Buhari Seeks Commonwealth’s Support In War Against Terrorism

President Muhammadu Buhari has called for the establishment of a Commonwealth Committee to oversee the rendering of greater assistance and support to Nigeria and other member-countries which have been adversely affected by the scourge of terrorism.

Speaking at a banquet hosted by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II for Heads of State and Government participating in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta on Friday, President Buhari expressed the hope that the Committee would be established before the next meeting of the organisation.

In a statement issued by the President’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, Buhari said that he also expected the Committee to visit member-countries of the Commonwealth where terrorist organisations had established a foothold with a view to evolving practical strategies for more meaningful assistance to the affected countries.

President Buhari urged the Commonwealth to show greater resolve in helping Nigeria and other developing nations in its ranks to overcome the challenges of economic development, security, terrorism and corruption.

“With the improvement of global communications, terrorism has no borders now. What happened recently in France had a profound effect on all of us, but very few countries realise that Nigeria has suffered terrorist casualties of over 10,000 killed in the last six years.

“Right now, we have over two million Internally Displaced Persons, most of whom are women and children, and most of the children are orphans,” the President told the Queen and Commonwealth Heads of State and Government.

International Support

President Buhari, who informed the gathering of efforts by Nigeria and other members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission to curb the menace of Boko Haram, pointed out that the problem of terrorism in West Africa had been aggravated by the collapse of the Gadhafi regime in Libya.

“We have agreed to a joint task-force for the elimination of Boko Haram, but it may not be easy, especially after the events in Libya when trained people with weapons moved back to Sahel region from where they were recruited by the former Libyan leader.

“Those weapons and expertise in their use are now aggravating the situation in the Sahel and further south”, the President said.

While calling for greater international support for Nigeria and other countries affected by terrorism, President Buhari expressed his administration’s appreciation of the assistance already being received from the Commonwealth, Britain, the Group of Seven Industrialised Nations, France and the United States.

“I am grateful to Britain, France and the United States. They have already sent teams to train the Nigerian Military and Police in the control of terrorism.

“The Commonwealth has helped us in so many ways by the visible support they have been giving to help us overcome the problem of terrorism,” he maintained.

The Queen’s Banquet was also attended by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki Moon.

9 Reasons Men Betray Their Wives

Well, after several years of helping couples recover from affairs, here are nine of the most common reasons men cheat.

1. No romance

Marriage is supposed to be passionate and romantic. Unfortunately, many women fall victim to the “Prince Charming Fallacy,” believing their husbands are supposed to be the ones romancing them and that they don’t need to romance their husbands in return. Well, after several years, some men just get tired of being the only ones trying to create romance, and they step out to find it elsewhere.

2. No intimacy

This one is cliché, but it’s also true. Many men get married, expecting to have wonderful intimate relationships with their wives. But they may find that their s*x lives are lacking — or nonexistent. Because intimacy is an important part of being human, some men seek outside their marriages to fulfill those needs.

3. No love

Men don’t just have physical needs. They need love, too. They want to feel cared for. They want to feel like they’ll be missed if they’re gone. When men don’t feel loved, some choose to turn away from their marriages and find love with someone else.

4. Emasculation

Just like many women like cute outfits and crafting, many men like watching football or playing cards with friends. After marriage, however, many men feel they can’t express their manly sides without criticism from their wives. After years of being emasculated like this, they find someone else who will accept them for who they are, and betrayal ensues.

5. Life Changes

People change. They’re supposed to. You don’t want your 50-year-old spouse to act like he’s 20. Unfortunately, you can’t predict all the many ways a person may change in his lifetime. You can’t even predict all the ways you will change. So, as some men grow, they may realize they aren’t as happy with their lives as they would like to be and make drastic changes (i.e. begin an affair).

6. False beliefs of manliness

Growing up, boys see TV shows where the “cool guy” gets all the girls. They see the popular guy in school get crowned prom king with a gorgeous prom queen by his side. As a result, many men erroneously believe that, in order to be real men, they have to be able to get girls. They try continuously to push the line by being flirty and assertive with women. But, when men push the line for too long, they eventually cross over it, and infidelity occurs.

7. Tired of the same old routine

Humans need novelty. They need to constantly stretch themselves and grow. Unfortunately, a lot of times in life, people find themselves feeling unchallenged and bored — tired of the same old routine. Some men step out of their routines for extra novelty and excitement.

8. Tired of being nagged

Women are generally more meticulous than men. For example, women are much more likely to use a specific sponge for the dishes and an entirely separate sponge for the counters, but men use the same sponge for both. Instead of appreciating these differences, some women complain about them. When a husband (or anyone for that matter) feels like he’s always being criticized and unappreciated, he may choose to look outside existing relationships for appreciation.

9. Dissatisfaction

This one just about sums it all up. Some men cheat — even if they’re happy with their wives — because there are vulnerabilities in their relationships. These vulnerabilities are very often some form of dissatisfaction — emotional, practical, intimate, etc.

While many of these reasons point toward a wife’s flaws, it’s important to understand that a husband’s cheating isn’t his wife’s fault. While many men may blame their partners, a husband obviously plays his own part in his poor marriage, and he needs to identify his role in allowing the relationship to deteriorate. He also needs to identify why he allowed himself to have an affair instead of choosing a host of other options available to cope with an unhappy marriage. Together, couples can rebuild their relationships to be happier and stronger than before.

Late Audu Supporters Block Roads, Warn Buhari, APC

Aggrieved youth in Itobe, Ofu LGA of Kogi State, Saturday kicked against the All Progressives Congress’ decision to nominate Alhaji Yahaya Bello as the replacement of the late governorship candidate of the party, Prince Abubakar Audu.

 The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, last week gave the APC permission to fill the void created by Audu’s death and slated the supplementary election for December 5.

The youths, who came out in their numbers, barricaded the Itobe Bridge, which is the only major link from Lokoja to other parts of the state and the country at large.

It was learnt that the blockade led to a serious traffic gridlock as commuters travelling from the eastern parts of the country country as well as other parts of the state, had to remain at a standstill for over three hours.

The protesting youth called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the National leadership of the APC not to test the collective will of the Igala people.

It was learnt that it took the combined efforts of anti-riot policemen deployed to the area to restore normalcy on the road and free flow of traffic.

The Kogi Police Command spokesperson, William Aya, confirmed the incident, saying that policemen were drafted to the area and had brought the situation under control.

Just kicked your man out? It’s time to de-man your home!

Your home should be your castle – a safe haven you happily rush to for the peace of mind you deserve. For poor Samantha, this was not the case for the 15 years she was married to her husband, Joseph, an architect.

Love-gone-sour

“We met when I was re-decorating a client’s flat,” said Samantha. “The client had recommended Joseph’s services for some of the landscaping and he was quite friendly and a thorough professional.

He was a single father of two children from two different women and I had a five-year-old son I adored from a failed relationship.

“I was delighted we got on professionally and on a personal level. Inevitably, we became an item. I’d wanted  more children – so had he and when I got pregnant, we got married. I lived in my own bungalow on a big expanse of land and Joseph lived in a flat in the only building he had then.

It made common sense for him to move in with me so we would have more room and privacy for the family we hoped to have. Within years, he became the father of my subsequent three children and life changed. The house needed to grow to accommodate the children and we made extensions to the main building, and that’s where the problems started.  I was making a home with a man who loved clean, modern design to reflect his profession. I wanted something more homely, more feminine and more me.

“I wanted my home to reflect what I’d done to professionally improve a lot of homes and offices, I started cutting out magazine pictures of houses to show my husband but he wasn’t interested. ‘Our house is not shaped for frills like that,’ he would say, replacing my idea of carpeted floors with wooden floors and tiles. I began to feel miserable in a home I couldn’t stamp my personality on.

“Only four years ago, we separated. Joseph had a heavy schedule and my business was thriving too. When he got a big contract in his home state. he quickly built a convenient bungalow so he wouldn’t spend a fortune on hotel bills. Inevitably. he met a younger woman to share his new life with him and that was it. We were both too realistic to be bitter. and once the pain had subsided,  I made the decision to reclaim my home. To make it mine again by painting over all the bad memories and start new ones. It was a way of clawing back my independence. to draw a line under the misery of the past and turn my future into something fun and feminine. After all it was my house in the first place and in spite of Joseph’s spending time and fortune on it. he could hardly kick me out of my own home!

“My first move was to turn the bedroom into an en-suite one with an ante room that leads to a brand new exit from the house. That way I would have my complete privacy – my own front door key without the hassle of the children barging in. I was in my 40s and intent on having fun. I could hardly ask Joseph for help but Ifi, another decorator I met at the gym happily helped. The kitchen I hated because it looked and felt cold: almost impossible to clean was transformed into something homely and warm.

“The children didn’t have time to dwell on the absence of their father as Joseph’s long absence from work had prepared them for his not always being around for any length of time. They were quite excited about the transformation of their rooms and toilets. For me, it was bliss walking into my bathroom, relaxing in a hot bath or shower and going out of the house without having to go through the main house. And it was bliss sending a date out of the house without any of the kids being none the wiser.

“When Joseph visited the kids after the house’s been modified, he could see through my scheme. He wanted to know why I thought it necessary to have a second door leading to the front drive and I told him why. He no longer had control over the house. He joked he thought the door was designed to make my lovers have a quick get-away when cornered. By whom? He advised that ‘If you’re not careful two men could be slogging it out with each other when you two-timed them.’ 1 told him he was only jealous. But how prophetic he was when a couple of weeks later, my ‘steady’ boyfriend was relaxing in my bedroom when my eldest daughter knocked discreetly on the door. Thinking she needed something urgently from the room, I opened the door to find this joker I’d only been on a date with twice, looking hopefully at me.

I was enraged. I discreetly sent my daughter back to her room. Thank God she hadn’t seen the other man relaxing on my bed. ‘What do you want?’ I asked this intruder, trying to suppress my anger. ‘I was in the neighbourhood, saw your car in the drive and thought I could say hello.’ ‘You thought wrong: I told him coldly, flinging open my door. ‘As you can

see, I have a visitor and I don’t like surprise visits. I would appreciate your calling first before you drop by – I wouldn’t come to your house without letting you know. Afterall, you’re a married man!’

“I didn’t care if he was embarrassed, he certainly embarrassed me. And I’d since instructed the children not to let anyone in without my telling them such a person is expected. Afterall, it is my house with my own stamp on it and I don’t care who I let in – I don’t have to adhere to anyone else’s wish now but my own.”

Why government is giving market women interest free loan — Gov Udom

As the government of Akwa Ibom State continues to put measures in place to boost industrial development in the state, Governor Udom Emmanuel has explained the rationale behind the interest free loan scheme, designed to boost the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the area.

Udom Emmanuel

Speaking, the governor stressed that the scheme was initiated to stimulate economic activities in the state, in order to create jobs for the people, especially the youths who need to be meaningfully engaged in productive activities. “We also create an enabling business environment for investors to operate, in order to boost economic activities  in the state. For instance, in Akwa Ibom, we issue Certificate of Occupancy (CoF) within 60days, to encourage investments in the state. We only hold equity as value for the people, while the investors work freely to fast track development  in various areas,” he said.

He went on,”The first set of the beneficiaries were 1,000 people, mainly market women in the state. We decided to give the market women first because they have the ability to pay the money back  This is because most of them are into different productivity activities in the state. Before selecting the market women for the scheme, we carried out a survey and we realised that many of those market women have a cooperative group, because they work under the umbrella of that cooperative, it is easier for them to pay back the money, so that it can be given to other entrepreneurs to expand the scope of their enterprises for greater productivity. For instance, if market women under the cooperative arrangement take a loan of let say N500.000,  they can do a lot with it and return the money at the appropriate time.”

On why the loan is  interest free in a country where interest rate from commercial banks is from 25 percent, he said, “Interest rate in the country is high, but we are making our scheme interest free to empower the entrepreneurs to grow their businesses for more outputs optimisation. This is because if we charge these entrepreneurs interest rate on the loan, as they are into small scale businesses, the interest rate would automatically wipe out their profits, making it difficult for their businesses to thrive. Also,we decided to give the market women first, because if you empower 1,000 women, you have indirectly empowered a large population in the state.”

On other developments in the state, he added, “In Akwa Ibom, we are running an inclusive government where attention is given to every aspect of economic development, including infrastructure.  I have a blue print to develop the entire state. Therefore, I started by setting up technical committees made up of experts to develop the state. For instance,I set up a technical committee to develop the sea port.  We also have a technical committee on agriculture and we have launched the second planting season of agriculture, which we started in the state. Also, we have a technical committee on Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs). This is to enhance influx of FDIs into the state, which is one of the reasons we issue CoF within a short period for investors to operate freely.

On why the government sent some people to Israel for training, he said, “We decided to send some of our youths to Israel because that country is good in agriculture. Infact, in Israel, they have natural water for fishery, they also have green house for growing crops. So, we want our youths to have this type of training, in order to replicate it in our state. Interestingly, some of them who had the first training are going to have another round of advanced training to sharpen their skills on modern agriculture”.

Buhari and the Biafrans

Dr. Chu S. P. Okongwu in his 2004 tributes to Ukpabi Asika, took an aside in his eulogies to emphasize the following: “The generation born after the civil war will not know that the former Eastern region, comprising East-Central State, South-Eastern state, and Rivers state, enjoyed a highly developed road network, with probably the highest quality road density in sub-Saharan Africa. These had been damaged or neglected during the war. Ukpabi Asika planned to reconstruct and modernize these.

Action was also taken to upgrade and transfer to central government responsibility some trunk ‘B’ roads (1, 240 kilometers) and introduce some new federal highways and alignments… .” Dr. Okongwu was East Central State’s Commissioner forEconomic Planning from 1970-1975, and presumably has the data. But that’s besides the point. The real point is that assertion that the East had the “highest quality road density in Sub-sahara Africa” before the damages of war and neglect ruined it all.

The terrible state of roads and interchanges in the old Eastern region, particularly in the current areas now known as the South East zone, remain even now, a sore point; and hard evidence of the neglect of the East by the Federal government since the end of the civil war in 1970. Those who have challenged the current agitation for Biafra, talk of equal opportunity misrule of the federation. But Biafrans present evidence of a specially targeted form of neglect.

There was no reason for agitation for a Biafra from 1970-1983, because in those intermediary years, the East was in recovery mode, and its key intellectual and political leadership, and its highly trained bureaucracy was still intact, and they had the requisite institutional memory to mediate some of the more difficult and challenging obstacles placed on the Eastern states, through both strategic negotiation and initiative. I do recommend Dr. Okongwu’s tributes to Asika to readers of the “Orbit” for a really good context, and a closer understanding of “where the rain began to beat us.” From 1983, a strategic neglect of the East became more pronounced.

Every effort of the past made to rebuild it; including investments in new industry, new skills, and so on, were stripped deliberately, almost as if to stifle the resurgence of its people by Federal authorities. Two marked examples for me includes Dr. Okongwu’s claim that the East Central State’s Data Processing Center, the first of its kind presumably in the continent, long before the current IT craze, was stripped and moved to Kaduna following the 1975 military coup.

Here are Chu Okongwu’s words: “Immediately there was dispatched to East-Central State a mandatory pro-consul in the person of the late Colonel Anthony Aboki Ochefu. His assignment: the dismantling of the East-Central state. Colonel Ochefu dismantled the public service of East Central state.

For good measure he declared that the mainframe computer of the Eastern Data Processing Center was unnecessary madness, beyond the needs and interests of the state. It was summarily dismantled and relocated to the Ahmadu Bello University where it found a necessary sane and needful home. Everybody in East Central state, except Col Ochefu, elements of the army of occupation and their touts, was a thief; the hounding campaign was underway. Cheer leaders and Coryphaei were not wanting in East-Central State.” Buhari was a member of the Supreme Military Council of that regime in 1975.

The same scenario played out following the December 31, 1983 coup at which Buhari was head. A little drama played out in Owerri when, according to close associates of the late Governor Sam Mbakwe, he held out at the Governor’s lodge, Owerri, prepared to call out a mass demonstration starting with street protests from Aba to resist the coup, until he was finally persuaded to give up that move. Buhari appointed his own proconsul, in the person of the then Brigadier Ike Nwachuwku. Again, his assignment: dismantle the gains made in Imo under Mbakwe. Ike Nwachukwu’s first declaration, under what he called the “Imo Formula”  was to dismantle all the 42 industrial installations embarked upon by Sam Mbakwe, which were at various stages of development, and to which financial commitments had been entered.

Nwachukwu’s “achievement” was to consolidate the Imo state university under a single campus at Uturu, near his ancestral home, from the five-campus design which had been envisioned on a model of the State of New York University system, by Mbakwe and his team, to evolve into beautifully designed network of university campuses to stimulate strategic development, and carter to a wider range of students and skills development in the long run.

The effect of these was to stultify development in the East and drive a growing population of highly educated and skilled youth out of the East, into the wilderness. Kids who grew up in Government Reserved Areas in the East, for instance, suddenly found themselves living with rats in the ghettoes of Lagos because all the systems created to afford them the opportunity of living productive lives in the East on equal terms with their peerselsewhere in the world were strategically dismantled.

It is called diminution. Divestments, and lack of investments in both industry and infrastructure in the East, especially by the federal government has led to this moment. What these examples suggest is that Nigeria’s postwar domestic policies have, it has always seemed obvious to Easterners, especially the Igbo, been directed towards subduing, rather than reconstructing the East. Even now, Buhari is talking about billions of naira to be earmarked for the “reconstruction of the North-East.”

What about the East that has suffered from a devastating civil war levied against it, and from the mindless exploitation of oil that has rendered what was the entire Eastern region, one of the world’s great ecological disasters, with incidents of new cancers, the result of massive pollution, possibly the highest currently in the world? Easterners consider themselves victims of state-terror. There must be both reconstruction of the East and reparation for the years of discrimination.

These facts will continue to drive the agitation for Biafra. And this is the point that Ohaneze and the South East governors meeting last week in Enugu failed to acknowledge, and which continues to make them irrelevant to the solutions for these agitations.

The governors in the East and Ohaneze may make ex-cathedra claims, but they do not yet speak for these young people, who have clearly defied them in staging their protests. Again, whoever is advising this president must be plain in telling him that this generation considers him a great part of the Igbo problem, because under his watch as military head, progress in the East was stifled; and the East was isolated in his administrationfrom 1983-85; and as a member of the SMC in 1975, the first postwar moves to “dismantle” the East was set in motion. The onus is on him to show good faith, and dissuade the agitators, or he could show further proof, as some have suggested, that Buhari is rigid and does not listen.

FG reiterates determination to partner ex-militants on security in N/Delta

The Federal Government weekend restated its readiness to collaborate with ex-militants in the oil rich Niger Delta region to ensure protection of lives and properties in the region.

The Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme for former Niger Delta militants, Brig-Gen. Paul Boro (rtd) said President Muhammadu Buhari desires peace in the region, hence, his administration was willing to engage relevant stakeholders to address all forms of illegality in the region.

Boro was speaking as a special guest in a forum organised by Riverine Security, (Coast-Guard of the Federation), a group of all ex-militants in the Niger Delta region, in Abuja.

Represented by Major Matti Abdul (rtd), Boro maintained that all hands must be on deck to ensure safety of water ways and communities in order to promote economic development in the region.

In his remarks, the Commandant General of the Coast-Guard of the Federation, Oduku Bibi said all ex-agitators in the region had vowed to toe the path of peace and progress, because they believed in the ability of Buhari’s government to develop the region.

“We have come to say a big no to militancy, oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism and all other familiar vices that have impeded the rapid development of the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large,” he said.

Commending the new coordinator, Bibi explained that their involvement in the peace, security and progress in the Niger Delta region became imperative in view of their adequate knowledge of the terrains in the region.

According to him “the people who can best protect the Niger Delta is Niger Deltans. Our men are conversant with the security hurdles; they know the terrains and we will assist security agencies in the discharge of their duties.”

He further disclosed that the group had had understanding with the Nigerian Navy for the protection of water ways, adding that they would extend it to the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to ensure that people in the region are well protected.

Northern Govs vow to defeat Boko Haram, poverty

Governors of the Northern States have vowed to join forces to defeat Boko Haram insurgents and the attendant poverty unleashed on that part of the country.

The Governors also pledged to deepen the relationship between the people of different sections of the region in order to foster greater unity among the people.

Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, made this known Sunday in Wannune, when he led two other Governors of the forum to pay a condolence visit on Senator George Akume who recently lost his elder brother and paramount ruler of Tarka, the late Chief Gabriel Indyer Akume.

Governor Shettima said “the leaders of the North would not relent until peace is fully restored in the troubled spots of the north just like our joint resolve to overcome poverty in the north will continue to enjoy top priority”

The Governor who sue for patience and understanding among the populace said everything was being done by the governments of the northern region to ensure sustainable economic growth in the area.

He said their visit to commiserate with the people of Benue state and the Akeme family in particular was a further demonstration of the oneness and unity of purpose of the people of the region.

In his response, Senator Akume said the visit brought comfort to him on account of the assurance that he had friends who could stand by him in his hour of grief and need.

The Northern Governors’ Forum chairman was accompanied on the visit by his Jigawa State counterpart, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state and several federal lawmakers from the north.

Amnesty Office justifies return of foreign students

The Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme has dismissed the insinuation in some quarters that some students abroad, have returned to the country due to lack of resources to meet their financial obligations.

In a statement on Sunday from the media and Communication Consultant to the Amnesty Programme, Owei Lakemfa, the Office described the claim as untrue and misleading, saying that the students abroad and in the country on the Amnesty scholarship programme have since received their payments.

‘‘We wish to state that there is no iota of truth in the claims that some students abroad, have had to return to the country due to lack of resources to meet their financial obligation.
‘‘The students abroad and in the country on the Amnesty Scholarship Programme have received their payments,’’ the statement said.

It further, explained that a few students abroad are yet to be paid because the payments, which have foreign exchange components, have to pass through the new TSA Policy at the Central Bank.
‘‘Before now, there was a backlog of payments, due to the three-month absence of a signing authority in the Amnesty Office following the change of Government and the removal of the former Coordinator.

‘‘Upon assumption of office in August, 2015, the new Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig Gen. Paul Boroh immediately ensured the clearing of the backlog,’’ he stated, adding that the introduction of the TSA in September, 2015 which affected all MDAs, has understandably led to a slowdown of payments as the CBN perfects the system.

In view of this development, Gen.Boroh said he had personally visited some students under the Amnesty Programme both in the country and abroad, and assured affected students that everything possible was being done in concert with the CBN to ensure that they all receive their payments as quickly as possible.

On students who are returning from the United Kingdom, the statement further explained that they did not do so due to non-payment of fees or allowances, but because their visas were expiring and are affected by the 28-day window policy of that country and as such, it is in their own interest to return as the policy provides for a ten-year ban from entering Britain for anyone caught with expired visa.

Also on the delay in October stipends, the statement explained that it was delayed because the fourth quarter release( (October – December 2015) to the Amnesty Office has not been perfected and urged them to be calm and patient.

The statement further informed that the Office has opened, a 24-Hour Call Centre where enquiries on the Amnesty Programme can be made. The numbers are: 0809-0088-337 and 0703-5611-612 and the e-mail is;osapndcallcentre@gmail.com

It urged the beneficiaries of the programme seeking clarification to take advantage of the facility to enquire where necessary.

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Pregnant woman, 10 others hospitalized after inhaling poisonous fumes

Apprehension has gripped traders of Owode-Onirin market, along Mile 12 Ikorodu Road, Lagos, after 11 persons, including a pregnant woman, fainted after inhaling suspected poisonous fumes from substance that exploded at a section of the area, late Wednesday.

Vanguard gathered that one Emily Patrick, owner of a plot of land beside the iron rod market, had set refuse and other inflammable materials cleared from her plot of land on fire oblivious of the inherent danger.

At press time, it was gathered that two of the victims were still under intensive care at Burns and Trauma Centre, Gbagada General Hospital.

Others were, however, rushed to the Accident and Trauma Centre, Toll Gate axis by the state Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS.

Sources said few metres from Emily plot of land, was a dumpsite filled with fibre materials and other used industrial equipment.

It was learned that the weather condition further escalated the fire which spread to where the fibre materials and other used industrial equipment were dumped.

Effort by Emily and his husband to put out the fire proved abortive. Few minutes after it spread to the dumpsite, the industrial equipment exploded. The explosion caused pandemonium in the market, forcing many to scamper for safety.

A trader, who identified himself as Olowo, said the victims collapsed after inhaling the unidentified poisonous fumes from the industrial equipment on the dumpsite.

Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasaq Fadipe, and General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Mr. Michael Akindele, confirmed the incident.

Fadipe, while reacting to the explosion, said 11 persons were affected by the toxic fumes.

He, however, did not disclosed if any of the firemen deployed to the scene were hospitalized.

According to him, “Seven out of the cylinders exploded and unleashed havoc on the residents. We attacked the fire professionally, bearing in mind that the area is surrounded by iron scrap markets and residential area and if not quickly quenched could lead to disaster.”

“Firemen that responded to the distress call upon reaching the scene after inhaling the poisonous gas also felt unconscious. Quite a number of passersby were also affected,” Fadipe said.

On his part, Akindele said: “We gathered that the gas emission was caused as a result of a burning bush around the area which later spread into the inner part of the market. In the process, the fire spread into an area where there were combustible materials.

Chief Scientific Officer, Mrs. Moji Adepega, who led the LASEPA team with the use of a Testo 350 gas analyser, to determine the cause of the odour, expressed the dangers inherent in people inhaling the content as harmful to the health of people. According to her, the acidic odour could be suspected to be ammonia gas.

“Consequently, those who inhaled it felt unconscious. The rescue team later rushed the victims to the hospitals while the fire was later put out. As I speak, the victims are responding to treatment. We thank God that no life was lost in the process.”

When Vanguard visited the scene yesterday, Chairman of Owode-Onirin market, Alhaji Wahab Adeoti, lamented that the incident affected the business activities in the market, saying “it is pathetic.”

According to him: “We have instructed our traders not to burn their refuse. Rather, they should put it in bags and wait for the Private Sector Participation, PSP, operators to cart away their refuse. They have abided by this. In fact, the dumpsite has been abandoned for several months. We don’t dump our refuse there.

Kanu’s release’ll give room for dialogue — Nnabuike, Ohanaeze Youth Leader

OKWU Nnabuike, Secretary General of Ohaneze Youth Wing in this interview, wants the Federal Government to consider the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, as a matter of urgency. He believes that doing so would give room for dialogue, even as he wants the country restructured in accordance with the recommendations of the Confab.

By Charles Kumolu

As a youth leader of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, what is your impression about the ongoing protests by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB?

Looking at the protests in the context of the position of Ndi Igbo in the polity, you will know that we are marginalised. And it is difficult to beat someone and ask the person not to cry. Anyone, who does not feel comfortable about his plight, is naturally entitled to speak out.

The protests were triggered by Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest. Agitations by ethnic associations are not peculiar to IPOB alone. There are various forms of agitations in Nigeria. We the Ohaneze Youth Wing, wants the Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu to pave way for dialogue.

Nnabuike

Doing so will give us the opportunity of talking to the leadership of the IPOB. If he is released, there will be room for interface with the group.

The Federal government should listen to pleas by Nigerians to release Kanu. The Inspector General of Police recently pleaded that Ohaneze should plead with the youths to stop the protests.   We are also appealing to the Federal Government to address the salient issues regarding the marginalisation of the South East. The restructuring of the country in line with the report of the Confab, would go a long way in assuaging the people.

There is an impression out there that the various leaders of Ndi Igbo, are finding it difficult to speak with one voice on the matter.   What is your reaction to that?

That is not true. The Ohaneze Youth Wing is studying the situation. And Ndi Igbo are one of the most united tribes in this country. We are our brother’s keepers and thus take everything affecting the Igbo nation very serious.

Those ascribing such to Ndi Igbo are not being fair, even if there are areas of disagreements, would such be said to be peculiar to Ndi Igbo alone? Does the Yoruba, Hausa’s and other tribes speak with one voice on every issue? During the last general election, some Hausa and Yoruba people endorsed Goodluck Jonathan. Ndi Igbo also did same too, while others did not endorse him.   The cry over Igbo marginalisation is real.

The detained leader of the IPOB is being accused for broadcasting hate messages against the state, but some also feel all he did was to bring to the fore, the alleged marginalisation of the South –East geopolitical zone. What is your take on that?

There is freedom of speech in this country and manners of doing so differ. His criticisms were not restricted to the Federal Government. He criticised Ohaneze, the British government and those he chose to lampoon. I have listened to Radio Biafra and heard his criticisms based on his beliefs.   I am not a part of IPOB, but I want the federal government to handle the matter in a manner that it would not lead to damaging consequences.

61-year-old s6x worker,4 others arraigned over alleged prostitution

A 61-year-old  commercial s6x worker, Theresa Odega, and four others, have been arraigned before an Igbosere magistrate’s court  over alleged prostitution.

They were arraigned on Wednesday. The other defendants  are Sandra Akomake, 58; Roseline Jebba, 43; Chika Okoro, 40 and Helen Ugwu, 33 and are facing a count charge on prostitution, preferred against them by the Police.

The prosecutor, Sergeant Nicholas Akeene, told the court that the defendants committed the offence on November 24, 2015.

He said the s6x workers unlawfully engaged in prostitution within Ikoyi metropolis at about 11pm at Thompson Avenue in Ikoyi area of Lagos State.

Earlier, when the charge was read to the defendants, four of them pleaded guilty, while  the fifth defendant, Odega, pleaded not guilty.

Following her plea, her counsel, S. A Owhoraye, urged the court to grant her bail in the most liberal terms.

Oyo lawmakers on strike over unpaid allowances

Oyo-Assembly

According to information gathered, the government is owing the lawmakers furniture, car allowances and two months running cost for the legislative arm.

Due to the strike, the sitting that had earlier been scheduled for yesterday was put on hold.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the aggrieved lawmakers said, that despite the cash crunch being experienced in the country, some state governors still manage to settle their lawmakers wondering why they should be the only ones suffering in the whole of the South West.

“We understand that the crash in the price of crude oil has brought the economy to its knees. The consequent drop in revenue affects all the 36 states as well as the Federal Government. But in spite of this dire situation, all other governors have sorted out the allowances of their state houses of assembly. Throughout the country, only those of us who are lawmakers in Oyo State are left languishing.

“During the last Assembly, in Governor Ajimobi’s first term, cars were bought for all the lawmakers. They were also paid furniture allowances. The running cost of the House was also paid regularly. These allowances are statutory,” he said.

He also hinted that the House did not sit last week as a result of the accrued allowances.

“Last week, we boycotted sitting to protest lack of concern for our welfare. Without the running cost, the Assembly cannot function. The running cost for the office of the governor is paid regularly. Why is the House left out?” the lawmaker said

We want 100 percent control, ownership of our oil – N/Delta group

When Boko Haram captured territory in Nigeria’s northeast last year and declared a caliphate, there were real fears for the sovereignty of Africa’s most populous nation.

A deadline is looming for the military to end the six years of violence, with signs that troops have wrested back control of most of the towns and villages lost to the Islamists.

But now President Muhammadu Buhari is facing another potential headache with the revival of separatist sentiment in the country’s southeast and renewed debate over the sharing of oil wealth.

Recent weeks have seen a wave of protests calling for an independent state of Biafra, 45 years after the end of the brutal civil sparked by a previous declaration of independence.

Now, campaigners in the oil-producing Niger delta are demanding total control of resources to develop the region, which remains under-developed despite billions of dollars earned from crude.

Last Friday, the Niger Delta Self-Determination Movement (NDSDM) lobby group, declared the current agreement, whereby oil revenue is divided among Nigeria’s 36 states, was unfair.

“The 13 percent (share for the Niger Delta) enshrined in the 1999 constitution by the military is depriving us of our God-given resources,” the group’s convener Annkio Briggs told reporters in Lagos.

“We want 100 percent control and ownership of our oil so that we can control our future.”

– Northern ‘dominance’ –

Nigeria’s crude-reliant economy has been battered by the fall in global oil prices, hampering government spending and even the payment of state-sector salaries.

Crude accounts for 90 percent of Nigeria’s export earnings and 70 percent of government overall revenue.

In 2014, the country earned $77 billion from oil exports, according to the US Department of Energy, down from $84 billion in 2013 and $94 billion in 2012.

How much each state in the federation gets from the sector has long been a thorny issue, exposing barely concealed regional and ethnic rivalries.

Demands for a greater share of oil revenue were a factor in the violence that gripped the delta in the 2000s until a government amnesty programme, which ends this year, bought off militants.

Briggs’ group argues Nigeria’s political architecture, with 19 states classed as northern and 17 in the south, unfairly penalises the southern states where oil is found.

“Of the 774 local government areas (administrative divisions within each state), the north is given almost 70 percent,” she said, calling it “manipulations for… socio-economic and political dominance”.

She blamed a succession of northern-dominated military governments for forcing through the revenue-sharing agreement down the barrel of a gun “without our free, prior and informed consent”.

Briggs denied calling for a break away from the federation but argued every region instead should use its own natural resources to develop itself.

The NDSDM was founded last year during a national conference convened by former president Goodluck Jonathan at which delegates recommended the delta region received 18 percent of oil revenue.

The recommendation was not implemented before Jonathan left office.

– ‘Politically motivated’ –

Nigeria is almost evenly split between a Muslim-majority north and largely Christian south and the sharp division informs most aspects of political debate.

But the argument for so-called “fiscal federalism” is seen by some as unrealistic, with sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing not sufficiently developed yet to be sustainable.

Anyakwee Nsirimovu, of the Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition pressure group, said demands from southern pressure groups were predictable now Buhari, a northern Muslim, was in power.

“Why is it after the defeat of Jonathan you see the likes of Annkio Briggs, MASSOB (Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra) and IPOB (Indigenous Peoples of Biafra) asking for resource control and self-determination?” he asked.

The complaints in fact exposed the failure of Jonathan, from the oil-producing Bayelsa state, to help his southern kinsmen during his six years in power, he argued.

“Those who lost out in the power equation are behind the crisis,” he claimed.

But Tony Nnadi, of the Movement for New Nigeria, said every ethnic group had the right to either belong to or pull out of Nigeria, nearly 102 years after the country was formed.

“In 1914, the so-called Nigeria came into being through an amalgamation of southern and northern protectorates by the British colonial power,” he said.

“By the provisions of the amalgamation, we have the right since 2014 to renegotiate the basis of our continued existence.

The experiences of various ethnic groups “in the last 100 years have shown we cannot continue in the marriage”, he added.

Police in Lagos kill 5 suspected robbers in shootout

The Police in Lagos on Wednesday killed five suspected armed robbers and arrested one with bullets wounds. Police sources told newsmen in Ikeja that the suspects had engaged policemen from Elemoro Division, Ajah in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area in a shootout where they were killed.

He said that five of them were killed on the spot and one injured by bullets was arrested. “The police in Elemoro got information that the suspects were operating at Abule Parapo, opposite Awoyaya in Elemoro area of Ajah around 2 a.m.

“The suspects engaged the police in a shootout as soon as they saw them. Two locally made double barrel shot guns, one cutlass and iron cutter was recovered from them. “The gang had been terrorising residents of Ajah, robbing and raping women,’’ the source said.

The corpses of the dead and the injured suspects were brought to the Lagos State Police Command headquarters, Ikeja at about 12.15 p.m. The operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) have taken over the case file from the Divisional Police Officer at Elemoro, SP Sani Limawa for further investigation.

When contacted, the command’s spokesman, DSP Joseph Offor, said he had yet to get the details from the division as at press time.

Jumia slashes prices of goods by 50 per cent

Jumia Nigeria online store says it will give a 50 per cent discount on some of its products to mark Black Friday on Nov. 27.

This is contained in a statement in Lagos on Wednesday, signed by the Managing Director of the online mall, Mr Fatoumata Ba.

The term, ‘Black Friday’, was coined in the 1960s to mark the unofficial kickoff to Christmas shopping season in the U.S.

Black Friday is not an official holiday in the U.S. but shops and shoppers use the opportunity to buy goods at reduced rates.

The Jumia online Store listed some of the products to be discounted to include Infinix Hot 2 and PS4 by almost half of their original costs.

The store said it would open for sales at midnight on Nov. 27.

“The Infinix Hot 2 will be selling at 50 per cent discount and the PS4 will be available at a jaw-dropping 45 per cent discount.

“Jumia Fashionistas, Michael kors, New Look, Ralph Lauren and more have offered to give 40 per cent discounts on their products,’’ it said.

The statement said the deals could also be viewed on the Facebook Event Page, all day on Nov. 27.

It said that buyers could leverage this to stay connected to everything as it happens, as they would be the only source of information to Black Friday shoppers.

“We sincerely offer our deepest condolences to those who would be missing out on this epic Black Friday Deals.

“To our brothers and sisters in the e-commerce sector all working on Black Friday, while everyone is shopping their heart’s fill, we offer a moment of silence.

“For the shoppers that will get all the best deals on Black Friday, we doff our hats,’’ the statement added.

Explosion Rocks Presidential Guards: 12 Killed, 20 Wounded

A bus carrying presidential guards in Tunisia was rocked by an explosion on Tuesday, November 24, killing 12 people and leaving 20 others injured.Officials say there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack against the presidential guard.

Walid Louguini, spokesman for the Tunisian interior ministry, told the Associated Press that at least 12 people were killed

Louguini also affirmed that no fewer than 20 others were wounded in the attack.

A witness, Bassem Trifi, said the explosion hit the driver’s side of the bus. He described the scene as “catastrophic”.

He said: “I saw at least five corpses on the ground,” adding: “This was not an ordinary explosion.”

A few days earlier, the authorities had increased the security level in the capital and deployed security forces in large numbers.

Mark Toner, the US state department spokesman speaking in Washington, said the US government was still seeking details on what had happened in Tunis.

Toner further added: “We strongly condemn the attack.”

Following the explosion, President Beji Caid Essebsi, who was not on the bus at the time, declared a 30-day state of emergency across the country and imposed an overnight curfew for the capital.

He convened an emergency meeting of his security council for Wednesday, November 25.

Speaking on national television, Essebsi said: “Tunisia is at war against terrorism.”He urged international cooperation against extremists who have killed hundreds around Europe and the middle-east in recent weeks, from Paris to Beirut to a Russian plane shot down over Egypt.

“I want to reassure the Tunisian people that we will vanquish terrorism,” he added.

Tunisia is the only Arab Spring country to have solidified a new democracy. However, the nation is facing serious economic and security challenges.

In June, shootings at a luxury beach hotel in Sousse, left 38 people dead, mostly tourists.

Also in March, an attack by Islamist extremists at the famed Bardo museum near the capital killed 22 people.

The two acts of terrorism this year have left a great dent in Tunisia’s tourism industry.