NIGERIA ANNOUNCES 30-MAN PROVISIONAL WORLD CUP SQUAD.

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has invited 30 players in his provisional squad for the 2014 World Cup that starts on June 12.

The reigning African champions will be making their fifth appearance at football's showpiece and have been drawn in the same group with Argentina, Iran and Bosnia.

Usual suspects Vincent Enyeama, Mikel Obi, Efe Ambrose, Godfrey Oboabona, Ahmed Musa and Victor Moses are called, as well as dark horses Ramon Azeez, Michael Babatunde and Azubuike Egwuekwe while midfield ace Joel Obi and Peter Odemwingie return after several months in the international wilderness.

DOPE VIDEO - AVAILABLE - @IAMAYOJAY

AVAILABLE

Smashing effort by Ayo Jay... Dope visuals...



Enjoy the video.

BOKO HARAM: THE ESSENCE OF TERROR.

There are many groups listed by the U.S. State Department as terrorists. But few fit the classic definition -- threatening and inflicting terror on a civilian population -- better than Boko Haram in northern Nigeria. What's more difficult to work out, beyond Boko Haram's hatred for everything modern and secular, is its ideology, structure and affiliations.

Boko Haram's modus operandi is all too clear: brutal and indiscriminate killings of both Christians and Muslims in northern Nigeria, the bombings of churches and suicide attacks in the federal capital, Abuja, including the devastating car bombing of the U.N. compound in 2011. Recent attacks in the northeast, mainly in rural areas of Borno state, have left dozens dead. Victims are shot at point-blank range or stabbed and mutilated. Some attacks have lasted hours without any police or military intervention.

In the first three months of this year, Amnesty International estimates, Boko Haram was responsible for the deaths of more than 1,500 people.

ANOTHER DELEGATE DIES AT NATIONAL CONFAB.

LATE DR. JUMARE

The National Conference sitting in Abuja was on Monday hit by another sad news of the death of a delegate, Dr Mohammed Abubakar Jumare, from Kaduna State.

 The confab had earlier lost retired police AIG Hamma Misau from Bauchi state

Dr Jumare who came to the Conference as an Elder Statesman died in the early hours of Monday in Abuja and was buried later in the day in Zaria.

FORMER LAGOS GOVERNOR "SIR OTEDOLA" DIES AT 87.

Former governor of Lagos State, Sir Michael Otedola, has passed on. He died in the early hours of yesterday during a protracted illness, aged 87.

His widow, Lady Doja, who confirmed his death on behalf of the family, said funeral arrangements would be announced later.

Otedola, who may have suffered a stroke that had kept him out of the public for the past five years was born on July 16, 1926 into a Muslim family at Odoragunsin, Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Having completed his elementary school, he moved to Lagos to pursue further education and won a scholarship to study Journalism at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London where he graduated in 1958.

He began his career as a teacher before working as a reporter at the St. Pancras Chronicle and later sub-editor at The Guardian and The Times both in England.

SECURITY BEEFED UP AT SHERATON HOTELS IN LAGOS AFTER US TERROR WARNING.

Security has been beefed up in and around the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos and Four Points By Sheraton, Lekki, Lagos.

This followed the warning by the United States Mission in Nigeria that “groups associated with terrorism” were planning to mount “unspecified attack” on the hotels.

Our correspondent who visited Four Points By Sheraton, on Monday observed that a team of soldiers attached to OP MESA were stationed at the entrance of Simeon Akilonu Crescent, which is some 150 metres away from the hotel.

Also, policemen from the Maroko Division of the Lagos State Police Command were seen strategically positioned on Prince Alaba Oniru Road, where the major entrance into the hotel is located.

#10BNJETSCANDAL - REPS STALL HEARING ON DIEZIANI MADUEKE'S SUIT...

Failure of the House of Representatives to honour the summons issued against it by the Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, stalled hearing on the suit by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Trial judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed had, on April 29, directed the lower House to appear before him yesterday to explain the origin of the restraining order it said stopped its Public Accounts Committee, PAC, from investigating allegation that the Minister spent N10 billion on chartered private jets.

Members of the committee, led by its Chairman, Solomon Olamilekan, had at a press conference held on April 28, said they were served with a restraining order from the court, stopping further investigation into the allegation against the Minister.

They accused the judiciary of attempting to usurp their oversight function, saying they would suspend the investigation to study the said restraining order with a view to responding accordingly.

(VIDEO) THE COMEBACK THAT RUINED LIVERPOOL'S TITLE AMBITION."CYP 3 LIV 3"

SUAREZ WEEPS

Brendan Rodgers believes that Liverpool's Premier League title challenge is over and expects Manchester City to be crowned champions after the Reds slipped to an incredible 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace on Monday.

The visitors were three goals up with less than 15 minutes to play at Selhurst Park thanks to finishes from Joe Allen, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez.

But an unbelievable comeback from the hosts, who pulled level through Damien Delaney and a Dwight Gayle double, saw the points shared, with Rodgers predicting Manuel Pellegrini's side to wrap up the title with two home wins.

See video after the cut........

I WILL SELL ABDUCTED CHIBOK GIRLS - BOKO HARAM LEADER SHKAU SPEAKS.

The terrorist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, on Monday claimed responsibility for the April 14 abduction of over 267 pupils of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno State.

The Agence France-Presse quoted the leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau, as making the claim in a video the agency said it obtained.

Shekau, in the video, also threatened to sell off the abducted girls in defiance of international outrage that greeted the kidnapping of the girls from their hostel.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.

Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the seizure of the girls barely 24hours after President Goodluck Jonathan told the nation that no group had claimed responsibility for the abduction.

(HILARIOUS VIDEO) PATIENCE JONATHAN'S WEEPING VIDEO TURNS INTERNET SENSATION... Chai Chai Chai

The catchphrase – “There is God ooo” – went trending on major social networking sites on Monday. The catchphrase was the statement the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, used repeatedly on Sunday night, while holding a stakeholders’ meeting over the circumstances surrounding the abduction of about 276 female pupils of  the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

A video clip showing Patience charging at some attendees of the meeting before bursting into tears has since gone viral online.

See video and read more after the cut....

TIWA & TEEBILZ REPLIES TO ETCETERA'S ARTICLE.

An article written by musician/columnis, Etcetera, titled "Female celebs prefer second-hand husbands" which was published yesterday has caught the attention of newly married diva Tiwa Balogun and her husband who doubles as her manager, Tunji Balogun (Teebilz).

Maybe they should have ignored the article like TuBaba does all the time... Moreover, the writer didn't mention names.... 

Read below their responses below.....

Female Celebrities Prefer 2nd Hand Husbands - ETCETERA

Some days ago I was at a friend's place and was asked by his sisters if I was traveling abroad for the wedding of a colleague that is still being talked about on blogs and on all social networking sites in Nigeria and I said no I wasn't. But what struck me as odd was when one of them asked me "is she getting married to a brand new husband or a 2nd hand husband"? I stared at her in shock and confusion because up until that moment, I had never heard of a phrase as "brand new or 2nd hand husband. It became a heated debate amongst people in the house that day. 'wow', I never thought a phrase like 2nd hand can be attributed to a human being. I know it is only applicable to objects. 

Stella Damasus Speaks on Abducted Nigerian Girls.. #BringBackOurGirls...

#BringBackOurGirls

Stella Damasus speaks on the abducted school girls in Nigeria....... NIGERIA NEEDS HELP......

US court orders Samsung to pay Apple $119.6m in patent lawsuit.

Technology giant Samsung is ordered to pay $119.6m (£71m) to arch-rival Apple by a US court for infringing two of its patents.

During the month-long trial in a San Jose, California, federal court, Apple accused Samsung of violating patents on smartphone features including universal search, while Samsung denied wrongdoing. On Friday, the jury found the South Korean smartphone maker had infringed two Apple patents.

Apple and Samsung have been litigating around the world for three years. Jurors awarded the iPhone maker about $930m after a 2012 trial in San Jose, but Apple failed to persuade USDistrict Judge Lucy Koh to issue a permanent injunction against the sale of Samsung phones in the United States.

TWO FORMER LEADERS ARE SPONSORS OF BOKO HARAM - FEMI FANI KAYODE

My worst fears have been confirmed and sadly the Haramites of Boko have struck again. Another terrible bomb blast has taken place in Abuja and many innocent people have been butchered, slaughtered and maimed.

At the last count the number of those killed is no less than 39 despite attempts by the international and local media to play the number of casualties down.

This damning display of primordial and pure savagery by Boko Haram comes barely two weeks after over 100 innocent people, including women and children, were killed by another bomb, on the same spot and by the same people. This is surely too much for us to bear.

Worse still, the country, and indeed the international community, is still grappling with the Chibok affair in which no less than 234 young school girls were abducted from their schools and turned into sex slaves by Boko Haram.

SSS PREVENTS FORMER CBN GOV. FROM TRAVELLING DESPITE COURT RULING - CITES ORDERS FROM THE PRESIDENCY

The State Security Service (SSS) has prevented the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, from traveling abroad. 

Mr. Sanusi was stopped at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, in Kano, on his way to France for an onward journey to Mecca for the lesser Hajj.

The Nigerian secret police, the SSS also seized Mr. Sanusi’s personal passport. Despite Sanusi’s presentation of a court order preventing the government from harassing him and restraining his movement, the SSS agents stuck to their guns. The agents told Sanusi that they were obeying an order from the presidency.

TRAGEDY IN CROSS RIVER AS 4 PERISH TRYING TO RETRIEVE BUCKET FROM A WELL.

One after another, four men entered a water well and drowned while trying to retrieve a bucket when  the string cut letting the bucket to sink to the bottom of the well.

The incident, which happened  along Ogoja Road, Ikom in the Central Senatorial District of Cross River State, attracted  sympathisers  some of them attributing the tragedy to a spiritual force.

The first person to enter the well, John Ushie, according to a resident of the compound  who gave her name as Janet, was preparing to go to  work  that morning and wanted to take his bath. Ushie decided to fetch water from the well but the string with which the bucket  he was drawing the water fell inside the well. When the string gave way, he decided to retrieve it by jumping into the well but ended up gulping  water and drowned.

NO END IN SIGHT FOR ELECTRICITY CHALLENGES IN NIGERIA.

Nigerians complaining over poor electricity supply should brace up for tougher times as the confusion over new ownership of the generating and distributing companies continues. If the agitations of electricity workers are sustained, there would be further disruptions that could lower already poor supplies.

The issues would become more contentious now that the new companies that spawned last year from NEPA, as we commonly knew it, were supposed to have taken over the businesses at the beginning of this month.

A six-month transition contract to assist the new successor companies assess NEPA staff to determine those they would keep has ended. What should be a smooth transition with those not employed disengaged, is brewing a crisis.  The Federal Government reportedly paid N380 billion as the entitlement of NEPA workers.

MY FATHER WANTED ME TO BE A LAWYER/DOCTOR - @TOOLZ

Since popular OAP , Tolu Oniru known simply as Toolz came back from the United Kingdom with a degree  in Business and Mass Communication from the London Metropolitan University to take up a job in the broadcast media, things have been on the up and up for her.

The vivacious beauty who was born in Lagos to the famous Oniru family of Lagos is respected as an on-air-personality for her blend  of natural humour, love of most things, showbiz, passion for music and strong African entertainment knowledge.

In this interview with Esther Onyegbula of Vanguard Newspapers, Toolz lets us into her world.:

It’s been over three years since you moved back to Nigeria from the UK, how has it been? Are there any regrets?

I moved in 2009 actually. It has been one of the toughest but most rewarding journeys I’ve been on (and still on). I try not to focus on regrets. I miss constant electricity, hate Lagos traffic, but I believe I have made an impact here that I wouldn’t have, if I had remained in the UK.

BOKO HARAM MAY STRIKE IN ABUJA AGAIN - RETIRED GENERALS.

There are indications that the Boko Haram attack on the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Thursday might not be last of the deadly onslaughts on the seat of the Federal Government.

Barely three weeks after the  sect carried out a car bomb attack on a motor park in Nyanya, a suburb of Abuja, killing over 75 persons, the sect attacked the same vicinity again with another car bomb, which claimed about 30 lives on Thursday evening.

Some retired Army generals and former senior security operatives, said Abuja was under siege and urged security agents to rise up to the challenge and stop the sect from overrunning the FCT.