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Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Rivers states have filed a suit at the Supreme Court against the Federal Government to challenge the loss of N500 trillion in oil revenue. The plaintiffs are praying the apex court to compel the Federal Government to implement Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution as it relates to oil revenue generation and sharing among the component parts of the federation. In the originating summons by Luscious Nwosu, SAN on behalf of the three states, the Supreme Court is being urged to determine whether there was a statutory obligation imposed on the defendant pursuant to Section 16 of the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act Cap D3 of the Laws of the Federation 2004. They also want the apex court to determine whether there was a statutory obligation imposed on the Federal Government to adjust its share in the additional revenue accruing under the various production sharing contracts approved by the defendant if the pric...

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has attributed his problem with former President Goodluck Jonathan to illegal and excess deduction from the federation account during the administration of the then President. Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State made the revelation in the book, ‘Against the Run of Play’ written by the Chairman of ThisDay Editorial Board, Olusegun Adeniyi. In the book, Adeniyi quoted Amaechi as saying, “If in one year, you took about N300bn from the federation account to pay for subsidy and the next year, you are taking almost N2tn for the same thing when fundamentals had not changed, then serious questions should be asked. “And as NGF (Nigerian Governors Forum) chairman, it was my responsibility to ask those questions and Jonathan took them personal.” Reacting to claims by Jonathan saying he, Amaechi, had issues with the former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, Amaechi said his “only sin” was that he refused to surrender h...

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has opined that blame game by Northerners was partly responsible for the backwardness of the region. Abubakar, who urged the North to stop the blame game and focus on developing the region like others, made the observation while presenting a paper titled “The Challenge of Unity, Diversity and National Development: Nigeria at Crossroads’’ at the Banquet Hall, Nigeria Airforce Conference Centre, in Abuja. The former Vice President also said Nigerians must continue to live together as one country amidst the seeming pervasive climate of disunity. According to Abubakar, “If people get disillusioned, and in frustration, they embrace and imbibe all sorts of views, beliefs and ideas including ones that suggest that people from the other ethnic, religious or regional group is responsible for their woes. “Today, the three northern zones are the most backward. Instead of us to blame ourselves, we are blaming the south. ...

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed why he picked Goodluck Jonathan instead of Peter Odili, as President Umaru Yar’adua’s running mate. In a book, ‘Against The Run Of Play’, written by a former Yar’Adua’s spokesman, Mr Segun Adeniyi, which is to be launched today in Lagos, Chief Obasanjo confirmed that Odili, a former Governor of Rivers State, was actually his first choice as Yar’adua’s running mate. But there some hurdles that did not make it possible. “Of course, Jonathan was not my first choice as running mate to Yar’Adua; it was Dr. Peter Odili. But whether by fate or some conspiracy, Odili had hurdles that made it impossible for him to take that position. That was how I settled for Jonathan,” Obasanjo said. The late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, once said in an interview that Obasanjo chose Jonathan to be Yar’adua’s deputy in the 2007 election because he, Obasanjo, wanted to stop his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar, from running for president. “...

The Minister of Trans­portation, Rotimi Amaechi, will today kick off the maintenance dredging of the River Ni­ger from Ajaokuta in Kogi State to Onitsha in Anambra State. This was disclosed on Thursday in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). The maintenance exercise on the already dredged chan­nels, according to NIWA, is to ensure all-year navigation of the River Niger waterways. In a statement signed by NIWA’s Corporate Affairs General Manager in Lokoja, Mr Tayo Fadile, he said that Amaechi will launch the ex­ercise today. Fadile explained that the minister will be accompa­nied by Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to the Julius Berger Jetty, Ajaokuta for the event at 10 am. In 2009, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in a bid to boost socio-economic activities through the water­ways, kicked off the dredging of the Lower River Niger and construction of seven addi­tional seaports in Agenebode (Edo State), I...

Goalkeeper Yekini Kazeem has switched gear to Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side, Niger Tornadoes for the rest of the ongoing season. The former Kwara United shot-stopper was in between the post for top-flight side El Kanemi Warriors in the first stanza of the league. Kazeem said he is excited to shift camp to the Minna landlords and will add more value to the side’s quest for a ticket to the continent. “Yes, I have moved to Niger Tornadoes and will campaign in their colours when the NPFL second stanza commences. “Of course, I’m happy to shift base to the Minna outfit but I must express my deepest gratitude to El Kanemi Warriors for the opportunity offered to me to serve. “Certainly, I will add to the existing value on ground at Niger Tornadoes to help the side achieve their lofty dream of a continental ticket. “I must thank the head coach, Abubakar Bala for believing in me and I want to assure that I will not disappoint or fail him in the course o...

Nigeria’ Beach Soccer National Team, the Sand Eagles, will start their 2017 Beach Soccer World Cup campaign against Italy on Thursday. The team which departed Nigeria last Tuesday for Nassau, venue of the competition, will face the Italians in a group B fixture on Thursday night as they seek to start the tournament on a good note. Eight players made the trip to the Bahamas and were later joined by the four remaining squad members this week to prepare for the competition. The team will be led by team captain Isiaka Olawale, while a great deal will be expected of the likes of Victor Tale, top scorer Abu Azeez, Bartholomew Igbenegbu and veteran defender Ogbonnaya Okemmiri Hosts, the Bahamas, will play the opening game of the competition against European powerhouse Switzerland in Nassau. Nigeria is in group B alongside Italy, Iran and Mexico. Nigeria last participated in the Beach Soccer World Cup at the 2011 edition in Ravenna, Italy where the Sand Eagles pl...

Lagos State Emergency Agency​, LASEMA, on Thursday said it ​received a distress call at about 9.19 am concerning an accident at Daleko Bridge inward Isolo​ in Lagos.​ ​Its spokesman, Kehinde Adebayo, stated that the alert prompted the immediate activation of the Agency’s Emergency ​Response ​Team​ to the scene of the accident​.​ ​”​Investigation conducted by the Agency’s ERT on getting to the scene of the incident revealed that a bike man was crushed under a trailer while trying to make a u-turn​”, he said. ​”​The driver of the trailer absconded immediately the accident occurred but was later apprehended by the Police officers and was taken to Olosan Police Station, Mushin for further interrogation​”​. ​”​Unfortunately​,​ the driver of the ​motorcycle identified as Biliaminu Olayiwola lost his life​. His corpse was recovered by the LASEMA Response Team and​ handed over to the Police​. “The trailer was recovered off the road with a tow truck provided by LASTMA and...

Sunday Chucks Obasi (30) who was abducted from his home in Amuko Nnewi Anambra State on 16 August 2016 by Nigerian security agents has been released on bail.   Sunday Chucks Obasi (30), a pro-Biafran activist, who was abducted by five armed men suspected to be security agents at about 9pm on 16 August 2016 from his home in Amuko Nnewi, Anambra State was released on bail in December 2016. His family took the decision to keep the news of his release private up until now to enable him recover from the injuries he sustained while in detention.   In an interview with Amnesty Nigeria researcher, Sunday Chucks Obasi expressed his appreciation to Amnesty International. Sunday Chucks Obasi was held incommunicado at the Department of State Services (DSS) in Anambra where he says he was ill-treated, severely tortured and interrogated by security agents as they interrogated him about the Indigenous People of Biafra movement.    He was arr...

A former Nigeria’s Senate President, David Mark, has said that ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan was too blind to see during the 2015 general elections. Senator mark said he warned Jonathan of the conspiracy against him in the north before he lost the 2015 presidential elections. Mark said this in the book, “Against the Run of Play: How an Incumbent President was defeated in Nigeria, written by the Chairman of ThisDay Editorial Board, Olusegun Adeniyi. He said that he saw the defeat coming and had pointed out the unrealistic voting projections made by the party about the North to the former president and the conspiracy against him but he was not taken seriously. According to him, “I saw it and at different times, I pointed out to him and the party that the projections being made by some people around the president about what the voting pattern in the north would were wrong. “I could see the conspiracy and the gang-up building up in the north against the aspiration ...

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has called for an urgent roundtable discussion involving all stakeholders, the government and international development agencies on how to halt the dwindling fortunes of education sector in the country. Saraki spoke yesterday when the Advocacy Group of the Queens Collage Old Girls’ Association led by its National President, Dr. Frances Funmi Ajose, submitted a petition concerning the sordid state of affairs in their alma mater to him at the National Assembly. Saraki, according to a statement by his Special Assistant (Print Media), Chuks Okocha, said that the current negative reports emanating from the schools in the country, like the ugly incident that resulted in the death of three students of Queens College, Lagos, has made the education roundtable dialogue inevitable. The Senate President said, “What I think is more important is that there should be an emergency roundtable talk on education. I believe that we have done it...