Against the backdrop of continued bombings and killings by the Boko Haram sect in the North, which some Nigerians believe, was designed to bring about the downfall of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, a chieftain of the pan-northern socio-political organization, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Ambassador Shuni Ladan said such speculations should be disregarded. Speaking in a telephone chat with Saturday Sun, the ACF chieftain said terrorism is a global menace, which took Nigeria by surprise in the name of Boko Haram, adding that if there is any part of the country that wants the current administration to succeed, it…
Author: Wale Adebayo
The TY Danjuma Foundation announced that it has given out a total of N2 billion to organisations in form of grants between 2010 and 2014 just as it disclosed that 75 organisations also benefited from the body within the stipulated period. This was made known by the foundation’s executive director, Dr. Florence Etta-Akin Aina, at the occasion of the TYDF’s fifth grantees training on Friday in Benin City, Edo state. The three core intervention areas of the foundation according to Aina include education, quality healthcare and income generation for women and youths. She also pointed out that 7 million persons…
The remains of a former Lagos State governor and father of billionaire businessman – Femi Otedola – Sir Michael Otedola, who died in April, have been laid to rest. Sir Otedola’s final journey home was on a grand note in his native, Epe town amid tight security on Friday. On hand to bid the former governor farewell as he ended his earthly sojourn were President Goodluck Jonathan, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State. In his sermon at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Ibowon, Epe Local Government, Monsignor Philip Hoteyin, Chaplain of Marian Shrine, Lagos Catholic Diocese,…
The killing of Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrisa Timta, on Friday by suspected Boko Haram gunmen has been described by the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) as irresponsible, callous and a declaration of war on the traditional institution. The Forum also expressed shock and disbelief at the assassination attempt on the lives of Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ismaila Mamza and Emir of Askira, Alhaji Mai Abdullahi Ibn Muhammadu Askirama by the gunmen. The traditional rulers, who were in a convoy en route Gombo State for the funeral rites of the late Emir of Gombe, Shehu Abubakar, who died earlier in the…
But for providence, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram sect members would have killed the Emir of Askira, Alhaji Abdullahi Muhammadu on Friday. The Emir, who is a delegate to the ongoing national conference, made the startling revelation in a text message to the Deputy Chairman of the conference, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi. Information Nigeria had reported that suspected Boko Haram gunmen on Friday ambushed the convoy of dignitaries on their way to attend the funeral of the late Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Shehu Abubakar. The Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrissa Timta, who led the convoy, was killed in the ensuing…
Probably the two hottest artistes in Nigerian and Ghana at the moment, Davido and Shatta Wale are winning thousands of fans daily. For the first time ever, they performed live to their hit song, Whine Ya Waist at the 2014 Ghana meets Naija. Watch and enjoy: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDxQ5yVnPo4
The National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, has denied the allegation that he is a pathological liar. He was reacting to an interview with journalists by Secretary to the Borno State Government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed, where he had referred to Mu’azu as a pathological liar. Mu’azu also said he would not join issues with the Borno State Government as he was more concerned with the development of the country and to win the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. The PDP national chairman added that what Nigerians needed now irrespective of party affiliation was to close ranks so as…
The Osun State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has suspended a former governor of the state, Sen. Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke. The State PDP chairman, Alhaji Gani OlaOluwa, announced the suspension in a statement made available to the journalists in Osogbo, the Osun capital on Friday. According to OlaOluwa, “The decision was taken at the extended Executive Committee Meeting of the party where activities of Sen. Adeleke were x-rayed”. The PDP chairman said it was embarrassing and “shameful that Adeleke could engage in anti-party activities when all hands should be on deck in ensuring that the PDP reclaims the state”.…
The Presidency has welcomed ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s offer to mediate with Boko Haram on the release of the over 200 girls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, last month. But the Presidency’s approval of the ex-president’s intermediary role is on the condition that there will be no exchange deal involving detained insurgents. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, who made this known from Accra, Ghana, where President Jonathan is attending a meeting of West African leaders on security in Mali and Nigeria, said: “The President welcomes any initiative on how…
The Nigerian Navy have arrested 11 Nigerians and one Ghanaian who allegedly sneaked into a Spain-bound vessel, MV African Osprey. The stowaways whose ages were between 12 and 26, reportedly hid inside an unused cabin in the ship said to have been laden with hazardous materials. The suspects were identified as Mustapha Ayinla, Bernard Amadi, Azinabor Gideon, Isaac Delight, Daniel Timothy, Justice Agburum, Anthony Oladipupo, Emma Okon, Idowu Adeyemi, Philip Israel, Holly Osatwie and Boniface Douglas, a Ghanaian. Recovered from them , were kegs of water which they intended to drink during the trip, snacks and cassava flakes (garri). The…
The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, has warned the controversial Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to desist from distorting the history of the Niger Delta struggle for its selfish interest. Kuku, who claimed to have played a prominent role in ending the Niger Delta crisis, also warned the shadowy group not to drag the name of President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, into the mud because of its pecuniary interest. “Some of us who played significant roles in ending the agitation in the Niger Delta cannot be silent when…
Christians under the aegis of TEKAN/ECWA have urged President Goodluck Jonathan to ignore a statement credited to the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, alleging marginalisation of Muslims in the country, saying Nigeria will be great only if leaders like the Sultan will tell the truth. The Sultan was recently reported to have spoken at a national prayer session organised by the NSCIA where eminent Islamic scholars gathered to pray for peace and security in the nation that if the government can address injustice against Muslims, the seemingly…
Hon. Bitrus Kaze, member representing Jos South/Jos East at the House of Representatives, has described the reported efforts being made by the Federal Government to offer amnesty to Boko Haram terrorist sect despite its continued bombings and killings of innocent citizens as a step in the wrong direction. “I do not subscribe to any form of dialogue with terrorists; we will not grow weary of making the point resoundingly clear that no country the world over has succeeded in curbing the menace that way,” said Kaze. The lawmaker stressed in a statement issued in Jos yesterday, that such effort, coming…
Gov. Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State on Friday announced the sack of five of his special advisers and seven principal special assistants. This is contained in a statement issued in Yola by Mr Kobis Thimnu, Secretary to the State Government. The statement read, “Gov. Murtala Nyako has approved the withdrawal of the appointments of 12 political appointees with effect from May 21”. “While the government thanks you for the services you rendered, you are kindly requested to hand over government documents and properties in your custody to the appropriate authority”. The affected special advisers included Sanusi Jauro, Abdur-rahman Bobboi, Kelvin Peter, George…
Oritsefemi is having the time of his life professionally, after churning out hits after hits. The musician was speaking to reporters and revealed that he now charges 3 million Naira per show and nothing less. HE says he could tour 20 states in a row and make N60m per brand-concert. Oritsefemi said: “Things have definitely changed. Nowadays, I don’t charge less than N3m to perform at a concert. Sometimes the concerts are funded by multinational companies and we have to tour 20 states. Multiply N3m by 20 states and you will understand what I am saying. The situation has indeed…
President Goodluck Jonathan said on Thursday that Nigeria had made notable progress in the last 15 years of uninterrupted democratic governance. The president, who made the assertion in a national broadcast to mark the 2014 Democracy Day, paid tribute to all those who played a part in restoring the nation to the true path of democratic governance. He said that though, he had ordered a low-key commemoration in deference to the current mood of the nation, the past 15 years had been a blessing. “As a result of our collective efforts since 1999, democratic governance is now entrenched in our…
The maiden National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will not lead to the disintegration of the party but would rather make it stronger against all odds and against the expectation of its detractors. Chairman of the Convention Committee and Executive Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, made this optimistic remark at the inauguration of the 15-man committee on Wednesday by the national secretary of the party, Alhaji Tijjani Tumsa, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. Wamakko also noted that the party leadership carefully selected the committee members based on their track record of performance in previous…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) noted yesterday that the comment credited to Information Minister, Mr. Labaran Maku that the Federal Government was spending significantly on security in three states controlled by the opposition party was a categorical declaration of the office of the president vacant by the minister. According to APC, Maku by that statement has proved that President Goodluck Jonathan is only the president, leader and chief executive officer (CEO) of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and not of Nigeria. Recall that at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, while speaking with…
Governor of Rivers State and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has again stressed that the way to solve the numerous problems bedeviling the country is for the electorate to vote out the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 general elections. Amaechi made gave the charge at the 2nd International Conference on Democracy and Good Governance with the theme, ‘Nigeria’s Democracy: Issues and Challenges’, which held at the new Dr Obi Wali Convention Centre in Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital on Wednesday. The NGF chairman, who noted that something is wrong with the country, posed…
Ahead of the 2015 general elections, the Rivers State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said that the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, was the most qualified candidate to view for the governorship polls in the state. It is widely believed that Wike is the Presidency’s most preferred choice to fly PDP’s flag in the Rivers guber polls and the minister too has not hidden his desire to succeed his former boss turned political rival, Gov. Rotimi Amaechi. However, Wike’s perceived interest in the governorship race has thrown up a heated debate in the state as there…