world news

WHO warns Nigeria, 15 other African countries of listeriosis outbreak

nze ihunanyaMarch 21, 2018

World Health Organisation on Wednesday warned Nigeria and 15 other African countries of a listeriosis outbreak that started in South Africa in 2017, confirming its support for their preparedness and response to the disease.

The other African countries are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Listeriosis is a bacterial infection most commonly caused by Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeria is ubiquitous and is primarily transmitted via the oral route after ingestion of contaminated food productsIt can cause severe illness, including severe sepsis, meningitis, or encephalitis, sometimes resulting in lifelong harm and even death.

According to WHO numbers, nearly 200 South Africans have died since January 2017 as a result of contaminated ready-to-eat meat products that are widely consumed in the country and may also have been exported to two West African countries and 14 members of the South African Development Community.

South African health authorities recently declared the source of the outbreak as a factory in Polokwane, in the country’s northeast.

This prompted a national and international recall of the food products.

However, in light of the potentially long incubation period of listeriosis and the challenges relating to large-scale nationwide recall processes, further cases are likely to occur.

Whole genome sequencing of isolated strains of the Listeria bacteria was used to make the link between the contaminated products, the producing company and strains of Listeria isolated from the patients.

The WHO is currently supporting further genome sequencing to determine which cases are linked to this ongoing outbreak.

The ministers committed to regional collaboration, exchanging information and strengthening national food safety systems in line with international standards.In March, South Africa hosted a meeting of SADC health ministers to address regional preparedness and response to listeriosis.

The WHO, however, does not currently recommend any trade-related measures in relation to the current outbreak of listeriosis in South Africa, other than the recall of products identified as sources of infection.

The United Nation health agency is working with the 16 priority countries to improve their ability to prepare for, detect and respond to potential outbreaks.

Immediate steps include increasing awareness on listeriosis, enhancing active surveillance and laboratory diagnosis, ensuring the readiness of Rapid Response Teams, and strengthening coordination and contingency planning.

Experts have been deployed to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland to support these efforts.

“This outbreak is a wake-up call for countries in the region to strengthen their national food safety and disease surveillance systems,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.

18-year-old nursing mother drags lover to court for declining marriage

nze ihunanyaMarch 21, 2018

An 18-year-old nursing mother, Maryam Magaji, on Wednesday dragged one Badamasi Salihu, 20, whom she claimed was her lover, to a Sharia Court at Magajin Gari, Kaduna, for refusing to marry her.

She told the court that Salihu dated her for a year and promised to marry her, only to turn his back on her after getting her pregnant.

According to her, she had earlier reported the matter to the district head of their community where the defendant accepted the pregnancy and agreed to marry her after delivery.

Maryam begged the court to compel the defendant to accept the three weeks old baby she was nursing.“I reported the matter to our district head, and he agreed to marry me after I deliver but he denied me after giving birth to his child saying he cannot marry me,” the complainant lamented.

In his response, the defendant denied the claim, saying his relationship with her was that of a friend.

“She normally comes to my shop where we gist, crack jokes and laugh which made me attached to her, I see her as a friend that’s all,” Salihu told the court.

He also denied being responsible for Maryam’s pregnancy, saying the child she was nursing wasn’t his.

The judge, Malam Musa Sa’ad, requested the two parties to present their guardians and witnesses in court.

The case was adjourned till March 26, to enable the two parties present their witnesses.

BREAKING: FG confirms release of 91 girls, one boy

nze ihunanyaMarch 21, 2018

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has confirmed that 91 girls and a boy have so far been released by their abductors.

Mohammed disclosed this to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday.

“Many of the girls that were released were not dropped in one place.He said, “As of now, I can confirm that 91 girls and one boy have been released. The event is developing.

“Some were dropped on the road and they went back naturally to their parents Houses.

“They are now being asked to come and be documented at a centre and as at five minutes ago, I was told 91 girls and boy had been documented.”

Messi joins Argentina training ahead of Italy clash

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

Messi’s side are based at the Football Academy of Premier League leaders City while they prepare for the friendly at Eastlands on Friday.

Also present but not participating was City striker Sergio Aguero, who has been sidelined with a knee injury recently.The Barcelona forward arrived to start working with the rest of the squad on Tuesday and was present at a training session open to media in the afternoon.

Another City player, defender Nicolas Otamendi, was involved along with the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano and Marcos Rojo.

Armed Forces determined to end terrorism – DHQ

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

The Military has said it is determined to end the activities of the Boko Haram terrorists in spite of accusation by the Amnesty International to distract it.

The Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig.-Gen John Agim, said this in a statement on Tuesday in reaction to the AI’s allegation against security forces on kidnap of 110 school girls in Yobe.

The organisation had accused the military and other security agencies of failing to act to avert the kidnap of the students after being informed of the plot.

“The Defence of our national territorial integrity is our utmost goal and as such the Armed Forces in conjunction with sister security agencies will continue to strive toward entrenching peace in the North-East and indeed every part of this great nation,’’ Agim said.“For avoidance of doubt, the Armed Forces of Nigeria are more than ever, poised to bring the activities of Boko Haram terrorists to a complete end and no amount of discouraging fabrications by the AI will deter the military from achieving its constitutionally assigned responsibilities.

He said that apart from questioning the motive of AI, it was pertinent to state that most of their narratives were outright falsehood and a calculated attempt to whip up sentiments and mislead unsuspecting Nigerians.

Agim also said such narratives were meant to demoralise friendly nations and people collaborating with security forces to end terrorism in the North-East.

“For the avoidance of doubts, no security force was informed of Dapchi school girls abduction as alleged by AI.

“The Nigerian public and the International Community should know that the Armed Forces of Nigeria are a professional military and have attained the highest form of professionalism in line with International best practices.

“And so, could not have ignored warning of Boko Haram attack only to work tirelessly to get the girls back.’’

He said it was unfair for AI that did not care if the country survived as a united indivisible entity to come up every time to put doubts in the minds of the people about the military that had remained dedicated to keeping the country one.

“They did that accurately in the previous administration and the US invoked the leahy law against Nigeria at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency.“Amnesty International always brings out damming reports about the Nigerian Military at strategic points.

“Within this year, 2018, Amnesty International issued reports against the Military in January 2018, February 2018 and now March 2018.

“The question is; what is the motive of the AI?

“The answer is simple; President Trump of the United States of America has agreed to collaborate with the current government of Nigeria to end insurgency in the North-East and AI wants to do everything within its powers to make sure that the US-Nigeria Anti-Terrorism cooperation does not succeed in accordance with their paymasters design.’’

The acting DDI described the AI as an organ established to embark on orchestrated campaign of calumny against the Nigerian military and undermine its laudable achievements against Boko Haram.

“Unfounded and inaccurate reports such as this by AI is completely unacceptable, and only exist in the figment of AI imaginations and should be discountenanced by well-meaning Nigerians and foreign friendly nations,’’ he said. (NAN)

Pogba misses France training

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba missed France’s training session for treatment on Tuesday as Didier Deschamps’ side prepared for Friday’s friendly with Colombia.

Pogba, his United teammate Anthony Martial and Marseille winger Florian Thauvin were victims of “little knocks”, according to French officials.

On Monday, Pogba trained as normal while Martial and Thauvin received treatment.

Koscielny was taken off in a Europa League game against AC Milan last Thursday with a back problem that manager Arsene Wenger said was “nothing serious”.Meanwhile, Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny and Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso trained with physios, separately from the main squad.

Tolisso suffered bruising to his right tibia earlier this month and missed Bayern’s match against RB Leipzig on Sunday.

After playing Colombia, France head to Saint Petersburg to take on Russia on Tuesday for what will be their last match before coach Deschamps announces his 23-man World Cup squad on May 15.

JAMB releases results of over 1.5m 2018 UTME candidates, holds 111,981 for further screening

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board says it has released the results of 1,502,978 candidates who sat for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

The board disclosed this in a statement signed by its Head of Media, Dr. Fabian Benjamin in Abuja on Tuesday.

The board stated that a total of 1,652,825 candidates registered for the 2018 examination, adding that the results of 112,331 candidates were yet to be released.According to the statement, the board released the results after viewing all CCTV footage during the conduct of the examination and also after considering reports from its supervisors who monitored the exercise.

It noted that “out of the number yet to be released, 350 are results of blind candidates which would be released soon, while 111,981 results were being withheld for further screening.”

The board stated that the figure excluded foreign candidates whose examination was scheduled for April.

The 2018 UTME commenced on March 9 and ended on March 19.

The board said that unlike the 2017 exercise, release of results would not be immediate,
adding that JAMB would scrutinise candidates’ results before releasing them to avoid multiple cancellations later.

Jamb released all result today

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has released the final batch of the 2018 UTME results.

The board confirmed this in a chat with DAILY POST Monday morning.

JAMB Head of Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, told our correspondent on phone that the results can be assessed from Tuesday afternoon.

“We are not holding any press conference to make the announcement; no need for that.

“All those who sat for the examination are advised to check the JAMB website this afternoon.

“All results will be uploaded at 2pm,” he said.

Overloaded heavy duty vehicle owners to pay N10m fine – FG

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

Owners of overloaded heavy duty vehicles that ply federal highways will start paying fines ranging from N1m to N10m, the Federal Government has announced.

It stated this in an official gazette dated February 6, 2018, entitled: ‘Federal Highways (Control of Dimensions, Weights and Axle Load of Heavy Duty Goods Transport Vehicles) Regulations, 2018’.

The FMPWH stated that the objective of the regulations was to set standards and establish procedures for the control of dimensions, weight and axle load of heavy duty goods transport vehicles plying federal highways and to impose sanctions for non-compliance with those standards.The gazette, which was put together by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, and obtained in Abuja on Monday, outlined several regulations to be enforced in the roads transport sector across the country.

For instance, one of the regulations states that a vehicle operator who violates the dimension standards resulting wholly from the vehicle load is liable to a fine of N10m payable at the temporary area or fixed control post.

Another states that a vehicle operator who overloads a vehicle beyond the regulated total laden weight of the vehicle or assembly of vehicles on a federal highways (after five per cent allowance on total laden weight for margin of error has been taken account of) commits an offence and is liable to a fine of N10m payable at the temporary area or fixed control post.

“A vehicle operator who fails to comply with the standards relating to the weight or size for the transportation of hydrocarbons, explosives and other dangerous goods, commits an offence and is liable to a fine of N10m,” another regulation in the gazette, which was officially made public in Abuja on Monday, stated.

Speaking on why it was important to have rules against overloading of heavy duty vehicles, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, stated that compliance with the regulations would not only increase the lifespan of the roads, but would open a massive door of opportunities in the sector.

Fashola noted that treaty obligations now existed within the West African sub-region that regulated the amount of load any goods’ vehicle could put on an axle and by extension on the road in order to do business within ECOWAS and beyond.

He said, “I must thank you Mr. President for finally signing the instruments of ratification as soon as it was brought to his attention after many years of delay prior to his tenure. Our compliance with these regulations will open a massive door of opportunity and prosperity of cross-border trade to Nigerians engaged in the transport business.

He added, “Therefore, while the temptation to overload and carry more with one truck, against regulation and good practice may be appealing, it is ultimately a barrier to prosperity. Such practices may provide cheap and perhaps corrupt riches and income, but they do more damage to the roads from which the cheap income is made.“All over the world, one common thread of prosperous societies is their level of compliance with laws and regulations. In those societies, you will see trucks carrying specified tonnage of cargo, because it protects the road and allows for it to be used again and again.”

“Our ministry is convinced that voluntary compliance by stakeholders takes us further and nearer to the prosperity that is beckoning; and this is why we convened our meeting before the process of enforcement commences.”

Senator Wakili’s wife found him slumped on the floor –Bauchi Rep

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

Says tea was the last beverage Wakili requested but never drank it
I washed the late senator and prepared his body for burial –Rep

John Ameh, Abuja

A member of House of Representatives, Mr. Mohammed Sani-Abdu, on Tuesday gave the first vivid account of how the late Senator Ali Wakili died.

Wakili, who died on Saturday morning at the age of 58 in his Abuja residence, represented Bauchi-South Senatorial District of Bauchi State.

The session was presided over by the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, who hails from the same district as Sani-Abdu and Wakili.Sani-Abdu, who is also from Bauchi State, recounted Wakili’s very last moments when the House paid tributes to the late retired Comptroller of Customs.

Sani-Abdu said that as the very first person to arrive in Wakili’s residence after receiving a distress call, he could authoritatively reveal that Wakili slumped in the presence of his wife.

According to him, Wakili had got dressed and ready to travel to Yola, Adamawa State, to attend the wedding of the daughter of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha.

But, before leaving the house, Sani-Abdu said, the late senator asked his wife to prepare a meal for him to eat.

He spoke further, “This is why we have to continue to appreciate our wives. His wife received the first shock.

“She prepared porridge and brought it for him to eat. But Wakili told her he wanted something light instead, like tea.

“She went back to get the tea, only for her to return and find her husband slumped on the floor.”

He added, “The wife is a very courageous woman. I asked her whether she would be strong enough so that I could remove the cloth from his face for her to see the husband for the last time.Sani-Abdu recalled how he personally washed the late senator and prepared his body for burial, having been told what happened.

“She agreed. You know, people are somehow afraid of dead bodies. But, this woman did not only hold her husband, she prayed for him and tightly embraced the body.

“She did not want to let go of the body. It took some women, who had strength, to pull her away from Wakili.

“Immediately she was separated from him, she fainted and people had to bring water to pour on her. She took the first shock.”

Dogara had opened the session by recalling the good deeds of Wakili, including his courage as a politician, to challenge the political class in the state for taking decisions that did not serve the interests of the majority.

The Speaker said, “He fought for good governance, especially in our dear state of Bauchi, and Nigeria at large.

“Merchants and profiteers of bad governance had the knives all out for him, but never to be intimidated, he stood his ground and held the lines with rare courage until his death. He represented an idea that death cannot kill.”

A former customs officer, Mr. Jerry Alagbaso, who was Wakili’s contemporary in service, described the late senator as “a jolly good and resourceful officer while he was in the service.”

A member from Jigawa State, Mr. Mohammed Gudaji-Kazaure, said he learnt from Wakili the lesson that those fighting for political positions ahead of 2019 might not live to see the year.

“We were very close. He told me that people were fighting because of 2019 elections, but who would say with confidence that they would see 2019?

“He was not desperate about positions and this is a lesson for all of us.”

On his part, another retired customs officer, Mr. Albert Adeogun, said, “It is not possible in a moment to describe the person of late senator Wakili.

“I pray God to grant his family the fortitude to bear the loss.”

The House observed a minute’s silence in his honour and later shut the plenary till Wednesday after praying for Wakili’ soul.

Suspected Fulani herdsmen allegedly kill four farmers in Delta

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

At least four farmers who were on fishing expedition have been reportedly shot dead by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Their bodies were found in a bush in Uwheru community, in the Ughelli North Council Area of Delta State.

The Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, had, last week, while receiving the Assistant Inspector General Police Zone 5, Mr. Rasheed Akintunde, disclosed that herdsmen occupied three Uwheru communities and that farmers might have to pay Fulani herdsmen before being allowed access to their farmlands.The incident, which was said to have occurred over the weekend, has resulted in palpable tension in the area, as other members of the fishing expedition reportedly sustained different degrees of gun wounds from the attack.

The governor had told the AIG to urgently mobilise police operatives to the area to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

A security personnel who confirmed the incident noted that the attack, which took place at a bush in Oreba village of Uwheru community on Saturday, had since sparked tension in the area.

Our sources added that scores of persons who survived the attack with gunshots injuries were currently receiving treatment at undisclosed hospitals within the state.

A senior Police officer at the Ughelli Police Area Command, who also confirmed the incident, disclosed that the corpses of the deceased were recovered from the scene of the incident on Sunday.

The President General, Uwheru community, Ogarivi Utso, also confirmed the killings, adding that their communities were under siege by arms wielding herdsmen who have prevented their people from visiting their farmlands.

Utso added that Saturday’s attack brings to six persons that have been killed by herdsmen in the last few weeks in the area.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Aniamaka, could not be reached for confirmation, as calls to his telephone line rang out repeatedly.He called on the state and the Federal governments to immediately come to their aid before the situation snowballs into a crisis.

He has not also replied to a text message sent to him as at the time of filing this report.

BBNaija: I was raped by popular entertainer, Ifu Ennada reveals

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

An evicted contestant in the ongoing reality TV show, BBNaija ‘Double Wahala’, Iheme Faith Uloma, popularly known as Ifu Ennada, says she was raped and infected with a Sexual Transmitted Infection.

Ifu Ennada, who is also an actress, content producer, TV host and fitness entrepreneur took to her instagram handle, @ifuennada on Tuesday to make the revelation citing an unnamed personality in the entertainment industry as the rapist.

The BBNaija contestant said that she has already documented her ordeal in her latest short story film titled, `Tears of A Broken Virgin.’

The fashion designer and graduate of Computer Science from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun added that people interpreted that she was claiming to be a Virgin.According to her, during her stay in the BBNaija House when emotions were raised during a `Truth or Dare game,’ she affirmed that she had not really had sex.

“The truth is in 2016, I was raped by someone in the entertainment industry, before then I was a Virgin. This person also infected me with an STI.

“ I was also threatened by this person and was very scared of social media’s bashing with the usual questions of “what was she wearing!’’ “why did she go to his house ?’’

“So in all my sadness and depression, I decided to tell the world what had happened to me using film as a medium.

“I was inspired to write and produce my film `Tears of A Broken Virgin’. I got a lot of help from social media.

“People volunteered to work for me free including my director – Benny Atagame Alli.

“Though some parts of my film are fiction, the bulk of it was inspired by my story. The lead character’s name is Ada which is a short form of my name Adanne- popularly pronounced as Ennada.

“I wanted to tell my story and also pass a strong message to rape victims and rapists…I hope I was able to do that with my film.“Because of my sad experience I battled depression, developed trust issues and found it hard to connect with people especially men.

“I intend to expand this into a feature-length film. I hope everyone out there is inspired to stand up against rape,’’ Ifu wrote.

As pairs in the BBNaija house, Ifu and Leo won the `Roc Da Mat’ Challenge which earned them VVIP trip to One Africa Festival in London later in the year.

In addition, they were awarded five million naira (N2.5 million each) and one year supply of Pepsi.

They were the fourth pair to be evicted in the 2018 BBNaija reality TV show.

Their eviction came after Ahneeka and Angel were evicted, and two weeks after Bitto and Princess and Vandora and Dee-one were evicted.

Ifu described her 43 days stay in the BBNaija house as `eventful.

Minister suspended for slapping lawmaker during plenary

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

Zambia’s parliament suspended a cabinet minister on Tuesday from its proceedings for one month for slapping a fellow lawmaker within parliament grounds.

Verbal abuse is common among members of parliament in Zambia but physical assault is rare.

Speaker of the National Assembly, Patrick Matibini, said Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo was suspended for slapping outspoken lawmaker Chishimba Kambwili in October 2017.

Kambwili complained after the incident that Lusambo had slapped him twice after accusing Kambwili of making false accusations against the government.Kambwili has repeatedly accused government officials of corruption since his dismissal as information and broadcasting minister in November 2016 but the state denies the allegations.

Matibini said Lusambo was banned from entering parliament grounds and using its facilities during the period of suspension and would not be entitled to any allowances.

UPDATED Govt shuts Maryland high school as shooting erupts in premises

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

Three people, including the assailant, were critically injured in a shooting at a high school in the eastern US state of Maryland on Tuesday, officials said, just days before a nationwide student-organized march against school violence.

The shooting occurred shortly after 8:00 am (1200 GMT) at Great Mills High School, located about a 90-minute drive southeast of the US capital Washington.

“A single shooter fired a round at a female victim just at the beginning of the school hours this morning,” St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron told the MSNBC television network.

He said a female student was in critical condition and a “young man” was in critical but stable condition. All three were taken to area hospitals for treatment.The sheriff said the shooter was “engaged” by the “school resource officer” responsible for security and was critically wounded.

Police cars and emergency vehicles with flashing lights could be seen surrounding the school.

“It happened really quickly, right after school started,” Jonathan Freese, a Great Mills student, told CNN.

“The police came and responded really quickly,” Freese said. “They had a lot of officers respond.”

Students were evacuated to a nearby high school.

Mollie Davis, who identified herself on Twitter as a student at Great Mills, posted a series of tweets about the shooting.

“Now my school is the target,” she said. “WHY DO WE LET THIS KEEP HAPPENING??? I’m so tired, I’m so tired.”

– ‘Together, we can stop this’ –“You never think it’ll be your school and then it is,” Davis said. “Great Mills is a wonderful school and somewhere I am proud to go. Why us?”

The Great Mills incident comes about five weeks after a shooting at a Florida high school left 14 students and three adult staff members dead.

Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School launched a grassroots campaign for gun control following the shooting.

They have organized an event on Saturday called “March For Our Lives,” which is expected to turn out large crowds in US cities, with the main event in Washington.

Emma Gonzalez, a Stoneman Douglas student, tweeted her support Tuesday for her peers at Great Mills.

“We are Here for you, students of Great Mills,” Gonzalez said. “Together we can stop this from ever happening again.”

Under the banner #ENOUGH, tens of thousands of US high school students walked out of classrooms around the country on March 14 to protest gun violence.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan pledged to provide assistance.

“Our prayers are with students, school personnel and first responders,” Hogan said in a tweet.

Rivers APC Youths Compile Petitions Ahead Of Buhari’s Visit

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

Youths of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state on Monday disclosed that they have compiled petitions which they intend to submit to President Muhammadu Buhari during his forthcoming visit to the state.

The youths noted that their complaints if attended to by Buhari would improve the security of the state.

The group also called on the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, not to allow Governor Nyesom Wike to inaugurate the officials of the Neighbourhood Watch Corps, adding that the formation of the security body runs fowl of the law.

The leader of the group, Chimidi Owhorji said: “When the president visits the state, we will officially forward our petitions and complaints about the state to him. We know that when he comes he will take a closer assessment of the security structure in the state and to improve it.

“He loves the people of Rivers State that is why he has brought meaningful projects in the state. So, we are earnestly and anxiously waiting to receive you, Mr. President. Rivers people want to tell you thank you in a big way for appointing their sons and daughters into privileged position in your government.

“They are ready to host you in big ways to tell you how they are being maltreated by the man who is supposed to be the Chief Security Officer of the state.

“We are calling on the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, not to allow the state to inaugurate the Neighbourhood Watch Corps. He should do everything within his constitutional right to ensure that they do not operate.

I always believe nobody is better than me, says Ronaldo

nze ihunanyaMarch 20, 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo says the key to his staggering success is believing nobody is better than he is — and he advised his Portuguese teammates to adopt the same attitude.

The Real Madrid star made the comments as he accepted the Portuguese player of the year award in Lisbon.

“We should always believe we are the best,” said Ronaldo, who led Portugal to the Euro 2016 title and who is now turning his gaze to the 2018 World Cup.

“On a personal and collective level I have had a dream year. I won five trophies (Champions League, UEFA Supercup, World Club Cup, Spanish league title and the Spanish Supercup), the Ballon D’Or and the FIFA ‘Best’ title.”“You need to think big. I always believe that nobody is better than me, out on the pitch at least,” he said.

Ronaldo, who has been voted Ballon D’Or winner five times, is currently in Lisbon with the Portugal squad who play fellow World Cup qualifiers Egypt on Friday and the Netherlands three days later.

The 33-year-old has scored 79 goals in 147 games for Portugal and will lead the reigning European Champions to the 2018 World Cup, fitness permitting, where they will face Spain, Morocco and Iran in the first round.

Buhari Not Punishing IGP Idris Setting Bad Precedent – Reno Omokri

nze ihunanyaMarch 19, 2018

Former Presidential New Media aide Reno Omokri has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari refusal to discipline the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, would set a very dangerous precedent.

During the president recent visit to Benue state, he was told that Idris disobeyed his order to relocate to the state.

The presidency, however, said the president queried the police boss for disobeying is order.

The Nigeria Police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, dismissed reports that Buhari queried Idris.

Reacting in a post on his Facebook page, Omokri noted that not disciplining the IGP would portray Buhari as weak.

He wrote: “This is not about PDP or APC. If the President does not publicly discipline the IGP, he will set a very dangerous precedent.

“All over barracks in Nigeria soldiers will be saying if a policeman can disobey the President, why should the military respect him. It‘s a bad omen not just for Buhari, but for our democracy.

“It will be taken that the President is a weak Commander-in-Chief who is dominated by his appointees instead of being in charge of his government and will lead to further insubordination by other military/paramilitary forces.”

Ex-President Obasanjo: Nigeria too solid to collapse

nze ihunanyaMarch 19, 2018

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday said Nigeria has become too solid as a country for any force, calamity or misgovernance to destroy it.

Mr. Obasanjo, who spoke from Azerbaijan where he is chairing a meeting of the InterAction Council of Former Heads of State and Government, was responding to reports quoting him as saying Nigeria would collapse if President Muhammadu Buhari is reelected to office in 2019.

The reports claimed that the former president made the comment in a speech at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University, on Friday.

But Mr. Obasanjo vehemently denied making the comment, saying he had not even been to London since early January when he spoke on transformational leadership in Africa at Oxford University.

“I won’t and can’t say that (that Nigeria will collapse if Buhari is reelected),” the former president said. “There will be nothing that will make Nigeria collapse. When Nigeria did not collapse under a civil war, it won’t collapse now.

“My faith and conviction about Nigeria is so strong that I don’t see the country either being dismembered or collapsing.

“The worst has passed on Nigeria. Once we were able to survive the civil war, once we are able to survive (Sani) Abacha, nothing can be worst than those two. And our democracy is waxing strong. Although there are a few things we need to get right.

“As far I am concerned, the worst is over. What remains is for all of us and for our leadership to show good faith and commitment to do what is right. Then Nigeria will grow from strength to strength.”

When reminded of his recent criticism of the Buhari administration for misgovernance, corruption and ineptitude, Mr. Obasanjo said even those administrative weaknesses were not enough to wreck Nigeria.

“I regard those as aberrations and they will pass away,” the former President said. “Such aberrations will pass away with the regime that bring them.

“Don’t forget that Abacha did more than that. Of course Abacha’s regime was not a democracy, it was a military dictatorship. If we survived that, then we will survive any shenanigan against democracy. That’s the greatest advantage of democracy.”

Mr. Obasanjo, who ruled Nigeria as a democratically elected president between 1999 and 2007, supported Mr. Buhari to become president in 2015.

But on January 23, the former president released a 13-page statement calling on Mr. Buhari not to seek re-election in 2019.

In a special press statement entitled, “The Way Out: A Clarion Call for Coalition for Nigeria Movement” Mr. Obasanjo said Mr Buhari had performed far below expectation and should honourably “dismount from the horse” to join the league of the country’s former leaders whose “experience, influence, wisdom and outreach can be deployed on the side line for the good of the country.”

N13.5 million pay: Saraki, Dogara’s salaries will blow up Nigeria, says Sagay

nze ihunanyaMarch 19, 2018

The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, SAN, has declared that he will make public the monthly earnings of the leadership of the National Assembly soon.

He said the N13 million allowances being received by senators is only a tip of the iceberg as Nigerians will be shocked when he releases details of the allowances of the principal officers.

Sagay said this while fielding questions from Punch on the revelations by the lawmaker representing Kaduna-Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani.

Sani had disclosed that senators receive N700,000 monthly and a separate N13.5m as running costs.

The senior lawyer said, “There are many things the press doesn’t know yet. If you come to know the allowances that the leadership of the two houses are getting.

“My God! It will blow up the country. What is the Senate President getting? It is not the ordinary N13m.

“What does he get as Senate President? What is the leader of the House getting, what is the deputy leader of the House getting?

“What is the Deputy Senate President getting? What are the minority leaders getting in both houses? Go and find out. It is an explosive stuff, I tell you.

“Eventually, I will come out with the figures. I am working on them now. When I am ready, I will come out with them.”

He called out the pokesman for the Senate, Senator Abdullahi Sabi, for saying that the N13.5m allowances were already in the public domain.

Sagay pointed out that it was hypocritical of the lawmakers to have berated him last year when he released details of their allowances.

He added that Sani’s revelation was at variance with the details released by Saraki last year.

He added, “What they released then was their salaries which the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission approved for them. What they are hiding now are the allowances they voted for themselves.

“The salary details released was just about N700,000 but what they voted for themselves is about 20 times that amount. That is the whole point and they were hiding it.

“I came out with the figures last year and they wanted to cut off my neck and now it has come out in the open and Sabi Abdullahi is saying it is nothing new but you were denying it in the past. So, they have a guilty conscience because they know what they are doing is shameful.”

Buhari never queried IGP over Disobedience of order – police breaks silence on Benue Killings

nze ihunanyaMarch 19, 2018

The Nigeria Police has reacted to report that President Muhammadu Buhari queried the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris for allegedly not obeying his order.

The police said claims by Presidency officials that Buhari had queried Idris as a result of the matter was false.

The Police boss met with President Buhari last week.

Recall that on his visit to Benue State early last week, President Buhari was told that the IGP flouted his order to relocate to the crisis-rocked state.

He was said to have spent one day in the state and jetted out to Nasarawa.

Speaking to ThisDay on the matter, Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, said,“The IGP was not queried.

“Anybody that said the IGP was queried by the president should bring the copy of the query, let us display it.

“There is very clear issue on that, that he was not queried by the President.”

Uber self-driving car kills pedestrian

nze ihunanyaMarch 19, 2018

Ride-sharing giant Uber said Monday it is suspending its self-driving car program after one of the vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian in the US state of Arizona.

The Uber vehicle was in autonomous mode, with an operator behind the wheel, when it hit a woman walking in the street in the city of Tempe late Sunday, according to the San Francisco-based company.

The victim was hospitalized and later died from her injuries.

Uber has suspend use of self-driving cars it was testing or using in Tempe, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and San Francisco, according to the company.“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family,” an Uber spokesperson told AFP. “We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident.”

Uber was only using autonomous vehicles as part of its regular passenger service in Pittsburgh and Tempe.

A vehicle operator in the driver’s seat was the only person in the Uber car when the fatal accident occurred, according to the company. The car was in police hands on Monday.

Sunday’s accident was the first fatal self-driving car crash involving a pedestrian.

The first deadly self-driving car accident was reported in mid-2016, and involved a Tesla.

– Slow car tech? –

The Tesla Model S, cruising on “Autopilot,” failed to detect a crossing tractor-trailer against a bright sky, killing the driver — who it later emerged had kept his hands off the wheel for extended periods of time despite automated warnings not to do so.

As with the fatal Tesla crash, the deadly Uber accident is likely to stoke concerns that the industry is moving too fast to deploy self-driving vehicles.It was a nightmare scenario for an industry promoting a way to improve road safety and reduce traffic fatalities that come mostly from human error.

Google-owned Waymo for years has been testing self-driving cars, racing against smartphone-summoned ride star Uber.

Waymo early this month began using its self-driving trucks to haul cargo bound for the internet giant’s data centers in Georgia.

Rival Uber made a similar announcement, saying it is using self-driving semi trucks as part of an on-demand trucking service in Arizona.

In September, US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao released new guidelines that permit more testing of self-driving cars and address regulation between the federal government and states.

Autonomous-vehicle technology has been touted as having potential to save fuel, ease congestion, and make transportation safer.

Chao argued that self-driving technology could also improve mobility for the elderly, disabled and other restricted populations.

But the non-profit Consumer Watchdog has warned that roads are being turned “into private laboratories for robot cars with no regard for our safety.”

US states set their own rules for roads, and a handful have passed laws allowing self-driving vehicles.

California and Arizona have been particularly encouraging, hoping that companies developing autonomous technology in those states will create local jobs and facilities devoted to a promising new industry.