Gay Nigerian risks death by being deported

UK authorities are insisting on deporting a gay Nigerian asylum seeker, despite him facing a possible death sentence and a campaign to let him stay in Bradford

UK authorities are insisting on deporting a gay Nigerian asylum seeker, despite him facing a possible death sentence and a campaign to let him stay in Bradford.

Olalekan M Ayelokun fled eight years from Nigeria eight years ago to escape persecution because of his sexuality.

A judge at Bradford’s Immigration Court stated he was not convinced Ayelokun was a gay and ordered his deportation by 6 October.

Mr Ayelokun was detained last Tuesday after a routine appointment at the UK Border Agency’s Waterside Court offices in Leeds.

Jason Feather, a friend of Ayelokun told Gay Star News: ‘He was arrested with only the clothes he was wearing, since then he did not have a change of clothes.

Yesterday he was moved to Collingbrook detention center in London, which is near the airport so he can be deported to Nigeria in only four days.

Feather and other friends of Ayelokun have set up a Facebook group, an online petition and a sample letter to MPs, to try and stop him from being forced onto a plane back to Nigeria on 6 October.

His solicitor, Mark Taylor, appealing to the High Court in a bid to get the judge’s decision reversed.

However, a UK Border Agency (UKBA) spokesman told the daily Telegraph and Argus that Mr Ayelokun had lived in the UK illegally, having overstayed a visit visa that expired in 2003.

The spokesman said: ‘He did not claim asylum until 2011, after he was arrested by UK Border Agency officers for using false documents to gain employment.

‘At no point has he been able to provide sufficient evidence of his sexuality and our decision not to grant him asylum has been upheld by an independent immigration judge.’

Taylor, Ayelokun’s solicitor, branded the judge’s decision in as ‘extraordinary’, claiming three former sexual partners and other friends from the gay scene gave evidence on oath that his client was gay.

He said: ‘This young man is undoubtedly gay. The reality is he will die if he goes back to Nigeria. Homosexuality is an offence there and there is Sharia law in some places, so the reality is that he will die.’

Jason Feather told GSN: ‘My friend Ola Ayelokun may face death if he is deported to Nigera.

‘It is also contradiction of David Cameron's pledge in 2010 who said that: “those Africans seeking asylum on the basis of sexual orientation and at real risk of persecution in their home countries should be allowed to stay in the UK".

'We are hoping the Prime Minister will step in and keep his word.’

Homosexuality is illegal in the federal system of Nigeria and is punished in different states in varying degrees of severity.

Southern states punishes same-sex acts with up to 14 years imprisonment.

While northern states and punish same-sex acts with a minimum of 14 years imprisonment as well as a fine, and in twelve of the northern states punishments include flogging and death by stoning.

Omar Kuddus, chair of the British charity organization Gay Asylum slammed the UK authorities telling GSN: ‘To what length does a person have to go to prove he is gay?

‘The UKBA needs to understand that to be gay in Nigeria is a death sentence and as such how can they justify sending him back to his possible death?

‘The UKBA must realize that they are playing with lives and as such must show compassion and understanding.’

...........DAN LITTAUER/GAY STAR NEWS

Universities to stop giving politicians honorary degrees

The VCs also decided to stop people who have done no research from bearing the title, "Doctor"

A new policy, drafted by the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities is set to ban the nation’s tertiary institutions from awarding honorary degrees to any political holder or appointee.

This is among some other policies, are being put together by the Vice-Chancellors to reform the education sector as the association on Monday released guidelines for the award of honorary degrees in Nigerian universities.

The Secretary-General of the Association, Prof. Michael Faborode, stated at the 27th conference of the association, which was held at the Nasarawa State University,while examining the general erosion of academic culture and tradition agreed on the new guidelines.

According to Prof Faborode, “The onward procedure for the award of honorary degrees enjoined universities to make it a policy not to bestow honorary degree on any person holding political office while still in service.”

“The award of degree should be given to any professional who has made significant or ground breaking discoveries in the areas of accomplishments, invention, and innovation among others to societal development.”

“This should not be tied to wealth consideration or political alignment, rather it should be based on leadership, service and the contribution of the recipient to social and economic development of the society,” he added.

‘Dr’-title not honorary degrees

Another tough decision agreed upon by the Vice-Chancellors is to address the apparent abuse of the title ‘Dr’ by honorary awardees, who had not conducted any research work to earn the title.

Faborode further explained that the association agreed that no university should be allowed to award honorary degree “If it has not graduated any Ph.D. or has no post-graduate school.”

He also added that the use of ‘Dr’ as a title for honorary degree graduates and awardees “Is unconventional and therefore, not allowed.”

He noted that the association of Vice-Chancellors observed that the number of honorary degree awardees have become uncontrollably large, “Ranging from one to 20 in a single convocation ceremony and at times presented in absentia to surrogates.”

“We have also noted that most of these awards are based on wealth, political office, and position as a means of generating revenue with little or no consideration for integrity.

He lamented that there is no consideration for contribution to the development of the university and no consideration for national development for the awardees.

He said that the guidelines and procedure for the selection of honorary degree recipients should be in accordance with the law and statute of the respective universities.

This, he noted should be in line with best practices and the selection process which should be through the appropriate committee of the awarding university’s Senate.

The association of Vice-Chancellors as a matter of policy also decried the system of backlogging convocation ceremonies.

They therefore decided that all universities should hold their convocation ceremonies annually and where possible within the same month each year.

Faborode said that the association in collaboration with the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) would act as whistle blowers and take appropriate action to ensure compliance.

The guidelines which are known as “Keffi Declaration” are expected to be effective from January 2013.

The “Keffi Declaration” would reduce the indiscriminate award of honorary degrees and restore the age long university culture and tradition of best practices, declared Prof Faborode.

..........VINCENT EHIABHI/DAILY TIMES

US Considers Nigeria Torture Case

Washington - The US Supreme Court began its new session on Monday by re-examining an explosive international case alleging that oil giant Shell was complicit in acts of torture by the Nigerian government.

Fresh from their pivotal decision in June to uphold President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, the nine Supreme Court justices took up a case with enormously important ramifications for international human rights.

The legal argument pivots on whether foreign plaintiffs have a right to file suit in American courts against US corporations accused of human rights violations, under an arcane 200-year-old statute.

In Kiobel v Royal Dutch Petroleum, the oil giant is accused of being an accomplice to torture, extrajudicial executions and crimes against humanity by the Nigerian government between 1992 and 1995 in the Niger Delta region.

Shell is alleged have helped the former dictatorship arrest and torture 12 members of the Ogoni tribe, who had sought to peacefully disrupt oil development because of its health and environmental impacts.

Esther Kiobel, now a US citizen, brought her claims on behalf of her late husband, Barinem Kiobel, who was executed in a sham trial in which Shell is alleged to have played a key role.

Plaintiffs have invoked the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), which allows non-citizens to sue in US courts for violations of international law.

Human rights lawyers already use the obscure statute to seek damages in US courts from foreign governments involved in human rights abuses.

ADOPTED Homeland

At issue now is whether multinational corporations, allegedly complicit in such overseas abuses, are also liable.

Justices indicated in February that the statute doesn't permit suits against corporations but decided to re-examine the wider question of whether the statute can apply beyond US borders.

"ATS clearly covers those violations," argued Carey D'Avino, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys.

The 1789 statute was barely used for two centuries before being resurrected in the 1970s by human rights activists to pursue international lawsuits.

This case is being closely watched as it has implications for several other pending actions, including a group of Indonesian villagers who accuse oil giant Exxon Mobil's security forces of murder and torture.

Attorneys for Shell argue that the oil giant cannot be held legally responsible in the United States for offenses allegedly committed far from American shores.

"This case has nothing to do with the US," said Shell attorney Kathleen Sullivan, adding that the petitioners were seeking legal redress "against an Anglo-Dutch corporation for something that happened entirely in Nigeria."

But Paul Hoffman, lawyer for the Nigerians, told the court that the plaintiffs, who have been granted asylum in the United States, sued here because this was their "adopted homeland".

The Committee for Constitutional Rights, a non-profit group, said it was worried that a negative ruling would damage the ability of the United States to take the lead on international human rights issues.

Another hot-button issue

"The ATS has been a cornerstone of US human rights litigation for over three decades, providing victims of grave human rights abuses justice that they could not get elsewhere," the group said.

A decision is not expected until next year.

During its new nine-month session, which runs through June 2013, the Supreme Court will also consider a number of other contentious issues ranging from gay marriage to civil rights.

In Fisher versus the University of Texas, the court will decide whether a white student, Abigail Fisher, was passed over unfairly for admission in 2008 because the school went too far with its affirmative action policy.

Another hot-button issue in the United States is same-sex marriage, and the court has at least eight appeals in line for consideration on this subject.

After long side-stepping the issue, Obama publicly endorsed gay marriage in May in a surprise move designed to draw a sharp contrast with Mitt Romney, his Republican rival in the November election who opposes same-sex unions.

Legal marriage between two men or two women is not recognized by the US federal government, but is now allowed in six of the 50 US states and in Washington, the US capital.

..........AFP/NEWS 24

Islamic Sect Says No Peace Talks With Nigerian Government

The suspected leader of the Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram is denying government claims that the group is involved in peace talks.

In a video posted on YouTube, Abubakar Shekau says group members have not sat down with government officials in a dialogue.

The video could not be independently authenticated.

Shekau also said Abul Qaqa, the group's suspected spokesman, is still alive despite claims from Nigeria's military that he was killed by security forces last month.

In addition, Shekau said security forces have begun to arrest the wives of members of the group. In the video, he threatened the wives of Nigerian government officials.

Boko Haram is believed to have several factions, which has confused government efforts to end the violence, either through security measures or negotiations.

The radical sect has been blamed for more than 1,400 deaths in Nigeria since 2010. Most of the bombings and shootings attributed to the group have taken place in northern Nigeria.

The group says it wants a hardline form of Sharia law imposed throughout the country.

Nigeria's population of 160 million is divided roughly between a mostly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.

>.........VOA NEWS

Bookshelf's Fall Reading From African Authors

There Was A Country: A Personal History Of Biafra By Chinua Achebe. Hardcover. Pages: 352. Penguin Press

The defining experience of Chinua Achebe’s life was the Nigerian civil war, also known as the Biafran War, of 1967–1970. The conflict was infamous for its savage impact on the Biafran people, Chinua Achebe’s people, many of whom were starved to death after the Nigerian government blockaded their borders. By then, Chinua Achebe was already a world-renowned novelist, with a young family to protect. He took the Biafran side in the conflict and served his government as a roving cultural ambassador, from which vantage he absorbed the war’s full horror. Immediately after, Achebe took refuge in an academic post in the United States, and for more than forty years he has maintained a considered silence on the events of those terrible years, addressing them only obliquely through his poetry. Now, decades in the making, comes a towering reckoning with one of modern Africa’s most fateful events, from a writer whose words and courage have left an enduring stamp on world literature.

Interventions: A Life Of War And Peace By Kofi Annan, Nader Mousavizadeh (collaborator). Hardcover. Price:$ 36.00. Pages:512. Penguin Press.

Receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2001, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke to a world still reeling from the terrorist attacks of September 11. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” proclaimed Annan, “we have entered the third millennium through a gate of fire. If today, after the horror of 11 September, we see better, and we see further—we will realize that humanity is indivisible. New threats make no distinction between races, nations, or regions.” Yet within only a few years the world was more divided than ever—polarized by the American invasion of Iraq, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the escalating civil wars in Africa, and the rising influence of China.

Interventions: A Life in War and Peace is the story of Annan’s remarkable time at the center of the world stage. After forty years of service at the United Nations, Annan shares here his unique experiences during the terrorist attacks of September 11; the American invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan; the war between Israel, Hizbollah, and Lebanon; the brutal conflicts of Somalia, Rwanda, and Bosnia; and the geopolitical transformations following the end of the Cold War. With eloquence and unprecedented candor, Interventions finally reveals Annan’s unique role and unparalleled perspective on decades of global politics.

Of Africa by Wole Soyinka. Hardcover. Price: $24.00. Yale University Press.

A member of the unique generation of African writers and intellectuals who came of age in the last days of colonialism, Wole Soyinka has witnessed the promise of independence and lived through postcolonial failure. He deeply comprehends the pressing problems of Africa, and, an irrepressible essayist and a staunch critic of the oppressive boot, he unhesitatingly speaks out.

In this magnificent new work, Soyinka offers a wide-ranging inquiry into Africa's culture, religion, history, imagination, and identity. He seeks to understand how the continent's history is entwined with the histories of others, while exploring Africa's truest assets: "its humanity, the quality and valuation of its own existence, and modes of managing its environment—both physical and intangible (which includes the spiritual)."

At The End Of The Day by Ebuni Ilombi. Softcover.Price: $22.38. Pages: 217; Xlibris, Indiana.

Equal parts Nigerian woman, London cosmopolitan, and a poetess who sees the world through refined eyes, Ebuni Ilombu’s gregarious main character Marina in At the End of the Day takes readers through creatively ordered remembrances of childhood and moments of illuminating wisdom through her normal day of business in London. This beguiling debut novel is beautifully crafted with touching and nuanced insights into the strength and weakness of human minds in loss, love, struggle and friendship. Intellectually thrilling, yet with amusing anecdotes. It is quietly compelling and undeniably inspiring.

Underwater Eden: Saving The Last Coral Wilderness On Earth. Edited by Gregory S. Stone and David Obura. Hardcover. Price: $40.00. University of Chicago Press.

Yet in the waters off the Phoenix Islands, the corals were healthy, the fish populations pristine and abundant—and Stone and his companion on the dive, coral expert David Obura, determined that they were going to try their best to keep it that way. Underwater Eden tells the story of how they succeeded, against great odds, in making that dream come true, with the establishment in 2008 of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA). It’s a story of cutting-edge science, fierce commitment, and innovative partnerships rooted in a determination to find common ground among conservationists, business interests, and governments—all backed up by hard-headed economic analysis.

President Goodluck Jonathan Hides in the Presidential Villa to Mark Nation's 52nd Anniversary

Statement by the Lagosian, Tunji Abbas who said "In Abuja, the fear of Boko Haram is the beginning of wisdom" is indeed being upheld and respected.

President Goodluck Jonathan is hiding in Aso Rock, the presidential villa to mark the country's 52nd Independence anniversary in what his aid Reuben Abati said "was low-keyed to save costs and adequately prepare for the big event of 2014, when the nation would mark 100 years of existence from the amalgamation of 1914."

In addition, the presidential sources said, “President [Goodluck] Jonathan has personally responded to the allegation that the event is being held within the State House by making it clear that in 2014, we will have a big event; the centenary of Nigeria since amalgamation.Few years ago, we have the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence and that was a big event. The President’s take on this is that between that 50-year anniversary and the centenary of Nigeria’s amalgamation, we should have low-keyed celebrations. Those who are looking for celebration on a grand scale should wait till 2014 when we will have the 100 years of Nigeria’s amalgamation."

However, President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday, October 1, 2012, inaugurated the newly created 170 Special Forces Batallion to beef up security in the Presidential Villa and Abuja metropolis. "The fear of Boko Haram" is indeed "the beginning of wisdom."

Nigeria @ 52: Tribune Interviews

TRIBUNE INTERVIEWS EXCLUSIVE

NIGERIAN GOVT SHOULD WEEP FOR THE COUNTRY AT 52 - FASANMI

Senator Ayo Fasanmi, a First Republic senator, clocked 87 a few days to Nigeria’s 52 independence celebration. The octogenarian who was an aide of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, speaks with STEPHEN GBADAMOSI on status of the country, among other national issues. Excerpts:

WHAT were those things that usually marked Nigeria’s independence celebrations when you were growing up?

When Nigeria attained independence in 1960, I was already 35 years old. Then, they would declare public holiday. People were usually happy that Nigeria became independent of colonialists. Anybody who gains freedom is usually happy. And so, we celebrated in the mood of joy.

Your leaders then, yourself and your peers fought for Nigeria’s independence; would you say we are moving towards the Nigeria of your dream now?

My mentor and leader in politics under whom I served period of apprentiship, the one and only indefatigable Chief Obafemi Awolowo, taught us that when you are in politics, you want to serve the people. His watchwords were free education, because of those who could not afford to send their children to schools, free health services and so on. Due to his ingenuity, we have the Cocoa House, Wemabod Estate, the first television station in Africa and so on and so forth. He was a man of action; he was very honest and very dedicated.

But 52 years after, one gets worried. And many of us wonder; is this the Nigeria we fought for?

There is unemployment. Some of the institutions our leaders built are going down. The roads that were built even by colonialists then were solid. But the roads that are being constructed now are being done in order to achieve political purposes. You constructed a road yesterday and, today, you find out that it is falling to pieces. There was a lot of honesty and dedication during our time. There is a difference now; we have exchanged one imperialism for another. We exchanged British imperialism for Nigerian imperialism.

When I was in the National Assembly, we were controlling the entire South-West. When we began the democratic experience again in 1999, we were controlling the six states in the South-West. Four years after, we had lost parts of the states and had one left. You know what has been their lot in those five states. I am happy now that we are coming back now to the old situation. We are getting back to the glorious past.

Are you saying that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government at the centre has no cause to celebrate independence?

What are they going to celebrate? Are they going to celebrate corruption? Are they going to celebrate insecurity? People are being kidnapped; people are being killed. The Boko Haram thing is there. What are they really celebrating?

Even in the home state of the kingpin of the ruling party, Olusegun Obasanjo, the party is in disarray. So, the PDP has no cause to celebrate, they should be weeping. Nigeria has fallen into bits.

What should be done to make an occasion like this a joyous one for Nigerians?

The progressive elements in this country must come together. There must be a rescue operation. The ship of state is almost submerged, and there must be a rescue operation. In the South-West here, I only pray that we can win Ondo back into the fold. And the regional integration that the people are asking for must seriously be enforced. That is the way I see it. You can see what is happening in the South-West now.

You are referring to the South-West only, besides South-West, what about other parts of the country?

The same is true of other parts of the country.

Why I’m making reference to the South-West is that the South-West is the showpiece. If they were looking for the best governor, they picked from the South-West; they were looking for the next one, they picked from the South-West, then, the region is the showpiece.

And in the other states, what have they got? In most part of the entire North, you cannot go to church. You want to go and serve your God and some mad people, for religious or political reason, starts to wield guns. I don’t even know what to say; there is so much insecurity. Now, government is asking America to help it because of Boko Haram. You are asking them to come back and colonise us again, because we cannot ensure security of our people.

You mentioned America and I know you are aware of other stable countries which have passed through difficult times. Can’t we say Nigeria is also going through the learning process?

Learning process after 52 years of independence? I know that we must start from a point, but the most debilitating factor in Nigeria, which is looking like an incurable one, is corruption. It is like an in-built institution within another institution. That type of thing happens in other countries too, but the degree in this country is terrible.

If we had continued the way Awolowo started in the Western region or if they had allowed Awolowo to become president, or prime minister of Nigeria, the situation would have been different. Nothing works in this country anymore; electricity does not work, pipes are not running with water, the roads are bad, other infrastructure are decaying and even the educational system is not working.

When you were senator, who among your colleagues then can you say made the most impact?

I recall Senator Abraham Adesanya. There was also Senator Adebiyi. In the First Republic, we had Shitta-Bey from Lagos. Some of them are gone, but they were known for their sense of dedication and selflessness. From Kwara State, we had Cornileus Adebayo. There were friends also from the North who could be said to be progressives.

Awolowo said before he died; I remember the last congress we had in Abeokuta; he said people of like minds should be able to come together, no matter the party they belong to. Remember that when Awolowo wanted to contest the Presidency of this country, he had associates from Igboland and from the North. That was the situation.

The people of that time were patriotic. Their purpose in politics was to serve the people. It is only today that you see a boy of 18 years in a Jeep. And I ask: How did he come about the money?

Now, you begin to wonder if the presidential system is not too expensive for this nation. Shouldn’t we now be considering other options? It is either we make the presidential system less expensive and more manageable or we adopt the parliamentary system. But I think what we need, however, more than anything else, system or no system, are people who are committed and dedicated. Politics should not be for wealth.

You just turned 87, what advice do you have for Nigerians to make the country better?

We should review the whole system. Are we really having a federal structure? What is the fiscal policy? Does it reflect the federal nature of the country? Are we not having too much power in the centre?

What I would suggest is that we place less premium on wealth. We should return to politics of life. Awolowo did it many years back. We can now start doing it again. The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governors in Ekiti, Osun and Lagos are good examples.

You can see what Rauf Aregbesola is doing in Osun; it is complete revolution. Revolution is not all about arm struggle, but fine character. Fayemi in Ekiti is also putting more premium on service. If they all do that, Nigeria will be better.

We must fight corruption to a standstill and the young ones must imbibe that spirit.

Awolowo said life should not only be in abundant for the people on top, but also for those below.

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Business, Honourable Albert Sam-Tsokwa, who represents Donga/Takum/Ussa and Special Areas Federal Constituency of Taraba State, in this interview with Kolawole Daniel, speaks on a number of national issues. Excerpts:

WHAT is your take on the insistence of the House that Ms Arumma Oteh’s sack as Director General of Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) stays?

Our resolution of 19 July, before we proceeded on our annual recess, was based on the fact that the law establishing that commission specifies qualifications which a person must have before getting to that office. The committee found as a fact that Oteh did not and doesn’t have that qualification and recommended that if she doesn’t have that qualification, she should not be in that office and that is what the law says, it is not what the House says. If we are a country that runs democracy based on the rule of law, everybody is equal before the law and the executive, judiciary and legislature should not be seen as violator of the laws they swore to uphold. Even at that, the law was passed by the National Assembly, the law was signed into law by Mr. President. So, we should obey the law we have set down for ourselves as a country. I don’t see any vendetta; in fact I am not aware of any such fact.

As the Attorney-General of the House, often, the executive would refer to resolution of the House as merely advisory; are you not worried about this trend?

There has never been any time Mr. President called the resolution of the House mere expression of opinion. It was Reuben Abati that expressed that view and Mr. President proved Abati wrong by going back on his words in subsidy removal palava. Fuel subsidy was removed 100 per cent on 1 January, but following the intervention of the House which was based on the outcry of Nigerians, we resolved that the fuel subsidy should not be remove and Mr. President wore a human face and revisited the issue.

Mind you, Abati said it would not happen. But the president said it would happen and it happened.

Aside our resolution on fuel subsidy removal, just of recent, the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, said there was no going back on introduction of new N5,000 note, despite our resolution that it should be halted. But Mr. President proved him wrong by saying that it should be suspended because the House and the people said no to it.

So, I won’t subscribe fully to saying the executive has been treating our resolutions with levity. Some of our resolutions do not require action, but the one that require action; I think it will not be too fair to say Mr. President has been outright in rejecting them. I think that we are making a headway.

So, are you saying Mr. President is listening to the voice of the people?

Yes he is. I give Mr. President kudos; he has behaved as a statesman. There is nothing wrong in reverting yourself when you discover that you have taken a wrong decision and that is what leaders should be.

In view of what you just said, what will be your word to Mr. President’s aides? My word will not go to Mr. President’s aide because I have no business with them, I don’t know them; they are not politicians, they are businessmen in political uniform.

None of them went out there to canvass for vote. My worry is that I have said and I will repeat it until Mr. President hears me. Mr. President never visited my constituency to campaign for vote; I campaigned for him and I staked my own election for his. I told every person during my campaign; if you are not going to vote for Mr. Goodluck Jonathan, don’t vote for me. They voted for me and for him also.

So, anything I say is in his interest because he will come again and want vote. I want a situation where the people will come and say Mr. President, we want you to contest again because you have done well for us, rather than him coming to beg for vote.

So, it is well that he has realised that he surrounds himself with enemies, rather than friends; whoever is not doing what will project your own image positively is not your friend, he is your enemy. If I am going to advise anybody, I will just tell Mr. President to take a second look at the list of his aides and know who are working for him and those who are not working for him; who are working in the interest of Nigerians and who are not working in the interest of Nigerians. He should take a second look at the list of his ministers. Yes, they have signed performance contract agreement, how many of them delivered based on the signed performance contract agreement? We are today just some few minutes from 1st of October and the capital aspect of the budget implementation is below 40 per cent. What are we going to tell Nigerians? What is the president going to tell the National Assembly to get approval for 2013 budget?

So, Mr. President is a good man; he has Nigerian’s interest at heart, but he surrounds himself with people who don’t even know Nigeria, let alone having Nigerian’s interest at heart. He should take a second look at the list of those who surround him.

Do you subscribe to it that Mr. President should come back in 2015?

It is not a question of wanting Mr. President to come back or not. If Mr. President wants to come back, he knows what to do; it is not I who will bring Mr. President or say he should not come, it is the people outside there. What are Nigerians saying? Well, for example, this is my second tenure; I suffered in my first election more than I did in my second election. There are places I went to campaign for my second elections but the people told me that I didn’t need to campaign in their area again because they knew I was contesting again and they had seen what I had done.

This is exactly what I expect people to tell Mr. President. All those people making noise that Mr. President should contest, telling him that constitution says he should contest; constitution doesn’t vote, the people do. So, Mr. President’s vote is going to be determined by how much smile he has put on the faces of Nigerians and how much food he has been able to put on the table of Nigerians. A hungry man outside there will fight back.

So, I will love Mr. President to come back because he is a good man, but how much of his goodness fills the stomach of Nigerians, he knows; I don’t. But it is too early to be thinking 2015; we should be thinking 2015 from 2014.

Sir, you just said that you love Mr. President to come back in 2015. As the House member representing your people, what are those things you can pinpoint that the president has been able to achieved so far?

The only major federal presence in my constituency is the Kashimila Dam and Mr.Presient has been pursuing the execution of that project religiously. But the Kashimila Dam is not a project just for my constituency. The hazard that may come if the Dam fails is national in nature. It is linked with Lake Nyos and any problem with the Lake Nyos now is going to affect the whole country.

I am looking at Kashimila Dam as project of the nation, but I thank God and Mr. President that it is sited in my constituency. We are going to derive a lot of other benefits from it. It is going to generate power and once a power project there is completed, I think we will say bye to blackout. Just as we enjoy the sun for 12 hours, we will enjoy electricity in my constituency for 24 hours. So, that alone is speaking for Mr. President in my constituency and I want him to extend this to other constituencies so that by the time 2015 comes, we will work and win, rather than run and sweat before we win.



POOR INFRASTRUCTURE, ATTITUDE MAKE NIGERIANS SEEK FOREIGN MEDICAL TREATMENT - OAUTH CMD

Recently, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Ile-Ife, Osun State, Professor Olusanya Adejuyigbe, spoke with some select journalists after touring the facilities at the hospital complex, on the breakthrough in the health sector, and declared that the hospital can now perform any form of DNA. JACOB SEGUN OLATUNJI was there. Excerpts:

RECENTLY, a Lagos-based laboratory operator, Dr. Afolabi said his laboratory was the only one that got capacity for DNA technology in the country during the DANA air crash. What is your reaction to this sir?

That is not true. Our hospital has been involved with organs from plantation for about 10 years and in the last five years, we have established facilities to carry out Tissue tapping which is part of the DNA analysis. When the DANA Air crash happened, the Honourable Minister of Health who is aware of our laboratory got in touch with me and asked that how do we help and I told him what he could do and he said I should get across to our colleagues in Lagos. We got to talk to them and gave them the address of our consultant in charge but till today he never contacted us.

Let me say a little about DNA technology. One, the DNA is like an identification tag that is individual-specific. If you know your DNA, no other person except probably your identical twin can have the same DNA. You understand what I mean. So, if we can access DNA, we may be able to identify an individual. If we will have records of what it was before or if we have blood relations with whom we share genetic materials. The original set up we have was that we could do it only in blood. We take the blood from the individual, but as we realise many of the victims in the DANA air crash were burnt which means blood was no longer available and this was conveyed to the Honourable Minister, that if blood were available there is nothing we could not do. But then, he advised that we should get the reagent to do it in any body tissue. While we were concentrating on the issues of blood then, that is the common requirement whether for paternity dispute or for tissue merging two people. But we can now even do it in any body tissue because within two weeks after that incident, we arrived at it though it may not be needed often, we have to incorporate that into our armamentarium, and we are now able to do that. We hope very soon we will even go beyond that to be able to do DNA, what we call gene frequency, to identify the genes on the DNA. We have requested from our partners abroad to let us know the equipment needed and that is just it. We funded everything about tissue tapping laboratory and DNA works from our internally-generated money.

Bone-marrow transplant, which is said to be one of the choicest medical means of solving major health problems, has been reportedly done successfully in some hospitals outside Nigeria. What has OAUTH done towards carrying this out?

We have a building, the transplant building, where we can do it with its own dedicated facility, what is holding us back is the hardware to use, and we have trained one of our consultants, Dr Oyekunle, in this technology. He has gone abroad I think twice or more for this purpose. And we can say by the next few years, very soon let me say, we will also be able to do that given our man and material strength.

Why train only one consultant? Why not more, given the size of this hospital and the work that will be available for him to do?

We have identified another younger consultant to train. You know people have their practice interest, he expressed an interest in this area, and we think he can be the nucleus of this project. If he has expertise, with the people on ground he can succeed.

It is not something that we need many doctors to do. We need a lot of support, equipment-wise and laboratory-wise. Except for the transplant centre to become functional, it is one of the things we thought we will be able to do in this financial year; that is why we said in the next one year, we will be able to do that. But we have identified another younger consultant who is likely to partner with him, to be with him.

Sir, there are groups in Nigeria who are less-privileged and they have medical challenges. We have been having problems of even young people now having problems with their hearts and they needed heart transplant and most of them are taken abroad. Is it that this teaching hospital does not have the facilities to do that?

We can’t do heart transplantation now but we can do cardiac surgery because many people go abroad not because of transplantation. They go either because their valves are diseased or some of the vessels are blocked which they will bypass and that is what they call it coronary artery bypass. You bypass the blocked area, if the valve is diseased, you replace the valve. We can do that in this hospital.

Most Nigerians who have problems which request bypass operations still go abroad but you said this hospital can handle such effectively, why do you think this hospital is not being patronised effectively for such operations?

The programme started about a year ago and why are people not patronising us? I have been asked that question several times but I know that those who go abroad as at today in this country are from the upper echelon and they spend their money in many instances, though a few of them may be sponsored by government organisations. On many occasions, for a variety of social reasons, they may prefer to go abroad, not necessarily because of the technical expertise, but as we agree, in many of these countries they go to, social infrastructure is better and they may factor that into their plan. If you are coming here from Akwa Ibom, there is no direct flight, you come by road, whereas if you go from Akwa Ibom to Lagos, you take a plane and go to Calcutta in India, if you take off from Lagos, the person will be in India before the person from Akwa Ibom will arrive here in Ile Ife, that is what I mean by social infrastructure. It is not just about the hospital, it part of this attitude, this act of going abroad is not just on technicalities. The other thing is this, in many of the countries they go to, particularly in the Indian sub-continent, there are already in place infrastructure, the government and the society deliberately support health institutions to attract foreign funds. That is still in the infancy in this country. Like all forms of tourism, the infrastructure to support people leaving their own place to come to your place and still feel at home, is still being developed in this country, like hotels, transportation and so on. It is common to hear people say “if we get there now, there will be no light,” you understand? Unlike other countries, each hospital in our country is like a local government—provide your electricity, water and security, possibly manufacture the tools you use, which in other countries might not be necessary.

Do you think the health sector in Nigeria is properly funded?

To answer in a simple sentence, we are not well-funded. It is not that the government is not trying, we are not there yet but we are making progress. Other countries that we go, they don’t depend solely on government. There are lots of non-governmental funding coming in into the sector to give helping hands, to allow it develop maximally. For example, if I am going to buy an equipment in Nigeria, I will be forced to pay in cash down, whereas a hospital of this magnitude in England would have a relationship with manufacturing company that is based in England, we can lease and pay a sort of rent which would be affordable, so rather than looking for 250million or 300million at a time, all I may need to do is for the first quarter 5 million which may be affordable and the difference is that if there is a new model, they will come and take away the old model and replace it with new model because they also want their equipments used and recycle the old model and possibly resell to Africa.

Nigerian officials arrested for Boko Haram attacks

Nigerian authorities have arrested a number of officials, accusing them of carrying out attacks for an Islamist militant group.

The military said they had captured an immigration officer who confessed to being an active member of Boko Haram.

His confession led to the arrest of a number of other officials.

Boko Haram has killed hundreds in northern and central Nigeria since 2009, when it launched a campaign to install an Islamic state.

The group's fighters have bombed government buildings and churches and assassinated Muslim clerics who disagreed with their views.

Their attacks have killed woman and children, Muslims and Christians.

Lt Colonel Sagir Musa said the immigration official was arrested last month while impersonating an army officer.

"He confessed to being an active member of the Boko Haram terrorist sect," said Col Musa.

"He also confessed to having been trained alongside 15 other members of the sect on weapon handling, assassination and special operations in Niger."

Col Musa said his testimony helped the military root out a number of others who had carried out attacks for Boko Haram.

Analysts have in the past said that the fight against Boko Haram was undermined because the Islamist group had managed to infiltrate the military.

Boko Haram shot to prominence in 2009 when hundreds of their members attempted to storm police stations and government buildings in Maiduguri.

The security forces quelled the rebellion and killed dozens of the sect's members, as well as its leader.

Since then, their attacks have been better organised and caused many more civilian deaths.

Nigeria is roughly divided between a largely Muslim north, and the south, where Christianity and traditional religions dominate.

..........BBC News

Sad End Of An NYSC Corper, She Survived Boko Haram In The North To Be Gunned Down In Onitsha

The desire of every young undergraduate in Nigeria is to put on the uniform of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and be addressed as a ‘corper. But fate was very cruel to 24-year-old Augusta Chizoba Ndukwu of Umufu-Amaimo, Ikeduru Local Government area of Imo State. She was gruesomely murdered by unknown persons at Upper Iweka area of the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State.

It was quite sad that Augusta, who had survived a series of hostilities and bombings by the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in Adamawa State, where she observed her one-year mandatory national youth service, would painfully meet her untimely death in a place she felt was her home.

Her voice was filled with joy when she spoke to her relatives in Owerri on phone, telling them that she had finally come home. She told them that she was at the luxurious park in Upper Iweka, informing them also that she would join them in Owerri the next morning. But she never lived to see the faces of her loved ones, as she was gruesomely murdered by unknown persons that fateful night.

Daily Sun gathered that the deceased, a graduate of Banking and Finance from the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo State, was found lying in the pool of her own blood at the notorious fly-over at Upper Iweka on September 12.

According to a family member and the Vice Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) Imo State Council, Chief Chris Akaraonye, Chizoba left Yola, the capital of Adamawa State on September 11 where she was having her NYSC primary assignment. She was travelling to Onitsha en route Owerri but could not get to her final destination that time because it was already late.

Chief Akaraonye further said the deceased, who had boarded a luxurious bus belonging to a popular transport company (names withheld), called her relatives to inform them that she could not make it again to Owerri. She also informed them that she had decided to pass the night at the company’s motor park together with other passengers. However, according to him, the following day, the family of the deceased, including her fiancé, waited in anxiety for the arrival of Chizoba in Owerri but to no avail. They then started trying her mobile line, but it had been switched off.

“At first, we thought she had a low battery. But after waiting for almost the whole day, we realized it was not usual and we decided to make moves to know why somebody that spoke to us at 10 pm last night could not be reached on phone or could not get to Owerri. In the course of our doubts and fears, we started going through different police stations and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) formations along the Onitsha-Owerri Road to ascertain if she was involved in a motor accident.

It was when we came to Onitsha that we found her corpse at the Onitsha General Mortuary with gunshot wounds to her chest.” In the next morning, early passersby were shocked to their marrow when they beheld the gory sight of a lady lying in the pool of her own blood at the Upper Iweka axis with two travelling bags filled with children clothing and popcorn. One of the eyewitnesses who pleaded anonymity said that the deceased was a victim of ritual killers.

She confirmed that she was found lying at the Upper Iweka flyover with gunshot wounds on her chest and two travelling bags containing children clothes and popcorn beside her corpse. Though the police swiftly said the deceased could be the victim of an armed robbery attack, they also revealed that the bags were planted by the assailants to divert police investigations, stressing that the police had commenced investigations into the circumstances surrounding the murder.

The Campaign for Democracy (CD), South East Zone has reacted to the incident, describing it as a sin against God and humanity. The group called for proper investigations into the matter with a view to unravelling the circumstances surrounding the senseless killing of the deceased. The Chairman, South East Zone, Dede Uzor. A. Uzor condemned the act while calling on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubarka to personally detail a crack team of investigative police officers to look into the death of the corps member. Dede Uzor further questioned the omission of the deceased’s name in the passengers’ manifest and the alleged role that the transport company played when they returned the bags of the deceased to Yola without contacting the police.

Also speaking on the incident, Chairman of Ndigbo Unity Forum, Mr. Augustine Chukwudum condemned the act, describing it as the most wicked act and cruelty ever meted out to any corps member in the history of the state. Mr. Chukwudum also said his group would mobilize to make sure that criminal elements are sacked from the commercial city. He said the presence of such criminals was hindering the development of commerce and industry in the city.

However, policemen attached to the Central Police Station, CPS, Onitsha led by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Mr. Abdul Yusuf said they have arrested three persons in connection with the death of the corps member, adding that they were still working to unravel the circumstances surrounding the murder of the deceased.

The police said, though, that it could be possible that the girl was murdered at the park by some criminals who then took her body to the Upper Iweka where they kept two bags containing clothes belonging to a boy of six years just to divert police investigations.

According to the police, the deceased was not a victim of ritual killing.

It was further gathered that the driver of the luxury bus that brought the deceased from Yola to Onitsha on that fateful night, the manager of the transport company and one other person whose identities were not yet known as at press time have been arrested by the police.

They were picked up to allegedly help give insight to the death of the corps member as well as explain how and why the management of the company swiftly returned the bags of the deceased to Yola without informing the police. When contacted, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ralph Uzoigwe confirmed that three persons have been arrested by the police to help them in the course of investigations.

He appealed to the general public to help the police with more information that could lead to the arrest of the real killers of the corps member.

.........SUN NEWS ONLINE/INFORMATION NIGERIA

NIGERIA: Imo State Weekly, September 28-October 4, 2012

COMPILED BY AMBROSE EHIRIM

CLICK ON LINKS TO READ STORIES

Threatened By Erosion - the Traumatic Experience of Imo Communities

Owerri — APART from periodic political upheavals and serious crimes like kidnapping and armed robbery, Imo State is faced with a number of other problems. Gully erosion is one of them. As at the last count, there are over 401 identified erosion sites scattered in all the 27 local government areas of the State.

NAPTIP Smashes Baby-Selling Syndicate

Peace Asugwo is a teenage mother whose grandmother, Antonia, felt had disgraced the family by getting pregnant out of wedlock. An indigene of Agwa Village in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, she was impregnated by her boyfriend, one Johnson.

I’m Ready To Hang My Boots

I feel so great. The award that I won last year was the fourth time I am winning it, and I am very grateful to God for making it possible. It was another way for me being able to confirm that I am still playing well.

ANA Commissions Arts Centers in Owerri

The National Vice President and the General Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Mallam Denja Abdullahi and B. M. Dzukogi have called on elders to always give younger ones the opportunity to develop their talents.

Okorocha Calls For Renewed Commitment To Nation’s Progress

Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo has called on Nigerians to renew their commitment to the nation for progress and development. Okorocha made the call while addressing children at a match past to mark the nation’s 52nd Independence celebration in Owerri on Monday.

Aba Renewal and Gov Orji's Transformation Agenda

When professional faultfinders lampoon the Abia administration, with not very choice words, about the state of infrastructure in Aba, little do they realise that the level of degradation that has ravaged Enyimba city for decades does not call for quick fixes or cosmetic remedies which they are wont to proffer.

We Got N20m Ransom From Kidnapping —Suspects

The leader of a kidnapping gang operating in Festac, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, Henry Emenike, 30, has confessed that his gang has made more than N20 million since they started kidnapping people in Lagos two Months ago.

Sad End Of An NYSC Corper, She Survived Boko Haram In The North To Be Gunned Down In Onitsha

It was quite sad that Augusta, who had survived a series of hostilities and bombings by the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in Adamawa State, where she observed her one-year mandatory national youth service, would painfully meet her untimely death in a place she felt was her home.

Okorocha lays foundation stone of 5,000 housing units

GOVERNOR Rochas Okorocha of Imo State at the weekend laid the foundation stone for 5,000 Diaspora Village Housing Units. The event took place at Azara, Obiato, Mbaitoli Local Council of Imo State. According to the governor, the houses to be built in partnership with Imo persons residing in other countries would be fitted with facilities comparable to those in other advanced countries, urging the hosting communities to guarantee the security of those who would reside there.

Imo Govt Implements Teachers Special Allowance

The Imo Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), on Sunday said the state government had implemented the Teachers Special Allowance (TSA) of 27.5 per cent of basic salary.

NCF Holds National Women's Cricket Championships

The 3rd National Women's Cricket Championship and the maiden edition of the Regional U-17 Boys Championship will end this weekend to mark the end of activities of the Nigeria Cricket Federation in the3rd quarter.

ANA Commissions Arts Centers in Owerri

The National Vice President and the General Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Mallam Denja Abdullahi and B. M. Dzukogi have called on elders to always give younger ones the opportunity to develop their talents

Owerri Diocese Synod Holds Oct 4

THE first session, 19th Synod of Anglican diocese church will hold between October 4 through October 7 at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Obazu Mbieri, Mbaitoli Local Council of Imo State.

Iwuanyanwu Dismisses Igbo Presidency In 2015

A Peoples Democratic Party leader in the South-East, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, on Thursday dismissed the possibility of a president of Igbo extraction emerging in 2015. The former presidential aspirant said this at a press conference in Owerri, Imo State, where he advocated the inclusion of zoning of political offices in the constitution.

Hostages rescued by Imo police

Officers of the Imo State Police Command has rescued two kidnapped victims, a man and a woman. The victims were abducted in the early hours of Thursday along Control Junction in Owerri.

Rediscovering the Igbo

BEFORE Reverend George T. Basden arrived in Onitsha at the turn of the 19th century, the Igbo people of South Eastern Nigeria had long been “discovered”. Thanks to the apocryphal “discovery of the embouchure of the Niger” by the Lander brothers.

‘Shipping Business Key To Nigerian Economy’

The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi, has stated that shipping business remains a key sector for the country to harness her enormous potentials in the maritime sector.

Gov Okorocha lays foundation for hotel in Okigwe

The Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to develop Okigwe, to bring it out of the of underdevelopment it suffered in the hands of past administration. He said this at the foundation laying ceremony of the proposed ’5-star Princess Hotel’ in Okigwe.

Gigi Chao whose tycoon dad Cecil has pledged $65 million to any man who can marry her, has 200 marriage proposals

Gigi Chao, the lesbian daughter of Hong Kong shipping tycoon Cecil Chao, has had 200 wedding proposals. Picture: Facebook


The lesbian, whose tycoon dad has pledged $65m to any man who can make her his wife, has had 200 marriage proposals and even nude pictures of suitors.
Gigi Chao, whose father Cecil owns Cheuk Nang (Holdings) Ltd, said she has received marriage proosals from Nigeria, Bulgaria and Turkey.

"People are contacting me on Facebook, by email, on Twitter. It's ridiculous. I can't sort out the serious proposals from the half-hearted ones. I can't make head or tail of it," she told The Telegraph UK in an interview in Hong Kong.

Gigi, 33, said she had about 200 proposals and her followers on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook had risen by 1500 after her father's $65 million pledge become public.

Gigi, 33, entered a civil partnership with her girlfriend of seven years Sean Eay in a ceremony in Paris five months ago, but her 76-year-old father did not accept it and states she is single. Same-sex marriage is not allowed in Hong Kong.

Gigi, who is executive director of her father's company, received contact from men who say they want love and seek a date and men who are send more confronting greetings.

There have been nude photos and financial statements. She has had proposals from places such as Oklahoma, Nigeria, India, Turkey and Bulgaria. Numerous bankers have contacted her.

Gigi Chao has said her father's $65 million pledge to any man who could win her heart, was "touching".

"Some of them had obviously done their research, you know, gone on my Facebook and looked at my background," Gigi told Telegraph UK.

"Some of them are quite poetic."

She also said that her father's pledge was "touching".

"At first I was entertained by it, and then that entertainment turned into the realisation and conviction that I am a really lucky girl to have such a loving daddy, because it's really sweet of him to do something like this as an expression of his fatherly love," she said.

She said she knew that her father would go public denying the her lesbian partnership, she did not know he would offer the reward. "I think the HK$500 million really came as an afterthought."

"It's not that he can't accept me," she said. "It's that he can't accept how society would view me and the status that it would incur. Marriage is still a form of social status. I do understand him. I understand why he's doing this."

"But I don't appreciate getting 1,500 emails."

Ms Chao also talked about her sexuality and her relationship with Sean Eav.

"I'm very happy when I'm with her," she said.

The daughter of a Hong Kong billionaire says she had been bombarded with marriage proposals – and even nude photographs – from as far as Nigeria after her father offered £40 million to the man who could woo her.

Gigi Chao, daughter of property tycoon Cecil Chao, entered a civil partnership with her girlfriend of seven years in a ceremony in Paris five months ago.

But Mr Chao, 76, has told the South China Morning Post that reports of his daughter's civil ceremony were "false". He announced the HK$500 million dowry earlier this week.

It has sparked a deluge of offers. Speaking on Thursday Ms Chao, 33, said she had received about 200 proposals and that the number of people following her on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook had jumped by 1,500 since her father's announcement.

"People are contacting me on Facebook, by email, on Twitter. It's ridiculous. I can't sort out the serious proposals from the half-hearted ones. I can't make head or tail of it," she told The Daily Telegraph. Ms Chao, an executive director of her father's company, Cheuk Nang, said that in addition to receiving enquiries from gentlemen who say they are looking for love and ask her out on a date, she has received some introductions that are less conventional. Some hopefuls have attached nude photos of themselves or provided information about their financial situations. She has received proposals from all over the world, including Oklahoma, Nigeria, India, Turkey and Bulgaria. Numerous bankers have contacted her.

"Some of them had obviously done their research, you know, gone on my Facebook and looked at my background," she said. "Some of them are quite poetic." But far from getting angry at her father, she said she was "touched".

"At first I was entertained by it, and then that entertainment turned into the realisation and conviction that I am a really lucky girl to have such a loving daddy, because it's really sweet of him to do something like this as an expression of his fatherly love," she said.

While Ms Chao knew that her father would go public denying the union, she did not know he would offer the reward. "I think the HK$500 million really came as an afterthought."

Even though Mr Chao has not accepted the union, Ms Chao said she loved her father and that they had a good relationship. "It's not that he can't accept me," she said. "It's that he can't accept how society would view me and the status that it would incur. Marriage is still a form of social status. I do understand him. I understand why he's doing this."

She added: "But I don't appreciate getting 1,500 emails."

Ms Chao, who also runs Haut Monde Talent, a model management and PR firm, met her partner, Sean Yeung, who also goes by Sean Eav, while they were working together.

Ms Chao she was drawn to Ms Yeung because she was straightforward, not manipulative, honest, had strong family values and cared about her friends deeply. "I'm very happy when I'm with her," she said.

Ms Chao, who has dated men and women, said she has always been open and honest about her relationships to her family.However her mother has not accepted her sexuality. Ms Chao recalled that when she told her mother about a relationship with a girl when she was 16 years old, her mother "banged her head against the wall, literally". Although they have become more visible in recent years, members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in Hong Kong are still largely not accepted by the vast majority of the population.

Ms Chao believes gay rights are picking up, but said work was still needed on the social mentality.

Mr Chao is not so conventional himself. He made headlines in 2003 when his Rolls-Royce caught fire while he and his girlfriend were inside.

The tycoon has never married and once claimed to have had "intimate relations" with about 10,000 women.

civil partnership with her girlfriend of seven years Sean Eay in a ceremony in Paris five months ago, but her 76-year-old father did not accept it and states she is single. Same-sex marriage is not allowed in Hong Kong.

Gigi, who is executive director of her father's company, received contact from men who say they want love and seek a date and men who are send more confronting greetings.

There have been nude photos and financial statements. She has had proposals from places such as Oklahoma, Nigeria, India, Turkey and Bulgaria. Numerous bankers have contacted her.

"Some of them had obviously done their research, you know, gone on my Facebook and looked at my background," Gigi told Telegraph UK.

.........NEWS COM AU