NFF rejects Keshi’s plea for assistants’ recall

                                         Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi

The Nigeria Football Federation on Tuesday turned down the plea by Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi for his assistant who were relieved of their positions last month to be reinstated. Keshi’s plea was part of the discussion at the meeting held in the office of the Minister of Sports Bolaji Abdullahi with the NFF to chart a fresh course after weeks of animosity between both sides.

On Tuesday, NFF top officials, led by their president Aminu Maigari, and Keshi met for about three hours at the instant of the minister to iron out several disagreements that made huge headlines since Nigeria won the African cup in February. The PUNCH learnt

Northern elders blast Jonathan

                                         Northern Political
ABUJA—Northern Elders Forum (NEF), yesterday, examined the rift between President Jonathan and governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, and passed a verdict on the matter: Jonathan should concentrate on the enormous task of solving Nigeria’s problems and stop dissipating energy on needless war with governors.

Similarly, the Northern elders asked Jonathan to accept governors as partners in progress and desist from treating them as opponents, as they were elected to serve the diverse needs of Nigerians from their respective states, just as the President.

Pre-registered SIMs: NCC fines GSM firms N53.8m

The Nigerian Communications Commission on Wednesday announced the imposition of N53.8m fines on four mobile telecommunication operators for contravening the rules on registration of Subscriber Identification Module cards in the country.

A statement issued in Abuja by Head of Media and Public Relations, NCC, Mr. Reuben Muoka, said 269 pre-registered SIM cards were either purchased or reported to it and confirmed by the operators.

David Moyes replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United

Manchester United set to announce the appointment of David Moyes as Manchester United manager in the next 24 hours. Following Alex Ferguson’s retirement on Wednesday, the club have acted swiftly to identify the Everton manager as his successor.

Although there has been no official approach to Everton, it is understood that the 50-year-old will move to Old Trafford when his current deal expires at the end of the season.

Struggling Nokia unveils next-generation smartphones

NEW DELHI (AFP) – Struggling Finnish handset giant Nokia unveiled on Thursday its next-generation of lower-end mobile smartphones as it seeks to gain traction in a market expected to be worth $15 billion by 2015.

Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop released the $99 Asha 501 touchscreen Internet-enabled model at a global launch in New Delhi that especially targets emerging market users moving up from their no-frills first mobile phones.

Police Officers’ wives protest killing of spouses

Wives of policemen killed in Nasarawa State by a militia group on Thursday took to the streets to protest the murder of their spouses.

The Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Michael Ada, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the protesting women had blocked the Akwanga–Lafia Federal Highway at the Squadron 38 Mopol base axis in Akwanga.

CBN – Clearing The Shelves

THE House of Representatives committee querying the Central Bank of Nigeria’s N2.8 billion expenditure on the renovation of its Port Harcourt branch is in a testy situation. The CBN would not produce documents to support the expenditure!

Audit query of about N4.7bn expenditure has been raised by Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. CBN was not impressed. The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives took up the matter, laying particular emphasis on how the renovation of CBN’s Port Harcourt branch cost N2.8bn.

Court remands ‘spirit’ in prison for stealing N20m

GUSAU — The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, arraigned one Mohammed Yusuf Dabo before Justice Zainab Abubakar of the Federal High Court, Gusau, Zamfara State on 11-count charge of obtaining N20 million under false pretence and forgery.

Dabo is said to have defrauded one Ya’u Mohammed of N20 million in a classic Advance Fee fraud scheme.

Canada yet to endorse Nigeria’s bid for Security Council seat, says envoy

The Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Chris Cooter, said on Thursday that his country had yet to “declare a position” on Nigeria’s bid for a UN Security Council (UNSC) non-permanent seat in 2014.

Cooter made this known at a media briefing in Abuja on the just-concluded Nigeria-Canada investment conference in Toronto.

The election is scheduled to hold in October in New York.

Amnesty committee meets Boko Haram suspects in Kuje Prisons

The Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North on Thursday met behind closed doors with some inmates of the Kuje Prisons, Abuja, suspected to be members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

The committee members were led to the prison yard by their chairman and the Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki.

The visit was in continuation of efforts by the committee members to dialogue with members of the sect with a view to convincing them to accept amnesty

NAFDAC arrests man with N106m worth of fake drugs

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has arrested a trader, Olisaemeka Osefoh, for importation of counterfeit medicines into Nigeria.
The Director General of the agency, Dr. Paul Orhi, said during a press brieifing in Lagos that the estimated street value of the drugs is N106, 210, 000.

D’banj signs Olamide to DB records?

                                                       Olamide & Dbanj

The answer to the question in the headline is still not confirmed but K Switch; D’banj’s younger brother has flagged off a red alert that says this is likely true.

Put your houses in order, Aliyu tells govs

                                         Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu

Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu on Wednesday advised other governors in the country to put their houses in order as the nation approaches the 2015 general elections, saying people will want to frighten them as the polls draw nearer.

He also told the governors to advise their appointees to put all their records straight so that they would not be caught unawares by any agency of government.

Aliyu stated this in Minna when he received the Board members of the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, led by the Chairman, Mr. George Eguh.

Nigeria’s betrayal of Rashidi Yekini

                                                         Rashidi Yekini

It was one year last week Saturday that legendary Nigerian footballer, Rashidi Yekini, died in what the Nigerian media would characteristically describe as “mysterious circumstances”, a shorthand way of labelling a situation that is not so cut and dried but which they would not be bothered to diligently investigate. Since his death, a lot has happened in the life of our nation but very little, actually, has changed.

In another one year or thereabout, the anniversary of Yekini’s death will

Amaechi threatens to expose Abuja-based politicians

                                          Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi
 
Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has threatened to expose some Abuja-based politicians from the state owing to the crisis currently rocking the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.

Amaechi, who said he was no more running for any political position, added that the people of the state would lose their respect for his critics by the time he opened up on their past deeds.

Amaechi, who spoke when the Archbishop of the Niger Delta Diocese, Anglican Communion, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, paid him a courtesy visit in Port Harcourt on Wednesday lamented that nobody realised the efforts put in place by his administration to ensure that peace reigned in the state.