Fire displaces 5,000 in Ogun community

Fire displaces 5,000 in Ogun community

No fewer than 5,000 people were rendered homeless on Wednesday night folowing a fire outbreak in Kara, Isheri area of Ogun State, where properties worth several millions were destroyed.

The makeshift structures, opposite the cattle market, popularly called Zaria Estate, were razed, but no live was lost in the incident.

The fire, which eyewitnesses said began around 6.30pm, was said to have been caused by one of the residents, who was preparing a meal.

The fire reportedly caught one of the wooden rooms, and spread through fuels which some of the people stored in containers in their rooms.

Kola Akanmu, a supplier of water and drinks, who said he lost all his sources of livelihood including N100,000 cash said, “We thought we could easily put out the fire. All our effort was abortive as the inferno spread further. If I had known, I would have gone to evacuate my things. I am in deep trouble now because I don’t know what to tell people from whom I just got goods which I am yet to pay for.”

Another lady, simply called Hajia, who sells food, was said to have lost over N300,000 in the fire.

One Garba Yamzani, a resident, who spoke with our correspondent said, “I have lost all my property and goods. I don’t have anything again, except the cloth I am wearing.”

Kehinde Oriola, 37, who works with the popular DMT mobile toilet, was one of those who joined in the local effort to put out the fire.

How safe is Lagos from Boko Haram?

Is Boko Haram planning a major attack on Lagos or any other South-West city or state? This is one puzzling question that has dominated the headlines and the minds of residents of Lagos, its government, the media and law enforcement agents since the sect began its terror campaign. The terrifying suicide attacks by Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria often sound like tales from distant lands. But an echo of the terror the sect is capable of and its capacity to infiltrate its targets was brought close home recently.

Last week, the riddle of a possible attack came close to being resolved with the discovery of the sect’s cell in Lagos-at Ijora Badia to be precise. The news of the arrest of some suspected Boko Haram agents has since filled Lagosians with horror. The publicised arrest and the discovery of explosives also further confirm long-held speculations that an attack on Lagos by the Islamist terrorist organisation may be imminent. As Boko Haram bombs continue to claim lots of innocent lives in the North, one cannot but spare a thought or imagine the possibility of these horrors playing out in Lagos.

In recent days, since the news of the arrest broke, I have been gripped with the thought of potential suicide attacks in this bustling city. Now, I am daily haunted by the delusions of horrifying scenes of bombed-out cars, mangled flesh and the cries of innocent victims that would be unlucky to be caught in this madness. It is sad that the terror campaign of Boko Haram and the spate of senseless killings have earned our country the tag of one of the most dangerous countries in the world according to Forbes Magazine.

A successful attack on Lagos will further cement our place in the global hall of infamy. However, the threat to Lagos is real. To ignore its possibility will be foolhardy. There are several reasons why the Boko Haram threat must be taken seriously. The news of the arrest is one obvious reason. Like most terrorist organisations, Boko Haram has recently been attracted to the idea of the big hit. In the last three years, it has demonstrated its capacity to take on big targets. Without mincing words, Lagos will be a choice target.

There are several reasons for this.

For those who have followed the bloody trail of bloodletting by the group, nothing can, or must be ruled out. Its alleged links with the Al Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb and the Al Shabab in Somalia has added sophistication to its campaign. One strategic motivation for an attack on Lagos is in furtherance of their jihadist manifesto. Let us not forget that at the inception of Boko Haram insurgency, the sect had announced their intention to islamise the country. The ultimate aim of which is to impose strict Sharia law. Most Nigerians have often dismissed the sect’s agenda as a figment of their fanaticism. But if we remember what the jihadist ambition of the Al Shabab and the Taliban have done to Somalia and Afghanistan, we might not be too quick to dismiss the sect’s intention. Lagos, being the political and economic epicentre of the entire South-West is strategic to the actualisation of Boko Haram jihadist campaign. The city presents a chilling launch pad for the second leg of the sect’s terror campaign. To underscore its resolve to make the entire country the hotbed of radical Islam, Boko Haram has gradually gained ground and expanded beyond its areas of operation in recent years. In 2011, the sect’s violent activities were largely confined to Nigeria’s northeast; by the end of 2012, its operation had covered all of Northern Nigeria. Since 2011, Boko Haram-related attacks have occurred in 14 out of the country’s 36 states, including all the 12 states that have already adopted Islamic law, and in the Federal Capital Territory. Boko Haram has also claimed responsibility for attacks in central Plateau State, which has been torn apart by ongoing communal violence. Up until now, Boko Haram has been largely confined to the North rather than Western targets of the international jihad.

But that has also already changed.

In a video released in 2012, Abubakar Shekau, the late Muhammed Yusuf protégé, made hostile references to the United States and Britain. Even the US is increasingly worried that Boko Haram is collaborating with the al-Qaeda-linked Islamist regime in northern Mali which was recently routed by a combined French and African forces. The sect has also been associated with the kidnap and murder of foreign nationals in the North. While victims of Boko Haram’s terror campaign continue to be almost exclusively Nigerians, the sect has expanded its focus within the country. In 2011, a large percentage of the victims were Muslims, who were closely associated with the government. However, since Christmas 2011, Christians have been a growing percentage of victims.

Boko Haram method has also evolved.

Since 2012, the sect has targeted churches and mosques. The use of suicide bombers which had been previously unknown in Nigeria has been the preferred method by the sect. The two high-profile attacks in Abuja — the June 2011 Police Headquarters bombing and the August 2011 United Nations headquarters bombing — were carried out by suicide bombers. Since then, suicide bombings have taken place with regularity, leaving thousands of people dead.

The scope and method of attack by Boko Haram; their resolve to entrench their jihadist ideology should make the threat on Lagos a real concern for the state government. The probability of terrorists targeting Lagos is high. Indeed, Lagos will be a prime target for any radical organisations which want to give a voice to their ideology. This city is home to important foreign missions and several international organisations. The sect has proved this already with the attack on the UN building in Abuja. I was quick to remind some doubters who thought Lagos was immune to terror attacks recently about how easy it was for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta to attack the Atlas Cove. That MEND attack in 2009 caught the Police unawares and left Lagosians in shock. The attack also jolted the authorities to the risk this city faces in the hands of radical organisations.

An ideological group like Boko Haram, for example, will find Lagos attractive and, make no mistake, it is coming here. This has become evident in the Ijora arrest. Its intention is to destabilise and destroy the thriving economic base of the South. It has achieved that already in the North. It wants to strike at the root of its targets’ economic, social and religious institutions. Is Lagos ready? Do the authorities anticipate an attack on this city? What is the present state of security in Lagos especially preemptive intelligence gathering that would detect and ward off dangerous extremists?

The recent killings by terrorists in some cities in the North should keep the state government on its toes. There is a possibility of this happening here soon and that is why the police must take preemptive measures to safeguard the lives of residents. Emphasis must be placed on intelligence gathering that will neutralise potential attacks. Of greater concern is the threat posed to the security of Lagos by undocumented immigrants. It is instructive to note that one of the suspected terrorists arrested in Ijora was a Chadian.

This poses a real threat. While it makes sense to round up and deport foreigners as panicky immigration officials have been doing since the Ijora discovery, it will also be appropriate to question how our borders have become so porous that dangerous elements can just stroll in and out as they wish. The arrest of suspected Boko Haram elements is commendable, but I am still apprehensive of the capacity of our law enforcement agencies to contain an all-out attack on Lagos. This city cannot afford to fall into the hands of murderous extremist groups.

Taribo was 40 while claiming 28 –Ex-Partizan president

A former Nigeria defender Taribo West has been accused of serious age fraud by some of the clubs he played for during his professional career in Europe. A Daily Mail (Mail Online) of England publication on Wednesday attributed the statement to ex-president of Partizan Belgrade, Zarko Zecevic.

The former Nigeria centre half, now retired, joined Serbian team Partizan Belgrade in 2002 after leaving Derby County and told club bosses he was 28 when he was actually 40, the paper reported.

Zecevic, has accused him of lying, saying the former defender with Derby County, Plymouth and Inter Milan was lying about his age while insisting that Taribo was actually 40.

Zecevic said, “He joined us saying he was 28. We only later found out he was 40, but he was still playing well so I don’t regret having him on the team.”

But according to the Croatian media, the former defender known for his colourful hairstyles also lied when trying to join Croatia’s Rijeka club. At the age of 44, they said Taribo told club doctors he was only 32. It was only after an examination that the doctors raised suspicions with the club because Taribo’s knees suggested he was older.

He wasn’t signed to the team but later joined Plymouth and then Iranian side Paykan FC, where he ended his career at the age of 46 in 2008.

The retired player, who now works as a pastor in the ministry he started as a player, told us on the telephone on Wednesday that it is very suggestive that such matter would be coming up about 10 years after he left that team.

“I don’t really know what they are talking about and that’s why I don’t really have anything much to say. But it is curious that they are raising such matter about 10 years after I left the place. Why was the matter not raised while I was there? Why talk about it long after I retired from the game,” Taribo said.

Age-cheating has been a serious issue in Nigerian football especially since the world football governing body FIFA introduced age-grade competitions. Even though some of the foreign clubs have treated some of the country’s players with suspicions, this is the first bold and direct accusation made against a Nigerian player.

It was not immediately clear under what circumstance or forum that Mr. Zecevic raised the matter

Lautech Student Arraigned by EFCC on His way To Cash $6.9M [N1.03Billion Naira]

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, 13 March, 2013 arraigned Akinluyi Akintunde (a.k.a Akin Cindy) before Justice Bolaji Yusuf of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan on a two count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and possession of documents containing false pretence contrary to Sections 6, 8(b) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related
Offences Act No. 14 0f 2006.
Akintunde allegedly obtained the sum of $450.00(Four Hundred and Fifty USD) from one Robert Jackson via Western Union Money Transfer and another $6,450,000.00 (Six million, Four Hundred and Forty UDS) through false documents.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge. Count two of the charge reads: “Akinluyi Akintunde ( a.k.a Akin Cindy) on or about the 12th October, 2011 at Ogbomosho within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud had in your possession documents containing false pretences, to with an air travelling regulation purportedly issued by the Ministry of Aviation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a drug free certificate for the sum of $5,000,000.00( Five Million United States Dollars) in favour of one Stan Wills Chevron Oil & Gas Company purportedly issued by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, two revenue collector’s statement for the sum of $1,450,000.00 ( One Million, Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars) purportedly issued by the Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria in favour of
one Stanley Woodley and Stan Wils, three contract award certificates purportedly issued by Chevron Oil & Gas plc in favour of Frank David, Stanley Wils and Stanley Dreckley and draft e- mails.

“That you, Akinluyi Akintunde sometime between January 2011 and December 2011 at Ogbomosho within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of $450.00 from Robert Jackson , via Western Union Money Transfer under the false pretence that you were a lady which representation you knew to be false”.

Prosecution counsel, Gbolahan K. Latona asked the court for a trial date and to remand the suspect in prison custody. However, defense counsel, Olusegun Jaiyeola, prayed the court to grant his client bail, stressing that his offences are bailable.
.
Justice Yusuf however remanded the accused person in prison and adjourned the matter till March 20, 2013 for hearing of bail applications.

BREAKING NEWS The Great PROPHET OBADARE DIES!

The Christ Apostolic Church leader, Prophet Timothy Oluwole Obadare is dead. The man of God who lived over two scores doing evangelism died today. We shall give you full detail soon

***RIP Great PROPHET OBADARE***

The mystery of women’s handbags

“Madam, wetin be this now? How long will it take you to look for a bunch of keys in this your small handbag? Abeg hurry up jo before I piss for body.”

A woman’s bag as Bermuda Triangle

It was late Saturday evening; I had arrived at home in a frantic state, sweating and in distress. My bladder was bursting at the seams. Earlier on that fateful day, I had been practically dragged by friends and family to one social function or the other with so much to eat and drink. First, somewhere in Ikeja, I attended the wedding of a close friend. It was a typical Yoruba wedding turned to an Owambe party. The bride and groom were nearly overshadowed by family members and well-wishers consisting mostly of women in colourful Aso Ebi clutching different sizes of handbags. I was particularly struck by the array of handbags on display that I have decided to make it the subject of today’s piece.

At the parties, what stood out in the women outfits were their handbags. Indeed, a woman’s dressing is not complete without the ubiquitous handbags. They came in different colours, shapes and sizes. Over the years, the handbag has become an item of fashion, a fashion statement. Some bags are as expensive as the price of a first grade Tokunbo car! This is not an exaggeration.

Arriving from the parties, I suddenly discovered why I had been in awe of women handbags and why I had considered them mysterious. Having been terribly pressed to answer the call of nature, I was in a hurry to get into the house. But there was a problem. The keys to the house, kept in my wife’s bag had suddenly disappeared. She searched her bag for several agonising minutes for the bunch of keys. I can’t remember now but we must have stood at the door for close to 10 minutes as she combed through her handbag hysterically in search of the keys.

But I have seen this scenario play out many times.

Why do objects kept in women’s handbags disappear like those fabled ships in Bermuda triangle? How many times have you observed women bury their heads deep in their handbags in search of something they kept there? It’s kind of strange. Isn’t it? As my wife furiously searched her handbag, emptying the whole content on the floor, I grew from being annoyed to joining in the search. It was like for a pin in a haystack.

But it has been much worse

Recently, I stood in a queue at my local supermarket to witness another drama involving a woman and her handbag. It was her turn to pay for the items bought. She reached casually into her handbag for her credit card. But it turned into another search for Osama bin Laden. The ATM card had disappeared! The agitated woman rummaged through her bag. She searched everywhere. At a point she emptied all the contents on the counter. Several minutes later and after another round of search, the card reappeared miraculously. Exasperated, she intoned. ‘’This stupid bag’’. The other day too, it was my niece birthday. As usual, I was at my wit’s end at deciding what would be the perfect gift. But when I observed her reaction to a handbag a friend of hers clutched adorably when she visited recently and knowing her to be a handbag freak, I decided to give her yet another gift of that designer’s accessory she has always craved for. Never mind that she has a wardrobe full of totes, large enough to open an accessory shop. At the Palms Shopping Mall Lekki, I was again confronted by a countless of handbags from top designers ranging from Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, Dior, Jimmy Cho, Versace to Veronica Bradley.

The enthusiasm of the shop attendant, as she took me through mind-boggling prices of handbags of different shapes and sizes set off a chain of questions and thoughts. Why do women carry handbags? Why do women buy so many types of handbags and whose idea was it to have so many different styles and types? Why are women handbags getting bigger and heavier? What exactly do women carry in their handbags? Doesn’t all this make a woman handbag sound like a mystery? Could it be that women are just genetically wired to a secret love for handbags? Why is it that an adorable handbag can’t be passed up by most women? A woman’s quest for the perfect handbag should be taken seriously especially if you are the one sharing a bank account with her.

Why do certain women have no problem spending a fortune on the perfect purse? From designer purses to adorable monogrammed handbags, a stylish purse just can’t be passed up. Over the years, designers have come up with even more expensive handbags. You could buy a car for the price of certain designer handbags. But for every designer handbag there is a woman ready to buy. The media do seem to help in calming women’s fix for the perfect purse. Scroll through any celebrity magazine and you will most certainly have a first peek on what purse a certain celebrity is carrying. Of course, this just adds to their need for that specific bag or a really good knock off. Women most definitely hold their purses as prized possession.

Have you also ever tried to take a peep into a woman’s bag? Why won’t they just throw all of these items into a plastic bag and save themselves a whole lot of money? Will this go against every inborn genetic marker that dictates a woman’s need to carry an adorable purse? I have always asked this question: Do women like a handbag because of the designer name? If you saw it on another woman’s shoulder without the designer logo visible, would you still like it? For a lot of women (even though they won’t admit it) the answer is a no!

I suspect that the majority of women interested in designer handbags these days do not know much about the bags themselves, all they know are a designer logo or name. If these people were to see a Gucci handbag right in front of them, would they know it was a Gucci unless they could see the logo? And would they still like the bag as much? Wouldn’t it be extremely frustrating for women who own authentic designers bag to get comments like “oh I love your Prada handbag” but in reality if the women making that compliment didn’t see the logo on the bag she wouldn’t look twice at it. Does recognizing a couple of logos make them handbag enthusiasts? I have also seen that there’s a definite trend for large bags, but what on earth are women carrying in their bags to make them so heavy? Nowadays, men manage to walk around with the three essentials (comb, wallet, keys) tucked neatly into their pockets. Women, on the other hand, seem to carry everything but the kitchen sink! Perhaps it’s their lifestyle growing ever faster and more hectic that it requires them to have a ‘mini life’ with them at all times.

Gadgets are getting a lot of the blame for heavy handbags too. Okay so the iPod is far smaller and lighter than the iPods we were using some years ago, but now we have electronic organisers, BlackBerrys, digital cameras and often a personal as well as a business phone. Do they need all of these gadgets knocking around in the bottom of their bags with their hair bands? Maybe, they’re not doing so much harm after all, but health experts and chiropractors warn that back problems are often cumulative, so while you feel right as rain waltzing through town with a new tote, five years down the line wearing it mostly on your right shoulder could be putting your back out of alignment.

However, it’s difficult to monitor what the average woman carries in her handbag and evaluate it, but one disturbing trend is that handbags are getting bigger, heavier and more expensive. What a woman considers essential is on a different scale, far grander and more imaginative level, than men could ever perceive. But it seems to me that the handbag of a woman is both a weapon and a shield wherein lurks the means for urban and suburban survival and defence, as well as the means for taking the world by storm.

Man accused of raping daughters, granddaughter

                                         Sylvester Ehijele
A seven-year-old girl (name withheld), has accused her 49-year-old father of rape.

The girl said her father, Sylvester Ehijele, had on numerous occasions had sex with her, adding that he used to promise to buy her goodies and toys before the actions.

She said he usually had sex with her on a daily basis whenever her mother was not home.

She said, “Whenever my mum is not at home, he grabs me, forces his hand over my mouth and then inserts his penis into my private part. He promises to buy me a car, cake and biscuit but he doesn’t buy anything for me.

“He also threatens to use a knife to gouge my eyes out anytime I threaten to report to my mother.”

Sylvester’s wife, Margaret, told PUNCH Metro that he (Ehijele) also raped their 23-year-old daughter when she was much younger and recently, he raped their one-year-old granddaughter that lives with them.

She said, “I am a caterer. In 2006 I went to Abuja for a catering job where I spent five days. But at about 1am, my first daughter, who was about 17-years-old at the time, called me on the phone crying that her father raped her that night.

“When I returned, I confronted him but he beat me up and he continued to molest our daughter and each time I confronted him, it earned me a beating. I had no choice but to leave him when I got fed up with seeing him molesting our daughter and later sleeping with me. I took my six children and we relocated.”

She said in 2011, Sylvester’s family settled their differences and urged the couple to reconcile for the sake of the children.

She said her husband swore never to touch any of his daughters again and she reluctantly returned to her husband’s house.

Margaret said she was however disappointed to find out that less than a year after moving in with her husband, he went back to his old ways.

She said, “We reconciled in May 2011 and I really thought he had changed but in August last year, I caught him in a compromising situation with our seven-year-old daughter. I called her out and she told me how her father had constantly been abusing her.

“Again, I confronted him and he beat me up. I had to pick my daughter and ran to his brother’s house, where I stayed for three days before I went back home.”

Mrs. Ehijele said she continued to cope with her husband’s ways until he finally raped their 15-month-old granddaughter.

She said, “Because my oldest daughter works, we decided to put her daughter baby at a day care in Ejigbo. I have always been the only one that brings her back at 6pm everyday from the day care. But on that particular day, my husband went to the day care and after an altercation with the teacher, he took the baby home.

“He took the baby home and hours later the baby was crying profusely. When I got home, the baby was still crying and I wondered what was wrong. When I finally took off her diapers so I could bathe her, I noticed she was bleeding in her private part. When I raised the alarm, my husband was unnerved. That was when I suspected him.

“I rushed down to the Ejigbo Police Station and reported the matter.”

Margaret said she had been married to the suspect for over 23 years and lamented that he had had carnal knowledge of all their daughters.

“I have two daughters, four sons and a granddaughter. Sadly, my husband has raped all of the females,” she said.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said the suspect would soon be charged to court on charges of defilement.

“The suspect is in the habit of sleeping with his daughters and now his granddaughter. We have the doctor’s report which shows that the girls have been defiled,” she said.

A copy of medical report issued by the Isolo General Hospital reads in part that, “The vaginal hymens of the girls are no longer intact.”

Sylvester however denied the allegation, adding that it was his wife that poisoned his daughters’ minds against him.

He said his wife left him initially because he had refused to pay her dowry.

He said, “If I was the one that raped them, let me die. My wife and I were separated for four years and it was because her family said I hadn’t paid her bride price. After we reconciled, she told my daughters to tell lies against me in order to disgrace me.

“Even my oldest daughter confessed to my family that I never raped her and that it was my wife that told her to lie.”

When quizzed about the medical report, Sylvester said it was not authentic

We can no longer guarantee peace in the East – Ohanaeze

March 21, 2013


The pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has said that it can no longer guarantee peace in the East in the face of the continued killing of the Igbo in some states in the North.

The group said that stopping its youths from carrying out reprisal over the years, even in the face of extreme anger, had been an onerous job.

It added that it was not sure if it would continue to restrain them from doing so, especially in the South-East.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in a statement by its Secretary General, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, said this on Wednesday while reacting to last Monday’s bombings in Kano State in which many Igbo were killed.

But just as the statement was made available to journalists, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, a group led by Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar 111, called on the Federal Government to urgently track down and bring those behind the series of bombings and killings in the country to book.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, however, still appealed to its youth wing to maintain the peace while awaiting President Goodluck Jonathan’s reaction to the latest “dastardly” act. It advised that in the future, “ Islamists fundamentalist murderers must be tackled with the same ruthlessness with which they destroy lives.”

Its statement reads, “We roundly condemn the sponsors and perpetrators of the continued cold blooded murder of fellow Nigerians. The Igbo nation is taking the heaviest toll on the casualty list and Ndigbo are grossly pained by this organised pogrom on her people.

“Ndigbo cannot continue to bear this unnecessary and unprovoked loss of their blood. Patriotism is just not enough. Keeping our restive youths calm has been an onerous job and only God has helped thus far. We can no longer guarantee the civil response of our people in a country that has become one huge slaughter house.

“The Federal Government must convince the people, especially Ndigbo, that they are safe in Nigeria. Meanwhile, Ohanaeze state chapters are to compile the names of all those affected in the bomb blasts.

“Let’s act fast. However, as a reminder, no tribe is essentially completely made up of cowards and Ndigbo are certainly no cowards.

“Need we remind these murderers that no ethnic group has the monopoly of violence? A final position will be taken in due course after due consultation with Igbo leadership.”

The National Organising Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths, Mr. Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said that Ohanaeze youths would no longer keep quiet if the killings continued.

“For now, we will not do anything because we have chosen to listen to the advice of our leaders who have asked us to be quiet and calm. But if it happens again, or something similar to that occurs again in any northern state, advice or no advice, we would be forced to retaliate,” Isiguzoro said.

Sultan Abubakar-led JNI, has however, condemned the Kano explosions, saying those responsible for the killings in the country deserved no mercy.

The group, in what seems to be at variance with Abubakar’s call for “total amnesty” for members of an Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram, said concerted “efforts and strategies” were needed to stem the bloodletting in the nation.

The Sultan of Sokoto had at a JNI meeting on March 5, 2013 said, “We want to use this opportunity to call on the government, especially Mr. President, to see how he can declare total amnesty for all combatants without thinking twice; that will make any other person who picks up arms to be termed as criminal . If the amnesty is declared, the majority of those young men running would come out and embrace that amnesty.”

But the JNI, in a statement by its Secretary General, Sheikh Khalid Aliyu, specifically flayed the Monday bomb blasts in Kano, Kano State, saying the killing of innocent people was “disturbing and alarming.”

Boko Haram, which is believed to be largely responsible for the bombings and killings in parts of the North, including Abuja, has yet to make any comment on the Kano incident.

The JNI statement was made public just as the Kano State chapter of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said 35 corpses had been identified by relatives who had already started preparations for their (corpses) burial.

The JNI statement reads in part, “This new trend of bombing at a motor park, and the killing of innocent people that gathered to travel to various destinations, at New Road Motor Park, Sabon Gari, Kano, Kano State on Monday, March 18, 2013 is disturbing and alarming.

“We, therefore, call for calm and restraint. The situation is very worrisome, and calls for more concerted efforts and strategies of averting such ugly situations.

“Therefore, the JNI once more calls on government at all levels to as a matter of urgency nip in the bud future recurrence and the perpetrators of these barbaric acts be brought to face the wrath of the law.

“Human lives are sacred and must be treated as such, in line with the teachings of the revered books.

“More so, our concern is why was the park targeted? It seems there is a design to set the entire North on fire and by extension, the whole country, starting with Kano.”

In Kano, the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the state, Chief Tobias Idika,said the association was opposed to any plan to conduct a mass burial for bodies yet to be identified.

Idika, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, explained that he and other members of the association were worried about reports of a planned mass burial of such bodies.

He said, “So far, relatives of the dead have identified 35 bodies. Some identified their dead using the clothes they wore last. Some used their shoes and other physical attributes because some of them were badly burnt; others had their faces still intact. We are still trying to identify others but we now hear that there are plans to conduct a mass burial.

“We are worried about this information. We would like to use this opportunity to warn the Kano State Government and the Police not to bury our people in a mass grave because this will increase tension. We will like to see the bodies of our people to give them a proper burial.

“How do you tell a mother, father, brother or sister that their loved one is dead and you do not have the body for them to see and bury properly? It is not done. We have suffered enough; people must not add salt to our injury by committing further abominations against us.”

The Ohanaeze leader also expressed sadness that the state Governor, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, had yet to visit the site of the incident.

But the Director of Press and Public Relations to the Kano State Governor, Haliru Dantiye, said he was not aware of any plan to give the victims a mass burial.

Dantiye, who added that the state government was doing all within its power to deal with the situation, explained that the injured had been visited by government officials in their various hospitals and instructions given for their treatment.

He said, “As you are aware, government is taking responsibility for their medical bills. I believe there may be a policy pronouncement. On the issue of mass burial, I am not aware of any such plan.”

The Kano blasts were also deliberated upon by the Senate at its plenary on Wednesday.

During the session, a member, Uche Chukwumerije, said the Igbo in Kano State believed that the blasts were pre-meditated against them.

Chukwumerije, who read a script titled,”Bomb Explosions in Luxirious Buses Park, New Road, Sabon Gari, Kano on March 18, 2013,” said the Igbo in the state felt so because about 80 per cent of the passengers in the two South-bound luxury buses first attacked by the bombers were their kinsmen.

He said that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Kano State would want the Federal Government to set up a committee to collect and manage any compensation for the victims because the Igbo no longer trusted the Kwankwaso administration.

The lawmaker added, “ More dangerous still, they (Igbo in Kano) believe that the Monday mayhem was a pre-meditated attack primarily aimed at them. This is the view of a group, a major component of our plural community. This view has two strategic implications for the viability and vitality of the Federation.

“The first implication is the possibility of extreme alienation and resort to the option of withdrawing allegiances from the State since the most crucial of the obligations of a State in this Social Contract is protection of life and property.”

Making specific demands on the Nigerian State, Chukwumerije said, “For the Igbo in Kano, the people and their leadership insist on three immediate remedial actions from government.

“One is permission to arrange private burials, in place of mass burials, for their loved ones because some of the deceased were their leaders.

“The Federal Government should beef up security around the Igbo and other endangered groups in the North. They demand a visibly effective termination of terrorism in Nigeria.

“The fight against terrorism is like a football match. The people are not interested in stories of efforts being made, but in actual results like victory goals in a football match.”

Commenting on the issue, Senator Kabiru Gaya said it was sad that enemies of the Nigerian State were seeking to exploit ethno-religious differences to destroy “our nation.”

He said, “From history, Kano people had been business partners with other tribes in Sabon-Gari; we are worried that some people are working against the unity of this country, yet government is not doing anything

Question for the guys...

How long would you to date a lady before you expect sex from her?

1. A few days
2. A week
3. A month
4. Three months
5. Other (specify)

Obaifaiye Shem still NSCDC Lagos State commandant

Contrary to reports making the rounds that Lagos State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Mr. Obafaiye Shem, has been dismissed following his 'Oga At The Top' debacle during a live interview on Channels TV almost two weeks ago, he says and Channels TV says the report is false.

Shem said he was not suspended or dismissed but has been on casual leave to bury his father and will resume work next Thursday.
"I am still the State Commandant of NSCDC and I am determined to work hard to expose the vandals across the State.”
His wife also never went to Channels TV office to protest.

Are You Getting Married Soon? Bride/Groom? Then this is For YOU

Comedian AY and Wife Expecting Second Child.

Multi-talented, multi-award winning Standup comedian, and one of the most successful comic acts Nigeria has produced, Ayo Richard Makun, popularly known as AY and his beautiful wife, Mabel are expecting their second child any time soon. The awesome couple already have a 5 year old daughter, Michelle Adeola who once danced to actress cum singer, Tonto Dikeh's popular critically HI.

Are you prepared for menopause?

Many women cannot wait to get off the pain, cramps and, most times, the discomfort they experience during menstruation. Yet, when it eventually bids goodbye, many are ill-prepared for the medical and psychological challenges that follow.

Most women have said that instead of relief, they feel less feminine; others even thought they had contacted a disease.

Not to worry, doctors have said menopause, which is the permanent end of menstruation, is a turning point in a woman’s life, not a disease.

The net doctor defines menopause as the day a woman experiences her last menstrual cycle because her ovaries, which produce eggs, have slowed down.

It does not happen suddenly, it is a gradual process, but many women fail to see the warnings, hence they experience complications such as hot flashes and severe issues like heart diseases and osteoporosis says a gynaecologist, Dr. Jeni Worden, “Menopause is a milestone – it’s the day that marks 12 months in a row since a woman’s last period. It most time signifies that the ovaries are slowing down and the woman’s childbearing years are winding down.”

Age is the leading cause of menopause, says Worden.She notes that though few women start menopause as young as 40, and a very small percentage as late as 60, a woman should expect to stop seeing her menstrual flow between ages 45-55 years.

She also notes that there is no proven way to predict the exact age a woman would experience menopause.

Menopause affects women differently, say scientists at the National Institute of Aging.

Because hormonal composition varies in individuals, some women may reach this stage with little or no trouble; while others may experience severe symptoms such as discomfort during sex, hot flashes and sleeping problems, which drastically hamper their lives.

Worden states that for a woman to manage her health when menopause starts, she must be able to recognise premenopausal symptoms.

A major sign that menopause is approaching is a change in menstrual period but this change varies in length from woman to woman.

She adds, “Periods may get shorter or longer, heavier or lighter, with more or less time between periods. Such changes are normal,”

Here are other menopausal symptoms that would let you know that your menstrual cycle is winding down:


Hot flashes

According to Medicinet.com, about 80 per cent of women entering menopause experience hot flashes (or hot flushes) , a brief feeling of heat that may make the face and neck flushed, cause temporary red blotches to appear on the chest, back, and arms.

Sweating and chills may follow. Hot flashes vary in intensity and typically last between 30 seconds and 10 minutes.


Sex problems

Women complain that they have less appetite to make love or feel much pain during intercourse after or before menopause. Worden says since less estrogen is produced in a woman after menopause this leads to vaginal dryness, which may make intercourse uncomfortable or painful.

Therapists on WebMd.com have said using a water-soluble lubricant during love making may help.

They warn that libido may also change, for better or worse, but many factors besides menopause — including stress, medications, depression, poor sleep, and relationship problems — affect sex drive. “If symptoms persist, talk to your doctor, a woman should not settle for a so-so sex life because of menopause.”

Also, with menopause comes a greater risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. So it means it is time to step up and get serious about it, if you have not already.

According to a survey on WedMD.com, the number one cause of death in women in the United States is menopause-related heart disease and osteoporosis as the loss of estrogen plays a role for heart disease after menopause.

Physician-author Christiane Northrup says one of the smartest things a woman can do as she transits to menopause and afterward is to get regular physical activity. Instead of looking back mournfully, she should use this state to redefine herself with positive thoughts, love, explore what brings her pleasure, and revive (not retire) her sex life.

That includes aerobic exercise for her heart and weight-bearing exercise for her bones — both of which may help ward off weight gain and provide a mood boost.

Other treatments that experts offer to help women cope better with menopausal symptoms include low-dose birth control pills; antidepressants, blood pressure drugs, or other medications to help with hot flashes; and vaginal estrogen cream.

Your doctor may also have lifestyle tips about adjusting your diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management.

Tackle scurvy with Vit C

When Europeans first began sea voyages in the 15the century, a strange malady often sickened and killed crews. The sailors lacked energy, bleeding gums, loose teeth, swelling of the limbs, large purple marks on the skin (caused by bleeding into muscles), shortness of breath, heart palpitations

They also developed jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and eyes), fever, convulsions, and, sad to say, many of them died. Their disease was named scurvy, and it was caused by the depletion of Vitamin C from their bodies because of their limited diets aboard ship.

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning that it cannot be stored in the fat cells of the body. It needs to be ingested every day. After about 30 days, any vitamin C stored in the body is used up. Fresh foods such as fruits that contain vitamin C were not available to the sailors, as the typical seaman’s diet consisted exclusively of cured, salted meat and hard biscuits.

No one, however, suspected that nutrition was the cause of scurvy. It was believed to be an infection passed from person to person, and one from which almost no one recovered. All of their symptoms were the result of a breakdown in the collagen in their bodies, it turned out.

Vitamin C is essential to the production of collagen, the connective tissue that holds together our skin, bones, muscles, organs, and nervous systems. It also helps the body’s cells to use other essential vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin C-rich foods include potatoes, pawpaw, peaches, guava, melon, spinach and tomatoes.

These foods are common ways that individuals introduce vitamin C into their regular diets. Think about how to use more fresh fruits and vegetables in your meals to benefit from some of the specific roles that vitamin C plays in developing a healthy body and promoting a long and healthy life

Your diet while pregnant can shape your baby’s health

Your diet while pregnant can shape your baby’s health

As a healthy, pregnant woman, your doctor is likely to tell you that you may eat anything that appeals to you, provided they are healthy for you and your baby.

It is also a fact that many expectant mothers crave certain types of foods, while others simply chow down on a single food for the better part of their pregnancy duration. Medically, this is referred to as ‘pica,’ and doctors further describe it as “eating non-nutritional substances.”

In fact, obstetrician/gynaecologist, Dr. Mayokun David, says pregnancy and food cravings go hand in hand. The only problem, she says, is that sometimes, these cravings represent a nutritional deficiency, particularly a need for iron.

David warns that the consumption of certain picas for cultural reasons can lead to infant and child developmental problems, with low verbal IQ scores, impaired hearing and motor skill development. “The neurological damage can be overwhelming,” she warns. She says a physician becomes concerned when food cravings replace good nutrition. “Then, a pregnant woman will fill up on the foods she craves and skip the nutritious foods her body and her baby really need. And, since, often, the foods women crave during pregnancy can be laden with empty calories, it can also lead to gaining too much weight,” she notes.

She advises, “If you do find yourself craving any non-food item, experts say see your doctor immediately and be tested for iron deficiency anaemia or other nutritional deficiencies such as zinc, which has also been linked to pica.”

What’s more, experts say our taste buds do actually play a role in how we interpret our body’s needs. David says studies show that the high hormone levels present during pregnancy can alter both a woman’s sense of taste and smell. So certain foods and odors can not only be more enticing but in some cases more offensive; a problem that often plays out as a pregnancy food aversion.

Experts further note that if a pregnant mom craves high-fat premium ice cream, chocolates, doughnuts and eating them all the time, her weight could blossom to an unhealthy level early in the pregnancy.

Diabetologist and Medical Director of Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre, Lekki Phase1, Lagos, Dr. Afokoghene Isiavwe, warns that if a pregnant woman is at risk of gestational diabetes (diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy that can affect the health of both baby and mom), giving in to high-sugar cravings could cause even more problems.

“With gestational diabetes, you not only have to watch weight gain, but also what you eat,” Isiakwe counsels.

Worse still is the result of a new research published in The FASEB Journal, which claims that women who eat junk food while pregnant give birth to babies who grow to love junk foods.

The researchers warn that junk food stimulates the production of opioids in the body (the same opioids found in abusive drugs like morphine and heroin), which can cross through the placenta and breast milk from mother to foetus.

To investigate how exposure to these junk food-induced opioids during foetal development affects babies’ food habits, Australian researchers studied the puppies of two groups of rats. During pregnancy and lactation, one group of rat-moms had eaten normal critter food, while the other ate a range of human junk foods, including chocolate biscuits and potato chips.

Once the experimental puppies were weaned, the researchers injected them with an opioid receptor blocker to prevent the junk foods from stimulating the release of dopamine in their bodies. “By curbing the junk foods’ feel-good effect, blocking opioid signaling lowers fat and sugar consumption,” the researchers claim.

They found that the opioid receptor blocker was less effective at reducing fat and sugar intake in the puppies of the junk-food-feeding mothers. Their mothers’ crude diet during pregnancy caused reduced sensitivity in the babies’ opioid signaling pathway, the researchers found. In turn, these babies, born with a higher tolerance for junk food, needed to eat more of it to achieve a junk-food high.

Lead researcher, Beverly Muhlhausler, from the FOODplus Research Centre at the School of Agriculture Food and Wine at The University of Adelaide, Australia, says, “In the same way that someone addicted to drugs has to consume more of the drug over time to achieve the same high, continually producing excess opioids by eating too much junk food also results in the need to consume more junk food to get the same pleasurable sensation.”

Experts say a healthy diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding can give your child a healthy start. Muhlhausler says previous studies have shown that eating specific foods during pregnancy and breastfeeding can result in the child preferring those foods later in life. “And a baby’s pre-birth nutrition can either prevent — or cause — chronic health conditions,” he warns.

A nutritionist who specialises in pregnancy and post-partum nutrition, Dr. Cassandra Forsythe, says, “Whenever you eat sugary foods, all the sugar sinks right into the baby, making them more insulin resistant, more likely to crave junk foods and more likely to struggle with their body weight, not to mention more likely to develop glucose disorders like diabetes.”

Doctors say a poor diet during pregnancy increases the child’s risk of obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, autism, and attention deficit disorder at different stages of their life. Forsythe says adequate micronutrients, especially B vitamins, during foetal development, reduce the risk of neural tube, cardiac, or other birth defects.

Doctors say up to 90 per cent of pregnant women report food cravings, and sweets are at the top of their list. They counsel that to help manage cravings, pregnant women should consider taking a small amount of their picas.

The expectant women are also advised to eat small, healthy meals throughout the day to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels