JONATHAN & DIEZANI MADUEKE FACE PROBE OVER PURCHASE OF 3 MOBILE CAMPAIGN STAGES FOR N1.37BN

The ongoing probe of the immediate past administration by President Muhammadu Buhari is to beam its searchlight on the alleged purchase of three mobile stages, costing $6.9m, by former President Goodluck Jonathan and two of his officials, a Presidency source has said.

According to a document, which was obtained from the Presidency on Saturday, the deal, which is now a subject of investigation, was allegedly carried out by Jonathan; his Chief Security Officer, Mr. Gordon Obuah; and former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

The fund was said to have been withdrawn from one of the numerous accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

(VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS) CRYSTAL PALACE HUMILIATES CHELSEA AT STANFORD BRIDGE. CHE 1 CYP 2. (I 1-2)

CHE 1 CYP 2

EPL defending champions Chelsea lost to Crystal Palace earlier today. Jose Mourinho needs to wake his side up else  Abrahimovic's hammer might fall on him soon.  

Chelsea's recent form - LDLWL...........

THAI POLICE ARREST MAN SUSPECTED OF BEING BEHIND THE BANGKOK SHRINE BOMBING.

Thai police have arrested a foreign suspect and uncovered bomb-making materials today following an investigation into the deadly Bangkok shrine bombing, officials said.

Plainclothes police raided an apartment used by the man, named as Adem Karadag on his passport, in Nong Jok on the outskirts of Bangkok today.

On entering the man's apartment, investigators reporting uncovered ten passport as well possible bomb-making materials.

HOW FASHOLA MISSED OUT ON BEING APPOINTED AS SECRETARY TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to go outside the permutations of political enthusiasts to appoint key officers of the administration was a fallout of the endless squabbling and the fait accompli that was forced on him by political opponents of his favourite for the post, former Governor Tunde Fashola. 

The disappointments by political stakeholders from the south nonetheless, the appointment of northern minorities and Christians into key positions by the Buhari administration is meanwhile receiving mixed welcome from the Northern minorities.

Buhari had on Thursday sidestepped the favourite nominees including Fashola and former Governor Ogbonnonya Onu to appoint Engr. David Lawal, the national vice-chairman, Northeast, of the All Progressives Congress, APC as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF.

NIGERIA POLICE FORCE APPOINTS AG. ACP OLABISI KOLAWOLE AS FIRST FEMALE P.R.O.

Nigeria Police has appointed its first Female Police Public Relations Officer ,PPRO. She is Ag. ACP Olabisi Kolawole. Her appointment was ratified by the Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase today August 28th. Congrats to her. 

She is a graduate of Nigeria Police Academy; she studied Law in Ogun State University and graduated with Bachelor of Law degree (LL.B) in 2000. She graduated from the Nigeria Law School where she obtained a (BL) degree and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002. She attended University of Leicester, United Kingdom where she obtained a Masters degree in Police Leadership and Management (PLM).

OBASANJO IS A LIAR & AN ECONOMIC ILLITERATE - PROFESSOR WOLE SOYINKA.

Nobel Laurette, Prof Wole Soyinka has described former president, Olusegun Obasanjo as a liar and somebody who should not be taken seriously and that he has no respect for him.

Soyinka said this yesterday, Friday August 28th, at an event organised by Telecommunication company, Globacom, at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites, in his honour.

The event which was a gathering of the crime de la creme in the literary industry, was tagged “An Evening With Soyinka”.

LADY STABS LOVER TO DEATH OVER SEX.

KILLER - BLESSING EDET

The shrill shout for help rented the quiet atmosphere in Ogombo village, Lekki, Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, at the early hours of Tuesday, last week. Residents who were jolted from sleep felt reluctant at first to come out, apparently thinking it was a robbery attack. 

When a man later discovered to be the landlord of the building where the shout emanated from summoned courage to go see what the problem was, he was reportedly taken aback, on seeing a young man in the pool of his blood, with a kitchen knife by the side of his ribs.

The dying man, Mr. Edet Ebong, a member of staff of the Akwa Ibom State Transport Company, was reportedly rushed to a hospital within the vicinity by policemen from Ogombo Division who were alerted by the landlord identified as Baba Dada. Unfortunately, he was reportedly rejected. Thereafter, he was rushed to the Marina General Hospital where doctors battled in vain to save his life.

65-YR-OLD MAN REMANDED IN PRISON FOR DEFILING 7-YR-OLD GIRL. #SAYNOTORAPE.

In another case that has highlighted the increasing child sexual abuses in Nigeria, a 65-year-old landlord, in Akowonjo area of Lagos, Mr. Ganiyu Sani, has allegedly raped a seven-year-old girl, Blessing. But this time, the parents of the victim believe he did it for ritual purposes.

The civil servant mother of the victim told correspondents that on Monday, August 17, 2015, when she got back from work and was having dinner with her children, Blessings started to touch her crotch and complain of pain.

“I felt the part she was touching and asked what was wrong with her. I thought she was referring to her lower abdomen and believed it must be stomach ache. But she insisted that it was her private part.

CHADIAN COURT SENTENCE 10 BOKO HARAM FIGHTERS TO DEATH.

A court in Chad on Friday sentenced 10 suspected members of Nigeria-based Islamist group Boko Haram to death in connection with a double suicide bombing in June that killed 38 people in the capital N’Djamena.

“The 10 Boko Haram defendants have been condemned to death,” declared the ruling in Chad’s first trial of Boko Haram members.

The defendants were accused of criminal conspiracy, murder, wilful destruction with explosives, fraud, and illegal possession of arms and ammunition as well as using psychotropic substances.

GOV. FAYOSE APPOINTS 72-YR-OLD ILLITERATE AS CARETAKER CHAIRMAN.

One man who likes being in the news is the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, who has appointed a 72-year-old illiterate, Pa Olatunde Afolayan, as the caretaker chairman of Moba Local Government Area.

He also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to remove Mrs. Amina Zakari as the Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The governor, who stated this during the inauguration of Boards, Commissions and Governing Councils in the state, said it was only God that saved him from the failed impeachment plot.

RAPISTS POSING AS SPIRITUALIST TAKE OVER THE STREETS OF DELTA.

Men suspected to be rapists have taken over the nooks and crannies of Delta State, posing as spiritualists to woo unsuspecting female into ritual activities, during which some have been reportedly raped.

It was learnt that the fake spiritualists perpetrate their act by pretending they can assist unsuspecting women in solving their problems, especially those looking for the fruit of the womb.

Their mode of operation allegedly involves drugging their victims, raping them while unconscious before extracting body parts from them for ritual purposes.

AGONY OF THE INDIAN TEENAGE MOTHERS WHO BECAME PREGNANT AFTER BEING RAPED . #SAYNOTORAPE.

RANJANA

The daily chores of laundry, feeding a crying baby and wrestling sleepless nights is enough to test the patience of any mature new mother - never mind a small teenage girl.

Ranjana Kumari* has no choice. At 15, she is a single mother of an 11-month-old baby. 

Even though she was a promising bright student, Ranjana had to give up school to become a full time mother.

NIGERIA'S AMBASSADOR TO USA, PROF ADEFUYE IS DEAD.

Nigeria’s Ambassador and Head of Missions in the United States of America, Prof. Ade Adefuye is dead. He died on Thursday in a hospital in Washington, DC according to report.

Since March 2010, Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye a former history professor has been the ambassador from Nigeria to the United States, who has helped persuade the U.S. to remove this country from the government’s “country of interest” terrorism watch list.

Nigeria was placed on the list following the December 25, 2009, incident when Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight headed from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Guardian

IF FASHOLA WANTS THE PORK, HE MUST WRESTLE WITH THE PIG.

A swarm of the bigwigs of the All Progressives Congress were chaperoned to Osogbo, the capital of Osun State by their then presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. It was November 27, 2014 during the second term inauguration of Rauf Aregbesola as governor. Standing on the huge stage, party top shots took turns to say something about their candidate and the March 28 presidential election.

I browsed around to see who was and was not present on the VIP stand. I didn’t see Babatunde Fashola, the then Governor of Lagos State; and I began to wonder why. About an hour into the pomp, a helicopter hovered in the skies over the stadium; and someone whispered into my ears that that was the Lagos Governor in the helicopter. Not long afterwards, Fashola showed up on the stand behind me calmly seated and modestly smiling. I was not surprised to see that he looked older than his age. That is what the pressure of government business in Nigeria and the surreptitious schizophrenia of party politics will do to you. Aregbesola the celebrator and celebrity for the day then began acknowledging the guests. When he got to the turn of Fashola, I marked the glowing superlative: “…my brother Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State, the best man for the job, the best man for the job”. The stadium erupted in a roar!

OUR ABSENTEE FEDERAL LAWMAKERS.

After sitting for a total of 14 legislative days since their June 9th, 2015 inauguration, the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives have proceeded on a six-week recess. This is the fourth time the Federal Legislature is shifting its sittings in less than three months of being proclaimed by the president.

With the two Houses seemingly returning to normalcy after their repeated skirmishes, it was expected that the legislators would settle down to the business that brought them to Abuja. That expectation was, however, dashed with the decision of the two Houses to proceed on their annual recess.

The recess has been defended by the holidaying lawmakers as part of programmes in their calendar. Holidays are opportunities for any hardworking person to take a rest and to refresh for optimum productivity. However, given the few number of days that the legislators have sat, Nigerians are rather bemused over the kind of serious work that the lawmakers have done in 14 days to deserve a six-week rest.

POLICE RESCUE FIVE PREGNANT GIRLS & NINE BABIES FROM ENUGU MATERNITY HOME.

Five pregnant girls and nine babies, under one year old, have been recovered from a maternity home, identified as Daughters of Divine Home Pro-live, located on Aria Road, by Cemetery axis of Enugu metropolis. 

The recovery followed information received by the operatives of the Central Police Station, Enugu, who stormed the home on August 21.

According to police source, the victims are helping the operatives of the Anti-Child Trafficking Unit of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department, CIID, in its investigations.

However, the alleged owner of the home, a Reverend Sister, maintained that she has the approval of relevant authorities to run the home. Said approval had not been produced at press time.

One of the babies recovered from the home was said to be the child of a second year student in a university, who alleged that she gave birth at the home for safe keeping.

NNPC PRUNES DOWN CRUDE OIL BUYERS FROM 43 TO 16.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Thursday said it had reduced the number of crude oil off-takers for the proposed 2015/2016 term contract from 43 to 16.

It said the move was part of measures to optimise the marketing of the nation’s crude oil and secure new market potential.

The corporation, in a statement signed by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said, “In a novel move to instill transparency and probity in the award of the annual crude oil term contract, the NNPC has mapped out measures to execute the 2015/2016 award of contract to companies for the evacuation of Nigeria’s crude oil equity from the various crude and condensate production arrangements.”

GOVERNOR AMBODE MAY SACK EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES OF THE 57 LOCAL COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IN LAGOS.

There are strong indications that the on-going restructuring and reforms in the Lagos State Civil Service will soon be extended to the 20 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs in the state.Presently, the affairs of the councils are being managed by Executive secretaries appointed in the twilight of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration to replace the former chairmen after the expiration of their tenure, pending the conduct of fresh election. 

The implication of this is that the 57 executive secretaries may be replaced by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State in order to conduct a credible election into the offices, considering the fact that Ambode’s reforms have been characterized by several replacements of heads of ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs.

It is instructive to note that Ambode, at a recent public function, had pledged to embark on local government reforms with the aim of making the 57 councils more responsive to the needs of the people.

APC LEADERS ANGRY AS PRESIDENT BUHARI APPOINTS MORE NORTHERNERS.

There was an outrage in the ruling All Progressives Congress on Thursday over the announcement of new appointments by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Leaders of the APC, complained that the appointments tilted in favour of the North and said the party must move fast to cope with the backlash of expected rumblings in the polity.

“The President does not consult before making most of these appointments and I can tell you that Nigerians are going to term the party and the President as a northern party and the President of Northern Nigeria,” a leader of the party said to one of our correspondents late on Tuesday.

WE HID COCAINE IN CATERING SUPPLIES - ARIK AIR DRUG SMUGGLING ACCOMPLICE.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Thursday said it had apprehended another employee of Arik Air, Ikechukwu Chibuzor Oliver, for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of 20kg cocaine to London on Monday.

According to the NDLEA, Oliver had confessed to the crime and had revealed that he charged N400,000 for each of the three bags containing the substance.

Oliver, Arik Air’s employee in the catering department, was said to have assisted Chika Egwu Udensi to get the cocaine onboard the London-bound Flight W3101 on which Udensi arrived in the UK on Monday night.