Vacancy At Buckingham Palace: The Queen Needs New Housekeeping Assistant

Buckingham Palace is advertising for a new housekeeping assistant, whose duties include running the royal baths and arranging serving the tea.
The successful applicant for the 14,400 pound ($27,300) a year post will be responsible for “high quality cleaning, presentation and guest care” at the Queen’s official London residence.
Duties include “arranging dry cleaning, care of jewellery, running baths, assisting with dressing if required and arranging the service of tea and breakfast trays”.
The ad on the Royal Household’s website says the new employee will be working in proximity to members of the royal family and so must be able to “maintain confidentiality”.
The job holder is responsible for the upkeep of the carpets, upholstery, antique furnishings, artworks, picture frames, mirrors and silver and brass items

Michelle Obama looks fabulous at 50

The First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama, turned 50 last week Friday, and she did not hide her excitement as she took to twitter to announce, “Excited to join Barack in the 50+ club today… check out my @AARP card!”

Obviously, one of the first birthday gifts she received came from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), an open 50+ club.

As expected, the First Lady celebrated her milestone birthday in presidential style at the White House on Saturday night – a day after she clocked 50 – with a star-studded guest list, including Samuel L. Jackson, Smokey Robinson and Magic Johnson.

Meet first female president of the Central African Republic

After years of crisis and political violence, Central Africa Republic began the first phase of its transition to democratic civilian governance by electing Catherine Samba-Panza to act as an interim President.

A study of the political history of the country showed that Samba-Panza is the first female to become the president of the country.

She emerged after former president, François Bozize, was presurised to stepped down by the international community amid violent clashes between Muslim and Christian groups.

Who is Samba-Panza?

The 59-year-old former Bangui mayor was born on June 26, 1954 in Fort Lamy, Chad to a Cameroonian father while her mother was from CAR.

Jonathan stops SSS from quizzing Obasanjo

The Presidency may have put on hold its earlier directive to  the State Security Service  to investigate the weighty allegations contained in the controversial letter  written by  former  president Olusegun Obasanjo to  President Goodluck Jonathan in December last year.

learnt that the Presidency decided to halt the investigation of  the issues raised in the former president’s  letter in order to amicably settle the rift between President Jonathan  and his political benefactor.

It was learnt that notable political leaders in the country were already engrossed in moves to bring the President and Obasanjo together.

It was further gathered that security operatives were directed   to stop the investigation as a result of the ongoing efforts in high political circles to broker a truce between the two political figures.

Elders urge Amaechi to cancel rally in Ogoniland

Elders from four local government areas that make up Ogoni have called on the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, to cancel his plan of leading a rally of the All Progressives Congress and the Save Rivers Movement to Bori, Khana Local Government Area on Saturday (today).

The elders, who spoke under the aegis of Concerned Ogoni Elders Forum, made this call on Friday shortly after their meeting to address the political crisis rocking the state.

Amaechi had vowed to lead the rescheduled rally organised by the Save Rivers Movement in Khana after the previous meeting in the area was botched by hoodlums suspected to be militants.

The group maintained that it was necessary for the governor to shelve the idea of holding a rally in any part of Ogoniland in order not to heighten the tension in the area.

We’ll end B’Haram insurgency before April – CDS

The new Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, has given an assurance that the military will bring the Boko Haram insurgency in the country to an end before April this year.

He said that it was mandatory for the military to eliminate the Boko Haram insurgency in the next three months in order to prevent a constitutional problem in the polity.

Badeh said that he was optimistic that the war against terrorism was already won.

Badeh gave the assurance while taking over as the new Chief of Defence Staff from his predecessor, Admiral Ola Ibrahim at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja on Monday.

He said that it was not the plan of the current Defence chiefs to go to the Senate to lobby for anything.

The CDS said that it was possible to bring the insurgency in the North East to an end if the military approached its security responsibilities cohesively.

He assured the new Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, who is expected to coordinate the fight against the insurgents, that it was possible for his work to be concluded in a short time.

He also gave the assurance that the other service chiefs, the Chief of Naval Staff, Air-Vice Marshal Adesola Amosun and Rear Admiral Usman Jubrin would give the requisite support to the Army chief in the prosecution of the campaign to end terrorism in the country.

Gay-Marriage Law: US threatens to sanction Nigeria

Leading western countries piled pressure on the Federal government, yesterday, following President Goodluck Jonathan’s signing of the Same-Sex Prohibition Act 2014. The latest country is the United States of America, whose Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle threatened that the United States will scale down its support for HIV/AIDS and anti-malaria programmes in response to the Federal Government’s position on the gay rights issue.
Member countries of the European Union and Canada have expressed their objection to the law but United States Ambassador to Nigeria said he was worried about “the implications of the anti-same sex marriage law which seems to restrict the fundamental rights of a section of the Nigerian population.”
This came as a former Nigerian Ambassador to US, Dahiru Suleiman, yesterday, described homosexuality and lesbianism as “animalistic and degrading to humanity.”
Also yesterday Christians in the northern part of Nigeria under the aegis of Christian Association of Nigeria in the 19 northern states an Abuja, hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for signing into law the anti-gay bill, urging him to ignore criticisms from Western nations, saying all religions in the country are united in their condemnation of same-sex marriage.

Rivers: Hoodlums open fire on pro-Amaechi rally

HOODLUMS suspected to be militants on Sunday invaded the Save Rivers Movement rally in Bori, Khana Local Government Area and unleashed terror on members of the group.

The militants, who wore masks were said to have  shot sporadically mostly at  vehicles parked at the venue of the event by state government officials.

The  Secretary to the State Government, Mr. George Feyii, the Chief of Staff, Government House,  Chief Tony Okocha, and some journalists were among those that  escaped death by a whisker.

Some  however sustained serious bullet injuries during the incident that occurred  barely  a week   after a similar rally was disrupted by operatives of the Rivers State Police Command in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.

Okocha was also lucky during the Obio Akpor rally  but a pro-Rotimi Amaechi senator, Magnus Abe, was not as he was shot with rubber bullets by policemen. Abe  is currently in a London hospital receiving treatment.

8 Tips To Break Up With A Man: Don’t Be Ambiguous

You know something is wrong between you and him, so do you just pull the trigger, kill this relationship dead and move on? No, take a moment. Look at what you used to have between the two of you and what you’ve got now. Make a list of where you two have gone off the rails. Seeing your problems in black and white helps you put things in perspective.

The next question to ask yourself is do you want to put things back on track? If you think with some tweaking, you can get your relationship running smooth, then it’s worth doing, isn’t it?
You’ve assessed how you feel, now for the tough stuff. Talk to him about the way you feel and the changes for the worse you’ve noticed. Even if he’s neglecting you, there may be a relationship worth saving. Guys get wrapped up in their own lives and that makes them dense to everyone around them. They may not even know they’re doing you harm. Also guys are not talkers. His turning away from you could be indicative of his fears. He may be worried things are moving too fast and this is his way of slowing things down or it could be something outside of your relationship that’s sucking up his energy. Either way, get to the bottom of the problem. But if you’ve tried getting through to him and you’ve tried to make changes for the better and it’s all failed, then jump ship
Hopefully, he’ll respond to you pointing out that you two are in trouble, but there’s also a chance he’s not interested and he doesn’t care. Then, whether you like it or not, you have hit the end of the road. If it isn’t working for you, then go.

President Obama: Not wise to “flirt with…default”

President Obama said during his weekly address last week that the government shutdown has had a negative impact on the people the system was designed to serve, adding that it would be unwise to “flirt with a first-ever intentional default.”
“Because damage to America’s sterling credit rating wouldn’t just cause global markets to go haywire; it would become more expensive for everyone in America to borrow money,” Obama said. “Students paying for college. Newlyweds buying a home. It would amount to a new tax – a Republican default tax – on every family and business in America. It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s not supposed to be this way.”
Obama said the longer the shutdown continues, the more markets will react, businesses will delay plans to invest and hire and unemployment will increase.

I should’ve fled Nigeria after stealing N45m – Graduate

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Lagos State Police Command has apprehended a 30-year-old man believed to have been the mastermind of two robberies at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja in 2012 and 2013.

The suspect, Samuel Mayegun, aka Asiwaju, who claimed to be a graduate of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, was arrested in the Ikorodu area of Lagos last Thursday.

 had reported in April 2013 that about eight suspects stole over N400m from bureau de change operators at the airport in 2012 and went for another robbery the following year and carted away N9m.

The police were able to arrest most of the suspects after the second robbery but it was learnt that Mayegun continued to evade arrest from policemen until he was arrested by policemen while attempting to stage another robbery.

Jonathan can’t remove me –Tukur

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has boasted that President Goodluck Jonathan is not in a position  to remove him from office.

 He said since he was elected at a convention, he could only be removed through a properly conducted national convention.

 Tukur was reacting to a rumour  that he had been directed by the President to resign. He told   journalists   in Abuja on Monday  that the rumour was  being planted by those he described as being in the opposition.

 He said, “I am an elected national chairman;  I have my certificate of return  and I cannot resign. A convention brought me;  so it has to take the convention that brought me for me to resign.

 “So, not even the President can ask me to resign. Remember, some members of the National Working Committee were asked to go recently because the election that brought them was flawed. So, Mr. President cannot tread that route again.”

Eid-el Maulud: Jonathan, Mark, Tambuwal, Ahmed, others preach peace

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday promised that his administration would not be distracted from prosecuting its developmental programmes despite the intrigues  heralding the 2015 general elections.

He also vowed to work with the Independent National Electoral Commission and other key stakeholders  to make proper preparations for the elections based on his belief that credible elections are bedrock of democracy.

Jonathan made the pledge in his Eid-el-Maulud message to the nation made available by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, in Abuja.

The statement partly reads, “Against the background of the increasing tempo of political activities in the country, as individuals, groups and parties jostle for vantage positions in the countdown to next year’s general elections, President Jonathan assures all Nigerians that his administration will not be distracted from working diligently to bring all of its priority developmental programmes and projects to a successful conclusion.

“The President also assures the nation that his administration will continue to act on its belief that only free, fair and credible elections can make democracy in Nigeria truly meaningful and useful as a vehicle for development and progress.

I won’t quit before June, Sanusi dares Jonathan

The controversy surrounding the planned exit of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, deepened on Thursday with the governor insisting that he would not quit the post until his term expired on June 2, 2014.

In keeping with his vow, which analysts see as a direct confrontation with President Goodluck Jonathan, Sanusi has said he will not proceed on his terminal leave in March as initially being speculated.

The President had reportedly asked the CBN governor to resign immediately because of the alleged deliberate leakage of the letter that Sanusi wrote to him in which the governor accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation of not remitting $49.8bn crude oil revenue to the Federation Account.

Sanusi was said to have denied leaking the letter to former President Olusegun Obasanjo or anyone for that matter, and allegedly told the President that he could only be removed by two-thirds of members of the Senate as required by law.

The governor reportedly told the President that the letter was available in the Presidential Villa, the Ministry of Finance and the CBN, and wondered how he could be accused of leaking it.

5 Qualities Men Look For In A Life Partner

What qualities do you look for in a woman when you decide to go for the lifelong commitment? Although every man has his own idea of the “perfect one”, there are some qualities that are absolute musts for a happy relationship. We did our own little survey and asked some men around, and here is what we found! These are 5 all-time toppers in a perfect wife traits’ list.

Independent
As dated as the concept of ‘housewife’ is, a majority of men today do not prefer a wife who needs to be babysat. If a woman seems to be incapable of handling herself without you then you need to think twice. An emotionally and financially independent woman is not only confident, but she is also strong enough to handle tough situations that are a part of married life. Also, emotionally independent women are seen to be happier than the rest.

A BIG AMEN TO THIS PRAYER

Baba Peculiar Hephzibah

WHERE OTHER PEOPLE ARE FAILED. I DECREE GO THERE AND MAKE IT WITH EASE IJN AMEN.

Hollande to meet Pope Francis on Rome trip

French President Francois Hollande will meet Pope Francis this month, the Vatican said on Thursday, after failing to visit on four previous trips to Rome since being elected and with his popularity at a low ebb.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told reporters that the meeting would take place on January 24.

France's Socialist government and the Vatican have been at odds over a variety of issues including the recent legalization of gay marriage and plans to legalize euthanasia, which goes against Catholic doctrine.

There is common ground, however, on the desire for social justice and peace, particularly in conflict-torn parts of Africa, as well as the protection of Christian minorities in the Middle East and environmental issues.

President Asks Sanusi To Resign Over Leaked $49.8bn Letter

CBN gov says only two-thirds of Senate can remove him President Goodluck Jonathan has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to resign immediately on the grounds that the letter Sanusi wrote to him on the unremitted $49.

8 billion oil revenue to the Federation Account, was leaked to former President Olusegun Obasanjo by the CBN governor.

But Sanusi who has denied leaking the letter to anyone, has refused to resign and informed the president during the heated telephone exchange that he could only be removed by two-thirds of the Senate as required by law.

Certificate scandal: NBA, CACOL call for Oduah’s removal

Chairman, Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Onyekachi Ubani, and the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, said on Wednesday that Ms Stella Oduah, who is embroiled in a fresh certificate scandal, was no longer fit as the nation’s Minister of Aviation.

CACOL’s Executive Chairman, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said in a telephone interview that the scandal was a proof that Oduah was engrossed in primitive accumulation.

An online news media, Sahara Reportershad reported that claim in Oduah’s profile on the Federal Ministry of Aviation’s website that she obtained a Master’s degree in Business Administration from St. Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Virginia in 1982, had been found to be false.

Lagos tanker fire burns 15 to death

At least 15 people lost their lives in Lagos on Tuesday night  when  a tanker  laden with 33,000 litres of petrol lost control and rammed into vehicles at Kirikiri, Lagos.

Our correspondents learnt that the tanker spilt all its content, thereby  causing the  fire that burnt  a branch of Sterling Bank at  Berger Suya Bus Stop, one  Automated Teller Machine, 11 vehicles and 60 shops.

Most of the  dead were said to be passengers of a commercial bus  (danfo)  that was  behind the  tanker when it fell and exploded.

An eyewitness claimed that  the  fire caused by the explosion  spread to Suya spots in the area  and burnt parked  vehicles . He added that the body of the tanker driver was glued to  his  seat for  over 40 minutes  before    rescue officials  removed  it.

A commercial bus driver, Murhi Lawal, who spoke to journalists while weeping profusely, said his bus was completely consumed by the fire.

He said, “Around 10pm on Tuesday, my bus developed a fault so I parked it in front of the  Sterling Bank branch. However, the guards on duty said I should move the bus  elsewhere so I decided to park  on the other side of the road so  that I could buy a fan belt.

Soldiers kill 38 suspected terrorists in Borno -Millitary

No fewer than 38 suspected members of the radical Boko Haram sect have been killed by troops of  7 Division of the Nigerian Army in the early hours of Thursday while allegedly planning to attack Damboa town in Borno State.

A statement in Maiduguri by the spokesman for the division, Col. Mohammed Dole, said the troops, working on information, responded timely, killing 38 of the insurgents.

The statement further revealed that one soldier was killed while two others sustained injuries.

The statement read, “During their regular robust patrols of their Area of Responsibility (AOR), the troops of 195 Battalion in Damboa successfully repelled planned Boko Haram Terrorists’ attack on residents and military camp. In the early hours (0100 hours) of Thursday, 9 January 2014, the insurgents attempted to launch an attack on Damboa to cause havoc and mayhem, but due to the timely information and gallantry displayed by the troops, the attack was repelled and inflicted heavy casualty on the terrorists.”

2015: Africa’s Richest Woman, Alakija’s Posters Flood Alausa.

Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, the richest African woman is eyeing the Governorship seat of Lagos State, western Nigeria to replace Governor Babatunde Fashola in 2015.
Posters of Alakija are already on the streets. The posters have equally flooded the Lagos State Government Secretariat, Alausa inviting people to support her ambition for the governorship seat.
The caption on the posters read: “2015: Vote Folorunsho Alakija for Governor.” The posters did not specify the party Alakija will be contesting.
It could also not be ascertained if the posters emanated from her as efforts to get her to comment on issue proved abortive at press time.

Jonathan after our lives — Buhari, Akande, others

Former military Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi; a former Osun State Governor and Interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Bisi Akande; and a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, have accused President Goodluck Jonathan of being after their lives.

In separate interviews  on Saturday, they accused the President of having their names on a sniper list.

El-Rufai had on Thursday named the top politicians as some of the persons on  President Jonathan’s watch list. When our correspondents sought their reactions,  on Saturday, they agreed with the FCT minister, saying they were targets for being in the opposition to the ruling government.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had in an 18-page letter to Jonathan, dated December 2, 2013, accused the President of training snipers and putting 1,000 people on a watch list. He also accused Jonathan of having a killer-squad.

10 Things To Know About Nation's First Recreational Marijuana Shops In Colorado

Colorado began allowing the sale of recreational marijuana on January 1 to anyone age 21 or older.
Residents can now buy marijuana like alcohol -- except the cannabis purchase is limited to an ounce, which is substantial enough to cost about $200 or more.
It's a big moment: Colorado became the first state in the nation to open recreational pot stores and became the first place in the world where marijuana will be regulated from seed to sale. Pot, by the way, is the third most popular recreational drug in America, after alcohol and tobacco, according to the marijuana reform group NORML.


Retail pot: Would you buy?

Here are 10 things to know about what will be a closely watched landmark law.
How can this be?


Voters wanted this. And the law is now in the Colorado constitution after 55% of voters said yes to legalizing recreational marijuana.

Colorado wasn't the only state to OK this in November 2012. Voters in Washington also said yes, but that state won't open marijuana retail outlets until later in 2014.

Riri Goes Swimming In Her £600 Crystal Bikini Studded With 2,638 Swarovski Gems

El-rufai names top personalities on watch list

A fresh round of controversy has greeted the purported watch list of President Goodluck Jonathan with a former Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, identifying himself and four others as some of those on the list.

El-Rufai’s tweet on Thursday evening triggered another controversy when he wrote that he was number seven on the alleged Jonathan’s snipers’ watch list.

In the tweet, El-Rurai identified four others: a former military head of state, General (Retd) Muhammadu Buhari; a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu; the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and a former Osun State Governor and Interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, as also making the list.

But Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, on Friday  described El-Rufai’s claim as sheer irresponsible talk.

2,500 Pregnant Teenagers Rescued From ‘Baby Factories’ In South-East In 2012 – Report

Posted by: daniel on January 4, 2014

In what could only be a testament to the thriving industry now known as ‘baby factories’, an investigation by Campaign for Democracy (CD) has revealed that no fewer than 2500 teenagers have been rescued from such ‘factories’ across the South-East states in the last one year. The investigations also revealed that the victims, who were mostly pregnant minors, were freed by the Police and other security agencies from the various illegal orphanages where they were detained.

According to a statement released by the group and signed by its Chairman in the South-East, Uzor A. Uzor, most of the teenage pregnant mothers lured into the trade with monetary offers by the ‘baby factory’ operators, while others were forced into the infamous trade by poverty and illiteracy.

Jonathan didn’t go to Kenya with seven aircraft –Presidency

The Presidency on Friday denied a statement credited to a Kenyan lady that President Goodluck Jonathan recently visited her country in seven private aircraft.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, in a message on his Twitter handle, described the statement as a blatant lie.

He said Jonathan travelled to Kenya with only one aircraft.

In a video which has gone viral on YouTube and other social media platforms, the Kenyan lady was heard saying, “Your (Nigerian) President visited our country with seven private jets. That has never happened before, we were all excited, ‘this is Nigeria, it is the country with the highest number of private jets.’ Seven private jets, I know there could be more but for us, that is still wao! They all came in their private jets.”

The video was Twitted by Nigerians including a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufa’i, forcing Abati to react.

PRAYER FOR 2014

Dearly Beloved,
OUR PRAYERS FOR YOU IN THE YEAR 2014
Praise the Lord for witnessing another year 2014!
As usual, Fisayo (my wife) and our children (Dedorah, Blessed, Merverlous ,Elijah,Samuel,)are joining me to welcome you into the New Year with these prophetic prayers adapted from Psalm 1:3 (AMP):
- The Lord will firmly establish you this new year and make you be like a tree planted by the streams of water;

Fayemi wants to frame me for murder –Bamidele

I

A House of Representatives member and governorship aspirant of the Labour Party in Ekiti State, Opeyemi Bamidele, on Thursday raised the alarm over an alleged plot by Governor Kayode Fayemi and the All Progressives Congress in the state to frame him for attempted murder.

Bamidele accused the Ekiti State government of being desperate to link him with the “rumoured attempt” on the life of Governor Kayode Fayemi’s Special Adviser on Security, Mr. Deji Adesokan, a.k.a Jaru.

Bamidele in a statement made available to journalists by his media aide, Ahmed Salami, said the two accused persons in the matter, Afolabi Oyediran and Oluwafemi Sunday, were not the House member’s allies as claimed.

Both Oyediran and Sunday were said to have been arrested within the premises of Adesokan last year.

The statement said it was absurd and “smacked of deceit and ignorance” for the APC in Ekiti to have linked Bamidele with the two accused persons when no such information was contained in their statements to the police or in the affidavits deposed to in court.

It described as malicious the claim that the two accused persons were Bamidele’s security aides.

It said, “Nothing can be farther from the truth than this. It represents another failed and desperate attempt by Governor Fayemi and his cronies to pull Bamidele down from his towering political heights by all means. No doubt, this is a deliberate set up.

“Otherwise, this is an attempt to cover up yet another embarrassing protest by some of Jaru’s goons.

“Without mincing words, it is clear to us that the linking of the detainees to Bamidele was another smear campaign to malign his (Bamidele’s) image and a calculated ploy to discredit his personality.”

“APC and Governor Kayode Fayemi’s government desperately contrived sinister means through which they could negotiate the withdrawal of cases pending in court against Interim Chairman of the party, Mr. Jide Awe; and nine alleged killers of Bamidele’s loyalist, Mr. Foluso Ogundare,” it added.

Reacting, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Ekiti APC, Mr. Segun Dipe, said, “It is quite unfortunate that Bamidele, who is a legal practitioner, is trying to give the impression that our judiciary is compromising.

“For us in the All Progressives Congress and the state government, our focus is on 2014. We do not have time for frivolities and trivialities.”