Fire Destroys Seven Cars At Ogun Secretariat

Fire set by some unknown persons to the bush behind the perimeter fence of the Ogun State Government Secretariat, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta on Saturday destroyed no fewer than seven cars.
The cars were parked within the premises of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
The complex where the fire incident occurred is located a few metres away from the office of the state governor.
Six of the vehicles which were said to have been part of those retrieved from the immediate past chairmen of the local government caretaker committees in the state, were completely burnt while the seventh one was partially touched by the fire which raged for over 30 minutes.
The timely intervention of fire fighters, security men and employees of the ministry who were on duty, saved more than 20 cars.
The incident occurred few days after a fire incident at the Hilltop home of former president Olusegun Obasanjo and another one in Ago-Egun in which the traditional ruler of the town lost his wife and two children.
The Deputy Chief of Staff to the governor, Shuaib Salisu, said, “We appeal to people to desist from indiscriminate bush burning especially during the harmattan period.”
Naij

FIFA accuse Nigeria of match fixing, NFF say they are unaware

The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) says it believes 2010 World Cup warm-up match between Nigeria and North Korea in June 2010 could have been pre-arranged.
The match was played on June 6 at the Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa, outside Johannesburg, and Nigeria won the game 3-1.
In a report on behalf of FIFA security team, Terry Steans alleged that the match officials led by Niger referee Ibrahim Chaibou were chosen by convicted Singaporean match-fixer Wilson Perumal and his Football 4U organisation.
Perumal is believed by both FIFA and Interpol of fixing matches in several countries, standing to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal profits.
The match-fixing report, which was handed to South Africa Football Association (SAFA), said the Niger referee gave a harsh penalty against North Korea even when it seemed that the Korean defender did not commit an offence.
Obinna Nsofor stepped forward to score the resulting penalty in the 62nd minute and double the Eagles’ lead after Yakubu Aiyegbeni had put Nigeria in front.
Interestingly, Chaibou was also at the centre in another Eagles’ friendly which has also been listed by FIFA as “suspicious.”
Nigeria beat Argentina 4-1 in June 2011 in Abuja with several questionable calls by the Niger referee.
However, spokesman for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ademola Olajire, told MTNFootball.com they are unaware of this allegation and have yet to be communicated on it.
“We have not been communicated by FIFA on such, so until we get that, we cannot comment about any allegations,” Olajire said.
In South Africa, the South Africa Football Association (SAFA) leadership led by president Kirsten Nematandani has been reinstated while a probe into match-fixing allegations continues.
 DailyPost

The Nigerian Bribe Takers

The Nigerian police topped the list of reported cases of bribery.

Charles Ahmed needed a job and so in February last year, he was asked to part with N250,000 to secure employment at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. He said that he was able to talk the staff of the para military outfit into collecting N150,000 but by December, he was still unemployed. For Mohammed, another job seeker, the N20,000 he paid to secure employment in a construction company last April had not yielded any result. "I have not been employed by the organization. I feel cheated. I do not even want the job again. I just want my money back," Mr. Mohammed wrote on egunjedotinfo, an anti corruption website.
In November last year, the website, dedicated to crowd-sourcing trends in bribery and corruption in Nigeria, was launched by the Integrity Organization Nigeria, an anti corruption, research and advocacy organization. "The primary goal of the project is to track, name, and shame corrupt individuals and organisations in Nigeria," said Soji Apampa, the founder.
World’s corruption capital
After the website’s launch, complaints of staff of public and private organisations soliciting for bribes began to appear on the site. The complaints ranged from an immigration official demanding N1,000 before he would stamp an international passport to a police officer claiming that they were mandated to make "returns" of at least N40,000 to their commanding officer mostly on Fridays. Within five weeks of its launch, the website has recorded N1.2 million as having been paid as bribes to both government and private officials, with the police leading as the top bribe-soliciting department. Nigeria has continued to remain rooted to the bottom of the global corruption rankings since the return of democracy in 1999.
In December last year, Nigeria was rated the 35th most corrupt country in the world by Transparency International, scoring a dismal 27 out of a maximum 100 marks. One month earlier, a Gallup poll had rated the country’s leadership as the second most corrupt in the world, with 94 per cent of Nigerians believing that there is widespread corruption in government. But corrupt practices are not limited to government officials. Writing on the website, a student travelling to Malaysia for a Masters Degree programme narrated his experience in the hands of an airline official. The student, who did not state his name, said that he was forced by the airline staff to tender an "irrelevant" document or part with $300 or he would not be allowed to board. "I thought of calling police but police also collected N5,000 before allowing me in, I thought of calling Custom but they also collected N1,000 too after checking my luggage. I had to call him (the airline staff) and pleaded with him to collect N5,000 which he refused. After serious begging, he collected N10,000 and they later clear my document and allowed me in,' the student said.
Naij

Investigation: Why Generals Are Reluctant To Leave Army

The recent retirement of 51 top officers of the Nigerian Army has caused a raging controversy as those affected have indicated their reluctance to pull out of the service.

Some of the affected officers had written to the Army Council to appeal for extension in order to use the extra period to build their own houses. But the Army Council turned down the requests for lack of strong reasons and on the grounds that granting them would be destructive to established norms in the army. Members of the Council were of the view that granting an extension to departing officers of the service would encourage corruption in the military which was said to be injurious to national development. There were fears that putting a retiring top officer, whose preoccupation is to build a house for retirement in a strategic formation could be counter-productive.
The Army Council comprises the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, and others. The President, who is represented in the council by the Minister of Defence, is chairman of the council which sits once in every four months. The 51 retired officers include 12 majors-general, 24 brigadiers general and 15 colonels.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen Bola Koleosho said that he had no comment on the issue of the retirement. During a press conference a fortnight ago Koleosho had said that the army carried out the directive of the council in accordance with the rules and regulations of the service.
Investigations showed that the reluctance of the retired officers to go resulted in the compulsory retirement of 18 of the top officers by the army. With their compulsory retirement, the affected officers cannot serve the nation as governors, senators, or members of the House of Representatives, or in any other capacity. The army spokesman said during the press conference that the affected officers could write to the Army Council for a rconsideration of the decision to retire them compulsorily.
Naij

Funke Akindele Working On ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’

Star actress, Funke Akindele Oloyede, is working on a new movie featuring her popular character, Jenifa, titled Everybody Loves Jenifa. According to Funke Akindele, Jenifa will travel to Jamaica and the US in the movie. She also revealed that the movie will feature Jenifa speaking Jamaican patois.
Funke Akindele said, she is also working on an English movie on HIV/AIDS, titled Season 3.
Naijaurban

Rochas Okorocha’s daughter marries his commissioner

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Nigeria’s eastern state of Imo, has given out his first daughter, Uloma away in marriage to his commissioner for lands and survey, Uche Nwosu.
Rochas Okorocha daughter’s marriage was consummated at the Holy Cross Catholic Church, in Owerri, capital of Imo state, following the traditional wedding at the bride’s family home in Ogboko, 3 January.
Among the dignitaries at the traditional wedding were former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger state, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Governor Aliyu Wammako of Sokoto and Senator Chris Ngige.
Uloma, as the first daughter of Rochas Okorocha, runs Okorocha’s charity foundation. Uche, 37 years old, also used to work for Okorocha when he was the President of the Foundation.
The first-son-in-law of Imo state hails from Umuokwe, Eziama-Obaire in Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo State.
He was born on the 8 August, 1975. He had his early education at the Shehu Sanda Kerimi Primary School Maiduguri between 1982 and 1988 and finished his secondary education the Government Secondary School, Eziama-Obaire, Nkwerre, Imo State in 1994.
Uche then studied Urban and Regional Planning at the Imo State University and graduated in 2000.
At the white wedding, former President Olusegun Obasanjo prayed God to bless the couple, and urged them to love each other.
In his sermon, the officiating priest, Rev. Fr. Julius Emegwa urged the groom to love his wife “as Christ loves the church” and the bride to be submissive to her husband.
Emegwa also enjoined them to tolerate and love each other, and noted that without love, marriage would not stand.
Obasanjo advised Governor Rochas Okorocha not to be deterred by criticism of his performance.
Obasanjo, who said that Rochas Okorocha was bound to receive criticisms, urged him to remain focused on the programmes and policies of his administration aimed at developing the state.
He reminded the governor that the more good he did, the more criticisms he would attract, citing Jesus Christ as an example.
The former president noted that Jesus was an epitome of goodness, yet he was crucified by his enemies.
The National Security Adviser, retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, represented President Good luck Jonathan at the occasion. Sen. Osita Izunaso, the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Diocese, Dr Anthony Obinna as well as Governors Peter Obi of Anambra, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta, former governor of Imo, Achike Udenwa and that of old Anambra, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife attended the wedding.
Also present were representatives of governors of Rivers, Ogun, Sokoto State, Kebbi, Kogi, Katsina State, Bauchi, Lagos State, Bayelsa and Nasarawa.
The father of the bride, Rochas Okorocha stressed the need for unity in the country, adding that the support he had received from people from all parts the country showed that Nigerians were becoming more united.
“I received supports and gifts from almost all the governors, including those that were represented.
“In fact, Nigeria is marching forward and very soon we will become the greatest nation in mankind if we continue like this,” he said.
Naijaurban

Lagos PDP denies endorsing Obanikoro

Nigeria’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State on Sunday denied endorsing, Senator Musliu Obanikoro, as its governorship candidate for 2015 general elections.
Mr Taofik Gani, the state PDP Publicity Secretary, made the clarification in a statement in Lagos.
He said that the news of the endorsement of Obanikoro was “false and meant to ferment trouble within the party’’.
“We disassociate our party from the news that we have endorsed Obanikoro or already looking in the direction of any particular person to become the party’s governorship candidate for the 2015 election in Lagos State.
“The speculation is orchestrated to cause disaffection within the Lagos PDP,’’ he said.
Gani, however, blamed the speculations on the mischief of opposition political parties.
“We are saying emphatically that we have not endorsed nor focused on any particular person to be our governorship candidate.
“Presently we are occupied with laying the conducive environment for free and fair primaries as may be directed by our national headquarters.
“Our party is a fully democratic party and we don’t intend to deviate from that identity, especially in selecting our candidates at all levels in all elections.
“We know that the certain opposition party is not comfortable with the new Lagos PDP popularity.’’
Obanikoro was the party’s candidate in the 2007 governorship election, while Dr Ade Dosunmu was the candidate in 2011.
Naij