THE FAILED GENIUS.

In one of her last face-saving measures, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Coordinationg Minister for the Economy, CME, “directed the immediate termination of the partnership between the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme and Forcecom Networks Limited on the Graduate Internship Scheme.”

Even before reading the story to the end, something told me that it was another contract given to one of “our brothers” which now threatens to put everybody in trouble when the new government takes office in June.

And sure (pardon the pun) enough, the Managing Director of Forcecom Networks turned out to be one Paul Okafor, who allegedly “coerced the interns to sign an undertaking to pay N7,500 out of their monthly stipend for training with the Lekki Business School.”

IFEANYI UBAH'S CAPITAL OIL SET TO RELEASE 13 MILLION LITRES OF FUEL TO EASE SCARCITY.

Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, said it is releasing about 13 million litres, approximately 400 trucks of petroleum products including premium motor spirit, popularly called petrol, to ease the scourge of the endemic fuel scarcity that Nigeria had been plunged into.

The move has therefore, broken the ranks of oil marketers and depot operators, who have refused to import any more products until their outstanding subsidy claims of over N200billion is paid by the Federal Government.

Read full statement after the cut.........

GO YE WELL, PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN BY DELE MOMODU.

Our dear President, please permit me to write my last epistle to you as our leader and Commander-in-Chief. By this time next week, I expect you to have flown back to Yenagoa via Port Harcourt. How I wish I could have the opportunity of being on that last trip, not to mock you but to capture your swinging moods in those few moments of realising that the end has come eventually.  I would love to know how many of your big friends would take the pain to follow you or if most would abandon you to your fate and move on pronto to the new brides. Even as a writer with what I believe is vivid imagination, I’m not able to paint a picture of the sort of life or future that awaits you in Otuoke, Yenagoa, Abuja, Chad, Germany, Dubai or wherever you decide to hibernate in the short or long run.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!! PDP NATIONAL CHAIRMAN ADAMU MUAZU (@MUAZUAA) FORCED TO RESIGN.

Embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, on Wednesday resigned from his position  as previously predicted on this blog. The Deputy National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Uche Secondus, has taken over as the acting National Chairman of the party.

This followed the resignation of the party Chairman, Adamu Muazu, who threw in the towel on Wednesday on health grounds.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, who confirmed this to journalists at the Wadata Plaza secretariat of the party, commended Muazu for his services to the PDP and love for the nation.

MARRIED MOTHER OF THREE DIES THREE DAYS AFTER SECRETLY TRAVELLING TO INDIA MEET YOUNG LOVER SHE MET ON FACEBOOK.

 A married British woman has died only days after travelling to India to meet her younger lover.

Angela Slinn, 45, of Crewe, Cheshire, allegedly did not tell her estranged husband that she was flying to see Jaspal Singh, 30, whom she met on Facebook.

But the mother-of-three died on Sunday after being taken to hospital with pneumonia about a week after landing in the country on May 4.

Mrs Slinn, who worked as a nurse, had spoken of the trip to her children, aged 15 to 24 – but did not mention it to her husband Stephen, 48, according to The Sun. 

Her mother-in-law Doreen Slinn said: ‘I don’t understand how a healthy woman can suddenly die like that. She went to India because she thought she’d found love - but it turned into tragedy.’

EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR WRITES ABOUT HIS FAMILY PROBLEMS - PART 3.

If I decide to bring out the Part 3 today, it is because my brother @Kola Adebayor and my other siblings have decided to talk about our family issues on social medias, through letters to my club, radios…I could write an autobiography and sell it but I decided to share with you here. 

25 years ago, my big older brother Kola went to Germany and he became the hope of our family. We all thought he could change the way we were living. Years after he left Togo, we still had no electricity and no phones. If he wanted to talk to us, he would call the Atlantic Hotel that was very close to our house. We would then run to the hotel reception and talk to him. 

When I got the opportunity to go play football in France for the first time, we needed money to for the flight tickets and other expenses. My brother was nowhere to be found. Only God knows what he was doing in Germany.

VINCENT ENYEAMA NAMED 18TH BEST GOALKEEPER IN THE WORLD.

Super Eagles captain, Vincent Enyeama, has been ranked the 18th best goalkeeper in the world in 2015 by United Kingdom newspaper, The Telegraph.

In a poll conducted by the media outfit on its website, votes were cast to determine who the best keeper in the world was and the Lille goalkeeper made the list of top 20 goalkeepers in the world.

Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer is in first place followed by Manchester United’s David De Gea and Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois. Joe Hart of Manchester City is fourth while Gianluigi Buffon of Juventus came fifth.

WHY I AM FIGHTING THE ELITES - BEN MURRAY BRUCE.

Media mogul and senator-elect, Ben Murray Bruce has stated that he is fighting the elite because they consume the resources of the country at the expense of the poor.

Bruce, who is known to champion the cause of the masses, noted that it is absurd that a few elected officers monopolise the resources of the country, living a champagne life while majority of Nigerians live below a dollar a day.

“I am fighting against the elite. Definitely, I am fighting them. When they drink that champagne that can educate a child, they should know that I am fighting them. You don’t fly a first class in government while in your private life, you fly economy. I am totally against their lifestyles,” he said in an interview with Vanguard.

TWITTER TO BAN OVER 10 MILLION ACCOUNTS FOR PEDDLING PORN.

Twitter is reportedly planning to ban up to 10 MILLION accounts from its service in an attempt to clamp down on the amount of porn and adult content shared on the service.

A report from a Wall Street analyst has pointed to a network-wide purge targeting those that break the company's terms of service. No user is permitted to have pornographic or violent imagery as a profile picture or background image.

But explicit material can currently be tweeted on the network and is labelled as "containing sensitive content". Several porn stars have already spoken out against the possibility of being booted off Twitter.

BUHARI APPOINTS EDITOR OF SUN NEWSPAPER FEMI ADESINA AS SPECIAL ADVISER ON MEDIA.

Though yet to be officially announced, Thisday gathered that all formalities for Adeshina’s appointment as Buhari's spokesman have already been concluded. Adeshina, is the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Sun newspaper. He is also the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).

The Sun Newspaper, it was gathered, is already concluding plans to re-jig its management structure following Adesina’s imminent departure.

With this appointment, Adesina becomes the second person to be appointed while serving as the president of the NGE. The first person was the late Mrs. Remi Oyo, who was appointed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS AGAINST GOV. ALIYU OF NIGER STALLED AFTER LAWMAKERS GOT N17M EACH.

The impeachment plot against the Niger State Governor, Aliyu Babangida, may have been stalled as the members of the state House of Assembly pushing for the governor’s removal have been paid N17m each.

Our correspondent gathered that the lawmakers after receiving the N17m each were also promised by the state government that their other demands would soon be met.

Consequently, the lawmakers have decided to stop the impeachment move against the governor.

FG ORDERS BAYELSA CHIEF JUDGE TO SWEAR IN NYESOM WIKE AS GOVERNOR.

Following the impasse that has left Rivers State without a substantive Chief Judge for long, the Federal Government, yesterday, directed the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State to swear in the governor-elect of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, on May 29.

Meanwhile, lawyers have reacted, expressing divergent views on the development.

The directive for the Bayelsa CJ to administer the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office on  Wike was contained in a statement by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, SAN.

MEET SENATOR-ELECT DINO MELAYE'S LAMBOUGHINI. Lol....

Senator-elect Dino Melaye posted this on his facebook page before it was taken down.

In the caption for the Lamborghini, the senator-elect says ‘No Vex, Na God’. And we can deduce he was talking to his haters................

BUHARI IDENTIFIES 3 KEY AREAS HIS ADMINISTRATION WILL FOCUS ON.

President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, has identified insecurity, the economy/unemployment and corruption as the focal areas that would define his administration.

The incoming President disclosed this in Kaduna yesterday while playing host to the national executive council of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, where he promised that his administration will not tolerate people living above their means.

“My administration will concentrate on three major areas on assumption of office; that is insecurity, the economy/unemployment and corruption. We will ensure we nip insecurity in bud,” he said.

ADRIAN ROBINCON(25) FORMER NFL PLAYER COMMITS SUICIDE.

Former NFL and Temple University football player Adrian Robinson committed suicide by hanging, the Philadelphia medical examiner’s office told the Denver Post on Monday.

Robinson had recently signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, and the team announced his death on Sunday. Robinson was 25.

The former NFL linebacker played 12 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012 and then spent time with three different teams — the Broncos, Chargers and Washington — in 2013.

“Adrian was a beloved father, son, brother, friend and teammate,” the Symmetry agency, which represented Robinson, said on Facebook. The agency also started a GoFundMe campaign for Robinson’s daughter, Avery Marie.

Robinson compiled 22.5 sacks over his four years playing for Temple, and he received the 2009 MAC Defensive Player of the Year award.

NIGERIAN AIR FORCE MEN BEAT FAAN OFFICIAL TO COMA.

An official of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, was yesterday beaten unconscious by two Nigerian Air Force officers in charge of traffic control at the departure section of the international terminal wing of Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

The FAAN staff, Mohammed Shuaibu, who works at the protocol and passages of the agency, had told his friend to pick him at the airport but when he arrived, the airmen attempted to remove the number plates of his car.Shuaibu was said to have begged the Air Force men not to take away the number plates.

According to eyewitnesses, Shuaibu, dressed in FAAN staff uniform, introduced himself and showed his identity card, but an argument reportedly ensued and the Air Force men descended on him.

He was beaten by the airmen until he collapsed, with blood gushing out of his nostrils.

SAUDI ADVERTISES FOR SWORDSMEN AS EXECUTION RATE SOARS.

Saudi Arabia advertised vacancies for eight executioners Tuesday after beheading nearly as many people since the start of the year as it did in the whole of 2014.

Why Saudi Arabia is poised to behead a dissident cleric and publicly display his corpse Vox.com

The civil service ministry said that no qualifications were necessary and that applicants would be exempted from the usual entrance exams.

It said that as well as beheadings, the successful candidates would be expected to carry out amputations ordered by the courts under the kingdom's strict version of Islamic sharia law.

DON'T TREK FOR BUHARI PRAY FOR HIM.

Alhaji Mohammed Shehu, an aide to President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has advised youths to pray instead of trekking for the incoming leader’s administration.

Shehu gave this advice during interview  in Abuja on Monday. According to him, the incoming administration acknowledges the excitement of youths over Buhari’s election but would prefer that they channel their energies towards praying than embarking on, sometimes dangerous, journeys.

`It’s kind of overwhelming. Last week, I told youths to stay where they are, stop trekking, and pray for the incoming administration instead.

PRESIDENT OF BURUNDI FIRES KEY MINISTERS OVER FAILED COUP.

Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza has dismissed his defence and foreign ministers after last week’s failed military coup, according to a presidential spokesperson.

Emmanuel Ntahonvukiye, a civilian, was named on Monday to replace Pontian Gaciyubwenge, the defence minister, while Alain Aime Nyamitwe was appointed foreign minister to succeed Laurent Kavakure, the spokesperson said.

Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa, reporting from the capital Bujumbura, said Nkurunziza was “under a lot of pressure” not to stand for a controversial third term and perhaps he had put trusted allies in those positions “who won’t try to stab him in the back”.

PRESIDENT JONATHAN SECRETLY SIGNS 2015 N4.425 BUDGET.

President Goodluck Jonathan has signed the 2015 Appropriation Bill into law. Investigation by correspondent on Monday revealed that Jonathan decided to sign the budget into law a couple of days back without fanfare.

As of the time of filing this report, it could not be confirmed why the President had kept the development away from public knowledge.

The Senate had passed the 2015 budget on April 28, following the passage of the same bill by the House of Representatives on April 23, with an expenditure outlay of N4.493tn, up from the N4.425tn proposed by the Executive.