News Desk Tuesday, October 23, 2007

I won’t intervene in House of Reps crisis – Yar’Adua
•NBA asks Etteh to quit


The President’s position on the internal bickering in the lower legislative chamber, the aftermath of a N628 million contract scam, is coming at a time the opposition in the House is demanding the Speaker, Mrs Patricia Olubunmi Etteh’s outright resignation. Its leader, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP’s) Mohammed Ali Ndume, says the issue has gone beyond Etteh’s stepping aside to allow objective and unfettered deliberation on the report of the David Idoko panel which probed the allegations against her and a coterie of House officers implicated in the contract scam. MORE>>>

Socceroos to play Nigeria in London friendly

FFA chief executive Ben Buckley says the November 17 match at Craven Cottage, home of premiership side Fulham, will be Australia's final warm-up before its World Cup qualifiers begin in February. MORE>>>

NBA Challenges Govt on Corruption

President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has challenged President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to make very bold statement in the fight against corruption, saying there is nothing on ground to show that the fight will succeed. Agbakoba also challenged Yar’Adua to publicly declare if he received money for his presidential election campaign from some of the governors that are currently being prosecuted or investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He said Nigerians can see that the President has the capacity to fight corruption, but he is being hampered by blackmail. MORE>>>

Mozambique's ex-President, Chissano, wins African leadership prize

FOR boosting the economy of his country bringing peace to a war-ravaged nation, serving his people truthfully and turning down the chance for a third term in office, even when it was legal for him to seek it, among others, former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, has emerged the first winner of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. He also won an individual award prize seen as the largest in the world. MORE>>>

3 Nigerians listed in Nobel prize-winning work

Three Nigerian professors have been identified as contributors to the work of the United Nations Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize alongside former US Vice President Al Gore, Empowered Newswire has reported. MORE>>>

Court joins NEIMETH in FG’s suit against Pfizer

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday joined Neimeth Pharmaceutical Company as one of the parties that have cases to answer in the $700 billion suit instituted against Pfizer International Incorporation over the 1996 controversial Trovan test in Kano. MORE>>>

NLC Storms House Tomorrow

Leaders of the central labour unions Nigeria Labour Congress [NLC] and the Trades Union Congress [TUC] are expected to march to the House of Representatives in Abuja tomorrow to demand the resignation of the Speaker Mrs Patricia Olubunmi Etteh over the N628 million contract scandal that has been rocking the house, Daily Trust learnt in Abuja yesterday. MORE>>>

Okonjo-Iweala laments undue interference with EFCC

MANAGING Director of the World Bank, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has decried what she calls undue interference with and disruption of the activities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by government at different levels, and therefore wants it to be left alone to perform its duties of ridding the country of corruption. MORE>>>

Iberia Airlines dragged to U.S court over death of Nigerian on-board

LAGOS—Spanish Carrier, Iberia Airlines has been dragged before the U.S District Court in Michigan , for its role in the cold murder of the 23 year-old Nigerian, Mr. Osamuyia Aikpitanhi who died aboard its aircraft on June 9, 2007. In a statement signed by the family’s attorneys, Mr. Femi Falana and U.S based international human rights lawyer, Mr. Kayode Oladele, they said: “we have filed a torture and wrongful death complaint against the Iberia Airlines of Spain on behalf of the parents of Mr. Osamuyia Aikpitanhi who was murdered aboard the Iberia Airlines Plane on June 9, 2007. MORE>>>