TIMIPRE SYLVA'S LONELY WALK AHEAD OF GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION AS 6 GOVERNORS AND ALAIBE BOYCOTT INAUGURATION OF CAMPAIGN COUNCIL.

Signs that the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, is walking on a lonely path ahead of December 5 governorship election became glaring yesterday when six out of seven governors slated for the inauguration of his campaign council failed to turn up for the ceremony.

It will be recalled that Sylva’s emergence as the governorship candidate became controversial after the first primary election was marred by violence.

His closest rival in the election, Mr. Timi Alaibe, who was a member of the campaign council, was absent just as the APC deputy national publicity secretary and   Bayelsa indigene, Timi Frank, rejected his membership.

CAF RELEASES 10-MAN SHORTLIST FOR AFRICAN FOOTBALLER WITHOUT ANY NIGERIAN MAKING THE LIST.

The Confederation of African Football has released a shortlist of the 10 players still in the race for the 2015 Glo/CAF African Player of the Year award with no Nigerian player on the list.

Former Super Eagles captain Vincent Enyema and the new captain Ahmed Musa, who were on the 37-man list, dropped off when CAF released the top-10 names on Monday. The stark implication is that a Nigerian cannot win the most prestigious individual award for African players across the world.

Another former Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu, who was voted the African Player of the Year in 1999, stands as the last Nigerian to have won the title. Since then, the best Nigerians have achieved is finishing within the top three. Mikel Obi was the runner-up to Yaya Toure in 2013.

FEDERAL HIGH COURT ORDERS THE RELEASE OF DASUKI'S TRAVEL DOCUMENTS.

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the release of international passport of the immediate past National Security Adviser, Col.  Sambo Dasuki‎ (SAN), to enable him travel to London, the United Kingdom, for three weeks on health grounds.

Dasuki is facing five counts of illegal arms possession and money laundering involving about N84.6m, but the prosecution said on Monday that there was possibility of preferring additional charges against him.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola, while granting Dasuki’s request for his passport in a ruling on Tuesday, dismissed the objection by the Federal Government which argued among other grounds that the cancer ailment which the  ex-NSA‎ sought to treat abroad could be treated in Nigeria.

NIGERIAN BANKS BLOCK 5 MILLION BANKS ACCOUNTS AS A RESULT OF BVN EXERCISE.

At least five million bank accounts were deactivated by Deposit Money Banks operating in the country on Saturday night following the October 31, 2015 deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria for bank customers to register and obtain their Bank Verification Numbers, findings by our correspondents showed on Monday.

The affected customers were, among other things, barred from withdrawing cash and transferring funds through Automated Teller Machines, Internet banking platforms and over-the-counter in the banking halls.

The development created chaos in the banking halls across the country on Monday as angry customers besieged several branches to get their suspended accounts reactivated.

CUSTOMS APPOINTS SIX ACTING DEPUTY COMPTROLLER GENERAL AFTER 35 SENIOR OFFICIALS WERE RETIRED LAST WEEK.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) has approved the appointment of Six (6) acting Deputy Comptrollers-General of Customs in the on-going re-organisation in the Service. The appointments come after 35 other top executives were retired last week.

A statement by Nigeria Custom's spokesperson, Wale Adeniyi, said the six (6) Officers, who are of the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General, will occupy the positions of Deputy-Comptrollers-General in acting capacity. Those appointed are:

JUMOKE OGUNDARE APPOINTED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF ARM.

Former Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer of Asset & Resource Management Company Ltd, ARM, Jumoke Ogundare, has been appointed as the new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of ARM.

Ogundare replaces Deji Alli who recently resigned. Alli has led the company as MD/CEO since its inception in 1994.

At a recent board meeting of ARM in Lagos, Chairman of ARM, Felix Ohiwerei announced Jumoke Ogundare, as the company’s new Group CEO.

FG OPPOSES EX NSA DASUKI'S REQUEST FOR FOREIGN TRIP.

The Federal Government on Monday urged a Federal High Court in Abuja not to accede to the request by former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, for the release of his travel documents to enable him travel abroad.

Dasuki, a retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army, is standing trial for illegal possession of firearms and money laundering of about N84.6million.

The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Muhammad Diri told the court on Monday that granting Dasuki’s prayer was injurious to the prosecution, who was planning to bring additional money laundering charges against the ex-NSA.

AFENIFERE HAS LOST FOCUS.

PAN-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation Afenifere leader Pa Reuben Fasoranti yesterday parted ways with the group, claiming that its founding fathers’ goals “are being gradually eroded”.

In a letter signed by him, Fasoranti said he could no longer reconcile himself with how the group is drifting.

Fasoranti, who became the group’s leader after the death of Chief Abraham Adesanya, said he has resigned forthwith.

EVA CARNEIRO TO SUE CHELSEA AND JOSE MOURINHO FOR CONSTRUCTIVE DISMISSAL,

José Mourinho is to be the subject of an individual legal claim from the former Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro in addition to the action she is bringing against the club for constructive dismissal.

Press Association Sport understands legal papers will be served on Mourinho this week as part of separate but connected claims against him and the club.

It means Mourinho will have to appear in person at an employment tribunal unless the case is settled out of court. Under employment law, an individual can be personally liable for damages if victimisation or discrimination can be proved.

(HIGHLIGHTS) Watford 2 West Ham 0. ODION IGHALO'S BRACE.

WAT 2 W.HAM 0

(HIGHLIGHTS) Everton 6 Sunderland 2.

EVERTON 6 SUNDERLAND 2

(HIGHLIGHTS) Swansea 0 Arsenal 3.

SWA 0 ARS 3

(HIGHLIGHTS) Chelsea 1 Liverpool 3.

CHE 1 LIV 3

{Highlights} Brazil 0 Nigeria 3.#FIFAU17WC.

BRA 0 NIG 3

OLISA METUH IS TOTALLY UNTRAINABLE, HE WILL WRITE PDP INTO EXTINCTION - LAI MOHAMMED.

What’s not to love… when the spokespersons of the two leading political parties in Nigeria, are tearing each other apart?

It was bound to get dirty the moment Olisa Metuh of the Peoples Democratic Party, called Lai Mohammed of the All Progressives Congress, ‘a low life who’s unfit to be minister.’

Mohammed, Minister-Designate, says his colleague in the opposition part, is untrainable and lacks sobriety.

In a response-statement released on Saturday, he said Metuh will write PDP into extinction.

”Metuh has shown, time and again, that he lacks the temperament, presence of mind, sobriety, analytical mind, decency in the use of language and panache needed for anyone to be the face of any organisation, not to talk of a political party.

MTN GETS NOVEMBER 16 DEADLINE TO PAY N1.4TN FINE.

As the controversy over the N1.4 trillion fine on MTN lingers, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given MTN Nigeria a deadline of 16 November to pay the fine imposed on it for failing to register the personal details of 5.1 million subscribers.

This deadline is coming after the  South Africa’s stock exchange, JSE Ltd, launched an investigation into the timing of the operator’s announcement of its penalty.

According to a report, the spokesman for the Nigerian Communications Commission, the country’s telecoms watchdog, was quoted as saying that the outcome of the discussion may affect the date.

224 DIE AS RUSSIAN PLANE CRASH IN EGYPT, ISIS CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY WHILE OFFICIALS BLAME TECHNICAL FAULT.

Egyptian security forces confirmed there have been no survivors despite 'hearing voices' inside the wrecked fuselage of a Russian passenger jet which crashed into the Sinai desert in northern Egypt as the bodies of 100 victims have been recovered.

The aircraft, which had 200 adult passengers, 17 children and seven crew crashed less than 25 minutes after it took off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The bodies of all 17 children on board have been recovered  according to Dailymail.

The Irish-owned aircraft was leased by a Russian airline. It crashed in the Hassana area, south of Arish. Security forces discovered the crash wreckage in a remote mountainous area in a region containing many ISIS-affiliated terrorists. 

NIGERIA CUSTOM SERVICES RETIRES 29 SENIOR OFFICERS.

The Nigeria Customs Service has said that a total of 29 senior officers have been retired from the service with immediate effect.

The voluntary retirement of the five DCGs who make up the management team of the Customs was earlier reported.

This brings the total number of retired officers to 35.

NIGERIA IS BROKE, CANNOT PAY 36 MINISTERS - PRESIDENT BUHARI.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday gave an insight into the shape his cabinet would take, saying the country would be lucky if his administration is able to have half the number (21) of the 42 ministers that operated under the last administration.

He said he only sent names of 36 ministerial nominees to the Senate for confirmation because the constitution stipulates that each state of the federation must have representatives in his cabinet.

He said not all the 36 nominees would be ministers as some of them would only sit in the cabinet in order to meet that constitutional provision.

FG ARRAIGNS ORUBEBE FOR FALSE ASSET DECLARATION AND COLLECTING N70M BRIBE.

The Federal Government, through the Code of Conduct Bureau, will arraign a former Minister of Niger Delta, Mr. Godsday Orubebe, on four counts of false assets declaration and bribery on November 9.

Orubebe, who is to be arraigned before the Justice Danladi Umar-led Code of Conduct Tribunal, was accused of failure to declare his assets at Plot 2722 Kyamu and Plot 2059 in Asokoro District both in Abuja on assumption of office as minister on September 26, 2007.

In count three, he was also accused of accepting N50m bribe from one Pastor Jonathan Alota, on September 19, 2012, for award of contract in favour of his (Alota’s) company, Chemtronics Nigeria Limited.

In count four, he allegedly accepted additional N20m bribe from Alota in 2013 for the award of a contract to Chemtronics Nigeria Limited for the construction of skill acquisition centre at Edo State for the sum of N1.8bn.