I won’t quit before June, Sanusi dares Jonathan

The controversy surrounding the planned exit of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, deepened on Thursday with the governor insisting that he would not quit the post until his term expired on June 2, 2014.

In keeping with his vow, which analysts see as a direct confrontation with President Goodluck Jonathan, Sanusi has said he will not proceed on his terminal leave in March as initially being speculated.

The President had reportedly asked the CBN governor to resign immediately because of the alleged deliberate leakage of the letter that Sanusi wrote to him in which the governor accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation of not remitting $49.8bn crude oil revenue to the Federation Account.

Sanusi was said to have denied leaking the letter to former President Olusegun Obasanjo or anyone for that matter, and allegedly told the President that he could only be removed by two-thirds of members of the Senate as required by law.

Ibori, others to complete jail terms in Nigeria

Nigeria and the United Kingdom  signed  an agreement on Thursday  on the exchange of prisoners between them.

Under the agreement, high-profile prisoners like  former  Governor James Ibori of Delta State, and other Nigerians in  the UK  prisons  will  be transferred to Nigeria to complete their  jail terms.

The UK Minister of Justice, Mr. Jeremy Wright, signed on behalf of his country while the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, SAN,  signed for Nigeria in Abuja.

Wright, who  visited the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, and the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, added that the  British government  would  give the Federal Government  £1m [about N280m} for a  comprehensive reform  of  Nigerian Prisons.

During the visit to Onwuliri, Wright  told journalists  that under the agreement, the consent of a prisoner was not required before  his repatriation could take place.

Tambuwal, Lamido shun N’West PDP leaders’ visit to Jonathan

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, and Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, on Thursday shunned a  visit by   leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in  the North-West   to President Goodluck Jonathan.

Sources however said their absence from the meeting   might not be unconnected  with their  perceived opposition to the running of the PDP at the national level and in their respective states.

  Lamido  is one of the seven PDP  rebel governors who sought the removal of Bamanga Tukur as the national chairman of the ruling party.

Five of the G-7 governors defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress, but the Jigawa governor elected to remain in the PDP with his Niger State counterpart, Babangida Aliyu.

   Tambuwal   is from  Sokoto  which is one of the states in the North-West .

Although the speaker’s media aide, Imam Imam, said he (Speaker) “travelled  out of the country, “  a source at the meeting said his absence was not justifiable.

People only pretend that nothing is happening under Jonathan —Prof. Nebo

Minster of Power, Proffessor Chinedu Nebo, is frustrated that in spite of all the efforts of President Goodluck Jonathan to transform the country, there are critics who say noting is happening. In this interview with LEON USIGBE, he cites the case of his ministry as an instance of how far Jonathan has worked and says, were it not for deliberate acts of sabotage by those who do not want the president to succeed, there would have been a different story by now.

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THE power sector is an area of priority for this administration. How are you coping with its challenges?
It is a situation where every Nigerian needs power and where there are so many challenges, challenges at the generating value chain link, challenges at the transmission, challenges at the distribution and then the increasing appetite of our compatriots for power, because it is power that drives industries; it is power that drives enterprises. It is power that drives all the manufacturing outfits, it is really power that drives our education; anywhere you go, power supply is critical, it is actually critical to the survival of our country and to the security of our country. So, lots of things are expected to happen; some good, some bad.

Double joy for Seun Kuti

2013 would be a memorable year for Seun Kuti, the last son of the late Afrobeat King, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The young man’s wife put to bed a few days before last Xmas.
Until recently, the couple had kept quiet about the delivery until it was revealed to the public  sometime in December 2013.

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His girlfriend, who is also his back-up dancer, Yetunde Ademiluyi, gave birth to a baby girl in Paris, France  on December 14, 2013.
The couple returned to Nigeria and were warmly received  by families, associates, friends and fans who could not hide their excitement when they showed up  at Seun’s Lagos residence on Thursday, few days after the couple had named the baby girl. Seun named the child Adara Olufuntan Fehintola Anikulapo Kuti.
While expressing his joy over the Yuletide present from his girlfriend, Seun told R that it was a welcome development as he had looked forward to being a father.

Why I gave my producer a new Camary 2013— KCEE

Limpopo crooner, KCEE, was in the news again during the week, but this time for a different reason. News filtered into town that the producer of his popular hit track, Del’ B, had been handed over the key of a brand new 2013 Toyota Camry by Kcee.

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KCEE who came back into reckoning in 2013 with his popular song Limpopo tied down a number of endorsements, chief among them was his MTN ambassadorial deal, which came shorlty after releasing the song.
Del’B who produced some of the hit tracks in KCEE’s album which was released late last year was said to have been shocked about the new gift which he received as his new year gift from the hip-hop star.
Though, KCEE did not disclose how much the car cost him, he did disclose that it was his way of appreciating Del’B for a job well done. He also confirmed that it was his joy to give back to those people who made 2013 a success for him.
“I really don’t want to talk more about this development because it is not a new thing. But I will just tell you that 2013 was a big year for me and I have decided to reward those who contributed to its success. It would not have been possible for me alone without the crew that stood by me through the years.”

Glo/CAF Awards: Chelsea charters plane for Mikel

Nigeria and Chelsea star Mikel Obi could not arrive in Lagos on Wednesday for the Glo-CAF award night as originally planned. Instead, the midfielder will arrive in Lagos on Thursday aboard a regular flight but will depart from the country aboard a Chelsea flight specially arranged for him by the Stamford Bridge team.

An assistant to the player told The PUNCH that the team’s training schedule made it impossible for Mikel to be in Lagos on Wednesday.

He said, “He was meant to be here with us on Wednesday but he could not get clearance from the manager. The coach insisted that he trained with the team on Wednesday for the weekend before leaving and so an alternative arrangement had to be put in place.”

By the latest schedule, Mikel will not pass the night in Nigeria as he is billed to leave for London immediately after the event holding at the Eko Hotel in Lagos. The midfielder who scored his fourth Chelsea goal on Sunday against Derby County in an FA Cup match has been a regular in Jose Mourinho’s recent games and he is expected to play a major role on Saturday when they face Hull City in a Premier League match.