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Friday 20 July 2012

Soldiers Go Wild In Lagos After Fashola’s ‘Humiliation’ Of Colonel


Irate soldiers during the attack on taskforce officials in Lagos, yesterday.
Soldiers went wild yesterday and attacked officers of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit at Yaba area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
This might not be unconnected with the ‘humiliation’ of an Army Colonel by Governor Babatunde Fashola on Tuesday for driving on BRT lane.
The soldiers attacked the taskforce officials with bottles and stones and used knife to puncture two tyres of the Black Maria used in conveying offenders.
Trouble started on Murtala Muhammed Way, Yaba close to an Army barracks when the taskforce officials, who were on patrol to ensure smooth flow of traffic, spotted a commuter bus parked in the middle of the road and obstructing traffic.
The tasforce officials were said to have  accosted the driver but a soldier who was sitting in the bus collected the key from the driver to prevent the taskforce officials from taking the bus away.
The soldier was said to have called for reinforcement from the 81 Division barracks and within minutes, several soldiers trooped out from the barracks and began to haul stones and other dangerous missiles at the taskforce officials.
Some of the soldiers were said to be making unsavoury remarks about the governor for daring to arrest and humiliate an Army Colonel on Tuesday and decided to vent their anger on the taskforce officials.
As the situation worsened, the taskforce also called for a reinforcement.
It was in the heat of the clash that the tyres of the Black Maria were torn with knife and deflated.
An eye witness said a top military officer, a Lieutenant, allegedly ordered his boys to abduct some of the taskforce officials and take them to the barracks.
Calm was restored when a senior taskforce official intervened and asked his boys to beat a retreat.
Taskforce Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman confirmed the attack on his men and described it as an affront on the state government for soldiers to vandalise government vehicle.
He said it was wrong for soldiers to attack taskforce officials on legitimate duty with stones and other dangerous weapons
source:pmnews

Thursday 19 July 2012

@ 23, Wizkid Set To Change Name...

Its your boy Wizkid! We can tell u exclusively that Wizkid who turned 23 two days ago is set to drop the "kid" toga in his identity. According to his tweet; “Wiz dropping the kid”.
Wizkid first rose to fame few years ago when he released his first single, ‘Holla at your boy’ then as a teenager. He is one of Nigeria’s A-list music artistes. He was recently signed into Akon’s Konvict Music alongside P-Square.
With this hint, Wizkid is indicating that he is no more a kid but an adult. Some months ago, he was reported to be in a fatherhood mess with a Ghanaian university undergraduate lady.

Goldie Is Back!

After her eviction from the Big Brother House,Nigeria's representative Goldie arrived Nigeria last night into the waiting arms of her friend and mentor Denrele and her record label boss,Keke Ogungbe of the Kennis Music fame.

Monday 16 July 2012

We waited an hour before towing Gawat’s vehicle –LASTMA

The General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Mr. Babatunde Edu, has said LASTMA officials waited for over an hour before towing the vehicle of the missing television presenter, Alhaji Razaq Gawat, on Eko Bridge on Tuesday.
Gawat, who was last seen on Tuesday, was declared missing by the Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday.
The LASTMA GM in a statement on Sunday said the vehicle, a 4RUNNER black Toyota SUV with number plate RE 77 AAA was found on the Eko Bridge around 11:45pm on Tuesday by his men led by the Zonal head, Mr. Akinpelu Ayuba.
He said the LASTMA officials were conducting regular safety checks on the bridge in order to ensure that there were no abandoned or broken down vehicles on it.
Edu said, “The vehicle was parked very close to the kerb with no visible sign of hit from other motorists except that its hazard light was on and the four doors were locked.
“The thinking of the officials at the time was that the occupant(s) had run out of fuel and had gone to source for same or in dire need of assistance. The dedicated officers in order to ensure the safety of the occupant(s) and also render assistance if need be, formed a search group to look out for the owner of the vehicle.
“The search went on for over one hour with no trace of the owner. In order to guide against stealing of the vehicle and to ensure that on coming vehicles and other road users did not run into it, the black jeep was towed into in the early hour of Wednesday to the Olowu Zone of the agency’s office on Lagos Island.”
He said the zone’s base officer, Mrs. Ganiat Ijaoba, while conducting routine checks on all impounded vehicles on Wednesday, discovered through the side glass that the vehicle’s passenger seat had some religious books and materials such as Qurans and complimentary cards that had Gawat Communications written on them scattered in the vehicle.
Edu said one of Gawat’s relatives, who is also an official of the agency, identified the vehicle as that of the presenter and he was asked to contact the family.
The LASTMA boss said Gawat’s wife, Fatimat, and three other men came to the agency’s office and were later joined by the Divisional Police Officer of Adeniji Central Police Station, Mr. Monday Agbonnika, in company with some policemen on Wednesday to take a look at the vehicle.
He added that after several unsuccessful attempts to open the vehicle with a spare key brought by members of Gawat’s family, the presenter’s son, Jubril, invited a panel beater who forcibly opened it.
The LASTMA boss said Fatimat entered the jeep to look for some documents which were observed to be missing together with her husband’s phone.
The team, comprising the presenter’s wife, other members of his family, LASTMA officials and the police later visited the scene where the vehicle was initially towed.
“A letter demanding for the release of the victim vehicle was written by the police so as to further help them in their investigations and this was obliged and the jeep was taken away by the police,” Edu said.
Meanwhile, a professor at the Lagos State University, Ojo, Is-haq Akintola, has described as baseless, unfounded and malicious, the rumours making the round that he found Gawat in Ibadan, Oyo State and brought him to Lagos on Friday.
Is-haq, who observed that such rumours would only create unnecessary tension, said he was at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, on official assignment on Thursday and Friday.
Also, Markaz Islamic and Arabic Institute, Lagos, on Friday organised a prayer for the safe return of the presenter.
During the prayer, which was led by Sheik Yaqub Al-Ilory, the cleric advised Gawat’s family to put their faith in God and urged security agents to find him.

Wild Jubilation In Benin As Oshiomhole Wins Election

Jubilant residents of Benin on Sunday took to the streets celebrating the re-election of Adams Oshiomhole as Governor of Edo State.
Oshiomhole received the nod for his second term in office by polling 477,478 votes to beat his closest rival, Maj.-Gen Charles Airhiavbere (retd.) of the Peoples Democratic Party who garnered 144,235 votes in Saturday’s election in the State.
The residents defied the downpour and danced round the city in long convoy of vehicles. Many jubilant youths rode on top of cars and buses and held aloft brooms, the symbol of Oshiomhole’s Action Congress of Nigeria.
Some of the youth performed stunts and chanted “Oshio Baba,” and “Osho Baba,” continuously.
The re-elected governor later joined the crowd at the city centre to move round Ring Road, Sapele Road, Ogbelaka Street and Sakponba Road in the capital city.
Before 8 .30am, traffic had almost come to a halt within the city. Commercial motorcyclists, bus and taxi drivers, artisans and traders had all taken hold of brooms which they waved rhythmically as they danced round town.
Elated young men and women gave each other handshakes and shared drinks as they celebrated.
Before Oshimhole joined the celebration dance, the crowd had defied gun-toting security personnel to congregate at the gate of the governor’s residence.
Few minutes after the celebration kicked off, following gunshots within the Government Reservation Area to signal victory, rain began. But rather than bowing to the downpour, the jubilant crowd became more ecstatic. And more people—both the old and the young—joined the victory party.
“Our mumu don do. Comrade is back and better. Yes, I voted yesterday and I voted for the comrade governor. Edo is in good hands,” one of the celebrants, Omo Ojeifo, told one of our correspondents.
Addressing the supporters, Oshiomhole, who described his victory as a true reflection of people’s wish, said he would bring development to every part of the state.
He said, “God has blessed our project. It is finished. Now is the time to give thanks to God, that today, a Holy Sunday, the people of Edo State have spoken across Edo South, across Edo Central, across Edo North. Our people are united by a common desire to build a new Edo State; to consolidate on our projects and together to take Edo State to the next level.
“I thank you for standing on your feet. On our feet, we shall fight for freedom; we shall never go on our knees. You young ones must remember that this fight was and is for your tomorrow. It’s for your freedom, your right to choose who governs you. We must make a statement that election riggers are out of business. What we owe is to sustain the development programmes.”
The governor also briefed journalists after attending a thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Catholic Church on Sunday in Benin. He said the outcome of the poll had shown that Edo people were one and a united people.
He said, “The election has dealt with ethnic considerations in conducting elections in Edo State. Edo people have shown that merit will now determine the winner of elections. Edo people have shown that their vote is not for sale. Never again will anyone who is not the choice of the people be declared winner of any election.
 “The vote has helped my task to unite the people of Edo State. Edo is not an artificial wall. All of us come from Benin. All of us accept that Oba of Benin, Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, is our father and we recognise it.”
The governor said he would go straight to work, having passed the period of apprenticeship during his first tenure.
 “We will transform Edo State to a level that the forces of darkness will no longer take over power in Edo State,” he declared.
He said he was extending his hand of friendship to his opponents, whose commitment to the development of Edo State spurred them in the first place into the contest.
 “I promise to extend goodwill and the benefit to all our people without any form of discrimination. They should work with me. There is enough space for all of us,” he said.
Oshiomhole praised the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Kassim Gaidam, who he said, “demonstrated an uncommon quality of leadership and service to his fatherland” and had proved that there could be credible people in the Independent National Electoral Commission.
But he called for the resignation of the INEC National Commissioner in charge of the South-South, Dr. Ishmael Igbani, who he accused of creating the hiccups that allegedly delayed polling in Oredo Local Government Area on Saturday.
He said having presided over elections that were annulled by the court, Igbani, who was also a national commissioner during the days of Prof. Maurice Iwu at INEC Chairman, had no business organising elections anymore in Nigeria.
He also called on the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to investigate how some ballot papers got into the hands of “one of the political parties that had become notorious for election rigging.”
He also showed his appreciation to the National Youth Service Corps members, students, the military, the police and all other security agencies that participated in the election.
He said the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police on Saturday defended the right of Edo people to have their say in who governed them.
But the governor said he was moved by the news of the death of three policemen and one INEC ad hoc staff, in a boat accident while taking election materials to a voting centre in Ologbo, Ikpoba/Okha Local Government Area.
“The Edo State Government will support their families financially and otherwise so that they will not lack,” he said.