Final year student killed by rapists

A final year Guidance and Counselling student of the Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe, Anambra State, was allegedly killed on Saturday by some rapists after she failed to allow them to sexually abuse her.

The killing was the climax of a series of rapes said to have become commonplace at the college in the past few months.

The student, whose name was yet to be confirmed on Sunday, was said to be an indigene of Obeledu in Anaocha Local Government of the state.

Her body was found near the school chapel not far from the lecturers' quarters.

The Provost of the college, Dr. Clara Obiagwu, declined comments on the incident when contacted.

"Stay off our college until you are invited. Did you contact me before nosing around my college? I have told you, don't report about my college,'' she told reporters.

The Public Relations Officer of the College, Mr. Willy Chukwuma, however said the incident did not occur on the campus.

The Anambra State University was last month shut down after students took to the street to protest the killing of a female student by armed robbers that invaded a female hostel.


Punch

PDP hails Fashola at 50

The News Agency of  Nigeria reports that Fashola turned 50 years on June 28, 2013.

In a statement by the Publicity Secretary of the Lagos State PDP, Mr. Taofik Gani, the party said it agreed with Fashola's decision to have a low-key celebration.

"We commend the appropriate decision of the governor to have a low-key celebration. It was an expedient decision to make, in view of the level of suffering in the state.

"While we congratulate the governor, on his low-key 50th birthday celebration, we advise other leaders in the country to emulate our gesture,'' the PDP said.

The party urged the governor to, however, use the time left in his tenure to give to Lagosians the Lagos of their dream.




Punch

No compensation for Boko Haram victims --Presidential committee

Chairman, Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution on Security Challenges in the North, Tanimu Turaki, on Sunday ruled out any form of compensation for victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in some parts of the  North.

Addressing Muslim leaders, who gathered at the National Conference on the Role of Muslim Scholars, organised by the Jama'atul Nasril Islam  in Kaduna, Turaki,  however, said those to be compensated were security operatives, who lost their lives during the incidents.

Turaki said, "Government cannot pay compensation but it will support victims. It will compensate military personnel that were affected by this insurgency.

"Government will not have the capacity to give compensation because of the number of victims involved in the insurgency incidents".

Turaki, who led other members of the committee  to the conference, also asked Muslim leaders, among them the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the JNI, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar lll, to appeal to the group (Boko Haram) to embrace dialogue, adding that Islam, as a religion, encourages dialogue.

He said, "How do you compensate somebody who has lost family members? How much will you compensate him with when he is battling with the psychological effect of the incidents?"

The presidential committee chairman, who claimed that his team was at the meeting to impress it upon the leadership of the JNI to talk to the sect on the need for dialogue, said since the sect believed in Islam, its members should also imbibe the tenets of the religion.

He said even in countries like Afghanistan, Syria and in Nigeria during the civil war, dialogue was used as the last resort  to resolve the problems.

Turaki insisted that there was no crisis or difference that could not be settled through dialogue.

He said, "So, we beg for prayers because there is no evil that prayer cannot solve.

"No matter the ideology of Boko Haram, it is twisted towards Islam. It is very unfortunate. We therefore want this conference to examine the immediate and remote causes of the growing insurgency in the region."

"So far, we have had robust discussions with Muslim leaders, government officials, traditional rulers and clerics.

"We pray this conference will call on them to come out and embrace dialogue. If you are using the name of the Prophet, then there is room for dialogue. It is respectful to come and dialogue; we are all ready for dialogue."

He added, "Even wars in other countries of the world, and coming back home, the Biafra/Nigeria civil war, provided an opportunity for dialogue because it is not war that bring peace, but dialogue. So, let them give peace a chance, and let them embrace dialogue."




Punch

Why Obama Pledges $7 Billion to Nigeria, 6 Others

U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday pledged $7 billion to help build steady power supply in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania, Uganda and Mozambique, countries in sub-Saharan Africa with epileptic power supply.

The initiative is called "Power Africa" and the funds will be invested over a period of five years.

President Obama announced the initiative while addressing students at Cape Town University in South Africa, his second stop during his three-country, eight-day Africa Tour.

"Access to electricity is fundamental to opportunity in this age. It's the light that children study by, the energy that allows an idea to be transformed into a real business," he said.

"It's the lifeline for families to meet their most basic needs, and it's the connection that's needed to plug Africa into the grid of the global economy," Obama added.

Obama, who is on his second Africa Tour since he became U.S. leader, has stressed that he does not see Africa as a "charity case" but as a business partner. He hopes his visit will spark increased U.S. investments in Africa.*



Naij

Lagos State Government Warns Residents To Prepare For Heavy Rainfall/Thunderstorms

Lagos state residents have been warned to prepare themselves for heavy rains and thunderstorms in this month (July).

The Lagos State Government, yesterday, advised people residing on flood plains, low line areas and other coastlines, to be careful and might need to vacate their residence temporarily to higher grounds on noticing rising water.

The government expressed concern for Lagos residents as they say they are not ready to lose any life to the rain/flood.

Commissioner for Environment, Tunji Bello had this to say on the issue;

"As the intensity of the rain increases in July, Lagosians are advised not to panic, whenever it rains as they will start to experience accumulated water concentration on some parts of the roads and highways, depending on the intensity of the rains, but the accumulated water will recede in no time.

"It has been raining since January and it has increased the water level of the soil, thereby making infiltration capacity to be very low across the state."

He advised people living in areas like Ajegunle, Owode-Onirin axis, Owode-Elelede, Kuramo Beach, Alpha Beach, Okun-mapo, Okun Ajah, Mende-Maryland, Ijora-Badia, Iwaya, among others, to be watchful and that they might need to vacate their residences temporarily on noticing rising water and move to higher grounds



Vanguard

Why Nigeria Is Not Working - Sultan

After a critical review of the state of the nation, the Sultan of Sokoto and president-general of the Jama'atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, yesterday said that so many things are not working in the country because the leaders refuse to allow them to work.

The Sultan said this at a national conference on peace, unity and security organised by JNI in Kaduna said "So many things have gone wrong in this country and things are still going wrong.

"As leaders, we are committed in ensuring justice in whatever we do; we are committed in ensuring that those leaders whom Allah placed on us to lead us do what is right. And we must continue to tell them when they do wrong. No leader is ever right."

The Sultan added that "the reason of our coming together today is to unite our senior brothers and sisters in Islam, especially the Ulama".

"If there is unity amongst Muslims there will be peace; if there is peace amongst Muslims of this great country of ours, there will be total security in Nigeria. If there is security, definitely there will be development.

"What we have been experiencing in the northern part of the country -- in particular the unfortunate incident which has been forced on us for so many reasons.

"I believe it's high time that all of us come together and discuss those things that have been festering in our lives as Muslims in this country," he said.

He noted that "our coming together and sitting together under one roof shows that we are ready to be united. Sitting down to discuss the main issue facing us is a plus for all of us."

To the Muslim community, the Sultan said: "We are very aware of the challenges facing us as Muslims and i believe with constant prayers we shall overcome the challenges and move to the greater heights.

"We must put aside personal interest to put Islam above all. We will not allow anybody to stop us from being Muslim, because that is what we choose to be.

"We will not allow anybody to turn our lives upside down. We will not allow anybody to ascribe any form of violence to Islam. We must come together and solve our problem together.

"I remember in this very hall when President Goodluck Jonathan was campaigning; it was in this very hall we listened to what he wanted to see us for. And we the Muslim leaders gave him our agenda -- what we wanted from him.

"But whether he has done what we told him or not is a different thing altogether. We have not sat down to articulate it because of the so many insecurity problems that came up."



Leadership

Wike, Opara betrayed me - Amaechi

RIVERS State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has described the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, as "too small and insignificant to discuss."

Wike, who is Amaechi's former Chief of Staff, has been involved in a long drawn political battle with the governor.

Amaechi said this while  speaking on Saturday during a church service to mark the 60th birthday of the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief O.C.J. Okocha, at the Emmanuel Anglican Church in Port Harcourt.

The governor, who was reacting to the questions directed at him by the officiating priest, the Bishop of Anglican Communion, Niger Delta Diocese, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, expressed regret that most of those that had betrayed him were from his Ikwerre ethnic group.

Amaechi recalled how he nominated some of his kinsmen, including Wike and the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Austin Okpara, into political positions, adding that they turned around to betray him.

The governor said, "This will be the first time I will be talking about my former Chief of Staff in public. My former Chief of Staff is too small for me to talk about. I don't want to discuss him and I have never done that before. Today will be my first and last day.

"There are men with character and there are men without character.  I don't believe that money can solve all problems and I don't worship money.

"My greatest fear is that where am I going after here on earth? Let me also tell you that I have been betrayed several times in politics and majority of those who betrayed me are from my Ikwerre ethnic group.

"Before I became a Speaker, can we look back at Ikwerre history? We were crying; we wanted governor, we wanted this and that and the last ministerial appointment was Chief Emmanuel Aguma, a long time ago, and that was the last Ikwerre ministerial appointment."

The governor, however, maintained that Opara betrayed him when it was time for the former deputy speaker to support him.

"Again, you can ask Mr. President, I submitted his name (Nyesom Wike) as minister. Where is he now? I, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, submitted his name as minister to President Jonathan. But where is he now? You must have character, you must be known for something," Amaechi insisted.

Speaking on the Nigeria Governors' Forum crisis, Amaechi said a credible election was held, where the governors exercised their franchise and re-elected him as the chairman of the forum.

He said, "There was an election. They are not denying that there was no election. They said, before the election, some governors had signed documents for them and they were 19 in number, and we conducted election. Eventually, the 19 governors later changed their minds and voted for me."



Punch