According to sources, this sweet, cake-looking House is Otunba Subomi Balogun's home on Milverton road, Ikoyi Lagos Nigeria. It does look like all his First City Monument Bank buildings across the nation.
Showing posts with label Exclusive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exclusive. Show all posts
Tuesday 18 March 2014
Photo: Founder of FCMB, Otunba Subomi Balogun's Ikoyi Home....No Money Oh! Lol!
According to sources, this sweet, cake-looking House is Otunba Subomi Balogun's home on Milverton road, Ikoyi Lagos Nigeria. It does look like all his First City Monument Bank buildings across the nation.
Remain There! Chris Brown has been denied bail, as the Judge ordered him to remain in jail till April 23rd...
His request to enter a new rehab facility after getting kicked out for the second time was denied...
Chris Brown sat motionless in court as the judge attributed his inability to stay out of trouble as the reason for his decision to deny bail and remand Chris into custody. Feeling bad for him.
'How to end corruption in Nigeria' - Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala speaks with CNN
Minister for Finance and Coordinator of the Economy Ngozi Okonjo Iweala was a guest on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS programme on Sunday where she acknowledged that there was corruption in Nigeria but said that the fight against corruption must involve every Nigerian...
The Minister was also taken up by the presenter on Sanusi's suspension. He asked her why Sanusi was suspended after he discovered that monies had been siphoned from the NNPC account of which the Minister responded that Sanusi did not say monies were siphoned, he said money was unaccounted for. Full text of the Interview after the cut..."No one can fight corruption for Nigerians except Nigerians. Everyone has to be committed from the top to the bottom to fight it. In our country, we need to, coupled with – by all means pursue those who are corrupt, punish them, you know, make sure there’s no impunity. But that has to be coupled with something which doesn’t get as much attention, which is building institutions. It’s unglamorous; it’s work that takes time, but we have to do it. We have to put it in place.” she said.
ZAKARIA: Listen in to our conversation. I began by asking her why the central banker was suspended for blowing the whistle.
NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA, NIGERIAN FINANCE MINISTER: I believe that when you find problems, you should also find solutions. I think the problem began the first time when he said that the amount that was – he never said it was stolen. He said it was unaccounted for, was $49.8 billion.
And he wrote a letter to the president; he called me a couple of days after, to say I’ve written this letter. And my first reaction was, that’s not possible. We couldn’t be missing $50 billion as finance minister in this country. We wouldn’t be able to function because that’s too high a hit. Everybody would know it and feel it in the economy.
ZAKARIA: There is some substantial gap.
OKONJO-IWEALA: Oh, yes –
ZAKARIA: Right? I mean –
OKONJO-IWEALA: No, we –
ZAKARIA: – the World Bank, I think when you were one of the managing directors, issued a report on the Nigerian economy in which it said hundreds of billions of dollars over the past 30 or 40 years have been siphoned off. And so this would be a perfect example of precisely this kind of siphoning off.
OKONJO-IWEALA: No. I think we should hold our horses a little bit. Sanusi please ask him never said the money had been siphoned off. He said it was unaccounted for.
And hold on. There’s a difference, because when he alleged $49.8 billion – and this was looked at, it was found that some of that money had really been remitted to the tax agency directly and his people were not aware of it.
So $16 billion was immediately accounted for that, you know, they didn’t seem to know the accounting mode of the agency, so that’s what I’m saying.
But there has been – there’s no doubt that Nigerians feel suspicious of the oil sector, that it has been regarded as opaque over the years and this is not an issue, you know, whether it’s $10.8 billion, whether it’s $1, you know, we can’t afford to lose any money from the treasury.
ZAKARIA: But then why fire the central banker, a respected central banker?
OKOJO-IWEALA: You know, Fareed, what I would like to do is perhaps focus on the economy, because I don’t think I want to get into this issue of firing/not firing. He’s still governor of the central bank. He has been suspended. He hasn’t been fired.
But I think we need to focus on the central issue, which is no one dollar should be lost from the treasury. Any money that belongs to it must be remitted. That’s what we’re insisting.
And the president, we pushed for – he has ordered one yesterday, that there should be a forensic audit to determine where these moneys, that what is unaccounted for, is it the $10.8 billion that we are saying from the accounts?
We’ve been working on this for two years.
And you know, is it $50 billion? Is it $20 billion? Is it $12 billion? What is the amount? We need to know for the sake of the Nigerian people and he has ordered that. So we want it to be independent; we want it to be well done, so that we can lay it to rest.
ZAKARIA: So how do we – how do you solve the problem of corruption?
You’ve been in government twice. You have a reputation for being extremely honest.
What would you do, if you had a magic wand, if you were president, what would you do to get Nigeria to get this cancer out of its system?
OKOJO-IWEALA: Well, you know, Fareed, you know with that, there are no easy answers. But there’s one thing I want to say and repeat. No one can fight corruption for Nigerians except Nigerians. Everyone has to be committed from the top to the bottom to fight it.
And I think there are two key things that need to be done all along, and it’s not just in Nigeria. It’s in many developing countries that you need to do this.
But in our country, you need to, coupled with – by all means pursue those who are corrupt, punish them, you know, make sure there’s no impunity. But that has to be coupled with something which doesn’t get as much attention, which is building institutions. It’s unglamorous; it’s work that takes time, but we have to do it. We have to put it in place.
ZAKARIA: I have to ask you a question that is not part of directly your portfolio, but it is your government.
Nigeria has always had laws banning homosexuality. But you advanced a further law which criminalized it so that somebody who is gay would have to spend 14 years in prison.
You also have passed – the law says that people who are in some way promoting gay clubs or gay discussion would be imprisoned for 10 years. This seems an assault on a minority’s rights. It also seems an assault on free speech.
Why is Nigeria doing this?
OKOJO-IWEALA: Well, let me say this, Fareed, that, you know, we’re here in the U.S. And it took 40 to 50 years or more under conversation of, you know, the gay community to get where the U.S. is.
I think that, you know, we need a conversation in the country. We need evolution. Ninety-six percent of people support these laws, but I think we need to unpack the laws, for them to see, you know, between being a gay person and between same-sex marriage because the two are compounded in people’s minds and there’s a strong sentiment against same-sex marriage, just as you had here before.
And it’s still evolving. I think it’s a question of conversation, discussion, evolution, education and engagement over time, just as happened in this country and in Europe. It’s not something that happened overnight. So I would say withhold judgment and let us work on this.
ZAKARIA: Madam Finance Minister, pleasure to have you on.
OKOJO-IWEALA: Thank you.
ZAKARIA: And we will be back.
End.
Monday 17 March 2014
4.4 Magnitude Earthquake hits Los Angeles area
A 4.4-magnitude earthquake shook the Los Angeles area this morning Monday March 17th. The residents were still asleep when the earthquake happened.
A US Geological Survey spokeswoman, Dr Lucy Jones said it was the strongest earthquake in Los Angeles since the last aftershocks from the 1994 Northridge quake.
No casualties or destruction has been reported. Meanwhile Nicki Minaj who resides in the area where the earthquake happened said that the whole experience made her to re-evaluate her life.
A US Geological Survey spokeswoman, Dr Lucy Jones said it was the strongest earthquake in Los Angeles since the last aftershocks from the 1994 Northridge quake.
No casualties or destruction has been reported. Meanwhile Nicki Minaj who resides in the area where the earthquake happened said that the whole experience made her to re-evaluate her life.
Monday 4 November 2013
Going underground: The outlaws of New York's thriving subculture as seen by one photographer who spent years in city's underbelly
Bright Nights: Photographs Of Another New York compiles a decade and a half of Seelie’s adventures exploring the city’s rich underbelly of alternative and underground culture.
The New York documented by Steelie is one where people regularly climb bridges, party in railroad tunnels, and sail homemade rafts on the Hudson River.
A ruckus band perform at a squat in Alphabet City, Manhattan in 2012: A new book by photographer Tod Seelie is a poke in the eye to all those critics who claim New York City has become too corporate and mainstream
People on-board a makeshift raft sail round the southern tip of Manhattan, 2008: Bright Nights: Photographs Of Another New York compiles a decade and a half of Tod Seelie's adventures exploring the city's rich underbelly of alternative and underground culture
View of Manhattan from the top of the Williamsburg Bridge, 2011: The New York that Steelie documents is one where people climb bridges, party in railroad tunnels, and sail homemade rafts on the Hudson River
His New York is an underground haven for people at society’s edges, who come alive at night to party in abandoned spaces, to make music and art and noise and mess.
‘I hope what happens is when you take in all these images and the subject matter and the aesthetic and you pile them together, you get a sense of this world that's kind of swirling right underneath a lot of people’s feet in New York,’ Seelie told Slate.com.
He moved to the city to attend the Pratt Institute in 1997 and became immersed in Brooklyn’s burgeoning art and music scene.
Setting up for a secret dinner in the Freedom Tunnel, Manhattan, 2007: Steelie's New York is an underground haven for people at society's edges, who come alive at night to party in abandoned spaces
Burning car in Bushwick, Brooklyn, 2007: The city documented in Steelie's book is a far cry from the picture postcard version on sale to tourists in Times Square
Crowd dancing on a rooftop during a Fourth of July party, Bushwick, Brooklyn, 2006: The city that never sleeps is still there although if you want to find it perhaps you need to look a bit harder and travel a bit further
Although many of the DIY venues he once frequented have now closed due to rising rents, Seelie believes it remains possible to enjoy an alternative lifestyle in New York - even if you need a regular pay-cheek to help fund it.
‘Some people may think that to do some of the stuff you see in the photos you have to have no job, never work. In fact, the opposite is true.
'A lot of the people in the photos have day jobs, and this is what they do at night. It's really about what you're passionate about, what you do, what you like to make happen on your own,’ he said.
A lot of Seelie's photographs involve a high degree of risk as safety is often questionable and the police are never too far away, but for Steelie it is simply a matter of weighing risk and reward.
Callie crowd surfing during a Spank Rock show at Bodega, Bushwick, Brooklyn, 2009: Many DIY venues have closed due to rising rents, but Seelie believes it remains possible to enjoy an alternative lifestyle even if you need a pay-cheek to help fund it
Vogue dance battle at La Escuelita, Manhattan, 2012: An alternative lifestyle is still achievable says Seelie, even if most people have to work to supplement it
‘I try really hard not to get caught. It's just one aspect of life where you have to evaluate it for yourself. Maybe something's too dangerous, something's too risky, or something's just too stupid - but maybe it's totally worth it,’ he said.
Many people will view Seelie’s adventures as things they simply wouldn’t dream of doing – or perhaps are too scared to try – but it is somehow reassuring to know that somewhere out there in the night there are people crowd surfing in high heels or playing in a mutant brass band.
Seelie's photographs prove that the city that never sleeps is still there, it's just that if you want to find it you might need to look a bit harder and travel a bit further to the outer boroughs than some of those people so quick to say that New York isn’t as good as it once was.
Bright Nights: Photographs Of Another New York by Tod Seelie is available to buy now.
Seelie's book documents the photographs he has taken over the past 15 years of a very different New York to the one seen by most of its residents and visitors
Al-Qaeda liquid bomb plotter asks European court to free him - because publicity over 'suicide video' infringed his human rights
Appeal: Abdulla Ahmed Ali, mastermind of the 'liquid bomb plot', has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights for his life sentence to be overturned.
Abdulla Ahmed Ali developed a home-made hydrogen peroxide bomb that could be disguised as a soft drink and taken on board a plane.
He and a group of associates planned to take the bombs aboard seven flights.
The discovery of his suicide plan in 2006 led to urgent changes to international restrictions on carrying fluids on to planes.
However, the al-Qaeda terrorist now claims his human rights were infringed by publicity before he was convicted for life for conspiracy to murder - and has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.
He argues that the jury would have been prejudiced by coverage of a previous trial.
Although the Strasbourg court does not hold the power to quash the conviction, it would be extremely problematic for the Government if they ruled in the terrorist's favour.
If Ali wins his case it would allow him and fellow plotters to begin an attempt in British to have their convictions quashed, using the European ruling to convince judges that their convictions were not fair.
Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, said the case highlighted why there was an urgent need for reform to human rights laws.
'Suicide video': Ali and his associates posted a video that boasted of his airline bomb plot, which would have seen the group attempt to smuggle the bombs on to seven flights
'This yet a further example of why things cannot go on as they are', he said.
'It is unacceptable to have a situation in which claims to the European Court of Human Rights are actually being used to undermine our justice system.
'Our justice system is one of the best in the world and the Strasbourg court has no business telling us how to run it.'
Although British judges at the Court of Appeal have ruled the case deserve a hearing, the European Court has examined Ali's application.
It has allowed it through the first stage of consideration for a full hearing, according to the Sunday Telegraph.
His case has been adjourned because more information was needed.
Supplies: A picture of several empty bottles found at the group's East London base, that was shown to a jury at Woolwich Crown Court
PREVIOUS CASES THROWN OUT
Appeal: Co-conspirator Tanvir Hussain
Four of Ali's co-conspirators have attempted to take cases to Strasbourg.In three of the cases it was because their lawyers made a mistake and missed appeal deadlines.
The fourth case was submitted several months late.
The applications by Tanvir Hussain, jailed for at least 32 years; Umar Islam, jailed for a minimum of 22 years and Ibrahim Savant, jailed for at least 20 years, were ruled inadmissible by the Strasbourg judges.
Representing the men, and responsible for the last appeal papers, were Tuckers Solicitors.
Duncan Lewis Solicitors, the lawyers for Waheed Zaman, serving a minimum of 20 years, also submitted the papers late.
Eight men were convicted for their involvement in the plot to blow up aircraft with liquid bombs after three trials.
They said they wish to establish whether he had a 'fair trial by an impartial tribunal' as required under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Ali, now 33, was convicted of conspiracy to endanger the safety of an aircraft in his first trial in 2008.
However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on a charge of conspiracy to murder.
He was therefore re-trialled at Woolwich Crown Court, London, in September 2009.
There he was convicted of both charges and jailed for life - with a minimum term of 40 years.
'Adverse publicity' generated by the media between his 2008 trial and his retrial a year later is the reason Ali claims his human rights were breached.
During the trials, it was revealed how Ali and a group of associates recorded 'suicide videos' at a flat in Walthamstow, east London.
The videos revealed his plot to bring down airliners with bombs smuggled in soft drink containers.
During the footage it was said the was intended to 'teach a lesson' that non-Muslims 'will never forget'.
Ali singled out seven flights to San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, Washington, New York and Chicago that departed within two-and-a-half hours of each other and said his group would taken the explosives on board.
If successful, the explosions could have exceeded the carnage of the September 11 attacks.
When Ali was arrested he had a computer memory stick in his pocket that highlighted seven flights from London to North American cities that were each carrying hundreds of passengers and crew.
Security sources believed the group were also planning a further attack involving 18 suicide bombers which could have killed 5,000 people in the air and the same number on the ground.
At the time it was revealed that the men had gathered enough chemicals to make 20 liquid bombs.
Investigating and prosecuting the conspiracy has already cost the taxpayer more than £100million and Ali's legal challenge will push the bill higher.
Friday 1 November 2013
We can see your Halo! Beyonce is a flirty angel in micro white shorts and feathery wings for Halloween bash in Australia
But Beyonce was the one who was heaven sent on Halloween night.
The 32-year-old was dressed as a flirty angel in white denim cutoffs at a party to celebrate the beloved holiday in Sydney, Australia.
Heaven sent: Beyonce donned a flirty angel costume for a Halloween in Sydney, Australia on Thursday
Beyonce wore a halo and feathery wings as she posed with her friends and entourage.
She styled her highlighted blonde hair in loose curls and upped the glamour with a slick of red lipstick.
Angelic: She styled her highlighted blonde hair in loose curls and upped the glamour with a slick of red lipstick
Pout parade: Beyonce wore a halo and feathery wings as she posed with her friends and entourage
Earlier in the day, she uploaded a touching Instagram snap of her cradling daughter Blue Ivy.
The picture shows the pair from behind, and the 22-month-old looked to be dressed like a caterpillar.
Her little bug: Earlier in the day, Beyonce uploaded a touching Instagram snap of her cradling daughter Blue Ivy, who appeared to be dressed as a caterpillar
A source told the New Zealand publication the Herald On Sunday: 'She got changed into the bungee clothes out the back somewhere and was taken straight up in a service elevator.
'It was difficult to see her when she came down because she had so many bodyguards with her.
'It was all over very quickly and bosses kept it quiet from everyone because they didn't want word getting out and risk huge crowds turning up to watch.'
Thursday 31 October 2013
Rihanna flies her tattoo artists 1,500 miles to spend 11 hours making her New Zealand tribal art work 'pretty'
Only thing was their New York City shop was 1,500 miles away. Not a problem for the Diamonds singer - she just put them on an airplane to meet her in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, according to PageSix.
The designers said it took them 11 hours to make the traditional marks 'pretty,' no doubt offending the ancient tribes. She showed off the new work during her Puerto Rico concert on Monday.
More ink: While performing in Puerto Rico on Monday, Rihanna showed off her new henna-inspired tattoo on her right hand that covered up most of the traditional art work she got in New Zealand
Before and after: Tattoo artist Keith McCurdy says he thinks he made her tribal art work 'pretty'
She can't stop: It took 11 hours to add to her old designs, and she was left 'bruised,' according to her artist
NEW ZEALANDER TATTOO ARTIST DEFENDS RIHANNA AFTER BACKLASH
Rihanna has been slammed on Twitter for modifying her traditional tribal ink.
Purple Kisses said, 'Far too much going on' and They Call Me Sir! said the decision was 'horrifying.'
Tiki Taane, who was one of Rihanna's New Zealand tattooists, has come out to defend the singer.
'I love how she’s pulling together all these different cultures through tattooing, that’s mean alright!' he wrote on his page.
'I think the added tattooing looks awesome! It pulls the traditional work in nicely. Go Riri i say. I know what its like traveling the world getting tattooed & its always a massive work in progress. Ive had 43 tattooist from around the planet work on me & im still along way off finishing it all. Choice one!'
Purple Kisses said, 'Far too much going on' and They Call Me Sir! said the decision was 'horrifying.'
Tiki Taane, who was one of Rihanna's New Zealand tattooists, has come out to defend the singer.
'I love how she’s pulling together all these different cultures through tattooing, that’s mean alright!' he wrote on his page.
'We designed something that plays over the knuckles and wrist, and just tried to incorporate it with what was done before,' Keith told Page Six.
'We blended what used to be there into a more decorative pattern. We tried to make it look like jewelry, a bit like a henna tattoo.'
Happy at last: Keith McCurdy said the Grammy winner 'loved' her new tattoos
An obsession?: The Barbados beauty has several other designs on her body, like a gun on her side
Does she want more? The Chris Brown ex has about 20 tattoos already
RIHANNA'S TOP TATTOOS
1. Egyptian queen Nefertiti
2. Hand gun
3. Skull
4. Dragon claw
5. 'Love'
6. 'Shhh...'
7. Pisces sign
8. Stars
9. Goddess Isis
10. XI IV LXXXVI
2. Hand gun
3. Skull
4. Dragon claw
5. 'Love'
6. 'Shhh...'
7. Pisces sign
8. Stars
9. Goddess Isis
10. XI IV LXXXVI
'We drew on her hand from 7 pm to midnight. We were drawing and changing things,' Keith told E!
'I'd take a break and Cally-Jo would draw, then I'd draw ... The inspiration was henna art, we wanted something really decorative, feminine and sexy. We thought that was the closest in style where we could shift and make it look decorative.
'She had something pre-existing on her hand. So it was a little bit of a cover up, but also making it look good, wanted to make sure it flowed. We needed to work with what she already had. [It was] difficult, because the stuff she already had was a pattern on skin. We were trying to fit the body with what she already had. Mend the two styles with a new style.'
Rihanna 'flipped out! Absolutely loved it, loved it!' the artist also told E!
He also commented on a before and after Instagram photo of the hand, 'So proud we made it pretty??'
Hardcore! She had a traditional Maori tattoo inked onto her arm with a chisel and mallet during her trip to New Zealand
Struggling: The intricate design featured lines and symbols going from the top of Rihanna's fingers down to the middle of her forearm
Wednesday 30 October 2013
Peacocking to the max! Lady Gaga quickly discovers the perils of her outlandish feathered headgear as she struggles to fit inside a car
But Lady Gaga discovered the perils associated with her eccentric headgear on Tuesday night as she struggled to fit into a car due to a series of enormous feathers protruding from her crown.
Now that['s what you call peacocking! Lady Gaga demonstrated her typically outlandish sense of style with a garish feathered headpiece as she stepped out in London on Tuesday night
Making a daring sartorial statement, the Applause hitmaker adorned her head with huge 5ft-high feathers that swept back from her forehead in a dramatic fashion.
But Mother Monster evidently wasn't content with leaving it there when it came to her outlandish, and flashed the flesh in a completely sheer top with only sequin tassle detail preserving her modesty.
The combination of such a high headpiece and teaming her daring top with no bra meant the pop megastar suffered a fashion fail as she attempted to get into her car.
Oops-a-daisy! But the star discovered the perils associated with her eccentric headgear on Tuesday night as she struggled to fit into a car due to a series of enormous feathers protruding from her crown
Out of this world: The 27-year-old singer appeared to have channelled a peacock when it came to her rather interesting - and revealing - choice of outfit as she arrived to film her segment on The Graham Norton Show in central London
Struggling to fit her head inside the vehicle, the New Yorker inadvertantly flashed a rather risque amount of sideboob as her skimpy top rode up to reveal all.
But Gaga could be forgiven for her sartorial faux pas, with her mind likely to be elsewhere given that her beloved puppy, Alice, had to be put down earlier in the day.
Revealing the sad news to her legion of loyal followers via her Twitter page, she wrote: 'My puppy Alice died. We had to put her down, cancer ate away at a little angel. My daddy is so sad, we all are, lost a member of our family.
The sky's the limit! Making a daring sartorial statement, the Applause hitmaker adorned her head with huge 5ft-high feathers that swept back from her forehead in a dramatic fashion
Write caption here
'I love being an entertainer but it is so painful sometimes to be away from home 17 years she held on, so many memories. Nothing beats family.
'I remember her laying my bed, she knew when I was sad, or when I was sick. I should have been there. I just pray Alice found her wonderland.'
Heading back to her London hotel after her television appearance, Lady Gaga teamed her sheer top and crazy headdress with a pair of flattering high-waisted wide-leg trousers, and the same towering platform heels she was spotted in earlier in the day.
Fashion fail: The combination of such a high headpiece and teaming her daring top with no bra meant the pop megastar suffered a fashion fail as she attempted to get into her car
What a calamity! Struggling to fit her head inside the vehicle, the New Yorker inadvertantly flashed a rather risque amount of sideboob as her skimpy top rode up to reveal all
From wood shavings to sea shells and steampunk glasses - the star has worn it all during her current promotional assault on the UK before the release of new album ARTPOP.
But the star took care not to come a cropper in the teetering PVC boots she wore.
The 27-year-old wore the black PVC boots with a plaid shirt and bare legs outside the studios, while on her head she fixed a baseball cap and sunglasses.
Sad times: But Gaga could be forgiven for her sartorial faux pas, with her mind likely to be elsewhere given that her beloved puppy, Alice, had to be put down earlier in the day
Careful Gaga: The 27-year-old wore the black PVC boots with a plaid shirt and bare legs with a blue baseball cap as she confidently walked along in the super high boots
The stiletto boots were so high she put herself at risk of needing a second hip operation if she stumbled and fell.
Earlier this year she was forced to cancel a string of shows on her Born This Way tour to undergo delicate hip surgery.
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga has been named Glamour's Woman of the Year and sat down with Andy Cohen to discuss her feelings on beauty, Madonna and her own body image issues.
Born this way: Gaga underwent surgery in February, after which she cut a typically outlandish figure in a string of garish wheelchairs
When asked whether or not she considers herself to be beautiful, the star had a very self-aware response.
She said: 'Not conventionally beautiful. I've always been OK with that. I'm not a supermodel. That's not what I do. What I do is music.
'I want my fans to feel the way I do, to know that what they have to offer is just as important, more important, than what's happening on the outside. I'm confident in who I am.
'Being beautiful is not so fun when you're in a business with all men. Because it can actually get in the way.'
Bad romance with fashion: Gaga never disappoints when it comes to her outrageous dress sense
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