'Yobo not fit for World Cup'

Veteran coach and former Nigeria Football Federation technical director, Kashimawo Laloko said yesterday that coach Stephen Keshi will be making a mistake if he includes Joseph Yobo into his plans for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

He argued that the Super Eagles captain who played a cameo role at the 2013 Nations Cup success in South Africa and has not played for the Eagles since then, has passed his prime and he was only angling to go to Brazil 2014 and make the record of being the Nigerian player with the most attended world cup.

“ I don’t see what a person like Yobo is coming to do other than to create record; he wants to say he has been to the World Cup three, four times.
“That is the reason; otherwise you look at his ability, his performance, his age, his technical preparation; we have younger players who can play in that position better than he.

“At the end of the day Keshi has the final decision. What we should guard against is the pressure of the press and others who are influencing him to begin to force players on him.
“But I am sure that Keshi being a good player himself must know what he requires to get a good team,” Laloko said.

If you are HIV positive, please don’t pass on the virus — VC pleads with students

Prof. Charity Angya, the Vice-Chancellor, Benue State University, Makurdi, on Thursday advised students of the institution to go for HIV and AIDS test to know their health status.

Angya, who gave the advice at the university’s 22nd matriculation ceremony, also advised them against unprotected sexual encounters.
“If you check your status and you are already infected, please go for treatment and do not pass on the virus,” she said.

Angya also advised them against vices such as cultism and avoid taking drugs.
She told the students that administration of matriculation oath was a covenant between them and the university.
The vice chancellor said that the institution matriculated 4,900 students.

Pastor charged for defiling two sisters

A 49-year-old pastor, Friday Arthur, was yesterday charged before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly defiling two under-aged sisters (names withheld) aged 10 and 11.

Arthur, a Beninoise, who resides at No. 856, Ikota Housing Estate, Lekki, Lagos, is facing a charge of defilement.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Victor Eruada, told the court that Arthur committed the offence between March 28 and April 6 at the Ikota Housing Estate, Lekki, Lagos.

Eruada said that the pastor, had at various occasions, lured the minors into his room and defiled them.
He said that the offence violated Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Section 137 prescribes life imprisonment for anyone convicted of the offence of defiling a child.
The victims and their female guardian were in court.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Magistrate, Mrs Linda Balogun, granted the pastor N500,000 bail with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till May 27 for trial.

Supreme Court slams Lagos State over VAT suit against FG

The Supreme Court, yesterday, declined jurisdiction to adjudicate on a suit that was filed before it by the Lagos State government, challenging the powers of the Federal Government to assess and collect taxes on the supply of goods and services rendered within the state.

A seven-man panel of Justices of the apex court, in their unanimous judgment, dismissed the suit on the premise that the subject matter bothered on acts of a federal agency, saying in such cases, the Supreme Court, lacks the powers to invoke its original jurisdiction as it was prayed to do by the Lagos state government.

Specifically, the Lagos State Government had in the suit which was filed by its Attorney General, prayed the Supreme Court to abolish the Value Added Tax Act, which it said infringed on its power to assess and collect taxes on the supply of goods and services within its territory.

It further asked the court to declare that the VAT Act was outside the legislative competence of the National Assembly and is therefore unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
Besides, Lagos state, prayed the apex court to invoke section 22 of the Supreme Court Act, and determine all the substantive issues it raised in the suit.

However, the federal government, in a preliminary objection it filed against the suit, insisted that the apex court was bereft of the jurisdiction to entertain the matter, even as it accused Lagos state of abusing the judicial process.

FG, alleged that Lagos state had filed the same suit before different courts, as well as, sought for the same reliefs.
Meanwhile, in the lead judgment prepared by Justice M. D. Mohammed, the Supreme Court, upheld the objection by FG, describing the suit as an abuse of court process.

The panel, held that instead of appealing previous judgments of the lower courts on the matter, the plaintiff, approached the apex court with the request that it should conduct de-novo (fresh) hearing on the case.
The apex court therefore branded the suit as “an abuse of court process in the extreme,” and struck it out, adding that the action of the plaintiff amounted to “forum shopping.”

Army officers’ wives protest posting of husbands to fight Boko Haram

Authorities of the Nigerian Army have set up a board of inquiry to investigate the circumstances that led to the protest of wives of soldiers in Army barracks Enugu.

Military sources told Saturday Vanguard that the wives of soldiers of 103 battalion at Enugu sometime last week, took to the streets protesting the posting of their husbands to Maiduguri to join in the war against insurgency.

The source revealed, that the wives numbering over 200, protested throughout the day, demanding the army authorities to bring back their husbands.

According to the source, the wives of the soldiers claimed that their husbands did not join the army to die hence they (husbands) should be left afar from the war zone so that the wives don’t become widows and the children fatherless at such young ages.

It was gathered that, the army authorities in 82 Division Enugu, had to address the women and assured them that their husbands are safe and alive, before nerves could be calmed.
It was gathered that the women had written series of letters to the army authorities to bring back their husbands  which did not see the light of day hence they had to embark on the protest to call the attention of the authorities to their plight.

Pope Francis asks for forgiveness for child abuse by clergy

Pope Francis has asked for forgiveness for the “evil” damage to children caused by sexual abusers in the clergy.

In quotes carried by Vatican Radio, he described the abuse as a “moral damage carried out by men of the Church”, and said “sanctions” would be imposed.

It is being described as his strongest statement on the issue so far.
Last month, Pope Francis strongly defended the Roman Catholic Church’s record on tackling sexual abuse by priests, following UN criticism.

The Pope set up a committee last year to organise help for victims of clerical sexual abuse but has been accused by some Catholics of dragging his feet in acknowledging the extent of the moral and mental damage caused by paedophile priests, the BBC’s David Willey reports from Rome.

Epileptic power: Fashola appeals for understanding

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday appealed to the public to exercise patience in their bid to enjoy dividends of power sector reforms.

Fashola made the appeal in Lagos at the closing ceremony of the 7th Lagos Economic Summit, tagged: “Ehingbeti,’’

According to him, the privatisation of the power sector will not be successful without the cooperation of investors and consumers.

He urged the public to develop energy conservation culture and manage existing power infrastructure adequately.

“We should desist from illegal connections of electricity and ensure that our bills are paid appropriately. Electricity poles should not be used as speed breakers by reckless drivers; we should all protect the infrastructure from being damaged,’’ he said.