OGUN STATE GOVERNOR, IBIKUNLE AMOSUN SACKS SIX OFFICIALS OF MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OVER OFFENSIVE EXAM QUESTION.

The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has ordered the sacking of six officials of the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, including a secondary school teacher, over alleged offensive examination question.

Those sacked include two Grade Level 17 officers, Mrs. Folashade Oresegun, who was the Director, Education Support Services, and Mr. Rotimi Odunsi, who was the Director, Curriculum Development and Evaluation, and a Grade Level 16 officer, Mr. Majekodunmi Oluwole.

Others are a Grade Level 10 officer, Mr. E.O. Asegbe, a Grade Level 8 officer, Taylor Damilola , and an English Language teacher in Mayflower Secondary School, Ikenne, Mr. Joel Adegbenro.

POLICE TEAR-GAS APC CHIEFTAINS AT INEC OFFICE IN PORT-HARCOURT.

Policemen and operatives of the Department of State Services manning the gates of the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday assaulted the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, and other candidates of the party in the last general elections.

The security agents fired tear-gas canisters at Peterside and 47 other APC candidates in the state elections, who had gone to the head office of INEC to protest an alleged refusal of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Mrs. Gesila Khan, to release electoral materials for inspection by the APC, in accordance with the ruling of the Rivers State Election Petitions Tribunal.

A security operative also threatened to shoot a television reporter, who was recording the protest.

LAGOS LAWYER ARRESTED FOR FONDLING 9-YR-OLD GIRL WITHIN COURT PREMISES.

A Lagos-based lawyer (names withheld) was yesterday caught fondling a nine-year-old girl’s breasts and private part in the premises of Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos. 

The victim, said to have just arrived the country from England, had accompanied her grandmother, who had a civil case in court and needed a lawyer.

At the court, she enquired from a court clerk of a lawyer who could help her handle the case and was referred to the said lawyer.

SENATORS REJECT PAYCUT - #OPENNASS

The Senate on Wednesday suspended consideration of the report of its Finance committee following sharp disagreements among members over the pay cut recommended by the panel.

Our correspondent learnt that the senators during a two-hour deliberation behind closed doors, resolved to reject the reduction of salaries and allowances as recommended by the Senator James Manager’s committee.

The senators, according to one of them who confided in our correspondent, said it was not possible to accept pay cut with other beneficiaries of the N120bn National Assembly annual budget not doing same.

BREAKING NEWS: 4 BODIES RECOVERED FROM LAGOS LAGOON HELICOPTER CRASH.

Four bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of the helicopter that crashed into the Lagos Lagoon on Wednesday afternoon.

Six persons were rescued alive from the crash, which occurred around 3.30pm around the Alonge area of Oworonshoki in the Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos, and rushed to the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

Two other persons are said to be missing among the 12 occupants of the ill-fated helicopter.

MAJEK FASHEK IS DOING WELL AT THE REHAB.

Renowned reggae musician, Majek Fashek known for his famous song, “send down the rain” is now receiving care at a rehabilitation facility to address his drug addiction.

The musician who spoke to journalists at the rehabilitation facility in Abuja, “Synapse Services”, noted that he is on his way to recovery because he choose to listen to advise and seek treatment for his addiction.

According to him, his life experiences also contributed to his present situation which today has left him bankrupt and without funds to assist himself.

WORLD POPULATION SET TO REACH 11.2 BILLION AT THE END OF THE CENTURY.

United Nations: India, China and Brazil countries with young populations but lower fertility face the prospect of substantial population ageing before the end of the century, according to UN projections.

The world’s population will increase from today’s 7.3 billion people to 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion at century’s end, UN Population Division director John Wilmoth told a session focused on demographic forecasting at the 2015 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM 2015) in Seattle on Tuesday.

The UN projection suggests there will not be an end to world population growth this century unless there are unprecedented fertility declines in those parts of sub-Saharan Africa that are still experiencing rapid population growth. The UN estimated the probability that world population growth will end within this century to be 23%.

KACHIKWU RETIRES 38 MANAGEMENT STAFF OF NNPC.

As the gale of retirement continues in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the management of the corporation has retired 38 top management staff reducing the number from 122 to 83.

This follows the sacking of eight group executive directors and reducing the directorate to four to be manned by four group executive directors.

In the same breath, the corporation has appointed new managing directors for all its subsidiaries, while some are redeployed.

BOKO HARAM NOW HAS A NEW LEADER AS ABUBAKAR SHEKAU'S WHEREABOUTS REMAINS UNKNOWN.

The Nigerian-based Islamist militant group Boko Haram has a new leader, Chad's President Idriss Deby says.

He did not say what had happened to Abubakar Shekau, but said he had been replaced by Mahamat Daoud - who has not been heard of before.

Mr Shekau has not featured in the group's recent videos, leading to speculation that he has been killed.

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.