Global Naija Info

General Ibrahim Babangida Former military ruler, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, arrived Minna on Friday evening after undergoing medical treatment in Germany. A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Sani Bello of Niger, Malam Jibrin Ndace, said “Babangida arrived in Minna this evening.” “He was accompanied by his son, Aminu, and daughter, Halima and other family friends.” Gov. Bello decried social media reports that claimed that Babangida has died while receiving treatment. He cautioned that “the media should be guided by the ethics of the profession. If you are not sure, don’t share. The social media purported death of Gen. Babangida was reckless, unethical and unwarranted.”

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State Osun State Government on Friday declared Monday as public holiday to mark June 12 celebration in the state. Notice of the holiday is contained in statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, made available to newsmen in Osogbo. The statement quoted Adeoti as saying “in line with its established policy of observing June 12 of every year as Democracy Day, the State Government of Osun has declared Monday, June 13 as public holiday.” He stated that the public holiday became imperative in view of the fact that June 12 this year fell on a Sunday. The June 12, 1993 presidential election adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the history of Nigeria. Late Bashorun Moshood Abiola was believed to have won the election, but it was annulled by the then military head of state, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. The defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)-controlled states have, however, been celebrating the date as d

Yahaya Bello, Kogi State governor Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi on Friday renamed the Kogi State University, Ayangba, after the late first civilian governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu. Bello announced the change in the name of the 15-year-old university during a statewide broadcast to mark his victory at the state governorship election petition tribunal. He said that naming the university was the ultimate honour that could be done to the memory of the late colourful politician who ruled the state twice as the civilian governor from 1991 to 1993 and 1999 to 2003. Audu himself established the university in 2001 and named it Prince Abubakar Audu University but his successor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris changed the name to Kogi State University in 2004. Justifying his decision to restore the university to its original name, Bello said that Audu laid a solid foundation for the growth and development of the state. “Today, and as always, I celebrate the life and times of Prince Abubak

Babachir David Lawal, Secretary to the Government of the Federation of Nigeria The Federal Government has announced the dissolution of the Executive Management of Niger Delta Power Holding Company of Nigeria Limited. Notice of the dissolution is contained in a statement issued by Mr Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) in Abuja on Friday. He directed the Managing Director of the company, Mr James Olotu, to handover immediately to Mr Chiedu Ugbo, who had been appointed as acting Managing Director of the company. According to the SGF, all Executive Directors of the company and the General Manager, Audit, are to handover immediately to the most senior officers in their respective departments. He stated that the Federal Government appreciated the services of the disengaged officers during their tenure.

Acting EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu Desmond Nunugwo, a suspect under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, passed away today June 10, few hours after he was taken into custody. His demise was confirmed at the hospital where he was rushed after he suddenly took ill. Late Nunugwu allegedly fraudulently obtained N91 million from an acquaintance after he tricked her into believing that he had high net worth business associates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates who were at the verge of buying Nicon Insurance and convinced her of their disposition to help her stockfish business. Consequently, she wired N91m into Nunugwo’s nominated account (Mainagge General Merchants) in Diamond Bank. After the transfer of the funds, Nunugwo became evasive forcing the complainant to report the transaction to the EFCC. Consequently, Nunugwo was arrested in Utako, Abuja at about 5.33p.m on Thursday, June 9, 2016. His statement was taken, where he admitted receiving the money from th

Joshua Dariye, former Plateau State governor: Has a pending case in UK The trial of a former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on charges bordering on money laundering and diversion of funds, witnessed a turn of events on June 10, 2016 as the defence counsel, G. S. Pwul, SAN, rather than open its defence, told the court “we intend to raise a no-case submission.” Dariye is being prosecuted by the EFCC, at a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Gudu, Abuja, presided over by Justice Adebukola Banjoko. He is alleged to have siphoned the state’s ecological fund to the tune of N1.16 billion. At the last sitting of June 6, 2016 when the prosecution closed its case against Dariye, his counsel, Pwul had told the court that it would open its defence on the adjourned date of June 10, 2016 and “we intend to present seven witnesses.” However, at the resumed sitting, rather than open its defence, Pwul

Amnesty International Logo Amnesty International says its investigation has confirmed that the Nigerian army gunned down 17 unarmed people during last month’s Biafran commemoration events in Onitsha, Anambra State. In a statement on Friday, the international human rights body said evidence gathered from eyewitnesses, morgues and hospitals confirms that between 29-30 May, 2016, the Nigerian military opened fire on members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), supporters and bystanders at three locations in the town. “Opening fire on peaceful IPOB supporters and bystanders who clearly posed no threat to anyone is an outrageous use of unnecessary and excessive force and resulted in multiple deaths and injuries. In one incident one person was shot dead after the authorities burst in on them while they slept,” said M.K. Ibrahim, Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. “These shootings, some of which may amount to extrajudicial executions, must be urgently and independen

Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation Minister of Transportation and former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi says his greatest regret as governor of Rivers State for eight years is that the people of the state have failed to recognize his contribution towards the progress of the state. Amaechi, who spoke at the Annual Lagos Traffic Radio Lecture Series in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos also accused the incumbent Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, of driving away investors from the state due to growing insecurity and crime. “The problem with Nigerians is that they forget so soon what someone had done for them. And that was one of my greatest regrets as the Governor of River State for eight years. I served my people but they did not recognise my contribution,” he lamented. According to Amaechi, there was no way one would be encouraged to do more for his people if they did not appreciate what such person had done in the past. The former governor, however, accused Wike of driv

Prof Wole Soyinka Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka recently met with media practitioners where he unfolds to them the masterplan for the Lagos at 50 Celebration and carpets antagonists of the event. Excerpt In view of one or two comments in the media about the misleading scope in the media, about the scope of the event of the celebration in the media. As I said during the ‘Vision of the Child’ programme and it seems to think that one of the paid advertisement referring to something which I said at that meeting, but very cleverly ignoring other far more interesting, far more useful kind of detail information there; for me, it is a very dangerous trend because people used that kind of distortion to set to create a mood of objection, a negative mood towards an event like this. I am referring, for instance, to that commentary in that paid advert which said something like a whole year celebration while people are starving. Nobody has said at any time this is going to be a year-long cel

Jake Epelle, Founder, The Albino Foundation The Albino Foundation has appealed to the Federal Government to assist in the payment of the N120 million sunscreen cream acquired on credit to reduce the rate of skin cancer among albinos. The Founder, Jake Epelle made the appeal at a pre-press conference on International Albinism awareness day celebration tagged; Addressing HealthI in Albinism: the Need for Stakeholders’ Intervention’’ in Abuja on Friday. According to him, the sunscreen cream which is about 300,000 pieces will go a long way in reducing the high rate of albinos with skin cancer. He said albinos were susceptible to skin cancer because of their delicate skin type. “The sunscreen was got at a cheaper rate to alleviate the plight of albinos, we will be concentrating on children, students and the leftover of the sunscreen creams will be given to adults. “Unprotected exposure to the sun increases the possibility of skin cancer and other skin diseases in persons with albini

The former minister of Education and #BringBackOurGirls pioneer, Dr Oby Ezekwesili and e x-wife of popular Nigerian musician, 9ice, Toni Payne, yesterday engaged in a social media fight last night. Toni Payne, who is famous for her nasty conversations with public figures last night on a series of tweets, questioned Dr Oby Ezekwesili’s contribution to the fight against child abuse in schools in the country. Toni called out the ex-minister via her twitter handle @tonipayne last night accusing her of being nonchalant on matters of child abuse. She further accused Nigerian celebrities of doing almost nothing about the increasing rate of child abuse in the country, adding that they are more interested in being pictured donating noodles to the less privileged children and not hesitating to share the pictures on their different social media pages. See the twitter conversation between Toni Payne and Dr Oby Ezekwesili below.

Edgar Obi, Mikel Obi’s younger brother a rising musician signed to MMM Records, is out with dapper new photos as he makes plans to return to the music industry after a brief hiatus. Edgar Obi, according to reports, is all set for an elaborate return to the music scene after scoring hits with the MMM Records’ ‘Bunka’ three years ago and A&R hits from other MMM Records which includes Charass. See pictures of him below.

Justice Mahmud Mohammed, Chief Justice of Nigeria The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the death sentence passed on Ayiere GodsGift by the Court of Appeal in Calabar for the murder of a teenager, Okon Edem. Delivering the Judgment, Justice Suleiman Galadima, held that the decisions of both trial and appellate courts were given in line with the provision of the law that criminalised such an act. Galadima said that the convict’s action was contrary to Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code C.16 Vol.111, laws of the Cross River State 2004. “In view of the forgoing, I find that the court below rightly affirmed the decision of the trial court. “This was, however, done after all exhibits were properly admitted in evidence and acted upon. “In sum, I hold that this appeal is lacking in merit and it is accordingly dismissed,’’ Galadima held. He further said: “the judgment of the court below which endorsed the judgment of the trial court is hereby affirmed.’’ The convict’s appeal was again

Oil prices dropped on Friday as traders continued to book profits from a rally that sent crude futures to 2016 highs this week. The losses were in line with a big sell-off on European stock markets that was being fuelled by worries about the weak state of the global economy, traders said. Around 1100 GMT, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in August was down 57 cents at $51.38 a barrel. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate lost 62 cents to $49.94 a barrel compared with Thursday’s close. Despite Friday’s losses and thanks to tighter supplies and a weaker dollar, prices have almost doubled since hitting near 13-year low points at the start of the year that had been caused by an excess of crude on world markets. “A three-day winning streak came to an end yesterday,” said oil brokers PVM in a note to clients published on Friday. “The softer tone across energy markets weighed on global equities which also saw their recent run of gains grind to a halt as growth concerns returned to th

Kano commissioner of police, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris The police in Kano on Friday arraigned five suspects in connection with the alleged murder of a female trader, Mrs Bridget Agbahime, at Kofar Wambai Market, Kano, over alleged blasphemy. The five suspects, including seven others now at large, are facing a four-count charge of: inciting public disturbance, joint act, culpable homicide and mischief. The suspects docked are Dauda Ahmed, Abdulmumin Mustafa, Zubairu Abubakar, Abdullahi Abubakar and Musa Abdullahi. A correspondent who covered the session reported that the ages of the accused persons were not disclosed. Reading the charges before the accused persons, the police prosecutor, Usman Jibrin, said they committed the offences on June 2, at about 4.30 p.m. He said that one of the suspects, Dauda Ahmed, while having a misunderstanding with Mrs Bridget Agbahime, held her hand and slapped her after accusing her of blasphemy. Jibrin said in the process, Ahmed allegedly connived wi

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Karl-Heinz Rummenigge will remain Bayern Munich chairman until at least 2019, the German record champions announced on Friday. Bayern and Rummenigge, 60, extended his expiring contract for three years. He thanked club president Karl Hopfner and the rest of the supervisory board `for the trust and serious and constructive collaboration.’’ The former German international Rummenigge began his playing career with Bayern in 1974. In 1991, he became club vice-president before taking the chairman post in 2002.

Phuthuma Nhleko, chief executive of MTN in South Africa mtn MTN Group has agreed to pay a reduced fine of 330 billion naira ($1.67 billion) in a settlement with the Nigerian government, it said on Friday, sending shares in the South African telecoms provider soaring. The fine will be paid over three years and is smaller than the $5.2 billion sought by Nigeria last October for failing to deactivate more than five million unregistered SIM cards on its network. Shares in MTN surged 18 percent to 146 rand after the announcement in their biggest jump since April 2000. They have shed 22 percent since the fine was announced. MTN, Africa’s largest telecoms company, has already paid 50 billion of the 330 billion naira owed. The rest will be paid in six instalments over three years, the company said in a statement. The settlement also clears the way for MTN to list its local unit on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as soon as “commercially and legally possible”, it said. “The relationship be

Beauty vlogger and makeup artist, Lola OJ is out with another episode of her vlog where she serves us hot hair colours she thinks would look great this summer. Lola speaking said, “I am aware that sometimes coloured hair can look tacky, but I think when done right, with good quality hair and a great stylist it can really look amazing!” She also came up with some fun names for the hair trends, see photos below. Pink bombshell Green with envy Platinum edition Tastes like candy

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Colombian military doctors have removed a live grenade from the head of a soldier, a media report said on Friday. It said that a soldier accidentally fired a grenade launcher during a patrol in Arauca, in the eastern part of the country, leaving a grenade embedded in his comrade’s head. Transporting the victim by helicopter was too dangerous so the soldier was taken by ambulance to a military hospital in the capital Bogota. However, the journey lasted eight hours. It said the doctors built an improvised operating theatre in the car park due to the danger of the grenade exploding. Meanwhile Surgeon William Maldonado said that the grenade was successfully removed. “Five minutes were decisive, if the grenade had exploded, there would have been a tragedy. “The patient’s condition has been stable since the operation on Sunday, however, up to four more operations will be needed to rebuild the soldier’s face,’’ Maldonado said.

Mugabe, 92, one of the longest serving African Head of State Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, one of the longest serving heads of state, has hinted about his possible retirement but declined to state when. The 92-year old president hinted about retirement when he warned veterans of the 1970s independence war against trying to influence the choice of his successor when he eventually leaves office. Mugabe on Friday in Harare said leaders of the influential Zimbabwe Liberation War Veterans Association had indicated their willingness for his retirement. Mugabe said he would have considered their opinion, if they had asked him directly. He, however, warned that that the veterans should stick to looking at the welfare of men and women who fought against colonial rule and not dabble in ZANU-PF’s succession politics. “War veterans must know that it is the politics that leads the gun, not vice versa, as the war veterans are not bosses of the party.’’ Mugabe, a war veteran himself, w

The capital and largest city of Rivers State, Port-Harcourt, is currently agog as organisers have concluded preparations for this year’s edition of the prestigious Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), which is set to hold tomorrow June 11, 2016, at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt. The oil-rich city will be in the spotlight from tomorrow, as it is currently witnessing an influx of top African movie stars, filmmakers, socialites and business leaders amongst others ahead of the awards night. In a statement by the Director of Administration of the organisation, Mr. Tony Anih, the 2016 awards event will be the 12th consecutive edition and would be holding in Nigeria for the 11th time, having been hosted in 2015, by the City of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Speaking, Mr Anih said, “It is a great development in the evolution of AMAA that we are back home this year having made the first voyage outside Nigeria last year to South Africa. We are indeed grateful to

Nigerian Copyright Commission logo The Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission(NCC), Mr Afam Ezekude says the commission will soon embark on a nationwide raid of MP3 dealers and outlets across Nigeria. Ezekude who spoke in Abuja on Friday, said; “we are set to clamp down heavily on pirates who deal in MP3 across the country’’. “It is a relatively new form of piracy, and it will no longer be business as usually for people who download and sell other people’s music using the MP3. “This anti-piracy raid on MP3 will state in major cities known to be piracy hubs across the six geo-political zones,” Ezekude said. According to him, the planned invasion of MP3 dealers is to further reaffirm the commission’s zero tolerance stand against piracy in all its forms. He added that the commission was conducting anti-piracy surveillance exercises across major markets and streets within some cities. “Alaba is the hub of piracy in Lagos, so the commissions operations in the South We

Police stand guard as England fans gather and chant slogans in the port area of Marseille, late on June 9, 2016, ahead of the start of the Euro 2016 football tournament in France. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL Around 250 England supporters pelted police with drink cans outside a bar in the southern French city of Marseille late Thursday ahead of the country’s opening Euro 2016 match, a police source said. A 24-year-old Englishman was arrested and spent the night in custody after the trouble in the Vieux-Port area of the Mediterranean city. Police used teargas to disperse the England fans. England fans also clashed with a group of young Frenchmen, with one Englishman needing hospital treatment for a minor injury. A 30-year-old Frenchman was also arrested after stealing an England football shirt. England face Russia in Marseille on Saturday in their opening match of the European Championships, which kick off in Paris on Friday when France play Romania. French and British authorities

LUTH Idi Araba, Lagos State The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Idi-Araba, said on Thursday in Lagos that the “LUTH Cardiac Project” had so far performed seven successful open heart surgeries. Prof. Chris Bode, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) , said a team of Nigerian and Indian experts carried out the surgeries on six Nigerian children and one adult. He said that the surgeries were carried out in the past weeks under the LUTH Cardiac Project established in 2014 in partnership with National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). According to the CMD, the institution intends to carry out 100 open heart surgeries in 2017. Bode said that the success of the project had brought national pride to the country’s health sector and would discourage medical tourism. “Aside from national pride, it also makes economic sense, by giving care to Nigerians in our country and also by Nigerians. “It is, however, the decision of the present management to institutionalise cardiac surgery and ma