I Warned PMB Of Maina’s Reinstatement, He Was Aware. – HoS In Leaked Memo.

The Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita , has said Pres. Buhari is aware of the reinstatement of a former Chairman of the Pension Reforms Commission, Mallam Abdulrasheed Maina, into the civil service, Punchng reports.

She however said she warned the President against it. Oyo-Ita said that her warning was based on the implications such reinstatement would have on the anti – corruption war of the FG.

The HoS stated this in her memo to the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Abba Kyari . The memo , with reference number HSCSF/ HCSF/ LU/ COR/FCSC/ 750 / T, was dated October 23, 2017.

The memo , titled , “ Re : Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, ” was received in the office of the Chief of Staff to the President on October 23. The President had directed the HoS to investigate the circumstances that surrounded the return of Maina to the civil service.

He gave the directive following the public outcry that trailed Maina’ s reinstatement. Maina, whose whereabouts is still unknown , has been accused of embezzling pensioners ’ funds running into billions of naira and is currently under investigation by the EFCC.

Explaining further, the HoS said she met the President after the Federal Executive Council meeting of Wednesday, October 11 , where she verbally warned Buhari against bringing Maina back to the service. She, however, did not say what the response of the President was after briefing him.

House Of Cards Actor Kevin Spacey Comes Out As Gay After Sexual Molestation Accusation

Actor Kevin Spacey said that he has “loved and had romantic encounters with men” and that he chooses “now to live as a gay man,” after being accused of a sexual advance on a 14-year-old.

Spacey’s remarks came in a tweet posted on Sunday night after “Star Trek: Discovery” star Anthony Rapp alleged that Spacey climbed on top of him in bed when he was just 14 years old.

“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I’m beyond horrified to hear this story,” Spacey said. “I honestly do not remember the encounter … But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.”

Spacey went on to say that the situation “encouraged me to address other things about my life.”

“As those closest to me know,” Spacey continued in his tweet. “I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man.”

Rapp, now 46, accused Spacey of trying to seduce him while attending a party back in 1986.

“He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don’t, like, squirm away initially, because I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ And then he lays down on top of me,” Rapp said in a BuzzFeed article published Sunday.

“He was trying to seduce me. I don’t know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually,” Rapp added.

Rapp, who said he never reported Spacey, said the ongoing sexual harassment scandal with Harvey Weinstein encouraged him to come forward.

Rapp reiterated his comments in three tweets early Monday, shortly after Spacey released his statement, and said he would not comment any further.

“I came forward with my story, standing on the shoulders of the many courageous women and men who have been speaking out to shine a light and hopefully make a difference, as they have done for me,” Rapp wrote Monday.

He continued, “Everything I wanted to say about my experience is in that article, and I have no further comment about it at this time.”

Beau Willimon, creator of the hit Netflix show “House of Cards” in which Spacey stars, reacted to the news Monday morning in a statement posted to Twitter.

“Anthony Rapp’s story is deeply troubling,” he began. “During the time I worked with Kevin Spacey on ‘House of Cards’ I neither witnessed nor was aware of any inappropriate behavior on set or off. That said, I take reports of such behavior seriously, and this is no exception. I feel for Mr. Rapp and I support his courage.”

ABC News reached out to Netflix in wake of the accusations, but didn’t immediately hear back.

HEALTH: HIV-positive man bags 24 years in jail for infecting 30 women

An Italian citizen has been jailed for 24 years after intentionally infecting 30 women with HIV. Valentino Talluto is said to have had unprotected sex with at least 53 women after his HIV diagnosis in 2006, the youngest of whom was 14 at the relationship’s start.

The accountant, using the pseudonym “Hearty Style”, went on social networks and dating sites to find his victims. On Friday, judges sentenced the 33-year-old to 24 years in prison.

Talluto’s defence lawyers had argued their client’s actions were “imprudent, but not intentional”. However, those who asked him to wear a condom were told he was either allergic, or had recently been tested for HIV, news agency AFP reported.

When some of the women confronted him after discovering they were infected, he denied he was a carrier of the potentially deadly virus, which can lead to Aids. As a result of his actions, another four people contracted the virus on top of the women he directly infected: three men and one baby.

Prosecutor Elena Neri told the court last month: “His actions were intended to sow death.” However, Talluto – whose mother was an HIV-infected drug addict who died when he was four – told the court if that had been the case, he would not have gone to the effort of having actual relationships.

“Many of the girls know my friends and family,” he said. “They say that I wanted to infect as many people as possible. If that had been the case, I would have gone for casual sex in bars, I would not have brought them into my life.”

Judges in Rome deliberated over the sentence for more than 10 hours before announcing the verdict. According to local media, victims wept as the sentence was read out. However, it fell short of the life term prosecutors had asked for.

HEALTH: Lady Dies After Giving Birth To Quadruplets In Katsina

Gaje Zubairu, a 38-year-old woman who was delivered of quadruplets at the General Hospital, Malumfashi, Katsina State, last Wednesday through caesarian operation, died Sunday morning, Punchng reports.

The hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr. AbdulHamed Abdullahi, provided no details on the circumstances surrounding the death. He revealed that Ms. Zubairu died about 11 on Sunday.

Sources at the hospital said her death was unconnected with the caesarian section, because, according to them, her health condition had already stabilised after the operation and plans were even being made for the naming of the babies.

A good Samaritan was said to have even purchased the ram to be slaughtered on Wednesday for the naming ceremony. Staff were alerted to her sudden restlessness and few minutes later, she was dead.

Zubairu had been delivered of three boys and one girl, last Wednesday. One of the quadruplets died in the evening of the delivery date, leaving three behind. Family sources said the remaining three babies were in good condition.

OAU Student Commits Suicide Over Poor Grades

A 16-year old 100-level student of Microbiology at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Mercy Afolaranmi, has committed suicide, an official told PREMIUM TIMES.

According to the school’s Chief Security Officer, Babatunde Oyatokun, Miss Afolaranmi, poisoned herself.

Students and a neighbour close to the deceased also said she killed herself due to poor grade.

“We got a call that one of our students took poison,” Mr. Oyatokun said. “We got to hospital to realise that she mixed rat poison. She gave us the contact of her parents but before they arrived, she already gave up due to the effect of the poison she took.”

A neighbour, Bimpe Oni, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said Miss Afolaranmi, who lived off-campus at Sabo area of Ile-Ife, died on Thursday, after she took “rat poison mixed with battery extract.”

Mrs. Oni said the late student committed suicide because of “emotional pressure.”

A student, Aisha, who was Miss Afolaranmi’s colleague in the Faculty of Science, said the deceased had ‘E’ in CHM101 (Chemistry for first year students), a reportedly dreaded course for year one students in the science and technology related faculties.

“Mercy often isolated herself in class and looked depressed,” said Aisha. “She told me she had ‘E’ in CHM101 and has been going around unhappy before this incident.”

Another student in the Faculty of Student, Opeyemi, said “she took poison because of result.”

The school’s Dean of Students’ Affairs, Isiaka Aransi, also confirmed the death of Miss Afolaranmi during a telephone conversation with PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday.

“Although the reason and cause of her death is yet to be known, the division is aware of the death of Mercy,” she said.

“She was a student of department of Microbiology whose body has been taken to hospital for autopsy. When the result is out, the university community shall be communicated,” added Mr Aransi.

Before her death, on October 10, she posted on Facebook that: “Above all other things, I just wanna see God, see what He looks like, speak with Him face to face. I don’t wanna miss heaven. LORD HELP ME.”

FOOTBALL: Salford City Goalkeeper Sent Off For Peeing During A Football Game.

Salford City, the club owned by Manchester United’s famous Class of 92, had their goalkeeper sent-off on Saturday afternoon for ‘urinating during the game’ against Bradford Park Avenue.

Salford goalkeeper Max Crocombe, a New Zealand youth international who joined the club at the start of the season, was shown a straight red card with three minutes remaining after allegedly urinating while the match was still being played.

At the time of the dismissal in the National League North encounter, Salford were leading 2-1, and midfielder Richie Allen had to deputise in goal for the remainder of the game, with Salford’s three substitutions already used up.

His club held on to win the game though. Despite playing with a makeshift goalkeeper for the remainder of the game.

With Crowcombe receiving a straight red card, he faces a three-match ban that could be extended if the Football Association deem it worthy of further action._

#ScribblesNG MaxCrocombe #Crocombe #Pee #Match #RedCard #Red #SalfordCity #ScribblesUrban 

Catalans declare independence from Spain as Madrid imposes direct rule

The Catalan regional parliament has voted to declare independence from Spain, while the Spanish parliament has approved direct rule over the region.

Catalan MPs easily approved the move amid an opposition boycott.Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had told senators direct rule was needed to return “law, democracy and stability” to Catalonia.

The crisis began earlier this month when Catalonia held a controversial referendum on independence.

The Catalan government said that of the 43% of potential voters who took part, 90% were in favour of independence. But Spain’s Constitutional Court had ruled the vote illegal.

A motion declaring independence was approved on Friday with 70 in favour, 10 against, and two abstentions in the 135-seat chamber.

The measure calls for the transfer of legal powers from Spain to an independent Catalonia.

But the Spanish Constitutional Court is likely to declare it illegal, while the US, UK, Germany and France all expressed support for Spanish unity.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU “doesn’t need any more cracks, more splits”.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has called for supporters to “maintain the momentum” in a peaceful manner.

Crowds have been celebrating the declaration of independence and Spanish flags have been removed from some regional government buildings in Catalonia.

The pro-independence crowd outside the parliament followed the session vote by vote. Some had their mobile phones on speaker, to allow listeners at the other end a taste of the atmosphere.

The crowd met every Yes vote with a cheer – and every No with a boo. At the end, there was a huge cheer.

“We’re finally free,” a woman next to me said, as she began to cry. “We are oppressed here. We’re fighting for our freedom.”

But around the corner, away from the demonstration, views were different.

“It’s disastrous,” said one man. “It’s the result of an extended manipulation which does not reflect the will of the Catalan people.”

Soon after the vote at the regional parliament, the Senate – Spain’s upper house – made the unprecedented step of approving measures allowing the Spanish government to impose direct rule over Catalonia.

Court orders El-Rufai, Nigerian Police to pay Audu Maikori N40m for unlawful arrest

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and the Nigerian Police Force were on Friday ordered to pay a N40m compensation to the President of Chocolate City Group, Audu Maikori over his unlawful arrest and detention between February 17 and 18 2017 and March 10, and 13, 2017.

Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court gave the judgement while ruling in the fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed by Maikori on May 5, 2017.

The Judge also directed the respondents to pay the sum of N1,430 to the applicant as the cost of instituting the suit.

Justice Tsoho held that his judgement was not meant to interfere with the ongoing trial of Makori in Kaduna.

The respondents to the suit are the Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, the Governor of Kaduna State and the Attorney-General of Kaduna State.

Stating that the arrest of Maikori in Lagos was unlawful, the Judge held that the police failed to register the arrest warrant obtained from a magistrates’ court in Kaduna in any court in Lagos.

Justice Tsoho said, “The arrest was improper, irregular and wrongful.

“By necessary implication, the arrest was unlawful despite being released after 24 hours.”

The Chocolate City boss was arrested on allegations of posting “inciting” tweets alleging the killing of some Southern Kaduna students by Fulani herdsmen.

Despite apologizing for the tweets on noticing that the information was false, the police obtained an order of arrest from a Magistrates’ court in Kaduna and against this backdrop, he was arrested in Lagos on February 17.

Following his arrest, Maikori was flown to Abuja where they detained him and released him on bail on February 18.

MUSIC: I Took A Class In The US To Speak Igbo Fluently – Jidenna

US based Nigerian hip hop artist, Jidenna has revealed one of his goals is to be able to speak Igbo fluently. He explained he took a class in the United States to learn the language.

The “Classic Man” crooner made this known while addressing journalists at the Heineken Live Your Music press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday.

He said; “I speak Igbo a little but not the way I wish. I actually took a class when I was in the US to speak more fluently and Aunty Ifeoma, God bless her, was just excited that we were there and she went so slow that at the end of the semester, we didn’t download anywhere.

One of my goals is to be fluent so I actually hired a teacher recently to Skype with me so I can learn on the road so hopefully one year from now, I’ll be much more fluent than I am now.”

He further spoke about his music career where he revealed he does not have a sound of his own yet.

“I still don’t think that the music I have released thus far is the artiste in me, I mean it’s not my sound yet. I have not crafted it. I’m so excited about the new album I’m working on, it combines all my favourite music; juju, reggae, dancehall, highlife, soul, R&B, hip-hop.

My foundation was in hip-hop but influenced by other sounds. When I was growing up in Nigeria, Bob Marley was like the biggest god so him and Fela were my biggest heroes when I was a kid.

I stir all that together and try to make music but I don’t think it has all that at the same time but now I have figured out the formula. I listen to a lot of highlife of the late 60s and early 70s. Juju music, Sunny Ade, Sunny Okosun and then the newer people from Wizkid, Tiwa, Tekno to Sarkodie.”

MUSIC: P-Square Have Been Fighting For Four Years – Peter Okoye

Peter Okoye says there has been an ongoing family squabble between himself and brothers Jude and Paul for “four years” despite remaining united for the sake of Psquare.

Arguably Nigeria’s biggest band, Psquare disbanded in September after Peter resolved to walk away. He would later launch his solo career by signing a distribution deal with US record label Empire, and most recently, releasing a new single ‘Cool It Down’.

The song has been the most trending video on YouTube since its release a few days ago.

In an interview with Vibe Magazine, Peter shed fresh light on the Psquare infighting.

“Last year, nobody knew what was happening. ‘When are you guys releasing a song?’ They did not know we were fighting but we’d still go on stage and perform. All I wanted was to keep the family together but what the fans wanted was to have Psquare,” he said.

“We gave you guys Psquare even though the family had been fighting for about four years-even as of last year that we claimed we were back. I cannot even face the shame of making the fans feel that we are okay.

“We are not okay. It’s not healthy. I don’t have any problem with their own family. The wives, everybody. I am cool with them. I don’t know what’s wrong. I don’t know why it looks as if the hatred is on my family. I’ve tried to ask them what the problem is but nobody is telling me anything.

While insisting that he’s after “peace,” Peter said he started speaking about the issue on social media because he didn’t want people to get the wrong impression about him or his stand on the matter.

He said: “The reason why I started responding to social media is because there was something that came out one time. I was advised “Peter do not say anything” but it’s affecting me today. When my brother put out that he sings and writes all the songs. I never responded but right now, there are 50% of our fans and some groups that believe Peter doesn’t sing. All because I wanted peace. But now if you say anything about me, I will respond.

“I don’t respond harshly if you’ve noticed. I’m not like last year. I decided to calm down because my family is more important here. I cannot trade my family. If you do not like it, don’t be my fan.”

The singer-dancer said Psquare may one day reunite, but only if the lost respect is regained.

“Being apart is the best solution at the moment. It’s not pride. It’s not ego. It’s respect. We’ve lost it,” he added.