Akwa Pluz

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday adjourned till September 22 hearing of an application for final forfeiture of 58 houses allegedly belonging to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke. She allegedly bought the houses between 2011 and 2013 for $21,982,224 million (N3, 320,000,000 billion). Listed as first to sixth respondents in the suit are – Mrs. Alison-Madueke, Donald Chidi Amamgbo and four firms – Chapel Properties Limited, Blue Nile Estate Limited, Azinga Meadows Limited and Vistapoint Property Development Limited. Justice Chuka Obiozor adjourned to enable the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) respond to an objection filed by one of the respondents. The Commission’s lawyer, A. Ozioko said: “We have obtained an interim order in respect of this suit and the case was adjourned till today (Friday) for report and to also allow the respondents to show cause why the properties should not be finally forfeited. “But this m...

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, on Friday flagged off the construction of the Ibadan Circular Road estimated to cost about N70 billion, which will boost the socio-economic development and transportation system in the state. Speaking at the flag-off held at Badeku Village in Ona-Ara Local Government Area, the governor said the 32km first phase of the 110km road would be completed within 18 months. He said the first phase of the project, which would start from Badeku Village and end at Ajanla Village on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, representing the Northeast corner of the project, was awarded to the ENL Consortium Limited. According to the governor, the project will be financed through a facility sourced from the Nexim Bank of China by the contractor on a “Build, Operate and Transfer“ arrangement between the ENL and the state government. Ajimobi said: “This project is at no cost to Oyo State government; our partner (ENL Consortium) shall raise fund to finance it on the b...

Former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, said on Thursday that former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd), owes Nigerians an apology for helping to bring the country to present level. Oshiomhole also said current clamour for diversification of the nation’s economy cannot succeed unless it begins with the oil and gas sector which he said employ about 40 percent of the working population in the country. The ex-governor, who spoke through the General Secretary of National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers, Comrade Issa Aremu, at the 5th Triennial Delegates Conference of the Petroleum And Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in Abuja, said it was under the Babangida regime that “the economy was restructured and the naira devalued.” Oshiomhole spoke on the theme: “Emerging Trends in the Oil and Gas Industry and its Impacts on Labour Movement in Nigeria.’’ The former governor argued that a lot of misinformation was being fe...

Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery has given up the ghost after a very inspirational battle with a long illness. The 6-year-old Sunderland fan was diagnosed with neuroblastoma – a rare type of cancer – when he was 18 months old. His determination to beat the illness saw him become Sunderland’s mascot and was also best buds with his hero Jermain Defoe. He also led England out at Wembley for a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania. His death was confirmed on  social media by his parents . The posting read: “My brave boy has went with the angels today. “He was our little superhero and put the biggest fight up but he was needed else where. There are no words to describe how heart broken we are.” Getty Images PA Getty Images Photo: Owen Humphreys

After laying an egg, the female cuckoo distracts the owner of the nest, essentially by frightening the poor bird out of its wits, wrote a duo of Cambridge University researchers in the journal ‘Nature Ecology and Evolution’ Paris:  The common cuckoo, notorious for evading parental duty by hiding her eggs in the nests of other brooding birds, is even more devious than previously thought, scientists revealed on Monday. After laying an egg, the female distracts the owner of the nest—a reed warbler, in this case—essentially by frightening the poor bird out of its wits, they said. The cuckoo gives a “chuckle” that mimics the call of the sparrowhawk—which loves to snack on warbler flesh—before abandoning her egg among the warbler’s clutch and flying off to freedom. “This hawk-like chuckle call increases the success of parasitism by diverting host parents’ attention away from the clutch and towards their own safety,” a duo of Cambridge University researchers wrote in the journa...

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, admitted yesterday that it never anticipated the daunting challenges thrusted upon the telecom sector this year, particularly the indebtedness of Etisalat Nigeria to a consortium of banks to the tune of 1.2 billion dollars. The Commission ,however, said the problem was being managed by concerned regulatory bodies in such a way that Etisalat’s 21 million customers would continue to enjoy its services, while not a single worker would be fired in the company as a result of the crisis. The NCC’s  Executive Commissioner in Charge of Stakeholders Management, Mr Sunday Dare, made the remarks at the opeing ceremony of the 80 edition of Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre, Abuja. He noted that while the forum was to find answers to various issues agitating the minds of the consumer, the regulatory body has been consistent in its resolve to protect the rights of the consumer in line with interna...

THE investigative hearing on media reports of alleged youths’ attack on Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, in his constituency, was yesterday stalled by absence ofrepresentatives of Newspapers. The two newspapers were expected to appear at the probe being conducted on the incident by the Senate Joint Committee on Ethics and Privileges and Media and Public Affairs. The Senate Leader had on a Point-of-Order on May 23, drawn attention to a report by  ThisDay  Newspaper entitled: “Senate Majority Leader prevented by angry youths from entering his constituency”. He had also cited a similar headline by  Punch  Online of the same day entitled: “Youths accuse Senate Leader of neglect, bar him from working”. Chairman of the Committee on Ethics and Privileges Senator Sam Anyanwu, who decried the alleged report by the two media organisations, said “this has to stop”. “This has to do with somebody’s integrity; the man has built his political career for 18 years. If we find e...

Overwhelmed by negative reactions to some observations on the floor of the Senate, the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki on Thursday night held a secret meeting with the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. Investigation conducted by our correspondent revealed that the Senate President’s meeting with the Acting President was based on “some developments that occurred in the Senate during the week, including the suspension of consideration of further nominations by the Executive in protest against the retention of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, and the consequent threats of impeachment by some Senators. A source said: “The Senate President met with the Acting President. He actually came alone and without the paraphernalia of his office to underscore his commitment to rapprochement between the Executive and the National Assembly. “Saraki took time to explain a few things to the Acting President, but the ta...

Introduction: Cash flow management is very critical for all SMEs in this period of recession. The companies that have been able to survive in this trying time are the ones that have been able to manage their cash very well. Cash is the lifeblood of a business and also critical to the growth of any business. Businesses are highly dependent on their cash flow and must either cut cost or look for alternative funding when they are not being paid on time. When cash is not readily availableand bank loan is hard to get, a company can be pushed to the brink. Cash flow impacts on a company’s liquidity. Liquidity means cash-in-hand and convertibility of assets into cash. A company is said to be liquid if it’s able to pay up its obligations in the near future. Access to cash gives company the confidence to take expenditure decisions whenever it wishes to with less concern on how to source for funds. Healthy cash flow and cash availability put companies in a strong position to make some d...

NOLLYWOOD actress, Oge Okoye, has defended herself, saying she is all natural, without any artificial addition to her body enhancement. The actress had earlier posted a photograph on Instagram, but it appears her fans would have none of what was on display. Some of the comments suggest that the actress padded her buttocks but she was quick to counter them. “I am natural! I did not wear buttocks pad. How gullible can peeps be? Or will I say funny, differentiate the skin from the butt pad. It’s just a see-thru legging,” Okoye posted. The actress who used to be one of the frequent faces in the movie industry is back on the movie set shooting for both home movies and soaps. Oge Okoye was born in London. She later moved to live in Lagos with her family. She graduated from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka with a degree in Theatre Arts.