Despite being listed among the 50 high-profile Nigerians barred by the Federal Government from travelling out of the country, a former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has gone to Germany for surgery.Kalu’s media aide, Kunle Oyewunmi, who disclosed this, said his principal left the country on Monday aboard a Lufthansa aircraft.Kalu, who is now a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, according to Oyewunmi, left for Wiesbaden, Germany, alongside his wife, Ifunanya.The former governor was said to have gone for “a major surgery” to address “an undisclosed and life-threatening ailment.”Kalu, alongside his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, and a former Director of Accounts and Finance at the Abia State Government House, Ude Udeogu, are facing N7.65bn fraud charges before the Federal High Court in Lagos.The 11-year-old case was in September adjourned sine die (indefinitely) by Justice Mohammed Idris, who had been elevated to the Court of Appeal.The fate of the case remains unclear.In a statement made available to Punch correspondent on Friday, Oyewunmi said Kalu was rushed in an ambulance to Helios Klinik, Wiesbaden, Germany on Tuesday and was immediately wheeled into the surgical theatre.Oyewunmi quoted Kalu’s wife, Ifunanya, as saying that the surgery was successful, adding that the ex-governor had regained consciousness.According to the media aide, Ifunanya, in a quavering voice, over the telephone on Friday, “lamented her husband’s health status”.“Although the surgery was successful, my husband will still have to be monitored closely by a medical team for at least four months in order to prevent complications.“His condition is improving gradually.“He will be fine, if he is able to keep to his doctor’s advice.“We appreciate the prayers and kind words from friends, associates, well-wishers and Nigerians in general,” Oyewunmi quoted Ifunanya to have said.
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has issued an attestation and confirmation of result to President Muhammadu Buhari.WAEC Registrar, Iyi Uwadiae, presented the document to the President on Friday at the State House in Abuja, the nation’s capital.Reacting to the development, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, took to Twitter to fault those who have criticised his principal over his certificate saying;The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has issued an attestation and confirmation of result to President Muhammadu Buhari.WAEC Registrar, Iyi Uwadiae, presented the document to the President on Friday at the State House in Abuja, the nation’s capital.Reacting to the development, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, took to Twitter to fault those who have criticised his principal over his certificate saying;''WAEC presents attestation certificate and confirmation of school cert result to President Buhari. What will the naysayers say next?''President Buhari’s school result has been a subject of controversy lately after he submitted his nomination forms to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) without a copy of his certificate.
President Muhammadu Buhari again on Friday met behind closed doors with the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.The meeting was held inside the President’s office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.That was the second time the two leaders would be meeting in one week having met on Wednesday.
Arrested Criminal who snatch vehicles in Nigeria and drove them to the neighbouring Country, Benin Republic to sell have been caught by the Lagos state Police command.
Suspects John Godwin while confessing said the only reason why he was caught was because he forgot to read the bible, that if he had done so, he wouldn’t have been caught.He said:“I was once sent to Ibara Prison in Abeokuta for stealing something at a market in Abeokuta. It was in the prison that I came across Tosin. It was also Alhaji who sent my phone number to Solomon.“My plan was not to go back to crime when I came back from prison.I did not have money to take care of myself that was why I went back.But later I told myself robbery is not best option for me because my parents told me when I was born a pastor prophesied that I would become a pastor.Fortunately, when I was in the prison I used to preach and pray with my colleagues. It is the devil that drove me to crime. .“Whenever we are going on operation, I usually read Psalms 121.I believe reading the Psalms would give me protection throughout the operation period.On the fateful day I was arrested I forgot to read the Psalms before leaving home. I believe God wanted the police to arrest me so as to quit robbery.The Zonal Police Public Relations Officer (ZPPRO), CSP Dolapo Badmos while confirming the news gave the suspects names as:Solomon Adeniji (27), Tosin Adeoye (25) and two nationals of Republic of Benin, Adewale Adebolaji (45) and Moyori Sule (42).She Said that they will charged to court, on completion on investigation
Don Jazzy's dad has just graduated from Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland. Mr Collins Enebeli graduated with BA Hons in Film and Television production and his proud son has taken to his Instagram page to congratulate him.
He wrote; Everybody plssss help me congratulate my super dad @MAVINgrandpa as he just got his BA Hons Film and Television production. I am soooooo proud of you dad. 4 years of learning at this age is not beans. But you did it and did it well. You have set an example for me to follow. I might just go back to Uni too. 🤔🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
Saudi Arabia has come under fire once again after it executed an Indonesian female migrant worker without notifying her family or the Indonesian government.Seven years after being sentenced to death for killing her employer in an act she claimed was self-defence from sexual abuse, Tuti Tursilawati was executed on Monday in the city of Taif.President of Indonesia Joko Widodo criticised the decision today, saying the government has officially protested to Riyadh and demanded better protection for Indonesian workers in the country.Tursilawati was executed just a week after Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Adel Al-Jubeir, met with his Indonesian counterpart and President Widodo in Jakarta to discuss migrant workers’ rights.Tursilawati’s execution is believed to be the fourth time Saudi Arabia failed to give notice before carrying out a death penalty on an Indonesian migrant worker in the past three years. However, this execution comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the kingdom which is under immense global pressure to explain the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The case of Tursilawati dates back to 2010 when she was charged with killing her employer. She claimed she was acting in self-defence because she was being sexually abused.Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stressed the need to set up a mandatory consular notification before carrying out death penalties.
Defying the shortcomings of old age, a 96-year-old woman has cracked the literacy examination conducted by the Kerala government scoring 98 out of 100 marks.
Karthyayini Amma, who lives in Cheppad in Alappuzha district, was the oldest among 43,330 students who sat for the examination in August this year in a bid to be deemed ‘literate’. She is also the oldest ever to take and crack the literacy exam.
As per the results published on Wednesday, the nonagenarian scored 28 marks out of 30 in Mathematics, 30 out of 30 in reading test and 30 out of 30 in writing. The reading and writing tests were conducted in Malayalam.
The examination, as part of ‘Aksharalaksham’ mission of the state government, is conducted to ensure numerical cent per cent literacy in Kerala. The programme was kickstarted on Republic Day this year.
With 98% marks in the examination, Karthyayini will be declared ‘literate’ by the state government and is eligible to write the equivalent of the fourth-standard examination next year. On Thursday, as the oldest among the examinees, the 96-year-old will be the first to receive a merit certificate from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram. The 96-year-old has never attended school in her life and raised her family by working as a sweeper at temples and nearby households. These days, she lives in Cheppad with her daughter, grand-children and great grand-children.
Over the phone, in a grainy voice, Amma said, “I am very happy to know I passed. But I am also a bit sad that I lost two marks.”
“As long as I am healthy, I want to study more,” she added.
Except for a bit of forgetfulness, that developed in recent years, and the wavering of the hand, the 96-year-old is very healthy.
Her grand-daughter Sajitha said, ‘It was difficult for her to prepare for the exam because she had never held a pen in her life or tried to write anything. Her hand used to waver all the time. But she worked very hard.’
Sati Krishnan, the ‘prerak’ (teacher) who played the role of the instructor to prepare Karthyayini for the examination, said over the phone that she was elated to hear of her student’s performance.
“She is a very smart student and picks up letters very fast. She’s very good with memorising poems. The thing that astounds me every time is that she never thinks about her age. It never crosses her mind that she’s 96. I cannot express how energetic she is,” said Krishnan.
“When I informed her that she got 98 out of 100, she said ‘ayyo’ (oh). After she wrote the exam in August, she had told me that the question paper was very easy for her. Apparently, everything she learned didn’t come for the exam. (smiles),” she added.
Gombe State Government on Thursday said a fresh outbreak of cholera had killed five people, while 16 others were hospitalised at the Primary Health Centre, Kembu in Balanga Local Government Area of the state.The state Acting Epidemiologist, Dr Nuhu Bile, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria in Gombe.Bile said that the cholera outbreak occurred in October. He said that the State Rapid Response team alongside World Health Organisation had visited the scene immediately it received news of the incident.According to him, 70 patients were treated and discharged, while the five people died before medical help could reach them.He added that 16 others were being treated at the health centre for the disease.
Veteran Nigerian musician, Sunny Neji and wife are celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary. Taking to his an IG page, he wrote; I remember that day in November 2001, we took a most important vow. 17yrs down the line and we are still waxing strong. My love, my best friend and partner... It's my greatest pleasure to wish us a very happy anniversary. May the presence of God that has brought us this far continue to keep us. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DARLING
The Kardashian/Jenner clan are known for pulling out all the stops for the festive season.And Kylie, Khloe, Kim, Kendall and Kourtney set the bar even higher this year as they channeled Victoria Secret Angels in sultry costumes for an epic Halloween bash in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday.New mothers Kylie, 21, and Khloe, 34, turned up the heat as they exhibited their incredible post-baby figures in racy white lingerie, tied in with huge feathered wings for added drama - which had been gifted to them by Victoria's Secret for the occasion.
The World Health Organisation has reaffirmed that there is “no cure” for HIV, insisting that people living with HIV/AIDS need to continue with anti-retroviral therapy to manage their infections.The reaffirmation by the UN health agency came after a local preacher in Zimbabwe reportedly claimed that he had received divine revelation of a herbal cure.Dr Alex Gasaira, WHO’s representative in the country, explicitly stated that “there is no cure for HIV infection”.According to media reports, the Zimbabwean cleric had notified his congregation in the capital, Harare, on Sunday of the “cure” for HIV and AIDS.He also reportedly claimed that a healing plant had been revealed to him by God, sparking a media outcry.The nation’s largest newspaper, the Harare Herald, reported that his claims were scientifically baseless and that the Zimbabwean Government was actively discouraging the purchase of unapproved medicines.
The former governor of Bauchi state, Malam Isa Yuguda on Thursday announced his defection from the Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) to the ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC).His former Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Salisu Barau, who announced the defection on behalf of the ex-governor at apress conference in Bauchi, said Yuguda decided to cross-carpet to the ruling party after due consultations with his supporters and like minds who believed in the development of Bauchi state.
Boko Haram insurgents have killed 13 people and sacked two villages overnight in the restive town of Konduga in Borno, Brig.-Gen. Bulama Biu, the Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, confirmed the attack on Thursday in Maiduguri.Biu said, however, that troops rose to the occasion and repelled the invaders, who had repeatedly attacked communities in the Konduga Local Government Area over the years.
