Author: Oluwasegun Adesuyi

Gov Abiodun, Amosun Clash Over Alleged US Criminal Records

 

Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun and his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, have clashed over the governor’s alleged criminal records in the United States.

Abiodun and Amosun have been battling for the control of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

 

A petition submitted to the national secretariat of the APC had sought Abiodun’s disqualification from the party’s governorship primaries over fraud allegations.

 

A member of the party in the state, Ayodele Oludiran, had in the April 12 petition alleged that the governor had been accused of ‘concealing criminal offenses he allegedly committed in the USA in the 1980s’.

 

Oludiran insisted that Abiodun’s candidacy would portend danger for the APC with the damning allegations against him.

 

However, documents allegedly featuring the mugshot of Abiodun and his purported court conviction for criminal offences which bordered on credit card fraud, petty theft, and forgery surfaced online on Monday.

 

Reacting to the allegations, DailyTrust reports that Dapo Abiodun Campaign Organisation (DACA) accused Amosun of sponsoring a smear campaign to malign the governor.

 

The group in the statement, in Abeokuta on Tuesday by the spokesman of APC, Tunde Oladunjoye, accused Senator Amosun and his loyalists of fabricating ‘malicious, unfounded and totally false allegations to incriminate the governor and present him as one who is ineligible to contest the high office he’s occupying’.

 

But, Amosun in a statement by his media aide, Bola Adeyemi, described the allegations as ‘wild and callous’.

 

He implored Abiodun to employ every legal means to bring whoever is involved in any ‘smear campaign’ against him to book.

 

 

 

“Bigger Than Africa” Set to debut On NETFLIX May 13th 2022

 

A cultural documentary, “Bigger Than Africa” featuring some foremost and prominent Yoruba culture enthusiasts and traditional leaders which include, the Ooni of Ife, the Alaafin of Oyo, the Alaketu of Ketu, King of Port Novo, President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof Wole Soyinka, Prof. Wande Abimbola, Chief Mrs. Nike Okundaye, Fayemi Elebuibon, Femi Kuti amongst others, is set to debut on Friday, May 13, 2022 on global streaming platform, Netflix.

The documentary produced by Motherland Productions is directed by Nigerian born Los Angeles based filmmaker, Toyin Ibrahim Adekeye, who is also the founder of Motherland Productions USA.

 

The well researched documentary will expose the international audience to the historical influence of Yoruba culture and how it transcends continents and connects the Black diaspora.

Film synopsis:
“When the Slave ships docked in North America, Brazil and the Caribbean, hundreds of cultures, traditions, and religions landed with Africans on board. One transcended slavery beyond imagination to remain alive till this day in the new world; the culture of the Yoruba’s.”

In this regard, Bigger Than Africa Documents the journey of enslaved Africans through the lens of the Yoruba culture of West Africa. This historical documentary takes you through 6 countries, Brazil, Cuba, Nigeria, Trinidad & Tobago, The Republic of Benin and The United States.

“I hope it becomes a unifying documentary for all people of African descent irrespective of their countries. It’s a film that uniquely tells the stories of our commonalities rather than our differences.” Said the director of the film, Toyin Ibrahim Adekeye.

Toyin Ibrahim Adekeye is described as an artist with eyes for detail and a passion for perfection. A product of the Los Angeles Film School Hollywood,
Bigger Than Africa is his first feature documentary and the film has screened at film festivals Worldwide winning multiple awards & earning prestigious screening invitations from venues like The United Nations and The Schomburg Center for Research on Black Culture amongst others.
The film is distributed by KAP Film with the participation of the New York based Management Agency EGMNY.

FILM AWARDS

• Charlotte Black Film Festival 2019 – Winner Best Documentary

• Silicon Valley African Film Festival 2018 – Winner Best Diaspora Documentary

• International Houston Black Film Festival 2019 – Winner Best Documentary

• AFI World Peace Initiative Cannes 2019 – Best Feature Documentary

• AFI World Peace Initiative Cannes 2019 – Best Documentary in cultural presentation

• Festivals International du Film Panafricain de Cannes 2019 – Winner Jury Special Mentioned

• African Movie Academy Awards 2018 – Best Documentary Nominations

• The African Film Festival TAFF Dallas 2019 – Winner Best Indigenous Documentary

• Africa World Film Festival Detroit 2018 – Best Documentary 2nd Place.

• Montreal International Black Film Festival 2018 – Best Documentary Nomination

Contact details:
Instagram: motherland production
Email: info@motherlandproductions.com

NFF Set To Announce New Super Eagles Coach Thursday

 

 

The new Super Eagles coach will be named latest Thursday, the Nigerian Football Federation has said.

The president of the country’s football body, Amaju Pinnick, told a local media that Portuguese born Jose Peseiro is one of the leading contenders.

The NFF had sacked Gernot Rohr in December 2021 after failing to meet expectation. He was with the team for 64 months.

The NFF appointed Austin Eguavoen who led the Super Eagles team that finished in third place at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt back in 2006 as interim Technical Adviser.

The governing body of the NFF had in December last year picked Peseiro as the new coach, but Eguavoen was retained to lead the Eagles to the African Cup of Nations and World Cup Qualifiers where the team lost both.

“All the minister wants is fair play and not just Peseiro, he wants us to weigh other options and we will be announcing the new Eagles coach latest by Thursday,” PUNCH quoted Pinnick.

He added, “I don’t know who that will be yet, because we are talking to many of them and we’ve had zoom meetings with them.”

Big names like ex- Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde, ex-PSG and France coach Laurent Blanc, former PSV Eindhoven manager Phillip Cocu and former Sampdoria and Cagliari manager Walter Zenga are Rohr’s likely replacement.

 

Seven Nigerian Soldiers Killed In Jalingo Bomb Explosion

 

At least seven personnel of the Nigerian Army reportedly died in the late-night bomb explosion that rocked Jalingo, Taraba State capital on Tuesday, May 11.

Naija News had reported earlier that citizens of Taraba State were thrown into fear on Tuesday night after a loud sound suspected to be a bomb explosion was heard in Jalingo.

The explosion is said to have occurred a few metres away from the military base located in the Jalingo metropolis.

A source had told Daily Post that the explosive was thrown into the military base by a passerby.

An updated report on Saharareporters, however, revealed that seven soldiers died in the attack.

The report had it that gunmen suspected to be terrorists launched an ambush on the convoy of the commanding officer of the 93 Army Battalion in Takum.

The media organisation quoted military sources as saying that the Brigadier General was on his way to Jalingo on Tuesday when the incident happened.

One of the sources said the “whereabouts of the senior military officer and his orderly are unknown hours after the attack”.

“Brigadier General was in the convoy”, said another source who was unsure of the situation.

He, however, confirmed that his official vehicle was among those attacked.

The latest attack on the Nigerian Army men came barely two weeks after some fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram in Borno State were neutralized by troops of the Nigerian Army (Operation Desert Sanity).

The Nigerian Army had disclosed that it killed the Amir (commander) and spiritual head of Galta, close to Mandara Mountain in the South of Borno.

The spiritual head of the terrorist group was killed during an operation around Manjo Ali Qere in the state.

The army in a post on its Twitter account in April noted that arms and ammunition were recovered during the operation.

 

Transfer News: Haaland Completes Manchester City Medicals

 

Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Dortmund, Erling Haaland, has reportedly completed and passed medicals at Manchester City.

The English Premier League top club are keen to receive the 21-year-old striker at the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola’s side is said to have complete all necessary arrangements for Haaland’s move and an official announcement will be made soon.

Haaland has long been linked with a transfer to one of the European elites, but Man City made a smart move for the forward to beat other competitors.

Renowned football transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, on Monday, confirmed that Haaland completed his medical assessments by City before returning to Dortmund.

An official announcement is expected to be made before the week runs out.

Reports had claimed Haaland’s contract would be sealed with a payment of around £64m, but according to Romano, the actual cost is a fair bit cheaper, at roughly £51m.

Haaland has scored 85 goals in 88 appearances for Dortmund since his arrival from Red Bull Salzburg back in the January transfer window of 2020. And he now looks set to follow in his father’s footsteps, with Alf-Inge also previously representing City.

With Haaland’s move to City, Guardiola’s side would further be a threat to the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and more in the chase to win the Premier League in seasons to come.

 

Late Alaafin Of Oyo Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III Was Poisoned – Guru Maharaj Ji (Video)

 

A prominent spiritual leader, Guru Maharaj Ji, has alleged that the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, who recently joined his ancestors, was poisoned.

 

Guru Maharaj Ji in an interview with BBC News Yoruba, published on Tuesday, however did not mention those behind the alleged poisoning.

 

The spiritual leader said that he is deeply pained by the monarch’s demise adding that Oba Lamidi must be resurrected.

Recall Alaafin died at the age of 83 on the 22nd of April 2022 at the Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti in Ekiti State. His reign of 51 years is the longest reign of any Alaafin of Oyo in modern recorded history.

Lamidi Adeyemi succeeded Alaafin Gbadegesin Ladigbolu II in 1970, during the governorship of Colonel Robert Adeyinka Adebayo, after the end of the Nigerian Civil War.

 

Watch the video here

https://www.bbc.com/yoruba/afrika-61390143

Stella Oduah To Be Arrainged In October

 

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has again fixed 12,13 October for arraignment and trial of former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah and eighth others following its dissatisfaction with a second letter from the chambers of the Attorney General of the Federation.

Oduah, Gloria Odita, Nwobu Emmanuel Nnamdi, Chukuma Irene Chinyere, Global Offshore and Marine Limited; Crystal Television Limited, Sobora International Limited and China Civil Engineering Construction Company Limited (CCECC) were on 16 December, 2020, sued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a 25 count charge bordering on fraud and financial misappropriation to the tune of N5b.

On November 22, 2021, when the defendants were to be arraigned, one of their lawyers, James Onoja, had raised an objection in open court contending that the EFCC refused to return the case file to the AGF (for review of the case) as requested.

Trial judge Inyang Ekwo had declined taking their plea then because of the AGF’s letter.

At the resumed sitting on Tuesday , EFCC’s counsel, Hassan Liman informed the court that the AGF had acknowledged receiving the case file and in a letter dated May 6 ,2022 , directed that the case continues.

“My lord, the charge in this matter was filed on the 16 December 2020, since, then the plea of the defendant has not been taken.

“On the last adjourned date, on February 2021, this court, upon my undertaking, I confirm that I will bring a response from AGF.

All the defense counsels said they didn’t have the letter from the AGF.

Meanwhile, Justice Inyang Ekwo read from the letter where the AGF stated that he was considering the appeal made to him, but that ” trial can proceed. “

Ekwo said he was not satisfied with the AGF’s response and that he should either write that parties should stop or proceed with the case.

However, Liman insisted that the EFCC does not need an approval from the AGF to go ahead with prosecuting a matter.

He said that plea should be taken first before any objection

“I submit with the greatest respect, with or without the letter of the AGF, the charge was filed by the EFCC,” he said.

But Justice Ekwo adjourned and directed the EFCC to get a definite response from the AGF.

“I am going to give you a date for trial, in which there is definite response from the chambers of the AGF.

“I am not satisfied with the second paragraph.

“I am adjourning this matter to October 12,13 for plea and trial,” the judge said.

Oduah, a Senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District had on August 26, 2021 defected from the People’s Democratic party to the All Progressive Congress.

She has reportedly returned to the PDP.

 

JUST IN: Boxing Legend, Floyd Mayweather meets Rotimi Amaechi 

 

Former undisputed world super welterweight boxing champion, Floyd Mayweather met with 2023 Presidential Aspirant and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi on Monday.

Mayweather is currently in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital since Sunday, May 8, to promote his exhibition match in Dubai.

He held a news conference alongside his opponent in his upcoming boxer, Don Moore. Mayweather said the visit to Nigeria was part of plans to promote the sport of boxing in Africa.

He also revealed plans to establish a boxing academy in Nigeria.

 

2023: 5 things I will do if elected as President of Nigeria – Tinubu tells Nigerians

 

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Former Lagos state Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has disclosed 5 things he will focus on if he becomes President in 2023.

Speaking to party delegates on Monday in Katsina, Tinubu stated that he has all it takes to be the President of the Country.

He explained that he possessed all the requisite qualities to be seen as a potential president of Nigeria due to his wide knowledge and experiences as well as his track record of achievement in governance.

He added that as president, he would;

Unite Nigerians and give them more hope irrespective of tribe or religion.
2. Develop a new strategy and commit enough resources to fight banditry and other related crimes if voted as president.

3. Focus on Economic Development

4. Focus on Education

5. Infrastructural development to get Nigeria working again.

In his words; “I come to unite Nigeria and not to divide it; I come to bring you hope, prosperity, happiness, job and stability. Though tongues may differ, the brotherhood will stand; you are my brother and together we will defeat poverty.”

“Anybody that wants it can run, but not everybody can become the president,’’ he said.

Responding, Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State said Nigeria needed a leader like Tinubu with wide experience in governance. He expressed the belief and confidence that Nigeria would certainly overcome the challenges confronting it soon.

 

BREAKING: Ex-President Jonathan joins 2023 race, as ‘group’ buys him N100m APC form

 

Ex-President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan may have dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as a coalition of northern groups on Monday reportedly bought the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms valued at N100m to enable the former leader to run as president in the 2023 general elections.

Details shortly…

 

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