Pictures: Zoro Monta's Birthday Party

Ijebu Fasion week (Press conference in pictures)

Boko Haram: JAMB may cancel exams in Borno, other volatile states

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, has said there will be no Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in the volatile states in northern Nigeria.
Ojerinde made the announcement on Friday in Abuja while speaking with reporters at the 58th National Council on Education (NEC) meeting. 
According to him, JAMB will be forced to cancel the examination if the Boko Haram attacks on primary and secondary schools in Borno State continue. 
“When we reviewed the situation in volatile states, for instance Borno, we realised that some of the schools are being bombed, but our investigations showed that only primary schools are affected and not secondary schools.
“The board will be left with no option than to tell the candidates to go elsewhere to write the exams if schools which serve as centres are attacked.’’
The registrar regretted that the development could be quite unfortunate for the students.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Boko Haram had on February 28 attacked four primary schools in Maiduguri, setting the Gomari Costain Primary School and a section of the Maiduguri Experimental School, Kawanar on fire.
They also set ablaze Budum Kulo Gomna Primiary Schools and Abba Ganaram Primary School also in Maiduguri.
Meanwhile, three suspected Boko Haram members died on Friday after an explosion at a bomb factory in Kaleri, Maiduguri.
Col. Victor Ebhaleme, the Field Commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore Order (ORO), told newsmen in Maiduguri that the incident happened at about 10.30 a.m.
He said residents of the area were attracted by the big sound in a residential area at Kaleri and they alerted the JTF.
“On arrival, our men discovered mutilated bodies of three persons suspected to be Boko Haram militants. Apparently, they died while preparing the bombs.”
Ebhaleme added that several unexploded Improvised Explosive Device (IED) were also found in the house, which was completely destroyed by the blast.
“Several bomb making apparatus were also found in the house,’’ he said.

Uche Kalu happy with progress under Keshi

Enyimba striker Uche Kalu has said that he is happy with the progress he has made since he joined the home-based Super Eagles under Stephen Keshi.    Kalu told Goal.com that he has learnt so much from the coaching crew and is ready to contribute his quota to the progress of the team.
"I am so happy with what I have learnt from big boss. My game has improved and I know other players from the Nigeria Premier League would always attest to this fact. It is good that there is an enabling environment for the home lads to thrive. And I am sure we will take the opportunity to improve every aspect of our game," said Kalu.
Kalu failed to tie down a place with Moroccan side Raja Casablanca recently but is enjoying his return home. The training at home before the game against Rwanda was an eye opener for us," he said. Lawyer to the player Chike Onyeacho noted that Kalu is now an improved player.
"There is excitement in the air for the home based players and Uche Kalu immediately they came back from Kigali called me that this is one opportunity that they intend to grab with all seriousness.
"I am happy for the players in Nigeria because it is a new dawn. And I hope that it will change the game for good in the country," Onyeacho said. 

Keshi: Yak, Osaze, others not blacklisted

Nigeria head coach, Stephen Keshi has opened up to SuperSport.com that the local-based lads were by far the best performers against Rwanda.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria held their Rwandan counterparts to a goalless draw in a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying in Kigali on Wednesday.
Keshi in the game against Rwanda started three local-based stars in Ejike Uzoenyi, Godfrey Oboabona and Azubuike Egwuekwe.
He also named four other NPL stars - Chigozie Agbim, Gabriel Reuben, Papa Idris and Uche Kalu - on the bench.
Keshi was clearly impressed with Enugu Rangers' winger, Uzoenyi during his chat with SuperSport.com and rated him above the rest of the starters for the Nigerian squad.
The Nigerian coach popularly called 'Big Boss' added that Uzoenyi was by miles the top man ahead of the likes of Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Peter Osaze Odemwingie and Ahmed Musa in performance during the game.
"Ejike for me was our best player among those that started. He was the one initiating almost every of our attacks even while we had the likes of Yakubu, Osaze and Musa on the pitch.
"But that doesn't mean Yakubu, Osaze and Musa and the rest of the squad aren't good. Footballers at times do have their off periods and in this case it happened to most of our foreign-based players and it only justifies that we have talent back home in the local league," Keshi remarked.
The former Mali and Togo coach when prodded further on his plans to drop a handful of foreign-based stars who did not lift their performance in Kigali, Keshi denied outright such move.
"Suppose Ejike didn't perform, will people also go to town to say I'm planning to drop him and other local-based players? I'll tell you that all that is mere speculation. I didn't tell anyone such. Because we are building doesn't mean we will pull down the old side and bring in a new team entirely. It's a gradual process in building a strong squad for the country," Keshi reacted to reports claiming he plans to drop Yakubu, Odemwingie, Dickson Etuhu and Joel Obi.
Keshi also said he is ready to keep the squad against Rwanda for subsequent games as he continues building the side.
The 50-year-old is also on the lookout for new addition to strengthen the squad especially from the home front, as he believes his team are still work in progress.
"We have games coming up against Gabon and Peru, and I won't just wake up and throw away this team. It's a building process we've started and it's a long-term plan. I will be looking for players to bring into the side to help out because we are not there yet," Keshi rounded off.

I stole N37.5bn •Ibori pleads guilty in UK •To be sentenced April 16

“He was never the legitimate governor and there was effectively a thief in government house.”
FORMER governor of Delta State, who is standing trial in the United Kingdom (UK), Chief James Ibori, has pleaded guilty in a UK court to a 10-count charge of laundering $250 million (N37.5 billion) and conspiracy to defraud.

He is due to be sentenced on April 16.

Ibori, according to report, changed his plea to guilty and admitted stealing money from Delta State and laundering it in London through a number of offshore companies, as his trial at London's Southwark Crown Court was about to begin on Monday.

The British police had accused him of stealing $250 million (£160 million) during his eight-year rule as governor of Delta State.

Ibori was referred to as a “thief in government house” by the prosecutor.

The former governor was arrested in 2010 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and then extradited to London.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) quoted prosecutor QC (Sasha Wass) to have said that Ibori, 53, had "tricked his way into becoming Delta State governor, by giving a false date of birth and claiming he had no criminal record.

“He was never the legitimate governor and there was effectively a thief in government house.

“As the pretender of that public office, he was able to plunder Delta State's wealth and hand out patronage."

Ibori's wife, Theresa, his sister, Christine, his mistress, Udoamaka Okoronkwo, and his London solicitor, Bhadresh Gohil, have all been convicted of money laundering.

The BBC had said that the convictions of the accused persons could only be reported on Monday after reporting restrictions were lifted.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had asked the UK's Metropolitan Police to look into the ex-governor's financial affairs.

"The vast sums of money involved were used to fund Ibori's lavish lifestyle.

Subsidy palliatives not abandoned —Jonathan

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has debunked insinuation that his administration has abandoned the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) programme which contains strategies for palliatives to cushion the harsh effects of full deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.

Following the president's address at the recent 58th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a national daily had reported that the administration had abandoned the programme.

In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, in Abuja on Monday, the president observed that the insinuation had become the pattern by some political pundits whose definition of opposition was to undermine any good policy initiative of the Federal Government.

According to the statement, there has been a deliberate misrepresentation of the comments by the president at the NEC meeting on the issue of reviewing the SURE programme, "hence, it has been alleged that the Federal Government has abandoned or is attempting to 'truncate' theSubsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) programme."

It added that, "at no time did President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan say that the Federal Government had abandoned the SURE programme.

"What he said in his opening remarks at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting last week, was that the full implementation of government’s palliatives to cushion the negative effects of the fuel subsidy removal as contained in the original SURE programme, was no longer feasible and will be reviewed in view of the partial rather than full removal of the subsidy on petrol.

"The SURE Programme was predicated on a policy of full deregulation as stated in the SURE document released to the general public. However, due to widely publicised events after the commencement of full deregulation, the government, after a series of negotiations with organised labour, reduced the pump price of petrol.

"It therefore follows that the funds that were expected to accrue from full deregulation will no longer accrue since the policy of full deregulation was stepped down for the time being.

"This new reality informed the President’s directive that the original SURE programme documents already circulated to the public, be withdrawn in order not to give the public false expectations.

"The SURE programme has not been cancelled. What President Goodluck Jonathan said at the 58th National Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is as follows: 'we developed this with the expectation that we were going to completely deregulate the downstream sector of the oil industry, (after) the 100 per cent removal of subsidy.'

"....'We couldn’t achieve that though there was an increase in the price. I don’t want this to be distributed; it will give a wrong impression.'”

The statement explained that these comments only showed that Jonathan was being transparent with the public rather than offer them unrealistic expectations.

While stressing that "sincerity of purpose is a virtue and should be encouraged," the statement pointed out to "those who are still in doubt," the Dr. Christopher Kolade Committee charged with implementing the SURE programme, was still at work and has not been disbanded while a new SURE document containing the reviewed palliatives would soon be released to the public.

It appealed to labour unions and other opinion moulders in the society to desist from misinforming the public about government’s well-meaning programmes geared towards addressing the critical needs of the citizenry.

Police boss assures Ogun bankers of security

The Assistant Inspector General of Police, zone 2, comprising Lagos and Ogun states, Chris Ola, has assured bankers in Ogun State of their safety, despite the resurgence of armed robbery in some parts of the state.

Ola, who said this on Monday, while meeting members of the state Bankers’ Forum in Abeokuta, said the force had deployed more men and security gadgets that would further ensure their optimal performance.

The police boss stated that the state government in its bid to combat armed robbery cases in the state had procured five Armoured Personnel Carrier (APCs), as well as more than 100 operational vehicles for patrol.

Ola added that the police had decided to expand its dragnet to some remote areas in the state where some banks were operating.

It will be recalled that armed robbers, had last week, raided some banks in the state, which had created palpable fear in the minds of the bankers.

He said the police had started restrategising to ensure the safety of their operations.

Meanwhile, no fewer than 11 suspects were paraded by the state Police over allegations of armed robbery and car-snatching, among others.

The command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, said the suspects were arrested in various parts of the state.

He said among the suspects were a six-man gang that specialised in snatching across the state through a lady syndicate.

“The gang has been doing this for a while now, terrorising innocent citizens and dispossessing them of their belongings, we fought tooth and nail before these criminals were eventually arrested, “he said.

He attributed the arrest of the suspects to combined efforts of the Police and various communities in Ogun, saying that “ we look forward to more smooth relationships with members of the public.

Prepare for a Lindsay Lohan Comeback Heading Your Way!

Someone give Lindsay Lohan some butter, because our girl is on a roll!

And no. We don't mean parole. At least not this time.

We mean, totally on track for a comeback, and we made our decision: We're definitely on board with this new, successful LiLo! It all started with a positive probation report—her judge even said she was in the "homestretch"—and now Lindsay is gearing up for a full-fledged, televised comeback. And, oh, did we mention that this is all happening live?!

Lindsay will be doing a bunch of interviews in New York, almost as if it were a promotional tour. Obviously with her lack of professional projects recently, you might be asking what it is that she is promoting…Well, nothing. Unless you count a comeback and a total-180 ‘tude as something to show off—and we totally do!

She'll kick off the tour on Today this Thursday, where she will sit down with Matt Lauer for a no-holds-barred interview. That evening, she'll join Jimmy Fallon for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Finally, she'll host Saturday Night Live this Saturday:

"I was on the set with her today and there was a lot of great energy," her rep Steve Honig exclusively told press men, "and she is extremely excited about working with the writers, cast and crew."

Happy to hear, Camp Lilo! Especially since Linds has hosted SNL three times before (the first when she was only 17), but this time it'll be different, as a source on the set revealed the opening is "hilarious" and appropriately "self-depricating." Ratings gold in the making! We couldn't be more excited to see Lindsay put herself completely out there—although this time we mean it in a less literal sense than last month's Playboy shoot.  

And just when you thought you were sick of Lindsay, let us remind you: She just got cast in the Elizabeth Taylor biopic, which—as we already told you—is kinda, sorta perfect! 

Now there's just one more mess we're going to need Lindsay to clean up. Someone, get her back to her roots. In case you weren't sure, we mean her damn hair. Nothing could be more refreshing than to see Lindsay back to her old self, and we think that going back to her natural auburn color would be gorgeous—not to mention perfect for this comeback thing she's got going.

What about you, Awful readers? Do you think Lindsay's ready for this next big move?

Diddy Launches Revolt Music Video Network

After last month news leaked that Diddy will be launching a Music video network, everybody has been wanting the details. Well finally Diddy has dropped his silence and gave us some info. In a recent blog video Diddy gave us all the info on his REVOLT Music Video Network.
"The revolution will be televised. Today is a very, very big day. I am here to announce my new cable network, Revolt. I'd first like to say thank-you to Comcast, the Comcast Diversity Council and NBC for recognizing the importance of minority ownership in cable television," Diddy said in a video. "When I was growing up, I used to watch television all the time and wonder, 'Why don't those people look like me?' ... So thank-you to Comcast, my hat goes off to you for being the first to step up and I would also like to encourage and invite Time Warner, DirectTV, Cable Vision and all the other distributors to come and get down with the get down because Revolt TV is bringing that revolution that television needs."