Why Pastors don’t go to Heaven (II) By Femi Aribisala

All those who still call themselves pastors today are not disciples of Jesus.

I became the Pastor of Healing Wings, Chapel of Faith in 1998. But nine years later, I felt constrained to resign. My resignation came from the sudden realisation that even though God specifically called me to ministry, he never asked me to pastor a church. I have also come to realise that Jesus while Jesus calls prophets, wise men and inspired writers (Matthew 23:34); he calls no one to be a pastor for the simple reason that he is the only pastor of the Church of God.

One single pastor

In the Old Testament, when the bible speaks of pastors, it is often in condemnation. Ezekiel castigates them as self-centred and egocentric. (Ezekiel 34:2-4). Jeremiah says as a result of their incompetence, the sheep of God have gone astray. (Jeremiah 50:6). How does God intend to remedy the situation? The answer lies in Jesus Christ; the wisdom of God.

Solomon warns that we should be wary of a situation where God is said to lead his people through more than one pastor: “The sayings of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings which are given by ONE PASTOR. My son, beware of anything beyond these.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11-12). Therefore, God decrees the summary dismissal of all pastors; to be replaced by one solitary true and faithful pastor: “I will establish ONE PASTOR over them, and he shall feed them- my servant David. He shall feed them and be their pastor. And I, the LORD, will be their God. (Ezekiel 34:23-24). “David my servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have ONE PASTOR.” (Ezekiel 37:24).

In asserting that “the Lord is my pastor,” David himself acknowledges that it is the Lord that must be the pastor of his people. (Psalm 23:1). Much later, Matthew confirms that the promised pastor is Jesus, the root and the offspring of David. (Revelation 22:16). He says: “Thus it is written by the prophet: But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a ruler who will pastor my people Israel. (Matthew 2:5-6). Indeed, Jesus is the only pastor since David who is also “the king of Israel.” (John 10:11; 19:14).

The good pastor

Jesus identifies himself as the promised pastor of the scriptures. He declares: “I am the good pastor; and I know my sheep, and am known by my own.” (John 10:14). In Jesus is fulfilled God’s promise to take care of his flock all by himself: “I will feed my flock, and I will make them lie down. I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick.” (Ezekiel 34:15-16).

Since Jesus distinguishes himself as “the good pastor,” it follows that all other pastors are “bad pastors.” Indeed, Jesus declares: “All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.” (John 10:8). He then maintains that, in the Church of God, there will be one congregation and one pastor: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock and ONE PASTOR.” (John 10:16).

That means one church and one pastor. A man cannot have two pastors at the same time? That would just be confusing. The sheep cannot follow two shepherds going in different directions. God hates the double-minded. (Psalm 119:113). James is categorical: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8). So we have to make a choice as to which church we belong and who exactly is our pastor.

Bad pastors

Accordingly, Jesus specifically prohibits his disciples from assuming ministerial positions of authority since they are reserved exclusively for him alone. He says: “Do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for one is your teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren” (Matthew 23:8). He says furthermore: “Do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.” (Matthew 23:9-10).

This means all those still calling themselves “Pastor Moses” and “Father Paul” today are charlatans; without exception. In the Church of God, the Father is the source of all authority and from him it flows to Jesus, the Son. (Matthew 28:18). Jesus does not transfer this authority to some pastor, bishop or pope. Neither does he delegate the authority given to him.

Instead, he warns us: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28).

This means in the New Testament church, all believers are equal in status. There is no guru; no head-honcho; no general overseer. Nobody should be designated pastor today because we are now, one and all, “a royal priesthood?” (1 Peter 2:9). There is no exclusive office of the priest today because Christ has now made all believers priests to God? (Revelation 1:6/5:10). The only power and authority Jesus gives to his disciples is over demons and diseases. (Luke 9:1).

Bible dishonesty

How then can we explain the proliferation of pastors in Christian churches today, in spite of Jesus’ clear-cut injunctions? The answer lays in Paul, a man who systematically undermines Jesus in the bible.

Paul twisted a verse in Psalm 68 to make it seem as if it is written in the scriptures that Jesus would establish ministerial positions. The psalmist says men gave gifts to the Lord: “When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you RECEIVED gifts from men. (Psalm 68:18). But Paul distorted this to say men received gifts from the Lord: “This is why it says: ‘When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and GAVE gifts to men.’” (Ephesians 4:8). This then enabled him to say that pastors are God’s gift to men. (Ephesians 4:11-12). This is entirely bogus.

Bible translators conspire to hide Paul’s contradiction of Jesus by translating the same Greek word, “poimen” as “shepherd” (John 10:14); when it refers to Jesus’ injunctions, and as “pastor” (Ephesians 4:11), when it refers to the leadership of the contemporary Christian church. That way, the undiscerning remains unaware that Jesus’ radical injunctions are applicable to the thief-and-robber pastors of today.

What are we to conclude from this? All those who still call themselves pastors today are not disciples of Jesus. Their authority is not from heaven: their authority is from men. Pastors today are people flagrantly violating the will of God. Jesus warns: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21).

Killers of NNPC staff arrested, remains recovered…the gory details of how they murdered him

A statement on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said on receiving this complaint through the Police email platform, policemonitor@npf.gov.ng, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, promptly ordered a discreet and comprehensive investigation into the case
Following a painstaking and diligent investigation, detectives from the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force have successfully solved the riddle surrounding the sudden and hitherto unexplained disappearance of Sylvester Emefiele, staff of the Transformation Office of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
Emefiele was reported to have left Lagos on September 23, 2012, sequel to a call from his office asking him to report in Abuja on September 24, 2012 in order to process his visa to Hungary for a training programme.
A statement on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said on receiving this complaint through the Police email platform, policemonitor@npf.gov.ng, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, promptly ordered a discreet and comprehensive investigation into the case.
Subsequently, detectives from the FSARS, led by DCP Chris Ezike, swung into action, and through systematic and high-level investigative techniques, tracked down one Olaniyi Banjo, a 20-year-old resident of Ilesa, Osun State, who bought the Blackberry phone of the deceased from one of the principal suspects, Akindele Taiwo.
The sustained surveillance and investigative efforts of the police led to the arrest of the masterminds of the crime on June 8, 2013.
Those arrested were 30-year old Timothy Abidemi Lekan, a male, alias Leksit, who hails from Osun State; and a 41-year-old Akinlade Taiwo, also male, a native of Modakeke in Ife East Local Government Area of Osun State.
The duo, according to Mba, made very useful statements to the police in connection with the disappearance, robbery and killing of Emefiele.
The suspects equally led detectives to the scene of crime, a bush close to the Iddo Campus of the University of Abuja, where the abandoned and totally decomposed remains of the deceased, now mere skeletal parts, were recovered.
A detailed forensic examination, including DNA analysis, has confirmed that the recovered remains were actually those of Emefiele.
Other personal effects of the deceased, including cash, ATM cards, laptop, Blackberry phones, cheque books and personal apparels were also recovered.
Also arrested in connection with the case was a witch-doctor, Saidi Babatunde from Osun State, who was implicated by the suspects for preparing criminal charms for them.
Police investigation, according to Mba, showed that the late Emefiele, while en route from Lagos to Abuja, dropped at Giri in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory at about 8pm on September 23, 2012.
He unsuspectingly boarded a Nissan Sunny Saloon Car, with registration number AG-956-KEF, driven by Akinlade Taiwo, who further picked his accomplice, Timothy Abidemi Lekan.
On the way, they jointly subdued their victim and led him to the bush where he was robbed.
The suspects confirmed that they had earlier forced the deceased to disclose the Personal Identification Number of all his ATM cards, which enabled them to make an initial withdrawal of N186,000 from his Zenith Bank, First Bank and GT Bank accounts at Gwagwalada.
On seeing that their victim still had an outstanding balance of over N800,000, the robbers chose to kill Emefiele by binding his wrists with twine and hitting his chest with their talisman and other dangerous weapons until they were sure he was dead.
Thereafter, they continued making illicit withdrawals from the victim’s accounts until they were apprehended by the Police.
Meanwhile, Mohammed has commended the officers that investigated the case for their diligence, dedication and professionalism, assuring Nigerians that justice will take its course as the suspects have already been arraigned before a competent court of law.
Mohammed has further called on the general public to be wary of the kind of vehicles they enter to avoid falling victim to these hoodlums.
The IGP also promised increased visibility of the police on the country’s highways through intensive vehicular patrols, especially at nights, for the safety and security of road users.

School principal, 6 other homosexuals get mob justice in Bauchi court

The law against homosexuality in Nigeria has barely been signed has brought the issue of homosexuality to the front burner of national discourse. It may also have prompted more awareness and propelled ordinary people to act towards stopping homosexuality in their communities.
Vanguard reports that there was pandemonium at the Upper Court 4 in Anguwan Jaki, Bauchi State, yesterday, as an angry  mob almost lynched seven suspected homosexuals brought to court for trial.
One of the suspects was identified as the Principal of a Government Secondary School in the state.
The development forced security personnel at the court premises to rescue the suspects by firing gunshots in the air and using teargas to disperse the mob.
The suspects are Ibrahim Marafa, Shehu Adamu, Yusuf Adamu, Aliyu Dalhatu, Abdulmalik Tanko, Usman Sabo and Hazif Sabo Abubakar.
The angry mob hurled stones at the van carrying them as it sped dangerously back to prison. A few people  sustained injuries in the process.
The suspects faced charges of allegedly engaging in gay activities in Bauchi State, an action that contravenes the Islamic laws which the state is operating.
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Haruna Mohammed, said the suspects were arrested by the Bauchi State Sharia Commission.
The atmosphere around the court was tense as the suspects came out of the court with the mob reigning abuses and pelting them with stones.
Earlier, inside the rowdy court, counsel to the Sharia Commission, Danlami Ayuba, told the court that one of the suspects was identified as Ibrahim Marafa, the Principal of Government Secondary School, Mainamaji.
When the case was slated for hearing, counsel to the suspect, Abdul Musa, said he was not ready and sought for bail for his client to enable them study the charges. The bail application was rejected by the counsel to the Sharia commission.
The presiding judge, El-Yaqub Aliyu, refused to grant the bail and adjourned the case till Monday to enable the prosecutors present their witness.
Similarly the State Sharia Commission counsel paraded six other suspects. When their case was mentioned, the presiding judge cautioned the Sharia commission’s counsel to ensure that they had proper evidence on the accused persons before arraigning them.
 vanguard

Ogun: Man Flogs Orphan to Death For Eating Bowl of Xmas Rice

A 37-yr-old man has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly flogging his cousin, Haruna Adeoye, 20, to death over a bowl of Christmas ricea. Kayode Olubunmi, is currently cooling his heels at the Special Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Eleweran.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Muyiwa Adejobi, who disclosed this in a statement sent to newsmen in Abeokuta, the state capital on Friday, explained that the tragic incident occurred on Christmas day at Ajegunle, Ita-Oluwo, Ogijo in Sagamu local government area of Ogun State at 10:30pm.

According to the statement, the suspect killed Adeoye, an orphan, for eating a bowl of rice given to them by a friend on Christmas day.

“When the suspect, who went on a visit to his friends’ place, came back drunk, he flogged the deceased to death with a stick for eating the rice he instructed him to keep for their dinner.

“Haruna was an orphan, who had been staying with the suspect for years and Olubunmi could not state why he killed him.

“He has confessed to the crime, he is with us at SCID Eleweran and will soon appear in court”, the Police statement said.

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People of South Sudan Rejoice as They Receive Bibles for the First Time

For the people of South Sudan, ethnic violence like the current conflict between President Salva Kiir’s military and rebel forces loyal to former vice president Riek Machar is nothing new. The spate of fighting began after a “failed coup” on Dec. 15 and has killed at least 1,000 and displaced 180,000.

A recipient, Elizabeth Adwak Wai shares that her father was killed by a group of people, and she lived in anger at them for a “very long time.” What helped free her?

“It was only God who helped me get through it,” she says.

Her people, the Shilluk, live along the Nile and are an example that God is at work in South Sudan. According to the Episcopal Church of the Sudan, most Shullik have converted to Christianity, split among Catholic and Protestant denominations.

However, these believers had no Bible in their own language until recently. This video shows the fulfillment of a 20-year effort to translate the Bible into the Shilluk’s native language. Along with the joyous celebration where leaders hold the book for all to see, we watch people share what having their own Bible means to them.

For Elizabeth, it means hope and peace for the future, even as the violence continues.

“We need this new Bible to help us to forgive,” she says. “And to forget what has happened, to put it behind us.

“Then we can move on, living by what we read in the Bible.”

CHRISTIAN POST

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Awolowo Was Greater Than Mandela ––Writer Odia Ofeimun

Writer and poet, Odia Ofeimun, has rated the late Premier of old Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, above late former South African President, Nelson Mandela. The social critic, in a chat with Sahara TV which was uploaded to YouTube said although “Mandela was good for the liberation” of his people, Awolowo made far-reaching impacts on the lives of many Nigerians.
“People talk about Mandela’s capacity to put various classes (of people) together as theory, but Awolowo ironed it out very clearly, why you don’t need a class struggle, in order to create a society in which all children can go to school; in which everybody can get a job, and in which old age pensions will be paid to people.”
Ofeimun, while comparing the two leaders, said:
The processes leading to independence in South Africa and Nigeria “followed exactly the same pattern” but it is unfortunate that the liberation struggle championed by Mandela did “not create the end of apartheid.”

He said Awolowo negotiated Nigeria’s independence just as Mandela did, adding that it would amount to a “hype” to think that there were differences in what the two leaders essentially fought for in their respective countries to end colonisation.

Ofeimun said, “I am too much of an Awolowo man not to see that the process of moving into independence in South Africa and in Nigeria followed exactly the same pattern. It was based on a negotiated settlement. The liberation struggle did not create the end of apartheid. It was a negotiation and Nigerians negotiated exactly the way Mandela negotiated.

“You can hype it if you like, but the pattern was exactly the same. You move from one meeting to the other, discussing politics and economics, and they successfully convinced Mandela to buy the pig in a poke of an economy and they also successfully succeeded in convincing Nigerians to buy the pig in a poke of an economy.

“The only man in Nigeria, who stood up against it, was (Obafemi) Awolowo. He was quickly jailed and all his men scattered across the prisons in Nigeria. Some driven abroad and the educational system that he had put in place was smashed.”

While choosing Awo above the late anti-apartheid leader, Ofeimun said the philosophical postulations about the workings of a state put forward by Awolowo were superior to those credited to Mandela.

Insisting that Mandela could not match the stature of Awolowo, the Edo State-born poet said Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah was the only African leader that could be seen to rival Awolowo.

But he however added that Nkrumah’s ideology of pan-Africanism lacked the capacity to “save Africa” when compared to Awolowo’s brand of socialism.

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New Year Gesture: Boko Haram Frees French Priest on Compassionate Grounds

A French Roman Catholic priest abducted in Cameroon by Islamic militants arrived home Wednesday after a seven-week ordeal he described as a time of “terrible boredom, sadness and anger.”

Georges Vandenbeusch, who was freed on Tuesday, touched down at the military air base of Villacoublay near Paris, where President Francois Hollande greeted him and hailed his “courage” and “self-sacrifice”.

The 42-year-old was kidnapped on November 13 by heavily armed men who burst into his parish at night in the far north of the central African country and reportedly took him to neighbouring Nigeria.

The radical Islamist movement Boko Haram, which has killed thousands of people in attacks against Christians and government targets in northern Nigeria, claimed responsibility for holding him soon after he was kidnapped.

The circumstances of his release are as yet unclear, but both France — often accused of paying ransoms for hostages despite stiff government denials — and Boko Haram have denied that a ransom was paid.

A source within the Islamist group told AFP Wednesday they had asked Paris for money through the Cameroon government, but the French government refused and requested Vandenbeusch be released on humanitarian grounds because of his status as a clergyman.

“The leadership (of Boko Haram) decided to release the priest on compassionate grounds and having benefited from his medical expertise,” the source told AFP.

“The priest offered medical service to sick members during his period of captivity. The leadership felt there was no longer need for keeping him.”

Speaking in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde before he boarded a flight back to France, Vandenbeusch said he had not been mistreated by his captors despite being kept in “rustic conditions”.

He expressed “great joy” at returning home but said people should remember those who are still being held hostage.

Vandenbeusch described his time in captivity as a period of “terrible boredom, sadness and anger because I’m very fond of the parish where I worked” in Cameroon.

“I was under a tree for a month and a half,” he said, explaining that his two main guards spoke a local language and not English, he did not have anything to read, or a radio to listen to.

Speaking at the air base on Wednesday morning, Hollande warned other Frenchmen and women in high-risk areas to take care and avoid putting themselves in danger’s way.

“We have to warn those who may be at risk in areas where there is danger,” said Hollande.

He said this applied not only to “priests who have a mission to accomplish” but to other French nationals.

France needed to be “rigorous” not to allow other hostages to be taken, added Hollande.

The Vatican on Tuesday welcomed the priest’s release and called on the faithful to pray for those still being held around the world.

“We hope that all forms of violence, hatred and conflict in the tormented regions of Africa be stamped out, as well as elsewhere in the world,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said.

In his former parish of Sceaux, near Paris, local faithful expressed joy at his release.

“This church prayed for him a lot. Every day, candles were lit. You had to believe in it,” said Marie, a 45-year-old worshipper.

In a statement, his family thanked French, Cameroonian and Nigerian authorities and all those who supported them during the ordeal.

“At this time of joy, we do not forget the other French hostages, and are thinking of their families,” they said Tuesday.

There are still six French people being held hostage in Mali and Syria.

Vandenbeusch was abducted from his home near the town of Koza in northern Cameroon, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Nigerian border.

He was seized by about 15 people who had first gone to the nuns’ house, apparently to look for money, giving him time to warn the embassy.

The priest had been advised not to stay on in an area designated as a dangerous zone prone to militancy and kidnappings.

In February, a Frenchman employed by gas group Suez was kidnapped in the same area together with his wife, their four children and his brother while visiting a national park.

They were taken to neighbouring Nigeria and also held by Boko Haram, before being released in April.

AFP

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Police Say Recovered Flying Object in Ibadan Is a Toy

The Chairman, Ido local government of Oyo state, Professor Joseph Adeniyi Olowofela, in company of the police, SSS and members of the Defence Corp on Sunday recovered the flying object which fell on the roof of a resident of Awotan in the local government.

The Chairman described a media report that an object crashed into the home of a resident as very unfortunate and misleading.

Prof Olowofela also frowned at the report and its writers intention, saying there was nothing like a crash as reported, and that it was untrue that the US used the object as a spy .

“What happened was that a man was playing with a toy with his son and the toy got lost only to be discovered by a neighbour and instead of searching for the owner of the toy, the neighbour kept it in his home for a week . And the next thing was to read on a newspaper that a spy object lost control and crashed into a resident home”, he said.

The owner of the kite- like object, Sunday Folayan, an Electronic engineer and the Vice President,Nigeria Internet Registration Association, also expressed shock at the reported crash.

Folayan ,who is also into orbit, is the owner of Skynet , a service provider company based in Ibadan.

Folayan accompanied the Chairman, top local government officials, the police, SSS and other security men to recover the toy on Sunday.

Folayan who claimed to have produced many similar toys for his son in the past explained that he was playing with his son with the battery propelled toy when it got missing and all effort to retrieve it failed last week Sunday.

He gave a vivid description of the toy which he produced for his son “The weight of the toy is 0.8 kilogram with the shape of an i-pad . It cannot run more than 15 minutes . It is not solar panelled, but uses battery and a remote control .”

The chairman charged media men to do more of investigative journalism,rather than speculative reporting .

He stated that the report was capable of causing strained relations between Nigeria and the US government .

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Seaplane: Plane Maker Designs Yacht That Can Fly

If a large yacht somehow fails to adequately convey fabulous wealth to you, then maybe a large flying yacht will do the trick.

Airplane designer Yelken Octuri has come up with a plan for just such a thing: a 150-foot yacht that transforms into a seaplane.

As you can see in this video from GeoBeats News, the 150-foot yacht has four mobile masts that can transform into wings, making the transition from boat to plane fairly seamless, at least in theory. Once in seaplane mode, the yacht has a range of 600 kilometers (about 370 feet).

But don’t expect to be able to blow your millions on this boat-plane just yet: Octuri’s design, commissioned by three Omani princes, has been on the drawing board for at least a few years.

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Mysterious spacecraft crashes into home in Ibadan•Object believed to be US drone

A mysterious spacecraft, which residents of Awotan in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State called a “drone”, was reported to have crashed into a building at Omiremi Quarters in the community, leaving a crater on the roof of the building, just as aviation sources confirmed the object as a United States’ drone on an espionage mission in Nigeria.

Considering the registration number, TX 5803, inscribed on a black battery under the craft, a source said the space craft must have taken off from  NASA base in Texas in the US, stating that the battery attached to the spacecraft powered it and enabled it to move around so that it could do the bidding of those who sent it.

Though many aviation sources told Sunday Tribune that the object could be a device used in espionage, another source, however, believed that the craft was a “nondescript aviation device”.

It will be recalled that the United States of America has, in recent times, come under attack by other countries for spying on their activities which may have confirmed the discovery of the spacecraft in Ibadan.

The craft, which was said to have dropped down from the orbit, flew into a toilet in the house of Ashipa of Awotan, Chief Tajudeen  Adetoro, a few minutes after his grandson, Afeez  Adewale and daughter-in-law, Adikat, left the toilet where they had gone to answer the call of nature.

According to Chief Adetoro, the mysterious aircraft forced itself into the toilet through the roof making deafening sound, saying it could have killed Afeez and his mother, if it had met them in the toilet.

The spacecraft, with a product number QR X30, has four stands and a rounded compartment housing its engine. It has a dry cell battery, USB drive, a censor and cables, while each of its stands has a two-way roving fan mounted on them.

The residents of the sleepy community told Sunday Tribune that the object was not a toy due to the fearful noise it made and the way it flew about, adding that it could be an explosive.

“When it flew out, we rushed after it and it was found hanging on the antennae of our neighbour…making a terrible noise and emitting heavy smoke,” Chief Adetoro narrated.

He said they ran for safety on hearing the loud bang made on the roof of their house only to discover that the object had entered the toilet hitting its wall in an attempt to exit.

Information obtained about the object from the internet revealed that it shares similarities with a device called Walkera QR X350 GPS which is sold for roughly $500.

Though the product description on it is not intelligible, Sunday Tribune learnt that it could be a remote-controlled transmitter that gives no signal when in the air, but which is used for gathering information.

How flying object crashed into building in Ibadan Mother, son escaped death

It is almost unbeliavebale, but it is real. A drone-like object fell from the sky on the roof of a house in Ibadan last Sunday shattering the roof of the house. MARUF BELLO writes that luck saved a mother and her son from being killed by the object.

FOR Afeez Adewale, a 16-year-old boy, sheer luck saved him and Adikat, his mother, from being sent to their early graves a few minutes after they left the toilet in their house, last Sunday, at Omiremi Quarters, Awotan, Ibadan.

Afeez had gone to the toilet to answer the call of nature not long after his mother had come out of the same toilet only to hear a loud bang on the roof of their house, specifically the toilet.

The object was said to have forcefully fallen on the roof of the toilet breaking through and shattering its asbestos.

According to the Asipa of Awotan and landlord of the house, Chief Tajudeen Adetoro, it wasn’t long after Afeez and his mother left the rest room when they suddenly heard a frightening sound on the roof of the toilet.

Chief Adetoro, who is Afeez’s grandfather, said it was God that saved the mother and son, saying the source of the drone-like object was unknown.

“We were in panic; we were almost dead when we heard the sound suddenly and all of us scampered for safety. It was after a few minutes that we thought that hiding in the house was not the solution but to find a way to get the object out of our house due to the horrible and disturbing noise it was making that my son and I fearfully moved to the scene to know what it was.

“When we got there, we stood a little away looking at it from a short distance. It was then we saw it clearly and it was seriously struggling making a frightening noise in its bid to find an escape route. As it was struggling, it was hitting every angle of the toilet walls forcefully shrieking and trying to exit the toilet.

“It was during the struggle that it escaped through the same point it gained entry. When it flew out, we rushed after it and it was found hanging on the antenna of our neighbour. It hung there making a terrible noise and emitting heavy smoke. I think in the process of struggle to get it out, it lost one of its components, a stand. I asked my son to climb the facial board to remove it.

“When he brought it down, it was heavy and there were so many red illuminating lights all over it blinking every second,” the chief narrated.

He said when the material had been removed from where it was stuck so that they could examine it thoroughly, the object repeatedly tried to fly away.

“It  was then I asked my son to remove some of its compartments to render it inactive. We removed the battery, its censor, among others. At that time, everybody in the neighbourhood had gathered to see the wonderful object,” he added.

Chief Adetoro said they initially thought it was a mere toy but after a close look, it was discovered that “the material could be a bomb, more so that ever since we captured and incapacitated it nobody had come looking for it because we initially felt that it was one of the toys parents bought for their children for Christmas and New Year.

“Also, when we considered the manner with which it got in and exited, we felt that the object was being monitored and controlled from somewhere. After careful consideration and examination of the compartments of the object we thought it could be an explosive.

“When nobody from this community came to claim it, we concluded that the object was more than what we thought it to be; it must have travelled a long distance,” Afeez’s father said.

The Chief Imam of Awotan Central Mosque, Sheik Abdulai Adesina, and a woman who are both neighbours of Chief Adetoro confirmed the incident, saying “the sound of the object was highly terrifying and fearful.”

When the object was examined, it is made up of components such as a dry cell battery, a censor housed by a white case, a USB  (memory card) drive and a panel that is well cased as well as lots of cables.

According to Chief Adetoro, the community had informed security agents about the incident and called for investigation on it, noting that if left unravelled, it would be difficult to douse tension and erase fear among the residents of the community who now believed that they were being targeted for attacks.

The object, Sunday Tribune investigation revealed, has since been handed over to security operatives.
Source: Tribune

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ALL RELIGIONS ARE TRUE, ADAM AND EVE A FABLE, HELL IS A MERE METAPHOR – says Pope Francis

For the last six months, Catholic cardinals, bishops and theologians have been deliberating in Vatican City, discussing the future of the church and redefining long-held Catholic doctrines and dogmas. The Third Vatican Council, is undoubtedly the largest and most important since the Second Vatican Council was concluded in 1962. Pope Francis convened the new council to “finally finish the work of the Second Vatican Council.” While some traditionalists and conservative reactionaries on the far right have decried these efforts, they have delighted progressives around the world.

The Third Vatican Council concluded today with Pope Francis announcing that Catholicism is now a “modern and reasonable religion, which has undergone evolutionary changes. The time has come to abandon all intolerance. We must recognize that religious truth evolves and changes. Truth is not absolute or set in stone. Even atheists acknowledge the divine. Through acts of love and charity the atheist acknowledges God as well, and redeems his own soul, becoming an active participant in the redemption of humanity.”

“Through humility, soul searching, and prayerful contemplation we have gained a new understanding of certain dogmas. The church no longer believes in a literal hell where people suffer. This doctrine is incompatible with the infinite love of God. God is not a judge but a friend and a lover of humanity. God seeks not to condemn but only to embrace. Like the fable of Adam and Eve, we see hell as a literary device. Hell is merely a metaphor for the isolated soul, which like all souls ultimately will be united in love with God” Pope Francis declared.

In a speech that shocked many, the Pope claimed “All religions are true, because they are true in the hearts of all those who believe in them. What other kind of truth is there? In the past, the church has been harsh on those it deemed morally wrong or sinful. Today, we no longer judge. Like a loving father, we never condemn our children. Our church is big enough for heterosexuals and homosexuals, for the pro-life and the pro-choice! For conservatives and liberals, even communists are welcome and have joined us. We all love and worship the same God.”

One statement in the Pope’s speech has sent traditionalists into a fit of confusion and hysteria. “God is changing and evolving as we are, For God lives in us and in our hearts. When we spread love and kindness in the world, we touch our own divinity and recognize it. The Bible is a beautiful holy book, but like all great and ancient works, some passages are outdated. Some even call for intolerance or judgement. The time has come to see these verses as later interpolations, contrary to the message of love and truth, which otherwise radiates through scripture. In accordance with our new understanding, we will begin to ordain women as cardinals, bishops and priests. In the future, it is my hope that we will have a woman pope one day. Let no door be closed to women that is open to men!”

In addition to the Pope’s sweeping calls for tolerance and a new progressive understanding of Catholicism, he condemned racism, raising his voice and pounding the podium in front of him. Pope Francis spent over an hour castigating anti-immigrant politicians, parties and individuals. Wagging his finger sternly with righteous indignation, the Pope shouted “Racism today is the ultimate evil in the world. When Italians, Spanish or French turn back the boats of African migrants seeking a better life, are they not like the inn keeper who told Mary and Joseph that there was no room for them and the infant Christ? These migrants are children of God and we are commanded to love them!”

His voice loudly echoing through St. Peter’s basilica, the Pope stated “those who would dare to turn immigrants away, be they legal or undocumented, turn their backs on Christ himself! A racist is not a true Christian. A racist casts aside his humanity to become a beast, a demon! He is the embodiment and personification of evil, a Satan!”

To a chorus of thunderous applause, Pope Francis stated “because Muslims, Hindus and African Animists are also made in the very likeness and image of God, to hate them is to hate God! To reject them to is to reject God and the Gospel of Christ. Whether we worship at a church, a synagogue, a mosque or a mandir, it does not matter. Whether we call God, Jesus, Adonai, Allah or Krishna, we all worship the same God of love. This truth is self-evident to all who have love and humility in their hearts!”

In a announcement that shocked many people, Pope Francis warned that “those who seek to deny a home to the migrant, to the African and the Muslim, risk their membership in the church. We will consider excommunication for those whose souls willingly dwell in the darkness and evil of intolerance and racism. Satan himself is a metaphor or a personification, for the collective evils of mankind. Today, these evils manifest foremost as racism, intolerance, religious persecution and bigotries of all kinds.”

A couple of prominent Catholic cardinals have responded to Pope Francis’ declarations by leaving the church. Cardinal Arinze of Nigeria asked, “what do we stand for if we declare that truth is relative? On the contrary, truth exists independently of our personal feelings. All of this talk of love and tolerance is hollow if we have no identity of our own, if we stand for nothing. I charge that Francis has become a heretic, and that he is not a valid Pope. Indeed, Francis is no longer even a Catholic. The seat of Saint Peter is vacant. I am now a Sedevacantist. I should have become one long ago. The Vatican has embraced ecumenism in the past, but worse than that, it has now embraced moral relativism on abortion and homosexuality. At the same time it is embracing moral absolutism in favour of illegal immigration and cultural genocide against Europe.”

In his most controversial statement, Cardinal Arinze said “Islam has overrun my own country, and now it threatens to overrun Europe. Some parts of Nigeria now live under Islamic Sharia law. Catholics there are no longer free to practice their faith publicly. Francis is a fool if he thinks that his liberal immigration policy will end well. He has betrayed western civilization. Vatican City will one day become a giant mosque if things continue in Europe along their present course. Those in the West who ignore this truth, do so at their own peril.”

In an angry and vitriolic rant revealing deep self-hating tendencies, the African Cardinal Arinze stated “There is nothing wrong with Europeans who want to protect their borders. The problem is that there is not enough border control and the immigration policies are far too lenient in Europe. Is it racist to desire to preserve one’s own home? Why is it racist to want to preserve your own culture and a future for your people and your children? Have white people gone stupid today?”

This much is clear, the Catholic Church has made a decision to rejoin humanity and to reject intolerance and extremism. The church has lost a few narrow-minded bigots, with reports of some small parishes and a few cardinals and bishops defecting, but Pope Francis has gained the friendship of the world. Pope Francis deserves praise for taking a humane stand in defence of human rights and against bigotry.

Credit to diversity Chronicle

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2015:APC’s Success Depends On Nigerian Youths – Buhari

Former head of state and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has insisted that the success or otherwise of the party in the 2015 general elections would greatly depend on the support it gets from the country’s youths.

At the commissioning of an office owned by the APC Youths Vanguard in Katsina yesterday, Buhari said youths have a vital role to play in strengthening in Nigeria’s democratic process.

Represented by former petroleum minister, Umaru Dembo, Gen. Buhari said the time had come for the youths to elect honest and sincere people who would protect the interest of the masses, which the APC is out to achieve.

He said that it was through such an election that Nigeria could witness the kind of change that would lead to socio-economic development.

He said that what the APC elders were doing was to prepare the ground for the youths to build a better Nigeria.

“By the time the elders are no more the youths will continue to build on the foundation that was laid,” he said, and assured them that the APC would carry the youths along in all its actions.

He however called on youths not to allow themselves to be deceived by politicians who use money to lure them into voting for them or encouraging them to engage in activities that do not promote democratic principles.

Buhari also called on youths to eschew violence especially in the name of elections, but to engage in activities that would lead to the strengthening of the country’s democratic process.     

The national president of APC Youth Vanguard Ibrahim Bello said the association was established to unite the youths who are future leaders.

The chairman of the association in the state Ibrahim Saulawa said the group would unite youths in the country to work at defeating the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the next general elections.
Source:Leadership

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Fleeing Lebanese boss arrested for kicking pregnant employee in the stomach

by Oke Efagene
A manager with Yoppan Printing Company, Kaveh Noine, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command on Friday, for allegedly kicking his pregnant subordinate, Alexandra Ossai, in the stomach.

The incident which occurred 2 weeks ago was said to have caused the loss of the victim’s pregnancy.

Noine, a Lebanese, reportedly travelled out of the country when policemen attached to the Area F Police Division, initially went to the company to invite him for questioning on Tuesday.

Following the publication, President Goodluck Jonathan, had on Friday directed that the police and the National Human Rights Commission investigate the matter, expressing his displeasure over the incident.

However, it was gathered that Noine was arrested on Friday by the Lagos State Police Command in Kano where he had fled to on Friday and brought him back to Lagos.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the story. She said, “Even before President Goodluck Jonathan ordered an investigation into the case, the Lagos State Police Command has been on it.

“In the course of our investigation, we discovered that Noine was still in the country; he had fled to Kano. Our men traced him to Kano, arrested him and have brought him back to Lagos.

“Presently, he is making his statement now at the command. The issue of bail, has not come up for now.”

Ossai had, alleged that Noine assaulted her several times during her eight months stay at the company. Noine had allegedly hit Ossai in the chest a day before kicking her in her stomach over some misdemeanor by those whom Ossai supervised.

She also alleged that Noine was in the habit of physically assaulting workers at the company with anything he could lay his hands on, whenever he was angry.

The 34-year-old mother of one was said to have developed pains in her stomach which lasted for two days before subsiding. The pains were said to have begun again in the early hours of December 16, 2013, resulting into an emergency surgery at a private hospital at Fagba.

Her seven-month pregnancy was allegedly lost to the kick, as a result of a broken placenta. Ossai’s appointment with the company was allegedly terminated as a result of the incident and two of her siblings who also worked there were sacked.

Already, the Lagos State Public Advice Centre has waded into the case and offered Ossai free legal aid. The Public Relations Officer of the centre, Mr. Alex Omorodion, said, “We are going to liaise with other security agencies in Lagos State to see this matter to a logical conclusion. We also intend to visit the factory and talk with other workers to determine if more people have been abused by Noine. Then we will prosecute Noine at the conclusion of our investigation.”

When reporters contacted Ossai, she said, “I am really happy about the arrest. The rest is left to the police and my lawyer.”

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Indian woman ‘raped by two gangs’ on Chrismas Eve

Police in India say 10 men are in custody, after a 21-year-old woman was raped by two apparently unrelated groups of men on Christmas Eve. She was visiting friends in Pondicherry when she was abducted by three men and raped by one of them, officials say.She found her friends after that ordeal but they were all confronted by another group of men who singled her out and gang-raped her, according to police. The last suspect was arrested on Friday and police say they have confessed. The suspects have been remanded for 15 days, but they are yet to be formally charged in court. None of the suspects has publicly commented on the allegations made against them by the victim. Pondicherry Senior Superintendent of Police Monika Bharadwaj told the BBC that this was a particularly bizarre and brutal sequence of events.It comes just days before India marks the first anniversary of the death of the student whose gang-rape on a bus in Delhi sparked unprecedented public outrage, leading to changes in India’s laws against sexual violence.

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Fashola tells Leaders to Stop Pretending That All Is Well With Nigeria

Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) of Lagos State on Boxing Day declared Nigeria a dysfunctional state, citing the diverse challenges confronting the country which he said have impeded her path to greatness.

Fashola also lamented the country’s drastic fall from her glorious position in the comity of nations, which he noted was once coveted and respected by several countries in Africa as well as the world at large.

Expressing his concerns about the declining status of Nigeria in the international community in a press release by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello, taken from the governor’s annual lecture delivered on Christmas eve at the Yoruba Tennis Club, Lagos Island, Fashola decried the growing scale of pretense that all “is well with Nigeria”.

Rhetorically, the governor sought to know what kind of a future “do we desire and what kind of effort or sacrifice are we willing to make to earn it. It is not as important to speak about what lies behind Nigeria, but more about what lies ahead of her.”

He said the questions “represent a moderation of the current realities that Nigeria has become dysfunctional as a nation because not only has her ego been bruised and her national pride brittle where it even exists.

“Many nations who either once looked to her for assistance or leadership will rather now seek not to be openly associated with Nigeria. As if that was not bad enough, those who dared not look us in the face at one time are no longer restrained in making scurrilous statements about us.

“We seem to have fallen, like Humpty Dumpty, from an Olympian Height. Indeed like Humpty Dumpty, we are blessed with great men and women. However, unlike Humpty Dumpty, I believe we can put Nigeria together again in a manner of speaking”.

He, however, said putting Nigeria together again would not happen simply by saying so, which he pointed out was indeed “a starting point and a good one that indicates the people’s resolve [but] it will also require everyone to unite their minds so that action can also be united.

“That resolve, I beg to argue, will come if only we can believe again. Yes, I use the word because the past is relevant here. We must remember how great we once were. We must remember what makes us great”.

He added that leaders at all levels “must accept and not pretend about our currents status, that we have tripped and fallen. We must resolve, because we believe that we will get up and climb our way back to the top.

“Let me remind those who are old enough to remember, and they seem quite many here tonight, and inform those who are too young to know, for it is they who have the largest stake in this future, that our period of greatness was not free of trouble. There was a crime.

“There were labour strikes, there were political struggles; there was disease; and in the midst of our prosperity, there was still a cash crunch, but amidst all of these there was the elixir of hope and a promise of a better life on the horizon”, he explained.

Fashola noted that the only difference between Nigeria of yesterday and her today, is that yesterday’s hope has given way to today’s uncertainty and despair and the only reason seems to be the choices that have been made and by the values pursued.

He explained that it is the citizenry that has changed and not the country, its resources or its promise because while her population “has become bigger, her productivity has certainly diminished. This has happened because the population of today was not of the same quality as the population of yesterday.

“We must accept that we are the problem and not any government or any constitution. We must resolve… to say no to all of those things and to do so for one purpose – because we believe again. What are those things we must do less of? They are a long list that seem to vary daily, but which some of us undertake, and for which all of us pay”, he said.
Source: Information Nigeria

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Odi invasion: Activists, community mark 13th anniversary, blast government

The community wants the government to implement a court judgement.
By Arodiegwu Eziukwu.
Residents of Odi in Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Friday blocked the East-West Road to protest the Federal Government’s ‘nonchalant’ attitude to the community after its invasion by Nigerian troops during the tenure of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The community members said they are aggrieved that several months after securing a favorable judgment, the government has been reluctant to pay the N37.6 billion damages awarded them by the Federal High Court as compensation for the November1999 military invasion of their community.
The protesters chanted songs in their dialect as they brandished placards with various inscriptions.
The women wore black mourning clothes as they rolled on bare ground and on the major roads recanting the bloodshed that accompanied the masacre.
Some youth carried a mock coffin as a symbol of harvest of deaths that accompanied the Odi violence.
Some Niger Delta human rights organisations, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), and some human rights activists also participated in the protest and criticized the action of Mr. Obasanjo.
The Odi community leaders ensured that the demonstration was peaceful and that the busy East-West Road was cleared after 20 minutes of barricade.
The CLO Chairman in Bayelsa, Nengi James, recalled the destruction of lives and property during the invasion and said the human rights community should petition the United Nations with a view to dragging Mr. Obasanjo to the International Criminal Court of (ICC).
Mr. James asked the government to immediately comply with the contents of the Justice Lambi Akanbi judgment in the spirit of the rule of law and to put Odi on the path of recovery.
“It is the duty of the state and its institutions to safeguard the rule of Law, harmony in the society. But the perversion of justice with impunity by these entities leaves much to be desired,” he said. “The Ijaw land and Odi community and indeed the entire Niger Delta cannot afford to sweep the military attack on Odi under the carpet or forget it in a hurry.”
A retired Permanent Secretary, Timiebi Koripamo-Agary, said Mr. Obasanjo’s action against Odi betrayed the carrot and stick approach he recommended in his letter to President Goodluck Jonathan.
She said Odi had yet to recover from the aftermath of the invasion.
“We have won all our cases and the court had ordered that money should be paid to us. We are not happy with Jonathan because if the court had given judgment, he should have complied with it in the spirits of the rule of law. If they had not reported to Mr. President, we want to inform him through our protest”, she said.
Source:Premium Times

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Iyabo Obasanjo writes father, says: ‘Dear Daddy, you don’t own Nigeria … Calls him liar, manipulator, hypocrite … VanguardNews

LAGOS — In what is turning out to be a season of open letters, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo, has ruled out further communication with her father till death, describing him as a liar, manipulator, two-faced hypocrite determined to foist on President Goodluck Jonathan what no one would contemplate with him as president.
Senator Iyabo Obasanjo in a letter to her father accused him of having an egoistic craving for power and living a life where only men of low esteem and intellect thrive.

Olusegun Obasanjo and Iyabo Obasanjo
In the 11-page letter dated December 16, 2013 exclusively obtained by Vanguard, Iyabo accused her father of orchestrating a third term for himself as president, cruelty to family members, abandonment of children and grandchildren, and also, a legendary reputation of maltreatment of women.
Iyabo who forswore further political engagements in Nigeria denied any political motive for her missive, and described Nigeria as a country where her father and his ilk have helped to create a situation where smart, capable people bend down to imbeciles to survive. She particularly noted her experience as chairman of the Senate Committee on Health when she led the committee on a retreat appropriated for in the budget only for her to be prosecuted for it.
Iyabo, first child of the former president, started the letter titled, Open Letter to my Father with a 4th century Chinese proverb by Mencius which states: “The great man is he who does not lose his child’s heart.”
Her letter:
“It brings me no joy to have to write this but since you started this trend of open letters I thought I would follow suit since you don’t listen to anyone anyway. The only way to reach you may be to make the public aware of some things. As a child well brought up by my long-suffering mother in Yoruba tradition, I have been reluctant to tell the truth about you but as it seems you still continue to delude yourself about the kind of person you are and I think for posterity’s sake it is time to set the records straight.
“I will return to the issue of my long-suffering mother later in this letter.
“Like most Nigerians, I believe there are very enormous issues currently plaguing the country but I was surely surprised that you will be the one to publish such a treatise. I remember clearly as if it was yesterday the day I came over to Abuja from Abeokuta when I was Commissioner of Health in OgunState, specifically to ask you not to continue to pursue the third term issue.
“I had tried to bring it up when your sycophantic aides were present and they brushed my comments aside and as usual you listened to their self-serving counsel. For you to accuse someone else of what you so obviously practiced yourself tells of your narcissistic megalomaniac personality.  Everyone around for even a few minutes knows that the only thing you respond to is praise and worship of you. People have learnt how to manipulate you by giving you what you crave. The only ones that can’t and will not stroke your ego are family members who you universally treat like shit (sic) apart from the few who have learned to manipulate you like others.
“Before I continue, Nigerians are people who see conspiracy and self-service in everything because I think they believe everyone is like them. This letter is not in support of President Jonathan or APC or any other group or person, but an outpouring from my soul to God. I don’t blame you for the many atrocities you have been able to get away with, Nigerians were your enablers every step of the way. People ultimately get leaders that reflect them.
“Getting back to the story, I made sure your aides were not around and brought up the issue, trying to deliver the presentation of the issue as I had practiced it in my head. I started with the fact that we copied the US constitution which has term limits of two terms for a President. As is your usual manner, you didn’t allow me to finish my thought process and listen to my point of view. Once I broached the subject you sat up and said that the US had no term limits in the past but that it had been introduced in the 1940s after the death of President Roosevelt, which is true.
I wanted to say to you: when you copy something you also copy the modifications based on the learning from the original; only a fool starts from scratch and does not base his decisions on the learning of others. In science, we use the modifications found by others long ago to the most recent, as the basis of new findings; not going back to discover and learn what others have learnt. Human knowledge and development and civilization will not have progressed if each new generation and society did not build on the knowledge of others before them.
The American constitution itself is based on several theories and philosophies of governance available in the 18th century. Democracy itself is a governance method started by the ancient Greeks. America’s founding fathers used it with modifications based on what hadn’t worked well for the ancient Greeks and on new theories since then.
“As usual in our conversations, I kept quiet because I know you well.  You weren’t going to change your mind based on my intervention as you had already made up your mind on the persuasion of the minions working for you who were ripping the country blind. When I spoke to you, your outward attitude to the people of the country was that you were not interested in the third term and that it was others pushing it. Your statement to me that day proved to me that you were the brain behind the third term debacle. It is therefore outrageous that you accuse the current President of a similar two-facedness that you yourself used against the people of the country.
“I was on a plane trip between Abuja and Lagos around the time of the third term issue and I sat next to one of your sycophants on the plane.  He told me: “Only Obasanjo can rule Nigeria”.  I replied: “God has not created a country where only one person can rule. If only one person can rule Nigeria then the whole Nigeria project is not a viable one, as it will be a non-sustainable project”
“I don’t know how you came about Yar’Adua as the candidate for your party as it was not my priority or job. Unlike you, I focus on the issues I have been given responsibility over and not on the jobs of others. It was the day of the PDP Presidential Campaign in Abeokuta during the state-by-state tour of 2007 that Yar’Adua got sick and had to be flown abroad. The MKO Abiola Stadium was already filled with people by 9am when I drove by (and) we had told people based on the campaign schedule that the rally would start at noon.
At 11 am I headed for the stadium on foot; it was a short walk as there were so many cars already parked in and out. As I walked on with two other people, we saw crowds of people leaving the stadium. I recognized some of them as politicians and I asked them why people were leaving. They said  the Presidential candidate had died. I was alarmed and shocked. I walked back home and received a call from a friend in Lagos who said the same and added that he had died in the plane carrying him abroad for treatment and that the plane was on its way to Katsina to bury him.
I called you, and told you the information and that the stadium was already half-empty. You told me to go to the stadium and tell the people on the podium to announce that the Presidential candidate had taken ill that morning but the rest of the team, including you and the Vice-Presidential candidate would arrive shortly.  I did as I was told, but even the people on the podium at first didn’t make the announcement because they thought it was true that Yar’Adua had died. I had to take the microphone and make the announcement myself. It did little good. People kept trooping out of the stadium. Your team didn’t arrive until 4pm and by this time we had just a sprinkling of people left.
That evening after the disaster of a rally, you said you had insisted that the Presidential candidate fly to Germany for a check-up although you said he only had a cold. I asked why would anyone fly to Germany to treat a cold?  And you said “I would rather die than have the man die at this time.”  I thought of this profound statement as things later unfolded against me.  Then I thought it a stupid statement but as usual I kept quiet, little did I know how your machinations for a person would be used against me.  When Yar’Adua eventually died, you stayed alive, I would have expected you to jump into his grave.
I left Nigeria in 1989 right after youth service to study in the US and I visited in 1994 for a week and didn’t visit again until your inauguration in 1999. In between, you had been arrested by Abacha and jailed. We, your children, had no one who stood with us. Stella famously went around collecting money on your behalf but we had no one.  We survived. I was the only one of the children working then as a post-doctoral fellow when I got the call from a friend informing me of your arrest.
A week before your arrest, you had called me from Denmark and I had told you that you should be careful that the government was very offended by some of your statements and actions and may be planning to arrest or kill you as was occurring to many at the time.  The source of my information was my mother who, agitated, had called me, saying I should warn you as this was the rumour in the country. As usual you brushed aside my comments, shouting on the phone that they cannot try anything and you will do and say as you please.  The consequence of your bravado is history.
We, your family, have borne the brunt of your direct cruelty and also suffered the consequences of your stupidity but got none of the benefits of your successes. Of course, anyone around you knows how little respect you have for your children.
You think our existence on earth is about you. By the way, how many are we? 19, 20, 21? Do you even know?  In the last five years, how many of these children have you spoken to? How many grandchildren do you have and when did you last see each of them? As President you would listen to advice of people that never finished high school who would say anything to keep having access to you so as to make money over your children who loved you and genuinely wished you well.
“At your first inauguration in 1999, I and my brothers and sisters told you we were coming from the US. As is usual with you, you made no arrangements for our trip, instead our mom organized to meet each of us and provided accommodation. At the actual swearing-in at Eagle Square, the others decided to watch it on TV. Instead I went to the square and I was pushed and tossed by the crowd.
I managed to get in front of the crowd where I waved and shouted at you as you and General Abdulsalam Abubakar  walked past to go back to the VIP seating area. I saw you mouth ‘my daughter’ to General Abdullahi who was the one who pulled me out of the crowd and gave me a seat. As I looked around I saw Stella and Stella’s family prominently seated but none of your children.  I am sure General Abdullahi would remember this incident and I am eternally grateful to him.
Getting back to my mother, I still remember your beating her up continually when we were kids. What kids can forget that kind of violence against their mother?  Your maltreatment of women is legendary.  Many of your women have come out to denounce you in public but since your madness is also part of the madness of the society, it is the women that are usually ignored and mistreated. Of course, you are the great pretender, making people believe you have a good family life and a good relationship with your children but once in a while your pretence gets cracked.
When Gbenga gave a ride to help someone he didn’t know but saw was in need and the person betrayed his trust by tapping his candid response on the issues going on between you and your then vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, you had your aides go on air and denounce the boy before you even spoke to him to find out what happened.  What kind of father does that? Your atrocities to some of my other siblings I will let them tell in their own due time or never if they choose.

Iyabo Obasanjo and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
Some of the details of our life are public but the people choose to ignore it and pretended we enjoyed some largesse when you were President.
This punishing the innocent is part of Nigeria’s continuing sins against God. While you were military head of state and lived in Dodan Barracks, we stayed either with our mum in the two-bedroom apartment provided for her by General Murtala Mohammed or with your relatives, Bose, Yemisi and your sisters’ kids in the Boys Quarters of Dodan Barracks. At QueensCollege, I remember being too ashamed to tell my wealthy classmates from Queen’s College, Lagos we lived in the two room Boys Quarters or in the two room flat on Lawrence Street.
No, we did not have privileged upbringing but our mother emphasized education and that has been our salvation.  Of my mother’s 6 children 4 have PhDs.  Of the two without PhD, one has a Master’s and the other is an engineer.  They are no slouches.  Education provided a way to make our way in the world.
You are one of those petty people who think the progress and success of another takes from you.  You try to overshadow everyone around you, before you and after you.  You are the prototypical “Mr. Know it all”.  You’ve never said “I don’t know” on any topic, ever.  Of course this means you surround yourself with idiots who will agree with you on anything and need you for financial gain and you need them for your insatiable ego.  This your attitude is a reflection of the country. It is not certain which came first, your attitude seeping into the country’s psyche or the country accepting your irresponsible behavior for so long.
Like you and your minions, it’s a symbiotic relationship. Nigeria has descended into a hellish reality where smart, capable people to “survive” and have their daily bread prostrate to imbeciles.  Everybody trying to pull everybody else down with greed and selfishness — the only traits that gets you anywhere. Money must be had and money and power is king. Even the supposed down-trodden agree with this.
Nigeria accused me of fraud with the Ministry of Health.  As you yourself know, both in Abeokuta and Abuja I lived in your houses as a Senator. In Lagos, I stayed in my mum’s bungalow which she succeeded in getting from you when you abandoned her with six children to live in Abeokuta with Stella.
I borrowed against my four-year Senate salary to build the only house I have anywhere in the world in Lagos. I rent out the house for income.  I don’t have much in terms of money but I am extremely happy. I tried to contribute my part to the development of my country but the country decided it didn’t need me.  Like many educated Nigerians my age, there are countries that actually value people doing their best to contribute to society and as many of them have scattered all over the world so have many of your children.
I can speak for myself and many of them; what they are running away from is that they can’t even contribute effectively at the same time as they have to deal with constant threats to their lives by miscreants the society failed to educate; deal with lack of electricity and air pollution resulting from each household generating its own electricity, and the lack of quality healthcare or education and a total lack of sense of responsibility of almost every person you meet.  Your contribution to this scenario cannot be overestimated.
You and your cronies mentioned in your letter have left the country worse than you met it at your births in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Nigeria is not the creation of any of you, and although you feel you own it and are “Mr Nigeria” deciding whether the country stays together or not, and who rules it; you don’t.  Nigeria is solely the creation of the British. My dear gone Grandmother whose burial you told people not to attend, was not born a Nigerian but a proud Ijebu-Yoruba woman. Togetherness is a choice and it must serve a purpose.
As for Nigerians thinking I have their money, when it was obvious I was part of the Yar’Adua (government’s) anti-Obasanjo phenomenon that was going on at the time. The Ministry of Health and international NGOs paid for a retreat for the Senate Committee on Health.  The House Committee on Health was treated exactly the same way. The monies were given to members as estacode and the rest used for accommodation, flights and feeding.  While the Senate was on the retreat in Ghana, the EFCC asked the House Committee to return the monies they received for their retreat and asked us in the Senate to return ours on our return which I refused, as it was already used for the purpose it was earmarked for in the budget that year which was to work on the National Health Bill.
The House Committee had not gone on their retreat. I did nothing wrong and my colleagues and I on the retreat did our work conscientiously. I asked the EFCC not to drag my colleagues into it and I am proud I suffered alone. As is usual in a society where people who are not progressive but take pleasure in the pain of others, most Nigerians were happy, not looking at the facts of the matter, just the suffering of an Obasanjo.
As the people that stole their millions are hailed by them the innocent is punished. When the court case was thrown out because it lacked merit even against the Minister, no newspaper carried the news. The wrongful malicious prosecution of an Obasanjo was not something they wanted to report; just her downfall.  But it really wasn’t about me, it was about right and wrong in society and every society gets the fruit of the seeds it sows.
How do you think God will provide good leaders to such a people? God helps those who help themselves. I have realized that as an Obasanjo I am not entitled to work in Nigeria in any capacity.  I am not entitled to work in health which is my training, or in any field or anywhere in the country or participate in any business. I have learnt this lesson well and there are societies that actually think capable, well-educated people are important to their society’s progress. Apparently, unless I am eating from the dustbin, Nigerians and possibly you will not be satisfied.  I thank God it has not come to that based on God-given brains and brawn.
When I left Nigeria in 1989 for graduate studies in America, you promised to pay my school fees and no living expenses. This you did and I am grateful for because, working in the kitchen and then the library at University of California, Davis and later, working on the IT desk and later as a Teaching Assistant at Cornell gave me valuable work ethics for life. I wouldn’t have it any other way.  As a black woman in the early 21st century, I have achieved much and done more than most. My wish is that black girls all over the world will have the capacity to create their lives, make mistakes, learn from it and move ahead.
Moving back to Nigeria, thinking I wanted to serve was obviously a grave mistake but one brought about by the tragic incident of April 20, 2003. This was the day five people were shot dead in my car.  The mother of the children was an acquaintance I had met only one day before the incident.
We had attended the same high school and university but she was there ten years earlier than I. She had also studied public health in the UK as I had in the US. It was these coincidences that made us connect on our first meeting and then she decided to visit on the Saturday of the election of 2003 when the incident occurred. I am scarred for life by that incident and I know the mother was too as we both looked back to see two men on each side of my car shooting.
I understand her trauma and her behaviour since then can be judged from that. Nigeria is a nasty place that pushes people to lose their compass. I participated in the campaigns leading to the elections that day, more because this was my first experience of electoral process in Nigeria. Growing up there were no elections and I was too young in the 1979 and 1983 elections. It was interesting to see democracy at work.  When Gbenga Daniel who I campaigned for offered me a job, I probably would have declined it, if not for the memory of the dead.
I felt I had to engage in making the country progress and to avoid such incidences in the future.  I don’t need to tell you or anyone what kind of governor and person Gbenga Daniel is. As usual when I found out, you would not listen to my opinion but found out for yourself. I also campaigned for Amosun for the Senate in 2003. I have had some wonderful Nigerians do good to me, I will never forget the then Minister of Women Affairs, who saw me talking in the crowd at a campaign event and was alarmed and said “bad things can happen to you out there, I will give you one of the orderlies assigned to my office to follow you”.  This was the police man that died in my car that day.  I never really thought bad things would happen to me, I moved around freely in society until that shooting scarred me and I accepted a police detail.  I was constantly scared for my life after that.
You called me after your vengeful letter as usual, looking out for yourself and thinking you will bribe me by saying the APC will use me for the Senate. Do you really know me and what I want out of life?
Anyone that knows me knows I am done with anything political or otherwise in Nigeria.  I have so much to do and think to make this world a better place than to waste it on fighting with idiots over a political post that does no good to society.  That letter you wrote to the President, would you have tolerated such a letter as a sitting President?  Don’t do to others what you will not allow to be done to you. The only thing I was using that was yours was the house in Abuja where I left my things when I left the country. I eventually rented it out so that the place would not fall apart but as usual you want to take that as well. You can’t have it without explaining to Nigerians how you came about the house?
As I said earlier, this is not about politics but my frustration with you as a father and a human being.  I am not involved with what is currently going on in Nigeria, I don’t talk to any Nigerian other than friends on social basis.  I am not involved with any political groups or affiliation.  You mentioned Governor Osoba when you spoke to me, yes I was walking down the street of Cambridge, Massachussets a few months ago, when I looked up and saw him reading a map trying to cross the street.
I greeted him warmly and offered to give him a ride to where he was going.  This I did not do because I wanted anything from him politically but because that is how I was raised by my mother to treat an adult who I really had no ill-will towards. Some said he was part of the people that manipulated the elections for me to lose in 2011. I don’t have any ill-will to him for that because I think they did me a favour and someone has to win and lose.
I had told you I wasn’t going to run in 2011 but you manipulated me to run; that was my mistake.  Losing was a blessing.  As usual you wanted me to run for your self-serving purpose to perpetuate your name in the political realm and as the liar that you are, you later denied that it was you who wanted me to run in 2011.
In 2003 I ran because I wanted to and I thought getting to the central government I will be able to contribute more to improving lives and working on legislation that impacts the country. I found that nothing gets done; every public official in Nigeria is working for himself and no one really is serving the public or the country.
The whole system, including the public themselves want oppressors, not people working for their collective progress. When no one is planning the future of a country, such a country can have no future.   I won’t be your legacy, let your legacy be Nigeria in the fractured state you created because, it was always your way or the highway.
This is the end of my communication with you for life. I pray Nigeria survives your continual intervention in its affairs.
Sincerely,
Iyabo Obasanjo, DVM, PhD
Massachusetts,
USA.

Dr Bala Samuel Yakubu at 5:20 PM

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A SORDID TALE: Dino Melaye’s reckless violent life, beats wife to pulp at will, puts a gun to her head…all the dirty details!

hocking and unimaginable exposee has been made of Anti-Corruption Secretary and former Kogi State lawmaker, Otunba Dino Melaye. Report says Dino Melaye’s 10-year-old marriage to his wife Tokunbo has crashed and the wife is presently filing for divorce.
According to StellaDimokokorkus Blog, the issue of domestic violence started long ago in the home of the Melaye’s. It was said that the couple had lots of problems and each time they had an argument, Dino would descend heavily on his wife and beat her seriously till she gets rushed to the hospital and get treated for all kinds of injuries.
It was also said that aside from allegedly sleeping with his house girl which was one of the major cause of the couple’s several misunderstanding, there were also confirmed whispers that sometimes when Tokunbo went to work he removed her pix from the house walls and brought in different women in their matrimonial bed telling them his wife had died,and even getting the domestic staff to say their madam was resting with the Lord”.
It was gathered that Dino Melaye’s tale of wife battery started about 9-years ago, investgation shows that there are police records stating some reported instances of domestic violence. Tokunbo was said to be five months pregnant with her second son when the beatings began, she was rushed to Zanlin hospital in 2005 at exactly 10pm and was treated for injuries on the head after been hit with an iron rod by the huband the source said.
In October 2010,she was rushed to Wuse general hospital by the police themselves after she ran in her bloodied nightgown with deep cuts on her arms,the report says Dino used a plank to flog her aiming for the head but she used her arms to protect herself and ended up with deep deep cuts that needed emergency room attention.
On September 25,2013 Tokunbo and Dino had an argument and he pulled a silver pistol to her head and was seconds away from pulling the rigger when his ringing phone distracted him,she took off leaving behind her shoes.she has filed for divorce and wants custody of the kids but she has not been allowed to see them or have any contact with them.
Insiders say on that september 25th morning the altercation which led to Dino pulling out his gun had to do with a dressing gown in the wardrobe belonging to Dino,his wife attempted to put it on and the law maker refused telling her that all the dressing gowns and perfumes he had were gifts from his girlfriends and he did not buy them with money. The wife allegedly retorted by saying she could as well accept gift from male friends and Dino exploded accusing his wife of referring to her ex boyfriend and asking her to leave his house,he pointed a gun to her head and the drama ended with the wife running to the police station to report to the commissioner of police and escorted back to the house with five policemen who came to search for the gun with a warrant of arrest.
Dino was invited to the police headquarters and the same warrant of arrest later surface online claiming he had been arrested because of the Stella Oduah corruption case he was previously arrested for, he was said to have sacked three of his domestic staff thereafter because they were acting as spy for the wife and updating her on the whereabouts and well being of her three kids. Source says Dino has 10 cars but would seize all the car keys and force his wife to either trek or take public transport whenever the duo are having confrontational issues. It was stated that should the wife return home after 7pm then she must be ready to sleep outside till Dino returns by 1am which is his usual time and the beating would continue thereafter.
Different versions on why the marriage crashed has also emerged from the camp of Dino Melaye.
The first version is that ”he caught her twice with her ex,he warned her the first time but divorced her when he caught her again”
The second whispers is that ”he caught her whispering on the phone with her ex and he asked her why she was talking to him and she shouted at him that she would not only speak with him but would f#*k him as well”
The third version is that ”Tokunbo allegedly collected money from Stella oduah and planted cocaine in the house and then went to report to police to search the house.Some say it was cocaine she planted,others say it was guns”
Concerned friends of both couple are running helper skelter to ensure that they settle well and the kids returned to their mother who is presently living alone.
FIDA,an international body for female lawyers has also been brought into the matter to fight for the rights of the estranged Mrs Melaye who in her divorce petition is asking for full custody of the three children who have been seized from her.
On the other hand,the Lawyer representing Mr Melaye is asking for custody rights of the children as well.
Below is part of the reasons stated on the petition filed by Mrs Tokunbo Melaye (PETITIONER) asking for divorce from Mr Dino Melaye.(RESPONDENT)
FACTS GROUNDING THE PETITION
1. The facts relied on by the petitioner as constituting the ground specified above is as follows;
a. That in the course of the marriage the Respondent has behaved in such ways that the Petitioner cannot reasonably be expected to live with the Respondent, the particulars of such behaviour is as follows;
b. That the Respondent is a habitual and instinctive liar who lies to the Petitioner on every available opportunity. Instances and/or particulars of needless lies often told by the Respondent are as stated below;
i. On many occasions the Respondent lies that he is travelling for business or political reasons only to be sighted around town in the midst of women of easy virtue.
ii. At the very initial stage of the marriage, sometime around 2003, the Respondent lied that he was on a business errand to the United Kingdom and South Africa and abandoned the matrimonial home for weeks only to come back without any exit stamps on his International passport.
iii. In the course of the marriage, the Respondent usually introduces himself to other women either as a widower or a divorcee.
iv. Any challenge to veracity of cheap lies of the Respondent leads to violent reaction of the Respondent.
c. The Respondent abandons the Petitioner and Children of the union in the matrimonial home for days without any explanation about his where about and when he stays around, he keeps late night and when he comes back home early hours of the morning, any complaint by the Petitioner earned her slaps and blows.
d. The Respondent is rash and unpredictable.
e. The Respondent, a very violent and wicked person, is a serial wife beater. The particulars and/or instances of violence and wickedness by the Respondent against the Petitioner are as stated below;
i. During the co-habitation of the parties at DASAB Property in Maitama, Abuja, the Respondent once beat up the Petitioner who was 5 months pregnant for the fact that the Petitioner queried his late night outings.
ii. During the co-habitation at Zone 6, Wuse, Abuja, the Respondent broke the nose of the Petitioner by inflicting a vicious blow on the nose of the Petitioner. The extensive damage done to the nose required medical care and plastic/reconstructive surgery to be corrected.
iii. Also at the same Zone 6 residence, the Respondent on one occasion beat the Petitioner with metal rod and on another occasion with an Air conditioner connecting wire. On both occasions the brutality led to the hospitalization of the Petitioner.
iv. During the co-habitation at Owando Street, Wuse, during the term of the Respondent as a Federal Legislator at the House of Representatives, in 2008, the Respondent used a wooden side stool to deal a violent blow on the knee of the Petitioner.
v. In 2009, while the Petitioner was browsing on her laptop after one of the usual domestic quarrels, the Respondent suddenly and without any warning to the Petitioner, snatched the laptop from the Petitioner and smashed same on the Petitioner’s head.
vi. On the 23rd December, 2009, the Respondent beat up the Petitioner and in the course of doing so, in a moment of mad rage and recklessness of the Respondent, the Respondent threw the Petitioner against the wall not minding the fact that she was carrying the 1 month old baby Ruth Gbotemi Melaye. The baby hit her head against the wall and sustained injury to head.
vii. Despite the fact that the Respondent knew of the injury his reckless act caused to the baby, he abandoned the matrimonial home and was nowhere to be found until the 3rd January, 2010.
Viii. On the 1st of October, 2010, sometime between 8pm and 11pm, the Respondent, during a domestic quarrel, smashed a wooden plank on the head and hands of the Petitioner and subsequently chased her out of the matrimonial home.
f. The Respondent inflicts mental, psychological and emotional torture on the Petitioner and rains oral abuses on her at will in the course of the marriage, the particulars of which are stated below;
i. Upon the slightest irritation or annoyance, the Respondent takes the children of the marriage out of the matrimonial home for days without the consent or knowledge of the Petitioner in order to deprive the Petitioner access to the children whom he knows she loves so much.
ii. On the 3rd day of January, 2010, after the quarrel that caused the Respondent to injure Gbotemi, a one month old baby and the disappearance of the Respondent from the matrimonial home, the Respondent resurfaced in the home only to take all the first two children (Isreal Asiwaju and Joshua Kinbati) away to an unknown place for 2 weeks without the consent and/or knowledge of the Petitioner. This was to inflict mental and psychological torture on the Petitioner.
iii. The Respondent takes pleasure in abusing the Petitioner in the presence of the children and domestic staff of the family by using expletives like “idiot”, “fool” and gleefully uses other indecent and indecorous language on the Petitioner.
iv. The Respondent threatens to send the Petitioner out of the matrimonial home at the slightest opportunity actually sometimes sends her out of the matrimonial home at odd night hours so much so that the Petitioner was living in perpetual fear of being sent out of the matrimonial home.
v. The Respondent threatens the Petitioner that he would shoot her to death and nothing would happen. To show that he had ability to carry out this threat, the Respondent once showed the Petitioner his pistol with live ammunitions.
vi. The Respondent actually pulled a gun on the Petitioner on the 25th September, 2013, and ordered her out of the matrimonial home at gun point. The Respondent flung all the personal effects of the Petitioner out of the matrimonial home in the presence of the domestic staff and subsequently packed some of the items and dumped them at the Petitioner’s Uncle’s house at Life Camp.
vii. The Respondent has cut off all forms of communication between the Petitioner and the children from 25th September, 2013 up to the time of filing this Petition. The Respondent, apart from restraining both physical and telecommunication access to the children, has also warned the authority of the School they attend from allowing the Petitioner access to the Children of the union.
g. The Respondent is canterkerous and quarrelsome.
h. In the course of the marriage, the respondent has shown unquantifiable degree of temper and intolerance.
i. The Respondent has shown a high degree of infidelity and unfaithfulness to the marital vows.
j. The newspapers and internet blogs are replete with the escapades of the Respondent and the most recent of such reports of such philandering attitude is the immoral relationship with a Theatre Practitioner recently which reportedly produced a child for the Respondent.
k. The Respondent is a very violent person who at will uses objects like bottles, knives, planks, etc as weapons against the Petitioner.
l. The Respondent keeps company with women of easy virtue against the wish of the Petitioner.
n. The Respondent willfully disrespects the Petitioner.
o. INCOMPATIBILITY
a. While the Petitioner is a quiet, easy going, honest, peace loving and home loving person, devoted to her calling, the Respondent is boisterous, canterkerous, dishonest, secretive and flirtatious. He is also boastful and threatens the Petitioner with his gun and his ability to make life unbearable for the Petitioner.
b. While the Petitioner is a generous person, the Respondent is a very greedy and selfish person.
c. While the Petitioner loves children, the Respondent is a very cruel person and practices his cruelty on the Petitioner in the presence of the children and on the children.

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Fashola Condemns South Africa’s Treatment Of Nigerians At Mandela’s Funeral

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State could not hold back harsh words for South Africans while paying tribute to Mandela on Monday. The governor had wondered why in spite of the huge sacrifice made by Nigeria to free South Africa from the claws of imperialists, Nigerians are being subjected to ridicule by South Africans.
According to the governor, “Nigeria paid a huge price for what South Africa has become today. I remember the anti-apartheid campaign was at the core of Nigerian foreign policy.” He then wondered why the British, who supported apartheid, could enter the country without any hassle while Nigerians needed a visa.
He added, “When you look at the part of the world where ovation is now the loudest, it was the part from where the pain was the most vicious. In a very cruel irony, history is being revised.
“The people, who collaborated with the government that enthroned apartheid at that time, are the people that are paying the biggest tribute now.”
The contribution of Nigerians to freeing both South Africa and Mandela was monumental. The commitment of Nigerians to put an end to apartheid in South Africa was so intense that the country was considered a leader of the Frontline States established to achieve democratic majority rule in South Africa. The group raised funds and soldiers to prosecute war against apartheid. Other members included Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Nigeria played a vital role in the establishment of the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid (UNSCAA). This was partly responsible for Nigeria occupying the chair of the committee more than any other country until it was scrapped.
Nigeria also established the Southern African Relief Fund (SARF), which was funded with deductions from the salary of every Nigerian worker, irrespective of rank, both in the public and private sectors as well as donations from ordinary Nigerians, including students.
The fund was disbursed by African National Congress (ANC) leaders and members as they saw fit.
Nigeria also provided scholarships for students from South Africa while South African freedom fighters whose passports were seized by the government were given Nigerian passports. Whenever South Africans protested against injustice, Nigerian students also took to the streets in support and solidarity. Nigerian musicians waxed albums in support of the anti-apartheid struggle, while Nigerian poets wrote poems to condemn racism in South Africa.
Nigeria never let go of any opportunity to denounce apartheid; Commonwealth Games were boycotted while the assets of British Petroleum (BP) were nationalised. Nigeria was a friend to those who opposed apartheid and an enemy to friends of the racists.

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Why South Africans Booed Their President at Mandela’s Memorial

by Oke Efagene
South African President, Jacob Zuma faced a major public humiliation earlier today, during the memorial service of the late anti-apartheid legend, Nelson Mandela, as the crowd booed and jeered at him.

The embarrassing outburst comes barely 6 months before the next national elections, and in the presence of leaders and VIP guests from around the world, as the crowd blatantly expressed their displeasure in him and his administration.

His African National Congress (ANC) government has been facing violent labour unrest and protests over persisting poverty, crime and unemployment. The ANC is however, still expected to comfortably win the elections to be held in April or May.

Zuma, who has ruled Africa’s biggest economy since 2009, had been hoping to get a boost from the wave of national emotion triggered by Mandela’s death on Thursday, aged 95.

According to reports:

Zuma was booed when he first entered the crowded stadium, and again when he prepared to speak. In contrast, U.S. President Barack Obama received a roaring ovation, and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe as well as U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon were also cheered.

Some in the crowd accompanied the boos for Zuma with thumbs-down gestures and rotating hand movements, the sign for a substitution in a soccer match.

“Mandela had a vision, Mandela lived that vision. But what Zuma speaks, he doesn’t live,” said Funeka Gingcara-Sithole, 31, reflecting the mood of the Zuma critics in the stadium.

“He should do the honourable thing and resign,” she said.

The hostile reaction from the thousands-strong unruly crowd erupted as Zuma prepared to address the high-profile ceremony in Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium bringing together leaders from around 90 countries.

Zuma and senior ANC officials remained stony faced during the booing and organisers at one point used a choir to try to drown out the hostile reaction.

The mourning for Mandela has distracted attention from corruption scandals affecting Zuma and his administration.

But memories of the former president’s five-year tenure up to 1999 have reminded many just how distant Zuma’s South Africa still is from the “Rainbow Nation” ideal of shared prosperity and social peace that Mandela proclaimed after his 1994 election.
Ynaija.com

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Man who defiled village shrine cuts off own penis and strange dog eats it…

The Chief Medical Director of Crown Hospital, Nkpor, in Idemili North local government, Anambra State, Dr Eddy Emegoaku, has confirmed that one Ejike Okeke from Nkwelle-Uke in Idemili South local government of the state was lying in critical condition in his hospital as a result of genital amputation he did on himself.

LEADERSHIP gathered that Ejike, 32, was a luxury bus conductor based in Onitsha before he returned to the village recently.

He was said to have visited the village shrine where he invoked the spirit of the village deity and took away kola nuts offered to the deity, following which he started manifesting strange behaviours.

Family sources revealed that Ejike cut-off his penis and scrotum, and a strange dog suddenly appeared and ate the severed genital.

Family members were said to have rushed him to the Crown Hospital, Nkpor, immediately.

When our correspondent visited the hospital, Ejike’s private part was covered in plaster, while a catheter was fixed to collect urine.

Though the hospital management barred LEADERSHIP from having a direct chat with the victim or taking his photograph, our correspondent observed that Ejike was furious when his sister came to see him in company of their aged father.

He blurted out, saying he took the action in protest so that his family will know that he was not joking when he told them that he would cut his penis.

Scores of sympathisers, friends and family members who visited the hospital also confirmed that he had threatened to cut off his penis “because it had disappointed him several times.”

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Obama proclaims December 10 Human Rights Day in U.S.

The president of the United States of America Barrack Obama has proclaimed Dec 10, the Human Rights Day. Obama made this proclamation on Dec 9 and revealed in a statement released by the Whitehouse.
THE PROCLAMATION
Six and a half decades ago, delegates from around the world convened to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, rejecting the notion that individual aspirations should be subject to the whims of tyrants and empires, and affirming every person’s right to liberty, equality, and justice under the law. On Human Rights Day and during Human Rights Week, we resolve not only to celebrate these ideals but also to advance them in our time.
Humanity thrives because of our differences; the exchange of ideas among vibrant cultures is a source of innovation, beauty, and vitality. Yet across the globe, our common and inalienable rights bind us as one. All women and men — across borders and regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, or income level — share the freedoms of expression, religion, assembly, and association. We all have the right to take part in government, directly or through freely elected representatives. And as societies, we have the right to choose our own destiny.
But in many parts of the world, people are still persecuted for their beliefs, imprisoned for their ideals, and punished for their convictions. A growing number of countries are passing laws designed to stifle civil society — including organizations that promote universal human rights, support good governance, and bolster economic development. Securing freedoms that are threatened or denied will require an unceasing commitment. Today and always, let us break down prejudice, amplify the courageous voices that sound the call for change, and reaffirm our unwavering support for the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 10, 2013, as Human Rights Day and the week beginning December 10, 2013, as Human Rights Week. I call upon the people of the United States to mark these observances with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

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Hahahaha! Homeless man cahrges $2,000 for course in Homelessness

A homeless man is getting into the entrepreneurial spirit by teaching a course in a new field he calls “Applied Homelessness.” Before you scoff at the idea, keep in mind that a course in Applied Homelessness has to be at least as practical as, say, a master’s degree in art history.

Mike Momany, a former contractor who is now homeless and living in Seattle, is hoping to use the business venture to build awareness of issues affecting homeless people. For good measure, he wants to give 25% of the proceeds to organizations that help the homeless. Sounds pretty admirable, at least until it comes to the cost: $2,000 for the three day tour. Or, in other words, $2,000 more than it takes to actually just be homeless for a few nights.

For the hefty fee, a person can learn the ins and outs of being homeless from a pro. “The dense curriculum includes visits to popular homeless hangouts like the Seattle Public Library and students will be given opportunities to converse with other homeless people, pan handle and nap on benches,” Breitbart reports. Which, if you think about it, is all stuff people could do without forking over enough money to, you know, actually rent an apartment for a month or two.

In fact, at $2,000, it seems like more people would opt instead to take a course in “Applied Caribbean Vacation.” But Momany hopes the course will inspire people to take steps to solving the homeless problem.

Unfortunately for Momany, no one has yet signed up for the course. But hopefully he’ll start attracting some participants soon. As we all know, homelessness can happen to anyone — though probably not to someone who has enough money to fork over $2,000 for a class in homelessness.

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HIGHEST BIDDER: Give your money to another widow…Go and Die woman tells PDP

Mrs. Joy Ifijeh, the widow who was abused by the Governor of Edo state, Adams Oshiomhole, said she ignored the offer of N250,000 by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because she was satisfied with the apology, job offer and N2m by the Governor.

‘Go and die’ widow, as she is often called on social media, further noted that she was not ready to be used as a pawn by the PDP on the chessboard of politics, advising the party to give the said money to another widow instead.

Mrs. Ifijeh disclosed this during the presentation of her letter of appointment into the Edo State War Against Indiscipline at the Government House in Benin City, December 3, 2013.

“I want to thank Oshiomhole sincerely for this appointment and I wish to state that I have forgiven him from the bottom of my heart. And for the money promised me by PDP let them give it to other widows. I do not need the money,” Mrs. Ifijeh said.

She described the governor’s gesture as humane and promised to support the government policies and programmes in the state.

Mr. Kassim Afegbua, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, said during the presentation of the appointment letter that this gesture was in fulfilment of Comrade Oshiomhole’s promise to offer the widow employment into the service of the Government.

The Adviser added the appointment was effective from 3rd December. 2013, stressed that she would be expected to resume conform to the ethics of her position.

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London: The playground of rich Nigerians

BY JACO MARITZ
Wealthy Nigerians are living it up in London, playing polo with royalty, frequenting the capital’s top restaurants and bars, snapping up luxury properties and driving sports cars.
Kola Karim
Kola Karim
This according to a colourful article, titled The Nigerians have arrived, in the December issue of British lifestyle and fashion glossy magazine Tatler that describes the lavish lives of rich Nigerian businesspeople and their children.
Many of those mentioned in the article travel between Nigeria and the UK. Some even fly in their favourite British food when visiting the West African country.
According to the article, Nigerians are the UK’s sixth-highest foreign spenders, and spend £300m annually at British universities and schools.
While many of the families featured in the article made their money in Nigeria’s oil and energy sectors, some of the younger generation are establishing themselves in industries such as music.
“Though oil and gas is still the usual career path for the ambitious and connected, it’s notable that several of the younger generation are trying to make it in the entertainment business,” notes the magazine.
In the article, CEO of Shoreline Energy Kola Karim tells the story where a woman assumed he was a professional football player after seeing his yellow Ferrari parked in London’s affluent Chelsea neighbourhood. “The automatic assumption was that a prosperous black man could only be a footballer or a rap star.”
A number of recent reports have highlighted Africa’s super wealthy. According to a recent Bain & Company research report, Africa’s market for luxury goods will grow by 11% in 2013 compared to 2012. A recent study by Wealth-X and UBS bank reveals that Africa as 42 dollar-billionaires, seven of whom are from Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote is generally considered to be Africa’s richest person with an estimated fortune of $17bn. Dangote started a small trading firm in 1977 that grew to become the Dangote Group, one of the most diversified business conglomerates in Africa and a major supplier to Nigeria’s soft drink companies, breweries and confectionaries.
The lifestyles described in Tatler article are however, the preserve of a tiny proportion of Nigerians. It is estimated that at least around 50% of Nigeria’s 170m strong population live in poverty.
A recent survey by Afrobarometer found that African poverty levels have barely improved in the past decade despite an average annual 5% growth in GDP in the same period.

Borno group petitions Presidency on link between Boko Haram attacks and former Governor

Civil association, Borno League of Professionals, has petitioned the Presidency over the link between the alleged visit of a former Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff and the Boko Haram attack at the International Airport in Maiduguri yesterday.

The group said the State had been calm for over seven months until rumour of a visit of the former Governor, who is reportedly hated by Boko Haram and in other circles, said to be one of the founding financiers of the group.

The group issued a memo to the President fingering the recent attacks on Sheriff.

The memo said, “Mr. President, Commander in Chief, the Senate President and Speaker; the National Security Adviser and rest of our eminent service chiefs, we are writing you this memorandum for the second time this year. The first time, we issued a press release but this time we gathered our had-earned naira to pay for an advertorial in defence of Borno people and Nigerians at large.

“Until yesterday, our city of Maiduguri was very peaceful in the last seven months, thanks to your decisive declaration of emergency and deployment of patriotic and professional soldiers. Thanks also to our youths, the Civilian JTF and we must also acknowledge in the spirit of objectivity and say thanks to the untiring efforts of the Borno State Government under Shettima Kashim, the Governor.

“Mr President, residents became very apprehensive, there was serious panic and fear since Saturday when the news filtered all over Maiduguri that the infamous former Governor of Borno State Ali Modu Sheriff (alias S.A.S) had finished preparations and he was coming into Maiduguri today, Tuesday, 3rd of December, 2013 for a grand political entry and a rally, whether anybody likes or not.

“We do not know if the latest attack yesterday was a reaction to his planned visit but everybody in Borno knows for sure that nothing pains the Boko Haram members like seeing SAS in Borno State moving with arrogance and pride, in convoy of security details and brandishing his banbanriga or binjima as we call it, opening his chest as if he is the President of G-8 countries and rest of Africa fused into one. It is usual for residents of Borno State to be in state of fear anytime that man is coming, for his visits signify trouble.
Source: The Herald

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Money Making Ritual: Man Kills Mother To Become Richest Man In Africa

Detectives attached to the Obosi Police Division in Anambra State have arrested a man, Tonna Enedo from the Umuezeshime royal family in Obosi, Idemili North Local Government Area, for allegedly killing his mother. Enedo spoke yesterday on why he killed his mother. He blamed the incident on his quest to make money at all cost, adding that he was lured into a fraternity. He said he has slept in the mortuary for seven hours as part of the money-making rituals.
Tonna said: “I was asked by the chief priest of the society that if I wanted to be rich, I should go and have fun with a mad woman. I should also go and sleep with a body for seven hours; I should fast for seven days dry; I was told that I would first kill my father and the last stage is that I will go mad and after I might have completed all the condition, I will become the richest man in Africa, if not in the whole world.” He said he met all other conditions and was planning to kill his father when he mistakenly killed his mother. He said it was after he hit a metal on her head that he realised he had killed the woman he loved most. Tonna is a first-born from a divorced home. The parents divorced in 1984. He behaved like a mentally-challenged person in and around Obosi before the incident

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Girl Commits Suicide After Parents Ban Her From Facebook

A teenager who killed herself after her parents banned her from Facebook left a note for a devastated family saying she couldn’t live without the site. Aiswarya Dahiwal, a second year college student from Parbhani, in the Maharashtra state of India, had asked her parents for permission to log on to the site on Wednesday, but they said no. The teenager then got into an argument with the couple who told her that she should pay more attention to school work, and spend less time on Facebook.
The family also argued about Miss Dahiwal making long mobile phone calls to her friends.Her body was found on Thursday morning, and police said that she had hanged herself. A note found in Miss Dahiwal’s bedroom said that she had taken her own life because she was not allowed to go on the social networking site.According to her father Sunil, the family was in ‘deep shock’ and that he never thought she would ever take such a harsh step.’
A case of accidental death has been registered by
Indian officials and an investigation is underway.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a recent survey found that nearly 92 percent of India’s high school students prefer to use Facebook rather than make calls to communicate.

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End Times: Mother Puts Up New Born Baby For Sale on the Internet

A Brazilian baby was put up for sale on the internet because he would not let his parents sleep.

The disturbing advert for the newborn baby posted on OLX was live on the site for 12 hours. The baby selling price was just $430. Cops in Aparecida de Goiânia, in the central state of Goias, are investigating after an ad for a tiny tot appeared on classified website OLX.

It featured a snapshot of a little boy, dressed in a blue outfit, alongside the caption:“Cries a lot and did not let me sleep and I have to work to survive”.

The ad, posted on Tuesday, was pulled after only 12 hours for breaching the site’s terms and conditions.
But police children protection officer Marcela Orçai said officers were now trying to track down the person
who placed the promo. “We are trying to locate the person who posted the ad”, Orçai said.

“We believe [THEY] may live in the Campos Eliseos neighbourhood […] but the address given does not exist. Also the phone number has no connection with the case”, Orçai added.

OLX, which has operated in Brazil since 2010, said it had no involvement between advertisers and customers using its platform, reports Jornal do Brasil. OLX classified website is the largest consumer trading website in the world with a presence in some 107 countries. Each month the company reports that it receives more than 100 million users buying and selling goods and services on its free classified site.

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BRILLIANT! The Day of my Death by Femi Aribisala

The bullet pierced the body of the car, came out on the inside and killed me. It is necessary to put it graphically. The bullet hit me and I bled to death right there on the roadside.
I was born on 12th April, 1952. I died twenty-years ago on 26th December, 1993. I was killed by armed-robbers on the way from Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
My wife was coming back from a trip to the United States and I went to the airport with six-year-old Femi-Kevin to meet her. She had two major pieces of luggage. I put one in the boot and the other in the back-seat of our car. It was around seven-thirty in the evening, and we set out for home.
Soon, a car overtook us with some people who were shouting at us for some inexplicable reason. I paid little attention to them. It is commonplace in Lagos for some driver to be upset with you for some reason or the other. But no sooner had they overtaken us than they swerved and blocked the road with their car. Immediately, some men jumped out menacingly.
Dicing with death
From that moment, everything became surreal. Indeed, everything switched to slow-motion. I slammed on the brakes and the car stopped. I switched to reverse-gear and the car moved back. Our assailants were banking on the element of surprise, but my prompt reactions upstaged them. Having reversed the car, I again brought it to a stop. In front of us on the road were four armed men.
I had always foolishly believed in myself. I regarded myself as a problem-solver. True, this was a rather bigger problem than I had had to deal with before. This particular one was a question of life and death. But it was a problem nevertheless. Therefore, I decided to try and address it like any other problem. First; I needed to make a quick decision. I had to decide whether to continue to reverse the car; or go forward or just surrender.
I seemed to have all the time in the world to make this split-second decision. Finally, I decided on a foolhardy course of “no retreat: no surrender.” I made up my mind to go forward at top speed and try to avoid their car, which was biased to the left side of the road. I also resolved that if the man to my extreme right did not get out of the way, I would run him over with my car.
I put the car back into the first gear and went ahead to execute my plan; slamming hard on the accelerator. The man to my extreme right literally had to jump out of the road because I aimed the car directly at him. I managed to avoid their car and made a dash for it. But before I could congratulate myself on turning the tables against our abductors, my plans went disastrously wrong. A lamppost appeared suddenly out of nowhere, and I slammed headlong into it.
Mystery voice
I have been back on that road so many times since then and have wondered why I did not see that lamppost. But I did not. Once I hit the lamppost, I was trapped like a caged animal. Once I hit the lamppost, all my brilliantly-executed escape plans turned out to be reckless. Once I hit the lamppost, I knew that I was a dead man. I looked out the window to see the man I nearly ran down now marching towards me. I knew there could only be one thing on his mind: revenge.
But before I could panic, something dramatic happened. I heard a voice. It was not a booming voice. It was a “still small voice.” It was authoritative and calm. It spoke with quiet reassurance. “Femi,” it said, “nothing is going to happen to you here.”
Before I could even think about what that meant, the offended armed-robber drew near. Again, I saw everything in slow motion. Grimacing, he pointed his gun at me and pulled the trigger. I saw a flash of light and the glass at my side of the door came crashing down. The bullet pierced the body of the car, came out on the inside and killed me. It is necessary to put it graphically. The bullet hit me and I bled to death right there on the roadside.
Conversations in the morgue
Thereafter, I was no longer afraid of our assailants. As a matter of fact, I became indifferent to them. I seemed to be abstracted from the entire incident, and to be like someone watching an unfolding drama from the sidelines. And yet I knew that however the matter was resolved, my life would never be the same again.
Don’t ask me why, but I opened the door and decided to come out of the car. Only then did I realise that there was something wrong with my left leg. The bullet came out of the inside of the car and lodged itself in my leg, but I never actually felt it enter my body. As I came out of the car, the aggrieved armed-robber who had shot at me slapped me. “Why were you driving like that?” he demanded. “Please don’t be offended,” I pleaded. “I was only trying to get away from you as best as I could.”
While all this was going on, the young man was rifling through my pockets. He was removing my watch from my wrist. Another man was removing the suitcase from the backseat of the car and loading it into the boot of their car. And then I heard that implausible voice once again, defiantly oblivious to the situation. “Femi,” it repeated, “nothing is going to happen to you here.”
I was not really paying much attention. My whole life suddenly flashed through my mind. So this is how it all ends, I thought. I looked through the window of the car and saw my wife clutching little Femi-Kevin to her breast. It was like seeing the past in the present. So at such an early age this woman became a widow, I thought.
I noticed she was praying. I could see her lips moving silently. I did not believe in prayer and I never prayed. As far as I was concerned, the fact that she was praying meant she was highly distressed. So I leaned through the window to reassure her. But the only reassurance I could give was the ludicrous one I had been given. So I said to her: “Karen, nothing is going to happen to us here.”
Dead and buried
But something seemed to be happening. One of the armed-robbers could not open the boot. Neither could I give him the key because it was jammed in the ignition as a result of my hitting the lamppost with the car. One simple fact completely escaped me. Our abductors also seemed oblivious to it. You could open the boot by pressing a latch on the floor of the driver’s side of the car.
I could tell that, with the frustration of being unable to dislodge the key from the ignition, the temperature of the entire incident was rising. But then, one of them opened the glove compartment and saw some money I had miraculously forgotten there. It so happened that it was a sizeable amount. That discovery brought down the heightened temperature. The man who discovered it was excited. “Look what I found,” he shouted gleefully to his partners-in-crime. Somehow, this discovery was enough to atone for their inability to retrieve the luggage from the boot.
It was time to go. The man who had shot at me re-cocked his gun. It was one of those revolvers that you snap at the top in order to re-load. He pointed it at me and barked: “Lie down with your face to the ground.” I don’t know where I got the courage from, but I refused. I told him calmly: “You can take whatever you want and go, but I am not going to lie down.” The man stared at me. His look spoke eloquently. It said: “Don’t you know that I have the power to shoot you dead right now?”
I was already dead, so I was not moved. For a moment, we stood staring at one another defiantly, with him pointing the gun directly at my face. I knew he would shoot again and could not care less. But then suddenly, he changed his mind and walked away. Then they all jumped into their car and drove off.
My resurrection
There is nothing like death to make a man to yearn for salvation. I was a man falling down a cliff, looking for something to hold on to. Then suddenly a mystery man arrived. But instead of throwing me a rope, he threw me a thread. “Catch this,” he said, “and I will pull you up.” I knew certainly that a thread could not hold my weight. But it was really no time to argue. If I had other options, maybe I might have ignored the thread. But as it was, the thread was the only solution available, even if it was absolutely nonsensical. So I grabbed the thread and unbelievably, the thread; a thread, held my weight.
Once I held on to this slim thread of hope, I was filled with an incredible feeling of peace in the middle of an armed-robbery attack, even with a bullet lodged in my left leg. But once the robbers left, I came back to my senses. The peace lifted and I was filled with fear. Clearly, I needed immediate medical attention. My wife jumped out of the car and ran down the road shouting for help. I looked down and realised that my trouser-leg, my sock and shoe were completely soaked with blood. So I said to myself: “Well, you escaped that one. But now you are going to bleed to death right here in the middle of this road.”
But immediately that thought came into my head, the voice I had heard earlier came back to counter it. It was just as calm and commanding as before. It was no-nonsense and conclusive: “Femi,” it said categorically, “there is nothing wrong with your leg.”
Source: Premium Times

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Anambra PDP Chairman Kidnapped

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman in Anambra State, Mr. Ken Emeakayi, was kidnapped on Monday by unknown gunmen.

According to reports, he was on his way back to Awka, the state capital from his village in Okija when his car was intercepted at Anyafulujiji Junction, Nri by his abductors.

As at the time of compiling this report, the Anambra Police high command is yet to be briefed about the incident but a source close to Emeakayi confirmed the story was true.

However, he said the kidnappers have not made any contact yet with the PDP chairman’s family.

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N19.2bn Scam: EFCC Re-arraigns Timipre Sylva

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC will tuesday, December 3, 2013 arraign former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre  Sylva and six others on a 42- count amended charge before Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The other accused persons are Francis Okuburo, Gbenga S. Balogun, Samuel Ogbuku,  Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited and Haloween Blue Construction and Logistics Limited
 
Sylva’s re-arraignment is sequel to fresh evidence linking him with a series of fraudulent transactions that borders on money laundering during his tenure as governor of Bayelsa State between 2009-2012.

Why Nigerians Must Control Their Sexual Urge

“If Muslims can practise the teachings of Quran and Christians practise the teachings of the Bible, then, we will not be in these problems,” the cleric said

The Chief Imam of Benin, Malam Abdulfattah Enabulele, on Monday urged Nigerians to control their sexual urge and refrain from acts that could expose them to HIV infection.

Enabulele made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin.

He urged married people to be faithful to their spouses, and advised unmarried ones to abstain from sex.

According to him, statistics shows that about 90 per cent of people living with HIV got infected through sexual intercourse.

The cleric advised the youth to avoid pornographic movies which, he said, exposed people to immorality.

Enabulele advised women to dress decently to prevent sexual assault from men.

He decried distribution of condoms to the youth, saying that it would encourage promiscuity.

“Many of the problems we have in the society arose from our inability to obey the laws of God as contained in both the Quran and Bible.

“If Muslims can practise the teachings of Quran and Christians practise the teachings of the Bible, then, we will not be in these problems,” the cleric said

The cleric urged Nigerians to regularly go for HIV screening for early detection and management of the disease. (NAN)

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Rivers PDP applauds Chief Whip’s refusal to defect to APC

Describing the lawmaker’s decision not to be cajoled into the APC as wise, far-sighted and courageous, the PDP in a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media to the State Chairman, Jerry Needam said this has confirmed that Hon Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, the Andonis, the entire State legislators and many others in the state are not happy and willing to leave the ruling PDP and indeed, cannot be coerced by Amaechi into the APC.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers state chapter has lauded the bold step taken by the Chief whip of the State House of Assembly, and member representing Andoni Constituency, Hon Ikuinyi – Owaji Ibani and many of his colleagues, and party members to remain in PDP, and not to follow Governor Chibuike Amaechi to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Describing the lawmaker’s decision not to be cajoled into the APC as wise, far-sighted and courageous, the PDP in a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media to the State Chairman, Jerry Needam said this has confirmed that Hon Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, the Andonis, the entire State legislators and many others in the state are not happy and willing to leave the ruling PDP and indeed, cannot be coerced by Amaechi into the APC.
The statement enjoins the few remaining lawmakers, council chairmen and their councilors and commissioners who are still sitting on the fence to exhibit same boldness as Hon Owaji to declare their stand without any fear, advising that it’s simply suicidal to be dragged out of their place of honour and political relevance into the wilderness for a transient filthy lucre.
The party, according to the statement is on ground in the state and cannot be wished away and any member to allow himself or herself to drown with Gov Amaechi will have no one to blame when the chips are down.
It’s very obvious that Amaechi does not want to go down alone and has therefore deliberately created a world of make-believe to hoodwink his victims into believing that his utopian ambition is in their interest and realizable, the party further noted.
“May we appeal to our esteemed members and PDP faithful in the State to remain steadfast and shun any attempts to deceive them by Gov Amaechi.
Rivers State is, and remains a PDP State and is better off, and more protected under our party platform with one of our own, Dr Goodluck Jonathan as the national leader, and president of the country and by God’s grace will continue in office after 2015.
This is our prayer and hope. A God-given opportunity, never gotten on a platter of Gold and which the like of Amaechi want to fritter way but God forbid”, the party declared.

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Borno attacks: DHQ claims 26 died as flights resume at Maiduguri airport

The attack, which led to imposition of a 24-hour curfew on Maiduguri, was reported to have claimed hundreds of lives both on the sides of military personnel and the insurgents

Nigeria’s Defence headquarters (DHQ) has officially reacted to the early morning attacks on the Nigeria Air Force base and Maiduguri International Airport, claiming it repelled attack by the Islamist insurgents, Boko Haram.
The attack, which led to imposition of a 24-hour curfew on Maiduguri, was reported to have claimed hundreds of lives both on the sides of military personnel and the insurgents.
A statement by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig Gen Chris Olukolade, however, said only two Air Force personnel died while 24 causalities were recorded on the side of the sect, Boko Haram.
The DHQ also announced that flights to and from Maiduguri International Airport, which were disrupted early in the morning have resumed.
Olukolade’s statement reads, “Nigerian security forces today repelled a pre-dawn attack on Maiduguri by suspected terrorists. Military locations such as Nigerian Air Force Base and some Nigerian Army locations in Maiduguri were targeted during the attack.
“Three decommissioned military aircrafts as well as two Helicopters were incapacitated in the course of the attack. Two Air Force personnel were also wounded while 24 insurgents died during the exchange of fire.
“Security forces are in pursuit of the terrorists in the Djemtillo general area along the Maiduguri/Banishek axis. Movements in Maiduguri and environs have been restricted. Citizens are enjoined to report any of the fleeing insurgents, most of whom could be identified with gunshot wounds whenever they are sighted.
“Meanwhile, normal flights operations to and from the Maiduguri Airport which were earlier temporarily disrupted has resumed”.
Source:Eagleonline

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IT BEGINS: PEDOPHILES CALL FOR SAME RIGHTS AS HOMOSEXUALS

Using the same tactics used by “gay” rights activists, pedophiles have begun to seek similar status arguing their desire for children is a sexual orientation no different than heterosexual or homosexuals.

Critics of the homosexual lifestyle have long claimed that once it became acceptable to identify homosexuality as simply an “alternative lifestyle” or sexual orientation, logically nothing would be off limits. “Gay” advocates have taken offense at such a position insisting this would never happen. However, psychiatrists are now beginning to advocate redefining pedophilia in the same way homosexuality was redefined several years ago.

In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. A group of psychiatrists with B4U-Act recently held a symposium proposing a new definition of pedophilia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders of the APA.

B4U-Act calls pedophiles “minor-attracted people.” The organization’s website states its purpose is to, “help mental health professionals learn more about attraction to minors and to consider the effects of stereotyping, stigma and fear.”

In 1998 The APA issued a report claiming “that the ‘negative potential’ of adult sex with children was ‘overstated’ and that ‘the vast majority of both men and women reported no negative sexual effects from childhood sexual abuse experiences.”

Pedophilia has already been granted protected status by the Federal Government. The Matthew Shephard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act lists “sexual orientation” as a protected class; however, it does not define the term.

Republicans attempted to add an amendment specifying that “pedophilia is not covered as an orientation;” however, the amendment was defeated by Democrats. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fl) stated that all alternative sexual lifestyles should be protected under the law. “This bill addresses our resolve to end violence based on prejudice and to guarantee that all Americans, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability or all of these ‘philias’ and fetishes and ‘isms’ that were put forward need not live in fear because of who they are. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this rule.”

The White House praised the bill saying, “At root, this isn’t just about our laws; this is about who we are as a people. This is about whether we value one another – whether we embrace our differences rather than allowing them to become a source of animus.”

Earlier this year two psychologists in Canada declared that pedophilia is a sexual orientation just like homosexuality or heterosexuality.

Van Gijseghem, psychologist and retired professor of the University of Montreal, told members of Parliament, “Pedophiles are not simply people who commit a small offense from time to time but rather are grappling with what is equivalent to a sexual orientation just like another individual may be grappling with heterosexuality or even homosexuality.”

He went on to say, “True pedophiles have an exclusive preference for children, which is the same as having a sexual orientation. You cannot change this person’s sexual orientation. He may, however, remain abstinent.”

When asked if he should be comparing pedophiles to homosexuals, Van Gijseghem replied, “If, for instance, you were living in a society where heterosexuality is proscribed or prohibited and you were told that you had to get therapy to change your sexual orientation, you would probably say that that is slightly crazy. In other words, you would not accept that at all. I use this analogy to say that, yes indeed, pedophiles do not change their sexual orientation.”

Dr. Quinsey, professor emeritus of psychology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, agreed with Van Gijseghem. Quinsey said pedophiles’ sexual interests prefer children and, “There is no evidence that this sort of preference can be changed through treatment or through anything else.”

In July, 2010 Harvard health Publications said, “Pedophilia is a sexual orientation and unlikely to change. Treatment aims to enable someone to resist acting on his sexual urges.”

Linda Harvey, of Mission America, said the push for pedophiles to have equal rights will become more and more common as LGBT groups continue to assert themselves. “It’s all part of a plan to introduce sex to children at younger and younger ages; to convince them that normal friendship is actually a sexual attraction.”

Milton Diamond, a University of Hawaii professor and director of the Pacific Center for Sex and Society, stated that child pornography could be beneficial to society because, “Potential sex offenders use child pornography as a substitute for sex against children.”

Diamond is a distinguished lecturer for the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. The IASHS openly advocated for the repeal of the Revolutionary war ban on homosexuals serving in the military.

The IASHS lists, on its website, a list of “basic sexual rights” that includes “the right to engage in sexual acts or activities of any kind whatsoever, providing they do not involve non-consensual acts, violence, constraint, coercion or fraud.” Another right is to, “be free of persecution, condemnation, discrimination, or societal intervention in private sexual behavior” and “the freedom of any sexual thought, fantasy or desire.” The organization also says that no one should be “disadvantaged because of age.”

Sex offender laws protecting children have been challenged in several states including California, Georgia and Iowa. Sex offenders claim the laws prohibiting them from living near schools or parks are unfair because it penalizes them for life.
Culled from patdollard.com

Lagos Suspends Principal For Exposing School Where Pupils Sit on Window Panes to Take Classes

The story on the dearth of good furniture in Ikeja Grammar School, Lagos, published by Saturday PUNCH last Saturday drew a wrong chord with the Lagos State Government.

Last Monday, it suspended the school principal for allowing this writer to gain access to the school premises and take photographs of classes where pupils sat on windows and concrete blocks while learning.

Even though it was reported in the story titled, “Lagos school where pupils learn sitting on windows, concrete blocks” that the principal was not around when this journalist visited the school, Saturday PUNCH learnt that her superiors have decided to hang the blame of the scandal on her.

Efforts to speak to the principal as the news of her suspension broke on Monday, were unsuccessful as she was nowhere to be found in the school. Teachers are not allowed to speak with the press in the state.

But an irked teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the principal was removed from her position as a punishment on Monday.

The teacher said, “This is more serious than you think; you have put this school in trouble. The education ‘oga’ (commissioner) and other state officials summoned the principal on Monday and she has been removed from her position.

“She was asked to start reporting to the office of the permanent secretary of the ministry of education as from Tuesday.”

Our correspondent, who paid an undercover visit to the school on Monday, noticed that the issue had put all the teachers in the school on edge as many of them were seen holding copies of the published report.

It was also learnt that the state government’s education top officials had gone a step further by querying a teacher who was teaching a class when photographs of an array of broken furniture the pupils sat on were taken.

Our source within the school said another teacher, a head of department, is also facing the ministry’s ‘fire’ in connection to the said publication. The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, had last week Friday admitted that her ministry was aware of the issue of the bad furniture in the school.

“Thank you for your observation; we are not unaware. As I write, chairs are being supplied and before too long, it will go round the schools,” a text message from her said on Friday. But by Monday when this correspondent visited the school, no new chairs had been supplied.

This correspondent got in touch with the Lagos State Chairman of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, Mr. Babatunde Philips, to find out if the state of furniture in secondary schools in the state had been a subject of discussion in the conference’s deliberations in the past.

But Phillips said he could not comment on the issue at the time.

“I heard about the suspension of the principal (of Ikeja Grammar School). It makes me very sad that she had to be suspended. But we are planning to make our findings about the issue. I cannot say anything about the issue right now,” he said.

The state government’s action after last Saturday’s publication seems to have become a trend in the way it handles issues relating to its responsibilities.

In August 2013, after Saturday PUNCH published a report on the state of an orphanage located beside a house owned by the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Orelope Adejoke-Adefulire, operated by Mrs. Rose Nwachukwu, the state government closed down the orphanage and arrested the woman even though experts said officials should have monitored the orphanage’s activities in the first place.

When a text message was sent to Oladunjoye on Thursday on the report that the principal was suspended, Oladunjoye replied simply, “Which report is that please? I know a report is already in the public domain.”
PUNCH.

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45yr Old Nigerian Man Goes On Hunger Strike in UK to Avoid Deportation

Lawyers for a failed asylum seeker who was on hunger strike have said the Home Office has confirmed his removal from the UK.
They said Isa Muazu, 45, is now “near death”, but the Home Office said he was “fit to fly” back to Nigeria.
The Court of Appeal had ruled against his argument he was being “unlawfully held” at the Harmondsworth Immigration Detention Centre in west London.
Last-minute challenges by his lawyers to halt his removal were also rejected.
Mr Muazu began his hunger strike in September, arguing his asylum claim “was not treated fairly”.
He said that he came to the UK “for a better life”, and would “rather die” than face removal.
His lawyers launched two last-minute attempts to halt his removal at midnight on Thursday and 06:00 GMT on Friday, but each challenge was rejected by a judge.
Solicitor Toufique Hossain said Mr Muazu had not been answering his phone since early on Friday and he believed a charter flight had been booked to fly him to Abuja, Nigeria, at 08:00 GMT.
‘Like a skeleton’
Neither the Home Office nor the charter flight company would comment.
On Thursday night protesters gathered outside Harmondsworth detention centre, near Heathrow Airport.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed one man was arrested for criminal damage and was reported to have glued himself to a gate.
Duncan Lewis Solicitors said in a statement that Mr Muazu feared he would be “killed by Islamic extremists” on his return to Nigeria.
Mr Muazu has been held in detention since he claimed asylum in July, saying he faced persecution from the hardline Islamic group Boko Haram.
His case was fast-tracked but refused in August, just seven days after his interview.
Mr Muazu’s supporters say he has been on hunger strike for more than 100 days.
His lawyers said that despite being 5ft 11in (1.8m) tall, he weighed just eight stone (53kg) and Mr Muazu had told the Independent newspaper he looked “like a skeleton”.
Mr Hossain also said that Mr Muazu’s removal was originally set by scheduled flight for 27 November.
This was then rearranged for “express reasons of administrative preference”.
Mr Hossain said: “The home secretary went to great lengths to remove this seriously-ill man from the UK.
“She didn’t allow him an in-country right of appeal against his asylum refusal – at massive expense to taxpayers, she hired a private charter plane to remove Mr Muazu to Nigeria.”
Mr Hossain said he now “did not know” where Mr Muazu was. “We lost contact with him late last night,” he said.
“We fear for his safety now on return but we will be looking at pursuing further appeals if we do make contact with him in Nigeria. He should not have been removed from the UK.”

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BREAKING NEWS: Abuja court sentences Lebanese to life imprisonment for terrorism, frees Amigo Supermarket owner

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a Lebanese, Tahal Roda, to life imprisonment on terrorism charges.

Mr. Roda was charged to court by the Department of State Security Services, SSS.

The court, however, freed two other Lebanese, Mustapha Fawaz and Abdullah Thani, of the charges.

Mr. Fawaz is a co-owner of one of Abuja’s largest supermarkets, Amigo Supermarket, and Wonderland Amusement Park, also in Abuja

Both buildings have been sealed since the suspects were arrested by the military and the SSS.

The Court had on October 21 failed to deliver judgment in the suit, with Justice Adeniyi Ademola reserving judgement on the matter after the parties in the case separately adopted their written addresses.

The Federal Government had dragged the accused, Mustapha Fawaz, Abdallah Thahani and Talal Ahmed Rodo, to court over terrorist activities bordering on illegal importation of firearms.

The Nigerian military had uncovered heavy weaponry in a building in Kano allegedly owned by the Lebanese.

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SHOCKING STORY: The 75-yr-old Wizard Whose Flying Vessel Crash-Landed[SEE PHOTO]

A man believed to be in his 70s, who claimed to.be a wizard, was on Wednesday found on the banks of the Okrudu River at Kaimebre, a settlement near the Kasoa New Market in the Central Region Ghana.

The man, who gave his name as Charles Atta, looked frail, pale and bore protruding br**sts like that of a teenage girl.

His body was smeared with mud from the bank of the river where he was found by two brothers, Liberty Obeng and Innocent Obeng, who claimed they found the strange man crying for help.

The two brothers told Daily Guide reporters that the self-acclaimed wizard confessed to them that he was in the company of colleagues, including a medical doctor and were flying to Cape Coast for a meeting when he was forced down.

According to him, they were flying over a church where an all-night vigil was being held when he crash- landed at Servant Kings International School.

“When we as ked him where he was coming from, Atta told us that he was from Akuapem Akropong but was flying to Cape Coast to attend a meeting for witches and wizards,” he said.

Charles also confessed that the two puffy protrusions on his chest were br**sts taken from his 16-year- old granddaughter and that he normally borrowed them for his night activities.

The two brothers said they were initially confused and bewildered by the weird sight of the man, and not knowing what to do him took him to Pink FM, a local radio station at Kasoa for help.

When the strange announcement was made on radio, hundreds of people besieged the premises of the radio station to see the suspected wizard.

Upon hearing the news, the Kasoa District Police dispatched a number of police personnel to the station to save the victim from being lynched.

Superintendent Samuel Tabril Punobyin told the paper that the police did not investigate spiritual matters and that the suspected wiz-ard could therefore not be charged.

He said the police would look for the family erf the man and hand him over to them. Charles Atta is still in the custody .of the Kasoa Police.

Source: Ghana Web

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Boko Haram: Kogi State varsity, ASUU disown arrested lecturer

Following the arrest of Dr. Mohammed Nazeef Yusuf, a lecturer at Kogi State University, Ayingba by the Department of State Service, DSS over alleged involvement with the Boko Haram sect, the university authority has dissociated the institution from the activities of the lecturer and the alleged plan to carry out terrorists attacks in the state.
Also, the Kogi State University Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities declared that the suspect was never an active member of the union.
ASUU Chairman in the university, Dr. Sylvester Ukwuteno said contrary to report from the other suspects that Dr Yusuf was a strong member of the organization, the suspect has never been an active member of ASUU.
According to him, “the only link between him (Dr. Nazeef Yusuf) and the association was because ASUU’s due is deducted at source from lecturers’ salaries. And he, like everyone else has his dues deducted to make him an automatic member. But he’s not a strong member as it has been widely claimed. I cannot remember the last time he attended any of our meetings”.

Dr. Muhammed Nazeef Yunus Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.
Also, the institution in a statement signed by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Hassan Isah admitted that though the suspect, Dr. Mohammed Nazeef Yusuf who was recently paraded by Security agent is a lecturer in the institution the governing council and the management of the school do not know anything about him beyond his duty as a lecturer
“The Governing council and the management therefore condemned and dissociated themselves from all criminality and terrorism in whatever shape or form, where ever and whenever it exist.”
The VC noted that it became imperative to respond to the situation as the alleged involvement of the lecturer has elicited a lot of enquiries from friends, well- wishers, students, stakeholders and sister institutions.
“In view of the negative interpretation and implication for our hard-earned reputation, and the damaging impression on unsuspected members of the public, the institution dissociates itself from all criminal and criminal activities including those of the dreaded Boko Haram sect.”
He assured that security has been beefed up in the school with enough surveillance to curtail any attack from gunmen “In the meantime, the governing council and management of the institution have strengthened security and increase surveillance on campus with the view to stamp out all criminals and criminalities, including Boko Haram activities. We wish to assure the general public, particularly all our students, their parents and guardians, that the campus is safe and there is no threat whatsoever to human lives and property.
“Members of the university community are advised to go about their normal life as the university has adequate security measures to deal with all criminals and criminal activities on campus whenever and where ever they are detected”, he said.
Vanguard

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PDP congratulates APC over merger with G7 Governors

The Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday congratulated the All Progressives Congress on the purported defection of five PDP governors to its fold.

Mr Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary of the party, in a statement in Abuja, said that the PDP was not perturbed by the development.

“As for the All Progressive Congress, we congratulate them on their new entrants.

“We also like to recommend to them that a man who brings home ant-infested maggots should not complain if he is visited by lizards.

“The PDP is losing no sleep with this cross carpeting because disloyalty is a habit.

“It’s only a matter of time before men who are disloyal to their mother would become disloyal to their step mother. ” Metuh said.

He said that the Baraje-led PDP splinter group, which the defected governors belonged, was not recognised by law and could not merge with the APC as was being reported.

“Our attention has been drawn to reports from some persons passing off the cross carpeting of a group of former PDP members to the APC as a merger.

“This information is false and is intended to mislead the public.”

The party spokesman said that what happened between the group and the APC on Nov. 26, was not a merger.

According to him, you can only talk of a merger where there are two distinct parties.

He added that in the case of the splinter group and APC, there was only one party – the APC and the splinter group, otherwise known as the new PDP, which was never a political party. This, he said, was established on Oct. 10 by a court ruling.

According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission has written to the splinter group that the Alhaji Bamanga Turkur-led PDP was the only recognised party by that name.

“From the above, it is quite clear that there hasn’t been a merger but an opportunistic cross carpeting of disloyal elements into the APC.”

He added that the fact that President Goodluck Jonathan agreed to dialogue with the splinter group was out of magnanimity and his large heart as a leader, not because they were recognised by the law.

This, he noted, had been demonstrated severally by the President as an epitome of humility and a father to all PDP members and Nigerians generally.

Metuh, however, said that those who associated with the PDP splinter group were “motivated by blind ambition and vain glory’’.

Metuh said that PDP was not diminished because of the departure of the people: “We would like to draw attention to the fact that a tree that has been pruned of its under performing branches grows better and blossoms with new life.

“This is the case in biology as well as in politics.’’

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that five governors of the PDP defected to the APC on Nov. 26.

They took the decision after a meeting between the Baraje-ledPDP splinter group and the APC leadership in Abuja.

The group announced its intension to join the APC in a communiqué jointly signed by Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, leaders of the splinter group and Chief Bisi Akande, APC Interim National Chairman.
Source:Daily Post

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Wife Stabs Husband to Death over Fried Rice

A 33-year-old woman, Biola Gbadamosi was arrested by the police for allegedly murdering her husband, Jamiu, in the Ikorodu area of the state.
According to the police, Biola, the suspect, who is a nursing mother, stabbed her husband with a knife during an argument over fried rice.
The suspect and her husband, who is a Vehicle Inspection Officer, had a history of domestic violence prior to the incident.
Biola, said she had no intention of killing her husband, adding that she only stabbed him once on the thigh.
She said, “Jamiu and I dated for four years, but when I got pregnant this year, we did introduction and I started living with him in Idi Iroko, Ikorodu. However, when I was three months pregnant, he started beating me.
Biola claims that his husband is a drunkard who usually comes home dead drunk and the only thing he does, is descended on her most times.  
“He even had a kidney ailment.” Biola said.
“One day, he came home drunk, accused me of infidelity and started beating me. He said he had been told that I was going to poison his food, but I continued to endure. I, however, reported the beatings to his mother and siblings.”
The suspect said after being delivered of a baby in August, she usually went to her family’s house in Somolu from where she would take her baby for post-natal.
She said on September 7, 2013, she returned home with her baby only to have a fight with her husband hours later.
She said, “While I was about leaving my parents’ home, my husband called to say that he was broke and I should make money available for the weekend. When I got home, I started cooking fried rice but my husband, who was drunk, said he did not like it. I jokingly called him a bush man and an argument ensued.
“While we were arguing, I was grating carrots with a knife when my husband slapped me and said I must leave his house that night.
“I used the knife I was holding to strike him on the thigh and he started bleeding profusely. The neigbours and I took him to a hospital. At the hospital, I was told that my husband’s injury was not deep, so neighbours said I should take my baby home.”
The next morning; the landlord informed her that her husband died at midnight.
“The matter was reported at the Owutu Police Division and I was arrested,” she said.
Source: Shybellmedia

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Fresh confusion trails New PDP/APC merger

APC slams Niger State Governor for repudiating deal hours after it was consummated.
Fresh confusion, Wednesday, trailed the merger deal between the Abubakar Baraje-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, with the former’s spokesperson, Chukwuemeka Eze, saying the merger was yet to be consummated. This also follows denials by some prominent actors in Tuesday’s merger announcement.
In an interview with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Mr. Eze said what took place at the Kano State Governor’s Lodge was merely a declaration of plan by the two groups to merge.
He explained that the nPDP and APC set up a committee to work out the conditions for merger and that the report of the committee would be submitted to the Steering Committee on Tuesday.
He did not name the members of the committee though he claimed that it was the APC interim National Chairman, Bisi Akande that suggested the word “merger” during meeting that preceded its announcement.
“It is only after we have signed the MOU that you can say we have merged. You guys should have asked us to list conditions of the merger. Can we merged without conditions?” he said
“We have agreed to work together but it was Chief Bisi Akande who insisted on the use of the word merger.
“I want to tell you that the matter is not concluded. We have to share positions. We have to agree on what will go to us and what will go to us. That is what the Committee is still working on and nobody has signed the MOU.”
On whether the nPDP leaders would attend the peace meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday, Mr. Eze said all options were still on the table.
He said, “If the president agreed to our conditions, if we have agreements on issues that created the crisis, then we will not sign the MOU on Tuesday. So from now tillTuesday, anything is still possible.
“If we meet on Sunday and our conditions are attended to, then the merger won’t go ahead. If Governor Amaechi is returned as NGF chair, if the structures are returned to the governors of Adamawa, Kano and Rivers, then our leaders will look back and stop signing the MOU.”
Mr. Eze accused the National Chairman of the PDP, Bamanga Tukur, of making life difficult for members of the splinter group, saying “it was the way we are being treated that is making everybody desperate. Who will not be desperate with the way we are been treated?”
However, hours later, Mr. Eze demanded the withdrawal of his earlier submission, saying he had been asked by the National Chairman of the group, Abubakar Baraje, to do so.
The nPDP spokesperson said in a text message he sent to journalists that, “I am just been (sic) called that I issued a statement that there is no merger between us and APC because the MOU between us and the APC has not been signed.
“Pls, I am just been (sic) corrected by the National Chairman Alh. A. K. Baraje that the MOU has been signed and the Merger has been effected. so any contrary statement in this regard should be discontinued. Thanks. Chief Eze Chukeuemeks Eze,”
On Tuesday, a few hours after the merger was announced, the Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, denied moving with some of his governor colleagues and leaders of the nPDP to the APC, saying he remained a member of the PDP.
Mr. Aliyu, in a statement signed by his media aide, said he was not at the meeting at the Kano State Governor’s Lodge where the deal was consummated.
On Wednesday morning, the National Secretary of the nPDP, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, also denied moving to the APC. According to him, he would not leave the PDP until a superior court vacated the Court of Appeal which reinstated him as the National Secretary of the PDP on November 6.
Meanwhile, the APC has scolded the Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, for opting out of the merger between it and the nPDP.
The interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lai Mohammed, said in an interview with journalists in Abuja that Mr. Aliyu lied for saying he was not at the meeting.
“The governor was not saying the whole truth by saying he was not at the meeting held at Governor Rabiu Kwakwanso residence in Abuja with the merger deal was sealed,” he said.
“The governor only pleaded to excuse himself to attend to other issues before the end of the meeting. So when he said he was not at the meeting, I think it is quiet disappointing”.
Mr. Mohammed said the merger of the two groups was intact despite the disclaimer by some members of the nPDP.
Premium Times

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GOOD RIDDANCE! Nigerian Who Posted Rap Video On YouTube Glorifying Gang Culture Jailed For 22 Years

A 21 year old Nigerian named Kayode Oshin (pictured right), who uploaded a video on YouTube boasting about trying to murder a rival with a machine gun was jailed for 22 years yesterday, Daily Mail reports. His accomplice, Junior Tahir-Akinyele (pictured left) was jailed for 14 years.
“Kayode Oshin, 21, attempted to assassinate Yassin Zouaiou with a Mac 10 in a feud over drugs and money in Hounslow, west London, after being enticed into a world of gang culture and crime’, a court heard.
Mr Zouaiou survived when the gun jammed – but a single bullet was fired, hitting his brother Mohammed Ali Subhani in the neck. But Oshin then posted a rap video bragging about the shooting on YouTube.
The shooting was carried out in an alleyway between North Drive and Kingsley Road, Hounslow, at around 1am on October 6, 2011, the court heard.
Oshin and a second man, Junior Tahir-Akinyele, 19, were arrested the next day in a white Mercedes-Benz they had hired for the attack.
Jailing Oshin for 22 years and Tahir-Akinyele for 14 years, Judge Timothy Pontius said the pair had been ‘enticed into a world of gang culture and crime’.
‘Oshin you are convicted of attempted murder, your clear intention was that Yassin Zouaiou should die,’ he added. ‘That intention would undoubtedly have been realised were it not for the fact that the mechanism on the gun jammed, releasing only one round.’
Oshin was jailed for 22 years for attempted murder; 16 years imprisonment for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and 14 years for wounding with intent, all to run concurrent.
Tahir-Akinyele was sentenced to 14 years in a Young Offenders’ Institution for possession of firearms with intent to endanger life with 12 years concurrent for wounding with intent.
Culled from Daily Mail UK.
Source: Information Nigeria

River With Healing Powers Mysteriously Appears In Enugu Community

A river with healing powers mysteriously appeared in Nachi, a community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Already named ‘Orimiri Jordan’ (River Jordan) it has become a Pilgrimage Centre, playing host to people from all parts of Nigeria.
Countless testimonies abound as Nigerians struggle to dip themselves into the River.
According to reports, it all started on the 11th day of November 2013 when a Fulani herdsman ran to the community and announced how water covered the place just few minutes after he passed.
“He told us that he passed that place with his herd of cattle and soon after, heard a strange noise; when he turned back, he discovered that a big stream has appeared at the same place he just passed with his cattle. At that point, he ran to Garki and informed his relatives, who also came there and discovered that the water had healing power. From that point, the news spread to the community”, a source disclosed.
Speaking on the origin of the river, the traditional ruler of Nachi community, His Royal Highness, Igwe F.O Onuigbo, Obi II of Nachi, said that at his palace that the mystery River was older than him.
He said “I used to pass through that area to attend school at Inyi-Achi in Oji River, in the early 40s. In those days, there is no water there, the only thing you see there is white sand. But once you get there and you are thirsty, all you need to do is to scratch the surface of the land and ask if for water, water will full your hand immediately if you are an upright person, but if you are evil, no water will come out. That has been the situation”.
Another octogenarian, Chief Festus Ude said “later, we noticed that after some years, the water will form a stream there and would disappear in few weeks. If such happens, we will be fetching water there. However, women who are menstruating and evil people don’t go there. We never heard about healing power of the River until this recent appearance of the River.
“The last time it appeared was in 1992, and at that time, it just formed a small stream, which later disappeared. It has never been as large as this. This is all I know, we have never known about its healing power, this is the first time we are hearing about healing, I don’t whether it is true, we equally heard it like you”.

Commercial motorcycle operators, popularly called “Okada”, photographers and petty traders, are already making business out of it.
Right at the junction leading to the location of the “Jordan River”, the visitor is presented with a scene of a busy motor park, where hawkers, food vendors, transporters and okada riders battle for customers.
On the other side of the road, cans of various sizes are displayed for those who came empty handed. From that point, you park your vehicle, mount on Okada and the journey begins.
According to motorcyclist, “I have a vulcanizing shop at the Nachi Market, but when this new business came, I had to close the shop temporarily so that I can also make money here. I hardly make N1000 a day there in my shop, but since I joined this Okada transport to the Enugu Jordan River, I make no less than N10, 000 every day. One of my friends called my attention to it, and I will forever be grateful to him”.
The okada operators charge their passengers fares ranging from N500 to N1000 depending on their bargaining power.
On getting to the River, another business scene welcomes you. Here, apart from those hawking snacks, photographers are not left out. This presents the place as not just a miracle centre, but a tourist centre. While some of the visitors dip themselves or swim in the River, the photographers take shots, get the pictures ready immediately at the cost of N200 depending on the number of exposures.
One of the photographers said that they make between N20, 000 to N40, 000 every day.
“You can see that some people come for fun, not just in search of miracle but to see the mysterious River. So when such people come, they request for shots and it has really provided us with good business here.
Sources disclosed that many visitors had testified to all forms of miracles after visiting the place.
People of all ages, with all forms of ailments are being assisted by their relatives and friends to dip themselves into the River.
A can seller at the entrance said “my house help was suffering from enlarged scrotum; we were trying to raise money to go to University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital before a friend told me about this place. We brought the boy here and by the time we went home, he was fully healed, that was how I started selling empty cans here”.
Another visitor, a civil servant, who identified himself as James told our correspondent that he came after neighbours told him about the healing power of the water.
“I heard about people who had difficulties in walking but they got healed after visiting this place; I also heard of people who regained their sight after visiting this place; I am just coming out from the River and I believed that I am free of any form of sickness and challenges”.
Meanwhile, the crowd of anxious Nigerians seeking for miraculous solutions to their problems has continued to surge into the River.
Even security agents are not left behind as some of them were seen either with their water cans or aiding their loved ones into the River.
However, the water is expected to also dry up any time in the same mysterious way as it came.
Source: Daily Post

COUPLE CHOOSE TO DIE IN EACH OTHER’s ARMS AFTER 60YRS

©The Daily Telegraph

An elderly French couple has ignited a debate about assisted suicide after being found dead in a Paris hotel holding hands and leaving behind a note criticising the country for not allowing them to end their days “serenely”.
Friends and family of Bernard and Georgette Cazes, both 86, said there was no doubt the pair were still very much in love after more than 60 years of marriage; and in the name of that loving unity, they decided to end their lives together at a time and place of their choosing.
On Friday last week, staff at the historic Hotel Lutetia – a haunt of Pablo Picasso and Samuel Beckett – walked in with a breakfast tray to find the pair hand in hand on their bed with plastic bags over their faces.
In a letter found by hotel staff, Georgette expressed her anger at not being able to enjoy a more dignified, comfortable departure.
“The law forbids access to any lethal pills that would enable a soft death,” the typed note said. “Should my freedom be only limited by that of others? Who has the right to hinder a person with nobody in their charge, who is up to date with their taxes, having worked all these years and then as a volunteer in the social services [to end their life]? Who has the right to force them to commit cruel practices when they want to leave this life serenely?”
In the letter, addressed to the Paris prosecutor, Georgette filed a complaint for “non respect of freedom”. She authorised her children to file the complaint in her name.
Speaking to Le Parisien yesterday, the couple’s son, whose name was not given, said his parents “feared separation and dependency much more than death”.
They had made up their minds “decades ago” to commit suicide together when they felt the time was right, he said.
They had been active until recently. Bernard was an eminent economist-philosopher and author of a series of books, including The History of Futures, which charted how the future was predicted throughout the ages. Georgette was an author and classics teacher, and later a volunteer social worker.
Neither family nor friends provided any specific reasons why the two had decided to die at this time or whether either was in chronic pain or suffering from a terminal illness.
“They had such dynamism, such strong willpower,” one neighbour in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux said.
“They loved each other, you could tell that. One can understand how to go on living without each other would have seemed impossible,” said another.
They had lived, said their neighbour Jeannine, as they died: “Always arm in arm.”
Debate over euthanasia has been impassioned after a number of high-profile cases. In France, the issue came to the fore last year when Amour , Michael Haneke’s powerful film about love and euthanasia, won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
François Hollande, France’s president, also issued an electoral promise to ensure a “dignified end of life”.
A 2005 law authorises doctors to administer pain-killing drugs at levels they know will, as a secondary effect, shorten a patient’s life.
In July, France’s medical ethics council advised against legalising euthanasia. It nevertheless called for a “citizen’s jury” to debate the matter.

Why Aliyu, Lamido shunned APC

More facts emerged on Tuesday why Governors Babangida Aliyu and Sule Lamido of Niger and Jigawa states, respectively, did not follow their counterparts in the G7 group to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Sources privy to the whole arrangement told reporters that the Niger State governor was under intense pressure from his aides that given his unpopularity at home and disagreement with leading political figures in the state, it would be suicidal to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now.

The source, who craved anonymity, said Aliyu’s decision not to join APC was predicated on what would be his fate in a post 2015 Niger State. “Presently, Aliyu is not on the same page with former Heads of state, General Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar on who will be the next governor of the state. The two former leaders have decided to support the son of Colonel Sanni Bello (rtd) in 2015, but Aliyu is not disposed to the arrangement”, the source said.

Apart from that, Aliyu is not comfortable with the growing influence of the APC in the state, considering the fact that his senatorial district is controlled by the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

In the case of Lamido, he was said to have travelled to Abuja for a meeting with Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State and decided to be more circumspect at the last minute. “Governor Lamido did not follow his colleagues to APC because of the challenges his two sons are currently facing with the EFCC. Don’t however rule it out in the future if he decided to jump ship”, says the aide.
The Herald

I Killed My Boss Because He Tried To Rape Me…MESSY GAY STORY

A 22-year-old man, Eji Emmanuel, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for the alleged murder of a 39-year-old trader, Sylvanus Okoye. According to the police, the suspect stabbed the deceased to death at his home on Ezemegbu Drive, Okota in August. The suspect, however, explained that he killed the deceased in self-defence. He alleged that on the day of the incident, Okoye had attempted to rape him.
Explaining the events that culminated in Okoye’s death, the suspect said he was a dancer and was lured to Lagos by a friend, Chukwudi, under the guise of doing music business only for the friend to introduce him to homosexuality.

He said he had gone to report the matter to his friend’s boss but his friend’s boss molested him twice and he reported the matter at the FESTAC Police Division. He said the matter was transferred to the Zone 2 Police Command and the case was turned against him after which he spent two weeks in detention.
He said he had approached Okoye, who he considered an Igbo leader in the state, to help him with money to return to Anambra State when Okoye also attempted to rape him.

He said,
“I went along with a relative to report the matter to Okoye and he gave my friend and I N5,000 and shirts. He told us not to worry, so we slept over at his house. At midnight, however, Okoye came to my room and attempted to made love with me but I refused him.
“My relative later told me that Okoye had sex with him in the parlour that same night. We left in the morning and returned to Anambra State. From there, I went to Abuja where I remained for four months. However, one day, Okoye called me that he had a business deal and invited me to come to Lagos.
“I told Okoye that I would not engage in any act of homosexuality and he agreed.”
The suspect said when he returned to Lagos, the deceased said he wanted to open a bar in the area and wanted him to manage the business. He said he passed the night at the deceased’s home, but at midnight, the deceased crept into his room and attempted to make love to him.
He said, “In the evening, Okoye served me with bread, butter and tea in my room. Around 3.30am, he crept into my room and wanted to sleep with me, but I refused him.
“Okoye was a big man so he attempted to overpower me, but I picked up the bread knife that was still left in the room and stabbed him in the neck, but he did not die.
“I picked up a flexible iron and bound it round his neck and locked him inside the room.
“When it was 6am, I stepped out of the house and gave the key to one woman beside the gate and fled.”
The security guard and the woman whom the suspect handed the key to were arrested by detectives at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba and after three months, detectives were able to locate the suspect in Anambra State.

A police detective said, “The security guard told us that he could identify the suspect if he saw him.
“In the course of investigation, we obtained call logs from Okoye’s phone and we learnt that the suspect had used Okoye’s phone to call his girlfriend in Anambra State shortly after killing Okoye. We travelled to Anambra State and we were able to locate the suspect who was even wearing the deceased’s clothes.”
The suspect, however, insisted that he was not a killer but a victim of circumstance.
He said, “My father and my brother are dead. I am the only child of my mother. Who will take care of her if I am sent to prison? I am not a homosexual but I was used. I tried for several months to impregnate my girlfriend but was not successful. I feel they have stolen my virtues.”

Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed Emmanuel’s arrest, adding that the police were still working to establish it the the victim was a homosexual or not as alleged by the suspect.

Nigeria in need of a revolution – Health minister

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, on Monday, in Abuja expressed concern about the nation’s state of affairs, saying only a revolution would address the imbalances in the system.
Chukwu, who made the suggestion during the inauguration of councils and boards of health professionals’ regulatory bodies, was reacting to fresh threats by some unions in the health sector to go on another strike.
He noted that the sector was losing its respect due to incessant industrial unrests.
He said, “If you see the kind of letters I receive from people who should be respected health professionals, you will weep for this country. The health sector is losing its respect. I repeat, the health sector has lost its respect; it is not only losing.
“Right now, I have on my table three threats (among groups in the health sector) to proceed on strike. One threat is to proceed on November 28. Another one is to start on December 13. For me, they can go ahead. If you are talking, people should stop sending these threats to me for goodness sake.
“Look at ASUU; we’ve not had any school; for how many months? Four months! If that is what Nigeria needs, revolution, for me, I like it. Let’s close everything; let’s close everything. Maybe, that is what Nigeria needs; we need a revolution. For me, I like it. Let’s close everything; let’s start afresh. It may be better for this country. If all these people go to the private sector they run back because they won’t get half of what government is paying.”
The minister defended the Federal Government, saying it was only in Nigeria that “we have the abnormality where government is paying better than the private sector.”
“It shouldn’t be so. The private sector ought to pay better. When I graduated as a doctor, the private sector was paying two to four times what we earned in government. But that has changed.”
He told the health unions to decide whether they preferred the private sector “where every second of the 24 hours will count or where from time to time, you have some casual leave, if they will allow you to go.”
Chukwu also said, “You can’t have it both ways; you cannot. But today, the government is paying two times what obtains in the private sector. Something is wrong somewhere. I don’t know; but something is wrong. We need to tell ourselves the truth.
“So, for me, I think we need to go back to the drawing board, all of us. Of course, we need to look at the curriculum; to look at the training of our products. We need to look at our curriculum. There is the need to maintain currency of the different training curricula.”
Earlier in his speech, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Health, Mr. Ndudi Elumelu, warned the newly inaugurated board and council members against using their position to influence award of contracts or embark on the habit of sharing contracts among themselves.
The regulatory councils and boards that were inaugurated include the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria; Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria; Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria; Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria; and the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria.
Copyright PUNCH.

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