Presidency writes UK govt, calls for corruption probe against Ekweremadu, Uzodinma, others

The Nigerian Presidency has said it has written the National Crime Commission of the United Kingdom, UK, to assist in the investigation of five senators with properties in the UK and the British Virgin Islands.

The Senators are Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and Imo state governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hope Uzodinma.

Others are Senators Stella Odua, Peter Nwaoboshi and Albert Bassey Akpan.

Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigative Panel on the Recovery of Public Property SPIP, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, disclosed this yesterday at a news conference in Abuja to highlight some of the activities of the body in 2018.

He said: “The UK has passed a law that will also help us in Nigeria fight corruption and that is the ‘Unexplained Wealth Regulation’ which entails that if you have a property in the UK that is above $50, 000, you have to explain your source of wealth, and property here does not just mean a building but even jewelries.

“So, we have written the National Crime Authority in the UK asking them to investigate some Nigerian senators who have property in the UK and the Virgin Islands,” he said.

Obono-Obla added that if they are found culpable, they would be prosecuted in accordance with extant laws and made to forfeit such properties.

Obono-Obla, who is also the Special Assistant to the President on Public Prosecution, added that five oil companies are also under investigation for tax evasion and refusal to pay royalties to the Nigerian government.

He said: “the companies have not remitted over $1 billion to the government.

“A lot of oil companies are contributing to the economic challenges facing the country, denying Nigeria of royalties and also evading taxes, money that would have been channeled to the development of the country.

“Working with the Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS, we discovered that Addax Petroleum has failed to pay tax for five years and so they are owing about N700 million. Then, thanks to a petition we received from Femi Falana SAN, Mobil which purchased an oil bloc in 2001 for $2.5 billion dollars is yet to pay about $1.9 billion of that money to the government. We have commenced our investigations too”, he stated.

He said the panel was also looking at a petition involving a top official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC as well as against the management of the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN under Govs. Chukwuma Soludo and Sanusi Lamido Sanusi with regards to debt cancellations to banks.

- DAILY POST

REALLY !!! Agbaje: I decided to run for governor because I couldn’t find a younger person

Jimi Agbaje, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says he decided to take another shot at the number one position in the state because he could not find a “suitable” younger candidate for the position.

Speaking on Channels Television, Agbaje said after losing the governorship election in 2015, he had made up his mind not to contest the seat but could not get a suitable candidate for the party.

“Even though I didn’t want to run, I felt that we could get a candidate,” Agbaje said.

“After my running in 2015, I felt if I didn’t win, we could get a younger person to run but in all honesty, I’ve spent the last three years trying to encourage younger indigenous Lagosians to see who would be able to run, who we would be able to back up. But unfortunately, we didn’t get any.”

The PDP candidate expressed confidence that he would be victorious at the poll.

He said governance has come to a near-zero in the state, promising the people that he has come to liberate them from “pseudo-democracy”.

Agbaje had been a two-time governorship candidate. He ran under the platform of the Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) but lost to Babatunde Fashola in 2007. In 2015 when he ran under PDP, he lost to Akinwunmi Ambode, the incumbent governor.

- THECABLE

I’ll give Wilder a flat fee to fight me on April 13 – Joshua

Anthony Joshua is saying once again that he’ll give Deontay Wilder a flat fee to face him on April 13 in a heavyweight unification fight at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

Joshua says he’s willing to give WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs) a guarantee of twice his highest pure with incentives if he faces him next April. Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs) says states that he’s going to get his hands on Wilder’s World Boxing Council title one way or another. Just how he’s going to do that without Wilder losing to someone else is the big question.

Some boxing fans believe that Joshua’s sudden interest in talking up a fight between him and Wilder is all for show, as he clearly know that the American is planning on fighting rematch against Tyson Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs) next in early 2019 to clear up their rematch 12 round split draw from their December 1 fight on SHOWTIME pay-per-view at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

By Joshua setting the April 13 date at Wembley Stadium, and telling the boxing fans that he absolutely wants the Wilder fight on that date, it gives the impression that he wants the fight. However, Joshua had a chance to fight Wilder in September, but he chose to quickly end the negotiations and fight 39-year-old Alexander Povetkin on September 22.

Wilder had talked about wanting to get in the ring afterwards to try and sell his fight with Joshua, but he wasn’t allowed to do that for some reason. Things like that give the boxing public that Joshua isn’t serious about wanting to fight Wilder, and this latest challenge by him is just acting on his part. With Joshua setting a date on April 13 that Wilder won’t be available, it means he’s safe from having to fight him.

“In April, he needs to make a decision whether he wants to step up and fight me in England,” Joshua said to DAZN about his desire to make a fight with Deontay Wilder on April 13. “That’s his decision, because he and [Tyson] Fury want a rematch. But if not, we got other options. No problem. The ball is in Wilder’s court. April 13 at Wembley, come see me. We’ll get the deal done. I’ll pay you way more than what you ever earned before. I’ll give you all the chance for 4 belts [IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO]. What more can you want?” Joshua said.

The options that Joshua talks about having for his April 13 fight is Dillian Whyte (24-1, 17 KOs). It’s believed by many that Whyte has been the only true option for Joshua for the April 13 date for months. Whyte is with Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing stable, and he’s been chomping at the bit about making the fight between them for the last few months. Hearn seems every bit as interested in making the Joshua vs. Whyte II fight than he does in making the Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook fight for early 2019. When Hearn wants to make a fight, he’s like dog that has a bone that he won’t let go of. Hearn wants the Joshua vs. Whyte rematch, and it’s crystal clear that he’s going to make that fight on April 13.

If Dereck Chisora beats Whyte in their fight next Saturday night on December 22, then Hearn will likely choose his Plan-B option, which most boxing fans believe is American Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller (23-0-1, 20 KOs). Hearn obviously would like to wait a little while longer before he makes the Joshua vs. Miller fight, but he won’t be able to if Whyte is beaten by Chisora next Saturday.

Hearn isn’t going to match Chisora up against Joshua, since that would be box office poison. The British boxing public isn’t going to want to see Joshua fight journeyman Chisora (29-8, 21 KOs), because he has too many losses on his record, and he’s been beaten too many times. Hearn having booked the giant 90,000 seat Wembley Stadium means he’ll need to use Miller to face Joshua on April 13 if Whyte gets beaten on December 22. Hearn needs an opponent for Joshua to help fill the giant Wembley Stadium. Hearn sure as heck can’t pencil in Dave Allen as Joshua’s opponent and expect a huge crowd for April 13. You can argue that Hearn probably would stick Allen in with Joshua if he thought the British boxing fans would buy tickets for the fight in high numbers, but clearly they wouldn’t. The fans would be totally turned off by that mismatch, just as they would in a fight between Joshua and Chisora.

”He does,” Joshua said about Wilder deserving more than just a flat fee for a fight against him. ”That’s why we can say we’ll guarantee you a flat fee, and we’ll look at an upside as well. We’re going to give him a flat fee, which is going to get him interested, and we’re going to incentive-size him as well. So he can start running his mouth and promoting the fight like he does,” Joshua said.

It’s alarming and pathetically sad that Joshua is still talking about wanting to offer Wilder just a flat fee for their unification fight. Hearn recently had distanced himself from the $15 million flat fee that he originally offered Wilder for a fight with Joshua in September. Hearn had been talking about wanting to give Wilder a percentage deal from 30 to 50% of the loot for a fight against Joshua. That’s why it’s shocking that Joshua is now talking of wanting to give Wilder just a flat fee for the April 13 fight.

Joshua says he’ll add incentives for pay-per-view upside, which obviously means that if Wilder works his tail off in promoting the heck out of the fight, he can share in some of the upside. Just how much is unclear. Wilder being offered a flat fee in a fight that no one really knows how much it’ll generate sets him up to potentially get a really bad deal. For the sake of discussion, let’s pretend that Hearn’s new flat fee offer to Wilder is $20 million for the Joshua fight on April 13.

So if the fight brings in well over $100 million, Wilder winds up with what amounts to be an 80-20 percentage deal. If the pay-per-view upside is around $5 million, then Wilder ends up with a 75-25 deal. In other words, Wilder would be the equivalent of one of Joshua’s mandatory challengers in terms of the percentage split he’d be getting for the fight. It’s obviously a great deal for Joshua, but a horrendous one for Wilder. Flat fee offers are made to fighters that aren’t popular. When you do see a flat fee offer made from one popular fighter to another, it’s usually a testing thing where the A-side guy makes a stab at tricking his opponent into taking a rotten deal.

When you have two popular fighters, the logical deal that is made is a percentage deal that is close to being 50-50. If not 50-50, it’s 55-45. For Joshua to be still making Wilder flat fee offers at this point in the negotiations, it suggests that he’s not seriously interested in making that fight. Why else would Joshua give Wilder a flat fee offer. Even former World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion Joseph Parker was given a percentage deal for his fight with Joshua last March. If Parker is being given a percentage deal, then why isn’t Wilder for a fight that would generate far more money? Is it greed on Joshua and Hearn’s part or it simply a case of them going through the motions to make the boxing fans think they’re interested in a fight with Wilder on April 13, but in reality they’re not.

”How much did he generate? [for the Tyson Fury fight],” Joshua said. ”But how much did Wilder generate from that [325,000 pay-per-view buys]. I can do a million pay-per-view buys in London, but I’ve got to separate that pot between the undercard, the lighting, and the management. So that money gets divided. I want to know what Wilder put in his pocket, and we can double that,” Joshua said.

It’s believed by some that Wilder’s fight against Fury brought in more money than any of Joshua’s past fights during his career. Even though Joshua has sold more pay-per-views for his fights, the cost is less than it is in the U.S. If Wilder vs. Fury went for around $80 on PPV per household, and Joshua’s fights go for around $20 per household PPV, then obviously the bigger money is coming from the Wilder-Fury fight, you would think. As such, Joshua talking about giving Wilder twice his highest purse in order to get him to accept his flat fee offer, it’s a waste of tie and breath on his part.

”It’s not just about Wilder for me. It’s about that [World Boxing Council heavyweight title] belt,” Joshua said. ”I’m going to get my hands on that belt one way or another. So if it’s not Wilder, I’ll get my hands on the next fighter, because I got another 10 years in me. I’m 29. I’m 30 next year. I still got a lot of time left in the tank. I got 22 fights now, so I’m still fresh. So I’m just looking forward to cementing my legacy for the long run. These guys have been professionals for 10 years. He has 40 fights. How much time does he have left? It’s more important for him to fight me now than later, because he ain’t got no legs,” Joshua said.

Joshua says he’s going to get his hands on Wilder’s WBC belt one way or another. Joshua sounds like his feet aren’t on the ground. He doesn’t seem to be entertaining the thought that Wilder could poleaxe him with a right hand the way 41-year-old Wladimir Klitschko did in 2017 at Wembley Stadium. It’s an accident that Joshua even made out of the fight without getting knocked out. If Wladimir had any sense at all on the night, he would have gone after Joshua immediately and knocked him out instead of choosing at that moment to box him. That’s what Wladimir did.

He decided that it would be a good idea to box Joshua instead of emptying his tank to finish him off the way fighters are taught to do. Wladimir went against the training that fighters re given to finish off their hurt opponents, and he ended up losing the fight. Wladimir forgot where he was in fighting in Joshua’s home country of England, and he didn’t realize that he would recover eventually, get his second wind, and be motivated by the cheering from the crowd.

”I made sure we booked the venue, and booked the date,” Joshua said about his promoter Eddie Hearn booking Wembley Stadium for April 13 in hopes of getting Wilder to agree to fight on that date. ”We started conversations before [the [Wilder-Fury fight] Fury. They said they didn’t want to talk to us. They wanted to talk to us after the fight, which is fine. I understand that. Now that the fight is done, they’re saying, ‘We got to push Anthony Joshua. We don’t want to fight him. We want to fight Tyson Fury.’ I thought it was all about one face, one name. Now you got the opportunity to fight me, and make that dream a reality. Why are you going to turn it down?” Joshua said.

Joshua makes himself seem like an angel by saying he booked Wembley Stadium and picked the April 13 date in an apparent effort to accommodate Wilder to make it easier for him to agree to the fight. But what that really looks like, at least to this writer, is a unilateral move on Joshua’s part to try and dictate to Wilder when and where the fight will take place. In other words, Joshua is playing his A-side hand to the hilt in picking the date and the location for the fight. If Joshua and Hearn wanted to work on negotiations with Wilder and his management in a bilateral way, they would have asked them, ‘What date is good for you, and where would you like the fight to date place? Is U.S good or would you like it to take place in the UK or a neutral venue?’ Hearn and Joshua picking the date and the venue for the Wilder fight, and then saying, ‘Here it is. Now sign the blank flat fee contract that we’ve sent you.’ It just comes across to come boxing fans like Joshua is playing his A-side to the hilt, and it’s even going to bother sitting down and discussing dates, venues and a percentage split. You can argue that Joshua and Hearn haven’t been negotiating with Wilder and his management. They’ve been dictating to the.

”The ball is now in his court to take my offer and challenge me for my belts,” Joshua said about Wilder. ”Until then, I can’t really do much. I can’t make Wilder’s mind up for him.”

There is no real offer from Joshua. All he’s talking about is giving Wilder flat fee offers, and that’s not a good way to get the fight done unless the flat fee is in the ball park of $50 million. If the Joshua-Wilder fight can generate over $100 million, then why would Wilder ever agree to a flat fee less than $50 million? Hearn’s initial $15 million flat fee offer made to Wilder isn’t going to be bumped up by $35 million to get it to $50 million. That’s not realistic. At best, Hearn will likely bump it up by $5 million to $20 million for the flat fee. That comes out to an 80-20 split for Joshua if the fight brings in $100 million. It’s a great deal for Joshua, but just a gawd awful one for Wilder. Joshua should probably leave the discussions bout purses to Hearn instead of him leaking the information to the media. All that does is trigger Wilder, and harden his stance about not wanting to take the fight with Joshua on April 13.

With Joshua talking freely to the media about only wanting to give Wilder a flat fee, which equates to him not being worthy of a percentage deal, then it’s going to make Deontay dig his feet in the sand and strengthen his desire to fight a rematch with Fury in early 2019. Why would Wilder want to make a deal with Joshua if all he’s being given is a flat fee? Wilder isn’t being treated like he’s equal in worth in the negotiations.

“My gut feeling is, I knockout Deontay Wilder when I fight him, but my gut feeling about who I fight [on April 13] is, I don’t know, because it’s down to these guys. I can’t dictate it,” Joshua said. ”Why I say I knockout Deontay Wilder is because I control that. I let my hands go, but what happens between who wins and what they decide to do with their careers…that’s why I say the ball is in their court. It’s completely up to them what they want to do,” Joshua said.

Joshua’s prediction of a knockout of Wilder, when asked what his gut feeling is about whether the Joshua-Wilder fight will happen on April 13, sounds almost like a knee-jerk response from an angry child that isn’t going to get his way. It’s up to Joshua and Hearn if they truly want the fight with Wilder. If they do, then should be offering him a percentage deal, not a flat fee. That’s a ham-handed way to negotiate a fight, and it shows that the interest on Joshua and Hearn’s side in the Wilder fight isn’t there. If Wilder isn’t worthy of a ntage deal, then that shows that Joshua doesn’t want the fight with him at this time. If Hearn and Joshua are serious about wanting Wilder to take the fight on April 13, then you can argue they should start the negotiations with a percentage deal offer that is close to what Wilder is asking for.

Since Wilder wants a 50-50 split, then it would be logical for Hearn’s initial offer to Wilder to start at 55-45. That makes the most sense if Hearn wants to get the deal with Deontay done straightaway for April 13 without watching him take the rematch with Fury, which will obviously increase his popularity even more than it is now. If Wilder gets more popular, he could start asking for the bigger percentage split for the Joshua fight. If that happens, Joshua and Hearn will be kicking themselves for not giving him the 50-50 flat fee that he was asking for.

-Boxing News 24

NYSC member planning £12.5m scam arrested

Ogbonna Victor Chibuzor, a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC was charged today with attempting a scam that would have fetched him £12.5 million from his targeted prey.
But the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested him before he completed the sting operation.

He was arraigned before Justice A.M. Liman of the Federal High Court, Enugu on a five-count charge bordering on intent to defraud, and possession of fraudulent documents contrary to Section 6 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.

Ogbanna’s arrest was sequel to series of raids carried out by operatives over the past one week in which several suspected online fraudsters in their early 20s, were arrested having been found to be living a flamboyant lifestyle, not commensurate with any visible means of livelihood.

Analysis carried out on the computer of the suspected fraudster revealed certain incriminating documents intended to be used in swindling gullible Nigerians and foreigners alike.

Further investigations disclosed that Ogbanna uses his e-mail address activitygeneral@hotmail.com to send unsolicited emails to his victims using fake or stolen identity to legitimize his nefarious activities.

One of the documents was addressed to one Alan Christopher of BG Group Plc, Thames Valley Park, Reading, RG6, Berkshire, United Kingdom, with a rider “Your attention is needed” and a second paragraph talking about a £12,500,000 (Twelve Million Five Hundred Thousand Pounds Sterling) unclaimed contract fund.

Another document found with the accused was a purported “Contract Award Certificate” to one Michael Morgan of 101 Brooklyn, New York, United State of America, on “Directing and Fixing of Oil Spillage” in the Niger Delta signed by the Chairman, Contract Tender Board and Chairman, Legal Department of Chevron Nigeria.

He pleaded “not guilty” to the charge preferred against him occasioning his counsel E.O. Isiwu to move a motion for bail.

The application was opposed by prosecuting counsel, Innocent Mbachie.

The presiding judge, however, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N500, 000 and one surety in like sum.

The surety, he ruled, “must have a landed property in Enugu which must be verified by the Commissioner of Lands”.

Ogbonna is to be remanded in prison custody until he fulfils his bail conditions.

The case has been adjourned till January 30, 2019.

-PM NEWS

STORY !!! Ekiti too broke to appoint political officers – Fayemi

Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has explained why he has yet to appoint political office holders more than two months after being sworn-in.

Only the Secretary to Government (SSG), Chief of Staff (COS), Acting Head of Service (HOS), Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, as well as Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor, among few others had been appointed.

The state is yet to have a list of Commissioners and Special Advisers which the governor would have to send to the State House of Assembly for consideration and approval.

However, while addressing a news conference in Ado Ekiti on Monday, the governor attributed the sorry state of finances on ground on assuming office on Oct. 16 to the delay.

“I decided to delay appointment of politicians to government to enable me pay workers’ salaries.

“I don’t want to do media trial for anyone, so I have hired the services of a renowned audit firm to look into our finances, and the forensic state’s accounts will then be published during our 100 days in office in Jan. 2019,” he said.

The governor lamented how his predecessor, former Gov. Ayo Fayose, allegedly wasted N18b Paris Club Refund to Ekiti.

Fayemi expressed worries over how Fayose, who owed between four and eight months salary and pension arrears at the time he left office, could not defray the backlog of workers’ benefit with the refund.

The governor said he had not reneged on his commitment to offset all the outstanding salary and pension before marking his first year in office.

On the increasing wave of kidnapping and killings in the state, the governor disclosed that incentives was being given to security outfits in the state to ensure safety of lives and property.

He added that there was collaboration between the state and all security chiefs for a unique security architecture for residents to be safe and secured during the yuletide.

The governor debunked insinuation that the state collected a N11.5b Paris Club from the Federal Government, barely two months after his assumption of office.

“Let those making the allegation come with verifiable proofs to substantiate their claim. Let them come with evidence.

“I have not collected any money in the fashion of road intervention or Paris Club refund.

“Governor Fayose had the opportunity of paying the bulk of these backlogs of salaries and pensions.

“He collected the sum of N18b out of the N21.5b due to Ekiti in the refund, so what is left as balance for Ekiti to collect now is just N3.5b, which can’t pay a month if we add the overhead costs of subvention of institutions.

“As we speak, we are doing a lot of cleansing and that had reduced the monthly pay to workers to N2.1b.

“Those not properly employed had been left out until they provide evidence. The medical workers that were employed on consequential ground had been re-absorbed,’’ he said.

He said the state anti-grazing law signed into law by Fayose’s administration has not been suspended, adding that efforts would be made to control the rampaging herders in the state.

- PM NEWS

‘May your health be like Nigeria health sector’ – Charlyboy to Buhari

Maverick entertainer and activist, Charles Oputa, on Monday joined Nigerians in felicitating with President Muhammadu Buhari on the occasion of his 76th birthday.

Charlyboy took to his Instagram wishing the president good health and best wishes.

However, his wishes were related to ‘bad’ conditions of things in Nigeria.

The activist also used the medium to express his grievance over Buhari’s administration.

He wrote: “’Happy birthday PMB. May your light shine like NEPA.

“May your road to 2019 be like Nigerian roads.

“May your health be like Nigerian health sector.

“May your wealth be like Nigerian economy

“May you be treated as you treated Nigerians. Buhari pack and go, Atiku not an option.”

The president marked his 76th birthday with Special Parade mounted by the Guards Brigade at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The event also witnessed special display by the Guards Brigade Band, wishing the president “Happy Birthday’’ with their musical gadgets.

Highlight of the event was the presentation of Birthday Cards to the celebrant.

The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali presented Birthday card on behalf of the country’s Armed Force, while the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, presented on behalf of members of cabinet.

Those at the event included cabinet ministers, members of the Diplomatic Corps, security chiefs and presidential aide.

- DAILY POST

MEGA CITY ! MEGA SUFFERING !! Again, Lagos street sweepers protest unpaid salary

Scores of street sweepers under the “Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI)” of the Lagos State Government on Monday protested their delayed salaries among other grievances, barely two week after staging an earlier protest.

The protesters, on Dec. 5, staged a similar protest at the Alausa Secretariat, barricading the road and urging Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to intervene to help stop their suffering.

The workers said that they would prefer to go back to the status quo prior to three months ago, before they were transferred to the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).

The street sweepers, who again blocked the Alausa Secretariat, said that they had to repeat the protest because the promises made to them on Dec. 5, especially over payment of salaries had not been adhered to by the government.

According to them, the workers are suffering due to failure of government to pay them their wages.

“Last week, when we held a protest to Alausa, we had a meeting with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Mr Biodun Bamgboye, with the head of LAWMA and other government officials in attendance .where we tabled our grievances.

“The government team promised to get in touch with us on Friday but failed to do so, and every attempt to get in touch with the Permanent Secretary through calls and messages were not answered.

“Even when we visited his office on Thursday last week to see him, we couldn’t see him after waiting for hours in his office because he was not around.

“Yesterday (Sunday) we sent him a message telling him we were coming today if they don’t see us and that is why we are here,” one of the protesters, Mr Oluwatobi Adeyeye said.

Speaking with newsmen after addressing the protesters, Bamgboye said that the ministry had already commenced the payment of the protesters’ November salary.

The permanent secretary said that the approval for the December salary had been received and the ministry was working on it.

Bamgboye told the aggrieved workers to compile the names of those who by Thursday evening did not receive alert, saying such list should be brought to him on Friday.

Bamgboye also said the other grievances of the protesters were being addressed, adding that it was a problem of transiting from one scheme to another.

“The scheme under which they have been operating is not the same with the Civil Service scheme.

“So the process of transiting from one scheme to the other is responsible for what other problems they have highlighted and it is being addressed; it is a transition problem”, he added.

Some of protesters confirmed that they had started receiving alert for November salary but expressed sadness over the delay in the payment of their salaries.

They urged the Permanent Secretary to ensure that their December salary was paid in time.

Part of the grievances of the sweepers include lack of tools to work with, health insurance, pensions, regularisation of appointment and provision of ID cards.

The sweepers also frowned at working on Sundays, non-observance of all public holidays, planned retrenchment, proposed reduction of salary among others.

- PM NEWS

TERRIBLE COUNTRY !! Girl dies after being detained by hospital over unpaid medical bill

A sickle cell patient identified as Onyinye Ezeanyika this morning died in a mission hospital in Onitsha, after being detained by the hospital management over unpaid accumulated bills.

DAILY POST gathered that Onyinye had been detained for one year and six months by the hospital, after she and her family were unable to pay a bill of N1.2million given her by the hospital.

The coordinator of the people Living With Sickle Cell Disorder, PLWSCD, Mrs Aisha Edward who disclosed this to our correspondent in a telephone interview said Onyinye died at the hospital where she was held hostage by the management.

She disclosed that Onyinye had sneaked out of the hospital about a month ago to her house to show her the bill made by the management of the hospital.

“I had given her money then, and even advised her to escape from the hospital. But when the hospital found out she had visited me, they threatened her and instilled fear in her, and since then, my daughter has not been herself.

“She even told me that the hospital intended to keep her until Christmas, when philanthropists usually came to redeem the bills of indigent patients, so you can see the motive behind her being detained by the hospital.”

Edward said she was more pained by the fact that the hospital involved was a missionary hospital.

She lamented that sickle cell patients were now being used by hospitals to make money by charging them exorbitantly, in the hope that philanthropists and other organisations will come to redeem the bills.

Speaking on the demised sickle cell patient, Edward said, “I called her yesterday so she can join us at Onitsha where an NGO donated food items and various gifts to us, including entertainment, but she told me she was in pain and can not come.

“I even brought some foodstuff back, which I hoped to share among those members who could not make it to Onitsha, but to my shock this morning, I received a call that she had died.

“Now that she is dead, I urge the hospital to sell her corpse and offset the bill she left behind,” Edward said in tears.

- DAILY POST

Qatar Airways: We were never interested in Nigeria Air

Akbar Al Baker, the chief executive officer of Qatar Airways, says his company was not looking to be a core investor in the national carrier project, Nigeria Air.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the ongoing 18th Doha Forum in Doha, Qatar, Al Baker said the Nigerian government only approached them for help on how to go about floating a national carrier.

While refuting rumours that the national carrier project was suspended for lack of investors, Hadi Sirika, minister of state for aviation had listed Qatar Airways and Ethiopian Airways as some of the potential investors of the national carrier.

“We never applied to serve as core investor in the proposed Nigerian national carrier. The government of Nigeria only approached us on how to go about setting up the carrier. And we advised that Nigeria needs massive investments to float a national carrier,” Vanguard quoted Al Baker to have said on Sunday.

“Nigeria, being the largest country in Africa, cannot afford not to have a national carrier that competes, first in Africa, and then the global stage. Again, Nigeria must also have the airport that can accommodate modern aircraft that can drive competition.”

He said his company also advised Nigeria on the type of aircraft to acquire for profitability and that Qatar Airways would rather encourage the Nigerian government to designate some airlines to Doha rather than pay royalties; pending the floating of the new national carrier.

Al Baker also said Qatar Airways will not fly into Abuja or other routes in Nigeria so as not to kill the domestic airlines in the country.

- THECABLE