Serena beaten 6-0, 6-2

Ecstasy and euphoria are the usual emotions world number one Serena Williams experiences on a tennis court. On Wednesday, she encountered a different one – embarrassment.

One of the game’s all-time greats, a winner of 18-grand slam singles crowns, 63 WTA titles; the owner of four Olympic gold medals, Williams has become accustomed to success.

But on Singapore’s purple indoor hard court on Wednesday, Simona Halep took her back 16 years to a time when, as a teenager, she was trying to make a name for herself.

Halep’s 6-0 6-2 success in their Red Group clash at the WTA Finals was the worst defeat Williams had experienced since she was crushed 6-1 6-1 by Joannette Kruger in the quarter-finals at Oklahoma City in 1998.

Halep served well, pushed her opponent around the court and went for her shots, but Williams, by her own admission, was woeful. Continue..

President Jonathan, where is the ceasefire with Boko Haram?

 I was taken by surprise when news broke last week that the Nigerian government had reached a ceasefire agreement with Boko Haram. The announcement was swiftly followed by the Chief of Defence Staff’s directive to all troops to stop engagement with Boko Haram.It became even more curious when I heard the interview that President Goodluck Jonathan’s Private Secretary and Chief Negotiator, Hassan Tukur, gave to the BBC’s FOCUS ON AFRICA programme. Tukur sounded optimistic that they had achieved a breakthrough, underlining that by saying the people he negotiated with had forewarned about the releases of the hostages freed in Cameroun early last week; therefore the government had no reason to disbelieve their negotiation counterparts.

The most important element of the riddle was that Boko Haram had allegedly agreed to release the Chibok Girls who have stayed six months in captivity. That delighted me as every other Nigerian. Yet, I was as apprehensive as every other person. What if the government had been conned? And too many forces have “invested” heavily and reaped abundantly from the five-year old insurgency!

Twenty four hours later we received a riposte as Boko Haram elements continued their spates of killings in Borno. To underline the gloom, Borno Elders came out publicly to say that they didn’t believe that the government team negotiated with the right people. As I write these lines, Nigerian soldiers are continuing engagements with Boko Haram, thus putting to naught the ceasefire announced by the Chief of Defense Staff, Alex Barde. Continue....

B’ Haram abducts 60 women in Adamawa

Sixty women were reported abducted by suspected members of the deadly Boko Haram sect at Waga Mangoro and Garta villages, both in troubled Adamawa State during a fresh attack.

Forty of the women were said to have been abducted in Waga Mangoro and the other 20 were forcefully taken away from Grata.

Some of the fleeing residents from the area, who called journalists in Yola on the telephone lamented that scores of insurgents riding motorcycles and driving vans had invaded their towns.

The fleeing residents while lamenting the capture of the two towns, said they were able to sneak out of the captured towns on Tuesday, but disclosed that their villages were ravaged on Saturday.

One of those that was about to flee the area, Tizhe Kwada told journalists that the area had been under the control of the insurgents for about two months now.

He said that though one of the attacked towns, Garta had been under what could be termed as the control of the insurgents for sometimes now, but that did not stop them from overrunning it and carting away the young women. Continue..

Father - Why I abandoned my kids for eight years

Mr Segun Adepegba, the father of the three children abandoned in a boarding school for eight years in Abule-Iroko in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Mr Segun Adepegba, on Wednesday, reached out to punch

Adepegba said hardship pushed him to the wall and that was why he could not take care of his children. He, however, promised to visit them before the end of the week.

The father of three  recounted his ordeal, saying, “life has been very tough for me.” He said he left the children because he was jobless and had no house to accommodate them. Continue..

Total names new bosses as Russia probes CEO plane crash

French oil giant Total on Wednesday named new bosses to lead one of the world’s biggest energy companies after its chief executive was killed in Moscow when his private jet hit a snowplough on takeoff.Executives decided at an emergency meeting to bring back Thierry Desmarest — who was both chairman and chief executive at Total from 1995 to 2007 — as chairman of the group after Christophe de Margerie’s death.Desmarest, who had once prepared De Margerie for the top job, now appears to have been asked to do the same for newly named chief executive Philippe Pouyanne, who currently heads the refining and chemicals division.He will stay on until the end of 2015 when Pouyanne is expected to be ready to assume the chairman’s job as well, ensuring a smooth transition after the sudden death of 63-year-old De Margerie, known by the affectionate nickname “Big Moustache”.Total’s shares were down 0.51 percent in early afternoon trade, but had recovered from a low point hit before the new appointments were made.In Moscow, French investigators joined a local team to probe Monday’s fatal late night accident, which Russian experts said was caused by criminal negligence on the part of senior airport officials. Continue..

We’re not funding Boko Haram -CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria has denied allegations that there are people using the Bank to fund the activities of Boko Haram.

This was disclosed in a letter dated October 16, 2014 and addressed to Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.

The letter with reference LSD/ACL/GEN/SRP/02/090 and by O.A. Ogundana on behalf of the Director, Legal Services Department of the Bank reads in part: “We write to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 15th September 2014 on the subject captioned: request to provide information about alleged money laundering to Boko Haram through the Bank.

“In your letter you had requested from the CBN information about persons or office involved in alleged money laundering activities of the Boko Haram through the CBN; and information on the exact nature and duration of any such transactions. Continue..

Ogun APC chairman loses wife in auto crash

Ogun State chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Roqeeb Adeniji, on Tuesday lost his wife, Rachael, in an auto crash. Rachael who was a deaconess was aged 58.

She was said to have died after the driver of a car she was travelling in to Abeokuta lost control. The car somersaulted around Akinale, in Ewekoro Local Government. She was returning to Abeokuta after attending Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s assessment tour to Ifo Local Government.

One of the deceased’s children, Bolaji confirmed the death of his mother, stressing philosophically, “God knows best.”According to family sources, the remains of the deceased will be buried in two weeks time.Her corpse has been deposited at the morgue of the State Hospital, Ijaiye in Abeokuta.

She is survived by her husband and four children.

Brendan Rodgers ready to spring Real surprise

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has urged his “world-class” players to defy the odds when they face Real Madrid in the Champions League at Anfield on Wednesday.The Reds welcome host the European Cup-holders to Merseyside on the back of a mixed start to their English Premier League campaign.Liverpool have so far struggled in both domestic and continental competition this term, having played in thrilling fashion to finish runners-up in the Premier League last season.Rodgers has publicly admitted Liverpool have “stalled” since striker Luis Suarez, who scored 31 goals last term, left to join Real’s fellow Spanish giants Barcelona for a reported £75 million ($125 million, 95 million euros) in July.Liverpool laboured to a 2-1 home win over Bulgarian side Ludogorets Razgrad in their opening Champions League fixture and lost 1-0 away to Swiss side Basel in their second Group B clash. Continue..

Something worse than Boko Haram is coming, says Prophet Olabayo

Primate Theophilus Olabayo, 67, founder of Evangelical Church of Yahweh with headquarters in Mende, Maryland, Lagos, had remained one of Nigeria’s respected prophets whose prophesies had shaken the high and mighty in the country. In this interview, the cleric says there would be a spiritual revolution that will rock the nation to its foundation and at the end of it, a new nation will emerge. Excerpts:

What really happened that you went off the radar for several years?

I have been talking. A prophet doesn’t just say things. It’s when God asks me to speak that I speak. Many atimes, I warn our leaders but they don’t have listening ears. I was the only one who said President Umaru Yar’Adua had a terminal disease and when the condition got worse, the wife called some of us to Abuja to ask of the chances of her husband. I said the husband would die and Jonathan would become president. I warned President Goodluck Jonathan that people would make the country ungovernable for him, but people said I was a prophet of doom. Is it not happening now? Let me quickly say this here that worse than Boko Haram is about to happen. Continue..

Obafemi's wife and son

Obagoal's last son with babymama Abigail is growing very fast. The boy is already one year old. Cute!

Chika Ike on flexing

 Check out chika ike shares more pics from her $24k luxury yacht.....More picx..

I am a born-again Christian but not stereotypical - Uti Nwachukwu

Many people have said it is really an arduous task to fix former Big Brother Africa winner, Uti Nwachukwu, in any particular setting. Just when you think you have got the guy all figured out, there is always a part of him sticking out for you to put a tag on.If you call him names, you wouldn’t be veering way too far from many others. He’s handsome, stylish,charismatic and voraciously ambitious. He is one of those guys who always get the girls. At least, that is the image the actor/ compere seems to ooze. But you are dead wrong.“Of course, I am born again, I found Christ in 2006, I have always believed in Christ but I answered the altar call in 2006. But I must tell you I am not still perfect” he told Potpourri at the Warri Again show in Warri, Delta State on Independence day.“ Being born again, means accepting Christ as your Lord and personal saviour. Continue...

Fallen truck causes gridlock on Apapa road

A fallen truck on Apapa Road in Lagos causes a gridlock in the area and commuters groan.

More details later.

Land Disspute: Man sues Christ Embassy for exhuming mum’s remains

A resident of Effurun in Warri, Delta State, Mr. Richard Loromeke, has instituted a N100 million suit against the registered trustees of Believers Love World, also known as Christ Embassy, for trespass on his parcel of land and exhumation of remains of his mother, Madam Cecilia Loromeke, buried on the land situated in Aba, Abia State.The defendants in the suit include Messrs Samson Enwereji, Registered Trustees of Believers Love Church and Remi Chijioke.Counsel to the claimant in the suit instituted at an Abia State High Court, Mr. R. O. Irikefe and Mr. Patrick Awo-Osagie, said Loromeke was also claiming N992,300 as special damages.He also prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants by themselves, servants, agents, workmen, surrogates, thugs and/or privies from any further trespass on the disputed land. Continue..

Amodu invites Ik Uche, 65 others for Congo, S/Africa

Stand-in coach of the Super Eagles, Shuaibu Amodu yesterday in Abuja revealed that he has lined up a legion of 66 players including in-form Villarreal of Spain striker, Ikechukwu Uche for the two remaining matches of the 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Congo and South Africa.Addressing the sporting media after he led his assistants to a meeting with the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Barr. Musa Amadu, Amodu said the list includes players plying their trade abroad as well as those in the domestic league. The Edo State born tactician who has handled the Eagles in the past also revealed that he was surprised when he received a call from the president of the NFF, Amaju Pinnick asking him to come and take over the team.He also said that initially he wanted to turn down the offer because he did not want the immediate past coach of the team, Stephen Keshi to be sacked but had a change of mind after he heard that the federation was insistent on sacking the former national team captain. Continue..

Poor Sanitation: 150,000 children die annually in Nigeria —UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Education Fund has said that about 150,000 children die annually in Nigeria as a result of poor sanitation and the intake of unsafe water, which results in diarrhea.UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Chief in Nigeria, Mr. Kanaan Nadar, disclosed this on the occasion of the 2014 global hand washing day celebration in Abuja. Nadar called on parents to make their children see the need to always wash their hands and maintain safe hygiene at all times as this would reduce deaths caused by diarrhea by almost 50 per cent.Nadar, said: “In Nigeria every year, we have about 150,000 children that die largely due to diarrhea mostly associated with unsafe water sanitation and hygiene.“Hand washing can actually step down this diarrhea death to almost 50 per cent and reduce pneumonia to almost 40 per cent. So hand washing is really important.”According to him, hand washing with soap has made a major difference in the fight against Ebola Virus Disease, EVD. Continue...

Falode tells FG - Tackle UAE over Nigerian killings,

Sports journalist, Aisha Falode, has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to tackle Dubai authorities over the “daily” killings of Nigerian youths in the United Arab Emirates.

Falode whose son, Toba Falode, was allegedly murdered in Dubai, said the recent killing of the son of a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alameiyeseigha, had confirmed her public outcry which was ignored by the Nigerian government.

The ace sports analyst said that unless the Nigerian government confronted Dubai, Nigerian youths in the country will continue to be murdered on “daily” basis. Falode, who wrote an open letter to the President, said the Nigerian government must demand justice over the killing of Nigerian youths in Dubai, like Israel did when three of its youths were killed. Continue..

I went into drug trafficking for my wedding

A 40-year-old patent medicine dealer arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has blamed his alleged culpability on the quest to raise money for his wedding billed for December. The suspect, Chike Pauline, was reportedly arrested during the outward screening of passengers on Rwanda Air flight at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Monday, with one kilogramme of substance suspected to be methamphetamine.During preliminary investigation, NDLEA Airport Commander, Hamza Umar, said the Aba-based businessman was discovered to be travelling to Bujumbura, Burundi.In his confessional statement, the suspect said: “I am a patent medicine dealer in Aba, Abia State. My arrest is very unfortunate because I am a hardworking person.“I was deceived into drug trafficking because I was desperate to perform my marriage ceremony by the end of the year. Continue....

Nigeria not broke, says Okonjo-Iweala

The Federal Government yesterday, reassured that Nigeria is financially sound and has been meeting its local and international financial obligations despite dwindling revenues from crude oil exports. The assurance came from Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The minister, who gave the assurance at a crowded press conference in Abuja, said: “Despite the dwindling revenue of the nation due to falling crude oil prices and decrease in output, the nation is not broke, as feared in some quarters”.

There have been concerns that the consistent fall in accruals to the federation account in recent months could jeopardize implementation of the 2014 budget but, the minister said in Abuja that contingency plans were being put in place to forestall any immediate adverse effect on the budget.

“Nigeria is a country that is dependent on one commodity (oil) and that commodity is dependent on how much the buyers want to buy. We had a yo-yo kind of expenditure pattern before 2003 but after that even when there was a fall in the price of crude from $140 to about $35 or $38 between 2003 and 2008, our economy remained stable because we had accumulated about $22 billion in the Excess Crude Account.  Continue....

Why we killed Newswatch editor – Robbery suspects

The Lagos State Police Command on Tuesday paraded a robbery gang, which confessed to have killed a former Assistant Editor of the Newswatch newspapers, Mr. Toyin Obadina, in one of their operations.

On Monday, February 3, that some gunmen in two Sports Utility Vehicles shot Obadina in the Ikorodu area of Lagos around 1am. It had also been reported that 50-year-old Obadina, who hailed from Ogun State, died the following day during a surgery to remove the bullets lodged in his stomach.

According to the police, four suspects: Adeshina Festus, Sunday Samuel, Ibrahim Adeokin and Babatunde Makinde were arrested while two others-identified simply as Oke and Benjamin- were killed by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad during another operation.

Our correspondent learnt that the gang was arrested in its hideout in Ajelogo, Mile 12 on Thursday, October 17 following a tip-off. Continue...