CONFESSION: How Ribadu Made Enemies For Me – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has spoken of how former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, created enemies for him.

According to the former president, Mr. Ribadu’s zeal as the pioneer head of the anti-corruption unit was ruthless enough to attract a lot of enemies for him.
Mr Obasanjo, who was speaking after a presentation on “Illicit Financial Flow and Governance of Natural Resources” delivered by Mr. Ribadu at the 3rd Tana High Level Forum on Security in Africa in Badir Dar, Ethiopia, on Saturday, said he doesn’t fear those enemies.
“It is rather them that fear me,” he said.
* Obasanjo says Ribadu made a lot of enemies for him

* Ribadu
Mr. Obasanjo said he made it clear to Mr. Ribadu that there should be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption.
He said that it got to a point that the former anti graft agency boss considered the fight against corruption as “a matter of life and death”.
It could be recalled that Mr. Ribadu led the EFCC between 2003 and 2007. He won acclaim for his effort against corruption as he clamped down on very senior officials and government, including former governors.
His record is widely regarded as the best yet for the commission also he was also accused of taking on only those opposed to Mr. Obasanjo. He was replaced after Mr. Obasanjo left office.

REVELATION: What I Told President Jonathan About Boko Haram-Guru Maharaj Ji

The Spiritual Leader of One Love Family, Sat. Guru Maharaj Ji, has finally revealed what he told President Goodluck Jonathan when he was opportuned to meet the president some months ago.

According to an interview the respected cleric granted the Daily Independent and published on Saturday, the prophet popularly called Sat. Guru Maharaj Ji said he had told President Jonathan who Boko Haram sponsors were.
He added that if the president had listened to him when he visited Aso Rock two years ago, all the recent attack by the Boko Haram sect wouldn’t have happened.
Sat. Guru Maharaj Ji named past leaders as part of those sponsoring the deadly sect and challenged the Northern leaders to come out and prove they have no hand in the insurgency going in some parts of the country.
He said: “I had told President Goodluck Jonathan those behind these nest of killers (Boko Haram) through several publications.”
 Sat Guru Maharaji ji accused northern leaders for the spate of insurgency in the country
“I have asked the President to arrest them before now because they said after the 2011 general elections that because power did not return to the North, they would make the nation ungovernable.
“The spirit of the creator is against them. They are going to be dealt with. I will call them to order in the interest of innocent Nigerians, enough of the bloodletting. If President Jonathan had listened to the advice I gave him two years ago when I was at Aso Rock, all the killings by Boko Haram would have stopped. After my visit to the villa, the bombings stopped but because those in government did not continue to tap from my spiritual grace, the bombers returned.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us. As Living Perfect Master, I cannot be here and all these continue. I am challenging the Northern leaders to an open debate in a national television. Let them swear by the name of the Creator and all the seven elements of the earth that their actions were not the direct reflection of Boko Haram onslaught.”

Pope Francis Makes John Paul II, John XXIII Saints At The Vatican

Pope Francis has proclaimed John Paul II and John XXIII as the Catholic Church’s newest saints at a ceremony joined by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims for the two pontiffs who helped shape the Twentieth Century.
“We declare and define as saints the blessed John XXIII and John Paul II,” the Catholic leader said in a Latin prayer, as pilgrims and foreign dignitaries massed in St Peter’s Square applauded and chanted: “Amen!”
In his homily, Francis praised them as “men of courage” who worked “in renewing and updating the Church”.
“They were priests, bishops and popes of the 20th century. They lived through the tragic events of that century but they were not overwhelmed by them.
“For them, God was more powerful,” he said.
Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, 87, who last year became the first pontiff to step down since the Middle Ages, made a rare public appearance in his white papal cassock and Francis embraced him before the ceremony.
Francis was co-celebrating the mass with Benedict XVI and hundreds of bishops and cardinals — the first time that two living popes said mass together.
It was also the first time that two Catholic Church leaders were being declared saints on the same day.
Commentators defined the event as a “four-pope day” and the Vatican said 800,000 people followed the event in Rome, including 500,000 in and around St Peter’s Square.
Many faithful waved the red-and-white flags from John Paul II’s native Poland and some wore Polish folk costumes while one pilgrim held a banner reading: “Two pope saints in heaven, two in St Peter’s Square”.

Pope Francis greets King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain (L) followed by King Albert II (back C) and Queen Paola (R) of Belgium after the canonisation in which John Paul II and John XXIII were declared saints. Source: Getty Images

John Paul II was hugely popular but was also a divisive figure who alienated many leftist Catholics during his 27-year reign and has been criticised for turning a blind eye to revelations of child s*x crimes by priests.
His support for Marcial Maciel, the Mexican founder of the Legion of Christ movement who was revealed to be a serial s*xual predator, was particularly controversial.
The charismatic globetrotting John Paul helped topple Communism in Eastern Europe.
John XXIII or “Good Pope John” is best remembered for launching a process of reform of the Catholic Church in the 1960s.
Former German chancellor Helmut Kohl paid tribute to John Paul II in an editorial for Il Messaggero.
“He played a decisive role in making the fall of the Berlin Wall possible,” Kohl said, describing him as “a fearless fighter for freedom”.
John XXIII helped bring to an end official Catholic prejudice against Jews and has been credited for his pacifying role during the Cold War, including in defusing tensions during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
The two new saints “played an indelible role for the development of peoples and peace”, Francis said.
By canonising them together, Francis was appealing to “rival camps within the Catholic fold who see John XXIII and John Paul II as their heroes”, said US-based Vatican expert John Allen from the Boston Globe.
Francis has said his predecessor, who lives a life of quiet prayer in a former monastery inside the Vatican “is not a statue in a museum, he is an institution”.
The Vatican said 98 foreign delegations were present including former Polish president and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa — an ally of John Paul II.
The kings of Belgium and Spain also attended, with Queen Sofia of Spain wearing a white dress — a dress code for the queens of mainly Catholic countries.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was also in attendance, despite a ban from entering the European Union. The interdiction does not apply in the Vatican City, the smallest sovereign state in the world.
Among the attendees was Floribeth Mora, the Costa Rican woman whose apparent healing from a brain aneurism has been declared the second supposed miracle in John Paul II’s name required for sainthood status.

The relics of Pope John Paul II — a vial of his blood — built into a marble altar of a new sanctuary dedicated to the pontiff in Krakow, Poland. Source: AP

The Polish pope (1978-2005) became a media superstar and survived an assassination attempt by Turkish extremist Mehmet Ali Agca in St Peter’s Square in 1981.
His sainthood was sped up and comes just nine years after his death — the fastest canonisation since the 18th century when the current rules were adopted.
Francis also accelerated Italian John XXIII’s candidacy, granting it with only one supposed miracle to his name.

BREAKING NEWS: CAF Names Super Eagles’ Opponents For 2015 AFCON

The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has unveiled the Super Eagles’ opponents for the qualifiers of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, holding in Morocco.

According to the draws announced at CAF’s headquarters in Cairo a while ago, Nigeria is drawn in Group A alongside the hosts of the last edition of the competions, South Africa, Sudan and the Winner of Match 37/38.
Those that would compete in Group B are Mali, Algeria, Ethiopia and Winner of Match 43/44. While Burkina Faso, Angola, Gabon and Winner of Match 33/34 would trade tackles in Group C.
For Group D, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, DR Congo and Winner Match 41/42 would slug it out.
Group E would witness west African battles among  Ghana, Togo, Guinea and Winner of Match 35/36.
Zambia, Cape Verde, Niger and Winner of Match 45/46 would fight for places in Group F.

* AFCON Draw ceremony
Group G, which many analysts have dubbed the group of death, would see Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal and Winner of Match 39/40 fight for the tickets available in the group.
Egypt’s most successful coach Hassan Shehata pulls the draw for the tournament that will be held from 17 January to 8 February in 2015 in Morocco.
The opening Ceremony will be in Marrakech.
CAF has announced that the qualifiers will be played in home and away fixtures.
Nine of the 28 teams will qualify for the Nations Cup: The group winners and runner-ups, along with the best third-placed side. The host team, Morocco, will automatically qualify.
Egypt are the record winners of the Nations Cup with seven titles under their belt, which they won in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010.
However, the 10 Second round draws are:
Match 5 & 6 Liberia vs Lesotho
Match 7 & 8 Kenya vs Comoros
Match 9 & 10 Madagascar vs Uganda
Match 11 & 12 Mauritania vs Equatorial Guinea
Match 13 & 14Namibia vs Congo
Match 15 & 16 Libya vs Rwanda
Match 17 & 18 Burundi vs Botswana
Match 19 & 20 Central African Republic vs Guinea Bissau
Match 21 & 22 Swaziland vs Sierra Leone
Match 23 & 24 Gambia vs Seychelles
Match 25 & 26 Sao Tome e Principe vs Benin
Match 27 & 28 Malawi vs Chad
Match 29 & 30 Tanzania vs Zimbabwe
Match 31 & 31 Mozambique vs South Sudan
First leg to be held 16,17 or 18 May 2014 while the the second leg 30,31 May or 1 June 2014.

EFCC, NDE Partner To Fight Corruption

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has entered into a partnership with the National Directorate for Employment (NDE) as part of efforts to increase public enlightenment and education in the anti-corruption campaign in Nigeria.
The Executive Chairman of the commission, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, while speaking during a sensitisation programme for the NDE in Abuja recently, said the EFCC is working to also prevent commission of economic crimes.
The strategy, which has informed similar campaigns with Nigeria Customs Service, National Airspace Management Agency, Nigeria Liquefied Gas, and other agencies, is a cheaper option to fighting the crime itself, he said.
Lamorde, who was represented by the Director, Public Affairs of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Nwujarien, added that the strategy encourages workers to see themselves as part of the anti-corruption fight.
“The cankerworm of corruption feeds fat on poverty, ignorance, unemployment and fear of the unknown. These are subordinate monsters that the NDE is uniquely placed and empowered to deal with. That is why EFCC considers you a key partner in the war against corruption,” he said.
The Director General of the NDE, Mallam Abubakar Mohammed, in his address emphasised that the major obstacle to the development of any nation is corruption.
Mohammed, who was represented by the Director of Rural Employment Promotion, Mr. Kunle Obayan, lamented that at some point in history, Nigeria was branded by the international community and some civil societies as one of the most corrupt nations in the world. He called on Nigerians to be major players in the transformation of the country.

4 Killed In Ibadan–Oyo Road Crash

Four persons yesterday died in an auto crash which occurred on Ibadan-Oyo Expressway.

10 other people were injured in the accident which occurred when one of the rear tyres of an 18-seater bus with number plate XC 104 YYY burst, at top speed.
The driver of the bus was said to have sustained a very deep cut in his head and was gasping for breath  when officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) arrived at 12.02 p.m.
An eyewitness told Vanguard that the accident occurred at Motunde Village area, along Ibadan/Oyo Expressway.
Sympathisers reportedly stormed the scene immediately it happened about 11.40 a.m, to lend helping hands to the victims

Boko Haram: Healthcare Services Not Shut Down In Borno – Commissioner

The Borno Government has denied allegation by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) that  healthcare services have collapsed in the North-East, due to the activities of insurgents.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Salma Kolo, told newsmen on Saturday in Maiduguri, that the allegation was untrue.
Kolo said that no health facility had been closed down in the state due, to the Boko Haram insurgency.
“I wish to state categorically that no healthcare facility had been closed down in the state, in spite of the insurgency.
“All the four general hospitals at the state capital are working effectively, so also are the public health facilities in the 27 Local Government Areas of the state.’’
The commissioner, however, admitted that although, some health facilities were threatened in the past, they were never closed.
“It is true that some facilities were threatened in the past, especially those involved in the child immunisation programme.
“We have been able to forge ahead without closing them; our efforts have paid off as we have succeeded in preventing the spread of wild polio virus in the state.
“Let me say without fear of contradiction, that Borno State has not witnessed any new case of wild polio since the beginning of the year.’’
She said that the government decided to introduce new methods of distributing immunisation materials after receiving threats of attacks from suspected insurgents.
The commissioner said:  “we decided to decentralise the distribution of materials among areas to make it easier for immunisation workers to get supplies without hitches’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that a report by NEMA on Thursday, said that insurgency had brought the health system to a “total collapse’’ in most Local Government Areas of Borno.

Chelsea Mesmerizes Liverpool’s Title Hopes With Anfield Win

Chelsea ensured a third-place Premier League finish with a stunning 2-0 win over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Two incisive goals on the stroke of half-time and the dead of 90 minutes opened the title race for Manchester City, who are away at Crystal Palace in the late afternoon kick-off and with four more matches left.
Selegalese striker Demba Ba scored Chelsea’s opener after captain ‘fantastic?’ Steven Gerrard’s mistake and Willian finished off a scintillating win on the road for the Blues, who now have Norwich City (h) and Cardiff City (a) in the title run-ins.

Demba Ba Opens Scoring for Chelsea From a Steven Gerrard Assist.

Liverpool are better still league leaders after 36 games and with 80 points but squandered a glorious opportunity to surge ahead of Man City, who are mathematically their only contender in the league title race. They now have Crystal Palace (a) and Newcastle (h) to retain their lead.
Chelsea have now completed a home and away win against both prospective league champions and would finish none less than third place, presently second eight points ahead of fourth-placed Arsenal, with two more matches left.
For the eighth time this season, Brendan Rodgers named an unchanged side for the crucial game, while his Portuguese counterpart, who has been accused of playing mind games this season, gave 20-year-old Czech defender Tomas Kalas his league debut while the Mohammad Slah and Nemanja Matic, both ineligible for Wednesday’s Champions League last-4 return leg at home to Atletico Madrid, started at Anfield.
Many pundits have said Liverpool are tiring out in the race for a first title in 24 years, however, the ‘Kops’got off to a fast start.
The ‘Blues’ were continuously accused of dampening Liverpool’s early momentum by employing a not-so-favoured but effective time wasting tactic, but Ashley Cole’s was the first to get Simon Mignolet into the thick of action with an effort from 25 yards.
Defender Mamadou Sakho blazed an early Liverpool chance over, from Luis Suarez’s assist.

Raheem Sterling and Mohammad Salah Tussles for the Ball at Anfield. (Getty Image)

Chelsea, defending deep and in numbers, allowed their hosts enjoy possession, with Raheem Sterling dazzling to the applause of the home crowd, operated on the right wing after half-an-hour; both sides in search of the breakthrough.
Gerrard unfortunately gave in to a rare Chelsea prodding and gifted Ba the ball after a corner kick. The Senegalese striker raced through on goal to slot coolly under Mignolet the opening goal. Game on Chelsea, 1-0 up at half-time.
Joe Allen came close to leveling scores 15 minutes after the restart but his tremendous volley from the edge of the area was pushed wide by 41-year-old Mark Schwarzer, standing in goal for the injured Petr Cech.
Liverpool continued pressing forward but were denied clear-cut opportunities by their visitors.
A barrage of chances came short of an equaliser as Suarez rattled a half-volley at the impressive Schwarzer in closing minutes of the encounter.
Willian dealt the Anfield faithful’s hope of recovery a final punch, scoring Chelsea’s second from substitute Fernando Torres’ slipped pass on the nick of full-time

Tiwa Savage, Tee Billz And Guests Continue To Party (PHOTOS)

Newly weds Tiwa Savage and Tunji Balogun, popularly known as Tee Billz, and friends continue to party in Dubai.

After the luxurious white wedding held yesterday and attended by numerous celebrity guests, the hosts and their guest enjoyed a boat cruise today.
See more photos below:

First built in Nigeria Nissan Patrol rolls off production line

Nissan has become the first major manufacturer to build a car in Nigeria in response to the Federal Government’s new  Automotive Policy.
According to a statement from Stallion Motors, Nissan representatives in Nigeria, the inaugural vehicle, a black Nissan Patrol, rolled off the production line at the Lagos assembly plant, marking a key milestone in the company’s continued wave of expansion into the high-growth markets.
In addition to the Patrol, Nissan also plans to produce the Almera and NP300, starting in early May and followed by mass production in August. With these three models, Nissan aims to be a significant player in the Nigerian automotive sector.
Nissan is targeting significant growth in Africa as the company builds momentum towards achieving its Power 88 goals, a commitment to reach 8% profitability by the end of fiscal year 2016.
Elsewhere in the world as part of the high-growth markets strategy, plants have been opened in Mexico and Brazil with projects underway in Indonesia, Thailand and China. Last year Nissan announced it will be the first manufacturer to build cars in Myanmar, after the opening up of the economy in the south-east Asian country.
The first “built in Nigeria for Nigerians” Nissan Patrol follows the signing last year of a Memorandum of Understanding for vehicle assembly in Lagos between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and West African conglomerate Stallion Group.
Since then, preparing for production in Nigeria to global production standards has been achieved at a rapid pace, setting a new benchmark in responsiveness and organisational agility.

Boko Haram changes location of abducted girls.

just as the Nigerian military begins a massive combing of the dreaded Sambisa Forest in a bid to rescue over 191 female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, abducted 13 days ago, it has been disclosed that the Boko Haram gunmen have also changed tactics in a bid to avoid detection.

It was learnt that the heavy deployment of troops around the forest has also made the insurgents continuously change location with the abducted girls.
A resident of Bale village in the neighborhood of Sambisa Forest, confirmed that there was increased deployment of troops in the area some days ago and heavy gunshots were heard coming from inside the forest.
Confirming the development on phone yesterday to LEADERSHIP Sunday, Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade said, “Yes, you got your gist right; we are closing in on the insurgents. We are doing everything within our powers to rescue the abducted girls and return them to their parents safely. As you know, what makes the operation very delicate is the safety of the girls; we want them rescued safely. I can confirm to you that we are not leaving anything to chance to rescue the innocent schoolgirls. I just returned from the area (Chibok) this afternoon”.
A farmer in the village of Izge also narrated how he saw the abducted girls being moved around by the insurgents in trucks in the forest. He also said that it was the second time he had witnessed the girls were being moved in different locations.
Meanwhile, one of the girls, who managed to escape from the insurgents recently, said their escape was made possible when they were allowed to go to a nearby river to fetch water after the insurgents had set up camp for the night.
She said when they were instructed to go fetch water from the river for cooking, they decided to escape into the bush, not knowing the direction they were headed.
She added that not all the girls that escaped made it safely back to town as some of them were recaptured, while some were still wandering in the bush.