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(Nigeria) The Amuwo Odofin New Town Landlords Association in Mile 2, Lagos, on Wednesday condemned the persistent power outage in the community. Mr Ade Uwas, the President of the association, told News Agency of Nigeria that there had been irregular power supply to the community since the January. He said that residents had continued to receive outrageous bills in spite of the persistent outage. “Despite the power outage, estimated bills are issued regularly which are higher than usual as if power is supplied 24 hours daily. “This extortion is no more acceptable to the community, especially when officials refuse to use meter for billings and has become insensitive to genuine customer complaints. “We thought that privatisation of the sector will remove all these burdens, but we are even experiencing worst power supply now,” he said. Uwas said that when the Amuwo Transmission Station was upgraded, residents expected improved power supply, but the reverse was the case. H

(Nigeria) By Collins Okeke I want to start with apologizing for the title of this piece. ‘Shit’ and ‘toilet maggots’ are not pleasant to see not to talk of eat but for maximum effect and want of a better analogy I have elected to use them.  Most Nigerians hate shit but eat toilet maggots.  We like to espouse values we have not internalized. We pretend to identify with honesty, patriotism, ideology, internal democracy, ethnic and religious tolerance etc, but will never reflect them in our political decisions. We may not want to admit it but we inadvertently are responsible for the kind of political parties and politicians we have. Yesterday some Governors from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, decided to defect to the All Progressive Congress, APC. Typically most Nigerians have found fault with this decision, I have heard and seen things like ‘strange bedfellows’, ‘they do not have ideology’, ‘they are not different from the PDP’, ‘they all thieves’ etc.  These criticisms

(Nigeria)   Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has described the administrative style of Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State as a model for the kind of good governance which Nigeria needs today. Speaking, Wednesday,  during a courtesy visit to the governor in Benin City, General Gowon said: “I thank you for all the good things you are doing for this state; I am a witness to it and I am delighted to see you. It is always a pleasure to see you. “I am also delighted to meet your cabinet and thank them for the great support and advise they have been giving you to achieve these great things. You have a vision and you are a motivator which has made you to achieve all these. You have been able to achieve many of the things you set for yourself. The support of your team and the vision of the Governor have led to the kind of good governance which we need very badly in Nigeria today." General Gowon said he is in Benin to chair the book launch of selected speeches of the

(Nigeria) A committee set up by the Minister of Transportation, Sen. Idris Umar,  on Wednesday commenced investigation into the causes of explosions in two Nigerian ocean going vessels. Mr Nureni Kuranga, President, Marine Board of Inquiry, who presided over the meeting in Lagos said that the investigation was fact finding and to advise on ways to avert recurrence. The vessel, discharging petroleum products at Bonny, River State, caught fire and exploded on September 30, 2012. Another incident occurred on January 9, 2013, when an oil barge discharging petrol at the MRS Oil and Gas tank farm jetty, caught fire and exploded within the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos. “We are here to investigate and establish the circumstances that led to the fire incidents and the subsequent explosions involving the MT African Hyacinth and Barge S.215 and MRS Jetty,’’ Nuranga said. He said that the body would investigate and establish the owners of the vessels and those connected with it. K

(Nigeria) Justice Christopher Balogun of a Lagos High Court sitting at  Igbosere on Wednesday withdrew from handling a case of attempted murder of his colleague. When the case was mentioned for cross examination of the second prosecution witness, Shefiu Amoo, Balogun told the parties in the suit that he would withdraw.  ``I have to withdraw from the trial based on personal reasons; the case file will be quickly forwarded to the chief judge for re-assignment, ’’he said. A 33-year-old commercial bus  driver, Quadri Kasali was charged before Balogun with attempted murder of Justice Ebenezer Adebajo, also of a Lagos High Court. According to the charge sheet, Kasali hit Adebajo with his bus marked XA 242 KLK in a manner that suggested a deliberate attempt to kill the judge. The prosecution said that the incident occurred on March 1, 2012 on the Moloney Street, Lagos Island and and contravened Section 228 of Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. Kasali was denied bail by Balogun.

(Nigeria) Chief Magistrate Sofiat Oyediran on Wednesday in Ibadan, remanded Idowu Sanni, 48, in prison for allegedly raping his 15-year-old daughter. Sanni was arraigned in the Chief Magistrates' Court sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan, on a one-count charge of raping his daughter. The prosecutor, Insp. Sunday Ogunremi, told the court that Sanni allegedly had unlawful carnal knowledge of his daughter (name withheld) on October 23 at 9.15 a.m. in Ifedapo Amuloko area of Ibadan. Ogunremi said the offence contravened Section 357 and punishable under Section 358 both of the Criminal Code Caps.38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State, 2000. The plea of the accused was, however, not taken. The counsel to the accused, Mr Akin Ajidagba, prayed the court for adjournment to allow for the filing of bail application at the state High Court which has jurisdiction over rape cases. Oyediran granted the request and adjourned the case to December 9. He ordered that the accused be remanded in prison.

(Nigeria) The report of the Senate Joint Committee on National Security and Intelligence and Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters caused a division among senators during Wednesday's plenary. This followed the rejection of the report by Sen. Sani Saleh (APC- Kaduna) after its presentation by the Chairman of the joint committee, Sen. Mohammed Magoro (PDP-Kebbi). The committee in its findings said that the death of the eight people and wounding of eleven others was not a case of extra-judicial killing but the outcome of hastily executed operation. It further discovered that the operation at Apo was necessitated by electronic intercepts by the Department of State Services, DSS, which indicated plans to attack FCT on September 22. It also found out that four arrested suspects in the custody of the DSS had confessed to be Boko Haram members. The committee said that the security agencies had substantial and convincing intelligence to believe that some Boko Haram elemen