Stray tyres havoc on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

I've heard stories of stray tyres wreaking havoc on speeding vehicles on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Exressway many times, but have never experienced it.

 

Driving from Berger to Arepo on Friday, I came very close to it.

 

Just a little after Kara bridge, a huge tyre bounced from the median into the Ibadan-bound traffic. It was of the biggest type, and I had no idea if it was rolled by someone or it came off a speeding trailer.

I was probably doing between 80 and 100kph and had barely passed when it actually landed on the fast lane and rolled across the rest of the lanes.

An unfortunate driver collided with it at full speed, smashing the tyre into shreds and wrecking the entire front of the vehicle. But the driver remained calm and managed to let the car coast to a stop. It could have been worse. A wide swerve would have led the driver to lose control, or he could have run into another fast moving vehicle.

The incident serves as a reminder why a motorist should have his two hands firmly on the wheels, especially when doing anything more than 80kph.

At high speeds, when an emergency occurs, such as an unexpected object bounding towards you, you have only nanoseconds to react. Scrambling the second hand to take necessary action may take most of the nanoseconds needed to save the day.

Yes, you sometimes get weary planting both hands on the steering, and yes, it is cool driving with one hand on the steering while planting the second hand on the car window. But an emergency does not serve a prior notice and it could make the difference between life and death.

Roboy, robot househelp to be 'born' in March 2013

An artist impression of Roboy Images and story
from Daily Mail

Engineers behind roboy

Scientists have revealed an ambitious plan to create a humanoid helper robot with artificial muscles - in just nine months.

Engineers at the University of Zurich's Artificial Intelligence Lab hope that 1.2m tall Roboy, designed to look like a child, will eventually help the sick and elderly by acting as a mechanical helper.

To help the robot move, the team are developing radical artificial 'tendons'.

Roboy will have a skeleton similar to a human's and will be operated via special artificial tendons that flex like our own muscles.

The team has already signed up 15 project partners and over 40 engineers, and hope to fund the project using a combination of commercial partners and crowdfunding.

'Financing the project through sponsorship and crowd funding enables us to implement an extremely ambitious project in an academic environment", said Professor Rolf Pfeifer, who is leading the project.

The team hope Roboy will become a blueprint for 'service robots' that work alongside humans.

 'Service robots are machines that are, to a certain extent, able to execute services independently for the convenience of human beings,' the researchers say.

'Since they share their 'living space' with people, userfriendliness and safety are of great importance'.

'Thanks to his construction as a tendon-driven robot modelled on human beings ('normal' robots have their motors in their joints), Roboy moves almost as elegantly as a human,' the team claim.

'Our aging population is making it necessary to keep older people as autonomous as possible for as long as possible, which means caring for aged people is likely to be an important area for the deployment of service robots.

'We can very safely assume that service robots will become part of our environment in the future, as is already the case today for technologies such as smartphones and laptops.'

The team is already developing parts of the Roboy, such as its skeleton like chest which houses spring-like artificial tendons.

Work has also begun on Roboy's hands, which will be covered with a soft 'skin' to make it comfortable to the touch.

'Creating humanoid robots presents researchers with great challenges,' the researchers say.

'Elements such as quick, smooth movements or robust, flexible yet soft skin are difficult to recreate.
'Fundamental new findings are needed for this purpose.

It is precisely through projects like Roboy that innovation is possible.'

Roboy is expected to be 'born' in March 2013, when it will be unveiled at the Robots on Tour event in Zurich.

The lab is seeking donations to fund the work,and is offering to put a logo on the machine for £34,000 ($55,000).

Why you shouldn’t let your kids play with firecrackers

Firecrackers or 'bangers', 'knockouts', banned by the Nigerian police

I’m grateful to God for the part of town I currently reside which is relatively quiet. Elsewhere in Lagos, as in most parts of Nigeria, December is usually a torment for lovers of peace and quiet.

Currently in most parts of Lagos, an infant or an elderly person cannot have sound sleep night or day due to incessant explosions of firecrackers or knock-outs and bangers as they are called in local parlance.

It was established years ago that this annual ritual had become a menace that needed to be stopped. Consequently, the police placed a ban on it years ago, but that has not stopped it.

If it was a menace years ago, it is even more so today when we run our lives on electricity generators and store fuel in our homes, and the country has nearly been hijacked by armed robbers and Boko Haram terrorists who explode real bombs and shoot real guns.

Security is in such a fragile state today that it is unwise to let your children run around throwing bangers.

A child playing with a banger in Isale Eko reportedly caused a warehouse containing explosives to go up in flames on Christmas day. Ten houses were razed; one person was killed, while about 40 others were injured.

This must underscore why you should let your kids amuse themselves with other things apart from a fire cracker, banger, knock-out or whatever else you call it during this festive period.

Wear miniskirts in Swaziland and go to jail

You can no longer wear these. Image: Sowetan

Police in Africa's last absolute monarchy Swaziland have banned women from wearing miniskirts and midriff-revealing tops, saying they provoke rape, local media reported on Monday.

Offenders face a six-month jail term under the ban, which invokes a colonial criminal act dating back to 1889.

"The act of the rapist is made easy, because it would be easy to remove the half-cloth worn by the women," police spokeswoman Wendy Hleta was quoted as saying in the Independent Online news.

The ban also applies to low-rise jeans.

"They will be arrested," she said.

Hleta said women wearing revealing clothing were responsible for assaults or rapes committed against them.

"I have read from the social networks that men and even other women have a tendency of 'undressing people with their eyes'. That becomes easier when the clothes are hugging or are more revealing," Hleta said.

However, the ban does not apply to traditional costumes worn by young women during ceremonies like the annual Reed Dance, where the ruling King Mswati III chooses a wife.

The flamboyant king already has 13 wives.

During the ceremony, beaded traditional skirts worn by young bare-breasted virgins only cover the front, leaving the back exposed. Underwear is not allowed.

The law was enforced after a march by women and young girls last month calling for protection against a spate of rapes in the impoverished kingdom, almost entirely surrounded by South Africa.

Xmas tragedy: LASTMA beats man to death

Popoola, A sympathiser with the deceased wife, Modupe (right). Image: Punch

A 54 year old man left his home early on Christmas eve to hustle for money to celebrate the Yuletide, but did not make it back home alive, thanks to two Lagos Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials.

The commercial bus driver, Isaac Popoola, was allegedly beaten to death while trying to resist impoundment of his bus for yet unknown traffic offences.

The bus conductor, Aremu Salawu, who witnessed the incident, told the Punch that the LASTMA officials, Adesanya Olatunde and Oludele Ogunrinde, assaulted Popoola at about 6.30am around Brown Bus Stop resulting in his death.

He said the deceased’s bus conveying 17 passengers from Igando/Isheri was approaching Brown Junction when a LASTMA pick-up van crossed the bus.

The leader of the LASTMA officials, according to Salawu, ordered two of his men to impound the vehicle and take it to the agency’s office.

Salawu alleged that Olatunde hit Salawu’s head with the metallic head of the seat belt and banged his head against the steering and the door frame of the bus many times while they were both struggling for the steering.

Salawu said, “Baba (Popoola) held on to the steering asking what his offence was. But the LASTMA man (Olatunde) said it was his commander that ordered him to seize the bus.

“When Baba refused to leave the steering, the LASTMA man started hitting Popoola’s head against the steering and the door frame. He did this so many times, until he was unable to talk again.

“I then rushed to Mosafejo Police Station where I made a statement and people who were watching the scenario were able to apprehend one of the LASTMA men (Olatunde). They brought him to the police station before we were transferred to Area F.

Olatunde has been apprehended, while the second LASTMA official is on the run.

Two issues leapt to my mind when I read this story. Why would LASTMA officials struggle for the steering with this elderly man? Since his vehicle had been blocked, why was it necessary or urgent to forcibly subdue him?

Secondly, why was this man not rushed to the hospital immediately by the officials or even the bystanders or sympathizers?

For an incident that happened at 6:30 am, is it not strange that the body of the victim was still available to be snapped by the reporter at the police station at 4pm?

Nigerians have to stop this primitive habit of concluding someone is dead simply because he seems not to be breathing or has no pulse. Elsewhere in the world, people are revived at the hospital after they had seemed to lose their pulses.

That gentleman might be alive now if he had been rushed to the hospital.

 

World’s Tallest Teenager Finds Love

Francinaldo da Silva Carvalho holding hands with his love,
Elisany da Cruz Silva,

Time for a kiss: World's tallest girl, Elisany,
puckers up (down?) to Francinaldo

Current holder of the Guinness record of the world’s tallest teen at 6ft 8in, Elisany da Cruz Silva, 17, has found love.

Elisany is in a relationship with Francinaldo da Silva Carvalho, 22, who stands at 5ft 4in.

And such love comes with a high price – he has to practically stand on his toes and crane his neck to get a kiss.

The construction worker said: “My friends say things like, ‘How do you hug her?’. I say, ‘There’s a way of doing everything’.”

Elisany, an aspiring model from Salinopolis, Brazil, is just an inch taller than Stoke City’s Peter Crouch — she has a form of gigantism due to a tumour on her pituitary gland.

She grew faster than her seven siblings from the age of 11 and hit 6ft 9in when she was 14. But her sudden growth caused pain in her limbs and joints.

Surgeons removed the gland two years ago and she shrank by an inch — but she could still not fit on the school bus and had to quit school due to teasing.

But she’s happy now with Francinaldo. She said: “What really attracted me was his personality, the way he acts with people and the way he acts with me.

“The only thing that really affects us is when we hang out holding hands — it seems like he is my little brother or son.”

Muggers alert at Mile 2!

Be extra careful at Mile 2, Lagos, during this festive period. Desperate boys are on the prowl.

About 3pm yesterday, at the traffic bottleneck caused by deep pot-holes at Mile 2 Oke, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, precisely at the point where vehicles coming from Oshodi link the bridge that curves into Mile 2 Bus Stop below, a young man suddenly grabbed hold of my driver side mirror and spoke in a menacing voice to give him money quickly, or he would damage my car.

Sensing I wasn’t taking him serious, he shouted to some accomplice behind my car (real or imaginary, I did not look to find out) to deflate my tyres and smash the windows.

The suddenness of it all was unsettling. But I’m blessed with a calm look that does not betray the emotions I feel inside most of the time.

I carried on driving and conversing with my petrified sister-in-law in the driver seat, while mentally considering my options. All around, everybody faced their wheels. It was a typical Lagos scene, everyone for himself and God for us all.

The boy tugged on the mirror to convince me he meant business as I drove on. He tagged along a while before deciding to call it quits.

It was my first time of encountering this sort of incident in that area, even though I pass there fairly regularly. But then, the deep pot-holes that now adorn this stretch of the busy expressway have not always been there. They have steadily emerged over the past six months and hoodlums have now realised they can actually profit from the situation.

If they could do that in broad daylight, imagine what they can do in the dark.

As you drive around this festive period, bear in mind the advice to never leave any valuable thing in sight in your car.

If a smartphone, a laptop or iPad had been lying by the gear or on the back seat, that silly boy would have smashed the car window, grabbed it and dashed into the traffic. Would you chase him?

Cop mistakenly posts photo of his manhood on Facebook

Sacked: Daemon Johnson

 

A cop who wanted to send the picture of his manhood to his girlfriend but pressed the wrong button on his mobile phone and made it public has been sacked.

Daemon Johnson, 45, a police inspector, is now claiming he was sacked unfairly for that error.
The experienced officer, who has served his force for 25 years, was fired after stunned colleagues spotted the explicit image.

 

He is now considering appealing against his dismissal for gross misconduct.

Mr Johnson, who calls himself a “20th Century copper in a 21st Century force”, said: “It has been so dreadful having this hanging over my head for the past few months.

"I made a mistake on my phone keypad and I have paid for that mistake with my career.

“I have been inundated with messages of support from all over the place, a huge number of them from colleagues.

"But I’ve also had great support from ­­ordinary members of the public living in the areas in which I served.

“Although I understand the Professional Standards panel decision, I consider it to be wholly disproportionate to the matters for which I was held to account.

“I have 25 years of excellent service and put in place a number of innovative community schemes in Northampton that benefit those who may be disadvantaged or at risk of harm.”

 

MTN reports multiple criminal damage to fibre infrastructure

MTN has reported criminal damage to its fibre optic cable network in at least seven different locations across the country. All the fibre cuts happened within five minutes intervals, leading the company’s officials to suspect a coordinated attack.

 

MTN Corporate Services Executive, Mr. Wale Goodluck, in a statement in Lagos, said the company’s engineers were already battling to restore service quality to acceptable levels following the massive attack on the company’s extensive fibre network.

 

According to him, the fibre network was violated in seven locations namely, between Port Harcourt and Eket, Kano and Zaria, Abuja and Akwanga, Asaba and Owerri,  Ahoada and Port Harcourt,  Benin and Owo and finally, between Ikeji and Owo.

 

“To put matters in perspective, MTN on average suffers more than 70 fibre cuts in various locations across the country every month, but this is most unusual in terms of the spread and the coordination. It is almost as if it is a deliberate act targeted at disrupting service delivery” said Goodluck.

 

He said the company had already notified security operatives of the development and would avail them of all necessary cooperation to track those responsible for the act.

MTN partners with Samsung to unveil Galaxy Music Smartphone in Nigeria

Samsung is partnering with MTN Nigeria to launch the Samsung Galaxy Music Smartphone in Nigeria.

 

The Samsung Galaxy Music Smartphone was recently launched internationally, and is targeted at music loving technology savvy youth who are passionate about quality entertainment and the clarity of the content from their Smartphone mobile device. It is now available in MTN and Samsung stores nationwide.

 

The Galaxy Music comes with dual stereo speakers which allows you to listen to audio without a headset, it has built in FM radio receiver, wifi ,Music Hub 2.0 (which enables streaming, purchasing, playlist, sharing, etc) and Game Hub ( a gateway to premium games that can be played on the go).

 

According to Larry Annetts, the CMO MTN Nigeria; “the Samsung Galaxy Music is a convergence of communication and entertainment. It was built for people who value quality entertainment on the go. MTN is partnering with Samsung to launch this product because there is a synergy in strategy between MTN and Samsung to address the unique needs of aspiring consumers in Nigeria. The Samsung Galaxy music smartphone from MTN will include an all inclusive 6 months Internet, free music tracks, free headsets and free pouch.”

 

Speaking on the launch of the device, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas who is the Head of Mobile Business, Samsung Electronics West Africa stated that “Our philosophy in Samsung has always been to build with the end – user in mind. That is one of the major reasons that we are one of the leading mobile phone manufacturers today. This feat was achieved not only by producing innovative products, but by ensuring that our innovations add value, meet and surpass the expectations of our customers.

 

“The Galaxy Music comes with the latest Android OS, a powerful processor for superior performance and conveniently with WIFI that makes it internet ready for quick downloads. It has unique features like a dedicated music key and Smart Volume that helps to automatically adjust the volume of the music. There is no doubt that the entertainment savvy consumer will find this phone indispensable”.

 

My close shave with jail term

Believe it or not, there's a 'No Entry' sign behind this umbrella at
Ijaye Bus Stop along Lagos-Abeokuta Express way

Voila! There it is. You only need to come down from your vehicle and squeeze behind the bread seller to see it. The traffic law is against street trading as well, but the police would probably not go after this bread seller until some officer's pregnant wife has massive craving for sun-bathed bread!



Writers are like prophets. They have no power of knowing the exact time what they predict will come to past.

In August, upon the imminence of the new Lagos Traffic Law being signed by the Governor of Lagos State, I pointed out the ease with which many law abiding Nigerians could walk into jail, simply driving from one part of Lagos to another. Today, I experienced it.

I lived in the Millennium Estate, Ijaye-Ojokoro for about four years up to last October. For those not conversant with that area, the estate is off Ijaye Bus Stop, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

From eternity, people going to the nearby Local Council headquarters, the customary court and the marriage registry inside the complex, the popular Jankara market, the Millennium Estate in reference, and Agbado Crossing exited the expressway at Ijaye Bus Stop.

I was visiting the area again today around 11 am and exited the expressway as usual at Ijaye Bus Stop only to find myself in the waiting hands of fully armed policemen. One with AK 47 in hand, barked at me to park and alight from my vehicle. With the urgency and menace in his voice some people might actually think a notorious robbery kingpin had just walked into a carefully planned police ambush.

I did as I was told, and waited for further instructions. The officer soon marched me to a spot on the expressway to show me a 'No Entry' sign, tucked neatly behind the huge umbrella of a bread seller right beside the expressway. Sweet relief! At least, it was not a case of me matching the description of a Boko Haram cell commander.



This bus was parked by the entry to Ijaye, just beside
the bread seller, when I drove in. I took this picture, went to
argue some more and returned to take the bread seller,
by which time it had been driven off.

I asked the officer if that was all, and he glared at me with open hostility. Then, he took a few moments to educate me that I had just committed a very serious offence of plunging into a one-way street. 
 
I could not have possibly guessed that the road had become one-way traffic, because it was quite wide. The only trouble the road had always had especially in the evenings was that roadside traders took considerable portions of the road on either side to display their goods, while yellow buses plying Agbado Crossing converted a whole lane on the right side to motorpark, constricting human and vehicular traffic. One would naturally think that those were the issues that needed to be fixed to restore sanity to that road. It would be hard to find any resident of that area who would endorse changing that popular access road to a one-way traffic street. 

But beyond all that, two things were clearly wrong with the 'No Entry' sign by the road side at the time I passed. One, the road sign had been completely swallowed from view by a huge umbrella providing shade for a bread seller. Secondly, a broken-down bus was parked by the side of the bread seller, sealing the fate of hapless motorists coming from Abule Egba.

I explained all these to the officer, and he had  a ready answer: “Ignorance is not an excuse in law.” He delivered it with such a condescending air as to make it clear such a simple thing was what I ought to have known if my education was not suspect.

To my argument about a bus and a bread seller's umbrella completely covering the supposed sign, he said I could canvass those fine points to the judge on Monday morning. He might be so kind as to accept them for my flagrant violation of Lagos Traffic Law. But before then, could I be so kind as to stop disturbing him with my 'grammar'?

Dozens of other motorists were walking into the booby trap by the minute. Some were arrested, but seeing that they had more than they could handle at any point in time, the police team would routinely ask the excess ‘traffic violators’ to reverse and take alternative routes. For those under arrest, some brisk business was underway, with the nearby petrol filling station acting as the negotiation area.

I wasn’t done disturbing the officer with my 'grammar'. I followed him around as he apprehended other hapless motorists, and argued that the team ought to use their discretion to release people with a warning and arrest only those who refused to heed their instructions, but I might as well have been speaking Greek for all the difference it made.

He told me my offence was a 'jail-able' offence and he did not write the law. The only reason he could contemplate using his discretion in my favour was if I could come up with N10,000! At that juncture, I let him be and sought out his superior officer who watched his boys from a distance.

He turned out to be receptive. I advanced the same points as earlier enumerated and he quite agreed that the sign was obstructed, even though he made no move to correct the situation. He argued that even if the umbrella had not been there, people who had used the road for years would still drive in oblivious of the sign. 

In the end, he used his discretion to let me go and sin no more. That is how come you are reading this o! Otherwise, I would have been cooling my heels in some detention room awaiting trial tomorrow morning!

On a serious note, I asked myself a question as I drove away: would I have been so courageous to insist on not paying a bribe if the superior officer had not used his discretion to let me go, especially considering that the offence carries a jail sentence? Would I not have happily negotiated the asking price?

Many years ago, I recall telling a mischievous local council traffic official that rather than give him the bribe he was asking for, I would happily pay into the coffers of government the official fine which was five times  the bribe he asked for.

Could I have courageously said the same to those policemen that Sunday morning when I knew the offence, contrived or not, carried a jail term?

World's first connected camera hits Nigeria next week

Samsung Galaxy Camera front view

 

Samsung Galaxy Camera back view

Two hot products, namely Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini and Samsung Galaxy Camera, touted as the world's first truly connected camera, are expected to be available on the shelf by next week, Samsung execs said today in Lagos.

Samsung Electronics West Africa topshots gave the indication at a breakfast meeting with newsmen in Lagos today in Lagos.

Managing Director, Samsung Electronics West Africa (SEWA), Mr. Brovo Kim said:

“Already, we have two brilliant products that will positively impact the market in 2013: namely, our Galaxy Camera which combines high performance photography functionality with the latest Android 4.1 platform, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini, which promises unending thrill for tech-savvy fashion leaders who desire a mobile device with maximum features in a compact, rounded package,” Kim said.

Samsung Business Head, Hand Held Products, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas, Business Leader, Hand Held Products, Mr. Daesong Na and other Samsung officials took time to demo some of the features of the products to newsmen.

Galaxy Camera is touted as the world’s first connected camera. It connects directly to 3G and Wi-Fi networks, revolutionizing the way digital camera content is created and shared. It comes with Cloud support and group sharing apps, variable camera lenses and photo settings, editing tools and visual effects, full high definition video with slow-motion capability and a huge 4.8” high definition super clear touch display to view, edit and enjoy the images captured or recorded.

The Samsung camera AllShare, Share Shot application allows consumers to automatically save photos the instant they are taken and users can share at the same time as they shoot them. Users can also connect to a range of Galaxy devices including the Galaxy SIII and Galaxy Note II for effortless and automatic sharing of pictures across the Galaxy family.

The Galaxy S III mini on its part is Galaxy S III in a smaller package and more organic design. It is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), the latest version of the world’s most popular smartphone operating system.

Jelly Bean has fast, fluid and smooth graphics along with a new Google Search experience featuring Google Now.

 

Samsung foresees exciting 2013 for electronics consumers

Emmanouil Revmatas; Okikolu Olajumoke;  Brovo Kim (MD), Daesong Na, all Samsung execs showing off the devices that will shape 2013 at Westown Hotel, Lagos…today

Next year will be filled with fun and excitement for lovers of electronics, according to Samsung chiefs in Nigeria.The company’s execs who met with Lagos newsmen spoke of a new year filled with innovative products that will add value to the lives of Nigerians.

Among the products that the company’s top executives believe will shape the coming year are the newly introduced Samsung Galaxy S III Mini, which is a compact version of its rave-making flagship phone, Galaxy S III, and the recently unveiled ‘connected camera’, Samsung Galaxy Camera.

Managing Director, Samsung Electronics West Africa (SEWA), Mr. Brovo Kim, said Samsung would consolidate its leadership of the electronics market in the coming year with the introduction of a rich bouquet of innovative and competitively priced products.

“Already, we have two brilliant products that will positively impact the market in 2013: namely, our Galaxy Camera which combines high performance photography functionality with the latest Android 4.1 platform, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini, which promises unending thrill for tech-savvy fashion leaders who desire a mobile device with maximum features in a compact, rounded package,” Kim said.

Shedding more light on some of the features of the new products, Business Head, Hand Held Products at Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas said the Samsung Galaxy Camera was designed to fit perfectly for those who wish to shoot, edit and share high quality photographs and video easily and spontaneously from anywhere, at any time.

“GALAXY Camera directly connects to 3G and Wi-Fi networks, revolutionizing the way digital camera content is created and shared. It comes with Cloud support and group sharing apps, variable camera lenses and photo settings, editing tools and visual effects, full high definition video with slow-motion capability and a huge 4.8” high definition super clear touch display to view, edit and enjoy the images captured or recorded,” he said.

He added that the Samsung camera AllShare, Share Shot application allows consumers to automatically save photos the instant they are taken and users can share at the same time as they shoot them. Users can also connect to a range of Galaxy devices including the Galaxy SIII and Galaxy Note II for effortless and automatic sharing of pictures across the Galaxy family, he said.

Speaking on the Galaxy S III Mini, he said the device shares the GALAXY S III’s breakthrough design, but in addition, affords users a more comfortable grip and incredible user-friendliness. 

According to him, the GALAXY S III mini is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), the latest version of the world’s most popular smartphone operating system. “Jelly Bean has fast, fluid and smooth graphics along with a new Google Search experience featuring Google Now, which brings you just the right information, before you even ask,” he said.

iPhone snaps thieves and sends pictures to owner in Lagos

Thumb up for a great mobile application and thumb down for an old thief.

A man’s iPhone was stolen from his pocket at a church wedding at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Agege last Saturday.

According to the victim’s account, he has an app installed that does not allow you put the phone off from the screen unless you know the password. Inputting the wrong password prompts the phone to snap you and send the pictures to the email of the owner.

According to the victim who used the online ID Olsmade, pictures started arriving in his mail within 20 minutes of losing the phone. And below are the pictures of the people now in possession of the missing iPhone,  in their order of appearance.

They have found new fame in cyberspace. Check them out. You may find your daddy there....Lol!

 

MTN supports bank-led mobile money model

MTN Nigeria has expressed its support for the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN) bank- led mobile money model.

It will be recalled that the CBN recently licensed a number of financial institutions to carry out mobile money services with the objective of providing easy money transfer services using mobile phones in order to enhance financial inclusion particularly in rural areas.

Speaking at a capacity building seminar recently, MTN's Corporate Services Executive Akinwale Goodluck, stated that the CBN bank - led model has many merits and that it's full implementation would achieve the CBN's stated objective to extend money transfer services to millions of Nigerians who are currently underserved.

"We are supportive of any initiative that brings financial inclusion to the masses and the Central Bank's efforts in this regard are highly commendable".

Explaining the details of the CBN's bank led model, he observed that the partnership between licensed organizations and telecommunications companies is a winning combination.

He said, "'the current partnership between banks and telcos in the mobile money space leverages available cutting edge ICT technology offered by telcos and best practice payment protocols and expertise supervised by the CBN."

During the seminar, participants gained a better understanding of the details of the CBN guidelines and discussed various ways in which MTN could offer tangible backbone and logistical support to licensed organizations.

Goodluck said as the leading ICT company, MTN's greatest responsibility to its customers and to Nigeria is to provide world class quality of service in order to support a multitude of products and services. He observed that MTN Nigeria had already built the largest and most sophisticated network in Africa.

"The world today is heavily dependent on ICT. Our future success as a company depends on how well we support services like mobile money," he said.

We raped women who couldn’t pay our fare- Taxi drivers tell court

Guilty: Booi Makhubela and his son Rodgers Image: Sowetan

There is no end to the excuses criminals will make when the law catches up with them. A father and son accused of raping 10 women while pretending to be taxi operators in Guateng South Africa have been convicted  in spite of their spirited but ridiculous defence.

Booi  Makhubela and his son, Rodgers put up a spirited defence, namely that they only raped only the women who could not pay.

The Makhubelas also claimed that some of the women they raped were prostitutes, while others had agreed to have sex with them for money. They also claimed that in some instances the sex was to make up the difference for the taxi fare!

They were convicted on 39 counts of rape, assault, kidnapping and robbery committed between 2008 and 2009 in the Johannesburg High Court.

Judge Roland Sutherland said while he noted that Booi did not rape some of the women, his involvement in the crimes was obvious.

"He lured all the women and pointed out which taxi they should board and he was the driver of the taxi," Judge Sutherland said.

Booi was found guilty on 14 counts of rape, six of robbery with aggravating circumstances, nine of kidnapping and one of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

His son was convicted on 12 charges of rape, eight robberies - seven with aggravating circumstances, eight of kidnapping and two of assault.

The court heard that the Makhubelas were part of a four-man gang that targeted women who were looking for transport between Pretoria and Johannesburg.

After the women had boarded their "taxi", they kidnapped, robbed, assaulted and raped them.

One of their accomplices, Issack Nxumalo, is already serving a 20-year jail term after he confessed to the crime.

Also charged separately is Makhubela's nephew, Collins Chauke, whose case is currently being heard in the Alexandra Regional Court.

Though it is alleged that the four men committed the crimes together, the National Prosecuting Authority decided to separate Chauke and Nxumalo cases from that of the Makhubela's.