Femi Falana Reacts To Obasanjo's Letter To President Jonathan

BY FEMI FALANA.

In an 18-page letter dated December 2, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo accused President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration of incompetence,  abuse of office, corruption and gross mismanagement of the resources of the nation.  Apart from accusing the regime of celebrating criminality, including drug trafficking, Chief Obasanjo has blamed the regime for the rising wave of  impunity, terrorism and ethno-religious strife in the country. No doubt, the allegations which lacerated the controversial letter are weighty. Instead of dismissing the contents of the letter the Presidency should respond to the allegations raised therein seriatim. In particular, the allegation that the Federal Government is setting up a Presidential Strike Force to carry out terrorist attacks on political opponents should not be swept under the carpet.  However, it is pertinent to point out that President Jonathan is a faithful student of the Olusegun Obasanjo School of Politics.

Nigeria's Golden Eagles Win U-17 World Cup.

The Golden Eagles made history by being the first team to win the FIFA Under-17 World Cup for the fourth time after a 3-0 win against Mexico. The match was held, Friday, at the El Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Gov. Chime denies detaining wife: I’m protecting her from ridicule

Gov Chime and Wife.

Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State on Tuesday night denied subjecting his wife, Mrs. Clara Chime, to house arrest and has vowed to protect her from being exposed to ridicule.
Chime made this denial in the presence of some journalists, his wife and her elder brother, Mr. Tony Igwe.
Also present were the governor’s siblings, Mrs. May Oji and Dr. Jide Chime, as well as Mrs. Chime’s neuro-psychiatric doctor, Dr. Aham Agumuo, among a few others...

ASUU Strike: FG to Give Varsities N1.1tn over a 5-year Period.

Details of the  Monday/ Tuesday marathon meeting  between President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of Academic Staff Union  of  Universities have begun to emerge.

The PUNCH  gathered on Tuesday evening that a key component of the agreement reached by the parties was  that the Federal Government  would  inject N1.1tn into public universities in the next five years.

A reliable source, who made this known, also hinted that the strike would be called off anytime next week.

He  said the government team which was led by President Goodluck Jonathan would release N220bn yearly into the sector beginning from 2014...

Dino Melaye Arrested Again.

A report by the SaharaReporters say former House of Representatives member now anti-corruption crusader, Dino Melaye, was today re-arrested.
Two weeks ago, he was seized by policemen at a rally in Abuja he organized against the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, concerning her part in the ongoing N255 million scandal in the Ministry.
Sources say Mr. Melaye, who leads a group called the Anti-Corruption Network which has been revealing and attacking official corruption, was taken from his office by police officers who brandished a warrant of arrest.  It is also understood that his home had previously been searched.

The Great Nigeria House On Fire in Lagos.

It has been reported that a fire started at about 6:30am, today at the Great Nigeria House building ( about 25 stories tall), located along Martins Street, Lagos Island.

Details of the cause of the fire have not yet been revealed and there has been no record, so far, of any casualty as men of the Lagos State Fire Service have since arrived the scene to contain the situation and prevent further damage. See more photos...

N375million Spent Acquiring Cars for Stella Oduah Could Have Been Put to Profitable Use.

This is an article by the Sunday Punch; it talks about the extravagance of the Aviation Minister, spending N375million of public funds on 'bullet proof cars'...

Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah Reportedly Lavishes $1.6million on Bullet Proof Cars.

A few days ago, the SaharaReporters  published a report on how the Nigerian Aviation Minister, forced the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to purchase two armored BMW cars at a cost of about N255million, with substantial evidence.
The Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Aviation has now confirmed the purchase of these vehicles, Mr. Joe Obi stated that the purchase of the vehicles was necessitated by the threats the Minister received following actions she took to reform the aviation sector;

Traders Stage Protest Over The ASUU Strike.

A group of women under the body of the National Market Women Association, on Monday protested at N' Assembly Complex, the ongoing strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, making demands that the Union calls off the strike immediately...

Pharrell Williams Gets Married To Helen Lasichanh.

According to US Weekly, Pharrell Williams and his longtime girlfriend and baby mama, Helen Lasichanh got married on Saturday, October 12 in Miami. The wedding ceremony was star studded, had in attendance, Usher, Justin Timberlake and some others. See more photos...

Super Eagles Shine In Addis Ababa.

Nigeria's Super Eagles are a step closer to qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, as they had a 2-1 victory against the Walia Antelopes of Ethiopia in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa yesterday, 13 October, 2013. The two goals were scored by Fernebache striker Emmanuel Emenike.
Nigeria now hosts the second leg on November 16 in Calabar, where a draw will be enough to see the Eagles to the World Cup.
There would also be an International Friendly match against world's number four, Italy, on 18th November, 2013, at Fulham’s Craven Cottage. The match will kick-off at 7:45pm 

Plumber Excretes Wraps of Cocaine after being Nabbed by the NDLEA.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency arrested a 27yr old man, Okechukwu Ogo, for allegedly ingesting 57wraps of cocaine at the Murtala Mohammed Intl' Airport in an attempt to smuggle it into Nigeria from Brazil.


In a statement on Thursday, Hamza Umar, the NDLEA Airport Commander, said that the 57 wraps of cocaine, later excreted by the suspect, were packed in male condoms and sealed with cello-tape.
“It is a dangerous practice because many drug traffickers have died as a result of leakage in such wraps of narcotics,” said Mr. Umar, adding that the case was under investigation.
Okechukwu Ogo said his inability to come up with this house rent drove him to engage in the criminal act...[read more]

FG Must End The ASUU Strike Now, By Femi Falana

This article is by Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana, it's quite an interesting read...
As the President of Nigeria and the Visitor to all the federal universities in Nigeria Dr Goodluck Jonathan should be worried over the prolonged industrial action of the Academic Staff Union of Universities. However, in his  media chat last Sunday the President stunned Nigerians when he did state that “President John Rawlings of Ghana shut tertiary institutions for one year and nothing happened”. Does that mean the public universities may be closed for one year?
While blaming the ASUU for engaging in politics in prosecuting the strike the President  claimed that the Federal Government could not afford the money being demanded by ASUU. As Counsel to the ASUU I do recall that Dr, Jonathan as Vice President contributed to the resolution of the strike embarked upon by the ASUU in 2009 which culminated in the signing of the  2009  FG/ASUU Agreement. At that time the ASUU was not accused of playing politics! Regrettably, the Federal Government has, for some inexplicable reasons, refused to implement the terms of the Agreement with reference to the improvement of the working conditions of academic staff and the provision of intervention fund to revamp university education in all the federal universities...

Libyan Prime Minister Freed After Kidnapping.

A Libyan militia group kidnapped Prime Minister Ali Zidan early Thursday from the luxury hotel where he resides before releasing him under pressure from senior revolutionary leaders and government officials.

Scores of gunmen from a militia formed by a rival politician stormed the Corinthia Hotel in downtown Tripoli at about 3 a.m., ferreting Mr. Zidan away in a convoy after a scuffle with hotel security guards and the prime minister's bodyguards.

The gunmen claimed to have an arrest warrant for Mr. Zidan, according to Libyan Justice Minister Salah Marghani, who denied a warrant existed.

He added that three of Mr. Zidan's bodyguards went with him when he was taken away.

Solomon Lar Dies At 80.

Chief (Dr.) Solomon Daushep Lar was born April 1933 in Pongaa, Langtang, Plateau State.

He was a member of the first national parliament when Nigeria gained independence in 1960 and was also elected governor of Plateau State under the flagship of the Nigerian People's Party (NPP) during the Nigerian Second Republic, holding office from October 1979 to December 1983.

On Wednesday 9th October 2013, Plateau state governor Jonah David Jang announced his death. He died 9:00am Nigerian time in the United States of America after a protracted illness.

May his soul rest in peace.

 

JTF Calls New Video of Boko Haram Leader, Abubakar Shekau 'Fake'

A new video was released a few weeks ago by the Boko Haram sect with the aim to refute claims made by the Joint Task Force that the sect leader, Abubakar Shekau was shot, wounded and killed after an encounter with men of the Nigerian Military Groups.
Following the release of the video and investigation was carried out by the Joint Task Force to determine its authenticity, after which it was discovered that the video was 'fake' and the person who posed as Abubakar Shekau was said to be a 'clone'.
They observed during the investigation that there was a difference in the manner in which the speech was delivered ( stating that Abubakar Shekau always began his speeches with a recitation from the Holy Qur'an), certain features in the visage of the person in the video was different from that of Shekau and also the movement of the said clone's lips in the video were not in sync with the uttering of the words.

Kris Jenner, Bruce Jenner Split After 22 Years of Marriage.

Kris Jenner and Bruce Jenner have separated after 22 years of marriage, as they confirmed to E! News.
"We are living separately and we are much happier this way," they said in a statement. "But we will always have much love and respect for each other. Even though we are separated, we will always remain best friends and, as always, our family will remain our number one priority."
According to TMZ, Bruce has been living in Malibu while Kris has maintained residence with her daughters Kendall and Kylie in Calabasas.
For the ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ fans, it was learnt that the show would continue despite their separation.

Femi Fani Kayode Lashes Aviation Minister on Twitter for Describing The Cause of Recent Plane Crash as an 'act of God'

Following the comment Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah made; "We do not pray for accidents  but they are inevitable. But we will continue to do everything to ensure that we do not have accidents. But an accident is an act of God", FFK took to twitter to berate her, read his twittter posts;

Oduah speaking at the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization Conference organized in partnership with the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), in Abuja, had this to say, referring to the ex-minister...