Kogi Election, Abacha’s Loot Dominate Newspapers Front Page

The focus of all newspapers in Nigeria today, November 30, is on the replacement of the Kogi state gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressive Congress, Abubakar Audu.

Guardian newspaper

Daily Sun reports that there is a new dimension to the selection process for Audu’s replacement as Tom Ohikere, the media aide to the late Prince Abubakar Audu said his principal endorsed his running mate, Hon. James Faleke of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before he died.

“But it has been a grand conspiracy between the party leadership and the Presidency to ensure that a Muslim is used as a replacement to the late Prince Abubakar Audu, who died on November 22.”
“The state will not only catch fire, but the late Prince Audu will rise from the grave and unleash terror on anyone involved in this conspiracy.
“Let me open up to you now. Our political mentor and father, the late Prince Audu on his dying bed, gave instruction to us (his followers) that should he not make it, the baton must be transferred to his run­ning mate, Faleke, whom he (Audu), said is capable of carrying on with his vi­sion.

“I want to categorically tell you that the party/ex­ecutive’s conspiracy start­ed when they heard that Prince Audu was dead, and in an ulterior move to draft a non-Muslim (Faleke), to step in, the INEC Return­ing Officer, was quickly di­rected to declare the result inconclusive.”
“I am amazed by the shades of opinion can­vassed by several leading legal icons on this seeming­ly thorny issue. Some have called for fresh election, others have argued other­wise, while some have pos­ited that the victory of APC should be wholesale, do­nated to PDP’s Capt Wada.
“Surprisingly, all these arguments seem to have overlooked the provisions of Section 187 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended. This provision states:
“In any election to which the foregoing provision of this part of this chap­ter relates, a candidate for the office of governor of a state shall not be deemed to have been validly nomi­nated for such office unless he nominates another can­didate as his associate for his running for the office of Governor who is to occupy the office of Deputy Gov­ernor,” Ohikere said.

Daily Sun newspaper

The Punch equally focused on the same report with the running mate of the late APC candidate, Abiodun Faleke describing the claim that the party had reached an agreement with him as “false”.
He said: “All these talks about the APC reaching out to me are unfounded. Nothing like that has happened. They have not approached me. It is false and not true.
“In any case, what purpose will that serve? I have made my position very clear in the letters I wrote to INEC and the national chairman of the party.
“I have written a second one, and I am saying that the nomination of Bello is wrong; we won’t accept it. We stand by the position as stated in those letters.
“And for the benefit of doubt, I am on this project with (Mohammed Audu)) the son of my late boss. We are working together in opposing this nomination of Bello.”

the Punch newspaper

Vanguard newspaper focused on INEC’s deadline to APC to substitute the late Audu.
The commission had earlier refuted claims that it gave a deadline to the party to forward the name of its new candidate.
However, Deputy Director in charge of publicity at the commission, Nick Dazang said that the party has till December 1, to submit the name of its candidate.
He was however; silent on whether INEC would retain the late Audu’s name on the ballot paper should the party fail to do the needful before the deadline.
“APC has been requested to submit a candidate before or on December 1, 2015”, he said, directing further enquiries to the party.

The Nation newspaper reported the issue from Faleke’s new letter to the national chairman of the APC.
The letter reads: “I wish to put it on record that I was neither consulted by anybody before my name was submitted as running mate to a man who has since the conduct of primaries, abandoned the party, took the party to court, worked for the PDP, thereby causing our party to lose his polling unit 80 votes to his ally party PDPs 116, repeating same feat at the Ward level with APC scoring 1,146 to PDP’s 2,058.
“While it is true that the said Alhaji Yahaya Bello participated in our party primaries, its trite that party primaries are conducted to produce a candidate and once a candidate is produced, the congress, being an ad-hoc tool for that purpose, should automatically extinguish.
“It is clear from this injustice, that our party is on the path of rewarding disloyalty and discourage loyalty through this act of impunity for which we all fought the PDP.
“It may also interest you Mr. Chairman Sir, that the said Yahaya Bello, since the conduct of the primaries, had been aloof from party activities as it is on record that he did not attend a single meeting or campaign rally of the party.
“Mr. Chairman Sir, I am sure that it is neither in your interest, nor that of the party in particular and the public in general to lord an illegality on the people of Kogi State.
“Please, take note that I am not interested in surrendering the mandate the people of Kogi State bestowed on the Audu/Faleke joint ticket at the November 21 poll as I remain the governor-elect.
“I believe in the leadership of our great party to resolve this in the shortest possible time, failure upon which I shall be forced to seek redress in the court of law.”
Faleke restated his position as contained in two letters last Thursday from his counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun to the APC national chairman and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu.

The Nation newspaper

Everything You Need To Know About The ‘New’ S3xually Transmitted Disease (Must Read)

A little-known s3xually transmitted disease that has attracted more attention lately may actually be fairly common, according to a new study.
The study found that the bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium, which is thought to be s3xually transmitted, infects more than 1 percent of people ages 16 to 44 in the United Kingdom.
That comes out to about 250,000 people, according to U.K. census data. Studies in the United States have found that a similar percentage of people here are infected with M.genitalium.
That makes M. genitalium a more common s3xually transmitted disease (STD) than gonorrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Hidden STD Epidemic: 110 Million Infections in the US]
Here’s what you need to know about Mycoplasma genitalium:

Is this a new STD?
Some news outlets have described M. genitalium as a “new” s3xually transmitted infection, but the bacteria were first discovered in 1980. At this time, researchers didn’t have the right types of test to study M.genitalium, so the connection between M. genitalium and s3xual activity came a little later — around the mid-1990s, said Lisa Manhart, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington in Seattle, who was not involved in the new study, but has researched M. genitalium.

For example, early studies found that people who tested positive forM. genitalium often had s3xual partners who were infected with the disease as well.

The new study adds to the evidence that M. genitalium is an STD, because it found that the infection was more common in people who had at least four new s3xual partners in the past year than in people who had one or fewer new partners in the past year. In addition, people were more likely to have M.genitalium if they had unprotected s3x, and no infections were found in people who had never had s3x, according to the study, which was published Nov. 3 in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

What symptoms does it cause?
In men, the bacteria can cause inflammation of the urethra (called urethritis) that leads to symptoms such as a burning pain while urinating or discharge from the pe nis.

Whether M. genitalium causes disease in women is less clear, but the bacteria have been linked to inflammation of the c ervix (ce rvicitis), as well as pelvic inflammatory disease, an infection of the female reproductive organs that can lead to pain in the lower abdomen and pain or bleeding during s3x, according to the CDC. In severe cases, pelvic inflammatory disease can lead to infertility in women.
“Most of the research that’s going on now is trying to better understand the implications of [M. genitalium] infection in women,” Manhart said. A recent review study by Manhart and colleagues found that the risk of inflammation of the ce rvix, pelvic inflammatory disease and preterm birth was about twice as high in women with M. genitalium infection, compared to women without the infection. Still, some researchers want to see more evidence before concluding that M. genitalium does cause complications in women, Manhartsaid.

The new study in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that about 94 percent of men and 56 percent of women infected with M. genitalium did not have symptoms.

Should people be tested for it?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved a test for M. genitalium, and doctors do not routinely test for the bacteria, said Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, a urologist at Orlando Health in Florida.

However, doctors may consider testing for M. genitalium in patients who have persistent symptoms after treatment for other s3xually transmitted diseases that can cause similar symptoms, said Brahmbhatt, who was not involved in the study but treated people with M. genitaliuminfections.

More research is needed to better understand how common M. genitalium is among people in the U.S., and whether routine screening for the bacteria may be warranted, he said.

Do you need to treat it?
The antibiotics that are generally recommended to treat urethritis, ce rvicitis and pelvic inflammatory disease are usually not very effective against M. genitalium, Manhart said. So doctors might suspect that a patient has M. genitalium if he or she doesn’t get better after taking the drugs typically used to treat these other STDs.

Doctors could then provide other antibiotics that are more effective against M. genitalium, Manhart said.

If You Only Make One Diet Change This Year, Let it Be This

If you can only make one change to your diet this year, let it be this: stop eating sugar! This change is the one that is likely to make the biggest imaginable difference. It won’t just benefit your teeth or your waistline; the harmful effects of sugar go much deeper than that.
The dangers of sugar
Consuming large or steady amounts of sugar can cause a build-up of fructose in the liver. This excess fructose gets converted into fat. Some of the fat is sent out of the liver, but a portion remains. Eventually, this can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Other health problems linked to sugar intake are leptin resistance, increased risk for gallbladder disease, diabetes, and premature aging. It has also been linked with increased levels of uric acid, which raises levels of inflammation in the body.
Most of the sugar you eat is hidden
A good rule of thumb these days is that if food comes pre-packaged, it is probably loaded with sugar. In our recent article, “What Happened to the Man Who Ate a Sugar Diet for 60 Days,” we reported that all of his high-sugar meals were foods that are generally thought to be healthy.
The cereals, muesli bars and yogurts most people think of as healthy staples are loaded with sugars. Sugar is also added to all types of foods you might not expect, like barbecue sauces, pasta sauces, canned fruit, instant hot cereal and bottled tea.
Safe alternatives for pleasing your sweet tooth
The good news is there are other alternatives you can use to satisfy your sweet tooth. Raw stevia is an excellent source of sweetness. The leaves of the stevia plant can be dried and crushed, and the result is a healthy natural sweetener.
Stevia can be substituted in baking recipes, added to drinks, sprinkled onto cereals and more. Just make sure you’re getting real, unprocessed, raw stevia leaves – many imposters exist, and many of the stevia products on the market have sugar as a second or third ingredient!


Another great substitute for sugar is raw honey. While sugar is an isolated chemical compound with no nutritional value, honey is actually a whole food containing many beneficial compounds. Animal research studies have found that honey is effective at lessening weight gain.
In a study published in the Journal of Medical Food in 2004, it was found that natural honey can lower plasma glucose in healthy, diabetic subjects. Consuming raw honey is best because the cooking process can destroy the enzymes and probiotics that make it such a healthy food.
So, if there’s only one resolution on your list this year, make ditching the sugar a top priority.

Protect Yourself from These Three Foodborne Bacteria

Multistate food poisoning outbreaks seem to be more common these days — it feels like we’re always reporting on some new E. coli outbreak. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), multistate outbreaks account for over half of the deaths caused by foodborne illnesses each year, and 91 percent of multistate outbreaks are due to just three germs: Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria.
By analyzing data from the years 2010 through 2014, the CDC found that 56 percent of all deaths from foodborne outbreaks come from the aforementioned bacteria. What’s more, multistate outbreaks are more difficult to track than local outbreaks for food poisoning. That’s because the food is already contaminated before it makes it to grocery stores or restaurant kitchens. No amount of proper storage and food safety at the point of sale can prevent the illness, and contaminated food typically ships to various locations at once.
In its recent report titled “Safer Food Saves Lives,” the CDC found, “Investigating these outbreaks often reveals problems on the farm, in processing or in distribution that resulted in contaminated food.” Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria present a number of concerns for people — including the risk of death — which makes the CDC’s report even more concerning. Here’s what you need to know about the big three: Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria. Salmonella
According to the CDC, there are several different types of Salmonella, and some are more common during certain times of the year. However, regardless of the type of Salmonella — or the season — children under the age of five, older people, and individuals with weakened immune systems are at most risk for severe complications.
Complications from Salmonella can include diarrhea and several months of interrupted or irregular bowel habits. A small percentage of patients diagnosed with Salmonella develop reactive arthritis, or pain in their joints, which can last up to several years, leading to a chronic condition. Salmonella is responsible for about 1.2 million illnesses and 450 deaths per year in the U.S.
E. coli
E. coli is short for Escherichia coli, and it’s frequently in the news. The bacteria are found not only in the environment but also in the intestines of animals and people. Most strains of the bacteria are pretty harmless, but the strains that can make you sick can cause illnesses like pneumonia, urinary tract infections and more.
Infected people experience severe stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Sometimes patients experience a minor fever, but most people recover within about a week or so. No one is immune to E. coli, but the very young and the elderly are at most risk of complications. According to the CDC, “Some infections are very mild, but others are severe or even life-threatening.”
Listeria
 
Listeria causes about 1,600 illnesses in the United States each year, and the bacteria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illnesses. What makes it so scary is, according to the CDC, “At least 90 percent of people who get Listeria infections are either pregnant women and their newborns, people 65 or older, or people with weakened immune systems.” In fact, the CDC states that pregnant women are “10 percent more likely” to contract a Listeria infection, and it can lead to preterm labor, fetal loss, or illness or death of a newborn baby.
Sources of Listeria can include uncooked vegetables and meat, raw milk and cheese, as well as cooked or processed cheese, smoked seafood and meat. Listeria is particularly gross because it can live for years in a food processing plant, and can even grow and multiply in cold environments like a refrigerator, where other bacteria cannot.
Protect yourself
Although multistate outbreaks are scary, there are a few things that you can do to protect yourself from food poisoning. 

• Eat pasteurized meat and dairy products.
• Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the food you’re preparing at home.
• Follow all preparation instructions, especially for raw meat and shellfish.
• Avoid consuming undercooked meat or eggs at a restaurant.
• Wash your hands and all surfaces when preparing food.
• Cook foods until they are “steaming hot,” especially ready-to-eat meats.

Be sure to also check back here, where we’ll keep you updated on the latest multistate outbreaks. We aren’t defenseless when it comes to Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria outbreaks, and taking some responsibility for our food choices goes a long way toward prevention.
Have you ever become sick with one of the big three bugs?

Kogi: How Audu Endorsed His Replacement On Dying Bed

Dr Tom Ohikere, the media aide to late Prince Abubakar Audu, has revealed that the former Kogi state governor endorsed his running mate, James Faleke as his replacement before his demise.
According to Daily Sun, he made this submission during a press conference in Lokoja, the state capital, where he also warned the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against causing more troubles for the state’s chapter of the party.

Audu, the APC flagbearer, who was leading in the state’s gubernatorial election two weeks ago before it was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was said to have endorsed Faleke because of his competence.

Former Kogi state governor, Abubakar Audu, before his demise

After INEC ordered a supplementary election in 91 polling units across 18 local governments to take place on Saturday, December 5, 2015, the APC had been moving from one crisis to another, but finally settled for Yahaya Bello as the party’s new representative for the election.
Ohik­ere has now warned APC national chairman, Chief John Od­igie-Oyegun, to avoid any act capable setting up the state on fire, while also accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of allegedly inject­ing northern agenda, where all his governors in the 19 states must be Muslims.

“The state will not only catch fire, but the late Prince Audu will rise from the grave and unleash ter­ror on anyone involved in this conspiracy.
“Let me open up to you now. Our political mentor and father, the late Prince Audu on his dying bed, gave instruction to us (his followers) that should he not make it, the baton must be transferred to his run­ning mate, Faleke, whom he (Audu), said is capable of carrying on with his vi­sion,” he said.

While also condemning the Attorney-General of the Federation’s (AGF) over his observation, Ohikere said: “Surprisingly, all these arguments seem to have overlooked the provisions of Section 187 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended. This provision states:

“In any election to which the foregoing provision of this part of this chap­ter relates, a candidate for the office of governor of a state shall not be deemed to have been validly nomi­nated for such office unless he nominates another can­didate as his associate for his running for the office of Governor who is to occupy the office of Deputy Gov­ernor.”
Faleke had also written INEC to announce him as winner of the election, a move which has irked many of the party’s loyalists in the state, as well as the incumbent governor, Idris Wada.Meanwhile, Audu’s supporters have kicked against the candidacy of Bello, as they insist that Faleke must emerge as the governor in place of the late flagbearer.

EFCC Arrests Dasuki’s Associates

Top-ranking staff of the office of the national security adviser, who worked under Sambo Dasuki, have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Sahara Reporters informs that a highly placed security source confirmed the arrests.
The source added that the officials’ arraignment was linked to the current probe of a $2 billion arms contract scandal involving former NSA to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan.

Assistants of Dasuki who were arrested comprise Shuaibu Salisu, who was director of finance as well as a staff member of the National intelligence Agency (NIA), Aminu Baba Kusa, popularly called as “ABK,” a former general executive director at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and Kusa’s son, Mohammed Baba-Kusa.
Other ex-top staff of the NSA who are being arreste in connection with the weapons contract scandal are Abba M.T. Usman, Evegny Kundaev, Attahiru Maccido, Salisa Umar Garu, Oyinmiebl Bribena, Olukoya Olusegun Godwin, and Olukayode Raimi.
They are being probed on accusations reaching from criminal conspiracy, theft, forgery, the diversion of public funds, to money laundering.

The insider revealed that the arrested officials were being kept in separate cells, continuing that President Muhammadu Buhari was keenly following the developing probe.
The embattled ex-NSA has been under strong pressure from law enforcement authorities over his supposed role in organising the stealing of $2 billion meant for a massive weapons contract.
The supposedly stolen assets were intended to buy arms to fight the deadly Boko Haram sect.

Forget Pele, Maradona & Di Stefano - Messi is the greatest club player of all time

The Argentine has won the Goal 50 for a record fourth time after a season in which he took his game - and Barcelona - to new heights. No player has achieved more in club football

Behind every era-defining team is an all-time great player. Real Madrid had Alfredo Di Stefano in the 1950s and 1960s, Santos had Pele, Ajax had Johan Cruyff, Napoli had Diego Maradona and Barcelona have Lionel Messi.

On Friday, Messi became the first footballer to win the Goal 50 for the fourth time. He is already the only person to claim four Ballons d'Or, with a fifth surely on the way in January. The individual honours keep coming - even though he insists that he would rather claim major trophies for club and country.

"I always say that, for me, the most important awards are the collective ones," Messi told Goal upon receiving the 2015 Goal 50 trophy.

"But I am also happy when I receive individual awards like this one. I am very grateful for this. Thank you. It was a very complete year."

At international level, silverware has remained elusive. Messi missed out on a World Cup winners' medal as Argentina lost to Germany in the final of Brazil 2014 and was on the losing side again as the Albiceleste went down to Chile in the Copa America showpiece in July this year. He has won an Olympic gold medal with the Under-23 team and also an U-20 World Cup for Argentina, but remains empty-handed with the senior side.

That is in stark contrast with his remarkable record at club level. The undisputed leader on the pitch ever since Ronaldinho left and Pep Guardiola took over as coach in 2008-09, Messi has helped Barcelona to seven Liga titles and four Champions League crowns in that time. In total, he has already won 25 trophies for the Catalans and has been the team's all-time top scorer since 2012.



Much of Barca's stunning success since 2008 would not have been possible without him. Even Guardiola admitted as much. "Without him, we would have been competitive," Pep once said. "But without Leo, we wouldn't have won all that we have."

Luis Enrique could well say something similar. His side struggled in the first half of 2014-15 and really got going in January as Messi moved back out to the right and everything clicked into place. The Argentine produced a masterclass in the Champions League home and away against Manchester City, but saved his breathtaking best for the visit of Guardiola and Bayern Munich to Camp Nou in the semi-finals.

After breaking Bayern's resistance on 76 minutes with a fizzing low drive into the bottom corner, the Argentine followed up with a wonderful second as he left Jerome Boateng in a heap on the turf with some sublime skill, before chipping Manuel Neuer from a tight angle. He then set Neymar on his way for 3-0 and the tie was over there and then.

"When he plays like this, there is no defence that can stop him," Guardiola had said before the match. "It's impossible. He is used to players defending against him any way they can and he always ends up enjoying success. He is too good."

Astonishingly, he showed in 2014-15 that he is still getting better in an age where winning is harder than it has ever been. Asked about the Argentine and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo recently, Luis Enrique said: "I don't like to compare players, but for me Messi is the best player in the world and also the best player in history. That's my opinion."

Football is full of opinions of course and many still believe either Pele or Maradona to have been superior due to their achievements in winning World Cups - something Messi has still been unable to do. 

In terms of club football, however, Pele played only in Brazil and the United States while Maradona's success at Napoli lasted for just a few seasons - yielding five trophies between 1987 and 1990.

Cruyff led Ajax to six Eredivisie titles and three European Cups in a glorious spell at the Amsterdam club before moving to Barcelona, while Di Stefano won even more at Madrid in the 1950s and 1960s: eight Liga titles and five European Cups. However, competition was less fierce than it is now and Real needed to beat only four teams to claim the continental crown back then. In those early years, many of today's elite clubs were still finding their feet.

For Messi to have won the trophy four times in this era is truly something special - especially as he has played a pivotal part in the last three of those. And he can carry on for several more seasons to come.

"He is the best there is in all aspects you look at," Luis Enrique said last year. "If he wanted to be, he would be the best at defending as well. He will be the best in the world for as long as he wants to be. He's waving his magic wand and he'll continue to do so for as long as he wants."







He is already well ahead of Maradona and Cruyff in terms of career goals - and closing in on Di Stefano too. And one more Champions League crown will see him match the achievements of the Real Madrid legend, who passed away last year.

Thanks to Messi, Barca enjoyed the greatest season in their history in 2014-15. So said Luis Enrique after they sealed the Champions League trophy in Berlin. And as so often before, none of it would have been possible without Messi. No player has achieved more in club football than the Argentine, with this latest Goal 50 award not only another trophy for his collection but also recognition for his continued greatness at Barcelona.

"Congratulations, Leo!" Cesc Fabregas told his friend in a video message sent via Goal. "I think he will be tired of winning so many awards because what he likes is playing football and enjoying himself. I send him a big hug, wish him many more trophies and hope he keeps entertaining us."

Messi will be happy with that. Playing football and winning trophies is indeed what he enjoys the most and with 25 titles to his name already at Barcelona, there is no sign of him losing his hunger any time soon. The legend of the greatest club player of all time goes on.