Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Lagos bans Okadas, tricyles, including Opay, Gokada

UPDATED: Lagos bans Okadas, tricyles, including Opay, Gokada


Sodiq Oyeleke

The Lagos State Government has banned the activities of commercial motorcycles, popularly called Okada, and tricycles, known as Keke Napep, in some Local Government Areas, bridges, and highways in the state.

The State Government directed security operatives to embark on total enforcement of the State’s Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018 on the affected six Local Government Areas, nine Local Council Development Areas and 10 major highways across the State with effect from February 1.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, who made the announcement at the State House in Alausa on Monday, said the measures were taken by the Government in response to “scary figures” of fatal accidents recorded from operations of Okada and tricycles in the State between 2016 and 2019.

According to the Commissioner, operations of Okada and Keke NAPEP have been banned in the following LGAs and LCDAs: Apapa LGA, Apapa Iganmu LCDA, Lagos Mainland LGA, Yaba LCDA, Surulere LGA, Itire-Ikate LCDA, and Coker-Aguda LCDA.

Among the 15 Local Governments and Local Council Development Centres affected are Apapa, Apapa Iganmu, Lagos Mainland, Yaba, Surulere, Itire Ikate, Coker Aguda, Eti-Osa, Lagos Island, Ikeja, Onigbongo, Ojodu, Ikoyi-Obalende, Iru Ikoyi-Obalande, and Lagos Island East.

He said, “After a robust assessment of the debate on what has been widely referred to as the motorcycle (Okada) and tricycle (Keke) menace, the Lagos State Government and the State Security Council have decided that the security and safety of lives of Lagosians are paramount.

“The figures are scary. From 2016 to 2019, there were over 10,000 accidents recorded at the General Hospitals alone. This number excludes unreported cases and those recorded by other hospitals. The total number of deaths from reported cases is over 600 as of date.

“Also, the rate of crimes aided by Okada and Keke keeps rising. They are also used as getaway means by criminals. Therefore, after consultations with stakeholders, the State Security Council, in compliance with the extant Transport Sector Reform Law 2018, has decided to commence enforcement of the law which bans the operation of Okada and Keke in six Local Government Areas and nine Local Council Development Areas.”

Major Highways

10. Eti-Osa Lekki Coastal Road

Bridges

1. Iyana- Ipaja Bridge Agege

2. Dopemu Bridge Agege

4. Agege Motor road/oshodi Loop, Oshodi

5. Mushin/Isolo Link Bridge

12. Mile 2 Bridge-Loop, Amuwo-Odofin

14. Apakun/Apapa-Oshodi Bridge Network

15. Ikorodu Road/Anthony Clover leaf Bridge

16. Trade Fair Flyover Bridge

17. Festac/Amuwo-Odofin Link Bridge

18. 2 Flyover Bridges along Alhaji Masha Road

19. Ojota Clover leaf Bridge

20. Ogudu Bridge

21. 3rd Mainland Bridge

23. Ikeja General Hospital Flyover Bridge

24. Kodesoh Bridge, Oba Akran, Ikeja

25. Opebi Link Bridge

37. Cowry Bridge (Officers Mess)

38. Mcwen Bridge (Bonny Camp)

39. Marina/Ikoyi Bridge

40. Ikoyi/Obalende Bridge

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Here is what you need to know: What is coronavirus?

Here is what you need to know: 

What is coronavirus?

According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

These viruses are transmitted between animals and people. SARS, for instance, was believed to have been transmitted from civet cats to humans while MERS travelled from a type of camel to humans.

Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.

The name coronavirus comes from the Latin word corona, meaning crown or halo. Under an electron microscope, the image of the virus is reminiscent of a solar corona.

A novel coronavirus, identified by Chinese authorities on January 7 and currently named 2019-nCoV, is a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans.

Little is known about it, although human-to-human transmission has been confirmed.

What are the symptoms?

According to the WHO, signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

In more severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

The incubation period of the coronavirus remains unknown. Some sources say it could be between 10 to 14 days.

Coronavirus

How deadly is it?

Some experts say it may not be as deadly as other types of coronavirus such as SARS, which killed nearly 800 people worldwide during a 2002-2003 outbreak that also originated from China.

MERS, which did not spread as widely, was more deadly, killing a third of those it infected.

Where have cases been reported?

Most cases have been reported in China.

As of January 24, Chinese officials said at least 26 people have died, all in Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the capital. That is also where most of the 830 reported cases are.

Other countries have reported far fewer cases, in the examples below less than 10.

These include: Thailand; Singapore; Vietnam; Japan; the United States; South Korea; France and Nepal.

All the cases involve people who had either come from Wuhan or been there recently.

What is being done to stop it spreading?

There is no vaccine for the new virus.

Chinese authorities effectively sealed off Wuhan on Thursday, suspending flights and trains out of the city and telling residents they could not leave without a special reason, state media said.

The move was meant to "resolutely contain the momentum of the epidemic spreading" and protect lives, the central city's special command centre against the virus said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

At least 12 other Chinese cities were added to the transport ban on Friday, affecting more than 20 million people.

Chinese authorities have also stepped up monitoring and disinfection efforts in advance of the Lunar New Year break.

Airport authorities from Asia and the Middle East to Europe and the US are also screening passengers.

Where did the virus originate?

Chinese health authorities are still trying to determine the origin of the virus, which they say came from a seafood market in Wuhan where wildlife was also traded illegally.

The WHO also says an animal source appears most likely to be the primary source of the outbreak.

Snakes - including the Chinese krait and the cobra - may be the source of the newly discovered virus, according to Chinese scientists.

There is evidence of respiratory transmission of the virus from patient to patient and Chinese authorities have said 15 medical staff in the country have been infected.

Experts worry when health workers get sick during new outbreaks because this can suggest the disease is becoming more transmissible and because spread in hospitals can often amplify the epidemic.

Is this a global emergency?

The outbreak does not yet constitute a global emergency, the WHO has said, urging China to keep its lockdown "short".

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters that the decision to hold off on issuing the declaration used for the gravest epidemics should not be taken as a sign that the body does not think the situation is serious.

"This is an emergency in China, but it has not yet become a global health emergency," he told reporters.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Monday, January 20, 2020

Six ways to cut wedding costs without looking cheap.

Dads are Heroes

You asked for N10,000 and your dad told you he will give you in the morning before he leaves for work. This was after he has thoroughly scrutinised what you needed the money for, all the questions he asked were already making you angry,
Throughout the night your dad couldn't sleep because he was thinking of how to give you his last N10,000, 
When it was morning, he called you into his room and gave you N9,000 instead of N10,000, You were not happy and squeezed your face in discontent and reluctantly said thank you after complaining that it was not complete, 
Your mum after seeing this will not say anything but will meet you in your room where your dad isn't and give you N2,000 from her own money and say "don't mind him, use this one to complete it". 



You began to smile like fido dido, And you'll quickly run to Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp to write...

"I have the best mum in the world, i love my mum".

Now your dad had gone out with just 1,000 in his pocket with no fuel in his car, Because of you, he used public transport that day to work,
At work he worked over time,  After closing late, everyone keeps saying "daddy is never always around except mum".

Your good dad will never allow you see how much he suffers for the family because he is a MAN.

Pls
Always try to appreciate your dad because you can never tell what he is going through for your sake, That he is not always around like your mum does not mean he does not care about you deeply.

I appreciate all the Dad's in the house for their sacrifices. Credits - The Thinkers Quotes.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Be your brothers keeper no matter the colour of the skin

This was the circulated photo of a vulture waiting for a starving Sudanese girl to die so it can feast on her. It was taken by Kevin Carter, a prolific photojournalist, during the famine of 1993 in Sudan. This photo later won Kevin the Pulitzer  prize for an 'exceptional' caption.



However, Kevin later got depressed and took his own life four months after his world wide celebration as a skillful photographer. He fell to depression. His depression began when during an interview ( a phone-in programme), someone asked him what happened to the child. *"I did not wait to see what happened after this shot as I had a flight to catch.... ".* And the person replied, "I put it to you that there were two vultures that day; one had a camera". This statement sank Kevin and as he constantly thought of the statement, he got depressed and ended his own life.

In whatever we do, let's consider humanity first before what we can gain. Kevin Carter, may still have been alive today had it be he helped that little child.

We have not truly lived, until our lives have become the stars and sunshine of someone else.

Search within you and if there is that one person you feel you can help start now tomorrow might be too late. 

Please share . 
God bless you ☺ 
#RealStory 
#BeYourBrotherKeeper 
#HumanityFirst

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Why Men in Your Church Are Not Asking You Out: A Better Response

Why Men in Your Church Are Not Asking You Out: A Better Response

 

“How is it that none of the guys from church never ask any of us out?”

I was at brunch with several of my girlfriends when the topic of relationships came up. As I played with the remainder of the food on my plate, I listened to the girls figure out the answer to the question.

“Maybe they’re blind.”

“Maybe they’re just scared.”

“They don’t know how to approach us.”

“Or maybe they’ve never learned how to lead.”

“Maybe they don’t want to lead.”

“Well, regardless, they need to learn to step their game up.”

At the last statement, all of the girls chimed in with agreement. No matter the reason why men in church aren’t asking us out, it didn’t seem to matter. They needed to own up to it and be brave. I nodded in agreement but part of me couldn’t help but to wonder if there was another side to the story.

A few days later, I was hanging out with a different group of friends. They were all guys and I was the sole girl in the mix, dishing out life over pizza and soda. When the conversation turned to relationships, I made a semi-joke to them:

“You guys are so spoiled. You’re in a church full of beautiful, God fearing women. You must be overwhelmed with choices.”

To my surprise, my joke wasn’t met with laughter. Instead I got this response:

“There are a lot of girls but at the same time, there isn’t a lot of love from the girls in the church. I’ve been interested in a lot of different girls but each of them make me feel like I’m less than what I am.”

After that first step into a vulnerable direction, the guys all began to open up in agreement. They told me stories about the amount of pressure they felt from people to be someone they didn’t know they could be. Safe to say, I left that conversation thinking differently than how I started. I began to reflect on 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV): Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

After I listened to my guy friends, I went to other guys I knew with the same argument and I realized every single last one of them mentioned the words “I feel pressured or judged” as a part of their answer as to why they don’t make a move. Women tend to feel more loved when their emotional needs are met. Men tend to feel loved when they feel respected. And when they feel pressure or judgment, the last thing they feel is respect. Nothing makes a man happier than his ability to fix things and when he is told that he can’t do something right, it makes him feel terrible. Men need to know they are capable of doing things well.

Ladies, what if instead of picking apart the men in the church, we chose to speak life instead?

The guys seem to get dragged way more than the women do, especially since in Christian dating culture, the guy is supposed to approach the girl first. For years, I have read blogs, books, and listened to sermons going in on getting men to ask women out and yet nothing much has changed around here. I’ve never heard a guy say, “Wow, after the Pastor yelled out in church that I should stop being scared and ask a girl out and all the girls stood up and cheered, I decided that I should go out and find me a wife.” There is something seriously wrong with our approach. One of my favorite movies of all time is “As Good as it Gets” starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. Jack plays this arrogant and miserable man who falls for a sweet waitress played by Helen. Despite how much Jack says terrible things to Helen’s character, she consistently went to lengths to help him and to be nice to him. By the end of the movie he tells her that he loved her saying, “You make me want to be a better man”. I realize now that this is what men really want from us girls. They want us to help build them up into something better.

Encouragement to a man is the fuel to his engine. When you tell a guy he’s doing a good job, it makes him feel like he can conquer the world. And when he feels that way, his self-esteem and confidence raises and (who knows?) that might just be the pop he needs to ask you out.

Ladies, what if instead of pointing at “flaws” in guys, what if we learned to love selflessly?

As women, we know firsthand how it feels to be picked apart on a daily basis. We are constantly bombarded with images from the media on how the “ideal woman” should look and act. When the media does that to us, they do it with no love in their actions. They do it to sell products and to make money off of damaging our self-esteem. Do you realize that each time you pick a man apart, you are damaging his idea of his self-worth? Romans 12:10 (ESV) says “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” No matter what our desires are for marriage and relationship, Christ calls for us to lay down our desires and to put one another before ourselves. Honor your brothers-in-Christ, ladies. What are they doing that is right? Do the brothers-in-Christ in your life have unique qualities? Are they doing amazing things in ministry? Tell them. Believe me, the men want to hear it. Encourage generously always. Or the shorter version to all of this — cut the guys some slack and be the greatest friend you can be to them.

Ladies, what if we stopped viewing men in the church as potential husbands and as people who you need to serve?

Now hear me out before you draw conclusions on this last point. This isn’t about becoming a doormat or something. This is about putting someone above you and loving as Christ loves you. Let’s get to real truth here — are you genuinely concerned that the men around you become leaders or you are concerned if they can just ask you out on a date? Now there is nothing at all with desiring a date, but we also have to remember that when we follow Christ, we should aim to become selfless as He is. If you are truly interested in seeing men step up, pray for them. Pray consistently. The bible says that we ought to love one another as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). So are you acting this way? Far too many of us women are too concerned with asking God to bring us a special someone when we should be interceding for our brothers-in-Christ. God will allow a relationship in your life at the right time. But allow love to rule over your actions, speech, and thoughts about the opposite sex.

So, the next time you want to vent about a guy not asking you out, think of how Christ can use you in this situation. Actively encourage the men in your life as much as you can. Let us be helpers and builders by serving our Brothers in Christ. There’s a lot of talk about maximizing your singleness and guess what? This can be a part of that! When we walk in love despite our feelings, we do more than honor the men but we honor God which should be our true goal.

Thursday, January 09, 2020

Married Women Date In Venice — The Hues And Cries And The True Story

Part 2 : Married Women Date In Venice — Francis Van-Lare Shocks Fans, Announces Winner

Rant HQ Blog reported few hours back about the indecent proposal contest launched by Philanthropist, Francis Van-Lare. We also intimated you guys of a twist in the case, and subsequently alerted you all to await his announcement.

We can authoritatively confirm that a winner has emerged and the contest ended 4 days before the proposed announcement with a shocker! Her husband would make the trip with her and would be the one to give her breakfast in bed among other things!

Ain’t that amazing? Yes, it should be.

Read below Mr Francis Van-Lare post below;

The Indecent Proposal . I have to close the thread early as contestants are being bullied . We have a winner . The Pastor’s wife Oluwapelumi Wonder.

I keep telling all of you to think as if there is no box but you will not listen . The husband will be given $2,000 as promised but he must use it to buy a ticket to Venice ITALY and be thought how to spice his wife by my Italian friends who are experts in romance . While there, take her on a gondola ride , give her breakfast in bed , wine and dine her , go dancing , shopping etc and my expectation is that this trip will take their marriage to the next level .

I never said I will do all these for her myself , I said she will get all those spice but did not say by who . If I had posted a free trip for couples everyone who thinks inside the box will jump in . Oluwapelumi has her own business and happily married and not hungry but she and her husband do not think in the box . To quote her she participated because someone who wants to sleep with a married woman will not post it on facebook so she thought as if there is no box .

Of course I will travel with them and pay all expenses and bring my Cinderella along too .

Congrats Oluwapelumi.

This confirmed our initial position that Mr Francis has something up his sleeve.

And here we are!


5 Female Secondary Students Reportedly Rape Male Teacher To Coma In Ogun

5 Female Secondary Students Reportedly Rape Male Teacher To Coma In Ogun

Five secondary school girls within the age range of 16 to 18 have reportedly raped a Biology teacher [name withheld] to coma in ‎Ayetoro-Itele, a community in Ogun State.

News of the criminal act broke out Thursday morning when the man’s neighbor called the local police after he found the man helpless and near-lifeless in his room.

According the man’s neighbor, five school-age girls reportedly walked into the man’s room, a one room apartment, where the man teacher was recovering from undisclosed ailment.

The student, who were on mufti to hide their school identity, did not waste time to get down to ‘business’.

The unsuspecting teacher, who was certain they were students as the had notes and textbooks on them, wrongly imagined they came to pay him a quick-recovery visit.

In his feeble state and hasn’t been attending classes since resumption, however, he was easily overpowered as his co-tenants have all gone for their various trades, except the neighbour that called police.

Narrating the ordeal, the neighbour recounts to the police:

“I heard voices from inside his room, although faint, because our rooms are far apart.

“I thought he was merely having some conversation; I heard the moans too but who would think something like that would have happened.

“I found him naked few minutes after the girls left as I wanted to check on his health and so I called the attention of the nearest police.”

It was gathered that the man was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital and treatment has since commenced on him by doctors and nurses on duty.

Meanwhile, police said that investigation has began in earnest to fish out those behind the evil act.

When contacted, the school principal maintained that none of his students could have done that but police investigators are working with the school management to get to the root of the matter.