Daniel was looking good: Stowaway boy`s mum..

 Mrs Evelyn Ohikhena, the mother of Daniel Ohikhena, the teenager who stowed away on an Arik flight from Benin to Lagos, has confirmed the return of her son to Benin.

Ohikhena told newsmen in Benin that she got a call from an MTN line Tuesday morning inviting her to the state Ministry of Women of Affairs.

“I went to the office and was told that my child has been taken to the Directorate of State Services (SSS). I went there and saw Daniel.

“But they (SSS) did not allow me to touch or greet him, but he was looking good.

Ohikhena said that after a short session with the SSS, she was asked her to go and wait at the Ministry of Women Affairs.

NAN recalled that on Aug. 24, Daniel stowaway on a Lagos bound Arik aircraft from Benin. (NAN)

COSON will go after copyright violators – Okoroji

 

Chief Tony Okoroji, Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria, the nation’s sole approved collective management organisation for musical works and sound recordings at the weekend declared COSON’s resolve to ensure an absolute end to further abuse and arbitrary use of musical works by broadcast stations and other music users without remission of the appropriate royalties due to the creators of the works.

 Speaking in Lagos on September 1, at this year’s event marking the No Music Day celebration, Chief Okoroji reiterated COSON’s resolve to go after any copyright violator whose daily operations depend largely on the use of music but who continues to see no reason the owners should be compensated for the use of their intellectual property.

 Chief Okoroji said: “COSON is determined to substantially increase the royalty distributable to stakeholders in the music industry to match the massive use of music in our nation. Last year, COSON was compelled to institute several multi billion Naira law suits against some users of music and sound recordings in Nigeria. This was after every attempt at moral suasion had failed. COSON had to go to court as a last resort. As you know, the court actions were productive. It however appears that old habits die hard. Some of the users may have gone back to their old ways and not all have learnt the lesson that the days of free music are gone in Nigeria forever. Some may also be testing the resolve of COSON.”

 The annual No Music Day celebration put together by the Nigeria Music Industry Coalition; a coalition of the key national associations in the music industry across Nigeria is a day set aside to draw national attention to the widespread infringement of the rights of composers, song writers, performers, music publishers and other stakeholders in the music industry in Nigeria.

 The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Keep the music alive’. BY: Azuh Amatus

Nigerian Singer trying to play the Female man role in new photo

I saw this photo online but i couldn’t really recognize the person on it, so guys who do you think is this female man?

Omotola shares more family vacation photos

 

Omotola, her husband and four children are currently on holiday in Europe. They are in Italy at the mo! It's my job to stalk celebs for you na! Hehe

Femi Fani Kayode responds to Bianca Ojukwu's threat to sue him

Bianca Ojukwu's lawyers have written a letter to Femi Fani Kayode asking him to apologize and also retract the statement he made a few weeks ago claiming he dated her many years back or face a lawsuit. In the letter which was published in Thisday today, Bianca said she's never met FFK before! Femi has responded to the threat. Read the letter from Bianca's lawyers below and Femi's response.

“We have been briefed and our services retained by Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain to demand from you an unreserved apology and a retraction of a false and malicious statement, which you published online and also caused to be published in the Leadership Newspaper of August 16, 2013.

"In the said article entitled, ‘Neither a Tribalist nor a Hater,’ you recklessly alleged, as follows: ‘I was not a tribalist when I had a long standing and intimate relationship with Miss Bianca Onoh…’, a statement, which you know is untrue and unfounded, but only calculated to lower our client’s esteem and damage her national and international reputation.

"Our client has never met you, does not know you in person and has never had any official or private relationship with you how much more ‘a long-standing and intimate relationship.’

“Our client is therefore, outraged by your bizarre and scandalous allegation and the numerous mails and telephone calls she has received from friends, relations and admirers who are equally embarrassed and who seek to confirm the veracity or otherwise of your false and reckless publication.

“Your apparent lame and half-hearted attempt, as published in the Leadership Newspaper of 17th August 2013, to clarify your false and malicious allegation falls far short of a retraction and does not sufficiently address the damage to our client arising from the widespread dissemination of your false publication and is therefore unacceptable to our client.

“In the circumstances, we demand, on the instruction of our client that you submit to her a clear and unqualified apology and retraction published in The Sun and Thisday newspapers in addition to having the retraction published online.

“Take note that should you fail to tender the apology and publish a retraction of your false and malicious publication, seven days next after your receipt of this demand notice, our further instructions are to seek appropriate redress in court. And that shall be without further recourse to you. Be properly guided.”



Chief Femi Fani Kayode has response via his spokesperson - Mr Bisi Lawal

This morning Cheif Femi Fani-Kayode woke up to find a letter that was published as an advertorial in Thisday Newspaper purportedly by Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu's lawyer threatening to sue him for mentioning her in his article and claiming that she has never met him before. She also said that he was being malicious. The matter has of course been reffered to Chief Fani-Kayode's lawyers who will now take it up.

Ordinarily he would have not have said a word about this matter because he sympathises with her for whatever she may have been going through. However now that she has put it in the public realm Cheif Fani-Kayode is compelled to formally respond. To the assertion that he never knew her and that they were never friends he says this is false and he asks why would he lie? The public evidence is to the contrary. Chief Fani-Kayode would not want to say anything to embarrass her because that would be ungentlemanly.

He sympathises with her delicate situation and once again he expresses his regrets about the fact that his statement about her was misconstrued. We shall just leave it at that.

Signed by Mr. Bisi Lawal on behalf of Femi Fani Kayode

Over 200 youths invaded Onitsha market 20 injured in clash

Over 200 youths suspected to be Ogbaru youths yesterday invaded the popular Ogboefere (household utensils) market in Onitsha, Anambra State, injuring 20 people.
Eyewitnesses said soldiers from the 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, quelled the crisis.
They said the youths invaded the market to collect revenues from trucks, which were loading and offloading goods.
It was learnt that the traders resisted and this caused a free-for-all. The President of Household Utensils Dealers Multi Purpose Co-operative Society (HUDMCS), Livinus Obiegonu, lamented the development, which he said was worrisome.

“This market is known as one of the most peaceful markets in Anambra State but this was shattered yesterday when these youths swooped on us.
“They reeked of alcohol as they began to puncture and deflate vehicle tyres and removing vehicle plate numbers.
“They said we should pay amounts, ranging from N3,000 to N12,000 but we told them that this market is a co-operative society. That was when they began to attack us.”
The Commissioner for Transport, Chike Ohamobi, confirmed that some contactors were given authority to collect revenue from heavy-duty vehicles.
But he said they have a strict code of conduct guiding their operations.
Ohamobi said nobody was authorised to enter any market for vehicle revenue collection.
The Divisional Police Officer in charge of Okpoko, Ogbaru Division, Emeka Ugwu, said he was on official leave but some police sources confirmed the incident.

APGA has elected Willy Obiano and I will abide by the decision of the party.: Uche Ekwunife

 
Obiano scored a total of 817 out of 1,072 votes cast with Mrs Uche Ekwunife coming second with 150 votes.
Other aspirants, Paul Odenigbo scored 49 votes, Emeka Nwogbo clinched 22 votes and John Nwosu scored 18 votes. Prince John Emeka, who withdrew from the race  before the primaries, got one vote while invalid votes were 33.
Declaring the results, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Chief Martin Agbaso, described the election as peaceful  and a victory not only for Anambra State but for APGA nationwide.
Chief Agbaso confirmed that out of the seven aspirants, one voluntarily withdrew from the race and declared Chief Willie Obiano the winner of the primary election.
The Chairman of Anambra East Council Area, Mr Chinedu Obidigwe commended the exercise that produced Obiano as the party’s candidate, stressing that the people of the zone would not relent on their duty.
In his acceptance speech, Obiano said:  “ I speak to you today with every sense of humility and accept this call with full sense of humility and responsibility. I congratulate other aspirants, even those who were disqualified.
“My dear friends, this is not the end but our job just began. It is not personal but a victory for all, I will work tirelessly with the governor to ensure continuity of the project.”
On his part, Governor Peter Obi said: “In the next few days, we are going to bring everybody together. My next journey is to ensure that we work as a team because it is only when we work together that we have victory.”
This state is an APGA state and it will remain APGA state.”
Meanwhile, Uche Ekwunife has accepted to abide by the outcome of the primary election that produced Willie Obiano as APGA’s candidate.
Ekwunife, who came second in the election behind Obiano said, “ APGA has elected their candidate and I have said that I will abide by the decision of the party.”

Ghana: Court may overturn John Dramani Mahama’s election

 John Dramani Mahama Ghana’s new President

 ACCRA (AFP) – Ghana’s highest court will issue a long-awaited ruling Thursday on whether to overturn President John Dramani Mahama’s election win last year on fraud allegations, a test for one of Africa’s most stable democracies.

The lawsuit by the New Patriotic Party, the country’s largest opposition party, over Mahama’s victory in the December 2012 election has been the subject of more than eight months of litigation in Ghana’s Supreme Court.

The sometimes tense proceedings have been broadcast live on radio and television and have been followed closely across the nation of 25 million people.

“Ghana’s elections will never be the same again, irrespective of how the ruling goes,” said Franklin Cudjoe, director of the IMANI think-tank in the capital Accra.

No matter how it rules, the court is likely to issue recommendations, he said.

The nine justices hearing the case have wide latitude to rule: they could reject the case, order that elections be held again, or decide that the electoral commission should overturn Mahama’s win.

According to the electoral commission, a defendant in the case along with the president and his National Democratic Congress party, Mahama took 50.7 percent of the vote over NPP candidate Nana Akufo-Addo’s 47.7 percent in the polls that observers called fair.

The NPP claims they were marred by irregularities, alleging ballot boxes were stuffed, voters were allowed to cast ballots without proper identification, and voting documents were left unsigned.

The case’s outcome is unpredictable and the possibility of a court-ordered change of power presents a high-stakes challenge.

Ghana is west Africa’s second-largest economy, thanks to exports of gold and cocoa along with a nascent oil industry, which began production in 2010.

Since 1992, Ghana has carried out six multi-party elections in a region where democracy remains fleeting for many.

Mahama’s successful campaign was built around his promise to continue the work of President John Atta Mills, his predecessor who died in office in July 2012. Mahama, who was vice-president at the time, took over after Mills’ death.

Akufo-Addo campaigned on a platform that centred on a controversial promise of free high school for all.

“We are confident in the merits of the case,” said Gabby Otchere-Darko, an adviser to Akufo-Addo. “We’re pretty confident that Ghana is on course for a historical verdict for democracy in Africa.”

While the 2012 elections were generally unmarred by violence, many in Ghana are wary of the type of bloody unrest seen after recent elections in Nigeria or neighbouring Ivory Coast.

There have been widespread calls for restraint from politicians and religious leaders.

Meanwhile, the police and military have taken to marching around the capital Accra in a show of readiness for the aftermath of the verdict.

Both parties have said they will accept the court’s ruling, though Ghana’s laws leaves the door open for further appeals.

“We are confident that the (opposition members) don’t have any case,” said George Lawson, an NDC official. “We’ve also advised our people not to engage in any violence.”

Everything from the conduct of the lawyers and witnesses to the quality of the evidence has been debated on the airwaves and written about in Ghana’s feisty press.

In June, irate judges declared that anyone making disparaging public statements about the court could be held in contempt.

Those who ran afoul of the order were kicked out of the courtroom, fined, or, in a few cases, jailed.

Editor of the Daily Searchlight newspaper Ken Kuranchie was jailed for 10 days in July for contempt after publicly criticising the judges.

The jailing sparked debate over Ghana’s contempt laws, many of which date back to British colonial rule.

But as the verdict looms, Cudjoe said the court’s willingness to spend months hearing the case deserves praise.

“Ours is a young democracy,” Cudjoe said. “We will have to see whether all these fine legal arguments that have been made are substantial enough to overturn an African election.”

Beverly Osu speaks About Sex With Angelo/AfroCandy's porn Movie Offer

 #BBA Contestant, Beverly Osu in a recent interview turned down Nigerian soft-porn star, Afrocandy generous offer to feature in her next movie.

Read what she said below
On Angelo’s supposed girlfriend Candice

I don’t want to talk about his so called girlfriend cos I don’t know anything about her.

If she had sex  with Angelo in the house?

I did not have sex with Angelo. I loved him and I still love him. I would get married to Angelo if I had the chance! 

And when asked about the bathtub scene with the South African, she insisted, ‘I’ll still say nothing happened between me and Angelo‘.

What exactly was your strategy? Was it to say it all?

I talk a lot. My strategy was nothing. I just went with the flow

On Afrocandy generous offer to feature her in one of her porn movie

Afrocandy nibo? No oooo…..Thanks for the offer but NO!

About her plans for tomorrow

 I’ll continue with my online reality show ‘Beverly Says’ and I’ll finish school…That’s what important now!
READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/45467.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=share-button&utm_campaign=facebook

Syria: Who wants what after chemical weapons horror

 

(CNN) -- The ripple effects of an alleged chemical attack in Syria are being felt across the globe. The rhetoric is ratcheting up with talk of punishing Syria, even though Syria denies using chemical weapons. Allies of President Bashar al-Assad accuse the rebel forces of carrying out the chemical strike.

Meanwhile rebel forces, who also deny responsibility for the strike, say 1,300 people died in the attacks on the outskirts of Damascus. CNN correspondents and experts explain the different positions of some key nations involved in preparing for -- or warning against -- international military attacks on Syria.

Lagos State Govt has neither terminated nor cancelled the Concession Agreementt with LCC in Lekki-Epe Expressway

The Lagos State Government has announced its intention to buy back LCCs concession rights in the Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway. Find a press statement from the State Govt below..

The Lagos State Government wishes to state clearly that it has neither terminated nor cancelled the Concession Agreement it entered into with the Lekki Concession Company Limited (LCC) to reconstruct and expand the 49.36 km Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway.

To set the records straight, Lagos State Government is engaged in buying back the rights pertaining to the concession ahead of the 30-year period stipulated in the Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) Concession Agreement. This is to be achieved by purchasing all the shares in LCC.

The State Government came to this decision to buy back the rights in the light of several developments clearly not envisaged in the 2006 Concession Agreement (which became effective in 2008) a few of which are highlighted below.

The project, given its pioneering nature, had some underlying assumptions and market indicators under which the transaction was concluded which have since drastically changed in a manner that it can no longer be sustained in its current form. Such include the devaluation of the Naira and costs of construction.

The LCC, which is the special purpose vehicle representing the investors, formally brought it to the attention of the State Government that given the rapid rise in interest rates on local loans, and other cost parameters, it is compelled to raise tolls currently being charged at Toll Plaza One from N120.00 to N144.00 per Car. 

The Concessionaire also brought it to the attention of the State Government, that as provided for under the agreement, tolling would have to commence at Toll Plaza Two.

In addition, the Concessionaire indicated that unless it realised more income from increased rates at Toll Plaza One and commence tolling at the same rate per Car at Toll Plaza Two, it would not be able to meet its commitments to investors in the project and continue to fund completion of the remaining sections of the road. 

Furthermore, the LCC stated that Toll Plaza Three, as contained in the Agreement, must be built and tolls collected for the continued viability of the project.

Under such circumstances, the Lagos State Government felt obliged to buy out the interests of the Concessionaire in advance of the hand-over date of 2038 under a mutual settlement option also expressly provided for in the Concession Agreement. This is after due consultation with all major stakeholders including the Lagos State House of Assembly based on various feedback and agitation made to the Government.

Contrary to the misleading reports by some sections of the media on Wednesday, August 27, 2013 from the State House of Assembly’s consideration and approval of the 2013 Supplementary Budget, the buy-back is not and does not amount to a “termination” or “cancellation” of the concession of Eti-Osa, Lekki-Epe Expressway.

The significance of the buy-back, for which the State Government deserves commendation, is that it allows the Government to take full control over the determination of the toll rates in order to continue to make it affordable for road users. The LCC shall therefore continue to operate as a fully commercial entity for the benefit of taxpayers and the larger society.

More importantly, it would also preserve the ability of the Government to complete and deliver the infrastructure by direct budget funding, which was also one of the reasons for the presentation of the Year 2013 Budget Re-Ordering to the State House of Assembly.

In addition LASG wishes to reaffirm its unflinching commitment to the adoption of PPP Model as a complementary policy thrust for the acceleration of infrastructure delivery towards improving the living standards of the populace. Lagos remains an investor friendly State that shall continue to ensure the sanctity of contracts, as in this case, in sustaining investors’ confidence in its investment climate as a preferred destination.

The general public is therefore enjoined to continue to cooperate with LCC's officials and operatives as it continues the expansion and construction works on the 49.36km Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway and the operations of the toll collection systems. LASG wishes you a safe and happy motoring experience on the modernised expressway with its associated free value added services such as 24/7 security patrol, vehicle break down recovery, ambulance services, amongst others.

Eko oni baje O!

Ayo Gbeleyi                                                              

Honourable Commissioner for Finance

Ade Ipaye Honourable Attorney-General & Commissioner for Justice

Wednesday, 28 August 2013

Young Shall Grow Motor boss attacked in Festac, driver&escort killed

The CEO of The Young Shall Grow Motors, Chief Vincent Obianodo, was attacked by suspected assassins on Tuesday night August 27th on 22 Road in Festac Town, Lagos, killing his driver and police escort. He narrowly escaped death.

The multimillionaire businessman was returning home from work on Tuesday night when an SUV double-crossed his vehicle in a lonely area, and some armed men opened fire on Chief Obianodo's car. His orderly who attempted to fire back was killed, his driver who was trying to escape was also killed while Chief Obianodo was shot in the arm.

The shooting attracted the attention of some policemen on patrol in the area who rushed down to the scene and engaged the gunmen in a shoot out, killing two of them.

Chief Obianodo was rushed to the hospital where he is responding to treatment. The Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the incident said it is under investigation.