₦airaland Forum

OLADD:
What is more touching and pathetic was arming a nine-year old little girl with a pre-crafted text to ridicule the sitting president, someone old enough to be her grandfather! I cannot imagine such a kid calling the president by name in more than one instances without the word "president" attached to it. The content of her speach(written by her mother, Mrs Benson) was meant to disgrace the president by APC. Opposition politics has never been this bad.

Tip 9 – It is worth it: Completing the PhD, for me at least, was an anti-climax. There were no trumpets or angels, no being carried through the university on the shoulders of my peers, no huge pay-rise or immediate offers of employment, not even any champagne (although there was, strangely, many flavours of Schnapps..). However 6 months on from the viva and corrections it feels worth it. Its a validation of your research skills and prowess., you feel a little more authoritative when speaking to peers or students (although inside you know that you are not any smarter than before), and you have survived – almost mentally intact.

In a ground-breaking operation, a team of pioneering surgeons from Stellenbosch University (SU) and Tygerberg Hospital performed the first successful penile transplant in the world.

The marathon nine-hour operation, led by Prof André van der Merwe, head of SU's Division of Urology, was performed on 11 December 2014 at Tygerberg Hospital in Bellville, Cape Town. This is the second time that this type of procedure was attempted, but the first time in history that a successful long-term result was achieved.

"South Africa remains at the forefront of medical progress," says Prof Jimmy Volmink, Dean of SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). "This procedure is another excellent example of how medical research, technical know-how and patient-centred care can be combined in the quest to relieve human suffering. It shows what can be achieved through effective partnerships between academic institutions and government health services."

Van der Merwe was assisted by Prof Frank Graewe, head of the Division of Plastic Reconstructive Surgery at SU FMHS, Prof Rafique Moosa, head of the FMHS Department of Medicine, transplant coordinators, anaesthetists, theatre nurses, a psychologist, an ethicist and other support staff.

The patient, whose identity is being protected for ethical reasons, has made a full recovery and has regained all function in the newly transplanted organ.

"Our goal was that he would be fully functional at two years and we are very surprised by his rapid recovery," says Van der Merwe. The end result of the transplant was the restoration of all the patient's urinary and reproductive functions.

"It's a massive breakthrough. We've proved that it can be done – we can give someone an organ that is just as good as the one that he had," says Graewe. "It was a privilege to be part of this first successful penis transplant in the world."

"Western Cape Government Health (WCGH) is very proud to be part of this ground-breaking scientific achievement," says Dr Beth Engelbrecht, head of the WCGH. "We are proud of the medical team, who also form part of our own staff compliment at Tygerberg Hospital. It is good to know that a young man's life has been significantly changed with this very complex surgical feat. From experience we know that penile dysfunction and disfigurement has a major adverse psychological effect on people."

The procedure was part of a pilot study to develop a penile transplant procedure that could be performed in a typical South African hospital theatre setting.

"There is a greater need in South Africa for this type of procedure than elsewhere in the world, as many young men lose their joysticks every year due to complications from traditional circumcision," explains Van der Merwe.

Three years ago the 21-year-old recipient's penis had to be amputated in order to save his life when he developed severe complications after a traditional circumcision. Although there are no formal records on the number of penile amputations per year due to traditional circumcision, one study reported up to 55 cases in the Eastern Cape alone, and experts estimate as many as 250 amputations per year across the country.

"This is a very serious situation. For a young man of 18 or 19 years the loss of his penis can be deeply traumatic. He doesn't necessarily have the psychological capability to process this. There are even reports of suicide among these young men," says Van der Merwe.

"The heroes in all of this for me are the donor, and his family. They saved the lives of many people because they donated the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, skin, corneas, and then the penis," says Van der Merwe. Finding a donor organ was one of the major challenges of the study.

The planning and preparation for the study started in 2010. After extensive research Van der Merwe and his surgical team decided to employ some parts of the model and techniques developed for the first facial transplant.

"We used the same type of microscopic surgery to connect small blood vessels and nerves, and the psychological evaluation of patients was also similar. The procedure has to be sustainable and has to work in our environment at Tygerberg," says Van der Merwe.

This procedure could eventually also be extended to men who have lost their joysticks from penile cancer or as a last-resort treatment for severe erectile dysfunction due to medication side effects. As part of the study, nine more patients will receive penile transplants.

When we think of the world’s all-time richest people, names like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and John D Rockefeller immediately come to mind.



But few would have thought, or even heard of, Mansa Musa I of Mali – the obscure 14th century African king who was today named the richest person in all history.

With an inflation adjusted fortune of $400 billion, Mansa Musa I would have been considerably richer than the world’s current richest man, Carlos Slim, who ranks in 22nd place with a relatively paltry $68 billion.
The list, compiled by the Celebrity Net Worth website, ranks the world’s 24 richest people of all time. The list advertises itself as the top 25, but 26 names appear in the list.

Although the list spans 1000 years, some aspects of wealth appear consistent throughout history; there are no women on the list, only three members are alive today, and 14 of the top 25 are American.

The list uses the annual 2199.6 per cent rate of inflation to adjust historic fortunes – a formula that means $100 million in 1913 would be equal to £2.299.63 billion today.

Mansa Musa I ruled West Africa’s Malian Empire in the early 1300s, making his fortune by exploiting his country’s salt and gold production. Many mosques he built as a young man still stand today.

After Mansa Musa I death in 1331, however, his heirs were unable to hang on to the fortune, and it was substantially depleted by civil wars and invading armies.

Second on the list are the Rothschild family, whose descendants are still among the richest people on the planet. Starting out in banking in the late 18th Century, Mayer Amschel Rothschild’s finance house accumulated a total wealth of $350 billion. The money has since been divided between hundreds of descendants, many of whom are business leaders today.

Meanwhile John D. Rockefeller, third on the list, is the richest American to have ever lived, worth $340billion in today's USD at the time of his death in 1937.

In comparison, the poorest man on the list is 82-year-old Warren Buffett, who at his peak net worth, before he started giving his fortune to charity, was $64billion.


1. Mansa Musa I, (Ruler of Malian Empire, 1280-1331) $400 billion

2. Rothschild Family (banking dynasty, 1740- ) $350 billion

3. John D Rockefeller (industrialist, 1839-1937) $340 billion

4. Andrew Carnegie (industrialist, 1835-1919) $310 billion

5. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (last Emperor of Russia, 1868-1918) $300 billion

6. Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (last ruler of Hyderabad, 1886-1967) $236 billion

7. William the Conqueror (King of England, 1028-1087) $229.5 billion

8. Muammar Gaddafi (former Libyan leader, 1942-2011) $200 billion

9. Henry Ford (Ford Motor Company founder, 1863-1947) $199 billion

10. Cornelius Vanderbilt (industrialist, 1794-1877) $185 billion

11. Alan Rufus (Fighting companion of William the Conqueror, 1040-1093) $178.65 billion

12. Bill Gates (Founder of Microsoft, 1955- ) $136 billion

13. William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey (Norman nobleman, ??-1088) $146.13 billion

14. John Jacob Astor (businessman, 1864-1912) $121 billion

15. Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel (English nobleman, 1306-1376) £118.6 billion

16. John of Gaunt (son of Edward III, 1330-1399) £110 billion

17. Stephen Girard (shipping and banking mogul, 1750-1831) $105 billion

18. Alexander Turney Stewart (entrepreneur, 1803-1876) $90 billion

19. Henry, 1st Duke of Lancaster (English noble, 1310-1361) $85.1 billion

20. Friedrich Weyerhaeuser (timber mogul, 1834-1914) $80 billion

21. Jay Gould (railroad tycoon, 1836-1892) $71 billion

22. Carlos Slim (business magnate, 1940- ) $68 billion

23. Stephen Van Rensselaer (land owner, 1764- 1839) $68 billion

24. Marshall Field (Marshall Field & Company founder, 1834-1906) $66 billion

25. Sam Walton (Walmart founder, 1918-1992) $65billion

26. Warren Buffett (investor, 1930- ) $64billion

1. Mansa Musa: $400 billion
He was the tenth emperor of the Mali Empire and is considered to be the richest human being in all history.
https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich1.jpg

2. Rothschild Family: $350 billion
This family has been involved in the banking business since the 1760s.
https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich2.jpg

3. John Rockefeller: $340 billion
Rockefeller was a businessman who made his fortune in the oil industry.
https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich3.jpg

4. Andrew Carnegie: $310 billion
Carnegie is an American industrialist who led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century. Before he died, he had given away close to 90 percent of his fortune to charities.
https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich4.jpg

5. Nicholas II of Russia: $300 billion
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia.
https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich5.jpg

6. Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII: $230 billion
He was the last ruler of Hyderabad and was considered to be the richest man of the world at some point of time.

https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich6.jpg

7. William The Conqueror: $229.5 billion
William The Conqueror was the first King of England.
https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich7.jpg

8. Muammar Gaddafi: $200 billion
Gaddafi ruled Libya for 42 years.
https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich8.jpg

9. Henry Ford: $199 billion
Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and developed the first car targeted to the American middle class.
https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich9.jpg

10. Cornelius Vanderbilt: $185 billion
Vanderbilt was an American business man and a philanthropist who built his wealth in railroads and shipping.


https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich10.jpg

11. Alan Rufus: $178.65 billion
Alan Rufus was a companion of William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England. He owned a lot of land in England.
https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich11.jpg

12. Bill Gates: $136 billion
Bill Gates established his fortune founding the software company Microsoft.
https://www.afrizap.com/file/sites/2/2015/01/rich12.jpg

dayosaurus:
There is a massive gridlock and all routes in and out of the island are blocked, stern looking soldiers everywhere.

If you have the intention of visiting marina or in marina, do not leave till 5hours after he has left.

News from the grapevine says he is attending a meeting at the stockexchange house.

JOHANNESBURG/DAKAR (Reuters) - Nigeria has brought in hundreds of mercenaries from South Africa and the former Soviet Union to give its offensive against Boko Haram a shot in the arm before a March 28 election, according to regional security, defence and diplomatic sources.

Rumours about the use of foreign "soldiers of fortune" against the Islamist militant group gained substance this month when pictures surfaced on Twitter showing armoured vehicles rumbling along a street in what was said to be Maiduguri, the regional capital of Nigeria's Boko Haram-hit northeast.

In one photo that appeared on Twitter on March 6, a white man in a khaki tee-shirt and body armour is shown beside a heavy-calibre machine gun on top of one of the sand-coloured vehicles as the column drives through the streets at dusk.

A Reuters reporter with knowledge of Maiduguri was able to verify the location of the photo as the Bama road, leading southeast out of the city, near the University of Maiduguri.

Election campaign posters of Borno state governor Kashim Shettima hanging from street lights indicate it was taken recently. The lights, notable for their ornate ironwork, were only installed last year.

In confirming the presence of hundreds of foreign military contractors on the ground, including recently in the city of Maiduguri, security and diplomatic sources put the total much higher than the hundred or so previously reported.

Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri declined to comment, referring questions to military spokesman Chris Olukolade, who also declined to respond to multiple requests for comment.

In an interview with Voice of America late on Wednesday, President Goodluck Jonathan said two companies were providing "trainers and technicians" to help Nigerian forces. He did not name the firms, or the nationalities, or give numbers.

But a West African security source and a South African defence source said the foreign troops were linked to the bosses of former South African private military firm Executive Outcomes.

Executive Outcomes was best-known for its involvement in Angola's 1975-2002 civil war and against Revolutionary United Front rebels in an internal conflict in Sierra Leone in 1995. It disbanded in 1998, under pressure from the post-apartheid government in Pretoria to curtail mercenary activities.

The West African security source said several hundred foreigners were involved in running major offensive operations against Boko Haram, and were being paid around $400 a day in cash.

Their impact on the fighting so far could not be quantified, but the general run of the campaign has seen the tide turn somewhat against Boko Haram in recent weeks.
Separately, a South African defence contractor confirmed to Reuters that ex-Executive Outcomes leaders were involved in the deployment, which comes after the six-week postponement of elections in mid-February due to the threat from Boko Haram.

One Abuja-based diplomat said the South Africans were backed by soldiers and hardware from the former Soviet Union in an alliance against Boko Haram, which has killed thousands of people in its six-year campaign to establish an Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria.

"It's an incoherent mix of people, helicopters and random kit from all sorts of different sources, but there is an element of internal cohesion from the Nigerian army," the diplomat said.

"It appears to be a desperate ploy to get some sort of tactical success up there in six weeks for the electoral boost," the diplomat added. The numbers of soldiers involved were in the "low hundreds", the diplomat added.

"NO BUSINESS TO BE THERE"

John Stupart, editor of African Defence Review, identified the troop carriers as Reva III, manufactured by a Pretoria-based company called Integrated Convoy Protection.

After reports of South African military trainers first surfaced in the Afrikaans-language Beeld newspaper in January, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapise-Nqakula made clear her displeasure, saying any deployment would be illegal under 1998 anti-mercenary laws.

"They are mercenaries, whether they are training, skilling the Nigerian defence force, or scouting for them. The point is they have no business to be there," she was quoted as saying in domestic media this month.

South Africa bans its nationals from participating directly in hostilities for private gain. Georgia, seen as a major source of mercenaries, has laws before parliament criminalising participation in a broad range of foreign military activities.

Reuters was unable to reach the former bosses of Executive Outcomes through military contacts in South Africa.

The appearance of foreign private soldiers comes four months after Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States said Washington was not helping the struggle against Boko Haram, and had failed to share intelligence and sell Nigeria the weapons it needed.

The presence of mercenaries from South Africa and the former Soviet Union adds to the broad array of forces lining up against Boko Haram, which has emerged in the last few years as sub-Saharan Africa's biggest security threat.
Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin have committed troops to an 8,700-strong regional force. This week, Chad and Niger launched a joint military offensive deep into Nigerian territory.

U.S. and European special forces have just completed three weeks of war games with regional counterparts near Lake Chad, one of boundaries of a Boko Haram sphere of influence thought at one time to be the size of Belgium.

WisdomFlakes:
The elders in a statement signed by Alhaji Bibi Dogo warned President Jonathan not to rely on Mu’azu to deliver the mandatory 25 percent to him in the forthcoming election, saying the national chairman has not done anything to empower stakeholders in the state.

jdilight:
When people like you handle pen history is lost. My advice, never handle a gun. A nation maybe lost.

The people voted for Celestine and not PDP or amechi.

You can also say people voted for PPA since T. A orji was in prison. The people voted for Orji Uzor to spite Obasanjo candidate.

nurexfutmx:
I lost my job last year december, have been trying to get another job since then but all to no avail. Am getting frustrated by the day cos i don't see any job coming, I was able to save up to 500k during my time in my former workplace. Now, the question is...

1. Am thinking of going for MSc which i may end up spending the whole money on and God forbid, what if i still don't get any job after the programme won't i go back to square one?

2. I'm thinking maybe i could invest in something profitable and start up a little business but i really want to build my career and with that little sum of money i have, i may end up making little or no gain which i could possibly lose lots of money aswell.

3. The third and last one am really interested doing is someone promised me a job in NNPC and he is asking me to pay 300k for a slot there but from experience of what happened to be last year, i lost 150k to a family friend who promised me a job in Nigeria Custom but i end up got scammed. It didn't workout, am trying to avoid such mistake again.

I've always wish to work with a goverment parastatal (a very good one) and i don't mind forfeiting the whole 500k to get it only if i can be rest assured it will workout.

Am really confused and don't know what to do with my life....i need u guys advice please!

jdilight:
Please which party has won an election in Nigeria without a candidate?

jdilight:
Can you vote a party that field a monkey?

jdilight:
No party has ever made a promise to the people only aspirants do that.

Wake up

jdilight:
Has Goodluck been in power for 16 years?

jdilight:
No government can build a power sector that can take care of its nation in 4 years not even in 10 years.

This is not theory

jdilight:
Bro, building is the hardest job and many are not willing to undertake the responsibility, according to my boss. You have to get down to the ditch to dig the foundation and its never pleasant. We are praised when our building rise not when we are at the foundation.

This is the reason Africa find it hard growing.

They cut corners.