EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS AVAILABLE HERE

October is the month for Bosom  cancer and this is to remind us on how often we need to check ourselves for early detection and signs from the deadly disease. As we end the month of October in style, let’s take you back to what happened at Genevieve Pink Ball 2014.

The need for ‘deafening’ awareness for Bosom  Cancer cannot be overemphasised. And humanity is grateful to have bodies promoting same in different parts of the world in October, the global month for Bosom  Cancer awareness.
We did inform you about the ‘Geneveive PinkBall’ Bosom  Cancer awareness event. Just in case you missed it, publishers of Geneveive magazine succesfully held  its 3rd ‘Genevieve Pink Ball’ on 18 October 2014, at Dorchester Hall, Victoria Island Lagos.
Three years on, ‘Geneveive Pink Ball’ has successfully disseminated information about Bosom  Cancer to women in Lagos. By this, the Foundation reaches to support women both medically and financially towards the prevention and treatment of Bosom  Cancer. The  colourful event which was attended by celebrities and other beautiful people had talented Singer, Seyi Shay announced as the Foundation’s Ambassador. The photographs below will tell you more.



EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS AVAILABLE HERE










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Popular Lagos socialite and Movida night Club boss, Akeem Shodeinde, in an interview, disclosed that the reason for the closure of his night club is not for debt reasons, but to enable him attend to his health issues and a means of rebranding and giving his life to Christ.

Akeem who is an addict smoker with one Kidney, explained that he does not care about what people say or think about him as his health is more important than anything.
He stated that he does not know if he will re-open the night club except through God’s directive but will be willing to go to Bible school to work for God.

The night club boss added that he does not care about money or riches as he sees it something that will come and go, but respects the power of God because it is bigger than everything. “I have been doing night club business for 18 to 20 year, and I have not heard a gunshot and I have not been robbed.”

On his next means of survival after the club’s closure, Akeem noted that one does not have to put his head in one basket as he has others things doing that will help put food on his table. I still have what I can live on. And mind you, my expenses will not be like before.

According to him, “I will still live well and pay my bills. I have things that can still keep me alive. If I remember that there are people who sell akara and tuwo to survive, I believe I will survive because I can’t go beg for shoes or clothes. I am not too greedy, neither am I desperate. God’s time is the best. Starvation is never my problem.”










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Rumours will come and go likewise challenges but what keeps one going is the ability to stay strong especially when those rumours are not true neither is the challenges meant to last long.

For fair-skin Nollywood actress, Uche Ogbodo, she has had her own share of fans lashing and scandals but has been able to stay focused as she revealed that motherhood has been very interesting for her especially when she heard the heartbeat of her baby.

The proud mother explained that the pregnancy was fun but was could not understand the sex of the baby because she was told in various scan in Nigeria that her baby’s sex was male on three occasions until she got to America before she was told that it was a male.

Uche revealed that during her pregnancy, she had various dreams where she kept seeing a baby girl. She explained that it was serious that someone even gave her a baby girl in the dream but she had to reject it which was also another reason why she did not buy baby things until the seventh month.

Reacting to her choice of delivering abroad, the actress stated that Nigeria has good hospitals but had to go to America because her visa was still valid and needed to take her mind off a lots of things especially bad memories.











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The Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Develpoment, Oluwatoyin Ayinde, has said that the collapsed six-storey building of the Synagogue Church of All Nations has no government approval.



According to a new reports, Ayinde stated this on Thursday while giving testimony before the coroner probing the cause of the building collapse. No fewer than 116 persons died while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the September 12, 2014 tragedy.

Ayinde said investigations conducted by his ministry after the accident revealed that though the six-
storey building had a record of survey, it however had no approval of the government. He said the only thing found in the records was an approval for the church’s main auditorium, adding that though that auditorium had now been raised to eight floors, the approval given was only for five floors.

The commissioner, who described all unapproved structures in the church’s premises as illegal, stated that there was the need to investigate what he described as unusual practices going on within the church premises. Ayinde wondered why, for instance, one of the columns supporting the additional three floors placed on the main auditorium had to take off from the top of a water tank.

He said:

     “The approval that we saw was in the name of the Synagogue Church of All Nations dated January 26, 2004 but that approval was just for the main auditorium and one of the things we discovered was that it was an approval for a five-floor development. But on our visit to the site, we discovered that the building had been taken to eight floors; we do not have the records of the additional floors, making those floors illegal construction. Did we see anything on the collapsed building? No. In our records, the collapsed building has no approval.

    I’d like to say that with the additional structure we saw on site, we are inclined to express some fears. We have seen, for example, that one of the columns is not taking off from the ground floor, but it is resting on an existing water tank and I don’t know whether any engineer certified that construction. This needs to be investigated because it is an unusual practice to start a column middle way.”

While expressing doubts over the claim by the church that the collapse of the building was connected with some aircrafts that had hovered over it shortly before the accident, Ayinde stated that his investigations revealed that the distance between the said aircraft and the top of the building was one and a half the length of a football pitch.

He added that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had written a letter to his ministry showing a request by the Nigeria Air Force that some of their aircrafts were going to be having rehearsals at that time around that place.

He said:

    “What we wanted to know was which aircrafts were flying at that particular time? Two, at what altitude were they flying? And three, what was the coordinate of their flight path?”








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President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the immediate reinstatement of former Super Eagles coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi.

Keshi’s contract with the Nigeria Football Federation was not renewed after the World Cup in Brazil. But in a twist of fate, Sports Minister and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Tammy Danagogo invited the Afcon winning coach to return to the team and prosecute the first phase of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo, South Africa and Sudan.

The campaign has been a near disaster as the Eagles could only garner 4 points from a possible 12. Nigerians were enraged and called for the head of the coach. Keshi was subsequently asked to go by the new NFF board.

President Jonathan’s order for the reinstatement of the embattled coach was not unexpected as there were reports of a strong lobby group comprising people from high places campaigning for the return of the former Hawks of Togo coach.

The former international said he was not angry against those who relieved him of his assignment but admitted he was ready to return as a sign of respect to Mr President.

“If the number one citizen of this country asked me to stay back I wouldn’t want to think any other team because this is the team I captained for 14 years and have coached for some years too but sometimes you do have mixed feelings because of what is on ground”.

Concerning the must win second leg tie of the 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Congo, Keshi said there is nothing to worry about because he still has his team intact.

He however, complained complained that Nigerians don’t seem to appreciate what he and his players were doing for the country.








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When it comes to teaching the words of the scripture today, Pastor Tunde Bakare, no doubt is one Nigerian cleric that has used the Word of God to change lots of lives.

The celebrated pastor, teacher, mentor and human right activist who presides over Latter Rain Assembly will clock the enviable age of 60 on 11th November, 2014. In celebrating the milestone age, he had an exclusive chat with TheNEWS Magazine of 27th October, 2014, and he spoke succinctly on the journey of his life. Excerpts…  

You worked with Gani Fawehinmi and later moved on to establish El-Shaddai Chambers, what happened?

No, I didn’t leave to form El-Shaddai Chambers. I left Chief Gani Fawehinmi and went straight to Chief Rotimi Willaims. I had been part of Gani Fawehinmi’s Chambers since my university days when I was helping him with Law Reports and working at night with Oasis Hotel in Akoka area of Lagos. The Oasis Hotel woman came here for my 40th birthday. Chief Gani Fawehinmi treated me like his own relation and he gave a testimony on my 50th birthday, where he called me a hardworking person and that I have an unquenchable hunger for research. If you see the first copy of Nigerian Law Report, my name was printed there because I went to England to do it for him. However, we were going to Calabar to do a case. He was in the business class of the plane and I was in the economy and he called me by my Muslim name, Sindiku, He said, ‘I’m thinking of marrying a second wife because I want someone very educated as my first wife is not too educated. I want someone who can help co-ordinate my level of activities.’ Then I told him, ‘But sir, I heard from you that you stopped your wife’s education when she was in her A-level because you wanted her to marry you. It would now be injustice to marry another wife because of (her level of) education. Please send her back to school.’

He said, ‘I’m not asking for your advice; I am just informing you, and I looked into his eyes and said, ‘Sorry sir, the day the woman comes in is the day I would leave.’ He joked and called me, ‘Alagidi Talaka’ (Stubborn poor man).’ That particular year, I was working in the chambers, he had just paid me my salary: a cheque for #400, and said the woman would be coming later in the day. And I said okay. I took the cheque, enveloped it with a letter of resignation, and told him the cheque was my monthly pay in leu of notice. I had no dime in my pocket when I left him that year. I trekked out of the place and never returned. When he died, the wife saw me and told me she heard the story. In fact, Chief Fawehinmi told my wife inside the plane one day. We entered the first class section; I saw him and we exchanged greetings. He stood up and said, “Your husband is a principled man. Many of my children are Christians today. I watch him on television because I know he talks the talk and walks the walk.’

I left him to join Chief Rotimi’s Chambers. I took the only briefcase I had and when I got to Rotimi Williams, I told him I wanted an opportunity to serve him and he told he was not the one in charge of employment, that it was Chief Bayo Kehinde, who was also a SAN. His twin brother was the then Auditor-General of the Federation. I waited for him to come back and I said to him when he arrived, “Chief Rotimi Williams said you should give me a job.” I didn’t lie. Chief Williams said Chief Kehinde was the one in charge and I told him. He gave me a form to fill; I filled it and my salary was now N510, so I was excited with the increase. On Friday, Chief Williams saw me at the black table and asked, ‘Who are you?’ and Chief Kehinde looked at him and said, ‘The man you asked me to give a job.’ He said, ‘Did I tell you that?’ and I said, ‘Sir I came here in search of a job and you said Chief Bayo Kehinde is the one in charge. So I assumed you asked me to go and meet him.’ Then he said, ‘You’ve got the job.’

I worked in the chambers for a while, then I got another job in a very interesting manner. I was to represent the Defendant and F.O Bakare was defending the plaintiff. And we ended up in Justice Bakare’s court and he said, ‘F.O Bakare appears for the plaintiff’ and I stood up and was defending the defendant and Justice Bakare said, ‘Bakare against Bakare and to be judged by Bakare! And from the way I handled the case, F.O Bakare said he liked my spirit; that we should work together. So he increased my salary from N510 to N610. I left F.O Bakare’s Chamber in September 1984, though I would not want to state the issue involved, but I preached the gospel and it backfired on me. He was supposed to give me a car loan for my wedding, but he terminated my appointment and that pushed me to my destiny.








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The Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has revealed that he goes to beer parlour every Friday in order to enable him to get close to the common man in the state. The governor spoke with journalists in Abuja on Thursday while defending the concept of what he said to be “stomach infrastructure” introduced by his new government. He said it would be wrong for people to assume that "stomach infrastructure" means only sharing of food and money to the people. Fayose defended his decision of going to beer parlours, saying that it would be wrong to equate governance with church or morality.

His Words:

“I also go to beer parlour on Friday to stay with the common men there. Governance is not church, it is about diverse characters and you have to relate with them as they are.
Still speaking, “Christmas is coming. Why do people go out of their ways to be shopping or doing other things if it is not just to make people merry?
“So, I’m grooming chicken, buying rice, yams, plantain, and the rest of them. I am sure if I give it to families during the festive period, they will be happy. So, stomach infrastructure is a way of life.”
Gov. Fayose said most people, who commit crime do so because they felt that life was no longer worthy of living for them and that there was no one to tell them that there was life for them.
He said it was because of this that he set up a department for stomach infrastructure and also appointed a special assistant and a personal assistant on it.
“So, my style without apology is that stomach infrastructure is a way of life for me, I will relate well with my people to alleviate poverty and hunger in Ekiti,” he further said.








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Looks like joining politics is the new trend among our famous folks. Former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo is the new ambassador of the PDP Ward 2 Ward Initiative. He is pictured above with other members of the group while on a courtesy call on the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, yesterday Wednesday October 29th.










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Protesters in Burkina Faso have reportedly set light to the country’s parliament building and ransacked state television on Thursday (October 30), forcing it off the air ahead of a planned vote on a motion to permit President Blaise Compaore to extend his 27-year rule. State television, before it was forced off-air, read a statement saying the proposal to change the constitution had been withdrawn.

“This is a message signed by the government which informs the population of the cancellation of the motion to change the constitution.”

The unrest on Thursday comes following days of protests against the government’s plans. The opposition had called for a campaign of civil disobedience across the country. Compaore’s attempt to remain in power has deeply divided Burkina Faso and drawn criticism from France and the United States, both allies of the Burkinabé government in their fight against al Qaeda-linked groups in the region. The EU said it could jeopardise the country’s stability.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e2P6MMHu5I" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e2P6MMHu5I</a>

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Sports Minister Tammy Danagogo says he will ‘never obey’ any court order that is not explicitly served on him, amid accusations of disobeying a court order after appearing in public with Amaju Pinnick, whose election as the Nigeria Football Federation President was annulled by the Federal High Court in Jos.

The Sports Minister was with Pinnick in Lagos when the Falcons arrived in Nigeria with the AWC trophy, and Pinnick received the team as the NFF President – an event which has led to accusations of Danagogo disobeying court orders.

But Danagogo, a Doctor of Law, has defended his actions, saying he will never obey a court order that wasn’t served on him.
“I will never obey a court order based on what a newspaper or television is telling me. You can come and tell me the court has said Amaju is President or the court has said Giwa is President, I will not obey that,” said Danagogo.

“You obey or disobey a court order based on order of court, duly endorsed by the court and served on you.”

The sports minister also says he has no right to stop Amaju Pinnick from parading himself as the NFF President until he receives a formal order from the court ordering him to do so.

“If I have not received any such formally enrolled order of court and then I go to either a football function and then I see Amaju (Pinnick) there, I will have no right whatsoever in this world to tell him to leave, I cannot,” he added.

“It is only when a court enrols a mandatory order and serves on me and says that ‘don’t ever do this with this man’, that’s when I can say ‘let me be careful’.

“But that has not happened.”

The factions led by Chris Giwa and Amaju Pinnick held a closed door meeting with the Sports Minister in his office on Tuesday.

Both factions were encouraged to sit down with each other and iron their differences out. They will meet again with Danagogo on Wednesday afternoon.







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President Goodluck Jonathan appeared worried and on Wednesday summoned an emergency meeting of prominent PDP members to forge a line of action.

Tambuwal had on Tuesday announced his defection to the opposition All Progressives Congress to contest the governorship election in his home state of Sokoto. He also adjourned the House to 3 December.

On Wednesday as the PDP big guns gathered in Aso Rock, lamenting his departure from their party, Tambuwal got a celebrity reception at the special convention of the APC. Called to speak, he swore in the name of God, that by May 2015, the APC would have swept the PDP out of office.

The PUNCH reported that the meeting of the PDP leaders in Aso Rock came hours after the House said the PDP, individuals and groups condemning the defection of the speaker to the All Progressives Congress should not dictate to it on how to conduct its affairs.


In attendance were the National Chairman of the PDP, Adamu Mu’azu, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Emeka Ihedioha; the Deputy Leader of the House, Mr. Leo Ogor; and a member from Delta State, Ndudi Elumelu, in attendance.

Some PDP governors such as Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa): Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe) and Sullivan Chime (Enugu) were also part of the meeting, according to PUNCH.

Top government officials who attended the parley included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Muhammed Adoke (SAN).

“The issue of the Speaker and his exit was one of the fundamental issues discussed at the meeting,” he said.








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Joy Williams, who was aged 24, and from Thamesmead, south-east London, died following a botched procedure that went wrong. Joy was said to have been undergoing buttock augmentation by an allegedly uncertified surgeon in Bangkok when tragedy struck.

According to our source, Joy had made the ill-fated journey to Thailand without informing her parents. She was the eldest and only daughter of her family.

Speaking yesterday from his home in Lagos, Nigeria to Mail Online, Miss Williams's older brother Anietie, 28, said he had been looking forward to her visiting him in Nigeria this Christmas. He said: 'We don't really know what went wrong, we only know what is in reports in the media.
'She was a very nice and caring person. 'She brought joy to people's lives. 'She was a beautiful girl, loved by everybody. We will miss her so much.'
He added that the family were still making preparations to bring Miss Williams's body home and that his brother was planning to fly to Thailand and return to London with it. Miss Williams, who was born in Lagos, settled in Thamesmead with her mother Christie in 2007 and had been to Thailand twice before choosing to visit for surgery.

She initially visitied to the SP clinic, which she found on the internet, on October 14 to have the operation which she hoped would give her a bigger, fuller bottom.
A few days later her wounds became infected and she returned to have corrective surgery to remove the silicon implants.
But she was found dead on the operating table with a three inch-long stitched incision on her tail bone after medical staff found they were unable to resuscitate her. Thai officials investigating her death believe her operation had been delayed to ensure Miss Williams had not eaten anything beforehand and that as a result the operation began after the clinic's legal closing time of 7pm.

It is believed Miss Williams had long struggled with her self-esteem and been bullied at school before choosing to undergo an operation on her nose to improve her looks. While in Bangkok she had been staying at the £11-a-night Vabua Asotel hotel which is used by the clinic as accommodation for its patients.

The doctor who carried out the procedure, Sompob Sansiri, 51, was later arrested and accused of negligence after it was found that he had been carrying out night-time surgery without a licence. He has now been charged with recklessness causing death and could face 10 years in jail if found guilty. The clinic has been closed for 60 days while investigations are carried out. Thailand is a world-leader in cosmetic surgery tourism with many companies offering procedures at discounts of up to 60 per cent.
The industry earned the country £2.68billion in 2013 alone.

If you will recall a similar incident happened 2 yrs ago also with a Nigerian girl who went to Philadelphia and died in the process of this butt augmentation by a fake doctor.



Claudia Aderotimi, 20, died after suffering medical complications following the treatment, which she received in a hotel room in America. Her former boyfriend, Paul Djimo said the aspiring dancer and model had undergone a similar procedure just months earlier and swore never to do so again due to the pain from the process.


It is truly heartbreaking that such a young, vibrant, beautiful girl would put her life at such great risks for such an unnecessary process. It is such a shame that young women in our society still feel the need to fit a certain bill' to feel beautiful.







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Music lovers around the country can begin to mark their calendars to Friday, November 21, when Lagos, Nigeria gets set to host the biggest selection of Nigerian artistes as music legend, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (K 1 The Ultimate) stages a star-studded multi-genre music concert, “K1 Live Unusual“.

 The legendary musician who has been performing for 43 years will be performing his greatest hits and more live at the greatest Fuji-pop inspired concert ever held

 Lovers of Nigerian music can expect to hear some of their favorite tracks like “Talazo system”, “Baby mi show colour re” “Omo Niger” and “Eyo” from the 58 year old maestro behind a couple of our country’s most celebrated hits.

 As more artistes and sponsors are revealed, ‘K1 Live Unusual’ is set to be the first and biggest of its kind, hosted by the King of comedy himself, Alibaba, with comedy by Buchi. The event is expected to attract over 5,000 fans of Nigerian entertainment with performances by multi- award winner 2face Idibia, Lagbaja, Olamide, Sir Shina Peters, Sir Victor Olaiya, Omawumi, and celebrity disc jockey, DJ Jimmy Jatt live on the turntables.



KWAM1 has been the inspiration behind many new acts, collaborating with artistes like Olamide on his hit single ‘State of the nation’, and has just concluded a tour in London, South Africa, North America, Malaysia and Australia.

Headliners 2face Idibia and Olamide confirmed today, their participation in the big budget event, during a media day at BHM Group.

‘This concert is going to be unusual. I have been following KWAM 1’s music and i must say that i’m really privileged to be performing with the Fuji king at the concert.” 2Face said. 

‘I am a huge fan of King Ayinde Marshall because like we all know, he is a living legend so it’s a great honor to be performing at this concert” Olamide commented.

The concert will be followed by an exclusive after-party held at Nigeria’s most prestigious club, Quilox, and is fully supported by the Lagos State Government, Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency (LASAA) and media partners HipTV.








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Folakemi Akinbode. Remember her? She is the 26-year-old female corps member from Ekiti State who had her hand cut and almost severed by two suspected cultists on August 5, 2013 while on her way from her place of pri­mary assignment. She was serving at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH), Okolobiri, Yenagoa Local Gov­ernment Area of Bayelsa State.

The two hoodlums, who had earlier disguised as blood donors while she attended to them at NDUTH, had laid an ambush for Folakemi between Obunghan and Okolobiri communities. Left in her pool of blood after the attack, help came for Folakemi when she was rushed to the NDUTH, Okolobiri, where a renowned cardiovascular surgeon, Prof Osinowo, had ensured that her condition was stabilised while arrangements were being made to fly her abroad.

By October, there was cheering news when NDUTH authorities said Governor Henry Seriake Dickson had approved about N4 million for a surgery to be performed on her at an Italian hospital – Italiano Instituto Di Chirugia Dela Mano.

On Wednesday October 9, about 8.45pm, Folakemi’s flight departed Nigeria for Italy. But to her consternation and that of her family members, rather than looking forward to quality medical attention that would fix her hand in good time, she began a life of uncertainty interwoven with anguish and anxiety.

The authorities of NDUTH had released a female doctor to travel with her to Italy and the money released by the government was used to pay for flight for Folakemi and the doctor. It also covered their accommodation in Italy, as the arrangement was that she would be going to the hospital from wherever she was staying. Checks indicate that three weeks after she got there, with the money in her debit card already exhausted, the female doctor left for Nigeria, leaving Folakemi behind without the date for the surgery in sight.

“The hospital (NDUTH) and the Bayelsa State Government sent Folakemi abroad with four million naira. It covered travelling allowances to Italy for herself and the female doctor that followed her. The female doctor stayed for three weeks and left, leaving only Folakemi there,” Mr. Richard Akinbode, Folakemi’s father said in an interview.

According to the family, during the first three months, she was placed on physiotherapy and treatment for infection, to prepare her for surgery. It was then the family was given a bill proper for the surgery, which was in the region of N10 million.

“The hospital sent a bill of N10 million for the surgery and the bill was sent to the Bayelsa State Government. After a while, we heard that the government said the bill was too much,” Mr Akinbode disclosed.

This was the beginning of a nightmare for the family, as they had to run around to seek for help so that Folakemi would not lose the battle to ever use her hand again.

“For between two and three months that I was there, it was as if I was abandoned by those who brought me there,” Folakemi lamented.

After repeated calls to Bayelsa State and with no help forthcoming, Mr. Akinbode said he had to inform the NYSC authorities of the situation.

“I had to intimate the NYSC of the situation. I was told to write and make it formal. The NYSC officials in Bayelsa took it upon themselves and N5 million was released. The problem was how to pay the money. Then after getting clearance from the NYSC Director- General, the money was sent to Italy. We, the family, had to raise the remaining balance because I did not send my child to Bayelsa to get injured. While on this, her visa to Italy expired,” he said.

Folakemi was given a three-month visa, and when it expired, she and her family were in a dilemma until a non- governmental organisation, called Pobic Onlus, learnt of her case. Officials of the group advised her to come to Ghana for the surgery, informing her that they would be coming to St. Joseph’s Hospital, Koforidua in Ghana. They told Folakemi that she should do the surgery in Ghana since she was already being threatened with deportation in Italy.

Mr. Akinbode said arrangements were made and Folakemi went to Ghana where the surgery was performed. After that, she was to return to Italy for continuation of physiotherapy but she was denied entry to Italy and her family had struggled to get another visa for her to undergo post-surgery treatment.

Eventually Folakemi went back to Italy and after completing the post-surgery treatment, she is back in Nigeria but displeased with the way she was treated after the attack.

“There was nobody that called to know how I was doing and whether I had, had the surgery. I called them repeatedly, but they were not picking calls. The then Commissioner for Health refused to pick calls and reply messages. I thank God for NYSC that they were able to assist,” she said.

Mr. Akinbode captured the mood of the family better: “She was serving and she is supposed to be the responsibility of government. Did they expect me to beg them before they take care of her? It is not that I cannot take care of my child because God has blessed me with the resources to take care of my children but the proper thing must be done. Some people rose up to intervene. The NYSC coordinator in Bayelsa and officials intervened. People should not be begged to do what they are supposed to do. I also work in an organised place and I would not expect people to beg me for what I am supposed to do. Whether now or in the future, God will judge.”

Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Deacon Markson Fefegha, regretted that the then Commissioner for Health, Dr. Awoli, who would have provided more details about the issue had been dropped. But he denied that the Bayelsa State Government abandoned Folakemi after sending her for treatment.

Fefegha, who said it took the family a while to come to Bayelsa after the unfortunate incident, said a government delegation paid her a visit at the hospital shortly after the incident and also ensured that the two people that attacked her were arrested.

He said a government that released N4 million for her treatment abroad could not be accused of abandoning a corps member attacked in the state.

But Mr. Akinbode is not impressed with the explanation. He said the government should have monitored the progress after the release of the funds.

“I went to visit her in Ghana and I saw the way they took care of her. I thank God that everything is over and whatever is left, God will handle it. I thank the NYSC for their support. The Bayelsa State Government said they gave N4 million but they did not monitor how the money was disbursed. The money was released and it was used to get tickets and offset the cost of accommodation in Italy. I had to send some money to them when they were in Italy. After rounding off her post-surgery treatment and she came back, I called the NDUTH to inform them that she was back but they did not pick calls. I sent text messages and they did not reply. Had it not been that God blessed me with the wherewithal, her hand would have been amputated. The only call I got from Bayelsa was the one, requesting me to come and testify against the two people that attacked her. I have told them to set them free, as I am not interested in the case. God will judge.”

At the NDUTH, officials said they were civil servants and could not comment on the case. They said the state government had already taken over the case from the hospital.









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