FRESH 4RM GIM

RIVERS State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Monday described Nigeria as a country drifting towards “a dangerous waterfall.” Amaechi declared that the celebration of Nigeria’s centenary was unnecessary because of the killings of students and other innocent Nigerians by members of the Boko Haram sect. The governor, who spoke while addressing members of the state House of Assembly on the state of the nation, queried the rationale behind such celebration when Nigerians were living in fear of hired assassins and armed robbers. Amaechi observed that Abuja residents, who were supposed to be the chief hosts at the centenary celebration, were at various petrol stations struggling to buy fuel. He criticised the Federal Government for giving Nigerians a false impression about the country’s economy and added that the citizens could feel the tremor of Nigeria’s wobbling economy. Amaechi pointed out that Nigerians appeared to have lost the appetite to celebrate anything, even as he q...

Consumers are expected to get a little reprieve from the current scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from Thursday following the injection of about 100 million litres of the product into the system. The Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Obafemi Olawore, told one of our correspondents that members of the body received 30 million litres of petrol from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Monday. These, he said, were expected to be increased to 50 million litres on Tuesday (today) with additional 20 million litres from the NNPC. “Today (Monday), the NNPC gave us 30 million litres of PMS and we expect another 20 million litres on Tuesday morning. This will bring us to a total of 50 million litres,” Olawore said. According to him, Conoil and NIPCO have also imported 44 million litres of petrol. “Conoil and NIPCO have brought in 22 million litres each, which brings us to another 44 million litres. Since the first quarter impor...

Scenes of Maiduguri twin bombing blasts ... on Sunday. | credits: Reuters, AFP and naija.com Thirty-five persons were killed on Sunday during a fierce gunfight between insurgents and soldiers  in  Mafa, a community  45 kilometres to the East of Maiduguri, Borno State. Security and eyewitnesses said that 32 civilian victims were given mass burial on Monday. The other three victims are believed to be policemen. The PUNCH   had reported exclusively on Monday that Boko Haram militants attacked the Mafa Local Government Area headquarters before setting many houses in the village ablaze. It was gathered from one of the military sources that the insurgents armed with AA assault rifles and  Rocket Propelled Grenades, also succeeded in  setting fire to the camp of the soldiers in the community. The Mafa attack  is   the third within 24 hours in the troubled state. On Saturday night twin bomb blasts  which rocked Maiduguri left...

Professor Wole Soyinka has said he rejected the centenary award because of the inclusion of late Head of State , General Sani Abacha and other persons of questionable credentials. In a rejection note headlined “The Canonisation of Terror”, Soyinka observed that the inclusion of Abacha on the list does not only show a failure of a moral rigour but it calls into question “the entire ethical landscape into which this nation has been forced by insensate leadership”. According to Soyinka, Abacha’s regime was known for assassinations, torture and other forms of barbarism. An elected president and his wife, M.K.O and Kudirat Abiola were snuffed out by Abacha as well as nine Nigerian citizens, including the writer and environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa, were hanged after a trial that was stomach churning. “We are speaking here of a man who placed this nation under siege during an unrelenting reign of terror that is barely different from the current rampage of Boko Haram. It is this ver...

The civilians embarked on a protest in Maiduguri. Members of the ‘Civilian-JTF’ and soldiers of the Nigeria Army had a confrontation on Monday evening in Maiduguri over attempts by solders to shield five gunmen arrested by the youth vigilante group. Soldiers were forced to shoot their guns as the youth vigilante (called Civilian-JTF), armed with machete, clubs, and spears tried to prevent the former from taking away the five suspects. The vigilante accused the soldiers of complicity in the Boko Haram killings. In the process, one member of the Civilian-JTF reportedly died of gunshot and others injured. The angry youth later took to the streets along Maiduguri-Gambo-Ngala road blocking the highway, causing heavy traffic jam and chanting anti-military slogan.

Nigerian business mogul, Aliko Dangote has made history as the first black man to break into the rank of top 25 richest people in the world with a wealth of $25 billion from $16.1 billion in 2013, according to Forbes Magazine lists of the richest people in the world.   For the fourth year running, Dangote retained his position in Africa as the richest man of the continent. Meanwhile, Bill Gates has, according to  Forbes  regained the title of Richest Person in the World following an upsurge in the value of Microsoft stock. Although Bill Gates has held the top spot for 15 of the past 20 years, the last four years had seen Mexico’s Carlos Slim take the crown from the former Microsoft CEO. Thanks to a marked increase in the value of Microsoft stock over the last year, though, Gate’s fortune has risen to new heights, with Forbes estimating his net worth as being $76 billion. In comparison Slim is now worth $72 billion.

The Super Eagles begin their warm-up for the finals on Wednesday, with a game against Mexico in Atlanta, Georgia, with coach Stephen Keshi eyeing the game as integral to his plans for Brazil. Nigeria’s match against Mexico will effectively determine Keshi’s plans for Brazil, as it is the only free window before he opens his training camp in Houston, from 25 May. Keshi, who last March said Nigeria could reach the semi-finals, has called up three uncapped players for the friendly, including Standard Liege striker Imoh Ezekiel. Ezekiel has reportedly caught the eye of Belgium coach Marc Wilmots but the player has opted instead to play for his homeland. Several top stars including Chelsea midfielder BONE OF CONTENTION — New Jersey and so may not be fully match fit. “I am disappointed Moses is not playing but there is nothing I can do as I’m not (Liverpool manager Brendan) Rodgers. I will talk with the player when he is here for the game,” said Keshi. The coach will also li...

*File photo: Fuel sold in black market  As the fuel scarcity enters the fourth day, with commuters and motorists in Lagos and its environs subjected to severe hardship, marketers, yesterday, denied hoarding the product. They, however, blamed the current scarcity on the delay in the release of the first quarter import allocations. The marketers said: “We cannot hoard what we don’t have, government should avoid fire brigade approach to importation of petroleum products since we do not refine petrol in Nigeria.” Another marketer attributed the unofficial price hike to increase in the ex-depot price from N91.50 kobo to N95 per litre. Added to other ancillary costs, he said that pump price is now between N100 and N105 per litre. “For instance, the union fees, which was 30 kobo, now hovers around 50 kobo. The transport cost has also increased”, he said.