Straight From The Headlines! What Everyone Was Talking About This Week

It’s been another interesting week and we are glad the weekend is almost here!

Hello Everyone. Thank you for joining us at Bellanaija on the Straight From The Headlines Slot where we recap major trending topics across the country.

We hope you have a good catch-up time reading through our news summary and we wish you the very best in life!

Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan celebrated her 55th birthday on Thursday October 25th at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The event was graced by her husband, President Goodluck Jonathan, her children, mother-in-law and close friends. In a short remark, the President said his wife was a “shining star” in his life. He thanked God for granting her good health and later presented her with a birthday gift. We wish the First Lady a Happy Belated Birthday.

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The State Security Service on Wednesday told an Abuja Federal High Court that Senator Aliyu Ndume asked a self-confessed spokesman of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, Ali Kodunga (a.ka Al-Zawahiri), to call and threaten the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke. Konduga has since been convicted on two counts of criminal breach of public trust and intimidation through anonymous communication. He is currently serving a three-year prison term.

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Two students of Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, Henry Edewo, 21 and Emmanuel Isikhuime have been arrested by the Police for kidnapping, raping and murdering a female student, one Mercy Peter, 21, also a student of the institution. They were alleged to have buried their victim in a shallow grave in a forest at Ugbor village, Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, after killing her. Vanguard gathered that the victim, who was kidnapped on July 29, this year, was killed four days later after she was serially raped by the suspects. They were also alleged to have continued to demand for ransom from her parents after killing her.

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The Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Magataka Wamakko reportedly flogged a PHCN manager with a horsewhip for failing to deliver a new transformer and cables. A statement from the acting MD of PHCN read: “On Saturday, October, 20, our business manager, Gwiwa Business Unit, So-koto State, Moses Osigwe, was invited by Governor Aliyu Wamakko to his personal residence, over the issue of lack of power supply to his hometown, Wamakko, as a result of a failed 2.5MVA transformer. He accused Osigwe of deliberately denying his community, Wamakko, of power supply. As the business manager was trying to explain to him, the governor just brought out a horse whip and lashed him.”

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The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN has introduced sniffer dogs and anti-terrorism squads in order to beef up safety and security at the International Airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt. Yakubu Dati, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, in a statement on Thursday, said the development was in line with the transformation agenda of the Federal Government, adding that the measure would later be extended to other airports in the country.

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The Senate Committee on Appropriation has questioned the provision of N200m for the maintenance and fuelling of generators in foreign missions in the 2013 budget. It also discovered that besides African countries where power may be problematic, provisions were also made for missions in developed countries with stable power supply. The committee wondered why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would fuel and maintain generators in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium where power stability is taken for granted.

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Sahara Reporters has reported that Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has acquired a brand new Bombardier Global 5000 (N565RS) for his exclusive use. This has raised some concerns from people who feel he shouldn’t be making such a purchase at a time when hundreds of thousands of residents in his state are displaced by the worst flooding crisis in the state’s history. The newly purchased jet worth $45.7 million left Montreal-Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Quebec to Dakar Yoff International Airport. And then it was delivered to the state government on October 7th 2012.

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The ban on commercial motorcycles (Okada) on major roads in Lagos state coupled with the worsening fuel scarcity has taken its toll on Lagos residents as many are usually left stranded or forced to trek to their various destinations. The situation has also resulted in hours of traffic gridlock on most major roads. Lagos-Ibadan Expressway towards Seven-Up, Yaba, Iyana Ipaja, Ikorodu Road, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Oba Akran Avenue, Oba Ogunnusi Road in Ogba among others have witnessed traffic snarl over the course of the week.