SENATE'S NEW BILL PROMISES DEATH SENTENCE BY HANGING ON HATE SPEECH OFFENDERS.

 


Any person found guilty of any form of hate speech that results in the death of another person shall die by hanging upon conviction, reads a new bill by the Senate .The bill , which reflects the growing concern over the spate of violence in the nation, was sponsored by the spokesman of the upper chamber , Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi ( APC , Niger ).

           

                       
                      Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi


It also seeks the establishment of an ‘ Independent National Commission for Hate Speeches ’ , which shall enforce hate speech laws across the country , ensure the elimination of the menace and advise the Federal Government. For offences such as harassment on the grounds of ethnicity or racial contempt , a culprit shall be sentenced to “not less than a five- year jail term or a fine of not less than N10 million or both .”

The bill notes : “A person who uses, publishes, presents, produces, plays , provides, distributes and / or directs the performance of any material , written and /or visual , which is threatening, abusive or insulting or involves the use of threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, commits an offence , if such person intends thereby to stir up ethnic hatred , or having regard to all the circumstances, ethnic hatred is likely to be stirred up against any person or person from such an ethnic group in Nigeria .”

It notes that “a person subjects another to harassment on the basis of ethnicity for the purposes of this section where , on ethnic grounds , he unjustifiably engages in a conduct which has the purpose or effect of
a ) violating that other person’ s dignity or
b ) creating an intimidating , hostile, degrading , humiliating or offensive environment for the person subjected to the harassment.

“Conduct shall be regarded as having the effect specified in subsection ( 1 ) ( a ) or ( b ) of this section if, having regard to all the circumstances , including in particular the perception of that other person, it should reasonably be considered as having that effect.” The National Commission for Hate Speeches shall be headed by an executive chairperson who would be appointed by the president on recommendation of the National Council of State, subject to the confirmation of at least two- third majority of the National Assembly.

The commission shall discourage persons , institutions, political parties and associations from advocating or promoting discrimination or discriminatory practices through the use of hate speeches ; promote tolerance, understanding and acceptance of diversity in all aspects of national life and encourage full participation by all ethnic communities in the social , economic, cultural and political life of other communities .It shall also plan , supervise , coordinate and promote educational and training programmes to create public awareness, support and advancement of peace and harmony among ethnic communities and racial groups .

It shall furthermore promote respect for religiouss, cultural , linguistic and other forms of diversity in a plural society; promote equal access by persons of all ethnic communities and racial groups to public or other services and facilities provided by the government.

The Senate also disclosed that its bid to pass the 2018 budget was being frustrated by ministers and heads of parastatals who have refused to provide details on allocations to their ministries.Without mentioning names , the upper chamber issued a fresh seven working - day ultimatum to the affected ministries.

Similar ultimatums in the past had done little to facilitate the budget preparation .The Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation , Sunny Ogbuoji , said : ”

 The majority of the Ministries , Departments and Agencies are not coming forward to interface with the standing committees. Some of the ministers will tell you they are going outside the country , and because of that , the MDAs are not fully ready .”

The Senate President , Bukola Saraki, stressed that the upper chamber wants the process concluded as early as possible , regretting: “The perception is that it is the parliament that delays these things. ”He said:

 “The Senate Majority Leader will communicate and get in touch with the executive arm of government , so that these MDAs can be told to play their part to ensure that this exercise can be completed.

“I appeal to all these ministers and managing directors that keep on travelling that this is a time for them to be on ground and ensure that they finish this report.” The Deputy Senate President , Ike Ekweremadu , said it was unfair for the heads of parastatals to “hold the country down.” He noted : “It has come to a stage where we have to consider taking what has already been presented by the president from those MDAs as the position of the MDAs , instead of waiting for them for ever .

MYSTERIOUS ELEPHANT APPEARS AT A FIRST BANK IN LAGOS, MADE AWAY WITH 125 MILLION NAIRA

A live walking and physically okay ELEPHANT was seen today, few minutes ago at a First Bank Nigeria Branch at Seme Boarder – Lagos State, Nigeria at exactly 01:47pm in the bank premises after the the bank received a dispatch of money from the Bank Headquarters.
The ELEPHANT was said to appear just moments immediately the MONEY VAN left the bank premises. The route at which this ELEPHANT came into the bank is yet to be known.
There was fear and in-orderliness in the BANK as security operatives opened fire at the mysterious animal damaging the BANK premises after parting away with some huge amounts of money disclosed by the BANK Manager Mr. Ogunwusi Olaiya to be amounted to the sum of 125Million Naira!.
Not Only did this mysterious Elephant made away with such amounts of money but also destroyed the BANK premises and building beyond measures and also injured one of the staff who tried to stop its actions beyond circumstances.

PERSONALITY PROFILE series - WHO IS FELA DURUTOYE ?

Fela Durotoye is a Nation Builder and the Chief Executive Officer of the Gemstone Group, a Leadership Development Institution aimed at raising leaders of excellence and exemplary values who would be committed to building Nigeria into a most desirable nation to live in by Wednesday the 31st of December 2025.

Fela Durotoye is considered one of Nigeria’s leading strategists and business consultants with expertise in Culture Transformation, Service Leadership, Workforce Activation and Facilitating Strategic Retreats.

The list of corporate clients in the private sector that have been assisted by Fela Durotoye in their quest for phenomenal service leadership culture and corporate transformation management spread across different spheres of the economy.

His clients in the Banking & Finance sectors include Access Bank, GTBank, First Bank, Zenith Bank, First City Monument Bank, Diamond Bank, Fidelity Bank, United Bank for Africa, Skye Bank, Stanbic IBTC Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, ARM Pensions, Vetiva Asset & Management Ltd and Cordros Capital.

His clients in the Oil & Gas sector include Shell Petroleum Development Corporation, Oando, Total, Addaxx Petroleum, Masters Energy, Bell Oil & Gas and the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company.

In the telecommunications sector, his clients include Airtel, MTN, Etisalat and Multichoice Nigeria.

In the Manufacturing & FMCG space, his clients include, Peugeot Automobiles, Printserve, Lafarge, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestle, Sanofi Aventis and Pfizer.

In the multilateral and public sectors, the client list also includes Eko Electricity Development Company (EKEDC), Benin Electricity Development Company (BEDC), African Finance Corporation, The European Union (EU Nigeria office), The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as well as the state governments of Lagos, Oyo, Kwara, Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Rivers, Ondo and Ekiti.

Fela currently mentors over 15,000 leaders in business, enterprise, education, religion and the professional services sectors on the platform of The Fela Durotoye Leadership Network.

Fela holds a Bachelors degree (B.Sc.) in Computer Science & Economics along with a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife where he wrote his MBA thesis on The Management of Change in Complex Organisations.

He is also an Alumnus of Kennedy School of Government Executive Education program of the prestigious Harvard University, Boston (Massachusetts). He has completed the High Impact Leadership for a Better Society program at the prestigious Yale University, New Haven (Connecticut). Fela also attended the Future Candidate program at The Leadership Institute, Arlington (Virginia) all in the United States of America in addition to being a certified leadership coach of the John Maxwell Team.

In 2015, Fela completed the Executive Seminar program on Strategy, Innovation & Governance with specific focus on Sustainability for NGOs and Corporate Organizations at the prestigious Lagos Business School (LBS).

Fela, in his firm belief that effective law enforcement will play a vital role in our social stability and national development, signed up for and completed the Supernumerary Police training program at the Nigerian Police Training School, Ikeja and received the Distinguished Student Award at his graduation and passing out parade.

Fela Durotoye is a guest lecturer on ETHICAL LEADERSHIP at the prestigious STANFORD UNIVERSITY| Seed Program to CEO’s of businesses with operations across the African continent.

He presently sits on the board of several companies across the spectrum of Nigerian’s economic space such as O NAPHTALI (leading scratch card print company in Nigeria), and BUBEZ FOOD COMPANY.

He is currently the chairman of the boards of Directors of some of Nigeria’s leading companies Homebase Mortgage Bank Limites, I-Aspire Media and Orbra ICT.

Fela is on the advisory board of Nigeria Canada Forum (NCF) based in Regina Canada.

Fela Durotoye has been at the forefront of the movement to build a New Nigeria for over a decade. He is renowned for history making on the national or global stage. Over the past decade, he has built a track record of National Transformation projects, many of which are so bold and audacious; near impossible tasks.

Notable among the too many to mention transformation projects which Fela has championed is the largest urban renewal project in Nigeria’s history known as MUSHIN MAKEOVER where Fela mobilized over 2,000 volunteers to paint 296 houses across 7 streets of the Mushin suburb of Lagos, AT NO CHARGE to the owners and resident of the buildings.

In the course of the Mushin Makeover project, over 100 unemployed youths were trained by Berger Paints PLC in ‘The Art & Technique of Painting’. Today, they have become vibrant painters and are able to earn a living as a result of the Mushin Makeover project.

On the 24th of November 2012, Fela Durotoye organized the epoch making Gemstone Global Reading Festival where over 12,000 students spread across 18 state capitals in Nigeria as well as in 9 countries across Africa, Europe and the USA all read out aloud in their various locations selected sections of Fela’s book 17 Secrets of High Flying Students (17 Secrets) at the exact same moment in time at the same time across several time zones.

This was the first-ever simultaneous global reading of a book in 17 cities in Nigeria and 17 countries across the world at the same moment in time (via live streaming). The reading was done simultaneously, taking into account, the different time zones of each reading centre.

During this project, Fela Durotoye donated 17,000 copies of the 17 Secrets to students from public schools, many of whom could not afford it all across the nation with the aim of enhancing the reading culture

Also in November 2012, Fela broke the world record for “autographing the largest number of books by one author” when he autographed non-stop 10,000 copies of his book in one-seating over a period of 8 hours and 43 minutes.

In 2014, the Deliver The Future Project was founded and embarked on a leadership and personal transformation tour to tertiary institutions such as University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Benson Idahosa University etc.

The aim is to leave its trail in academic excellence by encouraging the academic and non-academic staff of schools to improve the standard of communication and process of knowledge transfer to create a more conducive learning environment.

The Gemstone Network actively engages transformational leaders at all levels of the society; through the Gemstone Leadership Clubs in over 300 primary and secondary schools as well as Gemstone Leaders Connect Network on more than 70 campuses in tertiary institutions across Nigeria. The Gemstone Leadership Corpnetwork activates recent graduates on the National Youth Service Corp program to engage is community transformation projects across 30 states of the nation.

Perhaps Fela’s most significant contribution to Nation Building is the value system which he developed and is currently endorsed and actively promoted by over 30,000 Nigerians across all gender, tribe, social class or religious affirmation.

The 10 Values are encapsulated in a Personal Creed of ten lifestyle statements as follows:

Make a Positive Impact on everyone you meet and everywhere you go. Be a Solution Provider and not a part of the problem to be solved.

Be a role model worthy of emulation. Be your best  IN ALL YOU DO particularly the things you are naturally good at.DO THE RIGHT THING AT ALL TIMES regardless of who is doing the wrong thing.VALUE TIME and make the best use of it.CARE & SHOW RESPECT TO ALL through your words and actions.CONSCIOUSLY BUILD A GREAT LEGACY starting now, today and everyday.LIVE A LIFE OF INTEGRITY AND HONOR.MAKE YOUR FAMILY, NATION AND GOD PROUD.

The 10 Values have been adopted by individuals and organizations. They have also been adopted by professional associations such as Association of Private Educators of Nigeria, the Nigerian Institute of Mechanical Engineers and the Mortgage Bankers Association of Nigeria to mention a few and more recently government agencies and parastatals.

In 2014, the government of Anambra state formally endorsed & adopted the 10 Values for the citizens and civil service of the state, also in November 2014, the government of Lagos state trained 500 of its top civil servants across all ministries & agencies on the 10 Values.

The VALUES INFUSION project is the largest non-governmental effort at reorienting the citizens of a nation and integrating a value system into our nation’s consciousness in recent times.

FD, as he is fondly called by his friends and protégés, has emerged as a credible voice of leadership for a new Nigeria across the wide spectrum of the young and old as well as business and political leaders. His fan base on Facebook currently about 285,000 and he is followed by about 205,000 on Twitter and 123,000 on Instagram.

In February 2013, Fela was profiled by the US-based Black Enterprise magazine as one of the 10 Power Men in Africa on Twitter.

Fela has won several National and International awards for his leadership development and nation building activities including the prestigious Nigerian Achievers Award in 2009. In recognition of his contributions to the field of Human Resource Consulting, Fela was honoured with the “Excellence in Human Resource Consulting Award” by NIPRO, a body of Nigerian Professionals based in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, at their global convention in Miami, Florida in December 2004.

In July 2005, he was awarded the most prestigious Award of Excellence, by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPMN), in recognition of his excellence and professionalism in extending knowledge frontiers in Human Resource Management.

Others awards include Nigerian Achievers Award Institute (NAAI), Fly Network Africa Integrity Award, City People Young Male Achievers Award and the prestigious Role Model Award given by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).

In 2006, he received the Heart of Africa Award by the Federal Ministry of Information and Communication in recognition of his efforts towards building a new Nigeria.

In 2011, Fela Durotoye was recognized by the Universal Peace Federation and the Youth Federation for World Peace as a United Nations Young Ambassador For Peace.

In 2017, Fela received an Honorary Award from The African Young Entrepreneurs network in recognition of his efforts towards advancing youth enterprise and nation building in Africa and particularly in Nigeria.

Most recently, in February 2018, Fela Durotoye announced his aspiration to contest as a Presidential Candidate in the 2019 General Elections on the platform of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) party.

Fela is married to Tara, a renowned beauty entrepreneur and Chief Executive Officer of the House of Tara and together they have 3 sons: Mobolurin, Demilade & Morolaoluwa who think their dad is a Super Hero.

Source: opinions.ng

DONALD TRUMP TO IMPLEMENT DEATH SENTENCE ON DRUG TRAFFICKERS AND DEALERS IN THE USA

The United States President Donald Trump earlier this morning considers drug traffickers to be as bad as serial killers and would "love to have a law" that executes dealers in the U.S., unnamed sources told Axios.
While he admits that such a law would be impossible to pass, the head of state may support legislation that requires a five-year minimum
sentence for dealers selling as little as two grams of fentanyl , Axios stated.
Use of the synthetic opiod, more potent than heroin, has been steadily climbing in North America, producing an increasing number of fatal
overdoses .
Kellyanne Conway, who is the head
of the White House’s anti-drug effort, told Axios
that Trump’s proposal is more nuanced and would
only apply to “high-volume dealers who are killing
thousands of people.” Policy changes are
reportedly on a horizon, including bringing more
anti-drug education into schools.

According to five sources who've spoken with Trump about the subject, he often leaps into a passionate speech about how drug dealers are as bad as serial killers and should all get the death penalty.
Trump tells confidants a softer approach to drug reform — the kind where you show sympathy to the offenders and give them more lenient sentences — will never work.
He tells friends and associates the government has got to teach children that they'll die if they take drugs and they've got to make drug dealers fear for their lives.
Trump has said he would love to have a law to execute all drug dealers here in America, though he's privately admitted it would probably be impossible to get a law this harsh passed under the American system

As Conway told Mr Trump she says "this kind of policy would have widespread support. “There is an appetite among many law enforcement, health professionals and grieving families that we must toughen up our criminal and sentencing statutes to match the new reality of drugs like fentanyl, which are so lethal in such small doses,”

"The president makes a distinction between those that are languishing in prison for low-level drug offenses and the kingpins hauling thousands of lethal doses of fentanyl into communities, that are responsible for many casualties in a single weekend."
The bottom line is that President Trump wants to get tough on drug traffickers and pharmaceutical companies. Stay tuned for policy announcements in the not-too-distant future.
Trump and some of his advisers are discussing whether they might adopt other aspects of Singapore's "zero tolerance" drug policies, like bringing more anti-drug education into schools.
Both Conway and the First Lady Melania Trump, who has taken a strong interest in the administration's anti-drug policies, support getting better drug education and prevention into schools.

AFTERMATH OF IMO STATE ZENITH BANK ROBBERY, POLICE NAB FLEEING SUSPECT ONE YEAR AFTER

One year after an armed robbery gang invaded a branch of Zenith Bank in Owerri, Imo State, killed two policemen and wounded another, the Police have arrested the last member of the gang.

His name is given as Chinonso Gift Onwuegbuchulam, aka, Ogolo, from Obazu Mbieri in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

Parading the suspect on Friday in Owerri, the Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, said, “I am delighted to announce to you that the remaining member of the gang, one Chinonso Gift Onwuegbuchulam, aka, Ogolo, male, 29 of age, hails from Obazu Mbieri in the Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State, was arrested on February 21, 2018.

“The suspect, who claimed to hold a Bachelor of Science honours degree in Government and Public Administration from Imo State University in 2008, was arrested in his hideout at Close 7, Mgbuakara Eleparawan, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.”

According to the CP, the suspect had confessed to the crime and further revealed that out of the N2.8m his gang stole from their target, he got a share of N400,000.

“The suspect also confessed to being an armed robber since 2012 and has participated in several robbery operations in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Owerri between 2012 and 2017.

“He is helping in our investigation as we speak,” Ezike stressed.

According to the police boss, the arrest of Onwuegbuchulam has signaled the closure of this criminal gang and their nefarious activities.


Ezike recalled, “I addressed the Press on June 13, 2017, on this subject matter where I stated that on February 22, 2017, an armed robbery gang trailed a bank customer to the Wetheral Road branch of Zenith Bank, Owerri and unleashed attack within the bank premises.

“The hoodlums shot into the air repeatedly and exchanged gunfire with the three policemen from our command posted to the bank.”

The CP recalled that one of the armed robbers, Ikechukwu Okpara, was shot dead by Chukwudi Iboko.

He said through investigations, three members of the gang — Justice Ogbenna, 36; Abiye Charles and Okechukwu Nwanegbo were arrested by the police.

Ezike, who recalled that two AK47 rifles with 100 rounds of live ammunition and another rifle with 175 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the gang, said four vehicles were also recovered by the police.

“The arrest of the remaining member of the gang, Chinonso Gift Onwuegbuchulam, from Obazu Mbieri in the Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State signals the closure of this criminal gang and their nefarious activities,” Ezike said.

When interviewed, the suspect confessed that he was part of the deadly operation and that he received N400,000 from the bank robbery incident.

“I was part of the operation and I got N400,000 from the N2.8m we stole.

“I am aware that my gang members were dead and that was why I ran to Lagos so as to remain elusive to the police,” the suspect said.

Responding to a question, Onwuegbuchulam said, “I regret my actions. If given another opportunity, I will repent.”

MEET THE MAN WHO HAVE SLEPT WITH 1,400 GIRLS, IMPREGNATED 600 GIRLS IN 6 AFRICAN COUNTRIES IN TWO YEARS

A French tourist has admitted impregnating more than 600 women in six African countries within two years. Forty-year old Jean Michel made the revelation on an online news site “Africa24”.

The six countries included Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Togo, Ghana and Guinea.

Why it matters:  Many Africans see all westerners as very wealthy people who can change their lives. They easily give in to all their requests and desires and are taken advantage of.

His confession has been translated from French to English by Simon Ateba in Washington, District of Columbia:

“Good morning Africa 24, I have a confession to make about the havoc I have wreaked in six African countries, including Cameroon, Togo, Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana and Guinea. I am not proud of what I have done. These were unfortunate experiences.

“In France where I hail from, I did not have money. I was very poor until one day I played and won lottery. I won 550 thousand euros. It was the largest sum of money I had received in life.

“I did not know what to do, and a friend suggested we travel to Africa. We obtained all the documents, entry visa, and the rest, and our first stop was Ivory Coast.

“In Abidjan (the capital of Ivory Coast), we rented a furnished apartment. We had money to spend and met Ivorian people and we became friends. They introduced young Ivorian girls to us, and that’s when it all started.

“I began having sex with girls every day. Sometimes, I would sleep with three girls at the same time. It was a marvelous experience.

“I worried less about my health. All I wanted was to have fun. My friends and I were in a night club in the town every day looking for girls.

“One time, I met a girl and gave her money, and she told me to be engaged to her. She was ready to get pregnant for me. I don’t know whether it was the money they liked or the fact that I was from France that attracted them.

“I spent three months in Ivory Coast, spent 60, 000 euros and slept with more than 80 girls.

“After leaving Ivory Coast, I went to Togo where I slept with over 100 girls and spent 40, 000 euros.

“I spent three months in Togo and went to Nigeria.

“Nigeria was where I got more girls. I did not speak English, and it seems Nigerian girls love foreigners.

“I rented a furnished apartment in Nigeria and I was in Lagos for six months. I spent 100,000 euros and slept with 230 girls. Nigeria was the place I appreciated the most. Girls were always available and easy to deceive.

“From Nigeria, I went to Ghana, and then Cameroon and ended what I describe as my sex tour in Guinea.

“I was in those three countries for more than a year and spent over 200, 000 euros. If I told you I slept with more than 700 girls in those three countries, you won’t believe me, but it was unbelievable!


“In all, I slept with more than 1,400 girls in six different African countries. I have all their pictures in my photo album, including the dates we met, their names and phone numbers. I opened a Facebook account only for that purpose...
Indeed a greater than King Solomon is in our midst.

Source:
Simon Ateba, Washington D.C. (TodayNewsAfrica)

WHEN MARRIAGE BECOMES HELL ON EARTH

Marriage is made to be honorable and a Heaven on earth for couples but some married ones have turned the ordinance of marriage to be hell on Earth.

This is Evangelist Mrs Promise lying down critically at the intensive care unit of the Federal Medical Centre Asaba.

Her husband inflicted these  injuries on her with a machete  on Monday evening. 



She returned from a journey  that evening, little did she know that the husband had prepared to kill her. As soon as she entered  their room the man started cutting from her head, The son then cried out to neighbours and then  to the police to report the case.

Only for the police to  arrive the scene to meet the man on the floor. He used the same machete to kill himself. His body has been deposited in  mortuary.
What a world?

This woman has been going through hell in her marriage. There are so many women enduring their marriage they can't confide on anyone until something terrible happens to them.

Please there a cry for help,  Evangelist Promise needs attention financially and otherwise.  prayers should also  to be raised on her behalf.

 God bless you.

ROBBERS ATTACK AIR PEACE AT AN AIRPORT RUNWAY

A gang of robbers on Thursday night swooped on an Air Peace plane while preparing for takeoff at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

The incident occurred at about 7.35 pm on Runway 18 Right (A1) of the airport, the airline said Friday.

It said suspected bandits opened the cargo hold of the aircraft.

Spokesman for the company, Chris Iwarah, said the crew observed the development and insisted on thorough security of the Abuja – bound flight after the incident.

Iwarah said the carrier’s crew acted in line with the high safety standards of the airline.

He expressed appreciation to “all our wonderful guests on board Flight 7138 for their support, patience and cooperation throughout the precautionary security checks conducted by Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) squad, Federal Airport Authorities of Nigeria Aviation Security and our security team after suspected thieves opened the cargo hold of our aircraft.”

Pilot-in-Command, Capt. Adesola Arasi, was said to have contacted the control tower “when he was alerted by the light that came on in the cockpit suggesting that the cargo hold was opened for about 15 seconds and immediately shut.”

He added: “In line with our high security standards and the huge value we place on the lives of our guests and crew, Capt. Arasi insisted on having EOD squad check Flight APK 7138 before takeoff to be doubly sure nothing was deposited in the cargo hold by the suspected thieves to endanger the lives of our guests and crew.

“Our guests, who were fully briefed of the development by the pilot-in-command, were advised to disembark from the aircraft and board an Air Peace bus while the joint security operation by EOD, FAAN AVSEC and our security team lasted. The Lagos-Abuja flight was cleared by the security experts after exhaustive screening of the aircraft lasting about 30 minutes.

“The flight eventually took off at 9.30pm and safely landed in Abuja at about 10.23pm. Our satisfied guests commended the professionalism of Capt. Arasi and his team as well as the high safety standards of Air Peace.”

MYSTERIOUS SNAKE SWALLOWS 36 MILLION NAIRA IN JAMB OFFICE.

A mystery snake is said to have sneaked into the accounts office of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, in Makurdi, the Benue State capital and made away with N36 million cash.

Before now, JAMB candidates purchased scratch cards from JAMB state offices and other designated centers, to gain access to the Board’s website for either registration or to check their admission status but the reforms introduced by JAMB registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, recommended an end to the use of scratch cards.

A team of auditors was dispatched to different state offices of JAMB to take inventory of the sold and unsold scratch cards and recover whatever money that might have either been generated or mismanaged during the period of the sale of scratch cards.

On their visit to Makurdi office of JAMB, a sales clerk, Philomina Chieshe, told JAMB registrar and his team that she could not account for N36 million she made in previous years before the abolition of scratch cards.

In the course of interrogation, Philomena confessed that it was her housemaid that connived with another JAMB staff, Joan Asen, to “spiritually” steal the money from the vault in the accounts office.

She said: “I was one of the four sales clerks attached to JAMB office in Makurdi. My responsibility was to sell scratch cards to candidates and not involved in handling the revenues. It was the responsibility of Joan Asen and my other senior colleagues. I only remit money when am done selling the cards.

“Few months ago, there was issue of fraud in the Makurdi office. Auditors were sent from Abuja to carefully flip the record books of the office, to perhaps, ascertain the current state of affairs.

“The state Coordinator, Obilo, was not around when the audit team came. But in the course of the audit, N36 million was discovered to have been missing from the account. An investigation was launched. In the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Joan Asen, who is account staff and a lady outside JAMB have connived to steal the money.”

Philomina in her confessional statement said that Joan Asen and her accomplices confessed that they have been stealing the money “spiritually” through a mysterious snake that always sneak into the office to swallow the money from the vault.

According to her “It was a mystery to me too. I have been saving the money in the bank, but I found it difficult to account for it. So I started saving it in a vault in the office. But each time I open the vault, I will find nothing. I became worried and surprised how the millions of Naira could be disappearing from the vault. I began to interrogate everybody in the house and office, and no one could agree on what might have happened to the money. I continued to press until my housemaid confessed. She said that the money disappeared “spiritually”. She said that a “mysterious snake” sneaked into the house and swallowed the money in the vault.”

Police/Youth clash: OBASEKI VISITS FAMILY OF SLAIN DRIVER, SETS UP N10 MILLION EDUCATION FUND FOR CHILDREN

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has set up a N10 million education fund for the training of two children of late David Okoniba, whose death was allegedly caused by an exchange with a police officer at Upper Igun, Third Junction area of Benin City, the Edo State capital.

Obaseki disclosed this when he led some members of his cabinet on a condolence visit to the family of the deceased at Urora community, in Benin city.

The governor said he was at the victim’s home to assure his relatives that the government of Edo State share in their grief, assuring them that those culpable in the killing will be brought to book.

“I am here today to get the details of what happened. Listening to you, I am heartbroken. I can feel your pain and appreciate your pain and anger. I want to assure the family that the case will not be swept under the carpet.

“It will be followed to a logical conclusion as a reputable retired Judge of Edo State High Court, Justice Olubo has been selected to head the panel of enquiry which will investigate what truly happened on the said date of the incident that led to the death and consequent fracas between the youths and the police,” he said.

According to him, “I learnt that the deceased has two children. I have released N10 million fund to be used for their education, to reduce the pain of the absence of their father and ensure their education does not suffer much because of this incident.”

Obaseki also assured the family that government will support in the burial of late David Okoniba and advised the family to take the wife of the deceased to the hospital for medical attention at government expense, as she was still traumatised from the incident.

Earlier, Spokesperson for the family, Mrs. Aremu Roseline, expressed appreciation to the governor and the state for the visit to the family, noting that the presence of the governor has given them hope for justice.

She also thanked the Commissioner of Police, Mr Johnson Kokumo, who visited the family and showed concern over the death of David, thanking him for promising to get to the root of the mater.

“We appeal to the governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki to help the family ensure David gets Justice. His death must not be in vain as he was the pillar of the family. He had two children and his formal wedding was to be in two-weeks' time. His wife who was an eyewitness of the incident is psychologically affected and seriously traumatised,” she added.

RESEARCHERS DISCOVERS A NEW WAY OF FIGHTING MALARIA USING DYE.

New research has shown the dye methylene blue( C16H18ClN3S) kills malaria parasites at an unparalleled rate and is safe for human use.
In the recent study, which was conducted in Mali by scientists at Radboud University
Medical Center, the University of California (UCSF),
and the Malaria Research and Training Center
(MRTC), malaria patients were treated with a
combination of the blue dye and artemisinin-based
combination therapy (a fairly standard treatment).
Within two days, the patients were cured of malaria
and were also no longer able to transmit malaria
parasites if they were bitten by a mosquito again.
The research, which will be published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases this week, marks a significant breakthrough in the treatment of malaria.

Malaria parasites are growing increasingly resistant to existing drug treatments . When they are effective,current medications still do not prevent the spread of parasites— meaning that even if a patient’ symptoms are treated successfully, when they are bitten by another species of mosquito that spreads malaria, it could transmit the disease to someone else
Malaria can still be transmitted from a person to a
mosquito for at least a week using traditional
treatment methods. Malarial parasites stay in an
infected person’s blood for a long time, and while
they’re there they split into gametocytes — male and female sex cells. When a new mosquito comes along and bites an infected person , they suck in those Gametocytes in the person’s blood. In the new
mosquito, they become fertilized, and when the
mosquito bites someone else, the cycle continues,
spreading the parasites.
With the addition of the blue dye, researchers saw
that they could stop transmission of the parasite in
just two days. Teun Bousema (Radboudumc), who coordinated the study, explained in the team’s press release that its ability to prevent the spread of the disease so quickly is what makes methylene blue so promising.
Bousema added that the treatment also seems to
work well “in species that are resistant to certain
medicines.”

The researchers have noted just one side effect of
using the blue dye. “I have used it myself,” Bousema said “and it turns your urine bright blue. This is something that we need to solve because it could stop people from using it.”
While the side effect may be strange and could be
alarming if patients weren’t aware that it could
happen, it doesn’t appear to be harmful. As Bousema pointed out, if researchers aren’t able to suppress the dye’s effect on urine, providers who use the treatment will need to communicate the possible side effect, its cause, and explain that it isn’t a cause for concern in order to assure it doesn’t dissuade patients from starting or completing treatment.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
each year around the world 212 million people
contract malaria and an estimated 429, 000 die. The
group of people that most often die as a result of
malaria infection are children, specifically those
living in Africa. While preventative measures like
insecticides and mosquito nets have helped reduce
the number of annual deaths by nearly half in the
last decade, the spread of malaria continues to take
lives.
The new treatment shows promise, and although
there are still a few small hurdles (such as the blue
urine) that need to be worked out before the dye
would become widely available for treatment
purposes, having another treatment — especially one
that helps prevent the spread of the parasite — could
certainly contribute to our goal of eliminating
malaria once and for all.