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A 28-year-old graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, Shehu Saleh Balami has launched a solid-fuel rocket in Kaduna. 

Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday in Kaduna, Balami said he took interest in rockets when he was a kid.

He said he was able to invent the solid-fuel rocket with support from friends under the aegis of Movement for the Propagation of Science and Technology in Nigeria, adding that he has also started research on how to make a remote controlled aircraft, a project he intends to embark on shortly.

According to him, he produced the two rockets with 100 per cent local content at an approximate cost of N30, 000 each.

He lamented that Nigeria after 50 years of independence still relies on advanced countries for satellite due to lack of conducive atmosphere for indigenous talented inventors to strive. Balami said there was a need for the Federal Government to provide an enabling environment for science and technology inventors in the country if it wishes to attain the desired Vision 20:2020.

“If the government pays attention to local science and technology inventors and support them financially, I believe very strongly that one day, we will be able to build our own satellite or the engine that will take the satellite into space,” he said.

On the other hand, this should be something of concern since this guy could be hired by extremists.

I hope he doesn’t go off  boundary with this.

This should be in the  Guiness Book of Records  

The number of ‘tenants’ allegedly defrauded by an estate agent in Lagos, has risen to 64, even as policemen at the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Milverton Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, are still collating names of victims. The Police have also confirmed that Omotayo Balogun, who other victims claimed was not one of them, was actually defrauded by the estate agent, Olatunde Najeem.

 
According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the SFU, Ngozi Isintume, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Balogun paid the sum of N500,000, to Najeem for a mini flat.
She explained that after the payment, Najeem failed to give the flat to him. According to her, it was based on that, that he (Balogun) wrote a petition to the SFU on December 2, 2010, which led to the arrest of the suspect.
She disclosed that it was when other victims heard that Najeem had been arrested that they came to report that they were also defrauded by the suspect.
The PRO, however, wondered why some of the victims resorted to being hostile to the policemen, who according to her, were working to ensure that they get justice..
“It is not true that Balogun was not defrauded by the same estate agent. It’s not possible for all the victims to know themselves. The police are in a better position to know the victims because, they come to complain to us and not to their fellow victims.
“Omotayo was the first person who wrote a petition to the police. Those who are alleging that Balogun was not one of the victims, did not even report the matter to the police. It was when they heard that he had written a petition to the SFU, leading to the arrest of the suspect, that they started showing up,” she said.
Meanwhile, Isintume has advised people to always carry out thorough investigation before paying for accommodation. She also urged other victims in the rent scam to visit SFU for further information.
Daily Sun had in its Thursday, February, 17, 2011, edition published report of the estate agent, who defrauded 51 ‘tenants’ the sum of N16.9million.
 

 
 

Producer buys Dagrin's wrecked car

Producer of the Dagrin's Biopic, Ope Banwo, has bought the car in which the late singer had the ill-fated accident that led to his death.

Speaking on why he decided to buy the car, Banwo said, "once you decide to do a biopic, there are some things you have to do to create as much realism of the real story as possible. There are some things you should not compromise as a producer if you really believe in doing your best for your audience."

Photos:Late dagrin,Smashed Car,Ope Banwo & Trybson 

The Nissan Maxima, with customised plate DAGRIN 03, which was already sold to scrap dealers in Owode Oniran, was bought for N400,000. When asked what he would do with the scrap metal after the production of the movie, Banwo said, "I am not sure right now. I may probably donate the car to the museum, since the Dagrin accident has become a national event."

In the movie, Trybson Dudukoko plays the late Dagrin while Doris Simeon, Rachael Oniga, Pa Kasumu, all play his love interest and parents respectively.

FELA! the Broadway musical about the life and music of Nigerian performer and political activist, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, is scheduled to be performed at Eko Hotel, Lagos, from April 20th to 25th.

Organisers said, "The aim of FELA! in Lagos is to unite and connect Africans in spirit and unity, to serve as a catalyst for cultural revival in Nigeria, and to celebrate Fela Kuti, for the contribution he has made to Nigeria and the world."Photo:

FELA! depicts the story A scene from Fela @ Olivier, National Theatre. Directed by Bill T. Jones.(Opening 16-11-10): Photo: ©TRISTRAM KENTON 11/10

of legendary Nigerian musician, Fela Kuti, whose soulful Afro beat rhythms ignited the spirit of empowerment and cultural awareness in a generation.

The musical will star Sierra Leonean-American actor, Sahr Ngaujah, who plays Fela Kuti and music will be provided by the Antibalas, a Brooklyn-based afrobeat band that is modeled after Fela Kuti's Africa 70 band..

The FELA! in Lagos is being produced by Broken Shackles - a Nigerian production company, in conjunction with Lagos State government.

"With series of media partners and sponsorships, FELA! in Lagos will be the most talked about show in Nigeria for years to come. We have created sponsorship, branding and advertising opportunities for those who wish to be a part of this historic theatrical event," a spokeswoman for Broken Shackles said.

FELA! on Broadway was conceived by American artistic director, Bill T. Jones, book writer, Jim Lewis, and Stephen Hendel, a businessman from New York. Its producers include the entertainment legends, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith.

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***Producer buys Dagrin's wrecked car

Producer of the Dagrin's Biopic, Ope Banwo, has bought the car in which the late singer had the ill-fated accident that led to his death.

Speaking on why he decided to buy the car, Banwo said, "once you decide to do a biopic, there are some things you have to do to create as much realism of the real story as possible. There are some things you should not compromise as a producer if you really believe in doing your best for your audience."

The Nissan Maxima, with customised plate DAGRIN 03, which was already sold to scrap dealers in Owode Oniran, was bought for N400,000. When asked what he would do with the scrap metal after the production of the movie, Banwo said, "I am not sure right now. I may probably donate the car to the museum, since the Dagrin accident has become a national event."

In the movie, Trybson Dudukoko plays the late Dagrin while Doris Simeon, Rachael Oniga, Pa Kasumu, all play his love interest and parents respectively.

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***Harrysong sets a release date

Questionmark Entertainment's frontline act, Harrysong, will release his debut album on April 1.

According to Kaycee Oguejiofor, the imprint's general manager, the album, which has been pushed back on many occasions since 2008, will be released on the first day of April 2011.

"Yes, Harrysong's debut album will be released on April 1, 2011," Oguejiofor said.

The album, which is titled ‘Testify', will feature label mates, D'Supremes and Ego, on the album's lead single, ‘Hold Yuh' (a remake of Gyptian's ‘Hold Yuh') and Tuface Idibia.

Harrysong, real name Tare Okiri, came into public consciousness in 2008 with the release of ‘Yekelem'. He has worked with P-Square, Omotola Jalade, D'Supremes, and many others in capacities which included songwriting, vocal coaching, and music production.

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***Star Quest to host first Regional Auditions

The first regional auditions for the 2011 edition of Star Quest kicks off on March 10 and will run up to March 12 at the Reiz Continental Hotel, Abuja.

Unlike its previous editions, which required an on-line registration, interested participants are only required to go the designated audition venue, register, and perform in front of the judging panel.

According to the corporate affairs adviser of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Yusuf Ageni, "The company is pleased to welcome young Nigerians who are residing in Abuja and its environs to Reiz Continental Hotel for Star Quest 2011 regional auditions. Star lager beer is offering this unique platform to music enthusiasts for them to explode into stardom.

"We invite them to take advantage of this unique opportunity to exhibit their musical talents. One or more members of Nigeria's next Star Quest winners may just emerge from this zone."

Sponsored by Star lager beer, Star Quest began in 2002 where its maiden winners was the duo of Kc Presh.

We followed the rumors, the leaks, the speculation and the comings and goings of various peers and future competitors, but Apple's finally gone and revealed the updated iPad. Who presented the event? None other than CEO Steve Jobs himself.

The iPad 2 is powered by an Apple A5 chip, a dual-core CPU that somehow consumes the same amount of power as the iPad 1's A4 unit, but delivers "up to 2X" the speed. This also leads to faster graphics, which Jobs quoted as being "nine times" better than the iPad 1. The A5 is the "first dual-core tablet to ship in volume."

iPad 2 is just 8.8mm deep, compared to the iPhone 4's 9.3mm and original iPad's chunky 13.4mm, and it's also just 1.3 pounds--much less than the original's 1.5 mass, and thus way more handler-friendly. It's coming in both white and black (that's the glass front bezel, not the aluminum back) and will will launch March 11th in the U.S. and it'll be available in 26 nations from March 25th.

The twin cameras on front and back support PhotoBooth and Apple's videocalling protocol FaceTime, the front unit is a VGA-res webcam, and the rear unit has 720p video recording powers. To go with the new video features, iMovie is now on the iPad, bringing simple touch-based editing and production skills directly to the tablet itself--it's a $4.99 App Store app, available universally (so can we expect it on iPhones too?). An iOS GarageBand app is also en-route for the same price. The device will run iOS 4.3, which includes a much faster mobile Safari browser, iTunes Home Sharing for easy media streaming at home, better AirPlay features and the return of the screen orientation lock switch. This iOS refresh also brings the Wi-Fi hotspot skills that were revealed on the Verizon iPhone to the iPad.

Pricing may have been the first iPad's secret killer feature, so Apple's not messing with the recipe: The Wi-Fi only 16GB iPad 2 will launch at the same $499 as the original, and the most expensive 3G-enabled 64GB version will still cost $829.

In terms of accessories, the iPad 2 supports a new HDMI cable that hooks directly to the 30-pin iPod connector (and also supports charging via USB) which mirror's the display onto an HDTV at up to 1020p full-HD resolution. The idea is to boost presentation skills of teachers and business folk, and the system even recognizes if you rotate the iPad. A new flush-fitting case has also been created, in multiple colors and coming with a neat magnetic latch that automatically conforms to the iPad's shape.

Revealing the iPad, Jobs began by noting that Apple's competitors teased Apple for using the word "magical" and that the price wasn't reasonable--he wondered what those same competitors are saying now. Jobs then gave us an update on iPad sales figures: 15 million in 2010, in just nine months--"More than every Tablet PC ever sold," and earning Apple $9.5 billion in 2010 alone (there was even a little dig at Samsung's Galaxy Tab sales figures). There are also over 65,000 iPad-specific apps, while the competition launches with "at most" a hundred apps.

Jobs began his iPad presentation noting that users have downloaded over 100 million ebooks from the iBookstore in well under a year's availability, and that combined with the App Store and iTunes stores, Apple has just achieved over 200 million accounts in the stores, what jobs thinks is the most accounts with credit cards of any online service...

That's a lot of statistics to back up that the iPad, and its ecosystem, has been an astonishing success.

More News:

San Francisco, March 3 (IANS) Apple CEO Steve Jobs returned from his medical leave to to unveil the next-generation iPad. The new iPad is thinner than an iPhone 4, boasts faster processing speeds, and sports two cameras for Apple's FaceTime feature.

'While others have been scrambling to copy the first generation iPad, we're launching iPad 2, which moves the bar far ahead of the competition and will likely cause them to go back to the drawing boards yet again,' Jobs said at a launch event here Wednesday.

A surprised a audience gave him a standing ovation and tech bloggers immediately and breathlessly tweeted out the news.

The iPad 2 also comes in both black and white versions, and will be available in the US from March 11. Prices start at $499 for a WiFi-only model. There are a total of nine different iPad 2 models, with Verizon and AT&T having their own distinct 3G versions.

Apple has also taken strides in making the iPad 2 more than just a device for consuming media, as its predecessor was. With the announcement of tablet versions of its Garageband and iMovie apps, it is hoping the new iPad will be used as a content-creation device.

In addition, Apple has also designed its own case for the iPad 2, called Smart Cover. The case (below) uses a magnetic hinge, folds into a stand for typing, and will wake or put to sleep the tablet when opened or closed, respectively.

Along with the iPad 2, Jobs also announced an update to iOS. Version 4.3 includes a faster Safari, enhancements to AirPlay and the Personal Hotspot feature. The latter will allow users to share their iPhone 4 cellular data connection over WiFi with up to five devices.

But the appearance of Jobs made a bigger splash than the unveiling of the new Apple iPad.

Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003. He had a liver transplant in 2009. On January 17, he took his second leave from the company in the past two years.

Speculation about Jobs' health had increased in recent weeks, with tabloids weighing in with unsubstantiated reports.

Some of those rumours were tempered when Jobs was photographed in February attending a private dinner with President Barack Obama and other Silicon Valley elite.

You are a man of your words and your star is bright.  I wish u well."  With these words, Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu  expressed best wishes to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, as he flagged off the Lagos presidential campaign rally today

The son of one of West Africa's longest-ruling dictators has commissioned the building of a luxury superyacht for himself worth $380 million -- almost three times more than his country spends annually on health and education for its impoverished people, an anti-corruption group said today.

Teodorin Obiang, the 41-year-old son of Equatorial Guinea's dictator, is the agriculture minister in his father's government but spends much of his time in California, with a $35 million mansion in Malibu, a fleet of luxury cars and a private jet. His government salary is $6,799 a month -- making him certainly comfortable by U.S. standards but extremely wealthy compared with others in his home country. But even on that salary, it would still take him 4,600 years to pay for the luxury yacht he's ordered.

Dmitry Lovetsky, AP

The Pelorus, a luxury yacht owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, is shown on the Neva River in St. Petersburg. The world's second most expensive boat, it would be surpassed by a $380 million yacht that Teodorin Obiang, son of Equatorial Guinea's dictator, has commissioned.

The son of Equatorial Guinea's dictator of 30 years commissioned plans to build a superyacht costing $380 million, nearly three times what the country spends on health and education each year, a corruption watchdog said Monday. The statement from Global Witness said that German company Kusch Yachts has been asked to build the yacht, housing a cinema, restaurant, bar and swimming pool, though construction has not yet started.

"Nonetheless, we hope this person's example also serves to silence many mouths who continuously speak of lack of freedom and respect for human rights in Equatorial Guinea since, as is more than evident, this person has acted at all times with absolute freedom," it said in a statement on its website.

Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue (born c.1971, nicknamed Teodorín) is the son of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the president of Equatorial Guinea, by his first wife, Constancia Okomo. According to opposition figures, Teodoro is the favourite to succeed his father, who is rumored to be suffering from prostate cancer. He is much feared and reviled but exercises power through his domination of Equatoguinean media, being the owner of the only private radio station, Radio Asonga and the director of state owned TV Asonga.
Teodoro, officially the agriculture and forestry minister in his father's government, lives much of the time in Paris, London, Rio de Janeiro, and Malibu. He drew criticism from the international media for spending close to R10,000,000 over a weekend in South Africa on champagne, property renovations, a black 2004 Bentley Arnage, a cream 2005 Bentley Continental R from MG Rover Cape Town and a 2005 Lamborghini Murcielago,[1] although the properties may soon be forcibly auctioned due to his failure to pay a South African businessman.[2] American law enforcement officials believe that most or perhaps all of his wealth comes from corruption connected to oil and gas reserves in Equatorial Guinea.[3]
Obiangs' foreign concerns include two houses in South Africa, worth a combined R50,000,000 , a $31,000,000 compound in Malibu, California, a 5,000 square feet (460 m2) home in the affluent 16th arrondissement of Paris, and the hip hop music record label TNO Entertainment. He also owns (as of 2008) one of the 30 models of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 sports car [4] (estimated at 1 100 000 euros) and a Maserati MC 12 at 700 000 euros.[4]