The Crest: August 2013

Saturday, 31 August 2013

BBA: I’m Sorry For Embarrassing Nigerians – Beverly

Nigeria's representatives in the just
concluded Big Brother Africa reality
TV show, Beverly Osu and Melvin
Oduah were presented to the media
at the Protea Hotel, Victoria Island,
Lagos last Thursday after their
triumphant return to the country.
The two ex-housemates recounted their
personal experiences in the Big Brother
House.
Beverly was the first to put the record
straight , as she denied having sex in the
House with her South African
counterpart, Angelo. She however,
confirmed that her relationship with
Angelo was real.
In BBA House
The experience was awesome.Though it
was challenging, God really saw me
through. It is something everybody
should look forward to participating in. I
don't believe I was cheated during the
grand finale. Housemates from West
Africa were not only united but, we
dominated the House. Whoever won the
show really deserved to win. For me and
Melvin, having made it to the finals, we
are equally winners in our own rights. At
least, we brought something home to
show for our efforts.
Having sex with South Africa's Angelo!
I did not have sex in the House. I had a
relationship with Angelo Collins but we
did not have sex. I loved him and I still
love him. I am a blunt person and very
real. People that knew me before BBA
know that I don't pretend to be who I
am. If it happens, you fall in love, you
can't fake it. I did not have sex with
Angelo. I was under the bathtube, but
we never had sex. Maybe, the camera
made it look so. Everybody gets naked
to have their bath, so I don't think it is
wrong for me to be naked when I have
my bath too. There was no way. I
couldn't be different because I went for
a reality show. So, I should not be
judged by what people saw during the
show since I didn't intentionally bring
out my video for all to see. .Big brother
did that.
Winning strategy
I am a very blunt person. Melvin can
testify to this claim because he stayed
with me for ninety one days in the
House. I was only talking to my fellow
Housemates. And I don't regret anythin
I said about myself and my family. This is
because if I have to be on this platform,
people have to know the real me and
what I have been through.
On her plans for the future
I'll continue with my online reality show
"Beverly Says" and I'll complete my
education. I also intend to go into
acting.I'm a 200 level student of the
National Open University of Nigeria,
where I am studying Mass
Communication.
My mum's reaction
My mum has tutored me very well. Even
if the whole world rejects me today, my
mum can't reject me. I love my mum so
much. I'm her only daughter and the last
child in the family. I have always been
there for her, just as she has always
been there for me. I will not disappoint
my mum intentionally by saying she this
or she's that…
Embarrassing Nigerians
I don't feel happy about it because this
is the first time, I represented the
country in any continental competition.
But the fact remains that if you didn't go
for it, you wouldn't know how it's in the
House. I wasn't there with my cell
phone to be able to communicate with
the outside world. I was just there
alone. I'm sorry for embarrassing my
country. I didn't do it intentionally. My
participation in the show was not to
embarrass my country. I am a proud
Nigerian.
On featuring in a porn production by
Afrocandy
I heard about it. Thanks for the offer but
no.

ASUU Strike: Time For The Federal Government To Act To Save Education

On July 2nd 2013, the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) for the
umpteenth time since 2009 went on
strike over the refusal of the Federal
Government to honour the 2009
agreement on the funding of
Universities and a subsequent
January 2012 MOU.
The grounding of the Universities and
paralysis of all academic and social
activities to say the least is inimical to
the long term development aspirations
of Nigeria.
In today's world that is knowledge
driven, it is a wonder that almost two
months into the ASUU strike, the
government is still fiddling while the
Ivory towers are 'burning'.
It would be recalled that the 2009 FGN/
ASUU agreement was the culmination of
three years of negotiation following a
similar strike by university lecturers in
2006. Since 1991, the struggle by
Nigerian lecturers to ensure adequate
funding in order to arrest the rot in the
Nigerian tertiary education has been on
with hardly any year going by without
the lecturers going on strike to either
demand that government implements
the agreement reached or calling for a
review of the agreements.
Much more disturbing is the predilection
of the government for reneging on
agreements freely entered into with
university teachers as was the case when
the university sector was rocked by
protracted industrial unrest between
1994 and 1996 as a result of the
government's refusal to honour the
terms of the FGN/ASUU agreement of
September 1992. The current round of
strike is also a product of the federal
government's refusal to honour the
terms of the 2009 agreement entered
into with ASUU. These acts of bad faith
by successive governments in refusing to
honour the terms of agreements freely
entered into more than anything else,
has accounted for the intractable crisis in
the nation's university system.
Beyond the immediate implications of
government's unilateral repudiation of
the terms of agreements freely entered
into, is the larger implication for the
economy and society at large in terms of
the sanctity of agreements, contracts
and treaties signed by the Nigerian
government. A government that
habitually reneges on agreements freely
entered into with its citizens cannot be
counted upon to uphold the sanctity of
contracts, treaties or agreements. Little
wonder then that all the jamborees of
the government in the name of
attracting foreign investors end up
yielding little or no result since no
serious investor will invest in a country
where the sanctity of agreements or
contract means nothing.
Fundamentally, ASUU's demand has
been on the need to arrest the falling
standards and ensure the quality of
tertiary education which has been
generally acknowledged as having fallen
beyond imagination. The report of the
Committee on Needs Assessment of
Nigerian Universities (CNANU) set up by
the Federal government vividly captures
this rot.
The struggles of ASUU to attract
adequate funding as well as qualitative
tertiary education has been on despite
the existence of a statutory body created
specifically for the purpose of ensuring
the quality of tertiary education in
Nigeria and advising government on
issues of remunerations in the university
system.
The National Universities Commission
(NUC) has a duty as part of its functions
as stated in its enabling act to '…
prepare periodic master plans for the
balanced and coordinated development
of all universities in Nigeria', 'lay down
minimum academic standards in the
federal republic of Nigeria and accredit
degrees and other academic awards', 'to
ensure that quality is maintained within
the academic programmes of the
Nigerian university system', 'to advise
the Federal Government on the financial
needs, both recurrent and capital of
university education in Nigeria…', 'to
undertake periodic review of the terms
and conditions of service of personnel
engaged in the universities and to make
recommendations thereon to the
Federal Government as appropriate'.
It is quite clear from the foregoing
therefore, that the incessant agitations
of ASUU is a direct fallout of the
embarrassing abdication of responsibility
by the NUC. Clearly, it has not been up
and doing with regards to its primary
duty to the Nigerian university system.
The question in view of the monumental
and disastrous failure is, is there any
basis for the continued existence of the
NUC?.
Incessant strikes by ASUU over the very
issues that are squarely within the remit
of the NUC and for which it ought to
have properly advised the government
on, clearly shows that the NUC has over
the years failed woefully in the discharge
of its primary function of ensuring
standards and advising governments on
the needs of the universities.
The colossal failure of NUC to perform its
primary functions and save the nation
the current embarrassing state of affairs
in the university system that has
necessitated ASUU embarking on strike
is a product of NUC's abandonment of its
primary duty of regulation, ensuring
standards and calling the attention of
the government to the worsening decay
in tertiary education in the country. As
recently revealed, the NUC, which
ordinarily should be focussed in
regulating standards in the university
system was said to be enmeshed in
contract awards, management of
scholarship funds and directly managing
the affairs of universities in clear
violation and breach of extant laws.
This, to say the least, clearly explains
why the NUC has failed woefully in
saving the nation from its current woes
through timely advice on the critical
state and needs of the Nigerian
university system as well making
proposals on how to avert the current
state of rot in the system. Given the
grave tragedy that incessant strike
actions constitute to the immediate and
long term economic and social wellbeing
of the nation, we, the undersigned civil
society organisations, call on the federal
government to, with immediate effect-
1. Demonstrate the requisite political
will to respect the terms of the
agreement which it freely entered into
with ASUU. This is, to us, the hallmark
and minimum requirement for a
responsible and credible government.
2. Re-open the collapsed negotiations
with ASUU as quickly as possible. 3. Set
in motion with immediate effect , all the
mechanisms necessary for meeting the
funding requirements of the FGN/ASUU
agreement of 2009 including those that
have fallen due.
4. Stop forthwith all efforts at derailing
the interventionist agencies in stabilising
the Nigerian tertiary education system.
5. Ensure that the extant laws regulating
the operations of the TETFund are
respected by all and sundry including but
not limited to the NUC.
6. To immediately ensure that the NUC
and other regulatory agencies within the
tertiary education sector forthwith
remain and operate within the ambit of
their primary functions of regulating and
setting standards for the university and
tertiary education system and desist
from getting enmeshed in functions that
are best left to the universities/tertiary
institutions/other relevant agencies and
outside their core mandates.
7. Ensure the full implementation of the
report of the Committee on Needs
Assessment of Nigerian Universities
(CNANU).
Signed:
1. Zero Corruption Coalition (ZCC)
2. Women Organisation for Gender Issue
3. CiviI Society Legislative Advocacy
Centre (CISLAC)
4. West African Civil Society Forum
(WACSOF)
5. Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Nigeria
6. National Procurement Watch Platform
(NPWP)
7. Independent Service Delivery
Monitoring Group (ISDMG)
8. Network on Police Reform in Nigeria
(NOPRIN)
9. Public Interest Lawyers League
10. United Action for Democracy (UAD)
11. Community Action for Popular
Participation (CAPP)
12. Citizens Centre for Integrated
Development and Social Rights
(CCIDESOR)
13. Community Outreach for
Development and Welfare Advocacy
(CODWA)
14. Say No Campaign Nigeria 15.
International Press Centre (IPC)
16. Coalition to Save Education in Nigeria
(COSEG)
17. Feed Nigeria Initiative (FENI)
18. Greater Nigeria Movement (GNM)
19. Ethical Computing and Cyber
Research Centre
20. Centre for Responsible Engagement
and Patriotism

I Participated In BBA To Be Myself – Melvin Oduah

Fertility Clinics: Lagosians Make Money Selling Sperm For N50,000

People get married for different
reasons. While some seek
companionship in marriage, many go
into marriage for procreation. For
couples who look forward to having
children immediately after marriage,
being declared 'infertile' by experts is
like a death sentence.
While it is generally
agreed that it takes two
to have a baby and
every couple is
expected to be in
optimum health to have babies, medical
experts claim men are having more
fertility challenge now. Sperm
concentration in men is said to have
decreased by a third since 1990s while
sperm count is said to have decreased
by half over the past 50 years.
Studies are also showing genetic
abnormalities in sperm particularly in
older men. For men therefore, quantity,
quality and motility of spermatozoa are
seen as important factors in fertility.
Since the male factor is a prominent
cause of infertility in couples, sperm
donation has become vital in assisted
conception treatment.
A study by the Society for the Study of
Male Reproduction stated that "a male
factor is solely responsible in about 20
per cent of infertile couples and
contributory in another 30 to 40 per
cent."
According to experts, even when sperm
numbers are great, a high proportion of
men may have DNA damage that
significantly impairs the chances of
natural conception. Besides, male sperm
deteriorates with age the same way it
does for women.
Studies have also shown that if a man
has poor health, smokes, drinks too
much or has a bad diet, it's very likely
his sperms are also going to be
unhealthy.
Indeed, investigation by Saturday
PUNCH showed that sperm has become
a commodity in high demand in Lagos.
The Chief Consultant and Head,
Obstetrician and Fertility Department,
Eko Hospitals, Dr. Adegbite Ogunmokun,
said fertility problem, based on recent
experience, had tilted more towards the
male factor.
He said, "If 10 couples come in, there
will be problem with the male in six of
them, using our parameter of 20 million
sperm per millimetre. But 10 to 15 years
ago, maybe about four out of 10 men
would have problem."
Our correspondents, who visited some
fertility centres in Lagos, learnt that
more men are having low sperm count,
thus necessitating the need for more
volunteer donors. But because donors
are scare, fertility clinics offer as much as
N50,000 to men who are interested in
selling their sperm.
They also pay more when sellers have
special features that the beneficiaries
are looking for.
Like blood sellers, investigations show
that many people in Lagos, especially
students, now sell their sperms anytime
they need money.
A student of the University of Lagos,
who identified himself as John, said he
had sold sperm to a few fertility centres
in Lagos. John said he had been funding
his education for the past two years with
what he earned from selling his sperm.
John said he was introduced to the
programme by a friend and that he had
in turn brought in two other friends to
'business'.
"I've sold to a number of fertility
centres. The money has really helped me
to stay in school. It takes care of my
tuition and some other personal needs,"
John said, with a measure of satisfaction.
"It's cool money, really and I'm also
doing a service to mankind by helping
out some people in need. Even friends
that I introduced to it have not turned
back since then."
An employee in a Lagos fertility clinic,
who identified himself as Olufunsho, told
Saturday PUNCH that some women
would pay any amount to get a sperm
seller with the features they want.
He said, "We pay N50,000 here but
there are times when women come in
and request that, at all cost, they must
get a tall man. The person can earn
more when they make such requests,
especially if we don't have any that fits
the profile in our bank.
"There was a time a woman came and
requested that we get a tall man for her
at all cost. I showed her the samples we
had, but she did not like the profile. She
said she was not satisfied with the
heights. And we were unable to get what
she wanted from the sellers that came at
the time.
"The sellers that came then were either
AS, or positive with hepatitis B or had
low sperm count. We had up to twelve
sellers that came and we were unable to
get anybody. In such cases, we could
offer a lot more when we find the right
person. Sometimes, such people are also
in a position to negotiate for what they
want."
However, subsequent drops attract
lesser amounts of money for the same
seller.
To sell sperm, the person, according to
Olufunsho, must stay off sex for five
days. He undergoes some tests to
confirm that he is not HIV positive and
that he also has healthy sperm among
others.
He said, "If the same person is still
interested and we still need him, he
would repeat the screening process
again. We pay N10, 000 per ejaculation
for other subsequent ones. With my own
discretion, if the quality of the sperm is
good and we have somebody who needs
something that matches perfectly with
that seller, we may reduce the probation
period, but the sperm must be very
good.
"Although that is the protocol, it could
always be amended when there is
nothing wrong with the person. Even if
someone ejaculates the first time and in
twenty minutes time, he does the same,
it is still going to be good, but not as
good as the first one."
At the various fertility centres where our
correspondents posed as potential
sperm seller, the clinic workers made
keen attempts to have them start the
process immediately, by leaving blood
samples for tests.
On one occasion, a clinic worker told one
of our correspondents that he was
willing to waive the two to five days'
probation period of abstinence, after our
correspondent said he wished to "sleep
over it."
The worker said, "What is there to think
about? After all, you already said you're
not married. You can leave your blood
sample for testing while you go ahead
and think over it."
Investigation showed that fertility
centres want sellers between 18 and 45
years of age and expect them to abstain
from sex, two to five days before giving
sperm sample, depending on the centre.
Other conditions to be met by potential
sperm sellers include testing negative to
HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, sickle
cell and some other sexually transmitted
diseases. Tests are also carried out to
determine the count, morphology
(shape) and motility of the sperm cells.
In addition, fertility centres claim to also
place a high premium on average
intelligence, education and lifestyle.
Although, Saturday PUNCH learnt that
such claims are not always true as more
emphases are actually placed on height
and other physical attributes.
"It is not immediately that we pay. We
prefer AA genotype because it can be
given to anybody, unlike AS that cannot
be given to just anybody," Olufunsho
added.
However, an employee in another
fertility clinic in Lagos, Akin, said sperm
sellers could get paid within a week of
starting the process. This is possible only
if they satisfy the conditions.
He said, "If the motility is good, the
count is good and you're okay, then, you
can produce for us. If everything is okay,
within a week, you can get your money."
A 2012 study into the reproductive
health of 26,600 men in France, warned
of a sperm crisis worldwide. It said that
sperm concentration has decreased by a
third since the 1990s. The study found a
continuous 32.2 per cent decrease in
sperm concentration over a period of 17
years.
During the European Society of Human
Reproduction and Embryology annual
conference in London in July 2013, some
experts, critical of the study's validity,
said it did not completely represent the
situation in certain areas, particularly the
developing world.
However, a fertility expert at Mother's
World Care, Ikeja, Lagos, Dr. Margaret
Olusegun, said the situation is similar in
Nigeria.
She said, "A man should have a good
count, up to 40 to 50 million sperm per
millimetre of semen upward. But you
find that these days, men have more
challenges with fertility than women.
"Although, I don't have the statistics,
men are the ones with more challenges
now, even though they are the ones who
drive out their wives if they can't bear
children."
Olusegun explained that good sperm
should have "at least 50 per cent
motility (activeness) because sperm cells
can be active, sluggish or dead."
"For morphology (shape) too, which
could be normal or abnormal, sperm
should have upward of 50 per cent
normal cells. And there should not be
bacteria growth," she added.
Ogunmokun described low concentration
of sperm as "Oligospermia." He,
however, said a sperm count with a
minimum lower limit of 20 million sperm
per millimetre of semen would still be
considered normal. But he added that
any sperm concentration of less than 20
million per millimetre of semen could be
categorised as mild, moderate or severe
oligospermia, depending on the count.
Ogunmokun said fertility problems could
be with the man, the woman or the two
of them.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the demand
for sperm has made the fertility
business a lucrative one. Many of the
fertility centres in Lagos have facilities
for sperm preservation, where it's
freezing costs about N50, 000 per
quarter.
Ogunmokun said, "After collection, the
semen is processed and seminal fluid
and all other things are removed. The
sperm is put in little bottles and placed
in special containers called dewars,
connected to a power source. It is stored
at very low temperature and there must
be an indicator for monitoring should
there be a change in the condition."
He, however, added that there must be
a standby generator in a place like
Nigeria, where power supply is unstable,
as sperm can be frozen for decades.
"Although, there are many other reasons
why people freeze sperm, someone
living far away from his wife can decide
to freeze his sperm for the wife's use
while he's away. Also, someone going
for cancer treatment can freeze his
sperm before starting the treatment
since such treatments affect sperm
production," he added.
Ogunmokun said fertility centres focus
more on university undergraduates to
ensure that sperm donors have a certain
degree of intelligence.
He said, "The current practice is to
actually recruit sperm donors and the
focus is on undergraduates. The focus is
on students because they should be able
to provide their ID cards so that
background checks can be done."
According to Ogunmokun, the perceived
increase in the number of men with low
sperm count is as a result of infection
and lifestyle habits like sitting for too
long and wearing of tight underwear.
He said, "The testes are not supposed to
be too close to the body because of the
higher body temperature. The testes are
naturally colder, so people who travel
long distances or sit in traffic for long
can be prone to infertility."
Ogunmokun advised that men should
"exercise appropriately, take good
nutrition, avoid tight underwear,
premarital sex, cigarette and alcohol to
try to prevent low sperm count."
However, Olusegun identified good
hygiene as key to the prevention of low
sperm count, saying, "Our environment
is too contaminated."

Wednesday, 28 August 2013

Young Woman Aims to Make World Record by Having Sex With 100,000 Men Around the World

A 21-year-old Polish girl has told how
she aims to sleep her way into the
record books - by bedding 100,000
men around the world.
Randy Ania Lisewska - from Warsaw,
Poland - told her Facebook followers she
plans to sleep with men in every city in
the world for her sex marathon.
"I want men from Poland, Europe and all
around the world. I love sex, fun and
men," she explained.
"In Poland the subject of sex is still
taboo and anyone who wants to fulfil
their sexual fantasies is considered a
deviant, a whore or mentally ill," she
added.
Ania says the marathon began in Warsaw
last month and won't stop until she
reaches her total.
"I will visit every city in Poland and when
I've done all of them, I will start
travelling abroad.
The fun will take about 20 minutes per
person, depending on how many people
there are on each day," she explained.

J Martins and Wizkid at war'- See What Really Happened

If you remember, last week, Wizkid told
a fan 'that broke people always think
they have an opinion', after the fan
rudely corrected his(Wizkid's) wrongly
spelt word. The comment that angered
quite a number of the pop star's fans.
Singer J Martins in a recent interview on
a radio station reacted to Wizkid’s
outburst, saying: I'm not taking any
side, don’t mean no beef, no disrespect,
and no hate but let the truth be told.
I don’t believe because you feel you
have a few change you didn’t have a
few years ago and which you cannot
guarantee having in a few years to come
then you wake up and look at those
people who have cheered you up, loved
you, supported your music, bought your
CD’s, prayed for you, just because you
can lay your hands on some phone and
you call them ‘poor’.
I'm not in and will never be in support
of anyone who has such bad attitude.
It needs to be corrected, we owe our
fans the duty of being good examples
that’s why they hold us in high esteem,
that’s why you are a role model and if
you know you cannot be a good role
model you have no business in Music.
You don’t know if it’s that person that
might help you tomorrow, whoever
does that should be checked. Wizkid last
night reacted to J Martins comments,
tweeting at him directly. Read tweets
below......

STRIKE: ASUU gives up

The negotiations between the
Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU) and the Federal Government
collapsed again yesterday as the
lecturers have pulled out of the
Governor Gabriel Suswam-led
Committee on Needs Assessment of
Nigerian Universities.
In a letter detailing its reasons for
withdrawing from the committee, ASUU
said that the committee had not made
progress on the issues for which it was
set up, adding it was not satisfied with
the way the N100 billion raised by
government to rehabilitate structures in
the universities was being managed.
Worse still, ASUU in the letter dated
August 26 and signed by its National
President, Dr. Nasir Isa Fagge, accused
the Suswam committee of not being,
clear on its plans for managing the
funds. It cited the inclusion of a "Project
Administration Fund," even as it queried
the manner which funds were allocated
to universities slated to benefit from
government's intervention.
The letter stated that, "we have also
noted albeit quizzically, that some
N1.975 billion was allocated to the 62nd
university called Project Admin Cost.
"We see no justification for allocating an
amount more than what is allocated to
four universities put together to a bogus
Project Admin Cost". The striking
lecturers who had earlier announced
their withdrawal from negotiations with
the government, said that until the
activities of the Suswam committee are
carried out transparently and its
misgivings on the modus operandi of the
committee are addressed, ASUU will not
return to the committee.
"In view of the foregoing, ASUU will be
unable to continue in the membership of
the committee until the issues raised are
properly addressed", Fagge stated.

Iyanya Seals N57.7million ($350,000) Endorsement Deal With Zinox Computers

Nigeria musician Iyanya, popularly
known as Kukere Master is swimming
in wealth right now, as he keeps
landing Endorsement deals over
endorsement deal.
Iyanya just signed an endorsement
deal with MTN and now signed
another with Zinox computers.
The music star sealed the $350,000
deal with Zinox Computers as a
brand ambassador.
Iyanya shared his excitement via
Instagram.

Ice Prince Acquires N46million Bentley GT Coupe (PHOTOS)

Nigerian rapper, Ice Prince just
acquired the Bentley GT Coupe said
to be worth N46million, thereby
joining the league of Bentley
owners in Nigeria.
The car, which is a 2010 model, was
not shipped but flown into the
country. It landed in Nigeria just
yesterday and reports say it cost
another N4m to fly the car into the
country.

Tuesday, 27 August 2013

Nigerian Government Break Off Negotiations With ASUU, Blames Opposition

The Nigerian Government has
decided to break off negotiation with
the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) over what it
called the infiltration of the union by
the opposition to discredit the
government.
The committee set up by the Federal
government to negotiate with the union
had given a verdict of non-compromise
on the part of the union and the security
report of the infiltration of the
opposition it decided to break the
negotiation.
It was revealed that the committee had
reported to the government that the
union had remained 'rigid and
unbending' to suggestions on how to
agree on some of the issues it was
agitating for so as to end the strike
which had entered its ninth week.
The committee had told the government
that the union leaders were arrogant and
selfish as their interest was paramount
to that of their students who had been
at home all this while.
The government after the report told
the committee members that it had
fresh security report that the union's
stance on the lingering crisis in the
education sector was as a result of the
opposition's infiltration into the union.
It said the opposition wants to portray
the government as irrational and
uncaring to the plight of the lecturers
and their students as well as present the
government in bad light to Nigerians and
the international community.
The government in breaking the
negotiation has decided to fund
individual student's education as it is
done in advanced countries.
As a way of making nonsense of the
industrial action by ASUU,
SaharaReporters gathered that the
government plans to introduce loans to
the students throughout their period in
the university so as to cushion the effect
of the financial hardship on the students.
The government expects the students to
re-pay the loans after graduation
provided they get jobs of their choice. It
however could not be ascertained how
the loan to the students would compel
the lecturers to call off the strike.
The National President of ASUU, Dr.
Nasir Fagee, had last week during a press
conference at the University of Lagos,
Nigeria said the union had pulled out of
the negotiation between the union and
the Nigerian government citing
insincerity as reason for its decision,
adding that the union would not call off
its strike until the agreement the
government signed with the union in
2009 is honoured.

There Is No Need For ASUU To Continue Strike – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on
Tuesday said there was no need for
the Academic Staff Union of
Universities to continue with their
industrial action.
Jonathan said this at the inauguration of
the Federal Government sponsored-
Transformation Projects at the Federal
University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
Represented by Prof. Ruqayyat Rufai, the
Minister of Education, the president said
N30 billion had been released for the
payment of earned allowances in all
public universities.
The president said that the inaugurated
projects were in line with the Federal
Government's commitment to providing
quality education in the country.
He said the projects were based on the
need assessment exercise conducted by
the Federal Government in universities.
Jonathan urged the university
administration to engage in research for
national development, while stressing
the need for proper maintenance of
completed projects.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Chidozie
Asiabaka, in his speech, expressed joy at
the completion of the structure.
Asiabaka noted that the projects had
gone a long way in tackling the dearth of
basic infrastructure in the school.
"The dearth of classrooms, lecture
theatres, power supply, student hostels,
office accommodation, library space and
facilities are major challenges my
administration faced when I assumed
office two years-ago,'' he said.
The vice chancellor said with the
intervention of the Tertiary Education
Trust Fund, the university got 1000
sitting-capacity lecture theatre, Centre
for Entrepreneurial Studies Building.
He said the inaugurated projects are the
new Engineering Technology, School of
Environmental Technology Building,
Centre for Nuclear Energy Studies and
Training and the School of Agriculture
and Agricultural Technology building
complexes.
The others are the School of
Environmental Technology building,
landscaping of the campus and the
provision of solar energy lights on the
campus.
He also commended the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC) on
the completion of the giant student
hostel building in the university.
He lauded the Federal Government for
the release of N1 billion for the
development of capital projects in each
public funded university.

PHOTO: Actress, Funke Akindele Shed Tears On Her Birthday, Says She Feels So Blessed At 36

Talented actress, Funke Akindele
turned 36 on Saturday 24th August
2013 and no doubt she had so much
fun.
Funke had a surprise birthday party
organized for her by her best friend, TV
Personality Ariyike Akinbobola and
sister/manager Ayo Ola-Muhammed.
Apparently she was called from a movie
location in Enugu to attend a Globacom
event, which she is one of the
ambassadors of the telecommunications
company.
On arrival in Lagos, she was lodged into a
five star hotel. As she was eventually
taken to the venue, she broke down in
tears.
After wiping her tears of joy, she said "I
feel so honoured, I mean not even at
this period. I feel so blessed. I just
thank God about my life. And I just have
to say this now. For everybody who has
come out to celebrate with me, I'm alive
and they love me, God bless you all."
Funke attended the surprise party in a
pretty pink sequined top and black
pants. She styled the look with a black
clutch, silver earrings and a pink ball ring.
Long dark locks and neutral lipstick
completed the look.

ASUU: Strike Must Continue

Academic Staff Union of Universities,
ASUU, Monday, rejected the N130
billion the Federal Government
disbursed into the university system,
as part of efforts to persuade striking
lecturers to call off the strike action
they embarked on July 2.
In a letter written to Head of National
Economic Empowerment Development
Strategy, NEEDs Assessment, and Benue
State Governor, Gabriel Suswan, by
President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Isa Fagge.
The union insisted that based on the
2009 ASUU/FGN agreement and the
January 2012 Memoranda of
Understanding, MoU, signed by both
parties, what was due for 2012 and 2013
was N500 billion, not N100 billion.
The letter read: "We observe that the
Committee is so far mentioning only
N100 billion. If the implementation is to
be related to the funding requirements
in the 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement and
the Jan 2012 MoU, what is due for 2012
and 2013 is N500 billion not N100
billion. Only the provision of this sum
will meet the immediate needs of the
universities.
"Our Union is very apprehensive of the
manner in which the sources of the
initial N100 billion to be used for the
stimulation of the process are shrouded
in secrecy. We believe that monies that
already belong to the university system
should not be blocked and recycled. This
will not only be counter-productive but
will brew even deeper crises in the
system. ASUU will not accept this.
"We are also concerned that a clear
procedure or process for assessing the
funds by the universities is yet to be
defined. This concern is even more
germane given the statement of the
Chairman of the Committee (during the
last meeting on Monday, August 19,
2013) that the committee is taking some
documents to the Due Process Office.
"We hasten to add that while due
process must be followed, it is the sole
responsibility of benefitting universities
to respect all the provisions of the
Procurement Act. The meaning of your
Committee going to the Due Process
Office is that it is the one that will be
responsible for awarding contracts.
"We want to make it clear that this will
never be acceptable to our Union. We
believe that monies meant to fund
projects in universities should be sent to
the universities just as it is the practice
with TETFund",
The union condemned allocation of
construction of 2,500 bed space hostel
for N1billion, instead of 3,000 bed space
for N1.2 billion.
"We are worried that instead of
allocating N1.2 billion each to construct
3,000 bed space hostels to the 10
Category 1 universities, N1.0 billion for
2,500 bed space hostel to the 16
Category 2 universities, N500 million to
construct 1,250 bed space hostels in the
12 Category 3 universities and N250
million each to construct 625 bed space
hostels in the 13 Category 4 universities,
the secretariat has changed that to
constructing 1,400 bed space hostels in
25 universities at the cost of N2 billion
each. We see no rationale in this.
"Expending N50 billion to construct
35,000 bed space hostels across 25
universities will be ridiculously
scandalous since the same amount can
be used to construct 125,000 bed space
hostels across 51 universities. The
standard cost of building a bed space
ranges from N200,000.00 to a maximum
of N400,000.00.
"This is even more worrisome given the
tangential suggestions made by the
chairman that only monies for
refurbishment will be sent to universities
while the rest will be handled centrally,"
the union said.
The union also condemned the exclusion
of 22 universities from the allocation for
refurbishment of laboratories and
libraries and three universities from the
allocation for refurbishment of lecture
theatres and lecture rooms.
According to ASUU, 24 universities are
denied allocation for construction of
libraries and laboratories, while two are
denied allocation for construction of new
lecture theatres and lecture rooms. 26
universities are denied allocation for
construction of hostel.

BREAKING NEWS: Boko Haram Strikes Again: 3 Dead, 8 Injured in Borno

At least three people
reported dead, while
8 more suffered
knives/cutlass injuries when a group
suspected Boko Haram sect members
ambushed Bama Local Government
Area of Borno state.
The incident according to sources took
place over the weekend when the
gunmen stormed some houses and
resort to the use of knives and cutlasses,
as using gunshots will attract the
presence of security agencies and men of
the vigilante youths, popularly addressed
as "Civilian JTF".
Bama is about 67 kilometres away from
Maiduguri the state capital which is a
stronghold of Boko Haram terrorists
which had witnessed series of attacks
and killings, the last episode was when
some armed terrorists launched a
coordinated attacks on Mobile Police
Barracks and some military posts, which
led to the death of several security
agencies.
It would be recalled that on August 14,
2013, the death of second-in Command
to the Boko Haram Leader, Momodu
Bama, has been confirmed, while JTF
remains silent of Abubakar Shekau's
death till date.

Nigerian Government Break Off Negotiations With Striking University Professors, Blames Opposition

Nigerian Government Break Off
Negotiations With Striking University
Professors, Blames Opposition
27.08.2013, 9:29 Local
Share this story
The Nigerian Government has
decided to break off negotiation with
the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) over what it
called the infiltration of the union by
the opposition to discredit the
government.
The committee set up by the Federal
government to negotiate with the union
had given a verdict of non-compromise
on the part of the union and the security
report of the infiltration of the
opposition it decided to break the
negotiation.
It was revealed that the committee had
reported to the government that the
union had remained 'rigid and
unbending' to suggestions on how to
agree on some of the issues it was
agitating for so as to end the strike
which had entered its ninth week.
The committee had told the government
that the union leaders were arrogant and
selfish as their interest was paramount
to that of their students who had been
at home all this while.
The government after the report told
the committee members that it had
fresh security report that the union's
stance on the lingering crisis in the
education sector was as a result of the
opposition's infiltration into the union.
It said the opposition wants to portray
the government as irrational and
uncaring to the plight of the lecturers
and their students as well as present the
government in bad light to Nigerians and
the international community.
The government in breaking the
negotiation has decided to fund
individual student's education as it is
done in advanced countries.
As a way of making nonsense of the
industrial action by ASUU,
SaharaReporters gathered that the
government plans to introduce loans to
the students throughout their period in
the university so as to cushion the effect
of the financial hardship on the students.
The government expects the students to
re-pay the loans after graduation
provided they get jobs of their choice. It
however could not be ascertained how
the loan to the students would compel
the lecturers to call off the strike.
The National President of ASUU, Dr.
Nasir Fagee, had last week during a press
conference at the University of Lagos,
Nigeria said the union had pulled out of
the negotiation between the union and
the Nigerian government citing
insincerity as reason for its decision,
adding that the union would not call off
its strike until the agreement the
government signed with the union in
2009 is honoured.
Related News
"Liberia Has Education Problem": How
24,000 Students Failed University
Entrance Exams
ASUU: Strike Must Continue
Benefits Of Power Privatization To
Manifest Soon – Jonathan
<< Jang Requests Assistance of the US in
Nigeria's Battle with Terrorism |
PHOTOS: "I Have Created My Perfect
Wife" - Says Plastic Surgeon Who
Performed Tummy Tuck, Butt Lift And
Vagina Surgery On His Woman Before He
Married Her >>

SEX SCANDAL: COZA Church Members Want Pastor Biodun To Tell The Whole Truth

This whole Ese Walter and Pastor
Biodun Fatoyinbo's sex scandal saga
keeps getting messier.
Concerned members of the Common
Wealth Of Zion Assembly, COZA church
have expressed disappointment that
their Pastor has not categorically
accepted or denied the accusations
levelled against him.
Fatoyinbo has been in the news since
the the blogger and church member, Ese
Walter made the confession some days
ago.
However, the pastor who spoke on the
accusations in the Sunday service has
neither come out to refute or accept the
allegation but claimed that when he
asked God, God told him to keep quiet, a
statement, which his teeming members
have described as 'immaterial.'
Some members of the church are
strongly not in support of his silence
rather they want him to come out and
clear the air.
According to a member of the church
who gave his name as Israel said the
pastor should stop beating about the
bush but come out to tell his members
the whole truth.
"God can't ask you to keep quiet in this
matter because his name is at stake too.
The church of God is being accused here
and same God is telling him to keep
quiet? That is immaterial, I can't accept
that. I came to church this morning to
hear from him only for him to spoil my
day with such statement."
The man went on to say he would still
continue to worship with the church "I'm
not worshiping the man of God, my aim
is to make heaven at last, that won't
stop me from going to the church but
we should not lie against God," he
added.
Another lady who gave her name as
Tees, said, "The truth is that members of
the church will support their pastor. The
girl will be at the receiving end even if
she is telling the truth. That's Africa for
you. If it were Yankee, They would
investigate this man.
Now the girl must feel like its a million
people against one person. I believe her
though, but I also believe she feels
scorned. That is the root of all this
revelation. Hell hath no fury like a
"woman scorned"
For Simzie, the man of God is yet to
clear the air on the matter.
According to her, "As far as I am
concerned, you have not said anything to
refute the allegation made against you,
or maybe I do not understand your
language. Just make it simple by saying
NO, this never happened or better still if
you are too proud or ashamed to confess
to your subjects or congregation, then I
suggest you go to a higher man of God
and help yourself.
One thing I am sure of is that you need
help. Why do I believe Ese? I went
through something similar in the hands
of a man of God who claimed that he
was visited by Jesus Christ in his home.
Ladies, we really have to be careful.
There is so much deception going on
now in the world," she warned.
Another angry member of the ministry
who would not want his name
mentioned said he would be
disappointed if the pastor is found guilty
of the allegation.
According to him, "There's no smoke
without fire, a lady would not just wake
up and start writing what she doesn't
know. I just pray he's impeccable
because this is big shame to the body of
Christ," he said.

Female Sex Education Teacher Rapes 14-Year-Old Student 27.08.2013, 12:13

A sexual education and health
teacher at a Massachusetts high
school has been indicted on rape
charges after prosecutors said she
had a sexual relationship with a
student.
Rachelle Gendron, 27, was fired from her
job at North Central Charter Essential
School in Fitchburg following an
investigation in which police allegedly
recovered "significant" evidence of
inappropriate conduct, including text
messages and photos of the teacher "in
various states of undress with genitals
and breasts exposed," from the phone of
a 14-year-old male student.
In court Friday, Gendron appeared crying
and visibly shaken as she was arraigned
on charges including five counts of rape
aggravated by age difference.
Gendron is accused of having sex with
the victim three times in October 2012,
once in January 2013 and then again in
March. She is also accused of enticing the
boy, according to indictments.
Gendron was released on $2,000 bail.
She is not allowed to have contact with
the victim, teach or have contact with
children under 16 years old, according to
the Sentinel and Enterprise.
A school official told the newspaper that
Gendron, who had been living with her
parents in town, had taught at the school
for five years.
Gendron pleaded not guilty to all charges
against her. If convicted, each count of
rape carries a mandatory minimum
sentence of 10 years in prison.

Sunday, 25 August 2013

Yvonne Nelson receives d*ath threat message (PHOTOS)

The Ghanaian leading actress posted a
screenshot of a message she received
warning her that someone in the
entertainment industry wants her d*ad.
Unfortunately for her a lot of people
didn't believe her. They think she sent
the message to herself in a bit to get
attention. But why would she? i would
rather we give her the benefit of the
doubt. See the massages bellow.....

watch Live Matches, TV Programs And Movies On Tecno And Other Android Phones

First of all, let me begin with PPClink is a
portable software that supports mobile
TV and can be installed on iPhone, ipad,
android and window phones. It has a lot
of TV stations with free channels far
better than the initials I shared with us
the other day. If you are a fan of Indian
movies, PPClink is the best place for you
to visit.
PPClink offer 80% of pro TV stations free
of charge. My God, you just need to visit
this app from
you device to understand what am
talking about.
The second am going to share with us is
specifically men’t for live football
matches; and I will like you to follow me
carefully so that you won’t be lost.
How Can I Watch Live Football Matches
From My Android Device
1. Install MX player
2. Install UStv (these apps are free in
Android market). With UStv, you can
watch many premium Dstv channels for
free!
But should in case you want more sports
channels, you can visit Atdee even from
your blackberry phone and Laptop.
Finally, to those who love to watch
movies online, like seasonal films you
can always visit Stream Tv for your
seasonal movies. Make sure you use the
best network to connect; am sure you
know what I’m talking about.
In-short, to enjoy your favorite foreign
and local Radio stations install TuneIn
Radio app from Android market. With
this awesome App, you are sure to listen
to:
BBC
CNN
VOA
Lagos Radio
Brilla FM
Eko FM
Wazobia FM
Rhythm FM etc.
Don’t mind me if I lay more emphasis on
Android phones, because Android seems
to be taking over the market LOl.....
Are you confused? Ask your questions.

How To Download Android Paid Apps For Free

Android, developed by Google is the
most widely used mobile operating
system that has more then 450,000
application.But all the applications are
not free, some of them cost less and some
of them cost quite a lot.i have found two
great apps which will let you download
paid apps for free.The two apps are:-
Applanet
Blackmart
To install Blackmart and Applanet you
have to
Enable Your Device To Install From
Unknown Sources:
If you have not enabled installation of
application from unknown sources on
your Android device, then just follow
these steps below:
Click the "Menu" button on your
homescreen.
Go to "settings".
Now go to "Application" tab.
Now click the "Unknown Sources"
option.
That's it.Now you can install any
application from outside the Google
Store.
How TO Download Paid Apps For Free
Install Using Applanet:
Installing Applanet is not at all hard.Just
download the Applanet from here.
Now transfer the app to your Android
device.Now install the app on your
device.After installing the app run the
app from the menu.The interface is
quite similar to the Google Market.
You can download apps, games and any
other stuff.You have to absolutely pay
nothing for any full version paid app you
download.So download Applanet app and
downloa Android paid apps for free
Installing using Blackmart
The Installation of Blackmart is exactly
similar to Applanet.You can download
Blackmart from here. Now transfer the
file to your device then install the
app.Now run the app from the
menu.The interface is also similar to
Applanet and Google Store.Applications
and Games are arranged in different
sections.The only difference between
Applanet and Blackmart is when you
download file from Applanet, it
automatically installs in your device.but
when you download an application with
BlackMart, it shows a notification in the
notification tray that the application is
downloaded and click here to install it. It
requires just one additional click and
nothing else. BlackMart also has a very
vast of the best Android Apps and Games
and you can download any number of
android paid apps for free.

Explore the power of AppNow today.

Saturday, 24 August 2013

Rooting your android in one touch

There is some great news for
Android users looking for some
painless universal root method
or application. As one-click
rooting has gained immense
popularity among the masses
so now you can also root any
supported Android device with
Universal AndRoot Application.
This application is free and all
you have to do is to install it
in your device using a 3rd
party file manager. The
Universal Root Supports These
Devices Running Android :
(Handset Model is followed by
the OS version)
� Google Nexus One (2.2)
� Google G1 (1.6)
� HTC Hero (2.1)
� HTC Magic (1.5) (Select Do
not install Superuser)
� myTouch 3G 3.5mm/LE (1.6)
� HTC Tattoo (1.6)
� Dell Streak (2.1)
� Motorola Milestone (2.1)
� Motorola XT701
� Motorola XT800 (2.1)
� Motorola ME511
� Motorola Charm
� Motorola Droid (2.01/2.1/2.2
with FRG01B)
� Sony Ericsson X10 (1.6)
� Sony Ericsson X10 Mini (1.6)
� Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro
(1.6)
� Acer Liquid (2.1)
� Acer beTouch E400 (2.1)
� Samsung Galaxy Beam
� Samsung galaxy 5 (gt-i5500)
� Vibo A688 (1.6)
� Lenovo Lephone (1.6)
� LG Ally (2.1)
� LG GT540 (1.6)
� Gigabyte GSmart G1305
Here are the step by step
instructions on rooting your
Android devices using universal
root:
1. The first step is to
download Universal Androot
2. Now connect your
supported Android device to
the computer and mount SD
card.
3. Now copy the APK file you
downloaded in Step 1, to the
SD card.
4. After this is done, use any
Astro File Manager to install
the file. You can install Astro
File Manager for free from
Android Market.
5. Now launch the Universal
Androot application and follow
onscreen instructions to root
your device. There you go! It is
the simplest method ever to
root your Android device and
we have tested this method
successfully on Nexus One and
Sony Ericsson X10/X10 Mini.
Android Handsets Not
Supported With This Root
Method Are:
� Google Nexus One (2.2
FRG33- due to exploit fix)
� Samsung i9000 / i6500U /
i7500 / i5700
� Motorola ME600 / ME501 /
MB300 / CLIQ XT
� Motorola 2.2 FRG22D
� Archos 5
� HuaWei U8220
� HTC Desire / Legend /
Wildfire
� HTC EVO 4G / Aria
� SonyEricsson X10i R2BA020
� myTouch Slide
� myTouch 3G (2.2.1)
4 minutes ago

Tonto posted this pic of herself and her father on her instagram page and talked about him coming through for her.

She wrote: "He really
doez look cluelezz,He iz
ma Mother n
Father**Shoutout to d
buziezt mozt lovin Papa Eva for comin
thru**#MaKing #MaBaby #MaLife
#Love #Tnx4BindereMom/Dad

Could this be she is trying to get her life back after the suicide attempt?

Test your atticulation

If you can pronounce correctly every word
in this poem, you will be speaking English
better than 90% of the native English
speakers in the world.
After trying the verses, a Frenchman said
he’d prefer six months of hard labour to
reading six lines aloud.
Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and
worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation’s OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Fe0ffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won’t it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It’s a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace,
gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or
cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

Top 10 Daily Habits That Can Damage Your Brain.

1.No Breakfast People who do not take
breakfast are going to have a lower blood
sugar level. This leads to an insufficient
supply of nutrients to the brain causing
brain degeneration.
2.Overeating It causes hardening of the
brain arteries, leading to a decrease in
mental power.
3.Smoking It causes multiple brain
shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer
disease.
4.High Sugar consumption Too much sugar
will interrupt the absorption of proteins
and nutrients causing malnutrition and may
interfere with brain development.
5.Air Pollution The brain is the largest
oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling
polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen
to the brain, bringing about a decrease in
brain efficiency.
6.Sleep Deprivation Sleep allows our brain
to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep
will accelerate the death of brain cells.
7.Head covered while sleeping Sleeping
with the head covered increases the
concentration of carbon dioxide and
decrease concentration of oxygen that may
lead to brain damaging effects.
8.Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness
may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of
the brain as well as damage the brain.
9.Lacking in stimulating thoughts Thinking
is the best way to train our brain, lacking in
brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain
shrinkage.
10.Talking Rarely Intellectual conversations
will promote the efficiency of the brain.

Frank Edoho’s Ex Turns Actress

Popular On-Air
personality and
estranged wife of Frank
Edoho, Katherine
Obiang, and her
colleagues, Lolo and Yaw, have
suddenly become actor and
actresses.
These OAPs are all set to go on stage
and perform an adaptation of Elechi
Amadi's, 'Pepper Soup', in September
2013.
"I am so excited about 'Pepper Soup'.
Being one of the producers is a lot of
work, but it feels good," Katherine
Obiang said.
The OAP-turned actress has in a space of
six months wowed us with her outings in
the 'Journey to Self' and 'Lekki Wives'.
Scheduled to hold at Terra Kulture,
'Pepper Soup' is produced by Play
factory, 2PM Media and Tuale Naija
Media.
Joined by fellow radio presenters and
colleagues such as Kelvin Abidde (Tuebi),
Lawal Sheriff Carla Chidiac, Yaw and Lolo,
'Pepper Soup' tells the story of an
upcoming musician, his pregnant
Nigerian girlfriend and a white woman he
befriends with grandiose promises.
It all comes to a head when all three
people and Yaw's meddlesome best
friend have to live together for a bit.

Nelson Mandela Showing 'Great Resilience' In Hospital

South Africa's ailing former leader,
Nelson Mandela, is said to be
showing great resilience though his
condition becomes unstable at times.
The state of the 95-year-old is "still
critical but stable", according to a
statement from the South African
president's office.
He remains in hospital in Pretoria two-
and-a-half months after being admitted
with a recurring lung infection.
The statement largely squares with
comments from members of his family.
"Critical but stable" is the phrase used
by the government for weeks now, the
BBC's Mike Wooldridge reports from
Johannesburg.
However, Saturday's statement does
provide some fresh insight into the
precariousness of the health of the
global icon and the reserves he still
appears able to call upon, our
correspondent adds.
The statement said doctors were still
working hard to bring about a turnaround
in his health and, as a result of medical
interventions, his condition tended to
stabilise.
President Jacob Zuma, who is travelling
to Malaysia on an official visit, urged the
country to continue praying for Mr
Mandela and to keep him in their
thoughts at all times.
Mr Mandela, who stepped down as the
country's first black president in 1999,
entered hospital on 8 June.

Deadly Delhi Gang-Rape Inspires Award-Winning Play

Award-winning playwright Yael
Farber, whose new work focuses on
the fatal gang-rape of an Indian
student last December, was inspired
by the protests that erupted across
the country after the attack.
"I remember feeling
this extraordinary sense
of envy when I looked
at India… I mean - who takes to the
streets anywhere else in the world to
speak for a young single woman?" the
South African said in an interview with
AFP. Shocked by the attack, she posted
about it on Facebook. Bollywood actress
Poorna Jagannathan saw the post and
invited her to India where the idea for a
play about sexual violence began to take
shape.
"Stories stay in public consciousness for a
limited time, you have to grab that
window," Farber said, explaining how she
chose to write and stage the play just
eight months after the assault. The show
premiered at the Edinburgh Festival
Fringe and ends its run Monday.
"Nirbhaya", or "fearless", opened to rave
reviews and won the Scotsman Fringe
First award for outstanding new plays.
Faber now has won the award three
times.
The 42-year-old writer-director, raised in
Johannesburg, told AFP from Edinburgh
she was struck by the public reaction to
the rape. "I remember wondering what
it would take for us South Africans to get
on to the streets like this, what it would
take to penetrate the numbness - what
it would take to care," she said.
The name of the play, enacted in Hindi
and English, comes from the pseudonym
of the 23-year-old who was gang-raped
and sexually assaulted with an iron rod,
and whose fight for life captured the
world's attention. "Everyone was rooting
for her to live. She testified twice (in
hospital) despite her grave injuries, she
demanded accountability from the
system," Farber said.
"She challenged ideas the world over
that rape victims should be quiet and
feel a sense of shame about what they
have endured. That's why her spirit
ignited people." Farber, who has won a
string of best director awards in South
Africa and whose work has been
honoured elsewhere, is no stranger to
visceral drama. Her plays often include
personal testimonies from her cast.
Her 2001 work "Amajuba" is based on
the stories of five South African cast
members who came of age during the
final years of apartheid. The December
16 attack, which saw the victim's male
friend badly beaten by the six alleged
assailants, is at the heart of "Nirbhaya",
which features five other storylines. The
cast includes Jagannathan, as well as two
other actresses and two more women
who make their stage debuts.
All five relate personal experiences
dealing with sexual abuse and assaults as
children and adults. Astrologer Sneha
Jawale's monologue recounts her
marriage to a man who doused her in
kerosene and lit a match, leaving her
with facial scars - all in an effort to extort
a higher dowry from her parents. A
single actor performs all male roles in
the play, including the part of the Delhi
rape victim's friend as well as the main
accused, who hanged himself in jail in
March. The young woman is played by
popular actor-singer-songwriter Japjit
Kaur, who sings but doesn't speak on
stage.
"I didn't want to put words into her
mouth. We may never know who she
really was so I presented her as an icon,
an archetype," Farber said. The victim's
family know of the play, she added. The
attack fuelled a furious debate about the
status and safety of women in India, an
issue that exploded again when five men
gang-raped a 23-year-old photographer
Thursday in financial hub Mumbai.
"It would be a grave mistake to just
dump the problem of sexual violence
onto India and leave it at that," Farber
said. "Sexual violence isn't limited to a
single country. Rape happens in South
Africa, it happens in Italy, it's not just
about India."
The playwright, who suffered sexual
harassment in Mumbai while
researching, said she was eager to bring
the show to India. "It's an Indian
production in many ways. I am the only
non-Indian person involved with it. I
hope we can stage it in Delhi on the first
anniversary of the attack."

Femi Fani Kayode Is Now A Nupe And Not A Yoruba - Femi Fani Kayode

There is an interesting assertion by
some confused igbo person who
claims to be an academic (doubt that
very much-I am sure its the usual
419) and who has suggested that I
have Nupe ancestry.
He claims that I am not a
real yoruba and that my
paternal great grandfather,
Rev Emmanuel Kayode, was
a Nupe and a Sierra
Leonnean (all at the same time) who
was raised by Bishop Ajayi Crowther.
This one really is so funny. It is also
absurd. I laughed for close to one hour
when the write-up was brought to my
attention by my p.a.. I even posted it on
my wall for a while until my fb friends
appealed to me to remove it because of
its toxic aura.
Those that are the masters of lies and
propaganda have started their rubbish
again trying to re-write history and
demonise their perceived enemies. To
say that they are closer to the animal
kingdom than most is to say the least.
To them nothing is sacred and they are
prepared to lie about anything or anyone
just to achieve their nefarious
objectives.
It is their nature and frankly it is a
cultural problem. It is only when I read
the essay written by Professor Osuji
Ozodi that I really understood them.
They have a deep-seated pysochological
problem and a terrible siege mentality.
Anyone that disagrees with them on any
issue is a tribalist and must be
destroyed. It is truly pitiful. There are
some amongst them that are exceptions
to the rule and frankly they are the only
redeeeming factor and saving grace.
Other than that I have come to expect
anything from them and nothing they do
or say can ever surprise me again.
I assure you all that there is not an iota
of truth in the assertion that I have any
Nupe ancestral ties or blood in me. I
have traced my bloodlines back to 8
generations and other than having a little
fulani blood in me through my maternal
great grandmother I am a pure yoruba. I
have ancestral ties with Abeokuta,
Ilesha, Ife and Lagos but no where else.
I have no Nupe blood in me and my
great grandfather was not a Nupe or a
Sierra Leonnean. Neither was he a slave
or in any way related to the great Bishop
Ajayi-Crowther.
Unlike the igbo writer of this fiction I can
trace my history and I know my
heritage. If I had Nupe roots I would be
the first to say so and I would be very
proud of that. This is because, unlike the
igbo, the Nupe's are very close to the
yoruba and are actually part of us. The
northerners and the people of the south
west and mid west (edo and delta) are
inextricably linked by history, marriage,
trade, bloodlines and culture. They are
collectively known as the Sudanese
Nigerians because they migrated from
north Africa down to where they are
today. The igbo and the people of the
eastern Niger Delta (Rivers, Akwa Ibom,
Calabar, Bayelsa) are known as the Bantu
Nigerians and they have no ancestral ties
or links with the Sudanese. They
migrated to where they are today from
East Africa and Central Africa hence the
name Bantu.
The Bantu and the Sudanese are very
different in their outlook to life and their
ways. Unlike the Bantu the Sudanese
have a long history of ancient kingdoms
and empire, sophisticated hierachial
structures, an all-inclusive, liberal,
tolerant and accomodating tradition, a
refined and well educated nobility and
ruling class, a rigid class system and a
noble tradition of excellence and fair
play.

Racism: Malawi Coach To Report Stephen Keshi To FIFA

Malawi coach Tom Saintfiet is to
report coach Stephen Keshi to FIFA
after the Nigeria coach reportedly
called him "a white dude who should
go back to Belgium."
Both coaches have been
arguing since Malawi
asked FIFA to move
next month's crucial World Cup qualifier
from Calabar for safety reasons.
Saintfiet told BBC Sport, "It is
unacceptable that any person says these
words - it is clear racism. "It is 100%
sure that my lawyers will lodge a
complaint with FIFA."
The row erupted earlier this month when
the Football Association of Malawi (FAM)
wrote to FIFA, seeking a new venue for
their 7 September, 2013 Group F
qualifier away to the Super Eagles - a
match which Malawi, who trail Nigeria by
two points, must win to progress to the
play-offs.
Belgian Saintfiet told local media at the
time that he was concerned about
security because he claims "the UK's
Foreign & Commonwealth Office says it
is a no-travel area."
Keshi hit back shortly afterwards, saying
"this is where we play our games and
other countries are fine with that."
And the Nigerian Football Federation
complied with FIFA's request for a
written guarantee that the game would
go ahead safely.
Keshi has now followed that up with
comments on UK-based African TV show,
Vox Africa's Sports360, saying: "I think
the coach of Malawi is crazy.
"If he wants to talk to FIFA, he should go
back to Belgium. He is not an African
person, he is a white dude, he should go
back to Belgium."
"I have never used any words like these
to any coach. He has no right, who is he?
"All other countries play in Calabar.
Calabar is one of the safest places in
Nigeria… He is mad. I wish I could say it
to his face."
Saintfiet, who married a Zimbabwean
earlier this year, told BBC Sport he is
"shocked" by Keshi's comments and he
believes the former Nigeria captain's
words could also lead to trouble at the
qualifier.
"These words create hate and
aggression, and creates a risk ahead of
the match in Calabar," Saintfiet added.
"These comments are unacceptable and
I am very sad about them. I will not say
any bad words about Mr Keshi, nor
Nigeria - I only spoke about moving the
game.
"If FIFA takes racism seriously, then you
have to take it seriously in both
directions. If a European said something
of this nature about an African, you
would have a huge problem. "I am
against racism in all directions."
Saintfiet believes Keshi "is angry because
of the request to change the venue," but
the Belgian stands by his feeling that
Calabar is unsafe.
"If FIFA says it's ok (for the match to be
played in Calabar) because Nigeria will
provide anti-bomb squads, then surely
this is a problem at the beginning. If you
need anti-bomb squads, you cannot
consider the area safe. It is designated a
non-travel area, high-risk area. We are
not insulting anyone."

Friday, 23 August 2013

Why P.Diddy Rejects Judging Together with Jennifer Lopez"

Sean Combs, P'Diddy,
has rejected a judging role on the
upcoming 13th season of the
American Idol because his ex-passion
Jennifer Lopez signed up for another
series of the show.
The American rap icon, who dated the
J.Lo in 1999, refused the opportunity
because of his romantic history with the
singer and also because he used to be
attached to her current manager Benny
Medina.
P'Diddy was quoted to have said it's
"her or me" with regard to him
appearing on American Idol. He finally
decided he could not work at such
closeness with his ex-girlfriend, Lopez.
The Latina singer's young lover of almost
two years, Casper Smart, had already
confirmed that she was returning to the
show.
Lopez, who was an Idol judge for the
2011 and 2012 seasons, reportedly
approached the organisers about
returning to the show because its
production schedule in Los Angeles
would allow her to spend more time
with her children, 5-year-old twins
Emme and Max, who will be starting
school soon.

BBA Final Showdown: All Eyes on Melvin, Beverly

As this year's Big
Brother Africa (BBA)
television reality show
comes to an end. The
anticipations about who will take home
the princely $300,000 (about N48
million) grand prize on Sunday, 25
August, are as high as never before.
With last week's exit of dreadlocked
South Africa's Angelo Collins, who was
one of the favourites for the grand prize,
and Ethiopia's Bimp, the top 5 for the
final looks like this: the two Nigerians -
Beverly Osu and Melvin Oduah, Ghana's
Elikem, Namibia's Dillish, and Zambia's
Cleo.
The five have survived 88 days in the
House and now need every vote possible
to get their hands on the much sought
after grand cash prize.
On 26 May, 28 housemates from 14
countries entered the Big Brother House
in Johannesburg, South Africa for a 91-
day of fun and entertainment in a
secluded environment. But as the end of
The Chase is just days away, social
media, especially Facebook and Twitter,
have been abuzz with fans getting
creative with their support for their
favourite housemates.
Whoever wins on Sunday would hug
instant fame and fortune, joining the
likes of Nigeria's Kevin Pam Chuwang
(2009), Uti Nwachukwu (2010), Karen
Igho (2011) and South Africa's Keagan
Petersen, who was last year's winner of
the show.
The two Nigerian representatives have
been enjoying massive votes from
Nigerians and other Africans. Melvin
seems to be the favourite, but Beverly is
also attracting attention from fans and
laying a huge claim to the grand prize in
spite of the opprobrium she attracted
from some quarters over her
controversial intimate encounters with
Angelo in the house.
Angelo, who approached five ladies while
in the house, told IK Osakioduwa, the
show host, during the live eviction show
last Sunday that Beverly wanted more
sex after their scandalous romp under
the duvet and in the bathtub.
"I like Beverly because she is a strong
woman and she would go for whatever
she wants. Beverly told me it has been
over one week since we last did it
(referring to the sex in the bath tub) but
I said NO. I promised my mother I
would not do such, so I can't do it
again," Angelo said of Nigeria's video
vixen.
On top of the $300,000 grand prize that
each of the top five Housemates are in
line to win, last night, each of the Chase
housemates were given an opportunity
to win a piece of jewellery worth $1000.
"In the House is a box from down
memory lane and on the middle box is a
picture of each remaining Housemate.
On the picture is a space for a hand. On
the sound of the buzzer, each
Housemate will have to put their right
hand on the picture of their face where
the hand mark is placed. This will be an
endurance Task," read Biggie's Brief to
the Top 5.
Except for Melvin, who claimed to have
jewellery worth $3000, four other
housemates faced off in an Endurance
Task where each of them had to place
their hand on a box with their picture on
it and whoever manages to hold on the
longest and outlast the others would be
crowned the winner and walk away with
the $1000 jewellery prize.
After a long and excruciating battle, that
saw her fight through fatigue, hunger and
cramped hands, Dillish bagged herself a
beautiful prize that consists of a piece of
jewellery of her choice worth $1000.
Meanwhile, Nigeria's DJ Xclusive will
make a return to the Big Brother House
to shut down the final Channel O Party
tomorrow.
The hip WizKid's official DJ and Lagos
urban radio station Cool 96.9 FM's DJ in
a message promised to make it a party
to remember as it will be the
housemates' last party.