Ban on commercial buses: Abuja residents trek long distances

Click banner for more info

The Wuse Market junction, usually crowded with mini cabs painted in green colour, was virtually free of vehicular traffic. It was quite an unusual sight. The pavements of the surrounding roads were crammed with hundreds of pedestrians heading to various destinations within and around the Federal Capital Territory.

At a glance, it seemed as if the people had deliberately decided to trek long distances. But a closer examination showed that most of them were engaged in the exercise against their own will.

See How Using Hands-Free While Driving Can Cause Blindness

Click banner for more info

We all know making phone calls while driving could distract a driver from his driving, and this has led to many road accidents in Nigeria. It is an offence therefore to put a phone to your ear to make or receive calls while driving, and Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC doesn’t take the offence lightly. Drivers have therefore resulted to the use of handsfree while driving to ensure they are in line with road traffic laws.

A leading UAE psychologist has however said that the use of hands-free sets could lead to “attentional blindness” among drivers and many accidents.Dr Taha Amir, UAE University professor of psychology, said there is a “mistaken belief” that the use of hands-free mobile phones while driving reduces road mishaps compared to using handheld mobile phones.

NBC Reacts, 'We Didn’t Ban Any Video'

Click banner for more info

The Nigerian Broadcast Commission (NBC) we learnt placed a NTBB ban on some new sets of music videos recently.

It was reported that the banned videos include P Square (Alingo), Wande Coal (Go Low), Timaya(Bum Bum), Flavour (Shake) for being ‘suggestive and provocative’. Others include D’Prince(Take Banana), Goldie (Ski Bobo), Chuddy K (Brazilian Hair) and Tillaman (Koma Roll).

 Owing to what was obtainable from the NBC quarters today, the said story was said to be hoax as the body that monitors or censors these products has denied banning any video.

2015: PDP applies to join in suit against Jonathan

Click banner for more info

Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday asked an Abuja Federal High Court to join it as a defendant in the suit to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from seeking re-election in 2015.

In its application in the suit, the PDP said Jonathan was a member of the party “who is capable of being sponsored for the 2015 presidential election”.

A Port Harcourt-based legal practitioner, Mr. Henry Amadi, had prayed the court to declare that Jonathan was not eligible to run for another election, because by so doing, he would be  in office for more than two terms of four years as prescribed by the 1999 Constitution.

US, UK, others issue travel warnings on Nigeria

Click banner for more info

EMBASSIES of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Canada on Wednesday issued fresh warnings to their citizens, advising them not to travel to Nigeria.

The embassies hinged their warnings on the deployment of troops in northern Mali, fearing attacks on Nigeria by Islamic terrorists with sympathy for the Malian rebels, especially on Thursday (today) that has already been declared a public holiday to mark the birth of Prophet Mohammed.

Nigerian 1,200 troops arrived in Bamako, Malian capital, on Sunday as part of an international military intervention to end the crisis in the northern part of Mali.

CAN crisis deepens

Click banner for more info

The crisis rocking the Christian Association of Nigeria worsened on Wednesday as the association told the Catholic Church to go ahead with its decision to pull out of the association.

The Catholic Church recently decided to pull out of CAN, alleging that the Christian body no longer stood for the objectives for which it was set up.  The Administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta, Monsignor Christopher Ajala, on Tuesday, alleged that CAN had become an arm of government.

But CAN blamed the Catholic’s action on the loss of the Presidency of CAN to Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. 

PHOTO: Mysterious Lightning Explosion Kills 7-Month Baby, Traditional Ruler, And 4 Others

Click banner for more info

7-month-old baby, a traditional healer, and four others died in a mysterious lightning blast on Monday.

The bodies of the dead were burnt while their limbs were strewn all over the place covering a distance of up to 60 metres.  The bodies were removed on Tuesday with the dormitory town awash with speculation on the cause of the mystery blast. The traditional healer and his clients' remains were taken to the General Hospital for post mortem.

kidnappers of Lagos school boy demands N150m ransom

Click banner for more info

Kidnappers of two-year old Nigerian  boy, Emmanuel Alonge (pictured above), have demanded  N150 million as ransom before the boy could be released.  Alonge was on his way to school on Monday in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, when he was kidnapped by gunmen and whisked away to an unknown destination. TrendsNigeria learnt that the father of the boy, Olusegun Alonge, who is the proprietor of Barachel group of schools in Ifako-Ijaiye, had been contacted by the kidnappers and given 48 hours ultimatum to provide the money or risk losing his son.

A family source said the kidnappers called the father of the boy on two occasions the same day. The first time was at 4.21 pm while the second was at 11.30 pm to demand for the ransom.

‘Don’t sleep on your stomach’ – 10 ways to wake up looking gorgeous

Click banner for more info

Did you know that the average head weighs around eight pounds? Imagine all of that weight on your face – a recipe for crinkled up morning skin.

We’re sick of venturing downstairs every morning with our pyjamas in a tangle, bed hair, under-eye bags and a pasty face, so we decided to do something about it. Want to know how to wake up looking glamorous and gorgeous? Here are 10 simple ways:

Gumi: 'Evil' Jonathan - Repent And Resign; IBB, Obasanjo, Buhari, Atiku - Banned To Cleanse Nigerian

Click banner for more info

Fearless Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has declared President Goodluck Jonathan "evil" and a failure, and called on him to repent and resign in order to recreate peace in Nigeria. He also said that many top former military Heads of State, Generals Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari and Ibrahim Babangida be banned from participating in active Nigerian politics.

Gumi was speaking in a morning sermon today in Kaduna titled "The Man Jonathan", underlining that the sermon was neither criticism nor praise of a man. He said that Islam teaches that all prophets and people of God are in the Right extreme of the spectrum, while those that fight, oppose and suppress them or their mission are in the left extreme apparently the black.

Nigerian Student Sentenced To Death For Drug Trafficking in Malaysia

Click banner for more info

A 23 year-old Nigerian student of a private college in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was sentenced to death by hanging after he was found guilty of trafficking in 16,936gm of cannabis two years ago.

As reported by NewStraits Times, the Judicial Commissioner Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against John Amaechi Eze.

In his judgment, Zaki said the accused claimed he was waiting to board an express bus at a restaurant in front of the Lye Huat Garden hall when he was arrested by police. However, he said the court did not believe his claim that he did not own the luggage when witnesses had testified that he was with the luggage all the time.

Watch Video: Christiane Amanpour's full interview with President Jonathan

Click banner for more info

In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday, President Goodluck Jonathan answered a series of questions that bothered on Boko Haram, corruption, indiscriminate security measures, and poor electricity.

CNN reports:

Man Sentenced To 2 years Imprisonment For Stealing Vegetables

Click banner for more info

A Magistrate Court sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Wednesday sentenced a 49-year-old man, Mr. Mustapha Adesina, to two years imprisonment for stealing vegetables valued at N5, 000.

Adesina, who pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him when the matter was mentioned, was accused of harvesting vegetables on the complainant’s farm every Sunday. The Police Prosecution Officer, Mr. Augustine Ozimini, told Magistrate Idowu Olayinka, that Adesina committed the said offence on January 20 at Ita-Ika area of Abeokuta, the state capital.

Six states to experience two-day blackout – TCN

Click banner for more info

Six states of the federation will experience power outage on Saturday and Sunday, the Transmission Company of Nigeria has said.

A statement issued by the Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, TCN, Mr. Dave Ifabiyi, in Abuja on Tuesday, named the states as Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and parts of Benue.

According to Ifabiyi, the light out will enable the company’s contractors enhance the capacity of the transmission system that serves the affected areas.

Doctors Must Not Head Hospitals, Health Workers Tell minister

Click banner for more info

The Joint Health Sector Unions on Tuesday insisted that the headship of public hospitals in the country should not be the exclusive right of medical doctors.

They also faulted the claims by the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, and the Nigerian Medical Association that their recent protest in which they called for the minister’s sack was political and amounted to blackmail.

According to them, their agitation is in line with industrial relations practices worldwide.

Soldiers appeal dismissal over rape

Click banner for more info

Four dismissed soldiers, who were found guilty of misdemeanour involving rape and extortion by the authorities of the Guards Brigade of the Nigerian Army, have appealed to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Azubuike Ihejirika, for clemency.

The leader of the accused soldiers, a 33-year-old Akwa Ibom State-born Corporal, Nse (surname withheld), cried out to the Ihejirika for mercy, saying he was pushed into the act by “the enemy.”

The dismissed corporal, who was the leader of troops deployed to protect an Airtel mast at Wuse zone II, Abuja in December 2012, when the troops committed the crime said he was married and had two children.

Reps move to ban sale of ‘energy’ drinks

Click banner for more info

The House of Representatives on Tuesday moved to ban the importation and sale of caffeinated drinks, popularly known as ‘energy drinks’, in the country.

It directed its Joint Committee on Health/Commerce to investigate the importation and distribution of the drinks, following a motion sponsored by a member, Mr. Yacoob Bush-Alebiosu.

Bush-Alebiosu said the consumption of the drinks had “life-threatening effects on blood pressure, heart and brain function.”

Buhari’s comments on Emir’s attack reckless – Presidency

Click banner for more info

The Presidency, on Tuesday, described the comments made by a former Head of State and National Leader of the Congress for Progressive Change, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Saturday’s attack on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, as “reckless”.

Describing Buhari’s comments also as “opportunistic”, the Presidency warned politicians, especially members of the opposition, not to use the attack to make cheap political statements.

It also noted that the comments by Buhari and that of the Nigeria Labour Congress were “irresponsible”.

Man Stabs Ex-Girl Friend To Death For Dumping Him

Click banner for more info

The Aleato family has been thrown into sorrow following the murder of their 26-year-old daughter, Onyinyechukwu, last Saturday by her ex-boyfriend in Lagos.

The deceased, a sales girl at Alaba International market, Ojo, was reportedly trailed by her ex-boyfriend, Osita Amanunwa from her Iba new site abode, to Ajangbadi area of Lagos, where she had gone to visit a friend.

Crime Alert gathered that the late Onyin, as she was fondly called, sat outside her host’s compound, exchanging banters, without the slightest inkling that death lurked at the corner.

EFCC Release : EFCC To Arraign Malaysia-based Undergraduate Scammer Monday

Click banner for more info

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has concluded arrangement to arraign a Malaysia- based Nigerian fraudsters, Hope Olusegun Aroke and his accomplice, Tafida Garuba Ibrahim before a Federal High Court, Lagos tomorrow, Monday January 21, 2013. They will be docked before Justice Mohammed Idris on two separate charges of Money laundering and False Declaration of Assets.