GOOGLE'S TGIT EVENT SERENADES STARS

Google hosts +200 celebrities and social influencers on Google+ at Thank Goodness It’s Thursday (TGIT) Event

...celebrates top celebrity Google+ users and premieres +Naija documentary

18th October 2012, Lagos: Google today hosted over 200 guests at its Thank Goodness It’s Thursday (TGIT) event held at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos. In attendance were social influencers, bloggers and celebrities in the music and entertainment industry, as well as individuals that have been very active and engaged on Google+ since its launch.

On arrival, guests networked on the red carpet and joined a Google+ Hangout with fans online, to get an idea of the excitement that lay ahead.  Taking a show-versus-tell approach, the team from Google Nigeria shared a video of launch of  Google+, in addition to exhibiting some of the latest features on the platform through interactive quizzes with the attendees.

Jonathan and Tambuwal's Vote of Thanks

Why Did Jonathan Reach for Tambuwal’s (Speech) Vote of Thanks? by Tunde Rahman

 Aminu Waziri Tambuwal

A lot has been said and written about the scathing remarks by Senate President David Mark and House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal during the 2013 budget presentation by President Jonathan and I do not intend to belabour the matter again, lest one incurs the wrath of the National Assembly. The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs Dr. Doyin Okupe who dabbled into the matter in a way deemed contemptuous of the National Assembly has already gotten a piece of the Senate’s tongue. Senate President David Mark asked the President to call his officials to order.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ANALYSIS BY TUNDE RAHMAN

What are the Constitutional Amendment Issues in State Creation?

By Tunde Rahman


It was human rights activist and lawyer Festus Okoye who raised that thought-provoking issue at a media dialogue on the constitution amendment process last Tuesday in Lagos. Perhaps exasperated by the growing demand for additional states in the country (at the last count 56 requests for new states were submitted to the Senate Constitution Review Committee) and the way and manner the constitution review committees were carrying on as if they could bring about new states just with their votes, Okoye had raised a poser. He asked what I consider to be the big question: “Are there new issues in the constitutional amendment apart from those set out in Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution?” Just what are new constitutional amendment issues?  It was real food for thought. Section 8 sets out the procedures that must be followed by those seeking additional states in their areas.

Canticles: As the First Lady Bounces Back…

 Canticles with Eddy Odivwri


As the First Lady Bounces Back…


All hail our First Lady, she is back to her busy life style. She is even looking brighter and better. Did you see that her colourful, dazzling boubou, with dark shade to match?  Shame to bad people.


Yes, we are happy she is back. But why are you rubbing-in some invectives?


What do you mean? Didn’t you hear all that was said about her, while she was away? Didn’t you people say she went for the treatment of all kinds of unimaginable ailments? Didn’t some say she had ruptured appendicitis, even as some others said she went for tummy tuck so that she will be more attractive to Mr President? Didn’t some people even say she had died? Was that not all the gibberish you people were spreading around?

IMAGINE THIS (2) OKONJO IWEALA AND THE $5 WAHALA

 Okonjo Iweala and the $5 Wahala By Polscope with Eddy Odivwri

I have followed all the hoopla over whether the budget should be based on the oil benchmark of $75 or $80 per barrel. While the Finance minister argues that $75 per barrel is the appropriate benchmark, the House of Representatives believes that it should be $80 per barrel. The difference between both positions is $5. And that is what is threatening to tear down the budget. But I see it as purely a case of storm in a tea cup.
While the executive believes the figure ($75) will further boost savings by swelling  the Excess Crude Account (ECA), the lawmakers believe it is needless saving up treasure when the country’s infrastructure are virtually collapsed, and that it does not make sense seeking foreign loans to build infrastructure, while saving the nation’s wealth.

IMAGINE THESE (1) ALUU KILLINGS AND THE POLICE

Imagine These BY Polscope with Eddy Odivwri

Aluu Four and the Lies of the Police (1)
For whatever the reason is, the truth is that the society hardly believes the Police. It is not for nothing. Not much truth comes from them. While seeking to exonerate itself from blame in the murder of the UNIPORT undergraduates by a mob, the Police Spokesman, Mr Frank Mba claimed that when the Police got to the scene of the lynching, the mob repelled them by pelting stones at them. Really? It is even more disappointing for the police to announce this excuse as reason for their failure to save the lives of those young men. Police were prevented from securing lives because of just stones. Yes, stones! So what if it was bullets?  Were those Policemen not trained on quelling riots? What happened to their teargas canisters often used to disperse crowd? What happened to firing into the air to scare away the gathering mob? What happened to firing rubber bullets? The Police just revel in telling cheap and silly lies. Remember the Apo six?

Anyway, an elder sister of one of the victims, Miss Ibisobia Elkanah, who was at the scene, gave a graphic account of how the Police arrived the scene, addressed the mob, and one of them advised them to burn the victims alive. One of the arrested suspects, David Ugbaje further confirmed that one of the Policemen actually joined in the beating of the boys. I hear the policeman in question has been identified and fired. But he must now join the suspects being prosecuted for murder.  Mr Inspector General of Police, over to you!

ONDO ELECTION: THE IROKO VS THE JAGABAN

POLSCOPE: Ondo Election: The Iroko Vs the Jagaban

Polscope with Eddy Odivwri, eddy.odivwri@thisdaylive.com, 08053069356

As you read this, the high-scale contest between the Iroko and the Jagaban is taking place. The two combatants are right in the village square called Ondo State. The two characters seem fully kitted to undo each other. Yes, it is the Ondo State gubernatorial election. Three main candidates are on the line up. They are Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rotimi Akeredolu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Olusegun Mimiko of the Labour Party (LP). The latter is the incumbent governor, seeking re-election. The contest is strictly between the last two contestants. While the first two candidates are lawyers, the last is a medical doctor. Although Akeredolu is flying the flag of the ACN, he is largely seen as a proxy fighter.

CORPSE OF 13 YEAR OLD GIRL EXHUMED

Police Exhume Girl, 13, over Mysterious Death’s Claim

Police Headquarters

Shola Oyeyipo

The corpse of a 13-year-old pupil of Oluyori Comprehensive College, Isanlu in Kogi State, was Thursday exhumed by the police who also arrested her guardian over the alleged mysterious circumstance of the pupil’s death on October 5, 2012.
There had been allegations of the gruesome murder of the girl, who was purportedly deposited into a medium freezer after she was strangled to death. Trouble, however, started when her remains were buried without the parents or the guardian reporting her mysterious death to the police.

SCAM BABY AND THE UK COURT

Court Grants Nigerian Couple Custody of ’Scam’ Baby

Court Of Appeal

Chiemelie Ezeobi 

A Nigerian couple who could not bear children received some relief Thursday in a London High Court when Mr. Justice Coleridge ruled that the couple could keep a two-year-old baby even though DNA tests had confirmed they are not the biological parents of the girl, despite their story line.

According to a report by the BBC, the mother claimed she was tricked by a doctor in Nigeria into believing she had given birth while sedated, after she went to Nigeria for fertility treatment.

The local authority had claimed the couple's story was a "charade".
But the judge ruled they were victims of an "appalling scam".

UNIPORT IN D NEWS AGAIN AS GUNMEN KILL STUDENT, EX-CORPS MEMBER, 1 OTHER

Gunmen Kill another UNIPORT Student, Ex-Corps Member, One Other

University of Port Harcourt

By Ernest Chinwo

Two weeks after four students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) in a Omuokiri, Aluu, another tragedy struck in another host community of the institution as unknown gunmen killed another student of the school, his girlfriend and an ex-National Youth Corps member.

The incident occurred at Rumuchakara village in Choba community, the major host community of the university.

THISDAY gathered that the former corps member, who only passed out on Thursday, decided to celebrate his graduation from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with his friends.

The ex-corps member was said to have gone out with the two friends to celebrate his graduation from the service and were returning from the outing when the car they were driving in skidded off the road and ran into a shop in the village.

AS FMR. CHIEF OF AIR STAFF BOWS OUT

Umar: Superior Information, Key to Tackling Security Challenges

Air Marshall Dikko Umar (rtd.)

By Senator Iroegbu and Adedayo Akinwale

The Former Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshall Dikko Umar (rtd.) has stated that information superiority is the key towards overcoming the present security challenges and future threats.

Umar made this known Friday  at the flying out parade organised in his honour at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base, Abuja.
He however noted that any road map to improved capacity building, efficiency and effectiveness for the NAF cannot be achieved without proper budgetary appropriation.

DECISION TIME IN ONDO

It's Decision Day in Ondo

Prof. Attahiru Jega

 By Ademola Adeyemo, Chuks Okocha and James Sowole         

After weeks of intense campaign that occasionally turned murky, thousands of voters will today troop out across Ondo State to elect a governor among the 13 candidates jostling for the position.

In practical terms, the contest is expected to be a straight fight among three candidates – incumbent governor Olusegun Mimiko of the Labour Party; Rotimi Akeredolu of the Action Congress of Nigeria and Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic party - with Mimiko highly favoured to win at the end of the day.

The Independent National Electoral Commission spent most of yesterday moving both sensitive and non-sensitive materials to electoral offices in all the local government areas of the state.
The materials were moved amidst tight security and in the presence of political party agents.
Also, INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has relocated to the state for effective supervision of the election. He was seen yesterday directing affairs.

Group wants Boko Haram listed as terror organisation

Group Wants US to List Boko Haram as Terror Organisation

President Obama

By Paul Ohia

An anti-terror coalition of Nigerians at home and in diaspora, Nigerians Unite Against Boko Haram (NUABH) has launched a campaign to prevail on the United States government to list the Boko Haram group as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).

The campaign has so far gathered signatures from more than 70 Nigerian professionals, students, and business people at home and diaspora communities from over 16 different countries.

Also in a statement, NUABH condemned the wanton destruction of lives and property in Nigeria by the Islamic fundamentalists.

NUABH which has more than 4,500 members online drawn from over 50 countries across the world believes the activities of Boko Haram pose serious threat to the unity of Nigeria and it’s developmental aspirations in addition to seriously painting the nation very bad light abroad.

IFEANYI UBA FINALLY GRANTED BAIL

IFEANYI UBA FINALLY GRANTED BAIL

Billionaire businessman and MD of Capital Oil and Gas Ltd, Mr Ifeanyi Uba has finally been granted bail from the custody of the Special Fraud Unit after spending 10 days in their cell in Ikoyi. He was arrested on October 9th following accusations of fraud totaling N43billion from the Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede led presidential committee on verification and reconciliation of fuel subsidy payments. The committee discovered gross abuse by many marketers and reported the case to the police. Uba was released after he fulfilled his bail conditions.