A married woman in Zambia is reported to have died inside a Catholic priest’s house after lying to her husband that she is going to a funeral.
According to reports, the Priest Father Abel Mwelwa invited his married lover to the Parish House on Holy Thursday night.
The woman was a member of the Catholic Women’s League from St Maurice Catholic Church in Lusaka.
Geared for the fateful sexual marathon with the Catholic Priest, the woman lied to her husband that she was going for a funeral with her fellow league members to Kaunda Square.
Sadly, she died in Father Abel’s room in the Parish House that very Holy Thursday night, leaving behind two children.
Father Abel called some Catholic Women’s League members from St Maurice to go and pick up the body to take it to Levy Mwanawasa Hospital and then UTH as BID.
The Priest was made to pay for the whole funeral expenses.
Father Abel has since been suspended and is likely to face the murder charge as the family wants to take the matter to court.
Despite ongoing efforts to combat the pandemic to a standstill, Coronavirus has continued to take a severe toll on Nigerians and the economy of the country.
Like every category of workers and business owners in the country, the lull in commercial and economic activities has also gotten to commercial sex workers in a hard way.
In Ondo State where government has since begun a crackdown on brothels and ‘joints’ housing commercial sex workers, SaharaReporters discovered that the ladies in this business have since devised new ways of servicing their clients and keep the cash rolling in no matter how little.
Last week, at least 18 commercial sex workers were arrested in Ondo by the state government as part of moves to enforce the stay-at-home and social distancing rule meant to help curtail the spread of the virus.
Doyin Odebowale, leader of the task force team, disclosed that the arrested sex workers had been placed on isolation pending when results of their samples will emerge.
But unmoved by the possibility of being arrested by the task force team and police for still marketing cheap and sometimes unprotected sex, some of the ladies told our correspondent that they now took the service to the home of willing clients for an agreed fee rather than wait for such customers to come to the brothels, which has become difficult in recent days due to the crackdown by government officials.
SaharaReporters also discovered that more than a few of the commercial sex workers have signed up to some social networking platforms like InMessage to track down willing clients close to their areas of residence.
Many of the sex workers, who said they had no other means of survival, told our correspondent that they have had to adapt to the reality on ground to put food on their tables.
Identifying herself only as Amarachi, one sex worker at a brothel on Araromi Street in Akure, the state capital, told our correspondent that the dusk to dawn curfew put in place by the state government had affected her operations severely.
She said, “We (sex workers) are one of those most affected by this lockdown because some of us are no longer making money the way we used to.
“They want us to stop our business due to this Coronavirus but they didn’t provide food for us or show us where to get money to feed.
“As a result of the situation, we have to find means to meet up with our customers wherever they want because we need the money to survive.”
Another sex worker named Rita said she, too, had managed to stay in business by offering home service to customers, who want ‘good’ sex.
She said, “Before now, I used to make at least N5,000 at night in a day and even make some contribution the next day.
“But now I can’t make such money because of the curfew. Clients are now afraid to visit us here.
“But as sex workers, before the day is dark, you will have had some agreement with your client and you visit him in his house with the service by sleeping over.”
Abigail, one sex workers at a brothel around the Oluwatuyi area of Akure, groaned over the loss of revenue following a drop in customers as a result of the lockdown.
Like the others, she has switched to ‘home delivery’ mode to stay in business and raise money for her upkeep.
She said, “My madam used to settle some of these policemen before but since she travelled to her village, they have not allowed us to open.
“Now, we talk to our clients on phone and we can easily go and sleep over in their houses but this is for those who are yet to marry or are still single among our clients.”
Following the threat posed by policemen and other security agents enforcing the stay-at-home order in the city, some sex workers however, prefer to remain in their brothels and wait for the right opportunity to hook a customer.
But a psychologist, Mrs Niniola Ashaolu, said the new strategy adopted by commercial sex workers in the city to stay in business was dangerous because they could be exposed to Coronavirus in the homes of their clients.
She said, “The issue is that since they are now on the social media to woo their clients and everyone is avoiding contact, will it not be a serious danger inviting such people into your homes.
“Whatever sexual urge that a man has should not be at the detriment of his own health. Such action is just too dangerous and risky.”
Some mothers who have invested their entire lives in their families and especially on their male children, have a hard time letting go. Such was in charge of all his decisions all his life, until he became a husband. She basically called the shots.
Now that there’s a wife in the picture, all that is changed. There’s another very important woman in her son’s life, and she resents you for it.
To make it worse, you are young, while she’s not so young. If you’re not yet married, there are jealous mother-in-law signs to watch out for.
However, for many Nigerian wives, this scenario is their daily experience. If you’re in these shoes, your mother-in-law is always looking for ways to undermine you just to satisfy her jealousy.While your mother-in-law thinks that you both are engaged in a tug of war where her son, it can cause you great emotional and mental trauma.
What are the jealous mother-in-law signs to look out for?
You have a jealous mother-in-law if she does any of the following:
doesn’t respect your boundaries in spite of numerous requests. She never cares to respect your boundaries or your private life.
is overly attached and emotionally dependent on her son. She tries to grab as much attention as possible by playing the role of a victim.
tries to dominate and control her son by making him dance to her tune. She tries to control your home by taking decisions for you both.
competes with you, and this kind of competition is very unhealthy.
frequently plays the victim to get your husband’s attention.
always complains about you to her son.
gets passive-aggressive, insulting your family and criticizing your every move.
ignores you at family gatherings and parties.
The ways to deal with a jealous mother-in-law
To get some peace in your life, and make it a little easier on your marriage, we give you some sure ways to deal with a jealous mother-in-law. Hope these work for you and you are able to smoothen your ties with her. After all, there shouldn’t be competition within the home.
Understand her feelings
Instead of retaliating or fighting with her, you should first try to understand what is causing such a revolt. All women are emotional beings. Try to observe her behaviour and look out for the triggers that provoke her to behave so. Once you understand those, it will be easier to reach out to her.
Give her attention
Jealousy arises from insecurity and the sudden fear of being replaced by someone who has just become a member of the family. She fears to become a mere spectator of her son’s life. You’ll need to understand these insecurities of hers and give her attention. Regular phone calls and text messages will let her know she is on your mind. Occasional visits will also go a long way to smoothen your relationship.
Keep her involved in your family
The man you have married is proof of her good upbringing. Make her feel special. Keep her involved in little things. Sometimes, ask her advice on parenting and home making. Ask her to share special recipes with you. These efforts of yours could win her over.
Acknowledge the bond between her and her son
The most important thing for a mother is her child’s love. Once she’s assured of her son’s love, accepting you becomes easier. Show her that your marriage isn’t going to hamper the mother-son relationship. Her doubts and fears will be gone. She will soon start appreciating your qualities.
Help her with the transition
You are not the only one whose life is changing here. Your mother-in-law is also going through a transition here. Everything in the family is going to change and she doesn’t know whether she can handle it. As a newlywed, everyone is going to be attentive to you and help you with whatever you need but there is no one to understand that your mother-in-law also needs comfort and security. This particular fact is ignored by most people which makes a perfect mother into a jealous mother-in-law.
You need to help her from the start so that she doesn’t see you as a threat and instead, sees you as her confidant.
Give her surprises
Ask your husband or your father in law about the likes and dislikes of your mother-in-law. Give her surprises and make her happy. Her heart will start to conflict with her mind. She will see a side of you that she didn’t expect and will welcome you with open arms.
Remember communication is key
If you can’t understand your mother-in-law’s behaviour, talk it out. Have a deep conversation with her. Be polite so that she doesn’t retaliate with anger. Ask her why she is behaving like this and ask her what’s wrong. You may be surprised by how a short conversation can make things so simple. You may realize that both of you were misunderstanding each other all along!
Avoid conflict
In order to maintain peace in the house, it is better to avoid fights and discussions that could lead to fights. Fights will only make things worse by causing more bitterness in the family. It will make other family members unwantingly choose sides. Your marriage will be the relationship that gets most affected by all this.
Talk to your husband
Having a conversation with your husband about your mother-in-law’s behaviour could turn out to be helpful. Don’t complain to him about her. Just tell him some of the things that could be bothering you. Ask him to reach out to his mother and find the root cause in a friendly way. The son might be able to get through to his mother better than you and help end the war.
The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC),Chikwe Ihekweazu has warned Nigerians of risking another lockdown if they continue to violate some health guidelines.
Ihekweazu made this known while speaking at the presidential task force briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday, stating that new cases of the virus may arise if people continued to flout the health directives in some parts of the country where the lockdown was eased.
He said that the Federal government might be forced to impose another lockdown if there are more cases of coronavirus.
He said “How do we want to manage the risk of explosion and transmission?
”Today, we might forgive a little bit because it is the first day.
“We will definitely have more cases because of what happened today, no doubt about that.
“But how can we learn from the mistakes of today into tomorrow, next tomorrow so by Friday hopefully we have normalised some of these things.
“Yes, we knew today would be a problem because for the first time, people were let out of their homes but now they are out and we have seen the sunlight again, the challenge for us as a society is how do we now organise ourselves to mitigate these risks and limit transmission?
“We might have a few extra infections today and tomorrow but what we don’t want is an explosion of new infections.
“If the cases of the virus infection increases, there will be almost no choice left for the leadership of the country than to ask all of us to go back into our homes.
“So for the benefit of coming out to reopen parts of the economy, there is a price to pay which is to reorganise ourselves to do this safely.”
Recall that the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and FCT ended on Monday as residents were allowed to resume work.
Women clad in sexy skimpy sheer lingerie slowly dancing and strip teasing along a sexy Chinese music in front of the mourners and bereaved family and relatives — you may think that such lewd performances are disrespectful to the one who died, but in China, residents in rural areas traditionally hired funeral strippers and pole dancers to entertain and gain more attending mourners.
The “mourners” on the other hand, were not crying for their loss, but they dreamily watched the hired funeral strippers with their steamy performances, along with the attendants’ howling, roaring, laughing, whistling, applauding, and even cursing, when the performance reached its climax.
“As the performers saunter into the audience to giggle their breasts and rub men’s crotches, a reminder of ‘no photographs allowed’ can occasionally be heard,” a report described on the typical funeral scene.
While the women were dancing in a platform, there was an electronic screen flashes on the wall behind them bearing the deceased photo and name with a message that reads, “we offer profound condolences for the death of this man”.
The Chinese authorities have long been waging war against this kind of practice and tradition, but they always failed as such activities or businesses still exists underground. In 2015, China’s Ministry of Culture made an announcement that it will crackdown funeral strippers in many rural provinces due to their “obscene and vulgar performances at weddings, funerals, and temple events”, NY Post cited an announcement made by China-owned Global Times newspaper.
In 2018 China imposed a special “hotline” for the public to do their parts by reporting any “funeral misdeeds” in exchange for a monetary reward.
Why do Chinese people hire strippers at funeral services?
Base on a theory, Chinese family hire funeral strippers and pole dancers to attract more attendants of mourners. Chinese believed that it brings honor for the dead when there were more family, friends, and neighbors who attended the funeral ceremony to mourn.
A professor of Fujian Normal University Huang Jianxing said hiring dancing with erotic elements women in funerals are part of some local cultures.
“In some local cultures, dancing with erotic elements can be used to convey the deceased’s wishes of being blessed with many children,” Huang said in Global Times.
Another reason, the act of hiring funeral strippers could be seen as a sign of richness or wealth of the bereaved family.
“Chinese rural households are more inclined to show off their disposable incomes by paying out several times their annual income for actors, singers, comedians, and strippers, to comfort the bereaved and entertain the mourners,” the report added.
According to the Global Times, the tradition of hiring women strippers and pole dancers started in the 1990s as a way to “worship fertility”. Another Chinese professor Kuang Haiyan, explained that erotic performance at the funeral ceremony is just a “cultural atavism”.
Kuang added the hiring of funeral strippers can be linked to Chinese folklore, festivals, and rituals, such as the Chinese New Year, are critical time for Chinese people, as they “lay down their lives and embrace the death”. He explained that hiring funeral strippers are their moment to “release their passion at the funeral”.
Experts said that such practice will ever go away “completely”, as funeral strippers still exist at present. However, the Chinese government, at the same time, will never stop trying to thwart this “funeral misdeed”.
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), on Monday, alleged that it has intercepted a human intelligence report that the Nigeria House of Representatives leadership was poised to forcefully pass the compulsory vaccine bill without subjecting it to the traditions of legislative proceedings.
In a statement issued and signed by the spokesperson of the opposition political parties, Barrister Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and sent to DAILY POST in Abuja on Monday, the body urged lawmakers in the lower chamber to rise against impunity.
The body in the statement alleged that a sum of $10 million was offered by the American Computer Czar, Bill Gates for influence the speedy passage of the bill without recourse to legislative public hearing, a the development they averted as anachronistic, adding that the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila should be impeached if he forces the bill on members.
The statement read:
“Opposition Coalition (CUPP) has intercepted very credible intelligence and hereby alerts Nigerians of plans by the leadership of the House of Representatives led by Femi Gbajabiamila to forcefully and without adherence to the rules of lawmaking to pass the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill 2020 otherwise known as the Compulsory Vaccination Bill which is proposing a compulsory vaccination of all Nigerians even when the vaccines have not been discovered.
“This intelligence is coupled with the information of the alleged receipt, from sources outside the country but very interested in the Bill, of the sum of $10 million by the sponsors and promoters of the Bill to distribute among lawmakers to ensure a smooth passage of the Bill.
“This will manifest in a wishy-washy public hearing which the promoters still insist on cancelling under the pretext of containment of the spread of the coronavirus. The intelligence is that the House will under whatever guise pass the Bill tomorrow 5th May, 2020 upon resumption.
“The Nigeria opposition rejects the Bill and urges opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives to confront the Speaker of the House with these facts tomorrow at plenary and resist every plan to illegally pass the Bill.
“We have been informed that the alleged deal on the passage of the Bill was struck during a trip to Austria a few months back while the financial support for the promotion of the Bill was allegedly received last week to mobilize for a push leading to the hurried attempt to pass the Bill by any means necessary.
“Nigerians are reminded that at present, there is no discovered/approved vaccine anywhere in the world and one now begins to wonder why the hurry to pass a Bill for a compulsory vaccine when there is none.
“What if the world eventually does not find a vaccine or cure for coronavirus just like it has not found a cure for HIV AIDS? What is the hurry in passing a Bill based on speculation or is there anything else the leadership of the House would want to tell Nigerians? Is this bill what will stop the mass deaths and infections rising in Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Gombe, Borno, Kaduna, Ogun, Bauchi and indeed all over the country?
“Is this Bill going to revive and grow the economy and reduce hunger and give us more testing kits or bed spaces? Is this Bill going to stop the stealing of palliatives meant for poor and vulnerable Nigerians? Is it true that all these noises for the Bill is all for the alleged $10 million?
“The leadership of the House needs to start speaking now on why the hurry when there are a lot of urgent Bills to be passed which are not being attended to.
“Where is the Bill to make the wearing of face masks compulsory now that the Federal Government has against all wisdom insisted on easing the lockdown and the people have trooped out already without obeying the health regulations that will make them safe?
“Where are the economic revival Bills to protect jobs and vulnerable Nigerian workers whose livelihoods are threatened daily by this pandemic? Where are the Bills to compel the Federal Government to look inwards and encourage emergency research for the manufacture of essentials like test kits, ventilators, Personal Protective Equipment, vaccines, drugs, masks, sanitizers etc
“All opposition lawmakers should prove they are not part of the evil or partakers of the financial inducement and confront Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila to come clean.
“Let all parliamentary rules be dropped and opposition members should turn the House upside down using their parliamentary privileges if that is what it takes to stop this foreign-sponsored Bill.
“Why make a law for a vaccine that has not been discovered? Does it mean that Femi Gbajabiamila and the promoters have an idea of the vaccine and when it will be ready? When nations like Madagascar are making local remedies which is working, APC is making a law to compulsorily inject Nigerians with vaccines our former slave masters have not yet discovered.
“The plan to push the passing of the bill is evil
“The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC did not make any contributions to the drafting of the Bill and has even told Femi Gbajabiamila to suspend the Bill as the timing is very wrong but Mr. Gbajabiamila believes he can secure the silence and acquiescence of the NCDC with all the illegal powers been provided for the NCDC in the Bill hence he still wants to push ahead with it the passage.
“Like we told the Federal Government before, do not bring Chinese doctors, shut our external borders, do not ease the lockdown, do not relax Kano lockdown and they refused to heed to wise counsel preferring to play myopic politics with the lives of Nigerians, today the community transmission is getting worse and it has almost been confirmed that the so called strange deaths in Kano of hundreds of citizens is a result of the COVID-19.
“We are saying loudly again and calling on House of Representatives to suspend this Control of Infectious Diseases Bill and await for proper input and scrutiny after the pandemic and charge all efforts towards giving the needed support to reduce the spread and find a homegrown solution.”
Parents of Leah Sharibu, who was abducted two years ago by Boko Haram insurgents, have said the Federal Government has been deceiving Nigerians and the international community with promises of rescuing her from captivity.
The spokesperson for the family and President, Leadership Empowerment Advocacy and Humanitarian (LEAH) Foundation, Dr Gloria Samdi Puldu, explained this in an interview with THE PUNCH.
She said Nathan and Rebecca Sharibu were still in great pains because Leah is still not home.
“Born on May 14, 2003, Leah Sharibu, the young Christian girl who refused to renounce her Christian faith has had her 15th and 16th birthday while in ISIS-WA captivity, this is a reproachful memory. Will she spend another birthday in captivity?
“It is impossible for any parent to keep hearing different hurtful reports about their daughter and not become heartbroken. It is even more traumatic to hear that she has been forced into motherhood in captivity,” she stated.
According to her, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), should rise up to his responsibility of rescuing Leah like he did when he ensured the freedom of all other Muslim girls abducted with Leah just a month after their abduction.
She was responding to enquiries on the update about Leah Sharibu whose 17th birthday would be on May 14.
The PUNCH reported that Leah Sharibu was one of the 110 female students of the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, who were abducted on February 19, 2018, by Boko Haram terrorists.
While others were released by the terrorists following negotiations, Leah is still being held captive because she refused to renounce her Christian faith.
She said that an aid worker from Plateau State, Jennifer Ukambong, who was released in January, 2020 after staying nearly one month in Boko Haram captivity, had said Leah Sharibu was living somewhere close to Lake Chad.
“Ukambong also said Mrs Alice Ngaddah, Miss Grace Taku and Leah Sharibu who were abducted at various times by the terrorists were all doing fine in the forest. Jennifer said she does not know the specific location but they say it is close to Lake Chad,” she stated.
While describing Leah Sharibu as a bold and courageous child who had stood boldly and courageously in defence of her faith, the UNIJOS don told the Nigerian government to know that Leah would never be forgotten in captivity as “she represents the face of those who are persecuted for their religious beliefs and the girl-child in the North-East who is being denied education.”
She said, “Will Leah Sharibu spend another birthday in captivity? If there is sincerity on the side of the government, then let us see them fulfil their promises. It seems that the government simply wants to make Nigerians and the international community who demand the release of Leah to be quiet.
“Therefore, they are always claiming that negotiations are going on to secure her release. This is very unfortunate that we are still in great pains because Leah is still not home. We keep hearing all sorts of rumours about her condition in captivity. It is very painful.
“For the commemoration of Leah’s third birthday in Boko Haram captivity, we ask the Nigerian government to take action and fulfil the so many promises they made to the Sharibu family and to all Nigerians.
“Nigerians are waiting, now that the world has seen that Chadian soldiers have cleared Boko Haram from the Lake Chad area where Leah Sharibu is suspected to be. The question begging for answer is, where is Leah Sharibu?”
Puldu called on everybody to continue to pray for Leah and to pressurise the Nigerian government to take action and fulfil their promises to secure Leah’s release.
The Central Bank of Nigeria and the Bankers’ Committee have jointly agreed to suspend sacking of workers in the banks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A statement signed by the Director, Corporate Communications, Mr Isaac Okorafor, said a special meeting of the Bankers’ Committee was convened on May 2, 2020, to further review the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Nigerian banking industry.
He stated that the committee particularly deliberated on the issue of the operating costs of banks in view of the disruptions emanating from the global economic difficulties and decided to take some decisions.
Okorafor stated that, “In order to help minimise and mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on families and livelihoods, no bank in Nigeria shall retrench or lay-off any staff of any cadre (including full-time and part-time).
“To give effect to the above measure, the express approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria shall be required in the event that it becomes absolutely necessary to lay-off any such staff.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria solicits the support of all in our collective effort to weather through the economic challenges occasioned by the COVID-19.”
The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals on Sunday called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), to reverse his decision on the easing of COVID-19 lockdown, which takes effect today (Monday).
The NUAHP made the call in a statement signed by its National President, Dr Obinna Ogbonna, and its General Secretary, Martin Egbanubi.
As health workers advised the President, members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 he sent to Kano State expressed concern about the high rate of community transmission in the state.
The presidential team said 80 per cent of every 100 samples taken from the state for testing always came out positive.
As of March, the state had no case of COVID-19, but on April 11, a former ambassador, who attended a Jumat service while awaiting his coronavirus test result, was diagnosed with the virus.
As of 5.51pm on Sunday, there were 313 COVID-19 cases in the state, which was second to Lagos State that had 1,084, the highest in the country.
Buhari had, in his broadcast to the nation on April, 27, imposed a total lockdown on Kano State and dispatched a team of experts to the state the following day as part of efforts to stop the spread of the virus.
But in the national broadcast on April 27, he said there would be phased and gradual easing of the lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory, Ogun and Lagos states, which started on March 30.
He, however, imposed a dusk to dawn curfew on the country and banned inter-state movements.
Kano has high rate of community transmission –Head of FG’s team
The Head of the team sent to Kano State by the President, Dr Nasiru Gwarzo, said the state had a high rate of community transmission of COVID-19.
Gwarzo told the BBC Hausa Service in an interview that the high rate of transmission, as shown by increased testing, was evident when compared to the former situation in the state.
According to him, there is an urgent need for the people of Kano to take the deadly disease seriously as out of every 100 samples taken for testing, 80 per cent always came out positive.
He said, “This is a serious situation which needs collective effort to address as the case of pandemic has gone beyond people’s imagination as it has gone to community transmission.
“What we are afraid of in this pandemic is what is happening. The pandemic has left the first stage of entering the country. It has left the second stage and has entered the third stage of community spread. This is not news that will be palatable to the public but like a Hausa proverb says, ‘on the day you are to take a bath, you cannot hide your navel.’”
