Anxiety as pupil attacks teacher with machete

There was anxiety over the state of health of a teacher at the Osogbo Grammar School, Osun State, identified simply as Mr. Olamoyegun, on Thursday as a pupil of the Government Technical College in the town attacked him with a machete

Although what led to the attack on the teacher was still sketchy, our correspondent, however, gathered that the pupil pulled a surprise attack on the teacher, making it impossible for him to defend himself.

Some pupils of the OGS told our correspondent that the attacker, whose name had yet to be identified, attacked the teacher from the back and inflicted a deep cut on his head with the cutlass.

One of the OGS pupils, whose name is withheld for security purpose, said, “I think the person that attacked Mr. Olamoyegun is a cultist. That is what everybody is saying here because he just sneaked behind our teacher and attacked him with the cutlass in his hand. He did not give Mr. Olamoyegun the chance to defend himself.

Mandela dies at 95

Former South African President Nelson Mandela died on Thursday at the age of 95.

Mandela, the first black and post apartheid President of South Africa, died in his home in Johannesburg, according to South African President Jacob Zuma, who announced the late anti-apartheid hero’s death.

Mandela was discharged from a Pretoria hospital in September after spending seven months in the lung hospital, where he was admitted for lung infection. Relatives and the South African government have consistently maintained that his condition was “stable but critical.”

Abuja airport shut for 18 hours

PUNCH - Hundreds of passengers were  stranded for 18  hours at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday following  an  air incident involving a Saudi Arabian cargo plane.

 The  Boeing 747 with registration K74798, landed  at  about 10:12pm  on   Wednesday, but veered off the runway  into  the maintenance area, pulling with it a maintenance  equipment.

The development halted flight  operations at  the airport until about 5pm on Thursday when the Ministry of Aviation issued a statement announcing  the NAIA reopening.

Arik Air and Aero Contractors, had prior to announcement, cancelled all their flights out of the NAIA.

The plane, which The PUNCH learnt   was carrying five armoured Personnel carriers purchased by the Federal Government to aid the crusade against Boko Haram insurgents,     dragged the maintenance equipment with one of its   wings before stopping.

Amaechi’s enemies are not my enemies –Rivers CP

The Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Joseph Mbu, on Thursday appeared before the National Human Rights Commission to deny allegations of partisanship levelled against him by the state governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

But Mbu admitted that the governor’s enemies were not his enemies.

Amaechi had in the petition accused Mbu of various forms of human rights abuses and insubordination.

The governor also alleged that the crime rate in the state had risen as a result of Mbu’s attitude.

He asked the commission to investigate the petition and ascertain whether Mbu was fit to head the police formation in the state.

Following the development, the commission commenced investigations and invited the governor and the police commissioner to state their respective sides of the story.

On October 18, 2013, when the two parties were invited to appear before the commission, only Amaechi honoured the invitation.

In his meeing with the Commission’s officials, he expressed his readiness to make further appearances, whenever he was called upon.

Kidnappers seize corps member, demand N10m ransom

PUNCH - The Lagos State Police Command has commenced investigation into the kidnap of a 29-year-old National Youth Service Corps member, Ayobami Jaiyeola.

Relatives of the victim told PUNCH Metro that she was last seen while leaving her elder sister’s house at Dideolu Estate in the Oniru area of the state in the evening of Friday last week.

When our correspondent visited the victim’s home on Wednesday, family and friends thronged the place to commiserate with her mother.

A relative of the victim, who craved anonymity, said Ayobami left her two phones and handbag behind in the house at the time of her kidnap.

He said the matter was initially reported as a case of missing person.

He said, “On Friday, she suddenly left the house and walked outside the main gate of the estate. We have not heard anything from her since then. Her phones were here so there was little we could do.

“We asked the security guards at the gate if they noticed anything, but they said they only saw her walking out and no vehicle was seen nearby.

ASUU holds solidarity march for Iyayi

The funeral ceremony for the late Prof. Festus Iyayi began on Wednesday in Benin, Edo State capital, with  a solidarity march by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and civil society groups.

Members of ASUU in their hundreds  from other universities including the University of Ilorin, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Delta State University, Abraka  joined their colleagues in the University of Benin to pay their last respect to the late Iyayi.

Other groups represented included the Nigeria Labour Congress, Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations, Joint Action Front and Parents Consultative Association of Nigerian Universities.

The march, which began at about 10am,  included five kilometres walk to the residence of the late professor of Business Administration, on Bello Street, off Benin Lagos Expressway.

Addressing the participants in the march at the residence of late Iyayi, the Chairman of UNIBEN chapter of ASUU, Dr. Tony Monye-Emina, described the deceased as one of the country’s number one fallen heroes and a hero of ASUU struggles.

Controversy as Jonathan pays ‘private’ visit to Germany

Speculations were rife on Wednesday that the trip of  President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, to Germany which the Presidency described as “a private visit” might be on health grounds.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, had on Tuesday issued a statement indicating that Jonathan would leave Abuja for Germany en-route to Paris, France to participate in the Summit on Peace and Security in Africa.

Abati said the President would stop over in Germany for a private visit on his way to Paris and return to Abuja at the conclusion of the summit on Saturday.

The announcement of the “private visit” coming a few weeks after he fell sick in London, fuelled speculation that Jonathan might have decided to visit the same German hospital where his wife sought medical attention for about seven weeks last year.

Since he was accompanied by Patience, speculations were also  rife that she    might use the opportunity of the visit  to  undergo  a medical check-up.

Strike: ASUU distributes food, money to members

Striking lecturers at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria on Wednesday received relief materials, including food and money to enable them to cushion the effect of the ongoing industrial action.

The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities of the institution, Dr. Mohammed Kabir-Aliyu, who confirmed this to one of our correspondents, said the offer would help the beneficiaries to survive the hardship occasioned by the non-payment of their salaries.

According to him, lecturers in the university have not earned their salaries in the last four months.

Among items distributed to the lecturers were rice, semovita, vegetable oil and cash ranging from N20, 000 to N50, 000.

Kabir-Aliyu said they were ready to call the Federal Government’s bluff concerning the sack threat.

University teachers nationwide embarked on strike on July 1 to force the Federal Government to honour an agreement it had with them since 2009.

The Supervisory Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, had last Thursday threatened the striking lecturers to return to work on or before December 4 or face dismissal.

No going back on strike –Lecturers insist

Striking lecturers on Tuesday insisted that they would not return to class as directed by the Federal Government.

This is coming as the ultimatum given to them by the Federal Government to return to work expires today.

The Supervisory Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, on Thursday had directed the striking teachers to return to work  on or before December 4 or face dismissal.

Government had however extended the ultimatum to Monday to enable the lecturers t0 participate in the burial of a former President of ASUU, Prof. Festus Iyayi on Saturday.

He also asked the authorities of all the nation’s public universities to open attendance registers for the returning workers.

But at their different congresses on Tuesday, the striking lecturers under the auspices of the Academic Staff Union of Universities vowed that the sack threat by the Federal Government would not stop the five-months old industrial action.

Tambuwal attends meeting with Buhari, Tinubu, others

Leaders of the All Progressives Congress and governors elected on the platform of the party met with governors who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party in Abuja on Tuesday.

The meeting, which was held at the Kano Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, was said to have aimed at solidifying the defection of the five governors.

The governors, who left the PDP for the APC are Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); and Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano).

At the meeting were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mallam Waziri Tambuwal; a former Head of State, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Kwakwanso and Amaechi, Governor Babatunde Fashola and Kayode Fayemi of Lagos and Ekiti states respectively also attended the meeting.

Nigeria in Pot 2 for World Cup draw

Nigeria will be in Pot 2 when the draw for the 2014 World Cup holds on Friday in Brazil, FIFA has said.

FIFA on Tuesday released the make-up of the four pots that will be used for the draw.

As was known before the announcement, pot one consists of hosts Brazil along with the seven top-ranked teams – Belgium, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay.

However, while it was widely expected that France might join the remaining South American and African nations to form another pot of eight, they have actually been placed in a group of nine with the other European qualifiers in pot four.

You’re peddling falsehood, Okonjo-Iweala replies Ameachi

The war of words between the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, seems not to be over as the minister has described the latest call for her probe by the governor as a campaign of falsehood against her person.

Amaechi had called on the House of Representatives to probe the Minister of Finance and Minister of Water Resources, Stella Ochekpe over the alleged seizure of the World Bank and African Development Bank loans approved by the National Assembly for the state.

He had said, “The Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is using her position to undermine the safety and health of the people of Rivers State. I can’t afford to give all Rivers people bottled water, but all I can assure you is to ensure the provision of potable water.

ASUU strike: Confusion, despair greet FG’s ultimatum

Federal Government’s ultimatum to striking university teachers further compounds students’ ordeals, CHARLES ABAH writes

For over 150 days, Emmanuel Eze, a post-graduate student of Mass Communication at the Benue State University, Makurdi, has been idling away at home, no thanks to the nationwide strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

Like thousands of other students in the country, Eze initially hoped that the strike would be short. But it had dragged on indefinitely and in the process, delayed the progress of his academic programmme, which, he thought, would have ended last September.

To make matters worse, just when he had begun to look forward to a resolution of the conflict, his hope was suddenly dashed as the Federal Government, through the Supervising Minister for Education, Nyesom Wike, issued a directive to the striking lecturers last Thursday, ordering them to go back to work before December 4 or face dismissal. ASUU had quickly responded by asking its members to ignore the order.

Shocked by the new development, Eze wonders what has gone wrong again. Surprised that the matter has taken a different turn, especially at a time the affected students are expecting the industrial action to be called off, he has silently asked what has come over ASUU leadership and the Federal Government.

B’Haram hits military bases in Maiduguri

Scores of  civilians and  security operatives were killed  on Monday morning by  suspected Boko Haram terrorists, who  unleashed mayhem  on  military facilities and areas inhabited by  civilians in Maiduguri, Borno State.

The attacks  by   the insurgents, who rode into the  troubled city in different vehicles, including an armoured personnel carrier, chanting Islamic slogans, were  said to have  lasted  for about six hours before  they were  curtailed.

The Director of Defence Information, Brig.–Gen.  Chris Olukolade,   in an electronic mail on Monday, said  that  24 insurgents were killed in the attacks  which also resulted in the wounding of two    Nigerian Air Force personnel.

Although Olukolade   was silent on  the  civilian casualty, a   resident of the Gomari area, a few kilometres to the Maiduguri International Airport, said  he saw five trucks conveying dead soldiers to  a  hospital in the city  around 6am.

Enyeama heads for record books

Nigeria and Lille goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama will enter the record books if he can keep a clean sheet for just the first four minutes of his side’s match against Marseille on Tuesday.

The Nigeria number one goalkeeper kept his 10th clean sheet in a row for the Ligue 1 side as they stayed second in the table thanks to a 1-0 win over Valenciennes on Saturday.

The 31-year-old has kept a remarkable 13 clean sheets in 15 matches so far this season, and needs only not to concede for the first four minutes of the match against Marseille to break the record of 948 minutes without conceding a goal.

Interestingly, that record was set only a year ago, by Paris Saint-Germain keeper Salvatore Sirigu between November 17 2012 and February 8 2013.

But it could now be broken, with Enyeama having not conceded a goal for 945 minutes, since a 2-0 home defeat by Nice on September 15.

But despite the record chase, the player has been modest with his remarks on his current form.

Anambra: APGA thanks President, Obiano woos Ngige, others

The All Progressives Grand Alliance on Sunday threw a huge party at the riverside town of Aguleri, Anambra State, to celebrate its winning the 2013 governorship election, concluded early on Sunday morning.

But the All Progressives Congress candidate, Senator Chris Ngige, described the elected Willie Obiano as an impostor and declared that the struggle to restore the right of the people to choose their leadership had just begun.

National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, thanked the people of Anambra State, Governor Peter Obi and, particularly, President Goodluck Jonathan, who he said used their faith in democracy to ensure that the popular vote, prevailed.

He dedicated the victory to the late Biafran leader, Chief Emeka Ojukwu, saying, “The light which our late leader put on while he was alive is now shining gloriously with this victory.”

With the victory of APGA in Anambra State, Umeh said he was now well positioned to hand over the leadership of APGA to another trusted hand.

We’re winning the HIV/AIDS war, say Jonathan, Ki Moon

President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed optimism that Nigeria is committed to the elimination of HIV/AIDS by year 2030 in line with the resolution of the African Union during a summit held last year in Abuja.

Also, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, has expressed optimism that the world is winning the war against HIV/AIDS.

Though Jonathan admitted that HIV/AIDS remained a threat to the achievement of the government’s Transformation Agenda, he said Nigeria was winning the war against the pandemic.

The President, represented by the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said this on Sunday at Bwari Area Council Secretariat in Abuja as Nigeria joined the world to celebrate the 2013 World AIDS Day. The day is observed on December 1, every year to universally reflect on the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The theme for this year’s celebration is, “Getting to Zero: Know your HIV status.”

I’m a virus in PDP –Tukur

The National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has described himself as a virus in the party.

But unlike the Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, who said Tukur must be chased out because of the virus in him, the national chairman of the party however said he remained a positive virus in  the ruling party.

Tukur insisted that he was a necessary virus for the entrenchment of democratic culture, discipline and good governance in the party and the country.

He said he hoped that  Lamido would  soon catch this necessary virus for the good of the PDP and the country.

Tukur stated this in a statement issued by his Media Assistant, Mr. Oliver Okpala, in Abuja on Sunday.

Jonathan, Sambo meet PDP govs over defection

Two crucial meetings aimed at resolving the crisis in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party which led to the recent defection of five governors were held inside the Presidential Villa,  Abuja on Sunday.

The first was between 11  governors and two deputy governors and  Vice-President Namadi Sambo  while the   second was between President Goodluck Jonathan and the two remaining  rebel  governors -   Sule Lamido (Jigawa ( and   Babangida Aliyu (Niger).

While Jonathan met with the aggrieved governors inside the First Lady’s  Conference Room in the Villa;  Sambo and the other governors met in  House Seven.

The Jonathan, Aliyu and Lamido’s meeting which ended at about 10.29pm  was adjourned till  Sunday.

The Chairman of the PDP  Board of Trustees, Chief Anthony Anenih, who briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting said Jonathan, and the rebel governors were happy that they were moving to restore confidence and trust in the PDP leadership.

PDP’s plan to impeach me will fail –Amaechi

RIVERS State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has alleged plan by the Peoples Democratic Party to impeach him for defecting to the All Progressives Congress and said that the plot would fail.

Amaechi described the move by the PDP to oust him through the State House of Assembly as senseless and unnecessary, adding that the PDP would not be able to persuade the state lawmakers to impeach him.

The governor said on Sunday that he already had 26 members of the State House of Assembly that were on his side and pointed out that it would be difficult for the remaining five lawmakers in the House to remove him from office.

Amaechi, who spoke through the Chief of Staff Government House, Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha, said the governor had not committed any impeachable offence.

He said, “It is very impossible for the governor to be impeached. The impeachment plot, if it is real will definitely fail. How can five lawmakers impeach a governor in a House of 31 members?