EXPOSED!! Pastor Okotie Had A Secret Love Child With Another Woman While Married(A MUST READ)

Just when the new couple was settling to a new life, a certain Remi Odutola emerged from the blues alleging that she has a 9-year-old girl for the man of God. While her assertions beggar belief, the tall and delicately slim lady averred that she’s Reverend Chris’ secret wife. Hear her, “My name is Aderemi Odutola, a granddaughter of Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu-Ode. I met Reverend Christopher Okotie in 1997. I was a young Pastor desperately looking for a good church where I could worship and God led me to the Household Of God. Then, I had a music ministry, and because he was an ace musician, I took him as my mentor and strongly believed that he would help me one day. Along the line, something happened.

 We started seeing each other and I’ve done abortion for him three times before I decided to leave the last one”. Why did she leave the last pregnancy and why is she coming out nine years after? ‘I left the pregnancy not for anything, but for the fact that he proposed to marry me’, she said, as tears welled up in her eyes. “Initially, I didn’t accept his proposal because of his wife, Tina. I couldn’t have married a married man. But he told me that his marriage to Tina was on the brink of collapse. He lied to me! Trouble, however, started immediately I got pregnant. He started behaving funny, unlike the amiable Pastor I met sometime back. At times, I would call him, but he wouldn’t pick or return my calls,” she said with a soft chuckle that betrayed a mien of good breeding and humility. Her expression soon dissolved into a sad look when she recalled the moment she gave birth. ‘It dawned on me when I gave birth to our daughter that he was just a player.

 Ever since I gave birth to Tioluwani Okotie (our daughter), Reverend Chris has abandoned us in my family house in Opebi. It has not been easy at all taking care of our daughter all alone,” she said and opened a whirlpool of tears. Does he send money for the child’s up-keep? “Money”? Remi said questioningly. She said further, “ Whenever I call him that his daughter needs something, he will be dribbling me, giving me one excuse or the other. I was highly disappointed when I heard he eventually married Stephanie Henshaw, his late friend’s wife. He did not marry me with all the things I have been through because of him.” We visited the church and some church members who do not want their names to be mentioned, confirmed that they have seen the little girl who shares a striking resemblance with the Pastor.

 We further gathered that even at the children’s church, people always gather to look at the girl and unconsciously wonder aloud if she is for Reverend Chris or not. We tried to confirm this story from this abundantly brilliant man of God to confirm the veracity of the story, but all efforts to reach him proved abortive.

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$20,000 Disappears From Passenger's Luggage At Lagos Airport Screening Point

Corruption is not new in Nigeria. It is found among poor, rich and among leaders that took an oath to serve the country with truthfulness. Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is a government organisation enmeshed in corruption has again been confirmed following the arrest of the organisation's two security officials by the Inspector General of Police monitoring team on Wednesday for stealing $20,000 from a passenger's baggage. 

 The security officials, who have been flown to Abuja on the order of the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar, were said to have stolen the money from the baggage of an airline operator during the screening of his baggage at the screening point of the Murtala Muhammed Airport terminal one.

 According to the airline operator who does not want his name in print for now, trouble started when he was to board a 6.5 a.m. flight on First Nation to Abuja to perform a national exercise. Getting to the screening point of the departure hall of the MMA2 terminal, as expected, he positioned his hand luggage on the screening machine and walked through the screening being conducted on passengers by the FAAN security officials.

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Married Woman D*es During Intimacy With Boyfriend

A married man, Amaechi Uche Padmore, has been arrested by the police and charged to a Lagos court on the allegation that his lover, Edith Nwokolo, d*ed while he was intimate with her. He is now facing a m*rder charge at Ebute Metta Magistrate’s court, Lagos over her d*ath. P.M.NEWS learnt that the lovers, who are both married, engaged in intimate romp at 94, Mushin Road, Mushin, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. It was gathered that while Uche was on top of Edith, she started breathing heavily, jerked and d*ed. 

They were reported to have dated each other before they got married to different spouses. Sources said immediately the incident happened, Uche, who has three kids, abandoned his pant and shoes and fled. Edith was found dead on top of a bed and a neigbour who saw Uche with her before she d*ed, raised the alarm and the matter was reported to the police at Olosan Division.

 He was arrested and arraigned on Wednesday for murder before the presiding Magistrate, Mr. T. Aborinwa under section 221 of the criminal code law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011. P.M.NEWS gathered that her d*ath triggered controversy as the deceased woman’s family insisted that Uche was responsible for her d*ath. But the autopsy report presented at the court showed that she d*ed of heart related problem. When the matter came up at the court, Uche pleaded not guilty. The presiding magistrate granted him bail since the autopsy showed she d*ed as a result of heart problem. The court referred the matter to DPP for advice, while adjourning it till 25 July, 2012.

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PDP Chieftain, wife, son m*rdered in Plateau

 Chairman of the People's Democratic Party in Sharubutu ward of Bachit District of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, John Baren, his wife and young son, were k*lled on Wednesday June 27th at Gwarim in Rim village by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.

 The family was attacked and hacked to death with machetes on Wednesday afternoon as they were returning from the funeral of a relation in Riyom, Plateau state. The gunmen first shot at them, then dragged them into a nearby bush where they were m*rdered. The Barens weren't the only ones k*lled that day, the fulani herdsmen also attacked Gwarin village in Rim District of the council, k*lling quite a number of people.

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Obasanjo Appointed As Special Adviser To World Oil Firm In London

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo now has a new job. He is now an adviser to New World Oil and Gas plc, an AIM-listed investment company focused on investing in and operating oil and gas assets. In an interview he granted TheGuardian of London, the paper described Obasanjo as a roving ambassador of the company, facilitating the firm’s entry into Nigeria and other African countries. The company’s initial focus is in Central America, in particular the Peten Basin, where this prospective formation straddles the Belize and Guatemalan borders, and in Eastern Canada.

 Obasanjo in the interview said fighting corruption in Nigeria is not a one night affair. He told the reporter interviewing him that instead of of saying Nigerian leaders lack accountability, he should say they are corrupt. “You are being euphemistic when you say lack of accountability. Call it corruption,” he said. “There is no part of the world where corruption is absolutely eliminated. But [in other countries] that corruption has not been a way of life. When you are found, you are dealt with. And that’s what we need,” he added. Obasanjo who was in the UK to promote investment in Nigeria explained further: “Fighting corruption is not a one-night affair.

 “The givers of most of the corruption in Africa are from outside Africa. They do in Africa, [things] they would not do in their own countries. In my part of the world, we have a saying that the man who carries a pot of palm oil from the ceiling is not the only thief. He has an accomplice in the man who helps him to bring it down. The giver and the taker are criminals, and they should be treated as such.” The former president said examples of business success will encourage avaricious minds to look for more legitimate routes to wealth. “I still believe in the opportunities that Africa affords to make legitimate money,” he said. “Africa is one place I believe that if you are courageous enough, you get the money, you can invest and get 25 percent return on your investment annually. There aren’t many places in the world where you can get that return.”

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Nutri-Milk and Tigo Drinks (CWAY) Distributors Wanted - Nationwide

CWAY Foods & Beverages Nigeria Limited require self motivated and astute distributors to handle emerging opportunities in the distribution of Nutri-Milk and Tigo Drinks nationwide.

 Job Position: 

Distributor Locations Lagos Area Nationwide Method of Application Interested candidates should apply by forwarding their profile and other details to:

cwayfigo@gmail.com

 Lagos Area: 07032123808

 Nationwide: 08023170026

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Loss of womb: Court grants N100m against navy

A Federal High Court in Lagos has awarded N100 million damages against the Nigerian Navy and its officer, Commander C.T Olowu, for negligence which caused grave bodily harm and permanent loss of reproductive organs of a woman, Joy Bassey.

 The court also granted interest of five percent on the judgment sum to be payable from the date of judgment until the amount is totally liquidated. Delivering his verdict, presiding judge, Justice John Tsoho, posited that it is beyond denial that the unmitigated negligence and unprofessional conduct of Commander Olowu has destroyed the Bassey’s marriage, fertility and deprived her of peace and happiness.

 According to him, “In short, all attributes of womanhood in the plaintiff has been ruined and her humanity generally, grossly diminished for life”. The judge further ruled that there was no quantum of monetary damages that could sufficiently compensate Mrs. Bassey for the agony she has been confined to face for her entire life by the gory incident. The plaintiff, Mrs. Bassey, had sued the Nigerian Navy and Olowu, who is said to be a Consultant Gynecologist/Surgeon with the agency for negligence. Mrs. Marian Jones from the Lagos branch of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) sued on her behalf.

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Woman arrested for calling ex-hubby a Boko Haram member on FB

23-year old mother of one has been arrested by policemen from Ipaja Police Station, Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, for calling her ex-husband a member of the Boko Haram sect on Facebook, the social interaction site on internet. The suspect, Afolakemi Mojisola Adeniyi, was arrested following a complaint lodged at the station by her former husband, Alfa Umar Gobir, that his ex-wife posted his picture on facebook and tagged him a member of the Boko Haram.

 Umar told the police that he received several calls from friends and associates throughout the weekend, asking him why he joined the sect and that he kept telling them that they were mistaking him for someone else until one of his friends told him to check Facebook. Umar said he was shocked when he saw his picture on facebook and the words written below the picture read: “This is one of the Boko Haram any time you have contact with him, bomb him.” Umar further explained: “I was sleeping on Saturday night when I started receiving calls from my friends asking me why I joined the Boko Haram sect. I was surprised since I did not belong to the sect, but one of my friends called me again and said I should go to Facebook. 

He told me that my picture was there as a member of the sect. “I was shocked when I saw my picture on the social networking site.” Umar told the police at Ipaja that very early that day, he went to Ipaja where his ex-wife lived with her parents and reported the case to them. His ex-wife confirmed to him that she posted the picture on Facebook because he told her that she and her child would die. Umar told the police that few hours after the parents of his ex-wife begged him to forgive her, she posted another one on Facebook saying she did not regret her action. The second posting reads: “Am nt regrtn of d pic upload by me 2 any 1.” When Afolakemi was arrested and the police asked her why she did it, she simply said that Umar told her that she and her child would d*e. 

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Ipaja Police Station, Titiladayo Segun, after listening to both parties, advised Afolakemi and her parents to go and beg the complainant for forgiveness because of the little child they have, adding that with the evidence before him there is no way she would not go to jail should the complainant insist on going to court. Gobir told the police that he is yet to decide whether to take his ex-wife to court, adding that he needed to consult his family over the matter.

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Young Pastor Impregnates Female Senior Pastor

The Holy book that states that at the end time, so many unholy and ungodly things will happen seems to be right after all with all kind of things happening under this heaven. This is certainly not the best of times for the flocks of Lord’s Delight Ministries (a.k.a Delight Arena) located at No 51 Afolabi Street, Ishibiri road, Ajangbadi, Lagos, as its founder who is currently embroiled in a sordid divorce suit is accused of being impregnated by young pastor.

 At the centre of the storm is Pastor Rita Obioma Obiakor, the General Overseer of the church and her minister husband, Pastor Paulinus Obiakor who are both entangled in a web of accusations and counter accusations of infidelity, and behaviours unbecoming of the clergy as the couple dragged itself before a customary court, sitting at Ojo, Lagos, under President T.A Said. The embattled couple is seeking for the dissolution of their 15-year-old marriage. The Orlu, Imo State-born prophetess alleged her estranged husband and father of her four children, has turned a thorn in her flesh. Speaking through her counsel, Godson Samuel, she justified her decision to opt out of the troubled marriage thus: ‘’ My husband is on the verge of destroying all the works and efforts that I have put in place to establish this church over the years”.

 Continuing, she outlined the heart of the matter: “I got married to him when I was barely 16 years old, and he, 27 years. Then he had nothing, jobless and looking very unkempt. I started doing odd jobs to make both ends meet. Precisely in 2005, the Lord called me into his vineyard to serve him and show his people the right path. My calling was a prophetic one, so was my ministry. Since the establishment of that ministry in our two-bedroom apartment at Amukoko, the Lord has been blessing us. But my husband was like a Judas to my ministry. He was always behaving abnormally to the members, until I made him a part of the church and also gave him a good post. Yet he wouldn’t let me be. He is always accusing me of sleeping with church members during night vigil or anointing services”. The mother of four furt her alleged that her husband’s greed and jealousy has done much damage to the image she had laboured so much to build. 

The disharmony between the couple degenerated to the extent that she was forced to buy another plot of land at Shibiri, Ajangbadi, a faraway suburb, and constructed a new church, thereby abandoning the old church located at No. 1 Bakare Street, Amukoko. She also abandoned their accommodation, as well as give up some members of the old church to her estranged man. “I moved in with my children to a rented apartment close to the (new) church while my faithful members moved into our new church,” In spite of all these, she alleged that he continued to harass her and members of her new church, which consequently began to affect the church’s growth. “So I had to ban him from entering the church and having access to the members too,” she avowed. When however, her husband Pastor Obiakor stepped into the dock to give his own side of the story, he brought a new twist to the divorce case. 

The 45-year old clergy in his testimony against his wife alleged atrocities which contradict her position as the general overseer. He accused his wife of defiling the church by sleeping with prominent male members of the congregation in order to raise fund and establish herself financially. The land she acquired for the new church and her new apartment, he avowed were paid for with fund she raised from her illicit s*xual affairs with male church members. “My wife is the founder of the church, but as her husband, I am entitled to be the general overseer of the church. I had suspected my wife was frolicking with the wealthy and influential members of the church, my fears were eventually ascertained when she abandoned me and moved to her new church and apartment at Shibiri with a younger man she employed as her personal assistant known as Pastor Nwachineye,” Obiakor claimed. 

He further dropped a bombshell that she was impregnated by one of the pastors she employed. He substantiated this accusation by alleging that she took the man in question to the village and had introduced him to her family members and relatives as her new husband. “That is a big sacrilege because I am still very much alive and active, so why would she take another man to replace me,” he argued. His bitterness towards his wife, Obiakor asserted, was that she has been denying him access to their children. “When I insisted on seeing my kids to know how they were faring, she adamantly refused and urged me to pay a certain amount into her joint account with her new pastor lover. I did that just to make sure my kids are fine and well taken care of,” he reaffirmed. In spite of everything, Pastor Obiakor was not prepared to let go of his wife.

 He affirmed that his estranged wife was more like the bread winner of the family before the union ran into troubled waters, that it was she that brought him fame and fortune; therefore, he is ready to forgive her of her transgressions and even take her back as his wife if only she would withdraw the suit. The case was later adjourned for further hearing. Meanwhile, the whole scenario from another angle is that the entire members of the church have summoned their pastor that should she return to that man 'hubby' it is definitely going to be just her and her family that will be congregation.

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31 Nigerian Prostitutes To Be Deported From Denmark

31 illegal Nigerian immigrants in Copenhagen, Denmark were all arrested on prostitution on Thursday morning, rounded up in a police sweep of Istedgage, Vesterbro district of the city. 20 other suspects fled the scene and evaded capture during the raid. Those caught were charged with holding false residency permits,working without a premit and vagrancy. 

The women will be counselled by social workers trained in dealing with trafficking victims while their immigration statuses are verified, and are scheduled to appear in court over the next few days. There has been an increase in African prostitutes in the city, which, thanks to legal prostitution in the country, has drawn an increasing number of immigrant prostitutes that Kjeld Farcinsen of the Copenhagen Police decscribed as “increasingly aggressive.” 

 “When our undercover officers approach them, the women make no attempt to hide the fact that they are offering s*x for money,” Farcinsen told Politiken newspaper. Farcinsen went on to say that the city’s police will be conducting more night raids in the coming weeks, in hopes of catching more illegal pr*stitutes. Prostitution is legal in Denmark and carefully monitored, but non-residents are not allowed to engage in the profession. Nigerians form the largest contingent of Africans working in the trade.

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SUNDAY PRISON BREAK UPDATE:Boko haram Free 40 of Their Member in Damaturu Prison

Suspected members of the Jam’atul Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad otherwise known as Boko Haram, yesterday, staged a daring attack on the Damaturu prison on Gashua Road, and set free 40 of their members who were being detained. A fleeing inmate was said to have been k*lled while a prison warder was injured during the attack. 

Police spokesperson, Mr Frank Mba, who confirmed the incident, said unknown gunmen staged a jailbreak yesterday in Damaturu and freed about 40 inmates, adding that a prison warder was injured and that one fleeing inmate was k*lled in a gunfight. In another development, spokesman of the Boko Haram sect, Abu Qaqa, has said the sect was not responsible for bomb that was found in a mosque in Kano, on Friday. Qaqa in a statement, yesterday, said: “In respect of what we heard in the media yesterday (Friday) that some people attempted to detonate a bomb in a Juma’at mosque in Kano, this movement Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad hereby dissociates itself from this act.

 “We are fully aware of this kind of conspiracy by the SSS, following a similar pattern of their counterparts in other countries to tarnish the image and reputation of Islamic fighters, they will not succeed, God’s willing. “Everyone knows that we are waging Jihad to restore the supremacy of Islam, which is why we are labelled ‘Muslim fundamentalists’, how on earth can we then attempt to destroy a Muslim place of worship. This is, therefore, a conspiracy by those that are averse to the enthronement of an Islamic state, and they will not succeed by God’s grace.”

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Man with 97 wives debunks d*ath rumour

The controversial Bida-based Islamic cleric and husband of 97 wives, Alhaji Mohammed Bello Masaba, on Sunday, debunked the rumour of his d*ath, saying, ''I am hale and hearty. The rumour of my d*ath is not true.'' The rumour of the death of the 87-year-old record polygamist spread like fire in harmattan on Saturday, especially in the mass media, leading to phone calls and the handing down of instructions by editors to their reporters to get update on the issue. 

According to the rumour mill, the cleric died at about 7.45 p.m. during an undisclosed brief illness. Nigerian Tribune investigation revealed that no sooner than the news of the death broke that some of his teeming followers trooped out en masse to his residence with the intention of confirming the news. They were, however, taken aback when they met their leader conducting a preaching session. An online news outfit, www.ckn.com,had earlier confirmed the purported passing on of the cleric. In a telephone interview with the Nigerian Tribune, Masaba, who spoke fluently in Yoruba language, refuted his purported d*ath and when asked about his condition, he replied: ''I am not d*ad. I am well and I am alive. You can hear my voice. 

I wish you can come here to see for yourself. We have a mission and insha Allah we shall carry out our assignment.'' He said he was not perturbed by the rumour of his d*ath, blaming the development on his perceived detractors. “We not moved by all these rumours. It is one of the evil plans to distract our attention, but we are focused with the assignment Allah has given us,” he said. Also reacting to the rumour, the Personal Assistant to the cleric, Alhaji Mutairu Salaudeen Bello, who said he had been receiving phone calls from within and outside the country and that people had been trooping in to see their leader, who he said was in good health.

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Indeed! Windows Can Regain their Lost Verve

The continued plight of widows globally undermine the realisation of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) numbers one, three and eight, which seek to end poverty, promote gender equality and engender global partnership. Most widows, continue to live below poverty line, suffer gender discrimination and neglect by government, civil society organisations and the communities they live in.

 If progress is to be made towards actualising these MDGs by 2015, experts say it is imperative to create and implement urgently, comprehensive interventions on widows’ issues globally. This urgency is aptly captured by the statement contained in the UN.Org website which was made by Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General to commemorate the inaugural international widows’ day held June 23, 2011. He said “We must recognise the important contribution of widows, and we must ensure that they enjoy the rights and social protection they deserve. D*ath is inevitable, but we can reduce the suffering that widows endure by raising their status and helping them in their hour of need. This will contribute to promoting the full and equal participation of all women in society.

 And that will bring us closer to ending poverty and promoting peace around the world…” Available UN statistics contained in ‘Women 2000,’ a UN report of December 2011 and also published in the UN.Org website published by the UN Division for the advancement of Women to promote the goals of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action indicates that widows comprise a significant proportion of the population of the world women ranging from seven to 16 per cent of all adult women. The report also suggests that widows worldwide constitute the greatest percentage of the poorest of the poor as a low literacy or a lack of education. The report also indicates that widows far outnumber widowers globally. It also points out that there are more elderly widows in developed countries, while there are younger widows in developing countries. This is attributable to the high incidence of armed conflict, HIV/AIDS and poverty in the developing countries of Africa including Nigeria.

 There are efforts internationally to intervene on widowhood issues, but these amounts to a drop in the ocean compared to the weight of the issue. Key actors for widows’ welfare in Nigeria include the Federal/States Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, the church, civil society and private initiatives. However, a lot of these actions are ad hoc in nature and lack coherent and sustainability elements hence, the need for comprehensive and sustained interventions. Like every other part of the world or Nigeria, Cross River State has its own share of widows. Over the years, the wife of the state governor, Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke has been planning an intervention that will be massive and sustaining in alleviating the plight of widows in the state.

 After making huge success of POWER—Partnership, Opportunities for Women’s Empowerment Realisation, a non-governmental founded by her, Mrs. Liyel-Imoke will today in Calabar inaugurate a project that will tend to improve the quality of life of widows in Cross River State. POWER worked in partnership with the state Ministry of Women Affairs. According to Mrs. Liyel Imoke, the objectives of GLOW (Giving Life Options to Widows) is to enhanced the livelihood options for 1,980 widows from the 18 LGAs of Cross River State through access to skills training, micro finance and micro enterprise services by 2015. She told Our correspondent that the project will employ research as a key tool for validating the status of widows as well as in determining project benchmarks. 

A review/analysis of existing secondary data will be done in addition to the collection/analysis of primary data to determine the needs and establish a baseline for targeted widows. “A key approach of the project will be to network. The project will outsource micro finance/micro enterprise development services to organisations with core competencies, media and advocacy campaigns will be used to sensitise policy makers and influence policy changes,” she emphasised. To enhance sustainability of the project, implementation will be phased; starting with a pilot to a scale up phase to ensure the methodology is tested for best result and best practices in the scale up phase. To enhance sustainability of the project, there will be use of group lending (Grameen Bank model) for the micro finance component of the project to ensure high repayment rate. In addition, cooperatives will be strengthened and strong partnerships/collaborations supported.

 At the end of the day there would be increased cooperation between and among widows and widows-focused organisations in the 18 LGAs of the State through formation of widows’ cooperatives and networking; there would be body of knowledge for key stakeholders on widowhood issues in the 18 LGAs of Cross River State through research as well as increased public awareness on widowhood issues in Cross River State through information, education and communication (IEC) activities. It’s expected that by 2015 there would be an enabling policy environment for widows in Cross River State through an advocacy campaign targeted at policy makers as well as enhanced capacity for 1,980 widows and 21 widows focused CBOs/NGOs in Cross River State through trainings, mentoring, counseling and accompaniment support. According to Mrs. Liyel Imoke, the primary stakeholders/main target groups for GLOW are/is the illiterate widows who lack sustainable means of livelihood. 

The secondary target includes widows who have businesses which support their basic needs, but lack an independent business capital from family welfare and are therefore unable to support children’s education or other needs without the business suffering a setback, while the tertiary group includes widows who have stable businesses, have a separate welfare purse from their business capital and are able to meet all their needs without the business being affected adversely. “The impact of the project shall be based on a gender livelihood needs model which identifies three levels of needs-- the need for survival, stability and growth. The survival level widows are those who have no means of livelihood and cannot support their basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. For this category, healthcare and support for children’s education are unaffordable. 

The need for stability and the second category includes widows who have a means of livelihood and can meet their basic needs, but are not able to stabilise their businesses due to lack of a separation between business capital and welfare purse. Welfare needs can eat into the business capital and cause a major setback. “The third category includes widows who have stable businesses, have a separate business capital from welfare purse and can meet their welfare and business needs without any suffering. This category seeks expansion or diversification of their businesses. All livelihood options will be geared towards moving the widows from the level where they are to the next level. However, priority will be given to widows at the survival level, while the economic benchmarks will be set at the beginning of the project to assess the extent to which widows have moved up from the base.

 For example, baseline will be established on level of income of selected widows at the beginning of the project and monitored over the life of the project to assess the growth,” Mrs Liyel Imoke who has made success with the POWER and Destiny Child projects in the past said She explained that the GLOW project will be implemented by POWER and will work in partnership with the state Ministry of Women Affairs. There will be a GLOW project team to manage the day to day activities of the project. In addition there will also be a project support committee to mobilise stakeholders support towards project implementation.

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UNN stops Post-UTME test over leakage

A three-day screening for candidates seeking admission into University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was on Tuesday called off over suspicion that question papers for the test had leaked. Only candidates who scored the mandatory 200 marks in the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination are eligible to write the test. The UNN post-UTME tests started on Monday for candidates seeking to study sciences and related courses. 

However, on Tuesday, when candidates slated to write the test were seated and answer scripts were being shared to them, the authorities of the university called off the entire exercise. Efforts by our correspondent to get the UNN Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bartho Okolo, to speak on the development proved abortive, but reliable sources in the university confirmed the cancellation of the exercise. The sources and some of the exam candidates who spoke to Our correspondent alleged that an unidentified employee of the university leaked the question papers. They also stated that the exercise would now hold for two days, that is, July 27 and 28, 2012. 

 The source said, “The exam invigilators and supervisors were shocked when they discovered that the candidates were shading correct answer options into the answer scripts even before the question papers were shared.” It was also gathered that efforts to check malpractices culminated in the exercise stretching into the night on Monday in some of the centres within the university. The prospective undergraduates lamented that the shifting of the exam would expose them to serious challenges. One of them, a male candidate, asked, “Why do things like this happen in a university like this?” A female candidate said, “I paid for a hotel room and I was supposed to vacate tomorrow. With this development, I don’t know what to do because I don’t have money to pay for another day in the hotel.”

Source THE PUNCH.

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Nigeria dancing on wet grave – Kukah

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Hassan Kukah, has said that Nigeria is “dancing on a wet grave”. Kukah warned that unless something was done urgently, the grave might cave in soon. The cleric, who spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the inauguration of the Northern Reawakening Forum, also wondered how Nigeria deteriorated to the level where it now finds itself. He said, “It is daybreak for Nigeria. 

The country is currently dancing on a wet grave. We are not moving forward. The war going on now is not between Christians and Muslims or Muslims against Christians; it is a conflict between darkness and light. This madness must end.” Kukah recalled how a Muslim saved his sister in 2003 by advising her to run to army barracks because of an impending riot. He, however, regretted that the said sister later lost her belongings when some people invaded the area in retaliation. 

 The cleric said he was scheduled to be in Tunisia for a conference but had to cancel it when he heard about demonstrations in the country. He said, “So, how do I explain to the people who begged me to come to Tunisia and I refused because of what is happening now in Kaduna in particular and Nigeria as a whole?” Kukah regretted that about 95 per cent of Nigerians were not happy with politicians for their failure to deliver on their promises. 

 Also speaking at the event, a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said he predicted the crisis in the northern part of the country 10 years ago. Ogbeh, who was a former minister of agriculture would come when emirs would not be able to even sit in their palaces. He said though he was not happy that his prediction was coming to pass, Ogbeh said there were signs that the situation could degenerate.

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Damaturu, Kaduna under 24-Hour Curfew

Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, and Kaduna State were shut down Tuesday following attacks by Boko Haram and reprisals by irate youths, respectively. The Yobe State Government imposed a 24-hour curfew on Damaturu where suspected members of Boko Haram engaged soldiers in a protracted gun duel on Monday night. Its Kaduna State counterpart was also forced to restore the 24-hour curfew it had relaxed on Monday to a dusk-to-dawn embargo on movement, following spiralling reprisals yesterday that trailed Sunday’s bombings of three churches in Kaduna and Zaria. 

 Yobe State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Press Affairs and Information, Alhaji Abdullahi Bego, ordered residents of Damaturu to stay indoors all day in view of the security situation in the state. It was gathered that the terrorist group had attacked security agents on Monday night in a bid to free some of their leaders who were arrested during a recent clampdown on Boko Haram members. The police confirmed that three policemen were killed in coordinated attacks by the Boko Haram sect in Damaturu. Although the Police Commissioner in the state, Mr. Patrick Egbuniwe, said four other police officers had been wounded in more than five hours of attacks, he did not give any detail about casualties from the side of the Islamic fundamentalists or civilians.

 He told journalists that the police had not ascertained the number of civilian casualties and that his men had intensified their joint patrol with other security agencies to restore normalcy. Some residents who spoke to Our correspondent, however, said scores were k*lled in the attacks which lasted until the early hours of yesterday. One of the residents said he saw more than 10 bodies on the streets at 8am Tuesday. Another source confirmed that he saw many bodies being ferried to the General Hospital, Damaturu, and that many funeral services were held at the various burial grounds in the city between 10 am and 2 pm Tuesday.

 In response to the long-drawn attack on Damturu, Monday, the governor, according to the statement, directed all residents of the state capital to keep away from the streets to allow officers and men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and other security agencies continue with their efforts at restoring peace and protecting lives and property. “The 24-hour curfew directive is for Damaturu metropolis only. Restriction of movement for other parts of the state, except Potiskum town, remains from 10 pm to 6 am daily. Restriction of movement in Potiskum town remains from 6 pm to 6 am daily,” the government stated. The governor urged the residents to assist the JTF and other security agencies in their efforts at restoring normalcy in the state as he called for prayers for the state and Nigeria in this trying period. 

 In Kaduna, hopes by residents for some semblance of normalcy yesterday after the government had reduced the duration of the curfew in the state from dusk-to-dawn were dashed as the government restored the 24-hour restriction on movement that it had imposed on the state on Sunday. The state government, while announcing the re-imposition of the 24-hour curfew, said in a statement by Mr. Reuben Buhari, media aide to the governor, Ibrahim Yakowa, that the decision was based on emerging security challenges in the state. “In view of new security challenges that came up today (Tuesday), and based on the need to safeguard lives and property of citizens, the state government is hereby re-imposing a 24-hour curfew on all parts of the state. “Consequently, everybody is strongly advised to go back home while security agencies continue with the task of ensuring total peace in the state,” the statement said. 

 It was gathered that the government was forced to rethink its Monday decision following the pandemonium that broke out in some parts of the city as youths regrouped for reprisals. Police sources also revealed that Hausa youths in the Tudun Wada area of the capital city protested against the k*lling of their kindred last Sunday by youths in Sabon-Tasha and Gonin-Gora areas of the southern part of the metropolis. The youths, according to the sources, were insisting that they would avenge the k*llings resulting from the reprisals that followed Sunday’s bombing of three churches in Kaduna and Zaria. The protesting youths were said to have blocked the roads in the area and burnt tyres, a situation that caused panic among residents who started scampering to safety. More soldiers and policemen, however, were deployed in strategic places in Kaduna while patrol teams were seen moving about in the city. A police helicopter was also seen hovering over the city.

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Lagos Big Girl, Lilian Unachukwu Sends Journalist To Prison

A Lagos big girl, Lilian Unachukwu, some days ago arrested a popular blogger, Ladun Liadi and sent her to Kirikiri prison in Apapa, Lagos. According to what a source told Newsmen on what happened, Ladun allegedly wrote a story about Lilian dating Nicholas Okoye of Anabel. Offended by the story, Lilian was said to have called the blogger to remove the story, which we were told was effected. 

 The blogger was also reported to have apologised for the mix-up. Not okay with that, Lilian was reported to have arrested Ladun with police and made her spend a night at Kirikiri prison until she was later helped by a colleague, who facilitated her release from the prison. Another source told Newsmen that Ladun was arraigned before a court in Lagos some days ago before she was thrown into the prison. 

 A source told Newsmen today that Ladun has been released. Efforts to contact Ladun as at the time of this report is still ongoing. Her known number was switched off while Newsmen sent a mail to her known e-mail address. One question that has cropped up from this issue is that, why would someone arrest a journalist and put her in prison? Also is the question of how a 'dating' story would result to being thrown to Kirikiri prisons? Are we now back to a military era where there is a kangaroo court or summary trial? Lilian Unachukwu owns Liam Fashion & Consulting Agency. She is believed to be in her 20's. We would update you on the development as it unfolds. For now, the blogger is back blogging.

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Charming Socialite, Angela Onyeador Bows Out

For years, she held the Lagos social scene hostage. Her presence at any social event helped to define the gravitas of the occasion. It was as a result of people like Ms Angela Onyeador, that the word “socialite” gained popularity. The joke was often told that super beautiful people like Angela must have been created on a Monday, when God rested on Sabbath day. 

 But Sunday, the silky and tender skin, embroidered on the elegant frame and curves of Angela were seized, eternally, by the cold hands of d*ath. She d*ed in her 50s while receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness in the United States of America. In recent years, she had quietly disappeared from the public dais, as her elegant personality became scarce at public functions. Many speculated that she had a life-threatening ailment. But as it is with high-flying personalities, her illness became such classified information which only left people guessing why Angela was no longer “in circulation". 

But while she circulated, Angela Onyeador was a regular staple on the celebrity scene in the Lagos arena. Her well-heeled graceful carriage always earned her premium ratings in society’s social index. She probably hit a top note when she organised a beauty pageant that produced an equally charming Diana Ndoye in the 1980s. The success of that event launched Angela into the klieg lights of prized social settings. And from that moment, she moved from strength to strength. This perhaps explains why she grew influential, if not powerful. With her ‘Grade A’ connections among the high and mighty of society, she once explained that her circle of “big friends” and allies were largely people she grew up with or schooled with over the years.

 Expectedly, this mix with society’s bigwigs resulted in the odd mild scandal that did little to dull her personality. Her celebrated relationship with former Senate President, the late Dr Chuba Okadigbo, is one such case. She was bold, courageous, impressive and more evidently, a fashion aficionado. This was apparent through her strong tilt to Afro-centrism in her fashion sense; such as the beautiful dresses made from adire and other local fabrics that she wore with aplomb. Her signature hairstyle stood her out in a crowd. Her beauty was both charming and enchanting, so much so that men with little self confidence felt safer avoiding an encounter with her. 

 She later founded the African Foundation for Arts, a platform she used in advancing her love of the arts. She had over 200 art items in her gallery Angela had a childhood grounded on life and values. Her parents, Alexander and Beatrice Onyeador, gave her a comfortable upper middle class upbringing. She had two sisters and a brother. One of her elder sisters was Stella, who married the late Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. Stella d*ed early last year. The marriage did not produce any child. Reliving her childhood experiences to a national newspaper, she said: “I had two sisters and one brother. We were living in Shell camp in Port Harcourt, which was an exclusive camp for white people many years ago. We were the only black family there and it was sheer luxury. 

We had everything. They would bring us clean sheets every Saturday and go away with the old ones. We had an Olympic size swimming pool; we even had a lovely club house. I am short of saying I was born with a platinum spoon.” When she finished from the primary school in the Shell camp, she proceeded to the prized Queens College, Lagos, where she discovered her talent and bias for the arts – fine art and music. She wanted to pursue a career in the arts but her parents insisted such courses were not befitting enough. She thus enrolled at the Slade School of Arts, University College, London, where she eventually bagged a degree in Psychology. An indigene of Arochukwu, Abia State, Onyeador was instrumental to matchmaking Kanu Nwankwo, the footballer, with his wife, Amarachi, who was Angela’s neice. Enchanting as she was, Angela never felt very comfortable being described as a celebrity, because according to her, the word suffers great abuse in Nigeria.

 Hear her: I would prefer if you told me I am a well groomed lady and add I am well brought up, well dressed. All those I will accept. The word celebrity does not mean anything, neither is it complimentary. Without sounding pompous, there are lots of other people that are called celebrities that I hate to be in the same room with.”

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Lawan Promises to Tender Bribe Money to Police Today

Suspended Chairman, House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on the Monitoring of Fuel Subsidy, Hon. Farouk Lawan, yesterday promised to tender the $620,000 bribe money that he collected from businessman, Mr. Femi Otedola, to the police. Lawan made the commitment when he visited the Police Force headquarters, Abuja in furtherance of the ongoing investigations into the bribery scandal. 

 Lawan and Secretary of the ad hoc committee, Boniface Emenalo, accompanied by a team of lawyers, who arrived at the Louis Edet House at 8 am yesterday, went straight to the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) where they met with the Special Task Force in charge of the bribery case. The visit, which was considered routine while the investigation lasts, was in keeping with their bail conditions. Police sources said Lawan pleaded with the investigators to allow him to report tomorrow afternoon rather than in the morning to enable him to attend the plenary session of the House of Representatives and retrieve the money from the House Committee Chairman on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, Hon. Adam Jagaba.

 It was, however unclear how Lawan would be able to retrieve the money from Jagaba who had exclusively told Our correspondent that contrary to his (Lawan) claim, neither he nor his committee got any letter from the embattled lawmaker in which he reported the pressure brought to bear by Otedola on him to induce him to delist his Zenon Oil and Gas from the report. He also denied seeing the $500,000 he collected from the oil chief, which he claimed he attached to the letter. It was learnt that Lawan’s expected presence in the House, which resumes sitting today, would afford him the opportunity to tell his own side of the story to his colleagues. 

 He was in detention last Friday when the House held its emergency session where he was suspended as chairman of the ad hoc committee as well as the Committee on Education while the Ethics and Privilege Committee was directed to investigate the allegations against him. Sources told US that Lawan may raise the issue today as a matter of privilege and seek to be given a fair hearing since he was in police custody when the House deliberated on the matter last Friday. It was gathered Monday that today’s plenary will be preceded by meetings of state caucuses to allow members to separately iron out issues that have been left unattended to in order to avoid any undue drama on the floor of the House. This, a source told US, had become necessary in the light of several other developments following the bribery allegation that trailed the ad hoc committee’s report on the probe of subsidy regime, especially the purported threat to the House leadership by the presidency. 

Our correspondent gathered last night that the idea of the state caucuses meetings were suggested in the light of the disapproval of the Kano State caucus to Lawan’s suspension, adding that the Kano group was aggrieved that one of their members was sacrificed in the heat of the crisis. One source explained that the Kano caucus deems Lawan’s suspension as unfair and that the leadership, rather than stand by one of its own in what they considered an entrapment, played to the gallery to save face. Besides, the various meetings would ensure that the House remains united in the face of the alleged plot by presidency to remove the speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal. The source said the fact that Lawan has backed the decisions of the House on his suspension has further bolstered the confidence of the leadership that there were no cracks in the lower chamber for the presidency to take advantage.

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If Jesus hadn't appeared in my room, I wouldn't have been a preacher

Bishop Kola Onaolapo is the visionary of Superfest and the founder of Abundant Life Gospel Churches with headquarters in Agege, Lagos. 

HOW much of your childhood and growing up can you recollect?

  I was born in Kwara State. I had my primary education in Kwara before moving to Zaria in 1968 to complete it. I came back to Kwara State for my secondary school. I got admission to School of Basic Studies of the Ahmadu Bello University in 1975. From there I did my university at the same university. 

How would you describe the North where you lived to what you see today? 

The North of those days is not so much different from the North of now. I won't forget that as an undergraduate every Friday we were in fear of what would happen. It became more serious in the late 1970's. I remember it was about 'Ali must go'. It was the first major riot that I witnessed. What precipitated Islamic fundamentalism was the issue of South/North. It was religious. It came to a time that every Friday whenever they were coming from the mosque, you couldn't be sure.

 Everybody would be in fear. When we left the university, it became worse. When a problem begins and it is not put under control at the early stage, it gets to this stage. If you had not become a preacher, what would you have done? As a graduate of Chemistry, I was to teach. But the same time I was to teach, I was to get employment to NASCO group of companies in Jos. I was to work in the chemical segment of the household products. I didn't work with them but I was to work with them. But in the midst of all preparations, I had my letter of employment to teach; NASCO was calling me for interview which I knew would have worked. My obsession was to work in an industrial based firm. Right from my undergraduate days, I have been a preacher. Some people did not know whether I was a student or a pastor because I was involved with the Samaru Gospel Team which was started as a result of a yearly mission to ABU. 

It was a campus crusade. The university is a city on its own. The late Kehinde Aina was the first to invite me to where they were taking care of the converts of mission to ABU. Those converts were not students. A fellowship was started for them; many of them were in the employ of the ABU. We were using the Assemblies of God Church in Samaru. It was an interdenominational fellowship. Sincerely that was where God trained me in pastoring and evangelism. A time came that I was like the evangelist of the church. We used to go on crusades. We were so obsessed with soul-winning. As a student, I preached in so many crusades and I never knew that it was leading somewhere. After I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I knew that a radical change had occurred in my life. You claimed to have had an unusual visitation when Jesus visited you in your room. What really happened? I didn't leave the university with the vision to becoming a pastor. Some people predicted it but I didn't take them serious. I had an ambition; I wanted to work in a chemical based industry. As a graduate, you would press many buttons that was why I was given a teaching appointment with the Plateau State government because I was based in Jos. I thought the baptism in the Holy Spirit was the end but now I know that it was just the first phase in that encounter. I usually woke up around 3a.m to pray. After the prayer, I slept off again. Then I heard a voice that 'I will be calling you to preach the gospel.' Exactly two weeks later, the same voice came asking me to fast and pray that God wanted to speak to me. I was not good at fasting. I thought I had to do several days and night which I had never done. I knew that if God told me to fast, he was going to give me the grace. I started that prayer the following day and by 4p.m. 

I was trying to rest. I lay down to rest after a session of prayers. My eyes were opened but I was suspended. My door was open and I saw Jesus walk in. How did I know him? I just knew. I could not talk. Every movement was suspended. He walked as far as to my bed and took my hands in his. It was as though I was holding an electric wire because the shock was much. The whole of my body was vibrating. He did not say a word, he just held my hand.

 I believe he was trying to pass the anointing into my life. I can't remember how long. I could not scream. Then he left my hands and vanished. As he vanished, an audible voice came saying 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel.' Immediately, I came back to my normal self, and then I knew God was calling me. If he had not visited me in that way, I might not have responded to divine call for full time ministry. My mind was not there at all. Your church is one of the biggest in Agege where the Dana air crash occurred. Reports have it that many of the residents are living in the fear of being haunted by the dead, considering the mass deaths of the crash. What would be your reaction to this? I have never heard that they are afraid of that. 

I heard a lot of calls from within and without. I told someone that God has exempted us. It is an unfortunate incident. For people to say that they are being haunted by the dead, I don't understand. You see the bottom-line is for people to know God. If you are born again, ghosts won't chase you. The incidence should draw people to God. It should be a stepping stone to new decisions. D*ath does not write application. The best is for people to surrender their lives to Jesus. I have a lot of members living in that area and on Sunday we had a lot of testimonies after the incident. One of my deacons said that the incident happened about three buildings away from his house. I have serious optimism about what God can do in this country. 

The greatest problem we have is corruption. As it is in the high, it is in the low. Many of our leaders travel out and see democracy and way of life. They come back and the best thing they can do is to steal money and still take them out. They are educated but education has not helped them. The average Nigerian does not fear God and so is not bothered about the destiny of the nation.

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