Ex Edo Governor’s Younger Brother Michael Igbinedion Convicted for Alleged N25 Billion Scam

 Michael Igbinedion, and his accomplice, Charles Eboigbodin, have been convicted for an alleged N25 billion scam in a Federal High Court. Both individuals and their companies Corporation Limited, Romrig Nigeria Limited, PML Securities Company Limited and PML Nigeria Limited  were prosecuted on an 81-count charge of money laundering, misappropriation of funds and abuse of office brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The accused have pleaded not guilty to the charges, however; reports state that the judge “found the two accused persons guilty on some of the counts. The judge convicted Eboigbodin for money laundering on counts 50-59, while Igbinedion was pronounced guilty as charged on counts 79-81.” The judge deferred the sentencing of the convicts till today April 30, 2015. The verdict is yet to be announced.

Militants Who Tried to Kill Malala Yousafzai Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

According to reports, ten men who tried to kill the Noble prize winner and teenage activist, Malala Yousafzai in 2012 have been sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Pakistan. In 2012, Pakistani Taliban militants boarded Malala's school bus and shot her in the head for advocating for female rights to education. She survived the incident and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize award. She was in Nigeria recently to meet President Jonathan over Chibok girls. The leader of the Militants is still on the run.

Chika Ike Shows How to Work Out in Style

When you are a celebrity like Chika Ike, you have to be glam and Fab even when working out. The actress posted a photo of her working out this morning on Instagram and captioned: ‘Good morning lovelies. “My people say when a road is good you’ll pass it more than once”.

Goodluck Jonathan Sacks MD of Nigerian Ports Authority

This Sack trend with our president these days tho odikwa serious.. According to reports, President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked the Managing Director of NPA, appoints Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero as the new Managing Director. Sanusi wil take over from Abdulahi with immediate effect.

Buhari Claims He Never Barred AIT from Covering his Activities

The President-Elect, General Buhari has reacted to reports that he barred AIT from covering his activities. Read Premium Times;

In a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, April 29, by the Directorate of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Buhari aligned himself with the pronouncement of his party, theAll Progressives Congress, APC which had earlier expressed disagreement with the temporary barring of the African Independent Television (AIT) from covering his activities.

“I would like everyone to henceforth stay within his/her defined area of responsibility,” Mr. Buhari said.

The president-elect added that his media team should be left to continue to deal with their media colleagues in the best possible way.

According to the statement, Buhari was neither consulted nor informed about the AIT barring, and only became aware of the matter after the public uproar it generated.

“The time of CHANGE has come,” he said, “and we must avoid making the same mistakes that the outgoing government made.”

 Source: Premium Times

‘I Wish I Cared’- Future's Response to Ciara and Russell Wilson's relationship

Last night, after photos of Ciara and her new man Russell Wilson at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner hit the internet. Her fans took to future's  Instagram page and flooded a bunch of his photos with football and emojis. LOL they have no chill pill.

Well he took to twitter to reply all of them. See below;

Fuel Scarcity: FG Promises to Pay Marketers N156 Billion Today

Due to the fuel scarcity situation in most parts of the country, the federal government on Wednesday promised to pay oil marketers N156 billion as arrears of their subsidy claims. Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said the payment would be made today. She gave the assurance while speaking to newsmen in Abuja, after declaring open the 20th conference of Directors General of Customs of the World Customs Organisation.

She said:

“On the issue of oil marketers, we have really been working with them and we have been dialoguing with them all along. We paid N350bn in December and we paid them N31 billion in foreign exchange differentials; and by tomorrow (Thursday), we will be paying them N100 billion for which we had earlier given them IOUs as well as their interest rate differentials of N56 billion.

So, I am about to go and sign to get that paid and I think that Nigerians can see that the government is making maximum efforts to accommodate the oil marketers. They are also Nigerians and they need to also cooperate with us.

As I leave here, I am going to sign for them to get another N156 billion; N100 billion in the IOUs, which is due tomorrow, and N56 billion in interest rate differentials.”

PUNCH REPORTS

Olamide Shows off His Son, Maximilliano

Rapper Olamide shared a photo of himself and his 3 months old son, Maximiliano. Cute niggas 

Check out Buhari's breakfast table

Gen. Buhari pictured with his Vice having breakfast this morning. Yall see the items on the breakfast table??

18 Year Old Akwa Ibom Mom Sells Her Baby for N300,000

18-year-old mother in Akwa Ibom State sold her 3-day old baby for N300,000 because he was her third child and she couldn’t afford to take care of him. The woman, Esther Johnny, sold her baby, David Johnny to a woman in Abuja through the help of a doctor. Assistant Commissioner of Police in the state, Mike Okoli confirmed the incident. Esther and the doctor split the proceeds of the transaction 50/50, so each got #150,000. 

“The police in Akwa Ibom State have rescued a baby boy, David Johnny, who was stolen when he was three-day-old and handed over to a doctor in Port Harcourt. The baby was subsequently taken to Abuja. When we found the doctor, he refused to cooperate as he tried to frustrate the efforts of the police in investigating the case of the stolen boy. My officers in the trafficking department moved from Uyo to Port Harcourt, Umuahia, and Aba in search of the stolen child. It was not until Wednesday, April 22, when the pressure became so much, that the woman who had bought the child, took the child back to the clinic in Port Harcourt, where she bought him, and abandoned him there,” Okoli said.

The doctor has been arrested. It is unclear whether Esther is also in police custody.

Source: Punch

Iggy Azalea flaunts her hot Bod in Bonds underwear

In celebration of Bonds 100th birthday, The singer flaunted her sexy body as she posed wearing Bonds underwear in Austrailia.

President-elect Buhari Introduces 19-Member Transition Committee

Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday Launched a 19-member Transition committee in Abuja  to ensure a smooth transfer of Power. APC National Publicity secretary Lai Mohammed disclosed information about the committee via a statement. Read the summary of the statement Below; power. 

The terms of reference of the committee includes to develop a clear framework for liaison with the out-going Administration for the purposes of a smooth hand-over/take-over and to receive hand-over documents from Ministries, Departments and Agencies and itemise the most important or most urgent issues confronting the in-coming government.

The committee is also saddled with reviewing and making preliminary assessment of the balance sheet of government with particular emphasis on the status of assets and liabilities of government; cash flow position of the government; quantum of public domestic and external debt of government and their deployment; government’s out-standing contractual obligations and its ability to meet such obligations and the status of implementation of capital projects.

The committee is also expected to undertake a preliminary assessment of the security challenges facing the country and the counter-insurgency measures taken by the government thus far; the counter policy measures being implemented in the Niger Delta to deal with unrest and major economic crimes in the area.

The committee will assess in particular, the status of the Amnesty Programme, the readiness of the Police and other national security and intelligence agencies in addressing threats to law and order and provide a brief over-view of CBN, NNPC, NCC, Customs and FIRS.

Other terms of reference of the committee include to suggest “quick fixes” which will result in tangible, visible and practical measures so that “change” will be seen after 30 days, after 100 days, after 6 months of the Administration taking office.

The committee will also make any other observations which in its view would be helpful to the transition and take-off of the new Administration.

The committee has two weeks to conclude its work.

Here is a full list of Transition Committee members:

1. Ahmed Joda – Chairman

2. Doyin Salami – Vice-Chairman

3. Boss Mustapha

4. Muhammad Hayatuddin

5. Abubakar Malami

6. Lawal Jafaru Isa

7. Hadi Sirika

8. Audu Ogbeh

9. Dalong

10. Bola Adesola

11. Wale Edun

12. Nike Aboderin

13. Ogbonnaya Onu

14. Festus Odimegwu

15. John Oyegun

16. Gov. Rotimi Amaechi

17. Tam David West

18. Lai Mohammed

19 Adamu Adamu – Secretary

Buhari Expresses Delight About Army’s Rescue of 293 Females from Sambisa Forest

Just like every other Nigerian, President-elect Muhammadu Buhari is happy about the news that the Nigerian Army rescued 293 females from Sambisa Forest  He took to Twitter to express his joy:

Indonesia executes drug convicts, sparks anger from Australia, Brazil

An Indonesian firing squad executed eight convicted drug-traffickers from several countries on Wednesday, prompting Australia to recall its envoy to Jakarta and bringing an angry reaction from Brazil.

The leaders of Australia and Brazil had made personal appeals for clemency for their citizens among the group, raising the stakes for Indonesia's new president, Joko Widodo, who has stepped up the pace of executions since coming to office.

Australia has deep commercial and political ties with its big neighbour, while Brazil has a $5 billion trade surplus with Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Brazil is at risk of losing a major military export deal to Indonesia over the executions row.

"We respect Indonesia's sovereignty but we do deplore what's been done and this cannot be simply business as usual," Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters in Canberra, adding that ambassador Paul Gibson would return to Australia by the end of the week.

"I want to stress that this is a very important relationship between Australia and Indonesia but it has suffered as a result of what's been done over the last few hours."

Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were executed by firing squad along with six other drug convicts from several countries shortly after midnight on Wednesday.

Charlie Burrows, religious counsellor to the Brazilian convict, was with the prisoners before the execution and he confirmed to reporters that they were shot dead. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia had yet to receive formal confirmation of the executions from Indonesia.

Recalling an ambassador is a step rarely taken by Australia, and never previously taken over a prisoner execution. Still, Abbott cautioned against a trade or tourism boycott, as the hashtag #boycottIndonesia trended on twitter.

The Brazilian government said in a statement that it was shocked by the news, which marked the second execution of a Brazilian in Indonesia in three months despite President Dilma Rousseff’s personal humanitarian appeals.

Brazil’s foreign ministry said it was evaluating ties with Indonesia before deciding what action to take, but said it had no plans at present to replace its former ambassador in Jakarta who had been recalled after the first execution in January.

“Given the lack of a satisfactory reply to our appeals, this has to be evaluated to decide what attitude we will adopt towards Indonesia from now on,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergio Franca Danese told reporters.

Earlier, Jakarta rejected last-ditch pleas from around the world for clemency to be granted to the eight drug traffickers, who also included nationals from Nigeria and Indonesia. But it unexpectedly spared a Filipina who was on death row with them.

A spokesman for the Attorney General's Office said it had delayed the execution of Mary Jane Veloso, a housemaid and mother of two who was arrested in 2010 after she arrived in Indonesia with 2.6 kg of heroin hidden in her suitcase.

He said the delay came in response to a request from Manila after an employment recruiter, whom Veloso had accused of planting the drugs in her luggage, gave herself up to police in the Philippines on Tuesday.

Supporters holding a vigil for Veloso outside the Indonesian embassy in Manila cheered and clapped on hearing the news.

Amnesty International said the executions were "utterly reprehensible".

"The execution of eight people in Indonesia today shows complete disregard for due process and human rights safeguards," it said in a statement.

In Australia and around the world, supporters of those executed expressed sadness, shock and anger on social media.

"Ham-fisted policy from a medieval regime," Twitter user Darren Reid said. "You will never get a travel cent from me."

Culled from Monilereuters.

Pictures from the Indonesia Execution and Burial

Rejecting international calls for Clemency, Eight drug traffickers were executed yesterday in Indonesia including 4 Nigerians. See pics from the execution and burial. 

The execution ground, Island of Nusakambangan

Senate Presidency: Between Saraki and Akume

ALTHOUGH the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has not made a definite official pronouncement on where the Senate President should come from in the next political dispensation, all eyes are on the North-Central as the most likely, out of the six geo-political zone, to produce Nigeria’s number three citizen.

As the position of the President has gone to the Northwest and the Vice-President to the Southwest in the unprecedented alliance of the two zones in the country’s political history, ordinarily, the position of the Senate President should go to either the Southeast or the South-South.

But because the APC has only one Senator, who is not going to have a ranking status, in the two Eastern zones, the searchlight is being beamed on the North and with the President coming from the Northwest, the pendulum could swing in favour of either the North-Central or the Northeast.

The North-Central, which produced incumbent David Mark, who is said to be nursing the ambition of “tenure elongation” despite the fact that his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lost its majority strength in the National Assembly, however seems to have an edge because of the peculiarities of the zone.

While the Northeast is also trying to make it’s presence felt in the struggle for the coveted position with the declared intention of Danjuma Goje and Ahmed Lawan from Gombe and Yobe States respectively, the focus is more on the North-Central duo of Bukola Saraki (Kwara Central) and George Akume (Benue Northwest).

In what appears to be a two-horse race between Saraki and Akume, a lot of political factors, particularly in the political trajectory of the two gladiators and the influence of the power blocs within the APC, are already coming into play fueling speculations that, if not well-handled, the party may end up losing the position to the opposition PDP which may provide a united platform for Mark, a consummate politician adept in the use of power-play that has put the Senate in his grip for years.

In what appears to be a two-horse race between Saraki and Akume, a lot of political factors, particularly in the political trajectory of the two gladiators and the influence of the power blocs within the APC, are already coming into play fueling speculations that, if not well-handled, the party may end up losing the position to the opposition PDP which may provide a united platform for Mark, a consummate politician adept in the use of power-play that has put the Senate in his grip for years. Already, the PDP, bruised by its March 28 loss of Presidential power and National Assembly control, is said to be planning to use Mark’s dexterity in the control of the Senate and division in the APC, to retain the leadership of the upper chamber just as the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) overturned the apple cart of the ruling party’s zoning arrangement in the emergence of Aminu Tambuwal as the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2011.

Already, the PDP, bruised by its March 28 loss of Presidential power and National Assembly control, is said to be planning to use Mark’s dexterity in the control of the Senate and division in the APC, to retain the leadership of the upper chamber just as the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) overturned the apple cart of the ruling party’s zoning arrangement in the emergence of Aminu Tambuwal as the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2011.

Being former governors of their respective states, both Saraki and Akume have been political leaders at the state level with enough influence and experience to lead the upper chamber of the National Assembly and as ranking Senators, have enough legislative expertise to drive the vehicle of the Senate.

Although both of them have the same PDP background, Akume had left the party earlier and joined the opposition during the ACN days while Saraki was among the group that dealt the death blow on the ruling party to form the formidable platform that the APC became in the build-up to the 2015 elections.

This has put the two gladiators into different power blocs within the APC with Saraki belonging to the PDP arm of the APC amalgamation while Akume is of the old ACN.

Akume

Sources within the APC who are in support of Saraki’s emergence argue that members of the old PDP who contributed to the final onslaught that dislodged their former party from power should be adequately compensated.

With President-elect Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) coming from the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) arm of the APC amalgamation, his Deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo from the ACN arm, analysts believe that for effective balance of power among the three major blocs that formed the victorious party, the PDP arm, which Saraki represents, should be given the position of the Senate President.

Among this group are Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso who delivered the highest votes for Buhari in the presidential poll, Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who presided over the presidential campaigns and Saraki, who changed the direction of Kwara State politics in favour of the APC.

Another factor that Saraki has in his favour, which has endeared him to the younger generation of politicians, is his relatively younger age and modern approach to governance, which his supporters believe, would add value to governance at the highest level in the country.

Although both of them have the same PDP background, Akume had left the party earlier and joined the opposition during the ACN days while Saraki was among the group that dealt the death blow on the ruling party to form the formidable platform that the APC became in the build-up to the 2015 elections. This has put the two gladiators into different power blocs within the APC with Saraki belonging to the PDP arm of the APC amalgamation while Akume is of the old ACN.

As a two-term governor, Saraki is reputed to have introduced novel approach to governance in Kwara State especially with the involvement of Zimbabwean farmers in the state’s agricultural output as well as other innovations that increased the standard of government.

Coming from a state that could be described as the junction between the Southwest, the Fulani core North and the minorities of the old Middle Belt, Saraki is seen as bestriding the country’s political landscape and with enough clout to provide the required leadership for the Senate.

The former Kwara governor who maintained the grip his late father, Senator Olusola Saraki had on Kwara politics through massive contacts with the grassroots, is also credited with a lot of political dexterity that saw him taking the Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) which he headed after relinquishing the chairmanship of the Northern arm of the forum, to such a high height that the Presidency took more than a passing glance in its affairs.

Despite this high profile however, a section of the APC leadership, particularly that of the old ACN, are said to be uncomfortable with the emergence of Saraki as the Senate President preferring Akume instead.

The former Benue State governor, who is going for a third term in the Senate, is said to have found favour with some leaders not only because of his ACN background but also because he is perceived as a politician that would not nurture any ambition that could cause avoidable headache for the Buhari presidency.

Having already spent 8 years in the Senate, he is believed to have garnered enough experience in legislative functions and as a principal officer in the last four years; Akume is already familiar with the administration of the Senate, which many see as relevant to a successful tenure as Senate President.

Although many supporters of the APC argue against retaining the position in Benue State as Mark is also from there, the ability to play the balancing act in a way that would not deprive the party the opportunity of filling the number 3 slot in the hierarchy of power, should be paramount in the leaders’ calculations.

The leadership therefore should be wary of how to manage its success, the first test of which will come from its ability to manage the contest for the Senate Presidency, which incidentally would be the first internal challenge of an opposition party holding political power for the first time. The success of this management will surely determine how internal cohesion of the APC will either aid or mar the Buhari presidency as far as its relationship with the National Assembly is concerned.

Culled from The Guardian

Meet The Joggers Who Jogged From Owerri to Orlu to Celebrate Rochas Okorocha’s Victory

E be like say me sef will join this people o. They are really getting famous. Jogging and trekking is another trending business now o. The four people in the picture above decided to Jog 4km from Owerri to Orlu in celebration of Rochas Okorocha's victory in Imo State. The governor later took them out for Lunch. Cool thang.

Desmond Elliott Receives INEC Certificate of Return

Nollywood actor, Desmond Elliot, has received his INEC Certificate of Return. You will recall that he won the Lagos state House of Assembly elections, and will be representing the people of Surulere constituency in the Assembly.  He shared the picture on twitter.

Drug Traffickers Finally Executed in Indonesia one Woman spared.

According to reports, drug traffickers which includes four Nigerians have been taken from their prison cells to the execution site on Nusakambangan.

UK Guardian reported that the execution of eight prisoners- all men have taken place, but a Filipino woman, Mary Jane Veloso was spared at last minute after a woman revealed that she tricked Mary into carrying drugs and turned herself into police in the Philippines on Tuesday. After the executions, anti- death penalty protesters began playing the song Hallelujah. Their last meal was KFC.

They were shot dead by firing squads comprising 12 police privates. 

Meet Khloe Kardashian and her big Booty

That booty tho *love struck*. She has been hitting the gym hard these past few months plus waist training and the result is amazing. She posted the pic above on Instagram and captioned it "Sweat is fat crying!! Yes!!"

Meet Bovi's Side Chick

Comedian Bovi showed off his side chick on Instagram today and captioned the pic with “My side chick @krisasimonye. Coz she always on my side” dont get it twisted guys dats his wife right beside him.

Another Man to Trek From Maiduguri to Abuja to Celebrate Buhari’s Victory

I think its the Trekkers season. Nollywood should make a movie out of this trekking saga. Another Buhari big fan Adamu abdullahi wants to trek from Maiduguri to Abuja to celebrate his victory in the last presidentual election. Aged 45, he has declared he wil be trekking from Maiduguri to Abuja today April 30th, 2015. He will depart from Jimtilo Park.

Check Out The Kardashian Family’s Collection Of Homes

Khloe Kardashian
After splitting with her husband Lamar Odom, Khloe Kardashian bought this $7.2 million calabasas estate from pop star Justin Bieber. The 9,214-square-foot home includes a 200-bottle wine cellar, six fireplaces, a pool, a guesthouse and two garages.

Kim Kardashian West And Kanye West
After abandoning their unlived-in 9,000-square-foot mansion when the renovations became too much, Kimye bought this $20 million estate in hidden hills. The eight-bedroom home is equipped with two pools, two spas and even its own vineyard.

Kourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Kardashian, Scott Disick and their three kids call this six-bedroom, 12,000 square-foot mansion home. They bought the estate, complete with elevator, gym and massage room, for $8.5 million from former NFL player Keyshawn Johnson.

Scott Disick
Kourtney Kardashian’s main man, Scott Disick purchased this five-bedroom home in Beverly Hills for $3.6 million in January 2015, and sources say he intends to renovate and flip the property.

Kendall Jenner
While Kendal Jenner’s modeling career may take her around the world on a regular basis, when she is in California, she comes home to her condo in a high-rise building in LA’s exclusive Westwood neighborhood. She bought the apartment when she was just 18, and paid $1.4 million for the two-bedroom bachelorette pad.

Kylie Jenner
At just 17, Kylie is the youngest of the Kardashian/Jenner family, but she has a beautiful starter home to her name. Kylie just bought this five-bedroom mansion in Calabasas for $2.7 million.

Bruce Jenner
Olympian-turned-reality-star Bruce Jenner purchased this 3,500-square-foot Malibu mansion for $3.6 million in march 2015. The home sits above El Pescador State Beach, and includes 11 acres of land and views of the surrounding ocean and mountains.

Kris Jenner
Kris Jenner, the matriarch of the Jenner/Kardashian family, resides in this Mediterranean-inspired mansion. Fans of Keeping Up With The Kardashians may not recognize the property, because exterior shots of a completely different mansion are used to represent Kris’s home on the show

The Keeping Up With The Kardashian House
Although no Kardashian or Jenner has ever actually lived in the house, it does regularly appear on the show as Kris Jenner’s home. And now, the L.A. mansion is for sale for $6.25 million.

Source: Hapersbazaar.com

Real Madrid To Swap Gareth Bale For Eden Hazard?

Real Madrid are ready to go to any length to get Eden Hazard to the Bernabeu and recent reports have it that they are ready to swap under-fire winger, Gareth Bale for him.

Bale, has come under heavy criticism lately from Real’s fans this season and has been booed off during matches as the Welshman continues his slump in the Spanish capital following his world-record $130 million move from Tottenham Hotspur in Sept. 2013.

But for Eden Hazard, the Belgian winger and Chelsea’s golden boy was just named the PFA Premier League Player of the Season and is just days away from helping Chelsea clinch the PL title.

Hazard has been decisive  in Chelsea’s success as his 13 goals and eight assists doesn’t tell the whole story.

He is the most fouled played in the PL, has created the most chances and has attempted the most dribbles on his way to terrorizing opposition defenders.

Quite why Chelsea would be willing to part ways with him at the peak of his powers is baffling, even if Bale is being used as bait.

Adding to all of the intrigue is the fact that Hazard only signed a new long-term contract in February and has committed his future to the Blues. However, if Real come calling and want Hazard to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s new heir as Bale’s time at Real continues to be a turbulent one, perhaps Hazard may fancy a move to the reigning European champions.

With Jose Mourinho his number one fan and Hazard ruling the PL after a stunning season, what is going through Hazard’s head? Does he feel like he has achieved everything he can in England and needs a new challenge in Spain?

The world will watch on in intrigue as perhaps the biggest swap deal in soccer history makes more sense than we all think.

Culled from DAILYMAIL.