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The Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation, GAFAMORG has used the occasion of the 7th year remembrance of the late human rights crusader and lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi to call on the Federal Government for his immortalization. Late Gani Fawehinmi Speaking at a media parley to herald the programmes for the 7th year memorial anniversary of Gani Fawehinmi in Lagos Wednesday, the GAFAMORG Chairman and the governorship candidate of the National Conscience Party, NCP in Lagos during the 2015 general election, Comrade Ayodele Akele said: “We want to restate for the umpteenth time and on this auspicious 7th year memorial of Chief Gani Fawehinmi the need for the Federal Government of Nigeria to immortalize minimally this great human being without further delay”. He called on the Federal Government to rename the headquarters of the National Human Rights Commission, Abuja after Fawehimi and named it Gani Fawehinmi Human Rights House. He also solicited the establishment of Gani Fawehinmi Free...

Six people who allegedly raided the home of Vanguard newspaper’s publisher, Mr. Sam Amuka, three months ago were Werdnesday arraigned before Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi of a Lagos Magistrate Court, Ikeja. Vanguard publisher, Sam Amuka According to the prosecutor, Inspector Simeon Imohwa, the suspects allegedly went away with cash and valuables valued at N2, 875,000 during the robbery and injured the publisher. The suspects are Koyis Usman, 22, Umaru Oseni, 46, Abdurasaq Hassan, 43, Musa conAtim Abubakar, 31, Gambno Umar, 31, and Abdulramon Kashil, 25. They were remanded in prison custody having been arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery and grievous bodily harm. According to the counts, the defendants ‘‘On June 5, 2016 at about 2.30 a.m. at Anthony Village, Lagos did conspire amongst themselves, with others now at large, to commit felony to wit, armed robbery and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 297 and punishable under section 295 o...

Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado Ekiti has reduced the fees for the second screening of candidates seeking admission into the institution for the 2016/17 academic session. The Vice Chancellor, Prof Samuel Bandele, said the fee earlier put at N5,000 had been slashed to N2,500. Bandele said the university considered the country’s economic situation, particularly that of parents, guardians and prospective candidates before arriving at the decision. According to a statement by the Deputy Registrar, Information, Ajibade Olubunmi, the Vice-Chancellor said the economic situation in the country played vital role in arriving at the decision. This, he said was aside the fact that the university management consulted widely with stakeholders including students and decided on it despite that the university was in dire need of funds to administer the screening exercise. Meanwhile, the EKSU Students Union Government and the National Association of Students (NANS), Ekiti axis have applauded the ...

Cattle rearers in Ekiti State said Wednesday that the state government could not charge erring members of the association with terrorism for carrying light weapons. The herdsmen, under the aegis of Ekiti State chapter of the Jamu Nate Fulbe Association of Nigeria, an umbrella body for cattle rearers from Ilorin, Kwara State, said such would be in contravention of the Anti-Terrorism Law as contained in the 1999 constitution. Legal Adviser to the association, Mr. Umar Imam, said the Anti-Terrorism Law of the Federation stated clearly what constituted an infringement of the law and that carrying of lesser arms does not constitute offence under the provision. He said: “The law of the federation on terrorism is very clear and no one can be charged for terrorism for carrying lesser arms like cutlasses, catapults and knives during the grazing period as contained in Ekiti new law.” This was as the Seriki of the association in Ekiti, Alhaji Ahmadu Mahmoud, appealed to the governor to amend the ...

Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, has said that the police will deploy massive personnel and equipment for the forthcoming Edo and Ondo states governorship elections. Idris said this Wednesday at a meeting with Command Commissioners of Police, AIGs in charge of the 12 zones across the country, as well as other senior officers. On the September 10 Edo elections, the IG said: “We are coming up with a very, very strategic order. We are going to deploy the marine police in the waterways. “We are going to deploy our helicopters in the air for surveillance. We are re-enforcing the state with thousands of policemen.” According to him, 200 vehicles will be deployed to the state for the election. On the Ondo election, Idris noted the large number of contestants that would participate in the Saturday APC primary, saying that might posem some challenges. “We seem to have large august number of contestants in Ondo State; I think the APC has about 23 contestants. That is the...

Operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command, have apprehended an 18-year-old boy, Segun Adeyefa, for allegedly selling bar of soap as mobile phones to unsuspecting members of public in traffic. The suspect was arrested by the RRS men on routine patrol of Ikorodu Motor Park yesterday at about 19:50 hrs, while trying to defraud a young man at the motor park. Upon his arrival at RRS’s Headquarters, the suspect confessed that before he was caught on Tuesday, he had duped one person of N3,500 who wanted to buy the phone. He noted that he was lured into the fraud after he was duped through a similar means about a year ago. “My action was prompted when I was swindled by two guys about a year ago by this way. I had intention of buying a phone but unknowingly to me it was a cut-to-size bar of soap just looked similar to a phone shape. That very moment I promised myself to revenge by doing same to the people”, he revealed. Explaining how he mastered the tactics to swin...

Nigeria and the United Kingdom (UK) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Immigration returns for proper profiling of the nationalities of migrants through the use of biometric and biographic data. Minister of Interior, LtGen Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), disclosed this in Abuja at the signing of the Addendum to the 2005Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Immigration Returns between the governments of Nigeria and United Kingdom. In a statement signed by the Ministry’s Director of Press, Willie Bassey, Wednesday the Minister said this was a review of the initial bilateral agreement signed in 2005 between the countries on the return of illegal immigrants, as well as for legal migrants who have overstayed their visas. According to him, the review of the 2005 agreement was informed by the new challenges that have emerged, which could only be met by reviewing the agreement. He further said such challenges include the difficulties in ascertaining “the correct nationalities of some immi...

Hon. Jibrin(left), Hon. Dogara Sacked Appropriation Committee Chairman of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, Wednesday vowed not to rest until he sees Speaker Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers he accused of corruption removed from office and imprisoned. Jibrin, who has been very restless since his sack by the House, said he has visited the Presidential Committee against Corruption, which invited him based on his petition. He said he was interrogated for hours by the committee and was hopeful that the revelations he made there would spur the committee to press for justice to be served on Dogara and all those he accused of corruption. Jibrin, who turned anti-corruption crusader immediately he was sacked, over six weeks now, and had since then been very restless, calling so many ranking members and Principal Officers of the House unpleasant names, linking them with corrupt practices, except himself, Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila and a few others, who have ...

Candidate of Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State and former Minister of State for Power, Dr. Olu Agunloye, yesterday accused Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, of plunging the state into N125bn debt in his seven and half years in office. This is even as he said the governor squandered over N38bn he met on assumption of office. Agunloye said while addressing journalists at the national secretariat of his party in Abuja that if given opportunity by people of the state, he would ensure prompt payment of salaries and pension to workers and retirees respectively. He also pledged to ensure general development of the state. His words: “We have found out the depth of poverty in the state, the level of degradation, alienation and people almost accepting poverty as living standard. “This is very painful because over the seven years, we have an administration that inherited N38bn cash but now indebted to over N125bn. “So, we can say that this i...

Indications that Nigeria’s economy is yet to retract from depressive trend despite policy palliatives emerged yesterday as the second quarter Gross Domestic Product, GDP, growth rate slowed further to -2.06 per cent, down from -0.36 per cent recorded in the preceding quarter. National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, gave the indications in the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report for Second Quarter of 2016 released in Abuja. With the development, the economy is gradually plunging deeper into recession, thereby confirming earlier official position as netwell as the International Monetary Fund, IMF’s report a few months ago. The signals of the slowing growth rate of the economy were first confirmed in the first quarter of the year when the GDP growth slumped to all time low of -0.36 per cent. The report stated that the figure was 1.70 per cent points lower than the negative growth rate of 0.36 per cent recorded in the preceding quarter as well as by 4.41 per cent points from the growth rate...

Nigerian Professional Football League has been suspended indefinitely until the LMC fully complies with the earlier order of reinstating Giwa FC back to the league. Justice I.I Kunda in his ruling delivered at the Plateau State High Court which sat in Bukuru, near Jos on Wednesday decried the delay tactics being employed by the counsel to the LMC, Olumide Olujimi, to delay the case knowing fully well that the Nigerian league is time bound, and the league would have effectively ended before the case is determined. The judge declared the case adjourned sine dine but also told the defendants that they can proceed with their appeal at the Appeal Court if they so wish. It would be recalled that sequel to the expulsion of Giwa Football Club of Jos, a State High Court sitting in Bukuru, Jos, Plateau State, had granted the prayers of the Club seeking it’s reinstatement to the Nigerian Professional Football League. Counsel to Giwa FC, SD Ekara, had tabled five prayers before the Court which inc...

Regions seeing, at least, a partial eclipse: South in Asia, West in Australia, Much of Africa, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Antarctica.  What is an Annular Solar Eclipse?  An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon covers the Sun's center, leaving the Sun's visible outer edges to form a “ring of fire” orannulus around the Moon. Annular solar eclipses have a “ring of fire”.  In an annular eclipse of the Sun, the Moon casts its antumbra - the outer part of the Moon's umbra - on the Earth. Like total solar eclipses, annular solar eclipses can be seen as partial eclipses from locations inside its penumbra, but outside it's antumbra. Annular solar eclipses take place only when the Moon is a new Moon. The Moon is at or near a lunar node.The Earth, Moon and Sun are perfectly aligned in a straight line.The Moon is at its apogee. Not Every New Moon Night Even though a new Moon is necessary for an annular solar eclipse t...

 The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, known as Nigeria Shiite, Wednesday, warned of dire consequences should its leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has been in detention, dies or goes blind in custody. impostors, saying they were having high dealings with the Department of State Services, DSS, on behalf of Zakzaky’s family and IMN. In a statement by its spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, in Kaduna today, IMN also challenged the Federal Government to arraign its leader in court, if it had any case against him. The statement read in part: “We demand that our leader and his wife be released unconditionally without delay. The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, known as Nigeria Shiite, Wednesday, warned of dire consequences should its leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has been in detention, dies or goes blind in custody. Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/shiite-warning-tragedy-looms-if-anything-happens-to-zakzaky/ It will be a tragedy of monumental proportions should our ...

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo has narrowly won a second term in office, taking 49.80 of the vote against 48.23 percent for his rival Jean Ping, Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya said Wednesday. Ali Bongo Bongo won by a narrow 5,594 votes of a total 627,805 registered voters. Turnout was 59.46 percent nationwide but soared to 99.93 percent in one of the country’s nine provinces — the Haut-Ogooue, heartland of Bongo’s Teke ethnic group — in a result hotly contested by the opposition

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has said the refusal of President Mohammadu Buhari to listen to the cries of Nigerians and consider the alternative opinions of some experts on how to reposition the economy is making matter worst for the country. According to Fayose, “The reality our President must face now is that there is too much hunger in the land, Nigerians are hungry, they are suffering and the President should rather listen to those who are more knowledgeable than him in terms of management of the country’s economy instead of seeing them as threats.” The governor, who said reactions of the President and his men to divergent opinions had become predictable, added that; “this style of sending the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission(ICPC), Department of State Services (DSS) and other agencies of the federal government against anyone that offers suggestions on how to rescue the country from t...

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of a substantive Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer and two Executive Directors for the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC). Joseph Chiedu Ugbowho was in an acting capacity is now the substantive Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company. Others are Mallam Babayo Shehu, Executive Director (Finance and Administration) and Engr. Ife Oyedele, Executive Director (Engineering and Technical Services). A statement signed by Bolaji Adebiyi, Director (Press),Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said Mr. Ugbo is a legal practitioner and infrastructure regulations specialist with extensive experience in electricity industry reform and privatization. “He has Bachelor and Master of Law Degrees from the University of Lagos and was admitted to practice Law in Nigeria in 1991. For over 15 years, he provided legal advisory services to public sector power entities including legal support t...

Chelsea have agreed terms to re-sign Brazil defender David Luiz from Paris Saint-Germain, the two clubs announced on Wednesday. Luiz was sold by Premier League Chelsea to French side PSG for a world record fee for a defender when he joined the French club for £50 million ($65 million, 58 million euros) in 2014. But the 29-year-old was in danger of losing his place to compatriot Marquinhos this season and, with new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte desperate for defensive reinforcements, the Blues have agreed to bring him back to Stamford Bridge for a reported £32 million. “Chelsea Football Club and Paris Saint-Germain have agreed terms for the transfer of David Luiz back to London,” a statement on Chelsea’s website read, similar to PSG’s own statement. “The move is now subject to him agreeing personal terms and passing a medical.” Chelsea have agreed terms to re-sign Brazil defender David Luiz from Paris Saint-Germain, the two clubs announced on Wednesday. che Luiz was sold by Pre...

Chelsea have completed the signing of Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina as confirmed by the Italian club. Marcos Alonso  The 25-year-old Spanish left-back is the first defender signed by Antonio Conte following the recruitment of a forward, a midfielder and a goalkeeper to his squad. He has signed a five-year contract.

Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff was stripped of the country’s presidency Wednesday in a Senate impeachment vote ending 13 years of leftist rule in Latin America’s biggest economy. Dilma Rousseff Senators voted by a majority of 61 to 20 to remove Rousseff from office on the grounds that she illegally manipulated the national budget. Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff was stripped of the country’s presidency Wednesday in a Senate impeachment vote ending 13 years of leftist rule in Latin America’s biggest economy. Senators voted by a majority of 61 to 20 to remove Rousseff from office on the grounds that she illegally manipulated the national budget. Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/breaking-brazils-rousseff-stripped-presidency/

Aero Contractors Airlines on Wednesday said that it would suspend all its scheduled services indefinitely from Thursday Sept. 1. The airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Fola Akinkuotu, said in a statement in Lagos that the management decision was part of the strategic business realignment to reposition the airline and return it to the path of profitability. Aero-Contractors He said that all staff directly and indirectly involved in providing the services, would also proceed on indefinite leave of absence. “This business decision is as a result of the current economic situation in the country, which has forced some other airlines to suspend operation or outrightly pull out of Nigeria. “In the case of Aero, the airline has faced grave challenges in the past six months, which impacted its business and by extension the scheduled services operations,’’ he said. Akinkuotu said the impact of the external environment had been very harsh on the airline’s operational performance, hence the man...

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, has pledged to use Nigerian languages in offering services on Facebook. Zuckerberg, who is currently on a business visit to Nigeria, made the promise at a meeting with software developers and ICT entrepreneurs on Wednesday in Lagos. Zuckerberg He said that social media application currently allowed the use of Hausa language on Facebook. “I am glad we support Hausa and we are planning on supporting a lot more languages soon.” Zuckerberg also expressed his willingness to work with local content providers in bringing Nigerian communities to the internet. He said that having local contents on the Facebook platform would ensure that more people were connected. According to him, in the next 10 to 15 years, Facebook hopes to get everyone in the world connected online. Zuckerberg is currently meeting with developers, entrepreneurs and startups.  His first stop is the Co-creation Hub Nigeria (C cHUB), a social innovation centre in Yaba, dedica...

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, is visiting Nigeria for a few days. Zuckerberg says he’ll be “meeting with developers and entrepreneurs, and learning about the startup ecosystem in Nigeria” during his time in Lagos. In line with this, Zuckerberg’s first notable stop was at Co-Creation Hub (Cc Hub), in Yaba, Lagos’ Silicon Valley-style ground zero for start-ups. Over the years, Cc Hub has served as a start-up incubator and accelerator, housing successful start-ups such as BudgIT, a civic enterprise which focuses on accountability and transparency in government budgets. While at Cc Hub, Zuckerberg also met with young kids attending a summer coding camp. Zuckerberg may meet with Nigeria’s president Buhari or vice president Osinbajo before he leaves, according to one person familiar with the plans, but the meeting hasn’t been confirmed. The arrangements for Zuckerberg’s visit to Nigeria were successfully kept under wraps till he appeared in Lagos today (Aug. 30) after a visit to Ro...

Gabon’s presidential election “lacked transparency”, the head of the 73-strong EU electoral monitoring team in the country said on Monday, a day before the official results were due out. Speaking to reporters in the capital Libreville, Bulgarian MEP Mariya Gabriel said Saturday’s vote in the oil-rich Central African country, was “managed in a way that lacked transparency.” “The mission condemns the lack of transparency in the electoral bodies which failed to make essential information available to the campaigns, like the electoral roll or a list of polling stations,” she said. The EU observers said that a week before the election only half of voters had received their ballot cards. The remarks came after a bitterly disputed election in which both sides accused the other of electoral fraud. Official results will not be published until Tuesday, and there are fears that the tensions may erupt into a repeat of the violence seen after the disputed 2009 election. Opposition candidate Jean Pi...

Strongman Uzbek President Islam Karimov is in intensive care after suffering a brain haemorrhage, his younger daughter wrote on social media on Monday. Islam Karimov “My father was hospitalised after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage on Saturday morning, and is now receiving treatment in an intensive care unit,” Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, Uzbekistan’s ambassador to UNESCO, wrote on Instagram of the 78-year-old leader. She added that “his condition is considered stable” but that “at the moment it is too early to make any predictions about his future health.” Uzbekistan’s cabinet of ministers said Sunday that the leader of the ex-Soviet country had been “hospitalised” in a statement published by the state news agency that gave no details. Authoritarian leader Karimov has long been the subject of rumours of ill health that are difficult to verify, since information in the Central Asian country is very tightly controlled. He has held power in the strategic country bordering Afghanistan ...

A Federal High Court, Abuja, has declined the application of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, seeking his immediate release from detention by the Department of State Service (DSS). El-Zakzaky El-Zakzaky is the leader of Shi`a Movement in Nigeria. Justice Okon Abang, the vacation judge, who declined the application, had in the past one week refused the applications of Honourable Abdulmumini Jubril’s house planned suspension. The others were application from his kinsmen seeking stoppage of the appointment of the Managing Director and commissioner into NDDC board and a suit into Oron Federal constituency. Abang said that Zakzaky ought to have obtained the leave of court for the matter to be heard during vacation. He explained that the applicant failed to serve the DSS, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation joined as respondents. He said, no matter the urgency of the matter, the applicant ought to have serve the respondents. The judge said that the matte...

Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, the Deji of Akure has condemned the placing of fetish object at the Secretariat of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Akure on Monday morning. This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Michael Adeyeye, the Chief Press Secretary to the Deji on Monday. He condemned the attitude of those who sealed the entrance of the party secretariat with palm fronds which is the traditional means of sealing-off premises in Akureland. The sacrilegious act carried out at the Ondo State Secretariat of the All Progressive Congress early this morning is condemned in its totality. We want to state that carrying out traditional sealing-off of premises remains the prerogative of the palace. APC secretariat, Akure The Deji of Akure remains non-partisan and a father to all political aspirants and never authorised such. “The palace is apolitical and therefore should not be dragged into the internal wrangling of any party,’’ Adeyeye said. According to him, Oba Ogunlade frowne...

DEAR Mr. President, Last year, when you assumed office, the chant of “Change”, your campaign slogan, ushered you into the Presidential Villa. Today, cries of “hunger” could be heard across the length and breadth of our vast country. Nigerians hunger, not only for food, but also for good leadership, for peace, security and justice. This letter is to appeal to you to do something fast, and, if you are already doing something, to redouble your effort. May it not be written on the pages of history that Nigerians die of starvation under your watch. As President, you are chief servant of the nation. I therefore urge you to live up to the huge expectation of millions of Nigerians. A stitch in time saves nine. Okogie The way forward This is the second year of your administration. You and your party promised to lead the masses to the Promised Land. It is not an easy task to lead. But by campaigning for this office, you offered to take the enormous task of leadership upon yourself. Nigerian...

Sen. Tayo Alasoadura, an APC governorship aspirant in Ondo State, said the party could lose the forth coming governorship election if the party leadership did not resolve the crisis in the state chapter. Sen Alasoadura Alasoadura, representing Ondo Central in the Senate, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure on Monday. NAN reports that 23 governorship aspirants in the party will participate in the party primary scheduled for Sept. 3, ahead of the Nov. 26 governorship election. He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of APC to urgently resolve the disaffection amongst party members in the state over allegation of imposition of one of the aspirants as party’s candidate. Alasoadura, who was the state Commissioner for Finance between 2003 and 2009, said he was not impressed with the high level of disaffection among party members in the state. “I am just praying that God will use his key to open the gate of victory for APC in the ...

You said INEC under your leadership had conducted 137 polls with a few inconclusive ones and you were wondering why so much noise about the inconclusive ones. You went ahead to trace the history of inconclusive polls and I am wondering whether you are happy that this worrisome tradition continues under your leadership? Secondly, INEC under your leadership found it difficult finding its feet at inception and I am wondering what really are the teething problems that make it sees that you where somewhat not up to the task? You put it too rather very strongly that are we happy with the traditions of inconclusive elections. Even the Electoral Act ultimately requires the commission to substantially comply with the provision of the act rather than upset it. And I said we conducted about 137 elections; you can do a census of these elections and see how many of them were inconclusive. Take the FCT election for instance, four chairmanship and five councillorship, nine elections were inconclusi...