Anambra to use Bill Gates money to build 10 hospitals

Anambra State government said yesterday that it would use the money it won from being the best state in the coverage of immunization programme in the South-East to build 10 maternities in the rural parts of the state. Governor Peter Obi, who made the disclosure during the flag-off of the National Obstetric Fistula Repair Programme at the Anambra State University Teaching Hospital, Awka, said the state had matched the $US1 million monetary award with N120 million for the project. The governor also flagged-off the fumigation exercise against mosquitoes in the state, explaining that the exercise was part of the state government’s programme towards elimination of malaria. He called on the people of the state to corporate with those carrying out the fumigation exercise since it was for their own good. Obi also flagged-off the construction of a hostel block at the teaching hospital to house medical students

‘Lagosians can hold govt to its promises’

Lagos State Government says it has introduced a reform that gives residents of the state an insight into government’s programmes such that they can hold it accountable as regards its programmes within a specific period. The government added that it was against this backdrop that it was making the residents to be aware of its programmes. Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Mr. Lekan Akodu, said this on Thursday during a press conference on 2013 Public Service Week in Alausa, Ikeja. Akodu said since all government officials had clearly defined job roles against which their performances would be assessed, they had therefore keyed into the perception that governance must be open, timely, effective and efficient. He said, “The government is also making the public aware of its programmes through publications, ministerial press briefings, every 100 days scorecard by Governor Babatunde Fashola and of course through the Public Service Week. “All these are designed to let the public measure government performance against its promises and hold government to its declaration, where necessary.” Akodu said the Public Service Week was to appreciate the productive efforts of public servants towards service delivery. He added that the theme, ‘The Nigerian Public Service in the Age of Open Government: Giving Voice to the Citizen’, was meant to place the citizens at the centre of public servants consideration for service delivery. He said the event, which is expected to last seven days from June 17, would feature health day, award, lecture, prayer and fitness walk.

Bishops hold prayer vigil outside Mandela hospital

A dozen South African bishops on Friday held a prayer vigil outside the hospital where former president Nelson Mandela has spent a week receiving treatment for a lung infection. The clerics, sporting flowing purple robes and white collars and representing a variety of denominations, stood hand-in-hand to say prayers for Mandela, who is said to be improving but still in a serious condition. “Thank you (God) for the speedy recovery of Dr Nelson Mandela,” said Bishop Abraham Sibiya of the Christ Centred Church Episcopal Soshanguve, to chants of “amen”. After a visit to the hospital late Thursday, President Jacob Zuma said the health of the country’s first black president “continues to improve but his condition remains serious.” The hospital is under lockdown and entry is restricted to Mandela’s close family and those cleared to have business inside the hospital. Sibiya told AFP that church leaders had come out in response to Zuma’s call to pray for the 94-year-old hero of the struggle against white-minority rule. Zuma’s spokesman Mac Maharaj said he had no update on Mandela’s condition when contacted by AFP early Friday. Mandela was admitted to hospital in the capital Pretoria in the early hours of Saturday for a pulmonary condition that has plagued him for years. It is his fourth hospital stay since December, leading to a growing acceptance that the much-loved father of the “Rainbow Nation” may be nearing the end of his life. Despite the more positive assessment of Mandela’s condition, concerns continue to grow and Zuma has asked the nation to pray for him. “So we came to pray that God will heal former president Mandela and also we came to pray for the family that God will strengthen them at this difficult time and give them strength to face each and every day they go through,” Sibiya told AFP. Members of Mandela’s family, known for frequent internal feuding, have been visiting him regularly in a public display of unity. On Friday morning his daughter Zenani, who is South Africa’s ambassador to Argentina, visited him, as did some grandchildren and great grandchildren. Mandela has a long history of lung problems since being diagnosed with early-stage tuberculosis in 1988 during his 27 years in prison at the hands of the apartheid regime. Experts say that infection makes him vulnerable to recurrent lung infections.

Ex-gov Fayose escapes assassination

Former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose narrowly escaped death along Tuesday night on Ado Ekiti – Afao road when his car was shot at by unknown gunmen. Fayose is one of the leading Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, aspirants warming up for next year’s governorship election in the state. This was contained in a statement by Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation, AFCO, and signed by the Campaign Director General, Mr. Owoseni Ajayi

According to the statement, the former governor was trailed by the suspected assassins at about 9 p.m. in a white Hilux van with green number plate at a point close to Fayose Housing Estate. Fayose’s driver, according to the statement, noticed that a vehicle was trailing them and immediately alerted his boss who was the only one with him in the car. The statement reads in part: “The driver immediately increased the car’s speed and when the driver of the Hilux vehicle saw that they could not catch up with Fayose’s car, they were said to have released four shots towards the ex-governor’s vehicle. “Seeing that Fayose had arrived Afao, his home-town, the Hilux van turned back. “Earlier that day, Fayose received a call from somebody who called himself ‘Solar’ telling him that he (Solar) was a life waster and that Fayose should expect a tough time ahead of 2014 election, but the former governor took the message for granted.” The AFCO DG, therefore, called on the police to take appropriate action before the state is turned into a theatre of war. The police image maker in the state, Mr. Victor Babayemi, however, said he was yet to be officially briefed on the allegation.

Tukur, Wamakko in a war of words

The crises in the Peoples Democratic Party are getting messier as its leadership and the suspended Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, have gone for each other’s jugulars. Wamakko first threw the salvo at PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, on Wednesday night by accusing him (Tukur) of incompetence and running the party as his personal business. “He (Tukur) has been running the PDP as a personal business from his private home,” he told his supporters on his arrival from a foreign trip in Sokoto. The governor, who had earlier called on President Goodluck Jonathan to relieve Tukur of his job, also wants the same treatment meted out to the President’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak. Wamakko said, “As far as I am concerned, Tukur and Gulak should be sacked because they are not competent to hold their positions.” But Tukur, who did not take the governor’s vituperation lightly, fired back on Thursday, saying he (Wamakko) lacked the “moral fibre to remain in office.” His Special Assistant on Media, Oliver Okpala, who spoke for him, said “When he insults an elderly man like Tukur because he is a governor, then we don’t think he has the moral fibre to remain in office because as a governor he should live by example.” Okpala claimed that the PDP leadership was aware of the alleged romance between Wamakko and leaders of the yet-to-registered All Progressives Congress. He said, “If he has any agenda to leave the PDP, it is within his constitutional right and he is free, but as long as he remains within the PDP, he must align himself with discipline. “He should not stay in the party and be encouraging insubordination and indiscipline. The leadership of the party under Tukur has regards for party discipline and will never waver.” On the claim that Wamakko described the PDP chairman as a political prostitute, Okpala said it was wrong for him to have done so. The chairman’s Special Assistant called on Wamakko to learn from another suspended governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, who he said had not abused anyone. Okpala said, “For him to say Tukur is a political prostitute does not portray him as a true son. He should express a true sense of respect and discipline because of his position as a governor. “The example he is showing now does not portray him as someone who has respect for seniority and properly constituted authority like the position of chairman of the PDP and the NWC.” On the call for Tukur’s removal, Okpala said that as a father to every member of the PDP , Tukur had taken the call with calm. He said no one should see Tukur’s and PDP leadership’s determination to bring discipline to the party as a personal vendetta. “When there is no discipline, there will be anarchy and when anarchy sets in, there will be retrogression,” he added. Okpala also took on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mallam Aminu Tambuwal, who described Wamakko’s suspension as illegal. Arguing that Tambuwal was free to support his state governor, Okpala said, “The speaker, as a party man, should toe the line of political discipline and comportment. “Tukur, as a father, will always look after his children who are party members and be able to caution them and bring them to order whenever they engage in acts that are subversive to the corporate existence and image of the PDP as a political entity and the largest political movement in Africa.” In his own reaction, Gulak said the call by Wamakko for his removal showed that he (governor) was ignorant of the party’s workings. Gulak told one of our correspondents, that if Wammako had belonged to the PDP from inception, he would have known that its members were bound by rules and regulations. He said if the governor called for his removal because he was suspended from the PDP, he ought to know that as a presidential aide, his responsibilities did not include the running of the party. Gulak said, “If Wammako made that statement because he was suspended from the party, he should know that the PDP has hierarchy as well as rules and regulations that all members, no matter their positions, are expected to obey failing which they will be sanctioned. “Rather than saying that the PDP chairman is not competent, the governor should search himself and identify his shortcomings and accept them. “For me, I have nothing to do with his suspension. I am not a member of the party’s NWC. I am a presidential aide, he does not seem to understand that the Presidency has nothing to do with the running of the party. “Wammako’s utterances are misplaced and based on ignorance. May be because he did not belong to the PDP from inception because he came from the ANPP and so he does not understand the workings of the party.” Speaking with one of our correspondents earlier, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said the party was not against the rally held by Wamakko’s supporters to welcome him.

Ojukwu was right on confederacy in 1966 – Prof Oluyemi Fagbohun

As Aregbesola, Sagay, others proffer solution on how to make LGs functional LAGOS—ONE thought dominated the comments of discussants on how to make local councils in Nigeria effective at a forum in Lagos Tuesday: There is so much rot in the councils and decisive actions are needed to make them deliver democracy dividends. However, the discussants were divided on how to ensure effective governance at the grassroots. While some asked the National Assembly to remove the Local Councils as a tier of government and tie them to the states in line with the dictates of classical federalism, others said the councils should be allowed to operate as currently enshrined in the 1999 constitution. Odumegwu Ojukwu Among those who proffered solutions to the decay in the councils were Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; legal icon, Professor Itse Sagay, SAN; Professor Francis Oluyemi Fagbohun; and Mr. Onyekachi Ubani (Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association, Ikeja branch). This came as Prof Fagbohun, who chaired the event, said that late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu was right when he called and fought for confederacy in 1966 but people misunderstood him and branded him a rebel. According to him, events in the country indicate that “we are returning to confederation. Nigeria has concepts which you can’t find anywhere in the world. Our federalism is homegrown. What we have is not a federal system. We started on a wrong note. The federating units did not come together and agreed to unite. That is the basis of our problems. “Nigeria is an artificial creation. Before independence, we had true federalism. The East was even operating three tiers of government and it worked. After the 1976 local government reforms, the councils have never remained the same. Even the establishment of the Joint Account Committee has become a problem in most states.” Aregbesola on his part, attributed his inability to conduct council polls in Osun State to pending litigations, assuring that once the legal fisticuffs were resolved he would hold the polls. They spoke at the second edition of the National Public Discourse organised by CMC Connect in association with O’Ken Ventures, at MUSON Centre, Lagos. It was themed: “Local Government Authority: How Autonomous?” The governor attributed the rot in the councils to military introduction of unitary system of government, designation of councils as a tier of government, over-concentration of power at the centre to the detriment of the federating units, creation of federation account and allocation of funds to other tiers of government. Citing the examples of United States of America, India, Brazil, Switzerland and Australia among others, he said countries operating a federal system of government have two tiers of government – the centre and the federating units (states) arguing that it is an aberration to make councils a tier of government. He picked holes in the allocation of 51 per cent of revenue to the Federal Government with the 36 states getting 26 per cent. “The Federal Government is too distant from the people. What is the Federal Government doing with its 51 per cent allocation? It is impossible for the government at the centre to present itself to the people in the grassroots. “The introduction of garrison federalism made it a rule that everything (revenue) must come to the Federal Government and ensured straight jacket garrison command of allocation of funds to the local governments. Which other federation outside Nigeria allocates revenue from the Federal Government to other tiers? Government exists to generate income. Any government that cannot generate income is not worthy of its existence.” To make councils functional, he said the states should be allowed to create and fund councils as they deem fit without input from the National Assembly as currently obtains; the country should be restructured with power devolved to the federating units because defective federalism is responsible for the widespread poverty in the country and without allocation only a few states and local councils would survive. Speaking in like manner, Sagay said the question of autonomy for councils in a federal setting was an aberration. His words: “What we have in Nigeria is an aberration. It is unheard of for local government to be listed in the constitution. The local government is totally and completely an agent of the state government for development. What should happen is that every state should decide how many local governments it wants and fund them by itself. “The Federal Government should not fund local governments. Why should we have a federation account? Why do we all share from one account and say we are a federation? Why must we have the same system of government in all the councils? States should be able to decide the form of local government system they want whether parliamentary or presidential… “Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo recognized in 1947 that the only way we (Nigeria) can be together is through federalism. We should be thinking of how to reduce the stifling control of the centre. Nigeria has to practice a federal system of government. What we have now is a semi-unitary system. The Federal Government should be thinking of how to convert the zones into powerful regions and leaving the centre with a few responsibilities because the Federal Government is the weakest government in the country. “If we follow the correct principles of federalism and allow power to devolve to the federating units we will get it right. The regions funded the Federal Government in the past and kept 50 per cent of their revenue. Today the Federal Government strips states of their resources. The Federal Government has no resources. All they have is Abuja and Abuja has nothing. If it is not Niger Delta oil or Lagos VAT, it is Customs duties. Not up to five per cent of Federal Government resources come from the Federal Government.”

FG hints of anti-smoking law in offices

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said the Federal Government is working on a legislation against smoking in public offices. The minister stated this at a briefing in Abuja on Thursday. The minister said there would soon be a strong law against smoking in public offices, saying those who did not like it should consider relocating from the country. Chukwu said, “One of the best ways of tackling health issues, especially as they relate to health, is prevention, and one of the steps is by curtailing smoking. “There is a strong law on smoking that is coming. If you do not like it, leave Nigeria.” The minister, who said, there were enough public and private hospitals in the country to take care of over 99 per cent of the health needs of citizens, added that the one per cent that went abroad were mainly those who did so out of choice. He also acknowledged that there were unscrupulous elements in the sector who aided the foreign hospitals by issuing unnecessary referrals. He said, “As far as health care is concerned, there is no country in the world that has everything. Less than one per cent of Nigerians actually have the need to go abroad for treatment. For the majority, what they need is available in Nigeria. You do not have to go abroad, but if you like to be swindled, it is up to you.”

Agony of a 21-month old baby losing both eyes, Needs N100,000 for surgery

When baby Favour Adam-Umoh was born 21 months ago into the Family of Mr. and Mrs. Blessing Adams, Favour appeared normal as a growing baby and there was nothing unpleasant about her health, particularly her eyes to raise any suspicion that something was remarkably wrong with her sight. But six months later, the signs began to manifest. The state of her health then may have spured her parents to name her Favour – a gift bestowed as a token of goodwill, kind regard, love by God.

Baby Favour…needs help But, today, Favour is struck with a strange eye disease which medical doctors at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, confirmed to be congenital glaucoma. Presently, Favour with bulging of the right eye which is now affecting the left eye, further medical examination revealed that the baby has cancer of the eye. According to her doctors, if there is no urgent medical intervention, poor Favour will lose her both eyes. The parents have been going from pillar to post, looking for solution but all efforts to help baby Favour have proved abortive. All the way from Onitsha, her mother, Blessing Adam came to Lagos recently in search of a miracle that could help transform the condition of her baby girl. The 28-year-old mother was advised to seek further solution in a faith based institution by a friend. So, she went to the TB Joshua’s Synagogue church of all nations in Lagos. According to her, “I went to TB Joshua’s church on Wednesday and waited patiently for me to be called upon but all expectations failed. “Unfortunately, it was not the time for cancer patients. So, I left and went back the following day. Again, my baby’s name was not called. So, I felt bad and left because I did not want my baby to die. “I was in a bus when a good Samaritan man saw the condition of the baby and advised that I should go to Vanguard that I must surely get help. “I am a petty trader and my husband drives a hired Keke Marwa. We both live in Onitsha but we are a native of Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State. “I did not know anywhere in Lagos but with the help of the man, I was able to locate Vanguard premises”, she added. Narrating the sorry tales of her baby’s health, she said, “Favour started scratching her eyes when she was six months old. “At first, I never envisaged it was a serious issue. So, I did not take her to the hospital immediately, but took her to nearby Chemist shop and the man advised that, I should apply eye drops and give her some Vitamin C syrup which I did. “Unfortunately, there was no changes in her as the day goes by, so, I stopped the eye drops and the drug. Then, I sought help elsewhere. I then started going from one church to another just to get help. “A pastor told me that it was a spiritual problem and that it can only be tackled with prayers. So, I started going from one church to another. And since the incident, I had gone to seven different churches but all efforts were to no avail. “After a while, my husband advised that I should take her to University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and there I was told that her eyes were already damaged and it will be removed. “The doctor said, an operation will be carried out on the girl but I do not know the cost of the operation. I was scared because I did not want my baby’s eyes to be removed, so I left. “Although, the doctor said removing the eyes will help save the life of the baby but I do not agree that her eyes should be removed. “Before taking her to University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, I had gone to Guinness hospital, Onitsha where I was given some drugs. But, there was no changes. I was then given a letter to go to Nnewi for laboratory test. “Unfortunately, we are financially incapacitated so, I could not go for the laboratory test as quickly as possible as prescribed. But, when we finally went, it was also discovered that she is having cancer of the eye. Since, the incident, the baby has been passing through severe pain. She cannot sleep at night. I only carry her on my back everyday and night. She cries so much such that she hardly sleep at night. Her siblings, a boy and a girl are presently at Onitsha”, she lamented. Asked, if there was any history of eye problem in her family, she said, “My mother-in-law has eye problem. My husband told me it was witchcraft that caused her eye problem. When Saturday Vanguard contacted Namdi Azikwe University Teaching hospital on the issue, Professor Onyekwe who is in charge of the case, disclosed to this reporter that an ‘Filteration surgeryof the eye’ will have to be carried out urgently to stop the enlargement of the cancer. He stated that the surgery which will take place at Guiness Eye centre, Nnewi, Anambra state will cost the sum of N100,000. Right now, the mother is calling on well meaning Nigerians to help baby Favour stay alive. Her account name is: Ini Adam-Umoh, account number: 2044779539 UBA. Her mother, Blessing Adam can be reached on 07083188829 and 07033996463.

Court awards N4m against police for shooting subsidy protesters

A Lagos High Court, Ikeja on Friday awarded N4m as compensation to four protesters who were shot by the dismissed Divisional Police Officer of Pencinema, Segun Fabunmi, during the protest against subsidy removal in January 2012. Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile, in her judgment, awarded the total sum of N4m damages against the police and Fabunmi for “recklessly shooting and inflicting bodily injury” on the protesters.

Arnold Schwarzenegger to start ‘Terminator 5′ shooting in January

The 65-year-old actor is to reprise his most iconic role as the killer Cyberdyne cyborg for the first time since 2003′s ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’ and filming will begin at the start of 2014. During an appearance at the 21st Century Financial Education Summit in Australia, Schwarzenegger is reported to have said: “I’m very happy that the studios want me to be in ‘Terminator 5′ and to star as The Terminator, which we start shooting in January.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger & 2face Patrick Lussier and Laeta Kalogridis – a friend of ‘Terminator’ creator James Cameron – have been hired to write the script for the sequel, while Paramount has been in talks to distribute the movie. Schwarzenegger did not make an appearance in 2009′s fourth instalment ‘Terminator Salvation’ because he was working as the Governor of California at the time. However, his character – referred to as the T-800 Model 101 in the film – did feature briefly with a likeness of the actor’s face created with CGI and mapped over Austrian-born bodybuilder-and-actor Roland Kickinger, who portrayed the cyborg on screen. ‘The Terminator’ was first brought to screens by Cameron in 1984 and the sequel ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’ – also directed by Cameron – was released in 1991 and was a huge box office success.

Tonto Dike speaks on her fall at Iyanya’s London concert

Controversial actress turned singer Tonto Dike strutted onto the stage to perform at Iyanya’s Kukere Concert on the 9th of June 2013 in London only to hit the floor moments later. It’s her most famous fall and it got social media buzzing at once. Tonto Dike has found it imperative to clear the air concerning this fall following rumours she may have been ‘drunk’ or ‘ high’ or both before hitting the stage. She tells Nollywood Movies Sky329 that her dress was the chief culprit followed by her shoes and then the ‘slippery’ floor.

*Tonto rising after her sudden fall “It was a big…well not a big fall and I managed it well. I fell because I had this very long dress, and this very high shoe and a slippery ground, and because I wasn’t supposed to dance at my first coming out (sic). I had another outfit I could put on to really perform if I wanted to; it was my choice but I just came on and they played the song and I just had to dance and I slipped. I made it fun really, I got up and danced, I didn’t want to disappoint anybody especially myself. When I went back stage, I was dancing my head off. I couldn’t go back on stage because Iyanya was on stage and it was about closing. It was all his time. Nobody went back on stage after him. I wish I went back to dance again and not fall that time. Watch the video of her fall here

Jiah Khan's boyfriend arrested after Bollywood actress commits suicide

The son of a Bollywood couple has been arrested on suspicion of abetting the suicide of his girlfriend, actress Jiah Khan, police said. Suraj Pancholi was arrested late Monday, Officer D. Deokar said. Deokar confirmed Khan, 25, committed suicide at her home in Mumbai last week. A letter she wrote alleges that Pancholi cheated on her, physically abused her and forced her to have an abortion. Police authenticated the letter was from Khan, and Indian media have published it. Pancholi's parents are Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab. Neither they nor their son has spoken about the allegations. Khan began her career in the 2007 Hindi film "Nishabd," in which she portrayed a teenager in love with her best friend's father, played by Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan. She had also performed with other top stars, including Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar

Exclusive: 'Dynamite' daughter plays detective, hunts down dad's killer 26 years later

Years ago, Joselyn Martinez, who once wanted to be a prosecutor, began searching for her father's killer on social media but came up with nothing. Her luck changed in 2008 when a free promotional search on Background.com turned up Santos, whose trail had grown cold since he fled to the Dominican Republic. An actress with the silky voice of an angel showed the doggedness of a seasoned detective, tracking down the man accused of shooting her hardworking father to death 26 years ago. Brown-eyed beauty Joselyn Martinez’s tenacity led to the arrest in Miami Thursday afternoon of Justo Santos — who had been on the lam since the 1986 slaying, as first reported in the Daily News. He mistakenly thought he had gotten away with murder. The 36-year-old songstress said it took her about eight years and a mere $280 paid to Internet background-check sites to crack the cold case. “Knowing the person my father was, I couldn’t live with myself if (Santos) stayed free,” Martinez, of the Bronx, told the Daily News Monday. “I need to see him in New York to know this has really happened.” Cops busted Santos Thursday in Miami, where the 5-foot-6 fugitive had been living in plain sight and working as the manager of a janitorial company. He confessed to the killing and waived extradition, a police source said. It was Joselyn — named after her father, Jose — who handed detectives at the 34th Precinct stationhouse Santos’ address and phone number that she unearthed from the Internet. “She was dynamite. She did a great job of finding this guy. She basically solved the case,” a law enforcement source told The News. NYPD detectives are expected to travel to Florida later this week to haul Santos, 43, back to New York to face justice. “I want to see New York State versus this criminal in court,” said Joselyn, a recording artist and star of the upcoming Web series “Wives in the Heights.” Joselyn’s mother, Idalia Martinez, said she always believed her daughter, who was the apple of her father’s eye, would find the killer. “I’m super proud of my daughter. I always knew she would find him because of her love for her father and her intelligence,” the mother said “I have enormous satisfaction that after 26 years this has become a reality,” she said. “The time has come for the truth. Why did he do it?” On Nov. 22, 1986, Santos, then 16, and two pals entered Jose Martinez’s restaurant, Dominican Express, on Dyckman St. in Inwood, looking for trouble instead of the carne frita the restaurant was known for. “They started harassing my mother and asking her sexual things, disgusting things,” said Joselyn, who was just 9 when her dad died. Rushing to his wife’s defense, Jose Martinez, 41, who immigrated to New York from the Dominican Republic, booted the menacing teens from the business. The argument spilled onto the sidewalk and witnesses told cops Santos pulled a pistol and shot the restaurateur in cold blood in front of his wife. Idalia Martinez said she put her bleeding husband in a cab and rushed him to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia, where he died. “I woke up the next morning and was told my father was killed,” Joselyn recalled. “We were destroyed.” Cops immediately identified Santos as the shooter. But before they could nab him, he bolted to the Dominican Republic and his trail went ice cold. “I remember his picture on the wanted posters. He was smiling. It was all over Dyckman St.,” Joselyn said. “My mom told me to never forget his name. She’d tell me, ‘You have to know who did this to your family.’ ” After graduating from high school, Joselyn enrolled in New York University, majoring in pre-law and political science. “I wanted to become a prosecutor in college. But then I decided to do what I really wanted to. How could I prosecute other cases when my father’s was unsolved?” said Joselyn. Ten years ago, on the anniversary of her father’s slaying, Joselyn paid detectives at the 34th Precinct in Washington Heights a visit. “I went to the police station,” she said. “I said, ‘I want to know what happened.’ ” The discussion got her thinking: “I started to ask myself, ‘What if I find him? What if I try?’ ” In 2006, she searched Myspace.com for Santos’ name, but came up with nothing. She later searched Facebook, again with no results. Then in 2008, she signed up for a free promotional search on Background.com, and right off the bat Santos’ name popped up. Encouraged by the results, Joselyn paid $70 fees to Background.com and similar sites, including USA-Peopleseach.com, Peoplelookup.com and Intelius.com. “They all had it. They had his address. They had his phone number,” Joselyn said. “He must have thought it was all over, that he had gotten away with it.” She took the information to the 34th Precinct, where it was given to Detective Robert Dewhurst of the cold case squad. “I can’t take all the credit. The 34th Precinct and the cold case squad did all the work,” Joselyn said. Detectives called her Friday to give her the good news. “I was silent. I was quiet. I was in shock. Like now,” she said. “I believe it, but I don’t believe it.”

Kate Upton rubs shoulders with GOP politicians at 21st birthday bash

Kate Upton rang in her 21st birthday this week and a bevy of D.C. lawmakers were among the unlikely guests at her bash. Congressman Kevin McCarthy, GOP whip in the House, boasted about partying it up with the sexy birthday girl, posting a photo of himself with Kate and her uncle, his congressional colleague Rep. Fred Upton. Though most noted for filling out a bikini, the model was more demurely attired in a sleeveless black dress that covered her eye-catching cleavage. "With Congressman Fred Upton and his niece, Kate. We are celebrating Kate's 21st Birthday." The location of the high profile fete wasn't disclosed. The Sports Illustrated cover girl expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the b-day love. "My friends and family are the best!! Thank you everyone for your birthday wishes," she tweeted. McCarthy is a close ally of Upton's uncle, who is a Republican from Michigan. Upton, a 14-term congressman, told FOX News in 2012 that his glamorous niece was a "great gal." "Her dad, my brother, we live in the same town. We do a lot of stuff together ... we're all proud of Kate."