NFF sets to give Keshi new contract

Despite failing to qualify the country for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, Coach Stephen Keshi will be offered a new contract by Nigeria, according to NFF officials

Coach Stephen Keshi will be offered a new contract by Nigeria despite failing to qualify the country for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, according to officials.

There have been calls for Keshi to be replaced as the Super Eagles, just as Samson Siasia was three years ago when he failed to lead the team to the 2012 AFCON. Nigerians are calling for the resignation of Keshi following his failure to qualify Nigeria for next year’s AFCON defence of the title he won in 2013. But the Edo born coach still wants to remain as coach.

PVC:Fashola cancels environmental sanitation

The Lagos State Government has cancelled the November environmental sanitation exercise tomorrow (Saturday) in the state.

State Commissioner for Environment, Tunji Bello, who disclosed this in his office, said this is to enable residents fully participate in the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) and registration exercise in nine local government areas of the state.

He explained that the decision to cancel the exercise was to assist officials of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) in their logistics, as they would be required to move men and materials to different parts of the state.

How 19-year-old emerges WASSCE best pupil

Nineteen-year-old, Ogun State-born Oloruntoba Ogunfolaji has emerged the best scholar in the 2013 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

The leadership of the West African Examinations Council honoured the lad alongside two females on Thursday in Minna, Niger State. The females are Ifeoluwapo Fasola and Maureen Anyanwu, both of who are natives of Oyo and Imo states, respectively.

For posting outstanding results, the trio received the WAEC’s prestigious National Distinction and Merit Awards. They scored A1 in all their subjects.

However, Ogunfolaji is considered the overall best candidate having scored a total grade of 666.6525 in eight subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

By the feat, the lad becomes the current holder of the esteemed award instituted by the council in 1984 to encourage academic excellence.

Ogunfolaji, who attended the Sacred Heart Catholic College, Abeokuta, Ogun State between 2007 and 2013, with examination number 4280232/098, also obtained A1 in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agricultural Science, Geography and Yoruba Language.

OAU students protest as Jonathan’s visit paralyses school

Students of Obafemi ‎Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, on Friday expressed their frustration with the ‘unfavourable’ condition they were subjected to over the presence of President Goodluck Jonathan in the institution.

Jonathan was attending a conference with South-West traditional rulers and politicians at the OAU.

It was gathered that public buses were not allowed into the school premises and majority of the students had to trek long distances to their examination hall.

In one of the instances, ‎a Post Graduate Diploma student was seen arguing with security personnel after she was refused entry.

Though she explained that she had exam, the security officials refused her plea.

Students were also seen protesting at the front of Oduduwa Hall where the meeting was holding.

The placard-carrying protesters were heard shouting “thief” on all the politicians that storm the venue.

More trouble for Jonathan as 70 Senators, 195 Reps sign impeachment move

More members of the House of Representatives and the Senate have thrown their weight behind the call for the impeachment of President Goodluck Jonathan for the shoddy manner he has been handling the affairs of state.

President Jonathan has been accused lately of ruling with impunity and trying to undermine the constitution.

P.M.NEWS gathered this morning that more than 195 representatives and 70 senators have so far signed an impeachment motion against the president.

The Senate has 109 members while there are 360 members of the House of Representatives.

Those pushing for the impeachment of the president require the support of two-third of members in both the Senate and the House of Represntatives to achieve their aim.

Austerity Measure: FG to sack 60,000 ‘Ghost Workers’

As part of the austerity measures aimed at cushioning the effect of dwindling oil revenue accruing to the government as result of the fall in oil price in the international market, Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said that the Federal Government would weed out 60,000 “ghost workers” from the payroll.

Okonjo-Iweala said the government would save N160 billion naira by weeding out the 60,000 “ghost workers” from the payroll, although she did not give a time frame.

She also said that a significant portion of the billions of dollars draingnificant portion of the billions of dollars drained from the oil savings account over the past two years was distributed to powerful governors instead of being saved for a rainy day.

Reuters reports that Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer, is grappling with financial difficulties owing to a 30 percent fall in the price of oil since June, which has added pressure on the government’s already depleted fiscal buffers.

Sanusi escapes death as three bomb blasts rock emir’s mosque in Kano

Scores of people are feared dead in three explosions, which rocked the mosque of one of Nigeria’s most well-known Islamic leaders, the Emir of Kano, as worshippers gathered for weekly prayers, witnesses told AFP.

Military Joint Task Force spokesperson in the state, Captain Ikechukwu Eze and witnesses said the bomb went off as Muslim faithful prepared for their Friday jumaat prayers, causing serious pandemonium as people ran helter-skelter for dear lives.

The explosion, which went off at about 2 p.m. before the Imam of the mosque, Sani Zahradeen, began his sermon, was said to have been followed by sporadic gunshots.

The number of casualties is not yet known.

“Two bombs exploded, one after the other, in the premises of the Grand Mosque seconds after the prayers had started,” Aminu Abdullahi said, adding that a third went off nearby.

According to AFP, the Emir, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was said to be inside the mosque at the time, with the explosions happening in an outdoor courtyard, and there was no immediate word on casualties.

Our data centre not for cloning PVCs, APC tells DSS

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday rejected the allegation that its data centre in Lagos was used to clone Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC National Publicity Secretary, during a media briefing in Lagos said that the centre was only used by the party to develop the database of its members.

NAN reports that on Saturday, the APC in a statement alleged that its data centre in Lagos was invaded by security agents.

‘NFF won’t sack Keshi’

Contrary to the expectations of those angling for sack of Coach Stephen Keshi as Super Eagles Head Coach after failing to qualify the team for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, they might need to wait a bit longer.

This is because the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has no plans to sack the coach for now.

A member of the board of the NFF, who preferred anonymity, informed at the weekend that the board is not considering sacking the coach for now.

Why alleged Nyanya bomber was cleared by Court

A federal judge who on Monday struck out terrorism charges against Aminu Oguche, the suspected mastermind of the Nyanya bomb attack in Abuja, said his decision was based on lack of “diligent prosecution by the state”.

In a ruling Monday in Abuja, the judge cancelled a two-count charge instituted by the federal government over the April 2014 attack which killed more than 70 people.

Mr. Ogwuche, a suspected Boko Haram member, was accused by the Nigerian government of being behind the attack.

The blast at the Nyanya Motor Park occurred during morning peak hours as residents were hurrying to work.