Author: Lawal AbdulSalam Olawale

There was panic in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Tuesday evening as loud explosion rocked the ancient city, with buildings collapsing due to terrific vibration.

Residents, who spoke with Channels Television, said cars and houses exploded under the impact of the vibration felt at Awolowo, Bodija, Akobo, and other areas.

More to follow

In bid to prevent prostate cancer among the male folks, some medical practitioners have advised Nigerian men to eat a balanced diet and be engaged in regular sex.

The experts gave the advice on Friday in Lagos, according to Vanguard report.

The Coordinator of One-Stop-Breast Cancer Clinic, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr Caleb Yakubu, said that men who engage in sex regularly stand a lower chance of developing prostate cancer.

Yabuku, also a Consultant Radiologist, said it had been scientifically proven that men who ejaculate more frequently were less likely to develop prostate cancer.

He explained that the prostate gland contains prostate fluid that mixes with the sperm to form the semen.

According to him, with frequent ejaculation, there would not be any stagnancy or reduction in the flow of the fluid which might predispose and increase the risk of getting cancer.

The prostate gland plays an important role in ejaculation. The prostate is a small, walnut-shaped gland that produces the fluid in semen. And it helps push this fluid out during ejaculation.

“It is believed that if a man ejaculates/releases fluid from the prostate gland, there will not be any spaces or stagnancy in the flow that may now predispose and increase the risk of getting cancer.

“In fact, there is one study in the US which says that if a man ejaculates up to 20 times per month, his risk of having prostate cancer reduces drastically. So, there is a scientific base to this.

“However, what we normally preach is early detection. And men above 40 should always go for Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test to know their status,” Yakubu said.

Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, under the Joint Unions Action Committee, have protested the deployment and appointment of a Permanent Secretary by the Head of Service of the Federation.

The protesting workers also demanded the full implementation of the FCT Civil Service Commission Law, 2018, which provides for the appointment of a permanent secretary from the FCTA.

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, in October 2023 disclosed that he had received the approval of President Bola Tinubu for the establishment of the Civil Service Commission of the Federal Capital Territory.

Wike had explained that the development would allow career progression for civil servants in the FCT Administration to become permanent secretaries, noting that the workers had lost hope, as they could not attain the position of director in their careers, because there was no CSC for FCT.

The Office of the Head of Service of the Federation had announced Tinubu’s approval for the posting of 24 permanent secretaries in Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, including Dr. Magdalene Ajani, who was redeployed from the Transportation Ministry to the FCTA to replace the current permanent secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola, who would retire on January 29, 2024.

Speaking on behalf of the protesting workers in Abuja on Monday, JUAC President, Mr Matilukuro Korede, challenged the deployment, which he described as an aberration of the FCT CSC Law, noting that the Federal Executive Council had in October 2023, approved the implementation of the law establishing a CSC for FCT.

Korede said that because of this development, the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, had no power to appoint a Permanent Secretary for the FCT, describing her actions as faulty, and called for the full implementation of the FCT CSC Law.

Thursday, we heard that the Head of Service has announced that she has gotten approval from President Tinubu to deploy another Permanent Secretary to FCT. We felt aggrieved because it was an aberration. As we speak now, the FCT CSC Law has been gazetted since 2018.

“But to our surprise, the Head of Service decided to include a name for appointment as permanent secretary for the FCT. As far as FCT is concerned, the permanent secretary should be appointed among the qualified directors in the FCTA and not from outside. This will provide an opportunity for the staff of FCTA to get to the peak of their career by becoming a permanent secretary.

“Our demand, therefore, is that the appointment of a permanent secretary outside the FCTA is an aberration and an anomaly that should be corrected. We are waiting for the implementation of the FCT Civil Service Commission,” he said.

According to him, since 2004, staff of the FCTA had been deprived of becoming Permanent Secretaries, adding that the law to make it possible had been signed in 2018, but implementation had become a problem.

Korede added that if the Head of Service insisted on appointing a permanent secretary from outside the FCTA, then she had to wait for the law to be amended and be given the power to do so.

“But between now and then, the law must be obeyed and what we know is that FCT CSC has come to stay,” he stated.

Korede equally announced to the protesting workers that Wike had reached out to the leadership of JUAC and called for calm, adding that the minister promised to meet with President Tinubu over the issue and provide feedback to the workers.

A fire outbreak in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, destroyed property worth millions of naira on Monday, leaving over 120 persons homeless.

fire outbreak in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, destroyed property worth millions of naira on Monday, leaving over 120 persons homeless.

The firefighters, upon arrival, found the entire compound and Edun Market engulfed in flames due to a late call. To enhance firefighting efforts, part of the fence was dismantled for better access.

“At 11:22am, a message was sent to the brigade headquarters for additional manpower, and the proficient firefighters successfully brought the situation under control within an hour before completely extinguishing the fire.

Investigation revealed that an unknown person had set refuse on fire, initially mistaken for harmless smoke. Unfortunately, it spread to the nearby compound.”

Hassan, Head of Department of Media, expressed condolences to Magaji Megida Onikanhun’s representative, Kuranga Yunus Adebayo.

He commended the fire service’s efforts, adding that the fire incident left over 120 occupants homeless, affected 44 rooms and a mosque in the 75-room Magaji Onikanhun’s Compound. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

The Federal Fire Service and officers from the Department of Disaster Management, NSCDC, and State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps were on ground to ensure crowd control and prevent potential looting, safeguarding both market goods and the firefighters.

Director, Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John Olumuyiwa, urged the general public to always play safe, especially during this period and not to hesitate to call the fire brigade on time whenever there is any fire emergency in their areas, as this would save lives and properties of people in the state

Director, Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John Olumuyiwa, urged the general public to always play safe, especially during this period and not to hesitate to call the fire brigade on time whenever there is any fire emergency in their areas, as this would save lives and properties of people in the state

The Supreme Court on Friday, has affirmed election of Dauda Lawal as Zamfara State Governor.

The Apex court set aside the decision of the court of appeal Abuja, which had declared the governorship election as inconclusive and ordered a re-run in the three local government areas of the state.