Monday, October 21, 2019
Video - Experts in Nigeria urge government to keep the internet safe
According to a United Nations report, around one-in-three young people across 30 countries have been bullied online, while one-in-five have skipped school because of it. With a rapid growth of internet population in Nigeria, experts are now calling on the government to put measures in place to tackle the issue of cyber bullying.
Gunmen kidnap police officer in Nigeria
Nigerian police confirmed on Sunday the abduction of a senior police officer in the northern state of Kaduna on Saturday.
Musa Rambo, an assistant commissioner of police in charge of central north city of Suleja, was kidnapped on a highway road in the state by gunmen suspected to kidnappers, state police spokesman Yabuku Sabo told Xinhua.
Sabo did not reveal the detail of the kidnap, only saying contact had been established with the kidnappers requesting for a ransom which he failed to mentioned.
A security source told Xinhua that the kidnappers requested a ransom of 50 million naira (about 140,000 U.S. dollars) for the police officer to regain his freedom.
Xinhua
Musa Rambo, an assistant commissioner of police in charge of central north city of Suleja, was kidnapped on a highway road in the state by gunmen suspected to kidnappers, state police spokesman Yabuku Sabo told Xinhua.
Sabo did not reveal the detail of the kidnap, only saying contact had been established with the kidnappers requesting for a ransom which he failed to mentioned.
A security source told Xinhua that the kidnappers requested a ransom of 50 million naira (about 140,000 U.S. dollars) for the police officer to regain his freedom.
Xinhua
Nigeria shocked by Togo in CHAN qualifiers as holders Morocco go through
Nigeria were shock 2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifying casualties on Saturday despite a 2-0 home victory over Togo in the second leg of their regional tie.
Sikiru Alimi scored twice in Lagos for the Super Eagles B team, but it was not enough as Togo qualified for the finals 4-3 on aggregate.
It will be the first appearance by the Togolese in this national team competition, which is restricted to footballers who play in their country of birth.
Nigeria, runners-up to hosts Morocco in the 2018 final, had been seeking a fourth consecutive appearance at the biennial 16-nation championship.
Morocco, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia also qualified this weekend, leaving a further eight places to be filled on Sunday.
Cameroon qualify automatically as 2020 hosts, but the tournament dates and venues have not been announced.
Needing to score at least three goals after a shock 4-1 first leg loss in Lome last month, Nigeria made a promising start with Alimi netting on eight minutes.
He could have had a hat-trick by half-time, but failed to score when one-on-one with goalkeeper Mubarak Aigba while another shot was cleared off the line.
Alimi did score again 19 minutes from time, but Nigeria failed to find a third unanswered goal that would have given them victory on away goals.
Morocco served notice that they will be strong contenders to become the first nation to successfully defend the title when they beat Algeria 3-0.
After a goal-less first leg, the holders broke the deadlock on 27 minutes when Badr Benoun converted a penalty and Hamid Ahadad and Mohamed Nahiri also netted before half-time.
Benoun captained the 2018 Nations Championship-winning team that included Nahiri, who scores remarkably regularly for a full-back at club and national team levels.
None of the Algeria 2019 Africa Cup of Nations-winning squad were available as all 23 play abroad.
The qualification of Tanzania for the first time since the inaugural tournament hosted by the Ivory Coast in 2009 was a surprise given they fell 1-0 at home to Sudan in the first leg.
Sudan doubled the advantage through Amir Kamal in Omdurman before second half goals from Erasto Nyoni and Ditram Nchimbi earned Tanzania a 2-1 win and overall success on away goals.
Uganda defeated Burundi 3-0 in Kampala to go through 6-0 on aggregate and Rwanda narrowly got past Ethiopia 2-1 overall to qualify after a 1-1 draw in Kigali.
In the southern zone, eSwatini held Zambia to a 2-2 drawn in Lusaka but it was not enough as Zambia won 3-2 on aggregate.
In Windhoek Namibia were 2-0 winners over Madagascar to qualify 2-1 overall.
BBC
Sikiru Alimi scored twice in Lagos for the Super Eagles B team, but it was not enough as Togo qualified for the finals 4-3 on aggregate.
It will be the first appearance by the Togolese in this national team competition, which is restricted to footballers who play in their country of birth.
Nigeria, runners-up to hosts Morocco in the 2018 final, had been seeking a fourth consecutive appearance at the biennial 16-nation championship.
Morocco, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia also qualified this weekend, leaving a further eight places to be filled on Sunday.
Cameroon qualify automatically as 2020 hosts, but the tournament dates and venues have not been announced.
Needing to score at least three goals after a shock 4-1 first leg loss in Lome last month, Nigeria made a promising start with Alimi netting on eight minutes.
He could have had a hat-trick by half-time, but failed to score when one-on-one with goalkeeper Mubarak Aigba while another shot was cleared off the line.
Alimi did score again 19 minutes from time, but Nigeria failed to find a third unanswered goal that would have given them victory on away goals.
Morocco served notice that they will be strong contenders to become the first nation to successfully defend the title when they beat Algeria 3-0.
After a goal-less first leg, the holders broke the deadlock on 27 minutes when Badr Benoun converted a penalty and Hamid Ahadad and Mohamed Nahiri also netted before half-time.
Benoun captained the 2018 Nations Championship-winning team that included Nahiri, who scores remarkably regularly for a full-back at club and national team levels.
None of the Algeria 2019 Africa Cup of Nations-winning squad were available as all 23 play abroad.
The qualification of Tanzania for the first time since the inaugural tournament hosted by the Ivory Coast in 2009 was a surprise given they fell 1-0 at home to Sudan in the first leg.
Sudan doubled the advantage through Amir Kamal in Omdurman before second half goals from Erasto Nyoni and Ditram Nchimbi earned Tanzania a 2-1 win and overall success on away goals.
Uganda defeated Burundi 3-0 in Kampala to go through 6-0 on aggregate and Rwanda narrowly got past Ethiopia 2-1 overall to qualify after a 1-1 draw in Kigali.
In the southern zone, eSwatini held Zambia to a 2-2 drawn in Lusaka but it was not enough as Zambia won 3-2 on aggregate.
In Windhoek Namibia were 2-0 winners over Madagascar to qualify 2-1 overall.
BBC
Friday, October 18, 2019
Fuel tanker explosion kills 2 in Nigeria
Nigerian presidency confirmed on Thursday two people were killed in a fuel tanker explosion which wreaked havoc in the southern state of Anambra on Wednesday.
A woman and her child were confirmed killed as the tanker fell and spilled its content on a busy road in Onitsha, a commercial city of Anambra, according to a statement from the presidency.
"I am profoundly touched by the sight of the charred remains of an innocent mother and her child who are victims of this tragedy," Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said in the statement issued in Abuja.
"I also extend my sympathies to other victims of the explosion whose houses, shops and other property were destroyed in the mishap," he said.
Over 40 buildings and scores of shops were lost to the fire, according to local media.
Buhari called for urgent action on the part of those concerned to stem these frequent fatal disasters on public roads.
The president directed relevant government ministries and departments, as well as local stakeholders, to urgently address the issue of safety standards in the country, with a view to "stemming the embarrassing frequency of these tragedies".
Andrew Kumapayi, head of the state's Federal Road Safety Commission, told Xinhua the tanker lost control and fell into a gutter after experiencing break failure, spilling its content and causing fire.
Kumapayi said the fire service officials got to the scene promptly but could not put out the fire as their water pump developed fault.
Acording to him, the fire spread through the gutter and affected houses and shops along the road.
In July, a similar explosion in the central Nigerian state of Benue had claimed at least 45 lives.
Xinhua
A woman and her child were confirmed killed as the tanker fell and spilled its content on a busy road in Onitsha, a commercial city of Anambra, according to a statement from the presidency.
"I am profoundly touched by the sight of the charred remains of an innocent mother and her child who are victims of this tragedy," Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said in the statement issued in Abuja.
"I also extend my sympathies to other victims of the explosion whose houses, shops and other property were destroyed in the mishap," he said.
Over 40 buildings and scores of shops were lost to the fire, according to local media.
Buhari called for urgent action on the part of those concerned to stem these frequent fatal disasters on public roads.
The president directed relevant government ministries and departments, as well as local stakeholders, to urgently address the issue of safety standards in the country, with a view to "stemming the embarrassing frequency of these tragedies".
Andrew Kumapayi, head of the state's Federal Road Safety Commission, told Xinhua the tanker lost control and fell into a gutter after experiencing break failure, spilling its content and causing fire.
Kumapayi said the fire service officials got to the scene promptly but could not put out the fire as their water pump developed fault.
Acording to him, the fire spread through the gutter and affected houses and shops along the road.
In July, a similar explosion in the central Nigerian state of Benue had claimed at least 45 lives.
Xinhua
Town in Nigeria celebrate being 'twins capital' of the world
The sleepy-looking town boasts of having the highest concentration of multiple births of any place on the globe.
To celebrate its self-proclaimed title the town hosts an annual festival, now in its second year, that draws hundreds of sets of twins from around the country.
Donning different traditional clothes and costumes, the twins -- male and female, old, young and even newborns -- sang and danced at the latest edition this weekend to the appreciation of an admiring audience.
"We feel elated that we are being honoured today," Kehinde Durowoju, a 40-year-old twin, told AFP as he hugged his identical brother Taiwo.
"With this event, the whole world will better appreciate the importance of Ibeji (twins) as special children and gifts from God."
Around them, twins moved in procession to show off their colourful outfits as magic displays and masquerades also entertained the crowds.
- 'Twins tourism' -
Population experts say the Yoruba-speaking southwest has one of the highest twinning rates in Nigeria.
Statistics are difficult to come by, but a study by British gynaecologist Patrick Nylander, between 1972 and 1982, recorded an average of 45 to 50 sets of twins per 1,000 live births in the region.
That compares to a twin birth rate of 33 per every 1,000 births in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Igbo-Ora is the epicentre of the phenomenon in the West African country.
Residents in the town, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Nigeria's biggest city Lagos, say that almost every family has some twins.
Traditional leader Jimoh Olajide Titiloye knows all about this special quirk.
"I am a twin, my wife is a twin and I have twins as children," he told AFP.
"There is hardly any household in this town which does not have at least a set of twins."
He said the festival on Saturday was aimed at promoting Igbo-Ora as "the foremost twins tourism destination in the world" and that efforts were underway to get the town listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
Prominent Yoruba ruler, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, said the festival "is a celebration of culture and recognition of Ibeji as special children in Yorubaland".
He said the birth of twins usually "heralds peace, progress, prosperity and good luck to their parents," adding that parents should always take good care of them.
But while twins are seen as a blessing by many today, that has not always the case in parts of southern Nigeria.
In pre-colonial times twins were often regarded as evil and were either banished to the "evil forest" or killed.
Scottish missionary Mary Slessor is widely credited with helping to curb the practice in the late 19th century.
- Food or genes? -
Scientists have not said definitively why Igbo-Ora has such a high number of twins.
Local residents have a theory that it is down to the diet of women in the town.
"Our people eat okra leaf or Ilasa soup with yam and amala (cassava flour)," community leader Samuel Adewuyi Adeleye told AFP.
Yams are believed to contain gonadotropins, a chemical substance that helps women to produce multiple eggs.
"The water we drink also contributes to the phenomenon," Adeleye added.
Fertility experts are sceptical -- and point to another explanation.
They say there is no proven link between diet and the high birth rate, with the same food being consumed across the region.
"It's a genetic thing," said Emmanuel Akinyemi, the medical director of Lagos-based Estate Clinic.
AFP
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