Suntai breaks silence; speaks, inaugurates SSG, COS

Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba state on Wednesday evening addressed the people of Taraba state, commending them for their prayers to recover fast.

The governor’s address was televised on the Taraba Television (TTV) during the state news.
Suntai congratulated the people for the state’s 22 birthday which came on Monday August 27.
In the statewide broadcast, Suntai is seen and heard thanking the people and asking them to live in peace.
Suntai also inaugurated the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Barr. GT Kataps and the new Chief of Staff, Mallam Aminu Jika urging them to work in the interest of the people.
The leadership of the House of Assembly also met with the governor .
The Speaker Haruna Tsokwa was not present for comments, but Suntai’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS) Hassan Mijinyawa said the Speaker said their conversation with Suntai was “meaningful”.
Tsokwa had on Monday alleged that the House leaders were prevented from seen the governor.

2 Trucks Crash On Ikorodu Road....

There was an accident at Mile 12 axis of Ikorodu Road in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, in the early hours of today.
The accident involved three trucks, one of which had broken down on the busy road and there was no road sign indicating that a vehicle is ahead.
The accident caused serious traffic jam during the rush hour when P.M.NEWS visited the scene.
According to an eyewitness account, the accident occurred at about 4a.m. and involved a truck conveying bags of salt belonging to Bizler Logistics, and another truck carrying a container with Cross River State registration number AA 980 DUK, and a white trailer which was also damaged.
The accident happened when the Bizler Logistics trailer broke down close to Mile 12 overhead bridge inward Ikorodu, before the truck carrying fish feeds rammed into the stationary trailer, causing severe injuries to the driver and his assistant.
The two, according to the eyewitness, were taken to an undisclosed hospital in Ikorodu.
“There was a bonfire to alert oncoming motorists about the broken down truck but as at the time the truck carrying a container got there, the fire had extinguished, leading to poor visibility,” the witness said.
He also added that there was a third truck which crashed into the other two and was towed away early in the morning by officials of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority(LASTMA).
A LASTMA official who spoke under anonymity to P.M.NEWS, confirmed that the accident involved three trucks.
“Two have been moved, leaving the one carrying a container because it was the most damaged of the trailers,” he said.

Lagos cancels Lekki-Epe Expressway concession!!!

 Lagos cancels Lekki-Epe Expressway concession....

 

Controversy surrounding the management of the Lekki-Epe Expressway took a new turn on Tuesday as the Lagos State Government announced the termination of its concession agreement with the Lekki Concession Company.

Already, the state House of Assembly has approved a supplementary budget of N7.5bn to enable the government to fund the acquisition of the existing concession right of the expressway.

The LCC was mandated under a 30-year Build, Operate and Transfer agreement to upgrade, expand and maintain the about 50-kilometre road (Phase I), and construct another 20km of coastal road (Phase II) along the Lekki corridor.

But the firm and the state government came under severe attacks when they introduced what the residents considered as high tolls on the road in 2011 after significant progress was made in the first phase.

The decision of the state government to terminate the concession agreement, it was learnt, followed the lawmakers’ approval of the supplementary budget, which gave it the right to acquire the existing concession rights and toll revenue benefits held by the concessionaire.

Governor Babatunde Fashola had in a supplementary budget proposal letter to the state House of Assembly dated August 19, 2013, requested it to amend this year’s budget owing to unforeseen developments in terms of the state’s internally generated revenue.

Fashola had said, “The proposal for further amendment is largely predicated on the need to fund the acquisition of the existing concession, right and toll revenue benefit held by the Lekki Concession Company, the concessionaire for the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway. This will effectively accelerate the transfer of ownership of the road to the state, leaving the state with wider policy options with regards to that important infrastructure.

“In order to address these issues, we have proposed a two-prong approach namely: re-ordering some expenditure provisions and also directing supplementation of the year 2013 budget. This will entail an increase in the overall budget size by N7.5bn. This is against the background of a projected shortfall of N22.5bn in budgeted internally generated revenues, which now need to be covered by the additional borrowings.”

The Assembly gave its approval to the request on Tuesday in a proposal read on the floor by the Clerk, Mr. Ganiyu Abiru.

The commissioners for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Ben Akabueze; Finance, Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi; and Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Obafemi Hamzat, were at the House to defend the proposal.

Following the latest amendment, the revised budget has thus increased from N499.6bn to N507.105bn.

Users of the expanded road have had to part with different amounts, depending on their class of vehicles. The amounts rage from N50 for motorcycles to N120 for saloon cars and tricycles; N150 for Sports Utility Vehicles, minibuses and pick-up trucks; N80 for commercial mini-buses; and N250 and N350 for light trucks and heavy trucks, and buses with two or more heavy axles, respectively.

Fees are currently being collected at the first toll point called the Admiralty Plaza.

The Conservation Plaza was built about 10km away from the first tolling point bewteeen the Chevron Drive and Oluwanisola Estate, but the collection of tolls has not started.

A human rights lawyer, Mr. Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa, took the matter to court to stop the LCC and the state government from enforcing the toll collection until the 10km alternative route was constructed for those that might not use the road.

Calls and text messages to the mobile phone number of the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, were ignored; while the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Mr. Hakeem Bello, said he had yet to get the details and promised to call back when he did, but never got back.

Calls put through to officials of LCC were unanswered, while text messages sent to them were not responded to.

Fasheun’s OPC Police Clash

Seven members of the Frederick Fasheun-led faction of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, were arrested by the police yesterday after a shootout that lasted for more than 30 minutes along the Egbeda-Idimu Road, Lagos, western Nigeria.

They were arrested by policemen from the Area ‘M’ Command, Idimu, Alimosho Local Government Area, with four pump action guns and one locally made cut-to-size pistol, 30 cutlasses and assorted charms.
Also recovered was a yellow LT bus without registration number and two other buses. The impounded buses are currently parked at the police division.
P.M.NEWS gathered that at least 100 OPC members attacked the policemen when they were accosted for driving against traffic. The OPC members, it was learnt, injured the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, attached to Idimu and some traffic police officers on the road. One of the injured was rushed to an undisclosed hospital.
Investigations revealed further that the OPC members who were in a convoy of three buses drove against traffic on their way to an undisclosed destination and were stopped by traffic policemen at Car Wash Bus Stop, Egbeda but they refused to stop and started firing into the air to scare the traffic officers. The policemen stood their ground and insisted that the OPC members must obey traffic rules.
This, it was learnt, infuriated the OPC members who alighted from their vehicles and attacked the traffic officers. Fracas ensued and the policemen called for a reinforcement from the Area ‘M’ Command.
The OPC members were subdued and seven of them were arrested while others escaped.
According to the Assistant Commissioner of Police in-charge of Area ‘M’ Command, M.B. Shinkafi, four pump action rifles, one locally made cut-to-size pistol, 30 cutlasses and charms were recovered from the OPC members.
He added that the suspects and the exhibits recovered had been transferred to the state Police Command, Ikeja.
P.M.NEWS investigations revealed that Dr. Fasheun was seen at the Area ‘M’ Division pleading with the DPO to release those arrested.
He reportedly explained to the DPO that the OPC members who caused the confusion in the area were not from the division but were on their way for an engagement.
In a telephone conversation with P.M.NEWS, Lagos Police Command Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ngozi Braide, confirmed the arrest of the OPC members, adding that guns and ammunition were recovered from them.
She said the police have commenced investigation into the disturbance.

King Wasiu Ayinde’s daughter (Honey B ) performed at the Notting Hill carnival in London

King Wasiu Ayinde’s daughter known as Honey-B

Nigerian Fuji musician, King Wasiu Ayinde’s daughter known as Honey-B thrilled Nigerians and other revellers at the Nottinghill Carnival on Monday(26 August)in West London.The Nigerian corner had never witnessed such a wonderful display from any Nigerian musician as Honey B showed off her sexy body in that ‘see-through’ outfit. From her thigh,there is a large tattoo visible to the audience. The ‘body language’ of popular comedian Gbenga Adeyinka explained the whole ‘sexylicious’ scene while the young man sitting next to Gbenga just covered his eyes and nose for no known reason. Honey B sang some of her father’s fuji tracks to entertain the audience and the way she wringled her body was beyond words.(See the video on Youtube) The upcoming hip-hop artiste is said to be nursing the ambition of going to hip-hop music soon and the right time to launch her music career was at the last annual Notting Hill carnival in London which attracted over one million people.Let’s hope 9ice, DBanj, Davido, P Square and many others will welcome Honey B into their music fold this year. Anyway,goodluck Honey B,you’re likely to win a grammy award one day.Never give up the daughter of Oluaye of Fuji music!

Stage-Managed Arrival: Acting Governor Shoved Aside As Governor Suntai Is Smuggled Out Of Jalingo Airport By Supporters

• 
• 

A powerful cabal in Taraba that has now formed brain-damaged governor of Taraba, Danbaba Suntai to hijack power first by bringing to Nigeria.

Today they continued the second leg of their political stunts in Jalingo, the state capital on Sunday afternoon by staging another fake triumphant arrival for the ailing governor.
Mr. Suntai arrived the state capital around 3:45 PM aboard a private jet chartered by the state government. Before his arrival the airport had been agog with rented crowds sourced from several local government in the state.
However, soon as his aircraft taxied to a halt state officials including the acting governor, Umar Garba were shoved aside by his supporters led by his wife, Hauwa.
Mr. Suntai supporters formed a human shield around him and took him into a maroon colored Range Rover and drove away from the airport to the governor’s lodge.
Contrary to protocol and well advertised announcement in the state media that the ailing governor would speak to his supporters, Mr. Suntai who looked confused, did not utter a word.
Mr. Suntai arrived from the US today after 10 months of absence. He was first flown to Germany to receive medical treatment for injuries sustained while piloting a small plane that crashed near the Yola airport in October 2012.
Medical sources have repeatedly told Saharareporters that the governor is brain damaged, and cannot function in any official capacity again except a miracle happens.
Minister of State for the Niger Delta ministry, Dairus, Emmanuel Bwacha representing Taraba south in the senate, Damian Dodo SAN, and John Dara accompanied the governor to Jalingo.
Soon after Mr. Suntai arrived the governor’s lodge, security chiefs in the state including the commissioner of police and the director of the State Security Services visited him but his wife turned them away claiming that doctors asked him to observe bed rest for 72 hours non-stop.