Pep Opara's Blog

                                                      SUPER star actress, Genevieve Ifunanya Nnaji has surprisingly made over N100 million in just 12 months with mouth-watering endorsements from BMW/Range Rover (Coscharis), top luxury fashion brand, Polo, giant telecoms company, Etisalat and the more recent Nigeria Breweries Amstel Malta mega deal. Thus, emerging the queen of endorsements! A breakdown of Genevieve’s multiple endorsements revealed that the delectable thespian made $100,000 as the brand ambassador of Range Rover Evoque.  She also had the rare privilege of cruising in the wonder-on-wheels for six months before returning it to Coscharis, the Range Rover franchise owner in Nigeria. Interestingly, she w...

Seddik al-Sour, spokesman for the Libya state prosecutor’s office Libya’s slain dictator Moammar Gaddafi’s son Saadi has asked Libyans for forgiveness in an interview released by prison authorities three weeks after his extradition from neighbouring Niger. The videotaped interview, which was aired by state television late Thursday, was filmed by warders at the capital’s Al-Hadba prison, where Saadi and several other Kadhafi regime figures are being held, with the blessing of the chief prosecutor, the broadcaster said. Saadi, who was extradited to face a series of charges including “crimes to keep his father in power” before his overthrow in the NATO-backed uprising of 2011, asked for the “forgiveness of the Libyan people and government.” He admitted without elaborating that he had been behind “acts of destabilisation against the country,” the same accusation repeatedly levelled against him by the Tripoli authorities in its long campaign for his extradition f...

Two civil society organizations, the Christian Foundation for Social Justice and Equity (CFSJE) and the United Action for Democracy (UAD), have condemned in the strongest terms what they called the unethical, unprofessional, criminal, callous and inhuman behaviour of some officers of the Special Task Force (STF) in Plateau State.   In a joint statement today, the groups said that a Police Officer attached to Sector 7 of the STF in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state wickedly raped a four year old minor, and that the Commandant has confirmed the incident as well as the transfer of the suspect to the Police Headquarters in Jos for prosecution.   “The victim was subsequently rushed to the General Hospital, Barkin Ladi to stop the severe bleeding and given general treatments,” the statement said. “The unholy act of this Police Officer has no doubt exposed the innocent kid and family to serious psychological trauma and Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STDs) in...

  NIGERIA : Legal practitioners in Delta state have been thrown into mourning following the gruesome assassination of two lawyers on Thursday.  Reports says Renowned lawyer and human rights activist Mr Horrace Egbon Dafiogho and his junior colleague, identified as Sam Ekwajor, were shot dead along Ughelli – Ozoro road on Thursday.   It was gathered that the duo were on their way to Ozoro, where they are defending suspects in a high profile kidnap case involving a prominent politician in the state, when they were killed.  Although the circumstance surrounding the killing was yet unclear, it was gathered that the incident has led to shock and panic among legal practitioners in the state.   The National Coordinator, Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence, Mr Oghenejabor Ikimi, told our reporter he was stupefied by the development.   He said, “It was last night that I just heard the news and it is very surprising to me. Why would anybod...

Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), said on Friday that the 2014 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) would also be conducted in seven countries abroad.   Ojerinde stated this on Friday while fielding questions from newsmen at the University of Ilorin. He said the examination, scheduled for April, would also take place in Accra (Ghana), Johannesburg (South Africa), Cameroun, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Ivory Coast, London (UK) and Cotonou (Benin Republic).   He said JAMB was prepared to conduct a smooth and hitch-free examination in all accredited centres in the country.   He said about 160 examination centres were accredited to conduct the electronic-based examination, pointing out that the number of centres was increased this year. “Last year, the board had only fifty-five centres,” he said.   The Registrar said about 300 examination centres applied, adding that only 160 were accredited be...

Michelle Obama’s office is a “confining, frustrating, even miserable place to work”, former aides to the First Lady have revealed. In a rare account of the inner workings of her East Wing office, ex-employees criticise Mrs Obama for a “rigid” leadership style that fails to account for changing events and make it difficult to satisfy her demands. “Former staffers describe a high-stress, high-stakes workplace, in which Mrs. Obama scrutinized the smallest facets of her schedule,” writes Reid Cherlin, a former White House press aide. The First Lady, he discloses, citing former colleagues who worked for her, “insists on planning every move months in advance and finalising speeches weeks ahead of time – a rigidity nearly unheard of in today’s chaotic political environment.” One unnamed aide to Mrs Obama said: “For her, trust is huge, really feeling like people were protecting and thinking about her. Also, she’s a lawyer. She’s really disciplined. She cares about the details. She’s n...

                                  The Nasarawa state House of Assembly on Wednesday directed the police to arrest the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Innocent Lagi, for allegedly scaling the fence of the Assembly to enable him to serve a court injunction on the lawmakers. See report by PREMIUMTIMES  after the cut..   Following the outcome of last Saturday’s local government election in the state – where the All Progressive Congress won in six local councils and the Peoples Democratic Party in four – the Assembly had summoned the Chairman and members of the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) to appear it to answer questions over the conduct of the election.   However, the state Attorney-General obtained and attempted to serve the Assembly with a court order...

                               A desperate woman who stabbed herself in the neck in a busy Asda supermarket had lost her nine-year-old daughter to terminal illness just months before, it was revealed today.   DAILYMAIL.CO.UK  reports: Sobia Yousef, 36, died in front of horrified staff and shoppers in the kitchenware aisle of Asda in Shipley, West Yorkshire, on Tuesday morning.   Friends believe the death of her child five months ago caused a ‘collapse in her mental state’. Four days of official mourning have started at her mosque in Frizinghall, Bradford.   Bradford Councillor Imdad Hussain said she had undergone treatment at Lynfield Mount psychiatric hospital after her child passed away last year.   ‘It is a great tragedy which has left the whole local community and far beyond in shock,’ ...

 Four students of the College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi, in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State were Friday killed in a road accident.   The accident occurred at kilometre 12 along Benin-Sapele-Warri express road. THE NATION  reports that it was learnt the students were going to Delta State to attend the funeral ceremony of a grandmother of one of their colleague.   Three died on the spot while one among the five injured died at the Benin Central Hospital.   One of the victims who gave his name as Collins said they were 14 inside the vehicle including the driver.   Collins said they had a burst tyre which made the vehicle to somersault. Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Mr. Luka Ikpi who confirmed the accident attributed it to over speeding and loss of control.   He said three persons died and five injured were rescued and taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, a primary six pupil of Emokpa Pri...

President Goodluck Jonathan has commiserated with members of the Association of Retired Police Officers on the death of one of their representatives at the ongoing National Conference, Hamman Misau.   in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, Mr. Jonathan also extended condolences to Mr. Misau’s family, the government and people of Bauchi State, the Chairman of the National Conference, Idris Kutigi, and all of the deceased’s co-delegates. “The President joins them in mourning Hamman Misau who patriotically served his nation, state and community throughout his 34 years of distinguished service in the Nigeria Police Force and even in retirement, continued to be actively engaged with efforts to move the nation forward as shown by his participation in the National Conference.   “As he is laid to rest in his home state today, President Jonathan urges all delegates to the National Conference to resolve to honour his ...

  NIGERIA: Former Iron woman of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration Agency, who also served as Information Minister and who was a failed senatorial candidate in her native Anambra state;  Professor Dora Akunyili caused a stir when she appeared at the National Judicial Institute venue of the on going national conference in Abuja on Monday looking very pale, emaciated and almost ghoulish.   Delegates and acquaintance didn't recognise her until she introduced herself to them.   The pictures of her at the Confab generated talks on social media platform as to what kind of ailment made her looking a far cry of herself and some are of the opinion she ought to have put on some weight before making public appearances.   My guess is that the former NAFDAC must have heard or read the talks on her current emaciated look on media sites and she has replied with a post on her Facebook page:   ...

                        The Oyo State Police Command said on Thursday that eight people had been arrested in connection with the discovery of a horror forest in the Soka area of Ibadan.   According to a report by  PUNCH ; The command’s Public Relation Officer, Olabisi Ilobanafor, who said this during the visit of the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 11, Femi Omolaja, to the site, said names of the arrested individuals would not be made public yet.   She said, “We are working hard on the case and very soon, we shall bring perpetrators of the deadly and inhuman act to book.   “Already, we are making headway because we have arrested eight people who are linked to the act. We will like to keep their identities secret for now because investigation is still going on.”   Speaking also on the progress made so f...

Madueke suspends trip to prepare defence The travel logs of the jet chartered by Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke are now in possession of members of the House of Representatives as they prepare to launch their probe of the N10 billion allegedly spent by her on the plane. The logs, The Nation authoritatively gathered, cover the minister’s trips to China, South Africa, United States and United Arab Emirates. There are also indications that the House may demand movement logs of the Challenger jet from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA); and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). One of the parastatals under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources has been fingered in the hiring and payment for the jet. Upset by the media attention generated by what many Nigerians see as waste of public funds, the minister has suspended a foreign trip with President Goodluck Jonathan to prepare her defenc...

President Jonathan with Pope Francis And Patience too  Jonathan and Patience with the Pope in the middle Heart to Heart talk: The Pope in audience with President Jonathan With Papal love: The Pope gives Jonathan a gift From Nigeria: Jonathan reciprocates

  OYO-NIGERIA : About 20 bodies of people believed to have been killed for ritual purposes were discovered, yesterday, in Soka, Oluyole local government area of Oyo State.    Also, 18 men and five women, believed to have been bewitched and bound with fetters in a dungeon, were found and rescued. Read report via VANGUARD :   The rescued victims looked emaciated. One of the women was said to have been delivered of a baby who was sold to a waiting buyer among those who always thronged the secluded area at night to buy human parts.  Some of the captives were too weak to tell their stories.  It was gathered that some Fulani cattle rearers grazed their cattle in the bush around the area. A suspect identified as Akeem Isiaka (38) was arrested in connection with the incident and taken to Sanyo Police Station.  Containers and wells containing human parts including skulls were also discovered in the bush. A woman, Titi Adeniyi, who m...

Fresh facts have emerged about last week nationwide recruitment test for applicants of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), which culminated in the death of more than 20 applicants following a stampede at several venues of the test, with the Sunday Tribune obtaining a letter written by the Comptroller-General of Immigration warning against the planned recruitment “in order to avoid a repeat of the experiences of the past recruitment exercise.”   The letter, which was written by the CG of Immigration, dated 9 September 2013 and directed to the Secretary of the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Service Board (CDFIPB) and also for the attention of the then Board’s Director, Dr. R.K. Attahiru, had drawn the attention of the Board to an advertisement for appointments into Categories A (Superintendent Cadre) and B (Inspectorate Cadre), which he noted took him by surprise as the head of the agency since his agency had been delegated to conduct recruitment into the lat...

                                       The All Progressive Congress (APC) may have decided to settle for former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, as its presidential candidate in next year’s election.   Some of the notable leaders who spoke with reporters were of the opinion that a Buhari candidature would guarantee a lot of things, which include massive support from the Northwest and Northeast, because, according to them, most people in the North still see him as the messiah and would go out en masse to vote for him any day.   They also said Buhari is perhaps the only person that has qualities that are antithetical to anyone the PDP would bring forth.   This, according to them, would give the voters an alternative that would be favourable to the opposition par...

  PO.com: US Would Do Anything To Bring Putin Down!   Is Russia’s strong man Vladimir Putin an oil sheikh, hiding under the masquerade of Gunvor, world’s no 4 oil trading company? The most startling part of Washington’s sanctions on Russian businessmen loyal to President Vladimir Putin may be a single sentence that contains an explosive allegation: that Putin himself profits from the world’s No. 4 oil trading company, Gunvor. Among the people the United States sanctioned on Thursday as part of its drive to put pressure on Russia for its intervention in Ukraine was businessman Gennady Timchenko, a long-time acquaintance of Putin and, until this week, co-owner of Geneva-based Gunvor, which trades nearly 3 percent of the world’s oil. In announcing the sanctions, the Treasury Department went a step further, adding a single sentence that hits squarely at one of the most controversial topics that Putin has faced in 13 years as the Kremlin ruler and hea...

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah with his wife Faizah Khan and two of their three children Call was made to Captain Shah just hours before he took off in MH370. Pay-as-you-go phone which made the call was bought with fake ID.     Fake ID was used to get around security measures put in place after 9/11 increases fears Captain Shah may have links to terrorism. Investigators will soon question the captain’s estranged wife in detail.   The captain of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 received a two-minute call shortly before take-off from a mystery woman using a mobile phone number obtained under a false identity. It was one of the last calls made to or from the mobile of Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah in the hours before his Boeing 777 left Kuala Lumpur 16 days ago.  Investigators are treating it as potentially significant because anyone buying a pay-as-you-go SIM card in Malaysia has to fill out a form giving their identity card or passport number. ...