Abuja Tragedy: Police Investigate Suicide By Father Of Seven

 

The FCT Police command yesterday said it was investigating an alleged suicide by one Mr. Federick Onigbo of Gwarimpa Estate in the Federal Capital Territory who reportedly took his own life in New Year’s eve tragedy.

The father of seven children was said to have committed suicide as a result of some unknown family and economic issues.

In her reaction, FCT Police spokesperson, DSP Altine said the Police had commenced investigations into the alleged suicide, adding that until such is completed, the allegation of suicide cannot be substantiated.

According to her, information available to the Police revealed that some residents noticed fire outbreak in a house at Gwarimpa and promptly reported to the fire service which rushed down to put off the fire.

Thereafter, one of the occupants of the house was rushed to General Hospital, Kubwa where he eventually died.

According to sources, when some persons, including wife of the deceased, Uchechukwu reported a case of a missing person at the police station, investigation showed that the fire outbreak involved Onigbo.

Refineries Privatization: Strike Action Still On Course, Says NUPENG

PHOTO CREDIT: CHANNELS TV

The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) says it has not shelved its proposed plans to go on strike over the planned sale of the country’s refineries.

A statement from the President of NUPENG, Igwe Achese, on Wednesday in Lagos, said the union’s position was still that the decision to privatise the four refineries was hastily taken.

It said it would therefore still be resisted by NUPENG.

“The attention of the union was drawn to some stories that NUPENG has suspended the strike. The union states that the report is erroneous and full of distortions of facts”, the statement said.

It added that NUPENG members in NNPC and its subsidiaries had however embarked on daily prayer sessions, calling for God’s intervention.

The statement quoted Achese as calling “NUPENG members to intensify on the prayer sessions, which is a prelude to the nationwide strike coming up this week”.

It added that the meeting scheduled by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, would be futile if the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was not involved.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that NUPENG and PENGASSAN in December 2013 had threatened to embark on strike in January.

The two unions had said this would be if the Federal Government failed to reverse its decision to privatise the country’s four refineries. (NAN)

2014: Clerics Urge Nigerians To Embrace Peace, Unity

Alhaji Haroon Daya-Biu, a Muslim cleric in Epe Local Government of Lagos State, has urged Muslims and Christians to embrace the peace and live in unity in 2014.Daya-Biu, who is the Head of “Ratibi Imam” in Epe, gave the advice on Tuesday night at a special prayer, tagged “Tahajjud Night”, to mark the end of 2013.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that “Ratibi” means smaller mosques within the community that are not central mosques.

In his message, Daya-Biu appealed to both Christians and Muslims to live in unity and embrace the peace to enhance progress in the country.

The cleric urged adherents of both religions to show love to one another.

“Muslims love peace, Islam does not preach violence and we are peaceful people.

“That is why we are going to use this prayer to pray for the peaceful coexistence of Muslims and our Christian brothers and sisters.

“We all must pray for peace and development in Nigeria.

“God, who brought us together, does not make mistakes.

“He does His things with care and He did not bring us together to fight and kill one another,”he said.

Daya-Biu called on Muslims and Christians to collectively observe one day fasting and prayer for the peace and unity of the country.

He urged Muslims to use the season to pray to Allah for forgiveness of sins and to stay away from vices that were against the teachings of Prophet Mohammed.

The cleric wished Nigerians prosperous New Year and prayed that God would continue to bless President Goodluck Jonathan and the political and religious leaders.

Similarly, in a New Year sermon, Pastor Sola Ojedokun of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Tabernacle Parish, Bariga, called for love and peace among the people.

Ojedokun prayed that 2014 would be a better year for the people of Lagos State and Nigeria in general.

“As we reflect on the true meaning of the New Year and God’s abiding love to mankind, may the joy of the season and God’s loving kindness be with us in 2014 and beyond.

“As followers of Christ, let us, therefore, show love; be kind to one another and work for peaceful and harmonious co-existence in our communities,” Ojedokun said.

Three Killed, 16 Injured As Suspected Fulani Gunmen Attack Plateau Church

The peaceful atmosphere that characterized the Christmas celebration in Plateau State was shattered on Tuesday when two persons were reportedly killed while 16 others sustained various degrees of injury when a group of gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen stormed a church at Maiakworigold area of Maikatako village in Bokkos Local government Council of the state.

One other person was said to have been killed in Manguna area of Bokkos local government of the state in the wee hours of           Wednesday.

It was learnt that during the crossover night service at the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Maiakworigold, some gunmen invaded the church and started shooting sporadically killing two people on the spot and injuring 16 others in the ensuing scramble for survival.

The third victim in Manguna area was said to have been killed by the gunmen as they escaped.

According to an eye witness, Augustine Bim, the night service to usher in the New Year was going on when the gunmen stormed the church and began to shoot at worshippers leading to the death of two persons and injuring 16 other that are now receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

Speaker of the State House of Assembly and member representing Bokkos constituency, Mr. Titus Alams, who confirmed the incident, described it as regrettable.

He added that while five of the victims were currently on admission at the Plateau State Specialist Hospital and are in stable condition, 11 others were receiving treatment at Barkin Ladi General Hospital.

While commending the security operatives for their prompt response, Alams also urged them to do everything possible to fish out the perpetrators of this act.

“This latest incident is regrettable because we have been doing a lot to sustain the current peace we are enjoying in the state. We are appealing to security agents to do everything in their power to fish out those responsible for this heinous crime against humanity”, he said.

Alams appealed to youths of the area to remain calm and not to take law into their own hands. He also urged them to report any suspicious movement to law enforcement agents in their area.

While stressing the importance of protecting themselves against further attacks, the Speaker urged the people to avoid making themselves open to attack by gathering in large numbers at any point at night.

Dangote First On List Of Africa’s Top Gainers In 2013

 

No one made bigger bucks in Africa in 2013 than the continent’s richest man, Aliko Dangote. The Nigerian cement, sugar and flour mogul saw his fortune soar $10.1 billion, or 79% through Wednesday, the 31st of December 2013. The biggest catalyst was his Dangote Cement shares which has experienced a 74% run-up over the last 12 months. He is now worth $22.9 billion according to FORBES’s most recent statistics, up from $12.8 billion at the end of December 2012.

2013 was a roller coaster year for Dangote. In April, the 57-year-old tycoon announced that his Dangote Group, West Africa’s largest company, would construct a private oil refinery in Nigeria. When completed, it will have a refining capacity of 400,000 barrels per day and will reduce Nigeria’s dependence on oil imports.

Dangote’s name attracts big money, and several local and international financiers quickly lined up to back him on the project. He subsequently raised $4.5 billion. He is also aggressively expanding his publicly traded Dangote Cement across the continent, announcing plans September and October to build new plants in Kenya and Niger at a cost of $750 million.

The second biggest gainer in dollar terms in 2013 was Angolan investor Isabel Dos Santos, the eldest daughter of Angola’s president.

FORBES’ estimated of her net worth grew by $2.8 billion during 2013 to $3.7 billion, but not because her wealth grew dramatically over that period. FORBES was able to uncover and verify more assets owned by Dos Santos, 41,  between December 2012 and August 2013; and wrote about those assets on forbes.com. She is now Africa’s richest woman.

Nigeria’s richest woman, Folorunsho Alakija, controls Famfa Oil Limited, an oil exploration company that owns a lucrative stake in the Agbami deepwater oilfield. FORBES puts her net worth at  $2.5 billion, up from $600 million in December 2012, after she first appeared on the FORBES list of Africa’s richest people. Her increased net worth is a result of new information made available to Forbes on the true value of her company’s interest in Agbami, information that has been verified by analysts in the industry.

Africa’s wealthiest media mogul, Koos Bekker, CEO of South Africa-based media giant Naspers, saw his fortune nearly in the past year –from $450 million to $1.2 billion — as a result of a huge run-up in the stock and additional stock purchases by Bekker.  Naspers’ shares rose more than 100% in 2013.

In the case of Abdulsamad Rabiu, Africa’s newest billionaire, we estimate he is $550 million richer than Forbes’ estimate in December 2012, primarily because Forbes Africa was given exclusive access to new information regarding his holdings.

The full list of the biggest dollar gainers in Africa, measured from December 31, 2012 through December 30, 2013, is below.

1. Aliko Dangote
Net Worth: $22.9 billion
Up: $10.1 billion (79%)

2. Isabel dos Santos
Net Worth: $3.7 billion
Up: $2.8 billion (311%)

3. Christo Wiese
Net Worth: $6.5 billion
Up: $2.4 billion (58.5%)

4. Folorunsho Alakija
Net Worth: $2.5 billion
Up: $1.9 billion (317%)

5. Johann Rupert
Net Worth: $7.8 billion
Up: $1.4 billion (22%)

6. Nassef Sawiris
Net Worth: $6.6 billion
Up: $1 billion (18%)

7. Mohammed Mansour
Net Worth: $3.1 billion
Up: $900 million (41%)

8. Koos Bekker
Net Worth: $1.2 billion
Up: $750 million  (167%)

9. Abdulsamad Rabiu
Net Worth: $1.2 billion
Up: $550 million (85%)

10. Yasseen Mansour
Net Worth: $2.4 billion
Up: $400 million (20%)

11. Yasseen Mansour
Net Worth: $2.4 billion
Up: $400 million (20%)

12. Stephen Saad
Net Worth: $1.45 billion
Up: $350 million (31.8%)

13. Youssef Mansour
Net Worth: $2.3 billion
Up: $350 million (18%)

14. Nicky Oppenheimer
Net Worth: $6.6 billion
Up: $100 million (1.5%)

15. Mike Adenuga
Net Worth: $4.7 billion
Up: $100 million (2.2%)
[Forbes]

Jonathan Promises Stable Power By June

 

President Goodluck Jonathan, says power will be reasonably stable across the country before the middle of 2014.

Speaking to a congregation of Christian Faithful in a New Year Service in Abuja on Wednesday, Jonathan promised that his administration would do its best to ensure a vibrant economy, create more jobs, uphold good governance and provide food for Nigerians.

The year 2014 is a special year in Nigeria’s history, as it marks modern Nigeria’s 100 years of existence.

“All Nigerians should endeavour to know the areas they will participate as we celebrate the nation’s centenary,” Jonathan said.

He pleaded with politicians to place priority on the interest of the country more than their individual interests.

“As we continue to play politics in that direction. Leaders will come and go but the country will stay,” he said.

The president said that the expected stable power supply before the middle of the year would stimulate the economy.

New owners had on November 1 2013, taken over the unbundled Power Holding Company of Nigeria, a process that has been described as the most transparent in West Africa.

Also speaking at the service, Senate President, David Mark, called on Nigerians to make concerted efforts to end the security challenges facing the nation.

“It is not the fact that we have security challenges that is the issue. It is what we are doing to bring this to an early and logical conclusion,” he said.

UNBELIEVABLE: Pastor, Family Members, Others Arrested For Printing Naira Notes (PHOTO)

A self-styled pastor was paraded along with 15 other suspects for allegedly printing and circulating fake naira notes.

Mr. Mike Fubara, the State Director of State Security Service (SSS) in Kogi, paraded the suspects, revealed that six of them are Pastor Godson Akubuiro’s children.

The suspects and the seized items. Top right is Pastor Akubuiro

49-year-old Pastor Akubuiro, who was born in Imo State, is the General Overseer of The Mountain of Breakthrough Deliverance Ministry, also known as Land of Solution, located at Plot 7, Koya Estate, Igbo Olomu, Agric, Ikorodu, Lagos from where he and other suspects were arrested.

The SSS boss said the investigation started four months ago due to “worrisome fake naira currency in circulation in Kogi State”.

The breakthrough in the operation happened when the SSS traced and arrested the 16-man syndicate led by Rev. Godson O. Akubuiro.

Items recovered from the suspects include equipment and materials used in printing fake currencies, a large quantity of printed fake notes, cut to size blank currency notes and N1.3 million fake naira notes.

There were also photocopier machines and different colours of oil paints.

Pastor Akubuiro, admitted the crime before reporters, said he was “an ordained man of God” until the devil overwhelmed him.

He further narrated that the criminal activity started in November 2012 in his house, along with his family members.

Pastor Akubuiro also added he was not using the money for himself, but in support of the less-privileged and the needy in his congregation.

He pleaded for leniency, saying men of God were often tempted like King David in the Bible, who though a man after God’s heart, fell many times yet was pardoned by God.

SSS urged the public to be wary of the fake naira notes in circulation and report suspects to security agents.