Hopeless country ! Wicked rulers !! ASUU raises alarm over FG’s plan to increase federal universities’ fees

The Zonal coordinator of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ibadan Zone, Dr. Ade Adejumo, on Tuesday raised alarm over plans by the Federal Government to increase federal universities’ tuition fees.

Adejumo said this while addressing members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ in Ibadan.

Adejumo disclosed that the leader of the government team was bent on introduction of the increased N350,000 fees.

He called on ASUU to let Nigerian know that there could be labour crisis in federal universities, if the plans is executed.

He said, “The union is again constrained to draw the attention of Nigerian public to an impending labour crisis in the Nigerian universities as a result of the insensitivity of the Nigerian government to issues critical to the survival of the educational system in Nigeria.

“It is no longer news that the renegotiation, which Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, promised was going to last for only six weeks, has broken down.

“The union was confronted with a situation where government is bent on imposing tuition fees, beginning from N350,000, on students in the Nigerian public owned tertiary institutions.

“As to how the students will raise such money, we were told that the government will establish Education Bank, where students will access credit facilities and pay back on completion of their studies.

“The union, speaking from the background that education is the right and not privilege of every Nigerian child, made frantic efforts to make pragmatic explanations on the negative implications and the non-feasibility of this scheme to representatives of government to no avail.“ - Daily Pot

Fertility experts advise Nigerian women to start childbirth before 30

National and international experts on fertility issues have advised African women, especially Nigerians, to begin childbirth at an early stage in life.

They gave the advice during the eighth annual international conference of the Association of Fertility and Reproductive Health (AFRH) which held in Lagos.

Answering questions from journalists, Steward Disu, consultant gynaecologist based in London, says it is advisable for women to have their children before the age of 30, which he says is when fibroid typically sets in.

Asked why fibroids and other infertility issues are more prevalent in African women, Disu said: “We know that it is genetic, we know that west African women, Nigerians, Ghanaians, three out of four of them have fibroids compared to Caucasian women,  one out of four women have fibroid.

“And that is the genetic component that Africans have more than the Caucasians. Two, fibroids grow maximally between 30-40 years old. And most of us, with the current socio-economic reality don’t start having children, the women having their children later after they have gotten a decent job, by that time, fibroid to will show itself.

“We know that in the west part of Nigeria, Ijesha yam is responsible for twins. One of the factors, apart from genetics, is that the nature of the estrogen in the yam is thought to be responsible or supportive of having twins.

“If you use that ideology, then fibroids are probably more common in women that have been exposed to this yam tuber from the age of 9 to the age of forty. It doesn’t mean that every woman that eat yams have fibroids.”

Also speaking, Joyce Harper, an IVF and reproductive genetics specialist, also advised women not to wait too long before seeking help.

She, however, called for steps to reduce the cost of treatment, which she says discourages many people from attempting ART treatment.

“I have had three IVF children and I am not worried about it. We certainly need to follow up with the children. There is no option, if you don’t go through this treatment, the option is no children,”  Harper said.

“The best thing is to start trying younger, to not leave it till you grow older cos in the female, it just gets worse. They need to try it sooner. The definition of infertility is trying for one year. One of my best friends have tried 11 times and was not successful.

“A lot of women come when they are 40 and their eggs are just finished. They are not gonna get pregnant cos their eggs are bad.

“My concern is that because a lot of the clinics are private, they have made it very expensive, and who suffers? The patient, because the patient has to pay. So, I have an issue with that.” - TheCable

Is he normal ? Femi Adesina: Nigeria’s poor rating on corruption is a low mark for citizens – not government

Femi Adesina, spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari, says Nigerians share in the blame of the country’s bad ranking in Transparency International’s  (TI) corruption perception index (CPI).

In 2017, Nigeria dropped from 136 in 2016 to 148 on the index of TI.

The ranking was seen as a blow to the current administration which claims to have the fight against corruption as one of its core mandates.

But speaking during a Channels Television’s programme on Monday, Adesina said the ranking is about Nigerians and not the federal government.

“My position is that that ranking is not strictly about government, it is about Nigeria and her people. Some people want to make it seem as if it is a vote of no confidence in government or a lower mark for government, I don’t agree,” he said.

“I think it is a lower mark for the people, because the people constitute the country. And I think if things do not seem to have worked as they should work, the people also have part of the brunt; they have part of the blame to bear.”

He also chided TI for the ranking, saying the country does not need it to verify whatever effort the current administration is making in anti-graft war.

“As much as I respect Transparency International, I don’t think we necessarily need them to authenticate what is going on in the country because we Nigerians know that there is a war against corruption ongoing and that war is succeeding. There are strides being taken. We may not be there yet but we are on our way there,” he said.

“So, let no agency from any part of the world come to think that whatever it says is the gospel to us. It can help, it can inform what is happening but it s not something that will be a milestone round the neck of government.” - TheCable

Strange Land ! Thunder kills 23 cows in Ekiti

No fewer than 23 cows have been killed by thunder in Ekiti State.

NAN reports that the incident, which occurred at Okeowa Eluju, a farmstead in Iloro-Ekiti, Ijero Local Government Area of the state, has caused apprehension among local residents.

While confirming the incident, a Fulani herder and owner of the dead cows, Abdulkadri Kadiri, said he was devastated by the development.

“I went to farm after about six hours heavy downpour on Monday morning, only to discover that 23 of my cows had died.

”After careful observation, I found that there was no trace of bodily injuries on the dead cows. I want to believe it is an act of God since I did not offend or quarrel with anyone,” he said.

Kadiri, however, said he had not experienced such incident in his 35 years of of business.

The Regent of the community, High Chief Joseph Alofe, who also confirmed the incident, described the victim as a gentle and peace loving herder.

The community leader, who also described the incident as strange to the village, called on government and well meaning individuals to assist the herder, to revive his business. - Daily Post

Nigeria at 58: Yoruba Youth Council calls for disintegration

The youth arm of the Pan-Yoruba social-political group, Afeniferere, Yoruba Youths Council, YYC, Ondo State chapter has called for the disintegration of Nigeria.

The group in a statement made available to DAILY POST stressed that most Nigerian youths no longer believed in the Nigeria project.

In the statement signed by the Chairman of the group, Pastor Benson Akinwunmi to commemorate the nation’s 2018 Independence Day celebration, the group stated that the dwindling patriotism among most youths in the country left the continuous existence of the nation as one entity to question.

Akinwunmi also alleged that the current quagmire which the country was witnessing was largely due to the crop of leaders that had continued to handle her affairs.

He said “the Nigerian project is a failed one, it’s been bad but now it is worse and we don’t believe in the actualisation anymore.

“Many nations of the world are faced with different challenges which confronts them daily, ranging from natural disaster, declines in economy development, disease epidemic and many more in which we see them thriving, surviving and gradually coming out of such problem until they are totally free.

“You see a nation being divided along ethnics and religious line; a nation where a particular tribe is the colonists and some are the colonized; where the system of government is based on deception and corruption; where the personal or selfish interest of some few individuals supersede the interest of the poor masses who are the majority; where the lives of a cow is worth more than hundreds of human lives; where innocent children are burned and massacre in cold blood and nobody is being apprehended for it; where there’s no respect for the rule of law; where democracy is no longer a government of the people by the people and for the people, but people of the government, by the government and for the government; where the voice and votes of the people no longer counts; where the economy is deteriorating by hour; where the health and education system is designed to only favour the rich while the poor are being marginalised, deprived and gradually being fizzled out.

“What more can we say about this nation? We thought the colonial masters were not doing us any good but now many of our youths are now the one running to them willingly as sex slaves and whores.

“Our mental faculty is being made weak and weaker everyday through poverty, hardships and anxiety, and that’s why you see in an election where lives and properties were lost and yet the people who are being cheated said its free and fair because they were able to lay hold on some thousands of naira which they hope would cater for there immediate problems.

“We have believed so much in our leaders and they have failed us woefully, we have come to the realization that none of them has the interest of the majority whom they represent at heart.

“This is the state of our nation as at this first day of October 2018.

“We can no longer continue with this crop of leadership which lacks vision for the youths and the country at large.”

The group which vow to tow the path of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in advocating for the division of the country, called on the international community to help facilitate the process.

“We thereby call on the international communities to come to our rescue as we join our IPOB counterpart in echoing the demands of our fathers to question the continuous existence of Nigeria as one nation.

“We demand the division of Nigeria and hence the secession of interested ethnic group or part of the country.

“We have been pushed beyond walls and hence revolt is inevitable when the time shall come.

“We join our regrets with all other youths and especially the Yoruba youths across the nations of the earth as we mark Nigeria’s 58th independent but dependent anniversary,” he concluded. - Daily Post

Shocking !! Saheed Balogun allegedly stabs woman while bathing

A 32-year-old unemployed man, Saheed Balogun, who allegedly stabbed a woman with knife over water, was on Tuesday brought before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.

Balogun, who resides at Moshalasi, Alagbado, a Lagos suburb, is facing a three-count charge of breach of peace, assault and grievous harm.

The accused, according to Police Prosecutor Godwin Awase, committed the offences on Sept. 17 at his residence.

Awase said the accused conducted himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace by stabbing his neighbour, Mrs Bisi Oladele, with knife.

“The accused assaulted the complainant and inflicted severe injuries on her body.”

Awase said the complainant got a tipoff from her neighbours that they saw the accused stealing water from her tank.

“The complainant, who discovered that the water in her tank had drastically reduced, approached the accused, warned him not to steal her water again.

“The accused entered his room, brought out a knife and entered the bathroom where the complainant was having her bath and stabbed her on her hand and chest for being rude.

“The complainant was immediately taken to the hospital while the accused was arrested,” the prosecutor said.

The offences violated Sections 168, 173 and 245 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Section 173 stipulates three years jail term for assault while Section 245 prescribes seven years for grievous harm.

The accused, however, denied the charges.

The Magistrate, Mrs F.F. George, granted the accused N200,000 bail with two sureties who should be gainfully employed with an evidence of two years tax payment.

The case was adjourned until Oct. 16 for mention. - PM News

MTN ‘exploring other options’ in place of NSE listing

MTN Nigeria is exploring ways of getting the public to trade its shares without listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) via the initial public offering (IPO).

Ralph Mupita, MTN’s chief financial officer, said the company will not get a fair price for its shares under the current market conditions.

MTN recently had a dispute with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over an alleged repatriation of $8.1 billion using irregular certificates of importation.

“The IPO type of listing has become challenging under current market conditions,” he told Bloomberg.

“We are exploring other options. The Nigerian business would not get fair value under current market conditions.”

He said a listing by introduction is the simplest way forward but the company’s board will make the final decision.

According to Mupita, the company is still committed to a listing despite the tussle.

“We have sought legal protection for our Nigerian business and a judge has been appointed for upcoming hearings,” Mupita said.

In a recent statement by Isaac Okorafor, CBN’s spokesman, the apex bank said it is reviewing the sanctions based on new information provided by MTN and the four banks.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has already given the company a May 2019 deadline to complete the listing. - TheCable

Islamic cleric remanded over alleged N17m fraud

A fake cleric, Mohammed Mohammed, 42, was on Tuesday arraigned before an Ilorin Magistrate Court, Kwara for allegedly defrauding one Abdulkareem Abiodun of N17 million under false pretext.

The accused was arrested following a petition written on Sept. 5, to the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command, by Abiodun of No. 78, Salami Zubairu Street, Ilorin that the accused defrauded him.

According to the victim, the accused deceitfully introduced himself as an Alfa and also claimed that he has a connection with Saudi Arabian Government Pilgrimage.

The victim alleged that the accused told him that he won a contract with the department in charge of displaced people in the Northern part of Nigeria and needed money to execute it.

Thereafter, the accused was said to have dishonestly collected N17 million from the victim under the pretext of making him his business associate.

The Prosecutor, Insp. Alhassan Jubril said that the accused was one of the notorious criminals who went around the state and swindled unsuspecting citizens of their hard earned money.

He added that on hearing the arrest of the accused, others whom he had duped earlier came to the police station to report similar cases against him.

Jubril said that the accused appeared before the court on a one-count charge of obtaining money under false pretence contrary to Section 1(3) of the a Penal Code.

He objected to the bail of the accused and urged the court to remand him in prison custody pending the outcome of investigation.

The defence counsel, Mrs. Aisha Jimoh prayed the court to admit the accused to bail pending the outcome of investigation.

She submitted that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria still presumed the accused innocent of the allegation until contrary was proved.

The Judge, Mrs. Afusat Alege, who declined to take the plea of the accused for lack of jurisdiction, ordered that the accused be remanded at the Federal Medium Security Prison, Mandala in Ilorin.

The court adjourned the case till October 8 for further mention. - PM News

APC NWC nullifies Lagos governorship primary election

The National Working Committee, NWC,  of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has nullified the governorship primary election held in Lagos on Tuesday.

In fact, the Committee said there was no election as the due process was not followed and that it was now ready to conduct the poll. - PM News 

Indonesia tsunami death toll rises to 1,234

The confirmed death toll from an earthquake and tsunami on Indonesia's Sulawesi island has risen to 1,234, from 844, the national disaster mitigation agency said on Tuesday. 

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Friday triggered tsunami waves as high as six metres (20 feet), which swept ashore at the small city of Palu, on the west coast of Sulawesi.

Rescuers have yet to reach many affected areas leading to fears the death toll could rise again.

The quake hit about 250 km (155 miles) southwest of Ende on Flores

Indonesia has said it would accept offers of international aid, having shunned outside help earlier this year when an earthquake struck the island of Lombok.

The number of confirmed deaths stood at 844 on Tuesday, most of them in Palu, the main city in the disaster zone, where rescuers were hunting for victims in the ruins.

"We suspect there are still some survivors trapped inside," the head of on rescue team, Agus Haryono, told Reuters at the collapsed seven-storey Hotel Roa Roa.

About 50 people were believed to have been trapped when the hotel was brought down by the 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Friday.

The quake triggered tsunami waves as high as six metres (20 feet) that smashed into the city's beachfront, about 2 km from the hotel.

About 12 people have been recovered from the ruins of the hotel, three of them alive.

A mass burial of victims began on the weekend as a 100m long grave was dug for more than a thousand victims.

The burial saw teams of workers, faces covered by masks, laying 18 body bags in a trench, according to reports.

In the hills over Palu, volunteers have dug a 100m long grave, preparing to lay 1,300 victims to rest, the Guardian reported. -  UK Mirror

Fire guts seven vehicles along Lagos-Badagry expressway

A petrol tanker on Tuesday morning spilled its content along the Lagos-Badagry road, causing a fire outbreak which consumed seven vehicles.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inferno, which began at about 5.00 a. m, destroyed the contents of a Mack trailer conveying crates of drinks from Intercontinental Breweries.

The fire gutted a stationed wagon Peugeot car, one Space bus, a Toyota Hummer jeep, a Mazda bus, a container conveying food products from Delta and an empty Mack trailer.

Mr Ja’faru Anka, a Senior Marshall Inspector of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), told NAN that he arrived at the scene few minutes after the fire started.

He said that seven vehicles were gutted by the fire, but no life was lost.

“I arrived at the scene few minutes after 5.o0 a.m. and as you can see, I am working with my team to clear up terrific traffic build up.

An Army officer at the Ojo Barracks, who preferred to be anonymous, also said that the fire outbreak started by 5.00 a.m, while he was preparing for duty.

He said that the attention of the fire service was drawn to the situation and that some firefighters were there but ran out of water.

He said that they were still expecting more response from the fire service. - Daily Post