EBOLA UPDATE: Why Nigeria Halted Burial for Woman Allegedly Killed by Ebola in UAE

The Nigerian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said it “resisted pressure” from local authorities for the immediate burial of a Nigerian woman who died of “suspected Ebola virus” in the United Arab Emirate (UAE).

A top official of the embassy told NAN in Abuja that the Emirati Health Authority also pressured the woman’s husband to authorise immediate burial.

According to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the mission did not grant the approval sought by the local authorities because the result of Ebola test on the patient is pending.

It would be recalled that the 35-year old Nigerian woman, name withheld, said to be a cancer patient, died in Abu Dhabi on 15 August while travelling to India from Lagos via Abu Dhabi.

Her health deteriorated while in transit at Abu Dhabi International Airport and as medics were trying to resuscitate her, they found signs that suggested a possible Ebola virus infection.

The woman’s husband who was travelling with her, and the five medics who tried to resuscitate her, are still in isolation pending the result of Ebola test on the patient.

All are in good health and show no symptoms of the illness, according to local health officials.

The Nigerian official said the local health authorities had demanded the burial in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation in cases of death by suspected viral infections.

“But our response was that the results are not out and we cannot grant such approval,” the official said.

On Wednesday, the WHO reported 2,240 cases of Ebola virus with 1,229 deaths from across the world.

It said that most of the victims came from West Africa, including Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

According to the United Nations health agency 84 new fatalities were reported between 14 to 16 August.

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[SEE PICTURES] PATIENTS CAUGHT HAVING $EX IN AN HOSPITAL

Wonders shall never end... They are both patients in the hospital but how sick can they really be? Maybe they are psychiatric patients? Someone mailed me these pictures with the caption "two patients having sex in an hospital" name of hospital undisclosed, location undisclosed but with my investigation, its either Ghana or Lagos. Your view and opinion please.... see pictures after this cut....

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NIGERIAN CELEBRITY, MAHEEDA GOES NAK*ED IN KITCHEN... SHARES PICTURES

I keep wondering what this world is turning into... what's her benefit from this? What about her unborn kids? Lots of questions keep running through my mind without answers.

Readers, your view, comment and opinions please. 

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Business Traveller Africa Nigeria Awards 2014... Africa’s Economic Powerhouse to Celebrate Excellence in Business Travel

Future Group – the publishers of Business Traveller Africa magazine – in association with its Lagos-based affiliate, Tradeblazers, TNS South Africa and partner South African Tourism will be hosting the inaugural Business Traveller Africa Nigeria Awards this year. The event is set to take place at the InterContinental Hotel Lagos on 18 September.

The objective is to reward excellence in Nigerian business travel and to acknowledge those brands that have performed with excellence over the past year. The function is both a networking platform and an awards event covering all aspects of business travel, including the four main areas of hotels, airlines, car rental and travel management, along with related categories such as foreign exchange, visas etc.

South African Tourism’s Regional Director: Africa, Evelyn Mahlaba, says “South African Tourism sees the potential in the Business Traveller Nigeria Awards because for us, this provides a wonderful opportunity to recognize the immense contribution made by some of our trade partners in helping to promote South Africa as a tourism destination.  Even more importantly, these Awards are the perfect platform in helping to build a robust Nigerian tourism sector through recognition and rewarding of excellence in the industry.”

Voting polls are now open and will close on 18 August. The event will cover a total of 15 categories.

The voting research is being conducted by independent research company TNS South Africa, and the survey has gone out to the entire National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) database, airline and aviation experts, TMCs, car rental and hospitality professionals.

The awards event will be preceded by a business travel conference, facilitated by Business Traveller Africa magazine editor Dylan Rogers, which will focus on pertinent issues affecting business travel in Africa, with particular focus on the Nigerian market.

Future Group and Tradeblazers are also pleased to welcome Kerzner International, GHI Assets, W Hospitality, SAA and Delta Air Lines onboard as corporate partners of the Business Traveller Africa Nigeria Awards.

The launch of the Business Traveller Africa Nigeria Awards follows on the success of the South African Awards, which is in its third year and takes place at the Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg on the 2nd of September.

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“THINGS I HATE ABOUT COSON” – AZEEZAT

I hate it when my COSON phone rings. Yes, I have a COSON phone, an around 2k 'palasa' whose shrill sound can wake the dead. The phone was given to me because as a member of a key committee of the Board, the management needs to track me 24/7, so I am always on stand-by.

I have been strategizing on how to tell them to change the phone since, but for where? The thought of saying that to Bernice, COSON's Head of Finance/Admin is enough to keep me quiet and continue to manage the ‘pure water’ phone, even if everyone on the other end continues to say they don't hear me, and then I put it on speaker. My hope is that one day; the GM will get tired of not hearing me and change the phone himself.

Now you have laughed, abi? Laugh all you can. That is what we go through as Directors at Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), the million-dollar-declaring Collective Management Organization (CMO) that everybody is talking about. Can you imagine?

That's why I laugh when I read stories about how COSON Directors are building houses everywhere and spending COSON money nyafun-nyafun. It's all so hilarious.

You would have expected COSON to give me at least one android Tekno as an official phone. No be so? But no! That is the kind of organization we run. Very stringent! There are so many protocols to ensure transparency and accountability. You cannot imagine how many people have to sign and counter-sign a voucher before you are refunded N5,000 of the N10,000 you spent doing COSON work. At COSON, every kobo must be counted and accounted for. I hear that some people even think that COSON is spending government money. Which government? Government has never given one penny to COSON. Ask anywhere.

So where was I? Yes, I said I hate my COSON phone ringing. It isn't just because of the shrill sound of the phone, it is also because of the nature of the job: COSON is in a hurry and you can be summoned at any time and given one very tough assignment and you have to do it. Don’t blame me if the stubborn part of me sometimes revolts. These people very well know that they don’t pay me a salary. Shouldn’t I have some time to earn a living?’ I thought I knew the COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji before I became a Director of COSON. Na lie, I did not know him. He is a perfectionist and demands perfection from everybody. He never stops working and thinks that everybody must be a workaholic like him. How I come enter this kind long thing?

I remember being called to pursue the collection of outstanding music copyright royalties at LTV8 (Lagos Television). LTV was like a home to me, if you know what I mean: I was always welcome. There was once that without a couple of hours at Feminar, the joint inside the LTV compound, my day was not done. From the gate o, to the receptionists, presenters/producers, Ogas dem, I was always given a warm welcome at LTV8.

Now it was this same LTV8 that I had to go to and chase the Permanent Secretary (PM) for music royalties. And guess who that PM was, the very admirable Lekan Ogunbanwo! There's more to this story o. The last time I saw Mr. Ogunbanwo before the royalties issue, I had gone to appeal to him to grant free venue for a widows event that I was involved in, and he graciously did. So how thicker can this plot get?

Anyways I was sent on an errand, and errand I must go and deliver. First day I went, I was indeed able to look at him in the eyes after some wait and diplomatically ask "where is our money?" He calmly told me to come back the next week. Next week came and I was there but guess what, I was kept waiting for a long time at the reception downstairs, for the first time in my history with LTV. I couldn't believe it. Another one of my treasured goodwill bites the dust, ghen ghen!!

At COSON, there are no half measures. Nothing that can be done today must be postponed till tomorrow. The Chairman insists that the overriding interest at all times must be that of all the members and there must be no secrets in COSON. Everything must be placed on the table and discussed by everyone and known by everyone. Loong thing! So there are countless meetings. Everyone must know where every naira is coming from and where it is going to. I know how long it has taken for us to get something like COSON established and why the organization must be protected but it does become too much.

That's what working as a Director in COSON entails: your long-term built relationships and goodwill suffer, while trying to continuously build a million-dollar organization in which you have to argue over every kobo. But I hear that that's how strong long-lasting conglomerates are built: arguing over every kobo!

At COSON, rules are rules and there are no friends and no foes. I have had to sit at the opposite side of the table and argue vigorously with music/media greats like Baba 'Ke-ke' Kenny Ogungbe of Ray Power, Mr Larry Izamoje who owns Brila FM, Guy Murray Bruce of Silverbird, Senator Mike Ajeigbo who owns Minaj, Engineer Amin Moussali who owns Cool FM and Wazobia FM, Sony Irabor of Inspiration FM. I could give you a looong never-ending list of how I practically grew up in the hands of some of these people!! But when the matter involves COSON, you throw away your personal relationships out of the window.

But don't let me fool you with this image of a long-suffering human being in the service of Naija music homo-sapiens, Naaa. I love it! I love the fact that we have made history. At COSON, we have built the kind of professional organization that people said was impossible in Nigeria. I love to walk into the smart COSON office and see all those graduates working for Nigerian artistes. Because of COSON, everyone is now afraid of trampling on the rights of Nigerian artistes. I love the feeling of making a difference. I love that my opinion counts. I love looking at the faces of those old artistes/society members from the hinterlands, each time we have a COSON AGM and copyright royalties are being paid to thousands of artistes, I ask: Is this Nigeria?

Seeing how COSON works, I now know why PMAN has continued to fail. Boy, I love solving the problems of those old artistes. And I oh-so-love it when they pray for me. I like the feeling that all their prayers for me is in a bank in heaven, waiting for the day I'll need it.

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HOW AYANGBUREN OF IKORODU, OBA SALAUDEEN OYEFUSI DIED …Monarch’s Corpse Arrives Lagos

After the pronouncement of his death on Saturday the remains of the late Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Salaudeen Oyefusi, have arrived Lagos from London where he passed on at the age of 83.

Sources close to the palace informed that the body was being awaited in Ikorodu by the traditionalists who are expected to carry out the burial rites later in the day.

According to the source, “the body was being expected early in the morning. I can assure you that the body has arrived Lagos already.

“The Oba’s corpse is not something that everyone sees and traditionally, we do not say that the king is not dead, we only state that he made an exit.

“The king belongs to Osugbo, the highest traditional institution around, and they are the ones to oversee the burial rites of the late Kabiyesi. So it is not often made public how, where and when the king is being buried or otherwise.”

Source, who pleaded anonymity, also stated that “the state government and kingmakers will have to sit down and make arrangements for the ceremonial burial which is what many of us will be privileged to witness.

“As at Sunday, a day after his demise, the palace was being locked but it should be opened today, (Monday), hopefully, for condolence messages by sympathizers.”

The Ayangburen, who was the Vice-Chairman, Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs, passed on in an undisclosed London hospital at the weekend.

He was regarded and revered as the ‘father of all’ in Ikorodu and its environs.

Meanwhile, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has described as shocking the passage of the monarch.

Reacting to the sad occurrence, Governor Fashola described the late Oba as an epitome of discipline and integrity who loved his people and the state.

He said the state would sorely miss the royal father and national merit award winner, who had contributed immensely to the development of the country, the state and indeed the Ikorodu community.

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[PICTURE] POLICE ARREST LANDLORD'S SON FOR ROBBERY IN OGUN STATE ...Recover Loot

The men of the Ogun State Police Command attached to the anti- robbery team of the Ajuwon Police Division on Saturday arrested two suspected robbers.

The suspects ─ Opeyemi Ibiloye and Michael Sanusi ─ were nabbed after they had robbed a resident on Olatunji Street, Akute, Ifo Local Government Area of the state.

It was learnt that the robbers, who were six in number, had invaded the area during the early hours of the day.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, said someone, however, sent a distress call to the police on the robbery, adding that they responded swiftly.

Source revealed that policemen arrived at the scene after the robbers had dispossessed the resident of money and other valuables.

The robbers fled the scene, but the policemen gave them a chase and arrested two of them. They recovered the loot they took and their weapons.

According to him, preliminary investigation done by the police revealed that the second suspect, Sanusi, is a son of one of the landlords in the area.

Adejobi said the victim of the robbery was taken to the hospital by the Divisional Police Officer in the area.

The PPRO said items recovered from the robbers included cutlasses, charms, mobile phones/iPhones.

Adejobi said the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, had directed that the suspects be transferred to the Department of Criminal Investigation, Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation.

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