Nigerian Tissue Seller In Spain Returns €16,000 He Found In Briefcase

A Nigerian tissue seller is being praised in
Spain as a good Samaritan after he returned
16 thousand Euros he found in a briefcase that
fell from a car.
35 year old Peter Angelina, who makes a
living selling tissue paper at a traffic light
junction at the corner of Calle Juan Diaz de
Solis and Ruben Dario in Seville, Spain,
was selling his wares on Dec. 3rd when he
noticed a small briefcase left on the roof of
a car. The briefcase fell to the ground when
the driver of the car pulled away. Peter
picked up the briefcase and ran after the
vehicle, trying to flag the driver down to
return the case to him but couldn’t get the
attention of the driver. He then took the
briefcase to a police station near the
junction.
When police opened the briefcase, they
found €3,150 in cash and six cheques with
a combined value of €13,000 as well as
some documents and a mobile telephone.
More money than the man who left Lagos
Nigeria for London, then Spain over 10
years had ever seen in his life.
According to Euronews, Spanish Police
tracked down the owner of the briefcase, a
42-year-old businessman from Seville, and
returned his belongings. The man later
found Peter and rewarded him with €100.
“People say I could have kept the money
and then thrown the briefcase away but I
am not like that, and God wouldn’t have
liked that. I am not crazy, I am a good
man.” Peter later told local media
Turns out Peter Angelina is a doctor, but
cannot practice medicine in Spain because
his diploma from Lagos University is be
recognized there. He started studying
medicine in Seville five years ago and sells
tissues to afford his studies. He also gets a
little financial help from his father who
reportedly works in the police force in
Nigeria

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Oyedepo Curses Boko Haram, Predicts Its End

The founder and President of the Living
Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David
Oyedepo, has angrily predicted the end of
the Boko Haram terrorist group.
Daily Independent reports that the
clergyman made the prediction on Friday
at his church Shiloh programme, while
reacting to the unabated killings, and
suicide bombings.
Oyedepo shouted, “Today Friday, 12
December 2014, marks the end of the
harassment of Boko Haram in Nigeria,
because Nigeria has been delivered from
these fundamentalists.
”He explained that the economic strides of
each part of the country was solely based
on the level of productivity which is at
variance with any other senseless
consideration, adding that defying theories
of rational thinking seeking to tear the
country apart, must come to an end
“I am sponsored by no one; I am a servant
of the Most High and except I am not sent
would you ever hear again of these
terrorists’ mindless killings in the country.
Their end has finally come,” he
said.Oyedepo, who just turned sixty-year-
old was reportedly speaking at the Hour of
Visitation morning programme of the just
concluded 16th Shiloh, when he rained
curses on any political undertone as well
as saboteurs in the army, who have
compromised the war against terrorism.
The Bishop during the prayer session both
on ground in Canaanland and online, also
cursed the sponsors, masterminds,
informants and executioners of the Boko
Haram extremist.Oyedepo assured that the
last attack on any church is the very last
the nation would ever witness.
Meanwhile, the shiloh event, which has
been decentralised to accommodate
millions of participants around the world,
and followed across Nigerian cities
comprising Maiduguri and Damaturu, had
over 2000 delegates drawn from 52
countries.
In a related development, economic
activities in Jos, the Plateau State capital,
were paralysed on Friday, after Thursday’s
twin bomb blasts that killed 32 people and
injured 45 others at the terminus business
hub areaHowever, the Assistant Chief
Planning Officer, North central zone of
National Emergency Management Agency
(NEMA), Mohammed Suleiman, on
Saturday confirmed that 32 persons were
killed while 47 were injured in the twin
blasts.
He said NEMA personnel were providing
medical assistance to hospitals where the
injured victims are currently receiving
treatment.
Abubakar Muhammadu Badu, the state
Commissioner of information, on Saturday
the state government is shocked over the
lives and properties that were destroyed in
the twin bomb blasts.
He said the government sympathised with
the families that lost their loved ones and
prayed for quick recovery for the injured.

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Actress Funke Adesiyan wins Oyo state APC primary

Another entertainer scales through. Actress Funke Adesiyan
has won the Oyo State House of Assembly primary of the
APC to represent the Ibadan South-East constituency at the
state Assembly. Results of the primaries was released
yesterday December 9th. Congrats to her.

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Former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley dies from breast cancer

One of the first Miss American winners to make it big in
Hollywood, Mary Ann Mobley, has died. Mary Ann, who
won the Miss America pageant in 1959, died yesterday
Tuesday Dec. 9th in Beverly Hills after a long battle with
breast cancer, TMZ reports. She was 75 years old.
The former beauty queen appeared in several Hollywood
movies and sitcoms including 'Diff'rent Strokes. Her family
says she will buried next week in her native Mississippi.

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15yr old Nigerian student and footballer stabbed to death in the UK

15 year old Nigerian schoolboy and footballer, Joel
Adeshina was stabbed to death at Bethnal Green Road in
East London on Friday night December 5th by a group of
boys.
According to Scotland Yard police, Joel was on his way
home with some of his friends when they were attacked by
a gang who pursued them into an estate, managed to
corner Joel and then stabbed him in the stomach.
"Police were called by London Ambulance Service to
Bethnal Green Road, E2, at 23:04hrs on Friday, 5
December. Officers attended and found a 15-year-old
boy suffering from serious stab injuries to the
abdomen. The boy was taken by London Ambulance
Service to an east London hospital. He died in hospital
at 02:12hrs on Saturday, 6 December.’ a Scotland
Yard spokesperson  said
Manager of Joel's football team Bardag FC Yellows, Ricky
Downes, said Joel, who was a winger, was ‘as good as
gold’ and talented enough to play professionally.
"To say that myself and the club are devastated is an
understatement, we are absolutely in bits. Joel was a
wonderful young lad who had the world at his feet. He
was a very talented footballer and had ambitions of
playing professionally. I think he had a future in the
sport and could have played for a living. There was
something about Joel that touched me and his death
is totally unexpected. He never gave me any inkling
that he was involved in gangs or anything like that. He
was cheeky, bubbly, and a thoroughly likeable young
man.’ he said
No one has so far been arrested for Joel's murder. MET
Police say they are still investigating.

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Jonathan’s administration induced Iyabo to write against me—Obasanjo

President Olusegun Obasanjo has accused President
Goodluck Jonathan’s administration of inducing Iyabo
Obasanjo to write the well-publicised Open letter against
him.
In his yet-to-be-released three-part volume of his memoirs
titled My Watch, which was exclusively obtained by an
online journal, The Cable Alert, Obasanjo, said he had been
warned that “this administration” was attempting to induce
two of his daughters to do a “dirty job” and that he warned
both of them against it. Obasanjo said Iyabo succumbed to
the advances because of “her character” and “the influence
of her mother” – who is the retired general’s first wife.
Obasanjo had remained silent since Iyabo’s open letter to
him was published in the media, but has now responded in
volume one of the three-volume memoirs. Obasanjo wrote:
“I got a warning that this administration was attempting to
induce two of my daughters, including Iyabo, to do a dirty
job. I warned them both against it, but because of her
character, the influence of her mother and her attitude,
Iyabo succumbed; the other daughter did not.
“I was warned about a former minister of finance, who
wrote the reply for Jonathan, and about the writer of the
letter to which E. K. Clark appended his signature. Iyabo’s
letter and the response to it has been treated as a family
issue, so that all the members of the family can be equipped
with the other side of the story from me for posterity.
“If Iyabo was childish and unwise enough to allow herself to
be used, no other member of the family should allow
himself or herself to be so used. Tolerance and acceptance
of others must be practised in the face of any provocation,
no matter how vile.”
In her letter exclusively published by Vanguard (Read the
letter here ), Iyabo, a former commissioner in Ogun state and
former senator, recounted Obasanjo’s failings as a father
and questioned his moral right to criticise others. “This is
the end of my communication with you for life. I pray
Nigeria survives your continual intervention in its affairs,”
she wrote.
Obasanjo had written a highly critical letter to Jonathan
titled “Before It Is Too Late” in which he raised issues about
insecurity and corruption in the country.
He wrote: “You must hold yourself most significantly
responsible for what happens or fails to happen in Nigeria
and in any case, most others will hold you responsible and
God who put you there will surely hold you responsible and
accountable.” Obasanjo further repeated an allegation that
Jonathan was training snipers to kill his political opponents.

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Chaplain punished for sharing his faith in suicide prevention class

An Army chaplain was punished for discussing matters
of faith and quoting from the Bible during a suicide
prevention training session with the 5th Ranger
Training Battalion -- leading to outrage from religious
liberty groups and a Georgia congressman.
Chaplain Joseph Lawhorn was issued a Letter of
Concern that accused him of advocating for
Christianity and “using Christian scripture and
solutions” during a Nov. 20th training session held at
the University of North Georgia.
“You provided a two-sided handout that listed Army
resources on one side and a biblical approach to
handling depression on the other side,” Col. David
Fivecoat, the commander of the Airborne and Ranger
Training Brigade at Ft. Benning, Georgia, wrote in the
letter to the chaplain. “This made it impossible for
those in attendance to receive the resource information
without also receiving the biblical information.”
The Christian chaplain was warned to
be “careful to avoid any perception you
are advocating one system of beliefs
over another.”
The Christian chaplain was warned to be “careful to
avoid any perception you are advocating one system
of beliefs over another.”
However, attorneys for the chaplain, along with
religious advocacy groups, say his comments are
covered by the “right of conscience clause” that was
passed in last year’s National Defense Authorization
Act, section 533.
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Chaplain Lawhorn was ordered to appear in the
colonel’s office on Thanksgiving Day where he was
personally handed the Letter of Concern.
Based on Col. Fivecoat’s version of events -- you
would’ve thought Chaplain Lawhorn had turned the
suicide prevention workshop into a Billy Graham
Crusade. However, that’s not what happened.
During the course of conducting the training session,
Ron Crews, the endorsing agent for military chaplains
for Grace Churches International, explained, the
chaplain discussed his own struggles with depression
and the methods and techniques he personally used to
combat depression. He said the chaplain did provide a
handout with religious resources — but he also
provided a handout with non-religious resources.
“The chaplain did nothing wrong,” said Crews. “At no
time did he say his was the only or even the preferred
way of dealing with depression. And at no time did he
deny the validity of any other method.”
Lawhorn is one of the few Army chaplains to wear the
Ranger Tab and Crews said it was through that
identification that he shared his story about
depression.
“His story involves his faith journey,” Crews said. “He
was simply being a great Army chaplain - in ministering
to his troops and providing first hand how he has dealt
with depression in the past. That’s what chaplains do.
They bare their souls for their soldiers in order to help
them with crises they may be going through.”
However, someone in the training session complained
to the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers.
That complaint led to a story on the Huffington Post .
Michael Berry, an attorney with Liberty Institute, a law
firm that handles religious liberty cases, is representing
the chaplain. He said the person who filed the
complained “exploited” the chaplain’s “vulnerability.”
“It took a great amount of courage for Chaplain
Lawhorn to discuss his own personal battle with
depression,” Berry said. “At no time did he consider
himself to be in a ‘preacher’ role.”
Berry called on the Army to rescind the Letter of
Concern — calling it a violation of the chaplain’s
constitutional rights.
“Not only is it lawful for a chaplain to talk about
matters of faith and spirituality and religion in a suicide
prevention training class - but the Army policy
encourages discussion of matters of faith and spiritual
wellness,” Berry told me. “The fact that one person in
the class was offended changes nothing.”
Congressman Doug Collins, a Republican lawmaker
from Georgia, whose district includes the area where
the training session took place, fired off a letter to Col.
Fivecoat expressing his concerns in the matter.
“I find it counterintuitive to have someone lead a
suicide prevention course but prohibit them from
providing their personal testimony,” Collins wrote.
He cited the Army’s Equal Opportunity policy and how it
was set up to protect the personal beliefs of military
personnel.
“I fear Chaplain Lawhorn’s freedom of expression was
improperly singled out,” he wrote.
Liberty Institute tells me the Army will allow me to
speak with the chaplain — but not right now. And Col.
Fivecoat sent me an email telling me that he would not
be able to comment at this point.
If I’m reading between the lines — that Letter of
Concern comes pretty close to accusing the chaplain of
proselytizing. Crews agrees with my assessment.
“The bottom line is — that is exactly what they are
trying to accuse him of — when nothing could be
further from the truth,” Crews told me. “The military
leadership needs to commend Chaplain Lawhorn, not
condemn him.”
Berry said Americans should be shocked and outraged
over Chaplain Lawhorn’s punishment.
"His job is to save lives — and he’s being punished for
trying to do his job,” Berry said. “He’s doing everything
he can to save them - and yet now they’re trying to say
- the way you’re doing it offends me."
I find it both repulsive and heartbreaking to know that
we have a military that frowns upon a chaplain using a
Bible to save a soldier’s life.
Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on
hundreds of radio stations. Sign up for his American Dispatch
newsletter, be sure to join his Facebook page, and follow him on
Twitter . His latest book is "God bless America."

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Revealed at last: Why Ini Edo’s marriage failed

It is no longer news that top actress Ini Edo’s marriage to
Philips Ehiagwina has collapsed. So much has been written
mostly by writers relying on third party sources as to why
the marriage failed.
The widely speculated reason has been the issue of
infidelity that the husband alleged.
But was that the main reason the couple went their separate
ways? According to a source close to the couple and was
there when the romance started in 2008, and remained
close to the now divorced couple, the media has been
scratching the surface of what indeed was a story of
irreconciliable differences the actress endured for over six
years of her marriage to her estranged husband; and why
she gave her all to sustain the marriage. It is a story as told
by an insider who knew the couple way back from New
York, where Philips once lived, before moving to Texas, then
to Atlanta and now Ghana.
“I think Ini Edo was badly in love. Philips was a charmer
and, as a human being and deeply in love, she followed her
heart. It is so sad that a woman blessed with such a good
heart could be treated in such a hurtful manner. Most
people may not know, but Ini Edo is a dedicated and totally
committed spouse any man could hope to have. That’s why
she endured all she did, for six years without letting the
world know the pain she was going through in her
marriage,” the source stated. “Most people do not know
that Ini Edo gave up a lot of acting jobs to be with her
husband in America and, unlike the widely peddled story
that the actress was involved in romantic relationships with
other men, for the six years that Ini was married to Philips,
she never cheated on him. Ini Edo adored and loved Philips;
she was very fond of him, cooked his meals personally, and
was practically splitting her time between two continents, all
in her efforts to be a good wife.
“ There is no doubt that Ini was madly in love with her ex-
husband. In a 2009 interview she had with my newspaper,
The Diasporan Star in New York, she effusively declared her
fidelity to Phillips and debunked all the stories of her liaisons
with other men. “I am usually at a loss when I read stories
about my sexual relationships with phantom figures and
personalities. It is really astonishing when people just
manufacture stories, give them legs and let them fly when
they know the stories are absolutely false,” she had said.
“It is perfectly legitimate for men to have designs and
desires on stars. I was recently voted by the public as
Nollywood’s Sexiest Actress. So it comes with the territory
that men would want to date me. The question then
becomes: do you fall prey to every man that comes your
way? The answer is absolutely “no”. I was raised well by my
parents and I have always been a one-man lady. All the
sexual shenanigans that the media have associated me with
are all false. The problem with our journalists is that if they
saw you at a coffee shop with a man – just any man – even
if that man is your cousin or brother, they will automatically
assume that that is your new lover, and without asking
questions, will rush to publish that you were seen at a coffee
shop with a new lover.
“I have lost count of the number of such innocent outings
with family members, friends that the media misconstrued
that I was dating. What the media failed to understand was
that I had not allowed stardom and celebrity to becloud my
values. What they did not realize was that I wanted to be
married, and start a family, and that the notion that I was
some kind of a sexually crazed hormone raging young
woman, was totally false and a bad reading of who I am.
“Did I have friends in the past? Of course, just like any other
young and single woman out there, I had friends. Did that
make me an out-of control sexual goddess? Absolutely not!
It has been very painful for me each time I read all the
stories written about me, stuffs that are patently false. I
have, however, come to accept it as part of the price you
pay for stardom. I just wished they could do a little
investigation before rushing to publish.
“One story that pained me a lot is the notion that I snatched
Philips from his ex-wife – Ruth Okoro – while she was
recuperating from cancer treatment. Nothing could be
further from the truth. The ex-wife said I was callous and
mean-spirited to have done so. Initially, I had wanted to
ignore what she had said about me. But I would like to use
this medium to state that I did not take Philips from Ruth
Okoro.
“When Philips came into my life, he was a single man, with
no marital encumbrances. ••••
Philips was divorced from Ruth at the time we began seeing
each other. So, I do not understand what she is talking
about. I remember asking Philips to come clean with me,
and tell me everything that had happened between him ‘and
his ex-wife. I demanded to know if he was still married to
her, and Philips said “no” and produced a divorce paper to
back up his claim. It was after that that we began dating.
“ There is no way I would have dated him if he was still
married to Ruth. My values would have been in conflict with
that. There is no way I would have dated and agreed to
marry Philips if I knew that he had abandoned his wife in
hospital while she was recuperating from cancer treatment.
“ That would have been a huge turn-off. The Philips I met
and got married to is a perfect family man – a dependable,
God-fearing man who treasures his family. Philips was
there for his ex-wife throughout her hospitalization, and she
knows it. Let me also add here as a piece of advice to our
fellow women: If you had a home, one that you truly love
and appreciate, treat that home as a prized possession.
Treat your husband well.
“There is nothing to gain if you maltreat your husband, and
make his life miserable. Men do not like that. I hope Ruth
understands and appreciates the depth of what I am saying
here. That will be my response to everything she has said
about me – all the negative things she has written and
caused to be written about me. “Philips and I met during one
of his many visits to Nigeria, and I realized I had met the
man of my dream. When that special person who excites the
passion in you comes along, you begin to do things that are
out of range – you begin to be consumed by his thoughts –
you begin to send text
messages, call him all the time and just feel so much in
love. That was the way I felt when Philips came along. I
knew that he was the man for me.“I realized that we had the
same outlook about life, that I could start a sentence and he
would finish it for me, and would convey the same thoughts
I had in mind. When I took him to see my parents, they
wholeheartedly accepted him, even though he is not from
my part of the world -that is a testament to Philips’
humanity that is very, very transparent. “Philips and I have
the same ideology, and I am excited and happy to be his
wife. Our attraction is mutual, our focus is interlocked and
what a great family man he is! Philips calls my family even
more regularly than myself. He would just call to find out
how they are doing. He has such good heart and kind spirit
that is just a beauty to behold.
“That is the man I met and agreed to marry. All other
depictions are borne out of malice and hate, and we do not
even want to dignify their hate with a response. Our
marriage is a celebration of love borne out of deep sense of
mutual attachment, trust and abiding companionship. The
machinations of the naysayers will not hold”. Perhaps one
should ask, what happened to a marriage that appeared to
have been made in heaven as attested to by Ini Edo in her
interview. Our source stated that the marriage began to
experience challenges months after the wedding that took
place in Houston, Texas.
“Philips financial stability was still a work in progress but as
a dedicated wife, Ini was determined to support and
encourage her husband. She wanted him to be more frugal
and to invest whatever resources he had in things that will
yield some dividends. But things did not quite work out, “
the source said.
“ Ini Edo is very
industrious and wanted
combined efforts from
her husband to get
things done. Eventually
fights began to occur.
The last straw that
broke the camel’s back
was the house Ini
bought in Lekki, a
beautiful edifice.“Philips
wanted it to be a joint
property, but Ini
vehemently said no,
that she would have
none of that. Philips was said to have threatened to move
out of their home if Ini refused to put his name on the deed.
She stood her grounds and Philips also made good his
threat. He moved out of the house and took up residence
with another lady in Accra, Ghana which has been his home
for the past six months.  All entreaties by family members
for Philips to return home were rebuffed; he wanted his
name on the deed or no marriage. For three months, Ini Edo
did not set her eyes on her husband and he had started
flaunting his new girlfriend to spite Ini. Scheduled
appointments by her father in-law to resolve the issue
amicably were rebuffed by Philips and ini was shocked.
“ There is no truth to the story that was peddled that Ini Edo
was involved in extra-marital affairs. It was Philips who
actually did not respect the sanctity of his marital vows.
While still legally married, he left his matrimonial home and
moved in with another lady in Ghana”. When I contacted Ini
Edo and asked her to conform what our source had told us,
she said she was done with that chapter of her life and was
looking forward to new possibilities.
“Ekerete, you were there when we started dating and
eventually got married. Does anything that has been written
about me, remotely resembles who and what I am about? I
wish Philips the best in life”, she said. Efforts to contact
Philips were not successful, but we hope someday to get
his own side of the story
Stories that touch the heart
As promised when this column made its debut three weeks
ago, that every other week, I will publish gripping true-life
stories that shine the light on the mountain and valley of
marriage and relationships, I begin today with this story that
will sure touch your heart.
Remember, this was a genre that I started in today’s
Nigerian media, so even though there are over a dozen of
such columns currently running in major newspapers and
magazines (and I thank God for giving me the vision and the
talents to have started this genre in 1986,) you can’t
replicate the original, you can only copy, so straight from the
pioneer, I present you one of the longest lasting columns in
contemporary Nigerian media “Stories that touch the heart”
One night of wrong judgment and one hell of painful
experience: why every woman must read this story (1)
Ken was the love of my life-until my husband came along.
We had met in our sophomore year in a political science
class and took to each other instantly. Ken was the
brightest student in our class, and most student s gravitated
towards him. He had women who practically offered
themselves to him, but he chose. Ken unlike me, was not
from a privileged background. Father was a taxi driver while
mother did janitorial job in a multinational company. But
what he lacked in material
terms, he had plenty in smarts and good looks and it was
those qualities that all came back together on that night that
my life changed forever. As I stated above, Ken was not
materially comfortable but he had an infectious ‘swagger’
about him that you couldn’t fail but notice. Above all, his
brilliance and general demeanor was all too evident. I can
still recall vividly that afternoon when our eyes met, and we
smiled affectionately at each other, and my heart beat was
racing at a rate I thought it would just burst open. I knew
from the way I felt that I would be defenseless if Ken were
to make a move on me, and that was exactly what had
happened when, at the end of the class, Ken walked briskly
towards me, and displaying those charms that made him
stand out in spite of his austere material circumstance, he
told me “hi pretty,
I think you are indeed a great specimen of God’s creation.
You are absolutely stunning and if you don’t mind, I would
like to get to know you better. As I am sure you already
know, my name is Ken, and here’s my number. Please feel
free to call me anytime you have the chance”. “Have a
chance”? I had asked myself. Of course, the chance was
now! And I wasted no time in calling Ken later that evening,
and we met and went out for coffee.
Ken was the sweetest and unpretentious guy I had ever
gone out with. Unlike those highly sheltered and overfed
sons of the rich and mighty who thought they had it all, and
were doing you a favor by even talking to you, Ken was
down to earth and was totally comfortable in his skin in
spite of the paucity of the material things around him. I fell
hopelessly in love with him, and as I went back to my room
that night, one thought occupied my mind: how to love Ken
and use some of my family’s material blessings to help him
whenever things were rough with him. We started dating
soon afterwards, and we were soon known all over the
campus as the inseparable lovers. Apart from when we
went to bed, Ken and I were together all the time-we had the
same classes and also the same major.
Convinced that Ken would be the man I would end up getting
married to I had brought him to see my parents and there, I
realized that our future together may have some challenges.
I am what you would describe as ‘daddy’s little girl.’ I love
my father so dearly that I can walk on broken bottles to
show my love and affection towards him. My daddy in my
estimation is the best father anyone could hope to have. He
had showered me with love and anything I wanted that was
within his range, he would provide without questions. I was
the apple of his eyes, and he always told me that though he
won’t interfere in my choice of a life partner, but if he felt
such a choice would not guarantee me happiness and a
sense of stability, he would object to it, and prayed that I
would understand should such a moment arise in future. My
mother on the other hand was completely liberal-whatever
floats my boat was ok with her. She trusted my sense of
judgement.
When I brought Ken to our home, I could see that all was not
well, when my father gave me the ‘look’- whenever he
started down and suddenly looked up, with his eyes
squinting, I knew the coast was not clear on my demands.
That was the look he wore that day, soon after he received
Ken and had asked him some questions. My father,
unfortunately, is big on pedigree, which in and of itself is
not a bad thing, and would always wish for her daughters to
marry equally into money like he had done himself. To him,
Ken may not be able to guarantee me the kind of lifestyle I
was used to, and he didn’t want to be meddling into our
material affairs, by providing us with everything we wanted.
“That may bring resentment from your husband, and
signalthe beginning of marital crises you may not come out
intact emotionally.
Why go into it in the first place if you could help avoid it
now”? My dad had counselled. As we went back to our
school, there was no denying the fact that Ken had realized
he had not been completely accepted by my father, and he
felt hurt and bruised by that. And on my part, there was no
doubt that I love my father, and was therefore, not willing to
dismiss his concerns simply because I loved Ken. I was torn
between two extremes. Needless to say that our love,
though still solid, was showing signs of stress and stress. It
was during this time that on a summer trip with my parents
to Houston, Texas, that I met a man who in a short six
months later would become my husband.

Stay with us to bring u more info.

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Let’s assume Jonathan is clueless, is Okonjo Iweala or Aganga clueless?, – Okupe

ABUJA – The Presidency, Tuesday, said there was no truth
in the allegation by opposition parties that President
Goodluck Jonathan has perfected plans to postpone the
2015 general elections.
Debunking the allegation in Abuja Tuesday, Senior Special
Adviser to President Jonathan on public affairs, Dr. Doyin
Okupe, described it as “idiotic”, insisting that the current
administration has done so well to enable it win the
impending presidential election without recourse to any form
of deceit.
He berated opposition politicians over what he termed their
“do-or-die and win at all cost” tendencies, saying they have
been miffed by the fact that President Jonathan has
performed creditably well despite enormous challenges that
has bedevilled his administration.
Okupe who spoke at the 2014 Nigerian Pilot/Newsworld
Annual Public Lecture and Award, which held at Sheraton
Hotels in Abuja Tuesday, queried why Jonathan should plot
to postpone the election when he is sure of being re-elected
next year on the basis of his “substantial performance”.
He further carpeted the All Progressives Congress, APC, for
threatening to form a parallel government should it fail to
unseat President Jonathan after the 2015 general election,
saying “in very civil societies, people like that, whatever
political tendencies they represent should totally be wiped
off from peoples memories as bad
teachers”.
Okupe who maintained that he would never subscribe to the
idea of election rigging, regretted that the governorship
candidate of the APC in Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-
Rufai, earlier took to twitter to allege that President
Jonathan was using the prolonged insurgency in the North-
East to deceitfully extend his tenure beyond 2015.
Specifically, El-Rufai had alleged that Jonathan’s
administration was creating a war situation in the region to
enable him to invoke section 216 of the constitution that
allows the cancellation of elections in war zones.
More so, the APC, had in a statement it issued on September
21, warned those nursing plans to postpone the 2015
general elections to perish the thought, saying Nigerians will
not accept, under any guise whatsoever, any scheme by
desperate elected officials to get tenure elongation by
subterfuge.
The party, in the said statement which was signed by its
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
maintained that those who are flying the kite of pushing
forward the election ostensibly because the nation is at war
are trying to imperil the nation’s democracy.
According to the APC, “the statement credited to the Senate
President, David Mark, that “There is no question of
elections; it is not even on the table now. We are in a state
of war”, reflects the thinking in government circles, even
though the Senate President, having run into a wall of
opposition over his unfortunate statement, has tried to step
back from the comments”.
It said: “We in the APC saw this coming, and we have said it
at several fora: That the Jonathan Administration has
deliberately allowed the insurgency in the North-east, an
opposition stronghold, to fester so he can cash in on it to
get re-elected. Simply put, the Administration has been
playing dirty politics with Boko Haram, at the expense of the
lives and property of the citizenry and the well-being of the
nation.
“However, the Administration is being too clever by half to
think that Nigerians will reward it for its failure in its main
reason for existence, which is the protection of the welfare
and security of the citizens. There is just no way this
government will be allowed to profit from its ineptness and
its conspiracy to prolong an insurgency that should have
ended a long time ago.”
Nevertheless, reacting to the allegation yesterday, advised
the APC to go out and canvass for votes rather than
dissipate its energy fighting President Jonathan who he said
was not desperate to hold onto power at all cost.
He said: “I have followed politics for over 30 years; I have
never ever been impressed by the Nigerian political elites,
never. It’s a personal and self indictment but that is the
truth.  The struggle for power blind folds them and it is not a
national struggle, it is a
personal struggle and we are ready to do anything and
everything. It is not just the style. I was in NRC; I was in
Geneva Convention, anytime we need to fight for a purpose,
it is always do or die me or nobody. And that is why we
have not made progress. I am part of and will not exclude
myself.
“I feel like-this are my thoughts-political parties should offer
alternative platforms for people to consider, I come-this is
what I will do for the country, this is my background, you
come you say your own then allow people to choose.
“When people choose that is the end of it. All politics should
end the day you cast you ballots. I contested virtually all the
elections, I have won very few, but I have never ever rigged
an election for myself or for anybody. I have never done it.
“The Nigerian political class must- well I don’t want to say
things that are rhetorical because it doesn’t make sense, but
I want to say must learn great lessons but it is too late.
Maybe the younger generation may have different
perspectives. We have not undergone the election itself and
people are saying that we will form a parallel government
for an election you have not lost.
“We will form parallel government! Parallel to what?
Supposing you win? When you have not undergone an
election and you assumed that you are going to lose, and
that if and when you lose you will form parallel government.
In very civil societies, people like that, whatever political
tendencies they represent should totally be wiped off from
peoples memories as bad teachers.
“Those are not people that will mean well for the country. If
you are a politician, canvass for votes, say all the good
things you know about yourself and your candidates and let
the people decide. I have also heard- it is not even a matter
of hearing it, yesterday on twitter, another politician said
that the president, Goodluck Jonathan, is fanning the war
(against Boko Haram), so that the election can be
postponed. That was quite idiotic.
“A man that is waiting to be crowned forgets that is the
Otunba that is speaking….this is Africa, this is Nigeria, this
is a president that has run and that has held the office for
four years, to the glory of God he has been able to make
some substantial performance, unarguably.
Every indication points out to the lengthy road of his
winning, so why will he want to stop the election that his
likely opponent has no record of winning anything?
“ It is unfortunate that they are on drugs …if Nigeria were to
be a private estate owned by some of us, with Goodluck
Jonathan as the Managing Director and Chief Executive of
that estate, will anybody change him for a Buhari?
“It is not likely, but because Nigeria doesn’t belong to
anybody and the elites are not stakeholders, that is why
people will want to use people just to get power, whether it
is for good or for bad they really don’t care.
“So when people do things like this, it make issues and
challenges that will come in 2015 very very frightful. As a
matter of fact, the greatest problem we will have in post
2015 will be the acceptance of defeat by losers.
“I want to tell you for sure, President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan is not desperate, even till this morning, I had
breakfast with him, and he is not desperate for power. If at
this stage you ask why then is he running? He is running on
the basis of principle.
“He is a good Christian and a responsible man. The Bible
says no man having put his hand on the plough and turneth
back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
“That is why we are running. We have done so well, we
have been encouraged by so many people. We have got the
best stars in the firmament.  They tell you things, they say
that the president is clueless, that is a joke.
“Let’s just assume for a minute that the president is
clueless, is Okonjo Iweala clueless? Can you say the
Minister of trade and investment Olusegun Aganga is
clueless also? The Director of Budget of this country is a
Harvard graduate.
“These are jokers! My chairman Sir, I was not meant to
speak her sir and I do not intend to speak for long. I want to
thank the publisher and your team. I want to say here that
you are very supportive of the government but you are also
very critical of the government. Ladies and gentlemen I rest
my case”.
Meantime, the guest speaker at the event and former
Governor of Edo State, Professor Oserhiemen A. Osunbor, in
his lecture entitled ‘Nigeria After 2015: Issues and
Challenges’, noted that preparatory to the general elections,
the country’s political landscape is getting increasingly
charged with various political moves and schemings.
“Within the major political parties there is growing internal
dissension as one faction or groups strive to out-manoeuvre
the other to the consternation of observers, local and
foreign”.
He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC, as party of its constitutional functions of voter
education, carry out massive public/civic enlightenment as
to the benefits of electronic voting which he said will help
reduce or eliminate election rigging and ensure faster
collation and release of election results.
Osunbor who is currently the Chairman of the Nigerian Law
Reform Commission, further noted that corruption is one of
the most debilitating problems confronting Nigeria today,
saying its damaging effects pervades virtually all facets of
our national life, causes distortions in the political system
and inhibits developments and progress.
“Another issue that may pose serious challenge to us as
nation is where courts or election petition tribunals, after
invalidating and nullifying a substantial number of votes
scored by a winner, declare the loser at the polls winner in
the court of law. I shudder to think, however, what would
happen if a court invalidates votes scored at a Presidential
election by a leading candidate (or party) who has already
been sworn into office and proceeds to declare as winner a
candidate (or party) who scored lesser votes at the polls.
“Elsewhere election results are supposed to be a reflection
of the will of the voters but often in Nigeria the voters are
completely disregarded and their will rendered irrelevant”,
Osunbor added.
Among those that received awards yesterday included
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, Theodore Orji
of Abia State, Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen,
that of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adesina, among others.

Source: Vanguard

Dr. Okupe picture shown below

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Nigeria loses N3.8trn to trade misinvoicing

Nigeria lost $22 billion, about N3.8 trillion to trade
misinvoicing and other anomalies in the petroleum sector in
10 years, between 2002 and 2011.
This, according to a report released yesterday, titled, the
‘2014 Nigeria Natural Resource Charter (NNRC)
Benchmarking Report’, is due partly to weak cost regulation
in the oil and gas sector.
The amount lost is 76.6 per cent of the figure budgeted for
the 2014 fiscal year. Trade misinvoicing is a method for
moving money illicitly across borders which involves
deliberately misreporting the value of a commercial
transaction on an invoice submitted to customs or other
agencies of government.
The report, presented by the Nigerian Resource Governance
Institute, NRGI, the Centre for Public Policy and Advocacy,
CPPA among others, summarises the second benchmarking
of Nigeria’s petroleum sector governance against the 12
precepts of the Natural Resource Charter.
The NNRC is led by a 14-member independent,
multidisciplinary expert advisory panel, comprising Mr.
Odein Ajumogobia, former Minister of Petroleum and
Foreign Affairs minister; Mr. Adeola Adenikinju, a Professor
of Economics from the University of Ubadan; Mr. Bode
Agusto, former Director General of the Budget Office and
Professor Akpan Ekpo, Director General, West African
Institute for Financial and Economic Management, among
others.
According to the report, fiscal policies for petroleum
production contracts in Nigeria, especially the Production
Sharing Contracts (PSC) that govern deep water operations,
have failed to ensure that the government received a rising
share of revenue in periods of potential increased
profitability.
The report said, “Experts also recount extensive revenue
losses due to weak cost regulation.”

Source: Vanguard

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INEC extends issuance of PVCs in Kaduna State

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on
Wednesday said the issuance of Permanent Voters’ Cards
(PVCs) in Kaduna State would continue in areas the exercise
was yet to start.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the issuance
of the cards, which began on Monday, was scheduled to end
on Wednesday.
The commission had supplied only two million cards out of
the 3.5 million to be issued to verified voters in the state.
It had said that the balance of 1.5 million cards would be
supplied to it at a later date from Lagos.
Consequently, the issuance of the cards has not
commenced in many polling units across the state.
The commission, in a statement signed by the Resident
Electoral Commissioner, Haliru Tambawel, made available
to NAN in Kaduna, stated that lapses emanated from it and
would, therefore,“not penalise the general public through no
fault of theirs”.
It stated that the exercise would not end on Wednesday in
places it was yet to start.
It said “the commencement of the exercise in any local
government area, wards and polling units affected will be
the first day of the exercise in such areas”.
INEC also reminded prospective voters that the collection of
the PVCs was a continuous exercise until a day to the 2015
general election. (NAN)

Source: Vanguard

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Lagos PDP gov primaries: Obanikoro petitions PDP, wants Agbaje’s victory voided

Former Minister of State for Defence and Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirant in Lagos
state, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has petitioned the
leadership of the party, urging it to declare the victory of
Olujimi Agbaje at the governorship primaries, as null and
void.
He submitted that the election won by Agbaje violated the
constitution of the party.
In the petition addressed to the Chairman, Gubernatorial
Electoral Appeal Panel, Obanikoro pointed out that
accreditation of delegates for the election started at about
6:45pm contrary to section 19 sub section (d) of the PDP
Election Guidelines which provided that accreditation shall
be between 8am and 12noon. He argued that many
delegates left the venue frustrated and were thus
disenfranchised.
Senator Obanikoro added that the number of vote cast was
more than the accredited delegates.
The petition reads in part, “That at the conclusion of
accreditation, the total number of delegates who were
eligible to vote was 806 (eight hundred and six). And this
figure was announced loudly to the hearing of all that were
present in the hall, thereby complying with Section 19
Subsection (e) of the PDP Electoral Guidelines. That at the
conclusion of voting the total number of votes cast was 863
(eight hundred and sixty three) which established over
voting.”
He argued that this is contrary to Section 19 Subsection (m)
of the PDP Electoral Guidelines which stipulates that “no
delegate shall vote for more than one aspirant and were the
votes exceed the number of accredited delegates to such an
extent as to materially affect the result of the election, the
election shall be declared void by the State Electoral Panel
and another Vote shall be conducted by the State Electoral
Panel.”

Source: Vanguard
See copy of the petition below:

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Nigeria is not free because we are running away from truth – Oritsejafor

ABUJA – The President of the Christians Association of
Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has revealed that
insurgency persists in some parts of the country due to
pretence by some Nigerians and refusal to speak the truth.
Oritsejafor, who stated this at the Northern State Christian
Elder Forum (NOSCEF) Traditional Ruler Conference 2014, in
Abuja, said currently, the country was fighting the war
against the truth.
His words; “Nigeria is fighting against truth. We hate truth,
we hide truth and we fear truth. It is so unfortunate. In John
8:32, Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth will
make you free.
“Nigeria is not free because we are running away from
truth. Truth can be bitter, but when you swallow it, when it
gets inside, it could become sweet

Source: Vanguard

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Policeman Tortures Married Couple at Lekki Roundabout

A married couple was left with severe injuries after being
tortured by a policeman last Wednesday around Lekki
roundabout, as they were heading to their Parkview Estate
home in a taxi.
Ejeh Smith, 29, and his 26-year-old wife Grace, are currently
in the hospital receiving treatment as a result of the incident,
Punch reports.
The police officer who physically abused them was part of a
seven-man team who were patrolling the area around 10
p.m. on that day.
According to reports, the team stopped the taxi and
demanded that the driver open his boot. The driver Ndubuisi
Iheaka obeyed the command, and they subsequently ordered
him to show his driver’s license.
As Iheaka was bringing out his license, one of the
policemen proceeded to shine their torchlight on the faces of
the passengers – The Smiths. Grace then requested that the
policeman should stop flashing the torchlight on them, as
the inner light of the vehicle was on.
Taking offense, the policeman ordered the couple to get out
of the car. An argument ensued, and the officer seized Ejeh
by his trousers, and Grace approached him, pleading with
him to stop harassing her husband.
The policeman reportedly slapped Grace, and then punched
her husband. He was wearing a ring, and so the punch
inflicted a deep cut on Ejeh’s face. After punching him, the
officer is said to have used the butt of his gun to hit him in
his eye and face. Afterwards, reports states that he dragged
Grace on the road and stepped on her tummy.
If I was pregnant that night, I would have lost my pregnancy. I
was only trying to pet him to leave my husband since he did not
have business with us. I told him to face the cab driver and
leave us alone. “The other policemen were just looking at him
while he dragged me on the ground. A man riding a tricycle at
the time was the one who rescued me. He said the policemen
must call their Divisional Police Officer or else he would not
leave the scene,” Grace said.
The Ikoyi DPO Aisha Haruna eventually arrived at the scene
and requested that the couple accompany her to the station
to give their statements. However, the couple insisted on
going to the hospital for treatment first – which they did,
and paid for by themselves.
According to Grace’s account, Haruna seized her mobile
phone, and asked one of the investigators to delete all the
video and photo evidence that had been recorded during the
incident.
“Even my personal data were deleted. And when I asked the
DPO why she did that, she said we deserved the treatment we
got. She said she would have locked us up in the cell if not for
our injuries. She said we did not know how to talk,” Grace said.
Police Public Relations Officer, Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed
the incident, stating that “disciplinary procedures” are
ongoing.

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South Africa Prosecutors Win Bid to Appeal Pistorius Conviction

South African prosecutors on Wednesday won a bid to
appeal the culpable homicide verdict handed down to
Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius for killing
his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
They said they would now seek a murder conviction against
the Paralympic athlete.
Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated as a baby, shot
dead Steenkamp on Febriary 14th, 2013 by firing four 9mm
rounds into the locked door of a toilet cubicle.
He, however, said that he killed Steenkamp out of the
mistaken belief that she was an intruder.
During the seven-month trial, the state prosecutor failed to
convince Judge Thokozile Masipa , 67, of Pistorius’ intent to
kill when he fired the gun at her.
The failure led to Pistorius’ conviction for negligent killing –
culpable homicide – and a five-year jail term in October.
State prosecutor Gerrie Nel said in his application to appeal
on Tuesday that the judgement was “shockingly
inappropriate”.
Nel requested permission to seek a murder conviction,
which would carry a minimum of 15-year jail term.
The prosecutor argued that even if Pistorius did not know
Steenkamp was behind the door when he fired, the athlete
showed intent to kill whoever was in the small toilet cubicle.
“I cannot say the prospect of success at the Supreme Court
is remote,’’ Judge Masipa said in granting the appeal.
Masipa dismissed the state’s application to appeal the five-
year prison sentence.
This meant that Pistorius’ jail term would not be extended
unless the state convinced the Supreme Court of Appeal to
overturn the original culpable homicide verdict.
Her decision to rule out murder was criticised by several
legal experts and the Women’s League of the ruling African
National Congress (ANC) as an erroneous interpretation of
the law.

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PDP convention: FCT on high security alert as FG shuts down CBD

ABUJA-THE Federal Capital Territory,FCT, Abuja was in the
early hours of Wednesday put on high security alert
following preparations for the ratification of President
Goodluck Jonathan as the sole candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party ,PDP at the Eagle Square.
The convention which was yet to commence as at 10.30 am
had security operatives shut down the ever-busy Central
Business District where major government establishments
are located barring Civil Servants from accessing their
offices to carry out their statutory responsibilities.
In a bid to protect the party stalwarts all entry points to the
Central Area were blocked at least 3 to 5 kilometers away;
with vehicular and in some cases, human traffic diverted
using heavily guarded security cordon to ward off oncoming
vehicles as commuters are subjected to untold hardship of
walking and trekking long distances to their various
locations.
Coming into the CBD from Kubwa via Aso drive, commuters
were greeted by a security cordon at about a 100m off the
express way which is about five kilometers from the Eagle
Square where the announcement of the President’s sole
candidature for the PDP in the 2015 Presidential election
was to be made.
On the Nyanya-Mararaba axis, all vehicular and human
traffic were diverted at the Area 11 junction by the Force
Headquarter (over 1000mtrs away) as motorists and
commuters going to Wuse and other parts of the metropolis
were made to go through the Finance Ministry junction
(about 800mtrs away) to continue their journey.
Those coming from the Airport road had their advancement
terminated at the NNPC Towers area with no likelihood of
making a detour through alternative routes to their places of
work.
While many civil servants spoken to claimed ignorance of
the event, whilst decrying its necessity, others said they
were aware of it, but still had to come to work since no
public holiday was announced by government to that effect.
Lamenting the difficulties posed by the situation, a source
who pleaded anonymity mauled the President and the PDP’s
decision to still hold a primary, saying that: “why would they
cause so much pain and hardship when everybody knows
that Jonathan is the only person contesting on the platform
of the PDP.
“We all know that it is only the APC that’s conducting
presidential primaries today because they have five people
looking for the ticket. Even at that, I don’t think Lagosians
are going through what we are suffering here in Abuja.
They should have gone ahead and send his name to INEC as
their only candidate since nobody is challenging him instead
of pulling the economy backward by keeping workers away
from their offices”, he said.
Almost all government establishments in the CBD as well as
the 3 Arms Zone where the National Assembly, the Supreme
Court and the Court of Appeal, the Offices of the National
Security Adviser (NSA) the Office of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation (SGF) as well as the State
House were all deserted with few people seen loitering
around as most workers were unable to access their offices
due to security blockades.

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12 APC governors endorse Buhari as Atiku reaches out directly to delegates

he battle for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) has taken another dimension as 12 APC
governors reached a final agreement to support
Muhammadu Buhari, former military head of state, while his
counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, is
reaching out directly to the delegates.
At the meeting, which took place at Adeola Odeku, Victoria
Island, Lagos, the governors who agreed to support Buhari
are: Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe),
Kashim Shettima (Borno), Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa),
Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos),
Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Rauf
Aregbesola (Osun), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Aliyu Wamakko
(Sokoto) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers).
The two other governors, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano)
and Rochas Okorocha (Imo), are also gunning for the
presidential ticket. It was also disclosed that Kwankwaso
has been persuaded to step down for Buhari, which he
agreed, but will still put up an appearance without putting
up a fight at the convention.
Atiku, on this part, is basing his calculations on the fact that
APC governors control only 14 states and their influence in
the remaining 22 states is not strong.
It was understands that Atiku has zeroed in on delegates
from 16 states which they consider winnable: Adamawa,
Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, Jigawa,
Taraba, Yobe, Delta, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Ekiti and Ondo ─
as well as the FCT. In Atiku’s camp, the calculation is to
deal directly with the delegates, even from states controlled
by pro-Buhari governors. With Atiku’s heavy war chest, the
APC hierarchy had become jittery about the high possibility
of his victory.

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New Phones from Bae! Nollywood Actress Daniella Okeke Shows off Her New ‘All Gold Everything’ Phones

Nollywood actress Daniella Okeke is excited over her new
phones and she took to her Instagram page to share her
excitement with her followers.
The two phones were given to her by her boo and she
captioned the picture, ‘Bae of life #allgoldeverything 4me’ .

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SCHOLARSHIP UPDATES: DIGITAL JEWEL SCHOLARSHIP

A computer firm named Digital Jewel is offering scholarship to all university undergraduates. Read the details below:

Category 1
Game Changer Scholar for consistently diligent students
with 2nd Class Upper Division or its equivalent each
semester since University enrollment.

Category 2
Game Reformer Scholar who has achieved significant
improvement in GPA, attitude & outlook since enrollment in
the University demonstrated by a GPA point improvement of
at least 2.0 GPA, sustained over at least 2 consecutive
semesters.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

IT related course of study. Specifically Computer Science
(single or combined degree), Computer Engineering or
Electrical Engineering.
Applicants should already have spent at least 2 years in a
Federal Nigerian University with demonstrable track record
either of consistently good performance (Game Changer) or
significant improvement (Game Reformer) which should
have stabilized over at least 1 session.
Must be a Nigerian and under 21 years by January 2015.
Must have English language proficiency (oral & written).

ESSAY
Topic: How can technology improve governance?
Guidelines: Essay must be a 1 paged document in PDF (not
more than 200 words).

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Amount available and tenor is fixed.
Only 1 person/family will benefit over a 5yr period
Relations/wards of Digital Jewels staff or partner/
associated companies are not eligible to apply.
Applicants must NOT currently be a beneficiary of any other
scholarship scheme
Quarterly feedback to be sought from Course Adviser.
Scholarship may be withdrawn where academic
performance, attitude & value system fall below stipulated
expectation after selection/award.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION
Application Opens Dec. 1st 2014 and closes Jan 31st 2015
Application is online ONLY

Submit your applications here.

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Solving the N/Delta, South-East menace: The Jonathan example

The history of the end of militancy in the Niger Delta cannot
be completely written without acknowledging the role played
by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who at great
cost to his presidency, and with the assistance of his then
Vice President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, traversed the
delta region, bringing militancy to its knees on the
negotiation table.
Today, oil flows to keep the economy running, while political
aspirants of different shades jostle to occupy the
presidential villa, the National Assembly, and state
government houses on the strength of what Yar’Adua and
Jonathan fought to achieve. Curiously, with the insurgency
in the North-East, many of the politicians, rather than join
hands with Yar’Adua’s successor to end the malaise, carry
on as though they are happy with the bad situation, hoping
that they can use it as a weapon to achieve their political
ends.
Many political office holders who stand the chance of
benefitting politically if the Boko Haram fighters are reined
in, are not doing any tangible thing or show the will to end
the problem. Even elements within the opposition All
Progressives Congress (APC), who readily point to the
menace as one of the weaknesses of the ruling government,
are asking to be formally invited to do something about a
disease that affects us all.
It is even becoming fashionable to taint the political space
with ethnic and religious sentiments as if anyone can
escape the conflagration that could follow. Boko Haram and
the shadowy characters who sponsor them desperately
want to colour the problem religiously by going after the
Christians hoping there will be a backlash. This failed
woefully. For the Muslims who dare to speak up or are
fingered as collaborators with government, they are maimed
or killed, and at other times, forced to join the train of
violence. I can imagine if all those seeking political office on
the ticket of the APC were to use all the wealth, goodwill,
and connections they claim to have, the PDP will be made
an easy picking next February.
But for now, the Jonathan administration which many want
to paint black over the menace, appears to be winning the
battle, having succeeded in reducing to the barest minimum
the involvement of Nigerians. It appears that it is mainly
foreigners who are the foot soldiers in the battle, what with
the alleged involvement of the Chadian government with its
retinue of jobless rebels.
If Jonathan is the President today, it is because he paid the
price for his region by travelling there and negotiating a
peaceful settlement. Others from the North should do
same. It was the Special Adviser to the President on Niger
Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, who reiterated the role of
Jonathan in comments he made months ago.
Kuku said: “Some of us who played significant roles in
ending the agitation in the Niger Delta cannot be silent when
some persons try to foist a skewed history of the crisis on
us.
“The persons that claim to be behind MEND are in no
position to write the history of the Niger Delta agitation. I
challenge whoever is claiming to be MEND now to
controvert the fact that President Goodluck Jonathan, at the
time he was Vice President, played a significant role in
ending the insurgency in the Niger Delta.
“Where were those behind MEND now when our late beloved
President Umaru Yar’Adua, who because of his concern for
the peace of the region, sought to end the conflict and
destruction of oil facilities, the kidnapping of expatriates on
the Niger Delta waterways and the proliferation of arms,
then dispatched his Vice, Dr. Jonathan, to Tompolo’s Camp
5 in Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West Local
Government Area of Delta State?”
Moreover, he added, Jonathan on June 28, 2007 met with
Tompolo at Okerenkoko, after which Tompolo was invited to
Abuja. Tompolo called a meeting of Ijaw leaders and
stakeholders, who converged on Gbaramatu, before a trip to
Abuja. On the knotty issue of kidnappings in the South
Eastern flank of the country, the Goodluck Jonathan
administration through its points man then in the army,
General Azubuike Iherijika, did a swell job, taming the
monsters in his home state of Abia. And when he was
called in to do the same in the geopolitical zone, he latched
on to it with the support of the state governors.
In accepting the challenge, the man who succeeded also in
his military assignment while pushing the Boko Haram in
the North-East to Sambisa Forest, before he was replaced
said: “The issue of kidnapping is a problem the army is very
familiar with, having dealt with kidnappers in the past in
Abia State, and having helped to restore normalcy to Aba.
As you are aware, the kidnappers are aided by the use of
GSMs and the proliferation of weapons. But what will help
most is the cooperation of people in giving out vital
information to the security agencies.
“It’s a very welcome development that the South-East
governors have come together just like the Northern
governors have all come together to help tackle the menace
of terrorists. So, with this type of interest shown by the
governors, I believe the problem of armed robbery and
kidnapping in the zone will be put behind us.” Like their
South-East counterparts, maybe North-East governors
should rise to the occasion and work out a solution, except,
of course, if they are complicit.

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