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Urhobo Renaissance Movement urges FG to revive Delta ports

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The Urhobo Renaissance Movement (URM) has urged the Federal Government to revive the moribund ports in Warri, Sapele, Burutu, Koko, Forcados and Escravos in Delta State.

In a statement issued yesterday titled: “Decongestion or Decentralisation: A Distress Call to the Federal Government of Nigeria From the Dying Seaports in Urhoboland”, the group registered its discontent with the neglect Urhobo people have suffered since the country’s independence, especially in the area of seaports development.

The statement jointly signed by its coordinator, Prof. Hope Eghagha; Secretary, Lexzy Ochebejivwie; and members- Prof. Joseph Abugu, Mideno Bayagbon, Joshua Oweibo and Mrs. Linda Binitie-Cassidy, stressed the need to revive the ports and decentralise operations from Lagos State.

“Considering the enormous internally generated income, which the ports are likely to rake in for both the government and people of Nigeria and Delta State, we are demanding that our seaports be given the kind of attention the seaports in Lagos are receiving,” it stated.

The group decried the situation in which the Urhobo people of the Niger Delta find themselves, especially due to their law-abiding nature.

“To that extent, we must quickly reiterate that it is time we must stop asking for peace and start asking for justice.

“The enormous economic potentials of seaports cannot not be better explained than through the ugly scenario of shipping and shipping-related activities in and around Apapa– occasioned by delays, unending and nightmarish gridlock to and from Apapa Port.

“No other reason is responsible for this situation than for the singular fact that Lagos seaports—Apapa and Tin Can are the only active seaports in Nigeria—even though the country can boast of even bigger seaport elsewhere in Nigeria.

For example, the Delta State seaports have been either abandoned or taken over by the Navy.”

It lamented that the Nigerian Navy has annexed the Sapele seaport, which was once a beehive of economic activities, insisting that part of it is under-utilised without any consideration of the enormous strength and utilitarian value of the port to the people of the state and its neighbours.

“This situation has not only brought untold hardship on the people who depended on the commercial activities of the port at its inception, but has also deepened the level of unemployment and restiveness in the region.

“The only way we as a people are supposed interact with the Nigerian state is the equitable distribution of our commonwealth, through economics, politics, security and industrialisation of the federating unions,” it stated.

Even the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has urged the Federal Government to develop other ports in the country to reduce the pressure of trailers in Lagos, stressing that a single-port nation stands on a very shaky ground, security-wise.

The group, therefore, urged the Federal Government to develop the Sapele Port for commercial activities, while the Navy should be restricted to its part of the sea, so as to allow space for commercial activities for which the port was originally established.

It also charged the government to dredge the Warri port and restore its full capacity, utilisation and commercialisation, while shipping activities should be decentralised so that federating unions with capacity for water transportation are provided with equal playing ground for development

“The restoration of our seaports to its glorious days should be treated as a matter of utmost urgency,” the statement added.

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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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