Muslims Throw Stones At Jonathan During His Visit To Nasarawa

Young men and women lined major roads leading to the Emir of Lafia’s palace in Nasarawa state yesterday hurling stones at the president's convoy, chanting “Sai Buhari” and carrying Congress of Progressive Change presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari posters.

From Oluchi to Ajak – 12 Years after Oluchi’s breaththrough, Ajak Deng graces the Pre-Spring 2011 cover of i-D Magazine

It is hard to believe that it has been 12 years since Nigerian supermodel, Oluchi graced the cover of fashion magazine, i-D.
After winning the Face of Africa competition in 1998, Oluchi rapidly rose up the ranks when she landed a feature in Italian Vogue. Though it was when she was featured on the August 1999 cover/”The Audible Issue” of i-D magazine that many within the industry recognized that, it was not a fluke, Oluchi had truly arrived.

 

Fast forward to 2011, the world has changed so much since then, imagine that Ajak Deng was just 7 years old when Oluchi’s i-D cover hit the newsstands.

Obasanjo shuns journalists at Oyinlola’s birthday service

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday shunned journalists at the 60th birthday anniversary sevice held for ex-governor of Osun

State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, at St Michael Anglican Church, Okuku.

When he was greeted by reporters inside the church, he merely shook his head. He repeated the same gesture when reporters asked him some questions.

In his sermon, Rt. Rev. Abiodun Olaoye called on leaders of the country to show greater commitment to the development of the country. He said it was the duty of all leaders to make the nation a better place for Nigerians, noting that Oyinlola left the state better than he met it.

Tinubu, Osun speaker disagree over 2003 elections

A former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Chief Adejare Bello, on Sunday disagreed over the conduct of the 2003 governorship elections in Osun State.

Both personalities expressed varying views on the issue in Osogbo, the Osun State capital during the public presentation of the Osun State Governor’s Seal and Osun State Coat of Arms. Bello, who addressed the gathering earlier, said former Governor Bisi Akande, who ruled the state between 1999 and 2003, lost re-election because he retrenched civil servants.

Bello, who acknowledged that the Akande administration developed Osun State immensely through adherence to democratic ideals, said the sacking of public workers was a major blot in the achievements of the four-year administration.

But Tinubu, who spoke later, said he would begin his speech by correcting the alleged misnomer by Bello. He stressed that Akande lost his re-election bid to rigging by the Peoples Democratic Party, to which Bello belongs.

He said, “I want to correct the erroneous impression created by the speaker; it was not the reduction in the civil service force that removed Chief Bisi Akande but it was the massive rigging machinery of the ‘Poverty Development Party’ that removed Akande administration in 2003.

Policeman loses 2 kids to inferno

PORT HARCOURT — TWO children of a policeman, Saturday night, lost their lives in a fire incident in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Dr Rita Inoma Abbey, gave the name of the policeman as Sergeant Maxwell Udoh, adding that he is attached to Aku/STB in the state capital.
The inferno which was allegedly triggered off at his Bernard Carr Street by adulterated petroleum products, also reportedly burnt the policeman and his wife. Though the two survived, their two children were not so lucky as they were allegedly burnt to death in the fire.
Abbey said the policeman and his wife were responding to treatment. “There was a fire outbreak in the residence of one Sergeant Udoh, resulting from explosion from suspected adulterated petroleum product. This ugly incident resulted in the death of two of his children, while himself and his wife were hospitalized at Police Clinic and St Patrick Hospital respectively,” she said.
Meantime, the Trade Union Congress, TUC in the state has called on the state and Federal Government to immediately take steps to arrest the rising cases of casualties from adulterated petroleum products.

Man with 86 wives to sue INEC

The celebrated polygamist, Pa Abubakar Masaba, is heading for a showdown with the Independent National Electoral Commission and the police following allegations that members of his family, numbering over 5,000 were denied registration by suspected thugs in the just concluded voter registration exercise.

Our correspondent gathered that suspected thugs allegedly thwarted efforts by members of the Masaba’s family to participate in the voter registration exercise at a registration unit in Bida Local Government Area of the state.

Masaba is reported to have 86 wives.

It was learnt that the thugs specifically prevented INEC officials from registering the Masaba family and that security operatives allegedly refused to come to his rescue.

The lawyer to the family, Mr. Shehu Jubril, told our correspondent in Minna, Niger State, that over 10 hoodlums frustrated efforts of the Masabas to register.

Chevron prevents workers from registering in Escravos

WARRI—CHAIRMAN of the Itsekiri Regional Development Council, IRDC, in Warri, Delta state, Mr. Mofe Pirah, yesterday, expressed regret that oil giant, Chevron Nigeria Limited, has refused to allow thousands of eligible workers at its Escravos tank farm to go out into the Ugborodo community to get registered in the voters registration exercise recently extended by only two days across 11 states in the country.
He also denied report by a member of the Great Ogboru Campaign Organisation, Mr. Richard Odibo, that foreigners were being transported to registered at Koko and Escravos in Warri North and South-West Local Government Areas of the state. He advised him as a respected opinion leader in the state to steer clear of the bad politicking and animosity that exist between the Itsekiri, Ijaw and Urhobos in their socio-political and economic relations in Delta State.

FG releases N15bn to Police for 2011 polls

LAGOS — The Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mr Hafiz Ringim, weekend, disclosed that over N15 billion had been released to the Nigeria Police Force to purchase equipment and other necessary logistics, with a view to ensuring a successful general elections come April.


The sum, he said, also included retraining of policemen, pointing out that officers and men of the Force would have no excuse if they failed to deliver the expected result.
The Inspector-General of Police made the disclosure while addressing journalists at the passing out parade of 1,074 Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Police, ASPs, Specialists Course 1, at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos.

Candidates disappointed as INEC fails to issue lists

 
The much-awaited approved lists of candidates for the April general elections were not displayed on Sunday by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
INEC had in its timetable for the polls fixed February 6 as the date for candidates whose names were submitted by their respective political parties to know if they would contest the elections or not.
But on Sunday many of the candidates who thronged the commission’s offices in most states and the Federal Capital Territory left for their homes after an endless wait for the lists.

Some of the candidates told our correspondents that no concrete reasons were given to them by the commission’s officials for the non-display of the lists.

Mr. Kayode Idowu, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, had told one of our correspondents earlier on Sunday that the lists had been circulated simultaneously to the 36 states of the federation and FCT ahead of today’s (Sunday) planned release.

Idowu said “The list has been sent to the various states where they are supposed to be displayed. It may be displayed here today (Sunday) or tomorrow(today) but the actual display is in the states.”

D’banj headlines “Our Time” initiative & concert series to inspire youth to register and vote

As the voters registration process for the 2011 Nigeria General Elections comes to a close in a few hours, D’banj has launched an initiative called “Our Time” along with Mo’Hits and many of Nigeria’s top music stars.
Find out all about “Our Time” via the press release below:

“OUR TIME” is a youth targeted initiative put together by United Nations Youth Ambassador D’banj  leading artist and entrepreneur in Nigeria.

D’banj has formally announced in a press conference on the 2nd of February, that he will be leading a group of artists in Nigeria, with the support of icons and professionals to engage Nigerian Youths in the ongoing voters registration.

While various organizations have been formed to support this cause, this is the first time in Nigerian Entertainment History, that artists
have formed a coalition, to encourage the Youth of Nigeria to register
to vote, vote, and have a voice in the future of Nigeria.

At a time of political unrest in the African body polity, Nigerian
youths demonstrate true democracy.

OUR TIME ensures the participation of the youths in the ongoing Democratic transformation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It is the findings of OUR TIME that only 8% of eligible youths are registered to vote and it will do the ongoing democratic Motransformation harm if there is a low turnout of the youths in the forthcoming elections.