Welcome to Oghenemaga Otewu's Blog: 2015-04-19

Thursday 30 April 2015

I'll handover a Nigeria completely free of terrorist strongholds GEJ assures

The State House Press statement below..

President Goodluck Jonathan pledged Thursday in Abuja that he will do all within his powers to ensure that all Nigerian territory still held by terrorists and insurgents are totally liberated before May 29, 2015. Receiving a delegation of Heads of Customs from the West and Central African Region of the World Customs Organisation led by the Secretary-General of the organisation, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, President Jonathan said that he was determined to hand over a country completely free of terrorist strongholds to the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari.

'Malaria No More' through the Federal Ministry of Health, National Malaria Elimination Programme and its partners launched the national malaria awareness campaign; 'A Malaria-Free Nigeria: Play your part!' with the objective of reducing malaria deaths by 50% by 2015 in Nigeria.

To celebrate the 2015 world malaria day which was on the 25th of April 2015, "Malaria No More Nigeria" has launched an educative comedy skit featuring celebrated comedian AY Makun.

Yesterday, Kate Middleton, 33, and her Husband Prince William, 32, left their Kensington Palace home around 11 a.m and headed towards Buckingham palace to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The royals celebrated their 4th wedding anniversary on the low-key day, marking the moment that they said "I do" privately.

The couple got married on April 29, 2011, in the festive ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Pics: Actress Mide Martins rocks denim bum short

That's a sexy body for a mother of two. See another photo after the cut..

Since 48 year old Janet Jackson got married to her Qatar-based business magnate Wissam Al Manaso in 2012, it has become rare to see her in public, so you can imagine the amazement of seeing photos of her at Giorgio Armani's 40th Anniversary celebration at Nobu in Milan, Italy on Wednesday.

Janet Jackson brought her husband as her date for the dinner. She tried to go incognito by wearing a hooded blazer and black pants but one sharp and quick photographer recognized her and was able to grab a couple of shots of her and her billionaire husband walking into the reception hand in hand.
Janet Jackson had not walked a red carpet since October 2014, for the Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience before that, the singer was last seen by paparazzi in February.

Rihanna and Chris Brown party together last night

They were at the same party at the same time last night (not that they partied together). They were both spotted at rapper Travis Scott's birthday party last night handling the same snake while party goers Tweeted confirmation. See that after the cut...

Read the State House press release below...

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan declared Thursday in Abuja that if members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) remain committed to the vision of its founding fathers and work very hard, the party will return to power at the Federal level in 2019. Speaking after receiving the report of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization at the Presidential Villa, President Jonathan said that the party already had all that it will require to win the 2019 elections, but needed to return to the drawing board to re-strategize for the future.

Some of the women and girls (with their kids) found by Nigerian troops at Sambisa Forest two days ago. See more photos after the cut...

There were reports in some dailies today that PDP Chairman Adamu Mu-azu has been asked to resign and that he and other PDP National Working Committee members who attended a meeting yesterday were asked to go out by some governors before the official end of the meeting. PDP has released a statement denying there was a dispute or that Mu'azu was asked to resign. The statement below...

The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it is not in dispute with PDP Governors’ Forum or any other organ of the party.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Thursday said that the “NWC was never asked to resign by the forum of governors or any other organ of the party for that matter

South African women married to Nigerian men have narrated the discrimination they face for marrying men outside their country. Seeing the disaffection their kinsmen show them after finding love in the hands of Nigerian men, the women decided to form an association, the United Nigerian Wives in South Africa (UNWISA) club about two years ago where they give support and succor to each other.

42 year old Lindwela Uche who serves as the chairwoman of the group told AFP that they saw the xenophobic attacks coming and alerted their husbands but they did not take their warning seriously "We saw this thing coming and that’s why we formed this association. If only they (the authorities) had listened to us… they would have known that there’s a fire burning slowly and they would have seen how to tackle it.”she said

The actress who recently premiered her reality TV Show 'African Diva' reality TV show announced on her instagram page this morning that her contract with bullet energy drink as the brand ambassador has been renewed for 2 years. Congrats to her.

See the way his niece is looking at him...

President Jacob Zuma calls Pres. Jonathan over xenophobic attacks

President Jacob Zuma of South Africa has reportedly put a call across to President Jonathan to express his sadness over the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa. He appealed to President Jonathan not to allow the incident affect the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Reports of the phone call is contained in a statement released by the office of the South African president today April 30th. The statement in part below

“The two Presidents reaffirmed the warm and cordial relations between South Africa and Nigeria and pledged that the two countries will continue to work together for the good of their peoples and the continent as a whole. President Jonathan expressed his support for the efforts of South Africa to arrest the attacks on foreign nationals and to ensure the safety and security of all citizens, including foreign nationals and those from the African continent in particular, who bore the brunt of the attacks earlier this month (April).”

New adorable photos of baby rescued from Nepal's earthquake rubble

The 4-months old baby, Sonit Awal, who was rescued yesterday April 29th from the rubble of the Nepal earthquake after being trapped for 22 hours pictured right looking fresh and healthy in new photos released today. See more photos after the cut...

10 men who were involved in the assassination attempt on teenage education activist & Nobel Peace Prize Laurette, Malala Yousafzai in 2012, have been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, by a Pakistani High Court today April 30th. Life imprisonment in Pakistan is 25 years.

Although none of the men who directly carried out the attack were arraigned and sentenced today, the 10 men sentenced played a role in the attack .

"They certainly had a role in the planning and execution of the assassination attempt on Malala," said a police official in Swat who declined to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Police believe the gunman who shot Malala escaped across the border into Afghanistan.

160 more boko haram hostages rescued from Sambisa Forest

According to AFP, the Nigerian Army says it has rescued about 160 more hostages from Sambisa Forest.

"We are still trying to compute the actual number of those rescued. But tentatively there are about 60 women of various ages and around 100 children," Army spokesman Sani Usman told AFP.

He also said one woman was killed in the fighting and eight other rescued hostages were injured. A soldier was also killed and four others wounded.

Photos: Teju Babyface's wife mugged on Eko Bridge, her car windows smashed

Comedian, Talk Show host and TV producer Teju Babyface's wife, Tobi Oyelakin, was on her way to the mainland at about 8pm last night when her car was attacked by hoodlums on Eko Bridge. She was in the car with her driver and 3 other girls in the back seat and were approaching the National Theater area of the Eko bridge when they encountered some traffic.

They had barely come to a stop when four boys leaped out of the shadows and knocked on the windows with torch lights and asked them to roll down the windows. They were still trying to come to terms with rising levels of panic when the hoodlums shattered the rear windows on both sides of the car and proceeded to rough-handle the ladies in the back seat and collect all valuables.

Here is a photo of some of the girls recently rescued by Nigerian troops from Sambisa Forest. Meanwhile Spokesperson of the Defence Headquarters, Major General Chris Olukolade, says identity of the rescued females is still unknown. He said this while addressing newsmen in Abuja today

"Additional number of persons are still being recovered from the forest. Until such comprehensive profiling is done, nobody can confirm whether they are among the Chibok girls or not. Whoever they may be, the important thing is that Nigerians held captive under very severe and inhuman condition have been freed by our gallant troops.

AN Urhobo militant group, Urhobo Gbagbako, yesterday, claimed responsibility for two explosions that rocked two major gas trunklines in Delta state.

Vanguard reports that the trunklines belong to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), located on the boundaries of Afiesere and Ekredjebo communities and Otedo and Edjovwe communities both in Ughelli North and Ughelli South Local Government Areas of Delta State.

Guess what?? You can now enjoy Free Shipping on items purchased on Konga.com. This applies Nationwide, regardless of price, weight and delivery destination of your orders.

How do you plug in? It’s simple; all you have to do is lookout for products that have the ‘Free Shipping Icon’ in their product image or product detail page. The Free Shipping bonus applies to just Tier 1 and Tier 2 Cities. Delivery Costs for Tier 3 cities have however been reduced to N500 for the first Kilogram, with an extra N100 for every subsequent Kilogram.

15 year old Pemba was pulled out alive after 5 days under the rubble. He was in a guest house that collapsed during the earthquake in Nepal. He said he drank water dripping from wet clothes to survive and prayed for people to find him. There were still people shouting from under the rubble where Pemba was found but rescue workers have not been able to get to them. Another photo after the cut...

Members of the Chibok community in Borno State have not yet seen any of their 219 schoolgirls abducted over a year ago by Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast of the much beleaguered state.

However, they insist that they have high hopes that their missing daughters would soon walk home. Tuesday’s rescue of 200 girls and 93 women that was announced by the authorities has raised their hopes that things might soon turn around for good for them, and their daughters would eventually be rescued.

In order to prevent current fuel scarcity, The Federal Government, yesterday, said it would pay MOWAN N156 billion, out of the about N256.2 billion the marketers claim is owed to them in subsidy claims.

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala made this statement at the World Customs Day event held in Abuja yesterday, expressed optimism that the payment, which is expected to be made today, will help address the current fuel scarcity plaguing the country. According to her, the Federal Government is committed to ending the fuel scarcity within the shortest time and that despite the revenue challenges facing the government, the issue of fuel subsidy payments to oil marketers remain a huge priority.

The singer was in trouble yesterday while in Rome to shoot "Zoolander 2. He is wanted in Argentina in connection to not showing up to face charges that he allegedly got his bodyguards to beat up an Argentine photographer in 2013 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Several police officers were rumored to have showed up outside his hotel in Rome, fortunately for him, no arrest was made. Bieber is said to be on an Interpol list because of the outstanding warrant in Argentina in 2013.

The Nigerian military has moved the 293 females they rescued two days ago from Sambisa Forest to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital where they are to undergo series of test including HIV and pregnancy test. According to a military source who spoke to Punch, 7 of the girls rescued had gunshot wounds and are being treated at the hospital. The 200 girls rescued are of between ages 13 and 18 years.

FG sacks FAAN Director over appointment irregularities

The Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka has sacked the Director of finance of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Tochukwu Bede Uchendu, over allegations of irregularities associated with his appointment into office as well as granting unapproved waivers worth N1 billion.

Mr Uchendu's sack was effected following a petition by the Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) dated March 23rd and addressed to the office of the Head of Service.

Awww...sweet

Bruce Jenner gets a lot of support from his two ex wives

Bruce Jenner and two of his ex wives were seen pictured together on Instagram. His ex wife Linda Thompson who was married to Bruce from 1981 to 1986 posted a snap of Bruce with his arms around both her and his first wife Chrystie Crownover, with a link to a lengthy and glowing article she wrote for the Huffington Post about their lives together.

Linda Thompson who is Bruce Jenner's 2nd wife posted the picture of the three of them on Instagram with the caption: 'It has been gently brought to my attention that I never personally shared the link to the Huffington Post abbreviated excerpt from my memoir in progress. So here it is. And thank you for your loving & kind response! #chrystiebruceandme.'

US First Lady Michelle Obama looked gorgeous in a blue dress by Japanese designer Tadashi Shoji at the White House State dinner held on Tuesday 28th in honour of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. See more photos after the cut...

Miley Cyrus 22, who just ended her 5 month relationship with Patrick Schwarzenegger, may be falling back into a relationship with her former fiance Liam Hemsworth's 25. Miley and Liam have been frequently seen 'hanging out together in Los Angeles according to UsWeekly. And it looks like they could be rekindling their fallen relationship once again.

The 22-year-old singer and the 25-year-old actor were spotted at the Soho House in West Hollywood on April 24 and have been seen in several other places recently.

Photos: Atiku Abubakar pays General Buhari courtesy visit

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar paid a courtesy visit to the president elect, General Buhari yesterday. See more photos after the cut...

Borno state government says profiling of the 293 females rescued from Sambisa forest on Tuesday April 28th shows that they are from Damboa local government and not from Chibok as was highly speculated.

Speaking with newsmen in Maiduguri yesterday April 29th, the state Commissioner for Information, Dr. Mohammed Bulama, say the rescued females are from Bumsiri village in Damboa Local government area and were all kidnapped from the village by the sect members.

Pretty Gwendolyn Okutele from Delta state is the current Miss Nollywood Nigeria. She's an actress and a 400l student of the department of Business Administration at the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti. She's also a former Miss ‘Face of the Niger Delta. More photos after the cut...

There are reports that Beyonce has hired a bodyguard for Jay Z whose real job is to spy on him and report back to her...

From The Mirror

According to Grazia, Beyonce has hired a private detective to keep their eyes on her hubby. Despite putting on a united front for recent outings together, sources tell the mag there is trouble in paradise.

"There are whispers Beyonce has hired a bodyguard to watch over Jay Z and report back to her," a source told Grazia."He's there to take care of Jay, but part of his unofficial remit is to fill Beyonce in when she's not there.

Photos: General Buhari inaugurates 19-member Transition Committee

General Buhari, yesterday Wednesday April 29th in Abuja inaugurated a 19-member Transition Committee to liaise with its Federal Government counterpart to ensure a smooth transition. See the photos and names of the transition committee members after the cut...

Desmond Elliot who won the Lagos state House of Assembly seat for Surulere constituency I, received his certificate of return yesterday April 29th. See more photos after the cut...

General Buhari was at the induction of new members of the National assembly organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies in Abuja yesterday April 29th. At the induction, Buhari promised to work closely with the National Assembly members, stating that for any democratic leader to work successful, he needs the cooperation of the national assembly members. See more photos after the cut..

Eva Mendes, is the new face of Esteé Lauder! The 41 year old beautiful Latina mother of one who is also the owner of Circa Beauty expressed her delight at being the new face of the giant beauty company as she shared behind-the-scenes photo from her shoot.

Pic: Jude Okoye and wife Ifeoma have their court wedding

Months after their traditional wedding and welcoming a daughter, Jude Okoye and his wife Ifeoma had their court wedding at Ikoyi Registry yesterday April 29th. Here's a photo from their big day. Big congrats to them.

Buhari, Osinbajo and a sachet of N40 milo seen having breakfast...

President-elect and his deputy seen having breakfast with a sachet of N40 milo on their table:-)

Pres. Jonathan, Sambo, Ministers, others to get N3.24bn severance pay

According to the Remuneration Package put together by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice-president Namadi Sambo, non-returning Senators and House of Representatives members, ministers and presidential aides will be paid a severance package of about N3.24bn as their stay in office terminates on May 29th this year.

According to Punch, President Jonathan is entitled to 300 per cent of his annual basic salary which is put at N3, 514,705 and therefore his severance allowance will be N10, 544,115 after May 29. This however does not affect his constitutional benefits as a former President.

Iggy Azalea is heading back home to Australia to celebrate Bonds’100th birthday as its new Bonds girl. The singer flaunted her sexy body as she posed wearing the brand’s underwear in shots uploaded to her Instagram account.