News & Announcements

The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry has revealed that he came to this world with the main purpose of serving as a spare for his elder brother, Prince William, who is the Prince of Wales.

Harry said this in his autobiography ‘Spare’ which hit the bookshelves across the globe yesterday, according to Daily Mail on Wednesday.

He said he grew up knowing that the purpose of his existence was to donate organs such as kidneys or offer blood transfusions to William, should anything bad happen to him.

“I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy,” Harry revealed in the book.

Prince Harry who is 38-year-old said he grew up to realise he was a spare part for his 40-year-old brother, the heir.

He described his life as a “mission to offer a source of distraction, entertainment and, in case of need, a spare part”, such as a kidney, blood transfusion, or bone marrow.

Harry’s memoir, which was released to the public space on Tuesday has been revealing his explosive childhood experiences.

Meghan Markle’s husband explained in the book that his growing up was understood with the idea of ‘heir’ and ‘spare’ as reinforced throughout his entire life.

He said that this idea of only being in the world in case something happened to William was made “abundantly clear” from an early age and was “regularly reinforced” throughout his life.

Harry continued that he heard a story about his father’s “supposed words” to his mother, Princess Diana, on the day he was born.

King Charles III is alleged to have told Princess Diana, “Wonderful! You have already given me an heir and a spare; I have done my job.”

Uganda on Wednesday declared an end to an Ebola virus outbreak that emerged almost four months ago and claimed the lives of 55 people.

“We have successfully controlled the Ebola outbreak in Uganda,” Health Minister Jane Ruth Acerng said at a ceremony in the central district of Mubende where the disease was first detected in September.

The move was confirmed in a statement issued by the World Health Organization.

Aceng said January 11 marked 113 days since the start of the outbreak of the often fatal hemorrhagic fever in the East African country.

According to WHO, an outbreak of the disease ends when there are no new cases for 42 consecutive days – twice the incubation period of Ebola.

“Uganda put a swift end to the Ebola outbreak by ramping up key control measures such as surveillance, contact tracing, and infection, prevention and control,” the WHO statement quoted the minister as saying.

“While we expanded our efforts to put a strong response in place across the nine affected districts, the magic bullet has been our communities who understood the importance of doing what was needed to end the outbreak, and took action.”

WHO said there were 142 confirmed cases, 55 confirmed deaths, and 87 recovered patients.

It said Uganda’s outbreak was caused by the Sudan Ebola virus, one of six species of the Ebola virus for which no vaccines have yet been approved.

Local man Simon Williams has applied for custody of his wife’s breasts as part of his divorce settlement according to online reports.

Describing the breasts as being of ‘great sentimental value’ in his submission, Simon said he’d happily give up any claim over the house for full custody.

Alternatively, his wife can have the car in return for access at weekends.

“Those breasts have been with me through thick and thin; a rock in times of need and a pillow in times of comfort. My quality of life will decline substantially if I lose custody.

“It’s actually ironic,” he told us. “Considering one of the reasons I’m getting divorced at all is because I said I’d like her breasts custody.”

However, Simon’s soon-to-be ex-wife has angrily rejected the request, saying that his failure to grant her exclusive possession of his ‘bits and bobs’ during their marriage undermined his position.

Lawyers in the case have suggested that they hold the breasts until the situation is resolved.

The Chief Medical Director, of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Adetokunbo Fabamwo, has said more than 150 nurses have resigned from their appointments with the tertiary hospital within the last three years.

Fabamwo said this during a briefing on Tuesday in Lagos.

The CMD said the situation arose as a result of health workers relocating abroad to practice, noting that the exit replacement strategy of the government had, however, ensured that operations weren’t disrupted at the hospital.

He added that in recent times, applications for positions of nurses and resident doctors had reduced in the tertiary hospital.

To address the challenge, Fabamwo said the hospital now recruits double-qualified nurses and also engaged some retired but not tired nurses on a contract basis to bridge the gaps.

On the issue of bed space management, the CMD said the hospital was using a team of nurses called a ‘monitoring crew’ to ensure speedy transfers of stable patients from emergency units.

This, according to him, had created spaces for incoming patients.

Fabamwo disclosed that the ongoing construction of the Sustainable Development Goals building with a 120-bed capacity in the hospital was at a 90 percent completion level.

He said that the SDG building would alleviate the issue of bed space constriction, enhance critical care services in the hospital and assist to reduce medical tourism in the state and country.

The CMD added that the hospital was also working on the expansion of its Surgical Emergency Unit, Psychiatric Unit, and Resident Doctors’ quarters.

According to him, the policies and infrastructure development were to improve healthcare services and patients’ experience at the hospital.

Tension is rising at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka as a result of the death of a 200-level mathematics student by as-yet-unidentified individuals, and students there are threatening to stage a protest.

Some university students claim that the murder of the student identified simply as Daniel has brought to light the rising unrest in the off-campus housing complexes in the Ifite district of the Anambra State capital.

Some of the students blamed cult groups for the murder, but others claimed it was carried out by armed thieves who have been posing a threat to the neighborhood.

According to reports, armed guys tracked Daniel to his girlfriend’s apartment and shot him multiple times after he refused to give them his phone.

When he arrived at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, it was determined that he had passed away.

The state police command is on top of the situation, according to Mr. Tochukwu Ikenga, PPRO of the Anambra State Police.

His words were: “This is an unfortunate situation. I got the information from the president of the Students Union Government, SUG, and police patrol has been on in the area since then”. 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has confirmed that armed men shot at its officials at Awolowo Road, Ikoyi area of Lagos State.

The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed this stated that the incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday, while the operatives were trying to intercept a truck carrying cannabis.

He noted that though some of the NDLEA operatives were shot, he couldn’t ascertain if anyone was admitted to the hospital.

While responding to inquiries on the incident, Babafemi said: “It happened around 1 am this morning.”

He added that suspected fake security agents who accompanied the truck of cannabis opened fire at the NDLEA operatives.

However, he added that though his men got injured, they were able to recover the truck and the drugs.

“They (the armed men) shot them (NDLEA officials) and damaged their vehicles. In the confrontation, we were able to get away with the suspect and we made sure we got the truck and the drugs,” Babafemi said.

The spokesman revealed that the intervention of the military men situated at the Military Hospital in the area aided in the recovery of the trucks and drugs.

Babafemi said: “The gunshot attracted the military men who supported the NDLEA team. That was the point the suspected fake security agents escaped with the suspects. But we were able to recover the trucks and the drugs.”

Responding to whether the injured operatives were hospitalized, the spokesman said: “I will need to cross-check that with the command in Lagos.

I’m yet to get a comprehensive report.

“I’ve been getting snippets of the incident as it unfolds, since the early hours of this morning. I didn’t know it was something that would leak to the media.

“But it’s still a matter under investigation.”

Decrying the rates of attack on NDLEA operatives, Babafemi added: “This is not the first time.

The same thing happened in November. It’s very unfortunate.”

A man is suspected to have wiped out his entire family before taking his own life in the incident that happened at Nyanya in Zimbabwe.

Local media reports that the suspect, Edward Chirombe, murdered his wife, 40, two daughters, and a son, who are aged between 14 and 12 years old.

Upon arriving at the crime scene, the police could not gain entrance into the man’s house because the door was padlocked at the rear.

The operatives eventually broke in before they could retrieve the corpses of the family.

In a statement, the police said they found the wife’s corpse covered with blood on the bed while those of the kids were lying around the house.

The suspected murderer, Edward was found hanging on a tree in the garden of the house.

“Investigation is in progress to ascertain the motive for the callous murder,” the police said while urging citizens not to take the law into their own hands.

N43 million has been given to the grieving families of the 20 police officers who died while performing their duties in the state of Anambra.

The money was given to them by Mr. Echeng Echeng, the commissioner of the Anambra State Police, on Tuesday at the Anambra State Police Command.

The Inspector General of Police Family Welfare Insurance Scheme gave the compensatory fund.

The state has recently experienced an extraordinary loss of police officers due to a wave of gunman attacks on police buildings and checkpoints.

The state’s PPRO, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed the compensation’s specifics, claimed that the gesture was the result of an initiative by the police chief, Usman Baba Alkali, to raise staff morale in the fight against criminals.

Ikenga said: “The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Echeng Echeng, today (Tuesday) 10/1/2023 on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Baba Alkali, presented cheques worth N43,289,471.71 to 20 families of deceased police officers attached to the Command.

“The CP while presenting the cheques, to the beneficiaries thanked the Inspector-General of Police for his relentless efforts towards ensuring a good welfare package for personnel of the force and urged the beneficiaries to use the money wisely by investing in a profitable venture that will ameliorate the needs of the dependents left behind.

“The gesture is an initiative of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) family welfare insurance scheme aimed at giving succour to the family of police officers who died in active service.

“Also, the gesture is aimed at spurring officers’ to greatness while discharging their statutory duties with the assurance that, their welfare is of paramount importance to the administration of the Force.”

The Loko-Oweto Bridge and Link Roads, which connect the states of Benue and Nasarawa, will be officially opened by President Muhammadu Buhari in ten weeks, according to Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing.

The Minister made this statement on Tuesday during a press conference with reporters after seeing the ongoing construction projects along the Nasarawa-Loko Road.

His words, “The 2.2km Loko-Oweto Bridge has been completed; the installation of road signs and other necessary fittings were the only things delaying the inauguration of the bridge and link roads.”

Assuring that the projects would be “finished development,” he said as much.

“I can certainly claim that we now have a bridge across the River Benue and almost 70 kilometers of roads linking Benue State to Nasarawa,” the minister said in response to questioning from reporters. In addition, we constructed a 74 km long road that connects Nasarawa and Benue to the FCT.

“The bridge was completed two and half years ago but we were waiting to connect the link roads. In 2016, I remember it used to take four and half hours from Mabushi in Abuja to get here but today we took two hours and 30 minutes from Mabushi to get here.

“The link road is substantially finished now and I think I can report to Mr president that this bridge is ready to be formally opened to traffic. There are two bridges, one is 2.055 kilometres and the second is 800 metres, traversing the entire length of the river.

“We will tidy up what we need to do. We will install road signs, asphalting of shoulders and a few wearing cost materials. So in another four to ten weeks, we should be ready to come.

“It is important to inform Nigerians that those who speak about production and economy should come here to learn what infrastructure does.”

On the level of work done, Fashola said, “I think your cameras will tell the story better but clearly this is another intervention of the President Buhari administration on infrastructure.

“Understandably, there is a lot of emotions and excitement going on about the Second Niger Bridge. People forget that the bridge crosses the River Niger and it is an East-West crossing as it links the east of Nigeria to the western part of Nigeria.

“There is also a second major river in Nigeria, the River Benue. It is a North-South crossing. So, whilst there is a lot of publicity and excitement about the second Niger Bridge, perhaps not enough attention has been beamed to the Loko-Oweto Bridge.

“Due to this infrastructure, markets have sprung up a sawmill, eatery and a mining site are fully operational. We are seeing economic improvement,” he added.

The family of the founder of the Africa Movie Academy Awards Peace Anyiam-Osigwe has confirmed her death.
Ms Anyiam-Osigwe died in a Lagos hospital on Monday.

The statement is titled “Peace Maria Ogechi Anyiam-Osigwe: An epitome of creative transcendence.”

“It reads: “The Emmanuel Onyechere Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe clan in thanksgiving to God and in the belief that God is good and everything He does is good and in accordance with His divine will, pattern and plan, announce the passing to the eternal glory of our illustrious beloved daughter, sister, aunt and great aunt Ms. Peace Maria Ogechi Anyiam-Osigwe (MFR)
Peace, the Ada of the Anyiam-Osigwe family, was an outstanding personality, trailblazer, titan, pathfinder, go-getter, humanitarian, one-of-a-kind creative, and visionary leader in the film and television industry.

Peace left indelible imprints on the sands of time.

We as a family and clan will continue to do all that is necessary to ensure that her legacy lives on – the Africa Movie Academy Awards and the Africa Film Academy, along with their training programmes across Nigeria and the African continent will carry on seamlessly by institutions she set up and with the full support of the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation and other Institutions and Government Agencies with whom she has worked over the years.

Her numerous charities across different religious denominations and other communities will continue.

We will miss the love and companionship we shared with her, and we pray “that your Chi guides you on the path to God’s everlasting love into the light of his consciousness.”

We also pray God our Father of all mercies grant you eternal rest in his heavenly kingdom where his perpetual light will continue to shine on.

We believe you are alive in the life of God because, as our father said “ALL IS LIFE AND LIFE ALONE”. And you continue to live in the hearts of all who love you.

The family will announce the details of her rites of passage in due course.

Meanwhile, the Family respectfully asks, at this time, for the public to respect the family’s privacy as we contemplate God’s love for his children.”

Signed
Anyiam-Osigwe Family
The Nollywood icon was from the notable Anyiam-Osigwe family in Nkwerre, Imo State, and the only girl in a family of eight children.

She had a degree in Law and political science from Oxford Brookes University.