FCT

The independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

            had debunked allegation that some electoral materials meant for the February 6, governorship election in Anambra State was hijacked, by mischief makers.

But INEC on Saturday said a truck belonging to INEC which was conveying collapsible polling cubicles from its headquarters to Port Harcourt zonal store collided with a payloader at Okija in Anambra Stte.

The INEC position followed report that some INEC electoral materials were sized in a bid to rig February 6 election in Anambra State.

According to a statement signed by the INEC Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Umengar “the truck, like others deployed across the country, was on routine delivery of non-sensitive electoral materials to its Port Harcourt Store.”

Bauchi

Armed Mobile Policemen at the weekend stormed the

            resident of Air Commondore Ishaku Komo (retd) and surrounded his house in Tafawa Balewa at about 3.am with the aim for undisclosed reasons.

This coming few weeks after Komo was installed as the first Gung Zaar Of the Sayawa Community in Bauchi State.

Sayawa community has for long been agitating for a chiefdom of its own and it was last year that the National Assembly passed a law granting the request, which sources say doest not go down well with the state government.

The Tide gathered that the new traditional ruler of the Sayawa People of Bauchi State has relocated to Kaduna in order to avoid arrest by the Bauchi State police command shortly after his first public appearance in Tafawa Belewa, the headquarters of the Zaar Chiefdom.

Gombe

Nigerians have been cautioned to moderate their reactions

            to the state of health of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, even as they have been urged to continue to pray for his speedy recovery.

The leader of the Yoruba Youths Alliance (YYA), Mr. Jackson Lekan-Ojo, also observed that calling for the president’s resignation was a wrong approach to the situation as it Portrayed those behind the call as callous and in human.

Lekan-Ojo, who was recently honoured with an Award of Excellence by the students’ Union Government of the University of Port Harcourt, noted that as human beings, no one prays to be sick and that Nigerians owed the President Prayers at all times, whether healthy or sick.

Jigawa

Attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National

            headquarters has been drawn to alleged plot to impeach the deputy governor of Jigawa State, Ahmad Muhamma Gumel, if Governor Sule Lamido decides to run for vice president.

PDP stalwart and secretary of Yar’Adua friendship forum, Ishaq Hadejia, told The Tide that members of a group (name yet unknown) would not like to see Gumel become governor in the event of President Umaru Yar’Adua’s incapacitation, when lamido is appointed Vice President.

According to him, the group has been holding series of meetings to actualiSe their plan, a development which he said could throw Jigawa into Chaos.

“While the president is recovering and he has even spoken in the media, this group is spearheading a move to impeach the deputy governor in Jigawa”, he said.

Jos

As the people of Taroh land in Plateau are set to elect

            another paramount ruler, following the death, last year, of the late Edward Zhattau, a social cultural group in the land “Gazum Cultural, Economic and social Development Organisation (GACESDO) has alleged a Plot to scheme Gazum People of the area out of the contest for the throne.

Addressing the press in Jos over the development, the national president of the organisation, Mr. Clement Chairman said the GACESDO was surprised that the selection process of Ponchi Taroh which was supposed to go on without rancour had been made unnecessarily difficult, thereby fanning the embers of hatred, distrust and bad faith among the people.

The National President Said the organisation had uncovered the plot to expunge a Gazum man as the legitimate heir to the throne, adding that the people behind the clandestine act had gone to the extent of making a fake draft gazette for Gazum chiefdom.

Kaduna

Former Head of State, General Muhammandu Buhari (rtd)

            has said that lack performance on the part of those at the helm of affairs in the country and the refusal of Nigerias to take their destiny in their own hands had put the future of the country in a precarious situation.

According to the presidential candidate of All Nigerian People Party (ANPP) in the last general elections, ordinarily there is nothing wrong with the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act and other laws of the land, saying that the only problem we have in the country is the lack of action on the part of those saddled with the responsibility of steering the country out of the present musky waters.

Lagos

The Minister of Petroleum, Dr. Rilwan Lukeman says

            that no date has been set for the implementation of deregulation of the down stream sector.

He recounted a number of factors that have mitigated against the immediate take-off of the implementation like the condition of the nation’s four Refinaries.

Speaking at a function in Lagos State on the state of the industry, Dr. Rilwan said a lots of measures are been taken to repair the damaged oil pipe lines which will aid the resumption of local refinery capacities.

The minister further said the proposed petroleum industry bill help curb the challenges of supply and short falls of petroleum products in the country.

Borno

Campaigns for wide acceptance of the child Right Act

            may not yield positive fruits in some Northern States unless certain aspects of the new Act are fine-tuned to get with the Sharia Code and Northern Culture, Borno State government and a federal ministry say.

This hint was dropped when the minister of women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Salamatu Suleiman, paid a two day advocacy visit to Borno at the weekend.

The new Shehu of Borno Abubakar Kyari Ibri Garbai el-kanem, also shared this view by giving conditions under which the Act could be implemented in the state.

He said the conditions include the protection of Sharia law and traditions of the people of Borno, when the Act comes up for debate at the House of Assembly.

Niger

Former Federal Permanent Secretary, Chief Philip Asiodu,

            on Saturday in Minna, Niger State, blamed the non-performance of the civil service in the country on the 1975 purge and the reforms of 1988.

Asiodu, chairman of council of Retired Permanent Secretaries, declared awareness of the great “erosion of standards and values of authority and powers which have afflicted the civil service, the devastating purge of 1975 and reforms of 1988.

The former permanent Secretary made the remarks at the public lecture organised by the Gamji Members Association in honour of the late Makama Nupe, Alhaji Shehu Musa.

Oyo

Oyo State police command has arrested three boys

            including an under graduate student of the university of Maiduguri for alleged armed robbery, juust as a 52-year old was arrested for impersonation.

The suspects, Muhammed Shuaib (21), Nazim Emmanuel (20), a 100 level student of the university of Maiduguri in the Department of Public Administration and Abba Michael (21), were said to have on January 15 attacked residents of Tinuoye Estate, Ojoo area of the state capital.

Also arrested was a 52-year old Adebare Balogun for allegedly impersonating the Commissioner of Police.

Speaking while parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters, Eleyele, on Friday, the state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Baba Adisa Bolanta, said the command received a distress call that some daredevil robbers were operating at Tinuoye Street, Ojoo area of the state capital.

Ogun

The Chairman of Ijebu-East Local Government Council,. Ogun State, Hon. Tunde Oladunjoye, has raised alarm over plans to unleash fresh mayhem in the council area .

The council boss said he wanted to inform the whole world on the plan by some politicians in the state to spill more blood in Ijebu-East local government.

Oladunjoy  stated that, “before another blood is spilled in Ijebu East Local Government Area, I must inform the whole world that some unscrupulous men are mobilising hugs for the PDP extended executive meeting in Ogbere, Ijebu.

“Their plan is to create confusion during which someone will be killed and then blame it on my supporters, so that OGD will give me the treatment he meted out to Tele Ogunjobi of Ijebu North, whom he removed as chairman on 31 December, 2008.