Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Lagos under siege, says Deeper Life
Fani-Kayode to Fashola: Make peace with Tinubu or prepare for war
As mixed reactions continued to trail the purported frosty relationship between the former governors of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, erstwhile Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has advised Fashola to mend fences with his former boss, or prepare for a long war of attrition.
Fani-Kayode, yesterday, on his Facebook page, said: “Things are getting messier by the day. My advice to Tunde Fashola is to go and make peace with his benefactor, Bola Tinubu, before it is too late. Other than that, he should prepare for a long war of attrition which may ultimately end in the destruction of them both.”
It will be recalled that shortly after the last general elections, on May 7, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, had confirmed that he helped settled a quarrel between the former governors.
However, speculations that all was not well between Asiwaju Tinubu and Fashola came to fore Tuesday, last week, when the mainstream of the state’s political class, abstained from the launch of three books on Fashola’s stewardship entitled: “The Great Leap,” “In Bold Print” and “The Lagos Blow Dawn” authored by Hakeem Bello, at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Asiwaju Tinubu were not present at the books presentation.
Although, represented by a former Commissioner of Education in the state, Prof. Tunde Samuel, Asiwaju Tinubu, lauded Fashola for his success in office saying; “We are happy about your success in office and we believe the sky is your limit.”
Fani-Kayode, yesterday, on his Facebook page, said: “Things are getting messier by the day. My advice to Tunde Fashola is to go and make peace with his benefactor, Bola Tinubu, before it is too late. Other than that, he should prepare for a long war of attrition which may ultimately end in the destruction of them both.”
It will be recalled that shortly after the last general elections, on May 7, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, had confirmed that he helped settled a quarrel between the former governors.
However, speculations that all was not well between Asiwaju Tinubu and Fashola came to fore Tuesday, last week, when the mainstream of the state’s political class, abstained from the launch of three books on Fashola’s stewardship entitled: “The Great Leap,” “In Bold Print” and “The Lagos Blow Dawn” authored by Hakeem Bello, at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Asiwaju Tinubu were not present at the books presentation.
Although, represented by a former Commissioner of Education in the state, Prof. Tunde Samuel, Asiwaju Tinubu, lauded Fashola for his success in office saying; “We are happy about your success in office and we believe the sky is your limit.”
Tuesday, 25 August 2015
London police arrest another Arik Air crew with cocaine
A crew member of Arik Air, Mr.Chika Egwu Udensi, was on Monday night apprehended at Heathrow Airport, London, for allegedly peddling substances, suspected to be cocaine.
Spokesman of Arik Air, Mr. Ola Adebanji, confirmed the latest arrest.
He said the crew member was arrested by the UK Border Force in connection with alleged possession of items suspected to be banned substances.
Adebanji, in a statement, stated that the airline was presently carrying out its own investigation to determine how the cabin crew member came about the suspected banned substance.
He stressed that the airline would also be cooperating fully with the UK authorities and other appropriate agencies in their investigations.
The statement said: “The airline again reaffirms its commitment to the fight against drug and illicit substances trafficking and will not tolerate the use of any of its aircraft or crew for the courier of banned items and substances.
“Arik Air carries out very stringent checks on all members of staff and its travelling guests ahead of all flights. The airline will continue to focus its attention on measures to prevent the possibility of any future similar incidents.
“Arik Air is a responsible Nigerian company always seeking to maintain and uphold the integrity and proud reputation of the nation.”
The arrest came barely two years after two crew members of the same airline were arrested, also in London, for the same offence.
The suspect was arrested with 2.7 kilogramme of the banned substance.
The aircraft had departed the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, for a flight to London.
In December 2011, a 29 years old Arik Air cabin crew, Ms. Chiwendu Uwkaoyenma, was arrested in London for drug trafficking.
She was jailed for five years in 2012.
Also, in 2013, two staff of the airline were arrested at the Heathrow Airport for suspected drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, NDLEA, has threatened to sanction Arik Air over the arrest of its crew member in Heathrow, London over trafficking of cocaine into the country.
This is as the agency said that investigation had commenced immediately into the operations of the airline.
Media statement by the spokesman of the agency, Mr. Mitchell Odoyeju stated that the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, NDLEA, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, gave the order following the seizure of 20kg substances that tested positive for cocaine.
Ofoyeju gave the name of the suspect as Chika Egwu Udensi, an air steward with the airline.
Ofoyeju said that the agency was notified of the arrest by the National Crime Agency, NCA, of the United Kingdom.
The statement added, “The agency will carry out full scale investigation into this case to ascertain those behind the criminal act. We shall work closely with our international collaborators on the matter. Arik Airline will be sanctioned if found wanting.
“The agency shall invoke section 25 of the NDLEA Act against the airline, which states that it shall be the duty of every commercial carrier to take reasonable precaution to ensure that its means of transport are not used in the commission of offences under this Act.
“Every commercial carrier is to comply with appropriate security measures at points of entry and exit in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other customs control areas, to prevent unauthorised cargo in its means of transportation.”
He emphasized that the law refers to the precautionary measures to include training of personnel, promotion of integrity of their personnel, submission of cargo manifests in advance, use of tamper-resistant, individually verifiable seals on containers and reporting to the Agency at the earliest opportunity all suspicious circumstances relating to drug trafficking.
He maintained that Nigeria had a cordial working relationship with the United Kingdom in drug control, which he said had resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of arrests made in the United Kingdom from flights originating from Nigeria over the years.
Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in a statement at the time, had disclosed that it was investigating the allegation, which it described as a national embarrassment.
New salaries for lawmakers, others ready in September -RMAFC
Mbam disclosed this to State House correspondents shortly after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari of the commission’s activities inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
There has been outrage over the renumeration of members of the National Assembly which many believe is outrageous.
The public outcry became more pronounced recently when Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinabajo offered to take only half of the salaries approved for them throughout their four-year tenure.
Many Nigerians had called on the federal lawmakers to take similar steps.
Mbam however claimed that the figures being peddled on the renumeration packages of lawmakers are not known to his commission.
He explained that based on renumeration packages determined by the RMAFC, no federal lawmaker should earn up to N1million per month.
This notwithstanding, Mbam said the commission was almost concluding work on new renumeration packages that will reflect the current socio-economic realities in the country.
He said the draft would be ready before the end of September.
He said, “Presently, we are currently reviewing the subsisting renumeration packages and it is going to reflect the socio-economic realities of today.
“We expect that before the end of next month, it will be ready.
“But it will go through a process, it is not something that you will just say ‘yes or no.’
He said the review would affect all cadres of public office holders at all arms of government including the executive, legislature and the judiciary
Mbam said the review became necessary because many government agencies, states and local governments had not been able to pay salaries as a result of the sharp drop in oil price.
He however admitted that the downward review of the renumeration did not start with the present administration as the commission had started the review process from last year.
When asked whether the National Assembly members will accept pay cut as being planned by the commission, Mbam said, “They (the federal lawmakers) do not have a choice. We are guided by the constitution and we are going to be guided by such laws that are provided for in the constitution. They swore to obey the laws of the country.”
He said the President’s advice for the commission during the meeting was that they should ensure that they use all legitimate means to see that all public office holders took home the renumeration as determined by the commission.
He added that Buhari also advised his team to ensure that leakages are blocked and make attempts to expand the size of the cake.
Mbam said he was not in a position to say when the new revenue sharing formula whose draft his commission had already produced would come into force.
“I do not want to give a definite date because it is beyond my control. I do not determine when the process will be concluded but as far as the commission is concerned, we have concluded our work and announced to the general public that we have a draft. But you know it goes through a process before it finally becomes a law,” he explained.
The RMAFC boss identified inadequate funding as one of the challenges being faced by the commission.
He made a case for the commission to be allowed to benefit from first line charge.
He also sought the power of enforcement for the commission, saying it should be empowered to sanction defaulting Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
He added, “One of the challenges is that the commission is not properly funded and we are saying that we expect that the commission should be one of the agencies of government that should have financial autonomy.
A DEAD TEENAGER WOKE UP FROM DEAD, SCREAMED FOR HELP, AND LATER DIED IN THE HOSPITAL..
Desperate family smash into tomb of pregnant teenager who woke up screaming and banging on her coffin after being buried ALIVE... only for her to die in hospital..
- Neysi Perez, 16, was initially pronounced dead after collapsing at her home.
- The married teenager, who was pregnant, was buried in her wedding dress
- Her husband raised alarm after hearing her 'screaming for help' from coffin
- Footage shows family smashing concrete tomb, but she had no sign of life
Footage has emerged showing grieving family members breaking through the concrete tomb from where Neysi Perez, 16, had been heard 'banging and screaming'.
Relatives who removed the girl's corpse found that the glass viewing window on her coffin had been smashed and the tips of her fingers were bruised.
But despite efforts to revive her medics found no signs of life and she was later returned to the cemetery and reburied in the same mausoleum.
Worst nightmare: Desperate relatives smash into Neysi Perez's concrete tomb a day after she was buried alive by mistake. Her husband raised the alarm after hearing her 'screams for help' while visiting her grave.
Ms Perez, who was three months pregnant, reportedly fell unconscious after waking up in the night to use the outside toilet at her home in La Entrada, western Honduras.
It was believed she may have collapsed in an apparent panic attack after hearing a burst of gunfire.
But when the teenager started foaming at the mouth her religious parents called the local priest believing she had become possessed by an evil spirit.
Relatives told how the priest tried to exorcise her, but she later became lifeless and was rushed to hospital, where three hours later doctors declared her dead.
Ms Perez was buried in the wedding dress she had recently used to get married.
A day after her funeral, her husband Rudy Gonzales was visiting her grave at the La Entrada General Cemetery when he heard banging and muffled screams from inside the concrete tomb and raised the alarm.
The footage shows desperate family members breaking through the concrete block tomb with a sledgehammer, before bringing out and opening up Ms Perez's coffin to try to revive her.
Tragedy: Ms Perez, who was three months pregnant, was buried in the wedding dress she recently used to get married. She was taken by truck to hospital still inside her coffin, but although medics tried to revive her, all the tests they carried out showed that she was clinically dead
Mr Gozales told local TV news Primer Impacto: 'I was heartbroken because my sweetheart had been taken so suddenly from me. I wanted to be near to her.
'As I put my hand on her grave I could hear noises inside. I heard banging, then I heard her voice. She was screaming for help.
'It had already been a day since we buried her. I couldn't believe it. I was ecstatic, full of hope.'
Cemetery worker Jesus Villanueva said he had also heard noises coming from the grave.
He said: 'I convinced myself that the screams were coming from somewhere else. I never imagined that there was someone alive in there.
'That afternoon the girl's husband came to me begging me to get her out because she was alive.
'He was hysterical. The family were soon here and started breaking through the tomb, shouting her name.'
Ms Perez was taken by truck to the nearest hospital in San Pedro Sula, where she was carried in still inside her coffin.
But although medics tried to revive her, all the tests they carried out showed that she was clinically dead.
Doctor Claudia Lopez recalled: 'The whole family rushed in, almost breaking the door down, carrying the girl in her casket.
Doctors believe Ms Perez (above) may have suffered a severe panic attack which could have temporarily stopped her heart activity. Her mother blames medics for being too quick to sign her death certificate
'I told them to take her out and put her on the bed. Everybody was claiming she was alive so I went through all the necessary procedures.
'We evaluated and tried everything but the girl was dead. They put her back in the coffin and took her away again, back to the cemetery.'
Doctors believe Ms Perez may have suffered a severe panic attack which could have temporarily stopped her heart activity.
Another hypothesis is that the teenager had a cataplexy attack, an abrupt temporary loss of voluntary muscle function typically triggered by a strong emotional stimulus such as stress or fear, during which the victim maintains full conscious awareness.
She may then have died from lack of oxygen after waking up inside the closed coffin.
Her cousin, Carolina Perez, said: 'Once we had taken her out of the tomb I put my hand on her body. She was still warm, and I felt a faint heart beat.
'She had scratches on her forehead and bruises on her fingers. It looked like she had tried desperately to get out of the casket and hurt herself.
Ms Perez's mother Maria Gutierrez firmly believes her daughter was buried alive and blames medics for being too quick to sign her death certificate.
She said: 'The doctors declared her dead but everybody else around me kept telling me she wasn't. She didn't look like she had died.
'Even after a day in the tomb the colour of her body was normal, her corpse didn't smell, she just looked like she was in a deep sleep.
'There was no rigamortis, her body was still flexible, it was impossible that she had been dead for so many hours.
'We were all so happy. After being declared dead for such a long time, everybody was saying that she had come back to life.
'We were all so happy. I thought I was going to get my daughter back.'
Source: Mailonline
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