Code of Conduct Tribunal chairman’s aide charged for N10 million fraud

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned Ali Abdullahi, a personal assistant to the chairman of the Code of conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, for alleged fraud.

Mr. Abdullahi is facing a two-count charge for allegedly providing false information to the EFCC during the commission’s investigation of a case of false asset declaration by a former official of the Nigerian Customs Service, Rasheed Owolabi.

According to the first count of the charge, Mr. Abdullahi told the EFCC that N1.8 million collected from Mr. Owolabi was meant to assist his (Mr. Abdullahi’s) father’s medication.

But during a cross-examination, Mr. Owolabi said he paid the sum to the tribunal’s chairman, Danladi Umar, through a Zenith Bank account belonging to Mr. Abdullahi, with the account number: ‎ 1002849471.

Mr. Owolabi said he paid the money after Mr. Umar demanded N10 million to influence his case before the tribunal.

The charges read: “That you Ali Gambo Abdullahi, sometimes in August 2013 at Abuja within the judicial division of the court did make a statement to one Abdulmajeed Ibrahim, a detective with the EFCC, while in the course of the exercise of the duty of his office that the sum of N1.8m paid into your Zenith Bank Account Number 1002849471 on December 12, 2012 by one Rasheed Owolabi was a payment made to assist you to settle your father’s hospital bill; which statement you knew to be untrue and thereby committed an office contrary to section 39(2)(a) of the EFCC Act, 2004 and punishable under section (39) (2) (b) of the same act.

“That you Ali Gambo Abdullahi, sometimes in August 2013 at Abuja within the judicial division of the court did make a statement dated 13th August 2013 pertaining to N1.8m paid into your bank account by one Rasheed Taiwo, which is inconsistent with the statement you made on August 12th, 2013 to one Abdulmajeed Ibrahim, a detective with EFCC while in the course of the exercise of the duty of his office and thereby committed an offence‎ contrary to section (39) (2) (b) of the EFCC Act 2004”.


The case was adjourned to March 15.

 

Source: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/197165-code-of-conduct-tribunal-chairmans-aide-charged-for-n10-million-fraud.html

How I Bought Seven Certificates For N100,000 – Fake LUTH Doctor

Opeyemi Adesina, 43 who allegedly paraded himself as a consultant gynaecologist with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, says he paid N100,000 to buy the seven forged certificates he used.

Adesina, who hails from Ekiti State, was arrested on Tuesday by the Alakara Police Division on Alowolodu Street in the Alapere, Ketu area of Lagos State.
He was arrested after his landlord, identified only as Akorede, wrote a “save-my-soul” petition to the management of LUTH some weeks ago alleging that Adesina brought home female patients to treat in his house and did abortions for them, among other unwholesome practices which could implicate him (the landlord).
Akorede had further explained in the letter that when he confronted Adesina, the doctor allegedly claimed to be a consultant gynaecologist with LUTH, adding that he (Adesina) brought the referral cases from the hospital to his house so that he could have time to attend to them.
LUTH authorities, who could not find such name in the record of their consultants, forwarded the letter to the police, and Adesina was thereafter arrested.
It was gathered that the police also recovered the forged certificates.
Certificates included a fake MBBS certificate of the University of Ibadan, and a fake membership certificate of the Nigerian Medical Association.
Speaking with Punch, Adesina said he paid N100,000 to one Kolawole in Ibadan, Oyo State, to get the certificates, adding that he had used them for only three years.

Source: http://www.9janewsarena.com/2016/01/how-i-bought-seven-certificates-for-n100000-fake-luth-doctor.html

Hoodlums vandalise new Jos Stadium

Mr Plamen Illiev, the Managing Director of the company, told NAN that all the ``atrocities” were committed during the last Christmas break.

"We just resumed work last Monday, Jan, 18 and on reaching the project site, we discovered that the power generating plant was burnt, while the fence and some windows were broken.

"There are three holds created on the fence through which the thieves gained entrance and vandalised the facilities in the stadium, ’’ Illiev said.

He, however, said that the management of the company had yet to take inventory of what was stolen and destroyed by the hoodlums.

He described the situation as ``very worrisome and unfortunate’’ as the firm had been trying its best to successfully complete the project.

The managing director said he had reported the incident to the state government.

The state Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr Danladi Mann, said the contractor had informed him about the incident, adding that he was worried about it.

"I am going to see the contractor so that we see what to do about fortifying the stadium to guard against a reoccurrence, ’’ Mann said. 

Source: http://pulse.ng/sports/in-plateau-hoodlums-vandalise-new-jos-stadium-id4590859.html

Mariah Carey engaged to billionaire boyfriend James Packer

 

Mariah Carey is starting the year on a high note!

The pop star and her billionaire boyfriend James Packer got engaged Thursday night in New York City, her rep confirmed to the Daily News.

Packer, 48, proposed to the “Dreamlover” singer in front of her closest friends at a private dinner at New York’s Eleven Madison Park, TMZ reports.

The Aussie businessman presented Carey, 45, with a massive engagement ring described at around 35 carats, according to E! News.

Carey and Packer were first spotted together in June when they vacationed together in Portofino, Italy. The couple went public with their romance at a New York movie premiere three months later.

The pop diva’s new fiancé is a star in his own right: Packer is an entertainment mogul and the fourth wealthiest person in Australia, with an estimated wealth of $4.7 billion, according to Forbes.

Both have been married twice before, with the singer previously wed to music exec Tommy Mottola and Nick Cannon.

Carey and the “America’s Got Talent” host split up in Jan. 2015, and have two children together: Moroccan and Monroe, 4.



Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/mariah-carey-engaged-james-packer-article-1.2505512?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NydnRss+%28Top+Stories+-+NY+Daily+News%29

Couple celebrate 82nd wedding anniversary in front of five generations of their family and reveal the secret to their happy union

A California couple who just celebrated their 82nd wedding anniversary have revealed their secrets to a long, loving marriage.

Nicholas and Rafaela Ordaz, of Tracy, said the secrets are respect, affection and not sweating the small stuff.

The weekend of their wedding anniversary also marked another exciting celebration: Nicholas turned 102 years old on Friday. The couple wed in 1934.



Their entire family gathered over the weekend to celebrate the great marriage landmark, according to KFSN.

Five generations were in attendance at the party, including the couple's children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

The Ordaz's marriage is just four years away from beating the current Guinness World Record for longest marriage.

Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher were married in 1924 and had been married 86 years, 290 days as of February 27, 2011, when Mr Fisher died.







Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3409634/Couple-celebrate-82-year-wedding-anniversary-reveal-last.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

FRAUD: REVENUE AGENCIES FLEECING NIGERIA DRY

In tandem with the determination of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to fight corruption, especially in the revenue generating agencies in the country, Nigerian Pilot investigations have revealed that the organisations are not only fleecing the country dry, very powerful forces are behind their stubbornness in yielding their respective operations to needed due diligence.
The report of the month-long investigation also reveals the role of the Crude Oil Marketing Department, CMOD of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC and the embattled Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA among others in the entire scheme.
Agencies short-change Nigerians
With 82 federal revenue-generating agencies, Nigeria ought to be awash with cash. But the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been worried that on the contrary, not much revenue is coming from the agencies. Instead, it has been reports of corruption, graft and practices inconsistent with the government’s revenue drive. This development caused the government last week to announce its decision to probe all revenue generating agencies of the federation. In view of the present poor revenue from crude oil sales, the decision was considered by many as timely if not overdue.
Investigations
Nigerian Pilot found out that many federal government agencies such as NIMASA, NCAA, NAMA, NCS, NIS, NDLEA, FAAN, NPA receive revenue in foreign currencies but some of them change the money in the black market and remit Naira to the treasury; with the amount remitted usually far below the amount generated. The difference is shared among the management staff. Also alleged large-scale sabotage involving top managers of the agencies is making nonsense of the nation’s drive to fiscal discipline.
Before the coming of the present NNPC leadership, the Crude Oil Marketing Department, COMD of the NNPC, this newspaper found, out was a chief culprit in this regard. Apart from the general belief that NNPC is a major source of revenue to government, the COMD is the main cash cow. But its operations are not made public.
For instance, in the third quarter of last year, the redeployment of the head of its crude oil marketing division, Gbenga Komolafe, was announced by the NNPC and his immediate subordinate was seconded to succeed him. Although NNPC’s statement announcing his replacement fell short of stating so, stakeholders in the oil and gas sector concluded that the development was not unconnected with the report of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) released days earlier which disclosed that over $32 billion oil revenue was lost to NNPC’s mismanagement of Domestic Crude Allocation (DCA), opaque revenue retention practices and corruption-ridden oil-for-product swap agreements.
The report covered a 10-year period while Mr. Komolafe was only appointed to the crude oil marketing division in which the former GGM served for only one year.
Indeed, the GMD, Ibe Kachikwu, shortly after he assumed office last year, admitted that things had been done inappropriately in the corporation. Said he:“Things have been done wrongly and things need to be done differently. We are doing a lot of work in terms of repositioning, restructuring, getting the right personnel in key places and setting a culture of accountability and service delivery so that the new NNPC that you are going to see will be a different institution altogether.”
According to one expert, “the NRGI report offered a deep, independent analysis of how NNPC sells its oil, and found that the national oil company’s discretionary spending from domestic crude oil sale revenues has skyrocketed, exceeding $6billion a year for the 2011 to 2013 period (i.e. over $18 billion in three years).”

The document, which was published before the coming of the present leadership led by Ibe Kachikwu, stated that NNPC’s approach to oil sales has remained riddled with corruption largely because of its inability to either develop its own commercial or operational capacities, or facilitate the growth of the sector through external investment.
Experts told Nigerian Pilot that the foregoing need not be if revenue agencies and departments like COMD are given appropriate target and remit all collected revenues.
Last October, the federal government raised the alarm over what it described as rip-off by revenue generating agencies in the process of remitting revenues to government vault. It therefore put measure in place to audit these agencies. The move by the federal government to audit the revenue-generating agencies was informed by the need to curtail corruption as the diversion of federally collected revenue is believed to be taking a huge toll on the finances of government.
Besides, it was found out that for over10 years, COMD has never been audited. The forensic audit of NNPC by KPMG last year did not include the CMOD. According to NNPC egg-heads, “to probe COMD will be an endless journey because most documents of transactions in that department are usually destroyed for reasons outsiders don’t really know.”
In calling for a special audit of the department, experts suggest that allocations of crude oil to top and well connected Nigerians including executives of NNPC from 2009 through May 2015 must be investigated alongside revenues from such transactions.
To do this efficiently, the experts said the list of contracts being serviced as well as the interests of joint venture stakeholders who are still not well known must be investigated.
While they argue that the Auditor General of the Federation must conduct the foregoing special audit of COMD, the experts task the Accountant General to conduct treasury inspection of the Division and come up reports of crude produced over the period as well as quantity sold and revenue remitted to see if they tally.
The experts spoken to, also called for parliamentary inquest into COMD believed to be the richest arm of NNPC even as they alleged that some NNPC executives own refineries offshore while others are key players in the downstream sector.
“That is a way out for government and Nigerians to know why it is difficult for Nigeria to determine barrels of crude produced via the JVCs. There is a grand conspiracy there to rip off the country revenue-wise on a very regular basis,” said a consultant in the oil and gas sector.
However, Nigerian Pilot gathered that the present leadership under Ibe Kachikwu as both the NNPC GMD and Honourable minister of state, Petroleum resources, has successfully blocked all the identified leakages including scraping the age long crude oil swap deals. bidding process is now done in a transparent and open manner, televised LIVE and winners selected. Other reforms include revitalizing the refineries, resuscitating moribund firms and agencies, enhanced staff welfare, establishment of anti-corruption desk in all the subsidiaries and the corporation, publication of monthly statement of accounts including crude oil production amongst other reforms, some still ongoing.
On other things the NNPC under the present leadership is doing, Kachikwu has this to say:“The whole idea is to go back to being able to look at your appraisals; and how well have you done in the job? If you have done very well, how do we elevate you to a position where you can offer more service? If you have not done well enough, we can retrain you and if you have not done well enough and there is no possibility of retraining you, we will let you go.

“The NNPC is not a public service. It is a corporation and we run like a company generating money for the people of Nigeria. And so, that whole concept of ‘anything goes’ should stop. And this is the first stage of that whole process.”, he stated. In a bid to move the corporation forward, the NNPC has adopted what it described as “20-fixes” with which it hopes to reform its operations, guarantee profitability and perhaps run a transparent national oil company. NNPC through the “20-fixes” which are embedded in five cardinal business objectives that it intends to pursue, plans to amongst other initiatives, attain zero tolerance for corruption, restructure its major subsidiaries as well as enhance probity in its operations across board. The corporation’s “20-fixes” also include its intentions to restructure Joint Venture funding and reduce cash call demands; improve retail profitability; deploy and attract focused investments; expand crude oil marketing and generate electricity profitably. Also to be done within the initiative are, reduction and audit of running costs; restructuring of corporate centres and staff; renegotiation of existing contracts including Production Sharing Contracts (PSC); streamlining of subsidy management as well as improve security of the country’s critical petroleum pipelines. The corporation will also restructure its refining business; improve on its use of information technology for its businesses and demand for top-notch service performance from all its staff. Nigerian Pilot recalls that immediate past director-general, budget office Bright Okogu, had regretted that revenue-generating agencies practically spent a larger chunk of what they generated by upping their expenditure to match their revenue. That was fallout of findings when he was still in office. Said he: “We have uncovered that some relevant revenue generating agencies, anytime there is increase in the size of revenue collection, their expenditure went up. In 2009, we found that a particular agency generated N85 billion but spent 83.2 billion. In 2010, I decided to conduct a study to a particular agency which generated N1.7 billion but jerked up the spending to N1 billion. That was why we sent a letter to the President that we need to change the pattern”. The presidency then agreed and issued a directive that revenue-generating agencies must remit at least 25 per cent of their gross revenue while basing their budget on the balance after remittance. However, it is still believed that revenue targets set for most government agencies were peanuts compared to what they actually generated. For instance, the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS in 2010, got a revenue target of N561 billion; Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS, in 2008, had a set target of N2.27 trillion. Their targets are said to be peanuts when compared to the actual earning capacity of these agencies. -


In tandem with the determination of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to fight corruption, especially in the revenue generating agencies in the country, Nigerian Pilot investigations have revealed that the organisations are not only fleecing the country dry, very powerful forces are behind their stubbornness in yielding their respective operations to needed due diligence.
The report of the month-long investigation also reveals the role of the Crude Oil Marketing Department, CMOD of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC and the embattled Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA among others in the entire scheme.

Agencies short-change Nigerians
With 82 federal revenue-generating agencies, Nigeria ought to be awash with cash. But the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been worried that on the contrary, not much revenue is coming from the agencies. Instead, it has been reports of corruption, graft and practices inconsistent with the government’s revenue drive. This development caused the government last week to announce its decision to probe all revenue generating agencies of the federation. In view of the present poor revenue from crude oil sales, the decision was considered by many as timely if not overdue.

Investigations
Nigerian Pilot found out that many federal government agencies such as NIMASA, NCAA, NAMA, NCS, NIS, NDLEA, FAAN, NPA receive revenue in foreign currencies but some of them change the money in the black market and remit Naira to the treasury; with the amount remitted usually far below the amount generated. The difference is shared among the management staff. Also alleged large-scale sabotage involving top managers of the agencies is making nonsense of the nation’s drive to fiscal discipline.
Before the coming of the present NNPC leadership, the Crude Oil Marketing Department, COMD of the NNPC, this newspaper found, out was a chief culprit in this regard. Apart from the general belief that NNPC is a major source of revenue to government, the COMD is the main cash cow. But its operations are not made public.
For instance, in the third quarter of last year, the redeployment of the head of its crude oil marketing division, Gbenga Komolafe, was announced by the NNPC and his immediate subordinate was seconded to succeed him. Although NNPC’s statement announcing his replacement fell short of stating so, stakeholders in the oil and gas sector concluded that the development was not unconnected with the report of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) released days earlier which disclosed that over $32 billion oil revenue was lost to NNPC’s mismanagement of Domestic Crude Allocation (DCA), opaque revenue retention practices and corruption-ridden oil-for-product swap agreements.
The report covered a 10-year period while Mr. Komolafe was only appointed to the crude oil marketing division in which the former GGM served for only one year.
Indeed, the GMD, Ibe Kachikwu, shortly after he assumed office last year, admitted that things had been done inappropriately in the corporation. Said he:“Things have been done wrongly and things need to be done differently. We are doing a lot of work in terms of repositioning, restructuring, getting the right personnel in key places and setting a culture of accountability and service delivery so that the new NNPC that you are going to see will be a different institution altogether.”
According to one expert, “the NRGI report offered a deep, independent analysis of how NNPC sells its oil, and found that the national oil company’s discretionary spending from domestic crude oil sale revenues has skyrocketed, exceeding $6billion a year for the 2011 to 2013 period (i.e. over $18 billion in three years).”
The document, which was published before the coming of the present leadership led by Ibe Kachikwu, stated that NNPC’s approach to oil sales has remained riddled with corruption largely because of its inability to either develop its own commercial or operational capacities, or facilitate the growth of the sector through external investment.

Experts told Nigerian Pilot that the foregoing need not be if revenue agencies and departments like COMD are given appropriate target and remit all collected revenues.
Last October, the federal government raised the alarm over what it described as rip-off by revenue generating agencies in the process of remitting revenues to government vault. It therefore put measure in place to audit these agencies. The move by the federal government to audit the revenue-generating agencies was informed by the need to curtail corruption as the diversion of federally collected revenue is believed to be taking a huge toll on the finances of government.
Besides, it was found out that for over10 years, COMD has never been audited. The forensic audit of NNPC by KPMG last year did not include the CMOD. According to NNPC egg-heads, “to probe COMD will be an endless journey because most documents of transactions in that department are usually destroyed for reasons outsiders don’t really know.”
In calling for a special audit of the department, experts suggest that allocations of crude oil to top and well connected Nigerians including executives of NNPC from 2009 through May 2015 must be investigated alongside revenues from such transactions.
To do this efficiently, the experts said the list of contracts being serviced as well as the interests of joint venture stakeholders who are still not well known must be investigated.
While they argue that the Auditor General of the Federation must conduct the foregoing special audit of COMD, the experts task the Accountant General to conduct treasury inspection of the Division and come up reports of crude produced over the period as well as quantity sold and revenue remitted to see if they tally.
The experts spoken to, also called for parliamentary inquest into COMD believed to be the richest arm of NNPC even as they alleged that some NNPC executives own refineries offshore while others are key players in the downstream sector.
“That is a way out for government and Nigerians to know why it is difficult for Nigeria to determine barrels of crude produced via the JVCs. There is a grand conspiracy there to rip off the country revenue-wise on a very regular basis,” said a consultant in the oil and gas sector.
However, Nigerian Pilot gathered that the present leadership under Ibe Kachikwu as both the NNPC GMD and Honourable minister of state, Petroleum resources, has successfully blocked all the identified leakages including scraping the age long crude oil swap deals. bidding process is now done in a transparent and open manner, televised LIVE and winners selected. Other reforms include revitalizing the refineries, resuscitating moribund firms and agencies, enhanced staff welfare, establishment of anti-corruption desk in all the subsidiaries and the corporation, publication of monthly statement of accounts including crude oil production amongst other reforms, some still ongoing.
On other things the NNPC under the present leadership is doing, Kachikwu has this to say:“The whole idea is to go back to being able to look at your appraisals; and how well have you done in the job? If you have done very well, how do we elevate you to a position where you can offer more service? If you have not done well enough, we can retrain you and if you have not done well enough and there is no possibility of retraining you, we will let you go.
“The NNPC is not a public service. It is a corporation and we run like a company generating money for the people of Nigeria. And so, that whole concept of ‘anything goes’ should stop. And this is the first stage of that whole process.”, he stated.
In a bid to move the corporation forward, the NNPC has adopted what it described as “20-fixes” with which it hopes to reform its operations, guarantee profitability and perhaps run a transparent national oil company.
NNPC through the “20-fixes” which are embedded in five cardinal business objectives that it intends to pursue, plans to amongst other initiatives, attain zero tolerance for corruption, restructure its major subsidiaries as well as enhance probity in its operations across board.
The corporation’s “20-fixes” also include its intentions to restructure Joint Venture funding and reduce cash call demands; improve retail profitability; deploy and attract focused investments; expand crude oil marketing and generate electricity profitably.
Also to be done within the initiative are, reduction and audit of running costs; restructuring of corporate centres and staff; renegotiation of existing contracts including Production Sharing Contracts (PSC); streamlining of subsidy management as well as improve security of the country’s critical petroleum pipelines.
The corporation will also restructure its refining business; improve on its use of information technology for its businesses and demand for top-notch service performance from all its staff.
Nigerian Pilot recalls that immediate past director-general, budget office Bright Okogu, had regretted that revenue-generating agencies practically spent a larger chunk of what they generated by upping their expenditure to match their revenue. That was fallout of findings when he was still in office.
Said he: “We have uncovered that some relevant revenue generating agencies, anytime there is increase in the size of revenue collection, their expenditure went up. In 2009, we found that a particular agency generated N85 billion but spent 83.2 billion. In 2010, I decided to conduct a study to a particular agency which generated N1.7 billion but jerked up the spending to N1 billion. That was why we sent a letter to the President that we need to change the pattern”. The presidency then agreed and issued a directive that revenue-generating agencies must remit at least 25 per cent of their gross revenue while basing their budget on the balance after remittance.
However, it is still believed that revenue targets set for most government agencies were peanuts compared to what they actually generated.
For instance, the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS in 2010, got a revenue target of N561 billion; Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS, in 2008, had a set target of N2.27 trillion. Their targets are said to be peanuts when compared to the actual earning capacity of these agencies.

Source: http://nigerianpilot.com/fraud-revenue-agencies-fleecing-nigeria-dry/#.dpuf

#AusOpen: Andy Murray beats Sam Groth to progress

Britain’s Andy Murray swept past home hope Sam Groth to reach the third round at the Australian Open.

The Scot, seeded number two, dismantled the Australian’s big serve to win 6-0 6-4 6-1 in one hour and 30 minutes.

Groth, 28, has the fastest serve ever recorded to his name at 163mph, but was broken in his first four service games as Murray totally dominated.

Murray, 28, moves into the last 32 where he will face Portugal’s Joao Sousa for the third time in four years.

Fellow Briton Johanna Konta earlier beat China’s Zheng Saisai 6-2 6-3 to reach the third round in the women’s draw.

Groth serve diffused by Murray

In their first singles meeting, Groth quickly discovered that his huge serve made barely a dent on the Murray return game.

After just 30 minutes Murray wrapped up a first set that was characterised by return winners and unplayable lobs from the Briton, and not one ace from the Australian.

Groth finally delivered his first ace after 36 minutes, only to drop serve again moments later, and there were 43 minutes on the clock when he finally got the scoreboard moving to trail 6-0 3-1.

There was a brief respite for the world number 67 as Murray’s level dropped long enough for him to be pegged back to 4-4, but another run of games – this time five in a row – saw the four-time finalist regain control.

Groth’s situation was so desperate that he challenged his own serve after sensing another Murray return heading his way, but it was overruled and he was broken for a seventh time.

With Murray serving for victory, the Australian then twisted his ankle reaching for a low ball and looked in real pain as the Scot sealed victory.



Source: http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2016/01/21/ausopen-andy-murray-beats-sam-groth-to-progress/

R Kelly Finally COMES CLEAN In New Interview . . . Basically ADMITS That He’s A Pedophile . . . But Says He Should Be FORGIVEN . . . Because He WAS MOLESTED AS A CHILD

 

R Kelly just gave an INCREDIBLE interview with GQ Magazine. The magazine basically said that he's admitting that he;s a pedophile. He couldn't specifically admit to it for LEGAL REASONS . . . but he's basically that.

Being Abused As A Child By A Female Relative:
 

“[It happened] every other day, every other week” for multiple years growing up: As far as I can remember, about [age] 7 or 8 to maybe 14, 15. Something like that.At first, I couldn’t judge it. I remember it feeling weird. I remember feeling ashamed. I remember closing my eyes or keeping my hands over my eyes. I remember those things, but couldn’t judge it one way or the other fully.”[Over time, as I got older] I remember actually, after a couple of years, looking forward to it sometimes. You know, acting like I didn’t, but did… It teaches you to definitely be sexual earlier than you should have, than you’re supposed to. You know, no different than putting a loaded gun in a kid’s hand––he gonna grow up being a shooter, probably. I think it affects you tremendously when that happens at an early age.As I’m older, I’ve only learned to forgive it. Was it wrong? Absolutely. But it’s a family member that I love so I would definitely say no to that one. To be honest, even if my mom, I saw her kill somebody, I’m not gonna say, ‘Well, yeah, she definitely should go to jail.’ It’s just something I wouldn’t do.[Editor’s note:Part of Kelly’s forgiveness comes from his belief that the abuse stemmed from “a generational curse, so to speak, going down through the family. Not just started with her doing that to me.”

On Bill Cosby Allegations:
 

“Well, my opinion on that is, I don’t know what happened. I’m a fan of Bill Cosby’s from the Bill Cosby show, of course––who’s not?––and for me to give my opinion on something that I have no idea if it’s true or not, all I can say is that it was a long time ago. And when I look on TV and I see the 70-, 80-, 90-year-old ladies talking about what happened when they were 17, 18, 19, there’s something strange about it… If God showed me that they were telling the truth, I would say that’s wrong. I don’t care if it was a zillion years ago. But God would have to do that, because God is the only one can show me that. No man can tell me that. No woman can tell me that. And when you wait 70 years, 50 years, 40 years, to say something that simple, it’s strange. You know why I say that is because it happened to me, and it wasn’t true.”

On Aaliyah:
 

Kelly speaks at length about his relationship with Aaliyah but when pressed further to talk about their alleged marriage he simply responds, “I did the best I could by writing my book and putting it out there for whoever wants to read about Robert.” (As the interviewer Chris Heath notes: Aaliyah is not mentioned in R. Kelly’s book).

On Being Found Not Guilty:
 

Regarding the June 2002 trial in which Kelly was indicted for making child pornography (a jury found him not guilty), Kelly gets upset: “When a person is found not guilty, they’re found not guilty. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a murder case, it doesn’t matter what case it is, when they’re found not guilty, they’re not guilty. And I think that a lot of haters out there wanted to see me go down.” So when asked, point blank, if that was him in the video for which he was on trial for child pornography, Kelly pauses. “Because of my lawyers, to this day I cannot have those kind of conversations. Being advised by my lawyers in this.” Even though the trial period is over…. Heath pushes. “Because they could come back to haunt me,” says Kelly. “Things could come back and they can just restart all over again. And I have to protect myself.” 

 Source: http://mediatakeout.com/293828/r-kelly-finally-comes-clean-in-new-interview-basically-admits-that-hes-a-pedophile-but-says-he-should-be-forgiven-because-he-was-molested-as-a-child.html

Man Catches His Girlfriend CHEATING ON HIM . . . With His BEST FRIEND . . . And So He PUBLISHES HER Credit Card Info . . . ONLINE!!!!

A California man just put his girlfriends financial business OUT THERE . . . he released pics of her DEBIT CARD online. And he posted the FRONT AND BACK of the card, to ensure that any theives had all the necessary information to make a purchase.

According to the man, he caught his GF cheating on him, with his best friend.

Source:http://mediatakeout.com/293838/mto-shocker-man-catches-his-girlfriend-cheating-on-him-with-his-best-friend-and-so-he-publishes-her-credit-card-info-online.html

Stacey Dash Calls Jada Pinkett Smith A “Hypocrite,” Dismisses Black History Month

Fox News’ Stacey Dash has made yet another bizarre comment regarding racial issues and this time, it was sparked by the Oscars diversity controversy.

Dash believes that Jada Pinkett Smith is a hypocrite for thinking Black actors should be nominated for Oscars when they get to enjoy other privileges. Which privileges, you ask? Well, the BET and the NAACP Image Awards.

Dash believes Black people can’t have both and need to choose a side.

“I think it’s ludicrous. Because we have to make up our minds. Either we want to have segregation or integration. If we don’t want segregation then we need to get rid of channels like BET and the BET Awards and the [NAACP] Image Awards, where you are only awarded if you are black,” she said on Fox & Friends. 

Host Steve Doocy then asked whether she thinks there shouldn’t be a BET channel.

“No, just like there shouldn’t be a Black History Month,” Dash replied. “You know, we’re Americans. Period. That’s it.”

Yup, Stacey Dash doesn’t agree with Black History Month’s existence.

Dash believes the root of the problem is with President Obama not helping filmmakers create more opportunities for Black actors.

“We’ve had a president who is black in office for the past eight years, who gets most of his funding from the liberal elite in Hollywood,” she said. “Yet, there are not very many roles for people of color. How can that be and why is it just now being addressed?”

This isn’t the first time Stacey Dash has blamed President Obama for something. Last month she said he “doesn’t give a shit” about terrorism.

Source: http://newsone.com/3335011/stacey-dash-calls-jada-pinkett-smith-a-hypocrite-dismisses-black-history-month/

Nigerian govt to declare ex-Minister Adoke, Obaigbena, others wanted for fraud

 

The Nigerian government has concluded plans to declare some top officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration wanted, in connection with several ongoing corruption investigations.

Security sources aware of the plans told PREMIUM TIMES that although other names would be released in future, the first list of wanted ex-officials and military officers, who anti-graft investigators believe fled the country to evade arrest and prosecution over corruption, has been compiled and would be released this or next week.

Top on the list of those to be declared wanted is a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke.

Mr. Adoke, sources in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission told this newspaper, is being wanted in connection with the $1.1 billion Malabu Oil deal.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Mr. Adoke is believed to be in Dubai.

He is required to answer questions about his role in facilitating the transfer of the huge sum, paid by oil giants Royal Dutch Shell and Eni, to accounts operated by a former petroleum minister and convicted felon, Dan Etete.

Also on the list is the publisher of ThisDay Newspaper, Nduka Obaigbena. He would be declared wanted for receiving N670 million from former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
 

Mr. Obaigbena claimed, in his letter to the EFCC, that part of the money was meant for compensation for Boko Haram attacks on his newspaper offices in Abuja and Kaduna, while another N120 million was on behalf of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria and 12 newspapers who asked to be compensated for the “unlawful seizure and stoppage of circulation by armed soldiers in Abuja and several cities”.

Some of the newspapers have denied receiving money from the newspaper body, NPAN, while some others have returned the money they were paid to the association after it was revealed that the payment was made from the alleged missing N2.1 billion meant for the procurement of arms to fight Boko Haram.

According to our source, the whereabouts of Mr. Obaigbena is unknown, but it is hoped that he would be arrested wherever he is as soon as his name is published, and be extradited to Nigeria to face trial.

Others on the list are a former Comptroller of the Nigerian Customs Service, Abdullahi Dikko, who is being investigated for fraud, and a former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, who is wanted for allegedly stealing N2.8 billion.

Both men are believed to be hiding in Dubai, United Arab Emirate.

Our sources said two retired senior military officers, Sarki Yarki-Bello, a retired General and Bello Fadile, a retired Colonel, who worked in the office of the national Security Adviser under Mr. Dasuki, are also on the list.

Mr. Sarki was the Director of Counter-terrorism at the ONSA while Mr. Fadile is described as a close confidant of former National Security Adviser, Mr. Dasuki.

Last July, Mr. Fadile was arrested in company of Mr. Dasuki when operatives of the Department of State Security raided the home of the former NSA in Abuja.

Messrs. Sarki and Fadile are believed to be hiding in Dubai.

Also on the list of wanted ex-officials is Waripamowei Dudafa, a former Special Assistant to ex-President Jonathan on Domestic and Social Events.

On Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari signed a series of bilateral agreements with the government of the UAE, among them the Judicial Agreement on Extradition, Transfer of Sentenced Persons and Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal and Commercial Matters.

These are intended to help in the extradition of officials wanted for fraud and other criminal activities and the repatriation of funds siphoned out of the country.

The UAE has a particular appeal for former and serving ex-government officials because until Tuesday, Nigeria had no extradition agreement with the country.

Intelligence also suggested that corrupt officials fleeing from trial prefer the country because of its opulence, cosmopolitan allure and abundance of sun.
 

It is believed that they have largely avoided Western countries because of the harsh winter cold, their strong anti-corruption postures and the fact that Nigeria has subsisting extradition agreement with some of them.

They have also stayed away from South American countries, such as Venezuela, which do not have extradition treaties with Nigeria, largely due to language barrier. 

Source: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/197078-nigerian-govt-to-declare-ex-minister-adoke-obaigbena-others-wanted-fraud.html

Australian Open: Serena Williams & Djokovic win but Kvitova loses

Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams cruised into the Australian Open third round, but sixth seed Petra Kvitova was knocked out.

Women's number one Williams thrashed Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei 6-1 6-2 while men's top seed Djokovic beat France's Quentin Halys 6-1 6-2 7-6 (7-3).

Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova also made it through safely.

But two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova lost 6-4 6-4 to 21-year-old Australian Daria Gavrilova.

British number ones Andy Murray and Johanna Konta resume their campaigns in the second round on Thursday.
Delight for Daria




Giant-killing Gavrilova, the world number 39, said she was "just really happy" after her win over Kvitova.

"It was unreal. I was so nervous in the end, you probably could tell," said the Russian-born Australian, who only switched nationality in December.

She now plays France's Kristina Mladenovic on Friday for a place in the fourth round.

Kvitova made 35 unforced errors and was broken five times in the 89-minute contest on Margaret Court Arena.

The Czech joined second seed Simona Halep and eighth seed Venus Williams in suffering a shock early exit.
Federer to face Dimitrov challenge

Federer was rarely troubled by Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov, hitting 39 winners and wrapping up a 6-3 7-5 6-1 victory in an hour and 33 minutes.

The result sets up an intriguing third-round clash with Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who was once considered a potential successor to Federer but has struggled to fulfil his potential.

"It's a tough draw," the Swiss said. "He's got the game to be really dangerous."
Who else went through?



Agnieszka Radwanska said her confidence was soaring after she overcame Canada's Eugenie Bouchard 6-4 6-2 to reach the third round.

Bouchard, rebuilding her career after a head injury at last year's US Open, showed glimpses of her old form but could not match the Pole's consistency.

Radwanska, who will play Monica Puig of Puerto Rico in the third round, said: "I'm very happy with my game today because getting Genie in the second round was not an easy match."

Japanese seventh seed Kei Nishikori was another early winner on day three as he beat American Austin Krajicek 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, and Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych beat Bosnia and Herzegovina's Mirza Basic 6-4 6-0 6-3



Australian Nick Kyrgios reached the third round with a 6-4 7-5 7-6 (7-2) win over Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, after overcoming wardrobe trouble.

The 20-year-old needed to change his shorts midway because his first pair apparently did not have pockets deep enough to hold balls while he was serving.

"Just a bit of a mix-up before the game. I guess it will be fixed by the next round," shrugged the 29th seed, whose next opponent Berdych has reached the last two semi-finals at Melbourne Park.

Kyrgios learnt before his match that he had been fined $3,000 (£2,100) for uttering an obscenity in his first-round win over Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta.
Record breaker

Czech Kristyna Pliskova - twin sister of Karolina Pliskova - served 31 aces, the most aces in a single match in WTA history (the previous record was 27) but still went out in the second round.

The left-hander ended up losing 4-6 7-6(6) 9-7 to Puerto Rico's Monica Puig, who saved five match points before progressing.



Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came to the aid of a ball girl in distress during his 7-5 6-1 6-4 win over Omar Jasika of Australia.

The ninth seed said he noticed the ball girl was unwell during the third set of his match so he walked over to see what was wrong.

He put his hand on her back, and she passed Tsonga a ball she was holding. He then looped his arm through hers and escorted her off the court.

"I saw she was in trouble," the Frenchman said. "It was normal to help her out of the stadium. I hope she's OK."

The ball girl was fine, just feeling under the weather, according to tournament organisers.
Venus fined for media snub

World number 10 and seven-times Grand Slam champion Venus Williams was given a $5,000 (£3,532) fine for failing to appear at a news conference on Tuesday.

The American, 35, did not fulfil her post-match media commitments after losing in straight sets to Britain's Konta.

Asked whether her elder sister would return to Melbourne in 2017, defending champion Serena Williams said: "I would assume. She's never mentioned anything about not being here."
Quotes of the day

"I'd say it was pretty mediocre today. It's actually something that I had to add, because I was getting really frustrated losing to my hitting partner all the time." Maria Sharapova reveals the motivation behind her new willingness to play the drop shot after beating Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 6-2, 6-1.



"They don't get so excited watching me play yet." Roger Federer on why his twin daughters were reading books rather than watching dad.

"Oh, I don't do those. I'm not good at those. I did when I was younger, and I was terrible at it. I know what I'm good at, and I know things I'm not going to excel at. I'm definitely not going to excel at that shot." Serena Williams will not be attempting a between-the-legs shot any time soon.

Eugenie Bouchard described her lightweight tank dress for the Australian Open as having "red and white stripes like an American flag or something." The Canadian then paused, before saying: "Actually, red and white like Canada, I should say. Whoops!".

"Quentin is new on the tour but definitely today he hasn't been playing like he's been just on the tour for under a year," Novak Djokovic said after beating French 19-year-old Quentin Halys. "He played some great tennis and I want to congratulate him for fighting and especially in the third set."

Source: http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/35358851 

Players prefer Zidane to Rafa - Ronaldo

 

Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted the Real Madrid squad are much happier under French legend Zinedine Zidane than in Rafael Benitez's unhappy seven-month spell in charge.

Zidane's dream start in charge continued with a 5-1 thrashing of Sporting Gijon on Sunday with three-time World Player of the Year Ronaldo scoring twice as did Karim Benzema.

Gareth Bale continued his great form with the opening goal before hobbling off with the recurrence of a calf problem.

Benitez's reign ended after just 25 games amid rumours of dressing room discontent, and Ronaldo confirmed the former Liverpool manager didn't have the same regard among Madrid's star-studded squad as Zidane, who was a Ballon d'Or winner himself as a player.

"Zidane has been a boost for team. Truthfully, with some coaches you have more empathy than others," said Ronaldo.

"I did my job naturally under Benitez, I was serious and did the best for the club, independent of the person who is in charge of the team.

"I have never had a bad opinion of Rafa. He always did the best for Madrid, but he sees football in a different way from Zizou. Don't ask me why, but the players feel more empathy for Zidane."

However, the Portuguese captain denied the players had deliberately got Benitez the sack.

"Players don't do that kind of thing. At least I don't, independent of the empathy, you have to be serious in your job. The players are more enthused now with Zizou."

Benitez's appointment was an unpopular one from the start with the players unhappy at the sacking of his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti.

Zidane worked under the Italian as assistant manager as Madrid won their 10th European Cup in 2013/14 and Ronaldo seems similarities between Zidane and Ancelotti's coaching syles.

"His training sessions are similar. He is a calm person, but serious at his job and off the pitch he is fun.

"He has a connection with the players and I am very happy. It is an interesting time for me and the players. We are in good form and working hard."

The only sour note on another rousing victory for Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu after a 5-0 thrashing of Deportivo la Coruna on Zidane's bow as coach last weekend were injuries suffered by Bale and Benzema.

"Disappointed to come off, will work hard to get back on the pitch!" Bale posted on his official Twitter account.

"Karim just has a knock, which isn't so bad," said Zidane.

"Gareth is a little more complicated because it is his calf and in his left leg which is a problem.

"He will have a scan tomorrow and we hope it is nothing serious."

Madrid got off to a flying start as Bale, Ronaldo (2) and Benzema put the hosts 4-0 inside 18 minutes before Benzema made it 5-0 at the break.

"You can always improve, but the first-half was spectacular," said the Frenchman.

"We had everything; good play, defensive work and we are going to improve because physically we need to improve a lot.

"We want to win games, but, above all, win at the end of the season because that is when the titles are decided."



Source: http://www.supersport.com/football/spain/news/160117/Players_prefer_Zidane_to_Rafa_Ronaldo

Messi tax fraud trial set for May 31

 

Barcelona star Lionel Messi and his father's trial for tax fraud will begin on May 31 at a court in Barcelona, a regional superior court said Wednesday. Messi, recently crowned Ballon d'Or winner for a record fifth time, and his father Jorge have been charged with tax fraud for allegedly failing to declare 4.16 million euros ($4.69 million) in taxes related to his image rights between 2007 and 2009.

The trial will run until June 3, the Catalan Superior Court of Justice said in a statement.

State prosecutors are asking for both men to be sentenced to prison terms of 22 months and a half.

Last month the pair were cleared of seperate allegations relating to charitable friendlies played in 2012 and 2013 after a judge heard testimony from an Argentine businessman who organised the matches.

The player had been investigated in that case to see if he had failed to declare to the tax man any revenue made from taking part in a series of friendlies in Mexico, Colombia, the United States and Peru.



Source: http://www.supersport.com/football/spain/news/160120/Messi_tax_fraud_trial_set_for_May_31

Clinton Accused Again of Handling Top Secret Info Via Private Email

There are fresh allegations from the intelligence community that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was handling some of the most closely held intelligence secrets available through her private email.

According to a newly revealed letter sent from the Intelligence Community's Inspector General to members of Congress on Jan. 14, "several dozen" of Clinton's emails contained "CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET and TOP SECRET/SAP" information. It wasn't clear how many of those were TOP SECRET/SAP.

SAP is code for Special Access Programs and is said to contain highly secretive intelligence related to the sensitive military programs, capabilities and operations. The existence of the letter was first reported by Fox News.

The intelligence community made a similar assessment this past summer, claiming that at least two emails contained TOP SECRET/SCI information. SCI, or Special Compartmental Information, is also highly sensitive, and refers to the highly coveted and protected sources through which the intelligence was derived, such as satellites or even actual spies. SAP is a subset of SCI.

It's unclear, however, if this new assessment refers to new emails or if it's a review of emails the Intelligence Community has already determined were TOP SECRET. Intelligence officials who spoke to ABC said because of the highly sensitive nature of the subject manner only a handful of people are even cleared to look at them.

Clinton's campaign responded by attacking the Intelligence Community directly.

"This is the same interagency dispute that has been playing out for months, and it does not change the fact that these emails were not classified at the time they were sent or received," campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement to ABC News.

"It is alarming that the intelligence community IG, working with Republicans in Congress, continues to selectively leak materials in order to resurface the same allegations and try to hurt Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. The Justice Department's inquiry should be allowed to proceed without any further interference."

The head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr (R-NC), denied the claim from Fallon. "I didn't conspire with anybody," he told ABC News.

While the Justice Department is conducting a investigation into how her emails were handled, it is not known when or if they intend to bring any charges. The FBI has steadily refused to provide comment on its investigation.

Clinton has not been charged with a crime.

Source: http://abc7chicago.com/news/clinton-accused-again-of-handling-top-secret-info-via-private-email/1167035/

Finnish Club Hercules Appoint Amokachi As Head Coach

Former Super Eagles assistant coach Daniel Amokachi has been appointed Head Coach of Finnish second division club JS Hercules. This was confirmed on the club's official website on Wednesday.

A statement from the club reads: "Oulu-based football club Hercules has signed an agreement with Nigerian former Nigerian national team player and coach Daniel Amokachi. He will take over from Pekka Haaranen who will continue as assistant coach. Amokachi's agreement with Hercules is one year."

Hercules was formed in 1998 and was recently promoted to the Finnish second tier.

A former FA Cup winner, Amokachi played in Europe for a number of clubs and is a role model for young footballers in Africa. He scored the first goal in the Champions League new format in Club Brugge 1-0 win against CSKA Moscow, in 1992.

Amokachi represented Nigeria at two World Cups. In addition, he won the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, while putting on the Nigerian national team shirt.

After his playing career, Amokachi was trained as a coach in the Netherlands. He has coached several teams in Nigeria and also served as a coach in the Nigerian national team between 2008 to 2015.

Source: http://www.completesportsnigeria.com/finnish-club-hercules-appoint-amokachi-head-coach/

Prof. Wole Soyinka says, 'WHERE DID WE GO WRONG? WAKE UP NIGERIAN YOUTHS!'

 

"Awolowo was 37 years, Akintola 36, Ahmadu Bello 36, Balewa 34, Okotie-Eboh 27 and Enahoro 27 and they led the struggle for Nigeria Independence after the death of Macaulay. Only Zik was 42 at the time!

In 1966, the first military coup was led by K Nzeogwu who was 29 years and countered by M. Mohammed 28, T. Danjuma 28, I. Babangida 25, J. Garba 23, Sani Abacha 23, and M. Yar'adua 23, and brought into power Y. Gowon 32, Ojukwu 33, Obasanjo 29, and Buhari 24!


Most of the military governors who governed the states under the successive military regimes were under 30 years.

Also, the brief democratic dispensation which interjected the military interregnums also saw some Senators and members of the House of Representatives, in particular, populated by persons under 30!

Under 30's were also not in short supply with appointments - we have examples of MT Mbu who became Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister at 23 and Pat Utomi who became a Federal Adviser at 27 and so on and so forth!

NOW: Why is it that almost all this age bracket is today still sleeping in 3-seater chairs in their parents’ homes?

Why is it that this age bracket is today still collecting pocket money from their parents?

Why is it that this age bracket is today still writing JAMB?

Why is it that this age bracket today still 'sagg' their trousers?

Why is it that this age bracket is today still searching for jobs and not yet married?

Why is it that this age bracket is today no longer qualified to even be leaders of youth wings of political parties?

Why is it that this age bracket is today so docile?

Why is this age bracket today incapable of feeding itself?

Why is it that this age bracket is today barred from even aspiring to certain political offices?

Why is it that this age bracket is today incapacitated, unwilling, unable and incapable of asking questions?

GOD BLESS NIGERIA!"

From Prof Wole Soyinka.

Manchester United transfer news: Edinson Cavani, Kasper Schmeichel and Felipe Anderson all linked - and Van Gaal could quit this summer

With the end of the January transfer window already in sight, there are plenty of rumours and reports concerning Manchester United.

Firstly, Edinson Cavani is thought to be on the club's wishlist. The Paris Saint-Germain striker is believed to be unhappy with his role in the Paris capital and with United in need of goals, they could be tempted to make a move.

Cavani sees himself as a central striker but has continually been asked to operate in a wide position.

The 28-year-old, who was prolific at Napoli before his move to France, has scored 10 goals in 16 games this term.
Meanwhile, United are also being linked with a bid for Kasper Schmeichel, should David De Gea ever be tempted to leave Old Trafford.

The Spanish 'keeper this week reiterated his happiness to remain at United but there has been strong interest from Real Madrid in the past.

If he does leave, Leicester's Schmeichel, son for club-legend Peter, is the man the club may turn to.

Talk of Felipe Anderson simply won't go away. The Lazio winger has been continually linked with United, with the Serie A club admitting recently there was a bid lodged by Ed Woodward in the summer.

Anderson has searing pace, something United desperately need going forward.

And finally, United manager Louis Van Gaal could quit the club in the summer, according to a report in the Mirror.

The Dutchman, who has been under intense scrutiny for much of the season, is thought to be considering leaving a year earlier than expected because his family are concerned about the pressure being placed on him.

If he does leave, Jose Mourinho is expected to be the club's No. 1 target to succeed him.

Source: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/manchester-united-transfer-news-edinson-10760549

Klopp says Benteke has a long-term future at Liverpool

 

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has dispelled doubts about Christian Benteke's suitability to the team's high-pressing style of play and said the striker has a long-term future at Anfield.

Benteke, who joined from Aston Villa for a reported 32.5 million pounds ($45.97 million) during the close season, has scored seven goals in 24 appearances this season.

Despite being the club's leading goalscorer, the Belgium international has struggled to nail down a regular starting place since Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers at the Merseyside club in October.

"Of course he has a future, that is not a question. He is a goalscorer and makes chances and so on, that is all good," Klopp told the British media.

"This is how it works, we make a starting line-up and it ends at 11 then we make the bench. That is how we did it in the past, now we will do it in the future. He has always the possibility to play.

"For the next game it could be different. We have to think about how we create chances. First of all we cannot hope that we can get the ball into the box and then maybe Christian will finish it."

Klopp hailed Benteke as the "complete striker" and said having the 25-year-old on the bench is a sign of the quality available within the squad.

"He is a complete striker, but you have to work for it. He hasn't finished his development (with us) and we as a team haven't either. You have to look at how (different styles) fit," the former Borussia Dortmund manager said.

"To have Christian on the bench is a quality sign."



Source: http://pulse.ng/sports/football/premier-league-klopp-says-benteke-has-a-long-term-future-at-liverpool-id4580822.html

Guus Hiddink: The intensity of the Premier League has increased

 

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink says the intensity of the Premier League has increased since his first stint with the club in 2009 with all clubs now attracting big-name players across Europe.

Hiddink, who won the FA Cup during his first spell, took over from Jose Mourinho last month and has guided Chelsea on a six-game unbeaten run in the league, which has helped them climb up the table to 14th after 22 games.

The Blues, however, remain just six points above the relegation zone, after their woeful start to the campaign saw them lose nine of their first 16 league games.

"Generally, I think the intensity in the league is higher and nowadays you see there are many clubs who can compete on a high level, due to the fact they also have more possibilities to sign players," Hiddink told the club's website.

"Nowadays, you see teams halfway or over halfway up the league, which in the past you would normally not expect to be there, like Crystal Palace, Watford and Leicester.

"These were teams normally nearer the bottom or the second tier, but they are doing very well. Because they have made good signings, everyone now is capable of beating everyone else and you can see that in the results."

Interim boss Hiddink also said he will consider allowing the club's academy players to find their feet in the first team before he departs the club in May, but only if they can survive the demands of English football.

"We are trying to help. It is not easy to survive in the league but when we have the possibilities, if one is knocking on the door, maybe -- but I don't give any guarantees -- we can see one or two players playing by May," the Dutchman said.

Champions Chelsea travel to take on London rivals Arsenal, who are on top of the table, on Sunday.



Source: http://pulse.ng/sports/football/guus-hiddink-the-intensity-of-the-premier-league-has-increased-id4580734.html

Oliseh Promises Better Eagles Showing Against Tunisia

Super Eagles manager Sunday Oliseh has stated that his team will look to improve when Nigeria confront the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia on Friday at the African Nations Championship here in Kigali.

Speaking after Nigeria’s emphatic 4-1 win over the Mena Of Niger Reuplic on Monday, Oliseh stated that he has charged his wards to step up the chase in Nigeria’s quest to pick another win on Friday, adding that that Super Eagles will keep fighting until the trophy is won.

Nigeria sent jitters down the spines of teams at the on-going Orange Africa Nations Championship after beating Niger Republic 4-1 to become the highest goal scoring side, but Oliseh maintained that the best is yet to come from his team.

“Yes lots of people might think we are there yet but I disagree with that because there is still a lot to come from this team and Nigerians will see their best as the tournament progresses," Oliseh told Completesportsnigeria.com.

“We played against a good side but one of the good things going for the team it’s the ability to take every game as they come and not looking down on our opponents.

“We will continue to fight as the tournament progresses and I can assure everyone that we won’t be leaving CHAN without a fight and we will keep up the fight until the trophy is won.”

Oliseh further showered encomiums on sports minister Solomon Dalung and the League Management Company for their positive influence on the team, saying their presence came as a morale booster for his players.

“I really want to thank the minister of Sports for his support towards the team and all I can say is that we won’t let Nigerians down,” Oliseh added.

Source: http://www.completesportsnigeria.com/oliseh-promises-better-eagles-showing-tunisia/

Escravos Attack: Nigerian govt. losing N471 million daily in gas, electricity disruptions

The Nigerian government on Tuesday counted its costs in terms of multiple losses suffered in massive disruption to gas and electricity supplies in the wake of last weekend’s attacks on the Nigerian Gas Company’s gas pipeline by suspected Niger Delta militants.

Government said the attack on the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) connected to Chevron Nigeria Limited’s gas network at Escravos negatively impacted on the 600 mega watts (MW) Olorunsogo National Integrated Power Plant and other critical power projects in the region.

The immediate impact of the sabotage on the gas facility, Federal Ministry of Power sources said, has been the disruption in the sale and supply of 160 million metres standard cubic feet per day (MMSCD) of gas to operators of electricity generation facilities and a cut in electricity supply from the affected power plants.

Already a massive manhunt for the culprits by security operatives has intensified to determine the motive behind the sabotage.

Close followers of the Niger Delta crisis say the attack may not be unconnected with recent threats by one of the militant group leaders to disrupt operations in key oil and gas facilities in the region if government insisted on his response to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commision’s invitation for questioning.

Government computation on the extent of loss showed that at about cost $2.50 per thousand standard cubic feet of gas, the country was suffering an estimated $400,000 (about N78.8 million) loss daily through the inability to meet its gas supply obligations to its customers.

The loss does not include about $1,988,223 (about N391.7 million) lost daily by operators of the affected power generation plants for not supplying electricity to their customers.

When the estimated cost of about $609,137 (about N120 million) for the repairs of the damaged pipeline is added, the Nigerian government and the people would have suffered a loss of about N590.5 million to the incident.

Equally, the real sector of the economy has also been counting its losses as operations at some cement companies around Olorunsogo area in Ondo state, including Ewekoro and Ibese factories, have been brought to a halt.

The Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing said the incident was a huge setback on its effort in collaboration with Ministry of Petroleum Resources and allied agencies to improve gas supplies to the power plants in the country.

The ministry said such efforts had resulted in some hitherto idle power plants like Ihovbor and Sapele being brought back on stream and contributing significantly to the power supply situation in the country.

The gas pipeline systems in the region has been the butt of incessant attacks in recent times, as records showed that at least six incidents of vandalism occured on the Trans Forcados Pipeline (at Oben, Sapele, Oredo ) and Escravos Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) between December 2014 and February 2015, resulting in a loss of about 1,100 MMSCFD of gas supplies.

Industry experts say a loss of about 200 MMSCD of gas was equivalent to a reduction in electricity supply of about 700 MW.

With national power generation capacity currently at an average of 4,120 MW as at last Sunday, the huge impact of the incident would best be imagined.

At the recent monthly meeting with operators in the power sector, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, had expressed optimism that gas projects scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2016 would significantly improve gas supply to key power plants in the country.

Although Mr. Fashola also highlighted some of the challenges, especially related to security affecting delivery of gas to the power sector, he assured that active monitoring activities were in place, particularly on the pipelines, to stop further attacks.

Source: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/197064-escravos-attack-nigerian-govt-losing-n471-million-daily-in-gas-electricity-disruptions.html

Man's body found in burning tent near Salford Central train station

A man's body has been found in a burning tent near Manchester city centre.
Fire crews made the discovery when they were called to a blaze under a railway bridge next to New Bailey Street car park in Salford at around 1am on Wednesday morning.

A GMP spokesman confirmed that officers were called to the scene, off Irwell Street near Salford Central train station and Trinity Way, by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service at 1.20am.
Crews had discovered a man's body in a burning tent, the spokesman added. An investigation has been launched but it's too early to say if there are any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

 

Source: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salford-central-police-man-dead-10760410

University orders over 460 100-level students to withdraw

The Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, has asked over 460 students admitted for the just-concluded academic session to withdraw from the institution.

Tribune Online gathered that letters of withdrawal were served on the affected students by the school management last Friday.

Further checks revealed that all the affected students were in 100 level who could not meet the requirement set for students to move to the next level in the pursuit of their education by the National Universities Commission.

It was further learnt that the students could not make a Grade Point of 1.5 after the session and by virtue of the guideline set by NUC, they could not continue their programmmes.

Students from virtually all the faculties in the institution were affected by the withdrawal.

When contacted, the Information Officer of the university, Mrs Lydia Legbo, confirmed the development, adding that the students were asked to withdraw because of ‘poor academic performance.’

Mrs Legbo stated further that the institution could not violate the NUC's guidelines.



Source: http://www.tribuneonlineng.com/university-orders-over-460-100-level-students-to-withdraw