FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and capital market operators said yesterday that Nigeria as a country has lost a national asset with the death of the Group Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), Mr. Tayo Aderinokun.

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, yesterday, turned a valedictory court session that was held in honour of the retired Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Daniel Dantsoho Abutu, to a tribunal of sort, as it openly slammed the incumbent CJ of the High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, saying the courtesy visit he made to the office of Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, was questionable.

ABUJA—Senate ranking rules, which led to the emergence of Senate President, David Mark, and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, will again be applied in the allocation of offices and seats at the chamber, Vanguard learnt yesterday.

Imo state Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has assured the Management of Heartland of his unflinching support for the club. This is even as the Management has placed the players on half salary till the fortunes of the club
improve. This much was revealed by General Manager of the club, Fan Ndubuoke.

THE Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, said the achievements of the immediate past governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, prompted the Kano Emirate Council to appoint him as member and Sarduana Kano.
He also noted that this was done to make Shekarau contribute to decisions of the Emirate.

A section of the Bauchi State Election Petitions Tribunal building was yesterday gutted by a mysterious fire.
The incident which caused panic in the state, started shortly before the inaugural sitting of the tribunal.

THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ondo State and the ruling Labour Party, LP, are at loggerhead over the defection of the pioneer state Chairman of the PDP, Col Babatunde Awodeyi (Rtd) to the LP.

The Nigeria Football Federation has dispatched to world football-governing body FIFA, a list of 30 players as Nigeria’s provisional list for the FIFA U-20 World Cup taking place in Colombia from 29th July – 20th August, 2011.

I present this outline largely for the singular benefit of Christian Brother Nathan Oduwole who phoned in from Abuja, entreating me to make myself clear on the subject of demons haunting pro boxing, carried in my last week’s column.

MOST of the new governments in Nigeria have taken off once more on rather shaky grounds. We do not envy them, particularly with the myriads of problems and their inherited defaults from preceding administrations.