An unidentified female lunatic has given birth to a set of male and female twins through the assistance of a good Nigerian at the busy Eku Junction in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State.
The lunatic, a regular face in the area, was said to usually ask for alms and sleeps at any available shelter within the area.
Beatrice Ejeta, a staff of Shepherd Care International Orphanage, while narrating the delivery process said she was at home when the proprietor of the orphanage called her attention to the fact that a female lunatic was in labour at the Eku junction.
“I was initially worried if she would cooperate with us. But when I made a ‘come’ sign with my hand, she responded.
“With the assistance of some female shop owners around the junction, we were able to hold her still and I coordinated the delivery, with the male twin coming out leg first.
“We were delighted when the first baby came out, thinking that was all and released our grip on her only for us to notice that as she trekked to a nearby junction, another baby was coming out.
“Immediately, we ran back to her and delivered her of the second child which was a girl.”
Sources in the area said the babies, upon delivery, where taken to Eku Baptist Government Hospital even as nobody has claimed responsibility for her pregnancy.
Confirming the development, the Public Relations Officer of Eku Baptist Government Hospital, Sagay Tuoyo, said the hospital is well equipped with facilities to handle the babies. [myad]
The Edo State Governor, comrade Adams Oshiomhole who lost his first wife, Clara, to cancer in 2010 has finally settled with his long time girlfriend and Ethiopian model, Iara Fortes. The wedding held today 15th of May 2015.
The colourful ceremony took place at the Etsako West Local government Council Marriage registry, Auchi.
However, the reception is to take place at the Oshiomhole’s country home in Iyambo.
British Prime Minister, David Cameron has met first face-to-face with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon promising to devolve more powers to Scotland
The meeting came a week after the last week’s general election, in which the Conservatives won an unexpected majority across the UK. The party was left with only one MP in Scotland however, with Ms Sturgeon’s SNP party taking all but three of the country’s 59 constituencies.
Prime Minister Cameron promised to review his party’s plans to give Holyrood powers over welfare and ensure they were in line with the Smith Commission’s findings. The Commission is a cross party review set up by the Prime Minister in the wake of the close independence referendum result. It published its recommendations in November.
Holyrood’s Devolution Committee said yesterday that the current plans to transfer more power north failed to meet both “the spirit or the substance” of the Smith Agreement.
Cameron said his government would “make sure it really is Smith” adding: “We’re going to look again at welfare and make sure the clauses reflect what that agreement was.”
“The First Minister wants to send some proposals for me to look at and I’m happy to examine proposals, there’s going to be a debate, of course there will be a debate.
“I don’t rule out making other changes if sensible suggestions are made.”
While Cameron appears open to considering further powers for Scotland, he said he did not believe a second independence referendum was “remotely on the cards”.
He spoke out after a senior source within the SNP was reported to have said it would be prepared to push ahead with plans for such a vote without the permission of the Prime Minister if necessary.
But the Conservative leader said: “I don’t think this is remotely on the cards, I tend to take at face value what Alex Salmond says on the record, rather than off the record.
“On the record, he said that this was a once-in-a-generation, potentially a once-in-a-lifetime, opportunity and I’m sticking with that.”
He spoke to journalists after having talks with Ms Sturgeon at her official residence of Bute House in Edinburgh.
Ms Sturgeon said the meeting was constructive and businesslike, adding: “Two things of significance were agreed at the meeting,” she said.
“Firstly, there was a commitment from the Prime Minister that the legislation that they will shortly introduce to the Westminster parliament to implement the proposals of the Smith Commission will implement those proposals in full.
“We had a report of a Scottish Parliament committee yesterday which said that where they have got to thus far doesn’t fully implement the Smith Commission proposals.
“So, there is a commitment to do that, and we will make sure that happens.
“Secondly, I have said we will put forward proposals for devolution further than the Smith Commission proposals.
“The Prime Minister has said they would consider those proposals.
“I am not going to put words in his mouth and say he has agreed any specific proposals, but there is an agreement to look at that and there will be a meeting with Deputy First Minister and the Secretary of State for Scotland to take that discussion forward.
“I want Scotland to have full fiscal autonomy, David Cameron doesn’t, but what we said in our manifesto was that there were priority powers over and above the Smith Commission that we wanted to see devolved.
“So, what we are talking about are business taxes and employment legislation, the minimum wage and more powers over welfare.”
Ms Sturgeon said she still advocates full fiscal autonomy despite the oil price crash which would leave Scotland with a large deficit.
“I recognise that even if there was an agreement to move to full fiscal autonomy, which there is not, that would take time to do,” she said.
“As a priority, I want to get our hands on the levers that really matter as quickly as possible.”
Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, who was also at the meeting, said today that the Scottish National Party will consider putting plans for another independence referendum in its election manifesto for Holyrood next year.
Ms Sturgeon said: “I said to him on the phone last Friday and I have said it to him again today, he has a choice to make about how he responds to how Scotland voted last week.
“He can act as if it is business as usual and nothing has changed, and people will draw their own conclusions from that.
“They will think that Westminster isn’t capable of listening or responding.
“Or he can prove that Westminster does listen, it does respond, it can deliver a better deal for Scotland.”
Cameron said he had had a “very positive meeting” with the SNP leader.
“I’ve always said I believe in the respect agenda, and I think coming to Scotland just over a week after the election result is the right thing to do,” he stated.
He confirmed he would meet his election pledge to include a bill on more powers for Holyrood in his first Queen’s Speech.
The Conservative leader said: “I made a commitment before the election, if I was the Prime Minister I would implement the Smith Commission report in full by introducing a Scotland Bill in the first Queen’s Speech and I can confirm that is exactly what I will do.
“It was an agreement made in Scotland for Scotland by the Scottish parties and I’ll make sure we implement every aspect of it.
“That will build a Scottish Parliament that doesn’t just look after the vital issues of health and education and those devolved matters, but it will give real power over taxation and spending, so if Scotland wants to take different decisions about how much money to spend, what taxes to raise, it will be able to do so, and I think that’s the right future for Scotland.”
The Scottish Parliament is already due to get some power over income tax in April 2016, as a result of changes to the devolution settlement made by the Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition government.
But the Smith Commission called for far greater powers over income tax to be handed over, along with some control over benefits and welfare north of the border.
Cameron stressed however that he did not support SNP demands for full fiscal autonomy, which would make the Scottish Parliament responsible for raising all the money it spends.
He said: “I don’t support full fiscal autonomy. I put it like this – Scotland has voted to stay part of the United Kingdom and I’m delighted about that. I think there are two potential futures, the future I would offer and I think many others would offer is a much stronger Scottish Parliament with these tax and spending powers and with the extra powers Smith talks about, but also with the solidarity of the United Kingdom.
“I want people in Scotland to know that the whole of the United Kingdom stands behind your pensions, stands behind unemployment benefit, will stand behind Scotland if it has a difficult year, if the oil price goes down.
“That’s what I believe in, the solidarity union as well as the United Kingdom that’s about defence and foreign affairs and all the institutions we have built together.
“I think the option of full fiscal autonomy is not a good option for Scotland inside the United Kingdom, I think it would land Scottish taxpayers with £7 billion of extra taxes or Scottish people with £7 billion of extra cuts.”
He continued: “I believe in the solidarity that’s at the heart of our United Kingdom.
“So it’s an honest disagreement between the First Minister and me about this, but we will deliver the stronger Scottish Parliament, be in no doubt about it.”
Cameron also said his Tory majority government had a mandate to press ahead with plans to withdraw from the Human Rights Act and to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union.
Both these could put his Westminster government on a collision course with the SNP administration at Holyrood.
Ms Sturgeon has said repealing the Human Rights Act is an “appalling thing to be doing” and has argued that Scotland should not be taken out of the EU against its wishes, even if a majority across the UK supports such a move.
On the issue of a European referendum Cameron said: “We put forward in a manifesto the clearest possible pledge of a renegotiation and an in/out referendum by the end of 2017.
“That manifesto has now been backed at a UK wide general election so I believe I have a mandate for that, rather in the same way that the SNP felt they had a mandate for their referendum.
“They didn’t give Orkney and Shetland an opt out, or the Borders an opt out, so this is a UK pledge, it will be delivered for the UK and it will be debated and discussed in Parliament after we publish the Queens Speech.”
He also insisted the Tories had made a “very clear manifesto promise” to scrap the Human Rights Act and establish a British Bill of Rights in its place and now had a “mandate for that promise”.
Cameron said: “Some people interpret this promise as being against human rights. It isn’t, it’s to have a British Bill of Rights written into UK law so these things can be adjudicated in British courts.”
He conceded there would have to be talks between Westminster and the Scottish and Welsh assemblies about how this would work, and stated: “There are some great complexities here but I’m sure it’s not beyond the wit of clever people to make this work.” [myad]
File photo: University of Abuja Students demontrating
Students of the University of Abuja have clashed with the office of the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed as they barricaded the entrance and exit gates to the Minister’s office for over two hours. This was even as the representative of the minister, Nosike Ogbuenyi described the students action as lawless, advising them to desist from lawless acts like blocking of gates, The protesting students, led by the Chairman of the University of Abuja Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Friday Adayi, today, laid siege to the FCT Administration Secretariat between 12 and 2 Pm, insisting that the government must purchase a vehicle for their association immediately to enable them attend their various conventions. They also demanded for development of University of Abuja’s Unity Park and an immediate end to the water supply challenges at the university’s mini campus. “The FCT Administration should also furnish the common room of the NANS Chairman,” the students stated. Selected leaders of the students later met with FCT officials led by the FCT Education Secretary, Alhaji Kabir Usman who promised to look into their demands: “despite the obvious fact that most of them were either untenable or should have been pursued through the Federal Ministry of Education which administers the University of Abuja.” The Secretary announced that the request by the students for a vehicle was receiving attention and would be granted if funds become available. However, the Special Assistant on media to the FCT minister, Nosike Ogbuenyi condemned the action of the students, particularly the disruption of activities at the secretariat and their attempt to compel the government to fulfill their requests, which he said were not statutory responsibilities of the FCTA. “The point should be stressed that it is not part of FCTA’s official responsibility to furnish the NANS Chairman’s common room at the University of Abuja or to provide internal infrastructure in Federal universities. Similarly, government action on the kind of demands made by the students is discretionary and dependent on resource availability. “Nonetheless, the FCTA cherishes robust relationship with NANS even though it frowns at any attempt to hold it to ransom by students over welfare and logistics demands by individuals or groups.” Ogbuenyi said that the FCT Administration, through its Water Board, has provided potable and wholesome water to the residents of the Federal Capital Territory including Gwagwalada through the recently commissioned Lower Usuma Dam Phases III & IV Water Treatment Plants and that therefore, it is the duty of individuals, institutions and corporate organizations to undertake water reticulation in their areas of abode.
A group of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in Adamawa State under the banner of PDP Aggrieved Aspirants Forum, has threatened to sue the party for allegedly failing to refund the money they paid for nomination forms. Addressing newsmen today in Yola the chairman of the group, Liazaru Eliada-Gugu, said the party advertised for various elective positions but failed to conduct the primaries. Eliada-Gugu who was a senatorial aspirant in the just concluded election, said the aspirants bought forms to contest the primary election but since the party did not conduct any, it was only natural that the money for the forms be refunded to them. “We have made our request known to the leadership of our party both at the state and national level. They have promised to address the issue but up till now they have not done anything,” he stated. He said the national chairman of the party agreed to do something about it when they met with him but after several weeks of waiting without response they had no option than to go to court.
Outbreak of fire whose source is yet to be identified, today sent the nation’s minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau packing out of his office in the sixth floor of the federal secretariat, phase three. Eye witnesses said that the fire started at about 1.45 Pm at the time the Minister of Education, was holding meeting with Principals of Unity Schools from across the country but that the meeting ended abruptly as the minister and other officials were immediately evacuated from the building. The fire affected mainly the 5th and 6th floors of phase three of the secretariat. A combined team of Federal Fire Service and FCT Fire Service battled the fire and was put off after two hours, even as the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Fire Service, Collins Elechi confirmed that there were no casualties in the incident. “We cannot ascertain the cause of the fire now until later. It started from the 5th floor and remained between it and the 6th floor. “As you can see, the fire has been put off, we curtailed it from spreading to adjourning property,’’ Elechi said. He stressed the need for a functional hydrant in the building, adding: “we could not see one; we are not of course indicting the occupants of this building, but that is one of the challenges we met,’’ he said. The Research and Rescue Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency, Also, Mr Labaran Haman, said that investigation to determine the cause of the fire was ongoing. Hamman said that rescue teams including NEMA and fire servicemen responded swiftly but had problem controlling the crowd. Files, furniture and other office equipment were destroyed by the fire.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) has raised alarm over the level of micro-nutrient deficiency in Nigerian children, between the ages of one and five. Benue State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Anikoh Ibrahim, raised the alarm when he led officials of the agency to markets in the state, for an on the spot random testing for micro-nutrient fortification compliance in sugar, flour, salt and vegetable oil products, being sold in the market. He said that the agency embarked on the nationwide exercise following discovery that one out of four children under the age of five is deficient in Vitamin A just as 31 percent of mothers in the country suffer from Iodine deficiency. “We had to embark on this random testing because it has been discovered that one in four children under the age of five in Nigeria suffers from Vitamin A deficiency while about 31 percent of mothers in Nigeria are iodine deficient.” Ibrahim said that the agency would soon commence the closure of factories of edible food producers in the country whose products failed the micronutrient fortification compliance test even as he listed malnutrition among children, death of young mothers during childbirth due to anemia and poor learning ability of children as consequences of micronutrient deficiencies. “This is the more reason why it is the right of every Nigerian to consume fortified foods to guard against diseases and untimely deaths. It is therefore important that consumers begin to demand for fortified staples. “I must therefore hasten to say that in the event of non-compliance to mandatory food fortification by manufacturers of vegetable oil, wheat/maize flour and sugar, necessary sanctions will be applied which includes immediate closure of the concerned factories.” The NAFDAC State Coordinator warned that any manufacturer who refuses to adhere to the fortification standards would be punished, adding that such punitive measures would include the payment of administrative fines, withdrawal of products from markets and destruction of same by the agency. Ibrahim said that most of the products that were subjected to the random testing met the minimum fortification standards stressing that manufacturers of products that failed the test would be notified accordingly.
The 2015 GTBank-Lagos Principals Cup final has been scheduled to hold at the Teslim Balogun Stadium on May 20. Apart from the government team, the sponsors, GTBank will also be represented by top hierarchy of the bank at the ground, which is already wearing a new look. In the male category, Birrel Avenue Senior High School, Sabo will clash with Keke High School, Ijaye, while Oriwu Senior Model College, Ikorodu will square up against Ikotun Senior High School in the female category. Ikotun Senior High School female football team qualified for the final after beating Government Senior College, Agege 3-1 at the Onikan Waterfront.
The African Union (AU) has condemned the coup attempt in Burundi that brought the former military intelligence officer, Major General Godefroid Niyombare to power, even as the United States of America made it clear that it would not support any form of military intervention in any country. While AU in a statement by its Peace and Security Council today, called for dialogue to resolve the country’s political crisis, the US insisted that it still recognized Pierre Nkurunziza as the president of Burundi, AU said that the council was meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to discuss attempts to oust Burundian President, Pierre Nkurunziza, whose quest for a third term has thrown the central African country into disarray. There had been intensive fighting between forces loyal to President Pierre Nkurunziza and forces in support of the coup plot. Although there had been an easy calm in Bujumbura, the capital city, reports said that majority of the Burundians celebrated at the announcement of the military takeover, a sign that Nkurunziza who has insisted on running for the third term is no longer wanted by his own people. General Godefroid Niyombare, had on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, announced the overthrow of President Pierre Nkurunziza. The general cited weeks of violent protests against the president’s bid to stand for a third term as reason for the overthrow. However, President Nkurunziza who was attending a summit in Tanzania to discuss his decision to run for a third term, said that the attempted coup had “failed, in a message posted on Twitter. Gen. Niyombareh had earlier told reporters that senior officers were “dismissing” President Nkurunziza, amid unrest over his re-election bid and that a national salvation committee had been set up to run the country. General Niyombare, a powerful former intelligence chief, announced the coup attempt hours after the president left for neighbouring Tanzania for talks with regional leaders on ending the crisis. A State Department spokesman of the United States of America, Jeff Rathke said today: “There are competing claims to authority, but we recognize President Nkurunziza as the legitimate president,”
Former Burundian military intelligence officer, Major General Godefroid Niyombare has taken over the government after a military coup that overthrew President Nkurunziza even as the President adviser dismissed the coup as ‘a joke.’ The new military leader was quoted as saying tha he is working to form transitional government.
General Godefroid was said to have been removed as intelligence officer by the ousted President in February this year.
The coup came after weeks of widespread protests in Burundi as a result of the moved by the ousted President to go for a third term in office against the laws of the country.
The coup was announced in a radio broadcast by Godefroid at the time President. Nkurunziza is reportedly out of the country to neighboring Tanzania for a regional meeting of East African Community, EAC. The EAC meeting was called to discuss the protests in Burundi which was becoming violent.
“Forces Vives de the Nation have decided to take charge of the nation,” General Godefroid said.
President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term in office has sparked violent unrest that has left at least 20 people dead and forced more than 50,000 to flee the country. Major General Godefroid Niyombare, who was fired by Nkurunziza as intelligence chief three months ago, told reporters at a military barracks in the capital, Bujumbura, that he was working with civil society groups, religious leaders and politicians to form a transitional government. “Regarding President Nkurunziza’s arrogance and defiance of the international community, which advised him to respect the constitution and Arusha peace agreement, the committee for the establishment of the national concord decide President Nkurunziza is dismissed. His government is dismissed too,” he told Reuters. Niyombare’s remarks were later broadcast on local radio stations. As news of his claim spread, thousands came on to the streets of Bujumbura to celebrate the coup attempt and police were reported to have left their posts – but it remained unclear if Niyombare had the backing of the army, which has acted as a buffer between police and protesters. Nkurunziza’s official Twitter feed denied there had been a coup. The claim of a coup was earlier dismissed as “a joke” by one of the president’s advisers. Nkurunziza was scheduled to join other east African leaders from Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda at a special meeting in Tanzania’s capital, Dar es Salaam, on Wednesday to discuss the unrest. Hundreds of civilians marched towards state radio and television stations on Wednesday, and the influential African Public Radio – which has been shut down at the start of the protests – was back on air. Troops surrounded the national radio station, but it was not immediately clear to whom they were loyal. “Don’t shoot at civilians. Shoot in the air. Shoot at military targets, not civilians. We have to protect the state TV and radio,” an army colonel was heard ordering soldiers protecting the facility. Earlier, police fired tear gas and water cannon to repulse protesters trying to enter the central business district in Bujumbura. One police officer fired on demonstrators. The number of casualties, if any, is unknown. The South African government said it was monitoring the situation in Burundi closely and added that it was too soon to say whether a coup had taken place. The protests began on 25 April after the ruling party nominated Nkurunziza to run for re-election in a vote due next month. His opponents argue the move is a clear violation of the constitution, which limits a president to two terms in office. The violence has plunged Burundi into its worst crisis since the end of its 12-year civil war in 2006. That conflict, between ethnic Tutsis and Hutus, left around 300,000 people dead. Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader from the Hutu majority, has so far defied international pressure to withdraw from the election. A constitutional court has ruled that the president can run because his first term – for which he was picked by parliament rather than elected by popular vote – does not count. Critics say the court is biased. The crackdown on protests has drawn rebukes from many of the western nations that provide the aid on which Burundi relies for half its budget. European states are the biggest contributors, while the US provides support to the army. Dawn Liberi, the US ambassador to Burundi, told a meeting of the government and diplomats on Monday: “We call for an immediate end to the use of violent force by police against peaceful protests and the political intimidation, threats and violence by all armed militia.” The US has said it is worried about reports that the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of Nkurunziza’s CNDD-FDD party, had been armed, an allegation the government denies. The EU is withholding €2m (£1.4m) of aid to Burundi amid increasing concern over the government’s violent crackdown. The EU envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes region, Koen Vervaeke, said the union had disbursed €6m of the €8m designated for elections, but had decided to withhold the rest until Nkurunziza heeded calls for a transparent poll. “Today it is out of the question to release the €2m unless conditions for a free, peaceful and credible election are secured,” he told a news conference in Bujumbura on Monday. Belgium, Burundi’s former colonial power, has announced a suspension of electoral aid, opting to withhold half of the €4m it had set aside for the polls, and said it would pull out of a €5m police cooperation deal funded jointly with the Netherlands. Police in Burundi have been accused of using live rounds on protesters, as well as teargas and water cannon – a charge they deny. On Monday the Burundian foreign minister, Laurent Kavakure, said the government was already taking steps to improve the situation, adding: “We are determined to create the conditions for free, transparent and peaceful elections.” More than 50,000 people have fled Burundi since early April, at least half of whom have gone to Rwanda, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Almost 18,000 have fled to Tanzania and 8,000 to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some of the refugees now arriving in Rwanda say they are running from the Imbonerakure. “The Imbonerakure came to our neighbourhood to say that those who were against the third term of President Nkurunziza were going to die. That’s why I left,” Eric Ahishakiye, a 23-year-old mechanic said. [myad]
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