Global Naija Info

Chief Bode George Following the decision of the Southwest zonal caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday to zone the position of the National Chairman of the party to Lagos and Ogun states, the battle for the top post is now between Chief Olabode George (Lagos), Otunba Gbenga Daniel (Ogun) and Mr. Jimmy Agbaje (Lagos). The Southwest zonal caucus met at the Government House, Alagbaka, Akure, Ondo State in an attempt to present consensus candidates for positions zoned to the region by the Southern Caucus. On Thursday, last week, the Southern Caucus of the Party in Port Harcourt zoned the office of National Chairman, National Auditor and Deputy National Publicity Secretary to the zone. At the end of the Monday meeting, the caucus agreed to peg the National Chairmanship position between Lagos and Ogun State, Deputy National Publicity Secretary zoned to Oyo/Osun, National Treasurer zoned to Ondo/Ekiti. The caucus also set up a six-man committee to be Chaired by Alhaji Ye

Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC Spokesperson The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday arrested Mr. Abubakar Sidiq Usman, a blogger, for offences bordering on cyber stalking. The suspect who is the publisher of Abusidiqu.com was picked up at his Kubwa, Abuja home in the early hours of Monday by operatives of the EFCC and is currently being questioned over the alleged offence which contravenes sections of the Cyber Crime Act. The suspect has already been offered administrative bail and would be released to his elected sureties.

Raymond Dopkesi in Court on Monday, 14 Dec. 2015 The Chairman of Daar Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi; ex-Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku and former Director-General of Nigeria Maritime Administration Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Patrick Akpoblokemi on Monday denied sponsoring the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). The trio condemned the attempt by one Cynthia Whyte of the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) to link them with the renewed militancy in the region, noting that the allegation by a faceless group was baseless, false and malicious. They debunked the allegation in separate statements yesterday in which they expressed commitment to the indivisibility and unity of Nigeria even though they had political differences with the All Peoples Congress (APC) and the Federal Government especially on it is policies. In a statement by the Director-General of Raymond Dokpesi Campaign Organisation, Alhaji Shehu Gabam, Dokpesi sa

Dr Olusegun Abraham, All Progressives Congress (APC) Gubernatorial aspirant Dr Olusegun Abraham, an All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant for the Ondo gubernatorial race, has pledged to take the state to its desired height. Abraham said this while speaking to newsmen after he returned his nomination form to the APC national secretariat on Monday in Abuja. According to him, when the state attains that status, no family will be dominant over the other, but will live with equal rights and prosperity. “The three major problems in Ondo state are economy, economy and economy. “When you remove hunger from the human problem, you have solved 50 percent of the problem. We will tackle food security. “My mission is not a political ambition. It is a Godly mission to transform Ondo from a third-World state to a first-World state. “This will be done in a manner that our state will not only be prosperous but also led with compassion, integrity and love. “This also means that the inequalit

Mr Akintunde Adegboye, Deputy Speaker, Osun House of Assembly. Members of the Osun House of Assembly on Monday said the cash crunch in the state had subjected them to serious financial hardship. Mr Akintunde Adegboye, the Deputy Speaker of the assembly, stated this at the 51st birthday lecture of the Speaker, Mr Najeem Salaam, in Osogbo. Adegboye said the lawmakers had resorted to meager earnings from their private investments to settle critical financial obligations. “As we speak, members of the assembly are still using their private cars to do oversight functions. “Most times, we sleep in darkness in our official quarters because we cannot afford to fuel our power generating plants. “But to the people in town, we are the people with deep purse. That is the irony of the situation. “Here in the assembly, despite the fact that our staff get something at the end of the month, they still look at us as stingy people. “How about thousands of our constituents that depend on us, esp

Hon. Jibrin Abdulmumini The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday decried Rep. Abdumumini Jubrin, a former Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, for disregarding the party’s intervention moves. This is contained in a statement released to newsmen in Abuja by Mr Timi Frank, the Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party. Frank, in the statement, said the APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Sen. Lawal Shuaibu, had addressed a letter to Jubrin ordering him to avoid issuing public statements on the lingering budget scandal at the green chamber. Jubrin had in his latest tweets, accused the speaker of conniving with two serving governors and ex-lawmakers of trying to change the media narrative against him. Frank accused Jubrin of lack of respect for the Lawal-led committee, which it said, was working tirelessly to resolve the crisis. “It is now obvious how disrespectful, mannerless and desperate Rep. Jibrin could be even to the leaders of our party. “The trio of the N

Thomas Bach Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President on Monday said sport was now moving center stage with competitors delivering world-class performances at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Bach noted that after a frantic seven-year preparation in which Rio Olympics organizers rushed to get ready for South America’s first Games, sport was now moving center stage with competitors delivering world-class performances. He noted that more than half a dozen world records have tumbled on the first two days of full competition adding, “more athletes, some yet unknown, will leave their mark here. “I think you can see from the great performances of the athletes that there are very good conditions; you see many personal bests,” he said on Monday. Six swimming world records have now fallen in two days of competition in the pool alone, with more world records set in archery and weightlifting in the past two days. “You see even world records in many disciplines, the athle

Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole The Federal Government has released N420 million to each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to revitalise Primary Health Care centers, Prof. Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, has said. He spoke on Monday in Ibadan, shortly after he paid a working visit to the University College Hospital (UCH). Adewole said that the grant, which was released on July 14, 2016, was seed money from the Federal Government to the states, to assist them to revitalise primary health care centers in their areas. He expressed the hope that with a revitalized primary health care sector “there will be a reversal of influx of patients into our tertiary health facilities in the states.” Adewole said the states that perform well would be given more money in the subsequent years as a way of compensating them for a job well done. He added that a monitoring mechanism had been put in place to ensure that the money was judiciously spent and that the revital

Coach Samson Siasia Coach Samson Siasia has assured that his team will continue to take it one game at a time in the ongoing Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in Rio 2016. Answering questions at the post-match news conference after the 1-0 victory over Sweden, Coach Siasia said, for now, his attention was on the team’s last group game against Colombia. He said he was not bothered about avoiding host nation Brazil in the quarter-final stage. “I think for me and the boys all we are doing now is taking it a game at a time. “We are not bothered about the team we will be playing in the quarterfinals; let’s play Colombia first and from there we will think of our opponents at that stage. “The issue of the team I will prefer to play in the quarter-final stage doesn’t arise now; what is uppermost in my mind is getting my boys focused for every game,” he said. Speaking on his defence line that has been termed as being the weak link in the team, Siasia said: “As you all can see, today my

Kennedy Boboye of Abia Warriors FC Coach Kennedy Boboye of Abia Warriors FC on Monday resigned his appointment as the Head Coach of the team, the club’s Media Officer, Igwe Onuoha, said. Onuoha confirmed the resignation to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia, saying that Boboye tendered his letter of resignation to the management on Monday morning. He described the action as “shocking”, adding that “although it had been speculated, we did not expect it would turn out to be true”. Boboye coached the club for eight months after Coach Ladan Bosso was relieved of his appointment by the club’s management. Soccer analysts opined that his resignation was connected with the club’s declining fortunes in the Nigeria Professional Football League. Chairman of Abia chapter of the Sports Writers Associaiton, Vincent Obike, Ikenna Anya and John-Mark Mgbogburagu, said that Boboye’s resignation did not come to them as a surprise. Obike said that the coach might have taken the decision

Professor Dibu Ojerinde:former JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the new Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has commended the outgoing Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, for adopting the Computer Based Test (CBT) mode in JAMB’s examination. Oloyode gave the commendation shortly after receiving handover notes from Ojerinde on Monday in Abuja. The Federal Government recently disengaged Ojerinde and 15 other heads of education parastatals and agencies. Ojerinde was appointed the Registrar of JAMB in 2007 after serving as the Registrar of the National Examination Council (NECO) for eight years. Prof. Abubakar Rasheed was also appointed to head the National Universities Commission (NUC) following the expiration of the 10-year tenure of its former Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie. According to Oloyode, the world is in the age of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which exists to make life easier. “In this regard, we shall deepen what I o

Pakistan hospital bomb attack A suicide bomb attack has killed at least 70 people at a hospital in Quetta in south-west Pakistan, officials say. About 120 others were injured in the blast, which happened at the entrance to the emergency department where the body of a prominent lawyer shot dead earlier on Monday was being brought. The casualties included lawyers and journalists accompanying the body of Bilal Anwar Kasi. A faction of the Pakistani Taliban has said it was behind the bombing. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar said it had also carried out the earlier attack on Mr Kasi, who was president of the Balochistan Bar Association and had been shot while on his way from his home to the main court complex in Quetta. Witnesses described scenes of chaos after the hospital blast, with “bodies everywhere” and survivors shouting for help through the smoke and dust. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and chief of army staff Gen Raheel Sharif have both gone to Quetta and will hold talks with securi

L-R: Former VP Atiku Abubakar, Olori Wuraola Ogunwusi, the couple, Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi, Governor Akinwunmi of Lagos State and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Seyi Tinubu, one of the sons of APC chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his fiancée Layal J. Holm are married. They had their court wedding today (Monday) and an engagement party took place at the Oba of Lagos’ palace this afternoon. Present at the occasion were Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, former VP Atiku Abubakar, Ooni of Ife Oba Ogunwusi and his wife Wuraola, amongst others. L-R: Speaker Lagos State House of Assembly, Mubashiru Obasa, wife of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, the couple and Governor Akinwunmi Ambode The couple and Lagos white cap chiefs The couple and their parents Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi 111, Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos and former VP Atiku Abubakar at the ceremony Asiwaju Bola Tinubu directing affairs at the ceremony Laral Holms, the beauti

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn At least 67 people were killed and hundreds more injured when Ethiopian security forces fired live bullets at peaceful protesters across Oromia region over the weekend, according to credible sources who spoke to Amnesty International. Thousands of protesters turned out in Oromia and Amhara calling for political reform, justice and the rule of law. The worst bloodshed – which may amount to extrajudicial killings – took place in the northern city of Bahir Dar where at least 30 people were killed in one day. “The security forces’ response was heavy-handed, but unsurprising. Ethiopian forces have systematically used excessive force in their mistaken attempts to silence dissenting voices,” said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. “These crimes must be promptly, impartially and effectively investigated and all those suspected of criminal responsibility must be bro

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode: a silent worker? Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday congratulated Mrs. Funke Egbemode, on her confirmation as the President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), saying that her appointment was well deserved. Egbemode, who is the Managing Director of New Telegraph Newspapers, was officially confirmed as President during the guild’s 12th annual conference in Port Harcourt last week. The Governor, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, said Mrs. Egbemode over the years has proved her mettle in the profession, saying that her recent appointment was thoroughly deserving and an inspiration to other women striving to make a name in the profession. “I have no doubt in my mind that the cap fits Mrs. Egbemode. She has a proven track record of excellence in journalism, which has seen her rise through the ranks to the pinnacle of the profession”, the Governor said. Ambode also urged Mrs. Egbemode to bring her wealth

TURNING-POINT-Bola-Bolawole As students resume tomorrow – hopefully! – for a new academic session at the Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly University of Ife), the authorities face the daunting task of a set-back of an academic calendar. While other institutions of higher learning are into the second semester and or rounding up the session; OAU is just about to begin! This is whopping; it is quite a mountain to climb. This misfortune has been a source of anguish and pains to a lot of stakeholders – students, parents, and alumni especially. Great Ife, as this citadel of learning is admirably addressed by all and sundry, has, in recent years, become a shadow of itself. And as they say, its glory days lay not in its present shenanigans nor anywhere in a future we can easily see but in its past. This is most unfortunate. As a parent and an alumnus, I am doubly whacked by Great Ife’s unfortunate turn of events. OAU’s misfortune has been largely self-inflicted; this, in its numerous str

L-R: Special Adviser to the Governor on Community and Communication, Kehinde Bamigbetan; the Oniba of Iba land, Oba Goriola Oseni and the Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami during the visit to the palace on Monday. Kazeem Ugbodaga The Lagos State Government says it has concluded arrangement to provide security for traditional rulers and their palaces in the state. This followed the kidnap of the Oniba of Iba land, Oba Goriola Oseni by kidnappers last month. The monarch was however released after a ransom of N15.1 million was paid to the abductors. Speaking when he paid a visit on the oba on Monday, Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami said the state government would now extend security to the palaces across the state. He stated that government did not want a repeat of what happened to the Iba monarch as the security of its traditional rulers was key. The commissioner added that government had provided lots of

Abdulateef AbduHakeem Lagos State Government has announced that intending pilgrims for the Y2016 pilgrimage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be airlifted from Lagos as scheduled by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on August 16, 17 and 18 respectively. The State’s Amir Hajj and Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef made the disclosure in Alausa during a stakeholders meeting with the staff of State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, adding that intending pilgrims would be notified of their traveling dates by their coordinators through text messages. He reiterated the commitment of the State Government to achieve a hitch-free airlifting exercise of all Lagos State pilgrims within the designated three days by NAHCON. While reminding the pilgrims to stay away from all items prohibited and banned by the Saudi Arabian Government, AbdulLateef warned that the State Government will not tolerate any act of lawlessness and disobedience that may tarnish the i

Ethiopian President, Mulatu Teshome Protests against the Ethiopian government have left dozens of people dead, activists and witnesses said on Monday following a wave of unrest around the country. The government has only put the death toll at seven. Demonstrations accusing the government of human rights abuses and of marginalising ethnic communities raged over the weekend in the North-Western region of Amhara and Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest region covering parts of the south and west. The Oromo and Amhara are the largest among Ethiopia’s more than 80 ethnic groups, making up an estimated 30 per cent each of the 94 million population. The government said seven people were killed in Amhara’s capital Bahir Dar as protesters clashed with police. But social media activists and witnesses, who spoke to dpa on condition of anonymity, said clashes in Amhara and Oromia claimed up to 25 lives. “Social amenities, hotels, banks and individual-owned properties were attacked during the violenc

Senator David Mark Former Senate President, Sen. David Mark, on Monday warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)against impunity and imposition of candidates ahead of its national convention. Mark gave the warning in a statement released to newsmen in Abuja by his media aide, Mr Paul Mumeh. He said leaders and members of the party should allow the will of the people to prevail at congresses and convention to avert the mistakes of the past. According to him, delegates should elect rather than allow candidates to be imposed as was done in the 2015 elections. Mark attributed the defeat of the PDP in the last general election to self-inflicted injuries due to imposition of candidates and the impunity of some of its leaders. He therefore urged members of the party to remain steadfast, noting that cross carpeting neither enhances democratic culture nor the integrity and credibility of politicians that decamp. “If we must uphold the sanctity of democratic culture, we must follow the p

Simon Lalong, Plateau State Governor Retired ASP Anthony Kwame, former Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to ex-Gov. Fidelis Tapgun of Plateau, was on Monday morning killed in an inferno that gutted his residence in the Jenta-Adamu neighbourhood of Jos. Also killed along with the retired police officer were his two daughters, Theresa and Kerry, and son, Emmanuel. According to Mr Terna Tyopev, the spokesman of the Plateau Police Command, Kwame’s wife, Charity and his daughter, Evelyn, survived the early morning fire disaster but sustained severe burns. “The deceased were burnt to ashes; what were taken to the mortuary of Plateau Specialist Hospital in Jos were just the skeletons,’’ Tyopev disclosed in Jos on Monday. The cause of the fire was not known but neighbours said that the fire started around 1 a.m. “The fire started around 1 a.m; that is all I am sure of,’’ a neighbour, Tina Fobur, said. The Village Head of Jenta-Adamu, Mr Kabala Bako, whose residence shares a fence with that of the dec

Jese Rodriguez Paris St-Germain have signed Spanish forward Jese Rodriguez from Real Madrid for an undisclosed fee on a five-year deal. The 23-year-old joined Real at the age of 14 and was part of their Champions League-winning squads in 2014 and 2016. He will link up with former Sevilla boss Unai Emery, who succeeded Laurent Blanc as PSG manager in June. “It will be a great pleasure to work under the direction of Unai Emery, who has developed an excellent reputation,” Jese told the PSG website. No word yet on the fee for the 23-year-old, who has scored 13 goals in 62 La Liga matches. “I am delighted to join Paris St-Germain, who have become one of Europe’s most competitive clubs,” he said. “Like Paris St-Germain, I have big ambitions for the coming seasons and it will be a great pleasure to work under the direction of Unai Emery, who has developed an excellent reputation in Spain, and across Europe, for his quality as a coach. “I can’t wait to begin this next challenge of my

Paul Pogba photographed in Manchester ahead of his world record transfer deal Paul Pogba has landed in England ahead of his world record £110million move from Juventus to former club Manchester United. The France midfielder’s return to Old Trafford has been the transfer story of the summer but is nearing completion with Pogba driven to United’s Aon Training Complex in a Chevrolet Camaro on Monday afternoon to undertake his medical after landing on a flight from Nice via New York. He was joined in the car by one of United’s security staff. Pogba is moving back to United – the club he left for just £800,000 in compensation in 2012 – for a new world record fee. United’s training base includes facilities where Pogba’s medical will be undertaken. He is expected to sign a five-year contract worth £290,000 a week once that is completed. United confirmed on Sunday that Juventus had given permission for Pogba to take a medical with them ahead of a deal which Sportsmail understands will go

An animal disease locally known as “black-cutter” has killed 23 cows and affected 63 others in Musawa Local Government Area of Katsina State. The disease was isolated on Aug. 5, 2016, when veterinary officers from the state and local council moved into curve the outbreak. Alhaji Aliyu Lawal-Doro, the council’s Director of Agriculture confirmed on Monday that the affected cows were from Kaduna State moving to neighbouring Charanchi Local Government in the state. The official, who spoke through the council’s spokesman, Malam Shuaibu Sa’idu, said when the council officials noticed the high number of deaths, they immediately notified the state veterinary services for urgent intervention. According to him, state government immediately deployed experts to the area to contain the situation, which is now stable. He, however, said that veterinary officials and herdsmen in the area have been put on high alert, to avert further outbreak. The official added that the local council was educati

Mr. Ghali Na’Abba A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Ghali Na’Abba, has called for a proper investigation of the role played by officials in the executive arm in the current budget padding controversy. Na’Abba made the call while answering questions from Energy Correspondents, at a workshop organised by Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) in Kano. He said it was impossible for the budget to be padded without the connivance of government officials. “This stealing of funds cannot be possible without active connivance with some members of the executive arm,” he said. On calls for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara to resign, Na’Abba said that the call was “unwarranted” as there was no formal indictment of the speaker. “According to my understanding, where the issue being referred to as padding comes into play, is a situation where some members go behind and add items of expenditure to what has already been agreed upon. “For

One person, Endurance Augustine, lost his life while several others were injured in a renewed crisis between two opposing rival factions operating at Izeagwu and Kehinde Streets in the Ajegunle area of Lagos at the weekend. The injured persons are said to be battling for their lives in a hospital in the state. According to reports, problem ensued in the area over power tussle between members of the Eiye confraternity. Although the policemen from Ajeromi Division responded to the distress call and arrested two members of the cult groups, the rampaging gang had unleashed mayhem in the area before they arrived. The arrival of the police reportedly averted more casualties as the warring group fled. Confirming the arrest, SP Dolapo Badmos, the State Police Public Relations Officer, said efforts are on to apprehend the other fleeing cult members. She said, “The command received a distress call that some rival cult groups of Kehinde and Izeagwu streets in Ajegunle, were engaging themse

Sinphet Kruaithong, Thai Olympic bronze medal winner. The 84-year-old grandmother of a Thai Olympic bronze medal winner collapsed and died on Monday while celebrating the weightlifter’s success in Rio, police said. The octogenarian was watching a live broadcast of her 20-year-old grandson, Sinphet Kruaithong, take third place in the 56-kilogramme division. But a viral video showed the jubilant scene of cheering fans in his rural hometown transform into tragedy after his grandmother, Subin Khongthap, collapsed while watching the competition on a projector. “The initial assumption is that she died from heart failure — but we have to wait for the hospital’s result,” said Somwang Prangprakoan a police officer in northeastern Surin province. “I’m not sure if she was too excited, or if maybe she was already ill,” he added. During an interview with local press ahead of the competition, Sinphet’s grandmother said she missed her grandson but was overjoyed by his sporting journey. “I ch

Godswill Akpabio, Senate Minority Leader and a PDP member The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is intensifying investigation on Sen. Godswill Akpabio, the ex-Governor of Akwa Ibom State. The EFCC is investigating allegations that the former governor embezzled N108bn during his tenure between 2007 and 2015. The anti-graft agency had already written five banks demanding information on Akwa Ibom State finances under Akpabio’s administration. Similarly, the EFCC is already making moves to invite the key members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and serving commissioners, many of whom served during the ex- governor’s administration. According to an EFCC source, “We have written to Zenith Bank, Keystone Bank, FCMB, Skye Bank, and UBA demanding information on the state’s accounts. We are also inviting the accountant-general, the auditor-general, the Speaker and the Clerk of the House of Assembly. We have traced some houses to the former governor in Lagos and Abuja, and i

Serena Defending women’s champion Serena Williams started her title defence with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Australia’s Daria Gavrilova on Sunday at the Rio Olympics. German second seed Angelique Kerber, who was beaten by American Williams in last month’s Wimbledon final, also won 6-3 7-5 in her opener against Colombia’s Mariana Duque-Marino. Rafael Nadal, the men’s singles champion at Beijing 2008, is also through after beating Argentina’s Federico Delbonis 6-2 6-1 on his comeback from injury. The Spaniard had not played for two months after missing the French Open and Wimbledon with a wrist injury. “The wrist needs a little bit more time to be 100 per cent recovered,’’ the 14-time Grand Slam winner said. “If this was not the Olympic Games, I would not be here competing.’’