₦airaland Forum

By Ahmed M

He became famous around the world for killing a black American teenager Trayvon Martin. Although he claimed he shot the 17 year-old in self defense, his acquittal is one that was received with widespread resistance especially among members of the African American community.

Latest reports reveal that he has again been taken into custody by the police after allegedly threatening his estranged wife with a handgun in an altercation sparked by claims he has been having an affair with his ex-fiancee.

Zimmerman was previously engaged to beautician Veronica Zuazo, who filed a domestic violence complaint against him in the past leading to their split.

According to the Associated Press , Zimmerman’s wife, Shellie, who is seeking a divorce, was the one who called the police. Police say that she alleges that George Zimmerman threatened her and her father.

‘I’m really really afraid,’ Shellie said in the call, claiming Zimmerman punched her father in the nose and threatened to shoot them both. ‘I don’t know what he’s capable of. I’m really, really scared…

‘He’s in his car and he continually has his hand on his gun. He keeps staying “Step closer”. He’s just threatening all of us with his firearm. He’s going to shoot us. He punched my dad in the nose. My dad has a mark on the face. I saw his glasses on the floor.’

Last week, Shellie Zimmerman filed for divorce from her husband of nearly seven years, claiming that their marriage was ‘irretrievably broken‘ following his murder trial in the death of Trayvon Martin.


http://www.maktoubplus.com/george-zimmerman-arrested-again-after-threatening-estranged-wife-her-father-with-a-gun/

By Hanny Aliyu

Kannywood‘s star actor Ali Nuhu has won the Best Supporting Actor in film award at the recent Nigeria Entertainment Awards held in New York City, USA.

The awards which took place early this month also saw many other Nollywood celebrities bagging awards in different categories.

Nuhu took to his Twitter page to thank his fans for their prayers and support. He also promised to do more in the Nigerian movie industry especially in the Hausa speaking Kannywood.

Congratulations Ali! We’re so proud of you.

http://www.maktoubplus.com/kannywoods-ali-nuhu-wins-best-supporting-actor-award-at-the-nea/

Nana Kusherki Spotted With Akon In Dubai
By Hanny Aliyu
By now, you’d probably think I’m really famzing with Nana Kusherki.

Hey, you can’t blame me! I do love her style and bubbly spirit and she does make my job easier by giving me something to write about often. So here it goes…

The beautiful Abuja based fashion designer was spottted with international super star Akon recently. How cool!

They were both on a flight from Los Angeles to Dubai and when they landed, they took this lovely photograph.

Nice one Nana!
http://www.maktoubplus.com/nana-kusherki-spotted-akon-dubai/

Meet Forbes Billionaire Abdulsamad Rabiu’s Daughter Khadija
By Hanny Aliyu

Nigerian billionaire Abdulsamad Rabiu perhaps needs no introduction. As head of the BUA Group, a conglomerate with interests in sugar refining, vegetable oil processing, flour mills and more, he has been listed as one of Africa’s 40 Richest men by Forbes. This is not forgetting the fact that he is a fun loving man with a generous heart and has been lauded for many of his philanthropic works.

His daughter on the other hand is perhaps someone you’re not familiar with.

The beautiful Khadija who is fondly called ‘Cookie’ by friends and family is said to be her Daddy’s sweetheart.

Check out some of her photos and don’t forget that you saw them here first :-)

For more pics and video visit - http://www.maktoubplus.com/meet-billionaire-abdul-samad-rabius-daughter-hadiza/

Check Out Rahma Babangida’s Hot Body After 5 Kids! Omosexy Take a Back Seat
By Hanny Aliyu

Oh Rahma, when I grow up, I want to be like you!

Imagine having such a hot body after giving birth to not one, not three, but five children!

Rahma Babangida, the beautiful wife of Mohammed Babangida rocked this mermaid shaped red gown recently and with the way she dazzled in it, it’s so hard to believe she is a proud mother of five.

I do love Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde who after four kids, is still rocking her curves well. But our very own Rahma looks even more stunning.

Or what do you think?
http://www.maktoubplus.com/rahma-babangidas-hot-body-4kids/

Now that’s what we call a match!

Not only do they have similar bright smiles, they are both rocking the same type of hooded sweater in similar shades of grey.

The distinguished and highly successful businessman, Dr. Mohammed Indimi was spotted rocking a similar type of hooded sweater with his daughter Eman Indimi. They look like they are having a relaxed time at home.

And just in case you’ve been living under a rock and you probably don’t know who Dr. Indimi is, he is this the sole Founder and Chairman of Oriental Energy Resources, Limited. He is an astute business man with a notable presence in the international business arena who has been listed as one of the 40 richest men in Africa by renowned business publication – Forbes.

We soooo love the bond we’re seeing between father and daughter.
http://www.maktoubplus.com/forbes-billionaire-mohammed-indimi-daughter-eman-rock-hood/

Following the death of his wife last year, Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar is set to remarry this September.

He lost his wife, Maryam Abubakar, to cancer in January 2012.

Sources close to the IGP say he will be getting married to the beautiful 34 year-old Safiya Bunu, in a three-day wedding ritual. MaktoubPlus exclusively gathered that Safiya is the first daughter of former FCT Minister Ibrahim Bunu.

This might come as sad news to several ladies who had their eyes on the very fit IGP. Since he lost his wife and became single, quite a number of ladies had their hopes up to be his new wife. :-)

The wedding is scheduled to take place on Septemeber 14, 2013.

We wish them a happy married life!
http://www.maktoubplus.com/ig-of-police-mohammed-abubakar-set-to-marry-former-fct-ministers-daughter-safiya-bunu-in-september/

Ladies, Catch a Glimpse of this Hot Eye Candy Farouk Mustapha

Tall, dark and handsome… isn’t that the type of dream guy every single Nigerian lady wants to have?

Well, this dream has come true for one lucky lady as we hear he is in a relationship with a very beautiful lady.

Farouk Mustapha who works in the Oil & Gas sector took this picture while he was on a vacation and we just had to share it.

Two words - Eye Candy!
http://www.maktoubplus.com/eye-candy-farouk-mustapha/

Now we know that the one thing men cannot live without apart from money is SEX. In this forum I really don't care where anyone is from or what religion you belong to, I will be as raw and honest as possible.

I do not understand why women especially Africans do not talk about sex when we know that it is the one thing we do regularly with so much pleasure.
Anyway our men love s&x to the max and we know that for a fact. So how come when we are dating them we are so willing to give them what they want even though we know it is wrong. The first few years of marriage is filled with sex almost five times a day in different parts of the house and at odd hours, but after the few years we start to back down, we start to make excuses, we start to see it as a chore and then we let them know that we are really not interested in them physically.

Wow, what happened to the lady fox, the hot chic, the sexy cat that he got married to?
What happened to the babe that would understand the signal he would give and immediately comply?
What happened those times when he would race home to his sexy energetic ever ready wife who would make him feel wanted?
I know that most of you will say "I have kids who wear me out, I have work that drains me, I got older, my sex drive has gone under, I have a headache" to the point that the man will need to get a visa at your "embassy" to visit his favorite place in the World.

When you do this to him, how do you expect him to come home everyday to look at your tired, grumpy and unfriendly face?

How would you expect him to come home to you complaining about the plumber, your child that was being rude, and your boss that gave you a hard time?

NOOOOOOO please.

At that point he wants you to take him to that special place were the sky is so wonderful and turn his brain around to the point that all you say will sound like sweet music to his ears.

These men are human beings who go through their own challenges, half of which you don't even know because they are trying to save you from all the stress.

What annoys me the most is when we women start to complain and nag about the men not having time for us, and how they no longer find us attractive anymore and that's where the suspicion starts. That's when the saying comes, "if he is not getting it from me someone else must be giving it to him’.

I don't encourage cheating at all in fact it goes against what the bible teaches no matter what. I will not also judge anyone who has been caught in a web he is not proud of for one reason or the other. I believe that if we are truly sorry for our sins and we go to God with the determination not to sin again, he is merciful and will forgive us.

In all of this I know that all men are not beasts, neither are they evil because we married them. I also know that men do not get married and carry it at the back of their minds that they must cheat. That's not how it works please. There are things that we do that trigger things in their brains and these things drive them to do things that they really would not have done. Most of us believe it when they say men don’t think with their brains but they think with their penis. I beg to differ because they know what they are doing and I don’t see how the penis can have a brain that will control the whole body. There is always something that sparks off in the brain that sends the signal to the p3nis.

You may or may not agree with me but this is what I choose to believe. Most men we married are not so evil and dubious, some may be cowards but cast your mind back to the kind of man you chose to marry and see if there were traces of that character or not.

What men want:

-They want to feel like they are in control of things which is not bad because they are the head.
-They want to feel loved and like it or not they are our first babies who desire words of affirmation no matter how macho they seem.
-They want to feel WANTED all the time, it gives them the confidence that all men crave for.
-They want to know you are still sexually attracted to them.
-They don't want you to make it obvious that you are smarter even if you are.
-They like their space and alone time.
-They don't want to come home to a fat mama who is the opposite of the sexy curvy woman he fell in love with, because she let herself go after they got married. Why should she try and look the same? She is married now, who else does she have to impress? WRONG! Men are first of all moved by what they see before anything else. So when they can't see that anymore or at least an effort to getting back that body that turned them on, they'll probably lose interest in you and find it someone else.
-They don't want to come and hug you after work with you are smelling of onions and oil. At least take a shower before he gets there or if there is no time spray perfume.
-They want to come home to a nice smelling neat and tidy home.
-They want to walk into the bedroom with the bed all made up and clothes arranged. Maybe a small note on his pillow saying I love you and I am glad you are home, that definitely puts an automatic smile on his face even if for three seconds, it keeps him interested in you.
-They want you to be a good listener not just a talker.
-They want to know that you believe in them and you are proud of them.
-They want to know that no matter what you will have their back and support them, then ask questions later.
-They just want to see that you are making an effort because no human should expect you to be perfect.
-They don't want another mother but they want you to take care of them the way you would your kids.
-They want a wife, girlfriend, sorry to say (personal call girl) which is not a bad thing because he is your husband who is free to express his sexual desires as long as they are not life threatening or demeaning.

There are so many things I can add and you will not stop reading so let me end this by saying: if you do not try to do at least 60 percent of this regularly, trust me a younger version of you will cross his path and that is exactly how the enemy works. When that younger and more energetic version of you catches his eye, your matter will quietly end. This girl will rock his world so bad that coming home to you will become a chore. These girls can give him all these things and even more that the men find it so difficult to resist. All the money that was supposed to go to you and your children will find their way to her pocket. They can get anything they want from your man because they know the secret to getting and keeping him.

I know that this article will cause a lot of controversial wahala but it is fine because in life people don't like to hear the truth. This might also be an opportunity for people to make silly comments but the truth is I am loving it all. I finally have the attention of people who will ordinarily not want to listen to me or watch me.

Ladies on a more serious note, if you are guilty of these crimes and are depriving your husband of what is rightfully his then don't be shocked when a younger version of you gets the best of him.

I will let you all know when the extended version of this topic will be on my YouTube channel. God will bless your homes and give you the wisdom you need to keep it together.

Think about this objectively, try out what you agree with and discard what you don't. Leave the messenger out of it for a change and see the bigger picture ahead.

http://greenbiro.com/nollywood-actress-stella-damasus-has-a-word-for-married-women-in-keeping-your-man/

More pictures
http://greenbiro.com/what-a-university-library-should-look-like-guardian-uk-features-university-libraries-of-the-21st-century-in-pictures/

How awesome would it be to have one of these 21st Century Libraries in a Nigerian University! Wishful thinking? OK, maybe an African University.

Maybe… Just maybe…

The Guardian UK recently documented pictures from some of the world’s best libraries in University campuses. From the USA, to UK to Dubai, readers sent in these breathtaking photos of the reading, learning and research facilities available in their Universities and we just had to share it.

Hopefully, this would motivate our leaders to invest more in infrastructural development of our Universities. Afterall, this is the 21st century. We are tired of those dusty and archaic library structures and outdated books found in most of our Nigerian University libraries!

From the uber-traditional to the downright quirky, here’s a selection of pictures featuring some of the most interesting designs:

http://greenbiro.com/what-a-university-library-should-look-like-guardian-uk-features-university-libraries-of-the-21st-century-in-pictures/

Ever heard of the words “exclusive party” or “strictly by invitation”? Well, this party is one that defines it like no other.

But don’t worry, if you didn’t get an invite, we are here to give you the scoop.

CEO of the Taleveras Group, business leader and philanthropist Igho Sanomi recently held an exclusive birthday party for his mother in Dubai and guess who was there to entertain the guests? None other than American and Nigerian music icons – Dionne Warwick and 2Face Idibia.

Did I hear you say “wish I was there“? Well, the feeling is mutual.
http://www.maktoubplus.com/dionne-warwick-2face-idibia-perform-millionaire-igho-sanomis-mothers-birthday-party-dubai/

This letter is fictional, the motive isn’t.

***

Hey Johnny!
Sorry Sir, where are my manners?
Good day President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

What’s up? How are you doing? I hope everything is fine up there. I mean Aso Rock or wherever those journalists say you live.

How’s Dame? Not heard from her in quite a while. I hope she’s alright although I doubt if that’s what I’m hoping for.

Why so mean? You ask.

It’s because I’m still paying for her atrocious murders to the great language of the queen. Now everyone thinks I’m a born assassin all because of her. Last week, a white business man said he won’t discuss business with me without getting an interpreter. Over the phone o! What’s the relationship between spoken English and business?

Hell NO! I replied him. Why do I need a reporter? I’m 5’11; black, confident and I can speak fluent English. Imagine what he told me; he said that’s exactly the problem and curious me had to ask him why. Thinking about it now, I wish I didn’t. His reply was this and I quote;

“If your number one’s citizen (he means you)‘s wife can’t, I sincerely doubt you can.” And to rub salt on the injury, he added; “from my experience, wherever the biggest baboon leads, all the other baboons follow.” Sir, I hope you see what he did there, but that’s by the way. That’s not why I’m writing this letter.

How are the ‘men’ from the senate and House of Reps. I would be damned if I don’t ask after them. I have been watching their meetings of recent and that’s when it hit me; their meeting house or whatever it’s called is inappropriate for their activities. They barely get enough weapons to weave and throw at each other when they go all rouge. I say we put them in a very big ring and hide gloves, knives maybe even rocket launchers in different compartments so it’ll be like unreal tournament or death race. That will be fun yeah?

I know you understand what I’m saying. Give them an habitat that will make them comfortable, send them to the gym, let them wear battle suits for meetings like star trek and the ones that have bulging stomachs can dress like them Spartacus or those guys in 300.

Now for my letter’s main purpose;

But before I rush into it, how are the kids. I hope they are having fun in their schools abroad. Or have they finished? That’ll be cool. Four or five straight years in the university without any hitch. I bet they are glad they are out of school and that the government over there made sure the school and the lecturers were at peace. Do you see what I just did there; I just glided into the ASUU strike issue without you knowing. Same way Boko ***** did it. You really should work on your defenses.

Bros J, what is happening to my education? Your children are lounging wherever they are, and I’m doing countdown here. By the way, its 45 days already, I hope you’re happy. ASUU said they wanted 87 billion or whatever, can’t you talk to them or pay them or do anything? My life is at stake here! But then do you care, your children and those of your counterparts, maybe even the children of the ASUU guys representing us are in their various schools abroad. You pay their school fees and buy exorbitant houses, suites and cars for them while my education is on hold and I’m left to counting days as they flow by. I hope this is not a dirty scheme to make sure those old men we spoke about earlier stay in power. If it is, my God is watching you o!

I don’t even know how to put this anymore. My friends in Covenant and Babcock are mocking me already. I’m in my final year and I’ve spent six years already in my school but they’ve spent their respective four or five years and yet we lie to ourselves that federal universities are better than private universities. How can they be better if they don’t even run? My juniors in secondary school are catching up, my lecturers are broke and I am fed up.

You swore to do everything in your power with the well being of the country in mind. I hope you remember every word of your swearing in because if I don’t get you myself, my God will.

Yours,
“Federal University Graduate” Wannabe

p.s. Sorry I didn’t add “faithfully or sincerely after the “yours” in the final greeting. My English teacher is on strike so he didn’t teach me but you already know that, don’t you?

http://greenbiro.com/mike-dammy-what-is-happening-to-my-education-an-open-letter-to-goodluck-jonathan-on-the-ASUU-strike/

In a continent where malaria kills thousands of people yearly, this is a laudable achievement!

Four Ugandan students have developed a mobile phone app to diagnose malaria without the use of needles.

The students Brian Gitta, Joshua Businge, Simon Lubambo and Josiah Kavuma, known as team Code 8, were announced the winners of the inaugural Women’s Empowerment Award at Microsoft’s global student software competition, Imagine Cup in St Petersburg, Russia last month. Their app is called ‘Matibabu‘, a Swahili word for medical centre.

Their rapid diagnostic test can be done anywhere and without a qualified microscopist. It usually takes about 15 minutes to get the results, though it cannot show the number of parasites as a microscopic diagnosis does.

Matibabu uses a custom-made portable device called a matiscope, which is connected to a smartphone, to do a rapid diagnostic test. The user’s finger is inserted into the matiscope, and the application uses a red light to penetrate the skin and detect the red blood cells.

The hardware has a light-emitting diode and a light sensor, and it transmits the test results to the user’s phone for processing.

Matibabu then sends the results to the Microsoft file hosting service, Skydrive, and these can be shared with the patient’s doctor almost immediately, preventing the long delay in getting results.

According to one of the developers, 21 year-old Brian, he has had malaria too many times to count. And over the years, because of the numerous times he has had to have his blood drawn to test for the disease, he has developed a fear of needles.

“I was two or three years old when I first contracted it,” he tells IPS. “It’s very unusual to meet people in Uganda who haven’t had malaria. If you go to a clinic, you might find that 90 percent of patients have it.”

After his most recent bout of malaria in 2012 where he was bedridden for days, he imagined a “mobile medical centre” that offered a quicker and pain-free diagnosis without needles and pricks.

Code 8 says that Matibabu, which can currently only be used with the Windows phone operating system, will help pregnant women in particular. According to the World Health Organisation, half the world’s population is susceptible to malaria. Pregnant women, young children and people living with HIV/AIDS are especially vulnerable.

“When a pregnant woman gets malaria it affects the baby,” Lubambo tells IPS. “But if it’s able to be detected very early it could reduce miscarriages.”

The team hopes to have Android and other OS versions by mid-2014. They say when they begin introducing other versions for different platforms, they may start using file hosting services, like Dropbox, to store the results.


http://greenbiro.com/ugandan-students-develop-app-for-conducting-malaria-tests-without-needles-matibabu/

we are so proud of the two students of University of Ilorin who are now in the limelight for constructing an aircraft prototype.

Ali David and Patrick Effiong, both 500 level students of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University told journalists in Ilorin that they had nurtured the passion to construct the aircraft when they were in 100 level, adding that it was now their final year project.

David added that many of his colleagues were skeptical when they first broached the subject but they were not deterred by the challenges they faced.

“What we are actually working on is a machine that will lift up itself through the law of aerodynamics and having an engine, a propeller and the fuselage,” he told NAN.

Effiong added that some of their lecturers backed them up, thereby motivating them to carry out the construction.

“Ali brought the idea to me that he had the dream of constructing an aircraft, but I didn’t really buy the idea then and I thought he had forgotten about it. So when we got to 400 level, he raised the idea again.’’

Today their dream has been fulfilled and we celebrate with them.

http://greenbiro.com/two-engineering-students-of-unilorin-construct-aircraft-prototype/

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is offering one undergraduate/postgraduate scholarship to Nigerian students. The scholarship is tenable in Nigeria and overseas, and will reasonably cover tuition and board.

Entrants must be Nigerian citizens who are currently undergoing, or have been admitted into, a course of study at undergraduate or postgraduate level at a government-approved institution of learning within or outside Nigeria.

To qualify for consideration for the scholarship applicants should submit an essay on the topic: More Learning to More People: How can Nigeria be more innovative in bridging its literacy and skills gap?

Entries must be in English, and be between 2,000 and 5,000 words. All essays should be submitted on or before August 31, 2013.

It will be the responsibility of applicants to reasonably prove that they possess valid letters or offers of admission, or other evidence of studentship. Successful candidates who are unable to prove this will have their scholarship offers revoked. Entrants must avoid plagiarism and should be prepared to present themselves for an oral defence of their work (should the need arise). Plagiarism will result in instant disqualification of the affected entry.

Essays will be judged for grammar, clarity, coherence and a focus on solutions. (While it is important to highlight the problems and challenges of education in Nigeria, the essay should primarily focus on innovative problem-solving)

Only one scholarship will be awarded. There will however be consolation prizes for up to two other entrants. The Judges’ decision is final and will not be subject to appeal or litigation.

ESSAY FORMAT GUIDELINES
Essays, containing between 2,000 and 5,000 words, should be emailed as Microsoft Word documents to scholarship@atiku.org.
The first page of the essay document should include the following:

1. Entrants Name & Date of Birth

2. Entrants Contact Details (Valid email address and phone number)

3. Entrants Institution (with full institution address included), Course of Study, Year of Entry, and Student Number (Also specifying whether Undergraduate or Postgraduate)

Essays should be in a legible font (font size 12); 1.5-spaced or double-spaced. All pages should be properly numbered.
http://greenbiro.com/atiku-abubakar-launches-special-undergraduatepostgraduate-scholarship-offer-for-nigerian-students/

Three days after the brutal attack on a Youth Corps member in Bayelsa state Folakemi Akinbode, the police in Bayelsa State have arrested her alleged attackers.

The graduate Nurse from Madonna University had her right hand almost chopped off by her assailant who ambushed her when she was returning from work. She was attacked with a machete for reportedly refusing to hand over unspecified amount of money in her possession.

Vanguard reports that two suspects, identified as Ebi Jatto and Weriye Aluwa, who are currently in police custody were nabbed 72 hours after the attack through the support of the Obunagha community youths in Bayelsa state.

The suspects were arrested at Koroama community about two kilometres from the scene of crime while attempting to sell the mobile phone of their victim. A security source told Vanguard that the suspects had confessed to the crime and claimed that the lady struggled with them in their attempt to snatch her bag.

I’m so glad her attackers have been caught. The severe injuries inflicted on her was totally uncalled for and we hope she gets better soon.
http://greenbiro.com/police-arrest-two-suspected-attackers-of-female-youth-corps-member-in-bayelsa/

Are you interested in getting an MBA in the 2014/2015 academic year? Then this opportunity might be for you!

The Foundation for African Leadership in Business (ALB) is offering scholarships to qualified residents of Africa who wish to obtain an MBA through one of their partner universities. Scholarship comes with great responsibility, and as such, ALB scholarships are offered as part of the ALB Fellowship Program.

Eligibility:
To qualify for the ALB Fellowship Program, applicants should demonstrate the following through their application:

A commitment to returning to their country after program completion
Strong professional background, including 3 or more years of work experience
Strong academic background, including completion of a Bachelor degree or equivalent
High competency in written and spoken English
Acceptance to an MBA program
Completion of the GMAT exam
All other requirements for admission to the partner school program
Eligibility for scholarships is merit and need based.

Student Responsibility:
Fellows are expected to serve as representatives of their country, the African continent, and the ALB Foundation throughout their program and ongoing professional career. To ensure that the ALB goals are being pursued throughout the MBA program, all ALB Fellows complete the ALB Fellowship Project, which involves the group development of an entrepreneurial business plan to be implemented in the Fellow’s home country. Additionally, all ALB Fellows are expected to commit to returning to their home country following graduation, and remaining there to work for a minimum of two years.

How to Apply:
All interested candidates should register with ALB as a first step in the application process. For more information about the application process visit How to Apply.

About the ALB
The Foundation for African Leadership in Business is committed to ensuring equal opportunity to all persons without regard to color, race, religion, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or age.
http://greenbiro.com/great-opportunity-alb-foundation-offers-mba-scholarships-for-african-residents-apply-now-for-the-20142015-academic-session/

At the recent graduating ceremony of Covenant University (CU) Ota, 21 year-old Michael Eromhonsele stood proud among 1,465 other graduates to clinch the Best Graduating Student Award. His achievement caused quite a sensation on the online media sphere with reports that he had to make some sacrifices such as not having a girlfriend or attending parties to achieve this feat.

In this exclusive interview with Adeola Adeyemo, Michael corrects some of the wrong media reports about him. He also speaks on his undergraduate experience and how he was able to make such an impressive grade. His story is an interesting one.

Congratulations on your achievement. How does it feel, coming tops among 1,465 other undergraduates?
I feel very privileged and favoured. My heart is full of praise to God.

Tell me about your early days in the University. What was your experience like when you first gained admission into CU?
I spent my first two weeks getting used to the school rules and the environment. I remember getting lost the first time I went to Joseph Hall to see a family friend. It was during this period I became a course representative, was baptized in the Holy Spirit and joined communion service unit of the school’s chaplaincy. The decisions I made during these two weeks shaped my destiny in Covenant University.

Why did you decide to study Civil Engineering?
During my secondary education I had a strong passion for statics and structural mechanics. I also loved further mathematics. These were the reasons why I chose to study civil engineering.

For many students, Engineering and Mathematics are tough courses. How were you able to cope with the demands of studying such courses in your department?
When you are doing something you love, you will see challenges as stepping stones for success. My mindset helped me overcome the challenges like they never existed.

Tell me about your educational journey from Primary School to this point and how you fared in your classes.
During my primary education at UNIBEN Staff School, I was usually among the top three in my class. I was 10 when I got into Junior Secondary School at UNIBEN Demonstration Secondary School and I was a little above average. It was during my senior secondary education at Greater Tomorrow Secondary School that I began to take academics seriously. After the first year of my senior secondary education, I finished as the best in my class (SS1B) and won an award in Mathematics. At the end of my second year, I was the 2nd best in the SS2 class and won a STAN award in science. I finished my secondary education as the best graduating student and as a finalist in the Maltina National Reading competition and got into the University at 16.

Was CU your first choice or did you just find yourself there by chance?
Covenant University wasn’t my first choice. My first choice was UNIBEN but my dad and his friend convinced me to go there. I will be forever grateful to them.

Many people are of the opinion that it is very easy to gain admission into Private Universities in Nigeria as long as one can afford the school fees, and thus, very easy to pass courses there. Is this true?
Well, in Covenant University, you have to pass an aptitude test and an interview to get in. Every year over 10000 students apply but only about 2000 are taken. So it is not “very easy” to get in. Students excel easily in a good learning environment which Covenant University and some other private universities provide.

How well can a CU graduate compete with any graduate from, let’s say, a Federal University in Nigeria?
A Covenant University graduate will more often than not perform better than graduates from other universities because he/she has undergone spiritual, moral and academic training.

To achieve a CGPA of 4.92, you must have excelled in all your courses. What was the lowest grade you ever had in the University and what course was it?
My lowest grade was a “C” in EDS 521. EDS stands for Entrepreneurial Development Studies. I finished with a CGPA of 4.93 not 4.92.

You are a graduate at age 20. This means you must have been one of the youngest in your classes while growing up. Did this affect you in any way?
It didn’t affect me. Maturity is not in how “old” but how “wise”. I am actually 21 years old not 20.

What sacrifices did you have to make to achieve a CGPA of 4.93?
I am a lover of video games and soccer but when I was in school I only watched six football matches and I hardly played games.

While most of your mates were having fun, socializing and dating, did you ever feel left out?
No.

Looking back at your life at the University, is there anything you wish you had done differently?
I wish I had asked out a friend I liked in 300 Level before she was taken.

Punch reported that you said you never had a girlfriend while in school. Now that you are through with your undergraduate studies, are you ready to start dating?
Contrary to what Punch Newspaper reported, I dated someone when I was in 200 level. I have always been ready for a relationship.

So tell me, what happened to the relationship? Why did you decide to end it?
The girl got tired of the relationship because I wasn’t spending enough time with her. She ended it.

What kind of girl would you be attracted to?
Well, I would prefer to keep that to myself.

What about the Punch report that stated you never attended parties. Is that also true?
Yes I didn’t attend any parties.

Do you feel bad that you had to sacrifice your relationship and social life for your academic achievement?
No I don’t. If I had another opportunity I would do the same thing.


At what point did you know you were going to be the best graduating student this year?
It was just two days before the convocation ceremony. At the beginning of the last semester, another student Aiwa and I were on a CGPA of 4.93. Also in my last result, I had my first “C” in the University so I wasn’t expecting to be the best. I felt sorry for her because the gap was just 0.001. It couldn’t have been closer.

What is your study style like? Are you the kind of person who spends long hours reading or did it take you just a short time to understand your courses?
I am blessed with quick understanding. I understood 90 percent of my courses while the lecturers taught. I spent little time reading but a lot of time teaching people. During my 100 level I was studying for 2-3 hours per day but as I began to go higher I got involved with a lot of leadership positions. From my 200 level, I have been reading for an average of 3-4 hours per week. As at last semester, I observed that my reading time was less than 2 hours per week because of my project work. I always studied in my room. I only went to study in the library on four occasions. In contrast, I spent an average of 8 hours per week teaching people throughout my stay in Covenant University.

Who were the people that inspired and supported you academically and otherwise throughout your stay in the University?
My major source of inspiration is God. Dr David Oyedepo has been a mentor and a father. Pastor Ubong Ntia, Pastor Victor Oluwadamilare, Mr. Victor Ubong and many others have inspired me. My course mates, close friends and fellow communion stewards have also inspired me.

What is the CU student experience like? Many think it is very dull and conservative. Is this true?
Covenant University is unique. We have our own definition of “fun”. The Covenant University experience is very far from being dull. The creativity and ingenuity of the people connected to the institution makes the experience very interesting. There are so many social and sporting events in the school’s calendar and these events are organized by students. The most popular events are the Redefinition Fashion Show and the Covenant University Football League.

In the past few months, CU has been in the news for issues such as expulsion and students complaints over strict rules. How do you feel about this?
I have no comment on it.

From an ex-student’s point of view, were the school rules too strict?
No, they weren’t. It just takes the first semester to get used to them.

What are your future aspirations, both academically and professionally?
Academically, I want to obtain a masters degree and probably a PhD in Structural Engineering. Professionally, I want to become one of the leading Structural Engineering consultants in the world.

What else are you passionate about apart from your academic interests?
I am passionate about Nigeria and Africa. I strongly believe that in the next 20 years Nigeria will become the giant of Africa again. I am eager to play my part in achieving this.

For someone wishing to achieve a feat such as yours, what would be your advice to the person?
Spirituality, Possibility Mentality, Capacity Building, Integrity, Responsibility, Diligence, and Sacrifice have to be your core values.

http://greenbiro.com/21-year-old-best-graduating-student-of-covenant-university-michael-eromhonsele-speaks-on-his-undergraduate-experience-his-journey-to-the-top/

I am writing this from my hotel room in Athens. I woke up this morning and felt I should write this. It’s not something I like doing; I don’t like telling people what is best for them. No, I actually thought I should talk about hope, patriotism and disguise. We have reached that point in our lives when we should wake up and realise that there is no single honest or genuine person in the world. Everyone reading this right now will be saying, ‘But I am honest.’ You are not. You just believe in what you think is right or wrong. For you. When your heart tells you.

Each time I rant about my hate for the situation of Nigeria on my Facebook, people remind me it’s my home. I know. Unfortunately, I am floating. I feel I don’t belong anywhere. There is no justification to the crimes I’ve committed, guts I gored trying to stand tall and find my feet in the world. It’s just how I grew up. I grew up seeking for everyone’s validation, desperate enough to be famous and successful. I am not sure it happened, but I am completely satisfied with the little I have now, but if more comes my way, I will take.

Nigeria is a country full of self-righteous nitwits. Everyone is so holy that no one else is holy. Everyone in Nigeria has an opinion. The same Nigerian patriot who thinks the politicians are destroying the nation are sending their kids far off to universities abroad and helping the best of their nationals stay away to not contribute to the growth of the society. The same Nigerian patriot is the one that owes his employers; the same Nigerian patriot is the one that lies to young people, promises them heaven and earth so they can be used to achieve their aspirations; the same Nigerian patriot can die trying so hard to save money for his unborn children and coming generations. He acquires wealth just to remain respected and on top. He will be the one that will go around telling poor people not to think so much about money, because money is not wealth and that if they chase after money so much, they will lose their focus in life. How does that happen? Who says money is not the most important thing in life? Even families know that without money, they can never be happy.

Everyone has turned into a role model and the social media has provided a platform where everyone can air their opinion no matter how shallow it sounds. We don’t have to blame them; we have to blame those who have mystified themselves. Many of us have actually sold solid lies to the world, painting ourselves differently, making people believe we are demi-gods. But it was on this journey to understand how we can develop ourselves and become what we want that I discovered that the surface of anything is but deceit. Nigeria is full of selfish nitwits who just want to remain happy themselves. We cannot digest all the lies, but we believe them and keep harping on them. Everyone of us is filthy, but we will never agree. We are quick at pointing out the wrongs of others. We are filthy, but we can never perceive our bad smell.

The politicians tell us that they are chosen by the people. The people are invisible. Celebrities look for what can keep them relevant in the society. They come up with something and call themselves activists. They organise talk-shows and market themselves. However, everyone wants money to buy new clothes and shoes and even eat properly. This is not to say they are not doing well, but the point of this entire talk is to clear the notion that there is an honest person.

Mr. Farouk Lawan was perceived as Nigeria’s Messiah until Mr. Femi Otedola decided to show the Real Farouk to Nigerians. We were surprised and at once, amused. We had thought that finally, there was someone ready to liberate us. It was good that what happened happened. Many of us haven’t learnt yet. And what we should learn is to never let anyone define who they are to us. We should have definition of everyone. We should not let people’s tongues wag, looking for connotations to make them appear beautiful.

I argue with people and they give me list of people who ‘changed’ Nigeria and ask, ‘What did they change?’ My father changed Nigeria too by giving Nigeria an evil child. I am the evil child and he that is holier than me shall have his posterior glued in hellfire. We cannot continue to condemn others while we live very filthy lives. We can only live our lives and chase after money when we can so we can take care of ourselves and not beg the world to donate money when our kidneys go bad. We should stop living poor, yet groveling at the feet of rich people when we need financial help. We need to grow out of the illusion that anyone genuinely cares about us.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have announced the arrest of a 30-year-old man, John Arinze, for being in possession of 2.1 kilogrames of methamphetamine.

Mitchell Ofoyeju, the NDLEA Head of Public Affairs told Punch that the arrest was made during the outward screening of passengers on a Virgin Atlantic flight to London at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Arinze, who is a career counsellor said he holds a Master’s degree in International Business from Bolton University, UK. He also claimed to be an ambassador of Bolton University in the United Kingdom where he had lived for three years.

During his interrogation, he claimed innocence of the crime saying that he was given the bag by a friend, who bought his return ticket to London. He said:

“I came to Nigeria in June as an alumni ambassador of my university. I have a Master’s degree in International Business from Bolton University. Work was at advanced stage for an exhibition in Onitsha with parents and prospective candidates, who are interested in furthering their education in the United Kingdom.

“In the process, I got an interview request in London which I had wanted to quickly attend and then return to Nigeria. A friend who assisted me in buying my ticket gave me the bag to use for my trip. It was inside the bag that the parcels of drug were found. I truly regret the incident and will like my friends, relatives and business partners to please understand my situation.”

The NDLEA noted that four parcels containing substances that tested positive for methamphetamine were found carefully hidden inside Arinze’s luggage. The sides of his bag had to be cut open to recover the parcels of drugs.

The Chairman of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade however did not believe Arinze’s testimony and described his excuse as disappointing.

“It is sad and disappointing that the suspect could yield to the demand to traffic drugs considering his academic background and profession as a career counsellor,” he was quoted as saying.

This is a dicey one. Is it possible that Arinze was not aware there were drugs in his bag? What do you think?
http://greenbiro.com/30-year-old-masters-degree-holder-from-bolton-university-uk-arrested-for-drug-trafficking-in-lagos/

Dear Senate President, David Mark,

It’s written in The Bible: 1 Samuel, 20 verses 41, “After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.”

You are a Christian and I am very sure you give a lot to the local church in your village. If you don’t, please start giving. And please, visit your village often with members of the Senate. Let them see how young girls grow. And let them lose their appetite for young blood if they see that these small girls no even fit wash dem pants properly. Make sure you take Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima with you. He is a very exciting person. I find him very amusing. He is full of ironies. Not to digress.

Dear Senate President sir, you are very educated man. And just as Senator Yerima said, you are ‘a just leader, a leader who listens,’ please just listen to me. From the moment you approved that we should start ‘raping’ small girls legally, I started thinking otherwise. I used to visit Arts & Craft Village in Abuja to look at a painting of you there, where you are standing, towering over the whole of Nigeria, waving at people, amongst them, small girls. The moment news broke that you and other ‘respected’ members of the Senate have legalised your fight to share your chambers with little girls with no breasts to cure yourselves of a lot of health issues, I started having nightmares. I will tell you these nightmares, which made ‘David weep the most’ as the Bible predicts that you will weep the most and President Goodluck Jonathan will weep with you too.

Nightmare One: Someone raped your granddaughter in the bush, somewhere in Zamfara State. I don’t know who the person is, but he has scary beard and then your granddaughter had a baby immediately. I think your granddaughter is like eight years or so? Check one of your grandchildren. I know what I’m talking about.

Nightmare Two: Someone bombed your car when he asked you to take home one small girl they kept in your room at Transcorp Hilton. You refused to sleep with the girl and that same man with beard slapped you sideways. You cried and then removed your clothes. You couldn’t find your manhood.

Nightmare Three: You died on a girl of eight years, Senate President sir.

I had other nightmares, but I am not sure you can handle them if I told you, because you have started shaking already. The truth is that you have been emotionally blackmailed to respect Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima because of that secret you think he’s keeping for you. No, dear Senate President sir, be wise. Very very wise.

I met a Nigerian father and the little daughter last week in Brussels and the moment I said, ‘Oh, this girl is so beautiful,’ the father held his daughter closely. I mean it. He held her so close and said something like, ‘If your Senators sent you, tell them you didn’t see her!’ Just like other fathers, everyone is protecting their little girls now. This is going to be a problem in the future. I know you will find this ridiculous, but Bianca already had good breasts before she married Ojukwu, even though no one understood their frustrations. All the same, I took a picture of that beautiful small girl and I look at the picture every day, hoping that one day I shall have a child like that one, but not marry her. First things first, Senate President sir, you have to change the way you let people run you down emotionally. It’s going to destroy your Governorship aspiration.

Dear Senate President, everybody is cursing you already and you know that we love Jesus and Muhammad too much in Nigeria. Please, don’t Bleep us sideways; we can still hate you overnight. Do what you can do to remain the Star; don’t allow barking actors like Stella Damasus play Nollywood on you again and be filming herself, screaming at you! It is not good.

Thank you very much for reading this and I don’t look forward to hearing from you.

Your Ex-Admirer,

Onyeka Nwelue
http://greenbiro.com/an-open-letter-to-senate-president-david-mark-about-small-girls-by-onyeka-nwelue/

You wanna finish with a first class too, take a cue from this brilliant dude!

Michael Eromhonsele sacrificed romance for excellence and emerged the best graduating student of Covenant University in Ota, Ogun State. Aged 20, he obtained a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.92, out of a possible 5.0, to beat 1,465 other undergraduates.

At the institution’s graduation ceremony recently, he said his first few days in the university campus were uneventful. According to him, he was a bit confused because he was not used to the prayer regime that he had to be part of at the faith-based institution. Spirituality is one of the core values of CU. But as soon as he found his rhythm, there was no looking back for him.

Michael did not allow himself to be distracted by his friends or the opposite sex as he concentrated on his studies. Listing some of the factors that helped him to achieve that feat, he says, “First, I must acknowledge God’s favour and his assistance. Second, I did not entertain any form of distractions. I did not attend parties, and I did not have any girlfriend or what you may refer to as a lover. I concentrated on my studies.”

What about his study style? Eromhonsele reveals that apart from the serene environment in the school, which is conducive for learning, he loves to read late into the night.

According to him, he started reading from 10.00pm and he won’t stop until 1.00am. “Those are the hours I found most convenient to read. As soon as I closed my book, I went to bed. I woke up at 7.00am, and got ready for my classes. Lectures start at 8.00am,” he adds.

Apart from being the best overall student, he was also the best in the College of Science and Technology where he studied Civil Engineering.

Well done Michael!
http://greenbiro.com/i-never-had-a-girl-friend-and-never-attended-parties-covenant-universitys-best-graduating-student-michael-eromhonsele-speaks-on-the-sacrifices-he-made-to-achieve-his-feat/

Last Wednesday, I left Abuja city for the airport, to catch a scheduled 7pm Arik Air flight to Lagos. I got to the airport at 6pm, got my boarding pass, and waited for the boarding announcement. I expected we would depart sometime between 7pm and 8pm. At 7pm, an announcement came that our flight was going to be delayed by two hours. (The 4.40pm flight to Port Harcourt, we learnt, hadn’t left, and this was already well after 7pm; boarding for this didn’t eventually start until about 8pm).

At 9pm, another announcement came. Another delay, this time to 10.45pm.

Hands went up onto heads, in that classic Nigerian gesture of alarm tinged with resignation. At that point, a number of people approached the airline counter, to complain. One of them was a young woman, who said she had a flight to New York, from Lagos (also on Arik Air; more on that flight later), later that night. A 10.45pm departure meant she would not be making the flight.

I accompanied the young woman to the Arik office within the building, to complain. As expected, the airline attendant on duty, beyond offering excuses (mostly to do with how there was a scarcity of aviation fuel; and how they had supplies in Port Harcourt but not in Lagos or Abuja), were not in a position to do anything. It was from them I heard that the plane that was coming to pick us to Lagos had just left Port Harcourt, en route to Abuja. I made quick calculations. This was 10.40pm. Port Harcourt to Abuja was 45 minutes. So, it’d have landed in Abuja at about 11.30pm. And then, taken off for Lagos at midnight, allowing 30 minutes for disembarking and boarding. We would therefore be landing in Lagos at 1am!

At that point, I decided I was not going to fly out of Abuja at midnight. I was going to return – at my own expense, of course – to Abuja, and try again the next morning. (The flight did eventually leave that night; I have no idea how passengers made their way home from the airport at such ungodly hour of 1am.)

I returned to the airport the next morning at 7am, and was allocated a seat on the 9am flight. When I heard an Arik official announce that it was the 7am flight to Lagos that was expected to come back to run the 9am flight (and this after first getting fuel in Lagos), I gave up, and immediately went to buy a Dana ticket. I’ve still got my unused Arik ticket with me.

In the days since then, I have heard – mostly on Twitter – several horror stories involving Arik. Flights cancelled or delayed for several hours, all because of “operational reasons”.

The Wednesday night flight from Lagos to New York didn’t take off until Thursday morning; 10 hours after the scheduled departure time. Passengers were kept waiting overnight at the airport. No compensation was offered to those who had missed their connecting flights in the United States.

The 6pm Abuja to Uyo flight on Friday night took off sometime between 10pm and 11pm, and then, to the dismay of passengers (one of them live-tweeted this) first went north to Kano; eventually landing in Uyo at 2am on Saturday.

There’s a photo that blogger Linda Ikeji posted on that same Friday, reportedly taken same day at the Abuja airport, of an Arik plane. There’s a crowd at the foot of the plane; departing passengers jostling to board while those arriving were still disembarking. It looked like something out of those stories from the worst days of Nigeria Airways.

And according to another frustrated passenger, when the lone flight to Enugu on Saturday landed, many passengers found out that their luggage had been left behind in Lagos.

I’m publicly challenging Arik to deny any of these accounts.

I’ve lost count of the horror stories (many faithfully archived by Google); Arik is, to speak without euphemism, “doing anyhow”. It seems that we are at the mercy of an airline with a mission to repeatedly stress and frustrate its passengers; emphasis on “repeatedly” because these incidents have long since left the realm of sporadic glitch and appear to now be expressions of company culture.

I think it should henceforth have the following “small print” on all its tickets: “Possession of this ticket merely signifies an intention to fly from Point A to B. Arik Air reserves the right to decide whether or not to actually fly, and if it does, what route to take, and whether or not to bring your luggage along. The airline also reserves the right to withhold all exigent information on the basis of operational reasons. Thank you.”

Yet, this same airline that is so tardy with customer service suddenly becomes super-efficient when it comes to penalising you for missing a flight, or to issuing a passenger blacklist. Last September, the airline released a list of blacklisted passengers, which included the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, as well as blogger Japheth Omojuwa, who was waging an online battle with it over a misplaced iPad. (It quickly rescinded the laughable decision)

The airline’s nonchalance is louder than its plane engines; no apologies or compensations are considered necessary once a “State of Operational Reasons” – Arik’s equivalent of a State of Emergency – has been invoked.

It’s a disgraceful conduct from an airline that wants to conquer the world’s skies for Nigeria. I’ve heard that it plans to start direct flights from Lagos to Brazil, later this year. My sympathies in advance to those who will not arrive until after the FIFA 2014 World Cup has ended, because of “operational reasons.”

In Arik’s defence, you might say it is not alone in these despicable attitudes to customers. It’s a Nigerian thing; comes with the territory. Not a tenable excuse, I’m afraid. Lest we forget, it is by far the biggest airline in Nigeria – with pretensions to the “National Carrier” throne. With that status, I think comes a certain responsibility; to set, for the rest of the industry, basic standards of efficient operation. Allowing the biggest and most powerful airline in the country to get away with unacceptable levels of conduct automatically invalidates the Minister of Aviation’s much-touted “transformation” agenda.

And all this raises questions about regulation and customer protection in Nigeria. Arik knows that it can continue to sell tickets and play chess with its flight schedules – even when it has no guarantees on the availability of fuel (if the fuel excuse is to be believed) – because in Nigeria there is no limit to how long an airline can delay its passengers, no penalty for doing so as often as you please, and no obligation to offer any compensation.

According to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, however, that state of lawlessness is about to change. While waiting for that midnight flight last week, I borrowed a newspaper from another stranded passenger, and came across the news of a new “Passengers’ Bill of Rights” (spot the irony!), prepared by the NCAA, and due to launch on Friday, July 26.

I’ve since then found a draft copy of the document on the NCAA website, dated March 2012. (I would like the NCAA to make available, as soon as possible, the final version). It’s a comprehensive document, covering everything from procedures for denial of boarding to flight delays and cancellations, compensation rights, reimbursements, and even “misleading advertising”. It mandates airlines to establish “consumer protection desks” at every airport at which they have operations, and to display, at their check-in counters, a “passenger rights statement.” It also prescribes sanctions (ranging from fines to criminal prosecution) for airlines that violate its terms.

My fear, knowing our country, is that our airlines will pour their energies into resisting any attempt to make them behave responsibly. (I’m already expecting at least one airline to go in search of a judge willing to grant a “perpetual injunction” restraining the NCAA from subjecting it to the new guidelines.)

I’m hoping that the Consumer Protection Council will step in urgently, to support the NCAA and help ensure the implementation and enforcement of these guidelines.

One person got in touch with me on Twitter to say he’d taken a Nigerian airline to court in the aftermath of a bitter experience. That’s commendable. The truth is that we can’t keep swapping/tweeting our stories of woe and saying, “This is Nigeria.” Customer-disrespecting organisations will continue in an ever-increasing state of bad behaviour unless and until they’re checked by firm and consistent backlash from customers and regulators.

For now, the social media provides a platform for connecting frustrated customers and amplifying their voices. It’s a start, but Nigeria needs more than that.

Meanwhile, I’m sitting here awaiting Arik’s updated blacklist. Maybe, this time, everyone who agrees with this article will be included. See you on it!

http://greenbiro.com/tolu-ogunlesi-publicly-challenges-arik-air-in-opinion-piece-saving-nigerians-from-their-airlines/

Channels TV Book Club is giving Nigerian Secondary School students an awesome opportunity to take part in an essay competition and win some amazing prizes including a sponsored trip to Germany!

To Enter for the Competition:
a) Candidates should read Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

b) Candidates should write an essay that is not longer than 1,500 words to review the book. The essay should not have more than 10 references.

c) The submitted essay must have: a title; the candidate’s full name; and the candidate’s contact number. The essay must be properly formatted.

d) By entering the competition, candidates agree to transfer the copyright of the submitted essay to Channels Television giving the station the right to reproduce, distribute and broadcast the essay in printed, electronic or any other medium, and in turn to authorise others to do the same. Channels Television will also have the right to edit the essays as deemed appropriate for publishing.

e) Candidate must ensure that the essay is his or her original work. If it contains material such as previously published works, the material must be clearly identified and acknowledged within the text. Candidates must not engage in plagiarism.

f) Channels Television will reserve the right to withhold the prizes if the standard of the essays submitted is not of sufficient merit.

g) The 10 best candidates in stage one (the reading and review stage) will be invited to discuss their work before a panel of judges and the winner of the competition will be picked from amongst them.

Entry Criteria/Procedure
The competition is targeted at secondary school students in Nigeria who are not older than 19 years old.

a) Candidates must be bona fide students of any Nigerian secondary school.

b) Candidates must enrol online, download and fill an entry form for the competition from Channels Website.

c) Candidates must send by email the following:

The filled entry form (in b above)
An essay, reviewing the selected novel, in not more than 1500 words.
A scanned copy of a recent passport photograph
A scanned copy of the candidate’s last school academic report or score sheet in the last academic year.
d) The above requirements should be sent by email to thechannelsbookclub@channelstv.com on or before 25th of August, 2013.

Judges
The competition will be supervised by a 3-member panel of judges. The judges will be experts and active participants in the literary industry in Nigeria.
Their task will be to assess the quality of the essays submitted and the writers of the essays.
They will also serve as umpires to ensure that the rules of the competition are adhered to.

1st Prize Winner
A sponsored trip to the 2013 Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany
N50,000 worth of books

2nd Prize Winner
A sponsored trip to the Ake Arts and Book Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
N50,000 (£200/$300) worth of books

3rd Prize Winner
N50,000 (£200/$300) worth of books

The competition is being sponsored by Lufthansa German Airline, Laterna Books & Goethe Institut.

http://greenbiro.com/channels-tv-book-club-presents-an-essay-competition-for-secondary-school-students-prizes-include-a-sponsored-trip-to-germany/

Are you young and have a passion for writing?
Are you an SSCE/OND Holder?
Are you computer literate with a good knowledge of browsing the internet?
Are you interested in news reporting, feature writing and online editing?
Are you interested in writing for an online media company?

If the answers to the above is YES, please send an application and a writing sample to deolascope@gmail.com.

For further enquiries, please call 08052820523.

why people just dey scream osaze. The Nigerian team is now a team because of discipline. without him we won the nation's cup. With him, we will lose concentration and not win.

Even with osaze we will have lost to spain. So, please lets face front.

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has officially published the list of Top 100 Universities in Nigeria. This list is released every year by the Commission, ranking Universities based on their performances and whether they meet the required standards.

Among other criteria includes the infrastructural facilities of the Universities, the validity of their equipment, their curriculum, the quality of their graduates and more.

According to the list released this year, University of Ibadan ranks first while University of Lagos and University of Benin take the second and third positions respectively. Covenant University ranks 13th while Pan African University ranks 18th on the list.

Read the full list below:
1. University of Ibadan, IU

2. University of Lagos, Unilag

3. University of Benin, Uniben

4. Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU

5. Ahmadu Bello University, Abu

6. University of Ilorin, Unilorin

7. University of Jos, Unijos

8. University of Port Harcourt, Uniport

9. University of Maiduguri, Unimaid

10. University of Agriculture, Abeokuta,

11. Lagos State University, Lasu

12. Federal University of Technology, Futo

13. Covenant University, CU

14. University of Nigeria, UNN

15. Federal University of Technology, Futa

16. Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Unizik

17. Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Esut

18. Pan African University

19. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. lautech

20. Modibbo Adama University of Technology

21. African University of Science and Technology

22. University of Uyo, Uniuyo

23. Bayero University Kano, Buk

24. Ambrose Alli University, AAU

25. Redeemer’s University,

26. Babcock University

27. Federal University of Technology,

28. University of Calabar, Unical

29. Michael Okpara University of Agriculture,

30. Ajayi Crowther University

31. Bowen University

32. Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Rsust

33. Lead City University

34. Crawford University

35. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, ATBU

36. Abia State University, Absu

37. Usmanu Danfodio University,

38. Igbinedion University

39. Imo State University, Imsu

40. Niger Delta University

41. Bells University of Technology

42. Kwara State University

43. Nasarawa State University

44. Caleb University

45. Obong University Obong

46. Adekunle Ajasin University

47. Ekiti State University,

48. American University of Nigeria

49. Joseph Ayo Babalola University

50. Veritas University Abuja

51. Afe Babalola University

52. Kaduna State University Kaduna

53. Osun State University Oshogbo …

54. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University Katsina

55. Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ndufu-Alike

56. Salem University Lokoja

57. Novena University Ogume

58. Achievers University, Owo Owo

59. Benson Idahosa University Benin City

60. Ebonyi State University Abakaliki

61. University of Abuja Abuja

62. University of Mkar Mkar

63. Madonna University Okija

64. Bingham University Auta Balifi

65. Plateau State University Bokkos

66. Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun

67. Federal University, Dutse Dutse

68. Nigerian Turkish Nile University Abuja

69. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai

70. Landmark University Omu-Aran

71. Delta State University, Abraka Abraka

72. University of Agriculture, Makurdi Makurdi

73. Renaissance University Enugu

74. Federal University, Otuoke Otuoke

75. Tai Solarin University of Education Ijebu-Ode …

76. Federal University, Oye-Ekiti Oye …

77. Kano State University of Technology Wudil

78. Tansian University Umunya …

79. Akwa Ibom State University Uyo

80. Baze University Abuja

81. Kebbi State University of Science and Technology Aliero

82. Benue State University Makurdi

83. Adeleke University Ede

84. Ondo State University of Science & Technology Okitipupa

85. Kogi State University Anyigba

86. Western Delta University Oghara

87. Federal University, Wukari Wukari

88. Paul University Awka

89. Caritas University Enugu

90. Federal University, Lafia Lafia

91. Cross River University of Science & Technology Calabar …

92. Fountain University Oshogbo

93. Al-Hikmah University Ilorin …

94. Godfrey Okoye University Ugwuomu-Nike

95. Oduduwa University Ile Ife

96. Anambra State University Uli

97. Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago Iwoye …

98. Federal University, Lokoja Lokoja

99. Federal University, Kashere Kashere

100. Rhema University Obeama-Asa

What are your thoughts on this list? Do you agree with the ranking?
http://greenbiroblog..com/2013/04/nuc-releases-list-of-top-100.html

A Nigerian student who has been in a Ukraine Prison since he was arrested in November 2011 has finally been released. Olaolu Femi was arrested after allegedly defending himself against six teenagers who attacked him at the entrance to his apartment block.

He was facing life imprisonment but thankfully, he has been released.

According to African Outlook, one of his friends was physically attacked in front of his apartment by four Ukrainian young men and two women pulled them to the ground while hurling racist slurs on them. Sunkanmi was said to have managed to get up and defended himself against the assailants with a glass from a broken bottle. It was while he was defending himself that police arrived at the scene and the Nigerian was subsequently arrested and charged with attempted murder of five people.

His arrest and conviction stared up mass protests among Nigerians and members of the international community in Ukraine, with many people seeking for his release.

http://greenbiroblog..com/2013/04/olaolu-femi-nigerian-student-facing.html#more

The Management of LG Electronics West African Operations has rewarded 10 Engineering students of University of Lagos with a scholarship of $1,500 each for academic excellence.

Each of the beneficiaries had a high Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) which qualified them for the scholarship to aid their education.

Some of the beneficiaries included Omotola Ajayi, 400-Level Electrical Engineering, Samuel Olabiyi, 400-Level System Engineering, Chibuikem Obiji, 400-Level Mechanical Engineering, Chinyere Okoro, 400-Level Mechanical Engineering, and Oluwadara Awe, 400-Level Oluwadara.

Others are Gbenga Taiwo, 500-Level Mechanical Engineering, Olamide Folarin, 500-Level Mechanical Engineering, Rukayat Odubanjo, Mechanical Engineering, Oladele Adeyeye, 500-Level System Engineering, Samuel Ekwo, 500-Level System Engineering.

The Nation reports that during the presentation which took place in the LG Laboratory on the campus, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Rahman Bello charged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the money and urged other students to work hard to achieve such feat.

In his speech, Managing Director, LG Electronics West African Operations, Deog Jun Kim, said education is the best legacy they could inherit. Promising that the gesture would be extended to other institutions, Kim admonished students to always be hungry for knowledge to be successful after their degree programmes.

http://greenbiroblog..com/2013/04/lg-electronics-west-african-operations.html