Cocacola Truck Crushes School Bus Killing 3 Kids And The Driver

A school bus conveying pupils of Taqwa Nursery and Primary School was crushed by a coca-cola bus and four victims including the school bus driver, Kolawole Oluwadare are in critical condition.

The are battling for survival at National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH.

The accident occurred on Friday around Mangoro bus stop on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

It was gathered that the school  bus was dropping off the pupils at their homes in the afternoon when the accident occurred.

It was learnt that the driver of the bus sustained injuries on his arm, chest, leg and head while the three pupils who also sustained serious injuries were rushed to different hospitals for treatment.

On Monday afternoon the bus driver was transferred from Igbobi to LUTH because he was not responding to treatment.

A source close to the victims said no staff of Nigerian Bottling  Company, bottlers of Coca-Cola was at the hospitals to commiserate or  assist the families of the victims.

The source said the proprietress of Taqwa Schools was at one of the hospitals to show concern about the plight of the victims and ascertain how they were  responding to treatment.

It was gathered that LUTH Director of Administration, Dr. Olagunju Ayo has been working hard to ensure that Oluwadare gets better treatment as he had been on the throes of death for five days.

Meanwhile, the driver of the Coca-Cola truck whose name is not yet known, was granted bail on Monday afternoon  by the police at Isokoko Division, Agege, where he was detained after the accident.

Speaking with P.M.NEWS on telephone, consultant to Coca-Cola simply identified as Chinedu said Coca-Cola does not own trucks but they belong to Nigerian Bottling Company, NBC.

He said the relations of the victims who blamed Coca-Cola for not responding to the victims’ plight might have approached the wrong quarters and that could be the reason why they go a negative response.

Chinedu said while NBC owns the trucks, Coca-Cola  is a franchise and one of the products which NBC markets.

He therefore advised the victims’ relations to approach the appropriate company.

Reverend Father Murdered Inside Church Premises In Ebonyi

Who killed Rev. Fr. Francis Chidiebele Okoye, a Catholic priest attached to St Mary’s Catholic Church, in Afikpo, Ebonyi State? And why was he killed? 

These are some of the questions agitating the minds of the parishioners and general public, even as the anniversary of the gruesome murder of the priest holds on July 31.
Fr. Okoye was slaughtered like a sacrificial lamb in the premises of the Church on July 31, 2006. The priest, who hailed from Enugwu Ukwu, in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State and shared an apartment within the Church premises with a fellow priest, was dragged out of his bedroom by his assailants, who took him to the back of the building and slashed his throat.

A source said he was decapitated. “It was a shocking act of violence. It was a gory sight. There was no doubt that Father Chidiebele’s attackers came with the intention of killing him outright. They butchered an innocent man like an animal. He was almost beheaded. This is the height of wickedness and man’s inhumanity to man,” one of the members of the church stated.

Seven years after, the killers are still walking free, as no arrest had been made in respect of the crime. It was gathered that Fr. Okoye’s murder might not be unconnected with his profound preaching against cultism, political thuggery and corrupt practices, among other social ills.

“He was a thorn in the flesh of evil people in Afikpo. On and off the pulpit, he preached against the unhealthy moral temperature of society. Some politicians, in particular, were unsettled by his ways because he warned them against encouraging young people to be cultists and political thugs. Perhaps, that was why they silenced him permanently,” a parishioner, who simply identified herself as Ugochi said.

It was further gathered that as torrents of tears flowed across the community that day, a heavy downpour washed away the blood of the slain priest. It was one of the heaviest rains ever witnessed in the community.
It was gathered that at the time Father Okoye was being attacked, his neighbour was in the next room. While the former was shouting for help, the later was allegedly praying.

In an exclusive chat in his residence, Mr. Francis Ibe Inyanwachi, head master of St. Mary’s Nursery/Primary School, Afikpo, disclosed that when the reverend father was asked what he did when his colleague was being attacked, he said that he was praying.

“The priest said that he was praying when Father Chidiebele was shouting and calling on him. He said that he knelt down to pray. That was what he told us. Since I was not there, I don’t know what happened but I know that they killed him behind the house because we saw the blood on the ground in the morning,” he said.

Offering insight on the barbarous treatment meted on the priest, Mr. Inyanwachi, who described the deceased as a family friend, said: “After Reverend Father Chidiebele’s ordination, he was posted to Afikpo as assistant priest, to come and help another reverend father. I think normally after one year, they (assistant priests) are usually posted out. So, when his mates were posted out, he was so good I think the reverend father asked the bishop that he (Father Chidiebele) should continue.”

“He was so outspoken that he condemned everything that was bad or evil. I think that day he was killed, he had gone from house to house, cautioning some group of students whom I learnt were cultists. He was trying to tell them to come back, that cultism was not good. They said when he came back, he did not even eat. Then he went to Mgbom (a neighbouring village), where one of them asked him to preach to him. Thereafter, he returned to his apartment at the church. I suspect that his attackers were cultists, who didn’t want their members to be retrieved from cultism.”

Inyanwachi, whose son is also a Catholic priest, added: “The room of the other reverend father was before his own room. I don’t know how they managed to know his room. They came into his room and brought him out from where he was sleeping. He was shouting: Father! Father!! Father!!! They brought him out and cut his throat or so. I think he died while they were rushing him to the hospital.

“That day, I didn’t initially know what happened; it was my daughter who went to Mass at St Patrick’s (at Ndibe) that informed me. They said the Catechist announced that armed robbers attacked Father Chidiebele and that they should be praying for him. On her way to the hospital, she heard that he had died. So, when I was coming back from Mass at St. Patrick’s, I saw the girl, crying. I asked what was wrong and she said they had killed Father Chidiebele. That was all. He was a young man.

“On the day his corpse was buried, it was brought here before being taken to his home town. It was announced that his people said they would retaliate on anybody, coming from Afikpo. I insisted that I must go. It was only the priest, my daughter and I that went there. We had to stay with the family. There were seats kept for the people of Afikpo in the Church but I alone couldn’t have gone to sit there. I went and consoled the mother. In fact, his mother was sitting in the front row and I went and touched her. After the Mass, we took his remains to St. Theresa’s Cathedral, Abakaliki, where he was buried. I’ve gone several times to see his family. He was very fond of coming to my house but he was a priest for the whole parish. He was a special friend of this house.”

Effort to speak with the reverened father, who occupied an apartment next to the late Fr. Chidiebele’s the day he was killed, proved abortive. Our reporter called him several times on telephone but he refused to speak on the matter.

Police sources, which craved anonymity confirmed the incident but said no arrest had been made since it happened on July 31, 2006.

“You know, it is a murder case; so, it remains open. We are still working on it,” said the source at the Ebonyi State Police Command, Abakaliki.

Akon Says To All African Americans In USA ” We Need To Move Back To Africa” Over George Zimmerman Verdict

Out of all the celebrities filling their Twitter timelines over the George Zimmerman ‘Not guilty’ verdict, there are only a few of them actually making sense.

Singer and music mogul Akon recently hit everyone with a different perspective of this whole George Zimmerman vs. Trayvon Martin craziness… he is insisting that all black people should pack their things and move to Africa, where you live as royalty

Akon, obviously bitter with George Zimmerman not being found guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the shooting death of 17 year old Trayvon Martin posted this statement on his Instagram account yesterday.

Akon himself was born in Africa, of Senegalese descent to be exact.

Do you agree with ‘Kon?

What is the Definition of ‘Good Sex’?

“Guess what? My naughty friend whispered to me one evening on our way home from work. “I found an app that contains over four hundred sexual positions”.

“Really” I whispered back as I angled closer to her.

As you can expect, we proceeded to spend our forty minutes journey curiously examining the app, flicking from one position to another (the images so hot they could burn your eyeballs), giggling like school girls all the way. We analysed the merits of each one as we tried to visualize ourselves in the positions with our other half. Of course we had to be mindful of the many eyes and ears around us on the London underground before we made the headlines on BBC!

By the end of our ‘look-see’ my eyes were popping out-maybe a little crazily but who cared? I had been thoroughly schooled by this app. Don’t ask for specifics and I won’t tell you but my head was full! Who uses this stuff? I questioned myself silently. Surely not normal people?

Well for our own peace of mind, we decided that what we had just seen was of no relevance to us. In fact, it was better suited to gymnasts (correct ones o), weight watchers and other professionals- if you understand what I mean.

Many weeks passed after the phone app incident and I still had questions. I could have looked on the internet but I didn’t want to get caught sneakily asking Google about Sex!  And I couldn’t bring it up with my naughty friend because I knew she would only give me naughty answers accompanied with funny winks. So after further thought, I asked my older friend from church who had been married for a few years what she thought was the right amount of adventure to have with sex. Ladies and gentlemen, her answer was nothing like I expected.

Without much ado, she told-no preached to me about God’s plan for sex-with bible quotes. She told me how enjoying it too much was a sin or led to sin (I didn’t quite grasp that bit) and how I should stick to having sex for the main purpose of child bearing. After all, the Bible said nothing about enjoyment when it mentioned people getting married or having children. The one that boggled my mind was when she causally mentioned that only spoilt girls enjoy it anyway so I should just have enough of it to keep my husband happy because every strong marriage needs enough sex.  At this point I hastily ended the conversation before she damaged me completely. Then I promised myself that I will forget everything she said once I wrote about it.

In retrospect, I understand my friend’s view point. In Africa especially, no one talks openly about sex. It is like the CIA or FBI’s classified secrets. It is something we think or know about but dare not admit to. As we grow older, some of us get married and have children of our own, yet many of our questions are still unanswered but we choose to suffer on instead of braving the bewilderment that will greet you if you risked asking the ‘grown ups’. I can just picture the shock in my mother’s eyes if I asked her the question(s) I would flippantly ask my friends.

I hope that our generation will raise their children differently. A little openness will ensure our children feel safe enough to talk to us plus it will reduce the awkwardness that many adults feel about sex even when they are married but that is a story for another day.

For today, let’s simply discuss, as honestly as possible, what it means to have ‘good sex’ as my favourite app promised we would do once we mastered its many styles.

Dear readers, is there good and bad sex? How do you measure whether it is good or bad? To whom or where will you go if you had unanswered questions or you and your partner were not working magic yet?

Also we would love to hear what the different holy books say or don’t say about the act of lovemaking.

Saidi Balogun’s “You Or I” Movie Premiered With Dignitaries In Attendance

I'm pleased to inform you that the film is presently in the theaters and would be on DVD’s soon.

Recently, Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola led top dignitaries that include Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ikuforiji and president of Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners, Prince Jide Kosoko to the premiere of the new flick, You or I.

The event took place at the Blue Roof Hall of the Lagos State Television on Agidingbi, Lagos.

Here are some of the faces at the event.

Lead Actor Kevin Barry and Rt Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji

Yinka Ayefele and Governor Raufu Aregbesola

Sunkanmi Omobolanle and Wife

Mercy Aigbe

Saidi Balogun at the event

Saidi Balogun and cast of the flick, Kevin Barry, Elizabeth Croydon and Shira Oyive

Woman Roasts Her 7yr Old Step-son’s Hand [Photo]

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a woman, Mrs Aminot Otun, for roasting the right hand of her seven-year-old step-son, Awwal Otun, last Thursday.

Awwal’s hand was allegedly roasted for adding drops of liquid disinfectant to his bath water.

According to Ngozi Ekwerike-Okoro, President, Child to Child Network, a Non Governmental Organisation, NGO, a distressed call from one of Otun’s neighbours at 59, Suenu Street, Surulere, Lagos saved Awwal’s life.

Awwal was rushed to the Mother and Child Hospital at Gbaja where another drama ensued as the doctor on duty refused to treat or admit the boy despite pleas that the hospital was built purposely for mothers and children in the state.

According to his teachers, Awwal, who is in primary one, should not be allowed to go back to his step-mother because he is always coming to school with bruises as the neighbours who pleaded anonymity said that had been the normal punishment for the boy’s mistakes.

Awwal was later taken to a nearby private hospital for treatment and he is currently at Juvenile Welfare Centre of Alakara Police Station.

The story

According to Ngozi, “On July 11, 2013, Awwal was rushed to the Randle General Hospital, Mother and Child Centre, Gbaja, at about 6:30pm after a distress call from neighbours.

“He sustained serious injuries from fire burns inflicted on him by the step-mother who is now in police custody.

“At the hospital, we requested to see the welfare officer who we were told had closed for the day but after narrating our mission to one of the staff she referred us to the chief matron. The chief matron issued an emergency card to the boy and directed him to see the doctor.

“The doctor, however, refused to attend to the boy, because according to her, the hospital did not have enough space to accommodate the boy, as he would need admission for intensive care.

“We pleaded with the doctor to at least administer some first aid on the boy but she refused. We went back to the chief matron who told us after consulting with the doctor that Surulere General Hospital (Mother and Child Centre) does not have the facility to deal with such cases. They said our best chance would be to go to Ikeja General Hospital.

“We eventually left in disappointment and went to a private hospital in Mushin, close to the juvenile centre, where he got immediate attention and was treated free of charge.

7yr Old Awwal Recounts Ordeal

The boy said he added small quantity of Izal disinfectant to his bath water and his step mother got angry and put his hand on a burning stove since Sunday and he was not taken to hospital till Thursday when neighbours called the Lagos State Child Protection Network who mobilised the JWC Alakara to rescue him. [H/T Vanguard]

Electricity Tariff Will Increase Despite Poor Power Supply –NERC

Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi

Despite the erratic power supply in the country and frequent system collapses, electricity tariff will continue to rise, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has said.

NERC, while defending the Federal Government’s position on the recent increase in fixed electricity charges, said the Multi Year Tariff Order had an approved tariff stipulated for 2012 to 2016.

The MYTO, which was prepared by NERC and obtained by our correspondents, showed that there would be increases in electricity tariff every year till 2016.

The tariff schedule showed that consumers would have to pay higher on two fronts. Every year, the fixed cost will go up. Similarly, the energy cost or cost per kilowatt hour of electricity will also go up.

NERC had consistently said that increase in electricity tariff would be for the short run and that the amount payable by consumers would begin to fall when the country had produced enough electricity.

The annual tariff increase, our correspondents gathered, would be automatic not minding whether there was appreciable improvement in power supply or not.

The Chairman, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, while briefing journalists on Monday following public outcry against the recent increase in the fixed charge from N500 to N700 or N800, depending on the location, said, “The truth is that the tariff must increase despite shortfalls in service delivery.”

He argued that the inability of power distribution companies to live up to expectation was not a tenable reason to slash tariff, adding that it was in the interest of Nigerians not to reduce the charges.

Amadi said most of the shortcomings in the sector were structural and insisted that the commission would not reverse itself on the approved tariff regardless of the underperformances of power distribution companies.

He said, “We regret that the distribution companies have not been very committed to meeting their obligations in the MYTO. NERC recognises that the quality of service has not seen significant improvement, especially in the area of metering and accurate billing of customers.

“Our expectation for significant and sustained improvement in electricity supply and quality service lies in the expected takeover by the privatisation preferred bidders, who have better incentives and commitment, and have made enforceable promises to invest continuously in providing better services to consumers.

“These investments and commensurate improvements will not all be made in one day but over the coming months, years and decades following the entry of new investors and managers of our distribution companies.”

The Nigeria Labour Congress on Sunday condemned the new tariff designed by NERC, with its President, Mr. Abdulwaheed Omar, saying the body rejected the latest figures because of the epileptic electricity supply and the low purchasing power of the working people.

But reacting to the NLC position, Amadi argued that two minor reviews conducted by the commission did not result in increase in tariff.

This, he said, was because the fundamentals of the MYTO and the financial model published on NERC’s website had not significantly changed.

“We must state that the commencement and results of both minor reviews were announced via various national print and electronic media, including some that carried various provocative statements that bear absolutely no connection with the truth,” Amadi said.

On what the penalty was for distribution companies that failed to provide stable electricity despite collecting high fixed charges, the NERC boss stated that the commission had responded with regulations to enforce correct billing of unmetered customers.

He said NERC had also introduced the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation policy to help protect electricity consumers.

“We will continue to enforce these regulations and interventions to improve quality supply before the preferred bidders take over the networks,” Amadi said.

About these this:

Funke Akindele’s 1 Year Marriage to Kehinde Oloyede Ends

Just over a year after tying the knot with Kehinde Oloyede, Funke Akindele’s marriage has ended. Kehinde Oloyede shared the news of their split on his Facebook page (which he has since deleted). He wrote:

“It’s with heavy heart that am announcing the separation of me nd ma wife Mrs olufunke akindele,we’ve both agreed to go our separate ways coz of irreconcilable differences.we still best of friends nd we 4ever remain gud friends.

Later he added.

“Am doing just fine, gettn along without u,don’t need u anymore in ma life.u d greatest mistake av made in recent time.

Her publicist confirmed that the two have indeed gone their separate ways. They’ve actually been having issues for a while and Funke had actually been planning to divorce him quietly, but Mr Oloyede decided to make it public.

Funke also recently changed her BB name from Mrs Funke Akindele Oloyede to Everybody loves Jenifa. Funke and Kehinde got married on Saturday May 26th 2012.

Nigerian Supermodel Oluchi Stuns On Cover Of ELLE South Africa’s August 2013 Edition

Nigerian Supermodel Oluchi looks stunning on the cover of the August edition of 
ELLE South Africa. What do you think about the magazine 'captioning' her 
"the face of Africa"?

Driver Kidnaps Chinese To Avenge Colleague’s Sacking

According to PUNCH Metro, a 33-year-old driver, Taiwo Aduloju, who was recently arrested for kidnapping a Chinese employee of ZTE Nigeria Ltd, has said he took the action to avenge the sacking of his colleague. Aduloju was arrested alongside nine others-, Jimoh Olalere, Rotimi Segede, Michael Sunday, Chigozie Edeh, Adeyinka Jagbojagbo, Kabiru Jagbojagbo, Adeshina Mutiu, Ope Dada and Ufot Akan- in Ajah area of Lagos State.

Adeloju, a former driver at the company, said, “The head of the drivers, who we call Papa, was sacked unjustly by the company. He was given only N15, 000 as severance package. I decided that I would avenge this injustice meted out to Papa.” The suspect said with the connivance of 14 others, he was able to kidnap a senior Chinese employee of the company, Mr. Kuang Yingjun. He said the plan was to get a ransom of N35m so that Papa would be given part of the money.

He said, “After I left the company in February, I met with Edeh at Obalende and we planned to kidnap a Chinese employee and demand ransom from the company. We needed an insider, so I involved Akan, who still works with the company. I put together a 13-man gang for the job. One day, after Akan dropped off the Chinese at home, he called us and gave us the green light. Yingjun was in front of his house when we got there around 6.30pm. We grabbed him and drove off.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the kidnappers initially demanded N35m from the company but after negotiating with the family of the victim, they received N8.5m. Adeloju said, “I gotN1.5m as my share. Unfortunately, I could not locate Papa so he did not get part of the money.” Adeyinka, however denied complicity, saying he only helped the gang to prepare charms.

Akan also said he did not kidnap the victim but only gave the kidnappers information because they threatened to harm him if he did not. PUNCH Metro learnt that the kidnappers were arrested after they kidnapped a cement dealer, Kingsley Ifeanyi, in Ajah . According to police authorities, the second operation was planned by another member of the gang, Jimoh Olalere.

They called Ifeanyi pretending to be customers and when he went to meet with them, they kidnapped him. The Commissioner of Police for the state command, Umar Manko, said the suspects were arrested through intelligence gathering. He said kidnapping was usually successful through the connivance of domestic employees. He therefore warned members of the public to be careful when hiring workers and advised families of victims not to pay ransom but have faith in the police.

Culled from Punchng.com

Niyi Akinnaso: ‘Civil war’ In The Rivers House'

As in a typical civil war in which two or more commanders confront a single enemy, the Rivers State House of Assembly had two Speakers, each with its own army while the war lasted, one claiming to have “defeated” the other, while the other was still busy putting his “army” together. It had the smell of an ambush but it was eventually thwarted. The weapons used included a fake maze; a camera tripod; clenched fists for boxing; and open palms for slapping opponents. There were also guns drawn by participating policemen and other weapons reportedly brought in by thugs and other miscreants.

The main combatants were legislators and the battleground was the hallowed chamber of the state House of Assembly. A small group of five legislators, openly opposed to Governor Chibuike Amaechi, sought to impose its will on 27 or so others by claiming to have impeached the legitimate Speaker in a kangaroo plenary. The result was a free-for-all in which some security officers even participated. True, there were no casualties; but there were injuries, leading to hospitalisation. One was reportedly beaten into a coma and may have been flown abroad for treatment as you read this.

The gladiators are not as important as the actors behind the scene as well as the remote causes of the short-lived war. Nor are the details of the fight any more important than their implications for our democracy and civilisation. We often made derisive comments whenever we watched videos of such fights in some far-away legislative houses. How barbaric? What sort of democracy is this? When will civilisation catch up with these people? These and other derogatory comments often poured forth from our thoughts. That’s why some of us were tongue-tied last Tuesday, July 9, 2013, when a similar war broke out in the Rivers Assembly. It demonstrated our politicians’ intolerance of opposing views; how quickly they construct others, including their own colleagues, as enemies; and the extent they could go in their sycophantic relationship with the “Oga at the top”.

Examined critically, the war in the Rivers Assembly was an extended play of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum chairmanship election. It will be recalled that Amaechi won that election but the minority, which lost, claimed victory and set up a parallel secretariat. President Goodluck Jonathan and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, supported, and still supports, the losing minority led by Governor Jonah Jang. Amaechi was promptly suspended from the PDP and his state’s parliament was split into two unequal halves of five versus 27. The minority five has since been looking for ways to impeach the Speaker en route to impeaching Amaechi. They thought they found the opportunity last Tuesday. But they lost the battle to a superior army.

Their mischief was aided by a cooperative police, which allowed miscreants to enter the parliament with weapons, despite an ostentatious weapons search at the entrance. This was possible because the state’s Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, has been turned against Amaechi. He reportedly has infiltrated the Assembly and Amaechi’s cabinet, and prevented security meetings from holding. The security of the Government House also was reportedly compromised by the CP, who has called Amaechi all sorts of names, including “dictator”. What kind of CP, but a mischievous one, would allow and condone the firing of teargas canister at the Government House?

To cap the remote control of the Rivers’ parliamentary crisis, Evans Bipi of Ogu/Bolo Constituency, who led the assault on the majority and installed himself Speaker, is said to be close to Jonathan and his wife. The complicity of the police in Bipi’s actions and the behaviour of the CP since his deployment in Rivers State in February could only confirm that both actors had been taking orders from above. They all square with Amaechi’s travails since he won the NGF chairmanship election in May. He was suspended from the PDP, his security was compromised, and now there are threats of a probe as soon as he leaves office.

The irony of this latest threat is instructive: A former Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili, who obtained an unprecedented perpetual injunction against his own prosecution for graft, recently led a delegation to Jonathan, bad-mouthing Amaechi. It recalls the controversial pardon granted to former Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, a convicted fraudster, while another former state governor, Timipre Sylva, was being prosecuted for graft. These developments make you wonder: How far will Jonathan go with these glaring contradictions in his treatment of “friends” and constructed “foes”?

It will be naive to assume that Jonathan and the PDP are done with Amaechi or that their “errand boys” have reached the end of the road in their exploits. Amaechi must be prepared for more, depending on their next instruction. But he can overcome such local exploits if he continues to retain the loyalty of the House’s majority and his cabinet. Besides, he must be vigilant. He also should be careful about what he says and does that the almighty Presidency might misinterpret or twist. Above all, he should never put himself in harm’s way in the future, by going to the warfront.

Perhaps, what is most worrisome about all these developments is the damage to Nigeria’s image and the future of our democracy. Jonathan may feel that all is well abroad because he could strike trade deals with China or attract America’s investment in power supply. He must know that they are not doing anything for him, or because of him, but for their own governments and people. They are after our resources and don’t give a damn about Jonathan. He should be worried about what they say behind his back when they watch the videos of the NGF election and the Rivers State House of Assembly crisis and his reactions to them.

The implication of these developments for the 2015 elections is clear. It points to the possibility of rigging the PDP primary and the general elections in Jonathan’s favour. If that happens, Jonathan may get the “Egyptian” treatment, if he doesn’t get it before then as some civil society organisations have threatened. If Jonathan is confident about himself and the electoral reforms he has put in place, why not allow the voters in the primary and general elections to decide on who should be their candidate and President, respectively? Why continue with these shenanigans that are already turning off some voters? Why not let Amaechi off the hook, while he (Jonathan) continues to mend fences across the country and to work harder to ensure adequate security for the election?

Jonathan, the most educated President we ever had, should know that the construction of alternative voices within one’s political party as enemies is detrimental to democracy. The more our democracy grows, the less effective such construction becomes. And we have gone a long way since the days of Obasanjo, who made it an election weapon. Look at what has happened in the Magreb region and the Middle East since then. And look at what is unfolding in Egypt today.

Police Arrest Pastor Over N3m Scam

A man, who claimed to be a pastor, Rev. Praise Bassey, has been arrested by the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, for allegedly duping a contractor (name withheld) of N3m.

Bassey, who runs his church, Household of Destiny, from his three-bedroom apartment at Gani Dabiri Street, Ajao Estate, was said to have collected the money in 2010 under the guise of buying the contractor a 1X35 Hyundai car.

At the time, Bassey who resides in Lagos with his family was said to have visited Calabar in company with a family friend.

A police source who spoke on the condition of anonymity that matters came to a head when Bassey, on collecting the money, could neither provide the car nor refund the money for two years.

He said, “The contractor got to know Bassey in 2010 when he visited her home in the company with a family friend.

“I learnt that Bassey informed the contractor that he lived in Korea and was into the car import business.”

Several months later, the contractor allegedly called to ask Bassey the price of a 1X35 Huyundai jeep.

“Bassey told the contractor that the cost of the car was N3m. She was to pay the amount into his Zenith bank account. After the money was paid, Bassey became evasive,” the source said.

The petition, which was referred to the SCID through the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, led to Bassey’s arrest.

We gathered that Bassey was able to secure bail the same day he was arrested in 2012.

He was said to have informed the police that the money was not given to him to buy a car, but to pray for the contractor’s success in her business. He was later given bail after he promised to refund the money.

The source said, “Part of his bail conditions was that Bassey would refund the money. At first, he paid N1.25m and promised to pay the remaining N1.75m. After securing his bail, Bassey absconded.”

He was rearrested by SCID operatives who were on his trail for many weeks.

The state command’s Police Commissioner Mr. Umar Manko, said, “I am aware of that case. When it came to me, I referred all the parties to the SCID. Obviously, Bassey was not the person the contractor thought he was. However, he has been arrested and will be prosecuted.”