₦airaland Forum

For the Catholic faithful, this piece of news will definitely be hard to stomach: Pope Francis says he has only two or three years to live.

Although the Argentina-born Pontiff was silent on why he thinks he would not live for more than three years, he hinted that he had   ‘some nerve problems’ which require treatment.

He spoke with journalists aboard his jet as he returned from a trip to South Korea.

Francis, according to the Mailonline on Tuesday, also mentioned the possibility of retiring from the Papacy if his health failed to cope with the rigours of his office.

His predecessor, Benedict XVI, stepped down last year, in an unprecedented move that opened the way for Francis to become the Pope.

“I see it as the generosity of the people of God. I try to think of my sins, my mistakes, not to become proud. Because I know it will last only a short time,” the pope said.

Then, apparently light-heartedly, he added, “Two or three years and then I’ll be off to the Father’s house.”

A Vatican source, said the Mailonline had claimed that the Pope   had previously told those close to him that he thought he only had a few years to live.

Although Francis is 77, he has been the most vigorous Pope in years, his energy proving the key to his popularity.

His frank admission may lead commentators to speculate as to whether he has any undisclosed health problems.

At the time of his elevation to the Papacy, reports emerged that Francis had a lung removed when he was a teenager in Argentina after suffering an infection.

The Mailonline quoted Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville, Tennessee in United States, to have said, “So whatever they did got him over that precarious period. As people age, they generally become more susceptible to lung infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis.”

The risk of lung infections increases if those affected have pre-existing conditions such as a weakened immune system or heart disease.

But Francis joked about the nervous problems, saying, “I must treat them well, these nerves, give them mate (an Argentine stimulant tea) every day.”

“One of these neuroses, is that I’m too much of a homebody,” he added and recalled that the last time he had taken a holiday outside of   Argentina was with the Jesuit community in 1975.

Resigning the papacy, as his predecessor Benedict XVI did last year, was also a possibility “even if it does not appeal to some theologians”, Francis told the journalists.

He added that 60 years ago, it was practically unheard of for Catholic bishops to retire, but nowadays it was common.

As the jet travelled through the airspace, Francis also addressed the issues surrounding the Catholic Church in China, a country which refuses to allow Catholics to officially recognise the spiritual leadership of the Vatican.

Since the communist revolution, Catholicism, like all religions, has been permitted to operate only under the supervision of the State Administration for Religious Affairs.

Clerics who resisted this had been subjected to oppression, including long imprisonment torture and even martyrdom.

Pope Francis told the journalists he wanted dialogue with China and the only thing he asked in return was for the Catholic Church to be able to operate freely.


Source: www.punchng.com/news/i-have-two-or-three-years-to-live-pope-francis/

At least, 40 soldiers in North-Eastern are refusing to fight Islamist Boko Haram militants until they receive better equipment.

The BBC reported on Tuesday that one of the mutineers said that he and 39 others would refuse orders to deploy.

The alleged soldier spoke with the BBC just as the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, warned officers and men of the Nigerian Army to desist from any form of mutiny in the face of the ongoing campaign against the Boko Haram sect.

The BBC stated that a defence ministry spokesman said the incident was being investigated.

The Federal Government had declared state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states because of the attacks by the Boko Haram sect.

“Soldiers are dying like fowl,” the soldier, who said he and his colleagues were just outside Maiduguri, told the BBC.

“The Nigerian army is not ready to fight Boko Haram,” he said, explaining that soldiers were not being given enough weapons and ammunition to take them on.

“Boko Haram are inside the bush, everywhere,” he said “They [senior commanders] are sacrificing soldiers,” he said.

The Defence headquarters spokesman, Gen Chris Olukolade, told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme that he could not confirm the reports of a mutiny but would investigate.

He denied that soldiers were being “sent to die”.

“We may not have all it takes but we are improving on it [equipment] regularly,” he said.

But the Defence Headquarters, in a statement on Tuesday denied the report that troops in the North -East had taken a decision to refuse to obey directives from superior officers.

Olukolade, said in an electronic mail on Tuesday , said the level of cowardice described in the report was not in the character of the Nigerian soldier.

He described the interview granted the BBC as lies by an anonymous soldier.

Olukolade said it was part of the the antics of mischief-makers to promote the course of the Boko Haram sect.

He stressed that the military had not sent any soldier to the frontline without providing the necessary equipment.

Olukolade warned that mutiny remained a grave offence attracting severe punishment.


Source: www.punchng.com/news/40-soldiers-vow-not-to-fight-bharam-report/

ONDO State Government has declared Friday  August 15 and 22, 2014 as holidays.

     According to a statement by Information Commissioner, Kayode Akinmade, this is to enable public servants participate actively in the fresh voters registration being organised by the  Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  as well as  the  collection of the newly introduced permanent voters card.

  Voters are expected to begin the exchange of their old temporary voters card for a permanent one on August 15-17 while registration of fresh voters will hold August 20-22.

   The government urged civil servants and the general public to take advantage of the holidays and ensure that they partake actively in the exercise by exchanging their temporary voter’s card for a permanent one and register if they have not done so.

 


Source: www.ngrguardiannews.com/news/national-news/174878-ondo-declares-august-15-22-as-work-free?fb_locale=en_GB

Candidate of the PDP. Iyiola Omisore has petitioned the INEC over the just concluded gubernatorial election.
The petition titled: Protest on the August 9, gubernatorial election said candidate of the APC, Rauf Aregbesola flouted provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 by announcing results.
The petition reads:” I hereby condemn the APC candidate , Raufu Aregbesola declaring his own version of the results without recourse to INEC. With the facts of  results, its apparent that the PDP candidate , Dr. Iyiola Omisore is leading.”

“This act of APC is in conflict with the provisions of Electoral Law 2010 whereby a candidate can concoct figures and released to confuse the public thus make this election inconclusive until facts behind the figures are released by the INEC.

“The peace and stability of this state is such under an unprecedented threat . The results so far by APC remained cancelled.”


Source: www.thenationonlineng.net/new/breaking-news-omisore-petitions-inec/#

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The Liberian Government on Thursday apologised to Nigeria over the importation of the deadly Ebola Virus   by a Liberian-born American, Patrick Sawyer.

Sawyer arrived Lagos on July 20 from Lome but died five days after he was admitted into a hospital in Obalende when he showed Ebola virus symptons.

The Liberian-born American came into contact with 59 people in both the Murtala Mohammed International Airport and the hospital. Eight of the hospital contacts were quarantined at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yaba. One of them, a matron, who died on Tuesday became the first Nigerian casualty. Five others, including a female medical doctor, had as of Wednesday, tested positive to the virus.

The Liberian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nurudeem Mohammed, told journalists in Abuja that President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, was deeply sorry that Sawyer brought the virus to Nigeria.

He said that the deceased   was under surveillance in Liberia but that he   sneaked into Lagos.

Mohammed said, “The Liberian President President has personally called to apologise on the unfortunate development.

“She specifically said her country had declared a state of emergency over the Ebola epidermic in Liberia.

‘She equally apologised that Sawyer ignored medical advice and escaped out of Liberia.”

However, hopes that the United States   may send Zmapp, the experimental drug for Ebola virus treatment,   appear dashed going by US President Barack Obama’s declaration that it was too early   for West African countries hit by the outbreak to have it.

Obama made the US position known at a news conference at the end of an African summit on Wednesday. While he spoke at the event, the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, told journalists in Abuja that he had written the US Centre for Disease Control requesting for ZMapp.

On Thursday, Chukwu also told journalists   that he had yet to receive a response from the centre.

But Obama, according to The Independent of London, said he lacked enough information to give the green light on distributing the drug, insisting the world must “let science guide us” on its use.

“I don’t think all the information is in on whether this drug is helpful,” the US President said, adding that “Ebola   virus both currently and in the past is controllable if you have a strong public health infrastructure in place.”

He said, “We’re focusing on the public health approach right now, but I will continue to seek information about what we’re learning about all the drugs going forward.”

The Cable News Network also reported on Thursday that Obama said,   “The countries affected(by the virus) are the first to admit that what has   happened   is that their public health systems have been overwhelmed. They weren’t able to identify and then isolate cases quickly enough.

“As a consequence, it spread more rapidly than has been typical with the periodic Ebola outbreaks that occurred previously.”

But Chukwu told journalists in Abuja on Thursday that he was not aware that the US had turned down   requests for the experimental drug.

The minister, who   inaugurated   Defence Identification Centre at the Mogadishu Cantonment Abuja,   said he was optimistic that Nigeria would get positive response from the US.

Chukwu explained that the seeming delay   might be as a result of issues relating to the production and supply of the drugs.

He stated also that the data of the drugs were still being collected since it had been used on human beings.

Chukwu however added that for now, nobody was sure of the efficacy of the drug and whether its side effects   would outweigh its benefits or not.

He said, “Well, we are waiting for a response from them (US); we have made the request but of course, we believe that they will respond to us.

“But we also know that; one, this is an experimental drug, some of the data required are now being collected because it is now being used   on people.

“We are not completely sure yet of its efficacy; we are not yet completely sure if the side effects would outweigh its benefits, and then secondly, since it is an experimental drug, it means it has not been produced in commercial quantity.

“So obviously, given the demand all over the world, may be, they are having challenges about the supply.”

Chukwu   commended the military for establishing   the first Defence Identification Centre in Sub -Saharan Africa, which according to him, is in consonance with best practices in combat casualty identification.

He said the centre would be useful in the storage of the DNA samples of serving military personnel, identification of crash victims and victims of terror attacks.

Also at the event attended by the Minister of Defence, Gen. Aliyu Gusau, and all the service chiefs and heads of security agencies in the country, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, urged military and security personnel to utilise the centre by providing their blood samples.

Badeh said the centre would make it possible for all fallen military personnel to be identified and given a proper burial.

It was gathered that the military leadership decided to establish the centre   after 46 soldiers of the 234 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Monguno, burnt to death     in an accident.

According to him, the 46 soldiers were buried   to the chagrin of their families who complained that   their corpses were not   identified.

Don’t close borders against Nigerians

At another function where the Health Minister met with representatives of embassies and international agencies   in Nigeria, Chukwu pleaded that foreign   borders should not be closed against Nigerians.

He said it would be wrong for any country to do so since Nigeria had not closed its own borders.

He said, “We are prepared to treat every infected person . Representatives of the various foreign countries in Nigeria should advise their home countries against closing their borders against Nigerians because everything is being done to contain the spread of the disease.

“We will be destroying the whole world totally if every country should close down their borders. But if you think closing down your own borders will help you, go ahead and do it.

“We have not closed down our land borders because we are weighing all possibilities. The ministry of health will not be the last to advise the Federal Government to close the borders if we are convinced that doing so is necessary.

“Unless we are sure that all our land borders are fully secured, closing the border in Nigeria will be counter-productive because we still have many porous borders which foreigners would explore without being screened.”

He commended the international community, the World Bank, the ECOWAS and the private sector for supporting Nigeria’s efforts   at combating the disease

Chukwu also said Nigeria would not allow foreigners     infected with the Ebola virus   to travel out for treatment.

He said that WHO had   noted that about 1, 700 persons had been infected with the   virus and that more than 900 of them   had died since the outbreak of the disease.

The minister said, “This was the figure released yesterday (Wednesday) and it could have been more today.

“If the incubation period of the virus had shifted a little bit, the Liberian- born American , Mr Patrick Sawyer, who imported the disease would have after participating in the ECOWAS summit in Calabar, Cross River State, returned to the US where it would have manifested.

“This means that currently, the whole world is in danger. For Nigeria, it is a national emergency but for the whole world, it is a global emergency. Everyone, every nation and every individual is at risk.

“Clearly, a victim is condemned to prison by the disease but he or she is not condemned to death. The victim is in prison because he is quarantined when suspected to have the virus and isolated when he has the disease. It is not condemnation to death.

“So, having Ebola virus is not a death sentence. People can survive it and an international research is still ongoing to make sure that any carrier of the virus survives.

“It is true that we are in possession of the manifest of the passengers that flew in the same aircraft with Sawyer from Lome to Lagos but the problem is that the seats in the aircraft were free so we have to go after all the 48 passengers.

“All those who landed with him in Lagos were immediately placed under surveillance alongside all the airport staff and hospital personnel who had direct contact with them.

“At the moment, one or two of the passengers are hiding . Some of the primary contacts, against our advice, had even left Lagos and travelled to other cities.

“We have put in place the infrared tarmac detectors gadgets to screen outgoing and incoming passengers at the Lagos and Abuja airports. We are also screening in   49 land borders, 13 airports, and 18 sea borders.

“Currently Nigeria has diagnosed seven Ebola virus victims. The figure included the late Sawyer. There are six Nigerians and one of them unfortunately died on Tuesday. Others are under investigation.”

The minister added that medical personnel were the only people allowed to wear protective gloves in the hospitals.

He called on non-medical personnel   at the borders to stop wearing protective gloves.

He said the Federal Government was ready to work with the Saudi Arabia authorities on how to ensure that pilgrims were well screened before being allowed to participate in the Holy pilgrimage.

Chukwu, who lamented the deteriorating state of health workers who had contracted Ebola, urged the international community to assist Nigeria in combating the menace.

He also announced that “there will be introduction of life insurance scheme for the health workers that will be recruited so that it would go a long way in helping the family of the doctor when issue of Ebola arises.”

The minister added, “The issue of Ebola is affecting our health workers but we are assuring them that government is doing everything possible to protect them; the health workers the ministry is going to recruit will have life insurance so that when anything happens, the family of the doctor will not suffer the loss.”

ECOWAS closes Lagos office

The VicePresident of ECOWAS, Dr. Toga McIntosh, said the sub regional organisation was in support of all strategies being employed by Nigeria to stop the spread of the Ebola virus.

McIntosh disclosed that the regional body had closed down its Lagos office pending when health officers would declare it fit for reopening.

He confirmed that ECOWAS invited Sawyer to its annual retreat in Calabar alongside other ECOWAS ambassadors, national officers, unit heads, and heads of ECOWAS institutions.

He said, “Our protocol officers, including the driver that went to meet Sawyer at the airport are among those under surveillance and are under careful observation. We are monitoring them very closely.

“Also, we have suspended all our activities for a while. In our Lagos office where we initially hosted the late Sawyer, we are collaborating with the Lagos State Government to fully fumigate the entire premises because the vehicle which was used to take him to the hospital is in the compound.

“He had interacted with people used the toilets and other facilities.

At the moment we have closed down our office pending when the health officers will declare it fit for reopening.

Also, the Officer in charge of the WHO in Nigeria, Dr. Rex Mpazanje, said Ebola virus in Nigeria had been contained at the primary contact level.

He commended Nigeria for declaring an epidemic when the case was discovered.

However, the Liberian Ambassador to Liberia, Prof. Al-Hassan Conteh, said the attention of the embassy had been drawn to several cases of harassment of Liberians in Lagos and other places in Nigeria.

He said, “I think that as we combat this disease, it is important to carry out a campaign that association is not concession. The fact that   the index case came from Liberia, does not mean that all Liberians in Nigeria are infected with the Ebola virus.”

Source: http://www.punchng.com/news/ebola-virus-liberia-apologises-to-nigeria/

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THE END IS HERE

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Grow up little kid

Just kidding!
RIP rugged solder.
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OMISORE

Four graduates and two undergraduates of the Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State have been arrested for alleged fraud by the police.
The suspects are Falade Oluwapelumi Ayotunde (25), Asaolu Victor (25), Awote Temitope Emax (27), Fajobi Olalekan (27) Bolatiri Emmanuel Onaopemipo (25) and
Adebomi Oluwatosin (26).
They were arrested by operatives of Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) for alleged internet fraud
The suspects were also accused of being specialist in the unauthorized design of organisation’s websites and using them to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
Police alleged that the suspects have defrauded their victims of up to over N5million .
The suspects were arrested following a petition which PSFU received on August 22, 2013,from OPEC FUND for International Development.
Police said the petitioner had alleged that a website designed as “OFID Scholarship Website” with OFID name and logo has been used to defraud innocent Nigerian applicants.
On the website, applicants were required to pay N2,500.00 as application fee and over 2,000 applicants responded and paid the fees through the First Bank Account Number 2020874607 and Access Bank Account Number 0056941009 with the name OFID WSAS NG.
The petitioner stated further that it was one of the victims that contacted OFID via facebook, accusing OFID of being complicit in the fraud.
PSFU spokesperson, Ngozi Isintume- Agu, a Deputy Superintendent told The Nation that immediately the petition was received, operatives of the Cybercrime Section of the Unit swung into action and the mastermind of the fraud, one Falade Oluwapelumi Ayotunde was arrested.
She said: “His arrest led to the arrest of five other syndicate members. Police investigation so far revealed that over 2,000 applicants paid the sum of N2,500.00 each into the two banks provided by the suspects and the principal suspect is the only signatory to both accounts”.
Ayotunde is a from Akure, Ondo State and a 500Level Estate Management undergraduate student of FUTA.
Police said the suspect has made a confessional statement.
According to his statement, Ayotunde confessed that he designed the website of OFID WSAS (OPEC Fund for International Development for World Student Aid Scholarship) in June, 2012.






Source: www.thenationonlineng.net/new/futa-students-arrested-for-opec-scholarship-scam/