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Saturday, August 8

I didn't work against Jonathan - Metuh



The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said, yesterday, that he is the target of some elements within and outside the party because of his readiness to lead a strong opposition against the All Progressives Congress, APC, led government.



Metuh, who described the accusation that he worked against the re-election of former President Goodluck Jonathan as laughable, vowed that no amount of campaign against him and attack on his person would cow him out of his statutory function as the mouthpiece of the PDP.

He claimed to be fully aware of the challenges that come with his new role of providing firm, issue-based opposition, just as he decried the resort to dirty politics by those he described as anti-PDP forces, instead of focusing on issues, adding that their actions were not only shameful, but also a despicable act of cowardice.

A statement yesterday by his Media Assistant, Richard Ihediwa, noted the incessant and unnecessary attacks on Metuh, targeted to cow him out as the mouthpiece of the PDP.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to place on record that at no time did the National Publicity Secretary receive any money or monies from the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, before, during or after the 2015 campaigns for media and publicity functions or for any other reason whatsoever.

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Femi Fani-kayode doubts paternity of three children from his ex-wife



Former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, and his family, have questioned the paternity of three children from Mr. Fani-Kayode’s former wife, Yemisi.

In a lengthy article published Saturday, a representative of the family, Felix Olawunmi, narrated a turbulent post-marital relationship between the former minister and Yemisi, and said the issue of the children’s parenthood had been on for years.

The family said Yemisi, the daughter of a former Lagos state judge, refused repeatedly to allow the three girls undergo a paternity examination as requested by the Fani-Kayodes.

The former minister said he and his family had restrained themselves from going public for years, but that they became upset after ThisDay recently published a “libellous” piece about him and his former wife.

The family said they will no longer have anything to do with the three children and their mum, Yemisi.

Contacted, Mr. Fani-Kayode, who recently changed his name to Femi Olukayode, revealed that the article was the position his family. He also confirmed that Mr. Olawunmi wrote on behalf of the family.

Read the article below:


‘Fani-Kayode Takes Good Care of His Children’

The piece titled: “Temitope Fani-Kayode’s blissful conjugal” published in THISDAY of last week Saturday contained huge incorrect and misleading information. The motive, source and credibility of the information published are highly doubtful. Nigerians are urged to discountenance the disparaging remarks made against Chief Femi Fani-Kayode in the publication. As a member of the Fani-Kayode family and one who has followed closely the life and career of Femi-Fani-Kayode for almost 50 years, I believe it is pertinent for me to set the record straight. In 1989 or thereabout, Femi got involved with Yemisi Adeniji, the daughter of Justice Adeniji of the Lagos State high court. He had been married previously to his first wife, Saratu Attah, in 1987, and had a child with Saratu whose name is Folake who was born in 1987 but by that time Saratu and Femi had separated.

Yemisi and Femi got very close and spent much of the time together and eventually she got pregnant. When she got pregnant, the issue of marriage came up. Femi’s father, the late Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode, objected to the marriage because he believed that Yemisi was not a stable character and was not a serious minded person. He also had lots of contempt for her background. Femi insisted on going ahead with the marriage simply because Yemisi had said that she was carrying a child and that if he didn’t marry her, she would kill herself and the child inside her.

It was on that basis that they proceeded and got married. Femi’s father refused to attend the marriage ceremony and told him that it would not last because he could see through Yemisi. Femi’s mother attended the marriage and Chief Duduyemi who was like a son to Femi’s father came to represent the father. Once the marriage took place and everything was initially okay, they went to the UK to have the child. But throughout the marriage from the beginning to the end, it was turbulent and unpleasant. They had two children – Temitope and Tobiloba. Both of them were born abroad.

Throughout the period, Femi did his best to look after them but Yemisi was always going out and found it difficult to be a responsible and decent wife. By 1993, it got to a point that Femi almost had a nervous breakdown and instead of her standing by him, not only did she desert him, she went out and had extra-marital affairs. Another child was conceived in 1993, the child was born later on in the year and that child’s name is Tumininu. But right from the outset, Femi said that she was not his child. I remember Femi telling me that he never touched Yemisi throughout that year, “yet, she maintained that it was my child.”

At the end of 1993, Femi went to the Bible Seminary in Ghana. No sooner had he left than she said she would never have anything to do with him again and that was where the marriage completely broke down.

There was another development that affected the relationship. Yemisi’s father was implicated by the Justice Kayode Esho panel that probed the Nigerian judiciary and the recommendation was that he be kicked out for corruption. Yemisi and her father told everybody that cared to listen that it was Femi’s father that was behind this. Throughout that period and regardless of the fact that they had separated, Femi did his best to send money to Yemisi and school fees and allowances for the children.

When Femi’s father died in 1995, he came back to Nigeria. The family questioned the paternity especially of the last child, Tumininu, and not only that, they were so disgusted by Yemisi’s behavior and the insults and the things she kept saying about the family that nobody wanted her and her children to attend the burial. That was why their names were not listed among Femi’s father’s grandchildren during the burial notices. They forced themselves on the Christian wake-keeping.

After that, and for a number of years, Femi remained in touch. He kept sending her money for the children. He kept doing his best to take care of them. Even when Femi went to Ghana on exile in 1996 and came back again to Nigeria in 2001, throughout that period, he was in touch. He kept sending money to all three children irrespective of the uncertainty over their paternity. He took care of their school fees; he took care of their needs and gave as much as he possibly could. By 1995, he formally divorced Yemisi and inside the affidavit of divorce, he wrote there that one of the reasons was because he questioned the paternity of especially the last child. For fear of being exposed about the real paternity of the children, Yemisi offered to settle out of court and the divorce eventually went through and that was the end of it.

After that, Femi got married to Regina his third wife in 1997 and moved on with life as she did as well. He had a child from that union by name Remilekun in 1997 and spent most of his time in Ghana but eventually, he came back to Nigeria. Throughout those years, he kept sending money to the three children by Yemisi. He did his very best despite the fact that all through the years, all that Yemisi Adeniji did was to abuse him, insult him and tell lies about his family.

When in 2001, Femi returned to Nigeria and Yemisi reached him and he saw the children from time to time. He did his best for them throughout that period. Eventually, he got into government and all she ever did was just to demand for money. He did his best for her. He kept on doing the best he could do; he kept on taking care of the children.

When Femi was appointed a minister, Yemisi tried her best to scuttle his ministerial clearance in the Senate by telling lies about him all over the place but she failed. After he was confirmed as a minister, she now decided to settle with him and tried to restore a reasonable relationship and she begged for help. Femi assisted her and the three children. He even bought a house for her in London.
Femi did all these purely out of compassion and not because he owed her anything. Quite apart from that, throughout that period, he was taking care of the fees of the children, by cheque, by transfer, by cash and he was seeing the children regularly. When Femi stopped being minister and EFCC started hounding him, she then started sending abusive text messages and saying he was going to go to jail.
What caused that hatred was simply the fact that Femi was happily married to somebody else and had moved on with his life. Nevertheless, Femi still interacted with the children for quite some time.

Eventually she poisoned the mind of the children that not even the children themselves ever acknowledged nor ever came to court to support Femi during the case. Femi refused to have anything to do with them from 2012 onwards. From that period, he cut himself off completely and Yemisi’s desperation got more. Yemisi was granting series of interviews, denigrating him, running him down and saying he had done nothing for the children.

Eventually, a few weeks back, Femi read on the internet that one of the children was getting married. Once he read that, he reached out to the Randle family saying that “if you are getting married to anybody that bears the name Fani-Kayode, we should know about it”, but he said Yemisi objected to Femi’s family having anything to do with the marriage and that if he wanted to have anything to do with the marriage, he should try and settle everything between them first. So, Femi’s family members met with the Randles and with Yemisi’s mother.

Femi’s family asked uncles like Chief Alex Duduyemi to intervene because they would not participate in this wedding unless one condition was satisfied and that condition was this, that all the three children have a paternity test. Despite Femi’s pleas that his family should try and overlook that, they said no way.

So when they said they would not go for the paternity test, Femi’s family said they would not have anything to do with the wedding. The family has it on good authority that the July 5th day set for the wedding was in the hope that Femi would have been jailed by then and that his being jailed would also be celebrated at the wedding. The Randle family didn’t reach out to Femi’s family, and in Yoruba tradition. All Femi’s family asked for was a paternity test which they refused to do. Once it was clear that all the discussions did not bear any fruit, the family as led by the head of the Fani-Kayodes now took a decision that a few days before the marriage, they would take a full page advert and also announce on television that the girl was not their daughter and that she has nothing to do with the family.

But at the last minute, Femi intervened and appealed to all the elders to just ignore them and leave them. They had the first ceremony, they had the second ceremony, they had the third ceremony, not one of Femi’s family members attended. The only one that attended was Femi’s first daughter, Folake, and she did that with his understanding.

The talk that Femi didn’t do anything for the children is all rubbish. He did plenty for the children. They said that he was beating Yemisi while pregnant. It is all lies. If he was beating her, why did she stay to purportedly have two more children? Why should anybody be concerned about things that happened in a marriage that finished almost thirty or twenty five years ago? Femi has moved on. He has a very good relationship with the mother of Folake. He has a good relationship with Folake. He has a very good relationship with the mother of Remilekun. He has a good relationship with Remilekun, his youngest daughter.

It is only Yemisi that he does not have a good relationship with because she’s full of bitterness and hatred and envy. There is no way he would have a good relationship with her children because they have no respect for him, they have never honoured him; they wanted him to go to jail.
The only recognition they have before high society is the fact that she is Femi Fani-Kayode’s ex-wife. The only reason why people recognise Yemisi’s girls is because Fani-Kayode is attached to them.

As far as we are concerned in the Fani-Kayode family, Femi has two children, Folake and Remilekun. The family does not recognize those other three. We don’t wish them ill; we have no hatred for them. They are not just part of us. So, nobody should be surprised that we didn’t go to the wedding. And there is no question of reconciling with supposed daughters that have no respect for their father, that have no love for their father and have done nothing but run their father down everywhere.

In fact, there was a time Femi begged them to change their name from Fani-Kayode because in our culture, what they are doing is shameful. You do not side with one parent against the other, and you do not expect a man, a father, to take rubbish from a child. Their mother is so embittered, so full of hate and malice. They have chosen to go that way and we have chosen to ignore them and not to go on a war path with them or start talking about them because we have class and they do not.

So, Femi does not hate his children. He is just indifferent to the ones borne by Yemisi. He has no fatherly feeling for those children except for Folake and Remilekun. The lies that he is an absentee father that never takes care of his children could only have come out from a hateful, venomous and malicious heart. Anyone can ask Folake’s mother, anyone can ask Remilekun’s mother, Femi takes good care of his children.
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Ooni’s last text message to me touching – Aregbesola


The Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuade, sent him “a touching text message” just before he travelled out of the country to London for medical aid.

It was the governor’s first public comment on the Ooni since the news of the Ooni’s demise set a stream of activities within the Ife traditional court.

Mr. Aregbesola dropped the hint on Friday in Osogbo at a special session of the Osun State House of Assembly marking the 50th birthday of the Speaker, Najeem Salaam.



Mr. Aregbesola promised he would share the content of the message with the people of the state at the appropriate time.

He said he had discussed the content of the message with the Ife Royal Traditional Council during his meeting with them in Osogbo when they visited him on the happenings within the monarchy.

“A traditional ruler does not die in Yoruba land,” the governor said, praying for all the traditional rulers in the state.

He also felicitated with the Speaker, saying Mr. Salaam deserved the prayers of all as he turned 50 years.

“The effective leadership we have provided in this state with the massive delivery of people oriented programmes could not have been without the appropriate cooperation of the House under the Speaker,” he said.

“It is therefore pertinent to note that the Speaker has been a major factor in the delivery of good governance and this we are optimistic will continue.”

Meanwhile, as traditional rites continued on the lifeless body of the Ooni of Ife, Akunade Sijuade, there were indications on Saturday that the body had been moved from the Ilegbo where it had been since he was flown in from London, to Obatala House, another sacred place called Ile Ase.

Palace sources said before the move to Ile Ase, which in Yoruba lore means the “house of authority” the monarch had undergone local embalmment.

Ile Ase is said to be the place where the Ooni received his authority with which he reigned over the kingdom during his lifetime.

It was reliably gathered that the traditional rites at Ile Ase may last for three or four days, and those involved are expected to be thorough.

“The house is unique and symbolic in the sense that, all acquired authorities from these gods must be re-claimed from the dead body before being finally laid to rest,” the source said.
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NEW VIDEO: Adekunle Gold – Orente


YBNL artiste and fast rising Nigerian Urban Highlife singer Adekunle Gold fuses his unique sounds of highlife-meets-afro-rock-and-pop in his new single titled “ORENTE”. The artiste has immediately followed the release of the single with a video that was shot in the ancient city of Osogbo in Osun State.

The video captures the essence of the ancient city and is shot across different locations of the city with scenes bearing images from notable landmarks of the state such as the Erin Jesha waterfalls, the Nigerian Railway Corporation Osogbo, Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo market, and the famous Nike Art Gallery and Museum.

The “ORENTE” video was directed by Award winning videographer Mex and shot on location for a duration of two days in what was described by the artiste as an “intense and fulfilling video shoot session”. The theme of the video was retro Yoruba and was depicted in costume, scenery and cultural display.

Adekunle Gold was introduced to the Nigerian music scene with his first single “Sade” whichdebuted at No. 3 on the iTunes R&B chart, and enjoyed massive airplay across Nigerian media.The Artiste describes his music as deep and relatable, “I want the world to receive my music as a beautiful piece of who I am as a Nigerian, I am a man who embraces the culture of my heritage, a man of soul, a man with vision and eyes for the finer things of life. My music transcends my person, it is deep, it is enriching and inspiring”.​​

Watch video below...



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Chelsea suffer disappointing opening day draw after Courtois red card



Chelsea suffered a disappointing 2-2 draw with Swansea City at Stamford Bridge as they were unable to begin their defence of the Premier League title with a win, losing goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to a red card in the process.

Jose Mourinho's side took the lead when Oscar whipped a free kick which was intended as a cross beyond Lukasz Fabianski.



The visitors were soon level through Andre Ayew, who equalised from close range, but the Blues went back in front seconds later as Willian's cross deflected in off Federico Fernandez.

But Swansea equalised again after the interval when Bafetimbi Gomis converted a penalty, having been brought down by the onrushing Courtois, who was shown a red card by referee Michael Oliver.

Gomis had a goal ruled out for offside after his spot kick but Swansea had to settle for a point - which was the least that they deserved for an impressive display as Chelsea boss Mourinho was unable celebrate his agreement of a new four-year deal with a win.

Begovic is now set to make his first start for Chelsea in a mouth-watering match against Manchester City on August 16, with Courtois suspended.


Diego Costa was passed fit to lead the Chelsea line despite concerns over his troublesome hamstring, while Ayew was the only Swansea new-boy in Garry Monk's XI.


Gomis looked poised to open the scoring after 14 minutes when he cut inside Gary Cahill after racing onto Jonjo Shelvey's incisive pass but John Terry denied him with a crucial last-ditch tackle.

Costa wanted a penalty when he went down under a challenge from Fernandez but referee Michael Oliver correctly pointed for a corner as the Swansea defender got a touch of the ball.

Chelsea looked dangerous going forward and they were in front after 23 minutes when Oscar's free kick came through a crowded penalty area and found the far corner of the net.

The champions' lead lasted only six minutes, though, as Ayew made an immediate impact in English football. Courtois produced an outstanding save down to his right to keep out Gomis's downward header but the Ghanaian showed great composure and skill to drag the ball back before firing home from close range after his initial follow-up effort was blocked by Cahill.

Swansea had barely finished celebrating when they fell behind for a second time and there was a huge slice of luck for Chelsea, as Willian's attempted cross struck Fernandez and looped inside the far post.

The visitors again responded well as a Shelvey corner hit the post early in the second half and they were back on level terms with a numerical advantage 10 minutes after the break.

Courtois was given his marching orders after racing out to upend Gomis as he got on the end of another fine Shelvey pass and the French striker picked himself to send Begovic the wrong way from the spot.

Swansea were now dictating the game and Begovic twice denied Jefferson Montero before Gomis's close-range effort was ruled out for offside.

Lukasz Fabianski kept out Eden Hazard's effort at his near post before Radamel Falcao came on as a late substitute but neither side could come up with a winner, with Chelsea at least ensuring that no team has ever lost their first game of a Premier League season as reigning champions.

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Pirates kill 4 soldiers, policeman in Bayelsa



The Bayelsa Police Command said on Saturday that four soldiers and a policeman were killed in an attack on Nembe waterways by armed gunmen, suspected to be pirates.



The command’s spokesman, Asinim Butswat, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa that the Joint Task Force (JTF) base at Nembe came under attack on Friday’s night.

“On August 7, 2015, at about 11:30p.m., four speedboats loaded with gunmen, suspected to be sea pirates attacked the Joint Task Force (JTF) base, at Nembe Water Front, in Nembe LGA.

“They killed four soldiers and one policeman. The gunmen carted away two HP guns and other arms from the base.

“A combined team of the JTF, Marine Police and the Navy are combing the creeks to recover the arms and arrest the culprits,” Mr. Butswat said.

When contacted, Isa Ado, a Lt. Col. and Media Coordinator of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, confirmed the attack.

Mr. Ado, however, said that the casualty figures and loss of arms and ammunitions were yet to be ascertained.

(NAN)
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53-year-old woman jumps into well in Lagos


A 53-year-old woman have died after jumping into a well in the Idimu area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

The woman, Amoke Adeoko, 53 was said to have jumped deliberately into a 130 feet deep well in her apartment at 5 Ajilekege Street, Pipeline Bus Stop, Idimu.

Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Rasak Fadipe disclosed that the tragedy occurred on Friday night, saying that the woman was brought out from the well already dead around 11:05pm by firemen from Ikotun, supported by Alausa Fire Station.

According to him, the woman could have been mentally deranged and had been abandoned by her children.



“The woman was said to be in control of one of the storey buildings in the compound which her late husband left behind for her. But her children abandoned her because of her state.

“On Friday, one of her children was said to have come around the house and bought a gift for her. Unknown to him, the woman cited him afar with the man sending the gift to her through somebody else and did not come to see her.

“It is probably that the woman might have regained consciousness at that time. She then deliberately jumped into the deep well and was brought out dead,” Fadipe stated.
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Iheanacho gets jersey number at Manchester City


English Premier League side, Manchester City, has assigned jersey numbers to its squad for the 2015 – 2016 season.

The former English champions confirmed that Nigeria youth international, Kelechi Iheanacho, will feature in the first team alongside top stars such as Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Samir Nasri, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.



Iheanacho has been assigned the number 72 shirt by Manchester City manager, Manuel Pellegrini.

He is expected to make his EPL debut against West Bromwich Albion on Monday.
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Hackers broadcast p0rn on TV screens at Brazil bus depot



Hackers infiltrated the travel information video screens at a Brazilian bus station and replaced arrival and departure times with hard-core p0rn.

The sex footage ran for 15 minutes Friday evening at the Boqueirao station in the southern city of Curitiba. The depot was packed with travelers at the time.



The police cyber crime unit has been notified and is trying to trace the hacker or hackers, the municipal transport company said.

A Curitiba city hall official told AFP the company with the contract to operate the screens has also been notified and told it must improve its security.

Social media lit up with screen grabs of the p0rnography and jokes about the hack.

With a population of around two million, Curitiba is the capital of Parana state and one of the largest cities in southern Brazil.

(AFP)
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Lagos pastor in divorce mess: He steals church funds says wife



The pastor in-charge, Pentecostal Power and Authority Ministry Worldwide, Mr Kayode Oladoyinbo, and his wife, Christian, are locked in a bitter divorce battle after 11 years of marriage. The union is blessed with three children, aged 11, 9 and 6, respectively.

Asking an Ojo, Lagos Customary Court to dissolve the marriage, Christian accused her husband of frequent beatings, cruelty, illegal summoning and arrests, lack of care and stealing of the church funds as reasons she wants a divorce.


Accepting the divorce claim instituted by his wife, Kayode said he was fed up with the marriage, accusing the wife of wickedness. According to the pastor, the wife, sometime in 2009 poured kerosene on him with the aim of setting him ablaze, before he managed to escape. He said, at another occasion, the petitioner attempted to kill him with a knife, saying he took the weapon and fled to safety. On another occasion, Kayode claimed the wife threatened to burn down the church and kill him in the process. He alleged that this prompted his reporting the matter to the Morogbo Police Division, saying she was subsequently arrested. He revealed that under interrogation by the police, the wife confessed that she actually threatened to attack the church, but that she was not serious about it.

The wife, however, pleaded with the court to stop the husband from intimidating, embarrassing and molesting her, and asked that she is granted the custody of the children of the marriage.
Counsel to Kayode, Mr. Ademola Adedayo, narrated to the court efforts to settle the matter between the couple, saying the efforts proved abortive due to the petitioner, Christian, who remained intransigent.

However, when the Court President, Chief Joesph Ogunmola, asked the parties their final say on the marriage, the wife said she wanted the marriage saved, but her husband insisted that, having come this far, he would want the marriage dissolved. “I want this divorce. I am tired of my wife, her constant quarrels and lack of respect for me, my ministry and my family”, he said.

Culled from Vanguard
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Nigerian foward, Odion Ighalo stars in Premier League debut



Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo continued his goalscoring form for Watford, scoring in their 2-2 draw away at Everton in their opening game of the 2015/16 English Premier League season.

Ighalo came in as a second half substitute put Watford back in the lead with a finish after a nice work displacing two defenders.

Watford has earlier taken the lead in the first half against the run of play as Miguel Layun rifled home a half-volley.

Everton equalized in the second half through Ross Barkley who drilled home from an Aroune Kone lay-off.


Everton was insearch of the winner when Ighalo struck, but Kone ensured they shared the points, sending a fierce strike in to the right-hand corner.

Odion Ighalo has scored the most goals of any player in England's top four tiers in 2015, and we hope the Super Eagles coach is watching.
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We’re ready for Indian investors – Ambode


Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Saturday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthen trade relationship with investors from other countries.

Ambode said this during a courtesy call on him by the High Commissioner of India, Mr. Ajjanpor Ghanashyan, at the Lagos State House, Alausa, Ikeja.



He said his administration was determined to further strengthen trade with India.

According to him, the state has created an Office of the Overseas Affairs and Investment– to make the state more investor-friendly and safer.

”We have established Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment so that we can strengthen bi-lateral relationship. We need more investors to come into Lagos so that we can create employment and grow our GDP.

”Whatever it is you think we can do to increase the number of investors from India, we are ready to talk, ‘ he said.

Ambode expressed his appreciation to the visitors, noting that Lagos could draw inspiration from India as a modern democracy, and from the way its economy had thrived, in spite of its huge population.

He assured the High Commissioner that Lagos was ready to expand its frontiers to accommodate investors willing to set up their businesses in the State.

”We are in dire need of a platform that allows for food security, since this will directly impact on the lives of the residents of the State.

”It will also improve the economy of the State, increase the internally generated revenue, and translate to further employment opportunities for our unemployed youths,” he said.

Ambode listed software technology, manufacturing, as well as Agro and Agro-allied sectors as possible areas where such bi-lateral relations could be strengthened.

According to him, his government will ensure that the state is safe, conducive and investor-friendly, to accommodate new businesses and investors willing to partner with Lagos.

In his remarks, Ghanashyan said his country was willing to partner with Lagos as it remains the economic hub and capital of Nigeria, as well as home to many India investments.

He informed Ambode that the crux of the visit was to invite him to address a delegation of 150 businessmen that would visit Lagos in the coming weeks as well as to seek ways to strengthen bi-lateral trade between India and Lagos State.
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Nigerians outraged over report that former Lagos Governor, Babatunde Fashola spent N78.3 million on personal website


Several Nigerians are outraged over a recent report that former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola spent N78.3million on his personal website.

The mind-boggling expenditure published on the state public procurement office’s website, was first exposed by foremost budget analytic firm, BudgiT.



Other questionable expenditures incurred by the administration include N1.2 billion vaguely spent on the “construction of pedestrian bridges along Oti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway”. The spending did not specify the number of bridges.

In the same year, the government also awarded contract for the provision of wall signage in three magistrate courts at the cost of N17 million.

The Fashola administration further spent N3.46 billion for the construction of a beach resort in Ilase and N61 million for a Range Rover SUV and 2 Toyota Hilux trucks as the official vehicle of the Chief Judge of the State.

The document shows that the administration also spent N85 million for the repair and replacement of street signs.

Other curious expenses contained in the document include N330 million spent for the development of the residence of Mr. Fashola’s deputy, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, and N94 million spent on “printer consumables”.

The contract for the refurbishing of the former governor’s personal website, www.tundefashola.com, was awarded to “Info Access Plus Limited”, by the office of the chief of Staff of the governor.

Curiously, for a company that specialises on building and upgrading websites, a Google search for Info Access Plus, revealed that the company has no website of its own.

According to information technology experts, www.tundefashola.com, created by the firm for the former governor, is a WordPress website and an upgrade could not have cost more than N300, 000.
Outrage

The news of the expenditure has elicited outrage from Nigerians, with many using their social media accounts to lambast the governor, who was widely seen as one few upright politicians who could be given a cabinet position by President Mohammadu Buhari.

As the time of filing this report, the spending was trending on Twitter with close to 10,000 Tweets.

Read some of the Tweets below...








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IN PICTURES: Obasanjo's private visit to president Buhari at the Villa




Former president Obasanjo paid a private visit to Pres. Buhari at the presidential villa on Wednesday.

Details of the meeting are unknown, more pictures below...







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'Even if all the other state governors ban Okada, I will never ban Okada in Ekiti state' - Ayo Fayose


Governor of Ekiti state Ayo Fayose has promised Okada riders in the state that he will not ban Okada.

He took to his twitter handle on Saturday to share this. He disclosed that he met with artisans and Okada riders in his state on Friday and promised them that until other means of livelihood is provide, existing ones should not be cut.

Read Tweets below...






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Insecurity grounds Borno hides and skin firm


Security challenges in Borno State have crippled the hides and skin business in the state, investigations by the News Agency of Nigeria have revealed.

While the state-owned shoemaking and hides tannery firm, Neital Nigeria Limited, has been grappling with problems, the bustle that used to characterise the premises of the Maiduguri Central abattoir, is completely gone, especially after the blast that rocked the place not long ago.

The General Manager of the Maiduguri-based Neital Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Usman Tomsu, lamented the predicament of the company while speaking with NAN in Maiduguri.


He said the outfit was established in 1982, comprising of Finished Leather and Shoe-making sections, stating that after operating for 10 years without making profit, it folded up.

Tomsu added, “The company had been moribund for nearly two decades, until Governor Kashim Shettima injected funds in 2013 to enable it to resume its operations.

“The over N500m returned profit, recorded by Neital in the 2013 fiscal year, was the first major profit made since its establishment 32 years ago.

“With all necessary equipment in place, we gave ourselves a target of generating at least $1bn profit in the two years of our resumption of full operations, that is from 2013 to 2015.

“Following that intervention, Neital resumed operations and went into export of finished leathers to Italy and Spain, intensifying sales of finished leather in Nigeria in addition to the production and sales of shoes.

“In just one major export, our financial report recorded N112m as of then.

“But because of the persistent security challenges, we had to close down our operations. We no longer get skin from our abattoirs, just as constant outages resulted in setbacks.

“We are always determined to resuscitate the industry as soon as the insecurity bedeviling our dear state is over.”

The Manager of Borno Abbattior, Alhaji Baba Maizannah, said the state government had spent about N164m on the rehabilitation of the Maiduguri Central Abattoir, to improve cleanliness in the slaughter-house.

(NAN)
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Kyle Walker score first premiership ‘own’ goal



Tottenham Hotspur right-back Kyle Walker had the misfortune of scoring the new Premier League season’s first goal with an own goal for Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

With 21 minutes on the clock, Walker attempted to stop Wayne Rooney shooting from Ashley Young’s right-wing cross, only to send the ball rolling past Spurs goalkeeper Michel Vorm and into the bottom-left corner.



United handed debuts to new signings Sergio Romero, Matteo Darmian, Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay, while Toby Alderweireld made his first competitive appearance for Tottenham.
Champions Chelsea open their title defence at home to Swansea City later on Saturday.
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Manchester United get first 3 points of the 2015/2016 English Premier League



An own goal from Kyle Walker ensured Manchester United opened the Premier League season with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The right-back stabbed into the back of his own net midway through the first half after a new-look United side had made a shaky start.

David de Gea watched on as Sergio Romero made his United debut, with Louis van Gaal stating that the Spain goalkeeper is not in the right frame of mind amid ongoing speculation over a move to Real Madrid.

New signing Romero produced an assured display - making a couple of fine, late saves - as Tottenham were unable to build on an encouraging start in which Christian Eriksen came close to opening the scoring.


Van Gaal must have seen plenty of room for improvement as he aims to turn United into title contenders, but will be happy with three points after losing at home to Swansea City on the opening day last year.


Romero, Matteo Darmian, Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay made their Premier League debuts for United, while Bastian Schweinsteiger was among the substitutes.

Michel Vorm started in goal for Tottenham, with Hugo Lloris on the bench, and Ben Davies got the nod at left-back in the absence of Danny Rose (thigh). Toby Alderweireld was the only new recruit in the starting XI.

Romero could have been picking the ball out of the back of the net just four minutes into his United bow, when Harry Kane and Eriksen linked up brilliantly to open up the home side's defence. Kane picked out Eriksen's run into the penalty area with a clever chip and the Denmark midfielder headed in front of him before lifting a deft lob over Romero, but onto the roof of the net.

Romero was forced to race out once again soon after and save an effort from Walker when the right-back surged forward as Tottenham made an impressive start.

Walker had the ball in the back of the net 22 minutes in but it was at the wrong end to gift United an undeserved lead out of the blue.

Ashley Young passed to an unmarked Wayne Rooney in the area, and as the United captain prepared to shoot, Walker nipped in but could only poke the ball beyond Vorm.

Germany captain Schweinsteiger was given a tremendous ovation when he replaced Michael Carrick on the hour-mark following an uneventful start to the second half.

Young, who this week signed a new contract, came close to doubling United's lead when the ball arrived at the winger's feet at the back post but Vorm got down to smother his shot.

The agile Romero twice kept out shots from Eriksen in the closing stages and also palmed away a Kane header as Tottenham applied late pressure, but were unable to salvage a point.
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Adeboye urges members to donate towards completion of a 12 million seater new auditorium



Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, the General Overseer said he has turned a beggar to persuade members to donate towards the completion of the 12 million seater new auditorium of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, at its camp in Ogun state, western Nigeria.

The church had planned to move to the new auditorium this month, but members were surprised that the monthly vigil held at the old auditorium.



Adeboye explained that most of the people who pledged to donate money towards the completion of the project, are yet to redeem their pledges, because of the economic downturn in the country.

“For the first time, in my life, I became ‘fine bara'(a beggar), by telling people to give offering and donate to the auditorium online”, he told the congregation at the end of the Holy Ghost Service, early today.

He therefore urged members to donate to the auditorium project, even as little as N1000, so that the auditorium could be ready in December for the yearly congress.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Gabriel Olonisakin, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, were among the dignitaries at the church’s 63rd convention.
Meanwhile, the number of children born at the convention has risen to 81, with 41 of them being boys.
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Boko Haram suicide bombers spread fear in Cameroon



Empty streets, body searches and tips to police embody the fear that Boko Haram has instilled in northern Cameroon, where they killed more than 40 people in suicide bombings in July.

Raiders from the Nigerian sect later kidnapped 135 villagers and killed eight others in a pre-dawn strike across the border last Tuesday, police and local sources said.

Boko Haram has attacked villages in Cameroon’s Extreme North region for about two years, but the horrific bombings mark a change of tactics, while Cameroonian troops have joined a regional force to tackle the Islamists.



The suicide bombers can be young women and even teenage girls, who behave like locals and blend in at crowded places to cause maximum casualties.

Residents of Maroua, the main town in the Extreme North, were spared until successive blasts tore though the bustling central market and a bar on July 22 and 25. Those bombs killed 33 people and wounded dozens more.

“We’re very worried and no longer know where to turn,” says Albert, a worried father.

“Should we send the children to school when the next school year starts?” he ponders. “Boko Haram is against Western education and may very well carry out attacks on schools.”

The sect’s name loosely translates as “Western education is forbidden”, and Boko Haram notoriously abducted 276 Nigerian schoolgirls in April last year.

Some managed to escape but more than 200 are believed to be held in the large Sambisa forest, where the Nigerian army this week said it had freed 178 captives.

– ‘People like you and me’ –

Boko Haram has frequently massacred students in northeastern Nigeria during an insurgency with the aim of establishing an Islamic caliphate, at a cost of at least 15,000 lives since 2009.

“When you see somebody who isn’t familiar in the neighbourhood, you call the police,” says Oumarou, who works for a Maroua logistics firm.

He has sent his family away to Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital on the Atlantic, more than 1,300 kilometres (810 miles) away.

Information Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary has meanwhile heaped praise on an astute taxi-motorcycle driver who turned in a 15-year-old boy carrying explosives last week.

The driver found the teen was behaving suspiciously and decided to drive him to a police station, where he was detained. Two other suspects were picked up.

“Their objective was to blow up inside a mosque,” Bakary said.

Security has been tightened repeatedly in Maroua. When the market closes at 5:00 pm, “everybody goes home. There is nobody left on the streets apart from the soldiers,” Oumarou says.

Sources in the security forces believe that Boko Haram infiltrators and sympathisers have operated in Maroua for months, relaying information to their chiefs.

“They are people like you and me,” a Cameroonian army officer says. “It’s almost impossible to identify them.”

Bus terminals catering for southern destinations, notably big cities like Douala and the capital Yaounde, are closely watched. Passengers are always frisked as they board their coaches.

“You feel the threat most because of all the checkpoints on the roads,” says Olivier, a young French expatriate in Douala.

“The police have tightened up their searches. They make us empty our cars completely, and our bags.”

– ‘We no longer know who’s who’ –

In Yaounde, police and troops are omnipresent.

“People have been very ill at ease since there were suicide attacks” in the north, trader Abdoulaye Sani says.

“We no longer know who’s who. I’m afraid when I’m walking… I’m afraid that something will happen, that a bomb will explode and take me with it,” adds the young man.

In one working-class district with a large Muslim community, police last week used strong-arm tactics during searches of houses and mosques. They rounded up several dozen people, according to the local media.

The information minister said that security forces were carrying out a sweep in several parts of the country, which led to the arrest of “many suspects”.

But such assurances fail to reassure.

“We don’t go to parties, we avoid places where there is too much of a crowd,” says Darly, an adolescent in the capital.

“We’re afraid that the suicide bombers will come here to Yaounde,” she said.
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Captives rescued as Mali hotel siege leaves seven dead



Captives held by gunmen during a standoff at a hotel in central Mali have been freed overnight and at least five foreigners evacuated from the site, according to Malian military sources.

The hotel was stormed by the armed men in an attack on Friday that left at least seven people dead, including a UN contractor.

“We cannot say that everything is finished, but a number of hostages” were freed by Malian forces deployed around the Hotel Byblos in Sevare, a source said early on Saturday, according to the AFP news agency.


“Work continues, it is not over,” the source said, without elaborating.

Another source said Malian Special Forces had rescued the hostages, including five foreigners “who were evacuated to Bamako”. The source was unable to specify their nationalities.

The governments of Russia and Ukraine confirmed earlier they each had a national among the hostages.

Some members of the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) were also staying in the hotel, the government said.

The attackers had stormed the hotel, frequented by foreign visitors and troops, in Sevare about 620km northeast of Bamako, the capital, at around 7am (07:00 GMT) on Friday, according to the government.

Malian forces cordoned off the area but their efforts against the gunmen were made “sensitive” by the presence of hostages, explained a military source.

It was not clear how many people were being held in the hotel by the attackers.

The government statement on Friday evening gave a provisional toll of “five dead, two injured” on the Malian army side and “two killed” on the other side. Seven suspects had been detained, it added.

MINUSMA said “a member of MINUSMA’s associate international staff” was killed in the “terrorist attack,” without giving the victim’s nationality. It was not clear if that death was included in the government toll.

The UN mission said the initial target of the attack was a Malian military site.

(Al Jazeera)
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Prostitute dies after drinking two bottles of Ogogoro


Tragedy occurred at Obalende road, Ikoyi, Lagos, western Nigeria, on Thursday evening when a suspected prostitute simply identified as Favour slumped and died after allegedly consuming two bottles of local gin popularly called Ogogoro.

She was said to have drank the illicit liquor without eating any food.



Some of her colleagues who spoke  at the scene of the incident said that the deceased hailed from Imo State, southeast Nigeria, and she plied her trade with them at the Idoma Spot on Obalende Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

They said they have been warning the deceased to reduce her intake of the local gin and smoking of cigarette and Indian hemp without eating food, but she would not listen to anybody.

They stated that on Thursday morning , she drank one bottle of ogogoro and that after she drank another bottle of the gin in the evening at about 6.30 pm without eating food, she suddenly screamed “my stomach, help me” and slumped and before they could take her to the nearest hospital for treatment, she died on the spot.

When journalists visited the scene of the incident at about 7:30pm, the corpse of the deceased was seen covered with cloth on the ground beside the Idoma Spot and a huge crowd had gathered discussing the incident.

When contacted, the chairman of Obalende Vigilante Association, Mr Aliu Kuku confirmed the incident.

Kuku said: “at about 7:00pm some prostitutes operating at Idoma Spot, Obalende Road, called and informed that one of their colleagues had collapsed and died. And when l got there I asked them what happened to her they said the deceased suddenly shouted for help after consuming two bottles of Ogogoro without eating food and slumped.

“I quickly contacted the police and they came to the scene to see the corpse. I am now appealing to the people consuming Ogogoro on Obalende road to desist from it because it is very dangerous to the body’s system.”
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PICTURES: India arrests two Nigerians planning to join ISIS



Indian security agencies have arrested two Nigerian youths suspected to be on their way to Iraq to join the terrorist organisation, Islamic State.

They were arrested along the India-Pakistan border after scaling a barbed wire fence near the international border, where they were handed over to Punjab Police.

They were identified as Imran Kabeer and Sani Jamiliu.

Imran Kabeer and Sani Jamiliu
According to the Indo-Asian News Services, the two Nigerians, aged between 24 and 25, from Kano State, told Indian officials that they wanted to go to Pakistan and later to Iraq. The youths, the report said, did not possess valid travel documents to enter Pakistan.


They were said to have arrived in Sikh on Thursday from Delhi in a hired taxi. The IANS noted that the duo argued with the taxi driver on Thursday night, “hoodwinked him and drove away his Swift Dzire car and arrived at the integrated check point at Attari on Friday morning.”
ISIS members kill and kidnap Christians, girls and westerners for fun,.ISIS has sought to establish itself as a caliphate, an Islamic state led by a group of religious authorities under a supreme leader—the caliph—who is believed to be the successor to Muhammad

An Indian official was quoted as saying, “On finding the border gates closed, the youths moved towards a barbed wire fence along the Attari-Wagah rail track (on which the Samjhauta Express peace train between both countries plies) and jumped over the high barbed wire fence, thinking they had entered Pakistan. BSF personnel immediately nabbed them.”

Since the youths claimed their final destination was Iraq, security officials said they could be headed to join the Islamic State terror outfit.

An Indian Deputy Inspector-General, M.F. Farooqui, confirmed the arrest of both Nigerians.
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Kano sacks 2,620 street sweepers


The Kano State Government on Friday sacked no fewer than 2,620 street sweepers.

The street sweepers were employed by the state’s Refuse Management and Sanitation Board.

Addressing journalists after the weekly state executive council meeting in Kano, the Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Muhammad Garba, said the disengagement of the sweepers followed the government’s determination to curb unnecessary expenditure.


Garba said state government was spending not less than N26.2m every month to pay the 2,620 sweepers as each worker collects a monthly allowance of N10, 000, just as most of them did not report for work.

The commissioner explained that the termination of their appointments would pave way for probity and accountability in the board.

He added that the state government revoked all the shops allocated to individuals within the vicinity of the Sani Abacha Stadium by the administration of former Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.

“The state government noted with dismay that those corner shops within the Sani Abacha Stadium were not in line with public interest and henceforth revoked it,” Garba said.
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JUNGLE JUSTICE: Man burnt to death for allegedly stealing a motorcycle.



A set of angry commercial motorcyclists in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on Friday morning burnt a 41-year-old man in Masaka area of the state for allegedly stealing a motorcycle.

It was learnt that the motorcyclists first beat and stoned the suspect before they set him ablaze.

It was also learnt that persistent plead for mercy by the suspect fell on deaf ears, as the motorcyclists went ahead to lynch him.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ismaila Numan, confirmed the incident to our correspondent in Lafia, adding that some arrests had been made in connection with the killing.

He, however, said the police would investigate the incident for necessary actions.
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Clampdown on corrupt Nigerians will be sustained – DSS boss


The Director-General, Department of State Services, Mr. Lawal Daura, has said that the service will sustain the clampdown on corrupt public officials and other saboteurs.

In an apparent reference to the ongoing probe of former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) and crude oil thieves by the DSS, Daura said the agency would be professional, noting that the service under his leadership would be accountable to Nigerians.



Daura, who replaced Ita Ekpeyong a few weeks ago, said this in an interview with Aljazeera TV, monitored by NE on Friday.

The DG said, “Whatever comes before us with facts and figures, it will be dealt with equally as required by the law. The ongoing investigations and clampdown on corrupt persons and saboteurs of the nation’s interests will be sustained.”

Daura assured Nigerians of a more resolute and professional service which he said would attend to valid reports brought before it without prejudice to anybody.

He urged Nigerians to raise their expectations, adding that the secret police were poised to restore the confidence of citizens in the service.

In the less than 30 minutes chat, Daura said, “Nigerians should closely watch and follow what we have started and what we will continue to do. I am sure they will not find us wanting.”
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Buhari tasks defence ministry to produce weapons locally


President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday directed the Ministry of Defence to produce a plan for the establishment of a military industrial complex for the local production of weapons for the use of the nation’s armed forces.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President gave the directive at the graduation ceremony of the National Defence College, Abuja.

He said the local production of weapons was meant to end the current over-dependence on other countries for military equipment and logistics.


The statement quoted Buhari as saying, “We must evolve viable mechanisms for near-self-sufficiency in military equipment and logistics production complemented only by very advanced foreign technologies.

“The ministry of defence is being tasked to draw up clear and measurable outlines for development of a modest military industrial complex for Nigeria.

“In this regard, it is to liaise with other strategic ministries, departments and agencies and industries to re-engineer the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria to meet national military hardware and logistics requirements.”

Buhari was said to have told the gathering that his administration had reviewed the nature and character of Nigeria’s security threats and challenges.

“We recognised first and foremost, the external dimensions of these threats and the need for international cooperation and common security mechanisms to tackle them,” the President said.

Buhari added that in the light of this realisation, his administration was convinced that the best approach was to work within the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission to mobilise a collective regional effort in the fight against insurgency.

He therefore asked personnel of the Armed Forces to work harder to win the war against insurgency in the country.

Buhari said, “We must apply a comprehensive strategy and coordinate all elements of national power against terrorism and insurgency. We must show result-oriented leadership at all levels of military command and set up an optimal organisation to manage and sustain operational performance.”

The President assured Nigerians that the Federal Government would meet the operational, logistic, training and welfare requirements of the Armed Forces.
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Why I raped my friend’s teenage daughter – UNILAG lecturer



For nine days, Shola (not real name) was in pain. The abdominal pain she endured felt as if a knife got stuck in her.

She was scared but she had no choice but to endure the pain since she couldn’t imagine telling her parents the unimaginable trauma she had been subjected to that led to the pains she was going through.


“How could I face them? How could I tell them that the man they handed me over to, to help process my admission, had raped me?” Shola said.

But then, much as she tried, she couldn’t continue hiding her ordeal, especially when the pains had become unbearable. Shola’s parents eventually got to know what their daughter had passed through in the quest of trying to become an undergraduate.

Eighteen-year-old Shola is one of the numerous hopeful candidates, wishing to secure admission into the University of Lagos. But her score of 211 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination fell short of the requirement for Mass Communication, which was her choice.

Her father, who resided in Abesan Estate in Ipaja area of Lagos, had done all he could to ensure that her daughter would become a university student this year but all his efforts seemed to be futile.

“Someone told me to send her UTME registration number. He checked on the university website and said she was not eligible. Not convinced, I went to the school myself to check and it was the same problem.

“I had to start making calls to other universities where she could secure admission and someone told me she they could be helped to gain admission into the Olabisi Onabanjo University with that score.

“As soon as the UTME result was released around May, I informed a friend of mine who lives within the estate, who is a lecturer at UNILAG. I took my daughter to him and he promised that when it was time for the post-UTME examination, he would help her out with the process.”

The friend Shola’s father mentioned is Dr. Akin Baruwa, a lecturer in the Department of Accounting, UNILAG, who is also a chairman of one of the community development committees of Abesan Estate.

Shola’s father explained that when she realised that her result was not being accepted as eligible for Mass Communication, he went back to Baruwa on July 22, 2015 and the lecturer told him to bring his daughter the following morning so he could take her to campus and see how he could help.

“He said they had to take off very early the following morning. I did not suspect anything unusual about that timing because I trusted him. By 4am, I roused my daughter. We prepared and I took her to Baruwa’s house. I did not opt to follow them because I trusted him. I did not imagine that anything untoward could happen,” he said.

Baruwa and Shola took off from Abesan about 5am. She would later return home by 11am. His daughter was noticeably moody as she came home. Two hours earlier, Baruwa had called the father and told him that he had done all he could but that it did not seem her admission would be possible.

“When he told me that, I believed he had done all he could and told my daughter to come back home,” he said.

But it was not the same Shola that home that came back. She was moody and noticeably quiet. She went straight to her room and locked the door.

In company with child rights activist, Mrs. Esther Ogwu, whom the case was reported to by the family, our correspondent spoke with Shola in private to give details of what actually happened in Baruwa’s office that day.

It was obvious the girl was trying hard to stay composed. While she spoke, her right hand would go to her lower abdomen occasionally. When asked about it, she explained that she was still feeling some pain, which had reduced a lot since she got treatment.

Shola said on Thursday, July 23, 2015, as her father handed her over to the lecturer, she still did not suspect anything until they got to around Maryland.

“While I was inside the car, he started to touch my hair and rub my head. I was very surprised and I brushed off his hand. He never tried it again till we got to UNILAG,” Shola alleged.

According to her, while they were on the way, Baruwa was showing her different parts of town, telling her about places she did not know.

She alleged, “While we were on the way, he asked if I go out at all and I told him I don’t usually go out. And he would show me a place and say ‘This is Maryland o. You may not know since you don’t go out.’ Then he took me to the Yaba College of Technology. He drove inside and showed me the place. We later proceeded to UNILAG.

“When we got to his office, it was about 6.30am. The offices in the building were deserted. He said he liked to be early to avoid traffic. He told me to sit on the couch in his office.

“I noticed he was restless. He would stand and go outside sometimes. He asked if I wanted anything, I told him I was fine. He put on the television; I told him I was okay. He put on the air conditioner and I told him I did not want that.

“He had already heated water and made Coffee, which he offered to me. I told him I was okay and really did not need that. He then put the hot Coffee on the table. Later, out of respect, I took the cup and sipped a little. I started to feel drowsy not long after that. I did not know why.”

According to Shola’s narration, Baruwa later took her to see a female official in another building who examined her documents and explained further that there was little that could be done on her admission.

Baruwa reportedly said she might have to opt for diploma.

Shola claimed that when they went back to his office, the lecturer kept her document on his table.

She said, “He kept standing and moving around the office. Later, he went outside and when he came back inside, he locked the door and kept the key on his table. I did not know what was happening.

“A moment later, he told me to pick up a paper for him beside the couch. As I bent down to pick up the paper, he pushed me into a corner of the couch and held me down as he forcibly removed my trousers and underwear.”

Our correspondent asked at this point if Shola made any attempt to shout to alert anybody nearby.

She claimed that she actually screamed but that the way he held her down did not allow her voice to be as audible as she had wanted it to be.

Shola claimed, “If people were around the office, they would have heard me shout. He held me down, and pulled down my trousers and underwear. I screamed and begged him to leave me alone but he did not.

“After he had his way, he released me. As soon as I pulled up my trousers, I grabbed the keys to the door and rushed out while he was dressing up. He was walking behind me as I walked downstairs from his office. He said nothing as I walked away crying. He later went back.”

Shola’s father told our correspondent that he had been able to secure a place for her to write her post-UTME examination for an admission into OOU but the young girl has refused to go.

When our correspondent asked Shola why she refused to go, she said “How can I be sure that this same thing would not happen there? I don’t know anybody there. If it happens again, where would I run to?”

Our correspondent tracked down Dr. Baruwa a day after speaking with Shola and he gave his version of the encounter.

According to him, he indeed had a sexual encounter with Shola but it was “consensual.”

The lecturer, who seemed to be in his early 40s, told our correspondent that he made the mistake of not doing enough to resist the temptation of ‘sleeping’ with Shola.

Speaking with our correspondent in the front of his house out of earshot of his wife and two children, Dr. Baruwa said, “I swear to God that the girl agreed to everything that happened. She was a chatty girl, who did not show any shyness.

“It is true that I took her to YABATECH and showed her places. What is not true is that I deliberately took off from home because of any plan to do anything bad to her. I took off from home that early to avoid traffic.

“When she was in my office, she was the one telling me to be free with her. I realised that I needed to lie down a little and did not want my shirt to be rumpled. When I pulled it off, she even told me not to mind her presence that since it was my office, I could do whatever I wanted.

“When we first got to the office, she lay on my chest and was even playing with my manhood. That was why I could not resist it. After we came back from seeing the woman who was supposed to help with her admission, she was about to go when I told her to give me a hug. It was that which now led to the actual sexual encounter.

“When I realised that I could not resist her, I had to tell her to let me put on a condom. The truth is that, while I was putting on a condom, she stood by and waited. I did not actually penetrate. When she was saying ‘it’s enough, it’s enough’ and complaining that her tummy had started hurting her, I stopped.”

Baruwa explained that Shola’s father had sent a cryptic text message to him (days later when he learnt of what happened to his daughter), saying that he had learnt of what he did to his daughter.

“I know I betrayed his trust but nobody would understand it was consensual. I would have reached out to him to beg him if I think it would solve the problem,” he said.

When told that Shola went through more than a week of excruciating abdominal pain, Baruwa explained that if Shola left him the day of the encounter with any sign of hurt, he would have reached out to her to find out how she was doing.

Two days after our correspondent spoke with Baruwa, he was arrested by the police and the case is being investigated at the Isokoko Police Division, Agege, Lagos.

The case has also been reported at the Office of the Public Defender under the Lagos State Ministry of Justice. The Director of the OPD, Mrs. Omotola Rotimi, said the case would be followed to its logical conclusion.

Director of the Esther Child Rights Foundation, Esther Ogwu, a social worker handling the case, said when the case was first reported to her, the health of the girl was her immediate concern.

She said, “I had to refer them to the Mirabel Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Lagos so that she could get comprehensive treatment. This case is just another reason for girls and young women to be cautious of the issue of sexual assault.

“I believe this lecturer had been doing this in the past. It is necessary for girls to be aware and know what to do when in a potentially dangerous situation where they may be assaulted.

“I don’t expect him (the lecturer) to admit that he raped her. I knew he would say it was consensual, but I suspect that this is not the first time he would do such thing. Let the law take its course because we don’t know how many other girls are being saved because this case is coming out to the public.”

Baruwa was arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court, Lagos on Thursday. He has been remanded at the Kirikiri Prison.

Culled from PUNCH
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Black Box Still Key To Unraveling MH370 Mysteries, Says Aviation Expert


An aviation security expert on Friday in London, insisted that the future search mission should still focus on finding the black box of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

Graham Braithwaite, Aviation Security Expert at Britain’s Cranfield University, said the search for the black box remained the core objective.

He said the data within the black box was key to solving all the mysteries.

“In fact, given that such a long time has passed, precisely locating the black box is already too hard.

“The discovery of the debris at least indicates that the search is in correct direction, and it may also dismiss those wild conspiracy theories,” he said.



Braithwaite suggested that Australia should expand its current search area and called for a concerted effort that involves Malaysia, Britain, China and the International Maritime Satellite Organisation.

The professor acknowledging the huge challenges posed by the ever-changing maritime conditions said that the search in the Indian Ocean had to contend with.

He also said continuing the search for more debris in the environs of Reunion Island still had significant implications for the overall search mission.

Braithwaite said in line with the aviation rule, families of the passengers on board the missing plane all had the right to know the truth about the accident.

He said the aviation industry also needed to know what led to the plane’s crash, so as to be in a better position to prevent similar accidents from happening again.

The battery of flight MH370’s black box, made by the U.S. firm Honeywell Aerospace, was designed to last for 30 days.

The cause of the tragedy may never be solved as long as the black box remains unfound.(Xinhua/NAN)
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Friday, August 7

'We Have Curtailed Boko Haram '




Former Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd) has disclosed that the Nigerian military has reduced Boko Haram to a shadow of its former self and expressed optimism about its final destruction sooner.


Amosun who said this yesterday during the fly-out parade at Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base, Abuja, held in his honour as he takes a bow out of the military after a 35 years of service, warned against complacency, saying terrorism is real and must be fought with utmost ruthlessness.

According to him, the December 2015 deadline given by President Muhammadu Buhari for ending of the Boko Haram threat is more a military operation.

He said: “Don’t forget there are two aspects of fighting terrorism; one aspect is the counter- to be led by the military – must conclude by December. The other aspect – the anti-, is a continuous process with Custom and other paramilitary agencies involved, with the police leading the operation.”

Speaking further, he said: “The fight against terrorism is going to receive higher boost. I want to assure you that the people we have left behind are part of the team, and of course we know that the freedom of movement and actions of the Boko Haram terrorists have been substantially curtailed. What is left now is mop-up exercise and to make sure some of our borders are completely closed and secured.”

“The threat of terrorism is very real, and should the terrorist succeed no part of the nation will be spared, hence, it is absolutely critical that we match the determination of terrorist with an even more ruthless determination of our own to overcome the threats of terrorism.”

According to him, Nigeria needs its gallant arm forces to rise to the challenge of defending the country against the scourge of terrorism and restoring the peace and security necessary for sustained development.
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NAFDAC arrests man behind distribution of fake De Rica tomato



The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Friday said it had arrested five suspects for alleged sale of expired products.

NAFDAC’s Director-General, Paul Orhii, who was represented by Kingsley Ejiofor, Head of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, made the disclosure in Lagos.



He told a news conference that the suspects were arrested following an intelligence report.

Mr. Orhii said the arrests were made in the last few weeks and that investigation was ongoing.
He said that one Charles Onyekachi was arrested for an alleged counterfeiting of Derica Tomato paste, adding that the product was discovered in Kano and traced to Lagos.

“Onyekachi imported 1x20ft. container from China and shipped to Cotonou, Benin Republic from where it was transported to Kano.

“He has registered products with the agency among which is the Tomatoes paste.

“He now sells his registered brand along with the counterfeit to discredit the popular Derica Tomatoe Paste with an intent to gain market space.

“The quantity and value of the counterfeit released into the market is four times that of his own brand. The counterfeit product is worth N8 million.

“A criminal charge has been filed against him at the Federal High Court, Lagos,” he said.
Mr. Orhii said the agency also arrested two suspects, Tochukwu Ozala and Obiora Ochuba for production, distribution and sale of counterfeit Maxiquine Syrup.

He said the suspects were arrested by the police in Onitsha with four bags of empty bottles of Maxiquine Syrup, four litres of white liquid chemicals, one bottle of unlabelled substance and 12 empty cartons.

He said Mr. Ozala during interrogation claimed that the Maxiquine Syrup belongs to one Emma who is at large.

“On Feb. 12, the same Ozala was arrested for counterfeiting of a popular brand of Codeine containing Cough Syrup.

“The first case is still being investigated when he committed this.

“The suspect is an unrepentant drug counterfeiter, his activities constitute a serious danger to the society and public health.

“He will be prosecuted at the Federal High Court as soon as investigation is concluded.
“Chisom Onwudinjo is the main counterfeiter of the Codeine containing Cough Syrup and he is hereby declared wanted.

“A handsome reward awaits any useful information that can lead to his arrest,” he said.
Mr. Orhii also disclosed the arrest of one Onyekachi Okafor for alleged distribution and sale of counterfeit Renew Cold Water Starch.

He said that Mr. Okafor was arrested in Aba and he had admitted that the consignment was counterfeited in China and supplied to one Arinze Asomnanya.

According to him, appropriate international partners have been contacted for necessary action.
“Okafor and Asomnanya will be arraigned at the Federal High Court, Umuahia,’’ he said.

Mr. Orhii said that another suspect, Victor Ebuka was arrested for allegedly selling expired products, particularly food condiments which included expired Maggi Arome seasoning, Amoy Soy Sauce, Dark and Superior Soy Sauce.

“The Maggi Arome which expired in August 2014 with the following markings — Man: 15/08/2011, Expiry: 15/08/2014 was being re-labelled as Man: 10/10/2013 to Expire on 10/10/2016.

“While the Amoy Soy Sauce has been re-labelled with Best Before January 2018.

“The suspect is being interrogated and he is helping investigators with useful information about his nefarious activities.

“The estimated cost of the counterfeit products evacuated is worth N15 million and the suspect is being arraigned at the Federal High Court, Lagos,” he said.

(NAN)
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Pope Francis condemns persecution of Christians




Pope Francis, in a letter to the church community on Friday in Jordan, slammed the “atrocious, inhuman and inexplicable” persecution of Christians and minorities, urging the international community not to remain silent.


This is contained in a message carried by the Secretary General of the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI), Nunzio Galantino, to the ecclesial community in Jordan, a country that has taken in a large number of Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

“They are the martyrs of today, humiliated and discriminated against for their loyalty to the Gospel.’’
The Pontiff renewed his “solidarity appeal” on behalf “of a Church that does not forget and does not abandon her children exiled on account of their faith.

“They know that we raise a daily prayer for them, together with gratitude for the testimony that they offer us.’’

Francis also said his thought goes to the communities that took in these brothers and sisters, not looking the other way

He told the Catholics of Jordan “You have announced the resurrection of Christ with the sharing of sorrow and the solidarity that you have provided to the hundreds of thousands of refugees.
He said they did this “With your bowing to their suffering, which can stifle hope; and with your fraternal service, which also illuminates such dark moments of existence.’’ (AGI/NAN)
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Nigeria doubles VAT to 10% to help shore up government revenue eroded by declining oil price


Nigeria plans to double the value-added tax rate to 10 per cent this year to help shore up government revenue eroded by the declining price of oil, the country’s main export, the Federal Inland Revenue Service said.

“The plan is to increase to 10 percent this year, but we have to consult first with relevant stakeholders,” Sunday Ogungbesan, Acting Executive Chairman of the FIRS, told reporters.



Nigeria depends on crude exports for about 70 per cent of government revenue and more than 90 percent of foreign exchange. The price of Brent crude has dropped by more than half since peaking in June last year, undermining President Muhammadu Buhari’s ability to deliver on his election promises since he took office in May.

FIRS will put more effort in meeting targets after its collection of 1.97 trillion naira ($9.9 billion) in revenue in the first half fell short of a goal of 2.29 trillion naira, Ogungbesan said.

“If we achieve our revenue targets, to a great extent government deficits will be reduced,” he said. “Our plan is to bring every business into the tax net, this economy can survive outside oil,” he noted.
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'We are tired of killing innocent persons' - 8 Boko Haram members renounce membership of sect



Eight members of the terror group, Boko Haram, have denounced their membership of the sect, in a town around Mussa in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, the Chairman of the youth vigilance group in the town, Apagu Istifanus, told journalists on Friday.



According to him, the eight claimed they are tired of killing innocent persons.

Istifanus, who spoke with journalists on the telephone, said the eight were arrested in Mussa and after interrogations, they confessed their membership of the sect and stated their readiness to renounce their membership and rejoin their families.

He said, “We arrested eight Boko Haram members in Mussa around 4pm on Thursday and when we interrogated them, they said they were tired, they did not want to wage Jihad again and we handed them over to the military in Mubi, Adamawa State.”

He revealed that six out of the arrested members of the sect were from Gwoza town‎, the headquarters of Gwoza Local Government Area.

Another member of the youth vigilance group from the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity to journalists, said the eight were nabbed at a remote village of Mussa in Askira-Uba LGA in the southern part of Borno State.

Meanwhile, residents of Miringa town of Biu LGA of the state have decried the locking down of the town by the military authorities for about six days.

They lamented that they had been made to go hungry as they were made to go without food, water and other basic necessities of life.

A resident of the town, Idris Musa, told journalists on the telephone that they were locked up in their homes since last Saturday, without prior notice and not allowed to replenish basic necessities.

Musa adeed, “We were locked up since last Saturday without food, water and other essential needs of life. It was only on Wednesday they gave us time to go out from 8am to 12noon and today, Friday, they allowed us to go for Friday prayers.”
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