Why we are separated - Aki and Paw Paw

Aki and I still together —Pawpaw 23.Nov.2014 DISQUS_COMMENTS Seyi Sokoya , Nigerian Tribune Rate this item1 2 3 4 5 (0 votes) Actor Osita Iheme, otherwise known as Pawpaw, has said there is no reason for him and his popular screen friend, Aki, real names Chinedu Ikedieze, to break up whether now or in the future. Speaking with R recently, Pawpaw said that Aki’s fans misinterpreted his statement in a recent interview that the duo had separated. This raised fears in the movie industry and among the actor’s worried fans on what could have led their parting of ways. Pawpaw not only allayed the fear of the fans, but has revealed that he and Aki had come a long way, “even outside our acting career.” He added that Aki was quoted out of context and admitted that he was at first worried when he saw the interview too, but “Aki was trying to explain why we no longer lived together in our former apartment, Which was because the owner of the apartment wanted to make use of it and the fact is that we are not getting younger. We cannot live together forever. Even biological twins eventually separate to pursue their careers and lives. This does not mean they are not connected. There was reason for us to stay apart and I don’t think that should justify our ‘separation’ doing the rounds.” “Those who might have been worried about this rumour should disregard it because Aki and I are still together. In fact, we did a movie entitled “Aki the Blind” together recently.”

OYO APC is blood thirsty - PDP , Accord , Labour

Ibadan violence: You lied, PDP, Accord, LP tell APC 23.Nov.2014 DISQUS_COMMENTS Stephen Gbadamosi And Moses Alao •Say opposition not responsible for its woes •Thugs used new pump action rifles —Source The Oyo State chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Accord Party (AP) and Labour Party (LP) have lambasted the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) for blaming Friday’s violence reportedly orchestrated by APC hoodlums, which led to the death of a police officer and caused injuries to many others, on the opposition in the state, saying that the ruling party had always been “violent and oppressive” and that “it is only a matter of time before its pretence about being peace-loving is blown.” In a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Honourable Kehinde Salawu, the PDP urged the APC to face the reality on the ground that it “has become a party of war-mongers ahead of the 2015 general election” and stop making baseless insinuations about the opposition being responsible for its woes in the state. The PDP said the opposition knew nothing about the violence, noting that it was the responsibility of the APC to rein in its thugs and not put the lives of innocent Oyo State indigenes in danger. In a similar statement, Prince Dotun Oyelade of the Accord Party called for a high-powered investigation into the violence, saying that “for a party that brandishes peaceful reign as its cardinal achievement in four years, the unprovoked killing of policemen and random shooting by hired thugs barely 12 weeks before the next election is a danger sign that must be stopped.” The Accord Party also decried as awful and insensitive, the reported trip to the United Kingdom by Governor Abiola Ajimobi just hours after the state capital was thrown into panic by his party members, saying: “Under no circumstance should the Chief Security Officer of the state abdicate his major role and go on a leisure cruise abroad while Ibadan was literally burning. “With the top echelon of the APC threatening unimaginable violence and parallel government if they fail to win at the centre,” the statement said, it is little wonder that the party at the state level is gearing up to foist more violence, if this attack is swept under the carpet. The LP, in a statement signed by its state Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Taiwo Ibrahim, described the violence as “barbaric, uncivilised and reckless of a party that has been boasting of maintaining peace and order in the state,” stressing that violent clashes were unbecoming of the APC, and that in recent times, intra-party rivalry leading to acts of brigandage and thuggery have become the order of the day. “In the last few days, rival groups within the same party have been subjecting the state to terror, leading to the death of innocent citizens. Only last week, two of its lawmakers were alleged to have brought such untold hardship to the people as a result of their thuggery. “And last Friday, their principal, Senator Abiola Ajimobi’s jamboree baptised the state with another pool of blood,” Ibrahim said. The LP added that the people should be watchful, “as we approach the 2015 elections,” calling on well-meaning people of the state to call the APC to order “before the party finally sets the state on fire. “We sympathise with the innocent citizens, including police officers who were only doing their duties, who lost their lives as a result of the brigandage,” the LP stated. Meanwhile, aftermath the killing of an Inspector of Police attached to Iyaganku Division in Oyo State Police Command, and injuring of many others on Friday, Sunday Tribune’s investigation has revealed that the thugs who did the shooting used brand new pump action rifles. It will be recalled that the use of pump action gun was prohibited in 2011 shortly after the year’s elections and the ban has not been lifted. A source who craved anonymity and who was one of those on ground at the venue of the incident in Ibadan on Friday, said that the thugs emerged suddenly from Liberty Road and started firing. According to the source, “we spoke with the secretary of the APC on ground at the rally to call the man who was causing trouble to order. He was the one fighting an okada man. “We just heard gunshots from behind us. The thugs emerged from Liberty Road and aimed at the police.” The source said that the thugs aimed to disarm the police, as they advanced towards the inspector who fell after he was hit in the head, adding that it was in the process of saving the gun from being taken by the thugs that the Divisional Traffic Officer, Mapo Division, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, was also hit in the head. Iyaganku Division was reported to have suffered the higher number of casualty of policemen as the two officers in charge of patrol and guard as well as the Station Officer, among others, had bullets extracted from their bodies. A police corporal from Mapo Division is also on a danger list as he had been bleeding from one of his eyes hit by pellets, another source also said. Sunday Tribune learnt that the DTO had been taken to a private hospital because of the ongoing strike action at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, and was responding to treatment.

Barren woman returns stolen child to church !

Bus conductor arrested for stealing baby font size decrease font size increase font size Print Email 23.Nov.2014 DISQUS_COMMENTS Alphonsus Agborh – Asaba, Nigerian Tribune •As barren woman returns stolen child to church A bus conductor, Damijo David, has been arrested for allegedly abducting a 7-month-old baby while in a bath tub in Warri. The baby, who was taken away at about 7am on November 12, 2014, was recovered few minutes later, the State Commissioner of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, said. Parading the suspect along with several others while giving a break down of the command activities for the month of November teh command said one kidnapper was shut dead in the period under review. Mother of the child, Mrs. Blessing Oghale, said she left the baby inside her bath to collect some pegs for hang some clothes inside the room only to find the baby missing. She said her maid informed her that one brother had taken the baby away. The woman raised the alarm, pursued the abductor who had already crossed a dwarfed fence in their compound with the baby before recovering her child. The suspect admitted that the baby was recovered from him in the same compound, but he was not taking her anywhere. Meanwhile, the woman who abducted a baby during a church service at Redeemed Christian Church of God, Celebration Parish, Asaba, has returned the baby after about 10 days of keeping the baby in her custody. The woman, whose name was not disclosed, returned the child at about 8pm on Friday with a note seeking forgiveness and giving details on what led her to commit the act.

Who is Chief Bode George @ 70 ?

Congrats to omo Yoruba ponbele ! Salute to a great man @ 70 Chief Ibiyinka Olabode George You are one of the best Yoruba man living on the face of the Earth today . You are a true son of Oduduwa. You have a traceable pedigree . You don't forge in order to be popular You are loyal , dedicated and sincere to whoever is your leader Though at great personal deprivation , sorrow and mental torture You are a man of peace , not of war You are never an agent of destabilization You are factual , real and not pretentious You always seek and work for the unity of Yoruba race You build and don't scatter You organise and mend fences You don't manipulate and distort fact You think of the whole Yoruba not of yourself You are not cracy about being a self appointed Yoruba Leader But as fate woulf have it You have been titled the pathfinder of the Yoruba race BG as popularly being referred to No one can cover your sunshine Not even with a malicious allegation and accusation Which God and posterity had absolved you Your night is better even than the day And that is our prayer kale san yin ju owuro lo And it is being so Atona , You remaining days non the face of the Earth Will be blessed and buffeted with Good health, peace of mind ,and prosperity Congratulations Igba Osu Irinwo Odun Happy New Year ! The Atona of the Source ! Alarinka Agbaye Travel & Tourism Salute to a great man @ 70 Chief Ibiyinka Olabode George You are one of the best Yoruba man living on the face of the Earth today . You are a true son of Oduduwa. You have a traceable pedigree . You don't forge in order to be popular You are loyal , dedicated and sincere to whoever is your leader Though at great personal deprivation , sorrow and mental torture You are a man of peace , not of war You are never an agent of destabilization You are factual , real and not pretentious You always seek and work for the unity of Yoruba race You build and don't scatter You organise and mend fences You don't manipulate and distort fact You think of the whole Yoruba not of yourself You are not cracy about being a self appointed Yoruba Leader But as fate woulf have it You have been titled the pathfinder of the Yoruba race BG as popularly being referred to No one can cover your sunshine Not even with a malicious allegation and accusation Which God and posterity had absolved you Your night is better even than the day And that is our prayer kale san yin ju owuro lo And it is being so Atona , You remaining days non the face of the Earth Will be blessed and buffeted with Good health, peace of mind ,and prosperity Congratulations Igba Osu Irinwo Odun Happy New Year ! The Atona of the Source !

Chad president’s friend buys 19 missiles for Boko Haram

Chad president’s friend buys 19 missiles for Boko Haram 23.Nov.2014 Emmanuel Adeniyi The claim that insurgency in Nigeria is being fuelled by some faceless persons and groups within and outside Africa became clearer with the news of arrest of one Mr Mahamat Bichara Gnoti, who is alleged to be a close associate of the Chadian President, Idriss Déby. Mr Gnoti was reported to have been apprehended on the Chadian-Sudan border with 19 SAM2 missiles, which he allegedly purchased from the Sudanese army for Boko Haram terrorists. According to an online news portal, Saharareporters, which quoted a Cameroonian investigative journalist, Bisong Etahoben, via his Twitter, Mr Gnoti claimed that President Idriss Déby gave him “the funds to purchase the weapons, …waved a presidential pass issued to him by Mr Deby’s office in order to get past border guards, but was stopped and searched by the guards who found the deadly weapons on him.” The news portal further alleged that with the arrest, it was clear that the Chadian leader was one of those sponsoring insurgency in Nigeria, claiming that Mr Déby had similarly swindled the Nigerian government “out of millions of dollars in Nigeria’s failed attempt to negotiate the release of some 200 high school girls abducted by Boko Haram.” When Sunday Tribune visited the Twitter handle of Mr Bisong Etahoben at chiefBisongEtace1, it confirmed the story, noting that Mr Gnoti was actually arrested on November 17. A highly placed source in the Nigerian security formation told Sunday Tribune on Saturday that Nigerian Government had launched an investigation to determine the veracity of the report. Though he declined to be named, the source said government’s attention had been drawn to the Gnoti affair and would take appropriate action once it ascertains the correctness of the report and the purported role of the Chadian president.

Tinubu is a destroyer - Akinfenwa

REVEALED! How Tinubu hijacked, destroyed AD —Akinfenwa 23.Nov.2014 S Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa is the National Chairman of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). In this interview with STEPHEN GBADAMOSI, he speaks about the plans of the party to bestride the 2015 elections like a colossus, among other national issues. Excerpts: YOU speak glowingly about the Alliance for Democracy (AD), while some people out there believe that the party is no longer in existence. What are the indices that you can cite to prove that it is still in existence? I am surprised that this question is still being asked. AD is very much alive. Let me remind you that we contested election in 2011, and we made tremendous mark all over the country. We had governorship candidates, senatorial candidates and so on. But at that time, the deceit was still very much on AD is the party that formed AC. But now that the truth is out, people are trooping out in large number to identify with their original party: the people’s party. Don’t be surprised that all over the federation now, we are like the beautiful bride. You even saw in the papers and televisions when I went to open the Lagos State secretariat of the party. You see the large turnout of people. People all over the country have been reaching out to me now. I am going to field candidates all over the country and in all the constituencies we have. What we are still considering is the issue of our presidential candidate. And that is being handled by a committee of selected leaders that I set up. Within the next few days, they will report back to me. It is most likely you are not going to have primaries. How will your candidates emerge? No, we are going to have primaries. Let me tell you the list of AD primaries programmes: House of Assembly primaries will come up 10 December, 2014; National Assembly, 8 December; presidential, 11 December. We are fielding candidates for all available positions. And this man here is one of the aspirants. He submitted his expression of intent form on October 30. And he has collected his nomination form. Everybody is making enquiries and they have been collecting their nomination forms. What are the strategies you have put in place to chase out the big ones like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s elections? It is unfortunate that people still say AD is dead. Newspapers publish AD’s events. That shows that the press recognises that the party is alive. Apart from that, we have fliers, posters and jingles all over the place. And the common man knows that his party is not dead. Don’t forget that the AD won six governorship seats in the West then. And those people that were deceived into the AC have now realised their mistake and are returning to the AD in their millions. So, I am not worried about membership at all; they are there. And you said big parties like the APC and PDP; APC, to me, is not a big party. I refer to it as a mighty colossus on a foot of clay; or a huge wardrobe, very well ornamented, but heavily corroded; all you need to do is to give it a tap and it collapses; that is APC. PDP itself is in a state of disarray. The only alternative now is the AD. Let me tell you; who knew David when he was just a boy shepherd in the bush? Darandaran? But when his brothers who had PhD, law and other qualifications appeared before Samuel, God said no; it is none of these. And he said, is that all? They said it remains one; a shepherd. He is there in the bush. And He said go and bring him. As soon as He saw him, He said this is the man. Today, we are like that David. Don’t also forget how that David floored Goliath. We are going to floor these people you call giants. You will be surprised we are going to shake this nation in the coming elections. You made reference to the six parties controlled by the AD in 1999. Immediately after that tenure, you lost those six states. What happened at that time? The reasons are simple. One, the governors of those states turned themselves to gods. They pocketed the party. The leaders of the party that made them were forgotten. They were treating them like slaves and servants. Don’t forget that all the governors got the tickets on the platform of Afenifere. No sooner had they become governors than they forgot Afenifere, particularly Bola Tinubu. Tinubu was not to be given the ticket in Lagos. The primary was won by the late Funsho Williams. It was the party’s leaders, particularly, the late Abraham Adesanya, who was highly respected then, that decided otherwise, for particular reasons. Chief Olaniwun Ajayi and Ayo Adebanjo gave the ticket to Tinubu. But Tinubu was to later ditch them. He disregarded them. He rarely attended Afenifere meeting. Even up till now, he doesn’t believe Ikenne is anything; he would not attend any meeting there. That is how we lost out. Those governors forgot those who helped them to get there. Look at Osun State, for instance, it was lost because Bisi Akande unwisely dealt a blow to workers. He sacked some of them; he retired some of them. And the workers said ok, our time is coming. And when the time came, the PDP was able to make inroads. They used the workers to deal with the governor. What about the widely reported pact with the then President Olusegun Obasanjo which backfired? I am coming to that. I would tell you the governors did us in. They decided to support Obasanjo so that he would allow them to win their elections freely in their states. But no sooner had they supported the soldier than he ambushed them. That was one of the reasons they lost. It was only Tinubu that survived it, because he had a lot of money; he could fight money for money with the PDP. These other governors had no money. And they had to move to where the money was. And where the money was was Tinubu. So, he was able to take them to his side. Tinubu had his own agenda; he wanted to be the leader of the Yoruba. And the leadership of Yoruba is not sellable. You don’t buy the leadership of the Yoruba. Papa Obafemi Awolowo emerged because he was found fit to be leader. Ditto Papa Ajasin and Adesanya. He thought he could buy the Yoruba; but a person like me cannot be bought. Those were the reason the AD lost. Recently, Chief Akande claimed that Senator Omisore borrowed from their campaign fund in 1999. As an insider, could you shed light on what happened? Akande is a pathological liar. He is my personal friend. We were very close in government. To have said that, I think he is a disgrace to our generation. I was the chairman of the party in Osun State. In the first place, I made Akande the governor. If I had insisted I wanted to be governor, we would have gone to primaries and he wouldn’t even contest, because he ran away as soon as he left prison. He said he wouldn’t play politics again. Then, I was bringing our people in Osun State together, first in my house in Ibadan. Then at a time, we had to move to Ayo Fasanmi’s house in Osogbo, because we said it would not be good for Osun State political affairs be decided in Oyo State. So, I brought all of them together in the days of Abacha. Then, the people said I should be the chairman. And I said no; Akande who had been the deputy governor and vice-chairman of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) should automatically be chairman in Osun State. Then I led a team of three: Professor Kayode Adedeji and Sola Akinwumi, to meet Akande in Lagos to ask him to come back. He said he didn’t want to participate in politics again. After I had organised everything and the ban on politics was lifted, Akande now came; and I still gave him the chairmanship. We called the meeting of state congress to Osogbo. And I remember that Akande had once told me that I would be the governor of Osun State. Let me not go into the detail, because he ditched me; though I don’t mind because I never wanted to be governor. So, we called the meeting of the congress at Osogbo Presidential Hotel. Then, they said those of us who wanted to be governor should raise our hands. Because he had spurred me on earlier, I raised my hand.Omisore, Lere Adebayo raised their hands; nine of us. Then, Akande suddenly raised up his hand; the man that told me to go and be governor; I was surprised. Then, they asked us to go into a room and come out with one name. When others had gone, I called Akande aside and said Bisi, do you want to be governor? He said Moji, mi I fe se, sugbon won ni kin se (I don’t want to do, but I was asked to do it). I said ok, do you want? He said yes and I said it was well, because I have been praying to God to let me know if I should be governor. I said thank you God, you don’t want me to be governor. Then when we got into the room, we decided to pick one person and I told them that being the oldest and the one who started the political movement, I would explain the hierarchy. Papa Awo was the founder of Action Group (AG) and he became premier. He was founder of UPN and he became presidential candidate. Bola Ige was chairman and he became governor. So, the man who automatically becomes our chairman takes the party’s ticket. But I, Akinfenwa, step down for Bisi Akande. Akande nearly collapsed. Then Omisore said aah, eyin agbaagba yi, e o dara o; ibi ti e gba yo si wa yi o dara o (you these elders have shortchanged the younger ones). So, all other stepped down for Akande, except two; Salami and Biola Morakinyo. Then I called Salami outside and begged him. I said when you wanted to be governor under zero party, I sponsored you. We have a system. Then, he said akuko nla o fe ki kekere ko (the mighty are subduing the vulnerable). The he said he had stepped down. You know when I was senator, he was also a senator. I was the AD leader in the Senate. And we always held meeting in my office. Morakinyo too, I begged him and prostrated for him; he insisted and said we had to go to Ibadan to settle it at Bola Ige’s home. Then, I wrote a communiqué; the decision of nine of us; we all signed it and that was how Akande became the candidate. Now, in the first place, Akande joined us just in 1979. Before then, I had never seen him in my live. All he was saying in the newspaper shocked me. He said that Papa Awolowo called him and he engaged Papa Awolowo for two and a half hours, and then Papa Awolowo said they would form party. Engage Papa Awolowo? What was his intellectual capability for him to be able to engage Papa Awolowo? That he sat Papa Awolowo down for two hours to know whether he would join him or not? I was surprised when he said he was not of National Council of Nigeria and Cameroons (NCNC). He was an NCNC member; he told me as a friend. Do you see that? He said he had not been in politics and that it was only in 1978 that Papa Awolowo brought him into the thing. Then he is a neophyte; a newcomer. So, Akande was not one of us at all. He became a religious quoter. When S. M. Afolabi left the government as deputy governor as a result of the crisis, he left for the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). So, we wanted a deputy. Ayo Ojewumi would have been the deputy. But someone suggested a Christian/Muslim ticket and we bought the idea. But where would we get a Muslim from the backyard of Afolabi? Then somebody said but they said Bisi Akande is Abdulkareem. And I said Bisi Akande, my closest friend? He had room in my house in Ijesaland; I had a room in his house in Ila to show you how close we were. But I never knew for one day that he was a Muslim. He never prayed in the Muslim way for one day; he doesn’t even know how to do so. His wife and children were Christians. So, I didn’t know he was a Muslim. But later I asked him: are you truly Abdulkareem? He said my people used to call me so. But then, we were happy, because he was very loyal to Bola Ige as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG). Then, we decided to make him the deputy governor. He couldn’t have been deputy governor above me. He couldn’t match me politically in life. But I subjected myself to him. Is it true that at that time, Akande ran on the ticket Omisore paid for? All these stories are in my book. I will explain to you. When he became our candidate, we needed money. But Akande had told me initially that he had no money. I said I knew. Then as the state party chairman, I called a few people to my house in Ilesa to raise some money. We raised about a million naira within 30 minutes. I first entered my room and donated N100, 000. And that was how it began; we raised a million within 30 minutes in my sitting room. Then I called Akande to tell him we had started raising money. He said Moji, so mo pe mo ti so fun e pe mi o lowo (I have told you I have no money). I said don’t worry. Then I sat down and wrote letters of appeal to prominent people to donate money, and we got over two million naira and we needed three million naira. And so we told Omisore who put down about N750,000. That was the first thing that impressed me about the young man. Then, Afenifere said each candidate should pay N250,000.Omisore paid, but Akande had no money. Then, Omisore told the Afenifere that Akande should use his own money as he was no longer comntesting. He used Omisore’s N250,000 as his nomination fee. So, I am surprised that he is saying that kind of thing now. During the campaign, Omisore provided three air-conditioned vehicles in which we leaders were travelling for the campaign. Omisore fuelled all the vehicles. Throughout the period, Akande relied more on Omisore’s funding. That’s why I was surprised when he said he borrowed from his campaign fund. Which campaign fund? Akande had no kobo of his own for the election. The only money we could say he provided was from a friend who gave him a cheque of N50,000. And the checue was turned to our to our financial secretary, Professor Yemi Kayode Adedeji. He is alive. That was the only thing Akande provided. He had no fund of his own. Many of the things he said make him a disgrace to our generation. Elderly people like us should not lie; we should say the truth always. And what is more about Omisore? Let us be frank about that young man; we may not be in the same camp, but we must tell the truth. When we were founding AD in NICON NUGA Hotel, it was Omisore’s presidential suite that we used. Where did Akande come in? He just got all he did on a silver platter. He has now come to tell lies to frustrate people like me who raised funds for him. It is unfortunate. He also said it might be that Omisore gave money to Bola Ige. You don’t tell such a lie about Bola Ige. How can you go to that length? It is sad.

Read what killed , Chaz B , Rhythm FM most popular presenter !

Popular radio presenter, Chaz B, is dead A popular radio presenter with Rhythm FM, Charles Bruce Chukwuma, popularly known as Chaz B has died. He died on Saturday reportedly of kidney failure. He was a cousin of the Silverbird Group founder, Ben Bruce. Prior to his death Chaz B was the host of the critically acclaimed radio show, ‘Sharing Life Issues With Chaz B,’ which earned him the 2010 best on-air personality in radio award by the Nigeria Media Merit Awards. According to the radio station, his programme “is rated the number one show across the city of Lagos.” His show was aired on the station Monday to Friday at 6.15pm. Pinned on his Twitter page were the words, “Don’t look for God in the sky; look within your own body.” The news of his death was announced briefly on Twitter by one of his colleagues, Benedict Afagwu, also known as DJ Humility. In breaking the news, DJ Humility tweeted, “Rest in peace Chaz B of Rhythm Fm.” About the OAP, another fan who simply identified herself as “Excuse Me Laugh,” on her Facebook account noted, “Chaz B of Rhythm 93.7 (Sharing Life’s issues) passed on. Though it’s sad, we rejoice in the fact that he did walk the path of eternal life. Those words of wisdom, encouragement, excellence, discipline, prayer and love, would forever live in our heart. Go in peace, we love you.” Chaz B, according to the biography posted on online by Rhythm 93.7, hailed from Delta State. He was said to have had more than 20 years experience in the hospitality industry in the United States. He was a student of Kings College, Lagos and held an Advanced Business Management Certificate from North Technical Education Centre and an Associate of Science Degree in Hotel, Travel and Tourism Management from Miami Dade Community College, Florida.

Arrest me now - Tambuwal tasks police

Tambuwal blasts police, says he’s ready for arrest NOVEMBER 23, 2014 BY JOHN AMEH AND ADELANI ADEPEGBA Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal The Speaker of House of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, on Saturday asked the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, to invite him for questioning and possible arrest if found to have fallen fowl of the law. Tambuwal was reacting to the directive the IGP reportedly gave to state police commissioners to invite him for questioning over the commotion that took place at the National Assembly on Thursday. Tambuwal said the IGP did not need to seek far to invite him as he was freely available to answer any questions from law enforcement agencies, being a law-abiding citizen. In a statement by his Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Imam Imam, the speaker said he did not enjoy any immunity against arrest or protection except privileges conferred on him by the Legislative Powers and Privileges Act. “The Honorable Speaker wishes to state that he is a law-abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who has no immunity against arrest and prosecution except privileges as may be provided by the Legislative Powers and Privileges Act. “Accordingly, the Speaker states for the records that he is available, ready and willing to answer any lawful invitation from any of the security agencies on any matter for which they may require his attention.” However, he berated the police for their “unprofessional” and “disgraceful” conduct in the manner they locked down the National Assembly on Thursday. Tambuwal said the police were out to stop him from entering the premises. He noted that the lockdown led to the avoidable commotion as members were left with no options but to scale the gates to gain access into the premises. The statement reads further, “Most disgraceful is the false statement later issued by the Police in which they claimed that in the lawful exercise of their duties, “ Alh Aminu Tambuwal CFR, arrived the venue with a motley crowd,who broke the cordon, assaulted the Police and evaded due process.” “This blatant falsehood coming from a law enforcement agency, that is expected to be neutral and lawful, is unfortunate, to say the least. “For the avoidance of doubt, the Speaker came to National Assembly accompanied by members as is customary during any sitting of the House. “They all came with their official vehicles but were disallowed from driving into the premises. “Certainly members, who arrived the precinct of the National Assembly in response to a call to perform an urgent, critical national assignment, cannot be described by any self respecting institution as “a motley crowd “ “It is important to remind the Nigeria Police Force that as a public institution that provides common services for all the arms of government, they must not allow themselves to be used by one of the arms to undermine the others.” But the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, on Saturday denied issuing any arrest order on lawmakers involved in the commotion and the alleged attack on Policemen at the National Assembly premises. He said the investigating Police Officers will determine who to invite, quiz and prosecute as the case may be. Abba also condemned, in very strong terms, the unwarranted attack on police officers providing security at a political rally in Oke Ado area of Ibadan, Oyo State, during which one Police Inspector was shot dead and five others sustained injuries. While ordering a thorough investigation into the shooting incident and the attendant death of a service personnel, the IG reiterated his warning to political actors to desist from the use of thugs in pursuing their agenda. “The IG reaffirmed the resolve and determination of the Nigeria Police to provide a safe and secure corridor for all political competitors, stressing that offenders of the Electoral Act will face the full wrath of the law,” a statement on Saturday in Abuja, by the Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said.

See how Security operatives vandalized APC party office in Lagos !

Behold the first hydrogen car on the move

2015 Toyota Mirai first drive Toyota’s Mirai will be the world’s first mass-produced fuel-cell car and we’ve driven it. Who can honestly say that this technology isn’t serious now? Toyota Mirai review The Toyota Mirai's huge front vents are needed to keep the fuel cell cool 1:48PM GMT 19 Nov 2014 Andrew English A Motoring correspondent, Telegraph Cars Get in touch Welcome to the chicken and egg show, the most overused metaphor in the fuel-cell business. It probably wasn’t uttered by Sir William Grove in 1839 when he discovered the principle of producing electricity from an electro-chemical reaction between hydrogen and air, but I bet it was in 1955 when General Electric’s Willard Grubb and Leonard Niedrach produced the first proton exchange membrane fuel cell. So which should come first? The chicken, a production fuel-cell car, or the egg, a hydrogen supply infrastructure? Speeches were filled with eggy chickens at this week’s launch of Toyota’s Mirai (meaning ‘The Future’), the world’s first mass-produced fuel-cell car; Honda’s FCX Clarity was first on sale, but was made in much smaller numbers than the tens of thousands of Mirais that Toyota is planning by the 2020s. Over two decades and countless squillions of R&D blood and treasure has produced this - a state-of-the-art, showroom-ready, four-door saloon, capable of 111mph, 0-62mph in 9.6secs and a range of 300 miles on the 5kg of hydrogen stored in two tanks under its rear seats. Refuelling them takes about five minutes. Toyota’s major innovations in this car are those immensely strong and lightweight woven carbon-fibre tanks, the 153bhp/247lb ft fuel cell and a revised power converter which steps up voltage 3 times to 650 volts allowing the use of a smaller electric motor. Toyota claims it has reduced the overall costs by 95 per cent compared with its previous fuel-cell car, the 2008 FCEV Highlander. So what about the egg? Big Oil has shown itself remarkably uninterested in supplying hydrogen to the public, even though it creates a lot of hydrogen by steaming it out of natural gas for refining petrol. So Toyota is reluctantly becoming an infrastructure provider. In America the car maker is investing $7.2 million along with partners Aire Liquide to install a 12-station East Coast hydrogen highway between New York and Rhode Island to kick start sales. California is already familiar with fuel cells and there are about 10 filling stations with the Californian Energy Commission promising $200 million to build that total to 68 stations in the next two years. In Britain the Government has promised £11 million to help provide 15 hydrogen fuel stations and some experts are predicting around 65 stations by 2020. But how many hydrogen filling stations do we actually need? Toyota’s fuel-cell development chief, Katsuhiko Hirose, says: “As a first launch, the 15 stations the [UK] Government has announced is OK. You need to remember the car might not be a prototype but the infrastructure is. And while governments want a quick roll out, to go faster might be a bit dangerous (not in an explosive way!) for the way we deliver the customer experience, because very small bad experiences may put them off.” He’s echoed by Takesh Uchiyamada, Toyota chairman and the father of the Prius, who says: “The success of the car will depend on the ownership experience.” Toyota Mirai rear The rear of the Toyota Mirai looks a lot more conventional than the front It has to be said, the US customer experience appears munificent compared with the Scrooge-like European approach, where the car will cost about £52,587 without VAT tax and Government grants - so that’s £63,004 without delivery charges. In the US, by contrast, the Mirai goes on sale this year priced at $57,500 (£36,761) to buy, with a lease deal of $499 (£320) a month for three years. Grants totalling about $13,000 (£8,310) are available in California, which means that buyers could get into one of these for as little as $44,500 (£28,446). Zero emissions vehicles are allowed into Californian high occupancy lanes, which is a good perk if you’re commuting, and then there’s the free fuel, at least until the Californian state figures out how to track the pumps and charge customers. Air Liquide says hydrogen will cost about $10 a kg in the States and in the UK it’s about £12 per kg. That means a refill costs about £65. What’s more the Mirai’s $3,000 optional 9kW power take off (which won’t be offered in Europe) could power your household electrics with a tankful providing almost a week’s worth of power. How green the Mirai is depends on who’s counting. Most hydrogen in Europe is steamed out of natural gas, a fossil fuel, but you can get the hydrogen out of electrolysis of water using renewably generated electricity or reformed methanol generated out of biomass. There are a couple of filling stations in Germany (Berlin and Hamburg) and a couple in Denmark supplying completely zero emission hydrogen, but for the most part, there will be a carbon implication of driving on hydrogen, just like there is with a battery car. General Motors' fuel cell stumbling blocks in the Nineties were the cost of the platinum catalyst in the fuel-cell stack and the heavy and costly hydrogen pressure tanks. Satoshi Ogiso, managing officer of Toyota’s fuel-cell program, says the platinum in the fuel cell is now down to molecular-level thickness and is a third of that used in the last Highlander. Professor Scott Samuelson, director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center in California, reckons there are a number of factors that have contributed to cost reduction, including increasing the fuel-cell stack power densities, reducing the platinum loading by a factor of ten, the mass production of fuel cells and “the spun carbon pressure tanks, which Toyota is making themselves by going back to its roots as a automated loom maker; I think that’s fascinating”. Another Toyota advantage is its hybridisation program, which started with the Prius in 1993. It’s given the company vast experience, a legion of skilled electrical engineers and a huge parts bin of electric drive components. So the Mirai’s nickel-metal hydride battery, power electronics and motor come from the Camry hybrid and the chassis is from the Lexus HS 250h. “I’m sure you will all have an opinion about the Mirai’s styling,” says Ogiso, “but if the name of your car is ‘The Future’, it had better look futuristic.” And the shape really is eye-poke weird, mainly because of those huge front air intakes. Toyota has been clever with water management (the Mirai’s fuel cell hasn’t got a humidifier like its rivals), but the immutable law is that water boils at 100 degrees and you can’t generate electricity in the fuel cell with steam, so you have to keep the cell cool, or you fail to proceed. Hence the big radiators. It’s strange really, because the rear of the car is pretty anonymous, meaning overtaking drivers on the LA freeway will get a rude shock when they get level with the Mirai. The interior gets a sprinkling of the future, too. With a remarkable sculpted dashboard and a central instrument binnacle containing digital readouts for speed, economy and settings. Satnav and heating controls are on another black panel below it, while the electrostatic touchscreen switches are revolutionary and attractive, even if they feel a tiny bit plasticky. Similarly, the seat material, an artificial leather called Softex, isn’t that nice to touch. And while the front seats are comfortable and supportive, the steering wheel needs a better range of adjustment. The Mirai is pretty well equipped, with LED headlamps, a heated steering wheel, heated and electrically adjustable front seats, air-conditioning and cruise control. In the back the seats are bisected by a huge centre console and you sit high (on top of the hydrogen tanks, remember) so there’s not really enough head room for six footers, though there’s plenty of leg space and the boot is reasonably big. The driving controls are pure Prius, with a stubby return-to-centre gear lever to the right of the steering wheel. The car takes a few seconds to check the systems and then you simply select Drive and pull away. I’d love to tell you how the car fizzed with hydrogen energy and how it felt as futuristic as Jules Verne’s Nautilus submarine, but it didn’t. In fact the most remarkable thing about the Mirai is how unremarkable it feels. I think it’s probably the quietest fuel-cell car I’ve ever driven, but in the main it feels like a middle-market four-door saloon and that’s exactly what Toyota wanted. The regenerating braking (not handled well on past Highlanders) is beautifully judged and you can drive the Mirai just as smoothly as you want. Pushing the power button squirts a bit more hydrogen in, causing the front wheels to chirp when the torque hits, and a trail of water to splash out of the exhaust. You can elect to hold the water in with an H²O button, but it eventually splashes out on the road. On all-season American tyres, the handling isn’t the last word in finesse, but the steering is accurate and well weighted and the Mirai's body movements are well controlled, although there might be a few ride issues on British roads, and on concrete freeways there was quite a bit of tyre roar. Toyota is planning to build 700 Mirais next year, increasing production gently thereafter. Europe will get between 50 and 100 examples in 2015 and the same in 2016. They’ll go mainly to Germany and the UK, with the balance to the other main areas covered by Europe's HyFive program, which is a £31 million, year-long fuel-cell initiative involving 15 partners including five car makers; Toyota, BMW, Daimler, Honda and Hyundai. The aim is to get 110 different fuel-cell vehicles on the road, testing, educating folk and working out what falls off. So this is going to be a rare car, driven by a few select people at first, but it’s a huge step forward and it’s also damn good. I’ve been writing about this technology for a quarter of a century, championing it against sceptical peers and I don’t mind admitting that seeing the Mirai on the road in Newport Beach I almost had a bit of an unmanly moment. I always trusted that this day would arrive and now it has. Gosh. THE FACTS Toyota Mirai Tested: 100kg proton-exchange membrane fuel cell, 1.5kWh 60kg nickel metal hydride battery pack, single-speed step-down transmission, front-wheel drive Price/on sale: £63,104 (including 20 per cent VAT but without delivery costs and Government grants)/late 2015 Power/torque: 153bhp/247lb ft Top speed: 111mph Acceleration: 0-62mph in 9.6sec Range: About 300 miles CO2 emissions: Only water vapour at the tail pipe VED band: Zero rated Verdict: Defining mass production is tricker than herding cats, but it’s pretty clear that Toyota will be producing more of this fuel-cell car than anything that has gone before. Whether you could live with the looks is another question entirely, but the Mirai performs and the interior is smart and well appointed with a touch of the futuristic. More like this please, but perhaps a bit prettier. Telegraph rating: Four stars out of five