AMAA 2013 Awards: The Full Nominees List

Nominations have been released for the 2013 African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), with several actors and filmmakers across the continent nominated in several categories. This year’s nomination was released at a party in Malawi on Friday 15th March 2012. 

 

Rita Dominic & Mildren Okoh‘s “The Meeting” as well as Yvonne Okoro‘s “The Contract” were nominated in six categories each. The awards ceremony is scheduled to hold on 25th April in Bayelsa state.

Tukur: Why Alamieyeseigha, Others Deserve State Pardon

Alhaji Bamanga Tukur

As the ripples of the state pardon granted the former governor of Baleya state, Diepreye Solomon Peters Alamieyesigha and others continue, the National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur Sunday called for understanding by Nigerians on the Amnesty Granted by President Goodluck Jonathan to former ex- convicts stating that the President took the action in good faith.

EXCLUSIVE: Suspect Defrauds Stock Exchange of N190M

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

 For allegedly defrauding the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) of N190million, the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), weekend, paraded the Managing Director of De-Anchor, Mr. Uche  Philips Ehiemere. 

This is just as the unit has also arrested two other suspects; Ibukun Ojo and Steve Olusoji Fakolujo for conspiracy, forgery and impersonation. 

Confirming the incident, SFU Spokesperson, Ngozi Isintume-Agu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the 60-year old suspect was arrested by detectives on March 1, based on a petition filed against him by the NSE.

SIMON KOLAWOLE's TAKE ON AMNESTY HARAM, OGA AT THE TOP......

AMNESTY HARAM

On the surface, I liked President Goodluck Jonathan’s tough talk about not granting amnesty to Boko Haram “ghosts” during his recent visit to Yobe and Borno State. You expect such a strong spine from a president. However, something was clearly missing. The amnesty offer in the Niger Delta was on ground before the militants started to show their faces in Aso Rock. If Jonathan really wants to consider amnesty for the Boko Haram chaps, let the offer be on ground first and let us see what happens next. The militants are no ghosts, I promise. Again, I support a combination of military action and amnesty, as we did in the Niger Delta.

SIMON KOLAWOLE: Mr. President, What’s Going on Here?

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

Dear President Goodluck Jonathan, I wish to inform you this morning that more and more Nigerians are running out of patience with you. Those of us who have been giving you the benefit of the doubt are seething with rage. Increasingly, the excuses are drying up. Many cannot understand the rationale behind the pardon you brazenly granted to certain characters last week. In case you don’t understand the implications of your action, I will put it in simple English: you have lowered the bar. This is an avoidable embarrassment to you, your government and the whole nation. This not only undermines the nation’s anti-corruption efforts, it is going to destroy public morality for generations to come, similar to what General Ibrahim Babangida did to us from 1985 to 1993.

FEMI FANI KAYODE: Abati is the product of same sex marriage

CHARLES NOVIA: My Oga at the Top's Perspective

Obafaiye Shem, the Lagos Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Defence Corps, would never have imagined in his life that he would start off a viral and new-Naija lexicon with his famous phrase, ‘my Oga at the top‘. I caught the bug just a day back when I started receiving blackberry broadcasts with whimsical coinages about it and I had to go on youtube to see the interview for myself. Briefly, Commandant Shem was asked to give the correct web address of the NSDC and he made the now-famous phrase..’my oga at the top will not allow me..’ or something close to that.

US Condemns Presidential Pardon for Alamieyeseigha

Diepreye Alamieyeseigha  

The United States has expressed disappointment over the state pardon granted former governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa State and the former managing director of Bank of the North, Alhaji Shettima Bulama.

Alamieyeseigha was impeached and later convicted for money laundering and other corruption offences in 2007, while Bulama was convicted for defrauding the defunct Bank of the North.

Apparently referring to the pardon granted the two men who were convicted for corruption, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria in a statement Friday said it was deeply disappointed over the pardon. “We see this as a setback in the fight against corruption," embassy spokeswoman Deb MacLean said, adding that the U.S has no further immediate comment.

The federal government had on Tuesday announced state pardon for Alamieyeseigha, Bulama and five others after a National Council of State meeting in Abuja.

The others were late Maj. Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua; former Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya; former Minister of Works, late Maj. Gen. Abdulkareem Adisa; ex-Major Bello Magaji and Alhaji Mohammed Lima Biyu.

The inclusion of Alamieyeseigha and Bulama on the list had elicited intense criticism within and outside Nigeria. Only on Thursday, the global anti-corruption organization Transparency International called on President Goodluck Jonathan to rescind the pardon granted to Alamieyeseigha.

According to the vice-chair of Transparency International, Akere Muna, “This decision undermines anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria and encourages impunity. If the government is serious about uprooting public corruption, sanctions against those who betray the public trust should be strengthened, not relaxed.

“President Jonathan should show that he is committed to fighting corruption and endorse the efforts of law enforcement agencies to end impunity for corrupt officials.”

But defending the decision to pardon Alamieyeseigha, the presidency on Thursday said apart from the remorse he had shown, the former governor had been quietly playing a key role in stabilising the volatile Niger Delta region.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the President, Dr. Doyin Okupe, also appealed to Nigerians and members of the civil societies to keep an open mind on the pardon granted the former Bayelsa governor.

Okupe, who reminded Nigerians that Alamieyeseigha was removed from office in a manner that was largely seen as not being entirely above board, said the former governor had been adequately punished for his misdemeanour and demonstrated enough sobriety after he served his sentence.

The pardon granted late Shehu Yar’Adua, Diya and Adisa have also become controversial with fresh facts showing that the Council of State might have acted in error.

The former military men were pardoned for their offences by former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar in the twilight of his regime in March, 1999.

Abubakar, in a gazette dated March 4, 1999, had granted “clemency” to nine military officers and soldiers convicted for their involvement in a phantom coup during the regime of the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Diya and Adisa inclusive.

Similarly, Abubakar had granted a posthumous pardon to Yar’Adua at the same time that he granted a pardon to former President Olusegun Obasanjo when he released the latter from prison where he had been incarcerated by Abacha for the 1995 phantom coup d’etat.

But the Presidency defended its action, saying that there was a difference between clemency granted Adisa and Diya in 1999 and the recently granted state pardon.

DELE MOMODU: An Open Memo to our Service Chiefs

Pendulum By Dele Momodu

Our dear Generals, let me apologise for my lateness in sending this important memo to you. I had planned to write to you immediately after my last letter to the Inspector General of Police. That should have been the logical progression but events happened at supersonic speed in the last few weeks that I was forced to change topics regularly. Even this week, I was almost forced to change my mind by the latest gaffe of the Presidency that offered official pardon/clemency to those who needed it and those who didn’t without going into the merits or demerits of the pardons. They just never seem to get it right, whether in timing and/or execution.

It was the same slipshod manner that they treated the granting of national honours by awarding lesser Honours tothose who had already received higher honours.  In a similar fashion they bungled renaming of the University of Lagos after our martyr for Democracy, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. It is becoming obvious that something has gone terribly wrong when those saddled with huge responsibilities act before they think. The legion of Presidential aides and advisers inside the gilded cage of Aso Rock should have pondered long and hard before taking some of these decisions that have far-reaching implications. 

Reproductive Women Warned of Painful Menstrual Period

Painful Menstrual Period

Reproductive age girls have been warned never to assume that painful menstrual period is a normal development, but should seek to know why they have to undergo serious pain during their period as it could turn out to be a product of endometriosis.

A Gynaecologist, Dr. Yemi Ajayi of the Nordica Fertility Centre described endometriosis as a female health disorder that occurs when cells from the lining of the womb (uterus) grow in other areas of the body, which can lead to pain, irregular bleeding and problem of getting pregnant.