XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS SPREAD IN SOUTH AFRICAN PORT CITY

 The attacks on immigrant-owned shops and homes in Durban’s impoverished townships come three months after a similar spate of attacks on foreign-owned shops in Soweto, near Johannesburg. Xenophobic attacks continued in the South African port city of Durban Tuesday as the Ethiopian community prepared to repatriate the bodies of three of its nationals killed over the last two weeks.
Last month, Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, traditional leader of the biggest ethnic group in KwaZulu-Natal province, reportedly said they needed to “pack their bags and leave”. It was a call supported by Edward Zuma, who told local news agency News24 that South Africa was “sitting on a ticking time bomb of them (foreigners) taking over the country”.
Ephraim Meskele, a leader of the Ethiopian community in Durban, said it was holding a prayer service Tuesday for the three victims, including a man killed when his shop was petrol-bombed on Friday. About 50 people have been arrested over the violence, in which at least four people have been killed. The police have not confirmed the nationalities of the victims.

FRSC Takes Road safety Campaign to Hotels In Anambra



BY ABUCHI IFESINACHI, AWKA

As part of the drive towards reduction of carnage as wellas inculcate the culture of safe-driving on the high ways , the Federal Road Safety Commission has taken a step further to introduce road safety tips in hotels in Anambra State .

Sector commander of the commission in the state Mr. Sunday Ajayi disclosed this to Fides at the command headquarters Awka during an exclusive chat .

Mr.Ajayi said that it became necessary to take roadsafety tips to the hospitality industry because holiday seekers and travellers alike find temporary abode in hotels . He further explained that most of the people who patronized hotels were motorists and roadusers and as such it became pertinent that roadsafety messages were pasted in the rooms at vantage point where guests can relax and read them with avid attentiveness.

The sector commander also disclosed that Anambra State is the first state in Nigeria where such innovation was introduced adding that the import of the innovation was as a result of human factor . He said human beings ply the highways and that it was incumbent on the commission to get them acquainted with roadsafety tips using hotel rooms as a means of spreading roadsafety messages to the motoring public .

No Need To Impeach Obiano -Ubah



BY ABUCHI IFESINACHI, AWKA

Chief Executive Officer of Capital Oil and forerunner of Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria ( TAN ) Chief Ifeanyi Ubah has categorically stated that there was absolutely no need to impeach Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State .

This categorical statement made by the oil magnet came on the heels of allegations in some quarters that the Peoples Democratic Party was doing everything humanly possible to secure majority seats in the State House of Assembly to provide a leaway for the PDP majority to unseat Governor Obiano .

Chief Ubah who had a chat with Fides at his country home, Nnewi, said there was no such clandestine move to truncate the affairs of the present administration in the state and that the party had little or no interest in the state assembly elections .

My Supporters Kept Vigil to Guard Their Votes- Madubueze





BY ABUCHI IFESINACHI, AWKA

The winner of  March 28 Anambra east, west federal constituencies national assembly election, Chief Peter Obiano Madubueze (Okaka Anam) said the reason he was not rigged out was because of the vigilance of his supporters who kept vigil to guard their votes and insisted that the votes must count.

The lawyer who stated this in an exclusive interview with Fides in Awka noted that he was highly elated and full of praise for his teeming supporters noting that he owed his victory to Gov. Willie Obiano.

'I owe my victory to Governor Obiano. God made it possible through him. The card reader failed completely and perhaps that helped the PDP to rig everywhere except my constituency, Anambra East and West Federal Constituency. They could not also rig Oyi/Ayamelum federal constituency election. And we do hope that those APGA candidates rigged out will still get their mandates,' Mr Madubueze assured.

 Commenting on the card reader which many described as a colossal failure, the lawyer said that Nigeria had made China a country that virtually exports everything to it irrespective of the standard or quality of the product. He said that Chinese manufacturers would produce commodities according to the quality their customers demanded. He argued that if high quality card readers had been imported that it would not have been a monumental failure, a situation some other observers see as a rigging process. Ndubueze said the card readers were being used successfully in so many other countries of the world “Why not Nigeria.”

Group Hails Anambra NASS Election

BY ABUCHI IFESINACHI, AWKA
 Much may not have been heard of the March 28 National Assembly election in Anambra State as Igbo socio-political group, Ndigbo Unity Forum has described the election as free, fair and credible even as lawyers have notified the Senator elect of their readiness to give her free legal services.

 

The President of Ndigbo Unity Forum, Chief Augustine Chukwudum described the election that produced Mrs. Uche Ekwunife as Senator elect for Anambra central senatorial zone as the freest of all elections ever conducted since Nigeria’s return to democracy.

 

He said 'We are not surprised that the election was free, fair and credible especially as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC did well in the conduct of Presidential election which saw Nigeria’s first incumbent President to lose an election, we expected same here in Anambra and it came to pass”

There are too many fake lawyers in Nigeria, CJN

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, ‎CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, Wednesday, said he was worried about the rising number of “fake” lawyers in the country.

‎The CJN who stated this during the official launch of “Stamp for Lawyers”, ‎which was produced by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, bemoaned that the prevalence of fake lawyers negatively affects the integrity of the legal profession and casts a shadow of disrepute on the judiciary as an arm of government in the country.

Justice Mahmud Mohammed

He insisted that one of the major challenges facing Judges today, “is how to differentiate between a “real” and “fake” legal practitioner”.

BUHARI TO END FUEL SUBSIDY, RATIONALISE MDAS

President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said he would end fuel subsidies and the oil and gas sector would be reformed as a matter of priority in order to attract new investments.
Unveiling his economic policies at a Lagos Business School breakfast meeting, he added that he would run a very lean government, which would involve rationalising overlapping and redundant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in line with the Steve Oronsaye presidential committee report.

More 1 of 691 LETTER TO PRIESTS OF AHIARA CATHOLIC DIOCESE

By Ifeanyi Afuba
As the Easter tide ushers us unto a new plane of life, I deem it auspicious to write you at this time on the stalled inauguration of Most Rev Peter Okpaleke as the Bishop of Ahiara Catholic Diocese.  I am directing my contribution on this subject to you rather than the laity of the diocese because I consider the body of priests the principal opponents of the Bishop’s appointment. While some sections of the laity leadership have at one point or the other also expressed strong reservations on the appointment, the fact remains that by virtue of their ministerial office and public esteem, the overwhelming majority of Catholics defer to priests.  Though a misnomer, the local expression, uka fada, stemmed from the perceived considerable power and responsibility of the priesthood. Bearing this in mind, it would be unhelpful to the resolution of the Ahiara bishopric question to continue to give the impression that the ‘activist’ priests involved in the matter are only giving vent to the resolution of the laity. You, our beloved priests, are central to restoration of the Church’s truncated mission in Ahiara Diocese. 

KAYMU MD EVANGELINE WILES TO SPEAK AT MOBILE WEST AFRICA

As part of activities to mark the 5^th edition of the most progressive and interactive mobile focused event in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mobile West Africa Conference, the MD of Kaymu Nigeria, Evangeline Wiles will join other panellist to discuss the future of the mobile industry in Africa on the 22^nd of April,2015.

I’M NOT SEEKING ASYLUM ANYWHERE, SAYS DIEZANI

Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, said Tuesday night, she was not seeking asylum in any part of the world, as claimed by her traducers.
Madueke, who spoke through the Group Public Affairs General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, denied ever contemplating relocating from Nigeria.
An online publication reported Tuesday that the minister had been denied asylum by six countries where she had so far applied but did not mention the countries involved.
Earlier this evening Sahara Reporters published a blockbuster report they got from Business Council for Africa (BCA) claiming that Petroleum Minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been denied asylum by six countries where she had so far applied. The report claims she's looking for a country to run to before Gen. Buhari takes over as president because she's scared she might be probed or jailed.
SEE SAHARA REPORTERS REPORT BELOW:
No fewer than six countries have already refused to grant an asylum request by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Business Council for Africa (BCA) said in its just-released monthly report, noting that about US$ 1 trillion is the latest estimated figure of the looting of the Nigerian treasury between 1960 and 2005 alone.
The report, dated March 2015, focused extensively on Nigeria’s general elections. It said the notorious Minister, whose impunity is known to have been closely-protected by President Goodluck Jonathan, will be coming under the microscope for the first time in her Ministerial career.
“Given her reputation, it comes as no surprise to learn that 6 countries have already refused to grant her asylum to live in their countries as she now wishes to leave Nigeria at the earliest possible opportunity,” it said.
BCA recalled President-elect Muhammadu Buhari lamenting that the rest of the world looks at Nigeria as the home of corruption, one where stealing is not corruption but a way of life, and that his administration will pursue all public offices and individuals who are believed to be guilty of corruption.
It observed that despite an earlier promise, it is now understood that Buhari’s anti-corruption fishing net will include Ministers currently serving under President Goodluck Jonathan. Alison-Madueke’s departure from Nigeria is likely to be followed by several other PDP elders, party members and supporters as well as some former Government officials, as Buhari's anti-corruption drive will be far-reaching.
“It will be very interesting to learn in the coming months exactly how far back in Nigeria's history his administration will go in the pursuance of those who have robbed Nigeria of US$ 1 trillion, which is the latest estimated figure of theft from the Nigerian treasury between the period 1960-2005. Given that President Jonathan's administration is considered the most corrupt of any of its predecessors, that figure is going to be considerably magnified, but whether the new President will wish to pursue former Heads of State is a matter of interest and considerable debate to Nigerian observers. It is this subject that is primarily responsible for Buhari's success in winning the election as well as his campaign promises to eradicate Boko Haram, revive the economy and rebuild Nigeria to make its position as the number one country in Africa.
While BCA agreed that the March/April 2015 were “the most credible elections in Nigeria's history”, it said they could not be called the most incorruptible.
On the contrary, it referred to them as the worst because of the amount of money that the PDP so freely and openly spent on trying to secure the re-election of Mr. Jonathan.
“The stories and reports from throughout the 36 States of the amount of money distributed by the PDP to elders, rulers, church leaders, unions and youth leaders amongst others in an endeavour to favour the voters towards the PDP has backfired badly,” the report said.
BCA said that if the 2011 elections were considered bad, the 2015 elections will undoubtedly go down as the most corrupt in Nigeria's history, certainly since 1999, as the amount of money being distributed as bribes primarily by the PDP so very openly would readily confirm.
It reported that since November when campaigning began, President Jonathan and General Buhari during their travels made no fewer than 109 promises of what they intend to achieve if given the mandate in the presidential election.