Jonathan fires Agwai as SURE-P chairman

                                                                  Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.)

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday sacked Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.) as the Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, five days after the former Chief of Army Staff delivered the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s 78th birthday lecture.

The President has named Mr. Ishaya Dare Akau as Agwai’s replacement.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President attributed Agwai’s sacking to the continuation of government’s efforts to continuously reposition Federal Government’s agencies for optimal delivery.

Agwai had, while delivering the Obasanjo lecture last Thursday, said change in the national leadership was inevitable and that the country’s leaders must accept it and move with it.

Kaduna denies Buhari access to rally venue – APC

                                                              Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

The All Progressives Congress in Kaduna State on Tuesday said the Kaduna State government denied the party’s presidential candidate, Maj. Gen Muhammmadu Buhari (retd.), access to the Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna, for his North-West zonal rally ahead of the rescheduled March 28 and April 11 general elections.

Our correspondent learnt that preparation for the rally, which is expected hold today (Wednesday), had reached an advanced stage when the zonal office of the party was informed that the state had refused the party the permit to use the facility.

“The PDP is jittery already. They are simply afraid of the popularity strength of the APC in the state and indeed the northern part of the state,” a party official, who asked not to be named, said.

Champions League: Out-of-form Real face Schalke

                                                                                 Cristiano Ronaldo

European champions Real Madrid will expect to take another step closer to becoming the first team in 25 years to retain the Champions League when they host Schalke on Tuesday holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg of their last 16 tie, AFP reports.

Real have strung together 10 consecutive victories in Europe stretching back to their successful run to their 10th European Cup last season, but have found the going a lot tougher domestically in 2015.

Los Blancos surrendered their lead at the top of La Liga at the weekend as they were beaten 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao, whilst Barcelona thrashed Rayo Vallecano 6-1.

My critics have hidden agenda –LASU VC

                                                          Vice-Chancellor, LASU, Prof. John Obafunwa

The Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Ojo, Prof. John Obafunwa, says his critics in the institution are those who have skeletons in their cupboards.

This came as he said that the institution had uncovered a large number of workers with questionable school certificate results.

Obafunwa, who made this known while speaking to journalists in Lagos, however, did not give further details about the certificate fraud.

He only stated that an investigating panel was compiling the data with a view to making it public soon.

The university, in 2014, also withdrew the PhD certificates of 19 persons, including that of the ASUU-LASU Chairman, Dr. Adekunle Idris. The action has since put the VC and the ASUU leadership in the school at loggerheads with the latter claiming that the motive was to embarrass Idris.

Glo gives out N28bn free airtime to subscribers

Telecommunications company, Globacom, on Monday said about seven million subscribers had signed up to its ongoing ‘Overload Reloaded’ promotion and had benefitted from over N27.5bn worth of bonus airtime since the commencement of the promo.

The telecoms company said the subscribers were those who joined the promo platform by dialing its special code *200# and reloading their phones with airtime of N200 denomination or higher.

Globacom introduced the Overload promo late last year alongside some other promotions with the sole aim of exciting and delighting its customers.

In January, the promo was relaunched as Glo Overload Reloaded with additional benefits such as expanded bonus of 400 per cent bonus airtime for every recharge of N200 and above up from the 200 per cent bonus airtime initially given to customers for every recharge of N200 and above.

I hate violence – Patience Jonathan

                                                                                Mrs. Patience Jonathan

The wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, on Monday told the presidential campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress that “she is a woman of peace that can never be identified with electoral violence.”

She said there was no way somebody like her who occupies the exalted office of the President of the African First Ladies Mission would be promoting violence under any guise.

Mrs. Jonathan who spoke with THE PUNCH through her media aide, Ayo Adewuyi, was reacting to the decision of the APC to report her to the International Criminal Court for allegedly asking supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party to stone anyone canvassing for change, the APC slogan, during a campaign rally in Calabar, Cross River State.

You’ll never be Awolowo, Bode George tells Tinubu

                                                                                             Bode George

A Peoples Democratic Party leader in Lagos State, Chief Bode George, says a former Governor of Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will never be like the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, no matter how hard he tries.

Tinubu, who is a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, is said to be largely responsible for the successful merger of the APC due to his influence across the South-West and parts of the South-South.

However, George, while addressing journalists during a meeting with beneficiaries of a scheme by the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, said Awolowo, during his time, ensured free education across the Western region when he was the premier.

First solar-powered plane begins flight

                                                                          The plane in the air

A Swiss solar-powered plane has taken off from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates marking the start of the first attempt to fly around the world without a drop of fuel, Al Jazeera reports.

The Solar Impulse 2, piloted by Andre Borschberg of Switzerland, took off at 7.12am local time (0412 GMT) on Monday from the UAE’s Al-Bateen airport and headed to Muscat, the capital of Oman, where it is expected to land later after the first leg of the journey.

The developers said the aim was to create awareness about replacing “old polluting technologies with clean and efficient technologies”.

Andre Borschberg, Solar Impulse co-founder, was at the controls of the single-seater when it took off from the Al Bateen airport in the UAE on Monday morning.

Jega, RECs to review card reader test tomorrow

                                                                             INEC Boss, Attahiru Jega

There were indications on Monday that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, would on Wednesday (tomorrow) review the outcome of the card reader test with Resident Electoral Commissioners.

The PUNCH learnt that the meeting would also review the commission’s readiness for the     March 28 and April 11 general elections.

An INEC commissioner, who confided in one of our correspondents, said, “The commission has been impressed by the testing of card readers. We are so happy that Nigerians are appreciating our efforts.

“Nothing can stop us from using the card readers, which we believe will eliminate fraud during the elections.”

FG slashes Works Ministry’s budget from N100bn to N11bn

                                                            Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen

The Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, said the ministry’s N100bn proposed budget for 2015 was slashed by the Ministry of Finance to N11bn, representing an 89 per cent slash.

Onolememen, who was in the Senate to defend his ministry’s estimates for the fiscal year, added that no sum was approved for   the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency’s capital projects   and the Office of the Surveyor -General of the Federation.

He said the Finance ministry predicated its action on the economic realities on the ground.

The minister expressed concern that only 33 out of the 210 ongoing road projects had been provided for in view of the “lean allocation” to the ministry.

Electricity meters now sell for N60,000

The cost of acquiring pre-paid electricity meters by consumers in the country has risen due to the fall in the value of the naira following the currency’s recent devaluation by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

A single-phase meter, according to findings by our correspondent, can now be obtained for N39,375, while the three-phase meter now goes for N60,909.

Before now, the single-phase and three-phase meters were selling for N25,000 and N50,000.

However, with the latest development, the cost of the single-phase meter has risen by 56 per cent, while that of the three-phase meter has jumped by 20 per cent.

This means that household electricity consumers, who are majorly the users of single-phase meters, will pay more for the devices in relative terms compared to the users of the three-phase meters.

Fayose asks Buhari to quit presidential race

                                                              Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose

Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, has asked the All Progressives Congress and its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to withdraw from the March 28 presidential election.

Fayose said Buhari and the APC no longer had the moral right to participate in the presidential election, having allegedly lied to Nigerians on several occasions.

According to a press statement issued in Ado-Ekiti by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor argued that the APC had lied severally to Nigerians.

He said, “In saner climes, you can’t lie and be discovered to have lied repeatedly as done by the APC and still want to stand for elections.

PDP, APC disagree on card reader test outcome

        PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh and APC’s National Woman Leader, Ramatu Aliyu

The Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress on Sunday disagreed on the outcome of the mock testing of the card readers conducted on Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary,   Olisa Metuh , said it had noted a series of complaints by Nigerians regarding   lapses experienced during the exercise.

It   therefore challenged on   the commission   to tell the public the outcome of the testing

The party claimed that   the   fall-out of the test “vindicates earlier widespread calls by stakeholders that the card readers should be thoroughly tested to ascertain their workability   before   the general elections. “

PVC collection deadline extended for two weeks

                                                                  Nigerian permanent voters card

The All Progressives Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party and   lawyers on Sunday lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission for extending the deadline for the collection of permanent voter cards from March 8 to March 22.

The commission, in a terse statement on Sunday   by the Chief Press Secretary to its Chairman, Kayode Idowu, said “the latest extension offers the last opportunity for registered persons to collect their PVCs before the March 28 and April 11 general elections.”

“INEC hereby calls on registered persons that are yet to collect their PVCs to use this last opportunity in doing so, in order to participate in the forthcoming general elections,” Idowu added.

The commission had last Wednesday said that it had succeeded in distributing 80.24 per cent of the PVCs to their owners.

Army begins trial of General, 22 others today

                                              Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade

The military authorities will on Monday (today) commence the trial of a Brigadier General, four colonels, seven Lt. Cols, and 10 other officers of the Nigerian Army in Lagos.

The soldiers are being tried for alleged negligence and complicity in the invasion of the 21 Artillery Brigade, Bama, by Boko Haram insurgents on September 2, 2014.

The Lagos trial promises to be the biggest of the recent military court martial in the country.

For the first time, 23 very senior officers of the service would be arraigned for offences bordering on the counter-insurgency operations in the North-East zone.

The PUNCH learnt that the 23 Army officers would be prosecuted for various military offences under the 81 Division, GCM, Lagos, scheduled for inauguration at the Ikeja Cantonment today.

APC reports Patience Jonathan to ICC

                                                                             Mrs. Patience Jonathan

The presidential campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress has reported the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, to the International Criminal Court.

Two weeks ago, Patience had, while campaigning for her husband in Calabar, Cross River State, told the supporters of the PDP to stone anyone canvassing for change in the state.

The campaign organisation said the letter of complaint was signed by its Director-General, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, who is the Governor of River State.

It said that the letter would be delivered to ICC on Monday (today), adding that the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, and the National Human Rights Commission would also be sent copies of the letter.

“Change, as the entire country knows by now, is the slogan of the APC – the rallying cry of a political party that wishes to bring hope of greater and better things to come for Nigeria and Nigerians.

Fresh explosion rocks Borno market, kills five

                No go area: The road to the bombed Maiduguri market and security operatives ... on Saturday

There was another bomb attack on a market in Borno State on Sunday where five persons were killed, a member of the youth vigilante group Boko Haram, who does not want his name in print told one of our correspondents on the telephone.

He said, “The insurgents planted a bomb at the entrance to the Beneisheikh market around 10am on Sunday and this led to the death of five persons while 15 others were injured.

“Today, being the market day in Benisheikh, villagers do come to buy and sell grains and other farm produce but they had bad news to tell as a bomb suspected to be planted by a suspected Boko Haram insurgent exploded leading to the death of the five people.”

Ibrahim said the casualty figure could have been higher had the bomb been planted within the market.

Anti-Buhari protesters at Chatham House were paid —Graham

                                                                                        Rose Graham

Nigerian freelance journalist in the United Kingdom, Mrs. Rose Graham, whose footage of anti-Muhammadu Buhari protesters at Chatham House two weeks ago has now gone viral, tells TOBI AWORINDE that she was not paid by the All Progressives Congress for her support

What happened at Chatham House on March 26, the day of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s talk?

I had never been to Chatham House; that was my first time there. I was given a description and saw a young, dark-skinned man. I just knew he was going there, so I followed him. When I got to Chatham House, right in front of the building, I saw the demonstrators getting ready. I felt General Buhari was not in yet and that it would be embarrassing for him because these people would put their placards in his face. I then told myself that before his arrival, I would quickly find out from the people why they were there and allow them to vent their anger about the military rule in the 1980s.

I did not attend secondary school — Prof. Adeniran

                   Former acting Vice-Chancellor of the Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Prof. Adekunle Adeniran

Former acting Vice-Chancellor of the Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Prof. Adekunle Adeniran, tells OLUFEMI ATOYEBI how he got his two biggest promotions in his academic career in one day

Kindly shed light on your career.

I was born in 1935 and like the life of most Ibadan people of my generation; life for me began in the rural area. My grandfather moved out of Ibadan central to settle in Ogeye village in Lagelu council area of the city. At six, I started schooling at Methodist Primary School, Kelebe, a village that is one kilometre away from Ogeye. I also attended Christ Apostolic Church School and returned to the village and attended St. Luke’s Primary School, St Andrew’s Primary School and then back to Ibadan central to complete my primary school education at Agbeni Methodist School.

Tinubu superior to Afenifere leaders —Opadokun

 Former Secretary-General of the Afenifere and ex-General Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition, Chief Ayo Opadokun

Former Secretary-General of the Afenifere and ex-General Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition, Chief Ayo Opadokun, speaks on the crisis in Afenifere and the controversial endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan by leaders of the pan-Yoruba organisation, in this interview with LEKE BAIYEWU

There are different stories on what led the lingering crisis among the Yoruba leaders under the umbrella of Afenifere. What is your take of the state of the organisation today?

First, I want to remind you that I was the General Secretary of Afenifere for 15 years. We came to irreconcilable relationship in 2001 and since then, I have been out of that body. I have resisted every effort to make me to comment on Afenifere. Mr. Wale Oshun (President of Afenifere Renewal Group, a breakaway faction of the Afenifere) wrote about ‘Afenifere and the Kiss of Death.’ Sometimes in 2000 after we had won (governorship) election in six states in Yorubaland,