Celplus Media

Seven  men, three of whom are Nigerians, have been jailed in the United Kingdom for counterfeiting the British passport and allied identity documents to help immigration offenders live illegally in the country. The jailed Nigerians are Abdul Azeeza, Alfred Adekoya and Victor Ariyo. Abdul Azeeza,58, who claimed to be  an ex-professional footballer  was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by the Woolwich Crown Court which heard  that “it was at his address” that the factory producing the false documents was found. He was found with a false passport in his back pocket, a residency card in his wallet and “all the implements of making them on the kitchen table.” Alfred Adekoya of Kingslake Street, London was sentenced to 40 months and two weeks in custody after pleading guilty to conspiracy to manufacture a fake document. Adekoya, 47, had been seen frequenting Azeeza’s address and was found with three counterfeit British passports on his arrest. Victor Ariyo of Rye Hill

Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has urged electorates in the state to take the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration seriously to enable them vote in their choice candidates during elections. Ugwuanyi made the appeal in Enugu on Sunday during a solidarity visit by Awgu South Constituency Solidarity Movement led by Mr Kingsley Ogbonna. The governor said that massive participation of the electorate in the exercise as well as in the choice of their leaders was the only panacea for good governance. He said that residents of the state needed to be mobilised to fully participate in the CVR in order to make their voices heard at the appropriate time. Ugwuanyi commended members of the constituency for the support they had shown to his administration, adding that he was comfortable with the calibre of the representatives of the people from the area. He appealed to them to take the message to all corners of their constituency to ensure that they create awareness and made

The influx of thousands of Cameroonians from Southern Cameroon into the country is raising serious humanitarian concerns in Cross River State. No fewer than 36, 000 refugees are seeking asylum in the state, especially in the Northern Senatorial District, in the wake of the crisis rocking that part of the country. Food and health crisis is already threatening over 4, 000 refugees and their host communities in Boki Local Council of state, where residents fear that unless urgent steps are taken, Nigeria may witness a huge loss of lives in the affected areas. When The Guardian visited some of the communities recently, the women and children were looking haggard, malnourished and frustrated. Recounting their ordeals, they said they were not finding life easy since they became refugees in Bashu Okpambe/Bokim, Bashu Kaku, Abo Bonabe, Obisu, Danare and Okwangwo. One of the refugees from Kajivo Village in Southwest region of Cameroon, who is taking refuge alongside his family

Former  Minister of Finance, Dr. Kalu Idika Kal, believes that the international community has reasons to be shocked that Nigeria, which has been playing leadership roles in Africa and beyond, has been unable to manage her own conflicts. Among other issues, he particularly condemned the spate of violence and killings in various parts of the country. He spoke to   WILLY EYA. How do you feel about the state of affairs in the country today especially with regard to the spate of killings in several parts of Nigeria by herdsmen? For a society and economy of our size and history and for what Nigeria should represent not just in the ECOWAS region but in the African continent as well, and above all, what it should represent as the largest black nation on earth, it is very important that we show example and that we maintain a certain level of decency and decorum. This we should do in contrast to the very sordid image of unimaginable barbarism and bloodletting that we have witnessed in re

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has signed an agreement with Swedish football coach, Thomas Dennerby, to join the Super Falcons as Head Coach. Ademola Olajire, NFF’s Director of Communications, said in a statement that the contract also enables Dennerby to come into the job with an assistant, Jorgen Petersson. “The assistant is another highly-experienced Swedish coach nominated by Dennerby himself. “Dennerby, who spent nine years with Hammarby IF of Allsvesnkan and played in the European Cup in 1983 and 1985, won 34 caps for Swedish junior teams between 1975 and 1981,’’ he said. Olajire said further that Dennerby coached the Swedish Women’s Senior Team between 2005 and 2012, during which the team played at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. “His team also played at the 2007 and 2011 FIFA World Cup finals, winning bronze at the latter tournament. “He also served time as youth coach for Stockholm FA and worked in various capacities for former club Hammarby between 1

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Committee on restructuring has recommended state police, amendment to Land Use Act, merger of some states and states’ control of minerals. Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, unveiled some of the recommendations when he submitted the committee´s report to the APC National Working Committee (NWC) on Thursday in Abuja. El-Rufai, Chairman of the committee, said that the committee also proposed the amendment to Petroleum Act to allow states to control their mineral resources “except when it affects offshore oil”. The committee was constituted by the APC to collate the views of Nigerians on restructuring. ´´Local government autonomy is a very interesting subject in which we were surprised at the outcome; there were divergent opinions on this issue. ´´We recommend that the current system of local government administration provided for by the Constitution should be amended. ´´States should be allowed to develop and enact laws to

There has been an outpouring of grief following the sudden death on Thursday of Deji Tinubu, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Commerce and Industry. The 54 year-old soccer enthusiast, reportedly slumped around 7.30pm during a five-a-side novelty football match in Epe on Thursday, on the sideline of a retreat for Lagos cabinet members, permanent secretaries, directors of ministries. After the application of first aid by the Lagos State Emergency Service failed to revive him, he was rushed to the Epe General Hospital, where he was confirmed dead. Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy confirmed the death, expressing deep shock. “I spoke with him just one hour before the match and he was asking me how I was settling down to the new assignment as information commissioner. He never showed any sign of illness. He was even adjudged to be the fittest around during a compulsory routine medical check for everyone attending the

Ahead  of 2019 governorship election, former deputy speaker of House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, has said he is prepared to serve the people of Imo State. Ihedioha, who stated this yesterday in Ubomiri community in Mbaitoli council of Imo State when he inaugurated his support group for the 2019 election, said he is well equipped and prepared to serve the state, and that only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can repair the colossal damage visited on the state by the administration of Governor Rochas Okorocha. “I am humbled by this rare show of love and genuine support for me. With what I am seeing here today, I can boldly say Imo is, indeed, ready to usher in the change that will transform the state. This endorsement means I have been accepted and commissioned to proceed. “I am here to sensitise us ahead of time. I was invited to this meeting to witness your level of preparedness to usher in a government that will be responsible and responsive to nagging questions in

Nigeria’s former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal, has been arrested by the EFCC for alleged fraud. Mr Samin Amaddin, Acting Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, confirmed that Babachir who was sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari, was being investigated for alleged N223 million fraud. He said on Wednesday that the former SGF was cooperating with investigators and had made useful statements. Lawal arrived at the Abuja office of the EFCC at 11:00 am yesterday, after which he was detained. Amaddin said Lawal’s interview with the anti-corruption agency will continue today. According to  The Sun , Lawal’s travails began on December 14, 2016, when the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on humanitarian crisis in the North East’ indicted him of fraud. He was implicated in a grass-cutting contract awarded to his company, for the clearing of “invasive plant species” in Yobe State, through the Presidential Initiative on Northeast (PINE). Lawal’s crime, accor

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) posted $239.10 million from the export of crude oil and gas in November, 2017. The sales record was revealed in the November 2017 edition of the Monthly NNPC Operations and Financial Report which also indicated that figure to be 25.68 per cent lower than the previous month performance. The breakdown also showed that Crude oil export sales contributed $113.97 million (or 47.7%) of the dollar transactions compared with $227.83 million contribution in the previous month. Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, said in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. He said the export gas sales amounted to $125.13 Million during the period. “A broader analysis of Crude Oil & Gas transactions from November 2016 – November 2017, however indicated that Crude Oil & Gas worth $3.73 Billion was exported “Under US Dollar Payments to Joint Venture Cost Recovery & Federation Account, a total ex