It's a shame that this kind of thing is happening to our great Nigeria. It's every Nigerians' responsibility to tackle this menace.

I am into a relationship of 3yrs but i have never had sex. Reason is i want to do that when i am married,only to my wife.

The minister of state for information Labaran Maku is now the minister of information and communication following the resignation of former minister, Dora Akunyili. Mrs. Akunyili had, on Monday, submitted her resignation letter to President Goodluck Jonathan. An emotional Mrs. Akunyili walked into the press briefing hall yesterday after the Federal Executive Council meeting to confirm speculations that she may be resigning.

“Having reflected over the years about events in Nigeria and in particular in my state, Anambra State, I have come to the conclusion that it is a defining moment in my life when I should make the sacrifice of leaving a comfortable place to go to a more difficult terrain in other to build a better place for Nigeria,” she said.

“I have therefore decided to join my governor, Peter Obi, who is doing a great job in Anambra State, in continuing to build that state as an APGA by the grace of God. In this regard, I intend to pick the nomination form today to run for the office of senator representing Anambra central senatorial district.”

She then asked for the continued support and prayers of members of the press and the public.

“As I take this step, I ask for your prayers and unflinching support,” she said. “I am deeply grateful for your cooperation and partnership without which I wouldn’t have succeeded as minister of information and communications.”

Missing Akunyili

Mrs. Akunyili then made way for Mr. Maku to take the microphone. In his speech, Mr. Maku wished his predecessor well in her new path of politics, adding that the president had reluctantly accepted the request from her.

“Council today was an emotional one,” he said. “As you do know, Akunyili has made her mark in the country since her days as the director-general of NAFDAC, later DG of Yar’Adua/Jonathan campaign organisation and subsequently, minister of information and communication in the federal republic. Our sister is well known to Nigerians for her doggedness, commitment and indeed her service to our nation. Our prayers are with her in her new service. She is a woman in search of making a mark in her country.”

Mrs. Akunyili was one of the few ministers who returned to the same ministerial post after the dissolution of former president Umaru Yar’Adua’s cabinet by Mr. Jonathan on resumption as acting president. She famously read a memo demanding the ministers’ support of the transfer of power to Mr. Jonathan when the late Mr. Yar’Adua became incapacitated earlier in the year while the other ministers were still unwilling to publicly take a stand.
http://www.nigeriacurrentnews.com/maku-new-minister-of-information-and-communication/

Tragedy was averted in Isheri, behind Diamond Estate, in Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area, Lagos, on Thursday afternoon when fuel pipeline exploded in flames.No life was, however, lost as the men of the Lagos State Fire Service as well as officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps responded quickly to the distress calls by the residents.

An eyewitness, who craved anonymity, said the fire was caused by vandals, who came to scoop fuel when some farmers were burning the bush.

He said, “The incident started at about 12 noon. Some people came to scoop fuel from the pipeline, unknown to them that some farmers were burning their refuse. It was fire from the refuse burning that made the pipeline to go up in flames.”

Another resident, who also declined to give his name, said that before the fire started, he saw some persons in trucks with gallons and funnels.

He said, “They headed for a place they dug and started scooping fuel. When they noticed that fire had been triggered, they ran away with their vehicle.”

But another resident, Samod Dauda, dismissed the insinuation that it was the activities of pipeline vandals that caused the fire, claiming that there was a leakage in the pipeline which he alleged that the authorities had refused to repair for a long while.

The Chief Fire Officer, Operations, LSFS, Mr. Adebowale Sunday, said, “We got a distress call around 12.30pm from some residents in Diamond Estate. We quickly set out. But before we left, we mobilised firefighters from Igando and Isolo to move to the scene. When they got there, they discovered that it was a petrochemical fire.

“They alerted us and we came with foamy waters to be able to put out the fire. As you can see, we have been able to put out the fire. We came here with six firefighting trucks. It was such dangerous fire.”

The Deputy Superintendent, NSCDC, Mrs. Opeyemi Ayegbusi, urged the government to send a delegation to the place to ascertain the true situation of thing.

An official of the Red Cross Society, Mr. Calistus Ukachukwu, corroborated the views of the residents, saying that his findings revealed that the fire was caused by bush burning which ignited the burst pipeline.

But a safety officer from the Petroleum Product Marketing Company, Ejigbo, said that the NNPC would send a team of engineers to the scene to determine the cause of the fire and what next to be done.
http://www.nigeriacurrentnews.com/fuel-pipeline-explosion-averted-in-lagos/

President Goodluck Jonathan has sounded a note of warning to those making inciting statements, challenging Nigeria’s sovereignty as a nation and warned his government would no longer “take that kind of rubbish lightly.” [More...] The president, who was speaking at the decoration ceremony of some newly promoted Nigerian Navy and Air Force Admirals and Air Vice Marshals yesterday in Abuja, said those who made such incendiary utterances were always the first to take their families abroad to stay until other people’s children and families suffered and died as a result of their mischief.

He was apparently reacting to perceived inciting statements by former president Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) and former vice president and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

Atiku had, while speaking at the National Stakeholders Conference organised by the Adamu Ciroma-led Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) in Abuja, on Wednesday, warned the Federal Government on the likelihood of violence in next year’s election, saying, “those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable.”

President Jonathan warned: “We will no longer allow that kind of culture. I will not allow anybody to take the country for a ride. And sometimes, I frown at some people making statements, especially those of us who are politicians making statements, challenging the sovereignty of this nation.

“Nigerian Government will no longer take that kind of rubbish lightly. Because when we have crisis, we lose army officers, police officers and some of us who are the cause of the trouble are the people flying to the United States to go and stay until other peoples’ children will die, other people’s wives will suffer then they come back to be our leaders. We will no longer allow that kind of culture. I will not allow anybody to take the country for a ride.”

President Jonathan, while decrying inciting utterances by some politicians in recent times, said Nigeria was bigger than any individual. He called on those guilty of such inciting statements to focus on how to move the country forward and not toe the path of destruction. The president commended the role played by the Nigerian military to keep the nation one, saying but for the role played by the Nigerian Armed Forces in international peace support operations all over the world, Nigeria would not have been recognised as the giant of Africa.

He said the country, more than ever before, was ready to take her rightful place in the African sub-region, adding that the whole world was looking up to Nigeria to settle the political situation in Cote d’ Ivoire. “We have to thank the military for keeping the country together. You have shown leadership in the whole of Africa.

As for what is happening in Cote d’ Ivoire everyday, presidents all over the world are calling on me because they feel it is only Nigeria that can solve the problem of that country. That tells you how others rate Nigeria and we have no reason to derail. “I have to commend the military for doing that. We have that standing role in the society because of the role the military is playing.”

The president, who personally decorated the first female rear admiral in the Nigerian Navy with her new rank, said his administration was conferring with the leadership of the Nigerian Armed Forces to commence the admission of women into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) to be trained as regular combatant.
http://www.nigeriacurrentnews.com/goodluck-jonathan-warns-ibb-atiku/

Did they really expect the bank's spokesman to call back.

Three Nigerians were yesterday jailed  for a total of 18-and-a-half years for setting up a fake educational institution, called Bogus Colleges, to help illegal immigrants remain in the United Kingdom (UK). The UK Border Agency’s London Immigration Crime Team, told the prosecution that its investigations revealed the dirty deals of the three, which include a husband and wife, Tiamiyu and Christiana Bello, aged 75 and 67 respectively, and a 39-year-old solicitor, Adeyinka Adeniran.

The couple were arrested following a raid on a property on New Cross Road in South London in July 2007, while Mr. Adeniran was later arrested following a search of his office on Old Kent Road. The sentence yesterday followed an 11-week trial at Croydon Crown Court, where the Bellos were found guilty of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration and conspiracy to possess articles for use in fraud. They were both sentenced to five years in prison each. Mr. Adeniran was also found guilty of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration, which the judge described as a “disgrace to his profession.” He was sentenced to eight and a half years behind bars.

Revelations

The UK Border’s Agency said its raid on Mr. And Mrs. Bello’s office, which was registered to the address of “Academic College of Education” and the “Academic College of Training and Recruitment”, institutions for which the Bellos were the principals, led to the seizures of documents.

“During a search, a large number of documents were seized, including letters purporting to be from the Academic College of Education and counterfeit qualification certificates. Many of the files seized from that address contained documentation from the Bellos’ college. Officers soon discovered that the building was a collection of bedsits and there was no evidence of lessons being taught there,” the agency said.

UK officers told the court that though the scam had been on for many years, the entirety of the business structure totally, “involved the supply of fake qualification documents which were then used to support visa applications to the Home Office. Many applicants were then represented by Mr. Adeniran through his legal practice.”

Chris Foster, who leads the London Immigration Crime Team for the UK Border Agency, described the structure as “a sophisticated criminal enterprise, which had the explicit aim of helping those who had no right to be in the UK evade immigration controls. As this case shows, illegal immigration can be big business. I hope this sends out a message that we are committed to tackling the criminal groups behind it, putting the ringleaders before the courts, and, ultimately, behind bars.”
http://www.nigeriacurrentnews.com/three-nigerians-in-uk-jail-over-college-visa-scam/

It was a day of mixed business operations for Union Bank. While its 41st annual general meeting was on at Maiduguri, Borno State capital, protesting staff shut down the bank’s operations nationwide.The workers said they have had enough of the mismanagement of the present management staff, and in particular, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Funke Osibodu. They are also complained about the alleged termination of 200 staff without due process. “Enough is enough,” said one of the protesters, who did not wish to be named. “What is it? Since she came, we have not known peace. She has been undermining workers solidarity and constantly deducting workers salary for no specific reason. We need answers to her actions so far. We need her to clarify certain thing we don’t understand. All the tax that are being deducted from our salaries, there is no evidence that they are being remitted to the tax office. She is looting our money. They were told to come here and raise our share capital base. Nothing has happened so far. It’s not really the layoff that is our problem now.”

Inquiries revealed that all the branches of the bank nationwide were affected by the protest as the central server which is supposed to link up the systems for the online services were shut down as well. The protest is one of the fallouts of the restructuring of the rescued banks by the Central Bank which commenced last year with the takeover of nine banks.


Protest would continue

Denja Yakub, the Assistant secretary Nigeria Labour Congress, said the protest “would continue forever.” “We have succeeded in shutting down all Union Bank branches nationwide,” he said. “They didn’t work anywhere today and we will continue tomorrow. It will continue forever until they decide to talk with us.” Mr Yakub alleged that the bank management has ignored implementation of all collective agreements it signed with the union, misappropriated shareholders’ funds, and sacked over 200 workers without due process.

Among the placards and hand bills held by the protesting workers were inscriptions like ‘Madam Osibodu, stop undermining workers’ solidarity’. ‘Know that working men have no country’. ‘While the wages of workers is under assault, the directors’ income is witnessing an upward swing’. ‘Osibodu, why are you moving deposit to our competitors? Tell the world why you ceded our US$500 million deposit to First Bank of Nigeria’. ‘Madam Osibodu, you represent the Jezebel of our time. We bind you, don’t disturb’.

However, while her house was literarily on fire, Mrs Osibodu was assuring shareholders that better days are ahead as a result of the changes being implemented in the bank. “We are confident that the changes being implemented in the bank will yield the desired results such that they will begin to reap good returns from their investments in the bank in the near future,” she said.

Francis Barde, the bank’s spokesperson, said he was unable to comment on the picketing and promised to call back; which he did not do as at the time of going to the press.
http://www.nigeriacurrentnews.com/workers-shut-down-union-bank-nigeria/

The federal government has proposed a budget of N4.2 trillion for the 2011 financial year, with a crude oil benchmark pegged at $62 per barrel.

Capital expenditure is expected to take N1 trillion while the remaining N3.2 trillion will be gulped by recurrent expenditure.

It was confirmed that contrary to earlier reports, the federal government intends to commence a cut in the recurrent expenditure starting from the 2012 financial year. The Presidency was however still tinkering with the budget proposal ahead of its presentation to the joint session of the national assembly today.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, approved a request by President Goodluck Jonathan to extend the lifespan of the 2010 budget to March 31, 2011.

Mr Jonathan had made the request to the National Assembly two weeks ago, following the row between the House and the Executive arm over the poor implementation of the capital component of the budget.

The House had threatened not to consider the 2011 Appropriation Bill until it was satisfied with the implementation of the capital profile of the budget. It however, rescinded the decision last week after the president’s letter.

Cutting the work force

It was learnt that the government can only cut recurrent expediture if things can be reviewed, like the downsizing of the workforce in the ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) of government; and the merging of ministries, and parastatals.

Available information also revealed that the government is looking at the prospect of voluntary retirement and payoff for civil servants who are willing to leave the service.

“All these are cost saving measures but they are things that cannot be done overnight. It is not a six months thing. The government will have to do this gradually and over time,” a top Presidency official said yesterday in an interview.

The ministry of finance, as part of steps towards the auditing of staff of the civil service and MDAs had already spent over N12 billion in building a database of staff in 16 MDAs with a view to cover all the MDAs and parastatals of government by the end of the 2011 financial year.

“This processes require time,” the source said adding that “people who will be laid off will have to be paid or provided alternative jobs. It has to be planned carefully in order for it not to have a back lash effect,” the source said.

It was however gathered that the disproportionate budgeting pattern had been a subject of concern to the Minister of Finance Olusegun Aganga, hence the setting up of a committee in September to review the expenditure pattern and advise government appropriately.

The committee, as at the time of finalising the 2011 budget proposal, was yet to turn in its report.
http://www.nigeriacurrentnews.com/nigerian-government-budgets-n4-2tr-for-2011/

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), yesterday, sold $400 million in its by-weekly Wholesale Dutch Auction System (WDAS).

This is the highest sale of foreign exchange at the official window since September 27 auction when $650 million was traded. The Central Bank has sold about $4.9 billion in the last two months in 18 auctions. Similarly, the foreign reserves dropped to $33.84 billion on Friday from $34.16 billion the previous day. Analysts forecast a surge in forex demand in the next few weeks due largely to the increased market reliance on CBN. Official data for the months of January-August 2010 indicate that the central bank supplied approximately 27.1 per cent of the dollar demand of $52 billion of inflows into Nigeria’s foreign exchange market with autonomous sources (oil companies, international institutions, and remittances) accounting for the rest. The naira sold at the official market at N149.01, while at the interbank it sold at 151.865, at the bureau de change at N152 and 153 at the parallel market.

Demand pressure

According to analysts at Afrinvest, an investment and financial services firm, the naira may “inch upwards this week as demand pressure increases towards the end of the year.” The firm in its weekly report however said sustained inflows from oil majors will likely stabilize the naira in the interbank market. The report noted that demand for forex increased last week when compared to a slowdown in the previous week. Although the CBN maintained its volume of supply, market demand of $548.7m outstripped the $450.0m offered. This demand pressure continued this week as $447.62 million was actually demand out of which the CBN was able to meet 89.36 per cent of demand.

A bureau de change operator on Broad Street in Lagos, Gali Kabiru, said the increase in dollar supply may be due to anticipation of increased demand. “People expect that after next week, the foreign exchange market may be closed until next year so many people are making provisions for such occurrence,” he said, adding that interbank rate at N153 makes parallel market rate. He said the demand may increase for the next few auctions before the closure.

Sustain dollar rate

Regional Head of Research, Africa Razia Khan, Standard Chartered, London, Razia Khan said it is important for the central bank to commit to meeting market demand in full, to sustain any given dollar-naira rate. “Because the auction cut-off represents the lowest successful bid, most bids for foreign exchange are likely to have been settled at higher dollar-naira rates, and the interbank market will normally trade at a higher rate than that determined by the WDAS auction,” she said. According to her, naira stability would be achieved with the supplier able to comfortably anticipate and meet market demand. “In this case, it would require the CBN to stay ahead of the market, and pre-empt any spike in forex demand,” she said.
http://www.nigeriacurrentnews.com/central-bank-sells-400m-in-auction-sales/

James Ibori, former Delta State governor, who is on a wanted list in Britain over allegations of corruption, yesterday in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, lost his appeal against his extradition.

The Gulf Arab Emirates’ cassation court ruled against Mr. Ibori’s appeal. The former governor, who has also been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was arrested in the Emirates in May. The arrest was at the behest of the London Metropolitan Police, and a Dubai court later approved a British extradition request.

Convicted associates

A British court had in August 2007 frozen his assets, worth over $35 Million, based on the suspicion that they were the proceeds of corruption. Some of Mr. Ibori’s associates in Britain have been convicted.

Among these are his sister, Christine Ibie-Ibori, and his ally, Udoamaka Okoronkwo (nee Onuigbo). Both are currently serving jail terms in a United Kingdom prison. Mr. Ibori’s wife, Theresa Nkoyo, and his UK-based lawyer, Bhadresh Gohil, were also convicted recently.

A statement by Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson of the EFCC, yesterday said, “The ruling today of the appellate court in Dubai only goes to confirm our earlier position issued after the first ruling in October that justice is universal and applicable anywhere in the world.

“We have been cooperating with authorities in other jurisdictions on this matter and we will continue to do this until the cause of justice is fully served, irrespective of the ignorance and misrepresentation being peddled by mischief makers.”

The anti-graft agency had in April tried to arrest Mr. Ibori before his trip to Dubai, to question him over allegations that he looted N44 billion from Delta State coffers. However, a large number of his supporters prevented police from arresting him in his hometown, Oghara. Few days after, he fled the country for Dubai. How he fled the country without being apprehended is still unknown.

Mr. Ibori governed Delta State from 1999 to 2007. He was a big power broker in the Peoples Democratic Party after he left power, dismissing all accusations against him as political.

It is not clear yet how soon he will be flown to Britain to face further prosecution.
http://www.nigeriacurrentnews.com/james-ibori-extradition-to-london/

The suspected leader of kidnap gangs in Abia State, Obioma Nwankwo, popularly known as Osisikankwu, was yesterday killed by the military task force deployed to the state by the federal government. The news of his killing led to wild jubilation among residents of Aba and Umuahia. His death marked another success in the efforts of the military task force to rid the state of gangs that have made life difficult for the people of the state and almost destroyed social and economic activities in the area. Deputy army public relations officer and spokesperson of the task force, Sagir Musa, confirmed the death of Mr. Nwankwo yesterday. He said the alleged kidnapper was shot dead at Obokwe market, in Ukwa West Local Government Council, by a joint police and military patrol team.

A broken myth

Mr. Musa said that the military had laid an ambush for the kidnapper for some days after they learnt of his presence in the bush near the market. The kidnapper’s killing brought to an end a myth surrounding him in Aba that the man could neither be caught nor killed. The commissioner of police in Abia State, Jonathan Johnson, also told NEXT that the body of the gang leader will be displayed to reassure residents of the state that he was truly dead.

Another source said the task force got closer to Mr Nwankwo two days ago when his accomplice who used to supply him arms was arrested. After his arrest, arms including two GPMGs, three RPG bombers, 20 pieces of RPG bombs, 93 empty magazines of AK47 guns, 150 litre keg filled with live ammunition and eight pieces of AK47 guns, were recovered from the accomplice. Mr. Musa said last night that the body of the notorious kidnapper had been taken to Umuahia to be shown to government officials and would be publicly paraded today in the city. Hundreds of people trooped to the military barracks in Aba last night waiting to see the body, but they left disappointed when the body was not presented. Mr Nwankwo, who was arrested a few months ago, was inexplicably released by the police and since then, had tormented the people, who ascribed daredevil abilities to him. Mr Musa described Osisikankwu’s killing as a landmark achievement of the military operations in the state and promised that the task force will not relent until it flushes out the remaining kidnappers in the area.

State of anarchy

Kidnapping in Abia State reached new heights on July 11th when four journalists and their driver were kidnapped on their way from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, after attending the National Executive Council meeting of the Nigeria Union of Journalists. Among the journalists was Wahab Alabi Oba, the chairman of the Lagos State Council of the NUJ. The Senate president, David Mark, subsequently demanded that a state of emergency be declared in the state. He also advocated the application of ‘jungle solution’ to the rising level of kidnappings and armed robbery to serve as a deterrent to others, saying the rule of law could not be applied in a jungle situation. Senior officials of the International Police Organisation (INTERPOL) were invited by the federal government to help track down the kidnappers. The journalists were later released although an initial ransom demand of N250 million was not paid.

A few days before the nation’s 50th independence anniversary, gunmen seized 15 primary school children on their way to school. The abductors had contacted the owner of the private school and demanded a N20 million ransom before the children could be released. However, the students were set free on the day of the nation’s independence anniversary. Mr. Nwankwo’s gang was reportedly responsible for the kidnappings.