Tori-Tori

By Jacinta Fidelis

This week on side talk various issues, certainly trailed the spotlight. A hand full of upcoming developments from the workers addition saga, in vogue   carried with them the weight of maintaining special segments on the stables of Side talk this week.

The recruitment saga and the annoying stand of a leader

 A lot has been said about the unfortunate slaughter of Nigerians by one of the officers squad in the country. Yes slaughter! For even though this people's lives was not deprived them by a direct attempt at murder, the obvious effects of negligence of human dignity and scrupulous abuse of fundamental principles of life by the actors of the so-called workers addition exercise makes it necessary to refer to it as such.
And as if to add insult to injury, the reactions of the helm's man himself over the situation did not in any way better the story.
Side talk found it particularly disappointing that the man whose set of subordinates brought about this unfortunate incident had the effrontery to blame the whole occurrence to what he described as; “The inpatients of applicants”. He considered it worth noting that his employees’ inability to anticipate the said impatience was more excusable than the obvious act of impatience exhibited by a team of hungry and certainly desperate youths.
This man whose name reminds one of the word 'borrow' and the day after today; had the audacity to excuse his chunk of staff who led a mass of applicants to a venue as large as a stadium but opened only a single entrance for them.
He failed to access the inability of his people to either employ trained Human Resource consultants to carry out such important responsibility, or blame himself for failing to provide the needed training facilities and other equipment that will ensure a smooth sailing exercise.
Not even the fact that this team of youths have been abused by the mare initials of this whole process made some sense to our dear borro with the initial 'M'
Side talk watches alongside other Nigerians to see if this great country will learn from this or if it will just be another episode from everyday Nigeria. 

Mr P’s proposal; a way out or??

This next segment on side talk stems from the comments  of the number one member of the present order of the Niger. Our dear helms man in his usually good but rather inadequately thought aout manner decides to react to the disturbing situation trailing the country’s latest recruitment exercise. And what was his manner of reaction?
Mr P decides to give automatic employment to three members of each deceased applicants’ relatives; what’s more? He also says that those who were injured will secure automatic employment in the sector.
And as a form of response from the people, side talk considers the feasibility of all these proposals. First what is the probability that each family where applicants have died will have three qualified persons to take over the said appointments?
What are the chances that the appointments will indeed be given to them?
And lastly but even ,more importantly on this issue; what is the definitions of our leader’s injury, in the statement that anyone who sustains any form of injury will secure automatic employment. If this statement is anything to go by, then the sector in question should indeed be ready to welcome a handful of Nigerians with various forms of injuries sustained at the exercise. The whole thing according to one of our source is vague; how will we ascertain that a person has sustained as much injury to warrant such compensation? Yes for every one that went; there may have been one form of damage or the other, but is that what he means by injury? The word injury is relative so it has to be specific.
And to cap it up, our sources have revealed to us an intended refusal of the sector to give employments to these people making it necessary for us at side talk to wonder whether this is also another futile journey for our dear leaders of today.

who ia which hunting who?
And now from the stables of politics our dear leaders in the country’s political arena say their largest opponents are after them. This set of political hunters has accused its co-hunters of using the terrorist in the country to destroy their government. The issue brought to the spotlight one of the most controversial letters of or time written by an equally controversial ex- leader of this country.
That letter as we may recall, blamed the leadership of this country for continued corruption And for other heinous crimes, including encouragement of terrorism.
If this statement from a member of the party is anything to go by, then at side talk, we ask, who is bewitching who?

Yet another gate
 Our next story is stems from yet another gate reopening in the country’ corruption indices.
After months with the story from the lady ‘O’ in the flying industry, about her unwarranted BMW armored  cars; her sister from another mother in the ministry of liquid substance ofgreastest treasure in Nigeria, comes up with yet another scenario.
This time the crime committed is not a purchase, but a hire of private flying machines and its up keep fees. The story has it that the act is estimated to have caused a whooping N10 billion. According to our source the lower chamber of the Nation’s law makers are already looking into the issue, but side talk deems it necessary to know if the this set of politically empowered women will ever stop with these series of nightmares or are we always going to keep waking from one night mare to the another .
Law against inciting comments; the Nigerian side of the story

Recruitment law suit: void says lawyer... Reasonable-HR consultant

Recruitment law suit: void says lawyer... Reasonable-HR consultant By Evelyn Okakwu The law suit filed by four applicants who took part in the immigration exercise in Niger State has been described as null and void with no legal effect. Reacting on the issue during a conversation with Peoples Daily, barrister Samuel Akenpuum, a legal practitioner with Godwin Ogboji and co chambers Abuja  Said the exercise was an academic activity, adding that a case of an abuse of fundamental human rights cannot be determined in a representative capacity. "You are saying that you want compensation for being unjustly treated in an exercise which has already been cancelled. The court does not work on speculations; it works on facts. If u say that there was an exercise and the government has already cancelled the exercise, then where is it before the court to act upon? If the court was to say anything on the exercise now, it will describe it as a mare academic exercise" However, A Human resource activist Bukky Shonibare has described the actions of the applicants as partly reasonable. Also speaking to Peoples Daily on the issue, Bukky said it was very reasonable for government to compensate the families of those who lost their loved ones with the sum of N50 million as requested by the applicants. Nevertheless, she adds that a sum of N I million for each applicant may be hard to attain. She called on the government of Nigeria to do its best to ensure a transformation of labour laws that will reinstate adequate rights and duties of all parties involved in employment proceedings. The applicants Charles Ugwonye, Friday Danlami, Chinedu Onwuka and Samson Ojo had asked the court to declare the recruitment exercise as illegal and restrain the NIS from spending the money realized from it. They also seek a general sum of N1 million for damages to all applicants as well as a sum of N50 million for the families of those who lost their loved ones

Qui

Jonathan queries Moro, Paradang over NIS recruitment deaths

Abba Moro

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday queried the Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, and the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Mr. David Paradang, over the stampede that claimed 18 lives at the venues of the recruitment exercise by the NIS on Saturday.

They were summoned to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to explain the circumstances that led to the incident which  a source said had portrayed the present administration in bad light.

On their arrival, the two officials first met for about three hours with the Chief of Staff to the President, Brig.-Gen. Jones Arogbofa (retd.), in his office.

A source said they used the opportunity of the meeting with Arogbofa to marshal the arguments they would present before the President.

At the end of that parley, the CoS led the minister and the NIS boss to meet the President for close to an hour.

He also led them out of the President’s office at about 2.30pm.

None of them were willing to talk to State House correspondents at the end of their encounter with the President.

Prior to their arrival, Jonathan had met behind closed doors with the Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar.

Another source said the meeting with Abubakar also centred on the same subject matter.

Abubakar was said to have been ordered to investigate the matter

Sorce-Punch

Suspend Diezani, Yakubu or face massive protest, Melaye gruop tells Jonathan

Dino Melaye

By Evelyn Okakwu

Leader of the Anti-corruption Network, Hon. Dino Melaye has called
for the immediate suspension of the minister of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Company (NNPC) Diezani  Allison Maduakwe  and the group
Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr Andrew Yakubu, or face a massive
nationwide protest soon.
Speaking during a press briefing Friday, Malaye stated that the
protest which is scheduled for an unstated date in the nearest future
will be conducted by the anti-corruption Network with the
collaboration of 96 similar groups across the country.
Malaye said the suspension of the Minister was necessary, considering
the fact that she had been indicted six times by various reports
including the NIETI Report and the Senate committee report on subsidy
among others, adding that there was no justification for the continued
stay in the office of the two, considering the forensic audit that has
been authorized to investigate the said sum of $ 20 billion within the
NNPC.
"We call on the President of the federation, to immediately, in the
spirit of Sanusi's suspension suspend the minister and the group
managing director of the NNPC so that the forensic investigation can
take place without undue influence.  "We cannot have a secretive
probe; we want to know how reputable this auditing firm is".
They expressed displeasure over the statement of President Jonathan
through his special adviser on media, Dr Ruben Abati: "Abati had said
that the president had approved the forensic probe of the NNPC; but
was quick to add 'Phantom $20 Billion' if the spokes man of Mr
president is already, before investigation, referring to the said sum
as phantom, then automatically that is announcing the mindset of the
presidency on the whole issue. We therefore call on Ruben Abati to
withdraw the use of the word, Phantom or we conclude that the whole
probe exercise is a mirage and a waste of time"
Speaking further Malaye called for the immediate resignation of the
Minister of Finance Ngozi  Okonjo Eweala.  "It is laughable that the
Minister of finance who doubles as the coordinating minister of the
economy is claiming ignorance of the deduction of subsidy that has
resulted in the defrauding Nigeria.  If this is the case then she is
not fit to be the minister of finance. Yet if she is aware and has
kept quiet for three years, then she is an accomplice in the whole
thieving saga. We therefore call on the minister to resign her
appointment for gross incompetence,
Speaking also at the briefing, the director, research and
Documentation, Anti-corruption commission, Ebenezer Onyetakin noted
that the reports of the economic bleeds in Nigeria are alarming and
can only be described as destructive adding that "Not even the largest
economy of the, world, the USA and the second largest, in China can
even afford this kind of economic bleeds"
Some of the groups to join in the intended rally include the National
Youth Leadership Forum, (NYLF) the Arewa Youth Movement, (AYM) the
Middle Belt Youth Consultative Forum, (MBYCF) Center for Civic
Education, (CCE) National Association of Women Traders (NAWT) and the
National Association of Democracy, (NAD).

NAFDAC warns against indiscriminate consumption of energy drink

The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control on Sunday warned the public against indiscriminate consumption of energy drink for health reasons.

Mrs Adeline Osakwe, Director, Pharmacovigilance and Post Market Surveillance Directorate of the agency, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.

According to her, energy drinks are supplements that contained high caffeine and carbohydrate which are made to make a person hyper active.

“The effect of the caffeine in energy drink makes people to get high, to be stimulated and of course, it makes the person’s heart to beat faster.

“It can have adverse effects, especially when the person over uses them and it accumulates in the system. The caffeine in it can lead to increase in blood pressure.

“It stimulates the heart to the extent that it worsens heart disease condition; energy drink should not be used like drinking water,’’ she warned.

The director said energy drinks were mostly recommended for sports people when it was necessary to boost their energy after or before sport.

She said energy drink had not been considered as narcotic or hard drug because it only contained caffeine and its effects could be controlled.

Osakwe promised that the agency would intensify its awareness and enlightenment campaign on consumption of the product, advising that children should not be given energy drink.

She warned against drug abuse, stressing that many people had abused cough syrups which contained codeine.

Osakwe assured of the commitment of NAFDAC to safeguard health of Nigerians and urged the public to support the agency in achieving its mandates.

Source -Punch

100 Kaduna slain vllagers buried in mass grave

Over 100 persons, mostly children and women, killed between Friday and Saturday by yet-to-be identified gunmen in three villages – Ugwar Sankwai, Ungwar Gata and Chenshyi, all in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State were buried in a mass grave on Sunday.

Gunmen on Friday night and Saturday morning wielding sophisticated weapons had killed 100 persons in Ungwan Gata, Sankwai and Tekum villages of Bondong District, Moro’a Chiefdom and injured over 48 persons who are presently hospitalised in different hospitals in the state and in Plateau State.

However, the umbrella body of the Southern Kaduna people, Southern Kaduna Peoples Union on Sunday at a press conference put the figure of those killed at 114.

The president, Ephraim Goje, who addressed the press warned that the people would have no choice than to defend themselves if the government continues to fail in its responsibility of protecting the people.

In his reaction, the Secretary of Kaduna State Chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Sunday Ibrahim, described the killings are “barbaric and unjustifiable.”

He said, “We are mourning and we condemn in strong terms, these serial killings. As Christians we are not preaching violence but urging government and security agencies to rise up and face reality of things.”

Also, the Southern Kaduna People in the Diaspora-USA has tasked Federal and State Governments to arrest the perpetrators.

The association’s president, Dauda Nuhu, in a statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna said: “It is utterly wrong that people in the Southern region of Kaduna State have gone through these types of perennial killings to the point it will create sleepless nights for these peace loving communities.

“These communities should be protected by the law of the land like any other community because it is their fundamental human right.”

Source-Punch

18 Unemployed Applicants Die In Nationwide Immigration Recruitment Exercise

a victim been taken out of one of the venues in an ambulance

About 18 job seekers died and many were injured on Saturday during a nationwide recruitment test conducted by the Nigeria Immigration Service,PUNCH Reports.
The applicants reportedly paid the sum of N1,000 as application fee, obviously the Nigerian Immigration must have made not less than N2b off the “unemployed graduates” in a day.

Millions of job seekers had thronged venues of the exercise, mostly stadia, for the exercise.

Seven were confirmed dead after a stampede at the National Stadium, Abuja, venue of the exercise in the Federal Capital Territory.

The 60,000-seater stadium was filled up.
Each candidate was required to wear a white T-shirt, boxer shorts, socks and tennis shoe for the exercise.
The candidates, our correspondent gathered, were tested in logical reasoning, English language and mathematics.

The applicants, mostly youths, had certificates ranging from master’s degree to bachelor’s degree, Higher National Diploma, National Certificate in Education, National Diploma and Senior Secondary School Leaving Certificate.
Three Dead in Niger

Three job seekers, out of the 11,000 candidates who converged on the Women Day Secondary School Minna for the recruitment exercise died when security agencies fired tear-gas at anxious applicants.

Security sources told our correspondent that Immigration personnel were overwhelmed by the crowd that lined up to two kilometres from the venue of the examination.

When our correspondent visited the Minna General Hospital, where the victims were taken to, one of the victims, apart from the dead, was in critical condition.

When contacted, the Comptroller of Immigration Service, Niger State Command, Ezekiel Kaura confirmed, that 11,000 candidates sat for the recruitment examination in Minna centre and that five candidates collapsed as a result of the stampede.

Five Die in Rivers
At least, five persons, including a pregnant woman, lost their lives during a stampede at the Port Harcourt Liberation Stadium venue of the recruitment exercise.

Also, many of the applicants sustained injuries.

About 35,000 job seekers, clad in white T-shirts and shoes, had stormed the stadium at about 7am on Saturday for the physical and written NIS tests.
One of the applicants, who gave her name as Blessing, said a pregnant woman, who was injured, later died in the hospital.

She said, “Five persons died. One of them, a pregnant woman, jumped the fence and hit her stomach on the ground. She was taken to the hospital. When we started leaving, we learnt that the woman had died.

“The other gates were locked and everybody struggled through the only available gate. Not everybody took the examination because there was no space; there was no space for those with HND and O’level. There was space for those with B.Sc.”

The Public Relations Officer, NIS, Rivers State Command, Mr. Abang Bisong, said the stampede was caused by the unexpected number of applicants that turned out for the exercise.

Bisong explained that while the NIS was expecting 20,000 applicants, about 35,000 job seekers, which was beyond the capacity of the stadium, showed up for the fitness and written tests.
Similarly, they were reports that three pregnant women died at the exam venue in Edo State.

22,000 applicants in Kwara
No fewer than 22,000 candidates sat for the test in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The test took place at the Sports Centre of the University of Ilorin.

Mamoth crowd in Lagos
In Lagos, the exercise was conducted at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, where applicants expressed concern over the poor conduct of the exercise.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that thousands of applicants had besieged the venue as early as 7am.

Some nursing mothers, pregnant women and persons with disabilities also came for the recruitment exercise.

An applicant, Miss Dolapo Akinkunmi, who said she had been unemployed for over five years, said, “I got the message on Wednesday that the examination would hold on Saturday. My doctor refused to discharge me, but I had to beg him because I need the job desperately.
“This is already noon and we have not started. I have to go back to the hospital now before I die here because I cannot stand the crowd and the heat of the sun,” she said.

15,000 job seekers in Kano
No fewer than 15,000 jobseekers sat for the test in Kano.

The state Comptroller, NIS, Mr Zitas Nanpon, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Kano on Saturday.

NAN reports that the screening and examination took place at the Sani Abacha Stadium in the Kano metropolis.
Nanpon said, “Right now, not less than 15, 000 applicants are on ground and more are still coming into the venue. The standard is that everybody that has an acknowledgement slip is eligible for this exercise.”

NIS overwhelmed in Benue
At the Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi, the Benue State capital, no fewer than 17, 800 applicants took part in the exercise.
The state Public Relations Officer, NIS, Mr. Tersoo Ukeyima, told NAN in Makurdi that the service was overwhelmed by the number of applicants and did its best to accommodate them.

Stampede in Gombe
About 5,000 job seekers from Gombe and Borno took part in the exercise at the Abubakar Umar Memorial Stadium, Gombe.

NAN reports that there was a stampede as a result of struggle at the entrance of the venue.

It was learnt that applicants from Borno were transferred to Gombe as a result of the security challenge in the state.
Police stops protesters in Enugu
Police officers in Enugu State on Saturday prevented protesting applicants from entering the premises of the NIS.
The applicants had gathered at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, by 7am for the recruitment exercise but became worried when the exercise did not commence by 2pm.

It was gathered that they had begun to mobilise for a protest, when news got to police officers who halted the action.
Cross River

In Calabar, the Rivers State capital, thousands of applicants converged on the Federal Government Girls’ College for the exercise.

Fierce-looking security operatives barred non-applicants from gaining entrance into the premises.

Our correspondent, however, gathered from one of the applicants, who finished his screening around 4pm, that the number of job seekers who turned up for the exercise was up to 5,000.

As of 5pm, the exercise was still ongoing.
Woman slumps in Oyo

A major tragedy was averted at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium centre of the aptitude test in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, when a woman slumped during a stampede, while two others required emergency treatment for exhaustion.
More than 22,500 registered applicants were present at the venue.

The woman who slumped during the stampede could not be identified while it took officials of the Oyo State Ambulance Service about 20 minutes to revive her.
Four slump in Osun
At least, four applicants who were among thousands of youths seeking employment with the NIS slumped at St. Charles’ Grammar School, Osogbo-venue of the recruitment exercise.

The applicants slumped due to exhaustion.
Thousands of the applicants arrived at the venue as early as 6:30am to sit for the examination but the first batch did not sit for the test until around 3:30pm.
The state Comptroller, NIS, Stella Onwaduegbo’s intervention prevented a protest by some applicants from degenerating. Some of them were angry that some applicants who came late were given preference over those who came early.

Applicants wait for nine hours in Bayelsa
About 6,000 applicants sat the recruitment examination of the Samson Siasia Stadium venue of the exams.
It was learnt that problems of logistics and accreditation were responsible for the delay.
A candidate, Alfred Jude, alleged that a pocket of malpractices took place. He claimed that some invigilators aided some candidates by dictating answers to them during the test.
Another candidate, Rita Preye, said the centre was congested such that candidates copied from one another.

10 faint in Plateau
About 10 people fainted on Saturday during the exercise in Jos, Plateau State capital.
More than 30,000 job seekers sat the examination at the Command Secondary School along Zaria Road.
Although no death was recorded, those who fainted where revived by the emergency medical team provided for the exercise.

Source- Report Naija

Sub-Lieutenant Tijani and Aisha; Love personified

The making of unforgettable love memories indeed by Sub-Lieutenant Tijani and Aisha

Alright this beautiful story of the equally beautiful union of Sub-Lieutenant Tijani Abdu and Aisha Adamu, who got wedded in the Nigerian Air force base Kaduna.

The Union which was sparked off during their historic meeting as far back as his cadet days in the State was, according to the sub lieutenant, a beginning of his journey to marriage: “I knew it on that faithful day when I met her that I had met my wife, because of the many qualities he possessed, even at first sight. I fell in love with her from that day forth and have not stopped loving her. Rather I learnt more about her inner traits of priceless beauty and knew for certain that she is my wife. She is reserved, gentle Humble intelligent, the list goes on and on.....

Beautiful Aisha was shy to speak with Evelyn’s Blog, but the expression of joy she had on her face certainly knew no bounds.

the couple on arrival at the reception Venue

Marching gallantly to take their seats

Adanna & David! The German Wedding

this beautiful couples couples had the best of moments last week end which was captured for our delight by Bela Niga we couldn't sharing it with you 

Throw the confetti, jump and shout because Adanna & David are officially Mr & Mrs Steinacker in Germany!

The ÜBER cute couple Adanna and David or ‘Udo’ as she playfully calls him, wed in Germany where the groom is from this past weekend, on the beautiful bride and her twin’s birthday! What a special way to ring in the new year in her life.

They wed traditionally in Imo State this December and as they mentioned in their 1st YouTube video, there’ll be another wedding to tie the knot.

We can’t wait! – till then here are the photos off Instagram. See more posts about them by clicking here!

Happy Married Life guys!