Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha To Run For President In 2015

Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, in a press release has made public his intention for running for President in 2015.

According to the press release:

Against the backdrop of SunNews’ report, the Imo State government wishes to put the record straight with regard to the ambition of the Imo State Governor in 2015.

And to also correct the impression that the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha is in the race for the Vice-Presidential slot of the APC, as the Daily Sun caption had suggested.

The truth of the matter is that Governor Okorocha is not in the VP race in APC.

There has been unprecedented pressure on the governor by Nigerians from all walks of life to vie for the Presidency and he has been consulting on that.

His consultations have not been on the VP slot but on the presidency and at the end of the consultations, he would decide whether to throw his hat into the ring for the presidential race or not.

The pressure is also on the Imo governor by well meaning citizens of Imo State, including the artisans, farmers, traders, students, etal in the state to ensure the completion of the transformation he has begun in the state by seeking re-election in 2015.

And the governor is also yet to decide on that.

However, it is also good that the stakeholders said to have met according to the Daily Sun story where the name of the governor was mentioned for the VP race must have seen the qualities in him and what his administration has been doing in Imo that made them to consider him for the VP position.

While we appreciate that, the fact remains that Governor Okorocha is not in the race for VP for 2015. However, everything depends on God who gives power.

Sam Onwuemeodo, Senior Special Assistant on Media

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Fashola blames FG For Tanker Explosion, says tankers should be off roads

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has described last Tuesday’s tanker accident in Apapa as “devastating”.

Fifteen people were killed and property worth millions of naira destroyed when a loaded petrol tanker exploded.

Speaking with reporters yesterday after inspecting ongoing projects in Ikorodu, Fashola said the era of moving petrol by road is gone adding that Nigeria is one of the few oil-producing countries that still transport fuel with trucks.

He berated the Federal Government for not providing an efficient rail transport system, saying: “Everyone must take his share of responsibility on this issue. The Federal Government is the first to be blamed. There is no rocket science about restoring the old rail tracks. If the rails are working as they say, then we should begin to use it to transport petroleum products, rather than use the road. It will save the roads and fuel”.

Fashola said the incident, coming a few months after the revelation of mismanagement of funds in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), raises serious questions on how the Federal Government appropriated the funds.

He said: “There are talks about $45 billion being missing. They seem to be quite satisfied to tell us that only $10 billion is missing. This is a lot of money. One dollar of public money is a lot of money. But later, they told us they actually spent the money.

“Serious questions must be asked by the National Assembly, chartered accountants and Nigerians about who appropriated the money. Was it spent during the period the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor said they did not account for the money or was it before? And if it was appropriated, we can now begin to ask if the money was spent in the right places? Given that if we had spent $10 billion on building rails for the evacuation of fuel from Apapa and Tin Can Island, maybe those people would not have died. There are serious questions to be asked. First, was that the priority? Were those the things to spend them on assuming there was appropriation?”

The governor said such tragedies could be avoided if all levels of government carry out their responsibilities to the people and do the right thing at the right time.

He said: “The inferno is a tragedy. I cannot find any word to express how sad I feel, especially at this time of the year. We saw the same thing in Zamfara State. It is a year that has started on a bad and sad note. It is very painful and sad for the bereaved families and our hearts go out to them.”

On ongoing projects in Ikorodu, Fashola said work has reached an advanced stage on the 10 inner city roads, adding that the projects would be ready before the year ends.

He said the site for the building of the 240-unit housing in Akanimodo, Agboyi-Ketu Local Government, had been cleared.

Other projects inspected by the governor include the ongoing expansion of the Mile 12-Ikorodu Road, rehabilitation of Awolowo Road and work on the Igbogbo Housing Estate Phase 2.

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I won’t quit before June, Sanusi dares Jonathan

The controversy surrounding the planned exit of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, deepened on Thursday with the governor insisting that he would not quit the post until his term expired on June 2, 2014.

In keeping with his vow, which analysts see as a direct confrontation with President Goodluck Jonathan, Sanusi has said he will not proceed on his terminal leave in March as initially being speculated.

The President had reportedly asked the CBN governor to resign immediately because of the alleged deliberate leakage of the letter that Sanusi wrote to him in which the governor accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation of not remitting $49.8bn crude oil revenue to the Federation Account.

Sanusi was said to have denied leaking the letter to former President Olusegun Obasanjo or anyone for that matter, and allegedly told the President that he could only be removed by two-thirds of members of the Senate as required by law.

The governor reportedly told the President that the letter was available in the Presidential Villa, the Ministry of Finance and the CBN, and wondered how he could be accused of leaking it.

One of our correspondents learnt on Thursday that Sanusi expressed his determination to remain in office until the expiration of his one-term tenure of five years on June 2 during a meeting with top management officers of the bank on Wednesday.

The Director, Corporate Communications Department, CBN, Mr. Ugochukwu Okoroafor, confirmed the development in a chat with one of our correspondents in Abuja on Thursday.

He said the governor used the opportunity provided by the “family meeting” to clear doubts surrounding the expiration of his tenure.

Okoroafor said, “The CBN is an important organisation in the economy of this country and we have to be careful in whatever we do because our actions send a strong message to the economy as a whole.

“The governor had a meeting with officials of the central bank and it was like a family meeting; and in that meeting, he made it clear that he is not going anywhere until his tenure expires in June.

“He is not proceeding on retirement leave by March as being speculated; rather, he will be retiring on June 2 this year when he will be completing his five-year single tenure.”

According to Okoroafor, the CBN governor will formally announce his retirement in March, when his successor is expected to be named, and will remain in office until June 2.

Both chambers of the National Assembly declined comments on the alleged plan by the Federal Government to sack Sanusi.

The spokesperson for the Senate, Eyinnaya Abaribe, and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, said the National Assembly would not be dragged into “a mere rumour.”

Abaribe, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, said, “The Senate will not make any comment on any issue that is not before it. It remains a rumour until it is properly communicated to the Senate.”

Mohammed also said, “I have no comment to make. The National Assembly as an institution will not be dragged into any controversy based on a mere allegation.”

Efforts to get the Presidency’s reaction did not yield any positive result as the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Dr. Reuben Abati, did not respond to calls made to his mobile telephone line, nor respond to text messages sent to the same line.

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[UNBELIEVABLE] Meet 80-Year-Old Man Has Not Taken A Bath For 60 Years [Photos]

An 80-year-old Iranian man, Amoo Hadji, has not taken his bath for 60 years.

His skin is scaly, you can barely see his eyes and he smells to high heaven. The reason for it is as simple as that: he has just refused to take a bath for sixty years.

The (allegedly) 80 year-old man leads a fairly primitive life, with his most prized possession being a steel pipe… that he smokes animal dung with.

Living in the village of Dezhgah (city of Farashband in Fars province of Iran), he seems to blend in with his surroundings.

Why he decided to stop bathing – nobody knows.

However, he seems to be enjoying his life without it.

See Photos below:

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