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2023: Osoba Reveals Agreement Within APC That Power Will Go South After Buhari |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Journalism, NIJ, Governing Council, and Former Ogun State,  Aremo Segun Osoba, has revealed  there was a consensus among the political parties that merged to form the All Progressives Congress, APC, that the Presidency  will return to the South  after President Muhammadu Buhari’s two-term tenure.

The APC chieftain  added that in 2014, prior to the merger by the three major political parties and a splinter group from the ruling party then known as the New Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, there was an agreement on power rotation.

The three political parties were the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a formidable party in the south west, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)  the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and and a splinter of the APGA.

Osoba, featuring on ARISE Television,  said that asba founding member of the APC, the agreement in 2014 was that the  President  will go to the North while the Chairman  comes from the South.

He added that  there was an unambiguous gentleman agreement of how the Presidency  will move from North  to South  upon the conclusion of Buhari’s tenure.

He, however, explained that for 2023, the three southern geopolitical zones can put up candidates for the party’s primary and anyone who clinches the ticket will be the Presidential candidate  of the APC.

“We had a clear gentlemanly understanding that the Northern part of the country will produce the President  when we did the merger in 2013. And the Chairman  of the party will then come from the South.

“We have had a President  for six and a half years now from the North  in APC.

“The President  will be there for eight years until 2023. The chairmanship has moved from Chief  Bisi Akande in South-West to John Oyegun from South-South and then from John Oyegun to Adams Oshiomhole, also from South-South.

“Of course, at the end of the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari, the gentlemanly arrangement is that the Presidency  will come to the South  and I talk of the South  in terms of the two territories that were forced to amalgamate in 1914 which means the South-south, the South-east and the South-west  zones which are also not in the constitution can bid and should be allowed to produce the next president for this country.

“Therefore, those from the South-east, South-south and South-west can put up candidates for the party’s primary and whoever emerges from the primary can then be the candidate of our party. “That is the gentlemanly understanding that we reached when we were doing the merger arrangement.”

Ondo: Gov Akeredolu, Deputy, Clash Over Gov’s CoP’s Death; Deputy Slams Governor |The Source

By
Ayodele Oni
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Rotimi Akeredolu and Agboola Ajayi

By Ayodele Oni

The death of the Chief of Protocol to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state five days ago is generating mixed reactions.

The CoP, Tosin Ogunbodede, died in an auto crash on Saturday along Akure/Ilesha highway along with his driver.

They were said to be returning from a private visit to Ibadan, according to a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Donald Ojogo.

The statement by Ojogo read in part: “A lawyer by profession, the late CoP died in a ghastly car crash after a private visit to an uncle in Ibadan, Professor Benjamin Ogunbodede, who has been ill for sometime.

“He died alongside his driver after the private Toyota Corola car that conveyed them rammed into a trailer.

The sad incident occured at about 7.45 pm along Ilesa-Akure road on Saturday, January 2, 2020.

However, a statement from the office of the deputy governor of the state, Mr Ajayi Agboola, condemned the manner in which the death of the top government official was handled.

Before his appointment as CoP four years ago, Ogunbodede was a lawyer at the law office of Governor Akeredolu in Ibadan and also hailed from Owo, the Governor’s hometown.

A statement by Allen Sowore, Deputy  Governor Ajayi’s media aide, insisted that the CoP was returning from Ibadan where he had gone to brief Governor Akeredolu about his itinerary for the first week of the new year.

“Immediately after Tosin Ogunbodede Esq, Chief of Protocol to Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN died on the 2nd January, 2021, in a fatal road accident, while returning from Ibadan, where he had gone to brief the governor on assignment and Government’s itinerary for the new year, Governor Akeredolu callously issued a statement through the Commissioner for Information, Donald Ojogo, attributing the death of Tosin Ogunbodede to a private visit to Ibadan to see his sick uncle.

“In one paragraph, Donald Ojogo emphasised on the word ‘PRIVATE’ twice – “a private visit to his uncle in Ibadan, Professor Benjamin Ogunbodede” and “private Toyota Corola car”. This is needless.

“Telling the whole world that a man who died in the active service of his fatherland met his untimely death on a private visit was the most irresponsible and indecorous way to announce the untimely and painful death of a man of Tosin Ogunmodede’s status and service to Ondo State.

“As you all know, the Ondo State Governor is seriously trying to hide the very fact that he celebrated the NEW YEAR in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, while he lackadaisically allowed refuse, dirt and debris to take over major streets of Akure, the State  capital and other major towns.

“The official statement became too clever by half, when in another paragraph, it did mention that Tosin Ogunmodede stopped by at the Governor’s Law Hub, Ibadan, to greet his Principal while returning to Akure.

“More painful is the fact that the statement failed to mention or recognise the name of the Government driver, Leke Ajiboye, who died in the same fatal accident. To Donald Ojogo, Leke Ajiboye was a son of nobody.

“The same Governor who couldn’t honour the people he governs with his presence on the 1st day of the year, rushed back to Owo on January 3rd to deliver tributes to his late Chief of Protocol.”

IPOB Accuses Umahi Of Protecting Killer Herdsmen Against His People; Warns Traditional Rulers |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has slammed Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, accusing him of protecting killer Herdsmen, and allowing them take over the State.

The claim by IPOB is coming days after Governor Umahi called for the arrest and prosecution of those spreading falsehood that  Fulani Herdsmen were attacking the people of the State.

IPOB has, therefore, called  on Governor Umahi to stop harassing his own people because of an alleged promise of the position of Vice-President in 2023.

Few months back, Governor Umahi recently dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on which platform he was elected twice as Governor, for the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The warning by the proscribed IPOB was contained in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, on Tuesday.

Powerful said in the statement: “The media report of the statement credited to Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, where he reportedly ordered the arrest of innocent locals who had in a viral video exposed the latest atrocities of Fulani terrorist herdsmen in Ebonyi communities, is madness taken too far.

“Although we are not surprised at such treachery, it defies logic that a sitting governor will rather choose to dine with the oppressors of his own people just for the derisive promise of an illusory vice-presidential candidacy to a Fulani presidential candidate in 2023. What a shame!

“We the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), ably led by our great leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, therefore, wish to warn Governor Umahi against the grave implications of his actions.

Dave Umahi
Governor Dave Umahi

“Declaring law abiding citizens wanted simply because they exposed and confronted foreign terrorists in Ebonyi State is worse than terrorism itself. It only goes to show that Umahi and other eastern politicians know more about the incessant killings, rapes and other atrocities in Ebonyi communities by Fulani herdsmen and terrorists than they are willing to admit.

“It is the height of foolery that Governor Dave Umahi will support foreign Fulani terrorist herdsmen against his own people that voted for him. Does Dave Umahi not know that our mothers for years now have been afraid of going to their farms for fear of being raped by Fulani terrorists and other evil activities of Miyetti Allah?

“Governor Umahi is only courting the wrath of the people by choosing to swim against the tide. For deciding to sabotage the efforts of the Eastern Security Network personnel who are working tirelessly to rid Ebonyi State of killer herdsmen and terrorists, Umahi has declared himself an enemy of the people. And he should be ready to face the consequences of his treachery.

“Governor Umahi is fully aware that the same Fulani killer herdsmen he is protecting have recently renamed Agbabor community close to Uburu town in Onicha Local Government Area to Aruu. What has he done to reverse this affront? Instead of hiding his face in shame that terrorists are now renaming Ebonyi communities under his watch, Umahi is busy threatening patriotic Biafrans who are merely exposing the atrocities of Fulani herdsmen in their communities.

“We, therefore, advise Governor Umahi and his Miyetti Allah handlers to make sure nothing happens to citizens of Ebonyi State who are within their rights to share the said video. Biafrans will hold him and his family responsible should any harm befall any individual as a result of his wish to serve his Fulani masters.

“We also warn Traditional Rulers and President Generals recruited by Governors in the South-East against ESN personnel to retrace their steps, otherwise they will eternally regret their action”, the Statement reads.

Veteran Nollywood Actress, Orisabunmi, Dies At Age 60 |The Source

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The Source
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Folake Aremu- Orisabunmi

By Akinwale Kasali

Less than two weeks after the nation’s make- belief industry, popular as Nollywood, mourned the demise of Veteran Producer, Chico Ejiro, the Industry has, again, been thrown into mourning.

Veteran thespian of the Yoruba Genre of the industry, Folake Aremu, Popularly known as Orisabunmi, has died.

Breaking the news of her demise, President of the Theatre Arts And Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN) Bolaji Amusan, aka Mr Latin, confirmed she died on Tuesday night at the age of 60.

Until her death, she was well known from the 80s for her roles as a priestess, pacifist or the good witch in movies.

Born on October 10, 1960, in Ilu Ola, Kwara state, Orisabunmi went to Ilu Ola Primary School and Secondary Commercial College.

She was discovered by her ex-husband, Jimoh Aliu, in the 80s while working as a teacher in Kwara state.

She became popular in the 80s TV series, Arelu, starring her husband and others like Fadeyi Oloro.

Her appearance in other movies like “Agbaarin” and soap opera, “Yanponyanrin” cemented her place in the movie industry.

The late Jimoh Aliu (Aworo) and Folake had a very rocky marriage, which later hit the rock, as the couple were separated long before Aworo died in September, 2020, after a brief illness.

He died at the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital aged 86.

Tributes have been pouring in for the veteran actress from her colleagues, who lamented her demise, and applauded her professionalism.

She will be missed for her roles, dedication and humility, her colleagues said.

WHO Approves Pfizer Vaccines for Nigeria |The Source

By
The Source
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Pfizer Vaccine

By Uche Mbah

The World Health Organization, WHO, has endorsed the Pfizer produced Covid-19 vaccine for use by Nigeria just as Nigeria negotiates with China on the acquisition of the said vaccine.

Nigeria hopes to take delivery by the end of January.

Dr Walter Kaza Mulombo, the WHO Country Representative in Nigeria said during the Presidential Task Force on COVID- 19 press briefing in Abuja that the Pfizer vaccine is available for emergency use as the approved vaccine for Nigeria.

Nigeria, however, has already requested for the vaccines from china, and the country targets 42 million vaccines through the global COVAX scheme, according to Reuters. Government targets delivery of vaccines that will target 20% of the population till the end of January. Thia was confirmed by Mulombo.

“On the question of WHO endorsing or authorizing two vaccines, what I can say this evening is that WHO has endorsed for emergency use one vaccine, which is Pfizer vaccine, which is expected first to arrive in Nigeria in a couple of weeks. There are other candidate vaccines that will come on the list and in a few days after the strategic inventory by the group of experts in WHO reviews all the evidence. So the process is for WHO to review rigorously all the evidence published and made available by the vaccine manufacturers. After reviewing that evidence, there is a set of criteria, then we can decide or not put it on the emergency list. But for now, it just one of them, but there are others that may come on the same list”, Mulombo said.

In his own words, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said that the festivities has resulted in the increase in covid 19 cases.

“From our analysis, we are beginning to see the effect of activities carried out during the Christmas festivities. We can only hope that numbers will not escalate beyond control. We, however, still appeal to all citizens to take full responsibility through compliance and vigilance”, he said.

Nigeria has recorded 91,351 total cases out of 958,911 persons tested for the virus.In a related development, the comptroller general of immigration, Muhammed Babandede, has said that the Immigration Act empowers him to revoke visas and confiscate passports of violators of the covid-19 protocols, saying that passports of such violators are already blocked, and they may not travel outside or enter the country.

“The public health is a big issue in the country and based on that directives, we have complied by blocking 100 passports from traveling, which means, even if they go to the police and declare those passports missing, they cannot be reissued anywhere in the world and they cannot cross our national borders until the period of six months or communication received from the right authorities stating that they have complied.

“This will also include non-Nigerians; we have the powers to revoke visas, the comptroller-general has the power to revoke visas,” Babandede said.

Zamfara Revokes 500 Licences of Private Schools |The Source

By
Uche Mbah
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By Uche Mbah

The Zamfara state government has revoked the licenses of more than 500 private school proprietors on the ground that they have not satisfied the state educational guidelines for running private schools.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, Commissioner for Education in Zamfara, disclosed this on Tuesday.

News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports Abdullahi as saying that a task force will soon be inaugurated to enforce compliance on the closure of the affected schools, adding that the schools would only be allowed to operate if they meet the comprehensive guidelines recently developed by the state government.

“The guidelines will have to be followed and be met by any private school proprietor before the issuance of licence to operate,’’ he said.

He said Bello Matawalle, Governor of Zamfara, met a “poorly-arranged” setting on the operations of private schools, where proprietors only needed to pay a start-up registration fee of N30,000, after which they had freedom to operate outside the control of the state government.

“At the moment, we have a draft bill which we will forward to the house of assembly that will empower the ministry of education to have control over the way the private schools are set up and operated,” Abdullahi said.

He added that the unit under the state’s ministry of education that oversees the operations of private schools had been upgraded as part of efforts to improve efficiency.

Defunct Fin Bank MD, 3 Others Jailed Over N10b Fraud

By
Bayo Bernard
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By Tosin Olatokunbo

Former managing director of Defunct Fin Bank, Okey Nwosu has been jailed for three years after he was convicted of N10 billion fraud by a Lagos state high court, Ikeja, alongside three others.

Justice Lateefa Okunnu sentenced Nwosu, Dayo Famuroti, Agnes Ebubedike and Danjuma on a 26 count charge of fraud preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC

The accused were charged by the anti-graft agency for stealing over N10 billion from the bank while Nwosu was the chief executive. The other three were directors of the defunct bank, at the time.

The judge found the defendants guilty and sentenced the first and second defendants, Nwosu and Famoroti, to three years imprisonment each.

She also sentenced the third defendant, Ocholi, to 12 months imprisonment while the fourth defendant, Ebubedike was directed to go for a six month community service.

Recall that the case suffered a setback, when the defendants challenged the jurisdiction of the  Lagos High court to try the case, on the reason that it was a capital market issue, which only the federal courts have jurisdiction.

The Supreme court later affirmed the jurisdiction of the trial court over the matter, after the EFCC appealed the judgment of court of appeal, which upheld the argument of the defendants.

In a unanimous judgment, a seven-man panel of justices of the apex court faulted the argument of the court of appeal. It however rejected a charge of money laundering against the defendants, which it said would amount to double jeopardy.

 

FCMB Gives MD Soft Landing

By
Bayo Bernard
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Adams Nuru, the managing director of First City Monument Bank, FCMB, accused of extra-marital affair with a married former subordinate, has received a soft landing from his bank, which on Monday said it was investigating allegation of infidelity against its chief executive.

The bank’s boss has now been directed by the management to proceed on compulsory leave, according to the Cable.

Over 2000 Nigerians have already signed a petition on change.org demanding the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to sack the FCMB boss, who has been accused of fathering two children from the former female employee, Moyo. Her husband Tunde Thomas, allegedly died of depression, on December 16 after he learnt of the amorous relationship between his wife and the new generation bank’s boss.

FCMB had initially issued a statement on Monday where it said there was no strong evidence to connect its managing director to the allegation.

But in a clear departure from the bank’s earlier stand, Nuhu on Tuesday, issued an internal memo to his colleagues, saying he was proceeding on vacation to allow the bank’s Board conduct an independent investigation over his alleged infidelity.

The memo reads “Dear Colleagues. Compliments of the season. Let me start by wishing everyone of you all the best in the new year.

“Following the recent events in respect of the negative media reports circulating, I have elected to proceed on vacation to allow the Bank’s board conduct an independent review of the circumstances surrounding these negative reports.

“This is important to protect the integrity of the process as well as our Brand which is of utmost importance to us all.I urge you to please continue to put in your best so we can achieve the objectives we have set for the year.”

The bank had earlier assured Nigerians, in a statement that the matter is being investigated and will not be swept under the carpet.

FCMB said “We are aware of several stories circulating across several media platforms about our bank’s Managing Director Adam Nuru, a former employee Mrs Moyo Thomas and her deceased husband, Mr Tunde Thomas.

“While this is a personal matter, the tragedy of the death of Mr Tunde Thomas and the allegations of unethical conduct require the bank’s board to conduct a review of what transpired, any violations of our code of ethics and the adequacy of this code of ethics.This is already under way.

Police Nabs Suspect In Connection With Baby Theft In Ondo |The Source

By
Ayodele Oni
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Nigeria Police Force

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo state Police Command has announced the arrest of a lady that eloped with the baby of her mistress in Ondo town.

Police disclosed the name of the suspect, who is a tailoring appretice, as Temitọpẹ Adeniyi.

She was said to have tricked her mistress that she was going to withdraw money from a bank ATM and dissappeared with her mistress’s three month old baby since January 2.

The suspect, was said to have been introduced to her mistress by her husband.

Spokesman of the Ondo State police command, Tee- Leo Ikoro, confirmed this Tuesday evening.

According to him, the suspect was arrested with the baby hale and hearty.

Earlier, the baby’s father had admitted to dating the lady, but denied conniving with her to steal his three-month old baby, as alleged by his distraught wife.

PDP Raises Alarm Over Parallel Office In Osun State |The Source

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

The Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan has alleged that there is an attempt to set up a parallel secretariat of the party in Osun state.

In a statement on Tuesday, the PDP image maker alerts  of “clandestine plots by certain individuals to set up a strange office in Osogbo, Osun state, and purport such to be the Osun State secretariat of the PDP.

“For the avoidance of doubts, the PDP states in unequivocal terms that our legitimate state secretariat in Osun State remains our office located at Kilometer 3, Ikirun Road, beside Federal Road Safety Corps Office, Biket Area, Osogbo, Osun state.

“It is imperative to state that our great party does not operate or recognize any other state secretariat in Osun State other than the above stated.

“All party members, critical stakeholders and supporters, particularly in Osun state and the nation at large, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), all security agencies, the media and the general public should take note and be guided by this accordingly.

“The leadership of the PDP charges all our members in Osun state to continue to work together and not be distracted by any such divisive plots, especially at this time that our party is working relentlessly to rescue our nation from misrule.”

It was however gathered that the birth of a parallel PDP office in Osun state capital is a fallout of division within the party, especially in the South  w5est geopolitical zone.

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