GOSSIP GAZER ONLINE

The Nigerian Air Force on Wednesday said it has intensified its aerial surveillance and patrol on flashpoints within Kaduna and Abuja highway to frustrate the activities of kidnappers and armed robbers. Its spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said in a statement that the patrol was a follow up to the exercise “Show of Force” conducted by the NAF in February to send warnings to the criminals that the military is ready for them. Air Commodore Daramola said :”In continuation of efforts to enhance security in Kaduna State and its environs, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), working with other security agencies, has intensified aerial surveillance over identified hotspots and flashpoints in the State while sustaining its air patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway. “Some of the areas covered in the surveillance missions include Gonin Gora, Kajuru, Kujama, Kasuwar Maganin and surrounding settlements. “The air patrols, on the other hand, are focused on portions of Abuja-Kaduna Hig...

Nigeria has pledged to fully and effectively implement all regional and international treaties and conventions that are aimed at eliminating any form of discrimination against women. The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, made the pledge on the sideline of the 63rd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the UN headquarters in New York. The theme of the event is: “Addressing Inequalities and Equity Through Investment in Social Protection Systems for the Empowerment of Women and Girls in Nigeria’’. Abubakar said: “Nigeria as a member of the UN is committed to the full and effective implementation of goals and objectives of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Optional Protocol thereof.’’ She also pledged Nigeria’s commitment to implement fully and effectively the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agend...

Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra ( MASSOB ), said it has commenced the construction of a Biafran university in Anambra state. Chief Ralph Uwazuruike-led group, otherwise called Biafran Independent Movement (BIM), said the university, known as Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Standard University, is located at Anaku, Ayamelum local government area of the state. Anambra North Zonal Leader of the group, Damian Nzekwe, who made the disclosure in Onitsha during the celebration of his one year in office, said the institution has over 200 plots of land at the site. He said the group’s decision to build a university was targeted at boosting education in Biafra land. He said, “We conceived to build this university some years back when our Leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike advised us on the need to bequeath Biafrans a legacy for posterity. “The edifice, when completed, will boost education in the land as our target is to have zero tolerance for illiteracy...

Demands cancellation of poll The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has rejected the results of the governorship election as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Emeka Ihedioha was declared governor-elect by the Returning Officer, Prof. Francis Otunta. But APGA in a statement signed by its state secretary, Eberendu Alphonsus, said that the PDP candidate failed to meet the constitutional requirements of 25% of total votes cast in 2/3 of the 27 Local Government Areas in the State. The party therefore called for the total cancellation of the election, stating that “it is absolutely unconstitutional to declare a candidate that did not meet with the Constitutional requirement as winner”. It also accused of complicity in the irregularities that marred the election, especially by accepting the results from the three Local Government Areas of Aboh Mbaise, A...

Economic and Financial Crime Commission ( EFCC ) Wednesday arraigned one Ajayi Temitope Charles in a Kwara state High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital for alleged internet fraud. EFCC arraigned the suspect on a five count charge. The accused person, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against him, was allegedly caught with document in his possession with intent to defraud unsuspecting members of the public. In the first count against the accused person, who is also known as Teresa Simon, it was said that, on February 28, 2019 in Ilorin, he had in his possession document in his gmail account containing false pretence in his gmail account, with intent to defraud, and thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 6, and 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other related offences. It was also said that the accused person in the second and third count had in his possession document titled, Hangout with Rodney Dean, and Hangout with Paul Thompson, resp...

An International Election Observer group, Pan African Women (PAN) projects that monitored the General elections in Nigeria has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the amended electoral Act. Ms Mphoentle Keitseng, the Publicity Secretary of PAN project 2019 who monitored Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom made the appeal during an interactive session with newsmen in Uyo on Wednesday. According to her, the electoral bill will help to facilitate and regulate a proper conduct of subsequent elections in the country. She noted with dismay that the just concluded governorship and house of assembly elections were marred with irregularities such as vote buying, ballot box snatching, intimidation, thuggery and disruption of voting process. Keitseng harped on the need to review the electoral act in order to help strengthen the electoral process. She called on federal government to create election tribunal in order to prosecute offende...

Popular Nigerian singer, David Adeleke a.k.a. Davido is to perform at the 11th Roots Picnic headlining the 20th Anniversary celebration of The Root’s classic album, ‘Things Fall Apart’ on June 1 in Philadelphia. The boss of DMW with 9.9 million followers took to his Instagram handle @davidoofficial to announce to his fans with a bold flier of the event. The Roots Picnic is an annual music festival created and hosted by American Hip Hop Group cum Grammy Award winners hip `The Roots.’ The festival which is a sell out every year would be held at The Mann at Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. Co-founder, Shawn Gee, and manager of The Roots serve as executive producer of the festival. Other artists to perform include 38-year-old New York-born broadcaster, former rapper and songwriter, Joseph Anthony Budden II a.k.a. Joe Budden Podcast and 26-year-old London born Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph a.k.a. 21 savage. Others are 24-year-old Atlanta born rapper Dominique Jones a.k.a. Lil Baby,...

The governorship candidate of Change Nigeria Party (CNP) in Akwa Ibom,  Dr. Engr. Anietie Ukpong, has urged fellow contestants to accept Governor Udom Emmanuel’s victory in last Saturday’s governorship election. Ukpong, who felicitated with Emmanuel over his reelection, urged candidates of other parties to also congratulate the governor over his well- deserved victory at the polls. Speaking with journalists in Uyo on Wednesday, the CNP candidate said he knew the governor would be re-elected because his campaign was anchored on the #onlyGod mantra. He said Akwa Ibom people and other residents, who filed behind the governor, contributed to his victory. Ukpong appealed to his fellow contestants to team up with Governor Emmanuel to contribute to the development of  the state. According to him, such cooperation will ultimately bring solutions to the chronic lack of economic opportunities, chronic darkness, overcrowded street hawking, decrepit infrastructure, lack of e...

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has distributed relief materials worth millions of naira to about 862 victims of Minna and Bida market fire disasters. The Bida and Minna fire disasters occurred in February 2018 and January 2019 where traders lost millions to the fire incidents. The relief materials distributed include roofing sheets, cements, ceiling boards and nails. The flag off distribution for Bida market fire was done in Bida local government area while the relief materials for Minna market fire were distributed to the victims at the Abdulkadir Kure ultra- modern market Minna. The NEMA Head of Operation in Charge of Niger and Kwara, Mrs. Lydia Wagami, said the federal government was concerned on the effect of the fire to the government the people which is the reason for the relief materials. “The relief materials show the Federal government is concerned about the plight of the shop owners who lost their goods, hence government provides relief material...

The absence of the prosecution witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, stalled the continuation of trial of former Oyo State Gov. Adebayo Alao-Akala, over alleged N11.5 billion fraud. Alao-Akala, along with his former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hosea Agboola; and a businessman, Mr Femi Babalola, are being prosecuted by the EFCC at an Oyo State High Court in Ibadan. The defendants are facing an 11-count charge of conspiracy, awarding contract without budgetary provision, obtaining by false pretences, acquiring property with money derived from illegal act and concealing the ownership of such property, among others. At the resumed hearing of the case on Wednesday, the EFCC’s counsel, Dr Ben Ubi, told the court that his witness was on official duty to monitor elections in Port Harcourt. Ubi said that he could not go on with the case because he had listed the order in which the witnesses would be called, and...

Ebonyi state governor, David Umahi is set to decamp to the All Progressives Congress (APC), latest May 29th. The candidate of the APC, Senator Sonni Ogbuoji disclosed this in Enugu while rejecting the just concluded governorship election in which Umahi who ran on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared the winner. In his words: “the information we have now is that while the governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, had acted as a mole in PDP all along, he has started making moves to ditch PDP and cross over to the APC on or before May 29. We are aware that the votes that enthroned Umahi were procured with the connivance of the system, a reason there are gloomy faces all over the state after the announcement of the claimed victory.” The senator who is representing Ebonyi South in the upper chamber told reporters that having known the antecedents of the governor, they would not accept him in APC. He also blamed the failure of the party in the election on ...

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of two Executive Directors to the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Board. Mrs. Stella Ojekwe-Onyejeli has been reappointed as Executive Director for a second term. She is also the Chief Operating officer of NSIA. Mr. Aminu Umar-Sadiq, who is NSIA’s Deputy Head of Direct Investments, has been appointed, for the first time, as Executive Director. A statement from The NSIA on Wednesday announced that the appointments “followed the realignment in 2018 of NSIA’s strategy with a pivot towards domestic infrastructure, as reflected in the allocation of 50% of future contributions to infrastructure investments.” Mr. Jide Zeitlin, Chairman, NSIA Board of Directors said: “These appointments strengthen the Authority’s executive team and are consistent with our focus on maintaining a broadly representative leadership team and workforce so as to ensure that the institution remains a key participant in Nigeria’s econo...

Residents of Andrew Alebe Street, Iyana Ishashi, a Lagos suburb, have appealed to the government and civil rights movement to rescue a child from being mistreated by her boss. The woman, purported to be a soldier’s wife, was alleged to have injured the maid identified as Ulunma, whose poor parents were said to be in their village in Imo State. The latest abuse on the minor reportedly occurred at 10, Andrew Alebe Street, off Okemoro in Iyana Isashi, Ojo, which left the girl, aged 10, with body injuries and fallen teeth. Ayo Fatimoh, who shared the incident on social media, alleged that the woman was a terror in the neighbourhood, as she boasted that her husband was a soldier. Fatimoh said the case of serial abuse on the minor had been reported at Ishashi Police Division, but the police seemed helpless in handling it. The police reportedly advised the residents to expose the incident, to attract the attention of relevant government agencies and prevent murder. But the A...