PROFESSOR FESTUS IYAYI SET TO BURIED ON DECEMBER 7

The burial of late former President of Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), Festus Iyayi, has been fixed for between December 4 and 7.

Notice of the burial is contained in a statement issued by the family and the Burial Committee in Benin on Friday.

Signed by Ehidiamen Iyayi and Diri Teilanyo, the statement noted that the remains of the former ASUU boss would be interred on December 7 at Ugbegun in Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo. It stated that there would be a solidarity match from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Benin to his residence in Benin on December 4.

NIGERIA'S BILLIONAIRES DRAG NCAA TO COURT OVER LUXURY TAX

PRIVATE jet owners and non-scheduled airline operators in Nigeria have taken the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to a Lagos High Court to restrain them from enforcing the collection of new fees the agency announced few weeks back.

Information available revealed that they assembled a strong team of lawyers to defend their rights against the illegality of the imposition of luxury tax on private and chartered plane operators.

According to Mohammed Tukur on Tuesday, November 19, 2013, non-scheduled airline operators are seeking an injunction restraining the NCAA or any other agency from collecting the illegal and outrageous fees.  Tukur, who is a stakeholder, said, “Yes, the non-scheduled airline operators are going to court to stop the government from collecting the illegal fees.”

I DENIED MY BABY BECAUSE THINGS WERE COMPLICATED - ICE PRINCE

You really won't understand the pains of celebrities until you're in their shoes. Don't be too quick to judge them all the time. I am not advocating for them, but we are all imperfect.

It is no longer news many Naija Male Artistes are BabyFathers..... Either intentionally or otherwise. Some of them like Wizkid, 9ice and Iceprince initially denied paternity until DNA proved otherwise.

In March 2012, News went round that Ice prince had fathered a child with a 20 years old Bimbo but the Jos-born-singer Ice Prince denied being responsible.

Months later, the same baby he denied became his treasure. The rapper gladly shows off  his son at every chance he gets.

In a recent interview with Showbizplus, Ice Prince explained why he initially denied his baby.

How has fatherhood changed you?

It has taught me to save my money. It is a huge difference and a huge change in lifestyle. You become more matured.

You initially denied having a baby?

It was complicated back then, I didn’t really know what was happening and I wasn’t sure of certain things. So the best I had to do then was denying it and sort out things first. Now I know he is my child and I have done everything as a father ever since.

 What is the relationship like with his mother?

I speak with her often and it is usually about the baby. That is all for now.

 Have you started thinking about marriage?

No, I’m fully focused on my music.

MY CELEBRITY STATUS SCARES MEN AWAY - KAREN IGHO

Karen Igho, ex-Big Brother Africa winner talks about her fashion with a Punch entertainment correspondent.

Do you wear your natural hair at all?

I’d rather rock my natural hair than weaves . Natural hair is easier to maintain than weaves and it is more convenient.

But do you have a favourite hairstyle?

 I love braiding my hair. Braids are versatile and can be packed or styled in different ways. It’s also cheaper than weaves and easier to maintain.  There is no stress to it at all. There are no bad hair days with braids. I can roll out of the bed and go out with my braids without doing anything to it. That is impossible with weaves.

Does it cost you so much to braid your hair?

It depends on the hair style and the hairdresser. Braids don’t cost as much as weaves. I won’t put a price to it but I spend enough to look good. No ridiculous amounts though because I don’t wear any hairstyle for long.

FEMALE TEACHER DEFILES 4-YR-OLD STUDENT IN OGUN STATE

My friend, Kayode had mentioned during our numerous discussions about SEXUAL ABUSE that if parents are vigilant enough then they will be able to identify changes in the behavioural pattern of a a child who has been abused and threatened not to mention a same to anyone.

At Golden Sharon Nursery and Primary School (formerly Kingdom Sharon), located at Ijaba area of Ota, Ogun State, an incident occurred on Tuesday, November 26, 2013, that has created panic in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson (not real name).

One of their twins, four-year-old Lydia (not real name), who attended the school, was defiled by a female teacher, Olajumoke Oyewole, in a fashion they suspected had ritualistic intent. Lydia, who is a pupil of Nursery One with her twin brother, got home on Tuesday afternoon and started complaining of a nagging pain in her private part. But things she later revealed confounded her mother. The mother, said after Lydia came home after school, she began complaining consistently when she wanted to urinate.

She said, “I asked her what was wrong and she said, ‘stone.’ I thought she meant that somebody stoned her and I waved off the matter that she would be alright. “But when the pain persisted and she kept complaining, I decided to check why she was feeling pain there. That was when I discovered a wound on her private part.

“I was alarmed and I asked her who did that to her. She immediately mentioned Aunty Jummy (the accused.) I asked what the teacher did to her and she said the lady dipped her finger in her private part and brought out a stone which she used to scratch her there.

“The lady is not her class teacher. She (Oyewole) teaches another class beside my daughter’s. I did not understand this and I quickly called my daughter’s class teacher on the phone to help investigate the issue. She said I should come the following day but I decided to go that same day. “I reported the matter to the head of the school and while we were leaving, we went past the (accused’s) class. My daughter said, ‘Mummy come, this is where she did it. She sat on that chair and put me on her lap and used the stone.’ She pointed to the teacher’s chair in the classroom. The lady was not around at the time.”

According to the woman, who was clearly confused when she spoke with our correspondent, the way her daughter was defiled was strange. She said she had to take her daughter to the family clinic to conduct a test on the little girl. Meanwhile, she had apprised her husband who is away at work in Benin, Edo State, of the incident. He instructed her to report the matter to the police as soon as possible. “The doctor examined her and asked me to have a look at my daughter’s private part. She explained that apart from the wound from which my daughter was bleeding, her hymen had been torn. The doctor said only a state hospital could give a report on such test since it was suspected that a crime might have been committed,” the woman said.

The case was reported at the Onipanu Police Division, Ota, later.

The police were said to have taken the little girl to a state hospital nearby, where a test was done and the same confirmation was made about the defilement of the girl. When the police went to arrest Oyewole, she denied committing any crime and resisted arrest. But the school owner advised her to go with the police.

A member of the victim’s family, who did not want the case to be treated with levity, informed the Children’s Anti-Corruption Initiative, a non-governmental organisation, concerned with the protection of children’s future.

CACTI visited Onipanu Police Division to find out how investigation into the matter was going. While the divisional police officer was not available at the time, a divisional crime officer, said Oyewole had been locked up in a cell. “The teacher is in the cell. This is a serious matter that we are still investigating. We are still working on the case. She will probably be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department in Abeokuta soon,” the police officer said. While in the premises of the police station, the accused’s mother, with tears on her face, approached CACTI’s group and knelt down pleading with them to let the matter be settled. But when asked if she had asked her daughter why she carried out such act on the little girl, she said she had not asked her.

The victim’s mother was asked whether there was any possibility that her daughter might be confused as to who did such a thing to her, she said she considered it but that it had become clear that it was Oyewole. “The night of the incident, we woke her up in the middle of the night just to be sure, we asked who did it to her, she said, ‘Aunty Jummy’. The following morning, it was the same answer. “When we got to the hospital, the doctors threatened her with injection to say who really did it. My daughter can faint at the sight of an injection. That is what she hates most in life. But she repeated the same name.”

CACTI’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Omololu Akinwande, said there was a high possibility that the teacher had been sent to perform the act in order to use the girl’s blood for ritual purpose. He said, “What you must note is that the girl is not in the accused teacher’s class. She is also a twin and the strange object the teacher allegedly used is suspicious. “We cannot rule out the possibility that some wicked people had connived with the teacher to get them something from a twin. This is why this case must not be swept under the carpet.

“It is just unfortunate that many schools in Nigeria are no longer safe for children. Government needs to make it compulsory for schools to put in place CCTV cameras in order to keep children safe. When people know they are being watched, they are not likely to try something bad with children in their care.” Akinwale insisted that rape in Nigeria had gone beyond sexual desire, adding that many now indulge in it for ritual purposes.The phone number of the proprietor of Golden Sharon Nursery and Primary School was switched off when an attempt was made to contact her on Thursday.

Members of the accused’s family have sought the help of community leaders in the area to appeal to the victim’s parentst to drop the case. A member of the victim’s family who did not want to be named, also told this correspondent that the police at the Onipanu division have been making efforts to make the parents drop the case. “They told the mother that she would be the one paying for the transportation of police and the accused from Ota to Abeokuta for the duration of the investigation and anytime they need to go to court. They just want to pressure them into dropping the case,” the relation said.

But the spokesperson of the Ogun State Police Command, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, has said that the police at the division did not have any power to stop the prosecution of the case.

“I have been briefed on the case and I have been told the accused is still in custody. The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, has directed that the case be transferred to the state  CID.  The CID will take over the investigation of the case and justice will surely be done in the matter,” he said.

The proprietor of the school was also arrested by the police on Friday.

Source: PunchNG

YOU ARE A SHAMEFUL COWARD - MICHAEL JACKSON ESTATE REPLIES DISGRACED DR. CONRAD

The Michael Jackson Estate has had just about enough of Dr. Conrad Murray running his mouth -- talking about things like how he used to hold MJ's penis every night -- and now it's demanding he shut up once and for all ... or face a lawsuit.

MJ Estate lawyer Howard Weitzman fired off a cease and desist letter to Murray earlier this week, writing, "Your recent comments to the media about Mr. Jackson’s medical treatment and ultimate death shamefully violate the physician-patient privilege under California law."

CLICK HERE TO READ THE LETTER.

He calls Murray a COWARD for attempting to use the media to defend himself ... instead of testifying in court during his manslaughter trial. If Murray keeps talking, Weitzman says the Estate will file suit -- and will subsequently inform any medical board with which Murray attempts to obtain his medical license that he violates the doctor-patient privilege willy-nilly.

As reported, Murray has been blabbing his big mouth all over the place ... telling reporters all sorts of sordid details about MJ, like how the singer couldn't hold in his pee while he was sleeping ... and how he held MJ's penis every night.

TMZ

KOGI STATE UNIVERSITY DISOWN ARRESTED BOKO HARAM MEMBER

DR NAZEEF YUSUF

Following the arrest of Dr. Mohammed Nazeef Yusuf, a lecturer at Kogi State University, Ayingba by the Department of State Service, DSS over alleged involvement with the Boko Haram sect, the university authority has dissociated the institution from the activities of the lecturer and the alleged plan to carry out terrorists attacks in the state.

Also, the Kogi State University Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities declared that the suspect was never an active member of the union.

ASUU Chairman in the university, Dr. Sylvester Ukwuteno said contrary to report from the other suspects that Dr Yusuf was a strong member of the organization, the suspect has never been an active member of ASUU.

#ODUAHGATE - FASHOLA BLAST FEDERAL GOVERNMENT - THE 2 ARMOURED CARS WILL PURCHASE 51 POLICE PATROL VEHICLES

Lagos State governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has said that the two armoured cars bought at the cost of N255 million for the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah, will purchase 51 patrol vehicles for the Nigerian Police. The governor said this at the 7th annual Town Hall Meeting on Security, themed: ‘Sustaining Local Responding To Rising National Security Challenges,’ held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

“It is sad to know that the Federal Government that allocate three patrol vehicles for one state police command of 370, 000 police men, is unable to resolve how N255 million was used to purchase 2 saloon vehicles for one officer. It is a very grave irony.

“The cost of average vehicle needed to patrol the state is just N5 million. And with such fund, we will have put at least 51 patrol vehicles on the road, patrolling the streets of Lagos.”

MORE REVELATIONS FROM CAPTURED NOTORIOUS ROBBER - HOW CO-ORDINATED LAGOS BLACK SUNDAY ROBBERY

Sunday, September 9, 2012, will remain indelible in the minds of some families in LagosState, who lost their loved ones to the brazen attack of a gang of heavily armed robbers, who laid siege to strategic points in the state, killing at least three policemen and several other citizens, while scores sustained injuries.

But the arrest  of all the members of the gang that operated that day, including the notorious South-West robbery czar, Abiodun Ogunjobi, aka, Godogodo, would bring relief to relatives and friends of those killed or injured during the encounter.

Meanwhile, Godogodo, who was arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, led by SP Abba Kyari, on August 1, 2013, has revealed how he coordinated the bloody  operation. Bureaux de change  robbery

He gave chilling details of how he led members of the gang to cart away millions of dollars from bureau de change operators in Agege and Gbagada areas of Lagos. According to Godogodo, “ On that fateful day, I called one of my boys, Sayeed Omolopa, to meet me at AlfaBeach in Ajah, and some other boys led by Kasali and Ejike. “They were about seven and my boys were five. Yemi Boss, who came with Ejike, said we should go to Agege and rob some bureau de change operators.

REPS DIVIDED OVER #NEWNATIONALAUTOMOTIVEPOLICY

Members of the House of Representatives were divided on Thursday over a motion seeking to suspend the Federal Government’s new tariff regime on imported used and new vehicles. According to the government, the new regime is to create the enabling environment for the automotive industry to grow in the country.

Mr. Nathaniel Oriade, who moved a motion on the issue, told the House that a tariff of 70 per cent on new cars implied higher prices for the affected categories of vehicles and their components.

“Nigerians are already facing hardship and this new tariff can only worsen their situation,” he added.

The lawmaker called on the Ministry of Finance to “suspend the implementation of the programme up until such a time the assembly plants and equipment manufacturers would have started the production of Nigeria-made vehicles.” But some members faulted the motion on the grounds that the Customs/Excise Tariff Act empowered the President to adjust tariff whenever necessary.

For example, Mr. Ibrahim El-Sudi observed that the only way to stop the policy was to come by an amendment bill and not through a motion. “The President has powers to alter a tariff. It is an extant law, which cannot be changed by a motion,” he added.

There were members who also insisted that tariff was included in the Exclusive Legislative List and could not be changed by “executive fiat” unless by a law passed by the National Assembly. In a bid to douse tension, the presiding Deputy Speaker, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, deferred further debate on the motion.

He asked the Joint Committee on Rules/Business, Justice and Judiciary, to study the opposing views on the motion and advise the House on what to do.

ASARI DOKUBO IS A FREEMAN ONCE AGAIN AS REUBEN ABATI DEFENDS THE PRESIDENCY

ASARI DOKUBO

Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, ,  who was arrested on Tuesday in Cotonou, Benin Republic has been released. The staunch supporter of President Jonathan who has become very wealthy overnight was arrested in Benin where he owns a university earlier this week. 

Dokubo was allegedly released around 1am on Thursday after intervention by President Goodluck Jonathan. His lawyer, Festus Keyamo, confirmed his release.

Meanwhile the Presidency on Thursday described as “blackmail and mischief” media reports that President Jonathan sent a presidential jet to convey Asari-Dokubo to Abuja from Benin Republic where he was initially detained. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, in an interview with State House correspondents said the report was an attempt by some people to package lies as the truth hoping that gullible people would believe them.

Abati said since an aircraft was not a ghost, the movement of any aircraft would be documented adding that “and if it lands anywhere, people will see it.”

He said, “There is no truth in the report that a presidential jet was used to convey Asari Dokubo. Again, what we see here is an attempt by some people to just tell lies and try to package lies as the truth.”

(GIRLS OVER BOYS) MEET THE 3 GIRLS WHO EMERGED AS WAEC'S OVERALL BEST STUDENTS

FIFOLUWA, OLUWAKEMI , CHINELO

The three(3) exceptional candidates who wrote the May/June 2012 West African Examinations Council National Distinction/Merit awards were recently honoured by WAEC. Interestingly, they are all females. It seems the boys are getting distracted.

Seventeen-year-old Folafoluwa Oginni has emerged the overall best pupil in the May/June 2012 West African Senior School Certificate Examination. She led two other girls to lift the prestigious West African Examinations Council National Distinction/Merit awards.

The Council honoured them during its Nigeria National Committee 51st Annual General Meeting held in Owerri, Imo State on Thursday.  Oginni scored Grade 1 in all her eight subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. By the feat, the Osogbo, Osun State-born lad has become the current holder of WAEC’s national distinction/merit award. The Council instituted the award in 1984 to encourage academic excellence.

THE EXCESSES OF GOVERNOR ADAMS OSHIOMOLE OF EDO STATE

Comrade Adams Oshiomole, former NLC PRESIDENT and current Governor of Edo State is known to be a tough man ( maybe a tough man)  by impression. He is very outspoken and sometimes called the ACTION GOVERNOR. He is in the news for the wrong reasons.....

A woman was caught trading illegally during a sanitation exercise in Edo State and he mistreated the woman by all ramifications..... She wept and begged but the "GOVERNOR OF THE PEOPLE" told her to "GO AND DIE:"....... 

I am surprised at his statement, very surprised at his lack of compassion.... Even GOD forgives.....

Watch the VIDEO after the cut..............

SIX MOST OUTSTANDING SUPER EAGLES PLAYERS IN 2013

Vincent Enyeama         

Things haven’t always been easy, but the Super Eagles stopper Vincent Enyeama is ending 2013 in the form of his life. He has shown incredible fortitude to return to Lille, from a stint away on loan in Israel, to claim the No. 1 shirt and to deliver such regular, outstanding performances. The highlight was his Man of the Match showing against Falcao as Les Dogues defeated Monaco, but it was one grand performance out of many. The Lille keeper hasn’t conceded a league goal since September 15. At the Cup of Nations he was in fine fettle. The defence ahead of him may have been young and inexperienced, but you could hardly tell; Enyeama’s expert organisational skills ensured they very little got past the unit. He was ultimately named Goalkeeper of the tournament.

Godfrey Oboabona

The world hadn’t heard of Godfrey Oboabona as 2012 became 2013. The unheralded defender was still playing in the Nigerian league and was yet to feature in a high-profile clash for the Super Eagles. A year later, he is a national hero—the man who kept Didier Drogba, and more recently Mario Balotelli, quiet, a continental champion and a defender with a big future. He has been the Super Eagles’ most-regular starter this season. Apart from the recent friendly against Burkina Faso, he is the only player to have started every one of Nigeria’s games. His performances at the Cup of Nations were the highlight and, by the end of the summer, the surprise was not that he moved to Europe, but that, when he did, it wasn’t to one of the continent’s major sides.

PDP TAKES THE BIG HIT

Prior to the 2011 general elections, 27 states were firmly in the grasp of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In two short years, this has been pruned to 18.

Following yesterday’s merger between the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the break-away faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the political landscape of the country has undergone a paradigm shift that not only structurally dissolves the majority-minority complex hitherto in place, but more importantly lays the foundation for more interesting activities ahead the forthcoming general elections in 2015.

Despite retaining the highest office in the land, the realignment of the governors has pushed the PDP into unfamiliar terrain as it is considerably weaker than it has been at any point in the last decade and a half.

There are many questions that come to the minds of political observers with this new equation, and top of that list is the implication of this to the future of the PDP as the 2015 general elections gets closer. The PDP would not have the upper hand it did in the National Assembly as it did yesterday morning, which means the APC now has the ability to use its representatives to sponsor, promote and have bills passed that are in its favour.

AMAZING - DELTA STATE GOVERNOR NOMINATES DEAD MAN FOR BOARD APPOINTMENT

GOVERNOR UNUAGHAN

Strange things happen in this part of the world especially in politics.............

Members of the Delta State House of Assembly were on Tuesday thrown into a state of astonishment when they discovered that one of the seven persons nominated by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan for appointment into the Delta State Tourism Board had died a while ago.

Last week, Mr. Uduaghan had included the name of James Youmu in a list of nominees for the state’s tourism board that was forwarded to the legislature for screening and confirmation. Mr. Youmu has been dead

The other nominees for the same board are Efe Afe, Peter Okolotu, Hyacinth Iyere, Amah Agbajoh, Abel Eyube and Joe Morg.

There was a mild drama during the screening when Mr. Youmu, the fourth nominee on the list, was called up. Mr. Afe, a former member of the state assembly who was screened as the chairman of the board, immediately told the House that the said James Youmu had died even before the names were sent for screening.

#ODUAHGATE - SENATE SUMMONS MINISTER OF AVIATION TO APPEAR ON DECEMBER 5

STELLA ODUAH

We are still on this ODUAHGATE scandal.... Someone should have been a guest of EFCC by now........

The Senate Committee on Aviation on Wednesday formally  invited the embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, to appear before it on Thursday, December 5, by noon.

A letter of invitation signed by the Clerk of the committee,  Mr. Victor Aborisade, explained that Oduah and the chief executive officers of agencies under her ministry would brief members at the Senate New wing.

MAN RAPES 30-MONTH OLD TODDLER IN LAGOS

 

A family court sitting in Ikeja Magistrate Court, Lagos, will today, resume hearing in the charge of defilement of a two and half years old child (names withheld) against one Kehinde Layode.

According to Access to Justice, AJ, a non-governmental organisation, handling the matter, “on November 11, 2013, we received information that a girl (names withheld) (two and a half years old at the relevant time), was sexually molested by a man, Kehinde Layode,  who had been put in a position of trust over the child.

According to the family, the mother of the girl had kept the child with the defendant and his wife to go and buy drugs for  the toddler as she was running a fever. “This was a fairly routine help that the girl’s mother often sought and the defendant and his wife offered. However, on this fateful day when the girl’s mother returned to the house, she knocked on the door but the defendant told her that she was sleeping.

“The mother, however, insisted that the door be opened so that she could administer the drug she had bought.

Subsequently, she took the toddler home but noticed that there was a thick white fluid coming down her laps at which point she raised an alarm.

nPDP & APC SEAL POWER SHARING DEAL

G-7

The  New  Peoples Democratic Party   said on Wednesday that it had signed a  Memorandum of Understanding  with the All Progressives Congress. When  and where  the MOU  was signed as well as its content   were  not made  public by the National Publicity Secretary of the New PDP, Chukwemeka Eze, in a text message he sent to one of our correspondents.

Both sides agreed that the five PDP governors who defected to the APC on Tuesday, would control the structures of the party(APC) in their states.

The five  governors, also known as rebel governors,  are  Muritala Nyako(Adamawa), Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano),  Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Rotimi  Amaechi (Rivers),  and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto). It was also gathered that the rebel governors and leaders of the New PDP  would play active roles in the emergence of the APC presidential candidate in 2015.

ARRESTED NOTORIOUS ROBBERY KINGPIN "GODOGODO" KILLED MORE THAN 50 POLICEMEN

If you watch the video of jubilant officers of the Special Anti-robbery Squad in Lagos for the first time on YOUTUBE, you will not understand why they sang the song "WINNER OOOOOO WINNER"...

They have every reason to rejoice at the capture of notorious robbery kingpin nicknamed GODOGODO who killed over 50 of their colleagues in more than a decade of terror.

Read more from VanguardNG

ASARI DOKUBO (EX-MILITANT) ARRESTED IN COTONOU

A Former Niger Delta militant, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, was on Tuesday arrested in Cotonou, capital of Benin Republic.

It was learnt that the ex-militant was arrested at about 1.00pm by the Benin Republic’s police.

A statement by his lawyer, Festus Keyamo confirmed the arrest, saying Asari-Dokubo was picked up around the Lubeleyi roundabout and taken to “an unknown destination.” Keyamo, in the statement on Tuesday, argued that Asari-Dokubo was not arrested for running any illegitimate business in the country. 

WHERE IS SANI ABACHA'S LOOT?????

LATE SANI ABACHA

The late head of Nigeria’s last military government, Sani Abacha. Abacha, who was in power from 1993 to 1998 and who died under suspicious circumstances in 1998, is commonly regarded as Nigeria’s most brutal dictator. Because of human rights violations committed under his regime, the Commonwealth of Nations suspended Nigeria’s membership in the Commonwealth and the United States and many other western countries cooled their bilateral relationship with Nigeria.

Nigerians also believe that Abacha systematically looted the state. Just how much he looted has become the stuff of urban legend. According to the Nigerian media, the civilian government of Olusegun Obasanjo traced about U.S.$4 billion in foreign assets to Abacha, his family members, and their agents. Of this, some U.S.$2.1 billion was returned by the family. But, Abacha and his family allegedly hid much of the loot overseas. In addition to Switzerland, alleged recipients have included Lichtenstein, the United Kingdom and the United States.

MAN STABS ALLEGED HOMOSEXUAL BOSS TO DEATH

EJI

A 22-year-old man, Eji Emmanuel, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for the alleged murder of a 39-year-old trader, Sylvanus Okoye.

According to the police, the suspect stabbed the deceased to death at his home on Ezemegbu Drive, Okota in August. The suspect, however, explained that he killed the deceased in self-defence. He alleged that on the day of the incident, Okoye had attempted to rape him.

Explaining the events that culminated in Okoye’s death, the suspect said he was a dancer and was lured to Lagos by a friend, Chukwudi, under the guise of doing music business only for the friend to introduce him to homosexuality.

READ HOW MINISTER OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES (DIEZIANI MADUEKE) PLANS TO SELL REFINERIES TO HER ASSOCIATES

Mrs. Dieziane Allison-Madueke

We all know that several shady deals have been going on in the Petroleum industry as key players are working to enrich themselves while the opportunity last

SaharaReporters recently published another brewing scam in that industry... Please read below..............

The planned sale of Nigeria's four refineries next year is a well-designed scam calculated to hand over the country's premium downstream assets to associates and fronts of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who is also representing the financial interests of President Goodluck Jonathan in the deal, SaharaReporters can report.

POWER PLAYERS

According to several senior officials at the ministry, four of the minister's friends have been penciled in to emerge as preferred bidders by “any means necessary” even as the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE) has announced its readiness to commence the sales next year. Top on the list of the “preferred” buyers is Mr. Jide Omokore, the multi-billionaire PDP figure who has received numerous juicy deals since Ms. Alison-Madueke was made Minister of Petroleum Resources by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010. Mr. Omokore is the chairman of Energy Resources Group, whose subsidiary, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited, was involved in a highly scandalous operatorship take-over of the oil mining licenses (OMLs) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2011.

Mr. Omokore, whose private jet is regularly put at the disposal of Ms. Alison-Madueke (as do jets by her other fronts and associates), famously funded an obscene wedding in Dubai for his son, Oluwatosin, last June. Some estimates put the cost of the wedding, which was attended by state governors, ministers, senior civil servants, senators, former governors and political godfathers, at $10 million. Oluwatosin’s bride is Faisal AbdulKadir-Fari, a daughter of Ambassador Abdulkadir-Fari, then the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

Another “preferred” buyer, Kola Aluko  was also involved in the controversial OML operatorship deal through his company, Septa Energy, a subsidiary of Seven Energy. While Mr. Omokore's company got oil bloc numbers 26, 30, 34, and 42, Igho Salome's   Taleveras got OMLs 4, 38 and 41. In the questionable deal, Shell divested its operatorship in the OMLs. By law, the ownership automatically reverted to the NNPC which manages oil assets on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria. At first, the NNPC had transferred its operatorship to its exploration subsidiary, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).

But in a curious twist, the NPDC said it did not have the financial resources to operate the OMLs. The group then organized a “strategic loan” deal with Atlantic Energy and Septa Energy to provide the funds. Under the questionable deal, Mr. Omokore and Mr. Aluko's companies were to receive crude oil allocation of over 40,000 barrels per day as “loan repayment.” An oil industry expert told SaharaReporters that the deal, which was officially called “strategic alliance and service contract,” will cost Nigerian taxpayers billions of dollars.

Another NNPC insider told Sahara Reporters, “Where in the world would you own seven lucrative oil blocks and then claim you do not have the finances to operate them? Those are enormous bankable assets. There is no bank NPDC will approach in the world that will not jump at the opportunity to finance the operations. Remember these are not mere oil prospecting licenses (OPLs). They are OMLs. Oil had been found there. Shell had been producing oil from the wells. It only decided to relinquish its interest to focus on in its offshore wells.”

Several of our sources questioned NPDC’s claim that it needed to bring in Atlantic Energy and Septa Energy to finance the production. “It all had to do with the minister’s financial stake,” said one of them, insisting that Ms. Alison-Madueke had a reputation for tailoring oil policies to benefit her pocket.

“The same NNPC that claimed it could not secure the finances to operate the oil blocks later took out a loan of $1.6 billion to pay dubious debts owed to shady oil dealers,” another insider told Sahara Reporters, further highlighting how greedy and selfish government officials strangulate the country. He said the minister cannot come up with any satisfactory justification for her scandalous policy of mortgaging the country's oil assets to her friends.

Meanwhile, our sources identified the other two “preferred” buyers for the refineries as Talevaras, a firm owned Mr. Igho Salome, and Sahara Energy, owned by the trio of Tonye Vole, Tope Osinubi and Ade Odunsi. Talevaras has increasingly come under the spotlight because of its sudden rise to prominence in Nigeria’s business scene. The firm was recently declared the “winner” of the bid for the Afam Power Plant, despite its lack of any experience in the power sector. The Afam Power Plc was among 18 assets of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) which were put up for privatization. Initially, none of the bids received for Afam Power Plc was deemed qualified. But the government suddenly announced Taleveras as the winners of the bid.

“I can assure you that the same style will be adopted to hand over Nigeria’s refineries to the minister's fronts, usually referred to as preferred buyers,” an official of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources said. He continued, “It is not a coincidence that the minister went to announce to the whole world that the refineries would be sold first quarter next year even when there were no such plans disclosed to the BPE. It should be of interest you that the BPE made its own pronouncement a week after the minister's, just to rubber-stamp it. BPE indirectly exposed her plot when it said the process would commence first quarter next year, rather than the refineries being sold first quarter next year as pronounced by her.”

Sahara Energy was also indicted in a report by a Swiss non-governmental organization, the Berne Declaration. The report revealed that Nigerian oil marketing companies perpetrated widespread subsidy fraud running into several billions of dollars. Titled “Swiss Traders’ Opaque Deals in Nigeria,” it also accused the NNPC of colluding with international oil traders to defraud Nigeria. The report revealed that Sahara Energy, Rahamaniyya Group, Aiteo Energy Resources Limited, Ontario Oil and Gas Limited, Tridax Energy, Mezcor Limited and MRS Group had established subsidiaries, also called "letter-box" companies, in Geneva, Switzerland, with no real business activities.

The report disclosed that these companies established the subsidiaries primarily for tax advantages, and also for easy access to international capital. But four of the companies, namely Sahara Energy, Rahamaniyya, Aiteo Energy and MRS, were investigated by the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee and cleared in a widely discredited report that culminated in the infamous $620,000 bribery scandal involving the chairman of the House probe committee, Farouk Lawan, and billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola.

According to the Swiss NGO report, the opaque partnership between NNPC and the Swiss oil traders ensures that the profit generated escapes state coffers. Describing this as “not trivial,” the report stated: “By way of example, in 2011 the amount withheld from state coffers came to $8.739 billion. The public coffers were directly penalized. The same year, the revenues from oil fell by 39 per cent against the amount budgeted. And this is despite a rise in the price of oil.”

O.J SIMPSON LOSES BID FOR A NEW TRIAL IN ROBBERY CASE

O.J SIMPSON

A judge in Las Vegas rejected O.J. Simpson's bid for a new trial on Tuesday, dashing the former football star's bid for freedom based on the claim that his original lawyer botched his armed robbery and kidnapping trial in Las Vegas more than five years ago.

“All grounds in the petition lack merit and, consequently, are denied,” Clark County District Judge Linda Marie Bell said.

Simpson's lawyer Patricia Palm said she wanted to speak to Simpson before commenting on the decision.

Simpson could appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court. If he loses at that level, the 66-year-old Simpson could go to federal courts to argue his constitutional right to effective counsel was violated.

WILSHERE SCORES A BRACE FOR ARSENAL AS BARCELONA WERE STUNNED BY AJAX

In the Uefa Champions League matches played yesterday, Jack Wishere struck two goals against Marseille of France to help Arsenal to 12 points as they inch closer to qualifying for the round of 16.

Elsewhere, 10 man Ajax beat Barcelona by two (2) goals to one (1) while Chelsea lost away to Basel (1 - 0). 

        Arsenal  2 - 0 Marseille  

  FC Basel  1 - 0 Chelsea

GOLDEN EAGLETS STAR IHEANEACHO SET TO JOIN MANCHESTER CITY

Kelechi Iheanacho, unarguably the best player at the recently concluded Fifa U-17 world cup which Nigeria emerged winners is in the verge of joining Manchester City.

Many top european clubsides indicated interest in the talented player but all set is for him to become a Manchester City player.as confirmed by is father.

We wish the young lad a the best.

BREAKING NEWS!!!! SEVEN PDP GOVERNORS (G7) JOIN APC

The seven breakaway Governors of the PDP have joined the biggest opposition party, the All Progressives Congress. 

Five of the seven  governors today met at the Kano State lodge in Abuja to finalize the decision to breakaway from the ruling party early today.

This news is definitely going to heat up the 2015 general elections.

FORMER NIGERIAN ATHLETE AMBROSE MONYE FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER IN SOUTH AFRICA

AMBROSE MONYE

Former Nigerian athlete, Ambrose Monye, has been found guilty of the murder of Chanelle Henning by Judge Johan Kruger  of a North Gauteng High Court on Monday.

The 35-year-old Nigerian was said to be the “paymaster” and middleman in the drive-by shooting of the mother of one in 2011. Henning had just dropped her son of in school before she was gunned down.

Monye’s co-accused, Andre Gouws, was also found guilty. The two were said to have conspired with two others – Gerhardus du Plessis, a former policeman and Willem “Pike” Pieterse.

JONATHAN SACKS SPECIAL ASSISTANT ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

President Goodluck Jonathan, on Sunday, sacked Mrs. Aisha Umar, from her post as his Special Assistant on Social Development.

The notice was announced in a brief statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by Mr. Sam Nwaobasi, The Special Assistant (Media) to the Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim with Ref. No: PPR/OSGF/PR/02.

However, the statement did not give details on why the aide was relieved of her job.The statement further read that, the termination takes “effect from November 25, 2013.”

The President has in the past few months sacked three of his aides. The first was the Minister of Youth Development, Inuwa Abdulkadir, followed by the Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Mrs. Joy Emordi, and his Special Adviser on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, Dr. Tunji Olagunju.

JEGA'S INEC NOT QUALIFIED TO CONDUCT 2015 ELECTIONS

JEGA

The All Progressives Congress, APC, on Monday declared the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Attahiru Jega, unfit to conduct the 2015 general elections.

The opposition party stated this at the 2013 Annual Week of the Ogun State Chapter of the Freelance and Independent Broadcasters’ Association of Nigeria, held in Abeokuta. The acting National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lai Muhammed, who was a guest lecturer at the ceremony with the theme, ‘Nigeria, 53 years after: Problems, Possibilities and Prospects’, wondered how Mr. Jega, who could not ensure free and fair election in Anambra State, would conduct the 2015 polls.

SAMUEL FALOWO(21) WINS NOKIA'S "DON'T BREAK DA BEAT" N3.2M PRIZE

SAMUEL FALOWO - PRO METH

A 21-year-old upcoming rapper, Samuel Falowo, whose stage name is Pro’Meth, was announced winner of the third edition of the Don’t Break Da Beat rap competition.

The Abuja based rapper beat nine other finalists to win the top prize of $20,000 (N3, 200,000) at a grand finale held at 10 Degrees Events Centre, Oregun, Lagos.

Popular musicians who performed at the event included pop singers Wizkid, May D, Sean Tizzle and rappers Olamide, Jesse Jagz, Phyno, M.I and Skales.

Congrats to him

DOUBTS SURROUND ALLEGED ATTACK ON STELLA ODUAH''S VEHICLE

An alleged attack on the car of the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, at Maitama, Abuja on Friday was reported to the Federal Capital Territory Police Command on Monday.

An Escalade car belonging to the minister was reportedly attacked by unknown gunmen at Ministers’ Hill, Abuja on Friday, but the incident was reported to the police, three days after the attack.

 The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Altienne Daniel, who confirmed the incident, said the attack on the minister’s car was reported to the FCT Police Command on Monday, adding that detectives who checked the vehicle retrieved a metallic object which was being subjected to ballistic test to ascertain whether it was a bullet or not.

ARIK AIR'S JOHANNESBURG PASSENGERS STRANDED AT LAGOS AIRPORT

Arik Air is in the news again for the wrong reasons as reported by Sahara Reporters.

Passengers who booked to fly Arik Air to Johannesburg on Sunday night are still waiting to leave Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, taken hostage by their airline.

The flight was subsequently rescheduled to depart at 12noon on November 25, but that, too, was followed by another delay announcement. Subsequently, the delay became indefinite, and the passengers became furious at the nonchalant attitude of the airline management.

OSUN GOVERNOR'S EDUCATION POLICY CLAIMS IT'S FIRST VICTIM

The South-West states in Nigeria are not known to be religiously intolerant as Christians & Muslims have lived together peacefully over the past decades unlike the Northern part of the country where thousands have been killed because of religious sentiments.. In fact, most families have a mix of both religions, but when  a Governor introduces an education policy that tends to change this balance, I bet the wise thing for him to do is to reverse his decision.

The new education policy in Osun State claimed its first casualty on Monday as fierce-looking Muslim youths invaded the Baptist High School, Ejigbo, and beat up the students and teachers. The principal of the school, Mr. Layi Oguntola, was thoroughly beaten and injured. Oguntola, as of the time of this report, was said to be receiving treatment at the Baptist Medical Centre, Ejigbo.

DR. DOYIN ABIOLA, WIFE OF LATE MOSHOOD ABIOLA ARRESTED FOR FRAUD

These are hard times for Socialite and wife of late MKO, Dr. Doyin Abiola as the police arraigned her before the Federal High Court, Lagos, for fraud. She is also the Managing Director of he defunct Concord Newspapers

A statement signed by Police Public Relations Officer DSP Ngozi Isintume-Agu said that the Financial Malpractices Investigation Unit (FMIU) of Special Fraud Unit (SFU) said that between 2006 and 2008, as a Director of the Integrated Microfinance Bank, Dr. Abiola granted to herself without collateral and approval from the Management, the sum of N26,611,246.48.

Dr. Abiola, of 42/46 Moshood Abiola Crescent, Ikeja, Lagos, and wife of the late Chief Moshood Abiola, is one of four Managing Directors or Directors of Integrated Microfinance Bank (IMFB) located at 6A Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja, who were arrested and charged by the SFU.

RED CARPET ARRIVALS - AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS 2013

ARIANNA GRANDE

AKON

See what Celebs wore to AMA 2013................... more pictures after the cut

FULL LIST OF WINNERS AT THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

The American Music Awards went off in Los Angeles on Sunday Night, to much grandeur and fanfare.

Check out the winners list below, as decided by the fans, which as we know are the people that really matter

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Taylor Swift

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY KOHL'S

Ariana Grande 

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

Florida Georgia Line Featuring Nelly, "Cruise"

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK

Justin Timberlake   

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK

Taylor Swift

#ODUAHGATE - JONATHAN IS BACK, CONFIRMS RECEIPT OF ARMOURED CAR REPORT

 

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday said he has received the report of the three-member administrative panel of enquiry set up to probe the Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah’s role in the purchase of two bullet proof cars.

The President had in October instituted the panel to probe the procurement of two bullet proof cars by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, under the directive of Mrs. Oduah. The two cars were allegedly bought for N225million. The panel was asked to investigate the minister’s role in the procurement and to determine if due process was followed in the procurement of the vehicles.

The three-member panel, chaired by the immediate former Head of Service of the Federation, Isa Bello, also has the National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dakusi, and Dick Iruenebere as members. Speaking to State House correspondents on his arrival at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, the president was silent on the state of the report or whether government had decided to act on it.