₦airaland Forum

The Lagos State House of Assembly is to begin an amendment to the state laws establishing tertiary institutions to ensure only one term for Vice Chancellors, rectors and provosts of the state-owned tertiary institutions.

This is partly to curb the crises that have rocked the various tertiary institutions in the state many of which have led to the sack of the headship of some of the institutions.

The motion for the amendment of the laws was co-sponsored by the Majority Leader, Sanai Agunbiade, and Chief Whip of the House, Rotimi Abiru. Other co-sponsors include Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti Osa 2), Ibrahim Layode (Badagry 1), Lanre Ogunyemi (Ojo 2) and Victor Akande of Ojo Constituency 1.

The sponsors also called for an urgent stakeholders’ meeting in the state to discuss challenges including accreditation of courses.
The meeting would help to advise the state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on ways of achieving enduring solutions to the problems of the tertiary institutions in the state.

The lawmakers further called on Ambode to set in motion a machinery of government that would give a more serious effect to residential policy of the government in respect of the university as provided in Section 40 of the Lagos State University Law, 2004.

The proposal for a single tenure, according to the sponsors, is because they have observed that since the establishment of LASU, it has been bedevilled with internal crises and more often targeted at the incumbent Vice Chancellor’s aspiration for a second term.

They said in the history of the tertiary institutions in the state, almost all the Vice Chancellors and other heads have ended their tenures unceremoniously.

Lamenting that LASU had been crises-ridden thus affecting the image of the institution and its development as well as standard of education and objectives of establishing the institution by the state government, the sponsors expressed concern that some faculties that have brought honour, pride and recognition to the institutions especially the university are now either losing their accreditation or remaining non-accredited.
The motion was unanimously approved by the House.

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/09/15/lagos-assembly-plans-single-term-for-vcs-rectors-others/

Congrats. Nice one.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied reports in a section of the media that Haj Maitalle Tara Koko, the 92-year-old woman who is an ardent Muhammadu Buhari supporter, has been abandoned, saying the woman is being well catered for.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the wife of the Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Zainab S-Bagugu, a medical doctor, has personally taken charge of Haj Maitalle’s welfare.

It said that since the woman suffered a mild stroke while returning from Abuja where she witnessed the swearing in of President Buhari (at the instance of the Kebbi State Governor and the Senator from Kebbi Central, Adamu Aliero), she was admitted and treated at the Sir Yahaya General Hospital in Birnin Kebbi, and all her expenses paid by the Governor and his wife, who ensured that her close associate and friend, Barrister Zainab Koko, cooked and delivered meals thrice daily to Haj Maitalle.

”When she was discharged from the hospital after 10 days, she was taken to her home town of Koko, where she has been under the care of the resident medical officer, Dr. Kola, who reviews her condition and ensures she gets physiotherapy, in addition to being in constant touch with the Consultant in Birnin Kebbi, Dr. Abubakar Dakingari.

”The Kebbi State Government has also approved 4 million Naira for her and her attendant doctor to travel to Dubai for further treatment, but she has been too weak to travel.

”Since Haj Maitalle returned to her home in Koko, the Governor, the First Lady and Sen. Aliero have been in touch with her. The First Lady has personally visited her three times, the Governor and Sen. Aliero once each and the House of Representatives member from her constituency over four times.

”We have gone to this great length to provide full details of Haj. Maitalle’s condition in order to give Nigerians the correct information about her situation. We do not know what informed the wicked, irresponsible and downright deceitful story that the delightful woman has been abandoned even after she gave her life earnings in support of Buhari’s presidential campaign. The story of Haj. Maitalle’s purported abandonment is a figment of the imagination of the fellow who wrote it,” APC said.

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/09/15/92-yr-old-ardent-buhari-supporter-not-abandoned-apc/

When it comes to your health, chances are your biggest concern isn’t having a stroke. That’s only a problem elderly people have to worry about, right? Not so fast.

While the majority of strokes do occur in people ages 65 and older, about 10 percent of all strokes happen to those under 45—and women are more at risk than men. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, each year more than 100,000 women under the age of 65 will have a stroke. That means you or someone you know could be affected at some point in her life—and sooner than you’d expect.

There are a few reasons women tend to have a higher risk of stroke than men. Even though the biggies, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes affect both genders, some risk factors are reserved for women, says Andrew Stemer, M.D., director of the stroke program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Pregnancy is one of those, especially in the third trimester and in the weeks and months postpartum, he says. Some of this has to do with hormonal changes. And if you find yourself on bed rest, this causes blood flow to slow in the veins, which makes you a little more prone to clots.

Taking oral contraceptives may also put you at an increased risk of stroke. And women who experience migraine with aura (when your headache is joined by a neurologic symptom, such as those sparkles in the corner of your eye) are at higher risk, too. “All those things together seem to have a cumulative effect of increasing stroke for women,” says Stemer.

The most common type, ischemic strokes (which account for about 80 to 90 percent of all cases), occur when a clot prevents enough blood and oxygen from getting to the brain, says Stemer. “In the stroke field, they say ‘time is brain,’” he says. Meaning the longer you wait, the more time there is for permanent damage to occur.

Aside from keeping up a healthy lifestyle, your best defense is catching the symptoms early and getting to an ER stat. Here are the major warning signs:

• You Feel Weak or Numb on One Side of Your Body
[/b]Suddenly losing strength or being unable to feel a limb on one side of your body is a common sign of stroke, especially in the arm and leg. One side of your face may also droop.

• [b]You Have Trouble Speaking
This symptom comes in a few forms: Your speech may be slurred or you may have difficulty just getting the words out. You also may struggle to comprehend what other people are saying. Stemer notes that there is a spectrum of severity from mild to severe. While we all have moments where we can’t think of a word or get a word out correctly, “most people know themselves or their own body well enough to recognize this is transient or applies only to a certain word,” says Stemer. “I would say if someone is alarmed with a speech difficulty, either slurred speech or being unable to speak—having words stuck on the tip of their tongue for example—it is time to seek care immediately.” Basically, if it feels like anything out of the ordinary, you should seek medical attention ASAP.

• You Get a Severe Headache
This is more likely to occur in hemorrhagic strokes, which happens when, “instead of a pipe getting blocked, a pipe springs a leak, and you have bleeding in the brain,” he says. Hemorrhagic strokes are a lot less common than ischemic strokes, accounting for about 10 to 15 percent of all strokes—but they do have a higher mortality rate.

• You Lose Some of Your Vision
Much like the limb weakness or numbness, vision problems are also usually one-sided. But instead of losing sight in one full eye, you’re more likely to lose the same field of vision in both eyes (for example, neither eye can see to the left.) This is because “the eyeball itself and the optic nerve are fine, but where that information goes to get processed in the brain is what can be damaged,” says Stemer.

• You Experience Sudden Onset of Any or All of These Symptoms
The hallmark sign of a stroke, sudden onset of these warning signs should be your biggest indicator that you need to get to the nearest hospital immediately. These symptoms come on very quickly, but not all need to be present to warrant a trip to the ER.The bottom line: “If there’s any sudden onset of a new neurologic symptom that affects one side of the body, then I would go to the emergency room right away,” says Stemer. “It may be a migraine or something else that’s benign, but the problem is if you don’t go in, then you’ll have missed your opportunity to really treat the stroke.” If you think you might be having one, act fast—even if it turns out to be something not so serious, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

—Culled from msn.com health & fitness

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/09/15/youre-not-too-young-to-have-a-stroke-here-are-5-symptoms/

Strong indications emerged last night that pressures were beginning to mount on former governor of Bayelsa and other aspirants for governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Bayelsa State to step down for Timi Alaibe.
Alaibe is the former Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and aspirant of the ticket.
The indicators of development became visible after a meeting between the aspirants numbering 19 and leadership of the APC yesterday.
The meeting which behind closed door had in attendance the national chairman of APC, Chief John Oyegun, Deputy national chairman (South) Olusegun Oni, national organising Secretary Senator Osita Izunaso among other national executives of the party.
It was gathered that Silva’s case with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC was acting as an albatross on his neck and as such may not be “marketable”.
A source stated that the party was more “comfortable” with the candidature of Alaibe who they said had an edge over the serving governor, Mr. Serieke Dickson with his grassroots presence.
“Apart from the fact that they feel he can not win the state, the leaders also think the former governor is yet to settle with the anti graft agencies over alleged misapropriation of fund when he was the governor of Bayelsa state.”the source said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/bayelsa-sylva-others-may-step-down-for-alaibe/#sthash.FIPw65iv.dpuf

As the strike embarked by truck drivers in Lagos over the restriction directive given by the Lagos State government, entered its day 5 on Monday, concerned stakeholders in the maritime sector have continued to express mixed reactions.

Following the full implementation of a section of the 2012 Lagos Road Traffic Law, which restricted trailers and articulated vehicles from plying the metropolis between 6am and 9pm, the aggrieved drivers under the aegis of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) had last week said that they would withdraw their trucks from the road with immediate effect over the restriction directive.

They were said to have embarked on strike last Wednesday.
The Chairman of AMATO, Mr. Remi Ogungbemi, who expressed the plights of the truck drivers said that it was difficult for members to comply with the state government’s directive restricting movement of trucks to the night, because the safety of trucks, drivers and the cargoes could not be guaranteed.

Vanguard gathered on Monday, that the strike action had paralyzed the lifting and conveying of goods from the terminals particularly in the Tincan Island/Apapa ports.

However, as members of AMATO and officials of the Lagos State Government continue to hold negotiations over the restriction order, it was learnt that drivers of trailers and trucks who came from various parts of the country such as Obajana in Kogi State, Igboji in Osun State, Ibadan, Osogbo, Ilorin among others have been caught in-between the strike.

Vanguard spoke to a cross section of the drivers sighted along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, as they have already parked indiscriminately along a section of the road on a queue already stretching between Mile 2 and the second gate of the Tincan Island Port.
One of the drivers Wasiu Akinyemi, expressed concern over the policy, lamenting that it has since made his job more difficult.
Akinyemi who disclosed that he came from Obajana, Kogi State to lift goods from one of the terminals in the Tincan Island Port said: “As I speak with you, I have been on this queue in the last five days. I left Obajana in Kogi State last Tuesday Lagos. Arriving here last Wednesday, I was surprised to meet this long queue.

“In as much as the Lagos State Government is trying to protect lives and properties, it should in the interest of common men like us take a second look at this restriction policy on truck drivers. The 24 hours of a day is not even enough for us to operate let alone restricting us to operate for only about nine hours. The government didn’t even take into consideration the man-hours we lost just to gain entrance into the port and terminals just to lift goods.

“For instance, if I come from outside Lagos to lift goods by 9pm, and by the time it gets to my turn, at the terminal it’s already 6am, where will I go to. The terminal operators would not let me park within their terminal, the Lagos State Government taskforce will arrest me if I drive out within the restricted period, so, tell me, where do we go from here?

“My advice for the state government is that they should go after drivers whose vehicles are not road worthy, who usually cause the accidents that prompted this law. Infact, their vehicles should be permanently impounded, instead of placing this stringent law on all of us, especially those of us whose vehicles are road worthy,” he said.

Similarly, Mubarak Olasupo, who said he came from Ibadan to lift goods in the Tincan Island Ports, lamented that he had spent over five days on the queue with no hope in sight.

Olasupo said: “I never envisaged that there would be strike before leaving Ibadan last Wednesday, because a driver colleague that I called on phone before coming told me that the strike only affected the Ports and Cargo terminal, not knowing that he tricked me to come and join him in the suffering along this road.

“Over the last five days, I have not taken a nice bath, as I have been bathing with sachets of pure water at nights. It has been hell for me, because there is no way out of this queue. To leave my truck here and return to Ibadan is even riskier.

“This restriction policy has indeed turned us to night watchmen. We barely sleep, because of hoodlums who are fond of coming here at nights to steal our vehicle batteries, fuel pumps, diesel and anything they could lay their hands on from our vehicles. Our lives are definitely in danger because of this policy restricting our operations at nights.

“I appeal to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to review this policy for the sake of our family whom we have left at home over the last five days, just to make earns-meet.”

On his part, Obinna Ngene, who said he came from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, lamented that he had become financially broke owing to the long period he had spent on the road, without a knowledge of when he would get to the terminal to lift his client’s goods.
Ngene, however, bemoaned that the restriction policy poses a great danger to their lives. He accused some naval personnel and policemen who usually come at nights to extort N1, 000 from them.

He said: “We are not even talking of the suffering from mosquito bites, elements of the weather and the activities of hoodlums who come to steal our vehicle parts at night. Can you imagine, naval personnel in collaboration with some policemen coming here also at nights to extort N1, 000 from each of us, for parking. They don’t even consider our plight.

“Last Friday, one of our colleagues was beating by a naval personnel for refusing to part with N1, 000. This is shameful for our security operatives, particularly in this era of change,” lamented Ngene.

Recall that the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Oluseyi Whenu, had on September 6, announced that henceforth the state government would impound any articulated vehicle which driver contravenes the State Road Traffic Law 2012, adding that it will restrict them from plying the metropolis between the hours of 6am to 9pm.

Whenu stated that the measure became necessary following incessant auto accidents of articulated vehicles, especially, the fatal accident at Ojuelegba, Surulere Local Government Area, involving a container-laden trailer on September 2.
He said the trailer was discovered to have contravened Section 2 (i) and 2 (ii) of the Traffic Law.

According to Whenu, the state government would henceforth go tough on any trailer and long vehicle that contravenes the Law by impounding and making them to pay the stipulated fine accordingly.

Meanwhile, at press time, the leaders of the truck drivers are said to be having a negotiation meeting with the state government on alternative measures to the restriction directive.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/confusion-as-truck-drivers-strike-paralyze-activities-in-lagos-ports/#sthash.uuig60fI.dpuf

All the elected local government Chairmen and Councilors of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in Jigawa State have resolved to dump the party for the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Investigations show that the move was not unconnected with their earlier decision to embrace the ruling party, based on its ideology of principle of justice and good governance.
The Jigawa State Chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Alh. Khalid S. Ibrahim, confirmed the development, adding that “our reasons are clear and straight forward; that we have agreed, in principle, to embrace the APC based on its policies of cardinal principle of social justice and good governance.

Khalid, who is also the Chairman of Birnin-Kudu Council, further stated that the idea was conceived shortly after their maiden courtesy on Governor Badaru Abubakar, where they extolled his good virtue of leadership, describing him as a people-oriented governor.

“Verily, your numerous achievements in the last 100 days in office, in upholding principle of probity and accountability, restoration of discipline in the state civil service, in addition to the introduction of other economic measures, in cutting down extra expenditure for prudent public expenditure have clearly shown that the APC government is for positive change and development.”

http://dailytimes.com.ng/jigawa-pdp-chair-defects-apc/

Please APC national body should reconcile all warring factions and build a common home for all in Bauchi state in particular and Nigeria as a whole.

The Federal Government has ruled out the possibility of shifting the deadline for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to comply with the presidential directive on Treasury Single Account.

In a statement issued by the Deputy Director, Press, at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs. K.N. Offie, in Abuja on Friday, the Accountant General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, said the Tuesday (September 15) deadline was realistic, achievable and not subject to postponement.

According to him, all MDAs should close all accounts with the commercial banks on or before the deadline.

Idris said the Implementation Guidelines had been developed and would soon be made available to all interested parties and the general public.

He said the OAGF in line with its statutory mandate and directives would continue to provide all necessary information and technical support to all MDAs, banks and the general public to ensure a smooth, seamless and transparent implementation of the TSA/e-Collection policy.

President Muhammadu Buhari had recently given all MDAs a September 15 deadline to comply with the Treasury Single Account directive.

The directive requires all MDAs to pay all revenues and monies accruing to the government into a Federal Sub-Treasury account maintained by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

http://www.punchng.com/news/tsa-tuesday-deadline-sacrosanct-says-fg/

https://www.google.com.ng/search?q=prof+cyril+ndifon+pix&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=775&tbm=isch&imgil=Bog9o-O4RKadNM%253A%253Ba0ziJC5pUe737M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fnewmail-ng.com%25252Frandy-university-of-calabar-don-suspended-over-rape-of-student%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=Bog9o-O4RKadNM%253A%252Ca0ziJC5pUe737M%252C_&usg=__4AW29rYF7EhkhF57cTC0L5QlLfg%3D&ved=0CC8QyjdqFQoTCP6pi8rz7scCFUqcGgodcacO3g&ei=Xb7yVb6HMcq4avHOuvAN#imgdii=Bog9o-O4RKadNM%3A%3BBog9o-O4RKadNM%3A%3BFJoW8P9cyRA1JM%3A&imgrc=Bog9o-O4RKadNM%3A&usg=__4AW29rYF7EhkhF57cTC0L5QlLfg%3D

National Emergency Management Agency and Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency confirm a suspected bomb blast at a warehouse of one of the Internal Displaced Persons’ camps in Yola.

Details later…


http://www.punchng.com/news/explosion-hits-adamawa-displaced-persons-camp-nema/

Nkem Anekwe, the elder sister of Oluchi Anekwe, a first-class student of the University of Lagos, who was on Tuesday electrocuted by a high-tension wire, says the negligence of the UNILAG Medical Center caused the death of her younger sister.

She also said the high-tension wire, which caused the death of Oluchi also fell on her younger sister, Uju Anekwe, but she survived the encounter.

This is just as the National Association of Nigerian Students, South-West zone, said it would sue the electricity distribution company for the death.

Nkem told our correspondent that Uju, a student of the College of Medicine, Idi Araba, was injured by the cable and was also hospitalised. She added that the young lady had been discharged and was recuperating at home.

PUNCH Metro had reported that academic activities at the university were paralysed on Wednesday as students of the institution protested against the death of Oluchi, a 300-Level student of the Department of Accounting.

Twenty-two-year-old Oluchi and her sister were returning from an evening Mass, when the high-tension wire fell on them at about 7pm.

When PUNCH Metro visited the Anekwes’ on Thursday, Nkem, a lawyer, stated that both ladies were initially rushed alive to the medical centre, adding that Oluchi could have survived if she was promptly attended to.

She said, “It was not only Oluchi that the wire fell on; it also injured Uju. I got to know about the incident at about 8pm. I quickly rushed to the university’s medical centre. When I got there, Uju told me that she and Oluchi had held each other’s hands as they walked to the hostel.

“The wire fell on Oluchi’s left arm, and the two of them were electrocuted. Oluchi lost consciousness immediately, while Uju managed to call out to passersby to help them.

“Both of them were rushed to the medical centre. The officials on duty requested their identity cards and said they would not do anything until the cards were brought. When I got to the centre, Oluchi was alive, as her eyes were open and her body was warm and normal, but only her left arm was stiff. I asked the medical personnel if any first-aid was given to her, but they did not reply me.”

As of the time of visit, Uju, who was said to be sleeping in an inner room, did not talk with PUNCH Metro.

Oluchi’s father, Chief Basil Anekwe, said Oluchi’s death was a great loss to the family. He added that the university’s authorities should ensure that his daughter’s autopsy was done, and a death certificate issued promptly.

He said, “On Sunday, when I saw Oluchi, she said I should send her some money for upkeep. On Tuesday, I was planning to send about N30,000 to her, when I learnt about the incident. I was initially told it was a mere accident.

“I am only glad that my daughter did not die returning from a party or an offensive place; she died returning from the presence of God. The university delegation this morning brought a letter to me from the VC.”

The mother, who was distraught, was said to be unavailable for comment as of the time of PUNCH Metro’s visit.

Our correspondent gathered that Oluchi’s remains would be taken to the Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State on Friday (today) for burial.

Meanwhile, the NANS, in a statement by the Public Relations Officer, South-West Zone, Jeremiah Olatinwo, said it would sue the electricity distribution company that owned the faulty wire to ensure compensation for the family.

The statement read in part, “The NANS shall be taking up this case alongside the University of Lagos Students Union to see to it that Oluchi’s family is compensated for the damages caused by the electricity distribution company.

“The unfortunate injury to Oluchi is an injury to all Nigerian students and we will not keep quiet in the face of the threat to our fundamental rights to life.

“We call on the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and the Senate Committee on Power to sanction the electricity distribution company for its noncompliance to safety and health guidelines in its distribution and transmission.”

The Public Relations Officer, UNILAG, Mr. Olagoke Oke, however, said the workers were on the ground to attend to the injured ladies.

He said, “It is not true that the negligence of officials caused the lady’s death. The UNILAG workers were on ground, and they were with her till the very end.”

FG sends team to UNILAG


The Federal Government on Thursday said it had dispatched a technical team to examine the location where Oluchi was electrocuted in UNILAG.

It said the technical team, led by the Managing Director of the Nigeria Electricity Management Services Limited, Peter Ewesor, had commenced investigations into the matter.

“The team is expected to find out what actually went wrong and who is culpable, after which sanctions will be recommended,” the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Dr. Godknows Igali, said in a statement.

http://www.punchng.com/metro-plus/unilag-medical-centre-refused-to-treat-oluchi-%E2%94%80-victims-sister/

Dear Bunmi,

My problem is my husband. Before we got married, he was very decent and a gentleman. Since we got married, however, he has turned into what can best be described as an animal.

He likes to have sexual intercourse in unusual and perverted ways. Although we have a very comfortable bed, he likes to take me on a hard floor.

He asks me to suck him. I want to please him in this, but the thing is so large, it always makes me gag! I never ask him to do anything abnormal, so why has he turned into something I now fear? It has got to a point where I hate making love with him. I have even thought of running away.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/help-my-husbands-sexual-demands-abnormal/#sthash.vWsWPUmy.dpuf

A one month old baby girl was raced to the children's hospital after her mother accidentally mixed her formula with vodka instead of water. The infant had a blood alcohol level of almost 0.294 - almost four times the 0.08 driving limit - when she was admitted to the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Her mother said the baby had consumed 2 oz of vodka unbeknownst to her.

She said after she gave the infant her bottle on Monday night, her hands and toes became red and her legs started shaking.

The 20-year-old mother, who has not been identified, told police that her 22 year old bf, Brian Smith, was staying with her and had emptied out a bottle of water on the kitchen counter and replaced it with the strong liquor without telling her.

The mother said she and Smith were in their apartment when he asked if the baby had been fed. She said she had used the water bottle she always uses in the kitchen. Smith then became upset and started yelling and said he had dumped out the water and had filled the bottle with vodka, intending to take it with him.

The complaint said he continued to yell at her, threw a bottle at her, pushed her and grabbed her by the neck so hard she was unable to speak.

According to the complaint the young mother filed against Smith, the argument and fight continued out in a hallway and into the parking lot, which is when police arrived.

When police arrived, they found Smith screaming and swearing at a group of about a dozen people gathered around a car. Officers said Smith was holding open the rear door, and a 20-year-old woman was inside the car.

According to the complaint, Jones threatened officers by yelling, "Don't effing touch me," and went towards them with clenched fists. After a brief struggle with officers, he was handcuffed.

Documents state that an officer then spoke to the woman in the car, who was crying and sobbing uncontrollably. That was when she then told the officer that Smith had choked her after she had used a water bottle filled with vodka to feed her 1-month-old child, Daviarre. Officers observed that the child's breathing was labored and an ambulance was called.

Police believe the incident was an accident, and the mother will likely not face any charges.

The baby's grandfather said it was all a big misunderstanding.
"It was an honest mistake, and then it led up to a bunch of other things, and he didn't know what to do, and he was scared,” Allen Jones said.

Smith is facing charges of strangulation and battery, disorderly conduct and resisting an officer. He could face nearly 10 years in prison if convicted.
The baby was placed in intensive care but is expected to be released from hospital this week.

http://lindaikeji..com.ng/2015/09/1-month-old-baby-accidentally-given.html
http://dailytimes.com.ng/baby-survives-vodka-laced-formula/

Demmocrats:
Op I have some questions for you



How long have you stayed in lasgidi because you yan like a jjc





Lastly it seems this is the first time you ever changed a foreign currency in your life.


Only a jjc will respond the way you did


Even the Hausa men that denied the identity of those guys are lying involve the police and arrest then and see the truth come out asap

I have been in Lagos for many years o. This is not my first time of changing dollars o. I have changed millions in dollar and Naira. It just happened that way. It was a lesson learnt. Please learn from it too. Thanks

Emeka71:
He is a complete mugu.

Thanks Emeka, you learn daily. This is a lesson learnt which I am passing across to you and others.

Congrats !

Please keep the flag flying

On the evening of Wednesday, August 5, 2015, I went to change some dollars at the popular Alade market on Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos. Just some minutes before 7pm we drove into the plaza. Most of the shops were locked and we have a few numbers of foreign currency sellers/Bureau De Change operators (mostly Northerners) there.

At the entrance to the western gate of the plaza were some guys who were a mix of northerners and Southerners. As we approach the gate to get into the plaza, they rushed at our car and asked if we want to change dollar which we answered in the affirmative. They told us the exchange rate and we agreed to the transaction. The Yoruba guys agreed to sell at a higher rate than the Hausa guys. So we settled for the Yoruba guys’ rate. The Yoruba guy then asked us to drive away from the gate so we can carry out the transaction without blocking those entering the plaza. We moved forward to about 2 metres and packed. Then came the Yoruba guy to the side of the car and made to give us the money. Our agreement was N235 to a dollar and we gave him $100 which made the Naira equivalent to be N23,500.

To prevent being scammed, I handed over the $100 bill, we are to change, to my driver, while the Yoruba guy handed out some Naira cash to me (he had two guys beside him). As I was counting the money for correctness, he asked my driver to give him the $100 bill to check if it is original or fake, and since I have the Naira equivalent in my hand, I did not object. After I finished counting I observed that he gave me N23,000 instead of N23,500 but he said he gave me N24,000. He requested I give him the Naira to recount and confirm the correctness I obliged, since I was so sure of what I had counted, I handed him the cash. He recounted it and confirmed it was N23,000 (15 pieces of N1,000 and 16 pieces of N500). He added the balance of N500 and handed the money back to me. Unknown to me, he had stylishly removed 12pieces of N1000 from the money (maybe he dropped them on the road, since we are in the car and he was by the car door or he handed it to one of his accomplices).
Before he handed us the money, one of the guys that followed him, an Ibo man was on me begging me to release the N500 balance to him and go with the N23,000. I did not answer him. I thought within myself that why would I give you N500 when you are the one selling the Naira to me. This guy was so much on me that I was begging him to let it be that I need the money and that was the reason for coming there that late (they normally close their offices at 6pm).

When the Yoruba guy returned the cash to me with the balance added, the Ibo guy charged at our door and was begging profusely that we should give him the N500, thereby not allowing me to count the money. He was so much on us that I was flabbergasted, I did not know it was a ploy to allow the other two to escape with their loot while diverting our attention. We quickly made to leave and as the car was driving out of the plaza to the main road, the Ibo guy ran after us. We eventually rolled up the glass and as I took the cash to count, I felt it was lighter than before, and I quickly counted it and found that 12 pieces of N1000 i.e. N12,000 has been taken away from the money, leaving me with N11,500 (it would have been N11,000 if I had given the Ibo guy N500 as he requested).

We quickly turned and went to where we left them 2 minutes earlier but none of the three guys were anywhere to be found. They have disappeared! We packed our car and searched for them but to no avail. We asked the Hausa guys there if they know their identity, they said ‘No’. We searched all around the plaza and asked around for them but ‘no show.’

We left that day saddened. From the feelers I have there, it seems that the Yoruba and Ibo guys live around the area, and that they engage in this scam/fraud in the evening period. They operate outside the gate and at the entrance to Alade Market plaza and Airport Hotel in Ikeja. So, be careful when next you want to change that dollar or pound sterling.

I will like to call on the appropriate security agents to go and fish these guys out and prevent innocent citizens from falling victims/preys of their scams and fraud.

My advice to everyone who buys or sells foreign currency:

If you want to change dollar or Pound sterling;

1. Go to appropriate places where legal and operational Bureau De Change is/are located.
2. Look for a bureau de change shop or office and go in, don’t transact at the entrance.
3. Meet the owner of the business/shop, not the surrogate/boy/mallam/loafers.
4. State the reason for your visit and agree on the exchange rate first
5. Allow them to give you the cash equivalent of your agreed sum before you hand over your cash. This is to avoid fake money or lost
money.
6. If you come with a car, don’t transact business through the windows of your car, come down and do the business.
7. Check the correctness of your money before leaving the premise.
8. Have a dedicated customer whom you transact with every time.
9. Do business with a ‘mallam’ first before any other tribe. This is my suggestion though.

Good luck to you all!

[b]The Year 2015 has been a mixed bag of fortunes and lack thereof for Africa's fastest woman. It started great at the Shanghai Diamond League meet where Blessing won the 100 meters but afterwards it all descended into some unfortunate situations as she was dogged and plagued with Injuries.

In early July it was a knee injury at a meet in Lausanne, Switzerland that was then followed by one of the most unfortunate and darkest period in Blessing's Career at the 15th Edition of the IAAF World Athletics Championship in Beijing, China, where she was hoping to make waves and stamp herself as one of the best woman sprinters the world has ever seen, but instead she had to deal with a sore hamstring that caused her to withdraw from the 200 meters race and to make matters worse, a media controversy.

Despite all this Blessing was able to honor her commitment to the Diamond League and finished her season on a high note with a second place finish behind Jamaica's Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce at the 100 meters in Zurich, Switzerland.

Blessing will now seek to get healthier to begin her journey of preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where with the lord on her side, will claim whats hers on the medal podium.

Blessing will now call it a season and therefore will not be attending any more meets which includes the All African Games that is now ongoing in the Congolese capital city of Brazzaville.

Blessing wants to thank all of those who have been by her side throughout this trying 2015 season and have shown her unconditional love and support; from the Lord Almighty to her Family, her management team, meet organizers and officials of her Federation who have been understanding and worked with her throughout her trials. Last but not least you the fans who have been so doting and supportive and even though on some occasion she felt like she let you down she very much appreciates you all standing by her and supporting her good times or bad times.

She will return in 2016 with a bang to make history for Nigeria and the African continent. Thank you all and God Bless!!![/b][i][/i]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blessing-okagbare/188555571168510?pnref=story

https://www.facebook.com/blessing.okagbare?fref=ts

Patriotism is key.
Blessing left her marriage to run for Nigeria, instead of making babies.
She used her personal fund to support herself and train herself.
She worked extra hard to excel in international competitions.
She was all over the globe running one diamond league after another to prepare herself for the ultimate goal i.e. to do well for Nigeria and also earn money though.
She did well in all her meets except the Beijing meet where she came last and alas, we all rose up to crucify her instead of encouraging her.
She came out with the post below to state her side of the story.

Blessing Okagbare Ighoteguonor Mfr shared Blessing okagbare's post.
September 6 at 3:45pm ·

Blessing okagbare
The Year 2015 has been a mixed bag of fortunes and lack thereof for Africa's fastest woman. It started great at the Shanghai Diamond League meet where Blessing won the 100 meters but afterwards it all descended into some unfortunate situations as she was dogged and plagued with Injuries.
In early July it was a knee injury at a meet in Lausanne, Switzerland that was then followed by one of the most unfortunate and darkest period in Blessing's Career at the 15th Edition of the IAAF World Athletics Championship in Beijing, China, where she was hoping to make waves and stamp herself as one of the best woman sprinters the world has ever seen, but instead she had to deal with a sore hamstring that caused her to withdraw from the 200 meters race and to make matters worse, a media controversy.
Despite all this Blessing was able to honor her commitment to the Diamond League and finished her season on a high note with a second place finish behind Jamaica's Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce at the 100 meters in Zurich, Switzerland.
Blessing will now seek to get healthier to begin her journey of preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where with the lord on her side, will claim whats hers on the medal podium.
Blessing will now call it a season and therefore will not be attending any more meets which includes the All African Games that is now ongoing in the Congolese capital city of Brazzaville.
Blessing wants to thank all of those who have been by her side throughout this trying 2015 season and have shown her unconditional love and support; from the Lord Almighty to her Family, her management team, meet organizers and officials of her Federation who have been understanding and worked with her throughout her trials. Last but not least you the fans who have been so doting and supportive and even though on some occasion she felt like she let you down she very much appreciates you all standing by her and supporting her good times or bad times.
She will return in 2016 with a bang to make history for Nigeria and the African continent. Thank you all and God Bless!!!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blessing-okagbare/188555571168510?pnref=story
https://www.facebook.com/blessing.okagbare?fref=ts

President Muhammadu Buhari has issued a Tuesday, September 15, 2015 deadline for all Federal MDAs to comply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) directive.

This was disclosed on Monday, via Buhari’s official Twitter handle, @NGRPresident.
The statement read: ”President Muhammadu Buhari has issued a Tuesday, September 15, 2015 Deadline for all Federal MDAs to comply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) instruction.

“By that deadline, all Federal Government revenues must go into the Central Bank Treasury Single Account (TSA), except otherwise expressly approved.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/breaking-news-buhari-issues-deadline-for-compliance-with-treasury-single-account/#sthash.ewI9peF0.dpuf

Drivers of luxurious buses early Monday morning blocked the Ife- Ilesa Expressway to protest the robbery incident which they said happened on the road over night.

It was not clear if any life was lost in the accident, but our correspondent gathered that the drivers said the robbers took over the road since last night until early Monday morning.

One of the motorists trapped in the traffic congestion caused by the blockage of the road, Sanya, told our correspondent that the protest started around 4am on Monday.

Sanya said the protesting drivers said robbery cases were frequent on the road and vowed not to leave the road until the state governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, came to address them.

He said the policemen who arrived at the scene to restore order were chased away by the irate drivers, who demanded to see the commissioner of police.

Sanya said, ” We are close to 1000 vehicles trapped in the traffic snarl now. I have been here for over two hours and there is no exit road to take. We are stuck in the mess.

“Many newspapers delivery vans are here before dawn and there is no way anybody can escape except the road is cleared.”

Another motorist, Peter Dada, also told our correspondent that the blockage of the road had frustrated road users caught in the web of the protest.

He called on security agents to increase their presence on the road to prevent robbery cases.

The new Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Mr. Kola Sodipo, when contacted on the telephone by our correspondent said he had sent his men to the scene.

Sodipo said, ” I have sent my men there. I learnt that the robbery didn’t happen this morning but it has happened before.

http://www.punchng.com/news/drivers-protest-robbery-attack-block-ife-highway/

The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina, has refuted reports that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the shutdown of the Chapel in Aso Villa, Abuja.
Adesina, who described the report as an imaginative rumour, in a tweet via his handle, @FemAdesina said: “President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) orders Aso Villa Chapel shut? There is no such thing. It’s only a rumour spawned by fecund imagination gone into overdrive. PMB respects freedom of worship.”
Recall that the social media had been abuzz since last Sunday, over reports that President Buhari had allegedly moved against Christian religious activities within the precincts of the Aso Rock presidential villa.
The Aso Rock Villa Chapel serves as the official church of Aso Rock where Christian activities inside the presidential villa are conducted.
It was said that heavily armed men reportedly stormed the Aso Rock Chapel on Sunday, August 30, 2015 denying worshipers access to the church.
However, photo emanating from the chapel on Sunday, September 6, 2015, showed that the Aso Villa chapel was not shut.
See photos below:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/buhari-never-shutdown-aso-villa-chapel-adesina/#sthash.dLry05h1.dpuf
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/buhari-never-shutdown-aso-villa-chapel-adesina/

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has given seven permanent secretaries in the state compulsory retirement while nine others have been demoted to the position of directors.

The nine were part of those that were promoted at the twilight of the former administration of Jonah Jang.

In a statement in Jos on Sunday by the Mrs. Hulda Fwangchi, and made available to our correspondent, the governor said the exercise was part of the recommendations of his transition committee and part of the administration’s desire for change and effective service delivery.

The statement added that the governor had appointed 12 other permanent secretaries.

Those retired are Mr. Isaac Wadak, Mr. Habila Dung, Mrs. Julie Anpe, Mr. Bankat Tokkes, Alhaji Mustapha Galadima, Mrs. Ruth Biangten, and Mr. Simon Pam.

Those demoted are Mrs. Vou Dido, Dr. Ezekiel Pam, Sunday Biggs, Solomon Dawal, Wuyep Rajib, Julius Shinkur, Dagwon Davou. Mrs. Hannatu Dantong and Sunday Farmson.

http://www.punchng.com/news/lalong-sacks-seven-perm-secs-demotes-nine/

The Lagos State Government has announced its plans strictly enforce the Road Traffic Law 2012, restricting trailers and long vehicles from plying the metropolis between 6am and 9pm.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Oluseyi Whenu, who spoke to journalists on the backdrop of the fatal accident involving a container-laden trailer on Thursday at Ojuelegba, said the trailer contravened Section 2 (i) and 2 (ii) of the Traffic Law.

In a statement on Sunday, Whenu said the state government would henceforth go tough on any trailer and long vehicle that contravened the law as such vehicle would be impounded and made to pay the stipulated fine accordingly.

The statement added that the leaders of various transport unions and associations in the state had resolved to support the new directive introduced to apprehend traffic offenders.

Whenu, at the meeting clarified the state government’s position on the new directive, saying officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority had not been withdrawn from performing their statutory responsibilities on the road.

He explained that the new directive would lay more emphasis on flawless flow of traffic, while traffic offenders would be booked and expected to pay their fines within the stipulated period in line with the state government’s covenant with residents to make life easier for them.

Whenu solicited the co-operation and support of all transport operators in ensuring the success of the new traffic initiative.

He urged the operators to remind their members not to see the consideration by the state government as a sign of weakness by attacking LASTMA or any other enforcement agents, saying this would be sanctioned in accordance with relevant provisions of the law.

“The state government has also directed that all commercial passenger vehicles should obey all traffic rules and regulations by stopping only at designated bus-stops, close bus doors while in motion among other provisions of the law,” Whenu said.

State Chairman of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Musa Muhammed, who spoke on behalf of other union leaders, welcomed the new initiative, pledging the support of their members to cooperate with the state government in maintaining law, order and sanity in the transport sector.

http://www.punchng.com/news/lagos-threatens-to-seize-trucks-between-6am-and-9pm/

After 510 days of abduction, a ray of hope that the 219 Chibok girls may be alive after all came from none other than distinguished Senator Shehu Sani who disclosed to Sunday Vanguard that “they are alive”.

Some of the abducted Chibok girls
Senator Sani, who has been deeply involved in negotiations with Boko Haram and the Nigerian government in bids to rescue the girls and end terrorism in Nigeria, told Sunday Vanguard in an exclusive interview that he was certain the over 200 girls were alive and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to make efforts to rescue them before taking further steps to end insurgency.

The senator, who represents Kaduna Central in the National Assembly,
said his optimism that the girls were alive stemmed from the fact that Boko Haram would have promptly celebrated their killing with an announcement as it does not waste time in telling the world who it has killed or not.

Sani said: “I have the belief they are alive because if they were not, certainly, the group in their own criminality and violence, would have announced that they had killed them.

“Dont forget they have been very honest in the past in telling the world who they have killed or not.”If they are not alive, certainly, we would have known but they are actually alive and I believe it is an issue which the government needs to thrash out before we go into the final phase of ending insurgency in the Northeast”.

The lawmaker who has been an activist before coming to the senate, has been involved in three previous failed bids to broker peace between the group and the federal government.
He said that the disagreement between the Federal Government and Boko Haram on the release of the latter’s commanders from prison, was often responsible for the collapse of such bids.

“A number of things went wrong with previous efforts to broker peace between Boko Haram and the Federal Government”, Sani contended.
“First, some of the demands made by Boko Haram were such that the government was not ready and willing to oblige.

“The group has always insisted that it is willing to agree to peace provided its members are released by the government. But the government had never been ready to do that. That has been the sticking point where all previous negotiations had always crashed.

“So, if the government says it is ready for negotiation, it should also be ready to concede certain things in the interest of peace”, he maintained.

But reminded that the government claims that it could not negotiate with phantom groups or individuals, Sani said that the announcement of intent by the government to dialogue with the group was not the same as taking steps to actualise its desire.

To start with, the Senator suggested the setting up of a special technical committee by the government with a waiver to suspend anti-terrorism laws and make it possible for genuine discussion to be begin with the group.

He pointed out that since there were laws that made it a crime for anyone to communicate or be identified with Boko Haram, it would not be possible for persons who could assist to come forward for fear of being arrested and prosecuted for aiding and abetting terrorism.

Sani said that although the government had in the past fallen victim to fake groups in the course of trying to broker a ceasefire with Boko Haram and lost millions of Naira in the process, he disclosed that he had made at least three genuine attempts to bring about peace with the sect and the government.

“There is no doubt that there have been times in which the Federal Government actually engaged in discussions with phantom groups and individuals but there are also times where the negotiations were very credible.
“In 2011, I was able to facilitate a dialogue between the group and the Federal Government when I brought in the former President, Obasanjo, to talk to the families of the insurgents and another one, which was with the President of the Supreme Council of Sharia, Dr. Ahmed Datti, where he represented the Boko Haram group, which came out openly to announce him as their representative”, he revealed.

To bring the saga to an end, Sani suggested that the government should involve a Nigerian journalist, Ahmad Salkida, who now lives in Dubai, in any discussion with Boko Haram, describing him as being very credible and crucial in such talks.

He said the journalist, who had been involved in one of the talks with the government and the sect, had risked his life to broker peace with the group out of sheer patriotism for Nigeria and nothing more.

Sani said he would also be ready to work with other stakeholders to see how to bring about genuine negotiations with the group and government with a view to ensuring the release of the girls, if given the authority by the government to do so.

“I cannot do it alone but it has to be a teamwork approach with others like clerics, elders and people who have something to offer in the peace process,” the senator said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/510-days-after-chibok-girls-are-alive-sen-shehu-sani/#sthash.0Z70mqhF.dpuf

The leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and security agencies entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the nation’s pipeline have been accused of turning a blind eye as hoodlums help themselves to the nation’s oil at Arepo, a community in Ogun State.

SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that for several years, a group of criminals have vandalised the NNPC pipeline that pumps imported petroleum products from the Atlas Cove in Lagos, to Mosimi Depot, Sagamu, Ogun State

The depot in Mosimi plays the crucial responsibility of distributing refined petroleum products to the cities of the South-West.

It was gathered that the hoodlums had vandalised the pipeline in the creeks of Arepo in such a way that whenever the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the NNPC pumped refined products, they (the hoodlums) would also get it from the broken portions of the pipeline in the creeks.

There are yet to be verified reports of complicity between the criminals, some security operatives and even officials of the PPMC in the thriving criminality against Nigeria.

It was gathered that PPMC officials aided the vandals with privileged information regarding the time the products would be pumped.

Investigations revealed that the PPMC pump fuel from the Atlas Cove in Lagos to Mosimi twice every week.

It was also learnt that the NNPC could not stop the pumping of the products even with a consciousness of the perforations on the critical national asset because doing such could lead to petroleum scarcity.

An oil worker, who confided in one of our correspondents, said the NNPC might have been frustrated after the killing of three of its workers at Arepo in 2012.

The source said the criminals, perpetrating the action, might have become emboldened by the alleged connivance of the security personnel.

Last week, the vandals shot and killed four policemen for arresting four petroleum tankers that were used to perpetrate the crime.

The source said, “You can’t imagine that this is happening in Nigeria. This cannot be allowed to happen in any civilized clime.

“We are in a country where the new government is talking about recovering stolen funds yet we allow a set of hoodlums to run riot against the country’s economy.

“You know what those vandals at Arepo are doing, they went to the creek, vandalized the pipeline that pumps fuel from Atlas cove to Mosimi so that whenever the PPMC pumps fuel, they are also getting it. It would be pouring like a running tap in such a way that whenever they are done with collection, they simply allow the fuel to fall into the creek.

“And because the level of fuel in the creek has become very high, the fuel has risen to knee level. What some of them do is to use plastic buckets to scoop the fuel which they supply to buyers who get it from them at a ridiculously low price.

“In fact, if not for the issue of conspiracy, how come that the security personnel have not tracked down the tankers, the drivers and the owners to stop this crime? If the vandals are hiding in the creeks, are they beyond the reach of Nigeria and are the tankers also hiding in the creeks?”

However, the source could not put a figure to the amount of money being lost by the country to the brazen criminality being committed against the country by the hoodlums over the years.

When contacted, the NNPC debunked statements that products especially Premium Motor Spirit pumped from Atlas Cove to Mosimi was leaking in Arepo, stressing that PPMC officials had not been found culpable for the leaks.

The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, told one of our correspondents that after extensive investigations, it was discovered that it was not true.

In a text message to one of our correspondents, Alagbe said, “It is not true. It was investigated extensively on Thursday when you initially sent the text. PPMC personnel that are on the ground in Arepo to Mosimi axis said there was no truth to the claim.”

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Okeh, also denied that the corps personnel were colluding with saboteurs at Arepo, noting that the operatives had come under attacks in the area many times over their “uncompromising stand” against vandalism.

Tim Jacobs, CEO of MultiChoice Africa has attributed the company’s decision to move English Premiership matches to its Premium Bouquet to the rise in amount paid for the EPL rights.

Jacobs who was speaking at a press conference in Mauritius on Wednesday said that MultiChoice earlier dropped the EPL to Compact Plus in the hope that it would get enough subscriber scale at a cheaper price point to help cover the cost of those rights. However, he said that objective was never achieved.

The MultiChoice Africa boss explains further: “We never achieved the scale required to make that viable. We therefore made the decision that since we hadn’t managed to do so and we wanted to avoid a situation for our price-sensitive Compact Plus subscribers where they would have had to take a disproportionately high increase in bouquet pricing to continue to watch the EPL, we had to shift the EPL back to the Premium bouquet. “In the latest round of rights negotiations, the EPL rights went up 70% and we needed to make tough decisions. It was a tough impact on consumers, but looking at consumer affordability, we felt it was better to offer them a sports package at a more affordable price point, so we had to re-balance things.

“Different markets have different models for packaging sports. At MultiChoice Africa, we’ve adopted a bouquet packaging option. There are two ways to recover any type of cost – one is price, the other is scale. We tried the scale route first and found that at a Compact Plus level, we didn’t get the scale that we needed. We receive a lot of comments around the need for competition to our services – which is a double-edged sword. From our side, we welcome competition – it makes us focus on our offering, content and customer service. On the other side, it drives the cost up.

“For example, in Nigeria in 2006, we lost the EPL rights. At the time, people applauded, but a year later, the people who won the rights went out of business because they couldn’t recover the costs. When the rights came back up for acquisition, it reset the benchmark and the EPL re-priced the rights for that part of the market - so the cost went up. At the time we didn’t increase the price of our subscription. When we re-signed the rights, we had to find a way to pass on the cost of that 70% increase to consumers – we didn’t like to, but we had to – it was a business decision.”

Jacobs also addressed questions around the video entertainment service provider’s content, services and plans for the future, taking questions from media from across Africa.

On the video entertainment service provider’s pricing structures, the MultiChoice Africa boss said: “We are constantly evaluating our cost structures. As part of our business model, we need to take into account the costs of content, relative to our different audience groups. There have been massive increases in the cost of content such as the English Premier League football rights, which we have factored into our pricing. We’re conscious that a large part of the population is looking for a good set of quality content at the bottom end of the market, in the USD10 area, and we make decisions on the price points of our bouquet structure – it’s a continuous evaluation.

“We’re looking at alternatives too – there’s strong consumer behavior (especially in Nigeria) where many consumers are self-employed, and therefore, not monthly earners, so we’re looking at whether it’s viable to address a different type of model. However, it’s not something that’s on the immediate cards.”


On the accessibility of GOtv in all regions, Jacobs said: “We look at each market on the basis of population size and the economics of rolling out a network. Our investment in GOtv is in excess of USD800 million, in 8 countries across the continent. To recover that money means we simply can’t roll out towers into every city where the population size and affordability aspect lends itself to Free-To-Air (FTA). Because we’re a Pay TV service, we can’t offer FTA service like governments do. In those areas, we’d typically pair up with an FTA operator, or the national broadcaster, which is a big part of our offering.

“We have a limit in terms of where our network reaches – we can generally cover 70-80% of a country. Areas that are remote need to be serviced through our satellite services because of factors including accessibility and terrain - the DTT signal needs to go across ground. Normally the national broadcaster or signal provider has the responsibility to ensure that FTA has national coverage, so they put towers in areas that it’s not economical for Pay TV providers to do. Governments have a different issue to us when it comes to switching the analogue signal off –Governments have to worry about having network coverage for someone watching today in analogue – will the same person have access to the same programming on digital if they switch off the analogue signal?

“Switching to DTT means viewers need decoders because most TV’s are analogue and the digital signal needs to be converted back into analogue in order for it to be viewed. Governments then need to make sure everyone gets access to decoders. So we ask national broadcasters to partner with us to use our network infrastructure and make a strong commitment to distributing decoders at subsidized prices in the areas our network is available. We want to help governments get over hurdles like signal, decoder distribution and accessibility.”

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/tim-jacobs-why-multichoice-moved-premiership-to-premium-bouquet/219346/

Lalasticlala, ishilove

The Lagos State Government, on Thursday, directed the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to adopt a system of booking traffic offenders, rather than apprehending their vehicles.

Oluseyi Whenu, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, gave the directive while briefing the management of LASTMA on government’s new policy thrust in the transportation sector.

He said that such approach would ensure free flow of traffic in the metropolis; adding that while government appreciated the invaluable contribution of the traffic managers to the current traffic situation in the state, more emphasis should be placed on flawless flow of traffic.

“The new directive by the state government is that LASTMA officials should consider alternative traffic management methods rather than physical apprehension and arrest,” he said. “A more perfect traffic management and documentation procedure is being put in place where traffic offenders are booked and given a grace period for payment.

Defaulters will be apprehended at home through the information on the motor vehicle database. Since LASTMA officials are a reflection of the state government, they should ensure that their activities add value to the government’s covenant with Lagos residents to make life easier for them.”

He urged LASTMA to synergise with other security agencies to ensure that the Lagos Road Traffic Law 2012 was enforced.

He also urged motorists, whose vehicles had been apprehended to visit the appropriate LASTMA depot to claim their vehicles after proper documentation as procedures had become more flexible.

He, however, implored Lagos residents to reciprocate government efforts by obeying all traffic laws and regulations.

http://dailytimes.com.ng/lastma-to-adopt-new-system-of-booking-offenders/

What's your profession?
What's your passion?
What are your dreams?
What are you good at?
What are the opportunities around?
What are the risks you are averse to?
Which are the risks you would not mind to take?
Cash should not be the first thing you should mention, if you so do, you may be fleeced of it.
Study the economy and the situation of things before you venture in.
PLEASE DON'T GIVE ANY CASH TO ANYONE BEFORE YOU START BUSINESS. Be involved for sometime before you decide to bring your cash into it.

Goodluck bro

Seen better ones

In what seems like the unveiling of another Soka Factory, but this time around Abule Egba, Lagos, a kidnapping den, and what appears to be a carefully organised kidnap/ritual cartel is gradually being uncovered.


A woman suspected to be in her late 30's or early 40's met her waterloo today at Abule egba in Lagos subhub

The woman is said to have arrived the vicinity around 7:30-8:00am when kids were going to school driving a Nissan Extera jeep. She was said to have been driving around pipe line area still around Ekoro road, about two bus-stops from where she was eventually lynched.

Eye witnesses say she got down from the jeep at one point and tried to trick a little child going to school into accepting money from her. While doing this, a passerby noticed and challenged her, asking why she wanted to give the child money. Before the passerby could attract attention, she quickly got in her jeep and sped off.

But fates were against this woman whose desperation and evil ways caught up with her and led to her death. Instead of fleeing from the vicinity completely, she drove just two streets from where she made the first kidnap attempt on same Ekoro road to "try her luck" again with another child less than an hour later. Unknown to her however, word of her initial attempt had spread to surrounding streets and residents were at alert. After gallivanting for a while, she parked and tried to lure another child. Some residents noticed her and what she was trying to do and alerted others who went to lay ambush for her in front. She offered the child biscuit, and before anyone could say Jack Robinson, she bundled the little girl into her jeep and started to drive off.

She hadn't driven for long before the residents who had been alert forcefully stopped her car and insisted on a thorough search. Of course, the child she tried to kidnap was found, and thankfully could still talk. The little girl was crying profusely, saying in Yoruba language "This is not my mummy...this is not my mummy!" The angry mob then dragged the lady out of the car and started to quiz her. The mob was all fired up and ready to lynch as the previous day, a kidnapper was caught trying to steal two kids, and another sad incident was also reported in the same vicinity.

The woman at first refused to talk and seemed very hardened. Instead of answering their questions, she tried to make a call. This infuriated the mob and she was stripped and bludgeoned. Her phone was also smashed and destroyed. Yet, eye witnesses say she didn't budge or answer the questions she was asked. It was at this stage that some persons in the crowd brought a tire and fuel. On seeing this, the woman who had initially refused to answer any questions became paranoid, and started talking. She then started begging that her life be spared saying that she was just a messenger, sent to get little kids for diabolic purposes.

She revealed that they were about 40 people like her sent out to kidnap little kids in the Abule Egba area of Lagos and its environs. Before she could even say more, the angry crowd set her ablaze. Some police men said to be about 20 feet away, ignored the situation.

http://www.cknnigeria.com/2014/05/woman-lynched-in-lagos-of-kidnapped.html

Cc: lalasticlala, ishilove, seun