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Bayelsa Cuts LG Wage Bills by N344m

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The reduction of the wage bill of the eight local government areas from N1.389 billion to N945 million in December 2017 has freed more funds for the councils, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Local Government Administration, Dr. Agatha Goma, has stated.

The money would assist in rural and infrastructural development projects with direct impact on the people at the grassroots.

She stated this on Friday during the Inter-Ministerial Press Briefing on the 6thAnniversary of the Governor Henry Seriake Dickson’s administration.

The Commissioner said there has been a progressive reduction of the over bloated wage bill of the councils due to the sustained efforts of government to sanitise the public sector.

She said: “As at December 2015, the wage bill of the eight LGAs was one billion three hundred and eighty-nine million. This was later reduced to one billion three hundred fifteen million in April twenty-sixteen and later in July last year, the wage bill was reduced to one billion one hundred eighty-nine million and in  December, it was one point one billion and currently stands at nine hundred and forty-five million.

“Prior to the inception of this administration in 2012, the Inspectorate Unit of the ministry had been docile and not functional and to correct this abnormality, the state governor ordered a series of staff verification and audit exercises.

“Most of the LGA’s could not meet their monthly financial obligations and were frequently bailed out with augmentation from the state government and funding of infrastructure and projects at that level became a rarity.”

Goma said when Governor Dickson assumed office in 2012, the two craft centres in the state were in bad shape as they could not meet their objectives but have now been refurbished and are now come centres of excellence.

“The massive work at the centres was done by the state government in conjunction with SEEFOR. They can now properly address issues of unemployment and provide middle-level skilled manpower to support industry and government institutions.

The Commissioner stated that the craft centres, located at Sagbama, Nembe, Polaku, Ayakoro and Adagbabiri had just 300 students at inception of the government but have recorded increase of over 300%, with about 1,000 students enrolling for courses such as tailoring, plumbing, hair dressing, welding, air condition repair among other, services being offered by non-Bayelsans.

Also, the Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Kurokeigha Dorgu, while giving a scorecard of his ministry, said it has successfully carried out its mandate of managing and administering land in the state and has also been involved in settling land and boundary disputes.

He listed some land acquired by government to include; the GRA in the New Yenagoa City, Airport project, 250 hectares in Ebedebiri for Cassava farm, 5 hectares for fruit market in Kpansia, 100 hectares for residential building at Agbura, Ayama and 75 hectares for cattle ranch at Okoroma among others.

While lauding the state government for establishing the Bayelsa State Geographical Information System, which facilitates the issuance of certificate of occupancy, profiling of vacant lands and houses in Yenagoa, Mr. Dorgu said a demolition squad has been set up to demolish houses built on the government’s land, urging those with befitting houses to urgently visit his ministry to regularise their document.

“The government has set up a demolition squad and we will demolish houses that have encroached on government land, starting from the Ox Bow Lake area of Yenagoa but the governor in his magnanimity has directed that those whose houses meet the standard would have to pay compensation to government.”

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The Peruvian Government Has Officially Classified Transgender, Nonbinary And Intersex People As “Mentally ill”

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According to the country’s ministry of health, the controversial decision was made to ensure the country’s public health services could “guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health” for the trans community.

It also categorises “dual-role transvestitism,” “fetishistic transvestism,” and “other gender identity disorders” under the same bracket of mental illness.

The new law will change language in the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS) to reflect the view of trans and intersex people as a mental health disorder.

Trans groups across Peru have loudly condemned the decision as a step backwards for the country’s already complex relationship with LGBTQ+ rights.

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Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her

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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.

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First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died

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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.

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