This Week in Nigeria (TWIN) 6th – 12th March 2016

Sunday

Minister of State (Labour and Employment), Mr. James Ocholi (SAN), his wife and son, died in a motor accident on their way to Kaduna when their vehicle lost a tyre and lost control.

 

 

Monday

 

Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire was announced as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs.

 

 

Tuesday

A five-storey building under construction collapsed around Chisco bus stop, Lekki, Lagos State, killing six people about 4:30am.

Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the International Women’s Day 2016.

Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs.) Idiat Oluranti Adebule, made case to end gender discrimination against women in Nigeria.

South African President, Jacob Zuma visited Nigeria, promising to support the country to repatriate stolen fund kept in his country. He also promised his country’s support to help Nigeria in tourism, agriculture and power generation.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions (EFCC), arraigned a former Minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe on a one count charge of false declaration of assets. The case has been adjourned till 4^th April 2016.

The government of Switzerland reportedly returned $32million allegedly stolen away to Switzerland by former dictator, the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

The abductor of 14 year old Ese Oruru, Yinusa, also known as Yellow, was arraigned in court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital. He pleaded not guilty and the case continues.

 

 

 

 

Wednesday

 

Death toll in the Lekki, Lagos collapsed building rises to 30 as the Lagos State Government asks the Directors of Lekki gardens to surrender to the police.

Workers of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company continue their strike to protest the unbundling of the company which the Federal Government says it is only a way to restructure the corporation.

President Buhari leads the Federal Executive Council to observe a minute silence in honour of the late Minister of State, Labour, James Ocholi who died in a car crash along with his wife and son on Sunday evening.

Federal Road Safety Corps blames excessive speed and a burst tyre for the accident that claimed the minister’s life, saying the driver of the vehicle was not licensed.

The House of Representatives resolves to take over the Kogi State House of Assembly over the crisis in the State House of Assembly that came after the remover of the Speaker of the House.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions arraigns two Senior Advocate of Nigeria in a Lagos High Court for allegedly bribing judges. Mr. Rickey Tarfa SAN and Dr. Joseph Nwobike SAN were the Senior Advocates in the midst of the storm. Tarfa allegedly gave N1.2billionand and N500,000 as bribes to Judges while Joseph Nwobike was alleged to have given a sum of N750,000 as bribe as well to a judge.

 

 

 

Thursday

 

The police today arraigned more suspects in connection with the March 3, 2016 riots that led to loss of lives and property at the Mile 12, Ketu, Lagos State.

Suspected leader of Boko Haram terrorists was arrested and later died from bullet wounds.

 

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission told a Federal High Court that erstwhile Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh (retd), aided his wife and two children to escape prosecution on charges bordering on fraudulent diversion of about N3.7bn funds belonging to the Nigerian Air Force.

 

Chief Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, returned unopposed as National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party during the party’s national convention in Abuja.

 

At the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Justice Okon E. Abang, granted the former Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Air Chief Marshal Alex S. Badeh (retd), bail in the sum of N2 billion.

 

 

Friday

An explosion today rocked the Central Bank of Nigeria’s office in Calabar, Cross River State. About 20 persons were injured during the explosion believed to have been triggered after a gas exploded in one of the offices at about 11am.

The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal today upheld a judgement earlier given by a Lagos State High Court which had sentenced an ex-beauty queen, Ibinabo Fiberesima, to five years imprisonment for manslaughter. The actress had been held for reckless driving responsible for the death of one Dr. Giwa Suraj in Lagos.

President Muhammadu Buhari while playing host to the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), Mohammed Salem Salek in Abuja, pledged Nigeria’s support of the SADR’s push to become an independent nation.

The Federal Government gave the assurance of adequate power supply as from this weekend

Standard Organisation of Nigeria has blamed influx of substandard products’ entry into the country through inadequate screening.

 

 

 

Saturday

In Abuja, the Nigerian female under 17 football team, the Flamingoes, walloped their South African counterparts 6-0 in a qualifying series for the next female junior world cup.

First executive governor of Delta State, Chief Felix Ibru passed on at 80 after a brief illness.

An aircraft belonging to Peace Air made an emergency landing in Port Harcourt minutes after take-off.