The Chairman, House Committee on Agricultural Colleges and institutions in the House of Representatives, Hon. Linus Okorie, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately reverse the pump price of petrol or resign his position as the President because he has abused the integrity for which he was elected.

Okorie noted that having purportedly opposed and described the liberalization of the downstream sector as a “fraud” during the past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Buhari has committed a fraud against the nation and should vacate his seat.

He stated these at the opening
ceremony of a three-day Vitamin A Cassava and Vitamin A Maize enlightenment/ empowerment programme he organized for some rural farmers held at Ishiagu Civic Centre in Ivo local government area of Ebonyi State.

The Osun State House of Assembly has directed the governing councils of the four state-owned tertiary institutions to reinstate some lecturers and non-teaching workers sacked early this year.

According to a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Tuesday by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Olatubosun Oyintiloye, the Speaker, Nojeem Salaam, gave this directive during the presentation of the report of the ad hoc committee investigating the sacking of the affected workers.

Over 200 workers including lecturers and non-teaching officials were sacked in January by the management of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Osun State Colleges of Education in Ilesa and Ila-Orangun.

But the lawmakers intervened and promised to carry out a thorough investigation into the issue to know if some of them were sacked illegally.

Subsequently, the lawmakers set up ad hoc committees to investigate the circumstance surrounding the sacking and the reports of the committee were presented to the House and adopted following a motion by the Leader of the House, Mr. Timothy Owoeye, and seconded by the Chief Whip, Folorunsho Bamisayemi.

The speaker said the reports had been deliberated upon at the executive session and that they had been considered fairly.

Salaam said the House would ensure that its recommendations were fully implemented by the governing councils of the institutions.

He urged the governing councils not to do anything contrary to the recommendations in order not to portray the legislative and the executive arms of government as being at loggerheads.

The speaker stated that the House found out that after it gave a directive that the status quo should be maintained until the investigation was concluded on the matter, some of the institutions violated the order.

The speaker said, “I want to say that in the report, people have been reinstated and the committees confirmed, where necessary, the decision of the councils.

“In the course of the investigation, the committees went through all the records of those involved and the reasons for their reinstatement or otherwise have been stated by the committees in the report.”

Lagos - Organised Labour and its civil society allies Wednesday made good their threat to go ahead with the planned indefinite strike to force government reverse the N145 per litre pump price of petrol, despite the restraining order by the court.
Reports from across the country shown partial compliance with the strike order.
New24Nigeria brings you live updates from all parts of the country.

More details later......

President of the NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress on Tuesday walked out of the meeting held with the representatives of the Federal Government, vowing to go ahead with its scheduled nationwide strike on Wednesday (today).

Representatives of the Trade Union Congress, who also attended the meeting, however, said the TUC would not join the strike.

NLC President, Aliyu Wabba, led the labour delegation while the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal, led the Federal Government delegation at the talks held in the SGF’s office in Abuja on Tuesday night.

After the meeting, Lawal said, “The National Industrial Court has given an injunction that no strike by NLC and TUC should hold tomorrow (Wednesday). It is therefore clear that anyone embarking on strike tomorrow (Wednesday) is doing so illegally and government is assuring all Nigerians to come out and do their jobs tomorrow (Wednesday).

“It the duty of government to provide security for her citizens and anyone who tries to coerce any worker to do their bidding would be made to face the law of the land. We had full cooperation with the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and they said they are not going on strike. For them, it is a complete return to work tomorrow (Wednesday). It is not the same with the NLC however. They have two factions, one agreed completely with the position of the TUC.”

Briefing journalists, Wabba said his team arrived at its decision to proceed on strike following the inability of the Federal Government to meet up with its demand to revert to the N86.50K old pump price of fuel.

Officials of NLC, who pleaded not to be named, said they were angered by the decision of the Federal Government to proceed to court, despite existing negotiation which was at the instance of the government.

The Joe Ajaero faction of the NLC had initially on Tuesday said it would not join the strike while the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers as well as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Association of Nigeria had last week also dissociated the associations from the strike.

The action of the NLC followed the failure of the parties to resolve the dispute over the increase of the pump price of petroleum by the Federal Government from N86.50 to N145 per litre.

But the Federal Government has threatened to apply the ‘no-work-no-pay’ rule against workers who join the NLC strike.

The SGF, Babachir Lawal, in a statement on Tuesday, directed all ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of government agencies to invoke the provision of rule against errant workers.

Lawal advised civil servants to shun the exercise in their own interest, which, he said, was called by the NLC despite a ruling of the National Industrial Court, which restrained labour from going on strike on Wednesday.

The SGF added, “This notice is regrettably given in spite of an order by the industrial court against the strike. Government, therefore, calls upon and advises all workers to respect the laws of the land and to desist from participating in an illegal action.

“Government undertakes to guarantee the safety of workers and their workplaces, and expects that normal work will continue in the interest of the nation. Accordingly, security agencies have been directed to ensure unimpeded access to offices, workplaces and markets.

“Accordingly, all ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of government agencies are hereby directed to invoke the provision of ‘no work no pay’ in respect of any staff member who absents himself or herself from work to join the strike.”

“Attendance registers are required to be opened in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies.”

There were indications on Tuesday that organised labour would defy the ruling of the National Industrial Court on the strike called to protest the fuel price increase.

While the Nigeria Labour Congress said it was not aware of the court order stopping the strike, the Trade Union Congress flayed the Federal Government for obtaining it.

The General Secretary of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Tuesday, said, “I am not aware of any court injunction. As far as I am concerned, I am not aware of any court injunction.”

The President of the TUC, Mr. Bala Kaigama, in an interview with The PUNCH, described the action of the Federal Government in heading for the National Industrial Court as panicky.

“That is what we are going to the meeting to find out. Who instituted that? So, we would find out if it is going to stop our negotiations. They are doing it through panic. I think they are scared.

“We have not been served. Can you talk of what you have not seen?” he asked.

The NIC had, in its ruling on Tuesday, stopped the TUC and the NLC from embarking on their planned strike scheduled to start on Wednesday.

But earlier on Tuesday, the NLC held an emergency National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, where it decided to go ahead with the strike.

At the meeting, the congress insisted that the Federal Government must reverse the increase in the pump price of fuel from N86 and N86.50k to N145.

NLC, TUC divided over strike, negotiation

It was also learnt that the NLC might dump the TUC in carrying out the strike.

A top official of the congress told one of our correspondents that the NLC was embittered by what it described as the “lukewarm posture” of the TUC in enforcing the joint decision of the two labour centres.

It was gathered that the NLC leaders were angered by the presentation of the TUC President, Bobo Kaigama, who they said talked about minimum wage and other palliatives contrary to the position of the two centres to prevail of the government to reverse the increase.

The source added, “Look, the TUC has backed out of the protest. The government has succeeded in using the TUC and the other faction to divide labour.

“Didn’t you see how the President of the TUC spoke during the meeting with the government team? He did not dwell on our mission, he went there to talk about palliatives and the General Secretary of the NLC challenged him there.”

But Kaigama said it was not true that the TUC had backed out of the planned action.

In an interview with one of our correspondents, he said it would not be proper to talk of backing out when there were ongoing talks with the government.

NLC faction insists on negotiation

Also, the factional President of the NLC, Mr. Joe Ajaero, advocated sustained negotiations with the government, saying the N145 increase would inflict a lot of hardship on the citizenry.

“We have not gone into negotiation, they briefed us and we responded. That is not negotiation.

‘‘We have made our positions known to them but they have equally lined up what they called palliatives, including N500bn provision for social investment. They have equally agreed to reconstitute the board of the PPPRA, and then minimum wage,” Ajaero stated.

DSS invites Ajaero

Meanwhile, Ajaero, on Tuesday, said he had received invitation from the Department of State Services.

The labour leader said though, he did not know why he was summoned, he would appear at the DSS office before going for the meeting with the Federal Government at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

NIC stops strike

Earlier on Tuesday, the NIC stopped the NLC and the TUC from embarking on their planned strike over the increase in fuel price by the Federal Government.

Justice Babatunde Adejumo gave the restraining order after the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, argued an ex parte application in which the prayer for the order was contained.

Justice Adejumo ruled, “The defendants are hereby restrained from carrying out the threat contained in their communique issued on May 14, 2016 pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed on May 16.

“It is the order of this court that the status quo be maintained as of May 17.”

The order, being an interim one will last for seven days, although it is subject to renewal.

The judge also ordered that the processes in the case be served on the respondents within 24 hours and that proof of service be filed in the court.

The judge transferred the hearing of the substantive case to another judge of the court on the grounds that he would be engaged at the National Judicial Council when the matter would be deemed for hearing.

He also said that he granted the order to make sure that people were not subjected to avoidable hardship.

He said, “I decided to take this case this morning because it is on an issue that will affect everybody. I don’t want people to be subjected to hardship. There will be scarcity of foods, people may die, students will engage in all sorts of activities. This is why I have to grant this order.”

Malami, while moving the ex parte application, said it was in the national interest to stop the NLC from shutting down the nation over last week’s increase in the price of fuel.

But the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties condemned what it called the hurried judgment secured by the Federal Government to stop the mass action against fuel price increase.

The organisation therefore called on the masses to ignore the court judgment and continue with the protest.

The CNPP, in a statement on Tuesday, by its national Chairman, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, and Secretary-General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, also accused both the Federal Government and the labour unions of insincerity on the matter.

The CNPP said, “We reiterate our call on all well-meaning Nigerians and civil society to ignore the labour unions and protest against the unjustifiable pump price increment in their numbers.”

Reps, labour meeting ends in a deadlock

Despite the court order, however, a meeting between a committee of the House of Representatives and the Ayuba Wabba-led NLC on the fuel price increase ended in a deadlock on Tuesday evening.

The committee, which was chaired by the Chief Whip of the House, Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, met with the leaders behind closed doors for about 35 minutes at the National Assembly.

Findings showed that the union leaders listened to the appeals of the lawmakers but said the issue was beyond them.

“They merely assured the committee that they would report to the enlarged meeting of the union to decide the way forward,” a committee source told The PUNCH at about 7.30pm.

Ado-Doguwa confirmed that they met with the leaders but that they did not make a precise commitment to shelve the strike.

The Chief Whip added, “Not precisely, but they have given us favourable listening ears and have promised to convey our plea to their constituents to get their mandate on any possible re-consideration.’’

Fuel hike, consequence of corruption, says Osinbajo

But Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said on Tuesday that the fuel hike could be traced to the scarcity of dollars occasioned by the depletion of the nation’s foreign reserves.

The Vice-President said this at the presentation of a book, ‘Anatomy of Corruption in Nigeria’, which was authored by a legal luminary, Yusuf Ali (SAN), in Abuja.

Osinbajo added that it was corruption that made it impossible for Nigeria to build or maintain refineries over the years, which had forced the nation to be import-dependent.

He said, “If you have no foreign currency, you have to import fuel. All of our refined petrol today is imported. A lot of problems with the refineries are corruption-related issues. If we repair our refineries today, we will still only be able to refine 40 per cent of our petroleum products; so, we still need to import.

“But the truth is that in the absence of foreign exchange, when you have to import your refined petroleum, what are you left with? I think it is important that when we look at corruption and its deleterious consequences, we must relate it directly to what we are experiencing all the time.”

Osinbajo said President Muhammadu Buhari fought against increasing pump price for several months but had to finally bow to pressure due to the economic realities.

He said the nation’s foreign reserves currently stood at about $27bn.

Osinbajo added, “All through the period when Nigeria was earning over a $100 to $115 per barrel from the proceeds of oil for a period of almost five years, the external reserves of Nigeria remained much the same. It did not increase at all despite the very high earnings.

“We know also that today, we are investigating cases which show that over $15bn was lost in one type of contract alone. We are not talking of oil contracts but security related contracts. We haven’t talked at all about the several billions in the oil contracts.’’

Also speaking, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mahmud Mohammed, praised the anti-corruption efforts of the Buhari administration.

He, however, said it was unfortunate that many lawyers had sacrificed professionalism for money.

Mohammed, who was represented by Justice Musa Muhammad, also advised prosecutors to devise more intelligent methods to handle financial crime if they were to succeed.

Senate, Umar, group back Buhari, demand palliatives

In the same vein, the Senate, on Tuesday, expressed support for the increase in fuel price but asked the Federal Government to immediately commence the implementation of palliative measures to cushion the effects on Nigerians.

The Upper Chamber’s decision was contained in the resolution read at the end of a 65-minute executive session on the fuel price increase by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary.

Ekweremadu said, “That we sympathise with ordinary Nigerians on the hardships they are going through, the Senate will engage the Federal Government to find sustainable ways of improving the welfare of the people of Nigeria.

“That government should immediately stand implementing palliatives or palliative measures contained in the 2016 Appropriation Act passed by the National Assembly.”

However, the Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, while briefing journalists after plenary, advocated an effective mass transit system to regulate the cost of transport.

He said rather than procuring vehicles for the transport union members, government should provide them with subsidy to ensure that the cost of transport before the deregulation was maintained after the exercise.

Also, the Forum of Non-Governmental Organisations in Nigeria has thrown its weight behind the Federal Government on the recent increase in the pump price of petrol.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Chairman of the forum, Mr. Wole Badmus, said deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry would help the government to eradicate fuel scarcity and ensure constant fuel supply across the country.

In a related development, a former military governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar (retd.), has expressed support for the deregulation of the downstream oil sector by the Federal Government.

The former governor, in a statement on Monday evening in Kaduna, said the deregulation of the downstream oil sector by the All Progressives Congress-led government of President Muhammadu Buhari was a welcome development.

Umar, who is also the Chairman of a group, Movement for Unity and Progress, described the Federal Government’s action as a “needful policy” which his group fully supported.

Umar said, “We, however, expect those opposed to the policy to justify their disagreement by providing better options, supported by facts and figures, failing which we remain resolute in supporting government’s decision.”

But the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities described the increase in petrol price as a classical example of government carelessness, insensitivity and state effort to inflict pain and uncommon hardship on the poor and Nigerians with disabilities in particular.

The CCD, in a statement by its Executive Director, Mr. David Anyaele, called on Buhari to return the pump price of petrol to N86.50k per litre.

Story by: John Ameh, Fidelis Soriwei, Sunday Aborisade, Everest Amaefule, Eniola Akinkuotu, Friday Olokor, Femi Asu, Ade Adesomoju and Godwin Isenyo.

Hashimu Suleiman, the man who trekked from Lagos to Abuja in celebration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory in 2015 presidential election has described his action as a big mistake.
Suleiman said he regretted trekking for Buhari who has now made life unbearable for the masses.

The man expressed his dissatisfaction with the way the president has been ruling Nigeria in the last one year.

He was quoted as saying, “Removing fuel subsidy at this hard time is not palatable to hear, when so many workers and labourers can hardly put food on their table, many companies have folded up, and cost of living is very high.

“Nigerians have been hoping for a positive change for a very long time, enduring hardship and now the Federal government wants to make things worse for the masses.”

Some yet be identified gunmen have shot dead the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Benue State on Security Matters, Hon Igbana Denen.

EchoNg gathered that the gunmen invaded his house around 2:30am and shot him dead.

More to come.‎..

Serah Luka: Chibok schoolgirl

The latest girl to be rescued out of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped two years ago by Boko Haram terrorists has been identified.
Nigerian Army in a statement released early Friday identified her as Serah Luka, daughter of Pastor Luka.
The army spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman had ignited excitement on Thursday when he broke the news, hours after President Muhammadu Buhari received the first of the girls, Amina Ali Nkeki. But Usman did not give details.
But in the statement released early Friday morning, he identified the girl while also explaining the circumstances that led to her rescue.
In the statement, Colonel Usman said: “At about 11.00am today, Thursday, 19th May 2016, troops of 231 Battalion, 331 Artillery Regiment (AR), Detachment of Armed Forces Special Forces (AFSF) 2, Explosive Ordinance (EOD) Team and Civilian Vigilante group of Buratai, conducted clearance operations at Shettima Aboh, Hong and Biladdili general area in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.
“During the operations, the troops killed 35 Boko Haram terrorists and recovered several arms and ammunitions and other items. In addition, they rescued 97 women and children held captives by the Boko Haram terrorists.
“We are glad to state that among those rescued is a girl believed to be one of the Chibok Government Secondary School girls that were abducted on 14th April 2014 by the Boko Haram terrorists.
“Her name is Miss Serah Luka, who is number 157 on the list of the abducted school girls. She is believed to be the daughter of Pastor Luka.
“During debriefing, the girl revealed that she was a JSS1 student of the school at the time they were abducted.
“She further added that she hails from Madagali, Adamawa State. She averred that she reported at the school barely two months and one week before her unfortunate abduction along with other girls over two years ago.
“She added that there are other three girls who fled from Shettima Aboh when the troops invaded the area earlier today which led to their rescue. She is presently receiving medical attention at the medical facility of Abogo Largema Cantonment, Biu, Borno State,” Colonel Usman said.
The Army and the civilian vigilance group, otherwise known as Civilian JTF, battling the insurgents in Sambisa Forest, Borno State, North East Nigeria which was believed to be the last stronghold of the insurgent group had on Tuesday rescued one of the Chibok girls identified as Amina Ali Nkeki.
President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha received the rescued girl who was led to the Aso Rock presidential villa by Governor Kashim Shettima on Thursday.

Police in Asokore, a Koforidua suburb in the Eastern Region of Ghana have arrested a 22-year-old young man; in a latest s*x scandal involving 42 women within the community and its environs, and allegedly circulating it via Bluetooth, WhatsApp and other social media networks at a GH₵5 fee.

Daniel Ofosu, aka Junior, aka Ahotoba’s mode of operation is to use is Toyota Camry, ride on the back of his father’s private flourishing business and lure unsuspecting women, including married ones, into his residence subject them to different bouts of sexual encounters whilst filming the whole act on a digital camera.

In all, 42 women found in the s*x videos with five of the video going viral in social media networks.

The ladies in the five most common videos, some of which lasted for five minutes, forty-five seconds have, however, been identified as: Nana Ama, Rita, Grace and Beama, and they featured twice in two separate videos.

An operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has killed a 26-year-old man, Mr. Chukwudi John, after he opened fire on a truck in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Wednesday when John, an employee of Dompec Global Resources Limited, was returning from Abak Local Government Area in the state, where he and his colleagues had gone to supply goods.

A witness, Mr. Anthony Okpara, said the incident happened around 2:30pm when they reached Itam, opposite a primary school in Uyo.

He said it all started when the operative signalled the driver of the truck conveying them to stop so that he could check its content.

He stated that as the driver tried to pull over, shots were fired into the vehicle, hitting John in the head and chest. He added that the 26-year-old died instantly.

He said, “We went to Abak to supply goods to customers this morning. As we came back to Uyo, just at Itam beside a primary school, the civil defence guy asked us to stop. The driver was telling him that there was nothing in the vehicle except four cartons of Indomie.

“Without much talk, the driver tried to clear from the road and in the process, the corps fired shots into the vehicle from behind. John, who was hit by the bullets, died instantly,” he said.

He stated that when the operatives noticed that one of the truck’s occupants had died, they fled the scene.

The Managing Director of the company, Mr. Daniel Chukwuma, said John worked for him for over a year.



He said the vehicle was empty when they reached Uyo as they had supplied the goods they took to Abak to his customers.

Chukwuma demanded justice for John and urged security operatives to carry out a thorough investigation.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Cordelia Nwawe, said investigation was ongoing.

She said once the investigation was concluded, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Murtala Mani, would make the findings public.

She said, “Investigation is ongoing and when the Commissioner of Police is done with that matter, he will revert to the public on what took place.”

Efforts to speak with the Commandant of the NSCDC, Mrs. Obiageli Obiajulu, in her office were not successful.

The Public Relations Officer of the corps, Mr. Owoidighe Thomas, said Obiajulu was not composed to talk with the press.

On his part, Thomas said he did not have authority to speak on the issue.

Aviation security experts have strongly suspected that the EgyptAir flight that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea yesterday was more likely brought down by a terror attack than technical problems.

This was also the position of Egypt’s aviation Minister who indicated that the ill-fated aircraft was airworthy before embarking on the flight.

The Airbus 320 was carrying 66 passengers and crew on a trip from Paris to Cairo when it disappeared from radar, Egypt’s national airline said.

According to AP/Yahoo! report, Greek searchers have located floating debris, just as UK-based The Telegraph reported that investigators have started examining CCTV footage from the airport in an attempt to identify those who had access to the plane while it was on the ground, police sources said.

“There is no confirmation that the airliner was downed by a terrorist attack, but the investigation is already under way just in case.

“They are looking for any sign of suspicious behaviour and checking people’s identities,” a source said.
Paris prosecutors have opened an investigation and no theories are being ruled out.

If terrorism is confirmed, the authorities would have serious questions to answer about security at the airport, which was stepped up after the Paris attacks in November, and further strengthened after suicide bombings at Brussels airport in March.

Officials with the airline and the Egyptian civil aviation department said they believed the Airbus A320 had crashed into the sea, Reuters has reported.

Egypt Air said the plane sent an emergency signal – possibly from an emergency beacon attached to the plane – at 04:26, two hours after it disappeared from radar screens.
The souls on board the flight included 30 Egyptian and 15 French nationals, along with nationals from 10 other countries.

“The theory that the plane crashed and fell is now confirmed after the preliminary search and after it did not arrive at any of the nearby airports,” said a senior aviation individual, who declined to be identified.

“All causes for the disaster are open, whether it is a major technical fault or a terrorist action or any other circumstance. This will be ascertained when we inspect the plane’s wreckage and transcribe its black boxes.”

Families of passengers and the Egyptian Prime Minister rushed to Cairo Airport shortly after dawn while the Egyptian and Greek military scrambled aircraft and boats to search for the plane.
The airline said on its Twitter account that flight MS804 departed Paris at 23:09 (CEST). It disappeared at 02:30 at an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,280 m) in Egyptian air space, 280 km (165 miles) from the Egyptian coastline, before it was due to land at 03:15, the airline said.

“There was nothing unusual,” EgyptAir vice chairman, Ahmed Adel, told Reuters. “The search and rescue aircraft from the Egyptian Air Force are at the position where we lost contact. They are still looking and so far there is nothing found.”
Egyptian state newspaper Ahram, reported no distress call was made and the last contact was 10 minutes before the plane disappeared.

The pilot had 6,275 hours of flying experience, including 2,101 hours on the A320, while the first officer had 2,766 hours, the airline said.
Greek air traffic controllers spoke to the pilot over the island of Kea, in what was thought to be the last broadcast from the aircraft.
“The pilot did not mention any problems,” the head of Greece’s civil aviation department, Kostas Litzerakis said.

However, during the transfer to Cairo airspace, Greek controllers were unable to reach the pilot and the plane vanished from their radars shortly after leaving Greek airspace, he added.
Greece said it had deployed aircraft and a frigate to the area to help with the search.
Authorities are investigating an account from the captain of a merchant ship who reported a ‘flame in the sky’ some 130 nautical miles south of the island of Karpathos.

This crash will further undermine Egypt tourism, which is the mainstay of the country economy.
Last year Russia airline exploded at Sharm El Sheik immediately after take and investigation point to insider’s job and about a month ago EgyptAir flight was hijacked and forced to land in Cyprus, when a man suspected to be mentally ill forced the pilot of the flight to land.
Since the Egyptian revolution that ousted former President, Hosni Mubarak, Egypt has faced hard time as tourists from Europe and Americas seek for adventures elsewhere.

Senator Musiliu Obanikoro

A former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has said that he is not on the run from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone, Obanikoro, who recently bagged a degree in History from an American university, said he was not a fugitive running away from justice.

Obanikoro, who debunked newspaper reports suggesting that he fled the country in order to evade the ongoing $2.1 arms probe by the EFCC, stressed that the reports were in the realm of speculation.

A text by Obanikoro read, “To begin with, no allegation has been made against me officially that I know of. Therefore, I have no reason to run. I know for sure that all the accusations in the media are in the realm of speculation.”

Shortly after former President Goodluck Jonathan lost his re-election bid last year, Obanikoro said he was going to pursue an academic course in the US, stressing that life was not all about politics.

“That’s politics for you; you win some, you lose some. And there’s life after politics. I’m going to the US to pursue a degree,” he had said.

Troops battling the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East of the country protested unavailability of arms and ammunition, a situation that military authorities frowned on.

This led to the trial of some top military officers and men, some of whom were found guilty and sentenced to death. A number of the protesting soldiers also suffered demotion.

A former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, was charged in December in connection with the arms probe.

Dasuki was accused of awarding phantom contracts to buy helicopters, fighter jets and ammunition, which he denied.

Twelve senior Nigerian army officers were handed over to the anti-corruption agency for their alleged involvement in the arms scandal.

The army did not name them, but said they included six serving generals.

Army spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman, said the 12 officers referred to the EFCC included three serving major-generals, one retired major-general, three brigadier-generals, four colonels and a lieutenant-colonel.

It is yet to be seen whether the Lagos-born former senator would visit Nigeria after the completion of his degree.

Singer Bukola Elemide popularly known as Asa had her never seen before mother at her concert tagged Asa Live In Lagos.

France-based author, Onyeka Nwelue took a selfie with her and shared the photo on her instagram page.

She wrote on it ‘The song, Beautiful was written for this beautiful woman by her daughter, Asa. Seeing her daughter on stage, she broke into tears. She’s also shy. Told me she never takes pictures with anyone – she begged me but I can be persuasive. What a load of awesomeness she is. Thank you, @onyekaa

Singer Bukola Elemide popularly known as Asa had her never seen before mother at her concert tagged Asa Live In Lagos.

France-based author, Onyeka Nwelue took a selfie with her and shared the photo on her instagram page.

She wrote on it ‘The song, Beautiful was written for this beautiful woman by her daughter, Asa. Seeing her daughter on stage, she broke into tears. She’s also shy. Told me she never takes pictures with anyone – she begged me but I can be persuasive. What a load of awesomeness she is. Thank you, @onyekaa

A 21-year-old man identified as Tope Diya committed suicide at his work place at Olayiwola Street, Oko Oba, Agege today May 19th. Tope who is a resident of 5, Ademolu Street, Oko Oba, was found dead at about 7:00am this morning. He reportedly used his cloth to hang himself to an aluminum frame.

The spokesperson of the Lagos state police command, Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident and said brother of the deceased reported the incident to the police.

Nigerian music icon, 2Baba, has announced he will take some fans to Nairobi, Kenya on an all-expense paid, week-long trip. He will select the fans via a dance competition tagged “Trip and Treat Trip 2016”.

He announced this through a video posted on his instagram page. He is doing something away from the norm with this competition. Instead of the usual ‘pick the winner based on likes accrued’, he wants to give every fan an opportunity, whether the person has a huge social media following or not. Therefore, fans with the best dance videos will be selected as winners. He also stated that there would be multiple entry platforms for the competition to cater to a wider range of fans.

2Baba first hinted of the competition last week when he asked fans to suggest the number of people to take to Kenya with him. The responses were overwhelming, as he stated in the video, with some saying he should take as many as a thousand people.

2Baba has been on an incredible run this year releasing three singles and bagging several endorsements. Earlier in the week, he announced that he would be headlining the Lagos leg of “Buckwyld ‘n’ Breathless: The Disruption” this year. His latest single entitled ‘Oya Come Make We Go’ features fellow Buckwyld ‘n’ Breathless headliners, Sauti Sol, and was released last month.

To enter the contest, fans are asked to video themselves doing a cool dance move to the chorus of 2Baba’s new song with Kenya’s Sauti Sol entitled.

The Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buahri, on Thursday in Abuja received the rescued Chibok school girl, Amina Ali and her baby Safiya at the Presidential Villa.
Mrs Buhari, who expressed happiness for rescue, said it was an indication that the remaining girls would be rescued.
“We are happy to have one of the missing Chibok girls and we are looking forward to receiving more girls that are still missing.
“We are getting relief, it is good indication that we will get the rest’’, she said.
News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Mrs Buhari donated N30 million to the parents of the missing Chibok girls in Borno and N25 million to the parents of murdered Buni Yadi boys in Yobe.
The donation was part-fulfillment of her promise that the proceeds from launch of her book, the “Essentials of Beauty Therapy’’, would be used to empower parents of the Chibok girls and the murdered Buni Yadi boys.
Mrs Buhari presented baby food and other items to Amina for the child.
Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno said the abduction of the Chibok girls was a tragedy to North-East.
He said Amina and her baby were rescued by the Civilian JTF at Baale near Damboa in Borno state and handed over to the Nigerian Army.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Army for bringing peace to the North-East and for efforts to rescue the missing Chibok girls.
“We remain eternally grateful to President Buhari for making it possible for our people to get back their dignity’’, he said.
Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of the Vice President, also received Amina and her baby, her mother – Binta and her brother, Inuwa.
Chibok school girls (219) were kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists on April 14, 2014. (NAN)

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has once again called on Nigerians to stop lamenting the removal of fuel subsidy.
Tinubu, said subsidy was a heavy yoke and that the government could no longer allow it to linger.

According to the former Governor of Lagos State, for almost 30 years, Nigeria had bore distortions in the downstream oil sector by operating a thick system susceptible to manipulations and structured in a way that allowed a few people to gain mightily from the system and feed fat on the misery and frustration of millions of Nigerians.

Tinubu said this on Thursday in a statement entitled, ‘Ending price fixing, the making of economic sense’.

“However, we should not lament the departure of something just because of its longevity, particularly, when that very policy had ceased to serve us long ago,” he stated.

Tinubu, who admitted that though, the deregulation of the oil sector was a hard decision, expressed hope that Nigerians stand to gain a lot when things become stable.

“The bogus supplier was paid for supplying nothing, while you sweated in long queues for fuel that was never there. The smuggler secreted fuel across the border, while our economy crossed the border into fuel scarcity,” he added.

According to him, because of those imbalances, the nation was forced to export hard currency and many jobs to purchase fuel and other products abroad.

He said, “While the price of fuel was cheap on paper, these were the hidden costs that made the subsidy regime an expensive and heavy yoke that the nation could not continue. With dwindling revenue from oil due to the slump in global oil prices and a dwindling forex reserve, the country could no longer live in denial.

“President (Muhammadu) Buhari, after carefully weighing the options, decided to do what is right. In an act of courage, he removed the oil subsidy, thereby freeing the downstream component of this strategic sector of the economy from the distortions of price fixing.”

The APC leader, however, stated that the decision should not be a step towards conservative austerity as practiced by the former government, which he said simply wanted to end the programme to “prove obedient to neoliberal economic doctrines.”

“They offered no programmes of valid compensation to the people. Instead, they instigated a policy of monumental fraud known as SURE-P. However, the only thing sure about it was that its architects would siphon the public’s funds to fatten their own wallets. They wanted to save money (for themselves) yet exploited the people for no good reason at all,” he added.

Tinubu said the Buhari government took a vastly different approach, adding, “Given the inefficiencies inherent in the pricing regime, this administration asked the fundamental question: could this money be better spent to help the most vulnerable of our people?

“For it was also recognised that the pricing regime was a regressive feature. Its benefit went disproportionately to the rich who needed no such help. Better to use the sums to more directly and exclusively assist the poor and working class Nigerians.”

The APC leader stated, “What the President did is about the future of our country and that of the next generation. This government is transferring the funds to better spend them and better save the people.

“Nothing in this world is perfect but this decision is a just and correct one aimed at bolstering the economy, while caring better for those the system has unfairly treated.”

Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, has warned fraudsters to stop using his name to extort money from Nigerians in their bid get detained persons released.
This is contained in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), by EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren in Abuja on Thursday.

According to the statement, “It has come to the knowledge of the EFCC that some persons have been using the name of its Chairman fraudulently.’’

It said the fraudsters also claimed that they had his permission to ask for payments to secure the release of suspects under investigation by the commission.

“The commission warns the public to be wary of the activities of these fraudulent individuals who have no relationship whatsoever with Magu and the EFCC.

“I have not mandated anybody to collect money on my behalf from any person or organisation; It is not in my character to do so, otherwise I will not be in this office.

“I am contented with what I am paid at the end of the month”, Magu was quoted as saying.

He called on members of the public, especially relatives and friends of persons under investigation by the commission to report any person who approached them to collect bribe on his behalf for the release of their loved ones.

“Anyone caught trying to tarnish my hard earned reputation and integrity must be prepared to face the music.

“I have accounts in three banks and, on no account should anybody make lodgment into any of my accounts without my knowledge”, the EFCC boss warned.

NAN reports that there has been an upsurge in the activities of scammers who parade themselves as having links with leadership of the commission and capability to release suspects.

Some of the scam calls sent to members of the public across the country, conveyed the commission’s purported readiness to “play ball, release suspects as long as reasonable settlement is arranged.”

Magu also promised that the commission will discharge its duties, “guided solely by the fear of Almighty God, the overriding interest of our fatherland, Nigeria and the rule of law and not any pecuniary motive.”

The statement advised the public to report calls from suspected scammers and forward the callers’ numbers to the EFCC via: [email protected], [email protected].

“The Commission could also be reached on: 09-9044571, 09-9044572, 09-9044573.’’ (NAN)

A 22-year -old human trafficking victim, Love John, who was allegedly lured into prostitution by her elder sister identified only as Mary, says she slept with more than 400 men in less than five months in the Sango Ota area of Ogun State.
Mary had tricked Love, her 23-year-old sister, Happiness and a cousin, Joy Lawrence, 25, promising the three ladies that she could give them jobs that would help them make a decent living.

She reportedly lured them into the act sometime in January; however, by the time they discovered that they had been trafficked, the victims said they had become trapped, the Punch is reporting.

The Lagos zonal headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, was said to have stormed an unnamed hotel where the prostitutes lodged, following a tip off.

The NIS reportedly rescued the victims and arrested Mary and the owner of the hotel, one Mrs. Akpojaro Rose, an indigene of Warri, Delta State.

The Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration, Musa Maza, who handed over the victims to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other related matters, NAPTIP, said the suspects would be prosecuted at the end of investigations.

He said, “This is a human trafficking case in the form of enslavement and prostitution. The victims were forced into s*x against their wish. Two of them actually escaped. The whereabouts of one is unknown, but the second victim contacted someone who brought her to the immigration office.

“Parents should be vigilant and wary of those who come for their children asking them to be released in search of greener pastures. We are handing them over to NAPTIP for prosecution. We believe this will serve as a deterrent to those that will want to engage in this useless business.”

Reports allege that the victims collected between N500 and N700 per sex, paid N200 per day for hotel rates, and made about N340, 000 in savings within the period.

Mary, however, denied luring the girls into prostitution.

According to the 32-year-old, she brought her cousins to Lagos under duress. She said they had been mounting pressure on her despite not wanting to bring them into the s*x trade, she gave in.

At the zonal headquarters of the NIS on Wednesday, Mary said, “I came to Lagos with a friend in 2014 and my friend introduced me to this job. We were first using a hotel called Happiness Hotel before we moved to Morning Star Hotel in Sango Ota.

“When I travelled to the village, my sisters started disturbing me that they wanted to follow me to Lagos to go and work.

“When they continued to disturb me, I decided to take them with me; but I didn’t tell them I was into prostitution. I told my mother I was working in a beer parlour.

“Each of us makes N2,500 to N3,000 daily. We sleep with an average of three to four men and they pay between N500 and N700,” she stated, adding that from January till May 16 when they were arrested, she had saved N340,000 for the three girls.

She, however, alleged that the hotel was raided by some policemen from the Sango Ota division, whom they settled with N150,000.

Narrating her ordeal, Love she did not have any formal education because their father died when they were toddlers.

She explained that her sister lured her into prostitution, saying she slept with an average of four men a day.

She said, “I was learning tailoring in the village. My sister told me she could help me get a job in Lagos; she didn’t tell me that it was prostitution I was coming to do.

After we got to Lagos, she said we should do this (prostitution) job so we can make money to be able to finish my craft as a tailor. I sleep with about four men in a day and each of them pay me at least N500.”

Her elder sister, Happiness, also said she was not aware she had been trafficked until she arrived in Lagos and was introduced to prostitution.

“I didn’t go to school and I have not learnt any trade. I came to Lagos a few months ago. My sister didn’t tell me this was what I was coming to do in Lagos. She said it was a good job,” she said.

Lawrence, who fled the hotel on Monday, said she was told she would be trading when she left their hometown in Ogoja, Cross River State.

“I ran away because I didn’t like the work. I don’t want to do it again. I never knew this was the job,” the victim said.

On her part, the owner of the hotel, Rose, said she gave out rooms to the girls at the rate of N200 per day.

“I warned Mary that the girls were too young, but she didn’t listen to me. I have 15 rooms in my hotel and I have seven girls, who were paying me N200 every day. If I had children of their age, I will not allow them do this,” she said.

Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) rode on the back of the support Nigerians gave them to emerge victorious at the 2015 presidential elections.

Using the slogan ‘Change’ that resonated round the nation, the APC presented Muhammadu Buhari (now president) as its presidential candidate.

Buhari’s antecedent as an upright and incorruptible individual also helped in boosting the image of the APC during the electioneering period.

The recent removal of petroleum subsidies by the Buhari government which triggered the increase of a litre of fuel from N87 to N145, that also culminated in the ongoing nationwide strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has shown that the APC and President Buhari might lose the confidence Nigerians reposed on them before the 2015 elections.

After the declaration by the government, many Nigerians lambasted the party and the president for lying to them during the electioneering period and making campaign promises which they say has now been reversed or denied.

The national leadership of the APC has since declared its support for the Buhari government for its move, ending the hope of some Nigerians who expected the party to put pressure on the president to drop the idea.

NAIJ.com has compiled five photos that are targeted towards the APC as the nationwide protest continues.

See below:

1. New abbreviation for APC and harsh words for petroleum minister, Dr Ibe Kachikwu



2. From frying pan to fire?


3. Lies breed corrupt tendencies!!!


4. The government can have its say, but the masses wants to have their way!


5. Has the change become a chain?