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At the International AIDS Conference, researchers have been keeping their focus on a new vaginal ring aimed at keeping women safe.

At the International AIDS Conference, researchers have been keeping their focus on a new vaginal ring aimed at keeping women safe.
“Because this product is designed to be replaced once a month, it offers potential to increase the chances that women will continually use the product as opposed to a product that has to be applied in a behaviorally dependent prior to sex way or on a daily basis,” explained Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, with the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
About 3,500 African women have signed up to take part in the study and hopes are high.
Researchers say giving women tools to protect themselves, without having to rely on their partner, is critical.  Half of the more than 34 million people living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are women.  That percentage rises even higher in hard-hit Africa.
Scientists in the United States yesterday said they had used a cancer drug to flush out the AIDS virus lurking dormant in trial patients’ white blood cells — a tentative step towards a cure.
The ability of the HIV genome, or reproductive code, to hide out in cells and be revived after decades poses a major obstacle in the quest for a cure.
Being able to expose the virus in its hiding place would allow scientists to target the host white blood cells in a killing blitz.
“It is the beginning of work toward a cure for AIDS,” David Margolis, co-author of the study published in the journal Nature, told AFP as the International AIDS Conference was under way in Washington.
HIV is a retrovirus, inserting its DNA into the genome of host white blood cells, CD4+T cells in this case, and turning them into virus factories. Sometimes it goes into hiding in some cells even as others keep on producing.
Some 34 million people around the world are living with HIV, which destroys the immune system and has caused about 30 million AIDS-related deaths since the disease first emerged in the early 1980s.
In the latest study, researchers in the United States used the chemotherapy drug vorinostat to revive and so unmask latent HIV in the CD4+T cells of eight trial patients.
The patients were also on antiretroviral drugs, which stops HIV from multiplying but have to be taken for life because they do not kill the virus hidden away in reservoirs.
“After a single dose of the drug, at least for a moment in time, (vorinostat) is flushing the virus out of hiding,” Margolis said of the trial results — the first drug ever shown to do so.
“This is proof of the concept, of the idea that the virus can be specifically targeted in a patient by a drug, and essentially opens up the way for this class of drugs to be studied for use in this way.”
The drug targets an enzyme that allows the virus to lie latent.
The researchers cautioned that vorinostat may have some toxic effects and stressed this was merely an early indication of feasibility that had to be explored further.
Exactly what would happen after the virus was unveiled in reservoir cells was also not certain, said Margolis.
“We know that many cells that produce HIV die in the process. We know many cells that produce HIV can be identified and killed by the immune system. As far as we can tell, all the viruses floating around while patients are taking therapy don’t get into cells because they are blocked by the therapy,” he said.
Without a host cell, the virus would die within a few minutes.
“There is a possibility that this could work. But ... if it is only 99 percent true and one percent of the virus escapes, it won’t succeed. That is why we have to be careful about our work and what we claim about it.”
In a comment published with the study, HIV researcher Steven Deeks said the research provided “the first evidence that ... a cure might one day be feasible”.
But, as is common with early clinical trials, the study raised more questions than answers — including ethical concerns about giving potentially toxic drugs to HIV-infected people who are otherwise healthy, he said.
“These data from the lab of David Margolis are genuinely exciting for those exploring pathways to achieving a cure for AIDS,” Oxford University HIV researcher John Frater told AFP, calling for investment in further research.
HIV immunologist Quentin Sattentau called the findings promising, but said other types of reservoir cells, including in the brain, may not respond to this treatment.
“Thus there is a long way to go before we will know if this can work to completely eradicate HIV from an infected person.”

Dana crash: DNA results ready next week, 152 bodies identified By Bisi Onanuga

   
Foremost pathologist, Prof. John Obafunwa on Wednesday told a Lagos Coroner, Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe that his department has so far identified 152 bodies  of the victims of the June 3, ill fated Dana airline crash in Lagos.
Prof. Obafunwa who said that the result of the DNA tests on the bodies of some of the crash victims will be ready next week disclosed that the bodies so far identified were either charred, partial or complete.
The Pathologist who is the Chief Medical Examiner of Lagos State and a consultant forensic pathologist, and Vice- Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU),  recounted the gory sight of some of the bodies when the body bags were brought to the Lagos State University Hospital (LASUTH).
He was Led in evidence by Mr. Akingbolahan Adeniran, a counsel from the state Ministry of Justice.
Obafunwa said, "When the body bags of the victims were opened at the morgue, some of them contain bone fragments while some had body parts.
"Sixty per cent of the crash victims had multiple injuries while about 20 per cent had multiple injuries and smoke inhalation.
According to him, ‘’fifty bodies were fairly complete; about 100 victims were burnt while there were also charred bodies. There are bodies with recognisable heads and some their limbs are chopped off. ‘’
Obafunwa remarked that at the moment, the pathology department was doing a final editing of post-mortem reports on the bodies of the victims.
‘’I am expecting that the DNA results will be finalised next week," he stressed.
The renowned pathologist also said that the chemical analysis of the samples and tissues taken from the bodies of the victims would be ready in two weeks’ time.
’’ I will say we have completed our job.  On the average 80 per cent of the job is ready’’, he further stressed.
 Prof.Obafunwa in the course of the inquest answered  questioned from some lawyers namely, Anthony Idigbe (SAN), Obi Okwusogu (SAN) and Femi Falana (SAN)among other interested parties.
An Assistant Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the South West, Mr. Adebiyi Babatunde Razaq, in his evidence told the coroner that crowd, lack of easy access and the raging fire were the challenges faced by the agency in rescuing the victims of the crash.
“We have challenge in getting access to crash site. The road was narrowed. We have to enter through the rail lines. The crowd and the road access were the challenges we faced. The equipment we brought could also not get to the crash site,” Razaq stated.
When asked by the coroner, Magistrate  Oyetade Komolafe, if NEMA has rescue aircraft for such incident, Razaq responded that the agency has only one rescue aircraft for the entire country, which is domiciled at the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja.
Also testifying, a police detective, Mr. Obono Ubi, faulted the claim that fire fighter got to the scene of Dana plane crash on time.
Ubi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), attached to Area G command, Ogba, Lagos, said fire fighters did not get to the crash site until after two hours after the incident.
He also faulted the claim that the explosion that greeted the crash was extinguished within 15 minutes.
He said that it took about four hours before the fire could be doused.
Ubi, who said he got to the scene of the crash at 3.50p.m, told the coroner that the casualty figure could have been averted if the police have fire-fighting equipment as they got information on the crash earlier than any other response agency.
“For over one hour, nobody could penetrate the fire. If fire brigade was under police custody and we have fire-fighting equipment, we could have acted fast. It was not until after two hours that the fire fighters came,” Ubi said.
There was however,a mild drama at the inquest, as a police officer, Mr. Olusola Agoyi was reprimanded for lying on oath.
Agoyi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and second-in-command at the state Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, had told the court that the deposition he signed and presented to the inquest was not written by him.
This made the coroner to order Agoyi to read his deposition, which contradicted his oral evidence that he was only sent to the scene of the crash only to observe and not to investigate.
Whereas  in his deposition he had said that he was sent there to investigate.
“I did not write this. The lawyer did. That is the truth,” he said.
But the coroner, magistrate komolafe chided him for lying  on oath and pointed out that that was not what he deposed to before the Commissioner for Oath.
Meanwhile, the Lagos Pathologist, Prof. John Obafunwa has suggested that the Federal Government should set up a Mass Disaster Committee comprising all the various rescue agencies in the country.
He said by so doing, the body would be able to mitigate with future disasters in the country.
Further inquest into the Dana airline crash will continue today.

Residents protest demolition of Abuja suburb

Some residents of New Kuchigoro in Abuja  on Tuesday protested against the demolition of their houses by Abuja  Development Control Department.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protesters mounted a road block along the Games Village route in the Federal Capital Territory and made bonfires to express their anger.

However, a large contingent of security personnel was at the scene to calm down the protesters and maintain peace.

Mr Johnson Garba, a resident of the village, told NAN that only one week notice was given to them to leave the area and stressed that the time was too short for them to relocate elsewhere.

"Most residents in the village had gone to their various places of work before the demolition team came and they destroyed all our property,’’ he said.

Garba said the residents of the village were non-indigenes, who bought plots from  the indigenes.

Another resident, Grace Ayuba, also expressed anger  over the demolition, saying their property, including farms, were destroyed during the exercise.

The residents claimed that some villagers died during the demolition.

Mrs Josie Mudashiru, Head of Public Relations Unit, Department of Development Control, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, told NAN that the people were given sufficient notice.

"We gave them enough notice before we commenced the demolition, “  she said.

"There was no life lost, rather they attacked us; injured one of our officers; vandalised our vehicle and prevented us from carrying out our duty,’’ Mudashiru said.

She said that the demolition to be carried out in 19 villages, would affect only the buildings of non-indigenes, shanties and illegal structures.

Adoke absence stalls trial of oil marketers Written by Nurudeen Oyewole, Lagos

 
The absence of Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Muhammed Adoke (SAN) and the first defendant, Walter Wagastoma stalled the much anticipated trial of oil marketers by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja today.

Justice Habeeb Abiru who presided over the sitting had to grant the plea of the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacob and adjourned the case till Thursday for proper arraignment to take place.

Four other defendants who were to be arraigned alongside Wagastoma were however present at the hearing. They were Adaoha-Ugo Ngadi, Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer, Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele and representative of Ontario Oil and Gas.

However, Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo who was suppose to preside over the second case involving Mahmud Tukur, Alex Ochonogor, Abdullahi Alao and Eternal Oil and Gas failed to sit. Daily Trust gathered that this may not be unconnected with the absence of Ochonogor. The hearing of the case has been slated for Thursday.

BREAKING NEWS: 2 Indians killed, 1 injured in Maiduguri Written by Hamza Idris, Maiduguri

Two Indians were killed Wednesday morning and one other critically injured in an attack on a Gum Arabic factory in Maiduguri, Borno state.

According to eyewitnesses, the attackers struck around 10:00am, using a torrential rain as cover to carry out their attack. The Gum Arabic factory is located at Bayan Quarters, close to the enclave of the boko haram and where their mosque was before it was destroyed in 2009.

The spokesman for the JTF, Lt. Col. Sagiru Musa who confirmed the attack to Daily Trust also said the area had been cordoned off and a search for the assailants had commenced. He also said cash amounting to N90,000 was also taken from the factory.

Other workers who had taken refuge within the factory during the attack could not immediately contact the JTF because of the heavy downpour and were only bale to do so after it had abated and the attackers had long gone.

The surviving Indian, in critical condition, has been taken to the State Specialist Hospital for treatment.

First Ladies summit cars donated by Coscharis –Presidency ... to be returned after event Written by Mohammed S. Shehu

 
The cars being used in the African First Ladies Summit holding in Abuja were donated and will be returned to  Coscharis Motors after the event, the Presidency said yesterday while reacting to a story by this paper.

Sources involved in the deal told Daily Trust Wednesday that the Federal Government had taken delivery of the vehicle comprising of 80 units of BMW X3 and X5 series with a market value of N13.5million each, while the remaining 120 are exotic models of Honda, Jaguar and others.
But presidential spokesman Reuben Abati said in a statement yesterday: “The true facts of the matter are as follows: The African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) which is holding its summit in Abuja is a Non-Governmental Organisation. Its activities are funded by stakeholders and members of the private sector who support and identify with its objectives.

“In accordance with its modus operandi, the AFLPM set up several committees, including a finance committee to raise funds and sponsorship for the organization of its Abuja Summit. As part of its own contributions to the successful hosting of the summit by the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, Coscharis Motors Ltd.  offered to provide some cars for the event at no cost to the organizers or the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“Under an agreement signed by the committee and Coscharis Motors, all the cars will be returned to the company after the summit. As indicated in the body of the report, the editors of Daily Trust were apparently well aware that they had no facts to support the claim in their banner headline that the Federal Government bought  the  cars in question.

“Daily Trust admits in the report that it could not confirm if the cars were “bought outright or hired” yet it went ahead to publish the totally unsubstantiated headline claim.

“It is highly regrettable that the Editors of the Daily Trust rushed to publish a completely erroneous report, the falsity of which should have been apparent to them.Their very unprofessional and unethical decision to publish the unverifiable allegation can only be construed as another attempt to incite public anger against the Presidency and the Federal Government.”

Slander: Pastor Tunde Bakare Gives AIT 48 Hours To Retract Broadcast And Apologize

Tunde Bakare, the firebrand lawyer and pastor who yesterday answered an invitation of the State Security Service (SSS), which appealed to him to tone down his blazing political message on the pulpit, is about to serve a different kind of fire to AIT Television.
In a letter to the Chairman of DAAR Communications, which owns AIT Television, lawyers to the Pastor today gave the station 48 hours to apologize for yesterday’s 8pm newscast, in which it said that Mr. Bakare was arrested by the SSS for his speech at the Latter Rain Assembly the previous day, or face immediate legal action.
The lawyers noted that in the broadcast, AIT alleged that Mr. Bakare was “detained for 48 hours by the State Security Service before he was released on bail,” and that during interrogation, Mr. Bakare “denied making certain statements in his speech and stated that he was misquoted by the press”.
“The foregoing statements credited to our client were never made by him neither at the State Security Services office nor at any other place,” the letter said.  “By your statements, you have injured the reputation of our client by portraying him as a man who lacks the temerity and courage to stand by his words before constituted authority.”
According to the statement, the “calculated attempt to further injure the reputation” of Pastor Bakare was followed up this morning on the live “Focus Nigeria” programme when anchor Kunle Adewale, commenting on the topic, “ARREST AND DETENTION OF PASTOR TUNDE BAKARE BY THE SSS,” posited that the pastor is “mixing politics with the pulpit” and urged Nigerians to call in and comment on his conduct.

“The comment/broadcast of Kunle Adewale during the live broadcast, insinuates that our client is a disgruntled politician who is hiding under the disguise of religion to instigate a change of government,” the notice said.  “The comment/broadcast also suggests that our client’s “message of enlightenment” is an incitement on Nigerians to revolt against the present Government.
It further affirmed that the broadcast is malicious, offensive and intended to disparage Mr. Bakare and cause him embarrassment and public condemnation.
“The aforestated publication has grossly lowered the reputation of our client in the estimation of right-thinking members of the Nigerian society and the world in general. It has exposed our client, founder of Latter Rain Assembly and Convener of Save Nigeria Group to public odium and ridicule. Our client has been inundated with calls and text messages by friends and associates who are perturbed by the broadcast. This broadcast has exposed our client to the worst condemnation ever made against any Pastor and Human Rights Activist.”
Furthermore, said the notice, “Our client finds it totally unacceptable that a man who convened the peaceful protest on the removal of subsidy in Lagos would be so cowardly as to deny making the said speech or attributing the content of his speech to the misquotations of the press.  It corrodes the reputation of our client to suggest that a man of his status who chooses to walk the path of honesty would use the Lord’s name for political gains or lie against the press.”
AIT has yet to respond to the ultimatum, which will expire on Thursday.

Ghana’s President John Atta Mills is dead

Ghana’s President John Atta Mills, who was most recently treated in the U.S. for an unspecified condition, has reportedly passed away. His replacement will be sworn in Tonight, sources have told Sahara Reporters.
Questions about the President’s health had been swirling for almost a year. Regarding his frequent visits to U.S. hospitals – 3 this year alone - President Mills replied: ‘’I am going for a medical checkup. I go there to ensure everything is okay. I am going to see my doctors for some examination then I will come back and continue my work of building a Better Ghana.’’
His death reportedly occurred at the 37 Military hospital in Accra.
Prof John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills was born on July 21, 1944 and was 68 years old at the time of his passing.

He was the third and current President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana and was inaugurated on Jan. 7, 2009, having defeated the ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2008 election.

He was last seen in Ghana on June 3 when he toured the plane crash site at Accra. The President was reported to be crestfallen for seeing the crash site. Critics however said he was looking poorly because he was dragged to that site when he was not feeling well.

He was expected to visit Nigeria in August for a one-day working visit with President Goodluck Jonathan to discuss the recent foreign retail trade brouhaha. Vice President John Dramani Mahama is expected to fill the executive’s functions in the interim.

In apparent anticipation of a long period of incapacitation, the President had written to the members of Parliament with his last wishes. His letter, read today, to the MPs said: “In accordance with Article 59 of the Constitution of Ghana, I write to inform you that I shall be away in the US from Saturday, 16 June to Monday 25 June, 2012 for a routine medical check-up.

“During my absence the Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E John Dramani Mahama, shall in accordance with Article 60 (8) of the Constitution act in my stead. Kindly accept, Right Honourable the assurances of my highest consideration. No plans have been announced as yet for his burial.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has concluded arrangements to prosecute the first batch 20 suspects implicated in the oil subsidy fraud.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has concluded arrangements to prosecute the first batch 20 suspects implicated in the oil subsidy fraud. The suspects, comprising six oil companies and 11 individuals, will be docked in Lagos courts.

The companies involved are: Nasaman Oil Services; Eternal Oil and Gas Plc; Ontario Oil & Gas Plc; Nadabo Energy Limited; Pacific Silver Line Limited, Axenergy Limited and Fago Petroleum and Gas Limited.

The 11 individuals involved in the scam are: Mamman Nasir Ali; Christian Taylor; Mahmud Tukur; Ochonogor Alex; Walter Wagbatsoma; Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi; Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer; Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele; Abubakar Ali Peters; Jude Agube Abalaka,  Abdulahi Alao and Oluwaseun Ogunbanbo.

Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele is director of the accounting firm, Akintola Williams Deloitte while Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer is a staff of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulating Agency, PPPRA.

Nasaman Oil Services; Mamman Nasir and Christian Taylor are to face charges bordering on obtaining N4, 460, 130, 797. 94 (Four Billion, Four Hundred and Sixty Million, One Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ninety Seven Naira, Ninety Four Kobo) from the Federal Government of Nigeria under false pretence. The sum is alleged to have been fraudulently obtained as subsidy payments from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of 30.5million litres of Premium Motor Spirit from SEATAC Petroleum Limited of British Virgin Islands.

In the same vein, the anti-graft agency will equally prosecute Abdulahi Alao and Axenergy Limited for allegedly obtaining the sum of N2, 640, 141, 707.75 (Two Billion, Six Hundred and Forty Million; One Hundred and Forty One Thousand; Seven Hundred and Seven Naira, Seventy Five Kobo) being payments received from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of 33.3 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.

Others include Mahmud Tukur,  Ochonogor Alex; Abdulahi Alao and Eternal Oil And Gas Plc who will be docked for fraudulently obtaining the sum of N1, 899, 238, 946. 02 (One Billion, Eight Hundred and Ninety Nine Million, Two Hundred and Thirty Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty Six Naira, Two Kobo) from the Petroleum support Fund for a purported importation of 80.3million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.

Also, Nadabo Energy Limited, Abubakar Ali Peters, Jude Agube Abalaka and Pacific Silver Line Limited are to be prosecuted for allegedly obtaining the sum of N1, 464, 961, 978.24 (One Billion, Four Hundred and Sixty Four Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy Eight Naira, Twenty- Four Kobo ), being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 19.4million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.

Walter Wagbatsoma; Adaoha Ugo -Ngadi; Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer; Ezekiel   Olaleye Ejidele and Ontario Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited will be arraigned for fraudulently obtaining the sum of N1, 959, 377, 542, .63 (One Billion, Nine Hundred and Fifty Nine Million, Three Hundred and Seventy Seven Thousand, Five Hundred and Forty Two Naira, Sixty Three Kobo) from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 39.2 litres of Premium Motor Spirit.

Lastly, Fago Petroleum and Gas Limited and Oluwaseun Ogunbanbo are to be docked for fraudulently obtaining the sum of N979,653,110.20 ( Nine Hundred and Seventy Nine Million, Six Hundred and Fifty Three Thousand, One Hundred and Ten Thousand Naira, Twenty Eight Kobo), from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 33, 627, 84 litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
The 20 suspects are among the over 140 individuals and organisations involved in the on- going investigations into the subsidy payments by the EFCC. More suspects will be arraigned periodically as the investigation progresses.

This investigation is massive and extensive; and the Commission wishes to reassure Nigerians that every effort will be made to bring all those who defrauded the country in the guise of subsidy for imported fuel to book.

Our case against Jonathan, by Reps By Dele Anofi,

The House of Representatives launched yesterday a defence of its decision to begin impeachment proceedings against President Goodluck Jonathan if the budget is not fully implemented by September.
The lawmakers said they were not unaware of the comments as well as what they described as the deliberate plan by the Presidency to misinform the public on the rationale behind their “nationalistic stand”.
House spokesman Zakari Mohammed, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said the lawmakers’ decision was informed by the fact that the growth in the economy has not reflected in the well-being of Nigerians.
He said: “This bold and patriotic step by the Seventh Assembly has attracted different comments from a lot of quarters, expectedly. Therefore, some sponsored news, editorials and commentaries choose to deliberately misinform the public on the rationale behind our nationalistic stand, for the avoidance of doubt, whilst we are aware that all revenue-generating agencies have surpassed their annual target by mid this year.
“The House is worried that this positive development did not reflect the implementation of the budget for the benefit of the Nigerian peoples.”
The spokesman also faulted reasons adduced by the Presidency as being behind the impeachment moves, saying: “This trend, if not arrested, would worsen the already fragile state of the nation, hence the need for our quick intervention.
“To then insinuate that the House of Representatives took this noble step to satisfy pressure from a political party or because the Constituency projects were not awarded to members or because of the drama that followed the presentation of the fuel subsidy report, is to say the least malicious damaging and uncharitable to the image of the Assembly.
“We in the Legislature are lawmakers and not contractors and the constituency projects execution has been the exclusive preserve of the executive and its agencies. At no time has there been any argument on this.
“Similarly, what members do in the course of the budget preparation is to furnish the respective MDAs with locations and areas of needs of our constituencies.
“The bidding processes are handled by the supervising ministries. The entire 360 members in the House are bound by the Nigerian project, our independence and objectiveness is evident in the selection of our principal officers which we did according to our thoughts.
“To assume that we are guided by some forces outside the House of Representatives is mischievous and a deliberate ploy to misrepresent the House before the Nigerian public”.
According to the spokesman, the lawmakers took steps to preserve the integrity of the institution by not shying away from sanctioning erring members. He cited the bribery scandal involving House member Farouk Lawan and businessman Femi Otedola from which he said the 7th Assembly has distanced itself.
Besides, he said, Lawan was suspended as Chairman of the committees on fuel subsidy and education, and the House encouraged law enforcement agencies to do their work according to the dictates of the law.
“To now conclude that our resolution on Thursday is borne out of selfish motives is terribly out of place, We would, however, continue to raise our voices to the highest ebb where we sight injustice or impunity; no amount of blackmail or intimidation would cow us to abdicate our constitutional responsibility which we signed with our employers (the Nigerian people) to stand firm and protect their interest,” Mohammed added.

Nigerian pastor questioned over call for president to quit

Security agents on Monday questioned a fiery Nigerian pastor and ex-vice presidential candidate over comments he made to his congregation saying President Goodluck Jonathan should resign, a spokesman said.

Tunde Bakare, a member of the opposition Congress for Progressive Change and pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly Church, was questioned for about an hour by agents from the State Security Service (SSS), Yinka Odumakin said.

"He was invited today for an interview by the Lagos director of the SSS," Odumakin said. "The director complained about his preaching in the church yesterday on how to change a government."

His comments on Sunday were reported in some Nigerian newspapers.

Bakare, who ran for vice president in 2011 on the Congress for Progressive Change ticket, said in the sermon that resignation was the best option for Jonathan, according to Odumakin.

An SSS official confirmed on condition of anonymity that Bakare was questioned, but did not provide further details. An SSS spokeswoman did not respond to phone calls.

Bakare, a lawyer who also heads the Save Nigeria Group pressure organisation, had in January helped mobilise thousands to protest a hike in the price of petrol, which resulted from Jonathan's decision to end fuel subsidies.

Protests and a nationwide strike forced Jonathan to backtrack and partially reinstate the subsidies.

Bakare and his group have since consistently criticised Jonathan, particularly over the government's alleged l

Flooding in central Nigeria's Jos kills at least 35

Heavy rainfall in central Nigeria forced a dam to overflow, causing flooding that left at least 35...


Heavy rainfall in central Nigeria forced a dam to overflow, causing flooding that left at least 35 people dead and destroyed or damaged some 200 homes, the Red Cross said Monday.

"We have recovered the bodies of 35 people that drowned in the overnight flooding," said Manasie Phampe, head of the Red Cross in Plateau state, where Jos is the capital. "About 200 homes have either been submerged or destroyed."

The confirmed victims so far included a 90-year-old woman and a three-month-old baby, adding that the toll could rise, he said.

"Rainwater and water from the Lamingo dam which overflowed swept across several neighbourhoods in the city," he explained. "We are still searching for more bodies as many people have been declared missing."

The downpour in Jos began at roughly 9:00 pm (2000 GMT) Sunday when many of the city's residents were at home for the night.

"I have lost seven of my children in this disaster," said Alhaji Abdulhamid Useini, who described heavy rain pounding his neighbourhood for nearly three hours, which also swept away some of his livestock.

The area coordinator for the National Emergency Agency (NEMA), Alhassan Danjuma Aliyu, called the flood "devastating" and said police and other rescue bodies were searching the affected areas in hopes of finding survivors.

NEMA was also trying to quickly bring in added relief materials to care for those who lost their homes, Aliyu explained.

"We hope to get these materials to them before the end of today," he said.

The head of search and rescue committee of the Muslim community in Jos, Sani Shuaibu, said the search was still on for 25 bodies still missing.

"We are still looking for 25 other bodies that are still missing and the figure of the missing may rise as families come forward to register their missing family members," he said.

"Most of the dead were children between three months and 13 years that were swept away by the flooding in their sleep. We picked the drowned along the river bank... We have two camps where around 700 displaced people are sheltering with little food and water supplies."

Much of the country has been affected by heavy seasonal rainfall, including Jos in the centre of the country and the economic capital Lagos in the south, where flooding has caused several road closures and other damage.

The rainy season typically runs from March to September.

Last week, at least three people were killed by flood waters some 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Lagos in Ibadan, an area where 102 people died following torrential rains last year.

At least 20 people died from flooding in Lagos last year, while 24 were killed after rains inundated a neighbourhood in Nigeria's largest northern city of Kano.

Nigerian papers have in recent weeks been filled with commentary criticising officials for failing to put in place measures to mitigate the impact of the annual, often severe floods.

The largest cities in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, are overcrowded, with many residents living in haphazardly constructed slums.

Drainage systems are also often poorly maintained and contribute to the problem of floods.

In 2010, flooding affected roughly half a million people in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states.

Flooding in central Nigeria's Jos kills at least 35

Heavy rainfall in central Nigeria forced a dam to overflow, causing flooding that left at least 35...


Heavy rainfall in central Nigeria forced a dam to overflow, causing flooding that left at least 35 people dead and destroyed or damaged some 200 homes, the Red Cross said Monday.

"We have recovered the bodies of 35 people that drowned in the overnight flooding," said Manasie Phampe, head of the Red Cross in Plateau state, where Jos is the capital. "About 200 homes have either been submerged or destroyed."

The confirmed victims so far included a 90-year-old woman and a three-month-old baby, adding that the toll could rise, he said.

"Rainwater and water from the Lamingo dam which overflowed swept across several neighbourhoods in the city," he explained. "We are still searching for more bodies as many people have been declared missing."

The downpour in Jos began at roughly 9:00 pm (2000 GMT) Sunday when many of the city's residents were at home for the night.

"I have lost seven of my children in this disaster," said Alhaji Abdulhamid Useini, who described heavy rain pounding his neighbourhood for nearly three hours, which also swept away some of his livestock.

The area coordinator for the National Emergency Agency (NEMA), Alhassan Danjuma Aliyu, called the flood "devastating" and said police and other rescue bodies were searching the affected areas in hopes of finding survivors.

NEMA was also trying to quickly bring in added relief materials to care for those who lost their homes, Aliyu explained.

"We hope to get these materials to them before the end of today," he said.

The head of search and rescue committee of the Muslim community in Jos, Sani Shuaibu, said the search was still on for 25 bodies still missing.

"We are still looking for 25 other bodies that are still missing and the figure of the missing may rise as families come forward to register their missing family members," he said.

"Most of the dead were children between three months and 13 years that were swept away by the flooding in their sleep. We picked the drowned along the river bank... We have two camps where around 700 displaced people are sheltering with little food and water supplies."

Much of the country has been affected by heavy seasonal rainfall, including Jos in the centre of the country and the economic capital Lagos in the south, where flooding has caused several road closures and other damage.

The rainy season typically runs from March to September.

Last week, at least three people were killed by flood waters some 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Lagos in Ibadan, an area where 102 people died following torrential rains last year.

At least 20 people died from flooding in Lagos last year, while 24 were killed after rains inundated a neighbourhood in Nigeria's largest northern city of Kano.

Nigerian papers have in recent weeks been filled with commentary criticising officials for failing to put in place measures to mitigate the impact of the annual, often severe floods.

The largest cities in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, are overcrowded, with many residents living in haphazardly constructed slums.

Drainage systems are also often poorly maintained and contribute to the problem of floods.

In 2010, flooding affected roughly half a million people in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states.

Okagbare shines Nigeria's best medal hope at the London Olympics shines at the London Grand Prix BY OLORUNWA LAWAL

Image credit: ESPN
Nigeria's best medal hope at the forthcoming Olympic games, Blessing Okagbare, won the 100m event of the Diamond League in Aviva, London on Saturday evening.

Okagbare won in a time of 11.01secs to finish ahead of the American duo, Carmela Jetter and Tianna Maidson who clocked 11.03 and 11.13seconds respectively.

In the heats of this same meet, Okagbare had run her personal best, 10.99 seconds.

Last month at the All Nigeria Championships in Calabar, she won the 100m for the fourth time in a row and was also voted the most valuable athlete.

She was however dethroned as Africa's best by Ruddy Zang Milama at the recently concluded African Championships in Port Novo, Benin.

17 die as boat capsizes in Kwara

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TRAGEDY occurred on Wednesday, as 17 persons, mostly children and women, were reportedly drowned  while three others were still missing, following a canoe accident on River Kaduna in Kwara State.

Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune, a relation of one of the victims who sought for  anonymity in an interview  said the incident occurred  around 11.00 a.m. on that fateful day.

The canoe, which was loaded with about 50 passengers, was coming from Patigi in Kwara State to Nupeko village,  Niger State.

According to the source, the majority of the passengers on board were returning from a wedding ceremony  in the neighbouring village.

He noted that about 30 persons in the ill-fated canoe were rescued and had since  re-united with their families.

The source added that seven dead bodies of children and two women had since been recovered, adding that search was still ongoing in the hope of recovering more bodies.

Nigerian Tribune further  gathered that one of the deceased, identified as Abdullahi, a civil servant with the Niger State government, was said to be on official assignment.

The immediate cause of the mishap has not been officially ascertained but it was gathered that the canoe capsized shortly after hitting a log of wood in the river.

Confirming the incident when contacted by the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday,  the Commissioner of Police, Niger State police command, Mrs Desire Diseye Nsirim,  stated   that the incident did not occur within the jurisdiction of the state police command,  but  in Kwara State and that all the recovered dead bodies were taken there.

But the Police Public Relations Officer, Kwara State police command, DSP Olufemi Fabode, said that the command was not aware of the incident.

Oct 1, 2010 bombing was to confuse govt —Witness tells court Written by Tunde Oyesina,

THE prosecution witness five and a principal technical officer with the Communication Intelligence Department of the State Security Services (SSS) in the October 1, 2010 twin bombing in Abuja, Wasiu Agbaje, on Thursday, told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that the explosion was simply to “shake the nation” and create confusion in government.

Agbaje, who gave evidence  in the ongoing trial of one of the accused, Edmund Ebiware, who was charged alongside three others for the bombing, also released the transcripts of text messages extracted from two phones seized from Ebiware.

He said the text messages linked notable individuals in the country, including the chairman of a private broadcast outfit.

The witness said the bombing on the Independence Day was planned for months before the bombers struck, adding that the text messages extracted from Ebiware’s phones and the time the messages were sent informed his conclusions

Barber, two others paraded for armed robbery BY PATIENCE OGBO

A 20-year-old barber, Ladun Agemo, a 27-year-old baker, Taofeek Bukola, and one Wale Adeniyi, are in police custody for suspected armed robbery.

The Lagos State Police Command, on Wednesday, disclosed that rounds of live ammunition and five AK-47 rifles were also recovered from the suspects.

The State Police Commissioner, Umar Manko, while parading the suspects, said they belonged to an eight-man robbery gang and were trailed to neighbouring Ogun State.

“What you see here are five AK-47 rifles and 29 magazines loaded with rounds of live ammunition. We’ve been trailing these suspects for quite sometime," he said.

"Our men were hiding in a bush and they (robbers) came in a Mazda 626 and they were arrested. The robbers were preparing to come to Lagos from Ogun State but they were promptly arrested."

He added that efforts were ongoing to locate other members of the gang along with investigations.

One of the suspects, Bukola, blamed greed for his involvement with the gang.

"I am actually a baker by vocation but the robbers usually pay me between N60,000 and N100,000 per operation, which is more profitable," he said.

“I don’t know who supplies the robbers with guns and I’ve never killed or robbed anyone before. I only drove them to three robbery operations before my arrest.”

Reps insist Oteh is incompetent BY IFERI ETUK

Despite an executive order recalling the embattled Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Arunma Oteh, the House of Representatives on Thursday approved its Capital Market Committee recommendations demanding her sack.

The committee had, in the report of its investigations of the near-collapse of the capital market, called for Oteh’s removal for not meeting the required 15 years pre-experience in the Nigerian capital market before appointment as the DG.

The report came as the federal government recalled Oteh who had been suspended by the commission’s board. In a letter signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, the government absolved Oteh of blame after independent auditors cleared her of any criminal breach.

In considering the report on Thursday amidst other details, the lawmakers maintained the SEC boss be removed and also investigated over irregularities within the capital market.

“The appointment of Ms Arunma Oteh be terminated forthwith as Director General of the Security and Exchange Commission as her appointment is in violation of section 3 (2) and section (1) and section 315 of the Investment and Security Act, 2007,” the lawmakers voted overwhelmingly.

The new decision is to be communicated to the executive.

The lawmakers said the Oteh’s lack of experience reflected in her management of the commission.

"She has shown incompetence in the management of human and material resources at her disposal in Security and Exchange Commission; lack of transparency in managing Project 50; regulatory failure in some of the recent mergers and acquisitions; and approvals of transactions by the Security and Exchange Commission and general inability to carry along her staff, board, and management in decision making and questionable staff recruitment policies,” the legislators said.

Oteh was also criticised for her role in the loss of N8 billion arising from the Union Bank plc public offer.

The House, however, withheld approval for the recommendation seeking for the investigation of Ms Oteh and other officials including the Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi, over the nationalisation of Afribank Plc, Bank PHB and Spring Bank; which the lawmakers said showed evidence of potential forgery, unethical practices, fraud and abuse of office.

Elnathan John- The Dark Corner: HOW TO WORSHIP THE NIGERIAN GOD

Elnathan John- The Dark Corner: HOW TO WORSHIP THE NIGERIAN GOD

Elnathan John- The Dark Corner: HOW TO WORSHIP THE NIGERIAN GOD

Elnathan John- The Dark Corner: HOW TO WORSHIP THE NIGERIAN GOD

I ’ll still be president – Rochas Okorocha By: Chidi Obineche

After two previous attempts, Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha last week put back on track his presidential dream, urging the electorate to evaluate the second term ambitions of serving governors within the context of performance.  He spoke in Owerri, the state capital, on Tuesday while hosting a team from The Sun Publishing Company Limited, publishers of The Sun titles. The team comprised the Managing Director/ Editor-In Chief, Mr. Tony Onyima, Daily Editor, Mr. Steve Nwosu, Political Editor, Mr. Chidi Obineche, and the South-east Bureau Chief, Mr. Chidi Nnadi.

Okorocha said he would use his current position as a launch pad, because “I am here to demonstrate my vision and leadership skills.” Stretching further his desire for the presidential diadem, Okorocha, who described himself as an unconventional governor said: “If I am going to contest for president in 2015, then my one term ends. If I am going to contest for president in 2019, then it is better to face what I am doing. But the truth is that my ambition to run for the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not cancelled.” He criticised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for not putting performance as a benchmark in the quest for second term by public office holders.

“I remember that the issue of second term is not a right for anyone who has been a governor. Whether you have done well or not, you’re entitled to a second term. Let whatever you have done speak for you. I have argued that with the leaders of the PDP. It is wrong.” The governor, who is of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), also relieved his ordeal when he was a member of the PDP. He accused the PDP of failing him at critical points in his political career, and lacking the basic tenets of internal democracy; vowing not to ever have anything to do with the party again.

 “Through all my political life, PDP has failed me. First, I wanted to be governor under the PDP. It was taken away from me. I wanted to be a senator, I went under PDP and won, but they denied me the ticket. I came to run for president under the PDP, and I came second. Then, I wanted to be the national chairman, it was not possible. I wouldn’t have achieved my political ambition under PDP. If I had gone for the governorship under PDP in 2011, Ohakim would have stopped me at the primary. That’s to tell you my odyssey in PDP. I have paid my dues in PDP, thinking that the PDP has internal democracy. The party has a problem of internal democracy.”

He declared his intention to reposition APGA as a strong national party with vision. Although, he acknowledged his newness on the platform, he said the current crisis plaguing it was not as much the issue as the loss of vision and communication. Restating its vision, he said: “If it is just an addendum to the PDP, then it is not growing. Our vision for it is to make it a strong national platform, completely independent with its roots in Igbo land; we can quickly reach out and be strong in other parts of the country.

“We are going to strengthen the party, reorganize it. The issue of leadership is even an infinitesimal part of the problem as compared with vision. Yesterday, every Igboman believes APGA is their party. You can’t win election in the South-east without their support.”  On the challenge of running the affairs of Imo state, he said it was daunting but surmountable, saying he met a state that was not doing well, with poverty, debts, lack of trust, corruption and deceit dotting the landscape.

“And the state had also this image of not doing well poverty, lack was everywhere. I was faced with that challenge too. How will I now change the minds of the people? And there was complete disconnect between the people and the government. People no longer believed in the government. So, the issue of trust was not there at all. People no longer trust the government. They saw government as a set up for self-aggrandizement. So I had this challenge to bring back the confidence of the people back to government, and see a synergy, a working relationship between the people and the government. So I had to close the rank and the disconnect between the two.”

He continues: “Then I found that the budgetary system was such that you only talked about welfare. The entire state was run on welfare. Everything was built around salaries, donations, publicity, parties and 75 per cent of the budget. So less than 20 per cent of the budget went for capital projects. And that must explain why there was nothing like capital projects at all in the state. “What I met was just one office building, and one uncompleted Ahiajoku hall, and a few roads, here and there, some of them expanded in the name of dualization. So that was the challenge. What I saw was deceit in governance arising from ignorance, total ignorance. I realized that what the state has had were politicians leading the state, and not leaders.”

To further bridge the gap between the people and the government, Okorocha introduced the controversial 4th tier government by making the traditional rulers the chairmen of the Community Government Council (CGC), the President General (PG) of the community the secretary, with indigenous civil servants as the support staff. He believed the CGC wiould unlock the comatose resources of the area and serve as a catalyst for grassroots development.

He further spoke on the progress of his administration’s programmes such as free education at all levels, revamping of the agricultural potentials, among others.

Mandela with his family during the celebrations…yesterday

South Africans rose in salute to their legendary former president, Nelson Mandela, who turned 94 yesterday, celebrating him with “67 minutes of good deeds”.

Leading the celebrations were no fewer than 12 million school children, who sang a specially composed birthday song for Madiba as Mandela is popularly known.

Each minute of the “67 minutes of good deeds” marks each year of Mandela’s struggle against white-minority rule. He was in prison for 27 years under the apartheid regime.

Mandela regained his freedom in 1990 and led the African National Congress (ANC) to victory in 1994 in elections that followed the post-apartheid years. He left office in 1999 after serving for one term.

Mandela marked the birthday quietly in his ancestral village of Qunu in the remote Eastern Cape province.

He spent the day with close family, friends and former United States (US) President Bill Clinton.

Clinton, accompanied by his daughter Chelsea, opened a new library for the No-Moscow Primary School in Qunu, ahead of his meeting with Mr Mandela.

He told the children - believed in the future and not the past.

“When I think about Mandela I always think about someone committed to the future,” Clinton said.

US President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, also paid tributes to Mr Mandela.

The US first couple hailed Mr Mandela’s “extraordinary life and steadfast commitment to the principles of democracy and reconciliation”.

Mandela’s birthday is traditionally celebrated with the poor communities receiving help from those who are more fortunate.

To celebrate the number of years Mr Mandela spent in public life, people are encouraged to spend at least 67 minutes of their time helping those who are less fortunate.

The guest list for a private lunch with Mr Mandela was kept a closely guarded secret.

South Africans celebrated with giant cakes, mass renditions of “Happy Birthday”

But beyond the mawkish tributes to South Africa’s first black president, the day revealed the unseemly scramble among companies, politicians and charities for a slice of the reflected glory of “Madiba”.

The ANC released a 1,450 word eulogy to its totemic former leader, exhorting the country’s 50 million people to “continue to build the South Africa of Madiba’s dreams”.

Yet only last week, anti-apartheid heroine and Mandela ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was accusing the ANC in a leaked letter of “shabby treatment” of the family and wanting to wheel them out only “when we have to be used for some agenda”.

The “67 minutes” Mandela Day charity push has also re-opened old wounds amid criticism it is merely a vehicle for whites and the newly rich black elite to assuage the guilt of living at the top of what remains one of the most unequal societies, even 18 years after the end of apartheid.

Leading the charge was Luther Lebelo, head of an ANC branch in Johannesburg, who wrote an article in the Sowetan newspaper suggesting the day was about “little cosmetic charity activities” that only served to perpetuate class divisions.

The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, as the official guardians of his image are known,

hit back in the same paper, taking particular exception to Lebelo’s reference to the “so-called Mandela Foundation”.

The jibe reflects a view widely held among South Africa’s overwhelming black majority that whites have managed to co-opt Mandela and his image since the first all-race elections in 1994.

The Mandela centre has also become embroiled in a commercial battle with members of his family over the selling of Mandela-branded clothing via its ‘46664’ fashion range, named after the number he was given during his 27 years in prison.

Air Nigeria'll Return Once We Resolve Issues of Staff Disloyalty

After the successful turn around of Air Nigeria (formerly Virgin Nigeria), with its fleet growing from just two to 12 in two years, the airline has suddenly found itself facing a completely different challenge – strikes and petitions by employees. A particular petition that the airline is in financial crisis led to its grounding by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority. The petitioner also accused the airline management of diverting the Aviation Intervention Fund it obtained from the Bank of Industry. In this interview with LAURENCE ANI and YEMI ADEBOWALE, Air Nigeria’s Chairman, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, debunks all the allegations, attributing its recent problems to “disgruntled employees” affected by its turn around strategy, “who could no longer steal from the company.” The billionaire businessman says Air Nigeria won’t return until the issue of staff loyalty is resolved. Excerpts

Recently, you placed an advertisement in which you alleged that somebody or some organisation was trying to initiate a forced merger between Air Nigeria and some other airlines. Can you be more specific about that?

We have been seeing reviews in some newspapers about plans to merge some airlines to form a national airline. I initially regarded it as a rumour. Then later, Air Nigeria’s managing director came to show me a photograph of an aircraft painted in the Nigerian colour and posted on the Internet as the new national airline. The next thing I heard was that Arik and Aero were being bailed out by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria and that they wanted Air Nigeria to join them, so that the three airlines could become one. Then, I said it was not possible to force us to merge with another airline. Besides, if they want us to merge, they should come and talk to us directly. Again, airline business is not done like that. You can’t force airlines to merge. There were all sorts of sponsored analysis in the newspapers about some European airlines merging, and all that. You can’t force a merger. Take for instance; airline A is operating with Boeing/CRJ 900 and Airline B is operating with Embraer/Boeing while Airline C is operating with Fokker. Now, if there is a forced merger, how will the head of maintenance do his job? There will be accidents. There is also the issue of who the driver would be in a merger. Until Tony Elumelu stood up to drive Transcorp, the firm was gasping for breath. It was almost dead. It operated for six years with six different managing directors. A corporation must have a driver. If I sell my shares in Air Nigeria and get the money, it will be good for me. But what about the interest of other Nigerians? The interest of safety is also key. What are they trying to merge? Imagine another scenario where airline A has 60 percent of its fleet leased; airline B owns all its aircraft while airline C is operating with about 50 percent of its fleet owned. If there is a merger and the lessor says ‘you did not tell me that you will lease my aircraft and merge it with other airlines’ and goes ahead to cancel the lease agreement. What will happen to the other members in the merger? A merger should be properly negotiated. If we do not agree, we won’t go ahead with it. If they try to force us, we will remove our investment from Air Nigeria and you will see what will happen. It will go down; people will lose their jobs and the economy will be affected.

What do you consider the way out of the crisis in the Nigerian aviation sector considering the huge debt of the operators?

There is no threatening debt in the sector. People are just raising unnecessary alarm. You have an airline owing N39 billion and you say that airline is in trouble. That is not correct. That N39 billion can’t buy a brand new aircraft. The airline has 13 planes and some people say a debt of N39 billion is a problem. This is not correct. The debt is less than 10 per cent of its asset. It also has a refinancing gap of 12 years. So, where is the crisis? The truth is that people don’t understand the aviation industry. If I buy four new Boeing 707, it will cost about $1 billion. Can the federal government afford to buy this? The private businessman running the airlines knows how to access US EXIM loan; pays 30% of the cost and get all the four new planes into his fleet. The job of government is to provide an enabling environment to do our businesses not competing with us. Again, how will the regulators call a government-owned airline to order? If the government-owned airline fails to pay flying charges who will ground it?  They could not even regulate the defunct Virgin Nigeria the way they are handling all of us now. When Nigeria Airways was there, you saw what happened with the regulatory agencies. They will only do their jobs dispassionately if the airlines are not owned by government.

Are you speaking in the Nigerian context, because elsewhere we have regulators doing their jobs very well despite government stakes in some of the airlines?

We are flying in Nigeria and everything we say must be in the Nigerian context. We work within the Nigerian environment.

As at this moment, Air Nigeria is still grounded on the domestic routes. NCAA says the airline is in financial crisis. Is this true or is there something Nigerians don’t know about this alleged financial crisis?

If indeed NCAA said that in writing, then it is a regrettable statement. NCAA has not financially audited Air Nigeria. So, how will they come to that conclusion? Even CBN, before the hammer of some banks in 2009, first sent auditors there to do a thorough job. They brought out the result of the audit and used it to attack the banks. If NCAA has not audited our accounts, how did they come to that conclusion? We have since gone to NCAA with documents to say that we are not financially distressed. I have letters from the NCAA telling us that they have noted our financial position based on the documents submitted. They say we have demonstrated that we are financially strong. Air Nigeria’s problem is not about money but about its staff. We don’t have financial problem. Money is not our problem but the staff. For instance, somebody within our system can just send a letter to the NCAA, telling them about things that are not true. From that kind of mail, NCAA would want to see what is happening. Our problem is our people and it boils down to what is called staff loyalty. The staff we inherited are the same staff Richard Branson walked away from. I don’t like sacking people. I felt the turn-around will take two years and that the human resources should follow and then try to see how we can change the orientation. What we realized was that after blocking all those loopholes that led to the distress of Virgin Nigeria, the staffs perpetrating the atrocities became disenchanted. I don’t really believe that we should sack them, though my managing director believes that if we sack them, we will have our peace. Since we took over the airline in the national interest, I believe that we should keep the staff and try to change their orientation. NCAA has no problem with us.

But you are still grounded on the domestic routes?

It does not matter. We are flying Lagos-London everyday. We will resume our domestic routes as soon as we are able to solve the issue of staff loyalty. We don’t have to be in a hurry to fly. Mind you, this is aviation. Staff royalty is important. These disgruntled staffs can go and plant a bomb in out plane

But NCAA has not written to say that you have been cleared to fly the domestic routes?

How did you know that? I have a letter from the NCAA saying that we should do some things and resume operation after doing them. This is something I can do within an hour. The problem started when the pilots and engineers went on strike for May salaries. Our argument was that it did not make sense to go on strike when the month has not even ended. They said if they don’t get their salaries by May 31, they will go on strike the next day which was a Saturday. They did. We had paid about 45 percent of the salaries before they went on that strike. NCAA wanted to intervene but I told the MD not to attend such a meeting. We also need to show NCAA that we have the right type of staff or not. If they sort our the problem for us, it will re-occur. We have decided to face it once and for all. When they called off the strike in May NCAA also spent some few days looking at our planes. That also fell on a weekend. NCAA can’t work without documents. In the process, we lost another one week. NCAA then gave us a clean bill to resume operation. When we resumed operation, one of the staff started writing petitions again. This is staff disloyalty. We have to sort out this aspect before we resume flying. This is not a government company. Under labour law, one of the industries prohibited from going on strike is the aviation industry. Even the NLC gives notice before going on strike. I have told them that I may stop further investment in the airline if the staffs continue to give us problems. I am supposed to put another $100 million into this airline. But how am I sure that they will not ruin this with strikes. All the investment will be on the tarmac. The investor has to be sure that this kind of behaviour will not repeat itself.

If you don’t inject funds because of the issue of staff loyalty, will this not compromise standard?

I said we would not inject new funds until the employees assure us of their loyalty. They must learn from this. You saw many of them in my office today. They came to beg me. The management also came to assure me that they have learnt from this, promising that it won’t happen again. Our customers believe in us. We are the safest airline according to IATA standards. We don’t want to leave any stone unturned.

This disloyalty seems traceable to staff welfare. One petitioner claimed that their taxes and pension deductions were not being remitted. Is that correct?

Where were their deducted taxes and pensions when Richard Branson was running the company? Where were all these remitted? Why is the FIRS just coming now? Where were they all the while? When taxes are not remitted, you take it up with management. When they came here and complained, we gave them documents to show how much PAYE we have remitted to the Lagos State Government since we took over. It is over N300 million. If we have paid this much in the last two years, they should simply go to the tax authorities to ask for their certificates. That’s not enough reasons to go on strike. We showed them evidence of remittance. We also still owe Lagos State Government because of the six-year back log. It is not enough reason to go on strike. For the pension, we have been remitting since we came in. For the old ones, we have to discuss and agree on how to pay that. They did not disturb Richard Branson when he was in charge. We don’t own the company 100%. If it is owned by us 100%, then you can now be talking about inheriting the entire assets and liabilities. There must be understanding. It is a case of external influence and we stand by it.

You don’t regard the debt of the Nigerian aviation as a big deal. But accepting the Aviation Intervention Fund seems an acceptance of distress in the sector?

Government said if any bank has given a loan to any airline and the loan is a burden for the airline, the airlines should come and refinance the debt through the Bank of Industry. This is to remove systemic problems. They don’t give cash. It is book-to-book. I am very happy that the CBN, BoI and UBA have explained how the loan works. Nobody is giving cash. In the case of Air Nigeria, we refused to even access working capital which is available in the Intervention Fund. We have been using funds from our other companies as working capital. We have been able to grow the airline from just two aircraft to 12 within two years. We should learn to appreciate people doing great things in this country. You don’t just wake up to say that Richard Branson left 51 percent and that government should go after this. What do they want to pursue? If you want 51 percent of air Nigeria, bring the money and we will give you the shares. Let them come and pay 51 percent liabilities of Air Nigeria and then pay 51 percent of the working capital. Those who are saying that their father owns 51 percent of Air Nigeria should come over and meet all these requirements. If I am to restart local operations today, I will have to put in over $10 million. Some of those making these statements are uninformed or deliberately being mischievous. It is just petty jealousy. They really don’t understand what aviation is all about.

Sometime ago, you expressed regret going into the aviation industry based on your experience with the defunct NICON Airways. You said it was a money guzzler; but it’s a surprise you’re back in it?

No, don’t quote a statement I didn’t make. I never said that I regretted going into the sector. I did not regret the investment. If I have ten investments and one is not working, am still an A candidate. Business is about profit and loss. The issue with NICON Airways is that we did not have enough shares to control the board. At that point, we had 60 percent and Captain Wada had 40 percent. Wada wanted us to buy aircraft while we wanted to lease. So, there was no agreement. It had nothing to do with staffs. The problem at Air Nigeria after our successful turn around was with the growth strategy. It is the post-surgical management. We gave them instructions on what not to do. Our staffs are the problem and that is where we are today. Nobody else is causing problems for Air Nigeria but our staffs. Before anybody can put us into trouble, the person must use Air Nigeria’s people. Staff loyalty must be addressed. The faster we do this, the better for us. If Jimoh Ibrahim has invested over $60 million in this airline without any return and I am still interested in putting in another $100 million from our group assets, then staffs should not complain about minor things like salaries being delayed for just two days. We are a group. If company A in the group has excess cash, it gives to company B that needs cash. It is inter-company borrowing, which is acceptable anywhere in the world. That cannot be a fraud. This airline is not indebted to any bank apart from the intervention fund. We don’t go around borrowing. If we have managed it very well, why can’t the staff be loyal?

At the Senate public hearing on the aviation sector, some senators claimed that you diverted the Aviation Intervention Fund for personal purpose. Do we expect another tale of unwholesome demand?

In the National Assembly today we have only very few people with integrity. Things are happening there that are very questionable. I don’t want to create another problem as to whether they asked me for bribe or not. At the appropriate time I will talk. I don’t want to create another Otedola scenario. If there is pressure on me, at the appropriate time, I will speak. Secondly, well-informed people were laughing when the senators were making those allegations. The fact remains that as at the time we made those transfers which they said were diversions and money laundering, there was nothing like Aviation Intervention Fund. Some legislators behave as if they are not educated. I went to the hearing because my name was mentioned. While I was seated there, the chairman was making all sorts of false statements based on a petition by a former staff who stole our money. Why should they downgrade themselves so low, as to be taking evidence from an accused person? What kind of madness was that? The weight of evidence from an accused person is weak. Whenever anything involves Jimoh Ibrahim it makes very big headlines. Unfortunately, this is not a country where one can easily get justice. I should be commended for what I am doing with Air Nigeria. Were you not in the country when GTBank took Virgin Nigeria to court for winding up because of huge debt? It was at the point of winding up that I bought it, saving thousands of jobs. I paid GTBank $11 million. My group employs over 28,000 Nigerians. That is not a small number. I should be encouraged.

But aren’t there things you may have done wrong to warrant such disloyalty from your employees?

It was because during our turn around, we blocked holes through which some of them were stealing. As a result, there has been resistance. It is not enough to go on strike because of two-day delay in salaries. I know an airline owing six-month salaries and the workers have not gone on strike. Another one owes three-month. The employees are still working.

North Korea's Kim Jong-un named marshal

Kim Jong-un became North Korea's leader after his father died in late 2011

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been given the title of marshal, state media has announced.

The move followed a high-level military reshuffle in which army chief Ri Yong-ho was removed ''due to illness'' and a little-known general promoted.

Marshal is the highest military rank and would cement Mr Kim's control over the army, reports say.

Kim Jong-un inherited the leadership of North Korea from his father, Kim Jong-il, who died in December 2011.

The title of marshal was previously held by the late Mr Kim, who received a posthumous promotion to the rank of generalissimo in February, when the country marked his 70th birthday.

''A decision was made to award the title of Marshal of the DPRK [North Korea] to Kim Jong-un, supreme commander of the Korean People's Army,'' the KCNA statement said.

The decision was jointly made by the Central Committee and the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, the National Defence Commission of the DPRK [North Korea] and the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK [North Korea], the statement said.


The new North Korean regime appears to be in the midst of its first reshuffle.

State media has announced three key military appointments and demotions in the past few days. The removal of army chief Ri Yong-ho from all his official posts was quickly followed by the promotion to vice-marshal of little-known army general Hyon Yong-chol. And now the leader of North Korea himself, Kim Jong-un, has taken the top military position of marshal.

Taken together, the shifts are leading to speculation that Kim Jong-un is consolidating his authority over the military - North Korea's key instrument of internal control and external leverage.

The military was given much greater prominence during his father's rule - Kim Jong-il initiated a policy of "military first" - and there was a great deal of discussion when Kim Jong-un took over of whether the army would continue to dominate.

Whether Kim Jong-un's new title signals the continuation of business as usual in North Korea or a wish to initiate change, it confirms one thing: that keeping control in North Korea means keeping control of the army.

This latest promotion is another sign that Kim Jong-un is planning to rule North Korea through the army, just as his father did - and that he is tightening his grip on the levers of power, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul.

Power 'reconstitution'
Ri Yong-ho, 69, who was a vice-marshal, was also vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission and held top posts in the ruling Workers' Party.

His removal took many North Korea observers by surprise, with widespread scepticism at the official explanation.

He was seen as a key figure in the recent transition of power to the young leader.

A day after Mr Ri's removal, Pyongyang appointed a new vice-marshal, Hyon Yong-chol, of whom little is known except that he was made a general in 2010.

''What we are seeing is a reconstitution of the North Korea leadership from the old guard who were loyal to Kim's father to a new guard,'' Jasper Kim of the Asia Pacific Global Research Group told the BBC.

In a rare move, state media released a statement on Wednesday morning saying an important announcement was due shortly before the news of Kim Jong-un's appointment.


Kim Jong-un is a ''young person raised in the era of the internet'' and was educated abroad in Switzerland, Jasper Kim pointed out.

He has recently been photographed with a ''mystery woman'', leading to speculation over her identity. Pyongyang has not released any details about her, and it is not known if Mr Kim is married.

Mr Kim and those around him are being keenly watched for the direction in which they will take the communist state.

North Korea - which remains technically at war with South Korea - conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, since when international talks on ending its nuclear ambitions have been stalled.

It also launched a rocket in April, saying it wanted to put a satellite into orbit. The US and North Korea's neighbours said the launch - which failed - was a long-range missile test that violated UN resolutions.

Mali Islamists destroy tombs at Timbuktu mosque

Islamist militants destroyed two tombs on Tuesday at the famous 14th century Djingareyber mosque in Timbuktu, classified by UNESCO as a world heritage site, residents said.

About a dozen militants arrived in an armored four-wheel drive truck, armed with pickaxes and hoes. They fired in the air to intimidate people and started smashing the tombs, said Ibrahim Cisse, who witnessed the scene.

“They blocked the two main roads leading to the mausoleums. When they saw people gathering for a ceremony nearby, they began firing shots in the air,” said another resident, Mahamad ould Ibrahim.

The new destruction comes after attacks last week on other historic and religious landmarks in Timbuktu that UNESCO called “wanton destruction”.

Islamists of the Ansar Dine group say the centuries-old shrines of the local Sufi version of Islam are idolatrous.

Ansar Dine and well-armed allies, including al Qaeda splinter group MUJWA, have hijacked a separatist uprising by local Tuareg MNLA rebels and now control two-thirds of Mali’s desert north, territory that includes the regions of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu.

They have destroyed at least eight of 16 listed mausoleums in the city, together with a number of tombs and a sacred door at Sidi Yahya mosque, in their campaign to erase traces of what they regard as un-Islamic idolatry.

According to UNESCO, Djingareyber, together with the Sankore and Sidi Yahia mosques, are known as the three great mosques of the city. Djingareyber was built by the sultan Kankan Moussa after his return in 1325 from a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Dan Nwanyanwu on Edo Governorship Election

Abuja CCTV Installation:House of Representatives to investigate contract

Jonathan hopes again on lasting peace in NIGERIA

 Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan expressed hope Tuesday that the spate of deadly attacks by Islamist sect Boko Haram which have claimed hundreds of lives would soon end.

“There is some hope and, God willing, the issue of Boko Haram will also come down,” Jonathan said during a meeting of members of his ruling People’s Democratic Party in Abuja.

The president lamented growing insecurity in some parts of the country, particularly recent sectarian violence in central Plateau State, which claimed some 100 lives.

“Security is very fundamental,” he said, promising to work with the Plateau state government to end the unrest.

The Boko Haram insurgency in the Muslim-dominated north and in the national capital Abuja has killed more than 1,000 people since mid-2009.

Thousands have also been killed in violence between ethnic Muslim Fulani herdsmen and mainly Christian villagers in Plateau state in recent years.

Plateau state is in Nigeria’s “Middle Belt” region, on the dividing line between the mainly Christian south and majority Muslim north in Africa’s most populous country.

EFCC Chairman vows to arraign fuel subsidy suspects soon

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Lamorde, on Monday said that investigations into fuel subsidy payments by the Commission would soon be completed and those indicted arraigned in court.


President of Campaign for Democracy, CD, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin and Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde during Campaign for Democracy's Visit to EFCC.

Mr Lamorde made the disclosure when the President of Campaign for Democracy (CD) Joe Okei-Odumakin, paid him a courtesy visit at the Commission’s headquarters, Abuja.

According to the EFCC Chairman considerable amount of work has been done in the investigation of the fuel subsidy payments.
“The EFCC is avoiding media feast. That is why we are conducting the investigations and interrogations quietly, so as to have a smooth outcome. Very soon, some officials will be taken to court,” he said.

While lamenting the delay in the trial of corruption cases, Mr Lamorde recalls the case of a former governor who was arraigned in 2007 but the matter has not progressed beyond the plea stage due to frivolous applications by the defendant.

He said such delays are responsible for the clamour for the establishment of special courts to handle corruption cases. He absolved the Commission of blame in such delays saying that the EFCC has no control over the judicial process.

The EFCC Chairman urged the Campaign for Democracy to help monitor some of the corruption cases in court with a view to facilitating the speedy disposal of such cases.

Earlier in her remark, Mrs Okei-Odumakin said the visit which is the first by her association to any organization in Nigeria in the last six years, was intended to demonstrate the CD’s support for the leadership of the EFCC under Mr Lamorde and to underscore its preparedness to collaborate with the EFCC in the anti-graft campaign.

She disclosed that Mr Lamorde’s assumption of duty was timely, noting that corruption has become the fastest growing industry in Nigeria.

She called on the EFCC to look into several cases of former governors indicted for corruption across the country with no visible progress being made in their trials. She also said that Nigerians are showing enough interest in the outcome of the fuel subsidy investigation.

The Campaign for Democracy President further called on all Nigerians to join in the fight against corruption to rescue the country from the vice grips of the malaise.

N2 Billion Bishop Assault Lawsuit: Oyedepo’s Victory A ‘Miscarriage of Justice,’ Says Victim's Attorney Robert Igbinedion

Robert Igbinedion, the lawyer who instituted a N2billion lawsuit against Bishop Oyedepo for his infamous slap on a teenage girl during an altar call in his Winners Chapel tabernacle, has dismissed last Thursday’s judgment in favor of the Bishop as a miscarriage of justice.

In a press release, Igbinedion said the judgment was decided mainly on technicalities and not on the copious and damaging facts, which he presented to the Court in support of the case.

Igbinedion, who was a lone lawyer battling with several senior colleagues hired by the affluent and influential Bishop, cited a Supreme Court precedent in the case of THE STATE Vs GWONTO & ORS. (1983) 1 SCNLR (NOTABLE PRONOUNCEMENT) to back his argument.

“This Court has for some time now laid down as a guiding principle that it is more interested is substance than in mere form,” Igbinedion quoted from the top court’s statement.  “Justice can only be done if the substance of the matter is examined. Reliance on technicalities leads to injustice.”

He also highlighted the reactions of the public to the judgment and quoted a legal dictum as the basis for the consideration of further legal options in response to the boastful attitude of the Winners Chapel Bishop after he had humiliated the teenage girl at his church altar.

Commenting on the reaction of the public, he said, “If the ordinary man who monitored the proceeding says justice was done then justice was done but if he says justice was not done then justice was not done”.

Some of the options Igbinedion says he will be exercising soon include:

•  An appeal up to the Supreme Court

•  Setting a machinery in motion for the crime to be investigated and prosecuted by the Police or a Private prosecution

•  Instituting an action in the United States; and

•  Petitioning the Corporate Affairs Commission to investigate if exorcism is compatible with the objective of the Board of Trustees and if not, calling for its winding up by the Commission among or other sanctions against the Board of Winners Chapel.

He recalled similar strong cases in the past where he triumphed after long legal battles, including that of the jailed Reverend King.

“We have been tackling class bullies since our kindergarten days all through to University; we have engaged many oppressors of the people through lawful means, the one at hand is not insurmountable compared to our strong resolve,” he said.

It has been observed that Bishop Oyedepo has tamed his tongue on the altar regarding his legal predicament.  Once, he boasted about the slap video, which had spread wildly on the Internet, as follows: “If I slapped the witch and she did not talk, what is their own business?  Are they going to court now or what?”

Recently however, he has left the slapping issue completely out of his sermons, preferring to hire expensive lawyers to fight for him. An analyst said that for the bishop to be silent on the altar about the issue was the best option, as the boastful option could have attracted a bad public image and a grievous legal retribution.
culled from SaharaReporters, New York

Heavy gunfire reported in Yobe, one officer killed

       
:Suspected members of the radical Islamic Sect Boko Haram today attacked three police formations in Damaturu the Yobe state as one police recruit was confirmed killed during the attack.

The Yobe state commissioner of Police Mr. Patrick Egbuniwe told our Damaturu correspondent Jonathan Gopep that the attackers came to the areas around 1:45 this afternoon.

Areas attacked according to him are the Area Command, A Division and the state CID, all located in the state capital.

The commissioner said a combined team of security agents were able to repel the attack which lasted for 35 minutes.

He said a recruit constable was killed during the attack but at a different location as his corpse was found at the Damaturu motor park just behind the A Division.

Mr. Egbuniwe said one arrest has been made in connection with the attack and the suspect is currently been interrogated.

Damaturu, the Yobe state capital has been under severe attack in recent times since the commencement of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Our earlier report: Heavy gunfire is being reported along Gasua road in Damaturu, Yobe state.
The Yobe State commissioner of police, Patrick Egbuniwe who confirmed this to Channels Television reporter in Damaturu said the gun shot is being heard in three different locations in Damaturu but that a combine team of the JTF is working to locate the spot with a view to repelling the attack.

The sounds of gunfire began to be heard across the town around 1:30pm and forced many residents to flee to their homes

An Islamic school in the Bukuru area of Jos in Plateau State was hit by a bomb

The Plateau state governor’s spokesman, Pam Ayuba who confirmed the incident said “there was an explosion this morning  in the Bukuru area of Jos South. The bomb was intended to blow up the secretariat of Jos South local government”

The casualty figure has not been confirmed, but a military spokesman and residents said one young person died in the attack.

A resident, Murtala Abdullahi said an attacker fired a heavy weapon at a building from a main avenue, and that it appeared a Muslim school in the Bukuru area, across the street from the government building, was the target.

Military spokesman, Salihu Mustapha, who also confirmed the attack, said “someone opened fire on some innocents… one of the bullets hit a child.”

Tension is high in Plateau after the army said it planned to launch campaigns in several areas to root out gunmen suspected of belonging to a mainly Muslim group of herdsmen accused of killing more than 100 people earlier this month. culled from channels tv

According to SaharaReporters, New York

A rocket propelled grenade reportedly fired by a man driving an Opel car has hit a neighborhood in Bukuru Jos causing a loud explosion. Sources said the blast hit an Islamic school opposite Jos South new secretariat on the expressway in Bukuru killing at least one person.

The explosion led to shooting by security agencies who cordoned off the area as soon as the explosion occurred.

Already restive youths in two neighborhoods in Jos have engaged in protests over the latest attacks forcing businesses and banks to close down.

Jos residents said the whole machinery of the State Task Force has already moved to embark on a military action aimed at clearing certain Fulani settlements in Riyom.

The Plateau has erupted in violence again There are reports of sporadic gunshots at Bukuru, Jos South LG.

The cause is unclear yet but vehicular movement is restricted while shop owners have hurriedly locked up their shops.

We also gathered that a bomb also exploded in an Arabic school in the vicinity. Details are still sketchy, but one person is feared dead.

Contacted, spokesperson for the police in Jos promised to get back to our reporter.

More to come...