Protecting your personal information on social media

Facebook’s data scandal has made some people nervous about staying on the social network.

It seems every other week there’s a new data breach, hack or security issue. It is no surprise that it makes some feel paranoid when it comes to using the Internet.

Some of Facebook’s more than two billion users may be wondering if it’s time to join the “#deletefacebook” movement.

The problem is Facebook has gotten so big, and people use it in so many parts of their lives, that it’s past that tipping point where it’s more trouble to get off it than it is to stay on it – no matter what they do.

According to a survey conducted in March by investment firm, Raymond James, only eight per cent of people said they will stop using Facebook, in light of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. Meanwhile, just 20 per cent said they would use it significantly less.

However, there are ways technology users can stay secure without completely removing themselves from the social media.  According to CNET, you can keep yourself safe while still on Facebook.

 Adjust your Facebook settings

You can limit a lot of the stuff that they share about you or that they target against you.

If you are not ready to dive into Facebook’s substantial settings menu, there is a more user-friendly guide through the more vital privacy settings. Click on the question mark symbol in the top right of any Facebook page when you’re logged in, and select Privacy Check-up, an easy-to-follow walkthrough of your current settings as they pertain to “Posts”, “Apps” and “Profile.”

(Alternately, for an even quicker speed-tune-up, you can adjust who can see your posts, send you friend requests, or block users by hitting the question mark symbol and selecting Privacy shortcuts.)

Starting with Posts, you can check your default sharing setting. We recommend the Friends setting over the Public one. When set to Public all your posts can be seen by anyone on or off Facebook. Unless you’re a celebrity or running a page that is used to generate interest in a business you run, you will likely want to keep your activity restricted to those that are your friends.

The Friend setting has a few tweaks you should be aware of as well. By clicking on the sharing setting button, then the More Options button, you will see the Custom option. Click on that and you will see that you can include all your Friends while excluding the names of certain Facebook friends you don’t want to see your updates. It is also important to note that the Friends of anyone tagged in your post or photos will be able to see that post unless you uncheck the option in this window.

If you have joined any Facebook groups or made lists of Facebook friends, you can restrict the posts that way or hide your posts from those groups and lists as well. Do you want just your college friends to see your late night party pictures? Do you want to make sure your work friends don’t see your selfie at the beach when you called in sick? This is where these restrictions could come in handy, either on a per post basis or as an overall option.

Finally, remember that you can change the sharing settings of any individual Facebook update by clicking on the sharing button to the left of the Post button. You can even go back to change settings of previous posts by clicking on the people icon at the top of the post, to the right of the date stamp.

 Limit the use of web cam

When it comes to web cams and microphones, should users be covering them up, or is that extreme?

If you have something confidential that you want to hide, you can put ‘Post it’ note on your webcam. Putting a sticker or ‘Post it’ note over a laptop’s webcam lens is one way to stop unwanted spying from potential hackers (and, perhaps, government agencies).

 Master different passwords

Although it may be  hard to remember a different password for every site that requires one, experts, however, state that using different passwords is one of the best defences you can practise. That is because once your information is hacked; a bad actor can try those same credentials on various websites, and easily get access.

Check your email with www.haveibeenpwned.com, a website that aggregates accounts that have been compromised in a data breach.

If you have trouble remembering your passwords, use  a password manager, but if you’re not comfortable keeping your information in the Cloud – try good old pen and paper.

The physical security of that piece of paper may be better than the electronic security of a notepad file on your phone, or emailing it to yourself, or reusing the password.

Presidency upbeat as Buhari meets Trump today

The Presidency was very upbeat on Sunday as President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in the United States of America ahead of his scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump.

The meeting, which is expected to centre on the fight against terrorism and economic development among others, holds today at the White House.

In an interview with journalists after arriving in Washington DC, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, noted that the relationship between the countries improved remarkably with the coming on board of Trump.

Shehu said the meeting of the two leaders was an indication that “Nigeria is a great country.”

“Buhari is the first African head of government to visit Trump’s White House and this is a pointer to two important things. One is, no matter how Nigerians take our own country, this is hugely an important country and this recognition is being manifested in this visit,” he said.

Shehu said issues affecting both countries would be discussed at the meeting with focus on security and safety, trade and investment as well as democratic development in Nigeria.

The presidential spokesman expressed delight that relationship between the two countries had improved compared to what was obtainable during the administration of former President Barack Obama.

He said, “It is important that cooperation between the two countries have manifestly increased under the Trump’s Presidency.

“If you recall sometime back, the President had reason to openly complain that we are not receiving as much as we thought we deserve in terms of support and cooperation especially in our fight against terrorism back then during the Obama period.

“And it will seem that quite dramatically and interestingly, a lot of the obstacles are being removed under the Trump’s Presidency and doors are being opened and we are receiving far more support than most people had expected.”

Some Nigerians based in the US had embarked on solidarity rally shortly after Buhari arrived the country.

Shehu described the rally as a pleasant development.

“It is a very pleasant development and this tells you that America is a totally different clime, there is a deep appreciation for the work President Buhari is doing for our country,” he said.

The Presidency had in a statement on Friday announced that the President would hold a  bilateral meeting with Trump and a working lunch today.

According to the statement, the meeting between the two leaders would discuss ways to enhance the strategic partnership between the two countries and to advance shared priorities, such as promoting economic growth, fighting terrorism and other threats to peace and security.



























































Rainbowgist

We sold our baby because she is HIV positive —Couple

From left, Nma, the auxiliary nurse and the couple, Nkemakolam and Happiness.

A couple, Mr. & Mrs. Nkemakolam Ugorji, that sold their two-month-old baby girl for N300,000 in Abia State are claiming they did so because she was HIV positive.


Though they could not back the HIV claim with a medical report as they alleged the test was carried out by an auxiliary nurse, they also said in another breath that they sold the baby due to economic hardship. The 35-year-old Nkemakolam Ugorji and his wife, Happiness, when paraded by Abia State Police Command at Police Officers’ Mess, Umuahia, revealed that they just relocated to Umuahia. Happiness’ account According to Happiness, “I and my husband decided to sell our baby because of hardship. We have four children and my husband is not working. When I was pregnant there was no money for me to go for antenatal and feeding was even a problem for us. That was why we decided to sell our baby,” a claim her husband concurred to. Happiness also said it was the auxiliary nurse who delivered her of her baby that linked them to the lady, who in turn helped them to sell the baby for N300,000. I have been jobless Ugorji, who said he was an orphan, added that he had been jobless since they relocated to his Isialangwa village from Port Harcourt.

He confirmed that he agreed with his wife to sell the baby to raise money for his family. He said: “I was riding Keke on hire purchase in Port Harcourt, but when I could not meet up with the payment, the owner collected it from me, so we relocated to my village in Isialangwa and since then I have not got any other job and I have nobody to help us because I am an orphan. “It was my village people, who informed the police that I sold my baby because I couldn’t give them a proper account of my baby when they discovered that my wife had delivered.” But the lady, who allegedly linked them to the buyer of the baby,  known as Nma, denied the allegation as she claimed she runs a registered charity home where she engages in legal adoption of babies for interested people, According to her, the Ugorjis approached her to source for foster parents for their baby.

So, she invited one pastor, who has been married for 28 years without a child, to adopt the baby and the pastor adopted the baby for N300,000. According to her, she prepared an affidavit for them to sign in court as part of legal adoption process but claimed that she was still in the process when the couple sold their baby. The Abia State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Anthony Ogbizi, who paraded them alongside other criminal suspects, lashed out at those involved in the criminal act and wondered if they have conscience. He urged people interested in adopting children in the state to follow due process, saying it is a criminal offence to buy babies.









































































































Rainbowgist

Female secondary school cultist stabs classmate in Bayelsa

A suspected female cult member, identified only as Josephine, has stabbed Miss Lillian Friday, her classmate, in the right eye for refusing to join a cult group.

The suspect and the victim are both SSS 1 pupils of Community Secondary School, Otuoke, in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

It was learnt that the incident happened in the country home of former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday.

The suspect (Josephine) was said to have been mounting pressure on Lillian to join a cult group which she persistently rejected.

The victim’s uncle, Mr. Benson Agiobu, said his niece said Josephine and her gang insisted she must join their group or they would teach her a bitter lesson she wouldn’t forget.

Agiobu said Lillian met Josephine on the way and she insisted that she must join their group.

He stated, “It was when Lillian refused again that Josephine alerted other members of group who were with her at the time. They held Lillian down while she was stabbed in the right eye with a sharp object by Josephine and they fled.’’

He said Josephine is a native of Ayakoro and Otuokpoti communities in the Ogbia council area, while his niece (the victim) is a native of Emeyal 1, in the same LGA.

It was gathered that the victim is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in the state.

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the damage done to Lillian’s right eye was such that she might need to undergo a surgery.

Speaking on the development, a human rights group on anti-cult activities in primary and secondary schools, Patriotism Advancement and Community Orientation Network, has condemned the incident.

The Convener, PACON, Aluzu Augustine, who said his group had since March 11, 2018 embarked on a campaign against cultism and drug abuse in Bayelsa, described the act as “barbaric and demonic.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for the police in the state, Bayelsa State Command, Mr. Asinim Butswat, said he had yet been properly briefed on the incident.

It will be recalled that four armed teenagers suspected to be members of a cult group in March attacked Community Secondary School in the state.

The invasion of the school took place after the state government through the ministry of education expelled seven pupils over their alleged membership of a cult group.

















































































Rainbowgist

I can be president without visiting the US —Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he can be Nigeria’s president without visiting the United States of America.

Atiku stated this on Saturday during an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation Hausa Service when he was asked how he intended to be Nigeria’s president without visiting the US.

He asked whether it was a constitutional provision that one must visit the US before becoming president.

“I can be president without going to America,” he said.

In the interview monitored by our correspondent in Kaduna, Atiku also commented on a statement credited to his former boss, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, that he (Atiku) would not be President while he was alive.

He stated that Obasanjo was not God, saying that he didn’t lose sleep when he learnt that Obasanjo made such a statement.

According to him, if it is God’s will for him to be president, nobody, not even Obasanjo, can challenge God.

The ex-VP also confirmed that he was denied a US visa when he wanted to travel to that country.

He said he was told by the US that his application for visa was denied because it was passing through administrative process.

He also spoke about a house in the US said to belong to him and auctioned by the government of that country.

Atiku said the house belonged to one of his wives, adding that, “All my wives own houses and that particular house is not mine. It belonged to one of my wives. She sold the house and was never auctioned as it was reported.”

He further spoke on the rift between him and President Muhammad Buhari, saying the President could not control happenings in the ruling All Progressives Congress.

He said that was one of the reasons he left the party and returned to his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party, where he was a founding member.

Atiku said, “After 2015 general elections, I met the President. I told him that activities of the party have been crippled and there is a need to restructure.

“Also, I advised the President on issues concerning his administration. I said to him, ‘If things continue like this, I will quit’, but Mr. Buhari turned a deaf ear and remained mum.”

On why the government was yet to defeat Boko Haram for eight years, Atiku said if he emerged as president, he would investigate the years the government used in fighting the insurgents.

He added, “If elected Nigeria’s president, I will investigate how the government was unable to defeat Boko Haram. The Federal Government ended the civil war in 30 months, but it is now eight years it can’t not defeat a group of boys who are not trained.”




















































Rainbowgist

Police arrest bandits, 1 doctor in Katsina

The Katsina State Police Command on Saturday said it had arrested a syndicate of armed robbers that specialised in kidnapping people for ransom.

Several weapons, including one AK-47 rifle with breach number 4181, were allegedly recovered from the syndicate.

A statement by the command’s spokesperson, Gambo Isah, said the suspects were arrested on April 17 in Kaliyawa-Mahuta village, Dandume Local Government Area of the state by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

The statement gave the names of the suspects as Muntari Jibrin, 25; Dabo Hassan, 60; and Abdullahi Samu, 20.

They all hail from Rugar Dabo in the Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Others are Tukur Mamman, 20 (Faskari LGA, Katsina); Babangida Saidu, 27 (Tsafe LGA, Zamfara) and Ishaka Yusuf, 20 (Sabuwa LGA, Katsina).

Items reportedly recovered included one AK-47 rifle with 19 rounds of ammunition; two locally-made rifles, four empty magazines, one set of military camouflage, one jacket containing charms and one face mask.

The police spokesperson added, “The suspects have confessed to various armed robbery/kidnapping incidents along the highways in Zaria, Kaduna State and Funtua, Sabuwa and Dandume LGAs of Katsina State.

“Investigation is underway with a view to arresting other members of the syndicate and recover more of their operational weapons. They will be charged to court immediately investigation is completed.”

In a related development, the command said it had arrested a 38-year-old man alleged to be a fake medical doctor.

In a statement, the command said, “On April 16, 2018 at about 1630hrs, based on a tip-off, the command succeeded in arresting one Joseph Umaru (male), 38, an indigene of the Ofu LGA, Kogi State, residing in Kwado Quarters, Katsina.

“The suspect has been parading himself as a medical doctor in the Kaita LGA of Katsina State, attending to patients and performing different types of medical procedures, including prescription of drugs, injections, taking of blood samples and blood transfusion.

“Nemesis caught up with him when he was arrested by the police. Seven different certificates of Colleges of Health Technology, Kankia and Funtua, suspected to be forged documents, were recovered from his house.

“Other exhibits recovered were different types of surgical equipment, drugs, several blood samples, hospital syringes and needles, and hospital receipts and prescription booklets.

“The suspect has confessed to the crime and mentioned one Rabe Lawal (male), aged 40, and one Shehu Halilu (male), aged 37, both of the Kaita LGA, Katsina State, to be his accomplices. Investigation is still ongoing.”
































































Rainbowgist

Senators call for Buhari’s impeachment over $496m Tucano aircraft purchase

Some members of the Senate have asked that the process to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari be started, for failing to get the approval for the withdrawal of $496m from the Excess Crude Account to purchase military aircraft.


Senator Mathew Uroghide, who moved a motion at the plenary on Thursday, specifically urged ‎resident of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, to allow the chamber to invoke Section 143 of the Constitution.

Uroghide stated that the President had breached Section 80 of the Constitution which stipulates that all government’s spending must be appropriated by the legislature.

Also, Senator Chukwuka Utazi stated that it was time for the legislature to be decisive.

Saraki had on Wednesday read a letter from Buhari ‎in which the President disclosed that the money had been withdrawn and paid to the United States for the 12 Super Tucano aircraft, ahead of legislative approval. This, he said, was done to beat the deadline for the arms deal.
The planes will be delivered in 2020.

The President said, “Recently, approval was granted by the United States government but with a deadline, within which part payment must be made otherwise the contract relapses. In the expectation that the National Assembly will have no objection to the purchase of these highly specialised aircraft, which is critical to national security, I granted anticipatory approval for the release of $496,374,470. This was paid directly into the treasury of the United States government.

“I am therefore writing seeking approval of the Senate for the sum of $496,374,470 (equivalent to N151,394, 421,035) to be included in the 2018 Appropriation Bill which the National Assembly is currently finalising. The balance of the requirement for critical operational equipment is still being collated from the different security services and will be presented in the form of a supplementary appropriation bill in due cause.”

Senator Shehu Sani has described the expenditure as “a gross abuse of the Constitution.”

While Sani stated that he was not in support of the impeachment call, ‎he asked that the money should be refunded and the transaction started afresh to allow due process.

Senator Abu Ibrahim, however, recalled that former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and ‎Goodluck Jonathan made withdrawals from the ECA without seeking National Assembly’s approval.

Describing the impeachment as “a PDP conspiracy,” Ibrahim challenged the opposition lawmakers to name any state governor who benefited from the withdrawals from the ECA and sought the approval of the state House of Assembly before spending the money.





















































Rainbowgist

Killings: Catholic bishops ask President Buhari to resign

Amidst growing concerns about the recent killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen in the country, including two Catholic priests and 15 other worshippers in Benue State, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign.

The CBCN urged President Buhari to stop presiding “over the killing fields and mass graveyard” that the country had allegedly become and choose the part of honour by considering “stepping aside to save the nation from total collapse.”

The CBCN made the call in a communique signed by its President, Most Rev. Augustine Akubeze, and Secretary, Most Rev. Camillus Umoh, and made available to The PUNCH on Thursday evening.

The bishops, in the communique titled, “When will this barbarism end?” condemned the increasing attacks by the suspected herdsmen, whom they said had turned the country into a massive graveyard.

They also described the killing of the priests and 15 parishioners in the Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State on Tuesday as a dastardly act that was “carefully planned.”

The communique read in part, “That our two priests, Fr. Joseph Gor and Fr. Felix Tyolaha, along with their parishioners were waylaid in the course of the celebration of the Holy Mass early in the morning, suggests very clearly that their murder was carefully planned. This wicked act  cannot be said to be a revenge attack (as is often claimed).

“Whom have these priests attacked? Indeed, we have just discovered that on January 3, this year, Fr. Gor tweeted, ‘We are living in fear. The Fulani are still around here in Mbalom (where they (priests) were killed). They refuse to go. They still go grazing around. No weapons to defend ourselves.’

“Their desperate cries for security and help went unheeded by those who should have heard them. They could have fled but, true to their vocation, they remained to continue to serve their God unto death.”

The communique continued, “We are sad. We are angry. We feel totally exposed and most vulnerable. Faced with these dark clouds of fear and anxiety, our people are daily being told by some to defend themselves.

“But defend themselves with what? The Federal Government, whose primary responsibility it is to protect lives, for its part alleges that those who ask the people to defend themselves are inciting them to take the laws into their own hands. But how can the Federal Government stand back while its security agencies deliberately turn a blind eye to the cries and waillings of helpless and harmless citizens who remain sitting ducks in their homes, farms, highway and now, even in sacred places of worship?”

The Catholic bishops lamented that in spite of several calls on the President in the last two years to reconfigure his security apparatus and strategy, “which the President has deliberately placed in the hands of the adherents of only one religion,” and the lack of confidence expressed by the CBCN in the security agencies, the bloodletting and destruction of homes and farmlands had increased “with intensity and brutality.”

They also noted that the rate of insecurity in Nigeria had become an embarrassment in the international community, as the Catholic body found it difficult to continue to give excuses about the continuous killings in the country, where “a nation’s landscape is littered with the bodies of its own citizens.

“We are sad and fear that the clock is ticking. The bomb must be defused quickly before it explodes,” the statement added.

It continued, “Since the President, who appointed the heads of the nation’s  security agencies has refused to caution them even in the face of the chaos and barbarity into which our country has been plunged, we are left with no choice but to conclude that they are acting a script that he approves of. If the President cannot keep our country safe, then he automatically loses the trust of the citizens.

“He should no longer continue to preside over the killing fields and mass graveyard that our country has become. Repeated calls from us and many other Nigerians on the President to take very drastic and urgent steps to reverse this ugly tragedy that threatens the foundation of our collective existence and unity as a nation have fallen on deaf ears.

“It is clear to the nation that he has failed in his primary duty of protecting the lives of the Nigerian citizens. Whether this failure is due to inability to perform or lack of political will, it is time for him to choose the part of honour and consider stepping aside to save the nation from total collapse.”

The bishops further advised Nigerians to be courageous and stand for their fundamental rights to life and security, even as it faulted the recent mop-up exercise by the Nigeria Police, “since those we pay to protect us have failed to do their duty.”

The statement added, “Government should encourage and empower citizens to secure themselves and their environments. This is not the time to disarm people with legally procured weapons of self defence.

“These are not normal times, since those we pay to protect us have failed to do their duty. Nigeria can return to normal times, if we put our heads together with sincerity.”

















































Rainbowgist

Melaye: IGP must appear on Wednesday – Saraki

INSPECTOR General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris who was billed to appear before the Senate yesterday to brief the lawmakers at plenary on the ordeal of Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Senator Dino Melaye, APC Kogi West, in the hands of the Police on alleged illegal possession of ammunition, shunned the upper chamber.

The IGP, who failed to appear, was said to have travelled with President Muhammadu Buhari on a visit to Bauchi State.

He was, however, re-summoned to appear next Wednesday at 11am.

Meanwhile, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said yesterday that the dignity and Integrity of the Senate must be protected, and that the IGP must appear on Wednesday at plenary.

The obviously angry Saraki said:  “Distinguished colleagues, we have taken the contributions and the general consensus is that we give a specific date,  Wednesday, May 2, 2018, for the IG of Police to appear.

‘’But as we do that, I take a cue from the comments of the leader which I have strong views on.  The dignity and integrity of our democratic authority, we must protect it and we must not allow anybody to show any disrespect or desecrate that authority.

“As I said to you the other day, and I’m sure Senator Abu Ibrahim will confirm, neither Senator Abu Ibrahim nor myself has received any response from the IG of Police in the last 48 hours.

“Sending his DIG here today is not respectful enough. He should have had the respect of this institution to reach the chairman or myself to explain.

“We have all been chief executives. If Mr President is going to Bauchi to commission a project, he is only accompanying the President. If he had said to Mr President, with the killings that are going on it is important that I go to parliament, I am very sure that Mr. President will say, IG that is more important, go to the parliament.

“This is the point we are making about those who are appointed, who are creating more problems.

“Someone said to me, if a former Minster suspended by the President breaks into the council chambers at the Villa and does some kind of mischief, will the IG of Police not feel he need to report to the President on what actions had been taken?”

“This cannot be the kind of democratic setting we expect. As you have rightly said, we must ensure that things are done properly. We give him until  Wednesday,  11am to come here to explain to us what is happening in this country regarding these killings, what do we need to do collectively to bring an end to this killings; what challenges are there; and why are we having these issues?

“I don’t think there is anything more important today than these issues. So let us wait till when he comes on Wednesday to address that so that we can find a way forward on this matter.”

Earlier, senators who spoke on the issue were visibly angry that the Police boss refused to intimate the Senate of his non-appearance through a letter.

The non appearance of Idris was, however, disclosed to the Senate through the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters( Senate), Senator Ita Enang who had earlier informed the deputy Senate leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’allah.

Senator Bala Na’allah drew the attention of the Senate to the fact that the IGP was out of town and in Bauchi with Mr. President.

He added:  “That being said, the legacy in this Institution goes a long way into the future and as such, it is wrong that he did not inform us of his inability to be here today.

“I see no reason the IGP cannot be here as this displays a wrong foundation for our democratic system.”

The Senate refused to listen to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG, Habila Joshak, who represented the Inspector General of Police, even as it was informed by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Abu Ibrahim, APC, Katsina South, that the DIG would stand in for the IGP.

In his contribution, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, PDP, Abia North said, “By  Wednesday, the IGP must appear before the Senate.”

On his part, Deputy Senate Minority leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha Taraba said, “This is not a military regime, this is a democracy. We do not treat each arm of Government as independent as we should in a democracy. This is why we are where we are today.”

Also contributing, Senate Minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio said, “The IGP should brief us in a joint session. There are other issues outside of Senator Dino’s arrest that the IGP has to brief us on as well.”

On his part, Senator Sam Egwu, PDP, Ebonyi said, “The IG will not accompany Mr. President to come here. The IG of Police is ignoring Summons.”

It will be recalled that the Senate had  on Wednesday  summoned the Inspector- General of Police to appear before it    yesterday, just as the police boss was to also brief the Senate on the recent killings that have become daily occurrences    and remained unabated.

Resolution to summon the Inspector General of Police to appear before the Senate yesterday was sequel to a motion moved by Senator Sam Anyanwu ( PDP Imo    East).





















































Rainbowgist

TEDxGanaja is here!

TEDx is an international talk event held in

communities around the world. Inspired by the TED network, the TEDx is a nonprofit event that pulls together speakers from various spheres of the society to give talks as related to the theme of conversation which is determined by the community in which the TEDx event is hosted.

The TEDx events were in recent times held in different parts of the country, with the most recent one in Calabar.

TEDxGanaja is the first to be held in Kogi state, with the theme "Dare to be different" schedule to hold on 28th of April 2018.

You are welcome on board.




©TEDxGanaja Media and Publicity Team: Post by Abraham David

I’ve been denied food, access to my lawyers, family members; cries Dino Melaye

CHAIRMAN, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Senator Dino Melaye, APC, Kogi West has said that he has not been allowed to see his family, his lawyers.

He also said that he has been denied food at the National Hospital in Abuja where the operatives of the Nigeria Police moved him to yesterday.

The Senator tweeting on his Twitter handle said that he was at the Trauma section of the intensive care unit of the national hospital.


























































Rainbowgist

Nigerian youths have proven they’re lazy —Obaze

FORMER Secretary to the Anambra State Government, SSG, and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in last year’s governorship election in Anambra State, Mr. Oseloka Obaze has said that Nigerian youths had proved that they are lazy as credited to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking with reporters as part of preparations for the forthcoming presentation of his latest book titled ‘Prime Witness: Change And Policy Challenges in Buhari’s Nigeria’, Obaze said if the nation’s youths were not indeed lazy, they would have proved the President wrong by protesting and telling the whole world how  serious they have been working to make ends meet under harsh government economic and social policies.

He said: “I agree with President Buhari. If the youths did not agree with him, they would have shut down the country immediately the president’s statement was made public.”

He said the statement was enough to cause disquiet in many markets, offices, and other places where youths hustle everyday to be able to eat and make ends meet.

According to him, there exists an alarming weakness and gaping loopholes in the nation’s governance infrastructure as it pertains to public policy-making, implementation and policy validity, noting that Nigeria’s fifty-five year- old political landscape which Buhari inherited had some dubious characteristics.

He added: “As Nigeria’s nascent democracy evolves, it is evident that the nation has arrived at the critical juncture where identifiable governance pitfalls, challenges as institutional and infrastructural failings compel urgent directional change.

“Political promises and decisions tend to induce public trust. Yet, a promise undelivered is no promise at all, and good intentions espoused, but not concretized, remain a fluke with immense undermining capacity.

“As such, any unfocused leadership will falter, regardless of its abiding expression of good intentions. When that faltering happens, vexation, agitation and ennui are natural responses, as is now the case in Nigeria.

He argued that President Buhari seemed fixated with retrospective politicking by making his predecessor’s failings and policies his governance plank, rather than governing, adding that it later became evident that the ‘change’ mantra was all about words and exhortation, but hardly about concrete mobilization.

“Beyond debate, Nigerians understood fully that only good leaders could resolve its seemingly endemic problems such as greed, corruption, nepotism, absence of patriotism; disequilibria, social injustice, indiscipline and the ascendancy of mediocrity over meritocracy.

‘The crux of the problem is that every ethnic jigsaw component of Nigeria feels sufficiently aggrieved marginalized and therefore, seeks equity via restructuring.

“Since the civil war, Nigeria has never been as polarized as it is now. Restructuring Nigeria is therefore, naturally compelling for reasons, which may include the desire to tweak management, ownership and operational or administrative modalities, with a view to achieving equity and efficiency.

“Nigeria in its present state is analogous to a dysfunctional computer. In both instances, there is evident systemic failure arising from non-responsive applications and institutions not operating as intended. Such instances require a reboot in order to overcome the redundancies.

“Nigeria is at risk unless it finds the courage to restructure. A nation in dire straits, Nigeria has a choice, to restructure by plan or by default. A default restructuring, will happen, certainly not by choice, but definitely like an uncontrolled experiment with attendant risks and indefinite outcome.

“Restructuring sometimes arises from crisis situations or the need to preempt political catastrophe. The latter is a core premise for Nigeria. Regardless of what opponents of restructuring think, Nigeria must restructure or risk self-destruction,” Obaze further said.




























































Vanguard

KNOW YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE

MENSTRUAL CYCLE AND OVULATION .
Most girls don't understand this because of much heavy grammar used to teach it. Every woman has to listen to her body. Start listening to your body for these signs and confirm.

👉MENSTRUAL PERIOD:The time blood flows out of your private area, when you use pad.

👉MENSTRUAL CYCLE: Days it takes to see another blood in the month. If you last saw your period on June 11th and it started again on July 10th 2017, then you have 30days cycle (count from 11 June to 10 July).

NOTE: It is erroneous to believe its 28days cycle, different women have different cycles ranging from 21-35 days.

👉OVULATION PERIOD: This is time to get pregnant without stress. This is 2 weeks after your period or 2 weeks before the next period.

Here's a simple way to calculate your ovulation (unsafe) period.
1. From the first day you see the blood of your period.
2. Pick up a calendar and count 15 days including the first day of the blood stain.
3. Mark the 15th day with a pen.
4. Mark 3 days before the 15th day, and mark 3 days after the 15th day.
6. You will notice you have 7 days marked.
These 7 days are your ovulation/fertile days also known as unsafe period.
That is if you have sex on any of these days, then you have 98% chances of being pregnant.
7. Do this every month diligently
EVERY OTHER DAY IS YOUR SAFE PERIOD.
For example:
1. If your period is 11th July, 2017,
2. 15 days after the first day of the blood stain will be on 25th of this July too (2weeks after) counting from 11th.
3. 15th day is on the 25th July 2017.
4. 3days before the 15th day is 22, 23, 24.
5. 3days after 25th July 2017 is 26,27,28.
6. 22-28th July (7days) is when you are ovulating. It is your fertile period.
**Don't forget that the 7 days is a reminder that sperm stays in the female body for about 7 days. Any sexual contact in between ovulation period will form something that has ears, eyes, etc.
ALSO......
If you want a baby girl, have
sex between 3 days before ovulation (22- 24th) 2017.
For a baby boy on the main ovulation day and 3 days after 25th.
...........
MAJOR SIGNS THAT YOUR OVULATION HAS BEGAN...
You don't need a doctor, just relax. After 2 weeks you may feel the following:
1. Headache.
2. High body temperature.
3. Dizziness (feeling of tiredness and sleepiness).
4. Breast tenderness/ size increases just like when you are menstruating.
5. Increased sex drive.
6. Light cramps or pain on one side of the pelvis.
7. Abdominal bloating.
8. Heightened sense of smell, taste or vision (you eat more).
9. Vagina mucus becomes slippery (if you notice, put it in between fingers...it stretches like thick catarrh or snail mucus...colorless like egg white.

...........
N/B: The instance here is for ladies with 30 days cycle. And someone who saw her period in July 2017. If yours is 28, then it's 14 days and not 15 days.















































































Rainbowgist

How Nigerian pupils cheat during WASSCE through websites

While some youths sweat and rack their brains for answers to questions at the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination, others have perfected the art of getting cheap grades through some websites which obtain questions before the start of exams.


An investigation carried out revealed this on Tuesday.

Our correspondent had pretended to be a candidate sitting for the WASSCE being administered by the West African Examination Council.

He subscribed for answers to Commerce (Objective and Theory) from five of the result-peddling websites – naijaclass.com, examcrown.com, examsort.com, waecexpo.com and guruslodge.com.

While naijaclass, examcrown, examsort and waecexpo demanded N400 MTN recharge cards to send a link to the answers of the exam and N800 for direct answers to phones, guruslodge demanded N800 to send the answers directly to candidates’ phones.

Candidates were, however, urged on the websites to make subscriptions for all the papers and pay into certain account numbers provided on their websites in order to get discounts.

Provisions were made for “Very Important Persons.”

There were alleged testimonies of some candidates who had passed their exams after using the services of the websites.

They also displayed excellent WASSCE results of some candidates, whose names were deliberately blurred to conceal their identities.

After our correspondent sent recharge cards to designated phone numbers on Monday, the operators of the websites, after some hours, sent confirmation texts.

Before Tuesday, the date of the exam, the operators had started sending links to the answer websites through text messages.

They said the answers would be uploaded on the sites.

By past 1pm on Tuesday, some of the websites said they had got the questions and were solving them.

They supplied our correspondent with Personal Identification Numbers with which to access the sites.

By 2.07pm, answers to the theory questions started streaming in, and in less than 45 minutes, the theory and objective answers had been supplied.

While guruslodge sent all its answers through text messages, others sent links based on the subscription of our correspondent.

Our correspondent, while trying to verify the answers to the theory questions at the end of the exam at 5pm, learnt that WASSCE candidates submitted the question papers with their answer sheets.

We however, contacted two candidates who wrote the exam to ascertain the questions asked by the examiners.

Candidate A, who wrote the exam in a public school in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, recalled answering questions bordering on division of labour, contract, reasons for consumer protection, second tier security market, calculation of working capital, among others.

Candidate B, another public school pupil, who wrote his exam in the Somolu area of Lagos, gave a similar highlight.


He said, “We had eight questions and we were asked to answer five. Some of the questions are: State three disadvantages and five advantages of division of labour? State the differences between public enterprises and public company? What is contract? Calculate the account of…”

A look at the answers provided by the websites showed they had the questions correctly.

For instance, examsort answered the questions on second tier market, which it claimed was the 6th question on the paper. It also defined contract.

Examcrown highlighted the reasons for consumer protection, which it said was question number 7.

The others also addressed the questions stated by the pupils.

However, a look at the objective questions showed that the website operators had conflicting answers.

Naijaclass: 1-10 DCBABDDBBB; 11-20 ABDBDCCCD; 21-30 BACCABABBC; 31-40ABCADDDADA; 41-50 CCBBCAAABB.

Examcrown: 1-10 DCBCCADBBB; 11-20 ACDADBDAAD; 21-30 BABCDAAABC; 31-40; ABABDBCADA; 41-50: CCBBBAACAB.

Examsort: DBBCCB DBBBABDADBDD DBACDBDDCADACCBB DABCAC.

Guruslodge:DCBAB DDBBBA BDBDCCCCDA B CADDDADAABCADD

DADACCBBCAAABB.

A teacher, who did not want to be identified, said he was shocked to discover such services were freely advertised on the Internet.

He expressed disgust while recounting how he came by the websites.

He said, “I was telling my younger brother of how I heard of a certain science teacher in my locality who went online to get answers to Physics practical experiments last year, instead of conducting the experiments with his pupils; and they all failed when the results came out.

“My brother remarked, ‘He didn’t get his answers from the right site.’ He further enlightened me on several sites on the Internet where by sending recharge cards of N400, pupils can have access to questions and answers of the exams they were writing in real-time.

“These sites always have all the exam papers, probably a day or two before the exams. And they have the solutions too. There are many of them advertising and competing for patronage like legitimate business. On these sites are the testimonies of Nigerian students. I saw the testimony of a student on examcrown.com who got 7 A1s and a B3 after using their service.

“I went to one of such sites and in front of me were solutions to the Physics exam that pupils were sweating in the hall on. The solutions online were posted on the 19th of April, a day before the exam.

“Students typically have access to the solutions a few minutes to the commencement of the exams, of course to make maximum sales, as PINs could be shared if the answers were released earlier. Several of these pupils still need the cooperation of invigilators and their schools to use their phones in the exam halls to access the answers, while others take advantage of large examination centres to do their thing surreptitiously. It breaks my heart as a teacher.”

He noted that answers to the National Examination Council’s questions were usually online two days before the exam, as some of the websites gave pupils NECO answers free.

He lamented that the situation had affected the standard of education in the country.

“So, we have pupils getting eight distinctions now and 300 in UTME, yet having no substance in their heads. These ones will gain admissions into university and block the chances of good students who legitimately got their five credits and 220 in UTME. My John James could not gain admission with a score of over 260 in UTME last year. Godstime is a great student, but he will be lucky to gain admission with the 280 he scored this year.

“Why are we so messed up as a country? Who are these Nigerians who are destroying this system for pecuniary gains? Aren’t they the same Nigerians who complain daily of the state of this country? Aren’t they the youth who should be the future of this country? The same young people who cry daily of how our father’s generation failed us?

“The rot in education is particularly sad because it has ripple effects, spreading across all sectors. Imagine students using these sites to get eight distinctions and 330 so they can go study medicine and surgery to become doctors. Imagine them wanting to become engineers, scientists, lawyers, etc. They will most likely have to oil their way through school and come out deficient in whatever fields they find themselves in…even with great results. Are our exam bodies aware of these sites?” he added.

The spokesperson for WAEC, Demianus Ojijeogu, said the exam body was aware of the website operators, adding that their activities  were a sad comment on education in Nigeria.

He said, “It did not start today. We have been following up on it for a while now. Our investigations have, however, shown that sometimes they recycle old questions or supply fake questions. And even if they are correct, it is after the examinations have commenced. We have asked the supervisors to be our eyes.

“The supervisors are not our workers; they are supplied by the ministry of education. We have asked them to help us and prevent the students from entering exam halls with mobile phones. We have also upgraded our security facilities and we are deploying technologies as well.

“This situation is not peculiar to just WASSCE, other examinations are affected as well and it is sad for education in Nigeria. It is sad because it means if I can just sit down and someone will supply the answers to me, why then do I need to read?

“Our manpower has been overstretched. We have some of our workers working on day and night shifts. We are working round-the-clock and we urge the cooperation of other stakeholders to stop this ugly trend.”











































































Rainbowgist

Convention: Buhari meets APC govs, seeks support for Oshiomhole

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday evening met with state governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress

The meeting was held behind closed doors inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to a Presidency official who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity, the sole item on the agenda of the meeting was how the governors would work towards the emergence of a former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, as the party’s national chairman.

The party’s national convention where new members of the party’s National Working Committee will emerge has been slated for May 14 in Abuja.

It is not clear yet if the party’s current chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, will be seeking re-election at the convention but the President has resolved to support Oshiomhole’s candidature.

“The President called this meeting with the APC governors to ask them to back Oshiomhole’s candidature. That’s the purpose of the meeting administration that is the President’s position,” the Presidency source said.

The APC has decided to retain the current zoning formula for its national offices.

Both Odigie-Oyegun and Oshiomhole are from Edo State in the South-South where the position of the APC national chairman is zoned to.

Meanwhile, Odigie-Oyegun has described the purported endorsement of Oshiomhole as the next chairman of the party as childish.

Odigie-Oyegun, who was also a former governor of the state, however, said he had yet to decide on whether or not he would seek re-election at the party’s national convention or not.

The chairman of the ruling party spoke with some journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said he had concluded his consultations on whether he would seek a re-election or not.

He, however, did not disclose the outcome of the consultations.

There have been speculation that both Odigie-Oyegun and Oshiomhole among others, are in the race for the office of the national chairman of  the APC.

But reacting to the development in a short interview with journalists, Odigie-Oyegun said that the action of those who endorsed Oshiomhole was childish.

“It was childish. Absolutely childish! The voting is done at the convention and not in state houses, not in government houses,” he said

When asked to comment on his rejection by the Edo State chapter of the APC, Odigie-Oyegun said, “They have their reasons for what they did and you have to respect their own reasons, however, wrong it is. Don’t bother about this teaser; I will give a comprehensive interview, to speak with you when the time comes.”

When reporters insisted that he should confirm whether he would re-contest his office or not, he simply said, “The consultations, I think is concluded. Well, I’m going to know when the convention committee announces their programmes, then when I’m going to buy a form, if I will re-contest I will let you know.”

Also, some state Chairmen of the APC in the South-South geopolitical zone said they had rejected attempts by the Zonal Vice-Chairman, Prince Hilliard Eta, to force some members of the party to adopt Oshiomhole as a chairmanship candidate from the zone.

The party chairmen explained that though any member from the zone was free to aspire for the position, it was necessary to give Odigie-Oyegun right of first to contest the national chairmanship position at the forthcoming national convention of the party.

The state APC chairmen; Chief Davies Ikanya (Rivers), Mr. Etim John (Cross River), Dr. Amadu Attai (Akwa Ibom) and Deacon Joseph Fafi (Bayelsa), made this remarks in an electronic mail made available to one of our correspondents on Monday night.

The party chairmen issued the statement at the end of the APC state chairmen and South-South Zonal Executive Committee meeting at Government House, Benin, Edo State.

They said, “The aforementioned four state chairmen out of the six chairmen of the zone and the executive committee members from their states reject attempts by the South-South APC Zonal Vice-Chairman, Prince Hilliard Eta, to railroad members present in the meeting into adopting the former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, as the candidate of the South-South zone for the national chairmanship position at the forthcoming national convention.

“It is our conviction that whereas Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and indeed all qualified members of the party in the zone are free to offer themselves for service to our great party, the zonal committee believes that for the sake of justice and fairness, as always expressed by our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, on all matters,  the incumbent Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, should be given the first choice of refusal to contest the national chairmanship position at the forthcoming national convention of our party.”

 Also, the Delta State chapter of the APC has disowned the alleged endorsement of Oshiomhole, by the leadership of the South-South.

 In a statement signed by the state Deputy Chairman of the party on Tuesday, Chief Cyril Ogodo, the Delta APC condemned the development, describing the adoption as a desperate and despicable move capable of disuniting members of the APC ahead of the 2019 elections.

 The South-South zonal leadership of the party led by Eta in a meeting in Benin, on Monday, threw its weight behind Oshiomhole, who is seeking to replace Odigie-Oyegun.

 They insisted that Odigie-Oyegun should be given a right of first refusal to seek re-election for the position before endorsing other candidate for the position.

 It noted that they were part of those who walked out on the South-South zonal caucus meeting on Monday in protest against what they said were plans by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and Eta to adopt Oshiomhole as the zonal candidate of the party for national chairman.

 Similarly, the leader of the party and the 2015 governorship candidate of the APC in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, also distanced himself from Oshiomhole’s adoption.

 Emerhor, who expressed shock at the action, said leaders and stakeholders of the APC at no time deliberated on adopting Oshiomhole as their candidate.









































































Rainbowgist

Why Sleep Deprivation Is Dangerous To Your Health

Whether one’s physical or economic activities are involved or not, the need for sleep cannot be over-accentuated. For one of the reasons that it is necessary to living a healthy life, sleep also plays a role in the balance to a mental health. I can also tell you that having to work late into the night is not encouraging for a good sleep pattern. A deficiency in sleep is known as ‘sleep deprivation’. Sleep deprivation can be acute or chronic condition. Now, this is especially dangerous:

Chronically sleep-deprived people do not realize that they are working at a deteriorated level. In a circumstance that entails survival, it is likely you imagine the many diverse reasons why you might suffer from inadequate sleep such as strange environments, rise in responsibilities, tiredness from activities and accumulation from previous stress will combine to largely soar the prevalence of this medical issue.

Sleep deprivation can pose a threat to the brain function. There are noticeable negative effects on awakening and performance which are very likely due to a drop in activity in selective parts of the brain associated in advanced thought processes. Thus, you may become incapable of placing events into their proper perspective and taking the right measure. This questions one’s addition to a survival group. This transpires to reason that a good number of car accidents and workplace hazards are caused by lack of sleep. When you do not sleep for the right number of hours, recovery is delayed and the increased amount of muscle passivity leads to the corresponding value of physical injury.

Besides the repercussions of the events occurring in the brain, the failure to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night causes many signs and symptoms as named below:

Depression
Irritability
Puffy/bloodshot eyes
Tremor
Headaches
Disarray
Memory loss
Muscle aches
Hallucinations
Micro sleeps
Negative feedback to the control of Diabetes and blood pressure
Weight loss or gain
Other psychotic symptoms
The lack of significant sleep aggravates mood and decreases intellectual ability. Deep sleep is also necessary to allow natural enzymes to restore damage caused by ‘free radicals’ i.e. molecules amenable for aging and tissue damage.

The remedy of sleep deprivation depends on the cause. The best start is to consider a concept referred to as ‘sleep hygiene’. Sleep hygiene is improving the behavior to maximize the amount of restful sleep one gets.

You should consider:

Sticking to a standard bedtime (and even wakeup time)
Making your environment as comfortable as possible.
Avoiding Nicotine (i.e. tobacco, cigarettes), caffeine and alcohol before hitting the sheets.
Exercising regularly, but not before going to bed.
Eliminating as much light as possible in the room at bedtime.
Clearing the mind of worrisome thoughts at night.
Staying away from heavy foods for at least 2 hours before going to bed.















































































Rainbowgist

Herdsmen attack Catholic Church, parishioners, kill 2 Catholic priests

The Catholic Diocese of Makurdi has confirmed the killing of two of its priests, Rev Fathers Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, in an early hour attack on St Ignatius Quasi Parish, Ukpor, Mbalom in Gwer West Local Government Council of Benue.

 A statement by its Director of Communications, Rev Fr Moses Iorapuu, said that the attacks were perpetrated by herdsmen who stormed the Mbalom community and killed the two priests during the morning mass at the church.

The Diocese expressed regret at the nonchalant attitude of the security agencies in containing the killings.

It said the herdsmen, who stormed the community, burnt down houses, destroyed crops and killed people.

The church, therefore, urged the relevant authorities to stop the killings in the Benue valley.

Iorapuu said the Diocese had been active in providing food and relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s) since the onset of hostilities in the state and wondered why it could be marked as a target of attacks.

“The attack on the priests is an attack on everything that we ever stood for and believed in.”

Meanwhile, concerted efforts to get reaction from the Benue Police Command failed as its Public Relations Officer, ASP Moses Yamu, was not forthcoming with remarks.

Rev. Fr. Gor had before the attack written on Facebook; “Living in fear. The fulani herdsmen are still around us in Mbalom. They refuse to go. They still go grazing around us. No weapons to depend on ourselves”.

Herdsmen in the early hours of the morning attacked a Catholic Church and parishioners who went for 5.30 a.m. mass.

Reports say the bodies of the dead have been taken to St. Theresa’s Hospital Makurdi.

































Rainbow

Finally, No More Difference Between Bsc/hnd Graduates – FG Announces

The difference between Bsc/HND graduates has been put to an end by the federal government

– Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Head of Service of the Federation (HOCSF) on Sunday, April 22 issued a circular containing the presidency’s resolve on the age-long disparity

– The Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE) urged government at all levels to set up monitoring groups to see that the decision is implemented

Beneficiaries of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cancellation of the difference between university and polytechnic graduates in the civil service have praised him for his actions.

While the disparity had before now restricted polytechnic graduates to certain Salary Grade Level (SGL) in the civil service, it took the intervention of the National Council on Establishment (NCE) to address and solve the issue in their favour, Daily Trust reports.

Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Head of Service of the Federation (HOCSF), in a statement dated Monday, March 26, relayed the the decision of the NCE to all concerned and solicited their support for implementation.

The circular indicated that NCE approved entry point of SGL 08 for HND holders in the civil service. It also encouraged serving HND officers to fulfil all specified conditions as contained in scheme of service and extant rules for career progression beyond SGL 14.

Ahmad Yabagi, the head of the umbrella body of the beneficiaries, the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE), informed journalists on Sunday, April 22 in Abuja, that the decision has paved the way for career building.

Yabagi said: “We are glad that this monster called dichotomy that has been a big threat to the development of technology in Nigeria has been defeated. NATE has therefore resolved to support and partner with the Federal Government in the quest to bequeath entrepreneurial skills to Nigerian youths as a means to turn around the economic fortune of Nigeria.”

Yabagi, however, advised all government agencies to see that the resolve contained in the circular is implemented throughout the country.

Meanwhile, it was  reported that Dr Ramon Adedoyin, the executive chairman of the Polytechnic, Ile-Ife, had called for the outright scrapping of the Higher National Diploma (HND) programme, and its replacement with a Bachelor’s degree in Technology, as obtainable in advanced countries.

Adedoyin made his comments during a chat with newsmen; against the backdrop of the federal government’s recent removal of the dichotomy between the holders of HND and university degrees.




















































Rainbowgist

Police arrest Lagos security man for impregnating daughter

A security guard in Obadore, in the Igando/Ikotun Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, Taiwo Oyelabi, has been arrested by the police after allegedly raping  his daughter for seven months.

The 50-year-old reportedly impregnated the 21-year-old daughter while the incest lasted.

It was  learnt that Oyelabi and the victim’s mother divorced when she was two-year-old.

Before the separation, they had had a set of twins together which included the victim.

It was learnt that Oyelabi’s younger sister took custody of the twins and she later travelled to Cote D’Ivoire with them.

Our correspondent gathered that the victim relocated to Nigeria about seven months ago and started living with her father.

It was said that some residents of Community Road, Obadore, where the suspect and his daughter lived, got wind of the incest and reported to the police.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, who paraded Oyelabi on Monday at the command headquarters in Ikeja, said the report was found credible after an undercover investigation was conducted.

The CP said people became suspicious of Oyelabi as he always took his daughter along whenever he was going for his night work.

 Edgal said, “This strange behaviour attracted the attention of the community and they reported the case at the Igando Police Station on April 16, 2018. After a preliminary investigation at the division, the matter was transferred to the Gender Section of the state command on April 18 for in-depth investigation.

“The suspect divorced his wife when the twins were still infants. The twins were taken to the suspect’s younger sister. However, sometime in November 2017, the suspect took the now grown daughter from his sister and brought her home to live with him.

“The suspect had been having sex with his daughter and the result of this unholy alliance is pregnancy. The suspect blamed the devil for his act.”

Edgal added that the suspect would be charged to the Special Court for Sexual Offences in Ikeja.

Oyelabi, while confessing to the crime, said  that he slept with his daughter five times.

The native of Ejigbo, Osun State, said it was the daughter who tempted him into the act, adding that he was not responsible for the pregnancy.

He said, “Her mother and I separated when she and her twin sister were two years old. My sister took them to Cote D’Ivoire. Seven months ago, my sister sent her back to Nigeria.

“She started living with me. One day, I was relaxing at home when she suddenly grabbed me and forcefully kissed me. I tried to beat her, but I did not know what came over me; I had sex with her.

“I went to a church and explained what happened to a pastor. He said some evil persons were after us and that I had to be prayerful. I slept with her five times. It was my landlord who reported the case to the police.

“I didn’t meet her as a virgin. She told me that she had a boyfriend who also slept with her. She said it was the boyfriend that impregnated her.”

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, while briefing journalists on recent operations of the command, said suspected robbers were rounded up at different parts of the state.

He said on April 20, 2018 around 5.30pm, one Raphael Oluwanishola, who was on a motorcycle, was flagged down along Ile-Iwe Road, Meiran, during a stop and search by the anti-robbery team from the Meiran division.

“Upon questioning him, he said he was a thrift collector. He offered the officers the sum of N5,000 to let him continue his journey. When the officers refused his offer, he jumped down from the motorcycle and fled.

“He was chased and apprehended. His bag was searched and three locally-made cut-to-size pistols and 11 cartridges were recovered from him,” the CP added.

Edgal stated that operatives from the Area D Command, Mushin, also apprehended an ex-convict, Chukwuemeka Okafor, on April 19, following an intelligence report from the Lagos State Neigbhourhood Security Corps that a gang to which the suspect allegedly belonged was defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.

 He said investigations revealed that Okafor and his gang members intercepted one Juliet Etim on April 14 around Cele bus stop while she was driving to Ejigbo and dispossessed her of money.

He added, “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime. He mentioned one Capol Alhaji as the leader of the gang. Exhibits, including eight pieces of 10,000 CFA Franc, four pieces of 1,000 CFA Guinea, 17 notes of $1,000 and four pieces of £50 – all suspected to be fake – were recovered from them. The suspects will be charged to court.”



































Rainbowgist

There’s a plot to kill me, Melaye says as police lay siege to Shanga Street,

Armed riot policemen on Monday laid siege to Shanga Street, Maitama, Abuja residence of Senator Dino Melaye to arrest him.

The security operatives blocked one end of the street with a Toyota Hiace bus with tinted glasses and Abuja number plate, RSH 193 TP, and a pick-up at the other end.

They also prevented persons in the building from going out, but later allowed family members, friends and guests to enter and exit the premises.

Melaye had, in a hushed tone on the telephone, told one of our correspondents about the police siege at 1.43pm.

Immigration officers had earlier in the day arrested, detained and attempted to seize the passport of the senator at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on his way to Morocco.

The operatives claimed that they were acting on the advice from the police, which had asked them to detain the Senator who is representing Kogi West at the Senate.

In an interview at the airport, Melaye said he was on an official trip to Morocco along with some senators.

He said, “The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and I, as well as other senators, were to be on an official trip to Morocco but while some went through the Lagos airport today (Monday), others are to depart tomorrow (Tuesday).

“As soon as I got to this airport, I was checked in and was already at the lounge waiting for departure when immigration officers invited me that there was a directive from the police that I can’t travel; that I am on their watch list.

“I said it was not true; that the INTERPOL said it did not issue any alert against me. I opened INTERPOL’s website and showed them the denial, but the immigration officers insisted that it was based on the directive from the police.

“I was asked to come down and told to go to their office (at the airport). They took my passport, but I snatched my thing back from them. I am still here with them. They told me that they were waiting for further instructions from the police,” he said.

Melaye was said to have ‘escaped’ from the airport in a curious manner, causing no fewer than 30 policemen to invade Shanga Street, where his house was located.

About 10 additional policemen were deployed in the house around 4.30pm.

Not long after their arrival, about eight Volkswagen Golf cabs loaded with men and women arrived at Melaye’s mansion, to protest against the police presence.

The people, who were later identified as Internally Displaced Persons from Kuchingoro Camp, Abuja, sat down in front of the embattled lawmaker’s mansion while railing against the police move to arrest Melaye.

After some minutes, another group of women and children arrived on the street.

The children could be heard chanting “Sai Dino” as they marched in front of the building.

The leader of the IDPs, Philemon Emmanuel, said he would not allow the policemen to arrest Melaye, whom he described as a philanthropist.

“He gave us foodstuffs and sent our children to school. That is why we came here; we will not allow anything to happen to Senator Dino Melaye. We want them (authorities) to allow him to move freely. He has been helping the IDPs and we want the government not to restrict his freedom of movement,” he said.

A young man handed over some bags of sachet water to the protesters who sat on the tarmac while criticising the police.

No fewer than five senators and members of the civil society organisations visited Melaye’s residence.

The lawmakers are the Minority Whip, Senator Philip Aduda; Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi; Senator Aidoko Ali, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim and Senator Isa Misau.

The senators interacted privately with leader of the police team.

After the interaction, Olujimi said, “I came to check on him, only to find out that the place has been barricaded. I am going to make enquiries and see what is going on. I asked them what happened and they said they have the instruction to come here.”

Aduda also said, “As a principal officer, I have come here to see what is happening here with a view to reporting back to the presiding officers and the body of principal officers on what I have discovered and seen.

“I will report appropriately what I saw. But I don’t think this should have happened.”

The policemen were still at the senator’s residence as of 8pm when The PUNCH left the area.

The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Adeniran Aremu, said the lawmaker was indicted for possession of illegal firearms and had refused to honour police summons over the alleged crime.

“We have invited him twice, but he refused to honour our summonses, that is why we have sent our men to arrest him. They are at his residence and they will not leave until they have apprehended him,” he said.

The police had alleged that Melaye contracted one Kabiru Seidu and his gang as political thugs, adding that the lawmaker met with the suspect on Airport Road, Abuja, inside his car in December 2017 and gave him a bag containing an AK-47 rifle, two pump action guns and N430,000 to share with his boys.

Reacting to the siege, the Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights expressed concern over the freedom and safety of Melaye, in a statement issued by its Executive Director, Mr. Frank Tietie.

Tietie said CASER recognised Melaye as “one of the only few persons in authority in Nigeria who have distinguished themselves by constantly and consistently speaking truth to power on behalf of the Nigerian people.”

He recalled that Melaye had recently, with boldness, denounced the seemingly intractable state of insecurity in Nigeria and had challenged the President Buhariadministration to arrest the situation or consider calling the international community to provide security for Nigerians.

The statement by the group read in part, “CASER views the desperate moves by the authorities to arrest and take Senator Melaye to Kogi State, either for trial at the Federal High Court or for questioning, as a ploy to exterminate the irrepressible voice of the masses in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“CASER is worried that if a distinguished Senator can be so harassed to the point of being deprived of his fundamental human rights to life, liberty, freedom of movement and freedom of expression, wherein lies the hope for the ordinary citizens to enjoy their rights?

“CASER hereby calls on the Nigerian Senate to abort its Tuesday sitting in solidarity with the Nigerian people and Senator Dino Melaye.

“Until his fundamental rights are recognised and enforced by the Nigeria Police who must immediately stop the siege on his house, the Senate should no longer sit to conduct legislative business.”

Melaye, in a series of tweets on his twitter handle on Monday evening alleged that the police had arrested his brother, Moses, and his friend.

He said they were arrested in front of his house.

The senator also alleged that his police orderlies had been withdrawn, adding that there was a plan to kill him.

The tweets read, “All my policemen have been taken away with their arms.

“One CP came and took them away. There is also a plan to set me up again. But in God I trust. Truth will always prevail.

“We are in a civil society. No warrant and case is in court, yet this lawlessness.

“I’m a responsible Nigerian and law-abiding. There is a plan to kill me and I know about it. We are not in a banana republic. I cannot be silenced.”




























































Rainbowgist