IBB Denies Criticising Obasanjo, "I Was Misquoted"

Could it be that all those noise about somebody being “a fool at 70” and another being “a greater fool” was as a result of media manipulation? Well, hard as it may seem to believe, the man who allegedly caused the uproar has denied it all, blaming Nigerian journalist for quoting him out of context.

In a chat with the media during the Salah celebrations, former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, said the impression created by the media “was not what I meant”. He even regretted that the report had cost him some of his valuable relationships, which he said meant “a lot” to him.

Well, if you ask me, I think this “repentance” may not be unconnected with 2015... hmm, I dey laugh o!

Would-Be Couple Crushed To Death in Road Accident

The Benin-Ore road, which has become a veritable death knell for travellers due to the bad state of the road, on Thursday led to the death of an intending couple who was on their way to their hometown in the South-East for traditional marriage rites. They were crushed to death in a ghastly road traffic accident along with nine others, including two children.

The accident occurred around Okada junction of the Benin-Ore-Lagos highway at about 4pm when a commercial bus belonging to Peace Mass Transit Company and an on-coming truck had a head-on collision. The accident would have been avoided but for the fact that motorists travelling in opposite directions share the same lane oftentimes, because of the bad state of most parts of the road.

If the road was in good condition, head-on collision should not happen on a dualised highway, leading to the death of innocent souls... Boko Haram is killing people; poverty is killing; bad road is doing its own too. May God deliver this country from its predators, economic and political!

Quote of the Week - ‘Sleeping With Both Eyes Open’

As you may already know, former FCT minister, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, writes a weekly column on the back page of ThisDay Newspaper. This week's Quote of the Week is taking from his latest piece, which dwells on the spate of insecurity and other social vices in Nigeria:

"It is noteworthy to emphasise that Nigeria was NOT in the danger zone of being a failed state when the Index was first published in 2005; only to witness a rapid deterioration ever since from the then 54th in 2005 to 17th in 2007, to the current 14th position. So, how did we get here; so fast? Why has government failed to tackle the group? And while attention is centred on Boko Haram, what about the spates of communal clashes, armed robbery and environmental disasters like the recent floods in Lagos and Ibadan? That result in loss of precious Nigerian lives every day? 

A careful analysis of the components that make up the index score indicate that election rigging, internal displacement of people, poor delivery of social services, and the demographic explosion account for some of the deterioration. Most of it points to ineffective governance at all levels, and the monetisation and politicisation of our domestic security".

You can read the complete ARTICLE here>

Karen Denies Nude Pictures, Says “It’s Not Me”

Contrary to what Nigerians have been made to believe, Karen Igho, one of the winners of the Amplified edition of Big Brother Africa, have denied ever taking nude pictures. She also debunked allegations that she once worked in a strip club.

Are reaction to the ‘allegations’ in a recent interview:
“There’s a naked photo going round on the internet that is supposed to be me. It’s a lie, it’s not me. It’s the work of Photoshop. I have never posed nude and no amount of money can make me want to do it. My private body is mine. I wouldn’t want Africa to see me naked. There is also the story flying around saying that I am an ex-stripper. This is not true. As God don bless me, bad belle people wan bring me down. There are some things I will never do for money and my culture has taught me that. I am very principled”.

Karen is fighting hard to redeem her battered image after the minister of youths affairs denied her openly, in the heat of criticisms that he referred to her as an ambassador and role model.

FG Begs Libyan Rebels to Stop Killing Nigerians

The federal government of Nigeria on Thursday described the reported killings of Nigerians in Libya as worrisome, and pleaded with the Transitional National Council to put an end to it. The call was made in a statement by the ministry of foreign affairs. The statement reiterated Nigeria’s support for the Libyan people but urged the rebels’ leaders to check the excesses of their men.

“Reports revealed outright killings, rape and extortion of money from these helpless Africans who have taken refuge in camps, as well as those in detention and incarceration. This development is a deviation from the overall expressed desire of the Transition National Council, the African Union and indeed the United Nations for the restoration of democracy and good governance in Libya.” The statement added.

Please those rebels should stop that nonsense o. After all, how government recognised them. Abi they want us to send militants to attack them?...

In another development, I even heard that some militants have asked President Jonathan to relocate Aso Rock from Abuja to the Niger Delta because of Boko Haram attack. What! Anyway, I just hope they are not serious sha, because our President is not going anywhere. No way!

School Principals Fail Promotion Exam

Before now, there is a sense of proud that come with being identified as someone from Ekiti State - some of you already know that yours truly hails from the “fountain of knowledge”. But all that is now becoming history as the ones glorious fortress is fast becoming a shadow of its self.

If not, how else would one explain the massive failure of some Secondary School Principals during a promotion examination conducted by the state government recently? The troubling development was revealed by Governor Kayode Fayemi on Thursday while addressing participants at a youth empowerment seminar in Ado-Ekiti. This is how he described the situation: “The result was very horrible and is one of the reasons students perform woefully in internal and public examinations”.

The governor painted another gory picture when he disclosed that the case of graduates from the state’s institutions is worse, adding that most of them who apply to be enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force did not do well in the examination. The commissioner of police in the state, according to Governor Fayemi, even expressed shock at the performances of those who participated in the exercise from the state.

Anyway, not to worry, I heard the governor is putting a system in motion to tame the ugly tide. He has called for the “declaration of state of education (in Ekiti) as a moral emergency zone”… Let’s see how far that would go in salvaging the situation.