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An automobile crash involving a petrol tanker and a car at Oloru in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara has claimed three lives.. The Head of Operations of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Kwara Command, Mr Adekanye Olufemi, disclosed this in Ilorin on Friday. He said the accident happened at about 4.30 p.m as a result of a head-on collision. Olufemi said three out of the six occupants in the car died instantly while the tanker caught fire. He added that the bodies of those who lost their lives had been deposited at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital’s morgue. ``Nine others who sustained various degrees of injury are receiving treatment at the hospital,’’ the FRSC official said. He also disclosed that some personnel of the state Fire Service were already at the scene of the accident making efforts to put out the fire from the tanker. Source: NAN

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has advised the Federal Government to see the security vacuum in the north as an emergency national problem that must be confronted in practical ways. Soyinka, who spoke at the 5th Bola Tinubu Colloquium in Lagos on Thursday, expressed concern that said the problem could destabilise the country if allowed to linger for too long. He contended that the recent discovery of ammunition and explosives in Lagos showed that terrorism was becoming all-pervasive phenomenon, demanding radical, result-oriented measures to tackle. The theme of the colloquium, organised to mark the 61st birthday of Tinubu, is entitled: ``Beyond Mergers: A National Movement For Change’’. ``This nation is on the brink, this is not what we envisioned when we struggled for independence, fought dictatorship and installed the rights and dignity of human beings in the society,’’ he said. He urged the president to intensify efforts in addressing the nation in great detail

Super Eagles Coach Steven Keshi says the team needs the support and prayers to qualify and clinch the World Cup.   Keshi made the statement in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria  at a grand reception organised in his honour by the Ogbelani of Illah in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta, Obi Nwabuenu Mebu. Keshi was honoured with a chieftaincy title of ``Onwanetiliora of Illah''. He was among the five indigenes of Illah recognised for their various contributions to the community and the nation as a whole. The coach, who said that the recent outing by the Eagles in Calabar was not impressive, stressed the need for the country to work together for the desired success in the task ahead. He said with prayers, understanding and discipline, the team would qualify for the World cup and achieve its dreams. ``To enable us achieve our goals, we must work together, we have to believe in God for good health and we have to be disciplined. ``

President Goodluck Jonathan has restated the commitment of the Federal Government to ensuring freedom of religion to all Nigerians as well as peaceful coexistence. Jonathan gave the assurance in Sokoto on Friday while opening a two-day international conference on  ‘’ Islam and the Fundamentals of peaceful coexistence in Nigeria.’’ Jonathan, who was represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, also said that religion should not be used to justify violence. The conference was organised by the Sokoto State Government in conjunction with the Muslim World League, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The President said: ``We should not use faith to cause havoc. Sectarian differences should not be allowed. Inter-religious dialogue plays an important role in the society. ``The Federal Government is taking seriously the advice and recommendations of NIREC.’’ Jonathan also said the Federal Government would continue to protect the rights of Nigerians, including religious rights.

Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Oyo state chapter, on Friday described the death of Chief Oluwole Awolowo as`` shocking and devastating''. In a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Mr Dauda Kolawole, the party chairman, Chief Akin Oke, described the news of Awolowo's death as ``unfortunate, disheartening and sad''. It also condoled with the family of the late political sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, particularly Mrs HID Awolowo, over the death of the Publisher of the Tribune titles. ''It is a great loss. not only to the Yoruba Nation, but also to the entire Nigerian Nation.” the statement said. The ACN Chairman described the late Awolowo as a friend of the oppressed and a core progressive, who fought for the unity and progress of the country. ''His death is a tremendous loss to the progressive family. ''However, a great man like Chief Oluwole Awolowo will continue to live in our hearts. ''He was not o

Abia Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Chairman, Mr Emma Nwaka has called for a posthumous Nobel Laureate award on Prof. Chinua Achebe, the late literary icon. Nwaka made this known in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, when he reacted to the death of Nigeria’s foremost literary legend in Umuahia. According to him, it won’t be a bad idea if the Nobel Laureate is awarded to him posthumously. There is hardly any other literary giant that is read as much as Achebe across the globe,’’ he said. Nwaka described his death as ``the end of an era’’, saying that he would be sorely missed. ``Succeeding generations will learn about him the way we did about Shakespeare. For us, he is fresh, not an imaginary entity,’’ Nwaka said. He posited that Achebe was not just a literary giant, but a social critic, who ventured into politics in his struggle for social justice. ``He believed in one Nigeria to the end of his life but not a Nigeria of 'monkey dey w

Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi says culture of impunity, much  more than corruption, has hampered Nigeria`s development and promoted poverty. Sanusi, who spoke at the 5 th Bola Tinubu Colloquium in Lagos on Thursday, said the unpreparedness of the country to sanction corrupt persons had ensured the emasculation of the system. He noted that corruption was a universal problem, but added that other countries were able to attain development because they had adequate punitive structures in place. Tthe colloquium, organised to mark the 61 st  birthday of Tinubu was ``Beyond Mergers: A National Movement for Change”. According to him, corruption is a big issue in the country today as in other parts of the world like Russia, China and others; but why are they eradicating poverty and Nigeria isn’t? ``It is not just corruption. It is the kind of failed interventions that are procured with the proceeds of corruption. ``Everyone agree that corruption is bad. It h