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.

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.

Introduction

• Eating healthy consists of consuming a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy oils, low fat dairy and lean animal or plant-based proteins. This balance is outlined in the United States Department of Agriculture's healthy foods pyramid. This pyramid acts as a basic guideline to eating in such a way that you promote a healthy body. Of course, this pyramid can be altered to fit your lifestyle (such as that of a vegetarian), but the same principles apply in getting the right mixture of carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein needed for the body to function correctly.

Weight Control

• When eating a balanced diet, one of the first ways that your body benefits is through weight control. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2006 alone, over 72 million Americans over the age of 20 were considered obese. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) score of 30 or more. Eating healthy helps prevent obesity in several ways. First, those who eat healthy tend to take in less calories during meals. Second, eating healthy ensures higher amounts of fiber (such as those found in fruits vegetables and whole grains). Fiber gives your body the sensation of feeling fuller longer, which reduces the overall intake of food during the day. Finally, eating healthy influences your metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories each day.

Heart Health

• A healthy diet replaces unhealthy fatty foods packed full of LDL (bad) cholesterol with foods that are full of HDL (good) cholesterol (such as olive oil or salmon). High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood create plaque buildup in the blood vessels. This can lead to arterial hardening and heart disease. HDL cholesterol removes bad cholesterol from the bloodstream to the liver, where it can then be processed and removed from the body. A healthy diet is also high in fiber, which can help control the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood.

Blood Sugar

• Eating healthy also benefits your body by helping control your blood sugar levels. This is mostly achieved through eating healthy forms of carbohydrates. Eating foods full of sugar and other unhealthy forms of carbohydrates can quickly cause the levels of blood glucose to rise in your circulatory system. Although your cells need glucose to create energy, too much glucose can result in insulin resistance, known as diabetes. Insulin is an important hormone that unlocks the cell's ability to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. When the cells become resistant, they no longer can absorb the glucose from the blood. This causes the glucose levels to rise above healthy levels in the bloodstream, resulting in serious damage to the blood vessels.

Disease Prevention

• Eating healthy also helps the body prevent disease. Healthy foods, especially vegetables, tend to contain higher levels of phytochemicals. Pytochemicals are substances that increase your immune system's ability to fight diseases. Eating healthy also helps prevent conditions that promote disease. For example, according to the Mayo Clinic, by eating less fatty foods and increasing the amount of plant-based foods you consume, you can actually prevent certain cancers. Eating healthy can also help prevent heart disease, diabetes, strokes and even Alzheimer's disease.

Article extracted from :http://www.ehow.com/how-does_6650058_eating-healthy-good-body_.html

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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

story  

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.

The Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel, finally bowed to former president, Olusegun Obasanjo’s political supremacy, as he passionately begged for forgiveness and also admitted that Tunji Olurin is the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state for the forthcoming elections.

The meeting which took place at the Hilltop Private Residence of Mr Obasanjo in Abeokuta on Friday was facilitated by prominent lawyer, Afe Babalola, and lasted for over three hours. In attendance were: Adebutu Kensington, Kenny Martins, Olubara of Ibara, and Jacob Omolade (a traditional ruler), among others.

Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Mr Daniel said, “Well in all things we have to give thanks to God. And I think what has happened today is a manifestation of work of God and I want to seize this opportunity to thank the elders and to also thank Baba for the opportunity of the meeting.” When asked if he begged the former president for forgiveness, the governor said “Let me say this, to you, I am a true Yoruba son, and in Yorubaland it doesn’t matter who is right or who is wrong. It is the younger that will beg the older person, so I have begged Baba and I will continue to beg him.” Mr Daniel, who also admitted that Mr Olurin is the authentic governorship candidate of the ruling PDP in the state added, “Of course, Olurin is the governorship candidate of PDP. I don’t have any doubt in my mind that we can work things out.

Re-uniting the party

“What we have started to do today is a manifestation of better things to come. As you have always been aware, it is true that a large number of our supporters feel disenchanted and I think even if we have to sit down and begin to find a lasting solution, that is what we have started today,” Mr Daniel stated.

“I have no doubt in my mind that we will talk to ourselves. PDP still remains a very strong and united party. And you know that there was never a time that I left. The people who left felt very aggrieved. And we are starting the process of reconciliation.” In his own reaction, Mr Obasanjo said he has forgiven Mr Daniel, adding “Well you know one thing, if you are a true Christian your prayer would be our father who hath in Heaven, and you will end up with forgive us our trespasses and those who trespass against us whether knowingly or unknowingly.” “Of course as long as I pray to God to forgive me my sins, I forgive people who sin against me, particularly those who ask for forgiveness. Then I ask God to deliver me from evil and deliver those who sin against me.” Similarly, arrowhead of the peace meeting, Mr Babalola, spoke with journalists and said, “We are happy to say we have settled the rift in PDP and it has been properly resolved today, and Governor Daniel will be at the airport tomorrow as PDP Governor with PDP members to receive His Excellency the President. We are happy that all problems are amicably resolved.” It is believed that the sudden turnaround on the part of the governor must have been fast-tracked by the planned visit of President, Goodluck Jonathan, to the state tomorrow, March 12, 2011 in continuation of his presidential campaign tour across the country.

7am Monday morning and my alarm goes off yet again, the fourth time since I pressed the snooze button thirty minutes ago. Finally I drag myself out of bed and dash into the shower. I have just under an hour to get dressed, made up, run out the door and get to the train station in time to catch the 9 o’clock train.

Dressed to the nines in my designer suits, hand bags and stiletto heels, I was always  the perfect picture of a successful city worker. Deep in the midst of the hustle and bustle of London commuters scurrying to grab spaces on the jam packed trains, I fitted in really well.

On the outside

I had what appeared on the outside to be a dream life; I was earning a very decent salary having acquired a degree in Accounting and Finance on the ‘advice’ of my parents. “It is a reputable and well paid profession“, I remember them saying. But the saying never judge a book by its cover swiftly comes to mind. Although my life was nice and glittery on the outside, the truth was I was deeply unhappy in my career.

Living the life

After years of studying and building a successful career, I was desperate to get out of the industry, but I was at a total loss as to what else I could do. I had made several attempts to change careers, but each time meant having to start at the very bottom and working my way up. I really could not afford a pay cut; I was heavily in debt with huge bills to pay. Who I was and how I perceived myself was defined primarily by my job status. My lifestyle was built on the premise of how I thought a woman of my “calibre” and “status” should live; expensive lunches, fancy health club memberships, regular shopping trips at Harrods and Harvey Nichols, spa breaks and holidays etc. True to form I ‘lived the life’ well, but deep down I was extremely miserable and totally unfulfilled.

On the inside

Relief for me always came at night after work. In the comfort of my home I would binge on food to my heart’s content, only to make myself sick afterwards. I did this almost every night for hours on end but no one knew about it. One night after a huge binge session, I caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror and cried my eyes out. My life was a mess and I knew I was living a lie, pretending that I was happy and in control of my life. Far from it! I desperately needed help, but shame would not let me muster the courage to tell anyone.

A difficult decision

One morning in one of my many uninspiring finance meetings, I found myself firmly holding my legs down to stop me from running out of the meeting room, screaming and shouting “I’ve had it! I’ve had it! I’ve had it!” I simply could not take any more of living like this.  I was fed up of attending meetings that I could care very little about. I was done with talking about balance sheets and financial instruments that meant absolutely nothing to me. I was not prepared to spend hours doing something that I dreaded so much. This most certainly was not what I wanted for my life. That day I decided I needed to seek help and make changes.

Journey of discovery

I sought counselling, life coaching and spiritual guidance. I knew I had to deal with the root of my deep seated unhappiness, my bingeing and excessive shopping addictions.  I was encouraged by my counsellor to go on a personal retreat, a journey inward to discover who I really was. I discovered layers of amazing truths about me.  I had no real personal definition of myself, who I was and who I wanted to be. My desire to conform to family, cultural and societal expectations caused me to gravitate towards whatever I thought other people thought I should be.

But why did I do the things I did? Who was I really doing it for? Why did I feel the need to only wear designer brands and labels? Why was I so paranoid and overly obsessive about my weight and appearance? Why could I never leave my house without wearing makeup?  Why was I spending thousands of pounds on hair extensions when I had perfectly beautiful natural hair? To my horror I discovered that I had spent the equivalent of a small mortgage deposit on hair extensions alone, over the past ten years.

Why did I worry so much about what people thought of me? Why was I so afraid of disapproval as result of not meeting other people’s expectations of me? Why did I always want to fit in? Why did I feel the need to be liked? I simply did not have the courage to dare to be different, to go against society’s status quo.

Redefining me

After a barrage of soul searching questions, I decided to take the bull by the horns and redefine me. It was time to ‘fix’ my self identity, this time not according to anyone else’s evaluation of me, but according to my own personal convictions, desires and ambitions. What I needed was a Make-under!

I took out my 18 inch hair extensions, and reverted to wearing my own natural hair, which with every passing day I have grown to love immensely! I weeded out my wardrobe and started wearing clothes that reflected my true personality and unique style. I was done with following expensive fashion trends. I ditched some of my 5 inch heeled stilettoes for more comfortable flats. I learnt how to love my body and totally accepted that I didn’t have to look like a super model!

A career change was definitely what I needed. I went on a number of courses, studying subjects I really enjoyed, including handbag making and a diploma course in Styling. I have recently started a Counselling course.

Setting up MY business

My greatest achievement to date is setting up a Style Consultancy called “Style ‘n Shine” which is focused on helping women discover their authentic style as part of their journey of self-discovery. Today I am so much happier and fulfilled in doing what I love most – making a difference in the lives of women like myself.  I have come to appreciate my natural affinity for the fine things in life, beautiful clothes, hair, bags and shoes. The difference is now I understand that these things must never be acquired at the expense of one’s true happiness. What I wear and how I look is simply an extension of me, not a definition of me.

About the author: Oby Bamidele has years of business experience and now runs a successful style consultancy helping women with their journeys toward self-discovery. email her at oby @ stylenshine.co.ukor visit her website www.stylenshine.co.uk

Article extracted from  : http://www.women-unlimited.co.uk/redefining-me-starting-my-own-business/

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

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.

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

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