DevelopmentNewsOnline: August 2015

Monday, 31 August 2015

Obama prevents Mitchel's skirt from opening in public

Obama shows Mitchel so much love for her and jealousy for his property as he helps her hold her skirt from flying open so that other men will not see what is underneath.

It was learnt that the bar is usually filled to capacity during the weekend with teenage girls at night who offer sex for money, adding that the girls were said to have come from neighbouring states.

One of the girls identified as Ogechi said, “We make money every night we go there and men who visit the joint prefer sucking and caressing and at times we come home with N20,000 to N25,000 especially on short times in the chalet, we have never had police disturbances”.

Nigerian, Canadian and Pakistani among dead in Saudi fire

A Nigerian, three Canadians and a Pakistani were among those killed in a fire that engulfed parts of a residential compound in the kingdom's oil-rich east, a Saudi official said.

The blaze began early Sunday in a sprawling, multistory housing complex in the city of Khobar that accommodates workers for state oil giant Saudi Aramco.

The spokesman of the Nigerian military Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, while discussing Boko Haram terrorists, has said that the arrested members of Boko Haram sects don’t know how to read the holy Quran and don’t practice the religion that they claim they are committing atrocities in its name.

A 22-year-old woman identified as Mireya Alejandra Lopez in New Zealand has been arrested and arraigned for killing her 2-year-old twin boys on Sunday.

Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima will attain the age of 49 in two days being born on September 2, 1966 but he has strongly appealed to his political appointees, political associates in the All Progressives Congress, (APC), foreign and local contractors having dealings with the State, kinsmen, former colleagues in the banking sector as well as friends in different parts of the country not to place any advertisement on Newspapers, magazines, Television, Radio, online and social media platforms to congratulate him, noting that the restriction was to respect the memory of too many Borno citizens killed by Boko Haram insurgents in recent and previous attacks as well as the utmost need to honour the late Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Zannah Umar Mustapha who died on August 15, 2015, less than three weeks ago.

In an apparent deference to the admonition of President Muhammadu Buhari for it to prune down the number of personnel attached to VIPs, the Nigeria Police has reduced the number of security detail attached to Governors.

This followed the reorganisation of the functions of police officers and men, which has led to police security attached to the governors being reduced to a maximum of 62 men – which is a unit – from the 150 policemen which some governors used to have to secure them.

Unknown gunmen yesterday kidnapped a female columnist with Vangaurd Newspapers, Dornu Kogbara in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Ahmed Muhammad, who confirmed the ugly development, said the State Police Command was on the trail of the kidnappers.

Kogbara who maintains a column in the Vanguard Newspapers was whisked away in the early hours of yesterday from her residence in the Nkpogu area of Port Harcourt in a CRV jeep.

Firm hails Buhari’s TDF programme

Organisers of Nigeria Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (NHTIC), Jonel Hospitality Consulting, has hailed the Federal Government for taking steps to float a Tourism Development Fund (TDF).

Nigeria to start oil reforms before new industry law - NNPC chief

Nigeria will start its oil industry reforms with existing laws before a long-awaited Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which would take a bit of time to perfect, the new head of the state-oil firm NNPC said today.

The search for a successor to the late Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuwade, is taking a controversial dimension, as a clan in the Ogboru ruling house has rejected plans by the kingmakers to restrict their selection to the Giesi family.
Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade
Although it hitherto appeared settled that the Giesi house would produce the next Ooni, being next to the Ogboru ruling house in the succession order established by government declaration on the Ooni chieftaincy title of 1977, a clan in the Ogboru royal family is also now jostling for the position.

As part of its support for President Muhammad Buhari’s campaign against corruption, the ‎Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),‎ yesterday in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, said that it has finalised plans to hold a nationwide rally on September 10.
Aliyu Wabba, President of the Congress, in his address at the opening ceremony of the NLC National Leadership Retreat, themed “Returning to our founding principles: The NLC and the challenges facing it”, said workers nationwide would move out enmasse to rally support for the President in his drive to rid Nigeria of corrupt leaders.

Nigerian firm to begin export to Ghana

Candel Company Limited, one of Nigeria's agricultural inputs development and distribution companies, has made known its plans to commence exportation of agrochemical products to Ghana.

Mr. Charles Anudu, Chairman, Candel disclosed this during plant inspection and assessment visit to the company by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, of Ghana. The visit was aimed at ensuring compliance with global environmental and quality standards.

The Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Mr. Elias Mbam, on Tuesday said a new renumeration package for public office holders including members of the National Assembly would be ready in September.

Mbam disclosed this to State House correspondents shortly after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari of the commission’s activities inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

There has been outrage over the renumeration of members of the National Assembly which many believe is outrageous.

PRESS STATEMENT

Our attention has been drawn to an advertorial placed in several newspapers by Governor Tanko Al Makura’s agents masquerading as “Nassarawa Citizens for Peace” but who actually operate within the confines of the Governor’s office in Lafia. The adverts were fully sponsored and paid by Governor Al Makura who has failed to pay workers salaries for months despite receiving over N150billlion as allocations and the recent bail out intervention by President Buhari.

It is not surprising that these serial attacks on Maku are coming at a time when the massive fraud that characterized the April 2015 elections are being exposed at the ongoing election petition Tribunal in Lafia, Nassarawa State

No fewer than 14 people, eleven of them women from the same family in Dan-Gunu and Guni village, respectively lost their lives in separate boat mishap along river Guni in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State.

River Guni is a flows into River Kaduna and also serves as a major feeder that powers Shiororo dam, one of the nation’s three hydro electricity power generating dams domiciled in Niger State.

The disaster occurred on Monday evening of August 24, 2015 when the villagers mostly women, who were said to have gone to harvest groundnuts, were returning from their farm at about 6pm.

The lawmaker representing Quanpan north constituency of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Jeffry Dashe, is dead.

Mr. Dashe, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, died in the early hours of today after a protracted illness.

Buhari says National Identity Card will complement PVC

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, August 26, 2015, at the State House, Abuja, enrolled for the national identity card scheme, and enjoined other Nigerians to do same as the scheme is planned to complete the permanent voter card (PVC) registration.

Officials of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), led by the Director-General, Chris Onyemenam, enrolled the President for the scheme.?

After the exercise, Buhari told Nigerians that it was important for Nigerians across political lines to register for the scheme.

An Imo State indigene, Jennifer Meribe, has cried out, calling on the general public and crime reporters to assist her family save her father, Anthony Meribe, who has been in prison over an alleged crime he didn’t commit.

DAILY POST recalls that a man, believed to be Jennifer’s brother, had in August 2015, written an open letter which he addressed to the Governor of Imo State, Human rights organizations and Amnesty International, on behalf of the family, crying out for help. He pleaded that attention be drawn to the plight of his father and help him regain his freedom.

According to the open letter, the father had been in detention for several years, without bail, on a crime he was wrongly accused of committing with no evidence or a single witness.

Speaking with DAILY POST exclusively over the phone Tuesday, sounding disturbed and literally crying, Jennifer said:

Major and independent marketers of petroleum products at the weekend experienced acute scarcity of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), thereby encouraging high level of profiteering among the marketers in the process, ThisDay reports.

The few depot owners with stock of the product were selling not only above the government’s official price but also above the expected open market price quoted by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA). The PPPRA at the weekend quoted the landing cost and the Expected Open Market Price (EOMP) of imported kerosene at N91.26 and N106.75 per litre, respectively.

Teenage suicide bomber kills five, injures 30

A teenage suicide bomber detonated an explosive device strapped to her body in the northeastern

Nigerian city of Damaturu early today, killing five people and wounding about 30, police said.

No one claimed responsibility for the blast but Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been blamed for a series of similar attacks in the region in recent weeks.

"At about 7:40 A.M., a female suicide bomber about 14 years old denoted an explosive device at the central Damaturu bus station. Six people were killed including the suicide bomber," police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin said.

Blogger remanded for malicious publication

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday, August 25, 2015, ordered the remanding of a blogger, Seun Oloketuyi, in prison over alleged malicious publication against the managing director and chief executive officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo.

Justice Mohammed Yunusa order that Oloketuyi, who is the organiser of the annual Best of Nollywood Awards, should be remanded in Ikoyi Prison after he was arraigned on a two-count charge by the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police.

Nigerian Arik Air crew member was arrested on Monday night at Heathrow Airport London by the UK Border Force in connection with alleged possession of items suspected to be banned substances.

The airline says it is presently carrying out its private investigation to determine how the cabin crew member came about the suspected banned substance.

Famous Hong Kong actor and stunt artist, Chan Kong-sang, popularly known as Jackie Chan will visit Nigeria on September 4, 2015.

Jackie Chan who is also a film director, producer and singer will not visit Nigeria in person but as a leading screen character in Dragon Blade, directed by Daniel Lee.

Dragon Blade is Chan’s latest work that has been released theatrically in several countries of the world. It berths in Nigeria next month, with FilmOne acquiring the theatrical rights to exhibit it.

Dragon Blade has remained a big hit since it was released last year.

police begger

Police have turned to beggars, says Mbu

By Precious Igbonwelundu

The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG ) in charge of zone two, Joseph Mbu has again warned police personnel to shun indiscipline or face his wrath.

He made the call at the weekend after meeting the Commissioners of Police under the zone for a review of some of the issues raised at the security summit held in Abuja.

He frowned at bribery, extortion, abuse of power and shabby dressing, vowing to deal decisively with any personnel found wanting.

The AIG directed senior police officers to assume position of leadership and discipline any errant junior they come across, adding that the Commissioners of Police cannot be everywhere at the same time.

Mbu who expressed hope for a better police, noted that with the promise of funding made by President Muhammadu Buhari, the force would no longer go cap in hands begging from state governors and local government chairmen.

According to the AIG, the Nigeria Police have been turned to beggars and nuisance to the point that state governors and chairmen no longer like taking phone calls from Police Commissioners, area commanders and DPOs.

Mbu who also frowned on the activities of land grabbers, accused police personnel of shielding the criminal elements, warning them to desist because their actions were hindering development and scaring investors.

The AIG threatened to prosecute any police personnel found conniving with 'land grabbers' alongside the suspects, adding that he would not tolerate anyone who drags the force' reputation to the mud.

He reminded them of the policy statement of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, demanding that every police personnel must respect the human rights of citizens.

Mbu said: "There is a new dawn now in the Nigeria Police and there is hope now that the Police will improve but we must work hard.

"It is a known fact that Nigeria Police have been turned to beggars. Its only the Nigeria Police that always goes to beg and because of that, most Governors and Local Government Chairmen have no respect for commissioners of Police, Area Commanders and DPOS in the local government. "Why? Because they are virtually buying everything for the Policemen. Sometimes, some Governors would not pick commissioners' calls for two to three weeks, why? Because they believe we want to beg for money, whereas a commissioner of police by nature of his office should be very close to the governor and share vital information for better security in the state, but because the burden of the command is on the Governor, we have become a nuisance.

"It is the same thing with local government chairmen. They have made themselves aversive and DPOS cannot see them, when they call them, they would not get across to them because they know that the police want to beg money for petrol, to maintain vehicles or because somebody has died and they have no money to take him to the mortuary or to his hometown..."

Mbu also said that even private companies that partner with the police were tired of the agency because the police was parasitic, noting that with the presidential promises delivered, the inadequacies in funding would be taken care of.

He reminded them of the directive from the IGP on the need for police personnel to respect traffic lights and human rights, adding that all police escorts with civilians not entitled to have them be withdrawn for reposting.

Addressing issues of bribery along major highways, Mbu urged the masses to report any such officer, disclosing that the IGP has released N2 million for each command for the maintenance of patrol vehicles and welfare of patrol team.

Medinat Zuberu-Kanabe
Life Reporter @ The Nation newspapers
mecca4all2006@yahoo.com
medmetroblog@gmail.com
http://www.medmetro.blogspot.com
+2348025419011
+2347066169592

Tuesday, 18 August 2015

UK based decor firm to open in Lagos

Decor Group, a UK based creative agency - Decor Fusion and Decor Cribs that is into interior designing and other branding will launch its Nigeria branch in Lagos on 26st September at the Best Western Plus, Allen, Ikeja.

Speaking during a press conference to announce the launch, Chief Executive officer, CEO of the firm, Mr Michael Banjo said the event will witness lecture on creative interior designing by Jimi Tewe, CEO, Inspiro Consulting, a Career Services and Human Management Film.

Ooni: Olumobi Family warns against distortion of facts, history

Presents Lafarge director, Adefioye, as Sijuwade's successor

Ahead of the selection process for the new Ooni of Ife, members of Olumobi Family of Lafigido Ruling House of Ile-Ife, have warned against distortion of facts about the history, custom and tradition of the ancient town. They said not possession of material wealth or political influence by aspirants to the throne should be placed above the traditional rights of those described as the true princes of Ile-Ife royal dynasties.

They added that the values of integrity, rich cultural knowledge and strong relationship and affinity with the people of the town and theYoruba race in general should be accorded priority.

In a recent statement credited to a member of the family, Prince Adedimeji Dauda Adefioye, he noted that the family deserves the right to present the new Ooni of Ife more than two centuries after the last ruler from the lineage had reigned.

90-year-old dead woman wakes up during burial

A 90-year-old dead woman, Gogo Tshuma, who resurrected during her funeral procession in a Village of Chikamba in Jambezi, Zimbabwe, have thrown mourners into a state of celebration.
It was learnt that the resurrected woman however later gave up the ghost.
Reports has it that a source from the village said the incident has got people talking with different versions been heard.

The Leprosy Mission Nigeria (TLMN), on Thursday, revealed that over 3,000 new cases of leprosy disease are being recorded yearly in Nigeria while stigmatization and discrimination against its patients remains high.
Mr Terver Anyor, Funds Development Manager of TLMN, disclosed this at a one-day workshop on Reducing Leprosy Related Stigma and Discrimination organized for media practitioners in Lokoja, yesterday.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), through its Group Managing Director (GMD), Dr. Ibe Kachikwu on Friday said that all of the corporation’s Strategic Business Units (SBUs) and refineries must now begin to operate as profit centres, ThisDay reports.

Inspector-General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, today called for adequate funding of the Nigeria Police to ensure operational efficiency.
Arase made the call at National Security Conference on, Community Partnership Approach to Internal Security and Crime Management organised by Police and Sun newspapers, in Abuja.
He said it was only through adequate funding that the huge logistic demand of the police can be met.
Arase noted that modern policing was a cost-intensive venture of which the benefits far outweigh the value of budgetary investment.

Pipeline security: “Pay us or we go to court” – Fasheun, Adams, Dokubo tell Buhari, NNPC

Some pipeline security and surveillance contractors under President Goodluck Jonathan have written an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to settle the debt the past government was owing them.
The letter made available to DAILY POST today was signed by the contractors who included the company names under which they secured the jobs.
They are Dr. Fredrick Faseun – New Age NIG. Ltd; Otunba Gani Adams – Donyx Global Concept Ltd; Alhaji Asari Dokubo – ATEF Nig. Ltd; High Chief Bibo Pere Ajube – Galery Security Services Ltd; Chief Joshua Machiever – Bajeros NIG Ltd; High Chief Omo O. – Close Body Protection Ltd and Izon Ibe Security Ltd.

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has said that his government was forced to take a $75 million development loan from the World Bank, because the Federal Government led by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 16 years had looted the nation’s treasury and pauperized the states.
He said it was a good thing that President Muhammadu Buhari came at the right time to stop the liquidation of the country.
The World Bank had approved a $225 million loan for Edo State Government in 2012, to be implemented in three tranches of $75 million per annum.

Pastor begs court to dissolve 15 years marriage over wife’s nagging

A pastor, Tunde Adekunle, on Monday urged an Akure Customary Court to dissolve his 15 year-old marriage to his wife, Agbeke for alleged frequent nagging.
Adekunle, founder of Christ Living Church, Owo, Ondo State, said that his wife was hell-bent in making life unbearable for him.
The cleric also told the court that some of the scars on his body were caused by the constant fisticuffs between them, adding that there was no more affection existing in the marriage.
He said that the respondent was a “disgrace to his

Businessman arraigned for allegedly diverting N8.6m goods

A businessman, Chidi Ozurumba, who allegedly diverted his business partner’s truck loaded with goods worth N8.6 million, was today brought before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
Ozurumba, whose address was not given, is standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.
Prosecutor C. N. Odii told the court that the accused committed the offences on Sept. 13, 2014 at Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos.

The Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Gesila Khan, has said she has not beem transferred so she is still the state REC.
Khan was reacting to claims in some quarters that she had been transferred by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The state REC, who was alleged to have been arrested and detained by operatives of the Department of State Services spoke with journalists on Monday at the state INEC office, Port Harcourt during the ongoing inspection and certification of materials used for the 2015 polls.
Khan maintained that she would not have been part of the ongoing exercise at the state INEC office if she had been transferred as speculated.

President Muhammadu Buhari today accepted the resignation of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi.
Abdullahi is billed to proceed on his voluntary retirement from Tuesday.
The Customs boss had earlier written a letter dated August 3 to the President notifying him of his desire to proceed on voluntary retirement from Tuesday.
President Buhari’s approval of Abdullahi’s request was dated August 14 and personally signed by the President.

FG working to promote accountability, transparency – Osinbajo
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said all actions so far taken by the All Progressives Congress, APC government are geared towards ensuring that Nigeria takes its proper place in the comity of nations.
He said the party was determined to ensure that the country emerged a major player in international affairs.

A bomb blast that rocked Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok has killed at least sixteen people and injuring as many as eighty, according to social media and international media outlets.
There have also been reports that a second bomb was found by Thai authorities, according to the BBC.
The bombing was near to the Erawan shrine, a Hindu place of worship and popular tourist attraction according to reports.

Ejigbo pepper incident: My daughter died after torture – Father

A palm wine tapper, Firma Agomo, said today that his daughter, Juliana, died after being tortured for allegedly stealing pepper at Oba Morufu International Market in Ejigbo, a suburb of Lagos State.

Agomo said this while testifying against the Baba Oloja (leader of the market), Isiaka Waidi, and nine others who are being prosecuted over the torture of Juliana, her sister, Nike, and mother, Ajoke.

The three victims were reportedly beaten, stripped naked, while stick and pepper were inserted into their private parts on the allegation that they stole pepper at the market.

Waidi and others are facing 15 counts before a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja over the incident which occurred in 2013.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has identified the helicopter that crashed into the lagoon behind Oworonshoki police station in Lagos State as one of the aircraft belonging to Bristow Helicopters.

The General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Mr. Fan Ndubuoke, said the flight was scheduled to arrive Lagos around 3.35pm and had 12 persons on board before it went down into the lagoon.

The authority, in a statement, said, “A Bristow Helicopter with number 5N – BDG – 760540, en route from one of the nation’s oil rigs, has crashed at Oworonshoki in Lagos this evening.

A commercial motorcyclist, Moses Ayodeji, 40, on Wednesday pleaded with an Ojo Customary Court to dissolve his 10-year-old marriage because of his wife’s tendency to ‘over-sleep’.

The complainant also alleged that his wife, Kehinde, always denied him his marital right at night.

“I shaved my wife’s pubic hairs while she slept one day, which goes to show that she actually over-sleeps.

Although Nigeria is currently generating about 4,600 megawatts of electricity, President Muhammadu Buhari today directed the Ministry of Power to ensure more is generated and distributed to Nigerian consumers.

He gave the directive to senior Ministry of Power officials, led by the Permanent Secretary, Godknows Igali, who were at the presidential Villa, Abuja, to brief the President on the activities of the ministry.

President Muhammadu Buhari today reiterated his commitment to provide the necessary infrastructures that would create employment for youths in Nigeria.

Buhari described unemployment as one of the major challenges facing Nigeria and the African continent as many graduates still remain unemployed.

Speaking at an event organized by the Ministry of Youth Development to mark 2015 World Youth Day with the theme “Civic Engagement”, Buhari, however, appealed to the youth to be patient with his government.

Pirates kill four military men in Bayelsa river

Sea Pirates have killed four military soldiers and a mobile policeman at a military base in the Nembe area of Bayelsa State.
Asinim Butswat, the Public Relations Officer for the Police in Bayelsa State, confirmed the incident to a SaharaReporters correspondent.
He d

Chinese teacher gets life imprisonment for raping pupils

A court in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region said on Saturday it has sentenced a kindergarten teacher to life in prison for sexually assaulting 12 girls.

The six hour rain that poured on Thursday in Benue has turned out to be tragic as it left many parts of Makurdi, the Benue state capital, flooded with close to 150 houses submerged in the rain that lasted till the early hours of Friday.

UI can only admit 3,000 applicants, DVC

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), University of Ibadan, UI, Prof. Gbemisola Oke, has disclosed that the institution can only admit 3,000 out of over 33,000 candidates that applied for admission into the institution for the next academic session.
Oke spoke yesterday in Ibadan at a stakeholders’ forum, organised by the Distance Learning Centre of the institution.
She urged prospective students, who met admission requirements, but could not gain admission, to embrace Distance Learning to satisfy their needs of qualitative tertiary education.
“If we can’t meet the need of our people through the regular face-to-face mode, then we should use the Open Distance Learning.
“Education drives growth and development and it must be at the centre for any nation to make advancement,” she said.
Oke added that the university would ensure qualitative and standard distance learning education, with strict adherence to the mandate of the nation’s premier university.
At the forum, Prof. Francis Egbokhare delivered a paper entitled ‘Accessibility and Openness of the ODL Practice’.
Egbokhare said the establishment of private universities as solution to non- accessibility to university education by Nigeria youths had failed.
He pointed out that this could be ascertained from the low patronage of private universities.
According to him, only three per cent of the total population of candidates, seeking admission through JAMB, choose private universities.
Egbokhare urged government to look for ways of expanding the existing ODL facilities to be able to accommodate more candidates.
Similarly, Prof. Abiola Awosika in her lecture entitled, ‘The Importance of Technology in ODL Practice’, noted that technology had made the learning world smaller so that everyone could have access to the ‘global classroom’.
In his welcome address, the Director of the centre, Prof. Bayo Okunade, said the forum was to fast track the process of change being witnessed at the centre.

Punch

Ex-Minister says Amina Zakari can never be INEC Chairman

Former Minister of State for Education, and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi has insisted that the acting head of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,Amina Zakari, can never be made the substantive chairman.
Gbagi, who served as Minister under former President, Goodluck Jonathan told Vanguard that notwithstanding her level of competence, “I can confirm to you that Amina Zakari will never be chairperson of INEC”.
He stressed further: “I can assure you that Buhari is too sensible to make Amina the substantive INEC chairperson no matter how competent she is. The history of Nigeria has made it that the President and the INEC chair always come from different regions. Amina is only bidding time in INEC. She will go when Buhari finds a competent person.
“A government’s business cannot be left in a vacuum. When the last chairman was leaving, somebody necessarily must take over in an acting capacity. What we have is a transition to a different government.
“In a country where the President is inundated with many criminals, he has to take his time to appoint the right person for an important agency as INEC,” he stated.

Bahrain ten-year-old swimmer finishes third in world championships

10-year-old Alzain Tareq, the world championships’ youngest competitor in Kazan, swam her personal best to finish third in her 50m freestyle heat today.
The Bahrain schoolgirl had caused a splash at the Kazan pool yesterday morning when she raced in the women’s 50m butterfly heats and finished last of the event’s 64 competitors.
She is believed to be the youngest swimmer to have ever swum at a world championships.
Ten years old athlete from Bahrain, Alzain Tareq reacts after the preliminary heats of the women’s 50m butterfly swimming event at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan on August 7, 2015
She was back in the pool today to finish third in her 50 freestyle heat and was 105th overall of the event’s 113 racers with a new PB of 35.78 seconds — nearly three seconds faster than her qualifying time.
She was more than 11 seconds slower than Cate Campbell of Australia’s fastest qualifying time.
But the pint-sized Bahraini is just happy to have met her idols like Missy Franklin of the USA and Sweden’s butterfly world champion Sarah Sjostrom having now swum both of her events in Kazan.
“I didn’t get the time I wanted, but I still beat my personal best, so I am happy,” beamed Tareq.
She was clearly proud of jher newly-acquired bright pink race suit and said a highlight of her Kazan trip had been warming down in the same lane as Franklin on Friday.
Her presence here has sparked plenty of attention from fellow competitors and the media.
“A few other swimmers spoke to me after my race yesterday, they were taking pictures and wishing me good luck,” she said.
Tareq was delighted to have met Franklin, Sjostrom, plus Australian sisters Bronte and Cate Campbell who took gold and bronze respectively in Friday night’s 100m freestyle final.
“I have their pictures in my phone, but when I get home I am going to print them all out, so I have them,” Tareq said.
“It’s a great feeling to have swum here.
“It was a lot of fun meeting Sarah.
“My mum isn’t here, only my Dad, he wanted me to beat my own time and I did that, so he’s happy.”
It is unlikely Tareq will fulfil her wish to swim at next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, even though there are no age restrictions to competing at either a world championships or an Olympics.
She qualified for Kazan as the Bahrain’s fastest female swimmer.
But to swim in Rio she will need to lower her 50m freestyle personal best of 35.78 to meet the Olympic’s minimum qualifying time of 26.17secs to race in her strongest event.

Punch

Premium Times report on: Outrage over Fashola’s spending of N78million Lagos funds on own website

The immediate past governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, approved an outrageous N78.3 million from the state’s treasury for the upgrade of his personal website, details of the contract awarded in 2014, show.
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 9,481 tweets.

Twitter user @Ruud_bishop exclaimed: “Wait!!!! At 350 naira to a pound, somebody that fears God, built a WordPress site for 222,857 pounds?”

A blogger, Chukwudi Iwuchukwu, said on his Facebook page that “he consensus is that the cost was grossly exaggerated and over-inflated. A WordPress website, like http://tundefashola.com/ should not cost more than N3million, according to expert opinions.”

A Twitter handle said, @cchukudebelu, said “1. The lesson from Fashola is “all have sinned & fallen short of God’s glory”, now let us seek redemption. My point: there are no saints.”

Another Twitter user, Tolu Ogunlesi, tweeted through his handle, @toluogunlesi,: “How can you build a WordPress website for 78 million naira? Are you mad? Or am I the mad one for thinking you might be mad?”

“@bubusn also tweeted “No. 78.3m? Nah. Unless the website can tell you what Fashola did for every single Street in Lagos + accurately predict so will win BPL”

When contacted, Mr. Fashola’s media aide, Hakeem Bello, dropped the call after this reporter introduced himself and did not answer subsequent calls to his mobile number.
He has also not replied text messages sent to him for asking the former governor to explain why such huge amounts were spent on the projects.

Premium Times

Friday, 7 August 2015

NAFDAC investigates Chinese supermarket over unregistered products

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has commenced investigating Danyang Trade and Laofang Chinese Food Supermarket, Lagos, for allegedly importing and distributing unregistered products.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, who was represented by Head of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of the agency, Mr. Kingsley Ejiofor, made the disclosure at a news conference in Lagos today.

Nigeria to introduce new rules to stop tax evasion

Nigeria's Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said today that it would crack down on tax evaders by denying access to banking facilities for individuals and companies that failed to join its register.

FIRS chairman Sunday Ogungbesan told a news briefing in Lagos there were more more than 440,000 companies in the country, which has Africa's biggest economy, but only about 120,000 paid taxes.

Men of the Lagos State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, Yaba Lagos have commenced investigation into the death of a middle-aged man, Anuoluwapo Saheed, who was allegedly hacked to death at a hotel in Abule Egba area of the State.

DAILY POST recalls that Saheed was stabbed to death by some hoodlums led by a one Emmanuel, recently, in front of Buffalo Hotel, located along Akerele Street in the Abule Egba area of the state.

A woman in Ipaja, Lagos, has been arrested for allegedly burning her houseboy with hot water for reasons yet unknown.

In a case that can be described as a crime against humanity, an unfortunate houseboy in Gemade Estate, Ipaja, Lagos, has suffered second-degree burns after his madam, Mrs Achilefu poured hot water on his chest and stomach, leaving him in excruciating pain.

The newly appointed Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Emmanuel Kachikwu, has asked friends and well-wishers to stop sponsoring congratulatory adverts in the media to celebrate his appointment.

Mr. Kachikwu, who described his appointment as “a serious national assignment”, pointed out that he should not be distracted with the frivolity of congratulatory adverts and the celebration their sponsors connote.

Ayuba Gufwan contracted polio when he was a child and lost the use of both of his legs. As a child and a teenager, he was trapped—only able to go as far as he could scoot on his bottom. What angered him most was being unable to attend school, which he knew would be his key to a better life.

When Ayuba was 19, his uncle gave him a wheelchair and, with it, the gift of mobility. There was no stopping Ayuba once he had his wheels: he began wheelchairing 14 kilometres a day to and from school. He went on to teaching college then earned a law degree. As an adult, he has become an outspoken advocate for polio vaccination campaigns.

Rudo Nigeria Limited, the contractor handling the Adada Dam project in Nkpologwu, Uzouwani Local Government Area, Enugu State, which earlier abandoned the project, has returned to site to escape the ongoing probe of activities of the previous administration by President Muhamadu Buhari.

The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources had awarded the contract to the company at the sum of N3 billion and paid N289 million mobilization fee to the contractor.

President Muhammadu Buhari has described as unacceptable Nigeria’s over-dependence on external authorities for military hardwares and other light weapons.

To this end, he has mandated the Federal Ministry of Defence to draw plan for the establishment of a modest Military Industrial Complex for the local production of weapons to meet some of the requirements of the country’s armed forces.

The president gave the directive at the graduation ceremony of the National Defence College today in Abuja.

Fear has gripped residents of Omu-Aran in Kwara following the reported burial of one Femi, a hunchback, who died in a motor accident on Aug. 3.

According to claims, by the tradition, it is a taboo to bury a person with hunchback in the community. The corpse of such person must rather be hanged on a tree otherwise an evil will befall the community. Femi and four others died when an 18-seater bus they were travelling with, from Omu-Aran to Lagos, had an accident.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has announced the redeployment of Mr Gbenga Komolafe as the Group General Manager, Special Duties.

This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Ohi Alegbe, NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, on Friday in Abuja.

The Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEO) today asked President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the Vice President (VP), Professor Yemi Osinbajo, over his interference in Osun matter and his attempt to shield the state governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbosola, from probe.

CSCEO claimed that it has uncovered a clandestine plan by the VP in conjunction with all the governors on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) and the party’s national leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to save Aregbesola from investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by raising a sum of N4.7 billion through a pet project tagged, “Operation Save Rauf Aregbesola Project (OSRAP) for the said assignment.

I was a 'Keke Marwa' driver before- Filmmaker

The improvement of Nollywood in recent time in some quarters have been credited to the crop of young Nigerians traveling abroad to study film making bringing back to Nigeria the experiences gathered overseas. Trained in Bollywood which is regarded as the 7th largest film industry in the world in terms of revenue generation, Hamzat Bashan in this interview shares his experience with Seunmanuel Faleye on studying abroad and returning back to Nigeria. Enjoy excerpts.
For the benefit of those reading about you for the first time, Let us meet you?
My name is Hamzat Olaiwola a.k.a Bashan. Ace Cinematographer of the Federal republic.

The name Bashan is alien to us in Nigeria, how did you come about that?
Actually I trained as a film maker in Bollywood. I trained at Center for Research in Art of Film and Television ‘CRAFT’, New Delhi. I got the name from my friends in India. They drew this similarity between me and Amitabh Bachan, on the long run I decided to fine tune the name as Bashan.

Why did you take the initiative to travel to India to study film making, was it that you didn’t feel the appropriate training here in Nigeria?
I see a lot of Indian movies and I got thrilled by the way Bollywood filmmakers balance colors and use Aesthetics. So I always fancied the idea of traveling to India to understudy their film industry. After i left Lagos state polytechnic, I was doing video making and also driving public tricycle ‘keke Maruwa’. The choice to study in India was boiled from the fact that our dear ‘Nollywood’ was crawling at that time and we as aspiring makers needed to go learn the success story of other industries.

Returning back to Nigeria, do you think being a film maker from BOLLYWOOD has leveraged you over Nigerian film makers?
Yes, studying abroad has given me leverage. We have a lot of incredible productions springing up right now in Nigeria. It might interest you to know that a lot of people ruling the industry right now were my colleagues in India. After i came back to Nigeria, I started a community film school called Iganmu Film School. I grew up in that community so for me it was a way to give back to the community. I partnered with the Orile Iganmu Progressive association to facilitate the first community film school in Africa. So whenever I’m not on the field shooting, I’m in the class lecturing film making. That’s a leverage.

What Jobs have you done lately?
Since i returned I’ve been doing more of educating films. I have shot quite a few jobs including TV commercial too recently I shot a shot film with Tayo Afolayan one of the Afolayan dynasty ‘Behind the Tunnel’, I did a feature film with him too shot in their home town Agbamu, Kwara state. I have been doing more of film education, less of Film production. I’m just finding time for film productions. I’m currently working on a talk show that would hit the air waves soon. Some other jobs i did in the past are with Former Mr. Nigeria Deji Bakare. Recently I did something with the Jigawa State government.There is also Kinabuti an Italian fashion outfit and so on. I also just shot a documentary titled Children Of the NorthEast, created by Wale Ajayi, and Directed by my humble self.

School holidays bad for spelling and maths, study shows

School holidays are a bad idea, at least when it comes to children’s spelling and arithmetic in the short term, according to scientists in Austria. A study by Graz University of 182 children aged 10-12 showed that after Austria’s nine weeks of summer vacation, the children showed “significant falls” in these areas.

Man butchers wife to ‘get rid of evil in her’

A 43-year-old man, identified as Kenneth Dale Wakefield, who was arraigned in an Arizona court yesterday for decapitating his wife and her two dogs in Phoenix, said he carried out the act because he wanted to get rid of the evil in her.

The prosecutor told the court that the suspect, who committed the offence on July 25, was under the influence of marijuana.

According to the prosecutor, Wakefield, has a history of mental illness and was booked into a Maricopa County jail on August 1 on a one-count charge of first degree murder and two counts of animal cruelty upon his release from a local hospital.

Mother stabs 7-year-old son for removing girl’s pant

A 23 year-old stylist, Blessing Fred, was Tuesday, remanded in Kirikiri Prison for stabbing her 7-year-old son on the back for allegedly undressing a neighbour’s daughter,by a Lagos Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ikeja.

Blessing, who resides at No.12, Tunde Olushola Street in Ijaiye area of Lagos, was arraigned on a two-count charge of assault and grievous harm.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has directed that pension arrears owed retirees of state and local governments as well as parastatals, running to the tune of N11bn, be paid immediately.

The pension arrears are said to have accumulated from 2010. This was contained in a statement on Wednesday by the state’s Head of Service, Mrs. Shade Jaji.

Read Nigerians responds to the news that Walmart is coming to the country

Last Thursday, the governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, assured a delegation of Walmart executives that he was ready to give the necessary support to assist the firm in establishing its presence in Lagos.

Ambode said the presence of the Walmart brand in Lagos would go a long way not only to create jobs for the teeming youths, but also boost the economy of the state.

The Head of the Walmart delegation, Ms. Shelley Broader…who is the president and chief executive officer of Walmart’s Europe, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa (EMEA) region acknowledged the investment opportunities that abound in Lagos state saying:

“We are incredibly excited and proud to be in this exciting state of Lagos.

Monday, 31 August 2015

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