Security: Army moves to retire 40 Generals

                          

ABUJA—In its bid to reposition the Nigerian Army for expected operational challenges in the coming year and beyond, the Nigerian Army Council has commenced issuing terminal letters to over 40 generals preparatory to their leaving the force.

The letters from the Military Secretary’s office said the letters are being issued to officers of the rank of colonel, brigadiers-general and majors-general and the letters take effect from January 2014. Many of the officers are to commence their retirement with immediate effect from this December.

Michael Schumacher's family in bedside vigil after ski accident

                            

                   

                          Michael Schumacher won seven world championships during his career

Credit: BBC

The family of German motor-racing champion Michael Schumacher is at his bedside as he fights for life following a skiing accident in the French Alps. Schumacher's manager, Sabine Kehm, said his wife, Corinna, daughter Gina Maria and son Mick are in a state of shock at the Grenoble hospital.

The seven-time Formula 1 champion suffered head injuries on Sunday in a fall at the resort of Meribel.

He has been put in a medically-induced coma to relieve pressure on his brain.

"The family is not doing very well, obviously. They are shocked," Sabine Kehm told reporters.

Why I Cut My Husband's Penis –– Female Banker Opens Up

                    

                   

A Lagos-based female banker, Bimbo Danju has told Punch why she cut her husband's penis...

“Please, kindly judge this by yourself. As a pregnant woman, will I willingly attempt to cut off my husband’s penis? I ordinarily would not have said anything. I did not realise this will escalate to this stage. The case is being handled by my lawyer at the moment. 

“My husband is not a hot-tempered man but he gets angry once in a while. He lied that he washes my clothes. He only did that once or twice when I was ill. We had a disagreement that day and he beat me up. My mother came to the house and took away our son. 

See Patience Jonathan's Billion Naira Hotel Under Construction In Yenagoa

                         

 A billion naira hotel belonging to Nigeria's first lady Patience Jonathan under construction in Bayelsa State. Lying next to it is an elephant project that could not be completed since tenure of corrupt former governor of the State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. President Goodluck Jonathan while he was governor of Bayelsa State took over the project but also did not finish it. The first lady's new hotel is only few months away from completion and almost ready for business.

Also in Otueke the family compound of the Jonathans is being fully guarded by military men.

                     

Music Producer ID Cabasa Turns Pastor In Lagos

                             
Top music producer, Olumide, popularly known as ID Cabasa, the guy who produced 9ice’s mega hit debut album, is reportedly now a pastor. He was ordained yesterday at Global Impact Church, Babs Animashaun, Surulere..

Credit:  Naija247

AUNTY AGBAYA!! Toyin Aimakhu-Johnson Curses Out On A Fellow Actress (SEE TWEETS)

                     
                     
Nollywood actress Toyin is mad pissed!!! She took everyone by surprise yesterday evening when she started tweeting stuffs directed at obviously one of her strong haters.
Her followers have been asking her to mention this agbaya's name so they can help her finish the agbaya. Wahala dey.


Credit: 247naijagossip.com

Forget nat’l confab, Nyako tells Jonathan

                                     

Gov. Nyako

Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, yesterday, asked President Goodluck Jonathan to perish the thought of national conference and pay more attention to giving Nigerians good governance.

Nyako, who spoke to Vanguard in an interview, said the planned confab amounted to waste of time and scare resources, which could have been used to provide social amenities.

Controversial letter: Chukwumerije flays Obasanjo - Says 2nd term for Jonathan ‘ll strengthen Nigeria

                        

Senator Uche  Chukwumerije, yesterday, dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s advice to President Goodluck Jonathan not to seek a second term as one laced with traps against the president.

Chukwumerije in a commentary on the letter by Obasanjo to President Jonathan, dated December 20, 2013, and obtained by Vanguard, yesterday, said: “We, on the wrong side of Nigeria’s political divide, must thank the powers-that-be for up-dating us on the mood of the establishment and the current thinking of Nigerian system.

I begged Jonathan to appoint Wike minister —Amaechi

                            

Gov. Rotimi Amaech:…“As a child growing up in that area, your parents are not able to take you to hospital because they are not able to fund the cost”

PORT HARCOURT—GOVERNOR Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, yesterday, opened up on the role he played in the emergence of Mr. Nyesom Wike as a Minister in the country, saying that President Goodluck Jonathan, initially rejected Wike, but he (Amaechi) persistently appealed to the President to consider Wike for the job.

Wike is the supervising Minister of Education.

Amaechi, at the convention of the apex Ikwerre body, Ogbako Ikwerre, in Emohua Local Government Area of the state, said President Jonathan, initially rejected Wike when he recommended him for ministerial appointment.

One year after fireworks explosion: Jankara traders recount ordeal

                          

                *45, Ojogiwa Street, Jankara area of Idumota market, Lagos, razed by firecrackers, December 26.

Barely one year ago, the popular Jankara market in the Central Lagos Business District, CBD was gutted by fire arising from a blast which rocked a multi-storey building located on 45, Ojogiwa street, in  Idumota. The building which was used as a warehouse for different types of fireworks exploded into flames on December 26, 2012 when a small boy allegedly ignited a firecracker popularly called knockout near building.

The firecracker which hit the unsold stock in the building sparked off the fire which consumed over eight multi-storey buildings, cars and scores of people wounded.

List Of Nigerian Celebrities Who Died Between 2011 and 2013 (LOOK)

                             
Justus Esiri He was said to have passed on Febuary 18,2013 in a Lagos hospital. A source said the now late Justus Esiri has been secretly battling diabetes for a while but his family chose to make it a secret until his sudden demise at the age of 71 .


                                 

AHMED ALASARVery popular within the Yoruba industry, Comedian Alasari died in a car crash in March 2011. The cause of the accident was as a result of a tyre burst causing the car to swerve off the road and overturning numerous times, killing him instantly. His last credit, Omo Nightclub, was a big hit.

Jonathan Is Last PDP President –– Primate Ayodele

                            

Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele, founder and spiritual head of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church located at Oke-Afa, Isolo Lagos, is one man of God whose predictions have always been dogged by controversies. But convinced about the inspiration for his annual predictions, Primate Ayodele brushes off the disbelief of those who doubt his pronouncements as many of the predictions came to pass.

With the country sitting on the threshold of 2014, Sunday Sun sought audience with him on what to expect in the coming year. Looking into the future, he declared that the PDP would never regain the presidency after the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan.

BREAKING NEWS: There Is No Hell Fire; Adam & Eve Not Real ––– Pope Francis Exposes

                           

One man who is out to open many old "secrets" in the Catholic church is Pope Francis. Some of the beliefs that are held in the church but contrary to the loving nature of God are now being set aside by the Pope who was recently name The Man of The Year by TIME Magazine.

 In his latest revelations, Pope Francis said:

"Through humility, soul searching, and prayerful contemplation we have gained a new understanding of certain dogmas. The church no longer believes in a literal hell where people suffer. This doctrine is incompatible with the infinite love of God. God is not a judge but a friend and a lover of humanity. God seeks not to condemn but only to embrace. Like the fable of Adam and Eve, we see hell as a literary device. Hell is merely a metaphor for the isolated soul, which like all souls ultimately will be united in love with God.” 

Pastor Tunde Bakare Rejects Cow from Jonathan; Tells Him To Give Nigerians Better Life

                            

                           

Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly is one of the few no-nonsense pastors who say it the way it is to political leaders in government, no matter if you are happy with him or not. It was gathered that Pastor Bakare has rejected the Cow sent to him by President Gooodluck Jonathan as a Christmas gift.  I hear that he told those who brought the Cow to go back and tell President Jonathan to give Nigerians good governance rather then this act of sharing the country's wealth with a selected few.

SAD: Wole Soyinka’s Daughter Dies

                           

Iyetade Soyinka, a daughter of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, has died. Ms. Soyinka, who was born June 6, 1965, died at the University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital where she was being treated for an undisclosed ailment.

The death was disclosed in a statement signed by Jahman Anikulapo, an aide to Mr. Soyinka, one of the world’s foremost dramatists and winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in literature. The statement noted that the late Iyetade Soyinka was a student at the Staff School and Queens School, Ibadan before she studied Medicine at the University of Ibadan.

New Regent of Akure installed

                                     

AKURE —  A new regent, Princes Adetutu Adesida Ojei was yesterday installed to fill the stool of the Deji of Akure which became vacant  on December 1, this year. Princes Ojei, after the installation, assured all sons and daughters of Akure that she was ready for the big task ahead with God on her side.

Meanwhile, the family of the battered wife of the deposed Oba, Prince Oluwadare Adesina, Olori Bolanle, who is now late, has appealed to the state government and the council of chiefs in Akure to consider his reinstatement appeal.

Why I dumped PDP - Amaechi

                        

                        
File: R-L Gen Mohamadu Buhari, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Former Governor of Lagos State/APC Leader; Engr Tele Ikuru, Rivers State Deputy Governor and Chief Tom Ikimi, Interim National Vice Chairman, APC South South, during a visit of the APC Leadership to Rivers State. Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke.

PORT HARCOURT — GOVERNOR Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has linked what he termed the warm attitude of Nigerians towards corruption, to one of the plagues militating against the progress of the country. Amaechi, weekend, in Port Harcourt, on why he dumped Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for All Progressives Congress, APC, said that Nigerians celebrate corruption.

“We celebrate corruption. That is part of the problems of this country.” He explained that his fight was about promoting accountability, transparency in government and good governance, adding that the quality of leadership was part of the reasons he left PDP.

PDP, APC in war of words over Fashola’s performance

                          

Lagos — Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has deflated public adulations of the performance of Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, saying that mounting debts and class discriminations make the government a failure. The Interim Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State in a sharp rebuttal dismissed the insinuations, saying that Obanikoro lacked the moral and intellectual capacity to speak.

Citing the past stints of the former senator as local government chairman and then commissioner, he said Obanikoro’s antecedents disqualified him from speaking.

Bloody Yuletide: 47 persons die in boat mishap; clash between Tiv and Fulani

                         
Makurdi- At least 47 persons were feared dead in two separate incidents in Benue in what appeared to be a bloody yuletide in the state following a clash between Fulani herdsmen and native Tiv farmers at Agasha and a boat mishap on River Buruku, in Buruku local government area.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that seven persons lost their lives at Agasha, Guma local government area of the state in a fresh skirmish between the natives and Fulani herdsmen.

60 year old Woman Gives Birth To TWINS After Losing Her 29-Year-Old Daughter (PHOTOS)

                  

A Chinese woman has spoken about giving birth to IVF twins and becoming the country’s oldest mother at 60. Sheng Hailin decided that she wanted to become a mother again after her daughter, 29, was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in 2009.

In a rare move for the country which enforces a one child policy, a military hospital in Heifei agreed to to give Mrs Hailin and her husband IVF treatment. More pics after the cut:

Beirut blast kills Sunni ex-minister Mohamad Chatah

                          

The former Lebanese Finance Minister Mohamad Chatah has been assassinated in a big bomb blast in central Beirut. He was an adviser to the former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a Sunni Muslim. Four others were also killed in the suspected car bombing near government offices and the parliament. At least 50 people were injured. The Syrian war has increased Lebanon's Sunni-Shia tensions. Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah movement is helping Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.

President Assad comes from the Alawite sect, a heterodox offshoot of Shia Islam. The Beirut blast damaged several buildings near the Phoenicia Hotel and set several cars ablaze.

Mikel Obi's Brother In Dire Car Accident In Enugu

                  

The elder brother of Chelsea star, John Mikel Obi, Ebele Obi was involved in a ghastly motor accident on Monday. Ebele Obi who also plays for Heartland FC of Owerri was in Enugu to see his fiancée when the incident happened. 

According to the former Rangers player, he was in Enugu to see his fiancée and during a drive across the town his Toyota Camry Spyder had a head-on collision with another car. He said he thanked God that he avoided a major damage as a result of the disaster.

I stand by my letter to Jonathan — OBJ

                         

FORMER President, Chief  Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, declined to respond to President Goodluck Jonathan’s reply to his December 2 letter, saying that he stands by the contents of his missive. 

Obasanjo who spoke to newsmen at his hilltop mansion in Abeokuta through his media aide, Tunde Oladunjoye, said he would not reply the letter because he has chosen to maintain his serenity.

President Jonathan in a 14-page response to Obasanjo’s 18-page letter, said he only had time to respond to the most serious of the charges which question his sincerity, personal honour and commitment to his oath of office. He said Obasanjo did him grave injustice by accusing him of “deceit, deception, dishonesty, incompetence, clannishness, divisiveness and insincerity,” among others and challenged Obasanjo to substantiate the allegations.

I was released after N30m ransom —GUO Motors boss

                                          

ONITSHA  — The Chairman of G.U.O. Motors Limited, Chief G. U. Okeke, yesterday, said he ate lunch with his kidnappers at their den before he was released on the payment of over N30 million ransom.  He was testifying before an Onitsha High Court presided over by Justice Chudi Nwankwo, in conclusion of his cross-examination by counsel to Alexander Onyinanya, the third defendant.

According to him, “in spite of distress and trauma I was going through, I relaxed and stayed with the kidnappers, reading my Bible.

GUO-Motors-boss“Although I was bleeding profusely and in serious pains due to machete cut, gun shot, human bite and beating by my the kidnappers, I was courageous enough to discuss with them and to control them for the period I was with them.

Obasanjo/Iyabo feud: Why we won't intervene— Yoruba elders

                         
                         Iyabo Obasanjo and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Suggestions that Yoruba  elders will intervene in the feud between former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and his daughter, Iyabo, were yesterday ruled out as prominent leaders from the South-West said they would not mediate.

In ruling themselves out from brokering an end to the face-off between father and daughter, the elders affirmed that it was a family feud which was best left to insiders.

Nigeria university lecturers union ASUU calls off strike

                   
A five-month strike by lecturers which closed all public universities in Nigeria has been called off after the government paid for refurbishments. Lecturers are returning to work because the government had deposited money into a development fund for campuses, union leaders said.
The government had initially pledged to spend $1.3bn ($800m) to refurbish badly maintained public universities. Nigeria is Africa's main oil producer, but its infrastructure is poor.

Fuss over Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja road contract variation

                                       

LAST month, the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen, appeared before the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) to shed light on the revision of the contract for the Abuja-Abaji–Lokoja highway, from the initial N42 billion in 2006 to N116 billion in 2011.

Since the hearings, imaginations have run wild. Some of the views, including editorial comments, insinuate some wrong-doing, while others claim that the contract variation has jeopardised national interest. The minister has also been criticised for continuing with the project on the basis of the revised scope of work and cost, even though the processes leading to the cost variation were initiated before the incumbent minister assumed.

Police demolish 600 structures in Badagry

                       

LAGOS — Officers of the Lagos State Command of Nigerian Police, yesterday, demolished over 600 structures erected on 65 hectares of land in Mowo Phase II, Badagry, Olorunda Local Council Development Area, LCDA, accusing the owners of trespassing on its land. Vanguard gathered that the demolition came barely two years after the command, through the state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, issued letters to the trespassers  to vacate the land to no avail.

Sources close to the police said the order to demolish the houses was given by the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Abubakar Muhammed. Scene of the demolitions yesterday

Ajudua to be arraigned for defrauding Bamaiyi of $8.39m

                           

Lagos — The absence of a Lagos based lawyer, Mr. Fred Ajudua from court, yesterday, prevented his fresh arraignment before an Ikeja High Court for allegedly defrauding ex- Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Major General Ishaya Bamaiyi of the sum of $8.395m (N1.2bn) while he was in prison.

Expected, Ajudua was to be arraigned on a 13-count charge of conspiracy and fraud alongside Elumile Adedeji (a.k.a Ade Bendel), Kenneth and Princess Hamabon William now at large.

Call for impeachment not treason —SANs, APC lawmakers

                       

Assertions by the Presidency that the call for the impeachment of President Goodluck Jonathan amounted to treason were, yesterday, debunked by lawyers and opposition politicians, who claimed that charges of incompetence were currencies for traffic by the opposition in a democracy.

Meanwhile, it emerged that All Progressives Congress, APC, was yet to mobilise its members in the National Assembly to commence the impeachment of President Goodluck Jonathan despite its call on Sunday on the legislators to commence the removal of the President.

Japan boosts military forces to counter China

                        

                        

Japan's cabinet has approved a new national security strategy and increased defence spending in a move widely seen as aimed at China. Over the next five years, Japan will buy hardware including drones, stealth aircraft and amphibious vehicles. The military will also build a new marine unit, an amphibious force capable of retaking islands.

The move comes with Tokyo embroiled in a bitter row with Beijing over East China Sea islands that both claim. It reflects concern over China's growing assertiveness over its territorial claims and Beijing's mounting defence spending.

UN launches record Syria aid appeal

                     

The United Nations is announcing its biggest ever appeal, seeking $6.5bn (£4bn; 4.7bn euros) for  humanitarian aid to Syria.The UN estimates nearly three-quarters of Syria's 22.4 million population will need humanitarian aid in 2014. The appeal coincides with a new study by the International Rescue Committee, which warns that starvation is now threatening the Syrian population.

Bread prices have risen by 500% in some areas, according to the report. Four out of five Syrians said their greatest worry was that food would run out, the survey found.

Mandela drew last breath and rested, says ex-wife Winnie

                         
SOUTH AFRICA, Pretoria : Navy officers guard the coffin of former South African President Nelson Mandela during the lying in state at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on December 12, 2013. Mandela, the revered icon of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and one of the towering political figures of the 20th century, died in Johannesburg on December 5 at age 95. AFP PHOTO

LONDON (AFP) – Nelson Mandela “drew his last breath and just rested”, his ex-wife Winnie said Thursday in her first public comments on his death. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela said she rushed to the former South African president’s bedside for his final moments, in an interview with Britain’s ITV television.

She said: “I went close to him and I noticed he was breathing really slowly. I was holding him trying to feel his temperature and he felt cold. Then he drew his last breath and just rested… He was gone.”

Jonathan, student of Obasanjo— FALANA

                          

In an 18-page letter dated December 2, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo accused President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration of incompetence,  abuse of office, corruption and gross mismanagement of the resources of the nation. Apart from accusing the regime of celebrating criminality, including drug trafficking, Chief Obasanjo has blamed the regime for the rising wave of  impunity, terrorism and ethno-religious strife in the country.

No doubt, the allegations which lacerated the controversial letter are weighty. Instead of dismissing the contents of the letter the Presidency should respond to the allegations raised therein seriatim. In particular, the allegation that the Federal Government is setting up a Presidential Strike Force to carry out terrorist attacks on political opponents should not be swept under the carpet.

North Korean leader's uncle executed for 'treachery'

                     
The once-powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been executed after being purged for "acts of treachery", state media say. Chang Song-thaek was dramatically removed from a special party session by armed guards earlier this week. It was the biggest upheaval since Mr Kim succeeded his father two years ago. State news agency KCNA said Mr Chang had admitted at a military trial on Thursday to attempting to overthrow the state, and was executed immediately.

Boobs Alert: Naija Babes and Their Craze for Nudé Dressing

                       
Our ladies are threading a dangerous path and if not checked now, soon we may be hit with the worst!

EXPLOSIVE: See Obasanjo's Complete Letter To Jonathan

                       

Before It Is Too Late... a letter of appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

I am constrained to make this an open letter to you for a number of reasons. One, the current situation and consequent possible outcome dictate that I should, before the door closes on reason and promotion of national interest, alert you to the danger that may be lurking in the corner. Two, none of the four or more letters that I have written to you in the past two years or so has elicited an acknowledgment or any response. Three, people close to you, if not yourself, have been asking, what does Obasanjo want? 

Four, I could sense a semblance between the situation that we are gradually getting into and the situation we fell into as a nation during the Abacha era. Five, everything must be done to guard, protect and defend our fledgling democracy, nourish it and prevent bloodshed. Six, we must move away from advertently or inadvertently dividing the country along weak seams of North-South and Christian-Moslem. Seven, nothing should be done to allow the country to degenerate into economic dormancy, stagnation or retrogression.

Inside Cambodia's hidden child brothels

                        

Phnom Penh, Cambodia (CNN) -- Late one night, after dark, we met up with Don Brewster -- head of Agape International Missions, an NGO fighting child prostitution -- to go behind the scenes at Cambodia's KTVs: karaoke clubs that are fronts for brothels. I threw on some jeans and tried to look like a tourist who was up for a kinky kind of tour, with my ersatz "boyfriend"-- our cameraman, Scott.

Don drove us first to an out of the way small side street, where there were tiny KTVs operating out in the open like cheap brothels. Girls sat on plastic chairs lining the entrance, all painted up and wearing short skirts, high heels and fake smiles. We walked past a few, stopping to talk for a little while. The girls would stand up, becoming energized and engaged. We crossed the street and approached another one, as if we were sampling the wares at each one.

18+ UNBELIEVABLE: Maheeda Takes Off Her Clothes Complétely

                    

Credit: olufamous.com

I don't understand Maheeda's motive for disgracing womanhood. What made a lady who said she was a gospel singer turn around to become a séxual nuisance? Really sad!! See the exposed photo below...

World leaders, Senate celebrate Mandela

                       

                       

Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt (L), US President Barack Obama (C) and First Lady Michelle Obama attending the memorial service for late South African President Nelson Mandela at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg AFP PHOTO / SABC

GLOBAL leaders, who were at the memorial ceremony for former South African President, Nelson Mandela, yesterday in Soweto, were unanimous in their tributes to the late anti-Apartheid hero, who they described as a gift to humanity. The United States President, Mr. Barack Obama, described Mandela as a giant of history.  Speakers at the FBN Stadium venue of the service were given three minutes each.