Happenings

The Nigerian Air Force have denied media reports that its fighter jet bombed the convoy of the Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, on Saturday during an operation against insurgents in Borno State. The Director of Air Force Information, Commodore Yusuf Anas, who made this known in a statement on Monday, said that he was misquoted in some reports to have said that the Air Force fighter jet mistook Ndume’s convoy for some fleeing insurgents and subsequently fired. He maintained that the fighter jet of the Air Force did not target the convoy of the Senator as widely reported in the media. His statement read: “The attention of the Nigerian Air Force has been drawn to reports in some media houses which allegedly said its aircraft targeted and bombed Senator Ali Ndume’s convoy on Saturday, January 11, 2014. “The reports misquoted the Director of Information as having said the fighter jets mistakenly fired on the Senator’s convoy. For the avoidance of doub...

  A 9-year-old prodigy girl, Anjola Victoria, has passed her WAEC exams the November/December 2013 West African Examination Council (WAEC). Read the story of her success in the interview with the Sun Newspapers: What was your experience during the period of GCE exams? I studied a lot during the period of the exam. I even had to study books that were for SS3 students. I also studied the oldest past questions of the GCE examination that I could lay my hands on because the older the questions, the harder they are. How did you register for GCE considering your tender age? I burst into tears when the computer rejected me as being too young to register for GCE. I had to increase my age by five years before I could register for the exam. What was the impression of other candidates at the exam centre? No one believed that I was a candidate let alone give me the opportunity to write the exam; not even the examiners allowed me into the exam hall until I passed the bio...

Ariel Sharon, one of Israel’s most skilled but controversial leaders was laid to rest at his ranch on Monday, ending a major chapter in the history of the Jewish state. The farmer-turned-fighter who fought in all of Israel’s major wars before turning to politics, lived a ruthlessly uncompromising life which saw him both hailed as a hero and cursed as a war criminal. After eight years in a coma brought on by a massive stroke, the burly 85-year-old was laid to rest in the soil he loved so much just a few kilometres (miles) from the Gaza Strip, the scene of one of his last and most daring political acts. It was Sharon’s evacuation of all troops and Jewish settlers from Gaza in 2005 that rewrote much of the former general’s history, turning former rightwing allies into enemies and forcing world leaders to recast him as a peacemaker. But for the Palestinians and the Arab world, Sharon remained a warmonger with blood on his hands. “The land from which you came will embrace you in ...

After finishing second in FIFA's Ballon d'Or  voting three of the past four years, Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo has broken through and won the award given to the world's best player. The presentation took place Monday in Zurich, Switzerland. "There are no words to describe this moment," an emotional Ronaldo said, according to the  Daily Mail . "I want to thank all my colleagues and companions at Real Madrid, in the Portuguese team and my family who are here with me." The 28-year-old scored 66 goals in 56 appearances for both Real Madrid and Portugal. Ronaldo was recognized as the world's best player in 2008, as well, when he was with Manchester United. Lionel Messi had been the recipient of the award in each of the past four seasons, and he was again a finalist this year along with Franck Ribery.

A mental health patient has narrated how she was defiled up to 60 times by a care worker. The woman who has branded psychiatric hospitals a ‘playground for predators’ only built up the courage to speak out about the abuse after she was released from Little Brook Hospital in Dartford, Kent – and her abuser avoided a jail sentence. The woman, who has not been named, has now called for better safeguards for mental health patients, who she describes as ‘the most vulnerable in society in terms of being abused’. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Victoria Derbyshire show, she described how the staff member would enter her room for s*x on a nightly basis. She narrated how the staff member would give her gifts such as Valium, cigarettes and chocolate, according to the Mirror The woman who is now in her 40s gave an estimate that she was defiled 60 times. She was paid £100,000 compensation in 2003 and 2004. She said that the abuse built up until it was taking place up to six night...

The Olugbo of Ugboland in Ondo, billionaire and the Chairman of Obat Oil, Oba Obateru Akinruntan, has recently spoken of his love for the good things of life. He also narrated how he loves to be the first in acquiring such things. The ruler has also referred to himself as a ‘stylish king’. Check out the abstracts of the interview with City People below: “First and foremost I am very creative and secondly, I emulate the style of our forefathers, wearing royal beads as an old style. “You know these days, if you want to become a popular and flamboyant king, you have to use diamonds. Diamond chains, diamond wrist watches, diamond shoes, diamond ring and my muffler is also made of diamond or gold. “And that will make you unique among other Obas and that doesn’t make you proud. “ I like to be the first in everything . I have the largest oil tank in West Arica today. Again my chain of cars,  I use the same type of automobile with the Queen of England , Queen Elizabeth, we us...

The House Committee on Finance has  responded to a report that the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy (CME), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, needed more time to answer the 50 questions handed to her by the committee on the state of the economy, which she said was like writing examinations. The committee chairman, Abdul-Mumini Jibrin (APC: Kano) who described the statement of the Minister as a vindication of the decision it took last year when it gave her two weeks to answer the questions posed to her, noted that “the Minister appears to be taking the memories of Nigerians for granted.” “This was the Minister who walked into the meeting with the Committee and drew everyone’s sympathy the moment she feebly announced that she was not feeling well. Isn’t it curious then that when she was not feeling well the Minister was prepared to address 50 questions in a session that was to last just about two hours, and now that she is fully fit, hale and hearty, she is s...

 A fter a picture  which claimed to be the facial identity of Bisade Ologunde popularly known as Lagbaja circulated online, the man behind the mask has decided to break his silence over the said picture. Lagbaja cleared the air, while unveiling his latest studio effort and ninth album titled ” 200 Million Mumu; The Bitter Truth”, at his event outfit, Motherlan, in Opebi, Lagos, last week. Reacting for the first time since the picture hit the internet, Lagbaja said, “people are very funny, this same picture has been put on internet before now with a similar story. They should know that Lagbaja is much older than the person there and I don’t have bald-head, may be by the time I have bald-head, he will look much like me.” Although, the masked saxophonist did not dismiss the possibility of his facial identity being revealed someday, he however noted  that it would be after he has kicked the bucket. ‘People will have the opportunity to see my face when I’m gone,” he ...

There are indications that the real face of mysterious always-masked afrobeat musician Lagbaja has been finally revealed to the audience. Since the early 90′s, Bisade “Lagbaja” Ologunde has managed to keep his face well hidden behind a mask. According to Lagbaja, his mask is used as an icon of man’s facelessness. Lagbaja is a Yoruba word that means  “nobody in particular” . It depicts the anonymity of the so-called  “common man” . The mask and the name symbolise the faceless, the voiceless in the society, particularly in Africa. But it seems we all have our curiosity chilled up as a picture alleged to be Lagbaja’s with his face left unmasked leaked on the Internet some time ago. It is not quite clear how the photo appeared on the social media websites, and the afrobeat singer himself has not confirmed whether it is his face actually or not. However, it is hard to ignore the striking similarities between this face and the masked one especially the lips, eye...

Senator representing Southern Borno Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Mohammed Ali Ndume, yesterday, escaped death by the whiskers as a Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Jet allegedly mistook his convoy for those of Boko Haram terrorists and threw explosives at it. According to NAF authorities, the jet mistakenly fired shots at Ndume’s convoy while on the pursuit of some Boko Haram suspects who were operating in the area at the time Ndume was passing. Ndume was said to be returning from Gwoza Local Government where he had gone to sympathise with the people over ongoing killings in the area, when the incident happened. Addressing newsmen at his Maiduguri residence, Ndume said he travelled to Gwoza to present a letter of appointment to the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Iddrisa Timta, who was to be upgraded as a first class emir as well as visit Arbaku, Ngoshe and other remote villages affected by Boko Haram attacks to condole with the victims, adding that he was surprised when he was atta...

The Rivers State Government in a statement on Sunday said “it has it on good authority” that officers of the state police command had planned to shoot the State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, at Sunday’s botched rally of the Save Rivers Movement held at the College of Arts and Sciences, Rumuola, Port Harcourt. Mrs Ibim Semenitari, the Commissioner for information and Communications, who in the statement described the police attack on a pro APC rally as senseless and a continuous rape of democracy, claimed that Senator Magnus Abe took the bullet meant for Amaechi. Abe was hit in the chest by a rubber bullet just as the Chief of Staff Government House, Mr. Tony Okocha, was hit in the leg by a bullet as police fired dud rounds and teargas. The Senator is being treated in a local hospital where his doctor said he was brought in a state of shock caused by low blood pressure. “He was unable to talk or eat, and he was feeling restless as a result of traumatic shock. The implication is that ...

Two Nigerian students at the Donetsk National Technical University, Ukraine, have died, after what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sources described as circumstances bothering on alleged negligence on the part of the hospital authorities where they were admitted for treatment. The late students, Theresa Olaoluwa Oresanya, third year Electrical Engineering and Bede Olunna Ogbu, a Masters Degree Engineering died Friday, December 10 and Wednesday, December 18, 2013 respectively. News of the death of the two Nigerians students was reportedly relayed to the Embassy by the leader of Nigerian student association in the city. “The embassy immediately, informed he parents of the late students of the sad event, in line with procedure. The father of late Theresa Oresanya authorized that autopsy should be carried out on the remains of her late daughter and that it should be conveyed to Nigeria for burial,” the Foreign Affairs ministry said. “The father of late Bede Olunna Ogbu indicated that...