tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29562666398813328742024-03-04T22:41:01.004-08:00Tonero Photo Agencytonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.comBlogger400125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-46968150399720593482015-09-09T08:23:00.000-07:002015-09-09T08:23:57.973-07:00AT LAST!!! A CURE FOR PEOPLE WITH SICKLE CELL DISORDER:
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> Bone Marrow Transplant in process </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">QUESTION</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">: Is there a CURE for SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA (Haemoglobin SS)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">ANSWER:</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> YES, there is a cure for sickle cell in the form of Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT). BMT for sickle cell has been around since the late 1980’s - although still not widely available.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION (BMT):<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">WHAT IS BMT? BMT for sickle cell is a procedure whereby cells from the bone marrow of a donor (ie someone who is Haemoglobin AA or AS) are transplanted into someone with Haemoglobin SS<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">WHERE DO THE DONATED CELLS COME FROM?: Bone marrow cells are usually taken from the hip bone of the donor – who must have either Haemoglobin AA or AS. Usually, a brother or sister of the patient is preferred.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">BEFORE BMT CAN PROCEED, 3 MAJOR REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET: </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>i.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Identify the best donor (ie best match for the patient). Blood tests will determine who the best match is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>ii.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Next, both the donor and the patient will have pre-transplant evaluations of the heart, lungs, kidney, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span>iii.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Counseling and interviews with a psychologist and a social worker also are an important part of the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">BMT must be done under sterile conditions and the recipient will be on admission in hospital for about 10 days before the transplant procedure and for up to 1 month after the procedure<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The actual BMT procedure is in the form of transfusion (just like the usual blood transfusion); the donated bone marrow is in a blood bag and passed into the patient’s body through a vein over a few hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">After the transfusion, the patient is monitored in hospital (on admission) over the period of about 1 month – under sterile conditions because they are vulnerable to infections at this time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The patient continues to be monitored after discharge for several months to be sure the marrow has “taken”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">THE PATIENT IS CURED BECAUSE:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">They no longer have sickle cell crises and other symptoms of sickle cell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">They begin to live life normally like people who are Hb AA or AS – without frequent visits to the hospital, etc<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">After the BMT procedure, when their genotype is checked by a blood test, they are found to have become Hb AA or AS – depending on the genotype of their donor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">IMPORTANT!: Although the patient is cured - as evidenced by cessation of crises and other symptoms of sickle cell, as well blood test showing a change in their genotype, they need to be aware that they can still pass the Sickle Cell gene (S gene) to their children. This is important.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">BMT IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR EVERYONE WITH SICKLE CELL:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">BMT is associated with risks and sometimes serious complications<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The doctors who carry out the procedure insist that a number of criteria are met<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The doctors will often consider the severity of the patient’s sickle cell condition vis a vis the risks of the procedure, before recommending it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">BMT IS EXPENSIVE: Most people travel abroad for the procedure and total cost of the procedure, air travel, food and board for about 6 months for patient and care giver add up to about a whopping N25m (twenty-five million Naira) per patient!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">SICKLE CELL FOUNDATION NIGERIA OFFERS BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION (BMT)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">For the past 4 years, 45 persons have benefited from the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria BMT Project. In collaboration with IME Rome, these 45 persons with sickle cell anaemia received BMT in Rome and are all cured today. The arrangement with IME Rome is for TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER, so the good news is that by the first quarter of 2016, BMT will be done here locally by the Foundation in collaboration with Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Doctors and nurses have already gone for the necessary training in Rome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Once we begin to provide BMT locally as stated above, the cost of the procedure will be a lot less and more Nigerians will be able to access it. The cost can be brought down to N5m per patient.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">BMT IN UNIVERSITY OF BENIN TEACHING HOSPITAL (UBTH)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Dr. Bazuaye of UBTH has also performed about 3 BMTs for sickle cell successfully over the past 3 years at the teaching Hospital. Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria and LUTH plan to work together with the Benin Team for the benefit of Nigerians with Sickle Cell. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-82320235929892445152015-06-12T01:01:00.001-07:002015-06-12T02:44:16.330-07:00SICKLE CELL DISORDER: EARLY DETECTION THE BEST SOLUTION. <br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dr. Adeyemo Titi (Consultant Haematologist, Lagos University Teaching Hospital). </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">One of the disciples of Jesus Christ named Judas, saw Mary lavishing an expensive perfume on Jesus, and he said to Jesus, that the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus’ response was that, we will always have the poor amongst us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The same thing goes with people with Sickle Cell Disorder. We will always have them amongst us, but the quality of the lives they live or how long they live depends on how early their genotypes are detected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">At a workshop organised by Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria in commemoration of The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2015 WORLD SICKLE CELL DAY</b> held on June 11, 2015 at the National Sickle Cell Centre in Lagos Nigeria, Dr. Adeyemo Titi a Senior Lecturer/Consultant haematologist, Lagos University Teaching Hospital made it known that the best way to make people who have the Sickle Cell Disorder live a normal life is for their parents to get their children tested as babies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">According to her, when their genes are known very early in life, their parents will start managing them from that tender age by giving them the prescribed drugs and vaccines recommended for them by medical experts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As soon as this is done, Dr. Adeyemo disclosed that people with SCD will not experience the crisis that people with SCD who did not particularly get to know about their status early, usually encounter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">When asked by one of the participants in the workshop, that when should women who live with SCD marry? Since it is believed that death can come at anytime, the response of Dr. Adeyemo still remained that if detected early and managed well, people living with the disorder can live as long as those without the disorder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But, one thing is key, early detection and proper maintainance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Mrs. Ayo Otaigbe, director Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, testified to what Dr. Adeyemo talked about early detection and maintainance for people living with Sickle Cell Disorder. She cited several examples of people whose parents got their children tested as babies and whose parents managed the disorder well. According to Mrs. Otigbe, those children are now doing well in their chosen careers. Some of them are even married. She also sounded a warning to parents, that teachers of their children should be aware of the disorder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">By doing so, Mrs.Otaigbe noted that some certain measures would be taken by the teachers to protect the children.She said that when school teachers are aware of the disoder, if it rains and other children are playing in the rain, the school or class teacher who has been briefed about a child with the disorder will obviously not allow the child to play in the rain because cold negatively affects them. As a genetic counsellor, she said she always advises parents during raining season to buy for their children with SCD, a rain coat, rain boot and umbrella because people with SCD are usually allegic to cold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Mary Alale-Yusuf a health correspondent with Channels Television also gave two testimonies of those she knows living positively with SCD. One is a fifty-five year old woman and another is her nephew who will be graduating from the university very soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The fear that people with SCD will die young (21) should be erased from our minds. If people with the disorder are properly managed, they live as long as people without the disorder, she(Dr. Adeyemo) emphasied. She also gave an example of an eight-five year old woman living with Sickle Cell Disorder which really proves that there’s quality life for those living with Sickle Cell Disorder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Dr. Annette Akinsete, National Director/Chief Executve Officer Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, also broke the goodnews that Lagos University Teaching Hospital at Idi-araba Lagos Nigeria is working on Ward E7 which will be used for Bone Marrow Transplant. According to her, the project will be completed at the end of 2015. The Foundation has in the past worked with an Italian Organisation and they have successfully sent forty-five Nigerians abroad for Bone Marrow Transplant. The forty-five people according to her are now living normal lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">With LUTH completing the ward E7 by the end of 2015, more people will have the opportunity for the Bone Marrow Transplant which serves as a cure for people living with the disorder.Though that does not mean their genes will change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mrs. Ayo Otaigbe (Expert Genetic Counsellor Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-87241587261395926352014-06-23T04:23:00.000-07:002014-06-23T04:23:43.571-07:00SICKLE CELL FOUNDATION NIGERIA NEEDS ABOUT 250 MILLION NAIRA:
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Picture above shows Yemi Onijara right, addressing the audience on the function of the Genetic Analyizer Software at the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria Clinic at Idi-Araba Lagos Nigeria. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As part activies lined up to mark the 2014 World SICKLE CELL DAY billed for June 19 2014, the management of SICKLE FOUNDATION NIGERIA organised a media tour led by the chairman of the Foundation, Professor Olu Akinyanju. The purpose of the tour was for the media to witness the State of-the-art equipments that was in place and how to get more to meet up with international standard. The Foundation according to the Chairman needs about 250 Million Naira to make the clinic compete favourably with any Sickle cell Clinic in the world. The Genetic Analyizer department for instance has a Genetic<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Analyizer equipment which is used for a million of tests; Like paternity dispute, Bone marrow transplant,Forensic etc. The results gotten from this machine is sent overseas for verification because the Genetic Analyizer Software is not in place, thus making treatment for people living with Sickle Cell Disorder expensive and unaffordable for the common man. For instance, a prenatal diagnosis used to determine the genotype of an unborn child cost about 230 thousand naira and usually takes about one week for the result to be ready. But if the Genetic Anayizer Software is in place, the cost will drop to about 100,000 Naira and the result will be ready in forty-eight hours says Yemi Onijala Molecular Labouratory Scientist who works with Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria Clinic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-41528153841527967682014-06-12T14:41:00.000-07:002014-06-12T14:41:42.129-07:00HOPE FOR SICKLE CELL PATIENTS:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Professor Olu Akinyanju, Chairman Sickle Cell Foundation, Nigeria stressing a point that people with Sickle Cell disorder can live long<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Just like the poor cannot be eradicated from the society so are people with sickle cell. Every measure taken by councellors to stop people with the traits of sickle cell from marrying each other have failed, says the Chairman of Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, Professor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Olu Akinyanju. Since trying to reduce or stop people from giving birth to children with sickle cell through counselling has failed, Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria has decided to take the responsibility of making sure that people who live with the disorder can live a normal life if they use any of the sickle cell centres accredited by the Foundation for their regular check up. According to Dr. Ajibola Sanda who is the Director of Clinical Services, Sickle Cell Foundation, the service is free. All it will cost the patient with sickle cell disorder to get a qualitaive medical care is the transport fare to and from the clinic. Whether rich or poor, Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria has made life for people living with disorder worth it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Ajibola Sanda <span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Director of Clinical Services, Sickle Cell Foundation, says treament is free.</span></td></tr>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-51633407268546273882013-09-05T15:27:00.000-07:002013-09-05T15:27:40.648-07:00FOURTH ANNUAL GANI FAWEHINMI MEMORIAL LECTURE.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The foutrh annual Gani Fawehinmi memorial lecture took place at the Lagos Airport Hotel Ikeja Lagos Nigeria on September 5, 2013. Picture above shows<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Swis721 BT'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Swis721 BT';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">People who are not satisfied with Governor Fashola`s policy on the Ban of commercial motorcycles used yhe event as a platform to register their dissatisfacton.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Swis721 BT'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Swis721 BT';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Successor of late Gani Fawehinmi, Mohammed Fawehinmi <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Swis721 BT'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Swis721 BT';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">National Chairman of national Conscience Party which was founded by Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (NCP), Dr. Yinusa Tanko and Ganiyat Fawehinmi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Swis721 BT'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Swis721 BT';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Cross section of the audience<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_pcGEbkyVerawwVrMbtY2JHxQ7I0GM-Zh0NvCiC8hnYJp-ytaYK3JrWcDOJTEnRzCOoymPgifeHDsKpIdvn8HFgYFM8jlLAegpQ2ZH8no7cktiuIEtZHzvATTqQbk6xvuLsSNB8OLQ/s1600/DSC_0883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_pcGEbkyVerawwVrMbtY2JHxQ7I0GM-Zh0NvCiC8hnYJp-ytaYK3JrWcDOJTEnRzCOoymPgifeHDsKpIdvn8HFgYFM8jlLAegpQ2ZH8no7cktiuIEtZHzvATTqQbk6xvuLsSNB8OLQ/s320/DSC_0883.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Swis721 BT'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Swis721 BT';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQRM0-pRuU9DNHTGfZ6_7jsYXTnNjTBYwUtoBpc0r3nm-qCX6cFpSdtNozBo5CzwxmrXJ5JCwTWRnuadf_6Kkdge79O9w3BirLtbwOu16XEIXI55Y0qsswfPT_iG0F6CAPa4J2P8gAg/s1600/DSC_0888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQRM0-pRuU9DNHTGfZ6_7jsYXTnNjTBYwUtoBpc0r3nm-qCX6cFpSdtNozBo5CzwxmrXJ5JCwTWRnuadf_6Kkdge79O9w3BirLtbwOu16XEIXI55Y0qsswfPT_iG0F6CAPa4J2P8gAg/s320/DSC_0888.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Swis721 BT'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Swis721 BT';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Former Petroleum minister, Prof. Tam David West<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Swis721 BT'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Swis721 BT';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Swis721 BT','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Chairman of the Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organization, Ayodele Akele<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-13683394403970173022013-06-13T11:45:00.000-07:002013-06-13T11:45:06.649-07:00SICKLE CELL FOUNDATION NIGERIA SOLICITS FOR SUPPORT<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaZ1V_rtw6I5YxW6fh2v24NO07QKVTLYc7ApIUxrU1cuUAgw2Kf1b_jG-r2XU3D-rp-njWyX2_kpzLK9eJvKTGVoMMgFU3YSh_4BOXNNQ29Gh6D65CFcVoKnv4YINcZYTNHOAkQ3stQ/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaZ1V_rtw6I5YxW6fh2v24NO07QKVTLYc7ApIUxrU1cuUAgw2Kf1b_jG-r2XU3D-rp-njWyX2_kpzLK9eJvKTGVoMMgFU3YSh_4BOXNNQ29Gh6D65CFcVoKnv4YINcZYTNHOAkQ3stQ/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">L-R Dr. Annette Akinsete National Director/CEO Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, Chairman Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, Prof. Olu Akinyanju and Mrs. Ayo Otaigbe member of the board directors of Sickle Cell foundation Nigeria addressing Newsmen at the National Sickle Cell Centre at Idi-araba in Lagos Nigeria on June 13, 2013.</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria solicits better life for Sickle Cell patients. Professor Olu Akinyanju Chairman of Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria made it known to newsmen on June 13, 2013 at the National Sickle Cell Centre situated at Idi-araba in Lagos Nigeria that the foundation needs the support of governments at all levels, be it federal, state or local to be able to make life better for people with Sicle Cell Disorder in Nigeria. According to Prof. Akinyanju, over forty million Nigerians live with Sickle Cell Disorder, thus making Nigeria the country with the highest Sickle Cell patients in the world. The foundation alone cannot solely make life meaningful for Patients with Sickle Cell Disorder says the chairman of the foundation. As the world marks the 2013 WORLD SICKLE DAY on June 19, the foundation is using the opportunity to call on the government of Nigeria, private sector, NGOs, and Communites across the country (Nigeria) to support the Sickle Cell Disorder patients by implementing the policies the Nigerian Sickle Cell Expert Advisory Committee (NISEAC) has recommeded since April 2008. The recommendation is meant to improve the quality of life of people with Sickle Cell anaemia in Nigeria and increase their average life- expectancy from less than 20 years to what obtains among affected persons in the US- 57 years – and even surpass it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It is imperative therefore that the very useful recommendations made by the Nigerian Sickle Cell Expert Advisory Committe (NISEAC) since April 1998, be implemented in order to uniformly improve the standard of care and significantly reduce avoidable illness and deaths among affected persons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These recommendations are as follows<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">1. Introduction of Newborn or Infant Screening programme for SCD to foster early diagnosis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">2, Provision of free prophylactic measures for infections that they are prone to and which frequetly cause severe illness and deaths in children with Sickle Cell anaemia- oral penicilin and pnuemococcal vaccines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">3. Training of Sickle Cell Specialist Nurses to increase access to well informed skilled health workers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">4. Development of standard Blood Transfusion Services throughout the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">5. Prevention of the fraudulent marketing of remedies of unproven benefit to the Sickle Cell affected population. With the implementation of this recommendations, Prof. Olu Akinyanju is sure that life will be better with people living with Sickle Cell Disorder which incidentally happens to be this year`s theme: BETTER LIFE WITH SICKLE CELL.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. A Sickle Cell patient undergoing a Transcranial Screening at the National Sickle Cell centre on June 13, 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-55733309699252149682013-03-26T14:30:00.000-07:002013-03-26T14:30:35.402-07:00PURPLE KROWN COLLEGE ENUGU WIN NNPC/SHELL CUP
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQ8qZ1ZN8dsZfDCRiZkEDUURwkX_bcAlEB4WUMz8kgX98_MxT78gTlx9QE0_iCoVK3cZHqDo5dKPQfwPZojyQFqzdvFhEumEuSrLIMNBp3vVP2UhTVANoHrapaLiz1HcyTz77q5wBgg/s1600/DSC_0162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQ8qZ1ZN8dsZfDCRiZkEDUURwkX_bcAlEB4WUMz8kgX98_MxT78gTlx9QE0_iCoVK3cZHqDo5dKPQfwPZojyQFqzdvFhEumEuSrLIMNBp3vVP2UhTVANoHrapaLiz1HcyTz77q5wBgg/s320/DSC_0162.JPG" usa="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">PURPLE KROWN COLLEGE ENUGU WIN NNPC/SHELL CUP</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">The 15th edition of the NNPC/Shell Cup finished on a high as Purple Krown College, Enugu, defeated Government Secondary School (GSS), Wuse, Abuja, by 1-0 in an entertaining final played on Sunday, March 24, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Uzordima Emmanuel, who was eventually named the Most Valuable Player of the championship, scored the only goal of the game in the 50<sup>th</sup> minute with a cool dispatch from the penalty spot. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the first half, both teams put on a fine display of skill and attacking intent, and had numerous scoring opportunities, but lacked the decisive final touch in the 18-yard box. Like the first, the second half was also full of high end drama and action, as the two teams made tactical changes to find the winning touch, until Emmanuel’s decisive goal in the 50<sup>th</sup> minute. From then on, the Wuse lads raised the tempo of their game and searched desperately for an equaliser, but the Enugu team proved to be the better side for most part of the game. In the end, there was going to be one winner. Purple Krown College held on to win their first trophy in Nigeria’s biggest school football competition. For their victory, the team won N2.5 million cash prize for sports development in the school, while each of the players received N50, 000. As runners-up, GSS Wuse went home with N1.4 million, while the players got N45, 000 each.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">On their way to the final, Purple Krown College thrashed Government College, Ibadan, 4-1 in the first semi-final. While Government Secondary School, Wuse, qualified via a 9-8 penalty shootout win against Government Arabic College, Kano, in the second semi-final. The game had finished 1-1 at full time. With this historic win, Purple Krown also earned a place at the invitational school football competition in the United States of America, courtesy of the Nigeria School Sports Federation, NSSF.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">In an also exciting third place play-off, Government Arabic College, Gwale, Kano, finished third with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Government College, Ibadan, Oyo. The Gwale lads also carted home N500,000 for their school’s sports development and N40,000 for each of the players. While the fourth placed team received N400,000 for their school and N35,000 for each of the players. The winning team, runners-up, third place and fourth placed teams all received certificates of participation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">“People have come to appreciate the quality of the game, year in, year out, because the quality has been improving. It has made us more proud than we have ever felt before,” said Mutiu Sunmonu, Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria and Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, on why the NNPC/Shell Cup is regarded as the biggest Secondary School football competition in Nigeria today. “The interesting aspect of this for the players is that they do not have to drop out of school to pursue a career in football. We are organising this at secondary schools so that our students will understand that education is very important and that the development of sports will make them complete. That is what we want to imbibe in the leaders of tomorrow,” said <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Engineer Ben Akaakar, Technical Assistant to Group Managing Director GMD, NNPC, Engineer Andrew Yakubu.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">Special awards were also presented to outstanding players during the championship. Osayeme Joshua (Purple Krown College, Enugu) bagged the highest goal scorer award with six goals and Arinze Okpanpa (Purple Crown College, Enugu) was named the best defender. While Faisal Ali (Government Arabic College, Kano) won the best goalkeeper award and Malomo Taofeek (Government College Ibadan) was adjudged the best midfielder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">“We want to see players from the NNPC/Shell Cup represent Nigeria in major championship and we also want to see them grow academically because it is not all about football. Education is very important and that is why our theme is; football and education should go hand-in-hand,” said <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Sola Akinwale of Worldwide Sports Limited, consultants to the NNPC/Shell Cup. </span>“The future is bright for these boys because they have potentials. The development is positive but the end result is priority. After here, what’s next for the lads? The National School Sports coaches should harness their potentials to form the platform for the national Under 16 teams,” said Kudur Umar, public relations officer, NSSF. Umar also added that the NNPC/Shell Cup will continue to be the breeding ground for talented football stars in Nigeria. Over the years, the competition has produced notable names such as Chinedu Obasi, Ambrose Vanzekin, and many others who have represented Nigeria in international football competitions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">Summary:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">NNPC/Shell Cup 2013<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">Final<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">Purple Krown College, Enugu <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1-0</b> Government Secondary School, Wuse, Abuja<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">Third Place match<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: small;">Government Arabic College, Gwale, Kano <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3-0 </b>Government College, Ibadan, Oyo Picture above : </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ememeka Chukwuma of Purple Crown College Enugu left, trying to dribble Ayinla Shamudeen of Government Secondary School Wuse in Abuja at the finals of the 15<sup>th</sup> edition of the NNPC/SHELL cup which took place at the Tesilim Bakogun Stadium recently. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nigerian Sports Minister, </span></span></b><span class="st1"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt;">Bolaji Abdullahi</span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> presenting the 15<sup>th</sup> edition NNPC/SHELL Cup to Oji Maurice the Captain of the victorious Purple Crown College of Enugu team. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Players of Purple Crown College of Enugu, celrbrating their victory<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-40535801018281681502012-09-27T03:22:00.000-07:002012-09-27T03:22:59.719-07:00Niger police arrest 5 suspected Boko Haram members<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boko-Haram leaders<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Niger Republic has arrested five people near the Nigerian border suspected of belonging to the militant Nigerian Islamist group, Boko Haram, Niger security officials said on Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The group has been blamed for more than 1,000 deaths in Nigeria since 2010. Observers said the suspects are using Niger as a transit route to link up with other militant groups like al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb, now controlling Northern Mali.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“State Security Police arrested the five suspected Boko Haram members who entered Niger on Sunday through the Zinder region. They have been transferred to Niamey for further questioning,” a security official said, asking not to be named told </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Reuters</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Another security official said Niger had tightened security along its border with Nigeria as the country intensifies its fight against the militant group, which wants to carve out an Islamic state in Northern Nigeria.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Nigeria’s military had announced the death of 35 members of Boko Haram and arrested several during an overnight gun battle in Damaturu, capital of North Eastern Yobe state which borders Niger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-15187964927503669852012-09-27T02:29:00.002-07:002012-09-27T02:29:49.798-07:00Pregnant woman, cop killed in police pursuit of robbers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mohammed Abubakar, Inspector General of Nigerian Police.<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Yenagoa – A pregnant woman, was, yesterday, shot dead during police pursuit of a car used by suspected robbers in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">One of the policemen attached to the new security outfit in the state, Operation Doo Akpo, also fell from the tail-board of the police pick-up van that was in hot pursuit of the vehicle used by the suspected robbers. He died on the spot as he was said to have hit his head on the tarred road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The tragic incident, which occurred at 2.30p.m., in Yenizue-Epie suburb of the capital, caused gridlock on the Mbiama-Yenagoa Road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-19074650715879055982012-08-11T10:59:00.002-07:002012-08-11T10:59:48.577-07:0013 die as lightning strikes mosque<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> lightning </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">DHAKA (AFP) – At least 13 Muslim worshippers were killed and 15 hurt when lightning struck a mosque in a remote village in northeast Bangladesh as they held special Ramadan prayers, police said on Saturday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The imam was among those instantly killed when a lightning bolt hit the tin-and-thatch building at Saraswatipur village, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the capital Dhaka, late on Friday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The lightning appeared to “electrify” the mosque after hitting a rooftop microphone being run on power from a car battery, local council member Abul Kalam told AFP by telephone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">About 35 people from the village in the lake district of Sunamganj were holding prayers known as taraweeh — offered during the holy fasting month of Ramadan — at the time, police chief Sunamganj said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“All 13, including the imam, died on the spot. The bodies and faces of some of the victims were burnt,” Alam told AFP, adding six of the injured were hospitalised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Locals had turned the flimsy structure into a mosque because access to the village’s more substantial concrete-roofed mosque had been made difficult due to recent heavy rains that have swollen the Saraswati river.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Villagers rushed to help after hearing cries, Kalam said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“It was a terrible scene. Dozens were lying on the floor — some dead, others writhing in pain,” he said, adding most of the victims were young men in their 20s and 3Os.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“We took the injured in three boats and headed to hospital in Dharmapasa”, the closest big town, he said. “But it took hours to get there,” he added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Lightning is a major threat in Sunamganj, home to some of Bangladesh’s biggest lakes. Most lightning strikes occur during the monsoon season between June and September when the district receives huge amounts of rainfall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Across the South Asian country, hundreds of people are killed by lightning strikes every year, with most dying while attempting to save rice crops from flooding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Bangladeshi environmentalists blame global warming, which has unleashed a growing number of tropical storms, for the increase in the frequency, devastation and deaths caused by lightning strikes in recent years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In May last year, at least 29 people were killed — most of them farmers who were harvesting rice — and dozens injured when a series of lightning strikes hit several districts in a single day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-9519840301094876382012-08-11T10:23:00.003-07:002012-08-11T10:23:19.420-07:00Survivors of Deeper Life Bible Church attack count losses<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Governor Wada with a victim at the hospital</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Monday August 6, 2012 attack on worshipers of Deeper Life Bible Church in Okene, Kogi state during a bible study service has left a sour taste in the mouths of survivals and citizens of the state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Our source who has been following the trend of the event reports on the development of the gory incident<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Monday August 6, 2012 evening will remain ever green in the memories of residents of Eika Dagun in Okehi Local Government area of Kogi state and people of the state, especially, the worshipers at the Deeper Life Bible Church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">It was a day many of them would look back at and not forget in a hurry, a day terrorists decided to feed their appetite not on food but on human blood and unfortunately, they decided to feed on worshipers who have gone to engage their souls in discussion with their God<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">If the story have been told, one might be tempted to say it was a movie. Maybe a scene from a war film – a crowd of worshippers in a church – perhaps praying, their eyes shut – and suddenly, the eering sounds of guns – pandemonium, tears, bloods and anguish. But this was no movie at all. It was real on Monday August 6, 2012 night in Kogi state when unknown gunmen opened fire on worshipers of Deeper Life Bible Church during a Bible study evening service, killing sixteen people at a go and wounding several others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The gunmen it was gathered stormed the evening service and went straight to the generator stand and switched it off before entering the uncompleted church building and started shooting the worshipers at close range. In an operation that was well thought of, some of the gunmen also stationed themselves outside the door to stop any of the members from escaping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">By the second day, the death toll had risen from 16 to 20 with nine children counted among them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">All visitors, sympathizers, passers’ by, and commuters who stopped at the scene of the event could not control their emotion. The state governor himself who tried to be brave could not hide his feelings over the act as drops of bloods were still visible even 24 hours after the attack.One of the victims, Lawal Saliu Itopa currently receiving treatment at the Okene General Hospital due to gunshot wounds he sustained revealed that his escape was just by divine grace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Narrating how it happened, he said: “We started the Monday service by 6 pm as usual without any premonition that something bad would happen to us. At about 7:30 pm, in the middle of the programme, our generator went off and before we knew what was happening, two men with guns entered the church and started firing at us. Some of our members who attempted to run out of the church were trapped at the door by some of the hoodlums outside. Everyone started running for safety”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He said most of them dashed under the benches to take cover but the assailants came close and were spraying bullets under the benches to ensure no one escaped the onslaught, adding that he could not really tell how he managed to survive with gunshot wounds on his body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">A brother to another victim at the Okene general hospital, Samuel Ayodele who is still in coma lamented the state of his brother’s health. He said his brother lost his wife and daughter to the attack, wondering how he will convene the news to him when he fully recovered. “As you can see, he is getting better today but what is disturbing us is the fact that he lost his wife and child in the attack. We have not disclosed this to him yet and we don’t know how to tell him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He said Ayodele told them that he was going to church but was surprised when he received a phone call that he was attacked by gunmen who forced their way into the church, shooting sporadically<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The gunmen did not only succeed in killing Christians, some have lost their breadwinners . Among the people who died from the attack was Dr, Pastor Stephen Lambe, a senior Lecturer at the Kogi State Polytechnic, Osara Campus and Coordinator of Deeper Life Bible Church, Otite district. Also in critical state of health is the Dean of Science, Federal College of Education, Okene, Mrs Esther Omeiza who according to a family member was shot in the arms and leg and has now been transferred to the Federal Medical Centre in Lokoja alongside others in the same state of health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However, The General Overseer of the Deeper Life Church in Kogi state, Raymond Egunjobi wondered why people should murder innocent worshipers, saying that they have been worshipping at the Church without any problem with any group of people irrespective of their religious inclination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Meanwhile, Governor Idris Wada assured the people that the perpetrators of the crime would be arrested and that the government will do everything possible to protect lives and property in the state. While sympathizing with the families of those who lost their lives in the incident, governor Wada urged them to take solace in God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“For one to die while worshiping God is very sad and this shows the level the people have gone to destabilize the country. We cannot allow some miscreants to destabilize the country.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He commended the security agents for prompt intervention, urging them to fish out the criminals and called on the people to co-operate with the security agents by reporting strange people to the appropriate authority, promising to foot the hospital bill of all the victims.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">As if their thirsts have not been quenched, the gunmen again in less than 24 hours after the attacked on Deeper Life Church found their way to the Okene Central Mosque and killed two soldiers. An eyewitness said the armed men came in a Hilux pickup van chanting Islamic songs before attacking the mosque where some Moslems were said to be holding tobsil (Ramada) lectures at the central mosque Okene leading to the death of the soldiers who were keeping surveillance at area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The gory incident caused the state governor, Captain Idris Wada to declare dusk to dawn curfew in Okene and its environs to forestall the reoccurrence of the dastardly act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The governor who gave the order in a State-wide broadcast, said the State would not spare any resources to bring the perpetrators of the act to justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The governor who also said the decision was taken after due consultation with security agents said commercial motorbike activities would be restricted between 6am to 6PM in Lokoja, the state capital until the situation is brought under control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">There was a spill-over of the attack the second day when bomb was discovered to have been deposited in a Church in Lokoja, the State capital, causing pandemonium as residents were seen running helter-skelter. Rumour was rife that bomb was discovered at Revival Hour Church and was said to have exploded while been deffused by security personnel which caused panick across the city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The development paralyzed government and commercial activities as residents, workers, taxi drivers and commercial motorcycle operators were seen scampering for safety. Before 12 noon, the town was deserted as commercial banks hurriedly closed their doors against the numerous customer who in turn took to their heels for safety. Shop owners, restaurants, beer parlours and other joints were not left out as they were forced to close.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">At the Government House, workers closed their offices and police stations locked their gates against any eventuality. There was an immediate midday “public holiday” as some workers hurriedly returned home for safety. The ever busy Ganaja Junction was completely deserted as the daily paid labourers also ran for cover. Churches and Mosques were being manned by security operatives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Our source who visited the Revival Hour Church gathered from a member who spoke on condition of anonymity that some people discovered a black polythene bag around the church, which fueled the rumour but the polythene was later discovered to contain a different thing instead of bomb being speculated by people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Presently, the dusk to dawn curfew imposed in Okene, Kogi state and its environment following the attack has now turned to twenty four hours as residents of the area have sealed their respective houses. A source in the town who spoke to Saturday Vanguard on phone said the area has turned into a grave yard as residents are unable to move around, while businesses and commercial activities have remained dormant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">According to him, security operatives have taken over Okene town, the headquarters of the senatorial axis, searching from house to house and effecting some arrest. “We have been sealed at home; no one is allowed to move around without harassment from the security personnel. Presently, the town has become silent and police are moving from one house to another arresting people who cannot give adequate information about who they are.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Our source further stated that the Deeper Life gunmen attack has led the town to the present situation which has hindered legitimate activities wished he had left town before the gory incident<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However, police sources confirmed that all they are doing is to ensure full compliance with the directive of the IG who ordered a 24-hour surveillance on the town, saying what they are doing is a normal routine to get to the bottom of the crime in the city, positing that those who are innocent will be released.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But what could have been responsible for the dastardly act? Our source gathered that the situation may be linked to two women who were healed by the pastor of the church. The healing which later led to the conversion of the women from their original religion to Christianity, the source stressed, might not have gone well with extremists who taught of staging the attack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But another group of thought believes that the gory situation is not only religious but has political undertone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However,nothing justified the killing of people observing their religious service without prejudice to others. The question on the lips of the people is what could have caused this attack? Why would a right thinking human being resort to bloodletting to quench his appetite. Why attack innocent children ?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However, it seems the prayers of people have been answered by God.The Kogi state police command has said that some persons have been arrested including a woman in connection with the attack on the Deeper life Church. The Police commissioner, Muhammed Katsina who disclosed this while parading the ring leader said they were picked at Ibilo in Edo state after his men attacked the gunmen at their operational base.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The state police boss who said his men overpowered the gunmen at their hideout said they sustained injuries but were taken away by members of the gang who fled with their wounded partners until some of them were apprehended at Ibilo, a border town with Kogi state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The woman arrested, CP Kastina said, is an accomplice who aided the treatment of the ring leader. Though he refused to mention the number of those arrested, he said they are already in police custody. “Arrests have been made in connection with the Deeper Life Church but I cannot give their names or accurate figures. They are in our custody and we have already commenced investigation to ascertain their involvement so as to deal with the situation once and for all. More arrests would be made in due course,” he said<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However, he warned hospitals and traditional bullet extractors to relate to the police, any suspicious person with bullet wounds or else, face being treated as an accomplice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“Whoever conspired with criminals to inflict pains on the people would be dealt with. The campaign to rid the state of crime and criminality holds no bound.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The CP who also said they were able to recover the rifles used for the attacks promised that the command would ensure that the citizens pursued their legitimate ventures without fear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">According to him, the police would enforce the curfew imposed in Okene and its environs as well as the restriction of commercial motorcycle operators from 6pm to 6am, saying that whoever violates the law would be dealt with decisively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-37124062415878562302012-08-11T10:23:00.001-07:002012-08-11T10:23:06.904-07:00Survivors of Deeper Life Bible Church attack count losses<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY48eqa0ltLJ3veY7hXrsXfVV0A0WUhDWX1Lc45v-Cp7aWj3GAt85X95ZBCaFZoBn_sZ1gofVVRJiHZPOj5aMunl51gmmEmXbynP8bTjXeWpYG8VvMD0SbjYPeKcEuZ6BP_ImKoTtF8Q/s1600/wada%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY48eqa0ltLJ3veY7hXrsXfVV0A0WUhDWX1Lc45v-Cp7aWj3GAt85X95ZBCaFZoBn_sZ1gofVVRJiHZPOj5aMunl51gmmEmXbynP8bTjXeWpYG8VvMD0SbjYPeKcEuZ6BP_ImKoTtF8Q/s320/wada%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Governor Wada with a victim at the hospital</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Monday August 6, 2012 attack on worshipers of Deeper Life Bible Church in Okene, Kogi state during a bible study service has left a sour taste in the mouths of survivals and citizens of the state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Our source who has been following the trend of the event reports on the development of the gory incident<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Monday August 6, 2012 evening will remain ever green in the memories of residents of Eika Dagun in Okehi Local Government area of Kogi state and people of the state, especially, the worshipers at the Deeper Life Bible Church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">It was a day many of them would look back at and not forget in a hurry, a day terrorists decided to feed their appetite not on food but on human blood and unfortunately, they decided to feed on worshipers who have gone to engage their souls in discussion with their God<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">If the story have been told, one might be tempted to say it was a movie. Maybe a scene from a war film – a crowd of worshippers in a church – perhaps praying, their eyes shut – and suddenly, the eering sounds of guns – pandemonium, tears, bloods and anguish. But this was no movie at all. It was real on Monday August 6, 2012 night in Kogi state when unknown gunmen opened fire on worshipers of Deeper Life Bible Church during a Bible study evening service, killing sixteen people at a go and wounding several others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The gunmen it was gathered stormed the evening service and went straight to the generator stand and switched it off before entering the uncompleted church building and started shooting the worshipers at close range. In an operation that was well thought of, some of the gunmen also stationed themselves outside the door to stop any of the members from escaping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">By the second day, the death toll had risen from 16 to 20 with nine children counted among them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">All visitors, sympathizers, passers’ by, and commuters who stopped at the scene of the event could not control their emotion. The state governor himself who tried to be brave could not hide his feelings over the act as drops of bloods were still visible even 24 hours after the attack.One of the victims, Lawal Saliu Itopa currently receiving treatment at the Okene General Hospital due to gunshot wounds he sustained revealed that his escape was just by divine grace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Narrating how it happened, he said: “We started the Monday service by 6 pm as usual without any premonition that something bad would happen to us. At about 7:30 pm, in the middle of the programme, our generator went off and before we knew what was happening, two men with guns entered the church and started firing at us. Some of our members who attempted to run out of the church were trapped at the door by some of the hoodlums outside. Everyone started running for safety”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He said most of them dashed under the benches to take cover but the assailants came close and were spraying bullets under the benches to ensure no one escaped the onslaught, adding that he could not really tell how he managed to survive with gunshot wounds on his body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">A brother to another victim at the Okene general hospital, Samuel Ayodele who is still in coma lamented the state of his brother’s health. He said his brother lost his wife and daughter to the attack, wondering how he will convene the news to him when he fully recovered. “As you can see, he is getting better today but what is disturbing us is the fact that he lost his wife and child in the attack. We have not disclosed this to him yet and we don’t know how to tell him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He said Ayodele told them that he was going to church but was surprised when he received a phone call that he was attacked by gunmen who forced their way into the church, shooting sporadically<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The gunmen did not only succeed in killing Christians, some have lost their breadwinners . Among the people who died from the attack was Dr, Pastor Stephen Lambe, a senior Lecturer at the Kogi State Polytechnic, Osara Campus and Coordinator of Deeper Life Bible Church, Otite district. Also in critical state of health is the Dean of Science, Federal College of Education, Okene, Mrs Esther Omeiza who according to a family member was shot in the arms and leg and has now been transferred to the Federal Medical Centre in Lokoja alongside others in the same state of health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However, The General Overseer of the Deeper Life Church in Kogi state, Raymond Egunjobi wondered why people should murder innocent worshipers, saying that they have been worshipping at the Church without any problem with any group of people irrespective of their religious inclination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Meanwhile, Governor Idris Wada assured the people that the perpetrators of the crime would be arrested and that the government will do everything possible to protect lives and property in the state. While sympathizing with the families of those who lost their lives in the incident, governor Wada urged them to take solace in God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“For one to die while worshiping God is very sad and this shows the level the people have gone to destabilize the country. We cannot allow some miscreants to destabilize the country.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He commended the security agents for prompt intervention, urging them to fish out the criminals and called on the people to co-operate with the security agents by reporting strange people to the appropriate authority, promising to foot the hospital bill of all the victims.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">As if their thirsts have not been quenched, the gunmen again in less than 24 hours after the attacked on Deeper Life Church found their way to the Okene Central Mosque and killed two soldiers. An eyewitness said the armed men came in a Hilux pickup van chanting Islamic songs before attacking the mosque where some Moslems were said to be holding tobsil (Ramada) lectures at the central mosque Okene leading to the death of the soldiers who were keeping surveillance at area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The gory incident caused the state governor, Captain Idris Wada to declare dusk to dawn curfew in Okene and its environs to forestall the reoccurrence of the dastardly act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The governor who gave the order in a State-wide broadcast, said the State would not spare any resources to bring the perpetrators of the act to justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The governor who also said the decision was taken after due consultation with security agents said commercial motorbike activities would be restricted between 6am to 6PM in Lokoja, the state capital until the situation is brought under control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">There was a spill-over of the attack the second day when bomb was discovered to have been deposited in a Church in Lokoja, the State capital, causing pandemonium as residents were seen running helter-skelter. Rumour was rife that bomb was discovered at Revival Hour Church and was said to have exploded while been deffused by security personnel which caused panick across the city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The development paralyzed government and commercial activities as residents, workers, taxi drivers and commercial motorcycle operators were seen scampering for safety. Before 12 noon, the town was deserted as commercial banks hurriedly closed their doors against the numerous customer who in turn took to their heels for safety. Shop owners, restaurants, beer parlours and other joints were not left out as they were forced to close.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">At the Government House, workers closed their offices and police stations locked their gates against any eventuality. There was an immediate midday “public holiday” as some workers hurriedly returned home for safety. The ever busy Ganaja Junction was completely deserted as the daily paid labourers also ran for cover. Churches and Mosques were being manned by security operatives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Our source who visited the Revival Hour Church gathered from a member who spoke on condition of anonymity that some people discovered a black polythene bag around the church, which fueled the rumour but the polythene was later discovered to contain a different thing instead of bomb being speculated by people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Presently, the dusk to dawn curfew imposed in Okene, Kogi state and its environment following the attack has now turned to twenty four hours as residents of the area have sealed their respective houses. A source in the town who spoke to Saturday Vanguard on phone said the area has turned into a grave yard as residents are unable to move around, while businesses and commercial activities have remained dormant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">According to him, security operatives have taken over Okene town, the headquarters of the senatorial axis, searching from house to house and effecting some arrest. “We have been sealed at home; no one is allowed to move around without harassment from the security personnel. Presently, the town has become silent and police are moving from one house to another arresting people who cannot give adequate information about who they are.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Our source further stated that the Deeper Life gunmen attack has led the town to the present situation which has hindered legitimate activities wished he had left town before the gory incident<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However, police sources confirmed that all they are doing is to ensure full compliance with the directive of the IG who ordered a 24-hour surveillance on the town, saying what they are doing is a normal routine to get to the bottom of the crime in the city, positing that those who are innocent will be released.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But what could have been responsible for the dastardly act? Our source gathered that the situation may be linked to two women who were healed by the pastor of the church. The healing which later led to the conversion of the women from their original religion to Christianity, the source stressed, might not have gone well with extremists who taught of staging the attack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But another group of thought believes that the gory situation is not only religious but has political undertone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However,nothing justified the killing of people observing their religious service without prejudice to others. The question on the lips of the people is what could have caused this attack? Why would a right thinking human being resort to bloodletting to quench his appetite. Why attack innocent children ?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However, it seems the prayers of people have been answered by God.The Kogi state police command has said that some persons have been arrested including a woman in connection with the attack on the Deeper life Church. The Police commissioner, Muhammed Katsina who disclosed this while parading the ring leader said they were picked at Ibilo in Edo state after his men attacked the gunmen at their operational base.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The state police boss who said his men overpowered the gunmen at their hideout said they sustained injuries but were taken away by members of the gang who fled with their wounded partners until some of them were apprehended at Ibilo, a border town with Kogi state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The woman arrested, CP Kastina said, is an accomplice who aided the treatment of the ring leader. Though he refused to mention the number of those arrested, he said they are already in police custody. “Arrests have been made in connection with the Deeper Life Church but I cannot give their names or accurate figures. They are in our custody and we have already commenced investigation to ascertain their involvement so as to deal with the situation once and for all. More arrests would be made in due course,” he said<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">However, he warned hospitals and traditional bullet extractors to relate to the police, any suspicious person with bullet wounds or else, face being treated as an accomplice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“Whoever conspired with criminals to inflict pains on the people would be dealt with. The campaign to rid the state of crime and criminality holds no bound.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The CP who also said they were able to recover the rifles used for the attacks promised that the command would ensure that the citizens pursued their legitimate ventures without fear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">According to him, the police would enforce the curfew imposed in Okene and its environs as well as the restriction of commercial motorcycle operators from 6pm to 6am, saying that whoever violates the law would be dealt with decisively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-32884489908782309292012-08-09T00:38:00.000-07:002012-08-09T00:38:15.442-07:00Fawehinmi to Jonathan: Show competence or resign
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">LAGOS—Mohammed Fawehinmi Chambers has condemned what it called President Goodluck Jonathan’s poor handling of the Boko Haram menace, challenging him to either show his com petence by terminating Boko Haram within one month and start developing the nation properly, or comply with the Boko Haram request to resign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In a statement by Mr. Mohammed Fawehinmi, the chambers also asked the President to sack allegedly uncommitted ministers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The chambers also called on the National Assembly to shun partisan politics and put national interest at heart in the impeachment threat against the President, adding that the purported suggestive increase of five years for every elected or appointed political leader is the most absurd suggestion that ever came alive in the nation’s polity and that this had shown that the ruling party had no plan for the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He said: “I read with uncontrollable laughter the insult meted out to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. What a shame! The docile nature of the President has allowed such an insignificant group of nuisances popularly known as Boko Haram to insult him, thereby insulting the whole nation, by asking him to resign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“The President has disgraced this country enough, he must either show his competence and willingness to work by terminating Boko Haram within one month and start developing the nation properly, or comply with the Boko Haram requests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“Those who are not willing to work and are interested in their previous domains in foreign countries should go, and be replaced immediately with people who are interested in working for Nigeria. These include Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Mr. Olusegun Aganga, Minister of Trade and Industry; Mrs. Diezani Allison-Maduke, Minister of Petroleum and Resources; and Prof. Bart Nnaji- Minister of Power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-47380491314177045212012-08-05T05:07:00.002-07:002012-08-05T05:07:50.580-07:00STATE OF THE NATION: OBJ, IBB reach out to past heads of state, eminent Nigerians<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkuZAYdyMW-qTxcnqkvKS1ikTkjruqVr1gXmhZr_8rBPXIjCIEwIU0dgI7KQUDG0SSKV_SzVmZBSEkVYzMyhYMAh7R5gol5lt6fvSGprI7XDOt75OS3OSYP-FO4HTgP-SN-jXR1X7_g/s1600/obj%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkuZAYdyMW-qTxcnqkvKS1ikTkjruqVr1gXmhZr_8rBPXIjCIEwIU0dgI7KQUDG0SSKV_SzVmZBSEkVYzMyhYMAh7R5gol5lt6fvSGprI7XDOt75OS3OSYP-FO4HTgP-SN-jXR1X7_g/s320/obj%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ex Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">*Inaugural meeting to hold after Ramadan<br />*’Why peace move may hit brick wall’<br />*Prof. Akinyemi proposes Eminent Persons Group<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Consequent upon the continuing insurgency in the northern part of Nigeria, coupled with the “internecine crises raging across the land”, former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida have intensified efforts to mobilize other former heads of state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">This latest mobilization drive by both men would be extended to cover other national leaders of thought in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Though our source was not told the modalities that would be used to “determine how the leaders of thought would be selected”, it was nonetheless suggested that “both men are reaching across the broad spectrum of Nigeria’s leadership cadre with a view to finding lasting solutions to the plethora of highly combustible issues confronting the present administration”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Possibly, according to what was suggested by information made available by a very dependable source close to both men, the inaugural meeting of the leaders, expected to hold immediately after this month of Ramadan, “may crystallize into a new body whose mandate would go beyond solving the immediate challenges confronting Nigeria”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">AKINYEMI ON NATIONAL EMINENT PERSONS GROUP, NEPG<br />Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, had told our source in September 2010, at the height of the zoning crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that “time has become ripe for Nigeria to have a NATIONAL EMINENT PERSONS GROUP, NEPG”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">According to Akinyemi, who spoke to our source again yesterday, “The proposal I made in 2010 is today very much relevant because the time has come for Nigeria to have such a body. You would recall that in an interview with you in May, I reminded you of the same idea which would go a long way to help resolve some of the problems confronting the government of the day; as well as some of the perennial challenges that are becoming a part of Nigeria’s crises-laden life”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He continued: “Such a body would be completely apolitical and would operate separately and distinctly from the NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATES, NCS. In the NCS, you have state governors and past leaders some of whom have openly shown their preference for political platforms and as such, some of the arguments and discussions at the NCS would likely be shaped by party positions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“But a NATIONAL EMINENT PERSONS GROUP would be constituted in such a way that political cleavages would not be brought in since almost all the leaders in such a body would not be known to have political affiliations. These leaders would also be the ones to go back to their respective communities to preach peace as well and give a feed back to the body on the potential issues that are likely going to create larger national crises. Though it would be advisory, such a body is likely to go very far because it would be divorced from the day to day politicking that seems to becloud everything we try to do in this country”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">On Obasanjo and Babangida’s peace initiative, Professor Akinyemi said “any initiative at a time like this for peace to reign in the country makes a lot of sense”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">WHY PEACE MOVE MAY HIT BRICK WALL<br />In separate interviews with some national leaders, our source was made to understand that whereas the move initiated by Obasanjo and Babangida is a welcome one at a time of national crises like this, the “down side is that it did not enjoy broad consensus”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">A two-time minister from North West Nigeria, who insisted on talking on condition of anonymity, said: “I think both men know what they are trying to do but they should have involved past leaders like General Yakubu Gowon, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, General Muhammadu Buhari, Ernest Shonekan and General Abdulsalam Abubakar. If they had collectively issued that statement of last Sunday, it would have carried more weight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“The two leaders are known members of the PDP.<br />“One had served for eight years as President while the other attempted to get the party’s ticket on two separate occasions. Now, when the two men come out to issue a statement on the state of the nation and the need for peace, is it not their party that is at the centre of governance? The roles of the two men while they were leaders, when looked into critically, can not be divorced in any way – just as roles played by all past leaders – from the present state of affairs in the country”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Another very vocal Second Republic legislator told our source that “they should have broadened the scope of their move. It would sound funny if you now begin to say Buhari or Shagari has joined forces with both men to seek peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">BROADENING OF SCOPE<br />As if mindful of the sentiments voiced by those concerned about the stature of Obasanjo and Babangida, a source close to both men said: “Moves are already on and contact being made with past leaders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“Both leaders know that the challenges confronting Nigeria today require all hands to be on deck and they suggested that in their statement of last Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“Yes, a tree can not make a forest and that is why they are also reaching out. What is wrong in a peace initiative? This is Nigeria and whatever people do, some are bound to find faults. The country needs all hands to be on deck now”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Last Sunday, both former presidents had issued a statement raising concerns about the state of the nation and all but said the present administration was clueless. They advised that President Goodluck Jonathan should scale up his efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxuEy1V3n7O5ynUl7pN5eaZjba8jcpWj9Vpn21e4ln4tIFrHGsbP2hfklAUbQxtfmY17qx_OdF11c0gRKHPt-uJVHHDA6UiMGTpsOz-Pdr4y2lSCfIqwaAEyqK2T17NXgyyH3tbKJpA/s1600/Ibrahim-Babangida-the-for-006_1_%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxuEy1V3n7O5ynUl7pN5eaZjba8jcpWj9Vpn21e4ln4tIFrHGsbP2hfklAUbQxtfmY17qx_OdF11c0gRKHPt-uJVHHDA6UiMGTpsOz-Pdr4y2lSCfIqwaAEyqK2T17NXgyyH3tbKJpA/s320/Ibrahim-Babangida-the-for-006_1_%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ibrahim Babangida, former Nigerian head of state</td></tr>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-43903844409112984672012-08-05T00:00:00.000-07:002012-08-05T00:00:03.265-07:00100m: Egwero, Metu, Emelizie crash<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcayYV8s09zgVU_Ai4aJ16MjvEPaUVPIAnNfY2-fhJicolzXmYlwCavOgqYgcpjSVZUtc9JVB8w3n3Nl6BDk4WltFXnmQY_OJL-Yna_g9KK5lMBtpVBDwgzhiJ4Ye-_NFxQqhDyJP64Q/s1600/Asafa+Powell+Obinna+Metu+Olympics+Day+8+Athletics+Hnz-oUk6Z_xx%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcayYV8s09zgVU_Ai4aJ16MjvEPaUVPIAnNfY2-fhJicolzXmYlwCavOgqYgcpjSVZUtc9JVB8w3n3Nl6BDk4WltFXnmQY_OJL-Yna_g9KK5lMBtpVBDwgzhiJ4Ye-_NFxQqhDyJP64Q/s320/Asafa+Powell+Obinna+Metu+Olympics+Day+8+Athletics+Hnz-oUk6Z_xx%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obinna Metu of Nigeria, in green has crashed out <br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Nigeria’s trio of Obinna Metu, Ogho Oghene-Egwero and Peter Emelizie yesterday crashed out in the first round of the men’s 100m at the ongoing London Olympics. In what represents a sorry state of men’s athletics in Nigeria, the trio were unable to meet the qualifying standard in their respective heats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">First to fail was Oghene-Egwero, who finished sixth in heat four, won by world record holder and defending Olympic champion, Usain Bolt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Nigerian returned a time of 10.38secs, while Bolt clocked 10.09. Next to follow Oghene out of the 100m was Metu, whose 10.35secs in the heat 5 was only good enough to guarantee him a fifth place finish while another Jamaican, Asafa Powell easily won the race in 10.04secs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Completing the Nigerian disaster was Emelizie, who finished fifth in heat 6 with a time of 10.22secs but was unable to break into the next round of the event. Despite his ouster, Emelizie would feel good about the time that he returned, which represents a personal best for the 24 year-old emerging track star.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Jamaica’s Yohan Blake won the heat with a time of 10.00secs. US sprinter, Justin Gatlin recorded the fastest time in the heats held yesterday with a time of 9.97secs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</tbody></table>tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-1761111354159567392012-08-04T23:06:00.002-07:002012-08-04T23:06:27.689-07:00Okagbare fails, Nigeria’s dream crashes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaQ8FpD6WQDy15D3L55o-D0vJfW4U7spR_n_AFbKL06HFWiIq3QqWcDIaXGw7eZyHj9jdP5S3LjrexsiRBbhQ4DXFQ3Tx4tZ2NmY6vCmPUFi-sRGkZPaSYurKNXQuV20GOsA8TRK5WQ/s1600/1224321464936_1%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaQ8FpD6WQDy15D3L55o-D0vJfW4U7spR_n_AFbKL06HFWiIq3QqWcDIaXGw7eZyHj9jdP5S3LjrexsiRBbhQ4DXFQ3Tx4tZ2NmY6vCmPUFi-sRGkZPaSYurKNXQuV20GOsA8TRK5WQ/s320/1224321464936_1%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okagbare`s best was not enough<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">Shelly- Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica last night defended her 100m Olympics title with an astonishing 10.75secs as Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria finished last with 11.01secs in a star-studded final at a packed Olympic Stadium in London.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">With high hopes that she was going to get Nigeria’s first medal at the Games,, Okagbare, who ran a personal best of 10.92 in the semifinals held earlier on, failed when it mattered most against her impressive competitors.Cameliter Jeter of US finished second in a time of 10.78, representing a second best while another Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica clocked 10.81 to claim the bronze.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">At the mixed zone, Okagbare, who cast doubts over her 100m race, did not talk to the media but said that her legs were paining her as she walked past. She started showing signs of this in her semifinal race which started on a slow pace but recovered to win. But in the final race, her poor start was well exploited by her rivals who left her reeling in the last place<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</tbody></table>tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-36823789545263746122012-08-04T09:48:00.000-07:002012-08-04T09:48:11.600-07:00Okagbare runs second fastest time<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinITDel9KM1lMeuqwfo0vrJF7RfdSNbMVJoL9Ml7nNxCfMWfyOoGfiFrTG5pqek_HC3r2WKLjG0OlTHz8K_p5W7iKhMAFMJfaXx8itgvLyqJkkbpolzNRwLzuKTpfUSYDzzNP-aSG87Q/s1600/blessing-okagbare%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinITDel9KM1lMeuqwfo0vrJF7RfdSNbMVJoL9Ml7nNxCfMWfyOoGfiFrTG5pqek_HC3r2WKLjG0OlTHz8K_p5W7iKhMAFMJfaXx8itgvLyqJkkbpolzNRwLzuKTpfUSYDzzNP-aSG87Q/s320/blessing-okagbare%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria, middle of the picture, stands a chance of an olympic medal<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">If she qualifies, Okagbare, who clocked 10.93secs in last night’s race, her personal best so far, is just a race shy of featuring in the 100m finals holding an hour after the semifinals races are completed. She is joined by compatriot Gloria Asomnu, who returned a time of 11.13 in her heat to qualify for the penultimate stage of the women’s 100m. Camiliter Jeter of the USA clocked the fastest time of 10.83 secs to win her heat and stand a good chance of winning the gold ahead of Okagbare, if both runners reach the final.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Although she had a poor start, Okagbare recovered well as she took control of the race on the 50m mark all the way to the destination point, smiling as she crossed the finish line. Moments after her victory, she told reporters at the mixed zone that after working hard and preparing well that she was happy that efforts in vain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“I have worked so hard to get this far and I am so happy that I am in the semis. I hope there is more to come tomorrow (today) but I am so happy with the way that I ran and I am just expecting a better race tomorrow (today).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The semis hold at 7.35 pm while the final takes place two hours later on the impressive track of the Olympic Stadium, which track and field followers believe is fast and can make the athletes to run faster time in their respective races.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</tbody></table>tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-56339063530553914212012-08-04T09:21:00.000-07:002012-08-04T09:21:03.596-07:00Army discovers IED factory, arrest 1 in Kaduna<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHkzu6_oxlFqLadIPXVSEHRfslcjeVf_zQbu97BsNTLpNscJXxuASizZk_5ogsQ6AQTBLC1tBfd7-xL9RPWCmkdtnaJd5bKHJaPTL1AJVeub2aedPExo2uCJEHqWFcLNzEl1OTksAGA/s1600/army-discovers-ied-factory-arrest-1-in-kaduna%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHkzu6_oxlFqLadIPXVSEHRfslcjeVf_zQbu97BsNTLpNscJXxuASizZk_5ogsQ6AQTBLC1tBfd7-xL9RPWCmkdtnaJd5bKHJaPTL1AJVeub2aedPExo2uCJEHqWFcLNzEl1OTksAGA/s320/army-discovers-ied-factory-arrest-1-in-kaduna%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nigerian Army Headquarters<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Kaduna – The Nigerian Army in Kaduna on Saturday announced the arrest of a suspected member of a terror group after raiding an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) factory in the city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 1 Div. Kaduna, Col. Sani Usman, who made the announcement, said security agents discovered the factory along Abuja Road, Rigasa, Kaduna, on Friday after one of the devices exploded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“I wish to confirm that on receipt of information and distress call from some good Samaritans at about 2.21 a.m. on Friday, Aug 3; our troops moved to Taro-taro by Abuja Road in Rigasa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“We discovered an Improvised Explosive Device factory where suspected terrorists were in the process of coupling the IEDs and we detonated some.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“The factory was cordoned and searched and the following items were recovered: IEDs at various stages of development, cans of 33ccl, a sack containing 33ccl, empty cans and two IEDs packed in fire extinguisher tubes as well as timing devices,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Usman said the troops arrested one suspect, while others escaped, shot and wounded two residents in the area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He said the factory had been demolished and advised property owners to be wary of their tenants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The assistant director appealed to the public to volunteer information on suspicious movements of people to security agents.(NAN)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</tbody></table>tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-11595209389271242162012-08-03T00:09:00.000-07:002012-08-03T00:09:27.460-07:00Nigeria’s lost of athletes blamed on poor training facilities<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoYHUNT32ne57rTO1BGCWFmksGVbqZBK3p29tVZJLWbrW4pngVM0QXs6YJYscrIPcyxNTMl1g8WQmOvYstIoEv75KqUBF7UcHWUCndmRFg6GafoHa6kiGv98kPS3YbNg0wsPxQE0Ojg/s1600/DSC_6570%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoYHUNT32ne57rTO1BGCWFmksGVbqZBK3p29tVZJLWbrW4pngVM0QXs6YJYscrIPcyxNTMl1g8WQmOvYstIoEv75KqUBF7UcHWUCndmRFg6GafoHa6kiGv98kPS3YbNg0wsPxQE0Ojg/s320/DSC_6570%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Pastor Enoch Adeboye:Party to Habib’s success story in England.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Abuja – Makanjuola Nureni, a FIFA Player’s Agent, on Thursday said that Nigeria was losing its athletes, especially footballers, to other countries due to poor training facilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Nureni made the observation in Abuja while speaking to newsmen at the unveiling of 13-year-old Makanjuola Habib, a National U-13 player with Chelsea FC of England Academy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The FIFA Player’s agent said Habib, who is one of the two Nigerian wiz-kids in the academy, signed for the academy because of poor football development structures in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He claimed that the country was losing its athletes because the government was paying more attention to politics rather than concentrating on harnessing the country’s abundant talents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Nureni said that Pastor Enoch Adeboye was party to Habib’s success story in England.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“Habib performed at the Redeemed Christian Church of God Redemption Camp in 2010 and he won a scholarship to England from the General Overseer,’’ he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He noted that top European clubs like Barcelona, Lyon, Manchester City and Arsenal had made efforts to sign on Habib, but he (Habib) preferred Chelsea because of the facilities they have on ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Habib,who was grabbed by Chelsea in April, said the love he has for Michael Emenalo, Chelsea’s Technical Director, also influenced his decision to sign for the club’s academy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He told NAN that the academy had created the platform for him “to excel and become a world class player in the near future’’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“I am with the Cambry School in London and my club allows me the time to attend classes and my school gives me time to train with my club,’’ Habib explained.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Habib’s father, Makanjuola Adegboye was elated about his son’s success, saying that his son’s progression in life was a sign of good upbringing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“I don’t have much to say. I will only be remembering him in my prayers and I thank our daddy who made his journey to London possible,’’ Adegboye said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Habib nicknamed “football wizard’’, won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award at the 2009 U-13 International Football Tournament in the United Arab Emirate (UAE).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He is also the first Nigerian to participate in the World Final Juggling Tournament in South Africa in 2010. (NAN)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-85023973461106239602012-08-02T23:30:00.000-07:002012-08-02T23:30:13.904-07:00Oyo police parade alleged rapist of 4-yr-old<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHh6ivop1FZ9MfxNFy1-FSL2BBOSZtmKJ6hMnWcSLw8qVOdhdez3RzUBil76gamht0Zlt_eYNXQ3osfEngmX2cgSEuJJEzd8eZml8EfGKqSn6UwaDJRkZ7JRFzwotlTeQ8YcmN97QUg/s1600/Inspector-General-of-Police-Mohammed-Abubakar%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHh6ivop1FZ9MfxNFy1-FSL2BBOSZtmKJ6hMnWcSLw8qVOdhdez3RzUBil76gamht0Zlt_eYNXQ3osfEngmX2cgSEuJJEzd8eZml8EfGKqSn6UwaDJRkZ7JRFzwotlTeQ8YcmN97QUg/s320/Inspector-General-of-Police-Mohammed-Abubakar%5B1%5D.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mohammed Abubakar, IG of Police<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">IBADAN—A 25-year- old man, Femi Owolabi, who allegedly raped a four- year-old girl was among suspected criminals paraded by the Oyo State Police Command, yesterday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The suspect, who is being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan, allegedly committed the crime on July 30, 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Clement Adoda, the mother of the victim, upon her discovery that the innocent girl had been defiled, reported at Agugu Police Division.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">She was quoted by the police as saying that her little daughter came out of the suspect’s room with blood stain all over her legs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“She reported further that on a closer observation, she discovered that the girl was bleeding profusely from her private part. On receipt of the report, detectives went after the suspect and got him apprehended.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Also paraded was a robbery gang of men and women alleged to have disguised as prophets robbing their victims of valuable items.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The names of the suspects were given as Tunde Adeyinka, Sunday Olanrewaju and Popoola Omotayo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">They were arrested in a building along P- Ajao Area of Ogbomoso.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The police said: “One AK 49 rifle, two locally- made double barrel pistols with five live cartridges, two AK 47 rifles, one double SIM Techno handset, one Nokia handset, one Toyota Camry Saloon car with number-plate Lagos MUS 159 AG, one unregistered motorcycle, three cutlasses, some clergy garments and some charms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">When asked if he committed the crime, he confessed that he used that to deceive his victims.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">According to the police:“On interrogation, the arrested notorious criminals confessed to be a gang of criminals who engaged in inter-state robberies, especially in the South-West. The arrested suspects who claimed to be “Woli” (prophet) will soon be charged to court.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-10368085539315748372012-08-02T01:38:00.002-07:002012-08-02T01:38:36.195-07:00Gunmen haul explosives at police post, killing many in Gombe<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx4b9pm2ZP3RabcX6DEz2edW1y-BAgpZUQ8JEUojmHfPkzFfm8okAimFs7YTYUrFzaBNBgK_V2BuaIF3_GDFuo4_6KNJNM9f2tL1_p1R9wH0bnmK20HFy-xOg2jzGrIkv0S_bGm1SSg/s1600/MD-Abubakar%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx4b9pm2ZP3RabcX6DEz2edW1y-BAgpZUQ8JEUojmHfPkzFfm8okAimFs7YTYUrFzaBNBgK_V2BuaIF3_GDFuo4_6KNJNM9f2tL1_p1R9wH0bnmK20HFy-xOg2jzGrIkv0S_bGm1SSg/s320/MD-Abubakar%5B1%5D.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mohammed Abubakar, IG of Police<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">KANO (AFP) – Gunmen suspected to be members of Islamist Boko Haram sect late Wednesday launched simultaneous attacks on two police posts in the northern city of Gombe killing a number of people, residents said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The attackers, who came around 8.30 pm (1930 GMT), threw explosives at a police post in central Gombe and opened fire on the policemen, a resident said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">An unspecified number of people were killed in the attack, Ibrahim Aliyu told AFP.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“They threw explosives and opened fire on the police post in central Gombe. Some of the policemen were inside while others were outside. The explosions were followed by gunfire. There was a shootout between the gunmen and policemen which lasted till 10 pm (2100 GMT),” Aliyu said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“From a distance, I could see lifeless bodies being loaded into police ambulances,” he said, without being able to give a precise death toll because it was dark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In the second attack, a resident in Bagadaza district on the outskirts of Gombe, Auwal Nasiru, said from his house he heard a loud explosion coming from a nearby police post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“There were a lot of gunshots lasting for more than an hour. I cannot say if anybody was hurt or killed in the attack,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">There is no official confirmation of the attacks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Suspected Boko Haram gunmen had in late February launched coordinated gun attacks on Gombe prison and a nearby police station during which 14 people, including policemen, were killed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The police station was burnt down in the attack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</tbody></table>tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-2447896717553528622012-08-01T01:44:00.001-07:002012-08-01T01:44:20.556-07:00DAY AFTER MAKOKO & ABONEMA: Frustration of a homeless nation<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OIGe2ZRFLUmY8bpZ2iAyPjB1CALrzQOetDurmxMukT7TVGsEI463wxREjsFO2Euyl4Qfd1R7XythYEdAK5R3grAVTucFiy5MUYws249J8LT7hSmyMWT8cjzwxCsRO0Hxn7ZOiqSfOA/s1600/DSC_3164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OIGe2ZRFLUmY8bpZ2iAyPjB1CALrzQOetDurmxMukT7TVGsEI463wxREjsFO2Euyl4Qfd1R7XythYEdAK5R3grAVTucFiy5MUYws249J8LT7hSmyMWT8cjzwxCsRO0Hxn7ZOiqSfOA/s320/DSC_3164.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makoko destroyed<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">THE recent demolition of shanties constructed at Makoko and Abonema waterfronts in Rivers and Lagos States respectively, has once again brought the age-long housing crisis in Nigeria to fore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">NOTICE is hereby given to you to vacate and remove all illegal developments along the Makoko/Iwaya Waterfront within 72 hour, their unwholesome structures on the waterfront amounted to an environmental nuisance” said a letter from the Lagos State ministry of Waterfront, Infrastructure and Development.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">It was upon this premise that Lagos State government, sent truckloads of armed soldiers and police officers to invade the Makoko/Ilaje waterfront at Yaba to effect government order that the residents vacate the area which had been marked for demolition. It was gathered that security operatives had stormed the area at noon and consequently demolished houses, shanties, schools and shops built in the densely populated area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">No fewer than 5000 people were said to have been rendered homeless as a result of the demolition which spared no one. Justifying the action, the state Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Adesegun Oniru, said the demolition of shanties was part of pragmatic ways to forestall tragedy. Residents in the area who built shanties close to a power-line situated on the lagoon, had lost their homes following the exercise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Oniru who said the exercise was a clearing of the waterfront and not demolition, explained that attempt by government to delay because of sentiment would be inviting future calamity. He said: “There are people living under a power-line in that area. The water level is also rising rapidly, but the people ignored this and instead continued building more shanties up to the Third Mainland Bridge. Is that a place people should reside? It is not a good sight for anybody to see and beyond that the issue of safety is more of concern to us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“What we are doing is to clear the environment of the danger that is looming in that area. We moved in to protect the lives of the people on that waterfront. We met the traditional rulers in the area after which we held discussions with the Local Council Development Area. These people helped us to advise the residents to quit the water.” The commissioner urged the displaced people to go back to where they came from, saying government had no intention of allowing them to come back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Abonema and Njemanze waterfront:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Since this action was taken, the state government has received more knocks than kudos from various sections of the public. As it was in Lagos, so was it in Port-Hacourt where the Rivers State government had on July 26, demolished Abonnema Wharf waterfront, thereby leaving thousands of residents homeless. The exercise which reportedly started on June 26, lasted for days, as residents were taken unaware as many people were said to have lost their property in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Demolition of water fronts</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi had always maintained government’s stance on the demolition of waterfronts in different parts of the state during his media interactive sessions. He explained that most of the crimes committed were carried out by hoodlums who reside at the waterfronts, a development, he added, must be tackled headlong in order to ensure the safety of lives and property in the state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Earlier, the State Government had undertaken a similar exercise at Njemanze waterfront which it claimed to be a hideout of criminals. In all these, government has said it will pay compensation to owners of demolished buildings. But in the case of Abonnema Wharf, some of the house owners have protested over the compensation, claiming that it was inadequate. According to the Public Relations Officer of Abonnema Wharf Landlords Association, Jim Tom-George, some of them were paid N40, 000; N60, 000 and N1.2million respectively for five to 10 rooms while describing the development as ridiculous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">But defending the action, the State Commissioner for Urban Development and Town Planning, Dr. T.W Dangogo, noted that the residents were given one year to move out in 2010, adding that the time had elapsed. He stated that property owners would be compensated, saying that the demolition was informed by security reports about the area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Security reports</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“Over the years, we have told landlords that the areas would be demolished and compensation paid. We asked that tenants should no longer pay rents. That place became a jungle because no one was paying rent to anyone. The rate of crime and need for urban renewal accounted for why the place was demolished.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Housing crisis: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Despite this explanation by both state governments, there is anger in the land over the manner people are displaced by some state governments, in the face of acute housing crises in the country. For the Publicity Secretary of Lagos State Chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Taofik Gani, that the eviction and demolition exercise was more of destruction than correction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“It lacked human feelings and indeed violates human rights. The Lagos State government’s decision to evict the Makoko residents from their abode and occupation is very callous, especially at this time of heavy rainfalls. The residents are now helpless with no alternative accommodation provided by the state government, thus confirming the insensitivity of the government in its policies.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Tofik’s anger, however, has the support of Human Rights treatise like the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ICESCR, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, ICCPR, which prohibited countries from forced evictions. Accordingly, under the international convention, human rights law evictions may be carried out only as a last resort, once all other feasible alternatives have been explored and genuine consultation has taken place with communities, and only after appropriate procedural and legal safeguards are in place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Nevertheless, the issue has once again brought to fore the agelong housing crisis in Nigeria. Instructively, housing provision in the country is fraught with a plethora of problems especially for low-income earners who incidentally constitute the majority of the population. Findings by </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">our source <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">also discovered that housing is generally inadequate in the rural areas in terms of quality, while the major problem in urban areas is more of quantity, although quantity is also an issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">While there had been Housing policies like the 1991 Housing Policy, Urban Development Policy initiated in 1997 among others to address the abnormally, a large chunk of the nation’s population have been battling with inadequate housing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Inadequate housing</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Speaking on the matter, the President of Nigeria Institute of Building, NIOB, Mr. Chuks Omeife, said: “given the fact that we are not trying to re-invent the wheel, this is something that has become a tradition in other countries. In the developed economies, the process of housing provision is standardised just like buying a cell phone SIM card though with obvious conditions attached. I do not see any reason why the policy cannot be implemented as proposed, the major challenges that past policies have had to contend with are lack of political will and insincerity of purpose on the part of government and government functionaries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">If government can commence in earnest the process of institutional, administrative, legal and regulatory reforms then the journey would have started. Issues relating to land use act, ease of access to finance, viability of financing institutions must be tidied up quickly and laid to rest. It is after all this and some other things have commence that we can start trusting that government is sincere about the laudable intentions in the housing policy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">New housing policy: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">He, however, stated that the new National Housing Policy, which is targeting the provision of one million houses per year, would go a long way in addressing the housing crisis in the country. “That the policy addresses the process of how Nigerians are going to be housed is not again in doubt. The policy like I have said severally is very robust and if implemented to the letter as conceptualised would jumpstart the long awaited transformation in the housing sector.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The housing policy clearly articulates how each income group in the country can be effectively catered for including the no-income group. To actualise the intentions of the policy there are strategies, initiatives, processes, institutional framework that must be put in place, co-ordinated, monitored, evaluated and assessed for impact through feedback. It is when all this are done that one can positively align one’s thinking to the genuine intention of government in respect of housing provision for Nigerians,” Omeife added<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Corroborating, NIOB President, Mr. Moses Ogunleye who is the Vice President, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria, ATOPCON and Chairman, Lagos Housing Fair said it is good that there is a new housing policy in the country. Ogunleye, however, added that he hopes the new policy has taken into consideration the errors in the implementation of the 1991 National Housing Policy, pointing out that there is no point having a policy that will not be implemented.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Explaining that access to land for building purposes is very difficult across the country, Ogunleye who is a former past chairman, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, NITP, Lagos branch, said for the new policy to be effective, various states’ land agencies and ministries should be reactivated. He is of the view that the major area where change should come first is through land administration, arguing that land management in the country has been deficient which has affected supply to the extent that land transactions in Nigeria can be described as black market, a situation where ‘Omo nile’ now dictate what happens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Ogunleye said: “it is not that we don’t have lands for various uses. But the problem is that we don’t manage our lands well. Another area of concern is that our mortgage system is not vibrant. For mortgage system to be vibrant, land administration must be effective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">This is because you need titles to land as collateral to access loans from the bank. I hope and pray that this new policy will not be like others that came before it. I hope there will be no deviations from it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dN3_qmsFEFn6WN5LJgfPFABu1aUEGt-cLyBmEOM8vYJk6q6H83AEiMoVNOkX7Bbdvyc0xegT3tgagvnp_nL_mrQPTYCrDqv6ITprDFoxOHbCm05e74oMlAGt2cbmW3JgDZ3Rd6cUtg/s1600/DSC_3062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dN3_qmsFEFn6WN5LJgfPFABu1aUEGt-cLyBmEOM8vYJk6q6H83AEiMoVNOkX7Bbdvyc0xegT3tgagvnp_nL_mrQPTYCrDqv6ITprDFoxOHbCm05e74oMlAGt2cbmW3JgDZ3Rd6cUtg/s320/DSC_3062.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victims of the Makoko demolition</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Makoko resident, paddling into homelessness, courtesy of "General"Raji Fashola governor of Lagos state</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not in Fashola`s agenda</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBELEykHbJIP1ghd_twhUz4jDqWLTJRxVOKi_qA3jhWjW-Vp3bvMIjBppk0mFpX5OOFBJccmp6TjKMT3xvn6JV4rK3DX4-corVSK6L_80KlUmiN7oNNweT8djYSK2xRRZqhsg2u2wziQ/s1600/DSC_3712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBELEykHbJIP1ghd_twhUz4jDqWLTJRxVOKi_qA3jhWjW-Vp3bvMIjBppk0mFpX5OOFBJccmp6TjKMT3xvn6JV4rK3DX4-corVSK6L_80KlUmiN7oNNweT8djYSK2xRRZqhsg2u2wziQ/s320/DSC_3712.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fashola, obviously has no agenda for the poor.</td></tr>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-51631354246577903002012-07-31T18:17:00.000-07:002012-07-31T18:17:07.636-07:00Basketball: Lithuania defeats Nigeria 72 – 53<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8mR6SLdrCjhDUMecmmLvWzVyPRmbL-Pt-Mf-tIsXosCYWopCAS93Eeh9azdNKjbYKH0f00yfF7otP8NmO7QXZH0gMrBQYXsSgDyituen8r8p_08LFDrP3e9VUjoOcswiodR2o7HC1g/s1600/Picture-337%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8mR6SLdrCjhDUMecmmLvWzVyPRmbL-Pt-Mf-tIsXosCYWopCAS93Eeh9azdNKjbYKH0f00yfF7otP8NmO7QXZH0gMrBQYXsSgDyituen8r8p_08LFDrP3e9VUjoOcswiodR2o7HC1g/s320/Picture-337%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lithuania left, Nigeria right<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">LONDON (AFP) – Lithuania, which has played for a bronze medal in the past five Olympic men’s basketball tournaments, defeated Nigeria 72-53 on Tuesday for the team’s first triumph at London.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lithuania’s victory left each team at 1-1 in Group A round-robin play after Nigeria opened with a 60-56 victory over Tunisia and Lithuania lost 102-79 to Argentina.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lithuania — which took bronze in 1992, 1996 and 2000 and settled for fourth in 2004 and 2008 — will next meet France on Thursday while the Nigerians must face the US collection of NBA stars.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Both Nigeria and Lithuania made it to the Olympics through a last-chance qualifying tournament three weeks ago at Venezuela.</span></div>
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</tbody></table>tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-66402995559481705542012-07-31T17:33:00.000-07:002012-07-31T17:33:07.272-07:00Explosive device found in university lecture hall in Kano<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMN3DWjUWBR9bjATagQr-f8pLDw5OJhZOF-0ZcvhsIDL1bSbS3lRpmGS7sDedwtJHCV-RBRUkWeuI6NFjaAUr3QohLK-YLzuZp-BB1-R6dx75T-IPXvivg_mrja6WgPMfulmyUREd5qQ/s1600/ma%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMN3DWjUWBR9bjATagQr-f8pLDw5OJhZOF-0ZcvhsIDL1bSbS3lRpmGS7sDedwtJHCV-RBRUkWeuI6NFjaAUr3QohLK-YLzuZp-BB1-R6dx75T-IPXvivg_mrja6WgPMfulmyUREd5qQ/s320/ma%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mohammed Abubakar, Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">KANO (AFP) – An explosive device was found on Tuesday in lecture hall at a university in northern city just before students arrived for an examination, an official said.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The device planted in the lecture theatre at the Federal College of Education (FCE) in Kano was discovered by a campus security guard and dismantled before causing any damage.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In April, attackers suspected of belonging to the radical Boko Haram Islamist group killed roughly 20 people at the nearby Bayero University, Kano.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They set off bombs at a Sunday morning campus church service, then opened fire as worshippers tried to flee.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“This morning, something suspected to be an improvised explosive device has been successfully detected and detonated by the anti-bomb squad of the Nigeria police in the college,” said FCE spokesman Auwalu Mudi Yakasai in a statement.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He added that the exams would continue uninterrupted.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was not immediately clear who planted the device, but Boko Haram, responsible for scores of attacks across northern and central Nigeria in recent months, has hit Kano repeatedly in the past.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The name Boko Haram, a combination of Hausa and Arabic, means “Western education is forbidden.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kano, Nigeria’s second most populous city, was the site of the group’s deadliest attack yet on January 20 when at least 185 people were killed in coordinated gun and bomb attacks.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The group has claimed the deaths of more than 1,000 people since mid-2009, and three of its presumed top leaders have been designated as global terrorists by the United States.</span></div>
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</tbody></table>tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956266639881332874.post-23088214764313377102012-07-31T01:56:00.001-07:002012-07-31T01:56:15.008-07:00Insecurity: Mixed reactions trail Obasanjo, IBB warnings<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhBhXSJOo4BNfBc9SwnBl9roxzTFS7C836ZhFSJehitY4TK9M_xabYlgCAZvAbf2Y7F4wTiFQRnwuvpmAmhk9I71Sgw5SU6b3a2NdkmPjOojR9VStEUfo23pTP-gwvlZNOUwM-HqDvw/s1600/obj%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhBhXSJOo4BNfBc9SwnBl9roxzTFS7C836ZhFSJehitY4TK9M_xabYlgCAZvAbf2Y7F4wTiFQRnwuvpmAmhk9I71Sgw5SU6b3a2NdkmPjOojR9VStEUfo23pTP-gwvlZNOUwM-HqDvw/s320/obj%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olusegun Obasanjo ask for peace<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mixed reactions ranging from commendation to criticism, yesterday, trailed Sunday’s joint declaration of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida on the state of insecurity in the country.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While regional groups, including the Arewa Consultative Forum and Afenifere welcomed the intervention of the two elderstatesmen, the intervention received thumbs down from </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ohanaeze</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> which flayed the duo for failing to take heed during their separate stewardships of the country.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in its reaction dismissed the intervention as nothing new even as it affirmed that its national leader, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, himself a former Head of State, would not team up with the former rulers in their campaign.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The CPC spokesman, Engr. Rotimi Fashekin told </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">our source </span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">yesterday that Buhari had already categorized the </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Boko Haram</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> insurgency as a variant of three forms with the political variant, allegedly embedded within the Goodluck Jonathan administration.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Former President Obasanjo and former military President Ibrahim Babangida had in an unprecedented joint statement on Sunday appealed for peace in the country and suggested a strategic engagement with community stakeholders towards resolving the crisis.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dialogue is the answer — <i>ACF</i></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Welcoming the joint plea of the former rulers, the ACF spokesman, Anthony Sani said: “What we have said is that there is no where in the world where force has ever worked on terrorism. We gave examples of Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and we have given example of Somalia and we came back home and said Yar`Adua used force in 2009.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“It was against that experience that we said let us try talking to them and we have been very consistent on that. We don’t want to give it a northern or religious colouration.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We support their idea — Afenifere</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoronti while welcoming the intervention said: “It is a bit late as we had expected it before now. We were all waiting for that because they had to speak. I had once said the leaders who were supposed to speak have not done so because the</span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Boko Haram</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is a menace and we cannot just look on and watch. I am sure that people will respect their views and halt these dastardly things.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They are hypocritical</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">— <i>Ohanaeze</i></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ohanaeze Ndigbo</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> on its part described the effort of the two former leaders as largely hypocritical, saying that the dialogue they are canvassing was never allowed during their respective tenures.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Engr. Ralph Ndigwe, National Publicity Secretary of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation told </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">our source</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">: “There is nothing special about Obasanjo and Babangida calling for national dialogue or constructive engagement.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“When Obasanjo was in government for eight years, people were clamouring for national conference. Odi people reacted, they went and finished the whole village, ransacked every where and killed everybody because they killed one soldier. Today, he is out of government and talking about dialogue. Babangida did the same thing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Babangida and Obasanjo are senior members of the Council of States let them go to the Council of State and ask the council to call for dialogue; they don’t have to continue to deceive us through all these paper talks”.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The CPC also demurred, saying that there was nothing new in the joint statement from the two former leaders.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It said: “These people have not said anything new, except we want to be economical with the truth. Quite a number of people have said it in the past ”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Insisting that the situation demands a political solution, he said the CPC national leader would not join the refrain of the two men, saying that Buhari was a marked man by his critics who would twist anything he says to suit their political tunes.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The unfortunate thing is that there are many people who are waiting to hear what Gen. Buhari says and use it for cheap political points and that is why the man has often refrained from making statements because he knows that we are not dealing with sincere people but we are dealing with very dishonest people, the party said.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Buhari is not like one of the normal Nigerian people that are ready to lie through their teeth. Buhari has never believed that getting political power is a do-or-die affair. He behaves in true service to the Nigerian people.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Affirming that Buhari would not join the chorus of the two former leaders, he said:<br />“You don’t need to expect a statement from him because he has said </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Boko Haram</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is in three parts, Boko Haram is in three variants and one of the variants is the political variant which the Jonathan government represents.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He also said there is the original </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Boko Haram</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> formed by Yusuf and that original </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Boko Haram</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is disgruntled and is seeking its pound of flesh from the Nigerian state for killing its leader extra-judicially and then you have the criminal </span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Boko Haram</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> that is involved in all sorts of criminal activities.”</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xuy8bXh-hwZuV5NmlGD4Qbh2B7equC7aEHs8RofDf7xFsxE7LMF8FirNBi-fQuc7cNHYP0NvVunNbbpMdnL1xpJ_bZrT2Hw1Lv1_PERK-4UxwiMufkEPMQ1sYTv7PIRp0oY7kQtIxw/s1600/Ibrahim-Babangida-the-for-006_1_%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" eda="true" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xuy8bXh-hwZuV5NmlGD4Qbh2B7equC7aEHs8RofDf7xFsxE7LMF8FirNBi-fQuc7cNHYP0NvVunNbbpMdnL1xpJ_bZrT2Hw1Lv1_PERK-4UxwiMufkEPMQ1sYTv7PIRp0oY7kQtIxw/s320/Ibrahim-Babangida-the-for-006_1_%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retired General Babangida also appeals for peace.</td></tr>
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tonerophotoagencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11185241568662256385noreply@blogger.com0