Ademola Adegbite visited Nasarawa State University, Keffi on Friday where Cynthia Osokogu was a student. He reports:

When Saturday Tribune visited the institution, there was no sign to confirm whether the institution or her department felt Cynthia Osokogu’s untimely death, as there was neither a poster nor any notice to indicate her exit.

The Head, Information and Public Relations of the institution, Mr. Jamil Zakari who confirmed that she was a bonafide Post-Graduate student of Public Administration, commiserated, on behalf of the institution’s authorities, with her parents.

He also used the opportunity to warn students of the institution to be careful about those they call their friends, especially on social media sites.

He said the development was an eye opener for students who engage themselves in the search for friends, particularly on social networks, by abandoning their primary assignment.

At Cynthia's department, nobody in the department seemed to know her when she was alive.

Although, no student was able to give any detail about her school life, investigations by Saturday Tribune, however, revealed that she didn't have a single friend in her class.

Man In Court For Allegedly Beating Mother-in-law
A 37-year-old man, Kalu Monday, was on Friday arraigned for allegedly beating up his mother-in-law and for attempted murder.

Monday, who is facing a two-count charge before a Yaba Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, however, pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Inspector Rita Momoh, told the court that the defendant allegedly committed the offence at about 8 p.m. on  August 16, at No. 12 Olowolagba St., Makoko, Yaba, Lagos.

Momoh said that the accused went to see Mrs Mercy Egwu, his mother-in-law, in her house to ask that his wife and four kids be returned to him.

She told the court that the wife of the accused “had earlier left him for her mother’s house after being severely beaten and assaulted.

“When the accused got to his parents-in-law’s house with his mother, an argument ensued between them which led to a fight.

“The mother of the accused started beating Egwu before the accused joined her and subsequently hit her on the head with a pestle and forcefully stepped on her leg and fractured the leg,” she said.

Momoh said the offences contravened Sections 228 and 409 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State.

Mixed Reactions Trail Introduction Of N5000 Note
Some experts have expressed mixed reactions over plans by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to introduce N5,000 note in 2013.

They expressed their views in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday. An economist, Mr Bismarck Rewane, said that the introduction of the note would not cause inflation as some experts had said.

He, however, said that there was no longer any need to redenominate the naira in view of the cash-less policy of the apex bank.

Rewane, also the Chief Executive Officer of Financial Derivatives, said that there was no need for high denomination notes with the cash-less policy, but added that it would not negate the cash-less policy.

He said that the introduction of the N5,000 note had been in process for about four years before the cashless scheme came up.

“The fact is that the plan was conceptualised about four years ago before the introduction of the cash-less policy.

“Now, with the cash-less policy, we don’t need the high denomination notes as everybody is going cash-less,” he added.

Dr. Samuel Nzekwe, immediate past President, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), said that the introduction of high denomination would make it possible to carry large sums around.

Nzekwe said that one of the reasons the local currency was depreciating was as a result of the inactive manufacturing sector, stressing that the nation was still an import-oriented country.

He said that most of the commodities consumed in the country were imported from abroad and this was making the currency to lose value.

Mr Olumide Adegoke, General Manager, Standard Alliance Insurance, said that the note could encourage corruption as it would be easy to carry huge sums within the system.

He said that the CBN should also be looking at ways of checking inflation.

Dr. Godwin Inedia, a former Economics Lecturer in Ambrose Alli University, said that the proposed introduction of N5000 could lead to hyper inflation.

Inedia said that in developed countries such as Britain and the U.S,, the governments had restricted the circulation of prime currencies in the system.

According to him, the Nigerian economy has not developed to a stage where such a high denomination could be used.

“The economy is not matured enough to start thinking of using N5000 note, I don’t see the rationale behind it,” he said.