Mysterious figures at Chelsea stadium, during their match against Man City

Is this one of the signs of the End-time or what?  

Goal.com reports that the hooded men (As shown above), who had mysterious circles on their chest, were seen making curious synchronised movements at irregular intervals during Chelsea's 2-1 win, while they also stood in unison at random moments.

Situated three rows back from the corner flag at the Shed End, the gang could be clearly seen on TV cameras beaming pictures of the crunch fixture all across the world. 

One Chelsea fan sat close to the mysterious guests was Robin Taylor, who said afterwards that he was slightly perturbed by their presence.
"We're used to a few different characters down at Chelsea, there was once even a guy brushing his teeth behind the bench at a game, but we've had nothing quite like this before," he said.  

Fear dey catch me oo

Kanye West planning extravangant wedding with fight jets next year

           

Kanye West , during his interview with Power106's morning radio show yesterday, gave a hint on what to expect during his wedding with Kim K next year, he said :

"Two words: 'fighter jets'" He went further to explain "Kim knew I was eventually going to ask her to marry me. I just had to get that ring right. I worked with four different jewelers. Three rings were made and only one hit the ringer and that was Lorraine Schwartz's. 'I actually changed the ring the night before. The ring was less than four hours old when I gave it to her.'

"I wanted to marry that girl from the first time I saw her,' he said. 'Kim and I are the perfect balance.''I had to wait through a bunch of other relationships to finally get the chance"

Source  : LindaIkeji

Nigerians top Forbes’ African Person of the Year shortlist

Nigerians have dominated Forbes Africa Person of the Year shortlist, the US base business website has announced.

In its Forbes Africa page, Forbes  announced it had narrowed down its shortlist, dominated by Nigerians, for the 2013 Person of the Year Awards. The awards will take place in Nairobi, Kenya at the beginning of December this year.

An official voting is also open to the public who can make their selection of the individual they deem most worthy of the Person of the Year title.

The Person of the Year Awards celebrate ‘the individual who, for better or worse, has had the most influence on events of the year gone by’ and Forbes Africa has welcomed the participation of the public in what is fast becoming one of the most momentous and anticipated annual events in Africa.

“Every year, we are excited to decide the Forbes Africa Person of the Year. We want to honour the big hitters of the continent who are making a difference in people’s lives and we hope that in doing so, it will inspire others,” commented Chris Bishop, the managing editor of Forbes Africa magazine.

The shortlist, comprising  three Nigerians, one South African and one Zimbabwean, is as follows:

*South African mining magnate, Patrice Motsepe, plans on giving away more than half his fortune over the next five years.

* Akinwunmi Adesina is Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and his vision is to make Nigeria a self-sustaining, food-producing nation and register 20 million farmers by 2015.

* Aliko Dangote is Africa’s richest man and his net worth has significantly increased on the back of his continued business success, allowing him to better the lives of millions.

* Strive Masiyiwa is the founder of global telecoms group, Econet Wireless, and through Capernaum Trust he educates tens of thousands of Zimbabwean orphans.

*Jim Ovia established Zenith Bank Group in 1990 – now West Africa’s second largest financial services provider. His focus has turned to helping grow Africa’s budding ‘techpreneurs’

Source: Vanguard

32-yr-old man butchers uncle over destiny manipulation

ABAKALIKI— A man identified as Chinweoru Ugbo, 32, was weekend arrested by the Onueke Divisional Police Command, Ebonyi State for allegedly butchering his uncle, Mr. Ogbuleji Nwite, 78, with an axe.

The crime was allegedly committed at Nsokkara Community in Ezza South Local Government Area of the state over claims that the deceased was diabolically manipulating Ugbo’s destiny.

The suspect allegedly lured his victim to a lonely farmland near a neighbouring community in Amagu, under the guise of showing him (the victim) a piece of land he wanted to purchase.

He reportedly inflicted 27 cuts on late Mr. Nwite in the early hours of Saturday, unaware that some people saw him.

The suspect was caught by the villagers at Igweledoha Nsokkara community, when he was packing his luggage to flee the community.

It was also learnt that the suspect, a trader resident at Owerri in Imo State, was said to have returned home on Friday night with the intention of killing his uncle.

An Eye witness said : An eyewitness, Nweke Nwankwo, alleged that the act took place in a vegetable farmland.

The witness said: “I was on top of a palm tree harvesting fruits and saw both of them conversing. I never suspected anything because they were relatives.

“But I felt cold to the spine when the boy started brutalising the old man, who recently returned from the hospital after an eye surgery.”

Another witness, a woman who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that she was weeding in her farm, some distance from the scene, when she heard a cry.

She said: “I did not know that an abomination was being committed because the loud shout was just once.

“I continued with my job until passers-by, who first sighted the dead body, raised alarm.”

It was learnt that a white T-shirt, which an eyewitness claimed the suspect wore that morning, was brought out from his room with blood stains.

Source : Vanguard

FG To Reintroduce Toll Gates Over Bad Roads

                         

Against the backdrop of deteriorating Federal roads nationwide, the Federal Government may have decided to reintroduce tolling on its highways, to raise money to fix the roads.

A policy document on the reintroduction of tolling may be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council by Works Minister, Mike Onolememen, for approval and implementation.

The policy document is known as Green Paper: Federal Roads and Bridges Tolling Policy for Nigeria.’
The Director, Public, Private Partnership, Federal Ministry of Works, Babatunde Ekusinmi, who disclosed this to newsmen noted that “Nigeria had operated some toll roads for several years, but they were abandoned in 2004, due mainly to legal disputes, revenue leakages and unmet maintenance of the tolled roads. With tolling once again being considered as a policy option, Nigeria has the advantage that it can assess successfully and execute tolling to develop, build, manage and maintain roads”.

The Green Paper proposal claimed that tolling policy would foster the improvement of Nigerian roads and bridges. “Tolling would generate the revenue needed to recover cost to the private investor of the construction, rehabilitation, financing, maintenance and operation of the road and bridge, and to achieve reasonable returns for that investor; the Federal Government would enter into toll concessions only where such concessions are financially viable and forecast traffic volume is high (unless there are strong economic or social grounds).

The Paper also said the Federal Government would permit tolling only for specific roads and bridges where the related investment results in significant improvements for road users and toll payers; the Federal Government would ensure that tolls are ring-fenced and dedicated to defraying the costs of rehabilitation, upgrading, maintenance and operation of such roads; the Federal Government would introduce mandatory public consultations prior to tolling any road or bridge in Nigeria, to provide users with critical information in advance of the tolling being introduced. The Federal Government would give preference to tolling by established and reputable private firms; toll rates would distinguish between vehicle classes to reflect the cost of providing road space to a class of vehicles and their relative usage impact on road pavements; tolls should be fixed during the length of a concession, subject only to periodic increases which are agreed in the contract and are based on an adjustment formula which takes account of inflation and other variables.

Ekusinmi said it would be necessary to empower concessionaires to appoint officers with powers to stop vehicles and verify toll payment, and such powers would be clearly specified and circumscribed to avoid potential for abuse.

He said the Federal Government would speedily implement institutional reforms to clarify responsibilities for implementing and overseeing road and bridge tolling; the Federal Government would ensure it has sufficient capacity to oversee the implementation of toll concessions – initially through the Ministry of Works and Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, and subsequently through the establishment of the proposed Federal Roads Authority, FRA.

He emphasised that the application of Public-Private Partnerships, PPPs, with the use of tolling, provides Nigeria with an excellent strategy to improve its roads and bridges for the benefit of Nigeria’s economy, businesses and communities.

Projects, he said were already progressing rapidly and that “it is essential that the policy framework is in place to support and facilitate such progress. A tolling policy will establish the enabling environment in which tolling is applied appropriately, and investors and the public can be confident in the future.

“The intent of the Tolling Policy Green Paper is clear. Tolling and private investment should be used to achieve substantial improvements to Nigerian roads and bridges. The Green Paper objective is to improve the proposed policy, and the Federal Ministry of Works looks forward to constructive engagement, feedback and comments from all stakeholders,” he said.

 Source: Vanguard

Canada Begins Compulsory Fingerprint For Nigerian Visa Applicants

The Canadian High Commission in Nigeria says Nigerians applying for visa to the North American country will henceforth be required to provide their fingerprints.It said the new requirement which took effect from October 23, was introduced to check fraud, facilitate legitimate travel by making entry into the country easier.
According to the High Commission, applicants will need to go in person to a visa application centre to submit their application and give their fingerprints as well as have their photograph taken.
This was contained in a statement by the high commission’s Public Affairs Officer, Ezinne Uluocha.
The new requirement, Uluocha said, would put Canada in line with other countries already collecting this information from visitors. These countries include the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, countries in the European Union Schengen Zone, and Japan.
But, the High Commission noted that the new application process will exempt applicants under the age of 14 or over the age of 79 as well as diplomats and government officials travelling on official business.
Uluocha said, “Effective from October 23, visitors to Canada from several countries, including Nigeria, will be required to provide fingerprints and a digital photograph when they apply for a visitor visa, study or work permit.

“This new requirement will not only help protect the safety and security of Canadians while helping facilitate legitimate travel, it will also protect prospective visitors by making it more difficult for others to forge, steal or use an applicant’s identity to gain access to Canada.”

However, the High Commission added that applicants would have to part with a fee ranging from $85 to $170 before their fingerprints and photograph before their date will be captured at any of its visa application centre.

Source :

Fake Naira Notes Flood Kogi

                          

Residents of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, have raised alarm over the huge amont of fake naira notes in circulation in the capital city. Some of the affected residents who bspoke with one of our correspondent said it was particularly worrisome that the fake naira notes were from the banks.

Bank customers who had experienced the situation said it was more prevalent with the N500 denomination.

One of them, Uwar Adejo, a business woman in Lokoja, said she had lost a huge amount of money to these fake notes and urged the authority, especially banks, to address the situation.

She said the situation had brought about untold hardship to residents, especially business people as they were now sceptical about transacting business using the N500 denomination.

Following the development, commercial banks in state have sent messages to their customers, advising them to be wary of the dominant features of fake naira notes.

Source : Leadership

PHCN Workers Threaten To Strike, Give FG 4-day Ultimatum

Over 2,000 workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) on Monday 28th October, embarked on protest over the delay in payment of severance benefits to about 55 per cent of the workforce.

The workers, under the aegis of the National
Union of Electrical Employees (NUEE), staged the protest at the Eko and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Companies and threatened to
commence indefinite strike on November 1.

“The reports reaching the union is that majority of banks cannot give financial backing to the schedule sent to them by the Federal Government.

“This means that government does not have money’’, Mr Adeleke Ibrahim, the Chairman of Lagos Chapter of NUEE, who led the protest, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The union official said that if the workers’
entitlements were not paid by the end of October, the entire workforce of PHCN in all the 36 states would embark on indefinite strike.
Ibrahim said that the union was not against
privatisation of the company, “but government should pay all workers’ entitlements before the new owners will commence operation’’.

He appealed to government to ensure that all the agreements it signed with the workers were met to avert the strike. Ibrahim said that some of the issues in contention included non-payment of
retirement savings to pension fund administrators and non-remittance of dues of two per cent deducted from workers’ salaries to the unions.

Others are non-payment of benefits of retirees who disengaged in 2011 and non- regularisation of service of some casual workers.

NAN reports that the workers, who carried
placards with different inscriptions, locked the gates to the two offices and prevented people from entering the premises. (NAN)

Source: Daily Post

Another Plane Crash Averted In Abuja

Another air disaster was averted at the Nnamdi Azikwe Airport, Abuja on Monday as a Med-View Airlines aircraft from Lagos suddenly took to the air again at the point of landing in Abuja.

The pilot told the passengers that he took to the air again to avoid a collision with another aircraft on the tarmac.

The airline Flight VL2104 took off from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos at noon and was scheduled to land in Abuja at about 1.05pm.

The pilot had already announced final descent into Abuja and asked all passengers and cabin crew to fasten their seat belts but the pilot suddenly took off to the air again with barely 30 seconds to touch ground.

The plane had 150 passengers on board. A correspondent of The PUNCH was one of the passengers.

After about three minutes of gaining altitude, the pilot announced that he decided to take off again to avoid colliding with an aircraft that was on ground.

He said that after he had been granted clearance to land, it was later discovered that the other aircraft was not fast enough, hence his decision to take off.

The aircraft hovered for another 20 minutes in the air before finally landing at about 1.30pm.

While the drama lasted, the passengers were panic-stricken, especially when the plane entered into turbulent weather on air.

The PUNCH correspondent said that among the passengers were five different complete families.

One of the passengers, a nursing mother, who was breastfeeding her son at the time the pilot took off again reportedly withdrew the bosom from the boy’s mouth and started praying profusely while the baby’s cry rented the air.

When the plane finally landed, the passengers struggled to disembark.

“Are you still sitting down? Let me rush down in case it will suddenly take off again,” a middle-aged man was heard teasing one of his co-passengers.

The incident came less than a month after an Embraer aircraft operated by Associated Airlines with registration number SCD 361, conveying the corpse of a former Governor of Ondo State, Chief Olusegun Agagu, from Lagos to Akure for burial, crashed on October 3 shortly after take-off at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos.

Thirteen passengers in the crashed plane were killed, including a commissioner in Ondo State, Deji Falae.

Source : The Punch

Nigeria, FBI, CIA To Fight Boko-haram

In an attempt to stop the insecurity that is being posed to Nigeria by the Boko Haram Sect, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, has sought for collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), New York Police Department, United Nations and other United States security agencies.

The Inspector General of Police who has been on a working visit to the United States since last week told Nigeria's officials at the embassy in Washington, DC at a briefing that his meetings with various security agencies in America were aimed at achieving the required support from the international security agencies and other multilateral bodies, particularly in the area of intelligence gathering, intelligence sharing, exchange programmes, combating terrorism, peace-keeping operations and capacity building,
especially on training, manpower and infrastructural development for the Nigeria Police Force.

He said that he believed that insecurity would become a forgotten phase in Nigeria with the new collaboration of the the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), New York Police Department, United Nations and other United States security agencies.

Saying that the security challenges that Nigeria is facing today is applicable to all countries in the world, Abubakar noted that the federal government was doing greatly to ensure that the country becomes very safe for both its citizens and foreigners.

He however urged Nigerian living in the United States to ensure that they come home to join force with the Nigerian government in the government's efforts to make the country a crime-free nation. IG Abubakar pressed further that his working visit and meetings with United States security chiefs had given him a vast
knowledge on how to make Nigeria free in the hands of Boko Haram's terrorists.

He also made it known that all the security
agencies that he met both in New York and
Washington, DC had pledged their supports and collaboration to ensure that Boko Haram and other terrorist group do not have a place to stay in Nigeria.

His words: "My meetings went very well, I sought better ways of collaboration between the US security and the Nigerian security, even the Nigerian government as a whole.
We had meetings that have to do with sharing of intelligence information and support for fighting crimes and criminality in the world particularly terrorism.

On the issue of state police, the Inspector-General said that he was against the idea from the beginning because he was aware that some state governors would surely use the agency, if created, to intimidate their opponents. He added that this would cause more security problems for the country.

On the allegation that some senior police officers want to sell the new police uniforms to junior officers, the police chief said: "You cannot sell any police uniform because there are lots of things surrounding it which i will not even have to disclose because it has security implication on it. So it is not possible for any officer to sell the
new uniform, and if you see anyone selling it, then you have to know that he is selling the fake ones".

On the report that policemen have been
preventing members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from embarking on protests in some states in Nigeria, IG Abubakar said that there was no way any police could stop people from embarking on any peaceful protest.

Source : Leadership

World Tallest Man, Sultan Kosen is now married..

The world's tallest man has married - and his new bride barely reaches his waist.

At 5'8" Merve Dibo isn't a particularly short lady, but next to her giant groom Sultan Kosen, who looms at an enormous 8'3", she looks positively tiny.

Turkish farmer Sultan, who has size 28 feet, is almost three feet taller than his blushing bride.

Sultan, who also holds the Guinness World Record for the biggest hands and feet, said he had given up on his quest to find love until he met Merve.

The gentle giant said: "How unfortunate I could not find a suitable girl of my own size. My fiancee is over 1.75 meters tall, but I believe I've found the person for me."

The previous holder of the tallest person honours was China's Bao Xishun who was 'only' 7'9".

At the Guinness World Records show in 2010, Sultan got to meet his counterpart at the other end of the height scale, the late He Pingping who was just 2'5".

Source : Guinness World Record

Priest Aids Wife To Build Without Husband's Knowledge

I got this and thought to share it, what do you think?

I have seen similar threads on this topic before but never imagined it could happen in my marriage.
My wife and I have been married for about 10 years now and we have been blessed with both male and female children. For the first 7yrs of the marriage, I earned about 8x my wife's salary and everything was sweet and rosy. We were the envy of most families with houses and landed properties both in the village and the city where we live. But about 4yrs ago, my wife got a better job which made her salary slightly higher than mine. But more importantly, the new job gave her access to bulk money by way of loans, grants, etc and ever since, my family has never been the same again. My wife suddenly became unruly, she doesn't consult me on any issue concerning the family again. I have sat her down on countless occasions to know what the problem is but she refused to say what is responsible for her sudden change in attitude. Even when I seek her opinion on projects concerning the family, she shows indifference most times. I then resolved to continue to engage her and be as open as I can hoping that things would improve and indeed I really noticed some slight improvement. But when I was about to settle down and relax, I got the shocker of my life -my wife had built and completed a building without my knowledge! As if that was not shocking enough, I later found out that the man who has been fronting for her on the said project is the same Priest (Reverend Father) that joined us in holy matrimony!!!
I am really confused right now, having mood swings between laughing and angry at the same time. I just don't know how to handle this.

Source : Nairaland

FIFA's World Player/Coach Of The Year Shortlist

Four days after announcing the names of the candidates for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football for 2013 awards, FIFA and France Football have today revealed the names for the men’s awards.

The candidates for the FIFA Ballon d’Or and for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football awards have been unveiled (see below). The final decisions will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men’s national teams as well as by international media representatives selected by France Football.

The winners of all of the awards will be revealed at the FIFA Ballon d’Or as part of a televised show at the Zurich Kongresshaus on 13 January 2014, during which the FIFA FIFPro World XI, the FIFA Puskás Award – for the most beautiful goal of the year – the FIFA Presidential Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award will also be presented.

The list of 23 male candidates has been drawn up by football experts from the FIFA Football Committee and by a group of experts from France Football. The list of ten coaches has been drawn up by the Committee for Women’s Football and FIFA Women’s World Cup and by the FIFA Football Committee, as well as by a group of experts from France Football.

In early December 2013, FIFA and France Football will announce the names of the three men and three women, as well as the three coaches for women’s football and three coaches for men’s football, who have received the most votes (without unveiling the winners). The three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award and the FIFA FIFPro World XI shortlist for the best forwards, goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders will also be unveiled in early December.

The following 23 men (in alphabetical order) are in contention for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013:

Gareth Bale (Wales), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Özil (Germany), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Franck Ribéry (France), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Luis Suárez (Uruguay), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Yaya Touré (Côte d’Ivoire), Robin Van Persie (Netherlands), Xavi (Spain).

The following ten coaches (in alphabetical order, first nationality and then team) are in contention for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football 2013:

Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Paris Saint-Germain FC/Real Madrid CF), Rafael Benítez (Spain/Chelsea FC/SSC Napoli), Antonio Conte (Italy/Juventus), Vicente Del Bosque (Spain/Spain national team), Sir Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United FC former coach), Jupp Heynckes (Germany/FC Bayern München former coach), Jürgen Klopp (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), José Mourinho (Portugal/Real Madrid CF/Chelsea FC), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil/Brazil national team), Arsène Wenger (France/Arsenal FC).

source:fifa.com

Mercy Johnson Tied To A Truck & Dragged Along Muddy Street In new Movie Role

                             
                             

All for the love of your profession and money. Well done girl but remember to take antibiotics later ooooo

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez wins GT series to become star of motor racing

                              

Fabien Barthez has shown he’s just as handy behind the wheel as he was between the posts. The former Manchester United goalkeeper cracked open the champagne this weekend after being crowned champion of France’s GT motorsport series. Barthez and Sofrev ASP team-mate Morgan Moullin-Traffort finished fifth and eight respectively in the last two races of the championship’s concluding weekend at the Paul Ricard circuit near Marseille. And after two wins and four podium finishes throughout the season, that proved enough to claim the title with a total of 174 points – 21 better than their nearest rivals in a series that counts nine-time world rally champion Sebastian Loeb among its competitors. Ex-France international Barthez took up motor racing shortly after retiring from football in 2007 and hasn’t looked back. The 42-year-old 1998 World Cup winner said of his passion for the sport: ‘I have always been fascinated by motorsport, even when I was playing football. It always intrigued me. ‘I wanted to understand what it felt like being in a car. ‘I wanted to understand what it felt like being in a car. I had to wait until the end of my pro career to try.

i love this.

Source: Sky Sports 

Manchester United’s transfer window was a disappointment, admits vice-chairman Ed Woodward

                             

Man Utd Vice Chairman Ed Woodward has finally admitted his failure to sign quality player in the last transfer window claiming he knew the window will be a tough one. he said,

‘It was disappointing that we didn’t sign more players, but I always knew it was going to be a tough window.’ We had a manager leaving and a manager arriving on July 1. As a club we didn’t want to impose a plan on the new manager that had come from the old manager.

‘We have a manager who we want to give our full support to make his decision about the players and the decisions about the academy. He has the same power that Alex did. The early view was that we needed a central midfielder and left-back. There wasn’t a long list of people he wanted to go after. We didn’t need to make disposals, to sell any players until the manager was absolutely clear in what he wanted to do. So we kept the players and added [Marouane] Fellaini, the first central midfielder we’ve bought in six years.’

Blatter: I prefer Messi to Ronaldo

                   

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has made his choice between Messi and Ronaldo, the two best players in the world in the last 6 six  years. Blatter made some statements that Real Madrid found offensive though the man did not mean any harm, He said,

“They are both exceptional players but are totally different,” Blatter commented at a talk at Oxford Union.

“Football is about the difference between stars. Lionel Messi is a good boy that every father, every mother would like to have at home.

“He is very quick, he is not exuberant, he plays well, he is a good boy. That is what makes him so popular, because he is this nice man and that is why he gets votes.

“The other one [Ronaldo], he is something else, he is like a commander on the field of play. This is the other side of football and it is good to have such commanders on the field also. That gives life to football.

“One has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other, but that doesn’t matter.

“I cannot say who is the best, there will be a contest this year and then January next year it will be announced. I like both of them, but I prefer Messi.”

Do you agree with him on this? i think i do.

Conrad Murray completes jail term for Jackson’s murder

                           

Dr. Conrad Murray left the Los Angeles County jail under sheriff’s escort, avoiding reporters and Michael Jackson fans waiting for his release early Monday.

Murray, who served two years of a four-year sentence for causing Michael Jackson’s death, was driven away in a sheriff’s car for the “safety and security” of the jail, sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

The handful of Jackson fans gathered outside the jail accused the Los Angeles County sheriff of showing favoritism to Murray by slipping him out of the jail through a back exit, instead of the door where freed prisoners normally leave.

Murray, who the sheriff’s spokesman described as an exemplary inmate, was kept away from the general inmate population during his two years in the jail. He was also allowed to have liberal use of a telephone inside his cell during his last year.

Murray’s lawyer told reporters outside the jail that he would try to get his medical licenses reinstated in California, Texas and Nevada so he can resume the medical career interrupted by his conviction on the involuntary manslaughter in 2011.

Source: Punch

N225m car scandal: Stella Oduah tells her own side of the story

                               

ABUJA—Embattled Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, who is facing separate probe panels set up by President Goodluck Jonathan as well as the National Assembly over the purchase of N255 million armoured cars has written the president to explain her side of the story.
The President on Tuesday issued query to her to explain her role in the purchase of the armoured cars.
In her response which Vanguard obtained exclusively, the minister said procurement of the cars followed due process and was provided for in the NCAA 2013 budget.

Defence

In her defence titled: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ON THE PROCUREMENT OF NCAA OPERATIONAL VEHICLES, she wrote: “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, is the statutory regulator of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Industry.


Aviation Minister, Ms. Stella Oduah

Consequently, the NCAA is charged with oversight responsibilities over all civil aviation operations in the country, including safety, security and strict compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices, SARPs, and Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, NCARs.

2. Towards the effective implementation of its statutory regulatory responsibilities, therefore, it is imperative that the NCAA is fully equipped with highly specialised tools and facilities, including adequate operational vehicles to cover all 22 national airports and over 400 airstrips. In keeping with standard practice, provision is therefore made annually for the replacement of obsolete, inadequate and unreliable monitoring equipment.

3.In the 2013 budgetary appropriation, provision was made for the procurement of specialised equipment (including operational vehicles) to complement and in some cases replace obsolete ones.

Furthermore, the fact that NCAA, as the regulator of the industry, often plays host to dignitaries from ICAO, IATA, US FAA, AFRAA, AFCAC BAGASO, CANSO, ACI and a host of others makes it necessary to have specialised operational vehicles.

4.With regard to the procurement of additional operational vehicles (including BMW Security Vehicles), the following due process was observed:

(I) By letter dated April 15, 2013, NCAA officially requested authorisation from the Federal Ministry of Aviation to procure 56 operational vehicles through lease financing. This option was proposed to the ministry to enable the NCAA make 36 monthly payments based on receipts from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR.

Approval

The Ministry therefore granted due approval.

(ii)Based on the ministry’s approval, the NCAA invited Expressions of Interest from all Banks in Nigeria for the financing of the said vehicles. EOI was adopted because the procurement is two sided. First, the financier would have to be selected before the supplier is determined. This is in line with procurement best practices.

(iii) On May 24, 2013, the response received from the various banks to the Expression of Interest, EOI, request was opened publicly and minutes of the opening exercise was duly documented. During the EOI opening exercise, NCAA got commendation from one of the Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, approved by BPP who were invited for the opening exercise.

(iv) The evaluation of the expression of interests was held on May 31, 2013 during which First Bank Plc, Union Bank Plc and Stanbic IBTC emerged most responsive. On the June 10, 2013 the above three banks were invited to submit Financial Proposals. Thereafter, First Bank emerged the highest rated responsive bidder.

(v)Between June 20 and 25, 2013, invoices were received from various accredited motor vehicle dealers during which only Coscharis Motors Limited quoted for BMW Security Vehicles.

Tenders Board

(vi) On June 28, 2013, NCAA Parastatal Tenders Board approved the selection of First Bank Ltd for the Lease Financing as well as Metropolitan Motor Vehicles and Coscharis for the supply of the vehicles. All necessary approvals were duly sought and obtained accordingly.

(vii) Between July 8, 2013 to August, 12, 2013 various meetings were held with First Bank Ltd, contract agreement was signed and necessary documentation executed.

Your Excellency is respectfully invited to note:

(i) The crucial statutory role of the NCAA in regulating civil aviation operations in the country, including safety, security and strict compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs).

(ii) The need for NCAA to be fully equipped with highly specialized tools and facilities (including operational vehicles) to enable the effective implementation of its statutory functions.

(iii) The procurement of specialized operational vehicles is duly provided for in the NCAA 2p 13 (IGR) Budget and the need for adopting instalmental lease payments over36rionths.

(iii) That Due Process was followed in the procurement of the said operational vehicles.

Please your Excellency my continued loyally and esteemed regards.

Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, OON, Honourable Minister.

Source : Vanguard

Photo: OJB recuprating well after surgery

                                           

We thank God OJB has finally had his Kidney Operation  in a hospital in India, and the report reaching us claims he is recuperating well. Thank God !!

Sanusi: It's Illegal To Collect Dollar For Services Rendered In Nigeria

Anyone who refuses to collect Naira and insists on payment in foreign currency may soon find himself or herself on the wrong side of the law.According to the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, there is no country in the world where you get paid in the currency that is being remitted, except Nigeria. Sanusi said ;

"You know the interesting thing about our country is that we try to be an island in the World. If you are in the UK and someone transfers money to you from the US, in what currency do you get paid in London? You get Pounds. There is nowhere in the world where you go to your bank after a transfer and insist on being paid in that currency. There is nowhere. In Japan you get paid in Yen; in China you get paid in Renminbi. So there is nowhere in the world you get paid in the currency that is being remitted. You know Nigerians have this attitude of entitlement. The central bank did introduce this policy that people be paid in Dollars because there was a time the banks were cheating people and not paying them the actual exchange rate on the transaction date. Now, we said the exchange rate must be the inter-bank rate prevailing on the day of transaction and that banks are required to display their rates in banking halls. So I don't see how we are going to continue with a policy that is not consistent with global best practices by importing Dollars and saying we don't have confidence in our currency.

The thinking here is that it is just a small transaction of $500, $1000. Then let them tell us one country in the world that allows it. It's like, all you journalists that write we should distribute FAAC (Federation Account Allocation Committee) in Dollars. But just tell me one country in the world that distributes its reserves in foreign currency. Why should Nigeria be the only one? What is the logic and why are we different? If you go to Ghana you get paid in Cedi and in the francophone countries you get paid in CFA. So why should your uncle or aunty living in Nigeria and who would spend Naira not be paid the Naira equivalent of the currency you sent but insist on being paid in dollars? It is not right.

First of all, it is illegal for anybody to collect Dollar for services rendered in Nigeria. Anybody that refuses to accept the Naira as a legal tender is committing an offence. I don't think there is anyone that will do that. Perhaps, what they might do is to index their service in dollar and use the exchange rate and accept Naira. But anyone who refuses to collect Naira and insists on collecting Dollar is committing an offence. The maritime agencies that collect duties in foreign currencies are covered by law. The law allows them to receive their duties in foreign currency."

Source

Ailing veteran actor Pa Kasumu gradually losing his voice and sight

                 

Ailing veteran actor, Kayode Odumosu aka Pa Kasumu's state of health has deteriorated. Encomium magazine reports that he now has a high level of hypertension and has also developed an advanced cerebrovascular disease, a medical condition that is related to brain dysfunction which affects the blood vessels that transports blood to the brain. This new development has impaired his memory as well as gradually eroding his speech. He is also gradually losing the vision in his left eye.

Niece to the veteran actor and coordinator of the Save Pa Kasumu Group, Mrs Idowu Olajide, spoke on the recent development and Governor Fashola's promise. She said:

"As it is now, the situation is very disturbing. He has lost his voice but we believe with God, all things are possible. Governor Fashola directed him to First Cardiologist Hospital Ikoyi and the result from the test has been sent to him. We really appreciate the governor's step, it's in the right direction. But he hasn't said he would give Pa Kasumu N12million as been peddled and we have not received any money from him. So, we are still appealing to all the good-hearted Nigerians to come to the aid of Pa Kasumu because weather or not he is flown abroad, the ailment needs serious maintenance which will cost a lot of money".

Source : lindaikeji.

Stella Oduah's Car scandal, Cosharis gave N112 Million Kickback To Aviation Minister

                      

Despite all that has been written and said about the Aviation minister recently, the President seems to be unperturbed about them all. See what saharareporters reported again concerning the two N255 million cars her ministry bought for her recently.

Even as the minister of aviation began a new spin today that the BMW armored cars purchased by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for her use were done on "hire-purchase", SaharaReporters has unearthed new details about the $1.6 million spent by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to purchase the armored BMW cars for Nigeria's Aviation Minister Stella Oduah.
A highly reliable source has told SaharaReporters that the shady deal for the car was done entirely between Coscharis Motors Limited, a dealership from which the cars were purchased, one of Ms. Oduah’s private firms based in Abuja, and First Bank of Nigeria. SaharaReporters had revealed the account number at the First Bank into which the monies were paid on behalf of the NCAA.
“The NCAA was not even aware of the deal until the minister told them to sign that they had received two BMW cars,” said our source.
After inking the deal, Coscharis Motors, sellers of the highly inflated automobiles, reportedly gave the Aviation Minister more than N112 million as kickbacks. Our source added that Cosmas Maduka, who owns Coscharis Motors, pocked N60 million for each of the two BMW cars.
An official at the NCAA corroborated the information that the agency was largely kept in the dark about the transaction. “We were never privy to the transaction and had not seen the cars even though our head of transport was made to sign the delivery note,” said the source. The agency is under the Ministry of Aviation.
The source added that the agency has still not seen the cars even after the scandal escalated. SaharaReporters was first to break the news that Ms. Oduah compelled a cash-strapped NCAA to pay for two extravagantly priced bullet-proof BMWs for her personal use. After initially denying our reports, the minister’s spokesman, Joe Obi, admitted that the transaction transpired. Mr. Obi alleged that the purchase was justified because of unspecified threats to the minister’s life. Neither Mr. Obi nor the minister has provided proof of any threats to Ms. Oduah. The minister has not addressed why the NCAA paid a price tag that auto dealers in the US and the UK described as a rip-off. US dealers said that each of the BMW cars should cost no more than $$167,000.
Last week, an official of the NCAA, Fola Akinkuotu, spoke to the media and defended the purchase of the cars. Mr. Akinkuotu said the cars were for the ministry’s protocol pool for use in transporting foreign aviation dignitaries when they visit Nigeria. His explanation conflicted with the original statement by the minister’s spokesman, Mr. Obi. A source at the NCAA disclosed that Mr. Akinkuotu felt tricked into facing the media on the scandal. “He had been told he would only appear beside the embattled minister, who was supposed to speak. Instead, he was asked to speak,” said the source.
Meanwhile, a source at the Presidency said President Goodluck Jonathan was unfazed about the fraud perpetrated by Ms. Stella Oduah, his Aviation Minister. Ms. Oduah and the late former National Security Advisor, General Owoye Azazi, had played significant roles in raising and disbursing money to rig the 2011 presidential elections for Mr. Jonathan.  Mr. Jonathan will depart Abuja tomorrow on a weeklong pilgrimage to Isreal.
However, SaharaReporters learnt that several ministers and diplomats have registered their displeasure at Mr. Jonathan’s continued retention of Ms. Oduah on his cabinet.

Broken promises ended Oprah's friendship with the Obamas

                            

From the NY Post

"Everyone remembers that Oprah went all out for Obama during the 2008 presidential election. What was not reported was that, in return, Oprah was promised unique access to the White House if Obama won. She’d get regular briefings on initiatives and a heads-up on programs to give her material for her fledgling cable network, OWN.

“Oprah intended to make her unique White House access a part of her new network,” a source close to Oprah told me. “There were big plans, and a team was put together to come up with proposals that would have been mutually beneficial. “But none of that ever happened. Oprah sent notes and a rep to talk to Valerie Jarrett, but nothing came of it. It slowly dawned on Oprah that the Obamas had absolutely no intention of keeping their word and bringing her into their confidence.”

Oprah did not campaign for Obama in the 2012 race, and she has been absent from his battles on gun control, immigration reform and the environment. She claims she is too busy to get involved in politics, even though she hosted a fund-raiser for Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who won a US Senate seat last week.

Oprah’s friends publicly dismiss the idea that she had a falling out with Obama. They note that she phoned Michelle Obama right after the 2012 election to congratulate her. They say Michelle invited her to have dinner with the first family. But the dinner never took place, and Oprah continues to be frozen out.

“Oprah was hoping there would be a genuine change in the atmospherics,” one of her friends told me. “But there hasn’t been. Clearly, she is being rebuffed at the level of Michelle and Valerie. And, just as obviously, President Obama hasn’t interfered on Oprah’s behalf.” During Obama’s first term, I argued in my book “The Amateur” that Michelle was jealous of Oprah, furious that he was seeking her advice.

“For her part, Oprah doesn’t like being with Michelle, because the first lady is constantly one-upping the president and anybody else around her,” said an Oprah adviser. “Oprah has struck back by banning the Obamas from her O, The Oprah Magazine . . . It probably hurts Oprah more than Obama, who, if he had his head screwed on straight, would have flown to California and begged Oprah to help him save ObamaCare.

“But Obama hasn’t budged, and neither has Oprah. She’s hurt and angry, and I seriously doubt that Oprah will ever make up with the Obamas. She knows how to hold a grudge.”

Ferguson does not know the meaning of Loyalty --Roy Keane

Roy keane has responded to SAF's claim in his autobiography that was released yesterday by saying the ex-Utd boss does not know the meaning of loyalty. Roy, while speaking as one of the pundits on ITV last night said:

‘I’m quite relaxed. I do remember having conversations with the manager when I was at the club about loyalty and in my opinion I don’t even think he knows the meaning of the word,’ said the former United midfielder.

‘It doesn’t bother me too much what he has to say about me, but to constantly criticise other players at the club who brought him a lot of success I find very strange. But I certainly won’t be losing any sleep over it.

‘I just don’t think a manager needs to do that. I’m not sure how many books he’s written now but he has to draw the line eventually and say, “listen, these players have all been top servants to Man United”.

‘A lot of these players helped the manager win lots of trophies so imagine what he’d have said if we’d never won a trophy.

‘We brought success to the club, we gave it everything when we were there, but it’s just part of modern life. People like to do books and criticise their ex-players.’

Well, if you ask me, i think i agree with Roy Keane on this..

WHY FERGUSON’S SUCCESSOR WAS MOYES NOT MOURINHO

When Sir Alex Ferguson retired, Manchester United not only lost the best manager ever, they also lost a sure-fire guarantee of winning trophies. Under Ferguson, United, from 1992 onwards, very rarely went through a season without winning some sort of silverware, and when a rare trophyless season was had, Ferguson would always respond the next season, as shown by the table below. 

Trophyless seasons under Ferguson and the response the following season (1992 onwards)

Trophyless Seasons under fergie	The response the following season
1994- 1995	1995- 1996 Premier League & FA cup
1997- 1998	1998-1999 Premier League, FA cup & Champions League
2001 -2002	2002 -2003 Premier League
2004 - 2005	2005 -2006 League Cup
2011 -2012	2012 -2013 Premier League

As the table shows, United always responded with silverware when Ferguson led them to a trophyless season (ignoring the early Ferguson years when he building a club). Ferguson provided a cast-iron guarantee that United would win trophies most seasons. But, while Ferguson provided trophies, he also did much more than that: he built a club, with great team after great being built, dismantled and rebuilt.

This brings me neatly on to my argument regarding Ferguson’s successor. If United had wanted to replace Ferguson’s guarantee of winning trophies with a similar guarantee, they would have appointed Jose Mourinho as the new manager.

The crucial distinction, however, is that while Mourinho has always built great teams wherever he’s been, Ferguson built a great club and built/rebuilt several great teams within that club, each with its own distinct character and identity. In contrast, Mourinho has built excellent teams at various different cubs and then moved on, representing a very short-term approach to management, not to mention one that has sometimes left a legacy of financial instability (Inter Milan) or dressing room unrest (Real Madrid).

This is probably the major reason United went for Moyes. Mourinho has always built teams without really staying at a single club to dismantle and rebuild a team that he himself constructed, meaning that he’s always been able to start again from scratch whenever he’s joined a new club. In contrast, Moyes, like Ferguson, built a club, dismantling and rebuilding various different teams while also focusing on all aspects of the club, from youth development to the first team. Everton right now is the club that Moyes built, a club he transformed from relegation certainties to top-half regulars. Mourinho provides the short-term burst of success, Moyes the long-term plan to grow and develop the club.

So while United have lost the sure-fire guarantee of trophies that Ferguson brought to the club, they seem to have tried to find a successor who has a similar focus on long-term planning, building the club up over an extended period of time with a focus on all aspects of the club, including, crucially, youth development with an eye on the future. Moyes will have a long-term plan that he’ll want to put into place, and in these difficult early stages, he deserves the time and the support to do that.

Source : Prideofalleurope

How Ferguson sold Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

                                   

All revealed in his new book. Sir Alex explained how he convinced Ronaldo to stay and how he finally sold him.
"Madrid paid £80 million in cash for him, and do you know why? It was a way for Florentino Perez, their president, to say to the world, ‘We are Real Madrid, we are the biggest of the lot'.
"When the possibility of him leaving edged towards being a probability, I reached a gentleman’s agreement with him. 
"I went to Carlos’s house in Portugal to find the boy expressing an urge to go to Real Madrid, and told him: 'You can’t go this year, not after the way Calderon has approached the issue'.
"I said, ‘I know you want to go to Real Madrid. But I’d rather shoot you than sell you to that guy now. If you perform, don’t mess us about, and someone comes and offers a world record fee, then we will let you go.’ 
"I did well to calm him down. I told him that the reason I was refusing to sell him that year was because of Calderon. I said, ‘If I do that, all my honour’s gone, everything’s gone for me, and I don’t care if you have to sit in the stands. I know it won’t come to that, but I just have to tell you I will not let you leave this year'."

Ferguson finally lift lids on Rooney Relationship.

                         

In Sir Alex new book, this is what he has to say about Wayne Rooney and all that happened between them.

Sir Alex uses the example of when he dropped Rooney for a league match against Blackburn Rovers in December 2011 after being angered by the player’s display in training following a Boxing Day night out with team-mates Darron Gibson and Jonny Evans.
“They came into training the next day weary,” writes Sir Alex. “I went into the gymnasium where they were doing their exercise and told them they would be fined a week’s wages and not considered for selection against Blackburn on the Saturday.

“Wayne needed to be careful. He has great qualities about him but they can be swallowed up by a lack of fitness. Look at the way [Cristiano] Ronaldo or [Ryan] Giggs look after themselves. Wayne needed to grasp the nettle. If he missed a couple of weeks for United, it could take him four or five games to get his sharpness back. 

“He would receive no leniency from me. I would hammer him for any drop in condition. It was quite simple – he wouldn’t play. That’s the way I always dealt with fitness issues, regardless of the player involved, and I saw no reason to change in the final years of my career.

“In my final year, when he was left out a few times, and replaced in big games, I felt he was struggling to get by people and had lost some of his old thrust. But he was capable of making extraordinary contributions. That pass to Van Persie in the win over Aston Villa that secured the title for us was marvellous, as was his overhead kick against Man City. Those flashes guaranteed his profile. But as time wore on, I felt he struggled more and more to do it for 90 minutes, and he seemed to tire in games.

“I took him off in that Aston Villa game because Villa were a very young side full of running, and their substitute was running past Wayne.”

Sir Alex does not budge from his public stance that Rooney asked to leave United at the end of last season, claiming both the player and his long-time agent Paul Stretford made verbal transfer requests.

“He came into my office the day after we won the league and asked away. He wasn’t happy with being left out for some games and subbed in others. His agent Paul Stretford phoned David Gill with the same message.

“All players are different. Some are happy to stay at the same club their whole careers; others need fresh challenges, as Van Persie felt when he joined us from Arsenal. The urge to fight and flourish would not be extinguished in Wayne. I left him to discuss his future with David Moyes, hoping to see many more great performances from him at Old Trafford.”

In a fascinating passage of the book, Sir Alex said Rooney would get worked up if he was singled out for criticism by his manager.

“I admit I gave Wayne a few rollickings,” writes the former United boss in My Autobiography, which is published today by Hodder & Stoughton. 

“And he would rage in the dressing room when I picked him out for criticism. His eyes would burn, as if he wanted to knock my lights out.

“The next day he would be apologetic. When the anger subsided, he knew I was right – because I was always right, as I liked to tease him. He would say: ‘Am I playing next week, boss?’ ‘I don’t know,’ I would say.

“In my opinion he was not the quickest learner but what he had was a natural instinct to play the game, an intuitive awareness of how football worked. A remarkable raw talent. Plus, natural courage and energy, which is a blessing for any footballer.

“The ability to run all day is not to be undervalued. In a training ground exercise he wouldn’t absorb new ideas or methods quickly. His instinct was to revert to type, to trust what he already knew. He was comfortable in himself.”

Rooney was signed from Everton for what Sir Alex claims was a fee of “just off £25million with some add-ons” in the aftermath of Euro 2004 after Bill Kenwright broke down in tears in the former manager’s office as he accepted the player was heading to Old Trafford.

“Wayne possessed a marvellous nautral talent and was entitled to be given time to make the transition from boy to man. He was a serious, committed footballer with a hunger for the game. At that point in his development, Wayne needed to train all the time, and did so willingly. 

“He was never the sort who could take days off. He needed to train intensively to be on the sharp edge of his game. Whenever he was out for a few weeks with an injury, Wayne’s fitness would drop quite quickly. He has a big, solid frame, and broad feet, which may partly explain his metatarsal injuries in that period.

“I knew straight away that he was the player our intuition said he would be. Courageous, reasonably two-footed – although he uses his left foot less than he could.

“With the kind of physique he had it was always hard to imagine him playing into his mid-thirties, like [Paul] Scholes or [Ryan] Giggs, but I developed an expectation when he re-signed for us in October 2010 that he might end up as a midfielder.”

SAF is trully a legend !!!!!!!!!!