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Nigeria formally hands over public electricity companies licences to private investors.

 

The companies are 5 generating companies and 10 distribution companies.

The Federal Government on Monday in Abuja handed over share certificates and licences to new core owners of 15 of the 18 successor companies of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN.

The ceremony, held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan with the Vice-President and Chairman of the National Council on Privatisation, Namadi Sambo, in attendance.

Mr. Jonathan assured of better days for electricity users in the country with improved economy and employment generations.
“To the Nigerian people who have demonstrated such great patience and confidence, putting up often with darkness, noisy power-generating sets, the related pollution and daily disruptions in their lives, I say better days are coming.

“We do not expect the sector to be revitalised overnight, but we can all look forward to a better time very soon as we have seen in the telecommunication and banking sectors. I am confident that the power sector will promise no less, knowing the caliber of those who are taking over. “Today, we embark on a journey, a journey that will usher us to a destination of enduring gain and fulfillment,’’ he said.

Mr. Jonathan said the ceremony was a milestone in the nation’s journey from a public-owned and -operated electricity sector to an industry driven by private sector. He commended the efforts of all stakeholders in the privatisation process for the transparent, fair and well-organised way they handled the process.

He urged the affected PHCN workers not to nurse a feeling of displacement, but to dwell on the tremendous possibilities that the revitalisation of the sector hold for the future.
While speaking, Mr. Sambo said the event marked another major landmark in the transformation agenda of the Jonathan administration.

He noted that at the inception of the programme, pessimists believed that the feat could not be accomplished. The vice-president gave the assurance that the electricity market would be regulated in a manner that would promote growth and competitiveness.
“Electricity consumers are assured that their interests will be protected from over-pricing and poor service.
“It is important to stress that the role of regulation in a private sector-led electricity power sector cannot be overemphasised,’’ he said.

Mr. Sambo commended international development partners such as USAID, DFID, the World Bank Group and AfDB for keeping faith with the process. He assured the investors that the Federal Government would protect their investments and create an enabling environment for a private sector-driven electricity market to flourish.

The privatised generating companies are Geregu Power Plc, Ughelli Power Plc, Egbin Power Plc, Kainji Hydro Electric Plc and Shiroro Hydro Electric Power Plc.
The 10 privatised distribution companies (Disco) are located in Abuja, Benin, Lagos (Eko), Ibadan, Lagos (Ikeja), Jos, Kano, Port-Harcourt, Yola and Enugu.
The 3 PHCN successor companies that have yet to be handed over because of outstanding issues are located in Afam, Kaduna, and Sapele.(NAN) http://premiumtimesng.com

World Top Brand: Apple OR Coke?

(CNN) -- Move over, Coke. It looks like Apple is the real thing.

The tech giant has ended Coca-Cola's 13-year run as the world's most valuable brand on a highly regarded annual list.

And the rivalry between Apple and Google has apparently been good to both. Bolstered by the dominance of its Android operating system, Google also leapfrogged Coke, moving into second place on Interbrand's yearly Best Global Brands list.

They headed a tech-heavy list, on which IBM, Microsoft, Samsung and Intel helped round out the top 10.

But Apple shone brightest, as much for its role as a cultural institution as for the products themselves.

"Every so often, a company changes our lives, not just with its products, but with its ethos," Interbrand CEO Jez Frampton said in the report. "This is why, following Coca-Cola's 13-year run at the top of Best Global Brands, Interbrand has a new No. 1 -- Apple."

Interbrand, which consults with companies about their public image, compiles its list based on financial performance of the company, the role the brand plays in influencing consumers, and how secure the brand's top money-making products are in their field.

According to the report, Apple's brand is estimated to be worth $98.3 billion, a 28% increase over 2012, when it was No. 2 on the list. Coca-Cola's value also rose, but by only 2%, to $79.2 billion. Much of Apple's boost can probably be attributed to its growing presence in China, where iPhones and other Apple devices are increasingly popular.

Apple and Google were just two of many tech companies among the list's fastest-rising brands. Facebook gained 43% to hit No. 52, making it the only social-media site on the list. Amazon jumped 27% to No. 19. Last year Google was fourth on the list.

"Tech brands continue to dominate Interbrand's Best Global Brands report -- underscoring the fundamental and invaluable role they play in consumers' lives," the report reads. The report estimates that the list's tech companies have a combined value of more than $443 billion.

Last year Apple eclipsed Microsoft to become the most valuable public company in history, although its stock has since dipped.

This year, Apple was surpassed by Samsung in the total number of smartphones sold worldwide, and some in the tech community knocked the company for what they perceived as a lack of innovation compared to its competitors.

But the newly released iPhone 5S sold a record 9 million units during its first weekend, far outdistancing the 5 million or so iPhone 5 handsets sold in the same amount of time last year. (It's worth noting, though, that China was part of the initial roll-out of the 5S but wasn't for the 5.)

Interbrand says its not worried about Apple on the innovation front.

"(CEO) Tim Cook has assembled a solid leadership team and has kept Steve Jobs' vision intact -- a vision that has allowed Apple to deliver on its promise of innovation time and time again," Frampton said. www.cnn.com

She's baaack!....Stuns at Paris Fashion Week With Two Sexy Looks

She's baaack!

Three and a half months after giving birth to daughter North West, Kim Kardashian made a triumphant return to the spotlight at Paris Fashion Week.
The 32-year-old reality star seriously stepped up her style game, rocking several fashion-forward looks over the weekend.

Leaving little Nori at home, Kim departed L.A. on Friday to meet up with beau Kanye West in the City of Light. After the 11-hour flight, Kim naturally looked a bit tired, but the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star quickly ditched her comfy leggings in favor of more fashionable attire.

On Saturday, Kim wore a form-fitting nude dress, an oversized camel wool coat, nude heels, and a gold "Nori" nameplate necklace as she and Kanye headed to the office of designer Stephane Rolland.

After their meeting, the 36-year-old rapper, who looked effortlessly chic as well, took his lady love to dine at the posh L'Avenue for lunch. That certainly wasn't Kim's only great look of the weekend.

The superstar couple sat front row at the Givenchy show on Sunday evening and upon their arrival Kim turned heads thanks to her edgy gown.
Sporting a sexy black peplum dress with a thigh-high split and strappy red stilettos, Kardashian looked confident as she hit the town with Kanye, who opted for an all-black getup.

On Sunday, Kardashian took to Twitter to thank Riccardo Tisci, the creative director of the French fashion house, who apparently made the dress for Kim just one day prior to the event.

"Thank you Ricky for making this for me the day before the show. I die for you. ‪#Givenchy4lifebaby," she wrote on Instagram.

Tisci also designed the dress Kim wore to the Met Gala in May, which was widely panned online and only encouraged those people who were already criticizing her pregnancy weight gain to attack her more. Clearly, Kardashian is getting the last laugh.

The World Bank Group Fellowship Program.

The Africa Region of the World Bank Group is launching the World Bank Group Fellowship Program for Ph.D. students of African descent. The program will increase the diverse workforce that is a priority for the Bank and its clients.

The Fellowship Program aims to build a pipeline of researchers and professionals from the African Diaspora, particularly women, who are interested in working in the development field at home or abroad, and in starting careers with the World Bank Group.

“The Fellowship Program represents an incredible opportunity not only for young African scholars to conduct research and develop their careers in development, but also for the World Bank Group to learn from their experiences and fresh insight, as well as absorb the tremendous energy young people can contribute to our work and mission,” said Sean McGrath, Vice President for Human Resources at the World Bank Group.

About the Fellowship
Fellows will spend a minimum of six months at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. getting hands-on experience in development work. This includes knowledge generation and dissemination, design of global and country policies and the building of institutions to achieve inclusive growth in developing countries. While benefiting from research and innovation in multiple sectors, Fellows will also work on economic policy, technical assistance, and lending for eliminating poverty and increasing shared prosperity. Special attention will be given to work with Fragile and Conflict-Affected States.

Fellows will be expected to complete a research project and prepare a research paper to present to staff. High-standard papers may be published internally.
Specifically, selected participants will:

• Gain a better understanding of the World Bank Group's mission and operations
• Access quality data for their research work
• Interact with seasoned experts in their field of development
• Contribute to the World Bank Group's mission

Who Should Apply
Doctoral students of African descent within one or two years of completing a Ph.D. program in the following fields: Economics, Demography, Applied Statistics and Econometrics, Impact Evaluation, Education, Health, Energy, Agriculture, and Infrastructure.

Candidates must:

• Be enrolled in an academic institution and returning to university after the fellowship
• Be 32 years of age or below
• Have an excellent command of English, both written and verbal
• Possess strong quantitative and analytical skills

Selection Process
After submitting an application online, the most promising candidates will be identified and their application packages forwarded to World Bank Africa Region managers and participating departments for consideration. Departments and managers will then indicate their preferences, as well as the project to be undertaken.
Selected candidates will then be notified and, upon acceptance, will be hired as short-term consultants for a minimum of six months. Fellows will receive consultant fees, round-trip economy class air travel to Washington, D.C. from their university, and worker's compensation insurance

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Nigerian Oil Tycoon Kola Aluko Launches $500 Million African Development Fund At Nasdaq

 Nigerian oil magnate Kola Aluko and  Ghanaian-born British fashion designer Ozwald Boateng have launched Africa50, a $500 million African infrastructure project development fund.

 

Oscar-winning actor and musician Jamie Foxx joined the two African businessmen to officially launch the fund on Wednesday at the NASDAQ in New York where they rang the opening bell.

Africa50, a $500 million Pan-African infrastructure fund, is a joint venture between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Made In Africa Foundation (MIAF), a UK non-profit organization founded by Kola Aluko and Ozwald Boateng to facilitate development in Africa by funding large-ticket infrastructure projects across sub-Saharan Africa.

So far, Africa 50 had raised about $250 million. Aluko and the African Development Bank have committed $50 million each to the fund. Together with the AFDB, the Made In Africa Foundation plans to attract investments from development finance institutions, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and governments to the fund. Capri Global Capital, a US-based investment advisory founded by African-American fund manager Quintin E. Primo III, will work with the AfDB and MIAF in raising the additional capital.

The alliance between MIAF and AfDB aims to raise $500 million for Africa50’s project development arm by the first half of 2014. The money will be used to fund feasibility studies of large-scale infrastructure projects. Made In Africa is also planning to raise a $10 billion project finance fund.

Kola Aluko, a successful Nigerian oilman, has said in the past that the solution to Africa’s problems is not charity in terms of building schools or hospitals, which sometimes are not sustainable. “These projects happen and then they are left in incapable hands and they are not commercially driven. As a consequence, most of them will go on for as long as the money has been given lasts and beyond that they slowly dilapidate and slowly die,”

Aluko and Boateng set out to provide a catalyst for African development and growth by focusing on commercially viable infrastructure projects in Africa.
“Infrastructure drives growth. If we focus on the big infrastructure projects- power, good roads, railways – then we will be creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurs in other areas of endeavor which are non-infrastructure,” Aluko said in the online broadcast.
Re-emphasizing the need for such an investment, Ozwald Boateng, a co-founder of MIAF, reiterated that Africa could not properly compete without the infrastructure that would drive trade. “Clearly as Africans to compete we need the roads and rail, telecommunications and urban environments that stimulate and ensure trade,” Boateng said in a statement.

Aluko is a wealthy Nigerian businessman with interests in the energy and private aviation industries. He is a founder of Fossil Resources, an oil trading company, and Atlantic Energy, a private Nigerian upstream oil and gas company. He also serves as a member of the advisory board for Swiss luxury aviation company Vistajet and drives for the Swiss car racing team, Kessel Racing.

Beyonce pulled off stage by fan. Watch the video

Nothing can stop Beyoncé in the middle of a show - not even being nearly pulled off-stage by a fan. During a recent performance in Sao Paulo, Brazil, an overzealous fan tried to physically remove the star from her perch atop the stage as she sang "Irreplaceable."
As seen in a video of the moment, Bey was kneeling down next to the front row of concertgoers to let them sing along with her when a shirtless attendee reached up and put his arms around her.
The 32-year-old didn't falter as the man began to drag her away - she barely paused as security rushed to her aid, and once she was freed hopped back up and continued singing as though nothing had happened.

There may be something about "Irreplaceable" that seems to make fans go a little stir crazy - in Denmark, one man swatted the singer on her rear, while another grew so excited his knees grew weak.

While Beyoncé has been polite but stern with handsy fans in the past, she seemed more gentle with this overeager guy.
"Let me meet the gentleman, he just got excited. It's all right," she told her bodyguards after she finished her song. "Thank you, I love you too."

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan addresses the Nation-- Sunday, 29th September 2013

President Goodluck Jonathan will host another edition of the Presidential Media Chat tomorrow Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 7pm. State House Press Release: "President Jonathan will in the course of the programme, answer questions from a panel of journalists on current national issues and events, as well as policies and actions of his administration. Members of the public who have questions they will like the President to respond to on the programme may send them in via Twitter to @mediachatng1.

The programme will be broadcast live on the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the Voice of Nigeria (VON). Other television and radio stations are enjoined to hook up to NTA and FRCN to relay the programme to their viewers and listeners.

Miss Philippines crowned Miss World 2013, Miss Ghana came 3rd

The 2013 Miss World pageant held today Saturday September 28th at Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center in Bali, Indonesia. 

Miss Philippines Megan Young, beat 126 other contestants to win Miss World 2013. 

Miss France Marine Lorphelin was named runner-up, while Miss Ghana Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter came third.

61 Inspirational Quotes That Can Change Your Life.

1. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. –Napoleon Hill
2. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. –Steve Jobs
3. Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. –Albert Einstein
4. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.  –Robert Frost
5. The common question that gets asked in business is, ‘why?’ That’s a good question, but an equally valid question is, ‘why not?’ -Jeffrey Bezos
6. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. –Wayne Gretzky
7. I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. –Michael Jordan
8. Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. –Babe Ruth
9. Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. –W. Clement Stone
10. Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. –John Lennon
11. We become what we think about. –Earl Nightingale
12. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover. –Mark Twain
13. Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. –John Maxwell
14. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. –Tony Robbins
15. The mind is everything. What you think you become.  –Buddha
16. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. –Chinese Proverb
17. An unexamined life is not worth living. –Socrates
18. Eighty percent of success is showing up. –Woody Allen
19. Don’t wait. The time will never be just right. –Napoleon Hill
20. Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. –Vince Lombardi
21. I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. –Stephen Covey
22. Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. –Pablo Picasso
23. You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. –Christopher Columbus
24. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. –Maya Angelou
25. Either you run the day, or the day runs you. –Jim Rohn
26. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. –Henry Ford
27. The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. –Mark Twain
28. Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
29. The best revenge is massive success. –Frank Sinatra
30. People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing.  That’s why we recommend it daily. –Zig Ziglar
31. Inspiration exists, but it must find you working. –Pablo Picasso
32. If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. –Vincent Van Gogh
33. There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. –Aristotle
34. Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal. –Henry Ford
35. The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. –Ralph Waldo Emerson
36. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined. –Henry David Thoreau
37. When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me. –Erma Bombeck
38. Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others.  Unsuccessful people are always asking, “What’s in it for me?” – Brian Tracy
39. Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart. – Ancient Indian Proverb
40. Believe you can and you’re halfway there. –Theodore Roosevelt
41. Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. –George Addair
42. We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. –Plato
43. Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. –Christopher Reeve
44. Start where you are. Use what you have.  Do what you can. –Arthur Ashe
45. When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.  When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I wrote down ‘happy’.  They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. –John Lennon
46. Fall seven times and stand up eight. –Japanese Proverb
47. When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. –Helen Keller
48. Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see. –Confucious
49. How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. –Anne Frank
50. When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. –Lao Tzu
51. The difference between a successful person and others is not lack of strength not a lack of knowledge but rather a lack of will. –Vince Lombardi
52. Happiness is not something ready-made.  It comes from your own actions. –Dalai Lama
53. The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible. –Arthur C. Clarke
54. First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end. –Aristotle
55. If the wind will not serve, take to the oars. –Latin Proverb
56. You can’t fall if you don’t climb.  But there’s no joy in living your whole life on the ground. –Unknown
57. Whoever loves much, performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well. –Vincent Van Gogh
58. Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. –Les Brown
59. Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. –Joshua J. Marine
60. The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. –Walt Disney
61. I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. –Leonardo da Vinci

Billionaire talk show legend and actress Oprah Winfrey 59, dating Stedman Graham, 62, since 1986.

Billionaire talk show legend and actress Oprah Winfrey 59, has been dating Stedman Graham, 62, since 1986. That's 27 years - longer than a lot of marriages. Oprah said in an interview recently that although she considered marriage after she attended Tina Turner's wedding in Switzerland in July, she's pretty sure she will leave the world as a woman who 'never got married'

When asked if she would leave earth as a “never-married” woman, Oprah made her feelings very clear. “Yes,” she told Access Hollywood. “Yeah, I think that’s my final answer.”

 “I think that it’s interesting that you would ask it because I thought about it again at Tina Turner’s wedding. Because Tina was like, ‘Oprah, you need to do this. You need to do it.’ I was just thinking, ‘Well, OK, would things really be different?’ And no, I don’t think so. If you ever interviewed him (Stedman), he would tell you that had we married, we would not be together today, because he’s a traditional man and this is a very untraditional relationship.”

Oprah also explained that she couldn’t be a wife because the word holds responsibilities she doesn’t feel capable of handling.

8,000 women marches to the Zamfara Hisbah Commission seeking the state government’s assistance to get husband.

Among the women were 5,380 divorcees.


Over 8,000 women on Thursday marches to the Zamfara Hisbah Commission seeking the state government’s assistance to enable them get married.

Led by the Chairperson of the Zamfara Widows Association, Suwaiba Isa, and their patron, Sa’idu Goshe, the women said they were not living a normal life and needed husbands to become whole.

“Many of us cannot afford two meals in a day because there are no men to support us,” they said.
The patron, said the association has over 8,000 women, comprising 5,380 divorcees, 2,200 widows, 1,200 orphans and 80 others, whom he said, were looking for men to marry.
He said the women also needed assistance to purchase household items such as beds, mattresses and other basic necessities needed to move to their husband houses.

Mr. Goshe appealed to the commission to assist the association in screening suitors for the women.
He said the screening would determine the suitor’s health status, source of livelihood and ability to maintain a family.

Responding, the Chairman of the commission, Atiku Zawuyya, commended the association for the initiative, saying it would assist in ridding the society of women of easy virtues.
Mr. Zawuyya promised to present the matter to the state government for necessary action, but urged the patron to also set up a similar body for men to make the pairing exercise easier.
(NAN)

World Tourism Day 2013: Nigerian Travel Journalist Launches E-Book

To mark this year’s World Tourism Day celebrations holding September 27, award-winning travel writer, Pelu Awofeso, has launched the e-versions of his travel books, TOUR OF DUTY: JOURNEYS AROUND NIGERIA AND SKETCHES OF EVERYDAY LIFE and NIGERIAN FESTIVALS: THE FAMOUS AND NOT SO FAMOUS.

Both titles have been available in print over the years but travel book lovers can now get them in the electronic form. “I have opted for a 21st Century approach to book publishing, which is the e-book,” Awofeso, winner 2010 CNN/Multichoice African Journalist Awards (Tourism), says. “What this means simply is that there are no physical inconveniences of any kind–the books can be bought at the click of a mouse and from anywhere in the world.”

In 2009, with just a backpack and a camera, Awofeso crisscrossed 18 states in eight months in his ‘Underbelly’ project, giving birth to the entralling collection in TOUR OF DUTY. With NIGERIAN FESTIVALS, he celebrates the rich, exotic and diverse culture on Nigeria and Nigerians.

“At a time when the world is used to being fed with lots of negative news about Nigeria, Nigeria needs to encourage the publication of more travel-based literature,” Awofeso asserts. “TOUR OF DUTY and NIGERIAN FESTIVALS show some of the absorbing sights and stories that make Nigeria a go-to destination for both domestic and foreign tourists.”
Readers can now get both titles exclusively as kindle versions on amazon.com

Lagos deportation: Fashola was wrong to apologize to Igbos, says Fani-Kayode

Mr. Fani-Kayode accused the Lagos governor of double standards.
A former Minister of Aviation has lashed out at Babatunde Fashola, the Lagos State Governor, over the latter’s decision to apologize to the Igbos following the deportation of beggars and destitute people to Anambra State.

Femi Fani-Kayode, on Friday, said that the only redeeming factor is that the apology was designed to calm “frayed nerves.”
“There can be little doubt that the relocation of the 19 Igbo destitutes from Lagos state a few months ago was a lawful exercise and that it was done in the interest of Lagos State,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said.

“Consequently I do not believe that Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola ought to have tendered any form of apology whatsoever to the Igbo for what he did,” he added.
Speaking at an event to mark the Silver Jubilee of Aka Ikenga, an Igbo socio-cultural body, on Thursday, Mr. Fashola had tendered an “unreserved apology” to the Igbos for the row generated by the deportation.

“I came here to say thank you for the honour done to my family and the memory of my late father,” Mr. Fashola told the gathering of Igbo statesmen.
“People who clearly do not understand the actions taken and words spoken are those I owe an explanation. I cannot take the Igbos for granted because we have built a relationship based on tolerance, mutual respect, love and trust.

“That relationship was built by our ancestors and I put a lot of value in that relationship.
“I offer an unreserved apology if the actions taken had been misunderstood,” Mr. Fashola had added.
Mr. Fani-Kayode insisted that the Lagos State governor did not apologize for the deportation.

“The only redeeming factor is the fact that the apology was obviously designed simply to calm frayed nerves and I commend Fashola for that gesture if nothing else,” the former minister said.
“I say this because my understanding is that he apologised NOT for the deportation itself but for ‘the misunderstanding that arose from it’. There is a world of difference between the two,” he added.

On July 24, the Lagos State government had deported about 70 destitute people to Onitsha, Anambra State; a move that sparked a heated row between the two states as well as scathing criticisms on both state governors.

Another dimension was added to the debate after Orji Kalu, a former Abia State governor, termed Lagos a ‘no man’s land,’ an appellation that added fresh fury to the conversation.
Mr. Fani-Kayode accused Mr. Fashola of betraying the Yorubas who stood by him doing the row generated by the deportation.

“If I were Governor of Lagos state I would never have apologised for the execution of a legitimate and lawful exercise which was absolutely necessary and which was done in the interests of my state and my people, no matter how many cows I had been offered or given by the kinsmen of those affected,” said Mr. Fani-Kayode.

“What Fashola has done, albeit inadvertently, is to betray those amongst his Yoruba kith and kin that stood by him and defended him when he took that historic and controversial decision to deport the Igbo destitutes.

“He has also fuelled the erroneous impression that is held by most of the Igbo that the Yoruba people and their leaders are bumbling and inconsistent cowards that cannot stand firm when put under pressure and when faced with threats and hardship.”

Mr. Fani-Kayode further said that it is important for the Lagos State governor to consider the long term implications of his purported apology to the Igbos.
“The truth is that in life perception counts for everything. And rightly or wrongly the perception that most people have, particularly amongst the Igbo, is that Fashola has indeed apologised for the deportations.

“This perception is supported by misleading newspaper headlines which were drafted and written by journalists who did not bother to read the text or properly decipher the statement…
“In any case now that dishing out apologies is the order of the day and he has set the precedent, the question has to be asked – will Peter Obi take a cue from that, be a gentleman and apologize for deporting the people of Akwa Ibom from his Anambra state as well?

“Is Obi that reasonable or charitable? Do those that think like him believe that what is good for the goose is good for the gander? I doubt it very much.

“Again will Fashola apologize to the numerous northerners that he deported from Lagos as well and will he apologize to his Yoruba kith and kin from Oyo and Osun for deporting them too? I really do wonder how far this new-found large-heartedness and seasonal expression of regrets will go? Will it be spread everywhere or is it exclusively reserved for the Igbo?”

The ex-minister further accused Mr. Fashola of double standards, capitulation of values, and a revocation of principle.

“You don’t apologise for government policy just to appease a certain group of people no matter how bellicose, violent, loud and aggressive they may be,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said.
“It is better to lose a million elections outside Yoruba-land than to concede even one inch of Yoruba territory to those that seek to lay claim to that which is not theirs. A word is enough for the wise.”

7 Numbers that Could Save Your Life

A little bit of math could make a big difference in your health. Here, the stats you need to know. 

Exercise minutes: 150
The World Health Organization recommends that adults complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. Whether you split those minutes into short, 10-minute bursts or longer sweat sessions, hitting that target will lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and colon and breast cancers. 

Blood sugar: A1C less than 5.7%
The percent of sugar in your bloodstream indicates if you're heading towards diabetes - which increases your risk of heart disease, says Tracy Stevens, MD, a New York cardiologist and spokesperson for the American Heart Association. Your doctor will likely check this at an annual physical. Normal blood sugar results are an A1C (a test that measures your average blood sugar for the past few months) of less than 5.7 percent and fasting blood glucose (which measures your blood sugar after not eating for at least 8 hours) of less than 100.
Think you're not at risk? The American Diabetes Association reports that 79 million people are pre-diabetic. But, here's the good news: Losing 7 percent of your body weight and exercising for 150 minutes a week can lower a pre-diabetic's risk of developing type 2 diabetes by a whopping 58 percent. 

Blood pressure: 130/80 mm Hg or less
Your blood pressure is a measure of how hard blood is pushing against the walls of your arteries as it circulates through your body. Ideally, your blood pressure should be less than 130/80 mm Hg; a too-high number can lead to weakened and damaged blood vessels, putting stress on your heart and increasing your risk of heart failure. "Everyone should have a blood pressure cuff in their home," says Stevens. "It's affordable and gives you so much information." Keep your blood pressure under control with a healthy diet and plenty of exercise. 

Target Heart Rate: 85 to 145 beats per minute
This is the pulse rate that signals whether you're exercising hard enough to promote heart fitness. A healthy range for a 40-year-old woman is 85 to 145 beats per minute. Historically, Target Heart Range (THR) has been based on a unisex formula, but now researchers believe that number may be too high for women. THR decreases with age - we've done the math to help you find your female-friendly target. 

Cholesterol: below 100 mg/dL for LDL, above 50 mg/dL for HDL
The American Heart Association's recommended ranges for women's cholesterol levels are below 100 mg/dL for LDL (the "bad" cholesterol), above 50 mg/dL for HDL (the "good" cholesterol), and below 100 mg/dL for triglycerides. Too-high LDL can lead to plaque buildup in arteries, says Stevens, which can contribute to heart attack or stroke. Improve your LDL through exercise and diet, specifically lowering your intake of saturated fats, which are found in fatty cuts of meat and full-fat dairy products. And avoid trans fats, which lurk in margarine and in many ready-made baked goods.
 
Weight: BMI up to 25
One way to find out if you're at a healthy weight is to calculate your BMI. A body mass index over 25 can raise your blood pressure and risk of diabetes. But losing just 10 pounds can help lower your risk of heart disease. Pay attention to your waist size, too. You can have a normal BMI and still carry excess fat in your midsection, which may put your heart at risk. The AHA recommends that women aim for a waistline smaller than 35 inches.

Daily Steps: 10,000
If formal exercise routine intimidates you, try increasing your daily activity. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park your car at the back of the lot, or get off the train one stop earlier and walk the extra blocks. An easy way to track movement is to wear a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps each day. www.yahoo.com

Singapore's Newest Billionaire Made $2.1B Fortune From Nothing

GOH CHANG LIANG is one of Singapore’s best-known and least-celebrated tycoons. He has neither featured in any rich lists nor ever talked to the press,  save for a one-off interview in 1997.  Yet some of Singapore’s most prominent landmarks, like the high profile hospital Mt. Elizabeth and the Liang Court shopping mall at Clarke Quay, have been built by this reclusive businessman.

Goh never went to school. He was born to a poor family in a one-room tenement in 1928, one of four siblings. As a boy, he sold fishing nets and worked in a hardware store, learning business skills that were to shape his destiny. In 1949, when the British were auctioning off surplus stocks from World War II, Goh bought all the barrels of rotten paint for a song. With a Chinese dictionary of chemicals in hand, he went about mixing solvents, pigments and chemicals to make his own brand of paints called Pigeon. 
The following year, the Korean war broke out and an import ban landed Goh a whopping profit windfall.
Business was booming when an opportunity to tie up with Nippon Paint of Japan surfaced. Goh took the plunge with a 60-40 holding in a joint venture called the Nipsea Management Group. From nothing rose a paints conglomerate whose Nippon brand is today a household name in Asia. The Nippon brand now sells in 15 countries outside of Japan with some 15,000 employees and factories in 30 locations. Its annual turnover stands at $2.6 billion. Son Goh Hup Jin oversees the company run by professional managers.

Goh’s career has been the gritty journey of an entrepreneur. He never missed an opportunity to create, build and sell businesses to unlock their value. Over the years, he invested some of his profits from the paint business into property by building shopping malls, hotels, serviced residences, as well as a retail distribution business with Japanese partners, a contract manufacturing electronics business, specialty packaging, logistics, a food manufacturing operation in America and even a mining company in China! When his U.S.-educated son, Hup Jin, set about professionalizing some of the group companies and taking them public, Goh carved a parallel private empire with his longtime partners and employees under Yenom Industries. It owns serviced residences, gold courses, marinas, hotels and housing developments in Gulf Habour and elsewhere.

Over the years, Goh has been selling his stake in the publicly listed companies. He sold his 59% holding in Liang Court for $175 million to Pidemco Land in 1999. The $1 billion electronics service maker Omni Industries was sold to Celestica CLS +0.72% of Canada in 2001. Mt. Elizabeth was sold off, too. More recently, along with Crown Holdings of the U.S., he is taking listed Superior Multi-Packaging private.

Goh has come full circle, retracing his steps to his core competency in paints. Early this year, he made a $751 million bid for an additional 30% stake in Tokyo-listed parent Nippon, but quickly retreated in favor of growing the Asian business. He still makes news, though more for his generous endowments to scholarship funds, cancer research and education through the Goh Foundation, rather than his business moves.

3 Top Health Risks for Men Over 40.

During midlife and beyond, men's leading causes of death include familiar standbys: heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke, diabetes, respiratory disease, suicide, and Alzheimer's disease.
To lessen your odds of dying from these killers, curb the critical habits that lead to them.

1. Being Single.
Numerous surveys have shown that married men, especially men in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, are healthier and have lower death rates than those who never married or who are divorced or widowed. Never-married men are three times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease, for example. After 50, divorced men's health deteriorates rapidly compared to married men's, found a RAND Center for the Study of Aging report.

What's the magic in the ring? The social connectedness of marriage may lower stress levels and depression, which lead to chronic illness. (Women tend to have more social ties outside of marriage.)
Oops: Unmarried men generally have poorer health habits, too -- they drink more, eat worse, get less medical care, and engage in more risky behaviors (think drugs and promiscuous sex). Exception: It's better to be single than in a strained relationship, probably because of the stress toll, say researchers in Student BMJ.

Silver lining: It's never too late. Men who marry after 25 tend to live longer than those who wed young. And the longer a fellow stays married, the greater the boost to his well-being.

2. Electronic Overload.
Psychologists are debating whether "Internet addiction disorder" is a legitimate diagnosis, and how much is too much, given how ubiquitous screens are in our lives. But one thing's certain: The more time that's spent looking at wide-screen TVs, smartphones, tablets, gaming systems, laptops, and other electronics, the less time that's spent on more healthful pursuits, like moving your body, communing with nature, and interacting with human beings.
Social isolation raises the risk of depression and dementia. And a sedentary lifestyle -- a.k.a. "sitting disease" -- has been linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and premature death. A 2012 Australian study of more than 220,000 adults ages 45 and up linked sitting for 11 or more hours a day with a 40 percent increased risk of death over the next three years.
Oops: Americans spend five hours in front of the TV every day, according to a 2011 JAMA study that didn't even take all those other screens into account. More than just three hours a day ups your odds of dying of any chronic disease.
Silver lining: The Australian researchers say that getting up and moving even five minutes per hour is a "feasible goal . . . and offers many health benefits."

3. Crummy Diet.
Poor nutrition is linked with heart disease, diabetes, and cancer -- leading causes of death in men over 40. Younger midlife men often over-rely on red meat, junk food, and fast food to fuel a busy lifestyle, which leads to excess weight, high cholesterol, hypertension, and other risk factors. Older men living alone and alcoholics are vulnerable to malnutrition, because they tend not to prepare healthy food for themselves.
Oops: Until around 2000, more women were obese than men -- but guys are catching up. In 2010, 35.5 percent of men were obese, up from 27.5 percent in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Women's fat rates have held steady at around 37 percent.)
Silver lining: The American Dietetic Association recommends a reasonable 2,000 calories a day for men over 50 who are sedentary, up to 2,400 for those who are active. What comprises those calories is up to you.

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Lamar Odom Breaks Silence, Defends the Kardashians

After being charged with a DUI, reportedly checking in and out of rehab, and taking a nearly two-month hiatus from Twitter, Lamar Odom is speaking out — and he's got a lot to say.

The NBA-turned-reality-TV star returned to the social media platform on Tuesday to tell the world exactly how he feels about both his own father and his Kardashian family.


"Won't continue 2 speak on this but I have got 2 let this out real quick," Odom began. "I have let this man and many others get away with a lot of s***. He wasn't there 2 raise me. He was absent ALL of my life due to his own demons. My mother and grandmother raised me. Queens raised me," Khloé Kardashian's husband lamented.

Continuing to lash out against his biological dad, Joe Odom, who recently granted a scathing interview in which he blamed the Kardashians for Lamar's troubles, the NBA free agent shared, "That man wasn't even invited to my wedding. He has never met my mother in law and some of my other family. How can a man who has NOT once called me to check on my well being have the nerve to talk so recklessly about his own 'son.' He is my downfall! His own demons may be the ONLY thing he gave 2 me. He disrespecting the ONLY FAMILY that has loved me without expecting anything in return."
 
But it was the tail end of the extended tweet where Lamar turned his attention to the Kardashians and defended the impact they have had on his life.
"They are the ONLY ones that have been here consistently 4 me during this dark time. Only person 2 blame is myself. Say what you want about me but leave the ones who have done nothing but protect and love me out of this! This goes to out to everyone!" he declared.

For many, this defense of the Kardashian family is somewhat unexpected, as Lamar and his wife have reportedly been living apart for the past few weeks while rumors of a separation have been reaching a fever pitch. Just Monday, Khloé changed her name on Instagram from "Khloé Kardashian Odom" to simply "Khloé."

Lamar is slated to appear before a judge on September 27 — the same day as his fourth wedding anniversary — and NBA training camps open next week. While we're sure this drama hasn't played out just yet, hopefully Lamar will be out of one court and onto the other sooner rather than later.