The office of the first lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, Monday, said the visit of the first lady to Germany and other European countries was for routine medical check up as well as to visit her ailing mother and there is no need for negative insinuation as is being done in the media.
A statement by the Special Assistant to the first lady Ayo Osinlu Monday urged Nigerians to develop the habit of praying for their leaders as is done in other countries.
According to the aide of the first lady, “It is unfortunate that again, some media houses have allowed themselves to be used by dedicated mischief makers against the basic tenet of professional journalism, which regards truth as sacred.
He noted that “for the avoidance of doubts and ambiguities, we wish to state that the First Lady travelled to Dubai, after which she proceeded to Paris, France, to participate in the 1st Green Women Conference, which took place in Paris on March 17, 2013 where she received the 2013 Global Women Leaders’ Award for Peace.
“She thereafter proceeded to Italy from where she went to Germany to see her mother, Mama Sisi, who is currently receiving medical attention.
“The First Lady is spending sometime overseeing the management of her mother’s condition.
“She is also using the opportunity to spend quality time with her holidaying children before they return to school, as they are with her to see their grandmother.
“It is notable that Her Excellency has a history of visiting the hospital in Germany even before she became the First Lady, thus making her medical trips routine.
It is also instructive to state that medical experts have recommended that every human being should undergo medical check up every six months, even if not suffering ill health.
“Therefore, hospital visitations of our leaders should not become leading media issues or attract disrespectful comments, just as the current circumstances of former President Mandela and other African leaders in similar situations, and even those who died, have not attracted negative comments from their people.
“While urging a more charitable disposition towards one another as our brothers’ keepers, we wish to express our appreciation for the sincere interests of those who have shown genuine concern through their inquiries” he said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Tunisia’s ruling Islamist party, said he backs the application of the death penalty, describing it as a “natural law” in a television interview to be broadcast Monday evening.
“We say that capital punishment is a natural law, a soul for a soul. And whoever threatens the life of another must know that his life is also threatened,” the Ennahda party’s veteran chief told news channel France 24.
He was asked in particular about the punishment of rapists, after a number of incidents in Tunisia, including the case of a three-year-old girl repeatedly raped by the caretaker of a children’s nursery, which has caused shock and anger.
“This crime must be sanctioned in the severest possible way and I would even say yes, by capital punishment,” Ghannouchi said.
“Rape is like a death sentence for a woman and for the entire family.”
Under Tunisia’s penal code, rape, murder, acts of terrorism and plotting against the state are punishable by death, but in practice no executions have been carried out in Tunisia since 1991.
Amna Guellali, the Tunisian representative of Human Rights Watch, said she regretted Ghannouchi’s comments, which follow efforts by rights groups to get the death penalty’s abolition inscribed in the new constitution currently being drafted.
“It is a setback, given that Tunisia has a moratorium on the death penalty. It’s a challenge to that and it’s quite serious,” she told AFP.
Guellali said the Islamist leader was publicly expressing the position of a number of members of his party, who believe the death penalty is “something natural, an obligation in Islam and a just penalty for… an atrocity that has been committed.”
Ennahda, which heads Tunisia’s coalition government, is frequently accused by the secular opposition and rights activists of seeking to Islamise society and impose the key provisions of sharia, or Islamic law.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Nelson Mandela spent part of Monday with his family at his hospital bedside, the South African government said, adding that there was no significant change in the condition of the frail anti-apartheid hero.
The 94-year-old former president and Nobel peace laureate has been in hospital since late Wednesday being treated for a recurrent bout of pneumonia.
“He spent part of Family Day today with some members of his family,” the presidency said in a statement in its first update on Mandela’s health on Monday.
“There is no significant change in his condition” since the previous presidency statement on Sunday night which said doctors had reported “a further improvement in his condition”.
In a report on Saturday, the presidency said doctors had drained excess fluid that had built up on the lining of his lungs because of infection.
The procedure, described as the tapping of a pleural effusion, has helped him breathe without difficulty, it said.
South Africa’s revered first black president was admitted to an undisclosed hospital late Wednesday for his third hospitalisation in four months. It remains unclear how long he may stay.
In December last year, he was in hospital for 18 days for treatment for the lung infection and gallstones surgery, his longest admission since he walked free from jail in 1990.
He was diagnosed with early-stage tuberculosis in 1988 during his 27-year jail term and has long had problems with his lungs. He has also had treatment for prostate cancer and has suffered stomach ailments.
Mandela’s latest health troubles have led to outpouring of prayers and good wishes from around the world, including from US President Barack Obama.
South African President Jacob Zuma’s office said Mandela’s family “appreciate the support they have been receiving from the public”.
But Mandela’s illness has also seen South Africans come to terms with the mortality of the father of the “rainbow nation”.
Instead of being concerned about his illness, “we should rather celebrate what he stood for, and what he continues to stand for, that he has been an icon of peace, an icon of service,” Catholic priest Father Sebastian Rossouw told worshippers in the Soweto township on Sunday.
At home and abroad, Mandela is idolised as the architect of South Africa’s peaceful transition from white-ruled police state to hope-filled democracy, a unifying symbol in a country still riven by racial tensions and deep inequality.
After leading his African National Congress to victory in the first multi-racial elections in 1994, Mandela served a single five-year term as president before taking up a new role as a roving elder statesman and leading campaigner against AIDS.
He retired from public life in 2004 and has not appeared in public since July 2010 when he was at the Soccer City stadium in Soweto for the World Cup final.
It is the second time that Mandela has been hospitalised in less than a month, after spending a night for check-ups on March 9.
Pleural effusion is the accumulation of water between the lining covering the lung and that of the chest wall, experts say.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Cristiano Ronaldo has said he is looking forward to facing Galatasaray in the quarter-finals of the Champions League because he believes Real Madrid fare better against sides that attack them.
“The game against Galatasaray will be wide open and very balanced,” he told Madrid’s website.
“We have to play well, like we do at home in the Champions League. We know that they have a good squad that also attacks a lot and that’s good because our chances of winning increase when the opponent plays us one-on-one.”
Galatasaray will face Real on Wednesday boosted by the acquisitions of vastly-experienced Champions League winning duo Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder in the January transfer window, whilst they also have the competition’s joint top-scorer in Burak Yilmaz.
The Turkish international is tied with Ronaldo himself on eight goals and the Portuguese is full of admiration for the form shown by Yilmaz.
“He’s a player who’s doing well in the Champions League because scoring eight goals is hard. As always, we have to be focused. The defenders have to be on the ball because it’s crucial that we make it to the semi-finals.”
Should Real make it to their third consecutive Champions League semi-final another key player is likely to be Mesut Ozil.
The German has shown glimpses of his best form over recent weeks and Ronaldo lauded his teammate’s contribution of late.
“Mesut is in really top form and he’s an important player for us. He’s proved that he’s a key player in the last few seasons.
“I love playing with him because he’s a really talented player and we understand each other well. That’s why I’m really comfortable with him and I hope it stays that way until the end of the season.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has empowered 20 youths drawn from the disputed oil rich communities of Nembe in Bayelsa and Kula in Rivers State, with life-sustaining skills as part of measures aimed at boosting capacity and increasing wealth portfolio in the Niger Delta.
The oil giant also helped the beneficiaries, who are mainly young women, to establish small scale businesses that would enable them cater for themselves and their families for life. Receiving their certificates of merit and business starter packs in Yenagoa, the beneficiaries of the LiveWIRE Business Enterprise Training for “Swamp 2” host communities of SPDC Eastern Operations were full of joy and excitement as they commended the company for engineering a turn-around in their lives.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, SPDC Manager, Government and Community Development Relations Bayelsa/Delta, Mr. Evans Krukrubo , said the scheme was designed in line with the company’s philosophy of contributing to economic empowerment and job creation for youths and women in its area of operation.
He said, “The LiveWIRE programme, which has trained over 5000 youth and women entrepreneurs since 2003, aims to provide access to entrepreneurship training, business development services as well as start-up capital to establish and expand youth-driven businesses.”
According to him, “the beneficiaries of the scheme have now created employment opportunities for thousands of youths across the region, thereby contributing to the reduction of youth unemployment in the region.”
Also speaking, Mr. Hope Nouka, Manager, Sustainable Development and Community Relations, described the programme as a critical step towards the qualitative empowerment of the youths in the region.
He urged the participants to utilize the skills acquired by putting starter packs given to them into good use to improve their individual lives and the advancement of their families and communities.
In his remarks, the state commissioner for Energy, Mr. Francis Ikio, thanked SPDC for empowering the youths and charged the participants to take advantage of the opportunity to excel and empower others desperate to acquire similar skills, own and manage their independent businesses.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Prekake Gede, the commissioner however noted that the oil giant cannot achieve sustainable development in the region without the active collaboration of other actors in development. He, therefore, charged other major players to fashion viable partnerships aimed at delivering on the needed social performance commitments to achieve the desired impact and sustainability.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona have reached the pinnacle of the European game with very different strategies, and the Catalans will be hoping to show their nouveau riche opponents that their way is still the best way when the clubs meet in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.
PSG have been here before, but not for a long time.
This is their first Champions League quarter-final since they beat Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate before losing to Milan in the last four 18 years ago.
Top of Ligue 1, and on course to win the domestic title for the first time since 1994, these are good times to be a Paris supporter, even if their club appears to epitomise the exact opposite of Barcelona.
PSG can compete with the best in the business because they have had more money than anyone else since the arrival of new Qatari owners in 2011.
A whole new team has been bought, with Thiago Silva, once a Barcelona target, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who played for the Catalans in 2010-11, the most significant recruits.
Just two years ago, average attendances at the Parc des Princes had fallen drastically. Now the ground is sold out most weeks, and there were one million requests for tickets for this game.
Aiming to win the Champions League for the fourth time in eight seasons, Barcelona are one of the richest clubs in the world too, and are also backed by Qatari investment via a shirt sponsorship deal with the Qatar Foundation.
But they lead the way when it comes to producing world-class players, rather than simply buying them.
Seven home-reared talents started Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo, in which Barca conceded a late equaliser after Lionel Messi netted his 43rd La Liga goal this season.
That result kept Barcelona 13 points clear at the top, with Real Madrid also drawing, and the mood around the club has improved hugely over the last month since consecutive defeats to Madrid in La Liga and in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.
The rousing comeback from a first-leg defeat to beat AC Milan 4-2 on aggregate in the last 16 has restored confidence, while the squad are relieved to have coach Tito Vilanova back taking training again after two months in New York receiving cancer treatment.
“To see Tito again gave us great happiness,” said Messi. “It is important to have him with us for the run-in. He looks in good shape and is raring to go.”
Xavi Hernandez and Jordi Alba did not play at the weekend but have since returned to full training, although Pedro Rodriguez is suspended.
His absence could open the door for Cristian Tello to start after he impressed at the weekend, scoring one goal and setting up the other.
Barcelona will not be too worried about who lines up against them in the French capital, but one man they will be aware of more than any other is Ibrahimovic, a world-class talent even if his record in the Champions League is often held against him.
He has scored twice in this European campaign but was not on target in the last-16 tie against Valencia, which PSG won 3-2 on aggregate.
Indeed, it looked like he would be missing for Tuesday’s game after being handed a two-match ban following his sending-off in the last-16 first leg, but UEFA have reduced the ban to a single match, meaning he can now play.
That is a huge boost for PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti, who should also have Lucas Moura back after an ankle injury, while Ezequiel Lavezzi should play after being rested for Friday’s 1-0 home win against Montpellier.
“We will send out a team that will try to play football,” said Ancelotti, who knows his team are underdogs.
“The players are happy to play this match. There is a little bit of concern because we will be up against a fantastic side, but we need to think positively because it is great to be able to play a Champions League quarter
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Ahead of 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State, former governor Ayo Fayose of PDP has vowed to recapture power and become the next governor in the state.
In an interview with reporters of Nigeria in Ibadan, the embattled Fayose said “there is no agenda in 2014, I am the next governor in Ekiti state’’.
Sounding spiritual and philosophical, Fayose said he left office through the State House of Assembly on Oct. 15, 2006 and Mr Segun Oni also left on Oct. 15, 2010 while the incumbent Gov. Kayode Fayemi was sworn in on Oct. 16, 2010.
“So the issues are very clear. The historic importance are very clear, my exit marks the end of every government in Ekiti State.
Fayose said automatically, Fayemi would leave office on Oct. 15, 2014 and a new government by him would start on Oct. 16, 2014, “exactly eight years, after I left office’’.
“Apart from that, I am working. People love me and people want me. I am endearing myself more to them. I don’t like to make too much noise, May God help all of us’’, he prayed.
On the reconciliatory meetings going on in the PDP, Fayose said it was a welcome development as “ It shows that PDP is moving forward’’.
“ We should all come together and do more, if we do more, we will get more. PDP will take over power in the South-West’’, he said.
“Forever, there will be internal problems, it will never end, that is the hallmark of politics, that is why we call it politics, it is a game of interest and intrigues.’’
Fayose said PDP as a large party should expect a lot of intrigues and interest but expressed the hope hope that at the end of it all, members would come together.
“ When you see a party fighting , and not ready to decamp, you should be afraid of them, because when they come together, it is a crisis for the opponents they are fighting.
“We should forget about the crisis, crisis is normal and we should expect more. That does not take away that they are in PDP and want PDP to win.’’
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Born in the UK, raised in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Rising multi-genremusician Slim Burna has released the official tracklisting to his forthcoming mixtape "I'm On Fire" dropping April 11. The project includes 15 songs with guest appearances from Timaya's protege Attitude, SQueeze, Young Stunna, Bukwild Da Ikwerrian, Pi Piego, DJ Joenel, Knowledge, and more.
Check out the complete tracklist below.
1. I'm On Fire (Freestyle)
2. All Day (feat. Bukwild Da Ikwerrian)
3. Claro ( feat. Pi Piego of Ruud Boiz)
4. Turn Me On
5. The Orphan
6. Hold Yuh (feat. P Jaydino)
7. Plenty Money
8. Bad Man (feat. Squeeze)
9. Shokoto (feat. Attitude of Dem Mama Soldiers)
10. Real Recognize Real (feat. Young stunna, Zubi Da Greatest & DJ Joenel)
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Nigerian Police in Lagos has arrested a fake medical doctor, who lied to an acquaintance he met on the social media platform, Facebook, that he would get her a job and collected N200,000 from her. The Police said in Lagos that the suspect, found to be a serial fraudster, posed as a medical doctor to enable him to swindle the unsuspected Facebook girl- friend.
The suspect claimed he would use the amount to secure a job for her with the Nigerian Customs Service. The Police spokesperson, Lagos state Police Command, Facebook: another fraud in Lagos , said the accused was arrested and charged to court about three years ago for a similar offence. Ngozi stated that the police could not immediately explain how he was freed in court without being convicted, noting that the suspect had become a serial fraudster who was in the habit of defrauding young girls.
According to her, the 36-year- old suspect was arrested after one out of the latest five victims complained to the Police on November 15, adding that the suspect was thereafter arrested on December 23 by detectives from Ogudu Division. The spokesperson alleged that the first victim, Mrs Adebiyi Adenike, a graduate became his friend on Facebook after being attracted by the suspect as a Surgeon. “He requested for the sum of N200,000 as PR and with her original certificate to enable him secure employment for her into the Customs and that he had a slot at the service,” she said. Ngozi stated that both the suspect and the victim met and set out for the journey to Abuja, but along the way to Airport, the suspect pretended as if his vehicle had fault and asked her to come down and push the car.
“As soon as the victim pushed the car, he zoomed off with the victim’s credentials, ATM and PHCN cards,” she said. Ngozi gave the names of other victims defrauded by the suspect as Miss Okunola Folashade, Miss Ibrahim Bukola and Miss Adefemi Mercy. She said that they were all NYSC members who were defrauded by the same suspect on their way to Ibadan for community assignment.
The spokesperson alleged that they boarded his car to Ibadan on Dec. 20, but on getting to the Tollgate, the suspect diverted to the old Lagos/Ibadan road where he pretended as if the car developed fault and asked them to push thereafter he zoomed off with all their belongings. Ngozi said that the items stolen from the victims included a Laptop, unspecified cash, certificates, ATM card, Toaster Machine, cell phones and clothes. The fifth victim, Miss Akinbo Atinuke, also boarded the suspect’s vehicle at Berger on Dec. 11, on her way to Ibadan, where the accused branched to a filling station and pretended the car could not start again, adding that the victim also pushed the car and he zoomed off. The spokesperson said that the victim also lost her Laptop, Phone, SSCE Certficate, ATM card, NYSC discharged certificate, the sum of N104,000 which she withdrew from a bank with her ATM card.
Ngozi said that the suspect would be charged to court since all the witnesses were available with some exhibits, adding that the suspect has also made confessional statement.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
A prostitute in Zimbabwe 'died' during a hotel romp with a client – only to come back to life as her body was being put in a coffin. The vice girl reportedly collapsed during a sex session last week at the Manor Hotel in Bulaweyo. Convinced she was dead, her shocked client called the police – who sent paramedics to collect the body.
But as they were loading the 'corpse' into a metal coffin, the hooker suddenly woke up screaming. Local news reports claim she leaped from the casket, yelling: "You want to kill me, you want to kill me". LMAO. Continue reading…
Terrified staff and guests at the hotel who had gathered to watch the scene unfold, fled in panic. A source told Bulaweyo24 News: "It was like a movie. People were running away in different directions. It was a scary incident because we were all convinced that she had died because she was just cold. Miracles surely do happen."
The shaken hooker – known locally as MaNdlo – was escorted home by another prostitute.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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