UnilagAte: June 2015

Monday, 29 June 2015

NFF sacks Falcons Coach for World Cup Failure

The Nigeria Football Federation has announced the sack of Edwin Okon as coach of the Super Falcons. He has been replaced with his assistant; Christopher Danjuma who will handle the team’s Olympics qualifier against Equatorial Giunea until a substantive trainer is employed.

Okon’s job had come under intense scrutiny with the Falcons shaky start of the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup as his team were down before clawing back to a 3-3 draw in Canada.

A further defeat in Australia and the USA made his tenure look like coming to an inglorious end after a fairy tale year where he led the Super Falcons to victory at the 2014 African Women’s Championship in Namibia.

The NFF board was not convinced about his abilities and has now relieved him of the job, thanking him for the time spent with the country’s women national team.

“We commend Okon and his crew for the services rendered to the country, and they did well to reclaim the African Women Championship title for the country in Namibia in October 2014, thus qualifying the team for the Women’s World Cup in Canada,” said Felix Anyansi, chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee.

“The contract given to the crew has elapsed with the Women’s World Cup in Canada. Mr. Christopher Danjuma will now take over the team in acting capacity, pending the appointment of a substantive coaching crew, which process is ongoing.

“The team will soon move to Port Harcourt to get used to the pitch on which it will play Equatorial Guinea in the third round of the Olympics qualifiers. The NFF will provide everything that the needs to succeed.”

Danjuma’s first assignment will be to see the Falcons past Equatorial Guinea, with the first leg in Port Harcourt on Saturday, 18th July and the return leg in Bata on 2nd August.

Sunday, 28 June 2015

26 states withhold implementation of Pension Scheme

Only 10 out of the 36 states of the federation are implementing the contributory pension scheme (CPS) designed to guarantee availability and prompt delivery of pension entitlement of workers upon retirement.
Also over N60 billion cases of non-remittances of contributions by some state governments have been reported and where the funds went into are still unknown as some of the affected states are still investigating the alleged non-remittances.
Findings shows that the complying states as at June 2015; are Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger, Delta, Rivers and Jigawa states.
Vanguard investigations however show that 14 other states have enacted the enabling law which is the first stage in the process of implementation but they are yet to take further steps to actualise the dreams of their workers. These states are Bayelsa, Edo, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Sokoto, Oyo, Imo, Taraba, Ondo, Anambra, Enugu, Adamawa and Gombe states.

*File: Pensioners queuing for verification
Further breakdawn of the CPS implementation statistics at the states shows that the states behind in the implementation are still putting together the pension bill. They are Abia, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Katsina, Kwara, Plateau, Yobe and Akwa Ibom states 10 years after the scheme took off.
The implication of the above statistics is that workers in the 26 states that are yet to commence implementation would have difficult time after retirement as many who have retired before now under the old pension scheme died without collecting their pensions.

Presidency tells Otuoke VC, Registrar to refund Excess Salary

The Presidency, through the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, has directed the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Prof. Mobolaji Aluko, to refund over payment of salaries running into millions of naira.

The Registrar of the university, David Suowari, was also directed to refund cumulatively the sum of N130, 692.71 per month in excess of his due salary.

The over payments were said to have been discovered during the commission’s visit to the institution on May 12, 2015 to carry out an inspection of FUO’s remuneration practices vis-a-vis the extant government’s pay policy.

The VC and the registrar were accused of appropriating certain allowances to themselves which were not approved by the government.

These concerns were raised in a letter from the NSIWC to Aluko, signed for the Chairman of the Commission by the Director of Compensation, Chike Ogbechie.

The commission said, “The findings of the inspection in respect of your institution (Federal University, Otuoke) were as follow:

“The Vice-Chancellor was being paid total emoluments of N1,970,476.76 monthly, whereas he should not earn more than N922,810.23 if he were paid furniture allowance en bloc earlier, or N1,043,176.79 if he were being paid furniture allowance.

“Much of the difference was attributed to certain allowances which were not approved by the government.”

In the case of the registrar, the commission said he was being paid N130,692.71 in excess of his due salary of N502,580.25.

The commission also said the university disaggregated its staff salaries against the government’s policy of pay consolidation.

The NSIWC, therefore, directed the university to stop “the wrongful practices” and comply with relevant rules and rates.

The commission added, “We hereby direct the vice-chancellor and the registrar to refund the cumulative overpayments made to them.

“You are to report to the commission in writing, your compliance with this directive within four weeks of this letter.”

It will be recalled that Prof. Mobolaji Aluko became the Vice-Chancellor of the university in February 2011.

But reacting to the commission’s position, Aluko said in a text message to our correspondent that there was neither disaggregation of salaries nor overpayment of salaries.

The vice-chancellor said, “Rather, pension and health insurance allowances were due to three of us, Diaspora Vice-Chancellors who are on Sabbatical from our foreign universities, and co-paid monthly in naira to us for payment to those foreign universities.

“Without that concession occurring, our own local salaries would have been wiped out completely, and we could not have accepted the job.”

Aluko wondered why the issue was coming up in the fifth and final year of their tenure.

“However, the need for accountability is welcome, and Salaries and Wages Commission will be fully reconciled to the full facts,” the VC stated.

Hoodlums beat Journalist to Coma

Hoodlums suspected to be smugglers on Thursday, beat journalist, Yomi Olomofe to coma over accusations of reporting their activities at the Seme-Badagry area

The victim, Olomofe, who is the Executive Director of the Badagry based Prime Magazine narrated his ordeal to Vanguard.
“I was with another colleague of mine on a visit to the command, when some smugglers, who claimed that journalists have been writing negative stories about them, pounced on me”
“While beating me, they threatened to kill me so as to serve as deterrent to journalists writing stories about them.
“I was there with the correspondent of Tide Newspaper, thank God a friend from Rotary Club came to take me away, I would have been dead, because I was left there almost lifeless.
“These hoodlums are not unknown. They are known to everybody, but they are above the law. They even told me that they have killed many people and nothing happened”
Meanwhile, Olomofe has called on the Inspector General of police to come to his rescue saying his life is no longer safe .

Domestic Workers Kill Former VC of FUTA

Two domestic staff of the kidnapped 78-year-old former Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, Ondo State, Professor Albert Ilemobade, have been arrested for allegedly murdering him and dumping his corpse inside his power generator house.

The late Professor of Veterinary Medicine was said to have been strangled last Monday by his security man, identified as Daniel, and driver, Yemi, and dumped in the power generator house before fleeing with one of his vehicles, a red RAV4 SUV.
The suspects were arrested by detectives in Ogun State, while they were attempting to sell off the car.

A signal was said to have been sent to Ondo, based on the confession of the suspects that they stole the vehicle after they had murdered the professor and dumped his corpse in the power generator house.
Acting on the signal, police detectives were deployed to the house located at 40, Ikere Street, Ijapo, and his decomposing corpse was discovered.

Proemicator.blogspot.com learned that the body was discovered in a store attached to the garage, where diesel is stored.
While police in Akure were busy working on the theory that the deceased was kidnapped, little did they know that he had been murdered and his corpse dumped a few meters away from the main house.

Boko Haram: Mubi Poly reopens, begins lectures on Monday

The Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa, closed in October, 2014, in the wake of Boko Haram invasion of the town, has re-opened for academic work, the Director of Information and Protocol, Mr Philip Ndalamu, has said.

Ndalamu made the fact known to News Agency of Nigeria in Yola on Sunday, saying lectures would commenced Monday.

“We re-opened three weeks ago and the staff have equally resumed work. Arrangements have been put in place for students who have been returning to commence lectures on Monday,” Ndalamu said.

Ndalamu said major repair works of structures damaged by the insurgents had been concluded.

NAN reports that the College of Health Technology, Mubi, similarly closed during the insurgency re-opened three months ago but Adamawa State University also located in the town has yet to resume.

Although workers of the university have resumed, repair work on damaged infrastructure is still on.

The insurgents had damaged basic infrastructure in the university.

Fashola clocks 52 Years

Former Governor of Lagos State and Ministerial nominee, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) recently celebrated His 52 years on earth.

Chairman of Mosilo Group and Bayelsa governorship aspirant, Moses Siloko Siasia has congratulated former governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) on his 52nd birthday, describing him as an inspirational and detribalized leader.
Siasia in a statement, prayed that God continue to bless Fashola.
His statement reads
BRF Sir, as you celebrate your 52nd Birthday, I heartily congratulate you on your sincere leadership to humanity, you have displayed an unusual care to everyone you come in contact with by giving a listening ear and attention especially those who are seen as trustees of posterity from other parts of the country.
You are indeed an inspiration to our generation. May God continually grant you success in all your pursuits and give you good health to achieve your desires.
Happy Birthday to a True Nigerian Leader, a Father and a Gentle Man”.

Joshua Oyeniyi wins Global Student Entrepreneur Awards

27 years old Joshua Oyeniyi has attributed his 2015 Global Student Entrepreneur Awards to God favour and grace.

Joshua Oyeniyi is a media entrepreneur and host of The Ambassadors Radio Show on UNILAG FM. He is first and only son of a family of six and studied mathematics at the University of Lagos.

He added that he owes his success in the contest to distinguished Nigerians like Prof. Pat Utomi, Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and the Chief Executive Officer of Executive Trainers, Dr. Ayo Ogunsan, who encouraged me during my encounters with them before the competition.

The Global Student Entrepreneur Award is a world’s premier award given to full-time high school, undergraduates or post-graduate students, who run a business enterprise, and also are positively influencing their communities. The contest is held annually in over 42 countries globally. Over 2,000 people took part in the 2015 contest with over 300 young entrepreneurs featuring in the Nigerian edition in March this year. The national winner is entitled to an all-expense paid trip to the global finals in Washington DC, US. However, the GSEA contest is an outreach arm of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation; a network of over 10,000 entrepreneurs from around the world with a combined annual turnover of more than $500bn.

The Nigerian board of the Entrepreneurs Organisation is chaired by Mr. Vincent Molokwu, while Mr. Olurotimi Martins and Anthony Okoye serve as presidents of the Abuja and Lagos chapters respectively.

Saturday, 27 June 2015

Joshua Oyeniyi wins Global Student Entrepreneur Awards

27 years old Joshua Oyeniyi has attributed his 2015 Global Student Entrepreneur Awards to God favour and grace.

Joshua Oyeniyi is a media entrepreneur and host of The Ambassadors Radio Show on UNILAG FM. He is first and only son of a family of six and studied mathematics at the University of Lagos.

The Nigerian board of the Entrepreneurs Organisation is chaired by Mr. Vincent Molokwu, while Mr. Olurotimi Martins and Anthony Okoye serve as presidents of the Abuja and Lagos chapters respectively.

DELSU bans Miniskirts, Sets to Limit Fellowship on Campus

The authorities of the Delta State University, Abraka on Saturday banned the wearing of miniskirts by female students.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Vincent Peretemode, in a statement made available to our correspondent, also ordered the reduction of fellowship centres in the school from over 80 to four.

The VC in the statement stated that the number of fellowships in the varsity’s three campuses portended crisis.

He said in the statement, “I have observed in the recent times that over 80 fellowship centres are on the three campuses. We cannot allow such. Fellowship centres have in recent time portended crisis that was almost unabated.”

He added that the school authorities also banned the wearing of miniskirts by female students.

The statement listed the four approved religious bodies to include Catholic, Anglican, Joint Christian Campus Fellowship and Our Saviours Chapel, as it indicated that there could be crisis among the students if the fellowship centres were not reduced.

The vice-chancellor said the number of religious centres in the institution was alarming, especially in Asaba campus totaling over 20. He stated that the figure tripled when added with that of Asaba campus.

DELSU bans Miniskirts, Sets to Limit Fellowship on Campus

The authorities of the Delta State University, Abraka on Saturday banned the wearing of miniskirts by female students.

The VC in the statement stated that the number of fellowships in the varsity’s three campuses portended crisis.

He added that the school authorities also banned the wearing of miniskirts by female students.

Dunga: I'm beaten up like an African descendant

Brazil boss Dunga has caused controversy in his homeland with some seemingly racist remarks in his side's pre-match press conference ahead of the Copa America quarter-final against Paraguay on Saturday.

The former World Cup-winning midfielder was referring to the constant criticism he receives from some sections of the media and the public when he compared the "beating" to which he is subjected to the punishment handed out to Brazilians of African descent.

"I have taken so much beating that I even sometimes think I am of African descent," Dunga said. "They look at me and say: 'let's beat him over there'. Without notion, without anything, they say 'I don't like him' and they start beating me."
Dunga's crass comparison caused a backlash on social media, and the head coach later apologised via a statement on the Brazilian Football Confederation's website.

Queen Elizabeth welcomes the Linus to Her Palace

A-list Nollywood actress, director and producer, Stephanie Linus and hubby, Idahosa Linus on Monday had the blissful experience of being the Queen of England’s guests at the Buckingham Palace. The couple attended the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards, a project, Media Executive and CEO of Del-York International Mr. Linus Idahosa has been actively involved with.
You will recall that a few months ago, Stephanie was promoting this campaign using the hashtag #TheSearchIsOn on her blog and Social Media Platforms while encouraging young Nigerians who are partaking in worthy leadership and charity causes in their communities to register.
Thankfully, four young Nigerian leaders were selected to receive this award. They are Isaiah Owolabi of HACEY Health Initiative; Kelvin Ogholi of UNFIRE; Nkechikwu Azinge of The Sickle Cell Aid Foundation and Oladipupo Ajiroba of The Environmental Advocacy and Management Initiative.
These Nigerians are among 60 inspirational young people aged 18-29 across the Commonwealth who received their awards from Her Majesty the Queen on Monday.
The awards initiated in 2014 by Prince William and Prince Harry is a prestigious ceremony established by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief and The Royal Commonwealth Society.

Olamide steals Shakiti Bobo Moves-LT

An upcoming singer, Olowu Taiwo aka LT. has said that rapper, Olamide stole the popular ‘Shakiti Bobo’ dance moves from him.
LT made this assertion during an interview with HIP TV, monitored by Proemicator.blogspot.com. In his words, “After I did my video, a friend of mine told me the dance I did in the video (Yobo dance) was trending on Instagram by Olamide. And my friend told me he had already told someone who is in Olamide’s crew about the dance. I released the audio version of my own song on 22nd April, 2015, and Olamide released his own song on 2nd May. During that time, I was working on my viral video which I released on 6th May. It wasn’t up to 24 hours after that, I saw ‘Shakiti Bobo.’ I was like, what’s going on; why is this happening at this particular time. I’m not here to point fingers that someone stole my dance moves, but I feel it’s not cool for you to do something that you knew about from someone else, and pick it up as your own.”
Meanwhile, when a call was put through to Olamide’s manager, Alex, to react to the story, he hung up the phone, and other attempts to reach him proved abortive.

NUJ sets to shutdown AIT, ThisDay over Non-payment

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has lent its support for the ongoing industrial action, embarked upon by the workers of Africa Independent Television (AIT) and ThisDay Newspapers over the non-payment of salaries in the last eight months.

The union, in a press statement issued in Abuja by its National Secretary, Shuaib Usman Leman, said apart from throwing its weight behind the staff of AIT and ThisDay, it will take further action which includes but not limited to the closure of the offices of the media outfits nationwide.

While noting that the NUJ is angered by the fact that the management of ThisDay Newspapers has reneged on its promise to pay at least one month on Tuesday, Usman warned that the NUJ will take all necessary legal steps to uphold the rights of its members in ThisDay, if all the arrears are not cleared by Friday, 26th of June as promised by the management.

The NUJ therefore advised other media houses, such as, Newswatch Times, National Mirror and AIT, who are also owing to immediately pay up or face its wrath, threatening to picket them without any further notice.

Governor Ortom promises to End Farmers, Herdsmen feud

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has pledged to intensify dialogue to resolve the protracted crisis between Benue farmers and Fulani herdsmen.

He made the pledge on Friday evening during a courtesy visit to him by the leadership of Miyyetti Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria in Makurdi.

The governor said although he was personally affected by the crisis, he would not procure and supply arms to Benue people to retaliate the loss suffered by farmers in the crises but would seek lasting solution by promoting dialogue between the parties.

Ortom, who said ranches remained the best way to permanently tackle the challenge, said they were a long-term measure.

He said farmers and herders must acknowledge and respect the rights of each other and promote peaceful coexistence, while seeking redress for wrongs through legal means.

The governor stated that he had identified criminals within the two groups as promoters of the conflict and had met with the Inspector General of Police to assist in fishing them out.

He said after separate meetings with the Tiv and Idoma traditional councils, he would convene a meeting with cattle breeders to further deliberate on the matter.

Ortom said he had set up machinery to dialogue with those who possessed illegal arms in the state, adding that he had given those possessing such arms three months to surrender their weapons or face the wrath of the law enforcement agencies.

Queens College, St. Gregory win GTbank Mastercup

The Guaranty Trust Bank Mastercup Final was played at Onikan Stadium yesterday with Queens College, Yaba winning the Female category and St. Gregory College, Obalende winning the male category.
The competition which was designed to source for raw talents from secondary schools in Lagos was sponsored by the bank to give back to their customers.
The first final match of the day was between Queens College, Yaba and Ansar' Ud-deen College, Itire with the former winning 3-2.
The Male category was won by St. Gregory College, Obalende beating St Finbarr's College, Akoka with 3-1.

Queens College, St. Gregory win GTbank Mastercup

Fake Police Officer nabbed in Delta

The Police in Delta State, said it had arrested one Mathew Ochoche parading himself as police corporal, while escorting a vehicle loaded with industrial machineries in Warri.

This is contained in a statement Police spokesperson in Delta, DSP Celestina Kalu, in Asaba on Saturday.

“Police patrol team attached to Quick Response Squad, Warri, intercepted a Ford Transit van with Reg. No. (Lagos) EPE 790 XH, on June 25.

“The vehicle was loaded with fairly used Mikano SP 20 generator and Denyo Daw-18083.0 KVA welding machine.

“The vehicle was being escorted by one Ochoche Matthew ‘m’ who was fully dressed in police uniform with F/No. 255038 and Cpl. rank.”

The statement said Ochoche claimed to be a serving policeman attached to No. 20 Squadron, Police Mobile Force, Lagos.

“However, preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, who previously served with 20 PMF Lagos, have since been demobilised.

“Our investigation revealed that Ochoche was demobilised from the force on July 18, 2011. Mathew is no longer in the police service,” it stressed.

The statement added that the suspect was arrested for impersonation and is undergoing investigation and that the vehicle and the exhibits he was escorting had been impounded.

12 OOU undergraduate die in an Auto Crash

About 12 students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye, Ogun state, were crushed to death along Sagamu/Benin expressway in Ilishan Remo north local government area of the state on Friday.

The students, who were heading to Lagos, were on board a Toyota Haiace passenger bus with registration number XV 311 MUS (LAGOS).

The bus collided with a truck marked BDG 779 XE (LAGOS), resulting to the death of all the occupants.

Tommy Hamzat, commander of the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) in Ijebu, blamed the truck driver for the incident.

He alleged that the driver was moving against traffic.

“I was coming from Sagamu and saw the accident, I parked my car and ran there to see if the passengers could be rescued but unfortunately all the occupants were dead including the driver,” he told journalists.

“Though the bus was facing Lagos, I don’t know where it was coming from. The container truck with no load in it was coming from Sagamu side but was driving against the traffic and that resulted in the collision, which eventually claimed the lives of the innocent people.”

Muyiwa Adejobi, the state police public relations officer, confirmed the incident but did not give details.

The remains of the deceased have reportedly been deposited at the mortuary OOU teaching hospital in Sagamu.

NBC begs Nigerians to Ignore Biafra radio

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), on Friday, urged the public to ignore radio Biafra transmission.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs of the commission, Alhaji Awwalu Salihu, made available to newsmen in Abuja.

The statement said the commission had become aware of a pirate radio station transmitting seditious and divisive content contrary to the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and law.

Obama, Lady Gaga, Democrats celebrate Same sex Ruling

The President of United States of America, Barak Hussein Obama has applauded the country Supreme Court for his ruling by legalising same sex marriage for the whole country. He took to his tweeter handle to say the ruling has uphold equality as being preach by his government. Also several Democrats lawmakers have celebrated the feat with some Republicans frowning against it.

Also Artiste and pop singer Lady Gaga has used her twitter handle to contribute to the trending news by tweeting #lovewins over Prejudice

White House celebrate Same gay Ruling

The White House was lit up in rainbow colors Friday night to celebrate the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage.

In a statement, the president's office said the White House took on the symbolic colors of gay pride "to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to progress and equality, here in America and around the world."

MLADEN ANTONOV, AFP/Getty Images

People hold balloon letters reading "Love wins" in front of the White House more

Shortly after 7 p.m.. the north front of the White House was lit up in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet as about a hundred people — both gay pride activists and tourists — looked on.

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Friday that states cannot prohibit marriages between two people of the same sex.

President Obama hailed the ruling earlier in the day, calling it "a big step in our march toward equality."

Saturday, 20 June 2015

Stop Harassing Nature And Legalize Marijuana In Nigeria – Seun Kuti

In the past few years, there have been a lot of groups and individuals advocating for the legalization of Marijuana popularly known as “Weed”.

Joining this movement is the son of late Afrobeat legend and activist Fela Kuti, Seun Kuti. Seun who is currently on tour shared a picture of marijuana packaging as a consumable with a caption lashing out at African governments.

“While the blind government of Africa are still harassing nature and holding back the economic potential of marijuana in Africa, this is what’s happening in the United States of America”.

Now the real question is, should Marijuana belegalized in Nigeria?

Reason Why We Dropped Wizkid, Seantizzle & Timaya As Ambassadors – MTN

Telecommunication giant MTN has revealed why they dropped three industry heavyweights which includes Timaya , Sean Tizzle and Wizkid.

The company didn’t give a distinct reason but said its ambassadorship “will continually evolve to accommodate new talents and cater for diverse segments”.

See their explanation down below.

“Although there is a finite number of brand ambassadors we can have at any point in time, Nigerian artistes can continue to monetise their intellectual works through our distribution channels such as the Caller Tunez and Music Plus platforms.

As was originally conceptualised, the ambassador ship will continually evolve to accommodate new talents and cater for diverse segments.

This year, we are using a segmented approach and there will be ambassadors for each segment of our market. Using this criteria, new artistes like Cobhams Asuquo will be coming on board the MTN Ambassadorial family. In May 2015, stars including Davido, Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Dr. Sid, Sound Sultan, Iyanya , Chidinma, Banky W, KCee as well as Saka, Osuofia, Mama Geeand others all renewed their contracts with MTN.

The list of those who won’t be staying with MTN contains Nigerian pop stars like Wizkid, Sean Tizzle, and Timaya”. “The list of those who won’t be staying with MTN contains Nigerian pop stars like Wizkid, Sean Tizzle, and Timaya.”

It has been rumoured that MTN’s competitor Glo are poaching for Wizkid.

Courtesy:zamanibetty.blogspot.com

Nollywood films for OSCAR 2016

Nigerian film makers have been given another opportunity to participate in the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, otherwise called The Oscars. This was announced during the week by the Nigerian Oscar Selection Committee,NOSC.
The NOSC, in a statement, said that as preparations for the 2016 edition of the Hollywood laurel show begins, film submissions are welcomed from Nigerian film makers living in Nigeria and Diaspora, for the Foreign Language category of the Oscars.
The competition which invites films of all lengths and genres will open for submissions from June 16 to July 6, 2015.
It will be recalled that Nigeria joined 82 other countries contesting the Foreign Language diadem, after the approval and subsequent inauguration of the NOSC in February 2014, but could not present any film to the Oscars, as the few submissions were considered ineligible.
The 12-man Nigerian committee seeks Nigerian films whose themes relate to the country and are predominantly in language other than English and Pidgin English. Unfortunately, most of the entries received were either in English, poorly subtitled or lacking in some technical details.

MTN Project Fame "Famer"

The MTN Project Fame is back with a bang. The Musical reality show sponsored by MTN company to groom budding Musical talents in West Africa has produced many superstars in most country in West Africa especially Nigeria and Ghana.
This year edition is going to be a blast and new Africans Heroes will be born.

Some superstars that have graduated from the ‘Fame Academy’ include Iyanya Mbuk, whose Kukere, with the famous Etighi dance won the best pop single on the 2012 Headies Award in Lagos; Mike Anyasodo, who by virtue of his Fine Fine Lady video won the 2010 Sound City’s Best R&B Video Award;
Kesse Frimpong, who was voted the Ghanaian’s Best Male Vocalist of the year 2012 and of course the KEDIKE crooner, Chidinma Ekile who won the Best Female Act (West Africa) of the prestigious Kora Award in 2012.

MTN Project Fame 2015 Hits Towns

The award winning music talent discovery and grooming competition, MTN Project Fame West Africa is back for an eighth straight season. Looking for raw talents, the annual show will commence auditions from today in some West African major cities and rest the auditions in Lagos on the 3rd and 4th of July.

This year, thousands of young talents will fight to get into the prestigious Project Fame Academy, where superstars are made, to be tutored by the best in the music and entertainment industry. For this Season, a major innovation that encourages participation from the comfort of one’s home has been introduced.
According to Mr Olumide Akinlabi, the spokesperson of Ultima Limited, the producer of the show, aspiring contestants can simply “dial 5900 from their mobile phone (MTN Line Only) and follow the voice prompt to record their audio audition for 45 seconds.”
Akinlabi stated that after this, the applicant will receive a notification PIN number within 24 hours, which will be used to register online.
Previous superstars that have graduated from the ‘Fame Academy’ include Iyanya Mbuk, whose Kukere, with the famous Etighi dance won the best pop single on the 2012 Headies Award in Lagos; Mike Anyasodo, who by virtue of his Fine Fine Lady video won the 2010 Sound City’s Best R&B Video Award;
Kesse Frimpong, who was voted the Ghanaian’s Best Male Vocalist of the year 2012 and of course the KEDIKE crooner, Chidinma Ekile who won the Best Female Act (West Africa) of the prestigious Kora Award in 2012.

Friday, 19 June 2015

US shooting: We’ve forgiven suspect, say victims’ families

Charleston church shooting suspect Dylann Roof was ordered to remain in custody on nine murder charges on Friday, at an emotional bond hearing during which relatives of the victims expressed their grief.
Roof’s attorney, public defender Ashley Pennington, said his 21-year-old client was prepared to “accept the no bond arrangement.” Judge James Gosnell set the next court hearing in the case for October 23.
Bond was set at $1m on a weapons charge, but Roof will nevertheless remain in custody because no bond was set on the murder charges.
Roof appeared in court via videolink and was seen standing quietly through the hearing, providing brief answers to the judge’s questions.
Investigators say he has told them he wanted the shootings to spark a race war in the US.
Relatives of the nine victims were invited to speak at Friday’s hearing. Several broke down in tears as they spoke of their loss, but also said they forgave Roof.
“Every fiber in my body hurts, and I’ll never be the same. Tywanza Sanders was my son. But he was my hero,” said Felicia Sanders.
In their first public reaction to the fatal shooting, the family of Roof released a statement offering sympathy to the victims.
“We cannot express our shock, grief and disbelief as to what happened that night,” the statement said. “We are devastated and saddened by what occurred.”
Early on Friday, Roof was charged with nine counts of murder and one count of possession of a firearm.
The charges came hours after he confessed to carrying out the attack.
US officials are investigating the attack, in which four ministers were killed including a Democratic state senator, as a hate crime.
The Justice Department announced on Friday that it’s investigating whether it could be a hate crime or domestic terrorism. Agency spokeswoman Emily Pierce said the slayings were “undoubtedly designed to strike fear and terror into this community”.
It comes in a year of turmoil in the United States, where police killings of several unarmed black men has provoked angry national debates about race relations, policing and the criminal justice system.

The Bovi's rise

The fact that BOVI Ugboma was raised in a very comfortable home didn’t stop him from working hard and creating a niche for himself. Although he hasn’t gotten to the zenith of his career, he is taking giant strides on daily basis.
He first met the theatre and entertainment seventeen years ago in 1998, when he gained admission to study Theatre Arts at Delta State University.
Since then, he has grown in the business like fine wine. Today, Bovi is considered the most sought-after comedian in the entertainment industry both in Nigeria and in the Diaspora. In this edition, I introduce to you an actor, poet, MC, writer, comedian, father, brother, son and husband to his lovely wife.

MTN Nigeria gets investors in People Gold Accreditation

Leading ICT company in Nigeria, MTN has been awarded the prestigious Investors in People (IIP) Gold certification by the governing board of the UK-based organisation. The Investors in People Standard is a UK quality standard introduced in 1991. The Gold certification followed an earlier accreditation of MTN Nigeria as an Investor in People organization in 2013 – the first company in all of West Africa to receive such recognition.
The assessment of MTN Nigeria was carried out by a team of IIP assessors from the United Kingdom; their findings culminated in the award of the Investors In People Gold Level accreditation.
Organisations accredited by the IIP go through a series of precise assessments with particular reference to the company’s people management practices in line with the IIP Framework. The rigorous process involves the administration of structured questionnaires among all categories of employees and contract staff to establish the correlation between the company’s people management practices and business performance.
Recent studies into the impact of the IIP standards on performance in companies accredited by the body revealed that abiding by the IIP standards improved organisational performance regardless of organisational size, emphasising improvements in customer service, productivity and employees turnover. It further suggested that IIP enhances employee’s understanding of the businesses.
“For us, achieving the IIP Gold Standard is a validation of the strength of our Employee Value Proposition also known as the MTN Deal. Indeed, the accolades speak to the depth and impact of our people management practices. MTN Nigeria strongly believes that our people are our most critical competitive asset and a key differentiator in the marketplace.
The IIP Gold Accreditation is an independent and objective confirmation that we care about our people and deploy global best practice people solutions and policies that make MTN Nigeria a great place to work,” said Amina Oyagbola, Human Resources Executive, MTN Nigeria.
MTN’s Talent development strategy amongst other people investment interventions which have been carefully implemented over the years has facilitated rapid career development and up-skilling of the Nigerian work-force across all divisions of the company.
Oyagbola informed that 99% of MTN Nigeria’s workforce is Nigerian, and that 98% of senior management is also Nigerian, in line with MTN’s robust local content policy.
Beyond this, according to Oyagbola, the Gold certification will have a ripple effect on human capital development in Nigeria through MTN’s footprint everywhere you go. “We plan to share the benefits of the IIP standards through the MTN value chain. By this, I mean we will enable the development of best in class people management standards in our ecosystem – suppliers, contractors, trade partners and others in line with the IIP standards to improve their performance.
Speaking further, she explained that there will be periodic reassessments and interviews with MTN staff and contractors to ensure the IIP Gold standard is sustained to improve engagement, organizational profitability, performance and return on investments.
Speaking on the accreditation as a motivation for corporate governance that is value based, Mr. Akinwale Goodluck, Corporate Services Executive, MTN Nigeria said the company is consistent in its determination to motivate members of staff and other stakeholders.
“We are delighted to receive this global recognition; it is the highest accolade in people management practices from an independent and internationally recognised body. It has given us additional impetus and determination to continue to deploy global best practice and people solutions to contribute to the development of the nation.” Goodluck informed.

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

Jack Ma Says Alibaba Has No Plans To Invade America, It's The Other Way Around

Chinese online retail billionaire Jack Ma has been all over the U.S. business press in the last couple of days, kicking off a transcon journey to shake hands with small-biz America and penning an op-ed today in the Wall Street Journal about how Alibaba’s expansion plans do not include an invasion of the U.S. market. Rather, the executive chairman of Alibaba wants U.S. businesses to use Alibaba, already the world’s busiest platform for buyers and sellers online, to sell into China.

He’s a stellar pitchman. In remarks today at the Economic Club of New York, Ma started off by asking the crowd of around 300 to raise their hands if they’ve ever bought or sold anything on Alibaba. No one raised their hand. He then asked who’s been to China. Most hands went up (this was an unrepresentative sample of Americans, a third of whom lack a passport). There’s a huge gap between BABA and what people know about BABA, even though Alibaba pulled off the largest global IPO in history and sells more goods by gross value than Amazon and eBay combined.

Ma laid out the big vision for Alibaba: $1 trillion in gross merchandise value on a global, single, transparent place for anyone to sell anything to anyone in China (and, eventually elsewhere, but mostly in China). ”In America, e-commerce is commerce. In China, it’s a lifestyle,” said Ma. “More than 500 million people will be middle class in China in five years. And they will want good products and services, many of which they can’t get now… China must learn how to buy not just import.”

Ma clarified what makes Alibaba different from Amazon and eBay, which is its “asset-light” strategy (to borrow an unfortunately coined Enron term). It has one billion items for sale, 10 million sellers, 350 million buyers and arranges for 30 million shipments a day but, says Ma, “we don’t buy or sell anything. We don’t own warehouses. We manage them for other people. We don’t ship anything, leaving that up to partners.” Ma calls it “playing ping-pong” compared with the game of basketball played by the U.S. majors Amazon and eBay.

Tinubu’s wife snubs Saraki, Lawan takes oath of office

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday administered oath of office and allegiance on Ahmad Lawan and 27 other All Progressives Congress senators who were absent at the formal inauguration of the Eighth Senate.

The senators were gathered at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari, who was billed to address them when the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, proclaimed the Eighth Senate and subsequently conducted the election.

The election, which had 23 APC senators in attendance, produced Saraki as president of the Senate, while Senator Ike Ekweremadu was elected his deputy.

Saraki, after the election, administered oath of office and allegiance on 75 other senators.

However, the others, mainly members of the Senate Unity Forum, led by Senator Ahmad Lawan, mobilised themselves to the chamber as early as 8:30am on Wednesday, waiting for the Senate president, to formally swear them in as senators.

The senators, after the votes and proceedings of the previous legislative day were adopted, took turn to take their oaths by reading it out aloud and append signatures.

By protocol, each of the newly sworn-in senators were expected, after taking their oaths, to present a copy of their certificate to the Senate President and in turn, shake hands with him.

The protocol was duly followed by others except Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central ), who refused to shake hands with Saraki, but merely showed him her certificate and walked out on the Senate President.

Ekiti monarch leads protest against power outage

People of Iyin Ekiti community in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State, led by the traditional ruler of the town, the Oluyin of Iyin, Oba Ademola Ajakaye, have protested against power cut by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company.

There were indications on Tuesday that youths from the town may attack BEDC and its officials due to the tension already generated in the community.

At a press briefing in Iyin Ekiti on Tuesday, Oba Ajakaye lamented that the community had been thrown into darkness since May 21, with social and economic activities in the town paralysed.

He demanded an immediate restoration of power supply, repair of vandalised transformers, investigation into persistent tampering with transformers and availability of pre-paid meters.

The monarch, who spoke through one of his High Chiefs, the Odofinyin, Simon Ayodeji Esan, called on Governor Ayodele Fayose to intervene in the matter and prevent an attack on BEDC officials, as witnessed in other communities in the state.

He said efforts by the community to save the situation had been frustrated with the nonchalant attitude of the BEDC officials.

Oba Ajakaye disclosed that the community had spent N477,000 to repair a transformer located along Igede Road, which would now require another N400,000 to fix it again.

The monarch said another transformer located on Ilawe Road had also been vandalised and would need N850,000 to reactivate it.

Oba Ajakaye said to the surprise of the community that BEDC officials hit the town on May 21 to commence a mass disconnection when residents thought that they had come to proffer solution to the problem.

He said, “In its punitive measures, at least, so it appeared, BEDC thereafter disconnected the whole community, throwing the town into total blackout since May 21.

“We have never been humiliated like this; all efforts made to make the company change its mind and see reasons why its action was wearisome and capable of aggravating the bad situation proved abortive.

“We don’t want to be provoked to the extent of joining the league of towns that had their youths drawing daggers with the companies in the state.”

Climate Peril: Experts warn UN

Scientists on Tuesday called for action to defuse a time bomb of Arctic greenhouse gas as negotiators at UN talks grappled over a climate rescue pact.
About 1,500 billion tonnes of heat-trapping carbon gas are estimated to be locked in permafrost, which is thawing as the climate warms, according to new research.
Releasing the carbon will create a vicious cycle in Earth's global-warming problem, said Susan Natali of the Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts.
The estimated amount of carbon in permafrost -- perennially frozen ground covering about a quarter of exposed land in the northern hemisphere -- represents about twice the volume currently in the atmosphere, she said.
"Emissions from permafrost could lead to out-of-control global warming", according to a presentation on the sidelines of 11-day climate talks in Bonn.
Country negotiators in the former West German capital are seeking to streamline a draft global climate pact for adoption at a UN conference in Paris in December.

AFP / Clement Sabourin

French biologist and leading scientist at Takuvik Joint International Laboratory sets up equipment to detect temperature changes in the tundra near Kuujjuarapik, Quebec, Canada on December 5, 2014
But they disagree on how, and delegates say the meeting that opened last Monday has been taken up by technical squabbling.
There are just two days of talks left, and just over six months before the deadline for signing the final agreement which will seek to meet the UN goal of limiting overall global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
"We are advancing but not at the speed we would have liked," Gabriel Quijandria, the deputy environment minister of Peru, which hosted last year's UN climate conference, told AFP in Bonn.

Saudi summons Iran Ambassador over mass poisoning

Saudi Arabia has summoned Iran's ambassador over a mass poisoning which killed four children and left 28 other Saudi pilgrims sick, official media said on Tuesday.

Riyadh called in the envoy "to express its serious concern over the incident, hoping the Iranian authorities quickly carry out investigation procedures to uncover the circumstances", said Osama Nugali, the foreign ministry's information division chief, quoted by the Saudi Press Agency.

The website of Iran's Press TV reported that the poisoning occurred in Mashhad city, the spiritual capital of the Shiite country.

It quoted Abdollah Bahrami, head of Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad, as saying as many as 33 Saudi pilgrims were hospitalised on Sunday with poisoning symptoms. Four children had died.

They had been staying at a hotel in the holy city, Press TV added.

It cited Mashhad prosecutor Gholam Ali Sadeqi as saying a probe has been launched but there was no initial evidence of foul play.

The poisoning came with tensions high between Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran.

A Wedding that turn to MERS Symbol in South Korea

- A South Korean couple's special day has become an unexpected symbol of the country's MERS health scare, after a joke wedding photo with their guests wearing surgical face masks went viral.

The picture that flooded South Korean social networking sites showed the young couple formally posing with dozens of family and friends -- with nearly everyone's face obscured by the white masks.

It was taken at their wedding in Seoul on Saturday, as the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) gathered pace.

As of Tuesday, nearly 100 people had been infected by the virus, of whom seven have died.

"This is so scary and sad," one Facebook user commented on the photo which was apparently taken by a guest.

But the couple's wedding planner said the picture was not meant to be taken seriously and added that the couple -- currently on honeymoon -- had been taken aback by the publicity.

The wedding was held "normally" in Seoul, the planner, Hwang Myung-Hwan, told AFP.

"They had already taken normal group photos without masks when they decided to do something fun," he said.

Hwang, manager at the eco-friendly event planner Sewing for the Soil, said the firm had handed out 200 masks as a message for "the couple to live a healthy life" together.

"The photo was never meant to fan fears about MERS or scare anyone," he said.

The couple -- whose names were not disclosed -- were unavailable for comment.

For China's birthrate, this may be a bad sign

Chen Lei runs a Shanghai business that helps pregnant Chinese women fly to Southern California and give birth in hospitals in Whittier, Fountain Valley, Pomona and other nearby cities. But come Feb. 19 — when the Chinese New Year begins, closing out the year of the horse and ushering in the year of the sheep — he's anticipating a sharp drop in clientele for his company, Xiduo Baby.

"We expect the number of women who will give birth via our center during the year of the sheep to fall by around 30%. There's nothing we can do about it," Chen lamented. "It's because of this expression: 'Only 1 out of 10 sheep people can find happiness in their lives.'"

For many of Chen's well-educated, white-collar customers, there's little point to going to great lengths to secure American citizenship for their newborns in 2015 if the children are going to be born under a bad sign. Instead, many couples may be planning to wait several months into the new year to get pregnant, thereby ensuring their offspring will be born under the subsequent zodiac symbol. "I think there will be a peak during the year of the monkey," Chen predicted, referring to the year that will start Feb. 8, 2016.

Though some studies say statistics don't bear out the premise of zodiac-challenged birth years, Chen is hardly the only one discussing shifts in childbearing plans. State-run news outlets in recent weeks have been reporting that some hospitals have seen increases in caesarean deliveries, as couples try to ensure their offspring are born in the current year of the horse, which is regarded as more fortunate.

Hospitals in Guizhou,Shandong and Liaoning provinces have all reported such an upswing in births that they've been caught without enough birth certificates to issue. Meanwhile, abortion consultations have also seen a jump, according to official media. All of this, of course, was preceded by dispatches about nine months ago about couples furiously trying to get pregnant "in time" to ensure a horse baby.

The bad buzz over being born in the year of the sheep centers on the notion that such people are — like the animals — "meek and destined for slaughter rather than success," the Communist Party-run Global Times newspaper explained, while adding that the sign also is associated with characteristics including loyalty, generosity and passivity. Among those who believe in Chinese astrology, the sheep — one of a dozen animal signs that rotate through a 12-year cycle — is seen as particularly disadvantageous to women.

The negative chatter over the year of the sheep prompted state-run China Central Television in November to issue a message on its Weibo microblog site that sayings such as "women born in the year of the sheep don't live long" are false.

Unflattering sayings about people born in the year of the sheep, the broadcaster said, date to the early 1900s, when people aiming to overthrow the Empress Dowager Cixi — a sheep baby — cooked up such phrases to smear her. Other sources, though, say Cixi herself cooked up the notion, to discourage potential rivals.

"Know the truth and don't spread the fallacies from year to year," CCTV urged, pointing out that such eminent personages as Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs and Rupert Murdoch were all born under the sheep sign, which is also sometimes known as ram or goat.

Ma Yan, now of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, published a study in 2010 looking at birthrate data between 1949 and 2008 and found no discernible zodiac-based preferences. Duan Chengrong, a demographer at Renmin University in Beijingwho has also published research on the topic and come to similar conclusions, said the government has little to worry about despite the plethora of media coverage.

"It's unclear how prevalent beliefs in such sayings are," Duan said, but "our research showed there was no significant influence on national birthrate statistics."

Teachers protest in Chile ahead of Copa America

More than 100 teachers protested a new government education act outside the gates of the Chile team's training complex ahead of the Copa America opener in Santiago against Ecuador on Thursday.

The controversial Teachers' Statute, introduced by president Michelle Bachelet, has prompted widespread strikes in municipal schools since June 1 and teachers are asking that their demands be respected when the act is finalised.

The group is asking for a reduction in class sizes, planning and teaching time in school hours to be split 50/50, a new, incentivised pension scheme as well as a payment of historical debt to teachers.

French PM under fire over trip to Champions League final

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls came under fire Tuesday for taking a government jet to watch the Champions League final over the weekend in Berlin with his two sons in tow.

The controversy spurred President Francois Hollande to leap to the premier’s defence on Monday saying Valls was on an official trip to meet with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

Born in Barcelona in 1962, the French prime minister is a huge fan of Barca which won Europe’s most prestigious club competition against Italy’s Juventus, 3-1 on Saturday.

Opposition politicians have demanded Valls apologise and reimburse the cost of the trip to Berlin where the match took place.

Their anger was further stoked when it emerged Valls had taken his sons with him on the plane.

“So we learn that two of his children were on the trip to Berlin… the least Valls can do is pay it back,” wrote opposition lawmaker Thierry Mariani of The Republicans opposition party in a tweet.

And European lawmaker and former justice minister Rachida Dati tweeted: “The reality is that the Paris-Berlin family flight took off. But employment, still has not!”

Hollande said on Monday that Valls was on an official trip and had “matters to discuss” with UEFA around the holding of the Euro 2016 football championship in France and the corruption scandal engulfing FIFA.

“The goal was not to go and support Barca, the goal was to represent France,” said state secretary for sports Thierry Braillard.

“The children’s presence in the plane adds nothing to the cost of the flight,” said a source in the prime minister’s entourage.