SIX NIGERIANS DEPORTED FROM PAKISTAN

Report reaching our news desk has it that at least six Nigerian citizens were deported back to Nigeria from Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) last Saturday after completing their punishment.

The Nigerian nationals, who were involved in drugs smuggling, were arrested by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) three years ago. The anti-narcotic court sentenced them to imprisonment for three years each after they were found guilty. FIA deported them from BBIA after expiry of their punishment period.

The entry of the deportees into Pakistan again has been banned for forever.

N108BN FRAUD: EFCC TO SEIZE AKPABIO'S PROPERTIES

                    Godswill Akpabio

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is intensifying investigation on ex-Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Sen. Godswill Akpabio.

The EFCC is investigating allegations that the former governor embezzled N108bn during his tenure between 2007 and 2015.

Already, the anti-graft agency had written to five banks demanding information on Akwa Ibom State finances under Akpabio’s administration.
Similarly, the EFCC is making moves to invite key members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and serving commissioners, many of whom served during the ex-governor’s administration.

A source at the EFCC said, “We have written to Zenith Bank, Keystone Bank, FCMB, Skye Bank, and UBA demanding information on the state’s accounts. We are also inviting the accountant-general, the auditor-general, the Speaker and the clerk of the House of Assembly. We have traced some houses to the former governor in Lagos and Abuja and it is just a matter of time before we confiscate them.”

Akpabio was first quizzed by the commission’s detectives last year following series of petitions written against him.

The former governor, now the Senate Minority Leader, was accused of embezzling public funds while he was governor of the oil-rich state.

In March 2013, he was accused of giving N1m each to six chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party from the South-South geopolitical zone that had converged at Port Harcourt for a party reconciliation session, telling them to use the money to “buy Mr Biggs.”

Few weeks ago, the Akwa Ibom State government had gone to a state High Court to get an interim order barring the EFCC from investigating Akpabio’s administration.

The Justice Ntong Ntong-led court on July 15 granted an interim injunction, restraining the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, and the Inspector General of Police from investigating the finances of the Akwa Ibom State government.

The suit was filed on behalf of the state government by the state Attorney-General, Uwemedimo Nwoko, who also served under Akpabio and is believed to be loyal to the former governor.

However, following a motion on notice filed by the EFCC, the court on Friday, vacated the order of interim injunction restraining the EFCC from investigating the accounts of state.

The judge then adjourned the matter till October 19 for hearing of the preliminary objection of the EFCC alongside other applications.

In a June 22, 2015 petition to EFCC, an Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong had accused Akpabio of sheer waste in office.

Among several other allegations, the petitioner alleged that between January and December 2014, the trio of Godswill Akpabio, a former aide to the governor and another associate made illegal and substantial withdrawals of cash from a designated state government-owned account with Zenith Bank with account number 101037588, amounting to N22.1bn.

When contacted on the telephone on Saturday, Akpabio’s spokesman, Mr. Aniete Ekong, said he was in a public place and promised to call back. However, he is yet to do so as at the time of filing this report.

ISIAKA ADEWALE NAJEEM (AKA OMO IYAMI LEKO) IS DEAD AND BURIED.

Tragedy has again struck the Nigeria film industry yet again. But this time the Yoruba movie family as another Yoruba Actor has lost the battle to death and has been buried already according to Islamic rites. 

Isiaka Adewale Najeem popularly known as wale Omo iyami leko is dead. He died this morning after a strange prolonged illness that saw him moving from one hospital to another. 

At some point, he was rejected by some hospitals as was revealed by close family members and friends.  They claimed that his illness was termed spiritual. 

He ended up seeking healing in a church where he gave up the ghost finally this morning. 

He was buried this evening according to Islamic rites. 

May his soul rest in peace.

VOICE OF AMERICA INTERVIEWS AISHA BUHARI IN USA

 Aisha Buhari who is currently in USA was today interviewed by Voice of America in the morning where she had interviews on both the English and Hausa service.

PICTURES STORY.... 

GOV FAYOSE STRUGGLES TO JUSTIFY STATEMENTS ABOUT AISHA BUHARI AS SHE FINALLY ARRIVES IN US

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has changed his tune about his allegation that US law enforcement authorities had indicted Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari, for her alleged involvement in a financial scam. Mr. Fayose had once stated that Mrs. Buhari could not dare to step foot in the US, asserting that she would be arrested.

However, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in the US a few days ago, apparently forcing Mr. Fayose to soft pedal on his unsubstantiated claim that US authorities were seeking to arrest and prosecute her. Mrs. Buhari is in the US to participate in a series of meetings in the Washington, DC area, including a function at the United States Institute of Peace and another event with Nigerian groups.

It was evidently observed that l Gov Fayose’s newfound reluctance to sustain his allegations in a conversation with the governor’s spokesman, Lere Olayinka.

 Governor Fayose had alleged several times that Mrs. Buhari would dare not visit the US because she was involved in the William J. Jefferson scandal, a bribery scandal that ended the political career of one of Louisiana’s Democratic members of Congress. Former Congressman Jefferson is currently serving a 13-year sentence after he was convicted in US court for charges that included accepting bribes from Nigerian officials.

Without adducing any evidence, Mr. Fayose had publicly contended that Nigeria’s First Lady was the woman who facilitated fraudulent and corrupt transactions in the United States with Mr. Jefferson. However, media investigations and reports by SaharaReporters and the New York Times provided photographic and other evidence that the woman involved in the Jefferson case was not the wife of Nigeria’s president. The woman named in the Jefferson case is an entirely different Aisha Buhari who is still living in the United States. An investigation revealed that Gov Fayose once had his visa to the US revoked by the American Embassy in Abuja as a result of the governor’s alleged involvement in corrupt practices and sponsorship of violence against his political opponents.

Mrs. Buhari has indicated that she plans to sue Mr. Fayose for defamation on account of his repeated statements.

I HAVE NO PERSONAL PROBLEM WITH AMAECHI, HE WAS MY BOSS DAYS GOV WIKE

Wike disclosed this at the 12 All Nigeria Editors Conference holding in Port Harcourt.

However, Wike explained that he and the Minister of Transportation differed politically because they belonged to different parties.

"There is nothing personal. We differ politically because we belong to different political politics". "We want peace in the state and it is my desire to ensure that the state is peaceful,” he said.

Gov Wike also said that former president Goodluck Jonathan did something special to ensure peace in the country by conceding defeat during the 2015 general election. "Jonathan should be commended for this single act. People should emulate this move to ensure peace in the country," the governor said.

According to Gov Wike, Amaechi was his boss as governor and they had good times serving the state. "We should make sacrifices for peace. The state must move on. We only differ politically and that should not be to the level that will destroy the state,” he said.

Gov Wike also stressed the need for peace and unity in the country, urging Nigerians not to compromise that stand. (NAN)

WHY GREECE ALWAYS LEADS THE PARADE OF ATHLETES AT THE OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONY AND HOW THE REST OF THE ORDER IS DETERMINED

Greek sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou led the parade of athletes at the Rio Olympics.Getty Images

The 2016 Summer Olympics officially kicked off on Friday night with the opening ceremony in Rio.

As has become tradition, the ceremony starts with a celebration of the host country, followed by the parade of athletes. And once again, Greece was the first country introduced due to their historical importance to the games.

The order of the parade of nations at every Olympics is as follows.

Greece comes in first - this is due to their role in the origin of the Olympics.The host nation comes in last- in 2016, this is Brazil, obviously.The rest of the nations are ordered alphabetically by the language of the host nation - As a result of this,Afghanistan was the first nation after Greece, followed by South Africa (África do Sul in Portuguese). Zambia will be the 207th and final nation before the host nation, Brazil.

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US PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL DONALD TRUMP SLIDES IN POLLS AFTER A BRUTAL WEEK.

Capping off perhaps the worst week of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, a new wave of national polls show Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton gaining a significantly wider lead over her Republican rival.

The latest numbers are accompanied by a few caveats, however, not least of all is the fact that they arrive in the dead of summer and on the heels of Clinton’s historic presidential nomination at last week’s Democratic National Convention.

Still, Clinton’s sudden surge seems to reflect more than a simple post-convention boost.

Not only are her numbers rising, but the polls also show a major recent drop in support for Trump amid a cacophony of controversy that includes ongoing feuds with the Gold Star parents of a fallen Muslim American soldier as well as members of the GOP’s top brass, reports of chaos and frustration within both Trump’s campaign and his party, and a growing listof prominent Republicans publicly defecting to the Clinton camp.

A McClatchy/Marist poll released Thursday put Clinton at a 15-point lead over Trump, with the chasm between the candidates growing from a tight 42-39 last month to 48-33.

In addition to welcoming a new wave of fans from within Clinton’s own party, the pollster noted that she has also seen a recent surge in support from white voters and men — “two constituencies crucial to a Republican victory,” the firm wrote.

Other polls showed Clinton expanding her advantage by slightly more modest — though still significant — margins.

According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Thursday, the former secretary of state has almost doubled herlead over Trump since last month, a mere 5 points before both party conventions to a more substantial 9 this week.

In terms of demographics, the NBC/WSJ poll found Clinton beating Trump by wide margins with women (51-35), young voters (46-34), white voters with a college degree (47-40), and all non-white voters (69-17). By far the starkest contrast in support was seen among African-American voters, only 1 percent of whom favored Trump compared with 91 percent for Clinton. And among the groups that did favor the Republican nominee in the poll, his advantage over Clinton was much smaller.

Hillary Clinton gives two thumbs up at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 28, 2016. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

When paired with their respective running mates, the same poll found that 47 percent of registered voters favor Clinton and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine while 38 percent support the GOP ticket with Trump and running mate Mike Pence.

Similarly, a Fox News poll released Wednesday found 49 percent of voters supported a Clinton-Kaine ticket while 39 percent were in favor of Republicans Trump and Pence.

Clinton also appears to be making strides at the state level.

On Friday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published the results of a poll that showed Clinton taking the lead over Trump in Georgia, a state that has voted forevery Republican presidential nominee since 1996. Though relatively narrow, Clinton’s 44-40 percent lead over Trump in Georgia this week showed a significant change since May, when the last AJC pollfound Trump beating Clinton 45-41.

“Georgia still isn’t directly in Clinton’s crosshairs, and her campaign has yet to declare Georgia a battleground state,” the AJC noted. “But a common strain from the Democratic and Republican conventions was that Georgia has the chance to turn blue for the first time since Bill Clinton’s 1992 win over President George H.W. Bush.”

RAILING COLLAPSES AT RAP CONCERT; AT LEAST 10 PERSONS HURT

                      SNOOP DOGG

Rap icon, Snoop Dogg arrived at the LA Premiere of "Coach Snoop" at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Los Angeles. Authorities say multiple people have been hurt after a railing collapsed during an outdoor concert by Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa in southern New Jersey. 

At least 10 people have been hurt after a railing collapsed during an outdoor concert by Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa in southern New Jersey.

Report says the partitioning separating concertgoers from the stage at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey, collapsed, causing people to fall onto the concrete below. It happened shortly before 10:30 p.m. Friday.

Camden County officials have confirmed to journalists that 10 to 15 people were hurt and five were taken to hospitals. Their conditions weren't known and the number of those injured could increase.

The railing, was separating a sloping lawn from a covered portion of the concert hall. The lawn is several feet above a concrete walkway.

Concertgoer Katie Colbridge says the concert, which was about halfway finished, stopped abruptly when the accident happened.

The show was later canceled.

I NEVER PROMISED BETTER POWER SUPPLY — FASHOLA

The minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, has denied making promises of improved power supply.

The former governor of Lagos state this while speaking in an interview with Channels television.

Fashola said that his plans did not consider vandalization of pipelines because he was always focused on power generation.

“Let us be careful when you claim that I made promises because I am ever so conscious of the things that I say and I believe that if I recollect correctly, it was when I was unveiling my ministries, probably sometime late December last year, and it is unlike me to make promises on things I don’t control,” he said.

“If you check the words I used, I shared with you our plans if it worked and where we will be. Those promises don’t factor in vandalisation. You know when they teach you how to generate power in school, they don’t teach you how to deal with vandalisation.

“When they teach you how to do banking, they don’t teach you about round-tripping so those are the assumptions that things would remain normal. There is no nation in the world that wants electricity that vandalizes the assets that produce electricity; it doesn’t make any sense.

“I can control what my team does, I can promise you what my team efforts will produce but I can’t control behaviour that is counterproductive. Those pipelines are national assets; they were built with our common wealth, the people whose territories it passes are custodians of it.

“Let us assume that the people who are also custodians of Jebba, Kainji and Shiroro dams go to break them down because they are angry, then who gets power?”

Read more at http://www.herald.ng/never-promised-better-power-supply-fashola/#7fATIbiQmyOl88Qz.99