The Senate toughened Nigeria’s response to violence Thursday, approving new sanctions for a range of offences including rape which will now be punished with life imprisonment.

The bill, sponsored by the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, will address some of the evil customs of the society, and would sufficiently protect people from the excesses of “devilish people”, Senate President, David Mark, said.

Lawmakers said the bill seeks to eliminate violence in private and public life.

It specifically prohibits all forms of violence, including physical, sexual, psychological, domestic, harmful traditional practices and discrimination, against persons.

Proponents of the bill argued that the right of persons to freedom and security must be guaranteed.

Sections one and two of the bill increased punishment for rape and other sexual offences.

A person convicted under the section, according to the bill, is liable to imprisonment for life.

However, where the victim is less than 14 years of age, the offender shall be liable to a minimum of 14 years in jail.

“Where the act described under this section is committed by a group of persons, the offence shall be known as gang rape.

“And on conviction the persons shall be liable jointly and severally to a minimum of 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine.

“The court shall also award appropriate compensation to the victim as it may deem fit in the circumstance,” according to the bill.

The bill will require a similar passage by the House of Representatives and the president’s signature to become effective.


https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/169628-nigerian-senate-approves-life-imprisonment-for-rapists.html

Buhari meanwhile, yesterday procured the party’s N27.5 million expression of interest and nomination forms at the national secretariat.

Lamenting what the costs of the forms were high, he said that it took the understanding of his bankers in Kaduna and Abuja to raise the money.

“It’s a pity I couldn’t influence this amount to be put down as in the case of ladies and the disabled that intend to participate. I always looked left and right in our meetings but I could not read sympathy, so I kept my trap.

“But I felt heavily sorry for myself because I don’t want to go and ask somebody to pay for my nomination forms, because I always try to pay myself, at least for the nomination.

“N27 million is a big sum, thankfully I have personal relationship with the manager of my bank in Kaduna and early this morning, I put an early call (and) I told him that very soon the forms are coming, so, whether I am on red, or green or even black please honour it, otherwise I may lose the nomination.

“I was about to go to Kaduna this morning and I told the Chairman (John Odigie-Oyegun) but he said in that case, you better pick your form and keep a straight face. That means there is no excuse,” Buhari said.

Responding after handing over the forms to Buhari, the national chairman of the party, Chief Odigie-Oyegun explained that the N27.5m was carefully chosen to “separate men from the boys”.

“Let me say that the N27.5m is to separate the men from the boys. It is quite clear. We know you. I don’t expect you have N27m under your bed. But I expected that there are Nigerians who will vouch for you any day and who are ready to stand for you any day and that is the result that we have obtained today”, he said.

The chairman who expressed satisfaction over the turnout that greeted Buhari’s presidential declaration at Eagles Square in Abuja on Wednesday further stated that APC’s train was already on its way to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

Odigie-Oyegun also yesterday said the party would not be averse to the emergence of a consensus candidate should all the presidential aspirants in the party agree to it. He nevertheless stated the readiness of the party to conduct free and fair primaries that would be acceptable to all.

He said: “I want to congratulate you again on the great event that I watched very avidly on television yesterday. It was good for you but it was good for me and the party. I watched it and I knew the entire nation was watching. And I knew inside me what they would be saying. Yes, truly, APC has arrived. These people mean business. Yes, we are going to have quite a few aspirants and we are very glad at the level of display that one by one, they are putting up. It’s a clear indication of the quality in APC.

”It is a clear indication of the quality of leadership that we are offering the nation. “All the people being presented by the APC, there is not one to my mind, so far, who is not eminently qualified to govern this nation and who given even half a chance will not beat anybody PDP can bring to the fore.”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/jonathan-blasts-buhari-says-buhari-promising/

If you think seasoned actress, Clarion Chukwurah, is going to get tired of stirring up controversies, you may just be joking. Nowadays, the woman is not afraid of making hard comments on various issues.

This time, she is taking on Nigerian entertainers crossing into politics, whose number seems to be growing everyday – from Kate Henshaw to Tony Tetuila and others.

In an interview with our correspondent, the actress describes the rush, especially by Nollywood practitioners, to join partisan politics as sheer hypocrisy. According to her, some artistes want to go into politics because they are not getting much money from their vocations.

She says, “The motive of those who are embracing partisan politics is purely monetary. Let us call a spade a spade. If you tell me that you want to go into politics to serve the people, I would want to look at your record first.

“I want to see what you have done to better the lives of the people in your immediate community. How many boreholes have you sunk in the community? How many hours of community service have you given for free over the last four or five years? How well are you known as somebody who yearns for improvement in social development?”

Interestingly, however, the award-winning diva has indicated that she wants to change the face of the Actors Guild of Nigeria and by implication, Nollywood, if given the opportunity.

The actress, who seems to be waiting for the right time to unleash her agenda, says Nigerian actors and actresses deserve a better deal than they are getting, in terms of welfare.

She notes that the only way this can be achieved is by establishing a structure that will ultimately benefit all stakeholders in the film industry.

However, some reports published online and posted in some popular blogs have recently portrayed Chukwurah as a thorn in the flesh of the current leadership of the guild. She was reported to have severely criticised the latter for not living up to the expectations of the members.

The reports also hinted that the actress might be aiming at the highest position in the guild. Confirming this, she says, “I said earlier that I wanted to take charge of the AGN because I saw that those who were running the body lacked the experience necessary to turn it around and to change the face of the film industry. It was clear that those in charge had not real agenda for the guild and they didn’t know what to do to turn it around.

“Also, I observed that some people already felt that being in charge was the same thing as being in a position to hobnob with top politicians in the corridors of power and to get money from various interest groups in the country. And there was so much desperation on the part of the leadership of the guild to hold on to power because they see their position as a platform to make money.”

Chukwurah maintains that those in charge of the body have not been managing its affairs properly because they have been too busy creating divisions among the members for selfish purposes.

She says, “We are not getting good results and this is why I think we do not have the kind of leaders that can serve and protect the interests of members of the Guild. There is a need for the AGN to enhance the careers of its members, through its operations, in such a way that everybody and the guild itself will benefit. Yet, none of those running the body seems to be thinking of this.

“The AGN can only get stronger if it protects the interests of practitioners, This can only happen through commerce driven alliances with user groups, not by engaging in politics of division.”

She also complains that many Nollywood actors have not been getting paid by advertising companies, fashion magazines, online portals and other organisations, that publish their photographs or use any part of their works for commercial purposes.

Frowning at this practice, she says, “In Hollywood, you don’t just post the picture of a star actor or actress on your blog. Some popular bloggers are doing that in this country and walking away with a lot of money. You don’t organise award events, such as the Nollywood Movie Awards, without paying for using the name ‘Nollywood’. Since the word ‘Nollywood’ is a trade mark for the Nigerian film industry, you have to obtain a licence before you can use it.”


http://www.punchng.com/entertainment/e-punch/artistes-going-into-politics-for-money-chukwurah/

If you think seasoned actress, Clarion Chukwurah, is going to get tired of stirring up controversies, you may just be joking. Nowadays, the woman is not afraid of making hard comments on various issues.

This time, she is taking on Nigerian entertainers crossing into politics, whose number seems to be growing everyday – from Kate Henshaw to Tony Tetuila and others.

In an interview with our correspondent, the actress describes the rush, especially by Nollywood practitioners, to join partisan politics as sheer hypocrisy. According to her, some artistes want to go into politics because they are not getting much money from their vocations.

She says, “The motive of those who are embracing partisan politics is purely monetary. Let us call a spade a spade. If you tell me that you want to go into politics to serve the people, I would want to look at your record first.

“I want to see what you have done to better the lives of the people in your immediate community. How many boreholes have you sunk in the community? How many hours of community service have you given for free over the last four or five years? How well are you known as somebody who yearns for improvement in social development?”

Interestingly, however, the award-winning diva has indicated that she wants to change the face of the Actors Guild of Nigeria and by implication, Nollywood, if given the opportunity.

The actress, who seems to be waiting for the right time to unleash her agenda, says Nigerian actors and actresses deserve a better deal than they are getting, in terms of welfare.

She notes that the only way this can be achieved is by establishing a structure that will ultimately benefit all stakeholders in the film industry.

However, some reports published online and posted in some popular blogs have recently portrayed Chukwurah as a thorn in the flesh of the current leadership of the guild. She was reported to have severely criticised the latter for not living up to the expectations of the members.

The reports also hinted that the actress might be aiming at the highest position in the guild. Confirming this, she says, “I said earlier that I wanted to take charge of the AGN because I saw that those who were running the body lacked the experience necessary to turn it around and to change the face of the film industry. It was clear that those in charge had not real agenda for the guild and they didn’t know what to do to turn it around.

“Also, I observed that some people already felt that being in charge was the same thing as being in a position to hobnob with top politicians in the corridors of power and to get money from various interest groups in the country. And there was so much desperation on the part of the leadership of the guild to hold on to power because they see their position as a platform to make money.”

Chukwurah maintains that those in charge of the body have not been managing its affairs properly because they have been too busy creating divisions among the members for selfish purposes.

She says, “We are not getting good results and this is why I think we do not have the kind of leaders that can serve and protect the interests of members of the Guild. There is a need for the AGN to enhance the careers of its members, through its operations, in such a way that everybody and the guild itself will benefit. Yet, none of those running the body seems to be thinking of this.

“The AGN can only get stronger if it protects the interests of practitioners, This can only happen through commerce driven alliances with user groups, not by engaging in politics of division.”

She also complains that many Nollywood actors have not been getting paid by advertising companies, fashion magazines, online portals and other organisations, that publish their photographs or use any part of their works for commercial purposes.

Frowning at this practice, she says, “In Hollywood, you don’t just post the picture of a star actor or actress on your blog. Some popular bloggers are doing that in this country and walking away with a lot of money. You don’t organise award events, such as the Nollywood Movie Awards, without paying for using the name ‘Nollywood’. Since the word ‘Nollywood’ is a trade mark for the Nigerian film industry, you have to obtain a licence before you can use it.”


http://www.punchng.com/entertainment/e-punch/artistes-going-into-politics-for-money-chukwurah/

Despite growing domestic gas demand in the country, oil companies in the first half of the year flared a quantum of natural gas capable of generating 100,000 megawatts of electricity.

According to data from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, about 198 billion standard cubic feet of natural gas was flared from January to June.

The companies, which include international oil companies and indigenous players, burnt 43.7 billion scf in January (19.17 per cent of production), 50.1 billion scf in February (23.20 per cent of production) and 38.3 billion scf in March (17.77 per cent of output).

In April, 22.3 billion scf of gas was flared, 19.7 billion scf in May and 23bn scf was wasted in June.

“This amount of gas flared in just six months can generate about 100,000 megawatts of electricity, more than double our current generation capacity,” an industry expert told our correspondent.

Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer and largest holder of natural gas reserves on the continent, is home to the world’s ninth biggest gas reserves, with about 187 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves and 600 Tcf of unproven gas reserves.

But low investment in gas infrastructure over the years has continued to hamper the harnessing of the huge natural gas reserves in the country for domestic consumption, particularly for power generation.

The International Energy Agency in its special report ‘Africa Energy Outlook’, released this week, noted that Nigeria’s Gas Master Plan detailed the aim to increase domestic supply and to bring in new pricing and policy regulations, and provide a blueprint for gas infrastructure.

It said the strategy was to anchor gas supply around “gas to power” in the immediate term while also developing a broader agenda for gas to support industrialisation and provide gas for export.

“Not all of the elements required to underpin the objectives of the master plan are yet in place, such as the necessary gas and electricity pricing mechanisms and appropriate upstream incentives,” the IEA said.

It further said that a critical uncertainty for Nigeria’s gas supply outlook was its ability to stimulate significant production of non-associated gas.

“Huge resources exist, sufficient to cover both domestic demand and exports. Production of non-associated gas increases in our projection period, but it is gradual. Exploiting this resource requires a change in focus by the upstream sector and, importantly, the government to establish a framework to incentivise the necessary large-scale capital investment.”

This will require a stable, attractive investment environment generally and the development of a bankable commercial structure in Nigeria’s gas sector which includes price reforms, improvements in regulatory arrangements, a redefinition of the role of public companies in the gas sector and an alternative to the current Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation joint venture financing model, the IEA said.

Shell Petroleum Development Company had recently said that joint venture funding challenges had resulted in delays to some gas-gathering projects, adding that two of these projects, which were expected to gather an additional 35 percent of associated gas by 2014-15, are likely to be delayed.

The oil major, in a briefing note, said it reduced flaring volume from its facilities by about 75 per cent between 2003 and 2012 and flaring intensity (the amount of gas flared per barrel of oil produced) by around 60 per cent over the same period.

The delay in building the seventh train has cost Nigeria $2.5bn per year due to revenue from LNG export, as well as the opportunity to further reduce gas flared from oil fields in the Niger Delta, according to Platts.

The Nigeria LNG said it was already losing global market share due to the delay in expanding the plant’s output from 22 million metric tonne per annum to 30mpta.

The managing director, NLNG, Mr. Babs Omotowa, was quoted by Platts to have said the company was concerned that the non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill could hinder expansion at the six-train LNG plant despite having already signed agreements with potential buyers in Japan, China, India and Malaysia.

“The long deliberations onthe passage of the PIB have put much of the investments in oil and gas on hold because of a lack of clarity around the policy direction of the government,” Omotowa said. “This development may impact on gas supplies to feed additional trains,” he added.

Industry analysts and stakeholders have stressed that the vast gas reserves in the country can underpin economic growth and diversification to Nigeria through more power generation, more gas-based industrial activities such as fertiliser plants to boost agriculture, petrochemical industries and also high-value exports.

“Passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill is strongly supported as it will ensure the proper regulation and administration of the petroleum industry towards effective and efficient production and supply of petroleum resources including natural gas,” the chairman and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr. Sam Amadi, said at a recent event.


http://www.punchng.com/business/energy/flared-gas-can-generate-100000mw-of-electricity-expert/

Again, coach Stephen Keshi has said that he has several countries waiting to hire him should he be asked to quit by Nigeria.

Keshi has come under heavy criticisms as his team have recorded a mere point from an available nine in the AFCON 2015 qualifiers.

The former Eagles captain, who is on the job without a contract, told AfricanFootball.com, “It’s not about the game, it’s about other personal stuff. So, if tomorrow they say Keshi leave, there is no shaking because other two, three countries are waiting (for me).

“My job is about hire and fire.

“Right now I have been to other places I have coached before I have not been fired. If it comes down to Nigeria, I have been here before, qualified Nigeria for 2002 World Cup with Amodu Shaibu, we were asked to leave.”

Keshi has also handled Togo and Mali.

And recently his agent claimed oil-rich Gabon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea have tabled offers for him. The Nigerian coach has said many times that he had offers and Nigerians are bewildered why he has not taken any of the several offers rather than hanging on with the Nigerian team without a contract.


http://www.punchng.com/sports/keshi-says-countries-waiting-to-hire-him/

The designer of the Nigerian flag, Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, who was recently honoured by the government with the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) has expressed bitterness at the long years of neglect by previous regimes in Nigeria.

Many thought that the old man should be basking in the euphoria of his recent recognition, he, however said, that the award meant nothing to him because, to him, the award came at a time he had already spent his useful days in penury.

When the octogenarian was visited at his residence in Ibadan, it was discovered that due to old age, his speech has become so incomprehensible.

According to him, he cannot understand why the award was given to him now because he had already spent his active years in poverty in the same country he designed the flag for.

It can be recalled that apart from the national honours award, he was also appointed as special assistant to presidents of the Federal Republic for life even though he would not be operating from an office, but entitled to a monthly salary until his death.

When this father of four, now in his old age, was asked what he wished for Nigeria at 54, he simply said, “As far as independence is concerned, I wish all and sundry well in our interactions among ourselves and among various groups in the country”.

Akinremi, the first child of the octogenarian, who was with him when at his three-bed room bungalow along Samadex area, off Iwo Road, Monatan, Ibadan said his siblings were always around to take care of their father.

He said that the old man had lost his memory which informed why the award and appointment meant nothing to him. According to him, the old man had been cheated for a long time, especially when one considers the fact that he is just remembered for what he did for the country after almost 55 years. “We only thank God for the grace He has given to our father to be alive to witness the occasion, even though, as far as he’s concerned, the whole thing has no meaning to him which was reflected in the way and manner he was responding to your questions the other time”, he said.

Akinremi, who holds a National Diploma in Building Technology, was bitter at the neglect his father had suffered over the years. He expressed pessimism on the gesture of the federal government saying the promises made by the government may end up as mere empty promises.

He based his fear on the fact that since the funfare that accompanied the award and appointment in Abuja, no concrete step had been taken on the part of the government to show sincerity and commitment towards actualising the promise.

Akinremi said, “Such steps should include provision of security for the old man, means of mobility and other things that commensurate with his new appointment if truly the government is committed and sincere”, he said.

He used the opportunity to debunk the claim that the bungalow was built for the man by a previous administration in the state, saying, “Nobody bult the house for us. There was a time I and my siblings went with our father to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on NTA in Lagos.

“It was at that programme that our father won N2m with which this house was bought and renovated. So, if anybody is saying a particular government built it for us, I say emphatically no”, he stated.

Akinremi charged the reporter to help drum it in the hearing of the government not to make an empty promise to the old man, but, to ensure that, “The decision to give appointment to the old man is implemented to the letter so that his efforts would not be in vain”, he said.




http://aitonline.tv/post-national_award_means_nothing_to_me_at_this_age_____pa_akinkunmi

At least 11 people lost their lives while several others sustained varying degrees of burns after a tanker laden with petrol burst in flames around Molete Market, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

An employee of the Nigerian Tribune, Mr. Samson Oyewole, and an eight year-old girl were among the victims of the fire which burnt 45 shops at the market on Saturday night.

Although Oyewole was fortunate not to have died, eyewitnesses told PUNCH Metro learnt that the death toll could be as high as 15. It was the second major fire incident in the city in two months, with Alesinloye Market fire, being the first on August 16.

When our correspondent visited the scene on Sunday morning, the police and other security agents in large numbers were seen restoring order while men of the Oyo State Fire Service Department were trying to evacuate the fallen tanker and other vehicles affected.

Eyewitnesses said the Saturday fire started when a truck carrying fuel fell at the busy Molete roundabout, burst in flames, consuming 13 vehicles, three houses, seven commercial motorcycles, three commercial tricycles and goods worth millions of naira. Most of the deaths recorded were roadside traders.

Public Relations Officer, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Ayodeji Bobade, told our correspondent that apart from the eight-year-old girl that was rushed to the hospital, having suffered a high degree of burns, six other males and four females were also brought to the teaching hospital late on Saturday in severe condition, with one of them confirmed dead.

He said, “Eleven people were brought here with a girl, all suffering from severe burns. One of them died over night while others are receiving treatment at the burns unit of the hospital.”

The Iyaloja of Molete Market, Alhaja Iswat Oyinlola, told our correspondent that but for the river behind the market, which absolved more than half of the fuel that spilled from the tanker, more deaths would have been recorded.

She said, “I was already at home around 10pm when I got the message that a petrol tanker fell at Molete roundabout and spilled its content, causing a huge fire. By the time I got to the market, the fire had spread. If not for the river behind the market, the fuel would have flooded the whole neighbourhood and caused more death because it happened when many people were retiring to their beds.

“I discovered that 13 vehicles, seven commercial motorcycles and three commercial tricycles were burnt, 10 people were killed and 45 shops were affected. We don’t know the actual number of those who died in the inferno but from the list I have with me, 10 people were confirmed dead. Others were taken to the hospital.”

Oyinlola added that Governor Abiola Ajimobi was at the scene early in the morning where he expressed sympathy at the huge loss.

While blaming commercial bus drivers at the scene of the tragedy for the accident, Oyinlola called on the police to enforce traffic law in the area.

“Commercial bus drivers who have turned the roundabout to their park, thereby causing huge traffic around the area, caused the accident. From what I learnt, the truck was unable to negotiate the bend smoothly, and because it had a full load of fuel in its tanker, it lost control and fell.

“We appeal to the police to do their work without sentiment. They should ensure that the drivers don’t pick up their passengers by the roundabout. This will ease the traffic around the area and avert disaster.”

Among the dead was a man who was caught in the fire after leaving a drug store overlooking the overhead bridge. The owner of the pharmacy store, Chigozie Eze, narrated how he lost everything to the fire.

He said, “The driver was trying to steer the vehicle away from a pothole at the roundabout and at the same time making attempts not to collide with the commercial busses at the area when it fell. The content spilled and exploded. My brother and another person escaped through the back door but we lost everything.

“I had more than N400,000 in the shop but it was burnt to ashes. A customer who just bought drugs was caught in the fire, he died immediately. I don’t know where to start again.”

Mr. Ahmed Adeoye, who said he had a store full of building materials and house accessories in the market, said he suffered a huge loss. He said many of the people who died were roadside traders who refused to obey the government order.

“The fire gutted everything I had in my shop including money. I cannot quantify the amount I lost accurately but it is over N2m. Thank God no one sustained injury in my shop but many roadside traders lost their lives and goods in the fire. I counted about 15 bodies very late in the night when the fire subsided.”


http://www.punchng.com/news/11-killed-others-injured-in-ibadan-market-fire/

AN Irish high court has granted a Nigerian migrant the right to apply for political asylum in the country after he successfully appealed an earlier decision arguing that he faced persecution if he returned back home due to his sexual orientation.



Earlier this year, Ireland's Refugee Appeals Tribunal had denied the unnamed 37-year old gay Nigerian the right to asylum. He subsequently took the matter to court, arguing he had been treated unfairly and Mr Justice Anthony Barr agreed with him, ruling that the Refugee Appeals Tribunal failed in its duty to give a reasoned and rational decision.



In his original submission, the Nigerian had claimed that he was beaten and left for dead after a security guard discovered him and another man having sex in a van in Nigeria in 2004. He added that he was attacked again in 2007, when his boyfriend's family found out about their relationship.



After being beaten up, he spent 12 days in hospital and was subsequently given money by a gay friend to escape to Ireland. Once in Ireland, his claim for refugee status was turned down, with the Refugee Appeals Tribunal ruling that despite being a gay man he could have safely relocated within Nigeria.



However, that ruling has now been quashed by the high court, which has found the tribunal ignored evidence in reports about how homosexuals are treated in Nigeria. Mr Justice Barr has sent the case back to the Refugee Appeals Tribunal for further consideration.



On January 7 this year, President Jonathan signed Nigeria's Draconian Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill which penalises homosexuals with 14 years imprisonment, into law. Once the law came into effect, the police swung into action arresting lesbians and gays across Nigeria, while homophobic vigilante groups also stepped up attacks on suspected victims.



International human rights groups condemned the homophobic law, saying it breached tolerance for alternative lifestyles. Navi Pillay, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights added that it not only breaches Nigeria's constitution but also ran contrary to international law.



Ms Pillay said: "I’m concerned with the implication of the recently-passed Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act. In addition to the violation of fundamental human rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, it is also a violation of the African Charter and the Nigerian constitution itself.



"It may have negative consequences for public health in Nigeria. It may deter lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and trans-gender (LGBT) persons from taking up HIV education, prevention treatment and care services and also hinder the ability of government as well as civil society and religious groups from implementing such services."



Even the pope has tried to intervene to get the government to relent its tough stance, with Pope Benedict I raising the matter in a meeting he had with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Vatican. However, the Nigerian government has argued that the anti-gay act is aimed at discouraging same-sex marriages, which is a reflection of the overwhelming beliefs and cultural values of Nigerians, as a 2013 opinion poll showed that 92% of the population rejected same-sex marriages.



http://www.nigerianwatch.com/news/5448-irish-high-court-grants-gay-nigerian-refugee-the-right-to-apply-for-political-asylum

Teenage Swazi girls will be paid R200 a month by King Mswati’s government if they abstain from sex.

World Bank money will finance the programme that is intended to reduce HIV transmission in an impoverished country with the world’s highest HIV prevalence rate.

“The government will pay girls the allowances so they will have money to purchase necessities and can turn down money offered to them for sex,” said Thabsile Dlamini, a health care worker in Manzini.

The deputy prime minister’s office will administer the payouts.

A pilot programme will be conducted to test the effectiveness of weaning teen girls from older “sugar daddies” who offer money in exchange for sexual favours.

Details have to be worked out such as how the girls will be monitored to ensure they are not having sex.

A source with the royal family denied that the financial payouts to girls to avoid sex were designed to ensure an HIV-free population of Swazi virgins who could be King Mswati’s future wives.

The polygamous king has 15 wives and selects teenage girls as his new brides, often at the annual Reed Dance at which up to 70 000 girls dance semi-naked before the royal viewing box.

Studies have found that among the general Swazi population girls and young women aged 18 to 24 are most at risk of becoming infected with HIV. Poverty and lack of female empowerment in the traditional society are cited as reasons for girls’ vulnerability to the sexually-transmitted diseases.

The National Emergency Response Council on HIV and Aids, a government department tasked with co-ordinating Swaziland’s Aids response, has issued statements in the local media citing the need for initiatives to discourage girls from having sex because of economic need.

Seventy percent of Swazis live in absolute poverty. Pubescent Swazi girls often turn to benefactors to purchase basic items like sanitary pads.

The National Emergency Response Council on HIV and Aids said World Bank money had been used to adjust the behaviour of teenage girls in other African countries, although those programmes focused on the girls’ school attendance.

One teenager in Manzini, Zodwa Fakudze, 16, said R200 was not sufficient to discourage girls from accepting gifts from older men to have sex.

“Today’s girls need things, like airtime for our cellphones. R200 is not enough. That is how much government gives my gogo (grandmother) each month and she will never get Aids because no one over (the age of) 40 has to have sex,” she said.

Another girl, Thandi Tfwala, 17, a Manzini high school pupil, noted, “A girl could get R200 for just one sex act. Government must pay more.”

When told the allowance was not intended to put a price on sexual activity but to help make girls independent of the need to take gifts and thus be better able to safeguard their health, she said: “You don’t know Swazi girls. If they don’t get more money they will keep on doing what they do now, even the Christian girls. Our king will have to go to Cape Town for his brides.”


http://aitonline.tv/post-south_african_government_to_pay_all_virgins_r200_every_month_in_bid_to_fight_hiv

I saw this on my Facebook timeline and decided to bring it to the house. So many diverse but interesting responses, so, what is your take on this?

A white lesbian mother is suing a Chicago sperm bank after she claims she was mistakenly sent a black man's sperm and gave birth to a mixed-race daughter.

Jennifer Cramblett, 36, claims the mistake has caused her stress and anguish because her family is racist and she lives in a small, all-white Union town in northeast Ohio.

In a lawsuit filed this week in Cook County, Illinois, Ms Cramblett says Midwest Sperm Bank sent her several vials of a black man's sperm by mistake because the clinic keeps paper records and accidentally transposed numbers on her order.

The couple had specifically chosen a white donor to be the father of their child.

Midwest Sperm Bank charged $400 per vial of semen and Ms Cramblett and her partner received six vials of the wrong semen.

The lawsuit says the clinic later sent Ms Cramblett an apology note and a refund for the six vials - though charged her for the vials of the correct semen she received.

Ms Cramblett she has 'limited cultural competency relative to African-Americans' and worries that her daughter Payton will not be accepted in her hometown of Uniontown.

'Jennifer lives each day with fears, anxieties and uncertainty about her future and Payton's future,' according to the lawsuit.

Ms Cramblett, the assistant manager of an AT&T store, said she and her partner Amanda Zinkon love their daughter, who is now two years old, but say they must now consider moving to a more diverse community.

Ms Cramblett says in her lawsuit that much of her family is racist and that one uncle openly makes racist comments.

Even simple tasks have become more complicated because Payton is mixed-race, the lawsuit says.

'Payton has hair typical of an African American girl. To get a decent cut, Jennifer must travel to a black neighborhood, far from where she lives, where she is obviously different in appearance, and not overtly welcome,' according to the lawsuit.

Ms Cramblett says she grew up in Scio, Ohio - population 762 - and didn't meet a black person until she attended college. She currently lives in Uniontown, population 2,802, and fears Payton will be the only non-white child in class when the time comes for her to attend school.

Ms Cramblett says her family has difficulty accepting the fact that she is gay and encourage her to hide her sexual orientation when she is around them.

She says no matter what she does, Payton cannot hide her race - nor should she have to.

Ms Cramblett is alleging breach of warranty and wrongful birth. Midwest Sperm Bank would not comment on the case.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2776489/White-lesbian-mother-sues-sperm-bank-gave-birth-mixed-race-baby-sent-black-man-s-sperm.html

Two Senior Advocates of Nigeria- Norrisom Quakers and M.J. Onigbanjo- have dragged the Peoples Democratic Party and Ekiti State-governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose, to the National Human Rights Commission over alleged violation of their rights to practise as lawyers.

In a petition dated September 29 and jointly signed by them, they claimed that the September 22 and 25 attacks on the Ekiti High Court by some suspected political thugs constituted threats to their lives.

Quakers and Onigbanjo, who are the lawyers to the litigants challenging Fayose’s eligibility to contest in the June 21 governorship election, addressed their petition to the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Prof. Bem Angwe.

The National Judicial Council had at its emergency meeting on September 16 asked the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abbah,to investigate the attacks on the court and prosecute those behind it.

The Nigerian Bar Association had also said it would send an investigative team to the state to unravel those behind the incident and bring them to justice.

In their petition, Quakers and Onigbanjo urged the rights commission to use its wherewithal to investigate the attacks on the court.

They said the NHRC should unearth “those behind this shameful display of banditry and gross violation of human rights with a view to prosecuting and bringing them to justice.”

The petitioners accused the PDP of organising the political thugs that invaded the high court premises on September 22 and attacked Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi.

The attackers reportedly regrouped on September 25 to disrupt the hearing of a petition challenging the election of Fayose.

Quakers and Onigbanjo described the September 22 incident as “barbaric and barefaced violation of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the claimants (litigants), claimants’ counsel, the judge and other officers of the court by thugs who were organised by the PDP.”

Part of the petition reads, “We are therefore apprehensive for our safety and that of our legal team’s lives, the dignity of our human persons, our right to practise our profession and our clients’ rights as citizens of Nigeria to seek redress in the court of law.

“All the foregoing rights mentioned above clearly violated by the instigated mob, whose objectives included ensuring that the court did not deliver its scheduled ruling at 12 noon and or conduct any other business thereafter and to bully, intimidate and instill fear in the court in an attempt to obstruct justice to the point where the court would be too apprehensive to subsequently hear the case prior to the swearing in of Fayose on October 16,2014.

“Should this unfortunate display of desecration of the hallowed temple of justice which is supposed to the last hope of the common man be allowed to persist unprosecuted, we all would be recorded for posterity as the people who sat with arms folded while miscreants and hooligans took over and controlled the administration of justice and overall balance of the society.”

http://www.punchng.com/news/ekiti-sans-drag-fayose-pdp-to-nhrc/

The nation has witnessed an upsurge in retail malls in recent times but industry watchers say the development has its limitations, MAUREEN IHUA-MADUENYI writes

With a growing middle class, rising economic prosperity and changing demographics, retail malls are daily springing up in major cities across the country.

The retail and wholesale trade sector, according to economists, is a leading sector of the nation’s economy and the second largest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product at 17 per cent per annum.

But there are also concerns that with the estimated 200,000 square metres of retail mall space expected in the next two years, the economy may be exposed to low value addition as well as loss of jobs, especially among start-ups.

According to the Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Muda Yusuf, the agriculture sector, with 22 per cent contribution to GDP, is the only one above the retail and wholesale trade sector; but while shopping malls are indicative of the enormity of the opportunities that exist in the consumer product sector, they could have little multiplier effect on the economy.

Yusuf said, “The major limitation of the sector is the low local value addition and weak multiplier impact on the economy. In virtually every street in the country, including the rural areas, trading activities are preponderant.

“But such malls also pose a major threat to jobs in the retail sector of the economy. The traditional retail outlets or stores cannot stand the competitive strength of the big shopping malls, especially in the cities.

“Traditional retail outlets within three kilometres radius of these shopping malls stand the risk of closing shop because of competitiveness issues.”

Retail centres were prior to the boom considered the exclusive preserve of the rich but in the last few years, with the construction of The Palms and Ikeja City Mall, both in Lagos State, others are springing up in various parts of the country, with international retail stores, including South Africa’s Shoprite, as major tenants and only a handful of local retailers.

“The rapid growth in the number of shopping malls is a reflection of some key features of the Nigerian economy,” Yusuf said.

Wemabod Estates Limited, in partnership with Top Services Limited, a property development and investment company, recently opened the 13,000 square-metre Apapa Mall in Lagos, while other retail malls due for delivery between 2014 and 2016 include the Novare Private Partners of South Africa and RMB Westport 22,000sqm Lekki Mall; the 14,000sqm Osapa Convenience Centre; and the UACN Property Development Company’s 10,000sqm Festival Mall in Festac Town, Lagos.

Others are the Anambra State Government and African Capital Alliance’s 15,000sqm Onitsha Mall; and the Actis and Duval Properties’ 27,000sqm Jabi Lake Mall and Akure Mall, both of which are expected to be completed by 2015.

Abuja is also expected to play host to the 40,000sqm Capital City Mall, a project conceived by the Churchgate Group.

Other big shopping outlets in different parts of the country are the Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall, which was opened in Lagos a few years ago; the Ado Bayero Mall; the Cocoa Mall, reputed as Oyo State’s largest; Polo Park Mall; Grand Towers Mall and Kwara Mall.

The Chairman, Top Services Limited, developers of the Apapa Mall, Mr. Tokunbo Omisore, said mall development would grow the retail industry positively as it would create opportunities.

He added that it would also create and grow the Small & Medium Enterprises, as dedicated entrepreneurs can develop products branding nationwide and at continental level if well packaged.

“Mall development is one of the essential or should I say necessary tools to develop our retail industry to the height that the Nigerian government targets,” Omisore, an architect, explained.

He, however, said the malls should be affordable so that there would be more local retailers operating from them and the fear of them being counterproductive would be dispelled.

The Deputy President, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, South, Prince Orimadegun Agboade, however, said there was no cause for alarm yet.

He stated, “As far as I am concerned, it won’t be an issue for us as entrepreneurs; the development will rather enhance SME products if we can improve on the quality and raise them to the standard that the malls will stock, it will be better for us as small businesses than when we sell on the streets.

“We can turn the development into a fortune instead of misfortune by improving on our products to meet standards. If we do, we will be selling at higher prices.”

Yusuf stated that while the malls were sources of Foreign Direct Investment, there should be consideration for development issues in the economy.

He said, “The lesson in development economics is that as we shop for foreign investments, we should worry about the value of jobs, quality jobs, linkages within the economy and inputs from the domestic economy, among others.

“These are the major ways in which foreign direct investments can impact the welfare of the citizens. FDIs should not be ends in themselves; they should be means to an end. These are very important development issues we should worry about in the drive for FDIs.”


http://www.punchng.com/news/growing-number-of-malls-threatens-small-retailers/

Pope Francis on Sunday issued a strong signal of support for reform of the Catholic Church’s approach to marriage, cohabitation and divorce as bishops began a landmark review of teaching on the family.

Opening an extraordinary synod of nearly 200 senior clerics, Francis suggested the Church must address the present gulf between what it currently says on these issues and what tens of millions of believers actually do.

Thorny theological questions such as whether divorced and remarried believers should be able to receive communion will dominate two weeks of closed-door discussions set to pit conservative clerics against reformists led by German cardinal Walter Kasper.

Vatican insiders say Kasper has the backing of Francis but that the pontiff wants consensus for any change.

That stance was reflected in the sermon the pontiff delivered at the synod’s opening mass.

In it, he urged bishops to be generous in understanding the problems faced by ordinary believers trying to live within the rules of the church.

Pointedly, he invoked a passage from the gospel of Matthew which admonishes “evil pastors (who) lay intolerable burdens on the shoulders of others which they themselves do not lift a finger to move”.

He added: “Synod Assemblies are not meant to discuss beautiful and clever ideas, or to see who is more intelligent.

“They are meant to better nurture and tend the Lord’s vineyard…. In this case the Lord is asking us to care for the family.”

Since becoming pontiff just over 18 months ago, Francis has repeatedly urged the church to tend to the “wounds” caused by family breakdown rather than seeking to exclude or judge the many divorced people, cohabiting couples and single mothers within its ranks.

He has underlined that stance by personally marrying couples who had lived together “in sin” prior to their weddings and by baptising a child born to parents married outside of the church.
- Deep divisions –

Francis’s reforming instincts have already been demonstrated in the steps he has taken to overhaul the way the Vatican bank and administration are run and the strong signals he has issued about the determination of the Church to deal with the issue of clerical sex abuse.

But updating the Church’s approach to social issues is seen as a tougher challenge.

Conservatives in the Vatican hierarchy have vowed to fight any dilution of traditional doctrine.

The Church’s view of marriage has come to be seen as outdated by many in a world where, in some developed countries, nearly one in two marriages ends in divorce and where the notion of the institution itself has been challenged by the global trend towards the legalisation of same-sex weddings.

The bishops gathered in Rome are certainly not about to embrace gay marriage, and few Vatican observers expect much, if any, change on questions such as contraception, another area where Catholic teaching contrasts with the daily practice of millions.

- Easier divorce? -

But with Francis on the side of reform, the feeling is that the synod process could lead to change when it finally reaches conclusions expected in 2016.

The most notable of these could be a change in the rules to make it possible for Catholics who divorce and then remarry to receive communion.

That has been banned for centuries. But critics say the Church’s stance is hard to defend given that individuals who have declared their repentance from more serious breaches of the Christian code, such as murder, can take communion.

While the Church may not yet be ready to take a step that would amount to a de facto acceptance of divorce in certain circumstances, the discussions could result in steps to make it easier for failed marriages to be annulled.

Another area in which the Church could send out a signal of compassion is by making it clear that priests should be ready to baptise the children of same sex couples, regardless of the doctrinal disapproval of their parents’ union.

Other issues due to be addressed include the role of easily-available pornography in family breakdown and the Church’s attitude to individuals in polygamous unions.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/pope-backs-reform-church-begins-review-family-marriage/

In a chat with Saturday Beats, veteran actor, Baba Suwe, described the late Bamidele Aturu, as his saviour and helper whom God sent to rescue him in his time of need.

Aturu was the lawyer that defended the comic actor when he was accused of smuggling cocaine.

He said, “I could not sign Aturu’s condolence register; it was my child that signed it. Aturu was my saviour, helper and Godsent. Aturu’s death is one of the most painful things to have happened to me.

“He was a very nice person; he was very passionate about me. When the incident happened, he came to meet me and asked me to tell him the truth if I was guilty or innocent and I told him the truth. He then assured me that he would defend me so that I would not go to jail and that’s what he did.”

Although the court vindicated the comic actor and asked that the sum of N25m be paid to him as a form of compensation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, the humour merchant has yet to claim the money because of an appeal filed by the drug agency.

He however told Saturday Beats that he was no longer interested in the money but in a public apology.

“The NDLEA has wronged me and it is meant to find a way to make me happy. It is a slap on my face. I am not agitating for the money; I don’t need it to survive in life. All I want is an apology. If the government can tender an apology to me and publish it in newspapers, I will have peace of mind and be happy,” he said.

There were media reports that Baba Suwe was getting married soon, having lost his wife, Omoladun, a few years back. But when asked, he debunked the rumour.

“It is not true that I am about to get married. Don’t mind those saying it, they are saying rubbish. There is no atom of truth in it. If I would get married, it would not be a secret; everybody would hear about it. I also have it in mind to marry a woman that would love me as well as my children and give me peace of mind,” Baba Suwe said.

He admitted that the cocaine incident affected his work adversely, he said he was making moves to get back strong. Baba Suwe hinted that he was at the final stage of a new comic Yoruba movie he had been working on for a while.


http://www.punchng.com/entertainment/saturday-beats/im-no-longer-interested-in-n25m-compensation-baba-suwe/

A website design should change every two years. This is not because things change so fast online that in order to keep up, you might need to redesign your website.

Unfortunately 72 per cent of corporate websites will receive a failing point if they are analysed. How do you get to be in the 28 per cent that get a business website that passes the grader’s test?

Here are 10 tips to help you

Focus on individual page:

Every page on your website must have a focus and reason. You simply do not add pages because you want to. Your website is designed to serve a particular function and each individual page is to support that flow. When you create pages that do not help you achieve your overall aim, you create point of resistance to your selling process.

Unintelligent use of graphics

Visuals are a compelling part of any website. They help tell your story better and can beautify a webpage. Where it becomes an offence is when you use graphics excessively. This is because most people might access your website using different devices. You want users to have a unified experience so they do not get confused when using your website.

Navigations:

Navigations are meant to help a user to move from one point of the other on the website. Navigation is supposed to be descriptive and not ambiguous. How do you design a navigation that can help your website? You can go about it in two ways. One is to go the advance way by doing some keyword research using the Google analytics tool. The other method is much simplified. Visit your competitor and see how they arrange their navigation.

Readability:

The ability of a user to quickly see the lettering on your website is important to the success of your website. You want to make sure that letterings are eligible and of the right font size. A pension website should give use bigger text on their website while a dating site with emphasis on youth should use smaller texts. Your readability should align with your visitors.

Contact information

Contact information gives credibility and trust to a website. By having your contact information on all your pages, you make it easy for your visitors to trust you. With this information easily available, they know they can call a real person when they need help. Should you put it on all your pages – you might ask? I really think so.

Don’t open internal links in new tab

Internal links are meant to help users move from one point on your website to another. But how should you open an internal link? When you open an internal link in a new tab, the user might feel they have left your site. They will need to double-check to be sure they are still on your website. The only exception to this rule is when you want to open external links. External links should be open in a new tab so that your users still have the opportunity to stay within your site without losing focus.

Speed

Speed is a crucial point of friction in web design. As much as you want all those flashy and animated graphics, you need to realise that not this slows down and increase your page load time. Higher page load time leads to a bad user experience.

Length of page:

Is there an ideal length for a page? No. Your page should contain as much information as is necessary to enable your visitors perform the one main task for that page. It is important to note that your most important information should be above the fold.

Spell check:

Do you ever come across a website and it seems the webmaster forgot about it? That is what happens when you forget to spell-check again and again. Bad grammar and wrong spellings may not be forgiven by some visitors, so it is essential that you visit your website frequently to catch any error that might have escaped your first review. Have a large website? Hire an editor or intern for the job.

Colour of psychology:

Every colour used on your website should have a purpose and should align with the visitors you are targeting. For example using the colour red on your cart might actually increase conversion. This is because red is often associated with urgency so when you used it, you stimulate the desire to make the purchase in your visitors. So also are all other colours you used.

When it comes to designing the next perfect website you need to remember it is all about the user and less about your preference.


http://www.punchng.com/i-punch/things-to-avoid-when-designing-a-website/

Gumsu, daughter of the late maximum ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha, has claimed that Nigerians have been missing her father’s dictatorial leadership.

The late dictator’s daughter stated that she came to this conclusion after having closely monitored people’s comments on the trends of political events via social media.

Writing on her Twitter page, Gumsu claimed that “all of a sudden” she now also misses her late father.

“All of a sudden I miss my late father. And I realise that Nigerians miss his leadership everyday when I read people’s comments on social media.

“Whatever you think remains your opinion. He was a loving and caring father. He had a good heart. He was the best ever.

“Happy 54th Independence Day to all my Nigerian brothers and sisters. We shall keep rising! May our nation’s tomorrow be brighter, stronger, prosperous, and safer,” a series of messages on Gumsu’s Twitter page read


http://www.punchng.com/i-punch/nigerians-are-missing-my-late-father-abachas-daughter/

https://twitter.com/G_sparking/status/512739573802078208

A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has discharged and acquitted a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Vincent Ogbulafor, of the entire 17 counts of fraud relating to contract verification exercise in 2001.

On the other hand, the second accused person, Emeka Ebila, who was then the Secretary of National Economic Intelligence Committee, the body which was tasked with the verification exercise, was convicted and jailed five years for the alleged offences.

The jail terms of five years on each of the counts are to run concurrently.

Ogbulafor was then the Minister of Special Duties supervising the activities of NEIC, which was set up in 2001 for the verification and payment of debts owed to local contractors by the Federal Government.

Justice Ishaq Bello, in his judgment on Thursday, held that from the evidence before the court, there was no nexus between Ogbulafor, who was the Minister of Special Duties when the offences were allegedly committed, and the alleged crimes.

But the judge said Ebila’s confessional statement tendered before the court without any objection from his lawyer, was a corroboration of the allegations leveled against him by the prosecution.

Ebila, whose absence from court on two previous occasions had stalled the delivery of the judgment, was wheeled into the courtroom wearing a neck brace.

The court rejected the plea by Ebila’s counsel, A. A Nwogu, for the sentencing on the account of her client’s ill health. The court said though, the accused could be seen on the wheelchair, there was no medical report disclosing his true state of health before the court.

The accused are being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission for offences they allegedly committed in March 2001.

The PDP chief, who was then the supervising minister of NEIC and Ebila, were alleged to have defrauded the Federal Government to the tune of over N170m through payments to contractors for jobs that were not carried out.
According to the ICPC, the offences committed contravened Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000, among other provisions of the same law.

http://www.punchng.com/news/court-delivering-judgment-in-ogbulafors-contract-fraud-case/

Former Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria and presidential media aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mrs Oluremi Oyo, has died in the United Kingdom, where she was undergoing treatment for cancer.

Her husband, Vincent Oyo, confirmed her death.

Below is a statement issued by her husband on Thursday.

Vincent writes: With gratitude to God for a life well spent, I regret to announce the death of my dear wife, Dame Felicia Oluwaremilekun OYO.

She died peacefully on Wednesday (October 1, 2014) in the United Kingdom, where she was receiving treatment for a cancer related ailment.

Dame Oyo was a seasoned journalist who began her journalism career in 1973 in the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation now known as the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria .

She later joined the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as a Desk Editor in 1981, and left in 1985 as a Principal Editor, the first woman to attain such a high position in the Agency.

After leaving NAN, she joined the Inter Press Service News Agency (IPS) as the Nigerian Bureau Chief. She later became the international news agency’s West African Bureau Chief.

Having first served as Secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Dame Oyo was elected President of the Guild for two consecutive tenures from 1999 to 2003. She was the first woman to be so honoured.

As President of the Guild, she set up a functional secretariat which still exists today at the NAN complex in Iganmu, Lagos. She also ensured capacity building for Editors through regular training which she pioneered for the Guild.

She was appointed Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003 and served in that capacity until the end of the President’s tenure in May 2007.

This appointment was also a first as she was the first woman to hold that position in the history of the country.

Dame Oyo was thereafter appointed the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria in July 2007. During her tenure, she improved the fortunes of the Agency and increased its clientele.

A committed and patriotic Nigerian, whose friends cut across the length and breadth of the country, Mrs. Oyo put Nigeria first in her private and official activities.

Born into a Catholic family, Dame Oyo had her primary education at the St. James’ Catholic Primary School in Ilorin, where she grew up. She attended the prestigious St. Louis Girls Secondary School, Bompai, Kano and had her higher education in Lagos and Britain.

A devout Catholic, Dame Oyo was a former Vice Chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council of SS Joachim and Anne of the Catholic Church, Ijegun, Lagos.

Dame Oyo, who had a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Canterbury at Kent, also earned a post-graduate Diploma in International Relations from the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos.

In recognition of her patriotism, the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, appointed her as a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee to craft the constitution that ushered in the present democratic dispensation in 1999.

A recipient of Nigeria’s National honour, the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), Dame Oyo also earned many other awards among which was the National Council of Catholic Women Organisation of Nigeria merit award.

She was Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), and the Nigerian Institute of Public Administrators.

On January 7, 2011, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI made her a Papal Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great.

Dame Oyo and I were blessed with two children, Otome and Okiemuote who are married and have given us beautiful grandchildren.

She was born on October 12, 1952. Members of her family and her large circle of friends and well-wishers were looking forward to her 62nd birthday come October 12.

She is survived by her husband, Vincent, her children, grand-children and siblings – Sunday Oke and Yomi Oke


http://www.punchng.com/news/ex-obasanjo-spokesperson-remi-oyo-dies/

Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have recovered 13.33 kilogrammes of substances that tested for cocaine from two suspected smugglers.

The suspects – Marvin Daniel and Victor Akubuo – were said to have concealed the drugs inside capacitors and perfume bottles before the officials at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport nabbed them.

While Daniel hid 7.58 kilogrammes of the drugs in the capacitors, Akubuo concealed his, weighing 5.75kg, inside perfume bottles.

Our correspondent learnt that the smugglers were arrested with the narcotics, whose street value stood at N119m, during the screening of passengers en route from Dubai.

Twenty nine-year-old Daniel, who hails from Abia State, said it was the get-rich-quick syndrome that pushed him into the act. He said he was surprised that the officials were able to detect the well-packaged drugs.

“I am searching for a business breakthrough when my friend told me that I could earn N500,000 by just going to Brazil. He told me they would buy my return ticket and all I needed to do was to bring in the cocaine. He assured me that the drugs would not be detected because of the way it was packed. Unfortunately, the drug was detected by NDLEA officers during a search at the Abuja Airport,” Daniel said.

In his confession, Akubuo, 26 and a trader in Anambra State, said he wanted to boost his business with the expected proceed from the smuggling.

He said, “I needed some money to invest in my ailing business. That was how my friend convinced me to smuggle drugs for the sum of N500,000. The drug was hidden inside new perfume containers and I never knew it will be uncovered by the officers.”

The NDLEA Commander at the Abuja Airport, Mr. Hamisu Lawan, confirmed the arrests to PUNCH Metro.

Lawan said, “Daniel Marvin was arrested during the inward screening of passengers on an Emirate Airline flight from Dubai. He was found in possession of 7.58kg of cocaine hidden inside capacitors. The second suspect, Akubuo, was found in possession of 5.75kg of cocaine hidden inside perfume bottles. Both suspects were coming from Brazil when they were arrested.”

The agency’s boss, Mr. Ahmadu Giade, promised that the agency would continue to frustrate the criminal activities of drug barons.

“These arrest and seizure are products of superior counter-narcotic strategies. The agency is committed to the eradication of drug trafficking cartels,” he said


http://www.punchng.com/metro-plus/smugglers-hide-n119m-drugs-in-perfume-bottles/

The founder of the Synagogue Church of all Nations, Prophet Temitope Joshua, has claimed that he saw a vision of the incident that killed at least 115 persons in the church guesthouse.

The victims, mainly South Africans, died when a six-storey guesthouse belonging to the church caved in on September 12.

The embattled clergyman, who said he knew something tragic was to befall his ministry, noted that he prepared his parishioners on how to handle the tragedy.

In a statement posted on the SCOAN’s official Facebook page, TB Joshua warned his critics against accusing him of failing to foresee the disaster that befell his ministry.

“For those who are outside the Lord, they would not know. When you are outside God, you will not know what I am talking. When you are outside the light, you cannot understand what I am talking.

“For the three weeks before the incident, if you heard my message and sat down, you would know I was giving you a vision and prophetic word on how to handle the situation at hand. Trials and tests are for our belief. I go by the directives of God,” TB Joshua claimed.

Accusing his critics of being “used by Satan,” the televangelist said they were just out to “disturb” the faith of his local and international members with “negative words.”

According to him, all the “Satanic agents” criticising him over the circumstances surrounding the incident, would soon “suffer for it.”

Since none of his critics is unable to help him raise the victims from death, TB Joshua argued that they should stop rubbishing his ministry or risk paying dearly for it.

Those who could not stop what happened (building collapse), he said, should be “careful of their tongues” as “anybody can go for it.

“I have been on this journey for 27 years. Do you think God can close His eyes and rubbish everything here? They are asking God to bring more evidence of whether He is the one who called me. Warn everyone to be very careful. This issue at hand is a delicate issue.

“People are using this to gain money and friends. This is a warning. Whatever people want to write let them write; they will be the ones to read it. I said our God would get back to them. He has started somewhere. He is coming. If your brother is involved, unless he can resurrect the people who died, he will join them. If you can resurrect the people who died, you can go free.

“The servants, the people who sent them; the people who heard the stories all around and those who want to use it for themselves and to disturb my spirit, you may likely join them. Be careful. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Let us be very careful with our tongues,” he warned.

Urging those questioning his calling not to sway his followers, he added that they should extend love and affection to the victims and relations of those involved in the tragedy.

The prophet insisted that the 115 victims were martyrs, adding that their relations would see the continuation of the work of God “they died and suffered for.

“Your responsibility is to the victims and the relations of the victims and martyrs of faith. If you say you are born again, wherever the victims and their relations are, wherever the relations of the martyrs of faith are, look for them. Let them know you are praying for them. What you eat; let them eat it.

“What you wear; let them wear. What you have on your table, let them have it on their tables, too. Share what you have with them – your love, prayer, affection and strength. Share it with them at this time. This is what we call ‘born again’ – my pain is your pain. Your joy is my joy.

“The multitude of people who claim to be with T.B. Joshua in prayer – if the same people turn to the families of the victims and martyrs of faith, don’t you think life would be better for them than before? Join them; look for them, as many other things they are doing now,” TB Joshua added.



http://www.punchng.com/news/i-saw-the-synagogue-tragedy-coming-tb-joshua/

For every strides achieved by all well meaning nations, there are heroes who are well known for the significant roles played in relative field towards the attainment of set national goals. Who is your HERO?

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE!!!!!!

The Nigerian government has led a largely successful effort against Ebola since the deadly virus was imported into the country in July, with only 19 cases and seven fatalities, significantly better than the more than 2,000 Ebola deaths in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Nigeria’s emphasis has been on contact tracing and monitoring– for established cases; and an improved sanitary policy of hand-washing and use of sanitizers as recommended by the World Health Organization, WHO.

The health body recommends either an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and running water, which be made available at every point of care, public places, offices, and homes.

While the Nigerian government says there are no more confirmed cases of Ebola in the country, it has insisted that improved hygiene should continue to check any chance of an Ebola resurgence.

But as the government continues to advocate hand washing and use of sanitizers, its offices are flouting the directive as many including hospitals do not have running water, soaps, or sanitizers for staff and visitors to wash their hands even after using the toilets, a PREMIUM TIMES investigation has found.

The Federal Ministry of Health, which is at the forefront of the campaign of hand washing and use of sanitizers, is the biggest culprit in this anomaly.

At its headquarters in Abuja, the ministry has no sanitizers or functioning tap water. The ministry’s toilet on the first floor of the new federal secretariat in Abuja, had none as of September 4 when the checks were conducted at the height of Ebola scare in the country.

The ministry had bottles of liquid soap, but literally compelled visitors to use scooped water from a big black drum stationed there, after using the toilets, a practice medical experts say is risky.

The immediate past president of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, who is also a family health consultant, said secretions are part of the modes of transmission of the deadly Ebola virus; hence, it is important that infected persons do not have contacts with others through media such as static water in a container.

He said in a case where there is no flowing tap, the drum of water should be chlorinated and not left open. The exact opposite is what obtains at the health ministry and other government-owned agencies.

“It is a matter of ensuring that you have chlorinated water or at the least, disinfected water, at any point in time. Secretions are part of the means of modes of transmission of the virus from infected persons,” he said. “But again, if you have such secretions in water that has been treated with chloride, it is part of the agents that can deactivate the virus. But the most important aspect is to ensure that infected persons do not have contact with others by washing hands in the same place.”

Water containers is a common feature in the ministry and adjoining departments. The restroom at the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation was no different. In addition to the container for visitors, when a PREMIUM TIMES’ reporter visited the office September 8, the floor was also waterlogged, posing a health risk to users.

At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, our reporter, who visited the restroom at the arrival hall on September 3 found that there was also no soap for washing hands, much less hand sanitizers in the toilets. The airport serves as one of the key entry points to the country.

Amongst all hospitals visited in Abuja in the course of this investigation, Wuse General Hospital had the worst facilities for visitors and outpatients. There were no soaps or sanitizers, and the taps did not flow, neither was there even a reservoir of water. However, the toilet meant for only staff was sparkling clean – still without soaps and hand sanitizers.

The restroom of the Asokoro District Hospital which was a bit better than that of Wuse General Hospital was still very dirty! The toilets for staff, outpatients and visitors were without soaps and hand sanitizers.

However, the restrooms of the General Out-Patient Department, National Hospital, Abuja, were cleaner than that of Wuse general hospital and Asokoro District Hospital respectively. But there were equally no soaps or hand sanitizers.

The National Orientation Agency, which has also helped in educating Nigerians on Ebola, is itself the exact opposite of the call it makes for hygienic living. There were equally no soaps or sanitizers at the restrooms.
Although the federal ministry of water resources, old secretariat, Area 1, Abuja, had flowing taps, it also lacked sanitizers or soaps for hand washing.

On the third floor of the federal secretariat which houses the federal ministry of culture and tourism, there was neither soap nor hand sanitizers in their restrooms. The floor also houses the offices of dentistry, PPP/diaspora, deputy director procurement, deputy director staff welfare & training, assistant director staff welfare and presidential committee on trade malpractice.

It was the same situation on the fifth floor which houses the JCCE/NCE, planning research and statistics. Toilets on the sixth floor, which habours the department of primary and secondary education, director basic and secondary education, secondary division and adult and non-formal education and language projects, also had no sanitary kits.

On the ninth floor, which houses the National assembly tower G, there was no soap or sanitizer in the toilets.

Mr. Enabulele said the ideal recommended practice is for people to have running taps, preferably with elbow locks. That design is to allow people avoid taps with the hands and either use their elbows to unlock the taps.

“In some climes, they have what is called knee taps; whereby you can use your knees to unlock the tap. But the elbow ones are commonly available in Nigeria, which can be purchased for as low as N300 per lock; which is quite cheap. Institutions can afford that” he added,” he said.

The Federal Ministry of Health declined to comment for this story. Dan Nwomeh, the Special Assistant, Media, to the minister of health, promised to return our reporters’ calls. He did not. He also failed to answer or return subsequent calls.

But Dr. Jimoh Balogun, Haematologist, Zaatt Central Diagnostic Centre, said it was unfortunate that the Nigerian government was in the habit of not practising what it preaches.

“It’s the same government propaganda, Dr. Balogun said. “It’s the same story about knowing the right thing and refusing to do the right thing. It’s the way things are done in this country. They go over the television, make advert, place it on newspapers, government officials come over television screens and tell you to do this and never put it to work.

“They don’t mean it because it’s not about saying things, it’s about doing them. You don’t need to go to TV screens to make water run, to provide soaps for people to wash their hands after handshakes, after using the toilets and touching surfaces that are dirty. Or probably after eating. But nobody seems to care; it’s always government propaganda.”

For more pictures, visit: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/168833-investigation-ebola-nigerian-govt-advocates-hand-washing-but-wont-provide-soaps-sanitizers-in-public-buildings.html

Reports have it that this accident happened early hours of today at ring road in Benin city, Edo State, it is still surprising how the vehicle involved got to that high location point. See more photos after the cut...



http://afikpochic..com/2014/09/photo-news-mysterious-accident-along.html

The Defence Headquarters has said that it was aware that members of the outlawed Islamist sect, Boko Haram, were in the habit of looting its armoury.

The military authorities stated that they were making efforts to secure all armouries in its various formations across the country.

Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, made the disclosure during his first real-time Twitter chat which held on Sunday night.

The army general was, however, not categorical about the grades of weapons just as he did not name the armouries that have so far been looted by the insurgents.

“We are taking measures to ensure that our armouries are secured. We agree and are aware Boko Haram has stolen arms,” Olukolade said while responding to an inquiry by one of the participants of the Twitter chat.

The Defence spokesman explained that the military high command frowned on the proliferation of arms, noting that inter-agency cooperation had recently been heightened to contain the menace.

According to Olukolade, the policing of Nigerian borders with other West African neighbours have been repositioned in view of the security threats posed by the Boko Haram insurgents.

“Interagency collaboration has been heightened; from all indications policing of our borders has increased. Our strategic information-sharing policy considers transparency, security, propriety and accuracy in reporting to the public,” he added.

Warning that the military would deal decisively with saboteurs among its officers and men engaged in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North East, Olukolade said the service chiefs were “monitoring all personnel both in the frontline and rear”, adding that “suspicious people are being vetted.”

Dismissing the insinuation that top military commanders were feeding large on the entitlements of the rank and file of the armed forces, the military spokesman argued that the quality of food being provided for the officers and men at the battlefront are the same.

He claimed that the welfare package for the slain officers and men who die on the battlefield was attractive.

“The food they (officers and men) eat is within standards and best diet design as practicable. All eat the same food, be it officers or soldiers.

“By the way, there are two levels of insurance covering all soldiers and men involved in the anti-terror war. There is the Personnels’ Service Arm insurance, the Defence Headquarters Insurance package which is different from the gratuity, death benefits and children scholarships. On honour for slain soldiers, we do give due and befitting burials,” Olukolade said.

According to him, since Shekau has been killed by the military forces, the Armed Forces would remain focused by maintaining the tempo of “firepower to ensure that we sweep them (Boko Haram) off their nuisance hotspots.”

Insisting that the Defence Headquarters would not concede any portion of Nigeria to terrorists, Olukolade said the surveillance and air operations were ongoing with a view to exerting control and ensure minimum collateral damage.

Olukolade further said that the Nigerian Armed Forces were better armed, responsive and service oriented when placed in comparison with their Cameroonian counterparts.

“We welcome input from allies. It still remains our duty to get best results for our people. We are exchanging ideas and intelligence.

“We have a Nigerian-led Multinational Joint Task Force particularly on the Lake Chad Basin area. Cameroon is inactive in this.

“Any campaign to suggest that our Army is weaker than Boko Haram, Cameroon’s or any other force is a campaign against Nigeria.

“There is so much eagerness to discredit us and make us bow psychologically. I am working for my country. No denials.

“They are trying to pitch the soldiers against the leadership. Any military that loses leadership is doomed for the nation.

“Officers are paid to manage soldiers. Civilians can’t control them. Anarchy looms if authority loses grip.”

Olukolade added that there was no time frame to putting an end to the insurgency as terrorism is usually a long fight.

He, thereafter, warned the media against what he described as the undermining of structures.

“This is not the time to prove that the pen is mightier than the sword. Nigerian media should not undermine structures. We appeal to foreign and the local press to be circumspect and be consistent with democracy and public interests.

“We agree that there is such a need to review its (military) communication mechanism and we have engaged with various stakeholders to maintain robust counter-terrorist communications,” he said.


http://www.punchng.com/i-punch/boko-haram-looting-our-armoury-dhq/

At almost the same time that Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom on October 1, 1960, several other countries also achieved the same feat.

For instance, Cyprus, an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, also got its independence from the United Kingdom on August 16, 1960, but also celebrates it on October 1, 1960, the same day with Nigeria.

Malaysia, a Southeast Asian country, is only about three years older than Nigeria. It also got its independence from the United Kingdom on August 31, 1957.

Singapore is Nigeria’s ‘younger sister’ by five years. It seceded from the Malaysian Federation on August 9, 1965.

However, 54 years after, while some of these countries have got global reputations for their improved economies through manufacturing and export of their products, Nigeria still seems to rely on other countries of the world for her survival.

Here are the brief histories of Nigeria and her Independence ‘age mates.’

Nigeria

The site of many ancient kingdoms and empires, Nigeria has its origins in the British colonisation during the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries where it emerged from the combination of two neighbouring British protectorates: the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate.

During the colonial period, the British set up administrative and legal structures whilst retaining traditional chiefdoms. The most populous Black country achieved independence in 1960, but plunged into civil war several years later. It has since alternated between democratically-elected civilian governments and military dictatorships, with its 2011 presidential elections being viewed as the first to be conducted reasonably freely and fairly.

Nigeria is a Federal Republic modelled after the United States, with executive power exercised by the president. It is influenced by the Westminster System model in the composition and management of the upper and lower houses of the bicameral legislature.

Ethnocentrism, tribalism, religious persecution, and prebendalism have affected Nigerian politics both prior and subsequent to her independence in 1960. Kin-selective altruism has made its way into Nigerian politics, resulting in tribalist efforts to concentrate Federal power to a particular region of their interests.

Despite the abundance of natural resources in Nigeria, she is yet to develop industries that could convert them to global use.

Nigeria is often referred to as the “Giant of Africa,” but that is majorly due to its large population. With approximately 174 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world.

Even though Nigeria’s economy (Gross Domestic Product) became the largest in Africa in the year she is celebrating her independence, not much is reflected in the lives of her citizens. For example, electricity is yet to stabilise in many parts of the country; water in many Nigeria’s communities is a source of worry; many lives are lost daily on poor roads; and corruption in both the low and high places is not a secret topic.

Millions of Nigerians have emigrated at times of economic hardship, primarily to Europe, North America and Australia. It is estimated that over a million Nigerians have emigrated to the United States and constitute the Nigerian-American populace.

Her human rights record remains poor and government officials at all levels continue to commit serious abuses.

According to the US Department of State, the most significant human rights problems are: extrajudicial killings and use of excessive force by security forces, impunity for abuses by security forces, arbitrary arrests, prolonged pretrial detention, judicial corruption and executive influence on the judiciary, rape, among other issues.

The health care system is continuously faced with a shortage of doctors, known as ‘brain drain,’ due to the fact that skilled Nigerian doctors emigrate to North America and Europe. In 1995, it was estimated that 21,000 Nigerian doctors were practising in the United States alone, which is about the same as the number of doctors working in the Nigerian public service, a sign of a country that has failed in its healthcare system.

Singapore

Modern Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles as a trading post of the East India Company with permission from the Johor Sultanate. The British obtained sovereignty over the island in 1824, and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826.

In 2011, the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index ranked Singapore among the top countries surveyed with regard to “Order and Security”, “Absence of Corruption”, and “Effective Criminal Justice.”

Singapore has a generally efficient healthcare system, even though their health expenditures are relatively low for developed countries. The World Health Organisation ranks Singapore’s healthcare system as 6th overall in the world in its World Health Report.

In general, Singapore has had the lowest infant mortality rate in the world for the past two decades. Life expectancy in Singapore is 80 for males and 85 for females, placing the country 4th in the world for life expectancy. Almost the whole population has access to improved water and sanitation facilities. There are fewer than 10 annual deaths from HIV per 100,000 people. There is a high level of immunisation. Adult obesity is below 10%.

Singapore is a very diverse and young country. Yet, it has developed so rapidly.

Singapore is also the 14th largest exporter in the world. The country has the highest trade-to-GDP ratio in the world at 407.9 per cent, signifying the importance of trade to its economy. The country is currently the only Asian country to receive AAA credit ratings from all three major credit rating agencies: Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch.

Singapore also possesses the world’s eleventh largest foreign reserves, and has one of the highest net international investment position per capita. In recent years, the country has been identified as an increasingly popular tax haven for the wealthy due to the low tax rate on personal income and tax exemptions on foreign-based income and capital gains.

Singapore is a world leader in several economic areas: it is the world’s fourth leading financial centre, the world’s second largest casino gambling market, one of the world’s top three oil-refining centres, the world’s largest oil-rig producer, and a major hub for ship repair services. Its port is one of the five busiest ports in the world. In fact, the World Bank has named Singapore as the easiest place in the world to do business.

It is an education hub, and many foreign students, including Nigerians study there.

Singapore has the world’s highest percentage of millionaires, with one out of every six households having at least one million US dollars in disposable wealth (excluding property, businesses, and luxury goods, which if included would increase the number of millionaires, as property in Singapore is among the world’s most expensive). It also has one of the highest income inequality levels among developed countries, coming in just behind Hong Kong and in front of the United States.

Acute poverty is rare in Singapore. The government has rejected the idea of a generous welfare system, stating that each generation must earn and save enough for its entire life cycle. There are, however, numerous means-tested assistance programs provided by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Some of the programmes include providing money to needy households, free medical care at government hospitals, money for children’s school fees, rental of studio apartments and training grants for courses.

Singapore, as a country, in general is conservative socially, but some liberalisation has occurred. At the national level, meritocracy, where one is judged based on one’s ability, is heavily emphasised.

Malaysia

Malaysia has its origins in the Malay Kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century, became subject to the British Empire. The first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements, whose establishment was followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates.

Since independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing at an average 6.5% per annum for almost 50 years. The economy has traditionally been fueled by its natural resources, but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce and medical tourism.

The 222-member House of Representatives is elected for a maximum term of five years from single-member constituencies. All 70 senators sit for three-year terms; 26 are elected by the 13 state assemblies, and the remaining 44 are appointed by the King upon the Prime Minister’s recommendation. The parliament follows a multi-party system and the government is elected through a first-past-the-post system.

Malaysia is the only country in Southeast Asia which manufactures indigenously designed automobiles.

The infrastructure of Malaysia is one of the most developed in Asia. Its telecommunications network is second only to Singapore’s in Southeast Asia, with 4.7 million fixed-line subscribers and more than 30 million cellular subscribers.

Traditionally, energy production in Malaysia has been based on oil and natural gas. The country has 13 GW of electrical generation capacity and has 33 years of natural gas reserves, and 19 years of oil reserves. In response to the increasing demand for energy, the government is expanding into renewable energy sources. Sixteen per cent of electricity generation is hydroelectric, the remaining 84 per cent being thermal.

Cyprus

Cyprus was placed under British administration in 1878 until it was granted independence in 1960, becoming a member of the Commonwealth the following year. In 1974, seven years after the intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, an attempted coup d’état by Greek Cypriot nationalists and elements of the Greek military junta with the aim of achieving enosis (union of the island with Greece) took place.

Turkey used this as a pretext to invade the northern portion of the island. Turkish forces remained after a cease-fire, resulting in the partition of the island, an objective of Turkey since 1955. The intercommunal violence and subsequent Turkish invasion led to the displacement of over 150,000 Greek Cypriots and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots, and the establishment of a separate Turkish Cypriot political entity in the north.

Cyprus is a major tourist destination in the Mediterranean. An advanced, high-income economy with a very high Human Development Index, the country was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement until it joined the European Union on May 1, 2004. On 1 January 2008, the Republic of Cyprus joined the Eurozone.

Cyprus has a highly developed system of primary and secondary education offering both public and private education. The high quality of instruction can be attributed to a large extent to the above-average competence of the teachers, but also to the fact that nearly 7% of the GDP is spent on education, which makes Cyprus one of the top three spenders of education in the EU along with Denmark and Sweden.

State schools are generally seen as equivalent in quality of education to private-sector institutions.

In conclusion, it is the expectation of many Nigerians that the “Giant of Africa” steps up its game to meet up and perhaps excel above its ‘age mates.’


http://www.punchng.com/feature/independence-nigeria-and-her-age-mates/

There were indications in Abuja on Thursday that the authorities of the Nigerian Army might soon arraign 13 soldiers for cowardice and failure to obey orders from their superiors to advance at the (war) front.

Investigations revealed that the soldiers directed to join their counterparts at the 7 Division, entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating the on going counter-terrorism operation in the North-East early in the year.

It was gathered that the General Court Martial set up to handle the cases emanating from the on-going operation led by Brig. Gen. CC Okonkwo will hear the cases against the soldiers .

A military source, who made this known in Abuja, did not give the exact date for the hearing of the cases.

He said that the soldiers ‘’failed to advance when an order was given to them to do so.” Their action, according to him, was against military laws.

It was learnt that the affected soldiers had all been moved to the Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja, which is the venue of the GCM.

When one of our correspondents contacted the Public Relations Officer of the Defence Headquarters, Garrison, Mogadishu Cantonment, Col. Aliyu Yusuf, he said that the GCM was not treating any case for now.

Yusuf said, “For now, there is no court martial inaugurated. When the court martial is inaugurated, I will brief you appropriately on the issues before it.”

It was learnt that many military personnel in detention were waiting to face the court martial for misdemeanours.

The misdemeanours include negligence of duty, cowardice, failure to perform military duty, failure to advance with orders, leakage of information to the enemy and others.

The PUNCH gathered that the military authorities had cleared the detention facility at the Mogadishu Cantonment where 12 who were sentenced to death on September 16, 2014, are kept to create room for the 13 soldiers from the 7 Division.

It was learnt that the convicted soldiers had been moved to the detention facility of the Directorate of Military Intelligence in Lagos.

The GCM had found the 12 soldiers guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and mutiny and sentenced them to death by firing squad.

When our correspondent contacted the Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, he neither confirmed nor denied the planned trial of the 13 soldiers .

He said that the GCM was a standing court that would continue until all the cases before it were treated.

The DHQ spokesman said, “Normally, the court martial as a standing court is continuous until all the cases before it are disposed of.”

Meanwhile, a pastor, teacher and 18 other residents of Shaffa and Shindiffu in the Hawul Local Government Area of Borno State have been killed by Boko Haram insurgents.

The insurgents also razed down 10 churches, including the Living Faith Church and private homes during the attacks on Wednesday.

Sadly the incidents took place hours after the Defence Headquarters announced on Wednesday that troops killed Mohammed Bashir aka Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram.

An eyewitness gave the name of the killed pastor as Eliud Gwamna Mshelizza of the Living Faith Church.

He also claimed that all the murdered people, including the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Shaffa teacher, were Christians.

A resident said apart from the 10 burnt churches, including the E.Y.N 1, 2 and 3 in Shaffa and Shindiffu, the insurgents destroyed a clinic as well as some staff quarters and other structures at the GSS.

The terrorists, according to him, invaded Shaffa at about 8pm on Wednesday and wreaked havoc before moving to the nearby Shindiffu at about 11am on Thursday.

The insurgents had in the last two months attacked Tashan Alade, Hirzhi, Pela Birni, Debiro, Kwajaffa Bura, Jubwuwhi and Dalwa in the LGA.

The Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, Gideon Jubrin, confirmed the attacks to journalists on the telephone on Thursday .

He said, “There was an attack on some villages of the Hawul Local Government Area by suspected members of Boko Haram but I have yet to get details due to lack of telecommunication services in the affected areas.”


http://www.punchng.com/news/13-soldiers-to-face-trial-for-cowardice/

A former chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Tom Ikimi, has said that he has confidence in the national leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, adding: “We shall have a common agenda of working for the party in Edo State and Nigeria in general.”

He insisted that he was not leaving the APC for the PDP to vie for any elective political office. “I left the APC for the PDP where my personal dignity shall be respected. I am not interested in being in a party of enemies, where a party man will plot against the party. I am at peace with all the leaders of the PDP whether big or small. I have implicit confidence in Chief Anenih and we have had several meetings and I believe we have bridged the gaps. We shall have common agenda in working for the party in the state and Nigeria,” he said.

Chief Ikimi, who spoke yesterday in Benin at a reception organised in his honour by the state leadership of the PDP at the party’s secretariat on Sapele Road, also thanked the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party and Chief Anenih, who visited him in Abuja to urge him to come back to the party.

He added that during the visit by Chief Anenih and the NEC, he promised that he would consult with his political associates. He said: “I have consulted with them and my family members and they have given me the go ahead to return to the PDP.

“I came here today (yesterday) not as a new member, but to fully identify with my group of 1999 and 2003. In politics, the party is supreme. We came here as cooks to cook the food and share it to others. But those who came in took the food, plates, pots and everything away and left the cooks with nothing. The PDP will take over the state once again. Once beaten, twice shy.”

On his dumping of the APC, Chief Ikimi said, “It is good night,” adding that the then Action Congress of Nigeria was formed in his house in Abuja by himself and one Opadokun with the aims and objectives of the party written by them.

“Everyone knows that it was my baby and those who believe in it are singing a new song.” He added that what is seen in Igueben Local Government today was achieved through the Federal Government.

Earlier, while receiving Chief Ikimi, Chief Orbih said that the reception was just a rehearsal of what will happen this weekend when President Goodluck Jonathan will be in Benin for the party’s rally.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/ill-work-anenih-others-pdp-says-ikimi/

Social media platforms are fast becoming a meeting point for job seekers to gain access to recruiters and hiring managers alike. In order for job seekers to use social media to their advantage they have to make a conscious effort to build symbiotic and not parasitic relationships on the platform. Unfortunately many do the latter to their own peril.

Says Joshua Waldman, author of Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies, “Social media is probably one of the most hyped-up technologies you can use for a job search today. And often, things that get a lot of hype also come with a lot of misunderstanding. Companies, as well as individuals, have made some very damaging mistakes because they didn’t take the time to really understand social media.”

In my line of work as a recruiter, with special interest in social recruiting, I spend quite a number of time on social media and I do encounter quite a number of funny cum annoying scenarios exhibited by a few job seekers who lack how best to use social media in their favour. Permit me to cite a few of such mistakes job seekers make on social media and how to avoid them:

Social media sense of entitlement

A few weeks back, a job seeker on my LinkedIn contact asked me for a LinkedIn Job Introduction to another recruiter who is on my contact as well. I would have granted his request without any issue except that I don’t know him well enough for me to stick my head out for him. When I communicated to him that I couldn’t grant his request, he replied thus – “I am sorry I have to remove you as a connection, you are of no use to me”. I just told myself, this individual just made a big mistake, which is what I term social media sense of entitlement! He felt because we were connected on LinkedIn, he is doing me a favour, he was so wrong! Add value to people on social media and value would flow back to you in return. That is the secret of social networking that this fellow failed to realise.

Failure to know their social media audience

Every social networking channel has its unique audience; this is so because understanding of your audience is very important to leveraging social media platforms. As a job seeker, make sure your messages are appealing to the people who read them. Don’t use Facebook language on LinkedIn; Facebook has a more casual audience compared with LinkedIn’s professional outlook. On LinkedIn, your audiences are professionals in your industry and potential employers. So focus on what makes you different, the value you can bring to the table, and your level of understanding and motivation about a field. Make all these very obvious to your audience.

Ignoring Social networking etiquette

From the way some job seekers interact on social media, it is obvious that they don’t have a clue that social networking is governed by etiquettes similar to face-to-face social networking. Do you know that what is acceptable on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn differ? Many are found of asking for a follow back on Twitter with phrases like – “@segunakiode now following you, pls follow back”, that is so wrong. In face-to-face discussion, this is analogous to saying “I came to visit you at home tonight, so you must follow me back home tonight.” Guess my point is clear. When job seekers fail to recognise these social media etiquettes or rules, then they are making a major mistake.

Lack of a professional online presence

Often before I accept LinkedIn invites, I do check such LinkedIn profiles first. This is to ascertain how professional such profiles look and to weigh value demonstrated by viewing such profiles. Another big mistake job seekers make is having a less-than-professional online presence. It is the way you look online that you would be addressed – if you look professional online, you would be given a professional treatment and otherwise. Your social media profile photo must not be one taken at a party or a beach, endeavor to use a professional photo. Recruiters and hiring managers are watching; let them see you as a serious-minded individual as they can make an impression of your offline person just by looking at what you share online. Don’t give any conflicting view about yourself to recruiter and hiring managers.

Substituting social networking with face-to-face networking:

Many job seekers forget that social media is just a tool to ease offline networking and not completely erase it. So what this means it that you ought to treat social networking as you do face-to-face networking. Build your relationships on social media over time and with care. I am sure you would dare not go for a business meeting dressed in a beach wear? So it is so important for you to leverage social media as a tool that is it and you have to use that tool wisely and effectively.

So job seeker, social media can either be a friend or a foe, so beware how you use it!



http://www.punchng.com/i-punch/social-media-mistakes-job-seekers-should-avoid/

The Senate has begun moves aimed at permanently banning the manufacturing, consumption and promotion of tobacco in Nigeria.

But the development generated controversies among senators, yesterday, during debate on a bill to that effect just as the Senate President, David Mark, lamented that powerful individuals who were against the ban and regulation of tobacco in the country influenced Presidency to withhold assent on a similar bill sponsored and passed by the 6th Senate.

Senators, who spoke during debate on the bill which was presented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, PDP, Delta North for deliberation, were sharply divided.

Although the bill, as presented by Senator Okowa merely sought repeal of the act on tobacco manufacturing, sale, promotion and sponsorship in the country, majority of the senators who contributed to the debate on the issue, insisted that tobacco should be outrightly banned in the country.

But the Senate President explained that the bill, as he understood, merely seeks to regulate advertisement about smoking in the country, given the danger associated with tobacco.

He said: “The essence of the Bill is to highlight the dangers inherent in smoking and it also seeks to regulate advertisement about smoking. We have gone one step further to ban it also but when it goes to public hearing, then we will get public opinion on that.

Why the bill failed earlier

Recalling how a similar bill sponsored and passed in the 6th Senate was killed by the Presidency, Mark appealed to relevant authorities not to repeat withholding of assent if the current one scales through.

He said: “Let me remind us that we passed this bill actually in the Sixth Senate and Senator Olorunmibe Mamora was the sponsor. He talked extensively and we had a similar debate the same way we talked now.

“Powerful groups are behind the bill and I remember that in the Sixth Senate a lot of lobbyists were all over the place when this bill was being debated. So I am not surprised that we eventually didn’t sign it but we should have courage to at least do something. I don’t think we should just leave it that way this time around.

“The dangers inherent in smoking are very obvious and I think that at the end of the day we would be able to get feelers from the general public. My prayer is that this time around once we pass this bill, I hope that it will be signed because we are just left hanging at the moment. It is neither here nor there. Nothing has been done.

“Hopefully this time around the executive would be able to sign it. Those who would determine will be the general public – Nigerians – but let me remind us also that this Bill is not just a Nigerian bill. It is far more important because there are a lot of countries that have tried to debate the issue of total ban on cigarette and smoking.”

Contributing to the debate on the bill, the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, PDP, Cross River Central, said: “I support and concur with all the arguments as canvassed in the lead debate by Senator Ifeanyi Okowa but I want to ask that in this bill, there is the health component just as it has the economic component.

“In spite of the dangers of tobacco, we have to deal with the use of tobacco in such a regulated manner that it doesn’t create any economic distortion because if we don’t address the economic issues properly, then we will end up with more of smuggled tobacco that is unregulated and our own tobacco industry here will become un-protective. So when it gets to public hearing, I want to urge the relevant committees to balance the health issues with the economic issues.”

Also, in his contribution, Senator James Manager, PDP, Delta South, said: “This is a very harmless bill about something that is very harmful to human health. I used to wonder why the world is shying away from banning tobacco. Instead, they are advertising it. We should not talk of the economic benefit of something that is harmful to human health because you need to be alive for you to enjoy economic benefit of something. Tobacco consumption supposed to be banned. This tobacco, I don’t know how it tastes, by the grace of God, Mr President, I have never attempted to smoke it and I don’t want to know.”

On his part, Senator Smart Adeyemi, PDP, Kogi West, said: “I rise to support this bill. To support this bill, I took time to look at all the various recognitions and issues that this bill intends to address but I want to also say that tobacco deserves to be banned in this country. Today, as we are here deliberating on this bill, I have looked round and said to myself that how many of our colleagues are smoking here.

“ I doubt if there is anybody here that smokes and I want to say here that the rich, the highly placed Nigerians have come to realize the harm that smoking does to the health, that is why they don’t smoke. Smoking was fashionable, so to speak in the 60s and 70s.Then, people smoked and they looked at it that they have attended a particular class, they would smoke and show that they were smoking. Now, Nigerians have come to realized that it is not something to be encouraged.

“So, the question now is, who are the people that engaged in smoking? When you go to Nigerian universities, you see student smoking in the afternoon and night and those who smoke among the students are the poor people, people who are going through the hard economic situation, they resort to smoking as a way of easing pressure. I do not see any reason why we should be here and still encourage tobacco in Nigeria because I do not believe in any economic benefit the cigarette is contributing to our economy. I think we are a blessed nation and we should do everything possible to save the younger ones.”

Senator Anyanwu, PDP, Imo East, while also speaking, said: “I support the bill because I have come to see that all the countries where people smoke openly are the poorest countries in the world. ”

This bill is really to save lives, we want money, we want jobs but we don’t want jobs in an area that will lead to massive death. We should make it very uncomfortable for people to smoke.”

Senator Akin Odunsi, APC, Ogun West, also supported the bill, saying: “I rise to lend my voice to this bill, particularly, to express an opinion that is in tandem with those already expressed by two earlier speakers—Senator Adeyemi and Senator James Manager. I think my position is very clear; any goods that is legally produced should be legally promoted. As I speak today, there has been continuous restriction on the promotion of cigarette and I know that the reason is because we all know that cigarette smoking is dangerous to health.

“And of course, if we look at the economic angle, because of what we derive from the manufacturers of tobacco and the employment that it generates, then of course, we will be cutting corners. I believe that this bill has come short of what we expect, if we all agree that smoking is injurious to heath, even the smoke is injurious to non smokers, then the is no reason why we should continue to encourage the production of this product. I think we should be bold enough at this stage to stop the production of tobacco products completely, because that way, they can still engage in another area of production that can employ the youths of this country. On this basis, I think that we should stop paying lip service to this problem we have at hand.”

But Senator Abdul Ningi, PDP, Bauchi Central, kicked against the ban being canvassed by some of his colleagues. He said: “ I think we should only look at clearly what this bill seeks to achieve. This bill seeks to regulate and then control the production- the manufacturing and promotion of tobacco. One of the cardinal principles of creation of human beings is for him to be able to identify what is good and what is right. The issue of banning tobacco hinges on fundamental human rights of an individual and therefore, if you ban tobacco, you must ban several other things. Example, you must ban corruption, you must also ban chewing stick, you must also ban illicit sexual intercourse, you must also ban lesbianism.

“ A human brain is created with the freedom of choice. There is no doubt that tobacco affects somebody’s health and that is what the bill seeks to achieve but no human being will tell me what to do and what do do because I have human capacity to choose what I want. Therefore, some of these choices, we must be caution sometimes when we try to do things that infringe on the choices of human beings. Some people, if they don’t smoke tobacco, they go into coma. There are people who cannot work without tobacco, what we need to do as a parliament is to identify the cardinal problems with a view to regulate. This bill is not aimed at banning tobacco and therefore we should not even go there. Nobody, no nation, no country has gone there and Nigeria should not go there.”

Earlier, in his lead debate, sponsor of the bill, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa explained that scientific evidence has unequivocally established that tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke cause death, disease and disability.

He further said the bill provides generally for protection of present and future generation from the devastating health, social, economic and environmental consequences of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.

He appealed to senators to support the passage of the bill, explaining further that the bill seeks to regulate tobacco products and disclosure of information about tobacco production to the government in order to effectively exercise its regulatory powers.

He recalled that the World Health Assembly, WHA, at its 56th meeting, adopted a treaty on World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, saying the treaty, which came into force on February 27,2005, became the first WHO treaty adopted under Article 19 of the WHO constitution that was legally binding in 176 ratifying countries of which Nigeria was one.



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/senate-moves-ban-tobacco-production-consumption/