Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has opened a wide lead over his rivals in the South Carolina primary election race, trouncing Newt Gingrich and gaining momentum in his march toward the party’s nomination, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, could all but quash his rivals’ presidential aspirations with a victory in South Carolina on January 21 after winning the first state-by-state nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. Voters in South Carolina – who have favored Republicans in nine of the last 10 presidential elections – appear to have shrugged off attacks on Romney by rivals who…
Author: Odeworitshe Okafor
An Oxford mathematician was released on bail today after being grilled for 36 hour in the death of his best friend who was another Oxford professor. Dr. Devinder Sivia was arrested in connection with the death of 50-year old astrophysicist Steven Rawlings, although police have not been able to determine how Rawlings died Wednesday night. An autopsy was completed on Thursday but coroners were not able to pin down the cause of death.
Details of how the Chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas, Mr. Femi Otedola, escaped the wrath of the angry protesters that stormed his house on the Day 2 of the mass protest against the withdrawal of the subsidy on petrol have begun to emerge. Sources close to Otedola, who is one of the beneficiaries of the subsidy fund, told The Eagle Online that Otedola had to scale the fence of his Ikoyi, Lagos home as soon as he was told that the protesters were at his gate. It was learnt that Otedola was assisted by his security aides to scale…
Indications emerged in the wee hours of today that the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, may, with a fiat, announce a new price for petrol in a nationwide broadcast today following the refusal of organized labour to budge from its position for a reversal to N65 in talks with the Federal Government.
The Federal Government team to the talks between organized labour and the government has just ended its meeting, which began after the labour team left. The head of the government delegation and President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, hinted of a possible resumption of the talks tomorrow though he did not give a specific time.
The meeting between organized labour and the federal Government has ended in a deadlock. Both sides could not reach a compromise. The implication of this, according to the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, is that the status quo remains: the strike continues.
Both the government and labour teams to the ongoing meeting in the Presidential Villa used the opportunity of the break to re-strategise. President of the Trade Union Congress, Peter Esele, and his Nigeria Labour Congress counterpart, Abdulwahed Omar, were seen discussing during the break. The same was observed with the government team. The meeting has just resumed.
The Trade Union Congress has made known the position of its National Executive Committee on the removal of subsidy on petrol: It should be reversed to N65 with negotiation on its withdrawal tied to specific timelines on the resuscitation of the country’s refineries. In a terse statement on its wall on social media, Facebook, it said: “TUC’s official position arising from the NEC meeting: :Revert to N65/litre then commence negotiations tied to timelines to bring back domestic refineries on stream.” This position is one of the many being canvassed by Nigerians in the bid to sanitise the oil industry. The…
The ongoing meeting in Aso Rock over the withdrawal of subsidy on petrol has gone on break. It is not clear when it will reconvene. But it is certain it will continue later today. Update soon.
A suspected surge that affected a air conditioner in the National Assembly, Abuja almost set the whole complex on fire today but for the prompt intervention of officers and men of the Nigeria Fire Service. The fire, which affected in the main offices located above the senate Chamber in the White House Building, was put off by fire teams of the Nigeria Fire Service, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation and Julius Berger of Nigeria Plc.
Meeting set to start as labour delegation arrivesThe meeting between organised labour and the government will get underway any minute from now as the delegation of labour just arrived the venue of the meeting, the First Lady Wing of Aso Rock Presidential Villa.It is led by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar.The 18-man team also includes the President of the Trade Union Congress, Peter Esele; and the acting General Secretary of the NLC, Owei Lakemfa.More details soon.
The delegation of the organised labour is still being expected at the meeting between labour and the government scheduled to hold in Aso Rock. Sources at the Presidential Villa said that the government team was set for the meeting but just waiting for the team from organised labour.
The Senate team to the meeting in the Presidential Villa arrived a few minutes ago. It was led by the President of the Senate, who was the Negotiator-in-Chief at the last meeting on Thursday, Senator David Mark. Mark, whom President Goodluck Jonathan gave the mandate to negotiate with organised labour on Thursday, drove himself to the venue.
The meeting between government and labour over the withdrawal of subsidy is almost set to commence in the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Popularly called Aso Rock, delegates to the meeting have started arriving. Among those who arrived early were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who drove himself, Hon. Tambuwal (he was not at the last meeting); his deputy who came in with him, EmekaIhedioha; the Sokot State Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Wamako; Governor Murtala Nyako; the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dizeani Allison-Madueke; the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Usman; The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; her Labour…
Aston Villa 1-1 Everton Blackburn 3-1 Fulham Chelsea 1-0 Sunderland Liverpool 0-0 Stoke Man U 3-0 Bolton Tottenham 1-1 Wolverthampton West Brom 1-2 Norwich
Commercial activities in Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria was at its peak on Saturday, the first of the two strike-free days declared by organized labour. Virtually all markets and Automated Teller Machine points were filled to the brim. Our correspondents who visited Ikeja, Victoria Island, Ketu, Ogba, Abule Egba and many other spots reported that the scenario was the same.
A few hours before the resumption of discussions between the government and organized labour on the vexed issue of removal of subsidy on petrol, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economic Team of the Federal Government, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has again risen in defence of government’s action on the issue. Okonjo-Iweala, in a Status Update message on popular social media, Facebook, said that the withdrawal of subsidy on petrol was in the best interest of Nigerians. She said that subsidy only benefitted the rich and the corrupt, a sore point in the argument of many who believe…
January 14, 2012 Aston Villa v Everton – 3pm Blackburn v Fulham – 3pm Chelsea v Sunderland – 3pm Liverpool v Stoke – 3pm Man U v Bolton – 3pm
The buddy-buddy relationship between America and Israel could falter as it is revealed that Mossad intelligence officers posed as CIA agents in order to recruit and train Iranian terrorists, all unbeknown to US authorities. American intelligence officials have come clean with details surrounding Israel’s attempt to infiltrate the network of the Iranian terrorist group Jundallah. According to internal memos just released, Washington was initially unaware that agents working for Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, were recruiting Iranian terrorists under the guise that they would be hired and trained by the CIA.
A former Managing Director of Exxon Mobil for Nigeria, who is now the Vice-President of Exxon Mobil Corporation, John Chaplain, has described Nigeria’s energy sector as corrupt. Chaplain said that corruption is one of the four challenges the energy sector in Nigeria is facing. The other challenges Chaplain identified were under-investment in Joint Venture funding, civil unrest and specific pending legislation governing local content and gas fiscal terms.