28-Year-Old Corps Member Who Died And Resurrected Is Now Blind

Twenty-eight-year-old Daniel Adeigba Oluwatobiloba has been eating the bread of agony since he miraculously woke up in a mortuary, following an accident that ultimately left him practically blind. An indigene of Ijumu in Kogi State, Daniel graduated from Kogi State University in 2010 with a degree in History and International Studies.
 He was subsequently posted to a government secondary school in Dindin-gari, Damaturu, Yobe State, for the national youth service programme. But his world turned upside down when he got involved in a car crash that claimed the lives of 16 of his fellow corps members while travelling to Damaturu, the place of their primary assignment. The young man tells his heart-rending tale of abandonment by the government. 

Excerpts…   

When did you go for your NYSC programme and where? I went for my NYSC in 2010 and was posted to Yobe State in the North East. I spent three weeks in Fika camp for the orientation after which I was posted to Damaturu to teach at TD GSS Dindin-gari. During the festive period of 2010, we had a short break in the school I was teaching as a youth corps member. So I travelled to Enugu on December 24. 

I had actually wanted to spend the time with my family back home in Kogi but my Head of Department, who is from Enugu, had always wanted me to spend the Yuletide with them. So I decided to visit them. While I was in Enugu, I got a call that corps members should register online to work with INEC during the 2011 election. Thereafter, another call came from the Christian Corpers Family House, of which I am a member. (I am also a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God). This time it was our landlord who informed me about an advertisement in the papers that corps members should report to their place of primary assignment before January 4, 2011.

So, on January 3, I left Enugu for Damaturu. Unfortunately, I could not get a direct bus to Damaturu, a route that is usually plied by Young Shall Grow Motors and GUO Motors. That day many corps members returning to their places of service were stranded. We had to board a type of bus known in Igbo parlance as akpuruka (that is a long distance bus that has become old), which took us to Jos so that we could link up from there to our different destinations.

We got to Jos around 5.30 a.m on January 4. The Plateau Riders Park in Jos where we disembarked was filled with about 5,000 stranded corps members. So everybody was jostling for the few vehicles available. Eventually I succeeded in getting a Borno Express vehicle, a 14-seater Toyota Hiace that was to take me and other corps members to Damaturu. Instead of taking the usual 14 passengers, the driver ‘stuffed’ 18 corps members out of greed and the luggage was equally much. The weight of the load was more than combined weight of the corps members. During the orientation programme, we had been warned to be cautious about polythene bags on the roads, especially black ones because Boko Haram was known to use them to conceal bombs.

As we were approaching Damaturu town, we saw one in the middle of the road and cautioned the driver about it, telling him to be careful. He said in Hausa ba komi, which means no problem. As we were getting close to the bag we still reminded the driver to avoid it by all means, and it was later discovered to be a bomb. Actually, when he got to the spot he swerved to avoid it. He succeeded but unfortunately he could not return his steering in time and so lost control of the vehicle and it somersaulted eight times. The accident happened about 2.43p.m.

What happened thereafter? I could not remember. It was even reported in the paper that 18 corps members died in an auto crash. We were all taken to the General Sani Abacha hospital mortuary in Damaturu. But out of the 18 two of us came back to life – myself and a lady called Odinakachukwu (which means everything is in God’s hands). The rest died.

What happened was that after several hours in the mortuary they discovered that I was shedding tears because there was no light and Odinaka was sweating seriously. Because these things were so unusual, the medical personnel decided to withdraw us that night and took us to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, which is an hour from Damaturu. After intensive medical attention, I came back to life at 2.43a.m the following day and Odinaka came back to life after a month and two weeks.

She was in coma for more than two weeks. At the hospital, doctors discovered that my brain had shifted within the skull; Odinaka’s brain also shifted. Her case was even more serious. She was not behaving normal again. If you gave her food instead of putting it in her mouth she put it on her head. She was behaving strangely. It was just like she was psychologically disturbed.  All through my stay there, one Professor Yawe headed a team of nine consultants that took care of me. I left the hospital in March. I left Maiduguri because of the tension generated by the 2011 election that was approaching. I demanded to be referred to a hospital where my people would be close to me. For this reason, I was referred to Ogun State University Teaching Hospital (OSUTH) Shagamu. Who paid your medical bills? Was it your family or the NYSC? When I was in Maiduguri, they came from Yobe and paid N50,000 for my magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test and took the receipt along with them. After that if I called the NYSC for anything, they did not respond. Instead they handed me over to a man from Wetland Health Services, a company they said insured corps members, especially those from our set, Batch C. They said the company was contracted by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to insure corps members. Unfortunately, they handed me over to the man and gave me his number, and said that I should be calling him. Each time I called the man, he would tell me to go and see my State Coordinator and if called coordinator he would tell me a different thing. Since I could not continue like that because I didn’t want to waste my life, I just spent my money to pay for my care. I spent N93,000 in Maiduguri to care for myself. I also spent money on fibre calf to treat my fractured hands and it was very expensive. At OSUTH, the doctors said that I might have to amputate the hand, but somehow with prayer and faith, God intervened and something was done. Now, my right hand is shorter than the left hand and I now have iron in it. And as I am talking to you now I am almost blind because I can only see faintly and my right ear is impaired. When I left Maiduguri, I threatened to sue the Wetland Health Services. What I learnt was that the contract they had with NYSC was to take care of corps member subject to a maximum cost of N50,000. When I left OSUTH to return to Damaturu in October 2011 to collect my discharge certificate, the NYSC said I should file the receipt of my expenses in Maiduguri and bring to them. I did and took them to the Abuja national headquarters of the NYSC. Would you believe that all through my ordeal the State Coordinator never informed the Abuja headquarters about my situation? They said they were not aware of my case at all. But then the story about the accident was published in newspapers. Does it mean they don’t read papers? They later said they would pay me the expenses but till now even my state allowance has not been paid, Some of my federal allowances were also not paid. There was this woman called Funke, who I was calling until she said I should stop calling her. What happened to the other lady, Odinaka? She had surgery recently in January, this year, in Lagos. Who took care of her? Her family. From Maiduguri to OSUTH, how much have you spent so far to take care of yourself? The money I have spent is over N300,000. How did you get the money? The money came from family and friends. For instance, friends and fans of Wazobia FM radio station paid my bill at OSUTH because Yaw and K. Baba, two of their popular presenters, mentioned my case on their radio. What is the state of your health now? Financial handicap forced me to stop taking treatment. If I had continued using the drug my sight would have improved a little bit. The last time I took the drug was in October 2011, that’s about eight months ago. So I am not taking any treatment for now. But some people have suggested that I should go to India, where it is believed that something can be done about my condition.  What do you want the NYSC and government to do for you? The fact is that I was on national assignment when the accident occurred. I expect that the Federal Government should give me proper attention. I lost my sight while serving my nation. If I have been in my father’s house probably this unfortunate thing would not have happened to me. I expect them to rehabilitate me and compensate me because I don’t want to be a loafer. There is so much I can still give to the society. I went this far to get my Bachelor’s degree. I sponsored myself throughout my studies in the university. I don’t want to sit at home just because I lost my sight. I want to be useful to myself and to my country. The fact that I lost my sight does mean I have lost my intellect and my capability. I need a job. I am just 28 years old. As I talk with you I am a destitute; I have no home. I live on hospital premises. The canteen where I used to sleep at OSUTH has been privatized. I cannot sleep there again. For sometime now I have been sleeping with the Hausa man that sells sundry items outside the hospital premises. My father is late and my mother is 63. She is no longer economically engaged to be able to support me. I need urgent medical and financial help. Kind-hearted individuals can reach me on either 08157017044 or 08032159648

47 -YEAR OLD NIGERIAN TEACHER RAPES A 14-YEAR OLD GIRL IN THE UK:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

47 year old Nigerian married father of three, Keith Ogunsola, science teacher from Banstead in Surrey, has been told by a court in the UK that he will go to jail for a long time for the rape of a 14 year old student in his school.

Mr Ogunsola is accused of repeatedly raping the unnamed pupil under the pretense of giving her "ext ra science tuition". He would book hotel rooms and lure the female victim there, where he would proceed to have sex with her. The court heard yesterday that Ogunsola started raping the girl in 2001 but she didn't tell anyone for a long time because she didn't think anyone would believe her story against a teacher.This is the first time the paedophile teacher will be in court. In 2008, he grabbed a 14-year-old pupil and stuck his tongue in her mouth while they were in his school office. Ogunsola also asked girls in his chemistry class whether they had performed oral sex.

The court heard he had already been warned by the school's headteacher about his conduct with female students before the assaults took place. Ogunsola was cleared of two sexual assaults at that school in 2000 and another sexual assault at a different school in 2006.

Despite this, he was spared jail because of his "weak heart". But not this time. He was told in court yesterday by the presiding judge that he will be going to prison for a very long time.

70 Chinese arrested in Nigeria freed

China confirmed on Thursday that some of the Chinese citizens arrested by Nigeria on charges of illegal trading have been released. Around 70 of the 100 Chinese citizens who were arrested for living or doing business in the country illegally have been

released, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Thursday.

The Nigerian immigration office recently arrested 45 Chinese traders in the northern city of Kano.

The 21 Chinese citizens released in Kano on Wednesday night have been returned to China one by one, while 13 Chinese accused of illegal trading will be sent back to China soon, a spokesman at the Chinese embassy in Nigeria told China Daily.

The embassy in Abuja and the general consulate in Lagos have made prompt inquiries concerning the case and visited the arrested Chinese, said the spokesman. "We have lodged humanitarian demands to Nigeria."

For those who may face repatriation, the Chinese embassy would continue to offer consular assistance to protect their legitimate rights, he said.

Hong said China has urged Nigeria to handle the case carefully according to law and would work closely with their Nigerian counterparts to resolve the case.

Emmanuel Brisca Ifeadi, Nigeria's state comptroller of immigration, said the Chinese arrested at the market in Kano were "scavengers" taking jobs away from Nigerian people.

He denied this action was targeted at Chinese residents in general, saying that Nigeria welcomes Chinese investments and supports legitimate trade, but it prohibits those who undercut Nigerian businesses. National law bans foreigners from the retail sale of textiles, according to AFP.

Chinese nationals in Nigeria have enjoyed a good relationship with local government and residents, and China has made considerable contributions to the country through trade in textiles and automobiles, said Wang Yusheng, former Chinese ambassador to Nigeria.

"Given the friendly exchanges between the two sides in the past, the recent arrest is considered a minor incident," Wang said, adding that it could hardly escalate into a large-scale anti-China movement in Nigeria.

The Chinese embassy has urged Chinese citizens to become more integrated into Nigerian society by observing local laws and communicating more with local people. There are currently 20,000 Chinese nationals living in Nigeria.

China is a major investor in Nigeria, accounting for some 25 percent of the country's foreign direct investment, according to figures provided by Nigeria's trade and investment ministry.

Some Nigerians blame Chinese imports for the decline of local textile mills, though chronic power shortages are at least as much to blame.

To protect local people's employment and some industries, Nigeria has carried out quota control on foreign employees. It also has put a ban on textile imports to protect its domestic industry.

Reuters and Xinhua contributed to this story

MOVIE RUNDOWN: Snow White and the Huntsman,' with Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth, is Hollywood's latest try at a classic fairy tale

Alex Bailey

In 'Snow White and the Huntsman,' Chris Hemsworth's huntsman is sent to kill Kristen Stewart's Snow White, but they bond instead.

It often seems as if the movies were made for fairy tales — and, more than ever, fairy tales are filling up the multiplex.
From the silent era through the heyday of Walt Disney to this Friday’s “Snow White and the Huntsman,” the interplay of darkness and light, magic and reality in folklore — along with lessons to be learned and evil to be vanquished — have fit Hollywood like Cinderella’s slipper.
The only thing missing, one could say, is Kristen Stewart roaring at forest monsters and wielding one helluva sword.
Well, scratch that one off the list, too: It’s just one highlight of the new “Snow White,” an action-adventure retelling of the 1812 Brothers Grimm fable most associated with Disney’s 1937 version — the first full-length animated feature and the recipient of an honorary Academy Award.
But forget about dwarfs singing “Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho,” and certainly ignore the recent “Mirror Mirror,” which starred Julia Roberts. Stewart’s flick, co-starring Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth and directed by TV commercials auteur Rupert Sanders, has more serious issues in its quiver.
“There’s just something so not fairytale-esque about this film,” Stewart has said. “And yet, it’s so worthy of that phrase, ‘fairy tale.’ It really does take you somewhere that is otherworldly.”
This “Snow White,” she assures, “lives in a very dangerous place.”
Hemsworth, for his part, has taken to comparing the film to Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
“While it is family-friendly, this is a more adult version than what we’re used to,” the “Avengers” co-star has said. “It’s darker, but grounded in reality.”
In the movie, Stewart’s Snow White is the stepdaughter of Ravenna (Theron), an evil queen who’s obsessed with youth and beauty, consumed with anger and filled with hatred for the late king’s beloved only child, Snow White, considered “the fairest in the land.”
When Ravenna sends Snow White into the forest, she secretly hires the mercenary huntsman Eric (Hemsworth) to kill the girl and return with her still-beating heart. But after meeting up with seven thieving dwarfs (played, in a CGI/live-action combo, by Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane and Nick Frost, among others), Snow White and the Huntsman develop a bond. He trains her in battle so that she might end Ravenna’s cruel rule, which involves remaining immortal by sacrificing maidens and eating songbirds.
Since Hollywood’s interest in fairy tales and classic children’s stories was reignited in 2010 — when “Alice in Wonderland” and “Tangled” ranked as the second- and 10th-highest-grossing films of that year — 2011’s “Red Riding Hood” and this spring’s “Mirror Mirror” have cast a pale spell. But “Snow White” is galloping in on a wave of buzz, and arriving in January is “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters,” starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton.

That will be followed by Sam Raimi’s “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” starring James Franco, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz; Bryan Singer’s “Jack the Giant Killer”; producer Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion animation version of “Pinocchio,” and Angelina Jolie in the live-action title role of “Maleficent,” Sleeping Beauty’s nasty-sexy witch nemesis.
“Fairy tales appeal to us because they hark back to a time in which anything is possible,” says Paul Levinson, chairman of the communications and media studies department at Fordham University and former president of the Science Fiction Writers of America.
“And, if they’re presented onscreen in a convincing way — that is, not in a wink-wink, cynical way — they’re still an extremely important part of our popular culture. There are clear-cut villains and heroes and heroines, and we always long for that.”
As for what’s driving the trend now, film historian Leonard Maltin, author of “Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons,” says it may not be the zeitgeist so much as good old-fashioned lucre.
“Nothing succeeds like success,” Maltin says, “so when ‘Alice in Wonderland’ made $330 million-plus at the box office, studios said, ‘We’ve got to make some of that!’ But did audiences go because of how Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter was sold, or because of Tim Burton? There may have been a misreading of that movie’s success: It may just have been that movie, and not a retelling of fairy tales, that excited people.
However, as Levinson adds, “Turning Snow White — a character generally thought of as passive and defined by her purity — into a strong warrior is a very smart choice.”
Even the usually one-note Huntsman character gets a modern makeover: Hemsworth says he brought a “Western gunslinger, loner-type of hero” vibe to the film, and kept Harrison Ford’s portrayals of Indiana Jones and Han Solo in mind as role models.
Stewart — in, amazingly, her first non-indie film after being Bella Swan in four “Twilight” films, including the final installment, “Breaking Dawn, Part 2,” coming in November — also had tough parameters for her character.
“I would say that [she’s] true to all of the things you’d associate with her. She’s a good person, very compassionate, with a connection to the earth. It’s just that we put her in situations where it’s really difficult to maintain those qualities!”
Or, as Hemsworth succinctly sums up: “It’s kind of like ‘Snow White’ on steroids.”

D’Banj Makes Acting Debut in Kanye West’s ‘Cruel Summer’ at World’s Most Prestigious Cannes Film Festival

It is as if D’Banj answered my question yesterday on which Nigerian label, executive(s) et al. was in the running to take Nigerian music globally. He has basically decided to close out this week by unveiling some of his solid music business moves; including his ongoing business flirtations with Kanye West, thanks to his Kanye West G.O.O.D. Music/Island Def Jam deal.
Exhibit III of D’Banj’s many moves this week:
On May 24th, 2012, the increasingly popular Nigerian artist made his acting debut on a global scale at the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Kanye West’ s new short film ‘Cruel Summer.’

“The Cannes International Film Festival (French: Le Festival International du Film de Cannes or just Festival de Cannes), is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is the world’s most prestigious and publicized film festival.[1][2][3] The invitation-only festival is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.The 2012 Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 16 to May 27, 2012.” – Wikipedia

While D’Banj’s part is not necessarily big, for Africa (including its film industries) it is a big deal and frankly, D’Banj’s star power continues to line up toe to toe with that of his boss, Kanye West. The buzz is on Kanye West but it is also on D’Banj. Everyone else has been treated by the media as supporting cast. It really is helpful to have the power of “800million” people across Africa backing you if you are D’Banj, as he says often.
Also, with the rate D’Banj is going, I won’t be surprised if USA Magazines begin counting him as one of the “sexiest bachelors,” “sexy hunk” or some derivative.  Just his style sense alone is sure to make “Oyinbo” babes swoon over the self proclaimed African Michael Jackson.
Good look. Keep it coming “Daniel Banjo.”


Check out what Guardian UK had to say about Kanye’s ‘Cruel Summer.’

“Kanye West can say that his directorial debut played at Cannes. In a tent, in a car park, 40 minutes walk from the Palais, but it played here. The red carpet at the premiere for Cruel Summer – a 30-minute short presented across seven 20ft square screens – ran directly past a cluster of photographers before stretching towards the sea on its way to the screening room. West (and guests including Kim Kardashian and Jay-Z) walked the important part. The cameras clicked and registered the moment. Kanye cut across the bays to his seat.
Made in association with the Doha Film Institute, Cruel Summer stars West’s GOOD Music protege Kid Cudi as a bloke of bad stock. Dad was a car thief – Kid’s desperate not to follow in his footsteps, so instead he walks through a sparkly purple door into the middle of the desert. Men on horseback arrest him. He’s taken to a palace full of fruit. A blind girl plucks a giant guitar string. Cudi’s wrapped in bandages. A hawk flies. In, ultra, slow, motion. Cudi resolves to cure his love of her blindness. The cure for blindness is a remix of a song by Coldplay.
It’s as much a short film as a long music video can be. Big, loud and expensive. A wobbly, wandering showcase of West’s taste for the grandiose that flirts with the potential of the five across, one up, one down screen setup, but never really commit . . .”

Justin Bieber wanted for questioning after photographer complains of being roughed up

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CALABASAS, Calif. - Justin Bieber is wanted for questioning by Los Angeles County Sheriff's investigators after a photographer complained of being roughed up by the pop star at a shopping center.
Sheriff's Lt. Robert Wiard says the photographer called 911 on Sunday and complained of pain to his chest. Wiard said the scuffle happened when the photographer tried to snap pictures of Bieber and his girlfriend, teen actress Selena Gomez, after they walked out of a theater at The Commons at Calabasas.
Wiard says the photographer was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released.
He says Bieber and Gomez left before deputies arrived, so investigators want to talk to him to get his side of the story.
A call to Bieber's publicist was not immediately returned late Sunday

MOVIE REVIEW : Men in Black 3’ ousts ‘The Avengers’ as top of box office this Memorial Day weekend ,Men in Black 3' exhibit at Museum of the Moving Image shows work of award-winning special-effects artist Rick Baker

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin made waves at the box office this weekend with 'Men in Black 3.'

Black suits and shades beat out heroes in tights at the box office over the holiday weekend.
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones’ “Men in Black 3” opened as the No. 1 movie over Memorial Day weekend, bumping Disney’s “The Avengers” to No. 2.
“MIB3” took in $55 million domestically from Friday to Sunday.
“The Avengers,” which spent three weekends on top, took in $37 million to push it to $514 million, making the superhero smash the fourth movie ever to top half a billion dollars.
Sony, distributor of “Men in Black 3,” estimates that by the end of Monday the newest installment in the series will pull in $70 million domestically and $202 million worldwide.
“Battleship,” a Universal movie, was No. 3 in its second weekend with $10.8 million, raising its domestic earnings to $44.3 million.
“Men in Black 3” sold fewer tickets than the previous two installments. The original “Men in Black” debuted in 1997 and “Men in Black II” in 2002, when admission prices were much lower than they are today.
The third in the series brings Smith’s Agent J and Jones’ Agent K together again to battle a new alien menace that travels four decades back in time to do away with the younger Agent K (Josh Brolin).

Alien masks and intergalactic weaponry used in the film "Men in Black 3" are on display at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens.

You don’t have to travel to another galaxy to get up close and personal with the gruesome aliens and intergalactic guns seen in “Men in Black 3.”
The Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, is exhibiting a collection of masks and props from the film in “Aliens, Gadgets, and Guns: Designing the World of Men in Black 3,” on display through Sept. 23.
The extraterrestrial masks and creatures were created by Oscar-winning special-effects makeup artist Rick Baker, who led a crew of 50 in designing more than 125 aliens for the film — each of which could take months to complete.
“I got to make a lot of big, bug-eyed, big-brained aliens, which were the kind of aliens I grew up with,” Baker says. “I hope the audience understands the love that I put into these creatures.”
He was a big fan of
horror movies as a kid, and turned his parent’s kitchen into a monster-making laboratory, he said.
Baker went on to win seven Academy Awards — including the first Best Make-Up Oscar for “An American Werewolf in London.”
In addition to a selection of extraterrestrial weaponry, an alien passport and a pair of shades worn by star Will Smith in the movie, the exhibit also includes a video of the four-hour daily ritual of turning actor Jemaine Clement into alien villain Boris.
“He was a really good sport about it,” Baker says of applying silicone gel-filled appliances to Clement to make him resemble “a Hells Angel from the ’60s.”
The grueling process often required Baker and his team to start their often 18-hour days at 2 a.m.
“It’s tough for everyone,” he says. But “I had a lot of fun.”
Barbara Miller, who curated the museum exhibit, said she was impressed by the craftsmanship that went into the masks — which range from bulbous brains with ears sticking out like antennas to scaled, reptilian creations.
“It blows you away how beautiful they are — even in their creepiness,” Miller says. It’s “even more amazing that the actors wearing these masks were only on camera for a few seconds.”
Museum Executive Director Carl Goodman was particularly excited about “MIB 3” because much of it was filmed across the street at Kaufman Astoria Studios.