SDP opposes Omisore’s alliance with APC

One of the national leaders of the Social Democratic Party, Chief Olu Falae, has pledged the support of the party to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ademola Adeleke, in the governorship rerun election holding today .

Falae, reportedly called Adeleke on the telephone on Wednesday to disown Senator Iyiola Omisore who had also promised to work for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, to win the election.


The spokesperson of Adeleke Campaign Organisation, Mr Olawale Rasheed, confirmed to our correspondent that Falae called Adeleke on the telephone and expressed displeasure about the step taken by Omisore, who is the candidate of the SDP in the election.

He said, “Senator Ademola Adeleke won the last Saturday election without the support of Omisore and he is going to win again tomorrow. Our strength is not with any leader but in the people. We believe the people will reaffirm the mandate they already gave to Senator Adeleke.

“The spirit of national coalition remains and the spirit is that the SDP, PDP and others will unite to fight for the 2019 elections. Chief Falae called and talked to Senator Adeleke that the party did not authorise Omisore to support the APC. They said Omisore is on his own.”

Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the SDP, Alhaji Alfa Mohammed, in a statement sent to one of our correspondent said, “The SDP will like to make it categorically clear that the national leadership of the party was not part of the recent developments involving our party’s gubernatorial candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore of Osun State, and the conclusions arrived at.


“We remain irrevocably committed to serving the Nigerian people on the basis of the vision, principles and goals of social democracy which underlie the philosophy of our great party, the SDP.”



















Rainbowgist

Rohr, Eagles reject ABS Kaduna

Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has advised the Nigerian Federation to move the venue of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya from the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna.

Contrary to reports in the local media, the Nigerian Federation have not yet changed the venue of the AFCON qualifier to the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, but Rohr expressed his concerns about the Ahmadu Bello Stadium when he met with the leadership of the Nigerian Federation during The Best FIFA Football Awards 2018 in London on Monday, September 24.

Rohr inspected the ABS last month and told Pinnick and his lieutenants that the field he inspected was too small, not up to standard and his players would not be comfortable playing on the turf. Rohr told his employers that he expects the Libyan team to be very defensive when they face the Super Eagles on October 12, pointing out that South Africa were forced to a goalless draw because the North Africans were too defensive conscious. He added that it would be very difficult for the Super Eagles to get a win on the small Kaduna pitch, and that he would have loved the game to be played in Uyo, where the pitch is bigger and the defensive Libyans can be opened up.































Rainbowgist

South Africa Pastor Using Poisonous Cobra Snake To Perform Miracle In Church

Didn’t they arrest this guy before? Lesego Daniel, the South African pastor who makes his members eat grass and drink petrol, has gone a step further by performing miracles using a live snake.

In photos shared online, the prophet wrapped his pet snake around a cross made in the shape of a cobra head. This happened during their communion service. The controversial prophet placed the snake in the middle of the communion which was later distributed to members to eat and drink.

South African prophet, Lesego Daniel, spotted using a snake to perform miracle

Lesego’s members seemed to have no qualms about having a snake in their midst and consuming the communion “sanctified” by the snake.

While preaching to his attentive members, he placed the snake on the pulpit. He also placed it on his shoulder at several points during his sermon.






























Rainbowgist

2019: Soldiers supporting political parties to face court martial, says Buratai

The Chief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, has said that a special court martial has been established to try soldiers who are found to be supporting political parties ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Buratai said on Tuesday that the military division and field commanders must, therefore, warn officers and soldiers under them not to be sympathetic to any political party or ethnic group ahead of the election.

The army chief noted that any soldier who was willing to participate in politics should “voluntarily retire from the army to pursue his or her political passion.”

Buratai spoke in Abuja at the 2nd and 3rd Quarters’ Chief of Army Staff Conference, saying that army personnel must shun politicians who were likely to approach them during the elections.

He said, “As political activities unfold towards the 2019 general elections, the General Officer Commanding and the Field Commanders are enjoined to continue to remind officers and soldiers under their commands to remain non-partisan and be guided by the stipulated code of conduct in the discharge of their duties. As professional soldiers, none of us should be sympathetic to any political, religious or ethnic cause. Any personnel of the army who is interested in politics should voluntarily retire to pursue his or her political passion.


“Furthermore, there is the prohibition of army personnel from any form of worship outside the established barracks worship areas, except those permitted for some peculiar social functions. I want to reiterate that the special court-martial to try defaulters is already in place. I enjoin you to refrain from any occult, ethnic, political or religious extremism as these would distract us from our constitutional responsibility.”

The army chief said the conference was to also appraise the performances of the army in the past few months in view of the insecurity challenges facing the country.

“There are ongoing operations to curtail the activities of Boko Haram terrorists, farmers and herdsmen’s clashes and others. The security situation in the North-West and North-Central states of Kaduna, Zamfara, Benue, Plateau and Taraba has necessitated the deployment of troops by the army and there is progress.

“The issue of drugs and other substance abuse is an area that could pose a serious threat to the operational capabilities and effectiveness of the army if the extra commitment is not taken towards eliminating it,” Buratai added.

















Rainbowgist

Applicant dies during FRSC recruitment in Kogi

A male applicant on Tuesday died during the Federal Road Safely Corp recruitment in Lokoja, the Kogi State capita

The FRSC Sector Commander, Segun Martins, who confirmed the death of the male applicant, however, did not give details.


One of our correspondent could not immediately ascertain the name, age and other details of the victim.

It was gathered that he died shortly after completing a two-kilometre race.

He was said to have dropped his tally and passed out.

Medics from the FRSC were said to have quickly attended to him.

He was later admitted to the army clinic in the Chari Megumeiri Barracks and died about 30 minutes after his admission.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that Martins, while expressing condolences to the family of the deceased, said the incident would not result in the suspension of the recruitment in Kogi.

On September 25, the FRSC commenced the recruitment of 4,000 people out of the 324,000 shortlisted applicants.


The government agency scheduled the screening and physical fitness assessment for September 24 to 29.















Rainbowgist

Oshiomhole, APC govs, others storm Omisore’s residence ahead of Osun rerun

Some governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress and other party leaders have stormed the residence of Senator Iyiola Omisore to plead with him to support the APC governorship candidate, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, in the rerun supplementary election holding in seven polling units in Osun State.

The Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje; Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunke Amosun; Ekiti State Governor-elect, Dr Kayode Fayemi were some of those who visited Omisore’s residence in Ile Ife late Tuesday night to beg him to support Oyetola.

Others are: the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole; Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf; Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed and other chieftains of the ruling party held a meeting with Omisore.

Omisore contested the governorship poll held on Saturday on the platform of the Social Democratic Party and came third behind the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who polled the highest number of votes and Oyetola who trailed Adeleke by 353 votes.


The details of the meeting are still sketchy but a chieftain of the APC said the party was optimistic of winning.

The Director of Publicity, Research, and Strategy of the APC in Osun State, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, confirmed the meeting to our correspondent on Wednesday morning.

Oyatomi said, “I can confirm to you that our leaders went to Senator Omisore’s residence yesterday and had a good talk with him. We are optimistic that we will win the election and both sides will benefit from that discussion.”






















Rainbowgist

FIFA Best Player award: Messi votes for Ronaldo

Lionel Messi voted for Cristiano Ronaldo in The FIFA Best Men’s Player award – albeit behind Luka Modric and Kylian Mbappe, Europe Eurosport.com reports.

Meanwhile, Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr and captain Mikel Obi voted fora Modric and Messi respectively for the top award.

Rohr voted for Modric in the first place and Mbappe in second place. Mikel voted for Messi, who was not shortlisted, as his best player while Mbappe and Modric came second and third in his voting.

After a history of snubs involving world football’s most revered duo, Messi elected to issue Ronaldo with a solitary point in the 2018 vote. It was not enough to propel his nemesis to victory, however, as Modric ended the Ronaldo-Messi stranglehold on the award.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ronaldo was not as kind and cast his three votes for Raphael Varane, Modric and Antoine Griezmann.

International captains and head coaches, plus journalists from FIFA member countries, were invited to pick their top three players from the 2017-18 season – with their first pick receiving five points, second receiving three points, and third receiving one point. Messi and Ronaldo got to vote as captains of Argentina and Portugal respectively.

England’s Golden Boot winner Harry Kane, probably still reeling from his nation’s loss to Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals, opted to ignore Modric’s stellar season in favour of Ronaldo, Messi and Kevin De Bruyne.

Kane was voted the best player by an illustrious trio: Bahamas coach Dion Godet, Chinese Taipei coach Gary White and Vanuatu journalist Nase Raymond. It was not enough to make the final shortlist.

















Rainbowgist

How PDP can win in 2019

I am on record for saying the All Progressives Congress is a shoo-in for a second term in office come the 2019 election. This is far from being a rash assertion; it is based on a careful study of party politics in this country since 1999, and projections from current permutations and power calculus. Despite the dust up from Osun governorship poll over the weekend, I still stand by that prognosis (albeit) with a caveat. That is, all things must remain equal. That said, it is a foolish man who thinks all things will remain equal in politics even for one week. Hoping (or indeed praying) for all things to remain equal in politics is an electoral strategy only in the adolescent playing field. Complacency, as I have stated here before, is the APC’s most potent in-house enemy (See; “APC’s in-house enemy”, The PUNCH, August 28, 2018). On the other hand, for the Peoples Democratic Party, defeatism is the bogeyman they should fear the most. After all, predictions by pundits, experts and observers, no matter how well-founded, are mere predictions. Gravity is there to be defied, records are there to be broken, odds are there to be beaten, and votes are there to be garnered. Nothing is won or lost in an election until the last ballot has been counted. So, I say c’mon, the PDP, “yes you can”. Here is how.


First, I say the obvious, get your house in order. Narrow down your presidential torchbearer to a shortlist of two quickly. Whoever becomes the top man should nominate a female running mate from any part of the country. That would be historical; it would cut deep into a major block vote, and signals that the party is indeed the true “progressive” in the country. Second, steer clear of policy debate in the campaign. You were in power for over 16 years, without really having anything to show for it. The APC has also been in power for one term without anything concrete to show for it either. Concentrate, instead, on wresting power from the APC in the same way as they did to you in 2015. Look at the APC’s greatest Achilles heel; willingness to maintain the power configuration in this country, coupled with its unwillingness to change the status quo. At the moment, the South-West remains the main catalyst for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election in 2019. The region is not a monolithic bloc vote for any single candidate or personality, but it is a monolithic voice for one thing: devolution of powers. If there is any sin the Buhari administration has committed to the chagrin of everyone in the southern part of the country in the course of his first term in office, it is the overrepresentation of his northern brethren in key strategic positions of government administration in the country. Of itself, that is not sufficient to sustain the charge of “northern domination” unless the government personnel are, in fact, pursuing a policy of ethnic domination which is not the case. President Buhari is worthy of praise for not allowing perception and professional opinion moulders to determine the building blocks of his administration. That takes real courage – at a cost.


Not being swayed by perception and transient popularity is one thing, being accused of not giving a damn about the feelings of all ethnic nationalities that constitute Nigeria is quite another. The latter has become accentuated towards the end of the first term of this administration. It has underlined the need for “restructuring” even more vociferously. So, given the god-like image of President Buhari and the cult-like figure he has become to many in the North, it has become imperative that the presidential standard bearer for the PDP in 2019 ought to be not only from the North, but be a flamboyant, larger-than-life type of character, who can capture at least one-third of the electorate in that region. Having done that, the PDP then need only campaign with one agenda in their manifesto: Sovereign National Conference. Even Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has poo-pooed the idea of “restructuring”. Once in power, the APC has found it expedient to jettison the idea of devolution of powers for which many of their followers and supporters fought and suffered humiliation and harassment for many years. The APC hierarchy now see themselves as men of power who do not look far ahead anymore. The only interest they harbour now appears to be the retention of power at the next election and the one after that. The vision of a new Nigeria many of them used to harbour, and which, in fact, drove them into exile for a long period of time is now a distant memory. There is a vacuum of ideas in the coming electoral contest between the parties. The PDP has a unique opportunity to steal the APC’s thunder and run with it. They can go to the electorate with a singular promise of convening a Sovereign National Conference as the first order of business upon victory at the polls. Should they be bold enough to adopt this as their battle plan, the electorate in the South, more importantly, South-West, would abandon the APC in leaps and bounds. The APC would be as good as dead in the region.


In the final analysis, politics is about managing and leveraging interests; the ultimate objective being the attainment or retention of power. The political space in Nigeria is becoming sterile with an increasingly despondent electorate. National offices are full of professional politicians, who are so vacuous they are unable to disengage from the captivating corridors of power. Many of them became journeymen councillors and local assemblymen, then, morphed into senators, then, became governors, served the maximum two terms permissible, then, put themselves forward for a return to the Senate again. They cannot imagine life outside party politics, they have rendered participatory democracy predatory and parasitic at its core.

Activating a Sovereign National Conference changes all that at once. It will set about the arduous task of redesigning, renewing and recreating this entity called Nigeria in a way that is equitable and fair to all. The APC momentarily toyed with this noble cause and quickly abandoned it. The PDP has a chance, a rare chance, to grab the bull by the horns. What an irony it would be for a party set up in large part to protect, conserve and preserve the interest of the establishment to be the one that creates the opportunity for progressive ideas to flourish through the SNC. It would be the ultimate irony to see a pig flying, I know, but nothing is so sacrosanct in politics anymore these days. 2019 may yet prove to be an interesting tale of the unexpected.


















Rainbowgist

Stoke star fathers three children in six weeks

Saido Berahino is at the centre of a legal battle over claims he has fathered a hat-trick of children in less than two months, according to reports.

The Stoke City striker is named on birth certificates as the father of two of the babies — born on May 30 and July 17.

His lawyers are in talks with a friend who claims he is dad of her tot born on July 15.

A month later, Berahino, 25, finally found the net after 913 days — but he’s still fathered more kids than he has scored goals this season.

Mum No 1 is ex-fiancee Stephania Christoforou, 27, who gave birth to son Costa on May 30 at Birmingham Women’s Hospital.

The tot weighed 7lbs 1oz and the birth certificate names Berahino as the dad.

He threw a lavish engagement bash for restaurant boss Steph last October.

But she called off the wedding after a Valentine’s Day bust-up outside his mansion in Cannock, Staffordshire, when he tried to smuggle in US model Chelsea Lovelace.


Steph was pictured hammering on the door and roaring, “Open the door you f*****g slag!”

Mum No 2 is an African-born nurse aged 28 — a childhood pal of Berahino who cannot be named for legal reasons.

She gave birth to a girl on July 15 at Manor Hospital, Walsall.

Though Berahino is not named on the birth certificate, she is in talks with the footballer and his lawyers.

Birth registration laws state that where a dad does not consent to being on a child’s birth certificate, the mother must get a court order if she wants to name him.

Berahino played for England at youth level, later opting to play for Burundi.

He moved from West Brom to Stoke for £12m in January 2017.

























Rainbowgist

Manchester United expect higher revenue, core earnings for 2019

English Premier League soccer club Manchester United forecast higher revenue and core earnings for 2019, even as the company reported lower results for the fourth quarter of 2018.

Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization for 2019 are expected to be between 175 million pounds and 190 million pounds, the 20-time English champions said.

Revenue for 2019 is expected to be between 615 million pounds and 630 million pounds, United said.

It reported adjusted EBITDA of 177.1 million pounds and revenue of 590 million pounds for 2017-18 on Tuesday.

















Rainbowgist

Minimum wage: Strike commences on Thursday, TUC insists

The Trade Union Congress on earlier today insisted organised labour would commence strike from early hours of Thursday, September 27, following the Federal Government’s failure to honour its ultimatum on the new minimum wage.

A statement signed by the Secretary-General of the union, Mr Musa-Lawal Ozigi, in Abuja stated that the decision to embark on strike was sequel to the resolve of the Central Working Committee of TUC on September 24.

Ozigi said that following the mandate of the CWC, TUC leadership would take all necessary action to effect the ultimatum on the new minimum wage in collaboration with other stakeholders.

“Strike is hereby declared to commence from early hours of Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018,” the Secretary-General said.

He noted that as a result of the TUC’s decision to embark on strike, mobilisation of members would commence immediately.

According to him, all workers, Civil Society Organisations and the masses are hereby put on notice to stockpile their houses for all necessary provisions and food items.


Ozigi, however, called on state councils to form joint state strike implementation committee that would comprise the TUC, NLC and other stakeholders in the state to ensure effectiveness.

He called on union members to be alert for further directive on or before Thursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the labour leaders had on September 12 cautioned the Federal Government against foot-dragging on the new minimum wage and allow the tripartite committee to conclude its job to avoid action.

The NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, had said that the committee was not pleased with the comments allegedly made by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige.

The Minister had earlier told the committee to adjourn indefinitely to give room for further consultations with the government on the new minimum wage.

The Federal Government had assured the organised Labour that the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage would conclude its negotiation before the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum.













Rainbowgist

Merkel says still unclear what Britain wants in Brexit talks

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said earlier today that Britain had still not expressed a clear position on its post-Brexit relations with the EU, warning that only “six to eight weeks” remained to reach an agreement.

Success in the upcoming negotiations depended “largely on what it is Britain really wants, and on this the discussion has still not been entirely clear”, Merkel told a business conference in Berlin.

Merkel reiterated the stance of the remaining 27 EU members that “you can’t belong to a single market if you want to stick to just one of its principles but not the other three”.

Brussels believes May wants Britain to keep the benefits of free trade on goods with the EU without following its three other core principles, the free movement of people, services and capital over borders.

British Prime Minister Theresa May had hit back Friday at the EU after it roundly rejected her Brexit plan, saying its refusal to compromise was “not acceptable” and warning she was still prepared to walk away from the talks.

May blamed Brussels for the “impasse” just weeks ahead of a deadline to seal a deal — and six months before Britain leaves the EU in March.

The EU summit in Salzburg had also raised the stakes by putting on ice a special summit planned for November to seal a deal, saying it would only happen if there is progress next month.

Merkel said the November special summit would “probably” take place but warned that “six to eight weeks of intense work lie ahead in which we have to make political decisions”.

Progress could be achieved in October, she said, but added that any proposal should “formulate in the most concrete terms possible” what future relations should look like.

Otherwise, warned the chancellor, “the transition period could become too short to reach any kind of reasonable agreement”.

May’s government faces heightening pressure as it lacks a stable majority in parliament and could face defeat by MPs if and when it brings a final deal with Brussels for a vote.


Critics of May’s Brexit proposal have launched a “Save Brexit Campaign” to push for a clean break with the EU.

Polls show the country is still more or less divided on Brexit, although a narrow majority might now support staying in the EU.



















Rainbowgist

FRSC screens 15,000 applicants in Kaduna

The Federal Road Safety Corps has begun screening of more than 15,000 applicants for various positions in Kaduna State in its ongoing nationwide recruitment exercise.

The officer in charge of the exercise in Kaduna, Assistant Corps Marshal Susan Ajenge, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday that the exercise would last for five days.

Ajenge said that out of the 15,000 applicants, 8,000 had first degree, Higher National Diploma, National Certificate in Education and National Diploma, while the remaining had secondary school certificate.

“We will screen applicants’ certificates and check their height, chest and feet to ensure they are physically fit and healthy,” she said.

Ajenge said that those who applied but did not receive e-mail from FRSC inviting them for the screening exercise, could also come for the exercise.

“They should not forget to come along with their credentials, application print out and other relevant documents.


“We want to give everybody equal opportunity. As long as such persons meet the minimum requirements and have applied, they should come; we will screen them,’’ she said.

Some of the applicants, who spoke with NAN, described the exercise as smooth, orderly and well-coordinated.

One of the applicants, Mr Saidi Yekine, said that he was impressed with how the exercise was organised.

He said that the exercise was not stressful and there was no intimidation.



























Rainbowgist

Air Peace to resume Lagos-Asaba route flight Oct. 8

A Nigerian carrier, Air Peace, has announced plans to restart its daily Lagos-Asaba-Lagos flights on Oct. 8.

The airline’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr Chris Iwarah, said earlier today in Lagos State that the airline decided to return to the Asaba route to end the nightmare of air travellers seeking to connect the Delta State capital, Anambra State and other adjoining cities.

According to him, Air Peace, which pulled out of the route more than two years ago because of safety concerns about the runway of the Asaba Airport, will also add Abuja-Asaba-Abuja flight to the service.

“We are pleased to announce our return to the capital of Delta State, Asaba, starting from October 8.

“Air Peace had to suspend flight operations to the Asaba Airport more than two years ago due to safety concerns with the facility.

“Since we suspended our operations to the airport, members of the flying public have inundated us with calls and appeals to return to end their nightmare on the route,” Iwarah said in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria .


“We are, however, thankful that the Delta State Government had to intervene to give the airport a facelift.

“We have been assured that the airport is now safe and we cannot but move in immediately.”

NAN reports that some foreign athletes, who participated in the 2018 African Senior Athletics Championship in Asaba in August, had difficulties connecting local flights to the city from Lagos State and Abuja.

























Rainbowgist

Osun election: David Mark asks INEC to declare Adeleke winner

A former President of the Senate who is also a Peoples Democratic Party Presidential aspirant, Senator David Mark, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to do the needful by declaring Senator Ademola Adeleke winner of the last Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.

He said it was incontrovertible that results announced by the electoral umpire showed that Adeleke of the PDP scored the majority of the lawful votes cast.

Mark, in a statement in Abuja today , said, “The declaration of the election by INEC as inconclusive is setting a dangerous precedence and ultimately a threat to democracy.”

He maintained that the election complied with all known electoral guidelines and was therefore conclusive arguing that the only logical thing to do was to declare Adeleke the winner forthwith.

Mark said, “INEC should demonstrate its independence. This twist is an affront to the good people of Osun State and Nigerians whose wishes are being manipulated.


“The All Progressives Congress must accept the result of the Osun governorship election.

“This antic of changing the rules of the game when it does not favour them is a dangerous phenomenon and a serious threat to democracy.

“Our party, the PDP has been law abiding. We have always complied even in extreme and glaring cases of infractions against us.

“I expect the APC to lead by example and accept the verdict of the Osun election as expressed by the majourity of the Osun people.”

Mark, however, told members of the PDP to remain calm and law-abiding believing that justice will prevail in Osun governorship election.

























Rainbowgist

Osun election results: Adeleke leads Oyetola as PDP supporters jubilate

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, is leading the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola in the total number of votes scored in the results announced so far.

Out of the results of the 15 local government areas announced so far, Adeleke polled 126,475 votes while Oyetola trails him with 110,775 votes.

The results of the remaining local governments are being read but supporters of the PDP candidate have claimed victory and are celebrating in front of the INEC office in Osogbo where the results are being announced.

The result of Osogbo and Olorunda Local Government Areas which have the highest
number of votes are yet to be announced.










































Rainbowgist

I meant well for D’banj, wife – Ayo Makun

Broadcaster, N6, recently criticised comedian Ayo Makun, aka AY, for allegedly making an insensitive comment when D’banj uploaded a video of himself having fun with his wife in Dubai on Instagram.

Reacting to the video, AY wrote, “Things like this only tell me that we are coming for a naming ceremony soon. Celebrations will never depart from your home. You’ve passed God’s test. Happiness is free.”

While the post looked harmless, N6 and his co-host, Joyce Onyemuwa, felt otherwise. According to them, it was wrong for AY to insinuate that the death of D’banj’s child was God’s test.

In a chat with one of our correspondent , AY said he didn’t think anything was wrong about his post on D’banj’s page when he read other people’s views.

He said, “It was not necessary (referring to the OAP’s comment about him). Immediately, I saw the comment, I read other people’s views. Once I noticed that other people’s views and how they saw the whole thing contradicted the person who was trying to get attention by slamming me, I didn’t care. He got the backlash at the end of the day.”


AY, however, said his new movie was different from the ones he had done in the past. The comedian stated, “As a matter of fact, The Merry Men is something different from my previous movies. This is more of drama, romance and action.

“Of course, there is an element of comedy in the new movie, but it tells a proper story. The idea is to let the world know that we can infuse comedy into a story that passes a good message. In this project, I was more concerned about the message than comedy.”

Speaking on the ‘agbada’ challenge for The Merry Men’s premiere, he stated, “When you have a new project, you will always think of something new to attract the public’s attention. For the premiere of A Trip to Jamaica, we had a football match between ex-Super Eagles and Jamaicans. At the moment, we all know the craze for agbada and we also know Ebuka Obi-Uchendu wears agbada a lot. I created a challenge for people to the see other celebrities who wear agbada as well but don’t showcase it.”



























Rainbowgist

Iheanacho scores in comeback win for Leicester City

Nigeria international, Kelechi Iheanacho, is finally off the mark as he got his first Premier League goal for Leicester City in their comeback 3-1 win over Huddersfield Town on Saturday at the Kings Power stadium.

Mathias Jorgensen had put Huddersfield ahead early, but Leicester came back flying as Iheanacho made it 1-1 in the first half, then James Maddison and Jamie Vardy scored one each in the second half.

Another Nigeria international, Wilfred Ndidi, was also in action for Leicester City on Saturday and he was booked in the 18th minute.

Iheanacho and his teammates have now won three of their opening six games to start the season, while Huddersfield have yet to win this campaign and sit bottom of the Premier League table.

In the early kickoff, Nigeria’s Isaac Success was a substitute, as Watford were held to a draw 1-1 by Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Success played for barely 11 minutes in Saturday’s tie as he continued his bit-part role with the Hornets.


At Turf Moor, Jordon Ibe remained on the bench for the entirety of Bournemouth’s 4-0 loss to Burnley.

At Anfield, Liverpool extended their winning streak to six games after a routine 3-0 win against Southampton. Wesley Hoedt (OG), Joel Matip and Mohamed Salah with first-half goals sealed the victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Dominic Solanke did not make the Reds matchday squad after returning to training on Friday morning.

Also, Sir Alex Ferguson was in the stands at Old Trafford on Saturday but his presence could not spur on Manchester United as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Wolverhampton Wanderers in their Premier League clash.

Fred and Joao Moutinho both netted their first goals for their respective clubs as Wolves came from behind to earn another impressive result since gaining promotion from the Championship.

United nonetheless have moved into fifth place in the top-flight standings, but Wolves drop down to the ninth position despite extending their unbeaten run in the league to four matches.



































Rainbowgist

LIVE UPDATES: Osun governorship election

Ife East LGA
ADC = 237

ADP = 509

APC = 8925

PDP= 6,608

SDP = 17, 643




10:07
PDP supporters are getting restless in front of INEC secretariat as result announcement nears end
Additional policemen called tin to maintain peace.






09:46
Ife South LGA
ADC =136

APC = 7, 223

PDP = 4,872

SDP = 6,151

No registered voters = 50, 356

Accredited voters = 21,428


09:37
Ola Oluwa LGA
ADC = 1,408



ADP = 2,194



APC = 5,025



PDP = 4,026



SDP = 2,104



Registered Voters 30,786



Accredited Voters 16,300


09:04
Olugbon: Some party supporters take a nap opposite INEC office waiting for the announcement of the winner of the Osun State Governorship election in Osogbo.






09:03
Updated: Olorunda LGA
ADC = 335



ADP = 1,409



APC = 16,254



PDP = 9,850



SDP = 7,061



No registered voters = 90,110



Accredited voters = 40,524


08:49
Updated: Irewole LGA
ADP = 1,915



APC = 10,049



PDP = 13,848



SDP = 1,142



No registered voters = 61, 977



Accredited voters = 30, 898


10:14
Olugbon: Road leading to the Independent National Electoral Commission office in Osogbo barricaded with Police Armoured Personnel Carrier causing commuters to ply one way on the Gbongan-Ohogbo expressway.








08:32
Updated: Ife Central LGA
ADC = 194



ADP = 1,053



APC = 6,957



PDP = 3200



SDP = 20,494



No registered voters = 106,309



Accredited voters = 35, 588


08:25
Makinde: The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, scored the highest number of votes in Ife North Local Government Area according to the result announced by the INEC.























Rainbowgist

Corpers and life of sex, booze, drugs in NYSC camps

For Dorcas Ifeji, the best time of her life was in 2016, the year she participated in the one-year mandatory National youth service programme. And all of the excitement was down to the three weeks she spent in the National Youth Service Corps orientation camp in Taraba State.

Ifeji described her experience in camp as the time of her life she would always relish. As a fresh graduate, she had thought that the regimented life in the camp, with soldiers keeping a watchful eye on corps members, would be stressful, but she was wrong. The experience was almost like nothing changed for the party-loving lady.

“We had a place called Club Zero behind the Mammy Market (usually a market in military barracks where food, beverages and other things are sold); it was like a clubhouse,” she said with a sheepish smile.


“Club Zero was where everything unimaginable happened in the camp. It was just behind the Mammy Market. You could get to smoke weed, party and indulge in everything irregular; some adventurous people even made out in the open.

“What made Club Zero interesting was because the soldiers in the camp usually let their guards down there, looking for free beer from the guys and willing girls to flirt with. Some soldiers were lucky enough to find drunk and vulnerable girls who would follow them to their quarters for private business.

“It was normal to see corps members in pairs, kissing, groping and doing sexually suggestive things in Club Zero. The place was dimly lit so the atmosphere was conducive for certain actions. A day really stood out for me: people were shouting and I was wondering what could have happened. Then I realised that a guy and a lady had just been found having sex in a corner at Club Zero.


“The act should have attracted serious punishment but people actually hailed them and after the noise went down, all the soldiers present there said was ‘una must buy us one crate of beer o’ (you must buy us a crate of beer).”

Since the national youth service is compulsory for Nigerian graduates under the age of 30, those seeking employment are required to show proof of participation or formal exemption from taking part in it as a prerequisite for getting jobs in the country.

According to the NYSC Code of Conduct during the period of orientation, any member who comes late to any official engagement on the field, at lectures or places of work shall be tried by the Camp Court and, if found guilty would be thrown out of the camp.

It also states that the member shall only be allowed to come back for service by joining the next batch for the orientation exercise.

Similarly, the Code of Conduct states that a corps member shall “not leave orientation camp or absent himself from any official activity without the written consent of the State Coordinator but when absent from his duties on account of illness, ensure that such absences are covered by an ‘Excuse Duty Certificate’ issued by a medical doctor on duty at the camp.

“Any member who leaves the camp without the permission from the State Coordinator shall be tried by the Camp Court and, if found guilty, be liable to be decamped and sent out of camp.

“The member shall only be allowed to come back for service by joining the next batch for the orientation exercise.”

It also states that any member found to be drunk shall be tried by the Camp Court and, if found guilty, be liable to extra drill and/or confinement to the camp rehabilitation room for 30 minutes.

But like Ifeji, the NYSC orientation camp gave Uwazie Mark nothing but a thrilling experience. For Mark who camped in the Ogun State orientation camp, Sagamu in 2016, the favourite point of call for all fun lovers was Slim Bar. There was no disparity between officials and corps members there as long as you had some money to spend on drinks.

“If you were a guy and you had never been to Slim Bar, then your camping wasn’t complete. It was more like buying and selling. The rich guys came to show off in order to impress ladies and the ladies also showed up with the hope of finding rich boyfriends in the camp.

“All the soldiers in the camp that we considered as strict joked with us there, telling us stories about how they joined the force. You would find some of the soldiers begging to dance with female corps members. Some would drink and insist the corps members there should pay for their drinks,” Mark said.

Mark also revealed that while in the camp, he learnt about a small shack with a bed in the Mammy Market, which corps members could use to get intimate with their colleagues, but at a cost.

“Only few people knew about the brothel; it was all in code. The bed and room were made available on demand. Once you paid, they would set it up and secure the place for you while you had fun with your partner. I didn’t find out about the price because I was never interested in it,” he narrated

He also shared the story of a camp photographer who did more than taking fancy pictures for corps members.

“There was also a guy who was a camp photographer, but that was only used as cover for the main thing he did. He sold tramadol and other hard substances to guys who wanted to get high. He had a stand where he also sold soft drinks and snacks. Some guys would buy soft drinks from him and also buy other substances that would make them high to mix with the soft drinks.

“He used to sell cough syrups with codeine to so corps members who could mix their drinks with the drugs. Sometimes, you would see a guy in camp spending hours to finish a bottle of coke. Some female corps members also patronised the guy, but the interesting thing is that the soldiers knew about it and would even joke with corps members misbehaving that they must have been buying too much of tramadol and codeine from the photographer,” he said.

Maxwell Adim had his service year in Imo State in 2015 and would relive the experience if given another chance to.

At the NYSC orientation camp in the state, Adim had friends at the security post who readily took a bribe to allow him leave the camp.

“In camp, I met all kinds of ladies from every part of Nigeria but I was only interested in the beautiful ones. A colleague that shared a bunk with me was the one who told me that I could bribe the soldiers manning the gates if I wanted to leave the camp to have fun with ladies outside, even for days. Interestingly, I tried it and it worked,” Adim said.

“Later, I realised the lists of attendance that we used to sign wasn’t taken seriously by the authorities. Perhaps, they only used such lists to threaten those who didn’t know the trick.

“I had a friend who pretended that he was ill and he was let out of the camp under the guise of going to a hospital; but he got a hotel room where he stayed for the remaining days we spent in the camp. Female corps members who were his girlfriends went to meet him in his hotel room.

“Those who had money could bend the rules. He would call his soldier friends in the camp and make arrangements for them to allow the ladies to leave the camp and return by evening.”

Olarenwaju, as he wanted to be identified, served in Cross River State in 2014.

The experience was hellish for him until he met 23-year-old Folashade and things started to look up for him. With Folashade, Olanrewaju, 28, thought “finally, here is a woman I could spend the rest of my life with.”

“It was when I met Folashade that I finally started enjoying myself. She was the most beautiful lady I had ever seen. She was the leader of my platoon, while I was her assistant, and that was the beginning of our love affair.

“I really loved her and enjoyed her company. I asked her out and she agreed to be my girlfriend. I didn’t even have to stress myself for so long as she even told me that she knew she wanted a relationship with me the moment she met me. We went everywhere together and it was really nice,” he added.

However, after the camping experience, Olarenwaju received the biggest shock of her life, learning that his lover was married with a set of twins.

“I was very shocked to learn that she was married and was only having fun with me; it was as though I should disappear from planet earth. I found out about the situation from one of her colleagues that they did the primary assignment together.

“When I confronted her about it, she didn’t deny it. That was how we ended the relationship on a sad note. She confirmed that the twins were boys. I just kept my cool and asked God for forgiveness because if I had known she was married, I wouldn’t have had anything to do with her,” the insurance officer said.

It is often said that all manner of things happen on parade grounds in most NYSC orientation camps across the country. For Ifeanyi Oguabor, who served in Abuja in 2017; he was able to learn about the kind of things that went on on parade grounds at first hand.

“In my platoon in the camp, I was deployed to serve in the sanitation unit for some time. And I had to clean up the parade ground. I was very irritated as I had to pick up many used condoms on the field. That was my duty post and the job had to be done.

“I thought I was the only one that experienced such until my friends started narrating to me all the nasty experiences they also had while cleaning up the parade ground. Many corps members see their service year and their time in NYSC camps as a time to misbehave and have fun. Some married women I served together with went about without their wedding rings so that they could mingle with guys.

“Even me, I never thought I would smoke in my life but while I was in camp, I found myself smoking and doing things I would ordinarily not do,” he narrated

Anthonia Momodu experienced being left out of the “big girls” clique in camp when she refused to do what some other female corps members did to get posted to good companies for her primary assignment in Ibadan, Oyo State, where she served.

She said “I always prayed to God to be posted to a good place of primary assignment where I would be able to add to my knowledge to the service of the country and earn good money, but that did not happen. But I still feel better because while we were in camp, many ladies, including some of my friends, were sleeping with military officers to get posted to good companies in Ibadan, but at the end of the day, we all got posted to the same local government. They sold their bodies to military men in camp for nothing.

“Although, a senior military man asked me out a week after we got to camp, I said no without thinking twice about it because my elder sister had warned me to stay away from soldiers in camp. The soldier promised me a good time in camp and even after leaving camp, but I didn’t give it a second thought at all.”

Similarly, Abisoye, who is now a professional hair stylist, narrated how she was deceived into sleeping with one of the parents of her pupils she was giving home coaching.

“I served in Delta State and was posted to a public primary school to serve. I wanted to make more money for myself, so I started home coaching for two pupils, whose parents were interested in paying me for that.

“One of such parents was Mr. Ephraim, who introduced himself to me as a single father and businessman dealing in electronic gadgets. I would go to his house to teach his seven-year-old son, Joshua, Mathematics. Soon, his father said he liked me; he claimed he was never married to Joshua’s mother.

“I agreed to date him with the intention of getting married to him as he had promised. He also promised to get me a job in a top real estate firm in Warri, but he didn’t do any of those things. Through some of his neighbours that I had go to know while coaching his son, I found out that he had been lying to me. I was told that his wife was on a leave of absence from her job and was doing a PhD programme in the UK,” she said.

Abisoye said she never heard from Ephraim again after the completion of her service year.

The Director of Press and Public Relations, NYSC, Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi, was contacted many times through phone calls and text messages to get her comment on some of the activities allegedly going on in camps which are against the agency’s guidelines and code of conduct for corps members and handlers; she did not respond.




























Rainbowgist

Politicians woo voters with N10,000 on WhatsApp as Osun elects new governor today

As 48 governorship candidates from 48 political parties jostle for 1,246,915 votes in the Osun State governorship election holding on Saturday (today), some of the contestants and their political associates have devised new means and tactics to induce voters ahead of the poll.


Investigation revealed that the representatives of at least one of the contestants were using the WhatsApp social media platform to woo Permanent Voter Card holders, who are residents of Osun State, to sell their votes.

This was despite attempts by the Independent National Electoral Commission to curb vote-buying and selling especially in the Osun election.

Checks by our correspondents showed that the associates of the contestants cleverly hid their identities.

To track the identities of the buyers and the politicians they were working for, one of our correspondents connected to an online link that in turn linked him with a WhatsApp number 08120569530, where he was asked a series of questions to ascertain if he actually had a permanent voter card and if he was an Osun State indigene.


The administrator later promised that N10,000 would be deposited into our correspondent’s account number at 6am on Election Day. The correspondent was asked to send his account detail, age, town, ward and unit to claim the amount.

The administrator said, “You’ll receive bank alert 6am on the Election Day. Don’t forget to pass this good news to all your friends and family. Make sure you add us to you(r) phone book and don’t forget to send this to all your friends and family living in around Osun State. Expect our call anytime from now.”

It was difficult to ascertain the party or governorship candidate that initiated the payment process. When our correspondent tried to call the number, using Truecaller, a mobile app that finds contact details globally, to trace the owner, it did not respond.

Almost immediately, the administrator sent a message that our correspondent would be stopped from enjoying the N10,000 vote-buying price. “Please, no WhatsApp call and if you keep calling, we’ll block you,” the administrator wrote.

Meanwhile, one of the contestants was said to have started distributing money to the ward leaders who would identify names of their party members on the voter registers and pay them ahead of the poll.

A source close to one of the politicians told one of our correspondents on Friday that money had been moved to where the distribution would be done in order to pay for the votes.

He said, “There is nothing they can do to stop vote-buying especially in this election, because politicians are desperate to outdo one another in their bid to buy votes.

“They have started bringing money out but this time round, because of the noise over it, they will be more discreet in sharing the money. Money has been given to the leader of the party in our area but they are yet to tell us how much.”

It was also gathered that the sponsor of a particular candidate compelled some party leaders to swear an oath that they would spend the money he wanted to give them to induce voters and not pocket them.


Some of the leaders were said to have agreed while a few of them were said to have rejected the money because they could not swear this oath of allegiance.

The same candidate was said to have distributed forms to prospective voters, asking them to fill in their accounts details to enable them to be credited with the sum of N10,000. The amount is said to be meant for any voter with a PVC.























Rainbowgist

CBN Withdraws Skye Bank’s Operating License

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has withdrawn the operating license of Skye Bank.

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefile announced the decision of Friday evening in Lagos.

Polaris Bank has been established to assume ownership of the assets and liabilities of Skye Bank.

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation has injected N786bn in the new bank.

The management of the defunct bank was however retained for its good performance.

The defunct Skye Bank has been on CBN’s lifeline since July 2016 and the apex bank says it can no longer continue to intervene to keep the balance liquid.


























Rainbowgist

Gov ticket: Ambode in closed-door meeting with Buhari

Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State on Thursday had a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The meeting was said to be part of the last minute moves to settle the rift between Ambode and his godfather, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu and his loyalists in Lagos State are reportedly opposed to Ambode’s second term and are backing another governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The rift between Tinubu and Ambode had reportedly defied external interventions.

In what was believed to be part of his continued efforts to secure a second term in office, Ambode appeared at the Presidential Villa on Thursday.

He walked into the Presidential Villa at about 2.45pm and went into a private meeting with Buhari.

It was gathered that the meeting followed the appeal by the APC governors for the President’s intervention to save Ambode.

It was learnt that the President might also meet with APC stakeholders in Lagos in the next few days.

‘APC at peace in Lagos’

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the APC, Mr Adams Oshiohmole, says the party is at peace in Lagos.

Oshiomhole stated this after his meeting with APC governors in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said, “The best way to measure democracy is the presence of more than one person showing interest in an office.

“At every level, I have seen people claiming that in one or two offices there is no opposition. In other offices, we have more than one candidate expressing interest. I think our party in Lagos is at peace.”

The Socialist Party of Nigeria on Thursday prayed that the disagreement between Ambode and Tinubu would worsen so that SPN can take over Lagos.

The group argued that neither Ambode nor Tinubu deserved the sympathy of the public, adding that the disagreement between them should be used as an opportunity to free Lagos from “self-succession in power and installation of cronies as governors.”

The opposition party urged the public not to support Tinubu’s alleged quest to replace Ambode with “another stooge” but to seize the opportunity to disrupt “the typical bourgeois politics wherein a tiny organised mafia is dictating the affairs and looting of collective resources.”

In a statement on Thursday jointly signed by its Chairman, Rufus Olusesan, and Publicity Secretary, Shoyombo M.K., the SPN urged the people to reject Sanwo-Olu.

“The Socialist Party of Nigeria states clearly that neither Sanwo-Olu nor Ambode represents a future that will make Lagos work for the mass of its poor working people, given the fact that they both represent the wishes and aspiration of big business and the moneybags.

“The struggle between the Mandate Movement loyal to Tinubu and Ambode is about business and profit interests of the contending forces of the ruling elite in Lagos,” the party said.

The SPN urged Lagosians to vote for its candidate as Lagos State governor to liberate the residents.































Rainbowgist

Ex-Eagles midfielder charged with bribery

Former Premier League star Dickson Etuhu has reportedly been charged with bribery and a minor drugs offence according to reports.

The 36-year-old former Super Eagles midfielder, who denied the claim, has been charged after an 18-month investigation in Sweden.

The Times reports the former Manchester City, Preston, Norwich, Fulham, Blackburn and Sunderland midfielder has been accused of offering a bribe to his former AIK Stockholm team-mate Kenny Stamatopoulos to fix a match against Gothenburg last year.

Swedish authorities became aware of the allegations and cancelled the game.

Swedish FA Secretary-General Hakan Sjostrand claimed a “very large amount of money” had been offered as well as a number of “veiled threats”.

Etuhu’s lawyer Johan Akermark denied the allegations to Fotbollskanalen.

He said, “He has not offered any bribe and he does not know anything about any bribe. He had a snack with the AIK goalkeeper, they knew each other and used to meet for lunch.


“He has an explanation of what happened and we will present it during the trial.”

Etuhu ended his career in Sweden after 14 years playing in England and now works as an agent.

He was part of former England manager Roy Hodgson’s Fulham side that finished runners-up in the 2010 Europa League.

Etuhu won 33 caps for his country and represented them at the 2010 World Cup.

Ex-striker Alban Jusufi, who retired in 2013, has also been charged with bribery.

The Times also report that Etuhu was charged with a minor drugs offence after cocaine was found during a search of his property.
























Raninbowgist

Lagos leads as Nigeria’s foreign debt hits $22bn

The country’s foreign and domestic debts stood at $22.08bn and N15.63tn, respectively at the end of the second quarter of this year, according to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Figures from the NBS obtained by our correspondent on Thursday revealed that Lagos State had the largest share of the foreign and local debts among the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

The NBS stated, “The Nigerian states and federal debt stock data as of 30th of June, 2018 reflected that the country’s foreign and domestic debts stood at $22.08bn and N15.63tn, respectively. Further disaggregation of Nigeria’s foreign debt showed that $10.88bn of the debt was multilateral; $274.98m was bilateral (AFD) and another $2.12bn bilateral from the Exim Bank of China, JICA, India and KFW, while $8.80bn was commercial.

“Lagos State has the highest foreign debt profile among the 36 states and the FCT, accounting for 34.17 per cent, while Edo (6.57 per cent), Kaduna (5.48 per cent), Cross River (4.56 per cent) and Bauchi (3.18 per cent), followed closely.


“Similarly, the total domestic debt was N3.48tn, with Lagos State accounting for 14.88 per cent of the total domestic debt stock, while Anambra State has the least debt in this category with a contribution of 0.08 per cent to the total domestic debt stock.”

On the domestic debt stock of the states and the FCT, the NBS data revealed that Lagos owed N517.367bn; Delta, N222.680bn; Akwa Ibom, N179.714bn; while Kaduna had N75.606bn.

The statistics also revealed that Abia owed N57.467bn; Adamawa, N67.460bn; Anambra, N2.612bn; Bauchi, N78.076bn; and Bayelsa, N123.031bn.

The NBS statistics further revealed that the Federal Government’s domestic debt stock totalled N12.151tn during the period under review.

A breakdown of the figure showed that FGN Bonds amounted to N8.927tn or 73.47 per cent; Nigerian Treasury Bills totalled N2.953tn or 24.31 per cent; Nigerian Treasury Bonds, N150.988bn or 1.24 per cent; while the FGN Savings Bond was N8.521bn or 0.07 per cent.


Others are FGN Sukuk of N100bn or 0.82 per cent and FGN Green Bond of N10.690bn or 0.09 per cent.























Rainbowgist

Cholera resurfaces in Yobe, 61 dead –Commissioner

Yobe State government on Friday confirmed 906 fresh cases of cholera with 61 deaths and 50 others still on admission in hospitals across the state.

Dr Muhammad Kawuwa, the Commissioner for Health, stated this in a statement in Damaturu on Friday.

He said Acute Water Diarrhea cases were reported in some parts of the state and later confirmed to be cholera after laboratory tests.

“Some of the AWD cases were caused by Vibrio bacteria, the bacteria that cause cholera,“ the commissioner said.

According to him, 906 cases are recorded in six local government areas of the state: Gujba, Gulani, Damaturu, Fune, Potiskum and Nangere in two months.

“Over 795 patients were successfully treated and discharged, 50 are still on admission in various health facilities across the state.

“Unfortunately, we lost 61 patients mainly due to delays in timely reporting to the healthcare facilities for life-saving treatment.”

Kawuwa said the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Abuja were authenticating the causes of the outbreak.

“In the light of this and due to our continued concern for the health of our people, the state government is, therefore, declaring outbreak cholera in the state.”

He said this was necessary to scale up response with the support of the international partners,

The commissioner identified personal hygiene, the absence of sanitation facilities in the communities and flooding of water sources by the rains as possible causes of the outbreak.

He called on Water, Sanitation and Health sector partners, religious and traditional leaders and the people to cooperate and support government efforts in containing the outbreak and the check spread.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Yobe State government had three months ago declared over, an earlier cholera outbreak in five local government areas of the state.


The local government areas were: Bade, Karasuwa, Jakusko, Yusufari and Bursari. The outbreak was declared over after 21 days without a report of any new case.

The commissioner said the initial outbreak recorded 16 deaths, in 404 cases with Bade Local Government having 379 cases, Karasuwa 16, Jakusko, four, Yusufari three and Bursari, two.















Rainbowgist

Catholic priest dies four days after escaping kidnappers’ den

The Chaplain of the Seat of Wisdom Catholic Chaplaincy of the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta State, Very Rev. Fr. Dr Louis Odudu, who recently escaped from a kidnappers’ den, is dead.

Odudu died on Wednesday, four days after he escaped from his abductors’ den.

Sources in the Catholic Diocese of Warri reported that the priest was abducted last week Friday and he escaped on Saturday.

Although the immediate cause of death could not be ascertained by our correspondent, it was gathered that the incident was not unconnected with his abduction.

Family, friends and parishioners were still celebrating his freedom when the news of his death filtered into town on Wednesday.

He was said to have been pronounced dead at a private hospital in Warri, hours after he reportedly complained of pains and demanded to be taken to a hospital.

Odudu, who was ordained priest of the Catholic Diocese of Warri in 1987, had reportedly been in the United Kingdom for years.

He was said to have returned to the country about five months ago when he was abducted.

The deceased was a former Assistant Secretary-General at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria.

The news of the death reportedly threw the Catholic community in Delta into mourning, as worshippers discussed the incident in clusters after mass on Thursday.

A source said, “He was just assigned to the chaplaincy at PTI about two months before his kidnap and untimely death.

“It was a black Wednesday for the Diocese of Warri as Very Rev. Fr. Louis Odudu died on the day the diocese was holding a prayer vigil for one of the deceased priests, Very Rev. Fr. Stephen Ekakabor, who died early this month after battling with a brain injury he sustained when he was attacked by armed robbers. The robbers invaded the priest’s rectory in 2017 at his parish of St. Joseph, Okpare-Olomu, in the Ughelli South Local Government Area.”


The Director of Social Communications, Catholic Diocese of Warri, Rev. Fr. Dr Benedict Ukutegbe, confirmed the demise of the priest.

Ukutegbe, who declined to speak on the cause of death, also confirmed that he had just been released by kidnappers.

Catholic priests in the state have been under attack by some hoodlums in recent times, as no fewer than five priests had been abducted in 2018 alone.


































Rainbowgist

Osun: INEC distributes election materials amid tight security

The police have tightened security arrangement around the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Osogbo ahead of the governorship election holding in the state on Saturday.

There was a high number of security personnel on Thursday as the commission began the distribution of sensitive election materials to the INEC offices in the 30 local government areas of the state.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, told our correspondent on the telephone that election materials had been distributed to the local government areas in readiness for the Saturday election.

The REC said, “The election materials have all been transported to the local government areas. We started distributing them this morning and we completed it this evening. They have all been moved and they are all at the local government including smart card readers. They are being watched by security men and nothing can tamper with them.


“We are ready for the Saturday election and we want to assure everybody that the election will be credible and security operatives would ensure that it is violence-free as well.”

Our correspondent, who visited the INEC office on Thursday, observed the heavy presence of armed policemen including members of the Counter Terrorism Unit. The armed security operatives positioned themselves strategically around the INEC building to avoid any attack on the building.

The security arrangement around the Central Bank of Nigeria, where the sensitive election materials were kept before they were moved to INEC offices in each of the 30 local government areas, was also tight.

The Police CTU built a barricade in front of the INEC headquarters in Osogbo while members of the unit also built a shed from where they watched and control access to the place.




























Rainbowgist

Air pressure mix-up causes mass bleeding on Indian flight

A cockpit mix-up left more than 30 passengers on an Indian plane bleeding from their ears and noses Thursday after the crew forgot to flick a switch regulating cabin air pressure.

The Jet Airways flight to Jaipur had to turn back as the alarming symptoms became apparent, the airline said, with one traveller describing “panic” on board.

The plane carrying 166 passengers landed back in Mumbai and those affected were given medical attention while alternative flights were arranged, Jet Airways said.

The flight crew “has been taken off scheduled duties pending investigation”, the company said in a statement.

People on board posted photos and videos of the calamity online, with one purported passenger, Darshak Hathi, uploading footage on Twitter showing travellers using oxygen masks.

“Panic situation due to technical fault in @jetairways 9W 0697 going from Mumbai to Jaipur,” he tweeted.

“Flt return back to Mumbai after 45 mts. All passengers are safe including me,” he added.


India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a tweet it had sought an “immediate report” from official agencies.

The incident is the latest in a string of embarrassing incidents for the airline, which like other Indian carriers has been suffering financially.

In January, two Jet Airways pilots were grounded for getting into a brawl and storming out of the cockpit briefly during a New Year’s Day flight from London to Mumbai.



















Rainbowgist

How to achieve more with your Gmail account

Gmail offers a variety of tools aimed at managing your inbox clutter ranging from creating labels to categorise your email and using filters to automatically sort incoming mail.

If you have not already, you should enable two-factor authentication on your Gmail account.

According to Android Central, two-factor authentication works by combining a password with your phone to effectively double your account’s security.

How to change sync settings in Gmail

Gmail automatically syncs emails for up to 30 days on your phone, but if that is not sufficient, you can manually increase the sync duration from the settings.

Open Gmail from the home screen.
Tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner.
Navigate to the bottom of the pane to find Settings.
Select the Gmail account for which you want to change sync settings.
In the account settings, navigate to Days of mail to sync.
Enter the desired number of days in the textbox.
How to use action confirmations in Gmail

Gmail on the desktop has an Undo send feature that comes in handy when you spot a mistake in your email the second after you hit the Send button. With the setting enabled, you will see a dialog box pop up every time you send, archive, or delete a message asking you to confirm the action.


Tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner.
Navigate to Settings.
Select General settings.
Navigate to the bottom of the page to see Action Confirmations.
Select the checkboxes next to each corresponding action.

How to use Auto-advance in Gmail

Gmail’s Auto-advance is a great time-saver if you have a lot of unread emails. The feature lets you automatically move to the next unread email in your inbox after you have archived or deleted a particular thread.

Tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner.
Navigate to Settings.
Select General settings.
Tap on Auto-advance.
Select between Newer, Older, or Conversation list.
How to use the vacation responder in Gmail

Don’t want to look at your inbox while vacationing? Set up vacation responder, and Gmail will automatically fire off a reply to all incoming emails, notifying senders that you won’t be available until the set duration. You also have the option of limiting the responder auto-message to those in your contacts list.

Tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner.
Navigate to Settings.
Select the Gmail account for which you want to enable an auto response.
In your account settings, navigate to Vacation responder.
Toggle the setting to on to start filling out the start and end dates, as well as the body of the message.
Tap Done to enable the feature.
How to search in Gmail

If you receive hundreds of emails every day, it is no easy task to keep your inbox uncluttered. Thankfully, Gmail has an excellent search function that comes in handy when you are looking for a specific mail. You can search for mail received on a particular date, filter messages based on the sender, look through mail that only have attachments, and much more.


Tap the Search icon at the top right corner.
Key in your search parameter.
Gmail will surface emails that match the query.
How to create labels in Gmail

Labels offer an easy way to organise your inbox clutter. You can create an entire label hierarchy using Gmail, nesting sub-labels under a parent label for more effective email management. For instance, you can create a label called Bills for organising all purchase receipts, and set up a sub-label called Google for all purchases made on the Play Store and other Google domains. For now, you can only create labels from the desktop client, as the option is not available on the mobile versions. Here is how to quickly set up and manage labels.

Open Gmail’s web interface by visiting gmail.com.
In your inbox view, click the More button from the left pane.
Select Create new label to make a new label.
Enter your label name.
If you are creating a sub-label, select the checkbox next to Nest label under and tag a parent label.
You can manage your labels from the Manage labels section.
How to filter messages in Gmail

Filters allow you to categorise your emails, giving you more control over your inbox. You can create a filter to automatically forward emails from a particular sender to a label, create rules for mail that have attachments, specific words, and so much more.

Open Gmail’s web interface by visiting gmail.com.
From the search bar at the top, click the Down arrow.
Set the rule for your filter. In this instance, we’re going to archive all emails from Amazon.
Once you set your criteria, click on Create filter with this search.
Choose your desired action from the list of options available


























Rainbowgist

‘Obese women likely to suffer involuntary urination'

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Queensland, Australia, has established a connection between being overweight or obese and an increased risk of developing urinary incontinence, also known as involuntary urination, in young and middle-aged women.

Published in Obesity Reviews, the study stated that when compared with normal body mass index, overweight was associated with a one-third increase in the risk of urinary incontinence, while the risk was doubled in women with obesity.

The study also said that clinical advice to obese young women or those at risk of becoming obese should not be limited to metabolic health, but should also emphasise the role of excess weight on pelvic floor weakening and subsequent risk of incontinence.

Speaking on the research, the lead researcher, Dr Tayla Lamerton, said that the team’s findings would serve as a guide to lifestyle interventions.

“We know that urinary incontinence can be a complex issue, especially among younger women. Understanding overweight and obesity as a determinant of urinary incontinence could play a role in the way we counsel those affected by the condition, and our findings provide a building block to further explore lifestyle interventions for preventing and managing incontinence,” she said.



















Rainbowgist

NYSC should be optional

The Zonal Inspector in my National Youth Service Corps days was a strict woman who monitored our compliance with the scheme’s rules and regulations to the point of infantilising us. She did not tolerate AWOL from any corps member, and she had sneaky ways of ensuring we stayed at our places of primary assignment. We thought her standards were unyielding until we learnt about a female colleague who had travelled to the USA to have her baby. When the ZI was asked why the corper could leave the country while still serving, she replied, “You people too should pray to have a husband that will send you to America to have children. Leave her alone.” Much later, I learnt from the ZI’s assistant – also a corps member – that the ZI was not only aware the corper travelled out of the country, but she also forges her signature on the payroll register, collects her allowances, and protects her from any retribution for absconding from duty.

These days, when I see the media obsession with how the singer, David Adeleke (Davido), was on a US music tour while he was supposed to be a youth corper serving Nigeria with all his strength, “under the sun and in the rain”, I remember my ZI and the kinds of compromises the NYSC officials themselves make for the so-called “big people.” Davido’s failure to stay at his place of primary assignment starkly highlights the fact that modern reality has overtaken the mandate of the NYSC. Davido and the Kemi Adeosun saga are compelling enough reasons to revisit the law that established the NYSC scheme and amend it to make it optional for Nigerian youths. You do not even need to be a graduate to hold positions in public offices in Nigeria, so why does the NYSC matter that much?

The NYSC officials themselves have been known to conspire with corps members against the spirit of the scheme’s founding. My ZI was one of the many instances of the NYSC officials shortchanging the ethics of the system for pecuniary gains.


The NYSC – a national programme to foster national unity and patriotism – is a bright idea that has dimmed after 45 years of its founding. On the NYSC website, they have some poorly written and poorly edited prose lauding the scheme as some great mobiliser of a national patriotic spirit. Even President Muhammadu Buhari, when he met corpers in his hometown at Daura recently, echoed a similar sentiment about the NYSC facilitating cross-cultural bonding among young Nigerians who get to travel beyond their abode (and for some of them) for the first time in their lives. Indeed, for the young and the adventurous, the NYSC can be an invaluable experience. My service year in Abia State afforded me the opportunity to visit every state in the South-East and the South-South (minus Ebonyi!). I enjoyed my experience, and till date, I still carry with me the fond memories of the beautiful people I lived and worked with while in Umuahia. Yet, I am not sentimental about the relevance of the NYSC to everybody’s lives. Not everyone should be corralled into a half-hearted scheme our leaders pretend can create a utopian nation-space where we all get along because we lived together for a year.


The goal of the NYSC is noble, and it would have been worthier if the burden of national unity was not placed on the children of those who lack the means to influence their posting to familiar locations where they are either able to hijack lucrative opportunities, or even leave the country altogether. How many of the children of our leaders serve Nigeria “under the sun and in the rain” like their counterparts are enjoined to do every time they sing the NYSC anthem? It is the children of ordinary Nigerians who are drafted to rural areas at grave risks to their lives to fulfil a national agenda that is already being undone even before those corpers cast the building blocks of national unity. So, why not reserve the NYSC experience for those who actively desire it and exempt those who want to do other things with their lives?

The NYSC was conceived in post-civil war Nigeria where most youths had defined career trajectories. At that time, they were mostly going to work in the civil service, teach, or take up employment with private organisations. Those who designed the scheme did not consider that a time would come that Nigerian youths would be creatives and innovators whose careers cannot withstand a one-year sabbatical. For an artiste like Davido, it is implausible to expect him to take off an entire year off his singing career, go to a village school to teach English comprehension in an indigenous language, and then resume his regular schedule as a singer after dutifully completing the passing-out parade. It just does not make sense. The NYSC officials too might have granted him a leave to go for a music tour abroad because of his fame but what about other younger people who also have to pursue their lives? What about those who get job opportunities, international fellowships, postgraduate degree offers, and are forced to defer or give up such opportunities because of the NYSC?

Besides, the Adeosun certificate forgery saga should cause us to re-think the NYSC as a compulsory scheme. Nigerians are pouring all over the world as economic nomads in search of greener pastures. While they are at it, they are breeding children who will acquire knowledge that Nigeria will find invaluable at some point. If those children decide to come back home, will their expertise be refused because they do not have the NYSC certificate? People who have migrated abroad for decades and in some cases married people of other races will not send their children to unfamiliar terrains in Nigeria for the NYSC.

Another reason to rethink the NYSC is the billions of naira it costs. When the programme was first conceived, our entire population was about 50 million people with a median age of 18.7. There were fewer universities in Nigeria, and the number of graduates was wieldy. Today, Nigeria’s population is projected to be hitting some 200 million people with the median age of 17.9! In the next 25 years, our population might hit 250 million with an even younger median age. Is the NYSC eternally capacious to absorb the stream of fresh graduates being churned out of the assembly lines of the increasing number of public and private universities? In 2016, even the NYSC admitted that lack of funds stalled the mobilisation of Batch A corpers. What happens when the number of graduates hits 1,000,000 considering the NYSC is not a revenue-generating enterprise? There are also reports of a massive backlog of corpers who are awaiting mobilisation for the scheme. They are stuck in limbo; they cannot get a job or advance their degrees, they sit on a spot and wait for the bureaucracy to remember them.

I understand the fear in some quarters that if the NYSC were made optional, a lot of young people would back out of participating and the scheme will atrophy and die. This is a fair point to consider. With all its faults, the NYSC has some advantages. In my case, it was also a one-year buffer from the reality of entering the job market until I was more definite about my life goals. For some other people, the NYSC provides an opportunity to acquire some work experience if they are lucky to serve in places that tax their labour and imagination. However, nothing says the experience of an entire nation’s youth population has to be uniform. Some people will serve either because they wanted the experience or because they have few options. Others need to fly, and the NYSC should not hold down their wings. Let it be optional.




















Rainbowgist

Maigari faces ban as NFF poll holds in Katsina today

Former Nigeria Football Federation president Aminu Maigari could be barred from contesting the federation’s presidential election in Katsina on Thursday after he was given a provisional clearance by the NFF Electoral Committee.

Under-pressure incumbent president Amaju Pinnick is seeking reelection, with former Secretary-General of the body Taiwo Ogunjobi and Chinedu Okoye other contestants bidding to lead Nigerian football.


The electoral committee headed by Muhammed Katu said in a statement on Wednesday they received petitions from Chuma Onye (on September 14) and Ahmed Shuaibu (on September 17) claiming that Maigari submitted forged certificates during the screening of candidates for the election.

The statement read, “During the screening, the electoral committee discovered the discrepancies in the certificate presented by Maigari, who is vying for the post of president of the NFF.

“However, the committee couldn’t reach a unanimous decision on whether to disqualify him or not, hence the need to resort to voting.


“During the voting, three out of five members of the electoral committee voted in favour of him being cleared and allowed to participate in the election.

“This led to the inclusion of his name on the list of the cleared candidates.”

Katu said the committee forwarded a copy of Onye’s petition to Maigari on September 14 directing him to appear before the committee on or before September 17 to clear himself.

He said, “Maigari received the letter and informed the committee through a phone call to the chairman of his desire to appear before the committee on September 15.

“He honoured the invitation on the said date and further undertook to produce the originals of the said documents for verification and clarification on or before September 17.

“However, as at September 18, Maigari failed to produce the said original documents.”

He said the committee decided to withdraw the clearance issued to Maigari to contest the election and replaced it with a provisional clearance after “ the two Grade three certificates which were attached to the petitions are indeed not the same both in substance and in content with each other, in fact, they are contradictory.”


All efforts made by our correspondent to reach the former Bauchi State FA boss for his comments were unsuccessful as he neither answered calls made to his mobile nor respond to the text message sent to him as of press time.

However, an online report claimed that Magari had rejected the provisional clearance, saying he would appeal.

“The decision of the electoral committee is unacceptable after I was cleared to run for the election,” SCORENigeria quoted him as saying on Wednesday.

“I believe that there is a deadline for the hearing of petitions, not just few hours to the elections.”

He added, “I have my original certificates fully supported by all the necessary documentation and they are available for anyone who cares to examine them.”

Incumbent 1st vice-president Seyi Akinwunmi faces a battle to retain his post as he will be challenged by Sunday Dele-Ajayi.

The battle for the Chairman of Chairmen position is between Ibrahim Gusau and Ifeanyi Ubah.

The run-up to the NFF election has been marred by controversies, with some moves made by some persons to scuttle the exercise through legal action.

FIFA observers for the election are Luca Piazza and Solomon Mudege.

































Rainbowgist

My enemies want to tarnish my image —Mr Ibu

Nollywood actor, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, has reacted to a statement posted on Instagram by a female fan claiming that he had a one-night stand with her.

Ibu, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Wednesday, said that although he posed for a photo shot with the fan in question, he never had sexual intercourse with her.

Recounting what happened, he said, “The woman approached me to take a picture with me alongside her husband. She said she happily posted those pictures she took with me without any write-up. It was when a blog carried the picture that a write-up appeared from nowhere.

“I initially called police to arrest the woman, but she came to my house with her family to apologise that she would not have posted the picture had she known it would cause trouble. She swore that she would not have a child, if she ever wrote anything evil about me. I believed her. I told her that she did nothing wrong by posting the picture.”


The actor described the offensive statement as the handiwork of unknown enemies who were planning to tarnish his image.

Pleading with members of the public not to believe everything they read online, Ibu also claimed that some people, in an attempt to rubbish his name, had hacked into his social media accounts and impersonated him.

He said, “I know that I have enemies. They were the ones who put that write-up to tarnish my image, but they can never succeed because I have never stepped on anybody’s toes and I will never do it. I only want to upgrade people and make them happy.

“Some people are trying to pull me down. I’ve witnessed instances where hackers used my account to defraud other people and upload all sorts of nonsense about me. But I always tell people that I am not the owner of those accounts.”

On his ongoing movie project, Ibu described it as the biggest he had done till date, while disclosing that a major Hollywood actor had been billed to appear in the movie.

Asked what other career he would have chosen beside comic acting, Mr Ibu said he would have loved to be a football agent.

“If I hadn’t chosen acting as a career, I would definitely have become a football agent,” he said.






















Rainbowgist

Fayose writes again, accuses EFCC of hatred, persecution

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has again written the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, rejecting the commission’s request that he should report on September 20 for questioning over monies allegedly traced to his account.

The governor said the date suggested by the commission despite his letter indicating readiness to appear on October 16 was smacked of hatred, persecution and partiality.

The governor, however, said the anti-graft agency could send its investigators to meet him in his office on September 20 if it was so much in a hurry that its investigation could not wait till October 16, 2018 – the first day after the expiration of his tenure.

“Without prejudice to Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, I will be willing to answer questions from your team of investigators should they be willing to meet me in my office in Ado Ekiti on the 20th of September, 2018 indicated in the EFCC’s letter dated September 13, 2018,” he said.


Fayose, according to a press release issued on Tuesday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said the letter written by the EFCC to the Customs and other agencies, directing them to put him on their watch list and arrest him if he attempted to leave Nigeria before the expiration of his tenure raised serious question about the impartiality, independence or neutrality of the commission.

Reminding the EFCC that he had on December 19, 2007, willingly presented himself for investigation at its Lagos office after his first tenure, Fayose added that there was nothing new or strange in his September 10 letter, which he said, had been received and treated in a bad taste.

The September 14 letter read, “As a responsible citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who currently enjoys immunity under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, it would amount to a breach of the constitution which I swore to uphold if I appear in your office on any date earlier than 16th October, 2018. If done otherwise, it will set a wrong precedent for the constitutional institution that I represent.


“I carefully chose that date (October 16, 2018) being the next day after the expiration of my tenure upon which the immunity I enjoy will lapse to avoid any form of insinuation and was in good faith.

“While drafting my response to your letter of 14th September, 2018 my attention was drawn to your widely publicised letter of 12th September, 2018 to the Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service and similar agencies, directing them to put me on the watch list and arrest me on an imagination that I might leave Nigeria to escape investigation. It has finally put in context, your commission’s hurriedly deleted online statement vide EFCC Nigeria @OfficialEFCC a day after the Ekiti governorship election that, ‘The parri is over; the clock of immunity turn apart, and the staff broken. Ekiti Integrated Poultry Project/Biological Concepts Limited N1.3bn fraud case file dusted off the shelves. See you soon.’

“Your commission by its actions, no doubt, has presumed my ‘guilt’ even prior to the commencement of “investigation.” This raises a serious question about the impartiality, independence or neutrality of the commission in the matter. I feel harassed, intimidated and embarrassed by the imputation of crime and the innuendos of criminality underlining your correspondence which has been maliciously circulated widely. This in all implies a case of persecution rather than prosecution.


“While I have handed a copy of your letter to my solicitors for a careful study and advice, let me state here for the records, that there is nothing about me or my antecedents, as a long-standing public figure to justify the commission’s action. I have never been a coward or a criminal.

“You may wish to recall that in 2007, precisely on the 19th day of December, I willingly presented myself for EFCC investigation at your Lagos office. There is therefore nothing new or strange in my letter of 10th September, 2018 which has been received and treated in bad faith and taste. I thought I was assisting due and fair process of law.

“Notwithstanding the demonstrated hate and prejudice, I reaffirm my willingness to make myself available to answer questions within my knowledge on the day you may indicate after the expiration of my term of office on the 15th October, 2018. If for any good reasons, your investigation cannot await the date suggested in my earlier letter, without prejudice to Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, I will be willing to answer questions from your team of investigators should they be willing to meet me in my office in Ado Ekiti on the 20th day of September, 2018 indicated in yours.

“Save as above, I will appreciate any date convenient to you after 15th October 2018, otherwise, expect me on the 16th October 2018 at 1 pm as earlier stated.”














Rainbowgist