Jerry Douglas' Blog

T he move by a ranking member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, and his colleague Boniface Emenalo, to dismiss bribery charges against them has been rejected by the court. An Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi on Friday morning dismissed the application of the accused to quash the charges. The court ruled in favour of the prosecution, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, on the three issues. The court ruled that it has jurisdiction, that there is evidence of crime against the prosecution, and that the charges are not an abuse of court process. The counsel to the lawmakers said he would consult with his clients before deciding on appeal. The two men are accused of demanding and collecting $620, 000 bribe from an oil magnate, Femi Otedola, to free his company of petrol subsidy fraud. More details later… Source:  Premium Times

Controversial actress, Tonto Dikeh posted a photo of her rocking her blonde hair with caption 'You look innocent with blonde'. Looks like the new trend among actresses these days is going blonde. From Chika Ike to Ghanaian actress, Juliet Ibrahim. What do you think of hair, does she look innocent?

The social contract between the governors and the governed is on tenterhooks. Is it not scandalous that barely over two years into the administration of President Goodluck Ebelewane Jonathan that the nation has come to a near grinding halt! Workers have been threatening (and are still threatening) to go on strike; mainly as a result of the governors reneging on their agreement of the N18,000 minimum wage. The workers threat was a wake-up call and out of the blues the governors decided to swim to the safety of “strike avoidance” by agreeing to pay the minimum wage. Translation= the minimum wage for a Nigerian worker equates to just over a $100 a month and shamelessly this was a topic for discussion and disagreement by state governors who receive billions of naira per month in security votes alone. To add insult upon injury most of them brazenly proceed to loot the treasury. The emphasis is on “most”, because we must exonerate the few good ones that have the fear of God a

Yaya Toure is expecting a 'very, very tough' Premier League next season, but hopes the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson will help Manchester City to finish on top. Ferguson confirmed on Wednesday that he is retiring at the end of the season, to be replaced by David Moyes, after leading Manchester United to a record 20th title. United had reclaimed the Premier League crown from City after losing out on goal difference 12 months ago, but Toure is optimistic the balance of power will swing back towards his club. "United are a great club and Ferguson is a big character there," said Toure. "He has built everything at United and the balance, I hope, will go to the City side now. "We will see next year. There will be a lot of rivalry between Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and United. Tottenham are coming through and the Premier League is going to be very, very tough." City face Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup final on Saturday and Toure is determine

Super Eagles midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has confessed that he had wished he played for retiring Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Recall Mikel was a subject of a transfer tussle between Chelsea and Man United after the Red Devils announced that it had struck a deal with the Norwegian club Lyn Oslo to sign the player. United also claimed that they had done a deal directly with the teen Nigerian and that he had signed a contract to join them. Mikel’s agents, John Shittu was bypassed as the club persuaded the youngster to sign a 4-year contract without representation. Lyn Oslo allegedly sent a fax to his agents abroad, claiming their services were no longer required by Mikel. Mikel who took to his Twitter page on Thursday to pay tribute to the man who redefined the landscape of British football as he won 49 trophies for the Red Devils with 27years in charge. @MikelObi_12: “SAF !! You’re forever a Legend !!wish I worked with you even only 4 a week !!! Meanwhi

Cobhams Asuquo gave the talk below recently at TEDxEUSTON where he was one of the speakers. I’m a dreamer, and I don’t mean that in the literal sense or in the literal context of going to sleep and dreaming even though that’s very nice because that’s when I get to drive and play golf. But a picture of an average guy who lies down and faces the ceiling and just dreams away. Fortunately for me, a lot of things I have dreamt about in my life have come true. I believe strongly that one of the strong elements that fuel my very strong sense of imagination and my ability to dream is the gift of blindness. And I’m going to share with you, a couple of things that I have leant and a couple of life lessons that could be invaluable to you as well that I have learnt from Blindness. So to start with, I will state the obvious fact that I was born blind. No one else in my family of six children is blind. There’s no known cause. No links. No explanation. Just the reality that I cannot see

Wayne Rooney faces a backlash from Manchester United fans after it emerged he asked outgoing manager Sir Alex Ferguson for a transfer two weeks ago. Fans took to Twitter and message boards to urge the club to sell the England striker after Sportsmail exclusively revealed that Rooney is seeking a fresh start elsewhere. The news will interest Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, who are favourites to sign the £25m-rated frontman. Rooney also recently removed the words ‘Manchester United player’ from his Twitter profile, replacing them with ‘Nike Athlete’. His representatives insisted no change had been made recently and it later emerged that a number of other Nike-sponsored players – including United team-mate Tom Cleverley – had made similar changes to their social media biographies some months ago. Source:  Daily Post

38.  Ferguson won 38 trophies with Manchester United, more than any other manager in the history of English soccer. Including his time with St. Mirren and Aberdeen, he lifted a total of 49 trophies as manager.   13.  He won 13 English League titles, seven more than any other manager. Those 13 titles came in 27 seasons, compared to the seven league titles Manchester United won in its previous 80 campaigns. Ferguson added two Champions League trophies, five FA Cups, four League Cups, 10 Community Shields, and one title each in the Club World Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup.   175.  That’s how many men have managed the other 44 clubs in the Premier League era. They combined for a total of 405 seasons and eight league titles, compared to Ferguson’s 13 titles in the 21 Premier League seasons.   1999 . Ferguson’s hallmark achievement is the European treble in the 1998-99 season, when Manchester United won the league, Champions League and FA Cup. U

Lawmakers say a team will reach out to the spouses of the slain personnel. The House of Representatives issued a surprising plea to police authorities Thursday, urging the force to let go of any plan to retaliate against the killing of more than 30 of its personnel by a suspected cult group in Nasarawa State.   Lawmakers condemned the shocking attack on the personnel who were ambushed on a mission to dislodge the group, but urged restraint and pledged to institute a team to reach out to the spouses of the slain officers.   Wives of policemen took to the streets on Thursday to protest the murder, barricading the Akwanga-Lafia Federal Highway in Nasarawa State.   Raising the matter for urgent consideration, the lawmaker representing the area in the House, Kigbu Haruna (PDP), said that within six months, the state has lost many people as a result of similar clashes.   Mr. Haruna urged the Federal and Nasarawa State governments to dialogue with the group involved

Imo State Police Command recorded another success in its renewed fight against crime and criminals, following the bursting of child trafficking and baby factory syndicate in the state.   Disclosing this to newsmen Thursday evening, at the State Police Headquarters, Owerri, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Katsina, said the Command has clamped down on illegal motherless babies homes, as well as rescued 17 pregnant teenagers.   According to the Imo police boss, one of the illegal homes, Ahamefula Motherless Babies Home, located in Umuaka, Njaba local council area, is allegedly owned by a middle aged woman simply identified as “Madam One Thousand”.   Mr. Katsina equally disclosed that during the police raid, no fewer than 11 minors, who were possibly waiting to be sold to prospective buyers, were rescued by the Command.   The bizarre aspect of the police finding was that a 23-year old boy, simply identified as Oyibo, was fingered as being responsible for impr

The number of policemen killed by cultists in Assakio village, Nasarawa, rose to 30 on Thursday while the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Momoh, who led the security agents to the shrine of the Ombatse Militia cult group has been declared missing. Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Akeremale, told journalists on Thursday that the bodies of the 30 policemen had been recovered and deposited at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in the state capital Lafia. Most of the bodies were said to have been burnt beyond recognition. Momoh, a number of policemen and State Security Service operatives were still to be accounted for 24 hours after they were attacked by members of Ombatse militia group. Also on Thursday, wives of policemen in the state protested on the streets of Lafia over the murder of their husbands by the cultists. The Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, Michael Ada, confirmed that the protesting wives had blocked the Akwanga-La

US filmmakers are to make a biopic about Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi, to be released around the time of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.   Beverly Hills-based Epic Pictures Group said it has acquired the rights to a biography of the Barcelona star, “Messi: The Inside Story of the Boy Who Became a Legend.”   The film will be a dramatization based on the book by European sports journalist Luca Caioli, rather than a documentary. Epic will finance and produce it, and are looking for a writer and director.   Caioli drew on interviews with family, coaches and teammates for the book, which was originally titled “Messi: The Boy who could not Grow” — a reference to growth hormone deficiency he suffered as a boy.   “Ultimately, this is a Rocky-style tale about a young boy from humble beginnings who overcomes his physical shortcomings to become one of the greatest players of all time,” said the film company.   The book has been published in 32 countries in 31 l

Touching image of couple found embracing in the rubble of collapsed factory is shared around the world. A Haunting image has emerged of a couple who perished in the Bangladesh factory collapse – clutching each other as they died. With rubble, dust and metal strewn around, the lifeless woman is seen doubled backwards as the man tenderly wraps his arms around her. Reams of light-blue clothing material – which would have been made in the garment factory – wrap around the wreckage as a trail of blood runs from the man's eyes. More than 900 people are now known to have died – with around 2,500 people injured – in last month's collapse of the factory near Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

A man who admits to be an Ombatse traditional religionist in Nassarawa State has reported that their group killed 95 policemen today, nearly four times the 23 the police have admitted.   Earlier, Abayomi Akeremale, the State Police Commissioner, said, "The Ombatse gunmen opened fire on our men, killing 23 and burning them,"  Nasarawa  state police chief said, adding that 17 officers remain missing. Akeremale said the security forces decided to arrest some Ombatse leaders after they receive reports they were embarking on forced conversions in the village of Elakyo, near Lafia, the Nassarawa capital. Speaking through an interpreter on the phone, the traditional religionist denied shooting at the policemen, saying his group responded only with machetes and knives, not bullets, and only after the police had killed nine of their members.  Denying that they have been committing force conversions in mosques and churches, he said the policemen arrived in 12 patrol truck

The leadership of the House of Representatives led by Honourable Aminu Tambuwal on Wednesday opened up on perceived hostility between the House and the executive arm of government with claim that some of his ministers had hijacked government from President Goodluck Jonathan. This came to fore at a closed door meeting between the House leadership and PDP BoT members, led by its chairman, Chief Tony Anenih. Impeccable sources at the closed door meeting told Nigerian Tribune that the meeting was centered on rekindled  underground disagreement on proposed amendment to 2013 Appropriation Act. It was gathered that the closed door meeting was a frank one with House leadership pointedly telling their guests that some ministers have hijacked the running of government from the President and specifically mentioned the name of the Coordinating Minister of Economy and Minister of Finance, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who they claimed was responsible for the impasse over the proposed amendmen

The Police High Command has condemned today’s “unprovoked and brutal” killing of scores of policemen who were on legitimate assignment in Nasarawa State. According to the police command in that state, 23 officers were killed and 17 declared missing, when they went to Elakyo, near Lafia, the State capital, to arrest some Ombatse leaders following reports they were embarking on forced religious conversions. “This disturbing, condemnable and highly distressing incident, coming closely after similar ones in Bayelsa and Borno States, have thrown up new and emerging threat in the part of policing our country,” Police spokesman Frank E. Mba said in a statement, adding that the attack is not just on the Nigeria police, but an attack on the collective will of Nigerians to protect and preserve our dear fatherland. “Consequently, the IGP has directed all its field commanders and Special Units including Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and Commissioners of Police to harness all i

Leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force,  Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, has dared the  House of Representatives and leaders of northern Nigeria to arrest him if they can. Dokubo-Asari, who spoke with journalists on Wednesday evening in Abuja, said he stood by his words that there would  be no peace if Jonathan is not  re elected  in 2015. He was responding to calls by members of the House, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and northern leaders, saying the leaders were cowards if he was not arrested. The former President of Ijaw Youth Council  also added that any attempt to arrest him would make Nigeria “a history”, asking why those calling for his arrest turned deaf ears when some northern leaders like former Military Head of State Maj.-Gen Mohamadu Buhari, Alhaji Lawal Kaita and a former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Aliyu, among others. He said, “I stand by my statement which I made in my early press conference. There will be no peace, n

The Nasarawa State Police Command has said that only 17 out of the 90 Police officers, excluding other security officers, who were on a mission to arrest the chief priest of  Ombatse  Shrine, located at Assakyo village, about 10 kilometres from Lafia, the state capital, returned so far with various degrees of wounds. Ombatse  in Eggon language literally means “time has come”. This came as President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, cancelled his scheduled visit to Namibia to personally oversee efforts by security agencies to contain the new security challenge in Borno, Nassarawa and Benue states. Already, 40 dead bodies of the missing policemen had been recovered from the forests. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, and the Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam have condemned the killing of the policemen and officials of the Department of State Security, DSS, saying  the action was not only unacceptable but also “revolting.” Jonathan on a st

An undergraduate of the University of Calabar, Uyo, was lynched on Wednesday by some angry mobs for allegedly stealing a lady’s mobile phone and handbag. The undergraduate who was operating with another young man, who is still at large was alleged to have boarded a taxi at Marian Road, Calabar South and on getting to Goldie by Atu Street junction, they asked the taxi driver to stop as they claimed to be alighting. However, while stepping down from the taxi, one of them grabbed a lady’s handbag and the other snatched her phone. “When the lady raised the alarm, some people went after the boys and one managed to escape, but unfortunately for one of them, he was intercepted after he hid himself in a gutter, in front of my house” Dr Emmanuel Effiong Ene, a lecturer who witnessed the incident said. Dr Ene further stated that when one of the thieves escaped the mob came after the one who hid himself and descended on him with stones and cudgels. ”I heard someone scratch a machete

South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has said that President Goodluck Jonathan will win the presidential election in 2015 if he decides to contest based on his achievements, but noted that there would be no crises if he was defeated at the poll. He also declared that former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), former Minister of Finance, Mallam Adamu Ciroma and other Northerners, should be investigated for their provocative and inflammatory statements, and not just singling out Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Mr.  Kingsley Kuku and former militant leader,  Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari. Clark, in  an open letter to the Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, said:  “I repeat, there will be no crises, if President Jonathan  is defeated at the presidential election in 2015, but he has a right to contest the election if he so wishes. “For him to win, he has to implement some of the democratic dividends he promised Nigerians and  he ha