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Folarin Kehinde

Bangladesh Arrest 11 Nigerians over Facebook Scam

by Folarin Kehinde April 22, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police in Bangladesh have arrested 11 Nigerians over their involvement in a Facebook scam, a Bangladeshi online newspaper, bdnews24, reports.

The Nigerians were arrested alongside one Bangladeshi on charges of obtaining money from people under the false pretence of exchanging their Bangladeshi Taka into US dollar.

The police, in a media briefing on Thursday, said the suspects were arrested in separate operations in Dhaka, the country’s capital city, on Wednesday.

The Nigerian suspects are Henri Osita Okechukwu, Chisom Emmanuel Obiajulu, Okeke Peter, Obinna Sunday, Oneka Amba, Chisom Anthonoy Ekwenze, Okeyea Azubike, Anuyarah Ojuyemena Daniel, Anuruka Jinika Francis, Luke and Domado Chinedo.

Their Bangladeshi accomplice, Chadni Akter, reportedly concealed her identity and pretended to be a customs official.

An additional commissioner at the Detective Branch of the DMP, AKM Hafiz Akter, was quoted as saying,

“The leaders of the fraud ring are Osita Okechukwu and Chisom Emmanuel. They used to maintain communication with their Bangladeshi accomplices and distribute the embezzled money among other members of the gang.

“The other members of the gang swindled people out of huge amounts of money with promises of expensive gifts and investment after developing a virtual friendship with fake Facebook ID as an American or European citizen.”

Some of the items recovered from the arrested suspects include a dollar ‘trick’ machine, 17 phones, two laptops, chemical bottles and copies of warrants of different cases.

According to Aktar, a number of Bangladeshi citizens, apart from Chadni, were also involved with the gang, adding that legal action had been taken against the apprehended suspects.

April 22, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

Ogoni Cleanup: We Cannot Complete Entire Project – FG

by Folarin Kehinde April 22, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Government, yesterday said it does not envisage the completion of the entire Ogoni Cleanup project during the lifetime of the current administration.

The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi, disclosed this while addressing State House Correspondents after his first meeting, as Minister, with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Minister pointed out that the clean up project was cut into phases, had seen ten formally polluted sites cleaned up, adding that there had been concerns about some aspects of the project.

He said the federal government had made moves at rallying all stakeholders so the work could move faster.

The Minister, who said that the President had instructed the ministry to ensure that adequate attention is paid to delivering on the project, disclosed that he updated President Buhari on the ongoing work and the progress so far made.

He said, “I had the opportunity to present to Mr. President, in accordance with the key priorities of the ministry, certain key projects that are undergoing some sort of review and seeking direction from Mr. President.

“First, you are all aware of the hydrocarbon pollution remediation projects, which is called the Ogoni cleanup. It’s a major priority of this government and particularly, based on the undertaking and the promises made by Mr. President, to deliver a very clean ecosystem for the Ogoni people.

“Now I have briefed the President on where we are today and with my engagement inter alia, with key stakeholders; I had discussions with Shell, with UNEP, that is the United Nations Environment Program. I also had discussions with the chairman of the Ogoni Trust Fund, and of course, the newly deployed Project Coordinator of the fund.

“So, I’ve updated the President on that and the key understanding is that we are focused on delivery of the Ogoni cleanup. We are directed, particularly by the President, to be very focused and, as he said, fix our eyes on the ball to ensure there are no distractions, that we deliver.

“He has given us marching orders to ensure that the concerns raised by the partners, particularly Shell, UNEP, Agip, Total, and other parties, and indeed the stakeholders of Ogoniland, that those concerns are addressed to ensure that the process goes on hindered”, he said.

Fielding question on what miracle the administration would make to complete the clean up process before the end of its tenure in May next year, the Minister said things were being sped up, and that the administration did not envisage completing all the phases.

“There is nothing miraculous about our approach to the cleanup operations, it is going to be a very pragmatic, practicable and quick-win solution. First, like I told you earlier, is to ensure that there is a multi-stakeholder agreement in terms of what we’re supposed to do, where we’re going.

“Then secondly, we’ve taken very strong steps to address the concerns bordering on procurement, on project management, on fund management and so on, so that all stakeholders will be on board.

“So, I can assure you that if these issues are resolved, within the next couple of weeks, we should be focused on immediate procurement processes that will ensure that the projects are implemented as at when due.

“However, they are phased projects, we do not envisage that we can finish the entire project within the lifetime of this government. However, the process that we can do at the moment, the procurement that we can do at the moment, to ensure that there is immediate irrigation, water projects to ensure that there is clean water provided for the people and that other sites, will begin the remediation process.

“This is done in liaison with UNEP and our sister agency, NESDRA. So, we are on course, we’ll do the best we can and I can assure you that we will cover some mileage in the process.

“So, there is no magic or miracle about it, we are focused on what want to do. Like I told you, Mr. President said our eyes must be on the ball and that’s what we’re trying to do”, he said.

On how much work has so far been done, he said “at the moment, from the briefings I’ve gotten from the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, there has been considerable progress in terms of actual site remediation. Unfortunately, I don’t have the sites yet, but close to about 10 sites that are very endemic in terms of pollution and damaged ecosystem, have been remediated.

April 22, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

Google snubs Nigeria, establishes first Africa Development Centre in Kenya

by Folarin Kehinde April 19, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

American multinational technology company, Google, in what appears like a snubbing of Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria, has announced the establishment of its first Africa product development centre in Nairobi, Kenya.

The centre which is expected to help create transformative products and services for people in Africa and around the world is coming barely 4 weeks after Microsoft opened new African Development Centre at Ikoyi, Lagos.

This was made known by Google’s Vice President of the product, Ms Susan Frey, at a Virtual Media Round Table, where she said that Google would also be hiring for the development centre.

According to NAN, Frey said there would be hiring visionary engineers, product managers, UX designers and researchers to lay the foundation for significant growth in the coming years.

Frey also said that the centre was looking for talented, creative people who would help solve difficult and important technical challenges, such as improving the smartphone experience for people in Africa.

She said that talented people would also be building a more reliable internet infrastructure.

Frey recalled that in October 2021, at a `Google for Africa’ event, the Chief Executive Officer, Sundar Pichai, announced plans to invest $1billion over the next 5 years to support Africa’s digital transformation.

She pointed out that the investment is expected to focus on enabling fast, affordable internet access for more Africans, building helpful products, supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses and helping non-profits to improve lives across Africa.

The Managing Director for Google in Africa, Nitin Gajria, revealed that there were 300 million internet users in Africa who were young, mobile-first and had similar patterns to mobile youth globally.

Gajria said that by 2030, Africa would have 800 million internet users and a third of the world’s under-35 population, adding that the potential for Africa to become a leading digital economy was right on the horizon and Google was committed to accelerating Africa’s digital transformation through human capital.

April 19, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

Chisland Schools Conducted Pregnancy Test on my Child, threatened to Kill her – Mother

by Folarin Kehinde April 19, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

Kenny Folarin, Abuja

Following a leaked sex video clip of two pupils of Chrisland schools engaged in ‘sexual misconduct’ shared on Twitter by an unidentified user which surfaced online on Sunday, Parent of the victim has said that the school conducted a pregnancy test on her child without her consent and threatened to kill if she make any comment.

It would be recalled that the school had denied allegations that a 10-year-old primary six pupil was raped during the school’s participation in the World School Games at Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

However, the student’s mother, in an 11-minute video clip released early Monday said the school management, during a meeting, only informed her that her daughter kissed a student.

In the video, the victim’s mother said after the meeting with the management, she did not hear anything from the school until after three weeks when a teacher sent her a Zoom link inviting her for another meeting.

“We had that meeting (involving) board of directors. One particularly said his name is Akin. He led the meeting and began by saying if there is no sin, there won’t be forgiveness and was speaking in parable.

“I had to ask what they were discussing and he said they just wanted to do a follow-up if I had withdrawn my daughter’s phone and to check how she was doing and I said she’s fine.

“But he made a comment that ‘when it happened,’ and I asked what happened, and he asked if she didn’t tell me and I said no she didn’t. So, I started screaming at them to tell me what happened and they said no.

“So, we finished the meeting. The next day, a parent called me and said she needed to see me urgently. I had to go to her house and she showed me the video and said all the parents are aware,” she added.

She said she immediately called one of the school teachers, who did not take her calls.

The distraught mother said when the teacher eventually picked up, she denied knowledge of the incident.

The woman said she then decided to discipline her daughter in order to force her to talk.

She said, “As we were beating her, she pleaded to talk to me and said a teacher threatened her not to speak out. She narrated how it happened, how they abandoned them in the hotel, how the school left them and how she got into this thing that is happening now.

“They have been having meetings, sending delegates from their headquarters to have meetings with my daughter without my consent.

Every day, when she is going to school, I will be forcing her to come outside. They took her to do a pregnancy test without us knowing and lied to us that they were taking her for a COVID test.

“Do they use blood samples or urine for COVID test? And I did not know until this thing came up. Because we started confronting them, they sent her a suspension letter.

“I am begging Nigerians to help me because Chrisland was trying to hide this issue and push us out of the way and my daughter was going psychologically insane.”

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has ordered an indefinite closure of the school till investigations are concluded.

April 19, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

NGO Launches Generation Transformer Training to Improve Water Provision in Nigeria

by Folarin Kehinde April 18, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

Kenny Folarin, Abuja

The Convener of Network of Female Professionals in WASH in Nigeria and Diaspora, Dr Boluwaji Onabolu has launched the Generation Transformer Training for Youth and Women in Plumbing.

Onabolu while speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at the Commemoration of the World Water Day and International Women’s Day 2022 noted that the training which is 100% fully sponsored would be carried out by the National Water Research Institute (NWRI).

According to Onabolu, the training will improve sustainability of water infrastructure such that the plumbers would be be able to repair the constructed boreholes donated to communities.

She explained that 10 selected women and youth who will benefit from the training would help improve water provision and managment in the country.

Meanwhile, Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu harped on the need for stakeholders collaboration to improve the managment and effective utilization of the water resources.

Suleiman explained that groundwater is not an infinite resource; as it could be depleted when more water is abstracted from Aquifers than is being recharged by rain or snow.

He lamented that over-abstraction by humans and climate variability are increasing the pressure on ground water resources thereby affecting an estimated 60percent of the Nigerian population that depend on groundwater for their main drinking source and over 70percent of the people living in rural communities who depend on it for survival.

Suleiman stressed that all hands must be on deck to acknowledge and mitigate pressures from exploitation, contamination and climate change on groundwater.

He said against this backdrop, there is need for the Ministry would be working closely withbeyond.such as FEMinWASH and other stakeholders including the State Water Agencies, River Basins, Development partners to maximize the potential of groundwater use in a sustainable and equitable way in order to make this resource visible.

The Director General of the Nation Water Research Institute Emmanuel Adama in his remark revealed that according to a research carried out to access Nigeria’s groundwater level in 1995, the water level was at 50billion cubic meter, when they carried out the same study in 2015 the water level was at 40billion cubic meter.

He lamented that Nigeria is very reckless in water management saying although if the groundwater resource is well managed it can last more than 50years or beyond.

April 18, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

World Autism Day: Foundation Harps on Inclusiveness for the Altistic

by Folarin Kehinde April 2, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

As Nigeria Joins the World to Commemorate the 2022 World Autism Day, the President and Founder, Ferdinand Effah Music Heritage Foundation, Mr Stanley Effah has call for inclusiveness of of the altistic person in workplace, education and society in general.

According to World Health Organization (WHO)approximately one in 100 children has autism, which constitutes a diverse group of conditions related to development of the brain.

Meanwhile, Effah while speaking in Abuja on Saturday at a Walk to commemorate the day explained that the World Altisim Day is special not only to the global world or nations but to families and individual because it creates an opportunity for people to help and understand the whole idea about altisim which also gives a prospect of an enabling environment especially for the altistic people who have been denied of opportunities where their hidden potentials are not exploited.

He maintained that the day is special and key to create the much needed environment so that there will be a leveraging ground and it will be easy for people to help altistic people realize their potentials.

Speaking on the theme; Inclusion in the Workplace: Challenges and Opportunities in the Post – Pandemic World” Effah noted that Inclusiveness speaks volume and the need to create that enabling environment for Altistic people has not been there.

“So I hope this day, the world should realize the potential that lies for the Altistic people because in inclusiveness, even those you think do not have anything to offer has something to offer and Altistic people and their families are denied these Opportunities”.

He advised that altistic persons should be given opportunities in workplace, education space and the society.

Furthermore, he charged parents of altistic persons never to give up, nor feel ashamed but should take pride in what God has given them and look into the potentials inherent in them.

“My message to parents with Altistic people is that they should never give up, never feel ashamed but take pride in whatever they have, I have exemplified this on my son because he was given by God, he has always been my identity everywhere I go irrespective of what people think about it and that has paid the price in the sense that we have found a path for him”.

“Parents should never give up because there is always a hidden potential in each and every Altistic people, am using this opportunity to parents in believing in their child that there is a prospect for them to be better in the society”.

The Clinical Director, Our Lady of Guadalupe Health Foundation and Autism Center, Dr (Mrs) Izuwoh Doris on her part stated that people living with autism should not be locked away or discriminated against but should rather be helped to assess care, assess facilities that will help them improve the quality of life.

Izuwoh added that learning will make them fit into the society and become someone in future and if they cannot be able to go into regular school they can have skills that can help them to become independent in life.

She noted that altisim is not infectious or contagious but rather are set of people that thinks differently with different abilities and because of that we can help them become someone great in future.

She advised that government should create an enabling environment for the autistic people, and train teachers and guidians on therapy that suit them”.

“This is an opportunity to tell the government that children with altisim exist and we want to have equal rights with every other persons to education, healthcare and other facilities and when graduate from secondary school we want to be employed,

“They want accomodation modification in environment where they can work and also contribute their own quota, they have their own talent and can make a mark if given an opportunity”.

Continuing, She said “Therapy are quite expensive, but now parents can be trained on this, if government can step in and do this for us, standardized training that would help us give our best to the children you will see that it will become more assessible, they should train teachers so that they can be able to teach therapy when this children come to this environment”

“Doctors should be trained so that they can come up with some of the issues which include speech therapy, behavioral modification, occupation therapy, nutritional therapy and mental health therapy with there psychologists and psychiatrists which are all very important with our children with altisim”. She added.

April 2, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

NHGSFP: FG to Implement Nutritional Guideline to curb Nutrients Deficiencies

by Folarin Kehinde March 31, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

The National Coordinator, National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, (NHGSFP), Dr. Umar Bindir has said the federal government will implement the Nutritional Guideline to curb Nutrients Deficiencies in the ongoing National Home Grown School Feeding Programme.

Bindir while speaking in Abuja on Friday at a one – day validation meeting on nutrition guidelines of the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme stated that the meeting is another milestone having developed a nutritional guideline in collaboration with the Nutrition society of Nigeria with the aim knowing what kind of food can make a balance diet for the children.

“This function is another milestone in the sense that we have now developed a nutritional guideline with the help of the nutrition society of Nigeria which is basically on local content on how we can how we train our cooks, feed our children, what kind of food can make the menu of our food materials”.

Bindir explained that since the inception of the NHGSFP in 2016, the government has fed more than 10 million children nationwide with not report of ill-health on food consumption by the school children.

“This is a good thing happening in our country, at the end of this meeting we will have validate the useful information on nutrition as it relates to the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme”.

Technical Adviser to the Minister of of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development on School Feeding, Zainab Abubakar on her part noted that the nutritional guideline is important for pupils to have the nutritional benefits, reduce micro nutrients deficiencies and impart positively on their learning process.

“As the Federal Government and ministry, we need to ensure that what is on that menu is of nutritional value and we have to ensure that what those pupils are fed within this program has to benefit them nutritionally and have an impart on thier learning process”.

“Part of the objective of the guidelines is to identify national nutritional requirements and reduce micro nutrients deficiencies, we also need to promote nutrition best practices to strengthen the program better”.

President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Prof. Wasiu Afolabi expressed optimism that for the first time the country is getting it right putting nutrition as a key factor in operationalizing the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme.

Afolabi pledged the commitment of the society to partner with the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme and ensure that school children under the program benefits from the nutritional guideline when validated.

March 31, 2022 0 comments

General

Again, Fire Gut Karmo Market for the Third Time, Traders Count Losses

by Folarin Kehinde March 31, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

Traders in Karmo Market, Abuja were left with nothing when fire broke out around 12:30am on Wednesday night.

According to eyewitness, over 500 shops were razed in the inferno which lasted hours before the men of the fire service put it under control.

Speaking exclusively with LEADING REPORTERS, a neighbor to the victim stated that.

“My neighbor has a shop in the market and we were called around past 12: am yesterday night, we rushed there and saw that everything in the shop was burnt down”

“When it happened last year, we were able to recover some valuables because it happened in the daytime, but unfortunately, this happened in the midnight, we lost everything to the fire”.

“The fire burnt the yam section of the market down to the mosque, over 500 shops worth million of naira has gone down the drain again”

This incident is coming barely year when the market was burnt down.

The first happened in 2017, the second 2021 and 2022.

The cause of the fire still remain unknown as at press time.

March 31, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

Ailing John Okafor Says he was Poisoned for the Second Time

by Folarin Kehinde March 28, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

Nollywood actor John Okafor popularly known as Mr Ibu has revealed that he was recently poisoned for the second time at an event in Abuja.

The movie veteran has been hospitalised at the hospital for days.

Okafor made this known during a chat with Saturday Beats.

“I just got poisoned again. It seems my enemies are using me to rehearse (their powers). This time, I wasn’t poisoned in the village. I was poisoned in Abuja last week at an entertainment event. I really cannot explain how I was poisoned because it was a gathering of people, though it was not a big event,” he said.

“I am recuperating, although I have neither worked out nor driven since I got ill. However, I intend to take a walk this (Friday) evening, because I am hopeful that I would get better. I am eating well now, and I’m prepared to go back on set any moment from now.”

Mr Ibu first revealed that he was poisoned back in 2020 by his staff who were paid by his detractors.

“I nor dey take alcohol and people go say the belle is big. All the food wen I dey chop na small small food na since them give me that poison. I don dey take medicine so the thing don dey come down now I don dey see my legs. Before I nor dey see my legs,” he said.

He went on to narrate how he was poisoned again in his office and left to die by his staff.

“Here in my office, they brought the first poison, I took it. I was falling around and nobody came to ask. Even the workers did not enter here even though they were hearing me fall around. I vomited something in my bathroom,” he said.

“They paid them and gave them enough money to make sure they eliminate me. All these plans are from Enugu, my townspeople, and age grades that are surprised that I can own some things, build some houses, buy a house in Lagos. They asked them to go and kill me.”

Okafor is a Nigerian actor and comedian.

He is considered to be one of Nigeria’s most talented comic characters.

March 28, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

Abuja will Experience Another Round of Power Outage – AEDC

by Folarin Kehinde March 28, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

Many residents of Abuja will experience power outage on Sunday, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) had said.

The electricity company said on Friday in a post on Facebook that the blackout will be due to maintenance being carried by the Transmission Company of Nigeria on the 60 MVA 132/33KV TR1 transformer at the Kukwaba transmission station in the federal capital.

The outage will interrupt power supply to Galadimawa village, Amsco Estate, Sunnyvale Estate, Kabusa Garden Estate, Bedwe village, Machido Estate, Trademore Estate, Apo Estate, Aso Estate.

Also, residents of Sabo Lugbe, Pyaekasa village, Chika village, Lugbe across, Games Village, National Stadium, Indoor Complex, Tulsi Chanrai eye clinic and environs will be affected by the outage.

Poor power supply remains a major problem for many Nigerian homes and businesses.

The national grid has collapsed twice in the last three months, leaving cities in darkness. The government’s pledge to improve supply has not materialised over years.

The government said the recent failure was caused by gas problems triggered by sabotage of supply lines.

March 28, 2022 0 comments

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