Court Remands Student In Prison
Custody Pending Ruling On Bail
NAN
— March 26, 2014
An Abuja Senior Magistrates’ Court in Karu,
FCT on Wedneday, ordered that a student,
Fidelis Ojor, 19, be remanded in Keffi Prison,
pending ruling in a bail application.
Ojor is arraigned for attempted rape of a
minor.
Senior Magistrate, Anna Akobi, fixed the
date after hearing an oral bail application by
the counsel to the accused, Mr Sunny
Egbaji.
Akobi fixed April 4 for ruling in the bail
application.
Ealier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Bulus Samuel,
told the court that Ojor, who lives behind
Gowon Barracks, Abuja, lured a three-year-
old girl into his house where he attempted
to defy her.
Samuel alleged that the case was reported
at the police station on Jan. 21 by Mr
Chibueze Okereke, the girl’s father.
He further alleged that the accused
forcefully inserted his finger into the minor’s
private part, leaving her with bruises and
severe pains.
He said that the offence contravened section
285 of the Penal Code, which prescribed a
seven-year jail term for attempted rape.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the
charge.
Counsel to the accused, Egbaji, made an
oral bail application, stating that “the
accused is a promising young man, who has
unfortunately become a victim of this
allegation’’.
But the prosecutor objected to the
application on the ground that offences
bordering on rape were not ordinarily
bailable, adding that investigation was still
on-going.
He stated that the police were still awaiting
results of the medical test carried out on the
victim from the hospital.
“Granting him bail could affect our
investigation as we are not magicians to
fabricate facts.
“Besides, the accused had earlier been
arraigned on the same matter at the Upper
Area Court in Karu and the prosecutor
applied for withdrawal of the case which was
granted.
“The prosecutor re-arrested the accused,
who was in police custody for more than two
weeks, before he was brought to this court
today (Wednesday).” (NAN)

Abujalicious. By Dr. Abiodun Ogungbo

Abuja is a beautiful city and a wonderful place to visit for its gastronomic delights. The city has wonderful restaurants and great places to eat: which is the interest of this article. I know some of the best places to have fun in Abuja and will deliver them to you on a plate. Bon appétit! Eat roast catfish at Ibiza. Ibiza is a local garden restaurant in Area 11. The boys have a fish pond from where you can select the size of fish you want. We call this ‘point and kill’ in Abuja (You point to the fish you want, they kill and cook it for you). The fish is cooked while you nurse a cold bottle of beer or a glass of wine and is often ready in about an hour. It is, of course, best to go in company so the time passes really fast. Regardless, the wait is well rewarded with the taste of the well roasted and hot (fresh off the oven) succulent fish. Cooked in various condiments, the fish is a heavenly delight full of spices and sometimes Irish potato chips cooked in the juice. You can choose to support the meal with a bottle of Chardonnay or other white wines. Either way, you are sure to want to come back the next night and the next… I do. Spend an evening at Transcorp Hilton poolside. The hotel is the most expensive and perhaps the best in Abuja (largest hotel in Africa). The suya
bar by the Hilton pool is my preferred spot at the hotel. This means that an evening here is an incredible experience, especially on a Saturday or Sunday evening with great atmosphere. Order
either a light meal of roasted plantains and chicken or a full platter of ‘all sorts’ to share with friends. It is one of the best, stylish, sundown experiences in Abuja. Add to this, of course, the views of lovely bodies on display by the poolside. You can join in, to swim or simply pose on the sun loungers, if you like. Drink wine, eat kilishi at Protea Hotel. One of Abuja’s better hotels is the Protea Hotel in Asokoro. The hotel has a great mood and a welcoming cool interior. This contrasts beautifully with the hot taste of the peppered, sun dried beef, aka kilishi, on your palate. You will need the house wine and roasted peanuts to accompany the beef, cooling the inferno on your tongue. Nothing gets you salivating quite like this and it prepares you wonderfully for a banquet meal in their restaurant. However, that is another experience entirely. Book a private table at Cubana. Extravagant, exorbitant, but damn good feeling in the heart of Wuse 2. You and your friends pay through the nose for a private champagne-adorned table in a private part of the club. It does feel good to be
one of the haves protected by burly bouncers and served exclusively by pretty waitresses. With the alcohol, good music and perfect company, even your banker will join in the fun But, remember, don’t drink and drive.
Wok it out at Silverbird. Wok is the very best Chinese restaurant in Abuja. Other places serve equally good sweet and sour chicken but Wok does it in real style. The restaurant is authentic  unpretentious and surprisingly affordable. The stylish and tasty food is of a high variety and a stunning departure from eating local cuisine. If you are used to ordering Chinese as comfort food or when you are too tired to cook, this will
not disappoint you. When you have eaten to your heart’s comfort, take a slow stroll through the Silverbird Galleria and go up to snore your head off in the cinema. I do. Go to the top in DUNES: DUNES in Maitama
has a great ambience. The whole complex is beautiful. Stroll through the supermarket on the ground and first floors before taking a seat in front of the waterfall. The food is excellent Lebanese and continental. The preparation is quick and the service girls are great. I love thesweets or desert, but they are not for the
diabetic. Great food at Wakkis Restaurant. This is one of the favourite places for eating great Indian foods
and drinking cold, cold beer to go with it. Also, honourable mention goes to great ambiance in the restaurant located on Aminu Kano Crescent. I like the smell from the kitchet and to see the chefs cooking up a storm. Order the buttered prawns for starters with warm Nan bread. Then, whatever type of rice you prefer with a curry dish. You are guaranteed to leave with a full stomach and a smile on your face. The proverbial cat that got the cream! Too much food at Jevinik Restaurant. Enter any of the Jevinik chain of restaurants: the best place for local food. If you are really hungry and cannot wait, this is the place to go. The restaurants are great for dishing out mountains of food in the fastest time possible. The quality is good and the service pleasant.
From the health point of view, Jevinik is wasteful and perpetuates greed; so it’s best to go with friends and share a plate. Otherwise, you end up wasting enough food that could feed a small family. If you are watching your weight,eat only in moderation, as this is a place that can and will spoil you rotten. Okay, there are lots of things to do in Abuja, but the most fun can be had eating and drinking with friends. Abuja has a rich mix of restaurants from many  countries and different parts of Nigeria. The choice is endless; so relax, it Abujalicious.
By Dr. Abiodun Ogungbo

The oddities of our present day elites as regard education.
   By Onyeka Emeka.

Down with awful and disgusting feelings that come with fever, emanating from the rise and fall of my expectations as regard ending the ongoing ASUU strike.
Lying in my self contained wooden bed and vividly gazing at my fast aging parents in thier room, as i have tête-a-tête with my inner man on my plans and how they are being thwarted by the lingering strike. I number my plights not just as a student but also a citizen of the awry nation called Nigeria. When i was growing up as a young boy and as a student, i wasn't only taught, i also read little of Nigeria's history. How she got her independence, how the nationalists formidably strived & harnessed one another's efforts towards ensuring that Nigeria was emancipated from the hand of the colonial masters. This was done irrespective of tribes and other back drops that's why Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir. Ahmadu Bello, to mention but a few. Are 4eva young" in our memories today for their selfless services & noncabalism & if any of them had the chances of making updates on face book, they wouldn't have been getting huge insultes even as our present leaders whom debased themselves are getting. As at late 70s, things were reletively much better compare to the present day realities the poverty line was less than 30% and the exchane rate was 0.894 ₦1 to 1USD in 1985. Agriculture was much regarded as it contributed to the bulk of the country's revenue but with the romance between the FG & Oil at its discovery earlier on, led to the jilt of Agriculture which was now looked at as an old "woman".
The Education sector was equally erudite before things fell apart, infact the Nigeria today is the shadow of the then Nigeria and this brings to my main point. I was reading an online news page where i came across a statement made by Wike the acting minister of Education. Wike was quoted as saying that "for education sector to be rivived, toes would be stepped on". I see this as politicking the education and toying with the future of millions of vibrant youths who struggle through school. From the statement, it is quite conspicuous that there are hands holding the sector captive & i wonder who these cabals who are in all sectors of the economy are. Our educational system is in the state of shabby and dangerously precarious as such, needs herculean efforts geared towards reviving it and a whole minister has the courage to talk about cabals, this is freakingly aghasting! When Wike became acting minister of education after the president jettisoned Mrs. Rukayat, i completely lost hope knowing fully well that Wike is a frivolous man who has found pleasure in bicker & calumniating against Amaechi the Rivers state governor. Those who listen or read trending issues in the polity will affirm to this, Wike was obvioulsy reward by GEJ whom he for his sake, antagonizes Amaechi for. Now tell me, is GEJ serious with delivering on the monumental challenges &demands on developmental activities particularly as it affects human capital dev't? I veciferusly lapoon Mr. Wike's appointment whether it's interime or not! Perhaps his appointment justifies the saying that birds of the same feathers, flock togther cos if GEJ was wise & intelligent enough, he would have armed himself with like minded people. Even if ASUU strike is called off today, it is even belated, yet nothing gratifying is heard of it lately. Gov't under GEJ has neglected its priority of developing human capital which is a bane for spuring the general dev't. If i were GEJ, i wiould have done much better to end this embarrassing situation to minimally obscure his mediocrities & to win the hearts of the youths who are now leaving him at the mercy of the so called G-7 governors cos with the present realities, i doubt his survival of his political crucification. Often time i hear in the news of gov't borrowing to facilitate some programmes that are no where close to education on the scale of preference so why can't the gov't borrow to mitigate this vital sector if really it's broke or if it really mean well for the future leaders? I am looking forward to seeing a better Nigeria, where there will be no cabals, no corruption, no poverty, with accessible and qualitative education.

You can also follow me on: Nairaland @Kris d don.
Twitter@Kris_Generous.
Email:Christianonyeka@rocketmail.com
i explore more on Nairaland.
Feel free to contribute ur opinion, make observation & call on my attention for the necessary correction.

Cashless FCT! Are you ready?

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced a new policy on cash-based transactions which stipulates a ‘cash handling charge’ on daily cash withdrawals or cash deposits that exceed N500,000 for Individuals and N3,000,000 for Corporate bodies. The new policy on cash-based transactions (withdrawals & deposits) in banks, aims at reducing (NOT ELIMINATING) the amount of physical cash (coins and notes) circulating in the economy, and encouraging more electronic-based transactions (payments for goods, services, transfers, etc.).
   The policy was first introduced in Lagos sometimes last year and was met by outright complaint by majority of lagosians who sees the policy as another means by both bank and CBN to start deducting from their hard learned money.
    Abuja are you ready? The CBN is planning to role out the second phase of the cashless policy in Abuja and other selected states come July 1st, 2013. So as from July 1st, FCT would witness a change in its cash policy,daily withdrawals and cash deposit that exceed N500,000 for individual and N3,000,000 for corporate bodies will now attract a service charges. So with the new policy, bank customers will have to let go N100 for every N1000 withdrawn or deposit above the stipulated amount(i.e if you want to withdraw N600,000 you will have to pay N10,000 for the extra N100,000 above the N500,000 daily limitation).
      Alternative Banking System
       Banks in the country are now coming up with alternative means of banking without stepping into the banking hall, some of these means are the ATM, POS (point of sales machines), standing order, internet banking, National Electronic Fund Transfer(NEFT) etc, yet these alternatives still have there own short form. These shortfalls  come in the area of infrastructures like electricity,internet connection and the rest.
    Now tell me which  would you rather go for? Is it the 10% deduction on every kobo above the daily transaction limit or the high fraud risky available alternatives. The choice is yours.

Abuja Traffic light

the state of traffic lights in and around the FCT is uncalled for. A drive around the town will surely be a shame thing for a regular vistor to abuja( mostly those that knew abuja during the period of @el-rufai) virtually all the traffic lights are not in a good working conditions. From Area1 to Area11, from Zone 2 to Zone 8 to central area even to the high resident areas(asokoro,maitama etc). A personal investigation shows that atleast 80% of the available traffic lights are not working at all,even the remaining working 20% can't operate for 24hours. A common thing now is to see traffic officers controlling traffics at this major junctions,which are very hard to control. No statistical figure is available on how much have budgeted for maintenance of this infrastructure but available statistic shows that huge amount of money are been made available each year for maintenance of infrastructures in the FCT. Hope the present administrator find a lasting solution in bring back the lost glory of our great city, not only on traffic lights, but also on issues that affect the general populist.   Written by Adepoju Ademola