Michael Ojuroye Initiative (Ngo)

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 2nd 2013 Riot police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Gezi Park Turkish authorities committed human rights abuses "on a massive scale" while trying to quell anti-government protests over the summer, Amnesty International says. The group says live ammunition was used, killing one protester, and some women protesters were sexually abused. It says other demonstrators were badly beaten, resulting in one death. The unrest began in May as a protest to stop the redevelopment of Istanbul's Taksim Square and Gezi Park. But after a harsh crackdown by riot police, it snowballed into nationwide anti-government demonstrations that lasted for weeks. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan defended the police action and denounced protesters as "terrorists". However his deputy, Bulent Arinc, acknowledged that the police had gone too far, and apologized to protesters who were injured in the original operation. Amnesty Internationa...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 2nd 2013 President Barack Obama has postponed two stops on his four-nation Asian tour because of the government shutdown. The White House said it was "logistically... not possible" to go ahead with the trips to Malaysia and the Philippines at the end of his tour. But he would still be attending regional summits in Indonesia and Brunei, the White House added. The US government has partially shut down after the two houses of Congress failed to agree a new budget. More than 700,000 federal employees face unpaid leave, and national parks, museums and many buildings are closed. Mr Obama earlier vowed not to allow Republicans to undermine his signature healthcare legislation as a condition to restart the US government. "They demanded ransom," Mr Obama said. Four-nation trip Mr Obama had been scheduled to begin his four-nation Asian trip on Saturday, heading to Bali for an Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit and Brunei for th...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 2nd 2013 The striker believes the Premier League side's summer spending has turned the club into a far more fearsome prospect after failing to advance from the group stage in 2011 and 2012 Dzeko has warned Bayern Munich that Manchester City are not the same side that crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage in 2011 and 2012. City have struggled to make an impact in Europe's premier competition during their two previous stints, failing to win a single group game last season as they finished bottom of their group. Nevertheless, Dzeko believes City are a far more fearsome prospect for opposition teams after bolstering the squad to the tune of €107 million during the summer as they prepare to face the Champions League holders.  "We've played a few years together and we also have four new players and they've improved the squad," Dzeko told reporters. "We're definitely better this year than last. We don...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 2nd 2013 The striker believes the Premier League side's summer spending has turned the club into a far more fearsome prospect after failing to advance from the group stage in 2011 and 2012 Dzeko has warned Bayern Munich that Manchester City are not the same side that crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage in 2011 and 2012. City have struggled to make an impact in Europe's premier competition during their two previous stints, failing to win a single group game last season as they finished bottom of their group. Nevertheless, Dzeko believes City are a far more fearsome prospect for opposition teams after bolstering the squad to the tune of €107 million during the summer as they prepare to face the Champions League holders.  "We've played a few years together and we also have four new players and they've improved the squad," Dzeko told reporters. "We're definitely better this year than last. We don...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 2nd 2013 Goodluck Jonathan President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday set up an advisory committee on National Dialogue to establish the modalities for a National Dialogue or Conference.  The Committee will also design a framework and recommend the form, structure and mechanism of the process. Mr. Jonathan was speaking on the occasion of Nigeria’s 53rd independence anniversary.  In what appeared to be an abrupt decision, he said the committee will be chaired by Dr. Femi Okurounmu while Dr. Akilu Indabawa will serve as the Secretary. He said he expected the report to be ready in one month, a complete surprise considering that full membership was yet to be announced.  Following the receipt of the committee’s report, he said the nation will be briefed on the nomenclature, structure and moralities of the Dialogue. “In truth, Nigeria is still a work in progress and we are challenged everyday to keep building in spite of the ...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 2nd 2013 THE body counts from the war against terrorism are getting abnormal. Whether the losses are on the part of the security agencies or mere standbys, like school children, it is becoming clearer that government needs to do more. Terrorists may do all they can to make the country unsafe, but government has the responsibility to not only protect us, it has to make us feel safe. What we find more absurd is that the seasonal killing of school children which terrorists in Yobe State have made their specialty, no longer shocks. The condemnations have thinned. We have moved on with obviously more important matters like who becomes whatever in 2015. We forget the killings quickly in order to sustain the pretence that the union is in sane state. Nigeria has lost thousands of lives to terrorists. Neither the numbers, no those killed, appears to be important. Lives, no longer seem to count, they have become numbers, ordinary statistics, kept for the recor...