Michael Ojuroye Initiative (Ngo)

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By: Funmi Ojuroye  October 24th 2013 The Aviation Minister, on Wednesday, insisted that the procurement of the two armoured BMW vehicles at the cost of N255 million followed due process. In a quick response to the query issued to her by President Goodluck Jonathan, Stella Oduah said that there was provision in the 2013 budget for the procurement of specialised equipment (including operational vehicles) to complement and, in some cases, replace obsolete ones. PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the two armoured BMW exotic cars were bought outside budget provisions, and in violation of procurement processes. But Mrs. Oduah maintained that there is always an annual budgetary provision for the replacement of obsolete, inadequate and unreliable monitoring equipment. “The NCAA (Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority) is charged with oversight responsibilities over all civil aviation operations in the country, including safety, security and strict compliance with ICAO Standards and Recomm...

By: Funmi Ojuroye  October 24th 2013 Nigeria’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations,  Dr. Umunna Orjiakor, yesterday, insisted that Nigeria does not owe Western  countries any apology over her position on same sex marriage and death penalty, as it was within the rights of the country as a sovereign nation to follow what its people want. It will be recalled that the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Mohammed Adoke, SAN, had told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, at the on-going 17th Universal Periodic Review of the council that 92 percent of Nigerians were against gay, while death penalty was constitutional in the country. The minister’s position, drew reactions from the United States of America and United Kingdom as both countries faulted same. But Dr Orjiakor, who addressed newsmen, said “Nigeria is a sovereign country and unapologetically so. We have a law in a democratic system which was what t...

By: Funmi Ojuroye  October 24th 2013 An 18-year-old girl, allegedly gang-raped by three boys, has committed suicide at her Amarata residence. It is a suburb of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. The deceased, simply identified as Janet, was a native of Oduali in Abua/Odua Local Government Area of Rivers State. She was reportedly gang-raped at gunpoint by the boys, who forced her into an uncompleted building last week, while she was on an errand for her elder sister. A source said: “The girl was sad and devastated after the incident. After she narrated her experience, her sister’s husband, who is a pastor, asked her to describe any of her attackers. She described one of them. “The boy was traced to his house, but he had absconded. The pastor counselled her and promised to pursue the matter to a logical conclusion.” It was gathered that, unknown to her guardian, the distraught girl had decided to take her own life. The source said the rape victim left behind a suicide note, af...

By: Funmi Ojuroye  October 23rd 2013 Ogbonnaya and Mbajuwon The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested a retired naval captain, Okorie Ogbonnaya, for allegedly defrauding Oceanic Bank Plc (now Ecobank Plc) of over N540m. The commission also arrested Ogbonnaya’s lawyer, Emmanuel Mbajuwon, for conspiring with his client to perpetrate the fraud. EFCC Head of Operations, Iliyasu Kwarbai, told PUNCH Metro that 51-year-old Ogbonnaya committed the alleged  fraud under the pretext of importing bags of rice from Thailand for Cooperative Federation of Imo State. He said Ogbonnaya took a loan of N196m from the bank and also caused the bank to lose $2.4m after the bank had issued him a letter of credit to a foreign bank. He said, “Sometime in 2011, Ogbonnaya, who is the owner of Akaeze Ventures Enterprise, approached Cooperative Federation of Imo State saying he could supply them with rice below the market value. “Ogbonnaya was able to obtain a bank guaran...

By: Funmi Ojuroye  October 23rd 2013 WHY do you like courting controversy and cheap popularity all the time? Does it mean there will be no governance in ImoState without causing confusion to attract attention? Why creating and engaging in unwarranted political gimmick which was also evident when you were Senior Special Adviser to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Inter Party Relation, where you were fingered in the controversy involving then Chief Don Etiebet-led national leadership of the now defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, that destabilized the party. These germane questions are meant for the executive governor of ImoState, Chief Owelle Rochas Okorocha as he stirred another controversy in the commercial city of Aba recently on his alleged botc hed plan to secretly launch his Rescue Mission Programme and All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state. The choice of the venue of the botched event which was Abia State Polytechnic Aba, without informing or getting the per...

By: Funmi Ojuroye  October 23rd 2013 Embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, was on Wednesday absent at the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Oduah is currently in the eye of the storm over the purchase of two bulletproof cars for her by the Nigerians Civil Aviation Authority. The vehicles are valued at a whopping $1.6m (about N255m). Many stakeholders had been calling for her sacking or resignation while the Presidency had so far kept mum on the matter. State House correspondents who had resolved to take up the matter with the minister before or after the FEC meeting were disappointed as she failed to show up at the time the meeting started a few minutes after 10am.