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Traditional rulers across the country, under the aegis of the Association of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, have joined in calling for the probe of the $20bn said to be missing in the account of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation.

National President of the association, Eze Thomas Obiefule, who addressed newsmen in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Thursday, urged the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to ensure that the culprits were made to face the law.


He noted that the outgoing administration of President Goodluck Jonathan was not firm in the fight against corruption, appealing to the Buhari’s administration to tackle corruption headlong.

Obiefule, who is also the traditional ruler of Umudioka Kingdom in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, also stated that “when Buhari became the Head of State in 1984, the naira was at par with the dollar. In that respect, we believe that his administration will better the economy of the state and put an end to corruption.”

He stressed that the Jonathan’s administration was ruined by sycophants.

The monarch added, “If Buhari wants to succeed, he should do away with sycophants and praise singers and concentrate on rebuilding the nation so as not to disappoint millions of Nigerians that stood for change.

“After our emergency meeting, we have congratulated the President-elect and the All Progressives Congress leaders, especially Ogbonnaya Onu, John Sagaya and Babagana Kingibe, among others and we urge Nigerians to rally round the incoming administration for effective results.

“We are disturbed by the alarming rate of corruption in the country, it is simply unacceptable to us that as an oil producing nation, we still import oil products, while our refineries lie in ruins. We want to the Buhari administration to address the rot in the oil sector and the power sector.”

via nigerianeye

The Head, Administration and Human Resources, Federal Road Safety Commission, Ogun State Sector Command, Mr. Steve Ayodele, has said the commission will soon introduce card reader to detect fake driving licence.

He said this on Thursday at Kuto Motor Park, Abeokuta, during a sensitisation programme for commercial drivers in the state.


The FRSC organised the programme in partnership with CLEEN Foundation.

Ayodele said the card reader would be given to their officials carrying out routine checks on the roads, the police and banks.

He said, “The FRSC will soon introduce a small machine that will detect fake driving licence.

“The machine is like the card reader used by the Independent National Electoral Commission during the 2015 general elections.

“It will soon be introduced. The machines would be given to our officials, carrying out routine check on the road, law enforcement agencies like the police and the banks. Once the driving licence is slotted into the machine, it will show whether it is fake or genuine.”

Ayodele, who advised the commercial drivers not to patronise touts when trying to procure driving licence or renewing expired ones, said the official fee payable was N6,350.

He explained that in order to solve the bottlenecks associated with the procurement of driving licence in the state, four more centres would be opened soon.

The Research and Planning officer, CLEEN Foundation, Mr. Raphael Mbaegbu, said the organisation was committed to stopping the corruption which had crept into the process of issuance of driving licence across the country, hence the need to sensitise the motorists on doing what is right.

He said, “We have discovered there is a level of corruption in the issuance of the driving licence across the country.

“So, we have decided to organise this programme, in conjunction with the FRSC, to sensitise motorists who want to obtain driving licence or renew expired one, to follow the right channel. This is to ensure they do not patronise touts who will only get them fake driving licence.”

via nigerianeye

Angola will end petrol subsidies and increase the price of other fuels, the finance ministry said, after last year’s plunge in global oil prices hammered the finances of Africa’s second largest crude exporter.

In February, Angola slashed spending in its 2015 budget, widened its fiscal deficit projections and said it would sharply increase borrowing.



Angola imports most of its fuel due to insufficient refining capacity and it spent around 4 percent of its 2013 budget on fuel subsidies, according to Control Risks.

“Gasoline now joins the free price system, ending the burden on the state of the cost of subsidies,” a ministry statement seen by Reuters on Thursday said, adding that the changes come into effect on September 30.

“The ongoing effort to adopt realistic prices will help strengthen social programmes and reduce inequality, since subsidies benefit the most favoured groups and encourage fuel smuggling to neighbouring countries.”

Angola has been gradually increasing fuel prices in recent months and has saved 110 billion kwanza ($1 billion) from reduced subsidies since October last year, the statement said.

The price of diesel will increase by 25 percent to 75 kwanza per litre, although the state still subsidises 21 percent of the cost, the finance ministry statement said.

State-oil company Sonangol will now determine the price of petrol, the finance ministry said. Angola increased the price of gasoline last September by 25 percent to 75 kwanza per litre.

The International Monetary Fund, which entered a $1.4 billion loan deal with Angola in 2009, has urged the southern African country to reduce fuel subsidies to free spending for infrastructure and encourage the building of refineries.

Fuel price increases have prompted widespread protests in other African countries, including Mozambique and Nigeria.

Angola, which has well-funded security services, has not suffered from serious unrest after previous fuel price rises.

via nigerianeye

By Ihechukwu Njoku

A clip of Nigerian Pastor T.B. Joshua arriving in the Central American nation of Mexico and the wild reaction of locals to his coming has been uploaded to YouTube.



Joshua, who rarely travels abroad, announced on his official Facebook Page that he will be holding a ‘Miracle Crusade’ in the world’s largest football stadium in Mexico City on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th May 2015.

The clip, uploaded by Joshua’s official YouTube channel, shows crowds of Mexicans wildly jubilating as Joshua steps down from a vehicle after a military entourage had saluted his arrival.

The Aztec Stadium, which can hold well over 100,000 people, will play host to the two day event in the cleric’s first visit to Mexico.

The ‘crusade’ will be broadcast live on Joshua’s Christian television station Emmanuel TV and is billed to begin from 10pm (GMT) on Friday.

Joshua held a similar event in Cali, Colombia in July last year, attracting over 50,000 in attendance.



via nigerianeye

Gov.Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa state on Tuesday, promised automatic employment to any newly deployed corps member who marries an indigene of the state. He made the pledge while addressing 2015 NYSC Batch ‘A’ corp members, during their swearing in- ceremony at Magaji Dan Yamusa permanent NYSC Orientation camp in Keffi Local Government Area of the state.



He said that inter-marriage by corps members would not only foster unity, also promote peaceful co-existence among the people of the state and others states of the federation. He congratulated the corps members for the successful completion of their academic programmes at their various institutions of learning.

“I urge you to use the lessons and experience you gained during this orientation course to develop yourselves, your host communities, the state and the Nigeria at large.

“You should see yourselves as agent of positive change in the society. “I want to advise you to discharge your duties without fear or favour, and relate freely with your host communities. “I promise automatic employment to any NYSC Batch ‘A’ corps member who marries an indigenes in order to promote peaceful co-existence among the people of the state and others states of the country.” Al-Makura said.

Al-Makura also assured the corps members of adequate security throughout their service year in the state. He urged them to be security conscious, and to report any security breach to the appropriate authorities for necessary action. He urged them to be agents of national unity, and to shun all forms of violence capable of threatening the existing peace of the state and the country at large.

The governor reinstated the state government’s determination to continue to support the scheme, in order to better the welfare of the corps members. Earlier Mrs. Christy Uba, the Nasarawa state NYSC director, commended Gov.Al-Makura for his support to the scheme in the state. She said since the beginning of this orientation course, the corps members had exhibited good conduct. A total of 1931 corp members have so far registered at the orientation camp.

via nigerianeye

The Federal Government, Thursday, directed the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to commence the privatisation of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, and other railway facilities across the country.

The National Council on Privatisation (NCP) gave the directive to the BPE and the Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (NIAF), after its council meeting in Abuja.



Director-General of the BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki said the decision to reform the railways was borne out of the government’s desire to avoid the collapse and eventual shut down of the railways, generally regarded as a loss making but socially and economically imperative to the nation.

According to him, “The funding challenges facing the future of rail in Nigeria seems dependent on the efficiency and professionalism which the private sector can bring to improve railway operations.”
“The railway reform, restructuring and privatization programme is specifically aimed at achieving the provisional framework for private-sector led growth through expanded domestic and foreign investment; improve NRC’s ability to provide adequate, safe, reliable and efficient rail services; and reduce NRC dependence on the FGN budget by introducing private sector investment in the sector”.
NIAF has committed to fund the consultancy for the development of the roadmap and framework for the concession of the rail tracks of the Nigeria Railways Corporation (NRC).

BPE in a recent meeting with NIAF during which issues relating to the reform of the railways were discussed and BPE requested for assistance. NIAF has confirmed its willingness to support the Bureau in developing a Roadmap/ Framework for concessioning the Nigerian narrow gauge railway network. It also indicated that it would provide the proposed technical assistance at no cost to government

In 2005, the Bureau, through the World Bank funding, engaged the services of CPCS Transcom as Transaction Advisers to advise in the concession of the Rails. The firm had completed about 80% of the assignment including the concession of the Central Railways (Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri line which terminates at Ovu) and the due diligence on the entire rail network before its contract was suspended because of the proposed modernization of the network which was to replace the existing network with wider gauge. Because of lack of funding, the modernization project was shelved by the Federal government which directed that the existing network should be rehabilitated and concessioned to private operators.

The rehabilitation of the Railway system includes track spot renewal of Lagos to Kano and Maiduguri to Port Harcourt lines, supply of 25 new locomotives to boost existing locomotive power base of the corporation, upgrading of carriage and wagon workshops, re-equipping the workshops, supply of service support, strategic rebranding of the corporation, rehabilitation of stations and marshalling yards.

It would be recalled that a new Railway bill which is one of the eight reform bills recently approved by the NCP and Federal Executive Council (FEC) is currently before the National Assembly for passage into law.

The new Bill seeks to among others, repeal the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act, 1955; provide the appropriate market design and legal framework for the implementation of Government’s reform programme; separate the roles of policy making, regulation and operation; provide a platform for the introduction of private sector concessionaires and promote competition in the provision of railway services nationwide.

The Public Enterprises (Privatization and Commercialization) Act, 1999 scheduled the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) for privatization and the National Council on Privatization (NCP) in 2002 approved that the enterprise be concessioned to private operators to provide freight and passenger railway services using the vertical integration model.

via nigerianeye

All Progressives Congress in Plateau State has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of conniving with the Peoples Democratic Party to tamper with sensitive materials that will be used at the ongoing election petitions tribunal.

Director of Media, Publicity and Protocol Affairs to the Plateau State Governor-elect, Mr. Festus Fuanter, alleged, in an interview with our correspondent on Thursday that some sensitive electoral materials were being moved to the Government House in order to be tampered with and deny the party justice at the election tribunal.


He said among the documents to be manipulated were the accreditation registers, used during the election in three local government areas of Jos North, Mangu and Wase.

Fuanter said the idea was to replace the materials and to come up with certified true copies that would show a discrepancy between the card reader and the manual accreditation.

He said, “We have received reports that INEC is trying to connive with PDP to tamper with sensitive materials in view of the pending case at the tribunal and we are investigating to get to the bottom of the case.”

However INEC Assistant Director, Voter Education and Publicity in Plateau State, Mr. Osaretin Imahieyeorobo, said that there was no iota of truth in the allegation.

According to him, the materials the APC saw were CTCs given to the parties in dispute as directed by the tribunal.

Imahieyeorobo said, “You were in court when the tribunal ordered that the materials be made available to the parties that requested for them to enable them to file their cases at the tribunal. So INEC asked the party to make arrangements to have the CTCs as ordered by the court and what we are giving them are certified copies and not originals and so I don’t know where the allegation of destroying some documents and replacing them with others is coming from.”

PDP Organising Secretary, Mr. Mike Dachom, also denied the allegations.

He told our correspondent in an interview that PDP was ready to defend the case based on its submissions before the tribunal.
He wondered how PDP could collude with INEC in the tribunal when it could not do so during the elections.

via nigerianeye

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, has responded to the threat of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State to release evidence of Mu’azu’s “underhand dealings” with the All Progressives Congress.

The PDP National Chairman had faulted the calls of some PDP leaders on him and other members of the National Working Committee of the party to resign, following the heavy defeat suffered by the party in the recent general elections, especially its loss in the presidential poll.

Fayose, one of those pushing for the resignation of Mu’azu, had threatened that he would release incriminating evidence of the national chairman’s secret support for the APC, if Mu’azu pushed further his defence.



On his twitter handle on Thursday, Mu’azu, who is said to be outside the country, mocked the controversial governor, wondering if the Ekiti governor’s “evidence” would not be like his “evidence” during the presidential campaign, when Fayose said he was sure that the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, was dying in a London hospital.

He said, “We challenge Governor Fayose to come out with the evidence that shows National Chairman worked for APC during the elections.

“We hope it’s not the kind of evidence he once said he had that Buhari was dying.”




via nigerianeye

Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has dragged the members of the State House of Assembly before the court in a bid to stop the move of the Assembly from impeaching him.

The State High Court in Minna has fixed May 27 for hearing in the case.



This will technically hamper the process of impeaching the governor, who will serve out his second term tenure on May 29.

via nigerianeye

A 27-year-old generator repairer has reportedly stabbed one Tochukwu Ejika, a security man, to death in Lagos. The suspect, identified as Abimbola Azeez, who is from Ikire in Osun State, reportedly stabbed the victim several times on his belly during a misunderstanding in God’s Own Estate, Ijanikin.

It was gathered that the suspect was on his way out of the estate when the Chief Security Officer accosted him at about 8p.m. An exchange of words followed, which degenerated into a fight.



Before residents could intervene, Abimbola had stabbed the victim leading to the loss of blood and eventual death. The suspect was taken to Ijanikin Divisional Police Station, while the corpse was deposited at the mortuary. Azeez said: “I live with my friend, R. Kelly, in Ayetoro, Ijanikin. Last week, I went to my customer’s house to repair his generator.”

He said he wanted to live with the customer but was told it was not possible. He said while he was leaving the estate, a man accosted him and asked him to go back, but that he did not know he was the estate security officer. He said it was when he refused to go back that the scuffle started, adding “although I regret what happened, he attacked me first with the dagger and would have killed me. I did not mean to kill him.”

The case has been transfered to the homicide section of State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos.

via nigerianeye

The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, on Wednesday directed the restoration of salaries due to a sergeant, Ajuma Ibrahim, attached to Lagos State Command with immediate effect, including payment of all arrears. The Sergeant had been sick for some time.

This issue was brought to light when “Brekete Family” a Reality Radio/TV Talk Show during today’s edition made a live phone call to the IG to intimate him about the plight of the police officer whose salaries had not been paid since June 2013.



The IGP invited the Talk Show Crew to his office.

A police statement said after due briefing from the Budget office of the Force, it was discovered that the sergeant’s inability to fill the required emolument forms and processing the same in compliance to regulations, led to the salary predicament.

The IGP immediately ordered the resolution of all the issues and restoration of her salary, force spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said in the statement.

The statement said the IG also directed the transfer of the sergeant from Lagos State Police Command to Force Headquarters Abuja and directed the Force Medical Officer to ensure she gets urgent access to needed and required medical attention.

The IGP assured the public that the Nigeria Police Force is responsive and responsible and that reported issues of neglect in personnel welfare as well as cases of injustice to members of the public would be promptly addressed.

via nigerianeye

Some of thousands of Nigerians told to leave neighbouring Niger in the past week due to threats from Boko Haram militants have died en route from lack of food and water, evacuees told Reuters.



Niger has evacuated Nigerians living around Lake Chad, military and aid officials told Reuters on Tuesday, as the armies of four west African nations battle to quash the Islamist militants.

File Photo: Hungry refugees

“I counted over 50 people that died on our way out of (the town of) Lalewa when the Niger soldiers were chasing us as if we are animals,” said 45-year old Ibrahim, one of the group who was originally from Nigeria’s Kebbi state.

The United Nations humanitarian coordinator OCHA said that 25,000 people had arrived in the towns of N’Guigmi and Bosso in southeastern Niger after fleeing their island homes on Lake Chad. OCHA said most of these families needed shelter, food and water.

The governor of Niger’s Diffa region initially told people to leave by Monday for security reasons after an attack by Nigeria-based Boko Haram, which killed 74 people. The deadline has been extended to Thursday evening.

A six-year insurgency by Boko Haram in Nigeria has seen thousands killed and displaced about 1.5 million people in the country.

Nigerians who fled to the Nigerian border said they had been called out of their homes, lined up and brutally hurried out with no supplies.

Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Wednesday that at least 6,000 people had fled to Nigeria.

Musa Samaila, a fisherman from Lalewa, said he had walked for three days and his son had died of dehydration in his arms.

“I can’t believe what happened that the government of Niger just woke up and decided to chase us out of a place where we have been doing business for years,” Samaila said.

Niger’s prime minister said the government was supplying food and healthcare to those who arrived at the camps in N’Guigmi and Bosso while thousands of other Nigerians had been repatriated.

One of those who fled, Hanatu Saidu, told Reuters that her husband had been shot by a Nigerien soldier in the leg when troops came to their town and told them to leave.

There was no systematic process for repatriating the Nigerians, evacuees said.

Some were picked up in trucks at the border town of Mainé-Soroa and taken to two camps in Geidam in Nigeria’s Yobe state, set up in a primary school and a small stadium. Others walked the whole way or got rides for part of the way.

“The need arose because the Niger government wanted to conduct military operations in those areas,” Air Commodore Charles Otedegba, director of Search and Rescue at NEMA said.

“They offered to relocate the Nigerian citizens to some of the IDPs (internally displaced people) camps within Niger but the people refused and chose to come back home.”

Boko Haram’s insurgency reached a tipping point at the end of 2014. It took control of an area larger than Belgium and became a regional threat after increasing incursions into neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

A joint offensive between Nigeria and its neighours since the start of this year has fractured the militant force into pockets in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state and areas in and around Lake Chad. It maintains a shrinking stronghold in the vast Sambisa forest reserve, which the Nigerian army is working to dislodge.

Meanwhile, the number of people displaced within their own countries was the worst in a generation last year, but there is little sign of governments taking action to deal with the problem, the Norwegian Refugee Council said on Wednesday.

“Every single day last year 30,000 men, women and children were forced out of their homes because of conflict and violence,” the agency’s Secretary General Jan Egeland told a news conference in Geneva.

The total number of displaced rose by 11 million to a record 38 million. That does not include people who left their country and became refugees abroad, although many of today’s displaced become tomorrow’s refugees, he said.

The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR has yet to compile refugee figures for 2014, but it put the total at 16.7 million at the end of 2013, and the number has grown since then.

Egeland, a former top humanitarian official at the United Nations, was launching a report on displacement in 60 countries. Six out of every 10 people displaced in 2014 were in just five countries: Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.

Syria was now “the number one displacement country of this generation”, with 7.6 million internally displaced and 4 million refugees, but stopping the problem was possible, Egeland said.

“It’s as difficult and as simple to say United States, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey: you have to sit down and send one signal into this conflict: stop it. You have to get your side to go to the negotiating table, and not just talk about the other side.”

Egeland said none of the humanitarian appeals for the main countries with displacement in 2015 – Iraq, Syria, Central African Republic and South Sudan – was more than 20 percent funded.
“So, in some cases, it is not only the brutality of the armed men who make people move, it can also be the lack of minimum support.”

Dealing with the issue required diplomatic, political, economic and social investment by governments, especially the world’s major powers with the influence to stop wars, he said.

via nigerianeye

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, on Thursday, took one Adeogun Olajide before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly importing 2.692 kilogrammes of cocaine into the country.

Olajide, said to be an official of the NDLEA, was taken before Justice Saliu Saidu along with one Adams Michael a.k.a. Chidi, with whom he allegedly conspired to commit the crime.

The two men were arraigned on four counts bordering on importation of cocaine without lawful authority.


The offence, according to the prosecution, was contrary to sections 11(a) and 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The prosecutor for the NDLEA, Augustine Nwagu, who filed the charge FHC/L/174c/15 against Olajide and Michael, alleged that they committed the offence between January and March this year.

The prosecution alleged that the accused persons were found in possession of 2.092kg of cocaine on February 24, 2015 at the International Mail Processing Centre, NACHO, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

NDLEA also alleged that another 600 grammes of the illicit substance, believed to be imported, was found on the accused persons on March 8, 2015.

But upon reading the four counts to them before Saidu, both Olajide and Michael denied the claims as they pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following their plea, the NDLEA prosecutor urged the court to allow the men be remanded in the agency’s custody pending when investigations into the matter would be concluded.

“My Lord, in view of the plea of the accused persons, may we humbly ask the court to order the remand of the accused persons at the NDLEA facility pending the conclusion of investigation into this case; investigation is still ongoing, My Lord,” Nwagu said.

However, lawyer for the accused persons, Mr. Benson Ndakara, while pointing out that his clients had been in the custody of the agency since March, urged that they should be allowed to go on bail.

But Saidu, in a bench ruling, granted the prayer of the agency to further remand the accused persons in its custody, but only for seven days, pending the conclusion of investigations.

The judge, however, emphasised that if the said investigation was not concluded within time, the court would have no other option than to hear the defendants’ bail application.

He subsequently adjourned further proceedings in the matter till May 14, 2015.

via nigerianeye

Failure of governor Chibuike Amaechi to set up a transition committee to interface with the one constituted by the governor elect in Rivers state, Bar Nyesom Wike has been described as an act of impunity.

Secretary of the Transition Committee set up by the Governor Elect, Hon Frank Owhor who briefed the media Thursday at the chamber in the office of the Deputy Governor, old Government House, Port Harcourt said the constitution of Transition Committees by the Governor Elect and the outgoing governor had been the practice in the nation’s democracy since 1999.



Owhor who said it was unfortunate and hypocritical that governor Amaechi who allehedly refused to set up a Transition committee in his state after his candidate lost the guber election was busy in Abuja as a member of a transition Committee interfacing with the one set up by the federal government to ensure smooth transition of power on May 29 .

“In the current democratic dispensation the federal government t led by President Goodluck Jonathan has already set up a transition committee . President Elect General Mohammadu Buhari has also set up his transition committee which incidentally has governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi CON, as a member.

Unfortunately the outgoing government of Rivers state led by governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has refused , failed and neglected to set up its transition commiittee. It is ironic , hypocritical and smacks of double standards that the outgoing governor of Rivers state, Hon Chibuike Amaechi who is a prominent of the transition committee of the President Elect has rejected all entraties for a peaceful transition in the state..”, he said.

Continuing the Transition Committee of the governor elect said all efforts it had made to interface with the state government were rebuffed.

via nigerianeye

TV presenter , Uti Nwachukwu has apologised to Jim iyke for a joke he cracked on his TV show, JARA surrounding Jim and his ex-girlfriend , Nadia Buari.

On May 6, 2015, Uti took to his Instagram page to share a video of himself and co-host, Helen Paul, cracking a joke about the relationship between actors Jim and Nadia.

Jim who didn’t find the joke funny, reportedly threatened to confront Uti.


Finding shows Uti has taken down the video from his Instagram account and has openly apologised to Jim.

“My sincere apologies to one of the greatest Nollywood icons of our time. @jim.iyke .. I’m sincerely and deeply sorry for the insensitive joke/post made yesterday.

”As one of my favorite and most respected actors I will never set out to intentionally disrespect you brother. Using the insert from jara was my own friendly way of reaching out and once again I’m sorry for being insensitive especially at the special period .

” Be rest assured it won’t happen again. please accept my unreserved apologies. Like I said you are one of the few that actually inspire and motivate people like me to be better and work harder. Abeg nor too vex for me bro . I Troway salute

via nigerianeye

The controversial Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu has declared that, Jimi Agbaje whom he claimed was his relation will never be a governor of Lagos State while he is still alive.

It would be recalled that the Oba, in the build up to the Lagos State election threatened that the Igbos would be thrown into the lagoon if they failed to vote for his candidate in the election, Akinwunmi Ambode.

Agbaje who contested for the election under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was defeated by the All Progressives Congress Candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode in a keenly contested election considered to be relatively peaceful.




The Oba has however reiterated his earlier position over Mr. Agbaje’s candidacy, saying he will never rule as a Governor in the state.

He made his opinion known while speaking at the Public policy lecture organized by the Institute of Directors, IOD and the lunch of a book ‘The Example: The Era of Babatunde Raji Fashola as Governor of Lagos state’ yesterday at the Shell Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos Island in Lagos State.

While delivering his speech, the Oba showered praises of accomplishment on the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu and the out-going governor, Babatunde Fashola, saying they were the source of positive transformation in Lagos State.

He said, “On May 14, 2014 when I first told all residents of Lagos that the next governor of the state will be Ambode, many didn’t believe me. I knew all the waters that have passed under the bridge, including my own blood relations, who without consulting me went with others to say that Bola Tinubu, Fashola and Oba Akiolu have pocketed Lagos, saying that this time, they will not allow that.

And I told them that Jimi Agbaje will never be the governor. I still maintain it. There is no going back. I have no doubt in my mind, with the cooperation and prayers of everyone, Ambode will perform very well. I told many people that Bola Tinubu planted the seed, Fashola came and watered the seed and it started germinating in geometrical progressions. We have just started,” he said

via nigerianeye

President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) has told the governorship candidate of APC in Taraba State, Senator Aisha Alhassan not to allow the outcome of the just concluded election in the state weigh her down.

According to Buhari, he was able to win the presidency after three unsuccessful attempts.



The president-elect gave this advise when he hosted a delegation from Taraba State.

He further assured that by the end of his tenure in 2019, Nigerians would be confident of a society where elections would be free, fair and credible.

The former Head of State was reacting to lamentations from the governorship candidate of APC in Taraba State, Senator Aisha Alhassan, who claimed she was robbed of victory at the last gubernatorial election in the state.

Addressing Alhasan, Buhari said: “It is a battle well fought and I am very pleased that you have taken the honourable way out. According to the Nigerian constitution, you may go to court. I was there three times and ended up in the Supreme Court.


“Sometimes, people wonder why I tried so hard. I tried so hard because it is a system I believe in. I believe that multi party democratic system is the best form of governance with a big caveat that election must be free and fair.

“Really, this is why I am in it. I was in APP, I joined partisan politics in April 2002 and on that date, at my ward, those who knew me, and have been following my career antecedent in the military, would not believe it that I will participate in partisan politics and I will not also believe it. But I found myself in it and I never turned back.

“Within one year, APP gave me the ticket. There were governors, senators and much older people than me, but all the same, I got the ticket. I lost, I was in court for 30 months. In 2007, we tried to have a limited merger and became ANPP and again, I participated and was told I lost.

“I went to court for 20 months up to the Supreme Court and I felt that my party was not fair to me. While I was in court, the leadership of the party proceeded and took two marginal ministries in late Yar’Adua’s cabinet and an Adviser. For that disgraceful behaviour by the party leadership, I left the party and we floated the CPC.

“Again, I attempted in 2011 and lost and again and I was in court for about eight months. I contested now for the fourth time under APC having successfully gone through with the merger of the three legacy parties.

“So, Aisha, don’t give up. You are younger and this is your first attempt. I contested three times and this is my fourth attempt. I hope that you succeed in court. I am impressed by the quality of Taraba people you brought here,” he added.

via nigerianeye

The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola has stated that he has delivered on his electoral promises to Lagosians as he prepares to bow out of office.

The governor, at the celebration of his 2,900 days in office to give account of his stewardship at the Lagos Television Ground, Ikeja, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, on Thursday said he was grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve the state.

Fashola cited several areas his administration had delivered the divdends of democracy to the people since he took over eight years ago.



The governor mentioned WEMPCO Road, Anthony Enahoro Estate and several housing projects under the Lagos Homes Ownership Scheme and several others.

In the area of transportation, Fashola said the reduction of death arising from accidents involving motorcycle taxi also known as okada, had been reduced to the barest minimum as a result of restriction of commercial motorcycle operators to some routes, among others.

Fashola said his task is almost done as the Governor-elect, Akinwumi Ambode, prepares to take over.

He apologised to those he has offended in the last eight years, but noted that all decisions he took were in the interest of Lagosians.

According to him, there was no way he would not have offended some people in the course of carrying out his responsibility as a governor to the people of Lagos, asking for forgiveness from those offended.

He assured that those he could not reach would be reached by Ambode, while thanking Lagosians for their support.

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No fewer than 100 houses were destroyed by a windstorm in Daki-Takwas village in Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara.

The Sole Administrator of the council, Alhaji Aliyu Muhammad, confirmed the incident to News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday.


Muhammud, who said this was not the first time people had experienced wind disaster, added that windstorm had been a threat to lives and property in some places across the state.

He said the state government had through the State Emergency Management Agency provided assistance to victims of such incidents at different times.

He urged the victims to take the incident as an act of God, saying that the damages done would be assessed for possible assistance.

“I will make sure the area is assessed very well and assistance will be given to the victims to reduce tension,” he said.

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to call his aides to order to stop them from overheating the polity with their incautious statements, especially relating to the transition of power.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said while the PDP may be deeply traumatized by its loss in the last general elections – and theparty itself has said it is indeed suffering from ‘post-election (defeat) trauma’ – that should not be a reason for it to disrupt the nation’s peace by displaying crab mentality.

It described as provocative and ill-intentioned the statement credited to the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Prof. Rufai Alkali, that the APC should talk less and plan more for the
nation, and that the party (APC) is seeking to stampede the President out of office.

”Prof. Alkali doesn’t know what he is saying. How does he expect us to plan when the PDP-led FG has bluntly refused to cooperate with us in ensuring a successful transition? As we write, the Transition Committee of the FG has yet to hold a single meeting with our own Transition Committee, neither have they given us a line of handover note.



”As a matter of fact, the Jonathan Administration has said the handover notes will not be ready until the third week of May, meaning just a week before the handover. What time then do we have to
scrutinize the handover notes? How can we plan when we don’t even know which projects they have, which ones they have completed and which ones are outstanding? How can we plan when we don’t even know how many barrels of oil are sold per day?” APC queried

The party said the fact that Prof. Alkali does not know the difference between Inauguration Committee and Transition Committee is a reflection of mediocrity that permeates the Jonathan Administration and led to its downfall.

”While their Inauguration Committee has been meeting with ours, their Transitional Committee has yet to even meet with ours. How then can Prof. Alkali justify his statement that the Jonathan Administration has been in a ‘transition mode’?

”Is it part of their transition mode that President Jonathan has been engaged in a rash of feverish last-minute appointments that, though may not have breached any known law, are patently in bad faith,
morally repugnant and indecorous. They say they are in office until May 29th, but pray, are appointments the only function of a government? Are there no problems crying for attention, such as the intractable fuel scarcity, the worsening power situation, the grounded economy and the missing Chibok girls?

”Is it part of their transition mode that Jonathan’s Minister of Power has virtually been reading the riot act to the incoming government, condescendingly warning it not to even consider reversing
the power sector privatization because its gains are ”very obvious?”. Do they understand the implication of their gratuitous and unsolicited advice? If their power sector reforms have been so
successful, would Nigeria’s power situation have hit perhaps its lowest point in a long long time as we have it now?” it queried.

APC said in as much as the Jonathan Administration is bent on provoking the incoming Administration, creating confusion and even sabotaging the transition, the party (APC) has decided not to fall for their antics in the interest of peace.

The party reiterated its earlier advice to the PDP to shake off the trauma of defeat and gear up for the challenging task of being in opposition.

”They must however realize that being in opposition is not a walk in the park but like running a marathon in the desert where there are no oases or shades. The sooner they realize that the better for them,”it said.

via nigerianeye

The River State Governor-elect, Nyesom Wike, has debunked speculations that the absence of a substantive chief judge in the state would stall his inauguration on May 29.

Mr. Wike, who spoke through his media aide, Simeon Nwakaudu, blamed the All Progressives Congress, APC, for creating an impression that the state would run into a constitutional crisis.
“There is no constitutional crisis whatsoever. He is going to be sworn on May 29. These are issues being raised by the APC to confuse people,” Mr. Nwakaudu stated.


“There is an administrative judge in Rivers State as we speak as appointed by NJC. Even though the outgoing governor pretends not to recognise the administrative judge, the judge is still there. The administrative judge can still perform the function of the state chief judge.

“The Customary Court of Appeal in Rivers State also has an administrative judge that can also perform the functions of the chief judge.

“The constitution also talks about any other judicial officer as appointed by the NJC. The NJC can as well do that on May 29, so there is nothing to worry about.”

Mr. Nwakaudu insisted that the absence of a chief judge does not constitute a hindrance to the swearing in of the new governor.

He argued that the chief judge of any state in the country could be invited to administer oaths on the new governor and his deputy.

For instance, he said since Bayelsa State does not have a swearing in ceremony on May 29, the chief from the state could be invited to swear in Mr. Wike and his deputy.

The Rivers State judiciary has been engulfed in protracted crisis of interest which has stalled the appointment of a new chief judge for the state after Justice Iche Ndu retired in August 2013.

After Mr. Ndu retired, the Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and the National Judicial Council, NJC, have been locked in a disagreement over who should be appointed the state’s chief judge.

Following the provisions of Section 271 (4) of the 1999 Constitution, Mr. Amaechi had forwarded the name of the former President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Peter Agumagu, to the NJC.

But the council refused to confirm Mr. Agumagu’s appointment and instead preferred Justice Daisy Okocha for the job.

The governor, however, insisted on his choice on the ground that Mr. Agumagu is the most senior High Court judge in the state.

While the controversy was raging, the NJC sent Mrs. Okocha’s name for confirmation to the National Assembly which had at the time taken over the functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Irked by the action, Mr. Amaechi dragged the council to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt and for the interpretation of Section 271 (3-5) of the constitution as regards the appointment of chief judge of the state.

On March 18, 2014, Justice Lambo Akanbi delivered judgment which showed that the NJC erred by recommending Mrs. Okocha for appointment to replace Justice Ndu.

Mr. Akanbi ruled that the NJC’s argument that Mrs. Okocha is the oldest judge of the Rivers State High Court and more qualified to be chief judge of the state because Mr. Agumagu belonged to a different arm of the judiciary, was wrong.

Based on the ruling of the court, the state house of assembly sat at Old Executive Council Chambers of Government House for the screening and confirmation of Mr. Agumagu as the substantive chief judge of the state.

Mr. Agumagu was immediately sworn in by the state governor in a move that angered the former Chief Justice of Nigeria and then NJC Chair, Justice Mariam Aloma Muktar.
The CJN immediately suspended Mr. Agumagu from parading himself or acting in the capacity of chief judge of Rivers State.

While Mr. Agumagu is still in court to challenge his suspension by the CJN, Rivers State has been robbed of a chief judge and the courts have also been shut as a result of attacks by unknown gunmen.

It was also learnt that for close to a year now, the Customary Court of Appeal, the High Courts and the Magistrate Courts in the state have been on a lock down.

It was this situation that perhaps, prompted the former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, O.C.J Okocha, to raise the alarm over impending constitutional crisis in the state.

Mr. Okocha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, had argued that based on the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, only the state chief judge and the president of the Customary Court of Appeal or a Grand Khadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal can administer oaths on a governor-elect.

But the situation in the state’s judiciary is worrisome as High Courts, Magistrate Courts and the Customary Court of Appeal have been under lock down for months now.

The courts were forced to shut after unknown gunmen bombed court rooms in Port Harcourt, Ahoada, Degema and Okehi.

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Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state, Southwest, Nigeria has charged the Federal Government on the management of petroleum pipelines across the country.

He attributed the incessant vandalism in various parts of the country to dereliction of duty on the part of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).



The governor made the call on Wednesday when he visited the scene of vandalised pipeline along Ajura-Iperu-Ogere road in Ikenne local government area of the State.

Amosun disclosed that the issue of vandalism in the country is a reflection of the state of the nation.
He lamented that a similar incident occurred last week at Arepo in Obafemi-Owode local government area of the state, which claimed the life of a pregnant woman.

Amosun however hinted that President Goodluck Jonathan showed concerned and gave him audience in 2012 on how to combat the menace, adding that, nothing has been done till date.

According to him, “vandalism is a daily occurence which shows the way we are as a nation. I still maintain that NNPC is part of the problem, being the agency assigned to ensure that things like this do not happen. This is either dereliction of duty or neglect on the part of the agency of government.

“I don’t know how it would be difficult for us as a nation to prevent the recurrence of this ugly incidence. I mentioned some solutions in 2012 when I visited Arepo and when President Jonathan invited me to his office over this matter but nothing has been done about it till now,” Governor Amosun said.

The state’s helmsman who suggested that governors of various states which the pipeline passes through should be involved in checkmating vandals, alleging complicity of influential people in this vandalism.

Amosun decried how the federal government assigned the pipelines to a group of people to protect. “In this age and time when technology and relevant security agencies are in place, access to the multi-billion naira investments over the years has been nothing to write home about,” he posited.
Amosun also called on the federal government to employ the services of credible stakeholders and security agencies in forestalling the menace.

Speaking with newsmen on the matter, the State Commander of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Akinwande Aboluwoye urged all and sundry to give information to security agents on how to tackle vandalism to bring an end to both its environmental and economic havoc, maintaining that, “those vandals live among us”.

via nigerianeye

The Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa state has inaugurated a seven-man disciplinary committee, with a mandate to investigate and take appropriate action against members of the party, who perpetrated anti-party activities and other acts of misconduct that were inimical to the interest of the party during the last general elections.



The committee, which was ratified, after a meeting of the State Executive Committee of the party, on Tuesday, has Mr. Cleopas Moses as Chairman and Ofulu John-Dede as member/secretary.

Others are the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Barrister Osom Macbere, a member of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Jonathan Obuebite, Wonyikuro Bekeowei, Chief Mitema Obordor and Sir Henry Domo-Spiff.

A statement by the party says, it can no longer fold its arms and watch members of the party openly work against the interest of the party at critical moments and claim to be members, pointing out that, the ugly trend accounted for the party’s failure in some of the Assembly polls at the State level and even the presidency.

The statement signed by Keku Godpower,the State Secretary,PDP, expressed confidence in the ability of the committee to deliver on its assignment, adding that, it will go a long way in bringing sanity to the PDP in the State.

The committee is expected to submit its report within one week.

via nigerianeye

Students of the University of Ibadan have blocked the Mokola-Oojo Road in the Oyo State capital, protesting the alleged death of a student.



Details of the student’s death remained sketchy as of the time of filing this report on Thursday morning.

It was however learnt that the student was said to have suffered an asthmatic attack overnight but was allegedly not attended to at the school clinic until he died.

Tension has enveloped the institution’s gate and environs while shop owners in Agbowo market have stayed off the area.

More later…

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The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Wednesday cleared the FG of blame over the inability of some state governments to pay their workers’ salaries.

Okonjo-Iweala, in a statement by her Special Adviser on Communications, Paul Nwabuikwu said the governors of such states should be blamed for the development in their states because they were told through the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee to make the issue of wage a priority.

She explained that despite the 50 per cent drop in gross federally collectible revenue, the Federal Government had made the issue of workers’ salaries a top priority in order to ensure that the “people do not feel the negative impact of the revenue drop on the economy.”



For instance, the minister said that contrary to the “misinformation being put forward by certain governors to the effect that federal workers are being owed, staff salaries at the Federal level are up-to-date.”

She said in the five paragraph statement that the states, being one of the three tiers of government that receive monthly allocations from the Federation Account, should be blamed for their predicament.
The statement read, “This is to clarify the misinformation put forward by certain governors to the effect that Federal workers are being owed salaries.

“This is incorrect. Staff salaries at the Federal level are up-to-date; workers have received their April salaries.

“Regarding difficulties in salary payments, certain governors are trying to blame the Federal Government for their predicament. This is wrong. They had been told through the FAAC to prioritise salaries but they chose not to do so, hence the backlog that some states are experiencing.

“The 50 per cent drop in revenues simply means that salaries should be prioritised. The Federal Government should not be blamed for avoidable mistakes made at the state level.”

The APC governors had during a meeting with the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, in Abuja on Tuesday, expressed frustrations about their inability to pay workers’ salaries.

They therefore appealed to Buhari to consider a bailout plan for all the 36 state governments after his inauguration on May 29.

They said, “One of the issues that became of concern to all of us is the state of the Nigerian economy which is really in a bad shape.

“We have come to notify the incoming president of the challenges ahead of him. As it stands today, most states of the federation have not been able to pay salaries and even the Federal Government has not paid April salaries and that is very worrisome, by May and June, that (salaries) will be in cumulative of three months.

“We wonder with the huge expectation of Nigerians and people who have voted us into power, we are hoping that the president-elect will do everything humanly possible to bring about a bailout not only for the states but the Federal Government, at least for people to get their salaries and turn around the economy.”

via nigerianeye

Following the dwindling resources arising from the decreasing Federal allocation to the state, the Kogi State Government has announced a 40 percent slash in the salary of its workers.

The government said the move was part of its measures to meet commitment on the infrastructural development in the state; and necessary in the face of the dwindling federal monthly allocation to the state.


The salary cut also affected pensioners, appointed Commissioners, Special Advisers and all other appointed officials, but will not be implemented on staff on grade level 1-6 and Special Assistants.

The State Governor, Capt. Idris Wada said the development will enable the State Government to pay salary to all workers rather than owe back log of salary.

It was gathered that the State Government allocation from the government averaged N3.7 billion in the past, however received N2.5 billion for the month of April, while its monthly wage bill stands at N3.2 billion.

Reacting to the announcement, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Kogi state has threatened to shut down the state if the state government refuses to rescind on his plan to cut down the April salaries of the state civil servants.

The leadership of the Union said they have met with the State Governor, Idris Wada on the government’s plan to cut salaries state worker by 40 percent, warned that any attempt by State Government to pay 60 percent salaries to the workers for the month of April, would be deemed as a bonus to workers.

The Labour who made this known through its latest bulletin issued on Wednesday and signed by the State Chairman of NLC, Comrade Onuh Edoma, TUC state Chairman, Comrade Abdulazez Ganiyu and JNC Chairman, Comrade Aaron Ameji said the union and the workers would not accept any payment short of 100 percent salary payment for the month of April, 2015.

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The Supreme Court has stopped the National Assembly from taking further steps towards amending the ‎1999 constitution.


In a ruling this morning,‎ a seven-man panel of justices of the apex court, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, ‎Justice Mahmud Mohammed, ordered the National Assembly to maintain status quo on the matter until June 18.

The apex court further directed the issuance of hearing notice on the NASS for it to appear on that date to respond to the suit that was lodged against the proposed alterations to the constitution, by President Goodluck Jonathan.

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The Presidency on Thursday morning broke its silence on the whereabouts of President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife, Patience.

Media assistant to Mrs. Jonathan, Mr. Ayo Adewuyi, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, said the President’s wife is currently in Congo.


He said Mrs. Jonathan was in the country to join her colleagues from Africa for the celebration of the 30th anniversary a Non-Governmental Organisation, Congo Assistance Foundation, floated by the Congolese First Lady, Madam Antoinette Sassou-Nguesso.

Adewuyi, however, did not indicate when Mrs. Jonathan arrived Congo or when she is expected back in Nigeria.

He only said his principal was received on arrival by the Nigeria’s Ambassador to Congo Brazzaville, Princess ‎Onipede, in company of top Congolese officials.

The President’s wife has not been seen attending any public event inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja since her husband lost his re-election bid in the March 28 Presidential election.

She was conspicuously absent during the Good Friday and Easter Sunday services held inside the Aso Villa Chapel.

Mrs. Jonathan did not also join her husband for the funeral service held in honour of his top aide, Oronto Douglas, in Yenagoa last Saturday.

While she voted alongside her husband in the Presidential election in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, she stayed back in her home state, Rivers, during the April 11 governorship election.

She had expressed fears ahead of the elections that she will be thrown into prison if Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) wins the election.

The Presidency had so far kept mute on her whereabouts, therefore giving room for speculations.

Adewuyi’s statement read, “First Lady, Dame Patience Faka Jonathan is in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, joining other African First Ladies for the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Congo Assistance Foundation, an NGO of Congolese First Lady, Madam Antoinette Sassou-Nguesso.

“The Foundation, established in 1984, has engendered social action in the areas of health, education, skills acquisition in favour of indigent people of Congo.

“Dame Patience Jonathan runs similar organization ‎in Nigeria, the A. Aruera Reachout Foundation which also focuses on the upliftment of women and children, the needy and imprisoned.”

He added that, “The First Ladies of Benin Republic, Senegal, Mali, Tchad, Niger, Guinea Conakry are also in Brazzaville for the grand finale of the week-long programmes during which a National Center for Sickle Cell disease was inaugurated.

“Dame Patience Jonathan was received on arrival by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Congo Brazzaville, Princess ‎Onipede in company of top Congolese officials.”

via nigerianeye

More disgruntled fight fans are going to court with their complaints, suing Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao and others for failing to disclose a shoulder injury prior to his “Fight of the Century” against Floyd Mayweather.


A class-action suit filed in US District Court in Illinois not only names Pacquiao and promoters Top Rank but also telecasters HBO and Showtime, who combined to produce the pay-per-view fight program that was sold in the United States for about $100.

The suit also names Mayweather, Mayweather Promotions and cable television providers AT&T, COMCAST and DirecTV, and accuses the defendants of deceptive practices in marketing and advertising the bout.

“Defendants, individually and collectively, deceptively and fraudulently promoted, produced and sold the fight as one between two healthy fighters… expressly misrepresenting the health of Manny Pacquiao to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, all in an effort to maximize and collect pay-per-view revenue,” the lawsuit claims.

At least five such class-action suits have been filed across the United States, seeking millions of dollars in compensation on behalf of those who bought tickets, forked out pay-per-view fees or bet on Saturday’s fight in Las Vegas, which Mayweather won easily on points.

Pacquiao revealed afterwards that he had been held back by the shoulder complaint.

It did not take long for the lawsuits to come flooding in.

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With the World Bank endorsing D’banj‘s new single “Extraordinary” as a theme song for Women empowerment, a song he performed for the first time ever at GlobalCitizensEarthDay2015, the megastar has decided to putit out for everyone to listen to.

D'Banj remains Africa's pop king surely.

Enjoy...




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International interest in Nigeria’s political transition and the planned transfer of power from the Jonathan-Sambo presidency to the Buhari-Osinbajo presidency billed for May 29 has risen in the United States as President Barack Obama now considers sending a high-powered U.S. delegation to the event, officials said Wednesday.

U.S. government sources said Mr. Obama is considering who might lead the American representatives to the event.



Besides, at least two US Ivy universities-Harvard and Yale – have since held special review sessions where scholars were invited from around the U.S. and the world to give lectures and seminars on the outcome of the Nigerian elections, focusing on the emergence of a former military head of state, who is a Muslim from the North of Nigeria, and a Christian pastor, who is a law professor from the South as president-elect and vice president-elect respectively.

Three names are already being mentioned in official U.S. and diplomatic circles including Obama’s wife, the American First Lady, Michelle, Vice President Joe Biden and the Secretary of State, John Kerry, as the head of the presidential delegation. From the U.S. Congress also, some of the senior members are said to be planning to attend the event including the Chairman of the US House of Representatives Sub Committee on Africa, Congressman Chris Smith.

The U.S. President normally announces a delegation to the presidential inaugurations of friendly nations being led by the Ambassador in that country. But in rare occasions, he picks very senior public officials as the head of delegation when he wants to underscore and emphasis a point of how the US highly regards the country or the circumstances at a given point in time.

Nigeria’s Ambassador to the U.S., Ade Adefuye, said, “I have been told that there would be an unusually large American delegation that will attend the presidential inauguration on May 29″.
He confirmed to journalists on Wednesday that he has also been told that a very senior member of the U.S. government is expected to lead the delegation, but that there was no confirmation yet.

The Nigerian Ambassador said he has been in consultations with the U.S. State Department on the matter, adding that President Goodluck Jonathan has already extended an invitation to the U.S. government.

“We are following up with the US government to ensure a very large US presence at the inauguration,” the Ambassador said Tuesday in Washington DC.

Mr. Adefuye explained that “Nigeria’s profile has been on the rise since after the election, the concession by Jonathan, and with the smooth transition that is going on”.

From the U.S. government to the business sectors and think tanks, the level of excitement about the anticipated peaceful transfer of power in Nigeria and the outcome of the elections itself producing the Buhari-Osinbajo ticket from an opposition party, APC, has been quite widespread.

Some of the U.S. groups that have been showing keen interest to attend the inauguration and pressuring the U.S. government to send a very high-powered delegation are the Atlantic Council, and the Constituency for Africa-groups known to be very influential in Washington DC.

A U.S. State Department source noted that after the elections, feelers were sent out to business groups, think tanks on interests in attending the Nigerian inauguration, and the “feedback has been very encouraging,” said the source.

At the Yale University over the weekend, a group of theologians-the Oxford Study Group on World Christianity had their annual meeting and participants disclosed that the Nigerian election was one of the major discussions this year.

A top U.S. Professor who attended the meeting said the Study Group composed of leading scholars from around the world who considered it significant that the Nigerian elections produced a Pentecostal pastor as Vice President to a Moslem, who had earlier been perceived not to be religiously pluralistic. Last month also, the Washington Post had published a report on its faith pages on “How a Pentecostal Law Professor Has Helped Reshape Nigerian Politics.”

Earlier Harvard Africa-American Program had also held an academic review session on the Nigerian election further revealing how widely significant the issue has become here in the US.

via nigerianeye

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