PDP Splits: 7 Governors, Oyinlola, Atiku, Baraje Form New Faction

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP), and it held its annual convention in Abuja. However the party officially split in 2 factions. 2015 will prove interesting- make or mar for Nigeria. See previous related post HERE.

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and 7 governors: Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State, Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and the River State governor, Chibuike Amaechi announced the formation of a splinter group from the mainstream PDP.


Hours later, the splinter-group held a mini convention at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre and announced officers for its version of PDP, with a former chairman, Abubakar Baraje, from Kwara state emerging the new chairman.

Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former governor of Osun State, who was removed by the President Goodluck Jonathan faction as secretary is the new secretary of the new faction of PDP.

Also elected today as Deputy Chairman was Dr. Sam Jaja, while Binta Kaoje was elected as woman leader.

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Pope Francis Takes 'Selfie' With Teenagers (Photo)

Many faithfuls like to think of the Pope as 'God on Earth'- who rather than mingle with mere mortals should stay on his high pedestal. But Pope Francis in his usual style, broke protocol to take an impromptu photo snap or selfie with a group of teenagers in the Church of Saint Augustine in Rome, on August 28, 2013. A once in a lifetime shot for the happy teenagers.

This week, the Oxford English Dictionary included the word "selfie" to denote a self-taken photograph on a smartphone.

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Meet British Bushmeat Master

Meet Arthur Boyt, from Cornwall, UK, who has been eating roadkill for over 50 years. Mr Boyt sees no issue in eating dead animals, he does not kill them himself but rather picks them up from the side of the road after they have been run over on roads around his home in Bodmin Moor, Cornwall.

His long-suffering wife, Sue Boyt, 59, does not share his taste in meat as she is a vegetarian. Mr Boyt collects the animals with a shovel, skins them and cuts the meat into joints, often making them into a stew or sandwich.

His diet regularly includes fox, hare, sparrow, deer, pigeon and even a porcupine he brought back from a holiday in Canada. Check his DNA, this man has some Africa in his blood. LOL!


He said: 'People are happy to eat an apple which has fallen out of the tree - so what's the difference? Just because it hasn't got a label on doesn't mean it's not edible.'

Mr Boyt's eating habits began when he was 13, after he discovered a dead pheasant in a park.

'I took it home and asked mum to cook it and it was delicious.'

Mr Boyt collects the animals with a shovel, skins them and cuts the meat into joints, often making them into a stew or sandwich.

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US and France Prepare to Strike Syria

U.S missile strikes against Syria could start tomorrow after U.N. weapons inspectors left the war-torn country earlier than expected.

The team of chemical weapons inspectors left their Damascus hotel early today - possibly for neighboring Lebanon - fueling speculation of an imminent attack.

It came as the White House delivered an astonishing snub to Britain following Thursday's shock Commons defeat, with sources saying David Cameron had 'bungled' securing British support for military action and that Britain 'cannot be counted on'.


U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry last night paved the way for war by saying the American intelligence community had 'high confidence' that the regime launched a chemical weapons attack on the outskirts of Damascus last week.

President Barack Obama yesterday said he is weighing ‘limited and narrow’ action as the administration put the chemical weapons death toll at 1,429 people - far more than previous estimates - including more than 400 children.

Halfway around the world, U.S. warships were in place in the Mediterranean Sea. They carried cruise missiles, long a 1st-line weapon of choice for presidents because they can find a target hundreds of miles distant without need of air cover or troops on the ground.

Seeking to reassure Americans weary after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama insisted there would be no ‘boots on the ground.'

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said today that it would be 'utter nonsense' for the Syrian government to use chemical weapons when it was winning the war, and urged U.S. President Barack Obama not to attack Syrian forces.

Putin said: 'That is why I am convinced that it (the chemical attack) is nothing more than a provocation by those who want to drag other countries into the Syrian conflict, and who want to win the support of powerful members of the international arena, especially the United States,"

Meanwhile, the Syrian government said U.S claims were ‘flagrant lies’ akin to faulty Bush administration assertions before the Iraq invasion that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

** President Barack Obama on Saturday declared that he has decided that the United States should launch limited military strikes against Syria and pressed Congress to authorize them: "I will seek authorization for the use of force from the American people's representatives in Congress."

Source Link: US and France Prepare To Strike Syria As Early As Tomorrow Over Chemical Attack That Killed 1,429

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New Clues Indicate Diana May Have Been Murdered (16 Years After)

Today is the 16th anniversary of Diana’s death and there are bunches of fresh flowers on the gilded gates leading to her London home, Kensington Palace. The flowers to commemorate the Princess may be fewer now, but there are still as many questions into her death as ever. Was the British Royal Family involved in Diana's Death?

Many accounts suggest that Diana’s death was no accident. According to Sue Reid (Special investigations Editor of Daily Mail), her investigations show that the paparazzi who supposedly hounded Diana to her death were not even in the Pont d'Alma tunnel at the time of the car crash.

Dodi and Diana

They also reveal how a high-powered black motorbike — which did not belong to any of the paparazzi — shot past Diana’s Mercedes in the tunnel. Eyewitnesses say its rider and pillion passenger deliberately caused the car to crash. See the illustration above.

In addition, inquiries have unearthed the existence of a shadowy SAS unit that answers to MI6, as well as the names of two MI6 officers who were linked by a number of sources to Diana’s death.

Could the Establishment really have turned Henri Paul (the chauffeur) and the paparazzi into scapegoats? Could there have been a skilful cover-up by people in powerful places to hide exactly what did happen? 

There is little doubt that Diana, recently divorced from Prince Charles, was a thorn in the side of the Royal Family. Her romance with Dodi, though only 6 weeks old, was serious. the mother of a future King of England and head of the Church of England was threatening to move abroad with her Muslim boyfriend and take the royal Princes, William and Harry, with her. 

Ostracised by the Royal Family and stripped of her HRH title, Diana was said to be excited by the prospect.

Dodi’s father, Mohamed Al Fayed, the multi-millionaire former owner of Harrods, insists Diana was pregnant by his son and preparing to tell the young Princes (William and Harry) about her forthcoming marriage when she returned to Britain on September 1 — the day after the crash — before they went back to boarding school.

However far-fetched it sounds, all the Establishment concerns about Diana were genuine. But could this really have led to her assassination? And if so, how could it have been carried out?

Source Link: Diana, That SAS Murder Claim - Sue Reid, Who's Studied All The Evidence, Has Found Tantalising New Clues

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Sperm Donation Business Booming in Lagos

According to the Chief Consultant and Head, Obstetrician and Fertility Department, Eko Hospitals, Dr. Adegbite Ogunmokun, male fertility has significantly declined in recent times.

He said: “If 10 couples come in, there will be problem with the male in 6 of them, using our parameter of 20 million sperm per millimetre. But 10 to 15 years ago, maybe about 4 out of 10 men would have problem.”

Punch correspondents, who visited some fertility centres in Lagos, learnt that more men are having low sperm count, thus necessitating the need for more volunteer donors. But because donors are scarce, fertility clinics offer as much as N50,000 to men who are interested in selling their sperm.

Sperm bank workers in China masturbating donors to ejaculate

They also pay more when sellers have special features that the beneficiaries are looking for.

Like blood sellers, investigations show that many people in Lagos, especially students, now sell their sperms anytime they need money.

A student of the University of Lagos, who identified himself as John, said he had sold sperm to a few fertility centres in Lagos. John said he had been funding his education for the past 2 years with what he earned from selling his sperm.

John said he was introduced to the programme by a friend and that he had in turn brought in 2 other friends to the ‘business’.

“I’ve sold to a number of fertility centres. The money has really helped me to stay in school. It takes care of my tuition and some other personal needs,” John said, with a measure of satisfaction.

“It’s cool money, really and I’m also doing a service to mankind by helping out some people in need. Even friends that I introduced to it have not turned back since then.”

An employee in a Lagos fertility clinic, who identified himself as Olufunsho, said that some women would pay any amount to get a sperm seller with the features they want.

He said, “We pay N50,000 here but there are times when women come in and request that, at all cost, they must get a tall man. The person can earn more when they make such requests, especially if we don't have any that fits the profile in our bank.

“There was a time a woman came and requested that we get a tall man for her at all cost. I showed her the samples we had, but she did not like the profile. She said she was not satisfied with the heights. And we were unable to get what she wanted from the sellers that came at the time.

“The sellers that came then were either AS, or positive with hepatitis B or had low sperm count. We had up to twelve sellers that came and we were unable to get anybody. In such cases, we could offer a lot more when we find the right person. Sometimes, such people are also in a position to negotiate for what they want.”

However, subsequent drops attract lesser amounts of money for the same seller.

To sell sperm, the person, according to Olufunsho, must stay off sex for 5 days. He undergoes some tests to confirm that he is not HIV positive and that he also has healthy sperm among others.

He said, “If the same person is still interested and we still need him, he would repeat the screening process again. We pay N10, 000 per ejaculation for other subsequent ones. With my own discretion, if the quality of the sperm is good and we have somebody who needs something that matches perfectly with that seller, we may reduce the probation period, but the sperm must be very good.

“Although that is the protocol, it could always be amended when there is nothing wrong with the person. Even if someone ejaculates the 1st time and in 20 minutes time, he does the same, it is still going to be good, but not as good as the first one.”
Investigation showed that fertility centres want sellers between 18 and 45 years of age and expect them to abstain from sex, 2 to 5 days before giving sperm sample, depending on the centre.

Other conditions to be met by potential sperm sellers include testing negative to HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, sickle cell and some other sexually transmitted diseases. Tests are also carried out to determine the count, morphology (shape) and motility of the sperm cells.

In addition, fertility centres claim to also place a high premium on average intelligence, education and lifestyle. But such claims are not always true as more emphases are actually placed on height and other physical attributes.

“It is not immediately that we pay. We prefer AA genotype because it can be given to anybody, unlike AS that cannot be given to just anybody,” Olufunsho added.

However, an employee in another fertility clinic in Lagos, Akin, said sperm sellers could get paid within a week of starting the process. This is possible only if they satisfy the conditions.

He said, “If the motility is good, the count is good and you're okay, then, you can produce for us. If everything is okay, within a week, you can get your money.”

The demand for sperm has made the fertility business a lucrative one. Many of the fertility centres in Lagos have facilities for sperm preservation, where it’s freezing costs about N50,000 per quarter.

Ogunmokun said fertility centres focus more on university undergraduates to ensure that sperm donors have a certain degree of intelligence.

He said, “The current practice is to actually recruit sperm donors and the focus is on undergraduates. The focus is on students because they should be able to provide their ID cards so that background checks can be done.”

According to research, sperm concentration in men has decreased by a third since 1990s while sperm count is has decreased by half over the past 50 years.

Source Link: Fertility Clinics- Lagosians Make Money Selling Sperm for N50,000

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Bayern Munich Defeat Chelsea To Win UEFA Super Cup (Photo Highlights)

Franck Ribéry lifts the Super Cup trophy after Bayern Munich's victory

Tonight Bayern Munich beat 10-man Chelsea 5-4 on penalties to lift the UEFA Super Cup and gain a measure of revenge for their 2012 Champions League final defeat. The game ended 2-2 after 120 minutes of action.

Fernando Torres gave Chelsea the lead before Frank Ribery equalised. Eden Hazard restored Chelsea's lead despite Ramires being sent off but Martinez and Bayern had the last word.
Congratz to Bayern fans. Go below for more photo highlight:

Romelu Lukaku missed the decisive spot-kick after Chelsea came within seconds of victory in extra time only for Javi Martinez to take the game to penalties.

Eden Hazard (right) gave Chelsea an extra time goal

Fernando Torres looked confident and gave Chelsea an early lead in the 1st half

Franck Ribery equalized for Bayern Munich early in the 2nd half 

Ramires was given a red card for a reckless tackle on Mario Gotze

Javi Martinez of Bayern scores a late equaliser

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Bianca Ojukwu Threatens To Sue Femi Fani-Kayode

It has been reported that Bianca Ojukwu's lawyers have written a letter to Femi Fani Kayode (FFK) asking him to apologize and also retract the statement he made a few weeks ago claiming he dated her many years back or face a lawsuit. The result of too-much-talk-talk.

In the letter, Bianca said she has never met FFK. Femi has responded to the threat. Read the letter from Bianca's lawyers and FFK's response below:

From Bianca's Lawyer:

“We have been briefed and our services retained by Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain to demand from you an unreserved apology and a retraction of a false and malicious statement, which you published online and also caused to be published in the Leadership Newspaper of August 16, 2013.

"In the said article entitled, ‘Neither a Tribalist nor a Hater,’ you recklessly alleged, as follows: ‘I was not a tribalist when I had a long standing and intimate relationship with Miss Bianca Onoh…’, a statement, which you know is untrue and unfounded, but only calculated to lower our client’s esteem and damage her national and international reputation.

"Our client has never met you, does not know you in person and has never had any official or private relationship with you how much more ‘a long-standing and intimate relationship.’

“Our client is therefore, outraged by your bizarre and scandalous allegation and the numerous mails and telephone calls she has received from friends, relations and admirers who are equally embarrassed and who seek to confirm the veracity or otherwise of your false and reckless publication.

“Your apparent lame and half-hearted attempt, as published in the Leadership Newspaper of 17th August 2013, to clarify your false and malicious allegation falls far short of a retraction and does not sufficiently address the damage to our client arising from the widespread dissemination of your false publication and is therefore unacceptable to our client.

“In the circumstances, we demand, on the instruction of our client that you submit to her a clear and unqualified apology and retraction published in The Sun and Thisday newspapers in addition to having the retraction published online.

“Take note that should you fail to tender the apology and publish a retraction of your false and malicious publication, seven days next after your receipt of this demand notice, our further instructions are to seek appropriate redress in court. And that shall be without further recourse to you. Be properly guided.”


Chief Femi Fani Kayode has responded via his spokesperson - Mr Bisi Lawal

This morning Chief Femi Fani-Kayode woke up to find a letter that was published as an advertorial in Thisday Newspaper purportedly by Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu's lawyer threatening to sue him for mentioning her in his article and claiming that she has never met him before. She also said that he was being malicious. The matter has of course been referred to Chief Fani-Kayode's lawyers who will now take it up.

Ordinarily he would have not have said a word about this matter because he sympathises with her for whatever she may have been going through. However now that she has put it in the public realm Chief Fani-Kayode is compelled to formally respond. To the assertion that he never knew her and that they were never friends he says this is false and he asks why would he lie? The public evidence is to the contrary. Chief Fani-Kayode would not want to say anything to embarrass her because that would be ungentlemanly.

He sympathises with her delicate situation and once again he expresses his regrets about the fact that his statement about her was misconstrued. We shall just leave it at that.

Signed by Mr. Bisi Lawal on behalf of Femi Fani Kayode

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Kate Middleton Makes First Public Appearance Since Child Birth

The Duchess of Cambridge undertook her first public engagement following the birth of Prince George this morning. She showcased her signature sophisticated style by stepping out in black skinny jeans, a polka-dot blouse and a moss green blazer.

Kate joined husband Prince William as he officially started a 135 mile round-the-island marathon on Anglesey where they live.


They did not bring their son, 5-week-old Prince George, with them. This is the first time that the Duchess has been seen since leaving hospital following George's birth on July 22.

The Duchess's next official engagement will be on September 12 when she attends the inaugural Tusk Conservation Awards with her husband in London.

After George's birth the couple went to live with Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, at their £4.8 million mansion in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

William returned to his job as a Search and Rescue pilot at RAF Valley 2 weeks later following the end of his statutory paternity leave. Kate and his son then joined him a a fortnight ago.

At the moment the couple have no maternity nurse or nanny.

Source Link: Kate makes first public appearance

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Franck Ribery Wins UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for 2012/13

Bayern Munich’s French winger Franck Ribery on Thursday won the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for 2012/13.

 
The France international becomes the 3rd player to win the award, the two previous winners being Barcelona duo Lionel Messi (2011) and Andres Iniesta (2012).
Ribery won the award this time around ahead of Messi and Real Madrid’s Portugal striker Christiano Ronaldo.

The 74-time capped Ribery was instrumental to Bayern’s historic treble of the Champions League crown, the Bundesliga title and the German Cup.

Messi scored 69 goals last season and won the Spanish title, while Ronaldo rattled in 59 goals but only won the Spanish Supercup.

Ribery, meanwhile, scored 10 goals in 27 Bundesliga appearances as well as once on Bayern’s run to becoming European champions for the 5th time.

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Omotola Shares More Family Vacation Photos

Omotola Jalade Ekeinde who is still on vacation with her family in Italy, has shared more fun photos from their trip. See previous photos HERE and go below for more current photos.

 

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Photos: Pastor Anselm Madubuko & Emmy Kosgei's Traditional Wedding

Pastor Anselm Madubuko of Revival Assembly Church married Kenyan gospel artist Emmy Kosgei in a traditional wedding that held yesterday, Thursday August 29th in the Koibatek District of Kenya where the bride hails from. Congratz.

Apostle Madubuko lost his first wife, Connie Madubuko, on Friday July 6th 2012. Go below for more photos:

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UEFA Champions League Draw (2013\2014)

The draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League held in Monaco on 29 August 2013, today. The 32 teams were allocated into 4 pots based on their 2013 UEFA club coefficients, with the title holders being placed in Pot 1 automatically. They were drawn into 8 groups of 4, with the restriction that teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

In each group, teams will play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The match days are 17–18 September, 1–2 October, 22–23 October, 5–6 November, 26–27 November, and 10–11 December 2013.

The group winners and runners-up will advance to the round of 16, while the 3rd-placed teams will enter the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League round of 32. See all the groups below:

Group A

Group

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Manchester United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Shakhtar Donetsk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bayer 04 Leverkusen	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Real Sociedad	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group B

Group

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Real Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Juventus	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Galatasaray	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Copenhagen	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group C

Group

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Benfica	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Paris Saint-Germain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Olympiacos	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Anderlecht	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group D

Group

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Bayern Munich	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
CSKA Moscow	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Manchester City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Viktoria Plzeň	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group E

Group

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Chelsea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Schalke 04	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Basel	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Steaua București	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group F

Group

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Arsenal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Marseille	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Borussia Dortmund	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Napoli	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group G

Group

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Porto	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Atlético Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Zenit Saint Petersburg	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Austria Wien	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group H

Group

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Barcelona	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Milan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ajax	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Celtic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

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