Collapse Of Barricade On Mokola Flyover: We’ve Been Vindicated, Says Oyo PDP

The Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has made jest of the newly commissioned flyover in Mokola area of Ibadan built by the All Progressives Congress, APC-led administration of Gov. Abiola Ajimobi, saying the collapse of the iron barricade placed at the entrance of the bridge was an indication that it was a substandard project. While describing the state government’s reaction that opposition in the state had damaged the bridge as lame and unfounded, PDP, in a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan and signed by its public relations officer, Mr Kehinde Salawu, noted that there was no way a substandard project would stand the test of time.

“We sympathise with thousands of people caught in the traffic gridlock which greeted the collapse of Ajimobi’s barricade on the Mokola Bridge. “It is a huge shame that barely two months after the commissioning of the N2.9 billion bridge, some parts of the bridge could begin to collapse after small impacts. One wonders what would happen if the motorist had hit the bridge itself,” the party said. The PDP urged the state government to come up with better excuses for its failing in the past two years rather than point fingers in the direction of the opposition, adding that the reaction was a futile attempt at saving face.

APC Will Soon Split And Members Will Join PDP – Ekweremadu

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has predicted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would split and its members will join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ekweremadu, who made this known while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, said the PDP leadership and its members were unperturbed over the new party, the fanfare that greeted its registration notwithstanding. While calling the APC a ‘gang-up’, Ekweremadu, however, said the ruling PDP was happy with the emergence of the party as the task of contending with several opposition parties during elections had been reduced. “We are not worried about the APC. For us, that makes the game more interesting. We usually used to contend with several parties and now we just only have one party to contend with and it makes the matter much easier for us. “You know in Nigerian politics, gang-up never works. You are the ones calling it a coalition but I will call it a gang-up. So, they will split and they will still come back to us in PDP and we will welcome them,” he said.

35 Feared Killed In Boko Haram Attack On Borno Village

Gunmen suspected to be members of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram have attacked a village in Borno State, killing at least 35 people and wounding 14, military authorities said on Friday. “Boko Haram people attacked the village on the ground that they have refused to cooperate with them, that they refused their message,” defence spokesman, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade told AFP of the incident in Dumba. “The report that was presented has it that 35 people were killed and 14 wounded.”

The attack occurred on Monday, but the information had not become public until Friday with phone lines cut in the region and the village located in a remote area. (AFP)

Lagos Arrests 57 Hoodlums In Oshodi Over Violation Of Environmental Laws

57 suspected hoodlums have been arrested in Oshodi axis of Lagos State over alleged violation of the state environmental law. Twenty of the hoodlums are aged between 14 and 17 while 35 others are adults. One of the suspects, Segun Akinlade, was arrested last week and arraigned before the Special Offences Court Alausa, where he was sentenced to 24 hours community service, but returned to the spot and was re-arrested. Chairman of the Lagos Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences Unit, Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP, Bayo Sulaiman who led the enforcement team, explained that the underage suspects would first of all be taken to the family court and that after being convicted, would be taken to remand homes for proper rehabilitation. “The state government is determined to rid the streets of hoodlums and it wouldn’t pardon children found during the raid. We will arrest them but we (Taskforce) don’t jail children as it is speculated in some quarters. He lamented that underage children had continued to carry out nefarious activities in Oshodi, saying that they were being groomed by the adult touts to take over from them in the future.

Lady, 20, Sentenced To Five Years Imprisonment For Stealing Baby In Church

An Abuja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Friday sentenced 20-year-old woman, Juli Markus, to five years imprisonment for stealing a four-month-old baby in a church. The Chief Magistrate, Fati Tafida, said that the convict was guilty as charged and handed her the sentence without an option of fine. “From all the evidences before the court, it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the crime of stealing a baby. “She is, hereby, ordered to spend 1,825 days in prison without an option of fine,’’ Ms. Tafida said. The convict, who claimed to be a tailor, residing at Angwan Cement area of Life Camp, Abuja, was earlier arraigned on a one count of stealing a child.

The Police Prosecutor, Simon Emmanuel, had earlier told the court that the baby’s father, Obadiah Idi, of Kado Village, reported the matter at the Life Camp Police Station on June 30. He said that while the complainant was attending a Sunday church service with his family in Kado, the convict deceived his 11-year-old daughter, Rebecca, who was holding the baby, and collected the baby from her. Mr. Emmanuel said the convict then escaped with the baby to an unknown destination, but was found and arrested by the police. He said that during interrogation, the convict confessed to committing the crime, saying that she took the baby to Auta Balefi Town in Nasarawa State where she sold him to one Christiana Zaka. Mr. Emmanuel said that Ms. Zaka, the convict’s accomplice, was later arrested and the baby, named Daniel, recovered from her. Ms. Zaka, 43, is also standing trial on a one count of receiving a stolen child before the court.

Ese Walter Deletes Facebook, Twitter Accounts After Revealing Affair With Her Pastor

Following comments on her blog post which has gone viral, Ese Walter has deleted her Facebook profile. Her twitter account has also been closed, and sources close to her say she has “broken her public sim”. Ese Walter has come out to confess an ‘abuse’ by a man of God whom she said payed the “touch not my anointed card” on her why she indulged in the illicit affair they had. As much as efforts are on to hear the pastor’s side of the story, the lady’s story has been followed by many comments mostly criticising the pastor for his alleged actions. Although no comments yet from the church of the accused man of God, several other commenters, while condemning the pastor’s actions if it were true, blamed the girl for the role she played. A commenter on INFORMATION NIGERIA with the name George said “I’ve seen and heard Pastors who do worse than this. But personally, I don’t believe her. To me her story sounds lame and fictitious. If she made it all up, she should fabricate and come up with something much more interesting.” To Gail, “She’s rebellious!” Gail continued, “Why did you allow him to have fun with you and after feel guilty as if he defiled you? You sound as if he dumped u! I’m not siding him but your story is not the real content of the drama! You need to be psychoanalised!” While some commended her for her bravery at coming out to speak about her experience, others condemned her, saying she was looking for cheap publicity. Harsh words might have reopened her wounds, if there were any, and the backlash on social media may be too much for her to bear, prompting her to delete her Facebook and Twitter accounts. As the truth unfolds, fingers are crossed and people are earnestly waiting to hear the pastor’s side of the story.

National Assembly, FG Urge ASUU To Call Off Strike

The leadership of the National Assembly, NASS, and the Federal Government, yesterday, appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to call off the lingering strike. The NASS and FG made the plea after a meeting with Pro-Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of public universities in Abuja. The FG, according to them, has made offers and commitment to necessitate the resumption of academic activities in the nation’s public universities. Senate Chairman on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, said, “The Senate Committee has always sought the required fund for our nation’s universities. “We plead with ASUU for immediate end of the strike. We want to plead with lecturers to be more sensitive to their scale of priorities especially in the area of education and timely implementations of agreements. The present ASUU strike must end. It is time for the nation to take the bull by the horn”. Aslo speaking, Chairman House Committee on Education, Honourable Aminu Suleiman said, “I want to commend all those who have fought for the proper funding of our universities in the country. The Federal Government have also taken position to identify the needs of all our Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Education to stop this problem once and for all. “It is gratifying to know that government has shifted grounds and it is also in our position to passionately appeal to the aggrieved members of ASUU in the interest of the system to also make concession so that students can resume school”. “We always agree to disagree we can always disagree without disrupting the system. We must appreciate that by prolonging this strike we are doing more harm to the system and causing more problems for the country in general. “What government has done is quite in line with the legislative agenda which we set out for ourselves as members of House of Representatives. No sacrifice is too much in ensuring the development of the sector,” Suleiman said.

On his part, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, said the FG has already demonstrated sufficient commitment to the implementation of 2009 FG/ASUU agreement. According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan has set N100 billion to develop infrastructure in 61 universities and N30 billion to support the university councils in settling the earned allowances. “Government is making every effort to revitalise the university system, by this demonstration of clear commitment to revitalise the university system, government hereby urges every staff of the nation’s universities to return to work as all issues are being resolved,” Anyim said.

He noted that most of the issues contained in the 2009 agreement, which necessitated the current strike had been fully met except for the earned allowances which ASUU pegged at N92 billion. According to him: “On July 2, 2013, ASUU declared what it called, “total and indefinite strike” over issues it says have remained unresolved pertaining to an agreement it reached with government in 2009. “It is pertinent to narrate the genesis of the 2009 agreement, ASUU went on strike action in 2006 based on their request for a review of personnel matters, on account of this, government initiated a Needs assessment of the university system comprising federal and states universities, the negotiations led to the 2009 agreement. “Some of issues which bothered on amendment of pensionable retirement age of academics in the professorial cadre, consolidated peculiar allowances (CONPUAA), exclusively for university teaching staff, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), setting up of budget monitoring committee in all public universities have been fully implemented,” he added. He further said that areas where government hands were tied like the transfer of Federal Government landed property to universities have been clearly explained why it would not be possible to implement such aspects. “Government has been clear that it cannot transfer government landed property to ASUU because it has no structure to manage or maintain such property. “Government is however willing to support any council that sets up a property company with management structure to compete with others in the industry,” he stated. The SGF therefore appealed to the university teachers to call of the eight weeks old strike.