Mimiko looks set to win

Ondo State Governor and Labour Party candidate, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, looks set to win a second term, going by results trickling in from various polling units across the state. Mimiko had a good lead ahead of his arch-opponents - Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of the Action Congress of Nigeria and Mr. Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party - in the election. If he wins, he would have broken the jinx about the inability of his democratically elected predecessors to clinch a second term. These include Chief Michael Ajasin, Chief Adebayo Adefarati, Dr. Olusegun Agagu and Mr. Bamidele Olumilua. Of the lot, only Agagu got a second term but this was truncated as he was removed by the election tribunal and the appeal court, which declared Mimiko the winner of the 2007

election.

Breaking News: Katsina gov escapes death in auto crash

Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, on Tuesday escaped death when his motorcade was involved in an accident on Katsina-Daura Road.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the incident occurred at about 9.30am in Zakalia Village in Mashi Local Government Area of the state when a commercial bus collided with the governor’s car.
However, his Aide-de-Camp, Aminu Ibrahim, died in the accident, according to the state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Alhaji Habu Dauda. Shema was on his way to Daura to receive President Goodluck Jonathan, who was expected to pay a courtesy call on the Emir of Daura, when the accident occurred.
The governor was reportedly unhurt as he shifted to the security vehicle to continue with the journey.

MTN to invest millions in Nigeria

South Africa-based telecommunications company MTN says it will invest $1 billion in Nigeria's growing mobile phone market over the next year as it faces increased competition in Africa's most populous nation.

MTN spokeswoman Funmi Omogbenigun said on Friday that the investment would go toward building a fibre optic network and improving network capacity in Nigeria. Omogbenigun says “demand still outstrips supply” in Nigeria, home to 150 million people.

MTN's move comes as Bharti Airtel, the world's fifth largest telecommunications company, recently entered the market through the purchase of Kuwait-based Zain. MTN holds a 50 percent market share in Nigeria, but Bharti already has started cutting prices to win over customers. - Sapa-AP

Japan quake may hit Africa's debt access

Japan quake may hit Africa's debt access
March 14 2011The reconstruction that will need to be financed after the devastating Tsunami and earthquake in Japan last week may impact Africa's access to international debt markets, says Roland Cooper, director of Fitch Ratings South Africa.

Speaking Monday at the Power Indaba, Cooper pointed out that only two African countries had investor grade ratings, namely South Africa with BBB - and Namibia with BB.

“Considering that Japan has a AAA/AA rating, where would an international investor prefer to put his money first, once Japan starts reconstructing,” Cooper said.

He said that out of the 18 African countries currently rated by Fitch only Nigeria had a negative outlook while the rest had outlooks of positive or stable.

“Africa is getting ready to tap the international debt markets, but one prepares a presentation like this last week and then something terrible happens overnight,” Cooper said. - I-Net Bridge

Nigerian doctor murdered on thursday night at hishome in Trinidad and Tobago

UNGRATEFUL MONSTERS! This is how several Nigerian doctors described the person who shot and killed their colleague, Dr Chudi Ezezue, in the yard of his 22 Ninth Street, Barataria apartment late Thursday night. Ezezue, 44, a surgical doctor at the Intensive Care Unit of the Port of Spain General Hospital, was shot in the head by an unknown assailant, who police believe waited on the victim's arrival home.The killing, up to late yesterday, remained a mystery for homicide detectives, who have ruled out robbery as nothing was taken from Ezezue, a father of two young children.The doctor, who had been working here since 2006, lived at the apartment with his Nigerian wife, Dr Amaka Ezezue, and their children. Amaka is assigned to the Special Babies Unit at the PoSGH. She declined to speak to the media outside the Forensic Science Centre in St James after her husband's autopsy yesterday."Imagine a man (Ezezue) who does save the lives of criminals and other people when they come into the hospital with gunshot wounds or whatever type of injuries, they turn around and kill. That is heartlessness and they are ungrateful monsters," a Nigerian doctor stated.Musa John Jen, Nigerian High Commissioner to this country, described the killing as unfortunate in a telephone interview yesterday. Jen said he was a very close friend of Ezezue, whom he had seen minutes before the incident."He's a very outgoing character, very friendly and nice outgoing person. It's really unfortunate and the fact is we no longer know from which direction to even begin to comprehend what happened, because this is not somebody under normal circumstances, I think, who would antagonise people to the extent that somebody would lay and ambush and kill him outright," Jen said."It's really a shock and I don't know whether it was a planned murder or someone tried to rob him and he resisted. We attend the same church (Chapel of Joy) so he's somebody I know very, very well. He's my friend in fact and he was in my house yesterday (Thursday) and he left to go home and then I was informed that he was shot."Jen, who said he immediately went to Ezezue's home when he heard of the incident, expressed optimism that the local police would solve the crime. He said Ezezue's relatives in Nigeria have been informed about the incident and his body will be flown back to his native land for burial.One of Ezezue's colleagues, Dr Norbert Enweluzor, said his colleagues were deeply saddened by the incident, since many of them were in the profession of saving lives."We feel so sad that this could happen to a doctor who has just gotten into his compound for someone to just approach him and shoot him. We have been affected by the crime situation and it's our hope that this crime situation be controlled because it's going to affect everybody," Enweluzor told the Express.According to police, around 10.30 p.m., Ezezue arrived at his home and was ambushed and shot. Amaka, who was at home with their children, came out to investigate after hearing gunshots and found her husband in a pool of blood. PCs Marvin Pinder and Seals are probing the incident

Ribadu‘s running mate‘s aircraft didn‘t crash-land - FEC

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday denied reports that a Hawker Siddeley HS-125 aircraft conveying the Action Congress of Nigeria vice-presidential candidate, Mr. Fola Adeola, and some party chieftains to Bauchi crash landed at the Bauchi Airstrip on Tuesday.



Briefing journalists after FEC‘s meeting at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja, the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, and the Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. Labaran Maku, said information available to government indicated that the aircraft had already landed and was taxiing on the runway when a flock of sheep strayed onto the tarmac.



FEC also described the ACN’s claims of sabotage as ‘undue politicisation‘ of a humanitarian issue.



Vice-President Namadi Sambo presided over the meeting, which lasted barely an hour.



FEC also approved the award of Nigerian citizenship to 92 foreigners.



The campaign organisation of the ACN‘s presidential candidate, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, had claimed in a statement that the aircraft crash landed after its landing gear made impact with a flock of sheep.

Turai Yar'Adua signs agreement with IAEA on cancer control in Nigeria

Turai Yar'Adua signs agreement with IAEA on cancer control in Nigeria
The First Lady, Turai Yar'Adua, on Thursday signed an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency on behalf of her NGO, the International Cancer Centre, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Turai, who is attending a conference in Vienna, signed the agreement on cancer control in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. NAN reports that the First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar'Adua, signed on behalf of the centre while Prof. Werner Burkart, Deputy Director General and Head of Nuclear Sciences and Applications of the IAEA, signed on behalf the agency.
The agreement was signed at the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna after a meeting between the the ICCA Board of Trustees with the out-going Director General of the Agency, Dr Muhammed El-Baradei. Speaking on the occasion, Yar'Adua called for collaboration between the two organisations especially in the areas of early detection, therapy and management.
She said that the partnership would help in the reduction of the scourge of cancer not only in Nigeria, but in the West Africa. She said only 20 per cent of cancer patients in Africa had access to medication.
"Cancer treatment is very expensive and patients must travel far away from their countries to get the required attention and my plan is to reduce the scourge through early detection of the disease,," the First Lady said. She said that statistics showed that those dying of cancer in Nigeria were more than those who died as a result of HIV and AIDS and malaria put together.
Also speaking, a member of the ICCA Board of Trustees, Alhaji Muntari Maimaje, said the centre was ready to collaborate with the IAEA in the areas of research,manpower training, and purchase of equipment. Another speaker, the Chairman, National Committee on Cancer Control in Nigeria, Prof. Durosimi Etti, said the centre planned to train some Nigerian doctors under the IAEA's Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy.
Responding, El-Baradei, said the IAEA had a good working relationship with Nigeria and that it would support the centre's plan to boost cancer control and management in Nigeria and other Africa countries.
The two sides will collaborate to develop and implement an integrated and comprehensive cancer control programme including planning, registration, prevention, screening and early detection, diagnosis and treatment and palliative care and support.