Baloogg's Blog : 2015-02-01

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Postponement of election--- INEC, Buhari, US react

The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) has reacted to speculations over the postponement of the elections scheduled to hold on February 14, 2015.
Buhari who has, alongside his party, expressed opposition to any form of postponement, spoke with told YNaija that citizens should avoid getting ahead of INEC saying the Commission is yet to make an official pronouncement on the issue.
“INEC has made no official announcement yet and until then, we wait,” he said.
Buhari, however, used the opportunity to reiterate his resolve against any such decision by INCE saying he “won’t support a postponement.”

The Toy, a popular 80s movie, was about a spoiled rich white kid who buys a black man (played by Richard Pryor). Now there is a real life story: Wallace Turnquist purchased Ezekiel Akpu-nku from Nigeria as a playmate and servant for this 13-year-old son, Skyler.
“Last year I took Sky on a hunting safari to Africa and he was delighted by the African people,” Wallace Turnquist told WSB-TV. “How funny
they were, how they were always smiling and so eager to please. At first he just wanted to take one, but I told him kidnapping was illegal. So instead, I bought him one.”

It was like he was in dreamland. Abiodun Adio, a commercial truck driver, could not believe his luck when he won the grand prize of Range Rover Evogue in the just-concluded Red Hot Promo.
Adio was presented the luxury SUV by the Chief Executive and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, at a colorful prize presentation ceremony held today at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
An elated Adio expressed gratitude to Airtel Nigeria describing the gesture as a “total turnaround in the journey of his life”. He explained that after overcoming his initial disbelief, he has now come to realize the enormity of the good fortune that the prize has placed on him.

Every one loves to be hale and hearty, i mean be in good health at all times cause health is definitely wealth. Though is surprising and appalling to say one would actually pray or wish to have a particular type of disease, no matter how strange this wish or prayer might sound it pains me to let you all know that there are people who actually pray,wish and would do anything to have this 3 diseases in the world tagged as the cool diseases.

Ever watched any of those cool,intriguing and scary alien movies? From their funny walking steps,to their skeletal body frames and bulging funny eyes all achieved by very talented make-up artist. Well it would surprise you to know that there are actually humans that exists like that which is caused by the separation of lobes from the brain be it injury or surgery.

                     An 18-year-old Good Samaritan has told how a man he tried to help beat him so savagely his own mother thought he was dead.
                      Angus Gallagher had 13 skull fractures, three broken fingers, fractured ribs and eardrum damage and needed a titanium plate behind his right eye after the assault by 25-year-old Brian Ramsay.
                      His family reacted with fury today as Ramsay, who dragged the teenager to his house to continue his attack, was jailed for 18 months - and he could be free in just six.
                  Below photos are Graphic. If your Photo epileptic, do not view..

A new TV documentary about his surgery addiction has revealed how Micheal Jackson would have looked like without the surgeries .The documentary titled The 10 Faces Of Michael Jackson showed a computer generated image of how the legend would have looked at 55.
In the documentary, it was revealed out of all procedures, he was most nervous about his nose job, that he persuaded his older sister La Toya to act as a guinea pig.
Miss Jackson, 58, said:

Unto election

Enugu Rangers have counselled Heartland FC not to continue holding on to players that have made their stand known that they were ready to move on to seek green pasture elsewhere that it could be counter productive.
The Flying Antelopes’ Director of Media and Publicity, Foster Chime in an interview hinted that two of their top players: captain, Cyril Oriaku and striker, Christian Obiozor signified their intention to leave for another club and they are now today playing for Dolphins and Kano Pillars respectively.
Chime also noted that the threat by the Naze Millionaires to drag Rangers to a civil court will no doubt make them to incur the wrath of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) advising the club instead to allow players in their domain who have informed them they want to leave, to go, so as to avoid the backlash.

                       The world's most expensive artwork is now an oil painting by Paul Gauguin .It was sold for a whooping £200 MILLION.
                       The 1982 painting of two Tahitian girls by the French artist is titled, Nafea Faa Ipoipo, or When Will You Marry? It was reportedly bought by a museum in the oil rich Arab nation, Qatar
                        This won't be the first time the Gulf nation is buying the world's most expensive painting ..They had set the previous record for an artwork when it paid $259 million for The Card Players by Paul Cezanne.
                          According to the New York Times,the Gaugin artwork had been owned by Rudolf Staechelin, who has declined to name the buyer.

According to AP, an official close to the commission told them today that Nigeria's electoral commission will postpone Feb. 14 presidential and legislative elections for six weeks to give a new multinational force time to secure northeastern areas under the sway of Boko Haram.

Read their breaking news report:

Tottenham Come From Behind To Win Arsenal In Breathtaking North London Derby

Tottenham Striker Harry Kane

Harry Kane's 21st and 22nd goals of the season turned things around for Tottenham as they recorded a 2-1 Premier League win over rivals Arsenal in the north London derby.

Mesut Ozil had given the visitors the lead early in the first half with a brilliant finish to a Danny Welbeck cross flicked into his path by Olivier Giroud, though Spurs were rarely without threat to reply.

Jega

The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has said that there were `new developments’ that needed to be addressed before the conduct of the 2015 general elections.

Jega made the remark on Saturday in Abuja when he and other officials of the commission met with representatives of the registered political parties at the commission’s headquarters.

They have also been warned that a repeat of events at Malabo Stadium will result in the team being forced to play a game behind closed doors.

However, fans will be able to attend Equatorial Guinea's third-place play-off match against DR Congo on Saturday.
Equatorial Guinea must also pay for the treatment of 36 injured fans.

Estadio De Bata

The country had refused to host the 2015 football event due to fears over the spread of Ebola.

Morocco have been banned from the next two African Nations Cup tournaments as punishment for withdrawing from hosting the 2015 event over fears of the spread of the Ebola virus.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has also been fined $1m and ordered to pay $9.12m in damages to the Confederation of African Football and their partners, CAF said in a statement.

Kim Jong-un

North Korea has test-fired a new "ultra-precision" rocket to be deployed across its navy in the latest evidence that Pyongyang is stepping up its development of missile technology.

The exercise was carried out by the North's East Sea fleet under the watchful eye of leader Kim Jong-Un, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday.

Kiev

Pro-Russian separatists have intensified shelling of government forces on all front lines and appear to be amassing forces for new offensives on the key railway town of Debaltseve and the coastal city of Mariupol, Ukraine's military said on Saturday.

Five Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 26 wounded in fighting in the past 24 hours, spokesman Volodymyr Polyovy told a briefing.

16,600 children lost parents to Ebola in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leon - UNICEF

UNICEF says no fewer than 16,600 children are registered as having lost one or both parents, or primary care-givers to Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone so far.
It said less than three per cent of this population has had to be placed outside family or community care.
This is contained in a statement issued by UNICEF’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Mr Manuel Fontaine in New York on Friday.
"Since overcoming their initial fears and misconceptions about Ebola virus, families have been showing incredible support, providing care and protection for children whose parents have died.

Aminu Ogwuche

The Federal Government on Friday filed a seven-count terrorism charges at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against seven people arrested in connection with the April 14, 2014, Nyanya bus station bomb blast.

The accused were arrested by security agents following investigations into the bombing which killed at least 75 persons and wounded many others.

2,899 Teachers And 172 Non Teaching Staff Sit For Promotion Examination In Kwara

A total of 2, 899 teachers and 172 non teaching staff sat for the 2014 promotion examination conducted on Saturday by the Ministry of Education in Kwara.
The examination was conducted in five centres in Ilorin the state capital.

Alhaji Alabi Lamidi, Coordinating Permanent Secretary, Teaching Service Commission and Ministry of Education, made the disclosure in Ilorin while briefing newsmen.

Two new cases of cholera have been reported in Ikuru town, Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers.
Prof. Alice Nte, a pediatrician at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, made the disclosure on Saturday in Port Harcourt in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

She called on the government and relevant organisations to provide potable water and good public toilets to alleviate the plight of residents in the area.

Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has appealed to Nigerians to spend a little time to pray for the peace of the nation and for peaceful conduct of the elections.

The president made the appeal at a special Holy Ghost service at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Redemption Camp, Km 46, Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

Kano State Governor, Alhaji Rabi’u Kwankwaso, on Saturday presented the staff of office to the 14th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II.

Sanusi was appointed the 14th Emir of Kano on June 8, 2014 after the death of Alhaji Ado Bayero, on June 6, 2014.

At the ceremony held at the newly constructed Coronation Hall at the Government House, Kwankwaso described the Emir as a "knowledgeable person who acquired both the Islamic and western education’’.

Thousands of people have come out to march in protests against Yemen's Shia Houthi group's decision to dissolve parliament and create a "presidential council" to fill a power vacuum.
Protesters rallied in Taiz and the capital Sanaa on Saturday after Houthi's announced the formation of a "security commission", including former ministers, a day after its takeover of parliament as part of a coup.

There were demonstrations in Hudaida, Taiz, Dhamer, Ibb and Aden as well as Sanaa.

Pregnant Woman, Seven Others Die In Onitsha Car Crash

No fewer than seven persons, including a pregnant woman, yesterday in Onitsha, Anambra State, lost their lives, while about 15 others sustained various degrees of injuries in an accident involving a tanker and other vehicles.

The accident, according to an eyewitness, occurred when a 40-foot fuel-laden tanker, descending the Awka Road, had a brake failure and rammed into vehicles at Anambra Broadcasting Service, ABS/Awka Road traffic light junction.

APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that in spite of the commendable and patriot decision by the National Council of State that the 2015 general elections must go on as scheduled, proponents of election shift have not given up on their desperation to scuttle the elections.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said, however, that the desperadoes will always fail in their evil machinations, because no power is strong enough to defeat a determined people.

The body of the seldom-seen 15-foot adult male megamouth shark was found by fishermen in Barangay Marigondon in the Philippines.

The gargantuan beast has been dubbed 'toothless' by locals despite the fact it has 50 rows of gnashers.

There have previously been only 64 recorded sightings of this type of shark.
The humongous fish's cause of death has yet to be determined but country's Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will carry out an investigation to determine what killed it.

Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan on Thursday said there was no truth in media reports suggesting that the federal government was denying accreditation to foreign journalists who wanted to cover the coming general elections.
Yemi-Esan said the ministry views the claim as deliberate ploy by some politicians to smear the image of the federal government ahead of the elections.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, critically acclaimed Nigerian novelist has been nominated for the 57th Grammy Award for her feminist-inspired collaboration with American entertainer Beyonce, on her 2013 track “Flawless.”

Following her TEDx talk on why “We Should All Be Feminists,” Beyonce incorporated the writer’s essay into her single, which further brought more life to her craft.

Boko Haram militants clashed on Friday with soldiers in Niger, who were reinforcing border positions to fend off the insurgency that is spreading from Nigeria into neighbouring states, officials in Niger said.

At least five local soldiers were wounded, they said.
The fighting is taking place in the southeastern region of Diffa where Chad has sent hundreds of troops to help Niger take on Boko Haram at its long, porous border.

INEC Press Release

Following the National Council of State Meeting, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has scheduled to hold a meeting with the chairmen a secretaries of all political parties on Saturday, February 7th 2015.

This was made public via the official Twitter Page of the Commission @inecnigeria Friday.

The statement read, "As a follow up to the council of State meeting yesterday, the Commision will have a meeting with RECs, Chairmen and Secretaries of all registered political parties on Saturday 7th, February. The Chairman will hold a press conference after the meeting #NigeriaDecides."

Guinea Ebola Infections Double As Hidden Cases Discovered

The number of people sick with Ebola fever has doubled in Guinea in the past week following the discovery of cases previously unknown to health authorities, a Guinea health official said on Friday.

About two dozen new suspected and confirmed Ebola cases were recorded in the past two weeks, taking the total number to 53 as of Friday, Fode Tass Sylla, a spokesman for Guinea's anti-Ebola task force, said.

Left, Don Jazzy; Right, D'Banj

Popular Nigerian musician, Dapo Oyebanji, better known as D’banj, has revealed his willingness to still work with his former producer, Don Jazzy.

This is coming a few weeks after he blamed Dr. Sid for masterminding the break-up of the Mo Hits Crew, which had brought him together with Don Jazzy.

Cristiano Ronaldo

A Canadian university is offering fans of Cristiano Ronaldo the opportunity to take a course in the Real Madrid star.

The University of British Columbia Okanagan is enrolling for a fourth-year sociology module on Ronaldo due to his popularity and influence on Portuguese and global society.

Luis LM Aguiar, associate professor of sociology in UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, said: "Sociology is nothing if not the delving into the processes of structuring identities and experiences and exposing the social forces that push these processes.

YouTube For kids Edges Closer As Google Buys Apps Firm Launchpad Toys

Google has bought children’s apps developer Launchpad Toys for an undisclosed amount, in a deal that may well be related to its plans to launch a new version ofYouTube aimed at kids.

The San Francisco-based developer, which made the Toontastic series of apps,announced the acquisition on its website.

NSE

Activities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Thursday reversed on the downward trend after appreciating for three consecutive days.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the market capitalisation, which opened at N10.198 trillion, decreased by 1.20 per cent or N122 billion to close at N10.076 trillion.

The Lagos State Government has dismissed the allegation of non-implementation of the National Minimum Wage policy in the state as a display of ignorance by the opposition, asserting that Lagos was the first to implement the policy among the 36 states of the Federation.

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, was quoted recently in some national dailies as alleging that the Lagos State Government was yet to implement the National Minimum Wage policy of the Federal Government.

Ghana would be facing Ivory Coast in the final of the 2015 African Cup of Nations after securing a 3-0 win over hosts Equatorial Guinea.

However, crowd trouble marred the end of the semi-final duel in Malabo, as the match was suspended in the closing stages.
With the match in the final 10 minutes, their fans were forced to leave the stands and take refuge behind one of the goals after being pelted with objects from rival supporters.

APC leaders and some youths in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State have insisted that there will be no election in Imo State if INEC fails to deliver the Permanent Voter Cards to the remaining 10 out of the 12 wards in Owerri North Local Government Area.

Over 100 youths from Owerri North Local Government Area stormed the INEC office along Port Harcourt Road in Owerri, the state capital, protesting that elections will not hold in the state if INEC does not provide them with their PVCs.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis said it is Okay to smack your children to discipline them as long as their dignity is maintained.

Francis made the remarks this week during his weekly general audience, which was devoted to the role of fathers in the family.
He outlined the traits of a good father - one who forgives but is able to "correct with firmness" while not discouraging the child.

Lionel Messi says himself and the rest of his Argentina team-mates will forever regret the chances they missed in their World Cup final defeat to Germany.

The Albiceleste saw off the Netherlands 4-2 on penalties in the semi-final to reach the final but were beaten 1-0 by Joachim Low's men in the tournament showpiece in Brazil, with Mario Gotze scoring the winning goal.
Messi was shown various clips from the competition in an interview with Fifa and having had the opportunity to reflect on the game, he admitted he has regrets.

James Rodriguez has undergone surgery on a broken metatarsal sustained in Real Madrid's 2-1 victory over Sevilla on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old opened the scoring with a diving header on 12 minutes but was substituted 15 minutes later after picking up the injury.
Madrid announced the break required an operation and James has now gone under the knife in a bid to cure the problem, with the club revealing it was a complete success.

South Sudanese fighters carried out a "month of rape", a top United Nations rights chief has said, warning that atrocities continue with a seventh ceasefire broken.

"Violations continue to take place," said UN Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic, after visiting the "destroyed" towns of Bentiu and Malakal.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described the audio clip released by the All Progressives Congress (APC), through its media organ, SaharaReporters as fake, saying; he never held any meeting with anyone to rig the June 21, 2014 election, suggesting that his voice and those of others could have been faked using technology like Natural Voices.

He said the audio clip was APC's new calculated attempt to discredit the election results, having failed woefully both at the poll and the tribunal.

Some APC Governors At The Nationsl Council Of State Meeting

APC Governors, under the aegis Progressive Governors Forum, have expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the Council of State meeting which held on Thursday at the State House, Abuja.

This is contained in a communiqué signed by Gov. Rochas Okorocha, Chairman of the forum and governor of Imo State.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Thursday said The Naira, at the interbank market, gained 80 kobo to the dollar.

The apex bank, in a statement in Lagos, said that the Naira closed at N185.50 from the N186.30 recorded on Wednesday.
It was reported that the appreciation may be due to regular intervention at the interbank and foreign exchange markets by CBN.

Both engines of the TransAsia ATR 72-600 flight that crashed in Taiwan this week failed before it plummeted into a river, killing at least 35 people, authorities said on Friday.

The engines failed to produce enough thrust to the propellers for two minutes after take-off, China’s Aviation Safety Council said, revealing attempts to turn off and restart one engine.

Gov. Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State

Gov. Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has called on the people to support his administration beyond 2015 in order to enjoy more dividends of democracy.

He made the call while inaugurating the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre he donated to Bingham University, Karu, on Thursday.

Ghana boss Avram Grant admitted he feared for the safety of his players following his side's 3-0 Africa Cup of Nations final victory over Equatorial Guinea on Thursday night.

Goals from Ayew brothers Jordan and Andre sandwiched a Mubarak Wakaso effort as the Black Stars sealed a straightforward 3-0 win, though the conditions were anything but.

Liu Jieyi

China has welcomed Africa’s efforts to combat the threat of the Boko Haram Islamist militants in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, but warns that it remains unclear what role the United Nations (UN), particularly the Security Council, will play in sanctioning a newly agreed regional force.

China's Permanent Representative to the UN, Liu Jieyi, who has assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month on February, explained here this week that Council would look carefully at proposals regarding the new African Union backed force in its fight against the terrorist group.

At least 6,000 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Wamakko Local Government Area of Sokoto State defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on thursday.

There are reports saying that the defectors were received in Wamakko by Alhaji Ibrahim Milgoma, Chairman of PDP in Sokoto state.
The spokesman for the defectors, Alhaji Abubakar Gedawa, said they joined the PDP to get justice and equity.

Fernando Torres Tops UEFA’s Best January Signings Poll

Atletico Madrid striker, Fernando Torres has been considered by fans as the best January transfer signing by clubs in a poll conducted by Europe’s football governing body UEFA on their website.

UEFA.com finished transfer deadline day by asking more than 50 million social media followers to name who they thought had been the best signings of the winter window.

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