Sex is more important to me than anything else in life – Man tells court

A Grade ‘C Customary Court in Iseyin on Wednesday dissolved a seven-year-old marriage between one Baliki Oke and her husband, Arowolo, over incessant demand for sex.

Baliki had approached the court in July, seeking the dissolution of her marriage to Arowolo over his frequent demand for sex.

She told the court that the union had produced a six-year-old boy.

“My husband wants to kill me with sex, he demands sex more than he does for food, he wants to have sex with me six times in a day before he gets satisfied.

“Arowolo goes to the farm very early in the morning and would not wait for me to bring his lunch.

“He will come home in the afternoon just to have sex twice before he goes back to the farm and would still make demands when he returns at night.

“Anytime I try to resist him, he will beat me till I surrender.

“ I have decided to quit for the sake of my life. I don’t want to die now, my lord, please dissolve this marriage,’’ she said.

Responding, Arowolo, who did not refute the claims of his estranged wife, told the court that he has a high sex drive.

“I have worked very hard to solve this problem of incessant sex urge to no avail.

“The truth is that I can’t cope with life without sex, I can’t work, eat or play, sex is more important to me than anything else in life.

“I have been suffering since she packed out of our house about 10 days ago; I have not been going to work, I have begged her relatives to plead with her on my behalf, “NAN quoted him as saying.

Arowolo, who urged the court not to dissolve the marriage, also promised that he will check his urge for sex if she returns.

Delivering judgment, the President of the court, Chief Adelodun Raheem, said that all the efforts of the court to plead with the wife and her relatives to resolve the crisis did not yield a positive result.

Raheem, consequently, dissolved the marriage and granted the custody of their child to Baliki.

He ordered Arowolo to be paying N2,500 weekly to the court’s registrar for the child’s upkeep. - Daily Post

‘Poor welfare’: Workers paralyse activities at Oyo-Ita’s office

Federal Civil servants on Wednesday embarked on peaceful protest over “poor welfare, lack of training and working materials and slash in Sallah bonus”.

The workers under the Joint Union Association of Head of Service of the Federation, stormed block A of the federal secretariat, Abuja, to make known their grievances.

The union is made up of three unions: Nigeria Civil Service Union, Association of Senior Civil Service Union and the Secretaries Union at the office of the head of civil service (HoS) of the federation.

Senior members of staff were hindered from carrying out their jobs while activities were paralysed at the office of the Winifred Oyo-Ita, the HoS.

The workers said their Sallah allowance had been cut from N25,000 to N15,000, while in the last seven years, none of them had been trained and that out of the 16 lifts in the federal secretariat, only one was working.

They also complained that their promotion arrears have not been paid.

One of the protesting workers said during Sallah, Easter or Christmas celebrations, they get N25,000 as bonus but they have not received anything since the last Sallah.

The staff explained that they were expecting to be paid N50,000 this forthcoming Sallah (Eid-el-Kabir) because of the outstanding bonus, rather it has been slashed to N15,000.

Another worker lamented that there is no staff bus to convey staff to work, disclosing that working computers were retrieved and auctioned but had not been replaced.

“They have been promising but nothing, we buy working materials with our money to ensure the job is done, there are no materials in the store,” he said.

“We use our money to photocopy documents at business centres and the toilets are appalling, they need maintenance.”

Ikediashi Uzoh, president of the union, said the protest was not pre-planned as it broke out after a meeting with the management Wednesday morning.

“The management after a second meeting has agreed to meet the request of the staff immediately, hopefully by the end of this week,” he said.

Afolayan Olaniyi, permanent secretary, Common Services Office(CSO), office of the head of civil service of the federation (OHCSF), who addressed the protesting staff said that management had agreed to the terms of the union.

Olaniyi said Oyo-Ita had been contacted and she agreed to address the issues raised by union. - TheCable

MTN takes N200bn loan from 12 Nigerian banks

MTN Nigeria has signed an N200 billion medium-term loan agreement with 12 Nigerian banks.

FBN Quest is the facility agent of the loan deal which was signed on Wednesday.

According to the company, the loan is to help fund its service expansion plans to underserved and unserved parts of the country.

The banks which signed the loan are Citibank Nigeria Limited, Diamond Bank Plc, Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, First Bank of Nigeria PLC, First City Monument Bank, FSDH Merchant Bank Limited, Rand Merchant Bank Nigeria Limited, Standard Chartered Bank Plc, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, United Bank of Africa Plc and Union Bank of Nigeria Plc.

The loan, which is naira denominated, has a five-year repayment plan and two-year moratorium.

“The signing of this loan facility is a major landmark in our expansion programme in which we are making significant investments,” Ferdi Moolman, MTN Nigeria, chief executive officer, said.

“The facility will enable us to evolve the network to deliver convergent and superior quality, drive voice capacity expansion and data service penetration, maintain optimal capital structure and funding level that support growth and expansion.

“Making it possible for people to connect to each other and the world, find and share information and ideas, create and access new digital services and reimagine old services. This partnership puts in place infrastructure that empowers commerce, industry and the provision of public services.”

The company, which has its headquarters in South Africa, is the largest telecommunications service provider in Nigeria.

According to the latest figures made available by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), MTN holds 40.96% of the market share with 66.48 million subscribers. - TheCable

Driver sentenced to death for armed robbery

The Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on Wednesday sentenced a driver and disgruntled former employee, Monsuru Ayoola, to death for armed robbery.

Justice Raliat Adebiyi convicted Ayoola on a one count charge of armed robbery.

The judge found him guilty of robbing his former employer, Mr. Lanre Alabi, in 2015, with a toy gun and machete for allegedly owing him salary.

Justice Adebiyi held: “The defendant is found guilty on a one count charge of armed robbery.

“The punishment for the offence is a strict and a mandatory one and for this reason, the allocutus of the defence counsel cannot apply.

“The defendant is hereby sentenced to death pursuant to Section 295 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2011.

“May God have mercy on your soul.”

She, however, discharged Ayoola on a two-count charge of armed robbery and inflicting injury for insufficient evidence.

She added: “Oluwasegun Badia, the alleged second victim was not produced in court and no evidence about the alleged armed robbery was given in court.

“On count three which is the charge of inflicting injury, the court finds that the prosecution was unable to produce in court, proof of the injury as well as the alleged victim (Badia).”

Earlier, Ayoola’s counsel, Mrs. O. Oreagba-Ademola, made an allocutus pleading with the court to temper justice with mercy.

“We urge Your Lordship to temper justice with mercy. He is a first time offender and has no prior criminal record,” the defence counsel said.

Ayoola, of No. 153, Adeniyi Adeniji Street, Lagos Island, was arraigned by Lagos State Government on March 14, 2016.

He pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge of armed robbery and inflicting injury.

Prosecution counsel, Mrs. O. R. Ahmed-Muili, said he committed the offence at midnight on October 11, 2014 at No. 16, Yeye Olofin Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

She said: “While wearing a plastic mask to conceal his identity, and armed with a machete and toy gun, he robbed Alabi, his former employer of his black wallet containing N50,000 and his Nokia and HTC mobile phones.

“He also robbed Mr. Oluwaseun Badia of N18,000 and a Nokia mobile phone and stabbed Badia while fleeing the crime scene.

“The offences contravene Sections 243 and 295 of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2011.”

According to the prosecution, Ayoola was apprehended by security guards and was unmasked during the ensuing struggle.

He issued death threats to the guards who immediately recognised him. - The Nation

Work begins on N189bn election budget

At last, work has begun on the budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2019 general elections.

The chairman of the INEAt last, work has begun on the budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2019 general elections.

The chairman of the INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu on Wednesday defended the commission’s N189.2 billion budget at separate sessions with the Senate and House of Representatives committees on INEC.

Yakubu, who gave a breakdown of the various components of the budget, told the lawmakers that preparations for the poll ought to have started in earnest by August 15 (on Wednesday).

Documents submitted to the lawmakers by INEC indicated that election operational cost will gulp N134.4bn; election technology -N27.5bn; administrative cost -N22.6bn; and miscellaneous -N4.6bn.

C, Prof Mahmood Yakubu on Wednesday defended the commission’s N189.2 billion budget at separate sessions with the Senate and House of Representatives committees on INEC.

Yakubu, who gave a breakdown of the various components of the budget, told the lawmakers that preparations for the poll ought to have started in earnest by August 15 (on Wednesday).

Documents submitted to the lawmakers by INEC indicated that election operational cost will gulp N134.4bn; election technology -N27.5bn; administrative cost -N22.6bn; and miscellaneous -N4.6bn.

The INEC chair explained that there were significant increase in the variables and logistics for the 2019 election, compared to the 2019 poll that gulped N120 billion.

According to him, the commission will be conducting elections with about 91 political parties on the ballot with over 82 million registered voters.

The voter population in 2015 was about 70 million with about 40 political parties on the ballot.

Prof Yakubu said the figures could rise in the months ahead, as the commission still had 140 applications for party registration still pending; while the voter registration exercise had been extended by two weeks, to end August 30.

INEC will conduct the presidential and National Assembly elections in February. It will be followed by the governorship elections in 29 states across the federation, alongside state assembly election in the 36 states.

Also included in the budget was the cost of conducting elections into the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory as the expiration of the tenure of the elected officials coincides with the general elections.

Also captured in the INEC budget is the Osun State governorship election coming up on September 22. The INEC chair said 48 political parties will participate in the Osun election.

The chairman of the Senate committee, Suleiman Nazif, assured the INEC of the legislature’s desire to expedite action of the budget, considering the time constraint.

Nazif said the committee members will meet again on Thursday through Friday to fast track the process and refer the documents to the Appropriation committee of the Senate.

On her part, the chairperson of the House of Representatives committee on INEC, Mrs. Aisha Dukku stressed the need for the parliament to approach the budget proposal from both process and content perspectives

Addressing the INEC chairman, Dukku said, “It is only by so doing that one can begin to unravel the intricacies of the entire range of issues involved and their interconnectedness.

“You will agree with me that for a government that promised change for its people, the foundation of this change ought to be evident in the way we plan our elections and electoral processes.

“The estimates should represent a true picture of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA)”.

She expressed concerns over INEC’s previous budgets, saying they were neither productive nor effective because of poor planning.

“It is my prayer and hope that the present administration would address the issues with budgeting, especially as regards funding; unlike the previous budgets that were not productive in the entire planning of elections”, Dukku added. - The Nation

African migrants reel as Israeli law cuts into salaries

African migrants in Israel have been detained, threatened with deportation and faced hostility from lawmakers and residents. Since last year, they face another burden: a de facto 20 percent salary cut that has driven them further into poverty.

Israel's roughly 35,000 African migrants and the groups that support them say the recent law — in which Israel withholds the money from their paychecks every month and returns it only if they leave the country — is yet another attempt by an anti-migrant government to force them out.

"I feel that they started the 'deposit law' to make our life miserable," said Salamwit Willedo, a migrant from Eritrea who came to Israel in 2010. "We suffer for eight years here. If I had a country, why am I living here?"

The Africans, mainly from war-torn Sudan and dictatorial Eritrea, began arriving in Israel in 2005 through its porous border with Egypt after Egyptian forces violently quashed a refugee demonstration and word spread of safety and job opportunities in Israel. Tens of thousands crossed the desert border, often after enduring dangerous journeys, before Israel completed a barrier in 2012 that stopped the influx.

Since then, Israel has wrestled with how to cope with those already in the country. Many took up menial jobs in hotels and restaurants, and thousands settled in southern Tel Aviv, where Israeli residents began complaining of rising crime.

While the migrants say they are refugees fleeing conflict or persecution, Israel views them as job-seekers who threaten the Jewish character of the state.

Israel has gone from detaining them in remote desert prisons to purportedly reaching a deal with a third country, believed to be Rwanda, to have them deported there.

In April, Israel reached an agreement with the United Nations to have many, but not all, of the migrants resettled in Western countries, with others allowed to stay in Israel. But the government quickly scrapped the deal after an outcry by hard-line politicians and residents of the hardscrabble areas where many of the migrants live.

The measures have kept the migrants living in limbo. The overwhelming majority have not been granted asylum and they lead a tenuous existence, often at the whims of the government.

Israel doesn't hide its intentions behind the "deposit law," which according to the Interior Ministry, is meant to make Israel a less attractive option for migrants.

The law requires migrants' employers to hand over 20 percent of their salaries to the state, which says it keeps the money until the migrants leave, at which point they can reclaim the cash.

Unlike a tax, the withholding doesn't grant the migrants any additional social services, to which their access is already limited. Employers are also tasked with storing an additional 16 percent of migrant's salaries toward a pension fund, making this social benefit inaccessible until asylum seekers choose to leave Israel.

Employers who hire migrants must also pay an additional tax, implemented to encourage employment of Israeli citizens over foreigners, which makes finding work an even greater challenge for the migrants.

While Israel doesn't shy away from the law's goals, a spokeswoman suggested the money serves as a savings account for migrants choosing to leave Israel.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Haddad said the savings provide "a proper starting point for the beginning of the migrants' new lives outside of Israel."

She said the state is currently holding nearly $40 million in the "deposit accounts" of more than 13,000 migrants. Of the thousands who have left Israel voluntarily, 400 have withdrawn their money, she said.

However, the law is being challenged in the country's Supreme Court, and many migrants view it as another attempt by the Israeli government to compel them to leave the country voluntarily. Under international law, Israel cannot legally deport asylum seekers.

"Always we are living under threat and uncertainty," said Ghebrehiwot Tekle, an Eritrean who has lived in Israel since 2006 and works as a translator for an aid group. "Every year there will be a new law that can make our life hard."

A year after the law's implementation, the 20 percent salary reduction has been deeply felt by Tel Aviv's community of asylum seekers.

According to accounts from various advocacy groups and asylum seekers, the impact ranges from people switching to black market jobs that pay them in cash to more women entering prostitution.

Advertisement

Families are also being forced to move into smaller apartments, choosing to place their children with uncertified, often unsafe baby-sitters, and giving up on paying for their children's health insurance.

ASSAF, an Israeli aid group for migrants, has tracked the law's effects since it was enacted. It said that requests to the group for food assistance by migrants have increased by a third over the past year. Inquiries regarding job loss increased by more than half and there was a more than 80 percent increase in migrants registering concern over homelessness.

"They used to be poor before as well. Now they are more poor," said Sigal Rozen, public policy director of the Israeli aid organization Hotline for Refugees and Migrants.

Willedo, the Eritrean migrant in Israel since 2010, said her family has tried to reduce their cost of living because of the deposit law, but it's difficult given that most of their income is dedicated to paying rent. Instead, Willedo said they try to make up the difference by skimping on many of her children's expenses, such as health insurance, diapers and formula.

For some migrants, even the inhospitable measures are not enough to convince them to leave Israel. Tekle, the translator, believes his fate could be much worse if he were to leave and pursue the same perilous journey other migrants have taken to Europe.

"There is no better situation," he said. AP

How prepared is the EU for a future surge in migrant arrivals?

How are migration routes in Europe changing?

The Balkan route

In the first six months of 2018, more than 8,000 migrants came to the small Balkan state of Bosnia-Herzegovina, 20 times more than those arriving the previous year. Thousands are now sleeping rough in towns near the border, in the hope of crossing into the European Union via member state Croatia. 

The surge is explained by an increase in arrivals over land and sea, via Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean. Numbers are still much lower than three years ago, before the EU signed a deal with Turkey in 2016 that sharply restricted migrant crossings, but are increasing again. 

The Italian route

Italy’s far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has made clear that migrants are not welcome in his country, but migrant numbers were falling long before his League party came to power in coalition with the Five Star Movement. Deals struck by the previous centre-left Italian government with Libyan authorities led to a sharp decline in smuggler boats. 

So far in 2018, 19,231 migrants have arrived in Italy via the Mediterranean, an 80% reduction on the same period in 2017. But people are more likely to die attempting the crossing. NGOs say some ships encountering migrant boats have ignored their plight.

The Spanish route

Narrowing options to reach Italy have led some migrants to try Spain. More than 25,100 people have arrived in Spain via the Mediterranean so far this year, almost three times as many as the whole of 2016. In June – the month when Spain’s government allowed the Aquarius rescue ship to dock in Valencia, after it was turned away by Italy – a record 7,300 people arrived over land and sea. This included 2,900 people who arrived via the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in north Africa. Guinea, Syria and Ivory Coast are the three main countries of origin for migrants arriving in Spain.

How many migrants are coming to Europe? 

Advertisement Migrant numbers continue their downward trend from the peak of the political crisis in 2015-16. According to the latest data from the International Organisation for Migration, 61,517 people have travelled across the Mediterranean this year, almost half the number that made the crossing during the same period in 2017. This figure, in turn, is sharply down on the 2015 peak when more than 1 million people crossed into Europe by land and sea – the largest flow of people since the end of the second world war.

What has been Europe’s response?

Europe might not be facing a crisis of numbers, but countries are still grappling with the political and practical fallout of managing 2015-16’s record arrivals. Fear of migrants has been exploited by nationalist and far-right parties in Germany, Italy, Austria and Hungary. EU leaders remain divided over the best response. 

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, wants common EU policies to protect Europe’s 26-country border-free travel zone. But she is facing opposition from Salvini, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and her Bavarian sister party, who favour unilateral action, often closing borders and ports.

What happens next?

While the EU searches for a common approach, questions remain about how prepared it is for a future surge in arrivals. Will the EU-Turkey deal survive? What happens to the clampdown on people traffickers across the central Mediterranean if there is another power shift in Libya? Will Spain continue to be one of the most welcoming countries in Europe?

These questions will be put to the test in the coming years. Almost 1 million asylum seekers could be coming to Europe by 2100 as a result of climate change, three times as many as the average in 2000-2014. Whether driven by climate change, economic development in poorer countries or Africa’s population boom, experts are convinced that migration is here to stay.  - The Guardian 

Container falls off truck, crushes 2 to death in Ogun

A 40-foot container truck fell on Wednesday and crushed two unidentified men in Mowe, close to a car park of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

According to eyewitnesses, the crash, which occurred around 1.30pm, was caused by overspeeding and loss of control on the part of the truck driver.

He said there were four male passengers in the truck, including the driver, when the incident happened.

NAN gathered that Police officers immediately intervened to prevent the occupants of the truck from being lynched by a mob.

The truck, an IVECO model articulated vehicle, was marked Lagos APP 109 XQ.

Confirming the incident, Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, the Public Relations Officer of the Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the driver was in police custody.

“The truck lost control and fell on the commercial motorcyclist and the passenger he was carrying, killing both men on the spot.

“Their bodies have been deposited at Fakoya Morgue in Sagamu while the crushed motorcycle, truck and driver are in the custody of the RCCG Police Command.

“TRACE is again using this opportunity to plead with drivers of articulated vehicles to avoid excessive speeding.

“They should always carry out proper maintenance on their vehicles before embarking on any journey because of the attendant consequences,” he said. -Daily Posi

Polytechnic lecturer remanded for alleged rape

A Senior Lecturer at the Department of Catering and Hotel Management in Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, Andrew Ogbuja, has been arraigned at the Upper Area Court I in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, for alleged criminal conspiracy and rape of a 13-year-old housemaid, Elizabeth Ochanya Ogbaje.

The court remanded the 51-year-old lecturer in prison custody.

The accused allegedly had carnal knowledge of the girl while she lived in his house.

The prosecution told the court that at noon on August 8, the body of women lawyers (FIDA) in Benue State, in company of the girl’s mother, Mrs Rose Abah of Ogene Amadu Edumoga, reported the matter to the police.

The First Information Report (FIR) indicated that Mrs Abah told the police that sometime in February, when Elizabeth was sick and admitted at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Makurdi, she told her that when she was staying with her cousin, Felicia Ogbuja, between 2013 and 2015, the son of her cousin, Victor Ogbuja, had canal knowledge of her.

The court also heard that the husband to her cousin, Andrew Ogbuja, also had canal knowledge of the teenager.

It was learnt that during police investigation, Andrew was arrested for committing the offence while his son, Victor, fled the area.

But the accused, who was arrested last Friday, pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy. - The Nation

The Return Of Do or Die !!! Osun guber: PDP gives marching order to presidential aspirants, governors

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has directed all its presidential aspirants to mobilise and “move all their political machinery into Osun State,” ahead of the upcoming governorship election in the state.

PDP also directed state governors and state Chairmen on its platform to get ready to move into the state and provide “all support necessary and germane in all the nooks and crannies of Osun State in the forthcoming election.”

This was contained in a statement issued by PDP’s spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday.

According to the statement, “We direct all state governors, officials at state and zonal chapters, national and state assembly members and all other elected leaders at all levels to get ready to move into Osun state and provide all support necessary and germane in all the nooks and crannies of Osun state in the forthcoming election.

“We direct all its presidential aspirants to move all their political machinery into Osun State within this period, as well as get prepared to physically participate in the election process.

“Our insistence as a party is for a level playing ground, a free, fair and credible electoral process, where all votes will count just as our party provided for General Buhari in 2015, that enabled him to be elected as president.

“However, we will not accept our respect for democratic tenets to be taken as a mark of cowardice or weakness.

“Finally, the PDP raises this as a wake-up call to all lovers of democracy across our nation to rise in this spirit to safeguard our democracy from all anti-democratic and oppressive forces represented by the APC and the Buhari Presidency.” - Daily Post

Electricity workers threaten nationwide power blackout

Electricity workers in the country have called for the dismissal of Usman Muhammed, managing director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

The workers, under the umbrella of Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), accused Muhammed of highhandedness and anti-labour activities.

They made the call in a protest on Tuesday in Abuja, saying they will ground the country’s entire power structure if their demands are not met.

Umar Abubakar, SSAEAC general secretary, said Mohammed flouted administrative procedures, which he described as unfavourable to their welfare.

The workers also accused the TCN MD of single-handedly conducting examinations for staff due for promotion without consulting other management staff.

He was also said to have refused to remit appropriate taxes to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

In a letter stating their grievances, the workers said Mohammed cornered funds the World Bank provided for projects in the power sector.

“Our grievances stem from the fact that the MD on his own handled the promotion exercise and started to conduct it in his own way through the aid of consultants that to us is not the ideal process,” he said.

“The motive is that he is not prepared to promote any staff, especially those who are due and most qualified for promotion.

”He probably wants to pick people, who are his boys and loyal to him, that is our suspicion.

“We have it on good authority that there were some container loads of equipment that were cleared from the ports but was not taken to the store, this again is not the proper thing to do for accountability.

“His own style of leadership is management of dishing out orders; if he is not around, nothing takes place.

”What then are the functions of the executive directors or general managers?

“To cap it all and to prove his incompetence, the FIRS has sealed off our office over tax default.

”How can a responsible MD claim to be in charge and this is happening?” - Cable Nigeria