WOMAN DIES AFTER HAVING TWINS FOR SECRET LOVER

In what seems like a scene from Nollywood movie, a certain ugly drama played out on Monday, June 29, at Ikotun, Lagos State, after a housewife, Mrs Joy Bakare, who was allegedly impregnated by her secret lover, died in her lover’s custody after she gave birth to twins.

The bubble busted when Joy died few days after delivering a set of twin; a boy and a girl for her equally married lover, Fatai.

It was gathered that before her death, Joy already had three children for her estranged husband who resides in Surulere area of Lagos State before she became pregnant for Fatai who lived at Abaranje in Ikotun area.

When her lover got wind of her pregnancy, to cover up the shame, he relocated her to the house of a single mother where she eventually put to bed.

However, few days after she was delivered of the babies in a hospital and was brought back to the woman’s flat, she was found dead and foaming from her mouth on top of a bed in one of the rooms in the flat.

When the woman, who harboured her in the flat, heard the babies crying, she went to Joy’s room to find out what was happening only to discover that Joy was dead.

She raised an alarm which attracted neighbours to her flat.

When contacted, her estranged husband rejected her corpse as well as the deceased’s lover, who said he does not know the cause of her death.

It later took the intervention of the deceased elder sister, who volunteered to take the corpse to Isolo General Hospital mortuary.

Subsequently, the twin babies were handed over to Fatai who took them to his house at Ikotun where his wife eventually knew about his adultery.

Meanwhile, the cause of Joy’s death could not be immediately ascertained as there was no report of autopsy from any doctor.

ACE COMEDIAN, OMO JESU WELCOMES BABY GIRL

One of the comedians in Nigeria, Daniel Isiwele, also known as Omo Jesu, is one of the happiest men in the world at the moment. The reason for this is not far-fetched.

The comedian, known for his rib-cracking jokes, has received from God, a bundle of joy into his family.

According to information revealed to us, Omo Jesu has welcomed a baby. His beautiful wife was said to have been delivered of a bouncing baby girl at a Lagos hospital.

The wife of the Faaji FM On-Air Personality, we were further told, gave birth to the child at about 4:40pm on Tuesday, June 30, 2015.

We learnt the baby, her mother and father are in good condition.

APC crisis: Akande’s letter angers northern party leaders

FRESH facts on Tuesday indicated that the national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress scheduled for Monday was cancelled because of the suspicion within the party.

The PUNCH learnt that the APC leadership called off the meeting because of reported anger of some leaders of the ruling party in the north at insinuations by Chief Bisi Akande that they were behind the crisis in the party.

Akande, a former interim national chairman of the APC, had in a letter made public on Monday alleged, among other things, that, “Most Northern elite, the Nigerian oil subsidy barons and other business cartels, who never liked (President Muhammadu) Buhari’s anti-corruption political stance, are quickly backing up the rebellion against APC with strong support.”

A member of the party’s caucus from the North-East geopolitical zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said it would have been a rancorous session if the caucus meeting had held in what he described as “such an atmosphere of mutual suspicion.”

The party leader, who in fact said he would have spoken on the record if not for the fence- mending efforts being made by other leaders of the party, said, “We (northerners) are unhappy about Chief (Bisi) Akande’s outburst. It was unnecessary because we are all trying to put out a fire that is threatening to consume our house. And when you have a respected leader and elder making such unguarded statements it does not help.

“I personally hold Chief Akande in high esteem but what he wrote in that letter was nothing short of an insult on our collective sensibilities. How can you single out a section of your party and call them criminals who were supporting rebels to destroy the party we all built? This is most unexpected and uncharitable to say the least.”

Also, a chieftain of the APC, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, on Tuesday, described as unfortunate, the statement by Akande.

Baraje, in a statement in Abuja, said he was disappointed that Akande who had led the party and served as a state governor could author a statement in which he was allegedly seeking to divide the nation by setting the North against the South-West.

The APC leader, who once served as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, said, “I do not know where Chief Akande and his cohorts are getting this unsubstantiated information they are circulating. We challenge them to provide proof and let Nigerians make their judgment.

“Akande and co believe that they have exclusive right to determine who occupies what position in today’s Nigeria and whoever tries to challenge their position must be subjected to savage attack in the media. That tactic is definitely undemocratic.

“I have known Chief Akande to be an honest man. I got the shock of my life when he alleged that I had a meeting in my house with ‘some old and new PDP members with a view to hijacking the National Assembly’ through the aspiration of Dr. Bukola Saraki as the Senate President.

“I have been quiet as a leader so as to not to be seen as taking sides because of my closeness to Dr. Saraki, else people will read meaning into it.

“Akande has been playing a role which I admire. He will recall that he met some actors, with a governor from the North-West and a leader of the party from the South-West, where the leader from the South-West was cautioned to be reasonable in this crisis.

“He (Akande) supported the view of the governor from the North-West that the particular leader from the South-West should be admonished for his action. It is therefore surprising that Akande is now being economical with the truth and painting a picture that exists only in his imagination.”

Baraje said the allegation by Akande that a purported meeting took place in his (Baraje’s) house after the general elections, where “a so-called new PDP group plotted with a view to hijacking the National Assembly…with an ultimate aim of resuscitating the PDP as their future political platform” was a mere fabrication.

Our correspondents learnt that renewed peace moves were being made in the party and that the party leaders were hoping that they would before Friday achieve an atmosphere conducive to holding the APC NEC meeting.

The APC NEC meeting was shifted from Tuesday (yesterday) to Friday to enable party leaders to engage in further consultations.

A top member of the APC National Working Committee, who did not want his name mentioned, said that the meeting was postponed to allow tempers to go down.

“All leaders are in touch with one another and I can assure you that the crisis will be resolved on Friday,” the party source said.

However, the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, himself a northerner, had defended Akande on Monday. Na’Allah said Akande must have been misquoted.

The senator said, “Chief Bisi Akande is a highly respected senior member of this country and I am not so sure he had not been misquoted on that issue. Even where it exists, I am absolutely sure that it cannot be the correct statement on the situation.

“The North holds every section of this country high; we detest the idea of even labelling us as North because we have passed that stage with the current development in our country.

“We are a united country whether we like it or not with some few interests being defined at different levels of our governance but as far as Nigeria is concerned, I don’t want to believe that there is any conspiracy.

“If there is any conspiracy on the part of the North, what made you think that the conspiracy will involve bringing somebody from the Peoples Democratic Party and from the South-East to become the deputy senate president?”

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Timi Frank, on Tuesday, confirmed that the party’s National Executive Committee would meet in Abuja on Friday to thrash out all issues affecting the party.

“We are holding our NEC meeting on Friday and I am sure all our issues will be thrashed out and the party will come out stronger,” Frank said.

Credit: PUNCH

Lagos Auto Spare Market, Ladipo demolished

Officials of the Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State have commenced  a demolition exercise at the Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market at Mushin.

During the demolition exercise, the traders were  reportedly  barred from entering the market to remove their goods from the shops.

Traders said that they met “hoodlums” vandalising the market with bulldozers escorted by policemen and SARS operatives.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the market, Kanayo Okonkwo, said there was no notice to prepare the traders beforehand, adding, “as it stands, we are in raining season. If it rains, it will spoil all our goods. That would take us back to square one.

“They didn’t tell us anything. I don’t know where they want us to go. We don’t have other shops. Assuming they gave us some kind of notice, we would know what to do, we came today to sell but found a lock on the gate.”

He added: “We want to know why they vandalised a section of the market.

“If they have any issue within themselves, let them sort it out. We came here to look for daily bread, not to disturb anybody. If they really planned to develop the market, they should have at least informed us. The governor of Lagos State should come to our aid. If they want us to leave, we will do that. But they should do what is right,” he said.
In front of the market gate was a banner with the inscription: Proposed Commercial Development of Mushin, Lagos.

It was also written on the banner that Mushin Local Government in conjunction with a developer known as Total Value Integrated Services Limited is to commence building of a modern plaza market in place of the present stalls being demolished.

Credit: Vanguard

Alleged money laundering: Fani-Kayode discharged and acquitted

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has been discharged and acquitted of the money laundering charges by a Federal High Court in Lagos.

Recalled that Fani-Kayode, whose trial began in 2008 before Justice Ramat Mohammed, was arraigned by the EFCC to have laundered about N100 million while he was the Minister of Culture and Tourism and subsequently, Aviation Minister. The allegedly laundered sum was, however, reduced to N2.1million on Nov. 17, 2014 after Ofili-Ajumogobia dismissed 38 out of the 40-count levelled against Fani-Kayode for want of proof.

The EFCC prosecutor, Keyamo, while urging the court to uphold the remaining two counts and to accordingly convict Fani-Kayode, said the former minister had failed to exonerate himself of the allegations. Keyamo pointed out that the object of the charge was that Fani-Kayode transacted in cash sums above N500,000, which was the threshold stipulated by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.

Keyamo had argued that Fani-Kayode had admitted making such transactions in his confessional statement of Dec. 22, 2008 made to the EFCC. He said: “In this statement, he admitted that he transacted in cash above N500,000. My Lord, this statement went in without objection by the accused person and the statement was voluntary.

“With the combination of this confessional statement and the statement of the IPO that investigated the allegation, we rely on all of this to submit that we have discharged our burden that monies were received by the accused person in cash and were not done through any financial institution.”

Credit: Vanguard

Senate Leadership: Leave us alone, we can resolve our problems, Senate leadership to APC leaders

THE leadership of the Senate opened up yesterday that Senators were capable of nipping in the bud, the perceived crisis presenting rocking the upper Chambers and by extension, the National assembly of they were left on their own by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The senate said that if no external influence, settlement of the disagreement among the members would be very easy , just as it stressed that there were no factions within the Senators on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, admitting that what obtains at the moment following last week’s emergence of some principal officers, was mere disagreement among the Senators.

Speaking with Journalists yesterday, Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, noted that all the senators in the two groups, the Senate Unity Forum, SUF which was loyal to Senator Ahmed Lawan and like minds Senators loyal to Senate President Bukola Saraki believe in the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.

He said, “Let me say that we do not have a crisis in the Senate, what we have are disagreements between our colleagues senators on how certain things should be done.

“When you have a crisis then you are talking about reconciliation but when you have a disagreement it is not about reconciliation it is about sorting out the matter based on what all of us believe in.

The happy thing about it is that there is not a single senator in both groups who does not believe in the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerian as it relates to the Senate. So it is going to be a very simple issue to settle provided the external influence cease for the time being.”
Na’Allah, who also seized the occasion to correct an impression that Senator Ahmad Lawan, was leading a group of APC senators in the red chamber, said, “I want to correct an impression that there is a faction of the APC senators led by Senator Ahmad Lawan. We have the Senate Unity Forum, of which I am a member and led by Senator Barnabas Gemade.

“No matter unfairness to Senator Gemade, he stands as one of the leaders in this country and I do not want to believe that he needs even the inkling of any other person to get involved in reconciling the Senate.

“We do not have a crisis in the senate. What we have is disagreement within our colleagues on how certain things things should be done. It is when we have crisis that we will be talking about reconciliation but when we have a disagreement, we will sort out matter based on what all of us believe in.”

Speaking on the issues raised by former Interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande, that the emergence of the principal officers was a conspiracy of the North against the South West, Na’Allah said Chief Akande may have been misquoted.

“Chief Bisi Akande is a highly respected senior member of this country and I am not so sure he had not been misquoted on that issue. Even where it exists, I am absolutely sure that, that it cannot be the correct statement of the situation.

“The North holds every section of this country high, we detest the idea of even labeling us as North because we have passed that stage with the current development in our country.
“We are a united country whether we like it or not with some few interests being defined at different levels of our governance but as far as Nigeria is concerned, I don’t want to believe that there is any conspiracy.

“If there is any conspiracy on the part of the North, what made you think that the conspiracy will involve bringing somebody from the PDP and from South East to become the deputy senate president?

“Things happen not as expected. For instance, when we, the Unity Forum, were in the ICC, waiting for our President to come and address us, if we were in the chamber during the election, I am absolutely sure that the outcome would have been different. So, I do believe that the statement was erroneously attributed to Chief Akande.”

On the alleged President Muhammadu Buhari’s body language towards Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s emergence as the DSP, Na’Allah said there was nothing for now, to suggest that the president was not happy with the development, adding, “I have not seen Mr President nor see his body language but I know if you want to be fair to him I can say to some extent that I know Mr President very well. He is a patriot, he believes in this country.

“He has exhibited that belief in every aspect of his life and I don’t want to believe that when he made the statement that he was ready to work with every one, it was in furtherance of his belief that the Nigeria that he knows, is a united Nigeria where every citizen should be given equal opportunity.

“I know that as a loyal party members, he is not happy with the situation. As matured people we should be able to make good of what has happened and move the country forward.”

Speaking further, Na’Allah who disclosed that he dumped the SUF immediately the chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie Oyegun issued a statement that the APC leadership had recognised Saraki as the senate president, said, “You remember that the National Chairman of the APC issued a statement that the party has recognized the presidency of Senator Bukola Saraki. With that statement, as a loyal party man, what do you expect me to do? That is why I am towing the party line.”

On the the letter from the APC, the Senate Deputy Leader said, “A lot of people do not understand; as a member of the National Assembly, the moment you step into the National Assembly, you either take the Bible or the Quoran.

“Then you subscribe to the oath of allegiance and then take your oath of office, the oath of office says that you will uphold, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Law and Rules of the Senate.

“Outside these three documents a senator does not have any leverage to do anything outside, there is no other document outside these three.
Then if you carefully look at the rules of the Senate, the only letters that can be read on the floor of the House is a letter from Mr President. That is the convention not only in Nigeria but all other parliaments all over the World. People should understand the workings of democracy before they begin to make imputations that are not known in democratic circles.”

On whether the party can have influence on its members in the National Assembly, Na’ Allah said, “When a party wins an election, it calls the caucus of all those who got involved in bringing a successful election, then it will say; Mr A B C helped the party greatly at the polls. So we intend to compensate that persn by appointing a credible person from that side of the country to be our Secretary to the Government and our intention is to select this person to be our Chief of Staff. So at your caucuses, we advise that you bring people from this geopolitical zone so that we can be able to balance the party for smooth governance.

“Then the caucuses will come and sit down and say in view of what the party has said, it is important for us to now zone maybe Senate Presidency to this.

That is how the calculations are made. I am not seeing any issue here, it is just that people are trying to overheat the polity without knowing what it is all about.”

Credit: Vanguard

45m persons will go blind 2020

President of Nigerian Optometric Association NOA Dr Damian Echendu, has said that no fewer than forty- five million persons will go blind by 2020 globally.

Echendu stated this at a press briefing held yesterday in Abuja.
He said, “persons above 40 years should seek eye care to avoid sudden blindness and some avoidable conditions like glaucoma and refractive error.

He said, “Many eye problem don’t come with any sign or symptoms, Some even have trauma which affect their eyes, we also have some cases that many Communities do not have optometrist,’’.

Echendu said in spite of the contributions of the optometric profession to Nigerians, it is surprising that the profession was still shortchanged due to man-made obstacles, he called on the Federal Government to include optometry department in public Health Sector.

“Up till now, there is no optometry department in both State and Federal Ministries of Health and other tertiary healthcare institutions in Nigeria,’’ he said.

Echendu said the recent circular by the Ministry for the establishment of optometry unit in Federal Health Institutions was disregarded.

He said Optometry as a profession, was submerged under Ophthalmology department in Public healthcare institutions not allowing them to practice what they had learnt in the University as provided by law.

Echendu said the association would be having its 39th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and scientific conference slated for 1st to 4th of July.

The meeting will also focus on professional reevaluation and renewal of commitment to providing best care for the vision and eye care.
“Activities that will be of immense benefit to the public among other, free eye and vision screening at Ginshiri community in Abuja
“An estimated of 500 persons at Gishiri community in Abuja will benefit from the free eye clinic as they will be given drugs and reading glasses,’’ he said.

Credit: Vanguard