Umaru Yar' Adua buried in Katsina state

The remains of the late president being taken to Katsina. 


Nigeria’s late president, Umaru Yar' Adua, has been buried in his hometown of Katsina, Northwestern Nigeria with thousands of mourners, and local and international dignitaries in attendance.

The event has witnessed evocative readings from the Holy Koran and praises for the former leader who died on Wednesday. Most offices, businesses and shops were closed in honour of the deceased and roads in the city were overwhelmed by traffic.

His remains had earlier been taken from the State House, Abuja at 11.02a.m to the airport, wrapped in the Nigerian Flag and conveyed by a State House Ambulance Registration Number 572.

The late Yar'Adua's wife, Turai, and her children accompanied the body. Also on the trip were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, who is leading the federal government delegation, and the governors of Kwara, Bukola Saraki; Benue, Gabriel Suswam, and Bauchi, Isa Yuguda.

The Nigeria Air Force aircraft which carried the body of the late president left Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja at about 12:30p.m. The body was received in Katsina by hundreds of relatives and associates.

Source: www.234next.com

Umaru Yar’Adua: End of an Era

The Polity, By Yusuph Olaniyonu

On Wednesday, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was pronounced dead. His death ended a chapter in the life of the nation. The death also opened a new era. Late Yar’adua as the 13th head of Nigeria’government represented many promises in the country which  have not been kept. For the 2007 general elections, he was selected as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), then under the control of President Olusegun Obasanjo,  for many  reasons.

First, the man had a family name recognition which could be used to counter the surging political support that candidates of rival parties like Major- General Muhammadu Buhari of ANPP and then Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the AC could count upon.

Again, the sponsors of his candidature concluded that among the governors whose tenure was about to expire in 2007, he was the most honest, prudent and one with the best record of developmental achievements in governance. All these points were added to the fact that his family was well known to Obasanjo who also felt the compelling need to compensate for the death in Abakaliki prison of the late president’s elder brother. Major- General Shehu Yar’Adua died in prison while serving terms for a contrived charge of plotting a coup to overthrow the dictatorial government of General Sani Abacha.

With his selection as the PDP candidate, Yar’Adua, the quintessential Katsina boy,  was thrown into national limelight. His election as president made him score many firsts in this country. He was the first university graduate to become president of Nigeria. He was the first elected governor to be catapulted to the higher office of president. He was the first elected president to take over power from another elected president. He was the first president to publicly declare his asset. He was the president who was in charge when Nigeria celebrated one decade of uninterrupted democratic rule.

More importantly, Yar’Adua was the first president who after being elected admitted that the electoral process which produced his administration was flawed and deserved a comprehensive reform. He then went ahead to institute a panel of eminent Nigerians to probe the process and suggest means of correcting the ills of the political system. His attempt to tackle the lingering Niger Delta problem is still the most result-oriented.

Anybody who listened to Yar’Adua dissecting the problems of Nigeria and what would be his approach to solving them would know that he was not a leader without an idea of what was wrong and how to correct it. He was always very analytical in demonstrating his understanding of the issues. His solutions were always methodical. Some said his approach was derived from his discipline as a graduate of analytical chemistry. He was a man who obviously had read widely about many issues.

His forceful arguments and the wide knowledge he displayed while discussing national issues showed a man with strong convictions. In his first 18 months in office, the late president enjoyed so much goodwill. Many Nigerians believed he could solve the power supply crisis, Niger Delta problem, food crisis, national security and other issues on the seven point agenda he enumerated to the nation.

 Unfortunately, his government appeared very slow in solving some of the problems he had identified. The people who had grown to distrust government could not wait to appreciate his methodical approach. The matter was made worse with the people who surrounded him as ministers and the key members of his inner cabinet. Many of them did not share his ideas and ideals. Many were only struggling to corner power and amass wealth. His cabinet lacked the men and women who could be seen as problem solvers and whose performance and ideas could inspire the people to support the government.

Nature was to later collude with those self serving members of the cabal around Yar’Adua to deny the nation the good leadership that his tenure could have offered. He was ill and had to manage his ill-health, most of the time. This slowed him down and robbed him of the energy to give attention to details as he would have wanted to do.

He suffered the last bout of sickness in November last year and that exposed the devious intention of the power-mongers who called themselves his friends and close associates. Instead of doing that which was right and constitutional, they decided to play politics with the president’s health. There were schemes to keep the sick president as a relic while the power mongers dished out orders in his name.

In the scheme designed by these selfish members of the cabal, the country would have been carved out as personal fiefdoms to be governed by each of them depending on their sphere of influence while atrocious actions would have been taken in the name of the sick president. These members of the cabal ensured there was no proper handover of power to then vice president Goodluck Jonathan. At the time the man should still be receiving treatment in a good hospital abroad, he was rushed home from the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Saudi Arabia under the cover of the night by those who thought they could still use his presence to fool Nigerians. But the nation demonstrated its capacity to deal with deviants in the power circle whose sole objective was to seize power for selfish objectives.

The various manipulations in which these Yar’Adua loyalists felt they could use the presence of the former president to intimidate the then acting president failed. In this unpatriotic maneuverings, the so-called loyalists have eroded the goodwill and tremendous support that Yar’Adua had when he first became the president of Nigeria. These people did tremendous damage to the image and reputation of an excellent, humble servant leader that Yar’Adua was.

Today, nature has resolved the issues. Death has restored what these court jesters deprived the late president. The man was yesterday buried in his Katsina hometown as a Nigerian hero and patriot. The manipulators have disappeared to go and mourn their personal losses. The Yar’Adua presidency has ended and a new era, the post-Yar’Adua era, has begun. The Jonathan presidency has fully taken off. Nigerians have to march on into the new frontier like soldiers of the lord. We hope Jonathan will be a good General who will lead the people into an era of stability, prosperity, unity and development.

But before we look forward to what the Jonathan presidency promises us all, we need at this moment to commiserate with the family of the late president. I sympathise mostly with that old woman, Hajiya Habiba Musa Yar’Adua. She had experienced too many deaths in her family, particularly after the death of her husband on June 22, 1993. May Almighty Allah (SWT) continue to grant her a stronger iman, good health, long life and allow her to witness positive developments in the lives of her other children, Lt. Col. Abdullahi Musa Yar’Adua, Alhaji Mustafa Musa Yar’Adua and her grand children and  great grandchildren. Amin.

Source: www.thisdayonline.com

Nigerian Heads of State and Presidents that die in power

1. Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa -January 15th 1966 (Military Coup)
2. General Aguyi Ironsi-July 29th 1966 ( Military Coup)
3. General Murtala Mohammed-February 13th 1976 (Military Coup)
4. General Sanni Abacha-June 8, 1998 (Heart attack)
5. Alhaji Shehu Musa Yar'adua-5th of May 2010 (Pericadiatis}

Nigeria's Vice President Slot:Push for a Vice President intensifies

By CHIDI OBINECHE
Following the death of President Musa Yar’Adua on Wednesday night and subsequent swearing in of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as the substantive president, moves to get a deputy for him had taken a high gear in the last 24 hours with meetings in Yola and Abuja.

The meeting in Yola, which was under the auspices of the Northern Elders Forum(NEM) was planned to quickly take the wind off the sail of the protracted struggle for the position, given the limited time ahead of elections in 2011. It had the backing of influential northern leaders including the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council(PAC), Gen. T.Y.Danjuma, and Business whiz-kid, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who was however not at the meeting for undisclosed reasons.

There were clear indications of the preference of a technocrat, preferably a man with known pro-northern establishment credentials to fly the northern banner as opposed to the choice of the Abuja meeting.

Three names which stood high on the scale at the Yola meeting were that of ageing former minister and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Mallam Adamu Ciroma(78), Adamawa State governor, Rear Admiral Murtala Nyako(rtd), and Senator Jubril Aminu.

In Abuja, a rump of the late Yar’Adua inner kitchen members “friends of Yar’Adua” met and zeroed in on Senator Adamu Aliero, former minister of the Federal Capital Terrirory (FCT).
Daily Sun’s findings indicated that the group was driven by sheer urgency and expediency in their choice, believing that there is no more time to be bandying names about”.

Before now, they had considered about six people for the job including Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Shema, Senate Majority Chief Whip, Senator Mahmud Kanti-Bello, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on defence(Army), Senator Ibrahim Idah, Bauchi State governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda.

They had reasoned that any further delay in rallying round a single candidate will spell doom for the Yar’Adua political family now and in the future. The group had initially thought that Yar’Adua would not die before the end of this month which they believed would be used for intensive bargaining with Jonathan. Matriarch of the political family and Yar’Adua’s wife, Turai, is said to be aware of the new development as it was conceived “shortly before the man died”.

The chairman of Nigeria’s powerful governors forum, Dr. Bukola Saraki is also in the calculation. His alliances are mainly within the forum as he has embarked on discreet consultations among his colleagues. His attempt to key in to the Obasanjo group a few weeks ago failed as he was said to have received a cold shoulder from the ex-president.

Obasanjo, who has since the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President become a “power house of sorts” is believed to be pushing for Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido. The slightly strained relationship between the duo had been resuscitated and for now, he is Obasanjo’s frontline man for the position. Waiting in the wings for Obasanjo’s endorsement are Nyako, and Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Brig.Gen. Buba Marwa(rtd).Obasanjo is said to be impressed by the latter’s track record of loyalty and hardwork.

The position of the National Security Adviser, Gen. Mohammed Aliyu Gusau(rtd) in the scheme of things is not yet known. Apart from his widely known presidential ambition in next year’s elections, his godfather, ex-president, Ibrahim Babangida has since joined the race.
A source close to him confirmed to Daily Sun, yesterday that his presidential ambition is still intact, but could not give a clear answer to his position in taking up the vice-presidential slot, under Jonathan.

So far, President Jonathan has shown indifference to the various jostlings for the position of vice-president which has fuelled speculations that he may vote to complete the remaining tenure of 11 months without a deputy; especially in view of his unexpressed interest in gunning for the presidency in the next round of elections. Several amorphous groups have been mounting pressure on him to run. In an interview on the Cable National Network(CNN) during his visit to the United States of America(USA), last month, he said he had not yet thought about it. Section 146(3) of the 1999 Constitution says “where the office of vice-president becomes vacant –(a) by reason of death or resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or removal in accordance with Section 143 or 144 of this Constitution.(b) By his assumption of the office of president in accordance with sub-section(i) of this section; or (c) For any other reason, the President shall nominate and, with the approval of each House of the National Assembly appoint a new vice president.”

In spite of the scheming and posturing the cold calculation in the seat of power, discussed widely is that if Jonathan does not succumb to the pressure from Obasanjo to pick his candidate, he may likely opt for the secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Yayale. Yayale, who also served under Jonathan, even before the power equation changed. Unlike most principal officers of the presidency who have the inclination to carry on as if the vice president does not exist, Yayale since assuming the position had always accorded Jonathan his due, which has sustained their private and official relationship.

Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

Vice President Slot: Ahmed Yayale, eight others in the race for VP’s slot

By Yusuf Alli

No fewer than nine persons are in the race for the job of vice president, it emerged yesterday.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who was until February 9 the vice president, may fill the vacancy within a week, sources told The Nation.

Jonathan was sworn in as president yesterday, following the death of former President Umaru Yar’Adua on Wednesday night.

Among those believed to be under consideration for the job are Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum and National Assembly members. The governors and lawmakers want one of them to get the job.

With Jonathan’s emergence as President, the office of the vice president has to be filled – in line with Section 146 (3) of the 1999 Constitution.

The section reads: "Where the office of Vice-President becomes vacant (a) by reason of death or resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or removal in accordance with Section 143 or 144 of this Constitution; (b) by his assumption of the office of President in accordance with subsection(1) of this section; or(c) for any other reason."

The Nation

learnt that nine names have been on the card in the last 24 hours.

They are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed; the National Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Gusau; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari; former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai; Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema; Minister of State (Defence) Murtala Yar’Adua; former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State; and Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State.

Of the nine, the odds seem to be in the favour of Ahmed (who was described last night as a leading and experienced contender); Gen. Gusau; el-Rufai (a tested technocrat) and Ribadu.

It was gathered that experience in public service and maturity may count for Yayale.

Findings revealed that in anticipation of this development, some political forces and Western powers a few weeks ago prevailed on Gusau to stay off the job.

It was also learnt that since Gusau may declare his interest in the presidential race in two months’, some power brokers behind the Jonathan presidency feel there is no point giving the new leader a deputy whose ambition will be a distraction.

A highly-placed source said: "Jonathan has a challenge to choose his Vice-President from the core North of Hausa-Fulani to give his administration a footing and ethnic leverage.

"There are four contenders from the North-East; four from the North-West and one from the North-Central."

"There is also pressure on Jonathan to do away with some loyalists or associates of the former President. They are saying that he needs a clean break from the past without hurting anyone or group.

"I think the odds favour one of the candidates from the North-East. Yayale seems to be a consensus candidate and the President does not hide the fact that he is pleased with the SGF."

Jonathan has been consulting with some leaders, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and members of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC), especially the Chairman, Gen. Theophillus Danjuma.

"I can assure you that consultations have started but Jonathan and all the leaders in the search team are weighing options.

"Some have even suggested that one of the Ministers from the North should be made the Vice-President.

"The PDP Governors are also agitating that one of them should be made the VP. The challenge at hand is that the nation needs a loyal and committed Vice-President. We cannot afford to go through any crisis again in The Presidency."

The source confirmed that another round of consultative session was expected to begin last night after the return of the delegations from Yar’Adua’s burial in Katsina.

It was also learnt that some Senators and members of the House of Representatives, who considered loyal to Jonathan, are pushing for the choice of the VP from them.

Source: www.thenationonlineng.net

Goodluck Jonathan sworn in as President of Nigeria.

Jonathan, right, pledged to fight corruption after taking the oath of office in Abuja [AFP]

Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's acting president, has been sworn in as the country's new leader following the death of Umaru Yar'Adua.



Jonathan took the oath of office at a ceremony in the capital, Abuja, on Thursday, just hours after officials announced the death of Yar'Adua following a long illness.


Yar'Adua will be buried in his northern home state of Katsina later in the day, while the country has begun seven days of mourning for the president.  Jonathan had already been running the country after assuming the position of acting president on February 9, while Yar'Adua was in Saudi Arabia receiving medical treatment.


Under the constitution, Jonathan is now the head of state until the country's next elections scheduled to be held by April 2011. He will also nominate a vice-president, subject to approval by the senate.

'Sad circumstances'
In his acceptance speech after taking the oath, Jonathan said his coming to power had occured under "very sad and unusual circumstances".


He praised his predecessor as a "man of great personal integrity ... and outstanding humility" and he said he would continue the fight against corruption and push for electoral reform during his time in office.


"Our total commitment to good governance, electoral reform and the fight against corruption would be pursued with greater vigour."


"Similarly the effort at ensuring the sustenance of peace and development in the Niger Delta as well as the security of life and property around the entire country would be of top most priority in the remaining period of this administration."

Full Speech
1. My dear brothers and sisters, it is with deep sense of loss and profound sorrow that I received the news of the passing on of His Excellency, President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.


2. Our President passed away peacefully in the Presidential villa in Abuja yesterday evening, the 5th day of May 2010. While we submit to the will of God as a people of faith, this sad event has placed our nation in deep mourning.

3. On behalf of the good people of our great Country Nigeria, I stand by our First Lady, Her Excellency Hajia Turai Yar’ Adua, the Children, our Mother, Hajia Habiba Musa Yar Adua, and the entire Yar’ Adua family and offer our heartfelt condolences on the demise of our amiable leader.

4. President Yar’ Adua’s contribution to political development and good governance would never be forgotten. He will therefore always occupy a pride of place in the political history of our dear Nation. He was a man of great personal integrity, deep devotion to God and outstanding humility. In all his public service, he displayed uncommon commitment to the peace, progress and unity of our country. He has left for us a profound legacy that provides a firm foundation for Nigeria’s future. His exit has therefore created a huge vacuum in his personal contributions to the political growth and development of our nation. I have lost not just a boss but a good friend and brother.


5. Having taken the oath of office in line with the Nigerian Constitution, under these very sad and unusual circumstances, I urge all fellow citizens to remain steadfast and committed to the values and aspirations of our nation. While this is a major burden on me and indeed the entire nation, we must in the midst of such great adversity continue to garner our collective efforts towards upholding the values which our departed leader represented.


6. In this regard our total commitment to Good Governance, Electoral Reform and the fight against Corruption would be pursued with greater vigour. As I had stated time and again, we must enshrine the best standards in our democratic practice. One of the true tests would be to ensure that all votes count and are counted in the upcoming General Elections. Similarly the effort at ensuring the sustenance of peace and development in the Niger Delta as well as the security of life and property around the entire country would be of top most priority in the remaining period of this administration.


7. I want to reassure all Nigerians that the pledges which we had made to improve the socio-economic situation which we face through improved access to electricity, water, education, health facilities and other social amenities would continue to be given the needed emphasis. The welfare of our teeming workers and the unemployed youths would also be accorded a new impetus.


8. My brothers and sisters, I call on all Nigerians to pray for the repose of the soul of our departed President. May God, in his infinite mercy, and compassion grant him eternal peace.


9. God bless Nigeria.

Goodluck Jonathan sworn-in as President of Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN)

 President Goodluck Jonathan 

Goodluck Jonathan has been sworn in as president of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, hours after the death of the country's elected leader. Jonathan, who had been serving as acting president since early February, took the oath just after 9 a.m. (0800 GMT) Thursday at the presidential villa.

President Umaru Yar'Adua, who had a long history of kidney ailments and recently suffered from an inflamed heart, died Wednesday. His burial is to take place Thursday afternoon in his home state of Katsina.

Yar'Adua's death comes less than a year away from the next presidential elections in an oil-rich country once plagued by military coups. Under Nigeria's constitution, Jonathan now remains in charge until the vote.

Source: AP

Goodluck Jonathan sworn-in as Nigeria President

 President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

Acting President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was sworn-in today as the substantive President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria  by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloysius Katsina-Alu at the Presidential Villa. He is to serve out the remainder of late Umaru Yar'adua's term which ends on May 29 2011. He assumes the presidency officially following the death of Yar'adua last night after a prolonged illness.



Source: www.saharareporters.com

Federal Government formally withdraws case against Ribadu

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu

As exclusively reported in the Daily Sun edition of March 29, 2010, the Federal Government yesterday formally withdrew the criminal charges against former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

Daily Sun had reported that Acting President Goodluck Jonathan may contest the 2011 presidential election with former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai as running mate.
According to the report, the arrangement being plotted by the camp of ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo would also see the return of Ribadu as Special Adviser on Anti-corruption to Jonathan.

The power brokers inched closer to the reported plot yesterday with the withdrawal of the criminal suit against Nuhu Ribadu at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in Abuja.
Consequent upon the withdrawal of the charges, the chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Muritala Sani Adebayo, in his ruling, struck out suit, and vacated the warrant of arrest earlier issued by the tribunal against Ribadu.

Justice Adebayo held that the application by the Attorney General of the Federation [AGF], asking that the charge be struck out was in line with the relevant provisions of the Constitution.
He said the application was in line with “Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution which no doubt confers extensive powers on the Federal Attorney General to withdraw criminal trial. The application is withdrawn and hereby struck out.”

Besides, the tribunal in its ruling said the action of the AGF was in consonance with Section 24 (1). When read together with Section 7 of the Criminal Procedure Code, they are sufficient grounds to strike out the charges as prayed.

Earlier, counsel to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Dr. Joshua Olukayode Olatoke, had applied for the withdrawal of the matter, based on the powers conferred on the AGF and Minister of Justice, by the Constitution to withdraw criminal charges against anybody, before judgment is entered in the matter.

Mr. Femi Falana, counsel to Ribadu, said he had no objection, but that on December 4, 2009, he produced the assets declaration forms submitted by Ribadu at the Code of Conduct Bureau, after which he filed a motion for the striking out of the matter on March 3, 2010.

He admitted, however, that the application filed by the AGF seeking to withdraw the matter, took precedence over his motion seeking to strike out the suit, but said government was not doing his client any favour by withdrawing the cases.

The Bureau had in the charge alleged that Ribadu failed to declare his assets as a public officer while in office as EFCC chairman. The agency alleged that Ribadu therefore, violated the provision of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act in respect of asset declaration.?

The application to withdraw the charges was made pursuant to the inherent powers of the Federal Government to stop proceedings against anyone under trial for any offence. ??The tribunal had issued a warrant of arrest for the former EFCC boss, for failing to appear before it to clarify issues relating to his asset declaration before assuming office as EFCC chairman.

Ribadu did not appear before the Bureau, claiming his life was under threat.

Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

Yar'Adua is dead

Late President Umaru Yar'Adua

Nigeria’s ailing President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is dead. He passed on earlier this night between 9.30 and 10pm at the Presidential Villa. 

He has since November, been battling acute Pericarditis, an inflammation of the membrane around the heart. 

He was in February, brought back to the country from the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia under the cover of darkness in and has since been held incommunicado  Late President Umaru Yar'Adua will be buried Thursday, May 6, 2010 according to Muslim rites.

Umaru Yaradua: Biography (1951-2010)

Late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua 

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua became the first civilian leader in Nigeria to take over from another after winning controversial polls in 2007.

The former chemistry teacher is also the first Nigerian leader for 40 years to be university educated.

During his seven years as Katsina State governor, critics said contracts had gone to companies with links to his family's vast businesses.

He is one of only a few Nigerian politicians to publicly declare their assets - twice before being sworn in as governor and then again when he became president.

He is a father of nine children - five daughters and two sons with his first wife Turai, the first lady, whom he married in 1975 - and two sons with Hajiya Hauwa, whom he married in the 1990s. He divorced Ms Hauwa in 1997 before first running for governor.

Mr. Yaradua's daughter Nafisat is married to Bauchi State governor Isa Yuguda. and his other daughter, Zainab, is married to Kebbi State governor Usman Saidu Nasamu Dakingari.

As a governor he was known to have ignored the advice of aides and bodyguards and walked alone to tobacco kiosks to buy a single cigarette.

President Umaru Yaradua dies at 58.

Late President Umaru Yar'Adua

Nigeria’s ailing President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is dead. He passed on earlier this night between 9.30 and 10pm at the Presidential Villa. 

He has since November, been battling acute Pericarditis, an inflammation of the membrane around the heart. 

He was in February, brought back to the country from the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia under the cover of darkness in and has since been held incommunicado  Late President Umaru Yar'Adua will be buried Thursday, May 6, 2010 according to Muslim rites.

Umaru Yar'Adua is dead

Late President Umaru Yar'Adua

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua, long plagued by poor health, has died at age 58, his spokesman said.

Yar'Adua died at 9 p.m. (2000 GMT) Wednesday at the Aso Rock presidential villa, presidential spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi told The Associated Press. Adeniyi, his voice cracking, said Yar'Adua's wife Turai was at his side when he died. Adeniyi did not give a cause of death.

Yar'Adua, a Muslim, will be buried Thursday, Adeniyi said.

Yar'Adua went to a Saudi Arabian hospital on Nov. 24 to receive treatment for what officials described as a severe case of pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart that can cause a fatal complication. He failed to formally transfer his powers to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, sparking a constitutional crisis in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with 150 million people.

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu not found on Time magazine's '100 most influential' People list.

Contrary to the news published by Nigeria’s Punch Newspaper, our investigation reveals that Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, a young and innovative Nigerian enterpenuer, was not found on Time magazine's '100 most influential' People list. Click here to view the list.

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu was born in 1982 and lives in Imo State. He is a winner of 2010 Rolex Prize for Enterprise.

The Punch Newspaper has reported that Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu's name was listed in the artists' category of Time magazine's '100 most influential' People list, but Time magazine's website does not have Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu's name on its list.


This report is not meant to diminish the creative efforts of Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu; it is meant to avoid misleading information about the personality of Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu of profile of Time magazine.

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu is one of Nigerian celebrated heroes who has use his skills and talents to alleviate the suffering of over 250 rural farmers in South Eastern, Nigeria by providing valuable information and agricultural marketing techniques to the farmer to boost their sales through his radio station. Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu runs radio station which communicates to farmers in their native languages under the organization name Smallholders Foundation.

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu: Video - Interview

Nnaemeka talks about his initiative

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu makes Time magazine's '100 most influential' People.(unconfirmed)

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu

By Success Nwogu

Time magazine has named a 28-year-old Nigerian, Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, as one of the '100 most influential people in the world.'

The influential magazine had in its May 2010 edition said those on the list were shaping the world with their ideas, innovations and actions.

It added that the list was consolidated into four categories - leaders, artists, thinkers and heroes.

Others on the list include United States President Barack Obama; Graca Machel, wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela; Brazilian President Luiz da Silva; Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama; and Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Also on the list are Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba; the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Ms. Nancy Pelosi; US Minority Whip, Mr. Jon Kyl; Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad; French Minister of Finance, Ms. Christine Lagarde; Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan; Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh; talkshow host and publisher, Ms. Oprah Winfrey; and British musician, Elton John.

Ikegwuonu, who was listed in the artists' category, was born in 1982 and lives in Imo State, Nigeria.

According to Time, he has, since his high school, been developing ways to help Nigerian farmers.

He was identified because of his reported dedication to improving the lives of rural people and his commitment to environmental protection and sustainable agriculture.

Time said, "In Nigerian state of Imo, where Ikegwuonu lives, farmers are suffering because of their isolation. Via the Smallholders Foundation, which he set up in 2003, he has been broadcasting by radio 10 hours a day to give 250,000 farmers news in their own language about farming and marketing techniques.

"He has now begun using interactive technology in order to serve farmers across his state."

Source: http://www.punchng.com/

Related Post:

• Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu not found on Time magazine's '100 most influential' People list.

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) quizzes El-Rufai for nine hours

Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and wife, Asia, at the EFCC Office In Abuja. Photo: NAN

For more than nine hours yesterday, the former minister of the federal capital territory, Nasir El-Rufai was quizzed by detectives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission who had declared him wanted for allegedly misappropriating N32 billion.

Dressed in white caftan and a red cap, Mr El-Rufai arrived the commission’s Abuja office at about 10am accompanied by his lawyer and family members. He was only allowed to go home a little after 7pm, although it was not immediately clear whether he would be required to go back for more interrogation today.

The former minister arrived the country over the weekend after more than one year in exile and the EFCC directed him to visit their office on Tuesday to account for his tenure.

On his arrival, EFCC spokesperson, Femi Babafemi told reporters that el-Rufai will be questioned over the missing funds which dates back to his time as minister of the federal capital territory.

Mr el-Rufai was only seen to come out of the EFCC offices about three times to observe his prayers at 2, 4, and 7pm.

Though he declined to talk to journalists, el-Rufai’s lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha told reporters who had gathered at the EFCC headquarters since early morning, that his client had submitted written statements to the EFCC.

Efforts to make the former minister address the press as he had earlier promised failed and he just entered an SUV which drove furiously away. In the process, a number of journalists crowding around the car were pushed down.

When asked if Mr el-Rufai was gagged by the EFCC, Mr Mustapha said “only he can answer that question.” Mr Babafemi also declined to confirm if the EFCC has placed a gag order on the former minister. He equally denied reports that the charges against Mr el-Rufai had been reduced, saying there was nothing of such.

Asked to speak on the journalists who were almost run down, an aide to Mr el-Rufai said the vehicle was actually driven by an EFCC operative and that his boss will not like to comment on it.

NEXT learnt that Mr el-Rufai was given an administrative bail, though neither Mr Mustapha nor Mr Babafemi would say when he is expected back.

Cecilia Ibru, former managing director of Oceaninc Bank, was also at the EFFC office today for a routine appearance which was part of her bail conditions. Mrs Ibru, who came in a black Lexus Jeep, almost fell as her aides tried to shield her from journalists during the five minutes visit. She refused to answer questions thrown at her, until a reporter asked if she knew the whereabouts, or had contacted her former nanny, Nanashetu Abdullahi. She gave a bemused smile and hurriedly entered her car.

Source: www.234next.com

Kemi Adegoke: A trailblazer in United Kingdom politics

Kemi Adegoke

By 

Tosin Sulaiman

It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon in Brixton and Kemi Adegoke, the would-be Conservative MP, is preparing for one of the biggest challenges of her campaign so far: convincing traditionally Labour-supporting Nigerians to vote for her.

Ms. Adegoke, the feisty, outspoken Conservative candidate for Dulwich and West Norwood in south London, has decided to target a part of her constituency that has a high concentration of Nigerians, an area where her party rarely ventures.

“People say Conservatives never come here and I’m trying to prove them wrong,” she says. “No one campaigns in Brixton because Labour thinks it’s so safe they don’t do anything and we don’t have the resources.” The Dulwich and West Norwood constituency is currently held by the Labour Party and Adegoke will have to defeat Tessa Jowell, a government minister, if she is to achieve her goal of becoming an MP. Comparing her chances with those of Chuka Umunna and Chi Onwurah, the other candidates of Nigerian descent who are running for the House of Commons and are inheriting safe Labour seats, Adegoke says she has a tougher job.

“I have a much harder task because I’m trying to get rid of a Labour MP,” she says. “They’re not fighting a campaign. They’re just doing publicity. I’m actually fighting.” On the day NEXT catches up with her, Adegoke has bolstered her regular campaign team, drafting in a few of her Nigerian friends and members of her family, including her father, Femi, who recently flew in from Lagos. “They will be able to talk to Nigerians in a way that nobody else will,” says Adegoke who was born in the UK but lived in Nigeria until the age of 16.

Many of the Nigerians in this part of Brixton are recent migrants who tend to live in council flats and rarely vote because they are unfamiliar with the political system, Adegoke explains. Those who are politically aware are most likely to vote for Labour, because they see the party as being the most friendly to immigrants.

“It’s the papers,” Adegoke says. “Many of them may not have come into the country legally. (They believe) Labour regularised them. It’s just fascinating. They don’t care about their standard of living or what the schools are offering their kids. It’s just ‘my immigration papers.’ This is the toughest place for us. The Nigerians who live in other areas are a lot more amenable because they’re wealthier.”

Ms Adegoke wants more Nigerians to give the Conservative Party a second look because she believes it is a party that encourages people to aim higher. “The Labour Party is not a party of aspiration. It’s a party of handouts,” she says. “There’s a left-wing ideology that pushes black people not to aim high. If you look at the range of jobs Nigerians are doing in this country, they almost always take a step or two steps down. Very few people come here and continue where they left off. The education system is where it starts.” The candidate tells of her own experience studying for A-levels in the British state school system. Although she wanted to study medicine at university, her teachers suggested she study nursing instead and she believes that many black children are limited in similar ways.

“There’s a problem with state education, especially with ethnic minorities,” she says. “I don’t feel they’re very aspirational when it comes to black kids.” As a black Conservative, her views sometimes come as a shock to those on the left. She says she was once slapped by a white lady at a charity event who couldn’t believe that a black African woman would choose to be a member of a party of white, middle-aged men.

“She came over to me and thought I was someone who was going to be aligned with her and I told her I disagreed fundamentally with so many things she said,” recalls Adegoke. “She said, ‘look at you, you’re not really black. You’re rich. I can tell by the way you’re dressed.’” Ms. Adegoke argues that those on the left are only interested in poor black people whom they think they can help. “The moment they feel you’re superior to them, they can be very hostile,” she says.

Ready to be convinced
Fortunately for her, the reactions of Nigerians on the streets and estates of Brixton are not as unfriendly and many are happy to speak to a fellow Nigerian. However, the word ‘Conservative’ is often enough to wipe the smile off people’s faces.

One of the first Nigerians Ms. Adegoke speaks to that day is a short, plump middle aged man who takes his time opening the door. As soon as she introduces herself as the local Conservative candidate, the man shakes his head in disgust and says: “Consa? No way. Never. Never. Ko possible.”

Adegoke responds confidently: “I have a very good chance of winning here.”

“E ba ti lo si party to favour foreigner,” the man says in a mixture of Yoruba and English, asking why she didn’t choose a party that was sympathetic to foreigners. “For 10 years, I suffered under Margaret Thatcher. I suffered a lot.” Undeterred, Ms. Adegoke appeals to his sense of patriotism as a fellow Nigerian.

“I’m working so hard. I don’t want Naijas to have no part in it,” she says passionately. “If I win without Naijas, it’s not good. Conservatives are most likely to win. They don’t need me to win but if they win, won’t it be good if I’m there rather than have no Naijas there?” By the end, she has not only convinced the man, whom she calls Uncle Sonny, to vote for her, but also to display a Conservative Party poster in his flat. In fact, when she gives him one he asks for more.

“E fun mi ni meji si. La ti fun awon eyan,” says Uncle Sonny, asking for two extra posters to give to his friends.

Adegoke is only too happy to oblige.

Source: www.234next.com

Olusegun Obasanjo to clerics: You need deliverance

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday took on members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over their statement that needed deliverance for what they called his blasphemous comment against Jesus Christ.

Obasanjo said it was the clerics that needed deliverance, describing their statement as uncharitable. The former president was said to have claimed that even Jesus Christ cannot organise a successful election in Nigeria.

Obasanjo spoke at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. He was to travel to Kumasi, Ghana but the trip was shelved.

The former president said such religious leaders needed to be born again for their uncharitable statement.

Decked in a blue stripe buba and sokoto attire, Obasanjo, who drove into the presidential lounge about 6.05 pm said : "Do not mind them, they are the ones that needs deliverance, not me Obasanjo, even you journalists need deliverance. I cannot change again, they are the people that need to be delivered. I cannot repeat myself, over what I said before, they are the ones that need all the repentance you can think of."

On whether he is supporting Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2011 presidential election against the zoning arrangement, Obasanjo said : "Did you see me carrying Jonathan on my back, I do not understand you. If you mean support him, I do not know . "

The Christian Association of Nigeria in a report this week condemned Obasanjo over his recent comments that even Jesus Christ would not be able to conduct undisputed and credible elections in the country.

CAN had in its reaction to the statement, said that it was unfortunate that a person of the former president’s standing, who had benefited immensely from the wonders of God, would blaspheme the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Secretary of the Kaduna State chapter of the CAN, Rev. Joseph Hayab, who spoke in Kaduna, said: "This is totally a blasphemous of our Lord and Saviuor Jesus Christ, by a person whom God had on several occasions delivered from the valley of the shadow of death, like he (Obasanjo) stated in his inauguration speech on May 29th, 1999.

"Obasanjo must know that Jesus Christ has the power to save and deliver people from sin and condemnation, and he is still saving many in Nigeria today. It is the prayers of those who have been saved by Jesus Christ that is keeping Nigeria moving from the clutches of bad leaders like him. How much more can he not conduct a mere election?", he said.

Source: www.thenationonlineng.net

Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu: Ahmed Yerima is mentally sick.

The Governor of Niger State, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, yesterday in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, took a swipe at the former Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Yerima for allegedly marrying an Egyptian minor. Aliyu spoke as a guest lecturer during the maiden edition of “International Conference of Private Universities in Africa,” at the Babcock University, Ilishan.
The governor who described Sharia as an Islamic law that teaches morals, lamented the criticism against it.

His words: ‘’Many people are now bringing in issues that are making Sharia to look like an archaic system, whereas it is more modern than the Western legal system.”
Sharia, according to him, has taken care of many things including peoples’ culture. “It is sickness that would make a man to be looking for small, small things.”
He lamented that when the womenfolk were reacting to the issue, the males were silent about it. “So, it is a sickness for a grown up adult to be looking for small things. It is time we stopped some certain things so that we can join the league of 21st century nations.”

Aliyu, who is also the Chairman of Northern Governor’s Forum said there was nothing excellent in being a governor until he had been able to serve his people and charged his governor-friends to make people the centre of their programmes.
While challenging Nigerian youths to show interest in elective offices, Aliyu wondered why nobody who could be described as youths were among those who had so far expressed their interest in the presidential race.

His words: ‘’It is then wondered that the youths are not among those who have shown interest in the Presidential election. People that have shown interests so are people of the past. May be because the university is quiet, otherwise some people would have not shown their face even if they are invited’’

According to him if universities were alive to their responsibilities, leadership position would become a natural self-selection. ‘’Unless you are ready, you are prepared to subject yourself. Leadership must not be a way of making money. It must be a way of service. It must be a way of contributing to the development and progress of our dear country. We count on your for this’’, he stated.

The governor challenged Nigerian university professors to chart a way forward for our dear nations, not only through research but also through sustained, enlightened and broad-minded discussion and comments on national issues.
‘’You must keep the political class and indeed the society on its toes, as well collectively work towards the realization of our national aspirations’’, he concluded.

However, despite widespread condemnation Yerima, yesterday shunned an invitation to appear before an investigation team of National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP).

Yerima was expected to appear before NAPTIP team of investigators in Abuja to answer questions on allegations bordering on his alleged involvement in a marriage with a 13-year Egyptian girl.
However, at about 6.00pm when Daily Sun left the NAPTIP Head Office at Wuse Zone 5, the Zamfara State Senator had not surfaced.

NAPTIP sources told Daily Sun that there was much doubts on the appearance of Yerima at NAPTIP office as expected because he was heard granting an interview on Egyptian radio on the alleged marriage.
NAPTIP had in a letter dated April 28, invited Senator Yerima stressing that his invitation was in compliance with section 5 and 58 (b) of the NAPTIP Act 2003 and 2005 as amended.

Sources at NAPTIP said the agency will still give Yerima up to end of this week to appear.

Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

Jimoh Ibrahim: Even if Branson gives me the Virgin brand free, I will not take it.

Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim

The Group Managing Director, NICON Group, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, is the new owner of Virgin Nigeria, the controversial airline formed in a partnership between the British businessman, Richard Branson, and some Nigerian investors. Ibrahim, at a press conference last week, spoke on his plans for the nation‘s flag carrier. OYETUNJI ABIOYE was there. Excerpts:

Are you coming up with a merger arrangement between NICON Airways and your new airline, Virgin Nigeria?

In fairness, the deal for Virgin Nigeria had been on since 2009, but you know it is not every deal that you put on the pages of newspapers when you are yet to conclude. In that very year 2009, if I had wanted to make NICON Airways to be flying with all the aircraft, we would have done so. We felt that let us quickly look at this deal, and we can have a merger later and then we can move on. 

But if I had made up my mind and say we don‘t want Virgin Nigeria, and use the money for NICON Airways, maybe that would have been a different thing, may be also we would not have issues with NICON Airways. The Virgin deal started in 2009 and it went from back and forth until it closed in 2010, sometimes in April. Two things are very key in the Virgin Nigeria deal. First, we as a nation must continue to show the capacity that we can do it. 

Agreed that Richard Branson came with this brand to Nigeria and things were going bad and Branson walked out with the managing director, the chief executive officer, and the chief finance officer and technical officers in a day. Is it that we don‘t have the personnel, entrepreneur that can do it? This is why I said we should conclude once and for all this matter. Coming to my major plan, my immediate plan is to stabilise the airline with seven aircraft and we will achieve this very shortly. What we want to do is actually stabilise it at seven and from there move to 17 and after that we start the international route. Our immediate plan is to get the local market right, get the regional market right and then from there, we move on to the international routes. Our long term plan is to make it good and take it back to Nigerians who are the owners, just like all our companies that we have acquired in the past and then take it to the stock exchange and make Nigerians to be proud owners of a good airline.

Are you planning to change the name of the airline?

Well, of course, there will be a name change, that can never be ruled out. There will be a name change and the name change will reflect the integrity of our nation. I am not too far away from the name change and I am sure in a matter of days, we will have another meeting with you where I will present document to show you that a name change has happened. I will probably place advertorial in the newspapers. Be prepared for a name change.

What name do you have in mind?

Wait till that time when I call you for a name change. We will have a meeting where we will plot the new name.

With the state of uncertainty around NICON Airways, there are fears that Virgin Nigeria may go the same way? 

I don‘t think anybody should have any fear; that fear is your own fear, your own created fear. If anybody has run any company well in this country, I think by the Grace of God, I am number one and this is not the first company we have bought. We have never had a company that died in our hands. First, we took NICON, it survived, and it is now in Sao Tome and Principe . We picked Nigerian rail, you didn‘t know that Nigerian rail was taken away by the National Assembly Act. Today, it is surviving. We picked Le Meridien hotel, where we had snakes and cobras staying in. They were using snake powder to bring them out, today; we have American Embassy having office inside Le Meridien hotels that shows you how far we have gone in turning it around. We picked 110 petrol stations that we bought for people; we never built them; all the fuel stations are selling fuel today. 

We picked up VGC from the former HSC owners, it has been turned around. Today, the hotel is there today running very well. The industry there where they produce chairs, today they are made by our factory. We picked this building from NDIC. All the area boys of Marina were living here before, but you can see how it looks now. We have been turning around corporations. One of the areas where we have respect among the youth is the ability to turn around companies. 

Let me tell you, some interesting companies; I don‘t want to mention their names had even been talking to us to see how we can rescue them in management plan. So, what is in Virgin Nigeria to turn around for us? I don‘t see anybody expressing fears, rather from the report I got yesterday, all flights were fully booked. Infact on Sunday, they were double booked. So, I want to thank Nigerians for the tremendous support that they are giving to us. They believe in our capacity above all. If it was when Virgin Nigeria was being run by Richard Branson, can you have an interview like this with him?

Why add the burden of Virgin Nigeria to NICON Airways in view of the sensitivity of the airline business in Nigeria?

I am used to putting my head in trouble waters. Don‘t worry about it. Let me correct one thing, NICON Airways is not the same thing as Virgin Nigeria because Virgin Nigeria has all the structures, has a lot of connectivity and a lot of things to build and they are far from each other, but nevertheless, we used to do an unusual thing to get an unusual result. When this house was put for sale, it was there for almost three years, nobody applied, but today, if I put it for sale, everybody will be here because it has been turned around. I appreciate your sympathy, you can be sure Virgin Nigeria will survive. Again, it is not about profit again, if you know that at this level, I go for something that is exciting. I have run close to about 16 companies. We have eight hotels, 210 petrol stations etc. What do you think I will be doing? The total debt I owe is just N2.4 bn, that is what is left over. What do you think I should be doing at my age if I don‘t put my head in Virgin Nigeria? So, it is an exciting moment.

What airline did you really buy, is it Virgin Nigeria or Nigerian Eagle?

We bought Virgin Nigeria, there was nothing called Nigeria Eagle that we bought. Am I so stupid? I am a lawyer, common give that to me. I am Harvard and University of Ife trained. Am I going to buy Nigeria Eagle, I bought Virgin Nigeria (brandishing a certified true copy of the certificate) and I got original shares certificate of Virgin Nigeria. So, I don‘t know what Virgin is talking about. We are not paying any thing to anybody to have the Virgin brand. Is Virgin Nigeria a brand (general laughter of disapproval)? I don‘t have issues with Virgin Nigeria; you know me critically, if I buy any foreign company, forget about brand or no brand, whatever the brand, I will change it to reflect Nigerian name. So that is me. Even if Virgin gives me their brand for free, I will not take it, I will still use my local name.

What plans do you have for this airline and the workers?

Thanks for your concern and we appreciate it. Don‘t worry, we will survive. I don‘t think there will be problem at all. I am aware running an airline is very expensive. I know what it is; I have enough of experience to turn around the airline quickly. Normally, turn around takes two years and I implore all of you to join in the turn around, so that you can see things and educate yourself. In the case of Virgin Nigeria; from the diagnosis I have seen, may be in less than one year, we would have been through with the turn around.

What is the future of workers in the airline?

If you are a fraudulent staff, you better start running. If you are not, enjoy yourself and expect your promotion. Let me tell you, its not all turn around that require people to be sacked. Le Meridien was turned around; we never sacked one single staff of Le Meridien. We are increasing the fleet, why are the workers afraid? If you sack them and increase your fleet, who are the people that will come and do the job? An aircraft must have a marginal number of people that will work with it. So, where will you get the people from? What you will do is to restructure them to training. Let me tell you, our turn-around is only limited. Virgin Nigeria is not technically sick, it is financially sick; so the turn around will be directed to finance.

Why did Captain Dapo Olumide resigned as the airline‘s managing director and what is your relationship with Lufthansa Technik and Ethiopian Airways?

This people are doing their job and I don‘t want to interfere with their job because of safety standard. Like I told you Virgin is not technically sick, but financially sick, and we don‘t want the financial sickness to affect technical matters, so that it does not spread. That is why some of you should be careful with your report. I have no issue with Captain Olumide. You people are the ones that removed him from the place. We woke up in the morning and read that he has resigned. 

He was with me here and waited till 6pm. By 10pm, I called him to ask for some data and he gave me. He was going into some details and I said Olu, why don‘t you go and take your rest, let us see tomorrow and he said good night and the following morning when I woke up, I saw newspapers to say that he has resigned. I called his line, it was not going through and we were going to have a staff meeting the same day. When I asked whether he has letter for me, my secretary said he did not have any letter from Dapo, so what do you want me to do as somebody who has just invested that type of money in the place, to just be waiting? I don‘t have issues with him. He is some of the people I have a lot of respect and confidence in. May be somebody misadvised him and he did not look at it very well and he took a wrong action. His career must be managed. If I had wanted to be funny yesterday, I would have said we dismissed him because we did not see his resignation letter.

Source:www.punchng.com

Fire guts Lagos office of EFCC

Written by Adelowo Oladipo and Lanre Adewole


There was panic, on Tuesday, at the Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State, when the  office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was gutted by fire in the early hours of the day.

The fire gutted four offices of the Legal Department of the anti-graft agency, leaving important documents and computers sets destroyed.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that no life was lost to the incident, while the value of property destroyed by the fire could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.

Insider sources at the EFCC said a thick smoke was noticed billowing out of some offices around 10.45 a.m, before it later turned into flame, adding that the cause of the fire could not be immediately ascertained.

But an unconfirmed report said it might not be unconnected with faulty electrical installations within the premises of the one-storey building which housed the office.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that some employees of the commission, who were at the premises at the time of the incident, scampered for safety, as they watched  helplessly as the fire raged.

When the Nigerian Tribune visited the scene of the incident around 12.30 p.m, fire fighters were seen at the scene, trying to curtail the fire so that it did not spread to adjoining offices.

Meanwhile, the commission has launched a probe into the fire incident in its Lagos office.

Though the Lagos spokesperson of the agency, Mr Wilson Uwuajaren, dismissed any foul play in connection with the incident, a statement issued in Abuja by the spokesperson of the commission, Mr Femi Babafemi, said the chairman of the agency, Mrs Farida Waziri, had ordered a probe into the incident.

The statement assured the public that case files of the commission were safe and secure.

Source: www.tribune.com.ng

Probe of Fashola: True Face of Lagos accuses Assembly of bias

Written by Adewale Ajayi

The True Face of Lagos, a group which  levelled allegations of financial impropiety against  Lagos State governor,  Mr Babatunde Fashola, has accused the probe panel constituted by the state House of Assembly of being biased in its investigation.

This was contained in a letter signed by the chairman of the group, Mr  Adebayo Adeshina, addressed to the  chairman of the panel, Honourable Ajibayo Adeyeye,  on Tuesday .

According to the letter, the group  stated that a statement credited to one of the members of the committee, Honourable Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, that  the inability of the group to produce proofs on the allegations  made her have some reservations on the allegations,  showed that  the committee would be biased in its finding .

The letter reads: “We draw your attention to media comment made by a member of your committee, Honourable Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, immediately after your sitting of Tuesday, April 27, 2010 in which we had the privilege to be present in respect of your invitation.

“Honourable Tejousho was widely quoted in both electronic and print media to have said she had reservation about our ability to provide proofs on allegations when we had appeared before the panel only once.”

Source: www.tribune.com.ng

DBANJ - FALL IN LOVE Featuring Genevieve Nnaji - Official Video

DBANJ - FALL IN LOVE

Senator Sikiru Ayodeji Shitta-Bey dies 78.(1931-2010)

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Second Republic Senator, Alhaji Sikiru Ayodeji Shitta-Bey, died yesterday at his Victoria Island residence in Lagos State, aged 79.

Although details of his last moments could not be ascertained as at press  time, family source said he would be buried today at the Oke-suna Cemetery, Lagos Island, according to Islamic rite.

Prominent Lagos indigenes are expected to attend the funeral to pay their last respect to the illustrious Lagos indigene.

Before his death, Shitta-Bey, was a chieftain of the Action Congress, AC, and a lawyer by profession. The late political icon and a well respected Lagos indigene represented Lagos State in the National Assembly in the Second Republic.

In 2000, he was involved in a legal case challenging the legality of an amendment to the Constitution of the Lagos Central Mosque by a Wahab Folawiyo-led Jamaatul Muslimeen Council of Lagos Shitta-Bey was born in Lagos on 26 June 1931. He is a great-grandson of Mohammed Shitta-Bey. He married his wife, Raheenat Braimoh Igbo in 1957. He attended Olowogbowo Methodist School and King’s College, Lagos, before proceeding to study law at the University of London.

He was called to the Bar in 1960. However, he became more known for his participation in the country’s first and second republics and his role in Lagos state politics.

He married his second wife, Tayibat Adunni Seriki in 1963.

In 1965, he was elected member of the Nigerian Parliament and later in 1979, he won a seat to represent Lagos in the Senate. While serving as a senator, he was a member of the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In the present democratic republic, he pitched his tent with the Alliance for Democracy and later the Action Congress.

During the early stages of the republic, he was a member of the Justice Forum along with Mumini badmus, Olatunji Hamzat and Adeyiga Ajayi. The forum was a political group within the AD and Afenifere.

Faisal Shahzad charged with terrorism

Faisal Shahzad 

 A Pakistani-born U.S. citizen was charged Tuesday with terrorism and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in the botched Times Square bombing. The government said he confessed to receiving explosives training in Pakistan.

Faisal Shahzad — the son of an air force officer in a wealthy Pakistani family — was arrested Monday night, pulled off a plane that was about to fly to the Middle East.

According to the complaint, Shahzad confessed to buying an SUV, rigging it with a homemade bomb and driving it Saturday night into Times Square, where he tried to detonate it.

In Pakistan, intelligence officials said several people had been detained in connection with the Times Square case. But a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press the FBI is not aware of any arrests in Pakistan related to the case.

Shahzad admitted to receiving bomb-making training in Waziristan, the lawless tribal region where the Pakistani Taliban operates with near impunity, but there is no mention of al-Qaida in the complaint filed in Manhattan federal court. The complaint said he returned from Pakistan in February, telling an immigration agent that he had been visiting his parents for five months and had left his wife behind.

"Based on what we know so far, it is clear that this was a terrorist plot aimed at murdering Americans in one of the busiest places in our country," Attorney General Eric Holder said in Washington.

Shahzad was on board a Dubai-bound flight that was taxiing away from the gate at Kennedy Airport late Monday when the plane was turned around and federal authorities took him into custody, law enforcement officials said. Federal officials had placed him on a "no-fly" list hours before his arrest.

Holder said Shahzad was talking to investigators, providing them with valuable information, The FBI read Shahzad his constitutional rights after he provided the information, and he continued to cooperate, FBI Deputy Director John Pistole said.

Shahzad's court appearance Tuesday was delayed, in part because he was cooperating with authorities.
President Barack Obama said "hundreds of lives" may have been saved Saturday night by the quick action of ordinary citizens and law enforcement authorities who raised the alarm about the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder rigged with a crude bomb made of gasoline, propane and fireworks. The SUV, which had begun smoking, was parked on a bustling street in Times Square.

"As Americans and as a nation, we will not be terrorized. We will not cower in fear. We will not be intimidated," Obama said.

Shahzad, 30, became a naturalized U.S. citizen last year shortly before traveling to Pakistan, where he had a wife, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.

Investigators hadn't established an immediate connection to the Pakistani Taliban — which had claimed responsibility for the botched bombing in three videos — or any foreign terrorist groups, a law enforcement official told the AP.

"He's claimed to have acted alone, but these are things that have to be investigated," the official said.
Shahzad is the son of a former top Pakistani air force officer and deputy director general of the civil aviation authority, according to Kifyat Ali, the cousin of Faisal Shahzad's father.

Ali told reporters outside a two-story home in an upmarket part of Peshawar, the main city in northwestern Pakistan, that the family had yet to be officially informed of Shahzad's arrest in the United States.

"This is a conspiracy so the (Americans) can bomb more Pashtuns," Ali said, referring to a major ethnic group in Peshawar and the nearby tribal areas of Pakistan and southwest Afghanistan. "He was never linked to any political or religious party here."

He said Faisal often stayed in Peshawar when he came back from the United States.
His mother and father, retired Air Vice Marshall Baharul Haq, had left the house for an undisclosed location because of the media interest.

Source: AP

Pearl Carter, 72 year old granny, sexually alive by her 26-year-old grandchild Phil Bailey.

Granny, 72, Having A Baby With Her Grandson

Pearl Carter, 72, says she has never been happier after beginning an incestuous relationship with her 26-year-old grandchild Phil Bailey.

The pensioner, from Indiana, US, is using her pension to pay a surrogate mother so they can have a child, reports New Zealand's New Idea magazine.

She said: "I'm not interested in anyone else's opinion. I am in love with Phil and he's in love with me.

"Soon I'll be holding my son or daughter in my arms and Phil will be the proud dad."

Her lover is the son of Pearl's daughter Lynette Bailey - who she put up for adoption when she was 18-years-old.

When his mother passed away, Phil tracked down his long lost grandmother and they quickly fell in love.

Pearl told New Idea magazine: "From the first moment that I saw him, I knew we would never have a grandmother-grandson relationship.

"For the first time in years I felt sexually alive."

It was during their second week together, after dinner and wine, that Pearl made her move.

"I called Phil into my bedroom, sat him on the bed, and then I leant over and kissed him," she added.

"I expected rejection but instead he kissed me back."

Phil revealed: "I wanted to kiss her there and then. My feelings were overwhelming.

"I love Pearl with all my heart. I've always been attracted to older women and I think Pearl is gorgeous. Now I'm going to be a dad and I can't wait.

"Yes, we get laughed at and bullied when we go out and kiss in public but we don't care. You can't help who you fall for."

The pair paid $54,000 (£35,000) to find a surrogate mother and buy a donor egg to inseminate with Phil's sperm.

They placed an advert asking for an open-minded surrogate, and Roxanne Campbell applied.

"Initially I was shocked," says Roxanne, 30. "But they're a brilliant pair and I saw how much they loved each other. I know the baby will be loved too."

Pearl said: "I am finally going to be a mum and not forced to give up my child. Phil's going to be a great dad.

"I never in a million years thought at 72 I'd be 'pregnant' and in love with my grandson.

"I make no apologies and I believe God's given me a second chance."

Source: SKY News

Segun Oni declared Ekiti state governor by Ekiti Election Tribunal

Ekiti State Governor, Engineer Segun Oni

The election tribunal on the 2008 gubernatorial re-run elections held in Ekiti State today re-affirm the Peoples Democratic Party candidate Segun Oni as the winner of the election. Ekiti Election Tribunal  declares Oni winner with 109,000 to Fayemi 106,000 after deductions.

Jimoh Ibrahim: I’ve enough experience to turn around Virgin Nigeria

Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim

Written by Shola Adeola
Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim is a well known name in business circles as a successful young man who has carved a niche for himself in areas he has ventured into. Recently, he acquired Virgin Nigeria which was established in 2004 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo to replace the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways. Virgin Nigeria, which was floated on behalf of the Federal Government by Virgin Atlantic as a core technical partner, was owned 51 per cent  by Nigerian core investors while the remaining 49 per cent went to the Virgin Group. Despite the mixed reactions that have greeted the take over of the airline, Ibrahim, in this interview,  allays such fears even as he spoke with Shola Adekola on his plans to reposition the flag carrier and make it financially viable. Excerpts.

Why did you acquire Virgin Nigeria?
I must thank you very much for your question. Let me say one thing in fairness, the deal for Virgin Nigeria had been on since 2009, but you know it’s not every deal that you put on the pages of newspapers when you are yet to conclude. In that very year 2009, if I had wanted to make NICON to be flying with all the aircraft, we would have done so. We felt that let us quickly look at this deal, and then we can have a merger later and we can then move on. But if I had made up my mind and said  we don’t want Virgin Nigeria, let me use the money for NICON Airways, may be that would have been a different thing, may be also we would not have issues with NICON. The Virgin deal started in 2009, and it went from back and forth till it closed in 2010, some time in April, last Friday.

Two things are very key in the Virgin Nigeria deal. First, we as a nation must continue to show the capacity that we can do it. Agreed that Richard Branson came with this brand to Nigeria and things are going back and Branson walked out with the MD, the CEO, and the CFO and technical officers in a day. Is it that we don’t have the personnel, entrepreneur that can do it? This is why I said we should conclude once and for all this matter. Coming to my major plan; my immediate plan is to stabilise the airline with  seven aircrafts,  and we will achieve this very shortly. What we want to do is actually stabilise it at seven and from there move to 17, and after that we start the international route. Our immediate plan is to get the local market right, get the regional market right and then from there, we move on to the international routes. Our long term plan is to make the good and take it back to Nigerians who are the owners, just like all our companies that we have acquired in the past and then take it to the stock exchange and make Nigerians to be proud owners of a good airline.

Are you  going  to  change  the name  of Virgin Nigeria?
Well, of course, there will be a name change, that can never be ruled out. There will be a name change and the name change will reflect the integrity of our nation.  I am not too far away from the name change, and I am sure its in a matter of days.

Where are we now as regards NICON Airways and the fear that Virgin Nigeria may go the way of NICON?
I don’t think anybody should have any fear, that fear is your own fear, your self-created fear. If anybody has run any company well in this country, I think by the grace of God, I am number one and this is not the first company we have bought. We have never had a company that died in our hands.

First, we took NICON; it survived, its now in Sao Tome and Principe. We picked Nigerian rail, and you didn’t know that Nigerian rail was taken away by the National Assembly Act. Today, it is surviving, we picked Le Meridien hotel, where we had snakes and cobras staying in. They were using snake powder to bring them out; today, we have the American Embassy office inside Le Meridien hotels. That shows you how far we have gone in turning it around. We picked 110 petrol stations that we bought from people. We never built them; all the fuel stations are selling fuel today. We picked up VGC from the former HSC owners, it has been turned around today, and the hotel is there today running very well. The industry there where they produce chairs, today they are made by our factory. We picked this building from NDIC. All the area boys of Marina were living here before, but you can see how it looks now. We have been turning around corporations. One of the areas where we have respect among the youth is the ability to turn around companies. Let me tell you, some interesting companies, I don’t want to mention their names, had even been talking to us to see how we could rescue them in management plan. So, what is in Virgin Nigeria to turn around for us? I don’t see anybody expressing fears. Rather from the report I got yesterday, all flights were fully booked. Infact on Sunday, they were double booked. So, I want to thank Nigerians for the tremendous support that they are giving to us. They believe in our capacity above all. If it was when Virgin Nigeria was being run by Richard Branson, could you have an interview like this with him?

On the issue of Virgin brand and the controversy that trailed the use which reportedly cost the airline N1 billion annually for using the brand. This led to name change to Nigerian Eagle, what airline did you actually buy?
We bought Virgin Nigeria, there was nothing called Nigeria Eagle that we bought. Am I so stupid? I am a lawyer, common, give that to me. I am Harvard and University of Ife trained. Am I going to buy Nigeria Eagle, I bought Virgin Nigeria (brandishing a certified true copy of the certificate) and I got original shares certificate of Virgin Nigeria. So, I don’t know what Virgin is talking about. We are not paying any thing to anybody to have the Virgin brand. Is Virgin Nigeria a brand (general laughter of disapproval)? I don’t have issues with Virgin Nigeria. You know me critically, if I buy any foreign company, forget about brand or no brand, whatever the brand, I will change it to reflect Nigerian name. So that is me. Even if Virgin gives me its brand for free, I will not take it, I will still use my local name.

What plans do you have in place for repositioning this airline and its survival and workers future?
Thanks for your concern and we appreciate it. Don’t worry, we will survive. I don’t think there will be problem at all. I am aware that the airline is much on highly expensive. I know what it is; I have enough of experience to turn around the airline quickly. Normally, turn around takes two years and I implore all of you to join in the turn around, so that you can see things and educate yourself. In the case of Virgin Nigeria; from the diagnosis I have seen, may be in less than one year, we would have been through with the turn around.

Considering the sensitivity of aviation industry, why could you not  achieve your aim with NICON Airways rather than Virgin Nigeria ?
I am used to putting my head in trouble waters. Don’t worry about it. Let me correct one thing, NICON Airways is not the same thing as Virgin Nigeria because Virgin Nigeria has all the structures, has a lot of connectivity and a lot of things to build and they are far from each other. But nevertheless, we used to do unusual things to get an unusual results. When this house was put for sale, it was there for almost three years, nobody applied, but today, if I put it for sale, everybody will be here because it has been turned around. I appreciate your sympathy, you can be sure Virgin Nigeria will survive. Again, it is not about profit again, if you know that at this level, I go for something that is exciting. I have run close to about 16 companies. We have eight hotels, 210 petrol stations etc. What do you think I will be doing? The total debt I owe is just N2.4 billion, that is what is left over. What do you think I should be doing at my age if I don’t put my head in Virgin Nigeria? So, it is an exciting moment.

On workers’ future in the airline
If you are a fraudulent staff, you better start running. If you are not, enjoy yourself and expect your promotion. Let me tell you, its not all turn around that require people to be sacked. Le Meridien was turned around; we never sacked one single staff of Le Meridien. We are increasing the fleet, why are the workers afraid. If you sack them and increase your fleet, who are the people that will come and do the job? An aircraft must have a marginal number of people that will work with it. So, where will you get the people from? What you will do is to restructure them to training. Let me tell you, our turn-around is only limited. Virgin Nigeria is not technically sick, it is financially sick; so the turn around will be directed to finance.

Source: www.tribune.com.ng