Tribunal: I’m Sure of Victory, Dino Melaye Boasts

Senator Dino Melaye, last weekend at Iyara, headquarters of Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State boasted that he was sure of winning at the tribunal in the case instituted against him by Senator Smart Adeyemi challenging his victory of March 28 general election.

Melaye, who spoke at the annual Ijumu Day celebration held at the Palace of Olujumu of Ijumuland, turned the occasion into a political jamboree as he and his supporters caused a stir when they started singing songs of victory over the pending suit which judgement had been fixed for October 10, 2015.

Melaye, a special guest of honour at the ceremony, averred that those who dragged him before the tribunal were just wasting their time, saying nobody could stop him from completing his four years term as a senator.

Asked if he knew he would win the case by the crowd, Melaye uged them to just wait till judgement day to celebrate the foreseen victory, when the Tribunal, led by Justice Akon Ikpeme, would rule in his favour.

UK Court Seizes Diezani’s Money

Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has obtained permission from the Westminster Magistrate’s Court on Marylebone Road, London to temporarily seize 27,000 pounds that is about $41,000 from former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke.

An Administrative Officer at Westminster Magistrates’ Court said that the NCA had applied to the court for an order to seize various sums of money in relation to Alison-Madueke and two other women for up to six months.

No details were given on the link between the three women.

Earlier reports on Monday suggested that the former minister had appeared in court, but this turned out to be incorrect.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke also failed to appear at the Charing Cross Police Station where she was expected to report on Monday according to reports from Friday night when she was granted bail.

Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian lead most-followed Instagram accounts with 48m, 47m followers

The ladies of U.S. pop music and pop culture are commanding the most followers among the 400 million plus global users of Instagram.
The photo-sharing app made this known on Tuesday as it celebrated its fifth anniversary.
Facebook Inc-owned Instagram confirmed its top five accounts for the first time with 25-year-old pop singer Taylor Swift leading the pack with 49.6 million users.
















Reality star Kim Kardashian, 34, boasts of 48.1 million followers, while R&B singer Beyonce also 34, commands 47.2 million fans.

APC Chieftain Bolster Sensitization Campaign For Audu

As the gubernatorial election in Kogi State draws closer, an Abuja-based chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who hails from Egume, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Hon. Hassan Namiji Aboh has embarked on a robust sensitization campaign to bring the electorates, particularly those of Dekina Local Government extraction to par in ensuring the victory of Prince Abubakar Audu in the November 21st governorship election.

While speaking to journalists during the commissioning of a party office he set up in Egume to bolster the strength of the party and boost the campaign of Prince Audu, Hon. Hassan Aboh maintained that the people of Egume his immediate community and Dekina Local Government as a whole have resolved to make the candidacy of Prince Abubakar Audu their only and best alternative as they believe he possess the merit, competence, and capacity to bringing smiles on the faces of Kogites and called on other Local Government Areas in the State to take a cue from Dekina LG.

California governor signs bill on doctor-aided suicide

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill allowing terminally ill patients to commit doctor-aided suicide.

The bill, passed in September in Californian Senate, allowed doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to patients who were determined to have only six months or less to live.

It was required that patients submit written request for the lethal drugs and two doctors agree to the prescription.

INEC approves 50 observer groups for Kogi, Bayelsa polls

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it has approved 50 groups to observe the forthcoming Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections scheduled for Nov. 21 and Dec. 5 respectively.

This is contained in the commission’s daily bulletin issued on Monday in Abuja.

The bulletin quoted Mr Bala Shittu, the Director of Elections and Party Monitoring Department (EPM), giving the breaking down of the figures as 43 and 7 local and foreign organisations respectively.

It directed that the approved groups should obtain, complete and return Form EPMC 002 for the two elections from the Elections and Party Monitoring Department, INEC national Headquarters, Abuja.

It stated that the office would be opened, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, Oct. 2 to Oct. 23.

``The photographs of members of staff to be deployed by approved groups in the two states along with their names should be submitted in hard and soft copies to the said department latest Oct. 23.

``Late submission will not be entertained.”

It added that the dates for distribution of Observer kits in the two states would be communicated in due course.

``Further enquiries should be directed to the Director, Elections and Party Monitoring Department,” it added.

Kogi approves immediate employment of 500 science teachers

Kogi Government has given an immediate approval for the recruitment of 500 science teachers for secondary schools in the state.

The Chairman of the Teaching Service Commission, Chief Sylvester Onoja, who made the disclosure in Lokoja, said the approval was given by Gov. Idris Wada.

The approval came at a time teachers in secondary school in the state gave a notice to commence a three-day warning strike from Oct. 7 to Oct 9.

He spoke at a ceremony by the Academic Staff Union of Senior Secondary Schools (ASUSS) to mark 2015 Teachers Day.

Onoja said that the new teachers would be recruited from among those that sat for written and oral interviews in 2013.

He said that names of the successful teachers would be out on Oct. 6, while the distribution of employment letters to them would start the following day.

Onoja admitted that schools in the state were in bad shape but said that the government was trying to address the situation gradually, noting that about six secondary schools had been renovated.

The ASUSS State Chairman, Mr Ranti Ojo, had said that the warning strike would affect 203 senior secondary schools in the state.

Ojo said that the objective was to call the attention of government to the deplorable situation in public secondary schools.