The Plateau State Government has confirmed 22 deaths and 132 injured persons, from the Jos collapsed school building.

Mr Musa Ashoms, the commissioner for Information, said six of the injured were in critical condition.

Ashoms said that those injured were receiving treatment in various tertiary health facilities in the state, while the bodies of the deceased had been deposited in the mortuaries.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that a two-storey building of Saints Academy, a secondary and primary school located in the Busa-Buji community of Jos North Local Area, had collapsed, trapping students, teachers and others.

The incident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. on Friday when the students were writing their third-term examination.

Meanwhile, Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau has described the incident as a tragic and monumental loss to the state.

Mutfwang stated this in a statement issued by Mr Gyang Bere, his Director of Press and Public Affairs, on Friday in Jos.

The governor, who sympathised with the families of the affected victims, further described the incident as heart-wrenching and unfortunate.

”This is a tragic, unfortunate, heart-wrenching and gloomy situation.

”We appreciate the timely intervention of the search and rescue team, as well as members of the public, who rushed to the school premises to assist in evacuating some of the surviving students and staff.

”I have directed the relevant government agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and Plateau State Emergency Management Agency, to provide necessary support to survivors.

”Words cannot fully comfort the grieving families over their immense loss, so we pray that God will continue to console and uphold them during this difficult period,” Mutfwang said.

Highlighting the significance and broader purpose of Executive Order 003, recently signed into law, Mutfwang clarified that it intended to safeguard citizens from such disasters.

”The rationale for executive order 003 is to prevent Jos from deteriorating into a slum, and to ensure compliance with building regulations in line with the Greater Jos Master Plan,” the governor said. 

In the world of relationships, it’s not uncommon for couples to seek advice and guidance when the spark in the bedroom begins to dim. 

Meet Olivia Bentley, a 46-year-old sex therapist hailing from Boise, Idaho, in the United States. Olivia, however, is not your typical therapist; she infuses her work with a distinctive perspective that is creating a stir in the intimacy and relationship communities.

Olivia, who has been in the sex industry for 15 years, told the New York Post that she uses her wealth of knowledge and experience to save countless marriages. 

Her unorthodox methods include offering emotional support, hosting intimate one-to-three-hour sessions where she imparts saucy tips, and, believe it or not, even jumping into bed with clients for some hands-on education.

While some may raise their eyebrows at her methods, Olivia claims to have saved hundreds of marriages with her sex therapy. One of the key elements of Olivia’s philosophy is that it’s “unfair” for women to get married and neglect their husbands’ sexual needs.

But Olivia’s services aren’t just limited to couples; she also caters to individual male clients, some of whom have received a “hall pass” from their spouses.

“I’ve saved marriages. The stuff I do is completely life-changing. Couples who have sessions with me are the coolest in the world because they understand the importance of sexuality in their relationship as a part of maintaining a healthy marriage,” Olivia said.

“There are also couples out there who give the man a hall pass—the wives are basically outsourcing. Some ladies say, ‘I don’t always want to be involved in this but I want to know who you are, I want to approve of you and I’m going to let him come and see you.’”

She even offers fitness and nutrition advice to help clients achieve their best sexual lives. According to Olivia, achieving physical fitness is a key component of better intimacy. 

One of her top tips for overweight men is: “Do your sit-ups!” She explains that obesity can restrict blood flow, leading to erectile dysfunction. 

Olivia noted that her holistic approach has proven popular, with her now seeing up to 10 clients a week and earning an impressive $500,000 annually.

Intimacy is a vital aspect of any healthy relationship, and reigniting the spark can sometimes require a bit of creativity. Exploring new ways to connect with your partner can add excitement and deepen your emotional bond.

We’ve compiled a list of consensual sexual positions that can help rekindle the flame in your relationship, bringing a fresh dynamic to your intimate moments.

Missionary

The missionary sexual position is exceptional and will never be out of date. This sexual position is good for couples who are all about intimacy and making a meaningful connection with each other. The nature of this sexual position means you’re in for some intense skin-to-skin contact, eye-gazing, and plenty of smooching. 

Position: It is really simple to do. One person lies on their back while the other partner is on top, facing them. The person on top generally controls the power and depth of thrusting, while the one below can move their hips and legs to change up the sensations. 

69

69 is yin-and-yang oral sex. This sex position is mutual and very intimate. According to sex experts, ’69’ is perfect for couples to pleasure and orgasm simultaneously. 

If you want to give your mouth a break, this oral sex can also spice things up by incorporating sex toys into the mix, like throwing in a butt plug, vibrator, or masturbation sleeve. 

Position: Have your partner lie down, flat on their back. Then climb on top, so you’re facing away from your partner. Your genitals should be lined up with your partner’s mouth, and your genitals should be lined up with yours. Alternatively, you can try it in a side-by-side position. See what feels most comfortable for you!

Face-off

Face-to-face sex is another great way to build emotional intimacy and feelings of closeness. This sex position boosts your oxytocin levels, that’s the “love hormone” or “cuddle chemical.” associated with bonding, trust, and when you’re experiencing an orgasm. It is also good to note that the face-off works for vaginal and anal sex but either way, make sure you use lots of lubricants.

Position:  The penetrating partner begins by sitting in a comfortable chair or on the edge of a bed. The receiving partner straddles their lap and wraps their arms around the penetrating partner’s back. The receiving partner can then lower themselves onto the penis or dildo of their partner. The receiver can then go for a ride, and if they get tired, they can hover while the penetrating partner holds their hips and thrusts into them.

The Ballet dancer

If you want to add a standing position to your sexual repertoire, consider the ballet dancer’s sex position.  This is another very intimate sex position that allows eye and body contact. 

Position:  Stand facing each other, and have the receiving partner stand on one foot and wrap her other leg around the penetrating partner’s waist, while you hold each other for balance. If the receiver is flexible, she can raise her leg higher for deeper penetration and greater satisfaction.

Squatting cowgirl

This position gives the receiving partner more control over the penetrating partner. The lady has more control over the speed and depth. The man will be able to grab her behind with both hands. This move also provides ample G-spot action. 

Position: the receiver will be seated on top of the penetrating partner, with their feet on the bed, while leaning backwards. They can place their hands on the thighs or the bed behind them. 

Lotus Blossom

Lotus Blossom is a great one to try. If you’re craving more intimacy and romance in your sexual life, This is not a position for a fast fuck; it lends itself better to slow lovemaking and a soulful connection. It allows eye-gazing, in-sync breathing, and touching your foreheads (your third eye) together to increase the feeling of connection even more.

Position: One partner straddles the other partner while you both sit cross-legged. The top partner wraps their legs around the bottom partner as you face each other and embrace. The bottom partner enters the top partner vaginally with a toy or penis.

Spider 

Spider is a great sex position for those who are looking for slower sexual experiences. This position is great for frontal stimulation of the vaginal wall, which is a known pleasure centre, that, when stimulated, increases the likelihood of squirting.

Position: The man sits down, his legs are bent at the knees and spread apart, and his hands are stretched out; he lifts his body, keeping him on his feet and hands. The woman sits on top of her male partner in the same position, only with her face towards the man, her back on her knees leaning on outstretched hands and feet. 

Waterfall

 If you want a new twist in the bedroom, then the waterfall is a sex position that will certainly make things interesting for you and your partner. this sex position is guaranteed to satisfy both men and women in equal measure, so it’s a win-win for both. 

Position: The man lies down with his head and shoulder on the floor and his hips on the bed, while the woman moves to the edge of the bed, straddles the man and gets on top in a manner similar to the woman-on-top position. The only difference is that your head is lower than your body, which will give you an amazing sensation as the blood rushes to the male’s head. But be careful, over-enthusiasm in this position could lead to some serious injuries to either the penis or the man’s head.

The Sockets 

This sex position is a nice place to fantasise a little and get a new view of your partner’s behind and it gives you a chance to get absorbed in the sensations.

Position: the receiving partner bends all the way forward, extending their legs all the way back. They should be supporting their body by resting on their elbows as if they’re holding a plank. With a hot tip, a vulva-owning receiver can easily touch their clitoris while being penetrated. And if the two of you are into spanking, have at it.

Pearly Gates 

This is an intimate girl-on-top sex position that allows you to stimulate the clitoris and the G-spot at the same time. While the woman controls the pace of lovemaking, the male hands are free to caress her chest, hips, thighs, neck, face, and clitoris. This is an advanced sex position, and not for everyone. The problem is staying inside, especially for guys who are smaller than average. You may want to keep a hand on her vulva to avoid slippage.

Position: The giver lies on their back. The receiver can straddle them in a reverse cowgirl position before carefully leaning backwards until their back is on their partner’s chest.

Remember to always prioritise open communication, mutual respect, and enthusiastic consent in your romantic endeavours.

Books and movies of the future could all start to feel the same if creative industries embrace artificial intelligence to help write stories, a study published on Friday warned.

The research, which drew on hundreds of volunteers and was published in Science Advances, comes amid rising fears over the impact of widely available AI tools that turn simple text prompts into relatively sophisticated music, art and writing.

“Our goal was to study to what extent and how generative AI might help humans with creativity,” co-author Anil Doshi of the University College London told AFP.

For their experiment, Doshi and  co-author Oliver Hauser of the University of Exeter recruited around 300 volunteers as “writers.”

These were people who didn’t write for a living, and their inherent creative ability was assessed by a standard psychology test that asked them to provide 10 drastically different words.

The scientists then split them randomly into three groups to write an eight-sentence story about one of three topics: an adventure on the open seas, an adventure in the jungle, or an adventure on another planet.

Participants were also randomly placed into three groups that received varying levels of AI assistance.

The first group got no help, the second was provided a three-sentence story idea from ChatGPT, and the third could receive up to five AI-generated story ideas to help them get going.

– Individual benefit, collective loss –

After completing their stories, participants were asked to assess their own work’s creativity through measures including how novel it was, how enjoyable, and how much potential the idea had to be turned into a published book.

An additional 600 external human reviewers also judged the story on the same measures.

The authors found that, on average, AI boosted the quality of an individual writer’s creativity by up to 10 percent, and the story’s enjoyability by 22 percent, helping particularly with elements like structure and plot twists.

These effects were most significant for writers who were judged during the initial task to be the least creative, “so it has this kind of leveling the playing field effect,” said Doshi.

But on the collective level, they found AI-assisted stories looked much more similar to each other than those produced without any AI help, as writers “anchored” themselves too heavily to the suggested ideas.

Hauser said this created a “social dilemma.” On the one hand, “you make it easier for people to get in; lowering barriers is good.” But if the collective novelty of art decreases, “it could be harmful down the line.”

Doshi said the research also showed that, just like introducing pocket calculators to children too early could prevent them from learning how to do basic arithmetic, there was a danger that people could rely too much on AI tools before developing underlying skills in writing, music or more.

People need to start thinking about “where in my workflow can I insert this tool to get the most benefit, while still inserting my own voice into the project or outcome.”

A West African court has found Nigeria guilty of violating the rights of three protesters in the EndSARS rallies against police brutality that convulsed major cities in October 2020.

The #EndSARS movement began over abuses by the notorious SARS anti-robbery squad but grew into the largest anti-government protests in Nigeria’s recent history.

Eyewitnesses and rights organisations accused security forces of opening fire on peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll gate in the country’s commercial hub, Lagos, on the evening of October 20, 2020.

Amnesty International said the army killed at least 10 people at the toll gate, but security forces rejected responsibility, saying troops used blank rounds to disperse people breaking a curfew.

Nigerian DJ Obianuju Catherine Udeh live-streamed part of the events and went into hiding soon after, saying she was targeted for doing so and had received threatening calls.

“Justice was served yesterday,” Udeh said on X after Wednesday’s judgement.

“I cannot express the emotional trauma we’ve all been through and life changes we’ve had to make but thankfully, with professional help, we’ve been able to work through it and this verdict certainly made a positive impact.”

In December 2021, Udeh and two other protesters Perpetual Kamsi and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka sued the Nigerian government at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court in Abuja for various “human rights violations” linked to their roles in the protests.

The West Africa regional court said Nigeria violated numerous provisions of the  African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).

The court ordered Nigeria to pay each of the three complainants a total of 10 million naira ($6,170) for violations including their rights to personal security, protection from torture, cruel inhuman and degrading treatment, freedom of expression, assembly and association, and the state’s duty to investigate human rights abuses.

Udeh said hearing the verdict was “one of the best days of my life since that horrific day”.

The Nigerian government has not responded to AFP’s requests for comment.

Emergency workers and volunteers are scrambling to save trapped persons following the collapse of a school building in Plateau State.

At least 22 persons have been confirmed dead, while several others were injured.

Eyewitnesses said the collapse trapped more than 70 pupils, transforming a peaceful educational environment into a scene of chaos.

The building housing Saints Academy in Busa Buji, Jos North Local Government Area of the state, caved in on students and their teachers on Friday morning.