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Novia Highly feared social commentator and film critic, Charles Novia has added his voice to ongoing war between President-Elect, Muhammadu Buhari and the Raymond Dokpesi-led African Independent Television (AIT). Buhari had barred the television station from covering his activities over hate campaigns carried against him before the presidential election. Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has upturned the decision, affirming that all accredited stations, including the embattled TV station are free to cover Buhari’s activities. Reacting to the development, Novia noted that he always held the opinion that “freedom of expression will be curtailed by the incoming government.” The award-winning filmmaker, who posted his opinion on his facebook wall said, “If this report is true, it shows the colouration of Buhari’s government to the press. As a President, you must be tolerant. There’s no REASON to be vindictive to the press. Hasn’t President Jonathan shown ...

President-elect, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) | credits: dailypost.ng The Niger Delta Salvation Group, on Tuesday, urged President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, to resist the temptation of scrapping any of the interventionist programmes including the amnesty scheme initiated by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. The national coordinator of the group, Victor Tamarapreye, said this in response to the outcome of the March 28 presidential election, which President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party lost. Tamarapreye explained that members of the group, which is a new coalition of ex-agitators, have been watching events before, during and after the last general elections. The group said, while its members had reservations about the transparency of the election which led to Jonathan’s defeat, they respected his decision to concede defeat, just as they were willing to support him should he decide to seek legal redress. Tamarapreye said, “As for th...

Indonesian authorities on Tuesday executed four Nigerians and four others for drug-related offences despite pleas by the United Nations, the European Union, Amnesty International and the Federal Government. The Nigerians were identified as Martin Anderson, 50; Silvester Nwolise, 47; Okwudili Oyatanze, 41, and Jamiu Abashin, 50. The convicts were reportedly taken to the Nusakambangan Island where they were executed by firing squad on Tuesday evening. According to a report by the UK Guardian , Abashin was said to be homeless in Bangkok when a new “friend” offered him $400 to take some clothes to Indonesia. ADVERTISEMENT He was nabbed in Surabaya with 5.5kilogrammes of heroin and sentenced to death in 1999. Abashin was said to have appealed for presidential clemency, claiming he never knew he was carrying the drugs. His plea was rejected. Nwolise was sentenced to death in 2002 for smuggling a kilogramme of heroin into Indonesia. Oyatanze was ...

The Niger Delta Renaissance Organisation says it will be canvassing for the Speakership position for the region in the next Legislature of the lower House. The group said having lost the Presidency the incoming ruling party should not leave the South South without any position in the scheme of things. It says it will be wrong for only the north and the south west to share the political spoils after the victory of the All Progressive Congress APC over the Peoples Democratic Party PDP which won most seats in the South South and the South East region. The group says it will be unfair to search for speakership position outside the region bearing in mind the fact that the All Progressive Congress APC also won seats in the South South region. The group says it believes Gen. Muhammadu Buhari   and the party heirachy will not look the other way while the South South region is schemed out of the race for Speakership. “Considering the fact that the south south region also g...

Barring any last-minute change,  former militants and self determination groups will today begin the execution of the N9.3b waterways and oil pipelines contracts. A memo from the Presidency directed the ex-militants, led by Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo), Mujaheedin Asari-Dokubo and Chief Bipobiri Ajube (aka Gen. Shoot-At-Sight) to take over Nigerian waterways and oil pipeline protection from the police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as from March 16. But the contract execution was said to have been delayed because it was uncertain whether the incoming administration would revoke it. It was learnt that some of the ex-militants did not have enough arms to man the pipelines and needed more time to get well-equipped for the job. The Federal Government, it was learnt, is set to make a two-month payment out of the   N9.3billion contract sum to the beneficiaries through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)....

•House overlooks seat of power             •Anti-graft agencies may intervene There are security concerns over a N2 billion mansion overlooking the Presidential Villa, just completed by an outgoing governor from the North. The mansion is said to be built at an elevated point within the precincts of the Villa, making the seat of government vulnerable to “espionage” from the governor’s comfort zone. It was not clear if the governor would be asked to remodel the new residence, be subjected to an undertaking or be placed on surveillance. Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the governor had acquired the choice plot, said to be worth over N1 billion, in anticipation that he might play a key role if President Goodluck Jonathan was re-elected. It was gathered that the governor had planned post-office life in such a manner that his residence would be a stone’s throw from the seat of power, but his dream crashed following the los...

As the quest for the position of Senate President heats up, youths in the country under the aegis of YOUTH SAY YES has called on Senators both newly elected and reelected to ensure that they elect a Senate President who will meet the expectations of the Nigerian people. The group in a statement signed by its National Director of Mobilisation Benjamin Etuk said it is imperative that the Senators do the needful by voting in the former Governor of Benue state as the President of the Senate owing to the experience he has gathered as Minority leader in the outgoing Senate. Do group queried the bickering over the struggle for the position of Senate President saying that naturally,” it shouldn’t be an issue considering the fact that George Akume having served as the highest party member in the outgoing Senate should naturally be given the option of first refusal as successor to outgoing President   Senator David Mark”. The YOUTH SAY YES Initiative said Nigerian youths are i...

The Niger Delta Renaissance Organisation says it will be holding its Renaissance Week from Monday 27 th April 2015 through Saturday 2 nd May 2015. The group in a press statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt and signed by its National Coordinator Comrade Nwokoma Messiah and Benjamin Etuk National Director of Mobilisation said highlight of the Renaissance Week will feature a Special Award to former Niger Delta warlord High Chief Ateke Tom. The group said it will be honouring Ateke Tom for his efforts at promoting peace in the Niger Delta region. The group particularly praised his stance that he and his boys will not go back to the creeks despite the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan in the March 28 th polls. The NDRO says the stance of Ateke Tom coming on the heels of the threat of another militant leader Asari Dokubo that ex warlords will go back to the creeks due to the failure of Jonathan to get reelected, helped douse tensions that developed in the reg...