that Arsenal were more deserving of the
“boring” epithet after his team closed on the
Premier League title with a 0-0 draw on
Sunday.
Arsenal ‘boring’, not Chelsea, says Mourinho
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho claimed
that Arsenal were more deserving of the
“boring” epithet after his team closed on the
Premier League title with a 0-0 draw on
Sunday.
that Arsenal were more deserving of the
“boring” epithet after his team closed on the
Premier League title with a 0-0 draw on
Sunday.
Chelsea’s Oscar taken to hospital after blow
Chelsea midfielder Oscar was taken to
hospital for scans after hurting himself in a
collision with Arsenal goalkeeper David
Ospina during Sunday’s 0-0 draw, manager
Jose Mourinho revealed.
hospital for scans after hurting himself in a
collision with Arsenal goalkeeper David
Ospina during Sunday’s 0-0 draw, manager
Jose Mourinho revealed.
Police arrest 60 after clash between NDLEA, drug addicts in Kwara
Ilorin – The Kwara Police Command on
Sunday said it arrested 60 suspects
connected with Saturday’s clash between
officers of the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and drug
addicts in Ilorin.
Sunday said it arrested 60 suspects
connected with Saturday’s clash between
officers of the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and drug
addicts in Ilorin.
Police say seven killed in Kano pedestrian bridge collapse
Kano – No fewer than seven people were
killed in Kano on Sunday when a pedestrian
bridge at Dorayi quarters, Kano, collapsed,
the state Police Command said.
killed in Kano on Sunday when a pedestrian
bridge at Dorayi quarters, Kano, collapsed,
the state Police Command said.
Arsenal stalemate delays Chelsea coronation
Chelsea must wait at least another week for
the Premier League title after drawing 0-0
with Arsenal in a niggly, physical encounter
at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
the Premier League title after drawing 0-0
with Arsenal in a niggly, physical encounter
at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
FAYOSE: Fuelling unending crises in Ekiti?
Since his assumption into office in June
2014, Governor Ayodele Peter Fayose and
the lawmakers elected on the platform of the
All Progressives Congress, APC, have been
locked in a battle of wits.
Mr Fayose’s entrance for the governorship
primary of the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, last year proved that he was bound to
encounter many battles.
Though he was favoured by the presidency at
the end of the PDP exercise, that did not
deter the many hurdles that lay ahead of him.
However, analysts argue that Fayose’s
emergence as the governor has left the state
in shambles owing to the perceived negative
image portrayed by the governor.
2014, Governor Ayodele Peter Fayose and
the lawmakers elected on the platform of the
All Progressives Congress, APC, have been
locked in a battle of wits.
Mr Fayose’s entrance for the governorship
primary of the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, last year proved that he was bound to
encounter many battles.
Though he was favoured by the presidency at
the end of the PDP exercise, that did not
deter the many hurdles that lay ahead of him.
However, analysts argue that Fayose’s
emergence as the governor has left the state
in shambles owing to the perceived negative
image portrayed by the governor.
Okocha, Lawal, Taribo relieve USA ’94, Atlanta ’96 memories
Former Super Eagles captain, Austin Okocha
was looking every inch in tip-top shape on
April 8 , when he stepped on the synthetic
field of the Campos mini stadium in Lagos.
was looking every inch in tip-top shape on
April 8 , when he stepped on the synthetic
field of the Campos mini stadium in Lagos.
Pedestrian bridge collapses on taxi, 5 fear dead in Kano
By Abdulsalam Muhammad
KANO – Five passengers in a taxi were
believed to have died Sunday evening in
Kano when a pedestrian bridge under
construction on Sheik Jafar road collapsed
on the moving cab.
KANO – Five passengers in a taxi were
believed to have died Sunday evening in
Kano when a pedestrian bridge under
construction on Sheik Jafar road collapsed
on the moving cab.
Nigerian Nurses Call on NANNM to Recognize Justina Ejelonu on International Nurses Day
Nigerian Nurses have unanimously called
on the Leadership of the National
Association of Nigerian Nurses (NANNM)
to leverage on the international nurses
day celebration coming up on the 12th
of May 2015 at the NAF Conference hall
in Abuja to recognize the gallant efforts
of the late justina ejelonu in the fight
against the deadly ebola virus.
on the Leadership of the National
Association of Nigerian Nurses (NANNM)
to leverage on the international nurses
day celebration coming up on the 12th
of May 2015 at the NAF Conference hall
in Abuja to recognize the gallant efforts
of the late justina ejelonu in the fight
against the deadly ebola virus.
Nigerian drug accredited as cancer remedy
There appears to be imminent
breakthrough in the fight against
cancer, an incurable ailment that is
currently ravaging the whole world.
breakthrough in the fight against
cancer, an incurable ailment that is
currently ravaging the whole world.
Tale of 3 Nollywood damsels who dumped their boyfriends
Beautiful, chic, talented and sexy, are the
words to describe these three Nollywood
damsels, Lizzy Gold Onuwaje, Chiamaka
Nwokeukwu and Peggy Onah.
words to describe these three Nollywood
damsels, Lizzy Gold Onuwaje, Chiamaka
Nwokeukwu and Peggy Onah.
My late father’s greatest wish was for me to get married — Harrysong
Five Star Music signee and songwriter,
Harrysong, recently said he has no
immediate plans to get married, as his music
career is his major focus for now. However,
with the demise of his father, the bald-
headed singer might have to make a u-turn
pretty soon.
Harrysong, recently said he has no
immediate plans to get married, as his music
career is his major focus for now. However,
with the demise of his father, the bald-
headed singer might have to make a u-turn
pretty soon.
Jonathan prays for Buhari’s govt
Ben Agande, Abuja
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday
prayed for the in-coming administration of
General Muhammadu Buhari. The President
has also admonished Nigerian leaders at
various levels of government to be ready to
make sacrifices for the growth of the nation,
stressing that Nigerians should not allow the
challenges of today to weigh them down.
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday
prayed for the in-coming administration of
General Muhammadu Buhari. The President
has also admonished Nigerian leaders at
various levels of government to be ready to
make sacrifices for the growth of the nation,
stressing that Nigerians should not allow the
challenges of today to weigh them down.
Biometric registration
By Emeka Aginam
As the June, 2015 deadline for bank
customers to get their Bank Verification
Number (BVN) draws closer, customers are
in the last minutes rush to enrol on the
exercise.
As the June, 2015 deadline for bank
customers to get their Bank Verification
Number (BVN) draws closer, customers are
in the last minutes rush to enrol on the
exercise.
‘What N-Delta wants from President Buhari’
By Jimitota Onoyume
Doris MacDaniels is the Chairperson of
Ijaw Mothers Union, a group at the forefront
of the campaign for a better Niger Delta. She
is also a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, in Rivers State and the Deputy
Publicity Secretary, South South Peoples
Assembly, SSPA.
Doris MacDaniels is the Chairperson of
Ijaw Mothers Union, a group at the forefront
of the campaign for a better Niger Delta. She
is also a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, in Rivers State and the Deputy
Publicity Secretary, South South Peoples
Assembly, SSPA.
Don’t merge NDDC with ministry, N/Delta youths warn Buhari
By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau
Youths of the oil producing Niger Delta
region have warned the in-coming
administration of Major General Muham-
madu Buhari against reducing the Niger
Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to a
parastatal under the Ministry of Niger Delta
Affairs.
Youths of the oil producing Niger Delta
region have warned the in-coming
administration of Major General Muham-
madu Buhari against reducing the Niger
Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to a
parastatal under the Ministry of Niger Delta
Affairs.
Buhari’s government: ICT stakeholders set digital agenda
By Emeka Aginam
Although technology was at the center of
the just concluded 2015 elections, Nigerian
IT practitioners have expressed fresh
concern saying that Nigeria may not reap the
benefits of digital economy of the 21st
century unless the incoming government
listens to the wake up call of making
Information Technology the centerpiece of
national development mission.
Although technology was at the center of
the just concluded 2015 elections, Nigerian
IT practitioners have expressed fresh
concern saying that Nigeria may not reap the
benefits of digital economy of the 21st
century unless the incoming government
listens to the wake up call of making
Information Technology the centerpiece of
national development mission.
Buhari’s government: ICT stakeholders set digital agenda
By Emeka Aginam
Although technology was at the center of
the just concluded 2015 elections, Nigerian
IT practitioners have expressed fresh
concern saying that Nigeria may not reap the
benefits of digital economy of the 21st
century unless the incoming government
listens to the wake up call of making
Information Technology the centerpiece of
national development mission.
For the IT Professionals who believe that
they have been totally eclipsed out of the
process against the spirit of Nigeria Local
Content ACT 2010 and
the Computer Professionals Registration
Council of Nigeri
(CPN)Act 49 of 1993,the gains of digital
promise of the knowledge economy is at
stake unless the new government makes IT
a national priority.
According to the concerned IT experts,
Nigeria will continue to be digitally colonized
if she fails to take advantage of the digital
promise and opportunities of knowledge
automation presented by the 21st century
information society
Pay attention to indigenous products -Uwaje
For transparent leadership and governance,
the immediate President of Institute of
Practitioners of Nigeria, ISPON, Chris Uwaje
who has been preaching local content said
that the incoming government must pay
attention to locally developed solution to free
the country from digital slavery by the
western powers.
“I am concerned, just like other IT
Professionals and Practitioners that while
technology is at the center of the electoral
processes, this is the time to pay attention to
IT as the bedrock of national development.
“General Muhammadu Buhari is elected to
govern 180 million Nigerians, but he may not
deliver the dividend of Democracy, unless
Information Technology and IT Professionals
are at the centre of his leadership program.
“ It is practically impossible today to govern
effectively and transparently without
Information Technology.
“IT has made the great difference in the
2015 Presidential election. It has relatively
rescued transparency and restored truth as
the ultimate currency for the prosperous
future of Nigeria. Therefore, sustaining the
critical path and role of information
technology to deliver peoples-first, smart
and innovative governance is a strategic
imperative for our survivability and global
competitiveness”, the Oracle of the Nigerian
IT industry who championed the IT policy
blueprint in 2001 said.
To resolve the national IT challenge, Uwaje
who many industry watchers see as the next
President of the Nigerian Computer Society,
(NCS) said that the new government must
do the following:
*Mandatory automation of all Government
processes, functions and operations (long
overdue)
*Create a consolidated and centralized
National Database (overdue 40 years ago)
*Establish Office of the Chief Information
Technology General of the Federation
*Approve the pending National Software
Strategic Policy and Cyber Security Bill.
(long Overdue)
*Create ten IT or Knowledge Innovation
Parks in the 1st 100 Days in Office
*Establish two Software Engineering
Institutes (SEI) within two years in Office –
in fulfilment of the spirit of the Local Content
Development ACT
*Convert the NYSC to an IT Retooling Camp
as IT capacity Disaster Recovery Strategy
*Create a meaningful stimulus Package to
empower the IT Industry.
Recognize importance of ICT in socio-
economic dev—ISPON
In the opinion of the President of ISPON,
Pious Okigbo Junior, Nigeria may not attain
digital economy unless the new government
recognizes the importance of ICT in the
socio-economi development.
“My expectation is that the incoming
administration will recognize the immense
importance of ICT in development (social and
economic) and set in play policies to drive
economic development with ICT. There isn’t
much one can hope for until they layout what
their vision for the nation is in the coming
years. We can only hope that the gains made
by GEJ in the sector will be built on”, the
ISPON President said.
Culture of process automation in governance
—AfICTA
Also speaking, former President of
Information Technology Association of
Nigeria, ITAN, Dr. Jimson Olufuye who is
also the Chairman of the Africa Information &
Communication Technologies Alliance,
AFICTA, for a better governance, he expected
Buhari’s “Change” to affect government ICT
culture.
“I expect a culture of process automation of
all government service deliverables to
citizens as minimum requirement to foster
anti-corruption and transparency campaign.
Also, I expect ICT regulation and oversight
role of government streamlined for better
service delivery to industry actors (e.g.
Telcos).
“Iam particularly interested in strong
government engagement with ICT
stakeholders locally as it is done in Egypt
where government is actively involved in
developing the ICT industry and
internationally at the UNCSTD, WSIS, ICANN,
ITU and AU”, he explained.
IT Professionals in government boards—Awe
In building a digital society, the role of IT
professionals, according to Jide Awe,
Innovation and Development Advisor cannot
be restricted to contract awards, supply,
provision and support of IT solutions.
IT professionals, he noted should to be
represented at the highest levels in the
policy and decision making process.
Gaps In cyber security
For Awe, gaps in cyber Security and IT
legislation portend grave implications for IT
development and national security.
“The enactment of relevant laws has been
slow. The call for strategic intervention to
fast track the enactment of appropriate
legislation is long overdue”he said.
Although technology was at the center of
the just concluded 2015 elections, Nigerian
IT practitioners have expressed fresh
concern saying that Nigeria may not reap the
benefits of digital economy of the 21st
century unless the incoming government
listens to the wake up call of making
Information Technology the centerpiece of
national development mission.
For the IT Professionals who believe that
they have been totally eclipsed out of the
process against the spirit of Nigeria Local
Content ACT 2010 and
the Computer Professionals Registration
Council of Nigeri
(CPN)Act 49 of 1993,the gains of digital
promise of the knowledge economy is at
stake unless the new government makes IT
a national priority.
According to the concerned IT experts,
Nigeria will continue to be digitally colonized
if she fails to take advantage of the digital
promise and opportunities of knowledge
automation presented by the 21st century
information society
Pay attention to indigenous products -Uwaje
For transparent leadership and governance,
the immediate President of Institute of
Practitioners of Nigeria, ISPON, Chris Uwaje
who has been preaching local content said
that the incoming government must pay
attention to locally developed solution to free
the country from digital slavery by the
western powers.
“I am concerned, just like other IT
Professionals and Practitioners that while
technology is at the center of the electoral
processes, this is the time to pay attention to
IT as the bedrock of national development.
“General Muhammadu Buhari is elected to
govern 180 million Nigerians, but he may not
deliver the dividend of Democracy, unless
Information Technology and IT Professionals
are at the centre of his leadership program.
“ It is practically impossible today to govern
effectively and transparently without
Information Technology.
“IT has made the great difference in the
2015 Presidential election. It has relatively
rescued transparency and restored truth as
the ultimate currency for the prosperous
future of Nigeria. Therefore, sustaining the
critical path and role of information
technology to deliver peoples-first, smart
and innovative governance is a strategic
imperative for our survivability and global
competitiveness”, the Oracle of the Nigerian
IT industry who championed the IT policy
blueprint in 2001 said.
To resolve the national IT challenge, Uwaje
who many industry watchers see as the next
President of the Nigerian Computer Society,
(NCS) said that the new government must
do the following:
*Mandatory automation of all Government
processes, functions and operations (long
overdue)
*Create a consolidated and centralized
National Database (overdue 40 years ago)
*Establish Office of the Chief Information
Technology General of the Federation
*Approve the pending National Software
Strategic Policy and Cyber Security Bill.
(long Overdue)
*Create ten IT or Knowledge Innovation
Parks in the 1st 100 Days in Office
*Establish two Software Engineering
Institutes (SEI) within two years in Office –
in fulfilment of the spirit of the Local Content
Development ACT
*Convert the NYSC to an IT Retooling Camp
as IT capacity Disaster Recovery Strategy
*Create a meaningful stimulus Package to
empower the IT Industry.
Recognize importance of ICT in socio-
economic dev—ISPON
In the opinion of the President of ISPON,
Pious Okigbo Junior, Nigeria may not attain
digital economy unless the new government
recognizes the importance of ICT in the
socio-economi development.
“My expectation is that the incoming
administration will recognize the immense
importance of ICT in development (social and
economic) and set in play policies to drive
economic development with ICT. There isn’t
much one can hope for until they layout what
their vision for the nation is in the coming
years. We can only hope that the gains made
by GEJ in the sector will be built on”, the
ISPON President said.
Culture of process automation in governance
—AfICTA
Also speaking, former President of
Information Technology Association of
Nigeria, ITAN, Dr. Jimson Olufuye who is
also the Chairman of the Africa Information &
Communication Technologies Alliance,
AFICTA, for a better governance, he expected
Buhari’s “Change” to affect government ICT
culture.
“I expect a culture of process automation of
all government service deliverables to
citizens as minimum requirement to foster
anti-corruption and transparency campaign.
Also, I expect ICT regulation and oversight
role of government streamlined for better
service delivery to industry actors (e.g.
Telcos).
“Iam particularly interested in strong
government engagement with ICT
stakeholders locally as it is done in Egypt
where government is actively involved in
developing the ICT industry and
internationally at the UNCSTD, WSIS, ICANN,
ITU and AU”, he explained.
IT Professionals in government boards—Awe
In building a digital society, the role of IT
professionals, according to Jide Awe,
Innovation and Development Advisor cannot
be restricted to contract awards, supply,
provision and support of IT solutions.
IT professionals, he noted should to be
represented at the highest levels in the
policy and decision making process.
Gaps In cyber security
For Awe, gaps in cyber Security and IT
legislation portend grave implications for IT
development and national security.
“The enactment of relevant laws has been
slow. The call for strategic intervention to
fast track the enactment of appropriate
legislation is long overdue”he said.
Football stakeholders task Keshi on transparency in his Super Eagles return
Enugu – Some football stakeholders in
Enugu have urged the re-appointed Chief
Coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi, to
be transparent in handling the team in this
second tenure.
Enugu have urged the re-appointed Chief
Coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi, to
be transparent in handling the team in this
second tenure.
Unusual calm in NASS over APC NEC meeting
ABUJA-THERE was unusual calm in the
House of Representatives over the zoning of
offices by the leadership of the All
Progressives Congress,APC, as some of the
party’s lawmakers have threatened to go
against the party’s directives on the issue of
speakership.
House of Representatives over the zoning of
offices by the leadership of the All
Progressives Congress,APC, as some of the
party’s lawmakers have threatened to go
against the party’s directives on the issue of
speakership.
Sacked IGP Suleiman Abba handovers to Solomon Arase
The sacked Inspector General of Police,
Suleiman Abba CFR (Rtd) has handed over
the leadership of Nigerian Police Force to Ag.
IGP Solomon Arase.
President Jonathan sacked Suleiman Abba
on Tuesday and appointed DIG Solomon
Arase as Acting IGP with immediate effect.
IGP Suleiman Abba, NPM, NPOM, mni was
the 17th Indigenous Inspector-General of
Police and was appointed by President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR. He formally
took over on August 1, 2014 formally from
former Police boss,IGP MD Abubakar (Rtd)
Abba Suleiman hails from Gwaram Local
Government Area of Jigawa State holds
degrees in History and Law and has attended
several management and security courses
within and outside Nigeria. He is an alumnus
of the National Institute of Policy and
Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos.
Until his appointment as Mr. Abba’s
replacement, Mr. Arase was the Head of the
Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation
Department.
Mr. Arase holds Bachelors and Masters
Degrees in Law, as well as Bachelors and
Masters Degrees in Political Science and
Strategic Studies.
He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence
College.
Suleiman Abba CFR (Rtd) has handed over
the leadership of Nigerian Police Force to Ag.
IGP Solomon Arase.
President Jonathan sacked Suleiman Abba
on Tuesday and appointed DIG Solomon
Arase as Acting IGP with immediate effect.
IGP Suleiman Abba, NPM, NPOM, mni was
the 17th Indigenous Inspector-General of
Police and was appointed by President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR. He formally
took over on August 1, 2014 formally from
former Police boss,IGP MD Abubakar (Rtd)
Abba Suleiman hails from Gwaram Local
Government Area of Jigawa State holds
degrees in History and Law and has attended
several management and security courses
within and outside Nigeria. He is an alumnus
of the National Institute of Policy and
Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos.
Until his appointment as Mr. Abba’s
replacement, Mr. Arase was the Head of the
Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation
Department.
Mr. Arase holds Bachelors and Masters
Degrees in Law, as well as Bachelors and
Masters Degrees in Political Science and
Strategic Studies.
He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence
College.
Ebola test drug saved monkey lives: trial results
An experimental drug saved the lives of
monkeys infected with the Ebola virus strain
responsible for the current west African
outbreak, according to test results published
Wednesday.
monkeys infected with the Ebola virus strain
responsible for the current west African
outbreak, according to test results published
Wednesday.
APC youths query Ojudu, Omirin over Fayose’s impeachment, election funds
Youths in the All Progressives Congress
(APC), Ekiti State, under the aegis of Ekiti
APC Youths Congress (EAYC) have
demanded explanations from the Senator
representing Ekiti Central, Babafemi Ojudu
and embattled Speaker of the State House of
Assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin over
the whereabouts of the N250 million
allegedly collected for the impeachment of
Governor Ayodele Fayose and his deputy, Dr
Olusola Eleka and another N200 million
allegedly released for the April 11 House of
Assembly election.
The youths accused Ojudu of polarising the
party in the State by sponsoring another
dissident group within the party called APC
Action Group.
The APC youths in a press statement issued
on Wednesday and jointly signed by Mr Tope
Ogunkuade and Comrade Tunji Adeleye,
Convener and Secretary respectively, blamed
the activities of Ojudu and Omirin for the
party’s woeful performance in the April 11
House of Assembly election.
“By running after Governor Fayose with
impeachment despite that the people were
openly against it, they created public
sympathy for Fayose and hatred for the APC.
“The truth is that Ojudu and Omirin’s
desperate ambition to be Governor and
Acting Governor respectively made our party
to lose the House of Assembly election
woefully and we wish to warn the duo
of Ojudu and Omirin to stop trading with our
party,” EAYC said.
Said the youths; “We read it online that N250
million was collected by Ojudu for the
Fayose’s impeachment project and we can’t
doubt this because we know how much he
(Ojudu) made from Fayose’s impeachment
in 2006.
“It was from the proceeds of Fayose’s
impeachment project in 2006 and Dr Kayode
Fayemi’s rerun election of 2009 that Ojudu
built his house in Ado-Ekiti.
(APC), Ekiti State, under the aegis of Ekiti
APC Youths Congress (EAYC) have
demanded explanations from the Senator
representing Ekiti Central, Babafemi Ojudu
and embattled Speaker of the State House of
Assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin over
the whereabouts of the N250 million
allegedly collected for the impeachment of
Governor Ayodele Fayose and his deputy, Dr
Olusola Eleka and another N200 million
allegedly released for the April 11 House of
Assembly election.
The youths accused Ojudu of polarising the
party in the State by sponsoring another
dissident group within the party called APC
Action Group.
The APC youths in a press statement issued
on Wednesday and jointly signed by Mr Tope
Ogunkuade and Comrade Tunji Adeleye,
Convener and Secretary respectively, blamed
the activities of Ojudu and Omirin for the
party’s woeful performance in the April 11
House of Assembly election.
“By running after Governor Fayose with
impeachment despite that the people were
openly against it, they created public
sympathy for Fayose and hatred for the APC.
“The truth is that Ojudu and Omirin’s
desperate ambition to be Governor and
Acting Governor respectively made our party
to lose the House of Assembly election
woefully and we wish to warn the duo
of Ojudu and Omirin to stop trading with our
party,” EAYC said.
Said the youths; “We read it online that N250
million was collected by Ojudu for the
Fayose’s impeachment project and we can’t
doubt this because we know how much he
(Ojudu) made from Fayose’s impeachment
in 2006.
“It was from the proceeds of Fayose’s
impeachment project in 2006 and Dr Kayode
Fayemi’s rerun election of 2009 that Ojudu
built his house in Ado-Ekiti.
M.I, Olamide, Flavour battle for supremacy
No doubt, the Nigerian music industry is
getting bigger and better with artistes signing
endorsement deals and living their dreams.
But one thing that constantly bothers any
artiste is how to win more fans and attract
them to their brand of music.
The trio of M.I, Olamide and Flavour has just
released their albums which are meant to
show how superior they have become and
also garner more fan-base.
M.I calls himself The Chairman in his new
album, Olamide proudly states that he still
has the Street O.T (Orientation) that has
made him a sought after rapper.
Flavour on the other hand, still stays on his
highlife lane while trying to win fans drawn
more to hiphop.
The simultaneous release of their albums is
causing uproar in the music industry, as the
artistes are battling for the heart of their
fans. The question on the lips of music
critics is this:”Who will emerge triumphant”?
getting bigger and better with artistes signing
endorsement deals and living their dreams.
But one thing that constantly bothers any
artiste is how to win more fans and attract
them to their brand of music.
The trio of M.I, Olamide and Flavour has just
released their albums which are meant to
show how superior they have become and
also garner more fan-base.
M.I calls himself The Chairman in his new
album, Olamide proudly states that he still
has the Street O.T (Orientation) that has
made him a sought after rapper.
Flavour on the other hand, still stays on his
highlife lane while trying to win fans drawn
more to hiphop.
The simultaneous release of their albums is
causing uproar in the music industry, as the
artistes are battling for the heart of their
fans. The question on the lips of music
critics is this:”Who will emerge triumphant”?
Court orders FG to pay ex-NITEL/ MTEL staff 20% of annual salary
The National Industrial Court Abuja
has ordered the Federal Government to pay
the former staff of NITEL/MTEL their final
entitlement representing 20 per cent of their
annual salary within 30 days.
has ordered the Federal Government to pay
the former staff of NITEL/MTEL their final
entitlement representing 20 per cent of their
annual salary within 30 days.
Zoning: APC meets today
The National Executive Committee, NEC of
the All Progressives Congress (APC) is
meeting today to resolve the issues
outstanding from the zoning of principal
office positions in the party as recommended
by the National Working Committee, NWC of
the party last week.
the All Progressives Congress (APC) is
meeting today to resolve the issues
outstanding from the zoning of principal
office positions in the party as recommended
by the National Working Committee, NWC of
the party last week.
Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid factfile
Factfile on Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid
ahead of the Champions League quarter-
final, second-leg tie between the clubs on
Wednesday (score level at 0-0 after first-
leg):
ahead of the Champions League quarter-
final, second-leg tie between the clubs on
Wednesday (score level at 0-0 after first-
leg):
Why I don’t wear pants -Baby Blanche
Due to the kind of clothes she likes to wear
and is comfortable in, Baby Blanche has
revealed in an interview with Showbiz that
she hardly wears panties when she’s going
out.
“I love all kinds of lingerie that make a
woman feminine because I’m a woman, but I
hardly wear panties. This is not because I
don’t want to wear them but because the
clothes I love to wear wouldn’t permit me
to,” she told Showbiz.
“I try as much as possible to act as a lady
and not to let my panty lines show just
because I like to wear dresses that hug my
figure. So if I wear clothes and the outline of
my panty is glaring like that I don’t like it,”
she explained. “Being a lady is not only
about wearing make-up and Brazilian hair
but also comprises the propriety of whatever
you’re wearing,” says Baby Blanche. She
adds that she does not worry much about
thoughts that she may be sexually assaulted
by unscrupulous men because she makes
sure she doesn’t go to awkward places at
awkward hours.
and is comfortable in, Baby Blanche has
revealed in an interview with Showbiz that
she hardly wears panties when she’s going
out.
“I love all kinds of lingerie that make a
woman feminine because I’m a woman, but I
hardly wear panties. This is not because I
don’t want to wear them but because the
clothes I love to wear wouldn’t permit me
to,” she told Showbiz.
“I try as much as possible to act as a lady
and not to let my panty lines show just
because I like to wear dresses that hug my
figure. So if I wear clothes and the outline of
my panty is glaring like that I don’t like it,”
she explained. “Being a lady is not only
about wearing make-up and Brazilian hair
but also comprises the propriety of whatever
you’re wearing,” says Baby Blanche. She
adds that she does not worry much about
thoughts that she may be sexually assaulted
by unscrupulous men because she makes
sure she doesn’t go to awkward places at
awkward hours.
Ekiti’s Impeachment Sagas
THE impeachment saga in Ekiti State is a
political culture that escalated during the
eight year reign of General Olusegun
Obasanjo that might as well have been an
extension of military rule.
Impeachments in Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti,
and Plateau – all carried out under his
command – fell short of constitutional
requirements for removing a governor.
Emergency rules in Plateau and Ekiti were
Obasanjo’s legacies.
political culture that escalated during the
eight year reign of General Olusegun
Obasanjo that might as well have been an
extension of military rule.
Impeachments in Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti,
and Plateau – all carried out under his
command – fell short of constitutional
requirements for removing a governor.
Emergency rules in Plateau and Ekiti were
Obasanjo’s legacies.
Dickson blames PDP’s loss in presidential poll on disloyalty
By Samuel Oyadongha
Yenagoa—Governor Seriake Dickson of
Bayelsa State, yesterday, blamed the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP’s loss at the federal
level on what he described as indiscipline
and disloyalty of some party members.
He spoke in Yenagoa at the inauguration of a
special committee to examine the
performance and conduct of the PDP leaders
during the just concluded presidential,
National and state Assembly elections.
The committee, which is chaired by the state
Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha
Jonah (rtd), was inaugurated in Government
House, Yenagoa and has two weeks to
submit an interim report to government.
Dickson said that the committee is also
expected to determine and recommend steps
to be taken against those who worked
contrary to the party’s interests during the
general elections.
The governor, who warned that dire
consequences await any member of the PDP,
who engages in anti-party activities,
emphasized the importance of party
discipline and loyalty towards achieving
success in any political contest
Yenagoa—Governor Seriake Dickson of
Bayelsa State, yesterday, blamed the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP’s loss at the federal
level on what he described as indiscipline
and disloyalty of some party members.
He spoke in Yenagoa at the inauguration of a
special committee to examine the
performance and conduct of the PDP leaders
during the just concluded presidential,
National and state Assembly elections.
The committee, which is chaired by the state
Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha
Jonah (rtd), was inaugurated in Government
House, Yenagoa and has two weeks to
submit an interim report to government.
Dickson said that the committee is also
expected to determine and recommend steps
to be taken against those who worked
contrary to the party’s interests during the
general elections.
The governor, who warned that dire
consequences await any member of the PDP,
who engages in anti-party activities,
emphasized the importance of party
discipline and loyalty towards achieving
success in any political contest
Nigeria generated 4,226 jobs last three months of 2014 —NBS
The National Bureau of Statistics yesterday
said that a total of 4,226 jobs were created in
the last quarter of 2014.
The Bureau in its survey released yesterday
said that the jobs were collated from formal
establishments in 18 economic sectors that
were surveyed. It said that one man business
dominated the job creation with 2,725
establishments.
said that a total of 4,226 jobs were created in
the last quarter of 2014.
The Bureau in its survey released yesterday
said that the jobs were collated from formal
establishments in 18 economic sectors that
were surveyed. It said that one man business
dominated the job creation with 2,725
establishments.
Ondo Assembly serves impeachment notice on deputy gov
Akure—LAWMAKERS in Ondo State,
yesterday, served impeachment notice on
the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi,
for alleged gross misconduct.
Alhaji Olanusi defected to the opposition All
Progressives Congress, APC, 48 hours to the
last presidential and National Assembly
elections in the state.
Some of the seven allegations levelled
against him included financial
misappropriation, absenteeism from official
duties and allegedly causing political
disaffection in the cabinet of the state
government.
The deputy governor’s impeachment notice
was signed by 20 out of 26 members of the
house.
Motion for his impeachment was moved by
the Majority Leader of the house, Hon.
Ifedayo Akinsoyinu from Ondo West
Constituency II and was seconded by one of
his kinsmen, Hon. Yinka Banso, from Akoko
North West Constituency I.
The lawmakers said that their action was in
compliance with Section 188 of the
constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
At yesterday’s plenary, the Speaker, Rt. Hon
Jumoke Akindele, said the deputy governor
should be served personally, through the
office of the Deputy Governor or through his
official residential quarters.
Other allegations against Olanusi include
false allegation against the state governor,
absenteeism and truancy from official
assignment and engagement among others.
They allegations include: “That Alhaji Alli
Olanusi, being the holder of the office of
deputy governor, permitted and condoned the
perpetuation of fraudulent activities in the
office of deputy governor in that one Alhaji
Bola Idris Olanusi, the younger brother and
Special Assistant in the office of the deputy
governor procured false LPO with the
knowledge of Alhaji Alli Olanusi and obtained
from ESHO Resources International Limited,
two trucks of AGO with forged documents
and for personal benefits, thereby putting the
office of the deputy governor into disrepute.
“That Alhaji Olanusi being the holder of the
office of deputy governor of Ondo State and
having full knowledge that his younger
brother, Alhaji Bola Irish Olanusi, who at all
material times was his personal staff had
engaged in activities unbecoming of an
official of government, refused to sanction,
query or discipline the said staff, thus
bringing the office of the deputy governor
into disrepute.
“That Alhaji Olanusi, being the holder of the
office of deputy governor of Ondo State
engaged in absenteeism and truancy by
regularly assenting himself from office, place
of work and all other official engagements
specifically between April 13 to 17 April and
April 20, 2015, without lawful excuse or
authorisation but generally acting in a
manner inconsistent with the dictates and
expectations of the high office of the deputy
governor of a state, thus undermining the
governance process, an act which amounts
to gross misconduct under the constitution.
“That Alhaji Olanusi, being the holder of the
office of deputy governor, at various dates,
collected various sums of money, N39.9
million between 2009 and 2014, for the
purpose of travelling and medical bills when
in actual fact, the said Alhaji Olanusi did not
travel on the said specified dates or did not
travel at all, and or did not expend the
approved medical bills as appropriate,
thereby unlawfully enriching himself and or
causing loss to the state government. “
They also alleged that he undermined the
office of the governor by causing political
disaffection and deliberately working at
cross purposes with the governor and the
state EXCO, with a view to destabilizing the
government by openly canvassing for the
impeachment of the governor.
The impeachment notice is a nullity —Dep
Gov
The embattled deputy governor has
described the serving of impeachment notice
on him as laughable.
A statement by his Publicity Secretary,
Abayomi Adesanya in Akure, said: “We are
aware of the purported impeachment notice
served on the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali
Olanusi, by the Ondo State House of
Assembly.
“The Deputy Governor had written to the
Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, on Friday,
April 17, 2015, with Ref. No. OBG/A/136/67,
that he will be going on routine medical
check up outside the country.
“Baba had since travelled out on Saturday,
April 18, 2015.
“So it is laughable for the rubber-stamp
House of Assembly to have claimed it has
served the Deputy Governor an impeachment
notice knowing that, the law does not permit
it to serve impeachment notice in absentia.
The notice is therefore a nullity.
But Alhaji Olanusi while personally reacting
to the impeachment notice via a text
message, said the Assembly was famous for
making resolutions without proper
documentation.
The embattled deputy governor who is not in
the state, however, promised to react fully if
he is officially informed.
He said: “ The Ondo State House of
Assembly is noted for making laws and
passing resolutions without sitting and
recording. There are many repetitive events
in this regard.
“A case in point was the passage of the
OSOPADEC budget last year. You will get my
full reaction if and whenever I am officially
and lawfully informed.”
yesterday, served impeachment notice on
the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi,
for alleged gross misconduct.
Alhaji Olanusi defected to the opposition All
Progressives Congress, APC, 48 hours to the
last presidential and National Assembly
elections in the state.
Some of the seven allegations levelled
against him included financial
misappropriation, absenteeism from official
duties and allegedly causing political
disaffection in the cabinet of the state
government.
The deputy governor’s impeachment notice
was signed by 20 out of 26 members of the
house.
Motion for his impeachment was moved by
the Majority Leader of the house, Hon.
Ifedayo Akinsoyinu from Ondo West
Constituency II and was seconded by one of
his kinsmen, Hon. Yinka Banso, from Akoko
North West Constituency I.
The lawmakers said that their action was in
compliance with Section 188 of the
constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
At yesterday’s plenary, the Speaker, Rt. Hon
Jumoke Akindele, said the deputy governor
should be served personally, through the
office of the Deputy Governor or through his
official residential quarters.
Other allegations against Olanusi include
false allegation against the state governor,
absenteeism and truancy from official
assignment and engagement among others.
They allegations include: “That Alhaji Alli
Olanusi, being the holder of the office of
deputy governor, permitted and condoned the
perpetuation of fraudulent activities in the
office of deputy governor in that one Alhaji
Bola Idris Olanusi, the younger brother and
Special Assistant in the office of the deputy
governor procured false LPO with the
knowledge of Alhaji Alli Olanusi and obtained
from ESHO Resources International Limited,
two trucks of AGO with forged documents
and for personal benefits, thereby putting the
office of the deputy governor into disrepute.
“That Alhaji Olanusi being the holder of the
office of deputy governor of Ondo State and
having full knowledge that his younger
brother, Alhaji Bola Irish Olanusi, who at all
material times was his personal staff had
engaged in activities unbecoming of an
official of government, refused to sanction,
query or discipline the said staff, thus
bringing the office of the deputy governor
into disrepute.
“That Alhaji Olanusi, being the holder of the
office of deputy governor of Ondo State
engaged in absenteeism and truancy by
regularly assenting himself from office, place
of work and all other official engagements
specifically between April 13 to 17 April and
April 20, 2015, without lawful excuse or
authorisation but generally acting in a
manner inconsistent with the dictates and
expectations of the high office of the deputy
governor of a state, thus undermining the
governance process, an act which amounts
to gross misconduct under the constitution.
“That Alhaji Olanusi, being the holder of the
office of deputy governor, at various dates,
collected various sums of money, N39.9
million between 2009 and 2014, for the
purpose of travelling and medical bills when
in actual fact, the said Alhaji Olanusi did not
travel on the said specified dates or did not
travel at all, and or did not expend the
approved medical bills as appropriate,
thereby unlawfully enriching himself and or
causing loss to the state government. “
They also alleged that he undermined the
office of the governor by causing political
disaffection and deliberately working at
cross purposes with the governor and the
state EXCO, with a view to destabilizing the
government by openly canvassing for the
impeachment of the governor.
The impeachment notice is a nullity —Dep
Gov
The embattled deputy governor has
described the serving of impeachment notice
on him as laughable.
A statement by his Publicity Secretary,
Abayomi Adesanya in Akure, said: “We are
aware of the purported impeachment notice
served on the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali
Olanusi, by the Ondo State House of
Assembly.
“The Deputy Governor had written to the
Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, on Friday,
April 17, 2015, with Ref. No. OBG/A/136/67,
that he will be going on routine medical
check up outside the country.
“Baba had since travelled out on Saturday,
April 18, 2015.
“So it is laughable for the rubber-stamp
House of Assembly to have claimed it has
served the Deputy Governor an impeachment
notice knowing that, the law does not permit
it to serve impeachment notice in absentia.
The notice is therefore a nullity.
But Alhaji Olanusi while personally reacting
to the impeachment notice via a text
message, said the Assembly was famous for
making resolutions without proper
documentation.
The embattled deputy governor who is not in
the state, however, promised to react fully if
he is officially informed.
He said: “ The Ondo State House of
Assembly is noted for making laws and
passing resolutions without sitting and
recording. There are many repetitive events
in this regard.
“A case in point was the passage of the
OSOPADEC budget last year. You will get my
full reaction if and whenever I am officially
and lawfully informed.”
Statesmanship in Africa, a fool’s prize
THE leader of the South African opposition,
Julius Malema, says President Zuma and the
South African state promoted a culture of
violence and xenophobia which led to Black
South Africans attacking migrants and
foreigners whom they blame for their own
economic misfortune.
In many cases in Africa, violence is often
state sponsored, an idea that prompted many
arguments between myself and my
colleagues at the London School of
Economics and political science (LSE).
Julius Malema, says President Zuma and the
South African state promoted a culture of
violence and xenophobia which led to Black
South Africans attacking migrants and
foreigners whom they blame for their own
economic misfortune.
In many cases in Africa, violence is often
state sponsored, an idea that prompted many
arguments between myself and my
colleagues at the London School of
Economics and political science (LSE).
Ikokwu tasks Jonathan, NASS on restructuring, anti-graft bill
By Clifford Ndujihe
SECOND Republic politician, Chief Guy
Ikokwu has urged President Goodluck
Jonathan and the National Assembly to
expedite action on the passage of the Anti-
corruption Bill and the presentation of a bill
on the restructuring of the polity as ratified
by the 2014 National Conference.
SECOND Republic politician, Chief Guy
Ikokwu has urged President Goodluck
Jonathan and the National Assembly to
expedite action on the passage of the Anti-
corruption Bill and the presentation of a bill
on the restructuring of the polity as ratified
by the 2014 National Conference.
Indebtedness: Oil marketers warn Okonjo-Iweala of fuel scarcity
Major oil marketers have warned that fuel
scarcity may linger for a while as the federal
government has not paid what it owes
marketers who imported fuel into the
country.
scarcity may linger for a while as the federal
government has not paid what it owes
marketers who imported fuel into the
country.
Internet governance: Stakeholders demand passage of Digital Rights and Freedom Bill
By Emmanuel Elebeke & Caleb Anyansina
The growing concerns and the global debate
on internet governance and internet polices
took the front burner at a stakeholders
conference held in Abuja last week.
The growing concerns and the global debate
on internet governance and internet polices
took the front burner at a stakeholders
conference held in Abuja last week.
water’s like electricity in Calabar: No service, huge bills
CALABAR—RESIDENTS of Calabar metropolis
and environs in Cross River State, reputed to
have the finest potable water in Nigeria, have
been hit by an excruciating water drought,
following the breakdown of the operational
system of the Cross River State Water Board,
CRSWB, despite a subsisting public-private
partnership, PPP, agreement with Ortech
Nigeria Limited.
and environs in Cross River State, reputed to
have the finest potable water in Nigeria, have
been hit by an excruciating water drought,
following the breakdown of the operational
system of the Cross River State Water Board,
CRSWB, despite a subsisting public-private
partnership, PPP, agreement with Ortech
Nigeria Limited.
Nigerian IGP Sacked.
Mr Solomon Arase Acting IGP
By Abiodun Alade
Follow @Biodunpen
President Jonathan has sacked the Inspector
General of Police Suleiman Abba. He has
also appointed DIG Solomon Arase as Acting
IGP with immediate effect, according to a
tweet by Dr. Reuben Abati, the spokesperson
of the president.
Judicial worker bags 3 years jail for fraud
A member of staff of the Lagos State
Judiciary attached to the probate
section of the state High Court, Ikeja,
Mrs. Bukola Adeosun, has been jailed
for three years for stealing
government money.
Judiciary attached to the probate
section of the state High Court, Ikeja,
Mrs. Bukola Adeosun, has been jailed
for three years for stealing
government money.
Ghana’s President canvases use of card readers in other countries
…Visits Prof Jega
From ROMANUS UGWU, Abuja
The President of Ghana, John
Mahama, has urged other developing
counties to emulate the quality of
technology the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) deployed
to organise the 2015 general
elections, describing it as the secret
behind the successes recorded during
the elections.
From ROMANUS UGWU, Abuja
The President of Ghana, John
Mahama, has urged other developing
counties to emulate the quality of
technology the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) deployed
to organise the 2015 general
elections, describing it as the secret
behind the successes recorded during
the elections.
How hoodlums battered Borno commissioner, lawmaker
The day was far spent, with
temperature rising to about 40 degree
Celsius in the Sahel Savannah
vegetation of southern Borno.
temperature rising to about 40 degree
Celsius in the Sahel Savannah
vegetation of southern Borno.
PDP paying price of impunity –Ndoma-Egba
The Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, has said the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) is paying the price for impunity, which caused its abysmal
performance at the polls.
Party (PDP) is paying the price for impunity, which caused its abysmal
performance at the polls.
We will not increase LASU school fees – Ambode
‘’If we say Lagos is a centre of excellence, we must then strive,
deliberately, to ensure that whatever we are providing in terms of
infrastructure, curriculum and content, the students actually benefit,
because they are actually the future leaders of this country”
deliberately, to ensure that whatever we are providing in terms of
infrastructure, curriculum and content, the students actually benefit,
because they are actually the future leaders of this country”
Ogun youths warn Obasanjo over Kashamu
The Ogun Youth Alliance (OYA)
has issued a warning to former
President Olusegun Obasanjo against
infringing on the human rights of Ogun
East Senator-elect Prince Buruji
Kashamu, Sun News Online reports.
Wealthy couple's bid to save migrants from drowning
KInspired by Pope Francis' call to do more
for refugees after hundreds drown in the
Mediterranean, wealthy couple Chris and
Regina Catrambone are taking their floating
medical center to aid the desperate.
The wedding photos that captivated China
China's relationship with its Tibetan
minority has at times been troubled, so
here's a moment worth noting: a Tibetan
couple's wedding photos, showing scenes
of both modern and traditional living,
captivated millions of Chinese social media
users.
The photo shoot is a ritual for many
newlyweds all around the world, and Gerong
Phuntsok and Dawa Drolma were simply
following couples across China when they
took a range of photos in both modern and
traditional settings . What they didn't count
on is their stylish snaps ending up being
seen by a huge proportion of Chinese
internet users.
Van Gaal: United played their best match of the season at Chelsea
The Dutchman did not take kindly to a
reporter's line of questioning following
a 1-0 loss at Stamford Bridge in which
his side dominated possession
Louis van Gaal was in a bad mood with a
BBC interviewer following Manchester
United's 1-0 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford
Bridge on Saturday.
Clyne issues Manchester United 'come-and-get-me' plea
The Southampton full-back is keen on
a move to Old Trafford with Louis van
Gaal looking to bolster his defensive
line having been left unconvinced by
Rafael da Silva
Will the president of the Nigeria Football Federation regret his hesitation to tie up the Big Boss to a new deal?
Amaju Pinnick, president of the Nigeria
Football Federation, is young and ambitious
like many people his age and wants to leave
a good legacy after his four-year term of
office.
At 44, he’s already been head of the Delta
State Sports Council, a region known for its
wealth of athletics talent which has
consistently topped the medals table during
the National Sports Festival.
Football Federation, is young and ambitious
like many people his age and wants to leave
a good legacy after his four-year term of
office.
At 44, he’s already been head of the Delta
State Sports Council, a region known for its
wealth of athletics talent which has
consistently topped the medals table during
the National Sports Festival.
INEC presents Certificates of Return to NA members-elect in Taraba
Jalingo - The Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) on
Saturday presented certificates of return
to the three senators and six House of
Representatives members-elect in
Taraba.
Electoral Commission (INEC) on
Saturday presented certificates of return
to the three senators and six House of
Representatives members-elect in
Taraba.
what in God's name, 'Mystery disease' kills 18 in Nigeria - officials
The outbreak started in the Ode-Irele town,
Ondo state, and spread rapidly.
The disease - characterised by blurred
vision, headache and loss of consciousness
- killed the victims within 24 hours of falling
ill.
Ondo state, and spread rapidly.
The disease - characterised by blurred
vision, headache and loss of consciousness
- killed the victims within 24 hours of falling
ill.
South Africa's President,Zuma vows to end attacks on migrants
South African President Jacob Zuma has
visited a refugee camp in the port city of
Durban after a fresh outbreak of anti-
foreigner violence.
Mr Zuma told those who had fled the
violence that it went against South African
values and that he would bring it to an end.
He was jeered by some in the crowd who
accused him of acting too slowly.
visited a refugee camp in the port city of
Durban after a fresh outbreak of anti-
foreigner violence.
Mr Zuma told those who had fled the
violence that it went against South African
values and that he would bring it to an end.
He was jeered by some in the crowd who
accused him of acting too slowly.
Breaking news: A contagious diseases has been spoted in ode-irele local government in Ondo state
A disease have been spoted in odeirele local government Ondo state.
According to the report, the cause of the disease is yet unknow and type of the disease thatlook like chicken pose is yet to be assertain. What is this? As this question is shewed and WHO are yet to get to the root of this evil outbreak. This disease is said to be contagious through personal contact with infected persons with high fatality rate. The public is therefore advise to avoid contact this disease is contained.
NGOs are concern at pressure on judiciary to impeach Fayose
Lagos - The Society for Rule of Law in
Nigeria (SRLN) raised concern at
alleged plans by the All Progressives
Congress (APC) to pressure Chief
Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to sanction the
impeachment of Ekiti State Governor,
Ayodele Fayose.
The Abuja-based organization alleged
APC was pressurizing CJN Mahmud
Mohammed to prevail on the Chief
Judge of Ekiti, Ayodeji Daramola, to
accede to the request of the Dr Adewale
Omirin led-APC lawmakers to
constitute a panel to investigate the
alleged impeachable offences against
the State governor, and his deputy, Dr
Olusola Eleka.
“The level of APC desperation to
remove Governor Fayose and his
Deputy is alarming and the CJN must
be alerted of this latest plot to use his
office to achieve their evil plot against
Ekiti people,” said SRLN National
Coordinator, Dr Chima Ubeku.
Ubeku noted Omirin was no longer the
Speaker of the Ekiti State House of
Assembly following his impeachment
last year.
Also Read: APC wins 18 seats in
Nasarawa State Assembly, PDP holds 6
“Since Omirin is by law, not the
speaker, all actions taken by him
regarding and not limited to issuance of
notice of impeachment against
Governor Fayose and his Deputy
amount to impersonation and should be
disregarded,” said Ubeku.
“The CJN should therefore be mindful of
the antics of the APC and its desperate
leaders because all they appear to be
interested in is to truncate the mandate
freely given to Fayose by Ekiti people.”
APC had earlier challenged the victory
of Fayose in the polls held last June on
the grounds of non-eligibility following
his purported indictment and
impeachment.
Fayose’s election was
also challenged for alleged perjury,
after he filled his Independent National
Electoral Commission form denying that
he was indicted by either an
administrative or judicial panel.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court
affirmed Fayose’s election and
dismissed the APC’s challenge as
“lacking in merit.”
Nigeria (SRLN) raised concern at
alleged plans by the All Progressives
Congress (APC) to pressure Chief
Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to sanction the
impeachment of Ekiti State Governor,
Ayodele Fayose.
The Abuja-based organization alleged
APC was pressurizing CJN Mahmud
Mohammed to prevail on the Chief
Judge of Ekiti, Ayodeji Daramola, to
accede to the request of the Dr Adewale
Omirin led-APC lawmakers to
constitute a panel to investigate the
alleged impeachable offences against
the State governor, and his deputy, Dr
Olusola Eleka.
“The level of APC desperation to
remove Governor Fayose and his
Deputy is alarming and the CJN must
be alerted of this latest plot to use his
office to achieve their evil plot against
Ekiti people,” said SRLN National
Coordinator, Dr Chima Ubeku.
Ubeku noted Omirin was no longer the
Speaker of the Ekiti State House of
Assembly following his impeachment
last year.
Also Read: APC wins 18 seats in
Nasarawa State Assembly, PDP holds 6
“Since Omirin is by law, not the
speaker, all actions taken by him
regarding and not limited to issuance of
notice of impeachment against
Governor Fayose and his Deputy
amount to impersonation and should be
disregarded,” said Ubeku.
“The CJN should therefore be mindful of
the antics of the APC and its desperate
leaders because all they appear to be
interested in is to truncate the mandate
freely given to Fayose by Ekiti people.”
APC had earlier challenged the victory
of Fayose in the polls held last June on
the grounds of non-eligibility following
his purported indictment and
impeachment.
Fayose’s election was
also challenged for alleged perjury,
after he filled his Independent National
Electoral Commission form denying that
he was indicted by either an
administrative or judicial panel.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court
affirmed Fayose’s election and
dismissed the APC’s challenge as
“lacking in merit.”
Anti-immigrant violence spreads in South Africa
Arrests made in Gauteng province
following overnight street battles in
downtown Johannesburg.
Khadija Patel | 17 Apr 2015 14:34 GMT |
War & Conflict , Politics
Arrests are being made in Johannesburg
following attacks against foreign nationals
[EPA]
CONFRONTATION IN JEPPESTOWN
- Mukelwa Hlatshwayo, Al Jazeera
producer
"We are currently in downtown
Johannesburg's Jeppestown area
where locals and foreign nationals
have been involved in sporadic
clashes.
People had gathered here earlier in
the morning and were dispersed by
police, but they have returned to the
area.
During the early hours of Friday
morning, there were street fights:
people were burning cars and there
were reports that foreigner-owned
shops had been burgled as well.
Police are currently trying to disperse
the crowd but both groups are
determined and refuse to stand down.
There are about 200 people on each
side and they are refusing to
disperse. The situation is tense, but
appears to be contained to this part of
Jeppestown only. Jeppestown has a
high concentration of foreign
nationals from various countries.
I am currently seeing mainly Nigerian
and Congolese nationals. They say
that they will not disperse and the
government needs to do more to
resolve the situation.
Meanwhile, we are getting reports
that the Department of International
Relations and Cooperation is holding
a press conference where it has
apologised to the diplomatic corps
and stated that the spate of violence,
some of it fuelled by criminal
elements, is by no means a reflection
of of the broader country."
Arrests have been made in South Africa as
anti-immigrant violence spreads to parts
of Johannesburg's commercial heart.
Police fired more rubber-coated steel
bullets at a crowd of anti-immigrant
protesters in downtown Johannesburg on
Friday afternoon, as they tried to separate
the protesters from a group of immigrants.
In Gauteng province, of which
Johannesburg is the capital city, police
arrested 18 people after overnight street
battles, Major-General Phumzo Gela,
deputy police commissioner, said on
Friday afternoon.
Earlier on Friday, police clashed with a
crowd of South Africans in
Johannesburg's Jeppestown area.
The crowd carrying hammers and axes
gathered near the city centre, chanting
"Foreigners must leave."
Groups of South Africans in Jeppestown
and Cleveland blocked roads with rocks
and burning tyres and then ordered
foreigners to leave the country, police
said.
Jeppestown and Cleveland are
neighbourhoods adjoining the
Johannesburg Central Business District
(CBD).
#xenophobicattacks police now
using live ammunition to clean up the
streets
1:10 AM - 17 Apr 2015
EWN Reporter
@ewnreporter Follow
34 RETWEETS 5 FAVORITES
A number of shops in the CBD were
reported to have been looted and
vandalised, further escalating tensions
between foreigners and South Africans in
Johanneburg.
Police said the suspects were trying to
break into shops owned by foreigners.
Colonel Dlamini, police spokesperson, told
Al Jazeera calm had been restored, but
refused to reveal whether police had
received credible reports of further threats
of violence against foreigners in the city.
Violence targeting immigrants started
earlier in April in the port city of Durban,
claiming the lives of six people so far.
Rumours circulating
Rumours of imminent attacks on
foreigners have continued to affect foreign
nationals in Johannesburg.
Ahmed Fifa, a 35-year-old shop owner in
the Ramaphosa settlement east of
Johannesburg, said foreign nationals were
warned by locals to vacate the area on
Thursday night.
"One of the community leaders came to us
and told us to move all our stuff and save
our lives," he said.
According to Fifa, the South Africans in
Ramaphosa are divided between those
who seek to protect foreigners and those
intent on violently driving foreigners out.
"I can't go back until the situation remains
stable," Fifa said. "I have seen the
pictures of what happened in Durban and I
need to save my life.
"The only problem we have here is the
xenophobia."
In Durban, where six people have been
killed in the last two weeks of violence
against immigrants, police spokesperson
Jay Naicker a fragile calm had been
maintained on Friday.
"Overnight we had no reported incidents
and it has been calm," Naicker said,
adding that the police had not received
reports of further threats against
immigrants in coastal city.
He said foreigners would still not be re-
integrated into the affected communities.
"The area is still tense and the police and
security deployment will remain for a
while," Naicker said.
Amir Sheikh, chairperson of the Somali
Community Board based in Johannesburg,
said the violence in Durban has inflamed
tensions between South Africans and
foreigners.
"Some of our members have been
harassed in Johannesburg following the
violence in Durban," he said.
Late on Thursday a widely disseminated
text message claimed that "a train of
Zulus" had departed for Johannesburg.
"These men are armed and they are going
to be killing any foreigner they meet
tomorrow," the text message said.
The source of these messages remains
unclear, but their proliferation has sowed
panic and confusion among migrant
communities.
"Our members have been unable to go
about their day-to-day businesses
because each time they open their
businesses, a new message is received
saying members of a certain ethnic group
are gathering to attack them," Sheikh
said.
While these rumours have so far, proven
to be false, its effects have already been
felt.
Foreign owned stores around
Johannesburg have been closed for at
least two days already.
"The unfounded rumours have caused
more damage to our members than
anything else," Sheikh said.
On Thursday South African President
Jacob Zuma and leaders of the opposition
in parliament spoke out against the
violence against foreign nationals.
Zuma said that the majority of South
Africans were not xenophobic.
"We reiterate our view that South Africans
are generally not xenophobic," he said.
"If they were, we would not have such a
high number of foreign nationals who have
been successfully integrated into
communities all over our country, in
towns, cities and villages."
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera has received news
reports that in South Africa's neighbouring
country of Mozambique, crowds have
reportedly prevented South African trucks
from crossing the border.
Sasol, the South African energy giant, has
been forced to repatriate its South African
staff in Mozambique.
South Africa has been seeking diplomatic
support from countries across the
continent to defeat what South African
Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-
Mashabane described as the "demon" of
anti-immigrant violence
following overnight street battles in
downtown Johannesburg.
Khadija Patel | 17 Apr 2015 14:34 GMT |
War & Conflict , Politics
Arrests are being made in Johannesburg
following attacks against foreign nationals
[EPA]
CONFRONTATION IN JEPPESTOWN
- Mukelwa Hlatshwayo, Al Jazeera
producer
"We are currently in downtown
Johannesburg's Jeppestown area
where locals and foreign nationals
have been involved in sporadic
clashes.
People had gathered here earlier in
the morning and were dispersed by
police, but they have returned to the
area.
During the early hours of Friday
morning, there were street fights:
people were burning cars and there
were reports that foreigner-owned
shops had been burgled as well.
Police are currently trying to disperse
the crowd but both groups are
determined and refuse to stand down.
There are about 200 people on each
side and they are refusing to
disperse. The situation is tense, but
appears to be contained to this part of
Jeppestown only. Jeppestown has a
high concentration of foreign
nationals from various countries.
I am currently seeing mainly Nigerian
and Congolese nationals. They say
that they will not disperse and the
government needs to do more to
resolve the situation.
Meanwhile, we are getting reports
that the Department of International
Relations and Cooperation is holding
a press conference where it has
apologised to the diplomatic corps
and stated that the spate of violence,
some of it fuelled by criminal
elements, is by no means a reflection
of of the broader country."
Arrests have been made in South Africa as
anti-immigrant violence spreads to parts
of Johannesburg's commercial heart.
Police fired more rubber-coated steel
bullets at a crowd of anti-immigrant
protesters in downtown Johannesburg on
Friday afternoon, as they tried to separate
the protesters from a group of immigrants.
In Gauteng province, of which
Johannesburg is the capital city, police
arrested 18 people after overnight street
battles, Major-General Phumzo Gela,
deputy police commissioner, said on
Friday afternoon.
Earlier on Friday, police clashed with a
crowd of South Africans in
Johannesburg's Jeppestown area.
The crowd carrying hammers and axes
gathered near the city centre, chanting
"Foreigners must leave."
Groups of South Africans in Jeppestown
and Cleveland blocked roads with rocks
and burning tyres and then ordered
foreigners to leave the country, police
said.
Jeppestown and Cleveland are
neighbourhoods adjoining the
Johannesburg Central Business District
(CBD).
#xenophobicattacks police now
using live ammunition to clean up the
streets
1:10 AM - 17 Apr 2015
EWN Reporter
@ewnreporter Follow
34 RETWEETS 5 FAVORITES
A number of shops in the CBD were
reported to have been looted and
vandalised, further escalating tensions
between foreigners and South Africans in
Johanneburg.
Police said the suspects were trying to
break into shops owned by foreigners.
Colonel Dlamini, police spokesperson, told
Al Jazeera calm had been restored, but
refused to reveal whether police had
received credible reports of further threats
of violence against foreigners in the city.
Violence targeting immigrants started
earlier in April in the port city of Durban,
claiming the lives of six people so far.
Rumours circulating
Rumours of imminent attacks on
foreigners have continued to affect foreign
nationals in Johannesburg.
Ahmed Fifa, a 35-year-old shop owner in
the Ramaphosa settlement east of
Johannesburg, said foreign nationals were
warned by locals to vacate the area on
Thursday night.
"One of the community leaders came to us
and told us to move all our stuff and save
our lives," he said.
According to Fifa, the South Africans in
Ramaphosa are divided between those
who seek to protect foreigners and those
intent on violently driving foreigners out.
"I can't go back until the situation remains
stable," Fifa said. "I have seen the
pictures of what happened in Durban and I
need to save my life.
"The only problem we have here is the
xenophobia."
In Durban, where six people have been
killed in the last two weeks of violence
against immigrants, police spokesperson
Jay Naicker a fragile calm had been
maintained on Friday.
"Overnight we had no reported incidents
and it has been calm," Naicker said,
adding that the police had not received
reports of further threats against
immigrants in coastal city.
He said foreigners would still not be re-
integrated into the affected communities.
"The area is still tense and the police and
security deployment will remain for a
while," Naicker said.
Amir Sheikh, chairperson of the Somali
Community Board based in Johannesburg,
said the violence in Durban has inflamed
tensions between South Africans and
foreigners.
"Some of our members have been
harassed in Johannesburg following the
violence in Durban," he said.
Late on Thursday a widely disseminated
text message claimed that "a train of
Zulus" had departed for Johannesburg.
"These men are armed and they are going
to be killing any foreigner they meet
tomorrow," the text message said.
The source of these messages remains
unclear, but their proliferation has sowed
panic and confusion among migrant
communities.
"Our members have been unable to go
about their day-to-day businesses
because each time they open their
businesses, a new message is received
saying members of a certain ethnic group
are gathering to attack them," Sheikh
said.
While these rumours have so far, proven
to be false, its effects have already been
felt.
Foreign owned stores around
Johannesburg have been closed for at
least two days already.
"The unfounded rumours have caused
more damage to our members than
anything else," Sheikh said.
On Thursday South African President
Jacob Zuma and leaders of the opposition
in parliament spoke out against the
violence against foreign nationals.
Zuma said that the majority of South
Africans were not xenophobic.
"We reiterate our view that South Africans
are generally not xenophobic," he said.
"If they were, we would not have such a
high number of foreign nationals who have
been successfully integrated into
communities all over our country, in
towns, cities and villages."
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera has received news
reports that in South Africa's neighbouring
country of Mozambique, crowds have
reportedly prevented South African trucks
from crossing the border.
Sasol, the South African energy giant, has
been forced to repatriate its South African
staff in Mozambique.
South Africa has been seeking diplomatic
support from countries across the
continent to defeat what South African
Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-
Mashabane described as the "demon" of
anti-immigrant violence
Iraq's Saddam Hussein loyalist killed near Tikrit
Former vice president, Izzat al-Douri,
killed in a military operation according to
Salahuddi province governor.
Al-Douri, a former vice president, is
believed to be mastermind of the
insurgency against the current
government [FILE - AP]
FEATURED
A prominent former aide to late Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein, Izzat al-Douri,
has been killed in a wide-scale military
operation, Al Jazeera has learnt.
Al-Douri - believed to be mastermind of
the insurgency against the current
government - was an influential leader
and is said to have played a role in
helping the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL) expand in the country.
The governor of Salahaddin Province has
confirmed Douri's death, saying the former
general was killed in fighting that broke
out between Iraqi security forces and ISIL
fighters east of Tikrit.
killed in a military operation according to
Salahuddi province governor.
Al-Douri, a former vice president, is
believed to be mastermind of the
insurgency against the current
government [FILE - AP]
FEATURED
A prominent former aide to late Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein, Izzat al-Douri,
has been killed in a wide-scale military
operation, Al Jazeera has learnt.
Al-Douri - believed to be mastermind of
the insurgency against the current
government - was an influential leader
and is said to have played a role in
helping the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL) expand in the country.
The governor of Salahaddin Province has
confirmed Douri's death, saying the former
general was killed in fighting that broke
out between Iraqi security forces and ISIL
fighters east of Tikrit.
Abducted Nigerian girls 'seen alive'
More than 50 of the girls abducted by
militant Islamists in Nigeria last year were
seen alive three weeks ago, a woman has
told the BBC.
She saw the girls in the north-eastern
Gwoza town before the Boko Haram
militants were driven out of there by regional
forces.
Boko Haram sparked global outrage when it
seized more than 219 girls from Chibok town
a year ago.
The US, China and other foreign powers
promised to help find the girls.
However, the girls have never been traced,
and little has been heard of them since they
were taken from their boarding school.
The whereabouts of the remaining girls is
not clear.
'Big house'
Campaign group Bring Back Our Girls
organised a silent march in Nigeria's capital,
Abuja, on Wednesday to raise public
awareness about the abductions.
A year-long campaign for the release of
the girls has not yet been successful
In an open letter, Nobel Peace Prize winner
Malala Yousafzai called on Nigeria's
authorities and the international community
to do more to secure the release of the girls.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has
said the girls have been converted to Islam
and married off, fuelling concern that the
militants had treated them as war booty and
sex-slaves.
Mr Shekau has pledged allegiance to the
Islamic State (IS), which is also notorious
for carrying out abductions in Iraq and Syria.
The Nigerian woman, who lived under Boko
Haram's rule in Gwoza, told the BBC she
saw the girls in Islamic attire, being
escorted by the militants.
"They said they were Chibok girls kept in a
big house," said the woman, who asked not
to be identified for fear of reprisals.
"We just happened to be on the same road
with them," she added.
'Treated better'
Three other women also told the BBC they
had seen the girls in Gwoza.
Boko Haram was believed to have turned
Gwoza into its headquarters after it captured
the town in August 2014.
Nigeria's military, backed by troops from
neighbouring countries, recaptured the town
last month.
The militants were suspected to have fled to
the nearby Mandara Mountains, near the
border with Cameroon.
It is unclear whether the girls are with them
there.
Another woman told the BBC she last saw
some of the girls in November at a Boko
Haram camp in Bita village, also in the
north-east.
"About a week after they were brought to the
camp, one of us peeked through a window
and asked: 'Are you really the Chibok girls?'
and they said: 'Yes'. We believed them and
didn't ask them again," the woman said.
"They took Koranic lessons, cleaned their
compound, cooked for themselves and they
braided each others' hair. They were treated
differently - their food [was] better and water
clean. "
Nigeria's outgoing President Goodluck
Jonathan has been widely criticised for not
doing enough to end the six-year insurgency
in the north-east, and to secure the freedom
of the girls.
Incoming President Muhammadu Buhari has
vowed to "crush" the insurgents.
He is due to be inaugurated on 29 May after
defeating Mr Jonathan in last month's
presidential elections.
militant Islamists in Nigeria last year were
seen alive three weeks ago, a woman has
told the BBC.
She saw the girls in the north-eastern
Gwoza town before the Boko Haram
militants were driven out of there by regional
forces.
Boko Haram sparked global outrage when it
seized more than 219 girls from Chibok town
a year ago.
The US, China and other foreign powers
promised to help find the girls.
However, the girls have never been traced,
and little has been heard of them since they
were taken from their boarding school.
The whereabouts of the remaining girls is
not clear.
'Big house'
Campaign group Bring Back Our Girls
organised a silent march in Nigeria's capital,
Abuja, on Wednesday to raise public
awareness about the abductions.
A year-long campaign for the release of
the girls has not yet been successful
In an open letter, Nobel Peace Prize winner
Malala Yousafzai called on Nigeria's
authorities and the international community
to do more to secure the release of the girls.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has
said the girls have been converted to Islam
and married off, fuelling concern that the
militants had treated them as war booty and
sex-slaves.
Mr Shekau has pledged allegiance to the
Islamic State (IS), which is also notorious
for carrying out abductions in Iraq and Syria.
The Nigerian woman, who lived under Boko
Haram's rule in Gwoza, told the BBC she
saw the girls in Islamic attire, being
escorted by the militants.
"They said they were Chibok girls kept in a
big house," said the woman, who asked not
to be identified for fear of reprisals.
"We just happened to be on the same road
with them," she added.
'Treated better'
Three other women also told the BBC they
had seen the girls in Gwoza.
Boko Haram was believed to have turned
Gwoza into its headquarters after it captured
the town in August 2014.
Nigeria's military, backed by troops from
neighbouring countries, recaptured the town
last month.
The militants were suspected to have fled to
the nearby Mandara Mountains, near the
border with Cameroon.
It is unclear whether the girls are with them
there.
Another woman told the BBC she last saw
some of the girls in November at a Boko
Haram camp in Bita village, also in the
north-east.
"About a week after they were brought to the
camp, one of us peeked through a window
and asked: 'Are you really the Chibok girls?'
and they said: 'Yes'. We believed them and
didn't ask them again," the woman said.
"They took Koranic lessons, cleaned their
compound, cooked for themselves and they
braided each others' hair. They were treated
differently - their food [was] better and water
clean. "
Nigeria's outgoing President Goodluck
Jonathan has been widely criticised for not
doing enough to end the six-year insurgency
in the north-east, and to secure the freedom
of the girls.
Incoming President Muhammadu Buhari has
vowed to "crush" the insurgents.
He is due to be inaugurated on 29 May after
defeating Mr Jonathan in last month's
presidential elections.
Obama’s Miami connections helped smooth path to meeting with Castro
MIAMI: Barack Obama’s historic talks with
Cuban President Raul Castro on Saturday
were the culmination of a long quest by the
US president that included meetings with
moderate Cuban-Americans frustrated with
the hardliners in their own community who
refused to engage Havana.
The Obama-Castro meeting in Panama
followed a breakthrough agreement by the
two men last December to work toward
normalizing relations, including seeking to
restore diplomatic ties that Washington broke
off in 1961.
A shift in attitudes in the Cuban-American
community, most much of which is based in
Miami, helped smooth the way to Obama’s
change in policy, with a younger generation
far more amenable to contact with the
communist-ruled island.
To be sure, hardline exiles still oppose closer
ties with Havana. While there were no public
protests over the meeting between the two
presidents, there was grumbling on local
radio and on social media.
Likely Republican 2016 presidential
candidate and Miami resident, Jeb Bush,
who is close to conservative Cuban exiles,
summed up the negative feelings of
hardliners in a tweet: “Why legitimize a cruel
dictator of a repressive regime?”
Obama has been taking the temperature of
the Cuban-American community for years.
His first practical lesson took place over a
smoke break outside a fund-raiser at the
Kaleidoscope Club in Chicago in 2004 when
he was running for the US Senate.
Former Miami City manager Joe Arriola told
Obama - both men were trying to quit
cigarettes - how to appeal to Cuban-
American voters.
“I told him not to listen to the crazy right-
wing in Miami ... that my kids’ generation
thought differently,” recalled Arriola, a
prominent Cuban-American politician.
Arriola, invited Obama to Miami that fall for a
fund-raiser that netted his Illinois Senate
campaign $50,000.
“We brought him down several times after
that. He would have breakfast with us and we
would pick up people to introduce to him,”
Arriola said.
The chance encounter in Chicago sparked
interest by Obama in the changes in the once
solidly Republican Cuban-American enclave
in south Florida.
The Miami fundraiser was kept quiet because
Arriola, a 67-year-old former Republican,
was still serving the city of Miami, and
another participant, Manny Diaz, was the
mayor. They were unsure how the Cuban
exile community - known for taking to the
streets - would react.
The encounter over a cigarette was also the
beginning of a family friendship that would
see two of Arriola’s sons - Ricky and Eddy -
join Obama’s finance committee in both of
his presidential runs. That a small group of
Cuban-Americans saw purpose in helping a
rising Senate candidate in Chicago turned
out to be something that would help shape
US policy.
“They identified Obama early on and saw the
potential and brought him to Miami and got
him immersed,” said Carlos Saladrigas, one
of a dozen Cuban-Americans who
participated in the 2004 fund-raiser at the
home of developer Jorge Perez.
Arriola’s message about changes in Miami
exile thinking was not just an idle boast.
Polling showed a generational shift was
taking place as younger Cuban-American
leaders emerged who were more open to
engagement with Cuba than a previous
generation, who left the island in the early
days after Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
During his first presidential campaign, and as
part of a wider foreign policy vision that
favored more openness to dialogue, Obama
advocated direct talks with Cuba, and even
said he was willing to sit down with Raul
Castro.
He traveled to Miami to deliver a speech
laying out a plan to undo restrictions on
remittances and travel to the island for
Cuban-American families, while keeping the
long-standing trade embargo in place.
In his re-election in 2012, Obama won
almost 50 per cent of south Florida’s Cuban-
American vote, almost double what
Democrats had been used to getting.
The White House also reached out to other,
younger voices in the Cuban-American
community, including Felice Gorordo, co-
founder of Roots of Hope, a non-partisan
group of young Cuban-American activists.
How far could the administration go without
sparking rioting in Miami, one former top
Obama adviser for Latin America policy, Dan
Restrepo, asked Gorordo during a 2012
meeting to discuss reforming Cuba policy.
“I said: ‘Shaking hands (with Castro).’
That’s something that’s hard to swallow in
Miami. Anything up to that is tolerable,”
Gorordo told Reuters.
When an unexpected handshake between
Obama and Castro became the most talked-
about VIP moment at Nelson Mandela’s
memorial service in December 2013,
Obama’s aides took note of the muted
reaction from Cuban-Americans.
By then, secret talks with Cuba were already
under way, aimed at releasing a jailed US
contractor in Cuba, Alan Gross, while also
restoring diplomatic relations.
Obama appears to have accurately gauged
the mood in Miami.
One weekend in January, Cuban exiles
protesting Obama’s outreach to Havana
were far outweighed by demonstrators
protesting the captivity of Lolita, a killer
whale at Miami Seaquarium.
Governorship vote extended in Nigeria’s oil hub, other states
* Ballot box snatching, violence mars
governorship polls * Most violence recorded
in oil hub Rivers state g Voting extended to
Sunday.
governorship polls * Most violence recorded
in oil hub Rivers state g Voting extended to
Sunday.
LAGOS/PORT HARCOURT: Voting for
Nigeria’s powerful state governors was
extended on Sunday in several states after
ballot box snatching and violence in some
districts, particularly in oil hub Rivers state,
electoral commission officials said.
The 36 governors are among the most
influential politicians in Nigeria, Africa’s
biggest oil producer and economy, with
budgets larger than those of small nations.
Observers and voters said the turnout to
elect 29 governors and state assemblies on
Saturday was low compared with the
presidential vote last month, which was
considered the freest and fairest yet and has
paved the way for the first democratic
transfer of power in the country.
“The election in some units of 6 councils was
inconclusive and a fresh election will be held
today,” Rivers resident electoral
commissioner Gesila Khana told journalists.
In the presidential poll, Muhammadu Buhari
of the All Progressives Congress (APC) beat
President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) with 15.4 million
votes to 13.3 million.
A written statement from the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) in
Rivers said the governorship election was
“cancelled in all the places where electoral
materials were snatched”.
INEC headquarters in the capital Abuja said
the election went “very well” across the
country but there were 66 instances of
violence at polling units, with highest number
seen in southern and south-eastern states.
Rivers had the highest incident rate at 16,
followed by Ondo, Cross River, Ebonyi and
Akwa Ibom.
On Saturday, at least 10 people were killed in
election-related violence across the country.
On Sunday, a police spokesman in Ebonyi
state said the PDP chairman of one
government area was shot by thugs in his
house.
More than a dozen people were killed during
the presidential polls, mainly due to attacks
by Islamist extremist group Boko Haram,
which has been waging a six-year
insurgency in the northeast of the country.
A large protest, shoot-outs in several towns
and attacks on INEC property delayed the
start of voting in Rivers.
Gubernatorial candidates threatened to
protest should INEC announce any results
and current governor Rotimi Amaechi called
the polls a “sham” after attending a 2,000-
strong APC protest in the state capital Port
Harcourt on Saturday
INEC said 5.2 percent of polling units across
the country did not open until 1 p.m. (1200
GMT).
Polling in a few other states was also
extended or was being debated, while
collation and counting was still on-going in
many others. Some results are expected to
be announced on Sunday.
Borno state INEC spokesman Tommy
Magbuin said polls re-opened in three local
government areas in the northeastern state
after ballots were not delivered to polling
stations in time. INEC missed the name of
one candidate and had to reprint them last
week.
In the south-eastern state of Imo, ballot
boxes were stolen in three districts, which
could mean a vote extension while in
Anambra, polls in one area will be pushed
back due to irregularities and violence, INEC
officials said.
In Bayelsa, where only state assembly
elections were taking place, the vote was
rescheduled in eight out of 24 constituencies
due to insufficient electoral materials and
other areas could be re-done as well due to
skirmishes. reuters
In Egypt, ex-military team insurgency
CAIRO: A small but highly dangerous
succession of former Egyptian army officers
are joining Islamist militant groups,
complicating President Abdel Fattah al-
Sisi’s efforts to counter what he calls an
existential threat from extremism.
These men are raising the stakes in an
insurgency that has killed hundreds of
soldiers and police since the army toppled
Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in 2013.
They pose a danger to US ally Egypt with
their knowledge of the Arab world’s biggest
army, provide militants with training and
strategic direction, and even carry out
suicide bomb attacks against government
officials.
Since Mursi was ousted some officers have
joined the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM)
Islamist group and planned and participated
in attacks on the army and other facilities,
particularly in the Sinai, said Khalil al-Anani,
adjunct professor with the School of
Advanced International Studies at Johns
Hopkins University.
“We can’t talk about a mainstream or a large
scale defection towards extremism. We are
talking about individual cases that could
escape and find a safe haven in Sinai. Yet
their attacks are fatal and costly.” As former
army chief and head of military intelligence,
Sisi is well aware of the Islamist threat from
within the military.
A militant cell headed by army officers
Abboud al-Zomour and Khaled al-Islambouli
assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981.
Years later, former Egyptian army officer Seif
al-Adel rose to the top ranks of al Qaeda.
A senior Egyptian military official told
Reuters the defections were not a
phenomenon. “It is logical and normal that
we monitor deviant thinking. Any armed
forces must have loyalty and we take all the
measures needed against others. The
percentage is minimal ... you can count them
on one hand.”
An Egyptian military source said the army
has a unit that tracks anyone suspected of
harboring radical ideology.
“Yes there are individuals members of the
army who we discover possess extremist
religious thoughts. But their numbers are
very few. Maybe two or three in a class of
2,000.”
More than 200 people, including a handful of
former army and police officers, are on trial
for joining ABM.
succession of former Egyptian army officers
are joining Islamist militant groups,
complicating President Abdel Fattah al-
Sisi’s efforts to counter what he calls an
existential threat from extremism.
These men are raising the stakes in an
insurgency that has killed hundreds of
soldiers and police since the army toppled
Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in 2013.
They pose a danger to US ally Egypt with
their knowledge of the Arab world’s biggest
army, provide militants with training and
strategic direction, and even carry out
suicide bomb attacks against government
officials.
Since Mursi was ousted some officers have
joined the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM)
Islamist group and planned and participated
in attacks on the army and other facilities,
particularly in the Sinai, said Khalil al-Anani,
adjunct professor with the School of
Advanced International Studies at Johns
Hopkins University.
“We can’t talk about a mainstream or a large
scale defection towards extremism. We are
talking about individual cases that could
escape and find a safe haven in Sinai. Yet
their attacks are fatal and costly.” As former
army chief and head of military intelligence,
Sisi is well aware of the Islamist threat from
within the military.
A militant cell headed by army officers
Abboud al-Zomour and Khaled al-Islambouli
assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981.
Years later, former Egyptian army officer Seif
al-Adel rose to the top ranks of al Qaeda.
A senior Egyptian military official told
Reuters the defections were not a
phenomenon. “It is logical and normal that
we monitor deviant thinking. Any armed
forces must have loyalty and we take all the
measures needed against others. The
percentage is minimal ... you can count them
on one hand.”
An Egyptian military source said the army
has a unit that tracks anyone suspected of
harboring radical ideology.
“Yes there are individuals members of the
army who we discover possess extremist
religious thoughts. But their numbers are
very few. Maybe two or three in a class of
2,000.”
More than 200 people, including a handful of
former army and police officers, are on trial
for joining ABM.
Hillary Clinton start states tour.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
has set out for a tour of key states, at the
start of her campaign to become the first
woman US president.
She is taking a road trip to meet small
groups of voters in Iowa, after announcing
her presidency bid in an online video on
Sunday.
She had been expected to declare her
candidacy for months
Mrs Clinton ran for the Democratic
presidential nomination in 2008 but lost to
Barack Obama.
'Listening tour'
A few hours into her journey from New York,
Mrs Clinton tweeted: "Road trip! Loaded the
van & set off for IA. Met a great family when
we stopped this afternoon. Many more to
come. -H."
Mrs Clinton is expected to officially kick
off her campaign with a rally in mid-May
Mrs Clinton's team said she would spend
the next few weeks building up grassroots
support in the early Democratic primary
states.
Her first rally, to officially kick off her
campaign, is not expected until mid-May.
But her trip to Iowa is to be a "listening
tour" where Mrs Clinton will meet voters at
low-key events.
Later this week, she is expected to meet
groups of students, teachers and small
business owners.
On Sunday, Mrs Clinton launched her
campaign website and declared in a video
that she was running for president.
"Americans have fought their way back from
tough economic times," she said, "but the
deck is still stacked in favour of those at the
top.
She added that she wanted to be a champion
for "everyday Americans".
The video features a number of Americans
talking about their hopes and aspirations.
Analysis: Gary O'Donoghue, BBC
News, Des Moines, Iowa
The launch of Hillary Clinton's campaign for
the presidency was meant to be low-key.
It was meant to reflect the idea that it was
all about ordinary Americans and the
everyday concerns of the middle class.
But whether she likes it or not, Mrs Clinton
is a huge name in politics and reinventing
herself as the embodiment of change won't
be easy.
True, she is unlikely to face any stiff
competition from her own side for the
nomination, but Republicans have been
unrelenting in their attacks on her and that
will only increase.
She will also have to find a convincing
vision for America that will capture the
imagination of the voters.
Elections are usually about the future and
Mrs. Clinton has to prove that she's not all
about the past.
Twitter reaction
Is this Hillary Clinton's time?
Mrs Clinton has already had the backing of
Mr Obama, who said on Saturday that she
would make an "excellent president".
But the attacks from Republicans have
already started.
Jeb Bush, former Florida Governor and
brother of George W Bush who expected to
stand as a Republican candidate, tweeted:
"We must do better than Hillary."
In his own online video on Sunday, he
focused on foreign policy, saying: "We must
do better than the Obama-Clinton foreign
policy that has damaged relationships with
our allies and emboldened our enemies."
Another Republican presidential contender.
Rand Paul, also criticised Mrs Clinton for
her handling of a September 2012 attack on
a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi,
Libya, in which the US ambassador was
among those killed.
He also said questions remained about
funds received by a charity set up by Mr and
Mrs Clinton.
has set out for a tour of key states, at the
start of her campaign to become the first
woman US president.
She is taking a road trip to meet small
groups of voters in Iowa, after announcing
her presidency bid in an online video on
Sunday.
She had been expected to declare her
candidacy for months
Mrs Clinton ran for the Democratic
presidential nomination in 2008 but lost to
Barack Obama.
'Listening tour'
A few hours into her journey from New York,
Mrs Clinton tweeted: "Road trip! Loaded the
van & set off for IA. Met a great family when
we stopped this afternoon. Many more to
come. -H."
Mrs Clinton is expected to officially kick
off her campaign with a rally in mid-May
Mrs Clinton's team said she would spend
the next few weeks building up grassroots
support in the early Democratic primary
states.
Her first rally, to officially kick off her
campaign, is not expected until mid-May.
But her trip to Iowa is to be a "listening
tour" where Mrs Clinton will meet voters at
low-key events.
Later this week, she is expected to meet
groups of students, teachers and small
business owners.
On Sunday, Mrs Clinton launched her
campaign website and declared in a video
that she was running for president.
"Americans have fought their way back from
tough economic times," she said, "but the
deck is still stacked in favour of those at the
top.
She added that she wanted to be a champion
for "everyday Americans".
The video features a number of Americans
talking about their hopes and aspirations.
Analysis: Gary O'Donoghue, BBC
News, Des Moines, Iowa
The launch of Hillary Clinton's campaign for
the presidency was meant to be low-key.
It was meant to reflect the idea that it was
all about ordinary Americans and the
everyday concerns of the middle class.
But whether she likes it or not, Mrs Clinton
is a huge name in politics and reinventing
herself as the embodiment of change won't
be easy.
True, she is unlikely to face any stiff
competition from her own side for the
nomination, but Republicans have been
unrelenting in their attacks on her and that
will only increase.
She will also have to find a convincing
vision for America that will capture the
imagination of the voters.
Elections are usually about the future and
Mrs. Clinton has to prove that she's not all
about the past.
Twitter reaction
Is this Hillary Clinton's time?
Mrs Clinton has already had the backing of
Mr Obama, who said on Saturday that she
would make an "excellent president".
But the attacks from Republicans have
already started.
Jeb Bush, former Florida Governor and
brother of George W Bush who expected to
stand as a Republican candidate, tweeted:
"We must do better than Hillary."
In his own online video on Sunday, he
focused on foreign policy, saying: "We must
do better than the Obama-Clinton foreign
policy that has damaged relationships with
our allies and emboldened our enemies."
Another Republican presidential contender.
Rand Paul, also criticised Mrs Clinton for
her handling of a September 2012 attack on
a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi,
Libya, in which the US ambassador was
among those killed.
He also said questions remained about
funds received by a charity set up by Mr and
Mrs Clinton.
Nigeria's opposition makes regional election gains
The Nigerian opposition has made more gains in the final round of the country's
election process.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has retained the governorship in
commercial hub Lagos and gained governorships in northern states Kaduna and
Katsina.
Final results for 29 governorships and all 36 state assemblies are still being
tallied.
Nigeria's governors control huge budgets and are among the country's most
influential politicians.
The regional elections come two weeks after Muhammadu Buhari defeated
incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan to become the country's first
opposition candidate to win a presidential poll.
On Sunday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) announced
that the general's APC had retained power in Lagos state.
When Gen Buhari takes over the presidency it will be the first time that the
president's party will control Lagos since the end of military rule in 1999.
Nigeria's 36 governors enjoy wide powers and some control huge budgets
Inec have also announced that the APC have taken control of the governor's
seats in Kaduna and Katsina from President Jonathan's People's Democratic
Party (PDP).
The two northern states have been held by the PDP since the return of
democracy in 1999.
The PDP candidate of north-eastern Adamawa has also issued a concession
statement, although results in that state have not yet been finalised.
Irregularities
Nigeria's 36 governors enjoy wide powers and some, especially in oil-producing
areas, control bigger budgets than those of national governments in some
neighbouring West African countries.
Inec reported 66 violent incidents at polling stations during Saturday's
elections. The highest number took place in oil-rich Rivers.
Voting has been extended in many parts of the state after irregularities at some
polling stations.
Inec said that some ballot papers had been openly stolen.
Two weeks ago, observers generally praised the presidential election, though
there have been allegations of fraud even with the use of biometric voting cards.
Cambodia’s self- taught doctors, a Khmer Rouge legacy
PHNOM PENH: When the phone rings, former
Khmer Rouge soldier Ken Mon grabs a bag
stuffed full of medicine, jumps on his
motorbike and heads for an impoverished
Cambodian village with the haste of any
diligent local doctor.
Yet the 55-year-old Mon has no formal
medical training.
While ‘doctor’ is a self-granted title for Mon,
he — and others like him — are the only
source to treatment for thousands of poor
residents in Ang Ro Ngeang village, about 70
kilometres (45 miles) south of Phnom Penh.
Undeterred by his lack of qualifications, Mon
drives ten minutes down a bumpy track in
Cambodia’s southern Kampong Speu
province, arriving at the home of Chei Tana,
27, who complains of crippling stomach
pains.
“You have a lot of air inside your stomach,”
he explains after examining his patient,
giving him a packet of antacid pills.
Mon is one of hundreds of unlicensed doctors
treating patients across a country whose
medical system was eviscerated under the
brutal Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and
is yet to build a comprehensive public
system.
Seventy percent of Cambodians seek
healthcare from the private sector —
including from pharmacies, illegal doctors or
traditional healers, known as “Kru Khmer” —
according to a 2012 survey by the World
Health Organization.
But illegal doctors have fallen under intense
scrutiny after a mass outbreak of HIV at a
remote village in western Cambodia last
November.
Authorities say the original infection was
caused by an unqualified doctor, Yem
Chroeum, who has admitted he re-used
needles and syringes.
More than 200 of his patients have since
tested positive for HIV and Chroeum faces
trial on charges of murder, deliberately
infecting people with the virus and operating
an illegal clinic.
The scandal saw the government vow to
crack down on unlicensed health providers.
Their practice “affects the lives of the people,
and the reputation of the country”, according
to Sok Srun, director of the health ministry’s
hospital services department, which
oversees the licensing of medical staff and
clinics.
Despite their concerns, officials are yet to
come up with a policy to persuade newly-
trained doctors to leave the relative comforts
of the cities and head into Cambodia’s
remote, rural hinterlands.
Neither have they been able to adequately
boost the ranks of doctors, a profession
decimated by the Khmer Rouge who
slaughtered a huge proportion of the
country’s educated classes.
That legacy still haunts the
country today.
World Bank figures say Cambodia, one of
Asia’s poorest nations, has just 0.2 doctors
for every 100,000 people, on a par with
Afghanistan.
Similarly impoverished Myanmar has 0.4 per
100,000, while France boasts 3.2 per
100,000.
For millions of Cambodians, doctors like Mon
are their cheapest — and often only — option.
“I learned my medical skills at the university
of life,” he told AFP, adding authorities have
never stopped him practising medicine.
Ironically that education came from the same
people who destroyed Cambodia’s health
system.
Mon joined the Khmer Rouge as a fighter in
1974, shortly before the hardline communist
regime seized power.
When it was finally toppled in 1979 — after
causing the deaths of up to two million
Cambodians through execution, starvation or
overwork — he and many other cadres fled to
Samlot, a stronghold on the Thai border.
There he learned his medical skills, first from
Khmer Rouge medics and later from foreign
doctors working for the Red Cross.
“The first day, they gave me a syringe and
medicine and asked me to inject a wounded
soldier,” he recalls, adding he can now deal
with a myriad of procedures from treating
diseases such as malaria and typhoid to
suturing wounds.
Nuch Dy, a 56-year-old widow from a nearby
village, has never seen a qualified doctor.
“(The health centre) is far and I don’t have
money to pay immediately,” she says.
Instead she treats her long-time stomach
problems with painkillers and antacid pills
bought from Mon — often on a tab.
Neighbour Uon Sreang, 35, tells AFP that
everybody in the village is aware their doctor
has no formal training.
“But we trust him. He always used new
syringes and needles when he gave
injections to my family members,” she says,
her nine-month-old baby in her arms.
There is a logic to their faith in Mon’s skills
with official health centres often failing to
guarantee a better quality of care.
The WHO has said that 43 percent of the
11,000 health centres across Cambodia —
the first port of call for medical treatment —
are unable to provide full services due to a
lack of physicians, medicine or equipment.
Meanwhile, a World Bank survey last year
found only one in three official doctors in
rural health centres were able to correctly
diagnose a series of illnesses.
Of those who could, just 17 percent were able
to prescribe relevant drugs.
For the seriously ill — and the very young — a
city clinic is almost always the only option.
Outside a children’s hospital in Phnom Penh,
Heng Hen, 45, waits patiently with three sick
grandsons after making the 80 kilometre (50
mile) journey at dawn.
“Medics in the countryside don’t have ability
to treat children yet,” Hen says.
He admits the recent HIV outbreak has given
him pause for thought over the wisdom of
continuing to seek treatment from unlicensed
medics.
“But we have no choice because we are
poor,” he says.
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My life under threat
The human right activist, convener of #revolutionnow and formal presidential candidate in Nigeria,
