current world news,online british newspapers,current news in the world,newspaper archives,international news today,international news headlines,national newspapers online,rent international news,world news latest,daily newspaper articles,nations newspaper online,international latest news,current business news,online newspaper in nigeria,nigeria news online newspapers,sun online newspaper,breaking news in nigeria today,nigeria today news,nigeria online news,news today in nigeria,newspapers in nigeria online,nigeria online news paper,latest news nigeria today,the sun news online newspaper,the sun nigeria news paper,latest news today,in nigeria,nigeria news paper,online british newspapers,newspaper online in nigeria,newspaper in nigeria online,nigeria s news,the nation nigeria newspapers online,the nation nigeria online,naija breaking news,nigeria breaking news,nigeria s latest news,nigeria today,nigeria breaking news today,news paper online nigeria,online news paper in nigeria,online news nigeria,news online nigeria,latest news for today in nigeria,top online newspapers in the world,best online newspaper in the world,best online newspapers in the world,mail today online newspaper,online chinese newspaper,chinese online newspaper,daily news online newspaper,ny times news paper,thenewyorktimes newspaper,times news paper today,online news paper english,new york times newspaper online,today times news paper,online news paper in english,news paper of english,nytimes nytimes,nytimes most popular,ny times wall street journal,to day news paper in english,times of newspaper,news paper today english,the new york,times newspaper online,news paper today in english,chinese news paper online,economic news paper,today ny times.today news paper in english,the mail newspaper today,news newspaper today,english news paper the news,,online digital newspapers,online international newspapers,news of the world archive online,british library online newspapers,online newspaper directory,british library online newspaper archive,online newspaper articles,free online newspaper archives,online newspapers archives,online newspapers by state,online business newspapers,china online newspaper,online newspaper of india,world wide newspapers,china world newspaper,global newspapers online,historical newspapers online,online newspaper in nigeria,,newspaper in nigeria,newspapers in nigeria online,daily newspapers in nigeria,newspaper online in nigeria,daily trust newspapers in nigeria,newspapers in nigeria today,today s newspapers in nigeria,online newspapers in nigeria today,sun newspaper nigeria,newspaper in nigeria online,the sun newspaper nigeria,the newspapers in nigeria,all newspapers in nigeria,daily newspaper in nigeria,sun newspaper in nigeria,daily trust newspaper nigeria,newspapers from nigeria,list of newspapers in nigeria,newspaper in nigeria today,the sun newspapers in nigeria,newspapers in nigeria online today,newspapers online in nigeria today,the sun newspapers nigeria,newspaper online in nigeria today,sun newspapers nigeria,the guardian newspaper nigeria,all newspaper in nigeria,news in nigeria,newspapers today in nigeria,

Wednesday

Igbo Leaders Pass Vote of No Confidence On Serving Commissioners of Police In The Zone

BOKO HARAM: IGBO LEADERS DEMAND TRANSFER OF CPS IN SOUTH-EAST
Prof. Ben Nwabueze-led Igbo Leaders of Thought yesterday in Enugu demanded the immediate change of the Commissioners of Police in the five states of the South-East.  In a statement issued in Enugu and signed by the Deputy Secretary of the body, Evangelist Elliot Uko, the leaders expressed concern that all the Police Commissioners posted to the South-East are Hausa/Fulani.
“Are there no Police Commissioners from the Middle Belt, South-South or South-West that could be posted to the South-East?
“With the shielding of the six Boko Haram bombers arrested at the Owerri church by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, we hereby reject the continual occupation of the South-East by Hausa/ Fulani Muslim Police Commissioners.
“We hereby demand that Police Commissioners Abubakar Adamu Mohamed of Enugu, Usuman Gwari of Anambra, Maigari Dikko of Ebonyi, Abdulmajid Ali of Imo and Adamu Ibrahim of Abia should be immediately juggled and redeployed as we feel uncomfortable with the officers in charge of the South-East as Boko Haram boasts of plans to attack the South.
“We plead with the residents of the South-East and South-South to remain alert and vigilant as the news of the infiltration of the region by Boko Haram seems real. Suspicious individuals and packages must be reported promptly to the relevant security agencies,” the statement said.
The group said its security committee had articulated a security awareness programme, which the South-East Governors’ Forum would work with to secure Igbo land from Boko Haram insurgents.
The statement added that the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe and the Secretary of the group, Prof. Elo Amucheazi, would soon liaise with the South-East governors to fine-tune the South-East security programme.
Source: Sun
Prof. Ben Nwabueze-led Igbo Leaders of Thought yesterday in Enugu demanded the immediate change of the Commissioners of Police in the five states of the South-East. In a statement issued in Enugu and signed by the Deputy Secretary of the body, Evangelist Elliot Uko, the leaders expressed concern that all the Police Commissioners posted to the South-East are Hausa/Fulani.
“Are there no Police Commissioners from the... Middle Belt, South-South or South-West that could be posted to the South-East?

OSUN 2014 Update: APC Ask Court To Stop Jonathan From Deploying Troops

OSUN: APC ASKS COURT TO STOP JONATHAN FROM DEPLOYING TROOPS
THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked a Federal High Court in Lagos to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from deploying troop for the purpose of security during the August 9 governorship election in Osun State.
In a suit no FJC/L/CS/1108/1, the plaintiff is asking the court for “a declaration that by the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as ammended), it is ultra vires for the president to deploy members of the armed forces to Osun State for the purpose of the conduct of the governorship election scheduled to hold on August 9.”
Consequently, the plaintiff was requesting for an order restraining the president from deploying soldiers to Osun during the election.
President Goodluck Jonathan and the Attorney General of the Federation are the defendants.
Besides, the party is asking the court to grant its reliefs, including costs of filing the suit should the two defendants fail to enter an appearance within the next 30 days.
According to the originating summons in the suit taken on behalf of the plaintiff by M.A Banire & Associates, the chambers of the national legal adviser of APC, Dr Muiz Banire, the suit was brought pursuant to order 3, rules 1, 6 and 9 of the FHC (civil procedure) rules 2009; sections 217 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
No hearing date has been fixed for the hearing.
Source: Tribune
THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked a Federal High Court in Lagos to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from deploying troop for the purpose of security during the August 9 governorship election in Osun State.

Adamawa Speaker, Umaru Fintiri, sworn in as Acting Governor


The Speaker of Adamawa State House of Assembly, Umaru Fintiri, has been sworn into office as the new Acting Governor following the impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako and the resignation of his deputy.
Mr. Fintiri was sworn in by the President of the Customary Court in the State at the council chambers of Government House, Yola.

Governor AL-MAKURA Solicits Jonathan's Assitance Of Being Impeached

NASARAWA IMPEACHMENT: AL-MAKURA RUSHES TO ABUJA TO MEET JONATHAN
Following the impeachment notice served on the Nasarawa State governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura by the state Assembly, the embattled state chief executive hurriedly left Lafia, the state capital yesterday for Abuja in an effort to prevail on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the matter.
LEADERSHIP reports that, Al-Makura before leaving the state capital at about 4p.m. had held series of meetings with his aides and party officials intent upon seeing how the impeachment impasse can be surmounted.
Addressing the press at Shendam Road Assembly complex however, the clerk of the Assembly, Mr. Ego Maikeffi, disclosed that after several attempts to serve the impeachment notice on the governor, he was denied access into the Government House.
Ego stated further that in line with the directive of the Speaker, he is set to serve the notice through the media today.
The House Committee chairman on information and security, Hon. Mohammed Baba Ibaku, confirmed the development saying other options of serving the notice would be explored.
In a swift reaction however, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Public Affairs, Hon. Abdulhamid Kwarra, denied the report insisting that the Assembly was yet to serve the notice as a 6pm yesterday.
Speaking on the unfolding scenario, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Mark Neto said the state Assembly would be doing a disservice to the state if they had a catalogue of such gross misconduct and refused to take action.
Mr. Neto who noted that the PDP hierarchy in the state would have preferred the party to slug it out with Al-Makura at the poll but regretted however that “posterity would not be fair to the members if they gloss over such grievous misconduct”. He denied that the PDP embarked upon impeachment because it was afraid to face Al-Makura at the polls.
The immediate past state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Stanley Buba, on his part called on Governor Al-Makura to address the allegations levelled against him promptly, saying that the Assembly was only discharging its constitutional duty.
LEADERSHIP reports that before Al-Makura left for Abuja, notable traditional rulers in the state had converged at the guest house of the Emir of Lafia, Alhaji Isa Mustapha Agwai l, with a view to seeking their intervention on the matter.
Informed sources also disclosed that a high-powered delegation of traditional rulers and other respected stakeholders in the state were expected to join Al-Makura in Abuja today so as to solicit President Jonathan’s intervention.
Source: Leadership
Following the impeachment notice served on the Nasarawa State governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura by the state Assembly, the embattled state chief executive hurriedly left Lafia, the state capital yesterday for Abuja in an effort to prevail on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the matter.
LEADERSHIP reports that, Al-Makura before leaving the state capital at about 4p.m. had held series of meetings with his aides and party officials intent upon seeing how the impeachment impasse can be surmounted.

Saturday

Breaking News: ASUP Suspends 10 month old strike

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, has suspended its 10-month old strike on Saturday 12 July.
The decision to suspend the strike, which began in October 2013, was reached after a National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the union held in Abuja.

YOU’VE NO POWER TO SACK ELECTED LG OFFICIALS, S’COURT TELLS GOVERNORS

YOU’VE NO POWER TO SACK ELECTED LG OFFICIALS, S’COURT TELLS GOVERNORS
The Supreme Court yesterday held that no state governor in Nigeria has the right to remove democratically elected local government officials.
The judgement received swift accolades from eminent lawyers including former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide; the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Okey Wali, SAN; Constitutional lawyer, Itse Sagay and Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo.
The apex court while delivering judgement in the case of the removal of 148 elected local government officials by the Abia State Government in 2006, held that the action was illegal and amounted to "official recklessness" by the governor.
The five-member panel of justices of the apex court also ordered the Abia State Government to pay the sacked 148 elected officials their salaries and entitlement for the 23 months.
It would be recalled that the Abia State local government elected officials, comprising local government chairmen and councillors were sacked by former governor Orji Kalu in June 2006.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri had earlier declared as illegal, the dissolution of the local government areas in the state by the Abia State Government.
The Appeal Court judgement stated that the elected LG Chairmen and councillors had not concluded their tenure.
Shortly after the judgment was delivered, the then state's Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Ume Kalu, appealed against the judgment.
Eminent lawyers hail judgement…
Meanwhile, eminent lawyers have hailed yesterday’s judgement making it illegal for governors to remove elected local government officials.
Keyamo said the ruling was perfectly in order. “It is what we have always known that the governor can only be acting unconstitutionally. Even the appointments of administrators of all the local government councils and the misuse of the funds accruable to local governments are all illegal. All of these acts have always been unconstitutional. The governors have always been treating the local governments as ministries under them, which is completely wrong.
“If the federal government cannot tamper with the funds accruable to states, why should the states tamper with the funds accruable to local governments? So, it has always been a wrong practice and it is just a good thing and I’m happy that the Supreme Court has come out openly to say so,” Keyamo said.
Wali described the judgement as “a very welcome decision.” He said the NBA had always held the view that local government autonomy must be respected.
He added: “This idea of local government being appendages of states is not constitutional. They are constitutionally recognised and they should be allowed to run. So, I’m very happy, very, very delighted about the decision because that has always been the position of the Bar Association that local government must be autonomous. They are the closest government to the people.
“If you get to London, I’m sure you’ve already heard about the Mayor of London, same in America, we all know about the Mayor of New York. So, we need to grow our democracy. That’s one aspect of our democracy that has been distorted and abused. I pray that with this development the governors will learn to respect the local governments system.”
Akinjide said: “The Supreme Court of Nigeria is the highest court in the country. There’s no appeal against their judgment. Whatever legal pronouncement they made is final.”
For Sagay, what the Supreme Court has done is correct because “it is exactly in accordance with what is in the constitution.
He added: “The constitution made provision for only democratically elected local governments. So, if the local government is democratically elected and they have a fixed tenure, then nobody can remove them. Just as nobody can remove the State House of Assembly, just as nobody can remove the National Assembly until their period lapses. So, what the state governors were doing was illegal. It was contrary to the constitution. They are exercising powers they don’t have. So, what the Supreme Court has said is absolutely correct.”
The lead judgment was written by Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour while Justice Walter Onnoghen presided over the hearing of the appeal.
The other three justices who agreed with the lead judgment are Suleiman Galadima, Kumai Bayang Aka'ahs and John Inyang Okoro.
Source: Thisday
The Supreme Court yesterday held that no state governor in Nigeria has the right to remove democratically elected local government officials.
The judgement received swift accolades from eminent lawyers including former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide; the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Okey Wali, SAN; Constitutional lawyer, Itse Sagay and Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo.

LAGOS PASTOR ‘IMPLICATED’ IN RITUAL SAGA OPENS UP

LAGOS PASTOR ‘IMPLICATED’ IN RITUAL SAGA OPENS UP
The news broke, just like a thunderbolt. Mrs. Rosemary Chukwu, a mother of four, residing at 33, Omolegede street, a suburb of Ikorodu area in Lagos State, abducted a seven-year-old primary School pupil, Emmanuel Emeka, and was about taking him to a den when it was foiled .
Shockingly, the suspect revealed to the bewildered crowd that gathered after she was caught that her pastor asked her to bring the boy. She mentioned the General Overseer of Holy Family Ministry a.k.a House of Mercy in the same Ikorodu, as her pastor.
The pastor, identified as Ernest Chukwuemeka Nwankwo, 49, was said to be on the run and was later apprehended and handed over to the police at the State Criminal Investigations Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos for interrogation. Crime Guard was able to corner the embattled pastor as he was leaving the confines of police cell at Panti and he gave his own account of the ugly incident.
Excerpts:
INTRODUCTION
“My name is Prophet Ernest Chukwuemeka Nwankwo, from Nsugbe in Anambra East L.G.A, Anambra State. I have a Ministry formerly called Jesus Divine Healing and Deliverance Ministry now called Holy Family, Happy Family Ministry. I was out of Lagos for two weeks. I came back on Tuesday, June 14, and came to my Ministry on Wednesday morning.
My ministry is located at 319, Lagos road, Majudeen in Ikorodu. We carry out prayers and deliverance in the ministry.
The ministry started in 1997. We have no less than 15000 members with a spread in virtually all the major cities in Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. I started as a member of Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement before I established my own ministry. I am 49 yrs.
 “ I do not know how these allegations of ritual actions against me started. My ministry has existed for 17 years and we have never been associated with any bad thing or any untoward allegation. We have been doing well in carrying out God’s work since we came into existence. People troop to our ministry, we organize children’s day for over 30,000 children all over our branches every year. In Ikorodu, we normally have not less than 10,000 children during the day.
We have hosted these children since we stated and we have never had any problem for more than 10 years now. We have equally been doing well in all our activities, we have rehabilitation center where mad people are healed. Relations of such people bring them to our ministry and also stay with them until they are healed after which they will go home. We do not charge them, we feed them free. So, the ministry has been flourishing in all our branches.
“When I got to the office on Wednesday, June 15 to do some work and leave for Abuja for another programme, within 20 minutes, around 7.30am, a group of people, armed with dangerous weapons invaded our ministry, breaking down everything at sight. They also descended on our members who were over 50 in attendance for the morning worship.
They were over 300 and were ferociously destroying all the properties and manhandling everybody. It was like hell was let loose on us. They were armed to the teeth and were unrestrained in their bid to destroy everything in the ministry.
They not only subjected our members to serious beating, they also took all their bags and stripped all the women and children naked. I was inside the office when they invaded the place but they later broke into my office and descended on me. We were all seriously wounded and our bodies covered with blood.
RESCUE
Surprisingly, four of the hoodlums took pity on me and rescued me from their clutches as they were hitting my head with cutlasses and dangerous weapons. They took me to Owutu police station where I made a statement. When they asked me how it started, I could not explain but simply told them that some hoodlums invaded our ministry for no just cause.
It was while we were there that the people that rescued me told us that a woman claimed I sent her to kidnap somebody’s child. It was like a fairy tale to me. Before the police I asked for the identity of the woman and why she claimed I told her to kidnap somebody and they said it was for ritual purposes.     After I recovered from the shock, the policemen then advised that I should go and treat myself because I was bleeding profusely as a result of the beating.
I then proceeded to the hospital for treatment only to start reading in the papers the following day a lot of other damaging stories and that I was on the run. I personally reported to the police at Owutu in Ikorodu after treating myself and also personally reported at Panti the following day on a Monday.
AT PANTI
By Thursday morning, unfounded rumours were flying every where. On Friday, while I was going to treat myself, I quickly sent my lawyer to Panti after hearing the rumours flying everywhere about me and that the case was transferred to Panti.
My lawyer told them that I personally reported to the police at Owute after the incident and that I was allowed to go and treat myself. He then wrote an undertaking to produce me the next Monday and we all came to Panti that Monday straight from the General hospital Ikeja where I had an x-ray.   Even one of my ribs was said to have cracked and I sustained other serious injuries.
INTERROGATION AT PANTI
I can’t remember seeing or meeting the woman before. A lot of people come to my ministry so, it will be very difficult for me to know all of them. However, the police at Panti interrogated both of us and, in fact, when they brought her before me, I could not remember seeing her in life and I told the policemen this fact. I can’t even remember whether she called me on telephone or not because I cannot say the number of people that call me on telephone for my number is open and given to people freely to help in solving their spiritual problems.
Nevertheless, the police interrogated both of us, she claimed that Holy spirit told her that I should give her N2.5 million, and that she came and told me to give her the money but I told her that I had no money, that she came back again to me and requested for the money and I then told her to go and bring a child before I will give her the money.
I then asked her where we discussed this, if she has any evidence to show that she ever visited my ministry because visitors to the ministry always register their names before seeing me, or if there is any other evidence to show that we discussed that kind of thing. I punctured her story because I cannot understand what concerns me with her message with her Holy spirit.
SUCKING BLOOD
She also claimed that I have been seeing her in the spirit to suck her blood and that of her daughter with two gallons since she failed to bring a child to me. She claimed that I used to stand at her door for two days, tormenting her, and that was why she had to go for the child when she was caught.
I asked her where we met and discussed because I have been out of town for two weeks and how did she know that I came back. She said she was aware that I came back because I used to carry out consultations. It is well known by everybody that my consultation days are announced for members of the public to come and be healed. She also claimed she called me on phone in December last year and that she came to the ministry once this year but she could not substantiate where we discussed her claims.
She was thoroughly interrogated but she kept on contradicting herself as if she was either insane or under a spell. Unfortunately, her daughter she claimed I was sucking her blood with hers whom she said was 14 years was not there during the interrogation.
I had hoped that she was there for us all to be able to decipher what her mother was talking about because she is old enough to speak for her self at 14. I have never had this kind of ugly experience and I pray never to have it again. I also pray that the police should endevour to get to the route of this case because I have suffered so much over a matter I do not know anything about.
KIDNAP SAGA
The man that was shown saying he was kidnapped and brought from Anambra State is one of the mad people undergoing treatment in my ministry. The cousin that brought him to the ministry is Mr. Atuanya, a member of my ministry and his wife has been with him in the ministry while he was undergoing treatment. They are living witnesses and they are ready to testify to anybody that cares to know the truth.
This rumor against me is very painful to me because I suffered for over fourteen years to build this ministry to serve mankind. All of a sudden, and from the pit of hell, an unknown figure materialized from no where to pour odium on me and accuse me of ritual acts. In all these years, nobody has ever complained or petitioned against my activities in the ministry.
Instead, people have been pouring encomiums and giving glory to God for all we have been doing for mankind. The whole thing is still like a dream and I pray I would wake up and testify that it was really a dream. My ministry operates an open door policy, we have no go areas, both visitors and members of the ministry are never restricted even up to my personal office. Why must I send her to bring a child to me when I am happily married with children, what will I do with the child?
INCALCULABLE DAMAGE
This very ugly development has affected me psychologically in a tremendous way, the emotional trauma is untold. In terms of the good will I built over the years, the name, in fact, one cannot quantify the degree of destruction done to me by this very ugly and unfounded, mischievous rumor. I have suffered and lost almost everything because the ugly news went beyond the shores of this country.
People have been calling from all the parts of the world and you know that bad news travels faster than any other thing. It is very unfortunate that people believe such a story when there is nothing at all to hang it on the head of the prophet. And, when you look at the woman, you will know that she is some how deranged and we are convinced that by the time police finish their investigation, the truth will be out.
WHY ME?
What I cannot fathom is why she choose to tell all these lies against me. She may have been sent by somebody to run me down because people in that neighborhood said they saw one mysterious SUV hovering around in the wee hours before the incident and also the mother of the victim reportedly said she saw an exotic vehicle that later picked up her children,.
Police should investigate to find out who owns the vehicle and where they were taken to. Who ever picked her children must have a link with this incident.
Police should also find out whether this is the first time she is doing this kind of thing and if it is not, how many people must have falling victims to her antics? Worse still, so far, nobody has told us where the woman is from because the way the media descended on the ministry, they left out the main ingredient of the whole matter as if they were sponsored to run down the ministry.
All I know is that she cannot be doing this alone. Her sponsors should be fished out. So far, the police has been professional in their interrogation and they made us understand that investigations will take time and that the truth must surely surface.
INSIDE THE CELL
Inside the cell, I detested being treated like a criminal but I took it as another message point in terms of ministration after all, Jesus went through worst tribulation in life.
Source: Vanguard
The news broke, just like a thunderbolt. Mrs. Rosemary Chukwu, a mother of four, residing at 33, Omolegede street, a suburb of Ikorodu area in Lagos State, abducted a seven-year-old primary School pupil, Emmanuel Emeka, and was about taking him to a den when it was foiled .
Shockingly, the suspect revealed to the bewildered crowd that gathered after she was caught that her pastor asked her to bring the boy. She mentioned the General Overseer of Holy Family Ministry a.k.a House of Mercy in the same Ikorodu, as her pastor.

Governor Fashola Urges Nigerian To Vote Out PDP And Get Steady Electricity Supply

VOTE OUT PDP, GET ELECTRICITY -FASHOLA
Governor  Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Friday said uninterrupted power supply could be achieved in the country.
He explained that the only way to achieve the feat was for Nigerians to vote out the ruling Peoples Democratic Party from power in the 2015 general elections.

Fashola,  who said this at an event to mark his administration’s  2,600 in office in Ikeja, said power crisis in the country was caused by lack of ideas and insincerity of purpose on the part of the Federal Government.

He said,” Yes, it is possible to generate electricity and to make sure that everybody in this country has electricity , I agree with you it is simple what we have done in Lagos within the areas where we are constrained showed that it can be done . But you know what the only way that you and I will have electricity in this country will be  to vote out the PDP.”

“In 16 years hundreds of billions of naira,  trillions of naira have been spent and we cannot switch on electricity and in seven years we have created four plants , it showed that something is missing. So unless you vote for All Progressive Congress,  an inefficient government, it is  going to be difficult to have electricity.

“They started from vision 2020-20 and I told you then that  they were having nightmare that there was no vision.
They moved to seven point agenda and now they are transforming.

” Let me also say that  in the last seven years, ask how many new  power plants the Federal Government has commissioned because sometimes  the power that  is coming to Lagos at most is 1000 mega watts.”

Fashola said his administration in the last 100 days gave  priority attention to provision of homes for Lagosians through   the Lagos Home ownership Mortgage Scheme.

He explained that the state government in a bid to reduce the housing deficit in the state has continued to give out 200 housing units every month to subscribers to the scheme, adding that the state government intensified efforts to ensure that those in the informal sector benefit from the scheme.

In the area of infrastructural development , he said the state government completed so many road projects  across the state within the period , noting that 205 roads projects were at various stages of construction in the state.
Source: Punch
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Friday said uninterrupted power supply could be achieved in the country.
He explained that the only way to achieve the feat was for Nigerians to vote out the ruling Peoples Democratic Party from power in the 2015 general elections.

Ochendo and inspirational legacy projects-- Dele Sobowale

Ochendo and inspirational legacy projects 
BY Dele Sobowale

“We have six dialysis machines in the Diagnostic Centre. Two are reserved for people with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis separately, while the remaining four are used for other patients to avoid infecting other patients with those diseases.” Prof. A.U. Mbanaso, CMD, Abia State Untra-modern Diagnostic Centre, Umuahia, Abia State, June 13, 2014.

Politics has reached fever pitch in Nigeria; even when the 2015 elections are still seven to eight months away. Not wanting to be left on the starting block, politicians have embarked on doing what they do best – peddling half truths or blatant falsehood against their opponents and in their own favour. The last thing the public should expect is absolute truth from professional politicians. When Louis Howe, 1871-1936, wrote that, “You cannot adopt politics as a profession and remain [totally] honest”, (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p 192), he left us with an axiom which will stand the test of time.

And, of all politicians on earth, the Nigerian breed is in a class of its own. It is the only specie of politicians known globally to practice “Politics without principle” (Gandhi in BOOK OF QUOTES, p 245) and he is not ashamed of it. A Nigerian politician would spend years raining maledictions on the opposition party and then call a press conference one day to announce that he had joined the “devils” he was denouncing just a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, when Nigerian politicians operate at their worst, my fellow media practitioners forget the strong advice by Malvin Kalb in 1997. Said Kalb, “A journalist [or media practitioner] should be pursuing a fair rendition of truth without regard to popular moods, the journalist should not be swayed by public opinion..” (BOOK p 109). Unfortunately, Nigerian “mediaticians” working for several newspapers have become so partisan they have lost their objectivity. Whatever Jonathan does will be viewed and presented through the prism of biased lenses. For some, the action can never be faulted; for others, it can never be right.

Yet, that is precisely the sort of “journalism” we don’t need – if Nigeria is ever to have a chance of making solid progress. And, it is for that reason that I have refrained from being a card-carrying member of any political party. If, as we all proclaim, we want free and fair elections, we must start with impartial “referees and linesmen/women” in the Fourth Estate of the Realm. Being impartial does not mean not blowing the whistle for a foul committed; or even awarding a penalty, if it is deserved. It means not prejudging every measure taken by an elected or selected public official in advance.

I have deliberately withheld comment on the Pension Bill passed by the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly because it would amount to the highest form of hypocrisy for me to denounce it when it is only the latest in a series of pension bills passed by governors in APC and PDP – mostly without any protest from those who now denounce Akpabio. On account of this, I made up my mind to investigate and comment on as many cases of controversy concerning the performance of governors in various states – without prejudice to anybody regardless of political affiliation. Selecting a starting point was easy, Abia comes first in alphabetical order and there is a storm of controversy about what had been or not achieved by its Governor, fondly called Ochendo, by the people. So, to Abia, I went.
Just before my departure, there was a news report about Governor T.A.Orji, being crowned as the AGRIC GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR 2014, at the AGRIKEXPO organized by NAFDAC among other sponsors. Remarkably, this is governor being portrayed by his political opponents as a non-achiever. If out of 36 governors a fellow comes first, on food security, I don’t care which political party he belongs to, he has earned my deepest respect. My scale of preferences for elected officials is as follows: food first, health second, education third, infrastructure next. Contrary to what most people believe, governments cannot create enough jobs to employ all the people; they can only create the enabling environment for businesses to thrive and create the jobs. Let President, Jonathan or a Governor provide sufficient food for Nigerians to banish malnutrition and I will worship whoever it is – irrespective of party. But, before the deification starts, I will go out and find out things by myself – using official resources and branching out to conduct independent survey.

Rest assured I am sufficiently familiar with just about every part of Nigeria not to be fooled by official proclamations. Since AGRIKEXPO had done my “dirty” work for me on Ochendo’s achievements on agriculture, I focused next on health. Here, I not only received a rare education on the uses, and especially abuses, of DIALYSIS machines from the Abia State Ultra-Modern Diagnostic Centre, more on that later on, that I could hardly wait till this day to pass the knowledge across to Nigerians. And, I urge everyone of the readers of this article to help pass the message.

Dialysis machines have indisputably served to prolong the lives of people suffering from chronic or total kidney impairment. But, unknown to most of us, they can also result in cross infection if the same machines are used for all the patients. HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis have been identified as possible risks patients dialysed on machines which serve all comers. To the best of my knowledge, only Abia State’s Diagnostic Centre has made this life-saving distinction. Years ago, a book titled IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE was a global best seller. I learnt only one great lesson from that book. If you are searching for excellence in any field of endeavour in any country, get out, travel wide and see things for yourself. Abia State’s Diagnostic Centre can only be described in one word EXCELLENT….
Don’t believe me. Go and see it for yourself.

http://primechronicle.com/

“We have six dialysis machines in the Diagnostic Centre. Two are reserved for people with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis separately, while the remaining four are used for other patients to avoid infecting other patients with those diseases.” Prof. A.U. Mbanaso, CMD, Abia State Untra-modern Diagnostic Centre, Umuahia, Abia State, June 13, 2014.

Imagine This 21-Year-Old Student Hangs Self Over Girlfriend Jilt

JILTED BY LOVER: 21-YR-OLD STUDENT COMMITS SUICIDE
FRIENDS and family members of a 21-year-old student of Maritime Academy Oron, Effiong Otu are at a loss why he committed suicide by hanging himself on a rope in his room on Thursday morning after he was jilted by his girl friend.
Ann, a family member told Vanguard that Effiong was found hanging in his room at Diamond Hill, a few minutes after he collected a rope from neighbours who became suspicious soon after he went   inside his room with the rope wondering what he wanted to use it for.
According to the source, when his mother Grace Otu, a nurse at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital   left the house at about 3pm on that fateful day, the young man borrowed a rope and killed himself.
According Ann: “The 10th of July was the 10th anniversary of his father’s death in a car accident and after the anniversary and everyone had left the house including his mother, he went to a neighbour and borrowed a rope which he took to his room and hung himself.”
Ann said: “The neighbours became suspicious of what he was doing in his room with the rope and decided to rush there but found the door to the room locked and before they could force the door open he had died.”
She said before he hung himself, he called one of his friends, Adu on phone requesting him to tell his girl friend, Blessing who works with the UNICEM that she should now be happy that he has killed himself for her.
“Before his friend could rush to the house, the door had already been forced open by neighbours and Effiong’s body was hanging from the ceiling of the house”.
Ann stated that Effiong was an only son of the family and was given the late father’s name as a source of succor for the family but “he has again left us by this thoughtless action”
Perhaps to give an inkling of his planned action , Effiong had posted his face book page on the 6th of July the following message “It’s not about being engaged, married or in a relationship. It’s about being happy, safe, secured, relieved and feeling good. It’s about peaceful state of mind, it’s about sleeping at night without the fear of losing what you’ve got.
It’s being yourself and not someone else, it’s about feeling loved, happy, respected, understood, cared for and appreciated.! Goodnight my beautiful people!!
Efforts to speak with Hogan Bassey, the Cross River State Police Public Relations Officer did not yield any success as his phone was switched off. Effiong’s body has been removed and de[posited at the mortuary of the General Hospital, Calabar.
Source: Vanguard
FRIENDS and family members of a 21-year-old student of Maritime Academy Oron, Effiong Otu are at a loss why he committed suicide by hanging himself on a rope in his room on Thursday morning after he was jilted by his girl friend.

Translate

Related Post