The massacre took place barely one week after a similar attack by Fulani herdsmen in eight villages in Agatu. Sources told newsmen Monday that the herdsmen struck immediately after the burial resulting in the death of some mourners. Following the development, the state Governor, Dr. Gabriel Suswam who immediately sent his deputy, Chief Stephen Lawani for an on-the-spot assessment of the area, also had a security meeting with security chiefs in the state to fashion out a lasting solution to the crisis.

Suswam, who said the number of those killed was being collated, described the incident as very unfortunate and told newsmen that he was going to brief President Goodluck Jonathan on the matter.

Also commenting, Liaison officer to the governor in Agatu Local Government Area, Chief German Adobunu expressed shock at the unprovoked attack at Ekwo-Okpanchenyi. He said the villagers who fled the troubled area were now taking refuge in Apa and Otukpo Local Government Areas and Kogi State after the Fulani herdsmen destroyed most of their houses at Ekwo-Okpanchenyi.

In his comment, member representing Apa/Agatu at the House of Representatives, Engr Ademu Entonu also condemned the attacks on Agatu people by Fulani herdsmen and called on the Federal Government to deploy security personnel to the area. Similarly, the state Commissioner of Works and Transport, Mr John Ngbede who is an indigene of Agatu also condemned the attack, describing it as unacceptable and unfortunate.

Ngbede called on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the victims and send security personnel to the area to take charge of the situation. Reacting, Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in Benue, Garus Gololo said the herdsmen only went after 550 of their cattle which were forcefully taken away by the Agatu people.

Gololo who spoke in a telephone chat with newsmen said the herdsmen value their cows more than anything. alluding that the Agatu people were being economical with the truth.

Source: The Sun

Doherty, who is also a member of the party’s reconciliation committee, speaks on other related issues.

Excerpts:

Concerning the request by Governors to reinstate Olagunsoye Oyinlola, I think there is nothing wrong in asking for his reinstatement to the position of national secretary, especially when everybody knows he did not commit an offence that made him to be removed by the court. I believe that the way and manner the governors are going about it is what is really causing the misunderstanding between the National Working Committee and the governors. There is nothing wrong with it.

I just believe the way and manner it is being presented is not correct.

Way forward

What should be presented is a follow-up of what the court that removed him has advised; that is to go for a fresh congress where he can now be returned in the right environment.

I think the governors should be asking for a congress rather than asking for the removal of Tukur or a reinstatement of Oyinlola. Osun PDP’s opposition to fresh congress Well, that is Oyinlola’s camp and that is his home base.

If they are okay with the way things are, I don’t have anything to the contrary to say because the position of the national secretary was zoned either by default or whatever to Osun State and I believe that they have the final say on what they want for their state in terms of the slot zoned to them.

Implication for S’West PDP

Yes, you must have some kind of organisational disturbance but it’s not a permanent thing.

It’s a thing that has already been corrected with the taking over of the position by the deputy national secretary and also the caretaker committee coming on stream in the South-west. That has also taken care of the other part of administering the South-West, so I don’t see a vacuum. There will be a congress to fill the position of national secretary as announced by the national chairman. The congress will either be in form of nomination, consensus or by voting.

But remember that it has been zoned to a state and if it has been zoned to a state and that state can present to the party a candidate they want from their state, and once that has been agreed upon, then there shouldn’t be any problem.

Unresolved party issues and Oyinlola

The issues that led to their removal is no longer there.

The issue that led to their removal was the Ogun State crisis, and the crisis has been settled. So there is no more Ogun State crisis. The Bayo Dayo-led exco has been given the apparatus to run the party.

So as far as we are concerned, that is the end of the crisis. There now has to be a reconciliatory move by the Bayo Dayo-led exco to bring in all and sundry, so that they can form a formidable force towards winning the next election. So, that is the situation, and I believe since that situation has been taken care of, that’s the end of all the crisis.

Political and judicial solution

Well, it depends. Everybody can exercise his fundamental human rights. Where you believe you are being cheated by the leaders and everybody is not listening to you, then you end up going to court for it to step in and redress the wrong, and that is what has happened in this particular case. So, I don’t see the issue of the South-West getting prolonged anymore, especially we in the South-West caretaker committee.

We are going to be in all the states of the South-West. This will at the end of the day, provide solutions to the various problems we have in the various states.

I want to seize this opportunity to beg all the leaders in the various states to beg all the members in the various states to cultivate the spirit of give and take, spirit of togetherness, whereby all of us will work towards attaining a specific goal, rather than protecting our own interest as far as the party is concerned. Crisis, Osun and Ekiti polls Osun is one of the most peaceful states that we have in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The removal of Oyinlola has not created problems in the PDP because his removal was not by a crisis in Osun PDP. So that is very clear. The Osun State PDP is forging ahead in respect of the coming elections in the state. The aspirants are already doing their work, visiting the electorate, campaigning.

They are doing everything needed to be done for them to win the election, and by the grace of God, they will win in 2014. Obasanjo angle It’s quite funny. I will have to tell the truth. I would have expected that our leader, Olusegun Obasanjo will not be too involved in the day to day politicking of a state or even the South-West. However, this is not the case.

I believe that he is father of all, and the role he is trying to play now which is father of all parties should be what he is playing. He shouldn’t be partisan, he shouldn’t be tied to a particular party.

He should be a mediator for Yorubas in general and not specifically for the PDP because right now, those who see him as a mentor, myself inclusive have also vied into being members of the parties. How would he manage those kind of issues where your son belongs to APGA, or your son belongs to CPC and he has sort of tied himself to the PDP?

I believe he has tried his best for the country, tried his best for the PDP, attained the highest position as chairman, BoT and also as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I think it is time for him to retire from partisan politics and move to the next level of national and international leadership.

Source: The Sun

General Carter Ham, head of US Africa Command, met President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, where Islamist extremist group Boko Haram has been carrying out a deadly insurgency in the country’s north and centre.

Ham recently spoke of concerns over indications of collaboration between Boko Haram and an Al-Qaeda affiliate in northern Africa, which he warned has found a safehaven in northern Mali, where Islamists have taken control.

A statement from Nigeria’s presidency said Jonathan discussed issues including Boko Haram and asked for US support in resolving such problems.

“President Jonathan also briefed General Ham on his visit to Mali and the efforts by ECOWAS to resolve the conflict in that country, adding that the situation could still be contained if the right steps are taken quickly,” it said.

Jonathan attended an October summit in Bamako to discuss winning back northern Mali from the Islamists.

ECOWAS, a 15-nation regional bloc, says it wants to deploy 3,300 troops to reclaim northern Mali and is waiting for approval from the UN.

Meanwhile, Malian Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra quit Tuesday under pressure from influential former putschists who are opposed to a military intervention.

Ham recently told an audience in Washington that he was concerned about indications of growing links between African extremist groups that could pose a threat across the continent as well as to Europe and the United States.

“We have seen clear indications of collaboration amongst the organisations,” he said.

“In one instance … we believe and have seen reports that Boko Haram is receiving financial support, probably training, probably some explosives, from Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb, and in a relationship that goes both ways.”

There has long been intense scrutiny over whether Boko Haram is forming operational ties with other extremist groups.

Diplomats have said previously that there has been evidence of Boko Haram members seeking training in northern Mali, but not of operational links.

The US has declared three Nigerian extremists “global terrorists,” but has declined to label Boko Haram as a whole a terrorist group due to its nebulous nature and domestic focus, among other factors.

It is believed to include various factions with differing aims, in addition to imitators and criminal gangs that carry out violence under the guise of the group.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer. Its 160 million population is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south

culled from Vanguard

Joseph Benjamin has risen so fast in the Nigerian entertainment industry. He’s arguably the hottest property in the industry now with award-winning feats in movies like Tango With Me and Mr & Mrs. To add to this blistering CV, he co-hosts MTN Project Fame West Africa, and he just recently got another endorsement from telecommunications giant, MTN, and he attributes his success to God.

Although, the Nollywood star broke the ice on his relationship status recently while shedding light on rumours surrounding his marriage and subsequent separation, he is not available though single.

Benjamin told Bella Naija; “I’ve been separated for a year now but we still keep a good relationship, and our separation was a mutual agreement. She is a good woman but I could not go on with the union anymore seeing the foundation it was built on was untrue. I have two wonderful children – a ten year old daughter and a seven year old son. They are an integral part of my life; their mum and I have a very good arrangement on how to balance their lives and make sure that psychologically they are stable and unaffected by our separation.”

Joseph Benjamin said they both started from the scratch when they married and she wasn’t richer nor did he marry her because of money.

To Joseph Benjamin, marriage is serious business which should be taken seriously.

“Marriage to me is ‘work.’ It is a big journey which can only be accomplished by two people who agree to come together for the journey in love. Love for me is beyond the word, it is an act.

“It is a journey and you have to totally understand the second person you want to embark on the journey with. For me, I am not available for now,” Joseph Benjamin told Showtime.

Benjamin says there is no woman in his life right now, but he disclosed to Showtime the kind of woman that may catch his fancy.

“For me, an ideal woman is somebody who has the beauty right from inside, not really an outside beauty. I mean one who understands life and who has passion for God. I do not like a woman who is materialistic but she has to look good. I’ m not really carried away by outside beauty but it is an added advantage,” Benjamin said.

After working with stars like Genevieve Nnaji, Desmond Elliot, Nse Etim-Ekpe, Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha , Ini edo, and Justice Esiri, Benjamin says he would love to work with Pete Edochie, Olu Jacobs Rita Dominic, Omotala Jalade and Stella Damasus. “I would also like to work with my sister from Kogi State, Mercy Johnson.”

Benjamin’s driving force he says “is to surpass every standard I have set for myself at every point in my career. I am also driven by the goal to achieve excellence that always pushes me to go beyond my limit. I always like to push myself to the edge.”

Joseph Benjamin gets a lot of strange calls. “I get a lot of strange calls from my fans. Some will call you and tell you they like you. Some will want to hear your voice. But I wonder how they get my number.”

Now that we know you are single Ben, gear up for more calls.

Culled From: Information Nigeria

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) – Alex Ferguson said Friday that it was “unthinkable” that referee Mark Clattenburg had racially abused a Chelsea player during Manchester United’s controversial victory last weekend.

United’s 3-2 Premier League win was overshadowed by allegations from the losers that Clattenburg, who sent off two Chelsea men, used “inappropriate language” against two of their players during the match.

It is a matter that is being investigated by both London’s Metropolitan Police force and the Football Association, with the focus now on claims that Clattenburg used a racist slur against Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel.

A second accusation, relating to Spaniard Juan Mata, has been dropped by Chelsea while Clattenburg maintains his innocence on all matters.

Now, after words of support from Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, Clattenburg has received the significant backing of Ferguson, the manager in the visitors’ dug-out during the contentious afternoon at Stamford Bridge.

“I don’t believe Mark Clattenburg would make any comments like that,” Ferguson said Friday. “I refuse to believe it. I think it’s unthinkable.

“In the modern climate, I just don’t believe it. Simple as that. There is no way a referee would stoop to that, I’m convinced about that.”

Ferguson, United boss for more than a quarter of a century, added: “I think the way we see the game today as compared to the way it was 25 years ago, it has completely changed.

“I played myself and I know the banter that goes on between referees and players 25 years ago is different from today,” insisted Ferguson, who made his name in football as a striker with now fallen Scottish giants Rangers.

“I’ve never heard of a player come to me in the last 15 years and say, the referee swore in the game. Ever. So that’s where I stand, I don’t believe it.

“It’s a wider (society) issue but I’m not concerned about that. You asked me a question about last Sunday and that’s what I think.”

United, a point behind league leaders Chelsea, returned to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, losing an incredible League Cup tie to the London club 5-4 in extra-time and Ferguson paid tribute Friday to the role of veteran Ryan Giggs in that match.

Giggs may be coming towards the end of a magnificent career with United but Ferguson still sees him as an inspirational figure.

“I thought Ryan Giggs was an example to both sets of players on the pitch,” he said. “He’s approaching 39 this month — the 29th of November — it’s absolutely phenomenal a player can produce that for 120 minutes.

“It encourages you, makes your job worthwhile, when you can see someone demonstrate that commitment to playing the game of football. So I was really pleased with that, thought that was fantastic.”

After two high-scoring games against Chelsea, Ferguson said he’d been handed a headache by the form of young Mexican forward Javier Hernandez, scorer of a controversial winner at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, ahead of this weekend’s clash with Arsenal.

Hernandez joins Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney and prolific summer signing Robin van Persie, who arrived from Arsenal, in an attacking force that has left Ferguson pondering his ideal line-up.

“We’ve got options,” said Ferguson. “Chicharito (Hernandez) obviously is in fantastic form and obviously has given me the biggest headache I possibly could have but it’s a great headache.

“The boy is improving all the time and the key to Chicharito’s form this season is he has had a decent rest in the summer.

“The last three years he has played right through the summer with Mexico and it’s now the first time he has had a decent rest in the summer and that has shown itself in his form this year.”

Culled from VANGUARD

Over 200 hectares of rice farms have been destroyed by flood in four communities of Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State.

The Secretary of Osomegbe Rice Farmers Association, Mr Killian Onuobi, said in Ekperi that the devastation affected Udochi, Annegbette, Udaba and Osomegbe communities.

“I am not making a vague statement when I said that more than 200 hectares of rice farms were destroyed in the four communities of Etsako Central.

“I have about 25 hectares of rice farms myself and my farm is small, compared to bigger rice farms devastated by the flood in the communities,’’ he said.

Onuobi said that many of the rice farmers borrowed money to cultivate their farms.

He bemoaned a situation in which the farmers would be unable to pay back the loans they took since flood had washed away their farms.

“This was not what we bargained for, but we have every reason to be grateful to God for sparing our lives to tell the story.

“The affected communities are the largest growers of rice in Edo State.

“It is a pity that many of us could not salvage anything from our farms as the flood came unexpected,’’ he said.

Onuobi, however, commended the federal, state and local governments for assisting the flood victims by setting up relief camps for them.

He stressed that more efforts should be made to rehabilitate the displaced rice farmers.

Onuobi particularly urged the federal and state governments to provide the farmers with funds and improved varieties of rice seeds.

“We will appreciate it if we can get rice species that could be harvested between three and four months.

“If we can get seedlings and some financial assistance from the government, it will enable us to get back on our feet in good time,” he said.

Culled from TRIBUNE

The Senate President said this during the celebration at the mini sports complex, in Ijebu-Ode, on Sunday.

Mark also used the opportunity to emphasise the importance of peaceful co-existence among Nigerians, despite their differences in language or religion, stressing that the festival was a celebration of the unity of the people and a show of Nigeria’s rich cultural background.

He said the National Assembly would consider the creation of more states, because it would bring government closer to the people.

He expressed support for the call for the creation of Ijebu state out of the current Ogun State, noting that the development would address the issue of marginalisation.

Mark congratulated the Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who was in attendance and the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, on their examplary leadership and successful hosting.

Speaking on the occasion, Governor Amosun said culture and tradition could be instruments for development if well harnessed.

He said his administration would continue to harness the opportunities offered by the cultures and traditions of the state, through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to fast-track its pace of socio-economic development.

The governor, who described the Awujale as the living symbol of culture and tradition of Ijebuland, commended the people for rallying round the traditional ruler in bringing development to the town.

He said road construction and rehabilitation within Ijebu Ode was ongoing and noted that security situation in the town and the entire state had improved with the purchase of more security equipment.

In his message, Dr Mike Adenuga, chairman of the telecoms giant, Globacom, major sponsor of the festival, said the festival had grown in importance and scope and had emerged as the melting pot of culture, glitz, fashion and panache, adding that it afforded the Ijebu people, home and abroad, the opportunity to contribute to the development of the land.

Oba Adetona lauded the Globacom for injecting pomp into the festival, adding that the telecoms firm had brought many innovations and had turned the carnival to a world class.

He described the chairman of the company, Dr Adenuga, as a pride, not only of Ijebuland, but Nigeria as a nation.

Another sponsor of the festival, the First City Monument Bank (FCMB), in a chat with the Nigerian Tribune through the Group Head, Marketing and Communication, Ikechukwu Kalu, said the bank, headed by Chief Subomi Balogun, was proud to support the expression of the rich cultural heritage of the people.

Six age grade groups won awards at the ceremony. Egbe Olugbadebo Okunrin won a trophy and cash prize of N750,000; Egbe Mafowoku Okunrin and Egbe Bobagbuyi Okunrin won N500,000 and N300,000 respectively.

Egbe Arobayo Obinrin won the star prize of a trophy and N750,000, while Egbe Obafuwaji and Egbe Bobajolu Obinrin Basiri won N500,000 and N300,000 respectively.

Culled From :NIGERIA TRIBUNE

Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State

In a press release signed by his Senior Special Assistant on
Media, Mrs Funmi Wakama, Senator Amosun described the demise of Mrs Solarin as most painful and a great loss to Ogun State and Nigeria in general.

According to the governor “Mama Solarin was a foremost educationist, a great teacher and disciplinarian who rendered an immeasurable service to the people of Ogun State and Nigeria through the Mayflower School. The school founded in 1956 became one of the best schools in the country and has produced many of the leading lights in our nation.”

Senator Amosun noted that Mama Solarin personified the common humanity we shared “not just by marrying our own revered Dr Tai Solarin but choosing to live in Nigeria and making it her true home.”

“Mrs Solarin was an exampler of that much-needed global spirit that sees beyond colour, race and religion in inter-relationships among peoples, nations and continents of the world,” the governor said.

“Ogun State and Nigeria have lost a first class teacher,an epitome of hard work, a humanist extraordinnaire and role model of distinction,” Amosun said.

Mama Solarin, an education icon, was British by birth. She met the late social critic, Dr Tai Solarin, in England and both moved to Nigeria in 1952 where they worked in Molusi College, Ijebu Igbo before establishing the Mayflower School, Ikenne.

Governor Amosun has since consoled with the family of the deceased.
May the gentle soul of Mama Solarin rest in perfect peace.

BY DANSU PETER

There was drama at the Senate, on Tuesday, as the senators received the report of its Ethics and Privileges Committee, which recommended the sack of Senator Robert Ajayi Boroffice from the chamber on grounds of his defection from Labour Party (LP) to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The Senate committee had investigated the circumstances surrounding Senator Boroffice’s defection, especially as there was no evidence of division in the LP, which sponsored him to the Senate and recommended his removal from the chamber in line with Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution.

But there was a drama on the floor when the Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, called for the submission of the report, as Senator Femi Lanlehin, a member of the ACN from Oyo State, raised Order 96(4)(a) to object to the report.

Senator Lanlehin said that he was not aware of any petition before the Senate in respect of Boroffice’s defection and that the report did not follow laid down procedure.

He also mentioned Order 21 and Orders 41, (1,2,3) to back up his claim that the petition was faulty.

But Senate President David Mark, who presided over the sitting, corrected him by saying that the petition followed the due process.

Mark said: “This was a petition that was written to me and I referred it to the Ethics Committee. If the Senate does not want to discuss it, I have no problem, but I will act based on the report submitted to me by the committee. I have no problem with that. But they wrote a petition to me and because it affects a senator, I referred it the Ethics Committee.”

Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, then moved the motion to lay the report on the table.

But more drama ensued when Mark asked Lanlehin to second the motion to lay the report on the table.

Lanlehin said that he would not second the motion, because it would mean that he was supporting the report.

Mark, however, insisted that Senator Lanlehin must support the motion.

Senator Lanlehin said: “I don’t believe the essence of that motion. I don’t intend to give credence to it. Therefore, with the greatest amount of respect, your excellency, I decline to second it.”

Culled from TRIBUNE

The Team Osun women’s side reached the football event of Eko 2012 after they defeated their Team Ondo counterparts 2-0 at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.

Team Osun women qualified after garnering six points from two games having walked over their Team Ekiti counterparts earlier.

However, Team Osun’s men qualified on six points.

The game between Team Ondo and Team Osun was locked at 1-1 on 64 minutes when players of the latter allegedly pounced on the match officials.

Team Ondo were awarded the full points with three goals, as they took their tally to six points having earlier defeated Team Ekiti a fortnight ago.

It will be the first time that the men’s and women’s teams from Osun would reach the football event of the National Sports Festival in the last two editions.

The Osun sides missed the last two editions of the football events in Kaduna and Port Harcourt.

Culled from SuperSport