Tuesday 18 March 2014
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.
Ekiti State commissioner arrested for beating up NYSC member
Olaosebikan (pictured above), who is also the Chairman, NYSC board in the state, was seen at the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, making his statement.
Olaosebikan allegedly beat up a youth corps member, Mr. Thompson Enobong, NYSC number EK/13c/1859, who is one of the NYSC members assisting INEC in the just-concluded registration.Enobong was subsequently rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Ido Ekiti, where he is said to be receiving treatment.
Olaosebikan, however, denied beating up the corps member, saying he merely protected him.
Vanguard also gathered that a soldier, Private Clement John is being interrogated by the police for disrupting the exercise in Emure Ekiti.
The soldier, who claimed to be serving in an Army unit in Borno State, was reportedly over powered by others at the registration unit and handed over to the police. John has equally been transferred to Ado Ekiti for further investigation.
Also one Paul Ezekiel was arrested in Ikere Ward 2 for allegedly threatening officials of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, during the rush for registration.
Spokesman of the state police command, Mr. Victor Babayemi, who confirmed the two cases, said the soldier would be handed over to the Army formation in Ondo State to ascertain whether or not he is a soldier.
Meanwhile, the Director-General, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement, PAAM, the political organisation of one of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial aspirants, Bisi Kolawole, has called on the relevant authorities to protect NYSC members.
Source: Vanguard
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.
Thursday 20 February 2014
Show your love for the slogan in Zoe Karssen
Slogans may have been
everywhere this year, but here Kate Beckinsale shows us that the
off-duty staple is still a hot commodity in her 'Army Of Lovers' design
by Zoe Karssen. The cool brand have gained quite the celebrity cult
following with everyone from Kristen Stewart to Alexa Chung to Mila
Kunis favoring their laid-back luxe pieces. But luckily you don't need a
designer budget to rock the trend.ick Grimshaw and BRIT Awards host James Corden shares a passionate kiss on stage as the presenter bows out in style after five years
He was taking his bow as BRITS host on Wednesday evening after presenting the annual show for the fifth and final time.
But while it was another polished performance from James Corden, his swansong was overshadowed by a memorable send-off from close pal Nick Grimshaw in the form of a French kiss.
The Radio 1 DJ enjoyed a comical frisson with Corden at last year’s event, when the presenter playfully perched on his knee, and the banter continued when he took to the stage to present Lorde with the award for International Female Artist.
Scroll down for full list of winners
'Hello everyone, it's tough coming on after Noel Gallagher and Kate Moss,’ he joked, adding: 'Can we have a round of applause for James Corden, everyone? Last year we made out, I'm hoping we can go to second base this year.'
But while it was another polished performance from James Corden, his swansong was overshadowed by a memorable send-off from close pal Nick Grimshaw in the form of a French kiss.
The Radio 1 DJ enjoyed a comical frisson with Corden at last year’s event, when the presenter playfully perched on his knee, and the banter continued when he took to the stage to present Lorde with the award for International Female Artist.
Scroll down for full list of winners
'Hello everyone, it's tough coming on after Noel Gallagher and Kate Moss,’ he joked, adding: 'Can we have a round of applause for James Corden, everyone? Last year we made out, I'm hoping we can go to second base this year.'
Lorde the teen queen hits another high note with BRIT award
She's the breakthrough act of the year.
And two-time Grammy winner Lorde proved she's still reigning supreme as she scooped the award for Best International Solo Female at the all-star Brit Awards in London on Wednesday night.
The 17-year-old singer showed that while her name might be in lights, her feet are still firmly on the ground, declaring the award was : 'A priceless surprise.'
Scroll down for video
The
gorgeously gothic babe, who comes from New Zealand, took to the stage
in a dramatic black sequinned number saying: 'I'm still so new to
getting awards that my brain feels like it's exploding every time it
happens, so forgive me.'
And two-time Grammy winner Lorde proved she's still reigning supreme as she scooped the award for Best International Solo Female at the all-star Brit Awards in London on Wednesday night.
The 17-year-old singer showed that while her name might be in lights, her feet are still firmly on the ground, declaring the award was : 'A priceless surprise.'
Scroll down for video
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