Ike Ekweremadu, a former vice-president of the Senate, has denied saying he would pay the potential kidney donor for helping his sick daughter, claiming that such activities are less unusual in his nation.
Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, their daughter Sonia, 25, and medical “middleman” Obinna Obeta, 50, are charged with arranging to set up or enable a young man’s visit to Britain with the intention of exploiting him, according to a report issued by the Daily Mail on Wednesday.Read more
A better life in the UK and up to £7,000 were allegedly promised to the 21-year-old street vendor from Lagos in exchange for his kidney donation to Sonia Ekweremadu.
It is alleged he was falsely presented as Sonia’s cousin in a failed bid to persuade medics at the Royal Free Hospital in London to carry out the £80,000 private procedure.
In opening addresses at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, lawyers for the defendants insisted they believed the donor, who cannot be identified, was acting ‘altruistically’.
Martin Hicks KC, for Ike Ekweremadu, told jurors: “Be alive please to the possible cultural differences between this country and that of Nigeria, particularly to altruistic donation.
“We say the issue in this case is simple – did there exist an agreement to exploit (the donor) in the way the prosecution allege and if so who was a party to it?”
The politician’s case is that Dr Obeta had spoken to Ekweremadu’s medically trained brother Diwe in the autumn of 2021 and had offered to help find Sonia a prospective donor.
Mr Hicks said: “In Nigerian society there is an expression ‘everyone is each other’s keeper’ and the altruistic donation of organs is not regarded there as such a rare event as it is in this country.
“He will also say he was told (the donor) had offered to altruistically donate a kidney to Sonia.
“He denies he put directly or indirectly any reward to (the donor) or offered to do so and throughout he believed (the donor) was content to do so without reward.”
According to Mr. Hicks, Ekweremadu relied on the “medical knowledge and standing” of the doctors involved and only communicated with them through his brother Diwe.
He asserted that he didn’t know about an internet application that stated the young guy was linked to Sonia and that he had lied in support of the donor’s request for a visa to enter the UK.
Mr. Hicks claimed that during visits to the Royal Free Hospital in February and March of last year, which led to the determination that the donor was inappropriate, Ekweremadu did not present.
He added: “In April 2022 and with the assistance of Diwe he continued the family search for a suitable donor for his daughter Sonia and that search continues.
“We question whether (the donor) was exploited as suggested by the prosecution.”
Speaking on behalf of Sonia, John Femi-Ola KC said: “She suffers from a very severe kidney disease. She receives dialysis treatment three days per week. Each session is for four hours.
“The treatment is for the rest of her life unless there is a transplant in the future which now must be much in doubt given the publicity this case has attracted.
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“Her illness is life threatening, life limiting and potentially life ending. Of course her parents love her as do all her immediate family and friends.
“It may not surprise you to learn that everyone, in particular her parents, would wish to protect her against the emotional and psychological stress which you may think accompanies such a terrible illness.
The Turkish chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Student (NANS-Turkey), has given a safety advisory to Nigerian students in the country following a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the European nation on Monday.
The earthquake which rocked the country and neighbouring Syria, has reportedly killed over 4,000 people so far, with several thousands of others, including Nigerians, still trapped under rubble of collapsed buildings.
While giving the safety advisory on Tuesday, the NANS-Turkey President, Caleb Olasupo, advised Nigerian students living in the country to “stay calm and follow instructions from local authority.”
“Solidarity greeting to all Nigerian students. In light of the recent earthquakes of different magnitude that is occurring in Turkey,” the advisory reads.
“We would like to remind everyone to prioritise their safety. Please, follow any instructions from local authorities and avoid entering any damaged buildings or structures.
Mining giant Rio Tinto has apologised as the search continues for a tiny radioactive capsule that went missing while it was being taken to a storage facility in Perth, triggering a radiation alert in parts of Western Australia.
The silver-coloured capsule, just 6mm (0.24 inches) wide and 8mm (0.31 inches) long, was lost as it was being transported from Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri mine near Newman, in the remote Kimberley region, to a storage facility some 1,400km (870 miles) away in Perth.
It is unclear how long the tiny capsule, which contains Caesium-137, a radioactive isotope that emits radiation equal to 10 x-rays per hour, has been missing.
The capsule left the site on January 12, and the contractor hired by Rio Tinto told the company it was missing on January 25. The public was alerted two days later.
Rio Tinto said it was taking the disappearance very seriously.
“We recognise this is clearly very concerning and are sorry for the alarm it has caused in the Western Australian community,” Simon Trott, Rio Tinto’s iron ore division chief, said in a statement on Monday.
“Rio Tinto engaged a third-party contractor, with appropriate expertise and certification, to safely package the device in preparation for transport off-site ahead of receipt at their facility in Perth,” he said, adding that Rio was also conducting its own investigation into how the loss had happened.
Before the device left the site, a Geiger counter was used to confirm the presence of the capsule inside the package, Rio Tinto said. Authorities believe that the device fell out of the truck as it was being moved.
“We have completed radiological surveys of all areas on site where the device had been, and surveyed roads within the mine site as well as the access road leading away from the Gudai-Darri mine site,” Trott said.
Authorities have recommended people stay at least five metres (16ft) away, and a radiation alert across parts of the vast state remains in place.
Health officials have warned the capsule could cause radiation burns or sickness if handled.
“The concern is someone will pick it up not knowing what they are dealing with,” said Dr Andrew Robertson, chief health officer for Western Australia.
The capsule was packed in accordance with the radiation safety transport and regulations inside a box bolted onto a pallet, he added.
“We believe the vibration of the truck may have impacted the integrity of the gauge, that it fell apart and the source actually came out of it,” Robertson said. “It is unusual for a gauge to come apart like this one has.”
The state’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services has deployed teams with handheld radiation detection devices and metal detectors along 36km (22 miles) of the busy freight route to look for the container.
“What we’re not doing is trying to find a tiny little device by eyesight,” said Superintendent Darryl Ray, adding they were concentrating on populated areas north of Perth and strategic sites along the Great Northern Highway.
“We’re using the radiation detectors to locate the gamma rays,” he said.
Authorities are also using the truck’s GPS data to determine the exact route the driver took and where it stopped after it left the mine. It arrived at the Perth depot on January 16.
There are concerns it could have become lodged in the tyres of a vehicle travelling on the same road.
Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has said that he wonders how Africans were managed to be convicted by the whites that polygamy is a sin while homos3xuality is a human right.
In a post shared on his Instagram page, the monarch described this thought process as a big joke to the world
A source close to the family said, “As salaam alaykum. InnaLillah wainna Ilaihu raajiun. We Announce The Demise of the Grand Chief Imam Of Oyo. May Almighty Allah grant him Jannatul Firdaos. Amen”.
Details of the death of the Islamic cleric are still scanty as of the time of filing this report.
Medical doctors working in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), under the aegis of Association of Resident Doctors have begun a five-day warning strike.
The body said the action is as a result of attacks on its members by relatives of patients.
The latest of such attack was said to have happened last week, when relatives of a deceased patient held a doctor hostage for two hours, amidst torture.
In a communique signed by the President and Cecretary of the group, Dr Ndukwe Chinwe and Dr Egbue Obiora, after an emergency general meeting, the group decried the incessant assaults, saying it has gone on, unattended.
Part of the communique issued by the group read, “The Association of Resident Doctors, NAUTH, Nnewi, had an emergency general meeting on January 24, 2023, following the physical assault and near-death experience of its member. The meeting which had over 100 members present, made the following observations.
“A five-day total shutdown of clinical and emergency services has been issued by Congress, commencing from (6am Wednesday) January 25, 2023 and ends on (8am Monday) 30th January 2023.
“The Congress insists that Management should ensure prosecution of the culprits involved in this dastardly act so as to serve as a deterrent to others in the future.
“The security architecture of the hospital needs to be overhauled and replaced with able bodied unarmed local vigilante or civil defense operatives.
“Management as a matter of urgency needs to recruit more resident doctors and medical officers so as to increase manpower and improve service delivery.
“Management should enforce strict adherence to visiting time, and no patient relative should be allowed in the ward outside of the visiting time.”
The group recalled that on January 22, 2023, its member went to review a patient at the male surgical ward, where he met nurses who were resuscitating another patient through CPR.
“In a bid to save the patient, our member joined in the resuscitation. Unfortunately, the patient died and the doctor was subsequently brutally assaulted by the deceased patient’s relatives.
“He endured over two hours of this torture and humiliation before the late intervention of the hospital security outfit and management.
“While the Supreme Congress of Association of Resident doctors NAUTH, Nnewi acknowledges the efforts of NAUTH management to condemn the incident and ensure that the assailants were arrested by the police, amidst other measures, we, however, feel that more needs to be done to send a strong and clear message as a deterrent to all to ensure that assault on any doctor does not happen again.”
Aggrieved pensioners owed in Taraba have declared a seven days intensive fasting against Governor Darius Ishaku.
The pensioners, who made this known to media practitioners on Thursday in Jalingo, the State capital, said the exercise is geared towards frustrating the governor’s senatorial ambition.
Speaking through the State chairman of the union, Silas Jafta, the pensioners said they have unanimously resolved to use the seven days fasting and prayer to “beg God to stop the governor from continuing his poor leadership style in the Senate after his abortive eight years as governor.”
They claimed that the plight, which Ishaku had subjected pensioners, was “enough for them to seek God’s presence to stop his political career.”
He stressed that “For ten years now, we have not been paid our entitlements as retirees of the State government; uncountable number of retirees have died because of the situation.
“We have written severally to the government through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
Ahead of 2023 Chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party in Lere Local Goverment area of Kaduna state, Alhaji Musa Arungo, on Wednesday, called on the federal government, state government to ensure adequate security across the 23 Local Government areas of state.
According to him, with the remaining few weeks to presidential election in February 25,2023, it’s glaring that campaign has dominated the state, with additional security presence in most communities, local government and even interior villages. He noted that Kaduna being the centre of the north, should be properly equipped with security across the state, before, during and after elections. ” By now, the people should be able to see some security personnel patrolling the street to scare criminals and those with evil intention. That will frightened them and discourage them from planning evil during election” he said.
Musa Arungo who wondered how security agencies would be used to a particular communty or local government during election, as they have not been there before the election, noted that with four weeks to election, the security ought to have been posted to a particular communty or village, to study the nature of that place.
It was a thrill to kiss someone new that I loved. Even through the fog of sleep, I recognized the full, wide lips of Helen as she kissed me. My hand reflexively encircled her back, and when her tongue slipped past my lips, I made no protest. She seemed to want to taste my entire mouth, running her tongue across mine, then into every hidden spot.
After a great deal of time, she pulled back, her slightly dreamy gaze complimenting her features. She was still nude, as were the other women in bed with me. However, Kaila and Charlotte were still asleep, and at some point during the night, Charlotte had moved to the other side of the bed to fully embrace Kaila.
“I wish this wasn’t our last day.” Helen sighed, looking over me at the other two women.
“Is it that day already?” I questioned, thinking over the days. It had been five nights in this bed. This was day six. It took another moment for me to remember that Kaila was working a gig the day after the next, and that we had planned on returning home on day six.
“Aw crap, it is.” I groaned.
“I want to tell you something… before they wake up.” Helen dropped her voice to a whisper. I noticed that it was still fairly dark, with the light of false dawn filtering in.
I leaned closer, and her mouth came close to my ear. She breathed the words softly, and both their content and delivery sent chills through me.
“I thought about it last night… If I am… I want to have our baby.” Her cheek rubbed against mine in a loving gesture. It was intimate and sweet. The thought caused a lump to form in my throat, which I chocked down with a raw swallow.
“I… If you want to.” I nodded, my hand still pressed against her back. As she nuzzled me, she took hold of my free hand and pressed it against the bottom of her ribs. She slid it down, over her belly button, until my hand pressed into her lower stomach, right above where I knew her womb lay.
I gently stroked her skin, imagining our child inside her, the final result of the love we now shared. Her fingers held my hand against her, and she smiled as I touched her there.
“I want to. You’re the only… male… I ever even considered… mating with.” She seemed a bit hesitant about the words she used.
“You mean you’ve never even considered having a baby?” I asked, a bit puzzled and trying to figure out exactly what she was trying to say.
“Charlotte and I have talked about it, but we always thought she would be the one to… get the uh, turkey baster treatment.”
I smiled at the image that formed in my head of Helen and Charlotte in Puritan dress at a thanksgiving dinner.
“And honestly, the idea of some guy whacking off in a cup for us, seemed a little creepy.” She continued, stroking my hand against her. It was a very close feeling, like we were sharing more than just the warmth of my hand and her belly.
“I don’t want to be creepy. If you are pregnant, I want to be there for you.” I affirmed with an earnest gaze. I had meant what I had said in passion the night before.
“The odds… the odds are pretty good I am.” Helen bit her lip gently, and then continued. “Charlotte and I have been on the same schedule for a while. If she’s ovulating, chances are pretty good that I either just did, or am about to.” Helen’s face took on a look of resignation.
“And with the amount of times I… uh… that we…” I tried to think of a tactful way to put it.
“That you shot your sperm in my pussy?” Helen was her usual blunt self, and managed to make herself even more attractive as a result. “Yeah, I got myself pretty well thoroughly fucked.
“Who’s getting fucked now?” Kaila spoke up, rolling free of her and Charlotte’s full body embrace.
“Nobody babe, go back to sleep.” I reassured her, completely fruitlessly, since she immediately sat up. Kaila bore that lovely goofy expression that women sometimes have after a particularly good session of lovemaking. It was nice to be able to look over her nude form, at least the top portion, with her generous breasts and lovely hair streaming down over them.
“Are you two sharing secrets?” Kaila giggled, leaning over so that her body pressed into Helen’s back and her face was close to ours.
I was about to speak, when suddenly Charlotte stood up. Totally naked, she walked to the door with a blank expression on her face. Before any of us could even register what she was doing, she was out of the room, and the door slammed shut behind her.
“Oh shit.” Helen mumbled, pushing herself to the side. Kaila fell back onto her hands, and looked at the door, a confused look on her face.
“What just happened?” Kaila asked, scooting to the side of the bed and standing up. I couldn’t help but look at my wife’s lovely ass as she did so. A momentary thought that I was now in a room with two women, who might be carrying my children inside them, ran through my head.
“Something’s wrong.” Helen advised us, giving me a gentle push, indicating I should get out of bed.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked, rising unsteadily to my feet. Clothes were scattered about the room, and I grabbed at the first piece of underwear I could, before realizing it was Kaila’s. I continued to listen as I searched for my own shorts.
“It’s a woman thing, hon.,” Kaila explained, pulling a shirt over her head. She looked good, clad in a shirt that I recognized as Helen’s “Seaworld” shirt.
“Mind if I use these?” Helen asked from right behind me, holding up a pair of my boxers. I shook my head, finding another pair rapidly, and yanking them over me. I also noted that this morning my customary wood was not quite as rigid as it had been the last few days.
Helen, Kaila, and I quickly finished getting dressed in scraps of clothing that lay on the floor. When we all had finished, we headed towards the door.
“Wait.” Helen stopped me as I began to open the door. She quickly placed a quick kiss on both my lips and Kaila’s. “I realized last night that I love you both.” She breathed as her lips came free of my wife’s.
“Why me?” Kaila asked, her eyes sparkling. “I mean, I barely…”
“For sharing him with me. I know he loves you, and well, the fact that you let him be with me…” Helen spoke rapidly, seeming to want to get this out before we left the room. Kaila and Helen looked at each other. It was a look I knew well. They were having a special, heartfelt “moment.” Loath as I was to end it, I was still worried about other things.
“Maybe we should talk to Charlotte.” I suggested, opening the door. We filed out of the room, the atmosphere thick with nervous anticipation, replacing the feel of love that had previously been present.
In the main room of the cabin we discovered Charlotte, dressed in the same emerald green shirt she had worn the first day, as well as the same pair of pants. She was looking out over the porch, her back to us.
“Charlie?” Kaila asked, stepping into the room ahead of the rest of us.
“I want to go home.” Charlotte said, not turning around, and with a flat emotionless voice. Her accent was totally gone, and it was positively unnerving.
“What’s the matter baby?” Helen asked, her voice concerned. She glanced at me before looking back at her girlfriend. “Is it the thing with me and Brent?”
“No. I want to go home.” Charlotte repeated, that same out of place tone in her voice. It was almost a monotone, devoid of all vestiges of emotion.
“They’re taking us home today, baby…” Helen moved behind Charlotte, laying a hand on her shoulder. Charlotte didn’t even react, maintaining her gaze out the window.
I stood there, feeling out of place, almost like a total outsider. Charlotte’s behavior seemed so very wrong, so bizarre, especially after that passionate kiss that she had shared with me the previous night.
“Charlotte? Why are you crying?” Helen asked, looking at her girlfriend. From my vantage point, I couldn’t see Charlotte’s face, but the look on Helen’s drove home the reality of her words. Charlotte was crying, and trying, very successfully, not to show it.
There was a brief time when no one spoke. Kaila also moved next to Charlotte, placing a comforting hand on her arm. The affection that Kaila and Helen were showing was overwhelming, even from across the room I could feel it radiating outward.
“… not again…” The words from Charlotte’s mouth were very soft, and I felt the urge to ask her to speak up. I bit my tongue, hard, knowing that she needed to be able to take her time.
Helen’s hand stroked up and down along Charlotte’s shoulders. There was a brief shudder along Charlotte’s back, and then with a sob, she fell into Helen’s arms, her body racked by gasps and sobs. She didn’t speak, merely letting out a deep and total sadness. Helen gestured to Kaila, who reached out her hands to pat Charlotte gently on the back. It was a gently, affectionate pat that seemed to steady Charlotte somewhat.
Charlotte’s shudders slackened, and her breath came back to her, as she hugged Helen. She lowered her head, inhaling through a deep, tear-dampened sniffle, and then stood upright, turning to face me.
“It is him.” Charlotte said softly, looking right at me.
“What did I do?” I asked, sure that I had unknowingly done something horrible. “I’m sorry, whatever I…”
“I can’t fall in love with you.” Charlotte pronounced, her features set behind her tear-streaked eyes.
“Baby, it’s ok. I’m not mad if you do.” Helen assured Charlotte, a look of wonder on her face. “I love him.”
“And that’s why we can’t see them anymore.” Charlotte stated, her voice trembling at the last words. Her accent was gone completely now, and I felt closer to Charlotte than ever before. We were seeing her at her most open, her most honest. Even though her words were heartbreaking, I felt more intimate with her than I ever had before.
“What? Charlie! I love you!” Kaila gasped out, her eyes wide and pleading.
“I can’t love you either. It’s… I can’t trust how I feel.” Charlotte looked at my wife, another tear sliding along her cheek.
“Oh no… Don’t do this to us.” Helen shook her head sadly.
“I CAN’T, Helen. You at least should understand why.” Charlotte moved to the small table, sitting down at the seat across from the window. She looked out, her face illuminated in the pale morning light.
“No. I understand that you’ve been hurt before, but this is different.” Helen’s tone became sharp. There was an underlying tone of anger in her voice for some reason.
“How is it different?” Charlotte snapped, her head swiveling to stare directly at Helen. “I’m fucking infatuated. Again! With a GUY! Again! I’m off to get my heart impaled! Again!”
“Charlie, I don’t know what’s gone on in the past…” Kaila calmly began, before Charlotte cut her off.
“I was a slut. Ok? That what you want to hear? Miss Round Heels of Reno, Right here!” Charlotte’s tone was very angry, and totally out of context. The words hung in the air for a time, their presence a poison to the love I still felt.
“I care about you, Charlotte.” I said, trying to break the silence that infected the room.
“But you didn’t say you love me.” Charlotte observed, her eyes back on the window. “And in the past, I would’ve fell for that.” Her tone was icy now, accusatory.
I looked at Kaila, whose eyes were on me, expectant. I glanced to Helen, who bore a similar expression. They wanted me to say it. The wanted me to assure Charlotte of the emotions we had all shared. The emotions I knew in my heart I felt, for all three of these wonderful women.
“I love you, Charlotte.” I spoke confidently, knowing the words for the truth as I spoke them.
“You’re just saying that, because it’s what I want to hear.” Charlotte rejected my words, but there was a slight twinge of uncertainty in her speech.
“No! He’s not, and don’t you dare be a bitch to the one man I actually like!” Helen rebuked her girlfriend.
“I… I’m sorry.” Charlotte spoke quietly, a bit taken aback by her lover’s harsh words.
“He means it.” Kaila broke in, her voice more gentle. “I’ve been with him for years, and he doesn’t throw that one around.”
“I can’t…” Charlotte repeated those same maddening words.
“Why, baby? If you don’t trust yourself, just trust me.” Helen spoke earnestly.
“Yeah right, trust the girl who just got her first taste of cock.” Charlotte sniffled as she finished the comment, like she expected another rebuke.
“Why are you trying to hurt her?” Kaila asked calmly.
“I don’t know.” Charlotte admitted after a moment’s thought. She turned to look back at me, and I could see that soft tears still fell from her eyes.
“What do you need to trust me?” I asked, trying to be there for her. Charlotte needed me to make the effort. She needed me to love her, I thought.
“I need… time.” Charlotte inhaled, with a soft, wet sound. “I need to know this is real. I don’t think I should see you for… for a while.”
Her pronouncement caused a look of anguish to come over both Helen and Kaila’s faces.
“How long?” Helen asked, “Like a couple days?”
“Moah like a yeah.” Charlotte replied, her accent returning and a slight smile forming.
“No fucking way. That’s just stupid.” Kaila spoke up. “I am in love, and I’m not going to ruin it by playing games for a year.”
“Ah’m not playin’ games.” Charlotte objected. “Ah need to know if this is real. Ah’m not jumpin inta bed with him.”
“Nobody said you have to!” I pointed out.
“Six months?” Charlotte adjusted her timeline. “Ah think that if Ah feel the sayme way then…”
“And you’re making it hard for me.” Helen countered. “I really don’t care if you don’t want to see them, but I do, and I’m not going to have you sabotaging it.”
“That’s not fayah!” Charlotte complained. “If yew see them, y’all will stay in that “Ah’m in love” mode.” She made quotation marks with her fingers as she spoke.
“I like it.” Helen shot back. “It’s a hell of a lot better than your, “I fucked a lot of assholes so I’ll just reject the one guy I should give a chance to.” She mimicked Charlotte’s gestures, as she spoke rapidly. I was actually amazed that she got the sentence out in one breath.
“All raht. Ah’ll make yew a deal.” Charlotte said after fighting back a smile. “Two months.”
“That’s still too long.” Helen responded.
“No, it’s not.” Charlotte stated with finality. “In two month’s we’ll all know.”
“I know now!” Helen noted, but Charlotte continued over her.
“In two months, we’ll know. And then we’ll all git togetha an decide where we go from heah…”
The room grew silent as we all mulled over what Charlotte had proposed. It seemed long, far too long. I looked at both Helen and Kaila, seeing the pained expressions on their faces.
“I… can live with that, if it’s what you want.” I said sadly, my eyes on Helen with a regretful expression. Helen looked back at me, biting her lower lip gently, before she nodded in return.
“If it’s what you need, baby, I guess, I mean… This already hurts.” Helen agreed, her eyes watering slightly.
“She’s right about one thing.” Kaila said thoughtfully. “This is happening very fast. A little too fast. Maybe we do need some time to think things over.”
“And I still think its crap.” Helen argued, looking at her girlfriend angrily. “I may still love you, but I want it on the record that I consider this blackmail.”
Things were subdued as we moved apart. The knowledge of our impending departure and the conditions had seemed to drain a great deal of the good feelings out of the room. We packed, a rather joyless affair. Despite the sun outside, there was a palpable chill.
Soon, I found myself ferrying bags out to the bus. There was no conversation, and I found myself looking with longing at Charlotte, at Helen, and even at Kaila. I found them returning the expression, but there was a faintly veiled sadness in their eyes. Even in Charlotte, although the look of pain seemed to grow stronger with every glance she shared.
I took a last look back at the cabin as I dropped Helen’s backpack onto the floor of the van. It had all gone so well, why did it have to end this way? It wasn’t fair. Not after everything we had gone through to come to grips with how we felt. Not after I had truly fallen in love. No, check that. Not after I had expanded my love to the state it should have always have been in.
I felt angry as I walked through the cabin, making certain that the lights were shut off, the oven was silent, and the fireplace was cold. It wasn’t at Charlotte. Well, not completely. I was angry with myself for giving up. I was angry for allowing it to happen. I was angry for letting the greatest opportunity of my life slip away.
After I locked the door behind me, I turned, and looked at my little bus. Three beautiful, desirable women sat within, but I dreaded walking up to it. I wanted to make everything better, to wipe clean the events of this morning and to be once again in that wonderful feeling of completeness, expressed through that perfect kiss.
I spun the key in my fingers, walking around to the front of the bus. I sat heavily in the driver’s seat, and looked over my shoulder. Helen and Charlotte sat next to each other on the rear seat, but there was none of the closeness I had seen before. I looked at the passenger seat, and saw a blank look on Kaila’s face.
“I don’t want to pretend this never happened.” I said, as I started the bus, reversing so that we pointed away from the cabin.
“I’ve been thinking. Charlotte’s right. Things have been happening too fast.” Helen spoke; her eyes on the trees as we pulled away from the cabin, back towards the small road.
“You can’t fix this, honey.” Kaila laid her hand on mine, and the feeling of connection was suddenly there again.
“But I don’t want to lose this.” I said softly, looking into the mirror at Helen, to find her eyes staring right back at me. “I don’t want to lose you, Helen.”
“You haven’t.” Helen said, her voice steady. “I just don’t want you to forget.”
The small road ended, and we turned onto Highway One, heading up the coast. The ocean was a beautiful sight, with soft white foam splashing against the rocks.
“Charlie?” Kaila turned in her seat, looking back at Charlotte, who merely stared out the window. She made no response to my wife’s question.
“I want you in my life. I never said you had to be with Brent. If you just want to be with me, that’s ok too.” Kaila seemed to be far away her thoughts leaking from her mouth. “I just feel like there’s something there. Something that you’re not telling us.”
There was only the sound of the bus as we continued up the road. I kept feeling emotions run through me, like I was somehow connected to all of the women in the car. I felt regret, but also love. But over it all, a final blanket, I felt fear. A covering that seemed to draw the life out of all the other good emotions.
“I was in a threesome with a married couple once.” Charlotte spoke, breaking her silence. “It was before I met Helen.” Her voice was calm, unaccented, but there was an element of confession. “They both said they loved me. They both fucked me.”
Charlotte grew quieter as she spoke, the confidence of her speech fading as she continued.
“Then they both got jealous. She thought I was fucking him too much, and he thought I was going to run off with her.” Charlotte sighed. “They don’t work. Somebody always gets hurt.”
“What don’t work?” Helen asked, her hand touching her lover on the shoulder reassuringly.
“Multiple relationships.” Charlotte explained. “Somebody always gets jealous.”
“I don’t know.” Kaila said, a small smile on her face. “I think we all felt something last night.”
“Sure, they all start loving and sharing. It’s when we all get pissed off because somebody’s fucking somebody else when we’d rather be fucking them.”
“That’s easy enough to solve.” Kaila grinned, looking back. “We just have to be adults and share.”
“It’s NOT that simple.” Charlotte gawked, her features turning red with a bit of embarrassment.
“Well, you got your speech about why they don’t work.” Kaila replied, “So now I get to tell my love why she’s better than that. You’re right. They don’t work for people who don’t make them work.”
Kaila seemed happier, a font of hope spilling from her lips as she continued.
“So, one night you want Helen all to yourself, and you get to her room and find her and Brent playing hide the salami. You have three options. One, get pissed off. Two, ask if you can cut in. Or three, recognize that you can’t always have things totally your way.”
“You make it sound like ahm bein a little kid.” Charlotte said, glancing at Helen with a smile.
“No, just not thinking. You love Helen. You love me. And you know that Brent loves you.” Kaila looked at me, let a small kiss cross her lips and then looked back.
“Yes. I know he does.” Charlotte said with a nod. “I just… I don’t know how I feel about him.”
“Can I just butt my opinion in here, and state for the record that I am totally stuck on Brent?” Helen raised her hand, and looked at me in the rear-view mirror. Her comment sent a flood of hope back through me. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.
“I want to see you again, Kay.” Charlotte said, tracing her fingers along the edge of the seat. “But I still think we need to wait.”
“Can we write?” I asked suddenly. “Ok, fine, you want to wait to see us, but can we at least call? Talk? Email?”
“It would be better than nothing.” Helen nodded, reaching for her back. She quickly removed a small notebook and pen, and began to scribble furiously. She handed the book to Charlotte, who after seeing what was written, smiled and wrote something as well.
The book was then passed to Kaila, who tore off a page, then wrote. I glanced to my right, and saw that she was writing down our phone number, our address, and our respective email addresses. She then handed the book back to Helen, who eagerly took it and returned it to her bag.
The feeling of fear seemed to lessen as we continued north. We stopped for a quick bite to eat when we hit Santa Cruz, and over the meal, the good atmosphere of companionship returned. The winks, the nods, the smiles. I began to hope again as we piled back into the bus and pulled back onto the highway.
The rolling hills that marked the route to San Francisco dashed past us in what seemed like an instant, and I began to dread our impending arrival. I almost couldn’t imagine not having Charlotte and Helen with us. It was trite, it was cliché, but it was true. They were the missing piece in Kaila and my life. A piece neither of us had known was absent.
The freeway gave way to the steep hills and crowded city blocks that led into the heart of the city. We followed Charlotte’s directions, eventually leading us to a small apartment building that fit in with the rest of the steep heavily crowded block. It was impossible to find a parking spot, so I simply engaged the emergency brake.
Charlotte opened the rear sliding door and hopped down. She walked to the passenger window, as I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned, just in time for Helen’s lips to plant a solid kiss on me. There was love in that kiss, and I could sense that she was trying to give me a memory. Trying also to make one for herself.
As we finished, I saw Charlotte, leaning in the window and providing Kaila with the same treatment.
“I’ll see you later.” Helen smiled at me, and with a final pat, stepped out of the car, looking at me fondly. “I mean that.”
She slid the door shut, and embraced Charlotte, the two of them walking onto the sidewalk. A loud honk from behind our car caused me to start the bus moving again, and soon, we were down along the block, and they were lost from sight.
I looked over at Kaila, who sat beside me, looking out the window with a thoughtful expression. There was sadness in her eyes, and I felt it too.
“I really did love her.” Kaila said softly.
“Charlotte?” I asked, trying to be supportive.
“Does it really matter? I know that you were really into them.” Kaila reached over to pat my hand again. “I guess we just wait and see.”
I wrote a lot of emails for two months. Kaila did as well. We talked constantly, our hopes for what would happen. It was even more wonderful when Kaila missed her period. A pregnancy test, and then a doctor’s visit confirmed it.
Our fantasies continued to grow, every night as we made love. Yes, every night. Kaila seemed to have a new desire that had been kindled, and she couldn’t keep her hands off me. She continued to talk dirty, bringing up Helen and Charlotte, keeping them in our thoughts, and in our shared bed.
We bought a California King sized bed.
And then, fifty days after we had parted ways, I got an e-mail from Helen. She had written that she needed to see me, and she added a PS announcing another wonderful, but also slightly frightening piece of news. She had missed her period. She had taken a test. There was no way that I wasn’t the father.
I immediately told Kaila, who simply replied with a knowing and happy smile. She had already made the arrangements with Charlotte to meet that night. There was something in her manner that suggested more, but I decided to let that go.
So she left our apartment, and drove down to pick up the other two women, alone. I stayed behind, and put every last trick I had learned in the kitchen to use. I tried everything I could to make the place romantic. I lit candles, I dimmed the lights, and I even splurged on some flowers. And finally, I hunted down a Cinderella cd.
So when the door finally opened, and three beautiful women walked in, my heart soared. My lovely wife Kaila was first, her arm around Charlotte. Kaila wore a knee length blue skirt, and a tan top that she used for less formal gigs, while Charlotte was decked out in the same garb that I had first seen her in. Complete with the hat.
Directly behind them, Helen moved up. She looked lovely, and my eyes were immediately drawn to her breasts. They seemed larger than I had recalled, jutting out from the black t-shirt that she wore over her blue jeans. There was a soft glow to her features as she saw me standing by the table, and she crossed the room in a few rapid steps, her arms wide. I caught her up in an embrace as her lips met mine, and her tongue slid into my mouth. Her hands gripped my ass as she kissed me, her soft body pressed against mine.
“Mine…” She growled against my lips hungrily, before diving back into another kiss.
“So, what are we havin foah dinnah?” Charlotte’s familiar faux accent sliced through the air, causing Helen and I to break our contact.
“Brent is cooking up some of his chicken salad.” Kaila announced, closing the door. “Which I assume is ready?”
I nodded, gesturing to the set table as the sounds of “Heartbreak Station” floated through the apartment.
“You remembered.” Helen chuckled, moving to sit down at the table. We all took places, as I gestured to the filled Champagne glasses, which Kaila had suggested.
“Uh, no alcohol.” Helen shook her head, patting her stomach.
“It’s cider. No alcohol.” Kaila snickered. “Remember, I’ve got to think about that too.”
“Well, uh, before we make a toast, Helen an Ah have something to tell y’all.” Charlotte said, aborting my motion towards the glass.
“Yes?” I said, a feeling of dread creeping over me.
“Well, uh… Ahm pregnant.” Charlotte said, looking at me pointedly.
“But we never…” I thought back. No, I was certain that I had never done the deed with Charlotte. “We never did it.”
“Yeah, but you did with Kaila. And with Helen.” Charlotte nodded, with a resigned expression. “And I… was with both of them.”
I nodded, not quite certain how…
“So what happened is that some of you was left in them. Just enough to make a little… us.” Charlotte ran her hand along her stomach in amplification. “Right here.”
A sudden image flashed in my mind of both Helen and Kaila’s pussies, both of them filled with my sperm. Charlotte’s nude, bald pussy pressing there, the juices flowing, mixing. My sperm in her body, making a baby.
What I was thinking showed, as my face turned a bright, nearly burnished red. I had knocked her up without ever fucking her.
“So, Helen and Ah decided that there’s no way ahm gonna to penance foah a sin Ah didn’t even get the chance to commit.”
I goggle as Charlotte reached across the table to give my hand a friendly pat.
“I think that we’re about ready fro that toast now.” Helen laughed, raising her glass.
I smiled as well, looking about the table at the three beatific faces. The thin glass was light in my hand, and I raised it, momentarily locking gazes with each of the women sitting around the table.
There were no words, just a soft clink of glasses and then we each sipped at the amber liquid. A tart, pleasing taste that was amplified by the gravity of the moment. A moment fully and totally shared between the four of us.
Conversation during the meal was sparse. Every glance seemed to be a flirtation, filled with subtext. Even blunt and straightforward Helen joined in, enjoying the license afforded by us to be flirty and seductive. I felt a foot brush my calf several times during the meal, which despite my extensive preparation took a back seat to the emotional byplay.
“I was scared.” Charlotte suddenly broke out, dropping her fork.
“I know that.” Kaila answered, her face forgiving.
“I felt lahk it was gonna end.” Charlotte glanced at me, before returning her gaze to Kaila. “I didn’t want it to.”
“Jesus, Charlotte, will you just fuck him and get it over with?” Helen cut in, pushing back from her plate.
My face blushed red as Charlotte looked at me directly, her eyes roaming over me like a side of beef. She smirked, a look of lust crossing her features. She stood, taking my wife’s hand in her own as she did so.
“Perhaps you wouldn’t mahnd showin me yoah bedroom?” Charlotte smiled at my wife, who rose to her feet eagerly. They stepped away from the table, heading down the small hall that led towards the rest of the apartment.
“So, are we going?” Helen asked, quickly standing and moving around behind me.
I couldn’t stand up fast enough, as Helen placed her hand at the small of my back and urged me to follow the others. The light beige carpet of the hall under my feet, I hurried after Charlotte and Kaila, Helen at my elbow. For a moment, her hand slid down, giving my ass a playful squeeze. The next thing I knew, I had entered my bedroom, to find Charlotte and Kaila, kissing passionately, with their hands moving against each other as they stood in the middle of the room.
The gentle sounds of kisses filled my ears, as I looked at our new bed, and reflected that it might be a slight crowded, but very interesting night.
“You ready to die of sex overdose?” Helen snickered at my shoulder. She stood behind me, and her hands came up to gently run along my chest, over my shirt. She made full contact, her breath warm against my ear. I looked at the others, my attention drawn to my wife’s hands as the gently began to slide down Charlotte’s jeans.
Helen’s fingers dropped to my side and tickled, causing me to jump with surprise. My motion drew the attention of the other two women, who paused their actions to look at me.
“Ticklish?” Helen asked, a slight hint of menace and amusement in her voice.
“uh… No.” I lied, trying to keep a straight face as her fingers again teased at the sensitive spot.
“Oh yes, he is!” Kaila grinned, as she let go of Charlotte.
“Don’t you dare.” I chucked, my composure starting to crack as Helen continued to torment me.
“Ah’ve got an Idea…” Charlotte snickered, advancing on me at the same time as my wife.
“Oh no… No… OH GOD NO!” I begged as the women descended on me. Their fingers stroked, causing my voice to explode in a high-pitched, desperate laugh, as six hands began to poke and tease at my sensitive spots. I don’t think I was actually ticklish at half the spots they got to, but it was enough to cause me to lose my breath with laughter, followed by my balance.
I found myself on my back on the bed, subjected to the three women’s merciless assault. I couldn’t stop laughing, every touch seemed to be wired directly to my lungs. I felt my shirt yanked upward, intensifying the stimulation as the maddening fingers touched my bare skin.
“Stop!” I gasped out between sobs of laughter. “Ok, you win! I’m ticklish!”
Of course they didn’t stop, and the sound of female laughter filled my ears as I twisted on the bed, trying to find some relief from the attention. It was futile, as I felt my self stiffen at the collective attention, and the fires of desire within me being stoked by the actions of the women.
“You want us to stop?” Kaila asked me as yet another squeal of laughter escaped my lips.
“Please!” I gasped out, convulsing again.
The teasing slowed, and then stopped. I barely caught my breath before I felt Charlotte’s soft lips on mine, kissing me deeply. There was deep and fueled passion in her touch, and I felt her hands run over my bare, still slightly spasming chest.
“I wahnt you.” Charlotte said softly, her hands roaming over me.
Charlotte’s touches were not the only ones present. My shirt was pulled roughly over my head, while another pair of hands I recognized as my wife’s unfastened my pants. I felt carried away by the women, allowing them to slip my clothing from my body with soft rustles of fabric, mixed with hot and heavy breaths.
I lay there naked, the soft contact of hands all over me. I was extremely rigid, and shivered with pleasure at every passing touch. I looked into lovely faces, seein more and more skin revealed with each passing moment.
Soft kisses between the women, lips meeting mine. It was not a case of me being with any particular woman. I was with all three of them, and each of them was a willing and eager participant.
I feasted upon the nude forms with my sight. My eyes took in the feminine swells of breasts, the soft skin, and on all three women, a soft bump on the lower stomach.
My hands stroked back, feeling the warm flesh. My fingers fount the taut flesh of erect nipples, the brush of hair, and the gliding sensation of lubrication. That last was intoxicating, as Helen lay beside me, using my hand to gently rub at her damp pussy.
“I love it when you touch me.” Helen breathed, as Kaila snuggled against me on the opposite side. She too guided my fingers over her skin, leading me inexorably to that final juncture between her legs.
My fingers delved in and out of the two women on either side of me, my face rotating back and forth for soft kisses. I was being allowed inside them both and that trust shook me, causing my hard cock to lurch.
It was then that I looked up to find Charlotte crawling onto me. She did not hurry, her naked body sliding over me, dragging over my chest.
“Ah’ve been waitin foah this foah months…” Charlotte purred, as her thighs came down on either side of my hips. Her damp pussy left a warm trail of her moisture along my cock, a lovely preview of what I had waited so long for. Charlotte’s fingers moved me into position, and Helen’s lips came on mine. Three pussies were now warm and soft against me. I let out a groan as I felt Charlotte’s body opening around my cock, taking me inside her.
“Oh god…” I gasped, as Charlotte’s pussy slid down my shaft, soaking me in her juice.
“God… It’s been so damn long since Ah’ve had a good cock…” Charlotte’s voice joined mine in a sexual gasp.
“Oh yeah…” Helen cheered, intensifying the pressure of her fingers against mine, driving my fingers deeper into her clutching pussy.
“You’re in heaven.” Helen whispered against my ear, her tongue slipping along my ear’s ridge.
Mouths on ears, fingers in pussies, and my cock, slipping in and out of Charlotte. I felt lips on mine again, Kaila’s, kissing me into a state of pure bliss.
I felt my wife pull my fingers out of her, and she moved away. I looked at her as she sat up, a wicked smile on her face.
“I want some attention.” Kaila grinned, before scooting up towards the head of the bed. Her thigh slipped over my head, and her blonde pussy dominated my view, with it’s tight, glistening lips. Slowly, she lowered herself down on my face, my lips eagerly moving to run along her pussy. Her sweet taste soaked my tongue as she moved herself in small circles.
I ran my tongue into Kaila, loving the knowledge that I was penetrating three women at once. My cock was pumping into Charlotte, and she was moaning and tilting her hips, bringing as much pleasure as possible to my straining shaft. When Helen began to gently kiss at my chest, I began to shudder with the stimulation.
I felt ripples along my cock, from Charlotte’s pussy. I couldn’t see much, seeing as how I was still playing with Kaila, but I could hear her. I could hear the groans, and the soft sounds of kisses. The ripples and tightening of her pussy grew stronger as her motion atop me became irregular.
“Kiss me…”Charlotte gasped to Kaila, and her moans were stifled by the soft report of a kiss.
I felt myself growing warmer, and the signals of my rising pleasure were expressed in my deeper and more rapid thrusts. Charlotte seemed to recognize this, and pulled my cock free of her, leaving me erect and throbbing.
“Not yet…” Charlotte mumbled, slipping off me, her hand running over my lower stomach. I was momentarily disappointed, before I felt Helen Slip onto me, her pussy pressed against me directly. She slowly slid down until my cock pressed up against her soaked cleft. With a deft motion she had me directly against the entrance to her body, and was soon sliding me into her.
“You’re all wet…” Helen commented, and my now free hands came up to grasp her hips. She was facing away from my face, and I continued to lick and suck at my wife’s pussy as I tried to stay calm. Helen was just as tight as I remembered, her walls clutching me tightly, and her warmth enveloping me totally.
Our fucking was slow, and soft. It was the slowest motion I had ever done with Helen, even that first time. I wondered why she was moving that way, when I felt a tongue gently run over the exposed portion of my cock. I immediately realized that it was Charlotte, as her tongue stroked up and down me, ceasing the contact for a moment, and then returning. When she wasn’t licking me, Helen’s moans got quieter, and her pussy squeezed harder, and I knew that Charlotte was giving attention to both of us at the same time.
Kaila’s fingers nestled against my tongue, moving rapidly as I felt her trembling and shaking. My wife was coming, whether from my tongue or the entire situation, I didn’t care. She was enjoying what was happening to her, to us, and her pussy soaked my face with lubrication as she moaned her way through her peak.
I hadn’t had much of a break, and when Helen too started to shudder, I knew I couldn’t last. As Charlotte began to lick at my balls, I began moaning, holding Helen down on me as I increased the pace of our lovemaking.
“I think you win the prize…” Kaila joked, slipping off me as I thrust again and again into Helen.
“Feels so good…” Helen groaned, leaning back as Kaila moved to kiss her.
That image, of my wife and Helen making out, finally sent me over the edge and I spurted. I felt myself throb with the climax as I shot my sperm deep into my already impregnated love. The orgasm smashed into me hard, a veritable cornucopia of extreme emotion and sensation.
Helen lay back on my, as I jerked within her. My arms were again filled with women, and as I flopped free of Helen, she turned over so that her face was close to the rest of ours.
I traded soft and passionate kisses. Watching them kiss, and joining in. I don’t think it could have got any better, even if Aphrodite herself had given us a blessing.
“I love you.” I gasped out between the wet, liquid kisses. “I love you Kaila… Charlotte… Helen…”
There was a moment. A moment where it all felt right.
“You just are never satisfied.” Kaila’s beautiful eyes sparkled. “You can’t be satisfied with fucking three women and knocking us up.”
“I want to be with all of you.” I confessed.
“Couldn’t be satisfied with hot sex.” Kaila snickered. “No, you have to get all romantic. Flowers, and poetry, who know, maybe jewelry’s next…”
“Jewelry?” Charlotte inquired, her eyebrows lifting in earnest.
“My birth stone’s a sapphire.” Helen announced, planting a kiss on my damp nose.
“Hmm, I’m Emerald.” Kaila grinned, her hand running along Helen’s back.
“Wait a second…” I smiled. “I was just…”
“Oh, I couldn’t go with blue and green for mah weddin…” Charlotte commented, rolling her eyes. “I always wanted to have rose for the color.”
“Wedding? Wait a second you’re not…” I mumbled, my question cut off by a kiss from my first wife.
“Can I at least wear a tux? I really hate dresses.” Helen asked, rolling her eyes.
“I don’t know if they make tuxes with stretch waists.” Charlotte noted.
“Maybe I should…” I tried, before I was cut off again.
“What kind of flowers CAN we agree on?” Kaila asked the other two women.
The women began to discuss, talking back and forth about dresses, food, flowers, indoor versus outdoor. It seemed to take on a life of it’s own. I was in love. I was happy. I was also in wedding hell. A special hell.
Jersey City Medical Centre, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, has announced the appointment of Ijeoma Akunyili, as its new Chief Medical Officer.
Ijeoma is the daughter of the late former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and ex-Minister of Information, Dora Akunyili.
Announcing the appointment in a statement on Wednesday, the medical centre said Ijeoma is its first Black Chief Medical Officer.
The centre’s MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical and Quality Officer, Andy Anderson, said the younger Akunyili would be a tremendous asset to the medical team.
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“RWJBarnabas Health is proud to add Dr. Akunyili to its executive clinical leadership team,” Anderson was quoted as saying.
“Her experience managing multi-specialty physician groups in integrated health care systems will help support Jersey City Medical Center in providing comprehensive health care throughout the community.”
President and Chief Executive Officer of the medical centre, Michael Prilutsky, also described Ijeoma as having a wealth of experience and knowledge.
“And as our Chief Medical Officer, we look forward to creating a world-class experience for every patient at Jersey City Medical Center. I am confident that Hudson County will benefit in a great way from her leadership, and that her presence will have tremendous impact,” he said.
In her most recent role, Ijeoma is said to have served as the Regional Medical Director for TeamHealth, Northeast Group, where she had strategic, operational, and clinical oversight of nearly 20 emergency departments, critical care, and hospitalist service lines in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania.
The medical practitioner led an unprecedented fourfold expansion of service lines with a specific focus on medical services and access to care for underserved populations.
Also, she is said to have previously served as the chair of emergency medicine at Waterbury Hospital, a Level II trauma teaching hospital.
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There she was the change agent who led a dynamic team in dramatically reducing the lengths of stay, improving overall performance across multiple patient-centered metrics, and increasing physician staffing.
She was awarded the 2019 Medical Director of the Year Award for the impressive turnaround of the Waterbury Hospital Emergency Department.
In addition to her executive experience, Jersey City Medical Centre said Ijeoma has vast leadership and advocacy experience, and is currently serving as the President of the Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians (CCEP).
Prior, she served for several years on the board of directors of Texas and CCEP. She was an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas, and she is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Yale University.
Commenting on her appointment, Ijeoma said, “I am grateful for this opportunity, and I look forward to serving the residents of Hudson County and continuing to provide safe, innovative, efficient, and equitable care. It is a true privilege to lead the clinical effort at Jersey City Medical Center and to create sustainable health outcomes for our community.”
According to the medical centre, the new Chief Medical Officer graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania and attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed her emergency medicine residency at the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.
In addition, she earned an MPA in international development from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Ijeoma and her husband are the parents of two teenage children.
The Zungeru Youths Development Association, Niger State has condemned the call by the Coalition of Shiroro Association to rename the 700 megawatts Zungeru dam located in Wushishi local government area of the state.
The group through their spokesman, Mr Ammar Abubakar, and President, Idris Abubakar stated this at a press conference in Zungeru, Wushishi LG. (Watch Video Here)
Recall with 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 the Coalition of Shiroro Association had on August 2021 called on the Federal government to rename Zungeru dam to “Shiroro dam II or Mata dam, arguing that the dam is being hosted by lands in Shiroro.
But the youths of Zungeru, disagreed with such claims by the Coalition, insisting that the dam was stationed within Wushishi LG and majority of communities submerged were within the council area. (Watch Video Here)
They claimed that the Gungu community and all the displaced settlers are currently in new Gungu, an area in Wushishi LG.
The conveners maintained,” the Land Use Act of 1978 sections 28 and 29 provide for government the power to revoke rights of occupancy over land, especially for overriding public interest.
”The Coalition of Shiroro Associations cannot dictate to the government on what to name the dam”. (Watch Video Here)
The leaders of the group revealed that the construction of the Zungeru dam had exposed Zungeru community to more security threats as bandits now have easy access from Akare to cross over freely to attack the community.
According to them,” the dam project had also affected economic activities in Zungeru and environs such as fishing and dry season farming as well as affected supply of portable drinking water, adding that the community placed priority to national development above personal interest”. (Watch Video Here)
Türkiye’s national flag carrier seeks to wash away all traces of the coronavirus pandemic fallout and serve a record number of passengers in 2023, a year during which it expects to become the world’s sixth most valuable airline brand, according to its chairperson.
A massive rally in its shares this year pushed the market value of Turkish Airlines (THY) to over 10 billion euros ($10.6 billion), which currently makes it the 10th most valuable airline company in the world, said Ahmet Bolat, head of the carrier’s board and executive committee. (Watch Video Here)
Backed by a boom in the freight business, the carrier managed to quickly overcome the COVID-19 fallout, boosted its profits and is inching closer to pre-pandemic capacity levels.
“We estimate that we will become the sixth most valuable airline before 2024,” Bolat told an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), also stressing that the carrier is set to fly its billionth passenger in the February-March period.
This success is a testament (Watch Video Here) to its double-digit growth over nearly the last two decades, with exceptions being 2016 and 2020, added Bolat. The company’s growth has also been backed by the 2018 launch of Istanbul Airport, as it solved the capacity shortage issue. “Istanbul Airport has a capacity of over 120 takeoffs and landings an hour. The new airport was a must for our growth,” he noted.
World-class performance Bolat added that investors were happy to see the government’s clear interest in making the Turkish aviation sector a world-class player, resulting in them snapping up more Turkish Airlines shares.
“Passengers also preferred to fly with us due to operational problems faced by European airlines, and this added to our profits,” Bolat noted. (Watch Video Here)
Shares of Turkish Airlines skyrocketed by nearly 625% this year, a rally that saw the market value of the carrier reach approximately $10.72 billion, making it the best-performing airline company.
The surge helped the value of the Turkish carrier exceed that of its biggest European peer, Lufthansa, which stands at around $10.29 billion. Lufthansa’s shares are up more than 30% this year.
By the end of this year, Turkish Airlines aims to have carried more than 72 million passengers in 2022 and over 88 million next year, Bolat highlighted. (Watch Video Here)
The airline flew some 66.3 million passengers from January through November, down 3.7% from the same period in pre-pandemic 2019, according to the latest data on Türkiye’s Public Disclosure Platform (KAP).
The company announced net revenues of $2.25 billion in the first three quarters of this year, a fivefold increase compared with the same period in 2019.
“This is the biggest ever figure in Turkish Airlines’ and European aviation history, thanks to strategies we implemented during (Watch Video Here) the pandemic,” Bolat asserted.
“We had projected the boom in post-pandemic travel demand and therefore set our plans accordingly, such as maintaining our workforce,” he explained.
“This provided us with a great advantage when travel restrictions were lifted,” he added, saying that most other European airlines were caught off-guard.
Tourist magnet With the onset of the summer season in June, rising international air traffic to and from European countries caused a crisis at many airports, where staff had been reduced due to COVID-19 and (Watch Video Here) employees were on strike.
Bolat stressed that Turkish Airlines saw a rise in the number of both point-to-point and transit passengers, especially on long-distance routes.
“The growth in our passenger figures also stemmed from the rise in tourist arrivals in Türkiye,” he underlined. The number of foreign tourists who visited Türkiye surged 84.8% year-over-year to 42.2 million in January-November, according to Culture and Tourism Ministry data released last week. When Turkish citizens living abroad are added to the count, the 11-month figure goes up to 47.6 million, the ministry data revealed. “We set a 17%-20% capacity rise for the next year,” Bolat said. (Watch Video Here)
Hundreds of destinations, big fleet Turkish Airlines boasts a fleet of more than 390 aircraft, he said, adding that it is aiming to raise this figure to 427 by the end of 2023.
“We expect the delivery of our 400th aircraft in mid-February. The issues with Boeing 787s in the factory are over. Our first plane will arrive at the end of this month,” he said.
Currently, Turkish Airlines flies to 342 destinations in 129 countries – including Türkiye – he said, adding that the target for next year is 346. (Watch Video Here)
Next year the airline will add major U.S. cities of Denver and Detroit along with Palermo in Italy and Katowice in Poland to its flight network, besides boosting flight frequency on current routes.
Bolat added that Turkish Airlines aims to launch direct flights to Australia, rather than flying on code-sharing deals. “We want to carry our flag to Sydney and Melbourne next year,” he said.
He also noted that the company will employ more than 1,100 pilots and 2,000 cabin crew. “We expect a rise in demand for pilots. So we will increase the capacity of our flight academy by 50% to train 300 pilots per year.” (Watch Video Here)
On the operations of the company’s regional carrier AnadoluJet, Bolat said that they aim for a nearly 50% rise in flight frequency by next March thanks to the soaring demand on domestic routes. “AnadoluJet will also be known as a low-cost airline offering international flights,” he commented.
Bolat said Turkish Airlines’ investments in 2022 totaled $2.8 billion, mostly for aircraft and engine procurement. “We allocated $3.8 billion for investments in 2023,” he informed
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has alleged a plot to rig him out of office in the 2023 governorship election in the state.
He said those trying to do so using federal might will not succeed because President Muhammadu Buhari won’t give in to such. (Watch Video Here)
The governor made the remark on Sunday when he received the members of the Bauchi State Christian Community who paid him Christmas homage at the Government House in Bauchi.
“There are people who buy votes, and there are those planning to rig the election using federal might but I know President Buhari is just, and he has already assured us that he would allow the people to elect whom they want,” the governor said. (Watch Video Here)
“Let us not mind all this doubting Thomas’s. We must be able to come together, to stick together. Our own responsibility is Bauchi, even though we believe in the federation. When Bauchi works, everywhere will work. Let us work together. Let us move together in unity,” Mohammed charged the Christian community.
The Christian community was led on the visit by the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Bauchi, Abraham Damina.
Mohammed, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is seeking to return to office for another (Watch Video Here) term of four years.
The Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board pegged the initial deposit for the 2023 holy pilgrimage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at a sum of N2,640,000.00.
The Hon. Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Olanrewaju Elegushi, disclosed this in a statement, directed all the intending pilgrims that couldn’t perform the Y2022 holy pilgrimage but left their money with the State Government and defer their intentions for Y2023, to endeavor to pay the sum of N1,340,000.00 in addition to the initial deposit of N1.3 million paid between 2019 and 2022. (Watch Video Here)
The statement stressed further that those that had already completed the N2,640,000.00 charged for last spiritual exercise but couldn’t perform the pilgrimage due to circumstances beyond their control are not affected by the statement.
According to the Commissioner, each of the intending pilgrim is expected to raise a ‘Bank Draft’ in favour of ‘Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board’ from any of the Commercial banks in the country and submit same to the Accounts department of the Board for further necessary action.b(Watch Video Here)
He stressed that no intending pilgrims should pay the money into any individual account, warning that whoever does so is on his/her own.
While urging them to start paying the money as soon as possible, Elegushi stressed that if there is going to be any additional charges to the N2.640 million, the Board would inform them on time.
Recall with 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 that some of the over 4,000 intending pilgrims that were supposed to perform the Y2022 holy pilgrimage could not do so due to some factors which includes; inadequate slots allocated to the State by the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON), increment in the fare, age barrier, amongst others. (Watch Video Here)
Meanwhile, the Hon. Commissioner had earlier given assurances that the intending pilgrims who left their money with the State Government between 2019 and 2022 for the forthcoming Y2023 exercise would be given priority of first come – first served opportunity when the spiritual exercise eventually commenced
Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich’s board is facing a dilemma in their task to find a fitting replacement for injured Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, despite the potential for complications upon his return next season, board member Hasan Salihamidzic announced.
“It is important for the team that we find the best possible short-term solution. Whatever then happens in summer we will have to manage at the time,” Salihamidzic told Wednesday’s edition of the Sport Bild weekly.
Neuer suffered a lower leg fracture while ski-touring and will miss the rest of the season.
Bayern have a backup in Sven Ulreich but Salihamidzic said are looking into various options, including their own Alexander Nubel who is in the second season of a two-year loan to French league side Monaco.
“Of course, Alexander Nubel would be the obvious solution. But Monaco have the last word there,” Salihamidzic said.
Nubel came to Bayern in 2020 but left for Monaco where he is the first choice after only playing three times in Munich. It is doubtful that he would be content with a reserve role in Munich again after Neuer’s planned return in the summer.
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Salihamidzic also said Bayern might sign other players in the January window because winger Sadio Mane is also sidelined for a while and defender Lucas Hernandez suffered a severe knee injury at the World Cup.
“It is known that I am not really a friend of the winter transfer window. But a few things have happened during the World Cup break and I am not ruling out anything,” Salihamidzic said.
“We are trying to do our best for our team. We will look at all options. Especially in the goalkeeper position, but not only there. But there won’t be any quick fixes.”
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Carlo Ancelotti’s team successfully added to their four cups from 2014 to 2018, and their triumph meant European teams have won the past 10 editions of the tournament.
A prominent member and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bode George, has said he will not vote for his party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in next year’s presidential election, unless the issue of inclusivity in the party is addressed.
George disclosed this on Tuesday morning while featuring on the Arise Television Morning Show programme.
Recall with Noble Reporters Media that he had supported the call for Iyorchia Ayu to step down from his position as the party’s National Chairman, saying the lingering crisis bedevilling the party might cause its defeat in the 2023 presidential election.
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“Until this party returns to the founding fathers’ principles of unity, with equity, fairness and justice being the pedestal for any political decision taken in this party, and ensuring broad-mindedness to accommodate the concerns of all zones in this country, PDP becomes vulnerable to disaster in the 2023 elections,” he had said.
While re-stating his earlier stance, the PDP chieftain said he would not vote for Atiku in the forthcoming election unless the issue of inclusivity in the party is addressed.
“I will not vote for the presidential candidate of our party. Until the issue of inclusivity is addressed. Let them sit down, and think over it. It is not negotiable; every Nigerian is important for this election.”
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The alleged traditional ruler, wanted to know how many persons at the meeting had their PVCs and only about 20 answered in the affirmative, out of about 60 persons said…
The world’s richest man and Twitter CEO, Elon Musk has stated that the risk of him being killed is “quite significant.”
In a two-hour Q&A audio chat on Twitter Spaces, he told listeners he “definitely” would not “be doing any open-air car parades, let me put it that way.”
He said: “Frankly the risk of something bad happening to me, or even literally being shot, is quite significant.
“It’s not that hard to kill somebody if you wanted to, so hopefully they don’t, and fate smiles upon the situation with me and it does not happen … There’s definitely some risk there.”
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The self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” added that “at the end of the day, we just want to have a future where we’re not oppressed”.
He said: “[Where] our speech is not suppressed, and we can say what we want to say without fear of reprisals.
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The Biafra agitators also vowed that if anything happens to Kanu, there would be a “tit for tat towards anybody behind the kidnap and extraordinary rendition of its leader from…
Popular Nollywood actressIni Edo, has got tongues wagging after she took to social media to put her banging body on display on social media.
The 40-year-old actress, who welcomed her first child through surrogacy in 2021, had taken to her Instagram page to share photos and videos of herself in a body-hugging black jumpsuit, and she looked absolutely stunning.
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Danmallam in the statement said the Niger State government was seeking for an extension of the timeframe given by the CBN for the currency swap and withdrawal from circulation of…
Fans express worry and at the same time send in prayers as fresh photos of singer, Davido’s fiancee, Chioma Avril Rowland hit the internet.
Chioma and Davido who have been away from social media ever since their only child together, Ifeanyi passed on are gradually making their comeback to media platforms again.
The duo were first seen courtesy of Davido’s uncle, Ademola Adeleke’s inauguration and photos/videos from the event are still melting the hearts of cybernauts.
Lately, Davido’s photographer, Ola Daniel shared some rare photos of Chioma Avril Rowland which has stirred several comments
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Several students are among at least 15 people killed in a bomb blast at a religious school in northern Afghanistan’s Samangan province, according to a local official.
Provincial spokesman Emdadullah Muhajir added that at least 20 others were also wounded in the explosion in the school in Aybak, the capital of Samangan, on Wednesday.
“A blast took place around 12:45pm inside Jahdia Madrasa in the centre of the city. Lots of boys are studying at this madrasa [religious school],” he said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Muhajir said an investigation had begun.
The federal interior ministry spokesperson Abdul Nafi Takor confirmed the blast but put the death toll so far at 10, with more injured.
“Our detective and security forces are working to identify the perpetrators of this unforgivable crime and bring them to justice,” Takor said.
A doctor in Aybak, about 200km (124 miles) north of the national capital Kabul, said the casualties were mostly youngsters.
“All of them are children and ordinary people,” he told the AFP news agency, asking not to be named.
Images and videos circulating on social media – which could not immediately be verified – showed officials picking their way through bodies strewn across the floor of a building.
Prayer mats, shattered glass and other debris littered the scene.
The Taliban has said it is focused on securing the war-torn nation since taking over the country last year.
However, several attacks have taken place in recent months, some of which have been claimed by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group.
Obaidullah Baheer, who teaches at the American University of Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera that people are shaken by the attack.
“It is just so senseless, most of these people, the casualties, are children. This is a religious school. So, it defies logic and it is evil,” he said.
“It is just meant to spread fear. It is to show that no one is safe. It’s to show that they will hit and the ultimate goal of terror is spreading terror and that’s what they are achieving to do.”Afghanistan map
Aybak is a small but ancient provincial capital that came to prominence as a caravan-stopping post for traders during the fourth and fifth centuries when it was also an important Buddhist centre.
‘Aimed at destabilising the country’ There has been a lull of a few weeks between major blasts targeting civilians in Afghanistan, although several Taliban fighters have been killed in isolated attacks.
In September, at least 54 people – including 51 girls and young women – were killed when a suicide bomber detonated a device at a hall in Kabul packed with hundreds of students sitting a practice test for university admissions.
No group claimed responsibility for that bombing, but the Taliban later blamed the ISIL and said it had killed several ringleaders.
In May last year, before the Taliban’s return to power, at least 85 people – mainly girls – were killed and about 300 were wounded when three bombs exploded near their school in the neighbourhood.
No group claimed responsibility, but a year earlier ISIL claimed a suicide attack on an educational centre in the area that killed 24.
The Taliban has pledged to protect the country’s minorities and clamp down on security threats.
Faiz Zaland from Kabul University said the blast was aimed at destabilising the country and attacking the Taliban’s stronghold over security.
“Unfortunately, it’s not the first time that a madrasa or a Taliban post has been attacked in the past 15 months. There were several big attacks on madrasas like in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh and Kunduz provinces, but it’s the first time in Samangan province.
“Madrasas are the main centres of recruitment for the Taliban,” Zaland told Al Jazeera from Istanbul.
“The religious schools are also strongholds of Taliban leadership at the provincial level. They are affiliated with the local Taliban governor or police chief. So the attack on the madrasa is a way to challenge the Taliban’s control over security.”
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There is concern among Nigerians that the Lagos Lagoon has turned an attractive suicide spot for many who claimed they are tired of living and decided to end it all.
Nigerians have lost count of individuals who have left their houses to end their lives in the Lagos Lagoon. While some unlucky ones jumped into the river and died, others, because of the timely intervention of responders, were rescued. Also, there are some who were dissuaded from killing themselves while still on the bridge.
DAILY POST, however, reports that there could be individuals who might have plunged into the Lagoon at a time nobody would see them.
The Lagos Lagoon, which is more than 50km long and 13km wide, is a beauty to behold. But, people are still finding answers to why ‘prospective suiciders’ have found it to be the most convenient place to put a stop to living.
by TaboolaSponsored LinksYou May Like Unmarried S3, episode 5: Bode’s jig is up! Showmax Stories “How could we describe the fact that somebody left Ota in Ogun State to go and commit suicide in the Lagos Lagoon? Does that mean there are no waters in the entire Ogun State,” Adebisi Ojo, a civil servant sought to know.
In October 2017, a 40-year-old man, who was identified as Adekunle Oluseyi from Ondo State, had jumped into the lagoon from the Lekki–Ikoyi Link Bridge.
A year after, DAILY POST reported that a staff member of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in Ikoyi had parked his car and jumped into the lagoon from the 3rd Mainland Bridge.
It was said that the deceased parked the vehicle he was driving on the bridge and told other occupants that he wanted to urinate.
In February 2020, Daibo Toju Davies, 22, had jumped into the same lagoon on the 3rd Mainland bridge. Davies, who was until his death a resident of 17, Sosanya Street, Gbagada Soluyi, Lagos, was said to have hired an Uber driver from a hospital in Gbagada. On the bridge, he had stopped the driver on the pretence that he was suffering from a stomach upset, only for him to jump into the lagoon.
On December 16, 2021, a National Diploma certificate holder, Lekan Odunare, plunged into the lagoon. A video of Odunare sitting on the rails of the bridge before plunging into the lagoon went viral last year. He dived into the waters even as the man filming the scene was heard asking him questions.
In the same vein, one 67-year-old Oluwatoye Bamgboye, a resident of Oju-Ore in Ogun State, chose his birthday, April 5, 2022, as the day to call it quits in life. However, he was about to follow the steps of other suiciders when officials of the Rapid Response Squad on patrol of the 3rd Mainland Bridge sighted him.
Bamgboye was said to have complained of burden and frustration, saying after selling his assets to settle a loan, he lost his job.
“Today being my birthday, I have decided to end it all. The burden and the frustration are too much for me to bear. My wife has abandoned me in the process,” the man was quoted as saying.
Last month, A viral video of a man plunging into the lagoon surfaced online. The man had considered suicide because he was accused of stealing a huge amount of money, which he denied knowledge of.
The most recent case of suicide involving the Lagos lagoon was that of a lady said to be an officer of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The lady was identified as Adetutu Adedokun. She had jumped into the lagoon following a heated argument with her boyfriend, who was said to have recently proposed to her and they were about getting married.
Adedokun had alighted from an Uber car on the bridge and jumped off into the lagoon.
It is spiritual, lagoon in need of sacrifices – Traditionalist says
Speaking on the incessant cases of suicide in the lagoon, a traditionalist, Sule Anigboro, told DAILY POST that the incident might not be ordinary.
Anigboro, a popular herbalist in Iperu Remo, viewed the incident from a spiritual angle, calling on the Oba of Lagos and other Yoruba elders to take action.
According to him, those who are supposed to worship the lagoon and offer sacrifices might have stopped doing so for reasons known to them. This, he said, might be the reason the water keeps attracting people under the guise of suicide.
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“The question we should be asking is, are they worshipping that lagoon or not? I am not sure they do. The water might be requesting something and the failure to offer it could be the reason people plunge into it. We have a river here in Iperu. One day, a woman coming from Lagos just dropped by the park and headed straight to the river. She jumped into it with her money and ATM cards. Things like this do happen, but people pay no attention.
“Many of these waters used to accept sacrifices in the olden days, now that they no longer get such attention, they may get angry. Those things of the past are still in existence. We have some spirits that operate only at night.
“I can confirm to you that there are mermaids in the rivers. Even the white men do appease the mermaids before constructing bridges. We Yorubas are deviating from our tradition. Is there no mermaid in Osun River?
“In Igbo land, if you impregnate a woman without paying her bride price, you will be in trouble if she dies because you will wed the corpse. Look at the Ilajes, they still deep their babies in the rivers to confirm the babies are theirs. These are traditions that are still in existence, but we Yorubas have forgotten our origin,” Anigboro stated.
He advised that, “Let’s give what belongs to Caesar to Caesar,” saying “that doesn’t make us idol worshippers.”
We can’t blame lagoon for suicide cases – Islamic scholar
In an interview with our correspondent, an Islamic scholar, Shaykh Moruf Kolawole Yusuf said the lagoon should not be blamed for people’s decision to end their lives.
Yusuf, who is the Founder/Mudeer of Markazul-Aqlaam, Owode-Yewa, said God truly created many things and placed them in their own places of abode based on their adaptive features, adding that it is God Himself that could know if truly He created mermaids or not.
“From Islamic perspective, it cannot be agreed that it is the mermaid in the lagoon on any spirit living therein that is responsible for the way people jump into it. Islam has made us realise that there is no other God except Allah and Prophet Muhammed is His messenger. With that our faith, we must also accept whatever comes our way as Muslims.
“If God created me a black man, but I choose to bleach my skin to white because I like the complexion of a white man, if I later develop skin cancer, can I blame the cream? No, I have stopped being someone who believes in Qadar, that is the destiny of either good or bad,” he said.
The cleric maintained that people who pray regularly would not contemplate killing themselves.
“The reason people are killing themselves is because of frustration, betrayal, heartbreaks and depression. If you have faith, even if you see another man sleeping with your wife, you won’t misbehave. Look at that man who killed himself because he was accused of stealing, is that enough reason to commit suicide? Lack of faith is why people make that ugly decision. God has told us that we as humans may go through some tough moments at times, but we must have faith in God,” Yusuf added.
He charged the Lagos State Government to take some precautionary safety measures by deploying security agents to the area to stop those on suicide mission.
He stated that the Holy Quran has warned individuals against taking their own lives, saying it is a sin before God.
“If truly there are mermaids or any other creatures in the river, it is God who will know why He created them there. But what is the relationship between a mermaid and somebody who goes to the lagoon to commit suicide! It is just like school children who left their school and went to the stream to swim, if they got drowned, can we blame a mermaid or any spirit? Why didn’t the school prevent them from going to the stream? We all need to sensitise our people, especially the youths, that suicide is not the way to go,” he advised.
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A social media post by a close associate stated that AKA had been due to perform at a nightclub called YUGO but the event was subsequently cancelled with a notice…
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He expressed fear that the Ebubeagu might unleash violence during the general elections and charged security agencies to check the outfit’s activities.
Popular activist, Aisha Yesufu has revealed that the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, usually asks his team to scrutinize his performance after every outing and point out errors.
In a tweet via her verified handle on Friday night, the staunch supporter of Obi said the LP candidate is a teachable personality who is willing to learn.
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She wrote, “When Peter Obi @PeterObi speaks I don’t hold my breath. I know he is capable. Beyond his capacity is the fact that he is willing to learn.
“Immediately after his outings he asks his team to rate his performance and point out where he should improve upon. #GoAndVerify”.
Yesufu, who was a key organizer of the 2020 EndSARS protest, is one of those canvassing support for the former Anambra governor to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
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