Bodun Sodeinde: My physical and spiritual attachment to ‘Welcome to Lagos’ statue

Renowned sculptor, Dr. Bodun Sodeinde, is a reporter’s delight any day. He is an artist personified and always cherish discussing it. He’s the man that created the now ubiquitous ‘Welcome to Lagos’ statue in the year 1991. In this interview, Sodeinde, revealed that although he’s proud of the creating the statue, at the entry of Lagos, stated that it’s causing him sleepless nights, as he had had cause to effect repairs on it from time to time.
He spoke on his career, passion and others.

Tell us what the ‘Welcome to Lagos’ statue stands for and how it came about?
In 1989, Lagos State government commissioned me to erect a statue of unknown soldiers where they placed wreaths every January 15, sometimes in terms of making a bid by what had been identified by them. To do this, I was contacted,  with others, to put in a bid for the erection of a beautiful statue, in abstract form, to welcome visitors to Lagos. Governor Raji Rasaki, then, was definite about it being in abstract form, as opposed to realistic work. I went back and began my research. That research gave birth to what we now have as ‘Welcome to Lagos’ statue. He did not give it any name or title then. The concept, interpretation and everything came from me.
Immediately the brief was communicated to me, my first thought was: how do people greet in the traditional mode in Lagos of those days? I went and consulted with the late Oba Adeyinka Oyekan, who gave me and even demonstrated all the modes of greetings, of especially the royalties. It is referred to as ‘Owo Awo.’ There was nothing like handshake as we have now, he enthused. He stated that any time the need arose for him to send emissaries to other royalties, government and nobles, he usually sent two or three white cap chiefs, who usually demonstrated the royal greetings, as represented by what we have, via those images.
After the monarch’s briefing, I went to a tailor with the white robe, modelled out what the king had demonstrated and visually painted. I engaged a photographer to capture same, the result is what we have there today. Apart from being an artist, I am an education technology cum communication expert, and that edge was brought to bear in the interpretation of the whole thing. When the statue was officially unveiled, Raji Rasaki was impressed with the outcome. He commended me for a job well done and urged me to keep it up.

You have had cause to renovate the statue over the years. How many times and why?
Yes, the statue had been renovated four times. The first time, government was to embark on the road expansion; so relocation was inevitable. Therefore, there was need for repairs. Then, it was relocated to Magodo axis, near the first bridge. You know that for it to be moved, there is no way little damages, here and there, will not occur; so I was made to move it, to ensure broken or chipped off parts could be put back. That was in Senator Bola Tinubu’s era.  The second time, somebody damaged a portion of it. It was an attack! And it must have been carried out with a sledge hammer, as a hole was caused on a very visible part of the monument. I was summoned and I duly effected repairs. That must be about three years after the first and still in the same regime. One Mr. Balogun was the then commissioner for culture. He oversaw the two initial assignments.

The third time repair was effected a trailer was alleged to have run into the base, destroying the pedestal; so they thought it wise to move it once again, to ensure its safety. That necessitated the movement to Olowopopo Avenue, where it is now. The last time was when some arsonists used bonfire and sledge hammer attacks to damage it. Yes, the attacks were carried out separately. Funny enough, the sledge hammer, which may have been used, was found at the base. It must have been dropped as a result of the hurried vandalisation. The intention of the vandals was to completely have it destroyed, but for the massive reinforcement. So when the fire option failed, the sledge hammer option was employed, hence the multiple chipped off parts. The forgotten hammer was enough proof. This happened in August 2012.

Why, in your view, would you think anyone would want to destroy the statue
Definitely sabotage was at play. The evidences were there. When it was at the Berger Bridge end and a hole was made into it, I saw elements of sabotage at play because it was impossible for such a gaping hole to manifest outside, a deliberate heavy impact and bombardment. Second time, when it was razed, tyres were found around it. The intention points to a motive to burn it to ashes. So these were purely with traits of sabotage. For what reason I ask? But then, many theories were propounded. The first was that the destruction may have been carried out with an insider pledging to influence ‘his own man’ to corner the repair work contract. Another theory was a claim, in some quarters, that Lagos State desired that the monument be worshipped: I mean to institutionalise idol worshipping of the structure and some people opposed it.  Yet another version has it that a fatal accident occurred there, which resulted in loss of lives. It was claimed that the driver of the unfortunate vehicle lost concentration, while admiring the statue and thus drew the anger of bystanders.

The last version was hinged on the spill-over of last year’s fuel subsidy removal protest with which I disagree. One, the attack must have taken place a month or thereabout after the protests. I drive past there regularly. Two, the attacks did not take place just once. Our inspection, as I stated earlier, was based on the arson allegation only for us to discover the sledge hammer angle and evidence about three to four days later.

Based on all you have said, does it mean you keep watch over the statue. Also, would it be wrong to say that you have  spiritual attachment to this statue?
Your question is like asking an author what he would do with the manuscript of his book. Do you imagine how he would feel if the manuscript gets destroyed? That is exactly the way you can appreciate what am going to say. In artistic endeavours, what the artist does is the visual equivalent of what a writer does. A writer writes, using the language of alphabets and words, whereas an artist communicates using iconic language, by employing the use of figures and images to communicate. You can see the difference. In the world of an artist, if it is painting, it is only one. If it is sculpture, it is only one because if you talk about arts, you are talking about only two modes of arts: painting or sculpture. An artist produces only one of everything he does. All the others are pictures of the same thing: not the real thing.

If you appreciate it from that angle, when anything happens to that work, that manuscript, you feel you are finished. That was why I felt the way I feel when there was arson attack on the statue. I felt like I was burnt. So you can understand why I developed so much enthusiasm, to ensure the restoration, whenever anything untoward happened to any of my monuments. So, this time around when the hand was chopped off, I felt like a limbless person.

Is the statue your most celebrated work?
Yes, it is judging by the general acceptance, but I cannot say it is my best. As far as I’m concerned, all are equally rated. But quite unexpectedly, people took unusual interest in the ‘Welcome to Lagos’ statue, so it is the most celebrated. Honestly, it seemed to be the most celebrated in the whole country if not in the whole of Africa.  And the reason for this is not far-fetched. It has grown to become the icon of Lagos. During the last Eko 2012 festival, it adorned all posters and paraphernalia. At that time, when you turned on your television, that’s what you see if anything about Lagos is to be broadcasted. The image of the statue has over the years been acceptable to be the face of Lagos. The moment anyone sees the monument being beamed, it is certain what would be talked about is sure to be about Lagos.

Apart from monetary values derived from your works, are you pleased with your accomplishments and are you a fulfilled person?  
I feel extremely elated, although I have deep regrets sometimes. My regrets reside in the fact that I have never ever been publicly honoured for my works, particularly the ‘Welcome to Lagos’ statue. I have never, been invited by government to do anything. Maybe during an awards ceremony you may be acknowledged and recognized, like some musicians were. Take, for instance, the late Pa Fatai Rolling Dollars, the late minstrel ‘ Kokoro’ and a host of others. All these people were honoured, in one way or another, over the years. I am surprised that despite the importance attached to my works, I remain baffled to note that not even once have I been called upon to be acknowledged, or even taken part in any cultural event in the state. This is despite the fact that I was the pioneer director of the Lagos State University museum.

Board of Arts and Culture is there. There is a Records and Archives board; even skill acquisition centres, with arts content. All these are places I could be relevant. These types of recognition that I have not got is embarrassing and regrettable. I ask myself,  could it be they think am not sufficiently educated? I have been on every important programmes and body while  and in LASU. I was a member of the university’s Senate, member of Academic and Technical, member Lagos State University governing Council, and that of Lagos State Polytechnic by virtue of representing the senate of LASU. It is not that am hungry for appointment, but I feel I deserve more recognition. Imagine, some of the institutions I mentioned. Funny enough, they are manned by some of my former students, who themselves also wondered why am not involved. For instance, the Lagos State Archives Bureau is headed by one of them presently: I do not want to mention name.

If called upon by other states to put up a similar monument, would you be ready to undertake such?
An artist is an artist any day. I had once been called upon to create one for Osun State before, though by a club. But it never saw the light of day. I guess they faced the challenge of raising funds and it was rested. I had the creative impression already mapped out and conceptualised, but what can I do? Perhaps, now that we have Ogbeni Rauf  Aregbesola, who is so passionate about culture and tradition at the helms, the initiative may be revived. Every state has peculiar history. All one has to do is thorough research and come up with what will be generally acceptable by the people.

How long do you think it would take you to build such?
It cannot be more than six to seven months. It took me six to seven months to build ‘Welcome to Lagos’ statue.

At over 71 years, are you still capable of undertaking such magnitude of job considering delicate aspects of climbing ladders and scaffolds?
Age is never a hindrance in arts and creativity. I have lived all my life in the arts. I may not be able to demonstrate the kind of agility that was employed during the creation of ‘Welcome to Lagos’ statue; that was why I said it would take about seven months at most to do it. Besides, I have my boys around. It is team work.

Intimate chat … with J.Martin

J. Martin has come a long way since his first single ‘Good or Bad.’ He performed on ‘Legend Night’ in Niteshift Coliseum, Ikeja, recently and afterwards we met him for a chat.
Excerpts:

You played Timaya’s and D’Banj’s song on stage tonight, didn’t you?
No. All the songs you hear me play are my songs or I collaborated in them. The music sounds like theirs. No. If you know my history, you will know that ‘Good or Bad’ is my first single. It is not Timaya’s song. I featured Timaya and P.Square in ‘E no Easy’ which I also produced. I don’t sing people’s song.

What can you say in defence of your generation of musicians that play western music instead of African music?
My generation has not passed away. We are still coming. What I can only say is that I am an African. I speak for myself. I love African music and I make African music.
Tell us about your music.
My music is more or less trying to side with the masses because I feel their pain. I don’t believe there is any classification in terms of human beings. All I know is that God made all of us equal. I have been there before. I empathise with the truck pusher. That does not mean I pushed truck before but you know what life is when you can identify with one in Orthopaedic Hospital. You know different spheres of life and in different stages of life, you see people suffering things at different times. If I am not on that, then you will find me on the side of love. I am on the side of love, encouragement and inspiration. In songs like ‘Oyoyo,’ I say “the same God that did it for me will do it for you.”

What is your humble beginning?
(Ponders), it all started from my mum. She was a Choir Mistress as much as I can remember as a baby. She used to take me to church for choir practice. I don’t joke with her; she is the beginning. Apart from the fact that God put the talent in me, she was the foundation that brought the development, the proximity in the music industry. My godfather, a Pastor would say something like this, “every success that does not have a story behind it is not a success. It can look successful but once you cannot trace it or there is no history behind it, it is not a success.”

How do you cope with your fans especially ladies? I noticed them all over you.
Two things are important in life. Good example, you are interviewing me now. When you go home, you won’t be doing interview in your house, that’s your private life.  I have my career life and I have my private life. When it gets to career, my fans include everyone – elderly people, father, mother, young people, the middle aged and children; you have to give them love. The fact that they love you does not mean you have to abuse them. You should be able to reciprocate the love or care that they have shown you but once you are off the career, you are back home, you are a different person. You do not transit. Your fans already had their time with you.

Do you take intoxicant on stage?
I never drank nor smoked before.

How I lost my virginity –Dona Diva

Fast rising singer, Dona Diva, never planned being a singer. When she left her native Delta State a couple of years ago, her dreams had been to pursue a career in Nollywood. However, she ended up a singer and aside performing live at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, she also has two singles on air.
In this chat with The Entertainer, she talks about how her passion for music made her run away from home at 18, the day a white man sexually harassed her and what it felt like being deflowered among other interesting issues.
Excerpts:

Who is Dona Diva?
My real name is Dona Adjah and my stage name is Dona Diva. I’m from the Urhobo speaking part of Delta State. I am into music and fashion.

Tell us about your romance with music?
I started music from church like everyone else but when I came to Lagos, the idea was to act. But for some reasons I had to fall back to my music. Ever since I have been doing studio recordings, back-up singing and I also do live band music. It was getting so interesting and people started encouraging me to start my own thing so the whole world could see me and appreciate me. That’s why I came out with a single.

For how long have you been doing back-up and live band?
About six years.

Who are the artistes you have backed-up?
I have done back-up for a number of artistes but Duncan Mighty remains the biggest. Talking about live band, I have performed for ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan. I have also travelled out of the country to do a lot of shows.

How would you describe your experience as a singer?
It’s a bitter-sweet experience but I have chosen the sweet part of it. In everything you do, there are bound to be ups and downs. I combine fashion and music together and it’s quite exciting because I appear on stage with my own hand made costumes and people are like, ‘nice dress’ even before I start performing. It’s not really been easy but I’m having fun.

As an up-and-coming act, how do you cope financially. And do your fans appreciate you?
I am into other businesses including fashion and real estate so I don’t depend on music alone to cater for my needs. Regarding my fans appreciating me, they package whatever they want to give me into an envelope. Sometimes, some people spray me but I tell them, ‘no, we don’t do that.’

How do you now combine music, fashion and real estate?
It’s not easy but man must wack. I make very meticulous plans which I follow religiously. It’s all about time management. If you travel abroad, you see people doing three or four jobs just to get good cash. Maybe, I am doing all these because I don’t want to lack on any side.

What’s your childhood like?
My growing up was a normal one. I am from an average home. I have a strict but supportive father and my family is in support of what I do. As a child, I was always by myself but I like facing challenges and coming out with results; my family is proud of me because of that.

Tell us about the single you have on air?
The single I initially dropped was Shut Up. I did it because of people who tried to run me down. I am saying Shut Up to these negative people because I know you can achieve anything as long as you believe in your dreams, in yourself and in God.  The new single is New Gaga; I am dropping its video any time soon. It’s all about music and dance. The message is, just enjoy the music, feel the rhythm and let go off your sorrows.

Who did you work with on the track?
I actually featured my brother, GoldCruz. He also produced the song.

When are you dropping your album? And what message do you want to pass across?
Dropping the album depends on how well the single does because I want people to feel the single. I hope to drop two more singles before releasing the album. As for the message,. it’s inspirational.

What’s your take on the Nigerian music industry?
I am grateful to God because our music is being appreciated. Those days you can’t go to the club and hear our music. But now our music is spreading all over the world. That shows we are progressing but at the same time, I believe we still have a lot of work to do. I think we should do more of meaningful songs.

Is there any female singer you look up to?
The female singer that I look up to is Asa. I like her because her lyrics are meaningful and her style is different.

Are your parents supportive?
My father did everything to make me quit but my mind was made up. But it later got to a point where he became proud of me.

Your father actually kicked against it?
Yes, he was angry and wanted me back home. He was like ‘no, she cannot go, she can’t run away from home.’ But I knew what I wanted and I knew I was not coming back.

At what age did you run away from home?
I was like 18 or 19.


At that age, one is prone to being harassed sexually. How did you cope with that?
You are right. I just tried to be polite. I never fought but always passed my message politely.

Can you recall a particular incident?
Yes, it was on New Year’s Eve at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja. I was singing when this white guy tapped my butt. I walked up to him with a smile and admonished him, saying ‘don’t ever try that again!’ And he apologized.

Could we say you’re not married because you’re distracted by the loads of rich guys hanging around you? Do you believe in love?
Love does exist. I don’t know whether it is true love but it does exist. But the fact that I mingle with rich boys doesn’t mean I wouldn’t know who to choose when the time comes. I can’t replace love with material things or riches.

Isn’t your boyfriend scared you might dump him for a richer guy?
I don’t know how he feels but he supports my career.

Isn’t he sometimes worried?
Yes, sometimes I see it in him but he supports me.

When are you getting married?
That’s in the hand of God

Have you ever had a crush on any of your fans before?
Yes, I was having this crush on a guy (laughs) but I found out he’s married so I had to let go.

What was it like the first time you had sex?
You say wetin? (laughter) It was a lot of crying because it was painful. The same thing I think for every girl.


What was it like performing for Obasanjo and Jonathan?
I performed with Sugar Band at Obasanjo’s birthday and I was excited. I also performed for President Jonathan. I saw him smiling as he watched me. I felt so special that my president appreciates what I am doing; it was a great experience for me.

Where do you see yourself a few years from now?
By God’s grace, I will be everywhere. I want to be known all over the world. I know my exploits won’t stop here.

Scores Dead in Attacks on Plateau Villages

Thirty Two Killed in Fresh Plateau Violence




Jos — At least 32 people were killed and many others injured in three villages of Langtang South Local Government Area of Plateau State yesterday, in a violence that broke following incidents of cattle rustling.

Trouble started in the early hours of yesterday when unidentified gunmen laid siege on Tolgang, Magama and Karkashi villages. They shot and killed villagers, and also set fire to homes, locals told Daily Trust yesterday.

"We woke up this morning to the sad reality of attacks from arms-carrying men who invaded three villages killing people and burning houses," Langtang South resident Barrister Solomon Dalong told our reporter.
He said the attacks inflicted "colossal destruction" on affected communities.

Chairman of Langtang South LGA management council Mr. Narman Darko told Daily Trust 32 people were killed and more than a hundred houses destroyed in the three villages.

He said Magama suffered the highest death toll of 23, while seven were killed in Tolgang and two in Karkarshi.
Earlier, Darko said in a BBC Hausa interview that in one of the affected areas alone, one person told him he saw over 20 dead bodies.

For his part, Dalong said the identity of the invaders had not been determined but that witnesses blamed nomadic mercenaries.

"We are yet to ascertain those responsible for the attacks, but people who escaped from the affected areas said the attackers looked like nomads who were well armed," he said.

In his own account, Daniel Sule King, former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) official in Plateau State who is from Langtang South, said hundreds of people who fled the three villages where being resettled as he spoke with Daily Trust in the evening of yesterday.

My Relationship With P-Square's Peter Okoye ... the True Story - Munachi Abi (interview)

Since Munachi Abi came into limelight after winning the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria( MBGN) crown in 2007, life has never been the same again. Within a very short period of time, ...  

 

 

This might not be the best of time for former beauty queen and rapper, Munachi Abi, a.k.a, Muna, as she's is presently battling to save her name from being dragged to the mud as an impostor is using it to dupe unsuspecting fans.

According to her, the said impersonator is a Lagos based damsel whom she described as a "bleaching Brazilian hair she-males."

WG gathered that the said impostor wears Muna's favourite coloured-hair which makes her look so much like the singer. She goes about town, pretending to be Muna and in the process extorting money from the unsuspecting fans.

Muna took to Twitter account during the week to cry out against the ugly development. "I shall collect all that has been stolen from me. ALL!!! Biko(please) bleaching Brazzillian hair she-males don't come and be reaping where you did not sow. But you gotta(must admit) admit I must be a big deal for you to go about duping people pretending to be me..", she tweeted.

Boko Haram burns 209 schools in Yobe

The scale of the massive destruction carried out by Boko Haram in Yobe State was laid bare yesterday.
The government said it had spent over N4billion battling the insurgents. Yobe, Borno and Adamawa are under a state of emergency declared by President Goodluck Jonathan last month.

Deputy Governor Abubakar Aliyu, who stood in for Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, told the visiting members of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, led by Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, that since November 2011, many lives had been lost.
He said property belonging to government institutions and individuals were destroyed by the insurgents. They include 209 schools estimated to cost N2.5 billion.

This is in addition to private structures worth N629 million, which were burnt by the insurgents.
Aliyu said: “Within the span of one year, November 2011 and October 2012, in addition to the loss of lives, public buildings like schools, mosques, churches and vehicles were razed down by the insurgents.
“About 209 government school buildings, comprising classrooms, hostels, workshops, laboratories, administrative blocks, vehicles were destroyed by the insurgents, costing an estimated N2.5 billion. This is in addition to the office blocks of government agencies belonging to both state and federal governments.

“Similarly, private houses with estimated value of over N629 million were also burnt,” he said.
Over 200 Hilux patrol vehicles were bought for security operatives, Aliyu said, adding that N200 million is being spent on logistics and monthly allowances, among other needs of security operatives every month.

The government praised the people for their prayers, which it noted have drastically helped in the improvement of security and the gradual return of peace, in the state, adding that schools and economic activities have picked up.

Aliyu regretted the recent attack on the Government Secondary School, Damaturu, saying: “The attack came as a surprise as the state has done 10-month of uninterrupted peace.” It praised the Federal Government for deploying more security in the state.
The deputy governor praised the gallantry of the men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and urged the people to continue to support them.

He said the state would empower the 17 women and 21 children so far released by the JTF through the Women Development Centres.

The chairman of the committee and Minister of Special Duties Turaki, condoled with the government and people over the loss of life and property since the attacks began.

He stressed the need for the cooperation of the people towards finding a lasting solution to the problem.
Turaki said they were in the state as a demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to reconciliation with insurgents, adding that the committee would meet with the clergy, royal fathers, elders and heads of security agencies to find a solution to the security challenges.

Turaki said: “Life is gradually and steadily returning to Yobe State. Despite the state of emergency, all democratic tenets are being adhered to as security operatives are operating within the ambits of law.”

Obama calls Mandela a ‘personal hero’

 

President Barack Obama, whose tour of Africa this week includes a stop in South Africa, yesterday said his thoughts were with the nation’s citizens as anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela remains critically ill.
“He is a personal hero, but I’m not unique in that regard,” Obama told CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin in Dakar, Senegal, the first stop of his African tour.
“I think he’s a hero for the world and if/when he passes, we know his legacy will linger on throughout the ages,” the president said.
Obama’s visit to South Africa on Saturday will include a visit to Robben Island, where Mandela spent a majority of his prison term. The White House schedule does not include a visit with the anti-apartheid icon.
After South Africa, Obama heads to Tanzania, his last stop before he heads back to Washington.

Central Nigeria ethnic violence kills at least 48: army

Jos, Nigeria: Raids by gunmen in ethnically divided central Nigeria and gun battles between soldiers and attackers have killed at least 48 people and left dozens of homes burnt, the military said on Friday.

The attacks appeared to have been reprisals linked to cattle theft, often the source of friction in the Middle Belt region dividing the mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south of Africa's most populous nation.

Thursday's violence saw gunmen raid three villages in the remote Langtang region of Plateau state, leaving at least 28 residents dead. Homes were also burnt in two other villages, said Captain Salisu Mustapha, spokesman for a military task force in the region.

He did not have a specific number of homes burnt, but said it was around 100. Residents were fleeing the area to find shelter and out of fears of further violence.

"We now have a total of 48 dead from the attacks on three villages," Mustapha told AFP. He said the dead included 20 assailants killed by soldiers who responded.

"Two suspected gunmen involved in the attacks were arrested with some arms and their motorcycles," said Mustapha.

The villages attacked were Karkashi, Bolgang and Magama, and residents said the raids followed incidents of cattle rustling.

Herdsmen from the mainly Muslim Fulani ethnic group were suspected to be behind the raids on the villages populated by the mainly Christian Taroks.

Thousands have been killed in Nigeria's central region in recent years in clashes between Muslim and Christian ethnic groups in a struggle for access to land or local power.

Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, mainly based in the country's northeast, has occasionally carried out violence in the Middle Belt as well, but there was no sign of any link in Thursday's violence.

Nigeria's military is currently engaged in an offensive in the northeast seeking to end Boko Haram's four-year insurgency.

The country includes some 250 ethnic groups, and illegal weapons are widespread. Authorities have been largely unable to stop such violent flare-ups. 

Australian Minister Sorry for Announcing Mandela’s Death, Dutch City Council Too; Journalist Insist Mandela Really Dead

Daughters of Nelson Mandela had already confirmed that their father was still showing reaction when being spoken of and when being touched.

However, rumors about the anti-apartheid leader's death continued to be circulated.
We cannot blame daughter Makaziwe Mandela from angrily saying that, "There's sort of a racist element with many of the foreign media, where they just cross boundaries. It's truly like vultures waiting when the lion has devoured the buffalo, waiting there for the last of the carcass. That's the image we have as a family."
South African President Jacob Zuma also voiced out his concern about the nasty rumors surrounding their hero's condition, "The presidency is disturbed by the rumors that are being spread about former President Mandela's health. We appeal for respect for the privacy and dignity of the former president." 

In line with the confusion about Mr Mandela's death, Australian Resources Minister Gary Gray wrote an apology for South Africa's high commissioner for falsely announcing that Mr Mandela was already dead.
He sincerely acknowledge that he was wrong when he informed guests attending a Minerals Council of Australia dinner at parliament House that the anti-apartheid hero was already dead.

In a quote from the Associated Press, the statement goes, "I apologize unreservedly and am deeply sorry to have relayed what I thought was reliable advice."

But Mr. Gray was not alone in committing the erroneous announcement.
In the city council of an Amsterdam neighborhood, people observed a minute of silence to mark the death of the South African icon on Tuesday. However, city council member quickly learn about the misinformation.

Sjam Jokhan, in an interview with Het Parool, said, "Mart van de Wiel of the D66/OZO fraction told us during the pause that his hero had died. I tried to verify the report. I found dozens of messages on twitter that seemed to confirm the news, including messages like breaking news and its official. It shows again how careful you have to be with reports on the internet."
Nevertheless, writer Michael Smith of The Guardian Express strongly insisted that Mr Mandela was already dead and that the South African government was just playing a conspiracy game.

Mr. Smith's article as quoted: "This is an update to the original article I wrote last night. It has upset a lot of people and I have written an addendum with new facts that will prove our assertions that the great man is dead. Despite the fact that reliable sources have revealed that after Nelson Mandela's life support machine was shut down and he died with his family around him, the South African government continues to insist that Mandela is recovering and not dead yet. According to our sources in South Africa Nelson Mandela has died in the hospital aged 94. We stand behind our original article and have provided the following information that has been supplied to us by our local South African sources."

Mr Smith's article last night said, "Authorities have confirmed that Nelson Mandela has been taken off his life support machine, adding fuel to the speculation that he had died. Because of this, the rumor has been spreading that Nelson Mandela died last night and that the government and his family "kept a lid" on the news because American President Obama's upcoming trip to South Africa. Obviously, the president's visit will be overshadowed by the announcement... There are rumors that the government will announce his death beginning of July and declare July Mandela month."

Meanwhile, celebrity Rihanna also fell to the rumors of Mr Mandela's death tweeting her prayers for him.
One twitter user posted a picture of Morgan Freeman falsely identifying the actor as Nelson Mandela while other twitter users remained confused.

One Dead as Egypt Simmers Ahead of Rallies

Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood said one man was shot dead and four wounded in an attack on a provincial party office, stoking factional rivalries ahead of mass rallies starting on Friday.
It blamed activists who are campaigning to force President Mohamed Mursi to resign as he marks his first year in office.

The incident, in the Nile Delta city of Zagazig north of Cairo, took the death toll to five in factional fighting that has also left scores injured over the past week and raised fears of wider violence during the coming days of demonstrations.

Liberal opposition leaders dismissed an offer by Mursi to cooperate on reforms to end a political deadlock that has plunged the biggest Arab nation into economic crisis, two years after the Arab Spring revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak.

That has set up a showdown in the streets in the coming days. Mursi's Islamist supporters and some opposition groups plan rallies on Friday, and the broad opposition coalition hopes to bring millions out on Sunday to demand new elections.

The army has urged both sides to reconcile and has warned that it could step back in to impose order if violence spins out of control - though it insists it will defend the democracy born out of the uprising against Mubarak in early 2011.

Mursi and the Brotherhood accuse loyalists of the old regime of being behind violence and of thwarting their efforts to reform an economy hobbled by corruption. Opponents say the Islamists, who have won a series of elections against a diffuse opposition, of seeking to entrench their power and impose Islam.
In a speech on Wednesday, Mursi denounced his critics but admitted some mistakes and offered talks to ease polarization in politics that he said threatened Egypt's new democratic system.
But opposition leaders said their protests would go ahead.

"Dr. Mohamed Mursi's speech of yesterday only made us more determined in our call for an early presidential vote in order to achieve the goals of the revolution," the liberal opposition coalition said after its leaders met to consider a response.

"We are confident the Egyptian masses will go out in their millions in Egypt's squares and streets on June 30 to confirm their will to get the January 25 revolution back on track."
CROWDS
With the start of Egypt's weekend, people began to gather in Cairo's Tahrir Square, site of the uprising of January 25, 2011, and at venues in other towns. The atmosphere was largely festive but there widespread fears of trouble in the days ahead.

It is hard to gauge how many may turn out but much of the population, even those sympathetic to Islamic ideas, are deeply frustrated by economic slump and many blame the government.
Previous protest movements since the fall of Mubarak have failed to gather momentum, however, among a population anxious for stability and fearful of further economic hardship.
The army, which helped protesters topple Mubarak and is on alert across the country guarding key locations, says it will act if politicians cannot reach consensus. The United States, which continues to fund the military as it did under Mubarak, has urged Egypt's leaders to pull together.

MEDIA
In his speech, Mursi threatened legal action against several named prominent figures. He said some judges and civil servants were obstructing him, and accused liberal media owners of bias.
Hours after he publicly accused one TV channel owner of tax evasion, the businessman, Mohamed al-Amin found he was under investigation and barred from leaving the country, prompting his lawyer to tell Reuters: "This is dictatorship." Amin's channel notably airs satire modeled on that of U.S. comic Jon Stewart.

Separately, officials ordered the arrest of a talk show host on another channel known for his anti-Islamist diatribes and ordered that station to be shut down for inciting mutiny in the army and for insulting the armed forces and the police.

An anchor on state television resigned dramatically, live on air, in protest at what he said were attempts by the information minister, an Islamist, to control his program.
Instability in the most populous Arab nation could send shocks well beyond its borders. Signatory to a key, U.S.-backed peace treaty with Israel, Egypt also controls the Suez Canal, a vital link in global transport networks between Europe and Asia.

"Egypt is historically a critical country to this region," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is on a tour of the Middle East, said on Wednesday, highlighting economic problems.
"Our hopes are that all parties ... the demonstration that takes place on Friday or the demonstration that takes place on Sunday, will all engage in peaceful, free expression," he said.

With the government short of cash and seeking funding from allies and the IMF, Kerry said Egypt should curb unrest in order to attract investment and restore vital tourism income. The U.S. ambassador in Cairo has angered opposition activists by saying explicitly that their protests risked being counter-productive.
(Reporting by Shaimaa Fayed, Patrick Werr, Asmaa Alsharif, Tom Perry, Maggie Fick, Yasmine Saleh, Omar Fahmy, Alexander Dziadosz, Omar Fahmy and Shadia Nasralla in Cairo and Abdelrahman Youssef in Alexandria; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Obama Heads to S'Africa with Mandela on His Mind

President Barack Obama visited the Senegalese island of Goree, where Africans were shipped across the Atlantic as slaves

U.S. President Barack Obama heads to South Africa on Friday hoping to see ailing icon Nelson Mandela, after wrapping up a visit to Senegal that focused on improving food security and promoting democratic institutions.

Obama is in the middle of a three-country tour of Africa that the White House hopes will compensate for what some view as years of neglect by the administration of America's first black president.

Before departing Dakar, Obama was scheduled to meet with farmers and local entrepreneurs to discuss new technologies that are helping farmers and their families in West Africa, one of the world's poorest and most drought-prone regions, reports Reuters.

But it was Mandela, the 94-year-old former South African president who is clinging to life in a Pretoria hospital, who will dominate the president's day even before he arrives in Johannesburg.

Asked on Thursday whether Obama would be able to pay Mandela a visit, the White House said that was up to the family.

"We are going to completely defer to the wishes of the Mandela family and work with the South African government as relates to our visit," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters in Senegal.

"Whatever the Mandela family deems appropriate, that's what we're focused on doing in terms of our interaction with them."

Obama sees Mandela, also known as Madiba, as a hero. Whether they are able to meet or not, officials said his trip would serve largely as a tribute to the anti-apartheid leader.

"I've had the privilege of meeting Madiba and speaking to him. And he's a personal hero, but I don't think I'm unique in that regard," Obama said on Thursday. "If and when he passes from this place, one thing I think we'll all know is that his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the ages."

The president arrives in South Africa Friday evening and has no public events scheduled. He could go to the hospital then.

Obama is scheduled to visit Robben Island, where Mandela spent years in prison, later during his trip.

On Friday morning, Obama will take part in a "Feed the Future" event on food security. That issue, along with anti-corruption measures and trade opportunities for U.S. companies, are topics the White House wants to highlight on Obama's tour.

Obama, who has been in office since 2009, has only visited Africa once in his presidential tenure: a short trip to Ghana at the beginning of his first term.

While acknowledging that Obama has not spent as much time in Africa as people hoped, the administration is eager to highlight what it has done, in part to end unflattering comparisons to accomplishments of predecessors George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Food security and public aid are two of the issues the Obama team believes are success stories.

"Africa has seen a steady and consistent increase in our overall resource investment each year that we've been in office," said Raj Shah, head of USAID. "And sustaining that in this political climate has required real trade-offs to be made in other areas, but we've done that.

 

S'Africans Hold All-night Prayer Vigil for Mandela

South Africans are holding a vigil outside Mandela's former Soweto house

South Africans have been holding an all-night prayer vigil for former President Nelson Mandela, outside his former home in Soweto.

The crowd have been singing and saying prayers for Mandela's health, on what is now his 20th night in hospital.

South Africa's first black president - an icon of the anti-apartheid struggle - is suffering from a lung infection.

President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday that the 94-year-old's condition had improved, but still remained critical.

"He is much better today than he was when I saw him last night," Zuma said after speaking to Mandela's medical team.

Zuma cancelled a visit to Mozambique to visit Mandela in hospital.

Meanwhile Mandela's daughter Makaziwe said he was "still there" and responding to touch.

But she accused some journalists of being like vultures, waiting for her father to die.

Emotional crowds gathered outside the hospital, adding messages of support for Mandela, known by his clan name Madiba.

Children released 94 balloons - one for every year of the ex-president's life - into the air in his honour.

Correspondents say South Africans now seem resigned to the prospect of his death.

"We don't like seeing Mandela going through so much pain, he has had a tough time in his life and he's gone through a lot of struggle. I think this struggle should get over sooner," Khulile Mlondleni told Reuters news agency.

"We are all going to feel bad when he passes [away], but at the same time we will be celebrating his life. He has done so many great things for this country," said 25-year-old John Ndlovu, quoted by the agency.

As crowds prayed in Soweto on Thursday evening, South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) said it would hold vigils each day that the former leader remained in hospital.

US President Barack Obama, who is in Senegal, described Mandela as "a hero for the world".

"His legacy will linger on through the ages," he said.

After visiting her grandfather in hospital on Wednesday, Ndileka Mandela said it was an anxious time for the family.

"He's stable and we'd like to say that we thank everybody for giving their support and praying with us... we are anxious as you know that he is critical but he's in a stable condition right now," she said.

"It's been hard, especially because of all of this - that we have to do everything in the public eye."

Later Mandela's daughter Makaziwe said that while the situation was serious he was still responsive.

"He doesn't look good, I'm not going to lie," she said, after seeing him on Wednesday night.

"But as I say, if we speak to him, he responds and tries to open his eyes. He's still there. He might be waning off, but he's still there," she told public broadcaster SABC.

She was also highly critical of the behaviour of the international media.

"There is sort of a racist element with many of the foreign national media where they cross boundaries - it's like truly vultures waiting [for] when the lion has devoured the buffalo… we don't mind the interest but I just think that it has gone overboard," Ms Mandela said.

Zuma's spokesman Mac Maharaj also criticised some media outlets for broadcasting unverified information, as rumours spread on social media sites.

Meanwhile media reports say the bodies of three of Mandela's children are to be moved from his birthplace to his home in Qunu, where he himself has said he wants to be buried.

 

UK Govt Backs Three-person IVF

The UK looks set to become the first country to allow the creation of babies using DNA from three people, after the government backed the IVF technique.

It will produce draft regulations later this year and the procedure could be offered within two years.

Experts say three-person IVF could eliminate debilitating and potentially fatal mitochondrial diseases that are passed on from mother to child, reports the BBC.

Opponents say it is unethical and could set the UK on a "slippery slope".

They also argue that affected couples could adopt or use egg donors instead.

Mitochondria are the tiny, biological "power stations" that give the body energy. They are passed from a mother, through the egg, to her child.

Defective mitochondria affect one in every 6,500 babies. It can leave them starved of energy, resulting in muscle weakness, blindness, heart failure and death in the most extreme cases.

Research suggests that using mitochondria from a donor egg can prevent the diseases.

It is envisaged that up to 10 couples a year would benefit from the treatment.

However, it would result in babies having DNA from two parents and a tiny amount from a third donor as the mitochondria themselves have their own DNA.

Earlier this year, a public consultation by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) concluded there was "general support" for the idea and that there was no evidence that the advanced form of IVF was unsafe.

The chief medical officer for England, Prof Dame Sally Davies, said: "Scientists have developed ground-breaking new procedures which could stop these disease being passed on, bringing hope to many families seeking to prevent their future children inheriting them.

"It's only right that we look to introduce this life-saving treatment as soon as we can."

She said there were "clearly some sensitive issues here" but said she was "personally very comfortable" with altering mitochondria.

Scientists have devised two techniques that allow them to take the genetic information from the mother and place it into the egg of a donor with healthy mitochondria.

Boko Haram Threathens To Execute French Family Kidnapped in Cameroun, Africa

UK: Men Get Life for Sex Abuse Ring

Two sets of brothers - (L-R) Anjum Dogar, Akhtar Dogar, Bassam Karrar and Mohammed Karrar, were among the five men jailed for life

BBC

Two pairs of brothers who were among seven men who abused girls from Oxford in a sadistic sex grooming ring have been jailed for life.

Mohammed Karrar, 38, and brother Bassam Karrar, 34, will serve a minimum of 20 years and 15 years respectively.

Brothers Akhtar Doghar, 32, and Anjum Doghar, 31, were each jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years, reports the BBC.

Their offences included child rape and trafficking between 2004 and 2012. A fifth man was also jailed for life.

Kamar Jamil, 27, who was found guilty of charges including rape and arranging child prostitution, received a minimum term of 12 years.

Jurors heard at the men's trial at the Old Bailey how six girls, aged at the time between 11 and 15, were plied with alcohol and drugs before being forced to perform sex acts.

Some were beaten and burned.

The court heard how the men identified vulnerable girls for abuse and then groomed each one of them until they were under the control of the gang.

They were then each either abused by the men themselves, given to the men's friends or offered at a price to others who were not on trial.

The girls were mostly chosen because their unsettled or troubled lives made them easier to manipulate.

The men identified vulnerable girls and then groomed them individually until they were under the control of the gang.

The abuse started in Oxford but some victims were later taken to other parts of the country to be offered to other men who were in contact with the gang.

Kano Police Arrests 3241 Suspected Criminals In Six Months, Says Commissioner; SaharaReporters Questions Account

The police in Kano have announced the arrest of 3,241 suspects since January in a series of raids of criminal hide outs and black spots in the city, a whopping average of nearly 20 persons per day.

The Kano State Police Commissioner, Musa A. Daura, said 2,741 have been charged to court, he disclosed yesterday at a press conference.  Exhibits recovered from the suspects include 583 bottles of ‘Suck and Die;’ 1,280 tubes of rubber solution; 100 packages of tramol drugs; 39 knives, 15 swords, 7 locally made pistols, and a large quantity of Indian hemp.

Among the weapons he listed as recovered during the period, the commissioner listed 60 rounds of live ammunition, two AK-47 rifles, nine locally-made pistols and 74 cartridges, as well as cutlasses, sticks, long swords and breaking equipment.

The force also recovered 30 motor bicycles, 98 GSM handsets, cattle, 30 bags of rice, gold, jewelry, and clothing materials, the commissioner said.

Mr. Daura commended various people and bodies in the state for the successful campaign, including security agencies, religious leaders, traditional rulers, civil society, Hisbah and the citizens for assisting the command with useful information.

Preliminary SaharaReporters’ investigations however reveal curious holes in the story told by the commissioner concerning the seizures made so far this year.  In a statement by Mr. Daura himself three months ago, on the night of March 26, men of his command foiled an attempt by insurgents to destabilize the state, in the course of which they recovered a variety of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), guns and ammunition.

Among the items he listed as recovered in that one incident were 14 homemade grenades, nine remote controlled IEDs, two rifles, one fabricated rocket launcher, 238 rounds of different calibre of ammunitions, four rolls of wire connector and 12 power source were found concealed in the vehicle.
The police commissioner also said that those items were found in a Golf 3 motor vehicle, registration number AG701KTN.

It is unclear why there is such wide disparity in the items recovered over a period of six months when compared with items recovered in one incident alone.
What is worse is that the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Kano, of which the police is a part, has made several other recoveries since then.  Among them, on March 21, the JTF announced it had killed nine members of an invading Boko Haram gang.  Brigadier General Iliyasu Abba of the 3 Brigade told reporters at Bukavu Barracks that the JTF also recovered from the invaders two AK 47 assault rifles, three pistols, two small guns, one long range small rifle and 29 magazines.
On March 28, JTF spokesman Captain Ikediechi Iweha told the News Agency of Nigeria in Kano the group had recovered six AK 47 rifles, one FN rifle, one General Purpose Machine Gun, one pump action rifle and one PPK pistol.

He also listed 10 AK 47 magazines, one SMG magazine, one PPK pistol magazine, two smoke guns, 189 rounds of AK 47 ammunition, 43 rounds of 5.56mm SMG ammunition and eight rounds of 9mm ammunition for PPK pistols.

“The rest are 15 hand held explosive devices (IEDs), two (25 litres) containers of liquid chemical substance, 11 bags of nitrate fertiliser, 200 empty containers of assorted beverage drinks and other materials for making IEDs,” he said.

On May 2, Captain Iweha briefed the press on another incident in which he said an K47 rifle, 46 improvised explosive devices, two laptops, phones and their accessories were recovered from seven gunmen who were arrested.

Similarly, on May 31, the JTF announced the capture of 11 60mm anti-tank weapons, four anti-tank landmines, two rounds of ammunition for a 122-mm artillery gun, 21 rocket-propelled grenades, seventeen AK-47s with more than 11,000 bullets, and dynamite.

Yesterday’s statement by Police Commissioner Daura calls into question how weapons and other items captured from dissidents are accounted for, if at all, and whether the JTF and the police are being transparently supervised.

Africa: Hey, What's the Fuss About Obama's Africa Visit?

Reports about the visits of the United States' President Barack Obama to some African countries came as a relief to many citizens on the continent who might have felt that the American president, who has African roots, had ignored the continent, the birthplace of his father since his historic elections of 2008 and 2012 respectively.
In Nigeria, it is the proposed, or cancelled, visit of the U.S. president to the country that has continued to generate mixed reactions from different quarters, with some political pundits calling it a diplomatic victory for Nigeria if he should indeed come amidst the uncertainly that had characterised the Nigerian nation state of recent; made even worse due to the streams of negative stories from major international media.
Others also say if he did not visit the country, then it was going to be a great minus internationally and a diplomatic slap for the country. Looking at the countries he had chosen to visit, they argued, one would say they are not even the strongest or are they regional powers of their respective regions, except for South Africa, the continent's largest economy.
Barack Obama turning his back on Nigeria, many observers say, would be a diplomatic blow and an embarrassment to Nigeria and help to reinforce the belief and emerging trends that Nigeria has been losing diplomatic power on the continent and on the international stage especially with decreasing levels of its major economic power base, oil, and as other countries also discover oil fields which the Americans are so desperately interested in and perhaps may have facilitated these visits.
One thing is clear, whether he visits Nigeria or not, the question we as Nigerians need to ask ourselves today is of what significance or benefits will the U.S. president's visit accrue to us. It is true we export much of our oil, the mainstay of our economy, to his country, but that does not give them the effrontery to dictate to us Nigerians.

Fraud: Court orders Fred Ajudua to be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Prison

A Lagos High Court in Ikeja had on Thursday, asked authorities of the Kirikiri Maximum Prison to keep Fred Ajudua in their custody, until his trial is concluded.
Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, said the fraud suspect would have to remain in custody since he was not convinced that Ajudua would not jump bail.
“I’m not persuaded that the applicant will present himself if the previous bail is restored, or that he will be within the jurisdiction of this court,” he said.
He directed the Superintendent of Prisons, Kirikiri, to escort Ajudua to the hospital, whenever the need arises, adding that an “accelerated trial” would commence on July 8 and would continue daily.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had dragged Ajudua to court for allegedly duping Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen – two Dutch businessmen – of about $1.69 million (N262 million).
The suspect had sought bail on the grounds of his kidney ailment, saying the court should consider that he voluntarily appeared before upon return from India to continue his trial.

According to the judge, Ajudua’s absence from trial since 2006 was “to evade justice.”
The judge said that the Medical Director of Grant Medical Foundation, where Mr. Ajudua was purportedly receiving treatment, as well as the Nigerian High Commission were unable to account for the defendant’s whereabouts while in India.
He said; “These findings remain unchallenged till today. No reference was made on the exact date he returned to the country. No relevant pages of the passport were made available.
“The statement that he was within the court’s jurisdiction the day the case came up and he failed to appear supports the prosecution’s claims.”
Mr. Ajudua’s medical report stated that his left one, has two stones, but the Judge ruled that the report in his purview, did not mention the size of the (kidney) stone nor were there doctors’ reports from the prison about his health status.
“A medical report must be cogent, concise, and convincing,” he added.
Mr. Ajudua’s lawyer, Allens Agbaka, had, last Monday, volunteered a personal undertaking to ensure that his client was available throughout his trial.
Justice Oyewole however maintained that he was not convince

Obama Visits Slave Site of Disputed Importance

Soon after being released from his 27-year incarceration in South Africa, apartheid icon Nelson Mandela made a pilgrimage to this small island off the Senegalese coast.
He came to pay homage to a salmon-colored house which locals claim was used to hold slaves before herding them onto ships bound for America. When the curator showed him a hole underneath the staircase used to punish disobedient slaves, who were left to die in the crawlspace, Mandela himself climbed in.
He re-emerged, his face wet with tears, says Eloi Coly, the museum's chief conservator, who recalled the impact the experience had on Mandela, just hours before showing the building to President Barack Obama, who visited the structure on Thursday. For Coly, Mandela's emotional response underscores the role that this building, known as the House of Slaves, has had on crystalizing the stain that slavery left on humanity.
The hole is one of the features Coly planned to show Obama. The other is the door facing the open water, the so-called Door of No Return through which the shackled men, women and children left Africa, inching across a plank to the hull of a waiting ship. Like with previous tour groups, the curator planned to ask Obama to stand before the open door and contemplate the view, the slaves' last glimpse of Africa, he claims.

The problem though is that historians say the door faced the ocean so that the inhabitants of the house could chuck their garbage into the water, the preferred means of waste disposal in preindustrial Senegal. No slaves ever boarded a ship through it, they say, because no vessel could have sailed through the rocky shoal that surrounds that edge of the island.
And while the house may have housed slaves, they were likely those belonging to the family who lived there, rather than slaves intended for the trans-Atlantic passage, according to numerous publications as well as three historians of the slave trade interviewed by The Associated Press.
Even though historians have debunked the memorial, calling it a local invention, and despite reams of scholarly articles, treatises and books discussing its dubious historical role, the pink building has become the de facto emblem of slavery. It's the place where world leaders go to acknowledge this dark chapter and in addition to Obama, the museum has hosted former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush and Pope John Paul II. Its guestbook is bursting with the emotional messages from African-Americans who made their own pilgrimage here in an effort to make peace with their ancestors' roots.
"There are literally no historians who believe the Slave House is what they're claiming it to be, or that believe Goree was statistically significant in terms of the slave trade," says historian Ralph Austen, a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago who is the author of several articles on the issue. "The debate for us is how loudly should we denounce it?"
From 1501 to 1866, an estimated 12 million slaves from Africa were sent to North America, according to a database created by scholars using shipping records and plantation registers. Of these, only 33,000 came from Goree Island, an insignificant portion of the overall total, the database shows.
Yet the plaques which grace the stone walls of the Slave House speak of the "millions" of slaves that passed through its halls.

Three Lebanese in court for alleged terrorism

The three Lebanese being held for alleged terrorism were arraigned yesterday on a six-count charge before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Mustapha Fawaz (49), Abdullahi Thahini (48) and Tahal Roda (51) were arraigned with two of their companies – Amigo Supermarket Limited and Wonderland Amusement Park Resort – before Justice Adeniyi Ademola.
The three men were in counts one and two charged with belonging to Hezbollah military wing and knowingly agreed to receive training in preparation to engage in the commission of a terrorist act.
In count three, Fawaz and Fuazi Fawaz (now at large), owners of Amigo Supermarket, Abuja, were alleged to have “knowingly permitted a meeting connected with an act of terrorism” to be held on the premises of the supermarket.
In count four, Thahini, accused of “being the coordinator of Hezbollah in Nigeria”, was charged with involving himself “in an arrangement to facilitate the acquisition of terrorist funds by removal out of jurisdiction, the sum of $61,000”.
Fawaz, Thahini, Roda and Fauzi (now at large) were, in count five, accused of withholding from law enforcement agents information that would have assisted in the arrest of another suspect.
The three, their two companies and the fleeing Fawaz were, in count six, accused of “directly rendering support to a terrorist group” by allegedly providing their premises in Abuja and Kano for terrorist activities.
Their alleged offences are said to be punishable under Sections 5(1), 7(c), 8(1), 12(a), 13(2) and 16(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act 2013.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Their lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN), told the court that he had filed two applications for his clients. They include a motion for bail, pending trial and another challenging the competence of the charge.
The lead prosecution lawyer, Simon Egede (the Acting Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation) prayed the court for time to enable the state respond to the applications served on him yesterday.
Upon the request by both parties, particularly Raji, who urged the court not to remand his clients in prison but to return them to the custody of the State Security Service (SSS), Justice Ademola ordered the accused remanded in SSS custody.
The judge also directed parties to file and serve all processes before the next date. He adjourned the matter till July 8.
The Federal Government has freed the fourth of the Lebanese held over the Kano arms discovery.

Midnight Raid: 52 Nigerians Raided In Malaysia, Now Awaiting Deportation

n what was described as a midnight raid by the Malaysia Immigration Police, 52 Nigerians have been arrested and are now awaiting deportation.

According to reports, the Immigration police raided houses that were occupied by Nigerians, and properties were destroyed in the process. Clothed or unclad, the Nigerians who were unfortunate enough to be at home during the raid were arrested. Although it was reported that those who weren't home had their houses ransacked and vandalised.

$1.2M Missing From Swiss Air Jet, $92M Left Behind

More than $1 million was discovered missing from a Swiss Air Lines flight,  but whoever took the cash left behind the rest of the loot – another $92 million.
The cash shipment was destined for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, sources told ABC News today.
“When it got here, the money was missing,” FBI spokesman Jim Margolin said. The flight landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday.
The money disappeared between passenger flight 17′s point of origin in Zurich on Saturday and the unloading of the shipping container carrying the stash at New York’s international airport about 2:30 p.m. Monday. The money was discovered missing during the official count later Monday at the Fed offices in Lower Manhattan.

                                                          

Federal Reserve spokesman Jack Gutt said he had no comment on the heist or on the cash shipment.
The missing money was in 12 bundles of $100,000 apiece. It was all $100 bills.
“Three crates of cash were delivered to JFK,” one official said, adding that the crates were transported in a larger shipping container. “The crates remained sealed until yesterday. That’s when the seal was broken.”
A forklift operator “opened the sealed crate and noticed damage to one of the crates in the form of a puncture from a forklift. It was a hole large enough to put your arm in.”
Saying that shipping containers often have gouges in them after years of use, the forklift operator told investigators he didn’t think the hole was something that needed to be reported. Under questioning, he acknowledged that the gouge was considerably larger than the norm.
“It was certainly not something made by just a hammer or something,” another source said.
The forklift operator also told investigators that the damaged shipping crate was positioned so the hole was blocked from view until it was removed in New York.
Investigators believe it’s most likely that the money was taken before the flight by someone who either knew what was in the crates or saw a target of opportunity.
An official for the Port Authority, which runs New York’s airports, said only that it is “an active investigation.”
Airline spokeswoman Susanne Mühlemann told ABC news,  “We do not have any indication of a robbery of a Swiss aircraft.” She would not, however, discuss what may or may not have happened at the airports on either side of the flight.
JFK has a long, colorful history of cargo thefts, the most famous being the Lufthansa heist immortalized in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 film “Goodfellas.”
Three months ago, detectives cracked a long-running operation that saw thousands of packages stolen as they passed through Kennedy Airport’s huge U.S. Postal Service mail-processing facilities.

The protest in Kenya against legislators’ pay

 


KENYANS took to the streets the other day to protest a large increase in legislators’ salary (from a tax-free $6,200 to $10,000 per month), indicating that on the African continent there are still people sufficiently outraged by the insensitivity of their politicians to summon the courage to literally do something about it.
Although running a mere $76 billion economy with over 40 per cent of the population living below poverty line, the Kenyan lawmakers are said to have raised their pay in defiance of both a National Salaries Commission order and a plea against it by the new president, Uhuru Kenyatta. In effect, these lawmakers have on the one hand, chosen to wilfully break the law as prescribed by a constituted authority, and on the other have shown their imperviousness to moral suasion. It is pertinent to state, by way of comparison, that the salary of a member of the Congress of the United States, the largest and multi-trillion dollar economy in the world is reportedly $174,000 a year or $14,500 monthly, excluding other benefits.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in its 2011 Human Development Report assessed 187 countries of the world, using a number of indices to determine material and non-material quality of life of their respective citizens. Kenya, with a 0.509 score out of a possible 1.000, ranked 143 and therefore in the Low Human Development category. Life expectancy at birth is 57.1 years.
By their defiant decision to ‘feather their own nest’ Kenyan lawmakers have shown utter insensitivity to the prevailing conditions of the average citizen as well as a lawless arrogance of power. Given that this is a new government voted in only a few months ago, it is difficult not to conclude that their primary and foremost motive for public post is pecuniary benefit. This is a pity indeed because rather than be an encouraging exception and signalise a new and better dispensation, this action falls squarely in line with the attitude and behaviour of most of their elected counterparts in other African countries. Indeed, if as it is popularly stated, democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people, a Kenyan protester was quite right that ‘our parliament is defying our democracy’.
It is a crying shame that so soon after general elections, Kenyans are provoked to take to the streets against their so-called representatives. They cannot but wonder in amazement if these are the same persons that begged to serve and were duly obliged with a mandate to govern for the greatest good of, not the elected only, but the greatest number in the polity. If the behaviour of the legislators is a sign of things to come, then Kenya may be in for rough times. And the blame will lie squarely upon the self-seeking political class.
The only redeeming feature of this depressing development in Kenya is that at least the salaries of lawmakers are known to their employers, namely the electorate. Not so here in Nigeria where opacity is the defining characteristic of government spending – be it the remunerations of public officials, or contract to procure goods and services. And there is nary a concern by the people who should care and act about public opinion. Or how else can it be understood that in the spirit of transparency and open government, the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), armed with the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011, requested sometime that year, details of the remunerations of members of the Nigerian National Assembly from 2007 to 2011 and the non-governmental organisation was ignored! On June 25, 2012, Justice B.B. Aliyu of the Federal High Court, Abuja ordered the National Assembly to comply with the request by LEDAP. It is doubtful that the court pronouncement has been obeyed by the very parliament that enacted the FOI law.
The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is the body empowered by Section 70 of the constitution to determine ‘the salaries and other allowances’ of members of the National Assembly. Alas, whatever its recommendations are observed largely in the breach with the consequence that the precise pay of Nigerian lawmakers exist only in the realm of rumour. Simply put, the electorate, as employer, does not know for certain how much its employees, as public servants, pay themselves. On the contrary, the salary of the most powerful public servant in the world, the President of the United States, is known around the world; it is $400,000 per annum.
The Kenyan debacle is representative of corrupt, greedy, and conscienceless African leaders at various levels who gain power only to use it to serve themselves. The rapacity for political power is translated into avarice for filthy lucre, the misappropriation of an unfair share of the commonwealth, and a sustained impoverishment of the citizenry. Indeed the brazenness has become so widespread and has gone on for so long it has become something of a culture of governance. But this should not be.
An appeal hereby goes to the conscience and the sense of decency of Kenyans as well as other African leaders to see public office as an avenue for service and not a route to wealth and self-aggrandisement.

S’Africans sing, pray for Mandela, clan elders prepare for ‘final journey’

WITH the health of their ailing dear Nelson Mandela remaining critical, emotional crowds gathered outside his hospital yesterday, as relatives and clan elders made preparations for the revered former South African leader’s final journey.
But despite Madiba’s deteriorating health, supporters still sang hymns for the 94-year-old architect of South Africa’s remarkable transition from almost half a century of white minority rule to landmark multiracial elections, a report by Agence france Presse (AFP) indicated.
Moreso, a candlelight vigil was held late Tuesday and a prayer read out by a South African archbishop to wish the Nobel Peace laureate a “peaceful, perfect, end”.
“We have been so united — blacks and whites together. That’s the thought of Mandela in us,” said Lerato Boulares, 35.
With his life seemingly slipping away, messages of support for the anti-apartheid hero blanketed a wall outside the hospital, including a poster bearing one of his most memorable quotes: “It only seems impossible until it’s done”.
Meanwhile, messages of goodwill flooded in from overseas.
In only her fifth ever tweet, Hillary Clinton offered “love and prayers to our great friend, Madiba, his family and his nation during this difficult time.”
The White House has also sent its wishes but could not yet say whether his ill health would affect a planned visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to South Africa from Friday as part of a tour of Africa.
The former political prisoner was hospitalised on June 8 with a stubborn lung problem dating from his 27 years locked up on the notorious Robben Island and in other apartheid prisons.
With his condition deteriorating, Mandela was breathing with the assistance of a life support ventilator, South African daily, The Citizen, reported, quoting unnamed family sources. It was not possible to verify the information.
Officially, there was no change in Mandela’s condition, with President Jacob Zuma reporting he was still “in a critical condition.”
According to local media, elders from Mandela’s Thembu clan were due to visit the Nobel laureate as his “Rainbow Nation” comes to terms with the increasing frailty of the man fondly known by his clan name Madiba.
The elders want to “discuss what should be done,” an unnamed local chief told local daily The Times, alluding to disagreement among family members over his burial site.
A row reportedly broke out between family members on Tuesday over whether to move the graves of Mandela’s three children to his childhood village where he is expected to be laid to rest, with grandson, Mandla Mandela, said to have stormed out of the meeting in anger.
Cape Town Archbishop Thabo Makgoba visited Pretoria’s Mediclinic Heart Hospital late Tuesday to pray with wife Graca Machel “at this hard time of watching and waiting”.
“Grant Madiba eternal healing and relief from pain and suffering,” the prayer said. “Grant him, we pray, a quiet night and a peaceful, perfect, end.”
A makeshift campsite has sprung up in front of the hospital as international television crews descend on South Africa awaiting word on Mandela’s health, competing with his supporters for space on the pavement.
“I pray for him, every day, every morning so he must not die now,” said Folashade Olaitan.
School children brought a poster they had drawn with the words “We love u Tata (father)”.
Zuma said that Mandela had spent his life “in dedication to humanity”.
Zuma led delegates at a union conference in a rousing song that evokes Mandela’s role as a moral compass and leader of the struggle for freedom: “As Mandela said to his followers, ‘This road we’ve embarked on is long; we’ll meet on Freedom Day’”.
Mandela’s fragile state of health has sparked speculation that the tour could be halted, or radically changed, if the anti-apartheid icon passes away in the hours before Obama leaves, or while he is on the continent.
South Africa’s foreign minister Maite Nkoana Mashabane said that while Obama would have loved to see Mandela, a meeting with the former South African leader would be impossible.
Mandela – whose 95th birthday is on July 18 – has been hospitalised four times since December, mostly for a recurring lung infection dating back to his time in jail for sabotage against the apartheid government.
The world watched as the man once branded a terrorist by the United States and Britain raised his fist as he walked free from prison near Cape Town in 1990.
Mandela went on to negotiate an end to white minority rule and won South Africa’s first fully democratic elections in 1994.
He forged a path of racial reconciliation during his single term as president, before taking up a new role as a roving elder statesman and leading AIDS campaigner.
He stepped back from public life in 2004 and has not been seen in public since the football World Cup finals in South Africa in 2010.
With his health now fading, Mandela’s supporters are becoming resigned to his mortality — while preparing to celebrate his legacy.
“He’s now (nearly) 95 years old so we don’t have to worry about him,’ 40-year-old Jauffre Basube said. “I think he’s done what he’s supposed to do.”

Questions persist on Nigeria’s exclusion as Obama begins African tour

 

President applauds Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage
AS United States (U.S.) President Barack Obama Wednesday embarked on his three nations’ tour of Africa, questions persisted from the American media and civil society on the exclusion of Nigeria from the trip.
Obama, who was joined by his wife, Michelle and other White House officials and family members, including his two daughters, boarded Air Force One around 9a.m. yesterday morning and left for Senegal – the first stop of the trip.
However, Obama has commended the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a law defining marriage as between a man and a woman – a major victory for gay couples.
“I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defence of Marriage Act,” Obama said shortly after the announcement of the 5-4 decision ending the 1996 law.
“This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people. The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it.”
The striking down of DOMA will allow married gay couples to enjoy the same federal benefits as straight married couples, including with regard to inheritance and hospital visits.
Obama said he had ordered officials to “ensure this decision, including its implications for federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.”
In addition to striking down the federal law, the Supreme Court threw out an appeal of a ruling against Proposition 8, a California state ban on gay marriage, paving the way for same-sex marriage in the western state.
In a bid to reassure opponents of same-sex marriage, Obama said the rulings would have no effect on how religious institutions define marriage.
Obama, the first U.S. president to come out in support of same-sex marriage, cast the decision as a landmark step in the U.S. struggle for equal rights.
But in the last one week during pre-tour conference calls hosted by the White House, the constant top question asked by either journalists or civil society centered on Nigeria’s exclusion.
First, the White House held a Conference Call for reporters last week Friday where the travel plans of President Obama were detailed and the objectives of the trip explained by three White House officials, namely Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, Senior Director for African Affairs Grant Harris and Senior Director for Development and Democracy Gayle Smith.
At that media briefing, it did not take too long before a reporter from Bloomberg asked the question on why Nigeria was left out.
Again on Tuesday afternoon at another White House Conference Call addressed by the same set of White House officials, but this time not for the press but for NGOs and the civil society, a participant from Howard University, spoke up again, demanding an explanation from White House why Nigeria was left out of the trip.
Besides the U.S. media and NGOs questioning the exclusion of Nigeria, such groups like the Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans, CANAN and also the Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S., Prof. Ade Adefuye, have also questioned what many see as an obvious isolation of Nigeria during this second trip by President Obama to Africa.
The argument behind the questions raised by both the U.S. media and civil society is based on Nigeria’s strategic role in the continent and what the Obama government itself has always said about the importance of Nigeria to its African policy.
For instance, the U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said last year at a meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo in the U.S. capital that Nigeria was America’s anchor in Africa.
But in replying to the questions and criticism, White House Deputy National Security Adviser, Rhodes, hinted at the security situation in the country as being responsible.
Rhodes told the media that “obviously, Nigeria is working through some very challenging security issues right now.”
Although he added that the U.S. certainly believes “that Nigeria is a fundamentally important country to the future of Africa. We’ve put a lot of investment in the relationship with Nigeria through their leadership of ECOWAS, through the significant U.S. business investment in Nigeria and through our security cooperation.
According to him, the U.S. certainly believes there will be a future “opportunity to further engage the Nigerian government through bilateral meetings going forward. But at this point, we just were not able to make it to Nigeria on this particular itinerary.”
During Tuesday’s conference call with the civil society and NGOs, the White House officials made the same explanation, focusing even more on the security situation in Nigeria as the major obstacle, according to NGO participants that were on the conference call.
Meanwhile, Adefuye has asked for a distinct visit by President Obama to Nigeria before the end of the second term in 2016.