Photos: Powerful typhoon hits Taiwan. 6 dead, over a 100 seriously injured

At least six people have been confirmed dead, four missing and over sixty seriously injured when Typhoon Soudelor hit Taiwan early this morning Saturday August 8th. Taiwan Power, the island's main power company, said 2.94 million households are currently without power. Hundreds of flights have been delayed or cancelled, according to Taiwan authorities.

Thousands of people were evacuated as the storm approached and the island's military put tens of thousands of troops and thousands of vehicles on stand-by for rescue operations.

The storm made landfall early in the morning on the island's east-coast counties of Yilan and Hualien, bringing up to 1,000 mm (39 inches) of rain in mountainous northeastern areas and wind gusting up to 200 kph (124mph). Typhoon Soudelor is expected to cross the Taiwan Strait and hit the Chinese province of Fujian late today. Some photos below...

Photos Villa Obasanjo's private visit to president Buhari at the Villa

  

Former president Obasanjo paid a private visit to Pres. Buhari at the presidential villa on Wednesday August 5th. Details of their meeting is unknown. More photos after the cut ...

 

I will never ban Okada in Ekiti state' - Ayo Fayose

Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose met with artisans and Okada riders in his state yesterday where he promised them that he would never ban Okada in the state. According to him, until other means of livelihood is provide, no one should cut the existing one.

Bobbi Kristina's family accuse Nick Gordon of drugging and putting her 'face down' in the bathtub

Late Bobbi Kristina's family is now accusing Nick Gordon of murder. An amendment to the $40m lawsuit filed against him by Bobbi Kristina's family gives a chilling timeline of what they claim happened in the hours before she was found unresponsive in her bathtub on January 31st… 

Alleged N17m bribe: ICPC invites Onyeka Onwenu, Internal Auditor

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has invited the Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Ms Onyeka Onwenu, and an internal auditor for interrogation on the alleged N17million bribe-for-contract at the centre.

Prior to the appearance of the songstress today, three key officials of the NCWD were yesterday grilled by the anti-graft agency.

They are Mukhtar Usman, Jauro Jibrin and Sadeeq Umar.

But a Deputy Director in NWCD, who doubles as Personal Assistant to Onwenu, Chika Abazu, has been remanded in prison following the alleged N17million bribery.

The man who would clear NNPC’s mess

Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu

The hammer finally came down on the former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Joseph Thlama Dawha early in the week. In his place, President Muhammadu Buhari announced the appointment of the former Executive Vice Chairman/General Counsel of ExxonMobil (Africa), Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu as the new boss of the corporation.

The termination of Dawha’s appointment no doubt marked the end of an era in the all important organisation in whose hands the financial fate of the nation literally lies, but which, unfortunately, has been bedeviled by mega corruption. Only on Tuesday, an international governance watchdog, the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) released a report in which it accused the NNPC of failing to remit $12.3 billion (about N2.46 trillion) into the Federation Account, being proceeds of sales of one of Nigeria’s crude oil grade over the last 10 years.

In the report titled ‘Inside NNPC Oil Sales: A Case for Reform in Nigeria,’ the NRGI said its research found no evidence that NNPC forwarded to the treasury any revenues from sales of Okono crude between 2005 and 2014, totaling more than 100 million barrels with an estimated value of $12.3 billion.

“In other words, the corporation has provided no public accounting of how it used a decade’s worth of revenues from an entire stream of the country’s oil production,” the report stated

Ooni: The storm that rocked the palace

OBA OKUNADE SIJUWADE, OONI OF IFE

Daring media reports of Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II’s demise unnerves Ife traditional royal authority
Why the chiefs won’t pronounce him dead just yet
Contenders to the throne campaign for support

A mortal plague assails the ‘State of the living spring’ – or Osun State, if you like. The golden diadem of her pride emits a cool flow of devouring fire. Osun, clotted with the blaze, seethes from the crown of her head. An unforgivable sacrilege has been committed: His Imperial Majesty Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, the 50th Ooni of Ife, has been declared dead. The royal palace is livid, the people are confused, Ife Kingdom crackles like embers beneath a simmering fire.

The scene prefigures the transition in Greek art from high classicism to Hellenistic style or radical shift from ancient didactic Yoruba folklore to the nuances and wild experimentation of contemporary theatre. Tradition tangled with modernity, is like Laocoon dying with his strangled sons or the ancient Yoruba god, Sango Olukoso, vanishing or transitioning if you like, in his rage at betrayal.

Insurgency: British security experts in Nigeria to train policemen

Some British security experts have arrived the country to provide expertise training for men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force across the country.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on the Special Weapon and Arms Training (SWAT) for the first batch of policemen at the Mobile Police Training College, Ila-Orangun, Osun State, the college’s commandant, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dankwara Mohammed, said the programme was timely, particularly with the Muhammadu Buhari administration renewed effort to put total end to the Boko Haram insurgency and other insecurity challenges facing the nation.

He said the force was collaborating with the foreign security experts under the aegis of IBT Associates Limited, a consultancy firm, which is  in  partnership with Field Security Services.

Mohammed further said the special training programme, which would hold in batches, was designed for  all the men and officers, cutting across the rank and file of the force.

He said the training would comprise a combined unit of counter-terrorism, the close protection unit and the anti-bomb, among others.

$2.1m cash: Ex-NHIS boss surrenders to EFCC

Dr. Olufemi Thomas

A former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Dr. Olufemi Thomas, yesterday surrendered to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for interrogation on the seized $2.1million cash.

The appearance of Thomas foreclosed plans by the EFCC to declare him wanted after a three-week search.

Thomas  denied ownership of the said cash and claimed yesterday that he was never on the run as reported by the media.

The EFCC has continued with its investigation of the matter, even as there were indications, last night that the EFCC might  invite a former Minister of Health for questioning on how NHIS paid N990million for a plot of land estimated at  N350million, while Thomas was in office.

FROM BUS CONDUCTORS TO POLITICAL LEADERS

LOOKING at a king’s mouth, one would think he never sucked at his mother’s breasts, says an African adage. That seems the case with some occupants of high public offices in the current political dispensation. From total obscurity, they rose to national prominence through determination and a dint of hard work.

From Lagos to Ogun, Ekiti and Benue states, stories abound of individuals who had worked as commercial bus drivers, conductors, motor park touts and other lowly vocations, but are now functioning as governors, commissioners and other high profile portfolios. Numbered among them are Benue State governor, Samuel Ioraer Ortom; Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose; the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa and frontline lawyer and commissioner in the recently dissolved cabinet of Governor Ibikunle Amosun in Ogun State, Barrister Segun Odubela.

Samuel Ioraer Ortom

Few individuals’ stories can be as inspiring as that of Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State. On Wednesday, 6th July, 2011, he had told the Senate the moving story of his life as he was being screened on the floor of the upper chamber over his nomination as a minister.

Governorship tribunal: Gombe APC accuses INEC of conniving with PDP

Gombe State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state of conniving with the ruling PDP to sabotage its efforts at the tribunal.

Challenging the re-election of  Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwabo  as governor in the last governorship election, the APC, through its lawyers  demanded that the ballot papers used for the election be recounted.  The request was however not granted as the tribunal set aside the petitioner’s prayers.

Two ISIS-bound Nigerians arrested in India

ATTARI: Nigerian nationals Sani Jamiliu (right) and Imran Kabeer (left) who were apprehended by BSF after they were spotted close to Indo-Pak border fence in Attari...yesterday.

Desperate youths jumped over high barbed wire fence, thinking they had entered Pakistan

PUNJAB, India  Two young Nigerians suspected to be on their way to joining the Islamic State (ISIS)  terror gang were yesterday  arrested at the volatile  India-Pakistan border  after  scaling a barbed wire fence near the  border .

Alert Border Security Force (BSF) troopers apprehended  Imran Kabeer and Sani Jamiliu both from Kano  and later handed them over to Punjab Police.

The  suspects  aged around 24-25  told BSF officials they wanted to go to Pakistan and later to Iraq.

They carried no valid travel documents to enter Pakistan.

Corporate Lagos endorses Ambode’s security, judicial reform plans

THE quest of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode to reform the security and judicial sectors received a massive boost on Thursday as individuals and corporate organisations made commitments in cash and kind towards ensuring a safer and more secured Lagos.

At a dinner put together by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) members of the corporate world and respected members of the society, lauded the strides of Governor Ambode in the last two months as well as his plans to upgrade the security network in the state, affirming their commitment to continue to support the government’s strides to make Lagos safer.