ASUU STRIKE UPDATE :- Electricity Workers Threaten Nationwide Blackout If Strike Doesn’t End In 7 Days

Labour activist and General

Secretary, National Union of

Electricity Employees, NUEE,

Joe

Ajaero has given the Federal

Government one week to

resolve its differences with

the Academic Staff Union of

Universities (ASUU) or

cripple

the country with the mother-

of-all-strikes.

Ajaero who was speaking

during the opening of a

training workshop organized

for labour

leaders in Enugu, threatened

to

ally with other unions across

the country to join ASUU on a

solidarity stike if the impasse

persists. Ajaero said

government was

being insensitive to the plight

of Nigerian students because

the children of the rich are

studying outside the country.

He said:

“If ASUU issue is not

addressed,

we will shut this country

alongside other unions. We

will

ally with other unions and

make

sure that nothing works in

this

country. This is not a strike

based on

demand, it’s based on

agreement. As government,

you

must honour your

agreement.

Here, there’s no social

security, the price of food is

high, the same goes for

electricity tariff. We are

going

to join our children to stay at

home and let them run the

system,” he threatened.

Read More

ASUU STRIKE UPDATE :- Electricity Workers Threaten Nationwide Blackout If Strike Doesn’t End In 7 Days

Labour activist and General

Secretary, National Union of

Electricity Employees, NUEE,

Joe

Ajaero has given the Federal

Government one week to

resolve its differences with

the Academic Staff Union of

Universities (ASUU) or

cripple

the country with the mother-

of-all-strikes.

Ajaero who was speaking

during the opening of a

training workshop organized

for labour

leaders in Enugu, threatened

to

ally with other unions across

the country to join ASUU on a

solidarity stike if the impasse

persists. Ajaero said

government was

being insensitive to the plight

of Nigerian students because

the children of the rich are

studying outside the country.

He said:

“If ASUU issue is not

addressed,

we will shut this country

alongside other unions. We

will

ally with other unions and

make

sure that nothing works in

this

country. This is not a strike

based on

demand, it’s based on

agreement. As government,

you

must honour your

agreement.

Here, there’s no social

security, the price of food is

high, the same goes for

electricity tariff. We are

going

to join our children to stay at

home and let them run the

system,” he threatened.

Read More

SCANDAL: Fake Miracle Tears A Naija Church; Pastors Resign

A large scale scandal has

broken out in a church

known as the City of Truth

(a.k.a Holy Ghost

Embassy), Uyo, Akwa

Ibom State as the founder

and general overseer of

the church, Bishop Israel

Usoro, has been accused

by his pastors of

engaging in fake instant

healing and false

prophecies. The

revelations below...

“On Tuesday, August

13, 2013, I took an

independent step to

verify the stories and

this step brought me

face to face with the

truth . That evening

during the regular

Power Night

programme, a clean-

shaven young man

dressed in torn T-

shirt and dragged

along by another

young man was

intercepted as they

were about to enter

the church and

interrogated in the

studio room.

“During interrogation,

both the young man

and his accomplice,

who earlier claimed

that the young man

he was dragging into

church was mad,

confessed to me

(with Elders

Idorenyin Mfon,

Effiong Usoro and

Evangelists Anietie

Walter and Harrison

Eke as witnesses)

that he 'was NOT

MAD and that he

was arranged to

dress like and to act

as a madman in the

church for you to

"deliver" him so as

to boost the faith of

members in your

anointing and

increase the

membership of your

church' .

They said what they

were doing was a

new method of

‘evangelism’ which

you have since

embraced.”

But Bishop Usoro is

however denying the

allegations, claiming that

he never knew whether

those who claim to have

been instantly healed of

their ailments during the

church’s tarry nights

programmes were real or

fake.

According to The SUN

report, Usoro, whose

church is situated at No

12, Paul Bassey Street,

Uyo, began to experiment

the fake instant healing

after a Ghanaian pastor,

one David Amousou came

in as a guest preacher

earlier in the year and

arranged with some boys

to act as sick people to

receive instant cure after

being prayed for.

A letter of resignation by

one of the elders and

former protocol officer of

the Church, Mr Idorenyin

Aquaisua, to Bishop

Usoro and other key

officials of the church,

chronicled with dates a

series of fake miracles the

bishop had performed by

paying people, sometimes

as little as N2000 to come

and pose as if they were

mad, blind, infirm or

afflicted by evil spirits...

“It bears recall that I have

served God in your

Church, City of Truth

Chapel Int’l, for well over

seven (7) years now.

Within this period, I stand

vindicated before God, my

conscience, and man that

I have been selfless,

diligent, truthful, faithful

and committed in my

services to God. Since

2006 till date, I have held

very many sensitive

positions in the church

with enduring legacies.

“At a time when the

Church was almost

grounded by severe moral

crisis occasioned by your

activities that generated

intense feeling of distrust

in your wife, I was

persuaded, out of trust by

you and some faithful

members of the church

then, to head the Protocol

Unit in your office in 2010

so as to encourage and

give you the needed

support to continue your

ministerial duties with

minimal distraction,”

Aquaisua wrote.

“I came to know you

closely as a prophet who

professed total

dependence on God.

Therefore, until certain

events unfolded recently, I

had no cause to doubt

your prophetic grace.

When news first came to

me early June 2013 that

the regular instant healing

miracles that were taking

place during the Tuesday

Power Night programme

in the church were stage-

managed, I almost beat

up the person who

brought the news," he

added.

But in a chat with The

SUN in his church, Bishop

Usoro refuted the

allegations of fake or

false instant miracle

claiming that they were

peddled by some former

officers of the church who

are no longer members of

the church. He likened

them to Lucifer who was

thrown out of heaven.

“Since then, he can never

say any good thing about

heaven.”

Usoro denied ever

delivering the supposedly

mad man on Tuesday,

August 13, 2013, even

though he admitted seeing

such a person in church

that night.

“I saw two young men

and one said the other

was partially mad. I told

them to be coming to

church because if I don’t

see anything about you, I

can’t heal you. It is not

the work of the flesh. It is

only when you are under

the unction of the holy

spirit; that you can do all

these things. That’s all.”

Bishop Usoro showed two

other patients, a lady with

goitre and a man

supposed to be mentally

deranged whose

conditions he said had

been improving since they

were brought by their

relatives to the church.

The SSS in the state have

gotten wind of the story

and invited Bishop Usoro

for interrogation. He has

gone to the SSS to state

his own side of the

story...

Read More

How This Beautiful Lady, Adaobi, Was Killed by Her ex- Boyfriend In America

Tragedy struck on

Tuesday as the body of

26 year old Adaobi

Michaella Obih was found

in her apartment at the

Riverstone Apartments in

Columbus, Indiana, United

States of America.

Investigations so far has

shown that she was

stabbed several times to

death by a man friend,

who is said to be one of

her neighbours in the

Riverstone Apartments

and the man, Ryan Allen

Klu, is now on the run.

Police said Ryan

works for the Indiana

Department of

Transportation. When

contacted, his

supervisor, said he

acting very strange

lately. He sent a text

message Sunday,

saying: “ Sick

tomorrow, then

vacation next two

weeks .”

His supervisor has

opened up the message

sent in by Ryan...

He said the message was

out of character and

violated the department’s

vacation time policy.

Ryan, he said, has not

return any texts or phone

calls to him since then

and didn't show up at

work.

The police are on the trail

of 36-year-old Ryan, who

is the prime suspect in the

murder of 26-year-old

lady.

Police said before Adaobi

was killed, Ryan sent a

text message to a pastor,

asking him to call. When

the pastor did so, Ryan

answered and told the

pastor that he couldn’t

talk at the moment.

Further investigation

found that Adaobi had

been stabbed multiple

times and her throat cut.

A blood trail went from

her bedroom to Ryan’s

apartment, and police said

it appeared “the assailant

attempted to clean up in

the bathroom.”

They also found a bloody

towel in Klug’s sink.

Police located a plastic

bag containing a bloody

sock and other clothes

stained with blood,

including blue jeans,

boxers and a shirt. Police

said the “amount of blood

on these items was

significant”.

Police found a trail of

small blood drops leading

from the apartment to the

garage where ryan parked

his car but the vehicle

has since disappeared

from the garage.

Read More

How This 24yrs Old Guy Duped Husband & Wife Of $42,497

Operatives of the Special

Fraud Unit, SFU, in Ikoyi,

Lagos, have arrested a

24-year-old Nigerian man

who was said to have

posed as a lady to

defraud a United States of

America couple of

$42,497, purportedly for

the purchase of a property

in Lagos. In his

confession, the crook

said:

“I posed as Janet on

the Facebook, using

a white woman’s

photograph . I told

the couple that I was

an estate manager

and convinced them

to buy property in

Lagos. Since they

have not been to

Nigeria, they asked

us to meet elsewhere

and when I stumbled

on a business

conference that was

holding in Malasia, I

booked the meeting.

“On reaching

Malaysia, I told a

Facebook lady friend

to pose as Janet

after telling her what

to say . That was

how the deal was

struck and they paid

the dollar equivalent

of N3.4 million into

my account.

" I intended to use the

money to further my

studies because I am

determined to be a

graduate . I used part

of the money to

travel again to

Malaysia for leisure

in August."

The suspect, identified as

Olafinraye Adedamola,

confessed to the offence

while being paraded on

Thursday.

How he was arrested

According to a Vanguard

report, explaining how the

aluminum worker was

arrested, spokesperson for

the unit, Ngozi Isintume-

Agu, a Deputy

Superintendent of Police,

said: “An intelligence

report dated September

24, 2013 from Nigerian

Financial Intelligence Unit

(NFIU), Abuja addressed

to the Commissioner of

Police, Special Fraud Unit

(SFU) alleged that one

Olafinraye Adedamola

opened a USD Domiciliary

Account No.

273/6980678251/0 with

the Demurin, Ketu, Lagos

Branch of Sterling Bank

Plc and through

suspicious circumstances,

cumulative sum of USD

42,497 was paid into the

account by unsuspecting

victims abroad between

August 13, 2013 and

September 16, 2013.

“The suspected illicit

inflows were followed by

immediate cash

withdrawals by the

suspect who appeared to

have no known affiliation

with the international

depositors.

“SFU operatives swung

into action and

investigation carried out

on the domiciliary account

revealed that $18,129.92

is still left in the account

and a lien was

immediately placed on the

account.

“The suspect was traced

to his house at 7, Agidi

Road, Oshogun, Alapere,

Ketu, Lagos but he

evaded police arrest and

his father, a proprietor of

a moribund driving

school, feigned ignorance

of his son’s whereabouts.

However, the fleeing

suspect was later

apprehended by the

Police.

“Olafinraye Adedamola

who posed as a lady

named Janet was born in

1989 in Kosofe LGA Ketu,

Lagos.

“An artisan who trained in

construction of aluminum

but currently a driving

instructor in his father’s

moribund driving school

located in Ketu, Lagos

claimed he met a Nigerian

at a conference in

Malaysia who introduced

him to the victim who

requested that he

purchased property for

him in Nigeria which was

the basis for the

disbursement of the

money into his account

and that he had already

bought a building at

Ogba, Ikeja for N4 million

and that the documents

were with him.”

Olafinraye Adedamola

said, "My regret is that I

was caught at the end

because I used my

genuine data to open the

account. I guess it was

because it is my first

time.”

The suspect will be

charged to court soon

Read More

JUST IMAGINE: NNPC Sold $20.9bn Crude, Remitted only $7bn

The House of

Representatives on

Thursday ordered another

round of investigation into

the sale of crude oil and

its remittances by the

Nigerian National

Petroleum Corporation to

the nation's account. The

focus of the fresh

investigation is “volume

and value of crude oil

sales and remittances” by

NNPC from January to

date.

“One of the areas of

concern is the

NNPC’s Joint

Venture

operations. There are

several billions of

dollars that are

unaccounted

for . Some JV

partners will come

before the committee

and give you

information that the

NNPC cannot

contradict.

“Now, when you

confront NNPC with

this information, they

don’t address the

issues at stake .

Reports from the

Auditor-General’s

Office have many

cases against the

NNPC. When this

investigation is being

conducted, I urge the

ad-hoc committee to

liaise with the Public

Accounts

Committee. We have

information we can

give to the

committee to assist

the investigation.”

These are the words of

the Chairman, House

Committee on Public

Affairs, Mr. Adeola

Olamilekan, said that the

issue of accounting for

crude oil sales by the

NNPC had been on for the

last seven years without a

solution.

The investigation, which

will last four weeks, is to

be conducted by an ad-

hoc committee of the

House.

The resolution of the

House followed a motion

moved by Haruna Manu,

who raised alarm that

about $13.9bn crude oil

revenue could not be

accounted for by the

NNPC.

Manu, who quoted from

statistics generated by the

NNPC, told the House that

the value for crude oil

sales from January to

August stood at $20.9bn.

He, however, said only

$7bn was remitted to the

Federation Account by the

corporation.

Manu added: “this shows

that $13.9bn is not

accounted for and it

raises questions about

how it was spent.”

He claimed that from

September to date, the

corporation had not given

any account of crude oil

sales.

Over the years, NNPC is

emerging as the easiest

corporate to steal

Nigeria's money on a

large scale.

Read More

Tragedy: How Osun Monarch Was Killed, Set Ablaze In Palace

Chiefs and residents of

Ilashe Ijesa in Obokun

Local Government Area of

Osun State on Thursday

narrated how the monarch

of the town, Oba Adesina

Anibijuwon, was killed by

suspected members of

OPC who were said to

have strangled him and

left his corpse inside his

residence which they set

ablaze.

“We were told that

some gunmen who

claimed to be OPC

members came and

wanted to see

Kabiyesi but they

were told that he

was sleeping.

“They came back

and held the

housemaid living

with Kabiyesi

hostage and went to

where Kabiyesi was

sleeping . But

immediately they

came out, fire

started and Kabiyesi

was burnt inside the

house. ”

Those who recovered his

corpse from the building

said the charred remains

of Oba Anibijuwon were

taken to the mortuary at

Ladoke Akintola

University of Technology

Teaching Hospital in

Osogbo by Osun

Ambulance Service at

around 10.30pm on

Wednesday.

The ambulance that

conveyed the remains of

the monarch was said to

have been escorted to the

mortuary by armed

policemen and some

residents. They feared

that those who killed him

might want to seize his

corpse.

Some residents wondered

why some chiefs in the

town went into hiding

when the hoodlums

invaded the palace. They

are urging the police to

interrogate the said chiefs

to know if they were

culpable.

The upper floor of the

two-storey building where

the monarch resided was

completely razed.

One of the chiefs,

Adejumo Operinmade, told

Punch that he was

informed that some

persons, who claimed to

be OPC members, came

and demanded to see the

monarch, but they were

told that he was asleep.

He stated that the strange

visitors came back and

they pointed a gun to the

head of the monarch’s

housemaid. They

allegedly went to late Oba

Anibijuwon’s room and

strangled the octogenarian

monarch who had been

blind for over nine years.

Another Chief, Jumoke

Ogunkeyede, whose

brother gave the burnt

residence to the monarch,

said he heard that the

hoodlums, who

perpetrated the act, had

an accident while

escaping from the town.

“We heard that they

came in a red Mazda

323 and their car

veered off into the

bush while they were

speeding away . We

called journalists

from Osun State

Broadcasting

Corporation at

Ibokun, but when

they got there to take

photographs of the

car, they saw that

the car had been set

ablaze.

“They also removed

the number plate of

the car . I believe that

they set the car

ablaze to hide their

identities. But the

police could still find

a way of unraveling

those behind the

killing and arson.”

Nigeria police say they

are investigating and they

are on top of the

situation.

Read More

I Want To Be A Pastor –timaya

Egberi Papa act, Timaya,

speaks with JAYNE

AUGOYE about his past, career

and his secret

ambition

Popular singer, Enetimi Odom,

aka Timaya,

seems to have been off the

entertainment scene

for awhile. It was a tough call

chasing him

around Lagos for many weeks

before he finally

gave our correspondent an

appointment for an

interview in his home in the

Lekki area of Lagos.

It was obvious that the self-

styled Egberi Papa 1

had not quite recovered from

the impact of his

breakup with a controversial

actress that he

dated a few years ago.

Although it is common

knowledge that Timaya

broke up with the actress in

2009, he confessed

that the relationship had

robbed off on him

badly and wished he could be

rid of the

attendant negative aura.

“You should not date

somebody who already has

a negative record. In my own

case, it affected

me at that time. I feel that a

relationship should

be between two people and not

exposed to the

rest of the world. Only a smart

man is able to

keep his relationship private.

“You see, Desmond Elliot and

Jimmy Jatt are

both married, but you will never

see their wives

in public. Naturally I’m a

private person. The

only thing that takes me out of

my shell is my

music, which is what I do for a

living. It seems

that the only thing people know

about me is

that ugly episode. So I don’t

like to talk about

it,” he says, adding that he has

learnt a lesson

from the experience.

However, the singer is currently

involved in

what he describes as a healthy

relationship and

he has since moved on with his

life.

Apart from that single dark

spot in his life,

Timaya seems to have been on

top of his game

since his fortunes shot up

about a decade ago.

During that period, he earned a

fat bank

account, recorded six

successful albums and

scored several chartbusting

hits. The seventh

album is currently in the works.

In spite of his achievements,

the artiste, who

considers his maiden album to

be the turning

point in his career, nurses a

secret desire.

“I wish I had the power to heal

people. I am

always inspired whenever I see

men of God like

Bishop David Oyedepo

preaching and teaching

people. They practise the same

teachings and

become millionaires overnight. I

wish I can do

that with my music. I would

love to be a pastor.

I really want to be one,” he

says.

Describing himself as

‘privileged’ to be

considered relevant in the

competitive Nigerian

music industry, Timaya says he

has reached the

point where there should be a

change in his

career and focus. To prove that

he is serious

about this, he has shed his

dreadlocks and

started experimenting on a new

music style

with his last album. The album

is titled

‘Upgrade’ and it was released

in 2012.

Although many fans think the

album is riddled

with lewd songs, such as

‘Ukwu’ and ‘Shake

your bum’, the singer

expresses a different

opinion.

“A lot of people think I love the

female backside

a lot and that is why I sing

about it all the time.

But then, people will always

complain, no

matter what you do. When I

was still singing

conscious music they

complained that my songs

were always full of bile and

loathing. The truth

is that I sing about the way I

feel at any point,”

he says.

Interestingly Timaya is

currently writing his

memoir, which will be out in

2014. Regarding

his decision to write the book,

he says, “I am at

the point where I feel that

people can read and

be inspired by my story rather

than me singing

songs.”

When probed further about the

content of the

book, he lets out a teaser, “I

have also told the

story of a ex-girlfriend of mine

who always

wanted to have sex whenever

she was in the

mood for it.”

Although the singer enjoys

being a father,

marriage is not in his plans yet.

“I am not considering marriage

for now. But it

is something I must do. Before

now, I wanted a

child and God gave me one. I

don’t want to have

children from different women.

My father had

15 children and I am the last

child. I don’t want

to live like that. The truth is,

I’am not ready to

get married now,” he says.

Unlike most other successful

artistes, Timaya is

not the type to show off his

wealth or material

acquisitions especially on the

social media.

“I don’t show off on social

media because It is

not just my thing. I bought a

Bentley two years

ago and everyone started

buying theirs. I m not

even sure some people know I

own one. I

bought my G-Wagon two years

ago. Some

people will buy a shoe and put

it out there for

everyone to see. I simply don’t

fancy that. Music

has made me rich and it gave

me the

opportunity to travel out of the

country,” he

says.

For now, all that matters to the

artiste, who was

once a backup singer for Eedris

Abdulkareem,

is promoting his newest artiste,

Patoranking, as

well as re-positioning his label,

DM Records, for

the future.

Read More

Nollywood Actress,Mimiano In Serious Auto Accident

Talented Yoruba movie actress

cum producer Memunat

Yunusa popularly known as

Mimiano has survived close

encounter with death this

month in a serious road

accident in Oyo town, Oyo

State, Nigeria.

Mimiano was involved in a

serious car accident yesterday

Wednesday 20th, November,

2013 on her way to a movie

location in the said town.

According to a reliable source,

the actress experienced break

failure in her newly bought

Honda CRV before she ran into

a building and hit the car on

the compound's fence.

Read More

ASUU STRIKE: ''No Negotiation Without Salaries

Implementation of the

agreement between the

Federal Government and

Academic Staff Union of

Universities, ASUU, may

have to be delayed as the

Chairman, Senate

Committee on

Establishment and Public

Service Matters, Aloysius

Etok, has said that the

ongoing negotiations

between the duo would be

null and void without the

input of National Wages

and Salaries Commission.

Senator Etok stated this

during an oversight tour of

the Commission. He said

that under no guise

should the Federal

Government negotiate

salary or wage increase

without the input of the

relevant commission.

He attributed most of the

incessant industrial

actions in the country to

sentimental negotiation for

salary increase in the civil

service.

He said: “We have said

this earlier that on no

account should Federal

Government negotiate

salary increase or

anything that has to do

with wages or salaries

without the input of the

Commission.

“They should avoid the

issue of sentimental

increase or negotiation

and there should be no

exceptions. Four months

is about a semester.”

Etok further stated that

the commission was

expected to have played a

prominent role in the 2009

agreement reached

between the Federal

Government and ASUU.

Questions budget

implementation

The Etok-led committee

also demanded

explanations from the

commission on how the

2013 appropriation was

implemented and why the

impact of the commission

was not felt on civil

servants salaries crises

that threaten some

sectors of the economy

from time to time.

He lamented the

withholding of part of the

2013 budget of the

commission, stressing

that the commission

required funds to carry

out its research-based

projects, calling for its

immediate release so that

the commission can

implement its budget to

the full.

He said: “The commission

might look small but the

importance cannot be

overestimated. We have

come to know your level

of im-plementation of

2013 budget.

“We also want to know the

relevance of the

commission to the Federal

Government; why your

impact is not felt in the

salary problems across

the country; why the

commission would be

there when ASUU is on

strike for months and who

guided the Federal

Govern-ment in the

agreement entered into

with ASUU in 2009?

“You cannot be ruled out

in the scheme of things in

this country.”

“They allowed ASUU

compute its own salary”

Also speaking, Chairman

of the commission, Dr.

Richard Egbule,

exonerated the com-

mission from the

agreement reached

between the Federal

Government and ASUU.

He said: “The Wages

Commission has been up

and doing in everything

concerning wages and

salaries in this country.

“When the controversial

agreement was reached in

2009, we were there but

not as negotiators. We

made it known to them

that the route they were

going was wrong. Today, I

wish to say that ASSU did

not go on strike because

of salaries because we

handled it very well.

“What is controversial was

the excess workload

allowance, but we have

asked them to employ

more lecturers to avoid

excess workload.

“There has never been a

time any agency was

asked to go and compute

its own salary, but they

allowed ASUU to do so.

We needed a structural

increase where

government agency would

be factored in.”

Egbule noted with regret

that successive

leaderships of ASUU had

established the culture of

using industrial action to

announce their arrival.

The Senate committee

visited the National

Assembly Service

Commission, where the

Chairman of the

Commission, Dr. Umaru

Fika, disclosed that N2.5

billion was appropriated to

them in the 2013 fiscal

year.

Implementation of the

agreement between the

Federal Government and

Academic Staff Union of

Universities, ASUU, may

have to be delayed as the

Chairman, Senate

Committee on

Establishment and Public

Service Matters, Aloysius

Etok, has said that the

ongoing negotiations

between the duo would be

null and void without the

input of National Wages

and Salaries Commission.

Senator Etok stated this

during an oversight tour of

the Commission. He said

that under no guise

should the Federal

Government negotiate

salary or wage increase

without the input of the

relevant commission.

He attributed most of the

incessant industrial

actions in the country to

sentimental negotiation for

salary increase in the civil

service.

He said: “We have said

this earlier that on no

account should Federal

Government negotiate

salary increase or

anything that has to do

with wages or salaries

without the input of the

Commission.

“They should avoid the

issue of sentimental

increase or negotiation

and there should be no

exceptions. Four months

is about a semester.”

Etok further stated that

the commission was

expected to have played a

prominent role in the 2009

agreement reached

between the Federal

Government and ASUU.

Questions budget

implementation

The Etok-led committee

also demanded

explanations from the

commission on how the

2013 appropriation was

implemented and why the

impact of the commission

was not felt on civil

servants salaries crises

that threaten some

sectors of the economy

from time to time.

He lamented the

withholding of part of the

2013 budget of the

commission, stressing

that the commission

required funds to carry

out its research-based

projects, calling for its

immediate release so that

the commission can

implement its budget to

the full.

He said: “The commission

might look small but the

importance cannot be

overestimated. We have

come to know your level

of im-plementation of

2013 budget.

“We also want to know the

relevance of the

commission to the Federal

Government; why your

impact is not felt in the

salary problems across

the country; why the

commission would be

there when ASUU is on

strike for months and who

guided the Federal

Govern-ment in the

agreement entered into

with ASUU in 2009?

“You cannot be ruled out

in the scheme of things in

this country.”

“They allowed ASUU

compute its own salary”

Also speaking, Chairman

of the commission, Dr.

Richard Egbule,

exonerated the com-

mission from the

agreement reached

between the Federal

Government and ASUU.

He said: “The Wages

Commission has been up

and doing in everything

concerning wages and

salaries in this country.

“When the controversial

agreement was reached in

2009, we were there but

not as negotiators. We

made it known to them

that the route they were

going was wrong. Today, I

wish to say that ASSU did

not go on strike because

of salaries because we

handled it very well.

“What is controversial was

the excess workload

allowance, but we have

asked them to employ

more lecturers to avoid

excess workload.

“There has never been a

time any agency was

asked to go and compute

its own salary, but they

allowed ASUU to do so.

We needed a structural

increase where

government agency would

be factored in.”

Egbule noted with regret

that successive

leaderships of ASUU had

established the culture of

using industrial action to

announce their arrival.

The Senate committee

visited the National

Assembly Service

Commission, where the

Chairman of the

Commission, Dr. Umaru

Fika, disclosed that N2.5

billion was appropriated to

them in the 2013 fiscal

year.

Read More

ASUU STRIKE: ''No Negotiation Without Salaries

Implementation of the

agreement between the

Federal Government and

Academic Staff Union of

Universities, ASUU, may

have to be delayed as the

Chairman, Senate

Committee on

Establishment and Public

Service Matters, Aloysius

Etok, has said that the

ongoing negotiations

between the duo would be

null and void without the

input of National Wages

and Salaries Commission.

Senator Etok stated this

during an oversight tour of

the Commission. He said

that under no guise

should the Federal

Government negotiate

salary or wage increase

without the input of the

relevant commission.

He attributed most of the

incessant industrial

actions in the country to

sentimental negotiation for

salary increase in the civil

service.

He said: “We have said

this earlier that on no

account should Federal

Government negotiate

salary increase or

anything that has to do

with wages or salaries

without the input of the

Commission.

“They should avoid the

issue of sentimental

increase or negotiation

and there should be no

exceptions. Four months

is about a semester.”

Etok further stated that

the commission was

expected to have played a

prominent role in the 2009

agreement reached

between the Federal

Government and ASUU.

Questions budget

implementation

The Etok-led committee

also demanded

explanations from the

commission on how the

2013 appropriation was

implemented and why the

impact of the commission

was not felt on civil

servants salaries crises

that threaten some

sectors of the economy

from time to time.

He lamented the

withholding of part of the

2013 budget of the

commission, stressing

that the commission

required funds to carry

out its research-based

projects, calling for its

immediate release so that

the commission can

implement its budget to

the full.

He said: “The commission

might look small but the

importance cannot be

overestimated. We have

come to know your level

of im-plementation of

2013 budget.

“We also want to know the

relevance of the

commission to the Federal

Government; why your

impact is not felt in the

salary problems across

the country; why the

commission would be

there when ASUU is on

strike for months and who

guided the Federal

Govern-ment in the

agreement entered into

with ASUU in 2009?

“You cannot be ruled out

in the scheme of things in

this country.”

“They allowed ASUU

compute its own salary”

Also speaking, Chairman

of the commission, Dr.

Richard Egbule,

exonerated the com-

mission from the

agreement reached

between the Federal

Government and ASUU.

He said: “The Wages

Commission has been up

and doing in everything

concerning wages and

salaries in this country.

“When the controversial

agreement was reached in

2009, we were there but

not as negotiators. We

made it known to them

that the route they were

going was wrong. Today, I

wish to say that ASSU did

not go on strike because

of salaries because we

handled it very well.

“What is controversial was

the excess workload

allowance, but we have

asked them to employ

more lecturers to avoid

excess workload.

“There has never been a

time any agency was

asked to go and compute

its own salary, but they

allowed ASUU to do so.

We needed a structural

increase where

government agency would

be factored in.”

Egbule noted with regret

that successive

leaderships of ASUU had

established the culture of

using industrial action to

announce their arrival.

The Senate committee

visited the National

Assembly Service

Commission, where the

Chairman of the

Commission, Dr. Umaru

Fika, disclosed that N2.5

billion was appropriated to

them in the 2013 fiscal

year.

Implementation of the

agreement between the

Federal Government and

Academic Staff Union of

Universities, ASUU, may

have to be delayed as the

Chairman, Senate

Committee on

Establishment and Public

Service Matters, Aloysius

Etok, has said that the

ongoing negotiations

between the duo would be

null and void without the

input of National Wages

and Salaries Commission.

Senator Etok stated this

during an oversight tour of

the Commission. He said

that under no guise

should the Federal

Government negotiate

salary or wage increase

without the input of the

relevant commission.

He attributed most of the

incessant industrial

actions in the country to

sentimental negotiation for

salary increase in the civil

service.

He said: “We have said

this earlier that on no

account should Federal

Government negotiate

salary increase or

anything that has to do

with wages or salaries

without the input of the

Commission.

“They should avoid the

issue of sentimental

increase or negotiation

and there should be no

exceptions. Four months

is about a semester.”

Etok further stated that

the commission was

expected to have played a

prominent role in the 2009

agreement reached

between the Federal

Government and ASUU.

Questions budget

implementation

The Etok-led committee

also demanded

explanations from the

commission on how the

2013 appropriation was

implemented and why the

impact of the commission

was not felt on civil

servants salaries crises

that threaten some

sectors of the economy

from time to time.

He lamented the

withholding of part of the

2013 budget of the

commission, stressing

that the commission

required funds to carry

out its research-based

projects, calling for its

immediate release so that

the commission can

implement its budget to

the full.

He said: “The commission

might look small but the

importance cannot be

overestimated. We have

come to know your level

of im-plementation of

2013 budget.

“We also want to know the

relevance of the

commission to the Federal

Government; why your

impact is not felt in the

salary problems across

the country; why the

commission would be

there when ASUU is on

strike for months and who

guided the Federal

Govern-ment in the

agreement entered into

with ASUU in 2009?

“You cannot be ruled out

in the scheme of things in

this country.”

“They allowed ASUU

compute its own salary”

Also speaking, Chairman

of the commission, Dr.

Richard Egbule,

exonerated the com-

mission from the

agreement reached

between the Federal

Government and ASUU.

He said: “The Wages

Commission has been up

and doing in everything

concerning wages and

salaries in this country.

“When the controversial

agreement was reached in

2009, we were there but

not as negotiators. We

made it known to them

that the route they were

going was wrong. Today, I

wish to say that ASSU did

not go on strike because

of salaries because we

handled it very well.

“What is controversial was

the excess workload

allowance, but we have

asked them to employ

more lecturers to avoid

excess workload.

“There has never been a

time any agency was

asked to go and compute

its own salary, but they

allowed ASUU to do so.

We needed a structural

increase where

government agency would

be factored in.”

Egbule noted with regret

that successive

leaderships of ASUU had

established the culture of

using industrial action to

announce their arrival.

The Senate committee

visited the National

Assembly Service

Commission, where the

Chairman of the

Commission, Dr. Umaru

Fika, disclosed that N2.5

billion was appropriated to

them in the 2013 fiscal

year.

Read More

Update On University Lecturer Arrested By SSS for Boko Haram

The State Security Service

on Wednesday paraded an

assistant lecturer in Arabic

and Islamic studies at the

Kogi State University,

Muhammad Yunus, for

recruiting and coordinating

a Boko Haram cell in Kogi

State.

The SSS said Yunus, who is

the spiritual leader, runs a

terrorist group which

comprised Umar Musa,

head of operations/

instructor; Mustapha Yusuf

(aka Habib); armourer/chief

courier, Ismaila Abdulazeez,

a foot soldier; and Ibrahim

Isah (a.k.a one in town),

who is also a foot soldier.

Muhammed Yunus, a PhD

holder, is however insisting

that he is being set up by

Boko Haram:

" I don’t have any link

with Boko Haram, in

fact I preached

against them, that is

why they have set me

up . You can go to Jos

and ask for my tapes,

I preached against

them. Islam doesn’t

support blood-

shedding and I don’t

support it too."

SSS Deputy Director, Media

and Public Relations,

Marilyn Ogar, while briefing

newsmen, explained that

the terror cell planned to

launch attacks in Kogi State

before they were

apprehended.

She explained that until his

arrest, Yunus had held

several preaching sessions

every last Saturday and

Sunday of the month at

Ethnosho Secondary School

in Dekina LGA of the State

where he had about 80

adherents.

Marilyn Ogar said the

lecturer, who is a very

active member of ASUU in

the university, maintained

extensive links with Boko

Haram cells in Borno State

where he referred some of

his followers to terrorist

training.

“In March 2013, he

facilitated the trip of two of

his adherents to Boko

Haram’s Sambisa Camp in

Maiduguri, Bornu State

where they received training

in weapon handling. They

are Mustapha Yusuf and

Ismaila Abdulazeez who are

now under arrest. They

were able to escape and

returned back to him in

August 2013, following the

military invasion of the

camp,” Ogar added.

The SSS spokesperson said

Yunus holds a Masters

degree from the University

of Jos and a Ph.D in Arabic

and Islamic Studies from

Koki State University, in

2012.

The lecturer, Muhammad

Yunus, is denying all the

allegations of the SSS,

insisting he is not a Boko

Haram but his claim was

punctured by Yusuf,

Abdulazeez and Isah, who

insisted that he had been

teaching them about Jihad

and how to exploit it to

install Sharia in Kogi State.

Who is lying and who is

telling the truth? Should the

SSS get the lecturer's tapes

to confirm his claims?

Read More

AAUA pulls out of ASUU’s strike, orders students to resume on Monday

The Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko

(AAUA) in Ondo State has pulled out of the

ongoing Academic Staff Union of

Universities’ (ASUU)strike.

In a statement issued and signed by its

Registrar, R.B Olotu, the school had ordered its

students to resume for the second semester on

November 25th, 2013, thereby boycotting the

nationwide strike.

Already, the ongoing

industrial action has

lasted for over four

months.

The statement reads,

“All Students of

AAUA are hereby

informed that

academic activities of

the 2nd semester of

2012/2013 session

truncated as a result

of the ASUU national

strike are to resume

on Monday, 25th

November, 2013 with

the continuation of

registration on the

University portal,

while lectures are to

start on Mon, 2nd

December, 2013.

Read More

Yorubas To Celebrate 200 Years In Ghana

Yorubas from all over

Ghana will converge on the

Aviation Social Centre in

Accra on Saturday,

November 23, 2013 to mark

the anniversary of the

arrival of their ancestors in

the Gold Coast 200 years

ago.

The Yorubas are an ethnic

group found mainly in the

western part of Nigeria.

Some of their major towns

are Lagos, Ibadan, Ilorin,

Ogbomosho, Offa, Oshogbo,

Abeokuta, Shaki, Oyo and

Ijebu-Ode.

In the colonial days, when

the then Gold Coast and

Nigeria were under British

rule, people from both

countries travelled to each

other’s country as traders

or public servants.

The first group of Yorubas

arrived in the Gold Coast

around 1813 and initially

settled in such places as

Accra, Kumasi and Sekondi

before moving to the

northern part of the Gold

Coast, especially Tamale,

Wa, Lawra and Nandom.

On Saturday, the Head of

the Yoruba Community in

Accra, Chief Barrister

Basiru Peregrino Brimah,

who is acclaimed as the

leader of the Yorubas in

Ghana, will receive other

heads of Yoruba

communities in Kumasi,

Sekondi, Koforidua,

Ashiaman, Cape Coast,

Tamale and other major

towns in Ghana to

commemorate the

migration of their ancestors

to the Gold Coast.

Expected in Accra for the

great occasion are Alhaji

Ahmed Rufai Alao III, the

Head of the Yoruba

Community in Kumasi, and

his counterparts Alhaji

Abdul Wahab Raheem from

Koforidua, Alhaji Rahman

Babatunde Ajayi from

Ashiaman and Alhaji Abdul

Salami Adeniyi Amao Saka

from Kasoa.

Other Yoruba leaders

expected are Alhaji Shaibu

Adebayo Bamijoko from

Cape Coast, Alhaji

Muhamadu Raji from

Sekondi and Alhaji Ibrahim

Bawa Yusif from Tamale,

who will be accompanied

by the Chairman of the

Yoruba Community in the

Northern Region, Mr Moses

Oladele.

According to Alhaji Musah

Baba, the President of the

Nigerian Community in

Ghana, Yoruba Heritage

Awards would be presented

to the former Lagos

State Governor, Asiwaju

Bola Tinubu, as well as the

governors of Oyo and

Oshun States, Senator

Abiola Ajimobi and Alhaji

Rauf Arabgesola,

respectively, and the

Chairman of the Energy

Bank, Ghana, Barrister

Jimoh Ibrahim.

Other recipients of the

heritage award are the wife

of the Ekiti State governor,

Chief Bisi Fayemi; the Aare

Musilimu of Yorubaland,

Alhaji Arisekola Alao; the

veteran actor and writer,

Adebayo Faleti, and a

former Nigerian High

Commissioner to Ghana,

Alhaji Musiliu Obanikoro.

Alhaji Baba also hinted that

a book titled, “Exploits of A

Migrant Community:

Chronicle of Yorubas in

Ghana”, would be launched

as part of the celebrations.

The Nigerian High

Commissioner to Ghana, Mr

Ademola Oluseyi

Onafookan, will be the chief

host at the ceremony.

Source: Dr. Brimah

Read More

Shocking: Reverend Father Arraigned for Defrauding Seminarians

A 29-year-old Rev. Father,

Anthony Marie Wendji, was

on Tuesday arraigned for

alleged cheating before a

Makurdi Magistrates’ Court.

The prosecuting officer,

Insp. James Zungwe, told

the court that the case was

transferred from ‘A’

Division Police Station,

Gboko, to the State CID,

Makurdi.

According to the transfer

letter, one Simon Onyeabo

reported that the accused

dishonestly deceived him

that he was a Reverend

Father assigned to train

seminarians for Holy Face

Congregation.

The complainant stated

further that the accused

under that pretext,

appointed him as

coordinator and induced

him to collect the sum of

N70,000 each from

Seminary Applicants for the

training.

He disclosed that the total

money collected was

N840,000 from the 12

applicants and the

“Reverend” who is said to

come from Bangassou,

Central African Republic,

promised to take them to

Cameroun after training.

Simon Onyeabo said that

they later discovered while

on training at Holy Face

Community House

established by the

Reverend in Gboko that he

was operating an illegal

institution.

He said that the reverend

had no approval either from

the Corporate Affairs

Commission or Diocese of

Gboko to operate the

institution.

The complainant stated that

when the accused realised

that they had discovered

his secret, he sent them

away without refunding

their money or sending

them to Cameroun as he

promised, and he even went

ahead to recruit new

seminarians.

During police investigation,

the Reverend Father was

arrested for the alleged

offence. The prosecutor

said that the offence

contravened Section 324 of

the Penal Code.

When the case came up for

mention, Rev. Father,

Anthony pleaded not guilty.

The Magistrate, Mrs

Theresa Wergbah, granted

him bail in the sum of

N50,000 and a surety. The

case was thus adjourned to

January 16, 2014, for trial.

Read More

How This Bad Guy Send Robbers To Rob His Father Of N61m

31-year-old Kabiru Mohammed,

has confessed and opened up

how he hired a seven-man

robbery gang to steal $383,000

(N61,280,000) from his own

father in Lagos. Below are his

confession:

“My father is a bureau de

change operator at the

airport. I am the one who

arranged a seven-man

armed robbery gang led by

Godogodo to rob my older

brother, Ibrahim who was

carrying my father’s money

amounting to $383,000.

“I told the gang that my

father had dollars. The first

operation was when Ibrahim

wanted to convey money

from local airport to

international airport, I called

Godogodo and gave him the

car number plate and the

colour of the car. I told

them not to kill my brother,

but to shoot into the air. I

knew my brother would

release the money because

my father told us not to

drag money with armed

robbers. They collected

$350,000 and gave me only

two bundles which is

$20,000.

“In the second operation

they stopped my brother in

front of Air Force Bus Stop

and collected $33,000 and

they gave me $8,000.”

The suspect, who is now in SARS

custody, also confessed to be

part of the deadly Godogodo

gang.

“I am a member of the robbery

gang. My role is to find targets

and also information which I

give to the gang. That is why

they call me ‘Target man’.”

Another suspect, Okechukwu

Lawrence, who was arrested

alongside Mohammed,

confessed that he was the one

handling the weapons for the

gang.

The indigene of Imo State said,

“My work is to keep ammunition

for the gang after collecting

AK47 rifles from the policemen

the gang shot dead. I joined the

gang to get enough money to

boost my spare parts business

in Ladipo market.”

The dangerous Godogodo has

also owned up to the crime.

Police Public Relations Officer,

Ngozi Braide, told Punch that the

suspects would soon be charged

to court.

Read More

Husband, Wife & His Wife's Mother Arrested For Stealing N13m From Popular Church

A security officer, Pius Edward,

his wife Fausat and the wife's

mother, have all been arrested

by the men of the Nigeria police

force, Oyo State Police

Command, in connection with

the theft of N13m from Bishop’s

Court, a popular Anglican church

located in the Bodija area of

Ibadan.

“On November 9, at about

9am, an accountant

attached to Bishop’s Court,

Bodija, Ibadan, reported to

the Special Anti-Robbery

Squad office that on

November 8, at 11.55pm,

Edward broke into the office

and made away with N13m

which belongs to the

church.

“Investigation revealed that

the suspect was hiding in a

hotel at Odeda in Ogun

State. With the help of

immigration office, Ogun

State Command, the

suspect and his family were

allow to procure travelling

document to Dubai without

letting him know that he

was being lured out of his

hiding place. He was

arrested thereafter at Idi-

Iroko, Ogun State with two

unregistered car he had

purchased with part of the

money.”

Edward, a security officer at the

church was said to have broken

into an office where the money

was kept and made away with

it. It was alleged that he woke

his wife the following morning

and told her to prepare for a

journey with the children.

After the theft was reported by

one of the reverends in the

church, the police were,

however, able to trace his

movement and nabbed him at

after a diligent intelligence

operation. The corrupt security

officer was planning to relocate

his family to Dubai in the United

Arab Emirates.

The state Commissioner of

Police, Mohammed Ndabawa,

said Edwards’ in-law’s

involvement was helping the

family disappear from Nigeria by

facilitating the procurement of

their travel documents.

Also recovered from him were

N656,000 and $2,300, while

Edward said he tore a N7m

cheque belonging to the church

for fear of being arrested while

attempting to cash it. In a chat

with Punch, Edward claimed that

he only stole N2.5m and that he

purchased N1.8m cars from the

loot.

“I pushed my wife into the crime.

My mother in-law was involved

because she introduced me to

the immigration officer that

helped us procure the travelling

document ,” he insisted.

His wife, Fausat said she did not

know that her husband had

stolen the money. “ He

threatened to leave me with the

children if I did not follow

him. So I followed him. He did

not tell me that he stole money

from the church,” she cried.

Read More

Lagos Spiritualist Rapés Lady Who Went to Him for Deliverance, Now She's Pregnant

A popular spiritualist, Ifatade

Elegbeleye, has been arrested by

men of the Nigeria Police Force

in Lagos and charged before an

Ojokoro Magistrates’ Court,

Lagos, for defrauding a woman

seeking husband. He allegedly

swindled the gullible woman of

N2m and forcefully slept with her

in his 'chamber'.

31-year-old Temidayo Akinwale,

a businesswoman who is now

pregnant, suffered the ugly fate

when she went to the spiritualist

to deliver her from strange

spirits that prevented her from

getting a husband.

Funny enough, in his response,

Ifatade told the court that he

indeed delivered her of spiritual

husband. Asked if he slept with

her and got her pregnancy, the

spiritualist said:

"No comment." But the incident

allegedly happened right inside

his 'chamber' located at Ayobo

in Lagos.

The accused was arraigned on a

six-count charge of fraud,

stealing and obtaining sex under

false pretences.

Elegbeleye who is cooling his

heels in prison custody,

according to the police, lured his

victim to a shrine and told her

that he needed to perform some

rituals to deliver her from

spiritual husband that prevented

her from getting a husband all

these years.

The 65-year-old mother of the

victim, Mrs. Mary Akinwale, while

testifying before the court,

narrated how the accused lured

her daughter to his shrine, raped

and impregnated her.

The distraught mother told the

court that Elegbeleye prophesied

to her daughter that she was

possessed with a spiritual

husband that would prevent her

from getting married and asked

her to pay some amount of

money for spiritual cleansing.

She said that her daughter who

was afraid of the prophesy, paid

the money and was taking to a

river in the midnight at Ipaja

area, where she was bathed with

spiritual soap, adding that after

the bath, she still could not get

a husband. She said the accused

invited her daughter again to his

shrine and rapéd her, adding that

she is now pregnant.

The presiding Magistrate, O.A.

Layinka granted him bail in the

sum of N200,000 with two

sureties. The matter was

adjourned till 21 December for

continuation of trial.

Read More

APC to INEC: You Don't Need Court Order to Cancel Anambra's Tainted Election

The All Progressives

Congress (APC) has

accused INEC of

being economical with the

truth by saying only the

courts can order

the cancellation of last

Saturday's governorship

election in Anambra,

in which about 1.3 million

of the 1.7 million

registered voters

were nable to exercise

their franchise.

In a statement issued in

Lagos on Tuesday by its

Interim National Publicity

Secretary, Alhaji Lai

Mohammed, the party

reminded INEC that it did

not wait for a court order

to cancel the National

Assembly

elections in 2011, when it

was obvious that many

voters across the country

could not vote due to the

late arrival or non-delivery

of voting materials.

"'In announcing the

cancellation of the

National Assembly

election in 2011,

INEC Chairman

Attahiru Jega

said, among others,

that it was to

' maintain the

integrity of the

elections and retain

effective overall

control of the

process '."

APC said the situation in

Anambra last Saturday

was even more

serious because, in

addition to the fact that

voting materials were

either late or not delivered

at all, most voters

were disenfranchised by

an INEC official who

apparently tampered with

the 2011 Voters' Register

for the state.

''Therefore, there are more

compelling reasons now

to cancel the Anambra

governorship election than

what led to the

cancellation and

rescheduling of the

National Assembly

election in 2011, unless of

course INEC is still acting

out the script handed to it

for the ill-fated election,''

the party said.

It also said since the

integrity of the 2011

Voters' Register has

been compromised by

tampering, that register

can no longer be relied

upon by INEC to organize

any election in Nigeria.

''The emerging allegations

are very serious. First, the

Voters' Register for

Anambra has been

allegedly tampered with

by an INEC official to

disenfranchise a huge

number of voters, to such

an extent that only

451,826 voters were

accredited out of the

1,763,751 registered

voters in Anambra State.

''Secondly, the

disenfranchisement

started from the data

capturing stage, when the

machine was apparently

manipulated not to

capture those whose

names start with 'O' or 'U',

and that is a whole lot of

people. Against this

background, it is

obvious to all fair-minded

people, not the rabidly

partisan PDP, that

INEC's computer data-

base must have been

fraudulently, irreparably

and totally adulterated

such that no credible

Voters' Register can

anymore be produced

from the 2011 voters'

registration data.

''That is why we are not

just calling for the

cancellation of

the Anambra governorship

election, but also saying

that even a fresh election

cannot and must not be

conducted on the basis of

the 2011 Voters' Register.

Unless Nigeria embarks

on another

voters' registration

exercise, it is doubtful if

INEC has the ability to

ameliorate the damages

already done to 2011

registration information by

its corrupt and inept

officials.

''That is why we are

calling on Prof. Jega not

to withhold the name

of the main saboteur in

Saturday's poll, and to

also investigate the level

to which the Voters'

Register has been

compromised, fish out

all those involved, find out

who their sponsors are

and make all of them to

face justice,'' APC said.

Meanwhile, the party has

described as very strange

indeed the role of the

presidency and the PDP in

the ongoing debate over

the Anambra election.

''The conventional wisdom

is that political parties

take their bearing from

their candidates on

election day. But in the

case of the PDP and the

Presidency, not only have

they abandoned their

candidate in the

Anambra poll, who

himself has derided the

election and called for

its cancellation, they have

also disowned him by

going ahead to hail

the poll as free and fair.

''It is now glaring to all

that the disgrace that

INEC has suffered from

the Anambra debacle is

because the electoral

body is acting out the

script written by the

Presidency and APGA for

the election. The claim by

the PDP spokesman that

our party is trying to

discredit the entire

electoral process is as

shallow as it is laughable.

''Pray, how more can you

discredit an election that

the organizer itself (INEC)

has admitted was

sabotaged by its own

officials? Is it the APC

that revealed the

information concerning

the role of

INEC saboteurs? Did the

PDP candidate find his

name on the voters'

register used for

Saturday's election?

Obviously, things have

fallen apart in the

contraption called the

PDP and the centre can

no long hold there,'' it

said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

Interim National Publicity

Secretary

All Progressives Congress

(APC)

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N255m Cars Scandal: Jonathan Under Pressure To Cover Stella

The committee set up by

President Gooodluck

Jonathan has submitted

it's own report but it

seems the content is not

in favour of the Minister

of Aviation, Stella Oduah.

Hence, 'politricks' has

commenced to save her.

President Jonathan is

currently under intense

pressure to spare the

embattled Minister of

Aviation, Ms Oduah, over

her role in the purchase of

two bulletproof BMW cars

by the Nigerian Civil

Aviation Authority

Investigation by Punch

has revealed that the

people that are asking

Jonathan to save the

neck of Oduah were said

to be telling the President

not to mind the report of

the administrative panel

he set up to investigate

the minister’s role in the

controversial N255m

luxury cars.

The panel headed by a

former Head of the Civil

Service of the Federation,

Alhaji Isa Bello, had

submitted its report to

Jonathan since last

Wednesday but the

President has not said

anything about its content.

A source told our

correspondent that a top

government official from

the South-East, the same

geopolitical zone with the

embattled minister, is

currently in the forefront

of the campaign to save

her. The source however

did not disclose the

identities of those who

have been enlisted in the

campaign.

He said that part of the

campaign agenda had

started manifesting in a

section of the media

where the content of the

panel’s report was being

speculated with a view to

giving the minister an

edge.

“There is no development

on the matter yet because

there is a lot of pressure.

W e know who the

arrowhead of the

campaign is,” the source

said.

Jonathan will be leaving

Nigeria for London on

Wednesday without

making a pronouncement

on the issue.

The delay in making

pronouncement on the

report is being seen as a

way of buying time for the

minister.

Critics at the onset had

said the probe panel by

Jonathan was set up to

divert attention from the

armoured car purchase

and to also cover up the

minister. The right agency

to handle Stella Oduah's

issue is the EFCC.

Read More