Welcome to Paul Umoren's Blog

Nigeria has recorded another death from the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. This time it is a staff of the Lagos Liason office of the Economic Community of West African State - ECOWAS headquarters, Mr Jatto Abdulqudir. Confirming his death in a statement, ECOWAS management said the 36 year old man was among those who assisted the late Liberian Patrick Sawyerr when he came to Lagos for a regional meeting and was quarantined after Sawyerr died of the deadly disease. This brings to three the number of deaths from the deadly virus in Nigeria. The first two being Sawyerr and a Nigerian nurse. "The ECOWAS Commission announces with deep regret the passing of a staff member of its Lagos Liaison Office, Mr. Jatto Asihu Abdulqudir, aged 36. Mr. Abdulqudir, a Protocol Assistant, was among those who assisted the Liberian delegate to a regional meeting Mr. Patrick Sawyer, who died from the Ebola Virus Disease at a Lagos hospital on 25th July 2014. “Mr. Abdulqudir had

The Presidency on Tuesday flayed the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) for demanding that President Goodluck Jonathan rescue the over 200 Chibok school girls or forfeit his 2015 re-election bid. The NEF had given Jonathan a two-month ultimatum within which to rescue the girls. The over 200 Chibok school girls were abducted by the Boko Haram sect since April 14 and have since been in the sect captivity. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Dr. Doyin Okupe, retorted that the President did not require such threat or ultimatum to be alive to his responsibilities. “The issue of insurgency, especially those ideologically based on Islamic extremism is a global phenomenon and requires tact, military capability, serious de-radicalisation techniques and community based counter insurgency programmes to ensure success,” Okupe stated. The presidential aide said the administration was doing everything possible to ensure that the girls are rescued alive, adding

World football governing body, FIFA has picked Chinese referee, Liang Qin, for Wednesday’s final group match between Nigeria’s Super Falconets and their English counterparts at the on-going FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Canada 2014. The game, a group C fixture will be played at the 28,000 capacity Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Qin was at the centre when France walloped Costa Rica  5-1 at Olympic Stadium Montreal last week. The chinese was born in 1979 and has been a FIFA badged referee since 2010. The centre referee will be assisted by her compatriots, Fang Yan and Liang Jianping, while Yeimy Martinez from Colombia is the fourth official for the cracker. Meanwhile, the Peter Dedevbo tutored girls are currently on top of their group with four points from two games and are seeking for an outright win or a draw to qualify for the quarterfinals of the competition. The English girls are second on the log with two points from two games and are desperate to claim max

World football governing body FIFA will give its verdict this week on the impeachment of Nigeria Football Federation president, Aminu Maigari. AfricanFootball.com gathered that FIFA members will base their decision on the reply NFF forwarded  to the body on Maigari’s impeachment. “FIFA will decide on the purported sack of Maigari before the end of this week,” a source informed AfricanFootball.com FIFA had last week demanded a full explanation on Maigari’s impeachment by the NFF executive committee. Maigari was reportedly sacked by his executive committee members on July 24. FIFA in a letter to NFF General Secretary, Musa Amadu and signed by Deputy Secretary General, Markus Kattner, demanded a more detailed explanation of events leading to Maigari’s sack. They asked for the agenda of the executive committee meeting that sacked Maigari, the conditions for the amendment of the agenda and whether the president was given the chance to defend himself formally.

Ahead of the 2015 general elections, South East Ndigbo Lagos has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to seek reelection to enable him complete his programmes. Speaking in Lagos yesterday during a courtesy visit to the corporate headquarters of The Sun Publishing Limited, the group’s President, Mr. Leonard Ogbonnia, in a speech read by the secretary, Chief Ringo Okeke, said President Jonathan had recorded several achievements in various sectors of the economy, in spite of the many distractions, hence the need for him to continue in office beyond 2015. His word: “In 2010, we requested Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to come out and contest the 2011 presidential election. He obliged us and contested and we supported him overwhelmingly and he won. During the campaigns, he promised Nigerians a holistically transformed Nigeria, which he encapsulated in his transformation agenda. After the overwhelming victory, he hit the ground running. We are calling on him to contest the 2015 pr

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has approved an across the board reduction in all state-owned tertiary institutions. In the new school fees regime, which will take effect from the 2014/2015 academic session, some students will pay 61 per cent less than they are currently paying, while some others will be paying as low as N29, 700. The reduction was arrived at after extensive deliberation among government, leadership of the various students’ unions and heads of the institutions. Also, the new school fees regime has abolished the indigene/non-indigene dichotomy as all students offering the same course and the same level will pay the same fees. In a statement signed by Mr Segun Odubela, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, the government stated that medical students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), who are paying N301, 610 will now be paying N176, 596, a 41.4 per cent reduction. Also, students of the Faculty of Arts in the same universit

A 23-year-old professed Celestial Church prophet, Adewale Adeleke, on Tuesday appeared before a Yaba Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, over alleged fraud and rape. Adeleke, who resides at No. 2 Ajibola Street, Agbado Ijaiye, Lagos, was arraigned on a four-count charge of stealing, obtaining by false pretext, impersonation and rape. Prosecutor Chris Takim told the court that the accused committed the offences on July 26 at 6pm at the premises of Original Inn Hotel, Ebute Meta. Takim said the accused approached his victim claiming to be spiritually informed about her problems and had solutions to them through a scheduled prayer session. According to the police prosecutor, the complainant met him at the hotel on the scheduled appointment were he obtained her mobile phone and N13, 000 as mobilisation fees. “Adeleke collected her phones and N13, 000 to begin the prayer session with her and later forced her to strip naked as a prerequisite for her prayer to be answered. “Ade

Doctors under the aegis of Medical Guild, Lagos State, yesterday urged the Federal and state governments to equip all hospitals to prevent the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). They said it is necessary because patients reserve the right to choose the hospitals where they want to access treatment, as such hospitals should be equipped with anti-Ebola equipment. Its chairman, Dr Biyi Kufo, said global practices demand that certain protocols must be put in place in all facilities to protect workers from contracting the disease. “We are not sure there is adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on ground. It is the foot soldiers on the field who feel the presence of battle. We work in these facilities and we are aware of the situation on the ground,” he said. Besides, proper approach in combating the disease should not exclude the doctors. He appealed to the government to ensure all measures are put in place to protect doctors and other health workers, saying

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll, on Tuesday warned the Muslim community against the consumption of monkeys and bush meat to avoid contracting the dreaded Ebola virus. Abubakar noted that since it was first confirmed medically that the disease was discovered in monkeys and fruit bats, it would be reasonable for Muslims to avoid such, including other bush meat. A statement on behalf of the Sultan by the JNI’s Secretary-General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar, in Kaduna on Tuesday said, “As confirmed by medical experts, the disease was first discovered in monkeys and contacted by those who eat monkeys and other sources of bush meat. Alas, in Islam eating of monkeys had already been discouraged (Makruh), according to many scholars of Islamic jurisprudence. “Thus, we should continue to uphold this verdict as it also serves as a preventative measure.” He also urged Muslims to abide by all health tips for the prevention of the disease seriously, noting that the cultur

Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka has said the Federal Government is committed to control the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) at its airports. The minister addressed reporters yesterday in Lagos at the end of a two-day inspection of facilities and projects at the local and international wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja. He said part of his visit to the airport was to review the medical procedures, including the screening of inbound and outbound passengers, to ensure that air travellers and other airport users are protected from the virus. Chidoka said: “I am coming out to make sure that the country does not go back in the fight against the virus. That is why we decided to go to the airports yesterday (Monday) to interact and reassure Nigerians of the government’s commitment to keep our airports safe. It is also to make sure that it is not a transit point for the transmission of the Ebola virus. “The virus is not a political issue; it is not an issu

Jonathan seeks joint action The Ebola scare got wider yesterday, with Turkey putting a Nigerian under watch and President Goodluck Jonathan calling for concerted efforts against the deadly disease . The Nigerian, who arrived in Istanbul, Turkey yesterday, created panic when she fell ill aboard a Turkish Airlines plane flying from Lagos to Istanbul. It  prompted authorities to take measures against a possible case of the Ebola virus. The 32-year-old woman reportedly fell ill to fever and vomited during the flight before the pilot demanded paramedics’ attention. Paramedics working under the General Directorate of Health for Borders and Coasts delivered the first treatment to the woman on the plane. She and her three-year-old son were later taken to the hospital for further examination. The Turkish health ministry in a statement said officials were keeping a close watch on the woman as a precautionary measure. “It is not possible to say the patient in question has

MIA BLOOM, a professor of security studies at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and the author of “Bombshell: Women and Terror” and “Dying to Kill: The Allure of Suicide Terror”, in this piece for Washington Post  argues that female suicide bombers are not a new phenomenon. There were four suicide bombing attacks by young women in Kano, Nigeria. Especially worrying is that the reported ages of the suicide bombers are getting younger and younger. A 10-year-old girl strapped with a suicide bomber’s explosives belt and her older sister were taken into police custody. The attacks raise concerns that Boko Haram has doubled its mobilisation base. These attacks and others led the city of Kano to ban public worship and celebrations of Eid, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan. Local police have issued warnings about women covered in hijab. Who are the female suicide bombers in Kano? Three narratives have emerged about who these young bombers were. A handful of r

The Presidency on Tuesday inaugurated an 11-members committee charged with the responsibility of coordinating the various groups drumming support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 re-election bid. The President’s Political Adviser, Prof. Rufai Alkali, who inaugurated the committee, said panel was to streamline the organisation and structures of the groups. Alkali said at the inauguration: “As 2015 approaches, we note that the circumstances and fundamentals facing us are somewhat different. The opposition is different; the political landscape is different, the players are different and the issues are different. “Therefore to succeed in 2015, there is a great need to re-appraise our strategies and the structure of the umbrella organisation of the Goodluck Support Group (GSG) that helped us to victory in 2011. “In order to address these issues, the re-organisation of GSG has become imperative. I have therefore decided to set up a special GSG re-organisation committ

The move came after a request to the US from Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the government said. The news came as medical ethics specialists met in Geneva to explore the use of such new treatments. The World Health Organization, which is hosting the meeting, says some 1,013 have died from Ebola in West Africa. “The experimental drugs are to be brought in the country by a representative of the US government later this week,” a statement on the Liberian president’s website said. However, US government officials said its role had been to put Liberian officials in contact with Zmapp maker Mapp Biopharmaceutical. ‘No cost’ The pharmaceutical company said its supply of the drug was exhausted after its supplies were sent to West Africa, AFP news agency reported. The drug was “provided at no cost in all cases,” the company added. Zmapp has been used in the US on two aid workers who have shown signs of improvement, and a Roman Catholic priest, infected with E

Less than five days before the kick off of the new English Premier League, EPL, Manchester City has announced the signing of France central defender, Eliaquim Mangala, from FC Porto for a record breaking £32m. According to the statement released on Monday, 11 August, 2014, Mangala becomes the most expensive defender in British football history. The 23-year old Paris-born Mangala becomes the sixth signing of the summer for the EPL defending champions, and will quickly re-join his old Porto teammate Fernando at the Etihad Stadium. Speaking on his new club, Mangala said: “City is a top club in Europe. For me, it was an important step to leave Porto and join Manchester City in order to continue my progress. I want to win titles and I believe I can do this. I am ambitious and this is why I am here. “I’m very happy to come to England because for me, the Premier League is the best league in the world. It is a very intense and very aggressive competition. There are plenty