Miss USA WINS Miss Universe 2012

Miss USA, Olivia Culpo, a 20-year-old Boston University sophomore, has won the Miss Universe crown, bringing the title back to the United States for the first time in over a decade.
© AP

LAGOS HOTS UP FOR THE EME CONCERT

The EME BADEST CONCERT comes up on the 21st of December 2012, at the OCEAN VIEW Resturant, Victoria Island Lagos. Features all stars of the EME crew - Banky W, WizKid, Niyola, Skales, Shaydee and the DJ Exclusive

Tickets are available at naijaticketshop.com

Gun men Kidnap 5 Indian Sailors Along Niger Delta Coastline

Men suspected to be pirates stormed a tanker ship off the coast of the Niger Delta region ransacking the vessel and kidnapping five Indian sailors.The attack which took place on Monday targeted the SP Brussels tanker (a 7,600-tonne oil and chemical tanker) as it sat about 40 miles (64 kilometers) off the coast of Niger Delta.

The gunmen also stole personal belongings on board the ship in the attack.

Those remaining on board later sailed the vessel safely to the port in Lagos state.

The parent company of the vessel, Medallion Marine said they have been working in close cooperation with the authorities and everything possible is being done to ensure the safe return of those crew members taken from the vessel.

“On Monday the vessel (SP Brussels) was boarded by heavily armed pirates whilst approximately 40 miles off the Niger Delta,” Medallion Marine said in a statement.

“The pirates ransacked the vessel for personal belongings and took five crew members with them on their departure.”

Nigerian Navy officials previously declined to comment about the attack, saying they had no information.

Soyinka Wins First Awolowo Prize for Leadership

 
The Obafemi Awolowo Foundation has named Prof Wole Soyinka as the winner of the Obafemi Awolowo prize for Leadership. This was accounced by the chairmain of the selection committee and former secretary-General of the commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyanoku, he said Prof Soyinka was selected after a rigorous consideration of all those selected.
The Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership,  was envisioned to reward excellence in leadership and good governance. This is the first award in this category, and will be presented in match 2013.The Secretary General of the commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyanoku, he said Prof Soyinka was selected after a rigorous consideration of all those selected.

World’s most environmentally outspoken president forced to resign at gunpoint

Tuesday, we told you that Mohamed Nasheed, president of the climate change-threatened Maldives, stepped down from his office. Wednesday, it became clearer that he was forced to step down — at gunpoint. Tuesday, his aides said that Nasheed was being held against his will and his party, the Maldivian Democratic Party, called the move to oust him a “coup d’etat.”

On Wednesday, Nasheed was able to meet with supporters and, according to the BBC, told reporters: “I was forced to resign at gunpoint. There were guns all around me and they told me they wouldn’t hesitate to use them if I didn’t resign.”

Protesters in the Maldives had been clamoring against Nasheed’s arrest of a judge who had ordered the release of a government critic.




Nasheed has worked as president to raise awareness of climate change issues and the threat it posed to his nation and others. The climate campaigners have rallied to support him: Tuesday night, 350.org asked supporters around the world to tell their leaders to “put diplomatic pressure not the leaders of this coup to avoid violence and work for a peaceful, democratic solution to their conflict.” 350.org’s message said that Nasheed “has been one of 350.org’s strongest allies, and friends, for many years” and that “he needs your support to ensure his safety.”

The climate writer Mark Lynas, who was Nasheed’s climate change adviser for the past two years, wrote in the Guardian:

Those governments of the world that do value democracy and the rule of law should not be under any illusions about what has just taken place. The former dictator Gayoom and his forces never accepted the outcome of the 2008 elections, and their networks of power and influence were increasingly threatened by Nasheed’s campaign against corruption in the judiciary. Indeed, this crisis was sparked by the arrest of senior court judge who had repeatedly refused to prosecute corruption cases in order to protect powerful allies from the former regime.”

Source

Maldives ex-president Mohamed Nasheed was 'forced out', BBC
Help President Nasheed of the Maldives, 350.org
MDP condemns "coup d'etat", Minivan News

Two labour leaders die in Jos auto crash

Two members of the striking National Union of Local Government Employees died on Wednesday in an auto crash while of their way to Langtang from Jos after participating in a workers demonstration.

Also, labour leaders will be meeting in Abuja on Thursday (today) on the December 20 ultimatum given by the Nigeria Labour Congress to Governor Jonah Jang to resolve the wage dispute or face a national strike.

NULGE has been on a strike since June this year following the inability of the state government to implement the 100 percent national minimum wage at that tier of government.

NLC Chairman, Mr. Jibrin Bancir, at a press briefing in Jos on Wednesday gave the names of the labour leaders as Messrs Nimel Vonjen and Nanmwa Mamshing, both of the Primary Health Care Development and Gazum Traditional Council respectively.

In a text read by the Secretary, Richard Gbawuan, Bancir said three other people sustained injuries in the accident and are being treated in an undisclosed hospital.

The chairman said that the losses were prices labour had to pay for their just struggle.

Lagos Speaker Ikuforiji: EFCC Witness Tenders Damning Evidence in Court

                                     Speaker Ikuforiji


Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court, Lagos has fixed February 18, 19, 20 and 21, 2013 for continuation of trial in the money laundering charge preferred against the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji and his personal assistant, Oyebode Alade Atoyebi by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

At the resumed hearing on Monday December 17, 2012, Adebayo Adeniyi, an operative of the EFCC, while being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Godwin Obla, told the court that in the course of investigation, his team recovered some registers from the Account Department of the Lagos State House of Assembly. The names of the registers were WEMA register, ETB register, Bulk Register and Chico Registers. The registers, he explained, were used for financial transactions by the Account Department of the State House of Assembly. These registers he further told the court showed the signatures, names of recipients, date, amount and mode of payments- cash or cheques.
He said they discovered that cash payments above the approved limit were made to or given to the first accused through the second accused person. He told the court that the second accused person admitted collecting cash payments on behalf of the 1st accused.
The documents were admitted by the court as exhibits.
However further examination of the witness could not go on as original copies of the documents which were in possession of the court could not be produced as the keys to the safe were said not to be available.
Ikuforiji and his personal assistant were on March 1, 2012 arraigned on a 20 count charge of allegedly conspiring to committee an illegal act of accepting cash payments amounting to N273,303,780 (two hundred and seventy three million, three hundred and three thousand, seven hundred and eighty naira) from the Lagos State House of
Assembly without going through a financial institution, thereby committing an
offence contrary to sections 18(a) of the money laundering (prohibition) Act
2011 and punishable under sections 16(2) (b) of the same act.





Wilson Uwujaren
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity