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Pa Adebisi Adegoke, 85, and a former chief relations officer of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, retired in 1990. In this interview, he speaks on how he, a Muslim, has been living with his Christian wife, Iyabo, 74, for the past 52 years and why the railway of his time was effective. The beginning I was born in 1928 in Oyan, Osun State. At a very early age, I was taken to Ghana where I started Quranic School. My uncle had sent for me to come there. The idea then was that I would be trading with him because he was a trader, and at the same time schooling, but it was when I got there that he discovered that that I was too fragile to be involved in trading. So, I started going to Quranic School first before going to conventional school. This was after I had clocked 13. I went to Ogbomosho Baptist School established by Ogbomosho settlers in Ghana. Then I went to Anshate Kotoko School. I returned home in 1946 after I had completed Standard Six. It was in Saint Paul...

People get married for different reasons. While some seek companionship in marriage, many go into marriage for procreation. For couples who look forward to having children immediately after marriage, being declared 'infertile' by experts is like a death sentence. While it is generally agreed that it takes two to have a baby and every couple is expected to be in optimum health to have babies, medical experts claim men are having more fertility challenge now. Sperm concentration in men is said to have decreased by a third since 1990s while sperm count is said to have decreased by half over the past 50 years. Studies are also showing genetic abnormalities in sperm particularly in older men. For men therefore, quantity, quality and motility of spermatozoa are seen as important factors in fertility. Since the male factor is a prominent cause of infertility in couples, sperm donation has become vital in assisted conception treatment. A study by the Society...

A new party recently formed by associates of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, has praised leading members of the Peoples Democratic Party for walking out of the ruling party’s special convention Saturday and announcing a parallel faction. Atiku’s associates formed the PDM weeks ago and there are speculations that the platform was registered principally to actualize the presidential ambition of the former vice president. The PDP had today descended into a full blown crisis when Atiku, seven state governors and other leading party members walked out of the Abuja convention and then addressed a press conference to say they had taken over the party. But in a statement Saturday night, National Chairman of the PDM, Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, praised the dissenting PDP chieftains for displaying bravery and statesmanship in challenging authorities of the PDP. “The Peoples Democratic Movement today salutes the b...

BENIN CITY-THE National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), Saturday, released the results of the 2013 May/June National Business Certificate (NBC) and National Technical Certificate (NTC) Examinations, disclosing that 5,108 candidates were sanctioned over different cases of examination malpractices. The Registrar/ Chief Executive of the Board, Dr Olatunde Aworanti, who announced the results, called on the National and state Assemblies to legislate laws that will ensure the implementation of the establishment of modern and well equipped technical Colleges in all the Local Government Areas in the country, with a view t boost technical education. Giving a breakdown of the results, he disclosed that a total of 106,573 candidates enrolled for the examination nationwide but 103,753 candidates sat for the examination. He added that out of the 103,753 that sat for the examination “ 28,230 representing 27.2 per cent obtained credit passes in five s...

At least 24 members of the youth vigilante assisting Nigerian security officials to hunt for members of the Boko Haram were on Friday killed after an ambush by members of the sect, military officials said. The attack took place near Monguno Town, 158km from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. A security operative, who doesn’t want to be quoted in the press as he is not permitted to do so, said 36 members of the youth vigilante could not be accounted for, while the corpses of the 24 slain members of ‘Civilian-JTF’ were being retrieved. “They suffered a massive ambush attack, 24 of them were found dead, while about 36 of them, according to few of them who managed to escape the ambush, could not be accounted for,” the official said. Escaped vigilante members told security officials that those who attacked them were disguised in military uniform. ‘The vigilante youths numbering over 100 were on a mission to capture some Boko Ha...

The Federal Road Safety Commission , FRSC, Kano State Command, on Friday reminded vehicle owners that it would enforce the deadline on the old number plates and driver’s licence from October 1. The Public Relations Officer of the command, Kabiru Daura, said the agency had written reminders to government ministries and agencies on the issue and many of them had responded positively. The agency advised vehicle owners to change their number plates to the new one to avoid embarrassment. Mr. Daura said the enforcement would begin nationwide on October 1.

President of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, Solomon Ogba, reveals to KAZEEM BUSARI Nigeria's plans to be among the best in the sport Will there be any official reception for Blessing Okagbare after her feat at the IAAF World Championships? I'm not sure if the Ministry of Sport has any plan to honour Okagbare. I don't know if there's any plan for a reception. It could be that the ministry wants to wait for her to finish with the IAAF Diamond League in Zurich and in Brussels next week. She's competing in two finals, that is, the long jump and the 100m; she has technically pulled out of the 200m contest. I know the Delta State Government is planning an official reception for Okagbare and Regina George and a few of them. But Delta will not do anything until the Federal Government has officially received the athletes. It appears there's a special concentration of funds on Okagbare It's not true that there is more concentration on Ok...

The Vice Chancellor of the Kwara State University , Malete, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, has urged the Federal Government and the lecturers’ union, ASUU, to resolve their differences in the interest of the nation’s university system. Mr. Na’Allah, who made the call on Friday in Malete, told journalists that the continued face-off had the potential of eroding the confidence of the public in the nation’s university system. He blamed both parties for the protracted strike, saying they had not properly channelled their energies toward resolving the conflict. Mr. Na’Allah said that the Federal Government and ASUU must work together to enable the nation’s universities compete favourably with their counterparts worldwide. He also said there was the need for universities and degree-awarding institutions to tailor their curriculum toward imparting entrepreneurial skills in their students. The vice-chancellor said it was only by s...

Pep Guardiola has won his first trophy as Bayern Munich manager courtesy of an incredible penalty-shootout win over Chelsea in the Super Cup in Prague. Fernando Torres put the Europa League winners in-front early on, before Frank Ribery replied for the European champions shortly after the break. Ramires was sent off for the Blues before the start of extra time, during which Eden Hazard, with the aid of a Manuel Neuer mistake, scored to give Chelsea the lead for a second time. The Blues withstood severe Munich pressure until the final kick of the action when Javi Martinez equalised to force spot kicks, and Romelu Lukaku was the only player to miss as Bayern won 5-4 to give Guardiola victory over his old foe Jose Mourinho. Restored to the starting lineup after being dropped for the Premier League meeting with Manchester United, Torres began and finished a wonderfully-crafted team move that saw the Blues take an eighth-minute advantage. Eden Hazard collected t...

President Goodluck Jonathan declared on Friday that the insurgent group, Boko Haram, is being “progressively weakened” by the security architecture put in place by the administration. The President stated this at an audience with the outgoing Representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS, David MacRae. Mr. Jonathan said that the measures taken by his administration had resulted in a significant reduction in the occurrence of terrorist attacks in the country. He noted that the federal government would keep on doing everything possible to further enhance security in all parts of the country. “As a government, we are doing everything possible to improve our country on all fronts. We are consistently adapting our security architecture to deal with terrorism which has become a challenge to the whole world. Boko Haram is being progressively weakened but we are not resting on our oars. We will continue to do everything p...

The British Prime Minister, David Cameron , suffered a humiliating defeat when his motion in favour of military intervention in Syria was narrowly defeated by parliament. Also, Germany will not take part in any military action against Syria, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday. The vote means the close U.S. ally would not participate if U.S. President, Barack Obama, launches a strike on Syria in response to a poison gas attack last week that killed hundreds of people. Members of Mr. Cameron’s own Conservative party voted with the Labour opposition to defeat the motion 285 to 272. There were shouts of “resign”‘ from Labour lawmakers after the results of the vote were announced. “It is clear to me that the British parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action,” Mr. Cameron told lawmakers. “I get that and the government will act accordingly.” Mr. Cameron said...

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi "does not see anything bad" about his recent comments towards Malawi counterpart Tom Saintfiet. The Football Association of Malawi has reported Keshi to FIFA after he called Saintfiet "a white dude who should go back to Belgium". Keshi's remarks, which FAM and Saintfiet have called "racist", came in response to their request to move September's World Cup qualifier against Nigeria from Calabar on security grounds. "I only gave a strong reaction that it was wrong to insult the same country that Saintfiet was ready to work in. I really don't see anything bad about defending my country," Keshi told BBC Sport. "I honestly have nothing against Saintfiet, I met him when he was in Nigeria for his interview for the job of Nigeria Technical Director here and we spoke at length on football subjects. "Apparently, a harmless slang remark of 'white dude' was obviously misconst...

Roma signing Gervinho feels former manager Arsene Wenger did not give him the chance to reach his full potential at Arsenal. The 26-year-old Ivorian forward said he did not always have the confidence of his French boss but is looking forward to a new challenge in the Serie A, after being moved on from the Emirates earlier in August. "(Arsene) Wenger, well, I think he's one of the great coaches," he said. "He's someone I have great respect for and I'm also very happy to have been able to play for his club. Overall I just think it's his opinion. "After five years, that's it, I'm gone. That's his opinion. I think forwards need to feed on the confidence of their managers, I would have preferred to have that chance. "But that wasn't the case and the page had already turned. "But now I'm totally focused on Roma and working with Rudi Garcia – for me that's the most important thing right now." ...

The Taraba State House of Assembly on Thursday reaffirmed Garba Umar as the Acting Governor of the State and advised ailing Gov. Danbaba Suntai to proceed for further treatment. In a statement signed by 16 out the 24 members of the House of Assembly, the legislators said the decision was taken in the interest of the state. “The leadership of the assembly made several efforts to see the governor since his arrival, but up till Wednesday they were not allowed access to him. “The ailing governor spoke in a manner that brought more doubt to his letter purportedly transmitted to the speaker,” the lawmakers, who met Mr. Suntai on Wednesday evening, said. “In view of the above, we, the undersigned members of the state assembly unanimously resolved at our meeting that the Deputy Governor, upon whom power was earlier transmitted to by the state Assembly, still remain the acting Governor of Taraba. “He will continue to act in that regards unt...

Some clerics in Lagos have urged the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to go back to the drawing table and arrive at a final agreement so that universities can reopen. In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday, the clerics warned that the prolongation of the impasse would negatively affect the country’s development. Femi Asiwaju, Vice President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Lagos State Chapter, urged the Federal Government to address the demands of ASUU so that students would go back to school. “The Federal Government should attend to their needs; they should go and look at what those universities look like, so if they are talking on infrastructure, they should address them. “Where our children are studying to say the least is regrettable, they should attend to ASUU demands, that is the only way forward, as far as I am concern, ASUU is not asking for too much,” he said. L...

Aviation industry regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has started probing the ArikAir pilots and officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria over alleged security breaches that led to the arrest of a 15-year-old stowaway, Daniel Oikhena, at Lagos Airport on Saturday. This is even as the boy on Wednesday landed a scholarship to study free to university level and fulfil his dream of flying to the United States of America. The pilot, The PUNCH learnt, might lose his licence or be fined huge sum of money if ongoing investigation by the regulators found him guilty of not aborting the flight for safety checks, following the alleged passenger's report of presence of a strange boy some metres from the plane. Already, the regulatory authority has commenced full investigation into the matter, the Director-General, NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, disclosed to our correspondent on Wednesday. Although the NCAA boss declined to specify the nature o...

The Peoples Democratic Party has suspended a serving Senator, Andy Uba, and four other members of the party from Anambra State. The National Working Committee of the PDP suspended the five men for failing to honour the party’s invitation over the parallel congress organised in Awka on Saturday. The suspension was contained in a letter addressed individually to the five men. The letters were signed by the party’s Acting National Secretary, Remi Akintoye. Others suspended alongside Senator Uba are his brother, Chris Uba, a factional chairman of the PDP in Anambra, Ejike Oguebego, Benji Udeozor, and Tonia Nwankwu. Andy Uba gad won the PDP governorship ticket for Anambra at the parallel primary conducted by the Oguebego leadership of the party in the state. The PDP national headquarters has recognised Tony Nwoye, elected at another congress, as the party’s flag bearer for the Anambra governorship election in November.

Abuja -  The Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’I, said on Thursday in Abuja that French would be part of  the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as from 2014 for interested candidates. Rufa’I said this at farewell reception held in honour of the French Language Project Manager, Mr Jean-Phillipe Roy. She said that being multi-lingual in the 21st Century was essential as it helps individuals to operate more effectively in the international community. “For Nigeria, the study of French language is quite key, considering the fact that our neighbouring countries are French-speaking. “Apart from the English Language, French Language is one of the major international languages, ‘’she said. She said Roy came to Nigeria in 2009 under the 2nd Bilateral Agreement between Nigeria and French. The minister noted that  he had worked hard to ensure that various components of the project received due atte...

United States has expressed worry over the lingering feud between the Federal Government and the striking public universities' lecturers over their demand for better working conditions. The US also warned against the activities of touts who deceive intending students from Nigeria. Addressing journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, the US Embassy Cultural Affairs Officer, Bill Strassberger, urged the government to resolve the crisis with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, saying "it is a fear, it is a worry for us." Nigeria currently has about 7,028 students studying at over 700 institutions in the USA. He said, "That is something for the Nigerian government. It is up to it to work it out with the striking lecturers. "We are not involved in that negotiation but we can encourage. It is a fear, it is a worry for us because that would make it hard for the students to come. "It may be difficult, but there is no magic wand to resolve t...

Ikeja – My Yakubu Dati, General Manager, Corporate Communications, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said that additional security measures would be put in place to prevent a reoccurrence of a stowaway from the runways of the nation’s airports. Dati said this on Thursday while addressing aviation correspondents at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja. He stressed that the additional security measures would specifically be placed on airports without perimeter fencing. He said that the decision was inline with the recent stowaway incident which occurred at the Benin Airport on Aug. 24. The apprehended teenager who stowed from Benin. “First, at every airport without fully functional perimeter fence, a FAAN security vehicle will be deployed to a point within full view of the aircraft as it taxies out to take off. “And the FAAN security will maintain visual scrutiny and, if necessary, respond to any situation, until e...

Health workers in federal teaching hospitals as well as federal medical centres across Nigeria called off their one week strike only after the government gave in to all their demands, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt. The workers, under the auspices of Joint Health Staff Union, JOHESU, had downed their tools on August 21 following the federal government’s failure to accept their demands. They called off the strike after a 12-hour meeting with the federal government delegation on Tuesday. In attendance at the meeting were Minister of Labour, Emeka Wogu; the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu; and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Bukar Aji; alongside representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and JOHESU. The aggrieved workers include physiotherapists, medical laboratory scientists, radiographers, nurses, dental technologists, occupational therapists, health information officers, dental therapists, dieticians and other...

LONDON (AFP) – African superstar Samuel Eto’o will test himself in English football after Chelsea announced on Thursday that he has joined the Premier League giants on a one-year contract. The 32-year-old Cameroon striker arrives from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala on a free transfer, in a move that may signal the end of Chelsea’s pursuit of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. Chelsea have had two bids for Rooney rejected and manager Jose Mourinho recently admitted that he had a “Plan B” in case their pursuit of the England international did not come off. “I am very happy to be here, but also anxious because I want to get playing as soon as possible,” said Eto’o, who was pictured brandishing a Chelsea shirt on the club website. “It wasn’t a hard decision. I saw the qualities Chelsea have, and I was very happy with Jose Mourinho before, so when the opportunity came, I was very happy to take it.”...

MOTIVATION" When I woke up this morning lying in bed, I was asking myself; "what are some of the secrets to success in life?" I found the answer right there in my very room. The fan said,"be cool", the roof said, "aim high", the window said, "see the world" ,the clock said, "every minute is precious", the mirror said, "reflect before you act". The calender said, "be up to date". The door said, "push hard for your goals". The mat said "kneel down and pray".The toilet said "flush the haters that don't want to see u come out to anything good in life!

Some groups, including the Nigerian Conscience Party, on Wednesday asked the Federal Government to accede to the demand of the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and put an end to the rot in the educational system by implementing the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi's recommendations. The groups made the call in Lagos while announcing the 4th Year Remembrance for the late Fahewinmi, a frontline civil liberty lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who died at 71 on September 5, 2009. President of the organiser, the Gani Fawehinmi Memorial Organisation, Mr. Ayodele Akele, said the planned events for Saturday and September 5 were meant to celebrate the virtues which the deceased "lived and died for". GAFAMORG, along with other groups, including the Campaign for Democracy and the Women Arise for Change Initiative, in remembering Gani, lamented the decay in the nation's educational system. Akele expressed worry over "the u...