Welcome to Henry Nwachukwu's Blog: February 2015

Saturday 28 February 2015

Explain your links with Jega, PDP tells APC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to come out clear and explain to Nigerians the links between it and the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, which informs and propels its feverish fixation and huge interest in his stay in office.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement, Saturday, said it is more than curious that the APC has continued to fabricate stories and show undue interest on Prof. Jega, adding that such raise a lot of questions for the opposition and the INEC Chairman. Continue..

One of Turkey's best-known writers, Yasar Kemal, 92, has died in an Istanbul hospital following respiratory and organ failure.

He was Turkey's first Nobel Prize for literature nominee and his work has been published in numerous languages. Continue..

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje,speaks about his candidature and his plans for the state if elected governor

How prepared are you for the election?

You cannot be 100 per cent prepared, but we are definitely prepared. You can see there are lots of activities going on; we are very busy and everybody is occupied. We’re not afraid. We know what we have to do before the day of election and we believe once those things are done properly, victory will be ours definitely. Continue..

Thousands of people took to the streets of Cameroon to march in support of troops fighting terror, extremist group, Boko-Haram. How noble of them. I think they're planning one in Nigeria

Footballer Onazi Ogenyi shares throwback photo

Above is a photo of Super Eagles footballer Onazi Ogenyi (left) and his colleague, Sani Emmanuel from when they were playing for Nigeria's U17. When men were boys..

APC leaders should explain how they bought jets – Fani-Kayode

Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has called on Nigerians to ask the All Progressives Congress leaders on how they acquired their private jets. Continue..

Story for the gods: I won’t grant amnesty to Boko Haram –Buhari

The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), on Thursday, ruled out amnesty for Boko Haram insurgents if elected President on March 28.

He said the activities of the sect which has so far killed over 13, 000 people since 2009, had become a source of worry to many people within and outside the country. Continue..

He shared this on instagram. Wetin concern me? My own is to report what I see...lol

Ideye deserves Nigeria recall - Amokachi

Nigeria caretaker coach Daniel Amokachi says in-form West Brom striker Brown Ideye deserves an international recall.

The 26-year-old has not played for the Super Eagles since November 2013 and missed out on last year's World Cup. Continue..

TMZ is reporting that Lupita Nyongo's $150,000 Calvin Klein gown that featured 6,000 pearls which she wore to the Oscars has been stolen from her Hollywood hotel room. Report below..

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the dress was taken out of Lupita's room at The London West Hollywood. The dress is made of pearls ... 6,000 white Akoya pearls. It's valued at $150,000.

Our sources say Lupita told cops it was taken from her room sometime between 8 AM and 9 PM Tuesday ... while she was gone. We're told there is security footage that cops are looking at that could catch the culprit right in the act.

NFF, Keshi holding Nigeria to ransom – Chukwu

Former Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu, has said the Nigeria Football Federation and coach Stephen Keshi are holding the country to ransom over contract talks.

The NFF had announced that former Eagles captain, Keshi, was the sole candidate for the Eagles coachingjob but Keshi came out on Thursday to deny the claim. Continue..

Canadian special forces participating in military training in southeast Niger, near the border with Nigeria, were ordered to withdraw recently to avoid battling with Boko Haram Islamists, the military said Thursday.Continue..

Pregnant lawyer and Dr Sid's wife, Simi Osomo shared this throwback pic of herself & her beautiful mama at her wedding dress fitting at Roland Mouret in 2013/2014. They look so much alike...

Wizkid to Skales: ‘You’re a foolish guy with zero brain’

Former label mates, Wizkid now Starboy boss, and Baseline Music act, Skales threw caution to the wind during the week and engaged themselves in a war of words on the social media. The latter had accused the former of stealing the beat for his hit song, “Azonto”, claiming also, that he wrote Wizkid’s “Superstar” song. Continue..

The widow of a man killed by a masked Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John" says she wants him caught alive. Dragana Haines says the "last thing" she wants for the man who killed her husband, British aid worker David Haines, is an "honourable death". Continue..

Thirty- five people were killed when suicide bombers struck in Borno and Plateau States, yesterday.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a crowded bus station in Borno State, killing 17 persons while a second bomber was shot dead before he could detonate his explosives.

In the neighbouring Plateau State, 17 people were also killed when a twin blasts hit two motor parks along Bauchi Road in Jos, the Plateau State capital, yesterday, Continue..

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday made a surprise visit to some territories recently recovered from members of the Boko Haram sect by the Nigerian troops in Adamawa and Borno states.

The Presidency in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, described the visit, that took Jonathan to Mubi in Adamawa State and Baga in Borno State among others, as an on-the-spot assessment of efforts of the military and morale booster for the troops. Continue..

Sim card firm links GCHQ and NSA to hack attacks

The Dutch Sim card maker at the centre of NSA-GCHQ hacking claims has said it believes that the US and UK cyberspy agencies did indeed launch attacks on its computer systems.

However, Gemalto denied that billions of mobile device encryption keys could have been stolen as a result. Continue..

Nollywood veteran actor and politician, Bob-Manuel Udokwu rolled out the drums on Thursday to celebrate his 15th marriage anniversary to his wife, Cassandra Udokwu at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Festac Town, Lagos. It was an occasion for selected friends, Nollywood hotshots and a number of media executives. In spite of the exhilarating atmosphere of celebration and merriment the couple found time to speak with Potpourri and here is what they say, concerning the success of their marriage: Continue..

A Sierra Leonean who worked with children orphaned by Ebola has died of the disease himself. Augustine Baker had been admitted to an Ebola treatment centre after becoming ill last week. He had worked for an orphanage run by a UK charity on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown. Continue..

Soldiers from Chad killed 207 Boko Haram fighters in clashes near a Nigerian town close to the border with Cameroon, Chad’s army announced in a statement.

One Chadian soldier was killed and another nine were wounded in Gambaru, the scene of regular attacks by the group in recent months. There was no immediate independent verification of the Chadian army’s announcement, reports a news agency.

Chad’s military also claimed to have seized large quantities of small arms and ammunition and two pick-up trucks on Tuesday. Continue..

The Federal Executive Council chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo today approved the establishment of nine new private Universities in Nigeria. The new Universities are; The Augustine University, Ilara, Lagos State; Chrisland University, Owode, Ogun State; Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State; Hallmark University, Ijebu Itele, Ogun State; Kings University, Ode Omu, Osun State; Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Orode, Delta State; Mountain Top University, Ogun State, Ritman University, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State and Summit University, Offa, Kwara State.

When the licenses are issued, it will bring to 60 the total number of private Universities in Nigeria

Brit Awards 2015: Madonna falls off stage

Pop star Madonna has fallen off the stage during her performance at the 2015 Brit Awards.

The singer tumbled down a set of stairs and landed awkwardly, apparently after a dancer tried to remove a cape she was wearing at the start of her routine. Continue..

Former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov returned to haunt Arsenal as Monaco secured a 3-1 win in the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie at the Emirates Stadium. The French side, whom Gunners boss Arsene Wenger guided to the Ligue 1 title in 1988, Continue..

The kidnappers of United States missionary working in Kogi State, Rev. Phyllis Sortor, have reduced the ransom being demanded for her release from N60 million to N30 million, even as The Nigerian Governors Forum led by Governor Jonah Jang has demanded her immediate release.

The kidnappers were said to have called the superintendent of the Free Methodist Missionary church, where the American citizen operate a school, Mr Mathius Emenike, on Tuesday Night demanding a ransom of N60 million before effecting her release. Continue..

Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has denied allegation that he has rented a crowd to boo the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Rted) during his presentation at the Chatham House, London, on Thursday. Continue..

INEC must probe Ekiti ‘rigging’ tape – Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says the audio file which purportedly captured some Peoples Democratic Party leaders giving orders to a general to rig the June 21, 2014 governorship elections in Ekiti State must be investigated by the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. Continue..

The US has offered a $3m (£1.94m) reward for information on a Russian hacker, the highest the US authorities have ever offered in a cybercrime case.

Evgeniy Bogachev was charged last year in the US with being behind a major cybercrime operation that allegedly stole more than $100m (£64.7m).

He was last seen in Russia, where he is believed to remain at large. Continue...

Governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa State and Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, yesterday, took on their Kano counterpart, Mallam Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso over his accusation that the two governors betrayed five other governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who agreed to dump the party following their irreconcilable differences with the leadership of the party. Continue..

A gunman has opened fire at a convenience store in South Korea, killing three people, local media say. The shooting happened around 08:00 (23:00GMT Tuesday) in Sejong city, an administrative hub 120km (75 miles) from Seoul.

The suspect was later found dead in a nearby city. Police said he was the ex-boyfriend of the sister of one of the victims. Continue..

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi will not receive as much pay as he got during his first tenure as the Super Eagles coach.

Our correspondent learnt on authority on Tuesday that the new contract being offered him by the Nigeria Football Federation has his salary as N4m per month as against the N5m he was paid by the previous administration. Continue...

An 80-year-old American missionary, Rev. Phyllis Sortor, has been abducted by unknown gunmen in Kogi State.

The kidnapping is coming barely two days after a director at Adavi Local Government Area, Abdulazeez Ohere, who was kidnapped last week, was released. Continue..

Many shed tears in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, on Tuesday as the remains of eight female politicians burnt to death on February 14, were buried at the Gloryland Cemetery in Azikoro Village.

The female politicians, including wife of the Secretary to Bayelsa State Government, Elizabeth Oguru, were burnt to death in a multiple motor accident after visiting the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience. Continue..

Exam fee turned me into conductor ─ Accident victim

Seventeen-year-old Owolabi Oladunjoye, who was rescued by a Good Samaritan after an accident on the Third Mainland Bridge, has said he became a bus conductor to raise funds for his school certificate examinations.

He was presented with an undisclosed sum of money by the management of the St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos on Friday, after he was discharged from the hospital, which had taken responsibility for his treatment and welfare since the incident happened. Continue..

An orphanage run by a UK charity in Sierra Leone has been quarantined after one of its local staff was diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus.

Augustine Baker is said to be in a stable condition at a local treatment centre after becoming ill last week. Continue..

Sequel to our exclusive story earlier this month about abandoned oil rigs at the outer Marina in Lagos, the rigs may have been seized by FirstBank of Nigeria Plc for alleged debts of about N25 billion owed by Seawolf Oil Services Limited, owners of the rigs.

As a result, the two rigs – Onome and Oritsetimeyin, may not have been abandoned after all, but kept under watch by FirstBank. Continue....

A former Governor of Anambra State, Chinwoke Mbadinuju, on Monday renounced his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party to join the All Progressives Congress.

Mbadinuju, who served as the state governor from 1999 to 2003, cited injustice and “the use and dump mantra” of the PDP as the reason for his decision.

He said this during a press conference in Abuja. Continue..

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has said that the Nigerian Army must remain loyal to the nation rather than be reduced to defending the tenure of an individual, adding that presidents and governors will come and go but the Nigerian nation will remain. Continue..

Egypt's sports minister Khaled Abdel-Aziz has confirmed his country has abandoned its bid to host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

"We have decided to withdraw our application and will support that of Algeria," he explained.

Gabon and Ghana have also made bids, the Confederation of African Football will announce the hosts on 8 April. Continue..

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said he does not have any official account on any social media network.

He said this in Abeokuta on Monday.

The former President was reacting to a twitter account, @newsvergeonline, which had posted a tweet on Sunday, claiming that Obasanjo had described the Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, as a “democracy wrecker.” Continue..

Japan to make couples go on compulsary vacations...to have more sex

Interesting development in Japan. The country's government wants to make it compulsory for married couples to go on more vacations - so they can have more sex...but there's a good explanation for this. The country has a low population growth. They say they are suffering from acute baby shortage. Only about 1million babies were born in Japan in 2014, the lowest figure on record for the country. Japan's health ministry also said that about 1,269,000 people died in 2014, indicating a natural population decline of 268,000. So basically, they were more people who died than were born. The country says its shrinking population is affecting their economy & want to do something about it.

The government figured couples are too busy hustling they don't have sex. So Parliament is now debating compulsory vacation for couples so they can have more sex and make more babies.

So imagine the vacation police turning up at your door one morning, 'Mr & Mrs Nakatoto, have you had your vacashion yet? Have you? Is the Mrs pregnant? No? Then go on another vacation.' lol..

Glo post-paid plan gives subscribers 50GB data

National telecoms operator, Globacom, has unveiled a new post-paid plan for its teeming subscribers.

Globacom said the new package, called ‘Glo post-paid smart plan’, would give up to 50-gigabyte data, 50 hours of free voice calls, which could be used to make local and international calls and 5,000 free Short Messaging Service. Continue..

An 18-month-old boy has died of measles in an outbreak of the disease that has seen authorities in Berlin register more than 500 cases since October.

The boy died in hospital and it was not clear how he contracted the disease, Berlin's health senator Mario Czaja said on Monday. Continue..

Unknown gunmen struck again in Rivers State, kidnapping the one of the aides of the state Governor, Mr. Freddy Ndigbara.

Ndigbara, who is an anchorman to Governor Rotimi Amaechi events inside and outside Government

House, Port Harcourt, was whisked away on Sunday by hoodlums in Kaani Community, Khana Local Government Area of the state. Continue..

Peter of PSquare shared a photo of himself hanging out with his kids and his twin, Paul's son.

Oba Gbenga Sonuga clocks 70, launches Deep As The Ocean

Oba Gbenga Sonuga is the Fadesewa of Simawa, in Makun Sagamu, Ogun State. Despite being the custodian of the culture of the community, his love and obsession for art and culture is very strong that he is always seen in many art events in the country. Before being crowned Oba, Fadesewa of Simawa, in Makun Sagamu, Oba Gbenga Sonuga, sometimes fondly called ‘OBA ART & CULTURE’ or BABA CULTURE was the Director for the Lagos State Council for Art and Culture.

As he celebrates his 70th birthday, art and culture aficionado and enthusiast the Freedom Park, Lagos where the occasion was marked with the presentation of his photo autobiography titled Deep As the Ocean. The book, entitled; “Deep as the Ocean: An Auto-Photo- Biography in Three Cycles,” according to Sonuga, is a rich diary of his life from the cradle to royalty, and specifically touching on his roles within the country’s art industry. Continue..

French authorities have for the first time confiscated the passports of six nationals who were allegedly planning to travel to Syria to join jihadists.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the intelligence services believed the men wanted to join the Islamic State (IS) militant group. The measure is part of new counter-terrorism laws adopted last November. Continue..

Apparently excited by the success of his just concluded meeting with the manager of English Premiership side Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick has revealed that he will return to England to also meet with the managers of Chelsea and Manchester City football clubs, Jose Mourinho and Manuel Pellegrini respectively.

Pinnick who recounted the benefits of his meeting with Wenger including the proposed training of the technical group made up of some coaches and ex-internationals on match reading as well as the promise to put Super Eagles coaches on refresher courses added that such visits will also make it easier for the clubs to always release Nigerian players in their teams for national assignment. Continue..

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said he does not have any accounts on any social media networks.

He said this in Abeokuta on Monday.

Obasanjo was reacting to a twitter account, @newsvergeonline, which had posted a tweet on Sunday, claiming that the ex-President had described the Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, as a “democracy wrecker.” Continue..

Saturday 28 February 2015

Friday 27 February 2015

Thursday 26 February 2015

Wednesday 25 February 2015

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Monday 23 February 2015