Lekki tollgate shooting saga: CCTV reveals Soldier arrived in seven trucks as PDP reacts

In what will surprise many Nigerians given the fact that there have been several denials, video footage of the Lekki shooting shows the army sent seven trucks to the tollgate on the night the incident happened.

The video currently being reviewed by the Lagos judicial panel investigation.

It was submitted to the panel by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) which manages the tollgate.

It will be recalled that the soldiers were reported to have opened fire on #EndSARS protesters who had converged on the facility on October 20.

However, the army insists its men-only fired blank bullets into the air to disperse the crowd.while CNN in its investigations and reports shows that bullets used by the soldiers were amongst the one purchased by the Nigeria Army from Sabia between 2005 and 2019

 Credit: TheCable

But in his reaction Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari's government has failed the country.

The Senate minority leader made the comment while being interviewed in a programme on Channels Television.

Senator Abaribe. Photo credit: @NGRSenate

His words:

“The party (Peoples Democratic Party) has its position and the position is very simple: this government has failed.

“You don’t have any other way of trying to cover it. You can say all the rhetoric, you make all the propaganda. You can go ahead and try to pull the wool over the eyes of the people but the #EndSARS protest showed a failure of this government.

“It is not that is just failing now. It has been failing all along and we have been continually pointed it out.

 ”Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that not under his watch will another EndSARS protest be staged by Nigerians as it happened in the month of October.

Speaking on Tuesday, November 17, during a quarterly meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), Buhari said he would not allow the repeat of the nationwide demonstration which led to the loss of lives and destruction of properties.

Muhammad Dingyadi, minister of police affairs, made this disclosure during a press briefing at the State House on the outcome of the meeting which was presided over by the president at the Presidential Villa.

As the shooting of harmless protesters at Lekki tollgate by security men continue to anger Nigerians, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to set up an independent national truth commission.

This was disclosed by the party in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.

The party faulted Buhari government for pushing the responsibility of enquiry to the states.

The statement read in part:

“PDP’s call for a national truth commission is predicated on the failure of the Buhari administration to come clean on the involvement of the military in the Lekki shooting as well as the recruiting of hoodlums to attack peaceful protesters in Abuja and other parts of the country.

 President Muhammadu Buhari . Credit: Premium Times

In another report, the federal government on Thursday, November 19, made a defence against the CNN report on the Lekki shooting, insisting that no "massacre" occurred as "irresponsibly" peddled on the social media.

The information minister threatened that the federal government will not hesitate to sanction the foreign media for what he termed "irresponsible journalism.”Speaking during a press conference in Abuja, Lai-Mohammed, minister of culture and information, made this known as he cleared the air amid fresh controversies generated by the CNN report on the EndSARS protest.

Supreme Court confirms Douye Diri as Bayelsa governor

The Supreme Court has affirmed Douye Diri as the duly elected governor of Bayelsa state, while dismissing appeals against his election.

A seven-man panel of the apex court in a judgment on Wednesday, November 18, also dismissed the appeals filed against the Bayelsa deputy governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.

According to Channels TV, the suit against the governor was filed by the Accord Party (AP).

Diri’s Supreme Court victory means the PDP will continue to govern Bayelsa state. Photo: @govdouyediri

The appeals challenging the eligibility of the deputy's election were filed by the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP), and the Labour Movement (LM).

The governorship candidate was later declared the elected governor of the state after the Supreme Court judgment disqualified the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) David Lyon who earlier emerged the winner of the poll.The court in a unanimous judgment ruled that the appeals against the governor and his deputy were dismissed following their withdrawal by lawyers of the appellants.

Diri’s victory has been challenged a number of times at the Bayelsa state governorship election petition tribunal, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court.

In another news, leaders of the South-South geopolitical zone have demanded a public apology from the federal government over the botched stakeholders meeting in Port Harcourt, the River state capital on Tuesday, November 17.

The presidential delegation which convened the meeting had cancelled it while stakeholders comprising traditional rulers, religious leaders, opinion leaders, youths, and women from the zone were already seated at the venue of the meeting.

Chairman of the south-south governors forum and Delta state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, informed the stakeholders that the presidency gave an emergency security meeting called by President Muhammadu Buhari as a reason for the cancellation. 

IBB, Abdulsalami applaud formation of North Central Forum

The former military heads of state, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, have hailed the establishment of North Central Forum (NCF).

The two former leaders conveyed their joy on Tuesday, November 17, when the president of the forum, General Jeremiah Useni, paid them a separate visit.

Babangida, who was paid a visit at his hill-top mansion in Minna, expressed fulfilment as he threw his weight behind the NCF.

On his own, General Abdulsalami described the formation of the forum as long overdue, saying the forum will pursue the development of the north central region and preserve Nigeria's harmony.

"Let me congratulate you on the thought of the forum, and forming the forum. Like one of the things you said, the purpose of the forum is to seek for peace and development of the central region of Nigeria.

The formation of the North Central Forum (NCF) has been lauded by two former Nigerian leaders. Credit: Daily Sun

"Indeed, this forum has been overdue, and I am glad the founding fathers and mothers have got themselves together to form this forum.

"The caliber of people and personnel that are in this forum, such forum will benefit from their experiences and it will galvanize you into action to achieve your aim."

Man becomes millionaire as meteorite worth N716m crashes through his roof

An Indonesian coffin maker identified as Josua Hutagalung had his fortune changed when a meteorite worth £1.4 million (N716,629,595.36) crashed through the roof of his house.

The 33-year-old man said he was working on a coffin next to his house when the space rock smashed through the veranda at the edge of his living room, Daily Mail reports.

According to Josua, residents who heard the sound when the rock landed came to his house to have a look of it.The meteorite, weighing 2.1kg was still warm and partially broken when the man brought it out from where it landed.

The rock was bought by a doctor and meteorite collector in the United States of America identified as Jay Piatek.

Josua Hutagalung

Photo credit: Josua Hutagalung

Josua said he would use part of the money to build a church in his community.

In a related story, aTanzanian miner, Saniniu Kuryan Lazier, sold a Tanzanite stone for $2million weeks after he went viral for mining two gems.

The stone is a blue and violet variety of the mineral zoisite and has only been found in northern Tanzania.

The 52-year-old miner and father of over 30 children said that he would use the money from the sale to help his local people.

“With the money we are getting, we will give back to our community. I personally have set up two schools for children with the money I received from mining."He said:

Belgium confers highest national honour on African philanthropist, Tony Elumelu

 The Kingdom of Belgium has conferred the honorary distinction of Officer in the Order of Leopold, the country’s oldest and most important National Honour, on Africa’s leading investor and philanthropist, Tony O. Elumelu, CON, in recognition of his commitment to poverty eradication and the economic empowerment of young Africans.

The Ambassador of Belgium to Nigeria, H.E. Ambassador Daniel Bertrand, presented the royal decoration on Sunday, November 15 – the Belgian King’s Day and a symbolic national day of celebration, at the Belgian House in Abuja, with public and private sector leaders witnessing the ceremony.

Tony Elumelu

Mr Elumelu has been responsible for initiatives creating millions of jobs and employment for young Africans across the continent, through his philanthropy, The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF). The Foundation’s flagship intervention, the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, is a 10-year, US$100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor, and fund 10,000 young African entrepreneurs across 54 African countries. Over 9,600 young Africans are current beneficiaries, just six years since its inception. In addition to its own significant programme, the Foundation partners with institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to bring its proven methodology to an even broader universe. Mr Elumelu believes that youth entrepreneurship has the potential to tackle global challenges such as forced migration, poverty, and hunger.

Mr Elumelu chairs family-owned African investment company, Heirs Holdings; pan-African financial services group, the United Bank for Africa (UBA), which operates across Africa, the United Kingdom, France and the only African bank with a commercial deposit-taking licence in the United States, and Nigeria’s largest quoted conglomerate, Transcorp, whose subsidiaries include Transcorp Power, one of the leading generators of electricity in Nigeria and Transcorp Hotels Plc, Nigeria’s foremost hospitality brand.Mr Elumelu’s concept of Africapitalism is redefining national development, making the case for the critical role that the private sector must play in transforming Africa. Mr Elumelu’s businesses are present in 20 African countries and key international markets, with over 30,000 people in employment His investments span power, financial services, healthcare, energy, technology, hospitality, and real estate.

Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who was at the event, said: “Your Excellency Ambassador Daniel Bertrand, Ambassador of Belgium, let me, on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, express our deepest appreciation to the King and Queen of Belgium for recognising the wonderful work of Mr Tony Elumelu and what he is doing in our nation and on the continent of Africa by prioritising the empowerment of our youth”.

Earlier in 2019, Tony Elumelu was conferred with the National Productivity Merit Award in Nigeria and in 2020, he featured in the Time 100 most influential people in the world.Commenting further, he said: “Mr Elumelu, I listened to your priorities, which include; eradicating poverty, creating jobs and improving access to electricity and I can assure you that this was the motivation of President Muhammadu Buhari when he spoke about lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years. When we identify somebody in the private sector who believes in that core mandate, the government has no option but to continue to support your endeavours and I can assure you that on behalf of the President, you will continue to receive it. Mustapha concluded, “As Nigerians, we stand here today very proud of the excellent work Mr Elumelu has done in Nigeria and on our continent and we ask him to do more”.

Source: Legit.ng

Celebrity couple Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva mark 35th wedding anniversary

Popular Nigerian celebrity couple, Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva, recently took to social media to celebrate the occasion of their 35th wedding anniversary.

Being in the spotlight is not always easy especially for couples who then have a lot to contend with and their union is put to the test.

While many unions in the entertainment industry have not been able to jump past the hurdles, the marriage between Joke Silva and Olu Jacobs has been able to.

Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva have been married for 35 years and they celebrated the feat on social media. Photo: @ajokesilva

The duo who is now seen as a beacon of hope for celebrity marriages recently gave those who still believe in love a reason to celebrate.

She shared a photo on her Instagram page of herself and her husband posing for the camera and she accompanied it with a caption where she thanked God for their union.Taking to social media, Joke Silva announced to fans that she and her husband were celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary.

In her words:

“35 years together...thank you Lord. Here is to many more. Happy wedding anniversary Omo boy @_olujacobs."

See her post below:

A number of fans were very impressed at the news and they took to the comment section to celebrate with the couple.

House of Reps, service chiefs in closed-door meeting

 

The heads of various security agencies in the country met with the leadership of the House of Representatives behind closed doors.

The meeting presided over by the deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase began at about 2:15 pm on Monday, November 16.

Our source gathered that the agenda of the meeting is not yet known at the time of reporting the meeting.

The leadership of the House of Reps. Photo credit: HouseNGR

Those present at the meeting include top officials representing the Defence Headquarters, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Air Force, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Correctional Service, among others.

The meeting is coming on the heels of rising security challenges, especially in the northern part of the country.

Journalists and others were sent out of the venue as the meeting was about to begin.

FG breaks silence on maltreatment of Nigerian traders in Ghana

 

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), has denied claims that the situation with Nigerian traders working in Ghana was prompted by Nigeria’s decision to close its borders.

Dabiri-Erewa made the disclosure while speaking on Channels Television breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, on Monday, November 16.

According to the NIDCOm chairman, Ghana’s treatment towards Nigerian traders was based on a complex issue of not being able to compete with them in terms of prices.

She went on to note that long before Nigeria decided to close its borders the issues have been going on for years.

. Photo credit: BuinessDay

The former lawmaker stated that border closure has impacted negatively on the finances and psychological state of many of the Nigerian traders.

She said:

“They are not the same thing actually. There’s a reason why borders were closed. You can’t be bringing in small arms and ammunition and all that and Nigeria will not take action.

“We are talking of people that have been living in your country, working very well for years. And I think it boils down to this lack of trust and some kind of complex. Because, these Nigerian traders sell their goods at cheaper prices; you know, Nigerians are very industrious.

So the reality is that the Ghanian traders say it is really difficult to compete with the Nigerian traders. And they’ve put it in one million dollars to almost impossible for traders to . . . so let’s leave the issue of border closure.”

Meanwhile federal government reacted to the request of the Nigerian Union of Traders Association in Ghana for the evacuation of its members to their homeland following cases of ill-treatment in the country.

The government said it will have to make the move if it can put an end to the constant harassment of its citizens in the gold coast. The request of the union was sent as a letter to the chairman of NIDCOM.

Engineers raise alarm over shortage of manpower

Mr John Ayodele, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc., raised alarm on Sunday over the shortage of power engineers needed to solve energy challenges in Nigeria.

Ayodele raised the alarm at the 11th Ralph Alabi Memorial Lecture organised by the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) in Lagos and held virtually.

Speaking on the theme “Challenges in Electricity Distribution in Nigeria: What Engineers should do differently’’, he said that scarcity of power engineers began around year 2000 with the decline sustained.

He said that the trend was assuming a dangerous dimension which must be tackled through massive grooming of young engineers into the sector to address power challenges.

Ayodele a fellow of the NSE also called for measures and massive education to ensure that more young engineers cherish specialisation in the power arm of the profession to bridge the skills gap.

“There is a deficit of competent electrical/electronic engineers to solve the problem. Most of our undergraduates do not have power background and it is usually difficult to indoctrinate them.

He enumerated the different challenges in the three different stages of power generation, transmission and distribution.

Ayodele, who was the keynote speaker, however commended recent Federal Government’s intervention for mass distribution of pre-paid meters which, he noted, would boost power distribution and ensure effective metering.

“The era of estimated billing would soon be over. We want it to be over too because it is not profitable to the electricity distribution companies too,’’ he said.

He also said the Federal Government’s intervention also offered local engineers the opportunity to be part of meter manufacturing or assembly thereby reducing capital flight and boosting capacities of local industries.

He said a meeting was also on-going between the CBN, the Ministry of Finance and the Presidency which would yield result within the next 70 days.

Earlier, Ayodele explained that DISCOS (electricity distribution companies) were losing revenue to estimated billing, power theft and vandalism which effective metering would resolve.

He also lamented government’s interference in regulation which, he said affected planning and investments in the power sector.

“Service reflective tariff was developed and imposed on us. It is an invention in Nigeria not practiced anywhere in the world,’’ he lamented.

Newly-elected chairman of the Ikeja Branch of the NSE, Mr Olutosin Ogunmola, said in his remarks that the branch would strengthen its Young Engineer’s Forum to encourage more engineers to major in power engineering.

Ogunmola added that the branch would also liaise with tertiary institutions to get more students interested in power engineering specialisation to reverse the decline in interest in the sector.

He said that the annual lecture was held to honour late Eng. Ralph Alabi, the first chairman of the branch and to explore untapped capacities in power distribution in Nigeria.

“Year-in-year-out, we try to look at topical issues by way of providing solutions to current challenges. This year’s topic is apt for us to look inward as engineers on what we can do differently looking at the challenges of electricity,’’ said.

Newsmen report that new members were also inducted into the Ikeja Branch of the NSE after the lecture.

Source:NAN.

Yusuf Usman Usein, Nigerian striker, slumps and dies while training with Gateway FC

 

Nigerian football fraternities have been thrown into deep mourning on Monday morning, November 16, following the tragic death of ex-Shooting Stars player Yusuf Usman Usein.

The forward who was popularly known as 'Eiye' was training with Gateway FC of Abeokuta with the hopes of signing for them before he slumped on Sunday evening, November 15.

Usein was said to have been resuscitated on the pitch by medical men who rushed into action after he slumped.

And according to the confirmation by Crown FC of Ogbomoso media officer Tunji Alabi, the player died later in the midnight.

Alabi said further that Eiye who also played for Crown FC was a very hardworking, easy going, loyal, very dedicated and God fearing player.

''It is so unfortunate that we have lost Usein and we pray that God will forgive him and grant him eternal rest. He was a good and dedicated player when he was playing for us in Ogbomoso,''

Yusuf Usman Usein actually started his football career on the streets of Ibadan in Oyo state before he was given the chance to join Shooting Stars.

The lanky forward spent two seasons with the Ibadan-based club before he moved to Crown FC of Ogbomoso.

Gateway FC will be playing in the Nigeria's second tier League which is the National League in the 2020/21 season.

Yusuf Usman Usein, Nigerian striker,  Photo: Tunji Alabi

Earlier, there was a reports on how former Super Eagles defender Ajibade Babalade was pronounced dead after cardiac arrest.

The 48-year-old who was known for his superb defending skills during his active playing time in the Super Eagles died in Ibadan, Oyo state, on Friday night, September 4.

Ajibade Babalade was among the Super Eagles players who won bronze at the 1992 African Cup of Nations in Senegal.According to the reports gathered, the former Shooting Stars of Ibadan captain suffered cardiac arrest and was rushed to the University College Hospital where he died.

The deceased started his professional club career at Stationery Stores of Lagos in 1990 before several stints at 3SC helping them reach the final of the CAF Champions League in 1996.