JETHRO IBILEKE/Ogidi

Prof. Chinua Achebe, the late Nigerian literary icon was buried this afternoon at his country home in Ogidi, headquarters of Idemili North local government area of Anambra state in a blaze of glory.

Leading hundreds of dignitaries from all over the world to bid Achebe final goodbye was President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan whose chopper touched down at about 10.50 am.

All governors of the eastern states were at the burial ceremony, with the exception of Sullivan Chime of Enugu state who was represented by his deputy. Delta state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan was also on hand to say bye for now to Achebe.

Also at the burial service which was held at the St. Phillips Anglican Church, Ogidi were eminent dignitaries from all works of life, including members of the international community of writers.

Achebe: Achebe’s first son Ikechukwu, with Governor Peter Obi and Secretary to the FG, Pius Anyim

Chief host at the event, Governor Peter Obi of Anambra state walked beside the ambulance carrying the remains of Achebe from Achebe’s compound to the church premises.

In his homily, the Bishop of the Niger, Rev. Father Owen Nwokolo, urged Nigerian leaders to learn from Achebe who he said devoted his entire life to service to humanity.

Rev. Father Nwokolo called on the members of Achebe’s family to rejoice at the exit of their illustrious son because, in his word, “Chinua Achebe could not have lived a better life.”

•The late Chinua Achebe

Achebe’s final burial place. Photo: Jethro Ibileke/P.M.NEWS

Prof. Achebe was later interred at the tomb erected in his compound by priests from across the easter states.

Earlier on Thursday evening, the well-polished mahogany casket bearing the remains of Achebe arrived at the community town hall at about 5 p.m where he laid in state. His body arrived at his country home at exactly 6.30 pm where a service of songs was held in his honour by the Anglican Communium.

Wife of the late writer, Prof. Christie Achebe, took no consolation as she literarily fell on the Mercedes Benz ambulance bearing the casket and wept uncontrollably, just as women of the Achebe family also thronged the compound, wailing and calling out in Igbo language, Ugo na abo (two eagle on a tree), meaning that Achebe, a rare person has gone.

The officiating priest, Reverend Father Osita Amacheze, based his sermon on the subject, A Time for Everything. Reading from the Bible book of Eccliastes chapter 3, he said there was time for affair by man on the surface of the earth, adding that it was the time for Achebe to exit the earth.

He urged the congregation, friends and relatives of the departed not to mourn his exit since he lived a fulfilled life that touched millions of lives.

“We came to make a joyful shouting to the Lord. We are not here to mourn because we are here for a celebration of life, a life that has been so well spent, that has touched so many of us,” Rev. Father Amacheze said.

Performance by various traditional groups spiced up the night.

Dame Ngozi Ezejum, née Achebe, first niece of the Achebe family, described the late writer as a traditional man whom she had fond memories of during his days at the University of Ibadan.

“Prof. Achebe was a humble and a traditional man to the core. He was fond of me, being the first niece of the Achebe family. Whenever he return from Ibadan in those days, he did his own cooking. I ran errands for him in getting condiments for his cooking, and in return, he would entertain me with music from his gramophone,” Dame Ezejum told PM NWES.

In the delegation of international community of writers that accompanied the remains of Prof. Achebe from the US to his country home were scholars from the Department of African Studies of the University of Massachusetts, including Prof. Ekwueme Michael Thelwell, Prof. Bill Lawler and a host of others.

Japan’s number two carmaker Nissan said Thursday it would recall some 841,000 compact cars worldwide due to a steering wheel problem.

The recall will cover the Micra, known as the March in some markets, and Cube models produced in Japan and Britain between 2002 and 2006, a company spokeswoman said.

Nissan sold the cars — 763,000 units of Micra and 78,000 of Cube — in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, but has not received any accident reports related to the glitch, the spokeswoman said.

“A bolt in the steering wheel system may not be fastened appropriately, and in the worst-case scenario, the cars can’t be driven properly,” she said.

“We will fix the problem free of charge in accordance with regulations in each country.”

Nissan Micra recalled

The latest recall is another blow to the rock-steady reputation for safety and reliability that Japan’s huge automakers once had.

Last month four auto giants including Nissan said they were recalling nearly 3.4 million vehicles worldwide, in a blow for the country’s carmakers which once traded on a reputation for quality and reliability.

Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Mazda, all cited the same malfunction of the Japanese-made passenger-side airbags.

In January Toyota said it would recall nearly 1.3 million vehicles globally over airbag and windscreen wiper problems.

At the end of last year Toyota said it had agreed to pay about $1.1 billion to settle a class action lawsuit launched by US vehicle owners affected by a series of mass recalls.

Despite its travails, Toyota recaptured the title of world’s biggest automaker from General Motors in 2012, selling 9.75 million vehicles around the planet.

Nissan’s recall report came after the Tokyo stock market closed Thursday with the benchmark Nikkei index down 7.32 percent. Nissan shares fell 3.86 percent to 1,168 yen

Two Britons of Nigerian origin have been arrested in connection with the brutal murder yesterday of a serving soldier in Woolwich, London. Media reports said today that the suspects however may not have links to Nigerian militant groups such as Islamist movement Boko Haram.

The two Nigerians have not been identified.

Britain’s national security chiefs met on Thursday as counter-terrorism police investigated the murder of the soldier who was hacked to death in a London street by the suspects, believed to be Islamist extremists.

one of the nigerian killers

The second Nigerian killer, left, being confronted on the street

The suspects were shot by police after the gruesome attack and spent the night in separate hospitals under armed guard.

Wielding knives including a meat cleaver, the two men carried out the attack in broad daylight near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London, then delivered an Islamist tirade to passers-by.

The victim has yet to be formally identified, but police confirmed he was a soldier.

Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the “appalling crime”, adding: “There are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident.”

He cut short a visit to Paris Wednesday to fly back for a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee, COBRA, which had already met in the hours following the attack.

The head of MI5, the domestic intelligence agency, attended Thursday’s meeting along with the defence and interior ministers, the head of Scotland Yard and London mayor Boris Johnson.

“There was an operational update from the police and agencies into the ongoing investigation and an update from the MOD (Ministry of Defence) on protective security,” Downing Street said after the meeting, shortly ahead of a statement by Cameron to the media.

The British flag was lowered over the Woolwich barracks — which was the venue for shooting events at the London 2012 Olympics — and flowers have been laid outside.

Lines of police were conducting searches near the murder scene early Thursday.

Chilling amateur footage of one of the suspects shows him with bloody hands and still holding a blood-stained knife and meat-cleaver, telling a member of the public: “You people will never be safe.”

“We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you,” adds the man, who is black and speaks in a London accent.

He went on to make various political statements in the video, including a demand for Cameron to “bring our troops back”.

Shocked eyewitnesses described how after the killing, at around 2:20 p.m (1320 GMT) on Wednesday, the men stayed at the scene asking passers-by to photograph and film them.

“I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our lands our women have to see the same,” said the suspect, who was wearing a hooded jacket and a black woolly hat.

“We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Media reports citing witnesses said the men first ran over their victim in a car before finishing him off with the knives.

Several eyewitnesses said he had been decapitated.

Rapper Boya Dee, who witnessed the incident, wrote on his Twitter account: “Ohhhhh myyyy God!!!! I just see a man with his head chopped off right in front of my eyes!”

Reports said the victim was wearing a t-shirt bearing the logo of the British military charity Help for Heroes.

A female scout leader has shot to fame after she confronted the assailants shortly after the attack, telling them: “It is only you versus many people. You are going to lose.”

Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, 48, told the Daily Telegraph that when she asked one of the suspects why they had carried out the attack, he said: “We want to start a war in London tonight.”

She told the newspaper: “He was not high, he was not on drugs, he was not an alcoholic or drunk.

“He was in full control of his decisions.”

Late Wednesday around 250 members of the anti-Islamist English Defence League were involved in minor scuffles with police at Woolwich Arsenal train station, near the scene of the attack.

Two men were arrested overnight after separate attacks on mosques in southeast England.

Security has been strengthened at all army barracks in London.

The Muslim Council of Britain described the attack as “a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam”.

London’s mayor Boris Johnson said it would be “completely wrong to blame this killing on the religion of Islam”.

And he said he would be “equally wrong” to link the murder to British military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The fault lies wholly and exclusively in the warped and deluded mindset of the people who did it,” he said.

The United States condemned the attack. “We stand with our UK allies in the face of such senseless violence,” said State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell.

TOKYO (AFP) – Panicky investors dumped shares on the Tokyo market Thursday, sending the main index plunging more than seven percent on weak Chinese data after months of sharp climbs.

The Nikkei 225 index closed at the day’s low of 14,483.98, down 1,143.28 points, or 7.32 percent. It was the biggest daily fall since March 15, 2011, in the wake of a huge earthquake-tsunami and the ensuing nuclear crisis.

In terms of points, it was the heaviest one-day plunge since April 2000 when the benchmark index lost 1,426 points following the collapse of an “IT bubble,” which sent high-tech shares down sharply.

Tokyo share crash: a man looks at a share prices board. AFP

The Topix index of all first-section issues at the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 6.87 percent, or 87.69 points, at 1,188.34.

Trading was volatile with volume at a record 7.66 billion shares among first-section issues against 6.38 billion yesterday.

“Towards the end of the trading, panic selling was seen in massively heavy trading,” said Hirokazu Fujiki, strategist with Osakan Securities.

“We can’t tell whether or not this was a temporary storm of selling before watching reactions from US markets later today,” Fujiki told AFP.

The losses in Tokyo set off a chain of drops in Europe when the markets opened.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index retreated 1.74 percent to 6,720.88 points, Frankfurt’s DAX 30 slumped 2.33 percent to 8,332.05 points and in Paris the CAC 40 shed 2.20 percent to 3,961.97.

The huge drop in Tokyo came after HSBC said manufacturing activity in China contracted in May for the first time in seven months in another sign of the weakness of the recovery in the world’s second-largest economy.

“The negative Chinese indicator triggered today’s selling,” said Fujiki. “It was no wonder sizable selling could emerge as Japanese shares rose quite fast recently.”

Japan’s economy minister Akira Amari said the government was not worried about the sharp decline, saying the move represented large-scale profit-taking orders triggered by weak Chinese data.

“I thought the pace of the Nikkei’s rise recently was faster than expected,” Amari said, according to Dow Jones Newswires. “The weak Chinese data prompted investors to take profits all at the same time.”

The Nikkei index, which closed at its best level in more than five years on Wednesday, had risen in early trade, bucking the decline in New York the previous day.

Selling accelerated when the yen jumped against the dollar in Asia afternoon trade as investors adjusted positions after the recent fast-paced fall in the value of the Japanese currency.

The dollar plunged to 101.63 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade from 103.31 yen in New York late Wednesday.

In London early trade, the dollar fell temporarily below 101 yen.

“The market may be entering an adjustment period after a sharp decline in the yen and a surge in Japanese stocks,” said Daisuke Karakama, a market economist at the forex division of Mizuho Corporate Bank.

“No one believed the yen would keep on falling and stocks would keep on rising. It is not surprising if yen-buying momentum revives at any time.”

Expectations for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s pro-spending, pro-growth policies have weakened the yen more than 20 percent against the dollar over the past six months and boosted share prices to their highest level in more than five years.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the stock plunge was unlikely to affect Japan’s economic and financial policies, telling reporters: “We will continue monitoring future developments in financial markets.”

A strong yen is bad for Japanese exporters as it makes their products less competitive abroad and reduces income when repatriated.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 0.52 percent to 15,307.17 while the dollar picked up Wednesday on Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke’s suggestions that the bank could taper off its massive stimulus in the coming months.

Although Bernanke stressed that current economic conditions did not warrant an end to the Fed’s aggressive measures at the moment, he said the Fed could pull back in the next few meetings if they improved.

In Tokyo trade, shares of big-name companies dropped across the board, with Toyota finishing down 5.12 percent at 6,290 yen while Sharp dropped 13.14 percent to 522 yen.

Sony plunged 5.72 percent to 2,159 yen after rising sharply in the past days ahead of its announcement of a midterm business plan Wednesday.

Softbank dropped 7.15 percent to 5,320 yen after the Wall Street Journal reported that it would propose Washington approve a person sitting on Sprint Nextel’s board to oversee issues concerning national security if its planned takeover of the US firm goes through.

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics said Thursday its latest flagship Galaxy S4 had become its fastest selling smartphone to date, topping 10 million units globally less than a month after its debut.

A company statement said the S4 had already passed the 10-million sales mark following its April 26 launch. It’s predecessor, the S3, took 50 days to reach the same threshold.

The world’s top handset maker hopes the S4 will expand its presence in high-end markets in the United States and elsewhere, crowding out archrival Apple and its iconic iPhone.

Samsung Galaxy: the S4 sells 10m units in less than 30 days

Apple has asked a US federal judge to add the S4 to the list of Samsung devices targeted in a patent lawsuit involving Siri personal assistant software.

“Apple’s infringement theories regarding the S4 are identical to Apple’s infringement theories against the already accused products,” attorney Mark Lyon said in a motion filed Tuesday on behalf of Apple.

The five patents at issue in the case include two associated with Siri voice-commanded personal assistant in iPhones.

The case is one of many legal battles between California-based Apple and Samsung, and the trial is not expected to begin until early next year.

A Samsung official told AFP on Thursday that the company planned to establish a new US subsidiary specialising in patent acquisition.

The subsidiary — to be owned by Samsung’s display panel-making unit — will deal with a range of patents in the display, mobile and computer sectors, said the official who declined to be named.

Samsung is believed to have sold about 60 million units of the popular Galaxy S3 model since it debuted in May 2012.

The S4, featuring a high-definition, five-inch (12.7-centimetre) screen and enhanced picture-taking capabilities, comes with a faster chip and is thinner and lighter than its predecessor.

New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate light sweet crude for delivery in July, dropped 63 cents to $93.65 a barrel in the afternoon and Brent North Sea crude for July delivery shed 60 cents to $102.00.

“Oil is on the downside with the Chinese PMI (purchasing managers’ index) data… people were expecting that it would be soft but not to the extent of a contraction,” Kelly Teoh, market strategist at IG Markets in Singapore, told AFP.

Banking giant HSBC said preliminary data showed manufacturing activity in China slowed in May for the first time in seven months, in another sign of the weakness of recovery in the world’s second-largest economy.

Its initial PMI for the month came in at 49.6, from a final 50.4 in April. A reading above 50 indicates growth and anything below points to contraction. The final result will be announced on June 3.

Separately, a strong dollar is also weighing on crude prices, analysts said.

“Oil prices are being kept down after the US dollar strengthened,” Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney, told AFP.

A stronger greenback makes dollar-priced oil more expensive for buyers using weaker currencies. In turn, that tends to weigh on oil demand and prices.

The dollar held firm against other major currencies Thursday after Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke suggested a day earlier that the Fed could taper its massive stimulus in the coming months.

But he said any tapering off could only happen once it had confidence that economic gains could be sustained, warning that a “premature tightening of monetary policy” could derail the economic recovery.

The Fed, the US central bank, has been on an aggressive $85 billion a month bond-purchase programme, known as quantitative easing, as part of measures to boost the economy.

.Archbishop of canterbury, President Jonathan and many dignitaries expected

by Joel Olatunde Agoi

Revered Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, author of the widely praised novel “Things Fall Apart,” will be buried in his small hometown on Thursday in a ceremony expected to draw crowds of mourners.

Achebe, who died in the United States in March aged 82, is viewed as an iconic figure in Nigeria and abroad and his death lead to tributes worldwide.

Achebe: Achebe’s first son Ikechukwu, with Governor Peter Obi and Secretary to the FG, Pius Anyim

•The late Chinua Achebe

Achebe was a harsh critic of corruption in Nigeria and twice refused national awards. President Goodluck Jonathan was nevertheless expected to attend the service, according to a source in the presidency.

Ogidi, located in Nigeria’s Anambra state, was decorated with posters of Achebe, while police were stationed throughout the town. A wake was held inside the family compound on Wednesday evening as crowds gathered in the streets.

On Thursday, his private burial on the family compound will follow a service at a local Anglican church.

“The death of my uncle is indeed a great loss not only to the family but to Nigeria and Africa as a whole,” 64-year-old Obi Achebe said at the compound on Wednesday evening.

“He has left big shoes that will be difficult to be worn by anybody.”

Achebe had lived and worked as a professor in the United States in recent years, most recently at Brown University in Rhode Island. A 1990 car accident left him in a wheelchair and limited his travel.

Tributes continued to pour in on Wednesday ahead of the burial. Nigeria’s Guardian newspaper dedicated an entire page to a poem written for Achebe by Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian writer and Nobel literature laureate.

Some 2,000 people packed a stadium in the Anambra state capital Awka on Wednesday where Achebe’s coffin was put on display.

While he was known worldwide mostly for “Things Fall Apart,” a novel about the collision of British colonialism and his native Igbo culture in southeastern Nigeria, Achebe also wrote non-fiction that tackled his country’s problems.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer, but remains severely underdeveloped, held back by corruption and mismanagement.

His work earned him praise from some of the world’s most respected leaders, including Nelson Mandela, who described him as a writer “in whose company the prison walls fell down”.

South African writer and Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer called Achebe the “father of modern African literature” in 2007, when she was among the judges to award him the Man Booker International prize for fiction.

As well as criticising misrule in Nigeria, Achebe also strongly backed his native Biafra, which declared independence from Nigeria in 1967, sparking a civil war that killed around one million people and only ended in 1970.

The conflict was the subject of a long-awaited memoir he published last year, titled “There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra.”

“Things Fall Apart” — his first novel — was published in 1958. The novel, which traced an Igbo tribesman’s fatal brush with British colonialists, has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 50 languages.

The London Guardian wrote in 2007 that the novel “turned the west’s perception of Africa on its head — a perception that until then had been based solely on the views of white colonialists …”

It has become required reading at many universities in various countries, and Achebe is credited with profoundly influencing a generation of Nigerian writers who followed him.

Twitter said Wednesday it was stepping up security measures for the popular messaging service following a series of high-profile breaches by hackers hitting media organizations and others.

Twitter said it would implement a new login verification system, “a form of two-factor authentication” which is “a second check to make sure it’s really you” when a user signs in.

twitter: tightens login security

“Of course, even with this new security option turned on, it’s still important for you to use a strong password and follow the rest of our advice for keeping your account secure,” said Jim O’Leary of Twitter Product Security.

Some recent attacks took over Twitter feeds and delivered fake tweets using the accounts of Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Financial Times and other news organizations.

Last month, hackers spooked markets after breaking into the AP Twitter account and falsely reporting President Barack Obama had been injured after two blasts at the White House.

Twitter said the new system would be an option for users, and would allow them to require a verification code for each sign-in.

“You’ll need a confirmed email address and a verified phone number. After a quick test to confirm that your phone can receive messages from Twitter, you’re ready to go,” O’Leary said.

The security system will send a text message to the user’s mobile phone with a verification code that would be entered for the login.

While Twitter has seen phenomenal growth as a social media outlet, its security has been questioned. Twitter said in February it was hit by a “sophisticated” cyber attack and that the passwords of about 250,000 users were stolen.

James Gabberty, professor of information systems at Pace University, said the new verification system appeared positive but “it depends on how they deploy it.”

He said the decision to use a separate communications channel such as a mobile phone is “generally very safe” but that it is preferable if the phone and Internet services are different carriers with “a different architecture.”

“If it is a different company, then this is extremely safe and gives a very high level of assurance that the integrity of the message is not compromised.”

But Gabberty said Twitter still has other security problems which need to be addressed, such as requiring strong passwords and frequent changes in passwords.

“I stay away from Twitter because it’s such an insecure system. It’s begging to be hacked,” he said.

The Syrian Electronic Army, which appears to be aligned with the government of President Bashar al-Assad, has claimed credit for hacking AFP, AP and other news organizations.

Earlier this month, the Twitter feed of satirical US news website The Onion was also taken over by the Syrian group aiming to inject its own sardonic spin on the deadly conflict.

The Onion posted details of how its feed was hijacked, describing how emails were sent to some employees in a phishing spoof to gain access to passwords.

MADUABUCHI NMERIBEH/Kano

The Emir of Kano, northwest Nigeria, Alhaji Ado Bayero on Wednesday offered prayers for peace and stability to return to the North, while urging the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North to remain committed in their assignment to engage members of the Islamic Boko Haram sect in reasonable dialogue.

He also urged members of the Committee who were on a courtesy call at his Palace to offer wise and sincere advice to the Federal Government as regards to the Boko Haram insurgency.

The Kano monarch who was early this year a victim of terrorist attack noted that the sponsors and collaborators of terrorism could be prominent individuals living within and outside Nigeria, pointing out that without peace in the country, there will be no meaningful development.

Emir Ado bayero

He said only prayers and concerted efforts by government and good citizens can bring an end to the spate of insecurity in the country.

He also hoped that the Federal Government will ensure full implementation of the final recommendations and reports of the Committee, adding that the inability of the government to implement reports of similar Committees over the years, has not in any way helped matters.

Chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN) commended the Emir for his love and concern for the country, pointing out that his team has been in, “a deliberate act of consultation with all stakeholders with a view to tapping from their wisdom and wealth of experiences.

“We are in your Palace to interact with you; and to take ideas from you. We want to understand it from your own perspective. We need your prayers and words of wisdom because the society holds you in high esteem.”

Turaki who doubles as the Minister for Special Duties noted that, “any good Muslim likes peace and will always do everything to ensure peace. Kano is one of the places that were attacked during this insurgency and we commend the state government and traditional institution for restoring peace and stability in the state.”

The Committee later held Town Hall meeting with Kano elders, political leaders and the Ulamas at the Africa House, Government House.

The chairman of Kano Elders’ Forum, Alhaji Magaji Dambatta described the Committee’s assignment as Herculean, stating that, “we recognize the importance of your (Committee) duty because through it lies the chance of gaining peace, economic growth and respect for human life.

“Within the past years, the nation has witnessed wanton killings and destruction of property and we hope that this effort of yours will bring lasting solution to all these problems.”

The Committee also took time to visit some of the scenes of Boko Haram attacks in Kano, including the New Road Luxury Park, Sabon Gari.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the western Nigerian state of Oyo has approved the appointment of six new judges into the state judiciary.

A statement issued in Ibadan on Wednesday by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Bayo Ojo, said that the appointment was sequel to the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The new judges, according to the commissioner, include the Chief Registrar of the state High Court, Mrs. O. O. Olatunji, Mr. Bayo Taiwo from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja and the immediate past Vice-Chairman of the Ibadan branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Lekan Owolabi.

Others are Mr. G. A. Sunmonu, Mrs. O. M. Fadeyi and Mr. E. O. Ajayi, all Ibadan-based private legal practitioners.

The appointment of the new judges, whose swearing in will be performed by Governor Ajimobi on 27 May, has brought the number of judges in the state judiciary to 22, while more judges may still be appointed before the end of the year.

The last time judges were appointed into the state judiciary was ain 2006.

Four officials of the Ogun State government, in western Nigeria, are now assisting the Police at the Police headquarters, Eleweeran, Abeokuta to explain how N200million, meant to pay the examination fees of secondary school students was fraudulently diverted into personal accounts.

A statement from the office of the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Taiwo Adeoluwa last night revealed that the diversion started three years ago.

The statement further stated that, “Four officials, two males and two females, are already in the police net and they are aiding in the investigations on the matter. Other suspects are being investigated for their roles in the fraud.”

The government said preliminary investigation suggested that the fraud was perpetrated through inflation of the list of candidates in public schools.

According to Adeoluwa, “This is a disturbing development. Education is number one on the five-cardinal programme of our administration and that is why we are investing so much to rebuild the sector.

“Officials who think they can divert funds meant for this important sector are in for a surprise. Anybody who is implicated in this scam will be made to face the full wrath of the law.”

Though the Rivers State Governor has indicated that he will re- contest for election as the Chairman of NGF, the Presidency is said not to be favourably disposed to his return to the position.

Rather, the Presidency is said to be supporting Mallam Isa Yuguda, Governor of Bauchi State as successor to Amaechi.

The notice for the election was sent to the Governors by the Director General of the secretariat of the NGF, Asishana Okauru on Wednesday.

The date was rescheduled following claims by some governors that they didn’t get the notice in which the election was previously slated for Thursday.

The NGF secretariat advised the governors interested in contesting for the positions of chairman and vice-chairman to submit their notices of intent to run for the posts before Friday.

Other issues to be addressed at the meeting include the vacant seats on the board of trustees of the NGF to be filled by one person each from the north-central, north-eastern, south-western and south-eastern zones, and two from the north-western zone.

JETHRO IBILEKE/Ogidi

Achebe’s final burial place. Photo: Jethro Ibileke/P.M.NEWS

The people of Ogidi, home town of world renowned Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe have expressed their readiness to receive the remains of the late literally icon for a befitting traditional and heroic burial.

The small community wears a new look as all roads leading to Achebe’s final resting place are swept clean with the kerbs painted black and white.

Those who spoke to P.M. NEWS said even though they are saddened by Achebe’s death, they are however delighted to give him the heroic burial that he deserves.

Okoli, a welder whose workshop is located a few meters away for the family compound of Chinua Achebe, said the death of the novelist saddens him, but he is happy that he has the opportunity to give him the last respect in his ancestral hometown.

“Even though we are sad that he has passed away, we are still happy that we witness this day. We would have wanted him to remain with us forever, but we all know that is not possible. His burial is a heroic one. He deserves it.

“We will all miss him, but he will live for ever in our hearts and everyone who reads any of his books. Achebe puts the name of Ogidi on the world map. For that alone, he deserves the heroic burial that we are giving him,” Okoli said.

A staff of Idemili North local government area who identified herself simply as Amaka, said Achebe’s demise should not be taken in bad faith, saying that the man was old and satisfied with age.

“Even though no one is too old to live, but to me, Achebe was a fulfilled man. He lived a happy and fulfilled life. He was known the world over and generations to come will still remember him. So, to me, Achebe’s departure should be celebrated.

“We in Ogidi are happy that our illustrious son is embarking on his journey to eternity. We are happy for him,” Amaka told P.M. NEWS.

Achebe’s final resting place in Ogidi. Photo: Jethro Ibileke/P.M.NEWS

The country home of the literary giant, located along Abatete-Ezi Uwerri Road was a beehive of activities as construction workers were everywhere working to complete the final resting place of Achebe. Others were also busy erecting tents and canopy for the service of songs slated for Thursday evening.

The Achebe family compound, located at Ngwazike roundabout, about 1000 meters away from Achebe’s country home was also full of activities.

Ogidi, a small community of several thousands in population and headquarters of Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra state, is a journey of about 30 minutes’ drive from Onitsha, the commercial headquarters of the south east.

A man believed to be a serving British soldier was brutally murdered Wednesday near a London barracks in what Prime Minister David Cameron said appeared to be a terrorist attack.

Cameron called the attack “appalling” and said: “There are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident.”

Armed police shot and wounded the two suspected attackers.

One broadcaster showed footage of one of the men at the scene carrying a blood-covered knife and meat cleaver saying to the camera: “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you.”

The black man, dressed in a grey hooded jacket and black woolly hat, made a number of political statements to bystanders.

“We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” he says in a London accent in the video.

Scene of the brutal murder in Woolwich, London

He adds: “I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don’t care about you.”

The government’s emergency response committee was immediately convened.

The attack took place in broad daylight around 200 metres (218 yards) from the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London.

Cameron, who was to return early from talks with French President Francois Hollande in Paris to deal with the aftermath, called the attack “truly shocking”.

Hollande said at a press conference that the victim was a soldier, but Cameron gave no confirmation.

A local member of parliament said he believed the dead man was a soldier.

Cameron said: “We’ve had this sort of attack before in our country and we never buckle in the face of them.”

Home Secretary Theresa May chaired a meeting of COBRA, the government’s emergency civil contingencies committee.

“It has been confirmed to me that a man has been brutally murdered this afternoon in southeast London,” she said.

“Two other men were shot by armed police and they are currently receiving treatment for their injuries. This is a sickening and barbaric attack.”

Police were called at 2:20 pm (1320 GMT) to reports of one man being assaulted by two others.

“A number of weapons were reportedly being used in the attack, and this included reports of a firearm,” said police commander Simon Letchford.

Local police officers, then firearms officers arrived on the scene where they found a man who was later pronounced dead.

“Two men, who we believe from early reports to have been carrying weapons, were shot by police. They were taken to separate London hospitals, they are receiving treatment for their injuries,” Letchford said.

He said there would be a heightened police presence in the area and urged locals to remain calm.

A white and blue police evidence tent was visible in the street and police tape sealed off the scene. People in forensic suits were also seen.

Eyewitness pictures showed an air ambulance landing in the road and three bodies lying on the ground with dozens of onlookers observing the scene after the police arrived.

Nick Raynsford, the member of parliament for Woolwich and Greenwich, said his understanding after speaking to police and army officers was that dead man was a soldier.

“We think a serving soldier was the victim,” he said.

“A number of weapons have been seized. They include a gun, various knives, and a machete, apparently.

“The police clearly had to take action in order to try and arrest these individuals.”

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said Queen Elizabeth II — who is due to visit the barracks later this month — was being kept updated.

“The queen is of course concerned by the report of an attack in Woolwich,” he said.

“Her Majesty is being kept informed.”

The spokesman confirmed the monarch would carry out a planned visit to the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery at the barracks on May 31.

The body of revered Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe arrived Wednesday in his home state in Nigeria, where hundreds of admirers packed a stadium to pay tribute a day ahead of his funeral.

A wooden coffin transported the body of Achebe, the celebrated author of the novel “Things Fall Apart”, who died in March in the United States at age 82.

Achebe: Achebe’s first son Ikechukwu, with Governor Peter Obi and Secretary to the FG, Pius Anyim

Late Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe’s son Ikechukwu Achebe (L) holds his mother and professor Christie Achebe (2nd L)

His coffin was taken on Wednesday to a stadium in Awka in Anambra state in Nigeria’s southeast, where some 2,000 people gathered and the Anglican archbishop of Anambra prayed over his body.

Some mourners dressed in shirts with his picture emblazoned on them, while local chiefs wore traditional red caps common among Igbos, Achebe’s ethnic group.

His body had initially arrived back in Nigeria in the capital Abuja on Tuesday.

“Indeed a great man of letters has gone, but we are consoled that his good works and deeds will endure for long,” said Innocent Okechukwu, a 27-year-old lawyer at the stadium.

Achebe is to be buried Thursday in his native town of Ogidi in Anambra state in a ceremony expected to draw fellow writers, local officials, foreign dignitaries and the Archbishop of Canterbury, according to local media.

His burial in the family compound in Ogidi will follow a service at a local Anglican church.

Achebe was a harsh critic of corruption in Nigeria and rejected national awards in 2004 and 2011, but President Goodluck Jonathan was nonetheless scheduled to attend.

Achebe was best known internationally for his novel “Things Fall Apart,” which depicts the clash between British rule and traditional Igbo culture in his native southeastern region.

He had lived and worked as a professor in the United States in recent years, with a 1990 car accident leaving him in a wheelchair and limiting his travel.

South African writer and Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer called Achebe the “father of modern African literature” in 2007, when she was among the judges to award him the Man Booker International prize for fiction.

Switzerland, currently in the process of restituting assets to several former autocratic countries, is working on a new law aimed at simplifying the process of freezing and unblocking such funds, the government said Wednesday.

The law under construction would regulate “the administrative confiscation and restitution of dictator assets,” the government said in a statement.

Bern presented its pre-law proposal to parliament for consultations on Wednesday, stressing it was the first such proposal of its kind in the world.

Switzerland has been freezing the assets of dictators and restituting them to the countries in question for the past 25 years.

It blocked funds embezzled by Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, Sani Abacha of Nigeria and Vladimir Montesinos of Peru, and has since restituted some 1.7 billion Swiss francs (1.4 billion euros, $1.75 billion) to these countries.

sani abacha: Switzerland plans new law to freeze stolen money

At the height of the Arab Spring in early 2011, the central European country famous for its banks froze some 60 million Swiss franks linked to ousted Tunisian dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, and around $700 million linked to ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

The Alpine state also blocked 100 million Swiss francs from Libya and another 100 million from Syria.

The new law proposal includes a number of existing rules in this domain coupled with new elements aimed at simplifying the process through better cooperation and the standardisation of certain procedures.

This, Bern hopes, will help ensure that former dictators cannot recuperate frozen funds due to mistakes made in their countries’ requests for international judicial cooperation.

New leaders in formerly autocratic countries often have problems making such requests due to lack of experience, and when requests are not made correctly, Switzerland cannot proceed with blocking or restituting assets.

The new law would mandate measures aimed at helping the country of origin make its request and recuperate the frozen money, including Swiss training for authorities and legal counsel.

In a new twist, Switzerland could also provide all relevant information to the new authorities in the country of origin, including long-guarded banking details, to help them draft their request for international judicial cooperation.

The new law would also make it possible for Bern to block assets as soon as a dictator falls, and would bar Switzerland from maintaining a block for more than 10 years.

The banks managing such assets would meanwhile be obligated to immediately report the suspicious funds to the Swiss foreign ministry, or risk fines of up to 250,000 Swiss francs, according to the proposal.

While frozen in Switzerland, the funds must be managed conservatively, and any interest gains should be returned to the country in question, along with the capital, according to rules already in place.

The Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has approved the appointment of six new judges into the state judiciary.

A statement issued in Ibadan on Wednesday by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Bayo Ojo, said that the appointment was sequel to the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The new judges, according to the commissioner, include the Chief Registrar of the state High Court, Mrs. O. O. Olatunji, Mr. Bayo Taiwo from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja and the immediate past Vice-Chairman of the Ibadan branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Lekan Owolabi.

Others are Mr. G. A. Sunmonu, Mrs. O. M. Fadeyi and Mr. E. O. Ajayi, all Ibadan-based private legal practitioners.

The appointment of the new judges, whose swearing in will be performed by Governor Ajimobi on 27 May, 2013, has brought the number of judges in the state judiciary to 22, while more judges may still be appointed before the end of the year.

The last time judges were appointed into the state judiciary  was ain 2006.

—Gbenro Adesin/Ibadan

Samm Audu, the Team’s Media Officer, said in a statement released in Abuja that Egbedi joined the squad the same day that Rangers International FC of Enugu striker Alhaji Gero, Olympiakos FC of Greece attacking midfielder Michael Olaitan and Daddy Moses joined the team.

According to the statement, Moses has reportedly signed a contract with Ajax Amsterdam FC from an academy in Nigeria.

It said the 30-man squad was expected to feature at this year’s Toulon International Football Tournament, where they are drawn against defending champions Mexico, Portugal, Brazil and Belgium.

The Flying Eagles’ final 21-man squad is expected to be named latest 11 June.

The Nigeria U-20 team are drawn in Group B alongside Portugal, South Korea and Cuba.

The team will set out for Turkey from Germany on 17 June and will play their first match on 21 June against Portugal in Kayseri.

The team made up of Uwazie Jude and Alex Adewale lost the first match on Monday against Spain without hitting a ball as the Spanish side walked over the Nigerian contingent due to the late arrival of the team to Turkey.

This was followed by a 0-3 defeat to Belgium on Tuesday as Alex Adewale lost in two straight sets 0-6, 0-6 to Joachim Gérard, while Uwazie Jude also lost 4-6, 2-6 to another Belgian, Gert Vos.

The Nigerian pair were later bundled out in the Men’s Doubles when they lost to Belgium’s Mike Denayer and Joachim Gérard, 0-6, 1-6.

Despite these defeats, President of Nigeria Tennis Federation, NTF, Engr. Sani Ndanusa is still hopeful that the Nigerian players can still make it to the next round of the competition in the Men’s Singles if they can win the playoffs.

—Damilare Okunola

For the first time after almost six months of an alleged cold war between Banky W, owner of Empire Mates Entertainment and his biggest star, Wizkid, it was a pleasing sight for many to see both showing each other so much love as it was in the beginning.

The two were brought together by mobile telephone giant, Samsung, during the ‘Design for Life Fashion Show’ to launch the brand’s Galaxy S4 recently at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos.

•Banky W and Wizkid

P.M.NEWS Showbiz Trends learnt that Wizkid had sneaked into the hall midway into the show and took a sit right next to his boss, Banky W.  As if that was not enough to show that there is real love in the EME family, while Banky was on stage, he gave a shout out to Wizkid and invited him on stage to do a couple of his songs.

Banky revealed to the crowd that Wizkid was not paid to perform at the show but was doing so as a favour to him. They both lit up the stage performing Roll It, and left the fans craving for more.

Style and couture were the stand-out features of the Samsung Galaxy S4 launch. It kicked off with a fashion show specially organised by Samsung to celebrate young designers, the event highlighted the distinctive qualities of the phone while the crème de la crème of the entertainment industry laughed for several hours in the company of compere Seyi Law.