Amaechi broke a record in 2007 when he came to power without contesting election but by virtue of a Supreme Court verdict after the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) removed his name from the ballot at the late hour. Even though he contested and won a second term in 2007, Dokubo might have been referring to the manner he originally assumed power in 2007.

Amaechi, according to Dokubo, Founder and leader of the Niger Delta People’s Salvation Front/Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, is corrupt and does not deserve to remain in office.

“We will not hide under any other organization to fight the monumental mis-governance and corruption that goes on in Rivers State,” he wrote last night on his Facebook wall. “No person with an atom of morality will support a government that annually squander 3 billion dollars . . . Rotimi Amaechi will go the way he came,” Dokubo added.

His outburst came hours after an estimated 10,000 men, women, and youths marched in Port Harcourt to demand for the resignation of Governor Amaechi, who has irked the Nigerian Government by allegedly opposing President Goodluck Jonathan. During the march, held two days ahead of the election of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) in which Amaechi insists on contesting for a second term against the wishes of the Presidency, the protesters called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the governor for alleged corruption.

Source: News Express

This information was gotten from someone on the flight was surprised that it’s not in the news.

According to him, he was on the flight that faithful day..it was a night flight and he was listening to music from his Ipod when he perceived a foul burning odor, he thought the white man sitting next to him had farted but he knew it something more serious when he noticed people panicking.

He pulled his headphones and asked the white guy sitting next to him why people where panicking, all the white man was saying was ’’this plane is going to crash! This plane s going to crash!..all of a sudden the lighting system in the aircraft went off…everyone was mad with fear.. some started praying others brought out their blackberries and started pinging, some started calling loved ones and telling them their last wishes.

The captain then announced that the plane had developed an electrical fault and they were going to have an emergency landing. The pilot then turned the plane around and headed back to South Africa. It was also revealed that it was then he saw 2face Idibia walk past him and when he looked back he saw the popstar talking and calming his crew down, telling them not to panic.

After 45 minutes, the captain announced that they were going to ‘dump the fuel’ i.e remove all the jet fuel on the plane, this is a precautionary step taken by pilots whenever a plane is going to crash or whenever there is a risk of fire. As they were about to land, another problem came up. The captain announced that the tires of the plane could not come out, by then everyone on the plane had given up.

Miraculously, the tires came out and the plane successfully landed and the passengers were evacuated. Other passengers were taken to the arrival lounge, that was when he met Tony Anenih’s wife, Josephine, they talked and exchanged cards.

After much investigation, it was a kettle that sparked in the kitchen that affected the whole electrical system of the plane.

Source: Naij News

DailyPost has gathered that the exercise was executed by the State internal Generated Revenue Monitoring Team on the order of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Olufemi Fawole.

Mr. Fawole who said that teaching and learning must be done in line with standards and best practises for better understanding and assimilation, expressed surprise at the deplorable state of the schools.

On the drive for IGR, the Permanent Secretary acknowledged the cooperation of some of the private school owners for prompt payment of renewal and registration fees.

He advised owners of private schools who are operating such illegal businesses to ensure prompt payment of both approval and renewal of registration fees within a week or face sanctions.

He has a distinct London accent and is believed to be a British citizen of Nigerian descent who, along with the second suspect shot by police after Wednesday’s attack in Woolwich, south-east London, is believed to have converted to a radical form of Islam around 10 years ago.

His identity has not been formally released, but emerged on Internet forums and Twitter hours after the soldier was butchered on the busy London street near Woolwich Army barracks and his name is now being quoted by BBC and Sky News sources here.

Both suspects are being treated in separate hospitals while under arrest and their condition is said to be serious.

Adebolajo was reportedly known to Al Muhajiroun, a radical and banned Islamist organisation in the UK, and went by the name of Mujahid.

Anjem Choudary, the former leader of the group, claims he had converted to Islam in 2003 but had stopped attending meetings of Al Muhajiroun and its spin-off groups two years ago.

Video footage filmed by an onlooker and broadcast by Britain’s ITV news channel showed Adebolajo with hands covered in blood and holding a bloodied meat cleaver and a knife.

“I apologise that women had to witness this today but in our lands, our women have to see the same,” he said. “You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don’t care about you.”

The soldier who was killed has not been named on his family’s request. He was reportedly first hit by a car before the two men in that vehicle came out with a machete and a gun and started to attack him.

Witnesses said the attackers had approached police when they arrived and were then shot. The two men were said to have shouted “Allahu Akbar” as they carried out the attack.

Source: Zee News

•Presentation of African Leadership Award Medal to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor of State of Osun (left) by Hon Moses Husitode, Chairman, Badagry Central Local Government Council Area of Lagos State, who represented him in Texas, USA, on the occasion, recently.

OLAJOKU PARK GBOGAN STATE OF OSUN

Through the provision of the park, Osun remains more beautified, enriched and prosperously endowed. While accepting our losses, we are here today counting gains. Surely, the ugly era of worrisome terrains of the past is gone forever.

I do not know what the Islamic injunctions hold on this view I am about to express. All the same, I intend to put it through to Ogbeni. I suggest that a dummy grave be prepared at the park in memory of the deceased, with inscription like “Who Killed Hassan Olajoku?” This monument will haunt and scare the killers till they meet their waterloo. Also, they will be prevented from carrying out similar dastardly and inferior acts at that same venue. Fiscally, perpetrators of such heinous acts will catch cues of deterrence from that monument.

I hereby implore our people in the State of Osun and travellers on Ife-Ibadan road to make the best use of the park. Let us all make this and other monuments we have as legacies for us all and the upcoming generations to be proud of.

Above all, let us all live well; so that apart from dying well, we will be remembered for good after we have long gone.

To the killers of Olajoku, Shakespeare writes his immortal words in his play, Julius Caesar when he writes: “In the spirit of man, there is no blood.” You shed the blood of Olajoku eight years ago, but you obviously could not kill his dreams, vision and spirit. Today, Osun is better endowed through that killing. To the killers of Olajoku I say “No thanks, Shame on you!”

Governor Aregbesola, e ku ise o. May God enrich your vision and intellect. By the grace of God, you will achieve your tall, lofty vision for the state.
Osun a dara o

Segun Alatise, Ikire, State of Osun.

He spoke in Osogbo, the state capital last Monday while playing host to the delegates of the Pan-African Competitiveness Forum on a courtesy visit to his office.

According to him, food production must be accorded priority, because the greatest challenges facing African continent today is food insecurity.

The governor described food as the most important item of security, but expressed surprise that in Africa, food production is given least consideration.

He noted that, instead, Nigeria as a nation prefers the production of cash crops to food production, hence there are not enough food for the people to eat.

Governor Aregbesola further noted that Nigeria is following the manipulation of the Western world by concentrating on production of beverages to be exported, thereby making the country economically dependent on the developed countries, which do not joke with production of food for their people.
He said, although Nigeria is capable in terms of human and natural resources to do well, but where the country gets things wrong is the inability to harness all differences.

While emphasising the importance of Regional Integration, Governor Aregbesola said, from inception, his government has been championing Regional Integration with the belief that the development of Nigeria can only be achieved through unity, collaboration and cooperation among the people who share similar culture and identification.

The governor therefore expressed hope in having such a forum like Pan-African Competitiveness, with passion for the nation’s development, saying the forum is a demonstration that all hope is not lost.
Governor Aregbesola assured the forum that the state government is ready to support its agenda, which is to improve production through clustering, a replica of the state’s programme called ‘Promotion Of Cooperative Movement’.

Earlier in his speech, the Chairman, National Steering Committee of the Pan-African Competitiveness Forum, Professor Azikwe Onwualu, stated that the State of Osun has a crucial role to play in promoting the emergence of innovation cluster in Nigeria, particularly in infrastructural support and establishment of the chapter of the forum.

Professor Onwualu, who observed that the growth and development the state is witnessing, informed the decision of the forum to pay the courtesy call, further told the governor that the state has been chosen for the launching of the forum in the South-West.

He added that the forum is aware that Osun is a front-liner in innovation cluster development in Nigeria due to the innovative ways the current administration under Aregbesola is developing the state and his effort to create a framework for building knowledge-based society on innovations, infrastructure and quality of life.

He however expressed hope that forming a synergy with the forum will go a long a way to assist the government realise its dreams to transform the lives of the people of the state.

By kazeem mohammed

Intelligence reports gathered by OSUN DEFENDER have indicated that the managements of the state-owned tertiary institutions had a dirty deal in the prolonged industrial action of the Academic and Non-Academic Staff of Osun State-owned tertiary institutions.

The revelation came just as the warring unions have called off close to three-month strike last Monday, following series of negotiations and agreement with the state government.

Chairman of the Council of Academic Unions of Osun State Tertiary Institutions, Mr Festus Ademiluyi, announced the cancellation of the industrial action after a meeting held with the state government officials last Monday night.

The institutions are: Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun and Osun State College of Education, Ilesa.

Investigation has revealed that the schools’ managements allegedly instigated the leaders of the unions to continue the strike, when an Osogbo High Court had ordered them to resume work, telling and assuring them that the court could not hold them for contempt and that the government could not sack them.

Findings showed that the managements refused to open registers in their various institutions as directed by the state government, but instead, they misinformed the government that some of the workers did register, while some did not.

The medium gathered that the managements did declare support for the continuation of the strike and were part of the reasons the various meetings between the government and the labour unions ended in a deadlock.

When the state government got the wind of the hanky-panky game of the managements on Friday, the government summoned the heads of the institutions to a meeting and confronted them with the available facts.

At the meeting, OSUN DEFENDER learnt that the managements promised the government that they would meet the labour unions and fine-tune how the strike would be suspended.

The deputy governor of the state, Otunba (Mrs) Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere, among other government officials were at the meeting.

The medium gathered that the insincerity of the institutions’ managements triggered the constitution of the Governing Councils for the tertiary institutions.

The Council of Academic Union of Osun State Institutions had in March 2013 begun the industrial action to press home among other demands, the implementation of 100 per cent of the Consolidate Polytechnic and Colleges of Education Salary Structure (CONPOCASS) from 80 per cent.

Parts of the demands of the workers also include the implementation of 65 years as retirement age.
However, the state government, according to information, has agreed to pay 90 per cent of the CONPOCASS, just as it promised to forward the 65 years retirement age to the state House of Assembly.

By ismaeel uthman

They blamed communication gap as being responsible and promised that such would not occur again they are summoned.

The Committee however, lashed out at one of the bridged banks for sending an officer below the rank of an executive director, who was subsequently walked out of the meeting.

It will be recalled that the House of Representatives had threatened to arrest 10 bank chief executive officers over their failure to attend its investigative hearing on tax remittance on Monday.

The bank chiefs are: First City Monument Bank Plc, Skye Bank Plc, Sterling Bank Plc, Keystone Bank Limited, Heritage Bank Limited and Zenith Bank Plc. Others are: Ecobank Plc, City Bank; Stanbic IBTC Plc and Enterprise Bank Limited.

The House said that the bank chief have till yesterday (Wednesday) to appear before it or risk being arrested.

The House sought clarifications after Mr. Kabir Mashi, acting chairman of the agency who appeared before the committee on Monday, claimed that N83 billion was the total sum expected from the banks, but only N77 billion was remitted.

Mashi, who also said that FIRS audited 23 banks within the period, told the committee that the N83 billion targets was not met because some banks delayed in remitting funds they collected on behalf of the agency.

But at the resumed hearing yesterday, Godwin Emefiele, managing director, Zenith Bank Plc apologised for non-appearance of the bank chiefs, saying it was not deliberate, citing communication gap as being responsible.
.
“We will cooperate fully and give our counsel where necessary to achieve the purpose of this exercise, moving our economy forward,” he said.

Other bank chiefs, in their responses towed the same line with the Zenith Bank boss with promises of cooperating with the Committee.

The bank chiefs were given additional information to the template earlier given to them, which they would defend between June 3rd and 7th, 2013.

CEOs of Zenith Bank, Heritage Bank and Keystone Bank and Executive Directors of five others were present at the session.

Abdulmumin Jibrin, chairman of the Committee said: “We take exception to parliamentary invitation being treated with levity. We don’t think there is anything more important to the CEOs than what the Committee is doing on the economy on behalf of Nigerian people”.

Jibrin also allayed the fears of the bank Chiefs over the exercise, noting that the investigation would turn out to be beneficial to the banking sector through proactive legislations. .

“It may even turn out that the banks may be refunded over their remittances by the time we conclude analysing the data at our disposal.

“In the final analysis, the sector would be better for it as our intention is to strengthen the sector,” he added.

Source: NCW

Youths are believed to be tomorrow’s leaders; hence the burden to equip and empower them to step in to the position of leadership and advance the course of civilisation is enormous.

Wisdom therefore dictates that those saddled with position of authority opened up themselves to ideas and innovations that will propel the actualisation of this lofty goal, that is, ensuring that youths are fully developed and equip with skills and courage to make them run with vision of greatness and carry on with the baton of civilisation.

Every people in all race and climes possesses a distinctive ingenuity capable of providing a catalyst for development, this distinctiveness is often rooted in the language, arts, culture and the world view of the people.

Historically, Yoruba race, for instance, through works of Arts and archaeological excavation from Ile-Ife Osun state has astonished the world with technological sophistication of objects like ‘Ife head’ also known as Ori Olokun.

This object for instance is believed to be a supreme document of the culture that left no written record and embodied the history of African Kingdom and one of the most advanced and urbanised of its day.

Revisiting and animating the great potentials that astonished the world through Arts and discoveries in History in modern time apparently will take a new dimension, for instance, August last year, When the Governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola provided a platform for young ones to showcase their talents in Callisthenic programme, the world was dazzled at the dexterity of the pupils and inculcation of discipline, spirit of oneness and sheer zeal to accomplish a goal.

Callisthenic programme, though not out rightly new but the animation, excitement and psychological triggered mark the state especially the youths as possessing a strand of greatness which if fully tapped and developed will no doubt re-define human value and dignity.

Osun Calisthenics, which involved 8,000 students of public schools, therefore provided a springboard for demonstration of in built capacity and capability.

May 27 traditionally is engaged to celebrate Children in Nigeria, In the state of Osun however, the urge to add value beyond the conventional practise, impelled the redefinition of this day, as it will provide a brilliant platform to further annexe this potential and scaled it up into a new genre, Oodua World Children Day.

An event poise to showcase of our kids potential and celebrating a Yoruba race. It is going to be a convergence of crowns starting from the cradle and across the borders.

Oodua World Children Day promises to provide a platform for rejuvenation of cultural value, oneness of a people, the dream of a race, enterprise in human resourcefulness and capacity, leverage for authentic development, a sure path to self discovery and strengthening of affinity.

No wonder the hand of fellowships has been extended to all Yoruba speaking states and nations to participate in this year May Day Programme.

School Children from southwest states as well as Yoruba Speaking states of Kogi, Kwara, Edo, and Delta will feature in the event.

To give the event its historical dynamic and International posture, aside the full participation of prominent royal fathers in Yorubaland, over thirty beaded crowns as well as prominent sons and daughters of Yoruba race from Benin Republic and beyond will be in attendance.

Assistant Chief of Staff to the Governor , Honorable , Oguntola Toogun who is also the Chairman O’odua Children Day Mobilisation Committee, strongly believe that this event will aimed at fostering unity and a leverage for socio-economic awakening of the south western region.

Oyintiloye Olatunbosun, Assistant Director ( Community Forum) Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Governor’s Office, State of Osun