Airport staff trapped in the cargo hold of an airborne plane to Alaska

An airport ramp worker came very close to flying his way to another city — in the cargo hold of a plane.

Alaska Airlines says Flight 448 made an emergency landing on Monday, 14 minutes after taking off from Seattle because a ramp worker had gotten trapped inside the cargo hold.

The airline has confirmed that the ramp agent, who works for Alaska contractor Menzies Aviation, was asleep in the cargo hold when Flight 448 departed L.A. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot heard “banging from beneath the aircraft." 

Alaska Airlines says the captain then quickly returned the plane to Seattle, where, after landing, the ramp agent was found in the cargo hold and taken to the hospital. Fortunately for the sleeping employee, the cargo hold was pressurized and temperature controlled. 

Alaska Airlines says the Seattle baggage handler is out of the hospital and has passed a drug test.

Not a good way to end your workday; Alaska Airlines confirms the employee had fallen asleep in the cargo hold. 

Alaska Airlines is now shedding light on what led up to this crazy incident. The airline says the employee was part of a four-person team loading baggage onto the plane Monday afternoon.

“During a pre-departure huddle, the team lead noticed the employee was missing,” the airline says in its statement. “The team lead called into the cargo hold for the employee and called and texted the employee’s cell phone, but did not receive an answer.” The airline says the employee’s co-workers thought he’d finished his shift, which was scheduled to end at 2:30 p.m., and went home. Flight 448 took off at 2:39 p.m.

Alaska Airlines is stressing — repeatedly — that drugs weren't related to this incident. In addition to revealing the employee passed a drug test, the airline made sure to point out that all of its workers “undergo full criminal background checks and drug screening prior to being hired. They are also subjected to random drug tests throughout their employment.”

I am not aware of heading any Transition Commitee- Pastor Tunde Bakare

The pastor of the Latter rain assembly has denied any knowledge of his appointment by the president elect- General Buhari to head any transition commitee.

Speaking to Daily Trust through his spokesperson, Mr Yinka Odumakin denied the transition committee appointment.

He said: “This is news to Pastor Bakare also. He read it in This Day Newspaper as others did this morning.”

He attributed the report to mischief makers saying, “mischief makers are at work as usual.”

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Buhari campaign office, Malam Garba Shehu also denied the report, saying he wasn’t aware of Bakare’s appointment.

In an interview in Daura, Buhari had said the transition committee when put in place would comprise of patriotic and knowledgeable Nigerians and will have more technocrats than politicians.

Bakare was Buhari’s running mate in the 2011 presidential election under the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) but they lost to the President Goodluck Jonathan.

Well let's wait and see as things unfold........

We’re trying to raise ransom, says father of abducted 
children 

Devastated parents of the three siblings kidnapped by their maid last Wednesday, yesterday said they were still struggling to raise the N13 million ransom demanded by the kidnappers for the release of their children.

The victims

 Vanguard gathered that, yesterday, the abductors refused to bring down the ransom, maintaining that they would only release the children when the ransom was paid.

The abductors, who initially demanded N15 million, reportedly reduced it to N13 million last Friday after passionate pleas from parents of the kidnapped children.

Their mother, Mrs Adebisi Orekoya, said she wished the whole scenario would turn out to be a dream.

The children, Demola,6; Adedamola, 4, and Aderomola, 11 months, were abducted by their househelp, one Mary Akinloye, 24 hours after she was employed by the family viaOLX, an online sales portal, with an agreement of N10,000 to N15,000 monthly salary.

Akinloye, who claimed to be 23 years old and hailed from Ibadan, Oyo State, according to the family, resumed work on March 7, when the former nanny did not show up after her annual leave.

Nightmare begins

However, trouble started for the family next day, after Mrs Orekoya, who was at work, received a call from her eldest son of age 10, at about 1pm, informing her that Akinloye (maid) had left the house with his siblings.

She reportedly did not give the children lunch before leaving the house with the 11 -month-old baby strapped to her back, while she held others by the hand.

Tension heightened when neither the new maid nor the children were seen at about 4pm.

By Friday last week, the maid reportedly spoke with the family on phone, where one of her accomplices gave the family a two-day ultimatum to produce the N13 million ransom, threatening that they would lose the children if they failed to make the money available.

A source said: “The whole family has been thrown into untold trauma. As at Friday last week, my brother received a text message, where the kidnappers threatened to waste the children if the N13 million ransom was not paid within 24 hours.

“In fact, their exact word was that they would ‘delete’ the children if they failed to pay the money.

“The children’s mother is a shadow of her old self. She is devastated. She loves all her children no doubt, but she is concerned more about 11 months old Aderomola.

“She never ceases to call out to him everyday, wondering what type of food he was being fed with. During one of the conversations, she was allowed to speak with the children, who claimed they were being taken care of.

“But the issue now is how to raise the requested amount.”

On his part, father of the abducted children, Mr. Leke Orekoya, who spoke with Vanguard on phone, said they were still trying to raise the money.

He said: “We are still trying to raise the money. They have not shifted ground. The amount is still what they demanded for (N13 m).

“My wife is devastated at the moment and we are praying and hoping that we would be able to reunite with our children soon.”

Police’s promise

When contacted, spokesman for Lagos State Police Command, Kenneth Nwosu, said investigation into the abduction was still ongoing, adding that effort was on to rescue the children.

SOURCE THE  VANGUARD

Buhari Brings Back Tunde Bakare To Handle Transitional Committee; May Make Him Minister

Nigeria's president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, has said that for the transitional committee, he will appoint only credible, patriotic and knowledgeable Nigerians to manage the committee.

To this end, one of the people handling the committee will be Pastor Tunde Bakare, who was the president-elect's running mate in 2011.

Buhari will also interview members of the committee, and may elevate them to ministerial positions, ThisDay said.

He also promised the PDP members who have defected to his party justice, despite the dark history they have shared.

Buhari said: “It is a difficult time for Nigerians as you all know. I have said it in the past that in the last 16 years, Nigeria has never realised the amount of revenue it received. A barrel of crude oil rose to about $140 and has crashed to about $50 now.

“During the 16 years, we knew some big companies that employed a lot of Nigerians and gave them training facilities like the Nigeria Airways and the Nigeria Shipping Line.

“Even the Nigerian Railways is managing to be on paper with some refurbished engines moving from Lagos to Ibadan and a few other places. But if you go to their stations all over the country, you will realise that they are in a terrible shape.

“The important thing in a country with a huge population of youths, with more than 60 per cent of them under the age of 30 who are unemployed, is that you need these institutions to give jobs and training to Nigerians.

“It is very disappointing that the PDP government virtually failed to use those resources to make sure that the economy continues to grow in a sustainable way.

“I think the worst thing is the lack of accountability and the terrible budgetary system. Imagine that over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s budget is spent on recurrent spending.

“How can you sustain development in a developing country like Nigeria with only about 10 per cent of your income going to capital spending? Things just have to change.”

Source: #ThisDay

Royal baby preparations begin today as hospital prepares for world's media

The Duchess of Cambridge is not due to give birth for another fortnight but the hospital is responding to media excitement already

Prepared: The hospital is making sure everything goes right on the big day

Preparations for royal baby two begin at private hospital the Lindo Wing today as parking restrictions are put in place.

With Kate Middleton's due date now less than two weeks away officials are preparing for the world's media to descend on the west London hospital when the tot arrives.

However, to avoid the long wait that happened before Prince George in July 2013, no-one will be allowed to take their positions after Kate is 

admitted to the wards.

Centre: The eyes of the world will be on the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, in Paddington, London

Parking restrictions are the first step of the preparations and later this week positions for photographers, reporters and camera crews will be marked out ahead of the baby's due date around the weekend of April 25 and 26.

Kate and Prince William have not found out if they are having a boy or girl.

The baby will be a little brother or sister to George, 21 months, and will be fourth in line to the throne making uncle Harry fifth place.

William and Kate are said to be “hugely grateful for the warm wishes they have received from people throughout the UK and indeed around the world over the last few months.”

A spokesman added: “They know that people are excited that Prince George will soon have a little brother or sister and it means a great deal to them that so many will be celebrating this important moment for their family.”

But William, 32, could face a mad dash to be at the birth at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington if he is at work training to be an air ambulance pilot when Kate, 33, goes into labour.

The prince will be faced with a two-and-a-half hour 120-mile drive from the air ambulance base in Norwich, a two hour 100 mile drive from their base in Staverton, Gloucestershire or a 90 minute 70 mile drive from the base in Cambridge to be by his wife’s side.

However, in the unlikely event he doesn’t make it Kate will be in good hands with an expert medical team headed up by obstetrician Guy Thorpe-Beeston who delivered Prince George on July 22 2013.

Culled from the mirror

Controversy Trails the Sale of SAHCOL

The Managing Director of Pan Express Services Limited, Chief Peter Okezie, has expressed dissatisfaction over the sale of what is now known as Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL), and  has protested to the  National Assembly on the matter. Okezie has submitted a memo to the House of Representatives Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, protesting the sale.

  

It will be recalled that Pan Express was one of the companies that bided for the acquisition of former Skypower Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL), but lost out when it failed to pay for the company after it was acknowledged as second bidder by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

In his petition which he submitted recently to the Chairman of the Committee, Okezie alleged that there was under-hand cutting of his company during the process, and described the  process as a big sham.

House of Representatives Committee on Privatization and Commercialization is currently probing the sale of government's equity in some privatized enterprises in the country.

Although the former management of SAHCOL and BPE have described the sale as transparent and challenged any one that might have contrary opinion to make his position public, the Pan Express Boss who participated in the process said in his memo that the company paid a non-refundable bid fee of USD 10,000, and executed a bid bond of N50 million, “which, in the midst of their (BPE) self-inflicted confusion, they reduced to N5.6 million.”

“We made these commitments on the understanding that the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), and the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) would adhere strictly to due process, and be fair and transparent in implementing the entire process of bidding and sale of SAHCOL and that they would give Pan Express Services Limited, as much opportunity as anyone else to buy SAHCOL.

  

Okezie lamented in the memo that Pan Express was irked and disappointed that secrecy and favoritism “were introduced at some point, which led to SAHCOL being sold at ridiculous price far lower than what every bidder bided, and to some bidders, including our company, being excluded from the competition.”

Although the thinking of the public was that when Eraskorp Consortium failed to pay N13, 458, 000, 000 it bided for the company, it automatically reverted to the reserved bidder, Pan Express, which final bidding was N10, 400, 000, 000, to buy SAHCOL.

This did not happen because the time it was supposed to pay for the company elapsed, and BPE had to take the next step for the sale  of the company, which finally was bought by Skyway. Okezie alleged that due process was not really followed because of prior design to sell the company to a particular organization.

  

At the second round of bidding on June 30, 2009, Eraskorp Consortium came tops with N13.4billion, Pan Express Services Limited N10. 4 billion, Skyway Aviation N9.1 billion, TAK Continental N7.7 billion, Moore Associates N6.2 billion and Aviation Handling Partners N5.5 billion and following this result Pan Express was confirmed reserved bidder.

But according to the Pan Express boss,  on August 31, 2009, BPE 'upgraded us to prefered bidder and asked us to pay N10.4 billion”.  

“We were given only ten working days to pay the first installment of 30 per cent. Unfortunately, this demand came during the turbulent period of sudden financial reforms in the banking industry. As a result of new rules for credit and personnel changes, our bankers, which had all along arranged credit for us to buy SAHCOL, wrote to us asking for 30 working days to provide the money”.

“We promptly wrote to BPE to request for 30 working days, instead of ten, to make payment. We attached the Bank's letter, surprisingly, BPE turned down our request”. 

In other words, BPE taking cognizance of the reform process that was going on in the banking industry should have given Pan Express more time, so that it would secure the necessary funds to acquire the company.

Spokesman of BPE, Chigbo Anachebe  told THISDAY then that the Bureau was not expecting Pan express to bring cash to BPE, because in other parts of the world, the company that was acquiring another company would partner with banks to source for funds to pay for the purchase.

But in that memo, Chief Okezie said, “Towards the end of September, we heard that BPE had secretly conducted another bidding exercise for four of the six contestants whom they have selected. This time, it introduced a benchmark minimum of N5.5 billion, an amount which is far below all the bids in the table above. There was no publicity and no live coverage of this exercise, which they tagged “willing Buyer, Willing Seller Option.”

  

According to him, the last bid exercise lacked merit, fairness and transparency, further describing it as totally contrary to due process.  

He argued that “All six contestants should have been invited to compete since a new element of threshold benchmark was being introduced. Otherwise, the third placed bidder should have been invited to pay their bid amount N9, 160,621, 000.00.” 

He noted that BPE's resort to a new process where they introduced a new element, smacks of a plan, conceived from the beginning to sell SAHCOL to a particular contestant at a predetermined price known only to BPE and that contestant.” 

Okezie alleged that his company had it on good authority that BPE sought NCP's approval to organize a secret bid exercise even before the expiration of the ten working days which he said they gave them to pay the first installment of 30 per cent.

“In actual fact, while our ten working days was to expire on September 15, 2009, BPE had on September 14, 2009 written to NCP and sought for approval to organize a secret bid”.  

He also said, BPE's preference to commence a new process that would yield N5.5 billion for SAHCOL, rather than wait another twenty working days and collect N10.4 billion was self serving and in line with the script to sell SAHCOL for personal gain rather than realize the maximum possible proceeds for government.”

Okezie therefore alleged that the entire bidding process, which was widely advertised and publicized in the media, according to him,  was a bogus smokescreen to give the impression of adherence to due process and the principle of fairness and equity, regretting that they were misled into committing huge resources to a grand deception.  

He also said that prior to the privatization of SAHCOL, “our understanding of government's purpose for privatising its enterprises was to get private sector experts to run these businesses to deliver quality services and sustain the development of indigenous professionalism in those sectors as well as to return to government, as much as possible, good price for its investment”. 

Director-General of BPE, Dr. Chris Anyanwu had  defended the agency's sale of Skypower Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL) privatization transactions, saying that the bureau did not breach any process. 

Testifying at the sitting of the House of Representatives Committee on Privatization and Commercialization probing the sale of government's equity in some privatized enterprises in the country, defended his role of the privatization agency in the sale of SAHCOL, insisting that it was transparently done.

He noted that the sale of SAHCOL was the first enterprise BPE had to superintend during his tenure, “I had to put in my best and in line with my guiding principle of transparency and accountability, ensured that the best practices were adopted and followed. It is absurd and unfortunate that someone could fault the entire process and cause a petition to the effect”.  

  

He said apart from following due process and in accordance with the rules, “the entire process was under the watchful eyes of the Technical Committee (TC) of   the National Council on Privatization (NCP) and NCP.” 

The DG stated that after the mandatory period, the petitioner was given a grace period to  pay the required  30 percent of the total sum but he failed, necessitating BPE to knock off the first and preferred bidder,  and adopted  the willing buyer-willing- seller approach.  

Chairman of the committee, Abbas Braimoh said the members would deliberate on their findings and table their recommendations before plenary for action to be taken in the best interest of the nation. 

Braimoh who gave the order on behalf of other members, reiterated that as parliamentarians, “We will not fold our hands and watch any government agency frustrated in the discharge of its mandate.

In a speech he made at the handover of SAHCOL to Skyway, Anyanwu  said that BPE sold the company to an organization that has the competence to effectively manage it and stressed that the Bureau expected the best from Skyway.

  

“Nothing short of excellence will be expected from them because this will be a signal of what is to come in the privatization process superintended by us. So I expect that they will bring in new equipment and run it up to the highest possible standard... I am an apostle of...revocation or reversal; so that will happen if you don't do your best because the purpose of privatisation is to get infrastructure, to be the best.

He also said, “We want businessmen who know their onions to come and take over businesses formerly run by government and run them well. That is what we expect Skyway to do in this case and also all Nigerian investors are challenged to take their destiny into their hands,” he declared.

According to BPE before it finally sold SAHCOL to Skyway, it went through another process that was outlined below.

The National Council on Privatisation (NCP) has approved that Skypower Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL) be offered to the four remaining bidders on the basis of 'willing-buyer, willing-seller', following the failure of both the preferred bidder, Eraskorp Consortium and the reserve bidder, Pan Express Services, to make payment at the deadline as stipulated in the terms of sale made to them.

The four bidders are: Skyway Aviation Handling Company; AK Continental Limited; Moore Associates Limited; and Aviation Handling Partners Limited.

The bidders were invited to re-validate their earlier bids or make a fresh bid based on the new reserve price of N5.522billion. Following an all-party meeting with the four prospective bidders on 29th September 2009, the following bids were submitted as follows:

Skyway Aviation Handling Company    N5.5221 billion

TAK Continental Limited                   N5.5230 billion

Moore Associates Limited; and          N5.5230 billion

Aviation Handling Partners Limited      N5.5220 billion

The Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Babington Ashaye, told the bidders that “whoever pays first will be the winner and the preferred bidder,” adding that the total acceptable amount for the enterprise must be fully paid within 30 days from the date of offer. However, 30% of the bid amount must be paid within 15 days of the offer.

“It would be recalled that Eraskorp Consortium emerged the preferred bidder while Pan Express Services Limited emerged the reserve bidder at the opening of financial bids submitted by six pre-qualified prospective core investors for 100% government's equity in Skypower Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL). The event took place on June 30, 2009 at Transcorp Hilton Hotel.  Both companies have since failed to meet the payment deadline.

The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) is divesting 100% of its controlling shares with the intention that after a few years from take-over, 49% interest will be divested to the Nigerian public under the supervision of BPE at a time that will be mutually agreed upon in the Share Sales Purchase Agreement (SSPA).” On the face value every part of the process was transparent as BPE argues, but why did it not extend the time for Pan Express in cognizance of the crises that befell the banking industry at the time Pan Express was expected to pay for the handling company.

Although SAHCOL management then agreed that the company was valued at N2 billion, which meant that selling it for N5. 5221 billion was still a good price for the Federal Government, but observers strongly believe that selling it  at over N10 billion would have been a better bargain for government.

(Source:ThisDay)

Gov. Fayose seen moving out of the state house calls President Jonathan stupid

sources close to the presidency alleged that the problem of Fayose and president Jonathan started when the Fayose allegedly mismanaged the 21billion naira campaign fund which the President entrusted in his hands.


Governor Fayose moving out of state house

PDP sources said the president is angry with Fayose over the mismanagement of campaign cash and an image problem the governor caused him by his relentless attacks on the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, which raised support for the retired general while diminishing the profile of the president.

Security sources said Fayose compounded problems for himself by condemning President Jonathan for not using soldiers for the election.

“Security officers were holding a meeting with the governor and he was told to ensure adequate security to douse tension. Carelessly, the governor said he was not sure whether “that stupid President will agree like he refused to do during the presidential election”.

“Unfortunately, Fayose did not know that he was being recorded. The tape was sent to the President who after listening to it decided to leave Fayose to his fate.”

Yesterday, Governor Ayodele Fayose was said to have sensed the danger coming for being rude to his political god-father, the man who brought him back into Ekiti State House from exile.

He reportedly moved almost all his property from the Ekiti State House. Four Hilux vans were seen moving his personal belongings from the Governor’s Lodge to his Spotless Hotel.

Each Hilux van made four trips between the State House and the Spotless Hotel on Thursday.

Two weeks ago, Fayose was said to have moved some beds to his Afao and Ibadan homes.

Another source said Fayose’s behaviour betrayed his intention in recent times, citing his last week’s secret journey out of Ekiti State and today’s recorded broadcast to the Ekiti people.

“He likes loud life, but his behaviour recently suggests he is greatly troubled. He sneaked out of Ekiti State last week and quietly entered. Today, he presented a recorded broadcast to the people as a live broadcast.

Something is wrong with oga. The way he is moving his property out of the Government House confirms he is up to a game that is known only to himself,” the source said.

Another source in Abuja said Fayose has been running from pillar to post in order to seek President Jonathan’s forgiveness, citing that the opposition party leaders are the ones using black power to force him to disrespect Jonathan.

International Observers Call For Cancellation Of Rivers Guber, Assembly Polls…Say It’s A Mockery Of Election

hmm... God help us

International election observers on Sunday called for the cancellation of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers. The leader of African Centre for Leadership Strategies and Development, Mr Humphrey Bekaren, who spoke on behalf of the observers, made the call in Port Harcourt.

He said the observers were shocked that INEC disregarded the widely reported violent irregularities to begin the process of declaring results in the state. ‘’ We request all lovers of democracy to join us in calling for the outright cancellation of the phony election. Unless this is done, we would have sown the seed that could eventually grow into providing a shade of fear and death over us,’’ he said.

According to Bekaren, what happened in Rivers was a far cry from what election should be. ‘’ What we saw did not meet international standard of electioneering, not even the ones set by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC,’’ he said.

He said there were reported incidents like deliberate delays and diversion of electoral materials, attacks on electoral officers, widespread arson  and voter intimidation. The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Rivers, Mrs Gesila Khan, said INEC cancelled election in centres with reported electoral malpractices. She said re-run elections took place in six local government areas in the state where electoral malpractices were reported.

Boy, 12, has chunk of flesh blown from his FACE after his mobile phone explodes while charging 

A 12-year-old in central China was seriously injured when his phone exploded while it was charging.

The boy, known only as Hanghang, was using the old handset as an alarm when he woke up early for school and started to play with it.

He said the phone felt hot and then blew up in his face, exposing part of his jawbone and embedding fragments in his arms and legs. 

'I played with the phone for a few minutes,' he said.

'The phone felt hot then it suddenly exploded and all I could see were my hands covered in blood and blood dripping from my face.

'I used a towel to stem the blood and washed my hands under the tap then I called the ambulance.' 

Hanghang, from Pingdingshan City, in the Henan province, told reporters at People's Daily Online that when the explosion happened he didn't dare tell his parents and called the ambulance service himself following the accident last week.

He is now being treated in Ping Mei Group Hospital and is expected to need several operations to repair the damage.

Doctors said he had 4cm injury to his face which exposed part of his lower jawbone as well as trauma to his left hand as well as lower legs and knees.

He underwent emergency surgery before he was sent to the burns unit and onto the plastic surgery inpatient department.

Hanghang said he could not be sure of the type of phone as it was one of several old phones.

He said: 'It was the battery that exploded. I have heard my classmates talk about this happening but I never thought it would happen to me.'

Nurse Death' admits murdering five elderly patients with potassium injections because she 'wanted to lighten her workload' at hospital in Czech Republic

A former nurse in the Czech Republic has admitted murdering six of her elderly patients with massive doses of potassium in order to ease her workload.

Vera Maresova, 50, confessed to killing five women and one man over a four-year period at a hospital in Rumburk - a small town in the north of the country.

Dubbed 'Nurse Death' by local media, Maresova was initially arrested over the death of a 70-year-old woman last August, but has now admitted killing five more people between 2010 and 2014 following a police investigation.

According to the prosecution, Maresova injected the potassium straight into the blood stream of her six elderly patients, which caused them to suffer heart failure and eventually death.

All of her victims were already in the intensive care unit at the hospital and it is believed Maresova thought their deaths would simply be attributed to natural causes.

Initially arrested last August for the death of one patient, a 70-year-old woman who died from potassium poisoning in June, Maresova subsequently admitted killing five others dating back to 2010. 

In total her victims included five women and one man. 

'All of her victims were elderly and needed intensive treatment,' a police spokesperson said.

'The woman who was supposed to care for them but instead killed them because she wanted to make life easier for herself,' he added.

'The terrible number of victims is six. We do not suspect the nurse committed any more murders';, he went on to say.

Confession: Vera Maresova (right) was initially arrested over the death of a 70-year-old woman last August, but has now admitted killing five more people between 2010 and 2014 following a police investigation

Prosecutor Frantisek Stibor said: 'She is not insane and knew exactly what she was doing. Therefore she is fit to stand trial.

'She used her knowledge of medicine to cause malfunctions in heart rhythms which led to heart failure and death.'

The first murder was in January 2010 and was followed by another at the end of 2011.

In April 2012 she killed her third victim and three more between February and June 2014.

Having confessed to the crime, 50-year-old Maresova now faces the prospect of spending the rest of her life in prison.