NAIJAFEED

Monday, November 30, 2009

Martins might miss Nations Cup due to surgery

Super Eagle and Wolfsburg FC striker Obafemi Martins is to undergo surgery in the next few days for a shin issue. Reports say that Martins will be out for at least a month. This development might jeopardize his chances of taking part in the African Nations Cup and also severely weaken Nigeria's offense.

Sources close to Martins say he is determined to fight his way back to full fitness in time for the Nations Cup.

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Nigerians account for 90 percent of crime by Africans in China

Nigeria's Ambassador to China Alhaji Aminu Wali announced that Nigerians accounted for about 90 percent of crimes committed by Africans in China.

"Comparatively of all the crimes committed by Africans in China, Nigerians occupy about 90 percent. Currently, we have over 100 Nigerians in various jails across China, excluding those already sentenced to life imprisonment," he said.

However, the ambassador refuted reports that the 23 Nigerian corpses, awaiting cremation in China, were of those who died in prison. Ambassador Wali said some of the corpses had been in a morgue for more than three years and had not been claimed by relatives.

Ambassador Wali also mentioned that most of the Nigerian illegal immigrants came to China as nationals of other African countries, "so when such people die, it becomes difficult to repatriate their bodies home because they do no not have Nigerian passports".

About the challenges faces the Nigerian community in China, the ambassador said that "they were being harassed constantly as offenders of the law and robberies in the Guangdong Province where there is a large concentration of Nigerians".

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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Return to Nigeria's Witch Children

"A year ago, Dispatches told the story of how children in Nigeria's Niger Delta were being denounced by Christian pastors as witches and wizards, and then killed, tortured or abandoned by their own families. Following the introduction of the Child Rights legislation and an increase in financial support for a British charity providing a refuge for affected youngsters, the programme returns to find out what happened to some of the people featured in the first film," Dispatches.

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Police officer murders 2 children in hospital

A police officer allegedly suffocated two children at Oni Memorial Children Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria, after he was told that doctors could not save the life of his three-year old daughter. He allegedly removed the drips being used to treat five other children in the hospital and sprayed them with tear gas canisters.

He proceeded to attack the doctors and nurses in the hospital and threatened he would have shot them all if he had his gun on him. The police officer is said to have lost another child in similar circumstances in another hospital.

The daughter of the police officer, Destiny Raymond, had severe malaria, a chest infection, and respiratory disorder.

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China to cremate 21 Nigerians if bodies are not claimed by December 15

The Government of the Republic of China has extended its deadline to the 15th of December,2009 for the cremation of about 21 Nigerians who died in China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja released this press statement:

"The Government of China, after another diplomatic representation by the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing, has graciously extended the deadline when the remains of all foreigners still lying in the various mortuaries in that country must be claimed or will be cremated according to Chinese laws. The new date is now 15th December, 2009."

"Information received from our Mission in China indicates that the Nigerians died in that country from various causes ranging from sickness/illness, motor vehicle accidents, drowning, drugs and unknown causes, whose remains are yet to be claimed by their relations or families."

Unfortunately, efforts by the Ministry and our Mission in Beijing, China to contact the families and next - of - kin of the deceased have not been successful due to paucity of information on the deceased at the time of death. In cases where such information were found (such as telephone numbers on some of the deceased,), when they were contacted, there were no responses; and in other cases, the family members who responded were not cooperative, regarding decision on what to do with the corpses of their relations."

Some of the deceased include are Akinola Akinsanya, who died in Guangzhou of unknown causes; Chris Nwanekezie who died in Dongguan from a car accident; Tunde Bombata who slumped and died in Beijing; Susanah Imbasi who died of AIDS in Beijing and Tunmise Razak who drowned in Nanjing.

The press statement continue: "The general public and in particular members and family of the deceased are kindly requested to urgently contact the Ministry (Consular and Immigration Services Division) to indicate how they wish to arrange to repatriate the remains of their loved ones for burial in Nigeria or in the alternative, grant appropriate approval for cremation by the Chinese Authorities."

"Chinese authorities have stressed that failure to comply with the new deadline of 15th December 2009, they would, inline with its domestic laws, cremate these bodies, some of which been in the mortuaries since 2006. It also should be noted that it is truly a gesture of goodwill, respect for Nigeria's culture and the dead, coupled with the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries that the Government of the Peoples Republic of China has not over the years taken the unilateral decision to cremate the bodies."