Sunday 20 March 2016
Teaser Video : 9ice – ATM
Teaser Video : 9ice – ATM
NEWS..... Congo to block telecoms service during vote
Brazzaville - The Republic of Congo has instructed telecommunications firms operating in the country to block service during Sunday's presidential vote.A letter dated on Friday from Raymond Zephirin Mboulou, the interior minister, to the head of local operations for the South African-based firm MTN said all communications, including text messages, should be blocked on Sunday and Monday for securityreasons.The letter, obtained by The Associated Press on Saturday, refers to a list of numbers that are to continue to receive communications during the two days.Republic of Congo's long time President Denis Sassou N'Guessois facing off against eight opponents on Sunday in an election held five months after a referendum removed term and age limits that would have barred him from running. The run-up to October's referendum was marred by violence.
NEWS...... England down France to claim Grand SlamAFP
Paris - England, led by bullocking No 8 Billy Vunipola, confirmed their remarkable transformation from World Cup flopsto Six Nations Grand Slam winners when they beat France 31-21 on Saturday.The victory was Australian coach Eddie Jones' fifth straight winsince taking over from Stuart Lancaster, the English having seenoff Scotland (15-9), Italy (40-9), Ireland (21-10) and Wales (25-21).It was England's first Grand Slam since their World Cup-winning year of 2003, when Jones was in charge of losing finalists Australia.But it was not easy going at the Stade de France for England, who scored three tries through Danny Care, Dan Coleand Anthony Watson with Owen Farrell contributing 16 points with the boot.A rash of ruck infringements allowed France to keep in the game through scrumhalf Maxime Machenaud, who booted seven penalties in a flawless kicking display.Machenaud got the scoreboard rolling after Maro Itoje was pinged at a ruck, but Farrell responded immediately when Franceskipper Guilhem Guirado was penalised for a dangerous tackle.France delighted a packed stadium by running the ball with intent, Scott Spedding and Virimi Vakatawa, born in South Africa and Fiji respectively, both splitting the English defence only for final passes to go amiss.Livewire scrumhalf Care, who dictated a fast pace, showed up some lax ruck defence by stepping straight through a gap left by lumbering prop Jefferson Poirot and crossing for a well-taken try, converted by Farrell.France suffered a blow when Francois Trinh-Duc limped off after 13 minutes to be replaced by Jules Plisson at flyhalf.Spedding broke through again, with France finally showing theirattacking muster after generally failing to fire in tight wins over Italy (23-21) and Ireland (10-9) and defeats by Wales (19-10) and Scotland (29-18).Machenaud booted his second penalty, but England again came firing back up the pitch, prop Cole bundling over the line for atry Farrell again converted.England, with Billy Vunipola and flanker James Haskell to the fore, denied wave after wave of home attack, Machenaud keepingFrance in the game with a third penalty after another ruck infringement.It was then France's turn to defend and they did so with aplomb as Care marshalled his team from left to right, before two knock-ons undid English efforts.Machenaud knocked over a fourth penalty to leave the score 17-12 at half-time with Farrell missing his second effort.France opened the second period with an early charge by Vakatawa, the winger hauled down by opposite number Jack Nowell with the line abegging, Machenaud kicking a fifth penaltyto bring the home side within two points.The tit-for-tat continued as Farrell banged over his own penaltyas Guirado strayed offside before Machenaud booted his sixth.Then came Watson's try after a brilliant break by Care's replacement Ben Youngs, who put a grubber kick into the cornerrather than risk a pass, the Bath winger picking up and barging through Wesley Fofana.From the restart, England again infringed, Machenaud making no mistake from the tee.France made a raft of changes to the front five, temporarily giving them the upper hand at the scrum, although their line-outwas creaking and gifted England vital possession.Farrell calmed nerves with his third and fourth penalties to ensure England the Grand Slam, having contrived to botch fourother occasions to nab the trophy since the Five Nations becameSix in 2000.
NEWS...... Apple aims to bolster lineup with new iPhone
San Francisco - New iPhone and iPad models likely to be unveiled Monday are aimed at helping Apple keep momentum in the fast-evolving mobile device market.The media gathering at the company's intimate Town Hall auditorium in Silicon Valley will also give Apple a chance to restate its case for fighting a US government demand that it break into an attacker's iPhone.Apple is widely expected to release a small-screen iPhone to encourage replacement of the 5S and 5C models, which have four-inch displays. The new device is to be called the iPhone SEor 5SE, reports said.This would help Apple in a traditionally slow season before the likely upgrades to the large-screen iPhone 6 family later this year.But in keeping with its practice, Apple has been tight-lipped about what it will reveal.A message on copies of the invitations posted online simply states "Let us loop you in," prompting some to speculate that new bands for the Apple Watch would be among the announcements.A four-inch screen iPhone which boasts improvements under the hood could help spur replacements.Such an iPhone would be "an incremental positive" for Apple, ensuring that lovers of the company's smaller smartphones don'tswitch to rival devices powered by Android software, RBC Capital Markets said in a note to investors.RBC projected that sales of a new handset would tally between10 million to 15 million annually, giving Apple fans an option for upgrading before an iPhone 7 debuts late in the year.The new iPhone will likely be priced to shore up the low-end ofApple's line but not to compete in the budget-priced smartphone market, according to analysts."I am not expecting a ton of surprises," Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin said of what Apple has in store for Monday."The biggest news will be pricing for the newer iPhone."Reaching buyers in India?If Apple lowers the price for the new device -- existing big-screen iPhones start at around $650 -- it may be able to expand to new segments of consumers."I suspect this is far more about boosting off-season sales thanit is about introducing a new iPhone at a dramatically lower price point, for example, for emerging markets," said Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research in a blog post.But Dawson said the new handset could be priced as low as$450 without subsidy to help Apple make inroads in new markets.This would enable Apple to sell refurbished iPhones at $250 to$350, according to Dawson and "suddenly allows the iPhone to hit price points it's never been able to hit before, which in turn could make it more viable in markets like India."Reports have also said Apple is poised to introduce a new iPadtailored for use by businesses.Talking encryptionThe media event takes place a day before a federal judge in Southern California hears arguments in the encryption case."I do expect to hear a little bit from them because it is so central, not just to Apple," Current Analysis research director Avi Greengart told AFP."Encryption is pretty much the entire digital economy. There is an argument to be made that Apple is out in front and takingthe heat for a crucial, industry-wide issue."The new iPad may have keyboard and Apple Pencil stylus features that make it more attractive for getting work done. Apple has been trying to ignite sales of its tablets, which declined in the final quarter or last year.Focusing exclusively on Apple hardware can be deceiving, since the company has won legions of devotees by weaving software, applications and devices together to provide people with experiences they enjoy, according to analysts."What you are really paying for is software and user experience," Greengart said of buying into Apple's world."That has been Apple's business model for many years."Apple has built privacy protection into its ecosystem and its valuable brand.Apple has repeatedly argued that the FBI was overstepping legalbounds by using the 1789 All Writs Act -- a broad law which allows the courts to help law enforcement -- to compel the company to help break an iPhone used by one of the shooters in the December attack in San Bernardino, California.Apple, which is backed by a broad coalition of powerful rival technology firms and activists, argues that the FBI is seeking a"back door" into all iPhones as part of the probe.The government brief, in sharp contrast, argued it is a single case of technical assistance in an important national security investigation.
NEWS..... 2016 Australian GP: Mercedes victorious, Ferrari stumbles
Melbourne - Nico Rosberg, despite being overtaken on the first lap, led a Mercedes one-two victory at a dramatic 2016 Australian GP.Ferrari had a great start to the race pulling away from Mercedes on the first lap. Sadly, the team couldn't hold onto itslead.A huge crash gave Mercedes the opportunity it needed to regainthe lead. Mercedes recoversMercedes recovered from its poor start to dominate the race. Lewis Hamilton appeared to be suffering technical issues during the early laps though he managed to finish second. Rosberg crossed the line 8.3sec ahead of team mate Hamilton. Rosberg's15th career victory was also his fourth in succession after the he won the final three races of last season.As it happened: 2016 Australian GPVettel, who led from the start until the race-halting crash, finished in third followed by Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo in fourth.BOOM!!!@nico_rosberg#F1#AusGPpic.twitter.com/CBrfD5dvXx— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1)March 20, 2016#Respect:)#F1#AusGP@LewisHamilton@nico_rosbergpic.twitter.com/V7ZogQZ786— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1)March 20, 2016What went wrong for Ferrari?Fernando Alonso and Esteban Gutierrez suffered a huge crash on track, resulting in the safety car being deployed. Race marshals spent 18 minutes clearing both wrecks.It all collapsed for Ferrari following the race restart. Raikkonen's race ended due to an engine fire and a botched pit-stop sent Vettel dropping down the grid.Fire ??#Raikkonen#AusGppic.twitter.com/XCgTgyOYwq— Gianlu D'Alessandro (@Gianludale27)March 20, 2016Finish line#Seb5P3 in a crazy race#AusGP#redseasonpic.twitter.com/UZ3tTx0fEf— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari)March 20, 2016Huge crashAlonso and Gutierrez have both walked away from a dramatic high-speed crash that flipped Alonso's car twice and caused a suspension of the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.Alonso's McLaren rammed into the back of Gutierrez's Haas, causing the Spanish driver to flip over twice at high speed, leaving his car in a crumpled wreck. Alonso walked gingerly from the wreck, and shook hands with Gutierrez, who was clearly worried about his fellow driver's well-being.
NEWS........ Zuma survives ANC showdown - report
Johannesburg - Supporters of President Jacob Zuma at the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting ensured that the embattled president survived another day,City Pressreported on Sunday.The president's backers fought against those detractors who wereexpected to lead calls for Zuma's censure and possible recall, according to the report.The meeting came amid last week'srevelationsover the influence of the Gupta family on the government.Former chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on publicenterprises, Vytjie Mentor, revealed that the Gupta familyofferedher the positionof minister of public enterprises, on certain conditions. She also alleged that Zuma was in the next room atthe Gupta's Johannesburg home when the offer was made.Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas then confirmed that the Guptas offered him the position of finance minister before Nhlanhla Nene was removed last December.The disclosures led to widespread controversy and calls for Zuma's head. However, Zuma supporters apparently plotted through the night on Thursday to defend the president at all costs, including"hanging out the dirty laundry of those gunning for the president", City Press reported.The campaign against Zuma appeared to lose steam and he received a standing ovation at the start of the NEC meeting inPretoria on Friday.An ANC source told City Press that it was important for theparty to project unity amid the divisive media coverage over the last week.The Zuma supporters also successfully fought against an attempt to have his relationship with the Gupta family placed onthe NEC agenda, and instead the issue of "state capture" was discussed.Meanwhile, the NEC meeting is set to resume on Sunday, as ahandful of ANC Youth League members protest outside the meeting venue,Eyewitness Newsreported.The upcoming local government elections and state of the economy are expected to be discussed on at the behind-closed-doors meeting.A media conference could be held on Sunday night to discuss the outcome of the meeting, EWN reported.
Int’l friendly: We’re going to Brazil to win, says Amaefule
AbiaWarriors defender Chizoba Amaefule says the Nigeria U23s are targeting victory when they confront the Brazilian U23s squad in a high-profile international friendly on Thursday, March 24.And he has stated that the Olympic National Team will not be intimidated by the Seleção stars and their passionate fans, arguing that hehas trust in the players selected to face the South Americans.“I am very happy to be selected in the squad, this is an opportunity to show myself and play for my country, “ said Chizoba Amaefule.“With the kind of players that made the squad we are going to win.“We have the players that will not be afraid ofplaying, no matter the support coming from the Brazilian fans.”Brazil coach Dunga has called up several European-based stars for the friendly against the West Africans including Andreas Pereira (Manchester United), Malcom(Bordeaux) and Ederson(Benfica).“For me, every player in the Brazil squad is important, we are not planning on keeping an eye on one special player but all the players,”Amaefule concluded.The 21-year-old Chizoba Amaefule was part of the Dream Team squad that won the 2015 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Senegal.
NEWS SPORTS!! World Indoors: Nigeria’s medal chance slim
Nigeria’slast chance of winning a medal at the IAAF World Indoors rests on the women’s 4x400m and high jumper, Dorren Amata as thecurtains close on the championships today in Portland Oregon, USA.Shot Putter Stephen Mozia and sprinter Ogho-Oghene Egwero who held a little bit of hope for the country failed to find their form. Egwero ran 6.75 seconds, which was not goodenough to see him to the final of the 60m dashwon by Trayvon Bromell in 6.47 seconds. In the Shot Put throw Mozia placed 12th after twoattempts fetched him 19.84m. The event was won by construction worker Tom Walsh with 21.78m to become the first New Zealander to win gold in 16 editions of the world indoors.Today, Amata with a season best of 1.93m is in contention for gold in women high jump. Butshe would have to put up her best ever to beatfront front runners like Spain’s Ruth Beitia andVashti Cunningham of the USA.The Women 4x400m on paper with their personal best of 3.29.67 seconds have the chance to win a medal if they get their acts right. They have USA and Jamaica to contend with.
News..... Why Buhari should stop wasting his/our time(2)
“The culprits will not go unpunished. I have beena Military Governor, Petroleum Minister, MilitaryHead of State and headed the Petroleum Trust Fund. Never have I heard of the words “Budgetpadding”.President Buhari, February 25, 2016. Abuja.Part one of this series started with the same promise by Buhari to deal with those alleged tohave padded the budget; it ended by pointing outto the President how some of those in the innermost corridors of Aso Rock might have contributed to whatever went wrong with the 2016 budget. The first part also subtly suggested that it might be better for all concerned to just reprimand the “offenders” anddrop the matter. Otherwise the President and hisgovernment risk serious embarrassment as a result of his insistence on punishing everybody. At this point, it is noteworthy that Buhari had always favoured punishment as the only corrective measure as if every mistake is a crime or act of sabotage that must be severely penalised. Whatever happened to other tried and true methods of correction like reprimand, training, example and even forgiveness? If God himself punishes all human transgressions, it is doubtful if anyone would be alive today. Why should any human being, no matter how highly placed assume that he can set a harsher standard for reforming fellow human beings than Allah? That is a point to ponder by our transient holder of the highest power in the land.Since this government came into power all we have heard are words like saboteurs, looters, enemies etc who will be severely punished – asif the sole purpose of government is to track down people to be eliminated – rightly or wrongly.That said, readers need to be reminded that since Buhari is hell bent on punishing those whopadded the budget, he needs certain facts brought to his attention because, in this matter, as in all the rest, justice must not only be donebut must be seen to be done. No Nigerian should be railroaded into conviction unless the proof of guilt is beyond reasonable doubt. Again, in part one, some doubt had been created by the fact that the Vice-President, on November 6, 2015, while no Minister had been appointed, had announced that the government was working on a budget between N7tn and N8tn. As it turned out, the real budget is N6.03tn. The V-P had inadvertently set the ballrolling for “budget padding”. When the 2015 budget was about N4tn, and the civil servants knew that the actual was going to be less than that, Osinbajo had mistakenly branded the new government as a potentially profligate one. So, where an official would ordinarily want to request for N100, he raises the request to N120or N150 – given the expected bonanza. Can anyone blame him? The last time an annual budget was increased by more than twenty five per cent over the previous year’s estimates waswhen General Gowon had more money than the Federal Government could possibly manage in 1974. The result was predictable – they wastedand stole a lot of it. That announcement of N7tn-N8tn sent Nigeria back to the dark ages of budgeting.The blunder was compounded with another graveerror – the attempt to introduce Zero-Sum Budgeting without service-wide training to ensurethat everybody involved knew what was expectedof him/her. Nowhere in the world had it been recorded where the switch from conventional budgeting to Zero-Sum had not resulted in a mess the first time out – even when pre-budgettraining was provided. The hilarious episodes playing out at the National Assembly, involving Ministers and Agencies are quite common. WhenHerman Melville, 1819-1891, the author of the great classic, MOBY-DICK, declared that, “Thereare some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is the true method”, he must havehad the change from conventional to Zero-Sum in Nigeria in mind.Why am I going to great lengths on this matter? The answer is quite simple. I was involved in such a switch before; and the errorsmade by all of us were not made purposefully or to sabotage the company. They were just plain human mistakes which resulted from insufficient familiarity with the new method. The company itself discovered that it was futile to expect people who had spent ten; fifteen or eventwenty years operating one method to mentally switch overnight. Nobody was punished. Everybody was herded back to the classrooms and re-trained. The second year was better; but still not perfect. The question is: why is President Buhari spending valuable time hunting for people to punish when all they might have committed were the same mistakes my colleaguesand I did in 1974 in the US and nobody even received a query? Vice-President Osinbajo shouldnot have introduced Zero_Sum budgeting in November 2015 to be applied to the 2016 budget. He should have introduced it for application in preparing the 2017 budget. Then the Federal government should have undertaken the massive and expensive training programmes to make it work in 2017.Frankly speaking, Buhari would be guilty of gross injustice to punish anybody for this one. Idon’t even know who will fall under the hammer; but, I am convinced it will be unmerited punishment. However, if the old General still stubbornly insists on carrying on with this measure, it needs to be pointed out tohim that the time made available to each of us is inelastic. God in his infinite mercy has ensured that the president and the pauper have twenty four hours in a day; sixty minutes to the hour and sixty seconds to one minute. Nobody on earth can add one second to the time available to him to undertake his assignments in life. How he prioritises his workwill determine the successes or failures attributedto him. Without ever stepping into the President’s office in Aso Rock, it doesn’t require rocket-science intelligence to know that hewould have files filled with proposals to improvethe economy, health, education, infrastructure, security, food production, transportation, housing,to fight corruption, to repatriate stolen funds abroad, to improve power and fuel supply, to stop girls from being snatched and to end the Boko Haram insurgency – among others too numerous to list. He still has several hundreds of key appointments to make and bills to package and send to the NASS etc. At the same time, sooner or later, if it has not been done, he would have deposited on the pile a TOP SECRET file labeled BUDGET PADDING. It is doubtful if Buhari can find upto 10,000 Nigerians who will approve if he opens the Budget Padding file instead of any of power, fuel, forex etc.That brings us to the principle of “first things first”. Buhari would be best advised to treat that file on Budget Padding with benign neglect– for his own sake and our own. After all, the “padding” had been discovered and, hopefully,removed. Why not move on to other more important matters – like power, fuel education and information management. The Minister of Power is under attack for power tariff increase;the Minister of State for Petroleum ill-advisedlyannounced restructuring (was it unbundling?) without consultations and shut down the nation; the Minister of Education sacked, appointed Vice-Chancellors of universities allegedly breaching due process and ignited the protests portending another ASUU strike and the Minister of Information apparently cannot speak without again having to clarify what he said. “Doesn’t anybody on this squad [of Ministers] know how to play this game [i.e governance]”? My apologies to the US manager whose team lost seventeen games in a row in the 1970s.LAI MOHAMMED AGAIN?“We are still faithful to those promises. But, when we were campaigning, the price of crude was $100 per barrel. Today, it is $30 a barrel..”Minister of “Information”, Lai Mohammed, PUNCH, March 12, 2016, p 14.In two sentences Nigeria’s Minister of Information dropped two figures, $100 and$30. Characteristically, both were wrong – dead wrong. The campaign promises were made in the third quarter of 2014. By then, the former Minister of Finance, Dr Okonjo-Iweala, had reduced the crude oil benchmark for the 2015 budget to $65 per barrel. At any rate, at no time in 2014 was the price of crude closeto $100. That was bad enough. On the day the Minister spoke, the price of crude had climbed to $39 per barrel – even if temporarily.
News..... Church must support anti-corruption war—Omobude
REVEREND Felix Omobude is the National President of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN and General Superintendent of New Covenant Gospel Church, Benin City. In this interview with journalists recently in Benin, he insisted that the Church has a vital role to playin the anti-corruption war of the present government. He also spoke on the abduction of 14-year Miss Ese Oruru and other national issues.GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE was there.Excerpts:How will you assess the anti-corruption war of the Muhammadu Buhari administration?Anyone that wishes Nigeria well must support the anti-corruption drive of the present administration. Corruption has dealt so much deadly blow to our nation, and every attempt aimed at fighting this deadly disease must be commended. We have a president who has not been accused by anybody in the media or in government, of being corrupt. So, the president is in a good position to start this fight againstcorruption. On the manner in which corruption isbeing fought, well those who are being accused have a right to deny or accept the allegations. That is why the law is supreme. The fight against corruption should be within the ambit ofthe laws of the land; and that is the stand of PFN.OmobudeWhat do you think PFN can do to support the anti-corruption campaign?We will give every logical, moral and spiritual support. The fight against corruption is a fight the Church must be involved in. It is high time we looked at ourselves and purge ourselves when necessary, and reposition ourselves to leadour people towards the right direction, towards making Nigeria better and greater.What do you think is the solution to this dismalstate of the Nigeria economy?Again, we have to find out what is the cause. Basically, the country has been a mono-economy for a longtime and there have been attempts to diversify it. I think it is high time Nigeria reallydiversified its economy. Agriculture would be anarea I think the government should examine. Secondly, technocrats and professionals should bebrought in to contribute their wealth of knowledge and technical knowhow so as to fashion out a solid economic blueprint that will encourage foreign direct investment flow into thecountry.About two years ago, over 200 school girls were abducted in Chibok and as we speak they are nowhere to be found. Specifically, how will you rate the security situation in Nigeria and theperformance of the security agencies?Well, I can tell you there is improvement. Prior to the coming of this administration the incidenceof bombings was very high, people were scared to worship in churches, people were afraid to goto the markets. I think to some extent that has significantly reduced. To the credit of this present administrat-ion; I believe they have done well to reduce the capacity of Boko Haram. Atleast, we are aware that some people have returned back to their places of origin. I believestrongly that there is still more that needs to be done. The abduction of the over 200 Chibokschoolgirls is some-thing that is still disheartening. No government can sleep over thatand expect that eyebrows will not be raised. I believe President Buhari is doing his best to ensure that the girls are released; and that the security situation improves.Former President Olusegun Obasanjo believes that the Chibok girls cannot be found. He is ofthe opinion that they might have been sold or taken to other countries. Sir, do you think the schoolgirls can still be found?I believe that former President Obasanjo has some insights than some of us. I believe that we should hope for the best, something will surely happen and revelations will be made on the situation of the schoolgirls, if they are alive or not? We are praying fervently for the best.Recently, the media was awash with the case ofa teenage girl that was abducted from Bayelsa and taken to Kano. Though the girl has been reunited with the family, but with pregnancy. What is your take on this?Certainly, I am happy that the girl has been reunited with her family, but you will know from what was reported that this case has beenon for some time. Why will it take so long? Who are the people that shielded this girl and helped the abductors? We are looking forward tothe police arraigning these people in the court oflaw; and whosoever aided them should be prosecuted. Again, let me say that people shouldnot use religion to tear this nation apart. Why will a 13-year-old girl be married? I was told that the Sharia court was involved. Common sense will tell you that for you to marry a girl;you need the consent of the parents. I do hope that the government and the law enforcement agencies will do the proper thing and not only get to the root of the matter but bring the perpetrators to book.A law is being proposed by the National Assembly for the allocation of land to cattle rearers to graze their cattle. Does this not portend serious security implicat-ions?The activities of these cattle rearers across the country are becoming very worrisome. I think it is time the government of the day comes up with a strong stand in curbing these senseless killings. While there have been suggestions that grazing land is found for them; to me that is not the best solution. The solution is helping these cattle rearers develop the business of cattle rearing by building ranches for them to rear their cattle. People eat beef in Europe, butyou do not see them parading their cattle on theroads or streets and invade other people’s farms. I think it is time we change; this change we talk about should affect all facets of our lives.Sir, on March 14 you will be 70, how do you feel at 70?Oh! God has been good to me. I thank God forall his grace; well I am sound in my body, spirit and soul. I will just continue to give Himthanks and look up to Him for the future.
News...... Woman, 47, killed as another Lagos building partially collapses
Tragedy occurred again in Lagos, yesterday, when a building at No 9, Alli Close, Mile 12,partially collapsed and killed a 47-year-old woman, while many other residents sustained injuries.This came barely two weeks after a five-storey building collapsed at Lekki Gardens, Okusenla Road, Ikate – Elegushi, in Eti-Osa Local Government of the state, killing 34 persons.The woman, in the Mile 12 incident, was said tohave died on her way to hospital, following the injuries she sustained.According to an eyewitness, the incident occurredat about 8.45 a.m.Sunday Vanguardgathered that the building had shown signs of distress as some portions of thebalcony had caved in, but the residents refusedto vacate. The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, LASEMA, Mr. Micheal Akindele, while confirming the incident, said investigation would be conducted todetermine the immediate and remote cause(s) of the collapse.He said preliminary investigation confirmed the death of the woman, and no other casualty.According to him, the residents of the18-room-building had been evacuated and the site cordoned off.Meanwhile, the property owner, it was gathered,had been invited to the state Secretariat, Alausa, for questioning.
News..... Rivers Re-run: Buhari has destroyed GEJ’s legacy of free,fair elections — Fayose
The governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, has condemned report of violence and malpractices in the Rivers state re-run elections.Fayose blamed President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling, All Progressives Congress, APC, Fayose, via his Twitter handle, said that,‘the open display of contempt for free, fair andtransparent election by APC in Rivers is capable of setting Nigeria on the path of anarchy’, adding that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC under Buhari hasdestroyed the legacy of free, fair and transparent elections bequeathed on Nigeria by former President Goodluck Jonathan.The open display of contempt for free,fair and transparent election by APC in Rivers is capable of setting Nigeria on the path of anarchy— Peter Ayodele Fayose (@GovAyoFayose)March 19, 2016Obviously, INEC under Buhari has destroyed that legacy of free, fair and transparent elections bequeathed on Nigeria by GEJ— Peter Ayodele Fayose (@GovAyoFayose)March 19,2016It is strange that INEC produced Results Sheets with PDP omitted, and I wonder what is going to happen in 2019#RiversRerun— Peter Ayodele Fayose (@GovAyoFayose)March 19,2016Rivers State is under siege.I have seen pictures of pple killed & I have seen pictures of INEC Result Sheets with PDP omitted#RiversRerun— Peter Ayodele Fayose (@GovAyoFayose)March 19,2016I have read reports of top officials of PDP and Rivers govt either abducted by unknown gunmen or arrested by security agents#RiversRerun— Peter Ayodele Fayose (@GovAyoFayose)March 19,2016What all these portend for our democracy is danger!#RiversRerun— Peter Ayodele Fayose (@GovAyoFayose)March 19,2016
News!....RIVERS CRISIS: My story, by Rotimi Amaechi
In this interview, last week, Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State and now Transport Minister, bared his mind on the crisis rocking the state and why peace has continued to be elusive. Amaechi insisted that the incumbent state governor, Nyesom Wike, should tone down his rhetoric on violence, to bring down tension in the state while asking himto also distance himself from ex-militants, to send a clear message that those engaging in violence will not go unpunished. Excerpts:6,000 policemen and some very senior police officers have been deployed to Rivers State for the re-run election. What sort of impact are you expecting that to make?Well, if you’ve been following events in Rivers State in the last eight months, you would have been able to appreciate why that needed to be so – that is, the deployment of the policemen there.The President of this country has the responsibility to protect lives and property.If you’ve observed very well, I have tried as much as possible to stay away from the goings-on in Rivers. The election for governorship was contested by Dr. Dakuku Peterside (APC candidate) and I left him to continue to fight hisbattle.Now, the most significant role a state governoris expected to play is the protection of lives andproperty of the people.I went to Omoku to visit the family of the Chairman of APC in Ward 4 of that local government. He was murdered, his pregnant wife was murdered, his son was also murdered.The second family I went to visit, the story was the same thing – he was murdered and his pregnant wife was also murdered. Fortunately for the child, they didn’t see him. In fact, it was the grand mother who escaped with her grandchild and that was why that one escaped death.The police say they have looked into the matter and established cultism as the reason for these killings?Okay, so it is PDP cultists against APC cultists, is that it?Look, let me tell you, the reason lawlessness thrives is because you do not punish those who break the law.Rotimi AmaechiI went to these communities, penultimate Saturday, Buguma, Abonema, and Omoku –these communities have been deserted.Okay, let us even assume that all the killings are related to cultism. The responsibility of the police is to protect lives and property. If, for instance, a governor begins to wine and dine with alleged cultists in the state, you embolden them.I am a Catholic Christian and I am proud of that. I will never meet with a cultist.But then, shall we say the Federal Government has failed in its responsibility since it is in charge of the police?I thought you know that the responsibility of protecting lives and properties in the state lies with the state governor.But state governors have always said that they don’t control the police?That is not true. It is rare and in exceptionalcases like the one I had on my hands when I was governor.It was under the former President when the citizens and even the state government were helpless because of the siege created by the Federal Government on the state.You know there was a time when just before an election, leaders of our party were detained. But under this President who preaches the ruleof law, that is not happening.Whereas the police are saying the reason for thekillings in those communities were as a result ofcult clashes, you are saying they are political. Are you, therefore, vouching for all the membersof the APC that they are not violent or that none of the APC members in Rivers State is acultist?I wish you knew me very well.One thing I fear about life is that it is irreplaceable and, if you are going to be one ofmy followers, you must not own a gun, you must not carry machetes. So you cannot work with me and carry weapons.But that does not answer my question in the sense that what I’m saying is that, are you saying every single member of APC is not a cultist?Yes. That is what I am saying. To follow me,you must be God-fearing.So you’re saying there are no sinners in APC.Being God-fearing does to mean you cannot commit sins, but there is always a limit to which you definitely know you must not go beyond.Looking at the rhetoric, is it not obvious to bothyou and the state governor, Wike, that your incendiary comments have been overheating the polity?I told you I kept away from that state having served my eight years. But one man has consistently used language and words that encourage violence.So what have you done to tone that down?You cannot tone it down because he is the person using the violent language.He thrives in violence.You say that your former Chief of Staff thrives in violence? That says something aboutyou too?He does. I had him under control.When he became a Minister, then we all saw thetrue colours of the type of person he is.A Chief of Staff is someone who is so close to you; so, for you to have appointed him meant you knew him very well?By the time I knew who he was, we had to manage him. If I’d heard the type of things Iheard about him, I wouldn’t have appointed him.Look, I even had to return to Port Harcourt when people started feeling abandoned, that I had abandoned my people for the comfort of Abuja.So you are on the offensive now?No. I am not on the offensive. I just went toPort Harcourt to commiserate with the people.It is for the state governor to be civil in his pronouncements and dealings.Let me tell you this: Three armed robbers were arrested by the police; they were said to have confessed to have killed soldiers; but the Attorney General of Rivers State now writes a legal opinion that they should not be charged to court.If you care for Rivers State why don’t you and the incumbent sit and find a way forward?I’m willing, but how does that happen? When Iwas governor, I had people who did not like me but I had to visit them late at night to resolve issues with them.My mandate now is to deliver logistics to Nigeria. I am not the governor. You cannot just drive to Government House, Rivers. Okay, let us even assume that Peterside and I are theaggressors, what do you think the state governor should do? Shouldn’t he find a way toreach us and seek ways of creating peace. Heis the state governor for Christ’s sake.What is the way forward?Those supporting and sponsoring violence must stop. If you don’t encourage these criminals, they won’t be doing what they are doing. Thatwas why I did not support the Amnesty Programme because I believe that, if you breakthe law, you must be punished. You don’t pay a lawbreaker because, if you do, you embolden him or her. I predicted that if you pay militants in the South, you must pay to militants in the North too. So, if Boko Haram members come out now to demand that they want to be paid to lay down their arms, why shouldn’t we pay them? Or if MASSOBmembers say they will stop their protests but they want amnesty, what do we do?Some of us believe that if you sit down with your friend, your former Chief of Staff, to trash these issues, there will be peace in Rivers State?Look, in politics, there are things you do as a product of consultations. We agreed to nominate somebody for the ministerial slot of Minister of State which came to Rivers State. A mutual friend advised that Wike was a bit down since his removal as Chief of Staff, and we decided that that counsel was a good one. But you know what, in retrospect, that advice was the worst advice I’ve ever received and acted on in my life. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who called on his behalf and we had to swallow the bitter pill; and mindyou, people had already branded me as a stubborn person; so I also needed to bend overbackwards and that was how we nominated him.On this issue of way forward, a state governorshould be able to do everything possible to havepeace in his state.As for me, I fear God a lot. That does not mean I am a saint, but I fear God a lot because the consequences of not fearing God areso graveTHIS INTERVIEW WAS FIRST AIRED ON CHANNELS TELEVISION
News...... Probe Jonathan
Nigerians elected President Muhammadu Buhari on his promise to lead the charge to eliminate corruption in public life, and move to bring those who “looted” the national treasury to book. This is a herculean obligation for which thecurrent administration must be supported and given both cooperation and the benefit of doubt by the public. I am a supporter of this particular goal of the administration, and I haveno doubts at all that a majority of Nigerians want the books opened and proper sanction meted on those who may be found culpable.There is only one condition: that the process be within the bounds of the rule of law. Otherwise it will be seen as a witch hunt. Recent chatter in fact indicate that the current administration isexploring moves to investigate or probe the lastpresident, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. And I say, why not? Probe him! Anyone who holds public office must be prepared to submit to scrutiny, and to account for their deeds in service to the nation. There is nothing wrong in investigating aformer president, and if there is material evidence found that the former president engagedin illegal activity, and misused his powers as president, he must be made to appear before thelaw courts and the heavens should not fall. There are two grounds on which to probe the former president: one is, to closely examine andascertain any possible involvement in corrupt enrichment through the authorization of contractsto interests connected directly or by proxy to him; the nature of those contracts and the level of due diligence done in authorizing the power to execute, and any possibility of backhandednessin the form of baksheesh or kickback paid eitherdirectly to him or his proxies in furtherance of his personal interests while serving as president.What does the ex-president own, and how did heacquire these within the period he served as president; and how does his personal worth tallywith his declared interests and worth submitted on the assumption of office to the Code of Conduct Bureau? The second area for which thepresident should be investigated is certainly in the handling of the national accounts as determined by the laws of the federation, and within the bounds of federalism. Did the ex-president break the laws? And if he did, did he hide any material evidence from the National Assembly, which made it impossible for the Assembly to provide as a result, institutional oversight that should have reined-in the president? If he did not hide evidence from the National Assembly, and the National Assembly did not act, to forestall any illegalities on behalfof the nation, what agency of government failedto prevent the execution of any possible illegalityby the president?The probe and trial of Goodluck Jonathan wouldbe good for Nigeria in a number of ways: it will test the very principle of immunity under whose coverage a lot of people have committed atrocities in the name of the nation. A central question that has often exercised the minds of Nigerians is whether anyone who has served as president can be brought, at the end of tenure, to answer to charges for conduct in office covered under the immunity clause. For instance,President Buhari himself refused to appear before the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, when he was summoned, during the sitting of the Human Rights Violation and Investigations Commission, also known as the Truth Commission. They did not arrest Buhari for hiscontempt of the judge.There were questions about whether the immunitygranted to his person while in office extends to that process, and whether indeed he could be questioned and countermanded for acts carried out in his official capacity as president, with very wide immunity powers.Former president Jonathan will certainly contemplate his own response, particularly withinthe questions of the immunity granted his person, in the disclosure of certain routine decisions covered by his immunity and the officials secrets Act.It might require the courts to suspend those rights, and it might be a great day for ordinaryNigerians, who have argued for limited immunityfor the office of the president rather than the kind of sweeping immunity which presidents currently enjoy. Probing Jonathan will certainly be a great first step, trying him for misconductwill be a great step forward, were the government’s investigation to find serious evidence linking the former president to personalcorruption.Across the pond, Brazil is going through the same question. Nigeria and Brazil have very many things in common. Aside from being the second largest nation after Nigeria, with the largest population of black people in the world, Brazil has also suffered through many military coups and democratic transitions. The crash in global oil price has also hobbled Brazil’s economy, and there is wide discontent among thepublic. Current president, Ms. Dilma Rouseff, is facing impeachment for manipulating budget figures to boost accounts of public spending to aid her re-election in 2014. Sounds familiar? Well, yes, it is called “budget padding” and the Brazilians are not joking. But more relevantly, her predecessor, Brazil’s former President, the charismatic, populist, Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva isfacing a federal probe over questions of money laundering and alleged kickback received followingthe Petrobras scandal.Petrobras is Nigeria’s equivalent of the NNPC.It too is mired in its own scandals. But the proportion of that scandal, compared with what has gone on with Nigeria’s NNPC will be considered rather mild. Yet former President Lulais being investigated for his role in the scandal while in office; brought to the police station in Sao Paolo and questioned vigorously by state prosecutors. It doesn’t matter that he was a former president.It doesn’t matter that his party is in power, and that the current President wants to protecthim. The process is independent, scrupulous, andoutside of the power of the president to contain,intervene, or even initiate. And why is “a wholeformer President Lula” being investigated by “ordinary Public prosecutors”? Because he is suspected to have received bribes with which he bought a beachfront apartment in the city of Guraja. And Nigerians will ask, “just a beachfront apartment?” Well, yes, just a beachfront apartment. The beauty, and the particular difference between societies that wish to survive, and in which the citizens are respected by their public servants, and who respect themselves is that no one is above the law. There is neither Kabiyesi nor peasant in these matters.A government prosecutor does his work, secure in his rights and tenure to do so; knowing alsothat any misuse of his office for personal and vindictive pursuits, will also earn him serious sanctions. The permission to probe does not come from the president. It comes from the constitution, and that is the difference with Nigeria. Nigerian presidents are given the powerof gods.It must be a transparent process. It must also go further than Jonathan. We must investigate Obasanjo, Abdulsalam, Babangida, and even Buhari himself.The scandalous miasma in the NNPC did not begin with Jonathan. Nigerian investigators mustbe granted the power to examine all books backto 1975, at least, and bring all to probe, and before justice. It is a good thing to probe and try Jonathan. It should open the floodgate, and permit the recovery of Nigeria’s looted patrimony. The revelations of the goings on in the Jonathan administration is shocking and horrendous. But I wager, that there is worse, and we need to bring it all to light. So, yes, let us probe Jonathan.
BREAKING NEWS!! Europeans wrongly believe Igboland is a region for criminals — Ebede
Leader of the Nigerian Igbo Community in Europe, NICE, Chief Chris Ebede, has faulted reports circulating in the United Kingdom and some countries in Europe which describe South-East Nigeria (Igboland), Anambra State in particular, as insecure and a no-go area for visitors.According to him, the claim that the South-Eastis a haven for armed robbers, kidnappers, advanced fee fraudsters and ritual murderers is untrue and unfortunate.He pointed out that the reports circulating in the United Kingdom and some countries in Europe had led to a steady degeneration of social and economic infrastructure in the south-eastern states, coupled with the neglect of thezone by the Federal Government and secondly by the poor and dishonest leadership and governance style of the governors in spite of bogus claims of achievements.“Another negative report was abysmal lack of employment generation facilities especially for youths in the zone which has exacerbated the rate of crime in the zone which, in this case,was true in the recent past in Anambra State, resulting, among other repercussions, in our people residing outside the state,those in diaspora not visiting home to contribute to thedevelopment of the state,” Ebede, who led a delegation of NICE on a fact-finding visit to Anambra, stated.He explained that the reports, which did notgo down well with Igbos in diaspora and, therefore, were tabled at the organization’s biennial annual conference/convention and, consequently, the conference resolved to send the fact-finding delegation to the South-East to investigate the situation on ground.He added that due to some logistic challenges, the organization restricted its first mission to only Anambra, using it as a pilot project.
BREAKING NEWS!! Ese Oruru: Religion should not encourage slavery— Helen Oritsejafor
THE annual Daughters of Sarah International Convention, an annual gathering of women of Warri-based Word of Life Bible Church with delegations from different parts of world, whichbegan on Thursday, March 10, 2016, came toa fitting end on Sunday, March 13, 2016 with a surprise visit by the first family of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG. Thegaily dressed women and the menfolk rose in ecstasy at about 12.15 p.m. as Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye was led by the CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, to the altar with his wife, Pastor Folu Adeboye.As soon as he collected the microphone from hishost, Pastor Adeboye thanked the Lord “that wehave come at the right time when all our daughters are celebrating” and immediately decreed that “from now on celebration will not cease in your lives”.While the visitors later retired to the host’s office, the President of Daughters of Sarah Fellowship, Pastor Helen Oritsejafor, who had earlier doled out 10 sewing machines, 10 hair dryers and 10 grinding machines to some of thedelegates from outside Delta State, including Mrs. Maryam Bob-Manuel from Côte d’Ivoire, excused herself to continue with her empowerment programme, giving out expensive Singles wrapper to all the local first time visitors to the Word of Life.Oritsejafor and wifeThe annual programme featured song ministrations, word ministration from the wife of the PFN National President, Rev. (Mrs) Abiola Omobude, Rev. (Mrs) Jakie Talena and Rev. Ayuk R. Ayuk from Cameroon taking different dimensions of this year’s theme, “The God of mytomorrow”. One unique aspect of the annual convention is the trade fair which was declared open on Friday, March 11by the first family of Word of Life and it continues till March 30.After preaching the last sermon of the conference titled; “He said, she said but God said”, where she enumerated three voices women must avoid to include the voices of doubt, fear and failure, Mama Helen (as she is fondly called) outlined three things that often prevent the female folk from a successful tomorrow to include: Lack of preparation; refusal to put the past behind and who they are listening to.After an exhaustive day, our reporter asked her why the church always incorporates empowerment into their major programmes and she replied: “My husband and I believe inthis philosophy, that life is not just about what you have, it is also about what you do to help humanity. And that iswhy we stretch ourselves literally to see how we can makelife better for somebody else out there because one of the things we have come to realize in life is that all fingers are not equal”.Her advice for women looking up to her to push their tomorrow in line with the theme of the programme, “I always say this; for every woman, there is a king. A woman needs to make her husband the king, and guess who sits beside the king, it’s the queen. So if you make your husband the king, automatically you become the queen beside the king.“What we have witnessed here today is God Almighty reminding us of our responsibilities, not only as husbands or wives or parents, but as Christians. It is important that we do our very best to ensure that we push our husbands forward. One of the things you do by helping your husband is you also pray. When you pray, you spendtime talking to God about your husband. As God makes things beautiful for him, he will also make things beautiful for you”.Is it possible for a couple to be totally open to each other;that is to say no keeping of any secrets from each other?Having a single account, whatever belongs to the husband also belongs to the wife, is it possible?“Yes it is! From the Book of Genesis, the Bible says Adam and Eve were naked and they were not ashamed. What normally brings secrecy into marriage is when one partner is cheating or there are some things taking place behind the curtains that the other party is trying desperately to keep. In any case, put it this way, for you to achieve success or growth, for you to achieve that oneness that God has ordained from the beginning of that foundation, which is marriage; it is important that there is unity and openness. You must be able to be frank with each other. Let me tell you this, papa and I sometimes, I’malways very quick at telling him that lady is very beautifulbecause I love beautiful things around me. So I’ll prick papa and say look at her she’s so beautiful and papa willlook at me and say can’t you see her legs? Her leg is like that of a duck.And there are times I could make such comments and papawill say yes you are right on point, she’s actually very beautiful. So we are that open. If there’s anything I hate in life, is for anyone to make me think that there is something they know outside of what I know about my husband. Women don’t like that; they hate it with every passion. They want to be sure that they know their husbands more because it is important that the wife knowsthe husband more because it’s now the wife living with theman. So anyway, openness in marriage is key”.Is it proper for a husband not to give a listening ear when the wife is talking to him?“I think the greatest challenge of all men is that men process things differently. Women are up, men are very inward. A man comes back home and meets the wife; the very first thing the wife is going to tell the husband is, ‘Honey, on my way to work, Bisi said this and that’, andshe tells him everything that happened that very day. But men are not interested in all the jargon. What I often sayin this area of counseling is to say ‘Sweetheart, there’s noneed trying to change your husband’. The best thing to do is to try and understand him because when men are underpressure, they function differently. However, it is essential for the man to at least act up.“Let me tell you what I mean by the acting up. Let him sitthere and pay attention, while the woman is going on withall her stories, you can just say hmmmmm, yes or good. Because if you don’t, she’s going to look for someone elseout there that she’ll have to pour her heart to. Women cannot be a container where they reserve words or things that are bugging their hearts. They have to look for an avenue to air it. So husbands, if you do not allow your wife to be able to communicate with you, guess what, she’s going to end up with bad friends that will talk her out of her marriage. Husbands, pay attention to what yourwives have to say. Lastly, for women, it is not about whether you are right or wrong, they just want to be heard. Every woman wants to be heard, they don’t want to be right”.Our reporter also asked her opinion about the festering 14-year old Ese Oruru saga and she immediately shook offtired nerves, saying: “I do not think any religion would encourage slavery, abuse, or to reduce another human beingto nothing. That child, according to her parents, was taken away when she was 13, meaning as a teenager, she couldn’t have known her right from her wrong. Let’s put religion aside, automatically it is important that whoever participated in this kidnapping should face the law and be dealt with in that manner.“I also want to encourage the parliament, whether at the state level or national, on the need for them to enact lawsthat protect the girl-child because what we see now in this country is quite alarming. I would not want to go into thereligious aspect of it, but I’d want to emphasize on the fragility of the little child who was enslaved without the consent of her parents. I’m also glad and happy that the voice of reasoning came to bear as the media houses cameout to actually advocate the release of this girl and finally she was released.“I also want to use this opportunity to encourage those who are given the opportunity to protect this country, in particular, our children; we must not subject ourselves to bigotry and shy away from the truth. The law of this country surpasses whatever it is that we believe being a secular nation. And as such, it is expected of us to also not favour or be biased to whatever religion there is to encourage what is wrong. We must continue to do what isright in spite of whatever.“Once again, I want to join Nigerians, in particular the parents to give glory and praise to God for bringing theirdaughter back, and to also encourage the young lady regardless of what might have happened, it’s not the end of the world.Things will get better with her, which means that definitely there has to be deliverance on that child. Our social systemmust be able to rehabilitate her. We shouldn’t only just have it on display on the newspapers but we should do theneedful for that child so that that child can fulfill destiny to the glory of our God”.
BREAKING NEWS!! Enough is enough, NLC tells Gov el-Rufai
Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, yesterday, said their members had been pushed to the wall by the policies and actions of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, and warned, “Enough is enough”.The two bodies also directed Kaduna State government workers to converge on the state secretariat of the NLC for a “super congress” where they said a decision would be taken on a matter that borders on the interference of thestate government on union matters.The two unions were reacting on the Verification Form given given to workers with a clause on whether they wanted to belong to unions or not.The President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Waaba,and his TUC counterpart, Comrade Shehu Ayuba, addressed a joint press conference, yesterday in Kaduna on the issue.“The workers verification exercise carried out byKaduna State government was an aberration. This is the first time such an exercise would becarried out without a representative of workers. We have also heard of many things he has beendoing here that are not in the interest of workers. But, we cannot understand why he now wants to interfere in the affairs of labour unions.“He tried breaking the ranks of workers when he was the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, but we resisted him and he failed. One would have thought that he would have learnt his lessons. Yet, this is a man I respect as an intellectual.“For the governor to produce a form and ask workers to indicate if they want to belong to the NLC, is a clear interference on union matters,” Wabba said.
Saturday 19 March 2016
Manchester United with a view to replacing Louis van Gaal as manager of the English giants next season, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Sunday.Citing sources from Gestifute, the agency company owned by Mourinho's representative Jorge Mendes, El Pais suggest a deal has been struck that could see the former Chelsea boss make £15 million(19 million euro), even if he doesn't end up taking charge at Old Trafford.If United don't complete the deal by May 1, Mourinho will be entitledto £5 million compensation, should negotiations drag on beyond June 1 or break down, the 20-time English champions would owe thePortuguese a further £10 million.Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea in December after losing nine out the first 16 games of their Premier League defence."I look forward to the future," Mourinho told BT Sport this week."I want my football back, time flies and July will be just around thecorner."Van Gaal is under mounting pressure if he is to see out the final season of a three-year deal he signed in 2014.United were dumped out of the Europa League by bitter rivals Liverpool 3-1 on aggregate on Thursday and face an uphill battle to make it into next season's Champions League via a top-four finish inthe Premier League.They currently sit sixth in the table, four points behind Manchester City in fourth, ahead of their trip to City later on Sunday.
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