Venezuelan president goes to Cuba for cancer treatment

Hugo Chavez the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez flew into Cuba  to commence the treatment of cancer, leaving Venezuelans worried about his exact condition.
In a letter from the president to the Venezuelans after weeks of scare public appearances, he announced that he was going to Havana for a therapy known as “Hyperbaric Oxygenation”- a method used to reduce bone decay caused by radiation therapy.
Venezuelans, have been endlessly speculating about Chavez’s cancer since it was discovered in mid-2011, were not sure what to make of the latest twist – debating whether it was normal post-radiation treatment or a serious downturn.
“I really don’t know what he has,” Chavez’s cousin, Guillermo Frias, told Reuters from the president’s rural hometown state Barinas. “But anyway, I always pray for him every night. I stop at a shrine on the corner and always remember him.
“I hope he recovers fine. I’m sure he will. The election campaign was tough for him. He went too far”.
Though he had declared himself cured, Chavez appeared exhausted at the end of his successful presidential re-election bid in October. He later admitted radiation had taken its toll.

Navy promotes 19 Commodores; 93 other senior officers

The Navy Board on Thursday approved the promotion of 112 senior officers to various ranks.
The promotion involved 19 Commodores to the rank of Rear Admiral, 40 Captains to the rank of Commodore, 33 Commanders were elevated to the rank of Captain and 20 Lieutenant Commanders to the rank of Commander.
According to a press release signed by the Director, Navy information, Commodore Kabir Aliyu, the 19 Commodores promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral include P.A Agba, S.I Alade, B.A Egbedina, N.P Agholor, O.P Ozojiofor, G.A Anyankpele, I.O.N Iwuoha, H.O Ngonadi, H.H Babalola, E.G Ofik, S.E Ogoigbe, J.K.Z Ango, and A.A Osinowo.
Others are Commodores R.O Osondu, A. Johnson and A.L Akintola.
In the medical branch, senior officers promoted to Rear Admirals are Surgeon Commodores A.B Afolayan, T.G.S Epelle and A.H Yusuf.
The newly promoted Rear Admirals will be decorated with their new ranks in Abuja at a yet to be announced date.

Local Govt. Autonomy: Analyst berates move

As the state governors of the 36 states of Nigeria deliberated on the issue of devolution of powers during the 13th edition of the governors forum, a public affair analyst, lawyer and chairman; editorial board of the National Daily newspapers said the amendment of the constitution is not supposed to be swung into the direction its heading to and for him, he has never believed in the amendment of the constitution, rather he believes in the review of the constitution.
“This is not the way it should be, the amendment of the constitution, i have never believed in the amendment of the constitution anyway”.
“I believe in the review of the constitution, not in the amendment because when you amend the constitution, there are a few sections that are antithetical to democratic principles maybe in one or two sections, no problem, but when you review a constitution, it’s like giving a brand new constitution to the body politic.”
The public affairs analyst said further that he has always preached for the review of the 1999 constitution because the constitution in totality because it is full of inconsistencies and being the yardstick of the fundamental law of the country, but until changed Nigerians have to respect it because it what binds the country together even though it leaves a sour teat in the mouth.
“That’s what i have always preached because the constitution is an amalgam ranked inconsistencies and there is no time to tell you which sections of the constitution are bad, the whole thing is entirely bad”.
“I respect it because this the fundamental law of the land and until is changed, this is document that binds all of us together, so we have to respect it, but having said that there’s a lot to be desired, it leaves a very sour taste in the mouth”.
He said he is ‘hand in gloves’ with governors because the national assembly has posited itself to have local government share equal power level with the states, making the local governments federating units just like federal and state governments which has never been heard of.
Chris Akiri appeared who appeared as a guest on Sunrise Daily said the Local government is an appendage of the state government and it is not supposed to be autonomous  and also subject to the sovereignty of the state government and he feels that the move will lead to a conflict in power.

Nigerian banks are financially stable – CBN

Officials of the Central Bank have assured Nigerians that the nation’s banks are financially stable, especially the recently nationalised banks.
The deputy governor of the bank in charge of corporate services, Mr Suleiman Barau and the director in charge of banking supervision Mrs Agnes Martins who spoke at a meeting with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Currency in Abuja added that the resignation of a bank’s managing director cannot in any way affect the day to day running of a bank.
They however said that the banks new strategy is targeted at ensuring proper risk management, transparency and accountability in the Nigerian banks.
On their part, members of the House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Currency took turns to bear their minds on issues bordering on the nation’s economic stability.

Ajimobi assures displaced traders of allocation as Gov. Amaechi commends Oyo development

The Oyo state Governor Abiola Ajimobi has disclosed that the first set of new markets to be constructed by his administration across the Ibadan metropolis would be ready within the next three months.
The governor, who made the disclosure while receiving the Chairman of Wemabod Estates Limited, Dr. Ismail Adebayo Adewusi and other board members who were on a courtesy visit to his office said that the second phase would commence immediately after the completion of the first phase.
The move by the Ajimobi administration is to fullfill the governor’s promise to relocate displaced traders occupying illegal structures across the Ibadan metropolis, as he took a tour of the town to identify with the displaced traders and assure them that more befitting and safer shops would be given to them soon.
Within the Oyo state capital all illegal shops, kiosks and shanties are being demolished to give way for a planned and aesthetically befitting outlook, against the cries of discomfort and frustrations by the traders but Gov. Ajimobi led accompanied by all members of the executive during the tour empathise with the traders and give them hope of continued livelihood.
He promised that every displaced trader would be given new shops at the neighbourhood market nearby within the next few months.
Gov. Ajimobi disclosed that the neighbourhood  markets will be located at both sides of the old toll gate at the Ibadan end of Lagos-Ibadan Express Road; Temidire Market, New Ife Road; Scout Camp, Challenge; Samonda, adjacent to Oyo State Trade Fair Complex and Oke-Bola Area. He added that additional stalls would be fixed at Ibadan South West Local Government Area as well as rehabilitation of the popular Adamasingba Shopping Complex.
In a related development, the board of Wemabod Estates led by its chairman Dr. Ismael Adewusi promised to provide at least 500 low cost housing units to the people of Oyo state. Gov.Ajimobi lauded the initiative and charged Wemabod Estates to join in the construction of the markets on public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement across the entire state.
Ajimobi said the Oyo state government is willing and ready to partner with Wemabod Estates owned by the O’dua conglomerate in the planned construction of new motor parks and development of New GRA at Idi-Ishin area of Ibadan and the restructuring of the existing GRAs to accommodate more houses of different categories.
Meanwhile, the Rivers state governor and chairman Governor’s forum, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, commended the Oyo state governor for bringing further development to the state and changing the face of the state capital, Ibadan to a clean and comfortable place for the people.
Governor Amaechi stated this during a courtesy visit to Senator Abiola Ajimobi at the Governor’s office, shortly after commiserating with the families of late Justice Kayode Esho at his Ikolaba, Ibadan residence.
The rivers state governor said that contrary to widespread belief that Ibadan was extremely dirty without exception, he was actually impressed with what was on ground in the ancient city in terms of aesthetics and development.
He said further that he is hoping that the economy of the state would be repositioned through the transformation agenda of Governor Ajimobi.
Speaking on the position of the Governors’ Forum on the on-going constitution review, governor Amaechi said the forum believes that the practice of true federalism is germain to the development and political stability in Nigeria.
While reacting to the issue of the creation of state police, governor Amaechi said discussion is on-going with other members on the necessity of state police in reducing the rate of crimes in Nigeria, stating that the impression given by a section of the media that there was disagreement among the governors was not a true representation of the meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday.
Reacting, Governor Ajimobi  described Amaechi as a man with special ability to manage human beings, as attested to in his handling of the governors in Nigeria, stating that  Amaechi had encouraged public office holders to be honest and courageous, even as politicians.
While commending Amaechi for the development he had brought to Rivers State, Ajimobi expressed the willingness to take a cue from the developmental programmes of Rivers, stating that he was willing to benchmark on the best practises that had made Rivers state a model state in infrastructural development.

Stop blaming FG for insecurity; help us, PDP tells ACN

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday asked the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) to help provide solution to the security challenge in the country, rather than blame the situation on the Federal Government.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh while reacting to ACN’s attack on the party’s National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur on the nation’s security challenges, the PDP said, ‘’the increasing incidence of global insecurity is the responsibility of the authorities that be as well as that of the individual citizenry.
“Surmounting the challenge is the function of the unity of the efforts of all, political divide notwithstanding.
‘’The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has explained the wrong interpretation of the recent comment of its National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur on the nation’s security challenges by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) as an exercise in mischief and a palpable ignorance of the collective responsibility of all Nigerians towards a better secured nation.
Mr Metuh added that ‘’it was unfortunate that an honest disposition of its National Chairman was mischievously interpreted as “lack of capacity” by the ACN.
“We are not surprised that the unassuming and honest comment of our National Chairman has provided a sweet nectar for the moth of mischief to feed on.
“This is another weak attempt by the ACN to detract from the merit of the efforts of the PDP led Federal Government in returning the nation to the path of greatness.
“In spite, we shall remain steadfast in our humble approach to leadership. The PDP is an organic institution which can err, accept responsibilities while remaining focused on lasting solution. We are not a self-righteous political party like the ACN which claim” to be light” but radiate darkness.”
“We are sure that no objective assessment by any Nigerian will relegate the untiring commitment of the PDP led Federal Government in stemming the tide of insecurity in the country. Our government has been pursuing the option of dialogue. It is also pursuing that of minimal force, as the characters in the insurgency are also Nigerians.
“We wish to put on record, that our National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Turkur has championed the re-engagement of social values in tackling security challenges as those elements in crime have parents, brothers, sisters and relations who are in the opposition political parties as well as in the PDP. What option has the ACN provided in tackling this national challenge.”
According to the statement, the ACN accusation of “clueless leadership” has no basis either in empirical facts or in any stretch of imagination.
“Despite the mega-phonic lies of the ACN, power generation has tangibly improved across the cities of Nigeria. Like never before, massive construction and re-construction are on-going in most of the federal roads in the country.
“The efficiency with which the Federal Government tackled the recent flooding in parts of the country is not a signature tune of a clueless leadership.”
“What’s more, that free and fair elections are now taken as guaranteed and the fact that even the opposition commends the President for his historic stricture to credible polls is an admission that Nigeria is in safe hands and making progress under the PDP.”
“Lest we forget, that the ACN, the CPC and their cohorts in the opposition wake up daily to insult the President without molestation is a victory for a government embedded solidly in tolerance, transparency, rule of law and rule of ideas.”

Reps to investigate allegations of corruption against Orubebe

The House of Representatives on Thursday directed two of its standing committees to commence an investigation into allegations of corrupt practices brought against the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe.

The Minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe

The motion presented by a member of the House, Olesegun Odeneye (Ogun State) reminded the House of allegations that the minister has paid for many phantom projects, and is presently residing in a house, built and handed over to him by a construction company which he has failed to declare in his asset declaration.
“A case has been made against the minister as it relates to a house built for him by Setraco Construction Company at Mabushi district here in Abuja. It has been found that he failed to declare the house in his asset declaration form with the Code of Conduct Bureau,” Mr Odeneye said.
The House subsequently mandated its committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes to investigate the matter and make appropriate recommendations to the House within 21 days.
The House further directed the ministry of Finance, the Central Bank and the Accountant General of the federation to suspend all payments into the ministry over what it described as bogus contracts, except the East West road projects until the completion of investigation to verify the authenticity of certificates pending for payment.
The deputy speaker, who presided, ruled that the motion should not be debated until investigations are completed.
A non-governmental organisation, Anti-Corruption Network, led by former member of the House of Representatives, Dino Melaye had accused Mr Orubebe of using his office to divert public fund for his personal use. The organisation provided photos of a residence it claimed was built for the Minister in the Mabushi area of Abuja.
Leader of the group had alleged that Setraco built and delivered the new mansion to Mr Orubebe in less than six months after the company benefitted from contracts to build part of the East-West highway in the Delta region.

Money Laundering: Illness stalls Babalakin’s trial

The arraignment of the Chairman of the Bi-Courtney Group, Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN) could not hold on Thursday due to his absence in court.
Babalakin who was alleged to have helped former Delta State Governor, James Ibori to launder funds running into billions of Naira could not be produced by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ebun Sofunde who led Dr Babalakin’s lawyers told the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja that he took ill and had to be taken to the hospital as his health condition deteriorated overnight.
The Presiding judge, Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo thereafter adjourned the case till December 12 when he is expected to be arraigned.

Court dismisses IBB’s $12.4bn Gulf oil windfall suit

A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the suit filed by civil society groups against the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, delivered the ruling on Thursday in Abuja. He said the applicants lack the locus standi to institute the case.
Justice Kolawole however said the plaintiffs should not be seen as busy bodies but patriotic citizens.
Six civil society groups, including the Socio-Economic and Accountability Project (SERAP), Access to Justice and Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and Partnership for Justice sued the Attorney- General of the Federation (AGF) and the CBN over the much publicised $12.4 billion oil windfall, which the country recorded between 1988 and 1992, while former military President, Retired General Ibrahim Babangida, was in power.
The groups wanted the court to compel the government to release a report of a probe panel headed by Pius Okigbo which probed the spending of the money by the government.
The Federal Government raised many arguments against the suit including: that the report was missing, only the AGF could demand for such a report, and the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
The Judge held that the applicants could not establish the allegation of a “dedicated account” within the CBN where the money was domiciled.
Justice Kolawole further said the action was “Status barred” as applicant failed to approach the court within 12 months allowed by law in 2005 after the release of the Okadigbo Report on the misappropriation of the windfall.
He said that the applicant had failed to produce a certified copy of the Okigbo Report, adding that “the issues raised remained doubtful in the circumstance.”
The judge said: “More worrisome is the fact that Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009 relied on by the applicant is in conflict with Section 46 (1) (3) of the 1999 Constitution.
“The Chief Justice of Nigeria has assumed legislative powers in the amendment of the rules to enlarge the justiceable rights of the applicants not originally captured in the Constitution.
“This is, however, not done to discredit the justiceable rights as enshrined in the African Charter on Fundamental Human Rights, which the applicants may have relied on heavily.
“All the equitable relives sought in the application are hereby dismissed, unless the applicants are able to establish the existence of a dedicate account which the money was kept, I am afraid the other auxiliary relives shall not be granted,” he said.
The applicants had in 2010 brought the motion on notice pursuant to Order 1 Rule 2 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009 as reserved by Section 315 of the 1999 Constitution.
They have also relied on Order 2 Rules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009 and the inherent jurisdiction of the court.
The applicants, therefore, sought an order compelling the respondents to publish detailed statement of the account relating to the spending of the $12.4 billion oil windfall between 1988 and 1994.
The applicant also sought for an order directing the respondents to diligently and effectively bring to justice anyone suspected of corruption and mismanagement of the money.
They further sought for an order directing the respondents to return to the Federal account any money which was the subject matter of corruption.
The applicant sought for an order directing the respondents to provide adequate reparation, which may take the form of restitution, compensation, satisfaction or guarantee of non-repetition to millions of Nigerians that had been denied as the result of the misuse of the money.
The applicant had among other declarations, prayed the court to rule that the refusal of the respondents to release the detailed statement of account relating to the windfall was illegal and unlawful.
The applicant argued that they were entitled to information as guaranteed by Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.
Sola Egbeyinka, who held the brief of Femi Falana, counsel to the applicants told newsmen after the proceedings that the ruling would be challenged.

Turkish prosecutors recommend a 3-year jail term for Emenike

Turkish prosecutors have called for a three-year prison term for Nigerian international, Emmanuel Emenike after he was implicated for match-fixing scandal which was widespread in Turkey.
Lawyers in Istanbul accused Emenike of faking an injury to avoid playing for his then club Karabukspor against Fenerbahce in May 2011.
It was alleged that Emenike’s agent had beforehand been approached by Fenerbahce officials to arrange the player’s “injury” for the match.
The 25-year-old attacker’s case has been tried separately from a larger trial that has rocked Turkish football and which saw the president of Fenerbahce; Aziz Yildirim, sentenced to six years and three months in prison.

Sambo declares open Eko 2012 as Abdullahi challenges athletes

Vice President Namadi Sambo has declared open the 18th National Sports Festival tagged Eko 2012 at the Teslim Balogun stadium in Surulere, Lagos.
Vice President Sambo admonished the participating states to imbibe the spirit of fair play and unity for which the fiesta is known.
The event was different from the previous editions of the festival, as it explained the rich culture of Lagos state.
There was also fire display, eyo masquerade, contemporary dancers, royal dancers and calisthenics.
More than 8,000 athletes from 36 states including the federal capital territory will fight for medals at the biennial fiesta.
Meanwhile the Minister of Sports; Bolaji Abdullahi has challenged the participating athletes to embrace the spirit of friendship which is one of the objective of the National Sports Festival.
Mr. Abdullahi said lessons have been leant from the London Olympics and the talents discovered at the games will be groomed to discover more talents that will represent the country at the 2016 Olympics games in Brazil.

Labour leader calls for establishment of new refineries

National Vice President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Emmanuel Ajoku, has called on the federal government to concentrate on building new refineries, maintain the existing ones and show seriousness in its effort to fight corruption rather than remove fuel subsidy.
The labour leader stated this while briefing journalists in Ilorin after the opening of the state secretariat of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreation Employees.
Rather than engaging in what he called “fruitless effort” to remove what does not exist, government he stressed should put a stop to the disgraceful process of importing refined fuel from countries that should ordinarily be begging Nigeria for fuel.
The labour leader also lamented what he called the “insincerity of federal government to the plights of the youths” and also the infrastructural decay in the country which has affected every sector.

Tukur has exposed PDP’s security cluelessness-ACN

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in a statement today said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has confirmed its inability to curb the growing insecurity in the country.
The ACN cited a statement credited to the chairman of the ruling party claiming the PDP is “not a security agency and should not be blamed for the insecurity in the country and other ills bedeviling the country”.
The statement which was issued in Lagos on Wednesday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, ACN said ”What the PDP Chairman is saying, in essence, is that his party is no longer fit to rule and that Nigerians should look elsewhere.”
ACN said it is inconceivable that a man of Alhaji Tukur’s standing, experience in public life and international exposure will not know the powers and responsibility of a ruling party.
”The PDP sired the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government that controls the security agencies in the
country, and the party’s Chairman is not unaware of this fact.”
ACN in the statement urged Nigerians to take their destiny in their own hands by using every democratic means to get the PDP out of their lives.
”The insecurity that has now reached a level at which daring gunmen will attack the police and the military, the very institutions the country relies upon to ensure its internal and external security, is a reflection of the deep rot in other spheres of life in Nigeria.
”To be fair, the rot did not start in 1999. But 13 years is a long enough time for a party that is worth its name to make an appreciable effort to turn things around. Sadly, the situation is worse today than it was 13 years ago” ACN said.

Cybercrime bill scales through second reading

Two bills seeking to provide a legal framework to combat computer misuse and cybercrime in Nigeria have passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bills, which were presented by rep. Aisha dahiru, seek to amend the criminal and penal codes to provide for offences and penalties for computer misuse and cybercrimes as she cited the recent gruesome killing of Cynthia Osokogu who was lured to Lagos, raped, robbed and strangled by her “friend” on a BlackBerry chat room as one of the ills of cybercrime which must be fixed during her lead debate on the bill.
According to her, the absence of cybercrime laws portrayed Nigeria as “very porous nation” for cybercrime.
Ahmed who described cybercrime as “well organised and coordinated enterprise” said the absence of cybercrime legislation has exposed sensitive economic, intelligence and security and sundry government outfit to hacking by cybercrime syndicates.
The Taraba lawmaker told lawmakers that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has made 288 cybercrime- related arrests but 234 of the cases were still pending in court largely due to absence of cybercrime legislation to prosecute the cases.
Most members who contributed to the debate on the bill were unanimous in their submissions that it is time for the nation to have a cybercrime law.
Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila in his contribution to the debate said, “This issue (cybercrime and computer misuse) has become a menace to society that needs to be dealt with frontally.”
Most of the lawmakers supported the bills, saying it will empower law enforcement agencies to combat the crimes which have negatively affected Nigeria’s image internationally.

NLC orders FG to sack Sanusi as CBN governor

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the immediate sack of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Sanusi Lamido Sanusi in a statement signed by its president  Abdulwaheed Omar.
“It is obvious Sanusi was never qualified for the office of CBN governor in the first instance, and he must be asked to leave the office as he has shown more than enough incompetence and contempt for the Nigerian people”.
“We see in Sanusi an agent of death that must be defeated and crushed before he further destroys the Nigerian economy”.
Mr Omar accused the CBN chief of not implementing policies that have benefitted the Nigerian people and the economy.
“Since assumption of office as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, all Sanusi’s major pronouncements have been either directly anti people or ruinous to the Nigerian economy”.
“And we need to ask Sanusi how much work he has successfully done in the CBN to reposition it to contemporary realities? He is surrounded with countless aides that are obviously not required by a man who believes that the Nigerian economy runs too high on overhead cost”.
The NLC also berated the bank chief’s call for the scrapping of the third tier of government claiming it is a pivotal part of the federal system of government that Nigeria is operating.
The NLC further canvassed for increased funding of local governments to enable “them function properly as required under a federal system”.
The statement also said “The truth, which Sanusi as a beneficiary is running away from, is that corruption has become a real burden on the economy and it should be the only priority item on the table of any serious government. Even if you sack all the workers in Nigeria, any amount saved from that will be stolen and the culprits will walk in freedom”.

Sudan/South Sudan Faceoff: Jonathan backs peaceful resolution

President Goodluck Jonathan pledged Tuesday in the FCT; Abuja that Nigeria will continue to work with other African Nations to ensure a peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes between Sudan and South Sudan.
Speaking at an audience with the Vice President of Sudan, Dr. Adam Yousuf, President Jonathan said that Nigeria will work through the African Union’s Peace and Security Council and the African Union’s Authority of Heads of State and Government to achieve a resolution of the disagreement between Sudan and South Sudan over Abyei District that will be acceptable to both countries.
The President assured Dr. Yousuf who delivered a special message from President Omar El-Bashir to him, that he will confer with other African leaders ahead of the next meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council on the Abyei dispute.
Welcoming the briefing given to him by Dr. Yousuf on Sudan’s current position on efforts to resolve the dispute, President Jonathan said that Nigeria was committed to ensuring that all possible options for a peaceful and enduring resolution of the dispute are fully explored.
Dr. Yousuf assured President Jonathan of Sudan’s readiness for continued dialogue towards the peaceful resolution of the dispute over Abyei.
He told the President that Sudan was already doing its best to implement the nine agreements signed with South Sudan in Addis Ababa last month on other issues arising from the separation of both countries.

Ogun state suspends 1,024 teachers over forged certificates

No fewer than 1,024 teachers in Ogun State found to have submitted forged certificates to gain employment and engaged in other irregularities have been suspended by the state government.
The affected teachers were among the 6, 531 out of the 19, 154 earlier screened in an exercise conducted by a firm of consultants which verified their claims in the form of statement of results and attestation letters from over 50 higher institutions  across the country.
A detailed final report submitted to the state government by the CITC Consulting indicated that 475 teachers were suspended for possessing forged certificates and not having their attestation letters confirmed by the institutions from which they presented them.
Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Chief Mufutau Ajibola said the suspension takes immediate effect pending formal determination of their cases by the panel established in the Office of the Head of Service.
The documents, he added, is being compiled for presentation to the State Police Command for possible criminal prosecution of those indicted in the exercise.
Ajibola described the exercise as thorough and restated the government’s commitment to flush out persons who according to him are “polluting a noble and respected profession”.
The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Segun Odubela said the exercise is “about quality assurance of the state human capital development.
274 were suspended for not appearing for the screening exercise; 236 for being outrightly unqualified, 12 for exceeding statutory length of service, 11 for age discrepancies while 14 others were discovered to have died.
Two of the suspended teachers were considered to be impostors

Police denies release of 300 detainees from SARS facility

The Nigerian Police Force has denied claims by an unknown Islamic group, the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis-Sudan, that they have released about 300 detainees from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) headquarters in Abuja.
Police Deputy Public Relations Officer, Mr Frank Mba, told journalists in Abuja that the claims are false and an attempt to mislead Nigerians.
He added that   the SARS facility that was attacked does not have the capacity to hold the numbers claimed to have been released.
He also added that the ensuing gun battle and tactical maneuver by the police will not allow for such a number to be moved from such a facility even if it were true.
He urged Nigerians to not glorify such claims as the police force continues to work with other security agencies to ensure the safety of lives and properties.

Labour leader calls for establishment of new refineries

National Vice President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Emmanuel Ajoku, has called on the federal government to concentrate on building new refineries, maintain the existing ones and show seriousness in its effort to fight corruption rather than remove fuel subsidy.
The labour leader stated this while briefing journalists in Ilorin after the opening of the state secretariat of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreation Employees.
Rather than engaging in what he called “fruitless effort” to remove what does not exist, government he stressed should put a stop to the disgraceful process of importing refined fuel from countries that should ordinarily be begging Nigeria for fuel.
The labour leader also lamented what he called the “insincerity of federal government to the plights of the youths” and also the infrastructural decay in the country which has affected every sector.

Ogun state suspends 1,024 teachers over forged certificates

No fewer than 1,024 teachers in Ogun State found to have submitted forged certificates to gain employment and engaged in other irregularities have been suspended by the state government.
The affected teachers were among the 6, 531 out of the 19, 154 earlier screened in an exercise conducted by a firm of consultants which verified their claims in the form of statement of results and attestation letters from over 50 higher institutions  across the country.
A detailed final report submitted to the state government by the CITC Consulting indicated that 475 teachers were suspended for possessing forged certificates and not having their attestation letters confirmed by the institutions from which they presented them.
Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Chief Mufutau Ajibola said the suspension takes immediate effect pending formal determination of their cases by the panel established in the Office of the Head of Service.
The documents, he added, is being compiled for presentation to the State Police Command for possible criminal prosecution of those indicted in the exercise.
Ajibola described the exercise as thorough and restated the government’s commitment to flush out persons who according to him are “polluting a noble and respected profession”.
The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Segun Odubela said the exercise is “about quality assurance of the state human capital development.
274 were suspended for not appearing for the screening exercise; 236 for being outrightly unqualified, 12 for exceeding statutory length of service, 11 for age discrepancies while 14 others were discovered to have died.
Two of the suspended teachers were considered to be impostors

Bayelsa chieftaincy dispute clash claims 12 lives

A clash in Agbere community, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Tuesday claimed the lives of 12 people, including a policeman.
The clash was triggered by the chieftaincy tussle in the community, which has split the youths of the community into factions.
The community has been tensed since the administration of former Governor Timipre Sylva sacked Chief Aziza Ekide for alleged breach of the chieftaincy laws and replaced him with Chief Victor Alali as acting paramount ruler.
11 youths were killed during a clash involving youths of the community over who becomes the paramount ruler of the community, while the policeman was said to have been killed when some youths invaded and sacked the police station in the community.
The state government has deployed armed policemen and soldiers to the community.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said the situation has been brought under control.

House withdraws bill to curb high spending of public officials

A motion which seeks to cut down the amount spent by public servants on overseas trips has been withdrawn after it was initially considered for a debate in the House of Representatives.
The motion, which was sponsored by Representative Eddie Mbadiwe from Ideato Federal Constituency in Imo State, was supported by most law makers who observed that the cost of overseas trips runs into billions of naira.
The motion was however withdrawn for more legislative work.
Meanwhile a bill which sought to make it mandatory for the president to seek the consent of the senate before a minister can be removed from office suffered a similar fate as it was withdrawn.
With all that has been said on the need to reduce the cost of governance in the country, especially in the public service, this motion appeared to have identified an area to explore.
The motion points to the amount spent by public servants who travel abroad as a waste that can be put to better use.

Students protest over appointment of VC

Students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna under the aegis of Concerned Citizens of Niger State staged a violent rally at Gidan Kwano campus of the institution, over the choice of Professor Musibau Akanji by the National University Commission as the new Vice-Chancellor of the institution.
The students numbering over 200 and carrying placards with various inscriptions blocked the main gate of the campus as early as 7:30am and vowed to make the institution ungovernable if the appointment of Professor Akanji is not dropped.
This is coming on the heels of a letter written to the governing council on Monday by a group threatening to burn down the two campuses of the university if Professor Akanji who is from Kwara state is sworn in as the 6th Vice-Chancellor.
It took the combined effort of the Police and the security unit of the university to disperse the protesting students who vowed to return if their demand is not met.
Efforts to get the principal officers of the institution to comment proved abortive as none of them was available when our reporter visited the campus. Their mobile phones were also unreachable.
It will be recalled that the last vice chancellor Professor Mohammed Audu is from Kogi state and his five year tenure ended on Monday.

Fashola faults FEC’s disapproval of $400m external loan (Video)

Governor Babatunde Fashola has appealed to the National Assembly to approve a 400 million dollars loan for the state.
The governor was before the house committee on aids, debts and loan management to speak on a petition presented to the committee on the matter, convincing them on the need to approve the loan.
He said it is not clear why the executive will withhold its approval for a loan it had approved initially and one the state is in a good position to repay.

F.G. has initiated ‘Food Recovery Production plan’ –Agric. Minister

The Minister of Agriculture; Mr Akinwumi Adesina says the Federal Government has initiated a post-flooding “food recovery production plan,” to make sure that Nigeria does not have a food crisis.
He was speaking before the House of Representatives committee on Agriculture and Rural Development during his ministry’s 2013 budget session.
He assured the lawmakers that Nigeria would not face a famine or have a food crisis.
The ministry of agriculture has a total budgetary proposal of 47.317 billion naira for the 2013 fiscal year, of which 40.243 billion naira, representing 85.13 per cent is allocated to capital projects.

Experts decry use of force in conflict resolution

The President of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators,  Patrick Njoku has decried the use of force, might and authority by the government agencies to resolve conflict situations saying most Nigerians are increasingly losing faith in the ability of the nation’s security forces to safeguard their lives and properties.
Speaking in Abuja at the Annual General Meeting of the institute, Mr Njoku advised conflict resolution practitioners to place more emphasis on mediation in order to restore peace in the country.
Also speaking at the occasion, former attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, Bayo Ojo stressed the need for mediators to be engaged in resolving many of the ethno-religious conflicts which has emotionally bruised many people resulting in killings and reprisal killings.
He advised the federal government, traditional rulers, religious leaders, leaders of various ethnic organisations and youth groups to seek the option of mediation as a way of resolving all conflicts.

Amosun swears in two new female commissioners

Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, has sworn in two female commissioners,  bringing the number of females in the cabinet to 12.
The new commissioners are Mrs. Yewande Amusan, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism and Mrs Ronke Shokefun, Commissioner for Agriculture.
Amosun charged the new commissioners “to sustain the heritage of excellence, selfless service and outstanding performance to ensure the overall development and socio-economic development of the state for the good of all”.
Mrs Yewande Amusan was until her appointment the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Private Partnership (PPP) while Mrs Ronke Shokefun was in charge of Bureau of Lands.
The inauguration ceremony was held  at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital.

Report corrupt public officials to us – Code of Conduct Bureau

The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Sam Saba has advocated the need for more legislative powers for the bureau saying an act that will make assets declared by public officers available for inspection by any Nigerian will assist in checking corruption in the nation’s public service.
Mr. Saba, who said this in Abuja at the 2012 ministerial press briefing of the bureau, said one of the greatest challenges facing the bureau is the unwillingness of members of the public to provide critical information by way of petitions and whistle-blowing in order to expose corrupt government officials.
He also said “the social tolerance level of people who display extravagant wealth without recourse to their source of income is alarming and the bureau is more than prepared to check such extravagant display of ill-gotten wealth”.
The chairman further said that corruption both in its grand and petty forms are largely responsible for poverty, terrorism, war. He called for an urgent need to reverse the trend in order to fast-track the nation’s development.

Uncompleted 3-storey building collapses in Owerri, worker trapped inside

A 3-storey building under construction along Works Layout in Owerri the Imo state capital has collapsed.
Sources said the building collapsed around 11 pm yesterday night during a heavy downpour.
It was also disclosed that a 28 year old man identified as Joseph Ekanem  a carpenter who happens to be one of the workers  inside the building have been trapped inside, even though they cannot ascertain if there are more workers trapped inside and they cannot ascertain as there are 6 workers working in the building on daily basis.
Sources also disclosed that the owner of the building who lodged in a hotel close to the building came to the scene of the incidence but quickly locked up the building and ran away, when Channels Television contacted him on the phone, he denied ownership of the building.
At the time of filing this report, State emergency management agency (SEMA), Imo rescue team, Road Safety and combined security operatives in the state forcefully broke into the premises in order to rescue the trapped man.
However, some of the people living in the neighbourhood attributed the collapse to quack and shabby job by the contractor as the foundation is not strong enough to carry a 3-storey building.

Dickson suspends four civil servants ahead of civil service reform

At the gloryland cultural centre in Yenagoa , Hon. Seriake Dickson  had an interactive session with civil servants in the State.
At the forum, the governor shared with the civil servants his thoughts on what an ideal civil service should be and his plans to restore the Bayelsa state civil service to its time tested principle of diligence, loyalty, contentment and been totally apolitical.
He went further saying from there on, the state civil service will begin the implementation of its  promised reforms as he ordered the immediate suspension of four civil servants starting with a senior accountant in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Ransom Temeregha, for alleged acts of “careless talk”, a surveyor with the state Capital City Development Authority (CCDA), Couple Imgibina, over alleged illegal allocation of lands in the Central Business District (CBD) area of Yenagoa for the building of illegal structures, former secretary to the Environmental Sanitation Authority for “wrongful recruitment of persons,” persons from his community and relations in contravention of the civil service rules, and Akpoebi Efidi for “damaging and dissemination of rumour” about the present administration with immediate effect.
Dickson said further that a violation of the Civil Service rule will no longer be acceptable and would not be tolerated for those who will not be flying the flag of the reforms and also the politicisation of promotion in the service would no longer be accepted.
“I have decided to meet with you to reposition the service. We need to change to a new song. The reposition plan does not mean people will be sacked but we will go around and ensure that those not on their duty posts will be considered non-genuine civil servants. The Civil servants I want to know must be at work,” he said.
Dickson civil servants in Bayelsa state were mostly members of the billionaires club, participated in politics at very high level and are leading contractors before his assumption of the exalted office of the governor, he however sounded a note of warning that such will not be taken from any civil servant again as all rules must be abided by from now. He said for those who wants to be active politically, he will advise they retire from the civil service first, saying “the most sacred law of service is loyalty to constituted authority.”

Niger Police arrests two suspected Boko Haram members

The Police in Niger State have arrested two suspected Boko haram members at Angwa Daji community in Chanchaga Local Government Area of the state.
The arrest was made following a complain made by members of the sleepy community after the discovery  of an AK 47 rifle inside a popular Mosque at an Islamic school   where some Almajeris were being kept to  learn  Islamic education.
Confirming the incident to Channels Television in Minna, the Police Public Relations Officer Niger State Police Command; Pius Edobor mentioned that the rifle which belongs to the Nigeria Police was loaded with 27 rounds of live ammunition.
He further mentioned that an empty shell of an expelled bullet was also recovered from the mosque.
The suspects which include the head of the school are presently helping the Police in the investigation, the Police boss concluded.

Jonathan sacks BPE boss

The Federal Government on Tuesday sacked the embattled Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE), Bolanle Onagoruwa.

The Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the Vice President, Umar Sani in a statement asked Ms Onagoruwa to hand over to Benjamin Ezra Dikki, the most Senior Director in the Bureau.
It will be recalled that the Senate had called for the removal of the DG for alleged wrongdoings.

Make Nigeria’s refineries work, NUPENG tells Jonathan

As Scarcity of petroleum persist in some part of the Country, The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) charged the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency, put the nation’s four refineries in a fully functional state, if fuel subsidy deduction is in the interest of the people.
NUPENG President; Comrade Igwe Achese was speaking to journalists in Calabar, Cross River state after their week long union meeting alongside the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria(PENGASSAN).
The oil and gas unions said only working and effective refineries can remove the incessant sufferings Nigerians are facing.
Igwe echoed that the only solution to the problem at hand is for the refineries in the country to be functional and effective and that is the position of the union on the matter.
The NUPENG President added that, if the president can not address the issues affecting the union and the nation as whole, the oil workers will be left with no other choice than to down-tools any moment.
PENGASSAN President; Comrade Babatunde Ogun also spoke on the need to improve on the ills in the oil and gas sector saying the insensitivity of government to listen to the union led the oil industry to the present situation it is presently, as most marketers have hiked the price.
Ogun remarked that corruption in the industry calls for proper scrutiny and called on the Federal Government to stop casualization and improve the security of the workers.
Other issues discussed included the unions support for the passage of the petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), deregulation of the downstream sector as well as assessment of the Removal of the fuel subsidy.

You need our help to defeat Boko Haram, former US soldier tells JTF

A former US military intelligence officer, Chris Moghalu on Tuesday said the Joint Task Force (JTF), which is currently waging a war against the Boko Haram insurgent, can be more effective if it allowed Nigerians in diaspora to make inputs.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, Mr Moghalu said Nigerians in diaspora, who have security training often face discrimination when they offer to assist in fighting terrorism in the country.
“They (the JTF) are addressing the fundamental problem but they need help,” he said.
Mr Moghalu said the Nigerian security forces need to partner with “some of the Nigerians in the diaspora. For example, those that worked in the CIA, FBI, US military intelligence, British military intelligence.”
He said: “These Nigerians are willing to come back to Nigeria to work with us to solve this problem. But we find out that when we come home we face a lot of discrimination from our fellow security forces here.
“Some of them are angry that we left, that we went to the US to learn more. That’s not the point. We are here to protect the citizens of Nigeria. We have a wealth of information that they need. So we need to come together and work together.”

Arafat's grave opened for poison tests

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  A Palestinian woman walks past a mural depicting late leader Yasser Arafat (R) in Gaza City July 4, 2012. The Palestinian Authority agreed on Wednesday to the exhumation of Arafat's body

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Forensic experts took samples from Yasser Arafat's buried corpse in the West Bank on Tuesday, trying to determine if he was murdered by Israeli agents using the hard-to-trace radioactive poison, Polonium.

Palestinians witnessed the funeral of their hero and longtime leader eight years ago, but conspiracy theories surrounding his death have never been laid to rest.

Many are convinced their icon was the victim of a cowardly assassination, and may stay convinced whatever the outcome of this autopsy. But some in the city of Ramallah where he lies deplored the exhumation.
"This is wrong. After all this time, today they suddenly want to find out the truth?" said construction worker Ahmad Yousef, 31, who stopped to watch the disinterment, carried out behind a wall of blue plastic near the Palestinian presidency headquarters.
"They should have done it eight years ago," he said.

French magistrates in August opened a murder inquiry into Arafat's death in Paris in 2004 after a Swiss institute said it had discovered high levels of polonium on clothing of his which was supplied by his widow, Suha, for a television documentary.

"Samples will be taken according to a very strict protocol and these samples will be analyzed," said Darcy Christen, spokesman for Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland that carried out the original tests on Arafat's clothes.
"In order to do these analyses, to check, cross-check and double cross-check, it will take several months and I don't think we'll have anything tangible available before March or April next year," he added.
Arafat was always a freedom fighter to Palestinians but a terrorist to Israelis first, and a partner for peace only later. He led the bid for a Palestinian state through years of war and peacemaking, then died in a French hospital aged 75 after a short, mysterious illness.
No autopsy was carried out at the time, at the request of Suha, and French doctors who treated him said they were unable to determine the cause of death.

But allegations of foul play immediately surfaced, and many Palestinians pointed the finger at Israel, which confined Arafat to his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah for the final two and a half years of his life after a Palestinian uprising erupted.

Israel denies murdering him. Its leader at the time, Ariel Sharon, now lies in a coma from which he is expected never to awake. Israel invited the Palestinian leadership to release all Arafat's medical records, which were never made public following his death and still have not been opened.
FRENCH INVESTIGATORS
Polonium, apparently ingested with food, was found to have caused the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006. But some experts have questioned whether Arafat could have died in this way, pointing to a brief recovery during his illness that they said was not consistent with radioactive poisoning. They also noted he did not lose all his hair.
Eight years is considered the limit to detect any traces of the fast-decaying polonium and Lausanne hospital questioned in August if it would be worth seeking any samples, if access to Arafat's body was delayed as late as "October or November."
Not all of Arafat's family agreed to the exhumation, and his wife Suha chose not to attend the operation she had prompted.

Working in parallel with the forensic team, French magistrates were in Ramallah this week to ask if members of Arafat's inner circle might be able to shed light on his death.

One source told Reuters the French had a list of 60 questions, and had questioned one man for five hours.

Many Palestinians acknowledge that a Palestinian would almost certainly have had to administer any poison, wittingly or unwittingly.