Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun State raised the ante on his fence-mending initiatives yesterday as he, in conjunction with the zonal leader of the PDP, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo brokered another peace meeting between former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and former Oyo State governor, Senator Rashidi Ladoja.

A continental summit to equip African businessmen and professionals to grapple with the spiritual challenges of the global economic meltdown is commencing in Abuja next week.

GENEVA—The World Health Organisation (WHO), yesterday declared Swine Flu the pandemic of the 21st century, urging countries to shore up defences against the virus which is “not stoppable” but has proved mainly mild so far.

Fitch yesterday released the full assessment of 11 of the 24 banks operating in the country downgrading some from positive outlook to stable outlook.

Bank PHB and Spring Bank have commenced the process of merging into one institution that would be one of the top banks in the country.

President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and a former governor of old Oyo State, Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, yesterday brought the memory of June 12 to life in Ibadan as the former said the democratic future of the country was bleak.

When Nigerians trooped out in their millions sixteen years ago to vote for a president of their choice, little did they know that their patriotic action was going to spark off a crisis that would make the nation lose decades in terms of political development. On that day, under the exciting Option A4 method of voting devised by the Professor Humphrey Nwosu-led National Electoral Commission (NEC), voters lined behind the two candidates, Chief Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP and Alhaji Othman Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC)

The biggest loss of June 12 is that Nigeria’s history books are being written without facts on what occasioned the cancellation of an election that could have changed the face of Nigeria, if the result stood. Who cancelled the result? Why was it cancelled?

The group which met at the residence of Admiral Okhai Mike Akhigbe on Clapperton Street, Asokoro, Abuja also tasked the government to implement, immediately, the recommendations of the Niger Delta Technical Committee Report.

“It was for such wickedness that the late Major Gideon G. Orkar and some gallant junior officers and men tried to change. We remember them today and salute them for their courage”, the militant group asserted.

By Isiaka Oyibo Abuja — The National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other related Matters (NAPTIP) has called for a comprehensive witness protection law that would encourage and guarantee adequate security for victims.

By Emeka Mamah Kaduna—A former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, says President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is not capable of addressing the socio-econo-mic problems plaguing the nation. Musa, who is also a factioner chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) equally contended that the National Assembly should discard the Justice Mohammed Lawal […]

Guanah, however, explained that the governor has denied ownership of the demolished property, saying “there had been promptings that this land belongs to E.E. (which incidentally bears semblance to governor’s initials Emmanuel Eweta), but I called the governor and he denied having such property.

Gusau — At least one person was confirmed dead and many others injured, following a windstorm that was accompanied by a heavy rainfall  in Maradun and Talata Mafara towns of Zamfara State.

The country’s first President after its July 15, 1960 independence from France was Leon Mba. Popular protests and an army mutiny forced him to resign in February 1964 but within two days French paratroopers intervened and reinstated him.