BlackBox Nigeria

The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has urged residents of the state not to be carried away with the grass-roots campaign of the All Progressives Congress vice-presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN).

Osinbajo has been campaining in BRT buses and wooing traders in different markets in the state for weeks.

However, the PDP in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, said Osinbajo was only trying to deceive the people.

Gani said when Osinbajo was a Commissioner for Justice in Lagos for over six years, he never boarded public transport.

He, therefore, advised the people of the state that if they vote for the APC in next month's presidential election, Osinbajo would not remember them.

The statement read in part, "The Lagos PDP rebukes the Vice-presidential candidate of the APC, Yemi Osinbajo, for what it termed sudden change of lifestyle in order to deceive the electorate to support his party.

"Osinbajo belongs to the bourgeoisie and elitist family. He is not known to be a grass-roots person. He never participated nor supported any protest for the masses.

"Now, suddenly he goes into BRT buses to pretend to be a common man. This is, indeed, an attempt to score cheap political points. Lagosians definitely know their oppressors. He has started a fake lifestyle."‎

THERE was pandemonium, weekend, in Benin City, Edo State, after a middle aged man (name withheld) lost his life following a fight with a lady, who chopped off his private part

The incident which occurred around Isihor area of the city shocked the residents, considering the way and manner the heated argument between the lady and the deceased resulted to bloodshed.

It was learned that the lady ran her SUV car into the deceased Honda SUV, a development which led to a shouting bout. The deceased, who was said to be in the company of his brother, reportedly slapped the woman several times which led to the fracas.

An eyewitness informed Vanguard: "After the slap, the woman went straight to the man's trousers and bite his private off and spat it on the tarred road to our greatest shock."

Vanguard learned that the man gave up the ghost while he was being rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH.

Contacted, the Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, Joseph Edoigiawerie, said the command was yet to be briefed on the incident.‎

The Hyderabad police in India on Saturday January 3rd arrested four Nigerians including a woman over internet fraud. The police said they recovered a car, money and mobile phones from them

The accused, Peter Austin (29), Eboh Felix (26), Steffi Ebohon (24) and Uzaonicha Daniel Iwenwanne (26), reportedly contacted a student named Mohd Wasiuddin, and told him he's won some money. The police said the gang managed to convince the unsuspecting victim to deposit money for registration, customs clearance, processing fees and other expenses.
"Believing the gang members, Wasiuddin deposited about Rs. 35 lakh in different bank accounts operated from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Mumbai, only to realize later that it was fraud" the police in charge said
The police arrested the four Nigerians after posing as another victim and tracing their phone call data record and email conversations.‎

All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), was scrutinised and found educationally qualified to be the party's presidential flag bearer, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, a member of the party's committee, who screened all five presidential aspirants, has said.
Abayomi's assertion came as a senior Buhari aide affirmed that the campaign would not go into the mud with the candidate's rivals on the issue. The senior campaign official said officials of the Buhari campaign were not in any way bothered on the issue given what he said was the uprightness of the General on the issue.

Abayomi in a statement yesterday affirmed he was a member of the presidential screening committee who scrutinised Buhari's qualification for the presidency and found him fit and awarded him a certificate of clearance.

He further asserted that even without the production of the certificates that General Buhari was eminently qualified for the race and the presidency.
"As a member of the APC Screening Committee, I can affirm unequivocally that Gen. Buhari met the education qualification prescribed by the constitution," he said as he went on to list the schools and courses attended by the former head of state.

He said: "Still the question remains, has General Buhari without presenting especially his school certificate or its equivalent met the education precondition set for presidential candidates in the constitution?"
"To begin with, the Constitution does not prescribe the presentation or show of any certificate to qualify for election to the office of President. Under section 131(d) of our military constitution, a person shall be qualified for election to the office of President if 'he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.'
"While a certificate may unequivocally show that a contestant has been educated up to at least School Certificate level, his education without a certificate may show, again unequivocally that he has been educated up to the equivalent of School Certificate level.
"For example, assuming A is the best student in Ajuwa Grammar School, Okeagbe, Akoko. Now on the very day before the commencement of the West African School Certificate Examination, he sexually harassed the daughter of the English teacher as a result of which he was dismissed, will A be said not to have met the education qualification of section 131(d) of the constitution?
"In my view A has not only been educated up to at least School Certificate level he would also be deemed to have been educated to its equivalent. This position finds support in section 131 (d) which neither prescribed a pass which is required for certification nor a fail which denies it. The interest of the constitution is with the level of the education of the candidate howsoever acquired, not the certificate he acquires ipso facto.
"The APC screening committee was made up of several eminent, highly educated and enlightened men and a woman. They came to the conclusion after putting APC presidential aspirants through a most rigorous test that all the APC aspirants met the constitutional qualifications including education qualification to contest for election to the office of President.
"They confirmed this by awarding them a certificate. The qualification set by the constitution for contest is the level of education not its certificate."

Obafemi Martins of  Seattle Sounders  has speculated on why he was left out of the national team by the Big Boss which has led
to calling time on his international career.

The forward just came off a season where he led his side to Major League Soccer play-offs
as well as winning the Supporters' Shield.

Despite being in top form and scoring 17 goals in the just conclude season where he earned nomination for the Most Valuable Player award, Martins was ignored for the Super Eagles' 2014 Fifa World Cup campaign.

December last year he called time on his international career after earning 39 caps and scoring 18 goals in the span of 10 years playing for the Eagles.

"I don't think [Keshi] love me, that's all. I don't have any issues with him," Martins told media when asked about his relationship with the
coach who is yet to have his contract renewed.

Martins scored the lone goal in the Football for Hope charity match organized by the Lagos State government that left Governor Babatunde Fashola's side on the losing end on Saturday at the Campos Mini Stadium in Lagos.
Other stars that played in Martins' team were Asisat Oshoala, Lukman Haruna, Babatunde Michael, Razak Omotoyossi, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Onome Ebi and John Dosu.

The BRF All Stars paraded former internationals Victor Agali, Jonathan Akpoborie, Gbenga Okunnowo, Godwin Okpara and Waheed Akanni.

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has again re-echoed his previous call on all his members to make getting their permanent voters card (PVC) their priority, to enable them exercise their civic responsibility during next month's general elections.

Daddy G.O as he is called by the redeemed church faithfuls made this call on friday, during the church monthly Holy Ghost Service held at the Redemption Camp. Adeboye said the voter's card is the only power the people have during election.

The anointed man of God told the congregation that everyone was expected to collect and bring his/her card to the church on the first Sunday of January, saying that parish pastors will request for it.
He, therefore, advised members who have not collected their PVC to go to the nearest INEC collection centre for it and admonished those who were unable to find their own to re-register for it, that have the PVC is very crucial.

In his words, baba Adeboye said,

"You must get it even if it means spending the whole day at the local government because without the card, you cannot vote. On the first Sunday of the year, come to church with your voter card as your parish pastor will ask for it".‎

The Lagos State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Tope Ojo, has given the Lagos State government a 21-day ultimatum within which to pay the August and September 2014 salaries of doctors under its employ or face strike.

Ojo in a statement on Sunday said if the government did not heed the demands of the association and the Medical Guild, doctors working in public hospitals in the state would withdraw their services.

It will be recalled that the Lagos State Government had withheld the emoluments of its doctors for the month of August and September under its no work, no pay policy when doctors in its employ participated in a nationwide strike called by the national leadership of the NMA.

He stated, "The Medical Guild will proceed to withdraw their services after the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum, if all issues are not resolved. The Lagos NMA will withdraw its services from all institutions in the state seven days if all issues remain unresolved.

"We strongly advise that the state government should embrace amicable resolution of our demands to avoid impending crisis in the heath sector of the state."

He said that all the states of the federation and the FCT had complied with the general agreement that salaries should be paid to doctors who participated in the NMA strike for peace and further negotiations except the Lagos State.

Ojo noted that only doctors were been singled out for the no work , no pay policy of the government as members of the other professional associations including the Academic Staff Union were paid their salaries in spite of the fact that they had embarked on a six-month nationwide strike last year.

He noted, "The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Lagos State University chapter, lecturers in the state polytechnic and judiciary workers in the state did not suffer the same fate following the suspension of their industrial action last year. Their salaries were not withheld. We don't want to believe that the governor is being unfair to doctors."

Ojo said that the association had met with the House of Assembly, the Commissioner for Health and had sent several letters to the governor for a peaceful resolution all to no avail.‎

Four members of the same family– a father, mother and their two kids– have been crushed to death by a truck laden with bags of rice.

The accident was said to have happened along the Iwo-Ibadan Road in Osun State.

A passenger in a commercial bus, who witnessed the accident, told our correspondent in Osogbo on Sunday that Mr. and Mrs. Olumide Bankole; their children, Sharon and Shama, were crushed to death by the truck which lost control in an attempt to avoid running into a queue of vehicles on the road due to a police checkpoint.

The eyewitness, who identified himself as Leke Okunola, said rescuers at the scene learnt that the family was traveling from Ogbomoso in Oyo State to Ibadan when the accident occurred around Odo Oba River on Christmas Eve.

He said the car in which the Bankoles were travelling was coming from Iwo and heading towards Ibadan, while the truck was coming from Ibadan.

The eyewitness blamed the accident on the police checkpoint, saying if the road block was not there, the accident would have been avoided.

Okunola said, "The car in which the victims were travelling was coming from the opposite direction and after the police had checked him, he moved, but a trailer which was loaded with bags of rice lost control and fell on the car.

"The truck was on top speed. The driver saw a long queue of vehicles caused by the police checkpoint. The driver did not want to ram into the vehicles on the queue and veered off the lane. That was when the car was cleared to go.

"The driver of the car saw the truck and drove into the bush. The truck driver, however, lost control and fell on the car.

"The driver of the car, his wife and two children, including a baby, were all dead by the time they were rescued from under the truck."

He added that the victims were trapped under the truck for close to five hours before their mangled bodies were removed by rescuers.

A lady, who was said to have been given a free ride by the family, was said to have survived, but her hand was reportedly chopped while being pulled out from the wreckage.

Okunola added that some chickens inside the boot of the car survived the tragic accident and flew out when rescuers opened the boot.

The Chairman of the Non Academic Staff Union at the Osun State University, Mr. Isaiah Fayemi, who is an in-law to the Bankoles, said the family had been thrown into deep mourning since the accident happened.

He called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, and the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Mr. Abubakar Marafa, to investigate the cause of the accident and punish whoever was found culpable.

Fayemi said, "I learnt that the accident was caused by a police checkpoint. We will involve our lawyer in the case. We want the police to investigate the cause of the accident. I was told that two policemen had been arrested for the tragedy."

The Police Public Relations Officer in Osun State, Mrs. Folasade Odoro, said investigation into the matter was ongoing.

Also, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Osun State, Mr. Mohammed Hussein, said the accident did not happen within his area of jurisdiction.

He said that the area where the accident happened fell under the jurisdiction of the Mokola Unit in Oyo State.‎

President Goodluck Jonathan's younger sister, Nancy Jonathan-Olei, died on Sunday, a statement from the family said.

The announcement is contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, in Abuja, NAN reports.

According to the statement, Jonathan-Olei, 52, passed on in the early hours at a hospital in Yenagoa after a brief illness.

Burial arrangements will be announced later by the family.

Suspected Boko Haram militants have seized a military base in northeastern Nigeria in a series of blistering raids near Lake Chad, sending soldiers and civilians fleeing, witnesses said on Sunday.

Local residents reported that the gunmen killed several people, burnt hundreds of homes and looted scores of businesses in Saturday's attacks, although there was no official death toll.
The Islamists are believed to control large swathes of land in northeastern Nigeria since launching an uprising in 2009 that has now claimed more than 13,000 lives.

The base outside the town of Baga is used by the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which was established in 1998 to battle cross-border crime but whose mandate was expanded to fighting the deadly Boko Haram insurgency.
The gunmen seized the base near Lake Chad after engaging troops in a fierce battle that lasted several hours, witnesses said.

"They (the militants) overwhelmed the troops and forced them to abandon the base which the gunmen took over," local resident Usman Dansubdu told AFP after fleeing to neighbouring Chad.

Hundreds of fear-stricken residents from Baga and five other Nigerian towns and fishing villages poured into Chad to escape the Islamist raids on their homes, witnesses said.
Maina Ma'aji Lawan, the senator representing northern Borno where Baga is located, confirmed the attack on the military base and other five locations.

"Boko Haram insurgents launched attacks in Baga area yesterday (Saturday), destroying six towns and several settlements, forcing the people in the affected places to flee into Chad.
"They came in unbelievably large numbers and overpowered the multinational troops and local vigilantes," he told AFP.
"They took over the multinational troop base in Baga and sent the soldiers fleeing," he told AFP.
The force is made up of troops from Nigeria, Niger and Chad, Nigerian army spokesman Brigadier General Olajide Laleye told AFP.

Residents of Kauyen Kuros, Mile 3, Mile 4, Baga, Doron-Baga and Bundaram fled across the lake in fishing boats and canoes into Chad following the hours-long attacks by hundreds of militants from the Islamist group.
"We are now seeking refuge in Gubuwa, Kangallam and Kaiga villages inside Chad near the border with Nigeria," Dansubdu told AFP by telephone from Gubuwa.
The gunmen killed several people, burnt hundreds of homes and looted scores of businesses in the attacks that lasted over seven hours, said Doron-Baga resident Lawan Ajikalumbu who also fled to Gubuwa.

In line with Islamic injunction which prescribes a maximum of 4 wives for those who can treat all of them equally, former CBN Governor and the Emir of Kano, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is set to take a fourth wife.

With three beautiful wives – Sadiya, Maryam and Rakiya, Sanusi would be adding a 17-year-old beautiful daughter of the Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa to his list.‎

Like in ancient times when bonds between empires were deepened by marriages among royals and nobles across boundaries, the betrothal of the Adamawa princess to Emir Sanusi II may also be a move to deepen royal bond between Adamawa and Kano.