Friday, 21 December 2012

Barber jumps into hot water trying to escape from lover’s husband

A middle aged barber was almost killed in Lambe area,Ogun state, while trying to escape from the husband of his lover. The Barber, who was not resident in the area had gone to sleep with Aramotu,when her husband went to work.

According to eye witnesses,Aramotu was fond of inviting his lover to sleep at home with her anytime her husband

The Difference Between Abacha And Yakowa

I wouldn't have had to make this comparison were it not for a comment I read on social media, where someone tried to justify

Weighing just four stone, extreme anorexic Valeria Levitin is thought to be the thinnest woman in the world. Her malnourished figure and matchstick-thin thighs should serve as a stark warning about the dangers of eating disorders.

Such a Hard Road to Travel

Simon Kolawole Live!: Email: simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com

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Is it me or are we not losing too many lives on our roads? Maybe I’m a bit emotional about this because of my own story. I lost my dad in a road accident 36 years ago. He was just 31.

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Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Saturday said that the country was on his mind, saying his passion, patriotism and love for the country, would not allow him to keep quiet on burning national issues.

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Chief of Naval Staff , Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba

The Nigerian Navy has commenced investigations into the cause of the crash of its helicopter at Nembe-Okoroba area of Bayelsa State that killed the Kaduna State Governor, Mr. Patrick Yakowa, former National Security Adviser (NSA), General Andrew Owoye Azazi (rtd), and four others.

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Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Saad Ibrahim

The Nigerian Navy has stated that the ill-fated Augusta Helicopter that crashed on Saturday; killing all six people on board including the late Governor of Kaduna State, Patrick Yakowa and former National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Andrew Azazi was in excellent condition before the flight.

Thanks to his colleague that introduced him to the blog. Love ya...

Hi readers. I am not an ardent social media person, but I heard about this blog from a colleague of mine in the office.
I have read some stories that I find challenging and quite

Thelma Ngozi Okeke was taken away by armed robbers on Sunday morning 16/12/2012, after they robbed them in their home in Abraka. She is a graduate of Benson Idahosa University.

Malam Mukailu Naibi of Keke Village, Kaduna, whose wife allegedly starved him of sex for two years, on Wednesday demanded N1. 2 million as compensation from the wife’s parents before an Abuja Area Court.

Naibi, while testifying at the resumed hearing of the case, told the court that the amount,

As the Yuletide approaches, there seems to be an upsurge in the spate of kidnapping in many parts of the country. Security agencies have attributed this to the desperation of criminally-minded people to make money at all cost so as to get something to flaunt during the season. Olawale Olaleye, Ademola Adeyemo, Omololu Ogunmade, Shola Oyeyipo, Anayo Okolie, Ayodele Opiah and Nkiruka Okoh examine this growing malady in the quest for a safer nation

Residents in Kano state get Free Medical Services from US based Nigerian Doctors

A team of US based Nigerian physicians are giving free medical treatment to residents in Kano state, North West Nigeria. The exercise is expected to last for two weeks and will include surgery on at least 5,000 people and treat another 5,000 out patients.

The final shortlist of three for the African Footballer of the Year has been announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The final shortlist include the current African Footballer of the Year, Yaya Toure as well as Didier Drogba and Alex Song.

Alexander Song (Cameroon) is 25 years old. He was voted in second

By Atoke

I’ve heard my newly married friends swear by the old gods and the , that the arrival of a baby would NOT change anything in their marriage. Then, after the blood test or the peeing on the stick, confirming that a baby is on its way, you see slight changes…

By Tefo Mohapi

I had the opportunity in 2011 to be part of a delegation organised by the African National Congress’ Progressive Business Forum (ANC PBF) and led by the Deputy Minister of Finance (Mr Nhlanhla Nene) to visit Havana, Cuba to explore any synergies in business as Cuba under Fidel Castro’s younger brother (Raul Castro) is exploring ways to open up its market place and encourage entrepreneurship.

There-in lies the hint that communism is dead. Possibly the last bastion

JONATHAN SPENDTHRIFT: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

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President Goodluck Jonathan

NOTHING typifies the frivolous, insensitive and completely inept leadership troubling Nigeria currently than the recent approval of a N2.2bn banquet hall for Aso Villa by the Federal Executive Council. Coming at a time when the country is buffeted by serious security and other challenges, it demonstrates that this government is not a thinking one.

Prisoners in prison.
| credits: premiumtimesng.com

No fewer than 970 inmates on death row are currently languishing in the nation’s prisons awaiting their execution.

They comprise 951 males and 19 females.

Findings revealed that the inmates had been on death row for years, following the refusal of state governors to sign their execution order.

The royal baby will be born third in line and in direct succession to the throne

The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby, St James's Palace has announced.

Members of the Royal Family and the duchess's family, the Middletons, are said to be delighted.

A spokesman said the duchess, who is thought to be less than 12 weeks pregnant, has been admitted to a London hospital with acute morning sickness and is likely to stay for several days.

by Dolapo Aina

Galatians 5:19-21 says, “the acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impunity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

It is widely recognized as a condition popular in older people but experts claim undetected and poorly managed hypertension, diabetes and obesity have increased the population of Nigerians dying from stroke.

Experts who included neurosurgeons in Nigeria said that stroke is no more a disease of the aged as it is killing and disabling Nigerians in their prime and many do not have the slightest clue that they carry symptoms that could trigger the disease in about 10 years.

The single best way to meet women – really

by Nick Notas

I smiled when I saw this email from a friend working abroad…

“I took your advice to heart and started doing a whole bunch of random stuff on a whim: wine tasting trip to Mendoza, gourmet cooking classes, tango, Portuguese lessons, and powerlifting. It’s really added a whole new dimension to my life, I’ve met some awesome people in the process (plus a lot of cute Argentine and Brazilian girls!) and I feel I’m in my most creative state ever.”

He came to me frustrated with his current lifestyle. He explained that he worked all the time and made a decent living, but for what? He was bored with his after-work activities, lacked the social circle he desired, and wasn’t meeting enough women.

Veteran actor, Enebeli Elebuwa, has died in an Indian hospital.

Elebuwa, who died on Tuesday night, had been battling the effects of a stroke for sometime and undergone treatment at some hospitals in Nigeria before being moved abroad.

The illness had kept him bedridden for sometime.

Unable To Pay Her Hospital Bill, Pregnant Nigerian Woman Left To Die At Garrison Clinic In Port-Harcourt

A pregnant Nigerian lady has died because doctors in Port Harcourt insisted the husband must pay N20,000, less than $150, before she was treated. And her family members are still in shock about her death, such that they are not even thinking of burying her for now.

The 34 year old woman, Ijeoma Umumadumere, nee Ahamefule, was rushed in the morning of 25 November to Garrison Clinic in Port Harcourt, when she complained of a sudden stomach pain and headache, while cooking. Her husband rushed her to the clinic on Udom street in the oil rich city. It was between 9-10 a.m. And she was five-months pregnant.

Colombia Forces 'Bomb FARC Rebels, 20 Killed'

FARC guerrillas on the move

BBC

At least 20 FARC rebels have been killed in Colombia after the military launched bombing strikes on one of their camps, the army says.

Saturday's raid is said to be the biggest military operation against FARC since peace talks began in October, reports the BBC.

The camps were in Narino province near the Ecuadorian border, commander Gen Leonardo Barrero told AFP news agency.

The strike comes as President Juan Manuel Santos said the rebels had less than a year to abandon their weapons.

In November, the FARC announced a ceasefire set to last until 20 January.

Santos, however, has rejected calls for a government-led truce until a final agreement has been reached.

Speaking on Sunday, he said his administration would offer all necessary guarantees so the FARC could disarm and join the political process as a legal party.

Windows Phone Sales Soar

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Steve Ballmer

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Steve Ballmer, has said that the current sales of Windows Phone devices have increased compared to last year. He said the increase was driven by the introduction of the latest version of the Microsoft Operating System (OS) designed for more powerful handsets.

According to Bloomberg, Ballmer said in a shareholders’ meeting that Windows Phone 8 “is off to a great start” in its first few weeks of availability and initially sold out in many countries. However, he did not specify the actual number of phones that have been sold.

Ballmer added that there were 120,000 Windows Phone applications available and that smartphones using Windows Phone 8 from Nokia and HTC have had “rave reviews”. Windows Phone 8 is closely related to the Windows 8 OS used on PCs and tablets, Ballmer said.

culled: thisdaylive.com

In the Grip of Unrelenting Terror

Monday Discourse

Renewed terrorism attacks on security agencies and other individuals by terrorist groups may have increased doubts over government's ability to check the menace, writes Muhammed Bello

With changes in the top hierarchy of the military some months ago, the confidence that terrorism occasioned by incessant attacks on persons, public facilities and security agencies by Boko Haram and lately, the Ansaru group, would be over soon was high. Although, there were doubts over government's readiness to embrace dialogue as part of measures geared towards solving the crisis, there were indications that efforts were in top gear to containing the rising casualty figure that the terrorists’ mindlessness had brought about in the last few years.

15 types of sex you have in your 20s

by Emma Grey

When you received that copy of “Oh! The Places You’ll Go!” for your college graduation, the well-meaning relative who presented it was probably thinking of your intended career path (or the four others you’ve tried since) or the cities where you might live. But as many 30-somethings looking back can attest, your 20s often involve experimentation of another variety as well. Between the ages of 20 and 30, your life is probably going to involve a decent amount of sex. And since this is the decade of exploring your options, that sex tends to be anything but uniform.

Here are 15 types of sex that you probably have had (or will have) during your 20-something years:

**Disclaimer: Some of the following can happen simultaneously.**

‘Gangnam Style’ Now Most-viewed YouTube video of All Time

South Korean rapper Psy (M) doing his hit ‘Gangnam Style’

Congratulations, Internet.

"Gangnam Style," the unlikely smash hit by South Korean rapper Psy, has surpassed Justin Bieber's "Baby" to become the most-watched YouTube video of all time.

The video--featuring Psy's meme-ready dance moves--has racked up more than 815 million views since it was uploaded to YouTube on July 15. Bieber's "Baby," which has been watched more than than 803 million times since it was posted in February 2010, reports The Sideshow.

"#GangnamStyle just became the most watched video @YouTube!" Psy (real name: Park Jae-Sang) tweeted on Saturday. "#History."

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Blocked Fallopian Tubes

By Olumide Alexandre

This educational series was adopted from the autobiographical account of the world’s first test-tube baby – a feat that was earlier achieved in 1978 by the 2010 Nobel Laureates’ in Medicine and Physiology for their 34-year long success story that has now brought smiles to over 4million families worldwide.

The Challenge

The life changing question that nurtured a series of inventions and innovations in reproductive medicine was asked during a ward round where one of Mr Gwillim’s medical students at St. George’s Hospital in London would champion the science of Assisted Reproduction Technology. The seed of invention sprouted in the following conversation that ensued with a patient during a ward round:

Mr. Gwillim (Consultant Gynaecologist):

“…but if the egg cannot descend down the Fallopian tubes because these are obstructed in the first place, none of that (process of conception) can happen.”

Patient (with an astonishing look):

Smoking is believed to affect the mind as well as body

Smoking "rots" the brain by damaging memory, learning and reasoning, according to researchers at King's College London.

A study of 8,800 people over 50 showed high blood pressure and being overweight also seemed to affect the brain, but to a lesser extent.

Scientists involved said people needed to be aware that lifestyles could damage the mind as well as the body, reports the BBC.

Their study was published in the journal Age and Ageing.

Researchers at King's were investigating links between the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke and the state of the brain.

Data about the health and lifestyle of a group of over-50s was collected and brain tests, such as making participants learn new words or name as many animals as they could in a minute, were also performed. They were all tested again after four and then eight years.

Nigeria Records $35.44 Billion Forex Inflow

Euro, Dollar notes

Obinna Chima

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed that a total forex inflow of $35.44 billion was realised by the country as at June this year, compared to $28.85billion as at the end of June 2011.

The central bank stated this in its Economic Report for the first half of 2012, posted on its website Thursday.

This, according to the regulator, reflected rise in crude oil receipts and autonomous inflows. However, forex outflow dropped relative to the level in the corresponding period of 2011.

“The exchange rate was relatively stable during the first half of 2012. The demand pressure moderated at the forex market owing to the intervention by the bank and the increased supplies from autonomous sources,” it explained.

The report also showed that total federally-collected revenue (gross), at N5.577 trillion in the first half of the year, was 15.1 and 17.2 per cent higher than both the proportionate budget estimate for fiscal 2012 and the actual revenue in the corresponding period of 2011, respectively.

Oil revenue also contributed 78.1 per cent and non-oil revenue accounted for the balance during the period under review.

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President Goodluck Jonathan

By Oluwasoromidayo George

Many say poverty is a curse, if this is the case then quite a number of Nigerians are living under a great burden.
Nigeria is a country blessed with abundant natural resources; while agriculture is said to contribute over 45 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP and provide employment for 90 per cent of the rural population, it is oil that tops the list of these largely untapped resources andaccounts for a large part of the country’s income. The agriculture sector is still largely undeveloped.

In the first quarter of this year 2012, the National Bureau of Statistics said that the percentage of Nigerians living in abject poverty – those who can afford only the bare essentials of food, shelter and clothing – rose to 60.9 per cent compared with 54.7 per cent in 2004.

“NBS estimates that this trend may have increased further in 2011 if the potential positive impact of several anti-poverty and employment generation intervention programmes are not taken into account”. They said poverty in Nigeria may have risen to 71.5 per cent. Although billions of dollars have been pumped into the county as aid by multilateral agencies and other donor organisations, majority of Nigerians still wallow in abject poverty.

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Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

No matter how offensive, how unpopular, how controversial, you can always trust Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi , the CBN governor to speak his mind. He courts controversy. And he has swum through many rivers of controversy.

And during the week, he struck again, this time at Warri, during the Capital market retreat, where he called for the sacking of 50 per cent of the nation’s work force, scrapping of the Local Government Councils, so that the economy can be sustained. Mr CBN Governor, I strongly disagree. I wonder how a public servant of his status and knowledge can even contemplate the idea. While I agree that more fiscal discipline need to be applied in managing our resources, and concerted efforts be made to tackle leakages, wastages and outright corruption in the service, the way to a stronger economy cannot be in halving the workforce.

That is the kind of suggestion IMF will give. It is the height of senseless capitalism to want to recoup all the money, have a swathe of burgeoning bank account, but not have peace. Does Sanusi understand that there is a direct correlation between crime and employment? It is bad enough that the labour market is spilling out angry and frustrated youths, yet it will be worse for the society to have the youths’ fathers, uncles and mothers now sacked. The end result will be like administering a drug that will kill both the disease and the patient. Kai Mallam, think again!!!!

Culled: thisdaylive.com

Hacking Scandal: Leveson Recommends Tougher Controls for British Media

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UK Prime Minister, David Cameron

Omololu Ogunmade with agency reports

After almost one year of full-scale enquiry into the events leading to the phone-hacking scandal in the United Kingdom, Lord Justice Leves on Thursday submitted his report. The panel was set up by Prime Minister David Cameron to examine the question of standards and ethics in the media industry in the country.

In his report, Leveson recommended the introduction of the first press law in Britain since the 17th century – proposing that a statutory body such as Ofcom should take responsibility for monitoring an overhauled Press Complaints Commission (PCC).
This, he suggested, will cause the British media to be more conscious about the ethics of the profession, which could ultimately lead to the protection of the rights of the citizenry.

The proposal – made despite the fierce opposition of some conservative stakeholders in the industry such as Fleet Street, to the introduction of the statute – is designed to reassure the public that newspapers are subject to an effective and independent regulator to prevent a repetition of phone hacking or other scandals.
In the 56-page executive summary, Leveson said the purpose of the legislation was “not to establish a body to regulate the press”. But he warned that if newspapers were not prepared to join a revamped PCC, it would be necessary to force Ofcom to act as a “backstop regulator”.

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Paintograph and Paintocast-A New Consciousness and exploratory exhibition of mixed media and prints by Kunle Adeyemi was recently held at the Quintessence Arts Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos. The visuals on display presented experiments, techniques and processes of artworks produced during the artist’s exploratory research at Abraka. Mary Ekah writes

“Paintograph and Paintocast” Kunle Adeyemi said, is a vocabulary he generated during his research for a PHD programme in Delta State University, Abraka. “As the Whiteman has generated oil painting, water colour, acrylics and the rest of them. I believe that we actually have the same wherewithal to look at our world, particularly from the local content and generate some ideas, vocabulary and structures and that is actually what I have come up with. So, Paintograph and Paintocast is a synergy between painting, printmaking and sculpture. Before now, all these were different genres of art but right now I am saying that there should not be any boundary any longer.

“So I have actually created an avenue for the boundary to be broken. And there is no regret about it because this is our time and we need to postulate some of these things so that the generation coming would be able to take it up from there. I am actually working on an existing framework. However I stand on that framework and I know that the next generation will equally work on this same framework that we are building now”, he explained his new concept, he explained his work to THISDAY.

Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo

THE WAY WE ARE: Ideas for a Better Nigeria by Jonas Odocha; Eagleman Books; 2012; 265pp

One has lost count of the number of books published in recent times on the subject of Nigeria and the challenge of building a strong, united and prosperous nation. So when I was asked to review a new book, The Way We Are: Ideas for a Better Nigeria, on the same subject, I was not enthusiastic. However, a close look at the book and its content compelled me to read it and I am glad I did. This 265-page book of 27 chapters held me spell-bound for two days. The book is illuminating and of profound relevance to the present moment. It is a gripping read and should be made available to every Nigerian and to lovers of Nigeria.

Jonas Odocha has a compelling style that draws the reader like magnet. But perhaps what is so amazing about the book is that, though the subject matter – Nigeria and the challenge of nationhood – is a serious one, the reader derives great pleasure going through the book. This is largely a result of the author’s style: a combination of humour and a type of native intelligence that I have encountered only in few writers who have written about the same subject. Some of the issues the author analyzes with remarkable competence are the climate of insecurity, violence and the culture of mediocrity that have beclouded and arrested Nigeria’s development; the failure of leadership at different levels in the country; the acts of injustice inflicted on Nigerians, especially Ndigbo, before the civil war, during the war and since after war; and the bewildering periodic and meticulously planned massacres of people of different religious or ethnic origins.

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Living in posh Lagos neighbourhoods such as Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki and Ajah comes with its thrill and challenges. Bennett Oghifo highlights some of these

Many people in Lagos dream of living a high society lifestyle which is apparent on the Lagos Island but it remains a tall dream for a good number. Famous for being a bustling hub of commerce, coupled with the tall and luxury apartments therein, living as well as doing business on the Lagos Island is considered a status symbol. It is meant for the movers and shakers of the society and it is comparable to living in any major European or first world country.

Lagos Island is home to numerous world-class shopping plazas, clubs, supermarkets, pharmacies, fashion houses, boutiques, saloons among others. With its classy and serene environment, most of the residents describe Lagos Island as being quiet and peaceful. According to Temitope Oladotun, a real estate valuer that lives in Ajah “Lagos Island has one of the lowest crime rate in the state. It has a very well educated and enlightened group of residents.” Speaking on the beautiful environment and structures on the Island, Emeka Nduba, an architect, explains that illegal structures do not spring up easily on Lagos Island especially Lekki area of the Island with the present transformation of the road networks. He added that the resident associations which are conservative quickly rise to save the situation and put a stop to construction of any illegal structure.

Single Parenting: Living with the Trend

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Family sketch (Artwork)

In today’s society, for too many people, the two-parent family norm is fast losing its appeal; with numerous adults preferring the single parenting system for personal reasons, despite its challenges. Ebere Nwiro examines the trend

“Yes, I grew up with my mother. I was just four years old when my dad walked away from mother. I was crying as he left, because he had just given my mother the beating of her life. The condition in which he left us just after bringing us to Lagos for the first time impacted my upbringing and changed the outcome of both my mother’s life and my own forever”.

Ms. Uzoamaka Aniegbu, narrated her ordeal of growing up with a single parent and becoming one herself, “We went from a sophisticated and comfortable life to living in one room apartment in Orile a place in Lagos State Nigeria, it was a very terrible experience growing up I must tell you.”

My mother who wasn't well educated and had never worked had to start up all sorts of petty businesses so as to cater for me and my younger brother. We could barely pay the rent, life was very difficult compared to what we were used to.

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Commuters inside BRT bus

The idea of introducing the Bus Rapid Transit system BRT was to improve the quality of commuting for Lagos residents without stress. It has always been hectic and appalling. However, commuters now worry over the falling standards in this once comfortable means of transportation. Ebere Nwiro writes

Before the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) was introduced in Lagos, there was the use of the 18-seater mini buses and the Molues, which are the big buses converted from trucks that were designed to accommodate from 44 to 50 passengers per trip. The molue buses, though designed to convey 50 persangers, are known to convey close to 100 passengers many of who are squashed together and those without seats are packed into the aisle or hang on the doorway. Commuting on these tightly-seated buses was an experience one would not want to have twice because they were always crowded and filthy.

More than anything else, the drivers of the molue buses and their conductors were notoriously known to be unrepentantly overbearing. The buses themselves usually have loud horns which these drivers use at will to discourage and annoy other road users with their trademark rough driving.

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John Mikel Obi talking with referee, Mark Clattenburg

BBC

Chelsea say they "regret" the way they handled their accusation that referee Mark Clattenburg used racial language at midfielder John Mikel Obi.

The Blues also regretted the subsequent "intense media scrutiny" faced by Clattenburg and his family, reports the BBC.

The allegations were dismissed by the Football Association and the police dropped their own inquiry.

A Premier League, Match Officials Board and Chelsea statement said: "It is time to draw a line under this incident."

Culled:Thisdaylive.com

Welcome to my blog

Welcome to my blog. A seasoned writer/contributor to one of Nigeria’s top media houses, a French graduate of Delta State university, married to the world’s most loving husband, and blessed with Two beautiful daughters.

I am Ebere Nwiro, your host

Friday, 21 December 2012

Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Thursday, 6 December 2012

A team of US based Nigerian physicians are giving free medical treatment to residents in Kano state, North West Nigeria. The exercise is expected to last for two weeks and will include surgery on at least 5,000 people and treat another 5,000 out patients.

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

H

Monday, 3 December 2012

Friday, 30 November 2012

Tuesday, 27 November 2012