03/15/18
Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.
Boys who have mastered the art of cooking

A team of four boys on Thursday defeated a female team of 11 girls in a cooking competition organised by the Holy Family School in Lagos.
The boys’ team was adjudged the winner against the girls’ team after the judges had tasted the dishes prepared by the teams.
The Latest Reality Metro reports that the teams prepared fried rice, fried fish and locally prepared ‘Eve’ drink.
However, the girls’ team emerged the winner in the preparation of cassava flake (a.k.a. Eba) and Ogbonno soup, Jollof rice alongside the local drink, Zobo.
The leader of the boys’ team, Edward Akugbe told our correspondent that the current economic situation had compelled most boys to acquire the cooking skills and other domestic chores.
“My mum told me that it is cheaper that I cook for myself than employing a house assistant or eating foods outside when I become independent,” he said.
According to him, my mother made it compulsory that we sat by her and understudied her whenever she was in the kitchen or doing the house chores.
Also, Favour Noris,16, won the  award for being the best dressed and organised cook.
He told LR News that despite being the last born of his parents, his mother included him in the family cooking roaster.
“My mum prepared a cooking roaster that included the boys; and that forced me to learn so much about kitchen management which I applied to my team,” he said.
However, Tope Oladunjoye, 12, and leader of the female team, told our correspondent that her team lost because they prepared local dishes.
She said that preparing local dishes required more ingredients, techniques and activities.
“We had to grate okra fruits, pumpkin leaves and also blended our tomatoes and pepper with the grinding stone.
“We want to promote our cultural meal, teach ourselves how to prepare it and that made us to miss the first position,” she told LR News.
Meanwhile, the youngest female participant, Esther Orji, 9, told our correspondent that she learnt different cooking methods from her mother.
“Before now, I only knew my mum’s cooking methods and the ones my teacher taught us in school.
“But, the competition has even taught me how to add `Hot dog’ in fried rice preparation,” she said.
The teacher-in-charge of the competition, Mrs Peace Umeorah said the competition had made more positive impacts on the children.
She said that the children came forward willingly to participate because it was a competition where winners would emerge.
“We shall be improving on our employable youths if this exercise is extended to more schools because we shall be producing more chefs,” she said.
The school’s chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association, (PTA), Mrs Ethel Orji, said the exercise had economic gains for the country.
“This type of competition has both economic and social advantage for our children as it will bring about more domestic independence among our youths in future,” she told LR News.
Latest Reality Metro reports that each member of the winning team went away with various gift items while the girls got kitchen utensils.
Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.

An Abeokuta High Court on Thursday sentenced three men to death by hanging for armed robbery, conspiracy and rape while the fourth accused, Oguntolu Oludare got10 years imprisonment for receiving stolen goods.
Justice Olatokunbo Majekodumi sentenced Abdulrasak Moshood, Sakiru Osunmuyiwa and Azeez Olonade.
Delivering judgment, Justice Majekodumi said the court was convinced beyond reasonable doubt the accused committed the offences.
“Having found that the accused persons are guilty as charged, the first, second and third accused shall be hung by the neck until they are dead. May the Lord have mercy on you.
“The fourth accused person, Oguntolu Oludare, is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for conspiracy and receiving stolen goods,” Majekodumi said.
Moshood , Osunmuyiwa and Olonade were charged for robbing one Mr and Mrs Kehinde Martins-Thomas.
The convicts also charged with raping the couple’s daughter.
The convicts, according to the prosecution, committed the offences on Feb.5, 2012 at about 1  a.m at plot 8-10 Martins-Thomas Crescent, GRA Extension, Ojere in Abeokuta at a gun point with other offensive weapons.
The prosecution said the convicts gained access into the house of Martins-Thomas through the window by cutting the burglary proof.
The prosecution said the convict tied Martins-Thomas, his wife up and hit Martins-Thomas with the boot of a gun before shoving him into a bathroom.
The prosecution said the convicts ransacked the house and stole N160,000, a laptop, DVD player, Camcorder, mobile phones, wedding ring, and other valuables.
The court was told that the convicts were later apprehended by the police, adding that during police investigation the stolen items were found in Moshood’s home.
The prosecution said the offences contravened Section 5 of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap ll, Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The prosecution said the offences contravened Section 357 and 358 of the Criminal Code, laws of Ogun 2006.
The convicts, who had been standing trial since 2012, had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.

The Lagos State Government on Thursday buckled under pressure, reducing all levies for its new Land Use Charge (LUC) that had attracted public outcry in the state.
The reduction came two days after the Ikeja branch of the Nigeria Bar Association in Lagos marched against the new law, with its  chairman, Mr Adeshina Ogunlana, describing the protest as a clear no to oppressive tax regime in Lagos State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Committee for Defence of Human Rights, Joint Action Front and the Human and Environmental Agenda joined the protest in solidarity with the lawyers.
The NBA chapter had also submitted a letter to Ambode dated March 12 and titled “Call For A Re-think and Review of The Land Use Charge Tax, All Other Excessive Taxes, Levies and Charges in Lagos State.”
Earlier, several groups, including the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) had also kicked against the new land use charge.
The state, on Thursday, cut commercial charges by 50 per cent, Owner-occupier with third party, including industries and manufacturing concerns by 25 per cent.
It also  waived penalty for late payments across board and tax credits for LUC charges already paid, and introduced Instalmental Payment System.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Akinyemi Ashade, the state Commissioner for Finance and Special Adviser to the Governor on Taxation and Revenue, announced the government’s new position at Alausa.
He spoke at a media briefing which had all members of the executive council members except the governor in attendance.
Ashade said the review was in line with the desire of government to build infrastructure and improve the well-being of its citizens.
“In line with this administration’s tradition of inclusive governance and civic engagement, and as a Government that is committed to the welfare of its citizens and understands the importance of continuously engaging the populace, we undertook extensive dialogue with various stakeholders on the Land Use Charge (“LUC”) revised Law and its implementation.
“Consequently, we received a wide range of responses from  our dialogue with various stakeholders on the amended LUC Law 2018.
“The stakeholders included the Organised Private Sector, Nigeria Bar Association, Real estate investors & developers, Landlord & Resident Associations, Community Development Associations, Civil Society Organisations, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI), Nigeria Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers and several other professional groups.
“These various interactions formed the subject of extensive deliberations at the meeting of the Lagos State Executive Council on Wednesday, March 14th, 2018.
” The Lagos State Executive Council chaired by His Excellency, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, therefore resolved as follows:
“1. Commercial Property: Commercial Property owners, who are undoubtedly the stakeholders mostly impacted by this amended Law will be granted 50% discount. This means a commercial property valued at N20 million which was earlier billed N91,200 will now pay N45,600 per annum.
“2. Property Occupied by Owner and Third Party & Property Used for Industrial and Manufacturing Purposes: These categories of property will now enjoy 25% discount. This means that a N20 million property expected to pay N30,720 will now pay N23,040 per annum.
“3. Owner-occupied Property: This category of property will enjoy 15% discount. For a N20 million property, this used to be N9,120. Now, it is N7,752 per annum.
“4. The penalty regime for late payment of LUC has been waived completely. Therefore, LUC payers who have received their bills will no longer be penalised for late payment of bills issued in 2018, thereby providing additional relief to LUC payers.
“5. Other rates and reliefs, apart from the ones stated above, will remain unchanged and will be implemented as stipulated by the Law. These include 40% general relief, 10% for 70 years and above, 10% for properties owned by persons living with disability and 10% for properties that are 25 years old and so on and so forth.
“6. Owners of Property across all categories will now be allowed to make payments by instalments.  This will help to reduce the burden of taxation on our citizens,” he said.
The Commissioner said that those who had already paid the new LUC would be awarded tax credits to the extent of the excess amount paid and carried forward to the following year.
He said that a regulation would be sent to the Lagos State House of Assembly for review and passage, and urged stakeholders to participate in the legislative proceedings.
The Commissioner for Justice, Mr Adeniji Kazeem, said dispute resolution mechanism of the law was also reviewed.
“This new amended law provides for the establishment of five tribunals in the five divisions of Lagos State,” he said.
Kazeem explained that there had been only one tribunal, but the executive council had granted approval and four more be added to accommodate the new amendment.
The new Land Use Charge Law (LUCL) 2018, which applies to real and landed property in the state, had consolidated all property and land-based rates/charges into a single property charge and set modalities for levying and collection of the charge. LR News
Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.
King Mswati III of Swaziland.

Swaziland’s minister of home affairs, Princess Tsandzile, has declared April 20 a public holiday, in honour of the birthday of King Mswati III.
“This effectively means Thursday (19 April) and Friday (20) April will be public holidays when the country will celebrate both the 50th birthday of His Majesty King Mswati III and 50 years since the country gained independence”, the minister announced in parliament late on Thursday.
“As the ministry of home affairs, we would like to inform the nation that since the 50/50 celebrations will be held on April 19, 2018, the following day (April 20) is declared a public holiday.”
The official further stated that April 25, which was normally a National Flag Day, would be a normal working day, since that holiday has been shifted to April 20.
Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarch won independence from +Britain in 1968 before King Mswati introduced a new parliamentary system in 1993 where citizens were allowed to vote for the first time to choose national assembly members.
The king introduced a new constitution in 2006, but he still controls the legislature.
Mswati, listed as the world’s 15th richest monarch by Forbes magazine, has courted controversy with a lavish lifestyle while two-thirds of Swazis live in poverty.
Unemployment is 40 percent and the prevalence of HIV among adults is the world’s highest.
Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.


Residents of Abule Ijesha community, Yaba, Lagos State, say the neighbourhood is not safe until the police arrest hoodlums who killed a senior member of staff of the University of Lagos, Akoka, and a final year student of the institution.

They claimed that the mastermind of the crime was a drug dealer known to the police and demanded that he and his accomplices be apprehended and prosecuted.

The victims, Akintunde Fadugba, of Centre for Information and Technology System, UNILAG, and the 400-level student, Rasaq Akokia, were shot dead on Opayemi Street, Abule Ijesha.

Latest Reality Metro learnt that the hoodlums, numbering six and reportedly led by the drug dealer had stormed the community around 11pm on Friday on motorcycles and shot indiscriminately.

Fadugba, who was said to be relaxing in front of a barber’s – a stone’s throw from his residence – was shot and died on the spot.

It was learnt that Akokia was ill and had gone to buy drugs from a chemist on the street.

He was returning home when a bullet hit him in the chest.

Our correspondent, who visited the community on Tuesday, observed that residents were still in panic as many of them declined to speak on the incident.

However, an eyewitness, Sunday Ebah, said he was at a restaurant on Opayemi Street when the hoodlums struck.

He said, “I was with a food vendor around 11pm when I saw three motorcycles. While they were approaching a church, they put off the light of the motorcycle. Two persons were reportedly on each motorcycle.

“Two men came down and one of them, a tall guy, started shooting. The drug dealer was directing him.

“When I saw them, I ran to Martins Street. Two men faced Martins Street, while two others headed towards Odenike Street, shooting.

“The UNILAG worker was outside a barber’s when he was shot. They saw the light of a pickup truck arriving in the community and fled. They thought it was a police van.

“As they were leaving through Fatai Kadri Street, Rasaq (Akokia), who had been hiding, thought they had gone. As he came out from hiding, they shot him and he fell into the gutter. He was a final year student at UNILAG.”

The food vendor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Ebah’s account, adding that she abandoned her food and scampered to safety.

She said, “I was selling amala to a customer when I suddenly heard gunshots. I abandoned my wares and ran away. The hoodlums collected a phone from one of my customers. Rasaq (Akokia) was ill and had bought drugs on Opayemi Street. He lived alone.”

The food seller’s husband, who was shot in the hand, Lateef Olalekan, said he escaped death by a whisker.

He said, “I was at Odenike Junction when I heard gunshots. I initially thought it was fireworks. I was rushing to alert my wife who sells food on Opayemi Street when two hoodlums came down from a motorcycle. One of them shot at me. The bullet grazed my hand and shattered the windscreen of a car parked by the roadside.”

A bread seller, who did not want her name in print, told our correspondent that she was attending to a customer when the attack broke out.

“My customers and I hid in my shop. The attackers were shouting ‘where are you?’

“After they left, somebody raised the alarm that they had killed a man. His corpse was brought to the junction and after some minutes, Rasaq’s corpse was found inside a drainage channel,” she added.

When our correspondent visited Fadugba’s residence, it was learnt that his family members did not live with him, while residents of a bungalow, where Akokia lived, had gone to work.

A community leader, Mr. Omolaja Johnson, said the drug dealer had been unleashing terrors on the community since 2016 when he was sent out of the community.

He said the mastermind had used some policemen to harass residents, adding that a petition was sent to the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, against the policemen and the hoodlums.

He said, “The community sent him away because he sold all sorts of hard drugs. When we met with the AIG, Zone 2, the policemen he used were dealt with. Everything went well until on March 9 around 11pm when the community was attacked and two persons were killed. “That day, I slept early. I heard gunshots, but thought it was policemen shooting into the air. About 15 minutes later, a neighbour called me and said two persons had been killed. I rushed to the scene of the crime and met the corpses. I called the Sabo Divisional Police Officer who came to take away the corpses.”

The Chief Security Officer of the community, Mr. Paul Ebite, said, “We want the police to immediately apprehend the hoodlums; without that, the attack will continue. The community is still in fear. We appeal to the AIG Zone 2 and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to ensure that these hoodlums are apprehended.”

The spokesperson for the police in Lagos, SP Chike Oti, said the command had launched a manhunt for the hoodlums.

He said, “There were four individuals who were known for negatively influencing children and youths in that community. They had issues with the community and they were chased away.  They regrouped and unleashed mayhem on the community, years after they were sent out. They killed a university worker and a student. The command is investigating and effort is ongoing to arrest the criminal fugitives.”

The spokesperson for UNILAG, Mrs. Taiwo Oloyede, confirmed Fadugba’s death, but said she was not aware a student was also killed.

She said, “Mr. Fadugba was shot on Friday and we lost him. He was a senior non-teaching staff member of the Centre for Information and Technology System. He will be buried this week. I am not sure we lost any student, but I will confirm and get back to you.”

She had yet to get back to our correspondent as of press time.

Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.
Governor Simon Lalong

Following the persistent attacks in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau, where people were reportedly killed, Governor Simon Lalong has declared a dusk to dawn curfew in the area.
Mr Rufus Bature, Secretary to Government, said this in Jos on Wednesday.
He said Lalong approved the curfew in consultation with security agencies, adding that the curfew would be from 6 p.m to 6a.m daily.
The governor’s aide called on the affected communities to embrace peace, assuring that efforts were on to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the problem.
“Consequently, security agencies in area have been mandated to enforce the curfew.
“Law abiding citizens are advised go about their lawful businesses,’’ he said.
Latest Reality Blog is a legal blog where you are updated on online latest news, gist, entertainment, events, motivational text, and genue articles.

Metropolitan Lagos most famous dumpsite at Olusosun, Ojota has been gutted by fire, leaving residents, motorists and commuters panicky.
Thick black smoke could be seen far from the site, located near the old Lagos Toll Gate.
The unusual fire triggered a heavy traffic jam in the area, according to witnesses.
Mr Adesina Tiamiyu, the General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) told the Latest Reality Metro on Wednesday, that the cause of the fire outbreak was yet to be ascertained.
Tiamiyu said that what was of utmost importance was to stop the fire, so that it does not extend to the LAGBUS Terminus.
He said that the fire started around 4pm and there was no casualty.
According to him, the emergency response team, the Lagos Fire Service, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) were at the site to curtail the fire.
LR News reports that the Lagos State Government has said that the Olusosun and other dumpsites will be closed down, as part of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI).
The government, through an Environmental Utility Firm, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions, has commenced the construction of the first engineered sanitary landfill in Epe, to ensure better waste management.
‘Cleaner Lagos’, a Twitter handle of the Ministry of Environment explained the possible cause of the fire:”It is necessary to clarify that the fire at Olusosun dumpsite wasn’t deliberately set by the Lagos state government or any individual. It broke out as a result of the pockets of unstable gases caused by indiscriminate dumping and further compounded by dry weather”.