Global Naija Info

The late Mrs Adebola Veronica Olorunyomi, wife of Dr Sola Olorunyomi of the University of Ibadan Institute of African Studies was buried in Ibadan Oyo State on Saturday. Before her burial, a funeral service was held for her at the Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan. Here are some pictures taken at the event. The deceased Dr. Sola Olorunyomi Iwalewa Dr Sola Olorunyomi and his daughter Iwalewa sitting down A woman betrays emotion at the service Pastor Gbenga Odebiri, Pastor U.S.A. Ugo, Adeoti Olanrewaju, and Funke Ugbe at the event Mourners at the event Seye Oni musical group at the service University of Ibadan choir

Major-General Lucky Irabor, Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole The Commander of “Operation Lafiya Dole’’, Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, on Saturday advocated the constitution of Truth and Reconciliation Commission to look at issues in the North-East. Irabor made the call at the maiden Town Hall Meeting of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, in Maiduguri. He said that with the commission, if established, would bring lasting peace in the region, devastated by the insurgency. “For us in the Operation Lafiya Dole, we believe that a Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be necessary because, whether you like it or not, the psychological trauma the people went through is enormous. “And, because of this and the nature of atrocities committed by the insurgents, which a number of them are our kits and kins, reconciliation is very necessary,” Irabor said. He said that since the repentant insurgents and their relations were still part of the society, reconciliation was the only key i

The deceased Between 10am and 12noon on Saturday September 17, 2016, family, friends, media chiefs and practitioners and members of the academic community gathered at the historic Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan, UI, for the funeral service of the late Mrs. Adebola Veronica Olorunyomi nee Akande who passed on September 12, 2016. Adebola, the wife of Dr Sola Olorunyomi of the UI Institute of African Studies, died of breast cancer and was buried after the service. Describing his wife as a sound and strong Christian, Sola Olorunyomi believed that his wife would not have died if there was proper diagnosis and proper handling of the case. “She died basically of cancer of the breast. She detected it early. At a point, she started feeling this object. After six months, we went to the hospital but they didn’t see anything. They kept saying that there wasn’t anything there. It took about two years before the medical practitioners knew she had cancer. Before talking about good m

The US-led coalition has admitted its planes carried out an attack in eastern Syria that the Russian army says killed at least 62 Syrian troops fighting IS. The US said its planes halted the attack in Deir al-Zour when informed of the Syrian presence and would not knowingly strike them. The strikes allowed IS jihadists to advance, the Russians said. Russia earlier said the current ceasefire in Syria was in danger of collapse and the US would be to blame. The cessation of hostilities does not include attacks by the US on IS or other jihadist groups. The US Central Command statement said the coalition believed it was attacking positions of so-called Islamic State and the raids were “halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military”. It said the “Combined Air Operations Center had earlier informed Russian counterparts of the upcoming strike”. It added: “Syria is a

Syrian soldiers No fewer than 80 Syrian soldiers were killed in a U.S.-led coalition air strike at an army position near Deir al-Zor airport on Saturday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group stated this, citing a source at the airport. Russian jets had been bombing in the same area at the same time, the group said. “The source at the airport said the air strike had paved the way for Islamic State fighters to overrun the position at Jebel Tharda,’’ the group said. It said earlier that only 30 soldiers had been killed, citing the same source.

St. Peter’s Square A man with mental health issues broke the security barrier around St Peter’s Square in Rome, ramming his car through a checkpoint demanding to see Pope Francis. Police in Rome said in two statements that they arrested a 64-year-old “mentally unstable” Italian who drove into a one-way street to the left of St Peter’s colonnade. “He crashed past a police vehicle and broke through the wooden barricades that surround the square. “The incident in which nobody was hurt, took place at around 9.30 p.m. (1930 GMT) Friday,’’ the police said. The intruder was described as a carpenter from Ronciglione, a town about 70 kilometres north of the Vatican, who is undergoing psychiatric treatment. Officers acted “appropriately and correctly” in deciding not to use firearms, because they were informed that they were not dealing with a terrorist, and because the man posed “no immediate danger” to others, police stressed. Rome-based daily, Il Messaggero, added that the man got out

Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State, is also chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) The Zamfara Government on Saturday said it had recorded increase in malaria-related deaths among children under five years and pregnant women. Alhaji Hamisu Dauran, the Project Manager of the State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP), made this known while speaking at the commencement of a one-day training of religious and traditional leaders on malaria eradication. The training was organised by the Nigerian Inter-Faith Action Association (NIFAA) in collaboration with Health Community Capacity Collaboration (HC3), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). Dauran said that within the first and second quarters of 2016, the state recorded 276 deaths and over 76,000 reported malaria cases of under-five children across in health centres across the state. According to him, within the period the state also recorded 74 malaria-related deaths of pregnant women and had 1,178 reported cases. He l

US Capitol Police Four U.S. police officers and four civilians were shot on Friday night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Fort Worth, Texas, authorities said. In Philadelphia, Sergeant Sylvia Young, 19, was ambushed late Friday night and shot a number of times in her left arm and protective vest, said Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Richard Ross. The suspect later wounded Ed Miller, a former police officer who is now a member of the security force at the University of Pennsylvania, Ross said. During the police chase, a woman was killed and three other civilians were injured by the suspect, before he was cornered in an alley and fatally shot by the police. Young and Miller were rushed to hospital and were in stable condition early Saturday, Ross said. In another incident in Fort Worth, two police officers were responding to a suicide call at a house Friday night were shot and wounded. When they entered the house, a suspect inside the backyard shed began shooting, local media

Desmond Tutu Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is back in hospital, just days after being discharged following three weeks of treatment for a recurring infection. Tutu, who has been a moral beacon for the entire continent for many years, is 84 and has been suffering from prostate cancer for several years. The Nobel Laureate had also been admitted to hospital in Cape Town on several occasions in recent months due to an unidentified recurring infection. Tutu’s family said the Nobel Laureate was being treated for a surgical wound which is showing “signs of infection.” Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986 and the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987. He also got the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999, the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007 and South Africa Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Report said that Tutu was widely regarded as “South Africa’s moral conscience’’ and was described by the late President Nelson Mandela as “the voice o

Alexis Sanchez Alexis Sanchez scored twice and missed a penalty as Arsenal comfortably beat 10-man Hull City in the Premier League. Sanchez put Arsenal ahead when he got a touch on Alex Iwobi’s shot, but failed from the spot after Jake Livermore handled and was sent off. Theo Walcott added a second after the break before Robert Snodgrass pulled one back for the hosts with a penalty. Sanchez stroked a third into an empty net before Granit Xhaka’s spectacular shot rounded off the scoring. Sanchez’s first goal owed much to fortune rather than brilliance as Iwobi arrived at the back post and saw his effort deflect in off the Chile international. Livermore was shown a straight red card five minutes before half-time when he blocked Iwobi’s goal-bound effort with his hands. Sanchez took responsibility for the penalty ahead of recent regular taker Santi Cazorla only to see his low effort saved by Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic. It was a decision which also mystified Wenger who reveal

Sterling scoring one of City’s goal A scintillating Manchester City made it eight wins out of eight in all competitions this season as they easily beat Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium. Kevin de Bruyne put the league leaders in front with a low free-kick under the wall after a Jack Wilshere foul. City were dominant and two clinical counter-attacks led to Kelechi Iheanacho and Raheem Sterling tap-ins. Ilkay Gundogan calmly slotted in a fourth but City had Nolito sent off late on for an attempted head-butt. The Spaniard was involved in a clash with Adam Smith and, while any contact with his head looked slight, referee Jon Moss had little option but to dismiss the winger. City’s passing and movement was a joy to watch and the influential De Bruyne was at the heart of their play. The Belgian midfielder, who scored in the win over against Manchester United last week, played behind main striker Iheanacho and caused Bournemouth all sorts of problems as he was involved in all his side’s g

The newly built slip road at Alapere The Lagos State Government has unveiled the newly built Ketu-Alapere Lay-by and 700m concretized Slip Road to decongest traffic in the area. Unveiling the laby-by and slip roads on Saturday, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said the project was another mission statement of his administration’s commitment to making life better for residents and investors in the State. Speaking through his Deputy, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, the governor said that the new look of Alapere-Ketu Lay-by, was characterized by the construction of a two-lane access road from Iyana Oworo inwards Alapere-Ketu that would relieve traffic flow towards Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Ojodu-Berger axis. He said that provision was also made for pedestrian safety with the integration of a two-metre wide walkway and drainage on one side of the lay-by access inwards Alapere-Ketu, to ensure that vehicular movement is not impeded by pedestrians. Ambode urged transport unions to educate their member

R-L: Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule; Majority Leader, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade; Ayugburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi; member, House of Representative, Ikorodu Federal Constituency, Hon. Babajimi Benson and Commissioner for Local Government & Community Affairs, Hon. Muslim Folami during the Flag-Off of the Formal Commissioning of the 114 Roads across the Local Governments in the State on Saturday. Kazeem Ugbodaga Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Saturday flagged off a week-long commissioning of 114 roads newly constructed in all the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the State, with a pledge to commence the construction of second round of another 114 roads across the State soon. The roads were built at a cost of N19.4 billion. The newly constructed 114 roads which were designed with walkways, medians, street lights and standard drainage systems, were selected two per each

Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the late Premier of the old Western Region and leader of opposition in the First Republic was Vice Chairman of Federal Executive Council and Finance Minister (Federal Commissioner) during the General Yakubu Gowon regime. When Awolowo (Awo for short) was in charge of the country’s finances, Nigeria embarked upon many infrastructural projects and even executed a three-year civil war without borrowing money. However, at a point, Awolowo decided to move on. Below are his resignation letter (written 45 years ago) and Gowon’s reply. Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Resignation Letter From The Federal Executive Council Dated June 13, 1971 To General Yakubu Gowon June 13, 1971. My dear Commander-in-Chief, You will recall that in a statement made by me and published in the SUNDAY TIMES of March 30, 1969, I declared, among other things, as follows: “Even at the federal level, I have no desire whatsoever, and I certainly cannot be tempted or induc

Map of Nigeria Nigeria cannot be divided into separate parts. God is interested in Nigeria. This nation is God’s own chosen Nation. God loves the country Nigeria; therefore there is nothing the enemies can do to decompose this great united nation. God has so blessed this nation Nigeria. Our mineral and natural resources are not yet tapped. Many are yet to be discovered when its Gods’ time. Whatever happened or still happening in this country today is divine, if not, Nigeria would have separated long ago. The civil war and many other civil unrest, caused by group of people in this country would have tore us apart. Please permit me to be a little bit spiritual here. This nation and its inhabitants are going through a process of greatness. God is preparing them for His own use. For I believe that in every last lap of every generation, God will always raise a nation He will use to show forth Himself and His power, most especially to existing great nations. Nigeria is that nation God wi

President Muhammadu Buhari Corruption is the opposite of integrity. Corruption is the greatest enemy to human existence and the level of corruption today in the whole world not only in Nigeria is turning everything from order to disorder, from normal to abnormal. It is indeed the havoc of corruption, a situation in which there is a lot of damage, destruction and confusion as a result of enormous corruption existing among us. There is an atom of corruption in every sector, trade and all affairs of life today. Therefore fighting corruption should not just be limited to the noticeable shortcoming in the running of our executive, legislative arms of government and judiciary only but should include sharp practices across all sectors: the civil society organizations, private individuals, private business houses, academic institutions, the media and most importantly religious organizations etc. There is need to raise a greater awareness on the evil effects of corruption in our country. Whe

Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje The Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board has confirmed the death of two pilgrims from the state in Saudi Arabia during the 2016 Hajj. The Public Relations Officer of the board, Alhaji Nuhu Badamasi confirmed this in a telephone interview on Saturday in Kano. The National Hajj Commission had announced that 18 Nigerians lost their lives during this year Hajj. Badamasi said the two male victims from Kano died after brief illness in Mina and Mecca respectively. He said one of them hail from Kano Municipal Local Government Area, while the other came from Gaya Local Government Area. Badamasi said the deceased had since been buried in accordance with the Islamic rites in Mecca. He said the board had concluded arrangements to begin the transportation of pilgrims from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria, from next week. “This is expected to begin hopefully on Wednesday or Thursday next week according to the flight schedule,’’ he said. No fewer than 5,808 pilgrim

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State The Association of Resident Doctors, Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso has appealed to Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State to pay them their full salaries. This is contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Ogbomoso by Dr Sebastine Oiwoh and Dr Ayobami Alabi the President and General Secretary of the association respectively. They expressed concern that members of the association had only been paid 50 percent of their salaries from January to March, describing it as “unfair.’’ “We beckon on the listening ears and tender heart of our father, Gov. Abiola Ajimobi not to single our members out amidst other health workers in Oyo state civil service. “All other doctors and health workers in the state civil service are receiving full salary. “They have been paid their full salaries from January to March 2016, while we received half ,’’ they said. The officials noted that doctors’ services bothered on “saving lives and main

Gov. Muhammad Badaru of Jigawa State The Buji Local Government Council of Jigawa has provided 40 cartons of sweets to woo children to participate in the September house-to-house immunisation exercise. The Information Officer of the Council, Alhaji Ali Safiyanu, disclosed this in an interview on Saturday in Dutse. Safiyanu said that no fewer than 47,500 children will be immunised against polio and other child killer diseases in the area. He said the council had received enough doses of Oral Polio Vaccines (OPVs) to cover the targeted number of children during the five-day exercise. The spokesperson said the council had also serviced the power generating set belonging to the National Program for Immunisation (NPI) to ensure constant power supply during the exercise. Safiyanu said constant power supply will help in keeping the OPVs refrigerated throughout the exercise. The immunisation exercise for September begins in all the 27 local government areas of the state on Saturday.

Late President Ronald Reagan Furniture, jewellery and cowboy boots are among more than 700 personal items belonging to late former U.S President Ronald and first lady Nancy Reagan set for auction on Monday. The personal belongings would be sold by auctioneer Christie’s in New York. “It’s the private side of a very public life,” said Johnathan Rendell of Christie’s. “A lot of the things on sale went with them from California to the White House and then came home again.’’ Nancy died in March while Ronald died in 2004. The auction is expected to generate more than two million dollars, with the money going to The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. Rendell said the couple lived modestly. “This is not an incredibly lavish lifestyle. There are a lot of things that relate to their spending time together’’. “Almost everything comes in pairs. They were notoriously devoted to each other and that really shows.” Among the items are cowboy boots, a gift from Western actor

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State The Police Command in Sokoto State has confirmed the murder of a 20-year old man, Usman Shehu, in the early hours of Saturday at the Kwanberu Area of Sokoto. The body of the deceased popularly called Manu, was also severally brutalised. The commands spokesman, Mr El-Mustapha Sani, who confirmed the incident, disclosed that the remains had been taken to the Specialist Hospital, Sokoto, for an autopsy. Sani further said that the remains of late Shehu would later be released to the family for burial according to Islamic rites. ”The police will do everything humanly possible to unravel the mystery behind the murder of the orphan.” The guardian of the deceased, Alhaji Ahmad Shehu, said that the family was traumatised by his brutal killing. He said “all we want is justice and the fleeing killers of our son should be apprehended and brought to book. ”We will continue to pray fervently for the repose of his soul and for the Almighty Allah to exp

Muslim pilgrims walk up Mount Arafat near Mecca The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Friday said it would investigate allegations that states used agents in the collection of hajj fares from prospective pilgrims The Chairman of the Commission, Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed, said this at the Post Arafat meeting in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He said the commission had received disturbing reports of many pilgrims being duped by unscrupulous people. He said any state official found to have aided such illegality would be sanctioned. Mohammed said the agencies had no business using anyone to collect fares from prospective pilgrims on their behalf He also gave state agencies yet to pay the Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) to their pilgrims up to Monday to pay such money. He said NAHCON would pay such pilgrim in the event the state failed to pay and appropriate action would be taken against the officials. Mohammed also said that NAHCON board had decided that henceforth payments of h

FILE PHOTO: Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia Nigeria is to protest the seizure of electronic wristbands brought into Saudi Arabia for use of its pilgrims. The Consulate-General, Nigeria Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Alhaji Muhammad Yunusa, said this at the Post Arafat meeting organised by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Friday in Makkah. The wristbands were introduced by NAHCON to monitor each pilgrim’s movement and facilitate easy identification where the need arises. However, thousands of the items were seized at the airport in Madinah by security officials and all entreaties by Nigerian officials for release fell on deaf ears. Following this, NAHCON suspended the use of the wristbands by the pilgrims rendering the whole project useless. Yunusa said the action of Saudi authorities ran counter to the understanding reached by the two governments before the introduction of the wristbands. He said the embassy had in February informed the Saudi government

Nigerian pilgrims arriving the coutry in past hajj The first contingent of Nigerian pilgrims to this year’s pilgrimage left Jeddah International Airport for Nigeria on Saturday The Flynass flight No KNE 7268 took off at 9.55 a.m., Saudi local time, carrying 465 pilgrims from Kogi. Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi, Media officer, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), who confirmed the departure, said two other flights were already on the ground preparing for take-off. He said one of the flights was due to fly to Ilorin, while the other would be going to Abuja. A total of 75,000 Nigerians performed this year’s pilgrimage.

President Buhari and President Obama at a past meeting President Barack Obama and Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari will meet on Tuesday in New York, on the sidelines of the US leader’s final appearance at the UN General Assembly session. The 71st UN General session opens on Monday. It will be President Buhari’s second appearance since he came to power on 29 May last year. The meeting confirmed by White House was not on the itinerary of the Nigerian leader released on Friday. Obama is also scheduled to meet with presidents of Iraq and Colombia. Obama will discuss with President Buhari about continued U.S. support for security and economic changes in the country, as well the government’s efforts to counter the terrorist group Boko Haram. Nigeria and the US have pending agreement over the sale of US military equipment, especially attack helicopters to fight the insurgents. In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, P

The former award Fifa has ended its association with the Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best player. The award has been given by France Football every year since 1956, but for the past six years it became the Fifa Ballon d’Or in association with world football’s governing body. The French magazine will continue to run the award and will announce more details on Tuesday, 20 September. Fifa ran a separate World Player of the Year award from 1991 until 2009. It is thought they will now relaunch their own trophy, with the details yet to be worked out. Barcelona forward Lionel Messi won four of the six Fifa Ballons d’Or, including the final one, with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo winning the other two. The last year that neither of them won the Ballon d’Or or Fifa’s main award was 2007, when Kaka won both.

Nigerian students in Australia Mr Muazu Jalaludeen, Students Admission Manager, Abbey DLD Group of Colleges, UK, on Friday rated Nigerian students high in terms of academic performance in the college. Jalaludeen, who stated this in Abuja at a news conference, attributed the high performance of Nigerians studying at the college to the quality of education they acquired at the basic level in Nigeria. “The performance of Nigerian students in Abbey DLD Group of Colleges has been very encouraging and we have been very proud of this because this is seen almost every year. “The last result released in August showed that a Nigerian student, Ifeoluwa Akinmolu , who did four subjects graduated with four A* in all the subjects. “As I talk to you, she has been admitted into University of London to read Chemical Engineering because of her performance at the college,” he said. He said Abbey DLD Group of Colleges is a UK-based preparatory college for students of between the ages of 15 and 18 s

Liverpool scoring one of their goals Liverpool continued to gather impressive momentum in the Premier League as they inflicted Antonio Conte’s first loss as Chelsea manager with a deserved victory at Stamford Bridge to move into the top four. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp was a winner at Stamford Bridge last season – and this was three points Liverpool fully merited to add to a triumph at Arsenal on the opening weekend of the season and a draw at Tottenham. Liverpool were keen to build on the 4-1 thrashing of champions Leicester City at Anfield last weekend and they over-ran Chelsea to take control by half-time through Dejan Lovren’s close range finish and captain Jordan Henderson’s spectacular 25-yard strike. Chelsea, with £32m defender David Luiz making his first appearance since returning to Chelsea from Paris St-Germain as replacement for the injured John Terry, pulled one back through Diego Costa but their laboured performance deserved nothing from this game. Klopp’s Liverpool is l

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State Kogi State Police Command has banned public jubilation and/or demonstration after the Supreme Court delivers its judgment on the state governorship election petition appeals. The Commissioner of Police, Malam Abdullahi Chafe, announced the ban at a news conference in Lokoja on Friday. He said the judgment is slated for delivery on Tuesday next week. Chafe said that intelligence reports reaching the command revealed that some miscreants were planning to foment trouble if the Supreme Court judgment should go contrary to their expectations. The police commissioner warned that individuals or group of persons who cause break down of law and order would face the full wrath of the law. He urged various political parties to call their members and supporters to order so that peace would reign after the delivery of judgment. “Kogi State is greater than anybody. Police will not waste anytime in dealing with law breakers within the constitutional require

President Muhammadu Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari is angry over reports in the social media that the speech he delivered at the launching of the ‘ChangeBeginsWithMe’ campaign was plagiarized from a speech delivered by the US President Barack Obama in 2008. To this end, the president has ordered prompt and appropriate disciplinary action against those responsible for a wrongful insertion in his speech delivered at the launch of the “Change Begins with Me’’ campaign. This is contained in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu. According to him, this serious oversight will be investigated thoroughly and appropriate sanction meted out. Shehu stated that already a Deputy Director in the presidency has accepted responsibility for the insertion of the contentious paragraph, adding that the presidency regretted the mistake committed by the overzealous staff. “It was observed that the similarities be