- The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday expressed concerns that the House of Representatives had become enmeshed in “scandals upon scandals” since 1999. The chairman of the commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, said that it was worrisome that the House had failed to meet the aspirations of the people, who voted its members to protect their interests. “I think most Nigerians have been very concerned because there have been scandals upon scandals in that House. And that is the bastion of democracy and the hope of the common man,” she said. She spoke when a group of lawmakers, Progressive-Minded Legislators, submitted a petition to the anti-graft agency at…

- The planned amendment of the 1999 Constitution entered a crucial phase on Monday, with some state Houses of Assembly reviewing the work of the National Assembly. Two thirds of the Houses are expected to pass the harmonized version of the amended constitution sent to them by the Assembly before the amendment can be carried. Governors have set July 2 for the Houses to call it a day. At public hearings held by the Lagos and Kwara Houses in Ikeja and Ilorin, participants disagreed with the Assembly’s position on cross carpeting and non-disqualification of candidates with questionable character. The National Assembly recommended that those who defected from the parties on which platfor…

- The much-debated zoning formula of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has been described as illegal and unconstitutional. This statement was made recently by former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN) in an interview in his Lagos office. Speaking with journalists, he maintained that the PDP zoning was not binding and as such, President Goodluck Jonathan had the constitutional right to contest. His words: “I am a stakeholder in the PDP and I put down N2 million when the party was being set up and I can say much about it. The so-called zoning was a gentleman’s agreement so it cannot be upheld in any court of law. In fact, nob…

- The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Engr. Austen Oniwon, has called on the American government to take the advantage of the current reforms in the oil and gas industry by building Greenfield refineries across the country. He assured that the corporation will continue to produce value added petroleum products that conform to the American government’s environmental and safety requirements. According to a statement from NNPC, Oniwon disclosed this at a meeting with a delegation from the American Embassy in Abuja . Oniwon, who harped on the need to continue to strengthen the economic partnership and bilateral relationship between the two countr…

- Former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor was on Monday re-arraigned before Justice Ishaq Bello of an Abuja High Court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over N200m fraud which he allegedly committed when he was Minister of Special Duties. Specifically, the commission discharged one of the accused persons who may be used as a witness against him. ICPC’s lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), had applied to the court to amend the charges from 16-count charge to 17-count charge, which was allowed by the judge. In the amended charge, the name of Mr. Henry Ikoh and Mr. Emmanuel Bosah, (now deceased) were…

- Former member of the board of trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Isyaku Ibrahim, yesterday took a swipe at politicians from the North who are meeting to frustrate any attempt by President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2011 elections and said many of the people parading themselves as northern leaders were merely seeking relevance. In an interview with THISDAY, he said they are merely worried over nothing as President Jonathan has not said he was running in 2011. Ibrahim challenged the “Northern Leaders” to concentrate on building their campaigns rather than going around speaking for the North. According to him, those currently agitating that power must…

- Former Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Bello Lafiaji, was earlier today sentenced to 16 years in prison for stealing cash confiscated from drug lords while in office. Also convicted was his personal assistant, Usman Amali.and his personal assistant, Usman Amali. Lafiaji will spend the next four years behind bars while Amali will spend three years as the sentences are to run concurrently. The two convicts were arraigned in 2008 on a seven-count charge of conspiracy, using their positions to corruptly enrich themselves and receiving money before performing their lawful duties were convicted on six out of the seven counts. They were sentenced as follows: four…

- The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Adolf Hitler declared a costly war on the United States on December 11, 1941. Saddam Hussein invaded and annexed Kuwait on August 2, 1990 and sparked off international crises that left his country in ruins. Ibrahim Babangida annulled in June 1993, what is widely regarded as Nigeria‘s fairest and freest election and plunged his country into needless, disastrous crises that consumed many precious lives and invaluable property. Also, the belief is yet to diminish that under his regime (1985-1993), corruption became free, fair, transparent and effectively institutionalised, and the economy, despite huge earnings from oil exports, was succ…

- President Goodluck Jonathan last night said it would be too early for him to say whether he would run for president in 2011 or not. Jonathan who spoke at his maiden Presidential media chat at the Villa in Abuja, said taking a stand would heat up the polity. The President while stating that what is paramount in his mind is free and fair election and stable polity, said he would very soon make known his position on zoning. He then said he is not an apostle of godfatherism in politics, noting that he interacts with all past leaders with respect and this should not be construed as having them as godfathers. His words: "That is one thing dominating discourse in the country. Some days…

- After years of prevarication by several governments, the chicken might be coming home to roost for Ibrahim Babangida in Abuja, the seat of power, last night, that the Federal Government has raised a committee to probe the eight-year military government of Mr. Babangida. The former military president is alleged to have mismanaged over $12.4 billion that accrued from crude oil sales during the Gulf War. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), told our correspondent in a telephone conversation that the committee is chaired by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abdulahi Yola. …

- The Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Awka, Anambra State on Monday reserved judgment in the petition filed by the Deputy Governorship candidate of the Hope Democratic Party, Mr. Mike Okoye against the election of Governor Peter Obi in the February 6, 2010 election. The development came just as the Action Congress accused the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Anambra State, Mr. Josiah Uwazuronye, of lying to the tribunal under oath. The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Pius Damulak, had reserved adjournment after the adoption of written addresses by the parties in the petition. Damulak said the tribunal would communicate the date of the judgment to the lawyer to the parties. Oko…

- It was a mixture of tears and encomiums. Hundreds of sympathizers, including students and staff of the Redeemers’ University (RUN) and relations of the late Mrs. Olubunmi Oyeyemi Julius –Adeoye, bid her a final farewell at the chapel auditorium of the school last week, during a service of songs in her honour. Mrs Julius-Adeoye had died suddenly on May, 16, 2010 causing all and sundry in the university to wail endlessly for losing a great personality like her who had imparted greatly on the life of everyone she had met during her 37 years. The late Julius-Adeoye had been the institution’s pioneer Head of the Department of Theatre Arts and was a senior lecturer. As re…

- Lagos — Federal Government has distributed 63 million Long-Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) to households across the country since May 2009. Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said this while flagging off the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week at the Emir of Zazzau's palace in Zaria. Chukwu said the nets were to check the spread of malaria among Nigerians. The minister, who was represented by Dr Philipa Moma, Director of Family Health in the ministry, said the event was part of efforts to rapidly scale-up the coverage and use of LLINs. Chukwu commended the Kaduna State Government for "showing great political will and commitment to the improvement o…

- Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo says they are preparing for the biggest game in their history by insisting his team can still make the second round of the World Cup. The Super Eagles lost their Group B opener 1-0 to Argentina before falling 2-1 to Greece in Bloemfontein on Thursday. No team in World Cup history has ever lost more than one group stage game and gone on to reach the next round, yet Yobo is incredibly optimistic they can earn a place in the history book. A single-goal victory in their final match against South Korea and even a single-goal loss for Greece against the table-topping Argentina would see Nigeria through on goal difference. "We now have a possible miss…

Nigeria tightened security around the national side ahead of Tuesday's crucial World Cup tie against South Korea after midfielder Sani Kaita was the target of death threats. Kaita received more than a thousand death threats, many via email, after he was dismissed in a 2-1 defeat to Greece for kicking out at Vasileios Torosidis. - Nigeria were 1-0 in front when the incident occurred. The Super Eagles have now been assigned extra police officers to keep a close eye on the squad prior to Tuesday's game in Durban which will see Nigeria qualify for the second round if they beat South Korea and Greece lose to Argentina. "We got some additional policemen in the hotel this morni…

- THE wife of the slain former Assistant Zonal Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mrs. Imaobong Inyang, whose husband, Paul, was murdered by a six-man gang at Ebenezer African Church in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has narrated her ordeal in the hands of the assassins. Imaobong, who was in tears on Monday when our correspondent visited the late PDP chieftain‘s residence, said that her husband (the late Paul) was listening to a Trinity Broadcasting Network Evangelism programme on seed sowing earlier before they went to church on Sunday morning. She explained that it was at the height of the worship that the six-man gang came in and demanded…

- Members of the Progressives, a group of members of the House of Representatives who are accusing the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole and other members of the leadership of corrupt practices, are afraid that they may be suspended. In a statement signed by Hon. Ehiogie West-Idahosa on behalf of the group, they claimed that the leadership of the House has begun mobilisation against them for questioning the "misuse of public funds and non-compliance with the Public Procurement Act". The statement reads: "Following recent allega-tions made against the leadership of the House by the Progressives with respect to the mis-use of public funds and non-compliance with the Public procur…

- Enugu-based lawyer Richard Obienu has been very critical of the Nigeria Football Association, NFA. Before now, he faulted the employment of Super Eagles coach Lars Lagerback and said Nigeria made the greatest mistake in the history of the country in hiring the Swede His words went unheeded and last Thursdays his words came to fruition when Nigeria lost to Greece in the their second group B game after losing to Argentina in the opening game. The former Vice Chairman of the NFA said the former coach of Sweden has nothing to offer and Lagerback proved him right in South Africa where he failed to show understanding of the Eagles. According to him, Lagerback has no idea on how to tinke…

- There is no gain saying that reducing the costs of transport will make West Africa more competitive in world markets. A recent World Bank study found that a 10 percent reduction in the cost of transportation in the continent would lead to a 25 percent increase in trade as high transportation cost is one of the key barriers to trade in Africa. Analysts believe that to eliminate some of these problems, there is a need for governments in the region to improve on their transportation networks and monitor the activities of agents on the roads. In pursuit of this vision the Enugu-Bamenda multinational Highway and Transport facilitation programme was yesterday flagged off at the Nigerian…

- Abuja — It promises to be a waiting game for those who want to draw out President Goodluck Jonathan over the 2011 presidential election. The President said last night that he would declare whether or not to contest in the election close to the presidential primaries of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Fielding questions on his maiden edition of the live Presidential Media Chat on the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Jonathan said he was not in a position yet to tell Nigerians about his next election plan as either way his declaration would affect governance. He said: "I'm not in a position to tell Nigerians whether I will contest now or not because we…

- It was a mixture of tears and encomiums. Hundreds of sympathizers, including students and staff of the Redeemers’ University (RUN) and relations of the late Mrs. Olubunmi Oyeyemi Julius –Adeoye, bid her a final farewell at the chapel auditorium of the school last week, during a service of songs in her honour. Mrs Julius-Adeoye had died suddenly on May, 16, 2010 causing all and sundry in the university to wail endlessly for losing a great personality like her who had imparted greatly on the life of everyone she had met during her 37 years. The late Julius-Adeoye had been the institution’s pioneer Head of the Department of Theatre Arts and was a senior lecturer. As re…

- As far as former Minister for Finance and a leading politician from the North, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, is concerned, the zoning policy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agreed upon in 1998 is still very much in place. The North is still very much in charge at the presidency because President Goodluck Jonathan is merely completing the tenure of the late Umar Musa Yar’Adua, he said. To him, all talks about the possibility of dumping zoning or rotation is mere speculation. He argued that until the party meets to discuss the issue, nobody could claim that it would not respect the gentleman agreement reached to rotate the presidency between the North and South. He argued that those wh…

- Nelson Mandela joined hundreds of mourners Thursday at the funeral of the former South African president's great-granddaughter who was killed in car crash last week. The death of 13-year-old Zenani Mandela forced Mandela to cancel plans to attend the opening game of the Soccer World Cup last Friday, dampening the mood at the start of global sports spectacle. Dressed in a black coat, Mandela, 91, arrived as the funeral was under way and walked slowly and with assistance to a front row seat accompanied by his wife Graca Machel. Schoolfriends and family of Zenani entered a Johannesburg Methodist chapel, carrying flower baskets before condolences messages were read out that describ…