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...

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 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...

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

The global status of Aruna Quadri continues to attract interest from world class tournament as the 2014 ITTF Star Player has been listed among the 24 foreign players listed for the maiden Ultimate Table Tennis League holding in Chennai, India. However, despite the second round exit of Quadri at the just concluded ITTF World Championships, the Nigerian has risen to 35 from 37 in the latest ITTF ranking released for June 2017. Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting and Germany’s Han Ying will head the list of foreign players who will compete in Ultimate Table Tennis starting on Thursday 13th July. In the list of foreign players released by the organizers – 11Even Sports, Aruna Quadri will be joined in the tournament by Wong Chun Ting (Hong Kong), Marcos Freitas (Portugal), Tiago Apolonia (Portugal), Stefan Fegerl (Austria), Kou Lei (Ukraine), Panagiotis Gionis (Greece), Andrej Gacina (Croatia), Pär Gerell (Sweden), Li Ping (Qatar), Joäo Monteiro (Portugal) and Liam Pitchford (England) in th...

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...

YOUTHS from Lokoja, Kogi West, have expressed solidarity with the court ruling, which gave the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) the go ahead with the recall process of Senator Dino Melaye. The placard-carrying youths, who stormed the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat, Lokoja yesterday, said they were satisfied with the court ruling, describing it as a victory for democracy. Their spokesperson, Ilugunka David, said they were out to express solidarity with the efforts to recall the lawmaker, who they described as a poor representative of the people of Kogi West. The recall, he said, would serve as a wake-up call to the political class that power belong to the people.

Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Friday declared as unlawful the strike embarked on by the Kaduna State University (KASU) branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). According to a statement by the Governor’s Spokesman, Mr Samuel Aruwan, the KASU branch of ASUU confirmed that the branch had joined the nation-wide strike as full members of the national union. He said that there was no trade dispute between the state government and ASUU. “This is unacceptable to the state government. It is an anomaly that employees can be on strike without declaring a dispute with their employer. “It bears restating that Nigeria is a federation of states and no trade union can alter this federal reality by imposing on an employer – a state government – the terms that federal employees have agreed with the Federal Government. “The Kaduna State Government is neither affected nor bound by any dispute, disagreement or agreement ...

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...