REMEMBERING SAMUEL OKWARAJI 26 YRS AFTER.

Besides being a skilful and dedicated footballer, one other thing that stood Samuel Okwaraji out of the lot in the Green Eagles of 1989 was his leadership quality. A quality that reflected in his willingness to sacrifice whatever he had to the glory of Nigeria. Unfortunately, however, only a few remember him for what he truly represented in Nigerian football.

Every year, since his untimely death during the World Cup qualifier between Nigeria and Angola at the National Stadium in Lagos on August 12, 1989, Nigerians remember him as an iconic figure that could have inspired the Green Eagles to achieve greater things.

He was the only player the Nigeria Football Association ever agreed to pay his club, SSV-ULM 1848, $15,000 just to have him play for his country.

ICPC INDICTS FORMER IGP MIKE OKIRO, ORDERS HIM TO RETURN N133M TO FEDERAL TREASURY.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission has directed the Chairman, Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro, to remit N133m to the Federal Treasury through the ICPC recovery account at First City Monument Bank.

This was the balance of the N350m he received from the Federal Government for staff training and physical monitoring of police personnel during the last general elections.

The ICPC also ordered the workers of the commission who were paid two-way return tickets and airport taxi fares to location within the Federal Capital Territory and states close to Abuja during the monitoring exercise to refund to the treasury N11.75m.

UNILAG SETS UP PANEL TO INVESTIGATE RAPE SCANDAL. #SAYNOTORAPE.

ALLEGED RAPIST - BARUWA

Authorities of the University of Lagos have set up a four-man investigative team to look into the alleged rape scandal rocking the institution.

The Head of the Information Unit of the university, Mr. Olagoke Oke, made this known to our correspondent on Tuesday.

According to him, the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. G.O. Babawale, is the head of the panel, while the Secretary is O. Olasunmade of the Quality Assurance & Servicom Unit of the university.

Read previous report here, here & here.

UN BEGINS PROBE OF SOLDIERS ACCUSED OF RAPING 12-YR-OLD GIRL & KILLING A TEENAGER & HIS FATHER.

The UN mission in the Central African Republic launched a probe on Tuesday into allegations its soldiers had raped a 12-year-old girl and shot dead a teenager and his father.

The probe was opened following allegations made by London-based rights watchdog Amnesty International, which said the alleged incidents took place on August 2 and 3 as Rwandan and Cameroonian peacekeepers were conducting an operation in the capital, Bangui.

In an initial response, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "dismayed and disappointed" by the latest claims of sexual abuse by peacekeepers, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

CONTROVERSY TRAILS RAPE OF 30-YR-OLD WOMAN BY 4 OPC MEMBERS IN LAGOS - #SAYNOTORAPE

Controversy is  trailing the reported rape of a 30-year-old woman in Lagos by four members of Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, last week, at Alapere area of Lagos State.

While sources close to the victim said she was gang-raped by four OPC members, police have denied receiving such report at Alapere division.

When contacted, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, and the new police spokeswoman in the state, Patricia Amadim, denied that such incident happened.

PRESIDENT BUHARI AS MINISTER OF PETROLEUM - THE PROS & CONS.

The news has been making the rounds in both the conventional and internet media that President Muhammadu Buhari is to assume the position of Minister of Petroleum when he appoints ministers next month.

According to the information reportedly leaked after a meeting of the president with chieftains of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja over the impending ministerial appointments, Buhari said he would take the action as part of his move to sanitise the oil sector and rid it of corruption.

TRIAL OF NATIONAL TREASURY LOOTERS TO COMMENCE SOON.

The Federal Government is set to begin the trial of persons alleged to have stolen from the national coffers, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Tuesday. Buhari said the trial would begin “in a matter of weeks.”

The President spoke while addressing members of the National Peace Committee, led by a former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“Those who have stolen the national wealth will be in court in a matter of weeks and Nigerians will know those who have short-changed them,” the President told his guests.

PRESIDENT BUHARI IS BORN AGAIN - PROF WOLE SOYINKA.

Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has described President Muhammadu as a “born-again” phenomenon on the Nigerian political landscape, who is ready to make amends for his past mistakes. 

Soyinka, who spoke in an interview with Zero Tolerance, a periodic publication by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, noted that Buhari has already paid some debts to the Nigerian community, describing him as a lucky man.

Soyinka noted that although Buhari has not come out openly to apologise for his wrong deeds in the past, he has nonetheless accepted the fact that he had made some mistakes.

BRITISH JIHADIS IN SYRIA ARE BEING RECRUITED TO BLOW UP AIRLINES IN WESTERN COUNTRIES.

Britons fighting for militant groups in Syria are being targeted to smuggle explosives on to Western airliners and become suicide bombers as Al Qaeda plan a spectacular attack over a major city, intelligence officials warn. 

The Pakistan-based, Iranian-backed Khorasan group linked to Al Qaeda is said to have sent members to 'embed' with affiliated terror groups to identify British, European and United States passport holders who could slip through security and carry a bomb on to a plane. 

The terror group's allies in Yemen have been working on developing an 'undetectable ' bomb that could be implanted inside the body of an operative as well as other devices that allows him or her to pass through airport security and scanners. 

PRESIDENT BUHARI QUERIES OKONJO IWEALA OVER DIVERSION OF $1BN RAIL TRANSPORT LOAN.

President Muhammed Buhari on Monday asked the Ministry of Finance to provide explanations on the whereabouts of the foreign loans obtained for rail projects but diverted to other purposes under the watch of former Minister of Finance, Dr. Okonjo Iweala.

The president directive followed an instance of the diversion of a substantial part of the loan of USD1.005 billion from the Chinese Exim Bank, meant for the construction of a standard gauge rail line linking Lagos and Kano States to somewhere else.

This was even as the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport by the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Bashar informed the President that only $400 million id left of the loan.

61% FAILED ENGLISH & MATHS IN 2015 WASSCE.

The West African Examinations Council has withheld the May/June 2015 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results of hundreds of candidates from 13 states in the country.

This comes as the council stated that only 616, 370 candidates obtained credit in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. The candidates represented 38.68 per cent of the candidates who sat for the examination.

One million, five hundred and ninety-three thousand and four hundred and forty-two candidates, comprising 864,096 males and 729,346 females, sat for the examination.

PRESIDENT BUHARI CANCELS FG DELEGATION TO HAJJ, SAVES $1M.

In his bid to cut cost  of governments,  President Mohammadu Buhari has announced that there would be no federal government delegation for this year’s hajj in Saudi Arabia.

He however stated that the government shall play its traditional roles of providing consular, medical and security services to Nigerian pilgrims.

With the decision, the government is expected to save about $1 million and N30m in local expenses.

OONI'S DEATH WILL BE ANNOUNCED TOMORROW.

The official proclamation of the demise of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, will be made tomorrow, the Awara of Iwara-Ife, Oba Layi Adereti, has said. 

He disclosed this yesterday while speaking with newsmen on the preparation for the burial of the monarch, who died at Saint Mary Hospital in London in the evening of July 25th.

According to the traditional ruler who spoke for the first time on the reported demise of the foremost monarch, the oro festival, which is the final rites of passage for the Ooni will hold between the hours of 9am and 4pm tomorrow.

30-YR-OLD MAN MURDERS GIRLFRIEND OVER N1000 AFTER SEX MARATHON.

A 30-year-old man, Richard Effiok, on Monday confessed to stabbing his girlfriend after three rounds of sex.

Effiok, who identified his deceased girlfriend as Bassey Udoh (23), said the incident happened on May 22, 2015, at Nelson Mandela Street in Calabar, Cross River State.

The suspect made the confessional statement at the headquarters of the state police command on Diamond Hill Road, when he was paraded along with other suspected criminals by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Henry Fadairo.

GOOGLE FORMS NEW PARENT COMPANY.

Google, the US technology company, is reorganising under a new moniker – Alphabet – in a move underscoring its founders’ ambitions to pursue ventures far beyond the company’s internet search core, from self-driving cars to cutting-edge medical research.

It will still use the Google name for its popular internet search engine, mapping service and related products.

However, Larry Page, Google’s CEO and co-founder, said on Monday the creation of the new holding company will provide more independence for divisions like Nest, which makes internet-connected home appliances, and Calico, which is researching ways to prolong human life.

#TERRORISMWATCH- NIS BARRED 4916 NIGERIANS FROM TRAVELLING ABROAD.

The Nigeria Immigration Service said it barred no fewer than 4,916 Nigerians from travelling out of the country between January and March, 2015.

The Nigerians were suspected to be on their way to join international terrorist organisations, including the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq and the Taliban, sources within the NIS confided in our correspondent.

The NIS also said that 758 Nigerians were refused entry abroad while 1, 368 others were deported within the period.

ENFORCE SEXUAL VIOLENCE LAWS.

For far too long, sexual violence or sexual harassment has endured with no one accountable at the policy, enforcement or jurisdictional level.

Naturally, females are mostly at the receiving end of sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence in places like universities.

Laws on sexual violence including sexual harassment exist mostly in name as they are chronically unenforced by law enforcement agencies and disregarded by the courts in Nigeria. Recently, the National Assembly passed a broader bill on sexual violence against sexual harassment, sexual tourism and other related offences.

PICTURES - TYGA BUYS $320,000 FERRARI FOR KYLIE JENNER ON HER 18TH BIRTHDAY.

Today (Aug. 10) is Kylier Jenner’s 18th birthday. In honor of her born day, the reality star had a birthday bash in an L.A. club called Bootsy Bellows Sunday nig ht (Aug. 9). Kylie’s family, friends and beau Tyga were all in attendance. Tyga even surprised his now legal girlfriend with a new whip: a $320,000 white Ferrari 482 Italia.

While the party was going on, the 18th Dynasty rapper brought Kylie outside and gifted her with the keys to her new toy. It’s rather interesting that T-Raww was able to purchase the expensive foreign car for his girl. Over the last month, he’s had a number of financial issues, including a recent lawsuit filed by a Las Vegas club promoter. Prior to that, two different landlords came forth saying Tyga owed them cash. He’s also being sued over his Last Kings clothing line. Despite all of this, he was still able to hold Kylie down. View photos of the stunning car above. 

GOV. WIKE FIRES ACCOUNTANT GENERAL OF RIVERS STATE.

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has fired the state Accountant-General Ngozi Y.Abu with immediate effect.

In a statement signed by Simeon Nwakaudu, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, the Director of Treasury, Sir Dagogo R.Abere has been appointed as acting Accountant General with immediate effect.

It is not clear the reason for the sack of the Account-General.

However, the Wike’s administration has commenced probing his predecessor, Chibuike Amaechi over alleged financial improprieties.

BAYELSA PDP IN DISARRAY AS POLITICAL HEAVYWEIGHTS DEFECT TO APC AHEAD OF DEC 5 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTIONS.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa state appears to be in deep trouble following the planned defection of political heavy weights of party, including former deputy governors, senators and their supporters in the state to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the governorship election in December 2015.

Ahead of the governorship election billed for 5 December, Governor Seriake Dickson is trying to break a jinx in the state, given that, no governor has served two terms.