Another Nollywood Veteran Actor, Olumide Bakare Down With Heart Problem

Nollywood is having one of its best on the sick bed again. Veteran actor, Olumide Bakare, is said to be down with a heart related illness now and looks weak.

The famous ‘Chief Koko’ of the infamous ‘Koko Close’ TV series of the early 80s, we learnt, was recently admitted into a hospital due to the severity of the ailment.

Respect fellow Elder statesmen, Tukur tells Obasanjo

NATIONAL Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur yesterday urged former President Olusegun Obasanjo to respect his fellow Elder Statesmen and patriots following the way he carries out personal attacks and vituperation on people in exalted positions.

Reacting to Chief Obasanjo’s 18- page letter to President Goodluck Jonathan on the high level of corruption and inept leadership as well as attack on PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur who stressed the need for Obasanjo to tread with caution, however described his criticisms and lampoon as unexpected and unfortunate.

'I Inherited A Collapsed Aviaiton Sector’ – Oduah

Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, says that the aviation sector was in total collapse when she assumed duty as minister and has made efforts to reposition the sector to meet global standards.

The minister’s comment came as she responded to questions from the senate committee on aviation on Tuesday.

ASUU Signs MOU With FG To Call Off Strike In A Week

The Federal Government and the leadership of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, led by its President Dr. Nasir Fagge yesterday, signed Memoradum of Understanding on the restructured 2009. Agreement.

ASUU President, Dr. Nasir. Fagge said the document signed would be presented to the union to take an affirmative stand on the suspension of the 5 months old industrial action.

He said with the signing of the MOU the 5month old strike would be suspended in a week’s time.

Nelson Mandela Memorial: Sign Interpreter Was Fake.. "He Was a Complete Fraud"

The sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela's memorial service was "a fake" who merely flapped his arms around during speeches", South Africa's deaf community has said.

South Africa's deaf federation has confirmed that an interpreter using sign language during the Mandela memorial was a "fake".

Concerns over the male interpreter had been raised by deaf people watching the service at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium on Tuesday.

Bruno Druchen, national director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa, said the unidentified man who was on stage alongside world leaders including US President Barack Obama, "was moving his hands around but there was no meaning in what he used his hands for".

Julius Berger To Pay $32 million In US Corruption Charges For Bribing Nigerian Officials

Some board members of Julius Berger in Nigeria

The US Justice Department  and FBI said Tuesday the German-based international engineering company, Bilfinger SE, has agreed to pay a $32 million penalty for charges relating to violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Bilfinger's Nigerian construction subsidiary, Julius Berger PLC was charged with bribing Nigerian government officials to obtain and retain contracts related to work for the Eastern Gas Gathering System (EGGS).  A project valued at $387 million.  

Former President Obasanjo Writes President Jonathan; 18-page letter titled "Before it is too late"

Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo has written what clearly competes as one of the most acerbic letters in modern history to President Goodluck Jonathan, accusing him of ineptitude and of taking actions calculated at destroying Nigeria.

“Nigeria is bleeding and the hemorrhage must be stopped,” Mr. Obasanjo said in the 18-page letter dated December 2, 2013 and exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday.

He said Mr. Jonathan has failed to deliver on his promises to the Nigerian people, stem corruption, promote national unity and strengthen national security.
He said in the letter titled “Before it is too late” that rather than take steps to advance Nigeria’s interest and up the standards of living of Nigerians, Mr. Jonathan had betrayed God and the Nigerian people that brought him to power, and has been pursuing selfish personal and political interests based on advice he receives from “self-centred aides”.

Teacher Slashed With Machete In Osun State As Fighting Breaks Out Over Educational Reforms

Fakunle High School

Osun State parents and students are protesting the new educational reforms as fighting are breaking out. 

As earlier revealed by SaharaReporters, the new education reforms policy not only merged schools with different missions and faiths but re-classified grades which is causing students to fight each other over seniority.  

The re-classifying policy brought students at one higher class together with those in a junior class with senior students exercising their authority over the junior ones.

Fighting has been breaking out all over the state.  

NNPC denies not accounting for N7.90trn in oil revenue

Lamido Sanusi says the NNPC only remitted 24 per cent of the N10.35 trillion (about $63.5 billion) earned from crude oil sales between January 2012 and July 2013

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has dismissed the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) allegation that it is withholding N7.90 trillion ($49.8 billion) in revenue from the sale of crude oil which should have been paid into government accounts under law.

Omar Ibrahim, a spokesman for the state oil company known as NNPC, said in a statement on Tuesday that the CBN’s assertion “is borne out of misunderstanding of the workings of the oil and gas industry and the modality for remitting crude oil sales revenue into the Federation Account”.

Zamfara sacks 400 striking nurses

Nurses on Industrial Action

The Zamfara State Government has announced the sack of over 400 nurses and midwives, who went on strike over pay, accusing them of leaving their duty posts without permission.

The state’s Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Magaji announced the decision in a statement on Wednesday in Gusau.

The health workers had been on an indefinite strike since last Wednesday, over the alleged non-implementation of CONHESS by the state government.

FAAN returns passenger’s missing luggage, $8,500

Yakubu Dati

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said on Wednesday that it had returned 8,500 dollars (about N1.4 million) misplaced by a passenger at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja.

The General Manager, Public Affairs of FAAN, Yakubu Dati, told journalists in Ikeja that the amount was in a luggage misplaced by the owner, Titilayo Onabokun.

He said that Mrs Onabokun, who resides in the U.S., had misplaced her luggage at the airport while flying to Georgia, on November 10.

Angelina Jolie's Plane Banned by FAA

Angelina Jolie has reportedly been banned from flying her private plane after failing to renew its registration in time. The certificate to the 38-year-old movie star's red-and-white Cirrus SR-22 has expired on June 30.

According to NY Times' Page Six, FAA documents noted that a renewal application was sent to the agency but it arrived too late. FAA sent a letter to Jolie's Chivan Productions at the beginning of September that they could not process the renewal because application did not arrive in time.

Pope Francis Beats Miley Cyrus to Be TIME's Person of the Year

Pope Francis has been named TIME magazine's Person of the Year on Wednesday, December 11, meaning Miley Cyrus failed to take the coveted title. The Catholic church leader has been selected by editors of the magazine with consideration of a poll from its readers.

It was reported a while ago that Cyrus was leading the readers poll with 28 percent of the votes. She even scored a position on the Top 10 list which was revealed by the magazine's managing editor Nancy Gibbs on Monday. The only entertainer on the list, the 21-year-old singer thrived this year for her "Wrecking Ball" video which became a cultural phenomenon.

'Legacy Concert' For Mandela To Be Hosted By Some Nigerian Celebrities

 

On Wednesday, December 18, 2013, some celebrities in Nigeria will gather for 'Legacy Concert' in honour of late anti-apartheid leader, Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday, December 5, 2013 at the age of 95.

The likes of D'Banj, 2Face Idibia, Darey Art-Alade, Burna Boy, Ikechukwu, Eldee the Don, Zaina, Mo Easy, Engage and Chioma have been penciled down to perform at the tribute concert.

Terry G’s Leather Pant Tears On Stage

#Run mad Master

Photo : Paul Okoye Flaunts His Fiancée Anita Isama And His Adorable Son

One word: Cute!

R Kelly's Q & A Sessions Haunts Him -- #AskRKelly

In the course of promoting his new gig, R.Kelly past initiated the Q & A session on twitter and here is what he gets:

I saw this wonderful pix of this couple and decided to share

#True Love#

Reps query N2.6bn deposit in CBN, FCMB

The House of Representatives Committee on Environment has queried the Ministry of Environment over allegations that it has lodged N2.6 billion at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and a commercial bank, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) even with just a few months to the end of the year.

The committee said it was wrong for the money to be stashed away at a time numerous contractors were yet to be paid after doing over 60 percent of the jobs given to them. During an oversight function of the committee, a member, Hon. Pat Asadu (PDP-Enugu), said he was ready to waive his immunity and personally drag the ministry to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for corruption.

I Didn’t Love Mandela At First Sight —Widow

Nelson Mandela’s widow Graca Machel, has disclosed that her first encounters with the global icon cannot be described at love at first sight.

Machel who barely left her husband’s bedside in the final six months of his life, said her first encounters with Mandela wasn’t love at first sight.

“It wasn’t love at first sight,” Machel said.

Housewife, Pastor Arrested For Murder In Edo

Nigerian police detectives from the Edo State Police Command have arrested and detained a housewife and her lover, a pastor, over the murder of her husband, Victor Nsongbunyo, a Deputy Manager with the Nigeria Petroleum Development (NPDC) Company, in Benin.

It was gathered that the woman and her deceased husband, a native of Cross River State, who was recently promoted to Deputy Manager in the company and was due to retire from service next year, had been having issues with the paternity of their children after he suspected the wife was having an extra marital affair with the Pastor.

It was also learnt that when he suspected that the pregnancy the wife was carrying was not from him, the deceased visited their home town to complain to his family and his in-laws. Consequently, the families resolved that a DNA test would be conducted after the wife gave birth to the child.

Lagos Residents Must Stop Burying Corpses in Residential Areas – Government

Lagos State Government warned residents of the state to desist from burying their dead in their compounds and comply with laws prohibiting burial of family members on private property located within their community.

The government made this call on December 9, 2013, Monday, stated such practice poses a major challenge for the authorities to relocate such corpses in the course of future road expansion and reconstruction projects in such areas.

At the same time, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has disclosed that over 200 roads had been constructed across the state within the last one year.

Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, the state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, gave the warning on burial to residents at Mushin Local Government Area of the state, shortly before Governor Babatunde Fashola, finally, handed over 16 completed networks of roads in the council totalling 10.127 kilometres.

Gov. Fashola in his remarks, appealed to residents to shun the culture of trading on roads and walk ways and other forms of activities that constitute nuisance on the roads.

EXCLUSIVE: Jonathan, Alison-Madueke, Okonjo-Iweala Guilty Of Diverting N8 Trillion Oil Funds

President Goodluck Jonathan and two of his top ministers may be attempting a cover-up on what clearly competes as Nigeria’s biggest fraud ever, involving the illegal diversion, or theft, of over N8 trillion crude oil sales proceeds.

In a memo to the president on September 25, 2013, Central Bank governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi detailed how government-owned oil firm, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, had systematically diverted the huge sum, being sales proceeds between January 2012 and July 2013.

According to CBN governor, for all crude oil sales within the period, the NNPC paid only 24 percent proceeds into the federation account, and diverted or stole the remaining 76 percent-totalling N8 trillion.

ASUU strike: FG makes U-turn

  Nasir Fagge and Goodluck Jonathan

The Presidency said on Monday it was no longer interested in the December 9  deadline  it handed over to the striking university  teachers  to return to work.

Rather, it said it was satisfied with the lecturers’  level of compliance with  the  directive to them  to resume work or be sacked.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said this while briefing journalists on the payment of the N200bn by the Federal Government into the “Revitalisation of Universities Infrastructure” account with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Senate reverses decision on jail term for online critics

Nigeria Senate

The Senate on Tuesday rescinded its decision to pass a bill that seek to jail online critics of the government seven years. By this the Senate had bowed to pressure over criticisms that had greeted its proposed bill on electronic transactions and fraud detection,  which  stipulated a seven-year jail term for any user of social media who post information that threatened the security of the country.

Specifically,  section 13 (3) of the draft bill stipulates that “any person who intentionally propagate false information that could threaten the security of the country or that is capable of inciting  the general public against the government through electronic message shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction,  shall be sentenced to seven years imprisonment, or a fine of N5m, or both.”

NDLEA arrests 442 suspected drug dealers in Anambra

Officials of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operating in Anambra State arrested 442 suspects and confiscated 409 kilogrammes of various narcotic substances between January and November 2013, Sule Momodu, the state Commander of the agency, disclosed on Monday in Awka at a news conference on the activities of the command during the period under review.

He said 275.944 kilogrammes of Cannabis, 130 kilogrammes of Psychotropic substance, 4.3 kilogrammes of Methamphetamine and 55.6 grammes of cocaine were seized from the suspects.

Enugu records 20 per cent drop in out-of-school children

The number of out-of-school children in Enugu State fell by 20 per cent between January and December 2013, Governor Sullivan Chime told the state’s house of Assembly on Tuesday.

Chime said the drop was due to the free basic education policy instituted for children in primary and junior secondary schools.

He said that available statistics showed that in 2013, the rate of school enrolment rose from 65 per cent to 85 per cent.

Chime said that more than 2,000 orphaned and vulnerable children in the state received educational empowerment from the state government in collaboration with some non-governmental organisations.

Jonathan’s inability to speak at Mandela’s memorial service is not an issue, says Presidency

Reuben Abati

The Presidency has said the inability of President Goodluck Jonathan to pay tributes to late Nelson Mandela at the state funeral service held in his honour at the FNB Stadium in Pretoria was not an insult to Nigeria as speculated.

It also described the public outcry that trailed the development as a case of worrying over something that was not an issue.

According to Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, “This is obviously a further indication of a rising, minority tendency to read the negative into every official item.

“It was made clear at the occasion that the Chairman of the AU Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will speak on behalf of African leaders and she did. I do not agree that Nigeria was insulted in any way. It was good that President Jonathan attended the memorial service and that Nigeria is in solidarity with the South Africans,” he added.

NIGERIA SNUBBED AT MANDELA MEMORIAL

The Nigerian president was not among the leaders that gave tribute during the memorial service of Nelson Mandela.

Despite leaving Nigeria early for the funeral of late South African leader, Nelson Mandela, President Goodluck Jonathan has been snubbed by the South African authorities at the State Memorial Service of the anti-apartheid leader.

An official release of programmes during the memorial service shows that the Nigerian president was missing on the list of world leaders billed to give tributes. The world leaders who will be giving tributes are, United State President, Barack Obama; President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil; Vice-President Li Yuanchao of China; President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia; President Pranab Mukherjee of India; and President Raúl Castro Ruz of Cuba.

Other leaders billed to give tributes were the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon; and the African Union Commission Chair, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

ASUU Strike: FG withdraws ultimatum

Following the outcry of Nigerians and substantial compliance by some members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Federal Government has withdrawn the ultimatum given to striking lecturers to resume in Universities or be sacked.

Dr. Doyin Okupe

The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, while speaking to journalists, displayed a letter, which was signed by the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Tunde Lemo and addressed to the Accountant General of the Federation. The letter confirmed that the total sum of two hundred billion Naira (N200 000 000 000) had been paid into a Revitalisation of Universities Infrastructure Account, as agreed in a meeting between ASUU and President Goodluck Jonathan on November 5, 2013.