Asari-Dokubo claim ties with 'martyr' Gaddafi

   
LAGOS Asari-Dokubo, Nigerian ex-militant leader who claims to have lived in Libya and to have had links with Muamer Gaddafii called him a "martyr" on Friday and vowed that his killing would be avenged.
"Gaddafii spilled his blood as a martyr to rekindle the fire of revolution all over the world," Mujahid Asari-Dokuboi, head of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, said. "Those who murdered him will not go scot-free."
 There have been reports that Asari, who previously led a violent militancy in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta region, received military training in Libya, but he was vague on the details of his stay there.
 Kadhafi was accused of using Libya's oil wealth to fund and arm rebel groups across Africa.
"Even if I got training in Libya, what is wrong with getting training in Libya?" said Asari, a 48-year-old who was born into a Christian family but who converted to Islam in 1988.
He said he spent time in Libya in 1990 and 1991.
"I was invited by the Libyan government and given a scholarship to go study Islam," he said.
"When I arrived in Libya, they thought that I had revolutionary ideas, so I became close to the leadership and I started talking to them."
Asari said he met other foreigners with similar ideas while in Libya.
 He said he returned and held talks with Gaddafi in early 2010, and claimed he was given $100,000 during that trip. He said however that his movement was not given significant financial support by Gaddafi over the years."The people of the world will rise up against this," he said of Gaddafii's death.
"The time is coming and they will regret this murder they committed against the people."
Asari argued that Libya under Gaddafi had the "highest literacy rate and the best health care in the whole of Africa. As a foreigner, I saw with my eyes."
Asari's group was involved in violence in Nigeria particularly in the early part of last decade.
He was arrested in 2005 on treason charges after he threatened to relaunch his armed campaign for an independent republic in the Niger Delta, but was released in 2007.
Asari says that his movement is now on "sabbatical" since a native of the Niger Delta, Goodluck Jonathan, has been elected president of the country, which is Africa's most populous nation and its largest oil producer.

Baba Suwe's 'pooh-pooh' 1million Naira richer

Image Merchant Promotion, a publishing outfit in Abuja is offering popular Yoruba comedian Baba Suwe one million Naira for an exclusive right to to his story that is widely referred to as "expensive shit of Baba Suwe".

 The media organisation noted that the controversy over the case of the artiste was important to the public, as his continued detention had generated a lot of debate in both the economic and entertainment sectors.

Hajia Sikrat Yushau, the Chief Executive Officer of the outfit said, " “Not minding other interests by legal practitioners to represent Baba Suwe in suing the government and the anti-narcotics agency over his ordeal, in the event that he is innocent, we strongly believe that such information from publishers of factual publication like ours could interest the members of the public.”
After excreting three times in one week under strict surveillance and without any trace of hard drug in the excreta,  the comedian, Baba Suwe and his lawyer Mohammed Bashir will file N1 billion suit against the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over his arrest and detention on Monday.

Baba Suwe who was arrested on the 10th October at the Muhammed Murala International Airport on suspicion  to have ingested substances suspected to be hard drugs, but there has been no evidence to substantiate the claim, even after the suspect has defecated thrice under close observation.

Despite the fact that the ace actor had excreted  three times without any trace of drug found, the NDLEA said Baba Suwe would still continue to remain under its observation until he makes the fourth excretion.

What is your opinion on the NDLEA's handling of the drama.

http://victorikoli.blogspot.com/

Malaysian PM to stage house party for Manchester derby game

The Manchester derby match over the weekend in the English Premier League will have a new attraction as die-hard Man United fan Malaysian Prime Minister

is throwing open his home on Sunday for football fans to watch Manchester United take on Manchester City, in a rapport-building exercise ahead of expected elections.

Najib, a Manchester United supporter, sent out messages on Facebook and Twitter Wednesday to invite football-mad Malaysians to his official residence in the administrative capital of Putrajaya to watch the match.
"Having been to a few football viewing parties before... I decided it is high time for me to host my own session," he said.
"I'm looking forward to lepak (hang out) with more of my Facebook and Twitter friends," he added.
Officials said big-screen televisions and overhead projectors will telecast the match live at 9.30pm (1330 GMT) in the residence, to those who register their interest on the premier's website by Thursday.
It is the latest attempt to woo voters by Najib, who came to power in 2009 after his predecessor was forced to stand down following an electoral drubbing. The next polls are expected to be called sometime next year.
Najib has faced declining opinion poll numbers over the brutal quashing of a electoral reform rally in July, rising racial tensions in the multi-ethnic nation and an increasingly cloudy economic outlook.
Last month, the premier went on a charm offensive, appearing on radio talk shows and youth concerts in a bid to shore up support.
Both Manchester clubs, who will meet at Old Trafford Sunday, remain unbeaten this season and lead the race to top the Premier League.

Qatar to award contract for World Cup stadia in November

QATAR will award a management contract next month to oversee construction projects for the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament, an industry source said.

More than six companies are vying for the contract, expected to be awarded in November, including British construction consultants Arup, Mace and Turner International, a construction industry source in Doha said. “It is a lump sum contract for 13 years, and will be awarded to one team comprised of about 50 people. A lot of firms have teamed up with each other, to make sure they have the best quality resources,” the source said. “It is a big deal, so the usual suspects are pitching for it.” Britain’s Mace separately confirmed in an interview that it was in the running for the Qatar soccer project and expected a decision before December. The Gulf Arab country last December won the bid to host the 2022 soccer tournament, and is preparing to build housing, infrastructure, transport and sport facilities for the event. Industry commentators say the programme management contract would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, with the winning group to oversee the construction of the stadia as well as awarding contracts to builders. “The (programme manager) will coordinate with all government agencies on the large projects. We want to make sure that close coordination is done early on and that systems are in place, so we do not have to go back and make changes later,” 2022 Supreme Committee Spokesman Nasser Al-Khater said last month. The programme manager will also bring on board consultants, contractors and suppliers, he said. Qatar will spend $4 billion to host the event, including the cost of constructing stadia, the committee has said. Stadia are estimated to cost between $200 million and $400 million each to build. The country will build nine new stadia and renovate three existing facilities. 2022 Supreme Committee secretary general said in June that the country planned to complete construction of the first stadium for the 2022 soccer World Cup by 2015.

Mayor of London urges Nigerians in Diaspora on role in Nation's development

MAYOR of London, Boris Johnson has said that Nigerians living in the United Kingdom (UK) have all it takes to assist Nigeria in the country’s development.

Johnson, who was represented by Colin Bloom, Member of Parliament, spoke at the recently concluded Nigerian carnival organised by the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (CANUK), urging them to brace up to change the country. Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife, Patience, at the event said Nigeria needs peace for sustainable development, just as she urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to join hands with the government. Represented by the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Zainab Maina, Patience said, “It is through peace and harmony that the nation can grow. We should articulate our grievances with a view to resolving them, rather than take to violence, maiming and killings.” The Mayor said Nigerians are very energetic, hardworking and progressive people worldwide, stressing, “Nigeria is a beautiful country for beautiful people. Your carnival is very important and it serves as a tool to unite Nigerian people living in the UK.“ She called on the over 2,000 Nigerians who came from different parts of the UK to use their diverse cultures to project the image of the nation. Speaking in the same vein, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the UK, Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida said the Mission had been repositioned to better serve the interest and welfare of the community, while promoting a sense of belonging, unity and amity among Nigerians in the UK. He appealed to all Nigerians in the UK to “join us in the pursuit of the transformation agenda of the Federal Government by making their modest contributions in every way possible.” Dalhatu stated that this year’s event unlike last year’s was slightly different, noting that it was the first time the organisers will be collaborating with CANUK to hold the occasion.

Police arrests 6 The Nation Newspaper reporters over story

The Nigerian Police raided The Nation newspaper office in Abuja on Wednesday after detectives arrested four reporters over a publication purporting that former head of state instructed Goodluck Jonathan to sack some government officials.

When police arrived at its premises, some reporters working there fled onto nearby streets. The police were apparently searching for material to identify the source who gave the newspaper the alleged letter from former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan. "The police invasion, apparently meant to decapitate the paper's leadership and disrupt production of the Wednesday edition, paralyzed work at the newspaper house for many hours and unsettled staff," read the statement from Kunle Fagbemi, one of those supposedly wanted by the police. Detectives had earlier arrested four editors from the newspaper on Tuesday after failing to find the publication's senior leadership at its Lagos office, a statement from its general editor said. The police later arrested two reporters who accompanied the editors to a police station, as well as the newspaper's chief of security, said Victor Ifijeh, the publication's managing director and editor in chief. The private daily newspaper, one of many publishing in Nigeria's outspoken free press, blamed the harassment on an October 4 front page story about the letter. The newspaper alleged the letter outlined Obasanjo's desire for Jonathan to replace the leaders of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund and four other agencies with his own candidates. The letter has hit a nerve in Nigerian politics, as it recommends replacing leaders from the Muslim north as opposed to the country's Christian south, where Jonathan and Obasanjo both come from. Some also view Jonathan as beholden to Obasanjo's interests, so the letter raises new concerns about Jonathan's independence as a leader. Obasanjo denied the authenticity of the letter and threatened legal action, but the newspaper said it stood by its story. Federal police spokesperson Olusola Amore confirmed the arrests on Wednesday, saying officials in Abuja received a letter of complaint from Obasanjo alleging someone forged his signature on the letter. Ifijeh criticized the arrests, saying officers randomly arrested editors after finding the official they wanted was on vacation outside of the country. "Obasanjo is not bigger than the law," the editor said. "He should learn to do things in the proper way, follow the due process not intimidate the president and the police to take the law into their own hands."

'Underwear bomber' pleads guilty to US airline attack

DETROIT, Michigan- Nigerian man also called the "underwear bomber" pleaded guilty on Wednesday to trying to blow up a US-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009, saying he had explored to payback the killing of innocent Muslims.

During a six-minute speech to a shocked courtroom on the second day of his high profile-trial in Detroit, Michigan, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab insisted his actions were righteous and that the true crime was US foreign policy.
"I am guilty of this count in US law but not in the Koran," the 25-year-old Nigerian said as he confessed to trying to kill 289 people on a packed transatlantic airliner using explosives hidden in his underwear.
"The United States should be warned that if they continue and persist in promoting the blasphemy of Mohammed and the US continues to kill and support those who kill innocent Muslims then the US should await a great calamity through the hands of the Mujahedeen... or God."
The botched plot, which US officials say was the work of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, failed because the explosives did not fully detonate and instead caused a fireball.
Passengers and crew members were able to restrain Abdulmutallab and put out the fire as the Northwest flight from Amsterdam made an emergency landing in Detroit on December 25, 2009.
Since many of the counts Abdulmutallab pleaded guilty to carry mandatory minimum sentences of 30 years without parole which must be served consecutively, he is expected to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Abdulmutallab kept his description of how he carried out the plot to the absolute minimum required to satisfy the judge that he was indeed guilty of all charges.
Reading calmly from a prepared speech, he stood straight in a black skullcap, gold tunic and blazer.

Abdulmutallab said he "had an agreement with at least one person" to attack the US in retaliation for US support for Israel and in revenge for the killing of innocent Muslims in Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and beyond.
"I carried with me an explosive device onto Flight Northwest 253, again to avenge my fellow Muslims," said Abdulmutallab, who has confirmed that he traveled to Yemen for Al-Qaeda training prior to the attack.
"I attempted to use an explosive device, which under US law is called a weapon of mass destruction, which I call a blessed weapon to save the lives of innocent Muslims for the US used weapons of mass destruction on innocent Muslims," he told the court.
"If I said I did it, but the American people are guilty of the sin and (President Barack) Obama should pay for the crime the court would not accept that," he said.
"However, according to US law which is unjust... my actions make me guilty to a crime."
Abdulmutallab's calm and respectful demeanor on Wednesday was in sharp contrast to his disruptive behavior during jury selection.
This was marked by incendiary outbursts, including a pledge that militants will wipe out "the cancer US," and praise for radical Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi and former leader Osama bin Laden, both killed in US raids.
Abdulmutallab is to be sentenced on January 12.