Nigeria and its neighbours have vowed to join forces against Boko Haram under an accord described as a declaration of war on the Islamic militants holding more than 200 schoolgirls. Meeting in Paris, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and his counterparts from Benin, Chad, Cameroon and Niger approved an action plan to counter an organisation that has been blamed for 2000 deaths this year as well as last month’s abduction of the schoolgirls from northeastern Nigeria. Underlining their threat, Boko Haram was suspected of carrying out another attack on the eve of the summit, killing one Cameroonian soldier and kidnapping 10…
Author: Wale Adebayo
The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, has opposed the resolution of the National Conference Sub-Committee on Devolution of Power and Resource Control to uphold the current status quo of 13 per cent derivation for oil producing states. Spokesman of the council, Mr. Eric Omare, in a statement, yesterday, said, “This decision is retrogressive, anti-federalism and totally unacceptable to the Niger Delta people.” IYC, therefore, called on “southern delegates, particularly Niger-Delta delegates to the National Confab to insist on resource control during the debate in plenary and not to deviate from the position of the region on resource control under any circumstance.”…
President Goodluck Jonathan has reiterated Nigeria’s resolve not to succumb to the terror group, Boko Haram. Jonathan said this at a regional summit in Paris, assuring that Nigeria will rise to the occasion and defeat Boko Haram. “We will not succumb to terrorists and their dangerous tactics.Terrorists will not be allowed to define who we are. An attack on one country is an attack on all of us and our common humanity. “Nigeria will rise up to this challenge and prevail. I call upon each one of you to stand up and be counted with us. “This is not anymore…
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday lamented over the apathetic attitude of Nigerians towards elections. The INEC chairman stated this while inaugurating the National Inter-Agency Advisory Committee on Voter Education and Publicity (NICVEP), which was established to ensure proper coordination and monitoring of voter education nation wide and to ensure participation of marginalised groups. Jega further linked the hurdle of conducting elections in Nigeria to the attitude of both the electorate and political class adding that the low level of awareness by citizens was a major reason for voter apathy. The INEC boss while…
Three houses belonging to dreaded kidnappers in Anambra State, including a N17 million bungalow, were yesterday demolished at Aguleri in Anambra East local government area under the supervision of the joint task force set up by Governor Willie Obiano to fight crime in the state. The state commissioner of police, Mr. Usman Gwary led the commanders of the army and the navy during the operation that lasted several hours. Gwary said they decided to demolish the houses as directed by Governor Willie Obiano, who has shown zero tolerance to crime. Three leaders of the kidnap gang contributed money to build…
Fragile Security Forces Jonathan to Abort Visit to Chibok Indications have emerged that President Goodluck Jonathan cancelled his allegedly planned visit to Chibok due to the fragile security situation in Borno State. Reports have said Jonathan would visit the town where Islamist sect Boko Haram abducted more than 200 schoolgirls yesterday, but the planned visit was later reportedly cancelled. Special Adviser to Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati and the coordinator of National Information Centre on Security, Mr. Mike Omeri however debunked the story, insisting that no such visit was planned by the President. Although there was no…
The Police in Kano have banned hawking and trading during the local government election in the state on Saturday. The Commissioner of Police, Aderenle Shinaba, disclosed this on Friday in Kano while briefing newsmen on preparations for the exercise. “We do not want to see any kind of selling or hawking during the election period. “Police and other security agents will take positions early before the commencement of the election. “We call on residents to co-operate with us. We shall remain non-partisan as we have assured all parties, but we will not allow anybody to violate electoral rules and regulations.…
Famous and successful Nigerian comedian — Ali Baba in an exclusive interview with Hip TV talks about the recent kidnappings, bombings, education, religion and the First Lady Patience Jonathan. Ali Baba says, “The education of the girl child is very important because if Patience Jonathan were educated, we will not have the problem that people think we have with her not being able to speak English.” Watch video below: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OHfRH30dzg
Veteran Nollywood actresses entertain the public when they took to the streets of Mushin market on Wednesday 14th May 2014. Joke Silva, Iretiola Doyle, Bimbola Akintola and Taiwo Ajai-Lycett staged a quick play in Mushin Market in Lagos. The actresses have an upcoming stage play – Hear Word scheduled to kick off on the 23rd May 2014 at MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos. It will also feature performances by Kate Henshaw, Elvina Ibru and Kemi “Lala’ Akindoju. To promote the production, they were spotted performing in the rain, while passersby looked on. Check out photos below: –
Reports coming in are suggesting that the famous couple of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are reportedly getting married in Florence, Italy, and not as wildly speculated, in Paris, France on Saturday 24th May 2014. Yesterday Entertainment Tonight, revealed that the power couple’s nuptials will hold in Italy. A source confirmed to US Weekly that Florence is one of the wedding locations. “Kim and Kanye have told all guests different info. No one knows all of the details.” the source revealed.
Superstar soccer player – Didier Drogba has broken the hearts of Nigerians a couple of times and also won different world renowned accolades. The Ivorian football star Didier Drogba is well known for his prolific scoring as a forward for Chelsea, as well as for being captain of the Côte d’Ivoire national team for the last decade. Drogba has the distinction of being highest goal-scorer of any foreign player in the Premier League, and was even voted the best Chelsea player by supporters of the club in 2012. But beneath the surface, there are many things you didn’t know about…
The Omo Baba Olowo of Naija music — Davido says he will do a song with Wizkid when God says so. Nigerian singing sensations, Davido and Wizkid have always been ‘battling’ it out on our airwaves with their numerous songs.. The melodious singers’ fans have tried to fuel a rivalry/competition between the two at different times with some claiming one is better than the other. When a fan asked Davido if he would do a song with Wizkid, he said “When God says, shout out to Wiz.”
All the National Conference Standing Committees are expected to conclude the submission of their reports on Sunday ahead of resumed plenary on Monday, the conference’s secretariat has said. The Assistant Secretary, Media and Communications, James Akpandem, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that only four committees had submitted their reports on Friday. Mr. Akpandem said the reports would be reproduced over the weekend and made available to the delegates at the resumed plenary on Monday. “Although seven committees indicated, as at Thursday, that their reports are ready, four actually submitted their full reports by noon of Friday, May…
Niger State Governor, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu has passed a vote of Confidence on the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon. Saidu Ndako Idris Kpaki, saying that he has no plan to drop him from his government. Gov. Aliyu’s declaration came on the heels of reports that he was going to sack his SSG in the recent cabinet shake-up which led to a change of the Head of Service and Chief of Staff. The self-proclaimed Chief Servant, who spoke Thursday at Government House Minna, said that he was satisfied with the performance of Kpaki so far and would be…
Kano State Governor, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has denied ever referring to President Goodluck Jonathan as evil, despite the perceived political ‘war’ between them. Kwankwaso, who stated this in an interview with Leadership, said it would be unfair for him to call a sitting president evil. He said, “There was never a time I referred to Mr. President or anybody wearing a hat as evil. What I actually said was that President Jonathan has tightened the umbrella until he made a hat that only fits him and few others”. Shedding more light on the statement credited to him, Governor Kwankwaso…
The Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has condemned the recent attack on the residence of the erstwhile Governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim. The party alleged that the incident was a failed assassination attempt on the life of the ex-governor by his political detractors. The state PDP secretary, George Eguh, who made this known in a chat with journalists in Owerri on Thursday evening after the incident, lamented that the PDP has never attempted such an act against any member of the opposition throughout its 12 years as the ruling party in the state. Eguh noted…
A former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday inaugurated a 75-kilometre road linking four local government areas in Zamfara. The News Agency Nigeria reports that the inauguration of the road was part of activities marking the third anniversary of Governor Abdulaziz Yari’s administration. Buhari said the construction of the road would facilitate economic activities in the area. He urged the people to support the All Progressives Congress, saying the party was poised to improve the wellbeing of Nigerians. Earlier in his address, Governor Yari had said the road was constructed at the cost of over N7 billion. He said the…
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHIEF OF AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING, AIR COMMODORE KAYODE BECKLEY; CHIEF OF AIR STAFF, AIR MARSHAL ADESOLA AMOSU AND CHIEF OF POLICY AND PLANS, AVM JAMES GBUM, AT A MEDIA BRIEFING ON COMMEMORATION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NIGERIAN AIR FORCE IN Abuja LAST MONTH The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu, says the presence of foreign military in Nigeria to assist in the rescue of the abducted Chibok school girls will not undermine the nation’s sovereignty. Mr. Amosu said this on Friday in Abuja at the decoration of 12 newly-promoted Warrant Officers at the Air…
Justice O. A. Adeniyi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Friday convicted and sentenced one Ebiloma Abdullahi to 12 years imprisonment for forgery and obtaining money by false pretence. A statement by the spokesperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) Wilson Uwujaren, said the convict was arraigned in November 2009 on a 7-count charge of impersonation, forgery and obtaining money by false pretence. Mr. Abdullahi, who paraded himself as a student of Federal University of Technology, Minna, was said to have assumed the position of the National President of the National Association of…
The number of arrests made by the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) for traffic offences has dropped by 17 per cent, Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Kayode Opeifa, said on Friday. Opeifa, who spoke at the 2014 Ministerial Press Briefing in Ikeja, described the drop as a welcome development because it meant there was increasing compliance with the traffic law. “The number of arrests made by LASTMA for traffic violations has dropped by 17 per cent; this means many people are now complying with the traffic law and that the agency is doing better”, he said. Giving details, the commissioner said traffic…