Clay Richie

Chairman of Globacom Lmited, Nigeria’s Telecommunications Giant, Chief Mike Adenuga has reportedly started preparing for his exit from this world with an expense of a whooping N200 Million for a burial site where he will be laid to rest. The burial site, which is located at Vaults and Garden, an ultra modern cemetery in Ikoyi, Lagos is now final resting place of the rich and affluent. According to reports, to get an average space in the cemetery would cost about N750, 000 and above. But if you would rather live an even more affluent life after death, N40 Million would get you some of the executive spots. Report has it that even the super-rich have their own corner. Adenuga’s recently deceased sister had one of these to herself. The Globacom boss paid N200 Million to secure a space for his sister. Her next door neighbor in this exclusive section is Gboyega, son of another super rich man, Otunba Adekunle Ojora and his fashionable wife, Ojuolape. Gbegi, like he was popularly kno...

The late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua may not have died had the family heeded the advice to evacuate him from Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja three weeks before he died. National Secretary, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Pastor Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, one of the four pastors who visited the Villa to pray for Yar’Adua at the height of his sickness in 2010, has disclosed. The three other pastors were Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith World Outreach, aka Winners Chapel; Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Bishop of Abuja; and erstwhile Aso Rock Chaplain, Prof. Yusuf Obaje. The pastors visited the seat of power for the prayer session after Yar’Adua was flown back from Saudi Arabia where he had been taken for treatment for an undisclosed illness. The PFN National Secretary said he told the Yar’Adua family at the meeting that there was the need to take the president out of Aso Rock within three weeks to keep him alive. According to him, however, they shunned the advice...

There are indications that governors under the aegis of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum are planning a reconciliation meeting between Jonathan and Amaechi, to end their rift. A PDP governor told Punch in Abuja on Thursday that the situation had become a source of concern, especially as Jonathan’s guards could prevent Amaechi from greeting him. “We are still waiting for a formal meeting to be called. For now, all we have are chance meetings during informal gatherings like you saw during the presidential dinner. “The problem now is that neither the Amaechi group nor those behind Jang are willing to shift ground on the issue of NGF chairman. “With both sides unwilling to make compromises, it is difficult to make any serious progress. “What happened during the dinner that made Amaechi and the governors backing him to leave is also a matter that is worth looking into. That dinner provided an opportunity (for Jonathan) to reach out but I think some overzealous aid...

The reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will cost the Federal Government N160.7bn this figure was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in an interview in Abuja on Tuesday. Okupe said the road would consist of three lanes on either side from Lagos up to the Sagamu interchange, and two lanes from there up to Ibadan. He also said that there would be a flyover and inter-change at the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God to solve the traffic gridlock on that portion of the road. Okupe said, “The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was awarded on Monday at a total cost of N160.7bn. “The multi-lane road project, which will be handled by Julius Berger Construction Company and the RCC, will consist of three lanes on either side up to Sagamu junction, and two lanes up to Ibadan as well as a flyover and inter-change at the Redemption Camp to solve the perennial traffic gridlock on that portion of the ro...

Thirteen years after he was first docked before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on charges of abuse of office and non-declaration of assets, the trial of former Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Minister, Gen Jeremiah Useni (Rtd), resumed Tuesday before the Code of Conduct tribunal. Useni is alleged to have used his office as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to acquire mind-boggling landed properties in choice locations of the Abuja metropolis. The former military chief held the position during the regime of late maximum dictator, General Sani Abacha, under whose regime Nigeria’s commonwealth was often privatized and looted with reckless abandon. Useni was also alleged to have failed to declare his assets on assumption of office as well as on leaving office as the FCT minister. The retired General however, did not appear in person as statutorily required in criminal proceedings, and has never appeared before the court at any time during the 13 years the matter has ling...

The meeting of the National Executive Council held at the presidential villa in Abuja on Thursday was filled as governors of the 36 states who have since been divided along the factions of Governors Rotimi Amaechi Jonah Jang as a fall out of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF election made comics of each other at the meeting. While the leaders of the two factions made gestures at each other showing that the rancour within Nigerian governors was far from over, Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole he provided some comic relief after noticing the situation between Jang and Amaechi. Oshiomhole while facing the camera, held Mr. Jang’s hand and pointed to Mr. Amaechi, saying “that is my chairman,” then he turned to Jang telling the camera, “This is PDP faction chairman.” The Edo Governors gestures which drew laughter from those present at the venue created a mild atmosphere where the meeting held successfully.

Dr. Jang, the Governor of Plateau state was quoted as saying he and Amaechi are not agemates, and he is old enough to be the duly elected Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum’s father. The fact that the Nigerian political arena has warped into a theater of the absurd is no longer news to even the akara sellers in Kuru. Yesterday’s comments by the usurper Jang take the cake and are a testament to the fact that Nigeria’s leaders will take the piss on the wishes of the majority whenever and wherever they can. Speaking to journalists at the sideline of the dinner organised by President Goodluck Jonathan to celebrate his mid-term in office, Mr Jang said he is old enough to be Mr Amaechi’s father. He said, “Amaechi is my younger brother, infact, I can say son because if you look at Amaechi’s age, I’m old enough to be his father.” We have all seen the video of the elections, its on Youtube. You don’t need a rocket scientist to tell you Amaechi won. You don’t need a soothsayer to re...

Nigerian troops deployed to Borno and Yobe have captured some notorious leaders Boko Haram including the sects second in command, Momodu Bama and recovered various weapons. The defence headquarters in a statement issued in Abuja by the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, disclosed that the Operational Assessment Team delegated by the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, made the arrest when they visited the sambisa forest which the sect has made its sanctuary Although the names of the arrested sect members were not revealed, the statement added that those arrested had provided useful intelligence for subsequent operations. “The team was shown various weapons, including rockets and locally fabricated weapon accessories captured in the forest,” he said. “Items recovered included a large number of Improvised Explosive Devices- making materials, laptops, mobile communication equipment used for shooting and posting online videos, as well as lo...

The Chief Security Officer at the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) has told the National Universities Commission, (NUC) that the deadly student protest at the University which left at least one student dead and key offices razed a fortnight ago was induced by the Vice Chancellor and his two deputies presumably to save their skin from a possible graft investigation, Premium Times is reporting. In a report he filed to the NUC, a copy of which Premium Times said is in its possession, Okon Nyong, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, provided shocking details of the events of June 12 to the commission, urging broad inquiry into serious allegations of negligence and fraud against Professors Comfort Ekpo, the school’s VC; Okon Ansa, the deputy vice chancellor, administration; and Paul Ekwere, the deputy vice chancellor, academic. Mr. Nyong said he was confident the sloppy response from the school management was deliberate to stir a crisis that would raze documents and other materials that could...

Ever since Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s controversial book, The Accidental Public Servant (2013) entered into the hands of the reading public, there has been a torrent of reactions and a barrage of criticisms from different categories of Nigerians across the political, ethnic, religious and social divide, some of whom were toasted to bad publicity and indecent portrayal in El-Rufai’s book. We are yet to hear the last word on the book and I don’t assume that my modest contribution to the on-going discourse will be the last word. Every critical Nigerian who has been attentive to the unfolding of the conversation generated by the book will agree with me that there has been intense trading of words by members of the political elite on the claims of El-Rufai, so much so that intelligent discussion has been supplanted by political and ethnic biases, and vigorous exchange of insults and foul talks substituted for rational arguments. The bitter part of the bargain is that this angry trading of ...

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi yesterday led 31 governors, mostly those in his own faction of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), to a dinner launch of the book on President Goodluck Jonathan’s mid-term report held at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. When asked by curious State House Correspondents whether his presence alongside other governors in his faction was an indication that the problem in NGF had been resolved, Amaechi denied outright that there were factions within the forum at the moment. “Was NGF sick? I don’t know about factions. We were holding NGF meeting and we agreed that those of us who were there should honour the president and attend the dinner,” he said. On whether he told the other factional chairman of the NGF, Governor Jonah Jang, that there was a meeting of the NGF yesterday, he said, “He (Jang) was invited. What is my business if he was not there? 16 governors voted for him, 19 governors voted for me. “If he does not accept the ...

“This new development portends great danger for our democracy and indeed Lagos integrity. We are thus calling on the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, not to sit on the fence at this auspicious time. Fashola must rise up and be counted now. He must exhibit control in governance especially when Tinubu’s interest conflicts with the public interest. He must see to it that the process leading to the emergence of a market leader and any other leadership in the state is transparent, liberal and credible.” —Lagos State Chapter of the PDP Life has some pleasantly ironic moments. Before the Lagos State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party woke up to the news that the former governor of the state, Bola Tinubu, was about to install his daughter as the Iyaloja of Lagos, who could have thought the party would ever understand –or even acknowledge- that anything portends “great danger” to Nigerian democracy? Or, that the party would even canvass a process that is “transparent, liberal...

Nigeria’s commercial capital, LAGOS, is on the verge of joining the country’s oil-producing states with the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities in the coastal state. Yesterday, Afren Plc and its partner, Lekoil Limited, announced significant oil discovery offshore Dahomey Basin in Lagos, according to the London Stock Exchange. In separate announcements, the partners said they discovered a significant light oil accumulation based on the results of drilling and wire line logs from a high impact Ogo-1 well, located on the Oil Prospecting Licence, OPL 310 offshore Nigeria. Afren is optimistic that the discovery is likely to be significantly higher than the anticipated 78 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe), which encourages search to further high potential zones. The discovery is subject to the authentication of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), which is expected in two weeks. If certified and the partners produce the first barrel of oil, Lagos will beco...

President Obama is not in Africa because of what the United States can give to Africa, he is in Africa because of what the United States can get from Africa. If you are an African, this reality should excite you. Africa is not being flirted with because it has nothing to offer and desperately needs the helping hand of its age-long Santa Claus, Africa is being flirted with because in Africa lies immense opportunities for American companies to make money. When an American president travels, he moves with businessmen. The businessmen are the ones who return (for those who don’t stay) as soon as the trip is done to follow up on the opportunities created by the president’s visit. The US president will be visiting Tanzania (East Africa), Senegal (West Africa) and South Africa. The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obamas-trip-to-africa-poses-speci... has focused on the cost of Obama’s trip at a time of tightening budget. The trip is expected to cost between $60m - $10...

“…the NGF was based on the United States of America, USA’s constitution…the committee had told us that they just copied the American Governors’ Forum constitution with very little amendment.” – Jonah Jang, NGF Faction Chairman I was reading through a recent interview granted by a factional Chairman of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau state to the National Mirror, and what I read was disheartening. Perhaps he is ignorant of what his comment means. He said: “…the NGF was based on the United States of America, USA’s constitution…the committee had told us that they just copied the American Governors’ Forum constitution with very little amendment.” To me and to every right-thinking Nigerian, the questions that should be on our lips are: Are we not mature enough as a nation to make our own rules? At 53, should we still have to copy from other nations? At 53, should we still have to grovel at the feet of other nations? At 53 and with the number of SANs that we...

I kind of adored Mr. Jerry Rawlings while growing up. The man who ruled Ghana for years and reportedly changed her fortunes. At a very young age I heard how he had to do everything within his power to firstly wrestle power from the then government as well as curb corruption. Life in Ghana according to him had become very hard and unbearable that he had to overthrow a military dictator and in a bid to stop corruption performed what was referred to as the “house-cleansing exercise”. Jerry Rawlings in his bid to make Ghana corruption free killed 3 former heads of state,some serious military officers, supreme court justices and whoever had to ‘go’, so Ghana can be free of corruption. This act endeared me to the man even at that tender age. Corruption has built a castle in Nigeria long ago that I knew its impact back then. Corruption is a monster. Corruption can bring a nation to her knees and whoever was willing to do whatever it takes to free his environment of corruption I believ...

The pressure mounted on members of the Boko Haram sect by vigilante youths in Borno state is yielding more results as four members of the sect were arrested on Saturday in Gwange ward wearing women’s clothing and trying to escape arrest. The arrest was facilitated by information made available to the youths that Boko Haram sect members now resort to wearing women’s clothing to go out and perpetrate evil or try to escape arrest by soldiers and vigilante youths in the area. According to residents, who pleaded anonymity the sect members also wear women’s clothings to hide their weapons. “They have been doing that for a long time according to one of them who was arrested last month in Gwange and since that time so many of them have been arrested and handed to security,” he said. Speaking on whether the soldiers are killing the arrested Boko Haram members, he said, “They (vigilante youths) have been arresting them, but killing them, we do not know because the soldiers always c...

Nigeria billionaire business mogul and philanthropist and founder of the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF), Sir Emeka Offor, whose contributions to the Rotary Foundation aimed at eradicating Polio in Nigeria and Africa in general have been recognized at the highest level of the organization’s hierarchy, as he is being honored at the on-going Rotary Convention taking place in Lisbon, Portugal. Sir Emeka Offor is being honored with a special recognition during the Arch C. Klumph Society(AKS) dinner as the highest donor to the foundation from Africa. AKS is the highest attainable level at the Rotar International where one needs to have donated a minimum of $250,000 USD to become a member. He has donated over $1 million before the convention. Sir Emeka Offor during his speech at the convention announced an additional $1million USD donation for the final battle against Polio eradication in Africa. In a full text of his speech: ”I come from a humble beginning but today i have ties a...

Wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience, has berated those describing her office as unconstitutional, saying it cannot be separated from the Presidency. The First Lady, who was speaking through her media aide, Ayo Oshinlu, was reacting to a newspaper editorial yesterday that criticised her for speaking from a podium that carried the nation’s official seal The President’s wife who drew similarities between her office and that of the American First Lady, Michelle Obama, said she derives her constitutionality from the Presidency and has responsibilities to discharge, whether ceremonial or official, in order to “smoothen the operations of the president and the Presidency”.

On June 20th 2013, West African NGO Network (WANGONeT) launched a web portal called Anti-Corruption Internet Database (ACID) www.antigraft.org, Nigeria’s first web repository for all corruption related issues in the country. According to Tunji Lardner, the founder of WANGONet, the idea of creating a website to monitor and report corruption related activities in Nigeria first came into fruition 13 years ago, a period when internet access in the country was still a novel idea. He however reaffirmed that the relevance of ACID today is timely. The Anti-Corruption Internet Database (ACID) aims to create an informative and educative corrupt practices data archiving and reporting platform with modern features for multi-dimensional public advocacy and civic engagement in the fight against corruption. ACID is a first step to ensuring that Nigerians are able to rate themselves as well as their government leaders on efforts made to curb corruption. The online portal which is available on bo...

The United Kingdom has aborted its plan to place a £3,000 bond on Nigerians seeking entry to the country, a spokesman for Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in Abuja yesterday. The Sunday Times of London had quoted UK Home Secretary Theresa May as saying that a pilot scheme that would target visitors from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Ghana would take off in November under which travellers from those countries would pay a cash deposit of £3,000 to deter immigration abuse. They will forfeit the money if they overstay their visas. But when contacted for comments yesterday, spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Abuja, Mr Ode Ogbole, replied with text message saying: “It’s been rescinded”. He did not give further details and did not answer subsequent telephone calls. Another official of the ministry who chose to remain anonymous also told Daily Trust that a message from the UK government rescinding the plan had been sent to the Presidency. Earlier...

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There seems to be no letting down in the quest by President Goodluck Jonathan to deal a fatal blow to Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, especially as it concerns the leadership of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) which Amaechi and his Plateau State counterpart, Jonah Jang are laying claims to. Amaechi had in the May 24 election of the NGF emerged Chairman of the forum with 19 votes against his rival, Jonah Jang’s 16 votes, but since that election, the Governor Jang has been laying claims to the leadership of the forum with Support from Mr President. In what is termed as his first major move since his election as Chairman of the Forum, Governor Amaechi called for a meeting of the forum for 8pm local time on Wednesday with invitations sent to all the governors including those opposed to his leadership of the NGF, but just few hours after the notice of meeting to all the 36 state governors were delivered, the presidency was said to have summoned an emergency dinner meeting o...

Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi has fixed Wednesday for a meeting of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum which has since been divided into two factions led by him and his Plateau State counterpart David Jonah Jang have. It gathered that the Wednesday meeting which will be the first at the instance of Amaechi since the May 24 NGF elections and its fall out is to discuss the raging issue of delayed statutory allocations to states of the federation as well as the post-election disagreements of the Forum. A copy of the agenda obtained reads: “1. Chairman’s brief; NGF in the news; fresh and subsisting litigations; visits to the NGF secretariat; update on FAAC, ECA and SWF; Update on SPRM; other issues.” Also on the agenda is “2. Moving the NGF forward – post-election disagreements; NGF and its partners; NGF strategy plan (2013-2015). Aside the notice of meeting circulated to journalists, a source at the Amaechi-led NGF faction said all the 36 governors have been invited to the meeti...

There is no gain saying Borno state has been a peace loving state that accommodates all irrespective of denomination, but unfortunately, the spate of attacks by insurgents in Maiduguri has changed its name from home of peace to something else. Thus, making it become a household name with different identifications. No doubt, the security challenge facing the state has affected so many activities, both social, religious, economic among others. For instance, low turnout of well wishers and sympathizers during ceremonies is an unusual practice among peace loving people of the state. Gone are days when events tend to be memorable and filled to capacity with peoples from all walks of life. Weddings which are before filled to capacity is now attended by few people assigned by the grooms family, and most times, it is done after Friday congregational prayers to avoid unnecessary public gathering that will attract the attention of the security or the unknown. A common practice these days esp...

Recently, some Nigerians living in South Africa were reported to have been victims of violence allegedly fuelled by xenophobia. Hate crimes against Nigerians living in South Africa are nothing new. Since the dismantling of apartheid, Nigerians and other African nationals living in the country of the Madiba have been the subjects of coordinated xenophobic violence reminiscent of what black South Africans themselves suffered during the apartheid era. The story of this recent violence... It was not different from previous attacks. Reports of spontaneous assault by some South African members of Port Nolloth community were said to have targeted the Nigerian community living in the area. They were reportedly chased out of their homes, their property looted and their shops burnt. The attackers have always accused the Nigerians of dealing in drugs. But the Nigerian community in South Africa has denied the allegation. They in turn have accused the South Africans of envy. They claimed South ...

Former Minister of Defence, Lt. General Theophilus Danjuma ret., said on Saturday in Zaria, Kaduna State, that Nigerian leaders had failed the nation and should bury their heads in shame. “In spite of the many years of mismanaged opportunities and resources, I still believe that Nigeria can be reawakened and rebuilt to achieve greatness. If we renew our minds and reconcile with one another, if we coordinate our determined efforts." Danjuma, who said this at his conferment with a traditional title of Jarma Zazzau by Emir of Zazzau, Shehu Idris, also lamented that the Nigerian nation and its economy were now in tatters. He added that the nation was in need of patriotic elders that would use their wisdom to give the country the much needed direction. According to him, the confused nature of Nigerians is a clear indication of failure on the part of the leaders. Danjuma also took a swipe on the North, saying that in a highly competitive world, northern children were missing out ...