Edo Guber Polls To Hold On Saturday As Scheduled, Says INEC

The Edo State governorship election slated for Saturday, September 10, would go ahead as planned, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said Thursday.
The State Security Services and Nigeria Police had on Wednesday advised the electoral commission to postpone the polls in view of what they said was “credible intelligence” indicating the likelihood of attacks in the state.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had in its reaction, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call the security agencies to order while the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, declared his party, the All Progressives Congress’ readiness to perform “final burial” rites for the PDP during the polls.

SEE ALSO: We’re Yet To Receive Formal Report To Postpone Edo Guber Polls – INEC

Speaking Thursday after a stakeholders meeting and consideration of the security report, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education, Mr Solomon Soyebi, said that “the governorship election will go ahead on Saturday, Sept. 10 as scheduled”.
Soyebi, who addressed a press conference held at INEC’s office in Benin, the Edo State capital, said as the body statutorily set up to conduct elections in the country, the commission would not take orders from any institution with regard to the performance of its constitutional duties.
“We have therefore weighed all the consequences of a postponement in the election and have resolved to go ahead with the conduct of the election on Saturday as scheduled”, he said

Ambode Spent Over N7bn On Obaseki’s Governorship Campaign In Edo – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State has accused the State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode of “squandering” over N7billion of the state’s funds on the governorship campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State.
The party made the allegation ahead of this Saturday’s governorship election in Edo.

The Lagos PDP, which also accused the governor of prodigality and neglect, and of exhibiting what it called “busy-body” in his style of governance, vowed to demand for his probe at the appropriate time.
The opposition party specifically carpeted Ambode for “sacrificing the welfare, security and concerns of Lagosians for the interest of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC)”.

SEE ALSO: Obaseki Can Make Edo Be Like Lagos – Ambode

“Gov. Ambode accepted the needless burden to be the national coordinator of the APC Edo governorship campaign committee and has literally moved Lagos governance to Edo State, squandering an amount believed to be over N7 billion and also pledging further human, logistic and financial support to the APC candidate for the election day”, the PDP said yesterday in a statement by its publicity secretary, Taofiq Gani.
Mr. Gani lamented the “inexpedient commitment of Lagos funds into partisan activities that are not beneficial to the state”, adding that “We are keeping tabs on him and we shall demand his probe at the appropriate time”.
He also described the governor’s recent visit to Osun State as nonchalance to the plight of Lagos people, who were affected by flood.
“At the expense of Lagosians, he took the government, executive and legislature to Osun State to commission just a school building constructed by the Osun State governor, Aregbesola”, the PDP said.

LG Chairman Nominee Fails To Recite National Anthem, Pledge 7 Times

A mild drama played out in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly on Thursday when a caretaker committee chairman-designate, Mr. Henry Eze, failed to recite the National Anthem and Pledge, seven times.
The incident occurred during the screening of Eze and other nominees by members of the House.

The caretaker committee chairman-designate had appeared before the House for the screening when he was asked to recite National pledge, which he could not do.
He was also asked to recite the National Anthem which he also failed.
The chairmanship nominee for Ishielu Local Government Area was also asked by the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Ogbonna Nwifuru, to repeat the National pledge and anthem which he failed.

SEE ALSO: Shame As Ambassadorial Nominees Fail To Recite National Anthem, Pledge Correctly

The failure prompted Nwifuru to present a copy of the written anthem and pledge to enable him recite it properly.
But, there was a mild-drama when he could not recite the anthem and pledge, despite been handed a written copy of the Nigerian national anthem and pledge, respectively.
Visibly enraged by the incident, the Speaker asked Eze to go back and study the National Anthem and pledge, describing the failure as an embarrassment.
“How can a council chairman not recite National Anthem and National pledge?
“This house is surprised that as a council chairman, you cannot recite the anthem and pledge when you should be the one to teach your subordinates.
“So, go back and study them”, Nwifuru said.
Eze, however, was screened and confirmed by the house despite his inability to recite the National Anthem and pledge.
Meanwhile, the house screened and confirmed 11 chairmanship nominees in the state.
Their screening and confirmation followed the expiration of their tenure in office and their reappointment by Gov. Dave Umahi.
Twelve out of the 13 chairmen were reappointed, while Mr Joseph Orogwu, of Ikwo Local Government was dropped. (NAN)

Ize-Iyamu To Supporters: We’re On The Threshold Of History

Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in this Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has told his supporters that he would be waiting for them to return from their villages with victory songs on Sunday.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the official results of the election would be announced on Sunday by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The PDP candidate spoke shortly after the electoral commission announced its decision to go ahead with the polls as scheduled, in spite of security advice to postpone same.
Pastor Ize-Iyamu said all arrangements have been made to ensure the PDP emerges victorious on Saturday.

SEE ALSO: Ensure Victory For PDP’s Ize-Iyamu, Fayose Urges Edo Voters

He said God has given victory to the PDP and it was time to work for the victory.
He said: “We are on the threshold of history. The day we are waiting for is now. They tried to postpone the election using flimsy excuses but President Buhari said he was not aware of any security threat.
“The postponement was arranged by the state government with some cabals to postpone the day of reckoning.
“They have procured duplicate result sheets. They are reaching out to members of NYSC and are attempting to bribe our party agents with any amount of money but we are not for sale.
“Everybody should make arrangement to go to their local government to work out logistics for the election. We need to tell our people that election will take place”.

Operation Crocodile Smile: Military Covered Up Death Of 20 Soldiers In N/Delta – Avengers Tell Buhari

The militant group known as Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), has accused the Nigerian military of cover-up in the death of soldiers it claimed were murdered during the ongoing military operation exercise code named “Operation Crocodile Smile” in the Niger Delta.
The military had earlier this week confirmed that four soldiers drowned on Monday in what it said was a “tragic incident”, following a boat mishap along the Brass waterfront in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State.

While the bodies of three of the soldiers have been recovered by local divers and military personnel, the body of the fourth soldier and their rifles, are yet to be recovered.
The Avengers, however, claimed in a statement on its website Thursday that aside the four soldiers officially declared as dead, 16 others also died in the first four days of the operation.

SEE ALSO: Drowned Soldiers: 3 Bodies Recovered

Spokesperson for the group, “Brigadier General” Mudoch Agbinibo, blamed negligence, administrative greed and corruption within the military for the soldiers’ death.
Agbinibo, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to order a probe into ongoing military operation in the Niger Delta, which it claimed was a conduit pipe to siphon public funds.
“Mr. President from available facts, the untimely deaths of these four (4) fine soldiers in the creeks of Bayelsa and another sixteen (16) that was recorded during the first four days of the exercise along the River Ethiope, in Delta state but was earlier covered up is nothing more than act of murder. Their death is due to negligence, administrative greed and a corruption within the military”, the statement said.
It would be recalled that Chairman of the National Maritime Union in the state, Lloyd Sese, blamed the incident on poor logistics and use of low-powered engine boats to convey military personnel partaking in “Operation Crocodile Smile”.
The statement further queried the wisdom behind the deployment of military hardware to the Niger Delta suddenly when there was cessation of hostilities for peace talks to commence.
The NDA, which has accepted responsibility for a series of attacks on oil and gas facilities in the last few months, about two weeks ago said it was ready for a ceasefire and talks with the federal government.
“Finally, Mr. President, we want you to commission a high powered panel to investigate all processes that led to the ongoing military operation and exercise in the Niger Delta tagged ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ and all the ongoing cover-ups of military mishaps that have led to more than twenty (20) deaths so far”, it said.
“The mission ongoing in the Niger Delta is a brainchild of orchestrated military corruption at your face Mr. President. Operation Crocodile Smile is nothing but a conduit pipe for military contracts, political profiteerism and patronages designed for the stress of your administration’s scarce resources”, the group claimed.

Senator Sanusi Daggash’s Daughter Habiba Awarded Highest Prize At Oxford University

Habiba, daughter of former minister of National Planning Senator Sanusi Daggash’, has been awarded the 2016 Institution of Chemical Engineers Prize for best performance at Oxford University.

She won the prize after graduating with a first class honors from the prestigious university in July.

The excited lady announced the good news on her twitter page yesterday.

Congrats to her.

Nigerian Arrested For Forging Ghana Chief Of Staff’s Signature

The police in Osu have arrested a 38-year-old Nigerian who used the name of a top government officials to defraud a foreign investor to the tune of 150,000 dollars.

Dennis Ndukwu, is alleged to have forged signatures of Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, the Finance Minister, Seth Terkper and other high profile personalities.
The operations of Dennis and his gang, was uncovered in June this year following suspicion of the victim’s bankers.
The police said Dennis Ndukwu and his gang, through internet hacking, got to know about challenges being faced by the victim, a Vietnamese investor who had invested over 8.5 million dollars in Ghana.
Dennis Ndukwu, allegedly introduced himself to the investor, Le Van Khiem, as the secretary to the chief of staff, Julius Debrah, and can use the high office to assist him.
The police said Dennis later produced various documents purportedly signed by the chief of staff and the finance minister Seth Terkper.
These convinced the victim to give his personal items including his visa card and code to Dennis and his gang to enable them withdraw 100,000 dollars from his account to aid the process.
But the unusual withdrawal attracted his bankers’ suspicion to raise query on the account.
Yet the gang managed to get the victim to part with several thousands of dollars after noticing that the bank had blocked the account.
It was during the withdrawal of the last tranche of the money transfer that Dennis was arrested at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
According to the police, Dennis Ndukwu admitted the offence and mentioned one Robert Amuzu as an accomplice.

Angry Nigerians Blast NAN MD Over Insensitive Post

Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, has angered Nigerians over a post he made on his Facebook profile this afternoon.

The post which was ostensibly made to help launder the image of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had carpeted the media and bloggers for misleading the masses and international communities about the correct situation in the country.
In the post, Onanuga relayed how he had told his daughter on the Virgin Atlantic Flight to London “to find out whether the plane was filled up or going to London near empty judging by the noisy campaign from a section of the country about the ‘hardship’ in our country“, to which his daughter had replied: “daddy, the flight was filled up o”
He then related “how food was cheap everywhere” on his trip to Jos and Bauchi over the weekend.

Onanuga ended the post by charging the media to objectively conduct a reality check about their reports, which he described as “over sensationalising so-called hardship” the country is passing through.
The post immediately sparked anger with Nigerians taking to Facebook to attack the journalism giant for being insensitive to the plight of the masses. Many Nigerians who commented on the matter expressed strong views while practically calling him a failure as Managing Director and Editior-in-Chief of TheNews/PMNews.
Onanuga was the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of TheNEWS/PMNews before he was appointed MD of NAN in May this year.
Bayo Onanuga’s post below.

My daughter was on the Virgin Atlantic Flight that took off from Lagos to London today. I asked her to find out whether the plane was filled up or going to London near empty judging by the noisy campaign from a section of the country about the ‘hardship’ in our country.
My daughter sent back this one-line text, after boarding: “daddy, the flight was filled up o”.
This makes me to wonder whether all the seeming orchestrated campaign in the media was not mere propaganda to make the Buhari regime look really bad.
I was in Bauchi and Jos at the weekend, I also found that food was cheap everywhere. In our hotel, we paid about N700 for a plate of semovita, or eba with a choice of cat fish or chicken. On the roadside, I found to my surprise that with just N1000, I bought over 50 oranges, two giant water melon and 10 pieces of sweet potato. I had experienced a similar thing in the market at Abuja, where I found that with N1,400, I could make a big vegetable soup, with tomato, pepper and roasted Titus fish.
Are the media and bloggers really painting a correct image of our country. It’s time for the media to objectively conduct a reality check about our reports, whether we are not over sensationalising so-called hardship that we talked about.

Source: Facebook

Wife & Mistress Fight Dirty In Hospital Over Their Man (photos)

A man’s wife and mistress somehow turned up at the hospital to visit him at the same time with very predictable results. Video shared online shows the man, wife and mistress in an undignified heap on the floor as he tries to separate the two fighters.

The women don’t seem to mind that the ailing man they came to visit is still in his hospital gown as they try to takedown each other. The video is believed to have been filmed by a nurse but it is not known where the incident unfolded. More photos below.


Source: News Every Hour

Robbers Invade Cross River Garment Factory, Machines Worth Millions Stolen

The electrical component that regulates light supply to the equipment that are to be used in the garment factory has been stolen.

This is the major equipment which controls light and controls the functionality of every other equipment in the factory.
According to information made available to brainnewsng.com from the governor’s office, the equipment was moved out of the garment factory two days ago.
The source said that the equipment can only be moved by more than ten persons. “The said equipment is the most heaviest equipment installed at the garment factory., and it was carried by a forklift and suspended by a belt throughout the installation process.”
“Therefore, I can only conclude that only those who installed it can remove it”. It is also important that as at the time the supposed equipment was moved, a well scolombo operation officers were stationed there the guard the factory. How can people go to the factory to remove the said equipment without meeting resistance from the guards stationed there?”
“I am suspecting the fact that government is responsible for removing that most important component because, according to sources，the EFCC are still looking for ways to confiscate the factory. And or the government, knowing they cannot deliver on the employment of the screened candidates, connived to remove that equipment as an excuse for their incompetence”…the source concluded.
Sad as the incidence is, I will encourage the government to make a public statement on this issues no matter how insulting it may seem. If the government doesn’t issue a statement, critics and the general public may draw conjectures.
However, speaking with the Head of Operation Scolombo, Mr Sikiru, he said that he does not know what I was talking about. He went on ro say that “his duties are to post his men to the factory, and he is not responsible to give accounts of what happens at the factory”.
The Police Public Relation Officer, Mrs Irene, was not aware of the issue as it is not the police that are posted to guard the garment factory.
However, Mr Sikiru called back and other than responding to the issue on hand, he started talking angrily at me and demanding for my location.

Hoodlums attack Anambra police station, steal AK-47 rifle

Hoodlums have reportedly attacked a police station in Ukpo, Dunukofia Local Government of Area of Anambra State and stole one AK-47 rifle belonging to the command.

The report of the attack is contained in a petition by the elders of Ukpo community to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris.
The petition dated 5th of September, 2016 and signed by the community’s lawyer, Mr. I.M. Anah, alleged that the hoodlums were hired by their neigbouring Abagana community, who were having a land dispute with Ukpo.
The petition reads, “Some mischievous or disgruntled indigenes of Abagana town, who are identifiable with their mercenaries, are the people that conspired, masterminded and carried out the murder, terrorist and arsonist attacks.
“The attacks were unleashed on Ukpo community on the 19th August, 2016 in which an Ukpo indigene by name Emmanuel Chiagozie Okafor was gunned down and murdered in cold blood.”
The petitioners maintained that four policemen were heavily wounded by the hoodlums, saying, “They are still struggling in the hospital to survive.”
They noted that the community had a judgment of an Anambra High Court, stating that the land in question belonged to Ukpo.
“Abagana people filed an appeal against the said judgment but the appeal as filed was struck out for want of prosecution on 4th of February, 2013”, the petitioners stated.
The traditional ruler of the town, Igwe Robert Eze, and the President General of the community, Group Captain Benson Okoye (retd), implored the police to bring the culprits to book to serve as a deterrent to others.
It was gathered that 23 persons had been arrested in connection with the matter.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Sam Okaula, confirmed the incident, saying more arrests would be made.
He said some of the hoodlums from Abagana community had been charged to court.
The lawyer for the Abagana community, Emma Ifeadike, had accused Okaula and some other police officers, handling the matter of compromise.
Ifeadike accused an oil magnate in Ukpo of paying the police to do his bidding.