Friday, 7 September 2012

Obama's speech to the 2012 Democratic National Convention

 
Michelle, I love you.

(APPLAUSE)

A few night nights ago, everyone was reminded just what a lucky man I am.

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Malia and Sasha, we are so proud of you.

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And yes, you do have to go to school in the morning.

(LAUGHTER)

And Joe Biden, thank you for being the best Vice President I could have ever hope for, and being a strong and loyal friend.

(APPLAUSE)

Madam Chairwoman, delegates, I accept your nomination for President of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

(AUDIENCE MEMBERS): Four more years, four more years, four more years.

OBAMA: Now, the first time I addressed this convention in 2004, I was a younger man; a Senate candidate from Illinois who spoke about hope, not blind optimism or wishful thinking, but hope in the face of difficulty; hope in the face of uncertainty; that dogged faith in the future which has pushed this nation forward, even when the odds are great; even when the road is long.

Eight years later, that hope has been tested, by the cost of war; by one of the worst economic crises in history; and by political gridlock that's left us wondering whether it's still even possible to tackle the challenges of our time.

I know campaigns can seem small, and even silly sometimes. Trivial things become big distractions. Serious issues become sound bites. The truth gets buried under an avalanche of money and advertising. If you're sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me, so am I.

(APPLAUSE)

But when all is said and done, when you pick up that ballot to vote, you will face the clearest choice of any time in a generation. Over the next few years, big decisions will be made in Washington, on jobs, the economy; taxes and deficits; energy, education; war and peace, decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and our children's lives for decades to come.

And on every issue, the choice you face won't be just between two candidates or two parties.

It will be a choice between two different paths for America.

A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future.

Ours is a fight to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known.

(APPLAUSE)

The values my grandfather defended as a soldier in Patton's Army; the values that drove my grandmother to work on a bomber assembly line while he was gone.

They knew they were part of something larger, a nation that triumphed over fascism and depression; a nation where the most innovative businesses turned out the world's best products, and everyone shared in that pride and success, from the corner office to the factory floor.

OBAMA: My grandparents were given the chance to go to college, buy their own -- their -- their own home, and fulfill the basic bargain at the heart of America's story: the promise that hard work will pay off; that responsibility will be rewarded; that everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules, from Main Street to Wall Street to Washington, D.C.


(APPLAUSE)

And I ran for President because I saw that basic bargain slipping away. I began my career helping people in the shadow of a shuttered steel mill, at a time when too many good jobs were starting to move overseas. And by 2008, we had seen nearly a decade in which families struggled with costs that kept rising, but paychecks that didn't; folks racking up more and more debt just to make the mortgage or pay tuition; put gas in the car or food on the table. 

 And when the house of cards collapsed in the Great Recession, millions of innocent Americans lost their jobs, their homes, their life savings, a tragedy from which we are still fighting to recover.

Now, our friends down in Tampa, at the Republican convention, were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with America, but they didn't have much to say about how they'd make it right.

(APPLAUSE)

They want your vote, but they don't want you to know their plan. And that's because all they had to offer is the same prescription they've had for the last thirty years:

"Have a surplus? Try a tax cut."

"Deficit too high? Try another."

(LAUGHTER)

"Feel a cold coming on? Take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call us in the morning."

(APPLAUSE)

Now, I've cut taxes for those who need it, middle-class families, small businesses. But I don't believe that another round of tax breaks for millionaires will bring good jobs to our shores, or pay down our deficit. I don't believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy, or help us compete with the scientists and engineers coming out of China.

(APPLAUSE)

After all that we've been through, I don't believe that rolling back regulations on Wall Street will help the small businesswoman expand, or the laid-off construction worker keep his home. We have been there, we've tried that, and we're not going back.

We are moving forward, America.

(APPLAUSE)

I won't pretend the path I'm offering is quick or easy. I never have. You didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear.

OBAMA: You elected me to tell you the truth.

(APPLAUSE)

And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades. It'll require common effort, shared responsibility, and the kind of bold, persistent experimentation that Franklin Roosevelt pursued during the only crisis worse than this one.

(APPLAUSE)

And by the way, those of us who carry on his party's legacy should remember that not every problem can be remedied with another government program or dictate from Washington.

But know this, America: Our problems can be solved.

(APPLAUSE)

Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And I'm asking you to choose that future. I'm asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country, goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit; real, achievable plans that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. That's what we can do in the next four years, and that's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

We can choose a future where we export more products and outsource fewer jobs. After a decade that was defined by what we bought and borrowed, we're getting back to basics, and doing what America has always done best:

We're making things again.

(APPLAUSE)

I've met workers in Detroit and Toledo who feared they'd never build another American car. And today, they can't build them fast enough, because we reinvented a dying auto industry that's back on top of the world.

(APPLAUSE) I've worked with business leaders who are bringing jobs back to America, not because our workers make less pay, but because we make better products. Because we work harder and smarter than anyone else.

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I've signed trade agreements that are helping our companies sell more goods to millions of new customers, goods that are stamped with three proud words: Made in America.

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After a decade of decline, this country created over half a million manufacturing jobs in the last two and a half years. And now you have a choice: we can give more tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, or we can start rewarding companies that open new plants and train new workers and create new jobs here, in the United States of America. We can help big factories and small businesses double their exports, and if we choose this path, we can create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years. You can make that happen. You can choose that future.

 OBAMA: You can choose the path where we control more of our own energy. After thirty years of inaction, we raised fuel standards so that by the middle of the next decade, cars and trucks will go twice as far on a gallon of gas.

(APPLAUSE)

We've doubled our use of renewable energy, and thousands of Americans have jobs today building wind turbines, and long-lasting batteries. In the last year alone, we cut oil imports by one million barrels a day, more than any administration in recent history. And today, the United States of America is less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in the last two decades.

(APPLAUSE)

So, now you have a choice - between a strategy that reverses this progress, or one that builds on it. We've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration in the last three years, and we'll open more. But unlike my opponent, I will not let oil companies write this country's energy plan, or endanger our coastlines, or collect another $4 billion in corporate welfare from our taxpayers. We're offering a better path.

(APPLAUSE)

We're offering a better path, a future where we keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal; where farmers and scientists harness new biofuels to power our cars and trucks; where construction workers build homes and factories that waste less energy; where -- where we develop a hundred year supply of natural gas that's right beneath our feet.

If you choose this path, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone.

(APPLAUSE)

And yes, my plan will continue to reduce the carbon pollution that is heating our planet because climate change is not a hoax. More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They're a threat to our children's future. And in this election, you can do something about it.

(APPLAUSE) You can choose a future where more Americans have the chance to gain the skills they need to compete, no matter how old they are or how much money they have. Education was the gateway to opportunity for me. It was the gateway for Michelle. It was the gateway for most of you.

OBAMA: And now more than ever, it is the gateway to a middle- class life.

For the first time in a generation, nearly every state has answered our call to raise their standards for teaching and learning.

(APPLAUSE)

Some of the worst schools in the country have made real gains in math and reading. Millions of students are paying less for college today because we finally took on a system that wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on banks and lenders.

(APPLAUSE)

And now you have a choice. We can gut education, or we can decide that in the United States of America, no child should have her dreams deferred because of a crowded classroom or a crumbling school. No family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don't have the money. No company should have to look for workers overseas because they couldn't find any with the right skills here at home. That's not our future. That is not our future.

(APPLAUSE)

A government has a role in this. But teachers must inspire; principals must lead; parents must instill a thirst for learning, and students, you've gotta do the work.

(APPLAUSE)

And together, I promise you, we can out-educate and out-compete any nation on Earth. Help me recruit 100,000 math and science teachers within ten years, and improve early childhood education.

(APPLAUSE)

Help give two million workers the chance to learn skills at their community college that will lead directly to a job. Help us work with colleges and universities to cut in half the growth of tuition costs over the next ten years. We can meet that goal together.

OBAMA: You can choose that future for America.

(APPLAUSE)

That's our future.

You know, in a world of new threats and new challenges, you can choose leadership that has been tested and proven. Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did.

(APPLAUSE)

I promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11. And we have. We've blunted the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan, and in 2014, our longest war will be over.

(APPLAUSE)

A new tower rises above the New York skyline, Al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and Osama Bin Laden is dead.

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And tonight, we pay tribute to the Americans who still serve in harm's way. We are forever in debt to a generation whose sacrifice has made this country safer and more respected. We will never forget you. And so long as I'm Commander-in-Chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known.

(APPLAUSE)

When you take off the uniform, we will serve you as well as you've served us because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job, or a roof over their head, or the care that they need when they come home.

(APPLAUSE)

Around the world, we've strengthened old alliances and forged new coalitions to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. We've reasserted our power across the Pacific, and stood up to China on behalf of our workers. From Burma to Libya to South Sudan, we have advanced the rights and dignity of all human beings, men and women; Christians and Muslims and Jews. 


 (APPLAUSE)

But for all the progress we've made, challenges remain. Terrorist plots must be disrupted. Europe's crisis must be contained.

OBAMA: Our commitment to Israel's security must not waver, and neither must our pursuit of peace.

(APPLAUSE)

The Iranian government must face a world that stays united against its nuclear ambitions. The historic change sweeping across the Arab World must be defined not by the iron fist of a dictator or the hate of extremists, but by the hopes and aspirations of ordinary people who are reaching for the same rights that we celebrate here today.

(APPLAUSE)

So now we face a choice. My opponent and his running mate are new to foreign policy,

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

but from all that we've seen and heard, they want to take us back to an era of blustering and blundering that cost America so dearly.

After all, you don't call Russia our number one enemy, not Al Qaeda, Russia, unless you're still stuck in a Cold War mind warp.

(APPLAUSE)

You might not be ready for diplomacy with Beijing if you can't visit the Olympics without insulting our closest ally.

(APPLAUSE)

My opponent -- my opponent said it was "tragic" to end the war in Iraq, and he won't tell us how he'll end the war in Afghanistan. Well I have, and I will. And while my opponent would spend more money on military hardware that our Joint Chiefs don't even want, I will use the money we're no longer spending on war to pay down our debt and put more people back to work rebuilding roads and bridges and schools and runways.

OBAMA: Because after two wars that have cost us thousands of lives and over a trillion dollars, it's time to do some nation- building right here at home.

(APPLAUSE)

You can choose a future where we reduce our deficit without sticking it to the middle class. Independent experts say that my plan would cut our deficits by $4 trillion. And last summer, I worked with Republicans in Congress to cut billion in spending because those of us who believe government can be a force for good should work harder than anyone to reform it, so that it's leaner, and more efficient, and more responsive to the American people.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to reform the tax code so that it's simple, fair, and asks the wealthiest households to pay higher taxes on incomes over $250,000, the same rate we had when Bill Clinton was president; the same rate we had when our economy created nearly 23 million new jobs, the biggest surplus in history, and a whole lot of millionaires to boot.

Now, I'm still eager to reach an agreement based on the principles of my bipartisan debt commission. No party has a monopoly on wisdom. No democracy works without compromise. I want to get this done, and we can get it done. But when Governor Romney and his friends in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficits by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy, well, what'd Bill Clinton call it? You do the arithmetic, you do the math.

(APPLAUSE)

I refuse to go along with that. And as long as I'm President, I never will.

(APPLAUSE)

I refuse to ask middle class families to give up their deductions for owning a home or raising their kids just to pay for another millionaire's tax cut.

(APPLAUSE)

I refuse to ask students to pay more for college; or kick children out of Head Start programs, to eliminate health insurance for millions of Americans who are poor, and elderly, or disabled, all so those with the most can pay less.

OBAMA: I'm not going along with that.

(APPLAUSE)

And I will -- I will never turn Medicare into a voucher.

(APPLAUSE)

No American should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies. They should retire with the care and the dignity they have earned. Yes, we will reform and strengthen Medicare for the long haul, but we'll do it by reducing the cost of health care, not by asking seniors to pay thousands of dollars more. And we will keep the promise of Social Security by taking the responsible steps to strengthen it, not by turning it over to Wall Street.

(APPLAUSE)

This is the choice we now face. This is what the election comes down to. Over and over, we have been told by our opponents that bigger tax cuts and fewer regulations are the only way; that since government can't do everything, it should do almost nothing.

If you can't afford health insurance, hope that you don't get sick.

(LAUGHTER) If a company releases toxic pollution into the air your children breathe, well, that's just the price of progress. If you can't afford to start a business or go to college, take my opponent's advice and "borrow money from your parents."

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

You know what? That's not who we are. That's not what this country's about. As Americans, we believe we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, rights that no man or government can take away. We insist on personal responsibility, and we celebrate individual initiative. We're not entitled to success. We have to earn it. We honor the strivers, the dreamers, the risk- takers, the entrepreneurs who have always been the driving force behind our free enterprise system, the greatest engine of growth and prosperity the world has ever known.

 OBAMA: But we also believe in something called citizenship

(APPLAUSE)

a word at the very heart of our founding, at the very essence of our democracy; the idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another, and to future generations.

We believe that when a CEO pays his autoworkers enough to buy the cars that they build, the whole company does better.

(APPLAUSE)

We believe that when a family can no longer be tricked into signing a mortgage they can't afford, that family is protected, but so is the value of other people's homes, and so is the entire economy.

(APPLAUSE)

We believe the little girl who's offered an escape from poverty by a great teacher or a grant for college could become the next Steve Jobs, or the scientist who cures cancer, or the President of the United States, and it's in our power to give her that chance.

(APPLAUSE)

We know that churches and charities can often make more of a difference than a poverty program alone. We don't want handouts for people who refuse to help themselves, and we certainly don't want bailouts for banks that break the rules.

(APPLAUSE)

We don't think the government can solve all our problems. But we don't think that the government is the source of all our problems, any more than are welfare recipients, or corporations, or unions, or immigrants, or gays, or any other group we're told to blame for our troubles.

(APPLAUSE)

Because -- because America, we understand that this democracy is ours.

We, the People, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which asks only what's in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.

(APPLAUSE)

As citizens, we understand that America is not about what can be done for us. It's about what can be done by us, together, through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. That's what we believe.

So you see, the election four years ago wasn't about me.

OBAMA: It was about you. My fellow citizens, you were the change.

(APPLAUSE)

You're the reason there's a little girl with a heart disorder in Phoenix who'll get the surgery she needs because an insurance company can't limit her coverage.

You did that.

(APPLAUSE)

You're the reason a young man in Colorado who never thought he'd be able to afford his dream of earning a medical degree is about to get that chance.

You made that possible.

(APPLAUSE)

You're the reason a young immigrant who grew up here and went to school here and pledged allegiance to our flag will no longer be deported from the only country she's ever called home,

(APPLAUSE)

why selfless soldiers won't be kicked out of the military because of who they are or who they love; why thousands of families have finally been able to say to the loved ones who served us so bravely: "Welcome home, welcome home."

OBAMA: You did that. You did that.

(APPLAUSE)

If you turn away now -- if you turn away now, if you buy into the cynicism that the change we fought for isn't possible, well, change will not happen. If you give up on the idea that your voice can make a difference, then other voices will fill the void: the lobbyists and special interests; the people with the $10 million checks who are trying to buy this election, and those who are making it harder for you to vote; Washington politicians who want to decide who you can marry, or control health care choices that women should be making for themselves.

(APPLAUSE)

Only you can make sure that doesn't happen. Only you have the power to move us forward.

You know, I recognize that times have changed since I first spoke to this convention. The times have changed, and so have I.

 I'm no longer just a candidate. I'm the President.

(APPLAUSE)

And -- and that -- and that -- and that means I know what it means to send young Americans into battle, for I have held in my arms the mothers and fathers of those who didn't return. I've shared the pain of families who've lost their homes, and the frustration of workers who've lost their jobs. If the critics are right that I've made all my decisions based on polls, then I must not be very good at reading them.

(LAUGHTER)

And while I'm very proud of what we've achieved together, I'm far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what Lincoln meant when he said, "I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go."

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: But as I stand here tonight, I have never been more hopeful about America.

(APPLAUSE)

Not because I think I have all the answers. Not because I'm naive about the magnitude of our challenges.

I'm hopeful because of you.

The young woman I met at a science fair who won national recognition for her biology research while living with her family at a homeless shelter, she gives me hope.

(APPLAUSE)

The auto worker who won the lottery after his plant almost closed, but kept coming to work every day, and bought flags for his whole town and one of the cars that he built to surprise his wife, he gives me hope.

(APPLAUSE)

The family business in Warroad,  Minnesota that didn't lay off a single one of their 4,000 employees during this recession, even when their competitors shut down dozens of plants, even when it meant the owners gave up some perks and some pay, because they understood their biggest asset was the community and the workers who helped build that business, they give me hope.

(APPLAUSE)

I think about the young sailor I met at Walter Reed hospital, still recovering from a grenade attack that would cause him to have his leg amputated above the knee. Six months ago, We would watch him walk into a White House dinner honoring those who served in Iraq, tall and 20 pounds heavier, dashing in his uniform, with a big grin on his face; sturdy on his new leg.

And I remember how a few months after that I would watch him on a bicycle, racing with his fellow wounded warriors on a sparkling spring day, inspiring other heroes who had just begun the hard path he had traveled.

He gives me hope.

(APPLAUSE)

I don't know what party these men and women belong to. I don't know if they'll vote for me. But I know that their spirit defines us. They remind me, in the words of Scripture, that ours is a "future filled with hope."

And if you share that faith with me, if you share that hope with me, I ask you tonight for your vote.

(APPLAUSE)

If you reject the notion that this nation's promise is reserved for the few, your voice must be heard in this election.

If you reject the notion that our government is forever beholden to the highest bidder, you need to stand up in this election.

(APPLAUSE)

If you believe that new plants and factories can dot our landscape; that new energy can power our future; that new schools can provide ladders of opportunity to this nation of dreamers; if you believe in a country where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules, then I need you to vote this November.

(APPLAUSE)

America, I never said this journey would be easy, and I won't promise that now. Yes, our path is harder, but it leads to a better place. Yes our road is longer, but we travel it together. We don't turn back. We leave no one behind. We pull each other up. We draw strength from our victories, and we learn from our mistakes, but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon, knowing that Providence is with us, and that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on Earth.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless these United States.

(APPLAUSE)


Source: Washington Post

Close Up Free Concert this Sunday: Ice Prince, 2face, Omawunmi, Naeto C & many more


 
Close Up really loves Naija!! The much anticipated concert of the summer is here, and it’s the Close Up concert! Performing are Tu face, Ice prince, Omawunmi, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Naeto C and guess what, It’s 100% free!

Close Up has given out loads of stuffs throughout this campaign, and some of you might have missed out, but this time don’t slack! If you’re going to be in Lagos then grab your free tickets from Facebook.com/closeupng and click on the ticket link or via this link http://tinyurl.com/78k88gr . It’s one ticket per person, so make sure you get all your friends you’re coming with to also register.

Yobe official, 15 others die as bombings continue


FOR the second day running, terrorists on Wednesday night and the wee hours of yesterday continued their attacks on public buildings, telecommunications facilities and military structures in some northern states.
In Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, they bombed the two buildings housing the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the state’s Pilgrims Welfare Commission (YPWC) located on Potiskum Road. There was no official confirmation of the casualty figures but hospital sources claimed that 16 bodies were brought to the facility by the police and the JTF.
The state Police Commissioner, Patrick Egbuniwe, confirmed that the torching of two public buildings by suspected Boko Haram gunmen occurred at 2.30 a.m. yesterday.
He said: “Suspected gunmen used Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and petrol-bombs in setting on fire the two buildings that house the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Yobe State Pilgrims Welfare Commission on the Potiskum Road.
“Some of the armed hoodlums used tricycles to get access to the buildings, before setting them ablaze in the early hours of Thursday.”
He said some people were killed, while the buildings were set on fire with the use of IEDs and petrol-bombs, adding: “the people killed by the suspects lived near the buildings.”

Man machetes wife to death in Enugu


NSUKKA—A man who was identified by the police as Sunday Eze (Jnr) has reportedly matcheted his wife to death at the University town of Nsukka in Enugu State.
Eze, alleged to be a native of Agbani Nguru in Nsukka Local Government was said to have killed his wife following a slight misunderstanding he had with her.
Vanguard sources said at Nsukka that the suspect allegedly killed his wife lon Tuesday night in the presence of their only child Onyebuchi Eze, 11. The suspect was alleged to have rebuffed pleas by  the child not to kill his mother.
The kid who received a deep cut in his hand in attempt to prevent his father from killing his mother is a form five pupil of a primary school in the area.
The suspect was however said to have had a mental problem before the incident. It was alleged that the suspect had threatened to kill his wife each time they had any disagreement.
Police sources quoted the 11 year old boy as stating that his parents had quarrels that night before  his father used his matchet and killed his ‘’mummy,’’ adding, ‘’I rushed him and pleaded but he did not listen to me. He stabbed my mother severally both on the head and legs and on seeing that mummy is dead, he asked me to go to his elder brother’s residence, and tell them what has happened while he also moved to the nearby neighbours to inform them.’’
According to the police sources, Onyebuchi complied as directed by his father only for the assailant to escape into the bush for three days before he was caught by a search party in the community.
The search party  headed by one Christopher Ejike Onah alias Papa Nsukka, was said to have apprehended the suspect after ransacking all the nearby bushes and villages.

Source

Lagos Police ready to implement traffic law


The Lagos State Police Command has stated its readiness to commence full implementation of the newly State Traffic law.
Rising from a State Security Council meeting on Wednesday in Lagos, Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, said the initial delay in enforcement was to give room for public enlightenment and put some other basic necessities in place to ensure smooth compliance.
While addressing journalists, Manko said, “Since the Governor signed it, it has become law.”"The fact that it has not been massively enforced does not mean that it is not in existence. So we have just finished a meeting. Everybody now knows there is a new law and that law is going to be fully enforced,” he added.
“Government has done its part, public enlightenment has been made, road repairs are going on and there are traffic signs everywhere; therefore, no citizen has the right to say that he does not know. The Police are going to start the enforcement in full and nobody is going to be spared.”
Military officers have come to be viewed by the public as arrogant before the law, following recent brushes with the state traffic management agency in cases of utter disregard for traffic regulations.
Brigadier General Pat Aekem, who spoke for the Flag Officer, Western Naval Command and Air Officer, Logistics Command, Commander 9 Brigade, Ikeja Cantonment, said the Armed forces would sensitise and inform their members to know that they are also subject to the law as laid down by the state government.
He added that members who fail to comply with the law would disciplined.
“In fact, they are expected to collaborate with other enforcement agencies to enforce the law,” he said.

Patience Jonathan’s Ailment Not Detected In Nigeria


More on-line reports on the health status of First Lady Patience Jonathan yesterday indicated that her ailment, appendicitis or inflammation of the appendix, was not accurately diagnosed by doctors who first examined and treated her before she was flown to the German hospital where she is now recuperating after surgery.
The reports according to Sahara Reporters, referred to the steady deterioration of her health even after being attended to by Aso Villa physicians when she returned from Dubai where she was said to have been treated for “food poisoning”.
It will be recalled that a spokesperson of the Horst Schmidt Klinik in Germany told LEADERSHIP correspondent on phone that the first lady had undergone surgery to remove poison from her intestine after her appendix ruptured.
Medical sources attributed a ruptured appendix to delayed or incorrect diagnosis of appendicitis which manifests in steady worsening of the patient’s condition and eventually peritonitis when the appendix ruptures and its contents spill into the intestines and the stomach.
This scenario tallies with the health condition of the first lady before she was evacuated to the German hospital.

I’m Not Pregnant-Uche Iwuji


Click for Full Image Size
Uche has been in the movie industry for a while now. Though, she has been involved in so m many rumours and scandal, none has been able to pull her down. She recently debunked the story of her pregnant rumour going round town.

`` It suprises me that someone will just cook up a baseless story about me. That I am pregnant is a white lie. I am not pregnant and even if I was, it’s not something I have to hide.’’ Uche said.

This Nollywood diva who is holidaying in London said she’s still very much in the industry but is in the United Kingdom for holiday and that as soon as she steps into the soil of the country, she is coming in to shoot her own movie. ``The latest about me now is that I’m trying to re brand myself, which I’m working on and I am working on my own movie soon.’’


NIGERIAFILMS

Jim Iyke gets cosy with n**ed Ghanaian actress


Nigerian actor, Jim Iyke has yet again lived up to his ‘bad boy’ image, this time in the movie, My First Wife, where he gets cosy with Ghanaian actress, Nikki Samonas.
One of the more risque scenes in the movie had the duo engaged in some adult moves under the sheets. The shirtless actor was all over a naked Samonas; at one point, he’s fondling the actress’ br**sts.
The movie, directed by Ghollywood director Mike Ajaere, tells the story of a rich father who decides to abandon his career to attend to his family, but  is met by a wife who is determined to be a thorn in his side. The movie was shot in 2011 and also stars Jibola Dabo, Rita Dominic, Barbara Ukatah, among others.

Culled: Nigerian entertainment Today

Thursday, 6 September 2012

German hospital bars visitors from Dame Jonathan

Abuja—To quicken the recovery of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, officials of Horst Schmidt Klinik, the German Hospital where she is receiving medication, yesterday, barred visitors and some top Nigerian officials, who went to see her from, doing so.
An official of the hospital said that some top Nigerian officials, including diplomats were barred from seeing Mrs Jonathan to enable her have deserved rest to quicken her recovery.
The official also confirmed that the President’s wife had earlier been treated for food poisoning back home before being brought to Horst Schmidt Klinik early last week after the management of the hospital had been contacted and briefed on her deteriorating health condition.
Confirming that the First Lady was getting better, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declared that the hospital management would ensure that she was fully fit before she would be allowed to go back to Nigeria.
This is coming as Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Dieziani Alison-Madueke, denied reports that she had been hospitalised in a London hospital with “a potentially serious” condition.
Meanwhile, there were indications, yesterday, that the Presidency might be forced to admit the nature of illness afflicting Dame Jonathan.
Findings indicated that the Presidency was under pressure to own up to the fact that the President’s wife was sick and had been admitted for treatment in a German hospital.
A competent source said that the Presidency might be compelled to release the ‘true position’ of Mrs. Jonathan’s health condition to put the records straight and end the deluge of fabricated stories trailing her health condition and whereabouts.

Presidency worried
It was learnt that the Presidency was worried over the heat generated by the First Lady’s sickness and the poor handling of the information.
It was gathered that a cabal in the Presidency had been blamed for the furore over the woman’s health and whereabouts, having confused her handlers to ignore well-informed advice not to conceal her health condition.
Close associates of the President, it was learnt, had warned against the backlash of trying to cover up the woman’s health condition on the grounds that it was not an offence to be sick.
But it was understood that those that convinced the President that they could manage the information, kicked against the advice of the associates and opted to keep it a secret and it misfired when the information leaked before the operation could be carried out.
According to the source, the Presidency did not want to be caught in the same web of crisis that enveloped the Villa when late President Umaru Yar’Adua was almost dead but was being portrayed by close aides as being very active and playing golf.
The source said: “We have made it clear to those who want to hide everything that Dame Jonathan has not committed any offence by being sick since she is a human being. That is why there may be a change of attitude and Dame’s whereabouts and type of sickness made clear by her handlers.
“We do not want a repeat of the Yar’Adua episode this time around.”
Another source close to the first family confirmed that Mrs. Jonathan had a medical condition which necessitated her trip abroad, adding that she had since been operated upon.
Contrary to insinuations that she went for abdominoplasty, a surgical procedure for tightening the abdominal muscles, popularly referred to as tummy tuck, the source hinted that Mrs. Jonathan did not go for such an operation.
The source said that she was not a cosmetic-conscious person and could not have contemplated such a procedure, although he did not disclose the nature of ailment for which she was operated upon.
“Obviously, there is nothing to be worried about her condition. She has gone through the operation and she is fine,” said the source, who refused to say when the First Lady would return to the country.
Source

Outrage as FG lifts ban on Dana Airline


NINETY-EIGHT days after the Dana Airline plane crash in Lagos, which killed 153 persons, the Federal Government, yesterday, cleared the airline to resume operations eliciting outrage in the polity.
Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, in a statement by her Special Adviser (Media), Joe Obi, said government decided to restore the operating licence of Dana airline because it was satisfied with the air-worthiness of the airline after a rigorous technical, operational and financial audit was conducted.
According to the statement: “The Federal Government has lifted the suspension of the Operating Licence of Dana Airline. This follows government’s satisfaction with the air-worthiness of the airline after a rigorous technical, operational and financial audit of the airline.
“By this development, Dana Airline is free to resume its normal commercial flight operations. Government will, however, continue to strengthen its oversight and regulatory functions to ensure that all airlines operating in the country, including Dana, adhere strictly to safety procedures as required by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act and all other relevant local and international regulations that ensure and promote sustainable air safety.

“The operating licence of Dana Airline was temporarily suspended following the crash of one of its aircraft on June 3, in Lagos as a safety precaution”.
Immediately, the clearance elicited condemnation from Labour, rights activists, lawyers and relations of the Dana crash victims, who said it was premature. Among those who criticized the decision, yesterday, were legal icon, Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Mr Femi Falana (SAN), Dr Osahon Enabulele (president, Nigeria Medical association, NMA), President-General of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Comrade Peter Esele, and Mr Achief Olajide (a relative of a victim).

Super Eagles move up one place in FIFA rankings;11th to 10th! Hehe!


Way to go Super Eagles. Nigeria has moved up one place in the latest rankings released by FIFA today Wednesday 5th 2012. We moved from the 11th position as the best football team in Africa, to the 10th. Go Super Eagles. Hehe! And we used to be No.1 o! Lol.

Spain is number one in the world, while Ivory Cost is number one in Africa and 16th in world. Nigeria is 58th in the World.

We ‘ll appoint new power, defence ministers in two weeks – Jonathan



President Goodluck Jonathan said Wednesday  in Abuja he would forward names of replacements for ministers of defence and power immediately the Senate resumed from recess on September 22.
The President disclosed this at the inauguration of the reconstituted Presidential Action Committee on Power and Presidential Task Force on Power.
At the ceremony, Jonathan directed the Minister of State for Power, Mr Darius Ishaku, to take charge of the power ministry in the interim. He said it was important to reconstitute the two committees on power so that the achievement recorded in the sector would not relapse. The President set up the two bodies in 2010 to closely monitor and implement the Power Reform Agenda.
The President said: “Definitely immediately the National Assembly comes back especially the Senate, we will clear the two vacancies that we have. They will get cleared and we will place people accordingly so that the Ministry of Power will come up.
“But, in the interim, the Minister of State Power is holding on to that. But whether the Minister of Power comes or not, we want to reconstitute the two teams because Nigerians will not be happy if we relapse and I believe that as we progress from now till December if Nigerians can go home in December and do their parties without generators and can drive to their States without gutters (potholes) on our roads stopping them, I think the rating of government will improve. So we must work hard to get to this level.”

Source

Tears, sorrow as fire guts Ibadan market


Property worth several millions of Naira were today destroyed as fire gutted the  Labaowo Market  at Ogunpa area of Ibadan, capital of Oyo State, in the western part of Nigeria.
The market under Ibadan North Local Government is known for fire disasters as it has recorded about five  incidents within three years.
Helplessly watching their property being destroyed by fire, the traders at the market could not control their emotions as they broke down in tears.
PM NEWS gathered that the fire  gutted  four houses which included three bungalows and a storey building  and destroyed over 50 shops.
The  roofs, windows and ceilings of some buildings were badly affected by the inferno while the chemical section of the market  and part of those selling keys, padlocks and paints were razed  down by the fire.
It was gathered that before the arrival of  firefighters,  sympathizers tried to put off the fire, without success.
Speaking with journalists, the state Director of Fire Service, Mr. Kareem Oyegunle Gafari,  said the cause of the fire was yet to be known, assuring  that his men would investigate the incident.
But an eyewitness who refused to disclose her name, said the  fire broke out when one of the traders was filling a chemical gum into a jerry can.

Source

Super Friday: Rangers promise players cars, land


Each Enugu Rangers player will get a car and a plot of land if they beat Sharks and are crowned Nigerian champions on Super Friday.
Rangers are third on the NPL table with 61 points but will be crowned champions on the final day of the season on Friday, if leaders Kano Pillars and Lobi Stars both lose their final games away to Sunshine Stars and Kaduna United respectively.
The special adviser to Enugu State Governor, Victor  Atuonwu, announced this package to the club management as they prepare to host Sharks in their last match of the 2011/2012 Nigeria Premier League season at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu on Friday.
Atuonwu said Governor Sullivan Chime is very much supportive of the team’s quest to lift the championship and go on to represent  the country in next year’s CAF Champions League.

ASUU: No surrender in war against Gov. Amaechi

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said today it will continue its strike until Governor Chibuike Rotimi  Amaechi appoints a new vice-chancellor for the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST). Dr Felix Igwe, the union chairman of the university gave this indication in Port Harcourt today.
Governor Amaechi had told newsmen  on September 1 in Berlin, Germany, that ASUU should take his government to court if it was convinced that it breached the law.
Amaechi said it was the Governor’s prerogative to appoint a vice-chancellor of the university.
Igwe, however, said Amaechi breached the law of the university in the appointment of Professor  Barineme Fakae as vice-chancellor of the university.
He refuted a statement credited to Amaechi that the university was governed by the state law and could not be dictated to by union’s national leadership in appointment of a vice-chancellor.
“The visitor (Amaechi) is not a member of staff of this university; the visitor’s responsibility to appoint the vice-chancellor is indicated in the university law which says that the visitor will appoint the vice-chancellor acting on the recommendation of the selection committee from Senate and Council.
“He cannot just appoint anybody he wants; he will not go to mile three market and pick anybody and appoint as vice-chancellor; this is an educational institution for God’s sake.
“The process was started according to the law and the process concluded according to the law.”
The union leader said Amaechi was wrong in his assertion that some members of the University Governing Council were not qualified for appointment as vice-chancellor.

Source

Ondo distributes 190 laptops to health officers

Ondo state government said it has strengthened its health information management system with the distribution of 190 laptops and card readers to care givers under its Abiye Safe Motherhood programme.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, stated this in Akure on Wednesday during an interactive session with journalists.
He said a comprehensive training programme had also been conducted for care givers in health facilities in the state.
According to him, the Abiye Safe Motherhood Programme, initiated by the present administration, is aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality in the state.

President Jonathan raises committee on steady power supply


PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday inaugurated two presidential committees on the power sector, charging them to ensure there was no relapse in the improved supply of electricity Nigerians have been experiencing in recent weeks.
Jonathan said while inaugurating the reconstituted committees that the members “are those who will be working day and night, and who will not sleep to make sure that Nigerians are happy in terms of power.”
The President hinted that the vacancies left by the exit of the Ministers of Defence and Power from the membership of the Federal Exeutive Council (FEC) will be filled as soon as the National Assembly returned from recess.
Jonathan said that Nigerians would not be happy if there was relapse, stating “that as we progress from now till December, if Nigerians can go home in December and do their parties without generators, and can drive to their states without gutters on our roads stopping them, I think the rating of government will improve. So, we must work hard to get to this level.”
The first of the committees inaugurated – Presidential Action Committee on Power – has President Jonathan as chairman and Vice President Namadi Sambo as deputy chairman. The second is the Presidential Task Force on Power with Becks Dagogo-Jack as chairman. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, will provide secretariat for the two committees. The Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Fund will serve as Consultants to the Task Force while an officer of Directorate rank in the Ministry of Power designated by the Permanent Secretary will serve as Secretary to the recomposed task force.
The Presidential Action Committee on Power, which will be meeting every two weeks, has as members the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of Service of the Federation, Chief of Staff to the President, Attorney-General of the Federation, Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ministers of Labour and Productivity, Power, Petroleum Resources, National Planning and the Chief Economic Adviser to the President.

Source

Hope rises for drop in fuel import as firms commit N270b to new refinery



PRIVATE sector operators are gradually breaking the ice over setting up plants to refine crude oil and process gas in Nigeria.
Six days after President Goodluck Jonathan commissioned the Orient Refinery in Anambra State, some oil and finance firms have signed a joint venture financing agreement to establish a N270 billion Greenfield Refinery with capacity to process 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) in Ibeno Local Council of Akwa Ibom State.
When the refinery begins operation in 2014 as planned by the operators, there is hope that Nigeria’s current dependence on imported refined products would drop. The expectation of a possible decline in oil import is further fuelled by the recent opening of Orient Petroleum Refinery, which has the capacity to produce 55,000 bpd.
The partnership on the new refinery in Akwa Ibom State is between Qua Petroleum Refinery Limited and Niger Delta Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Limited, a subsidiary of Eton Finance Private Ltd.
The deal was signed in Abuja yesterday with Mr. Essien Asuquo Ekanem endorsing for Qua Petroleum Refinery Limited while Mr. Allan Rennie represented the Niger Delta Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Limited/Eton Finance Private Ltd.

Obasanjo laments lack of moral values among youths

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday lamented the decline in moral values, hard work and integrity among youths.
To address this, he opined that the youths be exposed to biographies and records of works of the nation’s heroes, saying this would go a long way in helping them in their pursuit self- advancement.
Obasanjo, who spoke at the formal presentation  of the biography of a late university don and industrialist, Prof. Ayo Ogunsheye titled, ‘Ayo Ogunsheye: The workers’ economist’, maintained that exposing the youths to records of life and service of notable personalities in the country could encourage them to be serious.
The former president who extolled the virtues of Ogunsheye, said: “I want to urge family members of good Nigerians whose records we like to have but we have not had, to work towards documenting their history and achievements.
“This will help in putting right the history of our country. It will also help to impact on the younger generation who will be the leaders of tomorrow. It is necessary particularly now that we have a country where anything goes. The moral value was very high in the country in not so distant past.”
The former president stressed further that “by remembering men and women of integrity in the land, we would have helped in moving this country on the part of restitution and turn it from the status of anything goes.”

Source

President Jonathan visits the Nigerian Super Eagles training camp


 

The president visited the Super Eagles camp in Abuja yesterday.

Darey and Deola Art Alade name new daughter, Tintin


OMG! I love the name. Dare and Deola Art Alade welcomed a new bundle of joy on August 3rd and the baby's name is Atinuke Tintin Art Alade.

He said Tintin is a Yoruba name. What does it mean in Yoruba?

Alleged police brutality: Baba Fryo to sue police for N50m damages


I'm sure you all heard that the once famous dance hall star was allegedly battered in the early hours of Monday August 20th by policemen from the Isashi police station, at Iyana Isasha, Ojo, Lagos.

Baba Fryo said he was beaten up by at least 5 police men after he tried to stop them from beating some ladies at a club he was performing at in the area.

After the beating, Baba Fryo was admitted in a hospital for many days where he received treatment for fractured waist, swollen eyes, and broken ankle.

The Denge Pose crooner has now employed the services of a lawyer and plans to sue the police for N50million in compensatory damages.

Tuesday, 4 September 2012

WEDDING NOTIFICATION

            
The families of

Mr. & Mrs. Sylvester Abiodun Obafemi
&
Mr. & Mrs. Raphael Oniemola
Cordially request the pleasure of
 THE GENERAL PUBLIC
To the
Solemnization of Holy Matrimony of their children
Joan Mayowa
&
Peter Kayode
Which will take place by God’s grace
On Saturday 3rd November, 2012.
@Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Kabba, Kogi State.
By 10.00am
Reception follows immediately
@Anglican Cathedral Multipurpose Hall, Kabba.
Colour code: Cream & Chocolate
Engagement details
Date: Friday, 2nd November, 2012
@ Mr. & Mrs. S.A. Obafemi’s residence
No. 6 Aporo Qtrs, Opp. RCCG Restoration Parish/Treasured People Church, Korede, Kabba.
By 2.00pm



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