₦airaland Forum

https://www.nairaland.com/1247275/photos-tonto-dikeh-spotted-soundcity

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Tonto Dikeh was seen (pictured above) at the soundcity studio in Lekki where she went to record clips for the popular soundcity 'Star host' slated to air in few weeks. She is sure living 'the life'.

http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2013/04/photos-tonto-dikeh-spotted-in-soundcity.html

Gov Oshiomhole & comedian I Go Dye share a drink on their birthday

http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2013/04/gov-oshiomhole-comedian-i-go-dye.html

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[b][/b]factory fitted a/c,alloy reams,good working condition,very neat engine and interior[b]bought and used by a woman[/b]contact 08187594789,08055599408

An inquisitive fan asked top blogger Linda Ikeji on twitter if bloggers will be successful if they only blogged about education, moral values, etc? and Linda innocently replied saying "of cus not! U kidding? Unfortunately..'Aint nobody gat time for dat! :-) even u sef!"

http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2013/04/entertainment-bloggers-are-successful.html

My ogas,I suggest this for Front page https://www.nairaland.com/1246264/photos-charly-boys-first-daughter

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That's Maggy(Charly Boy's daughter) and her husband, See photos of her six kids below

http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2013/04/photos-charly-boys-first-daughter-maggy.html

https://www.nairaland.com/1245113/michael-jacksons-family-launches-bid#15054187

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Michael Jackson’s family yesterday started their bid for £31.1 billion in compensation over the drug induced death of the King of Pop.

The singer’s mother Katherine, 82, and his three children are suing the company behind the star’s long awaited This Is It comeback concerts, AEGLive, for negligence.

The promoters claim Jackson was responsible for his own demise due in part to his addiction to drugs.

As the jury were sworn in US legal experts said the trial was expected to become “incredibly nasty”.

Accusations of child molestation, which he was acquitted of in 2005, and his addiction to drugs are likely to be presented by AEG lawyers subjecting his family to further pain.

The children - Prince Michael, Paris and 10-year-old Blanket - along with their grandmother are demanding the compensation accusing the promoter of being negligent in hiring Dr Conrad Murray.

They also claim AEG were guilty of neglect in the supervision of the convicted physician in the $40 billion lawsuit.

Dr Murray, who was jailed for involuntary manslaughter of the singer two years ago, used surgical anaesthetic Propofol in a fatal effort to treat the singer’s insomnia

Court papers obtained in the US show Jackson’s family want £5.14 billion ($6.6billion) for the what would have been the star’s future earnings.

The remaining money is being claimed for damages.

Jackson, 50, died two weeks before his comeback concerts at London’s O2 Arena were due to begin in the summer of 2009.

Ahead of the trial AEG lawyer Marvin Putnam told the CNN documentary “Michael Jackson: The Final Days”: “I don’t know how you can’t look to Mr. Jackson’s responsibility.

“He was a grown man. Mr Jackson is a person who was known to doctor shop.

"He was known to be someone who would tell one doctor one thing and another doctor something else.

“We’re talking about Michael Jackson. This is a man who would show up in pyjamas.

“This is a man who would stop traffic and get out and dance on top of his car.

"This is a man who would go to public events with a monkey named Bubbles.

“This is a man who said he slept in an oxygen chamber.”

The lawyer also questioned why the Jackson legal team would call his children to testify suggesting it was “for the emotional response”.

“I can’t understand why bringing them to the stand has anything to do with whether or not Dr. Conrad Murray was hired by AEG or hired negligently,” he said.

“But perhaps they’re bringing them to the stand for different reasons.”

Prince Michael, 16, and Paris, 14, are understood to have had conversations with their father as he battled drug issues just prior to his death on June 25, 2009.

Putnam also defended the potential use of the child molestation accusations saying it was relevant because it “resulted in an incredible increase in his drug intake”.

Along with Jackson’s children, other witnesses include the singer Prince and legendary music producer Quincy Jones.

Although the Purple Rain star is not expected to appear in person he has previously worked with AEG.

Quincy Jones is set to tell the jury how much the concert could have netted the singer, which could be key if the jury find in favour of the family and award compensation.

Dr Murray, 59, is serving a four-year jail sentence for involuntary manslaughter and refused to give evidence at the trial in Los Angeles as he is appealing.

During the case it was heard how he was paid £100,000 a month to help Jackson get fit for the This Is It concerts.

The trial, expected to last for up three months, continues.


http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2013/04/michael-jacksons-family-launches-bid.html

A security guard with Honda Place Company, who was recently arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly conniving with robbers to steal goods worth over N28m from the company, has said the police should stop going after petty thieves like himself.

Instead, he said the police should focus their attention on politicians, especially senators and House members, whom he described as the “real thieves.”

The suspect, Garba Sani, complained that the N12, 000 he received as salary was too meagre and said he had no choice but to take to crime.

He said, “I’m not an armed robber. I was on duty and I called them (other suspects) and we took the goods. We did not carry guns. We have a lot of senators looting and we also need money. There are many thieves in Nigeria and most of us are jobless youths, we have nothing.

“I earn N12, 000 a month which is too small. We are all criminals in Nigeria and we have criminal blood in our body so nobody should pretend.”

Another suspect, Godwin Okwudili, said the police should drop all charges levelled against them since the stolen goods had since been recovered.

“Sani and I live in the same area. He called me that the goods were available and we went to take them. We did not carry guns. I took the goods to my warehouse and we did not sell them. Everything was recovered intact so what do they (police) want again?” he said.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, told PUNCH Metro that Sani, Okwudili, along with the other suspects, Obinna Ilojebe, Ndubuisi Ike and Anthony Etemah were arrested following thorough investigation which lasted for over eight months.

She said Sani was the security guard at the company and he connived with the other suspect to rob the company.

She said, “On June 31, 2012, about 9pm, four suspects connived with Sani, who is a security guard at Honda Place Company, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, to rob the company of Honda auto spare parts worth over N23m, an air conditioner worth N77,500, a 150 KVA generator worth N3.8m, an 8KVA generator worth N900,000.

“The total value of the goods is worth over N28m and after painstaking investigation, Sani was arrested. His confession led to the arrest of other suspects. The auto spare parts were recovered in Maya Village, Ikorodu, Lagos.”


http://www.punchng.com/metro/senators-are-worse-than-robbers-suspects/

The Nasarawa State Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has arrested 62 suspected fake corps members, including a nursing mother, at an illegal orientation camp.

The Commandant, Mr Andekin Musa, told newsmen in Lafia on Monday.

He said men of the command, acting on a tip-off, arrested the fake corps members on Sunday at a hidden camp near Government Secondary School, Tammah in Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state.

He said among those arrested were 44 females and 18 males.

According to him, one Mr Chinedu, believed to be the coordinator and director of the camp, is still at-large.

He added, however, that the command had received useful information that would lead to his arrest.

He said investigation revealed that the suspected fake corps members paid money ranging between N120, 000 and N200,000 before being admitted into the camp.

He said the suspects, most of whom claimed to have graduated from the University of Jos Consultancy programmes, had confessed to the crime.

Andekin said the suspected fake corps members had converged on Mararaba before being transported in three buses to the hidden camp in Nasarawa Local Government.


http://www.punchng.com/metro/nscdc-arrests-62-fake-corpers-in-nasarawa/

The Federal Government has approved N2bn for the development of facilities at Maritime Academy, Oron in Akwa Ibom State to upgrade its programme to a degree awarding institution.

President Gooodluck Jonathan disclosed this in Lagos, saying the fund had been built into this year’s budget.

A statement on Friday quoted the President as saying the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency had earlier offered the institute N1bn intervention fund to transform it into a world-standard institution.

President Jonathan spoke through the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, at the 2013 Nigerian Maritime Expo.

He said the academy was already collaborating with the World Maritime University in Sweden to streamline its curriculum and assist in strengthen its manpower capacity.

Formerly called the Nautical College of Nigeria, the academy was established in 1979 to train shipboard officers, ratings and shore-based management personnel.

By the end of 2008, the academy had trained about 4,300 Nigerian Merchant Navy officers and more than 65,000 other workers in marine operations.

The President also announced government’s plan to establish another maritime university at Okeronkoko, Delta State, in addition to the support given to the academy.

This, he said, underscored the commitment of his administration to the nation’s maritime development.

He said the maritime industry contributed significantly to the global economy with over 90 per cent of the world trade carried by sea.

According to him, Nigeria had about 70 per cent of the ship traffic, cargo throughput and volume of trade in the West Africa and Central African sub-regions.

He said, “Nigeria’s volume of trade has steadily risen from 82 million tonnes of cargo in2008 to 93.7 million in 2009 and 100 million in 2012, with containers volume of 1.4 million TEUs in 2011.

“The maritime industry is therefore growing and will no doubt position Nigeria in no distant future as a maritime hub of Africa.”

The President expressed worry at the congestion at the ports despite reducing the agencies operating there from 14 to seven.

He said the Federal Government was taking fresh measures to fully address the problem.

One of the measures, he said, was to urgently professionalise freight forwarding practice in accordance with CRFFN Act 2007.

http://www.punchng.com/business/fg-approves-n2bn-to-develop-maritime-academy/

www.emmanuelbabatunde.com

The Central Bank of Nigeria has said it is taking steps to protect banks from Internet frauds and other cybercrimes.

Delivering a keynote address at the first annual Conference on Audit and Regulatory Examination of Banking Technologies recently in Lagos, CBN’s Director, Banking Supervision, Mrs. Olatokunbo Martins, expressed great displeasure at the rate of global cyber espionage and its attendant loss.

She said the figures involved in global cybercrimes were ‘quite alarming’, adding that each technology adopted by a bank presented unique risks that raised safety and soundness concern.

As such, Martins said there was the need to ensure the safety and soundness of the banking industry amid rising cyber threat to the industry.

She said, “In banks, you employ so many technology-driven products and the banks embrace new financial, operational and compliance risk as you adopt these new technologies.

“As you are aware, very soon, we won’t just be requiring you to make capital charge for your credit, you will also be required to make capital credit for your operational risks. IT risk is a major operational risk.

“Currently, you will say that the major risk comes from credit, but some will also tell you that a significant part of credit risk is operational. If you say that operational risk is a failure of people, processes and system, even the credit risk, a major part of it is interwoven with credit risk.”

According to her, the banking industry should be Basel 11 compliant by 2014 and this will bring about improved capital buffers while protecting the banks and making them more resilient.

She said, “Today, information technology has evidently impacted banking tremendously, even redefining the nature of banking and banking relationships. Banks are truly enjoying all the technological novelties with potential for expanding their products, services, customer base and responding to regulation, and above all, improve their profitability.

“However, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that technology comes with great risk. Technology poses risk to the safety and soundness of financial institutions, to the public interest and to the larger economy.”

Speaking in the same vein, the Chairman, Audit Committee Institute, Nigeria, Mr. Christian Ekeigwe, warned that with the nature of cybercrime, a single incident could pull down a strong bank.

He added that it could happen within a short time.

He advised banks to adopt a new mindset on control in order to ensure that their institutions were not affected.

“This conference will focus attention on the key issues of banking technology risks, how auditors must audit them to assurance and the proposition that technology risks contributed, insidiously, to the distress in the industry,” Ekeigwe added.



http://www.punchng.com/business/cbn-to-protect-banks-from-internet-frauds-cybercrimes/

Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice, Mr. Eze Onyekpere, in this online interview with IFEANYI ONUBA speaks on challenges of budgeting in Nigeria

Despite moves to ensure the early takeoff of the 2013 budget, there were still delays in signing the fiscal documents. What is your view on this?

The Nigerian budget process is in dire need of fundamental reforms to ensure that it delivers on its objective of being able to transform government plans and policies into an actionable framework backed by finances. Ultimately, a good budget process will deliver value for money, improve living standards, alleviate poverty and facilitate the realisation of government policies.

For the 2013 budget, the delay has been occasioned by the lack of consultation between the executive and the legislature at the early stages of budget policy formulation, determination of priorities and allocation of costs to the expenditure heads. Thus, the executive failed to take the legislature into confidence at the executive preparation stage leading the legislature to “do their own thing” when the Appropriation Bill was sent to them.

The second reason for the delay is the failure of the Finance Minister to prepare the 2013-2015 Medium Term Expenditure Framework based on undergirding Medium Term Sector Strategies.

According to the minister, the MTSS has been overtaken by the Transformation Agenda of the Goodluck administration. But this is not in tandem with the spirit of the Fiscal Responsibility Act and best practices in fiscal governance. At the MTSS session, the legislative committees with oversight over the MDAs would have made meaningful contributions to the choice of projects, allocation of their envelope. High level executive legislature consultation will also have solved a lot of misunderstanding. So, by the time the budget comes before the legislature, it would have been a done deal.

President Goodluck Jonathan recently signed the 2013 budget with a lot of reservations which have not been addressed properly. How can these grey areas in the 2013 budget be effectively addressed?

The President claimed through his media team to have signed the budget. This is the first time that the budget is being secretly signed. But Nigerians have not yet seen any budget a week after; the budget has neither been printed nor available on the website of the Budget Office of the Federation. All the newspapers are awash with stories of the executive and legislative team working round the clock to finalise the budget. How can we be talking of finalising a budget that has already been signed? This is a factual and legal impossibility.

The issues raised by the executive border on the extent of the constitutional powers of the both the executive and legislature in budget making. This is not a subject whose contours have been delineated by the courts and what we have so far is informed opinion of various jurists. Some jurists opine that the legislature cannot increase or add new expenditure heads because the power of initiation and implementation rests with the executive.

Essentially, there are issues of inclusion of new projects not originally submitted and reduction of some votes. It must be agreed that what the executive submits to the legislature is a proposal and a bill, which ideally should not just come out the way it came in.

The legislature is bound to alter and adjust the bill before its passage. But the extent to which the legislature can alter the budget proposal is a moot point.

The claim of budget padding by the executive is a misnomer because the legislature is a key player and the constitution ordinarily assigns the power of appropriation to it.

The other issue is the benchmark price of oil. I had initially supported the executive position but on a deeper thought, it is clear that the executive has been mismanaging the Excess Crude Account, withdrawing and expending resources without appropriation in violation of the constitutional aphorism of no expenditure without appropriation.

The $4 difference introduced by the legislature to cut down the deficit and borrowing is a step in the right direction and should not be good reason for the President’s refusal to sign the budget.

The legislature should simply give SEC its votes and then the President should be fine with the remaining issues.

In recent times, the Federal Government had stated its intention to reduce frivolous expenditure in the budget but this had proved to be unsuccessful. How can this be addressed?

The political will to reduce frivolous expenditure is lacking in government. So far, all we have is cheap political thought. It is straightforward; the full implementation of the monetisation programme, which has been jettisoned after the Obasanjo administration, is the key. It makes no sense after selling government houses to start building new ones or to attach cars to officials after monetising their transport entitlements.

Security votes for virtually all ministries and top government officials, welfare packages, and nebulous items only meant to draw money from treasury have been identified every year by the Citizens Wealth Platform but the executive and legislature are not interested in reducing the frivolities. Rather, they increase them every succeeding year. This clearly shows that the process of determining budgetary priorities is in the wrong hands.

How can our budget be made more transparent?

In a constitutional democracy under the rule of law, no MDA should get a lump sum vote that is not disaggregated so that its components will be known by the public. Thus, it is against the principle of transparency for agencies receiving statutory allocations to get lump sums. The National Assembly, being the elected representatives of the people should lead by example and go back to the normal publication and disaggregation of their budget which was the practice before their expenditure became a statutory vote.

Some people are faulting the envelop system of the federal budget; that the current system cannot promote inclusive growth. What is your view?

The problem is not with the envelope system because at the end of the day, no matter whatever system that you adopt, there must be an envelope or a spending limit for each sector or MDA and the MDA must struggle to fit their expenditure within the upper limit of the funds available. Available resources are limited but the challenges to be addressed are legion.

Every system must determine its priorities. Our challenge is about spending money on the wrong priorities and expecting to get results in those matters that were not prioritised. This is not possible.

The National Assembly recently passed the budget without any allocation to SEC unless the current DG is sacked. What does this portend for the economy?

It is unlawful for the National Assembly to seek to abolish SEC through the back door by denying the agency of its capital and recurrent expenditure. I must clarify that all well thought resolutions of the legislature should be implemented by the executive but this is not the right way to resolve executive legislative feud. There are other individuals with interest in the work of SEC besides Arunma Otteh.

For our capital market which is just coming out of a crisis and with investor confidence coming back to the market, the denial of appropriation sends a wrong signal to local and international investors in the stock market.

A regulator that is denied the financial support by its legislature is an orphan in the eyes of the investing public and may not be trusted to be in a position to carry out its statutory duties. It is an ill wind which is not in the interest of any stakeholder.


http://www.punchng.com/business/fg-lacks-political-will-to-reduce-frivolous-expenditure-onyekpere/

Shirt maker and owner of Grosvenor Shirts Limited, Karl Dunkley, was recently awarded the Royal Warrant by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. This makes him the Queen’s official tailor.



What’s the process of shirt making at Grosvenor?

We start with a range of classic shirts but increasingly we become more uptown, more interesting and more unique. We first of all start about a year ahead with designing of the clothes. Then we make a whole range of a collection – very limited edition. So there would only be 10 to 12 shirts designed for only one store and potentially they could be the only 12 in the world because they could just be uniquely made for that store.

How long have you been in this business?

I have always been in the clothing industry; I started working at Harrods when I was 16 and I worked my way through different things before ending up in the clothing business.

How did you break into the Nigerian fashion industry?

Nigeria came about because of my factory in the UK. We have our own boutique in Mayfair, just off New Bond Street. Before then, we were in Selfridges, we always had a lot of Nigerian customers. I think the shirts are more appreciated by Nigerians than other nationals.

You have been granted Royal Warrant by the Queen of England…

We have been granted a Royal Warrant by the queen as outfitters; basically, there are only three royal warrants that are issued. One is from Her Majesty the Queen; the other, from His Royal Highness, Prince Phillip; and the third, from His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales. These are the only three people who can grant royal warrants. To be granted a royal warrant, you must have been a regular supplier to the individual or household for a minimum of five years.

How did you get that link to the British royal family?

I have always had contacts. I have been doing it for many years in previous companies. I looked after royal warrants in those companies.

Clothing the Queen, what’s the experience like?

We don’t deal with individuals, we deal with staff within the household.

You don’t take measurements?

It has not been necessary so far. I am not saying it won’t be, but not at this stage.

How then do you determine the size of the individual you are sewing for?

In previous companies, I have met with different members of the royal family.

It must be a huge responsibility.

Clothing the royal family is not like clothing the ordinary man on the street.

But we have a lot of very influential people that we are dressing. We also do made-to-measure for a lot of people as well and we have a lot of very high level customers from Nigeria and Ghana.

Do you only cater for the deep pocket, the very rich and influential clients?

Our shirts retail from about £95 to £140 (about N23,000 to N33,500 per shirt) , so they tend to be at a high level.

Why are they so expensive?

It is because they are made out of beautiful fabrics. There is an enormous amount of detail that goes into making a shirt.

There is a lot of adding, cutting and attaching. A lot of fabrics are used, a lot of material is wasted. It is not like the normal shirt where there is a pattern and it can be cut and just sewn together. These are extremely difficult.

Which members of the royal family do you sew for? All of them?

All I can say is that we have won the royal warrant to be outfitters for Her Majesty, the Queen.

That should fetch you a lot of money.

No. The issue is not the money. I think it is just very nice to be granted the warrant. It shows that we are a good quality company.

What do you think this can do for your brand?

I think it is nice and I am extremely honoured to have been granted the warrant. We will be able to put the insignia on our packaging, boxes and business cards. Also, it is very important for us to continue creating the right shirts and investing in training for the staff.

You mean people are going to be looking at the brand from up there?

We hope so.

In line with that, what are you doing to up your standard?

We are looking at new products, improving techniques in the factory and in marketing as well as new retail locations.

Do you have female customers?

Yes. We have shirts for ladies.

Is your Nigerian clients different from others, especially the Europeans?

I think the shirt is more important, not just in Nigeria but probably in Africa. We have a store opening in Ghana in March as well. I think maybe African women like to wear shirts more than English women. A lot of English women like to wear knits because it is colder in Europe. Also, African men care about their shirts more than English men. English men know they will just throw a jacket on it and wear it all day but here, quite often, people move around without their jackets on.

So you get a lot of requests here?

Yes.

Is that why you are introducing so many colours because you know Nigerians like colours?

No. To be honest, this is what we wear in London as well. This is not a unique collection for this place, we have this in London. It is basically to get a bit of variety. We do have a few more classics but it is one collection for all our outlets. However, when we do shirts with liberty, we try to combine them so that each store has something that is a completely limited edition.

Do you encounter challenges as you move around the African market?

I don’t think so. We share information between the stores here. We have a good relationship. If I’m here, I may invite customers to come and see the stores. One of my highest spending customers is coming this evening; I called him when I got here and he informed me that he was in my store in Mayfair.

Your highest spending customer is a Nigerian!

Yes.

More than all your customers in the whole of Europe?

Yes, as an individual, he spends more than any single other customer.

Who is he?

No. I won’t tell you who he is.

http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2013/03/queen-elizabeths-tailor-says-my-highest.html

My Ogas o https://www.nairaland.com/1228001/eldee-basket-mouth-yemi-black

Cute


http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2013/03/eldee-basket-mouth-yemi-black-on-new.html

The nation may be thrown into another round of fuel scarcity as a result of mounting debts being owed oil marketers by the Federal Government.

Investigations by our correspondent on Sunday revealed that over N100bn was being owed independent oil marketers for petroleum products imported into the country between the last quarter of 2012 and February this year.

The development was confirmed by a senior official of one of the oil marketers’ associations during a telephone interview with our correspondent.

The official pleaded not to be named as his firm was one of the companies being owed subsidy claims by the Federal Government.

He said the N100bn debt arose from claims owed about 43 independent oil marketing firms.

He added that the debt could rise to about N200bn if subsidy claims by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was considered.

The official pointed out that the development, if not addressed urgently, might result into another round of fuel scarcity in the country.

He said, “The Federal Government still owes us money for fuel subsidy. As I speak to you, the other payment that we are being owed is over N100bn and this amount covers the last quarter of 2012 till now.

“There are about 42 or 43 oil marketers that have oil depots and these are the numbers being owed.

“We borrow money from banks to import fuel into this country and they continue to owe us billion of naira.

“The more they delay in paying us our claims, the higher the interest rates from the banks.”

He said apart from the bulk payment that was made from the N161bn fuel subsidy supplementary budget of 2012, no other payment had been made.

The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had shortly after the passage of the bill in December by the National Assembly said that a total of N94bn for 23 oil marketers had been paid.

The minister had on January 8, 2013 said while 23 marketers had been paid; the claims of 27 others were being processed.

She had said, “As of now (January , 23 marketers have done their paper work so they may still have outstanding claims because we do them in batches through the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency and the Debt Management Office.

“Some of them who have cleared may also come back because I have a list of 27 marketers for the remainder of the money, but some of them have already featured under this 23 and they may have to come back.”

When reminded about the payment made by the Federal Government in January, the source said the money was used to settle outstanding marketers’ claims that arose from the Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede committee’s report.

“In the wake of the Imokhuede report, there were some payments that were suspended. When the figures were reconciled, that supplementary budget was used to pay those claims. There is no news yet on subsidy payment between last quarter and now,” he said.

The official also said the delay by President Goodluck Jonathan to assent the 2013 budget, which had a provision of N971bn for fuel subsidy, might have caused the non-payment.

http://www.punchng.com/news/fuel-scarcity-looms-as-fg-owes-marketers-n100bn/

Action Congress of Nigeria has commended the state governors, under the aegis of the All Progressive Congress, who visited Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, last week despite the year-long violence in the city.

This was contained in a statement in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

ACN said by their action, the governors had reassured the people of Borno and Yobe states, which are the most affected by the Boko Haram crisis, that their fellow Nigerians had not abandoned them to their fate.

“Their pace-setting, courageous and compassionate action is a boost to the country’s unity and a blow to anarchists,” the party said.

It said the visit had also exposed the fears of those at the helm of affairs at the centre, who had hitherto failed to show that the Boko Haram crisis was not just a problem of a section of the country but a national problem.

The party said, ‘’There can be no better assurance of solidarity and support for the beleaguered people of the states affected by the Boko Haram crisis than to see leaders from various parts of the country walking – without donning bullet proof vests and helmets – on the open streets of a city that has been described as the epi-centre of the Boko Haram insurgency.

“It does not mean the crisis does not exist, but it sends a strong signal to the insurgents that they have only succeeded in cowing a very few, not all, Nigerians, and that indeed under a purposeful APC government the conflict will in no time become history.’’

“The message conveyed by the visit is simple: ‘No part of Nigeria should be a no-go area, especially to the President and the Commander-in-Chief’.

ACN added, “Part of the reason this needless Boko Haram crisis has festered is that the President in particular has failed to show leadership. By staying away from the affected parts of the country since the crisis started in 2009 for fear of his personal safety, and also receding behind the safe walls of the Aso Rock fortress to celebrate independence anniversaries, the President has unwittingly emboldened the anarchists who have killed and maimed thousands.”

http://www.punchng.com/news/borno-visit-acn-commends-apc-governors-slams-fg/

The Abia State University has withdrawn the degree certificate it awarded to a former governor of the state, Uzor Orji Kalu.

An online news portal, Premium Times, reports that the university in a statement by its Registrar, O. E. Onuoha, on Saturday said the decision was taken after an emergency meeting of the university senate which considered the recommendations of a panel which investigated the allegations levelled against Kalu.

Onuoha said, “On the strength of the findings and recommendations of an investigative panel into allegations of breach of the extant academic regulations of Abia State University, in the admission process of the admission and graduation of Kalu Orji Uzor in the discipline of Government and Public Administration, of matriculation number 00/42226, the Senate of the university at its resumed 69th extra-ordinary meeting of March 1, 2013 and by a vote of 88 against three dissenting voices only, approved the cancellation and withdrawal of the degree, result and certificate awarded to him.

“The decision of Senate was based on the following grounds among others: The violation of the academic regulations of the university on Admission-by-Transfer, which rendered the offer irregular, ab initio and the he non-completion of the mandatory six semesters (i.e. three academic years of study), before he was awarded a degree of the university. He spent only two semesters in all.

“The university Senate maintained that its action, aforesaid, derived from the exercise of its onerous statutory responsibility to guard and maintain , at all times, the academic regulations of the university, its hard-earned reputation and the credibility of the certificates it awards.”

After Kalu had dropped out of the University of Maiduguri, he reenrolled at the Abia State University while he was governor of the state.

As the visitor to the university at the time and there were allegations that Kalu was an absentee student.

The admission and graduation of Kalu, the university stated, made mockery of its academic rules and regulations.

When our correspondent called Kalu for his comments, he said, “My lawyer will reply at the appropriate time.”

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Dbanj tweet it on twitter:



Thank u all for the Long wait..as they say the patient dog eats the fattest bone.FOOD is ready DB RECORDS PRESENTS IT's.1st OFFICIAL ALBUM.
12:09 PM - 26 Feb 13

http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2013/02/db-records-presents-its1st-official.html

France will not negotiate with gunmen claiming to be from Islamist group Boko Haram who have taken a French family of seven hostage, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday.

The three adults and four children were seized in Cameroon’s far north near the Nigerian border last week. In a video posted online on Monday, the gunmen threatened to kill them unless authorities in Nigeria and Cameroon release Muslim militants held there.

“We do not negotiate on that kind of basis, with these kind of groups,” Le Drian told RTL radio. “We will use all (other) possible means to ensure that these and other (French) hostages are freed.”

“We do not play this bidding game because that’s terrorism,” he said, deploring the fact that children were involved.

The number French citizens that have been kidnapped in the region is a total of 15, with the risk heightened since Paris sent thousands of troops into Mali last month to help the country oust Islamists operating in the north.

Boko Haram has killed hundreds of people in an attempt to establish an Islamist state in Nigeria.

Gunmen claiming to be a faction of Boko Haram threatened on Monday to kill a kidnapped French family of seven if authorities in Nigeria and Cameroon do not release Muslim militants held there.

French ministers said they believed the three adults and four children seized in Cameroon’s far north near the Nigerian border on Tuesday were being held by Boko Haram which has killed hundreds to try to carve out an Islamist state in Nigeria.

The first sign of the family since they were captured came in a video posted on YouTube in which they appeared surrounded by three gunmen wearing turbans and dressed in camouflage.

“We have been taken by Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad,” one of the male hostages said in the video, referring to the name in Arabic of Nigeria’s Boko Haram militants.

“They want the liberation of their brothers in Cameroon and their women imprisoned in Nigeria,” the man added, speaking in French as he sat on the floor beside another man, a veiled woman and four children.”

“A video of the French family kidnapped in northern Cameroon last Tuesday has just been posted by Boko Haram,” said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. “These images are terribly shocking and show a cruelty without limits.”

“The president of France has launched a war on Islam and we are fighting it everywhere,” said one of the apparent kidnappers, speaking in Arabic and identifying himself as a member of Boko Haram. “Implement our demands. If you leave out even one, we will kill these people.”

Boko Haram, a Nigerian militant group, had previously posted videos in Hausa, a language spoken in northern Nigeria. The black and white flag that hung behind the hostages in the released video is more associated with al Qaeda-linked groups.

A spokesman for Boko Haram had denied any connection with the kidnapping at the weekend.

However, security experts in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil exporter, say that Boko Haram is made up of multiple cells, without a defined command structure.

The militant group is known to have had some links to al Qaeda factions in North Africa and Mali, but experts say they appear limited for now.

Cameroon’s Communication Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said he could not comment because his government was not aware of the video.

The governor of Cameroon’s Far North Region, Augustine Fonka Awa, said he was not aware of any Boko Haram member being held in the country.

http://www.channelstv.com/home/2013/02/26/france-says-will-not-negotiate-with-boko-haram-over-family-hostage/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

SOURCE http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2013/02/goldie-lying-in-state-photo.html


Goldie Lying In State PHOTO

You quote all the post, mtcheww Guilty or Q

tefund: it looks like that guy is quilty

You caption me

musKeeto: I don't understand.. Was he performing in someone's living room?

Mods Front page https://www.nairaland.com/1202764/rihannas-baby-picture

lol Rihanna's baby picture


http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2013/02/rihannas-baby-picture.html

source http://www.emmanuelbabatunde.com/2013/02/nollywood-veteran-justus-esiri-is-dead.html