Popular Transport Boss, Musiliu Akinsanya Beaten At Lagos Party
...scampers underground.

For someone with his perceived street clout and influence, popular transport boss, Musiliu Akinsanya suffered an uncommon fate recently.
The key member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW)  was beaten out of a society event.
Sources confirmed the incident transpired over the weekend in Okota area of Lagos state.
According to an insider it was at an event staged by sectional monarch and traditional ruler, Oba Moruf Adisa Ojoola of Ejigbo.
Insiders disclose the affair which held at a primary school premises had two well known musicians on parade, King of his genre, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal and Abass Akande Obesere. Both promoters of indegeneous brand of music known as Fuji.
Informants disclose it was the praise singing of one of these performers that earned the popular street figure widely known as MC Oluomo beating out of the party.
Informants disclose on entry at the party, Wasiu Ayinde recognised Oluomo's presence and sang his praise, even while others spray the naira - he adulated Oluomo.
The other street players moved to the stand of alternate musician, Obesere for their attention- particularly the 'champion' of the area identified as Olowu.
Obesere was praise singing 'Olowu' to the delight of his supporters when Oluomo crossed over to their side- and him the process of getting to the stage, his lieutenants shoved Olowu and his backers aside to pave way for the popular character.

The treatment meted to Olowu, particularly in his terrain is considered a major disrespect to a figure of street ranking and credibility.
And his backers retaliated by shoving Oluomo and his followers for slight.

The consequence was a threats and counter threats that resulted in beating that saw the visitors singled out.
Oluomo was reportedly targeted and earned bruises from multiple punches and kicks has he made his escape.
He is said to have scampered underground for the matter to be 'taken care of' before surfacing.

Sources analyse the effrontery of the assailants to attack the character with larger than life street image to  great reduction in influence with his powerful political backers.
His main backer generally labelled the political power of the southwest region is said to have distance himself from Mr Akinsanya in recent time.
And with this development the clout that sees him take on 'opponents' with impunity is said to have greatly reduced and the word is said to be out on the street.
Prior to this development, Oluomo enjoys the tag 'richest and most powerful' street personality.e

NewsPie01:Saturday,16/08/2014

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Morning! Happy Weekend!

EBOLA: ANOTHER NURSE DIES IN LAGOS AS DOCTOR TESTS POSITIVE

Four people have now died in Nigeria since Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer brought the virus to the country. Judtina Ejelonu, 25, a nurse who attended to Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian national who died of Ebola Virus Disease, at the First Consultant Hospital has died.
Justina, who had been at the B Ward – a male ward which is now referred to as Ebola Ward – of the Yaba Mainland General Hospital, died in the early hours of Thursday. By 1 p.m., today, a couple of family relatives who are at the hospital were seen wiping away tears and making telephone calls. Jide Idris, the state Commissioner for Health, who was at the hospital declined to confirm the development to journalists. The death of the nurse brings to four the number of people who have died of the virus in Nigeria. News of the passing of the nurse came as the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, a professor, disclosed at a news conference in Abuja that another of the doctors who treated the late Patrick Sawyer has tested positive to the deadly virus.

CRISIS ROCKS OGUN APC, OSOBA GROUP SET TO REGISTER AGN 

There are strong indications that a former Governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, and his loyalists may submit a request for the registration of the Action Group of Nigeria to the Independent National Electoral Commission any moment from now.
This followed the leadership crisis that has rocked the Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress.
There have been allegations that the state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, was running a one-man show with the APC in Ogun State.
Owing to this, the party became split between Amosun and Osoba, warranting the former governor’s group to seek an alternative political platform.
It was learnt that the group has drafted its manifesto, with the party’s slogan as: Egalitarianism.
The logo of the party, it is gathered, is a palm tree implanted within the map of Nigeria.
The party, it was gathered, will be officially launched in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, before the end of August.
At present, the Osoba group is said to be hibernating in the Social Democratic Party, in preparation for the official launch of the AGN.
It should be recalled that at the last state congress of the APC in Ogun State, both the Osoba and Amosun groups held parallel congresses, leading to the intervention of the national secretariat of the party.
However, the decision to support the Amosun group by the national secretariat did not go down well with the Osoba group, which accused the national body of bias.

EXPOSED: HOW PETROLUM MINISTER,DIEZANI ALISON MADUEKE USED AND DUMP FOUR NNPC GMD IN 4YEARS

IF news reports about the reason for the sudden sack of the former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Andrew Yakubu, are anything to go by, something must be apparent by now.  And that is: whoever wants to last in the office must observe this first commandment — always be in the good books of the petroleum minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke is like the proverbial cat with nine lives. As far as President Goodluck Jonathan is concerned, she is a super-minister in whom he is well pleased, notwithstanding the reservations many Nigerians have about her.

Not a few people were shocked by the sudden removal of the former NNPC boss on August 1, and his replacement with Dr Joseph Thlama Dawha. Yakubu was the third NNPC GMD to serve under Mrs Alison-Madueke; that is in four years. We have had Muhammad Sanusi Barkindo who was sacked the same day Mrs Alison-Madueke became minister, so we cannot say whether she had any hand in his exit. But Alhaji Shehu Ladan who succeeded him spent barely six weeks before he was removed. Then Austen Oniwon who was NNPC GMD from May 2010 to June 2012.

According to reports, Yakubu’s sack was caused by irreconcilable differences between him and the petroleum minister. These include incessant sack of highly-skilled professionals in the corporation; sharp differences on policies affecting oil and gas industry; alienation of International Oil Companies (IOCs); opposition to the minister’s court action against  the House of Representatives to stop the probe into alleged N10billion she allegedly spent on chartered jets; non-availability of the minister when crucial decisions are required; and pile-up of files on matters affecting the industry.

Mrs Alison-Madueke has characteristically not uttered a word since Yakubu’s exit. This should get us worried as a nation; if only for the huge investments the nation made on the affected personnel. Indeed, it should get President Jonathan worried: how come one minister has survived three group managing directors in a critical parastatal as the NNPC in just four years? Has it ever occurred to the president that the minister could be the problem, and therefore the one that should go?

We know that Nigeria’s oil sector stinks. But, if there is anyone who should lose his or her job in the petroleum ministry, it is the minister. This much had been canvassed since the January 2012 fuel subsidy protest.  Mrs Alison-Madueke presided (and still presides) over the huge racket that the subsidy represents. Under her very watch, Nigeria paid humongous sums to people who never imported fuel under the subsidy regime. Moreover, the minister has been accused of spending about N10billion on chartered jets in two years. This has been a subject of probe by the House of Representatives but, instead of going to the House to defend herself, she has been employing all kinds of subterfuge to prevent the inquisition. Now, we have on our hands a situation where someone who is perceived, rightly or wrongly, as a symbol of corruption has now become the executioner.

It is sad that what should be a strategic sector is now being governed by the whims and caprices of politicians. It is sadder still because quick turnover of high profile personnel in any sector, not in the least the oil sector, makes accountability and transparency difficult, if not impossible. The nation cannot afford such job insecurity for highly skilled personnel in the sector.

If those being arbitrarily removed committed any infractions, these should be made public. It is not enough to just sack them without any reasons, and so intermittently, even if we agree that he who hires can also fire. Such undue interference in the operation of the corporation by politicians with all kinds of interests has not really helped the NNPC. It is part of the reasons we also feel the corporation has outlived its usefulness.

EBOLA: ANOTHER NURSE TESTS POSITIVE

-As Another Suspected Victim Is Discovered In Lagos Estate

One of the nurses that attended to the Liberian-American that imported the Ebola Virus Disease into Lagos, Nigeria, Patrick Sawyer, has tested positive to the virus.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, confirmed this to newsmen on Monday.
Sawyer died on July 25, few days after his arrival in Nigeria.
One of the nurses who attended to him also died a few days later.
The Minister of Health said the nurse’s husband is now under surveillance alongside 176 others.
According to Onyebuchi, the number of those that have tested positive to EVD in the country is now 10.
Two of those 10 have died – Sawyer and the nurse – while other eight are receiving treatment.
President Goodluck Jonathan last week declared the outbreak of Ebola in the country a national emergency, voting N1.9 billion in emergency funding.
Earlier, the World Health Organisation had also declared the EVD an international emergency.

In a related development, a suspected Ebola virus victim was discovered in the Lagos State Property Development Corporation estate in Isheri area of Lagos State.
The estate shares a close boundary with Ogun State in the Isheri area.
The man, identified to be from Niger Republic, The Eagle Online learnt, was dropped on Saturday by the gate of the estate by a commercial motorcyclist, popularly called okada, who sped off after doing so.
The man, who could no longer talk, had blood all over his nose and mouth, without signs of having been beaten.
He was coughing out blood.
The residents of the estate immediately raised the alarm, suspecting Ebola.
This was more so as the okada man who brought him sped off.
The residents of the estate immediately put a call through to the Lagos State Emergency Management Service and the federal authorities for help.
It took several hours before the man was picked up by the health authorities.
The residents, sequel to the development, have resolved to avoid taking commercial motorcycles until the case is proven not to be Ebola related, The Eagle Online learnt.
The fear is that if it is a case of Ebola, the likelihood of the okada man having become infected could not be ruled out.

The estate residents called a meeting where the resolutions were taken. 

I don’t known when the Chibok girls will return… Senator Musiliu Obanikoro

The Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, in an interview with journalists, spoke on the on-going efforts by the Federal Government to end the insurgency in the Northeast, the reforms in the military, politics in his home state of Lagos and the national level, among other issues.

Despite the efforts by the security agencies, attacks by Boko Haram have continued and the Chibok girls kidnapped over 114 days ago are yet to be rescued. How did we get here?

I think it is important we approach this issue of our war against insurgency within the context of a global security concern. Nigeria is not alone in the war against insurgency and that is why we have adopted a wide range of sub-regional and international collaborative approaches towards addressing the scourge of Boko Haram. How we got to where we are today is unfortunate. What began as a Northern Nigerian problem has metamorphosed into a Nigerian problem. Everyone is now affected. The consequence of years of mass illiteracy and the politics of underdevelopment in the North has contributed to birthing the scourge called Boko Haram. But this is not a time to trade blames and all hope is not lost. As we continue to explore the strategies of a military operation in putting an end to the Boko Haram insurgency, we are also committed to the developmental components of the war, which serve a preventive and restorative purpose. The Safe Schools Initiative and the Terror Victims Support Fund championed by President Goodluck Jonathan are clear examples of our government's determination to deploy the right mix of both military and developmental strategies in winning this war against the enemies of our collective humanity.

Do you have reasons to believe Nigeria is winning the war against Boko Haram?

Yes, there are challenges here and there, but I am a fervent believer in the principle of evil being conquered by good. For us, the challenge of fighting terrorism is new; it has never been part of our national life. It will take some time to overcome.

Our troops may never have all the money they need as is the case with most military systems in the world, but Nigerians must have faith in the capacity that we have built in these men and women as they are among the best trained in the world.

The military have always had budget for the purchase of equipment of all kinds year in year out. Why is it that for over 25 years they never purchased the equipment you mentioned, till now?

Don't get me wrong. Acquisitions have been made over the last 25 years but the point is, some of the kind of acquisitions we are now making today have not been done in the past 25 years. Essentially, what I am saying is no administration has upgraded our defence architecture the way the administration of Goodluck Jonathan has done.

You have been at the forefront in calling on citizens to support the military in the on-going war against terror. How do you think this can be achieved?

In my entire public service experience from being a local government chairman, a commissioner, a senator, an ambassador and now minister, I have never seen where government succeeds alone by itself without the support of its citizens. Not to even talk about fighting a war against insurgents within our territorial borders. So, I maintain that the war against insurgency cannot be won by our military alone. And this is why I have always appealed to Nigerians to support our troops morally and with whatever information they have at their disposal that can help in fighting this war.

OSUN POLL: THE FACTORS THAT WRECK OMISORE

Though the 2014 governorship election in Osun State has been won and lost, the last has obviously not been heard about the election, as the Osun State chapter of the PDP rejected the result and decided to take a closer look at it.
Though many had predicted a keen contest between the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party who are believed to be the main contenders, te result of the election did not come as a surprise to some people. Meanwhile, observers have opined that the PDP flag bearer in the election, Senator Iyiola Omisore had a number of factors that put him at a disadvantage against the Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. To them, it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for Omisore to win the election against Rauf Aregbesola.

The Bola Ige Factor
Omisore approached the election with a moral burden which had been a part of his political baggage since 2001. Fingers were and are still being pointed at him over the death of Chief Bola Ige. He and Chief Ige had their disagreements which climaxed with the removal of the latter’s cap at the palace of the Ooni of Ife in December 2001. Ige was murdered days after.
Though he achieved a feat that seemed impossible when he won a senate seat from detention in 2003, the Bola Ige factor was the reason Omisore actually became a Senator in the first place. He had purchased nomination forms for the governorship position but the leadership of the PDP in their wisdom convinced him to swap forms with Prince Oyinlola who had intentions of going to the senate.
The fears they had eleven years ago obviously had effects on the 2014 governorship election. Back then the fear had been that with Bola Ige’s death still fresh in the minds of the electorate; Omisore might not get the desired number of votes in Ijesaland and other places.
Though he was not convicted by any court of law and he has continued to state his innocence, the court of public opinion has simply refused to absolve Omisore of complicity in the murder of the former Attorney General of the Federation.
Popular musician, Lagbaja refused to play at Omisore’s campaign rally, reason being that Ige wass his mentor. Some of Ige’s kinsmen in Esa Oke also openly declared that they would only vote Omisore if Bola Ige came back alive to endorse him.

Omisore’s Many Battles and The Division of PDP
Political observers at a point noted that Omisore was fighting on too many fronts and that was shortly before the election. It is a known fact that Senator Omisore has a considerable amount of influence of the structure of the PDP in Osun State. Incidentally, he and the former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola have not been in very good terms for some time.
Omisore had to be placated back in 2007 to allow Oyinlola run for his second term which was eventually truncated by the appellate court in 2010. They had issues regarding control of the party machinery in the state. Few days to the election, Oyinlola who was unceremoniously removed as the National Secretary of the PDP decided to join forces with the APC, swelling the ranks of his new party with about 10, 000 people who defected with him. Though on election day, Oyinlola did not deliver his immediate constituency for his party, his exit affected the image of the PDP in a way.
Omisore’s emergence as the party’s candidate also generated a lot of dissatisfaction within the PDP.
Fatai Akinbade, a former Secretary to the State Government left for the Labour Party and became the governorship candidate there. The state’s first Executive Governor, Senator Isiaka Adeleke too was locked in a supremacy battle with Omisore. After a scuffle, Adeleke concluded he was no longer wanted in the PDP. He moved the APC. He conveniently used his political clout to deliver his Ede constituency to his new party.
The internal wrangling no doubt affected the fortune of the PDP at the poll.

The Aregbesola Factor
It would amount to self-deception to conclude that Ogbeni Aregbesola does not have a mastery of the art of politicking. Even with his status as the Governor of Osun State, Aregbesola is still highly revered in Alimosho, the biggest Local Government Area in Lagos State. Reason is his closeness to the grassroots. He stormed Osun years back with the Alimosho experience when he introduced himself with the name “Oranmiyan”. Till date, Ogbeni as he is fondly called has not stopped being a grassroots politician.
His performance also went a long way in swinging things in his favour. Though some of his policies have been criticized, he still scored some firsts; the “Opon Imo” is one of such innovations in the Education sector. The fact that the Civic Centre where Senator Omisore first publicly declared his governorship intention was constructed by the Aregbesola administration also had meanings read to it.

The Ife-Modakeke and Ijesa Factors
Though in Osun’s political arithmetic, it is believed that the bulk of the votes come from Ife, Ilesa and Osogbo, every candidate strives to do well in other areas.
The Ife Modakeke factor again played itself out in the last election. Right from the 1830s shortly after the demise of Ooni Akinmoyero who received Oyo settlers who became the first inhabitants of Modakeke, Ife and Modakeke have always had their differences. They were on opposing sides during the Ekitiparapo war. And even before then bloody skirmishes had been recorded between the two towns, a repeat of which occurred in the 1990s.
Though Omisore, an Ife prince, being the son of the Olu of Olode Town won in Ifeland, most of the votes in Modakeke were not in his favour.
Meanwhile, the APC recoded the widest margins across Ijesaland. With the Bola Ige sentiment which had already pitched Ijesas against Omisore, it was obvious that the bulk of the votes would go to the APC.
An added advantage was Aregbesola’s status as an Ijesa son.


The Ekiti Experience

The victory of the PDP in the recently held governorship election in Ekiti State also served as an eye opener for the APC in Osun. Apart from seeing where the loopholes could be, the APC chose to match the PDP move for move, rice for rice and effort for effort.

Unlike the situation in Ekiti where APC leaders from other states were barred from entering, in Osun, the party ensured that leaders who would observe from other states came in early.

To also block the loophole created by the dissatisfaction of teachers in Ekiti, Aregbesola made sure their counterparts in Osun were “sorted” before the election.