Kate and William: Duchess 

pregnant, palace says

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The royal baby will be born third in line and in direct succession to the throne

The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby, St James's Palace has announced.

Members of the Royal Family and the duchess's family, the Middletons, are said to be delighted.

A spokesman said the duchess, who is thought to be less than 12 weeks pregnant, has been admitted to a London hospital with acute morning sickness and is likely to stay for several days.

Jonathan Spendthrift: Enough is enough

culled from PUNCH EDITORIAL BOARD

President Goodluck Jonathan

NOTHING typifies the frivolous, insensitive and completely inept leadership troubling Nigeria currently than the recent approval of a N2.2bn banquet hall for Aso Villa by the Federal Executive Council. Coming at a time when the country is buffeted by serious security and other challenges, it demonstrates that this government is not a thinking one. Just one of the dozens of eye-opening government expenses, President Goodluck Jonathan is proposing to build a party hall in the palatial Aso Villa while millions of Nigerians are hungry and jobless. Like the fifth Roman Emperor, Nero, Jonathan is fiddling around while the nation is burning. This disgustingly lavish lifestyle must be curbed. 

970 inmates awaiting execution in prisons

Prisoners in prison.
| credits: premiumtimesng.com

No fewer than 970 inmates on death row are currently languishing in the nation’s prisons awaiting their execution.

They comprise 951 males and 19 females.

Findings revealed that the inmates had been on death row for years, following the refusal of state governors to sign their execution order.

VIP ex-convicts still on national honours list • Presidential directive on George, Ibru, others ignored

The names of a  former National Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, and other ex-convicts, are still on the national honours list,  The PUNCH has learnt.

Other prominent convicts whose names are  on the list  are a  former Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun;  ex-Managing Director of Oceanic Bank, Cecilia Ibru; her former counterpart in the defunct Intercontinental Bank, Erastus Akingbola; and  other ex-managing directors of banks  convicted after they were conferred with the  national honours.

Ibori loot: London police to testify against Babalakin

Dr. Wale Babalakin, owner of Bi-Courtney Nig Ltd

OPERATIVES from the London Metropolitan Police are to give evidence when the trial of the Chairman, Bi-Courtney Highway Services, Dr. Wale Babalakin, finally begins at a Lagos High Court, Ikeja.

A senior lawyer privy to the goings-on in the case told our correspondent on Sunday that the Met police investigated the involvement of Babalakin and others in the alleged laundering of N4.7bn on behalf of the convicted former governor of the state, James Ibori.

Father told me about love child – Ojukwu’s son

First son of late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Mr. Debe Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on Sunday told that Teny Harman was his late father’s a biological daughter.

Debe, who spoke to our correspondent in Enugu, said there was no reason to question the paternity of Herman, as he (Debe) had always known about her.

Ojukwu's Will is Fraudulent, Says Disinherited First Son

Odumegwu-Ojukwu

By Emeka Osondu
     
Emeka, first son of late Biafran leader Odumegwu-Ojukwu,  Saturday alleged that the will presented by Barr. Onyekwelu on Friday is fraudulent, saying the lawyer is a private counsel to Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu and not that of his late father.

Ojukwu claimed he has a copy of the original will written by his father and not what he called the "fraud" presented to them as Ojukwu's will.

Speaking at his country home in Nnewi, Anambra State, the late Igbo leader's son maintained that his late father's will was altered in favour of his step mother.

Presidency: Nigeria is Safe Despite Security Challenges

President Goodluck Jonathan

By Chuks Okocha and Michael Olugbode  with agency reports

Despite the ceaseless attacks by terrorist groups in the country, the most recent of which included attacks on a military church at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, and a police detention centre in Abuja, the Federal Government Sunday assured Nigerians and the international community that the country remained safe and all security challenges were under control.

The government’s statement came just after the AFP reported that scores of gunmen suspected to be members of the Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram, set fire to three churches and border posts in Gamboru Ngala, a border town 140 kilometres from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria is believed to have left over 3,000 people dead since 2009, including killings by the security forces.

Beyond Sacking Civil Servants

Simon Kolawole Live!: Email: simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com

A few years back when I was in the UK, my wife wanted to do a course. She needed a waiver on council tax, as a student. We went to the council office. An officer attended to us. We filled a form. He asked for her admission letter. He photocopied it, along with her ID card, and said he would get back to us “before the end of the week”. In 10 minutes, we were done. Two days later, the exemption letter arrived in our mailbox. We didn’t need to send reminders. We didn’t need to, as we say in Nigeria, “find them something”. We didn’t need to know the council chairman. If it was Nigeria, the officer would not be “on seat” for weeks and months. In fact, we would have been told “the file is missing”.

IN THE CUPBOARD AND THE Nigerian Movie Scene

Ada Igboanugo

Since its inception, Nollywood has to an extent, transformed what has been the stagnant state of the movie industry. Recycled storylines and mediocre manuscripts took an overturn for the good on a 50 percent level. Nigerians were entertained on much more varieties other than the traditional ones we were used to and getting tired of watching.

The next step the Nollywood took was to give veteran actors a chance to take the bull by the horn in the direction of movie flicks. Now movies are once again, to an extent, properly directed even in most, with some futuristic elements, that arguably, Nigeria isn’t ready for.

Despite its rising success, Nollywood as an industry means different things to different people. Some say it’s a hotbed of substandard productions and talentless actors, others say it should be encouraged as a self-sufficient sector that keeps creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for an ever burgeoning socio-economic class. 

BREAKING NEWS: Duchess of Cambridge pregnant

Britain's Prince William, left, and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, are expecting their first child. 

Get the nursery ready: Britain's royal family announced today that Prince William and his wife are expecting their first child.