Photos: Deadly Tornado In Oklahoma Kills 91 & Injures 233.

Two entire schools flattened in Moore, Oklahoma after 200 mph winds pulverized a 30-square-mile stretch yesterday
At least 91 people confirmed dead, authorities say, and at least another 233 injured in local hospitals
More than 20 children are among the dead, including the seven found drowned in Plaza Towers
Children were told to hold on to the walls, while teachers shielding the students with their bodies
Hundreds of homes wiped out and more than 8,000 people left without power
The devastating tornado was larger than 1999 storm in the area that left 36 people dead.

A desperate search is underway for survivors after a giant two-mile wide tornado roared through the suburbs of Oklahoma leaving 91 dead, including seven children who drowned in a pool of water at their school.

Plaza Towers Elementary was in the direct path of the giant twister and today rescuers were combing the debris to find 24 students who went missing after the building took a direct hit during 45 minutes of terror yesterday afternoon.

President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster area in Oklahoma, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local efforts in Moore.

Another elementary school, homes and a hospital were among the buildings leveled by the 200mph winds leaving residents of the town of about 50,000 people stunned at the devastation and loss of life.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin expressed her grief on behalf of her state for the parents of the missing children, aged between five and eight, as the death toll across the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore escalated.

'Our hearts are broken for the parents that are wondering about the state of their children that had been in the schools that have been hit today,' Fallin said. 'I know that there are families wondering where their loved ones are.'

She added that rescuers were 'looking under every single piece of debris' for the missing.

Our prayer goes to the people affected.

Continue for more photos...

Protect The Rights Of Civilians – US Warns Nigerian Government

A top United States official had on Wednesday said that Nigeria must protect the rights of civilians and avoid any “heavy-handed” response as it moves against Islamist sect to enforce a state of emergency.

State Department spokesman, Patrick Ventrell said, “We call on Nigerian officials to ensure that Nigeria’s security forces protect civilians in any security response in a way that respects human rights and the rule of law.”

He also urged Nigerian authorities to investigate clashes between soldiers and Islamist gunmen last month in the town of Baga on Lake Chad where over 200 lives were lost to ensure that “those responsible are held accountable.”

It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan issued an emergency decree late Tuesday, acknowledging for the first time that Boko Haram militants had “taken over” parts of northern Borno state, the insurgents’ stronghold.

The Military then announced Wednesday that a “massive” troop deployment was under way.

“Washington is watching how the Nigerian authorities will handle the state of emergency”, Ventrell said.

“We have made it clear to the Nigerian government that its heavy-handed response to insecurity in northern Nigeria and the failure to address human rights violations will potentially affect our ability to provide security assistance going forward,” he added.

Jonathan said the Boko Haram violence, which has left thousands dead since 2009, can no longer be treated as “militancy or criminality.” The latest violence, including the brazen attacks in the northeast, amounted to “a declaration of war,” he said

Obama To Visit Nigeria May 28

At last the President of the United States, Barack Obama, would visit Nigeria on 28 May, 2013, as part of a three-nation tour of Africa, ending speculation of the Obama scorn with the flawed elections in 2007 that brought Umaru Yar’Adua to the Presidency.

Seen as long overdue but coming at a time when security is the number one item on the country’s agenda, the 44th President of the United States is expected to parley with President Jonathan on how to tackle the niggling problems of insecurity, the economy and trade relations between both nations. President Obama would be interested in hearing President’s Jonathan’s plan to control the Boko Haram insurgents who he plans to offered amnesty, even as the sect continues to slay hundreds in their quest to end western education in the country apart from kidnapping foreigners for ransom.

The growing bases of Al Quaeda, a long term enemy of America and its allies, along the Lake Chad region resulting from their recent dislodgement from Mali may find space on their agenda.

Both men are likely to contemplate the resurgence of Niger Delta militancy, which had simmered with the granting of amnesty by former President Yar’Adua. On the political side, they may weigh the propriety of a Jonathan candidacy in 2015 and the implications for democracy not only for Nigeria, but also for the African continent as well as the implication of good governance as exemplified by Nigeria for the stability of the sub-region. It is speculated that both presidents would broach issues on economic co-operation not least the upbeat forecasts of the emergence of Nigeria as an economic force, what with the country’s latitude for growth.

America would be interested in a partnership that would engender a favourable outcome for both countries whose bilateral trade hit $5 trillion in the first quarter of 2012.

It would be an opportunity for President Jonathan to engage Obama on the US exploitation of Shale gas projected to cut a quarter US imports of Nigeria’s oil by the end of the year. They could discuss how Nigeria can benefit from alternative energy programme of the United States. It would give President Jonathan a chance to see how the AGOA programme can be improved to favour Nigeria’s businesses, especially the SMEs.

Obama’s planned session with businessmen while in the country assures that there is yet scope for improving business and trade relations between both countries. Obama’s visit is believed to be five years late given that he was billed to have visited the country in his first term in office, especially when he visited other African countries, including Ghana, which is only 30 minutes away from Nigeria by flight.

Of that snob, Nobel Literature Prize winner, Professor Wole Soyinka, said, “If Obama decides to grace Nigeria with his presence, I will stone him. The message he is sending by going to Ghana is so obvious, is so brilliant that he must not render it flawed by coming to Nigeria any time soon.”

Kirk Leigh

I Tried To Rape My Mum Before Killing Her - 14-Year-Old Boy Who Murdered His Mother

The trial of a teenager accused of attempting to rape his mother and then shooting her dead began Wednesday with prosecutors playing a chilling 911 call.

Noah Crooks, now 14, can be heard on the March 24 call telling a dispatcher with the Mitchell County Sheriff's Department that he shot his mother, 37-year-old Gretchen Crooks, almost 20 times with a .22-caliber hunting rifle and he doesn't know why he did it, the Globe Gazette reports.

"I feel crazy and I know I'm not," he says on the 10-minute recording. He later states, "I tried to rape her. I tried to rape her but I couldn't do it … I tried to rape my own mom. Who tries to rape their own mom? My life is down the drain now."

The woman's body was found shortly afterward at the family's Osage home shortly after the phone call. Police say her body had multiple bullet wounds and she was naked from the waist down.

The teen, who was 13 years old at the time of the call, also tells the dispatcher, "I just wish it was a dream so I could wake up and kiss her and hug her."

Crooks' attorney, William Kutmus, does not dispute that Crooks killed his mother, but says that Crooks was insane at the time of the incident, according to KAAL-TV. Kutmus plans to bring in a witness who will testify that Crooks has Intermittent Explosive Disorder, a behavioral disorder characterized by impulsive violent outbursts.

Kutmus told the court that hours before the shooting, Gretchen Crooks had taken away her son's video game controller because of his bad grades in school.

Noah Crooks' father, William Crooks, was not home at the time of the shooting, according to the WCF Courier.

"It's a damn tragedy, you know. These are good people," Mitchell County Sheriff Curt Younker told The Huffington Post in March.

Noah Crooks is charged with murder and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse.

Obama Threatens “Family Tattoo” If Daughters Get Their Own.

If they were thinking about getting tattoos, the Obama daughters may want to reconsider.

Speaking on NBC’s “Today” show in a segment originally filmed before the Boston Marathon bombings, President Barack Obama revealed the strategy he and First Lady Michelle Obama have been using to keep their daughters away from tattoos.

“What we’ve said to the girls is, ‘If you guys ever decide you’re going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will get the exact same tattoo, in the same place, and we’ll go on YouTube and show it off as a family tattoo,’” Obama said.

“Our thinking is that might dissuade them from thinking that somehow that’s a good way to rebel.”

During the segment, the president also said he understood his wife’s “slip of the tongue” when she called herself a “single mother” in early April, noting that they were often apart for a week at a time when he was campaigning for the Senate and presidency.

“I tend to cut my wife or anybody some slack when it comes to just slips of the tongue,” he said.

“But there’s no doubt that there have been times where Michelle probably felt like asingle mom … She definitely, I think, understands the burdens that women in particular tend to feel if they’re both responsible for child rearing and they’re responsible for working at the same time,” he added.

Deadly Explosion At Texas Fertilizer Plant Kills 15, Over 150 Injured.

A deadly explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant early Thursday Morning, April 18th has left at least 15 people dead, including five volunteer firefighters and one police officer. The blast, which measured 2.1 on the Richter scale according to Reuters, left the town of West, 20 miles north of Waco, 'like a a warzone'. Over 180 people were injured in the blast, while dozens of homes and buildings were destroyed.

Public safety officials say they expect the death toll to rise and that rescue efforts have been hampered because of hazardous chemicals in the air following the explosion. Just feels like the US has been under attack these past few days. 

See another photo below...

US, Buhari Support Amnesty For Boko Haram.

The United States of America have announced its support on amnesty for Boko Haram.

On Wednesday, the Political Counsellor at the Embassy of the USA, Gregory Lawless, said it backed the Federal Government’s plan on the condition that amnesty was the solution to ending violence in the north and around the country.

“We think it is a positive development. We will work with Nigerian government as it develops its own policy approach as to counter violent extremism,” Lawless said.

“Security concerns in Nigeria would be addressed through our regional security cooperation working group as part of the Bi-National Commission.

“We are looking at a holistic approach to address the unmet grievances of the population, especially in the north.

“Through that mechanism, we think by broadening the scope of response to violent extremism, we believe that we will be addressing some of those issues in a more fundamental way.”

Lawless was speaking on the issue at a teleconference on US-Nigerian Binational Commission. He added that on another note, the US had not changed its disapproval of the state pardon given to former Bayelsa Governor, Dipreye Alamieyeseigha.

“The situation has not changed,” he said.

According to reports, U.S. Department of State spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, recently spoke in Washington.

“We see this as a setback for the fight against corruption, and also for our ability to play the strong role we’ve played in supporting rule of law and legal institution-building in Nigeria, which is very important for the future of the country obviously.

“We have made clear to Nigerians that this puts a question mark on the kind of work that we’ve been trying to do with them.

“We haven’t yet taken the kinds of steps that you’re suggesting Matt (the reporter who asked the question), but we’re continuing to look at what’s appropriate.”

Meanwhile, the leader of the Congress for Progressive Change, former president Muhammadu Buhari has thrown his support behind the federal government efforts at exploring the feasibility of granting amnesty to Boko Haram members in the interest of peace.

Buhari said this yesterday in Abeokuta, Ogun State while on a visit to condole with Mrs. H.I.D Awolowo, the matriarch of the Awolowo family, whose son, Oluwole, died recently.

“This is not the first time amnesty would be given to a violent group, you remember it happened in the time of Yar ‘Adua when he granted amnesty to militants in the Niger Delta. Whatever that would bring us peace as a society, we should do it,” he said.

Larry Esin comments on removal of fuel subsidy

Larry Esin

Former governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, Engr. Larry Esin has commented on the growing debate on fuel subsidy. This morning, he opined on the issue of national concern using his facebook page...below is his comment…

A very happy new year to all of you and may your plans and desires for the new year all come to pass. Undoubtedly, the new year began with a myriad of sociopolitical and economic development issues for the Oro nation, Akwa Ibom Stateand Nigeria. On all of these challenges we must exercise wisdom and perseverance. Though much has been taken from Oro and much have Oro sacrificed, that which we are we are, one equal hearts of heroic tempers. The question of our role in the governance of our State in 2015, a responsibility we welcome with open arms, will occupy and engage our thoughts and actions for the next three years. And rightfully so !

But let us not be consumed, blinded and misled by the fledgeling believe that it is "our turn" now. It has always been our turn. For as long as we have been a part of Akwa Ibom State, it has always been our turn and responsibility to vie for any political office and offer solutions to meet the development challenges of our State. The ibibio's, anangs, ekid's, and all other ethnic groups will express their fundamental right to serve their State in 2015, and we cannot fault them for doing so. Oro will win the governorship not by evoking "Zoning", but by presenting the best marketable Oro candidate in the race and giving 100% of our support to that candidate period !

As Nigerians, we are also concerned about the fuel subsidy removal and its attendant impact on the quality of our lives. Let me sate here that while I appreciate the objective of the federal government to generate revenue, I do not agree that such revenue can best be secured through the removal of subsidies. Neither do I subscribe to the argument that "subsidies" are anti development as some of the proponents of the removal of subsidies have argued.

The reality is that subsidies are economic development tools; employed by even the most advanced countries (USA, China, UK, Japan, Germany, OPEC member countries etc) to boost the competitiveness of their industries on the international market. Most of you may have heard of the agriculture subsidy war between China and the US, which helps grain farmers in these countries to compete internationally.

The OPEC member States grant far reaching subsidies on petroleum products, a major industrial input, to boost cost effective production and ultimately the competitiveness of their industries internationally. However, where there is a failed implementation of subsidy programs or initiatives, the resultant impact on the national economy can be devastating; like in Nigeriatoday. The solution is therefore not a withdrawal of subsidies, but a proper implementation of the program.

Removing subsidy because of inefficiency is equivalent to throwing out the bath water with the baby in it. If our refineries are fixed so that we can refine our crude oil locally, and the recurrent expenditure of government trimmed, we will have recovered most of the $8 Billion annual cost of subsidies each year. Let us exercise wisdom and perseverance in tackling these problems; the solutions can be found within and not through fresh World bank borrowing. These will be a grave mistake and must be avoided by all cost. Thank you so much for the opportunity to chat with you again, and please pardon my long silence on this forum. I may be silent, but I am not insensitive to our collective challenges as a people. All the best and God bless.

Larry Esin

 

 

(C) CONNOISSEUR 2012