BRITISH AIRWAYS SUSPENDS FLIGHTS DUE TO EBOLA
British airways has suspended its flights to Sierra leone and liberia due to ebola outbreak that has taken the lives of over 900 in 4 african countries. It says this is only a precautionary measure to prevent the virus from coming into the UK especially that it is a disease with no known cure.
TB JOSHUA ANNUAL CONVENTION CANCELLED DUE TO EBOLA
The tb Joshua yearly convention scoan has attracted a lot of liberians to Nigeria amongst other nationalities and this has caused a scare and the health ministry has asked for it to be cancelled. This is due to the high risk of ebola spreading further because some infected may be coming for healing and being a place of gathering will spread quickly. The church has cooperated with the law and cancelled the convention. a lot of nigerians may not be pleased with this however it is for the safety of the nation.
APPARENTLY NOT ALL CHIBOK PARENTS WERE PAID BY JONATHAN
It was recently on the news that president Jonathan Goodluck shared N22.4 million naira amongst the parents of the missing chibok girls but apparently the president did not pay every parent and the ones left out were angry about it. There have also been speculations that this is a ploy by the government to buy the parents' silence and by collecting the money they have sold their children.
details below:
Dauda Ilya, a spokesman for the Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA), which organized the parents’ trip to Abuja, stated yesterday at a media briefing in Abuja that the Nigerian president had given N22.4 million to the distraught parents.
Mr. Ilya’s statement contradicted a claim by Reuben Abati, the special adviser to the President on media, that Mr. Jonathan did not give money to the grieving parents when they visited.
“On the night of the 22nd July, 2014 at about midnight, the senior special assistant to the President on special duties, who had been coordinating the visit on the side of the Presidency, visited the hotel and told the 51 escaped girls who came that the Presidency sent them a token of N100, 000 each and accordingly gave them the said sum without prior discussion with any KADA official or any other person in the community,” Mr. Ilya said.
According to him, Mr. Jonathan’s aide also “gave the sum of N200, 000 each to 61 parents out of the 122 parents that came on the visit. 51 parents were given N100, 000 each on the basis that the money given to him was not enough to go round at N200, 000. The remaining 10 parents were not given any amount of money."
He added that a member of the House of Representatives representing the Chibok constituency also gave the parents the sum of one million naira.
“As for the money given to some parents back home in Chibok, it was the sum of N1, 000,000 given to them by the Hon. Member of the House of Reps representing Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency which is the source of the alleged N7, 000 given to parents in Chibok that were not part of the visit.”
CHINESE MEN BEAT THEIR NIGERIAN EMPLOYEE TO NEAR DEATH
On mr Owolabi's first day of work at jivan plastic company, he was bringing out pvc materials from a bag when Mike (his chinese employer) said he was not handling materials appropriately and hit him repeatedly while his cousin smashed a bottle on his head and at this point he fainted. He awoke, all covered in his blood he made his way to makun police division . there he reported the case and the police refused to do anything owing to them being foreigner. He then proceeded to punch metro where he reported the issue and it was published, it was then the police arrested the men. they apologised to Owolabi and offered him money which he refused because he's an honest nigerian trying to gain justice. The police claim the men will be held in detention until the case has been investigated. This is just one of several instances where nigerians have been beaten unreasonably by their foreign employers in their own country.
JONATHAN GOODLUCK IS ABLE TO RUN FOR 2015 SAYS ABUJA HIGH COURT
RECENT TESCO(UK GROCERY) HORSE MEAT SCANDAL SEEM TO RAISE CONCERNS IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Recently it was found that tesco meat labelled as beef contained traces of horse-meat in its DNA which some people already consumed and have now been withdrawn from the shelves and is being investigated. In southAfrican, the food scientist say there is water buffalo, donkey and goat meat in mislabels foods including beef burgers and sausages and they were not declared on the product label meat products there has been traces. this violates food labelling regulations and poses economic, religious, ethical and health impacts.
PATOR TUNDE BAKARE CLAIMS JONATHAN BELITTLED HIS OFFICE BY KNEELING DOWN BEFORE PASTOR ADEBOYE
in a recent punch interview, bakare expressed his opinion on Jonathan kneeling before pastor Adeboye at the holy ghost night service to pray. here,s what he had to say:
They have signaled the campaign by going to kneel down before Pastor Adeboye. See, I am not saying that pastors should not pray for presidents, that man was representing an office; a whole nation crumbling before men of God because of political advantage they think they can get. And if the prayer will bail him out, let us wait and see. The truth is who is preparing for 2015, which faction of the PDP? Is it the (Olusegun) Obasanjo faction? Or IBB faction? Or Jonathan faction? The governors’ faction? Because PDP is a house divided against itself; it’s a chicken that has begun to eat its own intestines. By going to kneel down in the open before the pastor, the man (Jonathan) did not even recognise the dignity of his office. If it were a private thing, it is okay for you to crawl or kneel but it is a whole nation. That office has been diminished by a man who does not know the worth of it and does not deserve to stay there for one more day.
BABY BURIED ALIVE IN LAGOS
a newborn was buried right after birth but fortunately he was found and rescued by nearby people in the community
an eyewitness claims it was the mother that carried out the act and investigations are being undertaken to find out who she is.
OBAMA'S WIN CAUSED FLORIDA MAN TO COMMIT SUICDE
SERENA AND VENUS WILLAIMS ON AFRICA TOUR IN NIGERIA
according to the guardian, american tennis supersar serena and her sister venus willaims are in lagos,(Nigeria) on a tour to empower young girls. "We're here to empower young girls and let them know that if you dare to dream, you can achieve any goal you want to," Serena said at an earlier press conference held by the Breaking The Mould initiative they are representing.The initiative is aimed at encouraging "more women to break moulds that have stood between them and their potential," the organisation said in a statement. There are 80 million women in Nigeria, but gender disparity is an acute problem. Africa's most populous country ranks 118 out of 134 countries on the Gender Equality Index, according to a British Council study."We were able to break the mould when tennis was very dominated by white people. To have a face of colour come in and dominate showed it doesn't matter what your background is and where you come from, if you have dreams and goals, that's all that matters," Serena said.
As the above pictures shows, they were both hosted by the lagos state governor, Fashola babatunde.
PROPHESIED PLANE CRASH WAS ALLEGEDLY CAUSED BY THE DANA AIR OWNERS
British airways has suspended its flights to Sierra leone and liberia due to ebola outbreak that has taken the lives of over 900 in 4 african countries. It says this is only a precautionary measure to prevent the virus from coming into the UK especially that it is a disease with no known cure.
TB JOSHUA ANNUAL CONVENTION CANCELLED DUE TO EBOLA
The tb Joshua yearly convention scoan has attracted a lot of liberians to Nigeria amongst other nationalities and this has caused a scare and the health ministry has asked for it to be cancelled. This is due to the high risk of ebola spreading further because some infected may be coming for healing and being a place of gathering will spread quickly. The church has cooperated with the law and cancelled the convention. a lot of nigerians may not be pleased with this however it is for the safety of the nation.
APPARENTLY NOT ALL CHIBOK PARENTS WERE PAID BY JONATHAN
It was recently on the news that president Jonathan Goodluck shared N22.4 million naira amongst the parents of the missing chibok girls but apparently the president did not pay every parent and the ones left out were angry about it. There have also been speculations that this is a ploy by the government to buy the parents' silence and by collecting the money they have sold their children.
details below:
Dauda Ilya, a spokesman for the Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA), which organized the parents’ trip to Abuja, stated yesterday at a media briefing in Abuja that the Nigerian president had given N22.4 million to the distraught parents.
Mr. Ilya’s statement contradicted a claim by Reuben Abati, the special adviser to the President on media, that Mr. Jonathan did not give money to the grieving parents when they visited.
“On the night of the 22nd July, 2014 at about midnight, the senior special assistant to the President on special duties, who had been coordinating the visit on the side of the Presidency, visited the hotel and told the 51 escaped girls who came that the Presidency sent them a token of N100, 000 each and accordingly gave them the said sum without prior discussion with any KADA official or any other person in the community,” Mr. Ilya said.
According to him, Mr. Jonathan’s aide also “gave the sum of N200, 000 each to 61 parents out of the 122 parents that came on the visit. 51 parents were given N100, 000 each on the basis that the money given to him was not enough to go round at N200, 000. The remaining 10 parents were not given any amount of money."
He added that a member of the House of Representatives representing the Chibok constituency also gave the parents the sum of one million naira.
“As for the money given to some parents back home in Chibok, it was the sum of N1, 000,000 given to them by the Hon. Member of the House of Reps representing Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency which is the source of the alleged N7, 000 given to parents in Chibok that were not part of the visit.”
CHINESE MEN BEAT THEIR NIGERIAN EMPLOYEE TO NEAR DEATH
On mr Owolabi's first day of work at jivan plastic company, he was bringing out pvc materials from a bag when Mike (his chinese employer) said he was not handling materials appropriately and hit him repeatedly while his cousin smashed a bottle on his head and at this point he fainted. He awoke, all covered in his blood he made his way to makun police division . there he reported the case and the police refused to do anything owing to them being foreigner. He then proceeded to punch metro where he reported the issue and it was published, it was then the police arrested the men. they apologised to Owolabi and offered him money which he refused because he's an honest nigerian trying to gain justice. The police claim the men will be held in detention until the case has been investigated. This is just one of several instances where nigerians have been beaten unreasonably by their foreign employers in their own country.
JONATHAN GOODLUCK IS ABLE TO RUN FOR 2015 SAYS ABUJA HIGH COURT
After much debate about President Goodluck Jonathan‘s eligibility to run for a second term in 2015, an Abuja High Court has ruled in his favour.
The Court, this afternoon, ruled that he can contest the forthcoming 2015 Presidential election if he so desires.
According to NAN, Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi held that Jonathan’s assumption of the office of the President after the demise of the late former President Umaru Yar’Adua was in line with what the National Assembly aptly described as doctrine of necessity and not as a result of emerging winner in any bye election conducted after the death of the late former President.
“After the death of Umaru Yar’Adua, there was no election or bye election. President Jonathan was merely asked to assume the office of the President in line with Doctrine of necessity. He was not elected as the President but was made to assume office by virtue of Yar’Adua’s death. Having exhausted the late President’s tenure, he sought for his party’s ticket and ran for the office of the President successfully in 2011 general election. He is therefore currently serving his first tenure of office and if he so wishes, he is eligible to further seek his party’s ticket through the party’s primary election and to run for office in 2015,” the Judge said.
-culled from bella naija
RECENT TESCO(UK GROCERY) HORSE MEAT SCANDAL SEEM TO RAISE CONCERNS IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Recently it was found that tesco meat labelled as beef contained traces of horse-meat in its DNA which some people already consumed and have now been withdrawn from the shelves and is being investigated. In southAfrican, the food scientist say there is water buffalo, donkey and goat meat in mislabels foods including beef burgers and sausages and they were not declared on the product label meat products there has been traces. this violates food labelling regulations and poses economic, religious, ethical and health impacts.
PATOR TUNDE BAKARE CLAIMS JONATHAN BELITTLED HIS OFFICE BY KNEELING DOWN BEFORE PASTOR ADEBOYE
in a recent punch interview, bakare expressed his opinion on Jonathan kneeling before pastor Adeboye at the holy ghost night service to pray. here,s what he had to say:
They have signaled the campaign by going to kneel down before Pastor Adeboye. See, I am not saying that pastors should not pray for presidents, that man was representing an office; a whole nation crumbling before men of God because of political advantage they think they can get. And if the prayer will bail him out, let us wait and see. The truth is who is preparing for 2015, which faction of the PDP? Is it the (Olusegun) Obasanjo faction? Or IBB faction? Or Jonathan faction? The governors’ faction? Because PDP is a house divided against itself; it’s a chicken that has begun to eat its own intestines. By going to kneel down in the open before the pastor, the man (Jonathan) did not even recognise the dignity of his office. If it were a private thing, it is okay for you to crawl or kneel but it is a whole nation. That office has been diminished by a man who does not know the worth of it and does not deserve to stay there for one more day.
BABY BURIED ALIVE IN LAGOS
a newborn was buried right after birth but fortunately he was found and rescued by nearby people in the community
an eyewitness claims it was the mother that carried out the act and investigations are being undertaken to find out who she is.
OBAMA'S WIN CAUSED FLORIDA MAN TO COMMIT SUICDE
A Florida tanning salon owner reportedly upset by President Barack Obama's reelection apparently committed suicide after scrawling "F*** Obama" across his will.
The 64-year-old owner of a Tropical Tan salon in Key West, Fla., was "very upset about the election results," his partner Michael Cossey told police Officer Anna Dykes, according to the Keynoter. Prior to his death, the owner was reportedly "very stressed about his business." He told Cossey, "If Barack gets re-elected, I'm not going to be around."
The man was found dead in his bedroom on Nov. 8, according to the Keynoter. Empty prescription bottles were also found, one of which was Seroquel -- a drug used to treat bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia.
A copy of the man's living will was found on his bathroom sink, the Key West Citizen reports. The will contained handwriting that read, "Do not revive! F*** Obama!"
Cossey said he believes his partner may have ingested pills and alcohol, but the cause of death is pending an autopsy by the medical examiner. According to the Key West Citizen, Cossey said his partner was dealing with a struggling business.
source: huffing-tonpost.com
SERENA AND VENUS WILLAIMS ON AFRICA TOUR IN NIGERIA
according to the guardian, american tennis supersar serena and her sister venus willaims are in lagos,(Nigeria) on a tour to empower young girls. "We're here to empower young girls and let them know that if you dare to dream, you can achieve any goal you want to," Serena said at an earlier press conference held by the Breaking The Mould initiative they are representing.The initiative is aimed at encouraging "more women to break moulds that have stood between them and their potential," the organisation said in a statement. There are 80 million women in Nigeria, but gender disparity is an acute problem. Africa's most populous country ranks 118 out of 134 countries on the Gender Equality Index, according to a British Council study."We were able to break the mould when tennis was very dominated by white people. To have a face of colour come in and dominate showed it doesn't matter what your background is and where you come from, if you have dreams and goals, that's all that matters," Serena said.
As the above pictures shows, they were both hosted by the lagos state governor, Fashola babatunde.PROPHESIED PLANE CRASH WAS ALLEGEDLY CAUSED BY THE DANA AIR OWNERS
the prophecy:
according to the video below, the flight crew were asked to take off fully knowing the plane was faulty
SOUTH BEACH CANNIBAL SHOT DEAD
A naked man was caught chewing off the face of another man along south beach. a police office arrived at the scene. When the officer approached him, told him to stop, pointed a gun at him, he turned around and growled like a wild animal and kept eating at the man's face," Fraternal Order of Police President Armando Aguilar told CNN affiliate WPLG. The horrific attack occurred Saturday and was only stopped after a police officer shot the attacker several times, who still attempted to get up till he was killed. The attacker was identified by Miami-Dade Police as 31-year-old Rudy Eugene.
The attacker was suspected to be under the influence of bath salts which causes people to go insane and become very violent. Larry Vega witnessed the attack on Miami's MacArthur Causeway. He told CNN "The guy was like tearing him to pieces with his mouth, so I told him, 'Get off!
here's the alleged pic of the scene and the mans face he chewed
SENATE ORDERS THE POLICE TO INVESTIGATE FARIDA WAZIRI AND LAMORDE OVER LOOTING THE PENSION SCHEME
The Senate Joint Committee on Investigations into Pension Administration has asked the Police to probe the allegation that the Pension Reform Task Team paid N5.8m into the account of the former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mrs. , and her successor, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde.
The committee arrived at this decision at its sitting on Tuesday, when the Chairman, Senator Aloysius Etok, said it had become imperative to get to the roots of the allegation that Waziri and Lamorde, who both denied the allegation, collected the N5.8m to travel abroad for biometric verification.
Waziri and Lamorde, had appeared before the committee to deny that about N5.8m was paid into their accounts by the PRTT for a trip abroad to carry out biometric data capture on pensioners.
But the Assistant Chief Account, Mr. Toyin Ishola, in his presentation, insisted that the N5.8m withdrawn by Madubuike and handed over to Yusuf was meant for Lamorde and Waziri.
“I urge the committee to investigate further and you will find out that the money was actually paid to them,” he insisted.
Although Chairman of the committee, Senator Aloysius Etok, had asked the EFCC to investigate the matter, Ishola protested, saying the EFCC was not in a position to investigate a case in which it was indicted.
Etok, however, reversed himself and directed that the Police should take over the investigation and verification of the details of payments to Waziri and Lamorde.
The committee also heard how members of the PRTT used bank accounts of employees of the Police Pensions Office to siphon about N5.9bn of the funds belonging to the office.
Waziri, however, said banks helped the corrupt civil servants to siphon the pension funds in their desperation to make money.
“Without bank collusion, they could not have stolen these billions, it is the banks and they knew it,” she said.
The committee has however, asked the Police to investigate the allegations against the two anti-corruption personalities of the EFCC and report back to it.
Appearing before the committee, Mr. Christian Madubuike, an employee of the Police Pensions Office, admitted that several amounts totalling N5.9bn were paid into his accounts by the office between 2007 and 2012.
STUDENT IN BUI INVITES JUJU GROUP TO FISH OUT WHO STOLE HER 75K BRAZILIAN WEAVE
Female student of Benson Idahosa university, Benin had her Brazilian hair stolen from her room sometime last week. She returned from lectures that day to find her N75k Brazilian hair, which she'd planned to fix that weekend for a wedding, gone!. After asking her roommates and everyone denied taking the weave, the female student resorted to diabolical means to get her weave back. She invited the bini juju group called Ayelala to come to the school to curse and fish out whoever stole her weave.
The photo above was taken during the juju group's visit to the school. The group promised the female student that whoever stole her weave will return it within seven days. The university authorities have been informed and students are waiting to see what they do...
TIMES RELEASES 'THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.OUR VERY OWN PRESIDENT MAKES THE LIST.CHECK OUT THE LIST
Real congrats to our President, Check out the list of other influential people in the world before you start criticizing or not.
- Jeremy Lin- Basketball Player, America
- Christian Marclay- Visual artist and composer, Swiss-America
- Viola Davis- Actress, America
- Salman Khan- Educator, America
- Tim Tebow- Football quarterback, American
- EL James- Author, America
- Louis CK- Comedian, Mexican-American
- Rihanna- Recording artist, actress, US
- Marco Rubio- United States Senator from Florida
- Ali Ferzat- Cartoonist, Syria
- René Redzepi- chef, Denmark
- Kristen Wiig- Television actress, comedian, America
- Anthony Kennedy- Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court
- Novak Djokovic- Tennis player, Serbia and Montenegro
- Ben Rattray- Founder, Change.org, US
- Jessica Chastain- Actress, America
- Yani Tseng- Golfer- Republic of China (Taiwan)
- Raphael Saadiq- Singer- America
- Elinor Ostrom- Economist, US
- Samira Ibrahim- Plaintiff, Egypt
- Jose Andres- Chef, Spanish
- Ann Patchett- Writer, America
- Dulce Matuz- President, Arizona Dream Act Coalition
- Henrik Scharfe- Professor, Director, Centre for Computer-mediated Epistemology, Denmark
- Freeman Hrabowski- Educator, America
- Maryam Durani- Member, Kandahar Provincial Council, Afghanistan
- Manal al-Sharif- Women’s rights activist and computer security consultant, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia
- Anjali Gopalan- Advocate, India
- Rached Ghannouchi- Tunisian Islamist politician and co-founder, The Ennahda Movement
- Barbara Van Dahlen- Founder and President, Give an Hour, US
- Ron Fouchier- Scientist, Erasmus medical Center, The Netherlands
- Donald Sadoway- John F Elliott Professor, Materials Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US
- Hans Rosling- Statistician, Sweden
- Asghar Farhadi- Filmmaker, Iran
- Sarah Burton- Fashion Designer, UK
- Anonymous- Self described hacktivist group, Voluntary association, Global
- Pete Cashmore- Social News Guru,Scotland
- Cami Anderson- Superintendent,Newark schools
- Ali Babacan and Ahmet Davutoglu- Neo-Ottomans
- Ai-jen Poo- Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance, US
- Marc Andreessen- Kingmaker, America
- Preet Bharara- Prosecutor, America
- Robert Grant- AIDS Researcher, San Francisco
- Andrew Lo- Harris & Harris Group Professor Director, MIT Laboratory for financial Engineering
- Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy- Pakistani-Canadian journalist, documentary filmmaker
- Alexei Navalny- Russian lawyer, politician, and political and financial activist
- Ray Dalio- American businessman and founder of Bridgewater Associates
- Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani- Prime Minister of Qatar
- Chelsea Handler- American stand-up comedian, actress, best-selling author, and producer
- Harvey Weinstein- American film producer and movie studio chairman
- Chen Lihua- Chairperson, Fu Wah International, China
- Warren Buffett- Chairman & CEO of Berkshire Hathaway
- Alice Walton- Heiress, Walton family fortune
- Harold Hamm- CEO, Continental resources
- Sheryl Sandberg- COO, Facebook
- Sara Blakely- Founder of Spanx, and world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, US
- Eike Batista- President, EBX Group, Brazil
- Tim Cook- CEO, Apple, US
- Daniel Ek- CEO and Founder, Spotify, Sweden
- Virginia Rometty- CEO, IBM, US
- Barack Obama- President, USA
- Goodluck Jonathan- President of Nigeria
- Xi Jinping- First Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of China
- Fatou Bensouda- Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Gambia
- Christine Lagarde- MD, IMF, France
- Mario Draghi- President, European Central Bank, Italy
- U Thein Sein- President of Burma
- Ayatullah Ali Khamenei- Supreme Leader of Iran
- Mitt Romney- Candidate, 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination
- Juan Manuel Santos- President of Colombia
- Timothy Dolan- American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
- Portia Simpson Miller- Prime Minister of Jamaica
- Mario Monti- Prime Minister of Italy
- Wang Yang- Secretary, Guangdong Committee of the Communist Party of China
- Maria das Gracas Silva Foster- CEO of Petrobras, Brazil
- Andrew Cuomo- Governor of New York, US
- Iftikhar Chaudhry- Chief Justice of Pakistan
- Mamata Banerjee- Chief Minister Of Indian state of West Bengal
- Walter Isaacson- President and CEO, Aspen Institute, US
- Ron Paul- Member of the US House of Representatives
- Benjamin Netanyahu- Prime Minister of Israel
- Dilma Rousseff- President of Brazil
- Erik Martin- Founder and editor, Muschelhaufen
- Cecile Richards- Democratic Party activist, President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America
- Angela Merkel- Chancellor of Germany
- Lionel Messi- Footballer and Captain of Argentinian national team
- Tilda Swinton- British actress
- Hillary Clinton- United States Secretary of State
- Catherine- Duchess of Cambridge, and Pippa Middleton, her sister
- Adele- Recording artist and songwriter, UK
- Matt Lauer, TV journalist, Host, NBC’s The Today Show
- Oscar Pistorius- sprint runner, South Africa
- Claire Danes- American television, stage and film actress
- Stephen Colbert- American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, actor; Host, Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report
SWEDISH FEMALE MINISTER SLICES THE PRIVATE PART OF A CAKE MADE IN THE FORM OF A N AFRICAN WOMAN.
IS SHE A RACIST?Swedish minister of culture Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth attended a party for the Stockholm cultural elite on Saturday April 14th and declared the party officially started by slicing the genitalia (clitoridectomy) of a cake that depicts an African woman.The photos went viral on social media with a lot of people saying its racism. You agree?
THE BEST GRADUATING NIGERIAN LAW STUDENT,LAWI DANJUMA DIES
The best graduating Nigerian law school student, Lawi Danjuma, has died. The Adamawa state born brilliant new lawyer who was called to the bar just two months ago, died on Friday April 13th 2012, after accidentally drowning in a pool.
HUMAN REMAINS FOUND IN A TITANIC PHOTO
The people at the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration just released this new image which shows boots belonging to a body. His visible remains have disappeared but the boots and clothing show where he came to rest.
PICTURE OF BRITIAN'S MOST DEADLY SPIDER.WOMAN ALMOST LOST HER HAND TO IT.
Catherine Coombs, 48, awoke in excruciating pain when the false widow bit the back of her hand in bed.
She was rushed to hospital as the venom caused it to swell — and began to EATaway at her flesh.
Doctors have operated three times over the past six weeks to remove dead tissue and stop the venom spreading.
Catherine, of Lytchett Matravers, Dorset, said: “I had to sign for amputation every time I went under anaesthetic.
“Every time I woke, I made sure my hand was still there.” She will now have her hand rebuilt.
False widows, a close relative of the black widow, are no bigger than a 20p piece but have the worst bite of any spider in the UK.
ALLEGED REASONS FOR NIGERIA'S LOW POWER SUPPLY
N90 Billion debt hits Power Holding Company of Nigeria.
Just 2 years after President Goodluck Jonathan uncovered his strategies to end inadequate power supply in the country; Nigerians still depend on generators and solar to power their homes.
While many could still believe in that prepared speech Mr. President gave audaciously, the hope for stable power supply may have been dashed by the stories emanating from Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) for its inability to settle a debt of N88.7 billion the company owes its suppliers.
- Investigation has revealed that Nigeria stands to lose nearly 5000 megawatts as most of the power projects under construction are unlikely to get gas supply because of PHCN’s heavy indebtedness to the suppliers.
- Though the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is making concerted efforts by laying massive pipelines through its gas marketing arm, the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), these efforts would not successfully address the gas challenges because the oil companies are not keen on selling gas to PHCN again.
- At the moment, PHCN owes Agip N60 billion for its power plant at Okpai in Delta State which produces 470 megawatts.
- PHCN also owes Shell N12.48 billion for its power plant which generates 561 megawatts at Afam in Rivers State
- The power utility company also owes NGC N10 billion for 700 million standard cubic of natural gas.
National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) is being owed N6 billion for power supplied from its stations in Sapele in Delta State and Olorunsogo in Ogun State, while the Ibom Power is being owed N300 million for the 90 megawatts generated from its plant at Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom State.
As the case stands, PHCN now requires a monthly revenue of at least N22.5 billion to ensure regular settlement of its obligations to power and gas suppliers like Shell, Agip and AES.
- Sources noted that the problem is that the Power Holding Company (PHCN) is not paying for gas and the oil companies are not happy about it. PHCN is hiding under the World Bank Partial Guarantee to dodge payments, we gathered.
Other Reasons For Unstable Electricity Supply In Nigeria
On some other reasons for unstable power supply in the country, it was also gathered that security agencies are delaying different power projects across the country with the non-clearing of power equipment at the ports by Customs as well as frequent transportation delays at roadblocks mounted by soldiers, while moribund and inadequate transmission facilities are further compounding the energy crisis across the country.
Ghana Vs Nigeria in terms of stable power supply is ratio 9:1
BABY FALLS FROM THE 7TH FLOOR OF A BUILDING AND DIDNT DIE
A two-year-old baby sustained no major injury when she tumbled out of a seventh floor apartment in eastern Turkey, apparently saved by a lucky landing in snow, Anatolia news agency said Sunday.
Doctors at a Mus city hospital where the toddler was rushed said “there is nothing to worry about for now” but that she would be kept in hospital care for a few more days for observation, the agency said.
The baby’s mother, occupied in the kitchen when the incident happened, said she was shocked when neighbors brought her home after the fall.
TONYE PRINCEWILL SPENDS 120 MILLION FOR A REALITY SHOW FOR ORPHANS
In a unique show of concern for the less privileged, Prince Tonye Princewill, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and Leader of Princewill Political Associates, has pumped N120 million into the first ever Reality TV show for orphans in collaboration with Adonis Productions, under the umbrella of Melody Shelters.
A statement by Princewill's spokesperson, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka, said: "The show will bring together amazing talents from different orphanages across Nigeria.
"The programme that started with 40 Orphanages now has eight finalists currently camped in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, for the grand finale coming up in a few weeks."
"The programme that started with 40 Orphanages now has eight finalists currently camped in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, for the grand finale coming up in a few weeks."
According to the statement, eight finalists have each been assigned a dedicated musical coach, who is responsible for training them on their chosen songs for the first two weeks before the stage performances commence this weekend.
STV and CTL are expected to air this unique event from April 13, 2012.
It will be aired every Friday and Saturday at 5:30pm while on Sunday it will show at 5pm.
The show will feature singing groups from eight finalist orphanages with the winning three taking home the final set of prizes.
The featured orphanages are: Gidan Bege Orphanage (Benue State), Godswill Ophanage (Kogi State), Adonai Orphanage (Kaduna State), Rachael homes (Abuja), Susanna homes (Abia State), Lifetime Caring Orphanage (Rivers State), Edo Orphanage (Edo State) and Compassion Orphanage (Edo State).
Performances will be judged by professional musician judges, with the viewers also having the opportunity to contribute.
All the events and performances will be recorded and broadcast on television, with N18 million to be won in prizes by the first top three contenders, with the winning orphanage taking home N10 million.
Princewill is a politician of repute, who anchors his foray in politics on his need to engineer change and sees his involvement in such projects as a way of appreciating the less privileged and the downtrodden.
With Melody Shelters, he is using his resources to affect their lives whilst also acknowledging and supporting the contributions of people like Adonijah Owiriwa, who, like him, have chosen to use their craft as a vehicle for change.
To him, life is nothing if we can't impact on those who have little as opposed those who have a lot.
This is the fourth initiative so far, in as many months.
He recently gave N25 million to the Port Harcourt Polo Club, N26 million towards microfinance for rural women, several million towards setting up a 3D studio for film academy scholars and now this.
His eagerly awaited entertainment fund is expected to be launched next month in a soon-to-be-announced collaboration with Grafton and Tamsrecords, with the Consiglieres and other corporate partners already signed up.
The statement added: "Add this to his previous works with women groups, scholarship programmes, employment generation opportunities, youth mentoring initiatives and already attracted investment and his commonly used phrase continues to make sense, 'You are blessed to bless others.'”
GOD CHOOSE ME EVEN IF I AM NOT THE BEST PERSON FOR THE JOB-GOODLUCK JONATHAN
President Goodluck Jonathan declared yesterday that his leadership of the country is by the grace of God and not necessarily because he is the best person available for the job.
Speaking at a prayer meeting at the State House, Abuja, the President said he and his team were put in charge of the nation’s affairs by divine will.
The breakfast meeting was to seek God’s intervention in the myriad of problems facing the country.
He said :”I always make my supplications to God that, in selecting me as the President of this country, the Vice President, the Governors, members of the national assembly, the ministers, we are not the best material but God knows why he chose us and we pray He should use us to change this country.
“We believe that with God using us collectively we will be able to transform this country. We all as Nigerians want a better country, we want a country that there would be peace, power, that will take care of our health needs, that we can move freely from one part of the country to the other, that our children will have hope.”
He expressed optimism that the problems were not too much for God to solve and Nigerians only needed to trust Him.
“With unwavering faith in God and renewed recommitment to the national cause by us all, I’m confident that Nigeria will emerge from these trying times a stronger, more united, more stable and more prosperous nation.
“Now than ever before, our nation’s leadership needs to rededicate itself to the realisation of the grand vision of one big strong multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, diverse but united nation which steered our founding fathers. We must live above those primordial tendencies which can only compromise our growth as a nation. We should be guided by the ideals of justice, equity, selflessness and above all the fear of God in every conduct public or private,” he said.
President Jonathan noted that the country can only attain its heights and endowment which God has destined if Nigerians are individually prepared to make the requisite sacrifice as “championing narrowing sectional causes does not add value to our national development efforts”.
On the promises he made during the electioneering campaign, he said:”Our administration was voted into office by overwhelming majority of Nigerians cutting across ethnic, social, cultural and even political barriers. We therefore owe all Nigerians the sacred duty to toil endlessly for the enhanced welfare and wellbeing of all. This is a duty I have vowed to commit my all to achieve.
“I am aware that the task of national transformation is daunting one, I am, however, more aware that there is nothing that God cannot do. With Him on our side I am confident every stumbling block on our way shall become a stepping stone into national rebirth. I assure you that our trials at all times for the greatest good of the greatest number guided always by the fear of God.”
Earlier in his message, the President of the christian Association of Nigeria, Ayo Oritsejafor said it was pertinent that Nigeria builds an altar.
He identified four altars, the family, church, personal and national altar and said the gathering of the day was that of the national altar and at the national altar there is power to change the situation of Nigeria.
At the service were former Heads of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Chief Ernest Shonekan, Kenya’s Vice President , Mr. Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, Governors Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, Jonah Jang of Plateau, Peter Obi of Anambra and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo. Also in attendance were members of the federal cabinet and other presidential aides.
The session is the second to be organised by the government.
GIRL ACCUSED OF STEALING OF PHONE,AWAITS TRIAL IN PRISON FOR FOUR YEARS
The case of Blessing Effiong, a 20-year-old inmate awaiting trial at the female section of Kirikiri Prisons, Lagos, perhaps typifies the injustice suffered by the poor in the Nigerian society.
The Akwa-Ibom indigene, who was interviewed by the Attorney-General of the state, Mr. Ade Ipaye, and representatives of the Office of the Public Defender, during a visit to the prisons to evaluate the number of awaiting trial persons there, narrated in detail how she had been incarcerated since the age of 16 because she could not afford the services of a lawyer.
She said, “In 2008, I bought a Starcomms phone for N10,000 in order to start a business centre. A few days later, a man called me and said the phone was stolen from him. I told the man I didn’t know it was stolen. We had an agreement that I should return the phone and he would refund my money.
“I gave the man my address but when he got to my place, he said the phone was stolen from him along with his laptop and some other vital documents. He accused me of being a thief, called the police and had me arrested. I was charged with robbery and have been in Kirikiri since then as my trial has yet to begin.”
BABY MAKING FACTORY DISCOVERED IN NIGERIA
A baby making factory has been discovered in Akwa Ibom state where young mothers are paid a lump sum N70,000 to make babies to sell to ritualists.
According to Tribune, this mysterious baby making factory as unveiled by Uyo Police Force is packed with young girls who conceive, give birth and the babies later sold to suspected ritualists and other members of the public in Uruan Local Government Area of the state.
The new babies, we gathered, are collected from the young mothers as soon as they are delivered, even as each mother is paid N70,000 after each successful delivery.
The state Commissioner of Police Umar Gwadabe who briefed newsmen on the development and 1other breakthroughs recorded by the state police command, disclosed that the said illegal home is owned by one Dr Wisdom Mbaba and is located at Ekpene Ukim, in Uruan Local Government Area of the state.
Gwadabe said following a tip-off from a concerned citizen of the area, the police raided the place and about seven young women, between the ages of 18 and 20 were rescued from the said operation, while the suspected proprietor of the home, Dr Mbaba, escaped but his wife, Effiong, was arrested.
One of the girls rescued, Aniebet Okon Sunday, told Nigerian Tribune that she had gone there to abort a five-month-old pregnancy but the doctor told her to stay with him, promising that he would pay her for the baby, which she agreed to and was paid N70,000 after delivery. “My friend took me to Doctor Wisdom when I was pregnant and wanted to do abortion but the doctor said I should stay and give birth.
I did not even see the baby that I gave birth to. I don’t know if it was a boy or girl. It was taken away before I was able to stand up. But doctor gave me N70, 000,” Miss Sunday narrated. Nigerian Tribune gathered from reliable sources that young girls wishing to abort unwanted pregnancies were lured to the factory for abortion operation, after which the unwanted babies are negotiated and sold to ritualists by the factory dealers.
BALOTELLI SCORES WAYNE ROONEY'S COUSINS AFTER SLEEPING WITH HIS PROSTITUTE
They may be arch rivals on the pitch, but Mario Balotelli and Wayne Rooney have more in common than they'd like to admit.
Just days after it was claimed the wayward Manchester City striker had a fling with Rooney prostitute Jennifer Thompson - it's emerged he dated and even proposed to the Manchester United star's second cousin.
Glamour model Holly Henderson, who was spotted on a date with the 21-year-old back in November has come clean about their romance - and confessed she's related to Rooney.
Glamour model Holly Henderson claims she's Wayne Rooney's second cousin
Ex escort Jennifer Thompson claims she had sex with Wayne Rooney and Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli with his long-suffering girlfriend Raffaella Fico
Miss Henderson, 33, claims she met Balotelli in a nightclub last year and the pair enjoyed a string of dates.
She said: 'We went out a few times and he seemed fun. He told me he was single, so I didn't see a problem.
'It's all a bit odd. I am Wayne's second cousin though I don't know if Mario is aware of it.'
Their relationship got so heated, the footballer - nicknamed Super Mario - offered to marry her if she agreed to quit modelling.
'He said he would marry me if I gave up my career,' she told the Daily Star. 'He hated my modelling.'
Miss Henderson - who didn't fully explain her family connection to Rooney - said she began to have doubts about the relationship when Balotelli became controlling.
She claimed he even showed up on the set of Channel 4 reality show Come Dine With Me, because he was suspicious about her relationship with a male co-star.
She added: 'He would be constantly messaging me to find out where I was or asking me to meet him and if I didn't reply straight away he would send me angry faces.'
The fling ended for good when the pair were photographed together on a date in November. The photos appeared in the media, forcing Balotelli to admit he had a girlfriend, 23-year-old Raffaela Fico.
Miss Henderson insists they haven't spoken since.
Just two months later, Balotelli met and began a six-week-long affair with former escort Jennifer Thompson, who found notoriety in 2010 when she claimed to have had sex with Wayne Rooney while his wife Coleen was pregnant with their son Kai.
The Italy international was forced to admit the affair with Thompson when news leaked last week - his agent admitting the pair had a 'brief involvement'.
News of Balotelli's fling with Henderson will be another huge blow to Rafaella Fico, his longterm girlfriend.
Miss Fico has already had to suffer the humiliation of discovering Balotelli slept with Jennifer Thompson just two days before he declared his love for her infront of 47,000 fans during a game against Blackburn in February.
After scoring, Balotelli lifted his shirt to reveal a t-shirt bearing the slogan 'Raffaela Ti Amo', Italian for 'Raffaela I love you'.
And the revelations come just two days after he was photographed with yet another woman - a mystery blonde - in Manchester city centre.
BOYFRIEND KILLS GIRLFRIEND OVER A NEW HAIRSTYLE
This lady was killed by her boyfriend when she went visiting him just because she couldn’t give a better explanation of how she got the money to make the new hairstyle she was wearing. She had probably got the money elsewhere, made the hair, looked beautiful and wanted to show her bf (the murderer) how pretty she looks. I’m sure she was in love, but what did she get? She was sent into an early grave. If a ‘maga’ dashes you a car, please don’t take it to your bobo’s house. The only thing he will be planning is how they will steal that car, or pray an accidentt occurs with it, just for you to lose it. It’s simple; he believes it’s an oppression, no self-confidence what so ever. So just cruise your ride. And in case you are richer, rock your money well and pretend you are as broke as he is, then love continues without headaches PASTOR OF THE LORD'S CHOSEN ACQUIRES BUSES WORTH 500 MILLION
Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Assembly led by Pastor Lazarus Mouka just took delivery of over a 100 brand new luxury and mini TOYOTA buses said to be worth almost N500 million.
The vehicles were acquired to convey worshipers coming from far and near to the various branches of the church. The church is said to have had tremendous increase in worshipers in the last few months.
The vehicles were acquired to convey worshipers coming from far and near to the various branches of the church. The church is said to have had tremendous increase in worshipers in the last few months.
KANO STATE SPONSORS DATING SCHEME.1000 WOMEN SIGN UP
Kano State Government is sponsoring a matchmaking scheme where single, divorced and widowed women can sign up to find husbands. Over a 1000 women in Kano have joined the scheme and more than twice that amount of men have applied to be given a wife.
After the couples pick each other, they will be allowed to court for just a few weeks after which they will tell the scheme organizers if they want to marry each other or not. If they agree to marry, then their names will be included in a mass wedding that will be held by the end of April 2012 and will be financed by the Kano State Govt.
But get this, after the wedding, if the man wants to back out of the marriage, the state govt will fine him N1.5m.
UNIBEN HOSTEL FIRE LEAVE MANY FEMALE STUDENTS INJURED
Another school disaster was Thursday averted as hundreds of female students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) narrowly escaped death from an early hour inferno that gutted their three-storey hostel building.
This is coming barely three weeks after two female students of Edo State-owned Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, died after a well collapsed.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the fire started at about 1am from the last floor of the building and spread to other floors of the Hall II of the female hostel located inside the main campus of the university at Ugbowo.
Each of the floors of the three-storey hostel building is occupied by 200, 300 and 400 students respectively.
Although no life was lost in the inferno, several students sustained INJURIES while jumping from the top floors.
The injured ones were said to have been taken to the school’s health centre before they were finally transferred to an undisclosed hospital for further MEDICAL attention.
The Public Relations officer of UNIBEN, Harrison Osarenren confirmed the fire incident to P.M.NEWS no phone.
He said the fire started from a room inside the hostel, adding that the cause of the incident could be attributed to electrical fault.
He added that items in some of the affected rooms were destroyed and those that sustained burnt injuries were few and that those injured have been taken to hospital for treatment.
MAN SETS HIMSELF ABLAZE AFTER WIFE'S PEOPLE PEOPLE BEAT HIM INFRONT OF HER
A 32-year-old man set himself on fire in front of his estranged wife’s home in a Mumbai suburb Ville Parle after he was beaten up by her relatives.
A driver by profession, the victim got married about a decade back and have a girl and a boy together. However, the couple separated four years back, reports Indian new website NDTV.
The man used to frequent his wife’s house to meet his children who were very attached to him.
On the fateful day, when he went to meet his wife on her request, she and her entire family abused him and physically assaulted him in front of curious neighbors..
The man could not take the public humiliation. He went back to his car and drained the fuel into a 2 litre bottle, doused himself with petrol and set himself ablaze in front of his wife and her family.
The shocked public rushed to contain the fire and took him to a hospital. The victim fought for his life for two days despite severe burns but lost the battle of his life.
The police authorities registered a case of suicide. The man’s body was handed over to his family members.
LAGOS DOCTORS ARE PLAYING POLITICS WITH INNOCENT LIVES
The cruel medical doctors on strike in Lagos State are just playing political GAMES with innocent lives.
I defended them last year when they went on strike for good reasons, but I am totally against their strike this time, because they are just holding the Lagos State government to ransom.
I defended them last year when they went on strike for good reasons, but I am totally against their strike this time, because they are just holding the Lagos State government to ransom.
The Lagos State government should send for Cuban doctors who are even BETTER than these group of unreasonable Nigerian doctors and more faithful to The Hippocratic Oath than these Lagos doctors of the so called Medical Guild. Please, let Cuban doctors take over.
JONATHAN CAN NOT STOP US-BOKO HARAM
KANO – Islamist sect, Boko Haram, has threatened to bring down the Federal Government led by President Goodluck Jonathan within three months. Purported leader of the sect said this in his second video posted on the Internet yesterday.
The sect’s threat came even as police yesterday confirmed that the death toll from an attack by unknown gunmen suspected to be members of the Islamist group on a town along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon has risen to no fewer than 10. Boko Haram’s attacks have left over 1,000 people dead since mid-2009. Apart from the latest attack in Borno, about 46 people died following bomb attack on residents of Kaduna on Easter day.
Christians from the 17 Southern states of the country had at an extraordinary meeting in Lagos on Wednesday appealed to the Northern elite, including religious leaders and politicians to rise to the challenges of insecurity which is capable of breaking up the country.
(See Video Below)
“You, Jonathan, cannot stop us; instead we will devour you in the three months like you are boasting,” Shekau said in the video entitled “Message to Goodluck Jonathan”. He was flanked by four masked men holding rifles as he spoke.
“We are proud soldiers of Allah; we will never give up as we fight the infidels. We will emerge as WINNERS … we will finish you and end your government,” Shekau said in Arabic and the Hausa languages.
Boko Haram, has killed hundreds in bomb and gun attacks in northern Nigeria and around the capital Abuja this year.
Threat to President Jonathan
In the new video, Boko Haram otherwise known as the Jama’atu Ahl-Sunnati Lil Da’awati Wal Jihad stated that President Goodluck Jonathan cannot end its insurgency in June as publicly stated.
Sheik Abubakar Imam Shekau the leader of the group also said that the Nigerian security agencies cannot take down the sect by June 2012 as earlier promised by Jonathan. The sect leader appeared agitated throughout the video recording.
In the preamble of the message, Shekau vowed that it must destroy Christians and Christianity in Nigeria particularly those killing Muslims in Nigeria just as it said it will also kill all Muslims aiding the arrest and harassment of its members.
Shekau further said: “If death is your worldly gain, for us, it is eternal victory to die working for Allah. Our joy is to die in Jihad for Allah against infidels like you…
“We are also aware of some Muslims using our name to make money, we will say nothing but let them continue, and they will meet Allah in the last day..
“We are not doing physical human service, but Allah’s work and it is clear your aim is killing us. Let me tell you with Allah we will triumph over you and your men in hundreds. We are not boasting.
“Allah that finished Pharaoh and other wicked rulers that you are not up to, will finish you and end your government. We are not afraid because we are not doing man’s work but Allah’s work. And we will see who will carry the day.”
Suspected Boko Haram members burnt down immigration and customs posts in the town of Banki in Borno state Tuesday night, and also tried to set fire to a police station where officers repelled them.
An Army spokesman earlier confirmed five people, including one customs and an immigration officer killed.
Borno State police Commissioner Bala Hassan told the international media yesterday that five suspected Boko Haram members were also killed during a shootout when they attempted to attack the police station.
”The attackers tried to burn down the Banki police station during the attack but the police repelled them and killed five gunmen in the shootout.
Borno State police Commissioner Bala Hassan told the international media yesterday that five suspected Boko Haram members were also killed during a shootout when they attempted to attack the police station.
”The attackers tried to burn down the Banki police station during the attack but the police repelled them and killed five gunmen in the shootout.
”We recovered two AK47 rifles with 12 rounds of ammunition and a car used by the attackers,” he said.
Banki has a popular market patronised by traders from Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad.
However, criminal gangs have also carried out robberies and assaults under the guise of Boko Haram.
Banki has a popular market patronised by traders from Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad.
However, criminal gangs have also carried out robberies and assaults under the guise of Boko Haram.
The Federal Government, Tuesday, flagged off the building of some Almajiri Boarding Primary Schools in some states across the North in an attempt to appease the Boko Haram sect but a Kaduna-based rights activist, Shehu Sani dismissed the idea, describing them as ‘’white elephant projects.’’
Meanwhile, rising from their emergency meeting in Lagos Wednesday, southern Christian leaders urged northern leaders to curtail the alleged excesses of adherents of the Islamic sect.
In a 10-point communiqué at the end of its inaugural meeting at the Bola Memorial Anglican Church, Ikeja, the Christian leaders agreed to establish a group to be known as “Southern CAN”, asking the Northern leaders to save the nation from imminent collapse by helping to curtail the activities of Boko Haram.
The communique signed by the chairman, vice chairman and secretary of the group, Anglican Primate, Nicholas Okoh; Archbishop George Amu and Apostle Joseph Ajujungwa respectively also urged President Jonathan to remain steadfast and resolute in delivering his election promises to Nigerians.
The interdenominational Southern CAN, which would now serve as a rallying point for Christians in the 17 southern states condemned the incessant bombings and blood letting in different parts of Northern Nigeria and urged the Federal Government and other relevant authorities to find an end to the menace.
They also pledged the unalloyed loyalty of the group to the leadership of the National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria,CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and “enjoined all Christians to do same and always speak with one voice.
BABY FOUND ALIVE IN THE MORGUE 12HOURS AFTER BEEN PRONOUNCED DEAD
A 'stillborn' baby was found alive in a draw in a hospital morgue by her distressed mother 12 hours after the girl was declared dead. Analia Bouter was 26 weeks pregnant when she gave birth to her fifth child prematurely at a hospital in Resistencia, in Argentina's northern Chaco province. But after medical staff told her that the infant was born with no vital signs her distraught parents went home with a death certificate.
Twelve hours later Analia and her husband decided to go to see their baby's body, which was being kept in a refrigerated drawer at the Perrando hospital morgue.
Mrs Bouter told Argentina's Clarin newspaper:
Twelve hours later Analia and her husband decided to go to see their baby's body, which was being kept in a refrigerated drawer at the Perrando hospital morgue.
Mrs Bouter told Argentina's Clarin newspaper:
‘That night, we went to the morque. We wanted to take a photo of our daughter. But when a worker opened the drawer we heard a cry and she was alive.’
She said she ‘stepped back and fell to my knees’ after she ‘saw her stretching,' the mother added.
‘My baby was born at 10.24am and at 11.05am was already in the drawer. She spent 12 hours in the freezing cold of that morgue. I saw for myself the ice on her body.’
Mrs Bouter said that her pregnancy was normal until she suddenly went into early labour on April 3.
THE STUDENT WITH THE BEST OVERALL RESULT IN WASSCE AND UTME GETS SCHOLARSHIP
Despite the mass failure recorded by students in the recently released National Examinations Council (NECO) and Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, some students have distinguished themselves and continue to make the country proud with their exceptional performances.One of them is Miss Tolulope Falokun, a former student of St. Louis College, Akure, Ondo state, who scored the best overall result in the 2011 West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). She topped over a million students who sat for the same examinations, scoring A1 in all nine subjects she registered for. She went ahead to rank tops in the 2011 UTME scoring 290 and emerged as the second overall best student in the Post-UTME conducted by the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife with 336 marks.
As a reward for her hardwork, the Ondo State government yesterday awarded her a scholarship to study Law at the Obafemi Awolowo University for doing the state proud as the overall best student in the 2011 WASSCE.
Apart from the full scholarship, she would also benefit from the state government’s annual bursaries and other packages provided for Law students both in the University and the Law School.
Miss Falokun’s achievement is indeed a breath of fresh air coming after the public outcry that followed the release of the NECO and UTME results.
In the recently released 2012 UTME results, only 49.64% of the 1.5 million candidates that sat for the examination scored 200 and above, with only three candidates scoring 300 and above out of the total mark of 400.
Similarly, just about 10% of NECO’s 104,187 candidates obtained credits and above in five subjects including English and Mathematics. And in the 2011 WASSCE, only about 30% of the candidates got up to five credits including English and Mathematics.
I wish Miss Falokun the very best as she steps into the University. She has certainly done the nation proud.
I CAN SEE THE DEATH OF A NOLLYWOOD ACTOR-TB JOSHUA
During his Church services on April 6, 2012, Prophet TB Joshua of the Synagogue Church of All Nations said he's seeing death around a male actor, calling for serious prayers to avert another death in Nigeria's movie industry known as Nollywood.
This is as a result of another prophecy the respected man of God saw on Easter Sunday. And if the words of the Prophet is not taken seriously, there might be another recorded death in the movie industry.
TB Joshua is known for his prophecies which come to pass. The last of his come-to-pass prophecies is widely believed to be the death of Malawian President, Bingu wa Mutharika.
AFRICA'S RICHEST MAN INTERVENES IN NIGERIA'S ELECTRICITY PROBLEM.INVESTS 7 BILLION
Current reigning Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote has finally decided to intervene in Nigeria's epileptic power situation. He is to lead a $7 billion investment in the nation’s power sector, as well as petrochemical and mining sectors.
Alhaji Dangote, who disclosed his intentions at a function in Lagos on sunday, said that he will be investing in the construction of a 2,000 megawatt power-generation facility to boost electricity supply over the next four years.
“We want to do power that will be about 2,000 MW, that is infrastructure,” he said.
BOLA TINUBU GOT HIS WEALTH ILLEGALLY-PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused former Lagos state Governor and ACN strongman, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of illegally acquiring a N14 billion Ikeja Shopping Mall.
The party also alleged that Tinubu stole from the coffers of the Lagos State Government during his tenure and used same proceed to acquire Oriental Hotels, Renaissance Hotel, Agindingbi, First Nation Airline, Vintage Publications, TV Continental and Radio Continental.
These strong allegations were contained in a statement by the National Vice Chairman of the PDP, South West, Chief Segun Oni. He went further to allege that many other properties illegally acquired with proceeds from corruption are traceable to the former Lagos Governor.
This is one of the property said to be acquired with corruption proceeds
TB JOSHUA PROPHESIES AGAIN
Charlatans such as TB Joshua should keep their prophecies to themselves. His followers always protest when he is referred to as a charlatan, but they should stop to assess the potential he has of destabilizing whole societies and even countries.
Biblical prophecies were never used to destabilize, instead they were used to give communities guidelines on how to move forward.
They gave the societies a clear vision of how to deal with the problems affecting them. But just look at the anxiety TB Joshua has caused not only among all the ailing African leaders and their families, but also among citizens who fear turmoil in the aftermath of improper succession. This simply cannot be God’s work.
The talk around Zimbabwe — I think around Africa, if not the whole world — today is the coincidence between TB Joshua’s prophecy of the death of a president and the death of Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika. Announcing the prophecy last February, Joshua said an African dictator would die suddenly within 60 days and as recently as a week ago he narrowed the demography of his prediction by excluding dictators from West Africa, leaving eastern and southern Africa.
Talk was intense in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi in recent weeks concerning the prediction because they are the three countries in southern Africa which had the oldest and not-so-well presidents. Could it be a coincidence then that Zambian President Michael Sata, was within the predicted 60 days flown to India for medicial attention? Could it also be a coincidence that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is in Singapore where he usually receives medical attention? And that Mutharika died?
TB Joshua’s predictions can be explained: they are called self-fulfilling prophecies. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behaviour. (Wikipedia)
Sociologist Robert K Merton who coined the expression “self-fulfilling prophecy” defined it simply as: “when Roxanna falsely believes her marriage will fail, her fears of such failure actually cause the marriage to fail.”
A more involved definition is: “The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behaviour which makes the original false conception come ‘true’. This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error. For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from the very beginning.” (Wikipedia)
Let us look first at Michael Sata. Voted into office recently, he has been a kind of disaster; some of the decisions he has been making in his short reign have been nothing but grotesque. From a champion of democracy he managed in a very short period to turn himself into a veritable dictator.
Besides general uncertainty about the direction in which he is steering the country, Zambians are concerned about the whimsical manner in which he makes decisions. An important part of the country, Barotseland, is seeking secession.There is immense pressure on him to stop the break-up of the country. Worsening the whole scenario is the fact that he is old and not too well; he has a urological ailment. He begins to see himself as the subject of TB Joshua’s prophecy; he is convinced he will die within two months. So what does he do? He wants to give himself a fighting chance, so he flies to what he thinks are the best urologists in the world.
The same applies to Robert Mugabe. There is immense pressure on him because the country is not running well under the government of national unity. He is trying to push an unworkable indigenisation programme. Hawks in his party want him to contest an election this year in spite of his old age and poor health. The situation is tense in his party as his lieutenants machinate to succeed him.
In the past year he has sought medical attention several times, meaning his health is deteriorating. And then in comes TB Joshua. Almost everyone in the country thinks Mugabe is the subject of the prophecy; those closest to him must surely also think so. There is plenty of speculation in the media. Several articles are already looking at the “post-Mugabe era”. So to get a fighting chance he wants to get as close as possible to his doctors; those who have all along been monitoring his health. He flies to Singapore.
That is how the self-fulfilling prophecy works.
Now to Bingu wa Mutharika!
Poor Bingu had led his country very well in his first few years as president from 2004-8. The country achieved high agricultural productivity and food security. Malawi, considered one of the poorest countries in the world, for the first time saw poverty decline from 60% to 40% mainly due to his agricultural subsidy programme which, though expensive, became a model for the African Union. For many years during his first term Malawi achieved a food surplus. In the 2008/9 season the food surplus reached 1,3 million metric tons.
Then hubris — the excessive pride and ambition that usually leads to the downfall of a hero in classical tragedy — came in.
In April 2011, a leaked diplomatic cable from British High Commissioner to Malawi, Fergus Cochrane-Dyet in which he said Mutharika was “becoming ever more autocratic and intolerant of criticism” was published. Mutharika expelled him from the country. The UK government expelled Malawi’s acting high commissioner in retaliation.
Things went into a spiral; Western donors, primarily the UK, withheld aid, particularly financial support which constituted 40% of the country’s budget. Worsening fuel shortages, rising prices and high unemployment sparked protests last year. Mutharika responded high-handedly; 19 people were confirmed dead after the police used live ammunition. He was unapologetic and unleashed a crack-down on Malawian journalists, human rights activists, and lawyers.
Then this year tobacco sales flopped. Malawi is the world’s biggest exporter of burley tobacco earning 60% of all foreign currency from the crop. In 2007 Mutharika began to peg the auction floor price of the crop at US$2 per kg. This year about a week before the close of sales the average price of tobacco dropped 24% below the government-set price.
This is arguably the straw that broke the camel’s back, or was it TB Joshua? Mutharika, thanks to TB Joshua, must have in the past few weeks been seeing himself increasingly as the subject of the prophecy; his heart couldn’t withstand the pressure. But who did the doomsday prophecy serve besides TB Joshua himself
WOMAN SUES P.DIDDY FOR A TRILLION DOLLARS
To Los Angeles, where a whole new era for celebrity lawsuits appears to have dawned, thanks to a woman called Valerie Turks. Turks is suing Sean "P Diddy" Combs for $1 trillion, claiming that the rapper and mogul fathered a child with her 24 years ago and stole a casino chip from her "worth over 100 zillions of dollars", which he then gave to Gwen Allen, who as far as LiS can work out was a character played by Jean Harlow in the 1931 Jimmy Cagney gangster film The Public Enemy.
Almost as an aside, the lawsuit also accuses Diddy of masterminding 9/11. In fairness, it doesn't state that the author of It's All About the Benjamins single-handedly planned the most famous terrorist attack of modern times – that would clearly be ridiculous – but appears to suggest that he did so in conjunction with his ex-girlfriend Kim Porter and Rodney King, of sparking-the-LA-riots fame. Why P Diddy, his ex-girlfriend Kim Porter and Rodney King of-sparking-the-LA-riots fame would band together in order to mastermind a terrorist attack against America is not specified. Alas, the judge refused to issue a restraining order against Combs, presumably in the belief that the chances of the rapper attempting to contact a woman who claims he masterminded 9/11 and engaged in the theft of "100 zillions of dollars" with the aid of someone who doesn't actually appear to exist in real life were slim. Combs's publicist subsequently issued a terse "no comment".SECOND FEMALE PRESIDENT IN PRESIDENT
Following the death of Malawi president, Bingu wa Mutharika, who died on Thursday April 5th following a heart attack at the age of 78; Joyce Banda, 62, the Vice President of the country was sworn in on Saturday April 7th, becoming the first female leader of Malawi and the second female president in Africa after Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia
BOMB BLAST IN KADUNA
ABUJA – The dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, yesterday, intensified its bombing campaign when it attacked two military formations and an overhead bridge in Kawo, northern part of Kaduna metropolis.
The first bomb, according to eyewitness, went off under Kawo overhead bridge around 12:45pm; the second at the second gate leading to the Administrative Headquarters, of I Mechanized Division, Kaduna and the third near the gate of the Air force Base, Kawo, Kaduna. There were also multiple blasts at Gomboru Market, Maiduguri and an attack on Sharada Police station, Kano.
This came as five suspected members of Boko Haram were killed during a six-hour gun duel with security forces at Mariri, in the outskirt of Kano on MONDAY evening. Meantime, there was confusion over a four-man team led by Dr Shettima Ali Munguno to negotiate with Federal Government on Boko Haram’s behalf.
How they attacked
A witness, Mallam Gambo Idris of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) told reporters what happened under the Kawo overhead bridge.
His words: “It was around 12:25pm and some mosques were already calling for the afternoon prayers. I was in my house. I fetched some water to do my ablution. Then I heard a loud sound from here. I rushed out. When I came here, I saw these (pointing at four damaged, 8-seater commuter buses) with plenty people covering them. Some of the passengers had wounds from broken glasses.
A witness, Mallam Gambo Idris of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) told reporters what happened under the Kawo overhead bridge.
His words: “It was around 12:25pm and some mosques were already calling for the afternoon prayers. I was in my house. I fetched some water to do my ablution. Then I heard a loud sound from here. I rushed out. When I came here, I saw these (pointing at four damaged, 8-seater commuter buses) with plenty people covering them. Some of the passengers had wounds from broken glasses.
A RUN FOR SURVIVAL—People run for safety at Kawo overhead bridge, Near I Div Hqtrs after a reported blast in Kawo, Kaduna State yesterday. Photo: Olu Ajayi
I know the driver of one of the buses, Bala. His wound was more serious. When members of the civil defence came, they took him away. I heard that his face is NOW in stitches.
“Not more than 20 minutes after, I heard another explosion. It was from the direction of the Army barracks. People were running all over the place.
“Soon after, there was another explosion far from here. That added to the problem. Cars, lorries and tankers, motor bikes were racing against traffic. Today is a market day. People were carrying their goods and just running. It is now that people have calmed down.
“I think they may have planted the bomb under this bridge to bring it down. I thank God that no one was killed here”, he said.
The explosion at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base, was said to have taken place at the gate of the Base. It was said that a man in a moving car threw a bomb at the Air Force Personnel at the gate, but missed his target by a wide margin, thus hurting no one.
The Press was chased away from getting near the place of the said explosion.
But, Spokesman of Kaduna NAF Base, Squadron Leader Kabiru Ali, told Vanguard on phone, that the Base did not come under any attack.
But, Spokesman of Kaduna NAF Base, Squadron Leader Kabiru Ali, told Vanguard on phone, that the Base did not come under any attack.
“Where the explosion took place is far from the gate of our Base. It is at least 500m away. It did not take place in an area under our control. It is a lie that the bomb was at our gate. The explosion, from what I gather, was in a civilian area. I heard that no one was hurt”, he said.
Army confirms attack on 1 Div, Kaduna
The Nigerian Army last night confirmed that it was attacked by two suicide bombers, but claimed that the attack was not successful.
In a statement by Assistant Director, Army Public Relations of I Division, Kaduna, Lt Col Abubakar Edun, reads: “At about 1218 pm on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 a failed suicide bomb attempt was made on the headquarters complex of 1 Division of Nigerian Army, Kawo, Kaduna. The two suicide bombers came in two vehicles, a Sienna Toyata space bus and a Honda Accord.
The drivers of the two vehicles overran the security post and the lawn leading to the Headquarters complex. One of the vehicles (Toyota Sienna Space Bus) exploded by the car park directly in front of the Headquarters, when a soldier opened fire on the car after the attacker refused to stop which made him lose control of the vehicle.
The second vehicle, which did not explode was loaded with 10 numbers of 20 litre of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), 4 numbers of 30 litres loaded with IEDs, and 2 numbers of large peak milk containers also loaded with IEDs. The suicide bombers in the Toyota Sienna Space bus died in the attempt while, there was no casualty on the part of our own troops.”
Soldiers kill 5 sect members in Kano
Five suspected members of Boko Haram were said to have lost their lives when they clashed with security forces at Mariri, Kano on Monday evening.
Security sources told Vanguard that a combined team of security personnel had trailed the members to a bungalow at Mariri when they suddenly came under fire from within and the exchange of fire lasted for several hours.
The clash came on the heel of a bomb attack on a police station in Sharada Industrial zone over which a police authority confirmed a personnel was shot in the leg
The source explained that the suspects detonated explosives that shook the neighbourhood while the gun fight lasted, adding that several members of the sect sustained injuries during the clash and some IEDs, 10 AK 47 assault rifles with 26 magazines and 106 ammunition were recovered.
Confirming the bloody show down, Kano Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, stated that 10 AK47 riffles were recovered from the house and several arrests were made with some casualties. He, however, said the security forces recorded no death in the operation.
Boko Haram vows to Islamise Nigeria
However, Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the attacks on the Dalet Military Barracks, Number 1 Div in Kaduna, the Sharada Police station in Kano as well as yesterday’s multiple bomb blasts in Gomboru Market of Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital.
Speaking to newsmen in a telephone conference yesterday in Maiduguri, alleged Spokesman of the sect, Abul –Qaqa said they always hit their military targets after which, the Joint Task Force (JTF) “will come and kill innocent people on the streets and thereafter attribute the killings to Boko Haram.”
Qaqa said the Kaduna attacks was in view of the arrest of one of the sect’s kingpins by SSS recently. He said, the Maiduguri multiple bomb blasts in Gomboru Market were successful. He regretted that the JTF claimed that it was a fire incident that took place in the market, pointing out that, it was after their successful attacks, that the JTF condoned off the area and set the market ablaze.
The acclaimed spokesman also said that his members were still ever ready to pursue their mission of Islamizing the country.
Boko Haram names negotiators
Amid the increasing waves of bomb attacks, there were indications, yesterday, that Boko Haram is considering a dialogue with the Federal Government as it named some Northern leaders it said it could trust to negotiate on its behalf.
Those named in a video clip on the NTA were: Sheik Abubakar Gero, Dr. Shettima Ali Munguno, Alhaji Ali Bukar Ibrahim, former Governor of Yobe State and Dagogo Kabir.
The sincerity of those behind the video is engaging security analysts as it came on a day that multiple blasts rocked Kaduna town with security agencies and armed forces as targets.
The tape, which NTA claimed was delivered by an unidentified source featured two figures, fully masked in black. Only the voice of one was heard, while the other was silent.
“We here confirm and accept the reported initiative of the President for a dialogue as a welcome development”, the speaker who did not identify himself said.
According to him, the group trusts the named leaders and said “the decision taken by these people can actually change the whole situation”.
Borno Elders and Leaders of Thought had in a paid advert on January 4 urged the Federal Government to initiate a dialogue with Boko Haram. The group’s statement, signed by Dr. Shettima Ali Monguno on behalf of 20 others, said that the crisis had been hijacked by groups and individuals to prosecute their criminal agenda.
Group denies link with negotiating team
Meanwhile, Boko Haram has denied any link with the video clip or its authors.
In a telephone conference with newsmen in Maiduguri yesterday, Qaqa said that those who appeared on the NTA Video clip were not their members and therefore urged the public to disregard their claims that the sect was ready for dialogue. He said Boko Haram, had not in anyway mandated any of its member (s) to appear on a video clip on its behalf. UNBELIEVABLE IS THE WORD.WORLDS LONGEST HORSE
Uneasy is the back of so many horses that carry people, but what would we say for one that carries eight children conveniently. This is another look of nature's abnormality, but who are we to question God. Guess the horse should be worth a fortune NOW.
The President of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika passed away on Thursday 5th April 2012 after suffering a heart attack. His death, coming just a few days after Prophet T. B. Joshua predicted the death of a nation’s president has sparked off some debate about his prophesies.
Read the prediction below...
i am seeing a sudden death for the president of a nation-T.B joshua
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY INITIATED THE THIRD TERM ,NOT ME-OBANSANJO
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday, dissociated himself from the infamous third term saga that rocked the twilight of his second term in office in 2007.
He said the botched tenure elongation amendment clause was actually initiated by the national Assembly.
He said that if the third term agenda had emanated from him, it would have come as an executive bill, rather than being included in the planned (more than 100) amendments to the constitution at that time.
He argued that neither his National Assembly Liaison Officer, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, nor the public office holders, who were close to him at the time, could come out to tell Nigerians that they received instruction from him to work for a third tenure.
He said even the former deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who alerted the people to a third term agenda, did not mention the name of the person who gave him the hint.
Obasanjo recalled that the former Senate Leader, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu, under whose responsibility it was to present such a bill and who was chairman of the Constitution Amendment Committee, did not tell Nigerians that he received a directive from the former President to pursue a third term agenda.
He said that those accusing him of the third term agenda were not only unfair but were also mischief makers.
He said, “It is the role of the National Assembly to amend the constitution. Third term was one of the over 100 clauses that they included in that amendment; Over 100 clauses and they initiated it.
“It was not an executive bill, so you are extremely wrong. If I wanted a third term, that bill would have come from me.
“My Liaison Officer (Senator Florence Ita-Giwa) told the whole world that there was no day I called her to say go and work for a third term. Even Atiku (Alhaji Abubakar Atiku), who said some people told him that there was a third term agenda, has not mentioned the name of the person who told him.
“None of the people who were close to me will ever tell you that I told them to go and work for me for a third term.
“Even Mantu (Ibrahim Mantu), who was the Leader of the Senate and who, of course, was the one to present the bill emanating from anywhere (but this one came from the Senate itself), has never said I called him to say that I wanted a third term.
“So, all of you talking about third term are very unfair… you are mischievous and you are… I don’t know what else to call you.”
Obasanjo said that if he wanted a third tenure in office, he would have got it as he would have gone about it in a way that would have made it possible.
The former President said he planned to relinquish the position of PDP BOT chairman immediately after the last general elections, but was persuaded to put it on hold until after the party’s national convention.
THE ACTING INSPECTOR OF POLICE WARNS POLICE ORDERLIES TO STOP CARRYING POLITICIANS BELONGINGS
The acting Inspector-General of police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, has warned police orderlies to stop carrying handbags belonging to politicians or their principals.
This came just as the IG cautioned federal highway patrol policemen against mounting roadblocks, adding that they were ordered back to the highways to ease traffic congestion, assist accident victims, fight armed robbery and other acts of criminality.
The IG, who was fielding questions from newsmen in Calabar, Cross River state on Thursday, said the duty of an orderly was to ensure the safety and well being of his principal and not to play the role of a house boy.
Abubakar said the era of assigning more than two police orderlies to everybody that applied was over.
He added the force had put mechanism and monitoring gadgets in place to monitor and arrest those carrying bags for their principals.
“So, VIP should take note that when we give them orderlies, they are not supposed to be turn into house boys and house girls,” he said.
Abubakar commended the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan for re-equipping the police force in the country, saying in the 21st Century policing, the police had created a department where Deputy Inspector-General would be in charge of Info-tech.
He said the info-tech device would monitor the activities of people and anything that had to do with Internet, computers and the modern world of technology that could be used to track vehicles.
The IG said he would create police that belong to the people, serve the people, respect the people and would be there for the people of Nigeria.
He noted that Nigeria remained the only country in the world where the people castigate their police.
He said, “We want to see a shift on that, we want to accept criticism that are real, realistic in nature because we want to change, not just for somebody to sit down and accuse the police that they have not done this or that.”
He solicited the support of the media in the efforts towards protecting the country, describing the media as an important organ in the fight against crime and criminality.
Meanwhile, Abubakar called on state governors to assist in the effective policing of the country.
He was in Benin, Edo State on thursday in continuation of his visits to police commands across the country.
Receiving 50 Toyota Hilux patrol vans donated to the police by the Edo State Government, Abubakar commended Governor Adams Oshiomhole for what he described as countless assistance rendered to security agencies in the state.PASTOR GETS BEATEN FOR MAKING LOVE TO A WOMAN IN BUNDU WATERSIDE
Monday 26th March, 2012 will not be forgotten in a hurry by residents of Bundu Ama Waterside in Port Harcourt as a popular pastor of one of the new generation churches was caught making love to a married female member in the neighborhood.
In fact, it was uncovered by a female friend of the married woman who quickly alerted her husband taking him to the lovers’ nest where they were neck deep in love making.
When the husband of the married woman got to the scene, he could not hold his anger as people around assisted him in forcing the door open.
Lo and behold his wife of so many years was found naked in the arms of the pastor of the Church where she worships.
In fact, it was uncovered by a female friend of the married woman who quickly alerted her husband taking him to the lovers’ nest where they were neck deep in love making.
When the husband of the married woman got to the scene, he could not hold his anger as people around assisted him in forcing the door open.
Lo and behold his wife of so many years was found naked in the arms of the pastor of the Church where she worships.
Some people quickly called the Police to rescue the situation but residents scared the Policemen away and got the Pastor thoroughly beaten up before he was taken away by police men.
NIGERIANS ARE ONE OF THE SADDEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD-UN DECLARES
The United Nation’s first World Happiness Report places Nigerians in the 100th position, lagging behind South Africans.
The new report comes about two years after Nigeria was described in a 2010 Gallup global poll as having the “happiest people on earth”.
The 53-country Gallup poll rated Nigerians at 70 points for optimism. Britain scored a deeply pessimistic -44. The poll of 64,000 people from 53 countries around the world found Nigerians to be the most optimistic in the world in their outlook for 2011. It also found that the most optimistic people mostly live in low income countries, such as Nigeria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Peru and Bangladesh. Twenty countries scored low on per capita income and hope for 2011, including Russia and a number of eastern and central Asian states, plus Colombia and Ecuador. Four countries – Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Switzerland – were high on both income and optimism.
BABY SURVIVES AFTER BEING BORN WITH NO BLOOD
Olivia Norton was given less than two hours to live after she was born with such a low haemoglobin count it could not be classed as ‘blood’ A six-month old baby girl has survived against the odds despite being born with no blood.
“Miracle baby” Olivia Norton was born with such a low count of haemoglobin, the chemical that carries oxygen in red blood cells, that it could not officially be classed as ‘blood’.
The tot was given less than two hours to live after she was born ghostly white but was saved after undergoing emergency transfusions.Mum Louise Bearman, 31, first noticed something was wrong when the baby didn’t move for three days.
She and partner Paul Norton went to Broomfield Hospital, in Chelmsford, where she was given an emergency caesarean.
Olivia was born on September 10, five weeks early and weighing 5lbs 3oz.
Speaking of the moment she saw her baby “white as a sheet”, Louise told Daybreak: “I didn’t know what was happening.
“She had one transfusion but I didn’t see her until the next morning.
“She was born pale and floppy and they resuscitated her.”
EX GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE CAUGHT DOING PDA
Former Ex Governor of Lagos state Bola Tinubu and his wife Remi decided to get-it-on at his 60th birthday at Eko Hotel.
You can see him locking lips with his wife in front of his guests that were invited to the EVENT.
WOMAN CLAIMS SHE MADE APPROXIMATELY $544,632 FROM SELLING PURE WATER
The ongoing trial of persons who were said to have helped themselves with about N14.5 billion Pension Fund is gradually turning dramatic in the court in Abuja.
I hear one of the accused persons, Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula, has told investigators the $544,632 (about N82 million) found in one of her companies, Ulover International Resources Limited, was realized from selling pure water which the company produces.
Mrs. Onyegbula stated that the company which was situated in Umuahia, the Abia state capital belonged to her mother whom she said suffered stroke seven years ago and later made her a member of the board of directors to enable her handle the finances of the company.
Na wah o! Are they selling golden pure water in that company? And this company is even located in one of the "average" states in Nigeria, Abia State.
, the drama continues on Tuesday at the court.
TWO BRITONS ARRESTED FOR FORGING NIGERIA VISA'S
LAGOS – The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, has dragged two Britons before a Federal High Court, Lagos, over alleged forgery of Nigerian visa and impersonation of the Director of Citizens and Business Department, Ministry of Interior, Mr. Adetayo Sode.
The accused, Ian Cunliff and Ofir More, were said to have conspired to forge expatriate quota approval with reference number MIA/B/3939/1/41 on September 28, 2011 of the Ministry of Interior, and business permit with number FMI/B/3939/1/43 of Federal Ministry of Interior.
Cunliff and More were also alleged to have forged the signature of the Director, Citizenship and Business of the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Sode, whose signature was on the forged expatriate quota approval.
According to the charge, the offences of forgery and impersonation allegedly committed by the Britons and their companies are contrary to Sections 465 and 484 and punishable under Section 47(1) of the Criminal Code Act, Cap. C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
In the 16-count charge by the Immigration Legal Officer, D. Babale, the two Britons, Ian Cunliff of 4, Wumego Crescent, Christ Avenue, Off Admiralty Way, Lekki and Ofir More, British citizen of media Park, 40d River Road, Barking, England and three other companies, C25 Nigeria Limited, WTC International Holdings Nigeria Limited and WTC UK Limited on 28 September, 2011 allegedly conspired to forge Nigerian visa in the British passport of Ian Cunliff.
Babale informed the court that the Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Isa Bukar; Sode and Deputy Director, Citizenship and Business Department, Ministry of Interior, Abuja would appear as his three witnesses in prosecuting the Britons.
Trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, adjourned the matter till May 24.
CHARMS AND COFFINS DELIVERED TO UNIBEN
BURSAR'S HOUSE
Dr May Nwoye, the present Bursar of the University of Benin, UNIBEN got the shock of her life when she suddenly discovered two black coffins tied with red clothings and some juju (charms) at her door step on Friday, March 30th, 2012.
Prior to this shocking discovery, she has been receiving multiple death threats on her phone.
To make the matter worst, UNIBEN authority has withdrawn her security officials.
the items were later burnt by a native doctor who was brought in
SCAMS! "WE'ILL OVERCOME BOKO HARAM BY
JUNE" SAYS THE PRESIDENT
"In terms of security challenges, in some parts of country we have terrorist attacks. But it doesn't affect the whole country. We are in reasonable control. We have belief that, by the middle of this year, in terms of security of individuals, we will have control. (The danger) is limited to some parts of the country. It doesn't extend to other parts of country," he said.
Jonathan, who arrived in Seoul on Sunday to attend the two-day summit together with representatives from 52 other nations and four international organisations discussed how to prevent terrorists from getting hold of nuclear weapons and ensuring atomic safety. The Nigerian leader also asked South Korean businesses to expand their investments in building Nigeria's infrastructure for the energy and telecommunication sectors in particular.
Asked how he has been able to address issues of political stability which is important for foreign investors, the Nigerian president blamed investor-related problem on past military governments. He said: "There is one key area that I want to emphasise. Nigeria is a very, very green area for investors. Before this time, during the military rule, you didn't know who was the next president. When the new government comes, there is a new policy and those policies are not attractive to investors. Basically from 1999 to date, we have established democratic government.
"I am the president. Before I took over, I was vice-president. The president was very ill and people thought there would be military intervention. Today, we have conducted election. Politically, we are stable. For investors, Nigeria has strong law and media. No president can just change a law that can affect investors. Especially, we encourage investors. "Nigeria is a country with lots of natural resources. South Korea, on the other hand, is industrialized. So, if the two countries commit together, they can really enhance development. As Africa's number one oil-producing country."
Meanwhile, suspected members of Boko Haram in Maiduguri, Borno State have reportedly killed the biological father of Boko Haram spokesperson "Abul Qaqa". Alhaji Abdullahi Jimoh, a former Deputy Comptroller of Nigerian Prison Service was killed by suspected members of Boko Haram. A security source told SaharaReporters that Jimoh was killed with a friend in front of his home at the back of Railway Quarters in Maiduguri late Monday night, but it was yesterday that it became clearer that he was the father of Abul Qaqa, the detained spokesperson of the sect whom the SSS and Nigerian Army captured in Kaduna recently.
The source said that the father has been out of Maiduguri city for some time and just returned to the troubled town recently. The identity of the second person killed with Jimoh is still unknown, while Boko Haram is yet to claim responsibility for the killings. In a related development, five al-Qaeda suspects linked to North Africa have been arrested in Kano by men of the State Security Services (SSS) over the kidnapping of a German engineer, Edgar Raupach, in January.
We gathered that four of the al-Qaeda suspects, including a Mauritanian, were arrested last Thursday in a raid on a supermarket owned by the Mauritanian in the city of Kano while the fifth suspect was arrested in a separate raid. A source within the security service was quoted as saying that guns and a laptop, containing al-Qaeda documents, were recovered in the supermarket raid. Raupach was kidnapped on the outskirts of Kano in January. Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb said last week that it was holding the German while a private news agency in Mauritania said the group wanted to swap him for a jailed Muslim woman.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian military Joint Task Force (JTF) has claimed that it has killed a senior commander of the Boko Haram in Maiduguri. JTF spokesperson, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa made the claim in a statement released in Maiduguri. He said "Following a tip-off, a special operation was conducted on Tuesday in Maiduguri, which led to the arrest of a notorious commander of Boko Haram who was involved in recent attacks in Maiduguri." The statement added that the Boko Haram top shot "was arrested with his gang members in Jajeri area of the city." Musa also claimed that the group's commander and his gang attempted to escape shortly as they were being moved to a detention facility for questioning. He said, "Our men had no choice but to shoot them and they bled to death before they were taken to the hospital."
Jonathan, who arrived in Seoul on Sunday to attend the two-day summit together with representatives from 52 other nations and four international organisations discussed how to prevent terrorists from getting hold of nuclear weapons and ensuring atomic safety. The Nigerian leader also asked South Korean businesses to expand their investments in building Nigeria's infrastructure for the energy and telecommunication sectors in particular.
Asked how he has been able to address issues of political stability which is important for foreign investors, the Nigerian president blamed investor-related problem on past military governments. He said: "There is one key area that I want to emphasise. Nigeria is a very, very green area for investors. Before this time, during the military rule, you didn't know who was the next president. When the new government comes, there is a new policy and those policies are not attractive to investors. Basically from 1999 to date, we have established democratic government.
"I am the president. Before I took over, I was vice-president. The president was very ill and people thought there would be military intervention. Today, we have conducted election. Politically, we are stable. For investors, Nigeria has strong law and media. No president can just change a law that can affect investors. Especially, we encourage investors. "Nigeria is a country with lots of natural resources. South Korea, on the other hand, is industrialized. So, if the two countries commit together, they can really enhance development. As Africa's number one oil-producing country."
Meanwhile, suspected members of Boko Haram in Maiduguri, Borno State have reportedly killed the biological father of Boko Haram spokesperson "Abul Qaqa". Alhaji Abdullahi Jimoh, a former Deputy Comptroller of Nigerian Prison Service was killed by suspected members of Boko Haram. A security source told SaharaReporters that Jimoh was killed with a friend in front of his home at the back of Railway Quarters in Maiduguri late Monday night, but it was yesterday that it became clearer that he was the father of Abul Qaqa, the detained spokesperson of the sect whom the SSS and Nigerian Army captured in Kaduna recently.
The source said that the father has been out of Maiduguri city for some time and just returned to the troubled town recently. The identity of the second person killed with Jimoh is still unknown, while Boko Haram is yet to claim responsibility for the killings. In a related development, five al-Qaeda suspects linked to North Africa have been arrested in Kano by men of the State Security Services (SSS) over the kidnapping of a German engineer, Edgar Raupach, in January.
We gathered that four of the al-Qaeda suspects, including a Mauritanian, were arrested last Thursday in a raid on a supermarket owned by the Mauritanian in the city of Kano while the fifth suspect was arrested in a separate raid. A source within the security service was quoted as saying that guns and a laptop, containing al-Qaeda documents, were recovered in the supermarket raid. Raupach was kidnapped on the outskirts of Kano in January. Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb said last week that it was holding the German while a private news agency in Mauritania said the group wanted to swap him for a jailed Muslim woman.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian military Joint Task Force (JTF) has claimed that it has killed a senior commander of the Boko Haram in Maiduguri. JTF spokesperson, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa made the claim in a statement released in Maiduguri. He said "Following a tip-off, a special operation was conducted on Tuesday in Maiduguri, which led to the arrest of a notorious commander of Boko Haram who was involved in recent attacks in Maiduguri." The statement added that the Boko Haram top shot "was arrested with his gang members in Jajeri area of the city." Musa also claimed that the group's commander and his gang attempted to escape shortly as they were being moved to a detention facility for questioning. He said, "Our men had no choice but to shoot them and they bled to death before they were taken to the hospital."
MAN GETS HIS MOTHER AND STEP SISTER PREGNANT
THE sleepy community of Ibusa, near Asaba, the capital of Delta State was thrown into confusion and palpable tension with the news that a 26-year-old man, Ugochukwu has impregnated his mother and step-sister.
The Moment gathered that Ugochukwu, also popularly called Peter by people in the area allegedly left his mother identified as Cecilia while he was 12 years old to look for the proverbial golden fleece in Lagos.
It was learnt that Peter learnt the tricks of wooing women while working in a hotel in Lagos.
It was also gathered that sometime ago, Ugochukwu's father died after a brief illness and his mother, Cecilia subsequently remarried a Yoruba man in Lagos.
Sources said Ugochukwu had over time become the most sought-after man and darling of the many women who flock around the hotel where he works.
He got admitted to the Lagos polytechnic, where he reportedly met and started dating one Mary, who turned out to be his step sister, being the girl his mother had for the Yoruba man she got married to in Lagos).
Their relationship blossomed and on graduation, they thought of formal introduction to both families.
Meanwhile, Ugochukwu's mother had reportedly dumped the Yoruba man after three children and had jumped into the commercial sex business, where she is often seen around Allen Avenue in Lagos soliciting for customers.
Family sources said that Ugochukwu had always told people that his parents died long ago and he has been in the struggle alone, a situation he claimed led him to drinking, smoking as well as womanising.
On one eventful night, Ugchukwu had reportedly gone out with a friend to a hang-out, where they got themselves drunk and retired to a hotel to pass the night.
It was there he picked his mother and had sex with her without a condom.
Meanwhile, Ugochukwu and Mary continued with their introduction plans and trip to the village, prompting her (Mary) and Cecilia (their mother) to return home in preparation for the event.
Alas, when Ugochukwu was introduced by Mary as her husband-to-be, all hell broke loose as it was discovered that the two are siblings, an occurrence regarded by family members as a taboo and abominable.
The Moment investigation learnt that while the family is yet to fully recover from the shock, Cecilia, their mother opened up on her relationship with her son and that that she was even pregnant for him.
A family member identified as Martins confirmed the incident, adding that the elders have asked the trio to move out of the community.
Residents who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity condemned the act, describing it as an abomination and unheard-off.
-COLLINS EKE
PORSHE COMES TO NIGERIA.VOWS TO MAKE CARS SUITABLE FOR NIGERIAN ROADS.
German carmaker Porsche officially opened a new car dealership on Friday in the heart of Lagos’ wealthiest district, Victoria Island, a place with one of the world’s highest concentrations of millionaires.
There are already dealerships specialising in Aston Martin and Lamborghini, but Porsche hopes to capitalise on a promise of providing sturdier vehicles that can cope with Nigeria’s rough roads. Its presence is being seen as a vote of confidence in the West African nation’s fast-growing economy.
Porsche also plans to set up an operation in the capital Abuja, where roads are newly built – a better market for the 911 sports model – and where politicians are amongst the world’s most highly paid.
“The African continent, and in particular Nigeria, is of growing importance to us at Porsche,” the company’s Middle East and Africa head George Wills said, unveiling the new 911 model.
High-end goods producers are increasingly targeting sub-Saharan Africa, as its economic growth starts to dwarf other continents and rich Western countries face a slowdown.
Nigeria, Africa’s second biggest economy, grew 7.68 percent in the last quarter of 2011, one of the fastest in the world.
Two of Africa’s top five richest men are Nigerian.
“We’re quite confident the numbers will be strong,” Wills told Reuters in front of the new 911 sports car, after a Porsche official revved its engine for flashing cameras.
“It’s difficult to put a finite number on it, but certainly enough to give a return on this investment,” he added.
Porsche Nigeria general manager Julian Hardy estimates 200 Nigerians own Porsches – the dealership had been running prior to the official launch since July and sold an undisclosed number, and rich Nigerians have been importing them for decades.
THE RICHER RICH
At a party to celebrate Porsche’s launch, Nigerians in sharp suits and cocktail dresses drank martinis and danced around the 911 display model to live music.
“You can drive around Lagos … then take your car to the race track and become a beast and go wild,” said Emmanuel Ngala, an IT consultant who owns a Cayenne 4×4 and is buying a 911.
The firm’s sales target for 2012 is 100 cars, and it hopes to hit a stable sales rate of around 300 a year, compared with 800 in South Africa. Average prices currently range between 21 million naira ($133,000) to 30 million naira ($190,000).
The oil wealth of Africa’s biggest producer has made multi-millionaires of its elite in the past few decades, even while absolute poverty has increased to 60 percent of the population.
Lagos embraces some of Africa’s most expensive real estate alongside some of its most crowded slums. On one street, a Hummer drives past a tramp sifting through a dustbin.
The car park at the Porsche show rooms has several models.
“It’s a nice car,” said employee Mohammed Ibrahim, as he hosed down a chrome coloured Cayenne and shined it to a sparkle with a cloth. On his 20,000 naira a month salary it would take him 125 years to afford one if he didn’t buy anything else.
“God might give me a car like this one day. He can do that, if he wants to. He can do anything,” he said, grinning.
BIG MEN AND MOTORS
Sandwiched between the lagoon that led Portuguese sailors to name this city ‘Lagos’ and the Atlantic, Victoria Island is a place of fund managers in fine woollen suits and oil oligarchs.
The faces of glamorous women smile from billboards advertising mobile phones. Luxury 4x4s are everywhere.
But it has scant electricity, most roads are sandy, potholed and patrolled by beggars in rags. Poor drainage means they flood – in the rainy season, fishermen sometimes traverse them by canoe, raising doubts about the practicality of sports cars like a 911.
Other luxury brands have however made it big in Nigeria. It is a significant African market for LVMH. Most bars can get you Moet & Chandon champagne or Hennessy brandy, which women sip next to their Louis Vuitton handbags.
The “Auto Lounge” in Victoria Island lets you enjoy an expensive drink overlooking a garage of Aston Martins.
Paris-based magazine Jeune Afrique last year placed Nigeria at the top of Africa’s champagne consumers, guzzling 593,000 bottles in 2010, 50 percent more than richer rival South Africa
BOY RAISED FROM THE DEAD
Residents of Anaji Queen of Peace, near Takoradi, were astonished last Thursday afternoon when news broke that a 2-year-old boy in the area, Kofi Mensah, who got drowned in a septic tank containing water, had been resurrected by one Mama Vero, a spiritual residing in the community.
According to sources, the tank, in which the boy got drowned, was located in the house of one Ama Aseniwa, Kofi Mensah’s aunt.
The source told Daily Guide that the mother of the boy, Janet Okyere, left her son in the care of her sister and went to purchase some food stuff from a near-by market.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Guide at her residence at Anaji, she indicated that she was cooking in the kitchen when Janet brought Kofi to her house and said she would be back to pick him up.
She later could not find the little boy in the kitchen so she started searching for him.
When she came out from the kitchen, she realized that the roofing sheet that covered the septic tank had been shifted so she quickly ran to the location of the tank and when she looked inside, she saw the lifeless body of the little boy floating in the water.
According to her, at that moment, the secretary of mama Vero was passing in front of the house so she shouted for help and the man came to their rescue by removing the lifeless body of the little boy from the septic tank.
Ama Aseniwa indicated that the “Good Samaritan” rushed the dead body to the residence of the spiritual mother who allegedly resurrected the little boy from the dead.
Daily Guide gathered that people who heard the bizarre story trooped to the area to catch a glimpse of the resurrected two year-old boy, and Mama Vero who performed the alleged miracle.
According to sources, the woman, on seeing the curious crowd heading towards her residence, appealed to them to rather give all the glory to God because it was the Supreme Being who performed the miracle through her.
In an interview with Daily Guide, Mama Vero, affectionately called ‘Spiritual Mother,’ told Daily Guide that even though she had the spiritual gifts to perform certain miracles, she had never raised any one from the dead since she started operating with the power of God.
She indicated that on that fateful day, at about 2pm, she was in her room mediating when she heard her secretary calling her so she quickly went out.
The secretary, who was then holding the dead boy in his hands, threw the little boy on her and asked the spiritual mother to pray for the deceased so that he would come back to life.
According to her, she took the little boy to “a prayer room and prayed for him until Kofi came back to life”.
When asked exactly what she used to raise the dead, Mama Vero pointed out that in addition to the power of God, she also used herbs and oil for almost all the miracles she performed.A PHOTOCOPY OF HOW ARUNMA OTEH SPENT ALMOST 100,000 ON FOOD
The Nigerian people have constantly clamored for a better country, and the Government seem to continually fail, especially when it comes to monetary matters.
ALIKO DANGOTE IN TROUBLE
The Court of Appeal in Lagos has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, challenging an order of a Federal High Court, removing him as President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
Also, the Appeal Court panel headed by Justice Helen Ogunwumiju, also reserved judgment in another appeal filed by Dangote to challenge the contempt proceedings initiated against him by some aggrieved shareholders of African Petroleum Plc.
Justice Lambo Akanbi, of a Federal High Court in Lagos, had on March 12, 2010 removed Dangote as the NSE President.
The Federal High Court hinged Dangote’s removal as the NSE President on the grounds the conduct of his election as the president of the Exchange violated an existing order of court.
The plaintiffs in the suit are the AP shareholders, who filed the suit through their lawyer, Onyebuchi Aniakor.
In their substantive suit, the aggrieved AP shareholders sued Dangote, Nova finance and Securities Limited and others over an alleged massive manipulation of AP shares.
Justice Mohammed Liman, who was initially handling the matter, had on August 4, 2009 directed parties to maintain the status quo.SHOCKING STUFFS-SOUTH AFRICAN PASTOR CLAIMS TO KNOW THE MAP TO HEAVEN
Johannesburg – A self-proclaimed prophet from Mandeni, in KwaZulu-Natal, claims he has been to heaven four times, according to a report on Monday.
Sibusiso Mthembu, 64, said there were 11 heavens and he had drawn a map of them, the Sowetan newspaper reported.
Mthembu said he had his first heavenly journey in December 1998. The other three journeys took place in 2004, 2006 and 2008. On his return, he drew a map of heaven and its residents.
“An angel, whom I later realised was Gabriel, who was in his early 20s, appeared at my house and led me by the hand to the Mandeni River where he baptised me and he returned to heaven,” Mthembu told the newspaper.
He said the same angel arrived in 1998 and this time took him along to heaven. Mthembu said he had seen God, Jesus and angels during his journeys.
Mthembu had written several books documenting his heavenly experiences, according to the newspaper.
ANOINTING HAS GONE TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.PASTOR BATHES MAN'S WIFE WHILE NAKED WITH ANOINTING OIL
A Pastor who is said to be a specialist on "sanctification and anointing", was over week caught bathing another man's wife with anointing oil. The Pastor is said to be a Ghanaian.
Female members of the church have been trooping in to see their Pastor for special anointing after church services. But suspecting members lay ambush by hiding close-by to catch their pastor bathing one of their members wife, full naked!
VIDEO OF JASON RUSSEL, THE MAN THAT STARTED THE KONY 2012 CAMPAIGN HAS A MENTAL BREAKDOWN
Link of the video
DIRECTOR GENERAL OF SEC SPENDS 850,000 NAIRA ON FOOD DAILY
apparently, she lived at Transcorp Hilton in abuja for 8 months which cost 30 million naira and 850,000 naira on food alone. at present, she is being investigated by the house committee.
this is absurd considering the fact that there a lot of people that go hungry in nigeria.
CBN GOVERNOR,LAMIDO SANUSI CAUGHT DOING SERIOUS PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION
It is quite funny seeing the CBN Governor this relax. He must really be into this lady. What a personality alteration love can cause.
ADAM OSHIOMOLE EMPLOYS FEMALE DRIVER
Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has employed several women as bus drivers for the state's public transport system known as Edo City Transport Services (ECTS).
The women, aged between 22 and 25 years, have been trained to drive the long, heavy, air-conditionedDaewoo Luxury Buses, which will ply the city's highways.
GUESS THE ABUJA BIG GIRL THAT WAS ARRESTED FOR DEFRAUDING MEN For defrauding four men to the tone of N11.3million, Helen Gimba, a35-year-old Abuja big girl, was on Monday arraigned before an Abuja Senior Magistrates’ Court.
Helen was arraigned on a three-count charge of joint act, criminal breach of trust and cheating, which contravened Sections 79, 312 and 323 of the Penal Code.
Police prosecutor Raphael Ezekiel told the Court that she committed the offence along with two others, namely Mohammed Musa and Mohammed Galadima now at large.
Ezekiel disclosed that the accused persons, sometimes in 2010, approached the complainants - Sherif Abibu, Philip Bassey, Martins Temidayo and Richard Mamza - and demanded for N11.3 million to secure contracts for them.
He said Helen and her partners in crime secured a contract for the complainants with the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and the money was provided.
The prosecutor however stated that the accused failed to comply with the terms of the agreements before the money was given to them, thereby defrauding the complainants.
When the charges were read to her, Helen pleaded not guilty. Senior Magistrate Omolola Akindele thus granted her bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.
She adjourned the case to april 4 for hearing. It is unclear if she will be able to meet the bail conditions as at the time of posting.
ANOTHER BOMB BLAST IN JOS IN A CATHOLIC CHURCH
The man drove his car towards St Finbar’s Catholic church in the city before setting off a large explosion, killing himself and at least three churchgoers, emergency agency spokesman Yushau Shuaib told AFP.
“Three confirmed dead,” said Shuaib, adding that several others were in a critical condition.
“The bomb exploded before he could get to the church,” he said of the bomber.
Earlier Shuaib said three people had been injured in the attack and only the bomber had been killed.
Mark Lipdo, a resident of the Rayfield area of the city where the church is located, told AFP that security forces had cordoned off the area.
The attack was similar to a February 26 suicide bombing of another church in Jos, which killed three people, including a toddler.
Responsibility for that attack was claimed by Islamist extremist sect Boko Haram, which warned of more such assaults.
The worst recent attack on a Catholic church came on December 25 last year, when 44 people were killed during a mass to celebrate Christmas in a town outside the capital Abuja.
Violence blamed on Boko Haram, whose goals remain largely unclear, has since 2009 claimed more than 1,000 lives, including more than 300 this year, according to figures tallied by AFP and rights groups.
HIV VACCINE: TO BE RELEASED OR NOT TO BE RELEASED
Apparently, there is a new pill(named Truvada) which if you take makes you immune to HIV. It is still being debated if the release should be denied on the grounds that the pill is only partially effective in preventing transmission.
Because Truvada must be taken every day, protection from the virus will falter if, as is likely in everyday life, a dose is missed, the AHF said.
"Any approach that relies on adherence for people who don't have a disease is going to fail," AHF President Michael Weinstein said at a press conference on Thursday.
The Fenway Institute, which advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and several other HIV organizations are in favor of using antiretroviral medication, along with risk reduction counseling and condoms, to prevent HIV transmission.
A coalition of 25 health organization in January contacted the FDA expressing their support for the Truvada application.
Officials at Gilead (producers of the drug) declined to comment.
A decision by the FDA, which granted an expedited review of the company's application, is expected by June 15 and a panel of experts will review the issue in May.
TWO IN TROUBLE FOR HAVING SEX IN A CEMENTRY
Adam Fuseini and his girlFRIEND Karimu Memunatu, have been arrested at Kapgagyili, a suburb of Tamale, by a community vigilante group when they were found having sex in the night at the community cemetery.
According to a reliable source, the two are currently being questioned by the traditional elders of the community “for casting a slur on the traditional norms and degrading the dead,” and to ascertain the motive behind the act.
The lovers were said to have first absconded when they were sighted at the cemetery, but the decision of the girl to later trace her sandals back to the place enabled the men to arrest her.
Narrating the incident to The Finder, an eye witness who is also a member of the vigilante group, Samiu Mohammed, said at 9:30 pm on Saturday, the vigilante group during one of their usual rounds saw two people secretly walking in the dark into the cemetery.
Samiu said unknown by the two, the group secretly followed their trail to ascertain their motive at the cemetery in the night.
“It took us 15 minutes to locate their presence because there were a lot of trees around,” Samiu said.
“We finally saw them at a little distance lying together naked and they quickly took to their heels at the sight of our torch light, leaving their clothes and sandals behind,” the witness added.
He said upon chasing them deep into the bush without finding the two, they took their clothes away.
“in the very early morning of Sunday, the lady traced back for her sandals and other belongings in the cemetery only to be arrested after she had agreed of her involvement in the act upon several interrogations,” Samiu said.
Samiu added that it was when the girl was arrested that she revealed the identity and location of her lover, which led to his arrest as well.
According to a reliable source, the two are currently being questioned by the traditional elders of the community “for casting a slur on the traditional norms and degrading the dead,” and to ascertain the motive behind the act.
The lovers were said to have first absconded when they were sighted at the cemetery, but the decision of the girl to later trace her sandals back to the place enabled the men to arrest her.
Narrating the incident to The Finder, an eye witness who is also a member of the vigilante group, Samiu Mohammed, said at 9:30 pm on Saturday, the vigilante group during one of their usual rounds saw two people secretly walking in the dark into the cemetery.
Samiu said unknown by the two, the group secretly followed their trail to ascertain their motive at the cemetery in the night.
“It took us 15 minutes to locate their presence because there were a lot of trees around,” Samiu said.
“We finally saw them at a little distance lying together naked and they quickly took to their heels at the sight of our torch light, leaving their clothes and sandals behind,” the witness added.
He said upon chasing them deep into the bush without finding the two, they took their clothes away.
“in the very early morning of Sunday, the lady traced back for her sandals and other belongings in the cemetery only to be arrested after she had agreed of her involvement in the act upon several interrogations,” Samiu said.
Samiu added that it was when the girl was arrested that she revealed the identity and location of her lover, which led to his arrest as well.
The witness also said the two were likely to be fined for the act.....
18 NYSC MEMBERS DIE IN A CAR ACCIDENT
Reports have it that about eighteen fresh graduates of the Imo State University, IMSU, South-East Nigeria, have all died in a road ACCIDENT.
They were said to be travelling to Taraba State, North-East Nigeria when the incident happened. The corps members are said to be for Batch A, NYSC orientation camps.
According to a source, the students who got their...
Call-up Letters very late yesterday from IMSU, chartered a small bus not very conversant with that long, bad road for a night TRIP in order to meet registration deadline.
AWFUL TRUTH ABOUT COCA COLA AND PEPSI PRODUCTS
There were concerns that one of the food-colouring ingredients may cause tumours in mice - although there was no evidence of a similar risk for humans.
Nonetheless both manufacturers have altered their recipes for drinks sold in America and they now contain far less of the offending chemical.
But products sold in the UK will still be made to the same old recipe as European regulators do not believe they pose any health risks.
Officials point out that one would need to drink 1,000 cans of Coke a day to get the same dose of the chemical that was linked to tumours in mice.
Studies in the lab had fund that the ingredient '4-methylimidazole' - which gives the drink its caramel brown colour - caused cancer in mice and rats.
This led to the state of California adding the chemical to its official list of ingredients that may cause cancer - or 'carcinogens' - earlier this year.
Chemical: 4-MI, used in Coke's colouring, causes cancer in rodents
Under the state's law, Coca-Cola and Pepsi would have had to put cancer warning labels on bottles and cans alerting the public to the possible risk.
This may well have put many customers off from buying the drinks so the manufacturers instead decided to change the recipes for products sold in California.
Over the next few weeks they will roll out the new versions across the rest of America.
But the European Food Safety Authority, which assesses the risk of food and drink across the EU, does not believe the ingredient poses any danger.
A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency said for this reason the drinks sold in Britain will remain exactly the same.
They said: 'The European Food Safety Authority recently looked at 4-methylimidazole and concluded it does not pose a health risk to humans. Based on availabe evidence, the presence of 4-methylimidazole in colouring agents is not a food safety concern.'
It is very rare for Coca-Cola and Pepsi to change their recipes however.
In fact when Coca-Cola tried to make the drink slightly sweeter in 1985 and relaunched it as 'New Coke' in the US there was a public outcry.
Less than three months later the company announced it was reverting back to the original recipe.
WOMAN WITH THE MOST AWFUL DELIVERY STORY
However long it lasts, labour is a gruelling affair. So spare a thought for Joanna Krzysztonek, who endured an astonishing 75 days of it.
And as if that wasn't challenging enough, the 31-year-old was forced to lie upside down for the entire time.
Mrs Krzysztonek was pregnant with triplets when she went into labour at 21 weeks. Her first baby was born prematurely and, tragically, was too weak to survive.
The other two were in danger of suffering the same fate – until doctors stepped in to try to delay their delivery.
They gave Mrs Krzysztonek medication to stop her contractions and got her to lie on a bed tilted at a 30 degree angle, with her feet pointing upwards, to reduce the risk of contractions starting
AGAIN . The umbilical cord was tied and put back inside her uterus.
She remained in the upside down position 24 hours a day for two and a half months. After 75 days – and what is believed to be the longest labour ever recorded – Mrs Krzysztonek gave birth to a healthy girl, Iga, and boy, Ignacy, at a neo-natal clinic in the Polish town of Wroclaw.
Yesterday she said she had not been put off by the prospect of lying in such an awkward position for months.
'I was relieved that there was a chance to keep the pregnancy and to give the babies a chance to be born successfully,' she added.
'I am feeling so elated that words can't describe it. They are such good babies, they are really calm and sometimes they even have the gentlest little smile.
'I've been told the labour was a world record. I am amazed by what happened but all I want to do is express my gratitude to the staff of this hospital for their wisdom and helpfulness. I would never have been able to get through this without them.'
Professor Mariusz Zimmer, head of the Wroclaw obstetrics and neo-natal clinic, explained that Mrs Krzysztonek's labour is considered to have begun when the first baby was born because that was when 'the birth had started'.
He said Mrs Krzysztonek was kept at the 30 degree angle to 'take pressure off her body'.
decided to deliver Iga and Ignacy by Caesarean on February 15. Each weighed just under 4lb.
After leaving her hospital bed, Mrs Krzysztonek had trouble with her balance, but now visits and holds her two babies every day. They remain in incubators but are expected to leave hospital soon.
In December, Donna Kelly, 29, from Coventry, spent ten weeks in a hospital bed tilted at 45 degrees to prevent her suffering a third miscarriage.
PASTOR HANGED FOR SAYING NO TO ISLAM
Some incidents happen and you are tempted to ask yourself if we are still in the 21st Century or we've returned to the 1620 or 1710.
Report has it that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian who was sentenced to death for refusing to renounce his Christian faith and embrace Islam has been executed by hanging. He was given some weeks of grace to renounce Christianity and embrace Islam but he refused, leading to his hanging. This is wickedness of the highest order.
Report has it that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian who was sentenced to death for refusing to renounce his Christian faith and embrace Islam has been executed by hanging. He was given some weeks of grace to renounce Christianity and embrace Islam but he refused, leading to his hanging. This is wickedness of the highest order.
SOUTH AFRICANS APOLOGIZE FOR DEPORTING NIGERIANS
South Africa apologized Thursday for a mass deportation of Nigerians, trying to contain a diplomatic spat that has again focused attention on its sometimes strained relations with the rest of the continent.
Two diplomats from the Nigerian High Commission who accompanied Ibrahim to the news conference at South Africa’s foreign ministry refused to comment beyond a joint statement that described tit-for-tat deportations. The two countries say the incidents will not affect their relations.
On March 2, South Africa deported 125 Nigerians who, according to airport health authorities, carried fraudulent yellow fever cards. Since then, authorities in Lagos, raising health concerns, have deported South Africans.
Nigerian government officials said they deported 42 South Africans on a flight Wednesday into Lagos. The officials said South Africa deported five Nigerians the same day.
Ibrahim said South African airport authorities did not properly check to determine whether the cards were authentic. He said South Africa was considering reopening a health clinic at the airport to ensure such deportations are not repeated.
South Africa and Nigeria are allies, but also sometimes rivals for influence in Africa.
Nigeria Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru, speaking to his National Assembly on Tuesday, linked the deportations to what he called the “xenophobia” faced by Nigerian immigrants living in South Africa who fear police who arrest them without cause.
Ibrahim rejected Ashiru’s charge.
“We are not a xenophobic country,” Ibrahim said Thursday.
But in 2008, South Africa saw a wave of violence against foreigners from elsewhere in Africa that left scores dead. Most of the attacks occurred in squatter camps, where South Africans and foreigners – both camps impoverished – compete for housing and jobs.
South Africa has the continent’s most successful economy, and that draws immigrants from further north. But the wealth is far from equally distributed, creating volatility.
South Africans have economic might and, because they are celebrated for peacefully toppling apartheid, international diplomatic stature. South African periodically question whether that makes them arrogant, or results in their being seen as arrogant, when they MEET other Africans. They also say the long years of isolation under apartheid left ignorance on both sides.
Such soul-searching was evident earlier this year, when South African politician Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma failed to WIN enough votes in the African Union to unseat Gabon’s Jean Ping as chairman of the continentwide body.
Associated Press writer Bashir Adigun contributed to this report from Abuja, Nigeria.
Associated Press writer Bashir Adigun contributed to this report from Abuja, Nigeria.
SINGLE MOTHER RAPED TO DEATH BY LOVER?
Edith Nwokolo, who resided at 94, Mushin Road, opposite Ire-Akari Road Junction, Isolo, Lagos State, was visited by her estranged lover, Amaechi Uchenna, on February 23 around 10pm. By 11pm, Nwokolo had died in mysterious circumstances while Uchenna was still in the apartment.
Nwokolo’s family members alleged that the victim was strangled by Uchenna after a failed attempt to rape her. But the police said the cause of her death had not yet been ascertained as they were still awaiting the autopsy report. The suspect is being detained at the Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect, a native of Emekuku, Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State, had informed Nwokolo that he was visiting her since they had not seen each other for long. It was learnt that although Nwokolo, who hailed from Owerri Olubor, Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State, acceded to his request, she told one of her relations about the proposed visit.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Uchenna and Nwokolo’s romantic relationship soured four years ago when the 40-year-old woman became pregnant for the man. Uchenna was said to have denied responsibility for the pregnancy but after intervention by their families, he ACCEPTED it. However, Nwokolo’s uncle, Mr. Emmanuel Adukpe, a computer engineer, said when Nwokolo had a baby, Uchenna abandoned her and the child.
He said, “At about 1.30am on February 24, my telephone rang; and when I picked the call, for more than three seconds, there was no response. I thought it was the usual network problem. But when I attempted to cut the line, the caller uttered, ‘it is Uche on the line.’
I now asked, ‘why calling at that ungodly hour?’ “He said Edith (Nwokolo). I asked, what about her? He said, unfortunately, we have lost her. I was jolted because nothing was wrong with her. I did not know what to say again but I picked courage and went further to ask him what happened? He said, he visited Edith and that they had minor argument and she complained of chest pain and later collapsed. “He said after she collapsed, he carried her and one of her neighbours to the General Hospital, Isolo. When they got there, he claimed that the hospital referred them to a private hospital and that she died on their way to the hospital. “Then, I suspected something terrible had happened to Edith (Nwokolo). I decided not to be harsh with Uche so that he would not run away.
I then thanked him for his efforts and asked him to meet me at the deceased house by 5am the next day. He agreed. Later, I called him to ask him about the corpse. He said he had deposited it in a mortuary. “By 5am, I was there waiting for him and he arrived with two of his brothers. Then, we reported the case at Okota Police Station and he was arrested along with his brothers.” Adukpe said after his arrest, the police took him to the mortuary to confirm if the corpse was there but were shocked when a mortuary attendant said Nwokolo’s corpse was not brought to the place.
He said at that point, the suspect started blabbing and confessed that he left the corpse with a private ambulance driver. Nwokolo’s uncle said when they saw the driver; he told them that Uchenna had asked him to facilitate issuance of a death certificate from a private hospital before taking the corpse to a mortuary. Adukpe said, “Uchenna told me that Edith (Nwokolo) died on the way to a hospital, but the driver said the hospital demanded death certificate. That was the reason he (the driver) took him and the corpse to his brother’s hospital.
“I have been reliably informed that Uchenna’s brother had confessed that his brother killed her while trying to rape her. When we opened the door, we saw Edith’s pant on the floor as well as Uche’s pair of shoes.” But the spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Joseph Jaiyeoba, told our correspondent on the telephone that the case was still being investigated. He said the autopsy result was not yet out and it was difficult to ascertain whether the deceased was strangled or died from natural causes. Jaiyeoba said, “The man is being held at SCID, Yaba, Lagos. The case is still being investigated.
SAKYI,A 32 YEAR OLD HUMAN PARTS DEALER ARRESTED
A 32-year-old, Kweku Sakyi, has been arrested for attempting to sell human parts to a supposed Alhaji at Madina in Accra.
The suspect, a driver and a resident of Larteh in Akuapim, was offering for sale four pieces of dried bones which he had kept in his custody of the past five months.
Briefing The Finder in Accra yesterday, the Accra Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent Emmanuel Frank Adufati, said Sakyi was arrested on Tuesday, March 6 at about 5:00am.
He said according to Sakyi, he (Sakyi) and two other were employed by a herbalist (name withheld) to uproot some stumps to make way for building project.
In the course of executing the role, they found the bones in the sand and decided to keep them.
Sakyi contacted a friend and told him of his intention to sell the bones. The friend told him that he knew an ‘Alhaji’ who could buythe bones in Accra.
They met the said Alhaji and upon a tip off, Sakyi was arrested.
Supt. Adufati said when interrogated, Sakyi stated that the place where he found the bones was an abandoned cemetery which had been out of use for several decades.
According to Sakyi, he had not dealt in that business before so he could not say the amount he was going to get for the bones.
Supt. Adufati said the case was being transferred to Larteh Akuapim where the exhibits were taken from for further actions.
THE BRITISH AND ITALIAN HOSTAGE KIDNAPPED IN NORTHERN NIGERIA HAS BEEN KILLED.
A British and Italian hostage have been killed after a botched rescue attempt to free the pair from Al Qaeda kidnappers.
Chris McManus and Franco Lamolinara had been held since May last year after being captured in northern Nigeria.
Their kidnappers are believed to have killed the hostages as a special forces team - including British troops - moved in to free them.Eight members of the Special Boat Service, supported by between eight to 12 Royal Marine commandos, carried out the operation.
Their deaths were confirmed by David Cameron who phoned Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti to tell him the news.
The pair had been working in Nigeria when they were taken last year.
Chris McManus and Franco Lamolinara had been held since May last year after being captured in northern Nigeria.
Their kidnappers are believed to have killed the hostages as a special forces team - including British troops - moved in to free them.Eight members of the Special Boat Service, supported by between eight to 12 Royal Marine commandos, carried out the operation.
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The pair had been working in Nigeria when they were taken last year.
They were seen pleading for their lives in a number of videos released by their captors.
FORBES 2012 BILLIONAIRES LIST RELEASE.WHICH AFRICANS MADE THE LIST??
Aliko Dangote
Forbes Magazine has released its annual “Forbes Billionaires List”. The 2012 list of billionaires from all around the world is a record setting one! 1,226 people made the list, this is the all-time highest number of billionaires ever. This time around, 18 Africans made it to the list with Saudi billionaire,Sheikh Mohammed Al-Amoudi, moving Aliko Dangote off the number one position as the richest black person in the world.
The Ethiopian-born Mohammed Al-Amoudi who is worth an estimated $12.5 billion is now the richest black man. He is $1.3 billion richer than Dangote who takes the second position with $11.2 billion.
Carlos Slim of Mexico retained his position as the world’s richest man for the third consecutive year with a net worth of $69billion. Microsoft Corp cofounder Bill Gates ranked second place at $61 billion andWarren Buffett third at $44 billion.
Bernard Arnault made it to the fourth position on the list with a net worth of $41 billion while Amancio Ortega, the man behind the fashion chain Zara followed at the fifth position with $37.5 billion.
27 year-old Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO made it to the 35th position on the list with a net worth of $17.5 billion. He climbed up 17 spots from last year adding $4 billion to his previous figure.
The youngest self-made female billionaire, Sara Blakely made it to the list at number 1,153 with a net worth of $1 billion. From her business, Spanx, which makes slimming undergarments, she affirmed that there was profit in vanity.
Oprah Winfrey, American TV mogul still stands alone as the only black female billionaire in the world.
Out of the 1,226 people who made it to the 2012 FORBES list of the world billionaires, only 6 are black. They are:
Mohammed Al-Amoudi
Net Worth: $12.5 billion
Country: Saudi Arabia
Source: Oil
Net Worth: $12.5 billion
Country: Saudi Arabia
Source: Oil
Aliko Dangote
Net Worth: $11.2 billion
Country:Nigeria
Source: Sugar, Cement, Flour
Net Worth: $11.2 billion
Country:Nigeria
Source: Sugar, Cement, Flour
Mike Adenuga
Net Worth: $4.3 billion
Country: Nigeria
Source: Telecom, banking, oil
Net Worth: $4.3 billion
Country: Nigeria
Source: Telecom, banking, oil
Patrice Motsepe
Net Worth: $2.7billion
Country: South Africa
Source: Mining
Net Worth: $2.7billion
Country: South Africa
Source: Mining
Oprah Winfrey
Net Worth: $2.7 billion
Country: USA
Source: Television
Net Worth: $2.7 billion
Country: USA
Source: Television
Mo Ibrahim
Net Worth: $1.1 billion
Country: United Kingdom
Source: Telecoms
Net Worth: $1.1 billion
Country: United Kingdom
Source: Telecoms
Other Africans on the list are:
Nicky Oppenheimer & family
Net Worth: $6.8 billion
Country: South Africa
Source: Diamonds
Net Worth: $6.8 billion
Country: South Africa
Source: Diamonds
Nassef Sawiris
Net Worth: $5.1 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Construction
Net Worth: $5.1 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Construction
Johann Rupert & family
Net Worth: $5.1 billion
Country: South Africa
Source: Luxury Goods
Net Worth: $5.1 billion
Country: South Africa
Source: Luxury Goods
Naguib Sawiris
Net Worth: $3.1 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Telecom
Net Worth: $3.1 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Telecom
Christoffel Wiese
Net Worth: $3.1 billion
Country: South Africa
Source: Retailing
Net Worth: $3.1 billion
Country: South Africa
Source: Retailing
Onsi Sawiris
Net Worth: $2.9 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Construction, telecom
Net Worth: $2.9 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Construction, telecom
Miloud Chaabi
Net Worth: $2.9 billion
Country: Morocco
Source: Real estate
Net Worth: $2.9 billion
Country: Morocco
Source: Real estate
Othman Benjelloun
Net Worth: $2.3 billion
Country: Morocco
Source: Banking, Insurance
Net Worth: $2.3 billion
Country: Morocco
Source: Banking, Insurance
Mohamed Mansour
Net Worth: $1.7 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Diversified
Net Worth: $1.7 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Diversified
Anas Sefrioui
Net Worth: $1.6 billion
Country: Morocco
Source: Real estate
Net Worth: $1.6 billion
Country: Morocco
Source: Real estate
Yasseen Mansour
Net Worth: $1.6 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Diversified
Net Worth: $1.6 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Diversified
Youssef Mansour
Net Worth: $1.5 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Diversified
Net Worth: $1.5 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Diversified
Mohamed Al Fayed
Net Worth: $1.3 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Retailing
Net Worth: $1.3 billion
Country: Egypt
Source: Retailing
The United States of America dominated the list with 425 billionaires among the 58 countries that made the list.
YOU HAVE TO LOOSE WEIGHT OR YOU WILL DIE-DOCTORS TELL WORLD MOST FAMOUS YO-YO DIETER
Record-breaking yo-yo dieter Michael Hebranko is used to making headlines but according to his doctors, this may be his last appearance.
The 58-year-old has been told that due to congestive heart failure, liver failure and kidney failure, he may not make it to 60 unless he loses at least 140lbs and soon.
Speaking at his home in Staten Island where he is confined to his bed, Mr Hebranko admitted: 'My wife, Madeleine and I have been told to put our affairs in order.'
Home-cooked meal: Michael Hebranko, the world's most famous yo-yo dieter has been told he has to lose at least 140lbs if he can expect to survive his heart, liver and kidney failure
Over the past 24 years, the New Yorker has gained and lost a total of 4,004lbs on account of his excessive eating habits and currently weighs 588lbs - only half of his personal record of 1,120lbs.
In a candid interview, the morbidly obese husband and father confessed: 'I know eating is killing me. I am a food addict, just like an alcoholic or a heroin addict.
'I've been told all my life if I kept eating I wouldn't make it to the age of 60. Now that birthday is just two years away and doctors don't think I'll make it.'
Cared for around the clock by a nurse during the day and his loving wife Madeleine in the evening, Mr Hebranko is no stranger to feeling like a victim.
Fluctuation: Michael Hebranko married Madelaine in 1976 (left) and continued to gain weight. After reaching out to fitness guru Richard Simmons he had lost a staggering 924lbs by 1988 (right)
But now the inability to control his greed, that at one point drove him to consume a whopping 13,260 calories a day, has well and truly caught up with him.
He has trouble breathing and keeps an oxygen mask by his bedside for emergencies.
Mrs Hebranko, a cancer survivor herself, works 12 hour days in an office to support them and then returns home in the evening to take care of her ailing husband.
'He’s lost the weight before so I have to believe he can do it again,' said the office employee who herself weighs 224lbs. 'It’s the only hope he has of surviving.'
Mr Hebranko's battle over his weight, he explained, began at what should have been been the height of his happiness.
'I had everything,' he said. 'A gorgeous wife, a successful career at a pharmaceutical company and a lovely ten year old boy.
Officially obese: At his heaviest, Michael Hebranko weighed an astonishing 1,120lbs and considered taking his own life, asking a friend to borrow his gun
'But I was 1,120lbs, couldn't walk up stairs, could hardly breath because of the weight on my stomach and I couldn't stop eating. I would eat up to four meatball subs or turkey sandwiches at work for lunch.
'Then I would secretly eat six Big Mac's on the way home from work. As the chef at home I would then make an enormous meat loaf and eat that. My wife begged me to stop eating 100,000 times.'
After considering suicide but unable to go through with it, Mr Hebranko suffered a heart attack that inspired him to seek help from fitness guru Richard Simmons.
Committed to a 1,200 calorie a day diet of vegetables and proteins, the patient lost a staggering 924lbs, winning the title of Highest Recorded Weight Loss in the Guinness Book of Records.
Yo-whoa! After losing weight with Richard Simmons, Mr Hebranko was at his slimmest here in 1991 and looked almost dangerously thin standing next to his friends
Lighter days: Mr and Mrs Hebranko in 2004. Even despite stints in rehab over the years, the morbidly obese man has been unable to keep his weight below 350lbs since the Nineties
But his new trim 194lbs-physique was only briefly enjoyed and he soon fell off the health wagon.
Mr Hebranko re-gained the weight plus more over the next six years, at one time having to be airlifted from his home to hospital.
Despite proving that he is capable of shedding the pounds with the right attention in rehab, since 1998 he has not been able to drop below 350lbs at his very thinnest.
Now doctors tell him he must lose at least 140lbs to expect any chance of survival.
'If I can see my grandchildren grow up that would mean the world to me,' he said. 'I want everyone to know that obesity is a disease. If you’ve got it, get help straight away. You don’t want to end u
OJUKWU'S FAMILY FIGHT OVER HIS INHERITANCE
Dede, eldest son of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, on Tuesday alleged that family members tried to stop him from participating in the burial rites of his father.
It was believed that Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu (Jnr) was the first son of the ex-Biafra warlord, but Debe Ojukwu, who spoke to us in an interview, disputed that.
He told our correspondent that the problem in the family had to do with the large estate his grandfather left behind.
Debe said, “There have been litigation over the estate my grandfather left behind and other members of my family felt they were going to use the litigation to blackmail me.
“Due to my nature I decided not to allow the hostility impede the burial activities my father, a man I still respect so much even in death.”“That is why when they (family members) wanted to see President Goodluck Jonathan over the burial plans they decided to be hostile towards me and ensured that I was not part of the team that visited the President.
He explained that despite alleged distractions, he ensured he participated in the ceremonies.
He added, “Despite all they tried to do to me, I was actively involved in the funeral activities. I was very visible in all the states where my father’s corpse was taken to for full military honour.
“The only place I was not actively involved was the burial in our home town, Nnewi. That day, I had to attend to some private issues.”
He added, “I intend to use equity, justice and peace to hold everybody together.
“Now that our father is no more, the best way we can honour him is bury the hatchet and live in unity.”
Ojukwu died in London on November 26, 2011 after a long illness, aged 78.
He was buried in Nnewi, Anambra State on Friday.
ALABA MARKET IMPROVES ,GOES ONLINEOnline is the way to go these days, and the people at Alaba International Market have finally recognised that fact. If you live in Nigeria and shop a lot at Alaba Market, then this must be good news to you. You don't have to got through traffic and all the hassle to buy stuff at the market, it's now online.
Alaba International Market is unarguably the largest electronics market in Nigeria, maybe even West Africa, and buyers can now shop for goods online and have their products delivered to their doorstep via courier.
You don't need to go here again
TEJU COLE WINS $10,OOO(1.5M) AWARD FOR HIS FIRST NOVEL
Nigerian writer and blogger, Teju Cole, has won this year’s Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for a ‘distinguished’ first book of fiction.
Cole’s story of a Nigerian doctor’s physical and spiritual journey also is a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle award. The author grew up in Nigeria and currently lives in New York City.
The Hemingway award was founded in 1976 by Mary Hemingway, widow of the Nobel laureate. Previous winners of the Hemingway prize include Marilynne Robinson and Edward P. Jones.
According to his website, tejucole.com, he is a writer, art historian, street photographer and Distinguished Writer in Residence at Bard College.
It says he was “born in the US (1975) to Nigerian parents, raised in Nigeria. Lives in Brooklyn. Author of two books, a novella, Every Day is for the Thief, and a novel, Open City (which won the PEN/Hemingway Award and was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award). Contributor to the New York Times, Qarrtsiluni, Chimurenga, the New Yorker, Transition, Tin House, A Public Space, etc. Currently at work on a book-length non-fiction narrative of Lagos, and on Small Fates.
NIGERIA REVENGES.DEPORTS 33 SOUTH AFRICANS
The Southern Africans, who arrived aboard a South African Airways Airbus A330 around 8.30pm, were denied entry.
South Africa and Nigeria are embroiled in a diplomatic feud after the authorities at Oliver Thambo Airport in Johannesburg deported 125 Nigerians on Friday, alleging their yellow fever vaccination cards were fakes.
Nigeria responded by deporting 84 South Africans within two days.
A top immigration official, who spoke with one of our correspondents under condition of anonymity, said the deportation of South Africans would continue until the problem was resolved.
However, a preventive Health expert, Dr. Abiye Kalaiwo on Wednesday in Abuja claimed the deportation of the Nigerians resulted from the recent outbreak of Lassa fever in some parts of the country.
Kalaiwo, who is also a medical practitioner with TREM Vision House medical team, faulted South Africa, saying “exportation” of Lassa fever was rare and “actual risk of infection from an imported case appears low”.
He told our correspondent said, “The recent deportation of over a hundred Nigerians from South Africa may not be unconnected with the Lassa fever epidemic.
“If true, the step may not have been necessary as an epidemic arising from exportation of Lassa fever through traveling has been rare and actual risk of infection from an imported case appears low.
“In terms of such cross border epidemics, Nigeria should naturally have more to be concerned about persons coming in from South Africa as against the reverse.”
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students has urged the Federal Government and its South African counterpart to end the ongoing diplomatic standoff in the interest of peace on the African continent.
NAN’s National President, Mr. Dauda Mohammed, told our correspondent, in Abuja, on Wednesday that a quick resolution of the crisis would serve both countries better.
BOKO HARAM MEMBERS DISCLOSES PLANS FOR THE SULTAN OF SOKOTO
Boko Haram has plans to reduce the power of the Sultan of Sokoto from the head of Muslims in the country to a traditional ruler.
Spokesman for the group, Abu Qaqa, was said to have revealed this during his interrogation by security agencies in Abuja recently.
A security source told our correspondent on Wednesday that Qaqa also explained that the sect’s attacks on churches and schools were aimed at Islamising the country.
Qaqa was quoted to have said, “One of our plans is to reduce the powers of the Sultan of Sokoto to traditional rulership roles. All religious authorities would be given to our leader, who will be based in Yobe.
“Our view is that the present arrangement, where one man combines tradition and religious functions is wrong.”
According to the security source, Qaqa said the attacks on churches and schools were not as a result of provocation, but parts of plans to Islamise the country.
“The schools have not been teaching the children according to our religion. These were parts of our initial plans of allowing only Islamic schools and attacking the secular schools” he said.
Technology giant Apple has invited journalists to a 'special event' in California today with an invitation saying: ‘We have something you really have to see. And touch.’
Taiwanese site Digitimes reports that a new, cheaper model of the old iPad 2 may launch alongside the expected iPad 3 or 'iPad HD' - helping Apple to compete with budget rivals such as Amazon's Kindle Fire and Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 tablets.
APPLE'S NEW IPAD - THE RUMOURS, AND THE FACTS
Apple had sold more than 55 million iPads around the world as of January this year.Citing unnamed sources in Apple's supply chain, the tech site said, 'In addition to iPad 3, Apple is also expected to unveil an 8GB iPad 2, allowing the tablet PC series to cover different segments and to defend against Windows 8-based tablet PCs, the sources noted.'
Search data company Experian Hitwise says that one in 2000 of ALL internet searches have been for terms related to iPad 3 over the past week.
'Demand for the iPad 3 online reached its peak in the last week as 1 in every 2000 searches online were iPad 3 related,' says the company.
Some industry experts are even predicting the end of personal computers as touch-screen tablet-style computers grow in popularity.
Apple announced that more than 25 billion apps have been downloaded from its App Store by customers.
Nate Lanxon, editor of technology site Wired.co.uk, said he expected the latest iPad model to ‘look a lot like the current model’ but with a much higher resolution screen.
But he said that might not be enough to send shoppers out spending their money straight away, adding: ‘On day one there is less reason to invest in one than three or four months down the line when the developers have got to grips with it and you can see what apps they have built for it.’
Long queues formed outside Apple’s flagship store in Regent Street, central London, two years ago as hundreds vied to get their hands on the original iPad when it was launched.
Apple was forced to push back its original late April UK launch date because of ‘overwhelming demand’ for the device in the US.
The company sold more than one million iPads in the US in the first 100 days making it a faster seller than the iPhone.
Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst for Forrester Research, said the device's Android competition has failed because most technology companies fail to see that the 'apps' are more important than the hardwares.
‘It's about the services - what you can do with the device,’ she said in a blog post.
‘It's about the services - what you can do with the device,’ she said in a blog post.
Apple's competitors have slowly come to realize this, but only after bringing out dozens of tablets with whiz-bang features like 3-D cameras.
Search data company Experian Hitwise says that one in 2000 of ALL internet searches have been for terms related to iPad 3 over the past week
CEO Tim Cook is expected to take the stage to launch iPad 3 today. Cook has taken over many of Apple's product launches after the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs last year
The company’s last release was the iPhone 4S - complete with voice recognition software - which went on sale in October.
It was launched just nine days after Apple’s pioneering former chief executive Steve Jobs died following a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.
The launch was seen as a key 'test' for new CEO Tim Cook.
The unveiling at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, where the company also introduced the last two iPad generations, will be Chief Executive Tim Cook's second major product launch.
Cook will again be flanked by Apple's top executives when he kicks off a typically tightly choreographed show scrutinized by investors and industry insiders.
On hand will likely be Apple's top marketing executive Phil Schiller, its head of Internet services Eddy Cue and software chief Scott Forstall - the standard cast for major launches following the death of founder and consummate showman Steve Jobs last year.
The competitor that has done the best is Amazon.com Inc. Its Kindle Fire tablet is cheaper than the iPad, and also tied into Amazon's book, movie and music stores, making it an easy route to entertainment, just like the iPad.
Still the Kindle Fire has a long way to go.
Epps estimates that Amazon sold 5.5 million Kindle Fires in the fourth quarter of last year. Meanwhile, Apple sold 15.4 million iPads, and has sold 55.3 million in total.
According to Canaccord Genuity, 63 percent of the tablets shipped last year were iPads.
The only competitors with more than 5 percent market share were Amazon and Samsung.
The iPad launch comes as Apple has reached a rare milestone: last week, it was worth more than $500 billion.
Only six other U.S. companies have been worth that much, and none have held that valuation for long.
On Tuesday, Apple's stock had fallen, bringing its market value down to $494 billion, but analysts believe it the company is worth closer to $550 billioN
10 YEAR OLD GIRL GIVES BIRTH TO A BABY,WAS SHE RAPED OR SHE GAVE HER CONSENT?
Ten years old girl, Gladys Chelagat on Saturday became the youngest mother as she delivered a bouncing baby boy at the Kericho district hospital through a caesarian section. Doctors confirmed the weight of the baby to be 2.8kg.
Among all the looming questions, is that of: who is the man responsible for her pregnancy to start with? (the father of the new born child). The child, who now has the new responsibility of raising a child, looked great as she wrapped her arms around her newly born son while sitting on the hospital bed.
We are yet to confirm all the circumstances behind this story and what might be the way forward in helping the poor child who is now faced with the challenges of being a single parent. However, we will follow up on the news for more information.
MAN FAINTS AFTER DISCOVERING HE HIRED HIS 20 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER
Man passed out the moment he opened his hotel room door to discover the prostitute he was expecting was his own 20-year-old daughter.Ncube is said to have collapsed while the 20-year-old daughter bolted after seeing her father.
According to Sunday Mail, Ncube pleaded with the newspaper not to publish the story.
“I am sorry for what I did. I spoke to my wife and my daughter. I apologised for my actions because I just wanted my family back,” he said.
“I am sorry for what I did. I spoke to my wife and my daughter. I apologised for my actions because I just wanted my family back,” he said.
The father of three revealed he forgave his daughter for being a commercial sex worker and hired a therapist to counsel her.
“I don’t blame my daughter for what happened and what she was doing. I feel it was her way of expressing her feelings about the problems in my family,” he said.
“She has stopped that and is going back to school next year. My marital problems are not over, but we have a marriage counsellor who is helping us to get over this most difficult period in our marriage.”
His wife, Rosemary, said: “If it were not for my children, I could have divorced him a long time ago.
“But because I know the trauma that divorce has on children, I made a decision to stay.”
“But because I know the trauma that divorce has on children, I made a decision to stay.”
NIGERIANS JAILED FOR LAUNDERING MONEY WITH 752 BANK ACCOUNTS
A womanising Nigerian fraudster who hijacked the identities of soldiers and nurses in a $1.3 million benefits plot has been jailed in the UK for six years.
Uzoma-Ubani and another Nigerian partner in crime opened 752 bank accounts to perpetrate the fraud.
Chibuikem Uzoma-Ubani, 29, persuaded several lovers to help him launder the profits from the swindle that targeted tax credits and Sure Start maternity grants.
Denisa Camacho, 28, of Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, and Katrina Papiernikova, 27, of Romford, Essex both had relationships with Uzoma-Ubani, after arriving in the UK from Slovakia and were accused of turning a blind eye to his activities.
Uzoma-Ubani, of Romford, Essex, married Camacho in 2004, then divorced her and had two children by Papiernikova.
The women both insisted they knew nothing about his crooked schemes and were both cleared of money laundering, but a third lover Ornela Miguel, 26, admitted the offence. Uzoma-Ubani and fellow Nigerian Leonard Nwannenah, 33, of Dagenham, Essex, opened a ‘bewildering’ 752 bank accounts using the names of hard-working medics and members of the armed forces over a six-year period.
The pair were jailed Monday for six years each while Miguel was handed a three-month sentence, suspended for 12 months.
The prosecutor added that Uzoma-Ubani had 159 bank accounts, either in his name or an alias, and police seized £200,000 from them. Leonard Nwannenah controlled at least 42 accounts and admitted he had used many more after illegally entering the country.
“The total number of bank accounts was 752, used in the identity frauds,†said Mr Finnigan.
“Of those 752, 282 and were active accounts in that they received the proceeds of the frauds, and during the course of the investigation over £1 million had passed through them.
“The remaining 360 or so accounts were being prepared for future frauds.â€
752 BANK ACCOUNTS!!!!! HOW WERE THEY ABLE TO MEMORIZE ACCOUNT DETAILS
Tangled web: Papiernikova and Uzoma-Ubani's ex wife Denisa Camacho, pictured, insisted they knew nothing about his crooked schemes
In on it: Uzoma-Ubani's third lover Ornela Miguel, left, admitted money laundering, while Jennifer Okonkwo, right, admitted she had allowed her bank account to be used to launder money
Accomplices: Leonard Nwannenah, right, helped Uzoma-Ubani to open 752 bank accounts while his younger brother Okechi Nwannenah, left, admitted he had allowed his bank account to be used
Chibuikem Uzoma-Ubani, left, was jailed for six years for money laundering while the mother of his two children, Katrina Papiernikova, right, was cleared
MAD MAN ALMOST BOARDS FLIGHT TO EUROPE
A man suspected to be suffering from mental problem was overpowered Monday, by passengers after he had gained access to the most secure part of the international terminal, the airside, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos.
The man was said to have vandalised the boarding gate at the airport and gained access to the tarmac with the intention of boarding an aircraft to Europe.
THISDAY gathered that on getting into the tarmac, the man, whose identity could not be ascertained, shouted, "I want to go abroad; I want to go to Europe. Please give way for me to go."
His screaming caused stampede at the tarmac such that intending passengers feared the man was a terrorist and some of them began to scamper out of the area around the lunatic. But some of the courageous passengers approached him and others went to call security operatives who promptly apprehended him and took him away.
From his bevahiour, his dressing and knack of breaking through barricades, instead of following the right place, prompted many to believe that the man was insane.
This was later confirmed by those who got close to him. The General Manager, public affairs of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Akin Olukunle, who confirmed the incident in a telephone interview said the mad man had been arrested and handed over to the police for interrogation.
Olukunle stated that if it were established that the 'passenger' was mentally challenged, the police would take him to the rehabilitation centre for treatment.
"The arrested person was a lunatic who...wanted to travel out of the country by all means. But, he was immediately overpowered by the security operatives attached to the airport. After investigation, and if confirmed he was mad, he would be taken to a rehabilitation centre," Olukunle explained.
DELTA STATE SPEAKER BEATEN TO AN UNCONSCIOUS STATE BY ANGRY MOB
As the battle by the people of Delta North begins to determine who succeeds Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan 2015, the ward congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ika south local government area last Saturday turned bloody, sending to the hospital a former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr. Martins Okonta.
Trouble started at the state PDP secretariat in Asaba when Mr. Okonta protested against the choice of the Returning Officer for the ward congress. His protest resulted in a bloody fracas between him and other party members who resisted his objection to the Returning Officer.It was gathered that Mr. Okonta was advancing the interests of a former Secretary to the state government and current National Assembly member from Delta North, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa. In the heated argument which followed, Mr. Okonta, who is the himself the representative of Ika South constituency in the Delta Assembly, was assaulted he lost consciousness. He was immediately rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital.
Trouble started at the state PDP secretariat in Asaba when Mr. Okonta protested against the choice of the Returning Officer for the ward congress. His protest resulted in a bloody fracas between him and other party members who resisted his objection to the Returning Officer.It was gathered that Mr. Okonta was advancing the interests of a former Secretary to the state government and current National Assembly member from Delta North, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa. In the heated argument which followed, Mr. Okonta, who is the himself the representative of Ika South constituency in the Delta Assembly, was assaulted he lost consciousness. He was immediately rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital.
18 MONTH OLD BABY KIDNAPPED,LATER FOUND IN JOS CEMENTRY
Like every other day, one-and-a-half-year-old Michael Osarentin was woken up and prepared by his mother for another day at school at Igando, a Lagos suburb, on November 14 last year.
He was assumed by his teachers to have left for home with his elder brother at closing time only for the parents to realise that they could not find him. It was not until three months later that a good Samaritan found the toddler at a cemetery in far away Jos, the capital of Plateau State.
His worried parents had reported his disappearance to the Police. They launched a search party and made announcements in the media to no avail. His disappearance generated a serious crisis. Both the proprietor of Michael’s school, Homes International School, and his class teacher were arrested by the Police and detained for three days.
Recalling the incident, Micheal’s mother, Mary, who now carries another pregnancy, said: “Michael went to school on that day and I was expecting him to return in the afternoon.
Recalling the incident, Micheal’s mother, Mary, who now carries another pregnancy, said: “Michael went to school on that day and I was expecting him to return in the afternoon.
When I did not see him, I contacted some of the teachers in his school, which is just a stone’s throw from our residence, but I was told that he left for home as soon as school was over.
“I went back home but still could not find him. I became confused. I told my husband about it and we reported the matter to the Police. His teachers were invited for interrogation and we all started looking for him but to no avail.”
Explaining how her son was later miraculously found by a Good Samaritan at a cemetery in Jos, she said: “He was found in Jos by a man who said he found him loitering around in a local cemetery. The man said my son gave his name as Michael or Gift.
Explaining how her son was later miraculously found by a Good Samaritan at a cemetery in Jos, she said: “He was found in Jos by a man who said he found him loitering around in a local cemetery. The man said my son gave his name as Michael or Gift.
“He was taken to the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Jos, and some of our church members who are now based in Jos saw him on the TV and alerted us. We promptly informed the Police. The Police actually facilitated how he was subsequently brought back to Lagos. We are so happy to see our son hale and hearty. All glory goes to God.”
However, the Proprietor of Homes International School, where Michael attended, Mrs. O. Odebunmi and his teacher, Mrs. Beatrice Adeojo said the toddler’s disappearance had caused them pain following an allegation of complicity levelled against them by Michael’s parents.
However, the Proprietor of Homes International School, where Michael attended, Mrs. O. Odebunmi and his teacher, Mrs. Beatrice Adeojo said the toddler’s disappearance had caused them pain following an allegation of complicity levelled against them by Michael’s parents.
Adeojo said: ”The incident occurred on November 14, 2011. On that day, the pupils had taken after-school lesson and Michael’s brother came to pick him up at about 5 pm and left, presumably for home. There is no agreement between the school and parents that pupils would be brought home by teachers. That is the more reason why I was stunned when I was held for complicity in the matter.
“Not long after the boy was taken away by his brother, his mother stormed the school, asking for the whereabouts of his son. I told her that he had been taken home by his elder brother. She later returned to say that he still had not been found. Before I knew it, she had invited Police. I was locked in police cell for three days for something I knew nothing about.
“The boy’s parents are not saying the truth about the disappearance of their son, based on their conflicting accounts. To be honest with you, there was nothing I did not do in order to unravel the mystery behind Michael’s disappearance. I even had to consult spiritualists because the matter was beginning to tarnish my image.” Still recalling the incident, Odebunmi said but for God, the controversy engendered by Michael’s disappearance would have cost her school the reputation it had painstakingly built for about two decades.
She said: “I was attending a programme in my church in Egbeda at about 9pm when words got to me that Michael was missing. I quickly abandoned the service and headed straight to his parents’ residence to confirm the veracity of the story. We then went to report the matter to the Police in Igando and I was locked in cell for three days together with Michael’s teacher.
“After we were granted bail, I consulted some landlords and the traditional ruler of the community because of the impression the incident could create about the school, and they all promised to assist. “The school had been in existence for 19 years now and we have never had any case of a child missing from school. I believe the parents of the boy are hiding something or simply could not admit their negligence.
“I later learnt that the boy was found in Jos. But while some people claimed that he was found in a cemetery, others said he was found in the home of one of the relations of his parents. “However, I thank God that he has been found and my hands are clean.
They just wanted to use the matter to tarnish the image of the school, but the God I serve has exonerated me and my school.” Reacting to the allegation that Michael’s parents are hiding something, his mother, Mrs Mary Osarentin, said the family had nothing to hide concerning the boy’s disappearance. “It is also not true that his elder brother brought him home from school,” she said.
At press time, the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Joseph Jaiyeoba, was yet to get back to our correspondent who had sought his comment on the incident.
NIGERIAN,26 SENTENCE TO 8 YRS IN PRISON FOR RAPING A 14 YEAR OLD GIRL
Ishola Adeyomi Adeoye, aged 26, from Bermondsey met a 14 year old girl in Plumstead in October 2010 and took her back to his home in Woolwich. Fully aware of her age, he gave her alcohol, waited until she passed out and then raped her.
The victim awoke in the morning and was not aware of what she had been subjected to. Later that same day, having returned home, she began to feel pain and realized that something may have happened. After making a report to the police, a DNA test proved she had been raped.
Officers from the Met's Sapphire Command at Bexley launched an investigation and the DNA profile taken was matched to Adeoye.
He denied ever meeting the victim but changed his evidence during the trial, admitting he knew her but still maintaining his innocence.
Detective Constable Pete Thompson said: "This was a horrendous act committed against a vulnerable 14 year old girl. "Adeoye tried to deny the offence and when the evidence against him was so strong he ended up changing his account.
"The jury clearly saw through his lies and I am pleased with the sentencing result.
"The victim showed a tremendous amount of courage and bravery to give evidence against the defendant.
"I hope that this result can go some way in helping both her and her family come to terms with what has happened."
Deoye had denied rape, but was convicted following a week-long trial at the Old Bailey. He was jailed for eight-and-a-half years on March 2.
The victim awoke in the morning and was not aware of what she had been subjected to. Later that same day, having returned home, she began to feel pain and realized that something may have happened. After making a report to the police, a DNA test proved she had been raped.
Officers from the Met's Sapphire Command at Bexley launched an investigation and the DNA profile taken was matched to Adeoye.
He denied ever meeting the victim but changed his evidence during the trial, admitting he knew her but still maintaining his innocence.
Detective Constable Pete Thompson said: "This was a horrendous act committed against a vulnerable 14 year old girl. "Adeoye tried to deny the offence and when the evidence against him was so strong he ended up changing his account.
"The jury clearly saw through his lies and I am pleased with the sentencing result.
"The victim showed a tremendous amount of courage and bravery to give evidence against the defendant.
"I hope that this result can go some way in helping both her and her family come to terms with what has happened."
Deoye had denied rape, but was convicted following a week-long trial at the Old Bailey. He was jailed for eight-and-a-half years on March 2.
AIRPORT OFFICIALS STEAL 2 MILLION FROM GOVERNOR GODSWILL AKPABIO
Three staff of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCo) attached to Arik Airlines are now in custody for pilfering N2 million from the luggage of a Government House protocol officer attached to the Governor of Akwa-Ibom State.
According to reports, the suspects allegedly stole from a huge cash carried on a Lagos trip by the Akwa Ibom State Governor’s, Godswill Akpabio, party during his trip for his investiture as the Sun Newspapers Man thief of the Year award ceremony recently.
According to the report, as soon as it was discovered that the luggage in which the money was kept had been tampered with, the protocol officer raised an alarm and a quick search was conducted on all luggage and personal effects of passengers and staff of the baggage unit of the airline reportedly led to the recovery of the money from where the prime suspect, one Victor, who was in charge of the baggage unit, had hidden it.
Following the recovery of the money, the protocol officer was said to have gotten in touch with the chief security officer and the Director of Protocol to alert them on the incident.
The governor was said to have ordered immediate arrest and detention of the culprits and their accomplices pending his return. He (governor) reportedly gave instruction that the matter should be handled discretely so Nigerians do not have the impression that government officials were moving about with huge cash.
Inside sources within the administration say the governor’s entourage is in the habit and moving around with large amount of cash, at times dashing huge amount to people on the spur of the moment.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Akwa Ibom State Police Command, Onyeka Orji, an assistant superintendent of police (ASP), who confirmed the detention of the three suspects, said they would be arraigned in court Monday.
“The suspects were taken to court on Thursday and Friday last week to be arraigned, but unfortunately the court officials said they were on prison visit for the two days, they would be taken back to the High Court in Uyo by 7 a.m. on Monday for their arraignment
NIGERIAN STUDENT CHARGED WITH MURDER IN THE US
A 21year old Nigerian student, Sampson Blake Oguntope, 21, is being charged with murder in regard to a fatal Slaton shooting which left one woman dead and another injured
The Texas Tech student is currently in police custody at the Lubbock County Detention Center and his bail was raised to at least $5 million — formerly $500,000.
Steven Wheeler, chief of the Slaton Police Department, said originally Oguntope, a Houston native, was a person of interest regarding the homicide and he was detained at the Detention Center on charges of theft.
Slaton police found Faye Gray, 89, and her female caretaker, 21, had both sustained gunshot wounds. Gray was pronounced dead at the scene while the younger woman was transported to University Medical Center for treatment. Her condition is described as stable.
Lubbock police asked that the caretaker’s name not be revealed because of the sensitivity of the case.
Wheeler said the police are not releasing any additional information regarding charges against Oguntope at this time.
Members of the Lubbock County Sheriff’s office were dispatched to 1480 W. Crosby St. in Slaton to assist the Slaton Police Department with a homicide investigation, according to a news release by the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office.
Wheeler said at 8:12 a.m. authorities received a complaint that a black male had made contact with a Slaton resident and was asking personal questions, including what times the resident went to work and would return home. Wheeler said the resident said Oguntope was asking if a woman around 21 years old lived at the home.
Authorities later received information that Oguntope’s white Honda was found at the Knights Inn on Highway 84 near Slaton.
When police confronted Oguntope at the inn, he told them he was looking for a woman he had been talking to and went to the wrong address.
When confronted about why he was at Knights Inn, Oguntope said he wanted to use the hotel’s wireless Internet.
According to a statement released by the Slaton Police Department, “Sampson did not seem to be nervous or act suspicious to the officers (and) Sampson was not wanted for any warrants at the time of this contact.”
The Slaton Police Department then received a call at 11:48 a.m. claiming there was a white female bleeding within the 1400 block of West Crosby Street in Slaton.
Wheeler said Lt. Trevor Barnes was the first officer on the scene and advised the police chief to investigate a residence near the end of the 1400 block. Wheeler said he and Slaton detective David Wood arrived at 1480 W. Crosby St. and found an elderly woman dead at the scene, appearing to have sustained a gunshot wound.
Barnes and another officer told Wheeler that the younger victim stated the intruder was a black male with a white car.
“I immediately had officers clear the house to make sure the suspect was not still in this residence,” Wheeler said. “I then contacted the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Department and Texas Rangers to assist. I had my dispatch put out a state-wide search for the vehicle and possible suspect.”
Wheeler said Lubbock County police arrived at the scene shortly after, where they collectively decided to lock down the crime scene and begin searching houses nearby to assure there were no more victims. Wheeler also said they were assisted by the Lubbock County SWAT team and the Department of Public Transportation launched an air unit to aid in the search.
“I want to personally thank Lubbock County Sherriff’s Department, DPS Highway Patrol, Texas Rangers and Texas Tech PD in their efforts in assisting my agency,” Wheeler said. “We have had so many resources helping solve this crime but more importantly keeping this suspect from injuring more people.”
Wheeler said authorities discovered the person of interest lived in Lubbock and was enrolled as a student at Tech. After contacting the Texas Tech Police Department, they found Oguntope’s vehicle was entered under Tech property. Tech PD, DPS and the Texas Rangers tried locating him on campus, and the Lubbock SWAT team set surveillance on Oguntope’s residence in north Lubbock at 3620 Marshall St.
Oguntope was arrested in Lubbock at his address. The Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office said two other individuals — Charles Henry Burgess, 28, and Philip Michael Murphy, 26 — were also arrested for attempting to prevent officers from conducting an investigation at the property.
“As Chief of Police for the City of Slaton I want to ensure our community that the Slaton Police Department works hard every day so that we have a safe community,” Wheeler said. “Slaton is a small farm town and our community pulls together like family. This is a tragic event and our prayers go out to the victims and their families
.”
LION KISSES WOMAN
ANOTHER SATR GONE
MONDAY Oluwafemi John, one of the pioneer members of Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey’s band, Inter-reformers band is dead. He died at the General Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos after a brief illness.
He died twenty four hours before a proposed meeting with his former boss, Evangelist Ebenezer Obey who is soon to celebrate his 70the birthday. Monday John was expected to join the Inter Reformer band of Evangelist Obey on the eve of his birthday.
The Juju musician who until his death was based in London, according to a family source, suffered a massive stroke last Wednesday and could not recover. He had been coming on and off some illnesses in recent years until his condition got more complicated.
The news of his death was confirmed by his eldest son, New York based Oluwafemi John ( Jnr)
Monday was a musical powerhouse as one of the band members of Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey. His activities as a versatile guitarist earned him love and admiration across the world. He was a pioneer member and a moving force in Ebenezer Obey’s legendary Juju band, Inter- Reformers band.
His musical talent and production arrangement ability was appreciated by millions of Juju lovers across the world. He handled the guitar with flare that helped in producing some of the classic records from Ebenezer Obay’s stable.
His death is coming just as committee of friends announced last Thursday, that they would be celebrating Commander Obey as he clocks 70 years of age.
TB JOSHUA FORSEES A PLANE CRASH
The man of God has warned Nigerians flying local airlines in the country to be very prayerful while boarding any flight as, according to him, God has shown him an imminent plane crash.
Prophet Joshua said the crash will not be caused by technical fault but by a security breach.
In his words: “The plane crash, if not averted, will involved one of...
Nigeria’s local flights. I wish to therefore advise Nigerians to pray zealously so that the country will not experience such a disaster, which might claim the lives of many government officials.
As part of measures to avoid being a victim of the crash, people who want to travel by air should always recite Psalm 91 before boarding any aircraft in order to ensure safe land.”
MAN STABS GIRL OVER SEX
A 22 year old man (names withheld) has been arrested by the police in Nasarawa State for alleged murder of a girl, Ador Terngwu, at the State House Hotel, situtated along Alamikwandere Road area of the state.
Confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), ASP Cornelius Ocholi, told Gamji in Lafia that the suspect alledgely stabbed the girl on Sunday following her refusal to allow the man to go for another round of sex with her, having failed to pay the deceased for the first round he had with her.
The PPRO also confirmed that teh suspect and the deceased had gone to the hotel at about 9.00pm and in teh wake of a verbal disagreement on matters relating to sex, the man allegedly desceded on the deceased, killing her with a knife.
Accrding to the PPRO, investigations revealed that the two have been dating each other and they have been quarelling persistently for about three weeks when the deceased resolved to put a stop to the relationship..
SENATE ORDERS ROAD SAFETY AND FRCC TO STOP ISSUING NEW PLATE NUMBERS
The Senate of the Federal Republic on Wednesday ordered the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, to stop issuing new vehicle number plates and driver’s license.
The order was upon the adoption of a motion on...
Senators during the consideration of the motion described the new vehicle number plates issued by the commission as illegal, noting that the Act which set up FRSC does not empower it to do such.
Moving the motion, Kuta lamented that FRSC has abandoned it primary mandates of ensuring safety on Nigeria roads by turning itself into revenue generating agency.
Kuta said, “The commission was not established principally as a revenue generating agency for states or Federal Government, but the commission in recent times has embarked on frequent and arbitrary introduction and reintroduction of vehicle number plates and driver’s licenses.
“The new driver’s license which the commission launched in 2011 is now issued for N6000 as against the N3000 while the new number plates have suddenly jumped from N5000 to an astronomical N15, 000.
“The exorbitant cost of the driver’s license and vehicle plate number is meant to financially improvised Nigerians because the amount is exploitative, prohibitive and insensitive for a population that is already facing challenges of harsh economic conditions.”
Senate President, David Mark while ruling on the motion said the new number plates by FRSC was an imposition of additional burden on Nigerians.
Mark warned, “Let them not impose additional expenditure on the people and their primary objective was not to generate revenue.
BABCOCK ATTACKED BY ARMED ROBBERS
At least seven armed robbers Wednesday afternoon stormed some banks within the premises of Babcock University, Ilishan Remo in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, southwest Nigeria, and carted away an undisclosed amount of money.
The robbers, P.M.NEWS learnt, went to Zenith and WEMA bank situated within the campus and shot sporadically to scare people away.
The shooting caused panic among students and other people within the campus.
Our correspondent gathered from an eyewitness that the robbers came with dynamite, rocket launchers and sub-machine guns.
They formed groups and broke into the banking halls to carry out their operation simultaneously.
A staff of one of the affected banks, Zenith, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on phone, expressing shock at the attack.
“It is an unbelievable experience, I don’t know how the boys came in. They carried big rocket launchers and dynamite. Before anyone knew what was happening, they swooped on us and asked all of us to lie down. One of them even slapped me because I wanted to look at his face. I cannot say the actual amount they carted away, but a rough estimate will be millions of naira,” the staff stated.
When our correspondent contacted one of the staff of the institution, Mr Dotun Oduroye, who heads the Technical Department, he confirmed the attack and stated that no student was hit by stray bullet, contrary to rumours that some students were hit.
According to Oduroye, “the robbers came in about an hour ago and they were with sophisticated weapons like dynamites and rockets. They were shooting in the air and two banks, Oceanic and WEMA banks were attacked. None of the students was hit by the bullet, it was only the shock that gripped many of them. But we thank God that it was just a shock.”
Our correspondent gathered that the robbers escaped through the express road and headed toward Ijebu Ode -Odogbolu route, still shooting as they fled.
Meanwhile, all banks in Ijebu Ode, Ijebu Igbo, Ago Iwoye and some neighboring towns including Sagamu have remained shut since Monday in the aftermath of the attack by armed robbers last week on two banks in Ijebu Imushin and Ijebu Igbo.
During last week’s operation, the robbers raided Sapida Microfinance bank in Ijebu Imushin and WEMA Bank, the only bank that has been operating in Ijebu Igbo in the last one year, and carted away an undisclosed amount of money.
During the Ijebu Imushin raid, two persons were hit by bullets and they were rushed to the General Hospital in Ijebu Ode. One of them later died during the weekend while the other one was reported to have been discharged yesterday.
A police source from Sagamu Divisional Headquarters confirmed the attack to our correspondent and said they are on the trail of the robbers.
As at the time of filing this report, many of the students were seen making frantic efforts to get across to their parents on phone.
They declined to speak with our correspondent.ANTS FOUND IN CONDOM AFTER FEMALE STUDENT
SLEEPS WITH ALHAJI IN IGBENEDION
Tongues are wagging in Edo State especially Benin-City,over how a 300 level female student of the College of Social Sciences of the Igbinedion University,Okada,narrowly escaped death after a steamy sex session with her super rich Sugar daddy,who is an Alhaji.The female student who hails from Asaba,the Delta State Capital was a regular bed mate of the super rich Alhaji,who constantly and regularly takes care of her needs and spoilt her silly with money and other material things.
It was learnt that on the fateful day,the Alhaji,who is said to shuttle between Abuja,Lagos and Benin called her up to book an hotel around her campus,pretending that he wanted her to be closer to school.
She did as the Alhaji instructed and subsequently packed her bag ready for the weekend for the arrival of the Alhaji.
At the hotel, the fun started as usual and everything was going on well.
It was learnt that usually,the Alhaji use condom any time he wants to sleep with her,but on this day,he insisted that they should be comfortable in each other’s company since they are no more strangers to each other.
She refused initially,but when she realized the Alhaji was getting angry,she remembered that she had a female condom in her bag,so she went to the toilet and inserted the female condom after which she agreed to have sex with him.Immediately after the show Alhaji’s phone beeped.
His mood changed and he got dressed and started hurrying to leave her saying that he got an urgent call to be in Abuja.
She went into the toilet to remove the condom and was shocked to find tiny black ants attempting to crawl out.
The territory sight made the lady scream aloud from the hotel room when she had lodged with the Alhaji thereby attracting the attention of the hotel workers and management,who subsequently killed the crawling black ants.
NIGERIAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING IN MALAYSIA
A 34 year old Nigerian man was yesterday February 27th, sentenced to death in Malaysia for trafficking in drugs two years ago.
Eric Chimezie Oluigbo was arrested while trying to distribute 22,159 grammes of cannabis at a traffic light in Napoh, Malaysia, on the morning of September 1, 2010.
Eric Chimezie Oluigbo was arrested while trying to distribute 22,159 grammes of cannabis at a traffic light in Napoh, Malaysia, on the morning of September 1, 2010.
He was charged under Section 39 (B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries a mandatory death penalty upon conviction
.
IBORI'S SOURCE OF WEALTH REVEALED
The Daily Mail of London exposes the massive wealth of former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, who pleaded guilty to a 10-count charge of money laundering and conspiracy yesterday before a Southwark Crown Court in London.
His rise from DIY store worker to international playboy with a £250 million fortune is the stuff of dreams.
A few years after quitting his £5,000-a-year job as a cashier for Wickes, James Ibori had become one of Nigeria’s most influential and richest politicians.
He wasted no time spending his new-found wealth on luxury homes, top-of-the-range cars, five-star travel and fees at exclusive boarding schools.
But yesterday the 49-year-old stood shame-faced in the dock of London’s Southwark Court as he admitted stealing tens of millions of pounds from the oil-rich state he governed in Nigeria. Scotland Yard detectives believe his fraud could exceed £250million.
He was on trial in the UK because much of the stolen money was laundered through his London office.
Ibori moved from Nigeria to West London in the late 1980s and was found guilty of stealing goods from the Wickes store he worked at in Ruislip in 1990.
A year later he was convicted of handling a stolen credit card. He moved back to Nigeria and worked for its president, Sani Abacha, as a policy consultant.
Rising quickly through the ranks of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, he was voted governor of Delta State in 1999, winning re-election four years later.
In power, he systematically stole from the public purse, taking kickbacks and transferring state funds to his own bank accounts around the world.
He was helped by family members, including his wife Theresa, sister Christine Ibori-Ibie, his mistress Udoamaka Oniugbo, and Mayfair lawyer Bhadresh Gohil.
A massive police investigation into Ibori’s activities revealed he had bought six properties in London, including a six-bedroom house with indoor pool in Hampstead for £2.2million and a flat opposite the nearby Abbey Road recording studios.
There was also a property in Dorset, a £3.2million mansion in South Africa and further real estate in Nigeria.
He owned a fleet of armoured Range Rovers costing £600,000 and a £120,000 Bentley. On one of his trips to London he bought a Mercedes Maybach for more than £300,000 at a dealer on Park Lane and immediately shipped it to South Africa.
He bought a private jet for £12 million, spent £126,000 a month on his credit cards and ran up a £15,000 bill for a two-day stay at the Lanesborough hotel in London.
Prosecutor Sasha Wass told the court Ibori concealed his UK criminal record, which would have excluded him from office in Nigeria.
“He was never the legitimate governor and there was effectively a thief in government house,” Miss Wass said. “As the pretender of that public office, he was able to plunder Delta State’s wealth and hand out patronage.”
The court heard Ibori abused his position to award contracts to his associates including his sister and his mistress.
Scotland Yard began its investigation into Ibori after officers found two computer hard drives in his London office that revealed his criminality.
He was arrested by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in December 2007, but two years later a court in his home town, Asaba, dismissed the charges saying there was not enough evidence.
When the case was reopened by Nigerian authorities in April 2010, Ibori fled to Dubai where he was detained at the request of the Metropolitan Police and extradited to the UK last April.
In a packed courtroom Ibori, dressed in a dark grey suit and black shirt, appeared in the dock to enter ten guilty pleas to fraud, money laundering and conspiracy on what was due to be the first day of a 12-week trial.
His wife, his mistress and his sister were all jailed for five years each for money laundering offences following earlier trials.
Last March, Gohil, 46, and described as Ibori’s London-based lawyer, was jailed for seven years for his role in the scam.
Attempts will be made to confiscate as much of Ibori’s money and assets as possible so that they can be returned to Nigeria.
The Met’s Detective Inspector Paul Whatmore said: “It is always rewarding for anyone working on a proceeds of corruption case to know that the stolen funds they identify will eventually be returned to some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world.”
Ibori will be sentenced on April 16 and 17.
GOVERNOR'S PAY THEIR RESPECTS TO THE GREAT ODUMEGWU OJUKWU.HIS FUNERAL
*Governors Obi, Okorocha, Orji, Elechi pay tributes
ENUGU – FROM Owerri to Aba through Enugu to Abakaliki, the South-East geo-political zone was literarily shut down yesterday as the outpouring of grief and tributes ushering the remains of late Elder statesman and former Military Governor of Eastern Nigeria, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu into the country hit his native Igbo land.
Owerri, the Imo State Capital has been charged since Monday afternoon when Ojukwu’s corpse was flown into the city and the showers of tributes on the late Eze Igbo Gburugburu continued yesterday as his remains were carried through the heart of the territory he once carved out as the Republic of Biafra.
To enable residents participate fully in the funeral activities, the Enugu State Government, which received the corpse yesterday has declared tomorrow a public holiday just as President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to arrive the Coal City for tomorrow’s ceremony in the city.
Governors of the South-East states such as Peter Obi (Anambra), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Theodore Orji (Abia) and Martin Elechi (Ebonyi) led a host of Igbo leaders and politicians to shower tributes on Ojukwu, yesterday.
The carnival in Owerri
In Owerri, the night of tributes organized by Imo State Government turned out to be a political carnival of sorts. Every inch of the Ikemba Ojukwu Convention Centre and the Heroes’ Square was covered by a combination of Ikemba’s political allies, military personnel, friends, relations, government functionaries and loyalists of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB.
In Owerri, the night of tributes organized by Imo State Government turned out to be a political carnival of sorts. Every inch of the Ikemba Ojukwu Convention Centre and the Heroes’ Square was covered by a combination of Ikemba’s political allies, military personnel, friends, relations, government functionaries and loyalists of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB.
Addressing the mammoth crowd, Governor Okorocha, called for the creation of an additional state in the South East geo-political zone, stressing that this would be a befitting way to immortalize the departed Igbo hero.”The late icon was courageous and religiously committed to Igbo cause. He fought for justice and for the interest of his people. Ndigbo believe in the nation’s unity and have over the years shed their blood in this regard.”
A Crowd during the funeral rites in honour of Late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, yesterday, in Aba, Abia State. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.
Noting that Igbo were upwardly mobile and live in all nook and crannies of Nigeria, Okorocha however, regretted that Ndigbo were first to be killed whenever and wherever there was any crisis in the country..
Other dignitaries that paid glowing tribute to the fallen hero included Imo State Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso; State Chief Judge, Justice Benjamin Njemanze; National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh; and Senator Osita Izunaso.
…Enyimba City agog
In like manner, Aba, the Abia State industrial hub, stood still as Ojukwu’s corpse was brought into the city.
In like manner, Aba, the Abia State industrial hub, stood still as Ojukwu’s corpse was brought into the city.
As early as 8am, thousands of Aba residents had trooped to the Enyimba Stadium, Aba, where Ojukwu’s body was being expected. And thousands of residents lined the streets of Aba, particularly the streets leading and those adjoining the stadium, waving and singing Ojukwu’s praises.
Security in and around the stadium, coordinated by senior army officers, was heavy. At least three Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC, and scores of patrol vans belonging to the army, police and navy were stationed in and around the stadium.
Governors Obi, Okorocha and Orji were present at the ceremony.
At about 11.10am, a military helicopter painted in army camouflaged colour, which brought Ojukwu’s remains to the stadium landed at the stadium, and the governors led by Orji went to receive the corpse.
At about 11. 50am, the casket bearing Ojukwu remains, draped in Nigerian colour of green-white-green, carried by senior military officers and overseen by Major General Sylvester Audu, the outgoing Commander of 14 Brigade, Ohafia, was ushered into the middle of the stadium amid cheers from the crowd.
In his remark during a short sermon, Catholic Bishop of Aba, Most Rev. C.C. Ezeonyia commended the leadership qualities of late Ojukwu, whom he described as very talented. “We have suffered a great loss. We lost so excellent a man, who pulled himself out for Igbo race. He laid down his life for the people, he will be missed by all,” he said.
Why we’re celebrating Ojukwu – Orji
Governor Orji said that Abia people were celebrating Ojukwu because his impact on Abia would for ever be felt. According to him, the War Museum and Ojukwu Bunker in Umuahia, the state capital were everlasting monuments.
Governor Orji said that Abia people were celebrating Ojukwu because his impact on Abia would for ever be felt. According to him, the War Museum and Ojukwu Bunker in Umuahia, the state capital were everlasting monuments.
Describing Ojukwu as as a detribalized Nigerian, having been born in the North, schooled in theWest and hailed from the East, Orji said the revered Igbo leader fought for injustice and stood firmly for the liberation of his people from injustice.
In his remarks, Gov. Peter Obi, who, with his wife, Margaret, accompanied the remains of Ojukwu back from London on Monday and who visited him nine times when he was sick, said he was always overwhelmed by the type of honour Nigerians accord Ojukwu both at home and elsewhere.
Obi said that Ojukwu’s name had become a byword for justice and asked rhetorically how many Nigerians today would support such an ideal without asking what material benefit would come out of it.
The governor however, advised Nigerians to go beyond sloganeering about what Ojukwu lived for by striving to embrace peace and love. “We all must move beyond mouthing of slogans about how Ojukwu was married to justice to turning those ideals into what will be of benefit to humanity,” he said.
Ojukwu product of historical circumstance – Elechi
In Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State Capital, Governor Elechi described the late Ikemba Nnewi as a product of historical circumstance, whose demise had caused an outpouring of grief and sorrow to the Nigerian state and Ndigbo in particular.
Speaking at the Obsequies in honour of Ojukwu held at the Sports Stadium, Abakaliki, he noted that the late soldier with his indomitable courage, personality, colour and action would have been able to proffer useful solutions to some of the socio-political challenges facing the nation at this time.
“For Ojukwu, the world was not simply a stage upon which he came and had his exit but rather a stage upon which he came and left with a difference.”
He said: “Although Ezeigbo Gburugburu has caused an outpouring of grief and sorrows to the Nigerian state and Ndigbo in particular, it is not so much the fact of death which is our common heritage that makes us sorrow at his passage, but that our war hero, a soldier of great prowess, a man of indomitable courage and a personality of colour and action, died after many months of motionlessness in his bed of pains.
“But with the convulsion on the Nigerian political scene, secession became synonymous with Ojukwu; Biafra became synonymous with Ojukwu and rebellion became synonymous with Ojukwu. These historical circumstances have become inseparable for the name of Ojukwu. Each of these clinches is an alter ego of a historian who shaped the history of his fatherland and at the same time, became a product of historical circumstance.
“For Ojukwu, the world was not simply a stage upon which he came and had his exit; he came upon it and left it with a difference. Within the coordinates of his own time and space, he twisted the state; he rocked the stage and reconstructed the stage with a firm imprint of his personality on the thoughts and memories of his contemporaries”
The event witnessed laying of wreaths by guests including former Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Sam Egwu, governors of Imo and Anambra states and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Dave Umahi among others.
Enugu declares public holiday for Ojukwu
In Enugu, the state government has declared Thursday, March 1, 2012, a public holiday in honour of Odumegwu Ojukwu.
A statement signed by Chukwudi Achife, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sullivan Chime, said that the holiday was to enable Enugu citizens attend and participate actively in the National Burial and Funeral ceremonies of the deceased statesman that will hold the same day at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu.
According to him, the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Goodluck will be in attendance at the ceremony which will commence by 10am.
The statement, enjoined all citizens, market associations, traders, artisans and students to turn up en masse to participate in the activity and give due honour to the departed hero.
It also reminded the public of the Requiem Mass that will be held in honour of Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu at the Holy Ghost Cathedral on Wednesday, February 29, by 10am and the evening of tributes that will hold at the Enugu Sports Centre same day.
Enugu receives Ojukwu
Meanwhile, yesterday evening, the remains of Ojukwu arrived Enugu, where he had spent the rest of his life after returning from exile in 1982.
Meanwhile, yesterday evening, the remains of Ojukwu arrived Enugu, where he had spent the rest of his life after returning from exile in 1982.
He was received at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport by Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Mr Sunday Onyebuchi, who led members of the State Executive Council, top military officers and eminent personalities.
His remains had earlier been received at Aba, Abia State and Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital before returning to Enugu.
From the airport, the long convoy drove to the Government House at exactly 6.18pm and was greeted with the traditional 21 gun salute before a solemn mass was conducted for the late Ikemba Nnewi.
Professor Monsignor Obiora Ike of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu conducted the mass where Ojukwu’s widow read the first lesson from Acts of Apostles chapter 20 verses 11 to 21. Wife of Enugu State Governor, Mrs Clara Chime took the second lesson from St Paul 17 verses 7 to 14.CATHOLICS BATTLE HOMOSEXUALITY.THEY CALL IT AN ABOMINABLE ACT
Describing homosexuality as an abominable act that had the potential of incurring the wrath of God in Ghana, the Archbishop Emeritus of the Kumasi Catholic Archdiocese, the Most Rev Peter Kwasi Sarpong, said it was only when Christians joined hands in seeking divine intervention that homosexuality, which is gradually creeping into the country, could be uprooted.
“Homosexuals indulge in such an abominable act because they have developed an insatiable appetite for it and it is only fasting and prayers that have the power to quench such appetite,” he explained
“Just as the wrath of God came upon the people of Sodom and Gomorrah at a time their men were sleeping among themselves and women were marrying one another in rapid succession against the will of God, so will it happen in Ghana if we allow homosexuality to gain firm roots in the country,” he warned.
Preaching the sermon at the St Mary’s Parish Church at Kaase, a Kumasi suburb, as part of the celebration of the first week of Lent, which is a period of fasting and spiritual renewal for Christians, Archbishop Emeritus Sarpong pointed out that fasting and prayers were very potent in seeking the face of God.
He said it was equally important for Christians not only to refrain from indulging in any act of sin but also use fasting and prayers as an intervention for those indulging in sinful acts.
He also advised Christians to lead exemplary lifestyles, not only at home and their immediate environment but also their workplaces.
He said providing quality services at workplaces such as classrooms, hospitals, highways, marketplaces, among others, would portray Christians as men of God worthy to be emulated.
“You may be poor in many ways and may not have the requisite resources to help your neighbours overcome their immediate challenges, but when you provide quality services for their children in the classrooms or quality healthcare services at the hospitals and also behave professionally as a driver on the highway, then you are exhibiting your Christian values,” Archbishop Emeritus Sarpong explained
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FORMER VICE PRESIDENT,ATIKU ABUBAKAR TALKS ABOUT BOKO HARAM
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has urged members of the Boko Haram to seize the opportunity offered for dialogue with the Federal Government in the interest of unity, stability and economic development of the country.
The former Vice-President made the call against the backdrop of renewed attacks by the sect in Jos and Gombe, which led to scores of death over the weekend.
Atiku, who spoke on Monday in a statement issued by his Media Office in Abuja, said that no one will take the group or its agenda seriously when it continues to remain faceless.
According to him, it is high time the group stepped out in person to articulate its grievances and thereby opening a window for dialogue.
He reiterated his earlier position that there can be no justification for the killings of Nigerians under any guise.
He decried the killings and destruction of properties noting that the activities of Boko Haram amount to a declaration of war on the Nigerian State.
“If Boko Haram and its leadership have something to say; if they have any grouse against the Nigerian state, the proper thing for them is to come out in flesh and state it, so that a process of dialogue that will eventually lead to the resolution of the crisis and the siege on Nigerians can commence in earnest,” Atiku said.
He expressed his condolences to the affected families and governments and people of Plateau and Gombe over the weekend killings in Jos and Gombe.
PMNEWS
OSAMA BIN LADEN'S HOUSE.DEMOLISHED
Pakistan is demolishing the compound where US forces killed Osama Bin Laden, in the city of Abbottabad, residents and police say.
The al-Qaeda leader was shot dead at the compound in the north-western city near the capital Islamabad in May 2011.
The al-Qaeda leader was shot dead at the compound in the north-western city near the capital Islamabad in May 2011.
Bulldozers arrived after dark to demolish the outer walls, and have been working through the night.
There is heavy security around the compound, which served as Bin Laden's hideout for more than five years.
Residents say an unannounced curfew has been placed in the area, and residents have been asked not to leave their homes, the BBC's Ilyas Khan in Islamabad reports.
The site is a large compound with high walls built around the actual house.
Officials say the compound was handed over by the military to the civil authorities before the operation started.
They say the demolition was decided soon after the 2 May 2011 raid, but it was put off when the government set up a judicial commission to investigate the operation by US forces.
"Since the commission has almost completed its work and did not need the compound for any further investigation, it was decided it should be razed," an official said.
He said the reason for the demolition was the visitors the place continued to attract, which posed a security threat to the area, located in an important garrison town.
Stealth operation
Osama Bin Laden is said to have lived in the compound with his family for several years.
On that day, a team of US special forces flew from Afghanistan to Bin Laden's hiding place during the night in stealth helicopters on a secret operation.
They swept through the buildings within the high-walled enclosure and shot dead a total of five people, including Bin Laden.
Some 40 minutes later they left, taking with them Bin Laden's body and a hoard of computer data devices and other information containing intelligence about al-Qaeda and Bin Laden's activities.
The compound has been a painful reminder for Pakistan, which was embarrassed by the unilateral US operation that killed Bin Laden, correspondents say.
VANGUARD'S EDITOR IN CHIEF,GBENGA ADEFAYE ATTACKED
LAGOS — Armed bandits, early morning yesterday, laid siege to Lagos/Ibadan Expressway and carted away cash and valuables worth millions of naira.
Among the victims of the robbery attack, which reports said had been going on for over three consecutive days, is the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and Editor-in-Chief of Vanguardnewspapers, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, who ended up with bruises after loosing his Blackberry phone and other gadgets.
Reports said the bandits, who were dressed in Police uniform, blocked the ever-busy expressway by Isara area around 10.15 a.m and subjected unsuspecting motorists
and their passengers to hours of grueling torture and harassment. Some of the lucky motorists were said to have ran into the bush to escape the attack. Their abandoned vehicles were, however, ransacked while all their valuables were carted away.
Mr. Adefaye, who narrated his experience on phone, said they blocked the expressway and was robbing from one vehicle to another. He sustained bruises while trying to escape into the nearby bush. The bandits, however, vandalised his car, a Honda Bullet with number plate AG 56 AGL and made away with his valuables.
Other victims who spoke with Vanguard said the bandits operated for over 30 minutes before disappearing into the thick bush. It was gathered that a team of policemen arrived the scene few minutes after the robbers disappeared.
Lamenting their plight, the victims said they learnt from people living around the area that the bandits have been operating for three consecutive days and only disappear into the bush when policemen arrive. They also said the robbers normally resurface to continue with their operation immediately policemen leave the scene. They attributed the incessant robbery to the recent removal of police road blocks on the expressway by the new Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar.
According to one of the victims who pleaded for anonymity,”when a team of policemen arrived the scene, they were asking us questions on how the incident happened. While we were busy narrating the story to them, some people living around the area advised us to find means of getting out of the area because the robbers must re-appear as son as the policemen departs from the scen. That was how all of us rushed out of the dangerous zone.”
As at the time of filing this report, it was not possible to contact Ogun State police Public Relations Officer.
MIKEL OBI TO DUMP CHELSEA
Mikel Obi is unhappy at Chelsea and he could be open to a sensational move to big-spending Russian club, Anzhi Makhachkala.
Close sources to the Nigeria international midfielder said he has been unhappy for some time now at Stamford Bridge under Manager Andre Villas-Boas.
And his escape from his misery could now be Anzhi, who have hired Mikel’s former boss at Chelsea, Guus Hiddink.
“Mikel has clearly made up his mind to quit Chelsea and already there have been some moves by Anzhi to have him,” a top source said.
The Russian club has attracted some big names like Samuel Eto’o, Roberto Carlos and only recently, Yuri Zhirkov left Chelsea to join them.
Mikel’s Chelsea contract still has two more years to run, but lately this season, it has become increasingly clear that he may not have a future there under AVB.
Tuesday night he was an unused sub as Chelsea crashed 3–1 at Napoli to leave their UEFA Champions League hopes again hanging by the thread.
The player’s agent, John Ola Shittu, has insisted Mikel is staying put at Chelsea as “they have not said they do not want him”.
The 24-year-old Mikel joined Chelsea in 2006 after a transfer saga that also involved Manchester United.
He won the English Premier League championship with ‘The Blues’ in the 2009/10 season as well as three winners’ medals in the FA Cup and one such medal in the League Cup.
Sun Nigeria
SENATE ANTAGONIZES RESTRICTION OF CORP MEMBERS POSTING
The Senate on Wednesday, rejected a bill seeking to amend the Act establishing the National Youth Service Corps. The bill seeks to prohibit the posting of corps members to states where there are conflicts.
It also rejected another bill seeking to amend the Central Bank of Nigeria Act to ban the valueing of goods and services in Nigeria in foreign currencies.
The first bill sponsored by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, also advocated a N50bn insurance package for corps members.
Presenting the lead debate on Wednesday, Adetunmbi said it would increase the monetary allowances paid to the corps members in view of the declining purchasing power of the naira since the last time their remuneration was reviewed.
The bill provided for the evacuation of corps members in conflict areas, making it the sole responsibility of the state governments.
He said, “The first amendment proposes that section 1 of the Principal Act be amended by inserting some provisions which prohibit the posting of corps members to states where conflict exists.”
Senators, however, opposed the bill on the grounds that the amendments sought could be effected by administrative means.
It was argued that since the changes could be brought about through administrative means, based on the NYSC Act No 84, there was no need to undertake an amendment through legislation.
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, noted that the bill was a long way to achieving changes that could easily be achieved administratively.
He said, “In view of section 315 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the NYSC Act can only be amended through constitutional amendment.”
President of the Senate, David Mark, adopted the views canvassed against the bill, saying that it would be wrong to seek to amend the NYSC Act on the basis of insecurity.
He said, “Whatever insecurity that exists today is temporary and we should not fashion our laws along that line. The insecurity we notice today is temporary and will not last for long.”
According Mark, most of the changes proposed in the NYSC bill are not things that ought to be in a bill but can be effected through administrative processes.
The bill was subsequently withdrawn as opposition to it was sustained.
Also, the Senate also stood down a bill seeking to amend the CBN Act to criminalise the denomination of goods and services offered in Nigeria in foreign currency.
The Senate was of the view that such legislation could endanger the economy.
Ekweremadu said the world had become a global village and such laws would be counter productive.
Other senators spoke in the same vein, arguing that the naira is used in many other countries.
PUNCH NIGERIA
300 BILLION NAIRA AWARDED TO FAKE FIRMS
Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday raised the alarm over how the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) awarded contracts worth billions of naira to phantom companies.
Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday raised the alarm over how the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) awarded contracts worth billions of naira to phantom companies.
A source within the committee said the contracts awarded to some companies without known addresses and offices are worth at least N300 billion.
The Senate FCT committee reportedly discovered that addresses of some of the companies were mere kiosks and that some didn’t have offices they claimed on paper, while others were not domiciled in Abuja.
The Senator Smart Adeyemi-led committee unveiled this during a maiden meeting with 25 FCT contractors on engineering projects in Abuja.
Adeyemi further said that some companies lack traceable addresses. Some gave addresses of kiosks and these companies are handling projects worth billions of naira. Companies with questionable offices, gleaned from documents submitted to the committee are: Diamond Development Nigeria Ltd, COAN W. A. Ltd and Cat Construction Company.
Adeyemi further said that some companies lack traceable addresses. Some gave addresses of kiosks and these companies are handling projects worth billions of naira. Companies with questionable offices, gleaned from documents submitted to the committee are: Diamond Development Nigeria Ltd, COAN W. A. Ltd and Cat Construction Company.
Others include: S&M Nig. Ltd, TE & T Engineering Ltd and New Tiger Head Nig. Ltd.
Daily Sun further gathered that the addresses given by Diamond Development and COAN were discovered to be residential houses, while Cat Const. has no Abuja address. They only gave an address on Victoria Island, Lagos.
A visibly angry Senator Adeyemi declared that the committee would not entertain any lobby from executives of the construction companies.
“God be our witness, we have no interest to malign anybody’s name or interest. Please, get us right; we don’t want a relationship with any of you. We are here to help our country. About six of you here don’t even have any presentation in writing.
Out of the 25 companies summoned to the meeting, only 12 honoured the invitation.
The absence of multi-national construction company, Julius Berger from the meeting angered the committee members, which necessitated an adjournment till Monday.
The committee further mandated the companies to show up next Monday with details of individual indigenisation policy; foreign component charges; public private partnership; Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Corporate Social Responsibility.
On indigenization, Adeyemi explained that the Senate is interested in knowing “the percentage of people working in your companies and the minimum wage being paid because on our oversight tours last year, we heard how some of these construction companies pay their staff N12, 000 per month. That is unacceptable.
The committee said the MoU should spell out the details of FDA’s public, private partnership with the construction companies.
On payment of royalties to the coffers of the Federal Government, the committee demanded payment details on “granite and laterite used so that we know whether you are actually paying the country. We also need to see your Bill of Quantity.
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