Buhari Will Soon Come for Obasanjo – J. T. Useni

ON FEBRUARY 20, 2016.
Lt-General Jeremiah Useni is among other things a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, former military governor of the old Bendel State and is presently, senator representing Plateau South in the National Assembly. In this interview with MARIE-THERESE NANLONG, he gives his views on sundry national and state issues.
Going by what has been happening in Nigeria since the return of democracy in the country; do you think the military was right in interfering in governance in the past?
The military was very justified because looking at what was happening at that time, there were lots of crises all over the place, the situation in East, West and so on. Don’t forget that the first state of emergency ever declared in Nigeria was during democratic rule. I’m sure you know that there were lots of indiscipline in the democratic rule and civilians were going round saying to the military, do you want us to die before you do something? So the military did not just wake up and said give us power, Buhari and Obasanjo it was the civilian who instigated the military to come into governance and to see what was happening. It is just the way the coup took place was one sided, it was mostly Igbos, what did they do, they killed the leaders in the West, killed Sardauna in the North. If not, if it was a general thing and in agreement with the military, that type of selected killings wouldn't have taken place.
Do you think President Buhari is upholding the rule of law in the way he is handling national issues including the trial of Nnamdi Kanu?
He is following the rule of law and I don’t know where he has gone wrong, unless you will tell me where he is going wrong. We just fought a war on Biafra and we now have peace, so for some people to come again and start reviving Biafra they are not asking for peace and you want a responsible government to just keep quiet? Biafra issue had been locked up, it should remain locked up. May be that time the person in question was very young , he didn’t know how people suffered; we fought for three years so you can imagine the number of people dead and you want to revive that? How do you foresee governance in the north ahead of 2019?
Well, the problem of the North now is this Boko Haram which affects about three states, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa but the government is really taking care of that. What the North needs now is to really organise itself and think of one thing, getting a credible leader like we had in Sardauna. Sardauna was a real leader in the North but when Sardauna died, young politicians brought many things into politics like tribalism, the Boko Haram hide under religion that they don’t believe and everything changed but now that we are taking care of the Boko Haram and people are returning to their villages and also with this rehabilitation scheme headed by General Danjuma, maybe by the end of this year, things will be much better and people must have learnt their lessons. I know we have problems not only in the North but in other places like in the Niger Delta area and what the Biafra people are trying to create in the East, but the whole country needs to readjust itself and move ahead but I’m sure we will still remain relevant.
Recently, former President Obasanjo indicted the National Assembly, accusing it of corruption, as a senator what is your take on that?
He has been replied and I agree with the response. He brought corruption to the National Assembly with the way he was giving out money to senators especially when he wanted to go for third term. He spent a lot of money he can’t account for. What Buhari is doing now, is like what Awolowo said when he was Minister of Finance under General Gowon and the government then put up a probe and wanted to go backward to past government. But Awolowo said no; new logs go on top of old ones, to get to the old ones; you must remove the new ones first. That is what Buhari is doing now, trying to clear the new logs so that he can get access to the old ones; when he clears the new ones and gets access to the old ones, the case of Obasanjo will come up. So he has no excuse at all to say such a thing because if there is any corruption at all in the National Assembly, he was the cause. The PDP in Plateau State since after the last elections seems to be falling apart.
Do you regret joining the party at this time, if not, what are you doing to revive the party ahead of the 2019 elections?
No, no, no; I don’t. I’m not regretting anything at all. You know I don’t like running from party to party but I am only sorry for our boys who were deceived by those who were saying PDP is going to rule for another 60 years and when they were given some money to campaign they just put the money in their pocket thinking that people will just go and vote for them. It is not like that, some of these people need to transport themselves to where you want them, and you have to feed them so a lot of things went wrong.   I can’t say I regret joining PDP but I’m just sorry for some of our people who indulged in such things and put us in this situation but we are trying to sort them out.
What is your personal effort at reviving the party in the state?
The first thing I tried to do was to get my Senatorial district intact and I have done that. I had meetings about seven times but none of the other Senators have had even a single meeting in their senatorial zones. I have done that and have been going round and I am concentrating on my senatorial zone but I have spoken with my colleagues that whether we like it or not we must take responsibility for our senatorial zones then three of us will see how we can move the whole zones forward. Whether Plateau South, Central or North, there are Senators like me and when we meet, if it comes to doing something for the entire State, we are saying that we made mistakes by losing the governorship, we must learn from our mistakes and work hard now to gain the governorship in 2019. So we are working on that and I’m already spearheading that as far as my senatorial zone is concerned. We have gotten the message and we are working hard towards it.
Do you envisage a mass defection from the PDP to APC?
If there was any, you would have known but no more movement anywhere, it is APC that will come back to us.
How do you see the Lalong’s administration in the last eight months?
I am not against Lalong as an individual, he is a friend but all I have been saying to him is look, you won on the platform of the APC that is what the constitution says that you must win an election on a platform of a party. Having won, you are not a governor of APC and we call Buhari President of Nigeria, we don’t call him President of APC. He must take everybody along whether in your party or not but if you think someone is good somewhere who can handle any assignment for you, call the person, that is what the civilized world is doing. So if you do that, you will gain more for your party but if you think that the winner takes it all which of course will not go down well with the majority then go ahead. He should be grateful to the PDP because if not for the imposition of a candidate by Jang, he wouldn't be there. The people voted for him out of annoyance, they are not talking about APC, it was out of annoyance and the same people are still in the PDP anyway. As an individual I have nothing against him but that is my warning. Let him govern properly so that he has a good name, but if he fails, he knows why he failed. PDP failed in the State because we made a wrong choice of candidate and somebody insisted on imposition of a candidate but we are not out.
Okay sir, what is your advice for the people of Plateau at this time?
Well, they should remain calm and peaceful. I am happy that all these killings, killings have been on the reduction though there are still concerns in some parts of Plateau North especially Riyom and Barkin Ladi. It is still not very peaceful yet around Northern Plateau but I am saying that there is no excuse for people to continue to fight and kill. In my area for instance, in the South, places like Wase where Hausa/Fulani and the Tarok people were having issues and in parts of Shendam and Langtang South, things are improving because if you go there, you see the people moving together and it is very peaceful. We have high hopes that the peace will be sustained, people should just live in peace with one another.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/buhari-will-soon-come-for-obasanjo-useni/

Olubadan-in-Council Declares Eze Ndigbo Title Illegal

ON FEBRUARY 19, 2016. By Ola Ajayi.
Ibadan—The Olubadan-in-Council has in a letter, warned Dr Alex C. Alozie to stop parading himself as holder of the title of   Eze Ndigbo of Igbos in Ibadan and Oyo State. Meantime, Alozie yesterday  protested against the letter The letter addressed to the President General, Ohaneze Ndigbo, marked LL8co/02/16 and signed by one Oladepo Abiodun Esq states that “Our instruction is to make it clear to you that your action and that of your group you purport to represent in Ibadan and Oyo State in general amounts to an act of insubordination, illegality and a calculated attempts to cause chaos and breed a state of anarchy in the state.” But, responding Dr. Anozie said, “We had informed the whole world in the past of a high court judgment over the Igbo leadership tussle in Ibadan and Oyo State which favoured Dr. Alex Anozie and our association, ACDA, affiliate of Ohaneze worldwide. Making reference to the letter from the council, he said the documents referred to were documents that featured between 1997 and 2010 when most people were confused by the deceit of his opponents. While addressing newsmen at his ‘palace’ in Ibadan yesterday, he said “ the State High Court in Ibadan had ruled on the 18th of February 2014 which no other court has vacated, that only me, Dr Alex Alozie should be paraded as Eze Ndigbo of Ibadan and Oyo State.” He further stated that “ it is quite unfortunate that most people were confused through disgruntled individuals who go about deceiving people and parading themselves against the judgment of the High court in spite of the fact that the judgment of the High Court has neither been vacated, nor have they got any stay of execution against the case.” He further clarified that the title of Ezendigbo, Onyedu Ndigbo, Onyeisindigbo or Ochiigbo all mean the same thing in Igbo expression and that not withstanding anybody or group is at liberty to refer to him as any of those mentioned Igbo titles.
Ibadan—The Olubadan-in-Council has in a letter, warned Dr Alex C. Alozie to stop parading himself as holder of the title of   Eze Ndigbo of Igbos in Ibadan and Oyo State. Meantime, Alozie yesterday  protested against the letter The letter addressed to the President General, Ohaneze Ndigbo, marked LL8co/02/16 and signed by one Oladepo Abiodun Esq states that “Our instruction is to make it clear to you that your action and that of your group you purport to represent in Ibadan and Oyo State in general amounts to an act of insubordination, illegality and a calculated attempts to cause chaos and breed a state of anarchy in the state.” But, responding Dr. Anozie said, “We had informed the whole world in the past of a high court judgment over the Igbo leadership tussle in Ibadan and Oyo State which favoured Dr. Alex Anozie and our association, ACDA, affiliate of Ohaneze worldwide. Making reference to the letter from the council, he said the documents referred to were documents that featured between 1997 and 2010 when most people were confused by the deceit of his opponents. While addressing newsmen at his ‘palace’ in Ibadan yesterday, he said “ the State High Court in Ibadan had ruled on the 18th of February 2014 which no other court has vacated, that only me, Dr Alex Alozie should be paraded as Eze Ndigbo of Ibadan and Oyo State.” He further stated that “ it is quite unfortunate that most people were confused through disgruntled individuals who go about deceiving people and parading themselves against the judgment of the High court in spite of the fact that the judgment of the High Court has neither been vacated, nor have they got any stay of execution against the case.” He further clarified that the title of Ezendigbo, Onyedu Ndigbo, Onyeisindigbo or Ochiigbo all mean the same thing in Igbo expression and that not withstanding anybody or group is at liberty to refer to him as any of those mentioned Igbo titles
Ibadan—The Olubadan-in-Council has in a letter, warned Dr Alex C. Alozie to stop parading himself as holder of the title of   Eze Ndigbo of Igbos in Ibadan and Oyo State. Meantime, Alozie yesterday  protested against the letter The letter addressed to the President General, Ohaneze Ndigbo, marked LL8co/02/16 and signed by one Oladepo Abiodun Esq states that “Our instruction is to make it clear to you that your action and that of your group you purport to represent in Ibadan and Oyo State in general amounts to an act of insubordination, illegality and a calculated attempts to cause chaos and breed a state of anarchy in the state.” But, responding Dr. Anozie said, “We had informed the whole world in the past of a high court judgment over the Igbo leadership tussle in Ibadan and Oyo State which favoured Dr. Alex Anozie and our association, ACDA, affiliate of Ohaneze worldwide. Making reference to the letter from the council, he said the documents referred to were documents that featured between 1997 and 2010 when most people were confused by the deceit of his opponents. While addressing newsmen at his ‘palace’ in Ibadan yesterday, he said “ the State High Court in Ibadan had ruled on the 18th of February 2014 which no other court has vacated, that only me, Dr Alex Alozie should be paraded as Eze Ndigbo of Ibadan and Oyo State.” He further stated that “ it is quite unfortunate that most people were confused through disgruntled individuals who go about deceiving people and parading themselves against the judgment of the High court in spite of the fact that the judgment of the High Court has neither been vacated, nor have they got any stay of execution against the case.” He further clarified that the title of Ezendigbo, Onyedu Ndigbo, Onyeisindigbo or Ochiigbo all mean the same thing in Igbo expression and that not withstanding anybody or group is at liberty to refer to him as any of those mentioned Igbo titles.

Flavour Shows Off The ‘Lionel Messi’ Inside Of Him On A Soccer Pitch (Photos)

Posted by Adebayo Kayode


Singer Flavour, is one football lover but little did we know he also played the game as well.

In a series of new photos we came across, the singer was spotted on a pitch enjoying some football and it appeared that he even scored a goal and showed us his celebration facial expression

Flavour sure looks good for a player, maybe he’d have been a successful footballer if he wasn't a musician.

Pope says Trump 'not Christian' in views, plans over immigration

BY PHILIP PULLELLA Thu Feb 18, 2016 1:26pm EST

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is "not Christian" because of his views on immigration, Pope Francis said on his way back to Rome from Mexico.

The pope said, however, he did not want to advise American Catholics on whether or not to vote for Trump.

    In a freewheeling conversation with reporters on his flight back from a visit to Mexico, Francis was asked about Trump and some of his statements, such as vowing to build a wall between the United States and Mexico if he becomes president.

    "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said in answer to a specific question about Trump's views. "This is not in the gospel."

Asked if American Catholics should vote for someone with Trump's views, Francis said:

    "I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt," he said.

On his last day in Mexico, Francis said a Mass on the U.S. border, where he railed against immigration policies that force many underground and into the hands of drug gangs and human smugglers.

Trump has also said he would deport millions of illegal migrants if he wins the November U.S. election. Last week he told Fox Business television that Pope Francis did not understand the Mexican border issues.

    "The pope is a very political person. I think he doesn't understand the problems our country has. I don't think he understands the danger of the open border that we have with Mexico," he said.

    Asked about being called a "political person", Francis said: "Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as 'animal politicos'. So at least I am a human person."

    Trump has taken a more than 20-point lead over U.S. Senator Ted Cruz in the Republican race for the presidential nomination, with his campaign seeming to thrive off the endless controversies that he has generated.

Pope Francis gestures during a meeting with the media on board the papal plane while en route to Rome.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-pope-idUSKCN0VR277?utm_source=Facebook

Buhari and Nigeria’s Negative Image

ON FEBRUARY 17, 2016. By Michael Egbejumi-David

 Some thirty years or so ago, Fela had a hit song titled, ‘Beast Of No Nation’ in which he sang, “I never hear that before o, make government talk o, my people are useless, my people are senseless, my people are indisciplined. Which kind talk be that o…?” Fela was referring to Buhari’s military government.

30 years on, nothing’s changed: President Muhammadu Buhari is still socking it to his people, still disparaging his people, still bad-mouthing them in the committee of nations. In a recent interview with a British newspaper, Buhari declared that Nigerians abroad have made it difficult for Europeans and Americans to accept them because of the number of Nigerians in prisons all over the world accused of drug trafficking or human trafficking.  He finished off by saying, “We will encourage our countrymen to stay at home, work hard and make a respectable living at home.” There goes our number one ambassador perpetrating negative stereotypes again.

Really Nigeria doesn't need Buhari’s type of unhelpful intervention right now. It will further worsen its citizens’ marginalization abroad and increase prejudice against all Nigerians. Secondly, a president who habitually goes Overseas for medical treatment has no standing at all to tell other Nigerians to stay home. The same factors, same conditions at home that propels the president into the arms of doctors in a foreign land are the same that drives many Nigerians abroad. Everyone’s life and future is dear to them and they’ll do everything possible to make sure they get the best they can get – not just presidents.

No, Buhari did not say that all Nigerians abroad are criminals but he abdicated his responsibility when he threw some of his own citizens under the bus in a foreign land to a foreign media. That can never be cool. It is already hard for some Nigerians in the UK in light of the recent recession and the influx of Eastern Europeans into that country. For our own president to put his boot in is very disheartening. Buhari has handed the UK government and other racists another (official) weapon with which to further marginalize Nigerians. Is there more crime in Nigeria than in the USA? No. Are there more criminals in Nigeria than in the UK? No. Who are the number one foreign prisoners in the UK? The Polish. Nigeria is not even in the top five 5.

Without Nigerian Doctors and Nurses, the UK NHS will struggle very badly – maybe even collapse for a short while. If all Nigerians in the IT and Social Work sectors in the UK pull out, those sectors will struggle. What about Nigerian Pastors? Ditto for the USA; if Nigerian educators down tools, that sector of America will struggle. Perhaps these were what the president could have flagged up in his interview. If he later meets with Nigerians in a private Nigerian forum, he could tell them off. He could remind the few yahoo boys to lay off, return home and stop giving the country a bad name. Rather it was the President who gave the country a black eye. I spent 33 years living abroad; Brazil, USA and the UK in that order. I tell you, sometimes it wasn't easy image-wise. The first stigma we faced in those days was that we were a brilliant people under un-dignifying military yoke. Then the Yahoo and credit card boys came in the 1990s and made life really uncomfortable for every Nigerian. A few drug dealers came later. I never heard of human trafficking. Back then, even our Embassy and Consular staffs (from Rio de Janeiro to London) treated their fellow Nigerians like unwanted people. You’d be lucky if you could get anyone in those places to talk to you. You’d be luckier if you got your passport sorted in two months. At its height, one chap who went by the imaginative name of Alhaji Alhaji who happened to be our High Commissioner (Ambassador) in London, in a fit of undiplomatic hysteria, declared that most Nigerians in the UK were criminals and wondered aloud why the British government issued them visas. Only God and a few privileged angels knew what provoked the man.

However, things began to improve in the 2000s thanks in part to the efforts of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, and largely due to the excellence and achievements of second generation Nigerian Diaspora. It is Buhari’s primary task to make our image problem abroad better. However, in his second coming, it seems to me that Buhari is only interested in bending over backwards to please and pander to our erstwhile colonial masters when there is absolutely no need for it. It took the government of Murtala/Obasanjo in the mid 1970s to take on the British head-on and get us some much deserved respect. We seem to be going backwards in that regard again. We seem to be taking instructions from Downing Street, in particular, and the European Union in general before we make any moves in Nigeria.

The Wikileaks revelations of a few years ago where our very senior government officials were falling over themselves and couldn't wait to blab to low level Western diplomats was a painful read. I do not see how Buhari’s latest remark would encourage any potential investor to come to Nigeria. The president ought to know that his main job is to defend Nigeria and Nigerians everywhere; not to put us down in foreign media in the hope to please foreign leaders. That is old and it is unproductive.

*Dr. Egbejumi-David , a medical practitioner, wrote from London.

Buhari Sacked Me As Director General Because I’m An Igbo – Onyeka Onwenu

February 18, 2016
Singer and actress, Onyeka Onwenu, who was fired this week as Director General of the National Centre for Women Development has released a disturbing allegation of how tribalism held sway in the agency and how she was persecuted because she is Igbo. Read her story below: When the call came on Sept 13 2013, to serve the Nigerian people as DG National Center For Women Development, I took it as a call from God and I answered in the affirmative. I served for 2years and five months and did my best under very difficult conditions. We hardly had money to operate and the place was badly run down. Worst, there was low moral and lack of commitment among the Staff. Most spent the day loitering and gossiping. Many would not show up for work or arrive 11 am, only to leave before 3 pm. Some were absent for months and were just collecting their salary at home. My administration changed all that. Most Staff were turned around and became passionate about the work, appreciating also the changes they thought were not possible but were happening right before them. There remained though, a remnant who felt that the Center was their personal preserve and that the position of Director General should only go to someone from their part of the country. I was initially dismissed as just a Musician. When that did not work, I was targeted and abused for being an Igbo woman who came to give jobs to and elevate my people while sidelining them. When these detractors could not provide answers to the spate of improvement we were bringing, they resorted to sabotage and blackmail. The first such salvo was fired when a Senate Committee visited on an oversight mission a few months after my arrival. All three Generators at the Center were cannibalized, overnight, just hours to the visit.
We got over that incident and trudged on. The rest of our activities and accomplishments, modest as there is public knowledge. I have never in my life been an unfair person. I never favored any group. I carried everybody along. But I did not put up with deliberate incompetence and a refusal to learn, an attitude of entitlement which some people displayed. We brought back a level of professionalism and commitment to deliver on our mandate. Without these attributes, the Center would have fallen apart. When the call came for me to disengage from the Center, I took it in good faith and with thanksgiving to the Almighty, Yes some stakeholders were upset and tried to make a case for me to continue. Their effort was a testimony of God’s grace on my administration, but I also knew that it was time to go. God who sent me there was taking me to a higher level of service. His infinite wisdom is unassailable. That is my faith. Besides, I was exhausted and had abandoned many personal projects to devote myself, 200% to the Center. The abuses and lack of cooperation from a mother Ministry, from those who felt that the Center overshadowed them, to the extent that they tried to discourage others from working with us, were just a bit much for my comfort. I did not lobby for the job in the first place and I was not going to lobby to keep it. I actually looked forward to leaving. But some people were going to exact their pound of flesh.
They organized some staff, mostly Northerners, invited the Press and set about to disgrace themselves. By mid afternoon, while the Heads of Departments were putting together the handover notes, they seized the keys to my official car, even with my personal items still inside. Threats began to fly. “That Ibo woman must” “we will disgrace her”. Their Chief organizer, the Acting DG, went about whipping up ethnic sentiments against me. Late 2015, the same officer had gone to the Center’s Mosque to ask for the issue of a Fatwa against me, claiming that I was working against the interest of the North. We nipped that in the bud by calling a town hall meeting and asking that proof be provided. The Fatwa was denied and peace reigned for a while. Police was called in to the Center to escort me out and avoid blood shed as I disengaged. Eventually, in the midst of insults and name calling, with an angry baying crowd, some of whom were brought in from outside, I entered my official car and left. At no time during this melee did I threaten to sue Mr President for asking me to disengage. Why would I? Is it not within his authority? Even if it were not, is the Center my personal property? I had done my best and if it was time to go, it was that simple. Life continues. I had a thriving career before my appointment. The Center did not make me. I have so much to do. I am a multi-talented, multifaceted and multitasking child of God. By His grace, the future is greater. So what is the problem?
Let me say here that The Federal Government should really look into the Parastatals and take note of the fact that many people who work on them do not have the requisite qualification. Many contribute nothing and many see their job as personal entitlement. They are owed because Nigeria belongs to them and them alone. Somehow, these people were given the impression that they could attempt to do what they did to me and nothing would happen. That is very sad indeed. The Ministry also has a case to answer. They helped to create that impression. A situation where the Ministry could invite a Management Staff to a trip abroad without informing the DG and the Staff would only inform her principal via text message, from the Airport as she is leaving the country, creates an atmosphere of indiscipline and anything goes. The Ministry should restrain itself to its spelt out function and not undermine the authority of the DG. Finally, I declare that I am a Nigerian citizen who should enjoy the rights attendant to that privileged. I am Onyigbo and proud of it. I respect myself and I love and respect all for who they are. We are all God’s children. No one has the right to insult or abuse me or deprive me of my rights. Nigeria will not hold unless and until we all come to that realization. Thank you and God bless. 
Onyeka Onwenu (MFR)
Source: http://www.zubbyblog.com/buhari-sacked-me-as-director-general-because-im-an-igbo-onyeka-onwenu/

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR FACE AFTER WASHING IT WITH COCONUT OIL AND BAKING SODA!

We are all trying to have nice and clean facial skin, right? Cosmetic companies are selling all kinds of facial cleansers and tonics that cost a real fortune. Many of these acne-fighting and moisturizing facial cleansers and creams contain little beads to help polish the skin by taking dead layers off, while the creamy and cleansing base should help to moisturize and make the skin smooth. So, why spending too much money on cosmetic products, that may not even work for you, when you can make your own homemade all natural facial cream.

In this article we are going to show you how to make the best homemade facial cream. This homemade cream is very easy to make and you’ll only need 2 ingredients, which you probably already have in your kitchen – baking soda and coconut oil. These 2 ingredients are highly effective in treating problematic skin, they are easy available and they don’t cost a lot. And, unlike the chemicals and toxic ingredients in the commercial cosmetic products, these 2 ingredients are completely safe for you and your skin. They can be eaten as well, but you already know that. So, what’s stopping from trying this homemade facial cream? Nothing, just go to the local health store, get these 2 ingredients and make your own facial cream right now.

This homemade cream is exactly what you need to treat your facial skin! You will be amazed by the results. When you mix these 2 ingredients together – you will make a powerful combo that works great in treating acne, redness, scarring and removing excess dirt, oil and exfoliating dead skin off. And let me say this one more time, you will be amazed by the results!

Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate is often used in homemade baked goods. People also use it as a polishing agent, deep cleaning and deodorizing agent for household use. This amazing ingredient can replace many household cleaners that contain too many toxic and chemical compounds in them. And the best thing about it is that baking soda will provide remarkable results!

This amazing ingredient is also used as a cosmetic product. People use it to white their teeth with it or as a deodorant. It’s a natural beauty product, also very effective in treating acne. Usually, when the pH value in the human body is imbalanced, it can cause skin breakouts, and being an amphoretic compound, baking soda can be used to correct the skin’s pH balance. This is why you can use baking soda as an aid in healing breakouts.

The other, also super healthy, ingredient has antibacterial, healing and moisturizing properties. This healthy ingredient can moisturize, nourish and sooth the skin blemishes. The coconut oil is much gentler and safer product than baking soda. When these 2 ingredients are mixed together, the coconut oil balances out baking soda’s harshness, making it safe for even the most sensitive skin. There are many different types of coconut oil, but it’s highly recommended for you to use wet-milled traditional coconut oil. This type of coconut oil has showed the best results.

How to use baking soda and coconut oil as a deep cleanser

Ingredients:

• Coconut oil
• Baking soda

Directions:

In order to determine the exact amount of each ingredient, first you must know your skin type and what you are trying to accomplish with this homemade cream. If you have more sensitive skin, use at least a 2:1 radio of coconut oil to baking soda. If you need more of an exfoliatior, use a 1:1 ratio.

All you have to do is mix these 2 ingredients and apply the mixture gently to your skin, wet or dry. You have 2 choices: you can leave it on as a mask for few minutes for an even deeper conditioning treatment, or just wash it off with warm water, after you gently applied it on your face. It’s better to mix just a small amount. Just make enough for 1 treatment.

This homemade facial mask is extremely beneficial and useful for your facial skin. And the most important thing is that it’s made by easy available and inexpensive ingredients. You should definitely try this one, you won’t regret it.! 

Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed this post make sure you share it with your friends and family.

Source: http://www.healthylifetricks.com/this-is-what-happens-to-your-face-after-washing-it-with-coconut-oil-and-baking-soda/

See Why This Nigerian Man Married His Own Mother.. The Reason Will Shock You

In a sleepy village known as Slovo Park near Siyabuswa, South
Africa, villagers were torn with joy and surprise as they witnessed a
rather strange wedding where a mother and son exchanged wedding
vows.

The son, a traditional healer from Siyabuswa in Mpumalanga, said
he married his biological mother in awedding ceremony to appease
hisancestors. He now calls his mother “my wife”.
On Sunday more than 2000 people turned up to witness the
wedding of Buti Mphethi, 28, to his mother Francinah Makunyane,
62.

But it wasn’t the kind of marriage where a man takes a wife to love
and have children.
Buti Mhethi married his mother so that she could be accepted into
the Mphethi family.

“The ancestors will reward Buti for what he has done today,” said
his 62-year-old mother, Francinah, whose family name used to be
Makunyane.

Now she is a proud member of the Mphethi family.

But it wasn’t an easy decision for ButiMphethi who dropped out of
his second year studies in sound engineering at the Tshwane
University of Technology in 2003 to become a sangoma. He felt it
was a calling from his ancestors.
When the ancestors first told him to marry his own mother he flatly
refused, and that’s when his troubles began.

The problem was that his father never paid lobola (Bride price) for
his mother and so she was never married and fully accepted into
the family.
Buti said: “My ancestors came to me in a dream while I was a
student at the Tshwane University of Technology in 2003.

“I heeded the call to become a sangoma. But when they came up
with the idea that I should marry my own mother, I flatly refused.”
Buti then took his own wife. But in the four years of their marriage,
she could not give him a child.
He also could not sleep peacefully as bad dreams kept him awake
every night.

Then, without any explanation, his wife left him. His younger
brother’s marriage also didn’t work out and his wife left him as well.
That was when the two brothers realized that they had to heed the
ancestors’ instructions or they would never be happy.

So on Saturday, Buti tied the knot with his mother.
He gave his “in-laws” two cows, and spent R14 000 on the wedding
alone.

“I’m glad that I have finally appeased my ancestors and ensured
that my mother is formally accepted in the family. She is now an
Mphethi, as she should have been long ago,” he said.
Buti’s parents separated 15 years ago. His father, William Mphethi,
currently has four wives.

Buti’s mum Francinah said she was very happy because she never
believed that she would ever get married and be an Mphethi.
“I am old and getting married was something that I forgot about a
long time ago,” she said.
“But the ancestors will reward Buti for what he has done today.”

http://gossipgistnigeria.blogspot.co.ke/2016/02/see-why-this-nigerian-man-married-his.html?m=1

Assistant Commissioner Of Police Dies In Lagos While Celebrating Valentine

An Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Area K Command, Lagos, ACP Osung Ekpo, has died in a swimming pool as he was celebrating the St. Valentine’s Day with some of his friends. Although the detail of Ekpo's death is still sketchy, sources said he died in a swimming pool of a popular hotel in Ajah area of Lagos during a hang-out with some friends. His corpse has since been deposited at the morgue, while investigations into his death is said to be ongoing.

The State Police Spokesperson, Superintendent of Police, SP, Dolapo Opeyemi Badmus cofirmed the incident through a text message that reads, “We lost him to the cold hands of death while he was swimming in a pool yesterday night. The command is mourning this indefatigable officer. May his gallant soul rest in perfect peace.”

Source;http://thesummary.com.ng/index.php/news-categories/latest-news/item/5916-assistant-commissioner-of-police-dies-in-lagos-while-celebrating-valentine-see-how-he-died

2016 Mobilisation: NYSC Warns Prospective Corps Members Against Cyber Criminals

Friday, 12 Feb 2016 06:03PM

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on Friday warned Batch A prospective corps members against accepting online requests to make payments for posting.

This is contained in a statement signed by Mrs Bose Aderibigbe, the NYSC Director of Press, in Abuja.

The statement said such requests were from cyber criminals as the scheme was yet to commence posting, change or posting of prospective corps members.

It said that the deployment of prospective corps members would commence at the appropriate time in line with the laid down processes of the scheme.

The statement said the warning came after the attention of the NYSC management was drawn to the activities of hackers sending messages requesting prospective corps members to go and check their states of deployment online.

It said the hackers often referred their victims to a link asking them to enter their login details as well as choices made during their online registration.

The statement urged prospective corps members to disregard the messages.

It said that the NYSC management would inform prospective corps members as soon as posting letters were ready for printing online or delivery to their various institutions of graduation. (NAN)

Copyright Daily Times of Nigeria.

https://dailytimes.ng/2016-mobilisation-nysc-warns-prospective-corps-members-against-cyber-criminals/

What You Need To Know About The Zika Virus

What is the Zika Virus?

The Zika virus

 was first discovered in the 1950’s and is also known as Zika fever or Zika disease. It is a virus that is carried by infected mosquitos and is transferred to humans through mosquito bites. Throughout recent years, this virus has been spreading quite rapidly throughout Africa and southern and central American and scientists are warning that it could soon grow to pandemic proportions.

What are the Symptoms of the Zika Virus?

A person who has been infected with the Zika virus could exhibit the following symptoms:

1. Fever
2. Mild Headache
3. Rash
4. Joint Pain
5. Conjunctivitis (inflammation and redness of the eyes)

These symptoms will usually appear 2-7 days after first being bitten and are usually fairly mild. Most symptoms will start to subside after a few days and should be completely clear within a week’s time.

So far there have not been any deaths or long-term complications reported in adults that have contracted this virus.

The Zika Virus and Pregnancy

Although the Zika virus does not seem to pose a large threat to the majority of the population, there does appear to be an increased risk to pregnant women who contract this virus. Scientists are finding a connection between a birth defect called microcephaly and mothers who became infected while pregnant. Studies are showing a higher incidence of babies being born with this disorder when their mothers were bitten with a Zika infected mosquito while pregnant.

It is recommended that pregnant women or those who are thinking of becoming pregnant, avoid high risk areas and take all necessary precautions to protect themselves from being bitten by mosquitos.

Is there a Cure for the Zika Virus?

Currently there is no cure for this virus. Scientist are working diligently to find a vaccine but until then the best method of protection is prevention. Wear clothing that covers your skin when outside and always use a mosquito repellent. Use mosquito nets when sleeping and try to avoid infected areas if at all possible.

Some studies have also shown that this virus may be able to be spread through sexual contact as well. Make sure that you alway use a condom and abstain from engaging in sexual activities with a person who suspects they have been infected.

If you do contract the Zika virus the best treatment is lots of rest and fluids. An over-the-counter pain medication like paracetamol, acetaminophen or ibuprofen will help with any discomfort that you may experience.

Visit here for counsellings on zika virus www.mylivemd.com

I’m Ojukwu’s only legal wife, Bianca tells court

Monday, 01 Feb 2016 11:03PM

Trial in the ongoing legal tussle between the widow of the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, Bianca and his brothers over the family estate began yesterday‎ before a Lagos High Court, Igbosere.

Led in her evidence in chief before Justice Abdulfattah Lawal‎, Mrs Ojukwu admitted that neither her nor her children are shareholders or directors in Ojukwu Transport Limited (OTL).

She also admitted that Ojukwu has eight children which includes the claimants Afamefuna and Nwachukwu, adding that she is the only one that was legally married amongst Ojukwu’s wives, as she did court, Church and traditional marriage.

Bianca who was speaking under cross examination also told the court that the suit that was filed before the court is only for the right of her children and not other children of Ojukwu.

The witness further informed the court that some of the OTL properties in question had been in the possession of her late husband before his demise, adding that the rent of those properties were being collected by her husband.

Mrs. Ojukwu had on behalf of her two under-aged children, Afamefuna and Nwachukwu (claimants) dragged Ojukwu Transport Limited (OTL) and seven others before a Lagos State High Court sitting in Igbosere over an alleged move by the family to eject her sons from the company’s properties located in Lagos.

She had asked the court to declare that her children are entitled to the possession and occupation of one of the properties known as No 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Street, Ikoyi Lagos until the harmonisation of the management and administration of the assets of the first defendant (OTL).

The defendants in the suit are; Prof Joseph Ojukwu, Engr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, Lotanna Putalora Ojukwu, Dr Patrick Ojukwu, Arc Edward Ojukwu, Lota Akajiora Ojukwu and Mrs Massey Udegbe (doing business under Massey Udegbe & Company).‎‎

In the suit, Bianca, and her two children, had in their statement of claim, prayed the court to declare that the threat of forceful ejection from 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Street by the defendants is illegal.

She is also asking the court for a declaration that her children are entitled to possess the following property, namely: No 13 Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi (now known as No. 13 Ojora road); No 32A Commercial Avenue, Yaba, Lagos; No 30 Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; No. 30 McPherson Avenue, Ikoyi.

According to her, the properties were under the possession of late Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu-the father of the claimants from the time the properties were released from government acquisition till date.

The claimants stated that throughout the period their father was struggling to retrieve the properties from the government, the second to seventh defendants “never played any role in the struggle nor contributed financially or otherwise to the realization of the struggle.”

Meanwhile, the Judge has adjourned the matter till today, for continuation of cross examination of Bianca.

My encounter with Ironsi on coup day – Rita-Lori

ON JANUARY 16, 20161:19 PMIN INTERVIEW, NEWS, POLITICS BY TONY CHINONSOBY CHARLES KUMOLU

Chief Mrs. Rita Lori-Ogbebor was one of the country’s leading broadcast journalists at the time of the January 15 coup and was the first Programme Director of the Nigerian Television Service, NTS. On the morning of the coup she encountered the General Officer Commanding of the Nigerian Army, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi near the Parliament Building as he bustled to suppress the uprising.  Fifty years after the coup she asserts that the plotters were perhaps not motivated by the lust for power, being that they desired a better society.

As a witness to history, would you say the reasons given by the plotters were sufficient to provoke the coup?

CHIEF RITA LORI-OGBEBOR

They should come and see what is happening in the country now.  These were young people, who came out of the university and went into the army. They had been indoctrinated. They came out of school wanting to see an ideal society. They had their mindset on the right things they felt the country should do. Any other way would not be tolerated. And they swallowed all they read and learnt. They were looking for perfection. It is not that they came out wanting to kill because they wanted positions. They came out to do what they did because they were indoctrinated and they wanted a country that is perfect. But I think also that they may have been used by some greedy politicians.

In every society you must have greedy ones.  And they did not know that our country was very fragile, we were all in the process of learning. They themselves were in the process of learning and therefore should not have taken away what we did not have. At that time, we were all learning. From the permanent secretaries to the politicians, we were all learning. So, they may not have known that what they were doing was going to boomerang because they took away our founding fathers, who were just building a new nation.

These founding fathers had constitutional meetings in Europe, trying to have a country.  They did not put all that into consideration. So, the country did not quite settle before they struck.  Today, more provocative things are happening in the country as obtained during Jonathan’s administration but there was no coup because of our past experiences.  The country was saved by the prayers of Nigerians like the Roman Catholic Church that says the Prayer for Nigeria in Distress. They did not know what they were doing.

Looking at the ethnic composition of the principal actors in that putsch, would it be right to say that they were nudged to carry out the action by ethnic sentiments?

All these boys were young men propelled  by ideology. They had been tutored during their training in the army to ensure a disciplined society. They wanted a perfect situation through elimination of corruption in the country. If you look at all of them, some were the first set of our boys, who had university education. So their idea was to have a united perfect country. Before now soldiers didn’t believe whether you were Ibo, Hausa or Yoruba.

They believed in the oneness of the country. Soldiers are trained to be their brothers’ keepers and to believe in themselves. And I don’t think that any of those young soldiers had sectional ambition because none of them wanted to become Prime Minister. And you can see that if they wanted political power, they could have gone for Ironsi.  In those days, they had not become ambitious. Even the Ironsi, who took over did not know what to do. That was why he introduced the unitary system which is a system of the army with a chain of command.

As a journalist at that time can you recollect the early post-coup events in Lagos at that time?

I just came back from England after a television course.  I was supposed to report to my office to cover the parliament. I was to cover the parliament with the OB-Van (Outside Broadcast Van) and my thoughts then were to collect my OB-van and go to the Parliament the next day. But early in the morning around 6 am the late Cyprian Ekwensi drove to my house.  He said to me ‘’have you heard what is happening?’’ I said no.  He said ‘’I am sorry your uncle has been taken away.’’ I did not understand what he was talking about and I said ‘’who are you talking about?’’ He said ‘’your uncle,

Okotie Eboh has been taken away.’’ I did not understand, so asked where he was taken to? And he said there was a coup. That was when it dawned on me that there was trouble. But even then it was still not clear as to the full meaning. For me, my uncle was a great man and I was lost as to who could have taken away my uncle.  Immediately he said so to me, he went away. He also told me that the Prime Minister was taken away. As he was hurrying away, I too drove straight to my uncle’s house opposite the Island Club.

I drove straight to his house and I found that his gate had been flung open. And one of the housekeepers, whom I knew was crying. And I asked what had happened; he told me that my uncle was taken away by some soldiers. Even at that stage it did not dawn on me that I was not going to see him again neither did I know that they were going to kill him. I just thought that it’s all politics that he was going to come home sometime in the day. Then I moved to the Prime Minister’s house and found same situation.

The door was thrown open and his orderly was crying. It was then that it was getting clearer to me what a coup actually is. I then knew that it was a matter of life and death. So that is the way it was at time. I must say, however, that at the time I was driving to my uncle’s house, I saw vehicles of soldiers speeding in a manner I had never seen. I drove to my office and proceeded to the parliament. At the parliament we were told to pack up and start moving.

Who gave that order?

Ironsi was the person, who asked us to go. And not even all the ministers had heard about what happened then. So I saw this huge tall man, the late Aguiyi Ironsi, who came and asked us to go in an unusual manner. And this was a man, who used say to me:  ‘’hello, how are you my young director,’’ he used to joke with me. But this time, he was not joking. He commanded all of us to get out of the parliament. Had he assumed power as the Head of State at the time he was giving such in Lagos?

He was the most senior officer in the army. So he took control immediately and of course he was the one commanding everybody to get moving. And that was the first time everybody was seeing soldiers in action in the country. Even some flamboyantly dressed ministers, who came and were showing themselves to the camera quickly respected themselves and put themselves back in their cars. Those days our ministers were flamboyant in their dressing and carriage.  For instance, my uncle when going to present a budget dresses as if it was a Christmas Day.

So the ministers were flamboyant but not like the ones stealing today. Their flamboyance was not about stealing of public funds because they still had in them the idea of the founding fathers that their duty was to make Nigeria great. Everything that mattered to them then was Nigeria. And that was why Nigeria developed at a fast rate then. So, all the flamboyant ministers then chickened out of the presence of the soldiers who gave order for people to leave the parliament.  They entered their cars and went away.  The atmosphere was an unhappy and uncertain one because we did not expect what happened. But much later it started to dawn on us and the country has never known peace after then. It surprised us to know that the killings were not uniformed. And that of course led from one coup to the other.

So what happened after the dispersal?

They called us later to brief us about what had happened and why they took over the reins of government and what it means. Then the northerners started to feel differently because Abubakar and Sardauna were killed.  It was since that coup that Nigerians started looking at Nigeria differently. That was the beginning of the problems we are in. Again is the fact that the soldiers who planned the coup were very young. Even when I was in school (Saint Theresa’s College Ibadan) soldiers like Ifeajuna used to come and talk with the senior girls. So they used to come and brief us about the country. It was much later that I realized that they had something more than just talking to us about the country.

During those visits by Ifeajuna and other young officers, did someone like Ifeajuna sound revolutionary?

We were too busy trying to pass our exams, so we did not really understand that they had long felt different about happenings in the country. That was years before the coup.  These were restless people especially that Ifeajuna. They were just young and excited officers.

When the army took over it was a shock to all of us. But one thing we had in those days was freedom of speech which we inherited from Zik and Awolowo, who were journalists. It was a legacy we got from them because we did not fight any war to get our independence. It was a war of the pen. So, we enjoyed that. But that became a luxury when the army came. When I was a programme Director at the NTS , I did what I think I should do and before I knew, a soldier came to the control room and took me away. That was after the coup.

My offense was that I took a shot where Aguiyi-Ironsi was eating. In that picture, Ironsi was heaping food into his mouth. I was neither the one who took the shot nor edited it. I just ran it because it had been edited that way.  It was shocking when we saw soldiers in our place of work. When they started calling us to come we did not come, don’t forget that we were pretty young girls in our own world so we refused to come. But one of us was given a slap by the soldiers.  So, that experience marked the beginning of impunity that became the order of the day during military rule.  Things changed with the first coup.

Unitary government

Ironsi introduced unitary government but some part of the country did not like it. Ojukwu was part of the young officers who went to the university.  He was in the east and when the unitary government came some did not like it. And by that time some of us already felt bad. People like Peter Enahoro (Peter Pan) ran away after writing some articles. That was a bad period for us because people we trusted could not be trusted any more. Unitary system worsened the situation and perhaps led to the second coup. Again, I was in Ibadan to cover the event that Aguiyi Ironsi had come for.

I arrived in the evening. In the morning the news came to us that there was a coup. So, before we could get to the venue of the event, we started hearing that something had happened and for somebody like me, who saw the first one in Lagos, I took to my heels. When my uncle, the Prime Minister and Sardauna of Sokoto were killed, I had no faith again. At that time, the impression the north gave to us was that they had revenged and that they were going to join Niger Republic. In that coup, the governor of Western Region was also killed. The Yoruba were angry about that.