Scientists Say Eggs ‘Almost As Bad As Smoking’

New research has suggested regular consumption of egg yolks accelerates atherosclerosis, an effect which is more often linked to smoking cigarettes.
Also known as coronary artery disease, it is a disorder of the arteries where plaques, aggravated by cholesterol, form on the inner arterial wall.
Dr David Spence revealed eating the yolk of an egg is about two-thirds as bad as smoking when it comes to increased build-up of carotid. Having surveyed 1,231 men and women, Spence, of the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, linked the findings to stroke and heart attack risk factors.
Plaque rupture is the usual cause of most heart attacks and many strokes. The study involved patients, with a mean age of 61.5, attending vascular prevention clinics in Ontario. And ultrasound was used to establish a measurement of total plaque area and questionnaires were filled out regarding the patients’ lifestyles.

Consumption of Egg Yolks As Bad As Cigarettes Smoking?

The research found carotid plaque area increased in line with age after 40, but increased exponentially after years of regular smoking and egg yolk consumption. The study also found those eating at least three yolks a week had significantly more plaque area than those who ate up to two yolks per week.
Dr Spence, 67, who is also a neurology professor, said: “The mantra ‘eggs can be part of a healthy diet for healthy people’ has confused the issue”. He goes further to say,“high cholesterol intake increases the risk of cardiovascular events, and egg yolks have a very high cholesterol content. The study shows that, with age, plaque builds up gradually in the arteries and egg yolks make it build up faster.”
The effects of egg yolk consumption were independent of sex, cholesterol, blood pressure, smoking, body mass index and diabetes. While there is still room for more research to be done, it is strongly advised that regular consumption of egg yolk should be avoided by anyone at risk of cardiovascular disease.
The research has been published online in the journal Atherosclerosis

Explosion Kills two terrorists in Kaduna

 

Bomb exploded in Kaduna today killing two people who were reported to be conveying the bomb while on MOTORCYCLE AT ALI AKILU ROAD BY ABAPA, KADUNA ON TUESDAY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THERE was a loud explosion on the ever busy Ali Akilu Road in the Kaduna metropolis, a commercial centre close to the state House of Assembly and one of the biggest mosques in Kaduna at about 3:30 p.m.

The two suicide bombers bearing the explosive device were said to have died.

It was gathered that the two men were carrying an object, which looked like a television set, while heading towards the Ungwan Seriki Area, but luck ran out of them as the object exploded before they got to their destination.

The mosque was said to be hosting the final round of the Tasfir normally carried out during the holy month of Ramadan.

A swam of bees invaded the area immediately after the explosion, forcing onlookers to cut leaves to drive away the bees while security operatives had to shoot canisters of teargas apparently to ward off the bees.

Many residents, including journalists, that went to the scene were stung by the bees.

An eyewitness told the Nigerian Tribune that she was passing by the area when she heard the blast and ran there only to see three persons lying on the ground with their motorcycles affected by the explosion.

“I was coming from the house, going to plait my hair when I heard the sound. I thought it was a gunshot. Then I saw the three of them and three motorcycles; they were all lying on the ground and two of them were dead, while one of them was still moving. Then, the bees spread around and started stinging people.”

The Acting Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Balteh, who confirmed the explosion, said, “two people were carrying an object suspected to be an Improvised Explosive Device on a motorbike from Singer roundabout towards Lugard Hall roundabout, close to the NNPC filling station, the device exploded and killed the two of them.

Nigerian couple who beat their kids jailed 14 yrs in London

 

What most Nigerians culturally do by using corporal punishment to correct their children when they do wrong and go scot free has become the albatross for two Nigerian couples resident in the United Kingdom.
For beating their six children with brooms, hoovers and wires and even giving their baby a morphine overdose after childbirth, the Nigerian couple have been jailed for seven years each in London, with the UK press calling them all sorts of names.
But the Nigerian married couple denied the allegations, claiming the children were victims of a racist witch-hunt. They were, however, found guilty of cruelty to a person under 16.
The parents convicted of a decade long campaign of abuse against their six children were jailed for seven years each yesterday.
The Nigerian couple, which the paper said claimed their kids were possessed by evil spirits, were found guilty after Coronation Street star Michelle Collins gave evidence against them.
The parents argued that the children had been ‘brainwashed’ into making the allegations by the police, the London Borough of Haringey and Miss Collins who they said ‘wanted to steal’ them, UK’s Green Crown Court heard.
Jurors rejected the parents conspiracy theories. When they are released, they face deportation back to Nigeria – despite pleas from their legal team that they have been ‘punished enough’ by having their children taken into care.
As they left the court, the paper said the couple wailed: ‘We are innocent, this is a miscarriage of justice.’
The couple were accused of beating their children with brooms, hoovers and wires and even giving their baby a morphine overdose just days after her first birthday.
A report published in UK’s Daily Mail said five of the children were rescued after their eldest daughter threw a heart-wrenching SOS note out of a window.
The report said it was not until their one-year-old baby was given a morphine overdose over a year later that police reopened the case which led to their prosecution.
The paper said the plight of the children was so bad that Miss Collins, who met them at a church lunch, took them to the cinema ‘because she felt sorry for them’.
The Miss Collins gave evidence as a prosecution witness during the trial of the parents, both 40, who could not be named to protect their six children.
Sentencing them to seven years behind bars each, Judge James Patrick described it as ‘shocking mistreatment’ that they had tried to cover up with a ‘web of deception’.
Judge Patrick said: “No-one who sat through this trial could help but be moved by the fact that these intelligent, charming, fun, lovable children continue to love you despite what you put them through.
“You alleged a conspiracy involving a well-known actress, who had done nothing but show your family generosity and kindness, a member of a housing charity, social workers and foster carers.
“Those who had taken the trouble to support you were repeatedly accused of dishonesty, lying, and conspiracy to rob you of your children when the reality was that both of you were lying – in fact they ware simply seeking to give your children stability.”
But the parents claimed they were victims of a conspiracy – and even alleged Miss Collins was involved in a witch hunt against them and wanted to ‘steal’ their children.
One of the youngsters, a baby at the time, had been allowed to stay in the home by Haringey council, who were involved in other case called the Baby P and Victoria Climbie cases, despite the fact the five other children had to be rescued.
The abuse reportedly came to the attention of police in April 2010 when their nine-year-old wrote an SOS note and threw it out of her bedroom window.
The heart-breaking plea read: ‘My mum is the worst mum ever because she can’t cope with five of us, her broken hand and being pregnant. She always leaves me out so I always starve and I am forced to work.
‘If I don’t get enough house work done, I am beaten without mercy with the wooden end of a broom. I have scars all over me to prove it. I can’t stay here. I would like a new mum.’
It was found by a neighbour who called the police, and when officers attended the address they found the children living in messy conditions with ‘dirty’ and ‘dishevelled’ clothing.
Revealing scars the eldest said her mother had hit her with a cable, a broom, and a hoover and her father had dangled her by her feet down the stairwell of the house, tied her hands behind her back and her legs together ‘to get the devilish spirits out’, prosecutor Emma Smith said.
Her sister, who was seven at the time, had a stick shaped bruise of her thigh and after a few months in care, she drew a series of pictures showing her dad beating her and her being left home alone and including a speech bubble saying ‘I’m hungry.’
The children were left home alone for hours, sometimes days on end, with the elder kids forced to look after the others.
They had even been forced to lie to a charity and social services that they were living alone with their mother in one room and had no idea who their dad was so they could scam benefits.
Even during the trial the eldest feared she had torn her family apart with her ‘devastating cry from the heart in the form of a letter which she threw from the window’, the judge noted.
There was an investigation but no further action, and the five children remained in care until the parents once again came to police attention on 28 June last year, when they gave their baby an overdose.
‘But for the events of June 28 you would have gotten away with your crimes because of a merciful decision not to prosecute you’, Judge Patrick noted.
The couple’s sixth child, a baby girl, the report said, was also initially taken into care but then returned to her parents. They took her to St Thomas’s Hospital just days after her first birthday last year.
The paper went on to say that without treatment, the baby could have died but doctors managed to save the youngster, who it is believed was given morphine orally that morning.

Man docked for defiling 5-yr-old

BY Onozure Dania
A 45-year-old man, Alabi Bakare, has been docked before an Ikeja Magistrate Court, Lagos, for allegedly having carnal knowledge of a five-year-old girl.
Bakare, who was accused of assaulting the child (name withheld), a commercial motorcycle operator, is married with two wives.
The defendant, who is a neighbour of the victim’s parents, is facing a one-count charge of having unlawful sexual intercourse with the minor.
The Police prosecutor, Mr Barth Nwaokoye, told the court that Bakare had allegedly had sex with two other girls, who are minors and whose names were simply given as Jumoke, aged four and Azeezat aged, eight, before he was recently arrested.
Nwaokoye, said that the man committed the offence on August 3, 2012, at Oluwakemi Street, Alapere, Ketu.
The prosecutor alleged that Bakare, has been sexually assaulting little children over time before he was finally caught.
The prosecutor added that it was one Mr  Kehinde Ogundare of the same address, who caught him having sexual intercourse with the little child  and reported the case.
Nwaokoye said that Bakare as an Okada rider and as a neighbour to the victim, was the one that usually takes them to school every day, adding that the defendant had access to the children as a result of the familiarity he had with them as their driver and as a neighbour.
The offence is punishable under section 137 of the Lagos State Criminal Laws Vol. 44 No. 11 of 2011.

Source: Vanguard

Job scam rocks Customs

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From IKENNA EMEWU, Abuja
There is ongoing scam of job sale in several cities purporting to be at the behest of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). With the desperation for employment in the country, many have fallen victims of the bait and paid dearly for it. Daily Sun investigations showed that the job slots go for as high as N500,000 for one and most times, the employment papers are prepared and names fixed to them, and just delivered to the buyer.
Many suspects have been detained. But the Customs authorities have denied links with such agents, which they described as fake and cautioned Nigerians not to fall for their tricks. With such tailor-made offers, the buyers are meant to bear the names on the job offer paper and the credentials already attached as those of the buyer. The syndicates are many.
They operate in diverse forms. While some use phone calls and personal contacts, others operate online, using some websites and Facebook accounts purported to be those of the Comptroller-General of NCS. Unfortunately, however, some of the people that bought these job offers met a brick-wall when they reported at the NCS head office in Abuja for documentation. Instead of the employment they paid for, they were rather arrested and handed over to the police where they are being interrogated.
“They give you a letter that bears names that are not yours and support them with academic documents and tell you that you bear the name on the letter all through your employment if you indeed need the job,” a victim told Daily Sun. Though the victim said he refused the offer after he was asked to pay N500,000 to have the letter, he said that several people have, however, fallen prey to the syndicate. Another victim said that she paid N200,000 to another syndicate, which promised her a Customs job. The syndicates had fleeced job-seeking Nigerians of millions of naira with the fake employment offers.
According to the victim, a lady who convinced her victims with evidence of NCS staff ID card, leads one of the syndicates. “She showed us her staff Identity card and the uniform in her car to convince us. She told us that she works with the Head of the Human Resources department and our names will appear on the priority list. We have not heard from her since then.
The woman lives in Gwarimpa, here in Abuja and I am sure the authorities know of her because other people who have been her victims said she had been in the business of Customs job fixing for long.” The victim gave out the names of one Mr. Amadi, said to be a Customs official, as a member of a syndicate led by another alleged Customs official called Oluwaseyi. Efforts to confirm if they are actually staffers of the NCS proved negative as they were said to be unknown to the service.
Calls put to Amadi on a telephone number said to be his, were not responded to. Questions about the actual identity of Oluwaseyi, who we gathered, might have made more than N10 million from the fraud, turned out negative. Authorities of the NCS actually confirmed to Daily Sun that indeed, it had uncovered false job syndicates that operate to defraud Nigerians, to tarnish the image of the service.
It also said it is already investigating such syndicates to know the extent of their activities. From Customs sources, the syndicates operate online through websites and the social media to lure their victims. “They operate about three Facebook accounts in the name of the Comptroller-General (CG) of Customs through which many Nigerians have been duped for job and contracts. But every reasonable job-seeker should know the CG couldn’t descend so low as to respond to official matters on Facebook chat.
“The CG does not have a Facebook account,” Superintendent Joseph Attah, Customs spokesman, said. Other sources Daily Sun contacted at the Customs headquarters in Abuja, confirmed that some members of a job syndicate had been arrested and under investigation over alleged extortion of money on the pretext that they would be offered employment in the NCS.
Attah said, “the leadership of the service had ordered investigations which led to the discovery of huge fraud by the syndicates. “Some members of the syndicates are already in detention and have made useful statements, while other leads are still being trailed by the service. A woman already penciled down as notorious in the syndicate is one Hajiya Rekiya, who is a resident of Mararaba, a satellite town in Nasarawa State, near the FCT. “She operates a syndicate that had duped job-seekers of up to N14 million. Among her victims are 53 persons who paid into her account and direct cash to her sums ranging between N50,000 and N300,000.
Investigations by Customs, as the NCS said, is a discovery that the said Rekiya parades herself as a Customs officer while carrying a forged Customs Identity card and claims to be working for a wider syndicate, inside the service. Hajiya tells her victims she is a Customs officer and usually came to them with an Identity card tagged on her uniform while also working with forged letterheads and other official documents of the NCS. Sources at the Customs headquarters indicate that “because investigations are still on-going, it is not yet possible to ascertain how extensive the span of the crime is and if there are people who are involved from inside.
Attah said the Comptroller-General, Abdullahi Inde Dikko, has placed every segment of the service on high alert over these activities and instituted internal checks even after alerting the police of the development. He assured that “since we didn’t contract or mandate anybody to recruit workers for the service, then, whoever does that intends to undermine the CG who is doing his best to ensure the Customs remains a reputable organization.”

Source: The Sun

Horror: Suspected cultists kill UBTH woman

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From TONY OSAUZO, Benin
Horror was unleashed on Edo State yesterday when suspected cultists shot at close range, a female staff of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).The incident occurred in the presence of her husband. The victim, who was identified as Mrs. Elisabeth Osayande, was allegedly shot at their residence at Akpata Street, Egor Local Government Area.
According to sources, the gunmen, who allegedly rode on a motorcycle, had reportedly pointed at the woman, saying “that is the person, shoot her,” before she was shot on the chest. She died instantly. Her son, whose name could not be ascertained, was said to have had an altercation with a boy who parked his motorcycle in front of their residence before the unknown gunmen shot the deceased.
The late woman’s husband, simply identified as Mr. Osayande, said that he sent his son to buy him some planks and the son noticed that a stranger parked his motorcycle at the entrance to their residence. “My son only asked him to give way, but the stranger told him to shut up. He threatened to deal with my son and he came back in a few minutes and shot my wife,” Mr. Osayande said, noting that the body had been deposited at the mortuary, adding that the matter was reported at the Ogida Police Station.
The Edo State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Anthony Airhuoyo, said the police were yet to receive detailed information on the incident. Meanwhile, following the killings of some members of the Deeper Life Bible Church in Okene, Kogi State last week by gunmen, the Edo State Police Command has beefed up security in boundary towns between Edo and Kogi to forestall invasion of the state by armed militia.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olayinka Balogun, who disclosed this in Benin yesterday, said policemen had been deployed in Muslim communities in Edo North to ensure a hitch-free Sallah this weekend. “We have deployed policemen in the buffer zones between Edo and Kogi States to ensure that the gunmen, who were responsible for the killings in Okene do not infiltrate into Edo State. We have beefed up security in towns like Ibillo, Igarra, Okpella, among others. “We are also taking some security measures to ensure that Muslims in Edo have a hitch-free Sallah celebration,” he said.
The commissioner, who had earlier addressed members of the Police Community Relations Committee, sued for aggressive recruitment of volunteers with unblemished record into the committee just as he praised the PCRC at Ibillo for assisting the police in the arrest of two gunmen who were said to be part of those who attacked the Deeper Life Church. In his speech, the Chief Imam of Benin, Mallam Abdul-Fatai Enabulele, said the term, Boko Haram, was anti-thetical to Islam which he said was a religion of peace. “The problem in Northern Nigeria is the problem of long-term manipulations and double standard. Boko Haram has never fought for Islam, beginning from the days of the Prophet in Medina and Mecca.”
“The Prophet preached Islam with diplomacy…There is nothing like Western knowledge. So, knowledge is knowledge, which is why Islam told us that knowledge is continuous. Let me assure everybody that in Edo State, we will never collaborate with, support or tolerate Boko Haram or kill any Christian,” he said.

Culled from The Sun

FG to Raise Power Output to 9,000MW

Minister of Power, Bart Nnaji

By Chuks Okocha  and Onyebuchi Ezigbo 

The Federal Government Sunday raised hopes of improvement in power supply as it announced plans to raise electricity output from the current 4,300 megawatts (mw) to a record 9,000mw in “the next few months”.

A statement from the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, which detailed the achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan since his inauguration in May 2011, said government would attain the new output when it completed the 10 projects under the National Integrated Power Plants (NIPP).

The statement was in response to the criticism by former Federal Capital Territory Minister and chieftain of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, who accused the presidency of “seeking to outsource governance”. 

It said on assumption of office, Jonathan inherited 10 abandoned projects under the NIPP and had since then revitalised the projects.

The projects, which on completion, will add additional 4960mw to the national grid are: Ihovbor in Edo State (451mw), Omotosho in Ondo State (451mw), Olorunsogo in Ogun State  (750mw), Sapele in Delta State (451mw), Geregu in Kogi State (434mw), Egbema in Imo State (338mw), Gbarain in Bayelsa (225mw), Omoku in Rivers State (225mw), Calabar in Cross River State (561mw) and Alaoji in Abia State (1074mw).

“This administration met 10 abandoned NIPP projects and has successfully revitalised all. More importantly, they are all within the range of 95-100 per cent completion stage and are awaiting gas supply, which government has taken very concrete steps to address.

“Government has improved power generation from under 3,000mw in 2011 to 4,300mw by August 2012. Therefore, when the 10 NIPP projects are fully on stream, which will be within the next few months, the total national generation capacity will not be less than 9000mw, a 200 per cent increase in generating capacity as compared with the figures for 2011 and the highest ever by any administration since independence,” the Federal Government said in the statement signed by the Media Director in the office, Mr. Olusanya Awosan.

On transportation, the statement said the government had rehabilitated 3,000 kilometres out of 3,505 kilometres of existing narrow gauge rail lines, while the Lagos-Kano corridor would be completed this year and that of Port Harcourt-Maiduguri corridor would be ready next year.

The government said the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri modern standard gauge rail line was nearing completion with the entire track 100 per cent laid, while the contract for a second similar standard modern gauge line between Lagos and Ibadan had been awarded.

The statement also brandished the government’s achievements in agriculture to include elevating the living standards and income of farmers and rural dwellers through the free distribution of millions of improved seedlings including cotton, sorghum, rice and cassava.

The government, which plans to double cocoa production from its present 250,000 metric tonnes to 500,000 metric tonnes per annum by 2015, is also working assiduously to leverage on Nigeria’s status as the world’s largest producer of cassava to make it the largest exporter of the product globally.
According to the statement, flour millers who initially resisted government’s directive for three per cent local substitution with cassava, have on their own increased the substitution ratio to 20 per cent.

It cited the popular sausage roll, gala, a snack manufactured by UAC Nigeria Plc, which has a substitution ratio of 20 per cent cassava mix, adding that this has resulted in considerable foreign exchange savings and increased income for farmers and agro-allied processors.

“Besides, the government, through the public private partnership (PPP) initiative, has attracted $40 million foreign investment to rice production and milling in Taraba State,” the statement added.

The investment will produce 300,000 metric tonnes of rice, which accounts for 15 per cent of national rice imports and create 15,000 jobs.

“This administration is facilitating the establishment of the largest high quality rice processing mills with an overall installed processing capacity of two million tonnes per annum which will also be the largest installed milling capacity in Africa. It will be private sector driven and established in rice producing states,” it said.

It added that three new rice-processing mills in Ebonyi, Niger and Kebbi States with combined 90,000 metric tonnes of milled rice per annum had been completed.

The presidency listed infrastructure projects to be completed to include 180 kilometres of rural roads and 77 kilometres of feeder roads completed within the last 12 months as well as the establishment of 10 export crop preservation and conditioning centres in Kebbi, Kaduna, Cross River, Nasarawa, Gombe and Enugu States.

The government has also established eight agro-processing centres, completed 10 additional silo complexes with total capacity of 550,000 metric tonnes, 100,000 metric tonne capacity silos located in FCT, Borno, Zamfara and Kebbi States, as well as the 25,000-metric-ton capacity located in Taraba, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Katsina and Sokoto States.

On the provision of water supply, the statement said the government had completed water supply projects in Northern Ishan, Edo State with a plant capacity of nine million litres per day to serve communities of Uromi, Ubiaja, Ugengu, Ugboha and Igueben, with a total projected population of 500,000 by 2012 at a cost of N2.5 billion.

It also listed the 10 million litres per day Mangu water treatment plant in Plateau State at the cost of over N1 billion.

“With these few highlighted developmental efforts and activities of the government, all the fallacies, deceits, misinformation and disinformation about incompetence and non-performance of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration are unfounded not supported by facts on the ground and are therefore are outright falsehood,” the statement stressed.

Meanwhile, CPC has accused the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin  Okupe, of unwarranted attacks on two of its leaders, Pastor Tunde Bakare and el-Rufai, for their opposing views.

Both Bakare and el-Rufai came under fire last week following their calls for the president’s resignation.

Okupe had described the CPC leaders as political opportunists and power-hungry politicians who were desperate for political office and not sincere in their criticism of the government.

However, CPC in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, said Okupe's disparaging remark was not in consonance with decent, diplomatic comportment.

Fashakin said the party could not understand why Okupe choose to cast aspersions on Bakare’s pastoral calling because of his political activism.

He said the party was dismayed at the desperate attempt by Okupe to justify his appointment and invariably satisfy his employers in unleashing unwarranted attacks on Bakare and el-Rufai.

Source: Thisday Live

Scores Missing, 28 Killed as Floods Ravage Plateau Again

Governor Jonah Jang

By Seriki Adinoyi

No fewer than 28 persons have been killed, while scores of others are still missing in a renewed flood rage in nearly all the villages of the southern zone of Plateau State at the weekend.

More corpses are still been picked in villages around the affected areas.

Also about a hundred communities and over a thousand houses are said to have been affected by the flooding.

Also, hundreds of houses and bridges linking the area with Lafia, capital of Nasarawa State and Taraba state were summarily sweep away by the flood waters.

A residence of Langtang, an affected area, Mr Nandom said "iced blocks were literarily falling on their roofs all through early hours of Sunday," before their homes and farmlands were washed away.

The transition committee chairman of Shendam Local Government, an affected area, Kemi Nshe told Newsmen that two hundred hectares of farm land was also   washed away by the flooding in his local government council alone.

The  chairman, who described the incidence as sad, however, called on the people of the state to be calm and wait for relief that will come their way soonest.

Senator representing Plateau south district in the National Assembly, Hon Victor Lar, who led a team of newsmen to assess the affected place Monday, described the incident as ugly and unfortunate, and assured the affected people that he will come to their aid.

Meanwhile, the forthcoming Eid el Filtri will be nothing short of a peaceful celebration in Jos, as the military Special Task Force (STF), the Police and religious leaders in Plateau State have agreed to shun violence and make the celebration as peaceful as possible.

It will indeed be a sharp contrast to that of last year in which over 30 lives were lost and 200 vehicles burnt, when the Muslims, who had gone to pray at Rukuba praying ground were challenged by the youths of the area, leading to a full blown crisis.

Muslims in the state this time have extended invitation to their Christian counterparts to join them at the Central Mosque to feast during the sallah, as a mark of reconciliation.

SOURCE: THISDAY LIVE

FG to probe missing N1.7bn in UniAbuja

BY SONI DANIEL
ABUJA (VANGUARD) —The Federal Government has ordered an immediate probe into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of N1,763, 965,000 from accounts of the embattled University of Abuja.
Similarly, the government has directed the Governing Council of the institution to take urgent steps to recover N266 million trapped in failed banks and report back to government.
These recommendations are contained in a White Paper on the report of the Visitation Panel into the affairs of the University of Abuja between 2004 and 2010.
The panel, which was headed by Prof. D. A. Guobadia, submitted its report to the government in June last year but the views of the administration on the submission of the panelists, have just been released.
Disappearance of huge sums of money from UniAbuja
In the White Paper, which was exclusively obtained by Vanguard yesterday, the government frowned at the disappearance of the huge sum of money and other financial recklessness which took place in the institution within the period under review.
The 54-page report, which covered the 10-point term of reference given to it by the government, detailed how the university was made to lose various sums of money and its gradual degeneration into the present state.
The report stated: “The periodic reports of the internal auditors revealed a number of weaknesses and complete non-adherence to suggestive measures by the management of the university.
“Panel observed that out of N10,681,315,000 cash generated by the University of Abuja in 2009/2010 financial year, only N8,917,730,000 was lodged in banks while the balance of N1,763,965,000 was not banked.
“By December 2010, the amount had not been banked and no action had been taken to discipline those involved in the disappearance of the said amount”.
The White Paper said, “The visitor frowns at the inability of the management to exercise financial control over the institution and hereby directs the council to take immediate steps to recover all the money”.
Apart from the missing funds, the panel noted with dismay the non-maintenance of records of grants and subventions released by the government to the institution over the years.
Besides, the panel discovered to its chagrin that most items which should have been procured through contracts were purchased by cash over and above approved limit of N200, 000.
The panelists noted, “the frequency of individual cash advances for purchases was high, officers were granted multiple advances and many of them not retired. Thus, at the end of December 2010, the unretired advances stood at N210, 318, 712.00.
N.2m unretired advance
The government also raised the alarm on the use of 97 bank accounts in 16 banks by the authorities of the university and asked for a reduction in the number, as well as the use of e-banking to reduce the burden of those dealing with it.
It was not, however, clear yesterday whether the implementation of the White Paper will still go ahead or be put on hold until another visitation panel, currently looking into affairs of the troubled institution, turns in its report.
The Special Presidential Visitation Panel was empanelled recently following the crisis over the suspension of many courses following non-accreditation by the relevant supervisory bodies, owning to observed inadequacies on the part of the institution.
The scrapping of many of its academic programmes prompted the aggrieved students to petition the Presidency to intervene.
The fate of the students now hangs in the balance except the government takes immediate steps to find a remedy to their problems.
Other members of the Guobadia-led panel, were Prof A. Uba, Mrs. O. O. Odegbaro, Mrs. Elsie Achukwu, Eng. J. O. Fadare, Alhaji M. J. Yusuf and Mr. H. O. Anaziah.

Uneasy Calm as Kogi Awaits Decision on Wada’s Election

Captain Idris Wada (rtd) of Kogi State

By Tobi Soniyi

Three months after he adjourned to deliver judgment in the suit filed by the winner of the aborted Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship primary in Kogi State, Jilbrin Isah, challenging the validity of the primary that produced Captain Idris Wada, Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court is yet to deliver judgment.

The judge had on Wednesday May 9 said he would, on June 29, decide whether or not the judgment of the Supreme Court declaring that a political party had the exclusive right to choose its flag bearer in an election was binding on the controversy arising from the Kogi State Governorship primaries.

The judgment however was not ready on June 29 which resulted in adjournments. Latter, the trial judge was said to have travelled for conference even before the court went on vacation. A court source said the earlier the judgment could be deliver would be September when the court resumes from vacation.

Isah is asking the high court to declare him as the person nominated to contest for the office of the Kogi State governor under the PDP.

While the governor had since continued with the day-to-day administration of the state, supporters of Isah are hoping that the court judgment will be in their favour. Both parties have high expectations.

Before the case was adjourned for judgment, lawyers representing   Isa, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Wada made efforts to persuade the judge to rule in their favour.

While INEC and Wada   argued that the Supreme Court judgment in the case of former Bayelsa Sate Governor Timipriye Sylva against INEC supported their position, but Isah’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN disagreed.

The Supreme Court had on April 20 dismissed the appeal filed by Sylva who sought to be declared the authentic candidate of the PDP for the Bayelsa State governorship elections on the grounds that he won the January 2011 primary.

But the Supreme Court among other things held that the January primary won by Sylva in preparation for the election of April 2011 had faded into irrelevance following the cancellation of that election by INEC.

The apex court further held that since Sylva did not participate in the later primary which was won by Seriake Dickson, he could not challenge the legitimacy of the later primary.

Culled from Thisday Live

Police avert another attack on Plateau council

Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang

Another bloody attack was on Monday averted in Kwakwi village,  Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where similar attacks claimed the lives of two prominent lawmakers and several others last month.

The state police command in collaboration with the youths of the area caught one of the assailants who came in the dead of the night to attack a family in the village.

The assailant was in possession of an AK 47 rifle.

Parading the suspected attacker before journalists at the Police Headquarters in Jos, the state Police Commissioner, Emmanuel Ayeni, said,“at about 2.00am the youths of the village observed the movement of the attackers, mobilized and informed the police who moved swiftly to the area."

The CP, who confirmed that no one was killed, appealed to citizens to remain vigilant and give information to the police in order help fight crime.

Source: The Nation

About 80% of businesses in Nigeria paid bribe - World Bank

World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim

The World Bank has said about 80 per cent of businesses in the country paid bribes to government officials on request to remain in business.

The bank stated this in its 2011 report on investment climate  in Nigeria, released on Monday. 

The report said that one-third of micro-enterprises reported that “informal payments/gifts to government officials” were commonplace, suggesting that registered firms confront more requests for such bribes.

 Also only 20 per cent of micro-enterprise firms reported having advance knowledge of the amount of the payment required to “get things done.”

 Such uncertainty, according to the report, added to the challenge posed by informal payments, since the amount to be set aside were not planned for.

World Bank reported that informal payments/gifts represented approximately 1.2 per cent of annual sales for all micro-enterprises.

 The report went on to state that micro-enterprises dealing in government contracts are expected to pay approximately 4.3 per cent of the contract value in order to secure it.

 The bribes required to obtain contracts appear much small for services (3.9 per cent) than for manufactured goods (6.7 per cent), the report noted. 

However, formal sector firms paid more for corruption: 47 per cent of formal firms claimed that informal gifts/payments were commonplace, compared to 33 per cent of micro-enterprises.

 The report added that micro-enterprises have a greater mistrust of institutions than formal firms. 

Indeed, 63 per cent of formal sector firms reported that the application of laws was not consistent and predictable, compared to 72 per cent of micro-enterprises.

 In addition, 41 per cent of formal firms reported that they had advanced knowledge of informal payments/gifts, compared to 20 per cent of micro-enterprises. 

The report studied business activities and investment potentials in 26 states namely: Adamawa; Akwa Ibom; Bayelsa; Benue; Borno; Delta; Ebonyi; Edo; Ekiti; Gombe; Imo; Jigawa; Katsina and Kebbi.

Other states covered in the report were - Kogi; Kwara; Nassarawa; Niger; Ondo; Osun; Oyo; Plateau; Rivers; Taraba; Yobe and Zamfara.

 The World Bank Investment Climate Assessment report on Nigeria  identified corruption, access to finance, electricity outages, tax rates and gender inequality as the major constraints to investment in Nigeria.

Source: The Nation

Police can’t find $620,000 bribe cash

Faruk and Femi

(THE NATION) - Where is the $620,000 bribe collected by House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan from businessman Femi Otedola?
The puzzle remained unresolved at the weekend, the government is set to file charges against the lawmaker. 
Lawan was the chairman of the House adhoc committee on fuel subsidy probe. Also to be charged is the clerk of the committee, Mr. Borniface Emenalo.
The trial of the suspects may start without the cash as the government is bent on going ahead with the arraignment in the light of the weight of evidence at its disposal.
The Federal Government may file the charges this week, barring last-minute hitches.
The Anti-Corruption Network yesterday asked the government to also arraign Otedola, who said he handed Lawan the cash in a sting operation arraigned by security agents. Lawan accepted collecting the money but refused to surrender it, saying it is proof of Otedola’s pressure on him to remove the oil magnet’s company from the list of those indicted in the subsidy probe.
According to a source, the Special Task Force (STF) which investigated the case submitted its report to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), without any trace of the bribe cash.
The source, however, claimed that “the evidence the police made available to the AGF were enough to sustain the prosecution of the suspects”.
The source added: “The STF team tried to locate the bribe sum, which is vital to the trial of the suspects, but it could not because of vested interests in the matter. This is a high-profile case with high-profile intrigues.
“But hope is not lost as there are other evidence ancillary to the fact that the bribe was given and taken.
“The prosecution may have to rely on some clips and statements made on oath by some of those interrogated. The STF did a good job and the investigation was far-reaching although without the bribe cash.
“With this investigation, you will appreciate that the Police did a thorough job.”
Asked if the police could determine whether the bribery was a sting operation or not, the source added: “A sister agency was involved and we presented the raw facts to the AGF which I cannot divulge.
“There are so many angles to this case; you have to wait for the trial to begin.”
A source said yesterday: “All hands are on deck to file charges against Lawan and Emenalo, pending the return of the lawmaker from the lesser Hajj.
“The two suspects may be arraigned before a high court by the government prosecutor this week.”
A source in the defence team said: “We are ready for the trial, let them go and file charges.”
Another source said: “As long as a sting operation could not be established by the police, the whole case will become flat.”
The Executive Secretary of Anti-Corruption Network, Mr. Dino Melaye, said the government should put Otedola on trial for the court to decide the guilty.
Melaye, a former member of the House of Representatives, said: “From what we have seen and heard, they have exempted the name of Mr. Femi Otedola from the list of those to be prosecuted.
“We are insisting that the three actors in the bribery saga (Otedola, Lawan and Emenalo) should be put on trial. The government should let the court determine whoever is guilty.
“Anything short of that, we are going to mobilise Nigerians against the trial of Lawan and Emenalo.”
Responding to a question, Melaye said the Network will resist plans to make Otedola a witness because “from police findings, they cannot call it a sting operation for lack of evidence.”
“If the government does not prosecute Otedola, it would amount to an attempt to water-down the case and acquit him.
“Nigerians are interested in this matter. Let the three suspects face trial and the proceedings of the court will enable them to have full insight into what transpired.
The choice of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), as counsel for the state is completely unacceptable because he is the one standing in defence of ex-Speaker Dimeji Bankole and a Judge in the case of an alleged N6billion fraud.
“So, there is actually a conflict of interest. A man who is standing against the state cannot at the same time prosecute for the state. You cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time. And public interest should be considered in this matter.”
Melaye said: “We will stage a protest. We have a stake in this matter.”
But a source said: “The truth of the matter is that Chief Awomolo withdrew from the defence team of the former Speaker. The Network should have done its homework very well.
“Also, Awomolo has been handling landmark cases for the Federal Government, including being a counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He has a reputation that no one can tarnish at all.”

OLYMPICS: “No gold, no silver, no bronze, N2.3 bn down the drain”

By Onochie Anibeze in London
LAGOS (VANGUARD) —The story of Nigeria at the 2012 London Olympics is “No gold, no silver, no bronze, N2.3 billion down the drain.”
And now a top Nigerian sports official who is a member of an international sports federation wants the federal government to compel the sports ministry to account for how they spent the N2.3 billion government released for the Olympic Games which ended in London yesterday. He would not have his name on print.
He said the ministry should disclose how much they released to each sports association that presented a team to the Olympic Games.  Athletics, Weightlifting, Taekwondo(athletes) Canoeing (one athlete), Wrestling, Basketball, Table Tennis and Boxing associations presented teams at the games. All the athletes were 51. The number of officials was still unknown as there were many who were not accredited and, consequently, were not useful to the athletes. They stayed in their hotels to watch the games on television. This irked the Nigerian official and he described the action of the ministry as “wasteful.”
He said it was  necessary for the ministry to disclose the allocations to each association because of what he called “the wrong decisions” that partly affected Nigeria’s preparation to the games.

Flags of various nations, including Norway (C) and Nigeria (2nd-R), are displayed during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 12, 2012 in London. Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic Games. AFP PHOTO

The official said the following: “Taekwondo that presented two athletes was given over N65m to prepare while Athletics that had over 100 athletes but which they pruned to 28 for the Olympics was given N131m. Basketball which had to travel to Venezuela for their qualifying tournament was given N75m for all their
preparation including the tournament in Venezuela. The rest of the sports did not get more than N500,000.  And yet N2.3 billion was released for the Olympic games. But the money came in installments and it came so late that nothing much could be done with the last installment. This is not the way to prepare for the Olympic Games. The people who disbursed the money took wrong decisions and now the
athletes are saying that they did not prepare well. The  ministry is to blame.”
A coach in one of the teams admitted that Nigeria lacked world class athletes and that even if more billions of money were approved the money would have still gone down the drain as “you cannot perform magic over night in sports, you build over a period of time.”
The last time Nigeria left the Olympic Games without a medal was 24 years ago in the Seoul Olympic Games of 1988.

Death toll from Sunday violence rises to 24

KANO (AFP) – A military raid, a shootout and an attack on police guarding a church in separate incidents in north left 24 dead, the latest violence in the restive region, officials said Monday.
The deadliest of the incidents occurred in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, when soldiers raided an alleged hideout of members of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, leaving 21 people dead.
A military commander said those killed included 20 suspected Boko Haram members and one soldier. A purported spokesman for the Islamists said none of their members died and that civilians were the victims.
In Damaturu, also in the northeast, a military and police task force killed two suspected members of Boko Haram in a shootout and arrested more than 30 others, police said Monday.
“A joint military and police patrol team in Bindigari area of Damaturu came under gun attack on Sunday from suspected members of Boko Haram. Two of the gunmen were killed in a shootout,” police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin said.
“They tried to ambush the patrol team but the security operatives suppressed them. More than 30 other suspected members of the sect were arrested.”
Residents said the shootout lasted more than five hours and that soldiers went door-to-door in search of the gunmen.
In Gombe, gunmen fired shots at a Roman Catholic church during mass, killing a policeman on guard and wounding his colleague before fleeing, parish priest William Ochai told AFP on Monday.
Boko Haram has been blamed for the deaths of more than 1,400 people since 2010 in attacks across northern and central Nigeria, according to a toll compiled by Human Rights Watch.
The US State Department in June designated the group’s suspected leader and two other Nigerian militants as global terrorists.

Fuel subsidy fraud: FG, PDP panic as suspects threaten to expose deals

• Governors wade in to give suspects ‘soft landing’ • Proceeds allegedly used for 2011 polls • How PPPRA receptionist, firm director got into trouble

(THE NATION) - There is an uneasy calm within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over threat by some of the fuel subsidy fraud suspects to open up in court on what the cash was used for.
Some of the suspects are bemoaning their fate, wondering why they are being prosecuted as they were allegedly used as fronts to source funds for the 2011 general elections
It was learnt that some of the suspects allegedly spent the cash to sponsor governorship elections in some states.
Uncomfortable with the development, some PDP governors have waded into the travails of the embattled suspects. The governors have assured the suspects of what an insider described as “soft-landing”. They have also promised to fund the litigation cost of the suspects by hiring for them crack defence counsels.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has so far arraigned 25 suspects (in two batches) in connection with alleged fuel subsidy fraud.
The first batch comprises seven companies and 13 individuals in relation to N13, 403,504,083billion.
 The second group comprises five suspects.
Although the arraignment of the suspects was a bold statement by the government that there will be no sacred cows, the trial is causing some disquiet in the ruling PDP. The Presidency is said to be particularly bothered by the turn of events.
A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Some of these suspects were used as fronts by some businessmen, party bigwigs and a few government officials. In fact, there is a Sierra-Leonean among them and a confidant of a PDP chieftain went to secure bail for him.
“The only excuse the confidant gave is that the suspect is a friend to one of their children. But most people could read between the lines.  I think the Sierra Leonean was just being protected to avoid opening of the can of worms.”
Though the source was convinced that a substantial part of the subsidy funds was used to fund the 2011 elections, he said this was without the knowledge of the Presidency. When the President got to know the magnitude of the subsidy fraud, he decided to take the bull by the horns, irrespective of whose ox is gored, he said. 
“A syndicate within the oil sector came together to pool funds for the 2011 election to ensure that the PDP retained its firm grip of power. In fact, two or three of the suspects are known to some PDP governors as fronts in view of the roles they played in their election. The biggest challenge confronting these influential people borders on threats by some of the suspects to open up in court,” he said. 
 To opposition parties, however, the Presidency cannot claim not to know that the subsidy cash was being diverted to unworthy causes by people close to the PDP whose members were in charge of either the PPPRA or other agencies of the oil industry.
 The Nation learnt that PDP chieftains are so worried about the backlash the trial of these suspects could have on the fortunes of their party in 2015 because some of them were innocent businessmen before they dabbled into politics to feather their business nest and became polluted.
“One of the suspects was alleged to have complained bitterly on why he had to be arraigned by the same PDP administration he had assisted to retain power in some states.
“The suspect also queried why he had to be singled out among other directors of his companies while others were shielded.
“Some governors have been trying to wade into the complaints by some of the suspects and how to ensure soft-landing for them. They seem not to know how to go about it, considering the fact that the subsidy scam has generated so much interest, including that of the international community. This has forced the governors   to opt for Plan B by looking for crack defence team to handle the matter.
“Nobody could say whether the choice of crack lawyers would assuage the threats of these highly-placed suspects to open up or not when proper trial begins, “ he said.
A governor said: “There is no doubt that some of the suspects are known in power corridors unless we are all pretending. It is, however, courageous of the government to put them on trial to show to all that closeness does not amount to fraudulent acts.”
Fresh facts have, however, emerged on how a staff of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer, and a director with Akintola Williams Deloite accounting firm,   Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele, got into trouble over the fuel subsidy scandal.
According to findings, while Ebenezer was a Facility Receptionist/Clerk for PPPRA where products are discharged, Ejidele was in charge of audit. Both suspects operated with officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and other agencies at the ports where products were discharged.
EFCC sources said they were arraigned for allegedly signing some papers indicating that some products were discharged whereas investigation proved the contrary.
It was, however, learnt that some oil chiefs are asking why some other officials involved in the management of The Petroleum Subsidy Fund (PSF) who also authenticated documents by suppliers have not been arraigned
A former Commissioner of Police said the conspiracy over subsidy fund fraud could be deeper than what the media are reporting.
He said:  “The PSF management is a chain. Besides the PPPRA, others involved are the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank, the DPR, Budget Office, Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF), and Oil Marketing Trading Companies.”

“All these so-called forged documents passed through many desks before payments were effected to the marketers. Where are those who managed these desks when the fraud was perpetrated?
“The principles of Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) are such that no single oil marketer could perpetrate fraud or divert funds without the collaboration of some people or desk officers in government.”

Eid Fitr: JTF launched preemptive strikes on militants hideout in Kano

(VANGUARD) KANO -  The Joint Military Taskforce yesterday launched a pre-emptive strike on the hideout of suspected Islamists Group allegedly planning mayhem during the forthcoming Eid Fitr in Kano destroyed a bomb factory that also serves as operational base of the insurgents at Tudun Bayero, Gada Tamburawa outskirt of Kano metropolis..
However, no fewer than three suspects were picked up during the dawn operation that involved several troops, as large quantities of arms and ammunition were seized by the Nigerian troops during the dawn operations.
Briefing newsmen at the headquarters of 3 motorized Brigade, Nigeria Army Kano, the Kano  Director of Department of State Service, DSS, Mr. Basssey Eteng  revealed that the “Bomb  factory cum operational base  is located in an obscure area of Tudun Bayero village  was initially used as  a sachet water factory but  rented and converted to poultry farm  by the Islamist Group to shied their nefarious activities”.
“JTF conducted a pre emptive raid on suspected hideout of terrorist group planning to unleash mayhem in Kano during the forthcoming Eid Fitr and wish to inform you that it was a very  successful operation hat yielded clues into our fight against terrorism”, Bassey Eteng revealed.
Eid Fitr which is barely 8 days on today  is a Muslim festival celebrated worldwide to mark the end of a month long  Ramadan fasting and Kano emirate usually celebrate it in colours by rolling out horses  for durbar with the emir visiting designated quarters .

*Some recovered ammunition

The long list of item seized by the troops during the operations includes a laptop containing sensitive material, 6 maps, 12 primed bomb cylinder, 9 unprimed, 12 handheld Improvised Explosive Device, 8 AK 47 magazines, 3 FN magazines, 1 SMG magazines, 2 pomp action, and 4 SMG guns.
Other items recovered from the hideout includes 7.6 MATO 62 round, 9mm 65 rounds, 7.62 special438 rounds, 5.56mm 0f 184 rounds, 10 bags of Urea, 26 packs of long size banger, 64 packs of short size banger,  10 electronic detonator, army camouflage, banner with Arabic inscriptions, and masks.
Mr Bassey Eteng stated that “we have commenced robust investigation to unravel more facts and want to assured the public that we also have in our procession sufficient material that will aide the cause of our investigation”.
He tasked the general public to continue to offer their support  by reporting suspected terrorist in their midst, assuring that the authority will continue to treat same with utmost confidentiality.

SEIZED WEAPONS OF MASS ATTACK
10 electronic detonators
12 handheld Improvised Explosive Device
12 primed bomb cylinders
9 unprimed bomb cylinders
8 AK 47 magazines
7.62 special, 438 rounds
5.56mm, 184 rounds
1 Sub-Machine-Gun magazines
2 pomp action
4 Sub-Machine-Guns
7.6 MATO, 62 round
9mm, 65 rounds
10 bags of Urea
26 packs of long-sized banger
64 packs of short-size banger
Laptop containing sensitive information
6 maps
3 FN magazines
Army camouflage
Banner with Arabic inscriptions
Masks

Saudi Arabia to Build World’s First Female-only City

Ever fancy a place where everybody is female? Certainly, a lot of guys will take it as their dream destination. But, before you get too excited, remember it is “no man’s land”. So you are not likely ever to be able to get there if you are not female.
This kind of city is what Saudi Arabia is planning to build. This is part of plans to give career minded women living in the Sharia law-abiding country of Saudi Arabia access to opportunities which their counterparts in other parts of the world have access to.

The Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) has been asked to bring the country up to date with the rest of the modern world with regards to the controversial city, which is now being designed with construction scheduled to begin next year. It is hoped that this city, when completed, help fulfill women’s desire to work without defying the country’s Islamic laws.
The municipality in the Eastern city of Hafuf is expected to attract 500 million riyals (£84m) in investments and it will create around 5,000 jobs in the textiles, pharmaceuticals and food processing industries. There will be women-run firms and production lines for women. Although Saudi Sharia law does not prohibit women to work figures show that only 15 per cent of women are represented in the workforce.
According to Modon’s deputy director-general, Saleh Al-Rasheed, “I’m sure that women can demonstrate their efficiency in many aspects and clarify the industries that best suits their interests, their nature and their ability… We are now working on a second industrial city for women… We have plans to establish a number of women-only industries in various parts of the kingdom.’”

Two earthquakes in Iran kill 300 and injure 2,600

Overcrowded hospitals in northwest Iran struggled to cope with thousands of earthquake victims on Sunday and rescuers raced to reach remote villages after two powerful quakes killed nearly 300 people.

Rescue teams search for victims in the earthquake-stricken village of Varzaghan in East Azarbaijan

Thousands huddled in makeshift camps or slept in the street after Saturday’s quakes in fear of more aftershocks, 60 of which had already struck. A lack of tents and other supplies left them exposed to the night chill, one witness told Reuters.
“I saw some people whose entire home was destroyed, and all their livestock killed,” Tahir Sadati, a local photographer, said by telephone. “People need help, they need warm clothes, more tents, blankets and bread.”
The worst damage and most casualties appeared to have been in rural villages around the towns of Ahar, Varzaghan and Harees, near the major city of Tabriz, Iranian media reported.
Tabriz resident Ahmad, 41, told Reuters his cousin living in a village near Ahar was killed and that his body had already been found.
“Nobody knows what happened to his wife and two daughters,” aged 4 and 7, Ahmad said. “We fear that if rescuers don’t get to them soon, they will lose their lives too if they’re still alive.”
But Iranian officials said rescue operations had ended by Sunday afternoon and that all those trapped beneath the rubble had been freed, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.
Many villages are hard to reach by road, hindering rescue efforts. Hospitals in Tabriz, Ardabil and other cities nearby took in many of the injured, residents and Iranian media said, and there were long queues of survivors waiting to be treated.
“I wanted to go there last night to help but heard there was bad traffic and that it wasn’t safe enough,” Ahmad said. “People in those villages need help.”
Aidin, a Tabriz resident, said he went to give blood at a local hospital on Saturday and saw staff struggling to cope with the influx of patients. Most patients had been taken there by their families, he said, indicating a shortage of ambulances.
Ahar’s 120-bed hospital was full, said Arash, a college student and resident of the town. There were traffic jams on the narrow road between Ahar and Tabriz as victims tried to reach hospitals, he said by telephone.

VILLAGES DESTROYED
“People are scared and won’t go back into their houses because they fear the buildings aren’t safe.”
The U.S. Geological Survey measured Saturday’s first quake at 6.4 magnitude and said it struck 60 km (37 miles) northeast of the city of Tabriz, a trading hub far from Iran’s oil-producing areas and known nuclear facilities.
The second, measuring 6.3, struck 11 minutes later near Varzaghan, 49 km (30 miles) northeast of Tabriz.
More than 1,000 villages in the area were affected by the earthquakes, Ahmad Reza Shaji’i, a Red Crescent official, told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA). About 130 villages suffered more than 70 percent damage, and 20 villages were completely destroyed, he said.
“We saw some villages that were truly destroyed,” said Sadati, the photographer who was documenting the quake aftermath. “One good thing was that the earthquake happened during the day, so many people were not in their homes. If it had happened at night the casualties would have been far worse.”
Close to 300 people were believed to be dead, said Reza Sadighi, Ahar’s local governor, Fars news agency said. Shaji’i told ISNA that 2,600 people are believed to be injured.
Nearly 100 ambulances and 1,100 Red Crescent workers were deployed, Shaji’i said, along with 44,000 food packages and 5,600 tents for shelter. The relief agency had enough supplies and most residents in the area had access to clean water but Shaji’i asked residents to donate cash to the relief effort.
Officials in Tehran extended condolences to the victims and declared two days of mourning to be held in the province, ISNA reported.
About 16,000 people in the quake-hit area have been given emergency shelter, Red Crescent official Mahmoud Mozafar told Mehr news agency.
Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Hassan-Nejad warned that if relief efforts did not speed up, the death toll would swiftly rise.
“Relief groups have still not reached many villages, because in normal conditions some of these villages are several hours away,” he told ISNA. “Currently the roads are closed and the only way to reach these villages is by air.”

COLLAPSED BUILDINGS
Photographs posted on Iranian news websites showed numerous bodies, including children, lying on the floor of a white-tiled morgue in Ahar and medical staff treating the injured in the open air as dusk fell on Saturday. Other images showed rescue workers digging people out of rubble – some alive, many dead.
Iran is crisscrossed by major fault lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years, including a 6.6 magnitude quake in 2003 that reduced the historic southeastern city of Bam to dust and killed about 31,000 people.
Saturday’s quakes struck in East Azerbaijan province, a mountainous region that neighbours Azerbaijan and Armenia to the north. Buildings in Tabriz, the provincial capital, are substantially built and ISNA reported nobody in the city had been killed or hurt.
Homes and business premises in Iranian villages, however, are often made of concrete blocks or mud brick that can crumble and collapse in a strong quake.
Water, electricity, and phone lines in the area of Varzaghan are all down, further hindering rescue efforts, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.
Tabriz residents left their homes and crowded the streets following the two quakes, those in the city said. “Everyone was scared last night,” a resident said by telephone. “They set up tents and were sleeping in the streets and in parks.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday expressing his sympathy and offering assistance, the Kremlin’s press-service said.
Pope Benedict XVI asked Christians to pray for the victims of the quakes.

Gunmen attacked church in Gombe, killed policeman

Gombe – Gunmen on Sunday morning attacked the All Saints Catholic Church, Kanoyel in Gombe State, killing a policeman who was on duty at the church.
A source said that the gunmen arrived at the church premises when the parishioners were coming out of the service and fired at the policemen.
The source said the gunmen also tried to gain entry into the church but that the parishioners shut the gate.
Rev. Fr. Williams Ochai, the Parish Priest of Church, told NAN that the gunmen opened fire on the policemen deployed to guard the church during the mass.
According to him, as soon as the parishioners heard the gun shots, they immediately shut the gate to the church.
He, however, said one of the policemen died instantly while the other sustained serious injuries.
Reacting to the incidence, the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Gombe State, Rev. Abare Kalla, described it as unfortunate.
Kalla said CAN had an information that there would be an attack but did not know where it would occur, adding that security agents were informed.
The chairman said the aim of the attackers was to gain entry into the church but that they could not succeed because of the fence.
He confirmed that a policeman deployed to the area was killed in the incident while another sustained injuries.
Kalla commiserated with the family of the policeman and prayed for the recovery of the injured.
When contacted, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, told NAN on phone that he was in Abuja.
He directed reporters to  the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Fwaje Atajiri, a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
“I have been promoted to the position of an Assistant Inspector-General of Police and I am now in Abuja for that purpose. So, get in touch with my PPRO,’’ he said.
Fwaje, however, on phone said that it was only the Commissioner that would comment on the issue. (NAN)

City beat 10 man Chelsea to lift Charity Shield

 
Manchester City scored three second-half goals to beat 10-man Chelsea 3-2 on Sunday in a high tempo Community Shield, the traditional start to the English football season.
Yaya Toure, Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri gave City its first win since 1972 in the annual curtain raiser between Premier League champion City and FA Cup holder Chelsea.
The match was marred by eight yellow cards and a straight red for Branislav Ivanovic for a sliding tackle into Aleksandar Kolarov’s shin with raised studs.
Fernando Torres and Ryan Bertrand scored the first and last goals of the match for Chelsea.
The London Olympics forced the game to be moved to Villa Park from Wembley Stadium, where the final of the Men’s football was staged 24 hours earlier.
City suffered a heartbreak last season in the charity match when they were defeated by city rivals United 3-2. City had taken a two goal lead into the break before losing to three second half United goals.

Source: Channels tv

Eye Witness Claims LASTMA Official Was Not Killed By Banker But By Danfo Driver

There are indications that the LASTMA official, Hammed Balogun, who was allegedly run over by a female banker, Yinka Johnson, might actually have been hit by a reckless Danfo bus and not the banker as originally portrayed.
The banker, according to the traffic authority, was said to have been driving against traffic along Lekki-Ajah expressway when she was accosted by the now-deceased 33-year-old LASTMA official.
According to the General Manager of the traffic management authority, Mr. Babatunde Edu, “The driver, whose identity was revealed by the auto inspector device as Yinka Johnson, an employee of IBTC, drove in a green LandRover Jeep with registration number CY 276 LSD against traffic from Mega Chicken inward toll plaza two.
“She was intercepted by three officials of LASTMA led by the head of Operations, Mr. Quayum Asafa, for traffic violation. Johnson started driving recklessly in order to escape and in the process ran over the officer.
“The deceased was rushed to Germaine Hospital where he later died as a result of injury sustained from the accident. The corpse was deposited at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Ikeja for autopsy.

“Realising what she had done, she ran and escaped from the scene of the incident into Ikota Estate, Ajah with the security men shutting the gate.
“The situation became riotous as the security attached to the gate refused all entreaties to open the gate until the intervention of the area commander in charge of Area J, Mr. Felix Uwamli, who called for backup before access could be gained into the estate.”
Eye-witnesses at the scene of the incident however say that the official was hit by a Danfo driver and not the banker whose car was stationary when the incident happened.
Doyin Akinlade, a Lagos TV producer, who claimed to be privy to the circumstances leading to her arrest, spoke to YNaija saying that “the LASTMA authorities, for some unexplained reasons are trying to pin the alleged crime on Yinka Johnson whose car was not even moving at the time Hammed Balogun was hit. She did not even see the man being hit.”
He agreed that the banker violated the law by driving against traffic but he insisted that it was not true that she hit the official. He also noted that there was no sign of impact on her car but the said Danfo had its windscreen broken.
Yinka Johnson is a of mother three, including a two month old baby who is reported to be held with her in detention.

JTF kills 20 Boko Haram members in Maiduguri

Officers of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri on Sunday killed 20 suspected members of  fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram, in a shoot-out in the troubled capital of Borno state.

A JTF source who does not want his name mentioned, confirmed to Channels Television in Maiduguri, that security forces got an intelligence report that the sect members were having a meeting at a particular location in the metropolis.
He disclosed that as the JTF officers approached the venue, the sect members opened fire; killing one soldier while two others sustained injuries.
But according to the source, the military officers fought back and the gun duel led to the killing of all the sect members in the meeting. .
The source also revealed that a 2001 Toyota Camry car, allegedly stolen for a planned bombing mission by a suicide bomber, was recovered in Maiduguri metropolis.
The Camry, according to him, was abandoned by the suspects and in the vehicle, were explosive devices which revealed the driver was on a suicide bombing mission.
On sighting the security forces on his trail, the suspected bomber abandoned the car and ran away.
Channels Television correspondent in Maiduguri, Jonathan Gopep, reports that some roads were blocked within the metropolis on Sunday as severe searches were being carried out by the JTF on all vehicles.
Earlier in the day, a similar gun battle, occurred between security forces and suspected Boko Haram members at the Bundigari-Powari ward of Damaturu, the Yobe state capital.

Source: Channels tv

Power supply: Worst days over —FG

Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji

(PUNCH) - The Ministry of Power has said the recent improvement in power supply would be maintained to meet international standards.

It also said the Federal Government will not relent in its reformation of the sector despite “sabotage by a cabal.”

The ministry also denied media reports that the Shiroro Dam which supplies water to the Shiroro Hydro Power Station was shut down by the workers union.

A statement by the Special Assistant, Media, to the Minister of Power, Mr. Ogbuagu Anikwe, read, “The reports were obviously planted by a handful of professional trade unionists in the leadership of the National Union of Electricity Employees, who do not consider anything sacred in their self-assigned mission of agitation and propaganda against the ongoing power sector reform.

“We would like to assure all Nigerians that the worst days are over as far as electricity is concerned. The current improvement is not irreversible. The programme for power development in Nigeria to international standards is very much on course, and the whole world is convinced that Nigeria is finally on the right electricity track.”

It further said the facility performed better than the 760mw-Kainji hydro power plant built in 1968, which had not been overhauled till date. It added that the station was a major contributor to the unprecedented 4,237mw on the national grid and the 70mw reserve generated since August 7, 2012