Dangote set to bid 16% stake in Arsenal

A Nigerian billionaire is planning to enter the race to buy a 16% stake in Arsenal, according to a report yesterday.

According to The Sunday Times, Aliko Dangote – who is one of Africa's richest men – has registered his interest in the shareholding that is being sold by the club's fourth-largest investor, Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith.

Other contenders include the two biggest current investors, the American sports entrepreneur Stan Kroenke and the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, who would have to launch a full takeover bid if they secured the extra 16% stake.

Dangote, a Nigerian industrialist, had in the past supported the president of the Nigerian Football Federation and is believed to have donated to the Nigerian national team.

Dangote established a manufacturing empire, the Dangote Group, and was formerly the head of the Nigerian stock exchange. The finance house Blackstone is thought to have placed him on the short list to buy the Arsenal stake.

Lady Bracewell-Smith is said to be seeking £160m for her shares after putting them on sale earlier this year.

Culled from: The Nation

Siemens bribe: Another ex-minister confesses

EFCC grills Ag. PDP Chair Mohammed
 

Another former minister yesterday told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that he partook in the 17.5million euro Siemens bribery bazaar.

The confession has brought to three the number of former ministers who have owned up to roles in the scandal. Four are on the list of 20 suspects being probed over the scam.

 

The Nation reported exclusively yesterday that two former ministers admitted that they benefited from the bribe.

How Former Generals "Obansanjo And Danjuma" shunned each other at Airport Presidential Lounge

 The widelyrumoured frosty relationship between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his one-time associate and colleague in the military, General Theophilus Danjuma, manisfested on Monday, as the duo shunned each other at the presidential lounge of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. 

Danjuma, who was the first to arrive at the presidential wing at 3.30 p.m. in white flowing agbada with a pair of black shoes, had earlier rebuffed journalists’ efforts to interact with him on the state of the nation.

Danjuma, who was approached to talk on the state of the nation suddenly became angry and told the journalists that asked the question “to get off my way” as he walked away. 

While Danjuma went into the inner lounge at the presidential lounge to await his flight, a chartered Hawker Siddley plane marked ZS-SAH brought in former President Obasanjo to the presidential lounge at 4.45 p.m. 

Obasanjo, who did not disclose where he was coming from when informed by one of the airport journalists about the presence of Danjuma, only told the journalist ‘greet him’ as he hopped into his official black jeep which drove him away to the surprise of everybody at the presidential wing.

Father Of Diseased NYSC Member Says Doctors Killed His Son.

For ageing Michael Emene, it has been tears and sleepless nights since January 23 this year, when he lost his 27-year-old son, Bright in a mysterious circumstance. Emene, a retired employee of the Nigerian Observer newspaper in Benin-City, Edo State is now blaming his sad moment on doctors at a popular Clinic, based in Effurun, Delta State .

Reps Mobilise To Unseat Speaker Bankole

Despite moves by Chief Alani Bankole, father of the House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, lawmakers who are opposed to his continued leadership of the House today intensified their mobilization of other members to join the move to unseat the speaker.

Just yesterday,iReports-ng reported the deep moves by Chief Bankole to pacify influential lawmakers opposed to his son. The Reps are up in arms against him over his attempt to reverse their decision to slash his share of their quarterly loot from N350 million to between N130 million and N150 million.

Dirty War Over Money Tears Punch Apart, as Editor Opens Can of Worms on Multi-Million Naira Corruption Scandal

Like Chinua Achebe rightly puts it, ethics, morality and professionalism have completely fallen apart in one of Nigeria’s leading newspapers, The Punch going by the weight of corruption allegations levelled against a top management staff of the media house by the most senior editor of the paper in a petition to the company’s board of directors and exclusively obtained by iReports-ng.

According to one of the directors of the company who is not happy with the happenings in the organisation, the use of the newspaper by its Executive Director, Publications, Mr Azubuike Ishiekwene to corruptly enrich himself at the expense of other stakeholders has come to a head, hence his decision to leak the petition of one of their editors who resigned only last week.

Minister of State for Health, Idi Hong, in Another Corruption Scandal

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health, Dr. Idi Aliyu Hong seems to be a man that can’t live without scandal if the latest information coming out on him is anything to go by. While the young minister is yet to come out clean on the allegation that he bought a N300 million mansion in Utako area of Abuja, he has again been accused of ‘stealing’ government vehicles for his 2011 governorship ambition in his Adamawa home state. Late last year, Hong was accused of paying N300 million for a property located at plot 331 Utako district in Abuja barely a year after he was appointed a minister of the federal republic. The lid was blown off the deal when the minister allegedly failed to pay some agents who introduced the property to his aide, their own fee.

Festus Keyamo Exclaims: "My wife can't cook"

Popular Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo yesterday told an Ikeja High Court presided over by Justice Elfrada Williams-Dawodu that his wife, Irene cannot cook.

Keyamo who had last year instituted a divorce proceeding against his wife on the ground that their marriage had broken down irreparably told a bewildered court yesterday that his wife is absolutely irresponsible, foul mouthed, ill-tempered and cannot cook.

In the suit, he had also asked the court to separate the six years old wedding which was blessed with two children, but agreed that the wife should take custody of the children.

Mass arrest as police foil another round of killings

Suspects caught in cement trailer with weapons and charms •Claimed they were coming from

Youths arrested in Jos

 Security operatives yesterday foiled what could have been  another round of bloodbath in Jos, the Plateau State capital. A joint security team of police and army arrested 45 people that attempted to sneak into the city using a malicious plot: the 45 armed invaders came in a  trailer loaded with about 200 cement.

Dangerous weapons were found on the invaders including but not limited to charms, knives and amulets of different proportions.

Jos: Jang, others didn’t call me – GOC

THE General Officer Commanding, 3rd Armoured Division, Maj.-Gen. Saleh Maina, on Thursday denied allegations that officials of the Plateau State government contacted him before the invasion of three villages in Jos North Local Government Area on March 7.

Maina told journalists that no government official called him prior to the killings at Dogo Na Hauwa and other surrounding villages, adding that his men only acted on the text messages received concerning the violence.

The GOC was apparently reacting to allegations by Governor Jonah Jang that he ignored all calls and security reports prior to the pre-dawn invasion of three villages in Barkin Ladi and Jos South Local Government Areas of the state.