Michael Ojuroye Initiative (Ngo)

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 9th 2013 Fani-Kayode and Oduah The Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, on Tuesday hit back at Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, describing  him  as an ignorant individual, who “should hide his head in shame.” Fani-Kayode, a former minister of Aviation,  had criticized the Peoples Democratic Party for expressing confidence in Oduah despite the air crashes that had happened during  her tenure as  minister. “How many more people have to be killed in air crashes before our President (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan)  realises that he needs a new Minister of Aviation?” Fani-Kayode had asked. But Oduah said  in Abuja that Fani-Kayode was misleading innocent Nigerians and needed sympathy. She spoke at an aviation safety event organised by the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation and hosted by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency. Oduah  said, “I have huge sympathy for them, the ignorant people in particular. Be...

  BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 9th 2013 Tade Ipadeola The race for the 2013 edition of the prestigious Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), which kicked off February, 2013, came to a positive conclusion Wednesday with The Sahara Testament authored by Tade Ipadeola, emerging winner. The Ibadan based legal practitioner and poet,Tade Ipadeola who was born in 1970 has published three volumes of poetry-A Time of Signs (2000) and The Rain Fardel (2005). His short stories and essays have also been published in diverse media. In 2009, he won the Delphic Laurel in Poetry with his poem “Songbird” in Jeju, South Korea. His third volume of poetry which is the Award winning collection of poetry, The Sahara Testaments-a sequence of 1000 quatrains on the nuances of the Sahara, is his latest work. The book was published by Hornbill House of the Arts, Lagos. The Panel of Judges led by its Chairman, Prof. Romanus Egudu adjudged The Sah...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 9th 2013 Newcastle United striker Shola Ameobi has dismissed speculation over his fitness ahead of Sunday’s 2014 World Cup play-off in Ethiopia. Ameobi received a knock during a friendly against Burkina Faso last month and there were huge doubts about his availability for the qualifier in Addis Ababa. “I worked really hard to ensure that I am fit for this game and I can tell you that I am fully fit for the encounter. I am happy to be here,” said Ameobi, who was the last arrival at the Nigeria training camp in Abuja on Wednesday due to a flight hitch. The Newcastle frontman added that Nigeria were fired up for their bid to qualify for a fifth World Cup. “We don’t need any extra motivation whatsoever to beat Ethiopia. Every player in this squad knows the importance of being at the World Cup and I think that is the motivation we need to do our country proud,” he said. “Everybody has tipped us to win the game but we must remember that Ethiopia are no...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 9th 2013 UNIC National Information Officer, Mr Oluseyi Soremekun The United Nation Information Centre (UNIC) on Wednesday said that at least one in five adults experienced mental or neurological disorder at aged 60 and over. This is contained in a statement signed by the UNIC National Information Officer, Mr Oluseyi Soremekun, made available in Abuja. The statement is coming barely a day to the World Mental Health Day often celebrated every October 10. The statement noted that the 2013 World Mental Health Day would focus on older adults, offering an opportunity to raise awareness of problems such as dementia and depression and how to overcome them. According to the statement, people around the world are increasingly aware that our human family is “graying”, with the proportion of those aged 60 and over expected to double this half century. The statement revealed that from over 605 million older persons in 2000, there would be an estimated two bi...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 9th 2013 The Plateau State Police Command on Wednesday paraded a 25-year-old farmer, Nanbul Samson, suspected to have killed one Nanbol, the husband of a woman he was going out with. Also paraded was Mrs Yakbyen Nanbol, 25, who was Samson’s lover. According to Mr Chris Olakpe, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Samson committed the offence in Langtang North Local Government Area on Sept. 13. He said that the suspect would be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to other residents that were “incapable of keeping their libido down’’. Samson, who later spoke claimed that he was prompted to commit the act by the decreased’s wife, whom he admitted, was his lover. “She compelled me to kill her husband so that she could marry me.’’ He confirmed that he had enjoyed a secret affair for some time with Yakbyen, but that the woman, at a point, suggested the need to get rid of her husband so as to have a smoother affair. Samson said that the decreased, a bricklayer...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 9th 2013 Jose Manuel Barroso and Enrico Letta were heckled as they arrived on the island of Lampedusa Italy is to hold a state funeral for the hundreds of migrants who died after their boat capsized off the island of Lampedusa last week. Prime Minister Enrico Letta made the announcement during a visit to the island with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. Mr Barroso pledged 30m euros of EU funds to help refugees in Italy. The two men were heckled on their arrival in Lampedusa, with shouts of "disgrace" and "killers". At least 274 people - mostly from Eritrea and Somalia - died after their boat capsized last Thursday about 1km (half a mile) from Lampedusa. It is one of Italy's worst disasters involving a boat carrying migrants who want to leave Africa and head to Europe. Lampedusa is a key destination for such boats and many residents have long complained that the authorities in Italy and the European Union ar...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 9th 2013 Carolina Gonzalez (L) and her three- and four-year-old children were evicted from a squat in Malaga this month, Reuters news agency reports The Council of Europe, the continent's main human rights watchdog, has warned Spain its austerity programme could have a devastating impact on children. Child poverty reached 30% in 2011 and cuts in welfare, health and education have left some children homeless and malnourished, its report said. Disabled people also face poverty and increasing marginalisation as state help is withdrawn, the Council found. But Spain's government said investment in education for all had risen. Tom Burridge recently reported on Spain's declining population Defending its commitment to human rights, it said that subsidies for disabled people had also risen. Spain has been carrying out painful austerity measures since it was hit hard in the 2008-9 global economic crisis, when its once-booming pr...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 9th 2013 Janet Yellen is set to step up from vice-chair at the Fed to the top post US President Barack Obama will nominate Federal Reserve Vice-Chair Janet Yellen to be the next head of the US central bank on Wednesday, according to a White House official. If confirmed by the US Senate, Ms Yellen would replace Ben Bernanke, who has held the post for eight years. She has been his deputy for the last two years, and would become the first woman to head the Federal Reserve. Ms Yellen and Mr Bernanke are due to appear with the president on Wednesday. She has taught at Harvard University and the London School of Economics, as well as holding a series of senior administrative positions in the US. 'Depth of experience' Ms Yellen, like Mr Bernanke, is seen as a "dove", meaning she prefers to priorities boosting employment by keeping rates low rather than worrying about inflation. Her nomination has been widely expected after former Treas...

BY: FUNMI OJUROYE  October 9th 2013 One-time Chairman of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Council, Mr. Usen Ekene, a police corporal, and two kidnappers were killed during a rescue operation, which lasted many hours. Ekene was kidnapped three weeks ago at Nyara Enyin Ntonguno in Ikot Ekpene. The kidnappers reportedly demanded N50 million as ransom from the family of the former council boss. An indigene of the area, Mr. Richard Okon, said that when the villagers spotted the kidnappers’ den, they informed the police, who mobilised to free Ekene. Okon said: “We did not know that the incident would result to loss of lives. The joint patrol team that tried to rescue Ekene from his abductors did their best, though they could not save him.” Police Public Relations Officer, Akwa Ibom State Police Command, Mr. Etim Dickson, yesterday in Uyo, confirmed the incident. Dickson said Ekene, a police corporal and two suspected abductors died. He added that one other member of the joint patrol tea...