Former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nasir el-Rufai and two former aides of his were yesterday arraigned before a Federal High Court, Abuja..

The two others are Altine Jubrin, former Director-General of the Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS) and Ismailia Iro, former General Manager.

They are facing an eight-count charge of criminal conspiracy and abuse of office preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

They are accused of conspiring to use their offices to gratify and/or confer corrupt or unfair advantage upon one another by the irregular revocation and re-allocation of land to themselves.

The commission accused the former minister of corruptly re-allocating parcels of land, which belonged to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Plc and Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST), to his wives, Hadiza and Asia, as well as associates, such as Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, Saidu Samaila, Philip Daudu, Jamaila Alhassan and Bello Sani.

A company, System Property Development Consortium Limited (SPDC), also benefited from the allocations, it was alleged.

The alleged offences are contrary to Sections 19 and 26(1)c) and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offence Act, 2000.

All the accused pleaded not guilty.

Clad in a black kaftan with a red cap to match, the former minister was accompanied by some of his associates and friends, including the former Culture and Tourism Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode.

Moving an oral bail application, el-Rufai’s counsel and former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), urged the court to release him on self-recognition.

Said the lawyer: "He has served the country as a minister. He was not in the country when the charge was filed but when he came back, he voluntarily went to EFCC that he is back in the country and would want to know why they wanted him.

He made a statement as required and was released on bail on self-recognition. Again today he voluntarily came to court to answer the charges. The offences are bailable."

After an interjection by the EFCC counsel, Mr. Adebayo Adelodun, Olujimi applied to withdraw a motion he had earlier filed.

Counsel to Altine, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), adopted Olujimi’s argument. He added that his client had been enjoying bail granted her by the court when she was first arraigned on May 6, last year.

Iro’s counsel, Kanu Agabi (SAN), a former Attorney General of the Federation, adopted earlier submissions. He urged the court to grant the accused bail on self-recognition.

The prosecution counsel did not object to the oral bail application as, according to him, the accused were on administrative bail granted them by the EFCC after they provided sureties.

"The state will, therefore, ask that the accused persons provide reliable sureties as conditions for their bail," Adelodun said.

Mr Justice Adamu Bello said: "I have considered the oral bail application moved on behalf of the accused persons. I also have it in mind that the prosecution did not object to bail. I feel inclined to exercise the discretion of the court in granting bail. There is no doubt that the second and third accused persons have been attending court’s sittings. I hope the first accused will do the same."

He granted the accused N100 m bail and one surety in like sum. The surety, Justice Bello said, must be a resident of the FCT and must show evidence of landed property worth the bail sum.

The judge said the accused should remain in EFCC custody, until their bail conditions have been perfected.

Security agents attached to the anti-graft agency escorted el-Rufai out of the court in a Mercedez Benz ML350 marked Kaduna-BB417 MKA..

THE battle for Vice President took another shape last night, with governors rooting for their Kaduna State colleague Namadi Sambo.

President Goodluck Jonathan accepted their choice, a source said this morning. Sambo’s name may be sent to the National Assembly today.

Sambo’s choice, according to a source, is the climax of a desperate power game, which will see Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Vincent Ogbulafor throwing in the towel.

Ogbulafor is facing corruption charges in court. Apparently sensing that saving him may be hard, the governors may have thought of a trade-off – give us Sambo and let Ogbulafor go.

It was not clear this morning how the decision to choose Sambo was taken. His name never came up among the frontrunners for the job..

The governors met last night in Abuja to take a stand on the issues – Ogbulafor’s fate and vice president.

They rose at 10.30pm and headed for the Presidential Villa to see the President. As of 1a.m., the meeting with Dr Goodluck Jonathan was still on. A source said at about 1a.m. that the governors had asked Ogbulafor to resign.

It was not immediately clear last night why the governors withdrew their support for Ogbulafor. A source said it might be a desperate move to beat legislators, who are pushing for former Kaduna Governor Ahmed Makarfi, to the prize. Makarfi is a senator.

Earlier in the day, The Nation learnt that security agencies had compiled briefs for President Jonathan on the candidates.

But, it was unclear last night whether the President will name his deputy today or not.

The six top candidates – before Sambo’s name came up – are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed; former Kaduna Governor Ahmed Makarfi; Sokoto Deputy Governor Mukhtar Shagari; Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido; Ambassador to South Africa Gen. Buba Marwa; and Niger State Governor Aliyu Babangida.

The choice of vice president topped the list of activities in the Presidency yesterday, after the cabinet’s valedictory session for the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, according to sources.

It was gathered that the session had hardly ended when horse-trading took the centre stage.

Findings revealed that security agencies spent the day compiling briefs on the candidates for Dr Jonathan.

A source said: "The briefs on the candidates are to guide the decision of the President.

"Since most of the candidates are public officers, I do not think that they will go through any fresh screening as being claimed. But the security briefs on the candidates will assist the President on his choice.

"It is the prerogative of the President to decide after studying the CVs and security briefs on the candidates."

Asked if the President would submit the name of his nominee to the National Assembly today, the source said: "I am aware that consultations are still ongoing and no one knows his mindset.

"As I am talking to you, state chairmen of the PDP are meeting with the President. The issue of VP may come up in one way or the other."

While I am not in the habit of listening in on people’s conversations, I couldn’t help with this amusing narrative told so vividly by the major dramatis personae. As it turned out, it was an objective lesson on the world of young ladies in dalliances with public officials and I am not sure I am sorry for overhearing. Okay, eavesdropping, if you will! The sophisticated hustler, the latest recipient of the goodwill of the Niger Delta governor in the habit of ‘assisting’ hustling young ladies, has a nice apartment in the Central District of Abuja. Though she has no apparent means of livelihood or even substantial inheritance, she only flies business class or first class. Apparently aware that big boys also fly business or first class, lady hustler decided a long time ago that it doesn’t make sense swimming in a pond while trying to catch whales. Happily, our dear narrator caught her whale on one of such trips from Abuja to Lagos and since then, she has been at His Excellency’s beck and call.

The first thing the governor does for recipients of his goodwill is have them tested for HIV/AIDS because he prefers riding unprotected. So, there is usually a waiting period when nothing happens until his doctor certifies the lady okay. Once the lady is endorsed by the good doctor, however, the doors of enjoyment are opened for her at the expense of the poor long-suffering masses of Mr Lover Boy’s rich, yet impoverished, state. She begins to see the world. He sends her to Dubai with a standard $10,000.00 and thereafter to the UK. If she rubs his big belly well enough on that trip and ministers well to him, she is rewarded with a trip to the US.

You are probably saying, “Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard this all before.” Well, I am happy to shock you as you’ve not heard what later transpired between the duo. His Excellency asked Her Royal Slutness to go down on her knees, not in the throes of sexual excitement, but as punishment for keeping him waiting for her at the hotel while she spent an afternoon in town with her friends.

He became mad because his wife, the First Lady, had sent him lunch and he had planned to share it with HRS, only to get back to the hotel and find she had gone AWOL. He got really mad, threatened to take the dollars he gave her earlier and kick her out. Mr Governor, who certainly doesn’t take nonsense from any quarters, eventually calmed down. But apart from that little misunderstanding, they have continued to live happily.

THIS STORY IS NOT ABOUT FUNKE AKINDELE

Next Newspapers have just printed Goodluck Jonathan has declared his interest to run for the 2011 presidential elections.

Cairo Ojougboh, the president’s special Adviser on National Assembly Matters, made the revelation on Wednesday while briefing journalists in Abuja.

“Mr President is a PDP president and he is a member of PDP, and Mr President will run under the PDP,” Mr Ojougboh said.

He, however, added that despite the zoning policy of the party, President Jonathan will run and they are certain he will win.

“There is no moral justification to ask Jonathan not to run,” he said..

More to follow

A Libyan Airbus crashed when trying to land at Tripoli airport early on Wednesday, killing 103 passengers and crew aboard, but a Dutch child survived, Libyan officials said.

Libya's Afriqiyah airline said it operated the plane, which was flying from Johannesburg in South Africa to Tripoli. Planemaker Airbus said the jet was an A330-200 and the firm would help authorities with their investigation..

"All of the passengers and crew died except for one child," a Libyan security source told Reuters at Tripoli airport. "There were 93 passengers and 11 crew on board."

Libya's Transport Minister Mohamed Zidan said the 10-year-old child, who holds a Dutch passport, was in hospital.

The child did not have life-threatening injuries, the minister told a news conference near the crash site.

The casualties included 22 Libyans, including passengers and crew, and the rest were of various nationalities, a Libyan official at the airport said.

In a statement posted on its website, Afriqiyah Airways said its flight 8U771 had an accident during landing at Tripoli International airport. An airport official said the plane crashed at 6.10 a.m. local time (0410 GMT).

Airbus issued a statement confirming it had manufactured the plane involved in the crash. "Airbus will provide full technical assistance to the authorities responsible for the investigation into the accident," it said.

A South African foreign ministry spokeswoman said the plane had left Johannesburg en route to Libya the previous evening.

Sacked workers of Mouka Foam were seen loitering around the company premises on Tuesday. They were hoping that they would be called back or compensated by the company for letting them go ‘unjustly.'

About 71 workers of Mouka Foam were sacked because some of them refused to work last week Thursday, due to the public holiday declared by the federal government to mourn the late President Umaru Yar'Adua, who died on 5th of May, 2010.

When NEXT visited the head office of Mouka Foam Limited on Tuesday, located at Plot ‘M', Awosika Avenue, Ikeja Industrial Estate, Lagos, some of the workers said they hope the company would rethink its decision; while others sat dejectedly by the gate.

A casual worker, who identified himself as Mr. Chibike, said, "On Thursday, the Federal Government declared a public holiday but the management insisted that we should work, but the union said that we should be paid before we work, since it is supposed to be a work free day. But, the management did not agree, so the union said we should go home since they did not agree. Only for us to come on Monday (10th May) and we were told that we have been sacked."

One of the former leaders of the workers' union at the Mouka Foam branch of the National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber Leather and Non-Metallic Product Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), who craved anonymity, narrated that on the said day, the plant manager insisted that they must work, but they (former union leaders) pleaded that the management gives the workers some incentives, since they would be working on a day that had been declared work free.

"But the Management refused to heed our call, and so we told the workers that they can go and honour the memory of the late President if they want to go, and they can stay if they want to stay. They printed names of people that didn't stay and sacked them without notice. Some had spent years here, and some have been injured in the course of doing this work."

About 71 of the casual workers were sacked out of 99 casual workers. The 28 remaining workers were some of the workers that stayed behind," he said.

Mr. James, one of the workers who was not sacked, said they no longer have a union. The former union has been dissolved.

"So, nobody is fighting for them. They (Mouka Foam) used the police to chase them away from the compound," he said. Mr. Ikechi, also a casual worker that was sacked, cried out, "I have been working here for more than 3 years. It is shocking what they did to us. I don't know where to start from. I am a student doing part-time at the University of Lagos. How do I pay my fees now?"

A public relations officer for Mouka Foam, Agbo Agbo, in a phone conversation, said that the casual workers were not sacked because they refused to work on a public holiday. But that they decided to let some casual workers go because they have no need of them.

The President of The National Union of Chemical Footwear Rubber Leather and Non-Metallic Product Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), Boniface Isok, said that they are not aware of any problems their members may be facing at Mouka Foam.

A long standing cause
Although there have been less news on the struggle against casual staffing in the country, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said it has not yet relented in its effort to fight against the use of casual staff by companies and businesses in the country.

Denja Yaqub, the assistant general secretary of the NLC, defending the lull in the union's fight against temporary staffing, told NEXT in a previous report:
"Most people believe the NLC has lost the fight against casualisation because of the other struggles we have embarked on. The fight against casual or contract staffing by employers in the country is still on, and we are planning to take it up as a big issue from December to June, next year (2010).

"Casual workers are not entitled to be part of any trade unions, as they are not fully employed. This has been affecting the way the employers treat their staff, and the struggles for a decent workplace by the trade unions."

Mr. Yaqub maintained that the practice of engaging people in casual jobs infringes on the right of Nigerians to have decent jobs, adding that, "Section 42 of the Act empowers Labour to fight against it, and this is what we will do since the government has failed us."

Abacha's son challenges Swiss court order to refund $350m to FG

Agency Reporter

An appeal by the son of ex military dictator Gen Sani Abacha, Abba, against a court order to return $350m in illegally gained assets has begun in Switzerland.

Photos: right late Sani Abacha, below son of the dictator abba abacha

Abba Abacha was also convicted of being a member of a criminal organisation and given a suspended custodial sentence, according to the BBC.

Switzerland began investigating the Abacha family in 1999 and has so far handed back about $700m to Nigeria.

The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice believes that Sani Abacha, who ruled from 1993 until his death in 1998, may have stolen $2.2bn.

The appeal started on Monday at a court in Geneva, officials say.

However, Swiss newspaper LeTemps reports that Abacha, who is currently in Nigeria, would not be attending the hearing.

He was refused a visa to come to Switzerland because he did not apply for it in time, the newspaper says.

The Swiss authorities pursued Abba Abacha for six years before extraditing him from Germany in 2005.

He was finally convicted by a court in Geneva in November 2009.

Other Reports:

A police court in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday began hearing in an appeal filed by the 41-year-old son of the late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, Mr. Abba Abacha, against an order seeking to seize $350m in stolen funds from him.Swiss newspaper, Le Temps, reports that Abba was not in court because he did not apply for a visa in time. The report said his lawyer asked for an adjournment to enable him to be present.

The British Broadcasting Corporation reports that Swiss authorities pursued Abba for six years before extraditing him from Germany in 2005. He was finally convicted by a court in Geneva in November 2009.Abba was also convicted of being a member of a criminal organisation and given a suspended custodial sentence.He was also ordered to return $350m, which was collected with help from Luxembourg and the Bahamas.Le Temps reports that Swiss prosecutors alleged that Abba used false identities to open more than 30 bank accounts in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and the Bahamas.

The funds allegedly belonged to his late father and close relations.Over two billion Swiss francs were deposited in Switzerland.Switzerland began investigating the Abacha family in 1999 and has so far returned about $700m to Nigeria. The former head of state, who died in June 1998, is believed to have stolen $2.2bn in public funds, which he stashed in various banks around the world.Since 1999, Switzerland has restored over $600m to Nigeria.Le Temps reports that members of the Abacha family used various means to move public funds out of Nigeria.

9ja politics is now like a football league where people hange clubs at will !

COULD the Holy Spirit have removed the pants and skirt of a lady as claimed by a pastor while praying for her?

PHOTO:The ‘deliverance’ was performed in the vestry of this church. The pastor was still being investigated by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the Oyo State Police Command, over allegation of rape, told his interrogators that he only watched the lady’s pants and skirt being removed by the Holy Spirit while he prayed for her.

The minister, Pastor J. Odesola of the Christ Rock Apostolic Church, Agbala Imole, Olodo, Ibadan, allegedly had carnal knowledge of a 17-year-old Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate on Thursday, 15 April, 2010, on the pretext that he was performing deliverance for her.

The lady (names withheld), told Sunday Tribune that on Monday, 12 April, 2010 at 2 p.m, she had gone to see Pastor Odesola for prayer over a dream her mother had concerning the UTME she was to sit for on Saturday, 17 April, 2010.

She continued: “My mother advised me to see the pastor for prayers so that I won’t have any problem with the exam.

“He told me it was the spirit that has been tormenting my parents that was also tormenting me. He called it the spirit of disappointment.

“The pastor told me to come for a programme on Wednesday, 14 April, 2010 tagged Atamatase and also for a special prayer the next day (Thursday 15 April, 2010) to cast away the evil spirit from me.

“On that Thursday, as I arrived the church at 7.30 p.m, Pastor Odesola instructed me to stay in the church because some visitors were with him in the vestry.

“At 8 p.m, he asked me to come into the vestry. He asked if I was ready for the prayer and I said yes. He told me to stand up, placed one hand on my head and the second hand on my chest.

“He murmured some words into my ear and blew air on my face, commanding the evil spirit to come out of me.

“May be I slept off at that moment, I can’t remember. I just found myself on the floor when I woke up, no strength was left in me. He pushed my blouse up and placed a Bible on my tommy.”

“He was now praying, quoting Bible verses. After that, he fondled my navel, blew air on my face again. He touched my forehead. I did not react. He touched my chest and placed his hand on my tommy; he tickled me at my lower abdomen, then waited to know my reaction.

“He got up, moved about the room, which was not properly illuminated, casting out demons. At this point, I slept off again. When I woke up, I noticed my pant and skirt had been removed. The pastor was not in the room.

“Few minutes after, Pastor Odesola came in, he climbed over me. I tried to push him away but I was too weak. He asked if I don’t want to be delivered.

“I slept off again, but when I woke up I noticed his finger was in my private part. He fondled my breast. I struggled to remove it but he charged at me saying I should relax, that he was casting out the demons in me. He now said: “Jesu Oluwa wa, adura re tigba.”

“He held me to himself, forced me to sit down because I was still on the floor. He took a torch, showed me fluid on the ground under my legs. He said it was urine I passed out during the deliverance prayer. He then said: “pelu eleyi to jade nisisiyi, isegun tide.”( with this out of you, your prayer has been answered.)

“Pastor Odesola told me not to feel disturbed, assuring me that I will pass the UTME. He returned my She said further: “I had to call my aunty because I was so disturbed. I could not revise for the exam again. Whenever I opened my book, what I saw was the picture of the man and the scene.

“That was how my parents knew what happened. My parents were enraged, my mummy collapsed two times over it because everybody blamed her for asking me to go and see the pastor.”

The matter was reported at the Area Command Office, Testing Ground and the pastor was picked by the police on Wednesday, 21 April, 2010.

During interrogation, he was asked if he had seen the lady’s nakedness and he said, “yes.”

But when the police demanded to know who removed the lady’s pants, Pastor Odesola said it was the Holy Spirit. They asked him to perform same miracle on a police woman interrogating him for her pants to be removed by the Holy Spirit, but he kept quiet.

The parents of the girl took her for medical examination and the report indicated that the girl had bruises on her private part. The girl also claimed to have lost her virginity in the process.

However, the members of the pastor’s church, who came to see the pastor at the police station, defended their pastor who they called “Daddy.” They said their “Daddy” was not that kind of person. They even accused the lady of framing the story.

Pastor Odesola, who was on Friday, 23 April, 2010 moved to the SCID, Iyaganku, Ibadan said he neither fondled the girl’s breasts nor thrust his fingers in her private part.

Whereas he denied having sexing with her, he admitted that he placed his hand on her private part and on her breast while praying for her.

Meanwhile, the Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIDA), Oyo State chapter has declared its interest in the case.

Speaking with Sunday Tribune, the state treasurer, Mrs. Dupe Awosemusi, said FIDA was actually concerned about the girl’s life.“We don’t know what the pastor has taken from her since she was not conscious in the course of the session,”FIDA said.

“We are also bothered about the security of life of the girl. When you talk of Christendom, this man, being a pastor, is a slap on the body of Christ.

“Things like this should not be covered up. There are so many cases of rape and child abuse nowadays. It was either the suspects were looking for money or spiritual power,”she stated.

The Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Olabisi Okuwobi, confirmed the story, saying the pastor would appear in court after investigation.

Despite the denial from Dr Alex Ekwueme, former Nigerian Vice President and one of the founders of the party, zoning the Nigerian presidency to the north in 2011 wouldn't have favoured PDP in the current dispensation.I am sure when doing this, whether written or oral, PDP never thought a President could die in office. They didn't also consider that other political parties could win in the subsequent presidential elections. More over, by so doing, PDP would force other political parties to field candidates from other zones in order not to make the whole thing look like a north affair. Most importantly, zoning is unconstitutional.

It is no surprise then that a horde of aspirants are jostlling for the position of the Vice President soon after the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar'dua. They assume that the VP, most probably a northerer, would be fielded by PDP in 2011. Secondly, they think the zoning system would work.

The PDP zoning system means that the North would retain the presidency for four years or even eight years (It seems two term is now compulsory). It also implied that in event of impeachment, death or incapacitation, the zoning formula would still hold despite the time it occurred. For instance, if Yar'dua had died in 2007 (God forbid!), a northerer should have succeeded him, not the VP, who was a Southerner.

As it were, the administration of President Umaru Musa Yar'dua ended on wednesday night after his death, so did PDP's zoning to the North. The following day, another President was sworn in, who fortunately is a Southerner. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is no longer the Vice President. He is not the Acting President, neither is he standing in for Yar'dua or PDP. He is now Nigerian President and the successor of former President Musa Yar'dua. By so doing, PDP zoning system has already been altered.

It is therefore foolhardy to think that Jonathan is serving out somebody else's tenure. PDP might think so but Nigerians and the world know that there is a new President. If PDP wanted the zoning system, which is unconstitutional, to succeed, a northerner should have succeeded Yar'dua and not Jonathan. In fact, they should have fielded two Northern candidates to be sure of completing the zonal tenure.

How would it appear if PDP ignores the Leader of the party, the President, who also has the power of incumbency to field his VP as presidential candidate for 2011election? Even if they decide to do so as confirmed by its Chairman, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, I am sure Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has not gone to Aso Rock "to look at bridges, buildings and designs", he has gone to lead Nigerians and he has already assumed power. At any rate, any other person aspiring for the position through PDP must probably have to wait till 2015. By then, he must have served out his tenure.

Those who are lobbying for the position of Vice President should bear this in mind. PDP therefore must forget the zoning system for now because fate has played a fast one on them.

Residents of Abeokuta, the capital city of Ogun State, woke up to posters promoting the presidential ambitions of Ibrahim Babangida, on the morning of Thursday May 6, 2010.

Speculations suggest that an unknown group plastered the posters at strategic points around the city in the early hours...

Abeokuta is the hometown of Moshood Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993, elections, annulled by Babangida, Nigeria’s former military ‘president’. The 1993 polls were generally believed to be the freest and fairest polls ever held in our country.

Abiola lost his life after spending a number of years in military detention during the struggle to reclaim his mandate.

No persons have so far claimed responsibility for the poster campaign in Abeokuta.

This is no surprise to some observers, who point to the residents’ negative disposition to the prospect of a Babangida presidency in 2011.

Many Abeokuta residents tore down the posters from the walls of their properties.

Similar poster-tearing operations were reportedly carried out by a number of traders, whose shops were defaced with posters. Speaking with NEXT, many expressed their displeasure over the military boss-turned-politician’s campaign brought to their doorsteps.

“If those behind and responsible for the pasting of the posters are sure of what they were doing, why should they be hiding under the cover of midnight and odd hours to carry out the assignment? It is conscience that is worrying them,” said a man who gave him name as Baba Sule.

Entertain no fear

Another Abeokuta resident, Abayomi Omooseparo, an artisan, gave his reactions in the Yoruba language, saying, “If you do good, you need not entertain fear,” stressing that the elusiveness of the campaign promoters who worked under the cover of night, speaks volumes.

The posters, carrying an image of Babangida, came with the inscriptions: ‘IBB Movement 2011’, ‘Babangida For President; It’s our cause’. The posters also suggested the endorsement of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as they carried the party’s logo.

Girl frozen in time may hold key to ageing

American scientists are keenly studying the DNA of a 17-year-old girl who still has the body and behaviour of a baby

This 21'st century Peter Pan has defied scientists .A genetic condition (Anageria) opposite to progeria which some speculate Paris Hilton and many other women and MEN will kill for ! Brooke Greenberg is a miracle.

Scientists are hoping to gain new insights into the mysteries of ageing by sequencing the genome of a 17-year-old girl who has the body and behaviour of a tiny toddler.

PHOTO:Brooke Greenberg "baby", then aged 9, with sister Carly who was 6

Brooke Greenberg is old enough to drive a car and next year will be old enough to vote — but at 16lb in weight and just 30in tall, she is still the size of a one-year-old.

Until recently she had been regarded as a medical oddity but a preliminary study of her DNA has suggested her failure to grow could be linked to defects in the genes that make the rest of humanity grow old.

If confirmed, the research could give scientists a fresh understanding of ageing and even suggest new therapies for diseases linked to old age.

“We think that Brooke’s condition presents us with a unique opportunity to understand the process of ageing,” said Richard Walker, a professor at the University of South Florida School of Medicine, who is leading the research team.

“We think that she has a mutation in the genes that control her ageing and development so that she appears to have been frozen in time.

“If we can compare her genome to the normal version then we might be able to find those genes and see exactly what they do and how to control them.”

Such research will be the focus of a conference at the Royal Society in London this week to be attended by some of the world’s leading age researchers.

It follows a series of scientific breakthroughs showing that the life span of many animals can be dramatically extended by making minute changes in single genes.

The work began with tiny worms known as C elegans, which normally live for only about a fortnight. Researchers have been able to extend their life span by up to 10 weeks by making small changes in certain genes.

Scientists have gone on to discover that mutating the same genes in mice had the same effect.

“Mice are genetically very close to humans,” said Cynthia Kenyon, professor of biochemistry at the University of California, San Francisco, who is a key speaker at the Royal Society.

“The implication is that ageing is controlled by a relatively small number of genes and that we might be able to target these with new therapies that would improve the quality and length of human life.”

The laboratory findings have been supported by research into humans, focusing on families whose members are long-lived. In one recent study Eline Slagboom, professor of molecular epidemiology at Leiden University, Holland, collected data on 30,500 people in 500 long-lived families to find the metabolic and genetic factors that make them special.

“Such people simply age slower than the rest of us,” she said. “Their skin is better, they have less risk of diseases of old age like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension and their ability to metabolise lipids and other nutrients is better. The question is: what is controlling all these different manifestations of slow ageing?

“So far, the evidence suggests that there could be just a few key genes in charge of it all. If we can find out where they are and how they work, it opens the way to new therapies against the diseases of ageing that could work in all of us.”

Walker and other researchers, including Kenyon, believe that finding the cause of Brooke Greenberg’s condition could be one way to pinpoint some of those genes.

Superficially, Brooke, who lives with her parents Howard and Melanie Greenberg and her three sisters in Reisterstown, a Baltimore suburb, is frozen in time. She looks and acts as if she were a small toddler — for 17 years her family has changed her nappies, rocked her to sleep and given her cuddles.

Brooke has shown some development, including crawling, smiling and giggling when tickled but she has never learnt to speak and still has her infant teeth.

But she has also suffered a succession of life-threatening health problems, including strokes, seizures, ulcers and breathing difficulties — almost as if she were growing old despite not growing up.

Howard Greenberg, Brooke's father, said he wanted the genome research carried out in the hope it might help others.

He said: "Brooke is just a wonderful child. She is very pure. She still babbles just like a 6 month old baby but she still communicates and we always know just what she means."

Walker and his colleagues, who are working with Brooke’s parents to ensure she benefits from any research findings, have just published a research paper which suggests that in reality some parts of her body have indeed aged — but slowly and all at different rates.

“Our hypothesis is that she is suffering from damage in the gene or genes that co-ordinate the way the body develops and ages,” he said.

“If we can use her DNA to find that mutant gene then we can test it in laboratory animals to see if we can switch if off and slow down the ageing process at will.

“Just possibly it could give us an opportunity to answer the question of why we are mortal.”

Jerly Lyngdoh: World’s oldest baby:

Surgeons and pediatricians in India have been puzzled after discovering a 26-year-old man trapped inside the body and mind of a child aged between one and two years.Jerly Lyngdoh – who is still dressed in baby clothes by his parents – has a head circumference that babies 9-12 months old have, measures 84 cm like any two-year-old and weighs 22 pounds.

“Jerly’s infantile features are remarkable, and the only things he shares with an adult are his teeth,” Dr. J. Ryndong told the Hindustan Times.

According to the pediatrician, Lyngdoh suffers from poor secretion of growth hormones from the pituitary gland.

“His is a case opposite to progeria, which means advanced ageing, and we have reasons to say Jerly is a rarity,” Ryndong added. He ruled out the genetic factor, since all six of Jerly’s siblings have no physical or mental disability.

“We also plan to seek expertise from the medical world beyond to crack Jerly’s case,” the doctor said.