Why I Featured In Ikwokirikwo -- Dillish Mathew

When BBA -The Chase winner, Dillish Mathew was spotted in a musical
video set with Nigerian-born high life musician, Flavour for the
musical video of Ikwokirikwo earlier this year, tongues statrted
wagging that there is something going on between the two.

But just like every other celebrity relationship, both parties did not
say anything about that.

The Namibian model who hosted a lot of questions through her twitter
handle recently, spoke on her reasons for featuring in
Flavour'sIkwokirikwo. "I featured in the musical video because, the
singer is my male celebrity crush.

He is hot. The graetest achievement I would say that I have recorded,
including winning the Big Brother Africa, is taking care of my
family," She said.

Wizkid And Davido Lose MOBO Award

Nigerian superstars, Wizkid and Davido have failed to win the Best
African Act category at the 2014 edition of the Music of Black Origin
Awards, popularly called MOBO.

The coveted prize was taken away again by Ghanian singer, Fuse ODG,
who also won the prize in 2013.

This miss, however, seems to settle the growing battle of supremacy
between the Nigerian nominees, Wizkid and Davido although the Aye
singer has been named Best African Act earlier in the year at the BET
Awards.

Grace Mugabe Announces Candidacy To Succeed Husband Robert Mugabe

(Photo:: President Robert Mugabe and his second wife, Grace)

Zimbabwe's first lady Grace Mugabe on Thursday announced her candidacy
to succeed her husband, 90-year-old president Robert Mugabe, when he
leaves office.

"People say I want to be president, why not? Am I not a Zimbabwean?"
the 49-year-old said when addressing veterans of the country's
liberation struggle in Mazowe at about 40 kilometres north of Harare.

Mugabe called on Vice President Joice Mujuru - regarded as one of the
top contenders to succeed the president - to resign.

"There are plenty of people who can run this country, not Mujuru," she
said, adding that her husband's deputy would take Zimbabwe "back to
where we were before independence."

Robert Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980, has travelled
several times for medical care abroad, sparking speculation that he
could step down before his term ends in 2018.

Mugabe has meanwhile been appointed to head the women's league of the
ruling party Zanu-PF.

The first lady's political ambitions have faced resistance from Mujuru
and others who participated in the liberation struggle against the
white minority government of the then Rhodesia - today Zimbabwe -
alongside Robert Mugabe.

Mugabe has also come under fire for a doctorate she obtained from the
University of Zimbabwe in September - allegedly just months after she
enrolled there.
--Times

Regina Askia To Work At Ebola Center In US

Former Nollywood actress, Regina Askia has joined the fight against
Ebola in the United States.

The former beauty queen who now works as a nurse in the US took to her
Facebook page to announce the brave news.

According to Regina, her initial job was to find volunteers that will
work at the Ebola center. Her male colleagues accepted the offer at
$200 - N32,000 per hour. But after none of her female colleagues
agreed to join the men, she eventually had to volunteer. The nurses
are currently undergoing Ebola trainings.

Two US Ebola Nurses Free Of Virus

Two nurses infected with Ebola while caring for a dying patient in
Dallas have been declared free of the virus.

One of them, Nina Pham, met President Barack Obama at the White House,
hours after being discharged.

The news comes one day after a doctor returning from Guinea tested
positive for Ebola in New York City.

More than 4,800 people have died of Ebola - mainly in Liberia, Guinea
and Sierra Leone - since March.

On Friday, it was announced that one million doses of an experimental
Ebola vaccine will be produced by the end of 2015.

But it was a day of mixed news in the US, where the first infection in
New York was followed by the release from hospital of Ms Pham, 26.

"I feel fortunate and blessed to be standing here today," she said. "I
am on my way back to recovery."

Ms Pham thanked supporters for their prayers during her illness, and
asked for privacy as she plans her return to Texas and a reunion with
her dog, Bentley.

But first she was flown to Washington, at the request of the White House.
--BBC

Ebola Crisis: 'Many Exposed' To Infected Mali Girl

Health officials fear many people may have been exposed to Mali's
first Ebola victim - a two-year-old girl.

She recently arrived from Guinea, one of the worst affected countries,
and has since died.

The girl showed symptoms, including a bleeding nose, while travelling
on a public bus through several towns, the World Health Organization
(WHO) said.

Forty-three people, including 10 health workers, who came into contact
with her have been identified and isolated.

The girl was being treated in the western town of Kayes, after
arriving at a hospital on Wednesday.

The child had travelled more than 1,000 km (600 miles) from Guinea
through the capital, Bamako, to Kayes.

"The child's symptomatic state during the bus journey is especially
concerning, as it presented multiple opportunities for exposures,
including high-risk exposures, involving many people," the WHO said.

The girl's mother died in Guinea a few weeks ago and the child was
then brought by relatives to Mali.
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have seen most of the 4,800 Ebola deaths.
--BBC

Giwa Takes Over NFF Office

The Chris Giwa-led board of Nigeria Football Federation has taken
charge as ruled by the judiciary, a member of the board, Yahaya Adama,
said on Friday in Abuja.

Adama told newsmen at the Glass House secretariat of the NFF the board
has returned to power as demanded by the court and was "ready to save
the Nigerian game".

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Justice Ambrose Alagoa of the
Federal High Court in Jos had on Thursday annulled the September 30
NFF elections in Warri.

He had also declared as null and void the NFF Elective Congress held
on that day, thereby restoring to power the Giwa-led board which was
elected in Abuja on August 26.

The decision had meant the board led by Amaju Pinnick should vacate office.

Adama, who was at the Glass House in company of another board member,
Sani Fema, to await the board chairman, Chris Giwa, said the board had
immediately swung into action.

He said, "Immediately after the court ruling on Thursday, the board
led by Giwa had met in Jos to discuss emerging issues affecting
Nigerian football.

"The board consequently reviewed a number of decisions taken in recent
days at the NFF, one of them being the issue of the Super Eagles'
technical crew.

"Also, the board nullified all decisions taken by the Pinnick-led team
since September 30. All committees appointed by the illegal NFF board
have been dissolved."

Adama said further that the board felt "so strongly about sustaining
the out-of-contract assignment given to the Stephen Keshi-led Super
Eagles technical crew.

"This is a very critical moment, and Nigerians want the national team
to play well, win and be a pride to them. This calls for greater hard
work from the coaches.

"They (the team) must win the remaining qualifying matches against
Congo Republic and South Africa for Nigeria to be at the 2015 African
Nations Cup finals.

"Emphasis now is supposed to be on concentration for the two games."

The NFA board member said the board has made interim appointments into
four committees in view of the short time available for the 2013/2014
season to end.

He said, "The Match Commissioners' Appointments Committee has Adama
Yahaya as Chairman, Patimidi Tukuru, Prof. Abu Mallam and Donatus
Mbaezue as members, and Emmanuel Adesanya as Secretary.

"The Referees Committee has Suleiman Muazu as Chairman, Sunday Audu,
Ahmed Maude and Chidi Offor as members, and Sunday Okayi as Secretary.

"The Disciplinary Committee has Iyke Igbokwe as Chairman, Abdulkareem
Ibrahimand Andrew Abah as members, and Lawrence Katken as Secretary,
while Appeals Committee has Leye Adepoju as Chairman, Godwin Odekina
and Ray Nnaji as members, and Okey Obi as Secretary."

Useful Financial Planning Measures

Money is difficult to earn but it can also speedily disappear if
expenses are not managed wisely.

For people who are living independently for the first time, the
responsibility of paying for their utilities aside their personal
expenses can be burdensome if not managed appropriately.

Professionals say the effect of inadequate financial planning may not
be felt immediately, but later when there is no steady source of
income.

They note that understanding how to manage finances will not only help
people out personally, but can be of benefit when it comes to business
success as well.

A proper financial understanding, according to experts, also helps in
setting goals as well as creating fundamental skills in planning and
decision-making.

Learn financial management

The Faculty Director, Soar and Heritage, Mr. Sola Adeyiga says a fair
understanding of accounting, bookkeeping and finance can change the
fortune of any business.

According to him, every business owner must have at the click of a
mouse, his company's key financial data such as values of receivables,
current inventory level, monthly revenue, monthly profitability,
business net asset and balance sheet size among others.

He says, "If you are a business owner and you cannot provide these
data about your company in minutes, then you have some work to do.

"Even if you decide to employ an Accountant or outsource the finance
function, it is still essential for business owners to have fair
knowledge of finance. You can attend short courses and relevant
seminars or read finance related articles online. It will really
help."

Stick to your budget

Experts say budgeting is a means of balancing expenses with income. To
make it work, they advise that a realistic budget should be developed.

According to them, budgeting can best be achieved by tracking how well
it is being adhered to each month, which means a continuous tracking
of your monthly expenses, coupled with your day-to-day spending.

As part of an effort to adhere strictly to the budget, they advise
that people should think in terms of their overall accomplishment
rather than something that will give them temporary satisfaction.

Control impulsive spending

Impulsive spending according to experts is an act of spending money on
items that were not in the original budget. Experts say people who are
in the habit of overspending on items or making late payments for the
items bought, frequently borrow money from friends and buy things they
don't really need.

Financial advisors also say stress often leads to impulsive spending.
Therefore, they recommend ways of reducing stress as a remedy to
impulsive spending.

To achieve this, they say take inventory of your regular monthly bills
and make reminders for yourself on when each bill is due. They add
that the best approach is to pay bills as soon as they arrive.

Have an emergency fund

A specific amount should be set aside for emergency situations,
experts say, because it is when unforeseen expenses or emergencies
arise that people tend to spend out of their budget. This can be in
form of a budget out of the monthly paycheck for deposit into a
savings account, ideally at least 10 per cent of each month wages,
including extra money earned.

According to financial advisors, the advantages of doing this is to
prevent the necessity of going into debt, it provides peace of mind
and freedom of choice.

These funds, they say can be kept in a readily accessible account but
keeping in mind that it does not necessarily need to provide a high
return.

Explore insurance policies

Financial advisors say insurance is an important tool for protecting
against financial hardships, and the premiums paid may be one of the
top household expenses.

For guidance, they advise that interested parties should seek a
provider to be sure they have the appropriate level of protection -
that way they will prevent exorbitant payment for coverage.

Diversify your investment

According to investopedia, it is important to create a personal
virtual mutual fund by investing in a handful of companies you know,
trust, and perhaps even use in your day-to-day life.

Experts say investing can be educational, informative and rewarding.
By taking a disciplined approach and using diversification,
buy-and-hold and dollar-cost-averaging strategies, you may find
investing rewarding - even in the worst of times.

Money can also be invested in different types of investment such as
banks certificate of deposit, stocks, bonds and real estate, experts
say.

Have a retirement plan

Having a solid retirement plan, according to financial analysts can
erase worries and fears related to old age, and keep people in control
of their life and their finances. They say it is an act of preparing
now in order to enjoy later.

2015: I Will Run --Jonathan

Less than 24 hours after an ultimatum from the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP to him and others to purchase nomination forms within seven
days, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday swiftly moved to formalise
his re-election process with the constitution of a declaration
committee.

The declaration,Vanguardlearnt Thursday has been tentatively scheduled
for between the 7th and 15th November, 2014.

A highly placed presidency source disclosed yesterday that the
president would also pick the nomination form before the expiration of
the one week deadline given by the PDP to all aspirants to various
offices.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not
authorised to speak on the matter said the declaration committee,
which is to be headed by erstwhile national chairman of the PDP, Dr.
Bello Haliru Mohammed is composed of representatives of governors, the
National Assembly and other political stakeholders. The committee is
to choose a convenient date for the president to make a formal
declaration.

President Goodluck Jonathan
Before the decision was arrived at, the president met with some
prominent members of the party in and outside of government in the
Presidential Villa yesterday where he told them that following his
adoption by the governors of the PDP, the National Working Committee
and the Board of Trustees of the party, he has accepted to heed their
call to contest in the 2015 election.

Among those at the meetingVanguardlearnt were the national chairman of
the PDP, Adamu Muazu, the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the
party, Chief Tony Anenih, the president of the Senate, Senator David
Mark and other close aides of the president.

"President Jonathan met with key party members where he thanked them
for giving him the opportunity of first refusal. He thanked them for
adopting him as the candidate of the party and formally informed them
that he has accepted to run and would be purchasing the nomination
form before the expiration of the one week deadline given by the PDP
for all its aspirants to pick nomination forms within one week," the
source said.

According to the official, in order to ensure a smooth formal
declaration ceremony, the president has constituted a committee that
would prepare the logistics for his formal declaration which will be
between the 7th and 15th of November.

Similarly, it was gathered that the president has also constituted a
fund raising committee for the campaign proper, which is headed by
former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana.

Other members of the fund raising committee have, however, not been named yet.

Members of the Declaration Committee include: Dr. Bello Halliru
Mohammed (Chairman) from Kebbi, Sen. Ken Namani (Deputy Chairman),
Enugu, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim (Secretary), Ebonyi, Prof. Rufa'i Ahmed
Alkali (member), Gombe, Julius Imagwe - SSA - Youth (member), Edo, Dr.
Baraka Sani (SSA -NSAP) - Kano, (member).

Governors representing the six geographical zones include; Liyel
Imoke, Cross River (South South), Theodore Orji, Abia (South East),
Olusegun Mimiko, Ondo (South West), Dr. Mua'zu Babangida Aliyu Niger
(North Central), Ibrahim Shema, Katsina (North West) and Ibrahim
Dankwambo, Gombe (North East).

Representatives of the National Assembly are Sen. Hosea Agboola ,
(Oyo), Sen. Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Rep. Bitrus Kaze (Plateau) and
Rep. Salmas Badru (Ogun).

Members representing the Federal Executive Council include; Minister
of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Dieziani Allison-Madueke (Bayelsa),
Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Abduljelili Adesiyan (Osun),
Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina (Adamawa), Minister of
Federal Capital Territory, Sen. Bala Mohammed (Bauchi).

Representatives of the PDP in the committee include: Deputy National
Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus (Rivers), Chairman, PDP Benue State,
Chief Emmanuel Agbo, (Benue) National Women Leader, Kema Chikwe (Imo)
and North West Zonal Chairman, Amb. Ibrahim Kazaure (Jigawa).

Other members are Sen. Stella Omu (Delta), Sen. Walid Jibirn (BOT
Secretary, (Nasarawa), Ibrahim Bunu (Borno), Rev. Jolly Nyame
(Taraba), Sen. Aniette Okon (Akwa Ibom), Peter Obi (Anambra), Mrs.
Remi Adiuku Bakare (Lagos), and Gen. A. B. Mamman (PDP National Youth
Leader) - FCT.

Others appointed to the committee at the discretion of the president
were Barr. Halima Alfa (Kogi), Nigeria Ambassador to Netherland, Dr.
(Mrs.) Nimota Nihinlola Akanbi (Kwara), FCT ALGON Chairman, Hon. Micah
Yohanna Jiba (FCT) and Hon. Sam Ikon (Akwa Ibom).
--Vanguard

Court Sacks NFF Exco

(Photo: Amaju Pinnick)

The lingering crisis in the Glass House assumed a new dimension on
Thursday as a Federal High Court sitting in Jos set aside the election
of Mr. Amaju Pinnick as the chairman of the Nigeria Football
Federation.

Justice Ambrose Allagoa in a judgment said that the election was
conducted when there was a court injunction against it. He therefore
ordered that the status quo be maintained and that is that the
election that produced Chris Giwa as the NFF chairman should be
recognised.

Justice Allagoa said, "I have set aside all the proceedings and
decisions of the Warri Extra Ordinary meeting of the 20th September
and the Elective Congress of 30th September which were direct
contravention of the orders of this court as granted on the 19th
September."

Messrs Obinna Ogba and Yahaya Adamu of the Giwa-led faction had
dragged the immediate past Chairman of NFF, Alhaji Aminu Maigari and
the NFF Secretary General, Musa Amadu, to court seeking for orders to
restrain Magari as the first defendant, the NFF as the second
defendant and Football Association as the third defendant from
conducting another election after the Giwa-led faction was elected.

But the Maigari-led board had on September 20 and September 30, 2014
held extraordinary congresses, which led to the election of the
Chairman of Delta State Sports Commission, Amaju Pinnick, as the new
NFF President.

Counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr. Habila Adzard, expressed satisfaction
after the judgment. He said, "The judgment is clear. The learned judge
was categorical that the election was null and void because it was
conducted when there was an injunction against it and so Chris Giwa
remains the chairman of NFF.

Efforts to reach Giwa for comments on the judgment were unsuccessful
as his phone was switched off.

But in a swift reaction, the Executive Committee of Nigeria Football
Federation filed for appeal against the ruling which annulled the NFF
Elective Congress of 30th September, 2014.

The NFF lawyers said that the judge had given the order annulling the
elections despite a Preliminary Objection filed by the NFF challenging
the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case.

NFF First Vice President, Mr. Seyi Akinwunmi said, "We have been
notified of the ruling of the court, which was made in spite of our
filing for a Preliminary Objection concerning the jurisdiction of the
court.

"However, our lawyers went to work immediately the order was made. We
are appealing the ruling and also filing for Stay of Execution of the
order."
--PUNCH

New York Records First Ebola Case

A doctor who treated Ebola patients in Guinea, West Africa, Dr. Craig
Spencer has tested positive for the deadly Ebola virus disease, making
him the first recorded case in America's largest city, New York and
the ninth in the country.

Despite widespread fear that the disease was spreading in the country,
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said residents were safe to travel
around the city, even as officials disclosed that Dr. Craig Spencer
had ridden subways, taken a taxi and visited a bowling alley since
returning from Guinea on Oct. 17.

Spencer had worked with the humanitarian organization - Doctors
Without Borders in Africa.

He first developed Ebola symptoms on Thursday morning and was taken
from his Manhattan apartment to isolation at Bellevue Hospital by a
team wearing protective gear, according to city officials. He had been
taking his temperature twice a day since coming home, said city Health
Commissioner Mary Travis Bassett.

Two friends and his fiancée have been quarantined, the Commissioner
disclosed, noting that all three were healthy. The taxi driver did not
come into close contact and was not considered at risk, she said.

Ebola has killed nearly 4,900 people, largely in Liberia, Sierra Leone
and Guinea.

Remi Oyo, Buried In Lagos

The immediate past Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria, Mrs.
Remi Oyo, has been buried in Lagos.

Oyo, who was also Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former
President Olusegun Obasanjo, died on October 1 in the United Kingdom,
where she was undergoing treatment for a cancer-related ailment.

Sudanese Ambassador To Nigeria Dies In Abuja

The Sudanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Tagelsir Ali, is dead, the
country's embassy confirmed on Friday in Abuja.

The Media Advisor to the embassy, Mr Mohammed Abdulrahman, told the
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Ali, 66, died at about 1a.m. on
Friday at the National Hospital, Abuja.

"He had malaria; there were some complications and he passed away
around 1 a.m. early this morning.

"There is a Presidential jet coming by 5 p.m. to take the remains to
Sudan for burial.

"He was 66 years old. He loved working in Nigeria and had zeal to
develop the bilateral relationship between Sudan and Nigeria and was
able to stretch himself very well," he said.

Abdulrahman said that the embassy had received many visitors since the
diplomat's demise was announced, adding that a condolence register had
been opened for him at the embassy.

Contacted, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Martin
Uhomoibhi, to NAN that the ministry was aware of the ambassador's
death.

Ali was posted to Nigeria in February, 2012.

Gene May Shield Women From Cancer -- Study

About one-fifth of Hispanic women have a genetic variation that offers
significant protection against breast cancer risk, according to a new
study.

The genetic variant originates from native Americans and reduces
breast cancer risk by 40 per cent to 80 per cent, particularly the
more aggressive estrogen receptor-negative forms of the disease,
researchers said.

"The effect is quite significant," study senior author Dr. Elad Ziv, a
professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco,
said in a university news release.

"If you have one copy of this variant, which is the case for
approximately 20 per cent of US Latinas, you are about 40 per cent
less likely to have breast cancer. If you have two copies, which
occurs in approximately one per cent of the US. Latina population, the
reduction in risk is on the order of 80 per cent," Ziv explained.

The researchers pinpointed the genetic variant after analyzing DNA
from 3,140 breast cancer patients in the United States, Mexico and
Columbia, as well as from nearly 8,200 women without breast cancer in
those same countries.

The team also found that women with the genetic variant have breast
tissue that appears less dense on mammograms.

Breast tissue that appears more dense on a mammogram is a known risk
factor for breast cancer, according to the study published in
thejournal Nature Communications.

Hispanic women are at lower risk for breast cancer than women in other
ethnic groups. Lifetime risk of the disease is 13 per cent for whites,
11 per cent for blacks, and less than 10 per cent for Hispanics,
according to the US National Cancer Institute.

The risk is even lower for Hispanic women with native American ancestry.

The newly identified genetic variant is on chromosome 6, near a gene
that codes for an estrogen receptor called ESR1. Further research is
needed to determine how the genetic variant affects breast cancer
risk, the researchers said.
--New York Times

Coffee May Protect The Liver

Drinking coffee -- even decaffeinated coffee -- may protect your liver,
a large new study has found.

Researchers examined the coffee-drinking habits of 27,793 people who
filled out diet questionnaires in a large national health study from
1999 to 2010.

The scientists also tracked blood levels of four enzymes that indicate
liver function.

The study is in thejournal Hepatology.

More than 14,000 of the subjects drank coffee.

After controlling for age, sex, race, education, smoking, alcohol
consumption and other factors, the researchers found that compared
with people who drank no coffee, those who drank three cups a day were
about 25 per cent less likely to have abnormal liver enzyme levels.

Among the more than 2,000 who drank only decaffeinated coffee, the
results were similar.

The reason for the effect is unclear.

"There are more than a thousand compounds in coffee," said the lead
author, Dr. Qian Xiao, a cancer prevention fellow at the National
Cancer Institute.

"There are a few candidates, but I don't know which is responsible."

Should those who do not drink coffee start doing so?

"This is an observational study and not designed to determine cause
and effect," Xiao said.

"So based on this study, I wouldn't make any recommendations. But it
is reassurance that coffee and decaf are not harmful to liver
function."
--New York Times