Pastor rapes woman in church during
‘spiritual bath’
A 46-year-old Pastor, Olamide Sobowale, of Glory Church of Christ Aladura, Oke-Itoku, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has been ordered to be remanded in prison for allegedly raping a woman while bathing in his church backyard.Pastor Sobowale, who was arraigned before a Magistrate Court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, yesterday, was accused of raping one Dupe Makinde, 30, who lives in Isaje, Abeokuta, while taking a spiritual bath allegedly recommended by the pastor.The prosecuting counsel, Paul Etusi, told the court that the accused grabbed the complainant while she was in a bathroom within the church premises and raped her.Etusi said the complainant had already put the soap on her face as she began bathing when the pastor suddenly entered the bathroom, grabbed and raped her with soap on her face.According to Etusi, the accused had told Mrs. Makinde that he had a vision about the her and asked her to come for deliverance in his church.He said: “He asked the woman to come to the church to take a spiritual bath for her deliverance, but, while the complainant was taking her bath, the accused barged into the bathroom, grabbed the woman and raped her.“The accused has committed an offence contrary to section 357 and punishable under section 358 of criminal code of law of Ogun State, Nigeria, 2006.”Magistrate A. Araba after listening to the prosecuting counsel, ordered that the accused be remanded in prison till he gets advice from the Director of Public Prosecution and adjourned the case till September 16,2013.
Mimiko tasks ICT stakeholders on national development
“The 21st Century has been aptly described as the ‘Information Age’ and Nigeria cannot afford to be sidelined in the myriad of innovation and creativity that are the hallmarks of globalisation.’’These were the words of the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, at the second National Council Meeting on Communication Technology (NCCT), which held in Akure, the Ondo State Capital, last week.According to him, a major challenge, militating against developing economies such as Nigeria is anchoring on the immense possibilities inherent in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution for the improvement of living standards. He noted that the challenge must be tackled by all stakeholders and that the Council should continue to brainstorm and help articulate a realistic and sustainable agenda for Nigeria’s socio-economic growth through the development of ICT.The governor, who challenged the over 700 ICT stakeholders in attendance at the one week’s summit, explained that there was an urgent need to map out a strategy that would help the country not only to be a consuming nation but a producer of ICT software and tools.Stressing that Nigeria is a nation that is blessed with abundant human and material potentials, which could be explored and harnessed for the development and sustainability of ICT infrastructure. He also charged the council to continue to brainstorm and develop a realistic agenda for the nation’s socio-economic transformation through ICT.‘‘I wish to solicit for strategic partnership between the government and the private sector in order to ensure that Nigeria transits from being a consumer nation to a highly productive one as far as ICT software and tools are concerned.Nigeria has vast potentials, which can be explored and harnessed for the sustainable development of ICT infrastructure for e-governance, healthcare systems, and food security. But without effective linkages by all players in the spectrum, this lofty goal will remain a mirage,’’ Mimiko said.He added that the development of ICT was a major pre-occupation in Ondo State, stressing further that right from inception, his administration has embraced the idea of ICT roll-out in all governmental processes.‘‘We remain convinced that through effective utilisation of ICT tools, we can bridge, not only the digital divide between the government and the governed, but also keep pace with modern trends in public service delivery,’’ he stated.The digital governor maintained that a major push in this regard was the introduction of the Ondo State Residency Card project ( Kaadi Igbe Ayo) that was envisioned as a veritable platform for multi-purpose welfare services management for all citizens and residents in the state, saying, ‘’Kaadi Igbe Ayo is being deployed towards strategic planning and development in the State; efficient record keeping and management of human resources in the public and social sectors.In particular, the platform, he stressed, “is a veritable tool in the scaling up of qualitative and quantitative delivery in our people-oriented sub sector such as health, education, transportation and agriculture.‘’This council meeting is being held against the backdrop of breath-taking speed and changes in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) world. In particular, the unprecedented convergence of computer networks and other communication systems is a phenomenon that has revolutionized life on the planet. From the common desktop computers to the ubiquitous smartphones, tablets and most recently ‘Phablets’ it is crystal clear that ICT has become very much the core of modern civilization.Leveraging on the immense possibilities inherent in the unfolding ICT revolution for the improvement of living standards and development, is a key challenge confronting developing economies such as Nigeria. And it is to this challenge that all stakeholders must address themselves”.While charging the Council to, continue to brainstorm and help articulate a realistic and sustainable agenda for Nigeria’s socio-economic growth through the development of ICT, he solicited for strategic partnership between the Government and the private sector in order to ensure that Nigeria transits from being a consumer nation to a highly productive one as far as ICT software and tools are concerned.Nigeria has vast potentials which can be explored and harnessed for the sustainable development of ICT infrastructure for e-g overnance, healt h care systems, and food security etc. But without effective linkages by all players in the spectrum, this lofty goal will remain a mirage.“However, I must commend the impressive role of the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology under the respected leadership of the Honourable Minister, Mrs. Omobola Johnson.That she has been able to galvanise the desired policy thrusts for the emergence of a viable ICT architecture in Nigeria is both a testament to her sterling qualities as an industry veteran and , of course a disciple of the visionary leadership of Mr. President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR. I am confident that with the continued cooperation and synergy by all stakeholders, Nigeria’s future in ICT development is assured’’, he stated.Emphasizing on what he considered pertinent issues in the drive towards realization of the collective objectives in ICT development, Mimiko stated that communication was on the exclusive list, and that the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology should encourage regulatory sister agencies like NCC and NBC to pay more attention to issues of consumer dissatisfaction.Harping that rather than concentrate alone on direct implementation, other areas like policy enunciation ,setting standards and ensuring compliance by stakeholders and practitioners he opined, should also be looked into.Earlier in his address, Ondo state Chairman, State Information Technology Agency (SITA), Mr. Olatunde Adebodun Yadeka commended the NCCT, which according to him, was an unprecedented initiative by the Minister and her team . He predicted that the council will fast –track the nation’s progress into international top ranking in the ICT industry.‘’At the Federal level, the Ministry of Communication Technology under the dynamic leadership of its pioneer Minister has been a catalyst for the development of e-governance in the country; and access to ICT to the underserviced , and sanity in the sector that creates and encourages private-sector development.”Yadeka had submitted.In her key note address, the Minister of communication technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson said the mandate of the ministry was to make ICT a major source of growth, wealth and jobs in the country.Johnson added that the ministry has also been mandated to connect the country with physical fibre, satellite and microwave telecommunications network with a view to making ICT affordable to both operators and the people.On the rationale for choosing Ondo as the host state for the Stakeholders meeting, Johnson said, the organisers of the summit took into cognizance the fact that the state is at the forefront among the states engaged in ICT driven programmes.She mentioned some of the state’s programme that elicited the Conference organiser’s interest as its Metro-fibre project, which will enhance ICT connectivity to promote development across the state.
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