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ONITSHA — A four-storey building under construction in Onitsha, Anambra State, collapsed after a downpour, yesterday. The incident occurred at 24 Obanye St. near the Onitsha General Post Office at  3.30 p.m. A correspondent of News Agency of Nigeria, who was at the scene of the incident, gathered that no life was lost. [caption id="attachment_412322" align="alignnone" width="349"] Rubbles of a four-storey building that collapsed at Obanye Street, Onitsha, Anambra State, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN.[/caption] An eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity said that builders and labourers working on the building were not around as the downpour started at 6.30 a.m. He said: “We heard a heavy sound and as most of the neighbours in the street rushed out, we saw the uncompleted building collapsing. “It was a big surprise to all of us because we noticed that recently work on the building was going on at a very high speed. “It is just a pity for such a huge financia...

By Bilesanmi Olalekan Senator Muhammed Ndume - Borno South - was the Minority Leader in the House of  Reps as an ANPP lawmaker before he moved to the PDP and then became a senator.  His political career took a twist when he was accused of sponsoring the Boko Haram Islamist group. In this interview, he hails the onslaught against Boko Haram by the military forces but says the insurgency by the sect festered after government took it for granted that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau died during a raid on his hideout in 2012. Ndume warns that same mistake should not be made in the wake of the current claim that the sect leader has been killed. The senator also speaks on some other national issues. Where were you and what was your reaction when you heard that the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, was dead? First of all, I was not very sure since his body was not shown and there was no categorical statement from the military that he was dead, like the American military told the world a...

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North The return, last Sunday, of Governor Danbaba Suntai, a pharmacist and politician, to Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, which he has been governing since year 2007, has thrown the state into turmoil, and broken the cord that once bound politicians in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, into camps - those for and against the governor and his Deputy, Garba Umar, who has been acting since his boss  was involved in an  air crash on  October 25, 2012. While Suntai’s supporters insist he is hale and hearty and capable of resuming work, his opponents have resisted the governor’s  resumption of office, arguing that he is not fit enough to rule over them. This report presents the details. The stage appears set for a prolonged personality clash in Taraba State going by the political drama that is unfolding in the state. Not many are surprised though. As Governor Danbaba Suntai was being supported out of the aircraft that conveyed him from the Nnamd...

By Benjamin Njoku Comedy merchant, Opa Williams, got married officially to his  wife, Patricia, a pastor in  Foursquare Gospel Church, Surulere, in 1994. But, before then, they had been living together as husband and wife for four years. Their marriage is blessed with three kids. The couple speaks on their journey into marriage.... How I met her I got married officially on 24 September, 1994. Come next year, I will be 20 years in marriage, though I have lived with my wife for 24 years.  I met her in my sister’s saloon  in 1988.You know when  a man meets a woman, the next thing is for them to strike a relationship.  We became friends before we started staying together. She had her first child in 1990, two years after I met her. I told her then, if I’m going to marry her, you must become born again. I wasn’t born again but I think I knew my weakness. I felt that if I’m not strong in faith, I needed  somebody who will be strong in faith. I think that was what delayed our marriage in the f...

By Caleb Aynsina An associate professor of sociology, University of Lagos, Dr Nduka Nwabueze, wants the Federal Government to intervene in the chaos in Taraba State, following Governor Danbaba Suntai's return to the state. A non-governmental organization, ASIS International, also noted the timely intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan and other well-meaning Nigerians would prevent the state from sliding into anarchy. Nwabueze made the call at a public lecture entitled,  ‘Enhancing Security in Contemporary Nigerian Society', organized by ASIS International Chapter 273 Abuja, in Maitama Abuja. He noted that if the situation was not properly handled, it could heighten the current insecurity in the country, maintaining that most of the problems ravaging the country were as a result of “keeping mum’ on the part of our leaders”, calling on the president to intervene. “Most of the insecurity we are facing in Nigeria today is man-made. Speak when there is crisis in a particular pl...

By Henry Umoru & Dapo Akinferon CRISIS rocking the Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, spilled over to the special national convention where supporters of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Senator Andy Uba, his brother and a chieftain of the party, Chief Chris Uba, and those of the party’s candidate in the state’s forthcoming gubernatorial poll, Tony Nwoye, engaged in a free-for-all. Eagle Square, venue of the convention, was literally turned into a boxing arena where the Anambra delegates threw decorum to the dogs and engaged in boxing before other delegates. [caption id="attachment_411759" align="alignnone" width="412"] *Fight at PDP Special National Convention: Aids of Andy uba and Tony Nwoye clashed at 2013 PDP Special National Convention. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.[/caption] Prior to the fight, the Ubas, Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, were already seated at t...

By JACOB AJOM The Nigeria Football Federation will remain focused and concentrate on preparations for the all important 2014 World Cup qualifier against Malawi despite the seeming distractions from its rival, the Football Association of Malawi. This was made known to Sunday Vanguard Sports by the first Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Chief Mike Umeh. In a chat with our reporter yesterday, Chief Umeh said recent reports from Blantyre in respect of the Malawi national team “are all propaganda” and should not be taken seriously. “We don’t want to lose concentration because of late, they have put up a lot of propaganda,” Umeh said, pointing out that for a team that had been preparing for a World Cup qualifier for a long time to suddenly say they have no money to travel sounded like a big joke. “It shows you how determined they are to make us relax. But they will be disappointed because we will remain focused so that when they come we will beat them silly.” The NFF chieft...