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  • Goronyo Attacks: Buhari condoles with victims, vows new security measures

    President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the killing of 37 innocent people by bandits in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State and vowed to respond fiercely against “these brutal and remorseless enemies of humanity”.

    In a statement by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday, the president commiserated with the victims of the unfortunate attacks, the government and people of Sokoto state.

    “This frequent and large scale killings of poor villagers by gangs of mass murderers must be met with the fiercest force the government can mobilise,” Shehu quoted the president as saying.

    The presidential spokesman announced that troops had been deployed to the affected areas and aerial security measures put in place.

    “The Police commissioner as well as the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has since visited the affected local government area, Goronyo.

    “The Presidency is consulting with states rocked by this tit-for-tat violent attacks with a view to complementing the security measures being put in place by getting the communities to dialogue with one another.

    ‘‘The results we are getting from Zamfara State where this sort of engagement is ongoing at the instance of the local authorities working with the police and other security agencies are very encouraging.

    ‘‘Other states in the federation where there are similar security challenges are encouraged to emulate Zamfara in the hope that the solution to the problems will be found,” the spokesman said.

    According to him, the Buhari administration will continue to encourage dialogue and disarmament of communities and bandits.

    He, however, warned that the government would not tolerate ”any situation where the spirit of ceasefire is made a mockery of by continued violence against innocent people”.(NAN)
    SYC/MST
    Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

    Posted in General news | Edit |

  • Google doodle celebrates Buchi Emecheta 75th posthumous birthday

    Google on Sunday celebrated Nigerian novelist Buchi Emecheta with its Doodle on what would have been her 75th birthday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google’s homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements and notable historical figures.

    “Born to Igbo parents in the Lagos suburb of Yaba on this day in 1944, Florence Onyebuchi (Buchi) Emecheta, moved to the U.K. in 1962, with her husband and first two children.

    “She had another two, and, at the age of 22, pregnant with a fifth, left her husband and set off on her own.

    “She supported her five children by working at a library, pursued her Sociology degree, all while working tirelessly on her novels— usually at the kitchen table as her children played,” it said.

    Her son Sylvester Onwordi recalled that as an immigrant single mother battling poverty in the slums of 1960s London, she would draw her five small children around her, light candles, and delight them with what she called her “Moonlight tales”.

    He said that according to her mother, the stories were what she had learned at twilight by the light of a hurricane lamp from her aunts in the village, or imbibed at her father’s knee during her family’s internal exile in Lagos.

    For the young Nigerian girl who dreamed even then of being a writer, these tales were like umbilical threads connecting the lonely orphan she became with the lost world of mythical ancestors and her beloved home town of Ibusa.

    Over the course of her life, Emecheta published 16 novels, including: “In The Ditch, Second-Class Citizen”, and “Slave Girl”, as well as her 1986 autobiography, “Head Above Water” and wrote several plays for stage, TV and radio.

    Although she resisted labeling herself a “feminist” author, much of Emecheta’s writing addressed issues of gender and race.

    “I work toward the liberation of women. My books are about survival, just like my own life,” she was quoted to have said.

    During the 1970s and ’80s, she worked as a lecturer and founded the Ogwugwu Afor Publishing Company with her son. She was named an Officer of the British Empire in 2005, a remarkable accomplishment for someone who faced such adversity.

    “Just keep trying and trying, if you have the determination and commitment, you will succeed,” Emecheta once said.

    Emecheta suffered a stroke in 2010, and she died in London on Jan. 25, 2017, aged 72. (NAN)

  • Screening: Yobe Police command gives applicants second chance

    The Yobe State Police Command said it would conduct a mop-up screening exercise for applicants who missed its recruitment exercise with genuine reason.

    The command disclosed this in a press release signed by Abdulmalik Abdulhafeez, the Police Public Relations Officer in Damaturu.

    “The Yobe State Police Command wishes to inform the general public and the successful shortlisted applicants for the 2019 recruitment who missed the exercise with genuine reason with proof, that July 22 is set for the mop-up screening exercise.’’ Abdulhafeez said.

    The statement noted that the exercise would hold by 08:00 a.m. at the State Centre for Art and Culture Damaturu.
    The command warned that anybody that had nothing to do with the exercise should not come within the vicinity of the screening.(NAN)

  • American multinational coy. hoists Nigerian flag to honour employee

    An American multinational company, Stericycle Inc., recently hoisted the Nigerian flag in honour of a hardworking new employee, Mrs Omolanke Shelle.

    Thirty eight years old Shelle, an indigene of Ekiti, Western Nigeria, works at the company’s facility in Aurora, Illinois, where the Green-White-Green was raised in April.

    This came barely a month after Stericycle gave the mother of three a full-time job on March 17, following the expiration of her temporary employment that lasted for about five months.

    Her supervisor, Mr John Katchka, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Shelle was honoured on account of her “attitude, work ethic, ability to learn and team spirit’’.

    “Ms Shelle came to us via a temporary employment agency during our busy season,’’ Katchka said in a written response to NAN’s inquiry.

    “We were impressed by her attitude, work ethic, ability to learn and team spirit. When her (temporary) assignment ended; we offered her full-time employment, which she accepted,’’ it stated.

    A short video of the flag raising ceremony, which has been circulating on social media, caught the attention of Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.

    On July 9, Dabiri-Erewa retweeted the video posted by a broadcast journalist, AbdulRasheed Abubakar, with the comment: “Big congrats. #Proudly Nigerian’’.

    Abubakar, on his part, wrote: “Nigerians are not criminals. A big congratulations to Lanke Shelle for making Nigeria proud in the Diaspora.’’

    Shelle told NAN on phone that she started working with Stericycle through a temporary employment agency when she moved to the U.S. with her family in 2015.

    “When we came to the U.S., I had to work to assist my husband with the bills; besides I want to return to school, so I need money.

    “As a temporary staff, I was supposed to work for eight and half hours from 7 a.m. to 3.30 p.m., but I begged them for overtime, which they granted.

    “This saw me working for 12 hours (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) on week days and six hours most Saturdays, and I was being paid about 11 dollars per hour,’’ she said.

    Checks by NAN revealed that Illinois and federal labour regulations do not limit the number of hours employees are permitted to work in a day or week.

    But the state requires employers to give workers no fewer than 24 hours off in each calendar week.

    Shelle, who said she was the only African working at the Aurora centre, added that the Nigerian flag was still hoisting as at the time of filing this report on Saturday morning.

    Katchka explained that flag raising was a tradition introduced by the company since 2008 to honour the `birthplace and heritage’ of worthy new team members.

    Stericycle is an environmental and regulated waste management company, with specialty in the collection and disposal of medical, pharmaceutical and hazardous wastes.

    It also provides services for recalled and expired goods, in addition to provision of related education, training and patient communication services.

    Founded in 1989 and with its headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois, Stericycle, has many operational bases around the world, including toxic waste incinerators in Utah and North Carolina, U.S. (NAN)

  • Bandits Commanders Agree To Suspend Attacks In Zamfara

    Bandits commanders in Birnin-Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara, on Friday agreed to suspend attacks on the people at a dialogue meeting with the state government and security officials.

    The bandits also said that the coast is now clear for all those displaced by the attacks to return home.

    Agency report said the agreement was reached at the palace of the Emir of Birnin-Magaji.

    Present at the meeting were the state Commissioner of Police, bandits commanders, leaders of Fulani, Civilian Joint Task Force and local vigilantes known as “Yansakai”.

    The meeting, chaired by Police Commissioner Usman Nagogo, was also attended by Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security Matters, Abubakar Dauran and National leaders of Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).

    The bandits’ commanders at the meeting were: Ardo Nashawari, Audu Karki and Muhammad Bello, while the leaders of civilian JTF and vigilantes were Garba Nasarawa-Godal and Shuaibu Aliyu.

    Speaking on behalf of the bandits, Mr. Nashawari, said with the suspension of the attacks, farmers were now free to return to their farms and other residents free to go about their normal businesses.

    Mr. Nashawari added, “We believe with this dialogue, the Fulani can now go to markets, they can move freely without any hitch.”

    The Civilian JTF leader, Shuaibu Aliyu, urged the government to ensure immediate disarming of the bandits.

    “On behalf of the entire members of Civilian JTF and Vigilance Group Birnin-Magaji Local Government Area, we commend the state government for this dialogue, we abide by it,” he said.

    On his part, the commissioner of police described the meeting as “fruitful” and restated the commitment of the command to rid the state of banditry, kidnapping and other crimes.

    “We are impressed with the comments of the warring factions, both of them have accepted the dialogue”, Mr. Nagogo said.

    The National President of MACBAN, Ardo Kiruwa, described the dialogue as “succeeding”, noting that most of the markets that were hitherto closed due to insecurity, have been opened.

    “We were told that the Fulani were seen in Shinkafi market yesterday”, he added.

    Mr. Kiruwa called on the Fulani to cooperate with government and security agencies in order to maintain peace and stability in the state.

    Also, the special adviser on security Mr. Dauran, thanked the people of the state for their support and cooperation toward ensuring that the dialogue succeeded.

    He cautioned against politicising the state government’s efforts at tackling the security challenges in the state.

    “We are aware that some people are using politics to challenge the government’s efforts in this regard”, he noted.

    The Emir of Birnin-Magaji, Alhaji Hussaini Maude-Dan’Ali, thanked the state government for initiating the dialogue and urged all parties to adhere to all the agreements reached during the dialogue.

    “We are happy with the outcome of this meeting, we are going to continue to support government towards ensuring the success of this dialogue”, the emir said. (NAN)

  • Kate Henshaw, 48 yrs or sweet 16

    Kate Henshaw

    Popular Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw says she is happy celebrating her 48th birthday having been blessed beyond measure.

    Henshaw who took to her Instagram page to appreciate friends and family members who have stood by her all the time thanked God for her career.

    “I love my life; I am blessed beyond measure. I am grace personified.. I am grateful for my family and very lovely friends.

    “I am grateful for my career that has brought me so much happiness and connections to do much more for those I come in contact with; I am thankful for another year.”

    Click the video below to see Henshaw dancing in a recent post to celebrate her birthday

     

  • Man rapes daughter to confirm her virginity

    This photo of a teenager is used for illustration only

    A 37-year-old guard, Wasiu Orilonise has publicly confessed that he raped his 15-year-old daughter for verification of her virginity and protection.

    Wasiu who appeared in Oyo State Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ibadan, however, appealed to the court to forgive him as he did that only to confirm if her daughter was still a virgin.

    The prosecutor, Mr Sunday Ogunremi, told the court that the accused had sometime in December 2018 at Omo village, Agbofieti, Ibadan, in the Ibadan Magisterial District, raped the victim without her consent.

    Ogunremi said the offence was contrary to and punishable under Section 34, sub-sections 1 and 2 of the Child Rights Law of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2006.

    The plea of the accused was, however, not taken during the arraignment.

    When the Chief Magistrate, Mr Taiwo Olaniran, sought to know what pushed him into defiling his biological daughter, Orilonise said since he lost his wife a few years ago, he had been taking care of the victim and her siblings.

    He told the court that he committed the act in order to protect his daughter.

    Orilonise said the incident happened when he was trying to ascertain if the victim had lost her virginity, adding that upon discovering that she was still a virgin, he started having sex with her regularly before she would leave for school and at night.

    The magistrate berated fathers who were fond of sexually abusing their daughters and other under-aged girls, saying they were allowing the devil to use them to destroy the society.

    He ordered that the accused be remanded in the Agodi Prison pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions and adjourned the case till July 30, 2019.

  • Reactions trail Disney’s live-action remakes

    Reactions trail Disney’s live-action remakes

    Some fans of Disney movies have continued to express diverse reactions on the recent live action remakes of popular cartoons.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Disney has embarked on remaking popular cartoons and animations including ‘Jungle Book’ based on ‘Mowgli’, ‘Aladdin’ and soon-to-be released, ‘The Lion King’.

    While some respondents praised the freshness the remakes bring to the iconic stories, others felt that having humans play cartoon characters took away the innocence usually experienced with animations.

    Chigozie Ayamkpa, a cartoonist told NAN that watching the new human remakes of cartoons he grew up with, made him nostalgic adding that he always looked forward to them.

    He said, “I was over the moon when I saw ‘Aladdin’, especially with Will Smith playing the genie. I applaud the thoughts Disney puts into these remakes to bring back our childhood memories.”

    THE LION KING – Featuring the voices of James Earl Jones as Mufasa, and JD McCrary as Young Simba, Disney’s “The Lion King” is directed by Jon Favreau. In theaters July 29, 2019…© 2019 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Also, Joy Ogunleye, a banker said although she has watched every single remake made by Disney, she did not enjoy them as much as the originals.

    She said, “For me, I always go to see these remakes with so much expectation. It’s not like they are bad but they don’t hold the same wonder for me like the animations did. It’s a little too human.”

    Meanwhile, Femi Adewale, a student told NAN that he enjoyed some remakes more than others although he appreciates the work it took Disney to turn cartoon characters to humans.

    He said, “I enjoyed ‘Jungle Book’ more than ‘Aladdin for remakes but for originals, ‘Aladdin’ tops the list.

    “It takes a lot to make cartoon characters human or more realistic. While it can help us see the story better, it can also distract the viewer.”

    NAN reports that respondents also shared diverse opinions on the upcoming live-action remake of ‘The Lion King’ that Disney is set to release on Friday.

    Starring Beyonce, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Donald Glover, trailers show that the movie used high-tech Computer Generated Images (CGI) to realistically depict the characters.

    Bernice Ordia, a makeup artist said, “I looked like watching animal documentary with celebrity voices. It’s too realistic for comfort. I will still see it because of Beyonce.”

    However, Gospel Oyubu, businessman said the remake, from bits seen in the trailer, looked promising and showed how far technology has come since when the first cartoon was made.

    NAN reports that while ‘The Lion King’ remake will premiere on Friday, Disney us working on remaking ‘The Little Mermaid’ and has released a trailer for the remake of ‘Mulan’.

  • I don’t want ministerial position, I prefer to be senator, says ex-Gov. Ajimobi

    Ex-Gov. Abiola Ajimobi

    The immediate past governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi has said he prefers going to the Senate than becoming a minister in President Muhammadu Buhari’s expected cabinet.

    Ajimobi in an interview with newsmen in Ibadan on Thursday, explained that the ministerial appointment should go to younger members of the party in Oyo State since he is not the only APC member in the state.

    According to him, retrieving his mandate in the last senatorial election in court is more important to him than pursuing a ministerial appointment.

    Ajimobi, however, noted that President Buhari has not offered him any ministerial appointment, stressing that it was the reason he was committed to the petition his party filed against Senator Kola Balogun at the tribunal.

    Ajimobi said: “I am in court for my senatorial election. I only expressed my preference that I am in court because I prefer the Senate.

    “How can I be pursuing the Senate and ministerial appointment at the same time? I prefer the Senate.

    “I hold President Muhammadu Buhari in high esteem. I will actually prefer a younger person to be considered for the ministerial slot since I am pursuing my senatorial ambition.”

    It would be recalled that Balogun who contested on the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), was declared the winner of the Oyo South Senatorial District election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).