Oyinkis Blog

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the establishment of two new private universities in the country. The decision was taken at the weekly meeting of the council, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan. One of the new universities is Edwin Clark University located in Kiagbodo, Delta State. The university belongs to Chief Edwin Clark, an Ijaw leader and major supporter of the President. Clark was also a former Federal Commissioner of Information in the First Republic. The Minister of Information, Patricia Akwashiki, announced the approval for the new universities during the post-FEC press conference in Abuja. Akwashiki also named Hezekiah University, located in Umudi, Imo State, as the second private university approved by the council. She said, “The Minister of Education tabled a memorandum to seek the council’s ratification of the President’s anticipatory approval for the issuance of provisional licence for the establishment of Edwin Clark Univer...

The Federal Government has condemned the execution of four Nigerians by Indonesian authorities over drug-related offences, despite pleas for clemency by President Goodluck Jonathan, describing it as a disappointment.The government however extended its condolences to the families of the deceased, demanding the repatriation of thecorpses of the executed persons for them to be given a decent burial in their various communities.A terse statement on Wednesday night from the Public Communications Division of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, gave the names of the executed Nigerians as Martin Anderson, Okwudili Oyatanze, Jaminu Abashin and Sylvester Obiekwe.The government however warned all Nigerians to desist from drug trafficking and other offences, which attract maximum punishment in several countries of the world.The statement read, “The Federal Government of Nigeria has received with deep disappointment, news of the execution of four Nigerians, Messrs Martin Anderson, Okwudili O...

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have warned against any move by the government to remove subsidy from petroleum products.Nigeria’s National Assembly had passed the 2015 appropriation bill without allocating any money for subsidy payment.Speaking on Wednesday, Deputy President of the NLC and chairman of the joint May Day celebration of the NLC and TUC, Peter Adeyemi, told journalists that organised Labour believed that government had never subsidised petroleum products.The Labour leader lamented that the bane of the sector had been corruption, pointing out that past government tried without success to address the issue.He said: “If you are asking whether we will back the removal of fuel subsidy, the answer is no. It is not as easy as that. You know that it has been a very contentious issue over the years. We have always said that there is nothing like subsidy. It is all about corruption.“Let me take your mind back and say that this sa...

Four members of an international robbery gang suspected to be from Ghana were yesterday shot dead by police in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital. The State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) men who carried out the operation also arrested two other members of the gang who were seriously injured during a botched attempt on a bureau de change office in Itoku, Abeokuta. The gang which fell into the trap set by the police was said to have attempted to rob the forex operators before they met their waterloo. Parading two of the suspects, Adamu Bamako and Ibrahim Tanko, who were injured during the shoot-out, the state police spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, described the suspects as cross-border bandits based in Ghana. Adejobi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, described the gang as notorious included nationalities of West African countries who invade Nigeria to commit crimes. He confirmed that the men of the SARS foiled the planned attack. He said the SARS operatives had been working on ...

In a daring and precise operation the Nigerian troops have stormedthe Sambisa Forest and rescued about 300 women and girls.Also at least 21 people were killed by suspected members of dreaded Boko Haram in Marguba community and other surrounding villages of Beneshiekh, the headquarters of Kaga local government area of Borno state.It was gathered that at least threemajor terrorists camps have beendestroyed in the well-cordinated attacks that include the destruction of the notorious Tokumbere camp in the Sambisa Forest.While confirming the operation the Director Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade said he could not confirm the identity of the freed victims and their origins and he could not state if any of them was from Chibok until after thorough screening and proper investigations.He said: “I can only confirm the rescued this afternoon of 200 girls and 93 women in different camps in the forest. We are yet to determine their origin as all the freed persons are now bei...

Eight convicted drug smugglers have been executed by firing squad in Indonesia.The executions took place in Besi prison on the island of Nusakambangan early on Wednesday morning local time.However, the execution of a ninth convict, a woman from the Philippines, was postponed at thelast minute.Among those killed were Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. Earlier, the men's families were allowed to see them for the last time.Australia had appealed to Indonesia to delay the executions, citing alleged flaws inhow their case was prosecuted.After the executions, Steven Ciobo, parliamentary secretary to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, tweeted: "There are few greater displays of abuse of state power and regressive thinking than the death penalty."Those put to death also include Nigerian nationals, a Brazilian and an Indonesian.Filipina woman Mary Jane FiestaVeloso was also due to be executed, but this was delayed after a request by the Philippine president, a sp...

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday said he is ready for any probe of activities under his watch when he leaves office on May 29.In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President said that he is not afraid of any investigation after leaving office.He noted that investigations will not be out of place since Jonathan’s administration also reviewed the actions of previous governments on assumption of office.“As Alhaji Mohammed threatened in his statement, the incoming administration will be perfectly within its rights to review all actions of the present government as it may deem fit.“We see nothing wrong with that. After all, the present administration reviewed the actions of previous governments on assumption of office with resultant benefits for policy and project implementation,”he said.He also disclosed that President Jonathan has ordered the immediate release of the full report of PriceWater Cooper’s i...

Long story. But here goes. Got into naija two days ago. Jetted off to Abuja this morning on an 11am flight. Bumped into an insider who had serious tea on the whole Ubi Franklin, Emma Nyra, and Lilian Esoro love triangle. Three weeks ago, Sugar Daily exclusively broke news that Emma Nyra had relocated back to the US where she grew up – to cool her heels and save face – waiting for the Ubi & Lilian engagement euphoria to pipe down a bit. When I broke that story. Emma’s ‘people’ (presumably), tried to reach out to me by dropping off shady comments filled with vitriol and secrets about Ubi Franklin and his ladylove, not, Lilian Esoro. Comments that I eventually deleted for privacy reasons. I subsequently got an email tip-off from a certain someone who claimed to be super privy to inside information on the love triangle. I refused to publish it until I got confirmation. So…I bumped into one of ‘their’ ‘people...

Nigerian protesters on Monday besieged the South African high commission in Abuja to demand an end to xenophobic attacks on foreigners in South Africa. Numbering about 500, the protesters gave South Africa 24 hours to stop the killings or face the wrath of Nigerians.“If Nigeria is pushed to the wall, itwill bite,” one of them said. Speaking with TheCable, Deji‎ Adeyanju, coordinator of the protest, argued against retaliation by Nigerians, but urged the South African government to stop the killings forthwith. “We want a situation inwhich the South African government will take decisive action against the killings‎,” he said.“The businesses of Nigerians are being threatened and it seems South Africans are celebrating now that foreigners are leaving. We will not retaliate. “We want to use‎ this protest to tell South Africa we are their friends. We stood by them during the apartheid era. However, we feel South African government is suppor...

People stood by while a Mozambican man, Emmanuel Sithole, was cornered, stabbed in the heart and left to die. This happened yesterday in Johannesburg and yes, he died from his wounds. Killed just for being from another African country.. and the story told by the journalist who witnessed this brutal stabbing is heartbreaking! As told by Beauregard Tromp and James Oatway for www.Timeslive.co.za Shortly before 7am yesterday April 18th, Sunday Times journalists were in Alexandra township, near Sandton, speaking to shop owners who had their businesses looted overnight. Children played, people walked the streets, some stopped to gawk at the carnage from the night before. Then this happened … In a gutter in Alexandra a Mozambican man stopped and lay down. The gash to his chest meant he could go no further. At the day clinic less than 100m away they could not help him. The doctor scheduled to be on duty did not show up because he was a foreigner and feared bein...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday stated that the current drop in oil prices offers a unique opportunity for Nigeria and seven other oil-producing countries in Africa to implement politically difficult oil subsidy reforms. IMF’s Director for African Development, Antoinette Sayeh who made the submissions at a press conference in Washington DC, United States of America at the ongoing IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, added that in the short run, dealing with oil shock should be the priority. Removal of oil subsidy in Nigeria and other African countries has been a very sensitive and controversial issue. The IMF said although the eight African oil exporting countries would be hard hit with generally limited fiscal and external pressure, they are expected to undertake significant fiscal adjustment, which will ultimately dent their growth outlook. “Faced with a massive shock and with limited buffers, oil exporters will have no choice but to und...

IT sounds unbelievable, but from the account of 19-year-old Kehinde Adegoke, it really happened. The teenager who is an indigene of Ogbomoso in Oyo State, but whose parents live in Minna, Niger State, has told Sunday Tribune how she had sex with a snake in her dream for four years and eventually got pregnant without any physical relationship with any man. Not only that, Kehinde was delivered of a baby boy in the early hours of March 28, 2015. The baby, however, was not brought strangeness with it as it had two teeth protruding from the gum in its lower jaw. It however died on Sunday, March 29 without any ill health pinned to it. For four years, Kehinde said she had to deal with a strange spirit which always came to her in a dream in form of a snake. She said the snake would turn into a Fulani man who would have sex with her, and afterwards transform into a snake, before crawling away. She disclosed that she had to leave Niger State in October 2014 for Ogbomoso...

Some Nigerians in South Africa have cried out against the xenophobic attacks on Africans in parts of the country. In separate telephone interviews with SUNDAY PUNCH, the Nigerian migrants expressed their fear of attacks as death threats were being circulated on social media. Itunu Bodunrin, who on Monday had attended his master’s degree graduation ceremony at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, told our correspondent that he was unable to leave the school campus afterwards due to the violence in the town. Bodunrin forwarded a text message to our correspondent which, according to him, had been circulated among South African residents via an instant messaging mobile application, WhatsApp. In the message, signed by several groups, including the Patriotic Movement, Pan Local Forum, Unemployed Workers Forum and Anti-Crime Movement, Nigerians and other African foreigners were warned to leave the country. It read in part, “Dear neighbour from A...

JOHANNESBURG – The South African government has been given 48 hours to stop xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals and their shops or else their companies abroad will be shut down. An official with the newly elected All Progressive Congress (APC), Tolu Adesanya, confirmed to eNCA that they handed down a memorandum to the South African embassy in Lagos on Wednesday. In the memorandum, the APC party officials and members of civil society groups have demanded that South Africa take swift action against attacks on foreign nationals. Adesanya said that Nigeria will shut down South African businesses if their demands are not met by South Africa. “We actually handed a letter to the South African embassy yesterday, making them aware that we are not happy with what is going on in South Africa. Should there be any more attacks, we are going to shut down South African businesses in Nigeria. That is MTN, Multi Choice, Shoprite etc,” said APC official To...

Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja Thursday rejected an oral application by lawyer to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State for an order stopping the on-going move to impeach the governor. Fayose’s lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN) had shortly before the end of proceedings in the case seeking to stop the on-going impeachment move, applied orally for an order directing parties to maintain status quo ante bellum “to stop things from degenerating further.” JusticeMohammed, in a ruling, rejected Raji’s prayer and upheld the argument by Terence Vembe, lawyer to Ekiti State Speaker, Adewale Omirin, to the effect that granting such prayer will amount to the court amending its earlier ruling that the defendants were still within time show cause, as earlier ordered by the court. The judge had, last Wednesday, refused Fayose’s ex-parte prayers for interim injunctions restraining Omirin and other defendants in the case from proceedi...

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday implored world leaders and international institutions to give their fullest possible support to the incoming Administration of President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). He also urged all Nigerians to do their utmost best to help the incoming president succeed in piloting the country’s affairs to greater heights of accomplishment. Speaking at separate audiences with the new ambassadors of France, Senegal and Ethiopia, Jonathan appealed for patience, understanding and cooperation from all stakeholders in Nigeria, which, according to him, Buhari would require to move the country forward to greater, peace, security and progress. When the new ambassadors lauded him for his exemplary concession of victory in the presidential elections by the new ambassadors, president noted that he acted out of his abiding conviction that the unity, well-being and progress of Nigeria must supersede all personal ambitions. His words: ...

Rep. Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje, Chairperson, House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, has called for the evacuation of Nigerians within 24 hours from South Africa owing to ongoing attacks on non-indigenes. Ukeje (PDP- Abia) made the appeal in a phone interview with newsmen on Thursday in Ibadan. She said that the call was necessary because of increasing attacks on Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike in South Africa. “The Federal Government of Nigeria should rise up to the occasion by having contingency plans to evacuate Nigerians within 24 hours to avoid us losing our citizens to these attacks. “It is expedient to think of where all Nigerians can gather within 24 hours for safety either in our embassy or mission for the safety of our citizens,’’ she said. The lawmaker suggested that a concrete arrangement with some airlines should be made to evacuate Nigerians back home. She also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)...

FORMER President Obasanjo, as we can see, used the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to rule Nigeria for eight years. As soon as he assumed office in 1999, he made up his mind to reduce Nigeria to a one-party state, his pet party system which he canvassed vigorously while Nigeria conducted its transition to civil rule programmes. The first part of this serial chronicled how he shrivelled the opposition parties and made the PDP into a colossus that dominated the political landscape. Eventually, most leading lights in the opposition parties decamped to the PDP. By 2007 when Obasanjo was constitutionally forced out of power, PDP was at the zenith of its power and glory. It had 26 out of the 36 governors, 260 out of the 369 members of the House of Representatives, 85 out of the 109 senators and an emphatic command of the majority in the state legislatures and the 774 local councils. It was at this point that the party started priding itself as “the largest pa...

President Goodluck Jonathan’s letter to the National Assembly,  rejecting amendments to the 1999 Constitution, which was read on thefloor of Senate on Wednesday by Senate President, David Mark, was received with shock by some members, who openly expressed surprise at the reasons why the President vetoed the bill.Chairman,  Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution(4th Alteration Bill 2015),  Senator Ike Ekweremadu, announced that his members would hold a two-dayretreat from Wednesday to Thursday to review the development.Efforts by  members to subject Jonathan’s letter to debate were frustrated by the Senate President, who said there was the need for them to have a copy of the letter each before they would be able to make meaningful contribution.But  Senator Abubakar Yar’Adua (Katsina Central) raised a point of order and insisted that the issue be discussed because of the serious fundamental issues raised by Jonathan, which affect...

Owerri – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has fixed April 25 for re- run of the 2015 Governorship and some constituencies in the state House of Assembly elections in Imo. Dr Gabriel Ada, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Imo State, announced this at a news conference in Owerri on Wednesday. INEC had declared the April 11 governorship polls in Imo inconclusive. This followed the cancellation of elections in more than 250 polling units in 23 of the 27 local government areas. According to Ada, the state constituencies affected in the re-run include: Ikeduru, Isiala Mbano, Isu, Oguta, Owerri West, and Oru East. Ada explained that INEC ordered re-run for the governorship election because of the 79,000 difference between the votes scored by the leading and the second candidates. “The registered voters in the affected polling units are more than 145,000 and when you consider this figure with the difference, you discover that it was ...

A renowned female Nigerian-born Radio/ Television presenter, Adaeze Onyinyechi Ayoka also known as Adalicious Ada has been allegedly kidnapped and raped. The Ghana Y FM presenter is born to a Ghanaian mother and a Nigerian father from Umuahia, Abia State. Ghana YFM radio host, Princess Ada Onyinyechi is currently hospitalized after she was kidnapped and raped by some unknown men who released her in the early hours of Tuesday, April 14, 2015 in Ghana Ada’s captors later released her in the early hours of Tuesday, April 14, 2015 and she is currently receiving medical attention at the female/maternity ward of the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GPHA) Hospital in Takoradi, Ghana. Ghana YFM radio host, Princess Ada Onyinyechi is currently hospitalized after she was kidnapped and raped by some unknown men who released her in the early hours of Tuesday The General Manager of YFm Franklin Kofi Fiati and Nana Kwesi Coomson paid a visit to the hospital but the adminis...

Being an opinion article by President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, as published in yesterday’s edition of New York Times.ABUJA— When Boko Haram attacked a school in the town of Chibok, in northeastern Nigeria, kidnapping more than 200 girls, on the night of April 14, 2014, the people of my country were aghast. Across the world, millions of people joined them in asking: How was it possible for this terrorist group to act with such impunity? It took nearly two weeks before the government even commented on the crime.This lack of reaction was symptomatic of why the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan was swept aside last month – the first time an incumbent president has been successfully voted out of office in the history of our nation. For too long they ruled, not governed, andin doing so had become so focused on their own self-interestand embroiled in corruption that the duty to react to the anguish suffered by their citizens had become alien to them.My adm...