31 October 2014

FG sacks four PTDF directors


The appointments of four management staff of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund were terminated on Friday by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

A brief statement by the Head, Press and External Relations, PTDF, Mr. Kalu Otisi, said the affected persons were managers and the termination directive was given by the ministry.

No reason was given for the sack, as Kalu refused to speak on the cause of the termination.

The fund said, “The appointments of four general managers in the Petroleum Technology Development Fund have been terminated following a directive issued by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

“The affected General Managers are
Jacqueline Guyil, General Manager,  Strategic Planning and Documentation; Olajide Adebulehin, General Manager,  Projects; Ahmed Z. Balarabe, General Manager,  Administration and Human Resources; and Ahmed Aminu, General Manager, Education and Training Department.”

Also affected by the disengagement order, according to the statement, is Tinu Oluleye, an officer with the Fund.

It added that “the affected officers have been directed to hand over all properties of the Fund to the next most senior staff and to report to the finance and accounts department of PTDF for their entitlements.”

PTDF is a parastatal being supervised by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

The post FG sacks four PTDF directors appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.


30 October 2014

Fall In Oil Price Will Make Nigeria's Economy Better

As global oil price continue to fall, Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, has described the development as a blessing in disguise for Nigeria.

Sulaiman, who is also Deputy Chairman, National Planning Commission, said that the development would have a positive impact on Nigeria’s economy.

He gave the assurance, while speaking at an institutional lecture for Block 3 participants of the National Defence College (NDC) in Abuja in a paper, entitled National Planning and Vision 20:2020: An Assessment.

Explaining why he believed the oil price fall will have a positive impact on the economy, Sulaiman said since about 80 percent of the country’s revenue come from oil, the government will be challenged to break even.

“All we need do is explore other areas. The Customs has surpassed its target, same with FIRS. We need to block all loopholes which are what we are doing as a government.

“We can do without oil to survive, because there are nations who do not have oil and are pretty surviving. So, what are we talking about?

“The present administration is one that has foresight and had long prepared for this through its policies and programmes in various sectors, agriculture inclusive.

“Government is diversifying. It will affect us, but not to the extent people think. There are areas the country can still explore.

“It is a challenge. We should not be lazy; we should prepare for the future. Oil will not be there eternally,” he said.

29 October 2014

Hot Nigerian Jobs: 78 Latest Jobs

Entry-Level and Experienced Job Recruitment at Guinness Nigeria Plc (5 Positions) Guardian Newspapers Limited Job Vacancies (5 Positions) Masssive Recruitment for Academic and Non Academic Staff at Fountain University, Osogbo (Over 45 Positions) Massive Academic and Non Academic Staff Recruitment at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Gusau (Over 40 NEW Positions) Ischus Consulting - Leading Nigerian Independent Oil and Gas Company Job Recruitment (10 Positions) Dr. Wunmi Bolaji & Co Job Vacancies (4 Positions) Nigeria Police Academy Selection Board List of Successful Candidates Invited for Interview for Admission into the Second Regular Course of the Degree Programme Sales Representatives at Almega Nigeria Limited - 5 Positions Technical Manager at HT-Limited Facility Manager at a Reputable Hospitality/Construction Company Medical Sales Representatives at Almega Nigeria Limited - 9 Positions Area Sales Manager at Almega Nigeria Limited Entry-Level Shuttle Data Technician (OND) at Guinness Nigeria Plc Lead Service Manager at GE Entry Level Warehouse Reconciliation Supervisor at Guinness Nigeria Plc Entry Level Warehouse Technician at Guinness Nigeria Plc (a Diageo Company) Technical Lead, Monitoring and Evaluation/Operations Research at Management Sciences for Health (MSH) Task Specialist, Gender and Inclusion at Social Development Direct Product Manager at Roche Civil Engineer - Business Development at AIM Consultants Limited Planning Manager at Stresert Services Limited Administrative Civil Engineer at AIM Consultants Limited E-Commerce and Media Marketing Specialist at Animal Care Services Konsult Limited Voice and Messaging Engineer (Opco) at Stresert Services Limited Registered Architect at AIM Consultants Limited Proc.

28 October 2014

2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or 23-man shortlist

Bale nominated for Ballon d'Or Gareth Bale scored 22 goals for Real Madrid last season Wales forward Gareth Bale is the only player from the home nations on the 23-man shortlist for the Fifa 2014 men's world footballer of the year award. Bale, 25, scored 22 goals for Real Madrid last season, as the La Liga side won the Champions League. Five Premier League players in Thibaut Courtois, Diego Costa, Angel Di Maria, Eden Hazard and Yaya Toure have also been nominated for the Ballon d'Or. Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo will be looking to retain the award. Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, who has won the award three times in the last four years, is also on the shortlist, alongside team-mate Neymar. The 23 shortlist will be reduced to three in December before the winners are announced on 12 January, 2015 in Zurich. Wales the only home nation on the shortlist For the second successive year, no player from England, Scotland or Northern Ireland are represented in the final 23.  Continue...

Top 10 Science, Enginnering, Technology Scholarships for Foreign Students

Do you want to pursue an international degree in Science, Engineering, or Technology for free? The Science, Engineering, and Technology fields are popular fields of study supported by scholarships and fellowships by foreign governments, universities, and international organizations. scholars4dev.com lists the top 10 scholarships in the field of science, engineering, and technology offered by Universities around the world.

27 October 2014

Hot Nigerian Jobs: Latest Jobs

Graduate and Experience Job Recruitiment at GE Nigeria (10 Positions) Graduate and Experienced Job Recruitment at Edwin Drake Nigeria (10 Positions - Oil & Gas) Academic and Non - Acedemic Job Vacancies at Christ The Redeemer`s International Secondary School (5 Positions) Graduate and Experienced Job Recruitment at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited (6 Positions) Tusen Consulting Limited Job Recruitment (15 Positions) biZmarrow Technologies Limited Job Vacancies (5 Positions) Nigerian Stock Exchange Annual Essay Competition 2014 SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Job Vacancies (6 Positions) Graduate and Experienced Job Recruitment at AG Leventis Nigeria Plc (7 Positions) Nestle Nigeria Plc Fresh & Experienced Graduates Recruitment (17 Positions) Account Officer at Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) Programme Officer at Justice, Development and Peace Commission Project Assistants at eHealth Nigeria Principal Results Specialist at African Development Bank (AfDB) HR Coordinators at eHealth Nigeria Principal Staff Integrity Investigation Officer at African Development Bank (AfDB) Community Mobilization Officer at Action Against Hunger | ACF-International Business Development Manager - EPC at Edwin Drake Nigeria - Oil & Gas General Manager at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited Design Architect at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited Administrative Officer at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited Office Assistants at Gilead Pharmaceuticals Limited Graduate Marketing Officer at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited Site Architect at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited Dispatch Riders at Gilead Pharmaceuticals Limited Executive Drivers at Gilead Pharmaceuticals Limit.

26 October 2014

Osun Celebrates New Islamic Year, Declares Monday Public Holiday

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, on Saturday joined other Muslims to celebrate the beginning of a new Islamic year- Hijra 1436. The governor, who joined Muslim leaders and adherents of the religion at the Osogbo township stadium at a ceremony to usher in the New Year which started on Saturday, declared tomorrow, Monday, as a public holiday in the state. Aregbesola said this would give them the opportunity to reflect on the lessons of Hijra. He also called on all Muslims to use the occasion to draw nearer to God and be at peace with their neighbours. “There is no basis for anybody or groups to hide under Islam to perpetrate evil. “Islam is not a religion of violence, any person, group or sects who indulge in violence or its associated vices are not followers of Islam, they are wicked and not good examples of Islam”, Aregbesola.

25 October 2014

Super Falcons Ready For Final Fixture Against Cameroon

There’s No Stopping the Nigerian Ladies from Reclaiming AWC Nigeria Vs Cameroon Venue: Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek Namibia Date: Saturday, October 25, 2014 Time: 5pm (Nigerian Time) The target is to reclaim African Women Championship for the 9th time and Super Falcons of Nigeria have spoken of their total determination to beat their arch rival Cameroon in the final on Saturday at the Sam Nujoma stadium in Windhoek, Namibia. Many people are already talking about the epic finals. J Jacqueline Shipanga, Namibian women national team coach said: “The Nigeria girls are good and way better than all the teams here for the AWC” After Super Falcons ousted the South African women team, Bayana Bayana, their coach said: “there’s no stopping the Nigerian ladies now. Read what many of the Falcon ladies are saying concerning the finals:

Hot Nigerian Jobs: 99 Latest Jobs

Graduate and Experienced Job Recruitment at AG Leventis Nigeria Plc (7 Positions) SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Job Vacancies (6 Positions) Graduate and Experienced Job Recruitment at Edwin Drake Nigeria (10 Positions - Oil & Gas) Graduate and Experienced Job Recruitment at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited (6 Positions) Graduate and Experience Job Recruitiment at GE Nigeria (10 Positions) Tusen Consulting Limited Job Recruitment (15 Positions) biZmarrow Technologies Limited Job Vacancies (5 Positions) Nigerian Stock Exchange Annual Essay Competition 2014 Account Officer at Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) Programme Officer at Justice, Development and Peace Commission Project Assistants at eHealth Nigeria Principal Results Specialist at African Development Bank (AfDB) HR Coordinators at eHealth Nigeria Principal Staff Integrity Investigation Officer at African Development Bank (AfDB) Community Mobilization Officer at Action Against Hunger | ACF-International Business Development Manager - EPC at Edwin Drake Nigeria - Oil & Gas General Manager at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited Design Architect at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited Administrative Officer at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited Office Assistants at Gilead Pharmaceuticals Limited Graduate Marketing Officer at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited Site Architect at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited Dispatch Riders at Gilead Pharmaceuticals Limited Executive Drivers at Gilead Pharmaceuticals Limited Technical Architect at Squarehead Management & Consulting Limited Drilling Superintendent at Edwin Drake Nigeria - Oil & Gas Seismic In.

24 October 2014

IYA ISAAC this Sunday at Arts Theatre UI

Hey folks! Iya Isaac is coming to UI on Sunday. She'll be @ Arts Theatre by 5pm. Powered by VHF UI.

23 October 2014

Attend One Week MBA in Dubai this December

Dear SLB readers, Enjoy One Week MBA in Dubai by Metropolitan School of Business and Management UK (UAE Campus). The 1 Week Special Executive MBA is a Programme that has been designed as both a refresher course and a crash Programme specifically for Senior Managers, Executives and Entrepreneurs who contribute to or make Strategic Decisions. It is a refresher course for those participants who have had their Masters a long time ago and need a quick reminder and Professional/academic updates. It is also a crash Programme for those very experienced professionals who can't make time out for their Masters yet require the Academic and Practical relevance of a Masters experience. Date: December 6th-12th, 2014.                                                                                                                                                            Fee: N600,000.

22 October 2014

5 reasons why celebrity marriages fail - Fowowe

The massive celebrity divorce cases in recent times have raised questions in different groups. Everyone seems to be asking. Why do celebrity marriages fail? In an exclusive chat with Adetorera Idowu, sex and relationship expert, Praise Fowowe, highlights 5 reasons why celebrity marriages fail.                                           Upbringing                                             I always tell people that there is nothing called a bad marriage; you can only have two bad people or one bad person upsetting the system. People attribute marital breakups to several reasons but the part no one talks about is the upbringing of the people involved. If you have not been brought up as a whole person from childhood, by the time you get married you are already destroyed and naturally you won’t be able to run a marriage.                    Unhappiness                                      We often assume that because a person can speak English or act or sing, we assume the person is sane but most of the time I realise this is not true. When I counsel people and they tell me they are not happy in their marriages, the first question I ask is, “Have you ever been happy in your life?” And they realise they’ve never really been happy.                                            Wrong intention                          People get married for the wrong reasons. Some because they feel it’s the next thing to do. Some feel because they have money, while some others do it because all their friends are married. These reasons signal that your reason for getting married is wrong. Only dead people can marry successfully. You have to be dead to yourself, dead to your ego; dead to what you think is right, dead to culture, dead to religion, dead to a whole lot of things. I’ve been married for over 8 years so I know what I’m talking about.        Pride                                                        If I didn’t know many of these celebrities 10 years ago, I would have thought they were not born in Nigeria, because of the quality of lives they are living. Some of them wore patched up school uniforms while some were from extreme poverty. Suddenly, they start making money and they become totally different people. It’s shocking that we are in such a hurry to catch up with Hollywood. We are not just producing like them; we are beginning to act like them. For those who find themselves on the red carpet consistently, when they get married, they don’t know how to switch from red carpet to domestic mode so they still carry the red carpet mentality into their homes. At home, I’m a husband to my wife, a father to my children. I’ll be stupid to expect my wife to accord me the respect my fans accord me. She did not marry a celeb, she married a Praise Fowowe. That’s why I don’t know the difference between red or green or blue carpet. When people live their lives thinking that endorsement deals are a big deal then there is no way their marriages wont crash.                   Low self esteem We have people who think that being on the red carpet is a big issue. If you find yourself on the red carpet and think you’re bigger than the whole world, you have a self esteem problem and self esteem has nothing to do with whether you’re a celebrity or not. I realise that people who behave like that are people who are very poor. Poverty has nothing to do with money; poverty is a thing of the mind. When you’re mentally poor and you have something that looks like money, you’ll be rude to people. I’m free enough to eat roasted corn on the road. Because you’re a celeb, when your car breaks down you feel pressured, meanwhile it’s a normal thing. If I have to go from my office to Opebi and there is traffic and I have an appointment to catch, I will pick a NAPEP and go where I want to go. It doesn’t change me. When people have low self esteem, it manifests in so many ways so we call it irreconcilable differences. Irreconcilable difference is another word for immaturity. Mature people can reconcile every now and then.

Hot Nigerian Jobs: 90 Latest Jobs

Academic Staff Job Recruitment at Wellspring University (Over 40 Positions) Oxfam Nigeria Job Vacancies (10 Positions) Inter Global Technologies Limited Job Recruitment (16 Positions) Guinness Nigeria Plc Job Recruitment (5 Positions) Graduate and Experienced Job Vacancies at MacTay Consulting (14 Positions) Petrocon Offshore Logistics Limited Job Vacancies (5 Positions) CourierPlus Limited Job Vacancies (10 Positions) Monaco Ventures Nigeria Limited Job Vacancies (5 Positions) Erisco Foods Limited Job Vacancies (7 Positions) Compovine Technologies Limited Job Vacancies (7 Positions) Infrastructure Development Company Job Vacancies (6 Positions) Union Diagnostic and Clinical Services Job Vacancies (5 Positions) Canaan Consulting Job Vacancies (5 Positions) Graduate and Experienced Job Vacancies at Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) Nigeria (5 Positons) Media Relations Executive at SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Public Affairs & Government Relations at SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Brand Specialist (Brand Management) at SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Talent Acquisition Specialist at GE Oil & Gas Drill Site Manager at Chevron Nigeria Limited Head, Local Corporates and Commodity Traders & Agriculture (Corporate & Institutional Clients) at Standard Chartered Bank Workover Intervention Engineer at Chevron Nigeria Limited Electrician at Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc Graduate Analyst - IARCS at KPMG Nigeria Experienced Analysts- Internal Audit, Risk & Compliance at KPMG Nigeria Accountant at Lonadek Nigeria Business Assurance Manager (Internal Auditor) at JNC International Limited Business Development Managers at RS Hunter Limited - 5 Positions Managing Director.

21 October 2014

Courtesy of SMS Africa

 Dear Esteemed Customer, We are proud to inform you of a great opportunity to own your own recharge top up to sell MTN, GLO, AIRTEL and ETISALAT. It is an incredible opportunity that will enable you customers to buy directly from your website with their bank ATM debit cards from the comfort of their home or offices. It is secured, reliable and profitable.  If you are interested, kindly send you name, phone, email and location to info@mobilerechargeng.com  MobileRecharge Team. 2014 SMS AfARICA.

20 October 2014

Nigeria 'interested' In Hosting AFCON 2015


Nigeria 'interested' in hosting 2015 Afcon Seyi Akinwunmi, vice president of the NFF, has told Goal that the country has the capacity to host the Africa Cup of Nations if asked by CAF Oct 20, 2014 15:52:16 Nigeria could host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations if Morocco pull out of staging the continent’s biggest football showpiece due to fears over the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease, according to Seyi Akinwunmi, vice president of the Nigeria Football Federation.

 While the north African country is mauling over the decision whether to pass up the opportunity to host the tournament, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has already written to a few countries including Ghana and Egypt to ask if they can host the Cup of Nations.

19 October 2014

Hot Nigerian Jobs: 44 Latest Jobs

NNPC / MPN Apprenticeship Program 2014 / 2015 Sterling Bank CV / Resume Submission 2014 MTN Nigeria Job Recruitment (8 Positions) Etisalat Nigeria Job Recruitment (5 Positions) University of Lagos (UNILAG) Academic and Non Academic Job Vacancies (13 New Positions) Creative Associates International Job Vacancies (Over 20 Positions) Salta Infrastructure & Construction Company Limited Job Vacancies (9 Positions) Ziatech Nigeria Limited Job Vacancies (5 Positions) Canaan Consulting Job Vacancies (5 Positions) Premier Specialist`s Medical Centre Job Vacancies (5 Positions) Nigerian Breweries Plc Graduate Management Development Scheme 2014 Oando Plc Trainee Recruitment Program 2014 Nestle Nigeria Plc Job Recruitment (4 Positions) AG Leventis Nigeria Plc Graduate and Experienced Job Recruitment (3 Positions) Meadow Hall Graduate Teacher Trainee Programme 2014 Heritage Bank CV / Resume Submission 2014 - Nationwide Ischus Consulting - Leading Nigerian Energy Company Job Recruitment (8 Positions) Entry-Level and Experienced Job Vacancies at Abt Associates (8 Positions) 2014 Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Tertiary Institutions Essay Competition UBA Foundation 2014 National Essay Competition in Nigeria Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Capital Market Essay Competition 2014 Graduate and Experienced Job Vacancies at Zaika Foods Limited (10 Positions) Graduate and Experienced Job Recruitment at the Zamfara State Agency for Community and Social Development Project (ZACSDP) - 5 Positions Graduate Trainee Shift Managers (Brewing) at Nigerian Breweries Plc Graduate Trainee Shift Managers (Packaging) at Nigerian Breweries Plc Oando Plc Business Development Trainee Program 2014 Rig Operations Graduate Trainee Recruitment at Oando Plc Graduate Trainee Reservoir Engineering Prgram at Oando Plc Oando Plc Downstream Engineering Graduate Trainee Program 2014 Oando Plc Lubes Graduate Trainee Recruitment 2014 Oando Plc Facilities Engineering Graduate Trainee Program 2014 Facilities Management Company Job Vacancies (5 Positions) Entry-Level and Experienced Job Vacancies at Newtonpark Hotel & Resort (19 Positions) Peen Nigerian Limited Job Vacancies (13 Positions) Graduate and Experienced Recruitment at APM Terminals (9 Positions) Southwestern University Academic Staff Vacancies (Over 140 Positions) DUFIL Prima Foods Plc Job Vacancies (5 Positions) Entry-Level and Experienced Job Vacancies at Lohi Consulting (6 Positions) Pathfinder International Job Recruitment (Over 20 Positions) Graduate and Experienced Recruitment at FHI 360 (8 Positions) PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) Job Recruitment (17 Positions) Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) Job Vacancies (6 Positions) Guinness Nigeria Plc Job Recruitment (4 Positions) Access Bank Plc Executive Trainee, Assistant Banking Officer, and Internship Recruitment NNPC / MPN Apprenticeship Program 2014/2015 The NNPC/MPN Joint Venture invites applications from suitably qualified persons into our Apprenticeship Program beginning March 2015. The Program is designed for young Nigerians with an interest in pursuing an Operations and Maintenance Technician career in the Oil and Gas or related industry. Sterling Bank CV / Resume Submission Sterling Bank Plc is accepting CVs / Resumes from fresh and experienced candidates. At Sterling Bank, whatever your experience, wherever your ambitions lie, there is a great chance we can offer you the opportunities and challenges to match. We are committed to your success and will make you an integral part of building a world class institution. MTN Nigeria Job Recruitment (8 Positions) Posted: MTN Nigeria, a leader in telecommunications in Nigeria, and a part of a diverse community in Africa and the Middle East, our brand is instantly recognisable. It is through our compelling brand that we are able to attract the right talents who we carefully nurture by continuously.

18 October 2014

UI Programmers Compete In IEEE 24hours Coding Challenge

The institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)'s XTREME coding competition began this morning across the world. The competition which involves groups of programmers solving coding problems began by 12am, on the 18th October and will end by 12am on the 19th October, 2014 as a 24hour competition. Each group contains 3 programmers.  The University of Ibadan students too are currently contesting in the competition as MIS was made available for the students to have the 24hours access to internet and power to aid their participation. We wish them the best of luck.

17 October 2014

Ten Memorable Quotes From Gov. Fayose's Speech


Below are ten memorable quotes from Gov Fayose's speech: 1. Everyone should observe a minute silence for All Progressives Congress. May their soul rest in perfect peace. They’ve departed our state forever. 2. I am the Governor that eats Boli (roasted plantain) with you and drinks Agbo Jedi (local herbal drink) with you. 3. You have successfully suported me in sending them(APC) back to their masters in Lagos. Not in our history again will they come back to our state. 4. God said to me that I should say with my heart; that i should forgive Ekiti people for removing me in the first place. I declare peace, prosperity employment, progress and stomach infrastructure for the people of Ekiti. 5. That government house you are looking at, when we finish here, I am going to lead you there. You are going to sleep there tonight. Open all the rooms and sleep there.              

11 October 2014

Malala Yousafzai becomes the youngest ever winner of Nobel peace prize


Malala Yousafzai, the 17-year-old Pakistani education campaigner has been announced as the joint winner of the 2014 Nobel peace prize.

Malala became a global personality after she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012, in Pakistan after coming to prominence for her campaigning for education for girls.

 She becomes the youngest ever winner of the prize, which she shares with Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian children’s rights activist, who has been at the forefront of Indian movement against child labour.

 The pair were named winner of the $1.11m(N182,650,500) prize by the chairman of the Nobel committee, former Prime minister of Norway, Thorbjoern Jagland on the morning of Friday, 10 October.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.


Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.

03 October 2014

That was how AIG Joseph Mbu made a fool of himself the other day…

                             
Assistant Inspector General of Police, Joseph Mbu is often in the news for one reason or the other, this time around, the self proclaimed ‘Lion of the Police force’ got annoyed that Amaechi Anakwue, a Senior correspondent at AIT, called him ‘controversial’ on television.

 Apparently, the meaning of controversial was lost on Mbu, who deemed it as a law broken, and promptly had Anakwe arrested by his band of men in black. After being made to sweat for some time, the reporter was released on bail.

The management of African Independent Television, AIT, immediately released a statement to disemminate the details of the incident. It said, “Detained AIT senior correspondent Amaechi Anakwue has been released on bail by AIG Zone 7, Joseph Mbu.

He was however asked to return to the station on Friday. It would be recalled that the reporter was arrested by Joseph Mbu yesterday for describing him as ‘controversial’ on a television programme. In a swift reaction to his arrest, the management of Daar communication Plc, owners of AIT, had yesterday unequivocally demanded the unconditional and immediate release of its reporter from police custody.”

 Mbu, still not satisfied, seemingly believed that the gravity of Anakwe’s crime was too high to let slide, took it a notch higher, by subsequently charging him to an Abuja Magistrate court on the grounds of ‘defamation of character’. Mbu got criticised from several quarters, but most of all from Former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, who gave him a thorough dressing down on micro-blogging platform, Twitter.

She called him the word ‘controversial’ more than twice, and Mbu, having probably found a dictionary to check for the meaning of ‘controversial’, remained mute, and eventually did the needful.

Later in the day, after having felt the heat, Mbu’s people withdrew the charge of ‘defamation of character’ filed against Anakwue. The charge was withdrawn by the police and the Magistrate Court struck out the case.

GEJ's cook, Taxi driver and Traffic Warden honored at 2014 National Awards

Presidential steward, Onu Isaac Michael, Taxi driver, Imeh Usuah and traffic warden Cpl Solomon Dauda, conferred with the Member of the Order of the Niger, MON and MFR. Usuah was honored for returning N18million a passenger forgot in his taxi. The three of them were also given houses in Abuja.

02 October 2014

Hong Kong protests: CY Leung refuses to quit as leader

                 Protesters have been on the streets in large numbers

 Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung says he will not resign, amid calls from pro-democracy protesters for him to step down. But he said his government was willing to hold talks with the protesters.

 The protesters are angry at China's plan to vet candidates for elections in 2017, and say they want full democracy.

 They have surrounded two key government buildings in the territory, but Mr Leung warned them that they were breaking the law. At a news conference shortly before the protesters' midnight deadline for his resignation,

Mr Leung warned that attempts to move on or occupy government buildings would have "very serious consequences". He said the territory's top civil servant, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, would open a dialogue with student leaders as soon as possible.

Okada riders are making a gradual return to the roads of Lagos

The ban on the movement of commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, seems to have been relaxed by the Lagos State Government, going by the sheer number of motorcyclists on major highways.

 In areas like Ikeja, Surulere, Ketu, and some parts of Lagos Island, commercial motorcycles can be often seen plying their trade with little or no restrictions, as opposed to what was obtainable, when they were practically run off the roads.

 Observers have accused the Governor Babatunde Fashola administration of relaxing the law based on 2015 political considerations. Many commercial motorcyclists, who represent a large voting block, have threatened to withdraw their support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) party if the law is not repealed or at-least relaxed.

01 October 2014

For the records: Full text of Pres. Goodluck Jonathan’s 2014 Independence Day broadcast

- Below is the full text of President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2014 Independence Day broadcast to Nigerians. Fellow Nigerians:

 1. Today marks the 54th anniversary of our country’s independence as a sovereign nation. This is also the tenth month of our journey into a new century, having marked the centenary of our nation in January this year.

2. The first one hundred years were marked by triumphs and tribulations, benefits and burdens, opportunities and challenges. We made some far reaching advances in building a strong, united and prosperous nation. We also overcame the forces of disunity that culminated in a debilitating civil war. We have also renewed our faith in one another, and in our country. We have proven that we are truly a resilient nation.

3. In my address to the nation last year, I did emphasize that we were in a sober moment in our country. We are still in that mood in spite of the many accomplishments of our administration. Our sombreness has to do with the crises of nationhood occasioned by the activities of terrorist elements who have done the unimaginable to challenge our unity as a people.

Google celebrated Nigeria’s 54th Independence Day Anniversary

           google doddle
How sweet of them.

Google is celebrating with Nigeria today by changing its logo on Google.com.ng to a doodle which shows characters from some of the Nigerian tribes.

Also, some of the widely used modes of public transportation available in the country – keke Napep (tricycle), a danfo bus & an okada (motorcycle) – were depicted in the animation.

 And then, the Nigerian president is depicted by the character carrying the Nigerian flag with black hat, clad in traditional Bayelsa clothing.

Happy Independence Day, Nigeria!

         
Happy 54th Independence Anniversary to Nigeria and Nigerians... And happy new month to all SLB readers. Wishing you and yours the very best this month & always!