NUBDISH blogspot: 2015-01-11

Saturday 17 January 2015

Jonathan admits that buying and selling of votes has been on since 1960

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday alleged that none of the elections held in the country since Nigeria gained independence in 1960 has ever been free and fair, explaining that what had always happened since then was that people have been “buying and selling
votes.”

The President therefore requested Nigerians, particularly the youths not to allow anybody to buy their votes during the February elections noting that the practice can not be allowed to continue.

The Cameroonian moved to Everton less than five months ago following the expiry of his contract with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.

There are reports that Eto’o has agreed a two-and-a-half year contract with Genoa-based Sampdoria in a deal which would see him earn in the region of £1.15m per season.

President Goodluck Jonathan said the Federal Government has spent N10 billion on construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge out of the N130 billion total cost of the project.

The President disclosed this when he stopped over at the project site in Asaba on Saturday on his way to PDP campaign in Onitsha, Anambra.

Mr. Jonathan said it was a big project being executed under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

He said that now that it had taken off, its execution would go on smoothly and uninterrupted through to 48 months completion period.

He added that most components required for the construction had been procured and piling work had commenced.

Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, North-Central region, on Saturday promised to deliver 100 per cent votes to ensure the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in next month’s general elections.

They made the pledge at the end of their closed door meeting with Senate President David Mark and all the PDP governorship candidates in the zone.

The governors also pledged to reclaim Nasarawa and Kwara States, currently under the All Progressives Congress, APC.

President Goodluck Jonathan has approved funds for the procurement of one million electricity meters.

This is coming as the Federal Government on Thursday shifted its earlier target of generating 6,000MW of electricity before the end of 2014 to 2015.

Ghanaian President John Mahama on Friday said West African leaders would next week seek authority from the African Union to create a multi-national force to fight Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamist insurgents.

Any such force will represent the most robust international response yet to the militants who have killed thousands over the last year in their campaign for an Islamic caliphate.

The jihadists had also launched cross border attacks into Niger and Cameroon.

Oscar and Costa both scored twice in first half for Chelsea as Andre Schurrle adds the fifth in second half of the encounter between Swansea and Chelsea, being the visitors. Swansea, who stay in ninth place, are now winless in four league games.

Elsewhere, Marouane Fellaini and and James Wilson scored second-half goals as Manchester United beat QPR at Loftus Road.

The Reds make it eight games unbeaten as Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert secure a 2-0 win away to Aston Villa.

Again, President Goodluck Jonathan has pleaded with aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who lost out during the party’s primaries not to defect to other parties.

Addressing PDP supporters in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, the president said those aggrieved now might have the opportunity to be elected after the tenure of the winners.

Mr. Jonathan had made a similar plea last month following threats by some members who lost in the governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly primaries, to quit the party.

Thanks to social media, musicians, actors and actresses can now bare their minds, express themselves and get closer to their fans by relating and interacting personally with them.

This week, it was the turn of Murda crooner , Seyi Shay, who held a question and answer session tagged “#ask seyi Shay”.

A fan opened the floor by asking what her notion of an ideal perfect gentleman should be. She said, “my perfect gentleman must be spiritual, have a big heart, bold and real.”

Popular comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka has ironically mocked the ruling party in Nigeria, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after showing his support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) via his social media account.

With many Nigerian celebrities pitching their camp with one political party or the other, the comedian took to his Instagram account on January 15, 2015 to post a memes ironically mocking PDP.

Continue to see his hilarious tweets and hope he doesn't come out later to deny it as others have done in recent weeks

New West Brom head coach Tony Pulis has expressed his concern for the future of record signing Brown Ideye.

The Nigeria international has flopped at The Hawthorns since a £10m move from Dynamo Kiev in the summer, scoring just twice in 14 games as the Baggies continue their battle against the drop after appointing Pulis as Alan Irvine's replacement last month.

The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has said that soldiers engaged in the campaign against the Boko Haram insurgents were demoralised because they were not adequately equipped for combat.

Buhari spoke on Friday at a campaign rally at the Ibrahim Babangida Square in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

He wondered how demoralised and poorly equipped soldiers would be expected to be patriotic in the face of hostile fire.

Buhari gave the assurance that he would lift the morale of the troops.

The recipient of the best R n B/pop album, titled 'The Journey', for 2014 at the Headies was in a recent interview quoted as saying, "I used to sleep outside, hustle and fall asleep in buses. I also used to go to owanbe parties not to dance, because I didn’t have party clothes to wear, but I used to go because they had food. So at least at the end of the party, I could help out, get a little change, then go find shelter somewhere and continue my hustle the next day."

"Whatever change I had, I would take to the studio and use to do my sessions, get a little recording done and transport myself around."

He revealed that those days were rough but he thanks God that he was able to scale through.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, has insisted that his team are not favourites to win the title.

The Blues are currently on top of the Premier League table, two points ahead of second-placed Manchester City. Mourinho’s men can go five points clear, with a win over Swansea on Saturday. But the Portuguese was keen to play down their chances.

The Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on Friday promised to correct the alleged misrule of Nigeria.

He stated that the Peoples Democratic Party had misgoverned the country for about 16 years, adding that the APC was committed to ensuring that it addressed the developmental challenges of the nation.

Speaking in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital on Friday during the APC’s presidential campaign, Buhari promised to put an end to insecurity and frontally fight corruption.

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez had dinner last Thursday at Mastro's Steakhouse in Bev Hills. Diners and staff saw them holding hands during their dinner.

TMZ reports that, they left in the same car and went to a West Hollywood hotel where she was staying.

A blurry picture below was what TMZ got to show us.....

Some prominent Northern groups have condemned President Godluck Jonathan’s visit to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The groups, which doubted the sincerity of the visit, said the President’s trip would remind the residents of the neglect they had suffered under the Jonathan-led administration since Boko Haram began unleashing terror on them in the past six years.

Jonathan on Thursday made a surprise visit to Maiduguri, shortly before 3:00 pm after laying wreaths as part of the activities marking the Armed Forces Remembrance Day in Abuja.

The northern groups said the President did not deserve the votes of the “abandoned” people if the purpose of the visit was to seek their support, that it is a case of medicine after death.

Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, who scored 175 goals for the club, claimed this week Sanchez had been the Gunners' "best signing in the last six years".

Wenger does not disagree but believes Sanchez has competition from Laurent Koscielny when it comes to value for money.

Sanchez has enjoyed a stunning start to his Gunners career, scoring 18 goals in all competitions since joining for around £35m from Barcelona in the summer.

"He is one of the faster adaptors to the Premier League I've seen," Wenger said.

Angry mob kill Boko Haram suspect in Kano, Nigeria

The Kano State Police Command on Friday confirmed the killing of a man suspected to be a member of the Boko Haram sect near Kano Central Mosque.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Magaji Majiya, told NAN in Kano that the incident happened around 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

According to him, the suspect was killed by an angry mob that trailed the suspect from Kabara area to Kofar Kwaru near the Central Mosque where they stoned him to death. He said that by the time the police arrived at the scene, the suspect, whose identity was not immediately known, was already in a state of coma and he died shortly afterwards.

Moyes was sent off in Wednesday's Copa Del Rey game at home to Villarreal.

He made light of his first dismissal since taking over in San Sebastian in November by leaping over a fence into the stands to watch the rest of the match before accepting an offer of crisps from a girl sitting behind him. (...here)

He was cautioned for protesting a decision in the last 16, second-leg match and was booked again and sent off for complaining about an offside with around 10 minutes remaining.

Man jailed for shooting friend dead who wanted to test his 'bullet-proof' vest

Mr Harper had bought what was described as a protective vest from a military surplus store, mistakenly thinking that it was bullet-proof. He was “very keen” to try out his new piece of kit, Southwark Crown Court heard.

After purchasing the equipment from Rugby Trading International Ltd, Mr Harper initially asked another friend to shoot him, to test the vest, but was refused.

Saudi Arabia publicly beheads woman in holy Mecca as blogger lashings get postponed

Laila Bint Abdul Muttalib Basim, a Burmese woman who resided in Saudi Arabia, was executed by sword on Monday after being dragged through the street and held down by four police officers.

She was convicted of the sexual abuse and murder of her seven-year-old step-daughter.

A video showed how it took three blows to complete the execution, while the woman screamed “I did not kill. I did not kill.” It has now been removed by YouTube as part of its policy on “shocking and disgusting content”.

There are two ways to behead people according to Mohammed al-Saeedi, a human rights activist: “One way is to inject the prisoner with painkillers to numb the pain and the other is without the painkiller.”

Cristiano Ronaldo dumped his model girlfriend – after she apparently refused to attend a surprise 60th birthday celebration for his mum.

The football superstar, 29, spent New Year’s Eve alone with his son when Irina Shayk decided not to attend the 60th birthday party, it was claimed today .

Her relationship with his mum Dolores Aveiro and sisters Elma and Katia was at the centre of tensions, according to reports in Portugal.

Chocolate City rapper, M.I Abaga hit the studio to record a track dedicated to the memory of the country’s fallen men and women with a special tune titled ‘Another Man’.

Yesterday, January 15, 2015 was the annual Armed Forces Remembrance Day for Nigeria’s fallen heroes, same day as when 'Another Man' was released.

According to M.I, ‘This tribute is to the men and women of the Nigerian armed forces. They are people who we owe our freedom and safety to. They are the ones who fight, who defend, who hold the line. The price of freedom is often paid by Another Man.’

Nigeria’s celebrated singer and mother of 1, Omawumi Megbele has made it official finally.

The singer just tied the knots with her boo of 3 years, Tosin Yusuf today, January 16, 2015 at the Ikoyi Registry in Lagos after the singer secretly got engaged to her man on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at a private engagement ceremony that had only a few people and family members in attendance.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange on Wednesday warned that the growing strength of the United States dollar was a threat to the capital market as it was capable of encouraging foreign portfolio investment outflow.

The Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema, said this in Lagos during the Exchange’s 2014 market recap and outlook for 2015.

A report by CNNMoney on Tuesday had projected that the dollar could be equal to the euro by 2016, noting that the resurgent US economy had strengthened the dollar significantly in recent months, against almost every other currency.

Jose Mourinho has been named the Coach of the Century by the Portuguesa FA, at a gala celebrating 100 years of football in the country.

The event had FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA chief Michel Platini in attendance.

Mourinho, who is currently coach of Chelsea, also claimed that the trophies he won with FC Porto, are the most important in his career.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF), has announced that all players arriving in Equatorial Guinea for this year’ Africa Cup of Nations, will be tested for the Ebola virus.

According to Julia Nchama Beso Avomo, the administrative attache at the country’s embassy in London, everyone will be subjected to a short medical check upon arrival.

Cape Verde have already touched down in Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday and Congo, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Republic of Congo and Ghana were to arrive yesterday.

CREDITS: PUNCH METRO

Two men on Thursday were burnt to death, buildings razed and vehicles burnt in a fresh fire which ravaged the Ijora Badia and Iwaya, Yaba areas of Lagos State.

It was learnt that while the two victims, identified as John and Yaro, died in the Ijora inferno, no life was lost to the Iwaya incident.

The Iwaya fire, however, claimed 35 shops and shanties, while no fewer than 15 vehicles were burnt. It was said 25 buildings were razed in the Ijora fire. The fire incident in both areas occurred at about 1am on Thursday and lasted till about 6am.

Pope Francis has called on leaders to fight corruption and end "scandalous" social inequalities, on the first full day of his Philippine visit.

The Pope was speaking at a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace hosted by President Benigno Aquino.

He is now celebrating a Mass at the capital's Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Soldiers, Civilian JTF and Hunters in pursuit of the Dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram that attempted to take over military barracks and Biu town on Wednesday has confirmed that, they succeeded in killing 75 fleeing insurgents.

A soldier who was not authorized to speak to newsmen told DAILY POST in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital on Thursday, that, most of the insurgents killed were Chadian Nationals.

Some concerned youths in Bayelsa State, under the auspices of the Bayelsa Youth Vanguard, have threatened to disrupt the Peoples Democratic Party presidential rally if President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife, Patience, comes with her husband for the campaign.

The rally is slated for February 5 at the state capital, Yenagoa.

The organisation therefore warned Patience not to accompany her husband to the presidential campaign.

The 38-year-old took part-ownership in the North American Soccer League side last month and he was presented to the media on Thursday.

The first question put to the World-Cup winner was, unsurprisingly, whether he might play any games for the club, and Ronaldo confirmed he would like to be involved if he can.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Thursday announced that there had been unusual high mortality in two poultry farms and live bird markets in Kano and Lagos states.

The ministry said the bird’s blood samples forwarded to the National Veterinary Research Institute tested positive for H5 Strain of Avian Influenza virus, otherwise known as bird flu, adding that another confirmatory samples were sent to the International Reference Laboratory in Padova, Italy for further characterisation.

Fernando Torres struck twice to reaffirm his place in Atletico Madrid hearts and send arch-rivals Real Madrid crashing out of the Copa del Rey.

The former Liverpool and Chelsea striker scored his first two goals since rejoining his boyhood club as Atleti claimed a 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu to reach the last eight of the competition, and a meeting with Barcelona, thanks to a 4-2 aggregate success.

The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, has faulted a statement credited to President Goodluck Jonathan that Muhammadu Buhari did not buy any weapon for soldiers when he was in government.

Fashola spoke at the 2014 series of the Obafemi Awolowo Free Education Lecture organised by the Faculty of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State on Thursday.

It was reported yesterday (...here) that the president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan paid a surprise visit to Maiduguri on the occasion of Nigeria’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day to meet with officers and men of the Armed Forces currently in the frontline of the war against terrorism and insurgency in the country and also visited over 900 displaced persons from Baga at a camp in the city.

Here are more pictures from the said visit...

Jermain Defoe's move from Toronto to Sunderland expected to go through Friday

Jermain Defoe's proposed move from Toronto to Sunderland is expected to go through on Friday after the player passed his medical.

The 32-year-old only left England for Canada 11 months ago, but he is understood to have now all but agreed personal terms with Sunderland after spending Thursday at their training ground.

A teenager was killed by another boy who thought he was being racist when he started performing the Gangnam Style dance in a corner shop.

Jordan Brennan, 17, broke into the dance in the shop in front of a 16-year-old who thought his South East Asian ethnicity was being mocked.

A tussle followed and Jordan fell back, hitting his head on the metal shutters and then the concrete floor outside a shop in Gorton, Manchester.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Lagos State has commiserated with the victims of the fire outbreak at the popular Balogun market on Lagos Island, warning the Lagos state government against taking steps to take over of razed market.

Promising to support the victims in order to give them succor, the party called for an immediate and thorough probe into the persistent but incredible fire outbreaks at markets, especially those not in the hands of investors called Market Developers.

Former Secretary General of the United Nations and Chairman ,Global Commission on Elections, Peace and Security, Mr. Kofi Annan, was in Nigeria between the 12th and 14th of January as parts of efforts of his foundation, The Kofi Annan Foundation to ensure that the 2015 general elections are credible, fair and violence free. During his stay in Nigeria, he met with major stakeholders in the political scene, INEC, civil society groups and the media.

His visit also facilitated the signing of the “Abuja Accord” on violence free election by the presidential candidates of 11 political parties, including President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP and General Mohammadu Buhari of the APC. Mr. Annan spoke to a select group of journalists in Abuja after the signing of the “Abuja Accord”.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday undertook a surprise visit to Maiduguri on the occasion of Nigeria’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day to meet with officers and men of the Armed Forces currently in the frontline of the war against terrorism and insurgency in the country.

Accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, the National Security Adviser and the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, President Jonathan visited officers and men of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army at Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri to thank them for their patriotic and courageous service to the nation.

The President told officers and soldiers of the Division that the nation was very proud of them and grateful for their dedication and commitment to the defence of the civilian population against terrorists and violent extremists.

Sampdoria are closing in on the signing of Everton striker Samuel Eto'o, according to reports in Italy.

The Genoa outfit, which sold top scorer Manolo Gabbiadini to Napoli earlier this month, are desperately looking to reinforce their attacking line after negotiations aimed at signing Udinese forward Luis Muriel collapsed on Thursday.

Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, on Wednesday, said his 37-year-old marriage had been a blessing and lesson for others to learn.

He said this at a rotary club of Asokoro District 9125 meeting held at Chelsea Hotel, Wuse 2, Abuja, presided over by its President, Rotarian Ogechukwu Ochuba.

Oputa said he had been married for 37 years and still enjoying it.

He added that it was difficult to find a perfect partner for marriage, “but it is always better to tolerate and endure as nobody is perfect.

A hero pet pig saved his owners from being burgled.

Ludwig growled at would-be thieves who broke into Mike Maughan and Liane Scholz’s Derby home on New Year’s Eve.

And as a way of saying thank you, the family has pledged to never eat pork again.

Owner Mike said: ‘The noise he makes is like a low rumble that sounds like the biggest Rottweiler you can imagine so I think they just ran.

Daniel Sturridge has returned to training with Liverpool but boss Brendan Rodgers admits he is some way short of match fitness.

The England striker has been out of action with a thigh injury since August and spent part of his recuperation time in America with the Boston Red Sox over Christmas.

"Daniel Sturridge is back and working well but obviously not ready to play as of yet," said Rodgers. "But he is working well and hopefully in the near future he'll be ready.

Saturday 17 January 2015

Friday 16 January 2015

Thursday 15 January 2015