Bangalore Police on Wednesday congratulated an Indian Policewoman, who breastfed an abandoned baby, prompting a slew of praise on social media.

Police Constable Archana Shivanandiyya, told newsmen she was only acting out of motherly instinct.

We salute the mother in our lady Police Constable Archana, who rescued an abandoned newborn and breastfed the infant, the Bangalore Police posted on Facebook, amid praise from many users on the site.

The baby boy was discovered wrapped inside a plastic bag near a construction site in the southern metropolis of Bangalore on June 1.

Shivanandiyya and her colleague Police Insp R. Nagesh found the baby covered in blood, with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.

The infant was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors cleaned him and removed the umbilical cord and then brought to the police station.

The baby was really weak and not moving much, making us all worried.

I could not suppress my motherly instinct and took him immediately to an adjacent room to feed him, Archana told newsmen.

The 31-year old had recently returned to work after three months of maternity leave.

The milk was like an elixir that saved the baby.

He started kicking about and crying loudly, which sent a wave of cheer and joy to all the staff at the police station.

The newborn had been named `Kumaraswamy after the states Chief Minister, HD Kumaraswamy, Nagesh said.

He has now been brought to a childrens home.

Kumaraswamy tweeted that he was deeply moved and would meet the policewoman who nursed the little one to live to express gratitude. (dpa/NAN)

Source: NAN

A Niger Delta group, under the aegis ofNiger Delta Activist Forum, has threatened to shut down the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) if it fails to induct some junior production staff recruited in 2014 and 2015.

The group gave the company a 14 day ultimatum to induct the staffers who were predominantly drawn from the host communities or risk a total and complete shut down.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja, the Convener of the Forum, Comrade Success Jack, saidthe 2014/2015 NAOC host communities junior production technicians recruitment exercise in line with extant industry laws is a right and not a privilege granted to the host communities.

Therefore, NAOC should immediately induct and integrate the successful applicants within a fortnight.

He recalled that in line with Nigerias local content policy, Agip had conducted a recruitment exercise for junior production technicians and about 100 indigenes of the host communities emerged successful.

After the selection process, the successful candidates were booked for medical tests and subsequent placements, but the company abruptly aborted the exercise.

All entreaties from the traditional rulers, Rivers House of Assembly and security agencies that Agip should induct the locals fell on deaf ears.

The Niger Delta Activists Forum recently dragged Agip before the Rivers state command of the Department of State Security (DSS), where the company was advised to induct the 100 junior staff, but the company still reneged on its promise, he said.

Jack said the activists had embarked ontwenty one days of thorough consultations, with well over one hundred and twenty community based organizations, community leaders and youth groups in the Niger Delta.

He said that the consultation was to bring to the fore what he termed as disregard and total disrespect of our people in the region, extant laws and institutions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Nigeria Agip Oil Company(NAOC).

He said the group had exhausted all avenues and available options to make Agip live up to its corporate social responsibility, but the company was not ready to continue doing business in Nigeria.

Failure on the part of NAOC to comply with the fourteen days ultimatum given herein; we shall commence a total and complete shut down of all NAOC flow stations and oil production facilities within our communities.

We hereby call on all Niger Delta people to boycott all NAOC products and cut all dealings with this avowed enemy of our people at the end of this ultimatum; while advising that the right things be done and quickly so, to avert the extreme position that our people may be forced to assume.

The group, however, appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari, for graciously signing the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill into law, which it said would accord Nigerian youth a place in the business of governance.

This is a historic landmark achievement, geared towards youth empowerment and inclusion and not even the worst of onslaughts from anti-youth progressive agents like NAOC can reverse it, the group added.

Source: NAN

A 36-year-old trader, Mrs Florence Anyasi, on Wednesday told a Customary Court in Igando, Lagos to dissolve her 10-year-old marriage because her husband, Staley is a chronic womaniser.

She told the court that apart from numerous cases of his following women around, her husband used to sneak into their maids room to sleep with her.

My husband is a womaniser, he used to leave me in the bed at night and sneak into my maids room. I have caught him severally on my maids bed sexually assaulting her.

A neighbour approached me and told me to warn my husband to desist from asking her daughter to have love affairs with him.

I once caught him sucking the breasts of my niece, who is a minor and he is also fond of wooing my friends, the mother of three said as she reeled out her grievances before the court.

Anyasi also accused the husband of threatening her life.

My husband always tells me that he will get rid of me and had once succeeded in poisoning me.

He bought food for me and after eating, I started having serious pain and vomiting, I was rushed to the hospital by neighbours, when I was diagnosed, it was detected that the food I just ate had been poisoned.

The petitioner said that her husband equally turned her into a punching bag, beating her at the slightest provocation, and has been calling her thief and prostitute in public.

The woman stressed that her husband was irresponsible and unable to provide food or pay for the education of their children.

She therefore urged the court to dissolve her marriage with Stanley.

The defendant, however, denied all the allegations and in turn accused his wife of adultery, claiming that her lover even bought a car for her.

In January 2017 she came home with a car of N1 million, when I queried her where she got the car from, she claimed she bought it with her money.

I strongly disagreed with her because she is only selling foodstuffs and can never afford that kind of a car.

The 40-year-old businessman said that his wife packed out of their matrimonial home in 2017 without his knowledge.

I came home from work and discovered that my wife had packed all her belonging out with the children to start living with her lover.

I called her severally, she refused to pick but she eventually picked my call last January and informed me that our last baby she delivered in May 2017 was not mine that the child belonged to the man she is presently living with.

Before she even gave birth and packed out of my house, I always received information from people that they saw my wife in hotel with men but I always ignored them.

Stanley said that he provided food and was paying the school fees of their children.

On the allegation of turning her to a punching bag, Stanley said that he only beat her once when she stabbed him with bottle on his head.

The respondent urged the court to grant his wifes wish for the dissolution of marriage saying that he too was no longer interested.

The court president, Mr Akin Akinniyi, admonished the couple to maintain peace and fixed July 3, for judgment.

Image Credits: Youtube

Source: NAN

Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, an NGO, has called for a total ban on single-use plastics if they could not be reused or recycled.

Its Executive Director, David Michael, made the call at a clean-up exercise in the Jabi neighbourhood of Abuja to commemorate the 2018 World Environment Day, which has Beat Plastic Pollution as its theme.

Micheal said that plastic pollution had been a serious environmental menace all over the world.

He added that this explained why his organisation decided to organise the neighbourhood clean-up, in collaboration with the students of Government Secondary School, Jabi, so as to sensitise the students to the need to control plastic waste in the country.

Plastics here in the Jabi community run off to Jabi Lake. If you see the quantity of plastics in Jabi Lake, you will never believe it.

That is why we chose this community that is very close to the Jabi Lake because all the waste of the residents overflow to the lake; we want the students to understand that it is important to dispose waste safely.

We are also saying that any plastic material you can reuse, reuse it because single-use plastics are contaminating the environment.

We are advocating for a total ban of single use of plastics in Nigeria because plastics do not decay; they remain in the soil, river and ocean for years, he added.

Michael urged producers of plastic packages to use biodegradable materials such as paper bags and leaf to package consumable products.

He said that the production of paper bags would boost peoples interest in tree planting, while creating jobs for chemical engineers and other Nigerians.

Today, all over the world, is World Environment Day and UN has chosen a good theme for the day, which is `Beat Plastic Pollution.

Plastics have become a menace to our society, the environment and our heart.

We need to reduce the rate at which we are using plastics, not just only Nigeria but all over the world.

Today is a significant day for all of humanity. In fact, every day should be labelled the World Environment Day because our lives largely depend on the environment.

The air we breathe, the food we eat and even ourselves as humans, all came from the soil which is the major component of the environment.

There is, therefore, a compelling need for us to take care of our environment, he said.

Clara Okpala, a student of Government Secondary School, Jabi, underscored the need to ban the production and utilisation of single-use plastics because whenever plastic waste got into rivers, it harmed and killed fishes and other marine life.

Martins Obi, another student of the school, said that plastic waste, because of its inability to decompose, often blocked water channels, thereby causing floods which displaced people from their homes.

Source: NAN

Noble Youths Mass Support Association (NYMSA), a non-governmental organisation, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing into law the Not-Too-Young-To-Run bill.

Comrade Godwin Onmonya, the national coordinator of the association gave the commendation while briefing newsmen in Kuje, Abuja.

According to him, the bill is a step in the right direction, adding that it will bring about new brand of leadership with sound minds.

I am happy with the passage of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run bill into law and it is victory to Nigerian Youths.

I commend the President for this particular measure and the step that this government has taken regarding the bill.

For people to think that we now have young ones who are intelligent and patriotic and allow them to take leadership positions is quite commendable, he said.

Onmonya said President Buhari signed the bill into law on Thursday, at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, barely two days after he pledged to do so during the countrys Democracy Day celebration on May 29.

He observed that the movement had already put younger Nigerians at advantage positions to participate in elective positions ahead of the future general elections.

What we have found in other countries that are developing is that they take time to build and groom the leadership that will take over.

When they do, they will see that the country is moving at a faster speed but over time in this country, we have not taken time to groom our leadership.

We keep on recycling our leaders and we dont see much improvement in our governance.

If we get the issue of leadership right but fail to deal with the issue facing it, we are going nowhere.

He suggested that Nigerians in the run up to the 2019 elections should demand that aspiring politicians did not abuse their offices.

In line with our dream of providing enabling environment for youth participation in elections and governance and to allow younger Nigerians to actively participate in elective positions in governance at all levels.

Whoever can vote can be voted for, which is a global standard, he said.

He, therefore, urged Nigerian youths to immediately take advantage of the bill to actively participate in the collective quest to move the nation forward.

Source: NAN

A Deputy Director in the Kogi Ministry of Education, Mr Haruna David, suddenly collapsed and died in his office on Tuesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt in Lokoja that late David collapsed at about 3 p.m.

He was immediately rushed to Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, where he was pronounced dead by medical officials on duty.

Until his death, he worked in the Quality Assurance department of the ministry.

The deceased hailed from Ogugu, Olamaboro Local Government and was the Unit Chairman of the ministry’s Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and Chairman, Lokoja branch of the Ogugu Development Association.

However, investigations revealed the deceased was suffering from diabetes.

His corpse had been deposited at the morgue of Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.

The Public Relations Officer of Ministry of Education, Alhaji Seidu Adamu, confirmed the incident but refused to comment further.

Source: NAN

Dutchman Johannes Bonfrere, former Super Eagles coach has every reason to smile as the Federal Government on Tuesday in Abuja handed over the apartment promised him in 1994.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the promise was made during the late Gen. Sani Abacha administration following Super Eagles’ victory in the African Cup of Nations in Tunisia.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, during a courtesy call on him by Bonfrere, said redeeming the pledge was a sign of government’s commitment to integrity.

“This is consistent with the commitment President Muhammadu Buhari has made to make Nigerians proud of the country and to stand by and respond to needs of the citizens.

“But the matter did not go back 24 years. Rather it actually goes back 38 years.

“The Green Eagles, like Emmanuel Okala, Martins Eyo, Tunde Bamidele, among others, became the Super Eagles after winning the first Nations Cup Nigeria won.

“They were promised houses, but in their own cases they actually received the allocations and they did not have any document.

“So, it was not until April 2017, 38 years after the promise, that they finally got letters of allocation in this administration, which simply shows that the Federal Government is committed to solving problems, no matter how old.

“Change means that the government is solving very difficult and old problems, no matter how long the problems are, be it human, social, habitation needs, including infrastructure.’’

The minister also emphasised that the second housing programme which was currently being constructed in 34 states in Nigeria was also embarked upon under the present administration.

“That again is a sign that even National Housing has seen change,’’ he said.

Handing over the keys to the three-bedroom apartment, Fashola expressed satisfaction over the fulfillment of the pledge and thanked the former coach for his contribution to national development.

He noted that in Bonfrere’s case, he did not get any allocation or the letter, even though he has finally received the house.

According to the minister, beyond housing, the government was also tackling very difficult and old problems.

“I am happy to say that the Bonny Bridge in Rivers, which has been in concession for 32 years after two previous contractors have failed, is now under construction.’’

In his response, Bonfrere expressed profound gratitude to the Federal Government for redeeming the pledge made 24 years ago as a reward package.

He noted that the gesture demonstrated the premium the government placed on integrity of commitments, particularly in relation to honour as a result of outstanding accomplishment by sports teams.

“This gesture will encourage our sportsmen and women to aspire extraordinarily for accomplishments, knowing their accomplishment will not be unrecognised.’’

Bonfrere however expressed his best wishes for the Super Eagles who are set to participate in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

“As a coach that was directly involved in the 1994 African Cup of Nations and 1996 Olympics football gold medal victories, I crave for an impressive performance by our Super Eagles in Russia.’’

The former coach called for continued support for Federal Government’s sports programmes and policies, adding that the role of sports as a unifying tool could not be underestimated.

The three-bedroom unit, located at Prototype Housing Estate, Phase II in Gwagwalada, was a fulfillment of the pledge made in 1994 for winning the African Cup of Nations in Tunisia.

Source: NAN

The U.S, President Donald Trump is reportedly considering

Johnson, a great-grandmother from Memphis, Tennessee who became an ordained minister behind bars, has served more than 21 years in prison for a non-violent drug conspiracy offence.

She was sentenced to lifewithout parolein 1996, despite it being her first offence.

Kardashian first read about her case in October 2017, and began tweeting about it, describing the sentence as so unfair.

On May 30 she travelled to DC to meet the president and plead for clemency.

r Trump, but the decision has divided his cabinet.

John Kelly, the chief of staff,and White House counsel Donald McGahn are described as being disturbed by the process, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

Mr Kelly has reviewed Johnsons background and her 1996 conviction and is not convinced she deserves a pardon, an administration official told the newspaper.

Mr McGahn has also argued against the possible pardon as an unnecessary action by the president, a second official said.

But the case, seized upon by Kardashian, has become a cause celebre for prison reform advocates.

Source:

Source: NAN

There are palpable fears in the Presidential Amnesty Office Abuja, following the discovery of irregularities on Tuesday in previous deployment of delegates for educational programmes at some universities in the country.

Mr Murphy Ganagana, Special Assistant to the Cordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme Prof. Charles Dokubo in a statement said the discovery followed a verification exercise ordered by the Coordinator on assumption of office.

Ganagana said that a committee set up to ascertain the number of beneficiaries of the amnesty programme hitherto deployed to universities onshore for various educational programmes, discovered that an alarming figure of students enrolled in universities under the programme were not captured in the data base.

“Against the backdrop of huge tuition fees forwarded to the office for payment by some universities in the country for supposed beneficiaries deployed to the institutions for study Prof. Dokubo constituted a committee headed by the Head of Reintegration, amnesty office, Chief Aroloyeteim Brown, to verify beneficiaries of the amnesty Programme in local universities.

“The committee was among others, mandated to ascertain admission process of the students into the various institutions and whether the students are beneficiaries of the amnesty programme, and, if not, who was responsible for their admission or deployment.”

According to him, the office is also probing the disparity in tuition fees for students deployed by the office and others undergoing same programmes at the institutions.

He said this was to ascertain if there had been insider collaboration to pad the fees for pecuniary interests.

“The committee which is rounding off its assignment, has however, uncovered large scale fraud in previous deployment of delegates not captured in the data base of beneficiaries of the amnesty programme to various universities within the country.

“Checks indicated that while a new university recently forwarded a list of 62 pre-degree students to the office for payment of tuitions fees the committee discovered that only 14 of them were captured in the data base of beneficiaries of the programme.

“And 34 out of 201 first year students at another new university in the Southeastern part of the country were also cleared as beneficiaries in the amnesty database,” he said.

Ganagana further said that the names of 200 first year students out of a total of 290 sent to the office for payment of tuition fees by three universities in the South-south could not be verified on the data base of beneficiaries.

“Only 90 students from the three institutions were verified.

“The Coordinator, Amnesty Programme, Prof. Charles Dokubo is deeply concerned over this development, especially the plight of the affected students and is exploring measures to address the situation,” he added.

Source: NAN

The threat by the National Assembly to invoke constitutional power against the President Muhammadu Buharis government is a gangster behaviour, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, lashed on Tuesday.

The lawmakers incurred the displeasure of the South West socio-cultural group, following the threat by the lawmakers against the executive on Tuesday.

The forum said that the continuing interference of the National Assembly in the investigation of its indicted members could truncate the countrys democracy if not checked.

The forum, said the interference in such investigation was more like a gangsters behaviour by people who swore on oath to protect the country and its citizens.

Mr Akin Malaolu, Secretry-General of the forum, said in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja that the National Assembly was on a mission to truncate the countrys democracy due to lawful investigations carried out by government agents against some of its members.

He added that the National Assembly should remember that government was the creation of the people including the Senate and the House of representatives.

He maintained that the role of government was to disallow impunity and absolute liberty to commit heinous crimes, some of which he said were noticeable amongst leaders of today.

He added that the threat to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari for performing his duties was uncalled for.

The members of the National Assembly came out of a closed door joint session to unveil a 12-point demand bothering on insecurity, war against corruption and respect for lawmakers.

They threatened that they would not hesitate to invoke their constitutional power against the executive if it failed to implement the demands.

Their action is coming in the heat of the invitation of Senate President Bukola Saraki by the police to answer to his indictment by some five robbery gang leaders who led the attack on six banks and a police station in Offa on April 5, an operation in which 33 people were killed.

Source: NAN