Untested Ebola drugs ethical, says WHO

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The first two doses of an experimental serum created to treat Ebola went to American missionaries.

Then the drug was sent to treat a Spanish priest.

The two Americans, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, appear to be recovering. The priest, Miguel Pajares, died Tuesday morning.

That’s the problem with experimental drugs that have never been clinically tested in humans: No one knows whether they’ll work — and if they do, in whom.

Man kills & burns the body of his 65yr old mother over witchcraft claims

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The Anambra state police command yesterday August 11th arrested and paraded 28 year old cobbler, Ekene Ucheagwu for kiliing his 65-year-old mother, Agnes in her home at Ogbunka in Orumba South Local Government Part of Anambra State over claims that she was using her witchcraft to hinder his progress in addition to that of her three other children, Vanguard.

Addressing newsmen, Ekene said he killed her because she didn't permit the spirit of God to rain in their family

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Ebola Death toll hit 3 in Nigeria as another man dies in Nigeria

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Nigeria has recorded another death from the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. This time it is a staff of the Lagos Liason office of the Economic Community of West African State - ECOWAS headquarters, Mr Jatto Abdulqudir. Confirming his death in a statement, ECOWAS management said the 36 year old man was among those who assisted the late Liberian Patrick Sawyerr when he came to Lagos for a regional meeting and was quarantined after Sawyerr died of the deadly disease. This brings to three the number of deaths from the deadly virus in Nigeria. The first two being Sawyerr and a Nigerian nurse.

Find the full text of the ECOWAS statement after the break...

GEJ reacts to Northern Elders ultimatum over missing Chibok girls

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President Jonathan has reacted to the October ultimatum handed to him by the Northern Elders Forum to return the missing Chibok girls to their families and end insurgency activities in the north. They made this demand at a press conference yesterday August 11th, alleging that the sect activities are politically motivated with a grand agenda to weaken the political and economical interest of the North, with a view of exploiting this weakness in the 2015 elections.

"We are convinced that most of these conflicts are being engineered to weaken the North politically and economically by interests, which intend to exploit such weaknesses for electoral benefits. In the light of our firm conviction that the insurgency and related security challenges pose threats to the 2015 elections and the survival of our nation, we strongly advise President Goodluck Jonathan to bring an end to the insurgency in all its manifestations and produce the Chibok girls before the end of October 2014. 

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2015: Tambuwal in secret meeting with Obasanjo

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The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, had a secret meeting with the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, at his Hilltop home, Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State on Tuesday. Tambuwal who arrived the former president’s residence around 5.30pm left around 6.18pm. Our correspondent gathered that the visit might not be unconnected with the speaker’s ambition in 2015.
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Photo: Police arrest fake Assistant Commissioner of Police

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46 year old Alexander Ilesanmi (pictured above), an indigene of Akure, Ondo state has been arrested by the Lagos State Police command for parading himself as an Assistant Commissioner of Police and receiving stolen vehicles from robbery suspects.

According to police reports, Illesanmi, who goes about dressing in police uniform with the rank of a Deputy police commissioner displayed on his shirt, was arrested after an apprehended notorious car snatcher and supposed pastor of a church, Gabriel Asaolu, identified him to be one of those who bought stolen cars from him. Continue...

Politicians offered us ₦14m to compromise Osun elections – DSS

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The spokesperson, Department of State Security, Marilyn Ogar, has stated that some politicians in Osun State offered operatives of the service N14 million bribe to compromise the just concluded governorship election.

Ogar who didn't name the politicians, explained that the service rejected the bribe which she said was agreed to the DSS Director, who supervised the August 9,2014 election.
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Omisore should accept defeat -APC

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The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday advised the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the August 9 governorship election in the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, to stop protesting the result of the election, saying “he suffered humiliating defeat.” In a statement by the Osun APC’s spokesperson, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, the party faulted Omisore’s post-election statement, in which he attributed his defeat partly to the damage done to him and his party by the former Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Amb. Rufus Akeju.
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Pres. Jonathan to inaugurate Akwa Ibom gas plant

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President Goodluck Jonathan is to inaugurate a gas processing plant with 69km pipeline at Uquo, Esit Eket Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, on Thursday.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, in Uyo on Tuesday, said the gas plant is constructed under a public-private partnership arrangement between Septa Energy and the Akwa Ibom State government.

Umanah added that the president, who is paying a fourth official visit to the state, will during the one-day visit also inaugurate the Goodluck Boulevard on Ring Road III in Uyo.

FG, UNDP to train women on entrepreneurship skills

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In an effort to reduce poverty in the country,the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday said that it is collaborating with the United Nation Development Programme to train 30 women on business development skills.

The Director General of SMEDAN Alhaji Bature Masari, made this known during a five day workshop in Minna organized by the agency for five women corporative groups from Niger, Katsina and Gombe states.

He said Niger and Katsina states have two women corporative groups with six representatives each while Gombe state has one corporative group with six representatives. Masari said the training is aimed at empowering the women owned corporative societies in the six geo-political zones of the country to enable them handle their businesses properly toward alleviating poverty.

Ex-President Obasanjo tasks govts on youth empowerment

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A former Nigerian president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said the various tiers of governments in the country should empower the youth for national development.

He said this on Tuesday shortly after a 2km health walk to mark this year’s International  Youth Day with the theme: ‘Youth and Mental Health,’ organised by the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Youth Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

In order to achieve national development, he  emphasised the need for the training, empowerment as well as employment of the youth.

Pastor arraigned for alleged rape

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A 23-year-old Celestial Church prophet, Adewale Adeleke, on Tuesday in Lagos, appeared before a Yaba Magistrates’ Court for alleged fraud and rape.  Adeleke, who resides at No. 2 Ajibola Street, Agbado Ijaiye, Lagos was arraigned on a four count of stealing, obtaining by false pretext, impersonation and rape.  Prosecutor Chris Takim told the court that the accused committed the offences on July 26 at 6pm at the premises of Original Inn Hotel, Ebute Meta.

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Abuja designates Kuje General Hospital Ebola hub

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The Abuja Minister, Bala Mohammed, has designated the General Hospital, Kuje, in Kuje Area Council, as Isolation Centre for possible Ebola-infected persons.

The minister also inaugurated a 25-member committee to work out modalities for responding to the threat of Ebola virus and create awareness on the nature and symptoms of the virus.

Mr. Mohammed made this known during a high powered stakeholder’s interactive forum in Abuja on Monday. Continue...

Lagos Shippers Association bemoan high cost of port charges

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The Shippers Association of Lagos State on Tuesday attributed the high cost of cargo processing at the nation’s seaports to the multiple charges imposed on imported goods.

The President of the association, Mr Jonathan Nicol, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the five per cent Value Added Tax and the one per cent Pre-Arrival Assessment Report charge were some of the charges.

Chinese Ebola doctors arrive Africa

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Nine Chinese disease control experts have arrived in West Africa to help fight Ebola after departing on Sunday evening and Monday, Sun Jiwen, spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce, said on Tuesday.

China announced on Sunday it would send three expert teams and medical supplies to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to assist in the prevention and control of the Ebola virus, with each medical team composed of one epidemiologist and two specialists in disinfection and protection.

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Emir of Gwoza resurfaces

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The Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Mohammed Idrissa Timta whose whereabouts was a mystery after his town was attacked and captured by Boko Haram insurgents last week has resurfaced as he was able to escape from his abductors.  The emir, it was gathered was held hostage at one of the mountains of Gwoza by the insurgents alongside some of his subjects.

How Lagos nursing mother contracted Ebola virus – Doctor

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A medical doctor has revealed how a nursing mother contracted the deadly Ebola virus at a Lagos hospital.  PUNCH Metro learnt that the woman was the patient who visited the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation staff clinic on Muri Okunola Street in the Victoria Island area of Lagos.  NNPC had issued a press statement on Friday, saying that the clinic would be shut due to a suspected case of Ebola reported in the clinic.

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Alcohol dealer sues police over seizure of goods

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The owner of a company dealing in alcoholic drinks, Olaide Iyanuoluwa Nigeria Limited, on Tuesday dragged officers of the Nigerian Police before a Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged unlawful seizure of her  alcoholic drinks worth about  N38m.

The alcohol dealer who said the drinks, Baron Romeo, were imported from the Benin Republic,  told the court that the police seized them on the claim that they were stolen.

President Obama: New Discovery of Africa

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President Obama has thrown his hat in the ring for the role of Black continent’s major investor and tutor inviting 50 African leaders for an unprecedented US-Africa summit. Obama’s biggest African initiative is seen as an attempt to outsmart China which has secured leading position on the continent with its multi-million investments.

Amine Laghidi, General Manager for Africa North Star Group; Mikhail Margelov, Russia’s President Special Envoy to Africa and Chairman of the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Council of Federation; David Ochami, Senior reporter at the Standard Group, Nairobi, Kenya; Andrei Fyodorov, the former Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, the Director of the Center for Political Research Foundation; Andrei Urnov, Leading Research Fellow at the Institute of Africa, and also the former Russia’s Ambassador to Namibia shared their opinions with our source. 

I didn’t sign report on unremitted $49.8bn oil revenue – Saraki

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The Chairman, Senate Committee on Ecology and Environment, Dr. Bukola Saraki has said it is untrue that he signed the report of the Senate Committee on Finance on the investigation of the alleged un-remitted $49.8bn oil revenue by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

In a statement on Tuesday by his Special Assistant on Media and Advocacy, Mr.  Bamikole Omishore, the senator said though he is a member of the committee and also participated actively in the investigation, he did not sign the report as reported by a national daily (not The Punch).