Welcome to Paul Umoren's Blog

Tragedy struck on Wednesday evening as three persons died in a mysterious circumstance in Warri metropolis of Delta State. Daily Sun gathered that the deaths occurred when a young man of about 27 years old slept and did not wake up in the Mercdermolt area of Warri. The pandemonium that followed the death of the man, simply identified as Elvis, also claimed the life of a woman who slumped and died immediately she learnt of the mysterious demise of Elvis. Checks by Daily Sun revealed that Elvis, a generator technician, was hale and heartily the previous day. A woman who resides in the same compound with Elvis was shocked upon hearing the death of the technician and slumped and died instantly. In a related development, a young man simply identified as Johnson was killed by tricycle that had a head on collusion with another tricycle. It was gathered

The scramble for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for the October 11 governorship bye-election in Adamawa State has taken a new twist. Seven of the 14 aspirants have called for the disqualification of five of their co-aspirants from the race, alleging that they are not members of the PDP. The petitioners are – Umar Ardo, Ahmed Gulak, James Barka, Andrawus Sawa, Abubakar Girei, Idi Hong and Awwal Tukur. In their petition, dated August 28 and addressed to the leadership of the party, they listed Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Buba Marwa, Mohammed Modibbo, Marcus Gundiri and Aliyu Kama. The petitioners stated that the five aspirants are not members of the party and therefore should not be allowed to contest the election. They said, “While on personal level we have absolutely no reason to wish to inhibit them from contesting the governorship of our state under the platform of our great party – for they are all eminently qualified. “But on the principle of playing a he

No fewer than 34 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC)  in the Kano State House of Assembly, yesterday endorsed the 2015 presidential ambition of the Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso . The members, who addressed a world press conference at the Assembly’s complex, stated that with the rising wave of insecurity and the myriads of problems currently undermining the nation, only a firm, competent and detribalized leader like Kwankwaso could save the Nigerian project. Deputy Majority Leader of the state House of Assembly, Yusuf Sulieman, who spoke for 33 other APC legislators in the state, noted that the nation was sinking at a very fast rate, adding that the nation required a capable hand to rescue it from imminent collapse. The lawmakers also declared that under the present leadership, the state of the nation had become a source of concern to Nigerians, especially those who had t

The Imo Elders Parliament has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to run for re-election in next year’s presidential poll. Speaking in Owerri, Secretary General of the elders’ group, Dr. Greg Nduka, said the group anchored its call on what it termed President Jonathan’s strides in transforming Nigeria to a greater height despite security challenges since he assumed office. It also congratulated the president for successfully convoking the recently concluded national conference and commended his administration for fixing many federal roads across the country. The group stated that it was on this premise that it, “therefore, calls on Mr. President to contest the 2015 presidential poll,” assuring him of support of Imo people. In another development, the group is drumming support for Mr. Ken Ojiri, a gubernatorial aspirant in Imo State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),  saying

Members of the Senate of the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, were yesterday locked out of their chambers  by protesting employees of the institution over irreconcilable differences. The unions that carried out the protest  were the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Nigerian Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT). According to a top Senate member, who craved anonymity,  the protesters targeted top officials of the institution,  including the Vice Chancellor, Prof Oladipo Aina, his deputies and the Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities ,EKSU chapter, Prof  Olufayo  Olu-Olu, among other high ranking  members of the management. This was coming barely 24 hours after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had  in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kola Oluwawole, accused the Governing Council of engaging in a N2 b

A new deputy governor has been appointed for Enugu State. He is Revd Ifeanyi Rapheal Nwoye. Nwoye hails from Isiogbo Nara in Nkanu East Local Government Area as the  immediate past deputy governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, who was impeached on Tuesday by the State House of Assembly over alleged gross misconduct and refusal to abide by official directives of the governor. Nwoye, the Bishop of Christ Ascension Church, Ugwuaji in Enugu South had served as commissioner for environment in the administration of Dr Chimaroke Nnamani and as deputy chairman, Nkanu East Local Government. Although no formal statement had been issued by the state government on the new deputy governor at press time, he was the guest of the State House of Assembly yesterday, where he was unveiled after his screening by the lawmakers. The Information Officer in the State House of Assembly, Jonas Ugwuanyi, confirmed that “the lawmakers

There was panic yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital where a doctor died of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Dr. Iky Sam Enemua is  the second doctor and the sixth person to have died since Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer imported the disease into Nigeria on July 20. The late Enemua, a private practitioner’s death has extended the outbreak of the disease outside Lagos where it had been confined. The widow of the victim, who is also a doctor,  took care of him while he was ill. She has been quarantined. Her test result was being expected last night. Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu and Rivers State Commissioner for Health Dr. Sampson Parker spoke yesterday on the Port Harcourt case. Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, in a broadcast, stated the measures being taken by the government to battle the disease. He urged the people to shun rumour mongering and not to panic. The commissioner said: “Dr. Iky  Sam Enemua  died last Friday, as a res

The Director Social Communications, Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, Fr. Gidoen Obasogie, on Thursday said the Boko Haram insurgents have taken over the entire Madagali town and Parish Rectory of the Catholic Church in the area. He also lamented the unhindered advancement of the insurgents in the Gwoza part of Borno where the insurgents have already declared as their Caliphate. A statement signed by Fr. Obasogie reads: “The Boko Haram sect has advanced greatly in their rampage and killings, to the extent of declaring a Caliphate in Gwoza local government area of Borno State, a town bordering Borno and Adamawa States. “As it is well known, the catholic diocese of Maiduguri covers the whole of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa States, the three states under strict emergency role. “Apart from the churches within Maiduguri that have great share of such attacks by the terrorists group, all the churches on the major road linking Maiduguri and Adamawa State have been closed down due t