Global Naija Info

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Manchester United eased into the EFL Cup semi-finals as they beat West Ham with manager Jose Mourinho watching from the Old Trafford stands. The Portuguese, given a one-match touchline ban before the match, stayed out of view as United reached the last four for the first time since 2013-14. Zlatan Ibrahimovic clipped in the opening goal inside two minutes before former United youngster Ashley Fletcher equalised as he pounced on David de Gea’s error. Martial re-established the home side’s lead shortly after half-time, drilling Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s pass low into the bottom corner. The France international stroked in Antonio Valencia’s low cross after a well-worked team move, with Ibrahimovic adding the gloss by tapping in with virtually the last kick of the game. Wherever United manager Mourinho was – likely to be inside his office – he will have been pleased with his side’s fluent attacking display, and even happy enough to bring substitute Bastian Schweinsteig

Jordy Clasie scored his first goal for Southampton. Southampton progressed to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup for the first time since 1987 thanks to a convincing victory over a below-par and under-strength Arsenal. Goals from Jordy Clasie – his first for the club – and Ryan Bertrand secured victory for a Southampton side which inflicted a first defeat on the Gunners since the opening day of the season. Manager Arsene Wenger, who has never won this competition during his 20-year reign in north London, had made 10 changes to the Arsenal team which beat Bournemouth 3-1 in the Premier League on Sunday and paid the price. In Aaron Ramsey, Alex Iwobi and Mohamed Elneny, the Gunners had Premier League regulars in their starting line-up but without Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil the Gunners lacked guile and bite. Southampton, who had only won once in their last 23 visits to Arsenal, deserved the victory and join Liverpool and Hull in the last four. A minute’

Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji: loses Chief of staff The Court of Appeal, Lagos has set aside the ruling of a Federal High Court that cleared former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji and his aide, Oyebode Atoyebi, of money laundering charges. The appellate court in a unanimous judgment set aside the verdict of the trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, holding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had made out a prima facie case against the accused. In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Biobela Georgewill, the court also ordered that trial should start ‘de novo’ (afresh) before another judge other than Justice Buba, in the light of the far-reaching findings already made by him. Other members of the three-man panel include Justice Side Bage and Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu. Justice Buba had on September 26, 2014, discharged Ikuforiji and Atoyebi of a 56-count charge of conspiracy and laundering the sum of N500

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana Human right lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has called on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the alleged killing of 150 members of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). He also asked Buhari to investigate the killings of scores of Shiites who have been killed by the army and the police, in view of the admission of the Nigerian Army that it killed five protesters instead of the 150 alleged by Amnesty International. Falana said this at the 2016 Law Week of the Jos branch of the Nigerian Bar association, at Hill Station Hotel, Jos, Nigeria where he presented a paper titled: “War Against Corruption-Issues and Challenges Confronting the Judiciary.” According to Falana, “last week, the Amnesty International released a damning report on the brutal killing of 150 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by the Nigerian Arm

NLC The National Union of Iron and Steel Workers on Wednesday said 3,000 of its members lost their jobs in the last quarter of 2015 following closure of steel companies. Mr Kasimu Kadiri, General Secretary of the union disclosed in Lagos that the current economic recession had increased the number of unemployed people. Kadiri was reacting to plans to shut the biggest pipe factory, SCC Nigeria Limited, due to the economic recession. The pipe factory inaugurated a 280,000- ton ultra modern steel pipe manufacturing in Oct, 2015 in Ushafa, Abuja. However, after several months of staying idle, the government announced plans to close it due to low patronage. The union leader said continuous closure of steel companies had negatively affected the steel sector, especially its workers. He appealed to the government to stop importation of finished steel products to allow local production thrive. “Government should also create an enabling environment for local producers to grow to reduce

Ikeja Electric logo Residents of Ikosi, in Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos, on Wednesday blocked the main entrance of Ikeja Electric (IE), Ikeja, protesting over two months of power outage in their area. The protesters, who came in their hundreds, chanted songs to drive home their grievances and prevented officials of the company and other consumers from entering the premises. They carried placards with different inscriptions such as “All we are saying, give us supply“ and “What is our offence that IE refuses to give us electricity supply?’’ Mr Omotayo Lamidi, President, Taike Landlord Association, Aribigbe Zone, Ikosi Ketu, who led the protesters, said that their community had been in darkness for over two months. “Despite this darkness, the company continues to bring outrageous bill to us. “We are here to show them that we are not satisfied with their services and show our grievance. “We will no longer tolerate outrageous billings and the management should please fix our

Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade There was pandemonium on Wednesday at the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, Southwest Nigeria, as fire gutted the chambers of the Lagos Chief Judge, Justice Funmilayo Atilade. The courtroom of the Chief Judge which is on the top floor of the old building was razed by fire at about 8.15 a.m following a spark from one of the air-conditioning units in the chambers. An unconfirmed report says that the fire started when one of the cleaners switched on the faulty air-conditioner and left the courtroom. But, another report says that the fire was noticed by a security woman popularly called Alhaja who raised an alarm. The security woman was rushed to the hospital as a result of the smoke she inhaled before the arrival of firefighters. The courtroom which is hardly used by the Chief Judge is reserved for her anytime she comes to the Lagos division of the court. The entire building was saved from being razed down following a quick intervention of firemen fro

NCC The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Wednesday said it has suspended any further action on the directive to introduce price floor for data segment of the telecommunications sector beginning from Dec. 1. The Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, announced in a statement in Lagos that the decision to suspend the directive was taken after due consultation with industry stakeholders and the general complaints by consumers across the country. Ojobo said that the commission had weighed all of these and consequently asked all operators to maintain the status quo until the conclusion of study to determine retail prices for broadband and data services in Nigeria. He said that the regulatory body wrote to the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on Nov. 1, on the determination of an interim price floor for data services after the stakeholder’s consultative meeting of Oct. 19. According to him, the decision to have a price floor is primarily to promote a level playing fiel

Southgate Gareth Southgate has been appointed as England manager on a four-year deal. Southgate, 46, stepped up from his role as England Under-21s manager in September following Sam Allardyce’s departure after only 67 days in charge. He oversaw two wins and two draws as interim boss and has signed a contract reportedly worth up to £2m a year. “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the players over these past four games and I think there is huge potential,” said Southgate. “I am extremely proud to be appointed England manager. However, I am also conscious getting the job is one thing, now I want to do the job successfully. “I’m determined to give everything I have to give the country a team that they’re proud of and one that they’re going to enjoy watching play and develop.” Former defender Southgate, who made 57 appearances for England as a player, becomes the fourth permanent manager of the national team in as many years. The ex-Middlesbrough boss oversaw a comfortable World

L-R: Special Adviser to the Governor on the Environment, Babatunde Hunpe, Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Engineer Adeyemi Saliu at the Ministry’s Monthly Press Briefing on Tuesday. Kazeem Ugbodaga The Lagos State Government has disclosed that it has struck a deal with a renowned investor to invest N86 billion in domestic waste management in the state. Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare disclosed this at the ministry’s monthly news conference on Tuesday in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. Though, Adejare did not disclose the name of the investor, but he said the new plan in waste management would involve Public Private Partnership (PPP) in domestic waste management and that the investor was coming to invest with about N86 billion in 4 years and the deployment of over 600 new Mercedes Benz Compactors and the engagement of street sweepers in all wards in the state. Adejare also stated

Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) governor-elect Ondo State Governor-elect of Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), has appealed to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to urgently pay the allowances of their men deployed for the election. Akeredolu made this plea on Wednesday in Akure, the state capital when delivering his acceptance speech after receiving his certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The governor-elect lamented that the security operatives had been coming to his house since the Saturday election to demand for assistance to be able to go back to their respective destinations, Akeredolu urged the authority in charge to quickly come to their aid. According to him, they have been coming to me to complained that their allowances were not paid since they were deployed for the election last week. “They have been coming to my house to beg for money, telling me that they were not paid their allowances. They are stranded. “How can you deploy your

NDLEA operatives The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kano State Command, confiscated over 37 tonnes of hard drugs between January and November. The State Commandant, Alhaji Hamza Umar, disclosed this during a news conference in Kano. Umar said that the drugs include three tonnes of cannabis sativa and over 34 tonnes of psychotropic substances. He said that the agency also arrested 755 suspected drug traffickers that included six females during the period. The commandant also said that the agency secured the conviction of 299 suspects which included three females. “The command was also able to counsel and rehabilitate 534 males and eight females with the aim of making them useful to the society,” he said. The NDLEA boss attributed the successes recorded by the command to the cooperation from the residents of the state and the support of the State Government. He urged the public to always report any suspicious movements to the authorities concerned to enable them

Mrs Yetunde Oni, Acting Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The Northern zonal office of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday destroyed unwholesome items worth N252,882,020 million in Gombe, Gombe State. The items destroyed include: bags of flour, packs of body creams and drugs such as Analgin injection, groundnut oils and various juice drinks. Mrs Yetunde Oni, the Acting Director-General of the agency, said that the items were either voluntarily surrendered to the agency by those who had them in stock or mopped up by NAFDAC officers during enforcement surveillance. The D-G said faking of regulated products or selling of unwholesome products was the greatest evil of the time, calling it an act of terrorism. He said products counterfeiters were not just a problem to the country, but were more dangerous than armed robbers. A representative of the Secretary to the State Government S

Adekoya Boladale The Yorubas have a saying: ‘Agilinti ti n se ginniginni, iku apaa, ambelente opolo to fi ojojumo gbe ara re sanle’ – a cameleon that threads with caution dies, how much more the toad that hops around with much energy. The recent report on the move by the Nigerian Communications Company (NCC) acting on the order from the Federal Government to compel Telecommunication companies to increase the rate they charge for data subscription is the latest dish of agony in the oven of Buhari led Presidency. There is no gainsaying the fact that what we currently have as a democratic government is merely a revised edition of the inglorious military rule. The cardinal points that differentiate dictatorship from democratic governance have since left the corridors of Aso Rock taking with it the keys to the room of rule of law, human dignity, lawfulness, and morality. Nepotism, totalitarianism and fascism now reign supreme. The alleged excuse that Nigeria has the lowest data rate in

The Executive Secretary, Jigawa Local Government Contributory Pension scheme, Alhaji Suleiman Kiyawa, on Wednesday said that the scheme had commenced the disbursement of N278.4 million entitlements of retirees and death benefits for October. Kiyawa announced this while speaking with newsmen in Dutse, after the disbursement of the first batch of the funds to beneficiaries. He explained that N206.2 million of the fund would be used to pay 126 retirees that completed their 35 years or 60 years of age in service. Kiyawa said that N58.8 million would be disbursed to the families of 37 civil servants that died in active service as death benefits. According to him, N13.2 million would be given as entitlements to 22 people that retired and later died. Kiyawa stated that the exercise was a continuous one, as it was done on monthly basis. He said that the state contributory pension scheme was committed and transparent in ensuring that all retirees and workers that died got their due entit

President Muhammadu Buhari Evil and corruption works together, so when we say the evil of corruption, we simply refer to people who enjoy harming others. People who do evil things without minding the harmful effect on other people. We are also referring to those forces that cause bad things to happen, people with morally bad behaviour, people living without conscience. People that inflicts hardship on other people. We are talking of those heartless people connected to the devil himself. We call them agents of Satan. When we say evil of corruption, we are referring also to those few unscrupulous people in government and other public sectors. They are people without moral principle, they are dishonest and unfair money-bags who are today referred to as CABAL. Quote me anywhere, corruption can never be eradicated or reduced in our country until Nigerians say no to cabals, until we say enough is enough. When we say cabals, we mean a small group of people who are involved in secret plans

Lagos State University Authorities of the Lagos State University (LASU) have directed newly admitted students, who changed the courses they earlier applied for to effect such changes immediately at JAMB’s website.‎ ‎‎The information is contained in a statement by the Registrar of LASU, Mr. Akinwunmi Lewis, in Lagos on Wednesday. The statement said that the affected students were those admitted newly for the 2016/2017 academic session. It explained that the change, of course, would cost N2, 500 and that the money should be paid directly to JAMB online.‎ ‎ The statement advised students to comply with the directive within 48 hours before Nov. 30, to enable JAMB process and release the admission letters of such candidates. ‎ “This directive is compulsory and should be strictly adhered to, failure which, the candidate’s admission shall be withdrawn.” ‎ ‎ The statement said that complying with directive was a pre-condition for clearance and registration for the affected students

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to put in place a coherent economic blueprint to tackle recession in the 2017 budget. The NLC Chief Economist, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that the preparation of the 2017 budget should not be delayed like that of 2016. “In the 2017 budget, I think the government has a lot of work to do. “So that we do not end up again like the 2016 budget that took such a long time with a lot of difficulties, problem here and there. “For the medium term strategic paper that they had put forward already, I think it should be more critically evaluated so that it can provide a coherent base for the 2017 budget. “Part of the problem we see however is in articulating the budget, we need to have an economic blueprint that we can to use to tackle the recession “We have not seen this; therefore, the budget is an instrument that should be used to actualize

The Police in Niger have recovered about 200 stolen cattle following deployment of 500 policemen in troubled spots in the state over the last two weeks. The State Commissioner of Police, Mr Zubairu Muazu, disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday at the Command’s launch of the “Change Begins with Me” Campaign in Minna‎. Muazu stated that 12 suspects had been arrested in connection with the stolen cattle, adding that lots of arms and ammunition were also recovered in the process. “You recall that two weeks ago, we deployed 500 officers and men in some areas where this problem is rampant and our deployment is yielding a lot of success. “As at today, I am glad to tell you that we have recovered about 200 cattle‎, arrested 12 suspects and recovered lots of ammunition as well,” he added The commissioner lauded the “Change Begins with Me” initiative of the Federal Government, saying the force had keyed into it. “We believe in the noble objectives of this project, which is conceived on th

FILE PHOTO: A herdsman in Nigeria Two herdsmen, Usman Muhammed and Manu Saleh, on Wednesday, appeared before a Wuse Zone 2 Chief Magistrates’ Court in Abuja over alleged kidnapping. They were later remanded in prison custody pending police investigation. Muhammed and Saleh of Gwagwalada Village, Abuja, were arraigned on a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, causing grievous hurt and kidnapping. The Senior Magistrate, Mohammed Tahir, gave the order for the defendants to be remanded and adjourned hearing till Dec. 8. Earlier, the Prosecutor, Gambo Musa, told the court that one Saidu Adamu, of Gwagwalada village, Abuja, reported the matter at the Nigeria Mobile Police (Mopol) team in Abuja on Nov. 21. Musa said that the defendants kidnapped the complainant and his son sometimes in October. He said that the defendants later released the complainant in order to source for the ransom demanded his son’s release. The prosecutor added that the complainant’s son also managed to

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (left), presenting a merit award to one of the graduands, Mr. Agboola Olusola (right) while the Commissioner for Wealth Creation & Employment, Dr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti (middle), watches during the 7th Tradesmen and Artisans’ Week & Graduation Ceremony for Re-trained Artisans and Traders, at De Blue Roof, Agidingbi, Ikeja, on Tuesday. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday said the State Government will commence the disbursement of the N25 billion Employment Trust Fund (ETF) initiative of his administration by December, 2016. Governor Ambode, who spoke in Lagos at the graduation ceremony for 500 artisans trained by the State Government on modular employability programme in nineteen different trades, said the informal sector remained a critical vehicle for economic recovery, adding that Government was passionately committed to repositioning the sector for economic gains. He said the N25 billion ETF, which would be

Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, the Vice-Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU). The Lagos State University (LASU) on Wednesday said it would admit between 4,800 and 5,200 candidates for the 2016/2017 academic session. Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. ‎ ‎ Fagbohun said the difference in the figure was to give room for other developments during the exercise. According to him, some of the students offered provisional admissions may not be able to register, and others may have gained admission elsewhere, among other reasons. ‎ He said the carrying capacity quota for the university from the National Universities Commission (NUC) was actually over 7,000. But, the university’s authorities do not want to stretch the available faculties because of greed, he said. “As a responsible institution that had conducted an audit of the available facilities, we have decided not to go beyon

court An Ogudu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a barber, Waheed Bello, to 18 months imprisonment for stabbing and injuring a man on his back with a knife. Bello of Diala St., Mile 12 market area, Lagos, pleaded guilty to the charge of assault occasioning harm with another at large and asked the court to temper justice with mercy. Delivering her judgment, the Magistrate, Mrs. O. S. Amzat, advised the convict to turn a new leaf while in prison, after sentencing him with no option of fine. Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Ihiehie Lucky told the court that the offence was committed around noon on Nov. 22 at Diala St. in Mile 12 area of Lagos. Lucky said the complainant, a sales boy, reported the incident at the Mile 12 Police Station on Nov. 22. “The complainant reported that on that fateful day, he was at Diala St. when the convict and his friend accosted him, forcefully, demanding for money. “He asked them what money they were talking about and before he knew it,

Brazillians mourning the deceased Thousands of people in Chapeco in Brazil have held a vigil for the victims of a plane crash, who included most of the city’s football team. Fans of the Chapecoense team walked from the city centre to the stadium where they prayed and sang. A service was also held in the city’s cathedral. The team were flying to Colombia for the biggest match in their history when their plane went down shortly before landing in Medellin, late on Monday. Six of the 77 people on board survived. It is not clear what brought down the chartered aircraft, but some unconfirmed reports have suggested there was an electrical fault, while others say the plane was low on fuel. Both flight recorders have been recovered. Crew member Ximena Suarez, who survived the flight, said “the lights went out and I don’t remember anything after that”. Some 10,000 people – including family members of the players – gathered in Chapeco’s Arena Conda stadium on Tuesday evening, still stunne

The gavel of justice Two men, Ahmed Lawal and Wale Balogun, who allegedly cheated a lotto operator of N139,600, on Wednesday appeared before an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos. Lawal, 25, and Balogun, 23, both residents of New Garage, Ifako- Gbagada, Lagos, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and cheating. Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Lucky Ihiehie, told the court that the offences were committed on Nov. 26 at Adio St., New Garage in Ifako -Gbagada, Lagos. He said that the complainant, who operates a lotto center on Adio Street in the Ifako-Gbagada environs, reported the incident at the Ifako Police Station. “He reported that Lawal, who works for him as a cashier in his betting center, played a game at the rate of N54,600 for Balogun, a customer, and didn’t remit the money. “The complainant tried every possible means to collect the money from his cashier, who played the game without his consent and the customer but it proved abortive. Ihiehie told the court that Balo

court-of-law A civil engineer, David Moses, was on Wednesday docked at a Wuse Zone 2 Chief Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, for defrauding a man of N15 million. Moses of Gwarimpa, Abuja, is facing a four-count charge of cheating by impersonation, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation. The prosecutor, Gambo Musa, told the court that one Fidelis Peter had reported the matter through a written petition to the Commissioner of Police and submitted at the Zone 7 Police Station, Abuja on Oct. 26. He said that the accused sometime in January deceived the complainant that he was a civil engineer working with the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS). Musa said that the complainant then entrusted the sum of N15 million to the accused to facilitate the approval and begin the construction of a three-storey building in Jabi District of Abuja. He said that the accused diverted the money to his personal use and did not act as agreed with the complainant. Musa said that

Dr Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, says the growth of the economy solely depends on mobilizing and applying human, natural and financial resources. Kachikwu said this in a presentation at the ongoing 9th Annual Forum of Laureates of the Nigerian National order of merit (NNOM) in Abuja on Wednesday. The paper is titled“ Structures and Processes of Nigeria Mono Economy”. He said that Nigeria’s challenge was as a result of not diversifying its natural resources base for a useful result. Kachikwu said that the country’s economy would attain a great height of development if the economy was diversified and the mono-product economy practice was jettisoned. He said that that structures and processes should be made for the implementation of national economic survival in the quest to diversify the revenue base of the nation. “Oil has been the world’s major commercial energy source for decades and th

Arik Air The lifeless body of a stowaway was on Wednesday found in the main wheel well of one of Arik Air’s A330-200 aircraft at the Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg. The airline confirmed the incident in a statement by its Communications Manager, Mr Ola Adebanji in Lagos. According to the airline, the aircraft operated the scheduled Lagos-Johannesburg flight that departed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 3:55pm on Tuesday and arrived in Johannesburg shortly before 11pm. It said engineers of South African Airways Technical facility at the Oliver Tambo International Airport, where the aircraft was scheduled for a routine maintenance check, discovered the body of the stowaway during the inspection phase. The airline said investigations were ongoing to determine how the stowaway found his way into the aircraft’s main wheel well.

Indian flag Indian cinema theatres must play the national anthem before each film screening, India’s Supreme Court ordered on Wednesday, according to lawyers linked to the case. The order comes amid a debate in the country about the rise of aggressive nationalism in India under the Hindu-right wing Bharatiya Janata Party government. A wheelchair-bound activist was assaulted in the western state of Goa last month for not standing up to the national anthem, sparking widespread criticism. The court said everyone in the hall should rise for the anthem and the national flag should be displayed on the screen, said lawyer Abhinav Srivastava, who filed a petition on the alleged misuse of the anthem on behalf of a non-governmental organization. “Time has come that people must feel and show respect to the national anthem, the symbol of constitutional patriotism,” broadcaster NDTV quoted the judges as saying in the order. While the anthem is on, all theatre exits will be closed.

Nigeria-police The Police in Enugu have recovered 100 chicken and a bus from suspects who broke into a poultry at Ugwuomu Nike in Enugu State. The Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Wednesday that three suspects were arrested in connection with the crime. Amaraizu said the 100 chicken were recovered out of the 150 the suspects stole from the poultry. He said that the birds were retrieved by police operatives of the Emene Division of the command. “The three suspects are now being interrogated for allegedly breaking into a poultry located at Ugwuomu Nike in Enugu in the midnight of Nov. 17, stealing and carting away chicken in the poultry numbering about 150. “The suspects, who gave their names as Sunday John and Uchenna Igoka, were arrested on Nov. 23 at their hideout at Orjinator village in Oji River community. Amaraizu said that the suspects were apprehended following intelligence informa

Aminu Tambuwal, Sokoto state gov Sokoto State Government on Wednesday commenced the test running of its N3.8 billion Independent Power Project (IPP), whose contract was awarded in November 2008. The project has the installed capacity of a minimum of 30 megawatts and a maximum of 38 megawatts. The Chief Operating Officer of the contracting firm, Vulcan Elvaton Ltd, Mr. Franklin Ngbor, told newsmen during the test run that the turbine of the project had already tested three times. He said: “What remains now is the synchronization of the plant with the fuel tank and the main evacuation line, down to the transmission line. “The plant when fully completed, finally fired and integrated into the national grid, can work for five consecutive years nonstop. “It is only after it works for five years that it can be shut down for routine maintenance.” The Director-General of the project, Mr. Umar Bande stated that the plant has a dual type turbine that can use diesel, gas or LPFO. Accordi

Oil rises on Wednesday ahead of an OPEC meeting later in the day, with members of the producer cartel trying to thrash out an output cut to curb oversupply. International Brent sweet crude was trading at 46.85 dollars per barrel . U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up at $45.52 a barrel. Traders said markets were jittery, and that prices could sharply swing either way depending on developments at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in Vienna. Oil dropped nearly 4 percent the previous session over disputes between Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq regarding details of the planned cut. Despite the disagreements, most analysts still expect some form of deal. Iran and Iraq are resisting pressure from Saudi Arabia to curtail production. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh told reporters upon arrival at OPEC’s headquarters in Vienna that his country was not prepared to reduce output. “We will leave the level of production (where) we decided in Al

HIV The International Red Cross Society (IRCS) has said that homosexuality and other awkward sexual behaviours, like human to animal intercourse, were significant factors hampering total victory over HIV/AIDS. Prof. Peter Katchy, Vice Chairman of the IRSC in Anambra, said this at a news conference on Wednesday ahead of the 2016 edition of the World’ AIDS Day celebration in Awka. The theme for this year’s celebration is “It Is Now Hands Up for HIV/AIDS Prevention”. Katchy said such sexual habits, which were prevalent in the Western World, were the originating factors of HIV/AIDS scourge which had ravaged humanity since 1981. He called on people to refrain from indulging in sexual acts that were against the natural order. “Homosexuality is another latent cause of AIDS because it is spiritually abhorred; this awkward sexual behaviour, popular in the western world, is attributed to have originated this scourge of the century. “Usually during the abominable illegal and antisocial s

INEC An NGO, Advocacy for Advancement of Peace and Harmony in Africa Initiative (ADAPHAI), canvassed for the establishment of a special unit in security agencies to monitor general elections in the country. Mr Ajibola Owolabi, Executive Director, ADAPHAI, made the call in Osogbo on Wednesday. He said that for elections to be adjudged credible and legitimate in any country, it required in depth knowledge of the democratic tenets and process by the umpire and security agents. According to him, arbitrary deployment of security personnel to monitor elections is not healthy for the country’s democracy. “Although democracy in Nigeria has not matured to the stage where we can have elections with light security deployment; yet, we cannot justify the militarisation of voting arenas in any way. “Ideally, the environment where citizens exercise their civic rights should be devoid of intimidation and force, but with the peculiarities of Africa, and Nigeria especially, we still need to prot

prostitutes A prostitute and an entertainer, both aged 22, who allegedly stole property valued at N1.6 million, on Wednesday appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court. The prostitute, Emmanuel Carol and Precious Aboh, who claimed to be into entertainment, are facing a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and attempted murder. Carol resides at the Oshodi area of Lagos, and Aboh lives at No. 15, Olaore St., Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos. The prosecutor, Insp. Ezekiel Ayorinde, said that the duo stole gold chains, wrist watches and phones all valued at N1.6 million from Mr Darlington Ezenwaka on Nov. 15 at about 11.30p.m. at Church St., along Oshodi road, Oshodi, Lagos. Ayorinde said that the accused conspired with four others still at large to assault and rob the complainant. “The complainant, a returnee from the United States of America, left to a club somewhere around Oshodi in company of his friend, Mr Madu Izuchukwu. The complainants were robbed of their valuable

The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) on Wednesday said the directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for data tariff increase was insensitive. NATCOMS President, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo said in a statement in Lagos, that the service providers had started notifying their subscribers of the increase in the tariff of data usage effective from Dec. 1. Ogunbanjo said that the percentage of the increment was not disclosed yet but might be doubled. “We view the directive as insensitive and callous. Since NCC is an agency of the Federal Government, the purported directive is one more design by the government to cast more financial burden on the already depressed citizenry. “The Communications Service Tax Bill, which proposes to impose a monthly Communication Service Tax of nine percent on all electronic communication services, which include voice calls; SMS; MMS and data usage is still before the National Assembly. “There has been a lot of