onyiaconyia: July 2012

Monday, July 30, 2012

Lunar Mission Expected Next Year For China

follow the link for detail /http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112666019/lunar-mission-china-2013/

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Olympics: Nigeria’s lone table tennis survivor crashes out

Quadri Aruna, Team Nigeria’s remaining table tennis player at the ongoing London 2012 Olympic Games, crashed out of the competition on Sunday.Aruna lost 2-4 in his second round game to Turkey’s Bora Vang at the ExCel-North Arena 1, in spite of winning the first two games of the fixture.

Aruna, 23, who drew bye into the first round where he beat Carlos Machado of Spain 4-2 on Saturday, had carried Nigeria’s hope of remaining in the event on his shoulders.The Nigerian team had qualified for only the singles event of the competition and Aruna’s male teammate, Segun Toriola, had earlier crashed out on Saturday, after advancing to the first round.

The two female players, Olufunke Oshonaike and Offiong Edem, had also seen their aspirations cut short on Saturday, with Edem losing her first game in the preliminary round.Oshonaike had, like Toriola, also won her preliminary round match, before losing in the first round later in the day.Aruna had, however, briefly given the hope of Nigeria remaining in contention at the competition, after winning his first two games against Vang at 11-6, 12-10 in 12 minutes.Some 26 minutes later, however, Aruna was to lose 12-10, 11-2, 12-10, 12-10 to his 25-year-old opponent, thus crashing out and ending Nigeria’s hopes in the sport at the games.

Olaitan’s Murder: SSS Arrests Edo-based Environmentalist

An environmental rights activist and Executive Director of African Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Mr. David Ugolor, has been arrested by the State Security Service (SSS).

AS IT HAPPENS learnt that he was picked at about 2.05pm on Friday in connection with the assassination of the Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, the late Mr. Olaitan Oyerinde.

But ANEEJ in a statement by its Programme/Policy Officer, Mr. Innocent Edemhanria, said Ugolor is a victim of frame-up by some highly-placed persons and insisted that he remains innocent of the accusation against him.

In his words: “The security operatives which numbered over 10 had picked him up from somewhere in town and brought him to the office. They had ransacked his private home and office and took away some items. Staff of the office had their cell phones taken away from them and switched off for as long as the security men held them hostage which lasted for about three hours.

“They later returned the phones at about 4.35pm before vacating the office premises. A staff of Centre for Social Justice, Mr. Kingsley Nnajiaka, was at ANEEJ Secretariat then and was also held hostage for the same period,” he said.

UGANDA'S JANNETTE EVICTED FROM THE BIG BROTHER HOUSE

UGANDA'S JANNETTE EVICTED FROM THE BIG BROTHER HOUSE

Janette Georgina Lutaaya (21) has been evicted from the Big Brother house a week to the end of the show leaving Kyle in the house who became a finalist by default having survived this Sunday's eviction.

Jannette and Kyle have shocked very many viewers for having come this far bearing in mind that they did not expect them to go past the first week. During the first days of the show, eviction was based on a random ball nomination system making Uganda and Kenya as the last standing couples from Downville crossing to Upville.

It’s at this time that Kyle and Jannette were to taste Africa because they were playing as individuals and not as a couple but even with this, Kyle was able to survive Africa twice. Popular housemates like Keitta were able to fall as Kyle remained standing on the same chopping block.

Tonight, Kyle, Prezzo, Lady May and Jannette were given their results of how Africa felt about them as far as the winning prize of USD 300,000 is concerned. Africa decided that Jannete goes home.

She told IK that she is crazy when she drinks. I K asked her which housemate she was likely to fall for out of the house, she said: "I find Ola sexy and I could hook up with him."

The show ends next Sunday with six housemates in the run for the top prize i.e. Kyle, Prezzo, Lady May, Talia, Wati and Keagan.

IMPEACHMENT THREAT: JONATHAN BOWS TO REPS

Impeachment threat: Jonathan bows to Reps

Hope of an end to the friction between President Goodluck Jonathan and the House of Representatives brightened yesterday with the decision of the President to bow to some of the demands made by the Reps.

The lawmakers had been at daggers drawn with the President over what they termed an uninspiring implementation of the 2012 budget and the contempt of the executive for resolutions and bills passed by them.

The friction got to a head last week when they gave the executive up till the end of September to implement the budget 100 per cent, failing which they would launch impeachment proceedings against the President.

But feelers from the two meetings the President has held with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, in the past one week revealed that the President decided to yield some grounds to the lawmakers because of what a Presidency source called his “deep concern for the nation’s political stability.”

The implementation of the budget is now expected to be fast-tracked while the President is also said to have demanded a fresh, comprehensive report from the Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on the Director-General of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Arunma Oteh.

Oteh was recalled from suspension by the Presidency without regard to the position of the House that she was undeserving of the position in view of the result of their investigation into her tenure.

A source privy to the talks said: “The sessions were frank as the President and the House leadership were able to identify issues and grey areas to address.

“So far, the talks have been useful; all outstanding issues are likely to be resolved on or before the House resumes in September.

“I think at the end of the day, we may not get to a dead end. Things are going to work out; the two sides are beginning to understand each other.

“But there may be another meeting with the House leadership before the recess is over. Certainly, it is obvious that the ongoing rift may end soon.”

Asked to be specific, the source said: “The President agreed that there is need to fast-track the implementation of the 2012 budget and he gave details of what his administration has done. “

The Presidency source added: ”Mr. President is committed to having everything in place. He believes that while he is addressing insecurity in the country, his administration should not give room for political instability.

“The President has asked the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to release funds to MDAs before the end of this month. The Ministry of Finance has started doing that, and it was on this basis that she had the confidence to say that budget implementation has moved from 30 per cent to 56 per cent. You can go to the MDAs; they will tell you that the situation is improving.

“I can tell you that he will address some of the issues tabled by the House. Some of the bills awaiting assent may be signed next week, although he will be taking them one by one on merit. Any of the bills which requires fine-tuning may be returned to the National Assembly after mutual consultations.

“The President has also taken steps to pacify the Senate which is also aggrieved by non-implementation of some resolutions, especially the Report of its Committee on Privatization. There may be action on reports from the National Assembly on BPE, SEC and Pension scam.

“If not for the maturity of the Senate President, Chief David Mark, the relationship between the Executive and the National Assembly would have been worse.

“The truth is that the President has tried to overlook some things but the House is not reciprocating as expected.

“On the constituency projects, the President conceded to have these included in the budget as long as it will be cost-saving, development-oriented and to be managed by the MDAs. He bent backward to accommodate the National Assembly to ensure easy passage of the budget.

“Initially, what the lawmakers wanted was N120 million projects per constituency, but the President said it could not work. They went as far as reducing it to N80 million worth of projects per constituency but they came back to N40 million after the President insisted that he would not allow waste.

“So, a deal was struck for the constituency projects which will be executed within the budget framework of each relevant Ministry, Department or Agency. They also sought leave to bring contractors.

“But after the first quarter funds were released, some members of the House started going to MDAs to ask for variation of funds allocated to projects in their constituencies. The executive arm, however, decided to stick to the budget as passed, leaving the House members angry.

“What happened during the public hearing into the management of the Capital Market and Fuel Subsidy probe on allegations against members made the Executive to be more circumspect on this budget palaver?

“The House may be making a point but the President believes that its members are doing so with politics. Right from inception, the relationship between the Presidency and the House has not been cordial. There is that suspicion that may be the Speaker and some PDP members in the House are working for the opposition.”

The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, however, said no member of the chamber is involved directly or indirectly in the execution of constituency projects.

Mohammed said: “It is unfortunate that there is a deliberate attempt to smear the image of House members on the constituency projects. The House has said it but I want to repeat that we are not contractors and we have nothing to do with the award and execution of constituency projects at all. It has been the exclusive right of the Executive to execute constituency projects.

“When the budget came, the President gave an envelope for constituency projects. They consulted and they asked National Assembly members what projects they would want executed based on the needs of their constituency or Senatorial District .

“Based on the overtures, members only provided areas of need and likely locations for these constituency projects, which are meant to accelerate development at the grassroots.

“No member of the House has anything to do with the award and execution of these constituency projects.

“The projects are even under sub-head in MDAs that are relevant to them. If members are not awarding and executing projects, it is sad to cast aspersion on them that they are asking for variation of the contract sums. There is no iota of truth in this allegation.”When we cried out on non-implementation of the 2012 budget, we did so in the interest of the nation. We assisted the President to know why things are not working because at the end of the day, Nigerians will blame him.”