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  • SEMA procures N200m relief materials for flood victims

    Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA ), says it has procured relief materials worth N200 million for distribution to flood victims in 21 local government areas of the state.

    Chairman of the agency, Alhaji Sani Dododo told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday that the distribution would commence next week.

    He said that the agency procured the items to cushion the effects of the flood that submerged communities and displaced residents especially in seven local government areas of the state.

    “The recent flooding had affected communities in Dandi, Koko, Suru, Bagudo, Yauri, Ngaski and Shanga areas.”

    He added that reported cases of flooding in the remaining 14 local government areas are being assessed by the agency.

    Read Also: 38, 051 IDPs taking refuge in 31 Camps in Plateau – SEMA

    “We will set up a committee to ensure judicious distribution of the assistance.

    ” We will try to minimize the number of the committee members in order to ensure relative control and transparency in the distribution as we will not hesitate to take to court anyone found guilty of diverting the relief,” Dododo said.

    The chairman commended the state government for releasing the funds and assured that all the victims would receive appropriate support.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that materials to be distributed include, rice, millet, maize, guinea, cement, blankets, roofing sheets, mattresses and textile materials, among others.

  • Osun poll: Security agents monitor use of smart phones at polling units

    Security agents attached to polling units in Saturday’s governorship election in Osun are monitoring the use of smartphones by voters, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

    In some of the polling units visited in Ilesa and Ile-Ife, majority of the voters came to the polling units with their smartphones although security agents did not allow them to take them inside the cubicles to vote.

    Security personnel, who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria on the condition of anonymity, said the measure was to check vote-buying.

    He expressed the belief that the move had so far checked the incidence of vote-buying at polling units.

    Mr Jimmy George, an election observer, commended security agents for preventing voters from using their phones inside the cubicles.

    George, who is the National Secretary of the National Committee of Patriots, said the action of the security agents would minimise vote-buying in the election.

    Meanwhile, accreditation and voting in the election continued on a peaceful note in many polling units across the state.

    Read Also: Osun Poll: Police talk tough, vow to arrest errant politicians

    At Unit 12A, Ward 05 in Ile-Ife, voters were seen on the queue peacefully with INEC ad hoc staff attending to them.

    It was also observed that the card reader machines were also working perfectly at the polling unit visited by News Agency of Nigeria.

    Mr Lukman Adedini, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), agent confirmed that the election had been peaceful.

    Adedini also commended INEC ad hoc staff for arriving on time.

    Also at Ward 6, Remo Unit 2 in Ile-Ife, many voters were seen on the queue.

    Mrs Victoria Komolafe, the Presiding Officer, who said the election had been orderly and peaceful, also commended the large turnout of voters.

    Mr Olayade Abiola, the SDP party agent at the polling unit, commended INEC for the prompt arrival of materials.

  • Oyetola offers free treatment for 2,000 patients in Iwo

    Oluwo lauds initiative 

    Over 2,000 patients were treated free-of-charge in Iwo, Osun State on Monday.

    The treatment was supported by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 22 election, Alhaji  Gboyega Oyetola, under the Ilerioluwa Free Health Mission project. His campaign is themed Ilerioluwa

    The project was undertaken in partnership with the Development Support International, a organization with rich experience in medical outreach projects.

    The medical team which included doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, optalmologists, optometrics, pharmacy technicians and logistics staff, saw the huge number on an open field opposite Iwo Local Government Secretariat. The team was made up of about 209 members with various specialties.

    The team offered free treatment including surgeries in five broad areas. They are eye care, general outpatient, dental care, emergency medical services and health education. Through surgeries, lumps were removed in several parts of the body while cataract was removed from the eyes of many patients. Hernias were also corrected through surgeries.

    Commenting on the project after undergoing eye test, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, commended Oyetola, stressing that he brought succor to his subjects. He said many residents were suffering ill-health due to poverty but that initiative such as free health mission has brought succour to them.

    Read Also: Oyetola: Osun’s future brighter under APC

    The monarch explained that good efforts should be lauded irrespective of who is behind it. He told his enthusiastic subjects to ignore any attempt to demean the initiative by describing it as political.

    Oba Akanbi said the project brought smile to the faces of thousands of poor people who cannot afford medical care. He challenged other politicians to emulate Oyetola.

    To the monarch, the free health care is a heavy project that is expensive. He said only people who have means; connection and interest of the masses at heart can undertake such. Akanbi said great projects are easier said than done.

    “Even if they describe this as political, it is welcome here. As long as it benefits my people, we are happy to have it. Let other politicians bring good initiatives like this to Iwo. As long as it benefits my people, we will also embrace it. But it is easier said than done,” the monarch said.

    He also expressed gratitude to all members of the medical team for leaving their jobs in foreign countries and Lagos to offer free service to his subjects.

    The Project Manager, Ilerioluwa Free Health Mission, Dr Adebola Odunsi, described the project as laudable. He said people should support leaders that are interested in people’s health and total well-being.

    Odunsi said they conducted  population estimate and found out medical needs of residents to determine the team members and the kind of services to render. About 300 surgeries are being undertaken in all.

    Drugs and eye glasses were offered free to patients.

    Patients thronged the venue of the project till evening. They struggled to benefit from the programme in the various units as population surged continually.

  • France’s Macron to discuss Iran with Trump at G20 Summit

    French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he would discuss Iran with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan.

    Macron told reporters in Marseilles that the standoff between the two countries was a source of concern to him.

    “Of course it worries me. I’ve been working on easing tensions since I became president … there will be talks on G20 sidelines, including with President Trump,” he said.

    He reiterated that France was committed to the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.

    Read Also: The Macron mystique: honeymoon over?

    He said that his diplomatic adviser was in Iran in a bid to bring tensions down in the region.

    Washington quit the nuclear pact and reimposed sanctions on Tehran last year. Iran has said it will exceed this week the agreed limits on its stockpile of enriched uranium. Trump announced new sanctions starting Monday to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

    Tensions between the two countries flared after the recent attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Iran downed a US spy drone over the Strait of Hormuz last week, which nearly led to a US military strike on its territory. Several airlines have stopped flying in the area.

  • ‘I would still have killed her if she was my wife, mother or girlfriend’

    A murder suspect, Babatunde Muritala aka Muri Ete, has said that he would still have killed one of his victims, Julian Eke Imaga,18, even if she was his wife, mother or sister.

    Muritala was arrested by the operatives of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team for the gruesome killing of one Oriade Adebisi and his girlfriend Julian Eke Imaga, 18.

    Confessing at the IRT Eagles Building, Lagos Annex, GRA, Ikeja, Babatunde, who is a cultist, said: ‘’ On the part of his girlfriend, Julian, she did not offend me in any way. She was very innocent and friendly. She was very social and accommodating to friends of her boyfriend. The only reason why I killed her (Julian) was to cover up the murder, so that it would not be possible to link me and others to the murder. I regret killing her, but I had no better choice at that circumstance. If she were to be my mother, sister, wife or girlfriend, I would still have done the same thing, because I knew that if there was any leakage the police would come after us and they will get us.’’

    The suspect also said he killed Adebisi because he had refused to share proceeds of his yahoo (Internet scam) ‘business’ with him.

    ‘’’Another issue I had with him (Adebisi) is that he stopped giving me the little change (money) he used to give me. Instead, he started giving it to my rival cult members. He is a yahoo boy (Internet fraudster). He used to help me financially, but all of a sudden, he stopped. He no longer recognized me as the leader in my territory, my base, my area.’’

    Asked why he killed his victims with  plank despite being in possession of a gun, he said: “Our fraternity does not use gun to kill. It is more difficult to track plank during forensic investigation. We feel at home with plank because it would not be easy for police to track us down using plank as a specimen.

    ‘’Again, gun brings out (loud) sound when fired which can alert neighbours or police to the scene, but plank does not make such sound when you use it to kill.’’

    On why they dumped the corpse in an uncompleted building without burying them in graves, he said: “We were working on time. There was no time to dig any grave. Moreover, if exposed in the open the corpses would decompose faster and animals would help to eat up the flesh.’’

    Babatunde, a native of Oru in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, said he dropped out in 200 level at Tai Solarin University, where he was studying Business Administration.

    ‘’My father has five children; two children from my mother and three children from another woman. My father did not take care of any of us. He is a commercial  driver. He is always giving excuses that he has no money to train us. I later went to train as computer engineer.’’

    He claimed that one Sunkanmi, who now lives in Israel, deceitfully initiated him into a cultist group.

    ‘’Adebisi was a member of Alora cult. Their cult members wear yellow. In March this year, he gave me a bank account number for my yahoo link. We got 1,200 dollars and shared the money; we got another 6,000 dollars which took 24 hours to reflect in (his) bank account.

    ‘’Our quarrel started on May 28, 2018. I told my girlfriend called Yetunde to watch when Adebisi would drive out (of his residence). When she told me about Adebisi’s movement, I called my friends Sodiq and Taiwo and we kidnapped him and took him to a bush and killed him. I did not rape his girlfriend before we killed her.’’

    The second suspect, Taiwo Rasak, 18, said: “I am from Imota, Ikorodu, Lagos. I was initiated into Aiye fraternity in 2015 and I went to stay with Babatunde.

    ‘’Babatunde told us (myself and Sodiq now at large) that he wanted to kill Oriade Adebisi for parting with his money. Before we killed him (Adebisi), Babatunde ordered him to deactivate his password on his iPhone and he complied.’’

    IRT’s South West Coordinator, Philip Rieninwa, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) said the police received a report from one Oriade Rafiu of  Queen Oriade Crescent, Oju-Ore, Otta, Ogun State on May 28, 2018, at about 11pm, that Oriade Adebisi was driving in his Honda Cross tour car with registration number FST 350 FA together with his girlfriend, Julian Eke Imaga, 18, at Oru-Ijebu, when they were abducted by three armed men and killed.

    He said that IRT’s operatives arrested the two principal suspects, Babatunde Muritala and Taiwo Rasak.

    An iPhone with Etisalat sim card and two pairs of canvas shoes belonging to late Adebisi were recovered from Babatunde.

     

  • #GoogleForNigeria: How to use Google ‘Go’ initiatives

    Google  announced the update of several products from its “Go” initiative on Thursday at the Google for Nigeria Conference which held in Lagos.

    “Go” (often referred to as Golang) is a programming language created by Google in 2009 by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson.

    The Goproduct suite aims to give people with low bandwidth connections and low-RAM devices the best possible Google experience. Although it was launched in the past year, it has new features which are:

    Google Go:  It is described as a lighter and faster way to search. It will soon read web pages out loud and highlight each word so users can follow along. It is a new app which makes it easy for people to discover the best of the internet, even on low-RAM smartphones or unstable network connections. It’s available for devices running Android v4.3 (Jelly Bean) and above, and delivers the same seamless experience whether you’re on a high-end or low-end phone.

    YouTube Go: It enables users to be able to browse downloaded YouTube Go videos, saved as .yt files, right from the gallery on their phones.

    Read Also: Google to launch free Wi-Fi hotspots across Nigeria

    It helps to discover popular videos: ? comedy, ? fashion, ? cooking, ? ‘how-to’s and many more!, helps to control your data and watch more videos it helps you to share  videos Instantly. For YouTubeGo, you need no data to transfer.

    Google Maps Go: will now provide users with turn-by-turn directions, whether they’re travelling by car, by bus or on foot. It is designed to run quickly and smoothly on devices with limited memory. It helps you search for a place, get more information about a place, get directions and see what is nearby.

    Android Go: Launched in Nigeria and 29 other African countries earlier this year, the Go OS gives people coming online for the first time a powerful and reliable smartphone experience.

  • Robbers snatch N9m LG workers’ salary in Kebbi

    Gwandu Local Government Area of Kebbi has alleged that suspected robbers have stolen N9 million meant for the payment of  salary of workers of its departments of Health and Agriculture.

    The Chairman of the council  Shehu Bagudu, told newsmen in Gwandu   that the incident happened on May 24, 2018.

    “The incident happened when the cashier of the local government Bashir Gwandu, collected the money from the bank and went to his house.

    “As he was about to open the gate of his house and unknown to him, the thieves had traced  him from the bank. 

    “As he was opening the gate to enter his house, the suspects who had laid ambush for him, attacked him, snatched his car with the money inside and drove away.

    “The car was later discovered in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State,” he said.

    The Chairman dispelled the rumour that he was shielding the cashier who is his son-in-law.

    Bagudu said he could not stop the Police and claimed he has  not slept since this incident happened.

    Read Also: Kebbi APC Congress yet to hold at 6:15 pm.

    “The boy is my son-in-law ever since before I became the chairman of the council, and he is known to be trustworthy person.

    “We wrote to the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs on the incident, but we are still waiting for their response.

    “At the same time, the Criminal Investigation Department of the state Police Command is on top of the situation, doing proper investigation,”

    He said the council had held a series of meetings with the affected workers and disclosed  “the cashier’s family is planning to pay part of the stolen money before the arraignment of their brother in court on June 4.”

    The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mustapha Suleiman, who confirmed the incident, said the cashier had been undergoing proper investigation by the CID since the incident. 
    “The cashier has just been granted bail after the necessary investigation and he was given bail on the surety of a former Sole Administrator in the local government council.

  • Seven ways to prepare for marriage while you’re still single

    THERE is no better time than while you’re single to prepare for an amazing, God-honoring marriage. Here are seven great things you can do while you’re still single (or while you’re single again) to prepare for a successful marriage:

    1. Address your unresolved childhood issues.

    You’ve got to take care of the baggage that you’re carrying from childhood. When I do premarital counseling, this is the first topic we always talk about. Your unresolved childhood issues can absolutely sink a marriage. Here is a great quote from nationally respected and recognized marriage experts Les and Leslie Parrot: “If you attempt to build intimacy with a person before you’ve done the handwork of becoming a whole and healthy person, every relationship will be an attempt to complete the hole in your heart.”

    Think of it like trying to fill a five-gallon bucket full of water when you’ve got holes in the bottom and on the sides, it’s never going to stay full. Your unresolved childhood issues are some of those issues you need to resolve. And I know that some of you will say, “I don’t have unresolved issues. I talk with my mom, I send her a Mother’s Day card every year.” If you have a parent that is still alive but you don’t have a healthy functioning relationship with them, there may be some issues you need to resolve. For many people, it comes down to your father, or your lack of a father, or an absent father. That’s a real thing.

    Even if it means counseling, take care of all of your unresolved childhood issues so you don’t bring that baggage into your future marriage. If you’re divorced, you need to unpack not only the baggage from your childhood, but the baggage from your previous marriage or marriages.

    1. Get out of debt.

    In premarital counseling I do with couples, I spend an entire session simply on finances, because 85% (that’s not a scientific number but my experience with couples) of all fights stem from money, or specifically a lack thereof. If you do the hard work to prepare before marriage to take care of your money, you’ll bring less baggage into your marriage and you’ll be less likely to marry someone who can’t take care of their money.

    Ladies, if your boyfriend or fiancee has thousands of dollars of debt and kind-of-a-job, RUN! And some of you may be thinking, “I’ll just get out of debt once I’m married!” Ha! Married people, can I get an “Amen!” on how hard it is to get out of debt once you’re married? If you want to prepare successfully for marriage, get out of and stay out of debt. I guarantee you, you’ll thank me later.

    1. Ladies: Don’t dress like a commodity and refuse to be treated like one.

    Ladies, I know that the cultural mindset in America is to use your body as bait to get a man, but as followers of Jesus and more importantly as daughters of the King, you’re called to live differently.

    Don’t dress like a commodity. Don’t dress in a way that uses your body as bait. Do you know how fisherman know what kind of bait to use? By what kind of fish they’re trying to catch. You don’t fish for crappie the same way you fish for largemouth bass. So ladies, if you dress in a way that uses your body as bait, you’re going to attract guys that view women as a commodity. And some of you might say, “All guys are the same.” No, all the guys you date are the same. There are better guys out there, but you can’t use your body as bait.

    Because whatever you catch them with, you’ve got to keep them with. And ladies, I hate to break it to you, but if the only thing keeping your man is your body, you realize that as you get older . . .

    If your man treats you like a commodity, kick him to the curb and drop him like a bad habit. You can do so much better than that.

    1. Men: Quit looking at images and listening to music that turn women into a commodity.

    Or more specifically, quit looking at porn and quit listening to rap music. Now, women can struggle with porn too. When you look at pornography, it turns people into a commodity. When you listen to music that degrades women, it turns them into a commodity. And if you think you can engage in that stuff without it affecting you, you’re absolutely wrong. Guys, I guarantee you that will wreck your future marriage. So get help, stop it.

    1. Break your bad habits.

    Whatever other bad habit you’ve got that you know you need to take care of, take care of it. Maybe it’s drinking, maybe it’s prescription pills, maybe it’s gambling, maybe it’s self-harm or cutting. Getting married and making a promise won’t make those things magically go away. They’ll just make your single person problems a marriage problem.

    1. Postpone the physical components of the relationship as long as possible.

    I’m not just talking about sex, I’m talking about everything. When I talk with couples, they never wish they would have gotten physical sooner, they always wish they would have waited.

    If you rush in too quick, it’s the third date, we got hot and heavy, she spent the night, that’s changing the fundamentals of the relationship. When you get physical, you’ve stopped building a relationship and now you’re building chemistry. Chemistry is a really lousy thing to build a marriage on.

    And this point includes living together. I never, ever recommend that single people move in together. In fact, research has documented time and time again that moving in together before marriage actually decreases likelihood that your marriage will work. This is because you move into together for totally different reasons. Women move in because they see it as a step towards marriage. Men move in to test things out and see if they want to stay in the relationship. As the old saying goes, “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?”

    1. Get involved in your local church.

    Now, you would expect me to say this as a pastor, but this is incredibly important. When you get involved in a local church, wherever you live, when you grow in your faith, when you serve, you’re focusing on becoming the right people, alongside other people who are focusing on becoming right people, which only increases your odds of finding the right person for you.

    This worked for me. I met my wife while serving at a Christian youth camp back in the summer of 2001. That’s the first thing I fell in love with about her: her heart for God and her heart for serving others.

  • Student docked over alleged theft of gas cylinder

    The police on Friday arraigned a 20-year-old student, Andrew Dominic, before a Kubwa Grade 1 Area Court over alleged theft of gas cylinder.

     Dominic, a resident of Kubwa Village in Abuja, is facing a two-count charge of trespass and theft, but he pleaded innocent.

    The prosecutor, Babajide Olanipekun, told the court that one Mr Azubike Chidebere ‎reported the case at the Kubwa Police Station on April 23.

    Olanipekun said that the accused  trespassed into the complainant’s compound and stole his gas cylinder worth N12, 000.

    He said that Dominic was caught while attempting to escape with the cylinder.

    Read Also:  Nigeria, others lose $3.5b to cyber crime

    The prosecutor submitted  that Dominic had been convicted for a similar offence in the past.

    He noted that the offences contravened Sections 342 and 287 of the Penal Code.

    The Judge, Mohammed Marafa, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with one surety in like sum.

    Marafa held that the surety must reside within the court’s jurisdiction.

    He  adjourned the case until June 18 for hearing.

    NAN

  • Trump hosts Buhari April 30

    U.S. President Donald Trump would host President Muhammadu Buhari on April 30, the White House announced on Sunday evening.

    The White House in a statement said Buhari would meet Trump at Washington to discuss issues including “fighting terrorism” and economic growth.

    “President Trump looks forward to discussing ways to enhance our strategic partnership and advance our shared priorities:

    “Promoting economic growth and reforms, fighting terrorism and other threats to peace and security, and building on Nigeria’s role as a democratic leader in the region.

    Read Also: Trump invites Buhari to Washington

    “The relationship of the United States with Nigeria is deep and strong, and Nigeria’s economic growth, security, and leadership in Africa will advance our mutual prosperity,” the statement read in part.

    The News men report that Buhari was the first African leader Trump called on phone following his inauguration as the U.S. president.

    Diplomatic experts said Buhari, being the first African leader called by Trump, only reaffirmed Nigeria’s strategic position in Africa.

    The news men also recalls that former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also visited Nigeria in February in a first five-country African tour embarked upon by any official of the administration.

    NAN