First lady commends female mechanics for economic contribution

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, on Wednesday commended lady mechanics for contributing to the growth and development of the country.

Jonathan gave the commendation when the mechanics, who were led by the founder of the Lady Mechanics Initiative (LMI), Mrs Sandra Aguebor-Ekperuoh, visited the State House, in Abuja. Patience said the founder of the initiative had shown that with determination and commitment, "women can excel in whatever field of human endeavour they find themselves".


"I am informed that the initiative was established nine years ago and has so far trained over 700 female mechanics at various locations in Nigeria. "It is, therefore, heart-warming to note that through your NGO, you have been able to create a platform which has equipped young girls with skills. "In the skill that they have been trained, it is sure and certain that they could compete with their male counterparts in the field of auto mechanics,’" she said.


"This will go a long way in ensuring that these

Violence could delay polio-free Nigeria goal

Billionaire software baron turned philanthropist Bill Gates warned on Tuesday that violence in Nigeria and Pakistan could set him back in his goal of eradicating polio by 2018.

In 2013, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a charity that funds medical research and vaccination drives, made wiping out the crippling disease in the next six years its top priority.
But the Microsoft founder, who has poured a large part of his personal fortune into the drive and encouraged fellow billionaires to contribute, said in an AFP interview that major challenges remain.


India, once the country with the worst problem with polio - a mainly childhood disease that causes the wasting of the limbs - has just celebrated three years polio free. But the disease remains endemic in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. There are also reinfections in war-torn Somalia and Syria that threaten to break out into areas once free

Herbalist in prison for alleged homosexuality

A Makurdi Magistrates' Court on Wednesday remanded herbalist, Tarvhi Nyitse, in prison custody for alleged homosexuality.

Nyitse (30) resides in Naka in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue.
Prosecutor James Zungwe told the court that one Terzungwe Yev reported the matter at 'D' Division Police Station on 16 January.


Zungwe said that Yev told the police that his mother was sick and the accused who came to their neighbour's house claimed he had the cure for the ailment.
Yev added that the herbalist then took him to the bush to get some herbs to treat his mother.


"He reported that he was surprised when the accused pounced on him

Mourinho: Mikel is a genius

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has made it abundantly clear that he holds John Obi Mikel in high regard after labelling the Nigerian player a genius.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has made it abundantly clear that he holds John Obi Mikel in high regard after labelling the Nigerian player a genius.
"Mikel is a genius in his position. It is a miracle if he loses the ball," Mourinho Chelseafc.com.


Mikel, now a seasoned campaigner at Chelsea has seen his game evolve

Oyinlola may regain position in PDP –Investigation

Former Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola

Suspended National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, may soon regain his seat at the national secretariat of the party.

Investigations by our correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday indicated that this was one of the possibilities of the reconciliation move to be embarked upon by the new leadership of the party. Apart from Oyinlola, a former governor of Osun State,  a former National Auditor of the party, Mr. Bode Mustapha, may also be brought back to his position.

If the move succeeds, the present occupants of the positions, Prof.

Otudeko’s $48m suit against Dangote for hearing Feb. 6

News By Punch

Otudeko and Dangote

A Federal High Court, Lagos, on Tuesday fixed February 6 to hear a suit filed by Oba Otudeko against Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the Nigerian Ports Authority over a land dispute.

Justice Okon Abang adjourned the case at the instance of the counsel to Dangote, Mrs Fola Sowemimo, to enable her to file written statement on oath.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Otudeko, Chairman of Honeywell Group, had filed the suit in 2006 at Justice Ramat Mohammed’s court. He is claiming $48m against the defendants as damages for breach of contract over a 10.8 square metres of land within the Lagos Ports Complex, known as the 5th Apapa Wharf

Amaechi, others can’t be APC states’ leaders – Shekarau

Former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau
| credits: www.nigeriavotes2011.com

A former  Governor of Kano State and a leader of  the All Progressives Congress, Ibrahim Shekarau,  said on Tuesday in Kaduna that there was no ‘agreement’ between the five Peoples Democratic Party governors that defected to the APC and his party to make them leaders of the party in their various states.

Shekarau, on a Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria Kaduna’s Hausa programme, Hanu da yawa monitored  in the state capital, said there was no existing agreement with the G-5 governors and the leadership of the APC to become automatic leaders of the party in their states.

Commotion in House of Reps over leadership change

News By Punch

Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal

The House of Representatives resumed plenary on a rancourous note on Tuesday after a one-month holiday.

Trouble started when the Minority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, sprung a surprise on the floor of the House  by referring to the deputy majority leader,  Mr. Leo Ogor, as “deputy minority leader.” Gbajabiamila was contributing to a debate on a  motion when he addressed Ogor as deputy minority leader. This angered some Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers  who   rushed towards  him  in an apparent bid to attack him.

However, some APC members quickly protected  Gbajabiamila by encircling him at the front row of the floor. For over 20 minutes, proceedings were suspended as the PDP lawmakers and their APC counterparts shouted at one another. But the   intervention of the  Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, prevented  what would have been  another  free for all on the floor.

Referring to Gbajabiamila’s statement   as “a very expensive New Year

ASUP Strike update: Union vows to continue strike, accuses Nigerian government of insincerity

By Osun Defender


The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has vowed to continue its three months old strike after its meeting with the federal government ended in a deadlock on Tuesday.
ASUP’s position was stated by its National Publicity Secretary, Clement Chirman, after a closed-door session of the meeting that lasted for over three hours at the federal secretariat in Abuja.


Prior to the closed-door session, journalists were allowed to observe proceedings of the meeting until it went rowdy; with all parties, including the National Association of Polytechnic Students, NAPS, invited as observers, having a go at one another.
The accusations


The rowdy state of the meeting began when the NAPS president, Sunday Obonnaya, accused the federal government of neglecting students. Mr. Obonnaya also accused the polytechnic lecturers of using students to pursue their selfish interests.


“The union (ASUP) told us that both the FG and ASUP had met in 2009

2014 budget targets N7,5trn revenue

The Minister of Finance Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said that the 2014 budget targeted a net collectible revenue of N7,5 trillion.

Okonjo-Iweala said this at the public presentation of the 2014 budget in Abuja on Monday.
She said that N3,73 trillion of the expected collectible revenue would  be used to fund the 2014 budget, which focuses on boosting job creation and inclusive growth.
"The budget has been underpinned by the parameter of oil benchmark of 2.39 million barrels per day compared to 2.53 million barrel per day in 2013.


She said it was also underpinned by a "benchmark oil price of $77,50 per

Without Goodluck, Nigeria would have disintegrated— Smart Adeyemi

Senator Smart Adeyemi, was a former president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ before his entry into the political arena. Senator Adeyemi who represents Kogi West Senatorial District is also the vice-chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, NSF.  In this interview on the fringes of an empowerment programme for constituents, he talks about his people, his passions and his politics. Excerpts:

Does being a journalist put a burden on you in the political arena?
Of course it is a burden because people will always remind me to say ‘you are the people criticising’ and so I must make the difference. All that I am trying to do is to make the difference in the lives of the people and to justify the fact that I am coming from a background that criticize bad governance, which should be a strength to me.


I am always conscious of what the people will say about my representation on

HRW: State of emergency failed

Human Rights Watch's annual report has revealed that Nigeria's state of emergency has "failed to curb atrocities and to sufficiently protect civilians".

The report which was published on Tuesday is a review of human rights practices around the globe.

Hoodlums kill two, vandalise police post, 15 vehicles

No fewer than 200 hoodlums sacked the Iwaya, Yaba, area of Lagos State on Saturday, leaving death and destruction in the wake of their visit.


Our correspondent, who visited the area on Monday, learnt that the hoodlums also stormed the Iwaya Police Post on Omotola Street, vandalised property and patrol vehicles and freed the suspects who were in detention. It was learnt that two people, including a little boy, lost their lives in the fracas which lasted for over four hours.

 We learnt that trouble began after some street urchins, otherwise known as area boys, held a carnival to celebrate the New Year. It was said policemen went to the area to disperse the boys around 12am on Saturday, but they refused to leave. It was learnt that the Divisional Police Officer, Sabo Police Division, Anthony Aruna, while trying to disperse the youths, was attacked by the hoodlums.


A resident, who identified himself simply as Saka, said, “I saw everything that happened from my room. The area boys were having fun when residents called the police command headquarters to report that the boys constituted nuisance.

Power failure disrupts UNILAG PG entrance exam

The qualifying examinations for candidates seeking admission to the University of Lagos postgraduate school have been disrupted because of power failure.


Some of the candidates, who particularly were to write the Computer Based Tests, had the excercise disrupted on Saturday evening following the inability of one of the school’s generators to power the computers and other facilities for the examination.


The school’s Deputy Registrar (Information), Mr. Oluwatoyin Adebule, who described the development as minor, however, linked the disruption of the examination to server problems.


Confirming that the challenge had not been resolved as of Monday, he promised that the university would fix another date for affected candidates.


He said, “It was a fact that the generator went off and that is the generator of the centre. But the university also has a back-up from the main campus. But that (power failure) was not the issue. After they connected to the university generator, it was

Boko Haram members kill another 18 in Borno

Boko Haram members

Suspected members of Boko Haram sect again attacked Alau Ngawo Fatie village in the Jere Local Government Area of Borno State, killing 18 people, late on Sunday.

The attack came few days after members of the violent Islamic sect laid siege on a fishing border community of Gashigar and slaughtered over a dozen persons.

The incident has forced an exodus of residents of the community to neighbouring Republic of Niger.

The attack on Alau Ngawo Fatie occurred at about 10pm on Sunday night. The village head of Alau, Bulama Ibrahim Alau, who spoke to journalists on phone, said,

NFF lines up Croatia, USA friendlies for Eagles

Board member of the Nigeria Football Federation, Emeka Inyama has disclosed that the federation is making efforts to arrange international friendly matches for the Super Eagles against the United States of America and Croatia with just 5 months to the kickoff of the FIFA 2014 World Cup holding in Brazil.
 

PDP’s problems beyond Tukur’s resignation – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday said that the problems of the Peoples Democratic Party were beyond the resignation of Dr. Bamanga Tukur, as the party’s national chairman.

The media aide to the former President, Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye, in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja, said Obasanjo had nothing personal against Tukur.

But he said Obasanjo would not comment on Tukur’s resignation, arguing that the issues earlier raised by the former President had

Dancer, Kaffy Delivers Baby Girl (+PHOTOS)

By PM NEWS


Popular Nigerian dancer and choreographer Kafayat Ameh, a.k.a Kaffy, has been delivered of a baby girl.
The new baby is her second child for Ameh and was born on Saturday in a Lagos hospital. Both mother and child are said to be doing well.


Her first child, a boy, was named Sean.
The talented dancer married her heartthrob, Joseph Adakole Ameh in 2012 at an elaborate ceremony in Lagos. Ameh is P-Square’s live band drummer.


Recently, the social media was abuzz with the story of

B’Haram strikes again in Borno, kills scores

Again the outlawed Boko Haram sect attacked Banki, a border town in Bama Local Government Area of Bornu State killing people at will, moment after they sacked the only police station in the town.

Though details of the  number of casualties was not available as of the time of filing this report, the Borno State Commissioner of Police, Lawan Tanko, told journalists that the terrorists killed a policeman and injured many people. However,

Forces behind shake-up in military

By The SUN


With the sudden appointment of new service chiefs, political pundits are of the belief that President Goodluck Jonathan has commenced repositioning for his 2015 presidential re-election bid.


There had been a lot of criticism against the president and his style, with many calling on him to leave office after 2015. Those calling for the president’s head said he had not done well in governance, pointing to the