Questions questions , Has Bianca’s so called fiancé moved into Ojukwu’s home ? 
“Being Ikemba’s wife is a job on its own. These are issues that are being constantly discussed. Right now my prerogative is my husband and my family. I have a very young family. I don’t want a situation that would have my attention divided. I would like to help determine the path that my children would take. I would like to be instrumental to raising and shaping their lives. I am not saying that I cannot do that and serve the people at the same time. These were offers that were made even before the elections but I just do not feel that the time was ripe for it” – stated an elated Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, the latest and youngest wife of Ezigbo gburugburu, the Ikemba of Nnewi, Chief Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 in an interview with Alvan Ewuzie of Sun Newspapers – in response to the question “I understand that one or two political offers had come your way. You don’t want them or you just prefer being Ikemba’s wife?”-A disheartening crisis appears wickedly at the doorsteps of the number one citizen and contemporary hero of the modern Igbo society. For the family of the strongman and legend of Igbo land, Chief Odimegwu Ojukwu, a source confides, life appears brighter on the outside than it really is on the inside. Authoritative information available to gossip news confirms that the king of modern Igbo politics and the modern Igbo project, who has been on Intensive Care Unit [ICU] since February 8, 2011, may be on the last lap of his journey on Earth. His present health condition has continued to worsen near a point of no return. 
His youngest and latest wife, Bianca Ojukwu’s sudden leap into the national political theater amidst her husband’s failing health has raised eyebrows among core Igbo traditionalists and has served symptomatic of what the marital relationship between the two may have dwindled to. Traditionalists who are of the belief that a wife of a dying man should be by the side of the husband to tend to him believe also that Bianca Ojukwu has erred in her abandonment of the Igbo legend. 
Bianca’s quick action to pack her new fiancé, Honorable Commissioner Robert Okonkwo, into her marital home in Enugu has unsettled many within the Ojukwu family.

Robert Okonkwo is a 37year old blood relative to Odimegwu Ojukwu who serves under the Peter Obi administration as the commissioner for special duties and transport – a post previously held by Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu [Jr]. Robert Okonkwo was Bianca Ojukwu’s choice for the post after Ojukwu [Jr] resigned. Robert Okonkwo presently commutes to work from Ojukwu’s home in Enugu. Knowledgeable folks who could no longer remain mute tell gossip news that Bianca Ojukwu’s actions are not without reason. 

They say she has questions to answer. 
On February 9, 2011, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu signed her offer letter for the position of Special Advisor to the President on Diaspora Affairs following hotly contested debate within the Ojukwu nuclei family over whether to accept the offer by President Goodluck Jonathan. Family members tell gossip news that Ezigbo gburugburu, Chief Ojukwu did not assent to the offer when it was made by the President personally at the home of Ezigbo at Enugu, the capital of Enugu State.
The President [Jonathan] had paid a personal visit to Ezigbo prior to the onset of his health crisis during the period leading up to the presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP]. The purpose of the visit was to intimate Ezigbo of his desire to employ his wife as a Minister to replace the vacant slot left by the exit of Prof Dora Nkem Akunyili at the post of Minister of Information and Communication. Ezigbo was said to have received the President well but rejected the idea of offering his wife a ministerial job. Ezigbo, who did not support the idea, found it a bit denigrating to have his wife serve the President. Ezeigbo noted that it would not serve the Igbo interest well. He also did not want his wife’s servitude to cage him and his utterances. Ezigbo made his concerns clear to the President. Bianca being unhappy continued her lobbying of the Presidency for the post. 
The President’s men backed off the idea but the incident of December 1st 2010 at the Ojukwu home changed everything for the Presidency, for Bianca and for Ndigbo.
The early morning of December 1st 2010 greeted Ezigbo with a stroke. 
Ezigbo gburugburu was struck by a massive stroke. At home at the time of the incident were Bianca, her new lover [Mr. Robert Okonkwo] and some housekeepers. Reacting, Bianca called on two of her personal medical Doctors [names withheld] to come to the house to attend to Ezigbo. Both medical doctors arrived almost immediately to the house and began administering treatment to Ezigbo. Ezigbo was not taken to the hospital.

While the medical duo administered treatment, Bianca who was with her lover, Mr. Okonkwo did not inform the immediate relatives of Ezigbo – of Ezigbo’s deteriorated condition. The immediate family did not become aware till December 6, 2010 – 5 days after Ezigbo was struck. And when the family became aware, they immediately raised an alarm over the choice of Doctor – citing that the same Doctor had treated one of Ezigbo’s cousins – resulting to a wrongful death and litigation between the Ojukwu family and the Doctor. They also raised alarm over the “home treatment” being administered. In their take, a stroke victim/patient ought to be treated at the hospital. [Dr. Ojukwu, the elder brother to Ezigbo, who is a well respected medical doctor in the area, was not made aware of Ezigbo’s health crisis.] The mismanagement of Ezigbo’s medical upkeep, at this point became open to the Ojukwu family. And in retort, Bianca took a stand and banned many of the family members from visiting or having a say in quelling the unfolding saga. She insisted on having Ezigbo remain at the house and for her personal Doctor to continue making daily house visits. And so, no cat-scan or other required medical procedures were performed on Ezigbo. 
On December 19, 2010, it happened. 
Ezeigbo’s system shutdown and he stopped breathing. Panic took the ambiance. The immediate family took over the mantle from Bianca and immediately began to make arraignments to transport Ezigbo to University Teaching Hospital, [UNTH] Enugu. Lifting of Ezigbo from the top floor of his home down to the lower floor – where the entrance and exits were – was not an easy or happy task due to the nonexistent medical supplies or equipment at the home. Ezigbo had to be carried on a mattress down the stairs and onto the ambulance. His physical state told a story that was vividly horrid... hygienically. His nails were badly overgrown and his body reeked of a toxic stench. 

The trip to UNTH told another saddening saga. The elder brother to Ezigbo who up till December 19, 2010 was not aware that his younger brother was having a life threatening crisis, had coincidentally arrived at UNTH for another purpose – only to be surprised by his colleagues who told him of his brother’s condition. 

Political juggernauts cash in… 
It was also at this point that the political juggernauts seized the opportunity to cash-in what available currencies they found in Ezigbo gburugburu. Top on the list was the Governor of Anambra and the “political godson” of Ezigbo, Mr. Peter Obi. Gov. Obi immediately became “publicly concerned” over the health of Ezigbo. He started to guarantee airlift to a European country for treatment. But Bianca refused him entry into the house following an earlier misunderstanding. Governor Peter Obi was halted at the gate by security men as he tried to gain entry into the Ojukwu’s home. Bianca and Peter Obi had been on a tussle on how to pay for the airlifting. Peter Obi is reported to have been reluctant to release the required funds to facilitate for the airlift because he already disburses N15million monthly of Anambra State funds to Bianca for the upkeep of Ezigbo. 
Arrangements for the airlift was said to have begun on the 6th of December 2010 [the day the family became aware], but Peter Obi, who had told the President [Jonathan] that he will carry the cost - was not as forthcoming. The family opted for an alternate means. And so, an air-ambulance from South Africa was dispatched to Enugu via the assistance of some South East philanthropists. However upon the Jet’s arrival, Peter Obi gave orders that Ezigbo should not be flown on that aircraft because he has already made arrangements. Ezigbo was now kept at the hospital till December 23, 2010 [additional four days] when Peter Obi’s arrangement arrived. 
On the day of the airlift, the saddening display of greed and selfishness continued its odorous fermentation. As the airbus arrived and began to taxis into the marked area. Peter Obi, Bianca Ojukwu, Robert Okonkwo and others were in their respective corners inside the airport lounge being entertained. As Ezeigbo was wheeled to meet the air-flight medical team, Peter Obi, Bianca Ojukwu, Robert Okonkwo remained inside the lounged. The naked body of Ezeigbo which was only partially covered by the bedspread given to him from UNTH Enugu was handed over to the foreign medical team without Peter Obi or Bianca Ojukwu present. None of the political juggernauts assembled at the lounge made efforts at covering up Ezigbo gburugburu. When the air-ambulance was ready for takeoff, Bianca Ojukwu pleaded for her lover to be allowed onto the air ambulance. She was shunned. 
Enugu UNTH Doctors uncover the cause…
An unpleasant twist to the sad tale comes through an interesting medical check from the physicians at the Enugu Hospital that point to a possible neglect and probably mischief on the part of both Bianca and her personal doctor. The medical examination conducted on Chief Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu indicated that high levels of heavy metals were introduced in his system. In particular, Sodium [Na+] levels in Ezeigbo’s system were reported to be 10 times its toxic limit. The medical examiners pointed to the Medical Drips administered to Ezigbo at home by Bianca’s personal doctor – as containing abnormal levels of Sodium. The high level of Sodium was found the cause of Ezeigbo’s coma of December 19, 2010. 
One of the primary Doctors who attended to Ezeigbo at the Enugu UNTH told gossip news Bianca’s refusal to admit her husband to a facility for full medical and comprehensive care – primarily, laid the grounds to Ojukwu’s latest crisis. He explains that the high dose of Sodium in Ezeigbo’s system was because of the wrong medicines administered by Bianca’s personal Doctor. In particular, he marked the type of DRIPs used by Bianca’s Doctor on Ezeigbo as being highly suspect…especially for a stroke victim. “In a more advanced country, Bianca would be a person of interest to the investigative authorities by now”, added the Doctor. 
The President’s reaction…
Interesting also is the Presidency’s reaction towards Ezeigbo’s illness. Without delay, the Presidency, fully aware of Ezeigbo’s rejection of President Jonathan’s job offer of a ministerial post to Bianca, reoffered Bianca a post in the Presidency - the position of a Special Advisor to the President on Diaspora Matters – a position lower than the original offer. 
Bianca jumped on the offer. 
She signed the offer letter on February 9, 2011, one day [February 8, 2011] after Chief Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu; Ezeigbo Gburu Gburu fell into the present coma. Now, 16days and counting…

Good girls love bad boys?

‘Why do good girls love bad guys?’ was one interesting article once posted on the  web. This is one big question I found myself running from for a long time as it does not only scare me, it also reveals an amount of evil that resides in me and puts to shame my ‘goodness’. This is one question I have been unable to answer since. I have, at some point, fallen victim to this malfunction and so I am eager to discuss it with other girls. Why do a lot of good girls fall in love with the guy with the guarded eyes, mysterious ways, callous attitude, ‘devil may care behaviour’; what exactly is the attraction?

Why is it so difficult for the ‘good girls’ to just fall in love with the ‘good guys’? Oh, how ethereal will that be! Enough of all these Mills and Boons lifestyles/stories we have been brought up to believe, bad guys cannot make good husbands SIMPLE!

Facing facts

You have got to face it. A guy who does not give a hoot about the terrible menstrual cramps you endure month after month, will not be moved by the labour pains that grip you at childbirth! If a guy does not have the decency to call you every day in a relationship, you will not expect him to be accountable to you by the time you have gained 20 pounds in marriage! A guy who severally refuses to introduce you to his family as a girlfriend but delights in making out with you at the backseat of his car at night does not deserve you! Not forgetting the fact that he will not take you out on romantic dates after your ‘perfect size 8’ has forgotten its number.

My thoughts

In my little time on earth. I have surely seen the good, the bad and the ugly side of men. My advice to all the good girls including myself is that we henceforth boycott the ‘bad boys zones’ because they surely stand up to no good! They are wicked, selfish, childish (forget the muscles), and they do not deserve our love. I have this song on my phone by Frank Edwards — ‘You are beautiful’. This song stresses the fact that we are too beautiful, too intricately created to be mishandled, that means we need the love of the good guys in our lives.

Here is this problem, I have sampled the opinion of a lot of girls, and what I have heard is so discouraging. A lot of them believe that the good guys are boring, wimpy and not manly enough. Can someone please tell me the relationship between being good and being boring, have they become synonymous? Because the last time I checked, they were not the same, so why do we foolishly create this synergy between goodness and boredom.

As for me, I have strongly decided to give the next good guy in my life a big chance because I need him, as the flower needs the sun to bloom, so I do seriously need him. Enough of this evil magnet which keeps attracting me to that guy with guarded eyes and nonchalant ways. With this decision comes another challenge, how do I get this good guy? Because they are so scarce nowadays, the streets are filled with ‘bad guys’. They populate churches, they are the smooth talking brothers on the pulpits, and they are the tongues-speaking guys in church who will not stop ogling at the slits of your skirts. They are the Bible-carrying dudes who keep leading you on till eternity comes!

The Biblical stand

I recently stumbled on a chapter in the Bible which talks about being a wise girl and not walking as the unwise. In this chapter, I suddenly discovered that it’s simply not enough being a good girl, take a step further by including God in all things. I mean all things like your racing heartbeat whenever the so-called guy is around, those needy moments when you desperately want a man’s arms around you, those times you feel so sexually charged and don’t know what to do about it. Be a wise girl and talk to God about all these issues. He understands, He knows your struggles, He loves you so much that He is so interested in giving you that godly, good, romantic man who appreciates you and is willing to walk this life with you. Do not be in a haste to be loved by someone, remember God loves you, and I personally think that tops even a man’s love. Get to know yourself, love yourself, love God! Today, be a wise girl and delete the bad guy’s digits on your phone and embrace the good guy!

By Tolulope Odeyemi 234next.com

The presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Muhammadu Buhari, was on Monday barred from using Mapo Hall for the southwest launch of his campaign rally in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. But that did not stop the former head of state, who was greeted by a jubilant crowd which had waited hours for the event to start.

The rally had been scheduled to begin at 1pm, but kicked off around 5.20pm. Mr. Buhari, on his way to Ibadan, had stopped to visit some traditional rulers in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, and the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Enoch Adeboye. There had been a disagreement between the CPC and the Oyo State government over the use of the colonial-style city hall perched on top of Mapo Hill, Ibadan, over the weekend. While the CPC claimed it had paid in advance for Mapo Hall, the state government said it had allocated the hall to a team that would be hosting the nation’s first lady, Patience Jonathan, today.

The rally held on the grounds in front of Mapo Hall. ‘Liars and cheats’ According to Yinka Odumakin, the spokesperson for Mr. Buhari, the state government’s decision to deny the CPC the use of Mapo Hall again exposed the ruling PDP and its leaders as a gang of cheats, liars and an integrity-deficient outfit. Mr. Odumakin attached a receipt, given to the party after it booked the hall, to a statement he issued. He said that the police had been informed of the date and venue of the rally, and approval had been given.

“It was to our consternation that the management of the facility rudely informed our officials, who went to prepare the venue 48 hours to the D-Day, that we could no longer use the place because the wife of the president, Patience Jonathan, would be holding an event at the same venue 24 hours after our rally.”

Mr. Odumakin said. He also spoke harshly about the governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, describing him as a liar for adding “a ridiculous dimension to the whole saga when he lied that the hiccup was because we changed our rally date”. “The attached receipts from Ibadan Local Governments Properties Co. Limited, the official managers of Mapo Hall, showed the date CPC booked Mapo Hall and the subsequent official acceptance of CPC’s use of Mapo Hall on the new rally date, 14th March 2011,” he said. “This contradicts the false account of the Oyo State government.” Presidential promises Speaking to the crowd of supporters, Mr. Buhari gave his assurance that rigging would be impossible in the next election, saying “there is no more culture of rigging in Nigeria”.

The former head of state urged the people to take the elections seriously and ensure that they did not only vote, but also protect their votes by following them up to the collation centres. “We will make sure that every penny in the treasury belongs to the people and is spent on them,” he said. “All the CPC candidates will be completely accountable to the people who entrust them with power when they get to power.”

Reeling out his agenda, the CPC candidate said the party planned to provide jobs, good roads, potable water and security across the country. Speaking earlier, Tunde Bakare, vice presidential candidate of the CPC and pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly, Lagos, urged Nigerians to vote for his party, saying they would rewrite the history of the country and bring back its lost glory. Mr. Bakare said that the party was taking the issue of education seriously as well as planning to return the country to true federal status. Party matters Mr. Buhari presented the party’s flag to Adebayo Shittu as the Oyo State governorship candidate, a move which settled the controversy over who would fly the party’s gubernatorial flag. The national leadership of the CPC had formally endorsed the candidacy of Mr. Shittu as flagbearer, but the crisis still persisted. Mr. Shittu and another candidate, Taiwo Ibrahim, had emerged from parallel governorship primaries held in the state.

watch trailer 1

watch trailer 2

"This is a warning to you. It has come to our notice that you have produced a video about the problem in the Niger-Delta without proper consultations regarding the true state of affairs in the area. You are hereby warned not to release that video or be faced with grave consequences.   We are very well informed about your daily routine and that of your child. Your address is 35 Colorado Close, Maitama, Minister's Hill and your child schools at Ecole Francais Marcel-Pagnol d'Abuja, Durumi district,Abuja. Be warned"!   Amata and wife   Those who have watched the movie said it amy have revealed some uncomfortable secrets behind the struggle of the Niger-Delta and how some disgruntled leaders are playing politics with the lives of the citizens. These and more are what the said group does not want to be a public knowledge. The Niger Delta region of Nigeria has 606 Oil-fields and exports 50% of all its oil resources to the United States and is the world's capital of oil pollution. Corrupt government officials, greedy oil companies and violent rebels go on a war path over oil spills and the degradation of the land caused by oil exploration The film x-rays fifty years of uncorrected oil spills and lack of clean-up which has destroyed the environment and ecosystems leaving the area almost uninhabitable while obliterating the livelihood of its residents costing them basic human rights such as health, access to food, clean water, and an ability to work. Black Gold was to be premiered on February 24th at the Silverbird Galleria in Lagos but the latest developments may have distrupted the plans of the movie producers. The film has an impressive casts, starring Mbong Amata, Tom Sizemore, Vivica Fox, Billy Zane, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Sarah Wayne Callies, Razaaq Adoti, Dede Mabiaku, Eric Roberts, Larry Manetti and Michael Madsen. The film produced by Starkid productions owned by American based Nigeria, Ori Ayomike, was directed by Jeta Amata in collaboration with Suzanne DeLaurentiis was shot in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and in Los Angeles, California.

Okereke with the drum containing the dismembered body of late Ogbonnaya

However, the bond the couple shared helped solve the mystery, recounts Goodness, the mother of seven-month-old Precious (their baby, who would never know her father, slain at the prime age of 31).

Basil was a businessman selling foodstuff at Shop 23 Milaco Plaza along Ago Palace Way in Okota, Lagos. On March 1, he had gone to meet with business associates at Iddo and Daleko respectively, Goodndess recalls. She had called her husband’s telephone number to know if he was on his way home about 6pm but his phone was switched off. Her husband later called back at 6.43pm to inform her that he was at Okafor’s place.

“I felt he was probably discussing with him and didn’t want to be disturbed. By 10pm, his phones were still switched off and he wasn’t back. We kept awake till about 2am when I asked one of the boys working for him to go and lock the door. I had hoped he slept over there and that he would call me first thing in the morning. They are friends. They had known each other before he married me. In fact, my husband helped him to secure the accommodation he lives in at No. 17 Omiyale Street, Ejigbo, where he killed him.”

But alas! the call never came and Goodness had reason to be alarmed. So she called Okafor, who denied seeing Basil or that he slept in his house. “When I didn’t see my husband in the morning and with his phones still switched off, I called Okafor to find out about my husband. But he said he had not seen him; that the last time he did was on February 28. Then he came over to our place. I told him my husband had not returned home, which was unlike him, and that I wanted to check hospitals, and he followed me.”

Searching with the suspect

That day, Goodness and Okafor combed the accident and emergency wards and mortuaries of hospitals, from Isolo to Gbagada and back to Ejigbo till dusk.

“A friend suggested I go back to Ejigbo to search for him since it was the last place I heard from him. By the time we did this it was late, and somehow my spirit was telling me to sleep over at his house. Before then I had told my brothers of the situation. He initially objected to my sleeping in his house. But following persuasion from my elder brother, he agreed, and said he had to come to Ago to pick his sister first, which he did. When we got to his house, he put me in one of the rooms and brought out a pillow from his room for me to use.

Pillowcase clue uncovered by seven-month-old baby

Probably stressed by the events of the day, Goodness’ seven-month-old baby, Precious, wouldn’t sleep and was playfully pulling at the bed sheet. Unknown to her infant mind, she had uncovered a clue that led them to her father’s murderer.

“I put my baby on the bed and she was pulling at the bed sheet. Then she pulled the pillow and I noticed blood stains on the pillowcase, and I became suspicious. So I pulled off the pillowcase and put it in my baby’s pampers.

Bloodstains on the wall

“I couldn’t sleep, so I began praying. Earlier, I had been asked what I wanted to eat but I said nothing. I had no appetite for food but I asked for tea. Not long after I began to purge and had to go to the toilet. There I saw splashes of blood on the wall and I took the picture with my phone. The sister whom I begged to sleep with us in the room was close to me, so she heard the clicking sound from my phone and turned. But I pretended as I came out as if I hadn’t done anything.

“About 5.30am, when I got up to prepare a bath for my baby, I saw my husband’s handkerchief he used the day I last saw him in the wash hand basin. It was stained with blood.”

Like one who had murdered sleep, Okafor also barely slept as he decided to sleep in his sitting room instead of his bedroom. Goodness’ cries and prayers unsettled him such that he came to her door severally to inquire what was wrong. In the morning when Goodness ran out of credit, he offered to go and buy for her while she gave her baby a bath.

“It was when he went out that I sneaked into his bedroom to confirm my suspicion. There I saw blood splattered on the wall. His sister was trying to catch some sleep because of my disturbance in the night. When I saw that, I called my brothers and told them. I also kept the handkerchief with the pillowcase I had seen earlier.

“By the time he came back, my brothers were in the area. So he left the house again to pick them. But my brothers came through another route and I showed them what I had seen.” When Okafor returned, she begged him to take her to Ago Police Station where she had earlier lodged a complaint and was told to wait for 24 hours before declaring him missing. He declined on the pretext that he was tired but later obliged after some persuasion.

Looking for more clues, Goodness asked to put her umbrella and bag in his car boot, which was also splattered with blood. But she pretended as if she saw nothing. “When we got to the station, I said I wanted to make a statement that my husband told me he was in his house the last time he called me. But the policeman in charge of such cases said I would be indicting him and there were penalties for such if my claims were untrue. I replied him that I didn’t mind.”

It would however take some going back and forth and tendering the evidence she had on her before the police took her serious and took Okafor in for questioning. He still denied seeing Basil and said they should take him anywhere, that he was innocent. “It was when I tendered the stained handkerchief and pillowcase that I was allowed to make my statement and a search warrant issued. The DPO instructed that Okafor should be put behind the counter.”

Okafor later confessed that he committed the heinous crime and escorted the policemen to search his house.

‘It’s rat blood on my wall’

“When the policemen got there and saw the blood stain on the wall, he initially said it was a rat that he killed. They later saw his bloodstained mattress, which he had kept outside and the rug. He told them he had drugged my husband before killing him with an axe around midnight (and I remember seeing that axe in the house and had asked him what he was doing with an axe in the city when he was not in the village).

He said he cut him first in the head, which woke him up, and probably a struggle ensued (explaining the blood stains) between them. So he broke his two legs with the axe to demobilise him and finished him off with a cutlass. He claims it was a mistake but because he injured him so much, decided to finish it…”

Though not shedding tears as she recounted the gory details to our reporter, she was filled with anguish as she measured her words, stopping and shaking her head at intervals.

Was she aware that her cousin had any evil antecedent?

“Somehow, I suspected so because of his lifestyle. We would see him for some time and he would disappear again. Because of his lifestyle, my husband had to dissociate himself from him at some point but he kept coming around. I never knew he could be this wicked to kill my husband.”

Contrary to the suspect’s claim that the late Basil was owing him some amount of money, Goodness said rather it was Okafor that was indebted to her husband.

“I’m not aware of any quarrel between them but I remember my husband said he had borrowed him money, which he promised to pay back by July this year. He borrowed him late last year when he was about to do his wedding. My husband said it was N3.5million. He didn‘t tell me he had any quarrel with Okafor.”

So what was Okafor’s motive for killing Basil and dumping him in a drum in his area (NNPC Ejigbo)? Was it because he felt he couldn’t pay back despite the fact that he runs a men’s clothing store at 131 Ago Palace Way, Okota, or could it be for ritual purposes as speculated by many, given the stickers on his car (‘This year money shall be my servant’ and ‘2011- My year of double blessings’)?

Police sources say no part of Basil’s body was missing. Why, why, why, is the question Goodness is asking, and Baby Precious would also, when she is old enough.

Security forces in the central Nigerian city of Jos seized a truck laden with bomb-making equipment on Friday, less than three months after explosions tore through Christmas Eve celebrations.

Sectarian violence in the region, where the mostly Muslim north meets the largely Christian south, has killed at least 200 people since the December attacks and the security forces are on high alert ahead of national elections next month.

Charles Ekeocha, spokesman for a joint military and police taskforce, said the truck was carrying a large amount of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer which can be used to make improvised explosive devices, as well as fuses and detonators.

"The vehicle was intercepted at our checkpoint coming from (the northern city of) Kaduna to Jos very late in the night," Ekeocha told reporters.

The tensions around Jos are rooted in decades of resentment between indigenous groups, mostly Christian or animist, and settlers from the Muslim north who are vying with them for control of fertile farmland and economic and political power.

Plateau state, of which Jos is the capital, is seen as a potential flashpoint, a few weeks before presidential, parliamentary and state governorship elections.

Previous polls in Africa's most populous nation have been marred by local violence but the use of bombs and other explosives is a new development.

Three people were killed and 21 injured by an explosive device thrown from a car at a ruling party election rally in the town of Suleja near the capital Abuja last week.

There have also been fire bomb attacks on opposition party offices and campaign rallies in Bayelsa state in the southern oil-producing Niger Delta.

The ruling party candidate has won every presidential race since the end of military rule 12 years ago and President Goodluck Jonathan, the first head of state from the Niger Delta, is widely considered the front-runner.

But he is resented in parts of the north because, if he wins, he will be serving what would have been the second term of late President Umaru Yar'Adua, a northerner who died last year.

The parliamentary and state governorship elections are also expected to be closely fought, and the ruling People's Democratic Party's (PDP) strong parliamentary majority and regional dominance are expected to weaken.

A fake herbalist, Sunday Oseme, a.k.a. Dr. Ahmed, 56 who specialises in duping unsuspecting ladies, prostitutes and married women desperately in need of a child has been arrested by the police in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

•The fake herbalist performing rituals on the ladies.

His mode of operation is to take his victims to a flowing stream for cleansing and ritual sacrifice under the pretence of exorcising the evil spirits and mammy water spirit responsible for their plight.

After the cleansing, the victims are made to pay huge sums of money to achieve their desires.

He was arrested by the police following a complaint lodged by two ladies, Esther Inyang and Patience Edet who alleged that the herbalist defrauded them of N253,000 and N350,000, respectively at his shrine located on 29, Lagos Road, Ogoloto Bus Stop, Ikorodu, Lagos.

The ladies also accused him of raping them on the pretence of removing Ogbanje spirit from them.

The suspect, it was learnt, confessed to the police that he met the victims on 4, Church Street, Oshodi, Lagos State where they ply their trade as commercial sex workers.

Narrating their ordeal to P.M.NEWS, Esther Inyang said she met the suspect early this month in Oshodi where she works as a commercial sex worker.

”He came to me around March where I was doing my ‘business’ and he bought Malta Guiness for me. Later, he said he saw a vision concerning me and my sister, Patience, that we belonged to the river spirit, mammy water.

”We believed him because several pastors have told us before that we have mammy water spirit. He described himself as a herbalist who helps women, ladies who have problems of barrenness and women who find it difficult to stay with a man. He said he also makes progress medicine with just N3,000.

”He gave us his phone numbers and address and we went to meet him at Ikorodu to solve our problem. To our surprise, after collecting N3,000 and N5,000 from us as consultation fees, he directed me to go and bring N250,000 while my sister should produce N350,000. We were also asked to buy three goats, cow, calabash, white cloth and native pots to appease the spirits inside the water. He prepared a concoction for us to eat and we ate.

”After this, I paid him N250,000 and he followed my sister to the UBA branch at Ikorodu to withdraw N350,000.

”Before he took us to a flowing stream at midnight to take our bath, he used a razor blade to cut our forehead, back of our neck and cut pubic hair from our private parts, burnt it and used the ashes to rob the spot he cut with blades so that, according to him, the mammy water spirit inside the stream will abandon us and leave us to live our free lives.

“He gave us pots full of concoctions to carry on our heads to the stream, wearing white cloths. When we got there, he ordered us to untie our cloths and tell the pots our problems before throwing them in the flowing stream.

”After the sacrifice, he told us that he must have sex with us inside the bush before the sacrifice can be accepted by the spirits. He had sex with us till day break.

”His promise to make us rich did not materialise and the spirits are still tormenting us. That was why we reported him to the police and he was arrested.

”I am begging the police to help us recover our money and ensure that the law takes its course,” Esther pleaded.

In his statement to the police, the suspect confessed that he was not a herbalist and that he learnt to defraud people from Benin city, Edo State. ”I am not a herbalist. I always look for my target, especially light-skinned girls or ladies because they are very easy to deceive.

”I will go to a brothel or a party to see vision for people and later give them my phone number and address. They willl come to my shrine and I will prepare concoctions for them to drink. After this, they will bring all their money to me..

”I have build houses in Lagos and my village in Edo State. I have a car and I am married with six children. I promise to look for a better thing to do if I am set free and I promise to pay back the money to my victims,” he told the police.

Forbes Magazine’s world’s richest list that estimates Globacom Chairman, Mike Adenuga’s networth at $2billion has been described as a gross under-estimation, financial experts close to Adenuga’s business empire have revealed.

“Conoil Producing alone, operator of six oil blocks and holder of 25 per cent stake in Joint Development Zone Block 4, with proven reserves of more than one billion barrels of crude and 7 trillion cubic feet of gas, is worth more than $2 billion”, said the financial expert in an interview with P.M. News this morning.

He indeed estimated that Conoil Producing, without factoring in Conoil, the downstream firm involved in the retail sale of refined petroleum products, is worth more than $10 billion.

It appears that Forbes evaluated Adenuga’s wealth on his Globacom holdings alone, as the reports dwelled mostly on the network’s subscription, the company’s $1 billion investment in fiber optics, Glo-1, to link Africa with the rest of the world and Globacom’s operations in West African nations such as Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Senegal and Gambia.

“Whatever criteria they use are faulty”, said the expert. “Globacom West African operation is worth more than $5 billion, when the huge investments in Ghana, Togo and Benin are put in the picture”.

P.M News also learnt that Adenuga has huge investments in real estate in Nigeria and Europe. Three years ago, his interests were estimated at about $3 billion. And of course, he owns majority shares in Equitorial Trust Bank.

On Wednesday, Forbes magazine released its list of the world’s richest.

The magazine listed 1210 individuals across the globe, with Aliko Dangote, listed as Nigeria’s and Africa’s richest man with networth of $13.8 billion.

According to Forbes, the combined wealth of these 1,210 individuals is $4.5 trillion (£2.78 trillion) – which is slightly more than the UK’s total debt which stands at £2.34 trillion.

Since Forbes listed Dangote in 2008, there has always been controversy among Nigerians on whether the magazine’s goggles is not afflicted with some sight disorders, as most Nigerians wondered why Adenuga’s name was left out.

The controversy is even now going to deepen, on who is richer between Aliko and Adenuga, the magazine having now recognized Adenuga’s deep pockets, after several years of omission.

According to reports, in the past year Aliko Dangote’s fortune surged 557% to $13.8 billion, up from $2.1 billion, after he consolidated all his public and private cement holdings throughout Africa into the continent’s largest cement manufacturer and took it public on the Nigerian stock exchange in October. Dangote Cement now has a market value in excess of $13 billion, and accounts for a quarter of the Nigeria Stock Exchange’s total market capitalization. Dangote also has interests in flour, pasta and sugar manufacturing.

According to Forbes, Dangote is richer than longtime white South African billionaires Nicky Oppenheimer of Debeers and Johann Rupert of luxury goods group Richemont, which owns Cartier, Dunhill and other premium brands. He is also richer than Chelsea Football Club owner, Roman Abramovich.

But the jury may not have a word yet on the richest African, between Aliko and Adenuga.

That former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the previous and first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, have had more than a passing relationship has been popular street gossip in Nigeria for a long time. But the Americans took the matter beyond chatter. In an October 19, 2007 cable to Washington, Lisa Piascik, the Charge d'Affairs of the US embassy in Nigeria, stated that both politicians were sweethearts.

The cable is part of a cache of secret US diplomatic dispatches leaked to the whistleblower site Wikileaks and made available to NEXT. In the dispatch, which details the different contending groups pulling and pushing for the soul of the ruling People's Democratic Party, Ms. Etteh was described not only as a member of the former president's network of the PDP, but also as Mr. Obasanjo's girlfriend. In profiling Ms. Etteh, the American official described her as: "former hairdresser, romantic interest of Obasanjo, current Speaker of the House of Representatives." Other party chiefs profiled as members of Mr. Obasanjo's camp were Senate President David Mark; multibillionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote; businessman Chris Uba; former presidential aide, Andy Uba; former governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu; former governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Mu'azu; former PDP national deputy chairman, Bode George; former PDP national chairman, Ahmadu Ali; and Ojo Maduekwe, former minister of foreign affairs. Dubious rise Ms. Etteh rubbished political permutations in 2007, when, in spite of her little education, she emerged the House Speaker, beating stronger and better educated contenders..

It was believed at the time that she rose to the position on the back of Mr. Obasanjo. Four months after she became speaker, Ms. Etteh and her deputy, Babangida Nguroje, were accused of financial malfeasance by their colleagues. They were accused of authorizing the spending of N628 million for the renovation of their official residences and the purchase of 12 official cars. While majority of the members of the House demanded Ms. Etteh's resignation, Mr. Obasanjo and the PDP leadership insisted and lobbied that she remain in office. But the opposition to the speaker was massive and overwhelming, and about eight weeks after the allegations were first levied against her, Mrs. Etteh and her deputy resigned from office on October 30, 2007, although they remain members of the House. Although Mr. Obasanjo left office as president about four years ago, as chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, he has remained an influential member of the ruling party. Both politicians have remained close. Ms. Etteh was one of the few party chiefs at Mr. Obasanjo's 74th birthday celebration in Abeokuta last Sunday.

‘I can romance anybody' Contacted yesterday, Ms. Etteh responded that she was at liberty to have a romantic affair with whomever she chose. Raising her voice, the former speaker said, "I don't bloody care. I can have romantic interest with anybody. I am free to romance anybody. I don't fear you media boys anymore. Go and write whatever you like." Adeoba Ojekunle, spokesman to Mr. Obasanjo, did not answer his calls and has not responded to text messages sent to his phone.

no we are just joking on that one ! Mrs Jonathans recent pattysyms on the english language has gotten fellow nationals in rib cracks . we hope that the FG gets her an image and brand coach to focus on her speaking skills . after all she has been firstlady of sorts for some time by now she should have a handle on crowd speaking techniques

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As the presidential debate organised by the Network News 24 Television (NN24 TV) kicks off Friday, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it will not participate in the debate as the party was not properly invited.

And commenting on the debate controversy, Special Adviser to the President on Research, Documentation and Strategy, Mr. Oronto Douglas, said while President Goodluck Jonathan is not afraid of debate, the organisers were acting in an uncoordinated manner.

According to the schedule of programmes for the debate unveiled yesterday by the organisers, the vice-presidential candidates of four political parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), PDP, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) – will participate in the television debate to be aired in all Nigerian television stations, BEN TV in the United Kingdom, Sky Television from 6 to 9 pm Friday.

But the PDP Presidential Campaign Council said the party’s presidential candidate, Jonathan, and his running mate, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, were not properly invited and therefore would not be taking part in the debate.

The Council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mallam Abba Dabo, told THISDAY that the party was currently in campaigns and that Sambo has party activities in Kano Friday.

According to Dabo, “we were not properly invited. Moreover, the vice-president will be attending a PDP reconciliation meeting in Kano tomorrow (Friday) and so he will not be attending. The party is currently in the middle of its campaigns and therefore PDP will not be participating in the television debate, whether for the president or for the vice-president.”

It was further gathered that PDP backed out of the television debate because there were no concrete agreements on the nature of questions to be asked and how to admit the studio audience.

PDP, it was gathered, felt the presidential debate was a bait for some of the political parties to embarrass its presidential candidate and the running mate.

Releasing the details of the presidential debate to be anchored by Jonathan Mann of the Cable News Network (CNN) and Khadaria Ahmed of the NEXT newspaper, the trio of Anthony Dara of the NN24 TV, Newspaper Columnist Haruna Adamu and Clement Baite said that they had an agreement in principle that all the four listed political parties would attend.

On why the organisers were limiting the number of political parties to be invited to only four, Dara, who is the Chief Executive Officer of NN24 TV, said they took into cognizance the issues of spread and reach of the political parties before extending their invitation.

But the presidential candidate of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), Ambrose Oworu, told journalists that the organisers were myopic and out to cause mischief.

“How can they not invite all the political parties that are fielding candidates at the presidential elections? What are the criteria for inviting only four, if not for the purposes of mischief and myopism?” he asked.

Also another group, the Nigeria Election Debate Group headed by the former Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Taiwo Alimi, will between March 28 and 30 organise their own version of television debate for all the presidential candidates and their running mates.

Meanwhile, Douglas told journalists in Lagos Wednesday night that a lack of coordination among the debate organisers was the major hindrance to the president's participation.

He said so far, no fewer than four groups had invited Jonathan to participate in their debates, a situation he said was almost impossible considering the tight schedule of the president.

He said with the campaigns gaining momentum by the day, the president had been busy visiting almost two states per day, “so it is difficult to abandon the campaign for multiple debates”.

Douglas said since the campaign schedules were drawn up over a month ago, altering them at this point would create logistical problems for the campaign team.

"The president is not afraid of debate. The insinuation in some quarters that he is shying away from facing his co-contestants is not true. As a former teacher, the president is not afraid of facing such challenges. He is focussed and wants avenues to further remind Nigerians what he has done for the country and what he intends to do if elected," he said.

The presidential aide said the last few months had provided opportunity for Jonathan to reaffirm his commitment to the country, adding that already, a majority of the people had keyed into his message of unity, stability and hope.

He urged Nigerians to keep faith with the president, adding that everything promised them during the campaign would be fulfilled after May 29.

"Don’t forget the fact that Mr. President has overtime proven to be the symbol of unity for the entire country. You can see from his campaign messages that the era of divisive politics is over. He is today telling all Nigerians that they can achieve their potentials and that a conducive atmosphere is being created for all persons to achieve their full greatness," he added.

MEN BEWARE! •More women buy love charm in lipstick, powder

By RACHAEL AGUNTA

Owerri Road in Asata area of Enugu is as popular as they come. A place where so many things take place, it is always a beehive of activities. On both sides of the road are various business concerns including Bureau de Change, bakeries, restaurants, suya spots among others.  However, one shop stands out from the rest. Situated at No 15, it has an inscription: Spiritual Shop. It is an old building with signs of wear and tear. The paint has faded and the structure begging for attention. Despite the condition of the building, customers are always trooping in and out of the shop. And most of them are women.

Saturday Sun investigation revealed that the shop is a place, where women solicit spiritual help to cage men. With the spiritual support as it were, the women ensnare men and turn them to toy to be manipulated at will. The patrons of the spiritual outfit target randy rich men in the society.  When the under cover reporter visited the shop, all the elements were in place. Pretending to be in need of the spiritual wares, she told the shop owner that she wanted a ‘package’ that would get her attracted to men and also open their purse.

The owner of the shop confided in her, assuring her that the stuff he deals in has the efficacy to achieve the desired result. Boasting that he has been helping women like her over the years to charm men, he maintained it is effective hence “a lot of girls are always coming here to do it”.  The man, who simply identified himself as Jonny, volunteered that he has different brands and specifications of the spiritual products. Explaining the various types available, he said some come in form of lipsticks. According to him, “ if you apply it and a man kissess your lips, he will give you whatever you ask from him”. The cost is N8000. 

When the reporter brought out some money from her purse and started counting same, Johnny became convinced that she was actually interested. He then suggested that there was another one called ‘Love me alone Kit’. The kit, which could be used in different ways, also costs N8000. He said that the content was in power form and usually applied on the private part “and any man who makes love to me would do whatever I request him to do. 

And if I want to have a man permanently, there is a mirror in the kit that would help me to achieve that. He said I would write the name of the man on a paper, call him seven times and place it in front of the mirror. I will also write my own name, call it seven times and place it at the back of the mirror. With this, the man would forget every other woman even if he is married.”The ‘spritualist’ described the product as “a bomb and that there is no day girls do not come here to get it”. While the reporter was there, young and not so young women were trooping into the shop to buy one product or another.

Nigerian business mogul, Mike Adenuga the founder of Globacom- the mobile, fixed, broadband, and international gateway carrier, has joined Forbes Magazine’ billionaires list with a net worth of $2 billion. He joins his countryman, Aliko Dangote, a regular feature in the list, whose furtune surged 557 per cent to $13.8 billion, up from $2.1 billion during the period.

On top of the billionaires' list is Mexico's Carlos Slim Helú, who added $20.5 billion to his fortune, more than any other billionaire. The telecom mogul, who gets 62 per cent of his fortune from America is now worth $74 billion and has pulled far ahead of his two closest rivals.

Photos: Left New "kid on the block Otunba Adenuga,right:Aliko Dangote aka Chemical ALi Richest Person in Africa and getting richer by the day even richer than facebook founder !

However, the Microsoft Guru, Bill Gates came second and the investor magnate Warren Buffett came third. Both added a more modest $3 billion to their piles and are now worth $56 billion and $50 billion, respectively.

Gates, who now gets 70 per cent of his fortune from investments outside of Microsoft has actually been investing in the Mexican stock market and has holdings in Mexican Coke bottler Femsa and Grupo Televisa.

Adenuga, owner of several high profile firms which include Conoil Producing, Conoil Plc, Equatorial Trust Bank (ETB), launched Globacom services in Nigeria in 2005, in the Republic of Benin in 2008 and has licences to operate in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire (with Togo and Senegal next).

He took a big gamble laying a $1 billion undersea fibre optic cable, Glo-1, to link Africa with the rest of the world. (partnered with Alcatel-Lucent). The connection will help lower prices for customers as well as help Adenuga expand more quickly.

As for Dangote, who is now the number 51 in the Forbe's list from 334 position in 2008; a step ahead of the Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg,  who made the list for the first time with a networth of $13.5 billion at the 52nd position.

Dangote fortune surged during the period, after he consolidated all his public and private cement holdings throughout Africa into the continent’s largest cement manufacturer and took it public on the Nigerian stock exchange in October.

Dangote Cement now has a market value in excess of $13 billion, and accounts for a quarter of the Nigeria Stock Exchange’s total market capitalization.

The dearth of native suppliers to meet increasing cement demand is driving the stock price. Dangote projects demand at 72 million metric tons and growing because of the drive to build infrastructure in Nigeria, Africa’s most populated nation, as well as other countries; current supply is 67 million metric tons, a shortfall of 5 million metric tons.

For perspective, he is now richer than longtime white South African billionaires Nicky Oppenheimer of Debeers and Johann Rupert of luxury goods group Richemont, which owns Cartier, Dunhill and other premium brands.

For now he’s gearing up to introduce Dangote Cement to foreign investors. Companies listed on the Nigerian stock exchange are required to have a minimum free float of 25 per cent, Dangote initially listed 5 per cent of shares. According to analysts at Thaddeus Investment Advisors, the Nigerian market is too shallow for a stock of Dangote Cement’s size to be listed on the exchange; this is why the balance of the free float will be listed outside of Nigeria. Dangote, who recently bought himself a $45 million Bombardier aircraft for his birthday, has been shuttling back and forth to London for months, in anticipation of a public offering in London later this year.

He is certainly one to watch. After a lucrative career in trading, Dangote ventured into manufacturing pasta, salt, sugar, and flour in 1997, in part encouraged by the policies of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Eventually Dangote went from importing and rebagging cement to production as well; he was awarded the government’s then state-owned cement business and began building his own plant in 2003. Cement revenue which has been primarily based on imports grew 15% a year between 2001 and 2005; once the Obajana plant was fully operational in 2007, revenue quadrupled; in fiscal 2009 revenue was $1.2 billion.

Dangote Cement now owns three cement plants and two terminals in Nigeria where he both produces and still imports cement. The Obajana plant is Dangote’s largest to date and controls the largest market share in Nigeria; Dangote terminals at Lagos and Port-Harcourt have the highest import quotas of all local companies. With additional capacity coming on line this year, total capacity is expected to reach 26 million metric tons by the end of 2011. (also helping boost profits: Dangote’s newly combined entity is tax exempt through 2017.)

But he won’t stop there. Dangote has started building investments in cement plants and terminals across Africa including Senegal, Zambia, Tanzania, Congo, Ethiopia, Cameroun, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Ghana.

Meanwhile, Egypt led other African countries in the Forbes billionaires' list, with eight billionaires on the list, followed by South Africa with four billionaires,  while Nigeria came third with two billionaires. Chief Mike Adenuga  joined Dangote on the Forbes’ list rated 597 in the world, and worth $2 billion. Mr Femi Otedola who was previously with Dangote in the list is no longer there.

According to Forbes Magazine, this 25th year of tracking global wealth was one to remember. The 2011 Billionaires List breaks two records: total number of listees (1,210) and combined wealth ($4.5 trillion). This horde surpasses the gross domestic product of Germany, one of only six nations to have fewer billionaires this year.

Whereas, BRICs led the way: Brazil, Russia, India and China produced 108 of the 214 new names. These four nations are home to one in four members, up from one in 10 five years ago. Before this year only, the United States (U.S.) had ever produced more than 100 billionaires. China now has 115 and Russia 101.

Rank   Name  Net Worth      Age     Source of Money      Country of Citizenship

1          Carlos Slim Helu & family   $74 B  71      telecom         Mexico

2          Bill Gates     $56 B  55      Microsoft       United States

3          Warren Buffett       $50 B  80      Berkshire Hathaway  United States

4          Bernard Arnault      $41 B  62      LVMH  France

5          Larry Ellison $39.5 B         66      Oracle United States

6          Lakshmi Mittal        $31.1 B         60      Steel   India

7          Amancio Ortega      $31 B  74      Zara   Spain

8          Eike Batista $30 B  54      mining, oil      Brazil

9          Mukesh Ambani      $27 B  53      petrochemicals, oil & gas     India

10        Christy Walton & family     $26.5 B         56      Walmart        United States

11        Li Ka-shing   $26 B  82      Diversified     Hong Kong

12        Karl Albrecht          $25.5 B         91      Aldi     Germany

13        Stefan Persson       $24.5 B         63      H&M    Sweden

14        Vladimir Lisin          $24 B  54      Steel   Russia

15        Liliane Bettencourt $23.5 B         88      L'Oreal France

16        Sheldon Adelson     $23.3 B         77      casinos          United States

17        David Thomson & family    $23 B  53      media  Canada

18        Charles Koch          $22 B  75      Diversified     United States

18        David Koch $22 B  70      Diversified     United States

20        Jim Walton   $21.3 B         63      Walmart        United States

21        Alice Walton           $21.2 B         61      Walmart        United States

22        S. Robson Walton   $21 B  67      Walmart        United States

23        Kwok Thomas & Raymond & family         $20 B  N/A     real estate     Hong Kong

24        Larry Page   $19.8 B         37      Google United States

24        Sergey Brin $19.8 B         37      Google United States

26        Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud    $19.6 B         56      Investments   Saudi Arabia

27        Iris Fontbona & family       $19.2 B         N/A     Mining Chile

28        Lee Shau Kee         $19 B  83      real estate     Hong Kong

29        Alexei Mordashov    $18.5 B         45      Steel   Russia

30        Michael Bloomberg $18.1 B         69      Bloomberg     United States

30        Jeff Bezos   $18.1 B         47      Amazon         United States

32        Michele Ferrero & family    $18 B  84      chocolates     Italy

32        Mikhail Prokhorov   $18 B  45      Investments   Russia

34        Vladimir Potanin      $17.8 B         50      nonferrous metals    Russia

35        Alisher Usmanov     $17.7 B         57      steel, telecom, stocks         Russia

36        Azim Premji           $16.8 B         65      Software       India

36        Oleg Deripaska       $16.8 B         43      aluminum      Russia

38        Michael Otto & family        $16.6 B         67      Retail  Germany

39       German Larrea Mota Velasco & family     $16 B  57      Mining Mexico

39        Rinat Akhmetov      $16 B  44      steel, coal mines       Ukraine

39        John Paulson          $16 B  55      hedge funds   United States

42        Shashi & Ravi Ruia $15.8 B         67      Diversified     India

43        Mikhail Fridman      $15.1 B         46      oil, banking, telecom Russia

44        Michael Dell $14.6 B         46      Dell     United States

44        Susanne Klatten     $14.6 B         48      BMW, pharmaceuticals        Germany

46        Steve Ballmer        $14.5 B         54      Microsoft       United States

46        George Soros         $14.5 B         80      hedge funds   United States

48        Berthold & Theo Jr. Albrecht & family      $14.4 B         N/A     Aldi, Trader Joes       Germany

49        Birgit Rausing & family      $14 B  87      packaging      Sweden

50        Vagit Alekperov      $13.9 B         60      Lukoil  Russia

51        Aliko Dangote         $13.8 B         53      sugar, flour, cement Nigeria

52        Mark Zuckerberg    $13.5 B         26      Facebook       United States

53        Anne Cox Chambers         $13.4 B         91      Cox Enterprises        United States

53        Roman Abramovich           $13.4 B         44      steel, investments     Russia

55        Jorge Paulo Lemann          $13.3 B         71      beer    Brazil

56        Savitri Jindal & family        $13.2 B         60      Steel   India

57        Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor & family      $13 B  59      real estate     United Kingdom

57        Paul Allen     $13 B  58      Microsoft, investments        United States

57        Viktor Vekselberg   $13 B  53      oil, metals      Russia

60        Phil Knight    $12.7 B         73      Nike    United States

61        Robert Kuok          $12.5 B         87      Diversified     Malaysia

61        Carl Icahn    $12.5 B         75      leveraged buyouts    United States

63        Mohammed Al Amoudi       $12.3 B         66      oil       Saudi Arabia

64        Donald Bren           $12 B  78      real estate     United States

64        Ron Perelman        $12 B  68      leveraged buyouts    United States

66        Alberto Bailleres Gonzalez & family         $11.9 B         79      Mining Mexico

67        Francois Pinault & family    $11.5 B         74      Retail  France

68        Joseph Safra         $11.4 B         72      banking         Brazil

69        Abigail Johnson       $11.3 B         49      Fidelity United States

70        Viktor Rashnikov     $11.2 B         62      Steel   Russia

71        Leonardo Del Vecchio        $11 B  75      eyewear        Italy

72        John Fredriksen      $10.7 B         66      shipping         Cyprus

72        Stefan Quandt        $10.7 B         44      BMW   Germany

74        James Simons        $10.6 B         72      hedge funds   United States

75        Luis Carlos Sarmiento        $10.5 B         78      banking         Colombia

75        Horst Paulmann & family    $10.5 B         76      Retail  Chile

77        Nasser Al-Kharafi & family $10.4 B         67      construction   Kuwait

77        Eliodoro, Bernardo & Patricia Matte         $10.4 B         N/A     paper  Chile

79        Sammy Ofer & family       $10.3 B         89      shipping         Israel

80        Len Blavatnik         $10.1 B         53      Access Industries      United States

81        Hans Rausing         $10 B  84      packaging      Sweden

81        Ernesto Bertarelli & family $10 B  45      biotech          Switzerland

81        John Mars    $10 B  74      candy, pet food        United States

81        Jacqueline Mars      $10 B  71      candy, pet food        United States

81        Forrest Mars          $10 B  79      candy, pet food        United States

81        Klaus-Michael Kuhne         $10 B  73      shipping         Germany

81        Gautam Adani        $10 B  48      commodities, infrastructure  India

88        Iskander Makhmudov        $9.9 B 47      mining, metals, machinery   Russia

89        Johanna Quandt      $9.8 B 84      BMW   Germany

89        George Kaiser        $9.8 B 68      oil & gas, banking     United States

89        Maria-Elisabeth & Georg Schaeffler         $9.8 B N/A     ball bearings   Germany

92        German Khan         $9.6 B 49      oil, banking, telecom Russia

93        Ananda Krishnan     $9.5 B 72      telecom         Malaysia

93        Dmitry Rybolovlev   $9.5 B 44      fertilizer        Russia

95        Robin Li       $9.4 B 42      Internet         China

96        Serge Dassault & family    $9.3 B 85      aviation         France

97        Kumar Birla  $9.2 B 43      commodities   India

97        Petr Kellner $9.2 B 46      insurance       Czech Republic

99        Leonid Mikhelson     $9.1 B 55      Natural gas    Russia

100       Cheng  Yu- tung     $9 B    85      real estate     Hong Kong

Sixteen year old Nigerian, Agnes Sina-Inakoju, was shot as she queued for pizza in Hoxton, East London. She died two days later in hospital in April of last year the Daily Mail reports.Her Trial iso ngoing in the UK

 
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The schoolgirl died after being shot through the neck with a sub-machine gun in a random attack, a court heard.
She was queuing for a pizza by the window of a takeaway with her friends when the two killers in hoodies pulled up outside on bicycles, it was said.
Calmly and without aiming at anyone in particular it is alleged Leon Dunkley who has the street name 'Bacon' casually pulled out a 9mm sub-machine gun without even stopping his bike.
He then fired through the window while Algerian-born Mohammed Smoured acted as lookout and back-up, it was said.
The single bullet hit the teenager in the neck and she collapsed immediately as the two cycled away as 'casually as they arrived'.
She died two days later in hospital following the incident in Hoxton, East London, in April last year.
The Old Bailey heard Agnes was the innocent victim of gang rivalry that plagued the area where she lived with her family.
It is alleged Dunkley and Smoured were members of the London Fields Gang who had an ongoing feud with a gang in Hoxton.
A week after the murder officers on patrol in London Fields spotted a youth carrying a rucksack who ran away when he saw them.
As officers gave chase the youth then aged 15 threw the bag over a garden wall and inside they discovered the sub-machine gun used to kill Agnes along with a second gun and bullets.
Detectives later raided the home of another 15-year-old who was being used by the gang to store guns and weapons and recovered a loaded Mac 10 sub-machine gun, a loaded shotgun and a loaded .38 revolver.
Prosecutor Simon Denison QC said: 'This case is about murder and guns and gangs. Agnes went to a local school where she was popular and successful.
'Her future was taken away from her in an instant just before 7.15 in the evening of Wednesday April 14 last year.
The court heard the teenager was queuing for a pizza by the window of this takeaway with her friends when the two killers in hoodies pulled up outside on bicycles
'It was a bright and sunny spring evening. Agnes had gone with friends to the Hoxton Chicken and Pizza shop in Hoxton Road.
'As you might expect it was a popular meeting place for young people in Hoxton.
'She was standing inside the shop next to the window. Two young men on bicycles wearing hoodies with the hoods up cycled up to that window.
'One of them calmly took out a gun, pointed it towards the window where Agnes and her friends were and fired.
'It was very quick. He did not even stop his bicycle. He did not pause to see who was in the shop or aim at anyone in particular.
'The bullet hit Agnes in the neck and she collapsed immediately and she died in the early hours of Friday April 16.
'The two young men cycled off as casually as they arrived. It was callous and cold blooded as it could be, carried out in broad daylight in a busy street in Hoxton.

watch news reel here : http://www.9jamovies.com/play.php?vid=1117

SURGEONS at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) have successfully separated conjoined twins.
 
Dr. Auwal Abubakar, a paediatric surgeon, who led the team of experts on a 15-hour operation, told journalists yesterday in Maiduguri that the twins were joined at the pelvis.

Abubakar said the operation was conducted on Monday at the main theatre of the hospital.

His words: "I am happy to announce that we have successfully separated co-joined twins joined at the pelvis.
photo is strictly for illustration and not related to this story
"The separation of this kind of co-joined twins is one of the most difficult operations. In fact, this is the third to be carried out in Nigeria".

Abubakar explained that most surgical operations on co-joined

twins were carried out the world over on those joined at the chest because they were easier to separate...

"This type of co-joined twins is more difficult to separate but their chances of survival after the operation are higher than those who share a common heart or other vital organs", the surgeon said.

He disclosed that 20 medical experts, comprising paediatrics, orthopaedic surgeons, plastic surgeons, technicians and other specialists conducted the operation.

Abubakar, however, said that each of the separated babies would have to use a rubber limb to walk, as they grow older.

"The co-joined twins had only three legs before the operation, we left each of them with one leg after the operation because the third leg does not have a bone so it was cut off", he said.

Abubakar added that the reproductive system of one of the separated twins had also been changed to that of a female during the surgery.

He said: "They shared a single male genital before the operation but we realised that it was easier to leave one with the genital and construct a female genital for the other. The female will function normally like other persons but will not be able to bear children because she does not have a fallopian tube".

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that on August 30, 2010, surgeons at the hospital had a successful kidney transplant on 31-year-old Usman Suleiman.

Conjoined twins (also known as Siamese twins) are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa.[1] Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of pairs born alive have abnormalities incompatible with life. The overall survival rate for conjoined twins is approximately 25%.[2] The condition is more frequently found among females, with a ratio of 3:1.[1]Two contradicting theories exist to explain the origins of conjoined twins. The older and most generally accepted theory is fission, in which the fertilized egg splits partially. The second theory is fusion, in which a fertilized egg completely separates, but stem cells (which search for similar cells) find like-stem cells on the other twin and fuse the twins together. Conjoined twins share a single common chorion, placenta, and amniotic sac, although these characteristics are not exclusive to conjoined twins as there are some monozygotic but non-conjoined twins that also share these structures in utero.[3]

source wikipedia

Huhuonline.com can disclose that James Ikechukwu Esomugha a.k.a Jim lyke, a foremost Nigerian Nollywood actor was today, arrested for failure to comply with a government directive, asking all operators of motor vehicle to remove tint from their windscreens(glass).

Nigerian Government had given deadline of February 28 2011, for all owners of vehicle with tint to cease and desist from operating.

Mr. Esomugha who was apprehended by a combined team of law enforcement agency (Police and Federal Road Safety Corps), was subsequently ordered to remove the tint.

Mr. Esomugha arrest was not without incidence, as the Nollywood actor,

threatened a photo journalist for taking his photograph

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