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President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo with the Released 21 Chibok School Girls as Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo presents the Girls to the President at the State House in Abuja.
By Levinus Nwabughiogu The safe return of abducted 21 Chibok girls may have exposed the defThe safe return of abducted 21 Chibok girls may have exposed the deficiencies in Nigeria's educational system and sparked renewed calls for the education of the girl-child.
Their message came loud and clear. They don't only need your prayers, pity and empathy, they also need your help to get good education. That was the summary of Rebecca Manu's speech last Wednesday at the press gallery of the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Manu is one of the released 21 Chibok girls abducted over two years ago, precisely on April 14, 2014 by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State.
She spoke on behalf of the freed girls.
She showed enthusiasm and passion for knowledge. She must have felt elated to speak before a large audience comprising President Muhammdu Buhari, his vice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and cabinet ministers.
Manu entertained the crowd and at the same time provoked some skepticism on their educational background. She made several slips while reading her script. Easily noticeable was the repetition of the word "OK!".
Again, Manu, several times said "and then after that", a phrase that apparently indicated that she was so coached or guided. Very well then.
Did she memorize the speech or were all those phrases written on the paper she had? Only Manu could answer the question.
But those details didn't matter. And it also didn't matter if the girls were preparing for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination, SSCE, organized by West African Examination Council, WAEC, before they were abducted. Whether they could speak good English as would-be secondary school leavers was also inconsequential; after all, two years and six months in captivity would have dealt with their psyche and mental competences. What mattered was that by inference, Manu made her point very clear: they needed to be roundly educated.
To them, returning home alive and healthy was a miracle. According to Manu, they had given up on their return to their parents. But God's grace, the relentless efforts and commitment of Buhari on security matters paid off.
Starting off with two Christian songs which she led for the girls, she also called for prayers for their colleagues still in captivity.
"We are happy for seeing this wonderful day because we didn't know we could come back to be members of Nigeria. Let us thank God for His love. Let us pray for the rest of the girls still in Sambisa. Let God help", she said.
How they were catered for
Anyone who saw the girls on the first day of their release, penultimate Wednesday, would commend the Federal Government for the attention they were given. Their looks gave them away as people who had just returned from the land of the "dead". They looked haggard and emaciated but within one week, the girls' body symmetry stood out.
Said the minister of women affairs, Mrs. Aisha Al-Hassan, who spoke at the occasion:
"This indeed a moment that we have been eagerly waiting for. The date 13 October; 2016, will remain a significant one in the annals of history.
"All the 21 girls came back looking haggard, weak and emancipated. Doctors were immediately dispatched to examine them and provide prompt medical assistance. Also, personal personal supplies like clothings, toiletries and others were provided fir them. The girls parents were also brought in from Chibok, Borno State. Uncontrolled emotions when the parents met with them.
Send them abroad to study – Chibok local government Chairman
To underscore the importance of the girls' education, representative of the girls' parents and Chairman of Chibok local government area, Mr. Ya'aga Yarakuwu, expressed gratitude to God, the President and the Nigerian security apparatus for ensuring the safe return of the girls.
While highlighting the challenges bedeviling the community which he said included lack of roads and schools, Yarakuwa appealed to Buhari to come to the aid of the community, urging for deployment of more security personnel to the area.
He appealed to the President to take the girls abroad to further their education even as he stated that most of the girls' parents were dead as a result of high blood pressure.
Osinbajo takes roll call
The day also reminded Osinbajo, an academician, who said that "once a teacher, always a teacher", as he performed the task of formally presenting the girls to the President.
He recalled that the whole country was emotional as they received the girls upon their return.
Your worst days 're over/govt to take over your education-Buhari
In a voice laden with emotions, Buhari, while receiving the girls, stated that the girls had seen the worst of things the world had to offer.
Imagining the horrible experience the girls must have had in the hands of the insurgents for over two years, he, however, said that the worst days were over, promising a new dawn for the girls
"These 21 girls will be given adequate and comprehensive medical, nutritional and psychological care and support. The Federal Government will rehabilitate them, and ensure that their reintegration back to the society is done as quickly as possible,"the President said.
"Aside from rescuing them, we are assuming the responsibility for their personal, educational and professional goals and ambitions in life. Obviously, it is not late for the girls to go back to school and continue the pursuit of their studies.
"These dear daughters of ours have seen the worst that the world has to offer. It is now time for them to experience the best that the world can do for them. The Government and all Nigerians must encourage them to achieve their desired ambitions".
Buhari also revealed that the girls' release was a product of negotiations between government, Boko Haram and some international agencies.
"The release of these 21 girls followed a series of negotiations between Government and the Boko Haram group, brokered by our friends both local and International. Since this Administration assumed office, we have been working towards the safe release of the girls.
"The DSS, military and other security agencies have spared no effort to secure our girls. These 21 girls are the manifestation of our doggedness and commitments to the release and return of the Chibok girls."
'The rest of girls would be rescued'
The President also pledged a renewed effort that would see the return of the remaining girls while thanking their parents for their patience and understanding.
"While joining their parents to rejoice and praise the Almighty, we shall redouble efforts to ensure that we fulfill our pledge of bringing the remaining girls back home. Already, the credible first step has been taken and Government will sustain the effort until all the remaining girls return safely", Buhari said.
"The Federal Government appreciates the patience and understanding of the parents of all the abducted Chibok girls. We equally thank Nigerians and the International Community for their support and prayers, and for never losing confidence in our ability to secure the safe release of our girls.
"Once again, I congratulate the 21 released girls, their parents, the Chibok community, our security agencies and all Nigerians on this day of delight and rejoicing."
Last line
As Manu spoke, my eyes spotted Alhaji Adamu Adamu, the minister of education who seated on the high table with Buhari. He never smiled. His mind must have been running riot as he wondered if the girls would have passed their physics and chemistry subjects and in flying colors. But then, the development has thrown up a big challenge to the government that there is need to education the Nigerian child, not just the girl alone for brighter future of the country. Thank goodness that the President who has children who are graduates, was also there to see and hear for himself.
By Festus Ahon, ASABA HEAVILY armed security operatives, Saturday sealed-off the secretariat of the Delta State chapter of the All Progressive Congress APC at Asaba, the state capital, following the raging feud between factional leadership of the party in the state.
Men of the state police command mobilized to the secretariat with patrol vehicles, barricading its main gate that was under lock and key.
The development which came barely six after the secretariat was shut by security operatives, credible sources said, was occasioned by conflicting letters by the two factional leadership of the party to inform state police command of their intention to use the secretariat for a meeting slated for Saturday at 10.00am.
The source said the decision of the police to seal off the secretariat stemmed from the desire of the command to avert bloodshed between loyalists of the leadership of the two factions who had been spoiling for a showdown.
Acting Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, while confirming the development, said the measure was taken to ensure the safety of all persons in the state.
He disclosed that one of the letters for a meeting was signed by Secretary of the party, Comrade Chidi Okonji, while the other was signed by the secretary of the caretaker committee set up by the Senator Spanner Okpozo-led Elders and Leaders council of the party Mr Dennis Nwanokhai.
Reiterating that it was the duty of the police to protect lives and property, Aniamaka maintained that the deployment of security operatives to secretariat was to avoid clash between the two factions of the party.
Effort made to reach the two warring factions for comment on the development proved abortive at press time.
Nollywood actor, politician, lecturer and Director General of Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RTDA) has found a calling. His calling which is so much in tandem with his mandate as the 'culture man' of Rivers State is to help Africans rediscover Africa and lift themselves above the slave mentality that has enslaved many for centuries.
In a bid to lead by example, the actor of 'Igodo' fame chose to have a big highly-garnished croaker fish as his birthday cake when he celebrated his 50th birthday days ago. It was his way of telling us that as Africans, we don't have to follow the Europeans and believe everything they do is right and right for us.
The Thespian posted a picture of himself and his wife on Facebook, while cutting his 50th birthday cake, with a caption that reads; "My wife and I at my 50th birthday celebrations last November. Take note of my birthday cake. There is African-ness in everything I do"
Dino Melaye, the senator representing Kogi Central, is a man of means and style. As controversial as many may think he is, he is a man with a good heart and does whatever he does with a passion that belies his implacable exterior.
Bestest Abaya & Dino Melaye
As a big fish that swims only in big ponds, one would expect wherever he hangs out, he should hang with the power brokers of the country, but not on Instagram. Instead of following his fellow senators, governors, ministers, or even the president or his vice, the Kogi Senator as at Friday, October 21, 2016 was following only one person – a woman.
The woman, which by all indication is from the northern part of the country, calls herself Bestest Abaya and she runs a luxury shop at Omega Centre, not sure if it is in Lagos or Abuja. The woman attends only to the high and mighty. We all know how finicky the Senator is, about how he looks, this could explain why the only person he cares to follow on Instagram is a fashion stylist.
Popular actress, Hilda Dokubo hasn't been in the public glare for a while now. Even before she served as a Special Adviser on Youth Affairs to former Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili, she had rarely been seen in movies.
But that does not diminish her status as a widely-loved Nollywood actress. She has featured in several block-buster movies over the years that have won her millions of fans. Of particular fascination is the emotional way she plays her role. She cries easily on camera, and she can be said to be a method-actor, as her portrayal is graphic and distinct.
The role-interpreter was in Lagos recently where she ministered as a Pastor at the Fresh Oil International Church. During her sermon, she revealed some part of her past that may be unknown to many. While speaking, she said, "I was born with a silver spoon, but death turned me poverty-stricken after my father died when I was just nine. I turned away from God at that point, because I felt disappointed that despite how much my father loved and served God, he still died."
She continued, "After my dad died, my mother completely lost her mind. If she were living in the US, I'm sure she would have been diagnosed as a mental case. You know, in Nigeria, we don't consider people mad until they have started eating from dustbins. I rebelled against God at that point, and I stopped going to church at the age of nine.
Hilda Dokubo
"However, I was a very brilliant girl, and I got admission into the university at the age of 16. I became rascally and did what girls like that do. I slept with a man, and I became pregnant. It wasn't the Holy-Spirit that impregnated me. My mom was devastated and disappointed in me because of that. I was also angry with her because 'her God' killed my father, and we stopped speaking to each other.
One day, a man came to me and said he needed a barge. I didn't know what it was, and he told me it was used to store oil.
I then recalled that I had once seen a barge in the compound opposite ours. I went to the neighbour and told him I needed the barge. He asked me what I needed it for, but I told him not to worry.
I told them to put the barge in front of my mother's house. At that point, the man who told me he needed the barge came back, and dropped sacks of money containing N2m with my mom because I was in school at that time.
Two weeks later, he returned with N500,000, and I was dumbfounded. Before then, I had never seen N100,000 together, but there I was as a millionaire at 17, not knowing what to do with the money.
I would have become a prostitute, but I became restless and challenged destiny. Your life cannot change for the better if you don't challenge destiny. Even God challenged destiny."
Lagos – Mr Taiwo Ogunbodede, the chairman, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), South-West Zone, on Saturday said the new Lagos State Housing Initiative would benefit ordinary citizens.
Ogunbodede, in an interview in Lagos, expressed worry that Nigerians might not favour the method being practiced by REDAN to cushion economic recession.
" The era of you building property, people paying out rightly has passed.
"You have a situation where people are selling property through what we call instalmental and flexible payments.
"In Nigeria today, it is possible that you buy a property without going through mortgage and pay in 36 months, pay in 48 months, you get the keys to your house,'' he said.
According to him, even, the rental payment introduced by the Lagos State Government is a good initiative.
"It helps a whole lot for somebody who can plan; so, it is a good initiative for those who can afford it, and for those who can fit to that payment realm.
"As developers, we have put such structures in place before now, but most Nigerians, I can assure you, will still look forward to paying ahead yearly.
"People do not want to be bothered about the monthly payment, because you have to keep thinking every month,'' he said.
Ogunbodede said that the association was planning a seminar with building regulatory agencies in November to educate both the registered and unregistered developers on best practices to avert building collapses.
By Janet Adeti Have you ever found yourself in a situation having to choose whether you should genuinely give a tip or not.
Does tipping come naturally to you or do you find it an unnecessary indulgence or obligation?
Globally, tipping is seen to be a legal term for showing appreciation for the service of another person. To a large extent it is regulated in some countries. It is also an expectation calculated as a percentage of cost. Frankly speaking, if indeed you feel that you were quite impressed by certain services you received, then quite naturally you may feel inclined to reward that person in your own little way. I guess it is your way of saying thank you. Most times you may tip that person who is not normally receiving a fee for the service they have rendered. Tipping has no limitation as to where and when but your discretion is highly required. From a hotel facility, to the hairdressers, restaurant, the movies you name it, as and when required.
For your tip to remain a tip it does not need to be given in secret unless another motive is brewing. With comfort and ease it should be given at your will, the amount also should be determined by you; that is why you are saying "thank you". Unfortunately some people believe that receiving a tip is a must, almost indicating that it is compulsory as they exhibit this though their body language. Some will even assume that a tip is given a right and will make all moves to attempt to lure you into giving.
I once went to the open market to buy a few things many of which were quite large Items. I eventually needed the services of someone who would assist me carry my item to the car. "ALABARU" as they call them. At this point there is no fixed fee so I guess it was at my discretion to tip her for her service to say thank you. At the time I thought my tip was quite generous, but to my surprise she took one look at my car and said that what I gave her was not enough; she wanted more. Now should she have asked me for more? Did she have that civil right to ask for an increase in her tip? When does that tip move from tip to bribe?
I would say depending on who, where and when your tip can range from #200 to #1000, Your generosity may go higher but you must be careful not to send the wrong message
It is only a correct gesture when you feel out of respect, consideration and kindness that you have an obligation to do without force but as a choice. It becomes a different motive when you are asked for it before the service is rendered. Even receiving the service or immediately after. If it is a part of a job description then tipping is simply a choice you may optimize or not. It should not influence a decision to be made.
Everyday reasons where you can tip to say thank you:
Out & About: Hotel house – keeping, Room Service, Porter, Taxi driver, Food delivery, Valet parking, Trolley Attendant, Restaurant Waiter, Hair Stylist, Spa Attendant, Artisans and other public places.
Strategies for successful "Tipping"
Use your best judgment in assessing anybody before you allow them render a service or assistance.
Be strictly official in you dealings; avoid any form of familiarity
3.Tip what you can afford, don't exceed your comfort boundary
Watch your frequency, if the service is a regular occurrence you may need to change your strategy.
Have first right of refusal if it becomes a demand and you are uncomfortable.
Leicester strikers Shinji Okazaki and Ahmed Musa ended lengthy goal droughts as the Premier League champions beat Crystal Palace 3-1 on Saturday.
Claudio Ranieri’s side were on course for their first win in four league matches after Nigeria international Musa claimed his first Leicester goal in his 10th appearance since a pre-season move from CSKA Moscow.
Japan forward Okazaki doubled Leicester’s lead in the second half at the King Power Stadium with his first goal in 14 league appearances.
Austrian defender Christian Fuchs sealed the points in the closing stages with his first goal for the Foxes and Yohan Cabaye’s late reply was no consolation for Palace.
Leicester’s 20th home league game without defeat was the perfect birthday present for Ranieri, who turned 65 on Thursday, and it ensured they avoided making the worst start by reigning English champions since Leeds in 1974.
While Leicester have made a spluttering opening in the Premier League, they have looked more like the team that unexpectedly won the title during a run of three successive Champions League victories.
The latest of those memorable European wins came in midweek against Copenhagen and the positive vibes finally translated to Leicester’s domestic duties.
Okazaki replaced England striker Jamie Vardy, who was left on the bench after struggling for form and fitness of late, and the diminutive Japanese should have put Leicester ahead in the opening moments.
Palace goalkeeper Steve Mandanda kicked a clearance straight to him, but he rushed a weak shot that drifted wide.
Palace came close to a surprise opener when Martin Kelly’s cross picked out Christian Benteke and the former Liverpool striker’s powerful header beat Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, only to hit the crossbar and rebound to safety.
Leicester kept pressing and almost took the lead in fortuitous fashion when Riyad Mahrez’s shot from the edge of the penalty area deflected off Okazaki before flashing narrowly wide.
Palace had gone 13 league matches without a clean sheet and their defence was breached again in the 42nd minute as Musa fired home after Okazaki and Islam Slimani combined to set up the Nigerian forward.
Early in the second half, Danny Simpson’s cross towards Slimani was headed just wide by the Algerian, while Benteke wasn’t far from an equaliser with a header of his own.
Okazaki put Leicester firmly in control in the 63rd minute when he thumped home at the near post after Danny Drinkwater’s cross was only half cleared by Damien Delaney.
Vardy came on for the final 15 minutes, but it was Fuchs who stole the spotlight with a fine volley to make it three in the 80th minute.
Although France midfielder Cabaye netted five minutes later, there was no chance of a late Palace fightback.
Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta was stretchered from the field in tears holding his right knee just 14 minutes into the Spanish champions’ visit to Valencia on Saturday.Iniesta
Iniesta was on the end of a robust challenge from Enzo Perez, which infuriated Barca boss Luis Enrique on the sidelines, but went unpunished.
Barca’s season has been plagued by injuries so far as Lionel Messi has just returned from nearly a month out, whilst Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba were injured in Wednesday’s 4-0 win over Manchester City.
The International Criminal Court on Saturday asked South Africa and Burundi to reconsider their decisions to withdraw from the troubled institution that was set up to try the world’s worst crimes.
“Although withdrawing from a treaty is a sovereign act, I regret these decisions and invite South Africa and Burundi to reconsider their positions,” said Sidiki Kaba, president of the assembly of state parties to the ICC founding treaty.
“I urge them to work together with other States in the fight against impunity, which often causes massive violations of human rights,” Kaba said in a statement.
The statement came a day after South Africa dealt a major blow to the court by announcing it would withdraw from the ICC.Jacob Zuma
The announcement followed a dispute last year when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited the country despite facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes.
Earlier this month, Burundi said it would leave the court, while Namibia and Kenya have also raised the possibility.
The ICC, set up in 2002, is often accused of bias against Africa and has also struggled with a lack of cooperation, including from the United States which has signed the court’s treaty but never ratified it.
Kaba said he was concerned that South Africa and Burundi’s decisions would “pave the way” to other African states leaving the court that is tasked with “prosecuting the most serious crimes that shock the conscience of humanity, namely genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression”.
The ICC on Saturday confirmed South Africa had officially notified the court of its decision to leave the court, adding that the move had come in the wake of Burundi’s withdrawal process.
At least 60 people were killed and nearly 600 injured when a packed train derailed between Cameroon’s two main cities, officials said Saturday, as distraught relatives desperately sought news of missing loved ones.
With the dead and injured scattered between different hospitals, authorities were working flat out to cope with the scale of the disaster.
At Yaounde’s main hospital, where the morgue was holding 29 bodies including those of babies, distraught relatives thronged the corridors.
The first person allowed into the morgue, a woman, emerged in tears. “She recognised the body of her sister,” explained one of the people with her.
The train, travelling from the capital Yaounde to the economic hub of Douala, came off the rails near the central city of Eseka at around midday on Friday.
“We have received between 60 and 70 bodies at the station this morning,” a railway official who asked not to be identified told AFP in Yaounde.
The train was crammed with people because a collapsed bridge had made travelling the same route by road impossible.Passenger escape the site of a train derailment in Eseka on October 21, 2016. Fifty-three were killed and over 300 injured when a packed Cameroon passenger train derailed on October 21 while travelling between the capital Yaounde and the economic hub Douala, state broadcaster Crtv said. The train, crammed with people due to road traffic disruption between the two cities, left the tracks just before reaching the central city of Eseka, Transport minister Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o said earlier. / AFP PHOTO
– Four-month-old baby –
“Some of the wounded are arriving unconscious. We think the death toll will rise,” said the railway official.
On Friday evening, state-run television reported that many of the injured were in a critical condition.
Health minister Alim Garga Hayatou told AFP after visiting some of the injured that more information would be released “once we are in control of the whole situation”.
In the meantime hospital staff were “working hard and efficiently”, he added.
At Yaounde’s main hospital, the 29 bodies in the morgue included those of white people, many women and babies, a policeman on duty there said.
He had no information on nationalities although the French foreign ministry said one French national was among the dead.
One woman waiting her turn to enter the morgue said: “We have had no news from our sister since yesterday. We don’t know whether she is alive.
“Her phone was ringing yesterday but it wasn’t since this morning. Her husband is looking for her in Douala,” said the woman who gave her name as Fadimatou.
Dan Njoya said he had come to the morgue “to see if the body of my four-month-old baby is here”.
At another morgue, in Yaounde’s Ekounou neighbourhood, there was a list of 24 names: 11 women, six men including one Ugandan, one child and six babies.
– ‘Terrible accident’ –
Most of those injured in the accident were taken to hospitals in Douala, medical sources said.
Rail operator Camrail, a subsidiary of French investment group Bollore, said the cause of the crash was under investigation.
“Technical investigations are ongoing to determine the causes of this terrible accident and the findings as they become available will be made known,” it said in a statement.
The company was doing everything necessary to “deal with the injured and ensure support for the families affected by this tragedy”, it added.
Police had cordoned off the railway stations in both cities.
Meanwhile, the road bridge that collapsed on Thursday night as a result of heavy rain reopened to traffic in both directions on Saturday after emergency work.
The road is one of the busiest in the country and one of the main commercial routes in central Africa, carrying trade towards landlocked Chad and the Central African Republic.
Five CAF Champions League finals facts ahead of 2016 title-decider in Alexandria Sunday between Zamalek of Egypt and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa:
— Al Ahly of Egypt have won a record eight finals between 1982 and 2013 and finished runners-up twice.
— Zamalek of Egypt and TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo are the next most successful clubs with five victories each.
— Ahly and Mazembe have twice successfully defended the title and Enyimba of Nigeria achieved the feat once.
— Egyptian clubs Ahly, Zamalek, Ismaily and Ghazl Al Mehalla have qualified for 19 finals, winning 14
— South African clubs Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns reached three finals, but won only one
Onne (Rivers) – The Minister of Defence, Retired Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali, said on Saturday that the Federal Government would provide more support for the Armed Forces, despite the country's dwindling revenue.
Dan-Ali gave this assurance at the passing out parade of 90 new Direct Short Service Course 23 and 13 Special Duty Course 2016 cadets at the Nigerian Navy College Onne, Rivers.
He said the assistance would enable the military to succeed in its ongoing operations such as Operations Delta Safe and Tsare Teku in the Niger Delta and Operation Lafiya Dole in the North-East.
Dan-Ali said the operations were aimed at ensuring law and order as well as preserving the territorial integrity of the country.
"The President Muhammadu Buhari administration is ever committed and determined to honour its obligations to support capacity-building for the Armed Forces.
"Government is pleased that the Nigerian Navy has added a large number of platforms (war ships) to its fleet, which includes NNS Prosperity and Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV).
"As we speak, the latest OPV to the fleet of the Nigerian Navy is underway from China to Nigeria to improve the defence of the nation's maritime interests.
"The government is committed to performing its constitutional roles despite the present economic downturn, occasioned by dwindling oil prices and the spike in militancy and sabotage in the Niger Delta," he said.
Dan-Ali said the 103 cadets started their training in March to become Commissioned Officers with a focus on contributing to the ongoing internal security operations across the country.
He urged the new officers to give unflinching loyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari as well as obey both civil and military laws.
"The cadets should note that their service would demand patriotism, professionalism, integrity, loyalty, tact, commitment to duty and respect and protection of human rights.''
The minister lauded the Commandant of the Nigerian Navy College, Commodore Emmanuel Isreal and the Naval Training Command for the qualitative training at the college.
The minister inaugurated the refurbished hostel accommodation among other facilities at the college.
By Imanuel Jannah ABUJA – In response to reports alleging that over 100 Chibok girls still held by their Boko Haram captors are unwilling to return home, the Coordinator of Bring Back Our Girls, BBOG, Mrs. Bukky Sonibare, has said the girls have no choice but to return to their parents before other issues they have will be addressed.
Speaking in Abuja on Saturday, Sonibare said since the consent of the girls were not sought before their abduction, they should not be allowed to dictate the terms and conditions of their return.
She described the 2014 abduction as a blemish on Nigeria's image and cautioned the government against using the reported unwillingness to return home as excuse for relenting in the effort to bring them back.
"When these girls were abducted, they did not ask to be abducted nor was their collective consent sought. What happened to them is an unfortunate stigma on our nation. So, they should not be the ones to dictate whether they want to return or not.
"It is the responsibilities of government to ensure that the Chibok girls are who were unwillingly abducted without their consent are brought back. After their return, we can now discuss and address other issues they may be having.
"But for the girls to say they don't want to come back and that becomes an excuse as to why they should not be brought back is foolhardy," she said.
Sonibare assured that BBOG will keep advocating for the return of every one of the abducted girls until there is a logical end to the matter is achieved.
"We, as a group, will continue advocating the return of the remaining 197 we are still expecting, and if there is going to be any logical closure, there should be a logical and acceptable explanation as to these other ones should not be brought back. But the excuse that some are saying they do not want to come back is not tenable."
IT might not have been heard of a few decades back, but house- husbands are quietly creeping into a lot of matrimonial homes – thanks to women landing super executives jobs that pay mega salaries, for the hard-working female executives, house-husbands seem to be the answer to every woman's prayer.
Imagine never having to wash up another dirty dish, take the kids to school or get the kids dinner – the average house-husband knows all about doing chores and lots more. Just think of it – getting home and being welcome by a man in a pinny and the aroma of a delicious dinner. Dreams do come true, you think? Well, in theory yes. But according to recent experiences of some "lucky wives," we should be careful what we wish for.
Turning husbands into home-dads can seriously damage relationships as a huge chunk of life-swap couples are heading for the divorce courts. "Think long and hard about letting the man stay at home", warns divorce lawyer, Vanessa Llovd-Platt, "I know it's very trendy for the wife to be the bread winner, but in my professional experience, this decision will strain the marriage.
It may be fun at first to say, 'I have a house-husband'. But a wife will quickly begin to resent the fact that the man is not pulling his weight financially, She will think: 'You're not supporting me". Within all of us I think there is still a very deep-seated belief that men should be the protectors.
A gradual lack of respect begins to eat into the relationship and it puts men in very vulnerable position. The role these men are performing at home is of course highly valuable, but women can find it hard to recognize it. Why should that be so when women know just how hard it can be to look after a family and run a house? It may be down to the way our brains have evolved. In the past, females needed a mate who could provide for them.
These days, women can fend for themselves – but their brains are wired as they were in the past. They're still looking for a manly man – although there's no excuse for being a slob! Towards middle-age, a lot of couples find the bread winners have lost their high-powered jobs, whilst the wives in the civil service maybe, have carefully moved up the rungs of the promotion ladders to positions of power and influence. Some have even been known to throw juicy contracts at husbands who "behave".
Yet this hasn't necessarily turned the husbands into grovelling gratefuls who hurriedly prepare their `benefactor's' meals! Professor David Buss, an evolutionary psychologist spent five years researching the choices people make when looking for a long-term partner. He studied 10,000 people in 37 cultures around the world – from Germans to Taiwanese, and from Pygmies to Eskimos.
He discovered that in every culture, women are less concerned with potential husband's looks and more interested in his material resources and social status – regardless of their own assets and earning capacity. So you could have your very own prince charming – but remove his job and get him washing your undies and he'd soon lose his appeal. He believed pretending that men and women are the same has landed couples in all sorts of trouble. Giving him a purely domestic role goes against the grain gender-wise.
He explains, "We've adopted the principle of sexual equality, which encourages men to behave like women and women to behave like men, to do the opposite of what comes naturally.
There are differences between men and women. That is why stereo- types exist". Should women give up their careers and get back to their chores? Not according to the Prof. "We're never going back to the idea that a woman's place is in the home", he says. He however does believe in a middle way but house-husbands do not figure in it.
"My idea for compromise is that we continue to be gender neutral in the public sphere but stick to our traditional sex roles in our private lives': he says. "In fact, I think that's what most successful marriages still do. Every couple has to make its own contract, but the ones that seem to work appear to stick with the classic roles, so everyone knows what's expected of them".
Kogi State Government has pledged to assist women farmers to embark on mechanised farming as part of the state's agricultural road map toward food security.
The state's Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Tim Diche, made the pledge at the bi-monthly meeting of the state Agriculture Vision Group, Core Delivery Team, Agriculture Innovative Team and key stakeholders in Lokoja on Saturday.
The meeting was facilitated by Synergos, a global Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), partnering with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), on the State Partnership for Agriculture (SPA), project.
Diche said women farmers had a lot to offer in realisation of the agricultural road map for the attainment of set goals and objectives in agriculture.
"The participation in agriculture generally by our female farmers is on the increase day in day out and by the time we are able to assist them with mechanisation, we will be there," he said.
The commissioner, represented by Dr Isah Ochepa, Acting Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said the women were coming up and very interested adding that with factorisation, they would do excellently.
Mrs Bolanle Ampitan, Kogi state Commissioner for Women and Social Development, urged that seminars and workshops be organised for women farmers to sensitize them on modern farming methods and government's agriculture policies.
Ampitan said there was need to improve on women farmers' access to credit facilities adding that the process had hitherto been hijacked by ghost and political farmers denying the real farmers opportunity take advantage of loans.
She said the state would soon embark on screening of farmers to sieve the grain from the chaff and ascertain the real women farmers adding that the present administration was fully committed to the cause of women.
Mr Victor Adejoh, Kogi Team Lead for Synergos, said the meeting was a solution-driven process with a view to generating information from participants to help address problems in the agriculture sector.
"Synergos is a unique organisation that looks at system shift. We are working on complex issues. We are out to catalyse and facilitate processes, provide linkages that allow government to further deliver on its promises in the agriculture sector," he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that participants from Fadama, ADP, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, farmers' groups, rice and cassava growers associations, United Bank for Africa, among others, attended the meeting.
A 51-year-old woman, Rose Edward, is in police net for allegedly buying a 2-month-old baby for N450,000.
Mr Murtala Mani, Akwa Ibom Commissioner of Police, disclosed this on Saturday in Uyo, while briefing newsmen.
Mani who spoke through ASP Cordelia Nwanwe, the Akwa Ibom Police Command's spokesperson said that a homeopathtic doctor, Eneyo Nyang, was arrested in connection with the crime.
He said that Edward from Rivers confessed to have bought the baby because she needed a baby of her own.
Confessing to the crime, the mother of the baby, Comfort Effiong, said that she sold her baby because there was no one to take care of her.
"I sold the baby because of help; I don't have anybody to help me. My father is late and my mother is sick and I don't have anybody to help me," Effiong said.
Mani assured Akwa Ibom people that the command would not relent in its effort to curb crime in the state.
He warned members of the public wishing to adopt children to follow due process.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), has confirmed Mr Nwachukwu Eze as the Acting Chairman of the party in Ebonyi.
A High Court sitting in Abakaliki on Sept.28, struck out the case brought before it by a factional Chairman of the party, Mr Ben Nwaboashi.
Nwaobashi had challenged his removal from office by the Eze-led faction and the court presided over by Justice John Igboji struck out the case for lack of merit, saying that the removal followed due process.
Nwaboashi and Eze had been laying claims to the chairmanship position of the party since January until the Sept.28 ruling, which was in Eze's favour.
Chief Emma Enukwu, the APC South East Zonal Chairman, said on Saturday that the zone had recognised Eze as the authentic chairman of the party in the state.
"This is in line with the report of the committee set up by the party to review the lingering leadership tussle that had engulfed the Ebonyi chapter of the party.
"We are waiting for the final ratification by the party's National Working Committee (NWC)", he said.
On his part, Eze said he would concentrate on repositioning the party.
He said Nwaobashi's supporters would be welcome into the fold but with the condition of maintaining discipline.
"Anyone who engages in anti-party activities will be sanctioned.
Nwaobashi, however, said that the process was flawed.
"I don't want to engage in a press war over this illegality", he stressed.
Accidental leak of a chemical substance suspected to be chlorine from a cylinder in Bauchi on Friday, endangered the health of some students of a private school, Rainex Hallmark International College, who were attending classes. The cylinders, presumably empty, said to be owned by some businessmen from Kano, were kept in premises close to the College, located in Fadaman Mada Area of Bauchi.
A woman who described herself as the 'Director of the School' said in a telephone interview Saturday that the incident occurred at about 10 am on Friday.
"The students affected were both boys and girls. We had to rush them to the Specialists' Hospital, Bauchi, where they were treated.
"I cannot tell you the exact number of those affected because I was not in my senses as we were trying to save their lives.
"We thank God that they have all recovered and there was no loss of lives," said the women, who did not want her name printed.
An eye witness, who pleaded for anonymity, said that apart from the students, other people conducting various trades around the area were also injured.
"What actually happened is that the owners were trying to load the cylinders into a van, using a crane, when a mishap occurred and remnants of chlorine in one of the cylinders started leaking.
"People started running for their lives as the leaked chemical spread into the atmosphere, affecting the eyes and entire body.
"The situation was contained after some minutes but the damage had been done. We thank God that there was no report of death," he said.
A panel beater at the vicinity, Muda Olawale, said that he and his son were affected but that they had recovered now.
When newsmen visited the place of the incident on Saturday, leaves of surrounding trees and grasses were seen completely burnt as a result of the chlorine chemical emission, just as the remains of lizards and other tiny living things litter the area.
Contacted for his comment, Bauchi Police Command's Public Relations Officer, ASP Mahmoud Mohammed, said he would issue a statement on the matter at a later time.
Recall that there was a near-similar incident in July 2015, when chlorine chemical leak as a result of burst at the Lamingo Water Treatment Plant of Plateau Water Board in Jos, claimed the lives of eight people and injured no fewer than 50 others.
Two students of the National Film Institute (NFI), Jos, which school is located close to the water treatment plant, were among the victims that died in the Jos incident.
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