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The luxury bus involved a multiple accident, at Ugbogui, along Benin-Ore Expressway... on Saturday The only survivor of the accident, which claimed almost 40 lives around Ugbogui, in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State, on Friday, has died. It was learnt on Saturday that he died on Friday around 11:15pm at the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. A source said the survivor, whose name was unknown, was transferred to the ICU from the Burns Ward when his condition became critical. The source, who craved anonymity, said, “It was obvious that his chance of survival was slim. He had 100 per cent burns and medically, it is rare for such victim to survive. “Contrary to speculations he was the only person they brought in alive after the incident. When his case could no longer be handled at the Burns Ward, he was transferred to the ICU where he eventually died around 11:15pm on Friday.” Meanwhile,  SUNDAY PUNCH  learnt that the dec

That renowned evangelist and founder of the  World Soul Winning Evangelical Mission  (WOSEM), Prophet Timothy Obadare, is dead, is no more news. The blind Akure-based evangelista noted for the monthly ‘Koseunti’ Crusade, died last week Thursday at the age of 85 at an undisclosed private hospital in Akure, the  Ondo State capital  after a battle with an undisclosed ailment for few months. Prophet Obadare was a renowned evangelist and leader of the  Christ Apostolic Church   (CAC)  before the ministry fell apart over certain issues within the church. Prophet Obadare was described as a great evangelist, who travelled wide within and outside Nigeria on rigorous evangelism activities. For Prophet Obdare, his unfulfilled dream remains the helplessness to reunite the factions of CAC Worldwide, of which his WOSEM was an evangelical arm. During his life, Prophet Obadare worked like a General in the Jesus Army and he did his best for the Church. One of the children of the late proph

The President, Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has said it will be an act of wickedness, if President Goodluck Jonathan declares amnesty for Boko Haram. Oritsejafor said the pardon could only be granted when members of the sect admitted their wrongdoings. He queried what would be the fate of the victims of the sect’s insurgencies, should its members be allowed to escape prosecution. While addressing journalists at the 80th birthday ceremony of the President, Apostolic Church of Nigeria, Pastor Gabriel Oladele Olutola, in Lagos, the CAN president warned that Jonathan should not toy with the future of Nigeria by trading off its security on the altar of politics. He said, “I don’t know his ambition for second term because I am not a politician; I am a pastor. But that (amnesty) would be wicked. I don’t see why he would have to do that and I don’t see why he would have to consider that because we are facing a very serious situation in Nigeria. “Let

INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega | credits: THE disparity in the election allowances paid to different categories of employees in the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission is currently tearing the commission apart. While some members of the RSIEC staff were allegedly paid N84,000 each for the two council elections held in Oyigbo and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas as election hazard/duty allowances, others got N980,000 each for the same elections. The development made aggrieved workers in the commission accuse the management of short-changing employees on the lower cadre. One of the aggrieved persons, who preferred anonymity to avoid victimisation, alleged that though the sum of N70,000 was proposed as hazard allowance for one election, they eventually got N42,000. The source added that even if they got N140,000 each for the two elections, the amount was still a far cry from the N980,000 each paid to chief security officers, confidential secre

Dr Reuben Abati The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr Reuben Abati is definitely one of the best writers, critics, social commentators and journalists Nigeria has produced. A first class honours graduate of Theatre Arts from the University of Calabar where he won the Vice Chancellor’s prize in 1985 for the best overall graduating student. He also achieved the enviable feat of completing his Ph.D at the age of 24, specializing in Dramatic Literature, Theory and Criticism. Apart from the aforementioned, Abati studied journalism at College of Journalism, University of Maryland, U.S.A and earned an a degree in Law from Lagos State University. Dr. Reuben Abati who once lectured at the department  of English of Ogun State University (now Olabisi Onabanjo University) before taking up the job as Adviser to President to President Jonathan Goodluck  was the Chairman Editorial Board of the Guardian Newspapers. Omolara But despit

The police at the Maroko Division, Lekki, Eti Osa, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, have arrested a suspected fake pastor, Prince Kayode Ogbeniola, 43, for allegedly stealing a Samsung handset inside the Redeemed Christian Church of God, aka City of David, situated on Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. He was arraigned before a Tinubu Magistrate's Court on a one count charge of stealing. The police alleged that the accused, a resident of Ajah, Lagos, from Ondo State, was arrested following a complaint by the Chief Security Officer attached to the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The accused entered their church as a worshipper and stole a handset belonging to a member of the church, Vivian Oji and escaped on 13 December, 2012. But nemesis caught up with him when he came back the following Sunday to steal another one, and the victim sighted him within the church premises making calls with her phone. She confronted the accused to give her the phone in his possession because it be

A housewife whose husband is an alleged member of the Boko Haram sect has lamented her family's ordeal since her husband was allegedly taken away by security agents in Abuja. She said that her husband's name was Muhammad and that  he ran away leaving her with four children to cater for. According to her, her husband was a trader at Abuja before the police discovered his alleged membership of Boko Haram sect. The housewife, Mrs Maryam Inusa narrated their ordeal to our correspondent in Kano at the hospital where she was left for dead in the mortuary alongside 14 dead bodies killed during the joint military task force (JTF) raid at Unguwa Uku area, in Kano. She sustained broken arms, bleeding nose and looked emaciated, when our correspondent met her. A mortuary attendant at the hospital told LEADERSHIP that she was brought by men of JTF among the dead and it was discovered that she was only injured and when the hospital authorities  alerted the soldiers who brought her o

It is still not a good story in Pulka, Bornu state, despite the assurance of the Joint Task Force,JTF of a peaceful Easter, as gang of suspected Boko Haram gunmen attacked the palace of the District Head of Pulka, Ali Pulka in Gwoza council area; and shot him dead before his wife and children during the Easter break. The incident reportedly happened at about 10.35pm on Monday. Pulka, is a border town with Cameroun, and 119 kilometres southeast of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. A top police officer attached to the Divisional Police Station, Gwoza who doesn't want his name in print disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday in Maiduguri. He said that the gunmen came in two Golf Volkswagen vehicles and motorcycle, proceeded straight to the palace, shot the district head, before soldiers rushed to the scene to prevent further attacks and killings in the town. His words: "our report on the assassination of the District Head of Pulka (Ali) and attacks on the palace

A serving member of the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC who was kidnapped last week in Abakiliki, Ebonyi State has been rescued by the Nigerian police. The Ebonyi State Public Relations Officer, DSP Sylvester Igbo, who disclosed this to newsmen in Ebonyi state stated that the timely report of the incident at the Command was what ensured the speedy rescue of the victim and her car. "At about 7:30 pm, one Dr. Chiagozie Onuoha Bibiana, a medical Corper attached to the Civil Service Clinic, Abakaliki was at Mile 50 kidnapped in her Honda accord car by four armed men and taken into Umuoghara bush at Ezza North LGA. "They placed a demand of 20 million naira on the victim. The speedy report of the incident to the police enabled the police to Quickly swing into action. "When they couldn't bear with the pressure from the Police and seeing that the police were closing down on them, they abandoned the victim and took to their heels. "The Honda accord car

Federal Government has concluded arrangements to scrap the National Examination Council. Plans have also been concluded to cancel the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination being conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board for applicants into the nation's tertiary institutions. The government's decisions, which would be made public soon via a White Paper, are based on the recommendations of the Stephen Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on the Rationalisation and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies. A government source told our correspondent that the decisions were part of the recommendations made by a White Paper Committee set up by the government on the Oronsaye report. The source added that upon receipt of the latest report, President Goodluck Jonathan has been meeting with Vice-President Namadi Sambo and a few top government officials to take final decisions on it. It was in one of such meetings held on Tuesday that th

I read this article by Umar Bello and decided to share it, I find it interesting 'Every established order tends to produce the naturalization of its own arbitrariness' – Pierre Bourdeau Recent happenings in Nigeria have again necessitated the need to look into our peculiar circumstances and see the factors that may hinder the emergence of a strong united Nigeria built on the ideals of humanity and democracy. Part of the problem is the deliberate promotion of stereotypes against certain people which robs us of essential truth and leads to the gradual erosion of harmony and mutual coexistence. As usual with stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination against the stereotyped group gradually sets in. The target group is 'externalized' as out-group and tagged negatively in all representations. This is done with a simultaneous creation of a very positive in-group and the establishment of superiority complex. Van Dijik in his theory of ideological square maintains that in preju

As fresh crisis surrounding the health of the First Lady Mrs. Patience Jonathan brews, the presidency has fired her spokesman, Mr. Ayo Osinlu. The news is contained in a press release issued by the president's Special Assistant on the Media, Dr. Reuben Abati. Sahara-reporters sources say that the decision to fire Mr. Osinlu was taken by the First Lady from her hospital bed in Europe. Mrs. Patience Jonathan was mad at the inability of Mr. Osinlu to provide a foolproof decoy of a story to distract the media from her current medical surgeon abroad. Mr. Osinlu was roundly criticized for the way he handled the news about the whereabouts of the First Lady last year. During the period, Mr. Osinlu told journalists that the First Lady went to Germany on vacation but Mrs. Jonathan later confirmed the story published by Saharareporters that she was hospitalized in Germany for weeks. Our sources in Abuja said that the presidency felt that Mr. Osinlu had lost credibility with the media establis

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola has urged residents in Nigeria's economic city to be cautions of drinking freely declared alcohol at social centres by unknown persons. The governor called for the caution while addressing security bodies, transport union and community development groups in the state on the recent growing security threats in the state. He urged people to always ask any unknown person who declares free drinks at social centres of his/her identity and source of income before relishing the free drinks. Awuff dey Run belle oh!

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?" is a quote attributed to legendary basketball coach John Wooden. I wonder if he was speaking to a group of entrepreneurs at the time. Ask business owners today why they aren't using social media as a tool to grow their companies, and the majority of them will respond, "I just don't have the time." These owners will give the same response when asked about a variety of topics. Are they really that pressed for time, or is it a fallacy? If you believe time is the only currency that matters, how is it possible to "find" more time in the day to achieve your goals and grow your business? Here are eight steps you can take today that will open more time tomorrow to achieve your goals. 1. Start the Night Before. Sun Tzu is quoted as saying, "Every battle is won before it is fought." He strongly believed having a plan in place, along with options, was critical to suc

Super Eagles skipper, Joseph Yobo, has blasted Stephen Keshi and NFF officials, over his exclusion from the squad that played Kenya in a World Cup qualifier two weeks ago. Yobo, who has made 96 appearances for the Nigerian national team, says he feels disrespected, as no one spoke to him about his exclusion from the team, before the list was made public. "I'm disappointed nobody called me before the team list was announced," Yobo told Brila FM on Tuesday. "It's disrespectful. I feel disrespected. I am the captain of the Super Eagles and I thought the coach should have put a call across to me. "I have no problem being left out."

Anambra State government is to begin the construction of maternity centers in rural communities of the state in partnership with churches. The Governor of the state, Mr. Peter Obi revealed this while laying the foundation stone of an ultra-modern Pharmacy and Diagnostic Center at the Holy Rosary Specialist Hospital and Maternity, Waterside, Onitsha. He said the initiative was to fast track the provision of health facilities in rural areas, adding that it would further alleviate plight of pregnant women. Governor Obi stated that the partnership with churches in the state was yielding positive results. He added that being among the six states that won the Bill Gates award on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related projects, the state government intends to invest in rural maternity centers. He noted that repositioning the hospital and setting up the new maternity centers would go a long way in serving the people better and help actualize the MDGs before the 2015 de

52-year-old suspected oil pipeline vandal, Komuko Ayekede who was arrested in Lagos state by the Inspector General of Police Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism Unit on Easter Sunday confessed selling stolen petrol at N48 per litre. Ayekede confessed that due to his ridiculous price reduction, he had numerous customers including filling stations. He however pleaded with the police to release him and the other four suspects, Oluwafemi Bamidele, James Awolowo, Eugene Stanley and Kunle Ogushe, in the spirit of Easter. "We thought that on a day like Easter, security operatives would go and rest with their families. Please forgive us at least for the sake of Christ that rose from the dead because of you and me," he said. The suspect who was formerly into sand dredging said poverty lured him into the illegal business. He said, "I was engaged in sand dredging. Some years ago when my business was not moving well, my friend, Ebi, advised me to join him in pipeline vanda

Nicholas Webber, jailed for 5 years for creating a hacker’s forum website, was accidentally invited into an IT class in prison. As you might guess, the consequences of this move appeared difficult. Now the prison authorities are arguing about who let it happen, but it actually doesn’t matter any more. For some reason, Nicholas Webber was allowed into an IT class in his prison, despite the fact that he was serving 5 years for launching a website called GhostMarket. The latter allowed people interested in writing computer viruses to partake of stolen IDs and enjoy private credit card data to congregate. The hacker was caught using hacked personal data to purchase everything from smart devices to hotel stays. Although one might have thought that an IT class would have been dull for such expert, in fact inviting him to an IT class encouraged him to enjoy a little mischief. In result, the computer network at Her Majesty’s Prison Isis, South London, was hacked. The mistake which led to the