No plastic, only contaminated rice in Nigeria – NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Thursday said laboratory result of the suspected fake rice showed that the product was not plastic but rice contaminated with micro organisms.

The Acting Director General, NAFDAC, Yetunde Oni, said this at a news conference in conjuction with the Nigeria Customs Service in Abuja.

Oni said the seized rice was unsatisfactory and therefore unwholesome for human consumption, stressing that the consignment would be destroyed upon handover by the NCS.

She explained that the product branded ”Best Tomato”, was in 25kg bag, without NAFDAC number, batch number, date markings and details of the manufacturer.

She said that `floating’ was negative, sedimentation was positive, cooking was normal, odour was normal, colour was off-white and E-coli was within specification.

She said lead and cadmium were not detected, pre-ashing was normal, ash, moisture and mould were within specification but coli form was above maximum limits.

Oni called on the public to report suspicious cases about all NAFDAC regulated products to any of the offices across the nation for prompt regulatory action.

She also said that the following numbers could be contacted for enquiries: 08013630600, 09094262773 and 08033112282.

The Comptroller-General, NCS, Col. Hameed Ali, said irrespective of the outcome of the laboratory analysis, customs would remain vigilant and alive to its responsibilities.

Ali, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General, Tariff and Trade, Umar Iya, said NCS was guided by intelligence reports.

”Intelligence reports indicate that several metric tonnes of expired and dangerous rice are still lying in wait in warehouses in neighbouring countries and the target of the products is the Nigerian market”, he said.

Ali said that the NCS would intensify patrols to ensure that such economic saboteurs do not succeed.

He urged warehouse owners and transporters across the country not to accept such smuggled products in their facilities or vehicles respectively.

He warned that both the smuggled products and means of conveyance were liable to seizure.

(NAN)

Buildings housing 81 police families to be demolished in Lagos

 
The Nigeria Police in Lagos State, on Thursday said three more buildings housing 81 police families would be pulled down at the Highway Police Barracks, Ikeja due to structural defects.
Mr Maigari Dikko, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), in charge of Works disclosed the plan to newsmen while inspecting a building that collapsed in same barrack where two persons lost their lives.
A Sergeant and a civilian lost their lives on Christmas Day when part of the toilet collapsed while they bathed.
That building was later pull down on the instruction of the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Fatai Owoseni.
The DIG works said he was instructed by the Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris to visit the scene of incident and also to commiserate with the families of those that lost their lives.
“We have told some of them to vacate the buildings. The buildings are defective; they have been served quit notice to leave for a long time.
“We have asked Commissioner of Police in charge of Lagos command and the works department to enforce the relocation. We do not want a repeat of the incident in the barracks.
“The officers affected are not being evicted. They are asked to relocate for obvious reason of safety.
“Prevention is better than cure. The force headquarter is not sitting idle.
“We are working out a plan for a better rehabilitation of all defective buildings in all barracks across the nation. We are going to use our professionals to carry out the works.
“We are using direct labour to rehabilitate police barracks. The  project will commence as soon as the government releases the needed fund’’, Dikko said.
The DIG said that all police officers affected would be given lodging allowance for relocation as soon as the government released the fund.
“That is the best we can do for them; we will not just throw them out, we will ensure they have something to relocate”, he added.
Some of the officers affected, on condition of anonymity, were happy about the promise of lodging allowance for their relocation.

The good and the bad sides of ‘zobo’ drink

Consumption of zobo drink is very effective in the management of hypertension due to its anti-hypertensive properties, says Dr. Ochuko Erukainure, a nutritional biochemist.

Erukainure, a senior research officer with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Lagos State, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

According him…
• Zobo drink, also known as hibiscus drink, helps in reducing cholesterol level, high blood pressure, diabetes and constipation in the human system.

• It contains between 15 per cent and 30 per cent organic acids such as citric acid, maleic acid, and tartaric acid.

• It also contains acidic polysaccharides and flavonoid glycosides, such as cyanide and delphine.

• Zobo drink helps to lower blood pressure, as it contains an enzyme inhibitor which blocks the production of amylase.

• Amylase is an enzyme that breaks down complex sugars and starches,

• Drinking a cup of zobo after every meal would help to reduce the absorption of dietary carbohydrates and assist in weight loss.

• It is rich in Vitamin C and makes a wonderful herbal remedy to fight off colds and infections, while it also hydrates the body system.

• Do NOT add sugar to zobo drink so that its natural essence could be well-preserved and not contaminated by non-natural essences.

• Pregnant women may not consume zobo, as some studies had shown that it could lead to miscarriage.

• Some pregnant women may be allergic to zobo drink, as it might make them develop itchy red eyes, sinus or hay fever.

• Its safety during breast feeding is unknown and, therefore, it is best to avoid zobo drink when breastfeeding.

• Patients diagnosed with low blood pressure should not to drink zobo; and if they should, they should consult their doctors before doing so. (NAN)

Bomb scare in Yola

 

There was a pandemonium at the Federal College of Education, Yola, on Thursday over a bomb scare following the sighting of a strange bag in front of the school.

The development which obstructed traffic along the Jimeta-Yola Road for more than an hour, caught the attention of a team of policemen and soldiers.

The policemen from the Adamawa Anti-bomb Squad, who went into action immediately, however, discovered that the bag did not contain any explosives.

Addressing newsmen on the development, the Public Relations Officer of the Adamawa Police Command, SP Othman Abubakar, said that the bag contained waste materials.

Abubakar, however, commended members of the public for their vigilance and urged them to always alert the police whenever they sighted any suspicious object.

The Chief Security Officer of the college, Mr Salihu Muhammed,who reported the incident to the police, said that the suspicious bag was abandoned by unknown persons and that was why they immediately alerted the police.

Muhammed dismissed rumors circulating that the bag was found in the school premises saying; “ it is completely untrue, the bag was abandoned outside the college”.

(NAN)

 

US sanctions Russia over vote hacking

 
The United States on Thursday fired back at Moscow over its meddling in the presidential election, announcing a series of tough sanctions against intelligence agencies, expulsions of agents and shutting down of Russian compounds on US soil.
Obama had all but accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of personally ordering an audacious cyber hack that many Democrats believe damaged Hillary Clinton’s chances in November’s closely fought election with Republican foe Donald Trump.
The US intelligence community has concluded that a hack-and-release of Democratic Party and Clinton staff emails was designed to put Trump — a political neophyte who has praised Putin — into the Oval Office.
The measures are certain to send tensions with Moscow soaring just three weeks before Trump succeeds Obama.
“I have ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian government’s aggressive harassment of US officials and cyber operations aimed at the US election,” Obama said.
“These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests in violation of established international norms of behavior.”
Among the measures announced were sanctions against Russia’s FSB and GRU intelligence agencies, the designation of 35 Russian operatives as “persona non grata” and the closure of two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland that the United States says are used “for intelligence-related purposes.”
“All Americans should be alarmed by Russia’s actions,” Obama said.
“Moreover, our diplomats have experienced an unacceptable level of harassment in Moscow by Russian security services and police over the last year.
“Such activities have consequences.”

– FSB, GRU targeted –

Washington accuses the Russian military’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of hacking information with the intent to interfere with the US election — and says the Federal Security Service (FSB) has helped.
It will face sanctions, along with four individual GRU officers including agency chief Igor Valentinovich Korobov and three other entities.
In addition, the US Treasury slapped sanctions on two individuals, Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev and Aleksey Alekseyevich Belan, for “involvement in malicious cyber-enabled activities.”
The sanctions freeze any assets they may have in the United States and blocks US businesses from doing business with them.
A total of 35 Russian intelligence operatives based at the Russian embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco have been declared “persona non grata” and ordered to leave the country within 72 hours.
The US government is also declassifying technical information on Russian cyber activity to help companies defend against future attacks.
“These actions are not the sum total of our response to Russia’s aggressive activities. We will continue to take a variety of actions at a time and place of our choosing, some of which will not be publicized,” Obama said.
“The United States and friends and allies around the world must work together to oppose Russia’s efforts to undermine established international norms of behavior, and interfere with democratic governance.”
Prior to November’s election, the Obama administration warned Russia via diplomatic channels to stop its cyber meddling, according to The Washington Post. Obama also spoke with Putin at a G20 summit in China earlier this year.
And about a week before the election, Washington sent a message to Moscow using a special crisis communication channel for the first time, asking it to stop targeting state voter registration and election systems.
Moscow apparently complied, according to US officials.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has been quoted as saying that Moscow will respond to any “hostile steps” from Washington.

What does Boko Haram’s ‘defeat’ mean?

 

The news that the terrorist group, Boko Haram, has been “effectively” defeated was as satisfying as watching a convoluted drama resolved with a deux ex machina turn in the plot. The inchoate resolution evokes past cases of similar premature announcements of Boko Haram’s defeat. If the Nigerian authorities’ history on Boko Haram is anything to go by, this announcement is a mere cliff-hanger; more episodes are coming.

In the past weeks, the Army has suffered major losses in the Boko Haram war. This year alone, there have been reports of missing troops and deaths of gallant soldiers at battlefronts. Some of the reports were aggressively denied by relevant authorities and further discussions about them deflected. Add to their credibility issues the humiliation the Army suffered when a video made rounds on social media purportedly showing fighting soldiers begging for food and water. Then, suddenly, the war is over? This calls for circumspection. Even more bizarre is the avalanche of congratulatory messages being showered on President Muhammadu Buhari by various backslappers.

As a Nigerian who has grieved over the 15,000 plus deaths, two million IDPs and other instances of pain Boko Haram has caused, I should be rejoicing that the end has come for the manic marauders. However, as also a Nigerian who has witnessed how the war on Boko Haram has unconscionably transformed into a self-sustaining military-political industrial complex and propaganda spinner, I am rather restrained from celebrating what may turn out to be another George Bush’s “mission accomplished” pyrrhic victory. Nigeria has travelled this road many times and the macabre outcome has been more acts of violence wreaked on defenceless citizens who were rushed to their supposedly secure community to meet the schedule drawn up for defeating Boko Haram. This time round, politicians cannot seem to reiterate enough that Buhari p romised to end Boko Haram by end of 2016 and he delivered on his promise. I am not sure the necessity of the haste for “end of year present” as lives lost cannot be replaced. Hopefully, this is not another All Progressives Congress propaganda.

Just a year ago, that the same government announced that Boko Haram had been “technically defeated.” Buhari had boasted that they would defeat Boko Haram by end of 2015 and with the calendar about to prove them wrong, they declared Boko Haram defeated. Within 48 hours, the group responded with a deadly attack in Adamawa and Borno states that claimed at least 50 lives. A shamed Lai Muhammed, Minister of Information and Culture, quickly announced that despite the fresh attacks the group had in fact atrophied, that they had been deprived of their territory, and they lacked any wherewithal to carry out their agenda of establishing an Islamic state. The worst they could do, he said, was attack “soft targets,” a phrasing that minimises the reality of the suffering of those being decimated by terrorist activities.

The Boko Haram defeat announcement feels like déjà vu except that the language has been changed from “technically defeated” to “effectively defeated.” For a war that has taken seven years, is this how it all ends? Why not address the nation properly instead of pushing a terse press release and later sending an aide to “clarify” the details? For instance, what does this land reclamation truly mean in the battle against Boko Haram? Shortly before Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s government was voted out, the Army also conducted operations that retrieved territories from Boko Haram but the war has raged on. That means a loss of spatial territory by the terrorists does not automatically translate into a loss of ideological grounds as well. We also know that Boko Haram has extended its operational tentacles into neighbouring countries like Chad and Niger Republic from where they crisscross into Nigeria to unleash deadly violence. What does this victory mean for the border crossers?

We should also know how the Operation Lafiya Dole that ended in the Army occupation of Boko Haram was conducted. What exactly happened? The stories being bandied around in the media are full of “dem say, dem say” reports revealed by faceless figures, why is the Army not giving a reliable account of what went down in Sambisa forest? “They” said they arrested terrorists. How many of them and who were they? There was another report of a “white” man found in Sambisa forest but up till now, there has been no name or picture of him released. Who is he? I acknowledge that the Army cannot release every piece of information yet but they cannot also be merely sketchy and expect us to accept their words as verity.

For years, it has been insinuated that Abubakar Shekau- whose ancestry remains a mystery – lives in Sambisa. Now that the terrorists’ Camp Zero has fallen, where are he and his lieutenants? How many of them were arrested? What is Nigeria’s plan for justice for them?

After Osama bin Laden had been killed, we were at least allowed to see his abode and also learnt how he had managed to hide from the United States’ panoptical lens for years. So, what of Shekau’s abode and what can the items retrieved from the camp tell us about the way he lived? No, I am not merely asking these simply because I am a voyeur, I think the public deserves to know considering that we have been deceived about his death at least twice. If Shekau truly died this time, how did they verify his final death? Do they have his DNA stored to crossmatch with whomever they killed? The Nigerian Army has credibility issues where Boko Haram victories are concerned and merely issuing press release is not going to fly. The Nigerian Army – for too long, a coup-making propaganda machine – has not been straightforward.

We were told that a Boko Haram terrorist was arrested in Ikorodu, Lagos, and that Nigerians should watch out for more of them trying to mingle with civilian population. Did he escape from Sambisa Forest and somehow ended up in Lagos within 48 hours of Camp Zero being breached? Lai Mohammed, the information minister, said if Nigerians “see something” they should “say something.” The problem with his vague charge is that he is more or less asking Nigerians to chase phantoms on his behalf. How do we know who Boko Haram members are when they have not provided identifying information that can help our sense of vigilance? Who and what are we to look out for? We see something every day but how are we supposed to know when to say something?

Nigerians will also like to know what the recapture of Sambisa Forest means going forward? Aside from the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, and his future plans of despoiling the nature reserve, there should be other discussions of how Boko Haram defeat will impact the humungous sums earmarked for militancy and insurgency in the 2017 budget. What does the Nigerian Army’s “effective victory” mean to the IDPs who have lost their homes and are now being raped in almost every imaginable way by members of the present administration?

With similar predators in high places, will the IDPs go home or their predicament remains a money-making source for “Ogas at the top”? These are a few of the questions that are on my mind for now as regards the Sambisa re-occupation. I am curious to know how they can claim to have won such a major battle, an entire terrorist enclave pillaged, and we are required to just believe without proof even though the same government has been lying to us for two years? They owe us more than celebratory press releases; we need both explanations and projections into what a post-Boko Haram Nigeria would look like.

APC plotting to bomb my plane – Wike

 

Chukwudi Akasike, Port Harcourt

THE Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has accused the leaders of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State of planning to bomb him while travelling in a plane.

Wike explained that the target was for the APC in the state to get rid of him in its desperate bid to unseat the Peoples Democratic Party-led government in the state.

 The  governor said the opposition party in the state was not happy that he was paying workers’ salaries and pensions to pensioners despite the economic recession and the failure of some state governors to pay salaries.

Wike, who spoke on Thursday at a thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt organised by the state PDP, criticised those calling for bloodshed in the state for selfish reasons and cursed that blood would continue to flow in their families.

He explained that God would continue to grant him victory no matter how hard APC leaders in the state planned to eliminate him.

“They said they will blow the plane that I will enter. You are plotting, do you know whether God will blow your own plane before that time,” the governor said, adding that the state was under constant assault by leaders of the opposition party.

Describing Rivers as a peaceful state, Wike stressed that the APC was planning to cause crisis in order to create a wrong impression.