I Did Not Stop My Wife From Acting -- Alex O

Recently, Alex O and his actress wife, Oby Edozie, celebrated their
son as he turned a year old. As the pictures surfaced on the internet,
people started wondering where the gifted actress had been all the
while.

However, many have been quick to point fingers at her husband who was
a famous musician in the 1980s, for being responsible for her long
absence from movie locations especially since they married in 2011.

In a chat with Saturday Beats, Alex O denied the allegations,
insisting that his wife still acts and that he is fully in support of
her career.

He said, "My wife still acts, but these days she is more into
production than acting. I did not stop her from acting and will never
stop her. I am into both film and music production so I will always
encourage her. She has been nursing our baby. A second one is on the
way. We have movie projects which we have been working on and will
make them public at the appropriate time. I will always support her in
every way I can."

A household name that held the music world spellbound until the early
1990s, Alex O has been missing from the picture in recent times.
However, the talented singer says all that is about to change.

"After several years outside the country, I figured the need to take
some time and study the industry, get to know how things are done, how
it presently works, the current music styles, trends and so on.
Producing, releasing music and videos and promoting them do not come
cheap so one has to have a clearer picture of what will work well
before embarking on such projects. I have finally started, and I am
working on the second video now. After which, the promo work starts.
It is only when you do promo that people will get to see what one is
doing, and that will start very soon," he said.
--PUNCH.

Patience Jonathan Donates Skills Acquisition Equipment To 1,000 Widows In Imo

WIFE of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan, on Tuesday donated
assorted skills acquisition equipment to over 1,000 widows in the
state.

Addressing the widows before distribution of the items, Minister of
State 1, Foreign Affairs, Professor Viola Onwuliri, who also
represented the President's wife, said Dame Jonathan was interested in
making widows economically independent.

The items doled out to Imo widows included several units of sewing
machines, scores of hair driers, electric generating machines,
grinding machines, cartons of soap, several bundles of textile
materials, about 1,000 bags of rice, insecticide treated mosquito nets
and bags of salt.
"The gesture was part of the measures initiated by the President's
wife to alleviate poverty among widows, especially those in the rural
communities," Onwuliri said.

She described Dame Jonathan as "a compassionate mother, committed to
championing the cause of women in Nigeria".

After enumerating some of the projects executed by the Federal
Government in the state, Professor Onwuliri noted that government had
mobilised the contracting firm handling the ever busy
Owerri-Elele-Port Harcourt dual carriage way.

Similarly, State Coordinator, Women for Change and Development
Initiative, Dr Gloria Chukwukere, commended the wife of the President
for positively touching lives through her pet project.

"Never before have we seen or noted this level of empowerment of
widows in the state. The President's wife has provided Medicare for
children and scholarship for the needy and a lot of other goodies,"
Chukwukere said.

Some of the widows, who spoke toVanguard, commended Dame Jonathan for
the donations, promising that they would stand solidly behind
President Jonathan during the 2015 general election.

--Vanguard

APGA In Diaspora Collapses Into PDP

The mass defection of the entire Executive, with the Apex Leader, Nze
Victor Uzoma and about 98% of the members of APGA Germany has
triggered a sudden collapse of the chapter into People's Democratic
Party PDP.

In an exclusive interview with 'The African Courier,' a Germany based
magazine, in which the following defected officials were present:

Nze Victor Chikwendu Uzoma (Ifo-ego Nkwere), the APGA Apex Leader
Germany/Europe Co-ordinator Ahamefule; the Secretary General APGA
Germany/Co-ordinator Ahamefula Germany,Sir Edward Morgan G; Regional
Co-ordinator APGA Germany/PRO Ahamefula Germany, Chief Benjamin
Chinaka and the Treasurer APGA Germany/Secretary-Treasurer Ahamefule
Germany,Sir Modestus Korieocha.

The above stated high profile Apga chieftain/stake holder cited this
change as (among other reasons) a worthwhile demonstration of
solidarity with their leader, Ochoudo Chief Martin Agbaso; a man they
described as a blueprint, a sine-qua-non and a political bulldozer
that opens doors and gateways of progress. With his exit and resulting
exodus of uncountable followers, the Party (APGA) stands now with arms
akimbo like the statue of an unknown soldier, being stripped of its
ranks and jackets.

When asked about their next line of action in PDP
, Nze Victor Chikwendu Uzoma(Ife-ego Nkwere) and other stakeholders
present had merely added with a gesture of confidence, 'Wise men had
always followed their star.'

--Trumpeta

Okorocha Launches Security Black File To Check Criminals in Autonomous Communities

In continuation of the Imo State government's bid to beef up her
Security, a proactive measure towards clamping down crime in the State
in readiness for Christmas and electioneering, Governor Rochas
Okorocha has launched the Imo Security Black File.

Performing the ceremony at the Nick's Banquet Hall, Government House
Owerri, Governor Rochas Okorocha explained that the Security Black
File in tandem with the Igbo tradition would contain the names and
communities of all crime suspects in the state, as he said, "we will
go back to the cultural and traditional method of crime prevention
which involves exposing criminals. Igbo's are proud of and conscious
of their root and hates public disgrace."

Governor Okorocha who challenged the traditional rulers to stand as
Chief Security Officers of their various communities said that the
black files as part of "Operation stop them before they strike", would
be with the traditional rulers and all government agencies.

He stressed that the file is highly confidential and warned that it
should not be used vindictively or out of sentiments, pointing out
that the exercise would go down in the state even in the next 100
years, in crime control.

The State Chief Executive, who noted that the exercise would aim at
changing criminals to responsible citizens, disclosed that henceforth
the names of criminals and their communities would be announced
alongside their traditional rulers from time to time. He urged the
traditional rulers to work in synergy with the Police and other
Security outfits in the state as he assured the state governments
readiness to provide both enabling ground and logistics to ensure the
success of the programme.

Present at the occasion were the Deputy Governor Prince Eze Madumere,
the State Exco members, representative of the State Commissioner of
Police, traditional rulers in the State among others.

--Trumpeta

Campaign Coordinator Dumps Okorocha As Defections Continue In Imo

Entering the peak of the electioneering Campaign period when party
members ought to be strong in their respective parties, yet defection
looms in some of the parties, especially the All Progressive Congress
(APC) in Imo State under the full surveillance of Governor Rochas
Okorocha.

Governor Okorocha's camp suffered a major setback on Tuesday when one
of his campaign Coordinators and a strong APC facilitator in Aboh
Mbaise LGA, Hon. Lucky Charles dumped APC for the PDP.

Charles, a prominent politician from Enyiogugu ward was one of the
Campaign Council members of Olamha in 2011 election and later
appointed member of the Mayoral Affairs of Owerri zone headed by Chief
Uche Njoku before their dissolution.

At an elaborate event held at the house of the party chairman, Jude
Awulonu at Ulakwo, Enyiogugu, Lucky Charles rejoined PDP. The event
witnessed the presence of PDP chieftains in the area including Chief
Austin Papa Nwokorie and member representing the state constituency in
the House of Assembly, Hon. Mrs. Ngozi Pat Ekeji.

In his speech, Lucky Charles noted that he is retracing steps to PDP
to join forces with others in taking the party to greater heights
adding that as a true democrat, PDP is the right party to follow.

Admonishing Lucky Charles for finding his way back, Austin Papa, a
leader of the party in the area stated that the exercise marks another
great turning point for the ward and Aboh Mbaise PDP as all forces
have come together under one umbrella.

Information reaching Trumpeta indicates that yesterday at the central
school field, Omuma in Oru East Local Government Area, Imo State,
another set of political shakers from the area moved to the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) in the State Rally of the Local Government to
be honoured by the state working Committee in the Sensitization Rally
held across the states.

Leading the decampees include the past APGA State Chairman, and
immediate past APC Chairman of Imo State, Prince Marshall
Okaforanyanwu, the Honourable member representing Oru East
Constituency in Imo State House of Assembly under APGA, Hon. Greg.
Okemili, APC Apex Leader High Chief Marcellinus Okoro (Ugwumba), Dr.
Nwanebu with over 4,000 members who chised PDP as their last resort.

Apparently, some of the APC members who invariably heard of the
defection of these staunch members are still in doubt, while tongues
kept on wagging on the reasons behind Prince Marshal's joining to PDP,
instead of going back to the All Progressive Grand Alliance which he
has chaired in the past.

Sources also revealed that Okaforanyanwu joined PDP following Governor
Okorocha's assault and non consultation before removing him from the
seat as the APC interim Chairman, which they opined that the sore
according to them is still fresh and bleeding in Okaforanyanwu's
heart. While also, insinuation had it that Okaforanyanwu have the
intention to climb higher in the PDP family through his Omuma brother
who also is in the red carpet chamber of the Nigerian Senate, Senator
Hope Uzodimma. In his own accord, the APC decampee, Okaforanyanwu
added that he is going to PDP with all his leaders under him and
uncountable supporters, and will not leave APC with any of his
supporters behind.

Similarly, among others included Hon. Barr. Okemili who is said to
have an ambition on 2015 hoping optimistically that with the PDP, he
will make a head way without hitches.

--Trumpeta

New Twist In Christ Embassy Crisis As Pastor Chris Removed As Trustee Of Church In U.K

With Mr. Oyakhilome's removal, his wife, Anita, now presides over a
seven-man Board of Trustees of the N8.2 billion rich branch, church
documents reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES have shown. Until his recent but
abrupt removal, Mr. Oyakhilome was consistently listed as a prominent
trustee, since 1996, when the branch was established.

The face-off between the Founder of Believers Love World (aka Christ
Embassy) Chris Oyakhilome, and his wife, Anita, has taken a new
dimension with Mr. Oyakhilome now removed as a trustee of a United
Kingdom's branch of the church.

With Mr. Oyakhilome's removal, his wife, Anita, now presides over a
seven-man Board of Trustees of the N8.2 billion rich branch, church
documents reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES have shown.

The six other members of the board are Obi Chiemeka, Ifeoma Onubogu,
Nkem Odiakah, Raymond Okocha, Tony Obi and Uche Onubogu, all pastors
believed to be loyal to Mrs. Oyakhilome.

Mrs. Oyakhilome has for long headed the U.K branch of the church but
her husband, before what appears his sudden removal, had since
inception presided over the Board of Trustees of the charity.

The new development suggests that in addition to the matrimonial
squabble the couples are having, an intense power struggle and battle
for the soul of the U.K. branch of the church might be going on
between the estranged lovers and partners as well.

In fact, Mr. Oyakhilome had dropped the first hint that there might be
a hierarchical row in the church when he reportedly accused his wife
of acting like an equal and wanting to overpower the authorities of
the elders she met in the church.

PREMIUM TIMES' review of documents filed by the church's UK branch to
the Charity Commission of England and Wales has now shown that Mr.
Oyakhilome is no longer a registered trustee of a branch of his church
with total asset worth over N8.2 billion (£31 million).

Until his recent but abrupt removal, Mr. Oyakhilome was consistently
listed as a prominent trustee, since 1996, when the branch was
established.

Contrary to the church's practice of stating reasons for removal of
trustees in the past, no reason has been given for the removal of
Pastor Oyakhilome.

It is unclear whether explanation for the action would be given in the
church's annual report for 2013 which is yet to made public by the
charity commission.

According to the church's financial statement, in 2009, five pastors
were removed from the church's board of trustees after they resigned
from their positions. That same year two others were appointed.

A Charity Commission spokesperson, Sarah Hitchings, told PREMIUM TIMES
that it was not the concern of the commission to know why charities
remove or replace their trustees.

The international office of Christ Embassy refused to respond to
questions this newspaper sent through email neither did the
international audit and accounting firm, Mazars, appointed by the
Charity Commission to run the affairs of the church after it opened
statutory inquiry into the finances of the church following suspicious
payment it made to connected parties worth N941 million between 2008
and 2012.

However, church insiders claim the removal of the pastor was a plot by
his wife to take total control of the affairs of the branch even as
her relationship with her husband of two decades deteriorates.

With his ouster, those who should know said Mr. Oyakhilome has lost
the locus to interfere in the affairs of that branch of the church.

"He has been effectively sidelined," a church insider said. "The law
in the U.K. does not recognise him as an interested party in that
branch of the church anymore."

Anita herself loses control
But even the seven-man board led by Mrs. Oyakhilome has itself lost
control of the affairs of the church.

On August 11, the U.K. charity commission effectively sidelined her
board and appointed an interim manager to take over the management of
the church.

In what it described as a "temporary and protective measure," the
commission appointed Rod Weston of the international audit and
accounting firm, Mazars, to take over the running of the church.

The Commission says it is investigating the church over "a number of
serious concerns relating to the use of charitable funds, in
particular large connected party payments and the potential
misapplication of grant funding."

Until investigation is concluded, Mr. Weston would preside "over the
management of the charity, including its staff, assets, interests, and
relations with third parties," the commission said.

He is also expected to discharge the functions of the church's
trustees and take steps necessary to secure and take control of the
assets of the church.
--Premium Times

My Sayings

There are many things in life to be thankful for, so don't let one
ungrateful individual or event ruin your entire day.

D'banj Named African Ambassador for Apple's Beats by Dre

Nigerian singer D'banj has been named the official African ambassador
for Beats by Dre.

The earphones company acquired by Apple in May for $3bn, announced the
news on its official twitter page.

The company also took the opportunity to congratulate D'banj, whose
real name is Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo, on achieving 10 years in the music
industry.

Our boy @iamdbanjin his custom #StudioWireless. Welcome to #BeatsFam&
congrats on 10 yrs in the game. #BeatsByDre
pic.twitter.com/dMaCEQfzAp-- Beats By Dre (@beatsbydre) October 9, 2014

The former Mo Hits star, who is now signed to Kanye west's Good Music
Label, will act as a spokesperson for the earphones giant and is also
expected to appear in advertising campaigns.

To sweeten the deal D'banj gets his own custom-made earphones, which
will be officially launched in December 2014.

Taking to twitter, D'banj couldn't hide his excitement.

"What a way to End a great day . Sharing my Great news with one of my
Most favorite persons.... http://t.co /QRj1e8uXE9-- D'banj D Kokomaster
(@iamdbanj) October 9, 2014

News of D'banj's new role come just days after he delivered a rousing
speech about using agriculture to both end poverty and empower youths
at the TedxWBG conference in Houston.

D'banj, whose hits include Oliver Twist and Fall In Love, is also
Nigeria's first United Nations Youth Ambassador for Peace.

--Culled

Malala Yousafzai And Kailash Satyarthi Win 2014 Nobel Peace Prize

Taliban attack survivor Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel
winner ever as she and Kailash Satyarthi of India won the Nobel Peace
Prize on Friday for working to protect children from slavery,
extremism and child labor at great risk to their own lives.

By honoring a 17-year-old Muslim girl from Pakistan and a 60-year-old
Hindu man from India, the Norwegian Nobel Committee linked the peace
award to conflicts between world religions and neighboring nuclear
powers as well as drawing attention to children's rights.

"This award is for all those children who are voiceless, whose voices
need to be heard," said Malala, who chose to finish her school day in
the central English city of Birmingham before addressing the media.
"They have the right to receive quality education. They have the right
not to suffer from child labor, not to suffer from child trafficking.
They have the right to live a happy life."

She said it was an honor to share the prize Satyarthi, who has worked
tirelessly to protect children, and invited the prime ministers of
both India and Pakistan to attend the Nobel ceremony in December.

Satyarthi has been at the forefront of a global movement to end child
slavery and exploitative child labor, which he called a "blot on
humanity."

"Child slavery is a crime against humanity. Humanity itself is at
stake here. A lot of work still remains but I will see the end of
child labor in my lifetime," Satyarthi told The Associated Press at
his office in New Delhi.

News of the award set off celebrations on the streets of Mingora,
Malala's hometown in Pakistan's volatile Swat Valley, with residents
greeting each other and distributing sweets. At the town's Khushal
Public School, which is owned by Malala's father, students danced in
celebration Friday, jumping up and down.

When she was a student there, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban
gunman two years ago for insisting that girls as well as boys have the
right to an education. Surviving several operations with the help of
British medical care, she continued both her activism and her studies.

Malala was in chemistry class when the Nobel was announced and
remained with her classmates at the Edgbaston High School for girls.

Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, said the decision will further the
rights of girls.

"(The Nobel will) boost the courage of Malala and enhance her
capability to work for the cause of girls' education," he told the AP.

Malala is by far the youngest Nobel laureate, eight years younger than
the 1915 physics prize winner, 25-year-old Lawrence Bragg. Before
Malala, the youngest peace prize winner was 2011 co-winner Tawakkul
Karman of Yemen, a 32-year-old women's rights activist.

Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said it was important to reward
both an Indian Hindu and a Pakistani Muslim in the common struggle for
education and against extremism. The two will split $1.1 million.

"There is a lot of extremism coming from this part of the world. It is
partly coming from the fact that young people don't have a future.
They don't have education. They don't have a job," Jagland told the
AP.

Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the decision
"has given pride to the whole of Pakistan." India's President Pranab
Mukherjee said the prize recognized "the contributions of India's
vibrant civil society in addressing complex social problems such as
child labor."

By highlighting children's rights, the committee widened the scope of
the peace prize, which in its early days was only given for efforts to
end or prevent armed conflicts.

"In conflict-ridden areas in particular, the violation of children
leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation,"
the Nobel committee said.

Commentators around the world praised the decision to focus on
children's rights.

"The biggest threat to the Taliban is a girl with a book," said Margot
Wallstrom, Sweden's foreign minister and a former U.N. envoy on Sexual
Violence in Conflict.

"The true winners today are the world's children," said U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Raised in Pakistan's ruggedly beautiful, politically volatile Swat
Valley, Malala was barely 11 years old when she began championing
girls' education, speaking out in TV interviews. The Taliban had
overrun her hometown of Mingora, terrorizing residents, threatening to
blow up girls' schools, ordering teachers and students into
all-encompassing burqas.

She was critically injured on Oct. 9, 2012, when a Taliban gunman
boarded her school bus and shot her in the head. She survived through
luck -- the bullet did not enter her brain -- and by the quick
intervention of British doctors visiting Pakistan.

Avoiding Heartburn

Heartburn results from a backup of acid-containing stomach contents
into your oesophagus. Here are tips for prevention:

Eat smaller meals: Too much food expands your stomach and puts
pressure on a band of muscle (the lower oesophageal sphincter) that
helps keep food and acid from backing up into your oesophagus.

Avoid alcohol, fatty foods, chocolate, spearmint and peppermint:These
foods can relax your lower oesophageal sphincter and promote upward
flow of stomach contents.

Consider using an antacid or H-2 blocker:Antacids such as Gascol help
neutralise stomach acids temporarily. Over-the-counter histamine (H-2)
blockers such as Pepcid AC, Tagamet HB, Zantac 75 and others reduce
stomach acid production, which may relieve or prevent symptoms when
taken before a meal. But overuse of antacids or H-2 blockers can cause
side effects.

Don't eat before sleeping:Wait two to three hours after eating before
lying down. This allows enough time for increased stomach acid
produced after a meal to taper off and for the stomach to empty from
that meal.

Stop smoking:The nicotine from cigarettes can relax your lower
oesophageal sphincter, allowing acid to flow back into your
oesophagus.

Lose excess weight:Slimming down if you're overweight helps reduce the
pressure your abdomen puts on your stomach when you're lying down.

Wear loose clothes:A tight belt or waistband can put pressure on your
stomach and push acid into your oesophagus, causing discomfort.

Elevate the head of your bed:Raise the head of your bed four to six
inches. This helps keep stomach acid in your stomach, where it
belongs.

--mayoclinic.com

EU Rejects Death Sentence On 12 Nigerian Soldiers

The European Union (EU) has rejected the death sentence handed to 12
Nigerian soldiers by the General Court Martial in Nigeria after they
were found guilty of mutiny.

The EU in a statement issued on Thursday on the occasion of the World
Day against Death Penalty condemned all death sentences especially
after mass trials as was the case with the Nigerian soldiers.

The union, headed by the Secretary-General, Mr Thorbjørn Jagland,
argued that execution had stopped in that region of the world for
close to two decades.

"On the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, the European
Union and the Council of Europe reaffirm their strong and absolute
opposition to capital punishment in all cases and under all
circumstances, and their commitment to its worldwide abolition.

"We are deeply concerned about setbacks in some countries, such as
recent mass trials leading to a vast number of death sentences. No
execution has taken place in our member states in the last 17 years,"
the statement read.

The European Union and the Council of Europe welcomed the fact that
all Member States of the European Union had ratified both Protocols 6
and 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights.

They further urged all other European States that had not done so to
sign and ratify the instruments meant to abolish the death penalty.

--Channels

My Quotes

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what
it takes to sit down and listen. --Winston Churchill

Fashola Declares October 15 Horn Free Day In Lagos

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Thursday explained the
idea behind his administration's initiative, "Horn Free Day" coming up
on October 15, 2014, describing it as a step towards sensitizing
residents to the harmful effects of noise pollution.

Speaking at the State's first "Lagos Drivers' Appreciation Day" held
at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry House, Alausa, Ikeja,
Governor Fashola said that the Horn Free Day was an initiative of his
administration to persuade citizens that there is a better way to live
than indulging in noise pollution which has been found to be harmful
to their health.

Re-enforcing the remarks of the Guest Lecturer who put the harmful
noise level at 70 decibels and above, the Governor said that there was
need to bring this figure down significantly because according to the
global standard for measuring noise, "90 decibels is rather too high
and harmful to human health".

"It is for our own good, it is for our own health, it is for our own
life. It is not because Governor Fashola said so. It is not because
Lagos State Government said so. It is simply because it is good for
us. Doctors have told us it is for our own ultimate good", the
Governor said.

According to him, "What we see in a way that we now choose to live is
that because we live in a very noisy environment, which we can really
diminish, we tend to be very noisy ourselves. We speak at the top of
our voices, we play music at very high decibels and we do very many
things at very high levels".

The Governor pointed out that the campaign against noise pollution was
a response to the petitions and complaints of "citizens and tax payers
who, on daily basis, write and petition us that somebody is preventing
them from sleep either from the noise they are making or from other
uncharitable activities they are carrying on without regard for the
well being of their neighbours."

He further recalled, "Occasionally, when you hear a siren you know
something has gone wrong in that system; you know that either an
ambulance is on its way to an emergency or firemen are on their way to
a fire or policemen are tracking and chasing criminals; and I said
then that why should we be different, are we not Nigerians?"

Saying that such a change should start from Lagos, Governor Fashola
expressed joy that the Ministry of Transportation and all its
affiliated agencies, the Drivers' Institutes, the Transport and the
Law Enforcement Institutes, have all taken the Horn Free Day
challenge up to the level of implementation.

He declared, "We are gathered here today to sensitize ourselves in
preparation for the day we have chosen as a Horn Free Day; the
No-Noise day or whatever you chose to call it, but let us just bring
down the noise in our society. On that day we will not be gathering
like this. Each one of us and all of us will be consciously doing
something to start this very exciting journey in order to reduce noise
in our society".

The Governor charged the audience, "I want you to remember as we leave
here today that starting from the 15th of October, whether we reduce
noise or not starts from you and I. If you and I make the commitment
to do something positive in order to reduce noise, clearly you and I
will benefit".

--Channels

FG Re-Appoints Njoku As Nekede Poly Rector

President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the re-appointment of Dr C.U
Njoku as the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri, for another
four-year term.

Dr Njoku, whose re-appointment took effect from September 2014, was
first appointed in 2010 for the first term as the 10th Rector of
Polytechnic.

She holds a BB.ED (Hons.) degree in Vocation and Technical Education
from Ahmadu Belllo University, Zaria (1983), Master in Vocational and
Technical Education from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (1990), PhD
in Vocation and Technical Education(Business option )from University
of Nigeria Nsukka (1997) and holds several professional qualifications
as well as international and national awards.

Jonathan's Name Removed From African Richest President's List

Following the rebuttal of Nigeria President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as
the sixth richest African president, R ichestLifestyle.com has removed
the name of President Jonathan from the controversial list.

No reason was given on the website for the removal but it may not be
unconnected to threat by the Presidency to seek legal action against
the publication.

It will be recalled that presidential spokeperson, Rueben Abati had
earlier issued a statement describing the publication as 'another
attempt to unjustifiably portray the President as a corrupt leader and
incite public disaffection against him.'.

The statement reads, The Presidency condemns the totally unwarranted
inclusion of President Jonathan in the publication titled "Africa's
Richest Presidents 2014" as another attempt to unjustifiably portray
the President as a corrupt leader and incite public disaffection
against him.

We categorically assert that there is no factual basis for ranking
President Jonathan as the sixth richest African Head of State with a
net worth of about $100 Million U.S. Dollars. As is well known,
President Jonathan has never been a businessman or entrepreneur, but a
life-long public servant.

The President has held public office since 1999 and has regularly
declared his assets as required by Nigerian laws. He has had no
personal income since 1999 other than his official remuneration as
deputy governor, governor, vice president, acting president and
president which are matters of public record.

There has been no significant variation in the totality of his
personal assets as contained in his last declaration to the Nigerian
Code of Conduct Bureau in 2011 which, as can be verified, was a very,
very far cry from the $100 million figure now being bandied about by
Richest Lifestyle.com and other irresponsible, copy-cat publications.

The clear and unacceptable imputation of the claim that President
Jonathan is now worth about $100 Million is that the President has
corruptly enriched himself while in office which is certainly not the
case. We therefore demand a retraction and an unreserved apology from
Richest Lifestyle.com and all those who have reproduced the offensive
article. Otherwise, they should be prepared to substantiate their
libelous claims against the President in courts of law within and
outside Nigeria.

--BelieveAfrica

2Face, Wizkid Dish Out Bottles Of Hennessy At Hennessy Artistry Club Tour

Hennessy Artistry2014 headliners, 2Face Idibia and Wizkid made a debut
live performance of "Dance Go", the landmark collaboration between the
two superstars.

Throughout the night, 2face and Wizkid kept giving out countless
bottles of Hennessy XO and VSOP to fans who came out to party with
them, as they supported Lil Kesh and Yung Grey C who also performed at
the event.

2Face and Wizkid also went back to back on their individual hit tracks
including Show Me The Money, For Instance, Ojuelagba, If to say, In My
Bed, Catch the vibe, etc. They later closed their performance with
this year'sHennessy Artistrytheme song, "Dance Go".

2Face said during the performance, "This is Wizkid's first time at
Club Rumors, Festac... Let's show him how we do it in Festac!"

VIP guests present also kept showering bundles of crisp Naira notes on
2Face and Wizkid as they performed. They also threw thousands of Naira
in the air as Wizkid performed "Show Me The Money".

Guests present at the event include Annie Idibia, Yvonne Nwosu, Moet
Abebe, Yaw, Mathew Ohio amongst others.

--Vanguard

French Author, Patrick Modiano, Wins Nobel Literature Prize

French historical author Patrick Modiano has won the 2014 Nobel Prize
for literature.

The Nobel Academy described the novelist, whose work has often focused
on the Nazi occupation of France, as "a Marcel Proust of our time".

The award - presented to a living writer - is worth eight million
kronor (£691,000).

Previous winners include literary giants such as Rudyard Kipling, Toni
Morrison and Ernest Hemingway.

The academy said the award was "for the art of memory with which he
has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the
life-world of the occupation".

"This is someone who has written many books that echo off each other...
that are about memory, identity and aspiration," Peter Englund, the
academy's permanent secretary said.

Patrick Modiano, 69, was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of
Paris, to a businessman father and an actress mother.

He studied at Lycee Henri-IV in Paris, where his geometry teacher was
Raymond Queneau, a writer who was to prove a major influence.

His debut novel La Place de l'Etoile was published in 1968.

His sixth novel, Missing Person (French title: Rue des boutiques
obscures), won the French literary accolade the Prix Goncourt in 1978.

Other prizes include Grand prix du roman de l'Academie francaise in
1972 and the 2010 prix mondial Cino Del Duca by the Institut de France
for lifetime achievement.

In 2012, he won the Austrian State Prize for European Literature.

Modiano, who lives in Paris, rarely give interviews. The Nobel Academy
said it had been unable to tell Modiano the news before the
announcement.

A total 111 individuals have been awarded the Nobel Prize in
Literature between 1901 and 2014.

Last year's winner was Canadian author Alice Munro.

--AFP

LeBron James Overtakes Tiger Woods As Sport's Biggest Brand

LeBron James has become the biggest personal brand in sport, ending
six years of Tiger Woods' dominance according toForbes Magazine.

The James name, attached to the highest paid basketballer in the
world, was valued at $US37 million ($42 million).

That is how much more James earned off-the-court compared to the
average top-ten-earner in his competition.

"King James", named the NBA's most valuable player four times, earned
$US57 million ($65 million) in the past year from endorsements for
companies such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Nike.

He made a tidy $US30 million ($34 million) this year when Apple signed
a deal with Beats Electronics, a brand he promoted in return for a
small stake.

Forbes had ranked Woods as the world's top athlete brand since 2008.

But his earnings tumbled because games producer Electronic Arts
decided against making a 15thTiger Woods PGA Tourgame. His brand is
worth an estimated $US36 million ($41 million).

Rounding out the top five were Swiss tennis player Roger Federer (3),
US golfer Phil Mickelson (4), and Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh
Dhoni (5).

Mickelson picked up sponsorship bonuses for winning his first British
Open while Dhoni made a lucrative bat sponsorship switch from Reebok
to Spartan Sports.

Nike was named the top business brand, with Forbes estimating that the
$US71 billion ($81 billion) brand would be worth only $US52 billion
($60 billion) with another name.

The Olympics was the number one event brand based on revenue per event
day, while the New York Yankees were named the biggest team brand.

The top 10 biggest athlete brands in world sport and their value in 2014:

1. LeBron James - $US 37 million ($42 million)

2. Tiger Woods -$US 36 million ($41 million)

3. Roger Federer - $US 32 million ($36 million)

4. Phil Mickelson - $US 29 million ($33 million)

5. Mahendra Singh Dhoni - $US 20 million ($23 million)

6. Usain Bolt - $US 19 million ($22 million)

7. Cristiano Ronaldo - $US 17 million ($19 million)

8. Kobe Bryant - $US 15 million ($17 million)

9. Lionel Messi - $US 12 million ($14 million)

10. Rafael Nadal - $US 10 million ($11 million)

Google To Release Its Largest Smartphone Yet This Month

Google this month expects to release its largest smartphone,
intensifying competition in the fast-growing market for super-sized
mobile devices known as phablets, according to three people familiar
with the situation.

The new phone -- code-named Shamu after a killer whale -- will have a
5.9-inch screen, a high-resolution display and be sold under the Nexus
brand, two of the people said. Motorola Mobility, the phone maker that
Google GOOG, -2.03% is selling to China's Lenovo Group Ltd., is
manufacturing the phone, the people added. A Google spokeswoman
declined to comment.

The new phone will be larger than Apple's iPhone 6 Plus, which is 5.5
inches, and the Samsung Galaxy Note, the first truly successful
phablet, which is 5.7 inches. Google plans to release a new version of
its Android mobile-operating system at the same time.

Phablets, defined as smartphones with displays five inches or larger,
were once ridiculed as unwieldy bricks for short-sighted, older
consumers. But as phones have evolved from calling devices into
computers for work tasks and watching videos, larger devices have
caught on.

In 2011, phablets accounted for 1% of global smartphone shipments.
This year, these big phones will make up 24% of the market, according
to consultants Strategy Analytics. Stats like that forced Apple to
drop its aversion to larger iPhones this year and now Google is
responding.

CNN, Al Jazeera Lied About 'Supposed' Chibok Girls' Escape - Badeh

The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, has accused
foreign media houses including, the Cable News Network (CNN) and Al
Jazeera, of fabricating stories on the abducted Chibok girls during
their crew's visit to Nigeria in May.

Speaking during a workshop on Security/Media Relations in Crisis
Management in Abuja, the Air Chief Marshal said "we know Isha Sesay of
CNN, (Nima) Elbagir of CNN and another one from Al Jazeera,
interviewed the supposed Chibok girls that escaped; they were speaking
Hausa and these are girls that were going to write SSCE. Those ones
cannot be those Chibok girls" adding, "they didn't show us their faces
so that we will know.

"Certainly those were not the girls that were taken from that school",
he insisted.

Over 200 Chibok girls were abducted from their schools' dormitory by
members of the Boko Haram sect after an attack on the Chibok Community
on April 14.

They have not yet been rescued.
The Defence Chief also said that there was no going back on the
conviction of the 12 soldiers found guilty of mutiny last month.

"When we took the oath to become soldiers, we took oath to defend
Nigeria with everything we have. Your own is to first obey.

"We condemned them to death. We did not make the laws. The National
Assembly made the laws and it is there in the books. People are saying
no you cannot do that. Why won't we do it?" he questioned.

According to him, the reactions over the sentencing of the military
personnel could force the military to consider holding field court
martial in the bush, after which military personnel sentenced would be
killed instantly and buried in the bush.

--Channels_TV

Prophet Told Me To Murder My Wife- Killer Husband

A wicked husband murdered his wife because a bastard prophet said so.

According to reports, Ismail, of Araromi Ale-Olorunda Local Council
Development Area of Lagos State, made the confession after he was
arrested for butchering his wife, Mrs. Silifat Yakubu, popularly
called Iya Lugo, and dumping her in a river in the neighbourhood.

According to sources, some of the victim's body parts, such as her
eyes, breasts and uterus, were allegedly missing when her corpse was
found by passersby, suggesting that she must have been murdered for
ritual purposes.

Ismail purportedly dumped the corpse of his wife in the river at
night, after his attempts to take her far away failed because his bus
developed a fault.

A neighbour, one Iya Korede, who lives near the victim's shop, noted
that Silifat was jovial, hardworking and troubled no one.

She also described the deceased as a trader who sold household
utensils in her container shop, located a few blocks from hers.
Her neighbor said

Most of the people in the area do not know her husband because he goes
early to work and comes back late. But his wife is a very hard working
woman. She built the house they live in.

As if that was not enough, she bought a commercial bus for him. What
else does he want? If he was tired of the marriage, he should have
driven her away instead of killing her.

The world is truly a wicked place. How can a man kill his own wife?
The same woman who bore him three male children, for goodness sake? It
is only God that will save us.

The Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, stated
that the suspect was currently in police custody and had made
confessional statements that he actually committed the crime while
investigations into the matter continues.

--GistReel

Former BBA Housemate & Ghanaian Hot Babe To Lose Her Two Oranges Over Failure To Pay Plastic Surgeon

According to OMGGHANA, Confidence who is the owner of one of Ghana's
biggest and popular night clubs, Aphrodisiac Night Club is on the
verge of losing her two oranges over failure to pay Dr Ron Boyds, the
plastic surgeon who fixed her boobs.

OMGGhana reports Dr Boyds saying in a court papers available to the site,

I know she is somewhat famous because of her twins, but guess who gave
them to her? It's simple; I need my money.

I gave her 3 years to pay me. She has night clubs and is a very
accomplished business woman.

The angry doctor decided to take the case to court after efforts to
get her to pay his money fell on deaf ears. He is reported to have
informed her that failure to settle the cost with will result in her
breast implants being removed, and over GHC 8,000 ($3000) in court
cost, paid by her.

--GistReel

Stephanie Okereke Now Works With Queen Of England

Nollywood actress, Stephanie Okereke Linus is currently working with
The Queen of England on a youth empowerment initiative. The Imo State
born actress was recently chosen as the official spokesperson for the
2014 Queen of England's "Queens Young Leaders Awards" campaign.

The dark and beautiful entertainer was specially chosen alongside
revered South African Archbishop, Desmond Tutu for the global
initiative.

Mrs. Linus disclosed that the Queen's Young Leaders Awards seeks to
discover, celebrate and support young people from every corner of the
commonwealth nations by helping to transform their own lives and the
lives of others around them.

"Exceptional young men and women aged between 18 and 29 who are taking
the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform
lives are invited to apply for a Queen's Young Leaders Awards, in
honour of Her Majesty The Queen," she stated. "This will support
winners to develop the amazing work they are already doing in their
communities," she said.

The actress is responsible for creating awareness in Nigeria for the
initiative and equally hopes that Nigerian young people will apply in
droves to win the awards.

--GistReel

Mr Aye Dee The Man Who Took Down Linda Ikeji's Blog Turns Prophet

The Chief Editor Of 15Past8 media group reported Linda to Google for
taking his posts without giving him proper credits.

Mr Aye Dee is praying for Linda after he reported her to Google, which
made Google took down her blog.

Read his tweets above.

GistReel

Google Explains Why It Shutdown Linda Ikeji's Blog

When contacted, Google's Manager for Communications and Public
Affairs, Anglo-Phone West Africa, Taiwo Kolade-Ogunlade, said he was
not in the best position to speak on the specifics of the development.

He, however, noted that Google takes the issue of copyright seriously,
adding that the company belongs to a group of Internet firms that
abides by the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and
other applicable copyright laws.

According to Kolade-Ogunlade, to respect the rights of copyright
holders, Google clearly spells out how users of its products and
services can get permission to use someone else's intellectual
property such as text, songs, images and footages.

The search giant, he added, was no respecter of anybody when it came
to the issues of copyright infringement, adding that "copyright is a
big deal."

"Google as an organisation takes issues of copyright seriously and
belongs to a group of digital companies that respect copyrights.

"Copyright is a big deal and this is why you can't just go and pick up
another person's intellectual property or content and lay claim to its
ownership.

"That is why we have copyright guidance. I don't know if Linda picked
up any content and I don't know what content is the bone of
contention-neither have I looked into the complaints personally.

"But it is not a case of witch-hunting and has nothing to do with
Linda Ikeji's personality or anyone else because there is a process,
and irrespective of who you are in the world, that process would apply
to you," Kolade-Ogunlade explained.

According to the Google spokesman, it has become imperative for online
entrepreneurs to respect the rights of copyright holders noting that
the Internet community should be built on mutual trust and general
respect.

--PUNCH

Agbakoba Sues Army Over 12 Soldiers' Conviction

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba
(SAN), has dragged the Nigerian Army before a Federal High Court in
Abuja, challenging the death sentence passed by the military General
Court Martial on 12 soldiers.

A nine-man GCM had on September 16, 2014, pronounced 12 Nigerian
soldiers guilty of mutiny and consequently sentenced them to death by
firing squad.

But Agbakoba, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/708/2014, is contesting the
legality of the military tribunal.

According to him, the composition of the GCM violated Section 36(1) of
the 1999 Constitution, which preserves the right of an accused person
to fair hearing.

The lawyer argued further that sections 133(3)(4) and (5) of the Armed
Forces Act, which empowered the GCM, was null and void since it was
inconsistent with section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution.

In the affidavit in support of his suit, Agbakoba averred that it was
unlawful for the Commander of the Army Headquarters Garrison,
Mogadishu Cantonment, Brig. Gen. D.T. Ndiomu, to single-handedly
appoint all the members of the military tribunal.

He said since all the members of the GCM were soldiers appointed by
Ndiomu, the convicted soldiers were denied their right to independence
and impartial trial.

The senior advocate said, "The independence and impartiality of the
court martial was not secured in the trial of the soldiers. This is
because all those who participated in the events related to the court
martial were Army officers. They were the investigators, the
prosecutors, the president, the judge advocate, the waiting member,
and other members of the court martial."

The suit filed under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure)
Rules 2009 is seeking, among other reliefs, "a declaration that the
convening and composition of the Army General Court Martial which
convicted and sentenced the 12 soldiers to death by firing squad for
various offences on September 16, 2014 is contrary to Section 36(1) of
the Constitution of the Nigeria, 1999."

Agbakoba is praying the court to set aside the death sentence on the
12 soldiers.

--PUNCH

INEC NIGERIA PRESS STATEMENT CONDUCT OF GOVERNORSHIP BYE - ELECTION IN ADAMAWA STATE

PRESS STATEMENT

CONDUCT OF GOVERNORSHIP BYE - ELECTION IN ADAMAWA STATE

The Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday, October 8th, 2014,
delivered judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/545/2014 between Barrister
Bala James Nggilari vs. Speaker Adamawa State House of Assembly & 5
Ors. The Court declared that Barrister Bala James Nggilari did not
resign from his office as Deputy Governor of Adamawa State as required
by the Constitution and granted, among others, an order restraining
INEC from conducting a bye-election to fill the office of Governor of
Adamawa State.

In compliance with the court order, INEC hereby suspends all
preparations for the conduct of governorship bye-election in Adamawa
State, which was scheduled to hold on Saturday, 11th October, 2014.

H. Adamu
Ag. Secretary, INEC
08th October, 2014

Nigeria Donate $3.5m To Liberia, Other

The minister of health,prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, on Wednesday said
Nigeria had already donated $3.5m as part of its intervention in the
affected countries.

Chukwu said the sum was made up of $500,000 to each of the countries
and the balance to the common ECOWAS Fund for the disease.

He also said 591 health practitioners had volunteered to join the
international force that would go to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea
to help in the containment of the Ebola Virus Disease.

He said the volunteers registered with his ministry at three points in
Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt.

Chukwu said this while speaking with State House correspondents at the
end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by
President Goodluck Jonathan.

He said that he had already told a recent meeting of the United
Nations General Assembly on EVD of Nigeria's readiness to help the
three countries.

He said, "I informed the United Nations General Assembly that the
President has already directed the Federal Ministry of Health to train
and send health personnel to these three countries in the area of
special laboratory work to strengthen capacity in those countries.

"I also informed them that as part of Nigeria's contributions to the
international team that will be set up to tackle Ebola Virus Disease
in those countries, already Nigeria volunteers from different health
professions have been registering with us, willing to join the
international force that will go to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea
to help out with the containment.

"As of now, 591Nigerians have already registered with us in three
registries we opened in Lagos, Abuja Port Harcourt."

The minister however said there were certain conditions to be met
before the volunteers would be allowed to leave the country.

He said the first step was for President Goodluck Jonathan to approve
their journey and mission and that the volunteers would be properly
trained according to Nigeria's standards, which, he said, was fairly
high.

Chukwu said he also told the meeting, which was called to review the
global situation on the disease that Nigeria is now Ebola-free. He
said the country had had 19 cases with seven deaths contrary to the 20
cases being reported by the foreign media.

"Presently there is no single case of active Ebola Virus Disease in
Nigeria, no single contact that is presently under surveillance in any
part of the country," he declared.

He said the ban on repatriation of corpses as well as inter-state
movement of corpses was still in force, adding that the ban remained
except where approval had been granted by the Minister of Health.

--PUNCH

Ebola: Protests In Spain Over Killing Of Nurse's Dog

Health authorities in Spain have put to death the dog of a nurse
infected with the Ebola virus in Madrid, sparking protests from animal
rights groups.

Activists scuffled with police outside her home as the dog was taken away.

The nurse, Teresa Romero, is the first person known to have contracted
the deadly virus outside West Africa.

She had treated two missionaries who later died from Ebola. The virus
has killed 3,879 people, mostly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

A court order to euthanise Ms Romero's dog was issued on Tuesday
despite uncertainty over whether the animal was also infected or
risked spreading the disease.

On Wednesday about 50 animal rights activists held a protest outside
the nurse's home in Madrid, shouting "assassins".
Two protesters were hurt when they tried to stop the van in which the
animal was being transported, El Pais newspaper reported.
The fate of the dog, named Excalibur, sparked huge interest on social
networks, after Ms Romero's husband, who like her is being kept in
isolation in a hospital, alerted animal protection groups via social
networks.

--BBC

China Overtakes US As World's Largest Economy

The International Monetary Fund says China has overtaken the United
States as the world's largest economy, according to a report.

The IMF estimates that the size of the US economy is $17.4tr, while
the Chinese economy comes in at $17.6tr, Business Insider reports.

China's share of the global economy is 16.48 per cent, while the
United States accounts for 16.28 per cent, the IMF said Tuesday as
part of its outlook for the world economic growth.

These figures are adjusted for the relative costs of living in both
countries, known as "purchasing power parity."

As recently as 2005, the Chinese economy was less than half the size
of the US economy.

Moreover, the IMF projects that China's economy will be 20 per cent
bigger than that of the US by 2019.

China remains the biggest foreign holder of US government debt,
holding an estimated $1.27bn in US Treasury bonds.

The United States accuses China of lowering the price of its exports
by manipulating its currency.

Earlier this year, China and Russia agreed to a measure to undercut
the domination of the US dollar as the international reserve currency
by paying each other in domestic currencies.

Jonathan Faults Sixth Richest African President Claim, Demands Apology

The Presidency on Wednesday faulted the listing of President Goodluck
Jonathan by a website, R ichestLifestyle.com, as the sixth richest
African President.

It described the publication as another attempt to portray the
President as a corrupt leader and incite public disaffection against
him.

The Presidency's position was contained in a statement by the Special
Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati.

Abati said there was no factual basis for Jonathan to be listed as the
sixth richest African Head of State with a net worth of about $100
million.

He therefore demand a retraction and an unreserved apology from the
website and all those who have reproduced the article he called
offensive.

He threatened that the Presidency would not hesitate to institute a
libel case against the authors if they failed to retract the article.

The statement read, "We have noted with consternation the listing of
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan by a website – R ichestLifestyle.com
– as the sixth richest African President with an estimated net worth
of $100 Million.

"The Presidency condemns the totally unwarranted inclusion of
President Jonathan in the publication titled 'Africa's Richest
Presidents 2014′ as another attempt to unjustifiably portray the
President as a corrupt leader and incite public disaffection against
him.

"We categorically assert that there is no factual basis for ranking
President Jonathan as the sixth richest African Head of State with a
net worth of about $100 Million.

"As is well known, President Jonathan has never been a businessman or
entrepreneur, but a life-long public servant. The President has held
public office since 1999 and has regularly declared his assets as
required by Nigerian laws. He has had no personal income since 1999
other than his official remuneration as deputy governor, governor,
vice president, acting president and president which are matters of
public record.

"There has been no significant variation in the totality of his
personal assets as contained in his last declaration to the Nigerian
Code of Conduct Bureau in 2011 which, as can be verified, was a very,
very far cry from the $100 million figure now being bandied about by
Richest Lifestyle.com and other irresponsible, copy-cat publications.

"The clear and unacceptable imputation of the claim that President
Jonathan is now worth about $100 Million is that the President has
corruptly enriched himself while in office which is certainly not the
case.

"We therefore demand a retraction and an unreserved apology from
Richest Lifestyle.com and all those who have reproduced the offensive
article.

"Otherwise, they should be prepared to substantiate their libelous
claims against the President in courts of law within and outside
Nigeria."

Romario And Bebeto Voted Into Brazilian Parliament

Former World Cup winners Romario and Bebeto were among the Brazilian
footballers elected to parliament in elections this weekend.

Romario, who was a deputy in the lower house, was elected Senator for
Rio de Janeiro with 63 per cent of the vote.

The 48-year-old has consistently spoken out against corruption in
Brazilian football and is part of the Brazilian Socialist Party.

Bebeto, his strike partner when Brazil won the World Cup in 1994, was
re-elected as a state deputy.

Andres Sanchez, the former president of Sao Paulo club Corinthians,
was elected to the lower house for the Workers' Party.

Romario had a playing career that spanned almost 25 years and played
for clubs such as PSV, Barcelona, Vasco da Gama and Flamengo.

Bebeto, who played for the same two Rio de Janeiro based clubs, went
into politics in 2010 as a representative of the Democratic Labour
Party.

Six Hospitalised In Spain As Ebola Scare Hits Europe

Spain's government urged calm on Wednesday over the case of a nurse
who caught Ebola in a Madrid hospital as the World Health Organization
warned other isolated infections in Europe were "unavoidable".

Apart from the infected nurse -- the first person to contract the
disease outside Africa -- doctors in Madrid have isolated five other
people and are monitoring dozens more.

One of the doctors treating the nurse, Teresa Romero, said she may
have caught the deadly virus after touching her face with an infected
glove.

She had been treating a missionary flown back to Madrid's La Paz III
hospital from west Africa with the disease.

"It seems like it was the gloves. The gloves touched the face," doctor
German Ramirez told reporters outside the hospital.

The Ebola epidemic has killed nearly 3,500 people in west Africa this
year and the World Bank warned on Wednesday it could cripple the
region's economy to the tune of at least $32 billion (25 billion
euros).

Spain was still scrambling on Wednesday to identify people who came
into contact with Romero.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called for calm and promised
"transparency" over the scare, which has sparked fierce criticism of
Spanish safeguards.

The World Health Organization also moved to calm fears of wider
contagion in Europe.

Its regional director, Zsuzsanna Jakab, said sporadic cases in Europe
were "unavoidable" but the risk of a full outbreak were "extremely
low".

"European countries are among the best prepared in the world" to
tackle such diseases, she added in a statement.

- 'The mistake' -

Romero initially told reporters she had "no idea" how she got infected.

But in an interview with El Pais newspaper, by phone from her hospital
bed, she said it may have occurred when removing her protective suit.

"I think the mistake was when I removed the suit. I see it as the most
critical moment in which it could have happened but I am not sure,"
she said.

In an earlier recording published on the website of El Mundo
newspaper, she sounded tired and groggy but said she was feeling "a
bit better".

Romero became ill after caring for two elderly Spanish missionaries
who died of Ebola following their return from west Africa.

Doctors at the hospital put her husband and another "suspect case" --
an engineer who recently travelled from Nigeria -- in isolation.

Three other members of the hospital's medical staff were also admitted
as a precaution.

Authorities have also ordered that the Romero family dog be put down
as a precaution, sparking protests from animal rights activists.

- PM promises investigation -

The European Commission has written to the Spanish health ministry
demanding an explanation of how the infection occurred.

Officials said they were monitoring 52 people -- mostly health staff.

They said Romero began to feel ill on September 30 while on leave
after treating the missionaries, but she was not admitted to hospital
until six days later.

Rajoy told parliament that officials would "investigate what happened
and why this contagion occurred".

Health unions complained that staff had not been adequately trained to
treat Ebola patients safely.

Some 3,439 people have died from Ebola out of 7,478 cases in the
current outbreak across five west African nations -- Liberia, Guinea,
Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal -- according to the latest WHO tally.

The EU announced it will start airlifting 100 tonnes of relief aid on
Friday to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea including masks, gloves and
medicine.

Ebola causes severe fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and sometimes internal
and external bleeding. It spreads through contact and bodily fluids.

There is no vaccine and no widely available cure, but several
treatments have been fast-tracked for development.

Several patients have been treated for Ebola in Europe and the United
States in the current outbreak, but until the Madrid case all had been
infected in Africa.

The United Nations mission in Liberia announced on Wednesday a second
Ebola infection among its international staff there.

US Ebola Patient, Thomas Duncan, Dies

The first person to be diagnosed with Ebola within the US has died,
Texas hospital officials have said.

Thomas Duncan, who caught the virus in his native Liberia, was being
kept in isolation in a Dallas hospital and receiving experimental
drugs.

Earlier the US announced new security procedures at entry points to
check travellers for symptoms of the virus.

More than 3,000 people have died in West Africa in the worst Ebola outbreak yet.

While Duncan was the first person to be diagnosed within the US, three
American aid workers and a photojournalist contracted the virus in
Liberia.

"It is with profound sadness and heartfelt disappointment that we must
inform you of the death of Thomas Eric Duncan this morning at 7:51
am," a spokesman said in a statement.

The news came shortly after US Secretary of State John Kerry urged all
nations to boost their response to combat the virus.

"More countries can and must step up," he said in a joint press
conference with his British counterpart Philip Hammond.

The US has pledged as many as 4,000 troops to the region, while the UK
is sending 750 military personnel to Sierra Leone.

Duncan, a Liberian national, tested positive in Dallas, Texas, on 30
September, 10 days after arriving on a flight from Monrovia via
Brussels.

After going to hospital with symptoms, he told them he had been to
Liberia but was sent home with antibiotics.

Four days later, he was placed in isolation and given an experimental
drug to treat Ebola, but his condition continued to worsen.

Following Duncan's diagnosis, the first case of contagion outside that
continent was confirmed in Spain, where a nurse who treated an Ebola
victim in Madrid contracted the virus herself.

Ebola spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of someone who
has the virus and the only way to stop an outbreak is to isolate those
who are infected.

Earlier on Wednesday, US officials announced travellers from
Ebola-affected countries will face increased security scrutiny at
American airports.

The Department of Homeland Security has ordered agents at airports and
other ports to "observe" arrivals for potential signs of Ebola
infection.

The new security measures, rolled out by the Transportation Security
Administration, will reportedly take effect this weekend or early next
week.

'Spanish Ebola Nurse Touched Face With Infected Glove'

A Spanish nurse may have become infected with Ebola when she touched
her face with a glove as she removed her protective suit after
treating a missionary who had the deadly virus, a doctor treating her
said Wednesday.

Health officials say Teresa Romero twice entered the room of Spanish
missionary Manual Garcia Viejo -- once to clean him and the second time
after he died on September 25, just days after being repatriated from
Sierra Leone.

Doctor German Ramirez of Madrid's La Paz-Carlos III hospital said
Romero told him she remembers she touched her face with her gloves as
she removed her protective suit after leaving the quarantine room at
the hospital where the missionary was being treated.

"She thinks she remembers that it was during the first time she
entered the room but we should continue to look into it," he told
reporters gathered outside the hospital.

"It seems like it was the gloves. The gloves touched the face,"
Ramirez said, adding the infected nurse had authorised him to speak to
the media.

"It is possible that this was not a mistake as such. It could simply
be an accident and logically, probably, she could not remember at the
beginning because of the state of her health."

Romero had said in an interview published in El Mundo on Wednesday
that she had "no idea" how she could have contracted the virus.

But in an interview Wednesday in the online edition of El Pais
newspaper, she said she thought she may have become infected when she
removed her protective suit.

"I think the mistake was when I removed the suit. I see it as the most
critical moment in which it could have happened but I am not sure,"
she told the newspaper by telephone from her room at the hospital
where she is being treated in isolation.

Romero is the first case of Ebola being transmitted outside of West
Africa, where a months-long outbreak has killed nearly 3,500 people
and infected at least twice as many.

Bala Ngilari's Swearing-in As Adamawa State Governor Underway

The swearing-in of the governor of Adamawa State, Mr Bala Ngilari, is
ongoing in line with a court ruling that he is the substantial
governorof the state.

A Federal High Court in Abuja had ruled on Wednesday that Mr Umaru
Fintiri, the Acting Governor, was occupying the position illegally and
ordered his immediate vacation of the Government House.

The court ordered the Chief Judge of Adamawa State to immediately
swear-in Mr Bala Ngilari as the Governor of the State.

In its ruling, the court said Mr Ngilari, did not resign his position
before the former governor Murtala Nyako was impeached.

The court also ruled that the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) should not conduct the by-election slated for
October 11.

Also, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Nigeria, Mr
Mohammed Adoke, on Wednesday called on the chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission(INEC) to obey the judgement of the court
by suspending all the arrangementsmade for the conduct of a
by-election scheduled to take place in Adamawa State on Saturday
October 11.

Suntai Has Gone Missing --Taraba Acting Gov

The acting governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Garba Umar, has declared
that his boss, Govenor Danbaba Suntai, has gone missing.
Governor Umar stated in an interview on Monday, that he had not set
his eyes on Governor Suntai ever since he came back from the UK some
weeks ago.

(Photo: Taraba Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai yesterday in Abuja.)

He narrated how he tried to connect with his boss as soon as he got
back but all efforts to meet with him were abortive.

Umar said: "Few of my aides and I were already at the domestic wing of
the airport to receive my boss but, unknowingly to me, the cabal was
already waiting at the international wing of the airport where the
plane conveying my boss was directed to land. When I got to know that
the plane landed at the international wing, I rushed to the place to
receive him, but he was in a jeep which immediately drove him to T.Y.
Danjuma's lodge."

Umar also insisted that his missing boss is a self-centered mechanism
employed by some cabal to hold on to power by holding him hostage.

He assured the people that his administration will continue to uphold
the values of democracy and ensure that the citizens enjoy its
dividends.

He called on citizens of state to eschew religious differences and
work towards unity in the state.

"I thank God that this year's Sallah was peaceful; peace has returned
to some of the crisis areas in the state. I have also constituted a
reconciliation committee to ensure that those who fled their homes
because of crisis return," he said.

He assured people of the state that his administration would continue
to work to ensure that everyone enjoys the dividend of democracy.

However, a former commissioner for information in the state, Mr.
Emmanuel Bello, told reporters that Suntai was not missing.

He explained that governor Suntai was doing well and would soon return
to the state to continue his business of governance.

"Since our dear governor returned from his medical trip, he has been
at the Governor's Lodge, otherwise called T.Y. Danjuma House, located
at Asokoro in Abuja," Bello said.

He stressed that the acting governor, was only waiting for this tenure
to elapse, and that after the expiration of Suntai's administration
that brought him as deputy governor, he would pack his luggage out of
Government House.

My Sayings

Learning is a gift. Even when pain is your teacher.

My Sayings

No one can go back and make a brand new start. However, anyone can
start now and make a brand new ending.

Cardinal Asks Catholic Church To Scrap Phrase 'Living In Sin'

A Catholic cardinal suggested Tuesday that the phrase "living in sin"
for cohabiting couples should be banned, saying it alienated people
from the Church.

"To label people is not helpful," the unnamed prelate was quoted as
saying at a major Vatican meeting on family issues gathering some 250
bishops from around the world.

"The language has to change," he said, according to a spokesman for
the extraordinary meeting known as a synod, speaking at a daily news
conference on the closed-door talks.

The Church should instead encourage a "gradual" rapprochement with
unmarried couples, the cardinal urged.

At the opening of the synod on Monday, Pope Francis urged bishops to
"speak freely" in the talks set to run until October 19.

On Sunday the pope issued a strong signal of support for reform of the
approach to marriage, cohabitation and divorce, suggesting that the
Church address the present gulf between what it currently says on
these issues and what tens of millions of believers actually do.

Netanyahu Orders Clampdown On Jerusalem Unrest

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told police chiefs and the
Shin Bet security service Tuesday to get tough on violent Palestinian
protest in Jerusalem, which has spiked in recent months.

"The prime minister instructed that forces be strengthened in areas of
conflict and that they should act aggressively against rioters," his
office said after a special meeting of the security chiefs, also
attended by Jerusalem's mayor and government legal advisors.

"He stressed that the current situation must not be allowed to become
the norm," it said.

Since July's killing of a Palestinian teen by Jewish extremists and
the start of a bloody Israeli military offensive in Gaza, Palestinians
youths have been almost constantly on the streets throwing stones and
petrol bombs at police, motorists and public transport.

Police said three officers were slightly injured Tuesday by stones and
bottles hurled by Palestinians in mainly Arab east Jerusalem?s walled
Old City.

Police say they have arrested more than 700 Palestinians in
Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem since July, including at least 250
minors.

Rights groups allege many cases of police use of excessive force.

Police in the city are already out in numbers ahead of the week-long
Jewish holiday of Sukkot, starting Wednesday evening, which swells the
number of Jewish visitors to the Old City.

"Recently there have been stone-throwing incidents, public
disturbances and violence," the statement quoted Netanyahu as telling
Tuesday's meeting.

"We need to deal with this not only in light of the coming holidays
but also in a fundamental way."

'Jonathan Rated As 6th Richest African President'

Richest Lifestyle, a US-based website, has listed President Goodluck
Jonathan of Nigeria as the 6th Richest African president.
In an article titled, 'Richest African Presidents 2014′ , the US
website compiled a list of the nine richest presidents and kings in
Africa. According to the article, President Jonathan is worth
$100million. Other African presidents and kings on the list include;

1. Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola – Net Worth: $20 Billion2.
Mohammed VI of Morocco – Net Worth: $2.5 Billion3. Teodoro Obiang
Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea – $600 Million4. Uhuru Kenyatta of
Kenya – Net Worth: $500 Million5. Paul Biya of Cameroon – Net Worth:
$200 Million6. King Mswati III of Swaziland – Net Worth: $100 Million
(The monarch shares the number 6 spot with President Jonathan)7.
Idriss Deby of Chad – Net Worth: $50 Million8. Robert Mugabe of
Zimbabwe – Net Worth: $10 Million.

UEFA Punishes Italian FA Boss Over Racist Remarks

UEFA on Tuesday banned Italian Football Federation boss Carlo
Tavecchio from its next congress and ordered him to hold an
anti-racism event in punishment for widely condemned remarks.

In a statement, European football's governing body said that its
ethics division had decided to impose the penalty after wrapping up a
probe launched in August.

It said that it had taken into account Tavecchio's decision to refrain
from any UEFA-related activity pending a resolution of the issue.

At a public meeting in July, during the Italian federation's election
campaign, 71-year-old Tavecchio contrasted what he claimed was the
wrongheaded player-recruitment approach of Italian clubs compared to
the wisdom of their English counterparts.

"Here we get 'Opti Poba' who previously ate bananas and then suddenly
becomes a first-team player at Lazio," he said.

The comments, which appeared to be aimed at France and Juventus
midfielder Paul Pogba, who is black, sparked controversy in Italy with
many commentators condemning what they saw as an overtly racist
outburst.

UEFA said that Tavecchio would be "ineligible for any position as a
UEFA Official for a period of six months starting from the
communication of this decision".

In addition, he will not take part in UEFA's next congress, scheduled
for March 24, 2015.

"Mr. Tavecchio will organize a special event in Italy aimed at
increasing awareness and compliance with the principles of UEFA's
Resolution entitled European Football United Against Racism," it
added.

The Italian football federation (FIGC) said that Tavecchio had decided
to accept the six month suspension in order to avoid a prolonged
dispute with UEFA.

"With regard to the proceedings initiated by UEFA against the
President of the FIGC for expressions used on July 25 ... Carlo
Tavecchio, after explaining his position, has taken note of the
proposal made by UEFA's Disciplinary inspector decided to accept in
order to avoid protracted litigation between UEFA and the FIGC," read
a FIGC statement.

"President Tavecchio has therefore accepted the proposal of UEFA's
Disciplinary Inspector, who asked that Tavecchio refrain from
participating in the UEFA Congress scheduled for March 24, 2015 and to
also refrain from participating in or be appointed to any UEFA
committees for a period of six months."

Tavecchio has acknowledged he should not have made the remark but
insists he was only guilty of a clumsy turn of phrase.

He has alo insisted that he has a clear conscience over the episode
and dismissed suggestions he was a racist.

"I adopted three African children, I also run a tomato-growing
cooperative there and built two hospitals," he said in August, adding:
"I didn't mean to hurt anybody."

Former Anambra Governor Peter Obi Joins PDP b

The former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi has defected to the
ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Obi's defection came on Monday after leaders of the the PDP held a
meeting with him in his Onitsha home in the south eastern part of
Nigeria.

The PDP delegation was by the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekwerumadu.

On their mission, the National Chairman of the PDP, Mr Adamu Muazu,
represented by the publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said the visit
was as a result of the resolution by the entire South-East to pay him
a visit and persuade him to join the PDP for more meaningful
contribution to national affairs.

The former Governor, Mr Peter Obi, had told the party members that he
was humbled by the visit, expressing appreciation that he was consider
as an important political leaders from the South-East.

"I thank you for your continued belief and commitment to the welfare
of our people and the progress of our country.

"I have in the past worked closely with all of you and you know my
belief about our zone working together. I assure you that we will
continue to work even closer as a team in the interest of our people.
Regarding your visit of today, let me assure you that I heard your
kind and passionate requests and that your journey would not be in
vain but in the best interest of our people," he said.

After the discussions the former member of the All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA) decided to join the party, emphasising that "the issue
of joining a National party is not about what was happening in APGA,
but because of the need to be a competitor and not a spectator in
national affairs".