Jerry Douglas' Blog

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, Friday, sacked the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and former Governor of Ogun State, Prince Olagunsoye Onyinola, from office. Onyinola was ordered to vacate the office after the high court presided by Justice Abdul Kafarati, held that there was merit in a suit that was entered against him by Chieftains of the party in Ogun State.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will miss Sunday's Premier League clash against north-west rivals Liverpool after failing to recover from a knee injury, manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday. Rooney injured a knee ligament in training and missed United's holiday fixtures against Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic as well as their FA Cup draw at West Ham United. "Wayne Rooney is still out," Ferguson told reporters. "I am hoping he will start training today actually, in which case he won't be far away. I don't think it is an issue, but we need to guide him along. "In terms of the injury he had, it's quite straightforward so if he starts today, I assume he will be available for Wednesday's replay (against West Ham)." United winger Nani and midfielder Anderson will both return to the squad for Liverpool's visit to Old Trafford. "Nani is back in training and will be included in the squad for S

Ailing Nollywood actress, Ngozi Nwosu, is in high spirits at the moment as she concludes arrangements to travel to Germany for medical attention, after struggling to raise the sum of N6m for over a year. While N2.5m already was donated by good-spirited individuals, mother luck shone on her  when the Lagos State Government gave her a balance of the outstanding funds. According to her spokesman, Seun Oloketuyi, the actress is currently processing her visa and other necessary travel documents to enable her proceed on the journey early next week. Oloketuyi said, “The Lagos State Government paid the outstanding balance she has been trying to raise all the while, so she is on the right track. She has done all tests that she is expected to do. She has already made the payment to the hospital and will take all these details with her to the German embassy on Monday. She should travel out unfailingly next week by God’s grace.” It would be recalled that a  few months back,  when h

Lagos Pastor and presidential candidate for the Fresh Party, Pastor Cris Okotie, has said that although his separation from his wife in 2012 is “final and irrevocable,” he will not remarry. This was contained in a statement by the Director,  Media and Communication Strategy of the Household of God Pastor, Mr. Ladi Ayodeji, on Thursday. Ayodeji said in the statement, “The pastor of our great church, the Household of God, Oregun, Lagos, Rev. Chris Okotie,  has finally laid to rest speculations about his future marriage which has been the subject of media controversy since his separation from his former wife, Stephanie Henshaw last year. “He announced to the church during the evening service on Wednesday, January 09, 2013, his decision not to remarry which,  he said,  is final and irrevocable, having already settled the matter with the Lord Jesus Christ. “Taking cognisance of the wide media interest that this issue is likely to generate, we decided to make this statement to pr

Melvon Nigeria Limited is an Oil and Gas servicing company in Port-Harcourt. we need an intellegent smart young man and woman for urgent employment Job Title:  Trainee Field Specialists Job Location:  Port Harcourt Job Requirement: minimum of Hnd in Petroleum, Mechanical, Electrical/Electronics Engineering With upper Credit level applicant should be in his or her 28 years Method Of Application:  send Cv and application to:  enquiry@melvon-ng.com Deadline:  January 16th, 2013

After so much speculation, the first preview of "Lekki Wives is finally here! Find out more about “Lekki Wives” below. The Synopsis They move up the ladder in leaps and put the meal on the table, they hop on and off countless beds and enjoy the upside of being trophy wives. Now, they must together experience the price of change while finding ways to hold their own… Description of the lead characters of “Lekki Wives” – The rich and domineering Miranda played by Adaora Ukoh, Lovette (Kiki Omeili) the carefree housewife who flees her poor home for greener pastures; the wannabe Uju (Catherine Obiang); Peace (Keira Hewatch) the ex-prostitute, and Cleopatra (Chinonso Young) the trophy wife. Different homes, diverse experience, one location. Season 1 of “Lekki Wives” – Overview In this season of Lekki Wives, the lives and conditions of 5 women living and working in the “Highbrow” Lekki Axis. The women will portray very significant issues trending in Lekki and will bring

The Supreme Court has set aside the ruling of the Court of Appeal which upheld a petition filed by the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the last Edo state governorship election, challenging the academic qualification of Mr Adams Oshiomhole. Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour who delivered the lead judgment said the appellate court erred in its ruling since the petitioner did not make the issue of qualification a ground in his petition before the tribunal. He also added that it was a blunder on the part of the petitioner not to make the issue of qualification a ground for challenging the election of Governor Oshiomhole rather than smuggling it through the back door. The Judge noted that since a petitioner is bound by his petition, there is no ground on which the petition will stand and as such the ruling of the Appeal Court was struck out and the ruling of the tribunal upheld. The court however ordered the tribunal to hear paragraph 30 of the petition w

The Supreme Court has set aside the ruling of the Court of Appeal which upheld a petition filed by the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the last Edo state governorship election, challenging the academic qualification of Mr Adams Oshiomhole. Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour who delivered the lead judgment said the appellate court erred in its ruling since the petitioner did not make the issue of qualification a ground in his petition before the tribunal. He also added that it was a blunder on the part of the petitioner not to make the issue of qualification a ground for challenging the election of Governor Oshiomhole rather than smuggling it through the back door. The Judge noted that since a petitioner is bound by his petition, there is no ground on which the petition will stand and as such the ruling of the Appeal Court was struck out and the ruling of the tribunal upheld. The court however ordered the tribunal to hear paragraph 30 of the petition w

The controversy trailing the alleged discovery of a herbal medicine capable of curing the dreaded HIV/AIDS by Nigerian academic, Prof. Isaiah Ibeh, Dean, School of Basic Medical Science of University of Benin (UNIBEN), took a twist Thursday, following the recanting of the claim by the professor. In a five-paragraph statement made available to journalists in Benin City, Prof. Ibeh expressed regrets over the publication of his acclaimed discovery of a drug that could cure HIV/AIDS, saying that the publication was a misrepresentation of what actually transpired. “The true position is that some observations of our Research are preliminary and the research is still ongoing. “I am very sorry for the embarrassment this has caused the University of Benin and Professional Colleagues, realizing that there are procedures of reporting such Scientific result,” he said. Meanwhile, the UNIBEN management has further distanced itself from Prof. Ibeh in an official pronouncement. A pres

Pastor Chris Okotie, has once again lashed out at mischievous people, who he labelled as “character assassins”, who mingle with the Household of God Church members, “to seek whom to scandalize in junk journals”. The dapper man of God, was reacting to stories making the rounds that he was planning to get married to a certain young lady. He warned through his Media Officer, Ladi Ayodeji, that such people “are on the radar of our security operatives” and that they should keep off or risk arrest and prosecution.” Read his full Statement below: CHARACTER ASSASSINS IN GOD’S HOUSE Ordinarily, no serious-minded person should dignify the discredited junk journals by responding to their usual malicious and scandalous aspersions, which they habitually cast on reputable personages and institutions to make cheap sales. But once in a while, it becomes imperative to refute patent falsehood deliberately peddled as “exclusive stories” by scandal sheets seeking market penetration, like i

Charlyboy, a.k.a. AreaFada said the new code of conduct of the Nigerian Police Force was a welcome development, but expressed fear that with the over-zealousness of the Nigerian politicians, who see themselves as Demi-gods, the implementation would be difficult to achieve. Speaking after his brief attendance to the official launching of the Code of Conduct and Professional Standards for Nigerian Police Officers at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, AreaFada stated that even though the IG of Police meant well for the nation and the Nigeria Police Force, there were other forces ranging from politics, poor social welfare of the officers as well as the existing mentality of the average Nigerian who sees the police man as a brutal oppressor. The celebrity said, "Even though we all know Mr. MD Abubakar as a man of innovation, there are forces that will continuously fight to suppress his effort. The politicians are out there to intimidate us with the police. One wo

It is now being speculated within the music industry in hush tones that D’Banj may been shown the exit door at Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music label which D’Banj claims he is still at. According to information gathered from reports and some industry sources, all may not be too well between D’Banj and his American boss. What Nigeriafilms.com scooped reveals that Kanye was never happy with the split between D’Banj and Don Jazzy in early 2012. We gathered that Kanye actually signed Don Jazzy to produce D’Banj for his record label, but with the split between them, it was no longer possible for Don Jazzy to perform his obligation of making ‘good’ beats for D’Banj. Now that D’Banj took a step further to sign J-Sleek as his music producer, what sources in D’Banj’s camp reveal to industry sources is that Kanye is not pleased with J-Sleek’s production prowess and he sees D’Banj’s new collection of songs as weak. What some tale-bearers are saying now is that Kanye is disappointed at D’B

The Nigerian Prisons Service has warned the general public of the activities of some criminals promising applicants jobs in the service, saying it is not recruiting at present. This is contained in a statement signed by the Prisons Public Relations Officer, Mr Kayode Odeyemi and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Abuja. "I wish to use this medium to inform the public of the activities of some unscrupulous people who are taking advantage of unsuspecting job seekers and the general public. "Through the internet that recruitment exercise is ongoing in the Nigerian Prisons Service. "The public is hereby informed that the Service is not recruiting staff of any category and that when such exercise will commence it will be published in the media," it said. It further said that no consultant had been hired to recruit for the service either through the internet or otherwise. The Nigeria Prisons Service also refuted the purported reports of

2 killed, 8 injured, several vehicles and houses burnt as fuel tanker fell and caught fire. A fully laden petrol tanker, a Mack truck with registration number XS 942 KJA fell, spilled content and burst into flames on the road at Mbiama junction, Ahoada bypass in Rivers State at about 08:15 hrs On 11/01/13. A man and a woman were killed, while eight other persons were injured. The police, Firemen, FRSC and other security operatives were involved in the rescue. The dead bodies were collected by their relations for burial while the injured were taken to Okolobiri General Hospital in Bayelsa.  There was no scooping of fuel, but the incident happened at the lively point where people were carrying out their businesses hence the high casualty figures. 11 vehicles, four motorcycles, 13 shops, 23 makeshift houses, two churches and a Mosque were razed.

The Niger Delta Elders Forum (NDEF) has said that President Goodluck Jonathan should not count on the support of people of the South-South geo-political zone in 2015 if he fails to address their demands. The elders, in statement in Port Harcourt, signed by chairman of the forum, Etubong Alphonsus Duke, and secretary, Apostle Nelson Baribote, expressed their disappointment in the incumbent administration. The statement said that although all Nigerians massively voted for President Jonathan in 2011, his strongest support and largest votes came from the South-South, but frowned that the president had not rewarded the people’s love and loyalty. They cited the state of the East-West Road, the only road linking the oil-rich region with the rest of the country, and the poor performance of his key ministers from the region as some of the reasons for his poor rating with his people. The elders also urged President Jonathan to sack some of his ministers who are in charge of matters dir

Goods worth millions of naira were destroyed Friday morning when fire razed down a section of Owode-Onirin Iron/Metal Dealers Market This was revealed to P.M.NEWS by the National Chairman of the Iron/Metal Dealers Association, Alhaji Sanni Alatesebutu, who also explained that the inferno started at about 3:30am as a result of a spark from an electrician’s shop. According to him, “I received a call at about 3:30am and was told that fire was burning from an electrician’s shop. We immediately tried to mobilize people to put out the fire since it was not so much but their efforts were not effective enough as it had extended to other parts of that section of the market. “From my calculations when I visited the scene of the inferno, I discovered that about N5 to N6 million worth of goods had been destroyed despite the seemingly small portion of the market that was affected”. On whether the association would compensate traders who suffered the losses, the chairman said that there 

After so many criticisms and appeals on the expulsion of over 120 students from Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State for not attending a university assembly, the Management of the institution led by Bishop David Oyedepo has agreed to reduce their punishment to 4 weeks suspension. DailyPost gathered that several groups including parents, lawyers and National Human Rights Commission are part of those that appealed to the management of the school for a rethink on the judgement slammed on the students. Sources say the students are expected to resume back to school later this month or early February.   It would be recalled that the Bishop, David Oyedepo privately owned university is known for its strict rules and discipline, and expelled the student last year for not attending an assembly.

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, turned up in training on Thursday, spotting a blond bombshell look after bleaching his hair. The trademark hair style remains the same but the striking colour could not be more different.

The officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday afternoon arrested immediate past Governor of the Central bank of Nigeria, Charles Soludo in connection with the Australian polymer banknotes bribery scam. A close relative of Mr. Soludo confirmed to Saharareporters operatives picked up the former CBN governor in Abuja a few hours ago.  A government source told Saharareporters that Mr. Soludo is facing interrogation by the EFCC at its Abuja office with regards to his role in the bribery of CBN officials by an Australian currency mint company, Securency.  The source told our reporters about a dozen other CBN former and serving CBN officials have also been apprehended for questioning on the deal.  EFCC spokesperson could not be reached for confirmation of the arrest.

The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, on Thursday denied rumours that it is conducting a recruitment exercise. In a statement signed by a Superintendent Route Marshal, Ohaeri Osondu, the Corps said the rumour making rounds is a scam perpetrated by some individuals to extort money from desperate jobseekers in the nation. Mr. Osondu stated that the trend is disturbing. The management of the Federal Road Safety Corps wishes to discountenance itself from this criminal act and advises the general public especially, job seekers to disregard such unauthorized and mischievous publications as " the Corps has no immediate arrangements to embark on any recruitment exercise,” he said. The individuals put out a fake FRSC recruitment advert and asked unsuspecting job seekers to pay the sum of N10,000 into a First Bank account. An enquiry line – 08050907157 owned by a certain Mr. Gbenga was also advertised, perhaps to ensure that people who fall prey call the line for further directions.

A suspended female officer of the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS) on Tuesday admitted before the National Industrial Court, Abuja that she collected bribe totaling N11.6 million from job applicants. Mrs Josephine Mba, a Superintendent of Prison, made the admission while being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Mr Shehu Ilegieuno, in a case she instituted against the Nigeria Prison Service. Joined as defendants in the case are the Minister of Interior and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. In the case before Justice Babatunde Adejumo, the claimant is challenging her suspension from duty and seizure of her full salary on the grounds that due process was not followed by the NPS board. In her statement of claims, Mba argued that under the Civil Service Rule, an officer on suspension is entitled to half of his/her monthly salary. However, under cross-examination by the defence counsel, she admitted to collecting a total of N11.6 million from 113 per

A former Deputy Governor of Taraba State has called for the immediate swearing-in of the Acting Governor, Garba Umar, as substantive governor. Senator Saleh Usman Danboyi, who was the second-in-command during the Jolly Nyame administration, said the installation of Umar would put an end to what he described as “administrative standstill in the state.” In an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, Danboyi lamented that governance in the state has come to a halt since Governor Danbaba Suntai was involved in a crash three months ago. Danboyi who represented Taraba South Senatorial District between 2003 and 2007, noted that the electorate have the right to know the health status of their leaders. Speaking further, he said: “Our governor was involved in a plane crash and he was taken to Germany. Ever since, we have not heard anything regarding his health status and this is causing much concern to the entire people of Taraba State.” “We have the acting governor but things a

Following the assassination of the Borno state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Zannah Mallam Gana some time last year, Governor Kashim Shettima today sworn in Barrister Kaka Shehu Lawan as the new commissioner of justice and the state Attorney General. Barrister Lawan has been acting as the justice commissioner following the death of Zanna Mala Gana who was shot dead last year by gunmen. Shettima who also sworn in new Special Adviser said the appointment of the justice commissioner was done in accordance with section 195 of the 1999 constitution which give him the power to make such appointment subject to the approval of the state House of Assembly. He said the appointment was based on merit and professionalism, adding that the state is in difficult situation and such needs efficient people who can work in line with the aspiration of his administration to better the lives of the citizenry, urging the appointees to be dedicated to their duties. The oat

The Bayelsa State government has declared that it inherited a little over N400,000 from the last administration of former Governor, Timipre Sylva. Addressing a news conference in Abuja, the State’s Commissioner for Finance, Mr Duate Iyabi claimed the inherited funds and accumulated debts are hampering the development of the state under the administration of Governor Seriake Dickson. The Commissioner accused the former governor of  financial recklessness . But in a swift reaction, the Special Adviser on media to Chief Sylva stated that the accusations are diversionary attempt by the incumbent government to redirect the focus of the people away from his government  which is yet to fulfill its electoral promises one year after it came to power. Denying the claim by the Seriake Dickson administration, the governor’s aide stated that  at the time the former governor left office the state had not received its January 2012 allocation from the Federal Allocation Account Committee .

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, blamed the Federal Government for the fire disaster at MRS tank farm, Tin Can Island, Lagos on Wednesday, saying, “the disaster shows that the country’s oil and port management are still in their amateur stage.” This came as the governor called on the Federal Government to immediately remove all tank farms sited in residential areas across the state. It will be recalled that a petrol barge belonging to the company caught fire and exploded injuring over four persons in the process. Fashola, who spoke after inspecting the extent of damage caused by the fire at the farm, said: “It is important also to understand that there are different levels of responsibility here. “The whole of the maritime safety, fuel management, fuel importation, port management and all of that are clearly responsibilities that do not belong to our government. “They belong to the central government and I want to think that we can do better than this

Late Nollywood actor, Enebeli Elebuwa who died last December, in New Delhi, India, will have his remains committed to mother earth today at the Victoria Court Cemetery, Ajah, Lagos. The veteran actor began his final journey on Wednesday with a candle light procession and Night of Tribute, organised by the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, at the celebrity hangout, O’jez, National Stadium, Surulere. At the candle light procession, which kicked off from Masha roundabout, in Surulere and terminated at the National Stadium, Elebuwa’s colleagues in the movie industry paid their last respects to him. A wake was held in his honour yesterday at NTA Channel 10 ground, Tejuosho, Yaba, and it was well attended by top people in the society. The Requiem Mass holds this morning at St Michael’s Catholic Church, while internment follows immediately at Victoria Court Cemetery, Ajah. There will be thanksgiving service at Michael’s Catholic Church, Lafiaji, Lagos. Enebeli Elebuwa died after suf

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Enugu State chapter on Thursday said that the state Governor, Sullivan Chime who has been away for over 112 days on vacation, would soon return to the state, saying the current dusts being raised about his whereabouts would soon settle. The party in a statement signed by the state Chairman of the party, Mr. Vita Abba, disclosed that despite the absence of the Governor from the state, activities of the government had not suffered any setback. PDP noted that, developmental projects initiated by the embattled Governor and those commenced by the State Executive Council under the leadership of the Acting Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, have been on going. This came following a recent call by Save Enugu Group, which wrote to the Acting Governor on Wednesday, asking him to give a “categorical explanation on Governor Chime’s long absence” and send a delegation overseas to ascertain his true condition. The group had on appealed to Enugu State Development A

Peter Okoye, of one of the the biggest pop bands in Africa Psquare, says he’s acquired a home in the city of San Francisco, Northern California. The 31-year-old posted photos of the property on Instagram, helping baby mama Lola Omotayo with the cooking and having fun with the kids. No official word yet from the acts or their label. Real estate companies in San Francisco told NET, that the estimated property value for the house is $2,750,000 (N434,500,000). The US housing system supports mortgage system payment. We’re told Okoye will (give or take) be paying about $12, 323 (N1.95m) a month. See more photos

Iyanya who was accused by producer of Nigeria’s foremost comedy show, Opa Williams of defrauding him to the tune of N1.7 million, being payment for his performance at “Nite of A Thousand Laughs’ shows which held recently in Benin and Port-Harcourt, has reacted to the allegation. Speaking to the press last Tuesday following the allegation, Iyanya denied the arrest of his Manager. He however admitted that the police invited them. He said they didn’t spend close to 1 hour at the police station before they were allowed to leave. Opa Williams reported Iyanya to the police for allegedly collecting N1.7 million from him to perform at ‘Nite of a Thousand Laughs’ shows held in Benin and Port Harcourt. Unfortunately, the reigning afro-hip hop act never showed up at any of the shows. Iyanya explained that the reason they couldn’t make the Benin and Port Harcourt shows was because they were stuck in traffic while on their way to the venue. “I didn’t intentionally refuse to show up at the

The Senate Minority Whip, Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon, Thursday said he would be the next governor of Lagos State come 2015. Solomon, who represents Lagos West Senatorial district, said with his experience and developmental vision nursed over the years for the state, declaring that he was more than prepared to take the state further. This sort of declaration would be the first time that any intending governorship aspirant in the state, irrespective of political party, would come out to indicate interest in Lagos governorship race in the countdown to 2015. Others, who have been previously quoted as nursing similar ambition, have denied the attribution for one political reason or the other. As former chairman of Mushin Local Government Area, Solomon had progressed in his political career over the years, moving from the House of Representatives, where he represented Mushin Federal Constituency I for four years, to the Senate where he is currently serving a second term in o

Ekekeee.com is vouching for the authenticity of the account below, but has chosen not to reveal the identity of the author to protect him from harm and victimization. By Comrade X I was uncomfortable the moment I received the Mail above. Who wouldn’t be? In the heat of the Occupy Nigeria protests along with the NLC strike, we were being summoned to Abuja for a meeting. Equally unnerving is the announcement that the Airspace would be temporarily opened to facilitate the meeting. When a Viable Union meets a Recalcitrant Government, something’s got to give. Until the January 2012 watershed, Nigerians had become used to the Oshiomole-esque kind of strike, and the pattern had become predictable. The Government announces an increment, NLC demands a ‘status quo or nothing’ and all of a sudden, pulls a volte face and goes into negotiations. The Obasanjo government had, between 1999-2007, hiked the pump price successively from N20 to N 30 (June 1, 2000), amidst mass action, came down