₦airaland Forum

A-72-year-old landlady, Bamidele Ogboro, who allegedly stole her tenant’s N500,000 and unlawfully ejected him out of her house was arraigned on Wednesday in Lagos.



Ogboro, a resident of No. 6, Shopeju St., Shogunle, Lagos State is being tried for breach of peace, conspiracy and stealing at an Oshodi Magistrates’ Court.



The prosecutor, Cpl. Kehinde Olatunde, told the court that the accused committed the offences on March 2 at her residence.

Olatunde said that the accused and others still at large unlawfully ejected one Mr Ejikeme Hypolite, by throwing out his property from his rented apartment.



“The accused hired five men to damage the complainant’s door so as to gain entrance into his room.

“The accused threw the complainant’s property outside from his apartment and locked it up.”

Olatunde said that the complainant who went on a two-day trip returned to meet his property scattered outside the house and discovered that his N500,000 and documents had been stolen.

“The complainant said that the missing N500,000 was the house rent amount he had earlier given to his landlord which she rejected then.



“Other documents include: his primary school leaving certificate and his university certificate.”

The prosecutor said that the accused took the law into her hand after she had insisted that the complainant must pack out of her house and rejected his rent money.



He said that the offences contravened Sections 166, 285 and 410 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Section 285 prescribes a three- year jail term for offenders.

The accused pleaded innocent to the offences and was granted bail in the sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum.



The magistrate, Mr Akeem Fashola, adjourned the case to March 10 for mention.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/03/landlady-72-charged-with-stealing.html

Three days after US Missionary worker, Rev. Phyllinx Sogor, was kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Kogi, another educationist, Mrs Paulina Audu was kidnapped this morning by unknown gunmen as she was leaving her house in Nagazi, in Adavi LGA.

According to reports, Mrs Audu was on her way out for a morning devotion in her church when some men who had laid siege by her compound waylaid her, forced her into her car, pulled her driver out of her car and sped off with her to an unknown destination. Kogi state Police command is yet to confirm the incident.

Three days after US Missionary worker, Rev. Phyllinx Sogor (pictured above), was kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Kogi, another educationist, Mrs Paulina Audu was kidnapped this morning by unknown gunmen as she was leaving her house in Nagazi, in Adavi LGA.

According to reports, Mrs Audu was on her way out for a morning devotion in her church when some men who had laid siege by her compound waylaid her, forced her into her car, pulled her driver out of her car and sped off with her to an unknown destination. Kogi state Police command is yet to confirm the incident.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/gunmen-in-kogi-kidnap-another.html

General Muhammadu Buhari arrives Chatham House with Governor Rotimi Amaechi

General Muhammadu Buhari arrives Chatham House with Governor Rotimi Amaechi

General Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate has stated that corrupt persons will not be appointed into his government.

Buhari said this he addressed Chatham House, London today. The former head of state promised that Nigeria will be restored to its old glory.

“In the face of dwindling revenues, a good place to start the repositioning of Nigeria’s economy is to swiftly tackle two ills that have ballooned under the present administration: waste and corruption. And in doing this, I will, if elected, lead the way, with the force of personal example,” he said.

Noting that: “on corruption, there will be no confusion as to where I stand. Corruption will have no place and the corrupt will not be appointed into my administration. First and foremost, we will plug the holes in the budgetary process. Revenue producing entities such as NNPC and Customs and Excise will have one set of books only. Their revenues will be publicly disclosed and regularly audited. The institutions of state dedicated to fighting corruption will be given independence and prosecutorial authority without political interference.

“But I must emphasise that any war waged on corruption should not be misconstrued as settling old scores or a witch-hunt. I’m running for President to lead Nigeria to prosperity and not adversity.

“In reforming the economy, we will use savings that arise from blocking these leakages and the proceeds recovered from corruption to fund our party’s social investments programmes in education, health, and safety nets such as free school meals for children, emergency public works for unemployed youth and pensions for the elderly.

“As a progressive party, we must reform our political economy to unleash the pent-up ingenuity and productivity of the Nigerian people thus freeing them from the curse of poverty. We will run a private sector-led economy but maintain an active role for government through strong regulatory oversight and deliberate interventions and incentives to diversify the base of our economy, strengthen productive sectors, improve the productive capacities of our people and create jobs for our teeming youths.

“In short, we will run a functional economy driven by a worldview that sees growth not as an end by itself, but as a tool to create a society that works for all, rich and poor alike. On March 28, Nigeria has a decision to make. To vote for the continuity of failure or to elect progressive change. I believe the people will choose wisely,” he stated.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/ill-not-appoint-corrupt-persons-in-my.html

A Tinubu Magistrate’s court, sitting at Lagos Island Thursday sentenced a 27 year old man Benjamin Moses to six months imprisonment for stealing Iphone six from a motorist.

Magistrate Salama Matepo sentenced the convict to Ikoyi prison where he would serve his six months jail term with hard labour and without an option of fine after pleading guilty to the offence of stealing.

Magistrate Matepo said” you are hereby sentenced to six months imprisonment at Ikoyi prison with hard labour and without an option of fine”.

The convict, who was arraigned on a one count charge of stealing, committed the offence on February 14, 2015.

The prosecutor, Sergeant Koti Aoudohemba, told the court that the convict who has no fixed address committed the offence at about 8pm on the said day.

He said that the incident took place at Admiralty way Lekki Phase 1, in Eti-Osa local government area of Lagos state.

Aoudohemba further stated that the iphone six that was stolen belongs to one Afolabi Familusi.

According to the prosecutor Familusi’s iphone got stolen by the convict while he was soliciting for help to push his car out of the gutter.

He said the convict was caught through some snap shots that he took with the iphone, adding that while the convict was snapping himself with the iphone it was reflecting on the complainant’s ipad.

The prosecutor said that the convict was later apprehended through the pictures he took with the iphone six.

However the convict pleaded guilty to the one count charge levied against him, after the charge was read to him and he was sentenced to prison accordingly.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/man-jailed-six-months-for-stealing.html

Popular Nigerian boxer, and World Boxing Federation (WBF) Cruiserweight boxing champion, Bash Ali (OON), is currently cooling his heels at a Kuje, Abuja prison.

NigerianEye gathered on Monday morning through a text message.



The text message reads thus: “The labour of our heroes shall not be in vain. I have been in Kuje Prison since Thursday without food and with tough criminals because I said ‘No’ to corruption at a Bank (name withheld). My court case is March 5. A revolution has started. Champ Bash Ali, OON.”

When our correspondent reached the boxer after several attempts on phone, he further revealed the genesis of his ordeal. “The Executive Director, Customer Services, of the bank invited me on Wednesday, but to my shock, he was not there, so he told me to wait.

“While waiting, the Managing Director of the Bank, came and ordered the security to beat us. The head of one of the LOC members of Bash Ali Guinness Book of World Records fight, was broken. It was from there we were taken to SARS and detained and now I’m at Kuje Prison,” the champ said with a tinge of regret.

“On Thursday we were arraigned at the Magistrate’s Court, Cotonou Street at Wuse Zone 6. At the end of the proceedings the Chief Magistrate agreed to grant me bail of N1 million with surety of a Level 10 Federal worker, which I refused. This forced the police to remand me at Kuje Prison till 4 March when the case will come up again.

“Fellow Nigerians, is this how we will allow corruption to continue in our dear country?” said Bash Ali through a text message he sent out at the weekend.

NE gathered from a police source that Bash Ali is being tried for criminal trespass, obstruction in public way, wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation, contrary to Sections 79, 85, 348, 194, 266 and 397 of penal code.

The source said that Ali was arrested on Wednesday at about 2p.m after one Mr. Bisong Peter of NEXIM Bank reported him at the Central Police Station. He was arrested alongside five others when he trespassed into the premises on the bank, using a bus to block the entrance into the building, thereby restricting staff from getting into their offices.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/popular-nigerian-boxer-bash-ali-lands.html

Hundreds of Boko Haram fighters, fleeing the heavy air bombardments from Nigerian Air Force fighter jets, have drowned in Lake Chad. This reportedly happened during the air strikes heralding the advance of Nigerian troops on mission to flush them out of Baga, Borno State.

Not even the strategy of mining over 1,500 spots with land mines on the routes leading to the town could save the fighters from the aggressive move of advancing troops.

Sunday Vanguard was told that during the coordinated air and land operation, sinister attempts by the fighters to catch the troops unawares with the planting of land mines proved useless as all the mines were cleared one after the other.

Nigerian Army recently procured and deployed several counter mines sweeping armoured personnel carriers (APC) and other sophisticated equipment with capability to detect mines planted at 1,000 meters radius.

The resistance of the Boko Haram insurgents was said to collapsed and the land forces stormed the town in the early hours of Friday.

Baga, which hitherto served as the headquarters of the Joint Multi-National Task Force, JMNTF, eventually fell to Nigerian military by 2pm yesterday.

Many of the fighters died while an unknown but substantial number fled with various degrees of injury, in the encounter along the routes of advance as troops headed for Baga.

A statement from the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), signed by Major General Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information, said, “Apart from the five anti aircraft guns and the rifles captured from the terrorists, over 34 motorcycles and five vehicles including trucks, being used for operations by the terrorists, were destroyed in the course of the fighting as troops headed for Baga.

“The troops finally began clearing the terrorists from Baga on arrival in the town Saturday morning.

“A comprehensive cordon and search phase of military operation has now commenced to enable troops mop up arms and ammunition and also apprehend any terrorist who might be hiding in the vicinity.

“The exercise will also determine details of the casualties inflicted or incurred in the course of the operations to clear Baga and environ of terrorists.

“Similar exercise is being carried out in over 12 locations namely Gajigana, Ngaze, Ngenzai, Marte Junction, Mile 90, Yoyo, Kekeno, Kukawa, Cross Kauwa, Kangarwa, Amirari and other localities where troops have flushed out the terrorists in the operations preceding the entry to Baga.

“The troops are now dominating and conducting aggressive patrols in the locations. The morale of troops remains high.”

It will be recalled that hundreds of Boko Haram fighters, looking to rearm the group attacked Baga early in the year killing people estimated at over 3, 000 by international organizations while the DHQ put the number of dead at about 150 persons.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/fleeing-boko-haram-fighters-drown-in.html

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Sunday boasted that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), “will never be Nigeria’s President again.”

The governor also challenged the former Head of State to swear by the Holy Quran that he did not visit the hospital in the United Kingdom last week.

Fayose who spoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said, “I wish they can see spiritually what I am talking about that Buhari, despite the hullabaloo, will never be president. I predicted my return as Ekiti State Governor and I am saying it again that Buhari will never rule Nigeria again.

“After President Goodluck Jonathan, there will be a young element in his late 50s from the North that will be Nigeria’s president. I want to liken this revelation to the story of Elijah and Elisha. I am the Elijah while my followers are Elisha.”

Maintaining that he was not wishing Buhari dead, the Governor added, “I owe it a duty to Nigeria and its people to expose the antics of the APC cabal whose only interest is to seize power to further their selfish interests.

“Without doubt, it is obvious that the cabal in the APC are trying so hard to deceive Nigerians on Buhari’s health status. That’s the reason they have been using photoshoped pictures to defend their lies on Buhari’s UK trip.

“First, they used a March 5, 2013 picture, claiming that Buhari was taking a walk in London on Thursday. Later they came up with another poorly cropped picture of Buhari with former British Prime Minister,Tony Blair.

“The same people who lied in September 2012 that they received a gold card invitation to attend the Democratic National Convention in the United States of America are behind the robing of Buhari in the garment of lies and I challenge Buhari to swear by the Holy Quran that he did not visit hospital in the United Kingdom last week.

“However, I want to disappoint this selfish cabal. Buhari is only raising their hope and that hope will be dashed.”

Meanwhile, the Action Group of the APC in Ekiti State has described Fayose as a “political stalker” whose actions should be viewed as a threat to the life of Buhari.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Mr. Segun Dipe, the group asked Fayose to tender an unreserved apology for having the general on his death-wish list.

Stating that Buhari was a former head of state and a presidential candidate, Dipe said everyone should “have Fayose on notice how his words and deeds have been threatening the life of General Buhari.

“The indecorous governor is bent on seeing the APC Presidential candidate dead before the March 28 Presidential election, because his party is sure of losing the election, and he feels he will stew for it.

“That Fayose could be hounding Gen. Buhari with death threat is quite unwarranted and unfortunate. He has sent spies after our Presidential candidate and may soon start toying with the idea of snipers, that is, if he has not already.

“That Fayose is fraudulent, corrupt, inept, indecorous and uncouth is not in doubt. What is worrisome to us is why the twice-lucky governor should be trailing the general even beyond the shores of Nigeria, to ensure that his wish against him comes to pass.”

Dipe hinted that his group was aware that Fayose in his desperation to see Buhari dead had travelled to UK just about the same time that Buhari travelled and had been trailing the movement of the general since then.

He, however, revealed that Fayose’s activities were also under close watch as he went about devising various means, including diabolical, of haunting Buhari to death.

“He wants to hold on to power by all means possible and he knows that an integrity-driven person like Buhari as president would clip his wings.

“Our group is calling on all well-meaning persons in Nigeria and across the globe to call Fayose to order as his actions and words amount to not only wishing Buhari dead but driving the general to his death. God forbid.

“The group also calls on all sons and daughters of Ekiti who are desirous of rejecting the toga of indecorous and gluttony, which Fayose has brought on them, to come out enmasse and vote General Buhari in as President come March 28, as well as the the candidates presented by APC for all the other political positions at the polls.

“A vote for APC is a vote against Fayose’s indecorous ways and PDP’s clueless impunity,” the statement added.


http://www.punchng.com/news/buharill-never-be-president-again-fayose/

One of the most respected Nigerian singers, Bukola Elemide, well known as Asa, has revealed that her Muslim background influenced her music.
She made this disclosure in a recent interview with My Africa Podcast.

According to her, she was a Muslim for about two to three years when she lived with her grandparents who practised the religion. Asa explained that she converted to Christianity when she was in the high school.

“I come from a Muslim background, and I actually had a stint with Islam. I was a Muslim for about two years or three years. I was a Muslim after high school because I lived with my grandparents. My grandparents were Muslims from Lagos Island, and yes it did influence the way I see things and the way I write,” the world respected artiste said.

Asa further said, “It (Islam) influenced the song ‘Awé’. You see just near where I used to live, there was a mosque, and we had a munedžim who calls out prayers. He would early morning by 5 O’clock, ‘Allaaaah’. That was amazing, It just inspired ‘Away’, so yeah, Islam, Christianity is always going to be part of my history.”

http://www.metroparrot.net/2015/02/islam-influenced-my-music-asa.html

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr Jimi Agbaje, on Thursday, tasked the state government to pay striking medical doctors in the state without delay.

Agbaje, a pharmacist, spoke against the backdrop of the warning strike embarked upon by doctors in the employment of the state.

In a statement issued on his behalf by his Media Aide, Mr Remi Adefulu, Agbaje argued that with its eye on a mega-city status, Lagos deserved seamless health services.

He described the strike as one too many. “My heart bleeds over this avoidable strike because I find it unbelievable that the state is making the poor masses suffer unduly due to a minor issue like salaries, which is the right of every worker,” he said.

He hinged his assessment on the fact that residents in the state had gone through untold hardship, having suffered the effects of incessant strikes in the health sector in the last six months. “Government the world over is about the people, but are the people not the ones suffering?.
“Something urgent should be done by government to alleviate their sufferings and prevent avoidable deaths.” he said.

Agbaje promised to improve health services, if voted into office. “Let me assure Lagosians that hope is on the way, as our administration knows the importance of a healthy people to national development,” he said.

“As I have said repeatedly during our campaigns, our administration shall introduce a free health insurance scheme that would be beneficial to Lagosians and service providers.

“The system is working all over the world, and our people deserve to benefit from this globally-acclaimed best practice in the health sector,” he said.

NAN reports that the doctors under the aegis of the Medical Guild had on Feb.17 declared a three-day warning strike to press home their demands. They demanded that the state government should stop engaging doctors as casual workers and revisit the suspension of the training of resident doctors in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

The doctors are also protesting against the application of “No Work, No Pay” policy of the state government to members of the guild

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/pay-striking-doctors-agbaje-urges-lagos.html

A slight bus crash at the main gate of the Tema Sports Stadium on Wednesday almost marred the victory of the Nigerian U-20 national team as they beat the Black Satelites of Ghana 2-0 in an international friendly.

The Flying Eagles have been preparing for their African Youth Championship which is coming up in Senegal in March, and the Ghana’s friendly is part of their final build up, but Usman Hassan Saleh was the only one injured in what was described as ‘little crash’.

Manu Garba’s lads were returning to their M Plaza Hotel residence when the VIP Marcopolo bus conveying the team crashed into the main gate of the stadium.

The players were still jubilating their victory over their West African counterparts according to reports when a shattering noise of the screen got their attention and Saleh hit by the broken glass that got into his eyes and was attended to by the team doctor and some concerned Ghanaians.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/flying-eagles-bus-crashes-in-ghana.html

Looks like Buhari traveled out of Nigeria today...and Ekiti state governor Ayo Fayose has something to say about it. Read the press statement from his office below...

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has said that the secret trip made today, by the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Major General Mohammadu Buhari (rtd) to the United Kingdom (UK) enroute United States of America (USA) for medical treatment has shown that the APC leaders, especially Senator Bola Tinubu were covering up his (Buhari) true health status for their selfish gains.

Buhari travelled to the UK today unannounced, fueling speculations that he was flown abroad in an air ambulance.


Though a statement later issued by the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation said that Buhari was on a short working visit to the UK, Governor Fayose, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka said the party was not saying the truth.

The governor said; "The truth is that Buhari travelled out today to seek medicare in USA.

"If the APC people are saying otherwise, let them publish the picture of Buhari boarding the plane and granting interview to Aviation Correspondents at the Abuja Airport.

"While I am happy that the APC people that are packaging Buhari finally hearkened to my plea that they should allow him (Buhari) to seek medicare abroad, I must say that it was evil for the APC to have lied that Buhari travelled on a working visit.

"These APC political merchants should say the truth and save Nigeria from the possibility of another Yar'Adua experience.

"They should tell Nigerians that Buhari is actually sick and lack capacity to rule Nigeria and that they are only packaging him, hoping that he will become incapacitated if he becomes president so that they can take over power by proxy."

While wishing Buhari speedy recovery, Governor Fayose said; "Like I have maintained, the north should wait till 2019 to produce a younger, energetic and healthy president of Nigeria."

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/buharis-secret-medical-trip-to-us-today.html

Some Unidentified Gunmen on Thursday broke into the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, office at Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area, Delta State, and carted away over 6,000 permanent voters cards (PVCs) and some registers.

Police Public Relations Officer,PPRO, Delta Police Command, DSP Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the incident, said the police swung into action and arrested three of the security guards, Aherebe Godday, Omajemite Justice and Oyubu Ejiro for interrogation.

Residents of Sebiotimo street, Agege, checking for their Permanent Voters Cards at ward 5, Agage Local Government in, Lagos state, yesterday [08-11-14]. Photo: Bunmi Azeez
She disclosed that the stolen PVCs had been recovered, but did not give details.

Her words, “The stolen PVCs have been recovered and a total of seven thousand three hundred and sixty five (7,365) were seen.”
“Similarly, detectives in a follow-up investigation arrested one

Lucky Aputu ’m’, aged 46yrs of Oji Aputu compound, Onyobulu inland market Road, Oghara and recovered one of the stolen INEC registers from him.”

She said, “Investigation is in progress; while efforts are on to ensure that all those involved in the crime are rounded up. The recovered PVCs have since been handed over to INEC.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/inec-office-burgled-again-by-gunmen-and.html

Popular Nollywood actor Hanks Anuku has denied reports that he tested positive for HIV, and that he intentionally infected his wife with the deadly virus.

Metroparrot.net can authoritatively confirm that the actor is in fine health, and there is “no iota of truth” in the story which was reported on various media sites across Nigeria last weekend.

In a phone chat with the celebrity, the actor expressed his displeasure over the bad light in which the news has cast him and his immediate family members, most especially his wife and children.

Bearing his mind, the actor said:

“There is no iota of truth in that story! This is me, I am fine and healthy.”

The obviously sad actor is really devastated about the story that he slept with over 80 women in 2011 and later deliberately passed the deadly disease HIV to his beloved wife.

He also wondered why anyone would sit down to cook up such a terrible story when he has not offended anyone.



A close friend of the actor, who spoke with Naij.com, said that the purported news that circulated about his actor friend is in such a bad taste!

Recall that the Nollywood actor, who is now a born again Christian, was said to have revealed how he enjoyed life back in Zambia. He was supposedly quoted to have said:

“Life in Zambia was heaven on earth because we could enjoy life, moving in all places but I was missing my family. During that time I had quite a number of sexual activities and I slept with different women. When I came back home I never took care of the family. I started drinking life a fish and became an irresponsible husband leaving the entire burden to my wife,” he said.



“I got tested while I was in Zambia after one of my girlfriends advised me about her pregnancy. She had gone for pregnancy tests and during that time she was tested for HIV and the results was shocking, she was positive. She forced me to get tested but I could not come to terms with the results. After I got tested I came back to Zimbabwe and I kept quiet about the issue. I never told my wife about the issue. I infected her but I regret. I later on received some counseling and it went well,” he explained.



“During my peak of popularity I had sex with approximately 80 women, within Harare and Zambia. In 2002 it was so amazing to be on TV. I abused the fame. To make matters worse I lacked counseling and I failed to handle it properly, leaving me in this mud. I am now a born again Christian with UFIC under the guidance of Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa,” the former story had claimed.

In a recent interview the actor revealed that he left Nigeria for Ghana in order to be close to God.

http://www.metroparrot.net/2015/02/hanks-anuku-denies-infecting-wife-with.html

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega on Wednesday insisted that the commission was ready to conduct the general elections.



Jega, who appeared before the Senate, said the commission is almost done with the production of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).



He stated the six weeks period of extension for the election will further ensure free and fair elections.

Jega also used his appearance before the Upper Chamber to display the workings of the PVCs and Card Reader Machines to the Senators.



He insisted that the commission will not allow the use of Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) for the elections, saying that would create problems during the elections.

Jega is still before the Senate as at the time this report was filed.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/jega-insists-inec-is-ready-for-elections.html

Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr Joe Igbokwe, questioned the rationale behind the nomination of Senator Musliu Obanikoro, wondering what value the President was expecting from minister who recently resigned from the Federal Executive Council, FEC.

The party added that recycling people will certainly not take the nation to greater heights. The party said: “Is Musiliu the only Lagosian qualified to serve in the Federal Executive Council? As a minister, Obanikoro recently left the Jonathan cabinet to pursue a failed governorship ambition.

“Why is it that the President has turned the FEC to a games’ room and not for serious-minded personalities? Is the nomination Jonathan’s way of placating the former minister, who lost the PDP governorship ticket in primary that returned more ballot than the number of accredited delegates?

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/apc-mocks-obanikoros-ministerial.html

The United States Department of Defence has said there is no discussion with President Goodluck Jonathan to send US troops to assist the Nigerian military in fighting Boko Haram.

This was disclosed on Friday by the Pentagon Press Secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby.


When asked under what circumstance the US would consider sending troops to Nigeria as requested by Jonathan, Kirby stated that the discussion between the US and the Nigerian government was about establishing a multinational task force.

“There is a discussion but it is of a multinational task force that the international community is working with certain African nations to establish. That is right now still in the discussion phase.

“I don’t have a timeline for that. But we believe that we support the discussion and dialogue toward establishing a multinational task force that can operate there to help improve partner capacity, to improve counter-terrorism capabilities. But these are discussions (that) are really just now starting,” the Pentagon’s spokesman said.

“I can tell you that there are no plans as I speak here to send unilaterally, to send or to add US troops into Nigeria. There are no US troops operating in Nigeria.”

Kirby, however, noted that the US was not ruling out sending ground forces as part of the multinational task force.

He said, “Nothing is being ruled out or ruled in. These discussions are really just starting. So, I think it’d be premature to say I know exactly what the US component would be or to characterise it. We’re just not there, yet.”

But, in an interview he granted the Wall Street Journal in Abuja on Friday, Jonathan criticised President Barack Obama’s government for being unwilling to support the Federal Government in fighting the Boko Haram insurgents.

“Are they not fighting ISIS? Why can’t they come to Nigeria? Look, they are our friends. If Nigeria has a problem, then I expect the US to come and assist us,” Jonathan argued.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council has condemned “in the strongest terms” the continued escalation of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists, including deadly attacks during the past week which took the lives of many civilians in Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

In a statement late Friday, the Council deplored the ongoing escalation of Boko Haram violence, which has spread beyond Nigeria.

www.metronaija.com/2015/02/we-wont-send-troops-against-boko-haram.html

The Borno State Government on Sunday declared Monday, February 16, as a work-free-day ahead of the visit of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, to the state.



Ahmed Jidda, the Secretary to the State Government, announced this in a statement in Maiduguri.

Mr. Jidda said that the gesture was to enable residents of the state receive Mr. Buhari during his campaign rally.



He urged party supporters to come out en mass to welcome the candidate.

“Gov. Kashim Shettima has enjoined all Borno residents to come out en mass and line up the streets to welcome the Peoples’ General,” he said.



http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/borno-declares-monday-public-holiday.html

Hoodlums suspected to be on the payroll of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Friday stormed some communities in Gbonyin and Irepodun/Ifelodun local governments, attacking the supporters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and destroying billboards and posters of its candidates in the March 28 and April 11 general elections.

The State APC in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, stated that the thugs armed with guns and machetes stormed Igbemo-Ekiti where they disrupted APC ward meeting.

He disclosed that the suspected thugs, dressed in military uniform abducted Chief Peter Akinsola , Mr. Olusola Bello, Mr. Olujimi Ogunade, and 22-year-old Adefemi Ojo during the raid.

However, Deputy Chairman of PDP in the State, Mr Tayelolu Otitoju denied the involvement of his members in the attack, saying the party members were peace-loving and could not have involved in act that could portray the State in bad light.

“We are the ones in the glass house now and whoever lives in the glass house doesn’t throw stones. So, our members had been seriously warned on the need to eschew violence,” he said.

But the APC spokesman in the State insisted that investigation conducted by the party revealed that the PDP was responsible for the attack .

He said a car belonging to ward chairman was damaged while several members were attacked in an orgy of violence that lasted several minutes.

According to Olatubosun, they came back in the night unleashing fiercer violence, abducting four members in the process.

“They started their raids from Ijan-Ekiti where they shot sporadically into the air. Residents scampered to safety as thugs went about destroying APC candidates’ billboard and posters.

“After Ijan-Ekiti operation, they headed for Iluomoba-Ekiti where APC ward meeting was disrupted.
Billboards and posters of APC candidates, including the chairs and tables were destroyed before moving to other communities in Gbonyin to unleash violence,” the spokesman explained.

He added that the thugs returned to
Igbemo-Ekiti at night in three Hilux vans backed by policemen shooting and destroying the billboards and posters of APC candidates, including those of Mr Rotimi Odu, a member of the House of Assembly seeking re-election.

Olatubosun called on the security agencies to intervene to save the lives of those abducted while also urging the police to be even-handed in the current violence being unleashed on APC members by the governor’s thugs.


http://dailypost.ng/2015/02/14/suspected-pdp-thugs-kidnap-four-apc-stalwarts-in-ekiti/

Transparency International, a global coalition fighting against corruption has ranked Nigeria’s political parties as the most corrupt in the world. The group posted the graph above indicating an opinion poll they carried out on places people think political parties are mostly corrupt in the world. Top on the graph is Nigeria followed by Mexico. In Africa, only Nigeria’s political parties ranked amongst the top 11

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/nigeria-political-parties-most-corrupt.html

Meet Kiki Osibanjo, the daughter of APC Vice Presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo. There is no doubt that she is a stunner. Peep the pictures below:

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/photos-prof-osinbajos-pretty-daughter.html

Boko Haram militants from Nigeria have killed at least five people during an early morning attack in Chad, security officials said.

The officials said Friday the militants attacked a village on the shores of Lake Chad, but were eventually repelled by Chad's army.

It is the first time Boko Haram has carried out an attack in Chad, which has joined a regional offensive against the Islamic militant group.

Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin recently agreed to create a regional force of 8,700 troops to fight Boko Haram.

The extremists have killed thousands of people since launching their insurgency in 2009 and control dozens of towns in northeastern Nigeria.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/boko-haram-attack-chad-village-for.html

The Edo State Command has arrested and paraded one Benedict Ikazegbe in Benin City, the Edo State capital, for allegedly having canal knowledge of his daughters.

The police also arrested a 57-year-old man who raped a 98-year-old woman

According to the Edo tate Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joseph Edoigiawerie, the suspect had threatened to kill the daughter if she disclosed what transpired between them to anyone, adding that he attempted to also defile his senior daughter but luck ran out on him and he was caught by neighbours who raised an alarm.

The suspect has made confessional statement to the police.

In a similar vein, 57-year-old, Anslem Osagiede allegedly lured a 98-year-old woman into his room and had a carnal knowledge of her. The old woman was said have shouted and attracted neighbours who broke into her apartment and caught the man pants down.

The suspects, according to Police authorities, have been charged to court.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/man-rapes-98-year-old-woman.html

INEC NEW Chairman, Prof Nazim Mimiko From March 1, 2015. The successor to the out-going Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega has been nominated. The In-coming INEC chairman is Prof Nazim Olufemi Mimiko, a professor of Political Science and International Relation and a former VC of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State.

The embattled Prof Jega will be officially proceeding on his three months terminal leave with effect from March 1, 2015 in compliance with the civil service procedure. Congrats Prof Nazim Mimiko!!! , 2015. The successor to the out-going Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega has been nominated.

The In-coming INEC chairman is Prof Nazim Olufemi Mimiko, a professor of Political Science and International Relation and a former VC of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State.

The embattled Prof Jega will be officially proceeding on his three months terminal leave with effect from March 1, 2015 in compliance with the civil service procedure. Congrats Prof Nazim Mimiko!!!

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/breaking-news-prof-nazim-mimiko-to.html

Information available to 247ureports.com obtained from sources within the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] indicates that the days of the INEC chairman may be numbered at the seat of Chair of the INEC. A close source to the INEC Chairman reveals that the Chairman has already drafted his resignation letter – in wait for the “right moment”.

According to the available information, the embattled INEC Chairman had opted to resign several times before the 2015 election following unflattering practices attributed to his person and office. The latest round of accusation against the INEC Chairman comes amid calls for his resignation over broad allegations of bias from groups across the country. Many of the groups alleged that Prof Jega’s actions had showed his bias against the southen regions of Nigerian and against political parties who are not in-line with the All Progressive Congress [APC].

One of the groups who spoke to 247ureports.com indicate that the INEC Chairman had aided the merger process of the APC in a fashion that went beyond the duties of an INEC chairman. “Prof Jega was holding closed door meetings with members of the would-be APC on how to properly apply for the merger of the three parties in a legal manner” said the leader who went on to add that Prof Jega was “in fact assisting them to collect the necessary items” they needed to complete the application process. “He was acting as an associate of the party”.


The security report on Prof Jega prior to his becoming the INEC chairman – which was leaked out of the State Security Service [SSS] offices indicating that Prof Jega may have not been an upright operator as thought – has caused many within the INEC to take a closer look at the chairman. According to the report by the SSS, it was gathered that while Prof Jega served as the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, he engaged in contract fraud and other related financial crimes.

Particularly, it was gathered that many of the awards of contracts for infrastructural development within the university campus was awarded to companies owned by Prof. Jega. The companies were operated as fronts by many of Jega’s extended family members and friends.

The sharp practices contained in the report was brought to the attention of the President by the agents of the SSS. President Jonathan was not pleased with the contents of the security report. But it took the intervention of the Principal Secretary to the Presidency, Hassan Tukur who impressed on President Jonathan that the addition of Prof Jega would be an added bonus to the integrity of the INEC. The President heeded to the plea of Hassan Tukur – and announced the appointment of Prof Jega as the new INEC chairman. But Jega’s announcement as the new INEC chairman came with its bit of drawbacks for the President. This is as the INEC Chairman remained at an arms length away from the President.

The INEC Chairman, unlike he other INEC chairmen that came before him, developed a cold relationship with the President. According to sources, Prof. Jega would only brief the President on the progress reports and/or status reports on a biweekly basis – and nothing more.

“He did not consult the President on any matters – neither did he attempt to develop a cordial relationship with the president. Prof Jega’s demeanor towards the President, according to sources, concerned some of the handlers of the Presidency who saw Jega’s attitude as suspicious and unhealthy for the institution of the INEC. When the President was alerted on the possible suspicious demeanor of the INEC Chairman, the President was quick to refer them to Hassan Tukur’s assurance that Prof. Jega was not a worry. However with the built up the 2015 presidential elections, Prof Jega’s attitude began to lose its shell – and began to show its true intentions. It gradually started to become clearer to the presidency that Prof. Jega may have been working with the opposition party in seeking to return power to the core north.

The exercise to selectively increase the number of polling units in the northern region of the country raised eyebrows – as to the reasons behind the abrupt decision by the INEC chairman. The fast actions of National commissioners from the southern regions of the country halted the INEC Chairman from proceeding to implement his desired to populate the northern part of the country with the larger majority of the polling units. It took the arm twisting of the INEC Chairman to back-down from the decision. When Prof Jega’s effort to populate the north with polling units failed, he devised a plan to use the ‘Permanent Voters Card [PVC] to create the needed imbalance in the north/south polity. Anchoring his plan on the rule that all voters must have a PVC before being allowed to vote, the INEC Chairman and some of his national chairmen devised a plan to give the northern part of he country an overwhelming advantage in the distribution of the said PVCs.

The PVC were effectively distributed through the Imams and other community leaders in select states of the core north where the APC supporters are known to concentrate. While in the southern regions of country, the PVCs were dumped at the respective INEC offices at the local government areas – for the owners to come and collect. For this reason, the collection percentage of the PVCs in the northern region became much more higher than those in the southern region. It exposed what appears a structured disparity. Mr. President, according to presidential sources, is not happy with Prof. Jega as a result.

“Arrangements are on the offing to begin the removal process for the INEC chairman” says the source who also emphasized that the INEC chairman is also aware of the process – and has decided to hang-on to raise some ‘dust’ before existing the INEC offices. “The Prof knows that he is going”. But it remains to be seen if the President would follow through on his stated intent to remove the INEC chairman and to replace him with a Professor from the South west region.

The brother to the governor of Ondo state – has been touted as a possible replacement for Prof Jega. When 247ureports.com reached out to the INEC office though the spokesman, Kayode Idowu, he brushed aside Prof. Jega’s resignation as mere rumor. He then added that Prof. Jega remains the INEC Chairman. “Jega will conduct this election” he added.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/breaking-news-inec-chairman-jega-has.html

The Boko Haram sect today released three new videos on Youtube (that have since been taken down) showing how a man accused of committing adultery was stoned to death. The sect members also amputated a man's hand for stealing.

In one of the videos which was released in three parts, a man buried in the ground with only his head visible, is seen being stoned to death by a crowd. They accused him of adultery. Another part of the video showed a man's hand being amputated for 'stealing'. Young men were also shown being flogged for committing fornication.

In one of the videos, the sect leader, Abubakar Shekau denied claims by Nigerian military that they repelled the December 1st attack on Damaturu in Yobe state carried out by the terrorist group.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/boko-haram-releases-new-videos-stones.html

LOVELY MOTHER AND SON POSE!!!!



sOURCE: http://www..net/2015/02/chronicle-funmilayo-ransome-kuti.html

The human brain has amazed and baffled people throughout the ages. Some scientists and doctors have devoted their entire lives to learning how the brain works. It is no wonder that people enjoy learning facts about this incredible organ in the human body. Below, you will find 100 facts about the brain including how it works, how it develops, what it controls, how it affects sleep, dreams, and memory, and more, which may be helpful. When you finish reading about these fun facts, take this short brainpower quiz and see how much you learned about the human brain.

Physical Attributes
These facts will teach you interesting bits of information about the physical make-up of the human brain.

Weight. The weight of the human brain is about 3 lbs.
Cerebrum. The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and makes up 85% of the brain’s weight.
Skin. Your skin weighs twice as much as your brain.
Gray matter. The brain’s gray matter is made up of neurons, which gather and transmit signals.
White matter. The white matter is made up of dendrites and axons, which create the network by which neurons send their signals.
Gray and white. Your brain is 60% white matter and 40% gray matter.
Water. The brain is made up of about 75% water.
Neurons. Your brain consists of about 100 billion neurons.
Synapses. There are anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 synapses for each neuron.
No pain. There are no pain receptors in the brain, so the brain can feel no pain.
Largest brain. While an elephant’s brain is physically larger than a human brain, the human brain is 2% of total body weight (compared to 0.15% of an elephant’s brain), meaning humans have the largest brain to body size.
Blood vessels. There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain.
Fat. The human brain is the fattest organ in the body and may consists of at least 60% fat.

The Developing Brain
Starting from within the womb, fetal brain development begins the amazing journey that leads to a well-developed brain at birth that continues to grow for 18 more years.

Neurons. Neurons develop at the rate of 250,000 neurons per minute during early pregnancy.
Size at birth. At birth, your brain was almost the same size as an adult brain and contained most of the brain cells for your whole life.
Newborn’s growth. A newborn baby’s brain grows about three times its size in the first year.
Stopped growing. Your brain stopped growing at age 18.
Cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex grows thicker as you learn to use it.
Stimulation. A stimulating environment for a child can make the difference between a 25% greater ability to learn or 25% less in an environment with little stimulation.
New neurons. Humans continue to make new neurons throughout life in response to mental activity.
Read aloud. Reading aloud and talking often to a young child promotes brain development.
Emotions. The capacity for such emotions as joy, happiness, fear, and shyness are already developed at birth. The specific type of nurturing a child receives shapes how these emotions are developed.
First sense. The first sense to develop while in utero is the sense of touch. The lips and cheeks can experience touch at about 8 weeks and the rest of the body around 12 weeks.
Bilingual brains. Children who learn two languages before the age of five alters the brain structure and adults have a much denser gray matter.
Child abuse and the brain. Studies have shown that child abuse can inhibit development of the brain and can permanently affect brain development.

Brain Function
From the invisible workings of the brain to more visible responses such as yawns or intelligence, find out how the brain functions with these facts.

Oxygen. Your brain uses 20% of the total oxygen in your body.
Blood. As with oxygen, your brain uses 20% of the blood circulating in your body.
Unconsciousness. If your brain loses blood for 8 to 10 seconds, you will lose consciousness.
Speed. Information can be processed as slowly as 0.5 meters/sec or as fast as 120 meters/sec (about 268 miles/hr).
Wattage. While awake, your brain generates between 10 and 23 watts of power–or enough energy to power a light bulb.
Yawns. It is thought that a yawn works to send more oxygen to the brain, therefore working to cool it down and wake it up.
Neocortex. The neocortex makes up about 76% of the human brain and is responsible for language and consciousness. The human neocortex is much larger than in animals.
10%. The old adage of humans only using 10% of their brain is not true. Every part of the brain has a known function.
Brain death. The brain can live for 4 to 6 minutes without oxygen, and then it begins to die. No oxygen for 5 to 10 minutes will result in permanent brain damage.
Highest temperature. The next time you get a fever, keep in mind that the highest human body temperature ever recorded was 115.7 degrees–and the man survived.
Stress. Excessive stress has shown to "alter brain cells, brain structure and brain function."
Love hormones and autism. Oxytocin, one of the hormones responsible for triggering feelings of love in the brain, has shown some benefits to helping control repetitive behaviors in those with autism.
Food and intelligence. A study of one million students in New York showed that students who ate lunches that did not include artificial flavors, preservatives, and dyes did 14% better on IQ tests than students who ate lunches with these additives.
Seafood. In the March 2003 edition of Discover magazine, a report describes how people in a 7-year study who ate seafood at least one time every week had a 30% lower occurrence of dementia.

Psychology of the Brain
From tickling to tasting to decision-making, find out how the brain affects what you experience.

Tickles. You can’t tickle yourself because your brain distinguished between unexpected external touch and your own touch.
Imaginary playmates. A study from Australia showed that children with imaginary playmates between the ages of 3 and 9 tended to be first-born children.
Reading faces. Without any words, you may be able to determine if someone is in a good mood, is feeling sad, or is angry just by reading the face. A small area in the brain called the amygdala is responsible for your ability to read someone else’s face for clues to how they are feeling.
Ringing in the ears. For years, medical professionals believed that tinnitus was due to a function within the mechanics of the ear, but newer evidence shows that it is actually a function of the brain.
Pain and gender. Scientists have discovered that men and women’s brains react differently to pain, which explains why they may perceive or discuss pain differently.
Supertasters. There is a class of people known as supertasters who not only have more taste buds on the tongue, but whose brain is more sensitive to the tastes of foods and drinks. In fact, they can detect some flavors that others cannot.
Cold. Some people are much more sensitive to cold and actually feel pain associated with cold. Research as shown that the reason is due to certain channels that send cold information to the brain.
Decision-making. Women tend to take longer to make a decision, but are more likely to stick with the decision, compared to men, who are more likely to change their mind after making a decision.
Exercise. Some studies indicate that while some people are naturally more active, others are naturally more inactive, which may explain why getting out and exercising is more difficult for some.
Boredom. Boredom is brought on by a lack of change of stimulation, is largely a function of perception, and is connected to the innate curiosity found in humans.
Physical illness. The connection between body and mind is a strong one. One estimate is that between 50-70% of visits to the doctor for physical ailments are attributed to psychological factors.
Sadness and shopping. Researchers have discovered that those experiencing the blues are more willing to spend more money in an attempt to alleviate their sadness.

Memory
Learn how scent, jet lag, and estrogen affect memory, plus plenty of other information, with these facts.

Jet lag. Frequent jet lag can impair your memory, probably due to the stress hormones released.
New connections. Every time you recall a memory or have a new thought, you are creating a new connection in your brain.
Create associations. Memory is formed by associations, so if you want help remembering things, create associations for yourself.
Scent and memory. Memories triggered by scent have a stronger emotional connection, therefore appear more intense than other memory triggers.
Anomia. Anomia is the technical word for tip-of-the-tongue syndrome when you can almost remember a word, but it just won’t quite come to you.
Sleep. While you sleep at night may be the best time for your brain to consolidate all your memories from the day.
No sleep. It goes to follow…lack of sleep may actuallyhurt your ability to create new memories.
World Champion. A world champion memorizer, Ben Pridmore memorized 96 historical events in 5 minutes and memorized a single, shuffled deck of cards in 26.28 seconds.
Estrogen and memory. Estrogen (found in both men and women) has been shown to promote better memory functions.
Insulin. Insulin works to regulate blood-sugar in the body, but recently, scientists have discovered that its presence in the brain also helps promote memory.

Dreams and Sleep
The amazing world of dreams and what happens during sleep is a mystery rooted in the brain. Learn interesting facts about dreams and sleep in this list.

Everyone dreams. Just because you don’t remember your dreams doesn’t mean you don’t dream. Everyone dreams!
Nightly average. Most people dream about 1-2 hours a night and have an average of 4-7 dreams each night.
Brain waves. Studies show that brain waves are more active while dreaming than when you are awake.
Lost dreams. Five minutes after a dream, half of the dream is forgotten. Ten minutes after a dream, over 90% is forgotten. Write down your dreams immediately if you want to remember them.
Blind people dream. Dreams are more than just visual images, and blind people do dream. Whether or not they dream in pictures depends on if they were born blind or lost their vision later.
Color or B&W. Some people (about 12%) dream only in black and white while others dream in color.
Virtually paralyzed. While you sleep, your body produces a hormone that may prevent you from acting out your dreams, leaving you virtually paralyzed.
Snoring. If you are snoring, you are not dreaming.
During a dream. If you are awakened during a dream, you are much more likely to remember the dream than if you slept until a full night’s sleep.
Symbolism. As those who invest in dream dictionaries can attest, dreams almost never represent what they actually are. The unconscious mind strives to make connections with concepts you will understand, so dreams are largely symbolic representations.
Adenosine. Caffeine works to block naturally occurring adenosine in the body, creating alertness. Scientists have recently discovered this connection and learned that doing the opposite–boosting adenosine–can actually help promote more natural sleep patterns and help eliminate insomnia.
Dream showings. Japanese researchers have successfully developed a technology that can put thoughts on a screen and may soon be able to screen people’s dreams.

Fun and Interesting Facts
From juggling to a Brain Bank to cannibalism, read about these fun and interesting brain facts.

Airplanes and headaches. A study showed a correlation between flying and headaches and states that around 6% of people who fly get headaches brought on by the flight itself.
Juggling. Juggling has shown to change the brain in as little as seven days. The study indicates that learning new things helps the brain to change very quickly.
Disney and sleep. A study published in the journal Sleep Medicine describes how Disney creators used real sleep disorders in many of their animated pets.
Blinking. Each time we blink, our brain kicks in and keeps things illuminated so the whole world doesn’t go dark each time we blink (about 20,000 times a day).
Laughing. Laughing at a joke is no simple task as it requires activity in five different areas of the brain.
Yawns are contagious. Ever notice that you yawned after someone around you did? Scientists believe this may be a response to an ancient social behavior for communication that humans still have.
Brain Bank. Harvard maintains a Brain Bank where over 7,000 human brains are store for research purposes.
Outer space. The lack of gravity in outer space affects the brain in several ways. Scientists are studying how and why, but you may want to hold off on your next trip to the moon.
Music. Music lessons have shown to considerably boost brain organization and ability in both children and adults.
Thoughts. The average number of thoughts that humans are believed to experience each day is 70,000.
Ambidexterity. Those who are left-handed or ambidextrous have a corpus collosum (the part of the brain that bridges the two halves) that is about 11% larger than those who are right-handed.
Stressful job. According to a study by Bristol-Myers Squibb, accountants have the highest incidence of on-the-job headaches, followed by librarians, then bus and truck drivers.
Aristotle. Aristotle mistakenly thought that the functions of the brain actually took place in the heart.
Cannibalism. Some research shows that humans carry genes that help protect the brain from prion diseases, or diseases contracted through eating human flesh, leading medical experts to believe that ancient humans may have eaten other humans.
Shakespeare. The word "brain" appears 66 times in the plays of William Shakespeare.

Famous Brains
People have always been fascinated with the brains of famous people. Find out what experts know about these famous brains.

Albert Einstein. Einstein’s brain was similar in size to other humans except in the region that is responsible for math and spatial perception. In that region, his brain was 35% wider than average.
London taxi drivers. Famous for knowing all the London streets by heart, these drivers have a larger than normal hippocampus, especially the drivers who have been on the job longest. The study suggests that as people memorize more and more information, this part of their brain continues to grow.
VI Lenin. After his death, Lenin’s brain was studied and found to have an abnormally large and numerous neurons in a particular region that may explain his "strikingly acute and penetrating mental processes" for which he was famous.
Oldest brain. A brain thought to be 2000 years old was unearthed just recently at the University of York in northern England.
Babe Ruth. The Babe was tested by two Columbia psychology students and was determined to be working at 90% efficiency compared to the 60% efficiency measured for most people.
Daniel Tammet. Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant who, since the age of three when he suffered an epileptic seizure, has been able to perform astounding mathematical computations, knows seven languages, and is developing a language of his own.
Keith Jarrett. This jazz musician was discovered at age 3 to have perfect pitch, which scientists can pinpoint in the right frontal lobe.

Moments in History
The study of the brain has an interesting history. Check out this abbreviated time line to learn interesting facts about the history of brain research and development.

2000 B.C.. Archeologists found evidence that primitive brain surgery was performed by drilling a hole in the skull.
1811. Scottish surgeon Charles Bell described how each of the senses had a corresponding spot in the brain.
1899. Aspirin was marketed as a pain reliever, but was not available without a prescription until 1915.
1921. Hermann Rorschach invented the now-famous ink blot test for use with his patients.
1959. The first rhesus monkey was sent into space to study human behavior.

http://www.edificationinfo.com/2015/02/100-fascinating-facts-you-never-knew.html

Five African nations on Saturday pledged to deploy 8,700 troops, police and civilians as part of a regional effort to fight Nigeria’s Boko Haram militants.

“The representatives of Benin, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad have announced contributions totalling 8,700 military personnel, police and civilians,” the countries said in a statement after a meeting in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde.

The news emerged from a three-day summit focusing on forging a strategy for battling the militants, who are engaged in a worsening six-year insurgency centred in northeastern Nigeria.

African Union leaders will submit the plan crafted by Western and African experts to the UN Security Council for approval.

Boko Haram’s attacks have increasingly spilled over from Nigeria into neighbouring nations.

Their first major attack in Niger on Friday triggered a forceful response from Chadian and Nigerien troops.

Niger’s defence minister reported that 109 of the Islamists were killed in the fighting, along with four soldiers and a civilian. Seventeen other troops were wounded.

The United States said it condemned the attack in the “strongest possible terms” and pledged support for regional forces.

“This unchecked killing must stop,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said. “We continue to provide support to governments in the region, including through intelligence sharing, and are increasing our support for these efforts.”

Chad already has troops fighting Boko Haram on two fronts, with soldiers deployed in Niger and Nigeria.

Nigeria’s military has drawn fierce criticism for failing to rein in the insurgents, who have intensified attacks ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections set for February 14.

Nigerian election authorities said they will announce on Saturday whether the polls will be delayed as problems mount with distributing identity cards to 68.8 million registered voters.

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/8700-strong-african-deployment-to-fight.html

Looks like the enemies of democracy who want the elections postponed at all cost will have their way this time again. Although INEC says they will come out with a formal position soon, but the international media has got some inside scoop already and they are reporting postponement of the polls.

We are watching and waiting for INEC's formal position...!

http://www.metronaija.com/2015/02/inec-accepts-to-postpone-elections.html