Omg Apple CEO admit he's Gay!!!

Apple CEO Tim Cook has, for the first time,
written publicly about his intimate orientation in an
essay published in Businessweek Thursday.
"I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay
among the greatest gifts God has given me," Cook
writes.
Cook says in the essay that for years he has been
open with many people about his intimate
orientation. "Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I’m
gay, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference in the
way they treat me."
He adds that while he never denied his sexuality, he
had not publicly acknowledged it either.
Writing about his motivation to discuss his sexuality
publicly, the Apple boss cites Dr. Martin Luther
King's quote:
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What
are you doing for others?’ I often challenge myself
with that question, and I’ve come to realize that my
desire for personal privacy has been holding me
back from doing something more important."
Earlier this week, Cook challenged his home state of
Alabama saying it was too slow to guarantee the
rights of minorities during the civil rights era, and
it is currently too slow to ensure the rights of
people based on intimate orientation and gender
identity.
In June, during a CNBC "Squawk on the Street"
segment, co-anchor Simon Hobbs accidentally "outed"
the CEO as being openly gay while asking columnist
Jim Stewart: “I think Tim Cook is fairly open about
the fact that he’s gay at the head of Apple isn’t
he?".

Wizkid: 2face is a basterd

In a new interview with Encomium mag,
Wizkid said he doesn’t care if people think
he is arrogant, that he doesn’t love
everybody and so doesn’t expect everybody to
love him.
Asked if it bothers him that people think
he’s arrogant, Wizkid said;
“Bother me? Never! I am not bothered.
Honestly I don’t hear people saying it
because anytime I go out, I show my fans
great love. I do my thing. I don’t have
problem with that because I don’t love
everybody as well. So I don’t expect
everybody to love me too. That’s life”
Continue…
Asked if he is terrible person, Wizkid said;
“Terrible? Everyone has opinion about people.
But when they say Wizkid is terrible, you
need to ask them, “Why is Wizkid a terrible
person? What did he do? For four years, I
was making music with Samklef, everyone
knew his house. I was going up and down,
shouting, Samklef Nor Ni. That’s me, I am
just trying to be a good person. Whereas
everyone cannot like you and everyone cannot
hate you” he said.
Asked if fame has in anyway changed him,
Wizkid said
“No, fame has not changed Wizkid. The only
thing fame has changed in Wizkid is that I
added some accessories. I have got nice
chains, watches, and nice clothes. Asides
that, I am still Wizkid. I no tall, still same
height”
He also reacted to his recent controversy
with singer Saeon,
“Oh really? She’s bitter about it. I didn’t
see the allegation but I gave her hit song. I
no try? I did my part. I was in the studio
with her, gave her hit song. I no try. That’s
not even how much I charge for
collaboration, I charge N10 million. I
collected N1.5 million from her because of
love. I was busy, I didn’t want to do it” he
said.
Asked about the comment that he doesn’t
charge those he loves, Wizkid said;
“Yeah I don’t charge people I love. I said so
but when someone is on your neck everyday
for a collaboration and she offers you money,
won’t you collect it? If you fail to collect it,
they start calling you terrible person. I am
just trying to be a good guy”
On his fashion sense, Wizkid said;
“Fresh! Am I not looking fresh? I have
always loved chains a lot. For me, I also see
chains as investment because they ar gold
and diamond. You can always sell anything
gold and diamond. It is like an investment for
me”.
On why he loves to flaunt his accessories on
social media, Wizkid said;
“You know now. I didn’t have accessories
when I started my career. Did you see me
wearing bling-bling when I did Hola at your
boi? No! I hustled to get money to buy them
and there is no crime if I show it or flaunt
it to my fans because they gave me money to
buy them” he said
On where he invests his money, Wizkid said;
“I will say property but most importantly
Jewelry.

S/Africa & Orlando Pirates goalkeeper shot dead in his girlfriend's house

Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates number one goalkeeper and captain Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead yesterday October 26th at his girlfriend's house just a few hours after the photo above was taken.

According to reports, Meyiwa, 27, who played a match for Orlando Pirates on Saturday night, was at his girlfriend's house, SA pop star Kelly Khumalo (pictured right), when three men entered the home in Vosloorus, Johannesburg to rob them. Meyiwa ended up getting shot in the chest. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead. No one else in the house was hurt.

Even though he was dating Kelly openly, Meyiwa was married. Until his death he was married to a lady named Mandisa Mkhize and they had two children. He also had a child with Kelly, a baby girl named Aphelele who was born this year. Sad. May his soul rest in peace, amen.

Photos Of President Jonathan Praying At Mount Carmel on Sunday

Nigeria At Risk Over Falling Oil Price : FG

ABUJA: The Federal Government, yesterday,
raised an alarm over the decline in the
global crude oil prices, saying that it is
already putting in place stricter measures to
cushion the effect of the drop on the
Nigerian economy.
*Oil Vandals
“Nigeria has two to three months of rainy
day savings to cushion it while contingencies
are put in place should world oil prices
continue to fall,” Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Co-
ordinating Minister for Economy told
theFinancial Times.
Okonjo-Iweala disclosed that should oil price
dip below $78, the country would have to
draw down on the Excess Crude Account
(ECA).
She said, “Our intention is not to run in
there and raid it, but even if prices continue
to go down we can survive sufficiently for
two to three months. That is the time
needed to get other measures in place. What
you don’t want is a hard landing.”
“Our buffers are slimmer this time,” Okonjo-
Iweala acknowledged, adding that there is
about $4bn in the ECA at present, $2bn
short of what the International Monetary
Fund had recommended.
She further stated that the country needs
to ramp up our non oil revenues on the fiscal
side, adding that global consulting firm,
McKinsey, has been engaged to carry out an
extensive review of revenue services in order
to identify potential gains.
Okonjo-Iweala added that she was
encouraged by an exhaustive data review,
which saw Nigeria’s economy overtake South
Africa’s as the continent’s largest, showing
that the economy had diversified to a much
greater extent than previously thought.
She said, “In an oil country you can never
feel at ease exactly. But I feel we can master
this situation because we have a diverse
base.
“We will have to look very hard at recurrent
expenditure, and identify overlapping
agencies. When the price is heading down
everyone sees the necessity but that doesn’t
stop them hating you.
Okonjo-Iweala agreed, however, that lower
oil prices would provide a stronger incentive
to government to rein in oil theft, which has
cost billions of dollars a year, and help to
drive through stalled oil sector legislation to
stimulate production.
“That would enable us to pick up quantity to
help us cushion on the price side,” she said.
The Federal Government, which depends on
oil typically for about 80 per cent of
revenues, is assuming an oil price of $78 per
barrel for its 2015 budget, up from $77.5
per barrel in 2013 and precariously close to
recent world prices.
Nigeria was in a much stronger position last
time the world price of oil tumbled, with
about $22bn squirrelled away in the ECA.
Those funds helped the country weather the
2008 global financial crisis with economic
output relatively unscathed.
But during recent boom years the government
has persistently used the ECA, dividing out
the proceeds among the 36 states in the
federation, which are constitutionally
entitled to their share.
Nigeria also holds foreign reserves equivalent
to $39″billion. These have come under recent
pressure as the central bank has stepped in
to prop up the naira, but still cover nine
months worth of imports.
Nigeria’s ratio of non-oil tax revenues to
GDP, at 4.5 per cent, is among the lowest
on the continent. McKinsey helped South
Africa broaden its tax base to the tune of
about $3bn and Okonjo-Iweala believed
similar gains were possible over the longer
term in Nigeria.
www.vanguardngr.com

Check Out Photos From N3.3billion Ekiti Government House That Reflects Staggerin

Money speaking lolssss

Top ten nollywood richest actresses

**10 Chioma chukuka: Net Worth 46 Million
Naira
**9 Uche Jombo : Net Worth 49.5 Million
Naira
**8 Monalisa Chinda: Net Worth 50 Million
Naira
**7 Patience Ozokwor: Net worth 51 Million
Naira
**6 Omotola Jalade Ekeinde: Net Worth 53
Million Naira
**5 Mercy Johnson: Net Worth 55 Million
Naira
**4 Rita Dominic: Net Worth 58 Million
Naira
**3 Ini Edo: Net Worth 60 Million Naira
**2 Genevieve Nnaji: Net Worth 64 Million
Naira
**1 Kate Henshaw: Net Worth 67 Million
Naira
What's your take on this?

EXCLUSIVE: Audit Exposes Massive Corruption In Lagos Local Councils;

October 16, 2014 Micheal Abimboye
A government audit of 57 local councils in
Lagos State has indicted eight, accusing
their officials of squandering at least
N224 million of public funds on a range of
questionable expenditure and unimplemented
contracts.
The 2012 audit report covers the state’s
Local Government Areas, LGAs, created and
recognised by the Nigerian
government, as well as Local Development
Council Administration, LCDAs, created by
the Lagos State government, but
not recognised by the federal government.
Those accused of wasting public funds are
Agbado Oke-odo, Surulere, Coker-Aguda,
Egbe-Idumu, Eredo, Iba, Ikosi-
Isheri, and Lagos Island East.
The audit assessment, seen by PREMIUM
TIMES, accused officials of the affected local
authorities of “financial
recklessness”, and blamed them for wasteful
spending.
The report also criticised another set of
eight local government areas of piling up
debts and failing to meet targeted
revenue projections.
The LCDAs in this category are Eti-Osa
East, Ikoyi-Obalende, Iru-Victoria Island,
Yaba, and Agabo-Oke LCDAs.
The LGAs are Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland,
Somolu.
Together, the eight councils accounted for
N788.3 million in debt, and fell short of the
projected N831.5 million self-
generated revenue, the report states.
The respective debt profiles of each council
were listed as Eti-Osa East N23.7m; Eti-
Osa N52m; Ikoyi-Obalende N220.3m,
and Iru Victoria Island N50m.
Others are Lagos Mainland N163.8m; Yaba
N51.2m; Somolu N147.5m and Agbado Oke-
Odo N79.6m.
Unaccounted funds
The report highlights a series of disturbing
spending and practices which the auditors
said cost the 16 councils an
“unquantifiable financial shortfalls that
could have been used for development
projects at the grassroots”.
In Agbado Oke-Odo for instance, officials
paid out N11.5m as personal advance for
staff of the council since 2010 but
failed to deduct the payments from salaries
of the beneficiaries.
Also, the council failed to remit statutory
deductions from contracts awarded to the
tune of N40.9m.
In Surulere, auditors found that N17.5 m, as
against the agreed N12.8m, which was 30
percent of the mobilization sum,
was paid to a contractor for the installation
of a Colour Led Display solution screen at
Masha Road, Lagos State Water
Corporation Junction in Surulere Even so,
“the project has not taken off since February
2011 when the agreement was
signed”, the report stated.
Tajudeen Ajide, the Chairman of Surulere
Local Government, told PREMIUM TIMES that
the allegations were false.
To prove his innocence, he presented
documents and video clips showing that the
Colour Led Display solution Screen
project actually kicked off, but was stopped
by the Lagos State Advertising Agency,
LASSA, which refused to grant
approval for the installation of the screen.
Mr. Ajide took a PREMIUM TIMES’ reporter
to the proposed site of the Colour Led
Display solution Screen project at
Masha Roundabout, Surulere, where work
was yet to commence.
“The Led Display solution screen actually
kicked off but the state advertising
regulatory agency refused to approve the
locations we offered, the stadium junction
and the roundabout at Masha, even after the
state government approved the
project,” he said. “And this project would
have boosted our revenue generation which I
had planned to use to put into
education, and some key areas of the
society.”
The council boss however did not explain why
N17.5 million was paid instead of N12.8
million, the stipulated 30 per
cent mobilization fee.
Other local areas too
At Coker-Aguda LCDA, “spurious
expenditure” totalling N1.3m was made by
staff on behalf of the Local Council, the
report said.
“The payment appeared spurious because the
minutes of the meetings were not provided to
the audit team and pictorial
evidence of performance was not attached to
the payment vouchers,” it stated.
A total of N29.1 m was unaccounted for in
Egbe-Idimu LCDA.
“Expenditure Not Accounted For: Audit
examination of the payment vouchers revealed
that the sum of N10.0m paid to
various officers of the Local Council for
sundry expenses was not accounted for,” the
report said.
“Audit examination of the payment vouchers
during the period under review revealed that
the twenty-one payment
vouchers totalling N12, 652,000.00 were
doubtful and unreasonable.
“Payments for Jobs not Executed Audit
examination of payment vouchers showed
that the sum of N6, 500,000.00 was
expended on spreading of loose laterite and
stabilization of roads during the period
under review. Further inspection to
the site revealed that these projects were
not executed.
“Unpresented Payment Vouchers: Five
payment vouchers totalling N10,
200,000.00 duly posted in the Combined
Cashbook were not produced for audit
examination”.
Also, officials of the Eredo LCDA made
unauthorized excess expenditure totalling
N15m in 2012, just as 52 payment
vouchers amounting to N30.2m and duly
paid and posted in the treasury cashbook,
were not produced for audit
verification.
Officials of Iba LCDA were also indicted for
overpayment of security allowance to the
chairman by N2million in 2012.
Ramat Oseni-Adeyeri, the chairperson of Iba
LCDA, dismissed the claims against her and
other officials.
“It’s a fallacy,” she told PREMIUM TIMES.
At Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, the audit report noted
an irregular auto loan facility to the tune of
N100m from Fidelity Bank Plc
for the purchase of vehicles for various
functionaries of the Local Council.
The transaction was observed to be fraught
with various irregularities such as lack of
proper documentation.
An audit of Lagos Island East LCDA also
revealed expenditure not accounted for to the
tune of N6.3million.
The council chairmen of Eti-Osa LGA, Iru
Victoria Island LCDA and Surulere LGA
responded to PREMIUM TIMES
inquiry.
Yisa Owolabi, the chairman of Eti-Osa East
LCDA denied being in debt.
“The council took a facility of N100 m that
year on capital project with d approval of
the state government and as we
speak we will finish servicing it by the end of
next month. We are among the most prudent
council,” Mr. Owolabi said.
Also, Abayomi Daramola, the chairman of
Iru-Victoria island LCDA said he was sure
his council remitted all tax
deductions.
“We are not in any debt neither did we not
remit any statutory tax deductions. I’m very
sure,” he said.
The chairpersons of other indicted local
government/councils did not respond to our
requests for comments.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/

Falana blast buhari over presidential form loan

Senior lawyer, Femi Falana, has faulted the
decision of a presidential aspirant of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, Muhammad
Buhari, to take out a bank loan to purchase
his party’s intent form for the presidential
race.
Mr. Falana spoke on Thursday in Abeokuta at
the 2014 Press Week of the Paramount F.M
chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists,
NUJ, Ogun State Council, on the topic,
Current Security Challenges; Implications
For 2015 Election.
“That action of taking bank loan is
indefensible. I have condemned it and
political parties should do something about
that. If you are obtaining loans for forms,
what about elections? Elections cost billions
in Nigeria and that should be discouraged,”
Mr. Falana said.
He enjoined Nigerians to shun ethnic,
religious and other primordial sentiments in
voting in candidates.
He said what Nigerians should look out for
are qualities that will fix roads, reduce
poverty and deal with insecurity issue.
Similarly, Mr. Falana charged the media not
to extend undue favour to any candidate or
political party. He said their report should
also be issue based, while more effort should
be directed at fighting corruption.
Mr. Falana stressed that only individuals
with competence and commitment should get
Nigerians’ votes.
On local government autonomy, Mr. Falana
said in the true sense of the word, no arm of
government in Nigeria is truly autonomous,
arguing that as long as states continued to
run to Abuja for survival, autonomy exists
only on paper.

www.premiumtimesng.com

Chibok girls set to be released on Monday!

Yola – Self acclaimed secretary General of
Boko
Haram, Mallam Danladi Ahmadu have said
that the
group’s cases fire agreement with the
Federal
Government is very much on course.
Ahmadu disclosed that the final meeting
between the
group and the Federal Government to finally
seal the
ceasefire agreement has been scheduled for
Monday
in Ndjamana, Chad and to be supervised by
the
Chadian leader, Idris Derby.
Danladi Ahmadu, who spoke in the Hausa
service of
the Voice of America VoA on Friday and
monitored in
Yola affirmed that the Chibok Girls would
surely be
released on Monday to the Chadian
President, Idriss
Derby for onward presentation to the
Nigerian
government.
He added that an enlarged meeting of the
group has
been fixed for the weekend to prepare ground
for the
Monday meeting with the Federal government,
affirming that the final ceasefire and the
release of
the Chibok girls are promises that will
surely be
fulfilled by the group.
Ahmadu also disclosed to VoA that the
group and the
Federal government are in close consultations
over
arrangements for the Monday meeting in
Chad.
Commenting on the latest kidnap of over 40
women
and girls in the border villages between
Adamawa
and Borno states, the Secretary General
maintained
that as far as the Boko Haram is concern it
is not
aware of the latest kidnap and attacks.
He added that in as much as the group is
investigating the latest kidnap and attacks
to
determine the involvement of its members,
admitting
that many anti-social groups have infiltrated
the Boko
Haram.
Danladi Ahmadu stated that political thugs,
armed
robbers, kidnappers, hired assassins and
other anti
social groups now parades themselves as
members
of the sect, but was quick to add that
things been
equal if the cease fire agreement is sealed all
the
groups would fizzle out.
It will be recalled that no fewer than 50
women and
girls were abducted by unknown gunmen from
Gartu
in Michika, Adamawa state and Waga
Mongoro, a
border village between Madagali in Adamawa
and
Gwoza in Borno state as the cease fire
between the
Federal government and the Boko Haram
insurgents
is yet to be fully implemented.

www.vanguardngr.com/

Happy islmic new year 1436

Happy new year,May Almighty Allah make us
grow in Islam & make us to be steadfast in
prayer.May this hijra 1436 bring us
abundant blessing & make us witness more as
a devoted Muslim. alahumo amin.

check out 2 face versace collections

Money speaking..

Power Generation Drops By 1,000MW Due To Gas Pipeline Vandalism

Speaking in Abuja on Monday, the minister said the
poor electricity supply across the country in the
past one week was due to the 1,000MW drop in
power generation.
Nebo said this during the Presidential Expert Group
Meeting on Infrastructure Ranking and Scorecard
Roadmap organised by the Nigerian Society of
Engineers.
The minister, who attributed the drop to the menace
of gas pipeline vandalism said, “We want to be very
sure that this is nipped in the bud with regards to
gas supply and we are doing everything possible to
minimise the incidences of vandalism.
“Now, look at what vandalism has cost us; nearly
1,000MW of power in the past one week on a daily
basis. And this means that every Nigerian is
cringing in pain because of the loss.”
Earlier, during the meeting proper, Nebo explained
that two major gas plants were severely affected
and this had warranted the fall in electricity
generation.
http://www.punchng.com/news

Man Abandons Children In Boarding School For Eight Years

Three children abandoned in a boarding school in
Abule-Iroko in the Ado-Odo Ota Local Government
Area of Ogun State are longing to meet their
parents who have abandoned them for eight years.
WhenPUNCH Metrovisited Solid Model College, the
children recounted their ordeal, noting that the
absence of their parents was affecting their studies.
Seun Adepegba, 14,Seyi, 10 and Titilola, 13, had
been severed from parental love and care since
infanthood. After waiting for eight years, they
seemed to have relinquished all hopes of reuniting
with their parents.
It was learnt that their tale of sorrow began in
2007 when their father, Mr Segun Adepegba, who
had been separated from their mother, enrolled them
in the boarding school because he could not afford
to take care of them.
According to the proprietor of the school, Mr
Samuel Ayegbusi, Adepegba came to enroll them in
his school on September 24, 2007 with a promise
to always check on them.
He said, “Mr. Adepegba told me his wife had just left
him and that he could not afford to take care of
them, being a jobless man. The children were very
little. Seyi was two, while Titilola was five.
“Mr Adepegba had pleaded with me to accept them in
the boarding school. Mr Adepegba’s sister promised
to bear the cost of their upkeep. They paid an initial
N150, 000 for the three children for the first
term.”
But according to the proprietor, Adepegba never
kept his promise. He said after the first term, the
school expected him to come and take his children
home for holiday but he never showed up until four
years later. He said the school had expended over
N7m on the upkeep of the children since 2007.
The proprietor said efforts to reach the parents’
families had proved abortive, adding that calls to
Adepegba’s phones were not always answered.
He said, “Whenever we called him and he realised
who was talking on the phone, he would switch off
his phones and for the next two weeks, the numbers
would not be available. When the school contacted
their father’s sisters, we were told that they had
travelled out of the country.
“When we called one of them, we were told that they
had sent money to Mr Adepegba to defray the
children’s school fees and upkeep. But Mr. Adepegba
has never come here to make any payment since the
initial deposit he made in 2007.”
According to the proprietor, taking care of the
children had further become cumbersome for him as
one of them, Titilayo, had started misbehaving. He
recounted how Titilayo ran away from the hostel
twice without informing the school authority on the
excuse that she was going to look for her father.
Ever since she was found, the proprietor said the
school had had to keep her in a room, under tight
surveillance, because she had vowed to run away to
find her father.
He said, “The school is not even bothered by the
cost of their upkeep. But anytime the school closed
for holiday and parents come around to take their
children home, Titilayo would fall into a sober mood
and twice, she had run away from the hostel without
informing anyone. It was a resident who stopped her
and brought her back to the school.
Some of the teachers, who spoke withPUNCH
Metroduring the visit, said the absence of the
children’s parents was seriously affecting their
studies. They said the appearance of their parents
would boost their academic performance.
While recounting their days with their father, the
children said he celebrated birthdays with them.
They said they had never met their mother.
Titilayo said, “We do not know who our mother is.
We grew up in Yaba, Lagos and all we remember is
that there was a woman that washed our clothes
and took care of us until we came here. We knew she
was not our mother.”
Seyi, the youngest of the trio, however, was an
exception as she kept a cheerful look during the
visit. Seyi, who told our correspondent her dream
was to become a medical doctor said, “Although I
have a faint memory of my father, I will like to see
him. If he comes today, I will ask him why he left us
for so long.”
Seun added, “I don’t care how long he has left us. I
just want to see him. I really need to see him.”
WhenPUNCH Metrocalled Adepegba on Thursday, his
phones were switched off.
Source: www.punchng.com/

Mass failure in the Nigerian law school.

The Nigerian Law School recently released the
2013/2014 August result, and about 4,000
students were said to have failed the examination
which is a prerequisite for them to be called to Bar.
The students who paid over N300, 000 for the
one year programme are angry and frustrated,
blaming the their failure on the Director General of
Nigerian Law School, Olarenwaju Adesola Onadeko,
PM News reports.
They claimed that Onadeko wants to destroy their
career by failing them en masse and they have called
for a review of the examination as well as their
results.
In their reaction, some of the students said: “Save
Law School Students: The DG Olarenwaju Onadeko
has come to destroy the future of over 70 per cent
of students who wrote exams in August and has run
to the United Kingdom to seek solace.
“#Please save the future of 5000 law school
student, so that the results may be reviewed because
some lecturers are in support of this movement as
they know the DG asked for a lot of scripts to be
marked down. Please this is the least you can do.
“The mass failure at the Nigerian Law School is an
insult to the legal system. Kindly help address this
issue by calling the attention of authorities that
matters; while another simply read: “#Please save
the future of 5000 law school students”.
“We the law students of Nigerian Law School protest
the poor handling and marking of our Bar 2 final
exam. Please we need the media to come to our aid,”
an email read.
“The Nigerian Law School released the 2013/2014
August result. It was a Tsunami! Out of 6000
candidates who registered, about #2172 passed. We
are talking of about #4000 students who failed”.

Nigerian Breaks Academic Record At John Hopkins University

A 22-year-old Nigerian has emerged one of the top
graduating students of John Hopkins University in
the United States. He obtained a Grade Point
Average of 3.98 out of a possible 4.0 to earn a
degree in Neurosciences, SEGUN OLUGBILE writes.
A 22-year-old Nigerian, Emmanuel Ohuabunwa, has
made history at John Hopkins University, United
States of America. Ohuabunwa from Arochukwu,
Abia State, has done the nation proud by becoming
the first black man to make a Grade Point Average
of 3.98 out of 4.0 to bag a degree in Neurosciences
in the university. He was also adjudged as having the
highest honours during the graduation that was held
on May 24 this year.
For his efforts, he has won a scholarship to Yale
University to pursue a degree in medicine. Besides,
he has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Society, a
prestigious honour group that features membership
of 17 US Presidents, 37 US Supreme Court Justices,
and 136 Nobel Prize winners.
According to Wikipedia, The Phi Beta Kappa Society
is an academic honour society. Its mission is to
“celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts
and sciences” and induct “the most outstanding
students of arts and sciences at America’s leading
colleges and universities.”
It was founded at The College of William and Mary
on December 5, 1776, and thus it is the oldest
honour society for the liberal arts and sciences and
among the oldest undergraduate societies in the US.
In an online interview with our correspondent,
Ohuabunwa, who was born in Okota, Lagos and
attended Lilly Fields Primary School, Lagos, said he
left Nigeria after his junior secondary school
education at Air Force Comprehensive School,
Ibadan, Oyo State.
“My parents moved the whole family when I was 13
years old. I was about to begin SS1 at Air Force,
Ibadan. When I got to the US, I was enrolled with my
age mates, which meant at 13, I was in middle
school. I went to Fondren Middle School, which was
in the middle of the ghetto. That was one of the
darkest years for me because I encountered a lot of
peer pressure. Some of the students, ignorant about
Africa, bullied me and called me names such as
‘African booty scratcher’ because to them, Africans
were dirty and scratched their butts all the time.
“Some asked me if I lived in mud huts and ate faeces
for breakfast. I remember one day, when I was
walking to the school bus, a boy came from behind
and punched me in the face, called me an African and
walked away. It took everything in me not to
retaliate. I knew that God had put me in the U.S for
a purpose and it did not involve fighting or selling
drugs or doing the wrong things.
“My experience during that year gave me a thick
skin. I learned to stand for what I thought was right
even when the opposition seemed insurmountable. I
also learned to look at the positive in all situations.
Even though these kids were bullying me, I was still
gaining an opportunity to school in America and
nothing would stop me from making the best of this
opportunity.
“The shocker was that the kid that punched me in
the face was black. I would have expected the blacks
to be nicer to me. Nevertheless, I don’t blame those
kids because they were ignorant about Africa. All
they knew about us was the stuff they had watched
on TV or documentaries, showing primitive African
tribes, living in the jungle and making noises like
monkeys.
“In regards to the whites, there might have been
some minor episodes but again I don’t blame them
for it because it is a problem with stereotypes,” he
said.
But in spite of this humiliation and racial prejudice
against him, the first in a family of three was not
discouraged. He faced his studies and was always
coming top in his class. After he completed his
middle school education, he passed the entrance
examination to DeBakey High School for Health
Professions. It was at this school that his interest
in neurosciences and medicine started.
“By the second year of high school, we were able to
interact with doctors, nurses and other
administrators in the hospital. The more I learned
about medicine, the more it felt like the thing God
was calling me to pursue and by being in the US I
got a lot of people to support me to do this. Even
though in high school, I got to see first-hand what
it meant to be a doctor. We studied advanced
anatomy and physiology, learned medical
terminology, and learned important skills, such as
checking blood pressure, pulse rate, and many more.
“I knew I wanted to go to the best school in the US.
I had heard that Johns Hopkins Hospital had been
ranked the number one hospital in the US for the
past 21 years and I wanted to be in that
environment.’’
Worried that his parents might not be able to
sponsor him to the university, Ohuabunwa purposed
to work very hard. He did and when the result of
the PSAT came, he performed so well that he won
the National Achievement Scholar.
By virtue of this award, he received certificates of
recognition from various organisations including
senators from the Congress of both Texas and the
US. He also received scholarship from the University
of Houston; Rice University, Texas A&M Honors
College and many more.
He had also won the Principal’s Award during the
annual awards ceremony at DeBakey High School.
“During our graduation ceremony at DeBakey, I also
won the Award for the Most Outstanding Senior
Young Man and the student volunteer award for my
volunteer activities in the State of Texas,” he said.
But his breakthrough came when he won the Bill and
Belinda Gates Foundation full scholarship to any
university of his choice. He worked hard and gained
admission to Johns Hopkins University to study
Neurosciences.
But why Neurosciences, Ohuabunwa said, “I studied
Neuroscience, because I was fascinated with the
brain, its control of our behaviours and how various
diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, lead to a
decline in its activity. I also minored in Psychology
because I wanted to understand disorders in the
psyche. What causes bipolar disorders or
schizophrenia. I did not just want to label them as
crazy but to understand what causes these
conditions and how we can treat them,’’ he
explained.
But what does he consider to be the missing links in
the education sector of Nigeria when compared with
that on offer in US, Ohuabunwa said unpredictable
academic calendar, corruption, examination
malpractice and inadequate funding were some of the
problems confronting his home country’s university
sector. These, he said, were absent in the US.
“There were a few problems with Nigerian higher
education that contributed to our emigration in
2003. The first was the number of strikes that
occurred in schools. It took my uncle seven years to
graduate with a degree that should have taken him
only four years. A second problem was the
corruption. We had heard of people going into
universities, because they paid someone to look the
other way. I also heard of a few cheating scandals,
where people would pay someone to take their exams
for them or get a copy of the exam a few days
before,” he said.
But is he saying that US university system has no
such problems at all? Ohuabunwa said, “Although
this sometimes occurs in the U.S, it is less common
because of the strict security. I remember when
taking the Medical College Admissions Test, test
required before one can matriculate into medical
school, each student had to get his fingerprints
taken every time we entered and left the hall. The
whole place was packed with cameras and security
staff that monitored everything we were doing. The
exam was computerised to make sure that no one
saw the test before the actual date.”
Another difference, he said, is that America rewards
hard-work while the system also emphasises on a
balance between academic life and extracurricular
activities.
On how he won the scholarship to Yale, Ohuabunwa
said his 3.98 GPA in Neurosciences, and many
awards he had won and God’s grace, contributed to
his winning the scholarship.
“As at the time of my application for medical school,
I had a 3.98 GPA of a 4.0. This made me the only
black student inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta
Kappa. I was also awarded the Becker Family
Scholarship for being the most outstanding student
in the Neuroscience major at Johns Hopkins
University. Furthermore, by God’s grace, I took the
MCAT and scored in the top five percentile.
“That, combined with my hours of volunteer service
in different hospitals across the US allowed me to
gain acceptance into every medical school I applied
to, including Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins,
Columbia, and Cornell. As the time came to make a
decision, I had narrowed it down to Harvard and
Yale. Both schools, I enjoyed visiting. Nevertheless,
while my parents prayed, they asked God to give us
a sign of what school to attend. A few days later, I
received a letter from Yale Medical School, offering
me a full ride scholarship for all four years. That
was the sign from God,” he said.
But would he come back to Nigeria after the
completion of his programme, he said yes.
“I am absolutely interested in the health care policy
decisions in Nigeria. Because there are many
changes that need to occur, I will not rule out the
possibility of coming back after my studies, in order
to join hands with the leaders to make these
changes possible.’’
He added that his ambition is to become a medical
doctor specialising in brain surgery.
“Two weeks ago, my grandmother passed away after
a long battle with strokes. Even during emergencies,
it was difficult for her to get to the hospital, let
alone get treatment. This is a common theme not only
in the health care system of Nigeria, but in different
countries in the world, where the poor get
neglected.
“Second, Nigerian hospitals lack the infrastructure
required to compete with major hospitals around the
world. It would be an honour to one day contribute
to this transformation that is necessary for
improvements in Nigeria’s health care sector,” he
said.
He, however, advised Nigerian youths who have the
wherewithal, to go abroad to study. Ohuabunwa also
called on wealthy Nigerians to invest more in the
education of the poor rather than in acquisition of
material things.
Ohuabunwa, however, said that his parents, who he
described as his greatest role models, contributed a
lot to his academic feat through Godly training,
counsel and guidance. He also did not forget the
impact that his short stay at Air Force school had
on him.
“I was definitely not the brightest at Air Force. At
that time, I felt like I spent more time running away
from seniors than focusing on my studies.
Nevertheless, I learned three things at Air Force
that have served me well in the US. I learned
discipline, adaptability and resilience. These
attributes helped me a lot in US,” he said.
http://www.punchng.com

Tambual defects to APC

The Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives,
Aminu Tambuwal has defected to Nigeria’s
Opposition, All Progressives Congress, APC
dumping the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP
a platform through which he emerged speaker of the
green chamber.
Tambuwal defected Monday in Sokoto when he
attendeed the APC Stakeholders meeting , the
speaker is expected to announce his defection
officially during Tuesday’s plenary session in the
House of the Whole…
Some members of the House of Representatives are
also expected to defect with him during tomorrows
plenary from the People’s Democratic Party.
Tambuwal in the last one year has been a strong
opposition to the ruling PDP, ignoring the National
Executive Committee meetings of the party and
attending events organized by Chieftains of the
APC.
His defection comes as no surprise especially for
political analysts who before now, predicted his
eventual defection ahead of the 2015 general
elections.. Tambuwal is known for moving from one
political party to another since he began his career
in active politics.
At the stakeholders meeting reports gather were
Aliyu Wamako, the executive governor of Sokoto
State, and Inuwa Abdulkadir, the former Minister of
Youth Development who served under the President
Goodluck Jonathan’s cabinet before he was sacked.
http://newswirengr.com

Jonathan Commissions N4.4bn Edo/Delta Link Bridge

Victor Efeizomor in Asaba
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on Friday
commissioned the Asaba-Ebu-Otor road linking
Delta and Edo States, with a promise to dualise the
road to enhance the economic value to the people of
the states .
Jonathan said the bridge was built at a cost of N4.4
billion by an indigenous company, Inter Bau
Construction, adding that the successful completion
of the bridge was a testimony of the benefits of the
Transformational Agenda of his administration.
Represented by Vice- President Namadi Sambo,
Jonathan said that the federal government was
determined to upgrade the infrastructural base of
the country, adding that the government decided to
change the policy of arterial roads in 2012 and that
resulted in the completion of the bridge in a record
time.
According to him, “It is gratifying to note that the
completed bridge is already impacting on the lives of
the people in terms of enhancing for farmers and
better social integration between the communities on
both sides of the bridge. I am pleased to inform you
that we have directed the Minister of Works to
commence the design and dualisation of the road.”
The President said that the federal government
would continue to partner with the private sector in
the road sector as it occupied a strategic place.
Earlier, the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike
Onolememen in his speech said that the completed
bridge was part of the road which runs from Asaba
to Illah, Ebu to Illushi, Ubiaja, Uromi and Irrua in
Edo State.
Tracing the history of the bridge to the 19th
century when the British built the first wooden
bridge across the Otor River which later collapsed,
Onolememen said that the modern bridge started in
2005 when the ex-Minster of Works, Senator
Adeseye Ogunlewe approved the project.
He said that when the initial contract for the 400
metre long bridge which consists of a 10 kilometer
access road which was initially valued at N2.9
billion was awarded in 2006, it was supposed to
have been completed in 2008 but was later shifted
to 2009.
He said that due to the federal government policy at
that time, it was transferred over to the Delta
State government which declined to take over on the
ground that it is an interstate project which
traversed Edo and Delta States but was again taken
over by the federal government in 2011 due to a
series of agitation by Edo and Delta communities.
He added: “The Contract was awarded t the same
contractor, Messrs Inter Bau Construction at a
revised of N4.4 billion. Work commenced in
December 2012 and has now been completed. The
project has provided a shorter link between the
South East and Abuja with an appreciable travel
reduction time of two hours.”
Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan used the
occasion to plead that the weight of vehicles plying
the road should be regulated so as to avoid the
wear and tear of the road.
Uduaghan said that the governments of Edo and
Delta states agitated for the transfer of the bridge
to the federal government when it was handed over
to them because of the funding which the two
governments could not afford but was glad that it
had finally been completed by the federal government.

http://www.thisdaylive.com

Morroco denies claim.

Morocco has denied that it had withdrawn hosting
of the 2015 AFCON.
The North African country however insists that they
still want the
tournament postponed, forcing a conflict with
organisers.
The Confederation of African Football has
maintained its stance that the
tournament, to be held between January 17 and
February 8, must go
ahead as planned.
The ebola virus has claimed more than 4,000 lives
since the start of the
year, and with around a million spectators expected
to travel to watch
the tournament, Morocco sports minister Mohamed
Ouzzine reiterated
the country’s desire to for a postponement.
“Our concern is the health of Africa, and based on
WHO [World Health
Organisation] reports and guidelines, we have to
listen,” he said.
“Zero safety does not exist, but one has to take the
necessary precautions
so that the coming tournament will be a football
feast, bringing together
our African brothers, but given the current ebola
situation we don’t think
such a feast can take place as expected.
“I don’t think there is any state or any country that
has the necessary
capabilities to monitor, check and control the
current ebola situation
when faced with these numbers. This is our real
problem. We don’t have
a problem with visiting teams, we have a problem
with visitors.”

www.thenationonlineng.net/

APC considers Buharri-fashola ticket

There were strong indications at the
weekend that the All Progressives
Congress ( APC ) may have decided to pair
incumbent Governor of Lagos State ,
Babatunde Raji Fashola, with the party ’ s
frontrunner in next month’ s presidential
primaries- General Muhammadu Buhari .
Buhari Fashola
Top sources at the party’ s national
secretariat in Abuja told Sunday
Independent that the members were
encouraged to step up the game after the
large turn out that graced Buhari ’ s
declaration of Wednesday .
From the event and judging by the large
turnout of who is who in the party , they
reasoned, it was evident that most of the
members were favourably disposed to the
candidacy of Buhari .
At the event were four governors: Fashola,
Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers , Tanko Al Makura
of Nasarawa and Adams Oshiomhole of
Edo States; just as there were other
prominent members of the party at
Buhari’ s declaration at Eagles Square on
Wednesday .
Asked whether the party was mindful of
the Muslim /Muslim ticket debate still
raging at the moment , the source said the
party has been making wide range
discussions on the issue apart from
consulting religious and opinion leaders
across the country.
“Yes, we are mindful of the mood in the
country presently . But we are also
conscious of the fact that the country’ s
future is more important than every other
thing ; that is why we have not finalised
the arrangement of pairing Fashola with
Buhari. But you can be sure that after our
consultations, the nation’ s paramount
interests would be the deciding factor and
not religion”, the source, who craved
anonymity said .
Before now , there were speculations that
the APC was considering a strong Christian
from the Southwest to pair with a Muslim
presidential candidate from the core North .
The permutation appears to have changed
with the series of meetings that are being
held in Abuja and Lagos between the party
leaders.
It was gathered that at one of the
meetings held in Victoria Island , Lagos last
week , after over six hours , former governor
of the state and APC National Leader ,
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Fashola were
said to have agreed on the candidacy of
Mr. Akin Ambode to carry the party ’ s flag
in February .
Before now , the governor was implicitly
backing his Commissioner for Works and
Infrastructure, Dr Femi Hamzat to replace
him at the Alausa, Ikeja , governor’ s office.
At the venue of the agreement said to have
been brokered by party elders , Sunday
Independent learnt that the chieftains
made Fashola and Tinubu to realise why
they must find a middle ground and work
together in the interest of the party, both
at the state and at the national levels .
A source at the meeting said the elders
impressed it on the governor that there is
a link between his success in office and
the role played by his mentor , Tinubu in
the past years.
The party’ s source added that the elders
also made Tinubu understand that the
governor has made the party and every one
proud, and therefore deserved to be
supported for a national ticket .
“The meeting urged Tinubu to begin
mobilisation to make sure Fashola is
paired with any candidate that eventually
emerged at the party’ s convention . They
said it would not be too difficult to sell the
candidature of the governor, since most of
his colleagues already referred to him as
‘ class captain , ” the source said .
He added : “The meeting agreed that
Fashola should support Tinubu given his
pragmatism and consistency in building
party structures in Lagos, Southwest and
across the country. The elders also
appealed to both leaders to work together
in unity , for the interest of the party.“
Even so , it was gathered that pressure is
being mounted on other aspirants to
withdraw from the race to ensure Ambode
emerges consensus candidate at the poll.
This is why , according to another party
leader in the state , many of the aspirants
are not rushing to buy nomination forms.
The APC leader said the party wants to
avoid a rancorous primary , and have
therefore appealed to the governorship
aspirants to see the reality on ground and
withdraw for Ambode.
It is not however clear if the aspirants are
willing to forgo their ambition. While some
have vowed to continue , insisting that the
party should ensure a level playing, others
are believed to be strongly weighing the
option, and may leave the race this week .
The matter may not be as simple as that ,
after Lagos Assembly Speaker , Adeyemi
Ikuforiji picked his nomination form on
Saturday, just like Obafemi Hamzat,
Commissioner for Works , while Senator
Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon is not known
to have jettisoned his life - long ambition to
govern the centre of excellence, but
whether any of them can sail through
without Tinubu in APC is another issue
.
www.dailyindependentnig.com

Tribo west on Oboabona and Omeruo;

Former Super Eagles great, Taribo West has
blasted the defensive pair of Kenneth Omeruo and
Godfrey Oboabona, labelling their efforts in the
ongoing Nations Cup qualifiers as amateurish.
The former Derby County defender, once considered
world class by his peers, clearly has a low opinion
on the Eagles' current back line after pushing the
national team's caretaker coach Shaibu Amodu to
look for replacements for both centre-back and left-
back positions.West, who won a gold medal in the
96' Olympic Games, claimed Nigeria had themselves
to blame for their disappointing position and
Omerou and Oboabona should take the majority of
the blame.
- The Eagles impressed me [during their 3-1 win
over Sudan] but our defence was suspect and
Omeruo and [Godfrey] Oboabona played like
amateur defenders, Taribo told hereisthecity.com
- They are good defenders but they were too relaxed
and made the same mistakes over and over again.
We have conceded goals in the same way in the
qualifiers.- Sudan's goal in Nigeria's 3-1 win was
similar to the one against us in the first leg in
Kartoum.
- They only did well against South Africa, though
they made some mistakes. South Africa had the
opportunity to execute one-on-one moves and score
goals but Vincent Enyeama saved us. The two
defenders didn't play like champions or professionals
in other games.- I think they need competition. We
need to scout for new central defenders. I would
have suggested that they should be dropped but we
don't have better replacements for them now. But we
should work on improving their weaknesses.
This is not the first time West will rail at young
defenders, as he labelled Joseph Yobo and the other
new faces in the Super Eagles team to the 2002
World Cup in Korea Japan as 'junk players'

http://www.futaa.com/

Quotes of the day!

1
To get through the hardest journey we need to take only one step at a time but we must keep on stepping.

2
Life is always up and down, so why are you worried when you are at the bottom; the next place is up.

3 If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

Atiku Abubakar reacts to Federal Government-Boko haram negotiations

I have been informed of the announcement of a
ceasefire between the Federal Government and Boko
Haram insurgents. This news is welcome -AA
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) October 17, 2014
After the Federal government agreed to a ceasefire
agreement with Boko Haram, APC presidential
hopeful, Atiku Abubakar took to twitter to air his
opinion. Though he said he would follow it up
cautiously, he said it’s a welcome development in the
interest of the girls..
Many Nigerians have also welcomed the idea for the
sake of peace and innocent lives being lost daily.
It is also welcome that an agreement for the release
of the Chibok girls has also been announced. -AA
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) October 17, 2014
I will be cautiously monitoring these developments,
but will continue to pray that the agreements hold,
so our daughters can return home -AA
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) October 17, 2014
We also must work and pray for peace to return to
our communities -AA
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) October 17, 2014

Yes we are dating. As Anna Banner confirms relationship with flavor

Flavour has however successfully shrouded his
relationship status in mystery since he became a
star, so much so that he neither acknowledged nor
denied rumours he recently fathered a child with
Sandra Okagbue. Photo: Instagram
Flavour is surely one of the most eligible bachelors
in the Nigerian music Industry.
The award-winning singer has however successfully
shrouded his relationship status in mystery since he
became a star, so much so that he has neither
acknowledged nor denied rumours that he recently
fathered a child with super model, Sandra Okagbue.
However, Flavour’s relationship status seems to
have just been confirmed by the woman in his life.
In the last couple of weeks, Flavour has repeatedly
shared pictures of himself and another super
model, Anna Banner Ebiere (MBGN 2013 winner),
and Anna does the same via social media.
A few hours ago, Anna took to her Instagram page
to share another picture of herself with Flavour
with the caption: ‘When you have someone that
encourages you, supports you, scolds you,
appreciates you, respects you, advices you, reminds
you of what the future holds, plays with you, cares
about you, loves you, makes you smile, tells you the
truth without looking back, and most importantly
draws you closer to God. Please tell me what else
you want. Because I have all I need. You make me
happy, your are more than awesome. … I pray that
God continues to bless you.@2niteflavour.’
http://thenet.ng/

Chris giwa: Stephen keshi remains eagles coach

The factional leader of the Nigeria Football
Federation has insisted the 'Big Boss' is still in
charge of the country's senior national team
Factional president of the Nigeria Football
Federation, Chris Giwa has condemned the decision
of the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF board to sack Super
Eagles' caretaker coach Stephen Keshi and ordered
his stay.
Keshi was relieved of his job as Super Eagles' coach
by the Pinnick-led NFF on Thursday morning with
Amodu Shuaibu named as replacement.
In a communiqué made available to Goal after its
emergency meeting held at Bolingo hotel, Abuja, the
Giwa-led NFF group insisted Keshi and his crew will
remain in the interest of continuity and described
the Pinnick-led board as illegal.
"The board resolved after hearing that some
people are parading themselves as the NFF board,
decided to sack the technical crew of the Super
Eagles at a very critical moment," the statement
read.
"We condemn the act and hereby state that Stephen
Keshi remains the head coach of the senior national
team and the technical crew remains intact.
We condemn the acts of impostors parading
themselves as such.
.
www.goal.com/en-ng/news/

The fear of Ebola: as morroco dump AFCON

In a shocking twist of events, the Confederation of
African football (CAF) is expected to look for a new
host for the 2015 African Nations Cup as agreed
hosts, Morocco, on Thursday, announced that they
will no longer be hosting the bi-annual football
tournament.
The North African country, who interestingly will be
hosting the FIFA World Club tournament, had earlier
asked CAF to postpone the tournament due to the
spread of Ebola virus in parts of West Africa.
However, the continental football body insisted that
the tournament would go ahead in January 2015 as
originally scheduled. It was in this light that
Morocco has now informed CAF that the tournament
poses health and security risk to its citizens if it
should hold on the earlier agreed date. And since
both parties could not reach a compromise, they are
no longer interested in hosting the competition.
Morocco’s withdrawal puts the leadership of CAF in
a desperate position. With less than three months
to go to the kickoff of the competition, the
continental football governing body is yet to
announce replacement for the North African country.
Already, host of the 2013 edition, South Africa are
said to be on standby to host the tournament while
Ghana is also said to be ready to host the football
showpiece.
Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.ng/

Quote of the day!

If you expect the world to be fair with you b’coz you are fair with them. It’s like expecting a lion not to eat you b’coz you don’t eat lion.

Fayose takes over ekiti sate as six APC members defects to PDP

Six members of the All Progressives Congress, APC,
in the Ekiti House of Assembly defected to the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Thursday just as
the governor, Kayode Fayemi was leaving office.
They are Adeojo Ayodele (Ekiti South West II
Constituency), Olowo Ajiboye (Oye II), Adeloye
Adeyinka (Ikole I), Abeni Olayinka (Ado II), Fatunba
Olajide (Moba II), and Olugbemi Joseph (Ikole II).
Until now, the APC had 25 of 26 members in the
House while PDP had only one.
Mr. Fayemi, who is also a member of the APC, left
office following the expiration of his four-year
tenure.
The defection of the lawmakers, who were called to
the podium, was announced as the new governor, Ayo
Fayose was being sworn in.
In his inaugural speech, the new governor said the
APC was dead and buried in Ekiti State.
Mr. Fayose governed the state between 2003 and
2006 on the platform of the PDP, which then
dominated the House of Assembly.
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-
news/169621-six-ekiti-apc-lawmakers-defect-to-
pdp-as-fayose-takes-over.html

FG to spend a whooping 1trl naira on 2015 petroleum subsidy

The Federal Government is to spend the sum of
N971 billion to subsidise the supply of petrol to
Nigerians in 2015, an indication that the
administration has no plan to do away with
subsidising petrol.
In the same vein, the government plans to give out
a total of N260 million to the Subsidy Reinvestment
Programme, SURE-P, for intervention in various
development agencies.
This is contained in the 2015-2017 Medium Term
Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy paper,
which President Goodluck Jonathan sent to the
National Assembly for approval as the basis for the
2015 budget.
According to the document, which Vanguard
obtained Thursdayt, the government expects to
receive fabulous revenue of N7.164 from oil and
gas while the sum of N3.2 billion from non-oil
revenue sources within the year.
Overall, the administration is expecting N11.1
billion as total federally collectible revenue for
2015, as against the projection of N10.894 for the
current year.
Of its oil revenue, according to Jonathan, the sum
of N858.59 billion will be spent as its contribution
to the cost of oil production while N209 billion will
go to National Domestic gas development and N78
billion set aside for Gas infrastructure development.
In the letter he addressed to the leadership of the
National Assembly, Jonathan admitted that the oil
sector was not witnessing new investments due to
uncertainty occasioned on the non-passage of the
Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB.
Jonathan explained that the oil benchmark of $78
pb was predicated on the projected balance
between increasing global supply resulting from
rising oil and unconventional oil production, and
production disruptions that may might result from
geopolitical risks.
The President said: “Our proposal is also driven by
the need to be cautious in our revenue projections
given the volatile nature of oil prices and the need
to rebuild our fiscal buffers, which have been very
useful in periods of revenue shocks”.

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We fired keshi for his life's Sake.

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)
Amaju Pinnick has said that Coach Stephen
Keshi was sacked to safeguard him from the wrath
of enraged Nigerian fans, who were on the
brink of lynching him during Wednesday’s 2015
Africa Cup of Nations qualifier with Sudan.
Pinnick and other NFF Executive Committee members
watched with awe, as fans pelted Keshi
with water bottles and stones as they demanded for
the head of the 2013 AFCON winner at the
Abuja National Stadium, venue of the match, which
Nigeria won 3-1 to keep alive their hopes of
qualifying for next year’s tournament in Morocco.
Chants of “Keshi must go:, “sack Keshi” and “we
don’t want Keshi
again” rented the air as fans went overdrive in their
bid to get their
voices heard by the NFF, who swiftly swung into
action in the wee
hours of yesterday by axing the former Togo and
Mali coach.
And speaking when he paid a courtesy visit to the
Minister of Sports
and Chairman, National Sports Commission, Dr.
Tamuno Danagogo
yesterday, Pinnick explained the personal safety of
Keshi was
considered more important than anything else.
Pinnck, it was learnt told the Minister that he was
shocked with the
hostile reception of the fans towards Keshi, arguing
that it would be
dangerous for Keshi to remain as coach in the face
of such hostility.
He added that it was the first time in recent years
that abuses and stones were rained down on a
Nigerian coach by fans.
“It was too much to bear. The fans were coming for
him and it was going to be a security risk for
us as people had ran out of patience and were
prepared to break the law to achieve their aim.
Keshi’s personal safety was paramount in our
decision to relieve him of his duties”, Pinnick said.

Source Vanguardng

Dnt claim the credit,GEJ warns governors over Ebola Success.

Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday
said neither he nor any governor in the country can
claim the credit for winning the war against Ebola.
Rivers and Lagos are the two Nigerian states hit by
the Ebola outbreak.
The federal government said the two states are now
free of the deadly virus.
According to Mr. Jonathan, the government could
not have succeeded in ridding the country of Ebola
virus without the cooperation of the Nigerian
masses.
The President said these at the Presidential Villa,
Abuja, during the launch of Elumelu Nigeria
Empowerment Fund, ENEF, to support victims of
terrorism in the country’s North-east zone.
He used the occasion to thank Nigerians for buying
into the Ebola campaign, saying that no government
could have performed magic to rid the county of the
deadly virus without the peoples’ support.
Mr. Jonathan, however, commended Nigerians for
following the health guidelines set out by
government, some of which was a departure from the
norm.
He said, “When government said we must be mindful
of gatherings, of handshakes and that we should not
move corpse unnecessarily,” Nigerians heeded the
advice.
He noted that even churches that he thought would
resist the directive by still using a single cup to
serve the Holy Communion to its members suspended
the practice during the Ebola war.
Continuing, he said, “Nigerians became mindful.
Friends stopped embracing themselves saying until
we get out of Ebola.
“So it (Ebola campaign) had the buy-in of the
populace and that is why we succeeded so fast
otherwise we couldn’t have.
“There is no magic government could have used to
solve that problem. No President or state governor
will claim any credit. The credit should go to the
ordinary Nigerians for the cooperation and their
buy-in,” Mr. Jonathan said.
By his comment, the President appears to be
reacting to remarks by top members of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, including Governors
Babatunde Fasola of Lagos State and Rotimi
Amaechi of Rivers State, who have said the Federal
Government did very little to contend the deadly
virus and should therefore not claim credit for
winning the war.
While speaking at the formal declaration of a former
Head of State, Muhamadu Buhari, for the APC’s
presidential ticket at the Eagle Square, Abuja, on
Wednesday, Mr. Amaechi, said Nigeria’s flaunted
success in the fight against Ebola is a fallacy.
He insisted that the Rivers State Government spent
a whopping N1.4billion to stop the outbreak of the
disease.
He faulted claims by Mr. Jonathan’s ruling Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, that the Federal
Government successfully contained the outbreak.
He said, “I hear PDP and Mr. President claiming the
glory of having fought Ebola. I asked one simple
question: Rivers state government spent 1,406
billion to fight Ebola, the Federal Government
brought N200m just last week. If we were waiting
for that N200m, Ebola would have spread round
Rivers State,” he said.
He said his colleague, Mr.Fashola, was also “fully in
charge of the Ebola drive in his state”.
Further deriding the Federal Government, Mr.
Amaechi said “Apart from announcing the number of
patients, what did the Federal Government do for
us? So, why did they politicise Ebola.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Jonathan said the Federal
Government has made a donation of N250 million to
the ENEF, saying that the government will
continue its sustained security operations to
eliminate insurgency and restore law and order in
the country.
Mr. Jonathan noted that the prolonged case of
insurgency in the zone has led to the displacement of
the population, destruction of infrastructure and the
collapse of the economy in the area.
The rehabilitation of communities affected by the
crisis, the President said, would require not only
government’s intervention but also that of the
private sector.
“I have realized over time that government alone
cannot solve human problems

Sourse premiumtimes.com

Over 10000 boko haram members arrested!!!

SARKIN Hausawa of Lagos, Alhaji Sani Kabir,
yesterday, told the Federal Government that
northerners in the South West have arrested more
than 1,000 members of the Boko Haram insurgents
in parts of the South West.
Speaking when the Arewa Council of Chiefs in the
South West paid a visit to the Minister of Special
Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Alhaji Kabiru
Tanimu Turaki, SAN, in Abuja, Alhaji Kabir said the
arrests were made at different times.
He said that those arrested were Boko Haram
members who fled from the Civilian JTF/military
onslaught on the insurgents in the North East and
those who came to the South West to further the
insurgency.
Kabir said the Council has taken it upon itself to
ensure that Boko Haram did not take root in the
South West because according to him, such a
development would complicate the security challenges
facing Nigeria.
He said, So far in the South west, we have peace
and this is achieved through the collaboration of
Arewa people and Arewa chiefs. If you can confirm
with the security agencies, we have arrested more
than 1,000 Boko Haram members throughout the
south west states. We promptly report any
suspicious movement to the security agents because
we believe that the problem is actually the Nigerian
problem but if there is any breakdown of law and
order in the south west, we are the prime targets
irrespective of whether one is a member of Boko
Haram or not.
“All the Arewa sarkis (kings) in the south west are
up and doing to make sure that we do not allow any
breakdown of law and order in our communities.”
On how they effected the the arrest, Kabir said, “we
inform our leaders that when new people come into
their midst, they should observe their behaviour.
Some of the leaders in the south west are
northerners, some of them are from Borno State,
they can know. There were even instances where JTF
came from Borno State to identify some of them.”
On their support for the re-election President
Goodluck Jonathan, Alhaji Kabir said, “I will like to
start by going back to 2011 electioneering
campaign. There was a team that was led by the
president and the vice president and they met with
the Council members and we pledged to give our
assistance and support during the election period
and beyond. Since that time, there has been no
communication between us and the president or the
federal government.
Responding, the Minister of Special Duties and
Intergovernmental Affairs, Alhaji Kabir Tanimu
Turaki, who received the group on behalf of
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan thanked the
Arewa leaders for their efforts to ensure that
insurgency did not extend to the south west.

Source vanguardng.com

Anceloti: i don't care about mourinho

The Italian insists he only ever measures his
performance against his own previous
accomplishments, while again backing Iker Casilla
despite another tough week for the keeper
Carlo Ancelotti says he has never once compared his
achievements at Real Madrid to those of his predecesso
Jose Mourinho .
The former Paris Saint-Germain boss replaced Mourinho i
the summer of 2013, with the Chelsea coach departing
after lifting La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de
Espana in his three years at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, he departed the club amidst great controversy,
following reported disputes with several first team player
and ultimately paid the price for failing to win a 10th
Champions League title.
Ancelotti fulfilled that brief in his first campaign in charge
last season as Madrid beat city rivals Atletico in the final
as well as lifting the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de
Espana.
As a result, the pair have often been compared for their
respective accomplishments in the Spanish capital, but the
Italian has distanced himself from any comparison.
"I've never felt like doing better than he did at the club,
I’ve other things to think about. I’ve always just tried to d
my best every day," he told Marca.
The future of Iker Casillas has again been the subject of
great debate following another disastrous week for the
goalkeeper, in which he lost his spot in Spain’s starting XI
to David de Gea after making a crucial mistake in the
shock defeat to Slovakia.
He has also faces a fight to retain his starting berth at
the Bernabeu as a result of the summer signing of Keylor
Navas from Levante, but Ancelotti would not be drawn
into a discussion over the 33-year-old’s current
predicament.
"Discussion over my goalkeeper is closed. I believe that
the future of Casillas will continue to be linked to Real
Madrid. He is part of the history of this club and when he
retires he will come to this forum and accompany
[Manuel] Sanchis and [Fernando] Hierro to discuss the
European Cups he has won."
Casillas will hope to add to his six appearances this
season when Madrid travel to Levante in La Liga on
Saturday.

Source goal.com

Nigeria super Eagles coach Stephen keshi SAKED!!!

Amodu Shaibu will take charge of the Super
Eagles, who face a fight to reach the Africa Cup
of Nations, despite a win over Sudan on
Wednesday
Stephen Keshi has been sacked as coach of the
Nigeria, the Nigeria Football Federation announced on
Thursday.
Amodu Shaibu, who has enjoyed four spells in charge of
the Super Eagles, will lead a consortium of local coaches
as the new head of the national team to replace Keshi
and his assistants Daniel Amokachi and Ike Shorunmu.
Shaibu will handle the team’s remaining Africa Cup of
Nations qualification matches until a replacement is found.
Keshi’s job had come under intense scrutiny since the
start of the qualifiers in September following the 3-2
defeat to Congo at home before picking one point in a
draw against South Africa in Cape Town.
A further defeat in Khartoum to Sudan made his tenure
look like coming to an inglorious end after a fairy tale
year in which he led the Super Eagles to victory at the
2013 Afcon in South Africa.
The title defence in Morocco next year was looking blea
until Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over Sudan in Abuja
restored a glimmer of hope, but it was not enough to
save his job.
Keshi had also become embroiled in fights over players,
with Villareal striker Ikechukwu Uche being accused of
wanting to be begged to play for the country. However,
the player denied the allegations.
However, the new NFF board was not convinced and has
now relieved him of the job, urging him and his assistants
to proceed on any training programme of their choice
that would be funded by the federation as a form of
gratitude to the "national heroes".
Their exit means that former national team coach, Shaibu,
who has been a part of the NFF in a technical role, will
now return to the position for the next two matches
against Congo and South Africa.
Shaibu will be supported by Salisu Yusuf, Gbenga
Ogunbote and former goalkeeper Aloysius Agu until a
foreign coach is recruited to handle the side.
The team also has a new co-ordinator in former
international Garba Lawal, while Toyin Ibitoye is the new
media officer and Godfirst Chike takes over as equipmen
manager.
The statement also announced the hiring of Samson Siasi
as the U23 trainer. He returns to the side he led to an
Olympic silver medal at the games in Beijing in 2008 and
will be assisted by Fatai Amoo.
Keshi, 52, led Nigeria to their third African title last year,
and became only the second person to win the trophy as
a player and coach. He also took the team to the Round
of 16 at the World Cup in Brazil as they equalled their
best ever run.
He will be remembered for bringing into limelight several
unknown players from the local league who have become
heroes of the Nigerian game. However, he was also
accused of favouritism by taking largely untested players
to the World Cup and ignoring more experienced
campaigners.

Source goal.com

image optical illusion

InIn tell what do see first, a lady or an old woma ??

"Nigeria troops kills 50 boko haram members"

"In the latest in a series of firefights with the Boko
Haram, the
Nigerian Military issued a press release that
suggests they have
won the latest skirmish in confronting the group
in recent days.
The release, issued by Chris Olukolade, Major
General and the
Director of Defense Information issued this
statement.
“Troops conducting (the) anti-terrorists campaign
in North-
Eastern Nigeria have successfully averted (an)
attempted
massive raid on villages in Borno, and Adamawa
States, during
the weekend. The terrorists who were on their
way to attack
selected communities, were ambushed by troops
along Biita, in
Borno State, on receiving (an) intelligence report
of the terrorists’
intention (s).
“The attack was launched on the terrorists as
they filed out of the
forest to embark on their mission at about 10pm
on Saturday.
Over 50 terrorists died in the fierce encounter that
ensued, while
30 rifles, 36 Hand Grenades, 7 Machine guns, and
11 Rocket
Propelled grenade tubes were captured by the
troops. Also
recovered from the terrorists were over 3,500
rounds of
ammunition, 6 smoke grenade canisters, and
locally fabricated
guns as well as 4 vehicles used by the terrorists
in the foiled
attack.
“The four soldiers who were wounded in the
operation are
currently receiving medical treatment in the
military medical
facility. (A) Cordon and search (effort) is ongoing
in the general
area.
It is not clear if international assistance from
France, Britain, China
or the U.S. to the Nigerian military played a role
in this
confrontation. The use of Drones, both manned
and unmanned,
and other military assistance to the Nigerians has
surfaced in
recent weeks, as the search for the nearly 300
schoolgirls
continues. Yet, intelligence here played a major
role in the location,
weaponry, troop numbers, equipment, and which
towns that
were targeted by the Boko Haram, that resulted in
what appears
to be a successful confrontation by Nigerian
forces over the recent
weekend."

We Were Arrested & Our Plane Grounded In Kano. Amaechi

"The Rivers state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, on
Monday recounted his ordeal and those of his
colleagues in Kano on Sunday after a former
Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido
Sanusi, was named the new emir of the powerful
Kano emirate.
Mr. Amaechi and a few other dignitaries were in
Kano to pay condolence visits to the Kano state
government over the death of Emir Ado Bayero.
But sources also said Mr. Amaechi and a few
other chieftains of the opposition All Progressives
Congress also poured into Kano after receiving
intelligence that some northern traditional rulers
sympathetic to the ruling Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, were putting pressure on the
kingmakers and Governor Rabiu Kwankawaso to
overlook Mr. Sanusi and appoint his rival to the
coveted throne.
Responding to a PREMIUM TIMES enquiry on
Monday morning, Mr. Amaechi said after visiting
Governor Kwankwaso, he, along with other
dignitaries, made for the Aminu Kano Airport
where his chartered aircraft was parked.
He said immediately his team entered the airport
buildings preparatory to boarding the plane back
to Abuja, authorities locked all the doors to the
complex, holding him and his colleagues hostage.
The plane was also impounded, he said.
“The Kano governor called the airport
commandant that we should at least be allowed
to leave the building but the commandant refused
saying he had an order from above not to let us
out,” the governor said. “We had to force one of
the doors open to get away.”
He said after they escaped from the airport, the
team devised a means of hurrying out of Kano for
fear they might be attacked by thugs sponsored
by the federal government.
“So we quickly got a car, bought fuel and started
driving towards Abuja. We sold a dummy to the
airport people and a few others that we were
returning to the Kano Government House. The
governor was also expecting us. But we were far
gone. I personally drove the car and all of us had
to switch off our phones so no one would know
our whereabouts.
“I drove for five hours and we arrived Abuja at 2
a.m. We were not afraid of armed robbers or
anyone attacking us on the road. We were only
afraid that the authorities could plant people on
the road to waylay and attack us. But thank God
we arrived safe.
In the car Mr. Amaechi drove from Kano to Abuja
were a former governor of Gombe state, now
Senator Danjuma Goje, a former governor of
Kwara state, now Senator Shaaba Lafiagi, and a
former Acting Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party, Abubakar Baraje.
“I have been shouting that we are in a
dictatorship, people thought I’m joking or
exaggerating,” Mr. Amaechi said. At least we can
all see what is playing out.

How "Misdiagnosis" Killed Akunyili

"After surviving several rumours of her death, a
former Minister of Information and
Communication and erstwhile Director General of
the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Professor
Dora Nkem Akunyili, bowed to ovarian cancer
early yesterday.
Meanwhile, her death was blamed on
misdiagnosis by some doctors in the United
States (US). The doctors were said to have
claimed she did not have cancer after her
Nigerian doctor’s diagnosis to the effect she had
the sickness.
The Cable, an online medium quoting a family
source, yesterday, blamed misdiagnosis for
Akunyili’s death.
According to the source, when in 1998, the former
Minister was the Zonal Secretary (South-east) of
the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund, Nigerian
doctors gave her what many of her family
members considered to be a health scare. They
said she had a growth and needed surgery.
The source narrated: “Akunyili, then 44, decided
to travel to the United States, first to get a
second opinion and then undergo the prescribed
surgery. The bill for the medical trip was $17,000,
including $12,000 for the surgery. During pre-
surgery check-up in the US, the doctors told her
the Nigerian doctors had made a wrong diagnosis
and that she did not need any surgery.
“It was said to be a minor issue that medication
would solve. She thanked the doctors and, to
their surprise, said she was going to return the
money meant for the surgery to PTF. That was
strange. Nigerian government officials had
devised a way of making sure such monies were
not returned to the treasury.
“The hospital informed the PTF, under the
leadership of Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari,
about one honest Nigerian they had found.
Buhari, himself a straightforward person, was very
impressed. He wrote a letter to Akunyili
commending her honesty. NAFDAC Then came
2001. President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to
appoint a director-general for the National Agency
for Drug and Food Administration and Control
(NAFDAC) and asked for the recommendation of
an honest Nigerian pharmacist. Akunyili’s name
promptly came up.
“Someone who had heard about her PTF record
recommended her. There was a little problem, a
Nigerian problem. Objections were raised that the
minister of health, Prof. ABC Nwosu, was an Igbo
from Anambra State and NAFDAC, being a
powerful agency under the ministry, should not be
headed by another Igbo from Anambra. It was
also argued that the market for fake and
substandard products were controlled by the
Igbo, with Onitsha – also in Anambra State – a
major centre for the illicit business. She was
going to protect “her people”, the antagonists
said.
“Obasanjo, stubborn to the cause, ignored the
observations and appointed her. She went on to
do a credible job and ended up as one of the
most outstanding public officers in Nigeria’s
history, celebrated locally and globally. She had
lost a sister to fake drugs, and that was perhaps
the impetus she needed to go on the offensive.
Misdiagnosis Meanwhile, Akunyili always went
abroad for check-ups and she was always given
an all-clear. She continued to look robust and
energetic, and took up another government job as
minister of information and communications.
“But on July 13, 2013, something strange
happened to her. She was preparing to travel to
the United States to receive an award. The
following day was her birthday. Her 59th,
precisely. Then she fell ill. She was physically
weak and having pains. She decided to go ahead
with her trip and attend to her health in the
United States. It was while she was there that
new checks were carried out.
“Alas, she had cancer. The original diagnosis in
1998 was right. But the diagnosis at the point of
surgery was wrong. She became seriously ill and
there were fears she could lose her life. She was
in the hospital for months and only returned to
Nigeria this year when the doctors said she was
improving. Her last public appearance was at the
National Conference in Abuja, where she was a
delegate. Pictures of a frail-looking Akumyili soon
went viral on the net.