Ex-EFCC boss Waziri loses daughter

The daughter of former EFCC chairperson Farida Waziri, Jackie Ifidon-Ola has died. Family sources say the 39 year old died at a hospital in Abuja on Sunday January 224th after a brief illness. She is survived by a husband, two children and her parents, Senator Ajuji Waziri and Farida Waziri. May her soul rest in peace Amen.

I hope my son return's safely- Mum of 4 year old boy kidnapped from school in Lagos prays

Mrs Elizabeth Ojelabi, the mother of four year old Michael Ojelabi, who was kidnapped by an unidentified woman at his school, Mafina Primary School Unity estate along Iba expressway in Lagos on January 20th, says she is optimistic that her son will return home soon. No word has been heard from the kidnapper since the little boy was taken.

The woman who came with a motorcycle rider, accosted Michael and his eight year old sister, Oyindamola, at their school gate while they were waiting for their mother to come and pick them up.

She told them that their mum had asked her to come and pick them up. After the girl refused to go with her, the woman yanked the little boy from his sister and jumped on the motorcycle and sped off with the boy.

The distraught mother who spoke with The Nation yesterday, said her mind has not been at peace since they day her son was abducted

"My mind is not at peace. I have been fasting and praying. I believe my son will return. God should please answer our prayers because I have not been myself.’’she said

Michael’s father, Sunday Ojelabi said the school principal, securityman and his daughter’s class teacher have been arrested and are being detained at the Ojo Police Station for further investigation.

“I still believe he will return that is why my family and I haven’t relented in prayers. I just pray he is in a good state,” he said.

The Ojelabis are pleading with the public for information on their boy’s whereabouts. They can be reached ed on 08024371127, 08028287574.

"Fayose's visit shows that though we differ politically, the Yoruba race remains united"-Aregbesola

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola has described Gov. Ayo Fayose's visit to the state as evidence of unity among the Yoruba race. He made this known in a series of tweets posted yesterday. He wrote:

"I am honoured to play host to my friend and brother, the executive governor of Ekiti State, Peter Ayodele Fayose. The visit of Gov. Ayo Fayose to Osun State shows that though we differ politically, the Yoruba race remains united. I celebrate you for the maturity and clear headedness that your visit to Osun today represents. I gave Fayose my word that i will continue to work with him and other Yoruba leaders to better the life of the average Yoruba man"

Joro Olumofin apologizes over his verbal outburst on Instagram yesterday

Psychologist and relationship expert, Joro Olumofin has apologized for his verbal outburst yesterday as he and his older brother Dokun attacked OAP, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, over her tweets about two brothers who gate crash weddings/events in Lagos (Read story HERE ). See his apology after the cut...

Jay Z sued for $18million over his perfume range...after sales drop by 75%

The rapper and business mogul has been sued by a company which collaborated with him on the release of his perfume range, Gold Jay Z. They claim Jay Z didn't keep his side of the deal.

Parlux Fragrances filed a lawsuit against Jay Z in the Manhattan Supreme Court, with the papers claiming the star failed to to promote his own signature fragrance. Reports claim the rapper was supposed to make six promotional appearances since the release of the fragrance in 2013, none of which he made.

In the documents, Parlux lawyer Anthony Viola said the company worked with Jacob the Jeweler to create five prototypes bottles which had solid gold caps and gold drizzled on the exterior which cost a staggering $20,000 each.

 

He said in the papers: 'Mr. Carter rejected all of them and kept the prototype'.

And that was not the only thing he kept - the rapper also kept his guaranteed $2 million up-front royalty fee, docs claim.

Parlux claims the perfume was an initial success but Jay Z's lack of commitment caused interest in the product to drop.

It stated that 'in the fragrance industry, it is virtually impossible to sustain the success of a celebrity fragrance' without both celebrity promotional appearance.

The company also accuses the rapper of not developing follow up scents to keep fans interested.

According to TMZ, the company expected to make about $50 million over two years but is now losing money.

The company is now demanding the court make Jay Z pay back the $2 million up front royalty and give back 3000,000 shares, void their contract and then wants at least $18 million in damages.

According to NY Times

“Sales of Gold Jay Z have declined considerably because of Jay Z’s and his teams lack of interest in supporting and promoting his own brand,” according to the new $18 million suit filed by Perfumania Holdings Inc.

Gold Jay Z was the best selling celebrity fragrance a year after its launch in 2014, ousting David Beckham‘s aftershave by eight to one.

But sales tanked last year from a projected $35 million to $6.1 million because the rapper was too busy with other projects to focus on the fragrance, the Manhattan civil suit says.
Jay Z refused to appear on “Good Morning America,” turned down a cover story for Women’s Wear Daily and an event at Macy’s to promote the men’s scent, according to court papers.

Leaked screenshot reveals unverified claims that Seun Kuti allegedly fathered a child secretly (Details)

The screenshot pictured above trended on various blogs and news outlets in Nigeria yesterday. It contains a conversation between an alleged secret baby mama of one of the sons of late Afrobeat singer Fela - Seun Kuti, confirming to a stranger that she conceived a child for the singer and he hasn't seen the child before or taken up his responsibility. 

When LIB reached out to the lady in question, she refused to comment on the the authenticity of the screenshot. LIB also reached out to Seun Kuti and he neither confirmed nor denied it. He just said, 'I have no comment on the issue.' See more photos of the girl after the cut...

Photos: Willow Smith models for Stance Socks

The 15-year-old singer, actress and model teamed up with the sock brand to create a special collection of patterned socks which she also modelled. She isn't the only star to delve into the footwear, Rihanna has previously worked with the company.

In announcing the collaboration on its website, the company wrote:

"We’d call Willow Smith the ultimate provocateur of artistic expression, but even a label like that feels a little too finite for someone so impossible to define. 'Singer. Actress. Dancer. Entrepreneur. There’s simply no box large enough to contain the force that is Willow. With a confidence and sense of style that feels at once unfathomably fresh and yet well beyond her years, she has a self-possessing originality that makes it feel futile to even mention her age because she transcends it".

More photos...

Photos: Adamawa State Governor Bindow Jibrilla rides in a Keke

Governor Bindow Jibrilla of Adamawa state was pictured in a Keke NAPEP during the inspection of ongoing road projects across the state capital.

Photos: President Buhari departs on a 3-day official visit to Kenya

President Buhari this morning left Abuja on a 3-day state tour to Kenya where he will join his host, President Uhuru Kenyatta and other dignitaries at a memorial service for Kenyan soldiers who were killed by Al-Shabaab in Somalia. He will proceed to Nairobi on Thursday for bilateral talks with Kenyan government officials. At the conclusion of his visit, President Buhari and President Kenyatta will jointly preside over a Kenya-Nigeria Business Forum. More photos after the cut...

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FIFA announces final 5 candidates to replace Sepp Blatter as president in February elections

The ad-hoc Electoral Committee of the world's football governing body, FIFA, has announced the candidates that will contest in it's February 26th presidential election, that will herald a new reign in the leadership of football globally. 

 

Names of the candidates include Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim AL Khalifa of Bahrain, Jersey Champagne of France, Gianni Infantino of Italy and Tokyo Sexwale of South Africa.

"The Ad-hoc Electoral Committee has formally admitted and declared the candidates eligible for the election of the office of FIFA president at the extraordinary FIFA Congress," said a formal notice sent to the 209 member associations by FIFA.

The vote will be held in Zurich on Feb. 26.

The mother of Wizkid's second son speaks with TheShadeRoom, says he's a deadbeat so far!

LIB exclusively broke the news that Wizkid had welcomed his second child with a lady based in the US named Binta Diamond Diallo...a Guinean. She's finally spoken about the child, born last week Friday and says so far, Wizkid has been a deadbeat..i.e absent! Below is the report from US gossip site, TheShadeRoom

"Yesterday, we spoke to Binta Diamond Diallo, who is the mother of Wizkid’s new child who was born last Friday. She named her son, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, Jr. after the rapper in part so that he doesn’t try it with her like he did with the mother of his first child! Don’t know what I’m talking about? Get into this tea!

The creep squad on Love and Hip Hop would be proud. Back in August 2011, Nigerian Entertainment Today reported that Wizkid fathered a child with undergraduate student, Oluwanishola Ogudugu. He vehemently denied the claims and later that year in an interview with The Punch, he insisted that he was not a father. He told host, Nonye Ben-Nwankkwo, “It was rumoured that I had a love child. Even if I had a child, I don’t think it is something I should be ashamed of. Instead, I would come out plainly and declare that I am a father. Everybody makes mistakes. But it was just a false rumour. I don’t have a child anywhere.”

Months later in 2013, he posted a picture of himself with his son, Boluwatife Balogun, with the caption: “hey, the child’s mine guys, I’m done hiding him [from] you all.” You ain’t gotta lie, Craig!

Anyway, fast forward to the following year, Wizkid began dating Binta which would continue off and on for 2 years. She told us that when she learned that she was pregnant in 2015, the rapper said that he was going to embrace being a dad this time around and that he’d certainly care for the child.

However, he kept the child a secret from fans again! Not only has he not seen his son yet, but he hasn’t shown much interest in being a father and Binta wants that to change! Binta says that she just wants him to step up and be a man about his responsibilities.

Scientists say Zika can be spread through sex

As the devastating Zika virus rampages through the Caribbean and Latin America - and threatens to hit parts of the US such as Florida - more and more questions are being asked about how it can be transmitted.

The virus has been linked to birth defects in thousands of Brazilian babies, born with heads smaller than normal and undeveloped brains.

Symptoms include a rash, fever, conjunctivitis and headache and to date, 21 countries have been affected.

At the moment, there is clear scientific evidence the virus is transmitted by the same type of mosquito that spreads other tropical diseases, such as dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever.

But there are also fears the virus may be passed on through sex, following two reports in medical literature.

 

One states that Zika was found in the semen of a man from Tahiti, the other that the virus was passed from a husband to his wife after intercourse.

But is there really a risk?

In a statement issued this week, the World Health Organisation said there was still insufficient evidence to make the link. 

But these research papers argue otherwise.

Parents take two-month-old baby to a plastic surgeon because of her ears

Amy Klein and her Husband had infertility issues for 4 years and fortunately, they got blessed with a precious little girl. The parents of this 2 month old baby who thought their baby's ears were protruding weren't happy about her ears and thought that their baby may be made fun of when she got older and had to go to school, so they took her to a plastic surgeon. Read what she wrote below:

"My husband was rocking our two-month old daughter on his knees when I walked into the room and screamed: “WHAT HAPPENED TO HER EARS?” He turned his head, alarmed. “What happened?” he said. “Her ears!” I said. “They’re huge!” .“Oh.” He relaxed. Nothing was really outstanding.

"But there was something outstanding: her ears. From behind they loomed large, like protruding handles. I’d never seen her from this angle. Normally I was over her, breastfeeding her, changing her, or putting her to sleep. When I took her out for summer walks, her dainty features and luminous eyes always got so many comments. “She’s beautiful!” people would say.

But lately I’d been noticing a new type of comment: “She looks really smart!” Was that the equivalent of saying an unattractive woman had a “great personality”?

Don’t get me wrong: after four years of infertility I was so grateful for my daughter, who really is adorable. Trying to get pregnant for so long meant I also swore that I wouldn’t be one of those helicopter over-achieving parents, hoping to get my kid on a path into Yale by age two. My husband and I were pretty laid back, jeans and t-shirt type of people, even though we’d both had cosmetic surgery (him, a nose job; me, a stem cell face lift.) But this wasn’t just about looks — it could affect how other kids would treat her.

“I have big ears,” said a friend to whom I made the unfortunate choice of confessing my ear worry without first checking out hers.

“Oh, was it a problem for you?” I innocently asked. “Well, aside from being called Dumbo in grade school…” she said. Argh.

What to do? Online mom forums were no help, because anyone who asked about the issue of big ears got attacked by the other mothers who found their own kids’ protruding ears adorably yummy. (One mother defended a questioner by saying, “Kids are cruel, and most of you folks wouldn’t think twice about someone’s decision to circumcise their child or pierce their ears, so what’s the issue with this??”)

“Newborn moms spend too much time examining their babies because they have too much time home alone with them,” my doctor said. But then I turned her around. “Oh, I see what you mean,” he added. He told me she’d probably grow out of it, that it was due to her sleeping on her back.

The plastic surgeon didn’t agree. Yup, that’s where we took her after investigating other options, like the Baby’s Bonnette from France, which was a netting hat that promised to hold babies’ ears down during sleep, or the Ear Wells from England, small ear-shaped plastic “splints” that corrected ear deformities and “bat ears,” which is what my daughter had. My husband wanted it done professionally.

“Your daughter’s ears are not going to flatten out after she spends time on her tummy,” said Doctor David A. Staffenberg, who specializes in craniofacial surgery. (Boy, did I feel horrible when I was chatting with another mother in the waiting room who told me her daughter needed surgery to split the skull bones open.) He said she was the perfect candidate for Ear Wells, a more cumbersome splint which shaped and caged the ear in plastic and held it to a baby’s head. The only problem? We were quite late to the game. It had taken me a over a month to take action — and now the cartilage was beginning to set.

"Some mothers come to me straight from the hospital,” said Nurse Practitioner Amanda Young, who said she’s splinted about 250 babies’ ears, and Dr. Staffenberg ten times that amount. I flinched at the cost — $350 for the first pair, and then after ten days, if another set was needed, another $250.

“It’s cheaper than plastic surgery,” said Dr. Staffenberg, noting that from the age of about 6 or 7 ears could be pinned back in surgery under anesthesia, which can cost around $8,000.

“And painless,” Young added. She’d had some six-month-old patients with promising results, although she wouldn’t guarantee any for my baby.

“What’s the harm?” my husband said.

Indeed. Aside from looking like she had a Bluetooth on each ear, and the judgment I got from anyone who saw it (until I started lying and saying it was for an infection). Oh, and the fact that she didn’t like it, demonstrated by the way she furiously turned her head from side to side to fall asleep. The left one came off after a day.

“Most babies don’t notice it,” Young said, replacing the Ear Well free of charge. The pair lasted almost until the next appointment, and for the last few days we taped the ears down with the medical tape they’d given us. (The nurse practitioner said that in the south, that’s how everyone does it!)

And guess what? Her ears improved. At the appointment the staff agreed she didn’t need any more intervention. She was perfect.

…Except for her cheeks. Without protruding ears, didn’t they look rather large?

Vatican: Iran must join fight against terrorism

Pope Francis held talks with Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, at the Vatican Tuesday, calling on Tehran to play a key role in stopping the spread of terrorism as Iran tries to improve its image in the global arena following an agreement on its nuclear program.
Hassan Rouhani made the first state visit to Europe by an Iranian president in almost two decades this week, following the lifting of sanctions against his country.

The pontiff warmly clasped the hand of President Hassan Rouhani in the first official call paid on a pontiff by an Iranian president since 1999. They held 40 minutes of private talks before Rouhani met with other top Vatican officials.

The talks "delved into the conclusion and application of the nuclear accord, and the important role that Iran is called upon to play, together with other countries of the region, was highlighted," the Holy See said.

It added that that role should "foster adequate political solutions to the issues plaguing the Middle East, fighting the spread of terrorism and arms trafficking."
The "cordial" talks also stressed common spiritual values, the statement said.

Usually it's the pope who asks his audience to pray for him. This time, after the two men spoke with the help of Italian and Farsi language translators, it was the guest who asked the pope for prayers. "I ask you to pray for me," Rouhani said.

The Vatican meeting was a key part of the Iranian effort to take a more prominent place on the world stage after the nuclear deal with Western powers.

Iran, which agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for an end to economic sanctions, is eager to carve out a bigger role in mediating Middle East conflicts. Francis' papacy has emphasized mediation and conflict-resolution, including his role in helping Cuba and the United States to normalize their relations.

Rouhani heads to France today on his four-day European trip seeking to boost Iran's image abroad as well as to rehabilitate economic ties with a continent that had been a big trade partner before the sanctions.

Francis gave Rouhani a medal depicting St. Martin giving his cloak to a poor man in the cold, describing the saint's act as "a sign of unsolicited brotherhood."
Rouhani brought a gift of a hand-made rug that he said was made in the Iranian holy city of Qom.

Before going to the Vatican, Rouhani told a forum of business leaders in Rome that "Iran is the safest and most stable country of the entire region."
Italy also sees Iran as a potential peacemaker in Syria's civil war, as the Italian government fears the warfare will further destabilize Libya — just across the Mediterranean from southern Italy — fuel terrorism and jeopardize energy security.

"Italy has always backed the role of Iran as a regional player in resolving tensions in the area, starting with the Syrian crisis," Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said after meeting his Iranian counterpart, according to his office.

Rouhani has described the political talks leading to the nuclear deal as a potential blueprint for pursuing peace in the Middle East

President Buhari to visit Kenya, participate in 26th Summit of African Union Leaders

President Muhammadu Buhari will leave AbujaWednesday on a three-day state tour to Kenya. The tour is aimed at enhancing bilateral and trade ties with Kenya. This is contained in a statement made by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity on Tuesday, January 26.

On arrival in Kenya, President Buhari will join his host, President Uhuru Kenyatta and other dignitaries at a memorial service for Kenyan soldiers who were killed by Al-Shabaab in Somalia on January 15.

After the memorial service in Eldoret, President Buhari will proceed to Nairobi for bilateral talkson Thursday with Kenyan Government officials led by President Kenyatta.

Before the conclusion of his visit, President Buhari and President Kenyatta will jointly preside over a Kenya-Nigeria Business Forum in Nairobi. The President's entourage to Kenya will include the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Industry, Trade and Investment.

 

At the conclusion of his visit to Kenya on Friday, President Buhari will go on to Addis Ababa for the 26th Summit of African Union Heads of State and Government.

President Buhari will also participate in a meeting of the African Union's Peace and Security Council before returning to Abuja onSunday, January 31st.

Two BASE jumpers drown in Big Sur tragedy

A BASE jumper who parachuted off a bridge overlooking the Pacific Ocean likely drowned, as did the man who heroically jumped in to try and save her, according to police.

The two thrill-seekers have been missing in the Big Sur area since Saturday morning.

Monterey County Sheriff's officials say a video from a helmet camera shows Mary Katherine 'Katie' Connell, of Ventura, descending nearly 300 feet and landing on Bixby Creek, which feeds into the Pacific.

Shortly after the landing, three large waves overtake her and she vanishes from view, presumably having been dragged out to sea. 

Sheriff Steve Bernal says her companion, identified as a BASE jumping instructor from Finland, then leaped off the bridge to help her, reported the station KION.

 

While the male victim's name was being withheld by the authorities pending the notification of next of kin, it is believed that the man who attempted to save Katie Connell was Rami Kajala.

According to his Facebook page, Kajala, a Finnish national, was a BASE jumping instructor and flight suit designer who was friends with Ms Connell. 

His final status update, dated January 13, featured more than a half-dozen photos of the young woman jumping from a cliff in Perris, California, in one of Kajala's custom-made 'tracking' suits.

 

According to his website and his social media postings, Kajala had been BASE jumping since 2003 and had 2,500 jumps to his name. In 2013, he started the company RavenBase.com, which manufactures and sells tracking suits designed to fly. 

 

'BASE' is a term that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: building, antenna, span and Earth. Practitioners of the extreme sport parachute or wingsuit-fly from man-made structures or cliffs.

In BASE jumping, tracking is a freefall technique in which jumpers assume a forward position that would take them away from the fix object, be it a cliff or a bridge, as they fall.

Kajala, who referred to himself as a 'master jedi tracker,' operated a BASE jumping school offering courses in the art of tracking.

Lagos bans parties, social functions in public schools

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said it would no longer allow social functions and parties in public schools just as owners of private schools across the state have been warned to comply with rules and regulations guiding their operations.

The Deputy Governor of the State, Dr. Mrs Idiat Oluranti Adebule who disclosed this while briefing the media on the strategic focus of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration on education for 2016, said the Governor had directed that schools should no longer be used for social functions.

 

She said:

“The Governor has directed that schools will no longer be used for social activities any longer. We want to implore members of the public to report any school that violates this directive and we would ensure that defaulting schools are sanctioned accordingly.”

Adebule, who also oversees the Ministry of Education, said the state government was putting a searchlight on the standard of education in the private schools, saying it will no longer be business as usual for such schools that undermine best practices.

 

She said as a first step, the government will engage with private school owners and proprietors to intimate them on the action plan of the present administration towards improving the standard of education, saying that though government is willing to partner with private schools, they must also be willing to adhere strictly to the acceptable standard.

“Much as private schools are partners in the sector, we would not fold our hands and watch the standard flopped. Some schools even operate without registering with the government. We want to urge such schools to do the right thing or government will have no choice but to do what it has to do,” she said.

 

Earlier, Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh, while giving a detailed presentation on the policy thrust of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration for the education sector, said the state government intends to construct the biggest digital library.

 

He said the government was already at the planning stage of the library, while the actual establishment of the project would commence in the next quarter of the year.

He said the state government will build 10 new model schools with state of the art facilities, while two new technical colleges will be built in the course of the year in areas where such facilities are urgently needed.

On the Ibile Tablets, Bank Olemoh said 324,000 tablets to Senior Secondary School students, adding that plans have been concluded to register all students in both public and private schools in the state under the Lagos State Student Personal Administration Number (LASPIN) project to aid proper planning.

 

On the free meal in schools project, he said the state government is currently perfecting its framework for the eventual take off, saying that the project is expected to on the one hand, enhance the learning capacity of the pupils and on the other, boost the economy of the state.

 

 

SIGNED

HABIB ARUNA
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
JANUARY 26, 2016.

Oprah Winfrey made $12 million from one tweet about bread

Oprah Winfrey just made more news, saying she lost 26 pounds on her Weight Watchers diet. Even better, her wallet got a lot fatter. According to Market Watch, Winfrey racked in a whopping $12 million for merely writing about how she was able to lose weight and still eat bread.

"I lost 26 pounds, and I have eaten bread every single day," she said in her testimonial clip.
An hour after O sent her story into the Twitterverse, Weight Watchers shares climbed slightly over $2 a share, and since Winfrey owns roughly 6 million shares, the surge in share prices made the celeb $12 million just like that.

Oprah as a board member and large share owner of the company. She's made a fortune since her October investment. Using a price of $13 a share from Tuesday afternoon, that means she's made $61 million on her total investment.

On a per-pound basis, that's $2.36 million of profits gained for each pound lost.

She has the best of both worlds: getting richer while getting slimmer.

Oprah's October investment came at a price of $6.79 per share. She bought about 6.36 million shares, which cost her $43.2 million.

She was also granted 3.51 million options to buy shares at that same $6.79 price. Combining shares and options, her total stake is worth almost 10 million shares — 9.88 million shares to be more specific. The stock has practically doubled in that time, even including the rapid decline in the past several weeks.

This Photo of a Potato Sold for over $1 Million

According to the Independent, a European businessman purchased this photo of a potato for 1 million euros ($1,086,950). Of course, it's probably not the potato itself that made the photograph so pricey. It was taken by acclaimed photographer Kevin Abosch in 2010 and is one of three versions of the print in existence.

Abosch says it's the most expensive photo he's ever sold, and most of his work typically goes for around $280,000. So if any photo of a potato is ever going to be worth $1 million, it seems this would be the one.
Still, that's an absurd price to pay for a photo ofa potato.

Chaos at 1004 Estate as former facility manager tried to shut down power to the estate

There was chaos at 1004 estate, Victoria Island, Lagos this night after a bunch of thugs organized by Samuel Ukpong, the former facility manager of 1004 attempted to take over the power plant of the estate. According to a LIB source, about 60 thugs dressed in black went to the power plant and attempted to shut down power to the estate but were overpowered by police men who were called by the homeowners and resident association of 1008.



Before then, the thugs had tried to disarm the guards attached to estate and when residents and home owners got involved, a few of them were assaulted. They managed to chase the thugs to the admin block and called police re-enforcement. Ukpong took off while some of his thugs were arrested.

Ukpong was the facility manager of the estate until December 5th 2015 when he was relieved of his duties by the Homeowners and residents association of 1004. They are currently in court