News
FG replies critics over of Bichi as DSS boss
The Federal Government says President Muhammadu Buhari is not lopsided in the totality of appointments made into public offices and cannot be judged only on isolated case of security sector.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the defense on Friday in Lagos when he paid advocacy visit to Channels Television to drum support for national campaign against fake news.
The Channels’ management team had asked the minister for his reactions to the criticism of lopsidedness that had trailed appointments in the security sector.
With the latest appointment of Yusuf Bichi as the new Director-General of Department of State Service, DSS, Buhari was alleged of being sectional, appointing mainly northerners to man the security apparatus of the nation.
The minister said the critics should stop focusing only on the security sector in their assessment.
“Those talking about balancing and federal character should stop focusing on one aspect.
“Let us see how many Permanent Secretaries, Director-Generals and Executive Directors and Heads of Parastatals we have in Nigeria today and where they come from.
“This will give us a more insight to the fact that this administration is not lopsided in appointments.
“We should stop looking at only one side to make our judgment and anywhere we notice any lopsidedness government will correct it,” he said.
The minister also debunked the allegations from certain quarters that the N16.6 billion Paris Club refund to Osun state was to prosecute election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led state government.
“This is not the first time the Paris Club refund is being made available to states, I think it should be about the fourth time the government had released the money.
“This particular tranche would have been drawn a while ago but for the disagreement between the governors and the Federal Government.
“It is released to all the states, so, it has nothing to do with the election, the timing may be a coincidence,” he said.
On the progress made so far on Digital Switch Over (DSO), the minister said that the Economic Management Team headed by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, had set up a committee look into the challenges facing the process.
The minister said that the major challenge of DSO was basically funding and certain statutory interpretation.
Mohammed assured that the DSO was on course and the process would be fast-tracked after the report of the committee. (NAN)
News
Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her
The UK teacher who had a baby with an underage student while on trial for having sex with another teenage boy broke down in court after revealing her newborn baby girl had been “taken away” from her.
Manchester math teacher Rebecca Joynes, 30, sobbed to jurors over how her baby was taken “24 hours after being born” this past January — and now she only sees her for nine hours a week, Joynes told jurors on Monday, May 13, according to the Manchester Evening News.
“At the moment I have contact with her three times a week for three hours and that’s it,” she said through tears.
Joynes was arrested and released on bail on orders not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 after allegedly grooming her pupil, known as Boy A in court, by buying him a $430 Gucci belt before bringing him to her apartment for unprotected sex.
She was suspended from school and eventually fired, but soon after, she began having a relationship with a 15-year-old boy, known in court as Boy B, whom she had a baby with in January.
Joynes, who has denied having sex with either boy when they were underage, told the court that when she learned of the allegations against her she had gone to the second boy in a “panic” and he deleted all of her phone’s content.
The former teacher denied having a sexual relationship with the second boy until after he turned 16 and she was already suspended from teaching.
According to her narration,
She said he had added her on Snapchat twice, which she only accepted the second time because she thought he “wanted to tell her something.”
Joynes said a friendship developed and he quickly became her “best friend” even though the boy would make flirtatious and sexualized comments toward her when he was drunk.
She told jurors that it wasn’t until after his 16th birthday that he messaged her saying “I’ve left school now” with a winky face.
After she received notice that she had been dismissed from her job, he went to her apartment, where following an emotional conversation, they had sex.
The two then entered a relationship that Joynes described as “quite toxic” telling the court how the teenager was “very controlling.”
After discovering she was pregnant, Joynes hid love notes for the boy to find around her apartment.
The notes eventually led to a piece of baby clothing that had the words “I love my daddy to the moon and back” written on it.
The court was told that she gave birth to their baby girl in January, but following an emergency court hearing, the newborn was taken away from Joynes.
Joynes has denied two counts of sexual activity with Boy A; two counts of sexual activity with Boy B; and two counts of sexual activity with Boy B while being a person in a position of trust.
Her trial is ongoing.
News
First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died
The first Man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation.
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which carried out the procedure in March, announced Sunday, May 12, that Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, has died.
They said there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.
Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman, who was suffering with end-stage kidney disease, was hailed as a historic milestone.
In addition to kidney disease, Mr Slayman also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years.
Following his pig kidney transplant on March 16, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.
“Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement.
Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.
MGH said it was “deeply saddened” at his sudden death and offered condolences to his family.
Mr Slayman’s relatives said his story was an inspiration.
“Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” they said.
“Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever.
“To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends, and co-workers,” they added.
While Mr Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure.
Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later.
In one case, there were signs the patient’s immune system had rejected the organ, which is a common risk in transplants.
News
Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Arrive Nigeria Today, May 10th
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex came into Nigeria for a private visit following an invitation by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa.
The Director of Sports, Defence Headquarters, DHQ, Air Vice Marshal Abidemi Marquis, said the founder of Invictus Games will spend three days in Nigeria and would interact with wounded soldiers and their families.
He said the visit scheduled from 10th to 13th May 2024 would help wounded soldiers in their recovery efforts.
Marquis said: “Because we realised that 80 per cent of our soldiers have been involved in this recovery programme, they are getting better.
“Their outlook on life is positive. You know, when you are engaged in, you experience a permanent disability, you know, issues, it affects your mental health and also your outlook on life.”
Prince Harry and Meghan who are already in Nigeria, First made a visit to children at the Lights Academy in Abuja, Nigeria.
Here are pictures.
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