O'Dimeji Blog

Freshly elected Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen disappeared from China’s most popular social network on Saturday, with censors working swiftly to block any mention of the Beijing-wary politician as she stormed to victory on the island. The AFP reported that searches for “Tsai Ing-wen” and “Taiwan elections” on the Twitter-like Weibo network turned up a message that read, “According to relevant laws, regulations and policies, the results for this search cannot be shown,” a signal for words blocked by China’s army of Internet gatekeepers. The island’s first female president won in a landslide victory over the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) on Saturday, as voters turned their backs on closer China ties. Support for Tsai has surged as voters have become increasingly uneasy about a recent rapprochement with China under the KMT’s Ma Ying-jeou. Tsai wasted no time in warning China that “suppression” would harm cross-strait ties...

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has proposed a budget of N150.645bn for the 2016 fiscal year. The governor named the 2016 Appropriation Bill “Budget of Transition”, presented it to the state House of Assembly in Yenagoa for consideration on Friday. The current estimate is a sharp drop of 2015 budget of over N320bn. The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Konbowei Benson, who presided over proceedings, received the 2016 budget document from Dickson. The state government plans to spend N99.380bn as recurrent expenditure with N51.265bn earmarked for capital receipts. The state government said it intended to spend N43.126bn as personnel cost and N20.270bn as overhead, while consolidated revenue fund charges stood at N6.850bn and capital expenditure was N25.399bn. Dickson allocated a lion’s share of N5.200bn to Works and Infrastructure. Education got N4bn; health, N2bn; sport, N1bn; community development N1.7bn and agriculture and natural r...

THE Arch-Bishop, Province of Niger Delta, Most Reverend Ignatius Kattey, has said that the struggle for Biafra was not for thugs and miscreants. Kattey explained that it was necessary for people that mattered, including lawmakers, to come together and decide whether Biafra should be or not. He stated that though he was neither in support not against Biafra, it was not time to begin such agitation. The cleric was making a reference to the agitation for a sovereign state of Biafra by members and supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra. Speaking while delivering his sermon on Sunday during an inter-denominational service to mark the Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the Saint Thomas Anglican Church in Port Harcourt, Kattey insisted that the necessary authorities should take a decision on the matter. “Men that matter, including House of Assembly and Representatives, Senate, should come together and decide...

Gunmen on Sunday shot dead a police corporal, David Sunday, and his friend, identified as Taiwo Balogun, in the Agege area of Lagos. Our correspondent learnt that the policeman, who is attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, was driving in his car with Balogun at about 2pm, when the duo were attacked and shot by the assailants. It was gathered that another occupant of the car, identified as Raheem Suleiman, was injured by the gunshots, but survived and was receiving treatment in a general hospital. Our correspondent learnt that the identities of the gunmen had yet to be known as they fled the scene after the attack. It was learnt that the corpses of the police corporal and Balogun had been deposited at a public morgue in Yaba. The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joe Offor, who confirmed the killings, said the case had been transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba, for further investigation. He said, “The corporal and his...

Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party has been declared winner of the controversial Bayelsa State governorship election. Dickson was declared winner of the election after he polled 134,998 votes, 48,146 votes more than his closest rival, former Governor, Timipre Sylva of the All Progessives Congress. The Returning Officer of the election, Zana Akpagbu, returned Dickson as winner of the election, saying he had satisfied all requirements. He said that, “Dickson Henry Seriake of PDP having satisfied the requirement of the law and secured the highest number of votes is hereby declared winner of the election.” In all, there were 225,527 valid votes; 6, 647 rejected votes, while the total votes cast were 232,167. Dickson, who secured the most votes in the December 5, election had also led Sylva in the supplementary election. More to follow…

Adedeji, who lives at No. 23 Banjo St., Ijako Road, Ota, is facing a charge of defilement. The prosecutor, Sgt. Chudu Gbesi, told the court that the accused committed the offence on December 5 at 9pm along Ijako Road, Ota, Ogun State. Gbesi said that Adedeji lured the girl into an uncompleted building and had unlawful carnal knowledge of her. He said the accused was apprehended by passersby and handed over to the police. Gbesi said that the offence contravened Section 218 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun, 2006. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Senior Magistrate, Mr S.O. Banwo, admitted Adedeji to bail in the sum of N350,000, with two sureties in like sum. He said that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and show evidence of payment of tax to the Ogun State Government in the last one year. Banwo also directed that one of the sureties should be a civil servant not below grade level 13 in the employment of Ogun State. In addi...

The brother to Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric, who was executed in Saudi Arabia at the weekend on Monday condemns attacks on the kingdom’s diplomatic missions in Iran. The attacks which were said to be in retaliation for the killing of the cleric were condemned by the brother, Mohammed al-Nimr, who insisted that although the thoughts of their brother still lives in their hearts, they love their country. “We love our country” “We appreciate your love towards the martyr #Sheikh_AlNimr who lives in our hearts but we refuse attacks on #Saudi embassies in #Iran or others,” al-Nimr tweeted in English. The Tribune of UK reported that angry demonstrators attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad following the execution of Nimr, who spearheaded the anti-government protests in 2011. Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia responded on Sunday by severing diplomatic ties with Shia-dominated Iran, its long-time regional rival. Nimr, 56, was executed alo...

Sophia, in a series of Tweets, has responded to Davido’s release of a medical report indicating that there was cannabis in Imade’s system, saying they were all excuses to take Imade from her. She explained that she had been invited to a meeting where the cannabis claim was made. She said, “On September 15, David’s dad invited us for a meeting that had in attendance two of his friends and Coco (his daughter). “In that meeting, David’s dad apologised for the way I was treated in Coco’s residence and said the reason the baby was taken was because medical tests detected marijuana in Imade’s system and he needed to protect her from me and David. “I couldn’t understand that because I don’t smoke marijuana and I objected at that meeting, but I was told to stay calm. “After the meeting, his dad requested I leave my seven-month-old baby with him and told me I could come around to check her anytime. He also promised to p...

Ahead of Saturday, January 9, 2016 rerun election in Bayelsa State, candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Seriake Dickson, and his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Timipre Sylva, are making final moves to win the poll. In the rerun, which will produce the eventual winner, the candidates of the two frontline political parties, will contend for no fewer than 100,000 votes in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and 101 polling units across six LGAs in the state. In the seven out of the results of eight LGAs declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the incumbent governor, Dickson, polled 105,748 votes as against former Governor Sylva’s 72,534, indicating that Dickson is ahead with 33,214. Based on records from the Independent National Electoral Commission, SILGA has Permanent Voter Cards collection of about 70,000, while the accredited votes of the 101 cancelled polling units are slightly above 30,000. The INEC had cancelled Southern Ijaw poll over al...

The PPPRA has vowed to sanction any filling station found flouting government’s directive. The Assistant General Manager/Head of Operations, PPPRA, Mr. Victor Shidok, threatened that the agency would withdraw licences of defaulters. Shidok, who led a team from the PPPRA to monitor the level of compliance with the directive in Abuja, warned that the government would not tolerate any deviation from the new directive. He said the monitoring, which was simultaneously going on across the country, was done in conjunction with the DPR to ensure that Nigerians were not shortchanged. Shidok stated that there was 100 per cent compliance as at press time in the city centre, but noted the team had yet to reach the outskirts where he feared that there might be challenges with regard to total compliance. He said, “The challenge may likely be in the outskirts. All those we have visited say they have received directive from their head offices. We are in touch with the leadership of oil...

Saudi Arabia executes top Shiite cleric

The Nigeria Football Federation on Saturday in Abuja said Head Coach Sunday Oliseh has named the Super Eagles B squad for the 2016 African Nations Championship in Rwanda. The Federation, in a statement by its Assistant Director (Communications), Ademola Olajire, said the coach released the team’s final list of 23 players for the championship. It said the list has goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa, defenders Austin Oboroakpo and Chima Akas, 2016 Olympic team midfielders Usman Mohammed and Yaro Bature, and forward Chisom Chikatara, among others. “The list also has Enyimba International FC’s winger Ezekiel Bassey, former junior international Ifeanyi Mathew and Sunshine Stars’ trio of Paul Onobi, Prince Aggrey and Tunde Adeniji. “Former junior international goalkeeper Femi Thomas, Shooting Stars’ central defender Jamiu Alimi and former Supersand Eagles’ ace Bartholomew Ibenegbu have also been included,’’ the statement said. It further sai...