Ekwunife: APGA Not Part Of Merger

The planned merger of 10 opposition parties has continued to attract angry reactions from APGA’s stakeholders.

The APGA member representing Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia Federal Constituency and the oldest member of the party in the National Assembly, Mrs Uche Ekwunife yesterday told newsmen after receiving an award as a Drug Distribution Advocate by Federal Ministry of Health at Sheraton Hotels, Abuja, that APGA had not merged with any political party.
She said: "APGA is a party established for the purpose of advancing the political interest of the Igbo people. Merging the party with other political parties should not be a hush-hush matter. There has been no discussion or consultation among stakeholders.
As a major stakeholder and the oldest member of the party in the House of Representatives, I believe I should be in the know if there are such plans. I have not received any information from my governor nor has the national chairman contacted me about any merger talks. So, how do you shave a man’s head in his absence? For APGA to be part of any merger plan, there must be proper consultations as anything to the contrary will be procedurally wrong."
Naij

Marijuana Smokers Have Higher Risk Of Stroke

The popular illegal drug, marijuana, may double the risk of stroke among young adults, according to findings revealed at The American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2013.

The study, carried out in New Zealand, identified that marijuana smokers were more than twice as likely than healthy adults to have suffered an ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack. Lead investigator of the study, Alan Barber, said "This is the first case-controlled study to show a possible link to the increased risk of stroke from cannabis. Cannabis has been thought by the public to be a relatively safe, although illegal substance. This study shows this might not be the case, it may lead to stroke."
The researchers assessed urine samples of a total of 150 ischemic stroke and 10 transient ischemic attack patients, aged between 18 and 55. From the study, close to 16 per cent of the participants in the study had positive drug screens, most of whom also smoked cigarettes. The study revealed that 8.1 per cent of those who came up positive in the urine samples smoked cannabis, as there was no difference in age or stroke mechanism between those who smoked marijuana and those who did not. Previous studies identified that ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack could develop within hours of smoking marijuana.
Barber added, "These patients usually had no other vascular risk factors apart from tobacco, alcohol and other drug usage. Questioning stroke and control patients about cannabis use is likely to obtain unreliable responses."
Although the study is the strongest piece of evidence that associates cannabis with stroke, it should be noted that the conclusions of the study is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. In addition, the connection between cannabis and stroke may be confounded, because all but one of the stroke patients who were marijuana smokers also engaged in tobacco use. However, Barber believed that it was cannabis and not the tobacco that was causing the increased risk of stroke.
Naij

For The International Travelers: Needles Found in Sandwiches on Delta Airlines

he last thing to expect inside a sandwich served on Delta Airlines is needles.
Delta Air Lines Inc. and the FBI, are trying to figure out how the needles got into turkey sandwiches served on board four flights from Amsterdam. One passenger was injured.
The airline said that what looks like sewing needles were found in five sandwiches. One of the passengers on a flight to Minneapolis was injured, but the passenger refused medical attention, according to Delta spokeswoman Kristin Baur. Other needles were found in two flights to Atlanta and one to Seattle.
The FBI office in Atlanta has opened a criminal investigation into the matter, the agency said in a statement.
Baur said the flight attendants stopped serving snacks as soon as the needle was discovered. Messages were left for other flights on the route from Amsterdam, where the sandwiches had been prepared by a caterer, to not serve the sandwiches. Another sandwich served in the Minneapolis flight also had a needle, Baur said.
After the needles were found, passengers had pizza instead. Baur said the security of the meal production has increased and it is using most packaged foods while the investigation continues.
"Delta is taking this matter very seriously and is cooperating with local and federal authorities who are investigating the incident. Delta has taken immediate action with our catering service in flight from Amsterdam to ensure the safety and quality of food offered on board our aircraft," the airline said in a statement.
The sandwiches are made in the kitchen of Amsterdam Gate Gourmet catering company, and were to be served to business class passengers on Delta.
 TalkOfNaija

Facebook Murder:Receptionist Recounts How Cynthia Was Found Dead

The trial of the suspects in connection with the murder of Facebook girl, Cynthia Osokogu began in Lagos today with the state calling Mrs Ifeyinwa Njegbu, a receptionist at Cosmilla Hotel, where Cynthia’s body was found, stone dead.
In her testimony, Ifeyinwa told the court that while on duty on 21 July, 2012, she checked in two guests, a man and a woman who claimed to be a couple into Room C1 of the hotel at about 12 noon.
She noted that at about 8 a.m the next day, while she was preparing to hand over to one of her colleagues, Vivian Amule, the couple informed her through phone that they were checking out.
“After I had handed over to my colleague, I asked her to check out the couple since they had told me that they were leaving that morning”
Njegbu noted that when she resumed duty the next day,she was briefed that the couple had left but that a brother of the man had taken over the room since the payment made on the room will not expire until 12pm.
She told the court that the new occupant of the room told her through intercom that he would be staying behind but that she should permit him to get money from the ATM machine to pay for the day.
According to her, the occupant of the room whom she later identified as the first defendant, Okwumo came down and met the second defendant, Ezike who was waiting for him at the reception.
She said Okwumo confirmed that he was the new occupant of the room and that he needed to get some money from the ATM to pay for the room.
She said Okwumo who left the hotel in company of the Ezike never returned but called the hotel later to say that Cynthia who was in room C1 should be removed from the hotel.
” He said he will return by 12pm. I waited until around 3pm, when someone called the intercom phone and identified himself as the occupant of room C1 and that he is not going to come back and that we should remove the Idiot from the room”
“Immediately I called our manager and explained what had happened. He told me that if Okwumo doesn’t come back, the girl should pay for the room. He told me to call the room through the company’s intercom phone. I called several times but there was no response, ”
“The manager Mr Victor went upstairs and said he knocked at the door and there was no response. So he told me to take the master key since I am a lady like her, that I should go and open the door. I went up stairs to the room and knocked severally and there was no response.So I used the master key to open the door. Immediately I opened the door, I saw deceased Cynthia naked on the bed. I was shocked and I shouted Jesus”
She added that she rushed down to tell the manager who later invited police.
Mrs Njegbu further said that she was able to identify the two suspects to the police through a replay of the CCTV recording mounted in the hotel.
She said that about two weeks later, a man who identified himself as Cynthia’ brother called the hotel to find out if Cynthia had lodged in the hotel.
She said she declined to give Cynthia’s brother any detail because it was against the hotel practice to give out information about those who lodged into the hotel.
Further trial on the matter continues on 22 February, 2013
Naij

Woman French kisses her own son in jail to pass him drugs (PICTURED)

Officials in Penn Yan, NY, say Kimberly Margeson, 54, passed two Oxycodone painkiller pills to her 30-year-old, William Partridge by french kissing him during a jailhouse visit.

A mother’s love knows no bounds, but Kimberly Margeson’s love for her son may have shown no boundaries.

New York State police say 54-year-old Margeson passed two Oxycodone pills to her 30-year-old son, William Partridge, by french-kissing him during a jailhouse visit, MSNnow reported.

Margeson was charged with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a felony, and second-degree promoting prison contraband, a misdemeanor while Partridge was charged with second-degree promoting prison contraband, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

Margeson pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Middlesex Town Court and was remanded to the Yates County Jail and released in lieu of $2,000 cash bail, deputies said, according to the Elmira Star Gazette.

Partridge, who has been in the jail since Jan. 26 on an unrelated felony weapon possession charge, is scheduled to be arraigned on the misdemeanor in Penn Yan Village Court on Feb. 11, according to PressConnects.com.

TalkOfNaija

56-Year-Old Man Banned From Talking To Women For 10 Years

A s*x pest has been banned from speaking to women for ten years.

David Delahunty, 56, could be jailed just for saying hello to a woman he does not know.
A judge imposed the ban after Delahunty admitted s*xual assault. He walked up to a stranger at a bus stop, kissed her on the cheek and told her she was a “bonny lass”.
But he then terrified the woman by making lewd suggestions and falsely claiming he was a defiler who had just been freed from prison.
The victim, in her 20s, was left feeling “disgusted and frightened”, the judge was told. Delahunty, of Carlisle, Cumbria, was given a nine-month suspended jail term and 120 hours’ community work.

He was also put on the s*x Offenders Register and made subject to a s*x Offences Prevention Order.
The order bans him from speaking to any woman he does not know in a public place for the next ten years, except in an emergency. He faces up to five years in jail if he breaches the terms.
Delahunty had been drinking heavily before the incident, Carlisle Crown Court was told. Judge Paul Batty called it “a disgraceful episode”.
Delahunty’s lawyer Keith Thomas said: “He grew up in a big family where such banter was commonplace.
He realises this has to cease and he should not talk to any woman he does not know.”
InformationNigeria

Budget: Opposition Reps threaten to override Jonathan’s veto

 by John Ameh 

Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila

Opposition party members at the House of Representatives on Thursday threatened to override President Goodluck Jonathan’s veto on the 2013 budget if he fails to sign it.

Jonathan has not communicated officially to the National Assembly that he will not sign the N4.9tr budget.

The delayed signing of the document, three weeks after it was sent to the Presidency, has raised speculation of a rift between the National Assembly and the Presidency.

There were claims that the legislature and the Presidency had disagreements over “padded constituency projects”, but neither side had confirmed this publicly.

On Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emodi, blamed the delay on “typographical errors” in the document, dismissing speculation of its return to the legislature.

Presidential spokesperson, Dr. Reuben Abati, also stated that his boss was still studying the budget.

Abati added that there was no possibility of returning the entire budget to the National Assembly.

Rising from a meeting on Thursday, opposition lawmakers from the Action Congress of Nigeria,

All Nigeria Peoples Party, Congress for Progressive Change and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, warned that they would vote to override Jonathan if the delay turned out to be a veto.

The Minority Leader of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, who gave their position at a news conference, said, “We call on Mr. President to very quickly sign the 2013 budget and we will work with him on this if there are genuine grey areas.

“We are already in February and a situation where the legislature will have to over ride his presidential veto as constitutionally provided is not a good way to start the year or foster a good legislative-executive relationship.

“We also ask that Mr. President begins to respect official resolutions from an equal arm of government as these resolutions are always in national interest.

“If two heads are better than one; then 360 heads are better than one.”

However, the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, said such a move would be premature.

Mohammed said, “We have not reached there yet. Mr. President has not come to tell us that he will not sign the budget. If need be, we are not afraid, but we are not there yet.

“Why not keep our gunpowder dry until we get there?”

According to him, the House will not act on “speculation” that Jonathan would not sign the budget until the President wrote the National Assembly in line with constitutional provisions.

The members also declared their support for the decision of the four major opposition parties in the country to merge with the aim of wresting power from the People Democratic Party during the 2015 poll.

Punch