Borno govt awards scholarship to girls who got orphaned by boko haram activities

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Photo: Borno govt awards scholarship to girls who got orphaned by boko haram activities

Borno State Government yesterday Tuesday sent fifty girls whose parents were killed by Boko Haram on full junior and senior secondary school scholarship ‎at Zaria Academy, in Kaduna State, a famous institution said to have with records of excellence in academics.

15-year-old Nigerian boy Joey Adesina who was stabbed to death in London

Wednesday, September 30, 2015by MGOR VICTOR

Court hearing begins in the case of a 15-year-old Nigerian boy Joey Adesina who was stabbed to death in London

On December 5, 2014, Joey Adesina was tracked, chased, cornered in a dead-end street in Padbury Court, off Bethnal Green road and stabbed to death by two men, Lincoln Olaribigbe, 23, and Georgie Philips, 20, according to prosecutors in court yesterday Tuesday, September 29.

The 15-year-old had been with a group of friends in Hoxton when he was chased by men from a blue Mercedes, the jury was told. He hid with a friend behind a parked car in the dead-end street but was spotted, pinned against a fence, then dragged away and knifed.

Adesina from Dagenham staggered to a local convenience store where he collapsed and died. George Phillips and Lincoln Olaribigbe deny murdering the boy. Anthony Orchard QC, prosecuting, said it was not known who had actually committed the stabbing and the motivation "may never be completely clear". But everyone in the Mercedes had been part of a joint plan to attack whoever they could catch in Joel’s group, so they were "in it together".

Mr Orchard told the jury that earlier in the evening a silver Astra, linked to Olaribigbe, had driven repeatedly at Joel’s group outside a pub. CCTV catches them jump out of the way and Joel throws a rock at the car. Some of the group, including Joel, had knives themselves, the court heard. As the group headed off, Olaribigbe transferred to the Mercedes, linked to Phillips, to search for them.

"Joel and his group of friends had been tracked and chased by two cars at different times in the hours and minutes leading up to the stabbing," said Mr Orchard.

Near the Bethnal Green Road the car screeched onto the pavement by them and they ran in different directions. Joel and his friend "ran into an apparent dead end road and hid behind a parked silver car," said Mr Orchard. "Two men were standing by the Mercedes which had its headlights pointing down the dead end. The two men were saying: ‘Where did they go? (Joel’s friend) asked him if the men had gone. Unfortunately Joel poked his head over the top of the silver car to look and one of the men said words to the effect of ‘that’s one of them.’"

The following day the blue Mercedes was found burned out in an Islington car park. The case continues.

I will be petroleum minister, says Buhari

I will be petroleum minister, says Buhar

President Muhammadu Buhari

As the nation awaits President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list, the President on Tuesday said he would head the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

Buhari dropped the hint in one of the interviews he granted one of the foreign media in his hotel shortly before departing New York.

The President was in New York to participate in the 70th United Nations General Assembly.

“I will serve as the Minister of Petroleum Resources myself,” Buhari told his interviewer.

The nation’s petroleum sector has been said to be enmeshed in corruption with millions of dollars said to be missing in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Shortly after assuming office, Buhari sacked and replaced the management of the company.

The new management had started a general reorganisation of the firm.

Buhari had on Monday said the trial of those who looted the NNPC would commence soon.

Meanwhile, ministerial list that President Muhammadu Buhari will submit to the Senate on Wednesday (today)will not contain all the members of his proposed cabinet, THE PUNCH has learnt.

Buhari was inaugurated on May 29, having defeated former President Goodluck Jonathan in the presidential election held in March.

Investigation by one of our correspondents on Tuesday revealed that what would be transmitted to the Senate this week would not be a complete list of nominees.

A top government official familiar with the arrangement confided in one of our correspondents that Buhari would send the names of the nominees to the Senate in batches.

“What the Senate will be getting on Tuesday or Wednesday will not be a complete list. The names will be sent in batches but quite a number will be on this first list while others will be compiled and sent later,” the source said.

The President may have decided to send the names in batches in order to meet the September deadline he set for himself rather than waiting to compile the full list and fail to beat the deadline.

Efforts made by one of our correspondents to get an insight into the list of the first batch of would-be ministers did not however yield any positive result on Tuesday.

The issue of the list has however been generating concerns among members of Buhari’s delegation to the 70th United Nations General Assembly holding in New York.

Many of the politicians on the President’s delegation who felt they might be considered for ministerial positions were getting in touch with Nigeria intermittently on the telephone for latest information on the list while they also kept making themselves visible for Buhari.

Some of them who could not hide their anxiety were heard asking Nigerian journalists if they had latest information on the list.

Prominent chiefs of the All Progressives Congress on the President’s delegation include a former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi; a former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; and a former member of the House of Representatives, Abike Dabiri-Erewa among others.

Meanwhile, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said on Tuesday that his leadership would not employ vendetta in the screening of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s wise men.

Saraki, who stated this in his welcome address to his colleagues at a plenary after their six-week recess, expressed confidence that Nigeria’s economy would experience a turn-around with the appointment of ministers.

He said, “As we await the list of ministerial nominees this week, I believe the presence of ministers will create the space for greater policy engagement with the executive arm of government.

“It will also enable us to begin to respond in a more systematic manner to the various economic and social challenges before us, especially through our various committees that will also be constituted soon.

“On this note, I want to urge you all my colleagues to ensure that what is uppermost in our minds as we begin the constitutional task of screening of ministerial nominees is the overall interest of our country, informed by the enormity and the urgency of the challenges before us.

“Once the list is submitted, let us ensure that we treat it with dispatch and thoroughness. We must not be held down by unnecessary politicking.”

Pro-Saraki groups barricade National Assembly

 

Hundreds of protesters on Tuesday barricaded the entrance of the National Assembly in Abuja singing solidarity songs in support of the embattled Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki. They also warned anti-graft agencies to desist from being used against perceived “political enemies.”

They carried placards with different inscriptions such as, “Enough is enough, we support Saraki and Ekweremadu.”

Saraki is facing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged falsification of documents in his assets declaration form when he was governor in Kwara State.

Details Later…

Ebonyi gov seizes commissioners’ salaries over lateness

 

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has seized the October salaries of his commissioners, deputy chief of staff, special advisers and council chairmen for coming late to state functions.

Announcing the suspension of the salaries on the occasion of a school debate organised as part of activities marking the country’s 55th independence celebration, the governor, on noticing the scanty attendance at the venue, said that the absentee officials will forfeit their October salaries and their September over heads.

The event was also used to mark the 19th anniversary of the creation of the state.

There was a mild drama outside the venue of the event as the Deputy Governor, Kelechi Igwe ,and the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Bernard Odoh, who arrived the venue of the debate a few minutes after the governor arrived, were also locked out.

The deputy governor and the SSG were later allowed to enter into the conference centre having spent more than 15 minutes outside.

Officials affected included the newly appointed 13 caretaker committee chairmen, the 64 Development Center Coordinators, the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Principal Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Clement Nweke.

Others include the state Commissioner for Environment, Moses Ali; Commissioner for Economic Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation, Sabinus Nwankwegu; and Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Charles Akpuenika, among others.

The governor also suspended the salaries of some Personal Assistants, Senior Special Assistants, Special Advisers and other government functionaries for their lateness to the school debate titled “Government’s anti-corruption crusade and internally generated revenue drive,” held at the Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre, Abakaliki.

It was gathered that trouble started when the governor arrived the venue of the debate slated to commence at exactly 11am and met empty seats.

Umahi, who became angry by the situation after checking the manifest to ascertain the time for the programme, ordered the Head of Service, Mr. Chamberlin Nwele, to take the roll call of the government official present at the function and announce immediately the suspension of salaries of those absent.

Speaking after the debate competition, Umahi expressed regret over the increase in examination ‘miracle’ centres in the state and called for the arrest and prosecution of proprietors of such centres.

He directed that all ‘miracle’ centers in the state be closed down by the ministry of education.

The Senior Special Adviser to the governor on Religious and Welfare Matters, Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali, in a paper titled, “Anti-corruption crusade in Ebonyi State,” said corruption affected political stability and security of societies.

Ebonyi gov seizes commissioners’ salaries over lateness

 

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has seized the October salaries of his commissioners, deputy chief of staff, special advisers and council chairmen for coming late to state functions.

Announcing the suspension of the salaries on the occasion of a school debate organised as part of activities marking the country’s 55th independence celebration, the governor, on noticing the scanty attendance at the venue, said that the absentee officials will forfeit their October salaries and their September over heads.

The event was also used to mark the 19th anniversary of the creation of the state.

There was a mild drama outside the venue of the event as the Deputy Governor, Kelechi Igwe ,and the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Bernard Odoh, who arrived the venue of the debate a few minutes after the governor arrived, were also locked out.

The deputy governor and the SSG were later allowed to enter into the conference centre having spent more than 15 minutes outside.

Officials affected included the newly appointed 13 caretaker committee chairmen, the 64 Development Center Coordinators, the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Principal Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Clement Nweke.

Others include the state Commissioner for Environment, Moses Ali; Commissioner for Economic Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation, Sabinus Nwankwegu; and Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Charles Akpuenika, among others.

The governor also suspended the salaries of some Personal Assistants, Senior Special Assistants, Special Advisers and other government functionaries for their lateness to the school debate titled “Government’s anti-corruption crusade and internally generated revenue drive,” held at the Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre, Abakaliki.

It was gathered that trouble started when the governor arrived the venue of the debate slated to commence at exactly 11am and met empty seats.

Umahi, who became angry by the situation after checking the manifest to ascertain the time for the programme, ordered the Head of Service, Mr. Chamberlin Nwele, to take the roll call of the government official present at the function and announce immediately the suspension of salaries of those absent.

Speaking after the debate competition, Umahi expressed regret over the increase in examination ‘miracle’ centres in the state and called for the arrest and prosecution of proprietors of such centres.

He directed that all ‘miracle’ centers in the state be closed down by the ministry of education.

The Senior Special Adviser to the governor on Religious and Welfare Matters, Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali, in a paper titled, “Anti-corruption crusade in Ebonyi State,” said corruption affected political stability and security of societies.

Welcome to Mgor victors Blog: Rick Ross accused of rapeAmerican rapper, Rick Ros...

Welcome to Mgor victors Blog: Rick Ross accused of rapeAmerican rapper, Rick Ros...: Rick Ross accused of rape American rapper, Rick Ross, has been named in a new lawsuit claiming his bodyguard, drugged and raped a wo...