10 Lag buses seized in Ota, after Fashola impounds vehicles from Obasanjo’s farms

Since last weekend, about 10 LAG buses belonging to the Lagos State Government have been impounded in Ota, Ogun State and packed in Obasanjo Farms in retaliation over the confiscation of a utility vehicle last Friday belonging to Obasanjo Farms owned by the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
THE CITIZEN gathered that the vehicle belonging to Obasanjo Farms was seized by the officials of Lagos State Transport Management Agency (LASTMA) for contravening traffic law and after Obasanjo’s efforts failed to get the vehicle released, his company allegedly instigated some miscreants to forcefully seize over 10 LAG buses that crossed the Lagos-Ogun boundary in Ota.
THE CITIZEN was reliably informed that the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola turned down Obasanjo’s pleas for the release of his vehicle but instead advised him that his company should obey the law.
It was also gathered that following the alleged seizure of the LAG buses, the management of the bus company has halted all further operations to Ota axis until further notice.
However, efforts to reach LAGBUS Managing Director, Mr. Babatunde Disu proved abortive.
 DailyPost

Airtel crosses 60 million active customer mark in Africa

Airtel 
 Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), a leading telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today celebrated its 60 millionth customer in Africa. Airtel, which recently moved up one notch in global rankings to become the fourth largest mobile operator in the world in terms of subscribers, added 10 million customers across its operations in 17 African countries in less than 12 months of having crossed 50 million subscribers.

“Since launching the Airtel brand in Africa in 2010, Airtel has been on a steady growth path,” explains Andre Beyers, Chief Marketing Officer, Airtel Africa. “The ability to communicate with each other is no longer a privilege on this continent, but a necessity. Airtel remains committed to ensuring that it continues to provide innovative and relevant communications solutions to all, which positively impacts as many lives as possible.”

A Commitment to Innovation

Airtel has remained steadfastly committed to providing customers with telecommunication services that make lives easier. Since celebrating its 50 millionth customer, the company has embarked on a journey to build the largest 3G network across the continent. To date, the company has rolled out its 3.75G network to 14 countries. Reaching speeds of up to 21 mbps, Airtel’s 3.75G network is one of the fastest available globally and will be immensely beneficial to large Corporates, Small and Medium Businesses and the Youth.

“Access to telecommunications plays a crucial role in driving economies within Africa,” explains Mr. Beyers. “This includes access to both voice and data services. The biggest transformation on the continent is in bridging the digital divide and connecting the continent to the rest of the world; this remains Airtel’s commitment to the communities that we serve.”

With the recent launch in Madagascar and Burkina Faso, Airtel Money, Airtel’s mobile money platform, Airtel Money, is now live in 14 countries across Africa. The service, allows communities to take maximum advantage of the mobile commerce reality sweeping through the industry by enabling them to conduct a range of financial transactions quickly, securely and easily.

A Commitment to the Environment

Perhaps one of the most notable achievements is that the company has placed equal importance on reducing its carbon footprint. As part of its commitment to the environment Airtel has undertaken a series of ‘green’ initiatives that deliver tangible results. Over the last year, it has reduced the number of sites running solely on diesel by more than 50 per cent through the use of innovative models such as a Hybrid Battery Bank. By 2013, the Company aims to completely eradicate the constant use of diesel to power its network. This means no site will rely solely on diesel power 24 hours a day.

“As a global company we need to ensure that we stay committed to the long-term well being of the environment in order to be truly successful and make a positive impact on the community,”  continues Mr. Beyers. “Reaching this goal will be a huge accomplishment for us, and we intend to do whatever it takes to ensure that we completely reduce our dependence on diesel power and instead focus on alternative forms of energy like solar power.”

A commitment to the Society

Despite the company’s growing commercial success, Airtel remains focused on making a positive impact on the communities in which it operates. As part of this initiative, Airtel works with the respective Education Ministries in each country to identify schools in need of refurbishment and educational facilities in order to create a better learning environment for students. To date, the company has adopted 30 schools through its ‘Our School’ initiative across the continent, with plans to adopt up to 45 schools by April next year.

Earlier this year, the company also kicked off its second season of the Airtel Rising Stars tournament – Africa’s largest grassroots football tournament that aims to nurture and develop local talent from a grassroots to a national level. The tournament is supported by world-renowned football clubs, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Road to the Future

Though Airtel has already notched up significant milestones, it remains dedicated to marking more successes in Africa. Moving forward, the company is hoping to grow its subscriber base on the continent through maintaining a strong focus on rural penetration, innovation and customer responsiveness.
  BusinessNews 

Five observer groups condemn Ondo State governorship poll, say results were manipulated

Five of the election Observer groups who monitored the just concluded Ondo State gubernatorial poll on Saturday have condemned the election which declared the incumbent Governor, Olusegun Mimiko the winner.
The group noted that the election was marred with an unprecedented level of election results manipulation, falsification and rigging in the history of Nigeria.
Speaking yesterday to reporters in Akure on behalf of other groups, Dr. Gabriel Nwambu of the Justice Development and Peace Commission [JDPC] said “in Orimolade Grammar School, Okelisa Okeduke, Ogbodu in Ondo West, unit 012 and area code 11, the presiding officer Oguntoye Yekeen, a youth Corps member and Miss Ebiloye Omolade, an Assistant Presiding officer were allegedly seen thumb printing for Labour Party [LP] with a cash of N50,000 each.
He said “The question is where did a youth Corps member, Yekeen and his ally get N50,000 in a polling Unit?”
According to him, “in Owo, two LP Chieftains, Niran Sule, the Commissioner for Special Duties and Mr. Tunji Ojomo Chairman, Caretaker Committee in Owo local government were caught and arrested for illegal possession of six AK 47 riffles of firearms used to commit mayhem and terrorise innocent voters who are member of the PDP.
“This explains the low turnout and subsequent winning of LP in Owo as thousands of voters were disenfranchised.
“At Okitipupa and Idanre, thugs working for LP snatched ballot boxes, harassing voters and opposition parties.
“In Ilaje, a stronghold of the PDP, INEC did not conduct election in two wards and the ad-hoc staff of INEC never showed up.
The election observers noted that on Thursday, `15 youths working for LP were arrested in Akure for thumb printing and stuffing of ballot boxes in an LP Chieftain’s House.
It was noted that report by election observer organizations must be taken seriously in order to save the young democracy from imminent collapse.
Other leaders of Independent Observers at the news conference include Rose Akhigbe of the Network of Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria [NCSON], Comrade Sebastime Ekpenyong of Electoral Rights Monitor [ERM] and Ambassador Iwara Okoi of the Transparency Advocacy Centre [TAC]
DailyPost

Six people dead over land tussle with Enugu International Airport Authority

Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’s move to upgrade the Enugu Airport to international standard led to the acqusition of some private lands through the state Ministry of Lands, with a promise to compensate the landowners since 2009.
 However, just as the legal battle for due compensation by the government delays, six of the affected landowners at Airport Hillview and Layout, whose houses were demolished in the process have been reported dead.
That notwithstanding, Justice D. V Agishi of the Federal High Court in Enugu yesterday adjourned its ruling on the matter to November 19, 2012 due to the failure of the State’s counsel to appear in court.
Speaking on behalf of other landowners, the chairman of the Airport Hillview and Layout Landlords Association, Mr. Emmanuel Onoh, expressed his disappointment on the non-challant attitude of the government over the matter. According to him, “we have since agreed to give the land to the government. It belongs to the government, but we are saying that we must be compensated and quickly. Already six people have died waiting for government’s compensation. Two others are very sick due to the shock they received on government’s acquisition of our land.
Most of us are still very worried and our health is fast deteriorating because we have not had money to buy another land equivalent to what we bought the land at Airport Hillview and Layout to build the houses some years ago. We the landowners, under the auspices of Airport Hillview and Layout Neighbourhood Watch, dragged the state government to court in 2010 when it failed to redeem its promise to pay us our due compensation.”
Also adding to the complaints lodged by Mr. Onoh, their counsel, Nwabueze Ugwu, said the State government has been playing pranks with the promised compensation, however, he is also pressing hard to see if the case would be settled out of court amicably.
DailyPost

$180m Halliburton scandal: FG orders re-arrest of principal suspects

By KINGSLEY OMONOBI
ABUJA—There were indications in Abuja, Tuesday, that the Presidency has directed the Police to re-arrest the principal suspects in the $180million Halliburton bribery scandal, involving prominent Nigerians, for prosecution.
This is sequel to the insistence by the US authorities that the $130million presently in the US government coffers, will be returned to Nigeria only after the culprits were prosecuted as the Americans have done.

As a result of the directive, Vanguard gathered that the Inspector General of Police has directed the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Force Criminal Investigations Department to resuscitate the investigative report of the CP Ali Amodu-led panel that investigated the scandal and submitted its report in 2010.
Consequently, such principal suspects like the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Dominic Bello; former federal Permanent Secretary and Intercellular boss, Ibrahim Aliyu; former GMD of NNPC, Gaius Obaseki; former Special Assistant to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Domestic Affairs, Mr. Bodunde Adeyanju and a former Secretary to the board of LNG, Mrs. Anthony are to be re-arrested for prosecution.
Aside the arrest of the principal suspects in the bribery scandal, the source told Vanguard that the US government is insisting that the whereabouts of the $26. 5million returned by Construction giants, Julius Berger, in a plea bargain arrangement, should be located and handed over to the police, as until today, nobody including the police know where the money was paid or deposited.
Recall that Julius Berger was one of the indicted concerns in the $180million Halliburton bribery scandal while another indicted group was TSKJ, the Consortium of four companies that eventually carried out the construction of the Liquefied Natural Gas Company.
Vanguard had reported in 2010 that the Consortium of companies under the umbrella, TSKJ, was also interested in a plea bargain arrangement and may cough out as much as $50million into government coffers before the plea bargain will be taken seriously.
Recall that Budunde had confessed to the investigating team that he collected the sum of $6million from Chief Obaseki while he was lodging at TRANSCORP HILTON and handed the money over to Mallam Lawal Batagarawa, former Minister of State for Defence, who further handed same to Chieftains of a popular political party.
On Julius Berger’s $26.5million, Vanguard had reported in 2010 that the five-man inter-agency panel that investigated the scandal, raised an alarm after Julius Berger entered into a plea bargain arrangement to exonerate it from prosecution but the money was no where to be found.
Vanguard

Court confiscates undeclared money on man at airport

By Joseph Onyekwere and Terhemba Daka 

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned a 25-year-old man, Abubakar Tijani, before a Federal High Court, Lagos .
The sum of  $7.5 million was found on him while checking in at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos.
The accused, Tijani, a Dubai-bound traveller and international business tycoon pleaded guilty to the charge.
As a result, the trial judge, Justice C.J Aneke in his judgment, ordered the seizure of all  his  travelling documents.
He also, ordered that part of the money undisclosed, which amounted to 25% of the total sum be forfeited  to the Federal Government.
The prosecutor, Mr Mohammed Yusuf told the court that the  accused was arrested by the police on September 27 at the international wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos.
He said that the accused  who claimed to have collected various sums of money from different traders in Lagos, failed to disclose the total sum of money he was conveying.
According to Yusuf, at the customs checkpoint of the airport, Tijani had claimed that he had only $4.5 million in his suit  case.
He said that after a thorough search, the officers discovered that what the accused actually had in his possession was $7.5 million contrary to his initial claim.
He said that the offence contravened section 12 of the Foreign Exchange Monitoring and Miscellaneous Act, 2004.
However, counsel to the respondent, Mr Obafemi Ogundare, during allocutus, had pleaded for leniency on behalf of his client, stating that he was a first offender.
He urged the court to tamper justice with mercy and free his client without confining him to prison.
Ogundare said it would be a shame to the family of the accused, if their son  was committed to prison on account of such offence, more so as he was a youngster.
TheGuardian

Fight breaks out in Edo community over “manhood initiation”

 by Hauwa Gambo

inShare

Many residents of South Ibie Kingdom, near Auchi, Etsako East Local Government, Edo State on Tuesday fled the community as fighting broke out between youths and the police.
The News Agency of Nigeria, reports that the fight broke out following a dispute between the monarch and some sections of the kingdom on whether to hold the Manhood Initiation Celebration during Eid-el-kabir.
The fight was said to have started on Tuesday morning when the police allegedly destroyed the “local shade’’ set up to mark the initiation ceremony by a section of the kingdom.
Following the development, a hot argument ensued between both parties which led to an exchange of gunfire.
NANlearnt that the police moved to the community to maintain law and order.
Chairman of the local government, Dr. Bruno Oshonebo, told NAN on the telephone that the South Ibie Kingdom government recognised monarch got approval from the state government not to allow any manhood ceremony to take place in the kingdom during Sallah.
He said, ”You know there is a long time chieftaincy dispute in the kingdom and each time there is a Muslim festival, there is always a problem.
“However, to forestall such problem, the state government had acceded to the monarch, who the government recognises, not to have any form of manhood celebration in the kingdom.
“This is exactly what I am trying to do, to enforce the ban on any form of celebration in the area during Sallah.”
YNaija.com