Thursday, 24 October 2013
Photos from the christening of Prince William & Kate's son, George
The moment Kanye got down on one knee to propose to Kim
Atiku Abubakar vows to follow rape case...victim committed suicide
From PM News
The Nigerian police in the southern state of Bayelsa has confirmed that an 18-year-old girl committed suicide after a gang rape by three unidentified men.
The Spokesman of the state Police Command, Mr Alex Akhigbe, told newsmen in Yenagoa that the girl killed herself in Amarata, Yenagoa, Local Government Area of Bayelsa, southern Nigeria.
“I believe the deceased decided to hang herself due to the attendant shame and stigmatisation she experienced after the rape incident,” Akhigbe said.
He said that the command had launched investigation into the alleged rape charges filed by the deceased family.
One of the family members, who pleaded for anonymity, said that the girl was reportedly gang-raped last week.
“She was on errand for her elder sister and was allegedly raped at gun point by three boys who forced her into an uncompleted building.
“The girl was devastated after the incident.
“After some days she told her sister and the husband her experience. Her sister’s husband who is a Pastor, asked her to describe any of her attacker.
“She described one of the boys, but the boy could not be found; I believe Pastor counselled her (the victim).
“The pastor has promised to pursue the matter to the court.
“She swallowed a poisonous substance known as Sniper and she was discovered while groaning in pains and rushed to GloryLand Hospital.
“The victim was discovered through the note she dropped before taking the poisonous substance,” the source said.
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Chocolate City gets a Court Injunction against Brymo
Chocolate City says Brymo's contract remains valid until 2016. Brymo is too talented not to work... please y'all should sort this out!
Fashola, Oshiomhole want female president
Speaking at the conference, with the theme: See Beyond Today: Enhance the Quality of Life, Oshiomhole, who declared the conference open, said the nation had decided to hold a national conference to deliberate on ethnicity and the geographical set up of the country, but wondered why the issue of female presidency was not brought into the front burner.
The Edo state governor stressed that it was time Nigeria deliberate to have a female president at the helms of affairs in the midst of absolute failure by the male counterpart who had been ruling the nation since 1960.
Oshiomhole said the feat achieved by the late former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher had not be rivaled till this moment, saying that the woman was able to take Britain to an enviable height.
“There are evidences around the world where women have led. There is no question in my mind that we need to create a level playing field for the women,” he stated.
In his goodwill message, Fashola said there was the need for women to take over the leadership of this nation as they had shown that they could be better leaders more than the male folk.
“We are waiting for the women to take over. Our world will be better if women take over. The best emerging economy today in the world is being driven by women. The women have been there with me in my government,” he said.
The governor also spoke on the need to control the burgeoning population of the nation, in the midst of pervading and rising cases of hunger in the land.
Fashola stated that statistics had it that two-third of the world’s seven billion population lived in abject poverty and that Nigerian women had the power to control the rising population of the nation.
“Can we consciously start slowing down the way we grow our population? If two-third already live in poverty, what chance for those coming after us if we are already in poverty?” He asked.
According to Fashola, “people are shy discussing this issue; the earlier we talk about it, the better. In 1970, the population of London was 8.5 million while Lagos was then 1.4 million.
“Today, London has dropped about one million population while Lagos has gone up to reach about 20 million. We can march out of poverty if we plan well.”
Fashola added that the Lagos State Government was already undergoing registration of all Lagosians for adequate planning for the population, urging the women register and to mobilize others to do the same so that government could plan for the future of their children.
Photo: OJB recuprating well after surgery
Ex-reps member Dino Melaye arrested for protesting against Oduah
Dino led a group of protesters to the Federal Secretariat, Abuja around noon today, calling for the sack of the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, over the purchase of two BMW armoured cars.
Drama ensued during the protest as another group emerged from nowhere to stage a counter protest to drum up support for the minister.
The police led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Sunday Olukoya, arrived at the scene and promptly arrested Dino Melaye's group. They were taken away in a Toyota Hilux van, marked NPS 21280 at about one this afternoon
Presidential fleet larger than three domestic airlines - report
The declining fortunes of the domestic airlines have made President Goodluck Jonathan’s 10-aircraft Presidential Air Fleet larger than the fleets of three domestic airlines combined, investigations by Punch correspondent revealed on Tuesday.
The three carriers are Chanchangi, MedView, and FirstNation airlines. Chanchangi has one aircraft; Medview Airlines, three; while FirstNation has two.
IRS Airlines, with five aircraft in its fleet, has only one that is currently operational. The four others have been sent overseas for routine maintenance for a long time now.
It can be technically assumed that the Presidential Air Fleet is bigger than the four domestic airlines, according to industry experts.
Aerocontractors, the second largest
domestic airline, which currently has about 12 aircraft in its fleet, is
struggling under sundry debts like every other domestic airline.
Indications have also emerged that the
10-aircraft PAF may emerge the second largest domestic airline in the
country after Arik Air, which currently has about 23 aircraft.
Aviation sources revealed, however, that
unless the plan to turn Aerocontractors Airlines into a national
carrier worked out, the declining fortunes of the debt-ridden airline
might force it to lose some of its planes to foreign aircraft leasing
companies as it happened to Air Nigeria some years ago.
Top aviation officials admitted that the
large size of the PAF could not be justified amid the dearth of
aircraft among the domestic airlines, which lack adequate finance to buy
more planes to meet up with the soaring passenger capacity.
Apart from Arik and Aerocontractors,
each of the remaining domestic airlines does not possess half of the
number of aircraft in the PAF, according to findings by our
correspondent.
IRS Airlines has only one operational
aircraft in its fleet; while Dana Air has five aircraft, in addition to
those owned by Chanchangi, Medview and FirstNation, according to figures
obtained from the industry.
According to findings, the PAF include
two Falcon 7X jets, two Falcon 900 jets, a Gulfstream 550, one Boeing
737 BBJ (Nigerian Air Force 001 or Eagle One), and a Gulfstream IVSP.
Others are one Gulfstream V, Cessna Citation 2 aircraft and Hawker Siddley 125-800 jet.
Each of the Falcon 7X jets was purchased in 2010 at a cost of $51.1m, while the Gulfstream 550 costs $53.3m.
The factory price of the other aircraft
in the fleet could not be obtained online. However, airline CEOs put the
average price of the Falcon 900 at $35m; Gulfstream IVSP, $40m;
Gulfstream V, $45m; Boeing 737 BBJ, $58m; Cessna Citation, $7m; and
Hawker Siddley 125-800, $15m.
This brings a combined estimated value of the PAF to $390.5m (N60.53bn).
Nigeria happens to be one of the few countries in the world with a large PAF.
Most major countries in Europe and Asia maintain two aircraft in their PAF, according to Wikipedia.
According to the online portal, Japan maintains only two Boeing 747-400 planes in its PAF.
The two aircraft, mostly for the prime
minister, the emperor and his wife, and other members of the Imperial
Family, is operated by the Japan Air Self-Defence Force.
The aircraft were constructed at the
Boeing factory at the same time as the United States’ Air Force One.
Both Japanese aircraft were delivered in 1990.
Wikipedia also states that the
Netherlands government operates only two aircraft, a Fokker 70 and
Gulfstream IV to transport the Dutch Royal family and government
officials such as the prime minister and other ministers.
They are also used for international
conferences and for private trips by the Queen and the Prince of Orange.
For long haul trips, the Royal Dutch Airline is used. Often the upper
deck of a Boeing 747 is used.
The Queen of England and the Prime
Minister, David Cameron, often go on British Airways chartered flights
for long trips. Cameron was recently criticised by the UK media for
chartering a foreign plane instead of a British.
According to Wikipedia, the Royal
Squadron of the Royal Air Force maintains a fleet of Agusta A109
helicopters, BAE-125 mid-sized business jet and BAE-146 regional
airliner to support short travel by the Royal Family, the Prime Minister
and senior members of the British Government.
Countries like Ghana, Algeria and a host of others in Europe maintain only one aircraft in their PAF.
According to industry experts, airlines
spend between 15 and 20 per cent of the cost of an aircraft on its
operation yearly. They say that averagely, a little less than one-fifth
of the cost of the plane is spent every year on insurance, flight and
cabin crew, maintenance, fuelling, catering and training.
Going by the fact that at least 15 per
cent of this amount is spent annually on operating the PAF, it means
about $58.57m (N9.08bn ) is being spent annually on running the planes
in the Nigerian PAF.
Some airline CEOs, who pleaded
anonymity, had raised concerns over the economic sense behind the large
mix of brands of aircraft in the PAF. They said although the fleet size
was large, the cost of operation would have been cheaper if the
Presidency had maintained only two brands.
According to the Nigerian Air Force’s
website, the PAF’s current staff strength consists of 47 NAF officers,
173 airmen/airwomen and 96 technical and administrative civilians.
“The operational headquarters of the
Fleet is located at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja, while the administrative personnel are at
the Federal Secretariat. The fleet has a liaison office at the
Presidential Villa. Flight operations, training, aircraft maintenance
and general running of the fleet are funded by the Presidency,”
according to the website.
Tiwa Savage off to the UK for her wedding shopping
Ogun exhumes corpses during demolition exercise
One of the dismantled graves where a corpse was exhumed at Ijoko
| credits: Samson Folarin
| credits: Samson Folarin
Many
graves have been reportedly dismantled and their corpses exhumed in
Ijoko, Ifo Local Government, Ogun State, in the ongoing demolition
exercise of the state government.
Residents told PUNCH Metro that the number was expected to rise as the state continued to take down houses in its road expansion project.
PUNCH Metro had, on Tuesday,
reported the demolition of several buildings and structures along the
Yakoyo/Alagbole road and the Ijoko/Sango areas by the Ogun State
Government. The demolition was said to be have been carried out in
preparation for the expansion of the said roads.
Our correspondent gathered that while
some of the corpses had been interred for as long as 30 years, a few
were said to have been in the graves for about eight years or less.
PUNCH Metro counted three of such exhumed graves when our correspondent visited Ijoko.
The families of the deceased were said to have taken the exhumed corpses to unknown destinations.
A commercial motorcyclist, who
identified himself as Ahmed Samora, said he was paid to lift the corpses
of a couple from their grave.
He said, “I was called to bring out the
corpses. They were still fresh and they were husband and wife. The two
were buried within an orthodox church that was affected by the
demolition exercise. I saw their family members take them to the family
house.”
He said there were so many corpses within the area because it was the habit of residents to bury their dead in their compound.
The relative of another deceased woman,
Mrs. Modupe Ogundele, said her grandmother had been buried for eight
years. Ogundele said the family arranged for some rites before doing a
second burial.
A youth in the area, Abiodun Olawore, said the demolition brought joy and sorrow to Ijoko.
He said, “As you can see, some of us are
happy because we believe the road expansion project will bring
development to Ogun State. Some others are sad because they have lost
their property. We need companies to come and invest here and give us
jobs. We also want banks in Ijoko, which we presently lack. I believe if
these will happen, then we cannot rule out things like this.”
When PUNCH Metro visited the
area, all manner of activities were going on around the rubble of
demolished buildings. A group of men were seen scavenging through the
rubble for iron rods, as some other women sorted wooden materials.
A man brought a van in which he loaded some items from a broken plaza.
PUNCH Metro gathered that some of
the owners of other buildings that had been marked for demolition, had
emptied them of their contents and abandoned them, in preparation for
the exercise.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Governor,
Ibikunle Amosun, has asked owners of structures affected by the ongoing
reconstruction of the 32-kilometer Sango-Ijoko-Akute-Alagbole road to
come to Abeokuta, the state capital, to collect their compensation.
A statement to PUNCH Metro on
Tuesday said the governor said this at the inauguration of a poultry
pen, built by the Chairman, Ifo Local Government, Chief Oluwole
Enilolobo, in Ifo Town. Amosun said the fund for the payment was
already at the Bureau of Land awaiting collection.
Amosun said, “We gave residents of
Ijoko-Agbado-Akute-Ojodu areas two years notice of our readiness to
construct the 32km highway. The compensation has been ready before now
but our people need to go pick their cheques up at the state secretariat
(in Abeokuta).
“And we have paid the Central South
Construction Company, who we awarded the project to, for the past two
months and we were waiting for our people to be ready.
“I had to go to those areas on Sunday to
sensitise the people myself and let them know that manpower and
equipment had been mobilised to site for the commencement of the
all-important road the following day.
“A light rail would be constructed
between the six-lane road. All roads linking us with our neighboring
states would be put in good condition for economic development.
APC to boycott national dialogue
Interim National Chairman, All Progressive Congress, Chief Bisi Akande
The
All Progressives Congress has said it will not participate in the
planned national dialogue announced by President Goodluck Jonathan on
October 1.
It hinged its decision on the fact that
the “dialogue was nothing but a mere constitutional amendment process’’
which is already being carried out by the National Assembly.
This decision was taken at the party’s National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
It coincided with the Progressive
Governors’ Forum’s threat to use all constitutional means, including
legal action, to compel the Federal Government to pay all shortfalls in
allocations to the 36 states of the federation.
Some of the governors elected on the
platform of the party were also at the meeting, which was also attended
by a former governor of Lagos State, Aswiaju Bola Tinubu.
Briefing journalists after the meeting,
the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, described the planned conference as diversionary.
Besides, he said the Federal Government lacked credibility to organise such a conference.
Mohammed said, “What we see today is
that this government has lost focus; it has lost credibility, it has
lost control of the economy.
Insecurity and corruption have attained
an uncontrollable proportion and at this point in time, this government
lacks the credibility to organise a meaningful national conference.
“In any event, we see this thing as
nothing but a diversion and what are we talking about a national
conference for when even the President(Dr. Goodluck Jonathan) himself
has said the outcome of the conference would be subjected to the
approval of the National Assembly?
“So, what we really have to do is a constitutional amendment, not a national conference and we shall not be a party to that.”
Asked to be categorical whether the
party was going to boycott the conference, Mohammed said, “There is no
issue of boycotting. I have put it clear to you: this is diversionary.
“If it is a clear or meaningful
national dialogue, we will participate, but this isn’t. The President
himself has said whatever is discussed will be subjected to National
Assembly. So, what you are having is a constitutional amendment.”
Tinubu, who had spoken against the
conference when he returned from a medical trip abroad recently, did
not speak with journalists after the meeting.
He simply walked away when Mohammed was speaking with journalists.
Also on Tuesday, the PGF rose from a
short meeting in Abuja with a threat to employ all constitutional means,
including going to court, if the Federal Government failed to pay up
all outstanding allocations to the states.
One of the governors said, “When we mentioned constitutional means, it also means going to court if need be.”
Members of the forum had at the meeting discussed several issues, including the dwindling federal allocation to the states.
The meeting was attended by Governors
Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Rauf Aregbesola (Osun); Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo);
Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe); and Rochas Okorocha(Imo). The governor of Borno
State Kashim Shettima was represented by his deputy, Zannah Mustapha and
The governors of Lagos, Edo, Zamfara, Ogun and Nasarawa states, did
not send representatives.
The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Adams
Oshiomhole, was said to be attending an event in Lagos where his
Lagos State counterpart, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), was also said to be
present.
The other governors were said to have travelled out of the country.
The meeting, which was held at the Ekiti State Governor’s Lodge located at Asokoro, Abuja was brief.
Fayemi, who briefed journalists after
the meeting, said the time had come for the governors to employ all
constitutional means to deal with the several deductions from the
states’ monthly allocations.
He added that they were no longer comfortable with the way the Federal Government was treating them on the matter.
Fayemi said, “We discussed issues that
are pertinent to national finance, particularly the Federation Account
Allocation Committee work.
“We have come to a critical juncture as far as FAAC discussions have gone over the last three months.
“You aren’t unaware of what has been
going on; you are also aware of what our finance commissioners have had
to do in removing themselves from the meetings of FAAC and we continue
to insist that we condemn the illegal and unconstitutional deductions.
“Averagely, all our states lost 40 per
cent of their normal earnings in the last two to three months from the
FAAC and we believe this isn’t defensible in any way.”
He said that the benchmark that the
National Assembly agreed for 2013 budget was still very realistic
because there was no time from January till now that oil has sold for
anything less than $105 per barrel.
Fayemi said that even at some particular time, oil sold for $110 per barrel.
“So, there is still no basis for the
kind of incomplete allocations to the states in this regard and we have
decided to take appropriate constitutional measures in order to tackle
this flagrant abuse of the Constitution of Nigeria and the Appropriation
Act, particularly of the National Assembly,” he added.
Also speaking , Okorocha said the APC governors condemned the conduct of the Delta Central Senatorial election.
He claimed that its outcome might be a prelude to the conduct of the 2015 general election.
The governor added that the meeting
demanded a fresh election in Oguta Federal Constituency in Imo State,
since the previous one was declared inconclusive by the Independent
National Electoral Commission.
He said that for the past two years, the people of the zone had been denied representation by INEC.
Okorocha said, “We are very much
concerned about the danger posed by the recent election in Delta
State and we condemn in this respect, that that wasn’t an election at
all.
“The reports that we have received so
far show that it was mere manipulation of the entire electoral
process and we are worried that this poses a great danger to the 2015
elections.
“From what we are seeing, we must stand up to those things now or Nigerians might pay a bigger price for it in 2015.”
Wizkid's son is so so stylish. See photos...
Brymo takes shot at ex-record label? See his tweets..
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Thisday foreign editor Paul Ohia found dead in his car in Apapa
Thisday Foreign and Diplomatic Editor, Mr.
Paul Ohia, was found dead yesterday October 22nd in his official car, a white Kia
Optima along Marine Road, Apapa, Lagos.
According to eyewitness reports, the deceased had parked his car for
several hours by the side of the road, which aroused the suspicion of
passersby, prompting them to move closer to check on him. The eyewitnesses said the deceased had reclined the driver's seat and
lay on it as if he was sleeping; until they opened the car doors to find
out that he was motionless and lifeless.
The sympathizers who noticed the Thisday sticker on the windshield of the car called Thisday office, informing them of the tragic incident. Thisday staff and the police moved Mr. Ohia to Lagoon Hospital in Apapa where he was confirmed dead.
The sympathizers who noticed the Thisday sticker on the windshield of the car called Thisday office, informing them of the tragic incident. Thisday staff and the police moved Mr. Ohia to Lagoon Hospital in Apapa where he was confirmed dead.
Although, the hospital said an autopsy would determine the actual cause
of death, the medical doctor on duty said the deceased might have died
of cardiac arrest.
Ohia is survived by a wife and two children. May his soul rest in peace...amen. (Thisday)
The latest report by SaharaReporters, an online news source, alleged that the National Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, an agency under the Ministry of Aviation, also bought four Toyota Tundra vehicles for Oduah at an unspecified amount of money.
scandal
The revelations triggered outrage and condemnation with many calling on Oduah to resign or be fired by President Goodluck Jonathan for corruption, mismanagement and breach of trust.
The new report alleged that the four vehicles are an addition to four limousines purportedly purchased for the movement of VIPs.
Photographs show the Limousines parked at the headquarters of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria, TRACON, in Abuja today.
NAMA in a reaction admitted that the vehicles are parked within its premises in Abuja but said they belong to an unnamed person.
“The cars are parked within our premises but they do not belong to us. They belong to someone who will address the press and unveil his identity soon,” an official at NAMA said, pleading anonymity.
Supo Atobatele, spokesperson at NAMA was not available for comments.
The new report said NAMA’s CEO, Nnamdi Udo, reportedly made the purchase and ‘donation’ of the Tundras to Stella Oduah in June this year while the four Limousines were received in the third week of June but have not been put to use.
Last week after the story of the two over priced BMW cars was published, Oduah’s aides scurried to dismiss it. They later owned up when the evidence was overwhelming.
Joe Obi, spokesperson to Oduah, said the cars were bought because the minister’s life was in danger following her so-called transformation agenda in the aviation industry.
However, following anger and condemnation, the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Fola Akinkuotu, claimed the vehicles were meant for VIP movement.
A former lawmaker and leader of Anti-Corruption Network, Dino Melaye, has said it is the duty of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to transport international VIPs in Nigeria.
The minister has been battling a number of challenges in the aviation sector before the latest corruption-related reports which threaten to tear her reputation apart.
Twelve days before the leak of the BMW car purchase, an Associated Airline plane carrying 20 people and the remains of Olusegun Agagu, former governor of Nigeria’s southwestern state of Ondo, crashed in Lagos, killing 15 people.
The small plane came down only seconds after take-off at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The next day, on 4 October, another plane, belonging to Kabo Air and loaded with 512 pilgrims and crew, crash-landed in the northern city of Sokoto, damaging some airport equipment and coming to a stop with burst tyres.
Two days after, Dana Air’s licence was suspended after an air return due to engine failure. Arik Air also had an air return and hovered in the air for about 30 minutes.
scandal1
These accidents and serious incidents came only 16 months after a Dana Air plane crashed in Lagos on 3 June last year and killed 163 people.
The minister was still under heavy criticisms and lawmakers had already scheduled a public hearing with her to explain why close to 200 people have died in plane crashes since she became minister of aviation on 2 July 2011, when the latest scandals blew open.
Meanwhile, reports said Stella Oduah left Nigeria early today for undisclosed reasons.
When contacted, Joe Obi, the minister spokesperson said there was no ban on the minister to travel out of Nigeria.
Yakubu Dati, spokesperson of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria who often spoke for Oduah, said he could not confirm the information since he was in Togo.
“What I can however say is that with Dino Melaye going to protest at the ministry of aviation tomorrow in Abuja, it shows the witch-hunt against Oduah is political. It’s from APC,” he said.
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