A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
Trending on Facebook is the photos of a man who was injured close to his private part and said to have been operated on by Nigerian doctors.
The place of the operation is not known and the cause of the injury also not known.
Comment on one of the Facebook page reads
‘One of the Doctors named Chukwuemeka posted on his Facebook wall thus: What a happy evening after a successful day in theatre. Thanks to Almighty God and our focused Medical Director, Dr Abali ChukuChuku for the wonderful enabling environment for these successes. Say a word for them!”
The African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), a coalition of 49 African Heads of State and Government, said it had provided no fewer than 659 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets for prevention and control interventions for malaria in Africa.
This was contained in a statement issued by Joy Phumaphi, Executive Secretary, ALMA, and made available to reporters on Saturday in Abuja.
ALMA is a coalition of 49 African heads of state and government working across country and regional borders to achieve a malaria-free Africa by 2030.
Phumaphi said that the programme, which was supported by the Global Fund, designed and implemented by local experts, had saved 20 million lives and was on track to save 22 million lives in the continent at the end of 2016.
"The number of deaths caused by malaria declined by 50 per cent in the countries where the Global Fund invested between 2000 and 2015 and with continued support, 21 countries could eliminate malaria by 2020.
"In Africa specifically, malaria mortality rates have fallen by 66 per cent among all age groups and by 71 per cent among children under five years since 2000,'' she stated.
Phumaphi added that malaria had remained one of the top causes of morbidity in pregnant women and mortality in children under five years, adding that it was the reason for the renewed effort to achieve a malaria-free world.
According to her, the programme also averted no fewer than 146 million new infections of HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria since 2012 in more than 100 countries.
She said that at the Global Fund replenishment conference, leaders from around the world reaffirmed their commitment to the organisation to fight the diseases and end their scourge.
Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Saturday urged commercial drivers to help reduce the incessant gridlock in the state by respecting traffic rules and regulations.
Ambode
Ambode made the call at the inauguration of Ketu-Alapere Lay-By and Bus Stop Expansion at Kosofe, Lagos.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, the governor said transport unions must educate their members to abide by the state traffic laws.
He also urged the commercial drivers not to use the expanded Alapere-Ketu Bus stop for union activities, warning that anyone caught would be sanctioned.
According to him, with the provision of the lay-bys, commercial vehicles have no cause to create gridlocks.
"Today, a new dawn manifests as motorists and residents in Alapere axis will experience a new lease of life with improved traffic management that will ease transportation of goods and persons.
"This will also translate into a value chain of productivity, health benefits and prosperity for all.
"The Alapere-Ketu Lay-By is characterised by the construction of two-lane access road from Iyana-Oworonsoki inwards Alapere-Ketu that will relieve traffic flow towards Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Ojodu Berger Axis, " he said.
Ambode implored residents to support the government by protecting the infrastructure provided to enhance mobility and commercial development in the state.
Also speaking, Mr Olanrewaju Elegushi, Special Adviser to Gov. Ambode on Transportation, said that the was committed to strengthening the transport sector because of its importance to the economy.
Elegushi described the lay-bys as parts of the measures put in place by the administration to unlock the traffic gridlock on Third Mainland Bridge and other parts of Lagos.
In his remarks, Mr Biodun Otunola, Managing Director of the construction firm, Planet Projects Ltd, said the project was completed in less than four months as against the stipulated seven months.
Otunola said that modern roads were no longer designed for cars alone but to also take care of pedestrians, commercial buses, people living with disabilities and beatification.
He appreciated the state government for employing Nigerian construction company to handle the project and urged other state governments to do same.
It was reported that the Alapere Lay-By project, which commenced in June, was designed to improve the transportation system and ease traffic congestion in the state.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee, whose provocative and often brutal look at American life in works such as "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf'' died on Friday at the age of 88.
Edward Albee
Albee whose work earned him a reputation as one of the greatest American dramatists, died at his summer home in Montauk, New York.
He suffered a short illness to which he apparently succumbed, Albee's Assistant, Jakob Holder, told Reuters.
Holder said the playwright was not alone at the time of his death, but declined to give any further details.
Albee once told the Paris Review that he decided at age 6 that he was a writer, but chose to work in the format of plays after concluding he was not a very good poet or novelist.
His works would eventually rank him alongside Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Eugene O'Neill in American drama.
Albee described a playwright as "someone who lets his guts hang out on the stage," and the innards of his own works included a powerful anger as he pushed themes such as alienation, resentment and the dark underside of life in the 1950s.
In the preface to his play "American Dream," Albee described his approach as "an examination of the American Scene''.
"A condemnation of complacency, cruelty, emasculation, and vacuity, a stand against the fiction that everything in this slipping land of ours is peachy-keen."
The harsh humour and ferocity that prevailed in his more than 25 works long divided critics and audiences, earning Albee as much condemnation as praise.
He always returned the volley of attacks, calling his critics fools and his Broadway audiences "placid cows."
"Art should expand the boundaries of the form and, simultaneously, it should change our perceptions," he told his biographer. "I despise restful art."
Albee made his name, and shocked audiences, when his scathing drama "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" opened on Broadway in 1962.
Actors Arthur Hill and Uta Hagen starred as a married couple, George and Martha, who invite two friends over for an evening that deteriorates amid vitriol, drunkenness, profanity, emasculation, cruel mind games and physical abuse.
Albee said he took the name for his best-known work from a bit of graffiti scrawled in soap on the mirror of one of his favourite Greenwich Village bars.
The original production ran for 644 performances on Broadway. It went on to win a Tony Award for best play.
It spawned two successful Broadway revivals and was made into a popular movie in 1966 that featured Oscar-winning performances by Elizabeth Taylor, who starred opposite Richard Burton, and Sandy Dennis.
Although the stage version was selected by a Pulitzer Prize jury for the 1963 drama award, the Pulitzer advisory board overruled the jurors because of the play's controversial nature.
No drama prize was given that year, but Albee went on to win three Pulitzers in 1967 for "A Delicate Balance," in 1975 for "Seascape," and in 1991 for "Three Tall Women."
Albee also won a 2002 Tony for "The Goat or Who Is Sylvia," the story of an architect who falls in love with a goat, which marked Albee's return to Broadway after almost 20 years. In 2005 he received a lifetime achievement Tony.
Albee was adopted shortly after birth by a wealthy New York family that sent him to elite schools, two of which expelled him, but he had no desire for social status.
His rejection of the family values and preference for an artistic lifestyle led to the clashes with his strong-willed mother that he chronicled in "Three Tall Women," his most autobiographical work.
Albee moved to New York's Bohemian heart, Greenwich Village at the age of 20 and worked a variety of jobs, including telegram messenger.
He tried poetry and fiction before his first play, "The Zoo Story," a one-act work about loneliness and class separation, was staged in 1959.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Saturday flagged off a week long commissioning of 114 roads newly constructed in all the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the State, with a pledge to commence the construction of second round of another 114 roads across the State soon.
The construction of the inner roads, which is an initiative of the Ambode administration and in fulfillment of his campaign promise, was geared towards massive intervention on access and link roads, boost security and increase the socio-economic well-being of residents of the State.
The newly constructed 114 roads which were designed with walkways, medians, street lights and standard drainage systems, were selected two per each of the 57 LGs and LCDAs in the State.
Speaking at the formal flag off of the commissioning ceremony in Ikorodu North LCDA, Governor Ambode said the remarkable feat was not only an eloquent confirmation of a promise kept, but a testimony of the popular saying that nothing can stop a people who have resolved to move forward.
The Governor, who was represented by his deputy, Dr, Mrs Idiat Oluranti Adebule, recalled the contract of hope which he signed with the people during the electioneering and his inaugural speech, adding that the completion of the 114 roads was a glorious dawn of community development accelerated through inclusive governance and a historic leap of faith for his administration and the citizens.
“This means that the road network in our State of Excellence has increased by 56.1 Kilometers. It means that we have added 112 Kilometres of walkways and covered drains. And it means additional 56.1 kilometres of our roads are being lit by independent powered street lights to improve the security of our neighborhoods, the visibility of pedestrians, commuters and motorists as well as creation of a night economy.
“At a time the national economy is facing financial challenges, our administration is able to inject over N19 billion into the economy of our State, stimulating employment and engaging the business sector.
“No fewer than 89 local companies executed the road project with thorough supervision by the communities and government. About 5,700 direct jobs were created for professionals, artisans and laborers in the construction industry. A larger number of people, approximately 10,000 suppliers and dependants felt the positive impact of this stimulus package in their lives,” Governor Ambode said.
Giving an insight as to how the roads were selected, the Governor said in line with the principle of civic engagement of his administration, Community Development Associations (CDAs) were encouraged to suggest the roads requiring construction according to their needs, adding that the CDAs were also motivated to participate in the monitoring of the projects with the view to taking ownership on completion.
He said Jimoh Street in Ikorodu North LCDA which was the first to be commissioned, was one of the community driven projects, adding that the road was picked as the first to be commissioned in appreciation of the diligence of the contractor, DC Engineering for being the first to complete the project within the stipulated six months. He said the road, no doubt, would go a long way in improving the State and make it a preferred investment destination worldwide.
Besides, Governor Ambode said the 114 roads would be an annual rite to make Lagos a true megacity, adding that the process for the second round of the 114 road projects had already begun, and urged the residents to be part of it and guard the infrastructures being provided by government jealousy.
In a similar development, Governor Ambode also commissioned the Ketu-Alapere Lay-by and 700m concretized Slip Road, saying that it was another mission statement of his administration's commitment to making life better for residents and investors in the State.
Speaking through his Deputy, the Governor said that the new look of Alapere-Ketu Lay-By, was characterized by the construction of a two-lane access road from Iyana Oworo inwards Alapere-Ketu that would relieve traffic flow towards Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Ojodu-Berger axis.
He said that provision was also made for pedestrian safety with the integration of a two-metre wide walkway and drainage on one side of the lay-by access inwards Alapere-Ketu, to ensure that vehicular movement is not impeded by pedestrians.
Governor Ambode urged transport unions to educate their members on observation of State Traffic Laws and road etiquette for the safety of all, saying that the provision of the lay-by will considerably reduce travel time for all motorists therefore, commercial vehicles have no cause to create gridlocks in order to get to their destinations.
Apart from being concretized, the Slip Road also comes with horticulture, artworks, walkways, covered drains and street lights, and is designed to last for at least 25 years.
Dubai – Apple's long-expected new smartphones iPhone 7 and 7 Plus hit the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) market on Saturday, causing a sensation among customers.
In Dubai, the new devices were sold out shortly after the sale began.
An Apple salesperson told newsmen that Apple sold "100 percent of our stock'' within minutes at its official stores in the UAE.
However he did not reveal the exact sales number on the release day in the country.
Hüseyin Celik, an entrepreneur from Turkey, said his family started queuing from four o'clock in the morning and bought five devices.
However, his son Omar was a bit disappointed because he did not get the iPhone 7 Plus, "which is quicker when using the App Store.''
Mohammed, an Emirati businessman, also expressed his frustration at failing to buy a new iPhone.
"I pre-ordered seven devices, but just because I came after 8 am, I have to wait until tomorrow,'' he said.
Security officials said that some customers started queuing as early as 10 pm on Friday while many of them even slept in front of the Apple stores.
According to the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in Abu Dhabi, residents own an average of more than two mobile phones.
Traders occupying a four-storey building at Idumota Market, Lagos Island, are calling on Lagos state government to save their soul, claiming forcible eviction from their offices by a developer, Messres Bashiar Estate Limited. The victims, who alleged that the developer served them quit notice on August 29, claimed that they got to the market on September 8 to find their company barricaded with zinc and charms placed at the entrance. They also alleged that the developer of the structure situated at 61, Desomu/20 Obun-Eko Streets, asked those willing to retain their shops after renovation to pay N44 million rent for five years per flat, far above N7 million they usually paid.
Among those affected were a shoe polish firm, Afrecom Nigeria Limited, which claimed its business has been grounded since September 8 following the barricade on the plaza. According to the accountant, Godwin Eseneyen, "our rent is yet to expire and we have been paying to the owners of the flat before the developer asked us to vacate a place we have spent 14 years doing our business, even at a time our rent has not expired. By the virtue of subsisting rent, we are still the legal tenant of the place.
"We were shocked when the developer said the owners of the plaza had given them mandate to commence renovation and reconstruction on the building. Our lawyer wrote to the developer stating we didn't know them and that our rent will expire by October, 2016. We also told them that the quit notice was too short considering the difficulty of getting a new place in Idumota.
"We quickly went to the owners who we usually pay but they told us to hold on that action was being taken. But on September 8, we came to resume our normal business only to see that the building has been barricaded. Looking at the economic recession in the country, we have been out of business. We can't take care of our families because our offices have been under lock and key. We are losing our customers; we can't attend to them when they call.
"Having spent 14 years in this building, can't we be given proper quit notice, at least six months for us to gather ourselves and get a place? We want government to intervene in this act of wickedness meted on us. We don't have any issue quitting the building, but let it be done in a proper manner. "The agreement reached last Thursday between the owners and other occupants of the plaza didn't include us but we were asked to come to police station next week Wednesday."
Another tenant who was seen packing his wares out of the plaza Charles Akubueze, said he pleaded with the developer for some days to remove his goods, stating that the place was sealed a day after he was notified to vacate but the developers gave him few days to remove his wares.
When Vanguard visited the place, some of the displaced shop owners displayed their wares on the road. A man who refused to mention his name said they were asked to pick the form for non- refundable N100,000 each, adding that it was not a guarantee that the person will get a shop after renovating the plaza. When the developers were contacted, they denied the allegations, insisting that the shop owners were given six months grace to move out. One of the developers who identified himself as Agboola Kamorudeen told Vanguard on phone that the allegation of hike in rent was also untrue.
He said: "The traders have been given the notice in the past six months and money was not collected from them. They were informed in writing that the shops will undergo renovation and that they should not pay to anybody, which some of them have acknowledged. The family told us to tell them the renovation is for their good since it will be done before they commence December season. They came to our office for a meeting and they were the ones who told us to commence last Thursday. Nobody complained about these issues you are telling me.
TROUBLED by the unwholesome activities of herdsmen on its Eastern flank, destabilised by the actions of militant groups in the South and disappointed at the perceived failure of its leaders, the southern part of Nigeria seems to be in distress. Of the 11 states in the region that is split into South East and South South geopolitical zones, only a few appears to be succeeding while others are struggling to attain key parameters of governance.
With the situation creating the feeling of despair among the indigenes of the two geopolitical zones, a group of professionals who originated from the region, have taken it upon themselves to ensure that these myriad of challenges are fixed. To this end, the group which is known as the South East/South South Professionals, SSP, paid a courtesy visit to the corporate headquarters of Vanguard Newspapers, where the points of provocation in the area were ventilated with a view to ensuring meaningful growth.
Led by its President, Mr. Emeka Ugwu-Oju and Mr. Albert Iyorah, Mr. Dagogo Karibi-Whyte and Mr. Charles Iyore, the team principally spoke on the issues of security, economy and governance as they presently stand in the zone.
On militancy/state of the nation
''Nigeria is very unstable and it has been confirmed that we are in a state of recession. Politically and economically we are not in a situation where we should be. For SSP we have where we think our people should be. That was the reason we came up with our development agenda which is a 20-year plan. Of course, we know we can realise that agenda if the country is not working. And that is an issue for us. It becomes more critical for us now that we have the Niger Delta crisis. The crisis affects the both regions and also the rest of the country. The South East/South South feels the pain so much.
'' We are interested in seeing the Niger Delta crisis resolved so that we can focus on our development agenda. But the way we see things, the crisis might not be resolved if someone thinks it will come through threat or force. The mistake people make is to think that the current militancy is about people carrying guns. It has shown a determination by those behind it to ensure that oil production gets to zero level. And this is not what requires force. We want to alert the nation that it will be self-destructive if violence is pursued having reached a consensus for dialogue.
''We will give kudos to the current Minister of State for Petroleum Resources who is ensuring that the crisis is resolved through dialogue. As SSP we are saying that nothing can be achieved by force and if that is done it will take us so many years back. And before we will get to where we are now it will be difficult. Therefore, the opportunity for dialogue should not be thrown away. We are also involved in the issue of dialogue because at the first meeting we had in Abuja with the NSA, Edo State governor, Minister of State for Agriculture, Minister of the Niger Delta, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Special Adviser on Amnesty Programme, the SSP was there. And we created a template for dialogue.
'' We also agreed that all the stakeholders come together and commence dialogue but unfortunately there has been a way of ensuring that dialogue did not take place. It is important to state that we are not partisan but we deal with issues that affect the region and the country. The government should perish the thought of using force because it will be a loss-loss situation. The government should handle the issue of equity and justice to be able to deal with the criminals in the region. But the absence of equity and justice provides an umbrella for criminality.
On mismanagement.'' Nigeria has to be restructured
''The reality is that the country has to be restructured. It is when you restructure that we will begin to see prudent management of resources. The South East/ South South that we are going to have may not be realised without restructuring. We will have more transparent and accountable governments if the country is not restructured. We have also decided to set up a fund for the South East/South South regions. If we don't have a fund, we may not have our economic development plan realised. All our people can invest in the South East/South South fund that our people can benefit from. When we are able to raise $1 billion dollars, we can get $20 billion through counterpart funding. The essence of the fund is that we don't have to wait for the governors. With the fund, we can construct roads and embark on other developmental projects. The fund will, however, be a catalyst for the development of the region.''
On Fulani herdsmen, security
''For us, the main thing is where do we think the people of South East South will be in the next 2O years because the problem we normally have is that we only think of today and not tomorrow. But we are saying that we want to know where we will be in the next 20 years. Based on knowing where you want to be, you can start looking at what you have done in the past that you are not doing well. The issues raised are more of how things are at the moment. In Enugu state there is the issue of Fulani herdsmen, in Imo state there is the issue of having four or more working days, in Abia State, we know that the issue of insecurity in Aba area is tensed, Ebonyi has its issues and Anambra seems to be getting it right especially in the area of security. Anambra is the most secured state in the South East and South South using any parameter available. There is a lot of insecurity in most of the states in the South South. Even Cross River that used to be peaceful is having some level of militancy and kidnapping. That is the way it is at the moment.
'' For us as professionals and advocacy group, we want to leverage on things that we can leverage on to make a difference . We had our second Southeast/South Development Forum in April in Pourthacourt and the main purpose was to look at our development agenda and what needs to be done to start doing things immediately. One of the key things we touched upon as a critical enabler was the issue of security and that was when the Niger Avengers had not commenced their activities.
''Insecurity is something that we are very much aware of and we need to do what we need to do. We are to push the government in that regard. We have talked to Rear Admiral Okojie and we will go Rivers State to see the governor. There was even a recent incident where a young lawyer was killed. We were touched. Even though we had taken a decision before the incident, we will meet other stakeholders in Port Harcourt to say that enough is enough. We have to ensure that there is security in the both regions if not we can't have that development that we are looking for.''
On state governors
''At the moment the governors have a lot to do because they are in charge of their states. A governor is virtually the overall manager in every state. When a governor is not doing well, the state is not doing well and when the governor is doing well, the state tends to do better. We will pride ourselves that we are a group that can always confront the governors and tell them where they are doing wrong and right because most of us are independent unlike what happens in the states where people depend on the governors for their livelihood. We have that luxury of trying to engage them. We were at Asaba recently for the Delta State Economic Summit and we used the opportunity to engage many of the commissioners. From what we could see, we hope that going forward, Delta will be different from what it was in the past because people who visit Delta often say there is nothing much to show for all the money they got in the past. But from what from what they have on the ground we were impressed. We will be available to make that plan work. We understand the situation and we are engaging. But we don't have the powers to tell anyone to go away.
On governors not paying salaries
''The fact is that most states in the region are grinding to a halt. It is not only in the region but about 33 states in Nigeria can no longer pay salaries. Even when they pay salaries for the mainstream workers, the local government workers and pensioners are not paid. Even contractors are not being paid. So it is not just a challenge that affects both regions. A situation where you spend 90 percent of your money on 15 percent of your population, things don't work. The challenges in the country are not just about South East/ South South, it is a general thing. The main battle in the country now is to set the economy on the right path. A situation where the exchange rate is volatile is not tenable. That is why we are concerned about how to set agenda for the economy. It is not about governments in the region coming to a halt, even the federal government is coming to a halt because it can not pay its bills.
Black market economy
''The reason why the country's economy has not totally collapsed is because of the efficiency of the black market economy. The formal sector is disorganized now while the informal sector is currently sustaining the economy. Something must be done to save the formal sector. It can become so bad if not addressed. We agree that some of the governors in both regions have not done better though Obiano has performed better, but what really can he do when the tide is against him because we are bound by a common currency? The reason why the Naira is losing value on a daily basis is because we don't use what we have to achieve what we want. So, that must be addressed for the entire nation. The Anambra model is worth replicating because things work there now. In fact, all the kidnappers and other criminals who were in the state have relocated to neighbouring states because the governor made the state hot for them.
States should replicate Anambra model
''Now, Anambra is a model of security in the South East and we are saying that it was not done through rocket science. We are now saying that all the 11 states in the region should strive to get to the level of Anambra and study what they are doing right. In Rivers State where the number of small arms is alarming, the state should do more than what Anambra is doing. We are saying that all the states in both regions should replicate the Anambra model and where there are challenges, we will assist in making things work. It was because of the insecurity that we have decided to go to Port Harcourt and Enugu.
On restructuring
''A young man over four decades ago decided to create 12 states and suddenly small regional towns became state capitals with development. In a situation where you have only one town in the country that has economic value, there would be problems that need to be addressed. Immediately they created Abuja, Kaduna died, Kano died, Sokoto is not in existence and Jos is no more. That says much about our system. A system that can allow anyone to steal to N530 million every month, who is to blame? Is it the person or the system? Some of these challenges are common to both regions, but it is a national challenge. An agenda must be set to better the system. So many fundamental things are wrong in the country and those issues that are germane to us are no longer prioritised and that is the reason these things happening. Let us not deceive ourselves, once there is inequality in the system, people will agitate and that is what is happening now. So, the system must be restructured to bring about equality and meaningful growth.''
The streets may be paved with gold in heaven but in New York, it’s a gold toilet providing creature comfort – and an eyeful for visitors to the city’s Guggenheim museum.
The working toilet, cast in brightly gleaming gold, has been installed in a fourth-floor bathroom for the private use of the public, taking the notion of an intimate setting for art to a new level.
The installation, “America,” is the first piece that Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan has exhibited since his 2011 retrospective at the Guggenheim.
Starting Friday, it can be used as if an ordinary unisex toilet by the museum’s visitors, Katherine Brinson, curator of contemporary art at the museum, told AFP.A fully functioning solid gold toilet, made by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, is going into public use at the Guggenheim Museum in New York on September 15, 2016. A guard will be stationed outside the bathroom to protect the work, entitled ‘America’, which recalls Marcel Duchamp’s famous work, ‘Fountain’. / AFP
Visitors “will have a remarkably intimate and unusual encounter with this particular artwork,” she said.
A guard will be posted outside the bathroom door, said the museum, which has refused to put a dollar value on the piece.
Brinson said the work had “many layers, many possible interpretative lenses that one can bring to it.”
“One can see the title as a critique but also as idealistic. After all this is a work about creating access and opportunity for all for a very wide public, even though it is this lavish luxury item.”
Donald Trump’s hair — a crusty, complex, yellowish affair that has become one of the enigmas of a very weird US presidential race — got messed with big time on Thursday.
The usually brash presidential candidate talked in subdued tones and played the good sport as he appeared on one of America’s most popular late-night broadcasts, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Fallon did his very popular impression of Trump’s speaking style, ribbed him right and left and concluded his interview with a request.
“Can I mess up your hair?” Fallon said.
The comic explained that this might be the last time he could ask to do something unpresidential with Trump, lest he win election in November against Hillary Clinton.
The crowd went nuts over the idea.
Trump grinned and agreed.
Fallon reached out with his right hand and mussed Trump’s hair with a vigorous, repeated rub. The Republican nominee endured it with a broad smile.
Trump, 70, has an elaborate hair-do centered on what seems to be an ambitious comb-over.
Nothing fell off with Fallon’s intervention but the result was not very pretty as Trump’s long locks ended up pointing messily every which way.
On other matters, Fallon christened what he called Trump’s “bromance” with Vladimir Putin as “Vlump”, and asked him about his penchant for eating fast food.
“At least you know what you’re getting,” Trump said. He added that if he went to an unknown place, “If they don’t like me … I don’t know. I’m better off with fast food.”
Fallon also thanked Trump for providing what he described as grist for so much comic material.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all on target as Barcelona got back to winning ways in La Liga with a 5-1 thrashing at newly promoted Leganes on Saturday.
Barca suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat to Alaves last weekend, but despite a bright start from the hosts there was to be no repeat of that upset once Suarez teed up Messi to open the scoring after 15 minutes.
Suarez and Neymar tapped home to give Barca a healthy half-time lead before a Messi penalty and wonder strike from Rafinha made it 5-0.
Gabriel Appelt Pires’s fine free-kick pulled a goal back for Leganes 10 minutes from time.
Barca move level with Real Madrid at the top of the table, but Madrid play their game in hand away to Espanyol without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale on Sunday.Suarez, Messi and Neymar
Messi, Suarez and Neymar were starting together for only the second time this season and, just as in a 7-0 thrashing of Celtic on Tuesday, showed no mercy as Leganes’s high defensive line was torn apart in the first-half.
The hosts were given a warning when Diego Rico blocked Messi’s goalbound effort from Barca’s first counter-attack.
However, Leganes were punished moments later when Suarez showed great strength to burst down the right and his low cross was easily turned home by Messi.
The roles were reversed for Barca’s second when Messi was gifted possession inside the Leganes half and waltzed past two defenders before teeing up Suarez for a tap-in.
Leganes did pose a threat going forward as Venezuelan winger Darwin Marchis caused Javier Mascherano, playing in an unfamiliar role on the right of Barca’s defence, no end of problems.
Marchis was desperately unlucky not to halve Barca’s advantage when he was denied by a goal-line block from Samuel Umtiti having beaten Mascherano and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Suarez bagged his second assist of the half just before the break when he was released clear on goal and selflessly squared for Neymar this time to roll into an empty net.
All of Barca’s front three were involved for the fourth 10 minutes after the break as Neymar latched onto Suarez’s ball over the top and was dragged down by Unai Bustinza.
Messi showed no signs of the penalty yips he suffered last season and at the Copa America in June as he fired into the top corner for his eighth goal in as many games this season.
However, the two best goals of the afternoon were still to come as Rafinha cut inside onto his weaker left foot to unleash a rocket into the top corner for Barca’s fifth.
Leganes got the reward their display merited 10 minutes from time when Gabriel curled a sensational free-kick past the helpless ter Stegen.
Abuja – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the passing out of two batches of members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will not affect the conduct of governorship election.
Mr Nick Dazang, INEC's Deputy Director in charge of Publicity and Voter Education disclosed this in an interview on Saturday in Abuja.
Dazang said the anxiety that the passing out of NYSC members would affect the election rescheduled for Sept. 28 was out of place.
He said that the rescheduled election would be concluded before the passing out ceremony.
"Information available to INEC shows that the various batches of the NYSC will graduate from the scheme in the first week of October and November.
"Their graduation thus does not coincide with the Edo governorship election re-scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 28 neither does it affect the conduct of the said election.
"Stakeholders are please urged to discountenance the rumours,'' Dazang said, adding that the commission had the requisite number of trained staff and ad-hoc staff to conduct the election.
He urged stakeholders, especially politicians to give necessary support to the commission for the success of the election.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has expressed pleasure over the latest WAEC results placing the state on top of other states in performance.
It attributed the feat to sound education policy by former Governor Kayode Fayemi, which provided incentives for good learning environment and provision of educational items that enhanced learning among the students.
It said the explanation became imperative, as Fayose was wont to claiming unmerited credits for Fayemi’s achievements, citing 2014 budget by Fayemi that was adjudged the most effective and transparent in Nigeria by an organisation, but which Fayose celebrated as his achievement.
The National Examination Council NECO on Friday released the results of the Senior School Certificate Examination it conducted in and outside the country between June and July this year, with Ekiti State having the best performance with 96.48 percent followed by Edo State came second with 96.31 percent.
Reacting to the state’s performance, APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement that the feat was attributable to education policy instituted by Fayemi that put life into educational administration and management in the state.
He explained that Fayemi called an education submit to develop a roadmap for quality education, which the former governor implemented to the letter, saying the foundation laid by the administration created environment for learning as never before, resulting in the latest incredible performance by the students.
He also noted that the current success did not happen overnight but the result of long planning by Fayemi between 2011 and 2014.
Listing the incentives instituted by the former governor that had brought about the latest performance, Olatunbosun explained:
“Fayemi gave a laptop per child that exposed them to study online and eradicated miracle centres while providing incentive to teachers, including renovation of schools to enhance good learning environment, and also approved special allowances for core subjects and rural postings for teachers.
“Fayemi’s giant strides in education made Ekiti one of the three states in the federation that benefitted from the World Bank’s $50m State Education Programme Investment Project (SEPIP).
“He renovated 183 secondary schools and 836 primary schools and provided other incentives, including establishment of remedial colleges to cater for out-of-school students in the 16 local governments, which made the state to record 52% credit pass in English and Maths in 2013 while the state also won many firsts in various quiz competitions in the same year, topping it with a student from Ikere High School who won the best male student in WAEC.”
Olatunbosun regretted that while Fayemi introduced and sustained compulsory free education at primary and secondary education levels, Fayose had cancelled the policy, making pupils to pay taxes per term while teachers remained unpaid for seven months. This also led to teachers’ strike that kept the students out of school for months, this could not have resulted in this successful outing.
“Fayemi administration of four years when the successful students were in Junior secondary school, impacted well on them such that they had a solid educational background which translated into the latest success.
“Between 2011 and 2014, Fayemi was consistently rewarding best hardworking teacher with a brand new car and paid WAEC fees of students ranging from N86m to N140m, which Fayose has also stopped .
“Fayemi’s administration was continuously organising training programmes for the teachers, while 400 motorcycles were distributed to teachers serving in rural areas, even as he distributed 20,000 sets of lockers and chairs to public schools across the state.
“He delivered books worth N6m to the State Library Board to encourage reading culture among teachers and students and promoted no fewer than 4,000 primary school teachers between 2010 and 2014, including Head Teachers and Deputy Head Teachers, some of whom were demoted by Fayose upon assumption of office.”
The APC spokesman added that teachers benefited from the relativity pay for all categories of workers in the public service and also benefited from the 27.5% Teachers Pecuniary Allowance, while Ekiti was the first in the South West to implement the relativity pay, bringing the minimum wage from N7,500 to N19,300 without owing teachers salaries.
Noting that Fayemi also organised continuous capacity building programmes for teachers and established intensive state-wide coaching programme for SSCE/NECO and JAMB candidates?, he regretted that all the schemes had been cancelled by Fayose who was also owing teachers six months salary arrears.
Morocco football club Wydad Casablanca have sacked Welsh manager John Toshack after losing to Egypt’s Zamalek 4-0 in the first leg of the African Champions League semi-final.
Wydad Casablanca took the decision after Friday’s disastrous game in Alexandria, Egypt, saying the former Real Madrid and Wales manager’s contract had been “terminated with immediate effect”.
“We offered John Toshack’s staff all the necessary financial, technical and logistical conditions in order to achieve a good result,” the club said in a statement.
It said that Friday’s failure showed “a real management problem .. and for that reason Wydad Casablanca decided to terminate the contract of John Toshack.”
Wydad Casablanca also sacked goalkeeping coach Younes Koutaya and trainer Driss Ouajou.
Toshack, 67, a former Liverpool striker, took charge in January 2014 and delivered two top-notch finishes, ensuring a Champions League presence the following year.
But despite an impressive start in Group A, the team struggled and were defeated by five-times African champions Zamalek at Alexandria’s 85,000-seat Borg El Arab Stadium.
Wydad are a traditional Moroccan football giant alongside city-rivals Raja Casablanca.
Real Madrid will have to cope without Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in the quest for a club-record 16th straight La Liga win after coach Zinedine Zidane said both will miss Sunday’s trip to Espanyol.
Bale was forced off early by a hip knock as Real came from behind in dramatic fashion to beat Sporting Lisbon 2-1 on Wednesday in the Champions League. Ronaldo started Real’s fightback against his old club, but misses out this weekend due to illness.
“Cristiano won’t travel. He has a problem with his throat and is not ready to play,” Zidane said on Saturday.
“We are not going to risk anything and much less so with Ronaldo.”Bale and Ronaldo
Zidane also stressed Madrid’s busy schedule with five games in the next two weeks was also behind his decision to leave out Bale.
“He suffered a heavy blow (on Wednesday) so we won’t risk anything. All the players want to play, but we have a lot of games,” added Zidane.
“If Gareth gets another knock on the same area he could be out for 10 days or more. I prefer that he is 100 percent for Wednesday (against Villarreal).”
Zidane hinted that James Rodriguez may finally get his chance to start for the first time this season in the absence of Ronaldo and Bale after impressing as a substitute against Sporting.
Kaduna – The Chief Imam of Bida Road Central Mosque, Kaduna, Malam Muhammad Nafi'u, on Saturday urged Nigerians to support the measures taken by the Federal Government to steer Nigeria out of the current economic recession.
Nafi'u, who made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna, said Nigerians, irrespective of political parties must help to end the situation, as it had affected every citizen.
According to him, those still engaged in blame game should shift ground and face the reality.
"Each and everyone of us must contribute to see to the nation's economic stability.
"The federal government has shown commitment in addressing the recession, so why not support it, so that all Nigerians will benefit.
"Nobody should claim monopoly of knowledge, as such we must contribute our quota to end the recession and set Nigeria on the path of development."
Nafi'u expressed the hope that the measures being adopted by the government would bear fruits soon.
He also urged Nigerians to pray for God's intervention in ending the problem.
"Lets us submit all our problems to Allah, to see us through, and we should always pray for our leaders not condemn them."
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has urged midfielder Paul Pogba to forget his world-record price tag and concentrate on producing the goods for the team.
United broke the world transfer record to bring Pogba, 23, back to the club from Juventus last month in a deal worth an initial 89 million pounds ($115.7 million, 103.7 million euros).
Pogba produced disappointing performances in United’s losses to Manchester City and Feyenoord, but Mourinho pointed to the France midfielder’s busy close season as a mitigating factor.
“The world-record player is always a question that will be open until somebody breaks the record,” Mourinho said, in comments published by British newspapers on Saturday.
“I think there are clubs that paid 20, 30, 40 (million pounds), which is a bigger deal than what Man United paid for Paul because you make a relation between what you pay and the club revenue.
“You realise that other clubs paying 20, 30, 40 is a much bigger thing than what Man United did and I just want Paul to forget that and to play his football.
“Euro final, no pre-season, holidays, come back — it’s normal that in the first week he had the very good impact in the first game (in United’s 2-0 win over Southampton).
“It’s normal that after the first game he has a little decrease, but I am full of trust with him because I know the player he is.
“I know that he is a very good guy with a lot of ambition, so the form will come naturally and will come with the team. The team improves, Paul improves. No problem.”Pogba
United visit Watford in the Premier League on Sunday, when they will be seeking to bounce back from their back-to-back defeats by City, in the league, and Feyenoord, in the Europa League.
The President of National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), Dr. Ademola Olaitan, has identified poor funding and frequent strike as the bane of the country's teaching hospitals.
Olaitan made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Saturday.
He explained that strikes were some of the major challenges negating the goals of postgraduate medical and dental education in Nigeria.
Olaitan expressed regrets that the college, which trains specialists doctors for the country, retains needed manpower and prevents human capital flight, had not been given its rightful place in the affairs of the nation.
He said until the Federal Government reconsiders its investment in postgraduate medical education, full attainment of the college's mandates and achieving high quality of patients care might continue to be threatened.
Highlighting the importance of the NPCMN in the country, Olaitain said this year alone, the college had saved government millions of dollars if the new fellows were trained outside Nigeria.
"Having certified a total number of 5,387 Fellows, the billions of dollars saved can only be imagined if this is put in monetary values," he said.
Olaitan noted that 340 Fellows will be convoking in this year's edition.
At about 1 pm, the day suddenly turned dark. The people of Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State wept. It was on a Tuesday and the day was 6th September when news filtered in that one of the first Urhobo billionaires and business titan, Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru, OFR had passed on at the age of 85, less than four months to his 86th birthday at Maryland, United States of America, USA.
Born by the late Chief Epete Ibru of Agbarha-Otor, a missionary worker and late Chief Mrs Omotogor Ibru, a trader of the Osadjere family of Ovwor-Olomu, Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru began life at a very tender age after finishing from the famous Igbobi college in 1951 being the first child of the family.
Olorogun Michael Ibru
Driven by the passion to make his family prominent, the late Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru took all his siblings, Felix (late), Alex (late), Goodie, Grace and Bernard (late) along in his business after ensuring that they were all well educated.
Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru who picked up job with the United African Company, UAC in Lagos as a Manager training, ventured into his private business few years later.
He founded a company, Laibru, in partnership with his boss in the office, an expatriate, Jimmy Large and by 1956 he founded the famous Ibru Organization.
As Chairman of the Ibru organization, one of the largest conglomerates in Nigeria and the West Africa sub region, Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru was a major stakeholder and influential figure or factor in the Nigerian economy in the 60s, 70s, 80s and the early 90s.
After engaging in general trading with some success, in 1957, Michael Ibru discovered that the frozen fish market was a fertile market with the potential to deliver returns above the market rate.
However, it was a tough market to penetrate, at the time, many expatriate firms and Nigerian traders were not interested in the market.
But he felt he could put extra effort communicating with general traders, who played key roles in the eventual acceptability of the product. To trade in seafood, he established an importing company. He also rented and built cold storage facilities across the country.
By the mid 1960s trading fish had become the traditional money maker for the Ibru organization. Though he had other profitable interests in other areas such as transportation and construction, fish trading helped him secure financing and other forms of capital to engage in large scale trading.
He established a partnership with a Taiwanese company, Osadjere Fishing Company, which provided Trawlers and other accessories for trading.
By the end of the 1960s he branched out fully into other areas of the economy. Like a lot of his contemporaries, he established a transportation company, called Rutam.
He also invested in palm oil production.
Over the years, the Ibru Organization expanded into other areas such as Tourism, Timber and Poultry.
He was known as an entrepreneurial figure who created one of the largest modern Nigerian owned groups with other figures who were his contemporaries.
Because of his love for education and his people, Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru founded the Ibru College, Agbarha-otor in 1969, which has today produced many graduates in all fields of human endeavour. Few years ago, he also established the Michael and Cecilia Ibru University in Agbarha-Otor.
He also built a private airstrip in Agbarha-Otor in the early 80s, Skol brewery in Agbarha-Otor and Pepsi cola which created employment for so many Nigerians in the 70s.
Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru had five wives and 17 children including Olorogun Oskar Ibru, who heads Ibafon Ports and Vice Chairman of the Ibru organization, Peter Ibru, Emma Ibru and Oboden Ibru, who was a key player in the defunct Oceanic bank International PLC.
The late Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru also tried his hands in politics in 1983. He was a gubernatorial candidate in the defunct Bendel State but lost to Gen Samuel Ogbemudia rtd.
He was also a member of the Liberal Convention and the New Movement, which metamorphosed to become National Republican Convention, NRC during the two political party system under then Military President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.
He made his marks in almost all aspects of life hence many people described him as man with many parts who made wave in the world as there is hardly any country in the world where the late Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru does not have his presence.
