School resumption: GEJ pleads with NUT, says Govt isn't foolish

Speaking with journalists today September 16th in Abuja, President Jonathan appealed to members of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT to return to the classrooms on Sept. 22 as there is no known case of Ebola in the country at the moment. Below is what he said...

"We have been able to manage Ebola and the whole world is happy with us and we must tell the whole world that we have managed Ebola and no Nigerian should be segregated because of Ebola. In fact Osun State was to have their festival and the news came to me to cancel it I said no, Ebola is no longer a threat in Nigeria and we must tell the world that we have been able to contained Ebola."

Yes, Ebola is in the West Coast, it could happen in Ghana, it‎ could happen in Senegal or any of the West African countries or beyond but they have not closed down their institutions. If we still have Ebola definitely we will not open any of our institutions but we don’t have Ebola. I dare ask is NUT ‎saying that until the world is able to end Ebola is Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone before Nigeria should open our institutions? It is not right. Government is not a fool, it is not any labour body that asked us to take that decision, we took it because we felt that we must protect our citizens.

This is one government that discusses with anybody that has issues to discuss. Even NUT has no reason to threaten industrial action because of Ebola, the governors took that decision. I called all the governors of the states to come with their commissioners of health. On the day of that meeting I did not even allow them to speak because they will play politics. I asked all the commissioners including the Secretary of Health in Abuja, to brief us ‎on the steps they have taken and they listened to their colleagues because it was also a peer review process. If you are hiding certain things by the time you hear your colleagues you will go back and get things done.

We are sure that even if one mad Sawyer comes again, nobody will contract Ebola. We have managed Ebola very well, the world is happy we must tell the world that no Nigerian should be suspected of Ebola and that is the position of government. I will plead with NUT and other unions that this does not require industrial action. They should commend government, they should work with us, they are Nigerians, all Nigerians must work together to make sure that we contain Ebola. Why do we want to create problems where it is not necessary, it is uncalled for.” He said

'Why our top pastors are failing in marriage' - Relationship expert Praise Fowowe explains

Relationship expert, Praise Fowowe, who is a self confessed sex addict turned relationship and sex counselor, in this incisive piece gave reasons why the marriages of some top pastors are packing up. Find his thought provoking piece below

1. A man of God is not God, he is a man: Unfortunately, we treat our men of God as if they are spirits who don't live in human body. What do we expect when we saddle them with our numerous issues. Unfortunately, many are not wise to say no to church members whose lives will continue if they drop dead. Church members have academic, financial, and even marital problems, they go to the pastor as if the man is built to solve every problem and in our quest to prove that we are superstars, we also fail to embrace the use of professionals who are trained in these things because of our hidden fear of respect. What stops a man of God who knows his marriage is in danger to take a back seat and allow a church member whose marriage is a model take a message on a Sunday that marriage is meant to be discussed? You are not built to solve every problem.

2. Anointing does not give immunity to divorce: The same way anointing doesn't give immunity to sexual sins, it doesn't also give immunity to divorce. It takes more than anointing to make a marriage work. I have seen the people we refer to as unbelievers build a fantastic marriage why I have also seen loads of tongue-talking believers make a shipwreck of theirs. The most important ingredient to build a winning marriage isn't prayers, it is knowledge and if you don't have it, you can't pray it in. I tell people that your anointing wouldn't stop you from sleeping with church members if you have a sex problem. If you position yourself around babes consistently in the name of "My daughter in the lord" and you don't draw a critical line, it is only a matter of time. My story is everywhere on how I was a sex addict in church after being born again yet leading praise worship and leading people to Christ until I became real to myself and went to get help. Every counselor needs a counselor and every pastor needs a pastor who may not necessarily be title carrying person because the problem with us is that in this part of the world, we believe that a laity isn't anointed as long as he doesn't pastor a large church. If you are beating your wife, don't pretend you don't have a problem, you need to get help from a psychologist or psychiatrist.

3. There is no relationship without communication and relaxation: So many men of God don't communicate with their spouses. You can't expect an abandoned flower to blossom without your attention. I think many of us saddle our wives with church work that they are not prepared for. I do not believe that because a man is a pastor necessarily means that his wife must be a Pastor Mrs. God's callings and gifting aren't by marriage. I don't understand the calling that will make a man of God remain in Nigeria while he sends his wife to Germany to pastor the branch of the church over there. Excuse me, you are a human being who needs emotional attention. Unfortunately, that is the reality in many ministries. You are a man of God on the pulpit but at home, you are a lover and a father to your children. So you might learn to drop the bible and Christianity on the altar so that you can communicate with your wife and your children in human language. I was invited to a meeting years back and I asked the Pastor's there the last time they had a dance with their spouses? I was shocked when they said it was during their wedding.

4. Isolation isn't spirituality: Jesus never isolated himself. As a matter of fact, he was found in everyday places like our present day shopping malls and movie houses. I see a lot of young pastors who have aged faster than they should be because of Isolation. Something tells us that we need to isolate ourselves to receive a word for a people who are being "pastored" only during the service because many of them are being influenced more by their favorite musician than their pastor. Don't allow church members turn you into who you are not because you don't want to hang out with your babe. They would spread your story when your marriage breaks down. When was the last time you met your pastor in a bus, mall, a restaurant or a cinema? As a matter of fact, when was the last time he was stuck in traffic and you saw him? If your answer is no, then most likely your pastor is a spirit. If a man wants to live in isolation, he should please not get married so that we can save the body of Christ all this embarrassment.

5. Wisdom is in the city square: If a man of God is inadequate on a particular subject, It is not shameful to get help. It is humility to look for help from people that have studied that particular subject. Something to learn from someone we have categorized as sinner. So when I hear someone make statements like there is nothing an unbeliever can teach me, I often ask who taught you how to speak English and understand Mathematics. Age and longevity in ministry is not the same as wisdom.

Graphic pics: Generator fumes kill man, wife & 3 children in Ikorodu

Generator fumes has killed a man, his wife and all his 3 children in Ipoyewa community of Ikorodu, Lagos. The bodies of the family was discovered by neighbours last Friday September 12th in their home. All five suffocated to death after inhaling fumes from a generator which they'd kept in their room. According to neighbours, the man bought the generator just two days before the unfortunate incident and was afraid it will be stolen if left outside so he kept it inside his 2-room apartment.

When the family failed to come out late Friday morning, a neighbour peeped through their window, saw bodies, and alerted others. They broke down the door to discover the horror. And when I say horror, I mean horror. The photos are really graphic so please be warned.

Residents of the community are blaming the family's deaths on lack of power in the area. They claim the last time they had light was 3 years ago, that every house in the area uses a generator. They said they have called on the government many times to help them with light but their efforts have yielded no fruit. See the pics after the cut.. *warning - graphic content*

People need to be educated about the dangers of generator fumes...

The wife

The man

Two Nigerians and an Isreali arrested for smuggling $9.3m into SA

South African police are currently investigating two Nigerians and an Israeli citizen who tried to smuggle $9.3 million in cash into the country on September 5th.

According to South Africa's City Press newspaper, the money which was in bundles of unused $100 bills packed in three suitcase were transported in a small business jet, a bombadier Challenger 600 with a Nigerian crew and piloted by Captain Tunde Ojongbede. Continue...


The jet departed from Abuja and when it arrived South Africa, the money was discovered and when asked, the men said it was for the purchase of arms for the Nigerian security services.

Spokesperson of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), Marika Muller in a statement said the money was seized at the Lanseria airport, northwest of Johannesburg

"The passengers' luggage was searched after Customs officials detected irregularities. The money was detained as it was undisclosed/undeclared and above the prescribed legal limit,"

South African airport security spokesman Solomon Makgale confirmed a police investigation was underway but declined to give details.

 

 

Photos: Young man alleges army brutality

Here are pictures of an alleged army brutality on a young man. This happened in Barkin Ladi local government in Plateau State where some men of the Special Task Force accused the young man of stealing a rifle. The people fighting for the victim said it was later found to be untrue. The young man was supposedly tortured for over 3 weeks. See more photos after the cut...

Newlyweds Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt enjoy honeymoon onboard luxury yacht

Newly married Hollywood couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have six children together so it will probably be hard for them to leave the kids behind and go on their honeymoon...so their kids are with them as they enjoy their honeymoon and prepare for their new movie together, By The Sea.

They are pictured above aboard a luxury yacht in Malta. See more photos after the cut...

Police to deploy sniffer dogs to help locate trapped victims at Synagogue building collapse site

The Nigeria police say they will be sending sniffer dogs to the collapsed Synagogue building site to help search for victims who are believed to still be trapped under the rubble. As of today, the death toll has risen to 45 with 130 survivors.

Mairo drops another Worship single, feat Nathaniel Bassey

After the successful release of ‘You are the reason’ 2 months ago, which garnered international acclaim, Mairo has teamed up with trumpet playing worship Minister Nathaniel Bassey to deliver a soulful sensation of worship in a song titled ‘Ole Halleluyah’ in his Native Isoko language which literary means ‘halleluyah song'. Continue...

He got the song just playing the piano one morning-after singing it for Cohbams (who happens to be a friend & one of his producers) Cohbams asked that he involve Nathaniel Bassey on the track.

In his words“Hallelujah is a heavenly language and for me. This song is a song of victory praising God Almighty for the amazing things he's doing in my life and the lives of friends and family”

Mairo is back in the studio working on his debut album set to be released end of 2014.

If you have anything to be grateful God or even if you’re believing God for a victory in any area of your life, this is a song to put on replay.

The Nigerian woman and the challenge of finding Mr Right - Alibaba

In this piece which he posted on his Facebook wall, comedian Alibaba discusses the Nigerian woman and the challenges of finding Mr Right. Read below...

I have a serious matter at hand that I want to share. In fact, I should have shared this long ago, but the primary message from a friend that prompted the matter, was lost in between the series of inbox messages from those strange girls that are looking for romantic friendships on Facebook.

In a nutshell, a lady friend sent me an inbox message on how it's harder to find a good man in Nigeria. And that the men who are "manageable" (her words, not mine) are so scarce and if you ever get them they are either married to a lady that does not deserve them or just repenting from a bad marriage from one of such women. Or even just lost faith in the whole marriage thing. Continue...

I later ran into her at a club. After the usual introductions that have become common place with these social media network of friends... (You are my friend on twitter, Facebook, Tango, INSTAGRAM... That kind of thing).... I chatted with her a bit and found out from what she told me, that, many women are now settling for anything in between MR Right, MR Not just ok and MR Nearly right. As she put it, it's now a case of looking at what a guy checks out in the top 10 box... And if he has 3 out of 10, snap him up... Work on the rest 7, if you are lucky, you can get him to add 3 more of those top10 qualities... And begin to pray it lasts for as long as you both can manage.

Much as I tried, to get her to rate me, she said, she can only rate someone who is on her radar. So ladies have relationship radar? Yes of course. You think you were not in Mary's radar, and she waited for you to come back after you... ? Ouch!!! (That was my guy who was listening in on our private conversation) I wasn't on Mary's radar.... I managed to mutter. Then she fooled you wellllll. She quickly added.

It got me thinking... What does a man need to show to get on any woman's radar? Money, sense of humor, fame, dress sense, good job, intelligence, good diction, good physique, some visible signs of affluence, confidence,... She let me continue for a while, raised her glass of Henessy VSOP, downed it, and said, "He must first be AVAILABLE. Then you can begin to check out the rest." So I asked, do I look available? She said, "Of course, to the people who do not care if you are married, you are very available! Not to me, OOO. Mary was my boss at Platinum. So that strikes you out." So I asked the next possible question, "so what can I do to look unavailable?" There is nothing. You are even an easy pick. She added. Any man who has a source of income, popular, dresses well, tall, handsome small sef, has a car, is in the circles of successful people, looks like he has potentials to become somebody important and can pay the bills...

Our conversation started having K-leg when she lit a cigar, not cigarette, Cuban cigar and started smoking. I took a good look at her, and realized that, these women who are looking for a MR Right all over Lagos, may just have met him but he is also looking for a woman who doesn't drink alcohol or smoke anything at all. That is the wahala. As you are looking for MR right, he might be dodging you because you are all shades of wrong...

While you are looking waiting for a guy to walk in and fit into your radar, you are doing some things that also confine you to the "never my type" hemisphere...

So, in conclusion, just as good men are hard to find, "manageable" ladies are unicorns!!!!
What is GOOSE for Uganda... Is GOOD for PERU

The resemblance between Jay Z and Blue Ivy though...(photos)

I know he's her dad and they are supposed to look alike but the resemblance sometimes just hits me! She's his splitting image

Lamboginny & Clay take Ebola awareness campaign to the Snake Island

Surge Entertainment signee “Lamboginny' and fast rising rap artiste “Clay”, took the reality in their recent musical collaboration #Broken to the fieldon Saturday morning in a secluded rural community of Nanti village popularly referred to as the Snake Island in Lagos. See all the photos after the cut....

It was indeed a day to remember in September for the Nanti villagers who trooped out in style with their Baale to receive the music stars who were on hand with the Nigerian Red cross as they provided the remote community with a life saving awareness on personal hygiene and environment sanitization. In an attempt to combat the spread of the deadly virus called Ebola, the duo of Lamboginny and Clay understood the need to tackle it from the rural area and so doing they picked the people of Nanti ahead of other communities.

Apart from the fact that free hygiene materials were distributed, medical experts were also on ground to deliver adequate and explicit lecture on the virus and how to maintain a clean hand and safety environment.

The august event was put together byLamboginny and Clay, and supported by Jevinik Restaurants, tho Clay was not present in person but sent his love to the community members.

See below more pictures from the event and however, you could still send in your recommendations for the full scholarship offered by the duo of Lamboginny and Clay on a PRY and a SEC School student. All you need to do is to send his/her name, location and why the child should have the scholarship ahead of others.(lamboginny84@gmail.com)

The 12 soldiers who attacked their GOC in Maiduguri have been sentenced to death

13 out of the 18 soldiers standing trial for participating in the mutiny (revolt action) against their General Officer Commanding, Maj. Gen. Ahmed Mohammed at the newly created 7 Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri on May 12th have been sentenced to death by a military court that sat in Abuja yesterday night September 15th.

Five others were discharged and acquitted while one was jailed for 28 days with hard labor. Choi, they should temper justice with mercy biko o. Continue

The soldiers had on May 14th revolted against poor remuneration and lack of sophisticated weapons to fight Boko Haram. On that particular day, the soldiers lost their cool after seeing the corpse of some of their colleagues killed by Boko Haram men. They immediately opened fire on their GOC, who luckily escaped unhurt.

The President of the Court Martial (military court), Maj. Gen. C.C. Okonkwo, while delivering his judgement said the 12 soldiers were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, mutiny, attempt to commit murder (shooting at the vehicle of the GOC); insubordination to a particular order; insubordination and false accusation.

Those sentenced are Jasper Braidolor, David Musa, Friday Onuh, Yusuf Shuaibu, Igonmu Emmanuel, Andrew Ugbede, Nurudeen Ahmed, Ifeanyi Alukagba, Alao Samuel, Amadi Chukwuma, Alan Linus, and Stephen Clement.

The legal team of the convicts pleaded with the court martial to be lenient and temper justice with mercy stating that some of the men convicted were the sole providers of their families. One of the convict is said to be the only child of his 80 year old mother while another is said to be the father of a 5-month old baby. The legal team argued that giving them maximum sentence would do more harm than good, adding that it would increase the agony of their dependants.

Other members of the court are: Col. TS Nurseman, Col. TO Olowomeye, Col. IG Lassa, Lt.Col. JK Feboke, Lt. Col. CR Nnebeife, Major I Yusuf, Major TA Yakubu and Major AE Martins.

Lt. Col. AA Audu and Lt. Col. U Ukpe served as prosecutors.

'Why I like to expose my cleavage" singer Emma Nyra explains

In an interview with Encomium magazine this week, singer Emma Nyra explained why she likes to show off her cleavage. Which young lady doesn't? Lol. Her response below...

"It's not that I flaunt them but part of your selling point as a female artist is your body, your voice, your look, your hair, everything. Chidinma's lack of hair is her selling point, you understand. Each part of you is your selling point"

Asked why she flashes the boobs even though they are not big, Emma responded;

"Its confidence, you understand. Somebody like Toolz for example, her selling point is her body. Before her voice, it's her body. As a woman, her own packaging is always different. I have grown up to be comfortable with the way the skin is because I have accepted the fact that I can't change it, I have to accept the way I am. Men don't look at me, the women look at women. If I go out with or without makeup, a man will not notice. But if I go out and I see a woman, she will say Emma Nyra you are looking different from how I see you on TV. She would comment on everything to my eyebrow but a man won't look that deep unless he is into fashion and everything. I have learnt to accept myself. If you are not confident about yourself, people won't buy your brand" she said

On her opinion on bleaching, Emma said;

"I grew up with white people and I noticed that white people tan. They wanted to look like me whereas I wanted to look like them while growing up because I wanted to belong. This bleaching thing, Indians do it too, even Americans do it too. Its been so bad lately because the society's perception of beauty has to do with it. The lighter the better, whereas, in Europe, the darker the better. Dark hair, dark skin, its a kind of class. That's how they do their own class system. Our own is just, we have grown up watching aunties bleach. When I fist came to Nigeria, I went to a store and I couldn't find a regular cream, all I saw was whitening. I went to Dubai, the same thing. Indians and Arabs, they bleach. I am more concerned with clear skin, not light or dark or whatever because I grew up seeing girls wanting to be dark. So it didn't affect me that way. I don't support bleaching, I don't think it's right. Some people wear padded bra, some where padded bum. As a woman, you can choose whatever you want. You can change your nose, your breast, anything. But as for bleaching, because of the long term effect, I don't think it's good for you

Boko Haram reportedly abduct men and women in Adamawa state

Daily Trust is reporting that about 50 men and women were abducted after an attack on Gulak community in Adamawa state on Saturday September 13th.

The residents of the community reportedly confirmed that the attack took place and people, including married women were loaded into trucks and taken away.


Musa Uba, a resident of Husra village in Michika LGA which is one of the villages that came under heavy attack said able-bodied young men were forcefully converted into the sect after recruitment efforts through preaching failed to attract volunteers.

“They conducted preaching sessions to attract converts to their sect but people only listened out of fear. The next day they asked if anybody wanted to join them but there was no response, so they selected many healthy looking young men and ordered them to follow them. One of the victims is my relative who did body building exercises regularly,” he said.