to have been pursued to the home that was attacked by the military.
At the house, a car loaded with explosives was discovered.
The shootout that ensued reportedly led to the death of 14 persons.
There was however silence on whether the military lost anyone.
Spokesman of the military, Captain Ikedi Iweha, confirmed the development to newsmen on Sunday.

Unemployment, poverty are Nigeria’s key challenges – IMF

On February 6, 2013, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund concluded the 2012 Article IV consultation with Nigeria, identifying unemployment and poverty as the two key challenges facing the country.
In a report of the consultation released on Thursday, the Directors of the IMF also said they looked forward to the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill.
The IMF said if the PIB is passed, there will be more transparency in the running of the oil industry, which still accounts for the larger chunk of the country’s income.
Here is the report:

Background
Macroeconomic performance has been broadly positive over the past year. Real gross domestic product (GDP) growth is projected to have decelerated slightly to 6.3 percent, reflecting the effects of the nationwide strike in early 2012, floods in the fourth quarter of 2012, and continued security problems in the north. Annual inflation increased from 10.3 percent (end-of-period) in 2011 to 12.3 percent in 2012, owing mainly to the adjustment of administrative prices of fuel and electricity; large increases in import tariffs on rice and wheat; and the impact of floods in Q3. The external position has strengthened and international reserves rose from US$32.6 billion at end-2011 to US$44 billion at end-2012 (5½ months of prospective imports), driven by sustained high oil prices, stricter administration of the gasoline subsidy regime, and strong portfolio inflows.
The fiscal policy stance was tightened in 2012 and fiscal buffers are being rebuilt. The non-oil primary deficit of the consolidated government is estimated to have narrowed from about 36 percent of non-oil GDP in 2011 to 30.5 percent in 2012, mainly due to expenditure restraint. Monetary policy remained tight in 2012 in response to inflationary pressures. The central bank kept its policy rate unchanged during the year but raised the cash reserve requirement for banks from 8 percent to 12 percent and lowered allowable open foreign exchange position for banks. Financial soundness indicators point to continued improvements in the health of the banking system.
In 2013, growth is expected to recover to above 7 percent. Inflation is projected to decline below 10 percent, supported by the tight monetary policy stance and ongoing fiscal consolidation. The key downside risks are a large drop in world oil prices; and slow progress in building consensus around key fiscal reforms.

Executive Board Assessment
Executive Directors commended the authorities for prudent macroeconomic policies that have underpinned a strong economic performance in recent years. Looking ahead, Directors agreed that widespread unemployment and poverty remain key challenges for policymakers, and called for renewed efforts to make economic growth more broad-based and inclusive.
Directors supported the authorities’ strategy of consolidating the fiscal position while opening up policy space for needed investment in infrastructure and human capital. To this end, they underscored the need to improve tax administration, better prioritize public expenditure, strengthen public financial management, and improve the fiscal framework. In particular, they encouraged the authorities to reduce poorly-targeted fuel subsidies, adopt a rule to set the reference oil price in the budget, and fully operationalize the Sovereign Wealth Fund as soon as possible. Efforts to mobilize public support for these reforms should be intensified.
Directors considered the current tight monetary stance to be consistent with the authorities’ objective of reducing inflation to single digits. They also took note of the staff’s assessment that the exchange rate in real effective terms is broadly in line with fundamentals.
Directors commended the authorities’ success in restoring financial stability after the 2009 banking crisis. In light of this achievement, they recommended winding down the operations of the asset management company to curb moral hazard and fiscal risks. Directors welcomed the central bank’s commitment to address supervisory and regulatory gaps identified in the Financial Stability Assessment Update, particularly the need to strengthen cross-border supervision and the regime against money laundering and terrorism financing.
Directors concurred that wide-ranging reforms are key to make growth more inclusive. They agreed on the importance of supporting sectors with high employment potential, not through protectionist measures or tax incentives but rather with initiatives to improve governance, the investment climate, and competitiveness. Directors welcomed reforms underway in the energy sector, and looked forward to an early passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill which would boost investment, government revenue, and fiscal transparency. They also encouraged the authorities to promote market-based access to credit for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

March 31 THE OPERATING PRINCIPLE OF LIFE

Mark 11:22 "And Jesus answered saying to them, "Have faith in God""

The sun is perhaps the most credible object of faith for the world. It appears to be immutable. It has always been there, 24 hours of every day, 365 days a year. Without the sun, people couldn't live. If the sun didn't rise tomorrow morning, what would happen to the world's faith? All of humanity would be thrown into confusion.

If we have such great faith in the sun, why don't we have even greater faith in the Son who made the sun and all the rest of the fixed order of the universe?

Our faith is in God. Genuine faith is born out of a knowledge of the will of God and exists only to fulfill that will. Faith is not a means of getting man's will done in heaven; it is the means of getting God's will done on earth.

After hearing me speak on spiritual conflicts, a young man came by to talk about his personal life. He said he'd had several experiences of not being able to speak the name of Jesus aloud. I asked him about his faith. He thought he had made a decision for Christ years earlier in an evangelistic meeting. He tried living with some American Indians to continue his spiritual journey, but that proved to be disastrous. He finally ended up living in a pastor's home where he was helped with the assurance of his salvation. The pastor encouraged him to just go live by faith.

The young man said to me, "I've been trying to live by faith for three years, and it has been one trial after another."

"Faith in what?" I asked.

He didn't know how to respond. This young man was trying to live by faith in faith. But faith itself is not a valid object. The only valid object for faith is God and the revelation we have of Him in His Word. Faith is the operating principle of life. The only difference between Christian and non-Christian faith is the object. God must be the object of our faith.

Prayer: Lord God, I place my faith in You alone today. Help me not to allow anyone or anything to take Your place as the object of my faith.

Three dead, 14 injured in Easter Friday crashes

Three persons have been confirmed dead in an accident on Easter Friday.
The accident occurred at Owode Ijako, Ogun State on the ever busy Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
The vehicle in which they were traveling, a Faragon Volkswagen commercial bus, with registration number XM587EKY, crashed when the driver lost control.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps, three other passengers in the vehicle were also injured.
The victims of the accident, which occurred at 7:20am, were taken to the General Hospital in Ota, Ogun State.
From Ibadan, Oyo State comes a report of yet another accident in which 11 persons were injured.
The injured persons, six males and five females, were traveling in a white Toyota Hiace bus with registration number MUS289XB.
The crash occurred at about 8:55am on Friday on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, about 2 km to Mallo Filling Station.
The victims were taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu and the vehicle towed by the Motor Traffic Division, Iperu, both in Ogun State.

The Nigerian media and Governor Akpabio, by Niran Adedokun

I am praying that my dad does not get to read this article. If he stumbles on it by any chance, I am sure he would be calling me after a few minutes to say “Did I not tell you”?
What did he tell me? Let me share it with you:
A little over a decade or so ago, I had travelled to Kwara State to pursue a story for The Punch Newspapers. We wanted an interview with Comrade Olola Kasumu, a vocal champion of the cause of people of Afonja descent in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. As I arrived Ilorin, I visited my dad, who was then a Permanent Secretary in the Kwara State Civil Service. He wanted to know what I was doing in town and I saw no reason why I should not tell him. After all it was “Daddy”.
“I was sent here to get an interview with Olola Kasumu. It’s been a while since we heard anything from him and we would like an interview.” My father looked at me and shook his head. Then he spoke: “You journalists sha, you like to look for trouble. Someone says he doesn’t want to speak, you say he must speak. What is your own? Sometimes I wonder why they call you gentlemen of the press because I honestly don’t think you are gentle.” I just laughed and left his office to “look for the trouble” I came for.
Today, I also find myself asking why the media, especially the Nigerian media, loves to court trouble. We just are in such a hurry to get people to vilify us. What exactly is our challenge?
First it was the poor Lagos State Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Now it is Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State. God knows who it will be next. May be yours truly although I am honest enough to know that I am too small a fry for the Nigerian media to feast on. But honestly we like trouble too much. Haba!
Editor of the Daily Independent on Saturday, Olumide Iyanda, drew my attention to Channels Sunrise last Saturday and I remain grateful for his tweet. In the studios of Channels TV that morning was Aniekan Umanah, Commissioner for Information in Akwa Ibom State, labouring to defend the recent donations of his principal.
Maybe I need to remind you: the big man was said to have “dashed” out one SUV and some cash to talented musician, Tu Face Idibia, and his bride, Annie (who is a native of his state), at their traditional wedding. He was also said to have sponsored about 20 people to be part of the wedding in the United Arab Emirates where the couple chose to celebrate their wedding. No one blamed the artiste; the young man is successful and went for what he wanted. What we fail to understand is why a governor would dip his hands into “our” treasury”(the discussion on that day revealed that the governor took those monies from his treasury, since his commissioner insisted that provisions were made in the budget for donations).
Akpabio did not stop at that. He was also said to have doled out cash to six state chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party in the South South Zone. Reports claim that the governor said that the N1 million gift to each of the chairmen was meant for lunch! That would have been the lunch of their lives. Then another N10 million came from his pocket to support the Anglican Church in the President’s Village, Otuoke, Bayelsa State. Some N50 million endowment of the Goodluck Jonathan Award in the movie industry and another N10 million to the Nigerian Golden Eaglets. Trust the Nigerian journalist, none of the governor’s songs in millions escaped his eye and he reported each act of money doling by the governor. Much anger is generated among Nigerians, or at least among puritans who feel that there must be a process to government.
Now we may have incurred the wrath of the governor as I read somewhere that he spoke the following words in anger: “Nigeria is a place where bad news is good news. Nigerian press has not yet learnt. From the West African Pilot, the press was set up in Nigeria to fight the colonial masters and to fight for independence. Many years after the colonial masters left, the Nigerian press is still fighting government and up till now they still don’t know that the colonial masters have gone.” How could we get him so angry? Aren’t we just trouble makers?
As I ruminated over this matter, I wonder what those who benefited from Akpabio’s “donatus” disposition would think. They must (possibly with the exception of the Idibias who are obviously able to afford the vehicle) so hate the Nigerian media now. I can imagine them cursing and wondering why the media brought so much focus on the benevolence of a governor who has just given them an opportunity to bite a piece, just a little piece of the national cake. I imagine them saying stuff like: “Which kind bad belle be this, e go better for these people so? If anyone of them waka come this side, we go wound am o.” Now, that added to the governor’s wrath is proper trouble for journalists!
The sad thing about our country is that the mass of the people do not understand what the media is talking about. Not to talk of believing in it. For the average Nigerian politician, he is in politics for this type of patronage. He does not understand the need for accountability in government. He cannot and refuses to link the lack of performance that we see at every level of government to this kind of financial recklessness and so this national angst championed by the media is totally unnecessary.
So what my take? Let us leave Akpabio alone so we don’t incur the wrath of the beneficiaries. And if we get so angry, let every editor look for an Akwa Ibom sisi to marry, shout about his wedding until it catches the attention of the governor and then wait for HIS own largesse; otherwise, forever keep your peace! God help Nigeria.
Adedokun is a reputation management expert and Chief Operating Officer of David & Destiny Consulting.

Homosexuality: A Biblical Overview by Jim Denison

Homosexuality is one of the most divisive issues in American culture. Should same-sex marriages be legalized? Should practicing homosexuals be ordained into Christian ministry? What does the Bible say on this controversial and emotional issue?

On such a controversial and emotional issue, we need to know whose word we are going to trust. We can find scholars who support any of the variety of positions which are advocated on the subject. It is not my intention to treat fully the multitude of interpretive comments which deal with the biblical texts on the subject. My goal is simply to review what the Bible says about homosexuality, as clearly, succinctly, and practically as possible.

Interpreting the Bible

And so I must begin with an interpretive word. When I taught principles of biblical interpretation at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I often told my students, "The Bible can never mean what it never meant." We must seek the intended meaning of the text as understood in its original context. I also said often, "The only word God is obligated to bless is his word." What matters to us today is not my opinions or yours, but God's.

Such a position is not held universally on this subject. For instance, Dr. Walter Wink states in his thoughtful booklet, Homosexuality and the Bible, "Where the Bible mentions homosexual behavior at all, it clearly condemns it. I freely grant that. The issue is precisely whether that Biblical judgment is correct" (p. 12). Dr. Wink then compares homosexuality to the issue of slavery: he argues that the Bible condones slavery, states that the Bible was wrong on that subject, and concludes that it is equally wrong on the issue before us (pp. 12-13).

I respect greatly Dr. Wink's enormous contributions to New Testament studies, especially on the subjects of spiritual warfare and nonviolence. But I could not disagree more strongly with his assertion, "The issue is precisely whether that Biblical judgment is correct." Without digressing into an extended defense of biblical authority, I wish to state clearly that I believe every word of the Bible to be the word of God. I believe the Scriptures to possess the same authority for our lives today as they possessed for their first hearers and readers. For my purposes, the only question we'll seek to answer is: What does the Bible intend to teach on this subject?

The Sin of Sodom

The Supreme Court made history on June 27, 2003, when it struck down the "sodomy laws" of the state of Texas. In a 6-3 decision, the justices reversed course from a ruling 17 years ago that states could punish homosexuals for private consensual sex. Such activity is typically called "sodomy" because of the text we'll study today.

In a survey of passages typically cited on the divisive issue of homosexuality, Genesis 19 and the sin of Sodom is usually listed first. Lot entertained two angels who came to the city to investigate its sins. These angels appeared as men; before they went to bed "all the men from every part of the city of Sodom — both young and old — surrounded the house. They called to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them'" (vs. 4-5, NIV). For such sin, "the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah" (v. 24), destroying them.

Is this text a condemnation of homosexuality? Dr. Walter Wink believes not: "That was a case of ostensibly heterosexual males intent on humiliating strangers by treating them 'like women,' thus demasculinizing them" (p. 1). However, Dr. Wink offers no textual evidence that the men were "ostensibly heterosexual"; his view is only conjectural, and stands against the vast majority of interpretation across the centuries.

Dr. Peter Gomes, the minister at Harvard's Memorial Church and Plummer Professor of Christian Morals in Harvard College, offers a different approach. He has written an extremely erudite introduction to the Bible and its message, The Good Book. Dr. Gomes, himself a homosexual (p. 164), treats this passage as an attempted homosexual rape, and argues that it does not condemn homosexuality per se (pp. 150-52).

A third approach is suggested by D. Sherwin Bailey, in his influential Homosexuality and the Western Christian Tradition. Dr. Bailey argues that the Hebrew word for "know," translated "have sex" by the New International Version, relates not to sexual activity but hospitality. The word appears more than 943 times in the Old Testament, only 12 times in the context of sexual activity.

However, 10 of these 12 times are in the book of Genesis, the context for our text. Lot's response to the crowd, offering his daughters so they can "do what you like with them," makes clear that he interpreted their desires as sexual (v. 8). Everett Fox's excellent translation of Genesis includes the note, "the meaning is unmistakably sexual" (p. 80). And Jude 7 settles the question as to whether sexual activity is meant by our text: "Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion."

It is also the case that Jewish and later Christian interpretation of the passage has historically and commonly seen the sin in Sodom as homosexuality itself, not just attempted rape. While this fact does not settle the interpretative question, it is worth noting as we proceed.

The Leviticus Prohibition

The next text typically cited on our subject is Leviticus 18:22, and it is far less ambiguous: "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." The Hebrew is as clear as the English translation.

The obvious sense of the command seems to be: homosexual sexual relations are forbidden by Scripture. This is the way the text has typically been understood by Jewish and Christian interpreters across the centuries. It is the way most read the text still today.

But those who advocate homosexuality as an acceptable biblical lifestyle have found ways to dissent. Dr. Walter Wink admits that this text "unequivocally condemn[s] same-sex sexual behavior." But he theorizes that the ancient Hebrews saw any sexual activity which could not lead to the creation of life as a form of abortion or murder. He adds that the Jews would have seen homosexuality as "alien behavior, representing yet one more incursion

Presidency has no plan to remove fuel subsidy - Okupe

The Presidency on Thursday said it had no plans to remove the subsidy on petroleum products.
Presidential spokesman, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, said despite President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent remark concerning subsidy removal, the administration, as a matter of policy, had no plans in that direction.
Besides, Okupe, who said the President was mindful of the reactions and plight of the Nigerian people, maintained that sufficient allocation for fuel subsidy has already been made in the 2013 budget.
He added: “Therefore there is no cause for alarm on removal of fuel subsidy.”
Speaking on Jonathan’s remark at the Economic Summit in Lagos State recently, Okupe said: “This was a frank, intellectual and well-articulated contribution by the President to the discussion on the Nigerian Economy at the said Summit, and it was from a honest and sincere leadership perspective.
“The President and this administration are not insensitive to the plights of the Nigerian Masses and will continue to pursue and execute policies and programmes that are in the overall interest of majority of Nigerians and that will bring the greatest good to the greatest number of our teeming population.
“It is an undeniable fact that every responsible leadership, genuine stakeholder and patriot must be worried when a Nation spends about N1 Trillion, an equivalent of about 20% of the National Budget, on subsidy paid out to a few Companies and enjoyed in the main by very few elites, while the common man benefits only minimally.
“Contrary to the speculation in the media and assumption by certain groups within the polity, we wish to state categorically that, the removal of oil subsidy is not on the table of the Transformation Agenda of the President. The statement made by President Goodluck Jonathan at the recent Economic Summit held in Lagos was a frank, intellectual and well articulated contribution by the President to the discussion on the Nigerian Economy at the said Summit, and it was from a honest and sincere leadership perspective.
“Finally, for the avoidance of doubt and at the risk of being repetitive, this administration is not considering the issue of removal of fuel subsidy in the nearest future and certainly will not embark on any such programme without extensive consultations and engagements across the various segments, interests and stakeholders in the Nigerian polity.”

Update; Police, NSCDC clash: Jonathan summons IGP

Piqued by the reported clash between the police and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps recently in Lagos State on Wednesday, President Goodluk Jonathan on Thursday summoned the leadership of the police to the Presidential Villa.

The Police and men of the NSCDC clashed in Lagos State, leaving two men of the latter dead.

On Wednesday evening, the President had met with the leadership of the NSCDC.

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, was said to be out of the country hence, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG ‘A’, Suleiman Fakai, led the police team to the meeting with Jonathan.

Other members of the delegation were Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko; Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Anti-Vandalism, Friday Ibadin; and the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba.

Speaking with State House correspondents, Mba said the leadership of the police was at the Villa to brief the President on “co-operational related issues”.

According to him, the meeting afforded them the opportunity to give police perspective on the reported clash with the men of NSCDC,.

He said the public will soon get to know the exact facts of the matter.

Mba said: “Of course, that (the clash) is one of those issues we also discussed and we also have to come in here to give the President a police perspective on that report and that is exactly what the leadership of the police has done.

“Giving the President a comprehensive report of what actually transpired, from police perspective and actually presenting the facts as they were.

“For now we have briefed the President and I think it will suffice for me to stop.

“The President has been properly briefed on this matter and I think with time you will get to see and you will get to hear the exact facts of the case.”

PENGASSAN, NUPENG demand speedy passage of PIB

The leadership of two unions in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, the National Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association have called for the accelerated passage of Petroleum Industry Bill.
At a joint press conference in the Lagos State on Thursday under the aegis of NUPENGASSAN, the President of PENGASSAN, Babatunde Ogun, who spoke on behalf of the bodies, lamented the slow pace at which the PIB is moving in the National Assembly.
Comrade Ogun lamented that over a year after the PIB was presented to the National Assembly, not much has been done.
He said: “The PIB was presented to the National Assembly in July 2012.
“From then till now, almost a year, not much has been done by the National Assembly.
“The bill was recently referred to ad-hoc committees after passing the second reading stage in both houses.
“Even the Senate is yet to inaugurate its ad-hoc committee while the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee is still making preparations for public hearing.
“NUPENG and PENGASSAN demand that the National Assembly expedite action on the passage of the bill.”
Comrade Ogun stated that the country cannot afford the luxury of time while politicians indulge in unnecessary bickering over such an important bill in a sector that is the main stay of her economy and which accounts for over 90 per cent of her foreign exchange earnings.
He added: “We believe the PIB represents a great opportunity for Nigeria to ensure a solid foundation on which the future of oil and gas operations will rest.”
The two bodies also demanded for their inclusion in the Boards of the National Petroleum Inspectorate, Petroleum Technology Development Fund, Petroleum Equalisation Fund, National Petroleum Assets Management Corporation, National Oil Company, National Gas Company and the Petroleum Training Institute.
They lamented the deteriorating security situation in the country, especially killings by Boko Haram.
“We are totally condemning the helplessness of our security agencies to check waves of violence as Nigerians are beginning to lose faith and trust the government,” Ogun said.
Among those at the news briefing were the President of NUPENG Igwe Achese; Emmanuel Adamu, PENGASSAN deputy president; Asuquo Okon, NUPENG deputy president; Bayo Olowoshile, general secretary; and Beneth Korie, NUPENG national security coordinator.
Others were T.A Kodoro, NUPENG Lagos zonal chairman; Musa Achimugu, Treasurer; Zaid Kolawole, PRO PENGASSAN; and Musa Lawal, secretary-general, Trade Union Congress.

Imo deputy governor impeached, replaced by COS

By a vote of 25 to one, the Imo State House of Assembly on Thursday removed from office the state’s Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso.
Agbaso, who declined the invitation of the panel set up to re-investigate him after a committee of the House probing him over an allegation of receiving a N458 million bribe from a contractor, J-Pros, indicted him, was immediately replaced by Governor Rochas Okorocha’s Chief of Staff, Prince Eze Madumere.
A Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, had earlier in the day cleared the way for the investigation and eventual impeachment of Agbaso over the bribe allegation.
Agbaso, who doubled as the state Commissioner for Works, was accused of collecting the bribe from the contractor handling the Sam Mbakwe Road in the state capital.
The contractor reportedly abandoned the road due to this.
Agbaso blamed Okorocha for his plight, claiming all he ever took from the contractor was a bottle of wine.
After losing out on Thursday at the court, which had earlier granted him a restraining order, Agbaso did not bother to attend the sitting of the seven-man panel already constituted by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Benjamin Njemanze, to re-investigate the matter after his indictment by the committee of the state House of Assembly.
With his absence, it was thus easy to move on to impeach him.

Three bomb factories uncovered in Kano

Three bomb factories have, again, been uncovered in Kano, Kano State.
The discovery of the bomb factories also resulted in the impounding of a cache of arms and ammunition by security operatives who carried out the raid on the factories in Sharada, Gaida Ajawa on the Eastern Bye-pass and Mariri.
Three members of dreaded sect, Boko Haram, were arrested during the operation.
Spokesman of the Joint Task Force in Kano State, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday.
Iweha said the buildings housing the factories have been destroyed.
He added that six AK 47 rifles, General Purpose Machine Guns, SMG magazine, PPK pistol, two smoke guns, 189 rounds of AK 47 ammunition, 43 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunitions, eight rounds of 9mm for PKK pistols, 15 hand held IEDs, containers of liquid chemical substance and 11 bags of nitrate fertilizers were recovered during the raid.
He said: :Sequel to the series of cordon and search operations, being carried out by JTF in Kano, the JTF wishes to inform the general public that in the early hours of this morning, March 28, 2013, a combined team of operatives stormed a residence at Geida Ajawa on Kano-Western Bye-pass being used as an armoury by terrorists and assorted dangerous weapons were uncovered.
“You may have observed that there has been a rise in recent times of the activities of terrorists in the state, this may not be unconnected with the influx of terrorists fleeing from Maiduguri, Damaturu, Potiskum as a result of pressure being mounted on them by JTF operatives in these areas.”

Tax evasion: Reps summon Access Bank officials

The management of Access Bank Plc has been summoned by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance over some irregularities in its tax records.
A summon letter to this effect has been forwarded to the bank and other institutions affected, the Finance Committee Chairman, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, disclosed on Thursday.
Jibrin said the Committee will hold an investigative hearing.
According to the House committee chairman, the bank will be investigated for tax evasion.
The hearing is slated for April when the lawmakers must have returned from their two weeks break.
Jibrin said: “After preliminary investigation, we have been able to establish that Access Bank Plc has a lot of inconsistencies in its tax remittances over several years.
“There is a huge inconsistency in their annual returns, audited accounts and financials.
“As a matter of fact, in some instances they were found to have concealed their balance sheet and even doctored it to evade taxes.”

ICPC to train journalists on investigative reporting

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, Ekpo Nta, on Wednesday in Abuja said that the commission will embark on massive specialised training on investigative reporting and follow-up on cases for media practitioners in the country.
Nta dropped the hint at the ICPC Headquarters when Comrade Chuks Ehirimi, the Chairman of the Nigerian Union Of Journalists, FCT Chapter, led his executive committee members on a courtesy visit to his office.
The ICPC chairman, while responding to the opening remark of Ehirim, assured the NUJ leadership that the commission would continue to partner with the media in the war against corruption in the country.
He said: “Let me assure you that we will continue with the spirit of collaboration by providing specialized training for investigation and follow-up for journalists in the country.”
Nta said journalists should not just cover the arraignment of suspects alone but must “follow-up on cases to the end.
“This is to alert the anti-graft agencies not to sell the case.
“The follow-up will also put the judiciary on notice and put others in the society who may want to commit infraction in the future that they might receive similar treatment in the media.”
While reiterating the importance of the media in the anti-corruption campaign, the ICPC chairman said there is no one that does not know the power of the pen, especially in the Arab Spring, adding: “We shall adopt the use of Arab Spring in sensitizing the public to challenge the corrupt in our society.”
Nta explained that the commission would soon embark on massive publicity to show vivid examples of what corruption is doing to denigrate our people and also to celebrate the youths who are doing well right from the primary school.
He said the problem of corruption was largely based on perception, stressing that with the right environment, “Nigerians are good people.”
Earlier, Ehirim had informed the ICPC management that the NUJ as a professional body “is ready to partner with the ICPC in the fight against corruption.”
He declared: “We are here to pledge our support to the fight against corruption in the land.
“ICPC seems to be the only one diligent in its work without media advertisement.
“You can count on us in this your patriotic job.
“As long as you do the right thing, we will continue to work with you.”

Police recover rocket launcher, grenades, arms, ammunition in Kano

The police in Kano on Wednesday announced the recovery of a cache of arms and ammunition during a routine stop and search exercise.
Among the items of destruction recovered from some men riding in a Golf 3 car on Tuesday were one rocket launcher, eight Ak-47 magazines, seven Turkey oil remote control bomb, two cylinders remote control devices, 14 hand grenades, four rolls of wire connector and 12 power sources.
The Commissioner, Kano State Police Command, Musa Daura, said of the recovery: “On Tuesday, 26 March, 2013, on about 2130 hours, based on a tip-off, our men intercepted a Golf 3 Motor Vehicle with Reg. No. AG 701 KTN at an outskirt village here in Kano.
“The occupants of the vehicle on sighting the Patrol Vehicle opened fire and immediately, our men responded with superior power, which made the occupants to abandon their vehicle and escape with bullet wounds.
“The intention of these hoodlums was to cause havoc and destabilize peace which will subsequently lead to economic and social sabotage in Kano State.
“However, my men sealed up the whole area with a view to identify and arrest the fleeing suspects. We are urging members of the public to continue supporting the Command and other security agencies in the state to restore the peace and tranquility we have been enjoying in the state for decades.
“We also have to contribute in whatever capacity to unmask the criminals in the state and reduce all sorts of crimes to the barest minimum.”

Mind your words, FG cautions Orji Kalu

The Federal Government has taken a swipe at a former Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, describing the statements credited to him in the media on the dreaded sect, Boko Haram, as irresponsible and outlandish.
Kalu was reported to have blamed the security agencies for the recent series of bomb attacks in the northern part of the country, alleging that their target was to keep attracting funding from the government.
He spoke on Tuesday when members of Sports Writers Association, Abuja chapter, paid him a visit.
He was quoted as having said: “When people like me speak, they label us.
“The security agencies are planting some if these bombs, not Boko Haram.
“This is the truth I am telling you and people wait to see Nigerians die for them to say this is Muslims and Christians fighting.”
Reacting to the statement on Wednesday, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, warned the former governor to mind his words as such insinuation could demoralize the security personnel.
Maku said: “On the alleged accusation by the former governor of Abia State, I have been in the Federal Executive Council meeting since morning I have not read the papers.
“But if it is true that he said so, you know that the former governor is a highly placed former public officer.
“When we sit out and make those outlandish accusations, what we do is to show ingratitude, is to show lack of sensitivity and lack of responsibility.
“And this is really very sad.
“This is truly very sad.
“Check other countries.
“When America deploys their troops and security forces to defend their country, you see that their citizens speak with responsibly.
“But in Nigeria, we have politicized virtually every aspect of our country, including ongoing security operations.
“And the least that is expected of us as leaders and citizens is that we should appreciate the sacrifices of members of our armed forces.
“It is only in Nigeria that even when you deploy your troops on sensitive duties, public officers who should have a high level of responsibility accuse them, make statements that make our men and women in uniform feel very sad in the course of placing their lives on the line for the security of our families.”
The minister contended that Chief Kalu’s allegation meant that “the police are the ones bombing police barracks and killing their members.
“That is what the allegation means.
“I do not expect this kind of statement, in my opinion, from highly placed public officers.
“At any rate, if anyone, for example like the person you mentioned, has any information about this, the best that would be done is for him to forward the information properly, connect either to the next police station or report to the Inspector General of Police.
“Look, I have fresh evidence that members of the armed forces are the ones exploding bombs.
“Then we will now have a formal investigation.
“But what we have seen in recent times is that, particularly we the politicians, we take the soap box to politicize the insecurity in this nation and it is very dangerous.
“Because I can tell you clearly that if our security personnel lose morale because of the kind of statement that we make, or we try to divide their loyalty in the unit of our armed forces and the security personnel by the way we speak, we will be damaging further the security of this country and its stability.
“And I think this is not right.”

Oluwole Awolowo is dead

Heir to the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo family, Chief Oluwole Awolowo, is dead.
Though details of the death were still sketchy, it was gathered that he died on Wednesday evening.
Chief Oluwole Awolowo has been ill for some time.
Between 2011 and 2012 he was on admission for about a year at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Chief Oluwole Awolowo was born on December 3, 1942 to late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Mama Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo.
He attended the prestigious Ibadan Grammar School in Oyo State and the Leighton Park School, Reading, Berdshire, England.
He was also at the famous Leeds College of Commerce where he read Business Studies.
Among other places, he worked in the Nigerian Tobacco Company, Ibadan; the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation; and the Nigerian Television Service, Lagos.

Pandemonium in Lagos as police, NSCDC engage in shootout

There was pandemonium in Alausa, the seat of the Lagos State Government, as officers and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and those of the Nigeria Police engaged in sporadic shooting on Wednesday afternoon.
The gun duel followed the killing of two officers of the NSCDC by policemen in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Eyewitnesses said two officers of the NSCDC, in what was seen as a reprisal, attacked two policemen close to their office in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State.
They reportedly beat the policemen to a stupor.
Policemen, who were close to the scene, alerted their colleagues of the development.
The policemen also quickly mobilized and headed for the scene, with the shootout as the outcome.
The shootout was said to have lasted for several minutes, with passersby scrambling for safety.
The two policemen who were initially attacked were taken hostage by the NSCDC officials.
A peace meeting, led by the Divisional Police Officer, Alausa, was in progress as at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, the NSCDC has identified their colleagues killed by the policemen in the wee hours of Wednesday as Assistant Inspector Gabriel Adaji and Inspector Innocent Akegbe.
Their corpses have been deposited at the Military Hospital Mortuary, Yaba, Lagos.
Spokesperson of the NSCDC in Lagos State, Kehinde Dada, confirmed the development.
Dada said the attack by the police team was sudden and did not give the civil defence officers the chance to defend themselves.
The Deputy Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, Shola Odumosu, said two of their men were killed and five others seriously injured.
Odumosu said the four suspected pipeline vandals arrested by the NSCDC were released by the police, who escaped with them.
He said: “While the police were escaping with the suspects, a police identity card of one Inspector Sunday Gabriel, with Force No. 1206ZZ, attached to Pipeline Vandals Task Force and his service pistol fell down.
“We have these exhibits with us.
“The Police Anti-Pipeline Vandals Task Force cannot claim they don’t know Civil Defence uniform and patrol van.
“The attack is an indication of hatred against the Corps for winning the war against vandals.
“It is only uniform men conniving with vandals to sabotage the Nigeria economy that would deliberately open fire on our men so that their evil trade will continue.”

Boko Haram: 900 corps members redeployed from Kano

Out of the 1,000 members of the National Youth Service Corps in the Batch A deployed to Kano State, about 900 of them have been redeployed to other states due to the current security challenge in the commercial city.
The Kano State Coordinator of the NYSC, Salisu Yakasai, made this known during the closing ceremony of the Batch A orientation exercise.
The corps members were relocated because of the recent suicide bomb attacks in the state, with the latest being the attack at Sabon Gari Luxury Bus Park in Kano city.
Traumatised by the recent attack at the bus park, majority of the fresh graduates sort to be relocated to other parts of the country considered safer for them.
According to Salisu, the remaining corps members would be redeployed to the rural areas of the state as they are relatively safer.
Meanwhile, the state Deputy Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has charged those who stayed back to harness the various job opportunities offered to them in the state, promising that government would do everything to ensure their safety.
Channels Television.

EFCC arraigns Atuche, two others for forgery

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday arraigned a former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB Plc (now Keystone Bank Limited), Francis Atuche, and two other suspects: Nnosiri Joachim (a.k.a. Ifeanyi) and Uguru Onyike, before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of the Lagos State High Court, sitting in Ikeja on a nine count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit felony and forgery.
When the charges were read to them, all the defendants pleaded not guilty.
Prosecution counsel, Ben Ubi, prayed the court for a trial date and also demanded that the defendants be remanded in prison custody.
However counsel to the first defendant, Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, told the court he had already filed a bail application dated March 26, 2013 before the court and sued for immediate hearing of the application.
Ubi, however, denied receiving a copy of the bail application.
But Oyetibo argued that since the fresh arraignment of Atuche and two other defendants for forgery was an offshoot of an ongoing case before Justice Lateefa Okunnu, there should be no difficulty by the court in admitting him to bail.
This was countered by Ubi who insisted that the charges were new and derived from happenings at Keystone Bank’s on March 4, 2013.
In his ruling, Justice Onigbanjo allowed Atuche to return home “and come tomorrow for hearing of his bail application”.
On the second and third defendants, Justice Onigbanjo upheld the prayers of their counsels that they be allowed to continue on the terms of an administrative bail already offered them by the EFCC.
Justice Onigbanjo adjourned the case till March 27, 2013 for hearing of the bail application of the first and third defendants and March 28, 2013 for hearing of the second defendant’s bail application.
He fixed trial for October 10, 14 and 15, 2013.
Trouble started for Atuche when he allegedly recently contacted Joachim Nnosiri, an Office Assistant with Keystone Bank’s Central Sharing Services Centre in Lagos, to deliver some allegedly forged documents to the Bank’s Corporate Headquarters also in Lagos for onward presentation in court as exhibits in an ongoing case between Atuche and the EFCC before Justice Okunnu.
The forged documents are board resolutions of Future View Securities Limited, Extra Oil Limited and Trajek Nigeria Limited.
The documents had been missing in the bank since October 2009.
One of the charges against the defendants read: “Mr Francis Atuche, Nnosiri Joachim (a.k.a Ifeanyi) and Uguru Onyike on or about 4th day of March, 2013, in Lagos with the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud conspired to commit felony to wit: forgery of a document titled: “BOARD RESOLUTION” of Future View Securities Limited dated 17th December, 2007.”
Another count reads: “Nnosiri Joachim (a.k.a Ifeanyi) on or about 4th day of March, 2013 in Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division with intent to defraud knowingly and fraudulently used a false document titled Board Resolution of Trajek Nigeria Limited dated 15th December 2007 which you purported to have been duly signed by one Elizabeth Ebi (a Director of Trajek Nigeria Limited) to Keystone Bank Limited as genuine.”

Police kill two civil defence officers, release vandals + photograph

In what could be described as a commando attack, officers and men of the Nigeria Police ambushed and opened fire on men of the Anti-Vandals Squad of the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, killing two of them on the spot while others escaped with gunshot wounds.
The incident happened in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
It happened at about 3am on Wednesday while the officers and men of the NSCDC were returning from a successful anti-vandal operation where vandals were arrested along with their exhibits.
According to the eyewitness account, the vandals, suspected to be policemen in mufti, made calls to their police collaborators for support as they could not overwhelm the anti-vandals team of the corps.
Immediately the police got wind of the information, they allegedly laid siege for the corps and open fire on the NSCDC patrol vehicle, killing two while others scampered for their lives with gunshot wounds.
The vandals were released immediately by the police.
On seeing that it was the police, the men of the corps refused to fire a single shot from their riffles but could only express shock at a sister agency that ordinarily should assist them in fighting crime. The identity card of one of the policemen, Sunday Gabriel, an Inspector, was recovered from the scene of the shooting.
But the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, said the police is not at war with any security agency.
Manko said: “There was a problem between our officials and the Civil Defence Corps this morning but the situation has been brought under control.
“The Civil Defence Corps arrested policemen and detained them.
“The policemen were on mufti.
“The situation has been resolved.”

Henry Okah sentenced to 24 years imprisonment

Leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Henry Okah, has been sentenced to 24 years imprisonment for his role in the October 1, 2010 independence day bombing in Abuja.

Okah was sentenced on Tuesday morning in South Africa by the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.

“Effectively, the accused (Okah) is therefore sentenced to 24 years imprisonment,” Judge Neels Claassen was quoted by the South African news agency, SAPA, as having said during judgement.

Okah was found guilty of the 13 count charge, all terrorism related.

Claasen had found him guilty on January 21, 2013 but reserved ruling.

The postponement of the judgment was to give Okah the opportunity of mitigating the sentence.

No fewer than 12 persons were killed during the Abuja bomb blast on October 10, 2010.

Okah was also found culpable of the March 15, 2010 bombing in Warri, Delta State.

Claassen sentenced Okah to 12 years imprisonment for each of the bombings and 13 years for the threats made to the South African Government after his arrest in October 2010.

The 13 years would run concurrently with the 24 years.

Omotola Ekeinde in double celebration

The household of Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekehinde, is in a joyous mood.
This is as a result of the double celebration in which the actress is involved on Saturday (today).
It is her birthday as well as her wedding anniversary.
Omotola’s marriage to her celebrity pilot husband, Captain Ekehinde, has lasted for 17 years.
The celebrated couple have remained big, strong and reliable in their 17 years of marriage.
Though several challenges have rocked the union, a source said, but with God’s intervention and trust for each other, they have been able to weather the storm.
For Omotola, there is no better way to proclaim her love to the man that has always stood by her than to let the world know than to celebrate him.
The mother of four, earlier today, via Twitter, reaffirmed her love for Captain Ekehinde, whom she described as a father, mentor, teacher, friend and trusted companion.

Tina Turner set to marry lover 17 years younger

Music mega star, Tina Turner, 73, is set to marry her long time partner, Erwin Bach, who is 56.
According to a Swiss tabloid, the ceremony will take place in the garden of her Swiss estate.
The groom to be is a German record executive 17 years junior.
The American super star recently renounced her US citizenship for Switzerland, where she has been living with Bach since the mid 90s.
They have been together for about 27 years.
She declined his proposal a few years ago.
They have finally concluded to seal the union officially now.
Turner, other wise known as Ana Mae Bullock, has a career that has spanned over 50 years.
She started singing in the 1950s as part of Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm.
Turner rose to the stardom as part of Ike and Tina Turner Revue.
She divorced Ike in 1978 and converted to Budhism.
Turner credits the faith for helping her get through tough times in her life.
She rose back to fame in the 80s and has been iconic ever since.

My kidnappers did not know me - NTA reporter

The kidnappers of a reporter of the Nigerian Television Authority, Akure, Ondo State, Olubunmi Oke, did not know who she was but only suspected she could be a big catch based on her car and dressing.
This was the position of Oke during an interview on Sunday.
Oke said she was still flashily dressed, as most television news casters do, when she was accosted by the kidnappers.
She said her abductors even asked her who she was and where she worked.
She said she was initially taken from Akure to Ondo town and then Ore before her abductors blindfolded her and she did not know where she was taken again.
She said she was initially told they were taking her to Delta State.
She however did not know where they eventually held her till Saturday evening when she was released.
Here is a full transcript of the interview by Oke: “I noticed a car following me at high speed.
“So I had to increase the speed with which I was driving and I rolled up my glass.
“Very close to Jojein (Hotel, Oba-Ile), the road was very bad.
“So I had to slow down to carefully manouvre the potholes.
“It was at that point that they leveled up with me and I was double-crossed.
“I asked them what my offence was.
“I even offered them my car keys but three of them, armed with guns, dragged me into their car.
“One of them got into my car and they were driving behind us.
“They drove through Owode to FUTA (Federal University of Technology, Akure) and to Ondo.
“They told me they were taking me to Delta State but when we got to Ore, they covered my eyes.
“They blindfolded me from Thursday night till Saturday night when I was released.
“So it was impossible for me to know where I was.
“My housemaid and baby were in the car with me.
“They dropped them on the road before driving my car away.
“They later got home in a public transport.
“I learnt they later dropped my car at Igbara-Oke.
“At present, the car is with SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad).
“When I was released on Saturday, they gave me my car keys.
“I hope to get the car during the week.
“Nobody sent them to me.
“It was a case of random kidnapping.
“I just walked into their hands.
“I do not want to believe anyone sent them to me because when they got me, they were asking me series of questions” ‘Where do you work?’ ‘Who are you?’
“I think that showed clearly that they did not know anything about me.
“I think the car I was driving, coupled with the way I was dressed (I read news that evening so I still had my clothes and jewelry on) made them think I was a good catch.
“The men of the SSS (Department of State Security Service) took charge of the situation.
“The SARS and God’s intervention were also there.
“So, we did not pay.
“Also, the fact that they got to know that I was a journalist and that the news was everywhere hastened my release.
“My experience in their hands was not palatable.
“For days, I could only drink water.”

North American University student killed by cultists in Lagos

A 26-year-old student, Adeolu Otenaike, of the North American University in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, has been murdered in Lagos.
Adeolu was allegedly killed by suspected cultists in Surulere area of the state on March 20.
The victim, a 400 level student, was said to have visited Nigeria in company with five classmates from the university on March 18.
They were said to have come to “wash” Otenaike’s new car.
But their adventure ended in the killing of Otenaike.
It was gathered that Otenaike and his friends had earlier that day visited the Arena Restaurant along Ikorodu Road and later drove to the Empire Bar at Surulere, where a gang of cultists allegedly murdered him.
According to Ladi Bada, one of Otenaike’s friends who was with him the night he was killed: “When we got to Empire Bar, Adeolu was accosted by one Taiye, also known as Sogbe, a cultist.
“Two years ago, he had a quarrel with Adeolu.
“That was how Sogbe grabbed Adeolu while other cultists with Taiye – Bayano, Kaka, Small bobo, Igimuand and others – beat Adeolu and his friends mercilessly.
“The cultists robbed them of money and phones.
“One Alowonle, the chairman of the Tricycle Riders Association at the Empire area, told Taiye and his members not to kill Adeolu at the spot but that they should take him outside where he was shot both on the head and neck.
“Chinedu, another of the victim, was seriously wounded but managed to escape.
“The incident happened at about 12 midnight and immediately someone called the Divisional Police Officer at the Alakara Division and the police recovered expended bullets.”
It was also gathered that on the day Otenaike was murdered, five other young men were murdered in a similar manner at different locations in Mushin area of the state.
The killings were reported at the Alakara Police Station, Mushin.
In a related development, it was gathered that on March 23 at about 1am, some rampaging cultists shot sporadically along the railway line.
One of the bullets hit a young man of Igbo extraction, popularly known as Double, inside the container he was sleeping close to Daniel Street, Mushin.
The victim is said to be recuperating at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.
Residents of Mushin have expressed worry over the increasing cases of cultism and murder and want the police to halt the trend.
Otenaike’s family laid him to rest at the Matori Cemetery on March 22.
The deceased’s family members however said they buried him amid threat of death from a particular mobile phone number, with the caller warning them not to interr him.

Akpabio doles out N37.5m to Super Eagles

The Akwa Ibom Government has doled out N37.5 million to the Super Eagles of Nigeria for winning this year’s African Cup of Nation.
A breakdown shows that each of the 23 footballers got N1 million; the Super Eagles Chief Coach, Stephen Keshi, collected N2 million; four assistant coaches received N1 million each; while 17 officials got N.5 million each.
Announcing this on Sunday, Governor Godswill O. Akpabio further donated one three-bedroom flat to Akwa Ibom State-born and Super Eagles Captain, Vincent Enyeama, for doing the state and the nation proud during the football championship.
Akpabio congratulated the Super Eagles coaches and footballers or winning the cup.
He said: “We celebrate you.
“To you the players, you are the icons.
“For the coaches, we were praying collectively for you.
“You are the future of this country.”
Akpabio, however, condemned people who ciriticise his administration for making donations to individuals, organizations and the less privileged when such are captured as grants in the yearly budgets approved by the state House of Assembly.
He said: “At this point of our existence, what should be important to Nigerians is development, unity and security challenges and not frivolous things.”
The governor, who commended the Nigerian Football Federation, Keshi and other officials for visiting Akwa Ibom State, applauded the Super Eagles for doing the country proud.
He said: “We hardly see anything to celebrate about.
“That’s why when you did the miracle you did in South Africa, you brought back the Nigerian spirit.
“You gave even a three-year Nigerian child something to celebrate by winning the cup.”
Akpabio enjoined the footballers to learn from and emulate other footballers who have made names by shunning drug addiction and drunkenness in order to be relevant in the scheme of things in the future, adding: “Now that God has given you a coach, you have to respect him and be disciplined.
“Without discipline, you cannot be successful.”
He further enjoined the footballers: “Hold unto God and call on Him always.
“It is not a tragedy when a nonentity becomes a failure.
“But it is a tragedy when a potentially achieving, young man becomes a failure on account of character flaw.
“Your victory becomes a turning point in the nation.
“The Federal Government’s transformation policy cannot be complete if the youths are not transformed.”
The President of of the NFF, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, thanked Akpabio for always supporting the Super Eagles and advised him to continue in his good work of promoting football development in the country.
Earlier, Enyeama had thanked the governor for the show of love and generosity on them and asked him to continue as an uncommon transformer.

Update: Kidnapped journalist freed after N1m ransom

A journalist with the Nigerian Television Authority in Akure, Ondo State, Olubunmi Oke, who was kidnapped on Thursday, has been freed.
Oke was freed late on Saturday.
It was learnt that Oke’s husband took the ransom money to the kidnappers.
Oke was kidnapped on Thursday on her way back from work.
Her baby and house help were dropped at the point of abduction.
Oke’s car was later found in another part of Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The kidnappers initially demanded for N16 million.
The ransom money was later reduced to N8 million and then N1 million

My donations within legal limits - Akpabio

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State has defended his donations and hospitality to individuals, churches and organisations as being within the limits of the law.
Akpabio said the donations are captured by the yearly state budget passed by House of Assembly.
Akpabio, who was fielding questions on Friday from Government House correspondents at Governor’s Lodge, Uyo, condemned what he termed ”bad press” by a section of the media.
He said: “I have noticed a lot of attacks in the media particularly the social media and some of the newspapers have started writing editorials on the Governor of Akwa Ibom and trying to create impression that because he made a donation of a Jeep to one of his daughters, Mrs. Anne Macauley-2face that got married recently, that means he is a spendthrift.
“Of course, that kind of allegation is far from the truth.”
Akpabio condemned the recent speculation in the media over his donation of a Prado Jeep and sponsorship of 20 family members of Annie Macauley-Idibia, worth N3 million, for their wedding in Dubai, saying that such donations are entrenched in the yearly budget usually passed by Akwa Ibom House of Assembly.
According to him: “Anything connected with the governor’s donation is captured within the law of the state.
“The budget is the law and there have been provisions that allow for grants for donations and for hospitality as enshrined within the budget.
“If I make donation out of that subhead, it’s covered within the law.
“It means, I am acting within the ambit of the law.
“I have not gone outside the law.”
Akpabio further announced the sponsorship of Akwa Ibom State indigenes to India for treatment of different ailments.
He added: “I have sponsored over 200 Akwa Ibom children to India – some for holes in their hearts, some having congenital kidney problem.
“Many of them, I don’t know.
“In fact, I can say that 99 per cent of them I don’t know.
“I applaud Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for even supporting my charity donation when the bomb blast in Madala occurred and hundreds of persons were killed and many were hospitalized without money for hospital bills.
“On behalf of the good people of Akwa Ibom State, we showed sympathy by making a donation of N50 million to cater for those families.
“It is within the ambit of the law.”
Akpabio attributed the attack on his person to the handiwork of politicians who are afraid of his recent emergence as the Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum, noting “The reality is that having become the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, people are frightened.
“Looking at it from the political angle, everything I do now is being politicized.
“Akwa Ibom people need to be aware of this.
“They may also need to know that there is an organized attack and arrangement to blackmail their governor.
“Put it this way: the attack is on PDP.
“The intention there is that he is a messenger of PDP and every message he says must be the message of the PDP governors.
“So what do you do?
“You attack the messenger in order to kill the message.
“I want my people to disregard those things.
“They are all politically motivated.
“That will not distract me from what I am doing.
“I would rather want people to do editorials, go to the social media, discuss the flyovers I am building, discuss the brand new prison, discuss the roads that I am opening, discuss the international terminal building, discuss the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility we are building, discuss the brand new general hospitals, discuss even those projects we have completed.
“Those are the things I will like you to discuss.
“Let us discuss more about development and challenge Akwa Ibom State about development because this is one state that is showing direction to Nigeria.
“A state that has done over 35 bridges under five years.
“Not to discuss about donation of N3 million and then start attacking the governor when it is covered by budget.”

World Cup qualifiers: Elephants return to winning ways

The Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire restored their pride at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, Abidjan with 3-0 victory over Gambia in a World Cup qualifier.
The number one rated soccer playing African nation had to struggle again against the West African minnows at their home ground.
After to a barren first half, the Ivorians came out smoking in the second stanza and got a deserving lead via a spot kick converted in the 49th minute by Wilfried Bony.
Manchester City playmaker, Yaya Touré, scored the second goal in the 59th minute while Salomon Kalou sealed the victory in the 70th minute.
Africa Cup of Nations finalists, Burkina Faso, defeated Niger 4-0.

Other results
World Cup Qualifying – CAF
Congo 1-0 Gabon
Cameroon 2-1 Togo
Namibia 0-1 Malawi
Nigeria 1-1 Kenya
Ivory Coast 3-0 Gambia
Senegal 1-1 Angola
Burkina Faso 4-0 Niger
Tunisia 2-1 Sierra Leone
South Africa 2-0 Central African Republic

U20 World Cup: Nigeria, Ghana know opponents on Monday

The semi-finalists of the 2013 African Youth Championship, led by Nigeria, will know their first round opponents at the U20 World Cup in Turkey on Monday.
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, Ghana, Mali and Egypt have reached the last four of Algeria 2013, with the semi-finals fixed for Tuesday evening.
Nigeria, tutored by Coach John Obuh, will take on Egypt in Ain Temouchent, while Ghana battle fellow West Africans, Mali, in Oran simultaneously.
For Monday evening’s draw in Istanbul, the African flag bearers at the World Cup will be labelled by their eventual positions at the AYC, whose championship game will be played on Saturday in Oran.
The hour-long event will be graced by some of Turkey’s top football stars.
Ghana’s Black Satellites made history in 2009 when they became the first African team to win the World Cup.
Nigeria were beaten finalists in 1989 and 2005.
Interestingly, the two most successful teams in this competition, Brazil and Argentina, did not qualify for Turkey 2013.
The 24 finalists, who include England, Colombia, France and Korea Republic, USA, Cuba and Australia, will be drawn into six first round groups to be based in seven Turkish cities.
The tournament, which kicked off in 1977 in Tunisia, will be played from June 21 to July 13 in Turkey.

How Flying Eagles flew past DRC

Nigeria on Saturday qualified for the 2013 U20 World Cup in Turkey after they beat DR Congo 3-1 in a final group game in Oran.
The defending champions thus finished second in Group B on six points, while Mali, who surprisingly lost 0-2 to Gabon, finished top by virtue of a better head-to-head record as they also recorded six points.
The defending champions will now face Egypt on Tuesday in one of the semi-finals, while Mali battle Ghana for the right to play in the championship game at the weekend.
“The most important thing was for us to qualify for the World Cup and we have done that,” said Flying Eagles Coach, John Obuh.
“And now that we have done that, we can look forward to our next game with a lot of confidence.”
Both Nigeria and DRC started out brightly on Saturday at the Ahmed Zabana Stadium but like it was in previous group games, the Flying carved out clear-cut openings.
Umar Aminu, in for the suspended Olanrewaju Kayode, came close after 10 minutes, with an angled shot, which did not miss by much.
In the 22nd minute, goal-bound Edafe Egbedi was upended inside the DRC vital area but his appeal for a penalty was overlooked by the referee from Rwanda.
Three minutes later, skipper Abduljaleel Ajagun scoffed his shot well inside the box.
The Nigerians were finally rewarded for their attacking play in the 32nd minute when Egbedi was brought down again on his way to goal.
Ajagun stepped up to tuck the ball past goalkeeper Landu Bakala.
The Flying Eagles doubled their lead in the 39th minute when Aminu finished off another build-up with a simple tap in from inside the box.
Aminu got his brace two minutes after the break when he chipped beyond the DRC goalkeeper.
Ajagun then had his effort ruled for offside in the 53rd minute.
But to the credit of the DRC, they did not surrender and their persistence finally paid off in the 72nd minute when Mukanisa Pembele smashed home from inside the box.
Substitute Uche Agbo saw his powerful shot scrambled for a corner by the goalkeeper two minutes from the end.

Suicide bombers and reward of paradise (1), by Gabriel Agbo

Like their father, sons of Satan have continued to kill, destroy and steal the life and joy of innocent Nigerians. The latest is the recent bombing of buses heading to the southern part of the country in a park at Sabon Gari, Kano State. It has been tears, blood and sorrow for families and friends of the victims, mostly from the eastern part of Nigeria. I also wept as I read the story. Sure, so many questions went through my mind. But I will not share them here for now. Don’t ask me if it is about Nigeria. Sometime last year, a suicide bomber that exploded on his way to his target in Damaturu, Yobe State of Nigeria was reported to be shouting that he was doing the ‘work of God’ and that he would not stop. But that was just before he died after the impact of the explosion threw him into a ditch.
I also remember that televised little girl that was laden with explosives and smuggled into Israel sometime ago, but before the bomb could go off, she started pleading that people should help her dismantle the bombs because she didn’t want to die. It was indeed very emotional watching her live on television. Definitely, she was sent on that mission against her will. Yes, so many like her who are fortunate to find any way of escape do so, but may never return to their people, otherwise they would be killed for abandoning the ‘work of God’. Work of God indeed!
Later, two other suicide bombers operating on a motorcycle were shattered as their bombs exploded on their way to carry out attacks on the ever busy Ali Akilu Road in Kaduna. Thank God that the planned attack was divinely stopped, otherwise hundreds of families would have been thrown into mourning that Tuesday afternoon. There have been scores of such suicide bomb attacks in the northern part of country in recent times and thousands have been killed.
Now, the questions are: What motivates a person to detonate explosives to kill him/herself and others? How do the terror groups get finances and their couriers? Who trains them? What religious and psychological manipulations do they receive before their missions? Are there also diabolical aspects of the mission? Why do they always have charms, amulets and Spiritists with them?
And strangely, at the above-mentioned Kaduna incident, after the explosion killed the would-be bombers, suddenly a strange swarm of bees appeared at the scene and dispersed the crown that gathered to witness the incident. It was televised. True! Are they truly working for God? The ‘God’ of sorcerers and murderers? And most importantly, for our discussion here: is there any reward of paradise, many wives or eternal prize awaiting them after death?
Suicide bombings, as we are now witnessing in Nigeria and many other parts of the world, are basically carried out by Jihadists, those who forcefully want to impose their religious beliefs on others. They dubiously do this under the guise of fight for their religion or brethren, which they often claim are under threat. But it has been proven that these efforts are never propelled by religious but by political, social and economic motives. Or how else do you explain the attacks on national, financial, media, humanitarian and even same religion institutions? But we can’t go into all of those here. We’ll just try to comment on the religious and psychological aspects of this satanic enterprise.
The suicide bombers (and all Jihadists) are always thoroughly brainwashed before they embark on these evil missions. They are made to believe that they and their religion are hated. And this brainwashing takes a time of constant, well-planned and coordinated series of indoctrination. This is part of the reason why they are often kept in a camp for a period of time or they have sat under the teachings of other pro-jihadists who masquerade as clerics. There, they would systematically be fed with lies and hate messages about their targets until they believe and make up their minds for the mission, for which they are always deceived into believing they are doing the work and will of God and that they will be rewarded with paradise, wives, gifts and so many other false, dubious and satanic promises.
But for the high-level of deception and other diabolical involvements surrounding these missions, one would have expected the would-be bombers to always ask their sponsors how murdering an innocent person would earn an eternal reward when the Almighty, our cultures and even human instincts have warned us against such. Secondly, if truly there are eternal rewards, why do these terror masters always exempt themselves and their relatives from going on such missions? Look at the case of Osama Bin Laden. As he was sponsoring and coordinating these missions all over the world, he carefully gathered his wives and children into a cosy palatial home in Pakistan, which is worth millions of dollars. And we learnt he sternly warned his children not to take his path.
Then, in Nigeria, some of the members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect currently terrorising the country have told us how the leadership of the group would always exempt their tribesmen and relations, but would assign and prepare others for suicide missions. They also gave the account of how these leaders would appropriate the widows of the bombers, the stolen exotic cars and money to themselves.
The truth is that there is no paradise or eternal blessing awaiting a suicide bomber or any other murderer for that matter. That promise is definitely from the Devil, the master of deception. But, unfortunately, the unrepentant murderers would have found out but too late that they died in vain. Sadly, they go from the excruciating painful death through the piercing shrapnel of explosives to hell fire, where there will be suffering, weeping and gnashing of teeth forever. Till next week, God bless!
Rev. Agbo is the author of the book, Power of Midnight Prayer, and a minister with the Assemblies of God Nigeria. gabrielagbo@yahoo.com. 08037113283.