Jerry Douglas' Blog

Every eleven seconds, somewhere in the world a girl is subjected to female genital mutilation. In Togo, this brutal practice is now ending. A German NGO has contributed to changing public opinion. Every year some two million girls around the world become victims of female genital mutilation (FGM). It is an extremely painful experience. Knives are used to remove their external sexual organs, either partially or completely. This frequently leads to painful inflammation - some girls bleed to death.Those who survive suffer pain for the rest of their lives, both physical and mental. The battle to end this brutal tradition which is widespread in Africa, Asia and parts of Latin America is long and complicated. NGOs estimate that between 130 and 150 million of the world's female population have been subjected to FGM. Exact figures are hard to come by as it remains a taboo subject in many countries. But now the opponents of this tradition are celebrating a major success. This Thursday...

Contrary to insinuations in some quarters that Governor Sullivan Chime did not properly hand over power to his Deputy, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, before travelling out in September last year, the latter said the governor actually handed over to him. Chime has been away since September last year with the government insisting that he was enjoying his five years accumulated leave. But a group acting under the aegis of Save Enugu Group suddenly sprang up to claim that the governor was sick, asking the deputy governor to speak up on the health condition of Chime. Thus,  Onyebuchi , who has been the acting governor of Enugu State since September 19 last year, yesterday in a town hall meeting, organised by the Good Governance Tour headed by the Minister for Information, Mr. Labaran Maku,  said that Chime actually handed over to him through the letter he transmitted to the state House of Assembly . He disclosed that the governor had in the letter he transmitted to the state House o...

Emmanuel Adebayor is set to become the key figure at the African Nations Cup as he seeks to lead Togo to their first quarter-final place at the expense of Tunisia. Togo will be seeking yet another inspirational performance from the tall forward as they need only draw the game to ensure they progress for the first time in eight attempts. Tunisia, beaten 3-0 by the Ivory Coast in their last game, must win to take second place in Group D. Ivory Coast have already secured top place and their match against Algeria in Rustenburg is a dead rubber, an ironic turn of events given that before the tournament it was a much anticipated clash between the two top-ranked sides on the continent. Algeria were eliminated after losing their opening two group games. Adebayor has been a talismanic figure for Togo over the past eight years, helping the small West African country exceed expectations including a surprise qualification for the 2006 World Cup. Togo have never got past the group pha...

Football’s governing body FIFA has had two different systems tested at a Germany stadium as they look to introduce goal line technology into top-flight football. Both ‘Goal-Ref’, a system which can verify whether a goal has been scored by using a chip in the ball, and ‘Hawk-Eye’, the camera system already used in tennis, were tested at the Duesseldorf Arena on Tuesday. A number of factors were included to create realistic factors which could affect the system, with testers using smoke machines and strobe lighting to replicate different weather conditions. “The goal-line technology will be tested for performance and reliability. There will be static and dynamic tests to stimulate day and night situations,” said FIFA in a statement. A decision on which system will be used is expected to be made at the International Football Association Board’s (IFAB) next meeting in Edinburgh from March 1-3. Goal-line technology was already in use at December’s Club World Cup in Tokyo and is ...

A 27-year-old clerical officer of the Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka, one David Wonder  Erhirhie has been sentenced to death by an Orerokpe high court in the State, having found him guilty of killing a female student, Princess Chinoso Ijezie  who was seeking for admission at the University sometime in 2009. Prosecution led by Mr. Theophilous Omenuwoma had told the court that “David Wonder, until the ugly incident was a junior staff with DELSU was an admission racketeer who collected the sum of N155,000 from the deceased to assist her to secure admission into the University. “He however could not secure the admission for the deceased but in a bid to cover up the fraud he lured the late Princes Chinoso Ijezie to his house under the pretence that he wanted to refund the said amount but instead, he murdered and secretly buried her in a shallow grave close to his house before nemesis caught up with him”, prosecution added. Prosecution called six witnesses to prove its ca...

Paris Saint-Germain striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has stated that it would be great if the French club could bring in Real Madrid duo of Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese pair have been linked with summer exits, but Ibrahimovic was quick to play down the possibility, saying that it was a dream for now. “It would be great news for any team to sign Mourinho and Ronaldo. Mourinho is a great coach, one of the best in the world, while Ronaldo is among the best players,” the Swede told Marca. “However, fact is that it’s just speculation at this point, and not the reality. “People can always dream of signing them and speculate what could happen, but there is no point in saying anything else on it until something takes off.” Ronaldo has refused to renegotiate a new deal with the Blancos, while Mourinho has been the subject of intense media scrutiny, as his control over the dressing room wanes.

1 And on that day when the Super Eagles had gathered in the burning bush against the Ethiopians of the eastern     Desert, Keshi, the leader of the delegates gave directions to the people, but they listened not. 2 And Keshi knowing what awaited him at Abuja knelt down in his heart and cried unto the heaven saying "My God, my God, please do not forsake me, give me only one chance." 3 As soon as he spoke those words, the Lord heard his cry, and the Holy Spirit descended on the burning bush in the south of Africa where the men had gathered and said to Moses the Son of Victor, "Moses, go yea forth into the 18 yard box of the Ethiopians." 4 And Moses hearkened unto the voice of the Lord and ran into the 18 yard box of the Ethiopians, and behold, a defender of the Ethiopian Army brought him down and caused a penalty. 5 And when this had happened, Keshi knew that the Lord had heard his prayers and used Moses to cause a big scare for the Ethiopians. So he b...

An audio interview of a man, identified as Mujhahedeen Muhammad Marwana has been obtained. He claims to be the second-in-command to Boko Haram leader Imam Abubakar Shekau, conducted in Hausa by phone in Bauchi State, by a foreign journalist. In it, Marwana speaks authoritatively about meetings between members of his group and some top Northerners, including Governor Sule Lamido, former Minister of Defence Bello Halliru, and Sheik Dahiru Bauchi.  The translation, into English, did not provide any context to those meetings. According to the source which made the tape available, the interview was broadcast yesterday, January 28, but it is unclear when it was conducted and where it was broadcast.  Translated into English, the interview shows Marwana dispelling any possible dialogue with the militants because the government has allegedly killed 47 Boko Haram emissaries in dialogue efforts that have never seen the light of day.   In the interview, Marwanna also expl...

Wednesday's Gossip column Manchester City have set their sights on Barcelona forward David Villa, 31, to replace Mario Balotelli and have already made an enquiry about the £15m-rated Spaniard. Full story: The Mirror   Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is to make one final attempt to sign David Villa after transfer talks with Arsenal chief Ivan Gazidis. Full story: Daily Mail   Norwich are hoping to seal the £8m signing of Celtic striker Gary Hooper and Leeds hitman Luciano Becchio. Full story: the Sun   West Ham are eyeing a move for 31-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk left-back Razvan Rat. Full story: Sky Sports   QPR boss Harry Redknapp and his Stoke counterpart Tony Pulis are arranging a swap deal involving strikers Peter Crouch, 31, and Jamie Mackie, 27. Full story: The Mirror   Redknapp also wants to sign 28-year-old Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar for a third time, having managed him at Portsmouth and Tottenham. Full story: Metro   To...

The Association of Nigerian Prostitutes (ANP) has congratulated the Super Eagles of Nigeria for moving on to the Quarter Finals stage of the Orange African Cup of Nations, South Africa 2013, urging them to go for gold. ANP in a statement issued through its national secretary, Jessica Elvis urged the national team to make the country proud by moving on to the finals and bringing back the trophy. “We want to congratulate the Nigerian National team, the Super Eagles for qualifying for the next round of the competition. We want to assure them of our usual support and partnership, we want them to bring back our lost glory in football.   Speaking further, Jessica added that the Association would declare one week of free sex if the Eagles win the trophy. “To show our support for the national team, we’ll be declaring one week free sex if the Super Eagles can win the trophy,” she added. DailyPost investigation revealed some members of the association are in South Africa ‘supporti...

Nollywood movies will soon be available on major cable television networks in the U.S. courtesy of Brandcast Media, Inc. Viewers of Time Warner, Cox, partners and affiliate cable television networks will now be able to watch Nollywood movies On-Demand starting February 1st, 2013.  With the addition of Nollywood movies to Cable TV content, Brandcast Media, Inc. aims to generate crossover appeal through the exposure of this unique content to over 40 million North American homes.  Some of the productions to be featured on Nollywood Hits On Demand include Somewhere in Africa, Mind Games, Unwanted Guest, and Married But Living Single.’ etc. It will feature notable actors in the Nollywood Industry such as Genevieve Nnaji, Van Vicker, Funke Akindele, Majid Michel, Joke Silva, Omotola Jalade Ekehinde, Yvonne Nelson, and so many more. These select Nollywood movies will be available On Demand at $3.95 each. Perry Umoh, President & CEO, Brandcast Media Inc...

An obviously rattled Nigerian presidency has cobbled together an informal committee made up of top administration officials to provide a blistering response to a former Vice President of the World Bank, Obiageli Ezekwesili, who has accused President Goodluck Jonathan and his predecessor of squandering over N10 trillion of Nigeria’s oil savings left behind by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. A presidential source familiar with the matter said President Jonathan administration was especially rattled by the former minister’s remark, and that he immediately ordered his top aides to provide a comprehensive response to the former minister’s claim, considered damaging enough to incite Nigerians against the regime. Our source said Mr. Jonathan specifically instructed his Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadomhe, to coordinate the damage control needed to check the fallout of Mrs. Ezekwesili’s remark. It was Mr. Oghiadomhe  who then constituted a committee comprising Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, ...

Contrary to the widely held belief that ex-husband Bobby Brown introduced Whitney Houston to drugs, Whitney’s brother, Michael, confesses to having introduced the late songstress to drugs. Micheal and his mother Cissy, were guests on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, ‘Oprah Next Chapter’, on Monday, January 28, 2013 where he confessed to have been the first to introduce the late singer to crack cocaine in the 80s. ‘You gotta understand at the time in the ’80s it was acceptable. It’s painful, I feel responsible for what I let go so far’, Michael told Oprah. He also says he didn’t realise how deadly drugs could be when he first brought them to Whitney’s doorstep. Whitney Houston, 47, was found dead in her Beverly Hills Hotel room on February 11, 2012 as a result of excessive use of cocaine

This weekend, a report revealing that African women immigrating to Israel were subjected to mandatory contraceptive injections, effectively amounting to forced (if temporary) sterilization made global headlines. Some 130,000 Ethiopians, most of them Jewish, live in Israel. The community experiences higher poverty and unemployment rates than the rest of the country’s Jewish population. In the past decade, the birth rate among Ethiopian-Israelis has declined by at least 20 percent. Advocacy groups now claim this decline is the result of a birth control regimen forced upon Ethiopian immigrant women. According to an article in Haaretz, an Israeli news source, one Ethiopian immigrant said that the doctors who injected her claimed that “people who frequently give birth suffer.” While it is possible, if highly unlikely, that doctors genuinely had the women’s health in mind when they forcibly injected them with contraceptives , there is no excuse for depriving women sovereignty over thei...

Former Secretary to the Federal Military Government and Finance Minister Chief Olu Falae spoke on national issues. It was alleged that ballot papers were sighted in the house of an Afenifere leader in Akure, ahead of the recent governorship election in Ondo State. There are three Afenifere leaders in Akure, namely Pa Falae, Pa Fasoranti and Pa Adegbonmire. What really happened? The name, Afenifere, is synonymous with integrity, honesty and good leadership. When you now link that precious name to dishonesty, criminality and the devil, we leave it to God as He deems fit. Pa Fasoranti is a role model in the whole of this area. He is an exemplary gentleman; a grandfather and a man of civilised values. For anybody to link his name to something that is not honourable is stupendous unbelievable. The same for Chief Adegbonmire. Although we are not in the same party now, but I can vouch for him. He is a man of integrity, outspoken and honest. He will never be associated with anyth...

The light sentence handed to a director in the Police Pensions Office, Mr. John Yusuf, by a Federal High Court in Abuja is still the subject of what is gradually turning out to be a nation-wide debate on the moral substance of the ruling. Yusuf was convicted for defrauding the Office of the sum of N27.2bn alongside six others, an offence punishable under Section 309 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria, 2007. He was subsequently sentenced to a two-year jail term. Apparently worried that Yusuf, like a few other public office holders convicted for graft before him, had managed to negotiate this light sentence through the doctrine of plea bargain, many Nigerians have wondered if the judiciary is actually deaf to outcries against corruption and the present campaign to rid the country of the evil. The decision of the presiding judge, Justice Abubakar Talba, in not responding  positively to the plea of the counsel to the Econ...

Pastor Fireman has replied critics on his use of hot girls as poster for advertising his church. Last year, We saw the above poster of pastor fireman advertising his church.So this came as a shock to many who didn't think it was normal for a pastor to use this approach. It has been almost a year now but a lady, Whitney Chad, supposedly Pastor Fireman's rep has now addressed this issue in a message to Myne Whiteman's blog. The “Hot Girls” flyer of Sign Fireman caused quite a stir recently. Different people had different things to say about it. According to the pastor: "The point is that God sent me to bring Twenty-First Century innovations that will change Christianity and make it have more results. Let me give you an example. Recently, believers do soulwinning among believers, Churches “wins souls” from another church. That is not soul winning, that is souls transfer. They are fishing in the frying pan. Real soulwinning is reaching out to Sinners and ge...

A day after Nigerians expressed outrage over the light sentence given to a former director of the Police Pension Fund,John Yakubu Yusuf over a N27billion theft, a court in the Western Nigerian city of Ibadan has demonstrated the partiality of justice in Nigeria, with the jailing for four years of the Provost of the Federal Cooperative College, Eleyele, Ibadan over a N3.3million fraud. The provost Ruth Aweto, was jailed without the option of fine by the state High Court sitting in Ibadan. Justice Mohammed Talba of the Federal High Court Abuja gave Yusuf two year jail sentence, with the option of fine. Also sentenced to four years imprisonment without option of fine was the Bursar, Adekanye Komolafe. The duo were sentenced by Justice Moshood Abass who found them guilty of four out of the eight-count charge of fraud leveled against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The judge, however, said the sentence would run concurren...

The Lagos State Government has called on residents of the state to be prepared for heavier rainfall this year.   Already, the rains have started in January which is supposed to be dry season, a clear indication of what to expect during the year. General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu told P.M.NEWS that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET, had predicted heavier rainfall for Lagos this year. “NIMET has informed us that there will be heavier rainfall in Lagos State this year but we are well prepared. We have changed the way we are now doing our roads,” he said. According to Oke-Osanyintolu, the state government was ready for the rains as it had started mapping out strategies to ensure that disasters were mitigated during the rains. “We have planned for eventuality. All our stakeholders are set for this year’s rainfall. Lagosians should not panic. The administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola is well prepa...

After Super Eagles victory win against Ethiopia in yesterday's match, they will be playing with Ivory Coast next in the quarter final stage at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations - on Sunday 3rd of February. Emmanuel Eboue is an Ivory Coast player and former Arsenal player and he has sent a message to the Super Eagles team. Read below...

The Nigeria Football Federation yesterday dolled out US $30,000 to each member of the Super Eagles for qualifying for the quarter final of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. The Super Eagles yesterday defeated Ethiopia 2-0 in a tension soaked match played in Rustenburg. The Eagles qualified alongside Burkina Faso from Group D. Burkina Faso on the other hand ended their tie with Zambia 0-0 at the Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit. The result ensured the elimination of Zambia that ended third in the log with 3 points from three matches.

The Nigeria police in Lagos State has arrested three friends, Achonam Emenuwa, 32, Godwin Udoh, 22, and Emenike Orji, 20, who allegedly impregnated a 13-year old girl (name withheld) after they allegedly raped her in turns. The teenager is now five months pregnant and expecting a baby in four months’ time. Her parents are confused on who among them actually impregnated her. The suspects allegedly lured the little girl to Emenuwa’s room at 19, Majaro street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos where they raped her in turns. Thereafter, they warned her not to tell anyone otherwise they would kill her. Emenuwa is married with five kids, while his two friends are still single. However, the deed was blown open when she became pregnant and she confessed to her parents what happened. The three men were arrested by the police at Makinde Police Station, Oshodi and charged to Oshodi Magistrate’s court with rape and unlawful carnal knowledge of  the girl. The court ordered that the matt...

The Lagos State Police Command has dismissed a Police Corporal, Gboroye Folagbade, with Force number 444123, who allegedly stole a seized motorcycle while enforcing the state’s new traffic law, in Ikorodu area of Lagos. The Operation Officer of the division seized the motorcycle from one Saheed Owolabi, over his violation of the new traffic law, late last year. Efforts by Owolabi to recover the bike failed, as he was informed that it had been transferred to Alausa for crushing. But on January 10, 2013, Owolabi reportedly found his motorbike with another rider identified as Ismail Olomitutu, around Anibaba area of Ikorodu and raised alarm. Olomitutu confessed to have bought the motorcycle from Corporal Folagbade at the rate of N55,000. Irked by the incident, the visibly angry Command’s boss, Mr Umar Manko, ordered Folagbade to be tried in an orderly room over what was described as a discreditable offence. Confirming the dismissal, spokesman for the Lagos State Police Comma...