Global Naija Info

The gavel of justice An Ogudu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday ordered one Korede Olamide, 37, a pastor, to be remanded in prison custody for allegedly raping and robbing a woman. Korede is also accused of unlawfully detaining the victim and putting a hard substance, known as ‘Vilium 5’ in her drink, making her sleep until the next day. He was arraigned before Mrs. O. Sule-Amzat on a six-count of unlawful detention, maliciously administering poison, rape, causing a person to engage in sexual intercourse, provoking breach of peace and stealing. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Lucky Ihiehie, told the court that the accused committed the crime on Aug. 20 at Popoola Guest House, Alapere-Ketu, near Lagos. He explained that the victim met the accused some time ago and told her that he was a pastor, giving her some messages about herself. “The accused told her some of her problems and the barriers she was facing in life, saying that he would help solve her problems with prayers. “The ac...

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...

Dr Peter Eson-Ozo, General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Dr Peter Eson-Ozo, the General Secretary, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has urged the Federal Government to develop a policy that will address the increasing rate of youth unemployment in Nigeria. Eson-Ozo made the call in Abuja on Wednesday. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has predicted that global youth unemployment rate will rise by 13.1 percent at the end of 2016 and 2017 from 12.9 percent at the end of 2015. Eson-Ozo said that the global unemployment projections were gloomy, adding that the situation in Nigeria might even be gloomier. “This is because the way things are now, given all the economic parameters, we are actually faced with a situation in which the unemployment rate in Nigeria will continue to rise. “If we take that along with the underemployment and disguised employment, we find that really, it is a very high rate, much higher than the global average. “The world economy itself, ...

A report on Wednesday in Paris said 370 kilogrammes of cocaine worth 55.6 million dollars street value was found at the Coca-Cola factory plant in southern France. The report also said that Coca-Cola might have taken the cocaine out of its fizzy brew over a century ago. It stated that the cocaine was discovered last Friday in a container delivered from an orange juice supplier in Costa Rica to a Coca-Cola location in Signes, north of Toulon. It noted that the multinational beverage company is best known for the popular carbonated drink that shares its name. It confirmed that Coca-Cola was originally intended as a patent medicine and contained small amounts of cocaine as stimulant until the early 20th century. Meanwhile, Jean-Denis Malgras, the Head of the plant, had described the discovery as a “very nasty surprise.” However, security officials said that initial investigations had shown that no Coca-Cola employee was knowingly involved in the drug delivery.

Mr Ademola Odunade, the President of a Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan, on Wednesday, dissolved a 23-year-old marriage between Rukayat and her husband Dauda Adebayo, over incessant battery. Odunade held that the union between Rukayat and Adebayo was dissolved in the interest of peace. He awarded custody of the couple’s last three children to Rukayat and directed Adebayo to pay a monthly feeding allowance of N10,000 for the upkeep of the children. Rukayat had told the court that her husband, Adebayo usually turned her mother into a punching bag anytime he had the opportunity to do so. “My lord, for many years now, my husband, Adebayo, beats the hell out of my mother if there is any minor disagreement between Adebayo and I. “In the process of venting his anger on me through regular assault, he also beats my mother not minding her status. “In fact, if I manage to escape, he follows me anywhere and even beats those that offer me refuge. “Worst still my lord, Adebayo also beats me du...

Some residents of Ilorin have decried the craze over uniforms popularly called ‘Aso Ebi’ during ceremonies, saying it is exploitative. The residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Ilorin, said that people now saw it as money making venture instead of the motive of felicitation. A civil servant, Mrs. Janet Adeyi said some people use it as a means to make money expected to be spent in the course of preparing for the ceremony. “These days, people now sell ‘Aso Ebi’ at exorbitant prices just because they want to gather the money they will spend in preparing for the ceremony. “Had it been the clothes are even of good quality, it will not be painful but annoyingly, they are low-quality clothes. “They are clothes that one will wash once and it will fade off,” she said. Another respondent, Mr Victor Ishaiya said he had stopped his wife from buying them except for family members that cannot be avoided. “I discovered that there is hardly a month that she...

Love is in the air this week. Love for queen, country, music, football, love of self, neighbour and love for a comedy movie icon, whose life was well spent, Google Trends reveals. Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, the search engine’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager for Anglophone West Africa, said in a statement in Lagos on Wednesday that searches by Google users in the week ending Aug. 31 dwelt mostly on love. Kola-Ogunlade said that Queen Elizabeth and Donald Trump dominated timelimes, blogs and news sites in Google’s search trends, which started on Aug. 24. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Google Trends is a service launched in May 2006 that allows one to see how popular, search terms and their demography have been over time on Google. “Ronaldo loves Real Madrid, Drake loves Rihanna and we all love Queen Elizabeth as seen from reactions to a hoax claiming the British Monarch and Queen of England is dead,” Kola-Ogunlade said. The Google manager said the Canadian ra...

The gavel of justice A 35-year-old businessman, Ahile Solomon, on Wednesday, dragged his girlfriend, Ada Joseph, to a Mararaba Upper Area Court for alleged theft. Ada,32, who resides in Mararaba, is facing a three-count charge of theft, criminal breach of trust and cheating contrary to sections 288, 322 and 312 of the Penal Code. Solomon told the court that he was in a relationship with the defendant and had had two children from the relationship. He said sometimes in 2014, he entrusted his poultry farm worth N2.5 million, his apartment and his property in the room to the defendant to take care of it. “I gave her everything she wanted but she sold all the chickens in my poultry farm, parked all my belonging to an unknown destination. “She later called me and said that one of my children was very sick and on the verge of death whereas it was a lie. “My girlfriend has refused to bring back my property or give me the money she got from the poultry farm,’’ he said. The defendant,...

Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, acting Inspector General of Police The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, has said that the police will deploy massive personnel and equipment for the forthcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections. Idris said this on Wednesday at a meeting with Command Commissioners of Police, AIGs in charge of the 12 zones across the country, as well as other senior officers. On the Sept. 10 Edo election, the I-G said: “We are coming up with a very, very strategic order. We are going to deploy the marine police in the waterways. “We are going to deploy our helicopters in the air for surveillance. We are re-enforcing the state with thousands of policemen.” According to him, 200 vehicles will be deployed to the state for the election. On the Ondo election, Idris noted the large number of contestants that would participate in the Saturday APC primary, saying that might pose some challenges. “We seem to have a large number of contestants in Ondo State; I think ...

A 38-year-old driver, Olugbade Adeyemi, who allegedly drove and knocked down a pedestrian while crossing the highway in Lagos, was on Wednesday brought before an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court. Adeyemi is facing a three-count charge of reckless driving, causing obstruction on public highway and manslaughter. The prosecutor, Sgt. Ihiehie Lucky told the court that the accused committed the offences on Aug. 17 at Iyana School Bus Stop, Ketu, a Lagos suburb. Ihiehie said the accused drove a Mercedes Benz bus with registration no. MUS 939 XJ recklessly without respect for other road users and killed a man. “The accused drove the vehicle in a dangerous manner, hit and killed the man. “The deceased was about to cross the road when the accused hit and ran over him. “He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead,” he said. The offences contravened the Lagos State Road Traffic Law, 2012. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty. The counsel to the accused, Mr Dawodu Olatunji, ur...

Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg The Founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, has pledged to use Nigerian languages in offering services on Facebook. Zuckerberg, who is currently on a business visit to Nigeria, made the promise at a meeting with software developers and ICT entrepreneurs on Wednesday in Lagos. He said that social media application currently allowed the use of Hausa language on Facebook. “I am glad we support Hausa and we are planning on supporting a lot more languages soon.” Zuckerberg also expressed his willingness to work with local content providers in bringing Nigerian communities to the internet. He said that having local contents on the Facebook platform would ensure that more people were connected. According to him, in the next 10 to 15 years, Facebook hopes to get everyone in the world connected online. Zuckerberg is currently meeting with developers, entrepreneurs and startups. His first stop is the Co-creation Hub Nigeria (CcHUB), a social innovation ...

The gavel of justice A Mararaba Upper Area Court on Wednesday revoked the bail of a 27-year-old estate agent, Emerson Chris, for jumping bail. Chris, of Aso C, Mararaba, was first arraigned on June 22, for alleged criminal conspiracy, breach of trust and cheating, which he pleaded not guilty. The Upper Area Court judge, Ibrahim Shelaru, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the defendant and adjourned the case till Sept. 7 for further hearing. Prosecutor Herman Donald had told the court that the accused was absent in court knowing that he was supposed to be in court. Donald urged the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the defendant and summon on the surety for the refusal to produce the accused as promised. He told the court that Idris Garba of Ruga Auta, Mararaba, reported the matter at the ‘A’ Divisional Police Headquarter on June 21. The prosecutor said that sometimes in Sept 2012, the accused and Patrick Julius, now at large, sold a piece of land 25×50 to ...

The Nigeria Powerlifting Federation has assured Nigerians that it would maintain its excellent performance at the Paralympics when the Rio Games begin on Sept. 7. The federation’s Technical Director, Samuel Ekeoma, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja. He said that the country’s power-lifters have adequately prepared to make the country proud at the Games. “We are ready for the Paralympics in terms of technical preparation, logistics is not our concern. “They said the team will likely depart for Rio on Wednesday and Thursday. “Our concern is for the country to take us to Brazil and there, we can make do with whatever we see to defend our fatherland. We have been in camp since May 29. “We are going with 14 power-lifters; seven males and seven females and we don’t want to go there and spend the tax payers’ money. “Nigeria has the best powerlifters in the world and our interest now is to retain that top spot no matter the n...

Nigeria Police emblem The Police say they have arrested two dismissed policemen in Lagos for using police uniforms to harass and extort money from innocent Nigerians. SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the spokesperson for Police Zone 2 Command, said in a statement that the suspects were arrested in police uniforms while driving a commercial bus on Badagry expressway. “Police X-Squad operatives arrested a 46-year-old man at Abule Ado Bus-Stop along Badagry Expressway while driving a commercial bus with Reg. No. XC 755 LSR in police uniform on Aug. 27. “He has confessed to have been dismissed from the Nigeria Police since 2010. “Also, the same team arrested a 35-year-old man on Aug. 28 at the Trade Fair Complex, Lagos, putting on complete mobile police uniform while performing illegal police duties. “Police investigation so far revealed that he had been dismissed since 2015 for disciplinary offences. “Items recovered from them included police uniforms, police accoutrements, police ID cards,...

WorldRemit, a digital remittance service, has commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the re-launch of the International Money Transfer operators (IMOTS) to enhance the economy. The company in a statement made available online on Wednesday said that the move would help Nigerians in the Diaspora to contribute effectively to the system. The CBN had on Tuesday approved 11 companies for International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs). The 11 companies will join the Western Union, Money Gram and Ria that were operating making them 14 IMTOs operating in the sector. “At the beginning of August 2016, hundreds of IMTOs suspended their operations, leaving the Nigerians the Diaspora to rely on just three approved companies to send money home as well as other unregulated and informal networks. “Now WorldRemit has received a letter of approval from the CBN enabling its services to Nigeria to be resumed,” it said. Commenting on the development Ismail Ahmed, the founder and CEO of WorldR...

Bread made in Nigeria Residents of Hadejia in Jigawa have expressed concern over hike in prices of bread, in spite of increasing demand for it in the area. The prices of bread had gone up by about 30 percent in the past few months. A medium loaf of bread was sold at N270 as against its old price of N200, while a small size loaf costs N150, as against its previous price of N100. A cross section of the residents told NAN that the trend was causing large dents in their pockets. Alhaji Musa Muhammad said that bread was now beyond the reach of the ordinary man in view of its high cost. Muhammad said he now spent N500 to buy bread on a daily basis to meet his domestic needs. “I spend N500 on bread, excluding other expenses for ingredients needed for breakfast. “This is unlike in the past when a bread worth of N300 is enough to meet the needs of my family,” he said. Another resident, Hamisu Garba, said that he dropped bread out of his shopping list due to its exorbitant price. Gar...

Jigawa Mass wedding Auyo Local Government Council of Jigawa, on Wednesday, said it had set up a 16-member screening committee for the Widows Mass Wedding programme in the area. The council’s Secretary, Alhaji Muhammad Makama, said this while inaugurating the committee in Auyo. Makama said that the committee was mandated to screen couples wishing to enter into marriage contract, to enable them participate in the mass wedding programme initiated by the state government. He said that the committee was also mandated to explore areas of support from wealthy individuals and organisations to facilitate successful implementation of the programme. Makama said the committee was expected to submit its report within two months. The committee is headed by Malam Abubakar Ashiru, while Jubril Ahmad serves as its secretary. Ashiru said members of the committee would be just and fair in the discharge of their duties. The Jigawa Government had initiated a mass wedding programme to assist poor ...

Some of the Chibok girls A socio-cultural group under the aegis of Kubaku Area Development Association has commended the willingness of the federal government to dialogue with Boko Haram insurgents on the release of the Chibok girls. The National Secretary of the association, Mr Muhammad Askira, gave the commendation on Wednesday in Maiduguri in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Kubaku is the umbrella body of the various communities in Chibok. The communities include: Ymir Ali, Njoma, Gwandan Rimirgu, Mikabu as well as Chanchan Bulguma in Askira Uba axis of southern Borno. Askira said that the hope of the parents to reunite with their children was redeemed following the pronouncement of the federal government to negotiate with Boko Haram. He said: “it is the obligation of the federal government to use every available opportunity to secure the rescue of our daughters. “If the Boko Haram leaders are sincere with what they have said, we believe our girls would b...

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NSRDA) has urged the public not to panic over the Annular Eclipse which will be experienced between the hours of 7:15am and 10:03am on Thursday, September 1 with slight variations in actual timing across the country. In a press statement by the Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Dr Felix Ale, the Agency appealed to the general public not to panic or adduce any mystical interpretations to this event, urging them not to observe the eclipse with naked eyes, as this can cause damage. According to the statement, in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, there will be a partial eclipse, with an obscurity of 60 per cent, and the first contact at about 7:17am, with maximum eclipse at 8:32am and end at 10:00am. Also, Lagos will experience its first contact with the eclipse at 7:15am, with a maximum eclipse occurring at 8:32am and ending at about 10:00am. The Agency has arranged a viewing centre tomorrow to enable members of the publ...

Amb. Datuk Lim Juay Jin, Malaysian High Commissioner to Nigeria. Malaysian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Amb. Datuk Lim Juay Jin said his country’s bilateral trade with Nigeria in 2015 stood at 766.8 million dollars. Datuk Lim, who made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday said that trade value was a 14.6 per cent increase from 2014. “The total trade between the two countries was valued at 766.8 million U.S. dollars in the year of 2015 and this was an increase of 14.9 percent from the previous year. “The trade was in Malaysia’s favour. “Malaysia’s main export to Nigeria included petroleum products, palm oil and palm based products, machineries and also processed food. “Malaysia’s main import from Nigeria was Liquefied Natural Gas, iron ore, metal scrap and agricultural goods. “And of course, it is our sincere hope that the bilateral trade between the two countries will continue to increase, I am sure Nigeria has a lot of th...

Cement. Price hits rooftop The prices of different brands of cement have increased astronomically leaving builders and home owners complaining seriously about the high cost. This has already triggered a ripple effect in the open market, with prices going up by about 44 percent in few days. Investigations revealed that operators under the Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (CMAN) have raised prices of brands by N600 per bag in factories, including additional N100 cost for haulage. This has increased retail prices from N1,600 to N2,300 depending on location. In some areas, prices have shot up to N21,350 or higher.Members of the CMAN include Dangote Cement Plc, which is emerging as a market leader and has factories in Gboko, Benue State; Obajana, Kogi State; and Ibeshe, Ogun State. Other are: Lafarge Cement WAPCO Plc; Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc; Ashakacem Plc and Cross-River based United Cement Company. Vice President, Nigerian Institute of Building, Kunle Awob...

Chris Brown Chris Brown has been released from police custody after being arrested Tuesday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Brown’s attorney, Mark Geragos, tweeted early Wednesday morning that the musician had been released, adding, “The allegations against him are demonstrably false.” The arrest at Brown’s Los Angeles home took place after a nearly 14-hour standoff, the Associated Press reported, and ended when police obtained a search warrant to enter the residence. A guest at Brown’s home, Baylee Curran, said that he pointed a gun at her face after he became angry when she complimented another man’s diamond necklace, the Los Angeles Times reported. Police did not confirm any of the details surrounding the alleged altercation. Police described Brown as being “cooperative,” and did not confirm if they recovered any weapons from his home. Brown was released on $250,000 bail at 11:19 p.m. local time, according to jail records. His next court date is set for Sept. 20...

Engr. Aminu Jalal, DG, National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC. The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) says the Federal Government is to launch a Vehicle Credit Acquisition Scheme to help Nigerians purchase locally assembled vehicles. Mr. Luqman Mamudu, the Director Policy and Planning, NADDC, made this known at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos on Wednesday. He said that the council would contribute about N7.5 billion interest-free fund to the scheme with counterpart funding from a company in South Africa to help Nigerians have brand new vehicles. He said that the South African company would provide more of the funds for the scheme in conjunction with the African Development Bank (AfDB). Mamudu said that Nigeria had the capacity to produce 384,000 units of vehicles annually. “Unfortunately, the country only produced 25,000 units in 2015. “We have been in talks with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to also source for fu...

A Federal High Court in Abuja has refused an application by Senator Buruji Kashamu to stop the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police from going ahead with his arrest and extradition to the United States. Kashamu is the Senator representing Ogun East in the National Assembly. Justice Okon Abang in his ruling on Wednesday held that the application was incompetent. He added that the security agencies deserved to be served notice to show cause before the order was granted. Kashamu’s counsel, Godswill Mrakpor, had asked the court to grant urgent hearing to the application, insisting that there were moves to arrest and transport Kashamu to the US to face drug-related charges.

Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers State. The Rivers Government says it has no regrets initiating the ongoing amnesty programme for repentant cultists and criminals in the state. The Deputy Governor, Dr Ipalibo Banigo, told newsmen in Port Harcourt on Wednesday that the programme was in line with the peace initiative of the state government. The amnesty programme came under attack recently when some analysts described it as a measure to shield supporters of the state government. The analysts asked the government to make public arms recovered from the allegedly repentant criminals to boost confidence in the process. Banigo, however, said that the state government would not give cash to those enlisting in the programme. He assured that government would provide responsible rehabilitation that would integrate them back into society. She said that the essence of the programme was to ensure that the state became peaceful and safe for both residents and investors. “We have no plan to give c...

Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday advised Nigerian youths to see the present age as one that offers them an opportunity to embrace “multi-tasking”. He gave the advice while opening a two-day Google Digital Training programme for Youth Employment with the theme: “Diversifying the Nigerian Economy: Enabling Youth through Digital Skills Training”. Osinbajo said that the opportunities abound for professionals with multi skills to excel in the period of economic hardship and joblessness, adding that innovation was the best way to go. “For any student today, I think that we must appreciate that this is the age of multi-tasking. “You cannot just be an economist, an accountant, or a lawyer or a graduate of international relations, or mass communication or performing arts and just remain that way. “Multi-skilling is crucial today, multi-tasking is the order of the day; You can’t just be one thing.” The vice president emphasised th...

File Photo: Some Fulani Herdsmen on a Nigerian road Farmers in Ayiin, Logo Local Government Area of Benue have appealed for the state government’s support in regaining their farms after the herdsmen and farmers crisis in the area. Speaking in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Logo on Wednesday, the farmers urged the government to provide the area also with maximum security. They also appealed to the government to provide the community with an access road to boost their economic activities. Mr James Agara, a young farmer and a fresh graduate of the College‎ of Agriculture, Yandev, Gboko, said that government’s support would help avert a recurrence of such crisis. “We are pleading to help us because already we are down and we are looking just for help so that we can start up and gain something. “Financially, we are not buoyant enough to say we can leave the grazing areas and start looking for areas to farm so if they will aid us, we will be very happy. ...

R-L; President Muhammadu Buhari and President Patrice Talon of Benin Republic during the latter’s recent visit to Nigeria Benin’s President Patrice Talon announced on a visit to Rwanda this week that Africans visiting his country will no longer require visas. It was perhaps no coincidence that he made the announcement in Rwanda, given that President Paul Kagame is a strong advocate of the policy, which he says will be brought in by 2018. “Africans visit the rest of the world but not African countries. My dream is to create a relationship of exchange and tourism,” Mr Kagame said during the Benin leader’s visit. The British Broadcasting Service (BBC) reports that Ghana announced the same policy in March, in what appears to be turning into a trend towards easing bureaucracy to encourage more travel within the continent.

Buhari Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest economies, has officially gone into recession. Second quarter figures showed a contraction of 2 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) The Bureau stated that the economy shrank by 0.36 percent in the first quarter of 2016, to hit its lowest point in 25 years. This economic recession comes as no surprise to millions of Nigerians. Many say they have never known it so tough. The slump in global oil prices hit Nigeria hard: The government depends on oil sales for about 70% of its revenues. But critics say government policies made a bad situation even worse. The decision to delay devaluing Nigeria’s currency meant many businesses struggled to get foreign currency to pay for imports – which had a cooling effect on the entire economy. Following enormous pressure the government changed tack this summer allowing the naira to float. That’s led to a spike in inflation but the hope is it will attract foreign investors. The gov...

Attorney general of Lagos state, Adeniji Kazeem, addressing the media. The four suspects arrested in connection with the kidnapping of a Lagos monarch will soon be prosecuted, the Lagos State Government said on Tuesday. The Lagos State Government, in a statement issued by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, said the four suspects – Duba Furejo, Ododomo Isaiah, Reuben Anthony and Yerin Fresh would be prosecuted in accordance with the relevant laws applicable to the alleged crimes committed. The four suspects said to have kidnapped the Oniba of Iba, Oba Goriola Oseni, will be charged with criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, murder and armed robbery. Kazeem added that the charge would be filed expeditiously at the High Court of the State to ensure prompt prosecution of the suspects. During the kidnapping, the security guard in the Palace and a commercial Bike rider were killed. The monarch was whisked away and kept in captivity for about three weeks...

Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama Ghana’s parliament has initiated moves to impeach President John Mahama with three months to the nation’s general elections. Though the legislators are on recess, the Speaker, Joe Adjaho, has recalled them for resumption Thursday, September 1, to begin debate on the issue. Mahama is alleged to have received an expensive car (Ford) as ‘gift’ from a contractor and national of Burkina Faso but opposition parties and a cross section of Ghanaians, have, however, insisted the present was a bribe. According to the country’s constitution, a sitting President or political office holder is barred from collecting a gift, either in cash or kind. Edward Boamah, the Information Minister, reacting to the allegation argued that Mahama’s government is the only one in the history of the country that has dragged its officials and party members to court over corruption allegations. Boamah cited former Minister of Transport, Mrs. A. Attivor, and three other p...