2015: US supports Nigeria with $15m

 

OSOGBO—The United States of America has said it would support Nigerian government with $15 million to enable it  organise  credible elections in  2015.

The US consular in Nigeria, Mr. Jeffry Hawkins who disclosed this during an interaction with journalists in Osogbo yesterday, after he held  meetings with stakeholders in the state said the American government was committed to the course of democracy in Nigeria and would support Nigeria’s democracy with necessary inputs.

According to him, the money was meant to assist political parties, supports for INEC and civil societies for the conduct of credible elections.
He also stated that the American government would supervise the forthcoming general elections in the country to ensure that it was free and credible.

“Nigeria is very important to the United States of America and because of this the US government is deeply committed to support democracy in Nigeria. We shall use the Governorship election in Osun and Ekiti states as a test case of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria,” he stated.

He urged all the stakeholders in election process, especially the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to provide non violent platform for election to take place in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

He also called on all Political parties to maintain peace, adding that “it is when an election is peaceful that it could be adjudged as being free and fair.”
The Consular also expressed the decision of the US government to engage in dialogue with all stakeholders ahead of the general elections to ensure a violent free election in Nigeria.

Miley Cyrus Sued Her Tongue Nearly Killed Me

Miley Cyrus' tongue has finally pissed off the wrong person -- and now he's filed a lawsuit.Charles Nicholas Sarris filed his lawsuit against ShowFx Inc. -- an L.A. equipment supply company that was hired to make the giant novelty tongue slide for Miley's new Bangerz tour.Sarris says he was hired to assist in the slide construction, and last month, he was badly injured on the job -- after the equipment and tools provided to him failed, causing him to fall and hurt himself bad.Sarris claims ShowFx failed to warn him about the potential dangers involved. He wants unspecified damages.

So Disrespectful! I Thought Only People In Africa Got HIV Says HIV Positive British Mum

48 year old mother of three Racheal Dilly who got diagnosed with HIV in 2004 said prior to her diagnosis had thought HIV/AIDS only affected Africans because she didn't know any white person who had the disease at the time.

Speaking with hosts of ITV Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, yesterday, Racheal Dilly said she got infected after she dated a man she met online and had unprotected sex with him. She said she started falling ill when they ended their relationship and she was asked to go do HIV test after all other test conducted read negative.

"I just didn't know anything about it. I just thought you got it in Africa. I didn't know a white person had ever got it". Dilly said to her amazed hosts yesterday.

How ignorant!

So Remakable! Meet The Austrialia's Youngest Ever Wildlife Ranger Who Plays With All Kinds Of Snake

Charlie Parker a 2-year old Australian boy whose family owns a wildlife park in the country is one of Australia’s youngest wildlife rangers. His family said they have never exposed him to the animals, but he got along with them naturally.

'We're still shocked by his natural ability with the animals. It's quite remarkable to watch - he has absolutely no fear of them and he doesn't just handle them, he also has the knowledge. 'We've never purposely exposed him to the animals - he's just got this obsession with snakes and lizards. It must be genetic', his father said. More pictures after the cut.

Snake charmer: Charlie's legs may wobble under the weight of Pablo but the snake holds no fears for him

Slippery customer: At just two-years-old, Charlie is already an expert snake wrangler

'Remarkable to watch': Family are shocked by Charlie's natural ability with the animals

Dolittle: Charlie is comfortable with animals of all shapes and sizes, including Junior baby alligator Junior

Runs in the family: Charlie's dad Greg owns Ballarat Wildlife Park in Victoria

Photos: Building Explosion Leaves 2 Dead, 18 Injured In New York City This Morning

At least two people died and 18 injured in a major explosion in New York City this morning, caused by a gas leak that razed two buildings to the ground.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has confirmed that the explosion was caused by a gas leak. Speaking to news men, he said; “This is a tragedy of the worst kind, because there was no indication in time to save people”. He also says some people are still missing and rescue workers are already searching through the rubble of the building for survivors. More photos after the cut.

Respond To Charges Against You And Stop Misinforming The Public- Presidency Tells Sanusi

Here is a press statement sent in from the State house;

We have noted with disappointment, the unrelenting attempt by the  Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to falsely portray his recent suspension from office as an attempt by the Presidency to bury his allegation that huge sums of money due to the Federation Account are unaccounted for by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The Presidency wishes to reaffirm that Mallam Sanusi’s suspension has absolutely nothing to do with his unproven and inconsistent claim that $49.8 Billion, $12 Billion or $20 Billion is missing from the national treasury.

As was clearly stated in the letter suspending him from office and confirmed by President Goodluck Jonathan in his last Presidential Media Chat, Mallam Sanusi’s suspension was wholly based on the need for him to step aside while the weighty charges of financial recklessness, gross misconduct and persistent disregard for laid down rules and regulations in the management of the Central Bank made against him by the Financial ReportingCouncil of Nigeria and others are properly investigated.

It is most unfortunate that instead of trying to provide some reasonable response to the clear and unambiguous query of his official conduct as Governor of the Central Bank, Mallam Sanusi  has cynically chosen to whip up public sympathy for himself and anger against the Federal Government by deliberately misleading unwary Nigerians and the international community into believing the falsehood that he is being punished for exposing corruption.

In recent days, the suspended CBN Governor has, following in the footsteps of others who have an axe to grind with the government, taken to spreading his false claims and allegations through gullible foreign media correspondents, telling them among other things that his threat to force commercial banks to open up their books to unravel the whereabouts of the “missing” funds whether $49.8 Billion, $12 Billion or $20 Billion, ultimately led to his suspension.

He also continues to make the mischievous claim that the government is somehow involved in a scam to divert huge sums of money from the Federation Account through the misappropriation of kerosene subsidy funds.

Mallam Sanusi’s allegations are patently untrue. But Government is making no effort to bury them as he falsely claims. Relevant committees of the National Assembly are still investigating the claims and the suspended CBN Governor remains free to give evidence before them in support of his allegations.

Furthermore, in keeping with its avowed commitment to full transparency, openness and accountability in governmental affairs, the Federal Government has authorized the engagement of reputable international firms for the recommended forensic audit of NNPC accounts.

The Presidency condemns Mallam Sanusi’s resort to playing politics with serious national issues.  His suggestion that the phantom missing funds may have been diverted to fund campaigns for next year’s general elections is mischievous, irresponsible and designed to incite other political parties and members of the public against the Federal Government. 

The claim which amounts to cheap blackmail against the government and was clearly made in furtherance of a selfish personal agenda is most unbecoming of someone who still holds the High Office of Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The Presidency would not ordinarily have wished to join issues with Mallam Sanusi who as CBN Governor remains an appointee of the President, but the very unacceptable manner in which Sanusi has been misinforming the public made it imperative that this statement be issued.

Jonathan Martin TRADED TO 49ers 'Really Excited' to Reunite with Harbaugh [Update]

Jonathan Martin's nightmare in Miami is finally over ... the alleged bullying victim has been just been traded to the 49ers, his agent has confirmed to TMZ Sports ... and J-Mart couldn't be happier. We spoke with Martin's agent Kenny Zuckerman ... who tells us, "Jonathan's really excited. He's up at Stanford now. That's where he went to school. The 49ers are in his backyard."Martin will be reunited with his old college coach Jim Harbaugh -- who's the head coach of the 49ers. As for Martin's alleged tormentor Richie Incognito, still no word on his future in the NFL.7:43 PM PT -- TMZ Sports also spoke with 49ers offensive lineman Adam Snyder who tells us he thinks the team is a great fit for Martin."It's a great new opportunity for him. He's coming in to a great group of guys, specifically the offensive  line."When asked if Martin will be treated with kid gloves due to the situation in Miami, Snyder shot that down -- saying, "We're gonna treat him like any other free agent that comes into our locker room."As for his opinion on the trade -- Snyder says, "If he can help us win a Super Bowl, I'm all for it."8:00 PM PT -- Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey issued a statement saying, “We feel that this move is in the best interests of all parties involved. We wish Jonathan well.”8:02 PM PT -- Martin tweeted about the trade ... saying, "Opportunities are few in the NFL... Can't wait to get to work #9erEmpire." //

Ariel Winter My Broken Family Can't Be Fixed

"Modern Family" star Ariel Winter says she will never have a relationship again with her mom and her older brother ... this according to one of her text messages.The text -- obtained by TMZ -- was filed in Ariel's guardianship case.  She was texting her older brother Jimmy who has sided with their mother in the battle over Ariel.Ariel, who is now under the guardianship of her sister, wrote, "How dare you say you miss me ... if you really wanted to see anyone and cared, you'd do a 180."And then she goes in for the kill:  "I'm sorry, what we've been through can't be fixed."Ariel's mom filed the document, trying to prove Ariel suffers from PAS -- Parental Alienation Syndrome -- and their family is being destroyed as a result of the guardianship.

Naked Jake Gyllenhaal Bare Assed Pops a Tent

Good news for anyone left disappointed by Brokeback Mountain -- Jake Gyllenhaal has finally shown his ass in public.Wearing a caveman beard and some kind of taped-on merkin over his wang, Jake stripped down to the nude while filming a camping scene for his new movie "Everest" in Rome Sunday ... complete with a pan and a tent.It's one of the rarest asses in Hollywood so ... this is a pretty big deal.We'll never watch Bubble Boy the same way again.

Awhful! Cynthia Lynn One of the Last Surviving 'Hogan's Heroes' Stars Dies

Cynthia Lynn -- the actress who played Helga on "Hogan's Heroes" is dead, and it's believed she was one of only two surviving members of the cast.Family members tell TMZ Lynn had been in good health but was taken to the hospital Friday because her leg was swelling up.  Doctors told her she had Hepatitis. On Monday night, her organs started shutting down. She died Monday night.Lynn played Helga -- Klink's secretary -- during season 1, from 1965-66.   "Hogan's Heroes" was one of the most popular shows of its time, running from1965-1971. We did some checking, and Robert Clary ... who played Cpl. Louis LeBeau ... appears to be the final cast regular still living.Lynn also appeared on "Mission:Impossible," "The Odd Couple" and "The Six Million Dollar Man."Lynn was 76 years old.  Cause of death is multiple organ failure.

Manufacturers & Sellers Of Fake Products Face Jail Term In Lagos

Manufacturers and sellers of fake products to consumers in Lagos State will now face a three-month jail term or pay a N500,000 fine or both on first conviction by a court in Lagos. This is the provision of the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency Bill signed by Governor Babatunde Fashola into law on Monday at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

Section 37 (1) of the bill says that a person guilty of an offence under this law is liable on conviction to the following fines and penalties: (a) on a first conviction to a fine not exceeding N500,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or both; and (b) on any subsequent conviction for the same offence or any other offence under this law, to a fine not exceeding N750,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six  months or both.

Subsection (2) says that if after being convicted of an offence, the person referred to in subsection (1) continues to contravene the requirement or prohibition to which the offence relates, the person is guilty of a further offence on each day that the contravention continues and shall be liable to pay a fine of N20,000 for each day the offence is committed, the law states

So sad Phones of passengers on missing plane still ringing, relatives claim

This Malaysian plane disappearance has to be the most mysterious incident that has happened in recent history. Late yesterday, relatives of some of the passengers on board the vanished aircraft who are lodged in a hotel, claimed they were still able to call the cellphones of their missing loved ones.

Washington Post reports that some relatives said that they were getting ring tones and could see them active online through a Chinese instant messenger service called QQ. One man in particular claimed he could see that the QQ account of his brother-in-law showed him as online, but when he sends a message, he gets no reply. The calls have also not been picked up. This is scary!

Police release images of men who boarded Malaysian Airline with stolen passpost

Malaysian Police have released images of the two men who boarded the missing Malaysia Airlines flight with stolen passports but say one of the men, 19-year-old Iranian Pouria Nur Mohammad Mehrdad, (pictured left) is known to them and they do not think he is a terrorist. 

The police say the teenager is an Iranian asylum seeker on his way to Germany

Malaysian police say the identity of the other man is still under investigation and no longer strongly believes that the missing plane was attacked by terrorists. They say are now looking into four main areas: sabotage, hijacking or psychological problems among either the crew or the passengers.

Nigerian conman jailed 3+years for duping 81yr old pensioner in the UK

40 year old Nigerian man Chris Chidi Dinneya (pictured above) has been jailed for three and a half years for duping an 81 year old pensioner from Cambridge of £300,000 out of his life savings. Dinneya told the old man, who was not named publicly, that he had won the Spanish Lottery and the victim believed that he was set to receive a large payout that he continued to pay even after police launched an investigation. 

Police and a County Council were forced to apply for a court order to take control of the elderly victim's bank accounts to prevent him from sending more cash to the fraudster.

A number of the payments was traced to Dinneya who was promptly arrested. He was convicted on money laundering charges and jailed for a total of three-and-a-half years on March 4.

Luther Campbell To IRS Me Owe You Long Time

The 2 Live Crew song "Face Down Ass Up" pretty much describes the position Luther Campbell finds himself in right now ... because the Tax Man's about to rip him a new one.Campbell -- famous for the 2LC hit, "Me So Horny" -- just got slapped with a $74K federal tax lien.According to IRS docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Luther didn't pay either all or some of his 2012 taxes.Campbell famously fought the government once before and won ... after a federal appeals court threw out a ruling by a lower court judge that the group's album, "As Nasty As They Wanna Be," was obscene.

Photos: Nigerians in Germany protest against the Nigerian Govt

Nigerians in Germany yesterday March 10, protested against the Nigerian government financial recklessness and insecurity in the country. The protest took place on Neue Jakobstrasse, the street that lodges the Nigerian embassy.

The protest which started by 10am had the German police on ground all through the protest which lasted for four hours. Continue...

Fliers which served as cahier de doleance were distributed to passers-by and the embassy callers. The fliers read:

“168 Million Nigerians are under siege. At the mercy of a reckless, fascist government that has made corruption its deadly official policy. The Nigerian people demand sanctions and travel bans on political officers and global attention to the economic terrorism. There are 100 million destitute Nigerians while government officials loot billions of US Dollars every year. We call for global attention to the crises to the largest African nation and a very important nation in Africa and the world. What affects one man, affects all men”.

The group of Nigerians also bore placards with messages like: 

‘It is easier to find a needle in a dark room than to find 20 Billion Dollars in Nigeria’; ‘Boko Haram kills innocent citizens, Nigerian government celebrates centenary. Hundreds of Nigerians (Including school children) dead within a week’

At the end of the protest, two Embassy officials also gave the assurance that the message of the protest will be conveyed to the government.

The officials were also informed that plans are in top gear to mobilize for protest whenever the President and/or his wife are in Germany on their ritual medical trip.

Justin Bieber -- VIDEOTAPED DEPOSITION -- Like You've Never Seen Him ... And It's Bad

Justin Bieber can be insulting, arrogant, snotty, ignorant and disrespectful ... and all in one sitting -- because that's exactly what he was like during his deposition last week in the lawsuit where his bodyguard allegedly beat up a photog.TMZ obtained a copy of the entire 4 1/2 hour, videotaped depo ... and it's just unreal.  We've boiled it down to what we think are the best 4 clips.1.  ARROGANT BIEBER -- He just can't hide his contempt for the photog's lawyer, and it comes out in pretty awful ways.  We put some snippets together and you'll get the idea.  It represents his attitude throughout the depo.2.  LOVESICK BIEBER -- Selena Gomez is clearly a hot button, because when the lawyer asks about her, everyone goes nuclear.  Bieber eventually rips his mic off and he and his lawyer storm out.3.  CONTENTIOUS BIEBER -- He compares his interrogation to being grilled by Katie Couric or "60 Minutes."  Simply hilarious.4.  DISRESPECTFUL BIEBER -- When asked if Usher discovered him, Bieber disses his mentor and says he was actually discovered on YouTube.  The best part ... he clearly was trying to say he himself was instrumental in his success, but instead he says, "I was detrimental to my own career."Truer words have never been spoken.

One of the men who boarded Malaysian flight on stolen passport looked like Mario Balotelli - authorities reveal

Malaysian authorities have revealed that one of the two men who used stolen passports to board the missing Malaysian Airlines plane looked like Mario Balotelli. 

As it emerged an Iranian businessman known only as Mr Ali was understood to have booked the tickets for the two passengers using the stolen passports, the men who boarded the plane were said to have not been of 'Asian appearance'.

Malaysia's police chief was quoted by local media as saying that one of the men had been identified. 

Civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman declined to confirm this, but said authorities were looking at the possibility the men were connected to a stolen passport syndicate. Continue...

A vessel is seen from a flying Soviet-made plane during a search operation for the missing plane over the South China Sea

Asked by a reporter what they looked like 'roughly', he said: 'Do you know of a footballer by the name of (Mario) Balotelli? He is an Italian. Do you know how he looks like?'

A reporter then asked, 'Is he black?' and the aviation chief replied, 'Yes'.

Authorities had today still found no trace of the missing plane despite searches by ships from six navies and dozens of military aircraft.

A Thai travel agent who arranged the tickets for the two passengers has now said she had booked them on the flight via Beijing because they were the cheapest tickets, it has been reported.

The travel agent in the resort of Pattaya said an Iranian business contact she knew only as 'Mr Ali' had asked her to book tickets for the two men on March 1.

She had initially booked them on other airlines but those reservations expired and on March 6, Mr Ali had asked her to book them again. 

She told the Financial Times she did not think Mr Ali, who paid her in cash and booked tickets with her regularly, was linked to terrorism.

The massive search is mainly in a 50-nautical mile radius from where the last contact with the plane was made, midway between Malaysia's east coast and the southern tip of Vietnam.

A U.S. led search is also taking place hundreds of miles away on the other side of the Malaysian peninsula.

Culled from UK Daily Mail

Cristiano Ronaldo declared World's Richest Footballer with €148m

Today Monday March 10th, popular football website Goal.com released their Rich List and declared Real Madrid and Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo as the richest active footballer in the world.

The World Footballer of the Year held off rival Lionel Messi in the 2014 Goal Rich List with an estimated wealth of €148million. Retired footballer David Beckham was the 2013 Goal Rich List winner but since he's retired from football, he's no longer eligible to be put in the list.

Messi comes second with an estimated net worth of €146million followed by Eto'o with €85million then Wayne Rooney with €84million, and Kaka rounds off the top 5 with €82million.

But Goal made it clear that the list is based on the revenue of active players over the course of their entire careers and not just the previous year. See the top 10 richest footballers after the cut...

Photo: 35-Year Old Nigerian In Thailand Arrested For Drugs

Godwin Chinedu Agbarakwe, a 35-year old Nigerian who has been staying in Thailand illegally since 2012 has been arrested for drugs. Godwin was stopped by Tourist Police men on the 24th of February, 2014 and after a cavity search, they found drugs hidden in his anus.

Admitting his crime to the police, he said, he turned into a drug seller when his import and export business failed.  He will be charged for both immigration and drug offences.