30 Jul 2015
NASS Crisis: No More Factions, Only Hard Work Now – Dogara
Thursday, July 30, officially announced the end of the
National Assembly crisis, which started after the
chambers’ leadership election.
According to Vanguard, speaking at the end of the All
Progressives Congress caucus meeting, the lawmaker
said that now, when the 49-day political conflict was the
thing of the past, the 8th Senate was ready to totally
focus on work.
“There are no more factions in the House what we have today
is a group of lawmakers loyal to the House leadership and our
great party.
Yakubu Dogara and Femi Gbajabiamila
“It is only in unity that we can positively contribute to the
change we all worked for and move Nigeria forward towards
our desired dream of a greater nation.”
When asked about why the South-East was not
represented in the new leadership, Dogara responded,
saying: “We are already working on that to see how the zone
will be adequately compensated.”
Nigerian doctor who scored 5.0 Cumulative GPA in Russian Uni. honoured by FG
Nigerian doctor Victor Olalusi, who scored 5.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average
(GPA) in Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow (RNRMU) in
2013 was yesterday July 29th honoured by the Federal Ministry of Education in
Abuja.
Doctor Olalusi, the best graduating student in the whole Russian Federation in
2013 under the Russia-Nigeria Bilateral Education Agreement is currently
undergoing the one year compulsory National Youth Service scheme in Rivers
State.
27 Jul 2015
Whitney Houston’s daughter, Bobbi, dies at 22
Bobbi
Kristina Brown, the daughter of late superstar Whitney Houston and
singer Bobby Brown, died Sunday at the age of 22, a representative of
the Houston family said in a statement.
“Bobbi Kristina Brown passed away
Sunday, July, 26 2015, surrounded by her family,” the statement said.
“She is finally at peace in the arms of God. We want to again thank
everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these
last few months.”
She was treated in a hospital and then a
hospice facility in the nearly six months since she was found
unresponsive and not breathing in the bathtub at her Roswell home on
January 31 — nearly three years to the day after her mother accidentally
drowned in a bathtub in Beverly Hills, a victim of the vices she had
fought for much of her career.
Brown
was placed in a medically induced coma, relatives have said. Rumors
flew about her condition, with family members and loved ones taking
sides in the drama.
In April, her maternal grandmother, Cissy Houston, said Bobbi Kristina had “global and irreversible brain damage.”
“Meeting with the doctors and
understanding that she can live in this condition for a lifetime truly
saddens me,” Houston said. “We can only trust in God for a miracle at
this time.”
The statement was released days after
her father and Whitney Houston’s former husband, R & B singer Bobby
Brown, told an audience in Dallas, “I can say today, Bobbi is awake.
She’s watching me.”
Buhari meets APC Reps ahead of resumption
President Muhammadu Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to engage all members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in a crucial meeting on Monday.
The meeting which is coming a day ahead
of the resumption of the two chambers of the National Assembly is meant
to formally put an end to the leadership crisis rocking the House.
The Senior Special Assistant to the
President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, confirmed the
meeting to State House correspondents on Sunday.
According to Shehu, the meeting would hold at the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by 5pm.
“President Muhammadu Buhari will be
meeting with the APC members of the House of Representatives at the new
Banquet Hall of the State House on Monday at 5pm,” he simply said.
The Presidential spokesman did not disclose the agenda of the meeting.
The Monday meeting will be the first time the President will be meeting all APC members in the House together.
It will be recalled that he had earlier
met separately with groups loyal to the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara; and a
former Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The President also met with Gbajabiamila for the second time on Friday.
The Monday meeting was apparently called
to ensure that there is no repeat of the rancorous situation witnessed
on the floor of the House shortly before it adjourned.
Dogara and Gbajabiamila are expected to lead members of their different factions to the meeting.
It was not clear at press time whether the leadership of the APC will be represented at the meeting.
23 Jul 2015
News
US trip: Buhari rejects gay marriage, says Presidency
- The Presidency on Wednesday admitted that the issue of gay marriage came up during President Muhammadu Buhari’s four-day official visit to the United States. It said the President, however, rejected the idea “point-blank.” The Special Adviser to the President on Media d Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, disclosed this on his Twitter handle on Wednesday. Adesina said the issue of gay marriage was raised in one of the meetings that the President attended in Washington DC on Tuesday. He, however, refused to disclose the specific meeting attended by the President where the issue was raised. The presidential spokesman said when the issue came up, Buhari made it clear that sodomy is against the law of Nigeria and abhorrent to the country’s culture. “The issue of gay marriage came up here yesterday (Tuesday). PMB (President Buhari) was point-blank. Sodomy is against the law in Nigeria, and abhorrent to our culture,” Adesina posted on his Twitter handle. Among the meetings attended by Buhari on Tuesday were the ones he had with the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and the Nigerians resident in the US. The fear among stakeholders ahead of Buhari’s US trip was that he could succumb to the US authorities’ pressure on gay rights. Former President Goodluck Jonathan had in January 13, 2014 signed the anti-gay marriage bill into law. The law prohibits gay marriage and same-sex relationships and prescribes a 14-year prison term for offenders. Jonathan had defied western governments’ pressure urging Nigeria to respect gay and lesbian rights. The law, which also proscribes membership of gay rights groups, was passed by the National Assembly in May 2013 but Jonathan had delayed signing it into law. Two similar bills have been proposed since 2006 but failed to make it through parliament. “Persons who enter into a same-sex marriage contract or civil union commit an offence and are each liable, on conviction, to a term of 14-year in prison. “Any person who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organisations or directly or indirectly makes public show of same-sex amorous relationship in Nigeria commits an offence and shall each be liable on conviction to a term of 10 years in prison,” the law states.(punch) -
US trip: Buhari rejects gay marriage, says Presidency
- The Presidency on Wednesday admitted that the issue of gay marriage came up during President Muhammadu Buhari’s four-day official visit to the United States. It said the President, however, rejected the idea “point-blank.” The Special Adviser to the President on Media d Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, disclosed this on his Twitter handle on Wednesday. Adesina said the issue of gay marriage was raised in one of the meetings that the President attended in Washington DC on Tuesday. He, however, refused to disclose the specific meeting attended by the President where the issue was raised. The presidential spokesman said when the issue came up, Buhari made it clear that sodomy is against the law of Nigeria and abhorrent to the country’s culture. “The issue of gay marriage came up here yesterday (Tuesday). PMB (President Buhari) was point-blank. Sodomy is against the law in Nigeria, and abhorrent to our culture,” Adesina posted on his Twitter handle. Among the meetings attended by Buhari on Tuesday were the ones he had with the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and the Nigerians resident in the US. The fear among stakeholders ahead of Buhari’s US trip was that he could succumb to the US authorities’ pressure on gay rights. Former President Goodluck Jonathan had in January 13, 2014 signed the anti-gay marriage bill into law. The law prohibits gay marriage and same-sex relationships and prescribes a 14-year prison term for offenders. Jonathan had defied western governments’ pressure urging Nigeria to respect gay and lesbian rights. The law, which also proscribes membership of gay rights groups, was passed by the National Assembly in May 2013 but Jonathan had delayed signing it into law. Two similar bills have been proposed since 2006 but failed to make it through parliament. “Persons who enter into a same-sex marriage contract or civil union commit an offence and are each liable, on conviction, to a term of 14-year in prison. “Any person who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organisations or directly or indirectly makes public show of same-sex amorous relationship in Nigeria commits an offence and shall each be liable on conviction to a term of 10 years in prison,” the law states.(punch) -
Buhari FINALLY Speaks About Gay Marriage In Nigeria (PHOTO)
As suspected, the issue of gay marriage in Nigeria came up during a
conversation with Buhari and Femi Adesina is revealing to us now
Buhari's response.
See response after the jump:
It reads: "The issue of gay marriage came up here yesterday. PMB was
point blank. Sodomy is against the law in Nigeria, and abhorrent to our
culture."
See What Bukola Saraki's Wife Has to Say About Her EFCC Invitation
Toyin Saraki on Wednesday confirmed being invited by the commission but denied knowing the motive of the invitation.
Mrs Saraki, was invited by the EFCC in relation to questionable inflow of funds into companies she had stakes in when her husband was the governor of Kwara State.
She is expected to report at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on July 28, 2015; where investigators would interrogate her for alleged financial crimes.
In a statement released through her private secretary, Akeem Olagoke, the Senate President’s wife claimed she had no idea of the intent of the anti-graft agency’s invitation.
“Her Excellency, Mrs Toyin Saraki, Founder of Wellbeing Foundation Africa and wife of the Senate President has been informed by her office that a letter of invitation was delivered to her office, by and from the EFCC.
“She has directed an immediate and formal response, to the EFCC, that she will be delighted to assist them with any lawful enquiries they may have, as a law abiding, transparent and accountable private citizen, ” Mr. Olagoke said.
Source: PREMIUM Times
Dasuki denies maltreating Buhari after 1985 coup
“I always respect and dignify my seniors and those in positions of authority whether in service or after. Though a young officer, I was reluctant to be among those that arrested him. And I was not. I only met him afterward at Bonny Camp with Lawal Rafindadi. There is no way I could have maltreated him as being alleged in some quarters. I am glad most of the actors are still alive.”The former NSA stated that he even knelt down to beg Baba Bisi Akande, who was then Chairman of Action Congress Nigeria, ACN, to accept then General Buhari to run for Presidency in 2011 because “General Buhari is a man to be trusted.”
Dasuki who spoke to blogger Yushua Shauib in Abuja, also disclosed how he and some others confronted late General Sani Abacha over June 12 election, which was won by late Chief Mashood Kashimawo Abiola.
He said:
“This led to our premature retirement. The persecution that followed forced me into exile, where I teamed up with opposition elements struggling for the return of democracy.”In regards to his roles in politics, the former NSA, who is currently having some issues with the Department of State Services, DSS, narrated how he supported the campaign aspiration of Muhammadu Buhari in 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections.
He said respected Northern elements like Adamu Adamu, Bashir Kurfi, Sule Hamman, Wada Maida and Kabir Yusuf are among individuals privy to his active involvement.
While revealing how he campaigned for Buhari to emerge the joint candidate of ACN and CPC in 2011, Dasuki disclosed how he pleaded with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the presence of Bisi Akande to accept Muhammad Buhari as the joint presidential candidate for ACN and CPC.
Dasuki said:
“In the belief that Yoruba and south-westerners are never religious fanatics, especially regarding politics, me and my group suggested that Tinubu should be a running mate to Buhari.
“When other elements opposed that proposition, Tinubu team therefore recommended a Buhari-Osinbajo ticket. Unfortunately, the ticket failed to stick as Pastor Tunde Bakare was eventually pushed forward by other forces.”Speaking further, the former NSA recalled how prior to the 1983 coup that ousted President Shehu Shagari, himself and two young military officers, who are still alive, travelled to Jos to brief Major General Buhari, who was then the GOC of 3rd Armoured Division, on the furtherance of the planning of the 1983 coup, which made Buhari the major beneficiary.
He said:
“Buhari expressed his bitterness about insinuations on his stewardship in one of the public institutions, but I assured the then GOC not to worry about such reckless and mischievous insinuations.”Asked why he participated in the ouster of Buhari less than two years afterward ousting Shagari, Dasuki simply answered that General Buhari should know who to blame.
Photos: Pres. Buhari arrives Nigeria after his state visit to the US
US 'aiding and abetting; Boko Haram members - Buhari
"In our efforts at combating the activities of Boko Haram, the new Government has sought and obtained the support of not only our neighbours other international friends and partners. Regrettably, the blanket application of the Leahy Law by the United States on the grounds of unproven allegations of human rights violations levelled against our forces has denied us access to appropriate strategic weapons to prosecute the war against the insurgents. Our forces have remained largely impotent because they do not possess the appropriate weapons and technology which they could have had, had the so-called human rights violations not been an obstacle. Unwittingly, and I dare say, unintentionally, the application of the Leahy Law amendment by the U. S. Government has aided and abetted the Boko Haram terrorist group in the prosecution of its extremist ideology and hate, the indiscriminate killings and maiming of civilians, in raping of women and girls, and in their other heinous crimes.”he said
Photos: Children seen hanging on the back of a moving van
20 Jul 2015
Angry Man Attacks Sepp Blatter With Wads of Dollars at Press Conference (Photo)
Sepp Blatter's first official press conference since announcing he is stepping down as Fifa president was interrupted by an angry man Lee Nelson today.
The British comic, real name Simon Brodkin, walked in front of the beleaguered head of world football's governing body before throwing a wad of fake cash into the air.
Brodkin was quickly escorted away by security staff.
Blatter rose from his seat and looked flustered by the incident before being coaxed back to his seat by an official.
Some in attendance can be heard laughing.
Photo: Nigerian flag mounted at Blair House
GOD BLESS NIGERIA
Kano emir, Sanusi, weeps in Govt House [print]
Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi
The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi, on Saturday in Kano wept at the Government House while reflecting on life after death.
As beads of tears rolled down the cheeks
of the Emir, he reminded his subjects of the need to exhibit good
character, honesty, good compassion and transparency while dealing with
their compatriots.
While paying homage to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje as part of events to mark the Hauwan Nasarawa
in the ancient city, the monarch urged the governor to explore his
wealth of experience in the task of developing the state as well as
promoting peaceful co-existence among Kano residents.
The
monarch advised Ganduje not to relent in his efforts to provide
adequate security for the residents of the state, pointing out that
education, health, agriculture and water were critical areas for the
governor to concentrate on.
Sanusi added, “We have a big burden on
our shoulders in the service to humanity. We need to remain trustworthy,
honest and transparent in our actions and relations with humanity,
because on the last day, we shall give account of all our dealings to
the Almighty Allah.”
The Emir also implored leaders to use
the period of Eid-el-Fitri to reflect on the teachings of Prophet
Mohammed by resolving that sometime, some day “we shall stand before our
creator and answer for all we have done in our lifetime.”
He called on the indigenes of Kano to always remain law-abiding, irrespective of religion or ethnic differences.
Sanusi urged the authorities to stand up and face the security challenges bedevilling the society.
Ganduje said his administration was
determined to transform the state through the introduction of new
projects and the completion of other projects inherited from the past
administration.
The governor, who expressed dismay with a
new method of begging in the state, described begging under false
pretences as unIslamic.
He said his administration would resist all attempts to make Kano the headquarters of street begging.
APC Urge Goodluck Jonathan To Apologize For Bad Governance
The All Progressives Congress (APC), has implored the former president, Goodluck Jonathan, to ask for the forgiveness of Nigerians for running a “bad governance and leadership” in his six years administration.
Punch is now reporting that the party also urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to humble itself and apologize to Nigerians over the way and manner it ran the country for the 16 years it ruled.
According to a statement releasd earlier today by the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Ondo State, Omo’ba Adesanya, the present state of the country is as a result of how PDP mismanaged the affairs of the nation.
The statement read: "Jonathan and PDP brought this country into disrepute, domestic and international odium, economic crisis, insecurity, unemployment, unprecedented corruption, abuse of state apparatus, infrastructural decadence, poverty, and many other issues. But instead of being remorseful and apologetic, the party, through its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, has been making defenceless excuses and arguments, saying President Muhammadu Buhari is slow, that APC is not prepared for governance or that we are not keeping to our promises."
It continued: "This is laughable because Nigerians are already in sync with the current administration. The President should be commended for his dogged approach to blocking all leakages and apprehending looters. You cannot hit the ground running without carefully observing and removing the entire banana peels littering the ground to avoid a dangerous crash. We advice Metuh and his party to be patient. In a matter of time, after all that is being planned by this government has mature and the results start coming out, Nigerians will be able to know who has come to serve them and who has taken them for a ride for 16 years."
Reacting to the backlash from the APC, Mr. Banji Okunomo, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Ondo State, urged the APC to stop acting like an opposition party, saying that it should rather focus on how to deliver on the promises it made to Nigerians.
In his words: "They are taking Nigerians for granted and they do not know that Nigerians are already losing their patience to want to see the promised change which they used in cajoling Nigerians into electing them into power. From its inception, the APC has been showing that it is not ready for governance as it cannot even put its house in order. So, for the period they were in the opposition, in a way, their mentality or psyche has been assaulted, and that is why they keep behaving like an opposition party. We want to see them manifest their campaign promises."
Meet The 10Yr Old Boy Who is an Executioner For ISIS (Photo)
The disturbing clip shows a child no older than 10 carrying out the gruesome beheading.
Wearing camouflage and a black headdress, the boy’s face is uncovered – revealing a chilling dead-eyed stare that offers a glimpse of the evil he has witnessed carried out by ISIS’ killers.
The victim is seen being forced to lay on his stomach as the young boy approaches him from behind, pulls his head back by the hair, and uses a small knife to slit the man’s throat and set about beheading him, Daily Mail reports.
In a moment of true horror the child then lifts the victim’s severed head in a warped celebration of the brutal murder. He then places the head on the victim’s back.
Throughout the entire killing, a senior ISIS fighter is seen observing the shocking scene.
At the end of the video the older militant turns to the camera and makes a chilling threat to the West.
“Our goal is not only Palmyra or Homs or Damascus, rather our goal is to conquer Bayt al- Maqdes[Jerusalem] and Rome, God willing.”
lailasblog
18 Jul 2015
Promise before his wounds were dressed My mother threatened to kill me – Six-year-old boy stabbed by mom
Six-year-old Promise Eboye, should
not be alive, at least going by the four gory looking stab injuries on
his back. The boy survived an attack that would have killed even an
adult had the injuries been sustained in vital parts of the body.
Promise, a bright and sharp boy lives
with his mother and step-father in Kollington area of Ijaiye, Lagos,
while his biological father lives in Benin, Edo State.
At about 8am on Monday, Promise’s
mother, Comfort, stabbed her son four times, inflicting life-threatening
injuries on the boy’s body.
The broken bottle the woman used on her
son tore into the boy’s flesh inflicting one three-inch injury and
another two-inch injury on the boy’s back. Two other wounds looked
equally horrific but were not as long and deep as the other two.
Neighbours said if Promise had not run
away from his mother, who held tight to his wrist and stabbed him as he
screamed, he would have been stabbed to death.
What manner of crime could such a young boy have committed, people who witnessed the scene have asked.
On Wednesday, our correspondent visited
the woman’s house on Olawoyin Street. The story that Promise, his
neighbours and the hospital workers told could only be described as
incredible.
Promise, who seems to have a remarkable memory, told Saturday PUNCH
that his mother has a “N30 cane”, which she uses to flog him, even when
he had no idea what he had done wrong. He said she would sometimes beat
him till he could not walk.
“My mother is wicked,” Promise said
simply, quietly. As shocking as that sounded, coming from a
six-year-old, it explained the kind of treatment the boy had been
experiencing in the hands of his mother.
Promise
said he had been living with his father in Edo State since he was one
year old. But when he was five, his mother came to take him from his
father’s house.
The boy said, “I was sweeping the day
she came. I did not know her as my mother. My father then told me that
she was my mother and she had come to take me to Lagos.
“When we came to Lagos, I started to live with her and my step-father. But she beat me all the time.”
Asked what happened on Monday to make his mother stab him, Promise said he tripped and fell.
He said, “When I fell, my mother asked
me what pushed me and why I fell. She was angry and went to take her N30
cane. When she was beating me too much and I was screaming, one of our
neighbours came to hold her hand to take the cane away from her. The
woman said I should run away because my mother would kill me the way she
was beating me.
“My mother said ‘I will kill you, I will
kill you’. When she could not find anything else to beat me with, she
took a broken bottle on the ground and started to stab me on the back.”
Promise was rescued by alarmed residents, who took him to a private hospital nearby.
But by the time the boy was taken to the hospital, Comfort had planted another story in the boy’s head.
Pastor Charles Agboola, a pharmacist who
founded the hospital, said the two people who brought Promise in said
the boy fell down and landed on a broken bottle. When Agboola’s wife, a
nurse, asked the boy what actually happened, Promise told her that he
was watching two people fight when he sustained the injury.
The nurse told our correspondent, “He
told me that they pushed him and he landed on the broken bottles but
when I informed my husband, he said immediately that the story could not
be true. I also noticed that the wounds were not consistent with that
story.
“It was shocking that the boy’s mother
was not remorseful in any way. It was when she dashed out of the door
under the pretence that she was going to look for money for the boy’s
treatment, that a crowd from their street, who were coming to the
hospital ,grabbed her and told the true story of what happened.
“When we asked Promise why he lied, he said his mother had told him what to say when asked how he sustained the injury.”
Mr. Agboola told Saturday PUNCH that by the time the boy was about to leave the clinic, he was crying.
“He said he did not want to go back
home. We fed him, gave him any kind of food he wanted because I could
not leave the boy to suffer even though nobody paid us any money for his
treatment. We even prayed for him. Anytime we brought up the issue of
who would take over his care when he was released from our hospital, he
became very sad,” the pharmacist said.
Neighbours told our correspondent that
Comfort sometimes punished the boy by smashing his head against a wall
whenever he did something wrong.
Comfort was later handed over to the police at Ijaiye-Ojokoro Division.
Comfort, who is nursing a toddler, said Promise stepped on her baby, which was why she became angry.
When Promise’s biological father was later contacted, he initially said he wanted nothing to do with the issue.
“I have other children – I have produced
boys and girls. Whatever she likes, she should do with her son. When
she likes, she would take the boy to a motor park and send him to me
through a driver,” the man said.
Later when he was told that his ex-wife was in police custody, he said he would come to Lagos to pick the boy.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kenneth Nwosu, said Comfort would be arraigned as soon as possible.
He explained that Promise had been
treated and discharged from hospital. As of the time of filing this
report, Promise was being housed at the Lagos State social welfare home.
Later on Thursday, Comfort was arraigned
at an Ojokoro Magistrate Court, Lagos on charges of assault occasioning
harm and attempted murder.
Promise’s father also came to Lagos on
Thursday to take the boy. The father declined to speak on the issue when
our correspondent tried to ask him some questions. “I only came to
Lagos to pick the boy,” he said.
Worries as poor fathers turn homes to torture chambers for children
Eight-year-old Shina Adegbolu, a
basic three pupil of a primary school in Ikotun area of Lagos was taken
for treatment at the Igando General Hospital on July 5, 2015. But an
observant nurse knew something was wrong as soon as he saw the boy and
his injuries.
Shina’s 34-year-old father, Idris, took
him for treatment with the complaint that the boy fell down and
sustained an injury on his buttocks.
But the nurse tactically separated the
boy from his father and asked about the true cause of the extensive sore
that had developed on the boy’s buttocks.
Shina
quietly explained that he had not been able to sit for about five days
since his father gave him a violent beating with a stick for stealing.
The nurse treated the boy but rather
than confront the father, she took down his address and phone number and
contacted a non-governmental organisation for action on the boy’s case.
When our correspondent tracked down the
man, he confirmed the boy’s story even though he tried to play down the
impact his beating had on his son.
“I only beat him once because he stole
N500. I don’t usually beat him and I was just angry that day. That was
why I beat him. The beating did not cause the sore. It was after he
could not sit down that his step-mother used warm water to treat the
buttocks and a tiny wound there developed into the sore,” Idris told our
correspondent.
A subdued, shy and gaunt Shina told our
correspondent that he was simply very hungry the day he took the money
because his father and step-mother refused to feed him.
“When my father started to look for the
money, I returned the N500. But he was angry and beat me till neighbours
came to drag me away from him. I could not sit when I went to school
and my teacher sent me home when I could not sit to write,” Shina said.
Neighbours at their Ikotun residence told Saturday PUNCH that Idris beat his son mercilessly regularly that they feared that he was going to kill him one day.
“Nobody said he should not discipline
his child but it is no longer punishment when you beat a child as if you
want to kill him,” one neighbour told our correspondent.
Cases of extreme corporal punishment in
the hands of parents in Nigeria may not be an entirely new phenomenon
but the recent rise in such deadly torture calls to question the laws
protecting children and the reasons parents have to resort to such
deadly means to discipline their children.
The United Nations Children’s Fund
explains that child abuse includes all forms of physical and emotional
ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that result in
actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development or dignity.
According to a UNICEF report on violence
against children, on average, about six in 10 children worldwide
(almost 1 billion) between the ages of two and 14 are subjected to
physical (corporal) punishment by their caregivers on a regular basis,
many of which lead to death.
UNICEF says Nigeria had the highest
number of such deaths (due to intentional injuries) in 2012 with almost
13,000 deaths, followed by Brazil with approximately 11,000.
UNICEF agrees that reliable data on
violence against children in Nigeria is scarce “because violence is
often not reported as it occurs mostly within the context where it is
regarded as ‘normal’ such as within the family circle or behind the
privacy of homes.”
Deadly parents, frightening homefront
Idris maintained he was just trying to
discipline his son to make him a better person. But for little Shina,
that home is the most dreaded place in the world for him.
Our correspondent noticed the body
language between Shina and his father. It was clearly of a boy that was
terrified of the man he called father.
“My mummy is dead. I want to run away
because my daddy beats me too much. But I don’t know where to go,” Shina
told our correspondent out of the earshot of his father.
Idris was handed over to the police. But he was not charged to court.
He was made to write an undertaking that
he would never hurt the boy and any extreme punishment would land him
in bigger trouble.
“I am not a monster that they made me out to be. Is it wrong for one to punish his own child for wrongdoing?” he said.
Elsewhere in Lagos, a father fled home after nearly killing his daughter.
Thirty-seven-year-old Monsurat Kazeem
was crying when she told our correspondent about her ordeal and that of
her children in the hands of her 40-year-old husband, Kamoni.
“He has been acting like someone with a mental illness since he lost his job. Our lives have been hell,” she said.
But the problem in their house goes beyond just the maltreatment in the hands of Kamoni.
On July 7, 2015, vigilantes on a patrol
rescued their 12-year-old daughter Kafayat, in the middle of the night
as she hid in front of a shop at Oyingbo Market, Lagos.
The state in which the girl was found prompted the vigilantes to instantly rush the girl to the hospital.
She had been beaten brutally with a wire, leaving scary marks on the girl’s chest.
Kafayat said her father turned on her
when she intervened in a fight between him and her mother as he
brutalised her for playing lotto.
“My mother screamed for help as my daddy
beat her. She was shouting for help but the neighbours did not come
out. He was always beating her. But when I held his hand to stop, he
started to beat me also.
“He did not use his hands to beat me, he
used wire and I thought he was about to kill me. But after taking more
than 20 lashes, I was able to run away. I want mummy to take us back to
Ilorin. I am afraid of living with our father again.”
But Kafayat’s mother told a slightly different story.
She said, “Please, don’t think that I am
trying to cover up for my husband. The truth is losing his job has
affected him very much that he has become aggressive.
“I am a petty trader and whenever I go
out to hawk, he accuses me of having an affair. There was a time he was
arrested and sent to prison for something he did not do. I sold
everything I had for his legal defence. I had to resort to playing lotto
just to survive at the time.
“When he got back from prison, he
started to harass me for playing lotto. He is always suspicious about
everything I do. He always punishes the children but not up to
inflicting so much injury like he did on Kafayat. Kafayat sometimes
steals and that day, she did something wrong that angered her father. I
only came back from hawking to see that he had brutally beaten and
injured Kafayat and he was sorry for what he did.”
The police are looking for Kamoni presently as he has fled his home.
When our correspondent spoke with him on the phone, he was sobbing as he explained that his action was “the devil’s work.”
“Please, government should have mercy on
me. I was not in my right mind when I beat my daughter to that extent. I
was only afraid that they would lock me up; that’s why I ran away,”
Kamoni said.
But for Kafayat, the scar of such
violent treatment in the hands of her father is something she probably
would live to remember. When our correspondent spoke with Kamoni on the
phone, he was profusely apologetic.
“Please, I was only angry. I regret
everything I did now. I love my daughter. But my anger overwhelmed me
that day. I am willing to report myself to the government now. But
please, I don’t want to be locked up,” he said.
For children like this, the home, which
is supposed to provide the expected protection and warmth needed for
their balanced development is like a torture chamber.
A United Nations’ report on violence
against children states, “A basic assumption of the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, contained in its preamble, is that the family is
the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members
— and particularly children — thereby recognising that the family has
the greatest potential to protect children and provide for their
physical and emotional safety.
“The exposure of children to violence in
their homes on a frequent basis, usually through fights between parents
or between a mother and her partner, can severely affect a child’s
well-being, personal development and social interaction in childhood and
adulthood.”
The Nigerian Child Rights Acts 2003
expressly criminalises any form of punishment that harms a child either
physically or emotionally.
Section 11 of the CRA states, “(a) No
child shall be subjected to physical, mental or emotional injury, abuse,
neglect or maltreatment, including sexual abuse; or (b) subjected to
torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
But few parents seem to be aware that
beating their children to the point of inflicting deadly injuries on
them has become criminal in the country.
Ugly trend, frightening punishment
In May 2015, Ibrahim Bello, the father
of a 16-year-old secondary school student, Kafayat, inflicted severe
burn injury with a hot iron all over her body as punishment for leaving
her duty post in her mother’s shop to play with friends. He had
initially whipped her till the girl could not walk.
Around the same period, a five-year-old
boy, Olamilekan Mustapha, was beaten to a coma by his father, Adigun, at
Surulere area of Lagos, leaving gory looking stripes on the boy’s body
when he was rescued by sympathisers.
More shocking was the case of
40-year-old Surulere Raphael, who cut off one of his daughter’s fingers
in Jos, Plateau State on June 23, 2015 for stealing N1,500 and meat from
a pot of soup.
These cases attest to the ugly trend of
extreme punishment, which have turned homes to torture chambers for many
children in the country.
Our correspondent went in search of
Kafayat and Olamilekan to find out what has happened to them since their
cases reached the authorities.
Deaths from extreme punishment
The culture of corporal punishment goes
beyond the home front as many schools in the country still engage in
this form of correctional action.
But unfortunately, every year in the
last three years, one case or another has hit the consciousness of the
nation as showing the danger in corporal punishment.
In October 2012, a teacher in a school
in Awka, Anambra State, flogged a pupil, Chidinma Ukachukwu, to death
for failing to do her homework. In November 2013, a primary school
teacher in Ondo State flogged a female pupil, Elizabeth Wanogba, to
death for being stubborn in class. He beat her till she fainted and she
was pronounced dead in a hospital thereafter.
In one of the most alarming cases in
recent times, in February 2014, Chris Elvis, a computer accessory trader
in Lagos, padlocked the mouth of his son, Godrich, locked him up in the
room and beat him to death accusing him of being an ‘Ogbanje’ (an evil
child that dies and reincarnates repeatedly)credits..punchng
Omawumi welcomes baby boy (photo)
South Africa returns $15 million seized for the procurement of arms
The sum of $9.3 million was seized by the South African authorities on September 5, 2014 and another $5.7 million was seized later in a transaction involving Societe D’ Equipments Internationale of Nigeria and Cereberus Risk Solutions, a South African arms company.
The first seizure was by South African custom officers who intercepted two Nigerians and an Israeli who arrived the country in a private jet allegedly owned by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) president, Rev Ayo Oritsejafor. They found 3 suitcases stashed with money when they ran them through airport scanners.
The money were reportedly concealed in two black plastic suitcases. Also found on the men, were, an invoice for a helicopter and armaments meant for Nigeria. The Nigerian government then quickly admitted that it was aware of the transaction and informed the media that the process was legal.
The former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) who spoke on behalf of the government then, said the Nigerian government had no choice as some powerful countries had refused to sell arms to Nigeria.
The South African government through its High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, said it would not release the funds until after “due process” was followed.
Yesterday, the consulting firm issuing statements on behalf of Nigerian security agencies, PR Nigeria, said the money has finally been released.
According to the statement, the money was released as a result of some legal and diplomatic processes initiated by the former NSA which “ensured that cash seized by the South African government during the cash for arms saga last year have been fully recovered by Nigeria”.
It added:
"President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was forced to resort to the alternative market to obtain arms when western powers blocked every access to the formal arms market but the cash were seized both at the airport and in the bank”.
14 Jul 2015
President Buhari Reveals How the New Service Chiefs Were Picked
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday explained that the new
service chiefs were appointed based on merit.
The President made the disclosure while addressing them shortly after
their appointments were announced.
He said, ''All of you, including the National Security Adviser, were
chosen on merit. Your records gave you the job. Save for the new Chief
of Army Staff whom I briefly met at his Command at the Multi-National
Joint Task Force, in Chad, I don’t know any of you. Your records
recommended you''.
Things To Avoid in A JOB Interview.......
Interview sessions are supposed to be occasions for
prospective employees to showcase their skills and why
they deserve to be employed, however, for most job seekers
this opportunity is usually flunked because many
candidates inadvertently shoot themselves in the leg by
doing what they are not supposed to do or otherwise.
So, what are some things you must avoid at an interview?
We will look at 8 of such things to avoid for you to
ace your next interview session.
1. Dressing wrongly
Experts say that 65% decisions are made about you based
on how you dress and appear. Interviews are formal
occasions and you must dress formally and look like
someone who means business. Though ‘formality’ does not
necessarily mean wearing shirt, tie and suit; but it does
mean looking smart and fit for the job or position you are
applying for. So the next time you attend an interview, make
sure you look like you mean business.
2. Not well groomed
True, your dressing is part of grooming, but it is much more
than dressing. It encompasses your total outward look. As
a male, your hair needs to be well cut and trimmed. As a
lady, you shouldn’t wear a multi-colour hair for interviews.
Also watch out on your colour combinations, there mustn’t
be any riot. As much as possible, keep your colour
combinations within 2 colours, but not more than 3 at the
maximum. A simple Google search for ideas on colour
combinations can help.
3. Arriving late for interviewThis will definitely score you low. If you arrive late for
interview, it will be assumed that you don’t have regard for
time and that is how you will be coming late for work
should you be employed. Make sure you take time to know
where your interview will take place before the day. Arrange
everything you will need at least a day prior to the interview
day. If need be, set alarm so you can wake up early and
finish on time to leave the house. You don’t want to take
chances if you leave in a place like Lagos where traffic
hitch is the order of the day.
4. LyingIt is common practice for some people to lie about quite a
number of things during interview so they could secure the
job. But it is better to remain on the side of honour and
integrity and miss the job than to lie and get it, because
sooner or later the wind may blow and your lies would be
found out. And then you would be sacked for lying and
deceiving your employer. If you do not meet the age or
qualification requirement, then don’t apply and if you do,
just tell them the truth about what you truly possess, that
may even be the reason they will employ you.
5. Slanting your current boss or employer
No matter where you work, you will always come across
people who step on your toes. People can do things that
are even unethical and sometimes, they can really get on
your nerves. But mal-aligning those during an interview will
be your ‘Achilles hills’. Unwittingly, you are sending a
signal to this prospective employer that you will do the
same to them should you want to leave their company.
Watch it!
6. Not knowing some basic information about the company
How can you claim to want to work for an organisation and
you know nothing about them? It is almost certain that one
of the questions you would be asked during an interview is,
“What do you know about this company?” And if you say
you don’t know anything about the company, then you are
not qualified to work there. Visit their website if they have
one. Read about them, when it was established, what
landmark achievements they have, and their current staff
strength. Get to know their vision/mission statements and
core values. These are things that show you really have
interest in the company.
7. Being too nervous or too confident
The two are alike working in opposite directions. Being too
nervous shows lack of confidence and being too confident
shows a sign of arrogance. You need to create a balance
by being cool headed. Answer questions simply without
over embellishing. And also being too confident may seem
you are not a team player; someone who might be bossing
everyone around without listening to others’ opinions.
8. Being rude
It is likely that in some instances there will be people in the
interview panel you are older than or more qualified than.
However, that is not a reason to be rude to them. At this
point, your age and qualification don’t matter. What matters
is to be humble and respectfully respond to questions
posed to you. If you find yourself being rude, apologise
politely and move on. Also do not get too close with
members of the panel. Just be polite and friendly.
Avoid all the above then expect your appointment letter.
13 Jul 2015
Photos from the scene of an accident on 3rd mainland bridge
May we never lack God's protection.
so disheartening,and touching.
IMPORTANT NOTICE.
Pls warn your kids, younger onces, students and
anybody around you... Don't collect any bag or
leather bags of any type from anybody to dispose
off, keep, drop or give to anyone. This is the
method used by terrorists in using innocent
children as suicide bombers. Parents of Zaria
suicide just comfirmed.
This was the same method used in Adamawa
yestaday where 2 kids were asked to drop a
black leather bag at a mechanic workshop for
N2500.
Please share TO INFORM OTHERS.........
anybody around you... Don't collect any bag or
leather bags of any type from anybody to dispose
off, keep, drop or give to anyone. This is the
method used by terrorists in using innocent
children as suicide bombers. Parents of Zaria
suicide just comfirmed.
This was the same method used in Adamawa
yestaday where 2 kids were asked to drop a
black leather bag at a mechanic workshop for
N2500.
Please share TO INFORM OTHERS.........
Man who disguised as a woman arrested
 | |||||
| the man after he was caught |
I guesss he was planning something really BADDDDDDDDD......Good for him.
Senate President, Saraki in mecca for Umrah,lesser hajj
 |
| Senate president, saraki with friends at mecca for ummra known as the lesser hajj |
12 Jul 2015
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH LINDA IKEJI ;Top Secrets Behind Linda Ikeji's Millions In Blogging Business.
YES International Magazine recently interviewed popular
Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji on her blog. In the
interview titled “How I Make Millions from Blogging”
Linda Ikeji talks about her passion for blogging, what
she thinks has enabled her blog become popular and
much more. Check out excerpts below.
When you started your blogging business, what goal
did you set for yourself?I didn’t set any goal. I just started the blog out of my
passion for it. I made it my hobby. You know, while
growing up, I wanted to be a journalist, but I wasn’t
successful. I see blogging as a close substitute for
journalism, which was my dream job. I just love
meeting people, reading their stories, interviews and the
rest. I never knew that four years later people will
begging to pay for what I enjoy doing. I never thought
that I will be making millions from blogging, but I thank
God that what I enjoy doing is now making millions for
me.
What should someone do to be a successful
blogger?You have to love blogging. You can’t say I want to blog
because I want to make money. It takes a stepping
stone to get there. There are over a thousand blogs like
I said, but what will make people enjoy visiting your
blog depends on the efforts you put into it. So, be
passionate about it, be consistent, don’t blog once or
twice in a week, blog everyday if you can, enjoy it, and
love it. Don’t be anonymous when it comes to blogging.
People find it easy to relate more to people they know.
For example, if you are Amebo.com, people do not
know who is behind it, so their response will not be
felt. If you use your name, it commands credibility and
acceptance. Like I use my name, I use my pictures, I
talk about my intimate secrets at times and it has really
helped me to a very large extent. People wish to have
my numbers, BB pin and everyone wants to be my
friend. So, find what you can do easily and you enjoy
doing. That was what I did for the first four years that I
started the blog before I began to make money.
Tell us your success secret…
It’s God. You see, when God is ready for you, it is your
turn. I have hustled for many years now, I don’t hustle
any more. I have worked very, very hard and remain
persistent in what I do. From being a model until I
found my way into blogging. It has been the
combination of God’s favour and hard work.
What is your current hit per day?I am number 26 in Nigeria as a whole. Others are The
Sun, Vanguard, The Punch, GTBank, UBA and so on. I’m
actually the first in entertainment in Nigeria. I’m like
number 8,000 in the world and that is a very big
achievement. I used to have about 50,000 hits per day!
Just because I do it all alone. So, when I get people
who are ready to work with me, I’m sure it’s going to
get to 100,000.
For many youths who wish to be like Linda Ikeji,
what do you think they should do?First and foremost, they have to find what they are good
at, their talent; work hard on your talent, be patient,
because for you to succeed in life, you need patience
which a lot of people don’t have. They want quick
money and success, but lasting success does take
time. They also have to be very prayerful.
LASTING SUCESS DOES TAKE TIME.................
Serena Williams is Wimbledon Champion
6 - 4 6 - 4 to claim her second ‘ Serena Slam ’ and win
her 21 st Grand Slam title in the Wimbledon final on
Saturday .
After losing a close first set and battling bravely to
come back from 5 - 1 down in the second , the 21 - year-
old Spaniard was eventually defeated after one hour
and 23 minutes , to leave Williams to receive the
acclaim of the Centre Crowd .
At 33 years and 289 days , Serena surpasses Martina
Navratilova as the oldest player to win Wimbledon ,
and any of the other three Grand Slams , in the Open
era .
Muguruza , born in Venezuela and raised in Barcelona ,
had insisted facing Serena was a task to be relished
rather than feared.
She was proving true to her bold claim and, by the
time Muguruza moved into a 4 - 2 lead, it seemed an
epic shock was on the cards .
However , Serena had recovered from worse
predicaments earlier in the tournament .
With the pressure ratcheted up , the inevitable Serena
break back arrived in the eighth game when Muguruza
missed with a wild forehand .
Williams scented blood and Muguruza crumbled, a
double - fault on set point gift - wrapping the lead to
Serena in a set that had been the underdog’ s for the
taking .
The American had won 28 of her last 30 tour - level
finals , including her last nine at the majors , and, in
her eighth Wimbledon final , she was finally back in
that muscular groove.
Serena ’ s fierce grimace and clenched fist after
breaking in the fourth game of the second set
suggested the finish line was in sight
But , serving for the match with 5 - 1 and then 5 - 3
leads , Williams was gripped by a bad case of nerves
and Muguruza broke twice to prolong the contest .
Serena ’ s sixth Wimbledon crown brought with it a
slew of other remarkable landmarks that underline her
credentials as one of the greatest female athletes of
all time .
The American ’ s 21 st Grand Slam crown and 68 th
tour - level title earned her a cheque for £ 1 . 8 million .
But it is her legacy rather than her bank balance that
concerns Williams these days and she now holds all
four Grand Slam titles at the same time – the rare
‘ Serena Slam ’ she last achieved in 2002- 03 .
Serena is the first woman to land the French Open
and Wimbledon back- to- back since she last won that
difficult double in 2002 .
10 Jul 2015
Blind student with big dream; story of BILYAMIN BABALOLA{blind},a 300 level law student,Unilorin
 |
Written by TOYIN ALI
Bilamin Babalola became blind when he was struck by a chronic eye disease as a toddler . But , despite his visual impairment , this student of University of Ilorin
( UNILORIN) is determined to become a lawyer . TOYIN ALI ( 300-Level Law ) writes .
A sudden loss of sight has aborted many dreams, but
to Bilamin Babalola , anyone whose dreams die after
losing his or her sight does not have a dream .
Although, Bilamin is visually- impaired , he sees
beyond his current circumstance and visualises what
many of his contemporaries do not see.
Bilamin was barely two when he was struck by a
chronic eye disease , which rendered him blind . But ,
he does not want to allow that to limit him.
He may be blind , but he visualises being a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria ( SAN ) in futre . A tall dream ,
many would say , considering the rigours of studying
law ; but Bilamin is determined to live his dream .
To Bilamin, blindness is not a barrier . “ Seeing with
two eyes is not a requisite to become a lawyer , but
skills , ” he said , adding : “ My inability to see does not
pose a challenge so long as I have conviction to do
what I want to do . ”
With confidence , Bilamin said he has the intellect to
achieve his aim . Before his admission into the
University of Ilorin ( UNILORIN ) to study law , Bilamin,
an indigene of Oyo State, took the Cambridge
Advance Level programme at Education Advancement
Centre in Ibadan . There, his ability was underrated by
his colleagues , who thought he would not do well in
his studies .
Bilamin left the school as the best graduating student
in Arts.
He was denied admission severally to study Law
because he is physically challenged. “ I was denied
admission to study law many times despite my
success at the Cambridge Advance Level
Examinations . Although some universities complained
that they don ’ t have the facilities for training special
people like me . However, I remained hopeful that one
day, my wishful thinking would gravitate into reality , ”
he said.
On why he insisted on studying Law , Bilamin said
providence and divine calling are driving his passion .
His aim , he said , is to tackle injustice in the society .
He said : “ Initially, people expected me to settle for a
a discipline that is less competitive . They saw my
disability as a barrier to achieving anything good in
life . But , I have strong conviction to achieve my aim ,
as long as I have the requisite background and skills .
If I am a lawyer , I would tackle injustice and remain a
beacon of hope to the physically - challenged people . ”
Recalling how his oratory and argumentative skills
won him prizes in his days at SPED International
Secondary School in Oyo, Bilamin said he loves
history , literature and government. He said : “ When I
was in secondary school , I did participate in quiz and
debates . I won many prizes and I was the best pupil
in history , literature and government during my days. ”
How does he study when he cannot see? Bilamin said
he reads and conducts academic researches through
his personal computer . He also pointed out that his
classmates lightened his burden . “ Studying is never a
difficult task for me , because most of my books are
in electronic versions . I read them with the aid of
voice transmitter on my personal system . And
sometimes, when the materials are not available, my
course mates come to my rescue . ”
Bilamin said he has never lacked anything since he
started studying Law , praising his mother for rising
up to the challenges . He said his mother supports
him financially and emotionally . “ My mother has
remained my pillar of support since the death of my
father many years ago. She has ensured that I don ’ t
suffer anything , including money . She is solely
responsible for my upbringing till this present
moment , ” he said.
For his logical contributions in class discussion,
Bilamin has been described by his course mates and
lecturers as a “ visionary student . ” According to Isiak
Apalando , co - ordinator of the Faculty of Law Quiz and
Debate Club , Bilamin is a brilliant contributor when it
comes to debate and quiz.
Isiak said : “ He has won the hearts of many students
with his rational presentation of arguments in any
forum he finds himself. His detailed knowledge of
African history and literature distinguishes him among
his peers . ”
When he achieves his aim to be a lawyer , Bilamin
said he would contest for the Presidency . He hopes
the 8 th National Assembly would amend the
Constitution to accommodate the physically-
challenged who want to contest for public offices .
He said : “ I have aspiration to contest for Nigerian
president to institute change in the society . I dream
of a Nigeria where the masses will enjoy the
dividends of democracy as against what is obtainable
in Nigeria presently. ”
Bilamin said the 1999 Constitution does not represent
the wishes of the common man , especially the
physically - challenged . The best way to effect a
change , he said, is through an amendment of the
Constitution .
THERE IS ABILITY IN DISABILITY.
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