Troops of 2 Brigade Nigerian Army yesterday at Port Harcourt conducted a show of force as part of the ongoing OPERATION CROCODILE SMILE in the volatile Niger Delta.
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61 Priests Preside Over The Burial Of Stella Oduah's Son
The dust raised by the death of son of Nigeria's former Aviation minister and presently the Senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District in the red chambers of the National Assembly,Senator Princess Stella Oduah, has finally settled as the remains of 28 year old, Maxwell,Chinedu Oduah-Etoromi was at exactly 2:15 pm Saturday, interred at the Oduah family mausoleum in Akili- Ozizor,Ogbaru local Government of Anambra State amidst tears and eulogies
The Metropolitan Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Reverend Valerian Okeke,was represented in the burial mass by the Episcopal Vicar of Dunukofia Region, Very Rev Fr Theophilus Odukwe who presided over the mass with 57 other priests concelebrating,among whom was a Papal Chamberlain and Chaplain of the Catholic Women Organization(CWO) Onitsha Archdiocese, Monsignor Greg Adibe.In their midst were 3 Anglican priests. In his homily,the President of the West African Association of Priests,Very Rev Fr (Dr) Martin Onukwuba condoled with Senator Oduah and other members of their family saying that death is a mystery and universal experience which every mortal must pass through.According to him,the death of a Christian is nothing but a passage to meet the risen Christ adding that upon death,every believer must look forward to dying in order to open his or her eyes to the light of eternity.
In his contribution, the representative of the Archbishop, Very Rev Fr Theophilus Odukwe described the late Chinedu Oduah as a chip of the old block, meaning that he took over from her mother in generosity and kindness to the less privileged.
Fr Odukwe conveyed Archbishop Valerian Okeke's condolences to Senator Oduah who he described as a true daughter of Igbo land going by her achievement as Aviation Minister. The Senate President,Dr Olusola Saraki, represented by Senator Dino Melaye who led other senators and House of Representatives members to the funeral laced his remarks with humour and jokes,said the Senate President was pained by the death of Chinedu whose mother,Senator Stella Oduah she described as a reliable and hard working colleague.He pledged that the Senate will donate generously to the newly formed Foundation for the deceased.
Also in his remarks,the governor of Anambra State,Chief Willie Obiano represented by the Deputy Governor,Dr Nkemdiche Okeke,described the death of Chinedu in his prime as painful as it woul not be the wish of any mother to experience such.He prayed that God will give the entire family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
Chairman of Princess Stella Oduah Campaign Organization and former Rep member, High Chief (Hon) Okwudili Add to dictionary gratitude to God for his marvelous works in making the week long funeral peaceful.
While speaking on the death of his brother,Master Tuoyo,the immediate younger brother to the deceased spoke at length on the sterling qualities of his late brother who he described as generous to a fault. Among the dignitaries that attended the burial are former Gov Peter Obi(represented)the PDP chairman,Anambra State,Chief Ken Emeakayi,Hon Obinna Chidoka,former Anambra Speaker,Chief Anayo Nnebe ,Hon Eucharia Azodo,Chief Mrs Comfort Obi,member of board of the Police Service Commission,Abuja, the Okpala of Akili Ozizor,Prfessor Stella Okunna,Chief Mrs Odife,Chief Dubem Obaze,etc.PDP stalwarts at local and state levels attended.
The liturgical coordinator of the burial committee,Rev Fr Donald Uzoh,the coordinator of burial logistics,Prince Joe Agwunobi Oduah and the Chief of Staff of Princess Stella Oduah Foundation,Princess Nwaka Ononuju,the Knights of St Mulumba,St Mary's Subcouncil led by its Grand Knight,Sir Joseph Nsika, the director of Princess Stella Oduah campaign Organisation,Chief Pandola Okwuosa among many others were present.
Militants Threaten Attacks On soldiers Deployed In Niger Delta
A group, Niger Delta Cleansers (NDC), has threatened to attack more soldiers in the region if the federal government does not withdraw them from the creeks in the next 14 days.
Its spokesman, Col Fikenibai Miesin, in a statement said the militants will launch ‘Operation Hurricane’ to face soldiers deployed in the region.
Miesin condemned the ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ launched by the federal government even after most militants have embraced the ongoing dialogue process in the region.
The statement reads: “The Niger Delta cleansers is unhappy with the federal government for deploying soldiers in some Niger Delta communities under the operational code “Operation Crocodile Smile at a time dialogue is seeing the light of day
“We call on the federal government to immediately withdraw all soldiers deployed in the Niger Delta communities.
“Because of this we have perfected plans to launch ‘Operation Hurricane’ to combat government forces. We are giving them two weeks to withdraw the soldiers or face attacks.”
Nude Donald Trump Statue To Be Auctioned For Up To $20,000
A naked statue of U.S. Republican presidential contender Donald Trump is going up for auction, with profits from the sale going to an immigrant support group.
Julien's Auctions said on Wednesday that the statue, called "The Emperor Has No Balls," is expected to fetch $10,000 to $20,000 at the Oct. 22 auction in Los Angeles.
The statue is one of a series that appeared unannounced in public spaces in New York and four other U.S. cities earlier in August. The orange-tinted likeness showed Trump with a massive belly, small fingers and some missing genitals.
Most were confiscated or destroyed by local authorities and the Los Angeles statue is the only one remaining, Julien's said.
The statues were created by an anonymous artists collective called INDECLINE. A portion of the auction profits will go to the National Immigration Forum, which campaigns for the rights of immigrants.
Trump has pledged to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico to keep immigrants out and to deport the millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States, should he be elected. He is due to give a speech on Wednesday as he seeks to find a balance in his immigration stance.
Trump is not the only politician to be represented in the October auction of street and contemporary art. American pop artist Knowledge Bennett's "Hillary Clinton Cojones," featuring the Democratic White House hopeful wearing a tuxedo, is expected to fetch up to $15,000, Julien's said.
Japanese Karate Expert Fights Off Bear Using Black Belt Skills
A 63-year-old karate expert was the unlikely victor of a fight with an angry bear, police in Japan have said.
Atsushi Aoki was fishing in the mountains of the Gunma Prefecture region when the animal emerged from woodland.
The snarling black bear - reportedly standing at 6ft 3ins on its hind legs - set upon him in an unprovoked attack, he told Japanese broadcaster TBS.
However, Mr Aoki said he was more than a match for his assailant, fighting the animal off with his bare hands.
Despite being knocked to the floor, he managed to pick himself up and face up to his opponent.
Rather than fleeing, he used his own deadly fighting skills to take the upper hand, punching the bear between the eyes.
The animal then retreated.
Mr Aoki told reporters the bear stood over him with "an imposing stance".
The fisherman was quoted in Singapore newspaper The Straits Times saying: "It came pouncing towards me when my eyes met the bear's.
"Its rounded ears were perfectly circular just like a teddy bear's and its face was so huge.
"The bear had such, such great strength. I was knocked over when it leapt at me. It scratched me and bit me. But in the end I managed to trick the bear, poked it in the eyes and it ran away."
After the attack, Mr Aoki apparently made his own way to a nearby hospital in Naganohara town, where he received treatment for minor injuries.
He sustained bite and claw marks on the right side of his upper body, head and arms, and an injury to his leg, but was otherwise unharmed.
Gunma police officials have warned anyone who comes across a bear in the wild not to copy Mr Aoki martial arts exploits.
"If you witness a bear, don't fight. Walk away quietly and report it to the police instead," an official told The Japan Times.
Kenyans Are Far Behind Nigerians In Every Aspect - Fani-Kayode
Former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has lent his voice in defence of his country in the ongoing Twitter feud between netizens in Nigeria and Kenya.
Fani-Kayode, who gave his verdict on his official Twitter account, @realffk, stressed that Kenyans are far behind Nigerians in every aspect.
Truth is that the Kenyans are v far behind us in every respect. I know their history inside out: they are just too small for us.
He furthers, "Kenyans should stop attacking Nigeria on twitter. They must know their place. Truth is the worse Nigerian is better than the best Kenyan."
When Kenyan leaders were still doing "mau mau", swinging from trees and eating one another ours were at Oxford and Cambridge university" He noted
When Kenyan leaders were still doing "mau mau", swinging from trees and eating one another ours were at Oxford and Cambridge university
Recall that the clash started following unclear reports and speculations which surrounds the back-and-forth movement of the billionaire Facebook CEO, between the two African nations.
China Closes World’s Longest Glass Bridge
The world’s longest glass bridge, over a scenic canyon in China, has been closed less than two weeks after it opened after being overwhelmed by a swarm of visitors.
More than 10,000 visitors a day flooded over the Guinness record-setting attraction, overwhelming managers who had planned to limit visitors to no more than 8,000, local media reported.
The bridge is undergoing “an internal system upgrade”, the official Xinhua News service quoted officials as saying, but did not specify when it would reopen.
The group in charge of the attraction said that it would use the closure to update “software and hardware” related to managing visitors, Xinhua said Friday.
In an announcement on one of its social media accounts, the company apologised for inconveniencing the many travellers who had made reservations to visit.
“You… have cheated consumers,” one angry commenter replied. “I’m on the train right now. I can’t change my travel plans or get a refund. You have made the world lose hope. I see you are the world’s number one cheat.”
Some 430 metres (1,400 feet) long and suspended 300 metres above the earth, the bridge spans the canyon between two mountain cliffs in Zhangjiajie park in China’s central Hunan province. The nature reserve is known for its otherworldly natural beauty.
Famous for its precipitous cloud-wreathed mountains, it is a UNESCO world heritage site that reportedly inspired the landscapes of James Cameron’s sci-fi blockbuster Avatar.
Following an alarming glass bridge cracking incident at the Yuntai mountain in northern Henan in 2015, authorities in Zhangjiajie were eager to demonstrate the safety of the structure.
They organised a string of media events, including one where people were encouraged to try and smash the bridge’s glass panels with a sledge hammer, and another where they drove a car across it. Nonetheless, visitors were banned from wearing high heels as they ventured out onto the deck.
Church Of England Welcomes First Openly Gay Bishop
A British bishop has become the first in the Church of England — the mother church of the worldwide Anglican faith — to announce he is homosexual, in an interview published Saturday.
Nicholas Chamberlain, the Bishop of Grantham in central England, told the Guardian newspaper he was in a long-term relationship with his male partner, after a Sunday paper reportedly said it was about to publish a story on his private life.
“It was not my decision to make a big thing about coming out,” he said, adding that he adhered to church guidelines which stipulate that gay clergy must be celibate.
“People know I’m gay, but it’s not the first thing I’d say to anyone. Sexuality is part of who I am, but it’s my ministry that I want to focus on.”
The church knew he was gay when he became a bishop last year, he revealed.
“I was myself. Those making the appointment knew about my sexual identity.”
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the world’s Anglican faith, said Chamberlain’s sexuality was “completely irrelevant”.
“His appointment as Bishop of Grantham was made on the basis of his skills and calling to serve the church in the diocese of Lincoln,” he said.
“He lives within the bishops’ guidelines and his sexuality is completely irrelevant to his office.”
Chamberlain said of his relationship: “It is faithful, loving, we are like-minded, we enjoy each other’s company and we share each other’s life.”
A Church of England spokesman said it would have been “unjust” not to appoint him based due to his sexuality.
The Church of England dropped its opposition to gay clergymen in civil partnerships becoming bishops in 2013, although many of the Anglican faith worldwide — who number 80 million — were opposed.
The Anglican Church of Uganda in 2014 said it may consider breaking away from their mother church in England if it put Uganda under pressure over its tough anti-homosexuality law.
Mass Wedding: Kano Government Screens 1,000 Prospective Couples
The Kano State Hisbah Board said it had commenced medical screening of 1,000 prospective couples for the next Mass Wedding Programme in the state.
NAN reports that no fewer than 4, 395 prospective couples were registered by the state government to participate in the programme.
The Director General of the board, Dr Abba Sufi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Friday that the screening which started last week was aimed at ensuring the health status of the couples before the marriage
“The medical screening started about eight days ago and it is intended to ascertain the health status of each and everyone of them.
“The screening is mandatory as it will enable the board and each partner to know the health status their partners before the marriage is conducted,”he said.
Sufi said the medical screening was in preparation for the conduct of the programme scheduled to take place after the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
“The state government has planned to conduct the programme after Sallah, hence the decision to start the screening of the couples in time,”Sufi said
He said the state government under the leadership of Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje was committed to the success of the programme as it would check prostitution especially among indigent unmarried young girls and widows.
NAN recalls that no fewer than 5,000 indigent unmarried young men and women benefited from the programme during the administration of former Gov. Rabi’u Kwankwaso who introduced it in 2012.
NAN
