Jerry Douglas' Blog

After Olusegun Obasanjo failed to secure a third term in office, he boasted that 2007 and 2011 would be a "transition period", as he would run the affairs of the country from his Ota Farm, irrespective of the fact that there would be a sitting president. This has been revealed in a recently published memoir of an Obasanjo confidant and former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, entitled  "The Accidental Public Servant" . The book recounts that though former president Obasanjo had singlehandedly ensured that the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua succeeded him in 2007, he nevertheless planned to administer the country from his Ota Farm. He described the 2007-2011 period as  a transition  because all his pointsmen, including the "economic team",  would remain in office . El-Rufai recalls the former president telling him thus: "Well, nothing will change, you know. I will be in Ota, but we will be running things. Eve...

The internal strife within the Peoples Democratic Party deepened on Thursday with President Goodluck Jonathan’s intervention failing to pacify the PDP governors who are adamant in their resolve to remove their party’s National Chairman, Bamangar Tukur. Jonathan’s three-hour meeting with the governors at the Villa on Thursday, sources confirmed to The PUNCH, failed to extract a commitment from the states’ chief executives to sheathe their swords in the battle against Tukur. Myriads of assurances from party chieftains to the contrary notwithstanding, the governors were said to be bent on removing Tukur over his alleged meddling in the Adamawa PDP politics and unilateral dissolution of the executive council in the state chapter of the party. Many members of the NWC, led by the Deputy National Chairman, Mr. Sam Jaja, had denounced and rescinded the dissolution of the Adamawa exco.  At the end of their meeting in the Federal Capital Territory on Wednesday evening, the govern...

The remains of the commercial bus driver who died after a fierce struggle with an officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, was laid to rest on Thursday. Isaac Popoola, 54, died on Christmas Eve inside his vehicle after the LASTMA traffic officer banged his head, repeatedly, on the bus’s door as he struggled to clutch the steering wheel. Two weeks after the incident, the deceased’s family said that state government officials had not reached out to them. And during his funeral ceremony at his Akowonjo residence where Mr. Popoola was laid to rest, there was no government representative. “There is no sign of condolence. I feel very very bad because this is ungodly. There is no justice in this country as far as I’m concerned,” said Ibukun Popoola, 26, the deceased’s eldest son. “Since his death, the governor even if he is too busy, he ought to send a delegate, somebody to just pay his own condolence to my father. The LASTMA officials, none of them came. I...

Job Recruitment @ Federal College O Education (Tech) Akoka, Lagos (Massive Recruitment) Posted:  10 Jan 2013 11:45 PM PST   Federal College of Education (Tech) Akoka, Lagos. We are recruiting for the following positions A) School Of Science Education (1) Principal Lecturer, Computer Education Job Requirement: minimum of Msc...   Cook/Chefs Needed in A Fast Food Company in Lagos Posted: 10 Jan 2013 11:37 PM PST A New Entrant in the fast food business in Lagos, Nigeria is urgently seek to recruit the following cook/Chefs Job Title: Cook/Chefs Job Location: Lagos, Nigeria Job Requirement: minimum of...   Oil and Gas Job: Melvon Nigeria Limited Recruitment For Graduate Trainee Posted: 10 Jan 2013 11:34 PM PST 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...   Courier Service Company Recr...

Owing by the way Confederation of African Football(CAF) sold its TV rights,Nigerians might not be able to watch the 2013 African Nations Cup on terrestrial TV(local stations). It is understood that the rights owners, Sportfive, are asking for astronomical figures,before local channels can beam live the competition,in the Nigerian terrain. SportsFive are insisting on €6M fee,for Nigeria alone,which is a high figure for Nigerian TV stations to part with. If the Broadcasting Association of Nigeria(BON) does not meet the financial demands,required for the acquisition of the rights,then Nigerians would resort to satellite decoders,if they wish to view the tournament. Since CAF sold its TV rights to the current holders,Sportfive,Africans have been having difficulties watching their national teams. For instance,virtually all the away matches of the Super Eagles of Nigeria,during the 2013 Nations Cup and 2014 World Cup qualifiers last year,were not shown on TV,here in Nigeria.

Lagos State commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, and one of the sons of Oba Idowu Oniru, the Oniru of Iruland, Prince Segun Oniru, was attacked by armed men on Friday December 21st near Four Points By Sheraton Hotel in Oniru. The prince, his police orderly and driver were coming from an event on that Friday evening when another SUV hit his SUV violently from the back as they approached a bump. As they got out of their car to inspect the extent of damage, the men in the other SUV came down and fired shots at them. Prince Segun Oniru’s orderly was killed at the scene, his driver ran off and Prince Oniru in panic got back into his car. The robbers entered his car and drove him around the area after robbing him of his phones, credit cards, and all his money. Prince Oniru escaped the robbers by jumping out of his car as the robbers approached a bump near where he was attacked. The prince was treated for bullet wounds but luckily no bullet penetrated his body. ...

  Barring last minute changes, ailing Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai will be flown back from Germany on January 15, a source close to his cabinet disclosed yesterday. The source said though the German doctors handling the governor had warned that the planned trip could be detrimental to his healing process, close associates of Suntai, who are determined to make him make an appearance in Jalingo, have told the doctors that they will employ the service of an air ambulance. Governor Suntai is recuperating in a German hospital after  a plane crash  on October 25 near Yola Adamawa State. Just last week, family friends of the governor circulated some  pictures  showing him and his wife, Hauwa, holding their newly born twins and a family friend. The pictures were apparently to show how well the governor is recuperating but they also elicited  controversy  because of Suntai’s posture in the photographs. Suntai’s deputy, Garba Umar, was swor...