Lord’s Chosen Pastor pleads guilty to defiling and impregnating two underage sisters
Mali suspended from international Francophone organisation over coup d’etat
The Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) has suspended the membership of West African nation Mali, increasing international pressure on the military junta that seized power in Mali last week after a coup d’etat that ousted Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse from power.
On August 18, 2020, rebel troops seized Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse in a dramatic escalation of a months-long crisis, announcing military rule.
Neighbouring states in West Africa including Nigeria, the European Union, France, and the African Union, condemned the coup and warned against any unconstitutional change of power in the country.
Now the leadership of OIF has suspended Mali after holding a meeting via video conference, saying that the body would maintain any cooperation with the Malian junta that would help the civilian population and aid a transition to democracy.
The OIF in a statement also called for the liberation of the ousted president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and called for the establishment, as soon as possible, of “a transition government led by a civilian authority”.
The decision by OIF comes a day after envoys from the West African bloc ECOWAS led by former Nigeria president Goodluck Jonathan and the new Malian military rulers failed to agree on a timetable to return Mali to democratic rule.
OIF’s suspension comes after ECOWAS suspended Mali from it’s membership saying the coup was unconstitutional.
On Tuesday, August 25th, Ecowas, and the Military rulers said they had failed to reach agreement after ECOWAS announced that one of it’s requirement was to return Keita to power.
But the military Junta said that won’t be possible because Keita no longer wanted to be restored to power.
Keita was elected in 2013 and re-elected for a second term in 2018 but failed in his fight against Islamic terrorism, ceding a large portion of the country to terrorist control.
This situation plus an already damaged and fragile economy increased frustrations among Malians towards his rule.
VIDEO| ‘Obaseki help revive our company’ Tommy Asemota Chief Executive, NAT Ltd tells why the governor should be given a second chance
Mr. Tommy Asemota, the Chief Executive, NAT Ltd, applaud Governor Obaseki and explains why he should be given a second chance ‘Obaseki helped revived our company, he also made provision for trainees who are interested in the furniture business’.
Speaking in the video below Mr. Tommy Asemota recounts how he almost sold his factory because his wife was ill at the time and needed medical attention in Switzerland.
The governor had visited his company and met only two workers who were in charge of safeguarding the factory, so in September 2018 he said he got a call from one of them that the Governor visited the factory. “I was quite surprised because, for more than 40years that our factory has been running, we have never gotten any visit from any Government including Edo State Government where we are located,” he said.
Thereafter, he was contacted by the SSA (Senior Special Adviser) to the Governor but he explained to her that he was currently not in the country, Mr. Asemota said he contacted the SSA two months later when he got into the country and she scheduled an appointment for him to meet with the governor.
I want to commend the Governor of Edo State, Gov. Godwin Obaseki for his tremendous help in reviving our factory Nat Limited. Our factory was closed down for about 4yrs because my wife was ill and I had to travel with her to Switzerland, our second home, for medical attention and there was no one available to manage the factory so I put the factory up for sale.
Read part of his statement below;
“After exchanging pleasantries, he thanked me firstly for loving my State enough to set up and establish a furniture factory with my foreign wife in the State. He went on to say that he would provide jobs to keep the factory running in order to create employment and also to empower people by training them in the furniture business.
When he finished speaking, I thanked him for his warm reception and explained to him that as a result of my age I would not be able to run the factory so I suggested that since the factory was put up for sale, the Government could buy over the factory and that I would be willing to assist in any possible way to help them resuscitate it.
He then said that if the factory was bought over by the government, it would not last for more than 6months. He further appealed to me to put the factory in order and promised to give us jobs to supply furniture to various locations in the state thereby creating funds for the effective running of factory.
I was quite surprised and filled with joy that such a person could have so much love for the state. I also told him of my dream to help people move forward in life by creating jobs and even giving one subsidized meal daily for workers as being practiced in many companies but wasn’t possible because we had very low patronage.
In the past the only contracts we got were given to us by some architects, Shell Petroleum Development cooperation that visited and inspected our factory and registered us as one of the suppliers of furniture items. This really helped us at the beginning to help build up the factory but later when the usual corrupt practice of Nigeria crept in jobs were no more available. The various government and organizations resorted to importing furniture and we got jobs from few northern Governors while we didn’t get any jobs from the south-south regions.
I thanked him for giving my wife and I the privilege of realizing our dream (providing jobs for our people). While most of the furniture factories in the State and Nigeria at large were charging apprenticeship fee, we were accepting apprentices free of charge and giving them allowances.
Keeping to his words the Governor helped to reopen our factory, he awarded contracts to my company and five other companies to produce and supply furniture across offices in Edo state and payment for these jobs were made to us as and when due. He also made provision for trainees who are interested in the furniture business. These trainees were being paid twenty thousand naira monthly. In addition to this, working tools were provided and an amount was set aside for them to set up their workshops after the completion of their training. This action of the governor is unprecedented in the history of this country where everyone is for himself and not for the people.
Presently the International Organization of Migration (IOM) is in discussion with us with regards training of returnees in wood work, etc.
My wish is that the Governor be allowed to govern Edo state for another 4years so as to continue building the good legacy and foundation which he started in his first tenure. After the completion of his second tenure then someone else can be elected to continue building on this good foundation and legacy.
I have never been an advocate of any party but I will vote for the betterment and the good of the State and the country. Please let us give Governor Obaseki the opportunity to continue the good foundation he has started in the next 4years.
It is important to note that since independence there hasn’t been any physical development because their foundation was laid down on sand and couldn’t stand the test of time. We need a strong foundation where capable and intelligent people are at the herm of the affairs. Thugs should never be allowed to run the affairs in the local government or State government.
With this it is safe to say that the governor means well for the people.
This is an opportunity for us to give him the maximum support in order to move the state forward. We pray that God will help us in our desire.”
Watch the video of him speaking below;https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEW5vPspxHu/?igshid=nwcy0k8kosxe
GRAPHIC PHOTO| 19-year-old boy allegedly shot by policeman for impregnating a 17-year-old girl in Rivers state
A 19-year-old boy identified as Ledisi Kote risks losing one of his legs after allegedly being shot by a policeman for impregnating a 17-year-old girl in K. Dere community in Gokana local government area of Rivers State.
Facebook user Tuka Loanyie said the incident occurred on Friday, August 21, and further revealed that the “trigger-happy” policeman is attached to Kpor police division.
It was also learnt that the policeman who allegedly shot the boy in the leg is yet to take full responsibility. Loanyie disclosed that the boy will have to undergo three different surgeries or risk going through an amputation.
He wrote;
This 19years old boy by name Ledisi Kote was shot by a trigger happy police man from Kpor Division in Gokana LGA of Rivers state, simply because he impregnated a girl.
According to the sick father, he was in his compound in K. Dere community in Gokana local government area of Rivers state on Friday morning around 7AM, when a Sienna drove into his compound with about four armed police men. They went straight to his son’s room door and was banging and cocking guns. He approached them to inquire from them what his son did wrong that they were looking for him, but non of them answered him. It was one of them who angrily told him that his son impregnated a girl. I mean, that’s the only crime!!
The next thing he heard from the backyard of his house is a gunshot. One of the officers shot his son on the leg simply because he impregnated a girl. They went away with him while he was bleeding profusely and hid him in a private hospital.
I and Enefaa Georgewill took the father to the Police headquarters on Moscow road in Port Harcourt and officially laid down a complaints about what their officers did to an innocent boy. His only offense was because he impregnated a girl. We made arrangements and transferred him from the village to a better government owned hospital in Port Harcourt.
There are good police officers but the bad eggs amongst them are the ones giving the force a bad image.
I am making this post because up til now, the officer that did this is yet to take full responsibility of the medications. The doctor said he will have to undergo three different surgeries or else his leg might be amputated. We want justice for this boy. It could be me or you tomorrow.
Four members of a family killed in Kerosene explosion in Cross River
A 45-year-old man, Esuabana Thomas, his two children aged 14 and 12, alongside one of his inlaws, have died in a kerosene explosion at their home in Ikot Ekpo community, Calabar, Cross River State on Monday, August 24.
According to reports, the kerosene which is suspected to have been adulterated, was being poured into a lantern when the explosion occurred. The explosion resulted in a fire outbreak that razed their apartment. The neighbors say one of the daughters was pouring the kerosene into the lantern which was already lit when the explosion occurred.
Three people died in the inferno while the fourth person died while being rushed to the hospital.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Irene Ugbo, said the police have commenced an investigation into the said incident.
Zimbabwe makes it illegal for schools to expel pregnant girls
Zimbabwe has made it illegal for schools to expel pupils who get pregnant, a measure aimed at tackling gender inequality in the classroom and discouraging many girls from dropping out of school.
According to Zimbabwean media, a legal amendment was announced last week and it seeks to reinforce a 1999 guideline that was patchily implemented.
The decision was reportedly made over fears of a rise in sexual abuse and unwanted pregnancies as schools have been closed since the Coronavirus pandemic struck.
Many parents of pregnant girls, or the girls themselves, decide to quit schooling due to the pregnancy, and schools do not always do enough to encourage them to stay, officials say.
“I’m expecting every parent and guardian and everyone else to understand that every child must be assisted by all of us to go to school,” Cain Mathema, the education minister in charge of schools, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation this week
“Every child whether boy or girl… has a right to go to school in Zimbabwe,” he said.
In 2018, 12.5% of the country’s roughly 57,500 school dropouts stopped attending classes due to pregnancy or marriage reasons – almost all of them girls, according to Education Ministry statistics.
Sibusisiwe Ndlovu, the communications specialist at Plan International Zimbabwe welcomed the new legislation as a step in the right direction.
“This amendment is crucial in fulfilling the access to education right for all children – especially girls,” Ndlovu said.
UPDATE: FFK ‘withdraws’ the word ”stupid” which he used while lashing out at a journalist in Calabar
Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has expressed regret for using the word ”Stupid” on a journalist with Daily Trust during a press conference in Calabar, Cross River state on August 20.
The reporter, Eyo Charles, had asked the former Minister who was on a tour of different states in Southern Nigeria if he was being bankrolled by anyone. FFK felt insulted by his question and lashed out at him, calling him ”Stupid”.
The former Minister took to his Twitter handle this morning to express regret for using the word ”stupid” and has now withdrawn it. He also debunked claims he sent some persons to attack the journalist. His tweet reads
”I met with my advisors & I wish to say the following. I hereby withdraw the word “stupid” which I used in my encounter with a journalist in Calabar. I have many friends in the media who I offended by losing my cool & using such words. I hereby express my regrets for doing so.
I do however wish to state categorically that no threat of physical harm was ever made to the journalist in question and neither did I send anyone to threaten him. Anyone that says otherwise is lying and I challenge them to bring the proof.
.I would never seek to physically harm a journalist. For the last 30 years I have defended & worked with journalists & fought for the right of freedom of exiression. I am also very close to many in that profession.
I would be the last to seek to disparage those that are honorable and noble within its ranks. I hope that this will assuage the pain and anger of anyone that was hurt or offended by this ugly episode. I have now put this matter behind me and moved on. Now my tour of the South continues. Moving to another state today!”
NDLEA intercepts 607 cartons with over 11m tramadol tablets
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 607 cartons containing 11,785,800 tramadol tablets in Lagos.
NDLEA’s spokesperson, Mr Jonah Achema confirmed this on Wednesday, August 26, and also disclosed that the Chairman of the agency, Muhammad Abdallah said the interception and investigation were with the assistance and cooperation of the Customs Area Command, Apapa.
Abdallah said;
‘This was discovered in another container number TCNU 9465832 belonging to the same suspect transferred to NDLEA by the Police.
‘This is making it 3 containers used to carefully conceal illegally imported tramadol and other medicines to Nigeria.’
NDLEA’s chairman also noted that the recent discovery of more tramadol using the same route from Pakistan Asia – Hamburg, Europe – Nigeria showed the dynamic system of operation by the drug cartel to beat security operatives.
One child killed and another injured by stray bullets after illegal residents clash with police in South Africa
Two children were hit by a stray bullet in Cape Town, South Africa as illegal residents clashed with policemen.
The incident which happened on Monday, August 24, according to reports by AFP, led to one child’s death while another one was injured as illegal residents fired at police seeking to prevent them from moving into government housing units.
Recently, South African Police have been dismantling several unlawful property grabs by illegal residents.
The “land invasions” as it is called in South Africa is fuelled by rampant financial inequality and a lack of low-cost housing in urban areas.
But illegal owners of properties in South Africa have been violent recently as they set vehicles on fire and destroy community facilities while clashing with law enforcement officials.
On Monday, the clashes escalated as shots fired at police killed an eight-year-old boy and wounded a 12-year-old girl, Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato said in a statement.
“Over the last month we have seen violent and coordinated land invasions in over 30 different parts of the metro,” Plato said, adding that almost 50 officers had been injured in clashes.
Cape Town security official Richard Bosman said the shots had come “from a crowd of people”, after which a gunman was identified but fled the scene.
“The officers did not return fire… but sought cover instead,” he added.
“The more you try to practice feminism as a woman, the more harm you bring upon yourself” Woman warns
A woman took to Facebook to warn other women about feminism.
Tabugo Violet Amaka said “feminism has done more harm than good to our Nigerian women, most especially to our single ladies.”
She warned that women who try to practice feminism bring “harm” upon themselves.
She added that culture needs to be respected and that there are certain decisions and actions that women should not be allowed to make or take, no matter how rich or educated they are.
She further stated that “till Jesus comes, gender equality will never be adopted here in Nigeria.”
Read her post below.
VIDEO| Actress Pat Ugwu strips to her underwear as she twerks for her followers
Actress Pat Ugwu chose to show her followers the other side of her, so she stripped to her skimpy underwear and twerked on Instagram Live.
This isn’t her first time doing such. Last year, she shared a video of herself dancing naked and the video landed on a porn site.
This time around, she kept her bra and panties on but they were quite skimpy and left little to the imagination.
See a video of her latest stunt on Instagram below;
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CEWHc-iJKvL/?igshid=70qmuhcgvp7i
Aiye cult members arrested over planned attack in Lagos
Some members of the Aiye confraternity have been arrested by the Lagos State Police while allegedly planning a reprisal attack on members of a rival group in a hotel in Shasha area of the state.
The suspects were identified as Saburi Ojewole, 26, and Samson Olawale, 28, and it was further learnt that a locally-made pistol was recovered from the suspects.
Lagos police spokesperson, Elkana Bala disclosed that the suspects were arrested following a tip-off from a credible source.
He said;
“On sighting the operatives, the cultists took to their heels in order to evade arrest, but were chased. In the process, two of them, Ojewole Saburi and Olawale Samson, were arrested.
“One cut-to-size locally made double- barrel gun, with four live cartridges, were recovered from them. Investigation is ongoing to apprehend the suspects at large.”
FFK reacts as NUJ condemns him for clashing with a reporter in Calabar
Femi Fani Kayode has reacted to the statement released by the Nigerian Union of Journalists. NUJ, condemning him for his clash with a Daily Trust reporter, Eyo Charles, in Calabar, Cross River state on August 20.
The NUJ in its statement released by its National President, Chirs Isiguzo, condemned FFK for his outburst at the journalist who according to the union was only asking a simple question. See the union’s statement below
The Former Minister yesterday, released a statement explaining why he went off on the reporter.
In an addendum he released later this evening, the former Minister said the NUJ got him all wrong and that it would have been better if they heard his own side of the story. Read FFK’s statement below
Permit me to add the following to my earlier statement. I have taken note of the report by Daily Trust on the incident. The content is false. I didn’t send any of my security men to threaten their reporter.
I only reprimanded him for a premeditated plan to embarrass me and he apologised thereafter. That was all.
This is not a battle between me and the esteemed Nigerian journalists who respect the ethics of the noble profession.
I have always been and will always be a friend to journalists and a champion of freedom of speech. What I will not accept are brazen insults from an individual in the name of journalism.
The assertion or assumption that I am being bankrolled by anyone is deeply insulting.
Finally to the NUJ I say you have got me completely wrong. It would have been better if you had heard my own side of the story and established who was behind this whole incident and attempt to embarrass me, who paid for it and how much they paid before going to press. Nevertheless I still hold you in high esteem.
252 new cases of Coronavirus recorded in Nigeria
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Tuesday, August 25 announced that 252 new cases of Coronavirus were recorded in the country.
A breakdown of the new cases is as follows; Plateau-50, Enugu-35, Rivers-27, Lagos-26, FCT-18, Kaduna-18, Ekiti-10, Kano-10, Taraba-9, Anambra-8, Edo-8, Oyo-8, Delta-7, Ogun-6, Abia-5, Bayelsa-5, Ebonyi-1, Osun-1.
There are now 52,800 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the country and 1,007 deaths has been recorded. 39,964 patients who recovered from the disease have also been discharged.
Uganda mum living in ‘extreme poverty’ in Scotland is found dead next to her malnourished baby boy
A Ugandan mum living in extreme poverty in Scotland has been found dead next to her malnourished baby in a Glasgow flat.
Mercy Baguma, a refugee from Uganda, was found dead by police on Saturday, August 22 after friends raised the alarm when she had not been seen or heard from since Tuesday, August 18.
According to GlasgowLive, the baby boy was rushed to the hospital for treatment but was released yesterday with the child’s father now caring for him in a different city.
The report said Mercy lost her job after her limited leave to remain in the UK had expired and was no longer allowed to work. She had to rely on friends and charities to survive.
Speaking on the sad occurrence, Robina Qureshi, the Director of Positive Action in Housing said: “This is the third tragedy to affect the city’s refugee population in as many months.
“Mercy contacted our charity on August 11 and said she was not getting any financial support yet had made an application to MigrantHelp.
“Had she lived she would have been a high priority for a crisis payment from our Emergency Relief Fund like hundreds of others left functionally destitute by the asylum system.
“The question remains, why are mothers and babies being left to go hungry in this city, why is it being left to charities and volunteers to pick up the pieces?
“Does society have anything to say about that other than call them a drain on society?
“The fact is there is no safety net if you’re a refugee or migrant.
“You are left destitute and without resources. And you’re left silenced by far right rhetoric for being forced to ask for help.
“Would this mother be alive if she was not forced out of her job by this cruel system that stops you from working and paying your way because a piece of paper says your leave to remain has expired?
“I’m sure Mercy’s son will want to ask this and other questions once he is old enough.”
A friend of Mercy has set up a GoFundMe appeal to raise funds for her infant son and to cover the costs of her funeral.
She described Mercy as an amazing “mother, sister and best friend” who “always put her family first.”
PHOTOS| Billionaire businessman, Terry Waya shows off his very expensive watches
Terry Waya is the father of Kiddwaya, one of the housemates in the Big Brother Naija lockdown competition.
The 55-year-old businessman from Benue state is well known for his flamboyant lifestyle and high taste for the fine things of life.
Continue to see some of his luxury watches.
WHO declares Africa polio free
The World Health Organisation today August 25, declared Africa free of the wild poliovirus.
The body declared the continent free of the virus after no case of the viral disease was recorded since 2016.
In a statement jointly signed by WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; and President of Rotary International, Holger Knaack, the international body described the feat as “one of the greatest achievements in public health history.”
The statement reads in part;
“Delivering polio vaccines to every child in the African region and wiping out the wild virus is no small feat and the human resources, skills, and experience gained in the process leaves behind a legacy in how to tackle diseases and reach the poorest and most marginalized communities with life-saving services.
“Leadership from all levels of government across party lines, a historic public-private partnership that raised billions, millions of health workers reaching children across the region – from conflict zones to remote areas only accessible by motorbike or helicopter – and a culture of continual improvement were all critical to overcoming challenges and bottlenecks.
“As countries work to suppress COVID-19, many of the same basic traditional public health methods used in polio eradication, including contact tracing and surveillance, are key to breaking the chains of transmission and saving lives and livelihoods from the first coronavirus pandemic in human history.
“As recently as 2012 half of all globally recorded cases of wild poliovirus were in Nigeria, the final country in the region to rid the virus from its borders. However, as with the COVID-19 pandemic, the lesson is that it’s never too late to turn a disease outbreak around. Through hard work, new innovations and ensuring that no child was missed, Nigeria and the entire African region have now defeated polio.
“Across the region, health workers go village-to-village and door-to-door vaccinating children multiple times and offering health advice and support to the community. It’s a remarkable effort started by Rotary International, which in the 1980s – when there were hundreds of thousands of cases every year – made a global call for eradication.
“While thanking and congratulating governments, health workers, civil society and all groups that have been part of this titanic struggle; it is important to use the momentum to invest further in health systems, as well as the health worker force, to protect people from this pandemic, and prepare them for future disease outbreaks.”
Obaseki’s reforms: Edo refinery applies to NNPC for crude supply
The Edo Modular Refinery being developed by Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited (ERPC) with support from the Edo State Government has applied to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to supply it crude for use in the phase one development of the facility.
The ERPC, in a statement by its Chairman, Michael Osime, said the refinery has reached an advanced stage of development where the operators now have to introduce hydrocarbons to the facility.
Osime said discussions are also ongoing with marginal field owners for crude supply as the refinery is designed to use various grades of crude.
He noted that while the Operation and Management (O&M) of the facility is being carried out by Peiyang Chemical and Equipment Company of China (PCC), there are plans to train Nigerians over a short period of time to take over the operations of the facility, especially with the development of a fabrication yard and other key capacity building initiatives built into the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Edo State Government and Tianjin University, with PCC as the holding company.
The AIPCC Energy Limited, which is developing the refinery is a joint venture between PCC and African Infrastructure Partners Limited (AIPL).
According to Osime, “Following the gains in the first phase of the refinery, AIPCC Energy Limited has commenced plans to build 30,000 barrels per day refinery as an expansion. The Peiyang Chemical Equipment Company Limited and AIPCC Energy Limited are committed to providing most of the funding for the expansion.
“On expansion, the refinery would increase the refining capacity in Nigeria and meet 18 per cent of the local demand for diesel in Nigeria.”
The Edo Modular Refinery is an offshoot of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s drive to re-calibrate the state’s economy for industrial growth. The project benefited from a N700m project support fund and an MoU with Tianji University, which paved the way for its accelerated development.
The N700m investment was sourced from the setting up of Edo Investment Scheme Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to hold N2 billion investment funds in which the Ministry of Finance Incorporation (MOFI) and the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC) which are to hold shares of 20 per cent and 80 per cent respectively.
Meanwhile, special adviser to Edo state governor on media and communication strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been having sleepless nights after being confronted with the achievements of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Osagie said facts about the role Godwin Obaseki played in the establishment of the Edo Modular Refinery, which is nearing completion in Ologbo area of the state is now staring the APC in its face.
YouTube Star, Landon Clifford of “Cam & Fam” passes away at 19
Youtube star, Landon Clifford of the show “Cam & Fam,” has passed away at the age of 19.
His wife, Camryn Clifford confirmed her husband’s death in a heartbreaking post on Instagram.
Posting the last photo of her husband placing a protective hand on his chest as he lay in a hospital bed, she wrote: ‘August 13th 2020 was Landon’s last day being the best dad and husband he could be. After spending the following 6 days in a coma he passed on and donated several organs to people in need all over the country.’
https://www.instagram.com/p/CELNVHYpXYi/?igshid=1qg1sxrf1hom8
