TERRIBLE !! Food poisoning wipes out family of five, one other in Lagos

Tragedy struck at Olowora area of Mafoluku-Oshodi, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Wednesday as a family of five and one other person died of suspected food poisoning.

The father, pregnant mother and three children and one other person were said to have died in their apartment at Olowora Street, Mafoluku after vomiting blood.

It was gathered that the food they consumed was poisonous.

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Bala Elkana told PM News that the police could not confirm whether they died of food poisoning or not, but confirmed that six people died.

He said a family of five died while another person who visited them also died, saying that one of the children of the deceased survived and is receiving treatment in the hospital.

Elkana said while the police would not conclude that it was food poisoning, two other people who ate the same rice were hail and hearty.

He, however, said when the police opened the pot, they perceived an odour which smelt like sniper, which the family might have used overnight to kill insect.

Elkana said until an autopsy was conducted, one could not say it was food poisoning or not.

Also, Director General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu said the surviving member of the family was receiving attention at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, adding that the deceased had been deposited at the mortuary, awaiting autopsy.

He also said that he could not conclude that they victims died of food poisoning until after the autopsy had been conducted and the results released.

 - PM NEWS

‘2.2m children and teachers’ in north-east need emergency education support

Save the Children, an international humanitarian agency, says at least 2.2 million children in the north-east are in need of immediate education in emergency support.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Florence Otedola (better known as DJ Cuppy), the agency’s global ambassador, said at least 800 schools in the region are not functional.

Children are among the worst hit in the Boko Haram insurgency which has been rocking the north-east for a decade.

Over two million people are said to have been displaced in the conflict, out of which about one million are children “who do not know their parents”.

According to Otedola, Nigerian children face daily threats of being killed, abducted, recruited by armed groups or falling victims to sexual violence.

She said the agency’s statistics show there is one out of five children living in areas affected by armed conflict in the north-east.

“Children’s education is under attack and the time is now to change that,” she said.

Otedola lamented childhoods “that come to an early end, significantly because of ill-health, malnutrition, exclusion from education, child marriage, early pregnancy and violent death”.

“Over 800 schools, particularly in Borno state, are still not functional mainly due to inaccessibility as as a result of insecurity. These children’s education cannot wait,” she added.

“A conducive environment should be created for children to learn, be protected and grow up healthy.
 This can be a reality when proper strategies are in place and adequately funded.”

- THECABLE

Stop open defecation, Adamu begs Nigerians

Mr Sulieman Adamu, the Minister for Water Resources has urged Nigerians to take the issues of open defecation seriously as it concerns everyone.

Adamu made this call in Abuja on Tuesday while delivering a lecture on the theme: “Stopping open defecation’’ organised by the Faculty of Engineering, University of Abuja.

He said that in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria with the highest population has about 47 million people defecating in the open and ranks second in the world.

“It is as a result that Mr President, on Nov. 8, 2018 declared a state of emergency in the sector with emphasis that Nigeria must end open defecation by 2025.’’

He said that tackling the problem of open defecation in Nigeria “is everyone’s business and not for the government alone.’’

“We all must work together to tackle the problem.

According to him, 86 per cent of disease cases are attributed to poor environmental sanitation,’’ he said.

Mr Chidi Izuwah, the Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) called on the university authority to include a programme in the institution for students to also be enlightened on open defecation.

He identified both sanitation and structural issues as barriers to the problem, adding that with good sanitation and structure, Nigeria would eradicate the problem by 2025.

Prof. Tochukwu Ogwueleka, the Dean, Faculty of Engineering in the institution said the essence of the event was to allow for synergy between the university and the industry.

Ogwueleka said that all hands must be on deck to tackle the problem and make Nigeria open defecation free.

“We will take the message down to other communities through public campaign so that Nigeria can be clean.

- PM NEWS

How police officer was detained, sacked for asking for his salary, allowances

A Non Governmental Organization (NGO) known as ‘ Prison Inmate Development Initiative’ (PIDI-Nigeria) has condemned the dismissal, trial and imprisonment of a police officer Inspector Sunday Umaru for exposing alleged non payment of his allowances by the Nigeria Police Force during his special operations.

Executive Director of the NGO Mr Mbami Iliya Sabka who noted that the organization works towards protecting the rights of inmates made the condemnation in a press release issued to newsmen on Wednesday in Bauchi.

He said they received petition from the ex-police officer who alleged that on 13th June, 2019, he was moved to Dapchi local government area of Yobe state to protect lives and properties of the citizens but he and his team allegedly spent three months without receiving a single monthly allowance and other incentives as proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He added that the complainant told the NGO that their counterparts in the army working in the same camp had all their needs catered such that every two weeks, they are supplied with enough food items, N15, 000 for each at hand and N30, 000 in their bank accounts.

” But the case was completely opposite with the Nigeria police sent there to work. This situation became much unbearable with them who rather became dependent on the soldiers in the camp and resorted to begging for ordinary bread and water just to keep their bodies and souls together”.

” In my meeting with the said Sunday Umaru on the 2nd September 2019 at the Potiskum Correctional Facility (Prison), he stated that he is an Inspector attached with Mobile Police (MOPOL 8) at Jos, Plateau State under the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) with Force No: 210138.”

Sabka explained that the ex-police officer having allegedly fed up with their situation made a post on Facebook in that regard adding that he was subsequently detained and dismissed from the force.

” That on the 22nd of August, he was taken back to Damaturu, Yobe state and locked at CIID for five days without food before he was arraigned via F.I.R on the 28th August, 2019 before the chief magistrate court III, Damaturu by one sergeant Hayatu Musa alleging that he has committed offence contrary to section 397, 399, 392 and 114 of the penal code”.

” However, it is our submission that PIDI-Nigeria totally condemns the trial, dismissal and imprisonment of the Whistle Blower Inspector Sunday Umaru of the Nigeria Police Force and call on all institutions, organizations and individuals to jointly and severally condemn same and take necessary measure to see that the said Inspector Sunday Umaru is re-instated and compensated accordingly within the shortest possible time”. The statement reads.

- DAILY POST

Lagos set to re-introduce monthly Environmental Sanitation

Lagos State Government is set to re-introduced the monthly Environmental Sanitation as an enabling law to back up the implementation is on the way.

Commissioner for The Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello during a stakeholders’ meeting with Association of Commodity Market Women and Men led by the Iyaloja General of Nigeria, Chief Mrs Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, said the invalidation of the exercise by a court sometimes ago was a temporary setback which would be reversed very soon.

He said the meeting which also had the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Ronke Odeneye and Managing Director of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegeshin in attendance was convened to seek the buy-in of market leaders, women and men on the government’s zero tolerance for indiscriminate dumping of waste.

He told markets in the state who had not engaged the service of PSP waste operators to link up with the State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and do so immediately and ensure that no form of waste was taken to the roads henceforth.

Bello stated that in conjunction with the appointed PSP waste operators, a point within the market must be identified where all the waste generated should be gathered before being carted away by the PSP operator.

The commissioner assured the market leaders that the State would not hesitate to sanction PSP operators that failed to perform their duties appropriately.

He said the government would have no option but to shut any market that proved recalcitrant and still harboured refuse or dump same on the roads.

Bello said as a form of motivation, competitions would be re-introduced to recognise and reward markets adjudged as the cleanest.

In her response, the President ACWAM, Tinubu-Ojo said that she would ensure that market sanitation became a daily task that all market leaders would adopt.

She assured that the association was ready to cooperate with the state government to adopt all methods proposed by the government to ensure cleanliness in all markets and it’s environs.

-PM NEWS

PL: Keown predicts player that will emerge highest goal scorer

Former Arsenal defender, Martin Keown, has tipped Liverpool winger, Mohamed Salah, to win the Premier League’s Golden Boot this season.

The 27-year-old, who has scored 57 league goals since joining from Roma in 2017, won the award during his first season at Anfield.

Salah claimed the Golden Boot again last year, but was forced to share it alongside Reds team-mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, after all three players finished with 22 goals.

The Egyptian has already scored three goals this season and Keown, who is expecting Liverpool to win the title, has backed him to outscore Mane come the end the season.

“If Liverpool are going to be champions, it has to be Mohamed Salah.

“He will pip Sadio Mane this season, and I’m sure Klopp won’t have let those two leave Turf Moor on Saturday without dealing with their squabble.

“Salah went through a spell where he struggled to score last season, but I see more in his play this year than I have before,” Keown wrote in the Daily Mail.

- DAILY POST

Nigeria pulls out of World Economic Forum in S’Africa, ‘to recall’ high commissioner

Nigeria has pulled out of the ongoing World Economic Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, over fresh xenophobic attacks.

The country is also making plans to recall Kabiru Bala, its high commissioner to South Africa, according to a presidential source.

The source said the decisions were taken at a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and  Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, at the presidential villa in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Osinbajo was to represent Nigeria at the three-day forum ending on Friday.

In its initial response to the fresh attacks, the federal government had summoned Bobby Monroe, South Africa’s high commissioner to Nigeria.

Buhari also dispatched a special envoy to convey to President Cyril Ramaphosa, his concerns on the attacks.

Nigeria has also demanded full compensation for its citizens involved in the latest attacks.

“In the first place, we must address the issue of compensation. There has to be accountability and there has to be responsibility for compensating all those Nigerians that have suffered loss and we are going to absolutely push forward,” Onyeama had told Moroe at at a joint news briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.

TheCable had reported that Buhari was contemplating turning down the invitation of his South African counterpart over the violence against Nigerians in South Africa.

Ramaphosa had invited the Nigerian leader to his country on October 3 for discussions on strengthening the unity between both countries.

When both men met on the sidelines of the seventh Tokyo International Conference for Africa Development (TICAD7) in Yokohama, Japan, last week, they pledged commitment to the meeting which is now less likely to hold.

The latest incident in South Africa has sparked a nationwide outrage, with mobs invading MTN, Shoprite, PEP Stores and other South Africa-owned businesses across the country.

In Ibadan, Oyo state capital aggrieved individuals set MTN office on fire. The offices of the telecommunications giant were also attacked in Abuja and Akwa Ibom.

In Lagos, suspected hoodlums broke into a Shoprite outlet in Ajah, carting away items such as grocery, electronics and bicycles.

One person was killed while a police van was set on fire during an outbreak of violence at a Shoprite outlet on Lekki-Epe expressway.

A store belonging to PEP was also looted in the Surulere area of Lagos state.

Security have been beefed up in branches of Standard Chartered Bank, another South African business operating in Nigeria.

- THECABLE

Xenophobic attacks: ‘We are hurting ourselves’ – Falz condemns attacks on MTN, Shoprite, others by Nigerians

Popular Nigerian rapper, Folarin Falana, popularly known, as Falz has called on Nigerians to stop further attacks of South African business located in Nigeria.

The singer also called on Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to provide solution to xenophobic attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa.

Falz said this while reacting to a statement by Osinbajo on his Twitter page condemning the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.

Osinbajo had on Tuesday condemned the xenophobic attacks describing it as unfortunate.

But, Falz responding to his comment on Twitter, asked Osinbajo to reveal actions being taken by the Nigerian government.

He wrote: “We all know what it is, What is being done about it?

The rapper further called on Nigerians to stop violent attacks on businesses in Nigeria.

According to him, violence will not solve the problem but rather heightens it.

“This a very difficult time for everyone but violence is never the answer.

“Attacking people or vandalizing businesses in Nigeria will not solve the problem, but will rather make things worse.

“We are hurting our own selves! Please,” Falz added.

DAILY POST had reported that some angry Nigerians on Tuesday invaded an outlet of Shoprite along Lekki-Epe expressway in Lagos State.

The youths, who were reacting to the renewed xenophobic attacks on Nigerians residing in South Africa, were seen chanting violent songs during the attack.

Men of the Nigeria Police Force, however, prevented the youths from breaking into the mall of South Africa-owned Shoprite.

- DAILY POST

Xenophobia: MTN closes shops in Nigeria

Telecommunications giant, MTN, has announced the closure of all its shops in Nigeria.

This may not be unconnected with the threat by some Nigerians to retaliate the Xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

There have been attacks on Nigerians and their businesses in South Africa, an action which the Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama said the South African government was not doing enough to quell.

The attacks by South Africans also led to an attempt by some Nigerians to raze some South Africa-owned companies in Nigeria, including MTN, Dstv, and Shoprite.

In a message to its subscribers on Wednesday, MTN Nigeria announced the closure of its shops and the operation of only its online platforms. ”Yello! Our shops are unavailable today. You can reach us on Twitter- @MTN180, MTNonline.com/Livechat, chat on MyMTN App. For Call Center dial 180.

- DAILY POST