Bayelsa News Tv

At least 14 people have been killed, over 70 injured and 150 feared trapped after a portion of a flyover under construction collapsed over taxis and other vehicles in the Indian city of Kolkata on Thursday, March 31, according to police. Witnesses say rescuers are using their bare hands to try to save those caught under the rubble. Television footage shows people passing water bottles through to those who are crying out for help from beneath the debris. One witness has told the New Delhi Television news channel (NDTV): “We heard a loud rumble and then saw a lot of dust in the sky.” Another added: “The area was very, very crowded. Motorised rickshaws, taxis … there was a lot of traffic.” Large concrete slabs from the construction site fell onto traffic below, reports said. Heavy duty cranes have apparently been brought in to move the wreckage, but attempts have so far been unsuccessful. Senior police officer Akhilesh Chaturvedi said 15 critically injured people had been rescued. “Most w...

There was massive defection of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday at Afo in Ose local government area of Ondo State. The defectors were led by a community leader and Atunluse of Afo, Chief R.B Animola. At the event witnessed by many party supporters, the Asiwaju of Afo community, Chief Oni Olowu said the grassroots mobilization drive and sensitization of the people to come out massively to support the APC is the key to the success of the progressive party in the coming gubernatorial election. He commended the leader of the decampees, Animola who worked for the realisation of the massive defection of PDP members to APC in the community. Olowu described Animola as a political reference point in Ose local government, Ondo State and Nigeria, whose political experience spanning over 60 years and still counting. He expressed his gratitude on behalf of the six Irekari communities in the Local government area. The politician also apprec...

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said there is no disagreement whatsoever between the Executive and the Legislature on the 2016 Budget, which has been passed by the National Assembly. ”There is absolutely no rift, no issue of budget being sent back. Things are just taking their due course,” the Minister said in Abuja on Thursday when he visited the corporate headquarters of the Leadership newspaper, as part of his continuous engagement with stakeholders in the media industry. He said it was not true that the President has refused to sign the Appropriation Bill passed by the National Assembly, adding: ”It takes a few days (after the passage) for the National Assembly to clean up the document in readiness for the President’s assent.” Speaking further on the budget, Alhaji Mohammed said when it is eventually passed into law, it will lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty, thanks to the six focal areas of social intervention contained therein. “The first...

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has opened bids for the co-location of refineries. This is contained in a statement signed by Garba Deen Muhammad, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, on Thursday in Abuja. It said the NNPC was committed to boosting the nation’s refining capacity which in turn would put an end to perennial fuel scarcity in the country. According to the statement, nine companies submitted bid. NNPC Chief Operating Officer (Refineries), Anibo Kragha, in statement said the open bidding exercise was a demonstration of the determination of the federal government to increase the nation’s refining capacity from 445,000 barrels per day to 650,000. “The aim is to leverage on the existing facilities to fast track the take-off of the refineries as soon as possible,” he said. According to him, a technical evaluation committee has been set up to study the bids and announce winners as soon as possible. Also, the corporation’s General Manager, Supply...

President Muhammadu Buhari said Thursday in Washington DC that he will critically review the 2016 Appropriation Bill  passed by the National Assembly before assenting to it. Speaking at a meeting with the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, President Buhari said that in view of the controversial alteration and padding of the budget proposals, he needed to review the appropriation bill to be certain that its contents tallied with the authentic budget proposal presented to the National Assembly. "Some bureaucrats removed what we put in the proposal and replaced it with what they wanted. I have to look at the bill that has been passed by the National Assembly, ministry by ministry, to be sure that what has been brought back for me to sign is in line with our original submission," the President said. Declaring that his administration will continue to vigorously prosecute its war against corruption, President Buhari sought and received an assurance from Mr. Kerry tha...

The Lagos State Ministry of Education has disbursed special local scholarships worth N23,480,000 to 60 blind students and 366 others. The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Education, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh presented the recipients with their cheques in his office with support from Mrs Omautan Jegede, the Director, Lagos State Scholarship Board (LSSB). Reports noted that the blind students from the School of the Blind, Oshodi, got N3,000,000; 34 sportsmen who have won for Lagos in sporting events, got N6, 880,000, after providing evidence of admission into tertiary institutions; and 332 students of the Lagos State College of Health Technology, Yaba, were given N13,600,000. In his speech, while thanking the government, the Principal of the school, Mr Shola Ogunsiji, said the scholarship would go a long way to help the school educate and rehabilitate the students, some of whom became blind as a result of accidents or illnesses. Bank-Olemoh said the government is still giving ...

According to reports available to AlaMathias.Com  , In 2013, 19 Dutch prisons closed because the country didn’t have enough criminals to fill them. Now, five more prisons are slated to close their doors by the end of the summer, according to internal documents obtained by The Telegraaf. While these closures will result in the loss of nearly 2,000 jobs, only 700 of which will transition into other roles within Dutch law enforcement, the closing of prisons follows a steady drop in crime since 2004. Funny enough, the “problem” of empty jail cells has even gotten to the point where, last September, they had to import 240 prisoners from Norway just to keep the facilities full. Still, according to The Telegraaf’s report, Justice Minister Ard van der Steur announced to parliament that the cost of maintaining sparsely-filled prisons was a major problem for the country. A number of factors underlie the Netherlands’ ability to keep its crime rate so low, namely, relaxed drug laws, a focus on...

An application filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Baylesa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, seeking to inspect election materials used for the December 5, 2015 and January 9, 2016 governorship election held in the state was heard on Thursday by the election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja. Among the 37 materials sought to be inspected are the ballot papers used for the two elections, police security report, video and audio report, appointed observer’s reports and the duplicate copy of the Certificate of Return issued to Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party. The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Kazeem Alogba, fixed the hearing of the application for Thursday following the agreement of parties in the matter. Earlier, other applications challenging the competence of some portions of the petition had been adjourned till April 7, 2016. One of the applications was filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The recruitment of 10, 000 Policemen would commences nationwide on Friday, April, 1, 2016, the Police Service Commission has said. A statement signed by Ikechukwu Ani, head of Public Relations quoted Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Mike Okiro saying that there will be no short cut in the exercise as everything has been put in place to ensure that the integrity of the process will be preserved at all the stages of the exercise. He explained that the Nigeria Police Force deserves the best brains in the Nigerian society, stressing that the Commission will ensure that only the best will be engaged as Policemen who will sustain the cherished tradition of the Force and also help to maintain peace as well as securing lives and property of Nigerians and non-Nigerians. “The website portal for the recruitment exercise opens today he said. Okiro further warned the Staff of the Commission who will be involved in the screening of candidates to avoid any act that will compromise the integrity of the...

Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, says the abduction of over 200 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, is a ruse, which is at best, a political strategy. Fayose, while speaking on Wednesday, said he doesn’t believe that the girls were abducted in 2014 while stressing that there’s been no indication to back up the abduction reports. While declaring open a two-day workshop on “Political Aspirants Capacity Enhancement” organised by Women Arise for Change Initiative, Fayose said: “Today, many opposition leaders are underground.” “I don’t think any of these girls is missing; it is a political strategy. Who is fooling who? If you wanted to use it to remove some people, you have succeeded already.” “I don’t know if there are missing girls but no indication has shown that. It is a political strategy, because I don’t think any girl is missing. If they are missing, let them find them.” The governor also said some of the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners are using...

Palpable tension has continued to mount in Oki-Agbor community in Delta State following the gruesome murder of a 48-year-old lady, Mrs. Nkemelem Dorothy Onahor, by suspected assassins. Though the police in Agbor have arrested the prime suspect identified as Christian (surname withheld) and two other persons, the killing of the lady, who is a widow, has continued to create ripples within the Agbor community and its environs. The details are shocking. Police image maker in the state, Mrs. Celestina Kalu, who spoke with journalists in Asaba, said the suspects would be charged to court on completion of investigation, adding that more arrests would be made. A source at the Oki community, John Ogbeide, said Mrs. Onahor was on her way to Oke community for a burial in her late husband’s family compound when the assassins attacked and took her life. It was gathered that the prime suspect (Christian) had waited for two days at a particular spot for the victim, knowing that she would be attending...

President Muhammadu Buhari has attributed the triumph of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2015 general election to the vision of the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Buhari said this in a tribute which was presented at the 8th Bola Tinubu Colloquium in Abuja. At the event, held to commemorate the 64th birthday of Tinubu, the President said the former governor of Lagos State was the brains behind the merger of Nigeria’s main opposition parties in 2013. He said without Tinubu’s vision and intelligence, APC would not have been formed or be in power. Buhari stated, “If Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not participate, there wouldn’t have been a merger and there wouldn’t have been an APC government at the centre. That is absolutely clear. He should thank God that he has gone through so much and has remained relevant, that he is healthy and young.” Earlier in his address, the President had contended that Tinubu remained one of the most important figures in Nigeria at the mom...

The Board of Trustee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the party’s flag bearer in the forthcoming 2019 Presidential election must emerge from the Northern part of the country. According to the acting BoT chairman, Sen. Jibril Walid this will be done in order to compensate for alleged violation of the zoning arrangement in the 2011 election, which he said contributed to the party’s woes in the last 2015 general elections. Walid warned that anyone trying to reverse this decision would “ever remain an enemy to the North, a mercenary and killer of the PDP”. He said, “To change this decision now is a further invitation to impunity, a lack of party democracy, non-adherence to the party’s zoning principles, influence of ‘god-fatherism’, a lack of respect for the decision of constituted party organs, self-imposition and killing the PDP.” “The BoT shall resist any move by anybody to destroy the good foundation set by our founding fathers and mothers and shall remain the consci...

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a woman, identified only as Mary, for allegedly fracturing the head of her eight-year-old son. The son, Samuel, was punished for leaving the house without permission and going to a neighbour’s place. Our correspondent gathered that Mary, who lived on Furniture Avenue, Jakande Estate Gate in the Isolo area of the state, allegedly hurled a stone at Samuel which broke his head. Angry neighbours were said to have attempted to mob Mary before the arrival of policemen from the Isolo Police Division, who took the woman away, while Samuel was rushed to a government hospital. PUNCH Metro gathered that on Friday, at about 1pm, Mary, who worked as a lotto agent, had returned and did not meet Samuel at home. She was said to have met the boy in a neighbour’s place and attempted to flog him. While Samuel ran, the mother allegedly picked a stone and hurled it at the boy. The stone hit the boy’s head, damaging his head. When our correspondent got to Furnitur...

The pastor who used human bodies lined up as part of his church foundation has finally been apprehended. The corpses were buried inside the foundation of a church building under construction and totally covered with concrete in Enugu State Nigeria. According to the police,the workers might have been bribed to do this evil act and now that the master minder has been apprehended,hopefully through his confession all other culprits will be apprehended. See more photos..

As Tinubu celebrates his birthday amidst praises from his friends, family and associates, The Bola Colloquium has reeled out some of his achievements for public consumption. Below are list of legacies Tinubu is associated with, after he governed Nigeria’s most viable commercial state – Lagos and in his political life. Read below: 1. Tinubu instituted of a reform plan that greatly improved the welfare of judicial officers including magistrates 2. He revamped the civil and criminal procedure rule as well as creation of the Citizens Mediation Centre; a well-staffed and independent Office of the Public Defender, offering legal services for the poor. 3. He established additional 5 general hospitals in Lagos state 4. He upgraded facilities at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) 5. He provided free healthcare services including free ante-natal care for women, free eye treatments and free glasses, popularly called ‘JIGI BOLA’. 6. He pioneered the Bus Rapid Transit System and LAGBUS 7. H...

According to him, diversifying the economy could no longer be a slogan but a necessity; adding that agriculture will be used to save foreign exchange and pull many out of poverty. Buhari, who chaired the 8 Bola Tinubu Colloquium in Abuja, said despite tough fiscal times, his administration will continue to make substantial investments in human capital development. He said: “The theme for this year could not have been better chosen. As the nation grapples with decades of dependence and profligacy of natural resources, and the coincidence of shrinking of oil prices, the chickens have indeed come home to roost. “Diversifying the economy can no longer be a slogan. It has become a necessity. “Economic growth cannot just be for the lucky few at the top, it has to be broad-based, for every Nigerian citizen, and a good place to start is with the agricultural sector. “We face urgent challenges – tackling insecurity, creating jobs, addressing the country’s balance of payments and stimulating and...

A group operating under the platform of Coalition of Ibile Professionals on Tuesday said they are backing the choice of Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka as co-chair of the Lagos at 50 Celebration committee. The group in a statement issued by its general secretary, Alhaji Wasiu Hassan, said members of Eko Foundation who were critical of the move were seeking cheap publicity and attention for relevance. Hassan stated that Lagos State is made up of five divisions namely Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe, adding that all the divisions are relevant for the progress of the state. He picked holes in the insinuation that indigenes had been marginalized because some Eko Foundation members, who are exclusively from the Lagos Island division lost out in the search for appointment. According to him, the Lagos Island division enjoyed the seat of power in Lagos for the last eight years as against other divisions. He added that the coalition will resist any campaign of calumny again...

The budget was apparently transmitted to him on Tuesday by the National Assembly but the president turned down the request to append his signature to the document because it was found out to be mere highlights rather than the entire document. Both houses of the National Assembly finally passed the N6.06trillion budget last week but it was not clear whether the conference committee of the two chambers of the legislature had harmonized it. The National Assembly either did not complete work on the budget or are playing politics with the documents which affects the life of both the country and its citizens. The National Assembly only sent in the highlights without the details of the budget."  the President has not signed the Bill because he does not know what is contained in the details and what adjustments the National Assembly must have made to the proposal sent to them

The Nigerian Army Colonel who was abducted on Sunday evening, Samaila Inusa, has been found dead. A statement by the Nigerian Army said Inusa was found dead at about 6pm on Tuesday. The statement said preliminary investigation revealed that the late senior officer was most likely killed the same day he was kidnapped by his abductors. This is because the body was found already decomposing around Ajyaita village, off Eastern Bypass, Kaduna, Kaduna State. The statement said arrangements are in progress to move the body to 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna. It added: “We wish to state in unmistakeable terms that whoever is behind his abduction and murder would be fished out to face the full wrath of the law.”

A hijacker who seized an Egyptian airliner and forced it to land in Cyprus has been detained, officials said on Tuesday. “The hijacker has just been arrested,” Cypriot government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said on Twitter, without providing further details. A man emerged from the aircraft and then walked across the tarmac and raised his hands to two awaiting counter-terrorism police officers, an AFP correspondent reported. They laid him on the ground and searched him for around two minutes before taking him away. The hijacker had claimed to be wearing an explosives belt when he took over the plane. Police had yet to enter the aircraft 30 minutes after his surrender.

President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to good-spirited individuals and non-governmental organizations (NGO) to contribute their quota to the development of the country, saying the efforts of government need to be complemented. Speaking on Tuesday at the 8th Bola Tinubu Colloquium, Buhari said the current situation in the country has made some people reach the conclusion that “the barriers are insurmountable”. He asked Nigerians to expect more action in the coming months, saying his government remains committed to investing in human capital. “We need a new approach that challenges more states and local governments, more organisation, companies and non-governmental organisations and individuals… government cannot and should not do it alone,” he said. “We can achieve more with partnership that link up and scale up our efforts. “Some have even become disorientated and impatient enough to think that barriers are insurmountable… In the coming months, Nigerians will see much more actions. G...

There are strong indications that Bayelsa state gubernatorial election palaver before the Tribunal is going to receive due attention at Court 14 Iyanya today, Tuesday 29th March, 2016 if information at our news desk is anything to go by. A source who spoke to our correspondent has it that the political legal fire works from the two political heavy weights of the ruling APC and the opposition PDP have filed in their legal positions before the Tribunal and will now attend court for what is called preliminary hearing. The election Tribunal for the governorship of Bayelsa State was shifted from the Bayelse state capital, Yenagoa, to Abuja on grounds of anticipated violence. The Shift of the tribunal to Abuja was ordered by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa. Hearing of the case is said to be accelerated according legal sources.

Four persons died yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, in an accident at Uncle Joe on the Mokola-Sango Road. It was learnt that the survivor, a woman, is on danger list with a broken leg. The five victims, comprising three men and two women, were reportedly coming from a night club alongside others in two cars.The Nation reports. Eyewitnesses said the three cars were speeding from Dugbe to Sango when a blue Toyota Corona, marked Lagos EKD 470BJ, lost control while trying to overtake the other cars at 5.15am. The car reportedly collided with a concrete wall in the middle of the road. Four of the victims -a woman and the three men- died on the spot. A source said some bottles of alcoholic wine were recovered from the car. It was gathered that it took Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) officials, policemen and other sympathisers an hour before the bodies could be recovered from the mutilated car. The State FRSC spokesperson, Oluwaseun Onijala, said three male adults died. He, ho...

Rivers Rerun: Army hands over 46 political thugs for prosecution The Nigerian Army is to hand over about 46 suspects, arrested in connection with the last re-run elections in Rivers State to the state Police command today. A top security source, who disclosed this, said some of the suspects were arrested in Abonnema, headquarters of Akuku Toru Local Government Area of the state a few days to the re-run elections. It was gathered that they were allegedly recruited as political thugs for the elections, while the Army, acting on a tip-off, swooped on them at their hideouts. The security source said that the action of the soldiers prevented whatever sinister move the alleged thugs planned to prosecute on the election day. “The Army was proactive with the arrest, because it was clear the suspects would have wreaked much havoc during the re-run elections,” the source said. Some of those arrested were alleged to be from other states. It was also gathered that some of the suspects were also ar...

The Rivers state police command arrested three female suspected members of a kidnapping and armed robbery gang in their hideout at Rumuolumeni in Rivers state yesterday March 28th. The three female suspects arrested are 27 year Queen Eze, 24 years old Osorachi Onyemu and 22 years old Queen Godspower. Items recovered from them include one AK 47 rifle, four magazines, 120 rounds of 7.62 live ammunition, One Toshiba laptop computer, a set of vehicle plate number RUM 832 CB, one generator and dried leaves suspected to be marijuana. The suspects are now being investigated with a view of apprehending their accomplices who are on the run.