Vigil disaster One dies, 15 in coma

PREGNANT   woman and three others   were crushed to death in Aba, Abia State, while fifteen others sustained   serious injuries   when   an articulated vehicle lost control last Friday   smashing over 10 vehicles, including tricycles, in the process. In another tragic development, 15 persons collapsed   as a result   of suffocation caused by fumes from a generator during an inter-denominational fellowship at the Young Peoples Christian Fellowship located along Eziukwu, by Milverton road Aba, Abia State. The  victims of the fellowship are said to be   all indigenes of Arochukwu Local Government Area in the state. It was gathered that the vehicle with registration number Rivers: BER 27 XA, with the inscription, Kirby Farms, was coming from the Akwa Ibom State end of the ever busy Ikot Ekpene Road when the accident happened around 7pm. The accident occurred when it was descending the Ogbor Hill slope, developed faulty brake system and as the driver lost control, the vehicle which was loaded with stone chippings, smashed over 10 vehicles and tricycles before veering off the other side of the road where it used two commuter buses as wedge. An eye witness who narrated the incident blamed the accident on the presence of police checkpoint on the Aba River Bridge popularly known as waterside. One of the accident victims, the pregnant woman whose husband cried uncontrollably at the scene of the incident, was said to have gone to a nearby market to buy some food items for the weekend when on her way back, she was hit by the trailer and died instantly. It was gathered that immediately the accident occurred, policemen at the checkpoint vamoosed into thin air, leaving only the personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and passersby to battle for over four hours to bring out bodies trapped under the trailer. Emenike Kalu, an Aba-based legal practitioner, had God to thank as eight members of his family including four kids who were involved in the accident, all came out unhurt. When contacted, the Aba unit commander of FRSC, Akachukwu Chika, who led his men to rescue the accident victims, blamed it on the rickety nature of the truck. A report has it that out of the 16 persons inside the hall of the fellowship, 15 who were in various hospitals receiving medical attention as at the time of this report are responding positively to medical attention, while a boy of 6 years, a child to one of the victims, was already dead before police could gain entrance into the scene of the incident. 11 persons were currently receiving medical attention at Austine Grace Hospitals while 4 were also admitted at Goodness and Mercies hospital at Faulks Road, Aba. Dr. Mark Iwuagwu, a medical doctor at one of the hospitals were the victims were rushed to for immediate medical attention (Austine – Grace Hospitals located at Okigwe road) speaking to reporters at the end of the Abia State Deputy Governor’s visit to his hospital, attributed the cause of the incident to suffocation as a result of carbon mono-oxide poison they inhaled from a generator set outside the hall where the tarry night was hosted. According to him, “When I was invited to the place by the police, the generator they used as their source of power supply was still on, but the glasses to the hall were all locked. It was police that came and opened the place with metal equipment. It was one of the victim’s brothers that alerted the police after efforts to reach his sister he said he escorted to the fellowship failed to yield any result.” No member of the fellowship could speak to the press as at the time of the report, but the General- Secretary of pastors from Arochukwu, Dr. Phillip Richard and Senior Pastor Word Alive Assembly, Aba confirmed that the victims were all from Ututu, Arochukwu.

Body of Ebola victim cremated in Lagos

The body of the first victim of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria,   who died in Lagos on Friday, has been cremated. Details of the cremation were not available at press time but Sunday Vanguard gathered that the event was witnessed by officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the  Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, led by its Project Director, Professor Abdulsalam Nasidi, among others. The decision to cremate the body of the victim, it was further gathered,   may not be unconnected with the deadly nature of the Ebola Virus which is known to be easily transmissible from human to human during handling of corpses of victims. The World Health Organisation recommends that in communities where there is an outbreak of Ebola, appropriate containment measures including burial of the dead should be properly handled. While stating that people who die from Ebola should be promptly and safely buried, WHO notes that cremation,  which is the application of high temperature to reduce bodies to basic chemical components (ashes), is ideal for safe disposal of bodies of persons who die during outbreaks of highly infectious diseases such as Ebola Virus in order to minimise further transmission. In 2013 the Lagos State Government introduced its Voluntary Cremation Law under which  a person may signify interest to be cremated at death or a deceased’s family members who must attain the age of 18 years, can decide to have the corpse cremated. Under the law  the state government can also cremate unclaimed corpses in its mortuaries after a period of time and the ashes disposed  after a 14-day notice with  approval of the Commissioner for Health.

Don’t run in 2015, APC tells Jonathan

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to drop his ambition to return to Aso Rock in 2015 for the sake of Nigeria’s democracy. The Publicity Secretary of the state chapter of the APC, Joe Igbokwe, said this during an interview with journalists, on Monday. Igbokwe said it had been established that it was the zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party that led to the insurgency in the North-East. He said the plan was for former President Umaru Yar’adua, a Northerner to rule till 2015 while an indigene of the South-East would be the next in line but Yar’adua’s sudden demise had upset the political equation causing many Northern elements to be disgruntled He therefore, advised the President to step down so that a Northerner could emerge President next year. He said, “Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, from the South, ruled Nigeria for eight years. It was also expected that the late President Yar’adua from the North would rule for eight years, all things being equal. But he died after two years in office. President Jonathan, who was the then Vice President, from the South, took over the mantle of leadership. “It was expected that he would complete the first term of Yar’adua’s tenure and step aside for the North to complete their eight years. Against protests from the North, Jonathan sought another term and got elected. By 2015, he would have ruled for six years. Seeking another term of four years will endanger our politics and create ethnic and religious tension as we are witnessing now. “We are in a democracy and if we are still in one country, there is need for equity and justice. Jonathan’s ambition to rule Nigeria for 10 years may break Nigeria.” Igbokwe said it was unfortunate that the PDP had labelled the APC as a pro-terrorism party and warned the party to stop pointing fingers and tackle terrorism. He said the revelation by the late National Security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Azazi (retd), that the PDP’s zoning debacle was fuelling insecurity and his later death showed that the PDP could not be absolved of blame in the insurgency.

Army begins offensive against Boko Haram, raids Sambisa camp

Nigeria has begun an offensive against Boko Haram Islamists, raiding camps in a remote northeastern park, while more than 2,000 troops have been deployed to retake territory seized by the insurgents, a military source told AFP Thursday. “Our men raided some terrorist camps in the Sambisa Game Reserve,” in Borno state, said the senior officer who requested anonymity. “So far 2,000 troops have been deployed to Borno,” he added, declining to comment on the forces sent to the other affected states of Yobe and Adamawa.

Fans read meaning to Davido’s message to Wizkid on birthday

Davido and Wizkid are fast becoming the hot rivals in the music industry, what Genevieve and Omotola have become in the movie industry. Just as Genevieve and Omotola have said they have no beef for each other, Davido too, has shown that he has no ill feelings towards Wizkid by sending him a birthday message through the Instagram on Wednesday, which was Wizkid’s birthday. But what seemed like a harmless birthday message, the fans of both crooners have begun to attach different diverse meanings. Davido wrote “Happy birthday Oga”, to start series of interpretations with many asking the question whether Davido has finally conceded that Wizkid is his boss in the music industry. Both have fought for many different awards in the past but Davido seems to be winning all there is this year.

Are they the Top ten wealthiest African musicians?

In the recent past, it has become something of a sport for various organisations to come up with list of richest entertainers, using various parameters most convenient to them. And more often than not, their publications are either greeted with disbelief, outrage and even scorn. If not from the persons concerned, it comes from the members of the public. There has never been a time a published list of the richest African musicians was welcomed with widespread acceptability. Even when Channel O and Forbes came up with a top ten list of richest African musicians, presumably using factors such as endorsement value, popularity, show rates, sales, awards, YouTube views, appearance in newspapers, investment, social media presense, influence and so many other factors, many people still did not believe they got it spot on. Now, an African online magazine known as Answers Africa has done its own findings, using pretty much the same parameters as Forbes and here is what they came up with. Compare it with Forbes list and see which one is nearer the mark: 1. Youssou N’dour: The legendary Senegalese singer born in 1959 tops the list. He is said to own biggest media houses in Senegal, including radio and TV stations. He has served as Senegalese cultural ambassador and culture minister . Note; not on Forbes list.   2. P-Square: The singing duo of Peter and Paul sit in the second position according to Answers Africa on account of their various endorsements and returns on shows and tours. They are said to make over 150 thousand dollars per show. Their Ikeja crib is valued at 3M dollars. Note: Rated third on Forbes’ list.   3. D’Banj: The Koko master who has now gone in deep into entrepreneurship is rated third richest in Africa. He charges over 100 thousand dollars per show and he is said to have a house in Atlanta, Georgia, USA worth more than 1.5M dollars. Note: Forbes rated him fourth in Africa   4. Kofi Olomide: Real names, Antoine Christophe Mumba, born 1956 is 4th. The DR Congplese Soukous star rakes in more than 100 thousand dollars per show. Has 7 albums to his credit. Note: Not on Forbes list.   5. Salif Keita: Malian Afro-pop singer, born 1949 is a direct descendant of Emperor Sundiata Keita, founder of Mali Empire. He is said to have private island and estates in France. Note: Not on Forbes list   6. Fally Ipupa: From Democratic Republic of Congo, Fally used to be part of Kofi Olomide’s band before branching out on his own. Immensely rich. Note: Not on Forbes list.   7. 2face Idibia: Has 5 albums to his name while working on the 6th. 2Face has won over 40 awards, probably more decorated than any of his contemporaries. He has vast investment in real estate. Earns around 50 t0 80 thousand dollars per show. Note: 6th on Forbes list   8. Hugh Masekela: Born 1939, Hugh is one of the most talented jazz artiste in Africa. The South African singer and trumpeter was once nominated for a Grammy award. Note; Not on Forbes list   9. Banky W: The widely acclaimed king of African Rn B has made so much money from endorsements. Brand ambassador for Etisalat in Nigeria, Samsung in the West African region, among others. Note: 10th on Forbes list.   10. Jose Chameleone: Joseph Mayanja, popular reggae musician from Uganda is the biggest money-maker in the Eastern Africa. He is said to have a spectacular fleet of customised exotic cars. Note: Not on Forbes list.

I gave you your first collabo, Sound Sultan tells Wizkid

Hey, before it begins to read like there  is a rift between the Naija Ninja, Sound Sultan and the Star Boy, Wizkid, what Sound Sultan told Wizkid on his birthday was actually to appreciate the music sensation. In a birthday wish to him, Sound Sultan writes:  “I always remember the first day you called me on the phone . I was like, ‘you ain’t a girl? Then you must be a kid’ , he said yes, ‘Wizkid !’ Correction that was essential ! ‘Wiz’ as a prefix makes sense 7 years later, wizard , Layon(lion),  fame didn’t give him the Lion heart, he had it from day one . Gave him his first collabo he gave me my latest ! Ayo S.Balogun, happy birthday”.j