INEC denies appointing Femi Odubiyi as ICT head

 The Independent National Electoral Commission has denied appointing a former Commissioner in Lagos State, Femi Odubiyi, as its head of the Information and Communications Technology department.

This is coming following the claim of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, [/b]that the former commissioner was made INEC’s ICT head.

In a statement on Sunday, [b]the former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP said the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, must remove Odubiyi as the Commission’s ICT head because of his closeness to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress and President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

He said the first thing Yakubu must do was to explain to Nigerians how the former Commissioner for Science and Technology in Lagos State allegedly found his way into INEC as head of ICT, “a critical department before, during and after elections.”

Dismissing the claim in a statement late Tuesday, INEC through its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the widely publicised report (not The PUNCH) attributed to Bode George was a false claim. “Nothing can be farther from the truth,” Okoye said.

“To set the record straight, the name “Femi Odubiyi“ does not even exist within our ICT Department at the INEC headquarters in Abuja or any state office of the Commission.”

INEC said its ICT staff were career officers of the Commission, adding “none has held any political appointment in any state of the Federation.”

“The public is urged to disregard the story. The promoter should have been circumspect so as not to be seen as a purveyor of fake news.”

Reno Omokri: Obidients Are Not Capable Of Seeing Reason Except It Favours Them

 Mark Essien, who previously was the Obidient champion, became an el-Rufai agent overnight in your eyes. You say areas where Atiku and Tinubu got 50-60% were rigged, but where Obi got 97% was not. You Obidients are not capable of seeing reason except it favours you!

#TableShaker

Maid Caught With Urine She Wanted To Put In Her Madam's Kids Water Bottle

 Madam catches her maid with urine & menstruation blood she wanted to put in her children's water bottle 

A woman confronted her maid on camera after allegedly catching her with a bucket containing her urine and menstrual blood. 

In the video, the madam is heard narrating how she brought the girl into her house in December, shopped new underwear for her, and bought her sanitary towels. 

She added that after the girl's period, she helps the girl burn her sanitary pads and she is the one who does most of the chores in the house so as not to overwork the girl. 

She said the girl was dirty while living with her and regularly failed to bathe and brush her teeth. 

She added that she had to remove the girl from her children's room because the room was always smelling of menstruation blood and she stains the kids' bed and duvet with blood. 

The madam said that in spite of everything she did for the girl, she rewarded her by trying to poison her kids. 

She said she woke up by 1a.m. on Tuesday, March 14, and found the girl mixing her urine and period blood in a bucket and when she questioned her, the girl confessed that she planned to put it in the children's water bottle.

Lagos Ranks 133rd Among World’s Most Polluted Cities – IQAir

 Lagos State has been ranked 133 in the world’s most polluted cities, in a latest survey by IQAir.

Working on what it called historical data from 2017 to 2022, IQAir said the annual average PM2.5 concentration (μg/m³) of the State is “unhealthy”.

“Lagos is experiencing some rather poor-quality air with a US AQI figure of 160, which classified it as ‘unhealthy’ based on the World Health Organisation’s recommended figures from 2021,” it said

According to the report, Lagos, with an estimated population of 21 million as of 2018, has the concentration of its PM2.5 pollutant as 73.2 µg/m³.

The report explained that with such a level, “it is recommended that a good quality mask is worn when going outside. Doors and windows should be kept closed so as to prevent the ingress of polluted air in the home. All types of outdoor exercise should be abandoned until air quality improves.”

While ranking Nigeria as the 10th most polluted country in Africa, with an air pollution rate of 44.8 per cent, IQAir said an estimated 11,200 premature deaths were recorded in 2018 as a direct result of poor air quality with 60 percent of the fatality children under the age of five.

The report further noted that “Any type of air pollution is detrimental to health, but the worst type of pollutant is the microscopic PM2.5 particles, which can easily penetrate the lungs, due to their small size. This study found the levels in Lagos were over 7 times the target figure suggested by the World Health Organisation.”

The report gave a negative prognosis of the situation pointing out that “Casualties, as a result of the air pollution crisis in Nigeria, has increased by nearly 40 per cent over the last few decades,” without receding.

It said, “Nigeria has some of the highest levels of unhealthy air quality across the African continent. Overall, Nigerian cities contain the most unhealthy air quality with 10 urban areas being classified on a list of 30 cities in Africa with the most unhealthy air quality.”

The report put the causative factors as those from ambient air pollution, which it said “is caused by pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres or PM2.5.

“These are dangerous because they can easily bypass the body’s natural defence system and enter the bloodstream, contributing to mortality and morbidity.

“While the WHO guideline for the annual mean PM 2.5 concentration level is 10 µg/m³, Lagos has recorded levels of 68 µg/m³ in the same range as other polluted megacities such as Beijing, Cairo and Mumbai.”

To arrest the alarming development, the report said, “The introduction of efficient electric energy will decrease the need for generators, which produce unhealthy air in households and work environments.

“Nigeria has access to sustainable energy resources that are capable of providing power to its citizens. These methods are safer for the environment and the usage of them decreases the use of gasoline-powered generators, thus decreasing pollution.

“In rural areas, Nigerians can reduce air pollution in the household by substituting fuelwood, coal and charcoal for biogas, which is a form of biofuel that is made from the decay of natural waste.

“Biogas will provide sustainable options for preparing food and heating the household at the same time eliminating air pollution both inside the household and the outside environment.

“Lagos is making some progress in introducing laws but they still need to be executed. In 2017, standards for sulphur content in fuel were lowered to reduce emissions: from 3,000 parts per million (ppm) to 50 ppm for diesel; and from 1,000 ppm to 150 ppm for gasoline.

“Emissions from industries could be lowered with the use of newer, better technologies such as solar power. The garbage situation needs to be addressed due to the huge amount of rubbish that is buried, burned or just dumped.

“Teams need to monitor this situation and act accordingly when the perpetrators are caught.

“Much of the plastic could be recycled instead of being burnt as it is now.

“Furthermore, daily waste removal from households would also help to properly dispose of garbage, which reduces the fragmentation of waste and prevents odours forming that contribute to air pollution.”

Collapse Your Structure, Join Me To Save Lagos’, Rhodes-Vivour Tells PDP

 Ahead of the March 18th governorship election in Lagos, Labour Party’s governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour says he is expecting the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state to collapse its structure and join to save Lagos.

The LP candidate, popularly known as GRV, said this in an exclusive interview with Politics Hub, a Vanguard online TV’s political show on Tuesday. 

GRV also expressed hope that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC will oversee a transparent electoral process, while stating that he is “prepared for the worse”. 

He said, “I have a relationship with the PDP, I came from the PDP. I was in the PDP for six years. I was the senatorial candidate for PDP in 2019. I had the most votes in the party.

I know the leaders in the party. We understand that at a practical level, we need to have as many people working together, especially because this election process is not free and fair. 

They promised us electronic transmission of votes, that did not happen. We saw the intimidation and harassment, and manipulations at the ward collation, LG collation. So we need everybody to work together to save and rescue Lagos. 

We are in talks with several parties, a few parties have collapsed their structures for us, I expect that the PDP would do the same very soon.”

On INEC, he remarked, “We have gotten an injunction and a court order to mandate the INEC to follow its rules that it has set out and failure to do that, the entire election is null and void. So they must do the election transmission of voting from the polling units. 

"That is on one hand, on the other hand; we know that a lot of these people might be compromised. Just like the last election, it was very shameful, to say the least."

"So we are hoping for the best but we are prepared for the worst, and we are moving into this election with the idea that what happened previously will repeat itself again. So we are ready for any outcome.”

GRV also called out the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for evading public debates, saying it is ‘disrespectful’ of a governor who ‘owes it to the people’ to ‘account for his stewardship’.

He dismissed rumours questioning his ethnic heritage to Lagos, describing it as an insult to a Rhodes-Vivour.

“I mean it’s an insult, it’s a big insult first of all. The Governor is actually extremely disrespectful; he is extremely disrespectful to Lagosians because after they gave him the position for four years; you owe it to them to come and account for your stewardship. Be it a debate or whatever."

“To add to that is that a man from Ijebu is questioning a Rhodes-Vivour. I mean my Great-great Grandfather was the first Nigerian-Lagosian that was admitted into government in this country under Governor Bourdilion’s government; after which was Adeyemo Alakija, you then have Doherty."

"So when you see me and Funsho Doherty, it’s almost like history repeating itself. These are old Lagos families."

"To bring this kind of disrespect because you are desperate, if you had done the job well, you wouldn’t need to intimidate or suppress people’s votes.”

See What Whites Are Saying About Tem's Recent Dress To The Oscars

 

Ogun Landlord Dies After Tenant Grabbed Manhood Over Bill Disagreement

 A 33-year-old woman, Ifeoma Ossai, killed her 50-year-old landlord, Monday Oladele, during a disagreement after grabbing his manhood and dragging him till he died.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

Oyeyemi said men of the State Police Command arrested the suspect following a report lodged at Sango-Ota divisional headquarters.

Oyeyemi said the police were hinted by one Olaleye Taiwo, who reported that his brother, Oladele, had a disagreement with his tenant over the payment of electricity bill.

According to Oyeyemi in the process of disagreement, the tenant grabbed the manhood of the deceased and dragged him with it.

“Consequently, the landlord fell unconscious on the ground and he was rushed to the General Hospital, Ota, where the doctor on duty confirmed him dead.

“Upon the report, the DPO Sango Ota division, CSP Saleh Dahiru, quickly led his detectives to the scene where the suspect was promptly arrested and taken to custody for investigation.

“On interrogation, the suspect claimed that the deceased asked her to pay for the electricity bill, but she insisted that until water is directly connected to her apartment as promised by the landlord before she packed in, she will not pay the electricity or any other utility bill.

“This led to a scuffle between them consequent upon which the suspect grabbed the manhood of the deceased and dragged him with it.

“The deceased subsequently slumped, and he was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead by doctor on duty.

“The corpse has been deposited at the hospital mortuary for postmortem examination.”

The PPRO, however, said the Commissioner of Police, Frank Mba, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the Homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and diligent prosecution.