African champions, Super Falcons of Nigeria messed up their Malian counterparts with a 8-0 goals to advance to the women’s football event at the 2015 All Africa Games in Congo. Assisat Oshoala of Liverpool Ladies star played a vital role in all the goals scored by the Nigeria sides and also scoring a double herself.
France-based Desire Oparanozie gave hosts Falcons the lead after three minutes even as Francisca Ordega made it 2-0 after 18 minutes, before Oshoala increased Nigeria lead on 36 minutes. Oparanozie then made it 4-0 just a minute to half time.
A minute after the interval, Oshoala netted her brace as Mali tried to play damage control.
Ordega became the third Nigeria star to grab a brace when she hit target in the 62nd minute.
Skipper Evelyn Nwabuoku fired home the seventh goal from 23 yards after 69 minutes, before substitute Esther Sunday completed the rout in the 71st minute off a rebound.
The Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, is still finding difficult to believe that the Special Adviser on Research, Documentation and Strategy to President Goodluck Jonathan in the person of Mr. Oronto Douglas is dead, even as he said it was a devastating personal loss to him. In a statement reacting to the death of Oronto after a protracted fight with cancer, Gocvernor Uduaghan,through his Press Secretary, Felix Ofou, remarked: “I can’t believe that Oronto – that’s what we all call him, is gone. I refuse to use the word dead. I’m very disturbed that such a brilliant mind, articulate strategist and friend has been struck down. It is even more painful that this has happened when the nation would have benefited from his vast knowledge and depth of wisdom.” Governor Uduaghan recalled the patriotic and heroic role of the Presidential Adviser in articulating a broad Niger Delta strategy as well as ensuring a continuous rapprochement between the states in the region and the President. “I can tell you that he played a major role in ensuring that governors of the Niger Delta region maintained a cordial and close relationship with the Presidency. He was an unrelenting advocate of peace and justice. A bridge builder who wanted the progress of his boss at all times. “It was a sad day for Delta State, for the Niger Delta and Nigeria. It is a personal loss for me, my family and everyone that has had a close encounter with him. Oronto Douglas will be greatly missed.”
Special adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati has asked the national publicity secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Muhammed to look for another target and leave the President alone. Reacting to the APC spokesman’s allegation that President Jonathan went to Lagos yesterday to plan the rigging of the governorship electiontomorrow, Dr. Abati said that Lai Mohammed’s fatuous tale does not make any sense. “I repeat: we will like to advise that the APC should just leave the President alone. President Jonathan was a candidate in the presidential election; he did not rig the election. Why would he want to rig tomorrow’s elections?” Abati, in a chat with newsmen at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today, faulted Lai Muhammed who had earlier accused the President of going to Lagos to rig the uubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, April 11. He made it clear that Lai Mohammed was lying as usual even as he referred to him as being “rude.” Abati admitted that people like the leader of the notorious Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Gani Adams: a minister in Jonathan’s cabinet, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro; the governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Jimi Agbaje as well as many others visited him while in Lagos and asked: “So what? “Anytime the President is in Lagos or any part of the country, a lot of people come to pay homage to him. Nothing unusual happened during his last visit to Lagos. Senator Musiliu Obanikoro’s visit to the President in Lagos is not something that anybody should use to play politics. Obanikoro is a Minister of the Federal Republic. He came to see his boss. “Mr. Jimi Agbaje is the Governorship candidate of the PDP in Lagos. I don’t see how his visit to the President, who is also the leader of his party, the PDP, should become an issue. “Yes, Gani Adams also visited, but so did a lot of other people.” Dr. Abati swore that the President did not hold meetings with the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), neither did he meet with the police, or polling officials or with anybody who is involved in organising elections. “So to say that the President went to Lagos to supervise the rigging of Saturday’s election is most uncharitable and cruel. “After the Presidential election, the President immediately congratulated General Buhari and the whole world has commended him for saving Nigeria. President Jonathan’s sportsmanship, statesmanship and leadership saved this country at that critical moment. He has demonstrated his commitment to free and fair election, the rule of law and due process. He has shown that he is a man of character, honour and integrity. Nigerians generally are proud of him. He has left a worthy legacy and shown a great example. “That, obviously, is the narrative that Lai Mohammed and his masters want to change, so they are now cooking up meaningless tales.”
Delta state Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has commissioned a 3.5 billion naira 120 metre-long six span flyover bridge, constructed by the state government to enable the state capital to take its rightful place as one of the best state capitals in the country.
Speaking at the ceremony in Asaba Thursday, Governor Uduaghan said that the project was part of his administration’s urban renewal programme meant to improve the social economic and political lives of the people.
“A lot of things have happened in the state capital and it is assuming the status of a befitting state capital, at the beginning we started with the airport, the new government house then we did the schools and the health sectors, very soon an ultra modern hospital will be completed. ”
“We have done a lot in Asaba to make it a befitting state capital. This project started two years ago, not eight years ago and today, we are commissioning it.”
He observed that the flyover was very strategic as it will ease traffic on the road which connects Edo State and reduces time of journey from Asaba to Abuja and the northern parts of the country.
“The flyover is very strategic, it is on the road that leads to Abuja, with the completion of the Utor bridge at Ebu, which constitute an arterial road from the South-South and South –East States through Edo state to Abuja and other parts of Northern Nigeria, this flyover bridge is very timely.”
Dr. Uduaghan assured Deltans that his administration would continue to execute projects and called on the people to vote for the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and the House of Assembly candidates of the party during the elections.
The commissioner for Works in the state, Hon. Funkekeme Solomon in an address, said the flyover bridge located at the intersection of Nnebisi, Okpanam, Anwai roads was awarded to “Messrs CCC Construction Company Nigeria Limited by the state government in 2013 at a contract sum of N3, 528, 939, 077.63.” “The scope of the works included a 120 metre-long six-span bridge, two ramps of about 140 meters each on either approach bringing it to a total of 400 metres long,” he said, noting, “the entire bridge/ramps structure is a four-lane dual carriage way, comprising of two in each travel direction demarcated with a New Jersey Barrier.”
Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Professor) Chike Edozien represented at the occasion by Chief John Edozien, thanked Governor Uduaghan for his efforts towards transforming Asaba. [myad]
Chairman of the Chibok Community in Abuja, Mr. Hosea Abana and the Coordinator, BringBackOurGirls group, Oby Ezekwesili, have expressed optimism and strong conviction that the 219 female students of Chibok Secondary School who were abducted from their school by Boko Haram on April 14, last year are still alive, contrary to speculations that they might have been killed during military raid of the Zambisa forest.
The duo who spoke in separate interviews with journalists today when the BBOG group staged a walk round major streets of Abuja being their second day of global activities in commemoration of Chibok girls said: “as parents, we believe that our children are still alive and well. Zambisa forest is a large expanse of land that even extended as far as Bauchi so I don’t believe that the military has combed everywhere. Our daughters are still being held by their captives.”
Also, Ezekwesili said her group would never give up hope on the safe return of the girls even as she insisted that they had not been killed by the solders inside the forest.
“Our Chibok girls are somewhere on the surface of the Earth and for as long as we are a country, we have the military, we have the intelligence, we have collaboration, we have cooperation with other nations of the world, we must find our Chibok girls.
“How can our country move on without 219 citizens that can still be rescued. It just doesn’t make sense. No society grows by abandoning the citizens.
“We are not going to speculate. We refuse to speculate as to whether they are alive or dead. People want to think about the possibility of them being dead. We know we must bring back our Chibok girls, their parents are waiting, they have not lost hope. They are holding on to even a slimmer of hope that their girls would be rescued.”
“It would be exactly one year that the girls were taken. We started our countdown to the April 14 yesterday (Wednesday ) and today (Thursday ) we are working across the city to remind the people that 360 days and counting, the girls have not been rescued.
“We believe that these girls can be rescued, we believe that even beforeMay 29, our Chibok girls can be rescued.
“So during this week of global action, we have cities all over the world reminding everyone that the girls we began to call for 360 days ago, are still not back with their parents.”
She explained that tying the ribbon in strategic places across the city was a reminder to everyone that the Chibok girls were still not around.
“People want to move on but we can’t afford to move on. We must find our Chibok girls and bring them back home,” she added.
A prominent Nigerian musician, Abolore Akande, popularly known as 9ice, has gotten a plum political appointment as Special Adviser to the governor of Oyo state, Abiola Ajimobi, who is seeking a re-election on Saturday.
The Gongo Aso crooner joined All Progressives Congress (APC) and contested for the ticket of the party for the Ogbomosho Federal Constituency but was defeated at the primary.
His appointment was announced on Twitter, although, his primary assignment to the governor is unknown as at now.
With All Progressives Congress (APC) taking the centre stage in the changing political arrangement and mass defection from the once largest party in Africa, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party is now complaining that Nigeria may become a one party state.
It’s National Auditor, Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju, who said this in a statement today in Abuja, made it clear that APC would be held responsible in Nigeria turns to a one party state, adding that a one party state is dangerous for the nation’s nascent democracy.
Adeyanju said that rather than dumping PDP for the APC because of its brilliant performance in the last elections, “members should go back to the drawing board, put on their thinking caps and plan ahead of future elections. That is what is expected of a good politician, who really wants to serve his or her community.
“Our nascent democracy needs strong opposition, which will spur any ruling party to work hard for good governance. Rushing to the APC by PDP members, especially the so-called bigwigs, is not the answer to the current predicament of the PDP and it is dangerous to our nascent democracy. Rather we should come together to review our poor outing and look for a way forward.”
He expressed optimism that if PDP leaders could come together and put their acts together in a proper perspective once again, the party would surely bounced back having being in power for almost 16 years and based on its achievements.
File photo: Ekiti state Governor, Ayodele Fayose standing at the court premises in Ekiti state
In spite of his initial bragging and show of bravado, the Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose inched towards impeachment as the 19-member All Progressives Congress (APC) state House of Assembly members moved one step forward today with a resolution directing the Chief Judge to set up an impeachment panel to look into the allegations of gross misconduct against the governor.
The resolution was signed by the speaker, Wale Omirin and two other members of the “G19”, the 19 majority members of the APC who want the two-time governor removed from office.
The House membership was saide to have met at an undisclosed location in Ado-Ekiti to discuss the way forward following the notice of impeachment they served against Fayose on March 3rd 2015.
Appearing on a live radio and television show on Tuesday, Governor Fayose bragged: “I’m like Israel that is in the midst of enemies but will always prevail. Whoever wants to remove me will first have to impeach God.”
In October 2006, Fayose and his first term deputy, Mrs. Biodun Olujimi, were impeached on corruption charges. If impeached in the ongoing drama, he would become the first man in Nigerian history to be impeached twice from the same elected position.
As General Buhari, Nigeria’s President-elect under the umbrella of All Progressives Congress (APC) awaits his inauguration next month, the nation’s minister of petroleum resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Maduekwe may have gone on self-exile in London under the pretext of seeking for medical attention.
Information reaching us shows that other ministers who might have soiled their hands in corruption in the current regime are also thinking of taken off, out of Nigeria before the May 29 handing over.
It is on record that General Buhari has declared that the fight against corruption will be a major drive of his in-coming administration.
It was gathered that Mrs. Diezani Alison Madueke, believed to be one of the ministers that had been fingered in many corrupt allegation, especially within the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) left the country through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Monday aboard a British Airways flight.
A source said: “Madam (Diezani) had to take off far ahead of the inauguration of the government of General Buhari because she is scared he may turn his searchlight on the oil sector.”
The minister who is believed to be in the habit of travelling around in private jets had to travel this time, in the first class cabin of the British Airways flight. When contacted to confirm the Minister’s whereabouts, one of her aides who pleaded anonymity confirmed that the minister left the country on Monday morning but said that she went to take care of her health because she has been down medically and she needs proper medical attention. Asked when the Minister will be back in the country, the aide said: “no one can say when she will be back. That depends on her health and the advice of her doctors. She may come before May 29. She may decide to stay back with her children over there till anytime to take care of herself.” It was however learnt that the once powerful woman feigned sickness and actually pretended to be seriously sick while going through immigration at the airport departure lounge over fears that she might be stopped from fleeing the country. It would be recalled that Mrs. Diezani had been variously linked to the $20 billion which former CBN governor and now Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has continued to insist was diverted from the federation account of her cronies in NNPC. Apart from this, a group of whistleblowers against corruption has accused Diezani Alison-Madueke, of squandering millions of dollars of public funds to rent private jets for the conduct of her official activities.
In a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the group, known as Crusader for Good Governance, demanded that Mrs. Allison-Madueke be investigated for her habit of spending extravagant sums to rent private jets for her official hops. In 2010, President Jonathan appointed Mrs. Alison-Madueke to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the nerve center of the Nigerian economy and traditionally the vortex of corruption in a country that is widely regarded as one of the most corrupt in the world. Since being appointed minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Alison-Madueke has become one of the most powerful Nigerian government officials. Several reports have linked her to sleazy oil deals and a penchant for wastage of public funds. She has spent some N2 billion on private jet rentals, according to the petition submitted to the EFCC by Enugu-based “Crusader For Good Governance.” The petition was signed by Okechukwu Obiora Nnamdi, the group’s leader. The group accused Mrs. Alison-Maduekwe of spending $300,000 on an average international trip outside of Nigeria. She reportedly spends as much as $500,000 on trips to such destinations as China, Malaysia and several North American countries, according to the petition. The petitioners listed some of the minister’s most lavish trips. During Easter break, she flew a private jet to Dubai with members of her family at the cost of $300,000. During President Jonathan’s visit to South Africa, she flew in a private jet that cost Nigeria $300,000. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), a government agency she oversees, maintains a Challenger 850 Visa jet which serves the minister’s needs as well as those of her family. The cost of running the jet is $500,000 per month. In addition, the petitioners alleged that, in the last two years, the Petroleum minister has never attended any meeting outside Nigeria in a commercial jet or in any of the jets maintained by the Nigerian Presidency. They stated that she had wasted more than N2 billion on the maintenance of aircraft in the last two years. They accused her of being the only minister who consistently uses private jets to arrive at destinations when the Nigerian president travels abroad. The petition also carpets Mrs. Allison-Madueke for often doing official jobs out of her house, which means that she is frequently absent from her official desk at the ministry. As alleged in the petition to the EFCC, Mrs. Alison-Madueke also frequently uses the services of Vista Jet, a Swiss luxury aviation company that provides jets to wealthy businessmen around the world. Vista Jet has done deals with such Nigerians as Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State and Nduka Obaigbena, the flamboyant publisher of Thisday newspaper. Curiously, Vista Jet has a Nigerian businessman, Kola Aluko, on its board. Mr. Aluko, who once acted as Vista Jet’s West African representative, is known to be close to Ms. Alison-Madueke. “(Kola) Aluko and Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke are neck deep in the oil business,” said a source at the NNPC. “She helped him (Mr. Aluko) to land a choice allocation of pricey oil blocks through a company called Seven Energy,” added the source. In a petition sent to the Nigerian Senate by the Delta Producing Communities, Mrs. Alison-Madueke is accused of transferring the ownership of four oil mining licenses (OML), 30, 34, 26 and 42, to Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept which belongs to Mr. Omokore. The US-educated minister was long known for her interest in wealth and social climbing. During Nigeria’s last years of military dictatorship, she was linked to several military officers, including one-time Foreign Minister, General Ike Nwachukwu (rtd.) and Rear Admiral Allison Amaechina Madueke (rtd.), her current husband who was once Nigeria’s chief of naval staff.
The Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, has sent a message of goodwill to the Nigeria’s President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari with a promise to deploy the country’s historical success in fighting terrorism to help wipe off Boko Haram and other terrorists from the surface of Nigeria. In a congratulatory message he sent through Ambassador to Nigerian, Fulvio Rustico, the Italian President emphasised that having successfully managed the country’s internal terror in the 1970s and 1980s, it would not find it difficult to similarly manage Nigeria’s domestic terrorism. The Italian President congratulated General Buhari on his victory and commended Nigerians for the peaceful conduct of the elections. This was even as General Buhari commended Italy and other members of the European Union (EU) for standing by Nigeria in the challenging period before and during the ongoing elections. Buhari noted that the European Union (EU) nations and the United States of America played key roles in the stabilization of Nigeria in this critically important and challenging period. The President-elect promised to pay attention to areas that will enhance the existing bilateral relations between the two countries. Meanwhile, the Nigerian community in Oman has welcomed General Buhari’s victory in the presidential election, describing the outcome of the election as one that has brought happiness to everyone in their community. In a congratulatory letter to the President-elect by, Dr. Ben Nnamdi Emenyeonu, Chairman of the Community, the Nigerians in Oman said, “the overwhelming mandate you received through the ballots speaks volumes about the magnitude of the trust Nigerians reposed in you, and we believe your leadership will mark the beginning of an era in which safety, sanity and probity will make a return to governance and the general way of life in our dear nation.”
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African champions, Super Falcons of Nigeria messed up their Malian counterparts with a 8-0 goals to advance to the women’s football event at the 2015 All Africa Games in Congo. Assisat Oshoala of Liverpool Ladies star played a vital role in all the goals scored by the Nigeria sides and also scoring a double herself.
