153 passengers feared killed as plane crashes in Lagos

LAGOS (AFP) – More than 153 passengers are feared dead after their plane crashed in densely populated district of Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos Sunday, residents and an aviation official said. Thick smoke was rising from the area, near Lagos airport, and flames could be seen coming from a two-storey building. Residents said the plane had been coming in low, making a loud noise, when it slammed into the residential area. “It was a Dana (airline) flight out of (the capital) Abuja to Lagos with about 153 people on board,” Nigeria’s civil aviation chief Harold Demuren said. “I don’t believe there are any survivors,” he added. Lagos State police spokesman Joseph Jaiyeoba told said the plane had gone down in the Iju neighbourhood on the mainland of the city, where most of the city’s population lives. A spokesman for Nigerian airline Dana confirmed one of its planes had crashed but could not immediately provide further details. “I can confirm that one of our planes crashed today on the outskirts of Lagos,” Tony Usidamen said. “We lost communication with the aircraft. We are going to issue an official statement.” Lagos, the largest city in Africa’s most populous nation, is home to an estimated 15 million people.

mafeno okoh aka fabulusmafeno

just chillin at Tinapa,calabar,Nigeria.it was really a superb experience,my guy if you never reach there before you dey miss..

NYSC threatens to withdraw Corp members from Edo state ahead of polls

The National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) has threatened not to release corp members serving in Edo state for the forthcoming governorship election in the state, unless the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guarantees their safety.
The Director-general of NYSC, Brigadier-General Nnamdi Okore-Affia who made the announcement at a news conference in Abuja, said the decision was necessary for the safety of corp members who have being victims of electoral violence.
The Edo state governorship election is scheduled for July 14, 2012.
The decision of the NYSC is coming weeks after the establishment of a distress call centre for the safety of the corp members during compulsory one year national service.
While re-affirming NYSC’s mandate to foster unity through the scheme, the director-general announced that the number of corp members deployed to crisis prone states in the country would be reduced.
A number of serving corp members were attacked and killed during the post-election violence that broke out after the April 2011 general election in the northern part of the country.

Nollywood Celebrities At Funke Akindele’s Wedding

Funke Akindele‘s Fairy-Tale wedding that took place on Saturday May 26, 2012 not only was a success it’s also star-jammed.
Popular Nigerian Movie Stars in attendance include;

• Genevieve Nnaji

• Ini Edo

• Odunlade Adekola

• Tayo Odueke

• Chioma Chukwuma Akpotha

• Desmond Elliot and many others.

oshiomoles mansion exposed

Ogun state signs development partnership with German agency

Ogun State Government has signed an agreement with the German Development Agency GIZ (SEDIN) programme in furtherance of its drive to aid the growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) and ensure wealth creation for the people.
Signing the agreement at the Obas’ Complex in his office in Abeokuta, the State Governor,  Ibikunle Amosun described the partnership as a potent means towards improving the economy through a renewed support for SMEs..
He described SMEs as a major instrument for achieving the growth of any economy, assuring that the State would support the programme to
achieve success.
Apparently showing strong determination to win the war against unemployment and poverty through the development of the SMEs, various initiatives like this are being put in place to achieve this dream and under this agreement human capital development and skill transfer would be given a pride of place.
Speaking earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Mrs. Hafsat Abiola-Costello, emphasized that the agreement would put the State in a good stead to achieve economic independence.
Managing Director of GIZ, Mr. Christian Widmann said Ogun state was being considered along two other states in the country because of the strong commitment being attached to the promotion of SME’s in the state saying that financial and technical assistance would be extended to the state.
The agreement also covers economic integration as well as collaboration against the spread of HIV/AIDS.

UNILAG: Soyinka calls Jonathan’s name change a gift horse Share This Add to Delicious Share on FriendFeed Digg submit to reddit Tags channels televisionLagosMoshood Abiola UniversityNigeriaUNILAgWole Soyinka Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka on Wednesday joined the growing opposition against the renaming of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Moshood Abiola University, Lagos by President Goodluck Jonathan.

“This is one gift horse which, contrary to traditional saying, must be inspected thoroughly in the mouth”, he said in a statement entitled “Goodluck Jonathan’s gift horse.” “Primary from all of us must be a plea to the MKO Abiola family not to misconstrue the protests against the naming of the University of Lagos after their heroic patriarch. Issues must be separated and understood in their appropriate contexts. The family will acknowledge that, among the loudest opposing voices to Jonathan’s gift horse, are those who have clamoured tirelessly that MKO Abiola, the Nigerian nation’s president-elect, be honoured nationally, and in a befitting manner.
“Next is my confession to considerable shock that President Goodluck Jonathan did not even think it fit to consult or inform the administrators of the university, including Council and Senate, of his intention to re-name their university for any reason, however laudable. This arbitrariness, this act of disrespect, was a barely tolerated aberration of military governance. It is totally deplorable in what is supposed to be a civilian order.
“After that comes the bad-mouthing of MKO Abiola and the Nigerian electorate by President Jonathan who referred to MKO as the “presumed winner” of a historic election. While applauding the president for finally taking the bull by the horns and rendering honour unto whom honour is due, the particularities of this gesture have made it dubious, suspect, and tainted. You do not honour someone while detracting from his or her record of achievement. MKO Abiola was not a presumed winner, but the President-elect of a nation, and thus universally acknowledged.
“It is sad, very sad, that after his predecessor who, for eight full years of presidency, could not even bear to utter the name of a man who made his own incumbency possible, along comes someone who takes back with the left hand what the right has offered. However, there is hope. Legalists have claimed that there is a legal flaw to the entire process. The university, solidly backed by other tertiary institutions nation-wide, should immediately proceed to the courts of law and demand a ‘stay of execution’.
“That should give President Jonathan time to re-consider and perhaps shift his focus to the nation’s capital for institutions begging for rituals of re-naming. After all, it is on record that the House of Assembly did once resolve that the Abuja stadium be named after the man already bestowed the unique title of “Pillar of African Sports”. He deserved that, and a lot more. What he did not deserve is to be, albeit posthumously, the centre of a fully avoidable acrimony, one that has now resulted in the shutting down one of the institutions of learning to whose cause, the cause of learning, President-elect MKO Abiola also made unparalleled private contributions.
“Let me end by stressing that my position remains the same as it was when the University of Ife was re-named Obafemi Awolowo University. I deplored it at the time, deplore it till today, have never come to terms with it, and still hope that some day in the not too distant future, that crime against the culture of institutional autonomy will be rectified. Let us not compound the aberrations of the past with provocations in an era that should propel us towards a belated new Age of Enlightenment.”