Bishop Oyedepo's Slapping Case Goes To Appeal Court ...Sahara Reporters

Robert Igbinedion, the lawyer suing on behalf of the teenage girl humiliated with a dirty slap by Bishop Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church in a video which gained worldwide publicity, has filed an appeal challenging the judgement which gave victory to the wealthy Bishop in an Ogun State High Court two months ago.
The appeal (Suit No: MT/73/2012) stated that the trial Judge, Mobolaji Ojo placed unnecessary and undue reliance on technicalities of the case to the detriment of the suit.
Mr. Igbinedion said that the judge erred in law by concluding that a better affidavit, which he filed to replace the former one after a preliminary objection was raised by the respondent, contained fresh issues.
The appeal faulted the grounds on which the judgement was held. The appeal stated that plaintiff lawyer did not necessarily need to prove his presence during the particular service or show the date or time since he had already presented video evidence that the incident actually took place. Igbinedion also said he did not necessarily need to present the victim, whom he represented as 'Miss Justice' in the suit, before pursuing the case.
 "The Learned Judge failed to advert his mind to the Preamble to the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009 which obliged him to encourage and welcome public interest litigations in the human rights field on behalf of the poor, the illiterate and the vulnerable, amongst others", the appeal statement read.
It also challenged the judgement for not ratifying the issue of the court's jurisdiction on the matter as raised by the respondents' counsel in a preliminary objection before going ahead to dismiss the suit. "Where the Respondent is challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the Application, he may apply to the court for an order striking out the suit or setting aside the proceeding", it said.
The lawyer also noted that the judge held that the victim of the slap was a 'fictitious character' who is non-existent and has no standing,
In that judgement, the judge asked: "Who is Miss Justice, how old is she, what is her standing in life, what are her particulars? The court must be able to ascertain and cannot be left to speculate on the identity of the person whose right is being sought to be enforced by declaratory orders, award of damages and injunctive orders. The court cannot issue and make order in favour of a ghost victim/applicant. If I may ask, should this action succeed, who is going to be the beneficiary of the monetary award sought.”
Mr. Igbinedion in the appeal suggested that that view, by the judge is irrelevant, discriminatory and deliberately calculated to arrive at a favourable decision.
He wrote: "The Appellant has by his further and better Affidavit given many privileged reasons why he cannot disclose the complete identity of the victim to prevent her from further harm.
"The learned trial Judge failed to advert his mind to the provisions of Rules 32(2) (b) which states that in presenting a matter to the court, a lawyer shall disclose the identity of his clients he represents and the person who briefed him unless such disclosure is priviledged or irrelevant", the appealant stated further.
A video footage shows Bishop Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, during an alter call in his church at Ota, where, during an alter call, accused a teenage girl of witchcraft and slapped her across the face for declining witchcraft but saying she was a 'witch-for-Christ.' The video was uploaded online and spread cross all social media sites.
The Bishop during another service in his Church, following the slapping footage going viral, boasted about the act and claimed he was a 'Baba witch' himself.
The incident resulted in a cyber war between those loyal to the Bishop and others who believed the act was wrong.  Mr. Igbinedion filed the suit challenging the Bishop's slapping of the young lady, asking the Bishop to compensate the humiliated girl, with the sum of N2billion.
The judgement of 12th July at a High Court in Ota favored Bishop Oyedepo. The judgement had held that 'Miss Justice' was a ghost plaintiff and that the sum demanded cannot be paid to a ghost applicant.
Mr. Igbinedion’s appeal suit claims it is not an issue requiring the judge to determine how the counsel in the case would share in the compensation of N2billion.
"It is ultra vires the power of the trial judge in determining a fundamental right application to question how a victim who is ably represented by counsel will get proceed of judgment and go ahead to dismiss the suit on that ground," the appeal statement.
It would be recalled that in another case, Mr. Igbinedion successfully prosecuted Reverend King, who was then sent to Kirikiri Prison.
[Text of the Notice of Appeal]:
IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF NIGERIA
HOLDEN AT IBADAN
NOTICE OF APPEAL
                 
                                                         Appeal No:
Suit No: MT/73/2012
BETWEEN:                                                                      
BARRISTER ROBERT IGBINEDION                             …………             APPELLANT
AND
1. BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO
2. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE            ………………….           RESPONDENT
    LIVING FAITH CHURCH WORLDWIDE
    (AKA WINNERS CHAPEL)
   
TAKE NOTICE that the Appellant being dissatisfied with the Judgment/Decision of the High Court of Justice of Ogun State, Ota Judicial Division, contained in the Judgment of His Lordship Hon. Justice Mobolaji A. Ojo, Judge dated the 12th day of July 2012 doth hereby appeal to the Court of Appeal upon the grounds set out in paragraph 3 and will at the hearing of the appeal seek the reliefs set out in paragraph 4.
And the Appellant further states that the names and addresses of the persons directly affected by the appeal are those set out in paragraph 5.
2. Part of the decision complained of:  The whole decision
3. Grounds of Appeal:
a.    The Learned Trial Judge erred in law when he held as follows:
“Meanwhile, the respondents’ counsel in his oral submissions picked holes in the Further and Better affidavit of the applicant, contending that the applicant raised new and fresh issues in the said further and better affidavit which the respondents had no opportunity in law to respond to. Learned SAN urged the court to strike out the offensive depositions from the further and better affidavit and the Written address and Reply on points of Law. I have examined the contents of the Further and Better affidavit of the applicant. I cannot agree more with the Respondent’s counsel that paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 of the said affidavit have introduced new and fresh issues into this case. It is settled law that where a case is conducted on affidavit evidence, the affidavits play the role of and are subject to the rules of pleadings in an action commenced by writ of summons. The Further and Better Affidavit herein is in the nature of a Reply to a Statement of Defence. Therefore based on a plethora of authorities, it is not permissible for the applicant to introduce fresh and new issues of facts in his Further and Better Affidavit. ……The aforesaid paragraphs are hereby struck out”.
 
Particulars or Error
(i)    The Appellants’ Further and Better Affidavit which was filed in opposition to the Respondents Counter Affidavit/Affidavit in support of Preliminary Objection did not introduce any “new or fresh issues” into the case, as the issues arising for determination in the case remained unchanged.
(ii)    In their Counter Affidavit, the Respondents asserted that the Applicant was representing a fictitious person. Consequently, the Appellant’s was obliged to depose to facts in answer to the said Counter Affidavit in his Further and Better Affidavit. This did not amount to the introduction of fresh and new issues.
(iii)    In his Judgment, the Learned Judge did not state or clarify the “new or fresh issues of facts” which he stated that the appellant introduced in his Further and Better Affidavit or provide any reasons why he considered them to be “new and fresh”. Indeed, the Learned Judge failed to properly direct his mind to the issues before him or provide the reasons for his conclusion.
(iv)    In any event, the Respondents had the liberty to file a Reply Affidavit in rebuttal to the Appellant’s Further and Better Affidavit. Their failure to do so ought to have been presumed as an admission of the facts deposed to by the Appellant and not, as the Learned Judge held, an introduction of “new and fresh issues”.
(v)    In the circumstances of the case, where the parties affidavit conflicted, then the Learned Judge to have directed the parties to call oral evidence to resolve the conflicts.
b.    The Learned Trial Judge erred in law when he held that as follows:
“I have carefully perused the two affidavits sworn to by the applicant and I am in a position to confirm the assertions of the respondents counsel that  
i.    The applicant did not claim to have attended the service of the 2nd Respondent at which the alleged slapping incidence took place.
ii.    He did not claim to have deposed to those facts based on information given to him by a disclosed source and that he believed that source.
iii.    The applicant did not state in any of the affidavits the date of the occurrence of the incidence.
The two affidavits of the applicant are therefore fundamentally flawed and defective. They are liable to be struck out and I hereby strike out the affidavit in support dated 17th April 2012 and the further and Better Affidavit dated 13th June 2012 sworn to by the applicant herein. This ground alone is enough to uphold the respondent’s preliminary objection.”
Particulars of Error
(i)    It was not disputed by the Respondents that the 1st Respondent slapped the Applicant’s client during a church service. Indeed, the Applicant provided photographs and video evidence of the slapping of the girl.
(ii)    Consequently, it was unnecessary for the Applicant to show in the affidavit that he attended the service where the slapping occurred, disclose the source of his information or state the date of the occurrence.
(iii)    It is well settled law that facts which are not disputed do not require further proof. It was therefore unnecessary for the Appellant to have to state in his affidavit either that he attended the church service where the slapping occurred or the source of his information.
(iv)    The Learned Judge failed to advert his mind to the Preamble to the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009 which obliged him to encourage and welcome public interest litigations in the human rights field on behalf of the poor, the illiterate and the vulnerable, amongst others.
(v)    The Learned Trial Judge placed unnecessary and undue reliance on technicalities.
c.    The learned trial judge erred in law when he dismissed the Appellant’s Application for various ultra vires grounds and reasons after determining the Respondents’ preliminary objection.
PARTICULARS OF ERROR
1.    The learned trial judge failed to advert his mind to the provisions of ORDER VIII (1) Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009.
‘‘Where the Respondent is challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the Application, he may apply to the court for an order striking out the suit or setting aside the proceeding”
2.    The learned trial judge failed to assume or decline jurisdiction before going ahead to dismiss the suit.
3.    At preliminary objection determination the learned trial judge is only empowered to make following orders:-
(i)    An order striking out the Application for want of jurisdiction
(ii)    Setting aside the service of the originating Application.
d.     The learned  trial judge lacked power to adopt his “ arguments and conclusion” on the various grounds used in dismissing the Application at preliminary objection stage in the substantive suit because he did not advert his mind to the provisions of  ORDER IX of Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009 Where the court is bound to treat anything done or left undone in an Application as an irregularity except where it relates to:
(i)    Mode of commencement of the Application.
(ii)    The subject matter is not in Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution or African Charter on Human And People’s Right (Ratification and enforcement) Act
 
e.    The learned trial judge erred in law when he struck out the Photograph and Video evidence (Exhibit 1 & 2 Applicant’s Further and Better Affidavit Par. 4) which showed the Appellant’s client being dehumanized by the 1st Respondent.
PARTICULARS OF ERROR
(i)     The Appellant complied fully with provision of Evidence Act 2007 for the successful admission of secondary evidence by the court.
(ii)    The Respondents were given a Notice to Produce the primary of evidence of the Video tape as well as photograph which is in their possession but failed.
f.    The learned trial Judge erred in law when held as follows;
“Who is Miss Justice, how old is she, what is her standing in life, what are her particulars? The court must be able to ascertain and cannot be left to speculate on the identity of the person who whose right is being sought to be enforced by declaratory orders, award of damages and injunctive orders. The court cannot issue and make order in favour of a ghost victim/applicant. If I may ask, should this action succeed, who is going to be the beneficiary of the monetary award sought?
                                PARTICULARS OF ERROR
1.    All persons are equal before the law hence are expected to get same outcome giving same situation so information about the status of one person before arriving at a favourable decision is irrelevant and discriminatory.
2.    The Appellant has by his further and better Affidavit given many privileged reasons why he cannot disclose the complete identity of the victim to prevent her from further harm.
3.    The learned trial Judge failed to advert his mind to the provisions of Rules 32(2) (b) which states
“In presenting a matter to the court a lawyer shall disclose-
The identity of his clients he represents and the person who briefed him unless such disclosure is priviledged or irrelevant” (Emphasis mine)
4.    It is ultra vires the power of the trail judge in determining a fundamental right application to question how a victim who is ably represented by counsel will get proceed of judgment and go ahead to dismiss the suit on that ground.
g.    More grounds of appeal will be filed upon receipt of Ruling of the Court.
4. Relief(s) sought from the Court of Appeal:
h.    Setting aside of the Ruling/Decision of the Lower Court delivered on 12th day of July, 2012 and granting the reliefs sought by the Appellant in the case.
5. Persons directly affected by the Appeal:
Name                                                                                   Address
1. Bishop David Oyedepo    ;     ;     ;     ;     ;     ;     ;     ;     ;     C/o Their Solicitors,
                                                                                          DELE ADESINA & CO  
2. The Board of Trustees of the Living                              109 Opebi Road, Lagos
Faith Church Worldwide (AKA Winners Chapel)    ;     ;     ;     ;     ;     ;     ;      
                                                                                         
                                                                                         
Dated this 24th day of August 2012
         
                                                                                     Robert Igbinedion Esq. (Appellant)
Salus Populi Chambers
      Suite 209, Uche Ayoola Plaza
      11 Olorunlogbon St
      Anthony Village
      Lagos
      Tel: 08035016239
      Email; robertdlaw@yahoo.com

Air Crashes, Weekends and Sacrificial Circles by Femi Fani-Kayode

Every single major air crash in Nigeria in the last 10 years has taken place on a weekend. EAS Airline crashed in Kano on June 4th 2002 resulting in the loss of 77 souls. This took place on a weekend. Bellview Airlines crashed in Lisa village just outside Lagos on 22 October 2005 resulting in the loss of 117 souls. This took place on a…

weekend. Sosolisso Airline crashed in Port Harcourt on 10 December 2005 resulting in the loss of 108 souls. This took place on a weekend. ADC crashed in Abuja on 29th Oct. 2006 resulting in the loss of 105 souls. This took place on a weekend.

A Nigerian military plane crashed in Oko village, Benue state on Sept. 17th 2006 with the loss of 15 Generals of the Nigerian Army. This took place on a weekend. Wings Aviation Airline crashed on March 15th 2008 in Cross Rivers state with the loss of 3 souls. This took place on a weekend. In 2009 and 2010 there were a series of small light aircraft crashes, an airforce jet crash and helicopter crashes in Kano, Lagos and Kaduna that took place each resulting in the loss of life. They mostly took place on a weekend.

An OAS Helicopter crashed in Ife Odan in Osun state on 29th July 2011 resulting in the loss of three lives. This took place on a weekend.

On June 2nd 2012 A Nigerian cargo plane shot off the runway into the highway behind Accra’s Kotoka Int.Airport resulting in the deaths of 10 Ghanaian souls that were driving past the airport in a bus. This took place on a weekend. The following day on June 3rd 2012 Dana Air crashed into a residential area in the suburbs of Lagos resulting in the loss of 176 souls. This took place on a weekend.

Curiously the Dana crash of June 3rd 2006 took place exactly 10 years and one month (less one day) after the EAS crash of 3rd May 2002 took place. This clearly represents the end of a 10 year sacrificial cycle. Another curious fact is that there had been an earlier ADC Airline plane crash on 7th November 1996 in which 142 souls had perished. Exactly 10 years (less 9 days) later, on 29th Oct 2006, another ADC Airline plane crashed again with the loss of 105 souls. This again represents the end of a ten year sacrificial cycle.

Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke Cuts Short London Treatment Trip...Sahara Reporters

 SaharaReporters has learnt that Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has cut short her London trip to avoid further concerns about her condition of health. The minister who has  remained in London where she is receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness as an out-patient will cut short her trip by one week and return to Nigeria by Monday morning.
After SaharaReporters reported that Mrs. Alison-Madueke was receiving medical treatment at a UK hospital, she used Facebook to issue a rebuttal, declaring herself healthy.
However, several sources have since confirmed that she had been making numerous trips to London for purposes of medical treatment.
A source at the Petroleum Ministry also told SaharaReporters that staff of the ministry as well as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had been flying to London with files that require the minister’s attention and signature. “Madam has been signing files in London for more than one week,” said the source, adding that nobody in the Ministry has a clue when Mrs. Alison-Madueke left Nigeria until SaharaReporters broke the news.
Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke is extremely close to President Goodluck Jonathan. Shielded by that closeness, she has carried out numerous scams and acts of corruption in the oil sector. In turn, the deals have enabled her to accumulate what one insider in the oil industry described as “a huge fortune at the detriment of Nigerians.”   

Patience Jonathan Had Fibroids Removed; Husband Plans Secret Visit To German Hospital...Sahara Reporters

Doctors at a German clinic performed a surgical procedure on Patience Jonathan to remove uterine fibroids, SaharaReporters has learnt from a presidency source. The source added that the fibroids might be cancerous, even though he could not confirm it as German doctors are reportedly conducting further tissue testing.
Another source disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan was planning a quick and secret trip to Germany to see his ailing wife. Mrs. Jonathan remains hospitalized in Germany almost eleven days after she was airlifted there from Abuja early last week.
 
SaharaReporters first broke the news that Mrs. Jonathan had been flown to a German hospital for medical treatment for "food poisoning", a condition for which she was reportedly misdiagnosed by doctors at the Presidential clinic in Aso Rock.
“The First Lady underwent surgery for the removal of uterine fibroids,” said our source who is close to the Jonathans.
 
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Mrs. Jonathan had traveled to Dubai to have a procedure performed. She then hurriedly returned to Nigeria before she was airlifted to Germany for urgent medical care.
We could not ascertain whether she had tried to have the fibroids removed in Dubai, but other sources had disclosed that she developed an infection in Dubai that necessitated her return to Nigeria and quick evacuation to Germany.
Mrs. Jonathan’s trip to Dubai and Germany had been covered in secrecy before SaharaReporters reported both events.  
Sources close to the First Lady had also told SaharaReporters that her closest friend, Bola Shagaya, had convinced her to undergo some form of cosmetic surgery to enhance her looks.
A source in the Presidency told SaharaReporters that President Jonathan was planning a secret trip to see his hospitalized wife in Wiesbaden, Germany. Mr. Jonathan is taking off for official visits to Malawi and Botswana, but our source said the president will fly secretly into Germany from South Africa to visit his wife before returning to Abuja.

Obama campaign in debt after DNC goes $15 million over budget

The Democratic National Convention went US$15 million over its budget, being forced to borrow money. The miscalculation could hinder President Obama’s re-election bid, as his campaign may have to pick up the bill.
Two-thirds of the borrowed money came from Duke Energy Corp., and this chunk of money will need to be repaid next year.
Bloomberg News interviewed several anonymous sources familiar with the convention’s finances in order to understand internal deliberations regarding the budget.
Of the US$15 million that the DNC borrowed, US$5 million will have to be repaid immediately and is likely to come directly from Obama’s campaign account. In the final months of the presidential campaign – a crucial time for winning over undecided voters – the debts may impact the Obama’s campaigns ability to spend on advertising and sway Americans.
Democrats are already facing a cash disadvantage: Presidential nominee Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee have a bank balance of US$169 million, while Obama’s team only has US$107 million. The DNC banned direct cash contributions from corporations, which caused it to fail reaching its US$36.7 million fundraising goal for the convention.
“It is always easier to raise corporate dollars in advance of a convention because of the visibility and profile that corporate sponsorship can offer,” Tony Corrado, a professor who specialized in campaign finance, told Bloomberg News. “After a convention, once the signs are down and the politicians have left, raising money is a much more difficult task.”
After financial help from Duke Energy Corp., the DNC was only strapped for $5 million that it would need to immediately repay its vendors. Mike Dino, former executive director for the host committee during the DNC in Denver, told Bloomberg News that the Obama administration did well by only going over by $5 million.
“If they got within 5 million, considering that they used the line of credit, I think that’s awesome, given the restrictions that they had to deal with,” he said. “They should be relieved to be in that range.”
But even though the Obama campaign is now millions in debt, it also received 700,000 donations during the convention – more than their goal of 600,000- potentially limiting the impact of their overspend.

Lone Stars hold Super Eagles 2-2 in Monrovia

Nigeria drew 2-2 away to Liberia in the first leg of their 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Monrovia on Saturday night.

The result sees the Super Eagles favoured to progress to the AFCON finals in South Africa when the second leg is played in Nigeria in October, though it was not the result many pundits expected.

Liberia took a shock lead early in the game through Omega Roberts, but within eight minutes the visitors had turned the game on its head through strikes by Nosa Igiebor and an Ike Uche penalty.

Nigeria looked to be on course for an away win, but on 66 minutes Liberia levelled the game at 2-2 through Sekou Iliseh after a blunder by goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.

The Super Eagles were tipped to win the game comfortably but with two away goals in the bag, they will at least start the second leg knowing that a clean sheet will guarantee a place in the Nations Cup.

Nigerians spend N160bn annually on education in Ghana — Babalakin

The Chairman, Committee of Pro-
chancellors of Nigeria, Dr. Wale
Babalakin, has said that there is
high cash flight of about N160bn
from Nigeria to Ghana annually
as the cost of university
education of about 75,000
Nigerian students schooling in
Ghana.
Babalakin stated that Nigerians
also spend huge amounts for the
education of their children or
wards in other countries
including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Malaysia.
He stated that Nigeria’s budget for education in 2011 was not up to N160bn
indicating that Nigerians spent more in Ghanaian universities in 2011 than the
Federal Government spent on education the same year.
Speaking during the first Leading Light award presentation of the University of
Ilorin Alumni Association in Ilorin on Friday, Babalakin said 75,000 students is the
size of about three Nigerian universities.
He also recalled that in 1975, four Nigerian universities were rated among the top
20 in Africa but today the leading university of the country is not within the best 10
in Africa.
Babalakin, who was the chaired the occasion, said university education in Nigeria
was at a crossroad and called on intellectuals to fashion out strategies to overcome
the challenges facing the sector.
He added that there was the need to grant universities more autonomy to enhance
their operational efficiency. He also called on other stakeholders to complement
government’s investments in education.
“Let us show that we love Nigeria. Let us reform education substantially. If we have
educated society, most of the ills of the society will reduce dramatically. It has been
shown that there is a direct relationship between the quality of education and the
welfare of the society. If you create a well educated society, you end up creating a
lovely society and you end up creating a society of great value” he said.
The guest lecture, Prof. Olufemi Durosaro said universities are under great pressure
to ensure they operate on world-class standard.
Durosaro said it implies greater needs in the areas of funds, personnel and other
facilities and urged stakeholders in education, particularly the alumni of institutions
to find a way of intervening to help in the development of their alma mater.
He also said universities in Nigeria should strive to become centres of excellence in
order to produce employable graduates who can think critically, reflectively, discern
between doubts and dogma, facts and fallacies.

I'm A Born Again Christian: Cossy Orjiakor

Many people who have misconception about this controversial actress will not believe that she is a good Christian.


Though, some wonder how she attends church services without creating commotion with her mammals gland. Anyway, the tinny voice actress has disclosed that she prays to God as a christian and she attends church like a normal human being.

"Prayer is a personal thing with God. I tell God what is on my mind. All have sinned and have come short of the glory of God. I go to church you know; I am a born again Anglican." She said.

But as controversial as she is, she has suffered a lot of misconceptions from people mostly her colleagues, most of these are what she is aware of.


Her comment about that is simply that, "I have bad press publicity about the kind of clothes I wear and all that. There was a time I attended this old school party and I dressed the old school way. The press then wrote that this is how Cossy Orjiakor is, she is looking ugly, and maybe she was on cocaine and all that. How could I go to an old school party looking new school? That day, I even had nice Brazillian weave-on on and I had to weave it any how so that I will look old school. I think they just like talking about me." She told us.

Jim Iyke's Fiancée, Keturah Hamilton Denies Birth Of Baby With Jim Iyke

‘Nollywood bad boy’ and top actor, Jim
Iyke has repeatedly said he is a victim
of bad press and he has said time and
time again that there are haters
everywhere trying to pull down his
good image.
Recently, the said haters, smelled
blood and went for the kill when a
picture of his supposed fiancée,
Jamaican model, Ketura Hamilton, was
posted on Facebook with a baby
purported to have been delivered by
the model, setting adrift a rumor that
the model has dumped Jim and had a
baby for another man.
But extra probing into the issue
suggests strongly that the relationship
between Jim Iyke and his Jamaican
model is as healthy as it can get. The
reaction that came from the camp of
the model after a probing question
reads “Jim Iyke’s girlfriend, Ketura has
not had a baby”.
“On the contrary, the model has only
recently completed a fashion shoot for
P. Diddy. However, the baby she
referred to on her facebook is actually
her god daughter recently delivered by
former Nollywood producer Chinny who
is now based in US and is a close friend
of Ketura and Jim” added the
spokesperson for Ketura.
Ketura and Jim Iyke have been going
on with their relationship for years now
and friends of the two love-birds are
feverishly awaiting the announcement
of a wedding date. “Yes, it is true. I
have found the woman of my dreams
and we are in love in all totality. She is
the embodiment of all that I have been
looking for; a tall, pretty, exotic and
supremely intelligent woman.” Jim once
said of Ketura in an interview.
The two made headlines some two
years ago when Keturah threw for Jim a
surprise birthday party at the rooftop
lounge at Hotel Indigo in Manhattan

Akon, Hakeem Kae-Kazim to feature in Jetta Amata’s new movie “BLACK NOVEMBER” Wyclef Jean, Akon, Hakeem Kae- Kazim to feature in Jetta Amata’s new movie “BLACK NOVEMBER”

Wyclef Jean and Akon, two international
music stars with African ties made an
appearance in Jeta Amata’s latest film,
Black November. The two music stars
joined the cast of the movie in the last
phase of shooting, which took place in
Los Angeles, California.
The movie is about the Niger Delta
struggle and also features actors like
Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Mbong Amata,
Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Sarah
Wayne Callies, Enyinna Nwigwe, Anne
Heche and more.

Cossy Orjiakor gives it to randy fans

It is hard to ignore Nollywood actress
and singer, Cossy Orjiakor.
But the voluptuous actress, who
embraced controversy with her half
nude performances in Fuji artiste
Obesere’s, music video, Apple Juice,
seems to easily forget just how hard it
is for some men to ignore her.
Bored and feeling ‘a little
mischievous’, the actress made some
of her 9,663 Twitter fans pay for her
‘memory lapse’ by tweeting explicit
pictures of herself and asking them not
to get carried away.
“Make me your attendant tonight. I will
gladly play my roles,” she tweeted
along with the pictures which showed a
generous view of her ample bosoms
and backside.
Probably taking her tweet seriously, it
wasn’t long before some men reached
out to her, offering her ‘crazy’ roles, in
their attempts to make their fantasies
of her a reality. And “mischievous”
Cossy had to get back on Twitter to
demand respect for her privacy.
She tweeted, “That I follow you does
not mean I am sexually attracted to
you. So, if you DM (Direct Message) me
about how good you are in handling
boobs, I will block you. #warning.”
But this is not the first time Cossy has
been forced to ask fans to respect her
privacy on the social networks. The
actress, who started acting around
2000, had sometime last year taken to
Facebook to warn some women to keep
their husbands away from her.
“Wives, please hold your husbands. If
you are married to, or you’re a
girlfriend to Oyi Vitus Obunike or
Oraniaka Patrick, please tell these old
men to leave me alone. If you are not
satisfying them sexually then go for
some training. My inbox is filled with
their messages. Now they are turning
nasty. It’s not by force. Get a life, I’m
living mine, delete yourselves or let me
be,” her damning posts read.
Despite hardly ever featuring in movies
of late, the tiny-voiced actress who
released a suggestive video titled, You
Want Me, last year, has managed to
stay in the public consciousness by
coming up with different controversies
and stunts on Twitter, Facebook and on
the pages of newspaper, on a regular
basis.
Petite Orjiakor, who launched a career
in Nollywood around 2000, appears to
have a penchant for suggestive roles.
However, her appearance in the
movie, Itohan, released in 2009,
caused a stir. In the film, Cossy
allegedly had sex with a dog in a scene
which apparently did not go down well
with the public.
In defence, she said the film was
produced by Chico Ejiro in 2002 and
that she was a victim of blackmail and
only posed with a dog in a make-
believe scene.
“Even if I am offered one billion dollars
to pose nude, I would think twice about
it, not to talk of sleeping with a dog,”
she said.
Despite the bad press and negative
publicity, the actress can be likened to
an open book. She has shared pictures
of her parents and tastefully furnished
apartment in Lekki on Twitter, declared
that she was sex-starved and parted
ways with her boyfriend after he failed
to buy her a Range Rover sport car.
With most of these controversies or
alleged attempts to invade her privacy
starting as a result of her raunchy
posts or self-uploaded pictures, one is
tempted to wonder how long it would
take for our dear Cossy to realise that it
is hard to violate your own privacy and
demand respect for your privacy.

Nigerian entertainers become philanthropists

A wind of change appears to be
blowing in the entertainment industry.
But it is in the form of a drive by
celebrities to reach out to the less
privileged and put smiles on their faces
through philanthropic gestures.
Recently, Jude Okoye of P-Square doled
out N1m to a brain tumour patient,
Ibezim Osemeke, who was in dire need
of N3.7m for an operation in India.
In another development, Rukky Sanda
and Tonto Dikeh each donated N1m to
Funmi Lawal, a graduate of the
University of Lagos, who has cancer
and needed N4m to get adequate
medical care.
A day before the two beautiful
actresses made their donations, Don
Jazzy made a personal donation of N2m
to Lawal.
Also, K1 De Ultimate, extended a
helping hand to a top Fuji artiste
Olubayo Ajani, aka Ojuyobo, who has
been on admission for a heart related
ailment in a private hospital in Lagos.
K1 donated N1m to Ojuyobo.
Davido donated N1m to a breast cancer
patient, Debby Osarere, who needs
over N6m for treatment. Osarere also
got N1m from Solidstar and his records
label, Achievas Entertainment. Halima
Abubakar contributed N100,000,
Ruggedman and other entertainers also
supporting the cause.
A former winner of the Big Brother
Africa reality show, Uti Nwachuckwu,
hosted 67 widows in Lagos and gave
out gifts, ranging from provisions and
clothing materials to cash.
In other instances, it is increasingly
becoming common for artistes to
donate food items, educational
materials, clothes, shoes, toiletries, and
cash to charity in various parts of
Lagos. Unknown to many, school
children and residents of the Iju-Ishaga
area of Lagos will not forget Terry G in a
hurry for his donations and for single-
handedly providing boreholes for them.

Under-20 women’s world cup: Falconets’ lose to Japan

Football fans on Saturday in Abuja described the Falconets’ loss to Japan in the third place match of the Under-20 Women’s World Cup as unfortunate.
The U-20 Women national team lost 2-1 to the host in the third place match played on Saturday at the Tokyo stadium, Japan.

Media Officer of the U-15 national men’s team, Bunmi Haruna, described the game as a good one with many things to be learnt.

“It was a very good game, although we lost to the host, I think we have lots of positives to take away. Players like Desire Oparanozie, Asisat Oshoola, Blessing Edoho, Ngozi Okobi, Francisca Ordega, Esther Sunday and Josephine Chukwunoye should easily graduate into the Super Falcons team. I think it will make falcons team even stronger; we also need to start planning for future. The NFA needs to start a programme to discover true young talents from the schools like they are doing with the male U-15 national team,” he said.

Steven Keshi Promised to Quit if Eagles Fail to Qualify for Nations Cup

Shortly after the visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to the Super Eagles’ camp in Abuja, ahead of their qualifying game against Liberia, the Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has said he will quit his job if he fails to qualify the country to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

It will be recalled the Eagles failed to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup and coach Samson Siasia was sacked as a result when he failed to resign. However, Keshi has vowed he will not be asked to go should his team again fail at the last hurdle to reach the Nations Cup tournament proper. According to him, “If I fail, I won’t wait to be asked to go. I will throw in the towel and move on.

“But God forbid that we get to a stage where we do not qualify. My boys are focussed and I am sure they also want to be in South Africa after they failed to get to the last competition in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea… But football can be unpredictable and that is why we have to redouble our efforts to ensure we qualify.”

Manchester United defender Phil Jones is facing up to eight weeks on the sidelines after having surgery on a knee injury

Manchester United defender Phil Jones is facing up to eight weeks on the sidelines after having surgery on a knee injury, the club has announced.
Jones, 20, has yet to make an appearance this season after hurting his back during pre-season and suffered this latest injury in training.
"Phil Jones has had surgery on a knee meniscus tear sustained in training," said a United spokesman.
"It will require six to eight weeks of rehabilitation."
Jones, whose last competitive appearance for United was against Sunderland on the final day of last season, is understood to have suffered his latest injury in training earlier this week.
The England international was sent for a scan on his right knee which has confirmed he requires an extensive period of rehabilitation.
Jones was believed to be close to returning following back spasms when he damaged his knee.
The injury is likely to rule Jones out of three Champions League group games against Galatasaray [home] on 19 September, CFR Cluj-Napoca [away] on 2 October and the 23 October game away to Sporting Braga.
In addition, he will up to six Premier League games including United's trip to Liverpool on 23 September and the away match at Chelsea on 28 October.
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson will hope the former Blackburn player will be available for Arsenal's visit to Old Trafford on 3 November.

Jonathan begins three-day working visit to Malawi, Botswana

President Goodluck Jonathan will on Monday begin a three-day working visit to Malawi and Botswana.
A statement on Saturday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said Jonathan would be accompanied on the visit by Governors Adams Oshiomhole of Edo and Sule Lamido of Jigawa.

Others on the entourage include Senator Sahabi Yau; Mr. Jones  Oyereri; the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Alhaji Mohammed Sada; Minister  of Culture and Tourism, Chief Edem Duke; and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed.

Abati said the visit was in furtherance of the present administration’s diplomatic initiative aimed at enhancing economic and socio-political relations with other African nations.

At Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, Abati said Jonathan would confer with President Joyce Banda, participate in a Nigeria-Malawi Business Forum and launch Malawi’s National Cassava Project.
He said the President would also meet with Nigerians living in that country before proceeding to Gaborone, Botswana on Tuesday for scheduled talks with President Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
While in Botswana, Abati said, Jonathan would participate in a Nigeria-Botswana Business Seminar, tour the Jwaneng Mine and Diamond Trading Company and interact with Nigerians living in that country.
The President is due to return to Abuja on Wednesday.

England's 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign opened in emphatic fashion

England's 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign opened in emphatic fashion as Moldova were outclassed in Chisinau.
Roy Hodgson's side were three goals up at the interval as Frank Lampard scored an early penalty and headed a second before Jermain Defoe was on target.
England were kept waiting until 16 minutes from time before James Milner added a fourth, while Leighton Baines also scored his first international goal after his free-kick took a massive deflection.
It was a victory that was every bit as emphatic as the 5-0 scoreline suggests.
Manchester United's Tom Cleverley impressed on his first competitive start and Lampard demonstrated his continued worth at international level in a performance that was little more than a stroll once England swiftly exerted their obvious authority.
The display and result must be placed in the context that was it was against a side that looked every bit their Fifa world ranking of 141 - but England completed the job with efficiency to record their biggest away win in 19 years.
Hodgson may actually feel England could have scored even more but this was the perfect first step on the road to Rio in 2014 and the ideal platform for the second qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley on Tuesday.
Cleverley was a central figure as England took the lead inside three minutes. He saw his shot handled by Moldovan defender Simion Bulgaru and Lampard drilled home the penalty in trademark fashion.
The action was all heading one way and the Moldova keeper was having an adventurous evening. Defoe turned an effort wide at the near post before forcing a fine low save from Stanislav Namasco, who also rescued his own handling error by blocking Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
England were graphically illustrating the huge gulf in class between the sides and it was no surprise when Lampard added the second just before the half hour. Steven Gerrard found his Liverpool team-mate Glen Johnson and Lampard arrived in the area with perfect timing to glide a header beyond Namasco.
If Moldova harboured even the slightest hopes of pulling off a comeback that would have bordered on miraculous given their lack of quality, they were snuffed out 13 minutes before the break when Oxlade-Chamberlain picked his way through midfield before releasing Defoe for a finish that should have been dealt with more convincingly by Namasco at his near post.
Moldova did give England's under-employed keeper Joe Hart a worrying moment when Igor Armas sent a free header wide but otherwise it was an easy night.
Gerrard was replaced by Michael Carrick at the start of the second half and a sloppy passage of play followed in which England struggled to recapture the momentum and rhythm of their earlier work.
Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck were introduced for Oxlade-Chamberlain and Defoe - and both were involved in the build-up which led to Milner's powerful, low finish after 74 minutes.
As Moldova understandably tired after a night of ball chasing, Everton left-back Baines scored his first international goal as his deflected free-kick totally wrong-footed Namasco.
John Terry then limped off injured with what looked an ankle problem which may make him doubtful to face Ukraine.
It was the final act of a painful evening for Moldova in Chisinau and a highly satisfactory one for England.

Julius Agwu stranded in the US as Air Nigeria shuts down

Julius Agwu at the recently held ‘Ghana Meets Naija Concert’ in London
Comedian Julius Agwu is lamenting about his current situation – he is trapped in the US, no thanks to Jimoh Ibrahim and the recently defunt Air Nigeria.
Agwu says he flew with Air Nigeria from Nigeria to London for his ‘Crack Ya Ribs‘ show which was held on August 26, 2012 at the plush Lighthouse Hall, Camberwell but cannot return to Nigeria now because the airline has abruptly shut down services.
The owner of the airline, Jimoh Ibrahim, had on Wednesday, September 5, 2012 announced a one-year suspension of all activities of the airline and terminated the employment of all its staff, sparing only 50.
The usually lively comedian took to micro-blogging website Twitter to complain bitterly;
Is it a Crime to support nigerian bizness, we flew AirNig to Lond, now we can’t return cos #JimohIbrahimOFR ordered a closure GEJ #WHY?☹’, @JuliusAgwu1 tweeted.
‘#JimohIbrahimOFR #JimohIbrahimOFR #JimohIbrahimOFR #JimohIbrahimOFR #JimohIbrahimOFR GEJ#WHY?????’, he continued
Agwu then asked for the suspension to commence after his return to the country. ‘#JimohIbrahimOFR… Postpone ur closure until after our return o!!!! #NaijaBizness‘.
The on-going ‘Crack Ya Ribs’ show is however going on smoothly; after staging concerts in London and New York, Agwu and his crew will be going live on stage in Houston on Saturday, September 8, 2012.

FG approves N65 billion for reconstruction of Benin–Shagamu road

 The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N65.223 billion for the reconstruction of the Benin-Sagamu road.

Briefing journalists at the end of this week’s FEC meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku said the contract for the reconstruction of outstanding sections of Benin-Ofosu-Ore-Ajebandele-Shagamu expressway phase II was awarded to Messrs RCC Nigeria Limited with a completion period of 36 months.

Mr Maku said that the approval followed a memo brought to Council by the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen.

He said “the outstanding sections of the road are in disrepair’ there is need to reconstruct them to ease traffic flow along the road.

“The road, when rehabilitated will not only improve the socio-economic activities of the area, but will also, reduce vehicle operating costs, travel time and accidents on the road.”

The Minister said when completed, the reconstructed road will generate employment for Nigerians as well as impact positively on the informal sector of the economy.

The Council also approved the purchase of various search and rescue operation items for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

The items according to Mr Maku are: GSSI Life Locator by Messrs DAMS-A (Nig) Ltd, in the sum of N161,406,388.00; Rapid Intervention Vehicles by Messrs DAN-CLINTON (Nig) Ltd, in the sum of N400,551,272.00; Fully Equipped Emergency Rescue Vehicles by Messrs B.T.L Brothers Ltd, in the sum of N251,680,000.00; and 328 sets of Helmets, Harness, Lanyards & Absorbers, Descenders, Fall Arrestors, Ascenders, Aluminium & Steel Carabineers to Messrs DOM Communications Ltd, in the sum of N120,227,377.64.

According to him, “the rampant increase in the spate of disasters in the country has continued to stretch the resources of NEMA on terms of equipment and logistics”.

Trigger-Happy Police Officer Kills Tricyclist In Lagos

Tragedy erupted at Meiran area of Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, last night and today after a policeman attached to Meiran Police Division shot dead the Chairman of Tricycle association in the area.

 The victim, Dele Oroja, 33, was shot dead at Ile-Ewe Bus Stop, Meiran around 9.00 p.m. by Corporal Abbey after a mild brawl.

Hundreds of residents in the area took to the streets immediately the incident occurred yesterday and the protest continued this morning.
The brother to the deceased, Segun Oroja, said he was at the scene of the incident yesterday when Dele was driving his new tricycle from a place they had gone to buy ram feed.

Segun stated that there was a disagreement between his brother and an okada rider.
He added that the killer cop intervened and shot Dele on the lap, adding that while the policeman took to his heels, his brother was rushed to the hospital where he died this morning. As news about his death spread, it sparked widespread protest last night and this morning.
Residents fled into their homes last night when the shooting occurred. As protest erupted, no vehicle could ply the major road in the area. Motorists going to Meiran bus stop had to take inner routes to get to their destinations while those coming late from work were stranded.

The protest escalated this morning as irate youths in their hundreds barricaded Meiran and Ekoro road at Ile-Ewe junction and burnt several tyres on the road, calling for the prosecution of the culprit.
Several vehicles were vandalised by the irate mob who also and set ablaze a cabin where policemen in the area drink beer.

Trouble was said to have started when the killer-cop stopped an okada rider in a bid to extort money from him, causing a mild traffic in the area. The late Oroja was said to have come out of his tricycle and asked the police to take the bike man aside so that he and others could move.
The policeman was alleged to have engaged in a scuffle with the tricycle chairman during which the policeman was said to have shot the tyre of the tricycle and that while the victim protested, the policeman was said to have aimed his gun at him and shot him as well, fatally injuring him.
He was rushed to a hospital where he died this morning.
Oroja’s corpse has been deposited at the morgue of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH.

As at this morning, over 40 policemen from the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, were deployed to the area to maintain peace while two Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC, were stationed at Ile-Iwe bus stop.
The entire road from Ile-Ewe to the last bus stop was littered with broken bottles used by the protesters.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tunde Sobulo and the Area Commander and other top police officers were at the scene of the event to ensure peace in the area.
The killer-cop has been arrested by the Area ‘M’ Commander and detained at the command’s office at Idimu.

Father of the deceased, Prince Samuel Oroja, lamented the killing of his son, saying that he wants justice to be done at all costs, adding that his son was a complete gentleman who could not hurt anybody.
Uncle to the deceased, Kole Ologun described the killing as callous, saying that Oroja was killed even while he was innocent and unarmed.
As a result of the incident, tricycle operators in the area had stopped working in solidarity with the killing of their chairman.

As at the time of filing this report, more armed policemen were still being deployed to the area to maintain peace, while business activities ceased.
The Divisional Police Officer, Meiran Police Station, Chioma Ajunwa, was not around as she was said to be on maternity leave.

Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Ngozi Braide, when contacted, said she was not aware that Meiran was boiling as a result of the killing.
Oroja left behind a fiancée who is seven months pregnant.

Romney attacks Obama over weak US job figures

Growth slowed more than expected in August, forcing Federal Reserve to pump extra money into the economy next week.
US President Barack Obama faced a withering attack from Republican rival Mitt Romney over disappointing new US jobs numbers as the candidates launched the final two-month drive in their battle for the White House.

Just hours after basking in his supporters' adulation at the Democratic convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Obama was hit on Friday by a stark reminder of the challenge he faces because of high unemployment on his watch.

Pouncing on the jobs data to slam Obama's handling of the economy - the top concern of voters - Romney called the figures "another disappointing, sad report."

"If last night was the party, this morning is the hangover," the former Massachusetts governer said.

"It is clear that President Obama just hasn't lived up to his promises and his policies haven't worked. We aren't better off than they were four years ago."

In his first campaign event following his convention speech on Thursday, Obama said the rate of job creation was "not good enough. We know it's not good enough. We need to create more jobs faster. We need to fill the hole left by this recession faster."

At the same time, he pointed out that Republicans in Congress had blocked much of his jobs plan and accused Romney of making promises to revitalise the economy but not telling voters how he would do it.

"I honestly believe this is the clearest choice that we've had in my lifetime," Obama said at a later rally. "It's a choice between two fundamentally different visions of our future, where America goes."

Jobs growth slowed more than expected in August, setting the stage for the Federal Reserve to pump additional money into the economy next week.

Non-farm payrolls increased by only 96,000 last month, the Labour Department said.

While the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 per cent from 8.3 per cent in July, it was largely due to Americans giving up their search for work.

The report's weak results were also underscored by revisions to June and July data showing 41,000 fewer jobs created than previously reported.

The labour force participation rate, or the percentage of people who either have a job or are looking for one, fell to 63.5 per cent - the lowest since September 1981.

The unemployment rate peaked at 10 per cent in October 2009, but progress reducing it stalled this year, threatening Obama's bid for a second term.

'Stick to beat'

Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher, reporting from the Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC said that while Obama's administration has been asking the public to rate him on his track record and has been constantly talking about jobs,  the results indicate that many people have given up the job search.

"Creating 96,000 jobs is not nearly enough to take in the population growth of the number of people that start looking for jobs each month," said Fisher. 

Fisher said the Republicans were bound to sieze on this figure. 

"The Republicans ... will use the 96,000 figure as the stick to beat Obama with."

"8.1 per cent is a good headline figure, but ... with only 96,000 new jobs created in a country the size of America, you can understand why the Republicans think this is an importabt figure and why they think it is one that Obama will not be able to defend very well," said our correspondent.

Economists polled by the Reuters news agency had expected payrolls to rise 125,000 last month, but some had pushed their forecasts higher on Thursday.

The economy has experienced three years of growth since the 2007-09 recession, but the expansion has been grudging and the jobless rate has held above eight per cent for more than three years - the longest stretch since the Great Depression.

'Grave concern'

Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, last week said the labour market's stagnation was a "grave concern," a comment that raised expectations for a further easing of monetary policy when the central bank meets on Wednesday and Thursday.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Chris Townsend, from the United Electrical Workers Union, said that the jobs figure that comes out as frequently as it does really does not reflect the real job situation. 

"What we have in the US is a long-term steadily deteriorating job situation," he said.

"It's very distressing, because we continue to lose good jobs and at the same time we haven't found the political will to confront the corporate forces that deal with the quality of the jobs that we are creating."

Townsend said that while the Republican candidate, Romney touts a successful low wage, service economy company in his election campaiging, in which, jobs creation is high on the agenda, the Obama administration has shown little political will to tackle "job cutters, which are the large conglomerates, who continue to cut millions of the very best manufacturing and service jobs in the past few years ... and only some of them have been replaced by low wage service occupation."

He said that working people face a political moment where they are in dire need of a more serious and a more realistic "job creation strategy that should start with a more serious and a more realistic job creation strategy".

The central bank has held interest rates close to zero for nearly four years and pumped about $2.3 trillion into the economy through two bouts of bond buying.

The weak report makes it more likely that the Federal Reserve will launch a third round of bond purchases next week.

Since the beginning of the year, job growth has averaged 139,000 per month, compared with an average monthly gain of 153,000 in 2011.

Economists blame fears of the so-called US fiscal cliff - the $500bn or so in expiring tax cuts and government spending reductions set to take hold at the start of next year unless Congress acts - and Europe's long-running debt problems, for the slowdown in hiring.

Earnings down

Job creation last month was weak across the board, with manufacturing payrolls down 15,000, the first decline since September last year.

Factory jobs were inflated in July because car manufacturers kept plants running when they would normally shut them for retooling, economists said.

There was little improvement in construction employment, which added 1,000 jobs. Temporary hiring fell 4,900, declining for the first time since March.

Utilities payrolls saw a snap back, adding 8,800 after being depressed by the strike of about 9,000 workers in July.

Government payrolls declined 7,000, falling for a sixth straight month.

Average hourly earnings fell one cent last month, highlighting the underlying weakness in the labour market.

Soldiers Outgun Boko Haram In Maiduguri, Killing 7-PREMIUM TIMES

Twenty four hours after members of the extremist sect, Jama’atu ahlis sunnah lil daawati wal jihad, otherwise called Boko Haram, dismissed the resolve by governors and traditional rulers in the north to fight the sect, and pledged to escalate attacks on strategic telecommunication sites in the north east and north central regions of the country, men of the Joint task force (JTF) in Maiduguri killed seven of them in a gun battle and arrested thirteen others along Gwange junction.
JTF Spokesman, Sagir Musa, said security officials were conducting a cordon and search operation at Gwange junction when men he described as hoodlums started shooting at them. “The task force had no option than to respond with fire,” Mr. Musa said, adding, there were no fatalities on the part of the JTF operatives.
Mr. Abu Qaqa, the Boko Haram publicist, had boasted in an email message Thursday that the resolve by governors and traditional rulers in the north to fight the sect, “will come to nothing.” It was the first, direct, and public, response of the sect to the top structure of the northern elites.
Keen watchers of political events in the region believe the recent outburst of the sect represent a welling up of frustrations at recent security successes in disrupting their operational plans and eliminating key elements in its leadership ranks.
In response to these developments, Boko Haram tilted its operational fangs by attacking and destroying telecommunication base stations in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, and Kano states claiming it was its way of punishing the telecommunication companies for alleged culpability in aiding security agencies to kill its members.
“We are attacking GSM [telecommunication] companies because they have helped security agencies to arrest and kill many of our members, and we will continue with our attacks on them until they stop,” said Mr. Abu Qaqa in his public rationalization of the act of arson.
Countering the Boko Haram rhetoric, Joint Task Force officials argued in return that the difficulties the sect was experiencing had its root in internal power play of the sect, and queried: “Did they register their SIM cards as Boko Haram members?” the JTF official queried adding that security agencies have no need for telecommunication companies to arrest sect members.

Guardiola likely to replace Sir Alex Ferguson – Report

Reports making the round in the
Spanish media circle after
former coach of Barcelona Pep
Guardiola missed the elite UEFA
Coaches forum and
coincidentally or not Manchester
United’s manager Sir Alex
Ferguson was also missing from
the forum only for both men to
be sighted together in New York
probably in talks over the
former Barca manager’s
possibility of taking over the
torch from Sir Alex at the end of
2012.
An issue that has generated so
much debate amongst fans of the
Red Devils’ and pundits alike for the
better part of the last decade, and it
seems as though the question of
who will be the next Manchester
United manager may finally be
answered.
Of course, we shouldn’t get ahead
of ourselves too much here. Yes, the
fact that these two managers
skipped the Forum to have private
talks on a completely different
continent is somewhat intriguing,
but after all, these two men are
friends away from the pitch.
Who’s to say that they hadn’t had
this friendly catch-up planned for a
while and didn’t want to postpone it
any further, despite it clashing with
UEFA’s annual event.
What is really driving the rumours is
the fact that Guardiola—along with
Jose Mourinho—has been one of the
breakaway favourites to take on the
United job for a long time now.
When the former Barca man
stepped down and announced that
he would be taking a year off from
football, those suspicions were only
heightened.
It has been spoken about in
whispers this summer that the
current Premier League season may
be the final one for the great Sir
Alex Ferguson in being charge of
Manchester United.
This, coinciding with Guardiola’s
year-long break, now followed by a
“coincidental” meeting in America,
will only continue to fuel the
rumours of the Spaniard’s possible
arrival at Old Trafford next summer.
Nothing is confirmed yet by any
means, but perhaps United’s future
post-Fergie is slowly starting to
reveal itself.

Iyanya Denies Romance Rumour With Actress Yvonne Nelson

he Singer and Ghanaian Actress were spotted at Elegushi Beach last Sunday…and the dating rumour started. There were even rumours that Yvonne stayed at Iyanya’s Lekki home while she was in Town last week. But Iyanya has denied they are an item. He says they are just friends.We were just chilling at the beach. She’s just a friend. I really care about her. There’s nothing between us. We are cool. She is a darling to me.

 

MTV Awards Show Is Less Shiny but Still Slick

Broadcast live on MTV on Thursday night from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the MTV Video Music Awards are now in their 29th year, making them older than an overwhelming majority of this year's winners.
This is not a legacy awards show. Valued for its structured freespiritedness and to some degree its stylistic diversity, the VMA presentation remains the annual ceremony with the greatest potential for shock, even if in recent years it's rarely delivered on it.
That's because the stakes are lower than they've ever been. Musicians act out all year long, and seldom on MTV or any of its related properties. Still, year in and year out, big stars - if not quite the biggest - come to experience a coronation like the one their heroes had, even if it has depreciated in value.
This year the VMAs handed out just six awards in two hours. (More awards were announced online.) The members of the love triangle of Rihanna, Chris Brown and Drake all won awards: Rihanna's "We Found Love" (featuring Calvin Harris) was video of the year; Mr. Brown's "Turn Up the Music" was best male video; Drake's "HYFR" (featuring Lil Wayne) was best hip-hop video. Drake's label mate Nicki Minaj won best female video for "Starships."
The night's other awards - all two of them, best pop video and best new artist - were won by One Direction, the British boy band that would have been champion of MTV's "Total Request Live" golden age, but that now generates much of its heat online. Consensus doesn't look the way it used to.
Still, though, no award show is better equipped than the VMAs to acknowledge the success of a group like that. The VMAs carry the burden of still being the forward-looking and youth-oriented music fan's awards show, a responsibility they have inherited but aren't necessarily equipped for.
That's because MTV's legacy as a platform for breaking music has remained seemingly unshakable, despite several years of docusoaps, dramatic sitcoms about awkward teenagers and reality-star athletic competitions. No network or organization has stepped up to fill its void, even in this era, in which musicians are as present in the commercials as on the show itself: Nicki Minaj in ads for Pepsi and Adidas; Lady Gaga in those for her new perfume; Fergie and Common selling Case-Mate; the stars of "The Voice" promoting "The Voice."
That means that the show plays host to implicitly warring constituencies, as seen here: heritage pop acts like Pink, Alicia Keys and Green Day, who still need the bite of youth credibility, brush up against legitimate young stars and also against new acts that have garnered their fame in totally unconventional, non-MTV-centric (and non-TV-centric) ways.
That meant a segment in which the host, the comedian Kevin Hart, danced alongside PSY, the breakout K-pop star recently signed to an American record deal by Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber's manager. Mr. Hart emulated the loopy gallop from PSY's "Gangnam Style" video.
The power of the Internet also gave the show its one moment of true pathos in the form of Frank Ocean, the young R&B star who this summer announced that his first love had been a man. He sang "Thinking About You" in near darkness, and with spare backing, magnifying his fragile falsetto. He left the stage almost before the song was done, the only performer of the night to force people onto his terms.
Otherwise, the performances were largely slick and grandly scaled: Rihanna on "Cockiness" (with ASAP Rocky) and "We Found Love"; 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne on "Yuck" and "No Worries."
There were a handful of moments of fluency in the politics of contemporary music. The presenters Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg sent up hip-hop's recent turn to the emotional in presenting the best hip-hop video award to Drake, leader of that movement. In Drake's acceptance speech, after recalling being picked on as a child for being black and Jewish, he dedicated his win to "any kid that's ever had a long walk home by yourself," adding, at the end, "We made it, Bitch!"
The show also offered a few brief bits of crossover pop cultural relevance, like asking the United States women's gymnastics team to introduce Ms. Keys, though having the gold medalist Gabby Douglas kick off her shoes to show off a few moves during the performance felt cheap.
As host, Mr. Hart was manic and loud and sometimes laser-focused, but just as often spraying wide and loose. The DJ and producer Mr. Harris was the house DJ for the night, inside some sort of jungle gym that looked as if it were imported from the planet Krypton, or maybe just from any edition of the MTV Europe Music Awards, which have been invariably more on the edge than the home-field production for years.
The show was somehow both commercial-packed and also brutally fast, at least partly because of a stated promise that it wouldn't run over into President Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention. The result was a rush job, leaving no room for error or serendipity. (Kanye West wasn't there, so that helped.)
As if in tribute to efficiency, the night closed with the young country star Taylor Swift, who sang her new single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." Three years ago Ms. Swift was a VMAs naïf who had her golden moment interrupted by a surly Mr. West.
But the VMAs are not a show that grows up with you, and Ms. Swift was a virtual eminence grise here. During Mr. Hart's opening monologue, she laughed loudly at his profanity-thick rant about the actress Kristen Stewart's affair. And her performance was brisk and saucy, involving choreographed dance moves - part of her move into poppier territory - and ending in a stage dive that was less punk than good stagecraft. Ms. Swift is a pro now, too famous really to sweat.

We’ll pay your claims without delay, Okonjo-Iweala assures oil marketers

The Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Friday said that oil marketers who do not have a case to answer after the on-going verification exercise will be paid their entitlements without any delay.


The Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Speaking at a meeting with oil marketers in Abuja, Mrs Okonjo- Iweala said that the verification process is a necessary prerequisite in sanitizing the oil and gas sector.

“We will continue to pay and make good on our words as the verification process by the Aig-Imoukhuede’s committee continues,” she said

The Minister said that the verification process is being expedited “to make sure that there are no undue delays and that marketers who make it through this process are paid the monies that are due them.”

On their part, some major oil marketers in the country have assured Nigerians of the availability of petroleum products in the country.

The General Manager of Folawiyo Energy ltd, Dipo Makanjuola said that his company supports the verification process and will continue to support government’s efforts to ensure steady supply of petroleum product in the country.

“The amount we have that is outstanding, we’ve all agreed with her (Minister of finance) and we are all basically on the same page. We hope that subsequently we can move from there and continue to support government in this challenge,” he said.

The Chief Operating Officer of Oando plc, Yomi Awobokun, who also said his company supports the verification exercise said since the process is slow, some “miscreants have taken advantage of this exercise and good intentions to ensure that they make a quick bulk enhance the queues that you see on the road.”

JTF kills seven, arrest 13 suspected members of Boko Haram

The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital has killed seven and arrested 13 persons suspected to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect.

The spokesman of the JTF in Borno state, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa in a statement made available to Channels Television in Maiduguri said the security officials were conducting a cordon and search operation at Gwange junction of the metropolis when the hoodlums started shooting at them sporadically in reaction to the operation.

The statement said in response to the attack, seven of the insurgents were killed while thirteen were arrested.

Col Sagir however said no casualty was recorded on the side of the security forces.

Suspected sect member had on Wednesday launched an attack on telecommunication installations destroying several masts and killing over 20 persons in Yobe, Borno and Kano states.

The spokesman of the sect, Abul Qaqai in an emailed statement said “the attacks on these communication facilities will continue unabated, because the GSM firms are assisting the Federal Government and its security agencies in tracking and eventual arrests of our members in many parts of the country.”

The Boko Haram in the statement also threatened attacks on the facilities of the Voice of America (VOA), including its personnel and correspondents.

The statement reads “Our ultimate goal is the establishment of an Islamic State in Nigeria and we would not hesitate in taking punitive measures against anybody who sabotage or assist others that are sabotaging our efforts.

“This is why we are fighting the Nigerian government and its collaborators, including telecommunication companies. We would continue attacking them (telecoms) until the time they stopped releasing information about our activities.

Telecommunication facilities were vandalised across the northern part of the country rendering communication within the region erratic.

UK's Prince Harry deployed to Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) - Prince Harry arrived in Afghanistan on Friday on a four-month military deployment in his role as an Apache helicopter pilot, Britain's Ministry of Defense said.

Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and third in line to the British throne, is a captain in Britain's Army Air Corps.

He will be stationed at dusty Camp Bastion in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province -- considered a Taliban heartland -- with the 100-strong 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps.


The austere conditions will be a far cry from the more luxurious lifestyle he enjoys when on leave in the United Kingdom -- or on his widely covered trip to Las Vegas last month, where a scandal broke after he was photographed naked while partying in his hotel room on what turns out to have been a predeployment vacation.

Prince Harry served briefly in Afghanistan four years ago, but he was hurriedly withdrawn amid safety fears when news of his deployment to a small forward operating base leaked.

The media are allowed to report on his deployment this time, although the timing of his arrival in Afghanistan was kept under wraps.

"He's approached the deployment with a range of emotions like any other soldier and feels both pride and anticipation as he deploys for a job he's trained for, for so long," a St. James's Palace spokesman said.

"Prince Harry, like any soldier, considers it a great honor to represent his country in Her Majesty's armed forces wherever it chooses to deploy him."

Prince Harry leaves scandal behind at UK awards dinner

Lagos Police Seize Corpse Of Facebook Murder Victim, Cynthia Osokogu-PM News, Lagos

The police in Lagos state, western Nigeria refused to release the corpse of Cynthia Osokogu, the Facebook girl murdered by suspected kidnappers in a hotel in Lagos, to her parents for burial in her hometown today.
According to sources, the police had planned to do an autopsy on the body yesterday at the Ikeja General Hospital morgue. Police Commissioner Umaru Manko told P.M.News that the pathologist did not complete the autopsy and hence the decision not to release Cynthia’s body for burial.
 
It was not clear whether the autopsy delayed the release of the body. One source said the police needed to conclude the autopsy since the report is vital to the trial of the suspects, who had confessed killing the girl.
 
Cynthia’s burial which was scheduled for today in Agbor, Delta State, south-south Nigeria, had to be delayed when the remains of the deceased did not arrive Agbor, her home town, as expected. A decision was later made by the family to give her a ceremonial burial.
 
P.M.NEWS gathered from retired Major General Frank Nwafor Osokogu, father of the deceased, that the police were yet to release the corpse for burial.
 
The 24-year old was murdered on 22 July in Lagos State by friends she met on the Facebook.
She was a graduate of English Language at Nasarawa State University and was pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Administration in the same institution after resigning from MTN.
 
A ceremonial burial was performed at the family residence in Boji-Boji Owa, Ika North Local Government Area of Delta State after a requiem mass.
 
The Governor of Delta State, Mr. Emmanuel Uduagan condoled with the Osokogus today and called on the police to conclude investigation quickly and bring the culprits to book.
 
Senator Ifeanyi Okonwa and the Obi of Owa, Emmanuel Efezomor 11 and others attended the ceremonial burial.
 
Friends of Cynthia with her picture on their black shirts wept uncontrollably at the ceremony.
Cynthia was born on 10 November, 1987 in Agbor town.
She started schooling at the Command Children School, Ilorin and moved to the Command Secondary School, Jos from 1997 to 2004.
 
She secured admission into the Nasarawa State University, Keffi between 2005 and 2009 and went for her National Youth Service Corps. She finished in 2010.
 
She opened a boutique, ‘Dress Code,’ in 2007 and was doing a post graduate course at the Nasarawa State University before she was lured to Lagos by suspected kidnappers and killed.
 
Her eldest brother, Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Uchechukwu Osokogu, described her as a good girl.
“She was the closest person to me. When we came on holidays during Christmas, New Year or burial ceremonies, she slept here in the second room,” Kenneth said as he pointed to a room with Cynthia’s obituary portrait now on the bedroom’s window.
 
“She didn’t tell me she was going to Lagos for business. But she was a good girl. She was smart and intelligent and she was in her business for long to know where to get goods. She just did what most normal girls do but fell into the wrong hands,” he said.
 
“She had monthly allocation from her father and me. She had her own business and did not need money. She was comfortable.
 
“I am the one that went to Lagos to identify her body. The police told me, according to confessions made by the suspects, she had been talking to them for four months. They told her they were in the same business, that they were retailers and would sell her goods at cheaper price. You know we have a relation in the United States who often sent her goods and these people told her they had the same goods and will sell at cheaper price. She believed them,” Kenneth said.
 
Cynthia’s immediate elder brother, an Assistant Superintendent of Customs, Mr. Williams Ehiedu Osokogu, described her sister as a loving and a caring lady.
 
Cynthia was the last born and only daughter of a family of four. Her parent’s second born, Mr. Tony Azubike Osokogu, lives in Greece.
 
“How do we get another sister now,” Williams Osokogu asked, tears tricking down his cheeks.
Mother of the deceased, Chief Mrs. Joy-Rita Nkem Osokogu, wore a sombre mood. She was being consoled by women who came from far and near.

Missing Oil Marketers Declared Wanted By EFCC

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared three oil marketers implicated in the fuel subsidy scam wanted. A statement by the acting head of media and publicity of the commission, Wilson Uwajuren, said.

 The trio of Abdul Afeez Olarenwaju Olabisi of Fargo Petroleum and Gas Limited, Abubakar Peters Ali Jeldi, managing director of Nadabo Energy Limited and Ikechukwu Onuabuchi Nworgu of Star Inspection Services Nigeria Limited were declared wanted by the Commission for offences bordering on Criminal Conspiracy, Forgery, Obtaining Money by False Pretences and Money Laundering running into several billions of naira.

The statement described the trio as “Olabisi, 31, hails from Kwara State and speaks Yoruba, Hausa and English languages fluently. His last known address is Fargo Petroleum and Gas Limited”.

“Jeldi, 34, is of the Igala stock from Kogi state, North Central Nigeria. He speaks his native Igala, Hausa and English languages fluently.  His last known address are 4B Louis Solomon Close, Victoria Island, Lagos and 15 Ogbunike Street , Lekki, Lagos”.

“Nworgu, 46, hails from Abia State . He speaks Igbo and English fluently. His last known address is Star Inspection Services Nigeria Limited, 4A, Lander Close, Off Liverpool Road, Apapa – Lagos .

The statement further said “The trio allegedly obtained billions of naira as subsidy payments from the Petroleum Support Fund under false pretence, and disappeared in the wake of the Commission’s investigation of the subsidy regime”.

“The Commission enjoins anyone having information as to their whereabouts to contact its Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt and Abuja  offices or through these numbers: 09-4604620,  070-26350721,070-26350722,070-26350723,070-6350724, 070-26350725; or by e-mail to: info@efccnigeria.org or the nearest Police Station”.

N5,000 note would kill production and affect small businesses negatively; Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday said the introduction of the N5,000 note would kill production and affect small businesses negatively.

Obasanjo, who spoke at a roundtable advocacy forum organised by the Institute of Directors, Nigeria, in Lagos, said the way the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, was fighting inflation by removing money from circulation was improper.

While speaking on the cost of doing business in the country, Obasanjo called on stakeholders and government agencies to rise up to the challenge.

He said some observers had suggested that the Vision 2020 blueprint was somewhat of an ambitious agenda, which was unrealisable considering the daunting challenges confronting businesses in the country.



Obasanjo said the 2012 annual report of the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank publication titled, ‘Doing business in a more transparent world,’ noted that a record number of African countries took decisive steps to encourage more local entrepreneurs to come into the formal economy over the past 12 years.

He said, “Across the continent, 15 countries lowered barriers to entry for new businesses, 23 facilitated access to credit, and seven made it easier to pay taxes. Nigeria is not in any of these leagues.

“In its 2008 report, Nigeria ranked 108 out of 178 countries and in the space of four years, we rank 137 out of 183 countries measured. This is a damning report on our business environment and, therefore, calls for more concerted efforts by various stakeholders on how to ensure that this trend is reversed and the Nigeria business environment is made more conducive for investments and less costly for businesses to thrive. We cannot aim for 2020 if we do not halt the downward spiral.”

TROUBLE; I Bought Cocaine For Abacha's Son With Money From Selling Maryam's Jewelries -Former Employee

There is crisis in the home of former military dictator, the late Sani Abacha. A telephone operator in the family house, who is standing trial before a Kano Chief Magistrate’s Court over alleged theft of jewelries belonging to former First Lady, Hajiya Maryam Abacha, has opened a can of worms.
The man, Abdullahi Ali, told the court that son of the late military head of state sent him to sell the gold and buy cocaine with the proceeds.

Ali, who was charged to court along three others for the offence committed in 2007, denied the allegation of theft and house breaking in his defence on Wednesday. While being led by his counsel, Barrister Abubakar Muhammad, the accused said Abdullahi Sani Abacha gave him the jewelries about five years ago, when his mother was away in Abuja.

“He directed me to sell it and take the money to one Tony in Sabon Gari [quarters] to collect cocaine for him,” Ali said. He also said Abdullahi almost killed him when he refused to comply with a similar directive, earlier on.
The accused person, who has been in prison custody for five years, said he was given N110,000 as part payment for the gold which he sold N220, 000. “I took the money to Tony and collected the cocaine,” he added.

Ali, however, said when Maryam Abacha returned from the journey and discovered that she had been robbed, other house servants who were not in good terms with him roped him in. He said the chief security officer to the former First Lady, Captain Hassan along with Mohammed Ali, Musa Ya’u and Murtala Ali, told Maryam that they were suspecting him.

“When I told the police about Tony, Captain Hassan quickly called him on the phone and asked him to run away and since then I have not heard from him again,” he said.

Chief Magistrate Khadi-jah Mustapha adjourned the case to September 19, for further hearing