The National Security Adviser (NSA) to President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Sambo Dasuki, has said that emerging facts have shown that Nigeria is reputed to be one of the leading cyber crime perpetrators in the world. Speaking at the public presenta...
Indications emerged suggesting that the crisis of confidence between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his protégé, President Goodluck Jonathan, is yet to abate as sources stated that the former leader has shunned moves for reconciliation between the two.
This is coming just as some aggrieved members have commenced moves to oust the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from office owing to series of crises within the party.
The underground moves, LEADERSHIP gathered, is aimed at easing the Adamawa born politician out of the party’s leadership owing to what the aggrieved members termed his highhanded manner in running the party.
Both President Jonathan and Obasanjo have been at loggerheads regarding how the party should be managed with the latter throwing darts in the direction of the former on how he has been managing the country.
President Jonathan retaliated by weeding out those perceived to be loyal to Obasanjo from the party’s hierarchy both at the national level and the South West zone.
The casualties of the battle of wits between the two include the former national secretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and the national auditor, Alhaji Bode Mustapha.
Also, the Olusegun Oni-led zonal executive committee of the party was dissolved by the national leadership which hinged its move on an existing court order purportedly outing them from office.
The source said the development had left Obasanjo and his loyalists bruised, prompting yet another rounds of crisis within the ranks of the party, necessitating reconciliatory moves by the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur-led national executive.
Sources close to former leader told LEADERSHIP that Obasanjo has continued to shun entreaties to him by some leaders of the PDP who have continued to reach out to him to solve the lingering crisis ahead of the 2015 general elections.
The sources told our correspondent that the former leader has continued to make himself unavailable to those that the leadership of the PDP has delegated to pacify him.
World record-holder Usain Bolt will run the 100 metres at Rome’s Golden Gala on June 6. It will be the third consecutive year the six-time Olympic champion from Jamaica will run at the Stadio Olimpico, Local organisers announced on Tuesday. Rome ...
Nigeria U17s, the Golden Eaglets, thrashed Team’95 7-1 on Monday in Doha in their first test game in Qatar. The Eaglets got the first goal in the 22nd minute through Ifeanyi Matthew who thumped the ball into the net. Success Isaac followed with a...
Following the 1-0 loss that defending champion, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles suffered in the hands of Mali on Sunday at the ongoing U-20 Africa Youth Championship (AYC) in Algeria, telecommunications giant and major sponsor of Nigerian national teams,...
Nigerian striker, Peter Odemwingie has been punished with another fine for his latest Twitter where he insinuated that West Brom are trying to ruin his career. The latest outburst could have gotten Odemwingie sacked but the club will not be going that ...
The absence of Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court, yesterday in Abuja stalled the hearing of the N894 million fraud charge against the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole. Okorowo, who is now a judge of the cou...
INEC is proposing a N1 million fee for registration of a new political parties in the country.
The traditional leaders of Sabongari , the scene of Monday’s suicide bomb attack in Kano, have called on residents to observe Wednesday as a day of fasting and prayer. The leaders made the call on Tuesday in statement signed by Oba Yo...
The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) said on Tuesday it had opened 46 new examination centres nationwide.
The number brings to 246, such centres opened in the last two weeks ahead of the 2013 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Mr Fabian Benjamin, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the board, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that with the new ones, 3,000 centres were now in place for the smooth conduct of the examination slated for April.
NAN reports that more than 1.6 million candidates applied to sit for the examination, 90,000 of whom would be tested with the newly-introduced Computer-based Test and Dual-based Test.
According to JAMB, the number of applicants in this year’s examination is higher than the 1.4 million figure of 2012.
The sale of the forms closed on Friday.
Also on Tuesday, the board said contrary to some reports, it did not impose examination centres on candidates or nominate for them during registration for its examinations.
This is contained in a statement signed by Benjamin in Lagos.
``We wish to state unequivocally that the board does not impose examination centres or towns on candidates at the point of registration.” the statement said.
It said that examination towns and centres were displayed at the point of uploading the candidate’s details, during which the applicant was allowed to choose an examination town so desired.
It explained that the board only assigned centres within the towns the candidates chose, each of which could take a maximum of 540 candidates.
According to the statement, the number of centres for the forthcoming 2013 UTME in Lagos and other states for Paper and Pencil Test have been increased.
It said that Lagos State alone had 450 centres for the paper test, indicating a 20 per cent increase over 2012 figure.
The statement said that though the board was not insensitive to some of the complaints by candidates of their centres being far from their areas of residence, it would not be pressurised to use unfit centres.
It noted that such centres, also referred to as ``special centres'', were usually used for examination malpractice and other unethical behaviours.
The statement said the computer test policy, which was approved by the Federal Government, would not reduce the number of centres used for the conduct of the examination.
It said rather it had created opportunity for a reasonable percentage of candidates who would have gone outside their places of residence, to now write the examination within their towns.
The statement said the computer test, which was an internationally accepted best practice for the conduct of examinations, was already being practised by some universities in their Post-UTME.
It said the test would reduce examination malpractice to the barest minimum, enhance prompt delivery of scores and help to restore confidence in public examinations, as it would reflect the true ability of candidates.
The statement also explained that the Prof. Dibu Ojerinde-led management of the board, had over time, reduced the number of results cancelled or withheld, with the introduction of innovations like the bio-metric data capturing.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia, Chief Onapuruagu Ukegbu, on Tuesday cautioned the people of the state against agitations for power shift.
Ukegbu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview in Umuahia that it was too early to bicker over the zone that should produce the next governor of the state.
He said that while it was imperative for all the zones in the state to have a shot at the Government House, such should not be at all cost.
``Power is not donated but fought for and it will be wrong to shut out other sections of the state from contesting for the governorship position,'' he said.
He said APGA was not entirely against an arrangement that could enthrone equity in the society, ``but we have come to understand that zoning breeds mediocrity.
``Power is not of right and any qualified person should have the right to contest irrespective of the zone they come from.”
Ukegbu said that even if power should shift to Abia South, ``the people from the zone should spearhead the move to avoid any form of imposition by the top hierarchy.
``At the moment, it is even difficult to determine the preparedness of politicians from the zone.”
Ukegbu said APGA was poised to throw up a formidable challenge to produce the next governor of the state.
``We have so much going for us and at the right moment we shall unveil our programmes,” Ukegbu said.
He was apparently reacting to the agitation by some politicians in the state for power to shift to Abia South in 2015.
Former Gov. Orji Kalu hailed from Abia North while the incumbent Chief Theodore Orji is from Abia Central.
This has given rise to the clamour by politicians from Abia South that the area should produce the next governor as enshrined in the Abia Charter of Equity.
The University of Jos on Tuesday said it owed the Plateau Board of Internal Revenue ``only a little over N300 million'' as against N3.8 billion claimed by the board.
Mr Ninnan Denden, counsel to the university, told the Federal High Court in Jos that ``even though we just got the brief yesterday, the university does not owe the board such a huge amount``.
``What we are aware of is something a little above N300 million and not N3.8 billion as quoted by the board of internal revenue.’’
The board, through its counsel, Mr Philemon Dafi, had on Feb. 28, sued the university over alleged unpaid N3.8 billion taxes before Justice Ambrose Allagoa.
The board accused the university of ``deliberately’’ withholding the amount, being outstanding unremitted tax liabilities of Pay as You Earn (PAYE) of its employees between 2005 and 2010.
Dafi claimed that in pursuance to the Personal Income tax Act 2011 (as amended), the court should compel the institution to pay the accumulated unpaid tax to the board without further delay.
He alleged that the board tried to make the university see reasons why it should cooperate and pay up the debt, but that all such entreaties were rebuffed.
The board also prayed for imposition of penalty and interest on the university over its failure to file tax returns and remit the tax collected when due within 90 days as required by law.
Dafi urged the court to compel the university to pay its taxes just as other federal institutions as a proof of a ``statutorily responsible corporate organisation’’.
When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, Denden asked for adjournment, to enable him to reply properly to the writ.
But Dafi opposed the application, saying that the university was served very well with enough time for it to have replied the writ for hearing of the case.
He, however, said if at all the court would consider the application, he would ask for N250,000 costs.
``My Lord, I am opposing the application for adjournment, but in the event the court will grant it, I have no option than to ask for cost of N250,000 because I came all the way from Kano for this case.’’
Allogoa granted Denden’s application and awarded a cost of N30,000 to Dafi.
The Oyo State House of Assembly on Tuesday in Ibadan approved the sum of N159.6 billion as the budget for 2013 fiscal year. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the amount had a variation of more than N7 billion from the original b...
Trade between Nigeria and France currently stands at $7 billion, Nigeria’s envoy to France, Amb. Akin Fayomi, has said.
Fayomi, who spoke with the Western Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, in Paris, said that the figure represented the volume of trade in 2012.
"As at 2012, the volume of trade was about $7 billion which translates to about 4.5 billion euro. It is a lot of money considering the economic recession, though given the potentials of Nigeria we feel it is not enough.
"We are France's second largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, and the trade is in favour of Nigeria as oil is our main export," he said.
The envoy, however, said that French investors were keen on exploring other areas of investment.
"Already, there is a lot of involvement in other sectors like construction, manufacturing and others. The oil sector is saturated; Total has been operating in the country for many years.
"Also in Pharmaceuticals, there are some companies that manufacture drugs in partnership with some Nigerian companies,’’ Fayomi said.
He added: "Similarly, in waste management and maintenance culture, some state governments are in partnership with French companies."
Fayomi further said that the embassy was liaising with some French institutions for exchange programmes for Nigerian students and teachers in order to encourage the study of French as a language.
NAN reports that upon its attainment of independence in 1960, Nigeria immediately established diplomatic relations with France.
Three suspected ritualists were on Tuesday arraigned before an Ijebu-Igbo Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ogun for allegedly being in possession of human parts. The police prosecutor, Cpl. Adeola Adeyemi, alleged that the suspects, David Amos, Kehind...