COSMETICS, ABORTION TRIGGER CANCER - EXPERTS

With more women being diagnosed of breast cancer disease, oncologists, who specialise in the
treatment of tumour and cancer, acknowledged the danger to women, stressing that young
women are becoming victims of breast cancer due to ignorance, abortion, exposure to cosmetics,
consumption of dangerous chemicals in junk food and unhealthy lifestyle.
With the percentage of cancer patients now on the high, the specialists in the field
opined that poverty, high cost of treatment, lack of medical facilities and personnel
are making matter worse for victims, calling on the government to acquire modern
medical facilities for its hospitals and to subsidise the cost of treatment of the
disease.
Head, Oncology and Radiotherapy Department, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Remi
Ajekigbe, said breast cancer is on the increase due to lack of awareness about the disease
among women and poor diet.
"Awareness is a major factor responsible for the increase in breast cancer cases. A lot of women
are not educated on the disease, so even when the signs and symptoms are present, they can
hardly notice them. Awareness campaign on the disease will help early detection and treatment,"
Ajekigbe said, adding that population increase could be responsible for the wide spread of the
disease.
"Twenty years ago, Nigeria population's was not what it is today; population increase could
increase the spread of diseases including breast cancer.
"Increased population could affect the social life of the people. The social factor is crucial
because we tend to imbibe a number of habits that are detrimental to our health. For instance,
smoking and poor diet are factors that have increased the cases of breast cancer. We eat a lot of
chemicals, especially our younger ones. Those processed junks are not good for health. Its
accumulation over a period of time could lead to various types of cancer. Cosmetics used to
enhance beauty also have concentrated chemicals that could become cancerous when they enter
the body system. Skin beauty products make women look good and attractive but they could
have negative effect later in life. Perfumes also could increase the risk as some of them are also
cancerous," Ajekigbe said.
The oncologist also explained that the facilities available for the treatment of the disease are not
adequate, pointing out that epileptic supply of electricity in the country contribute to the high
cost of treatment of the disease.
Speaking further on the disease, Ajekigbe said early detection reduced difficulties experienced in
its treatment.
"A lot of prominent people died of breast cancer because it was'nt detected at the advanced
stage. Self breast examination is the key to early detection of the disease. Every woman should
understand the simple test to detect cancer in the breasts," he advised.
Another cancer specialist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Dr. Abiodun
Popoola, said abortion in the first three months of pregnancy increased a woman's risk of having
breast cancer.
"Towards the end of the first trimester, the hormone balance in the woman's body changes, the
oestrogen levels drop and the levels of others rise. Differentiation and maturation begins and
continues until the child is born.
"But when an abortion occurs at the early stages, this process is suddenly cut short and this
greatly increases the risk of that woman or lady having breast cancer. Sadly, 90 per cent of
abortions are done at this stage. It however varies in different women," he said.
When our correspondent visited some breast cancer clinics in Lagos State, patients narrated
tales of pains and frustration. Mrs. Kehinde Olabisi, who is battling with the disease, told our
correspondent who was with her during one of her chemotherapy sessions at the Lagos
University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, that she would have committed suicide but for her husband
support. Olabisi who is in her early 40s said she was diagnosed with the disease in 2011,
lamenting the loss of one of her breasts and inability to function fully as a wife.
Olabisi said, "You do not want to imagine the psychological trauma of living with just one
breast. A lot of women would prefer to die with the cancer than to lose a breast. But since losing
a breast was the only way to save my life, I had to accept it. I have been battling with this
illness since 2011, I removed the lumps first to delay cutting off the breast but it did not work so
they removed it three months ago. I have not recovered from the experience.
"Breast cancer is a dangerous disease affecting women because it drains them physically,
financially, psychologically and emotionally. You no longer feel good about yourself it is like you
have no self worth anymore," a tearful Olabisi said.
Olabisi, who was in the hospital with her husband, added that the doctors warned that
chemotherapy treatment after surgery was crucial to full recovery.
"Chemotherapy is a difficult process that involves endurance. It would scrape off all the hair on
the victim's body. After my first experience, I woke up and saw my hair falling off on the pillow.
It took away my appetite and I became allergic to perfume. I had sores on my body and this is
how I feel every time. But I thank God for my husband who has stood by me. I could not have got
this far without him."
But the road to recovery has been a demanding one. To pay the bill, Olabisi and her husband
sold a house and took N4m bank loan to pay for treatment.
She said, "Victims of breast cancer need love to pull through. They need people around them all
the time. Absence of these factors could lead to death."
A survivor who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity said the rate of survival
could only be improved upon if all women did constant self-check, adding that she was saved
because she detected the lump early.
She said, "I was 54-year-old when I discovered I had breast cancer. I was having my bath when I
noticed the lump. I was not too sure what it was so I went to a doctor and they told me it was
cancerous. That was the beginning of the battle.
"I started treatment in a hospital in Abeokuta and when it was beyond the hospital's ability, I
travelled to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, where doctors told me that what
saved me was early detection. It was an eye opener in my home. Because of my case, my sister
and her sister in-law went for screening and realised they had lumps and they sought treatment
immediately, they all survived the deadly disease. I advise all the women who are suffering from
breast cancer not to give up. They should trust in God for their treatment. The government
should also help by subsidising the cost of treatment. It is too expensive."
Also, Mrs. Nimota Odukoya, another breast cancer patient, said the cost of treatment scared
many victims.
She said, "Only victims with enough financial strength to treat breast cancer survive. If you have
breast cancer and you cannot pay for test, drugs or your chemotherapy, then you may not
survive. It is the cost of treatment that is leading to the death of many patients. When you are
told that you need N500,000 to start treatment and you have just N20,000, you have no option
than to go back home, especially if you don't have property to sell.
"I have spent about N2 million treating the disease . I pay N45,000 every three weeks for
chemotherapy, and N20,000 on drugs per week. A lot of women who started treatment died along
the way because they could not afford the cost.
"Government should help sufferers by subsidising the cost of cancer treatment. Government is
campaigning for women to go for breast cancer screening in hospitals, but when you actually
have it, the amount needed to treat it is unaffordable for 80 per cent of Nigerians," she said.

Culled from naij.com

WHY I CAN'T STICK OUT MY NECK TO SUPPORT JONATHAN -AMAECHI

Embattled Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi has said that President Goodluck Jonathan
knows the right thing to do if he is indeed interested in contesting the 2015 presidential
election.
Amaechi who stressed that as Chairman of Governors' Forum he is a critical stakeholder in the
equation, insisted that: "If he [Jonathan] wants to contest, he will call me and inform me. And
then we will look at it."
Asked by his interviewer if there are reasons why he might not support Jonathan who come from
the same geo-political zone with him, Amaechi retorted: "I don't understand what you mean by I
come from the same zone as the president and if there is any reason why I cannot support him.
I've told you that the President is yet to say whether he wants to run or not."
The interviewer persisted and told the governor whether he did not think his refusal to answer
the question was responsible for his problem with the Presidency. But Amaechi snapped back,
saying:
"What makes the question simple? You want me to become a prophet and determine that the
president will contest? Assuming I say today that I will support the President and tomorrow the
President says he is not contesting. Let the President inform me that he wants to contest… If he
decides to contest, he will call those that he wants to support him. That would be the time that
we will discuss the issue."
On the specifics of their disagreement with PDP leadership, Governor Amaechi said, "It is all
muddled up. You won't talk about governance without talking about the party. The party needs
to look at the direction the government is going…If we want victory at the polls, we have to
correct these things.
"The party is not consulting enough; it seems as if the party wants to undermine the governors.
What you see in the NGF is a deliberate attempt to cause confusion and division among the
governors."

TIPS TO NOT GETTING TIRED OF MAKING LOVE TO YOUR SPOUSE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

A desired marriage is not complete without adequate plan for a better and fulfilled sex life. Sex
remains a potent tool to forge lasting relationships among couples and a good sex life, no
doubt, will certainly help prepare couples to face challenges.
For couples whose sex life has taken a dip, they can still make love for the rest of their life and
still love it. The major tool is rediscovering opportunities to revive the magic that once kept your
hearts fluttering with joy. The funny update is that great sex is still attainable.
Think of how you can make sex hot; don't undermine the fact that the hotter the passion, the
better the sex. There are different ways to tell your partner how much you enjoy sleeping with
him or her. Sometimes, the way you talk about sex or demand for it; the way you respond to
your partner's advances or the things you do to your body in order to look good, could go a long
way into keeping the passion in your relationship hot and sizzling. When there is a mutual desire
to jump into each other's arms, couple would always be willing to go the extra mile to have best
of sex.
Flirting with your spouse will spice up your sex life. If you are the wife, you should form a habit
of flirting with your husband at all the time. When you put on your alluring airs, you are
indirectly telling your husband that you are always interested in his sexual prowess; men often
react positively to this kind of attitude.
The looks you give your spouse speaks volumes and seductive glances generate sexual energy.
Seductive attire, dressing to kill get your husband fired up sexually, even though he may pretend
initially not to notice. Any woman that is serious about making love to the same man for the rest
of her life and still love it ought to keep a sexy kit handy and make sure that all the items are
available anytime, anywhere and at strategic points in the car, kitchen, and bedsides.
Men are habitually under sexual pressure; it does not matter whether you are newlywed, nursing
mother, or menopausal bride. What matters is that you must treat the nuptial bed like a bona fide
business or make it one. You can even be a little mysterious sexually. The fact is that if a wife
arouses her husband's curiosity, it is guaranteed that the man will always be back against all
odds. Statistically, an average man gets bored easily sexually. Voice your sexual fantasy and
experiment it on him.
Husbands, turn your wife into your idea sex girl. Men have a catalogue of sexual imaginations
and the best way to relive these scenarios is to share it with their wives. Ask your wife of the
possibilities of experimentation with good dividend. Experts say all living beings have sexual
fantasies, in which an individual imagines himself enjoying erotic moments with his or her
spouse in strange places at strange times with strange posture and positions. Sharing sexual
fantasies with your partner is a way of heightening and intensifying erotic potential by showing
your spouse possibilities that he or she has never considered before. In turn, this will open the
door to a lifetime of sexual ecstasy.
Most times, spouses underestimate how powerful they become if they can fulfil their partner's
unrequited fantasy. The point is that if your partner has been dreaming about something all of
his/her life and then you help make it a reality for him, the chances are that you will definitely
inspire him to display incredible loyalty and devotion to you. The advantage of these fantasies is
that they give room to assertiveness, unpredictability and an impulsiveness that creates fun,
excitement and expectations; which in turn eliminates boredom. Before you know it, you are
actually making love to the same spouse and loving it.
Make giving your spouse great sex a priority. This is like pledging your eternal allegiance to him
or her. Although most men dislike longish foreplay, when you are aware of the fact that control
is essential during lovemaking and that most women think wonderful sex should be full of slow
foreplay, you just got yourself a sex life partner. Remember that the best sex lasts between
thirteen and twenty five minutes. According to a study published in a journal, medical
researchers who surveyed people bedroom preferences says two to five minutes is too short,
seven to twenty minutes is acceptable and 30 minutes and above may be unattainable by some.

ASUU MAY CALL OFF STRIKE SOON

There are indications that the on-going strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of
Nigerian Universities might be called off next Thursday.
Governor of Benue State, Mr Gabriel Suswam who dropped this hint Friday said ASUU and the
Federal Government had reached agreements on all the contentious issues that led to the
industrial action except two.
Suswam who was appointed as Chairman of the Needs Assessment Implementation Committee of
the Federal Government said after next Thursday's deliberations between his Committee and the
various agencies of government funding tertiary education, all the contentious issues would
likely be resolved.
Speaking to news men in Abuja after attending a meeting between the Federal Government's
delegation and ASUU, Suswam said that agreements had been reached by both parties on all
issues except two. Said he: "We reached agreements on all issues except two. These two issues
are those of earned allowances of lecturers and intervention for the federal universities. These
are the only issues that are still outstanding."
The Benue Governor further said he believed that by next week after his Committee would have
arrived at an agreement on all the issues, ASUU would call off the strike. He continued: "The SGF
would meet with the leadership of ASUU on the issue of earned allowances by next Monday.
Then my committee which is dealing with the issue of the needs assessment of the universities
would meet again next Thursday and take another look at all the infrastructural deficits which
the federal universities are facing. If you go to our universities, you would agree that they are
facing infrastructural deficits and that is why my committee would meet with all the funding
agencies next Thursday for the purpose of prioritizing all the projects that need to be executed.
We are going to invite all the agencies that are involved in the funding of the universities
including the Central Bank of Nigeria." Suswam further stated that the issues on agreements have
been reached include: those of retirement age for university lecturers- which has now been
increased from 65 to 70 years; the constitution of the governing councils of the universities
which has already been done by the Government; the setting up of a pension administrator and
the issue of persuading companies operating in the country to set up research centers in the
universities.
Said he: "As far as I am concerned, if the issues concerning intervention and earned allowances
are resolved next week, then the strike could be called off" Among those who attended the
meeting were Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister
of Labour, Hon. Emeka Wogu, Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayatu Rufai and President of
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr Nasir Fagge.

GRASSCUTTER HUSBANDRY IN NIGERIA - A COMPLETE GUIDE

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2015: SOME NORTHERN GROUPS ENDORSE JONATHAN

AHEAD the 2015 Presidential election, Northern elders and youths yesterday stormed
the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Abuja to endorse President
Goodluck Jonathan for the exalted position, just as they pleaded with him to make himself
available and vie.
The elders and youths came under the aegis of three groups, Northern Elders Forum, North/
South New Nigeria Forum, Fresh Air Continuity Group of North West and Northern PDP Youth.
The groups – led by a former Education Minister under the late Gen Abacha’s regime and
former Presidential Aspirant of All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, Dr Dauda Birmah, on a
solidarity visit to the PDP national Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur – declared that the
North would ever be grateful to the PDP led Government of President Jonathan for creating a
conducive atmosphere that made the release of the former Chief Security Adviser to late Sani
Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha possible after over 14 years of incarceration.
They however hailed Jonathan over the release from prison of Major Hamza al-Mustapha, just
as they promised to get most voters in the north, especially North West to support and vote
for him.
Dauda Birma, said “Goodluck Jonathan’s leadership has been rated as the best administration
so far. With what Jonathan has done in Maiduguri, I can affirm that the city is now safer than
most parts of the country”.
According to him, Major Mustapha’s release would not have been possible by the ordinary fiat
of the court if not for the underground work of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and the consent of the
executive of the President Jonathan led administration, adding that the Groups decided to
come out openly to appreciate the exemplary leadership qualities of the President Jonathan
since assumption of office which had been unprecedented in the anal of Nigeria.
He said they were also at the PDP National Secretariat to correct insinuations that the People
of the North especially the North- West Zone were against his Presidential ambition come
2015, adding that the release of Major Al-Mustapha had further fuelled the supports of the
North for the re election of President Jonathan come 2015.
The leaders of the three Groups, Hajia Nana Abdulkadri, Mallam Mohammed Omeri and Ibrahim
Mohammed in their remarks expressed their appreciation for the release of the former CSO and
acknowledged the roles of the leadership of the Party and the President and as well
dismissed the wrong notion that the North in general was against the Presidential ambition of
Dr Jonathan come 2015.
Responding, Alhaji Tukur said that it was a thing of joy for him for three different Groups to
come at the same time to appreciate openly the achievements of the PDP led administration of
President Jonathan at this point in time when wrong impressions were being created that all
was not well in the country.
According to him, “to me, this is democracy in action, people will agree with you,people will
also disagree with you, we can not see things the same way at all times, when we see good
things we should celebrate like these groups are doing now, celebrate good things, celebrate
democracy, celebrate justice, don’t be intimidated by others, this is your country, hold it
firmly”.

INEC MAY HALT APC REGISTRATION

There are indications that the Independent National Electoral Commission may suspend the
registration of the new mega opposition party, All Progressives Congress.
Sources learnt on Friday that the decision to halt the registration was reached at a meeting
involving the National Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and other top officials of the commission
on Tuesday.
It was gathered that besides putting the APC's registration in abeyance, INEC might write the
merging parties on Tuesday, to choose another name.
Opposition parties, including the Congress for Progressive Change, Action Congress of Nigeria
and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, on June 5, 2013, had written the commission on their plan to
merge under a new name, APC.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the commission was hinging its decision to suspend the APC's
registration on the separate suits filed by the African Peoples Party and the All Progressive
Congress of Nigeria at a Federal High Court, Abuja.
A top official of the commission, who spoke in confidence with Saturday PUNCH, said, "We have
put their (merging parties) registration on hold. A letter will be written to them on Tuesday
asking them to choose another name.
"You are aware that some parties have been fighting over the acronym (APC) and in actual fact,
two of them have gone to court to compel INEC not to register opposition parties' APC.
"Although the court has not issued any order, we do not want any problem. That is why we
agreed on Tuesday that we should ask the opposition parties to choose a new name."
The African People's Congress and the APCN, last month, had filed separate suits at a Federal
High Court, Abuja asking INEC not to register opposition's APC because of the contention over
the acronym.
It was gathered that at Tuesday's meeting, legal officers of the commission advised that the
commission should go ahead to register the mega opposition party as APC since there was no
court order that asked INEC not to do so.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the commission would take the parties' letter dated July 1, 2013 as
the date it was informed of the merger plan, not the initial letter written on June 5, 2013.
The merging parties had, in a letter dated June 5, 2013, written the INEC, informing it of their
plan to merge under a new name.
In response to the letter, the Secretary to the commission, Abdullahi Kaugama, wrote the parties,
asking them to submit 35 copies of the new party's proposed constitution, 35 copies of its
manifesto and an affidavit in support of the claims in Form PA 1.
The parties, in response to INEC's demand, had written the commission and submitted the
documents on July 1.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that there was a disagreement among the officials at the Tuesday meeting
on whether to take June 5 or July 1 as the date the parties informed the commission of their
merger plan.
Saturday PUNCH, however, learnt that the commission had settled for July 1.
Based on Section 84 (4 ) of the 2010 Electoral Act as amended, the opposition parties' APC would
be deemed to have been registered, if June 5 was taken by the commission as the date it
received the application.
Section 84 (4) of the Electoral Act states, "On receipt of the request for merger of political
parties, the commission shall consider the request; and if the parties have fulfilled the
requirements of the constitution and this Act, approve the proposed merger and communicate its
decision to the parties concerned before the expiration of thirty (30) days from the date of the
receipt of the formal request.
"Provided that if the commission fails to communicate its decision within 30 days, the merger
shall be deemed to be effective."
A team of INEC officials, led by Director of Political Party Monitoring, Bala Shittu, had on July 9,
inspected APC's headquarters.
After the inspection, the party's interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, said that he was
optimistic that the APC would be registered.
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said, "I am
not aware of such a decision or the meeting you are talking about."
He said since there was no court order asking the commission not to register the party, it could
not on its own decide not to do so.
On the effective date of APC's application, Idowu asked, "Is it proper that we should take the
date of application from the day APC wrote INEC for recognition in the merger arrangement or on
the day they furnished the commission with the necessary documents?
"I am sure the proper date is the one they submitted the required documents and with such date
in mind, the 30 days stipulated by the Electoral Act has not expired. And even if it does, the law
is also very clear that whether we write them or not, the law takes care of any ambiguity. I don't
see any reason for confusion in the matter so far until the expiration of 30 days provided for by
the law."
But in a swift reaction, the CPC said suspending the APC registration would be a dangerous
thing for INEC to do.
When contacted, the spokesman of the CPC, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, warned INEC against
suspending registration of the APC.
Fashakin, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, said that such a decision would put
INEC in bad light.
He stated, "It is too late in the day for INEC to attempt to do a thing like that. It will definitely
put INEC in bad light. It is too expensive for this leadership of INEC to try to do."
"It is a dangerous trend because it will make us to believe that this leadership of INEC is not
capable of conducting free and fair elections come 2015."
Fashakin said that the people behind rival APC were products of the ruling People's Democratic
Party.
He asked, "Does that mean that anything that will affect the PDP's interest, INEC is not ready to
do justice to it. We are going into elections. Does that mean INEC will short-change Nigerians
again like it did in 2011?"

2015: NORTHERN GOVERNORS MEET EKWUEME, SHAGARI OTHERS

The second phase of the mission to rescue the country's democracy, which began last Saturday,
will continue next week, with five northern governors visiting former President Shehu Shagari
and ex-vice president, Alex Ekwueme.
Also, the governors will meet with former Senate presidents and Speakers of the House of
Representatives as well as former national chairmen of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP). The visit, Daily Sun learnt, is a follow up to the ones made to former President Olusegun
Obasanjo, last Saturday and to two former military heads of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar
and Ibrahim Babangida during the week.
Confirming the development, Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State said that contrary to
insinuations in some quarters, the governors were billed to visit "former Defence Minister,
General TY Danjuma, Ekwueme, all former PDP chairmen, former Senate presidents and former
Speakers of House Representatives ," adding that those insinuating that their mission was only
targeted at PDP leaders were only trying to take the wind out of our sail.
He further said: "Nigeria is bigger than any individual. Our mission is to salvage the current
situation and save our nascent democracy from imminent collapse. We are people with rich
political history.
We know where we are coming from, as such, we will do everything to ensure that democracy
survives in this country. We struggled to come about this democracy. In fact, some of us almost
paid with our lives. Therefore, we must rise up to the challenge."
On the attack on him and his colleagues, by the Presidency, through its Senior Special Assistant
on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, Lamido simply said: "Okupe is trying to earn a living and so
he is trying to justify his pay and he is working dearly for it.
But let me say that as party men, we won't join issues with our President on the pages of the
papers. However, where was Okupe and his like when, as a party, we were struggling to make
Jonathan, first as the party's candidate and later as Nigeria's President?
Where were they? If the PDP governors had not stood their ground, will those making noise
today on behalf of our president have had anything to hold on to? "When we talk, we should do
so with decorum and some sense of responsibility.
We should stop behaving as if we own today and that tomorrow will never come. We should
always remember that there was yesterday. If those talking now have forgotten what happened
yesterday, those listening to them today, know exactly what transpired yesterday.
"Therefore, we should stop behaving as if we own ourselves. We may have our plans, but we
should always remember that God, our creator, is the best of all planners," Lamido declared.

ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT TO BLOCK FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

Zambia's President Michael Sata reportedly plans to block social networking sites Facebook and
Twitterin the country.
The president's parallel intelligence system is allegedly making this move after realising that
some unfavourable stories on blocked websites are 'filtering through the two social media for
domestic consumption.'
This new move follows the president's recent decision to block the media websites Zambian
Watchdog, and Zambia Reports, and the Xavier Chungu-led parallel intelligence is targeting to
block a third internet based media channel, the Crossfire Blogtalk Radio .
President Sata recently unleashed a crack-down on media houses and arresting journalists who
carry reports on stories which impact threaten his hold on power.

NEW STUDY SUGGESTS THAT SPERM DEGRADES AFTER 35

A new study just sped up the biological clock for men.
According to researchers at Reproductive Technology Laboratories in Los Angeles who
analyzed sperm from 5081 men between the ages of 16 and 72, sperm quality starts to
decrease after 35, which means men have harder time conceiving and carry an increased risk of
miscarriage for their partners. Previous studies put the age of sperm deterioration at 40.
"Whether it's 35 or 40, the message from this and other papers is that men should be aware of
age-related changes in their reproductive system and if they wish to become fathers they
shouldn't leave it too late," said Allan Pacey, a fertility specialist.

FABREGAS IS GOING NOWHERE - MARTINO

New Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino says there is no chance of midfielder Cesc Fabregas
moving to Manchester United.
Barcelona have announced that Martino has signed a two-year contract to replace Tito Vilanova
and the new man has wasted little time in making it clear that he will be retaining Fabregas.
Although Manchester United have already had two bids for the Spanish international rejected,
manager David Moyes said on Thursday that their attempts to sign the 26-year-old were
"ongoing".
However, Martino said: "I'm not going to get into the economic interests but, if the club rejected
it twice, I add a third one right now.
"He will be staying here."
Vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu added: "It's logical that we've had offers for Fabregas
because he is a quality player but he is not for sale.
"We are proud to have him here. It doesn't matter what the offer from United is, we are counting
on him.
"It is normal that many clubs are interested in our player Cesc. That is a source of pride for us,
but we'll reject all bids."

NOBODY CAN FORCE ME OUT OF PDP - AMAECHI

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State yesterday said he is remaining in the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP affirming that purveyors of his desperation for higher office had no right
to bring down the country because of their assumptions.
Speaking on a BBC television interview, Hardtalk, Amaechi asserted that problems between
him and the president were essentially fanned by those in the presidency bent on profiting
from a crisis.
In the 25-minute interview anchored by Shaun Ley, Amaechi painted a triangle of insecurity,
poverty and unemployment as the major problems of the country which the political class
must address. He said the qualification of leadership must not be ethnicised as he called for a
visionary leader.
While pleading for the speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB as a way of
addressing decreasing investment by multinational oil corporations, Amaechi nevertheless
called for the abrogation of the office of minister of petroleum or reduction of the powers of
the minister under the PIB.
Amaechi also restated his opposition to the administration’s amnesty programme which he
said partially rewards criminality and has fanned the embers of criminality in other parts of the
country.
Challenged that his focus has been on ascending to higher office of vice-president, he said:
“That has not been my focus. My focus has been mainly on developments. We have
disagreements on policies, this is the transition period, we have disagreements on the issue
of transition and there are a lot of assumptions here and there by different persons about what
they think or assume my ambitions are.”
“Let us assume that my ambition exists, nobody has the right to bring down the state because
my ambition exists. First and foremost everybody should allow 2015 for 2015 is a bit too
early.”
Charging stakeholders to allow the president do his job of presiding over the country, the
governor said:
“I want everybody to allow Mr. president to preside over the country for which he has been
elected and I support that and I want everybody to allow Mr. President to preside over the
country for the interest of the country.”
Challenged that he had raised charges of impunity against the president in the past, he
sharply drew back saying:
“I didn’t say the president, I said the people around him.”
When asked whether he was told not to run against Governor Jonah Jang who the interviewer
described as the oldest politician in the NGF, Amaechi replied:
”Nobody told me not to run. Nobody told me not to run.” But on whether he informed the
president he was going to run for the NGF chair, he said:
”There is no law that requires me to tell him that I am going to run.
I didn’t need to. If the journalists in Britain have an association and you belong to the
association would the prime minister tell you to run or not to run for the public office?” he
asked.
“That is the freedom we are looking for in the Nigeria Governors Forum, I didn’t need to go to
the president and say Mr. President I want to run for the office of the chairman of the Nigeria
Governors Forum. I didn’t need to do that.
“And I didn’t do that and he in turn didn’t call me to say don’t run, ‘I heard you are going to
run.’ So, I ran and I didn’t see the president on the ballot. The person I saw on the ballot was
Jonah Jang.”
Challenged on the outcome of the vote and on whether he beat Jang, he quipped: ”I didn’t say
that I beat him, the result was clear.”
On his continuing membership of the PDP and on whether he would leave the PDP, Amaechi
affirmed: ”I am going no where. We will all be in PDP.”
Told that he was sticking to PDP because the party is the country’s dominant party and the
only platform to the presidency or other high office, he is accused of aspiring to, he said:
”Let’s assume that I remain in PDP and that I am running for the office of vice-president, will
my leaving PDP not enhance that ambition?
“Don’t forget that it is assumed that the president wants to run in PDP and if PDP wants him
to run and I remain in PDP, it then means that I have no ambition.
“Or those who are assuming that I have ambition would be making a lot of mistakes. Because
the place to pursue that ambition would be on an alternative party but the reason for
remaining in PDP is because nobody can chase me out of PDP. I am a member of PDP and I
love to be a member of PDP.”
Amaechi blamed the tension in the country on 2015 politics.
“The point is that we are getting close to transition and politics is one of the greatest
businesses in Nigeria and a lot of those whose interests appear to be threatened have come
up now to pursue their very private interests and as governor of Rivers State my focus is not
on that.
“My focus is to pursue the goals for which I have been elected.”
On the PIB, he said:
“America produces oil but they have no minister for petroleum, if you look at the PIB what we
are saying is that either the power of the minister should either be reduced or that there is no
need for a minister. Privatize the oil industry so that people can do their business and pay the
government for the resources they need to pay.”
While expressing his rejection of the amnesty programme which he said rewards and inspires
criminality, he said the progamme was also not coordinated with some other welfare schemes
directed at the Niger Delta region.
“I have never supported amnesty, the whole country knows that. My position about the
amnesty is I have always believed that when criminals commit crime they should be
prosecuted and my position is that if you don’t prosecute them, then you will have others in
other regions asking for amnesty, and right now you know there are others asking for
amnesty.”
While he admitted that the amnesty programme helped to curb criminality in the region, he
added that social policing and physical policing introduced by his administration had curbed
criminality before the advent of the amnesty programme.
“Instead of amnesty enforce law and order, once you curb impunity, criminals will know that
they can’t commit crime anyhow. It is a social welfare programme that is not sustainable. What
is sustainable is a programme that introduces income earning, amnesty, yes it has introduced
some pilots, but it is not enough.”

FUNKE AKINDELE GETTING OVER CRASHED MARRIAGE

Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, is gradually getting over the jitters resulting from her
break up with hubby.
The actress finally opened up on the status of her marriage with Kenny Oloyede last
weekend, admitting it has crashed.
Probably facing the hardest time in her life at the moment, Funke is still putting up her
trademark tough front, posting different pictures of her time-out while on location.
‘Filming, fun’, she wrote as she uploaded photos of herself flanked by Mercy Johnson and
Charles Inojie online. And trust her fans who will do everything to cheer her up. They quickly
sent heartfelt messages via her Facebook page.
One of her fans, Taiwo Kudu, advised that the actress should be strong and move on with her
life:
“It is well, my dear sister. Every disappointment is a blessing. Move on with your life. Don’t let
irrelevant things affect your life. It has happened. Wait upon the Lord, He will surprise you in
so many ways.”
Another fan, Oladunni Diyaolu, while cautioning those blaming Funke for the breakup, noted
that it takes those who have been in her shoes to understand what she’s going through at
the moment. Oladunni, however, urged the ‘Jenifa’ star to move on with her life and to
continue to do what she knows how to do best -acting.
For Bukola Eniola Amusan and Funmi, Funke is ‘a genius’ . “Read lots of stories on the
internet about your marriage. I’ m not happy about it. But I want to use this medium to reach
out to you in prayer, that the Almighty God will turn your sorrows into joy. You will never be
the laughingstock of your enemies. I commit you into God’s hands to make you happy and
overcome all your trials and tribulations. No matter what they say about you, you still have a
special place in my heart.”
“Funke, you are a woman that a man needs. You are an asset and a blessing to your home.
Whatever happens, love, it’s part of growing up and like your friend said, ‘bad things happens
to good people’ sometimes but never let the Devil steal your joy.”

10 STEPS TO WRITING A GOOD BUSINESS PLAN

1. Cover Sheet or Title Page
Keep your introduction to a single page, and include the:
Name of the company
Company address
Company phone number
Logo (if you have one)
Owners’ names, titles, addresses and phone numbers

2. Executive Summary or Mission Statement
Prepare a one to two page overview of the plan. This should include the
name and purpose of the business, as well as its legal structure,
financial requirements, and your debt repayment plans.

3. Business Description
Develop one to two pages with the following information about the
business:
Overview of the business/Mission Statement
Name of the company
Products or services including any original products or services
that are patented or copyrighted
Legal structure

4. Business Model
Provide an overview of how your company will do business, make
money, and operate within an industry, including:
Value proposition
Target market
Value chain
Cost structure and target margins

5. Financial Plan
Provide a clear roadmap to your company’s financial future, including:
Income (Profit and Loss) Statement
Cash Flow Statement (budget)
Balance Sheet
Three-year income projection
Break-even analysis

6. Market Analysis and Marketing Plan
Include specific details about:
Market Analysis
Industry trends overview
Target market, plus additional markets
Competition
Target customer needs and how your product will satisfy them

7. Operations Plan
Describe:
Design and product manufacturing
Billing and collections process
Distribution network
Inventory control program
Warehousing

8. Human Resources Plan
Explain:
Management structure
Human resources strategy
Staffing requirements

9. Future Directions
Include a general description of how you expect the business to grow
and what the likely next steps are for its:
Expansion
Purchase of, or partnership with, another company

10. Supporting Documents
Include:
Resumes of key management executives
Personal financial statements
Credit reports
Copies of leases
Copies of other contracts

MOURINHO CALM OVER ROONEY AS LUKAKU SHINES

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said he was “calm” over his high-stakes bid for Wayne
Rooney after emerging star Romelu Lukaku burnished his growing reputation with another two
goals in Jakarta.
Mourinho indicated there had been no new offer for Rooney after Manchester United rejected
an initial bid. But he also said Chelsea were sticking by their decision not to target any other
players.
“No,” said Mourinho, after Chelsea’s 8-1 hammering of Indonesia All-Stars late on Thursday,
when asked if there had been movement on the transfer situation.
“In this moment we have what you know… that bid that was public and official, and after that
nothing else and we are calm, as we told you. We are calm because we are happy with what we
have.”
The Portuguese manager has much riding on the Rooney bid with Chelsea looking at no other
players after the signings of Germany forward Andre Schurrle, 22, Holland midfielder Marco van
Ginkel, 20, and veteran Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, 40.
But he has also been boosted by the return from loan spells of 22-year-old Belgium midfielder
Kevin de Bruyne — currently nursing a knee injury — and powerhouse striker Lukaku, who has
bagged four goals on Chelsea’s three-game Asian tour.
Lukaku, who struck the winner from the penalty spot in Bangkok, and was also on target in
Kuala Lumpur, added a close-range header and side-footed finish on Thursday to press his
claims for regular first team football next season.
Mourinho said erratic, 50 million pounds ($77 million) Spanish striker Fernando Torres should
be pleased to have competition for a starting spot from the imposing Lukaku, even without
Rooney in the squad.
“I think Fernando should be happy because we have competition on the team and I think it’s
good for everybody in every position,” he said.
“So Fernando, I think he will be pleased because for some time at Chelsea he was basically the
young striker, after that it was Demba Ba, arriving in January… and now we have three
strikers.”
He added that veteran England midfielder Frank Lampard would resume training next week after
an Achilles injury as Chelsea head for four more pre-season games in the United States.
Chelsea won the Premier League twice during Mourinho’s first spell in charge and they are
seen as a serious threat to title-holders Manchester United and 2012 winners Manchester City,
who are both blooding new managers.
And Mourinho will hope to steal a march on United by racking up a three-point lead before
they meet on August 26, after scheduling arrangements handed Chelsea two home games at
the start of the season to the champions’ one match, away to Swansea.
“I’m never too worried with the fixtures with the calendar, when you play, when you play at
home, when you play away, when you play against a rival,” Mourinho said.
“I’m not worried about it. We just start against Hull City, we will try to win and after that
comes (Aston) Villa, Man United… match after match and we’ll see what happens.” AFP

D'BANJ RELEASES 'BLAME IT ON THE MONEY' VIDEO

After the success of his album launch DKM held last month in Lagos, D’banj hasn’t taken any
break but hurled himself deeper into work as he is reported to have completed the video shoot
of his huge music collaboration ‘Blame it on the money, featuring Snoop Lion in the US.
The video is set to be released in a matter of weeks with big expectations it would blaze hot
in the American market following the inputs of international bestselling artist Snoop Dog now
Snoop Lion and G.O.O.D Music act; Big Sean.
D’banj’s DKM album has been largely accepted with lots of positive reviews. He currently
headlines the Hennessy Artistry 2013 show gig; leading a fine selection of some of the
trendiest artistes in the Nigerian music industry today on a series of club tours across Lagos,
Port Harcourt and Abuja.

BAYERN AND BORUSSIA CLASH AGAIN IN GERMAN SUPERCUP

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund clash on Saturday for the German Super Cup in a
rematch of their Champions League final, with Dortmund denying they want revenge.
Bayern’s 2-1 win over Dortmund at London’s Wembley in May meant Munich became the first
German team to win the treble of European, league and cup titles, but Borussia are viewing the
Super Cup showdown as a yardstick, rather than Wembley payback.
“This is not revenge for Wembley,” said Borussia’s Germany defender Mats Hummels ahead of
the game in Dortmund
Borusia may have finished second, and fully 25 points, behind Bayern in last season’s
Bundesliga, but Hummels added: “For us, it is a good test to know where we stand, but we
won’t base our motivation on the fact that we lost in London.”
With the new Bundesliga starting on August 9, bragging rights are up for grabs in this pre-
season showdown, but much has already changed for both teams since Arjen Robben’s late
winner at Wembley.
Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes has been replaced by ex-Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola, Spain
under-21 captain Thiago Alcantara has been recruited from the Camp Nou and Germany
midfield star Mario Goetze has joined from Dortmund.
Dortmund have also rung the changes by signing attacking midfielders Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyeng, from St Etienne, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Illness or injury means neither are due to start at Dortmund’s sold-out Westfalenstadion, with
a crowd of 80,645 expected.
Mkhitaryan is out for the next few weeks having torn ankle ligaments in a pre-season match,
while Aubameyeng, along with Poland winger Jakub ‘Kuba’ Blaszczykowski, is expected to be
on the bench as he recovers from a stomach disorder.
Between them, Dortmund and Bayern have won the last four Bundesliga titles and there is
much global interest in the match, which will be broadcast in 195 countries.
While Dortmund will start without their newly-signed trio, Bayern’s star-studded squad will be
at virtually full strength.
The European champions have won all nine of their pre-season friendlies at a canter, seeing
off Catalan giants Barcelona 2-0 in Munich in Wednesday’s friendly.
Guardiola has ten full internationals in his midfield and has said he will meet club bosses after
Saturday’s match to discuss whether any players should be sold before the transfer window
closes at the end of August.
Brazil midfielder Luiz Gustavo has been linked to Wolfsburg, while Premier Legaue side
Liverpool are reported to be interested in Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri.
Both sides have played down the bad blood which flowed between them earlier this year,
especially following the April announcement that Goetze had activated a clause in his contract
to join Bayern.
“Last season, there were one or two irritations, but they were dealt with publically or
internally,” said Dortmund’s director of sport Michael Zorc.
“We would do well to just talk about ourselves.”
In February, Bayern’s president Uli Hoeness had boasted “the status quo in Germany has been
restored” after Munich beat Dortmund in the German Cup quarter-final.
Bayern’s director of sport Matthias Sammer insisted: “There’ll always be a bit of rivalry”. AFP

'PERSONALLY' VIDEO - JERMAINE JACKSON WANTS TO MEET PSQUARE

The video tribute to the late King of pop Michael Jackson in the song “Personally’ by
sensational twins PSquare is no doubt a masterpiece and now, it has caught the attention of
one of the Jackson brothers; Jermaine Jackson in the US who has announced he wants to
meet PSquare.
The message from Jermaine was posted on PSquare’s Youtube channel. He said “It’s not
everyday that a phenomenal band comes along…..Psquare, they are absolutely sensational with
the showmanship, the singing, the dancing”
Jermaine was completely blown away.

DAVIDO ACQUIRES 30M MERCEDES BENZ G-CLASS

Days after Davido posted on his Instagram page his famous photo where he cuddled bundles
of US dollar bills, the Gobe crooner is once again in cash-related news.
The Pop singer is said to have added another luxurious automobile to his collection of cars –
a Mercedes G55 AMG worth about N30m.
Before now Davido had acquired a 2012 Audi Q7, a 2012 Silver Honda Accord, a N6m Chevrolet
Camaro and received a 2012 model Hyundai Sonata from The Headies awards for winning the
‘Next Rated’ prize. These automobiles run into millions of naira.
Davido is basking under a blazing hot career that has seen him shuttle the globe to storm
clubs and shows in the UK and US for weeks unending.

BRITISH ROYAL BABY NAMED GEORGE ALEXANDER LOUIS

Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate on Wednesday named
their baby boy George Alexander Louis, sticking firmly to royal tradition with a first name used
by six previous monarchs.
George was the bookmakers’ clear favourite for the third-in-line to the throne as it pays
apparent tribute to Queen Elizabeth II’s father King George VI, the infant’s great-great-
grandfather, who died in 1952.
“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their
son George Alexander Louis. The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of
Cambridge,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.
The baby will not automatically be King George VII whenever he comes to the throne, however,
as there have been reports that William’s father Prince Charles may take that title when he
becomes king.
The announcement came just hours after the queen visited William and Kate at Kensington
Palace, their London residence, and met her newborn great-grandson for the first time.
The 87-year-old monarch would have given final clearance for the name to ensure that it was
in keeping with the traditions of the House of Windsor and a monarchy that has lasted more
than 1,000 years.
Louis is one of William’s middle names and was also the first name of Lord Louis Mountbatten,
the Viceroy of India and a mentor to Prince Charles. Mountbatten was killed in an IRA bombing
in the 1970s.
Bookmakers had George and James as the favourites.
The naming was relatively quick by royal standards. Charles and his first wife Diana took a
week to announce William’s name in 1982, while the world had to wait a month after Charles
was born in 1948.
Under British law, parents have 42 days to register the birth — and the name — of their child. It
is not clear whether William and Kate have officially done so yet.
The queen earlier spent just over half an hour at the palace, where the young couple spent the
first night after leaving hospital with the baby, before she was driven away in a green Bentley
limousine.
She has said she is “thrilled” about the latest addition to the family, who will one day succeed
her as head of state of Britain and monarch of 15 Commonwealth realms around the globe.
A few hours later, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took the little prince to stay with his
maternal grandparents in the village of Bucklebury west of London, arriving in a convoy of
four-by-four vehicles with police outriders.
Carole and Michael Middleton, self-made millionaires from a party goods business, visited the
baby in hospital on Tuesday, where Kate’s mother pronounced her first grandson “absolutely
beautiful”.
Prince George’s uncle Prince Harry — William’s younger brother, who has been knocked down
to fourth in line to the throne — and Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton made separate visits to the
couple at the palace.
William is taking two weeks of paternity leave from his job as a Royal Air Force search-and-
rescue pilot, and the couple, both 31, are expected to take some time away from the cameras.
“This is now private and quiet time for them to get to know their son,” a palace spokesman
said.
Royal aides said the couple had no immediate plans to hire a nanny, and Kate is expected to
rely on her mother for support in the early weeks.
– Echoes of William’s own birth –
The new baby was revealed to the world when the royal couple left St Mary’s Hospital in
London on Tuesday evening to huge cheers from the international media massed outside.
When the queen met her new heir on Wednesday, she became the first British monarch to meet
a third-generation direct heir since Queen Victoria a century ago.
The monarch, wearing a turquoise floral outfit, made the visit without her husband Prince
Philip, 92, who is convalescing after exploratory surgery on his abdomen last month.
The queen’s private visit — she was quickly whisked in and out of the palace — contrasted
with William and Kate’s highly public outing on Tuesday.
Wearing a cornflower-blue polka-dot dress as she emerged from the private Lindo wing of the
hospital, a beaming Kate said the couple were feeling “very emotional” and that it was a
“special time”.
The baby behaved impeccably, raising a tiny hand above his white blankets — his first royal
wave of a lifetime that will be spent in the public eye.
“He’s got a good pair of lungs on him, that’s for sure,” William joked, adding: “We are still
working on a name so we will have that as soon as we can.”
British newspapers noted the similarities between William and Kate’s appearance and that of
Charles and Diana following William’s birth at the same hospital.
Kate was wearing the sapphire engagement ring that belonged to Diana, while her empire-line
dress, a bespoke design by Jenny Packham, also drew strong comparisons with that worn
three decades ago by the late princess, which also had a polka-dot pattern.
Congratulations have poured in from around the world, while Chinese fortune tellers predicted
the baby will grow up to be determined but introverted — and a big hit with the ladies.

RONALDO'S FREEKICK BREAKS BOY'S WRIST

FOOTIE superstar Cristiano Ronaldo left a Brit fan aged 11 in agony — by smashing his wrist
with a free kick.
Schoolboy Charlie Silverwood had been taken to see his team Bournemouth host Real Madrid
in a friendly.
His dad DUCKED as the £80million ex-Man United forward’s wayward 35-yard rocket scorched
into the stands — breaking his son’s wrist in two places.
The lad was so determined not to miss the action he kept watching for the remaining 84
minutes — before going to hospital where X-rays revealed his double fracture.
He faced an operation before being plastered.
Yesterday Charlie admitted: “It was very painful. I’ve told friends and they cannot believe it.
Ronaldo is the world’s most expensive player — and he broke my arm.”
The youngster, from Christchurch in Dorset, added: “I could see the ball coming towards me. It
curled past the post and was going to hit my face — so I had to block it with my hand. My dad
was sat next to me and ducked out of the way so I took the full force.”
His father Lee, also a Bournemouth fan, said: “It all happened in a blur.
“One minute we were watching Ronaldo stand over the ball and the next it was flying towards
Charlie.
“It must have been travelling at a rate of knots and hit Charlie right on the wrist.”
Ronaldo, 28, went on to score twice as the Spanish giants — who were paid £750,000 to
appear in Sunday’s exhibition game — battered the Championship side 6-0.
One of his goals at the Cherries’ Goldsands Stadium — in front of a capacity 12,000 crowd who
paid up to £60 a ticket — came from a similar trademark free kick.
Bournemouth gave Charlie — who will be in plaster for the entire six-week school holiday — a
Real Madrid shirt signed by Ronaldo and his teammates to “cheer him up”.
He also got a ball signed by the Bournemouth team.
The lad’s dad said: “It is a game Charlie will never forget.”
Real Madrid spokesman Juan Camilo Andrade said: “We will be donating a memento to
Charlie.”

EKITI PDP CRISIS, ADEYEYE AND FAYEMI DISAGREES

There was a sharp disagreement, yesterday, between Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi and
an Afenifere chieftain and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirant in Ekiti State,
Prince Adedayo Adeyeye over cause of incessant attacks on members of the state PDP.
While Adeyeye believes Fayemi and his ruling Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, are the ones
responsible for the attacks on the opposition, Governor Fayemi asked him to look in the
direction of his party, the PDP.
Prince Adeyeye actually warned of the dire consequences of the incessant attacks on PDP
members by thugs sponsored by the Dr. Kayode Fayemi led ACN government in the state,
saying, “what they are inviting to the state is anarchy.”
He described the attack on members of the PDP in Efon-Alaaye since Monday as worrisome,
adding that such persistent attacks on law abiding members of the party was capable of
throwing the state into chaos if allowed to continue.
A statement by the Director General of Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement, PAAM, Hon. Bisi
Kolawole, alleged that ACN thugs led by the party’s Youth Leader in Efon Local Government,
Segun Alanaka attacked members of the PDP who were holding a ward meeting.
The statement read in part: “Over 150 people, including aged men and women were already
gathered for a meeting in Efon-Alaaye on Monday when the thugs invaded the venue with
guns, matchetes and other dangerous weapons.
“They inflicted various degrees of injuries on Ward 9 Chairman of our party, Odunayo Ojo, Jide
Fakorede, Ward 5 Youth leader; Ayodele Gbenga , Yemi Ajanaku, Wole Aladejare, Kayode
Bolarinwa (a.k.a. Oba Aro), Odunayo Adeniji, among others.
“A policeman was also macheted while trying to arrest the thugs while the wind screen of a
police Hilux van was smashed.
“Also damaged were three vehicles, one of them a Nissan Altima belonging to Yemi Ajanaku,
with one of the tyres deflated by gun-shot.
“It is, however, worrisome that despite that Segun Alanaka and some of his men were arrested,
the attack is still going on unabated with the thugs being led by a certain Gbenga Owolesu
and Kunle Stainless.
“It should be noted that we have heard it on good authority that Governor Fayemi had
instructed Caretaker Chairmen in the 16 local councils in the state to mobilise thugs in their
domain to disrupt any gathering of the PDP and Michael Opeyemi Bamidele faction of the
ACN.
But in a swift reaction, Governor Fayemi through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Yinka Olabode
said:
“There is no iota of truth in the allegation. It is baseless and quite malicious. Prince Adeyeye
should look in the direction of his party PDP for the alleged attack.
“It is a common knowledge that the various factions of PDP in Ekiti State are at war with one
another. the factional war reached its climax last week when guns and other dangerous
weapons were used by PDP members to attack one another.
“So, it will be highly irresponsible for Adeyeye and his cohorts in PDP to allege that their
members were attacked by ACN thugs, while they know that each of the faction of the PDP is
out to dislodge the other.
“The PDP should go and put its house in order and stay clear of actions that are capable of
affecting the peace of the state.
“We also call on the police and other relevant security agencies in the state to keep an eye on
the PDP as the party is responsible for violent acts in the state.”

GOOGLE UNVEILS NEW TABLET WITH CONNECTION TO TELEVISION

Google on Wednesday unveiled a slimmer, more powerful tablet
computer on its Nexus brand and a thumb-sized device that lets popular mobile gadgets feed
online content wirelessly to television sets.
The ramped-up second-generation Nexus 7 by Taiwan-based Asus made its debut along with
a Chromecast dongle that plugs into television sets to let people easily route online content to
big screens.
Mario Queiroz, head of Google TV, said Chromecast “won’t clutter your entertainment cabinet.
It simply disappears behind your TV once it is plugged in.”
The new connector device went on sale for $35 online at Google play and will also be sold
through Amazon and Best Buy in the United States.
“Cast” icons built into applications for online video services YouTube and Netflix let people
use smartphones, tablets or laptop computers to easily direct online videos to television
screens, a demonstration showed.
‘If you know how to use YouTube on your phone, you know how to use YouTube on your TV,”
Queiroz said while describing the vision behind Chromecast.
“Any device in your home can become a remote control for the television.”
Google also made available a software kit for developers to synch mobile apps with
Chromecast. Online radio streaming service Pandora is among those with Cast application
features “in the works,” according to Google.
Google is also working to let people “cast” online content from Chrome web browsers to
televisions.
Content fed to televisions is delivered directly through home Internet connections, with
smartphones, tablets or laptops serving essentially as remote controls, according to Queiroz.
“We are paving the way for more apps to come,” he continued. “Over time, we expect the
technology to be embedded in a range of devices from our partners.”
The Nexus 7 ramps up Google’s challenge to Apple’s iPad with a slimmer tablet to be easily
slipped into a pocket or handbag and allow easy access to rich online content or services.
Nexus 7 is about two millimeters thinner and slightly narrower than its predecessor, which
was released a year ago.
“It actually makes a huge difference when holding it in one hand; it fits more easily in a purse
or jacket,” Android vice president Hugo Barra said after pulling a new Nexus 7 from a rear
pocket of his pants.
Nexus 7 has a high-definition screen and speakers that allow for virtual surround sound
listening of films, games, or music.
Nexus tablets will be available in three models, all with seven-inch high-resolution screens.
Two Nexus 7 models will connect to the internet just using Wi-Fi, while one will be synched
to US high-speed telecom carrier networks.
Nexus 7 prices will start at $229 and top out at $349 in the US market.
Wi-Fi only versions will go on sale in the United States on July 30, with Nexus 7 tablets to be
released in France, Australia, Britain, South Korean and a few other countries in “coming
weeks.”
Nexus 7 will be the first tablet powered by a new 4.3 version of the Android “Jelly Bean”
mobile operating system.
“We from the Android team are investing a lot in tablets,” said Sundar Pichai, who heads the
Android and Chrome teams at Google.
“By our count, almost one in two tablets sold worldwide is based on Android.”
More than 70 million tablets powered by Google’s Android software have been activated
worldwide, according to Pichai.
Prices are falling for most tablets as sales surge, with many analysts expecting tablets to
outpace PC sales soon. ablet shipments are expected to grow 67.9 percent to 202 million units
this year, according to a Gartner report.

NEW BARCA COACH MARTINO MUST CONVINCE FABREGAS TO STAY

New Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino’s first job will be to persuade midfielder Cesc
Fabregas not to leave the club and join Manchester United.
Sources close to the former Arsenal midfielder suggest his head has been turned by interest
from United to the extent that he is “considering his future” after they were understood to
have made another offer.
In an interview while at Argentinian side Newell’s Old Boys last year Martino made it clear
how much he rates Fabregas. Speaking about Barcelona’s style of play he said: “It will
never change but it would be harder to maintain without certain players such as Xavi,
Iniesta and Cesc.”
Martino will not take charge of tonight’s friendly with Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich but
will be formally presented on Friday and will walk immediately into a crisis. Now he could
be forced to start the season without the midfielder whose departure would leave Barcelona
with just four first team players for three positions having allowed Thiago to join Bayern
Munich last month.
Martino spoke last night in a press conference in Rosario about the challenge of taking
over from Tito Vilanova. He admitted that Lionel Messi and his father Jorge may have
influenced the Barça board’s decision to give him the job saying: “I’m sure Jorge and
Lionel Messi had some influence, how much I don’t know.”
Martino is Barcelona’s fourth Argentine coach after Helenio Herrera, Roque Olse and César
Luis Menotti. He arrives with all the usual doubts that cloud a European debutants first
season but more importantly he comes with Messi’s blessing.
Barcelona’s No 10 described the decision yesterday as a “nice surprise” while others
suggested he had been kingmaker as Barcelona overlooked former player Luis Enrique
despite current captain Carles Puyol understood to have favoured the recently appointed
Celta Vigo coach.
The fact that Barcelona knew the appointment would delight Messi – and his dad Jorge, who
was Martino’s biggest fan – will  have done the 50-year-old coach’s case no harm but it also
seems to have been the wisdom of old heads such as Marcelo Bielsa and Jorge Valdano that
made-up Sporting Director Andoni Zubizareta’s mind.
He is understood to have consulted both men at a lunch in Bilbao in February as the club
began working on an emergency plan if then coach Tito Vilanova was told he could not
continue and a new manager had to be found at short notice. Both Bielsa – who managed
Martino at Newell’s – and Valdano gave glowing references. Southampton coach Mauricio
Pochettino is another who cannot speak highly enough of the man who won the league with
Newell’s and took them to the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores as well as taking
Paraguay beyond the group stages at the South Africa World Cup and then to the final of
the Copa America. “He has the Barça philosophy and the personality to manage that
dressing room,” said Pochettino, another Newell’s Old Boys old boy himself.
Barcelona are understood to have no doubts that Martino will hit the ground running in
Spain. When they were sensitively preparing for the worst with coach Vilanova they also
considered Manuel Pellegrini.
Ultimately Pellegrini agreed to move to Manchester City before Barcelona’s need to look for
a new manager was realised but Pellegrini remains the perfect role model for Martino.
Having won two leagues in Argentina he adapted quickly to working in Europe and
enjoyed relative success with Villarreal and Malaga. With Messi at his disposal even more
will be expected of him.

BASH ALI WALKS OUT ON SPORTS MINISTER

A meeting between Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi and cruiserweight boxer Bash Ali
ended abruptly on Tuesday in Abuja with both sides giving contrasting views of what had
happened.
The meeting was earlier said to be a courtesy visit to Abdullahi by Ali on the proposed
historical fight.
Officials at the minister’s office at the National Sports Commission (NSC) had earlier said Ali
was expected to apologise to the minister during the meeting.
But Ali had walked out of the meeting after about 15 minutes.
He later told newsmen that while he was there to apologise to the minister if he had offended
him but he felt he was being interrogated.
The boxer said the minister refused to co-operate with him on the boxing fight which would
have created employment for athletes.
“Nigeria is bigger than all of us. We have a big fight to do that will bring about employment
and provide an avenue for athletes to exhibit their talents. But, unfortunately, the minister
refused to co-operate with me.
“We discussed for 15 minutes and I told him if I have done anything in the course of trying to
bring the historical event to Nigeria which has offended him, I am very sorry,’’ he said.
According to him, “the minister went on and wanted to do more interrogation and I told him
this was not the appropriate time for allegations and I walked out.’’
However, the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Julius Ogunro, while responding to
inquiries on the issue, said Ali had apologised to the minister at the meeting.
He also confirmed that the event ended in a deadlock, saying the minister had asked Ali to tell
him (Abdullahi) if he ever asked him for money.
The minister’s aide said Ali could not respond to the question and the development had ended
the meeting.
“The meeting ended in a deadlock because, after he apologised to the minister that he was
sorry, the minister asked him whether he (Abdullahi) asked him for money. But Bash (Ali)
could not respond.
“And the minister said if he (Ali) was not willing to tell the whole world that he did not ask
for bribe he would not have a meeting with him,” he said
Ogunro said even though the Nigerian government does not sponsor professional sports, but
the sports minister had wanted to help Ali out.
“He will go out of his way to do that, which is a privilege and not a right,’’ he said.(NAN)

NORTH INSISTENCE ON 2015 PRESIDENCY IS WRONG - MOHAMMED

The National Coordinator, Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and
Businessmen, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has criticised two umbrella groups of the North, the
Northern Elders' Forum and the Arewa Consultative Forum for their insistence on presidency in
2015.
He said rather than call for rotation of power, the electorate should be free to elect leaders who
were fair and just from any part of the country.
He further said democracy must be premised on credible elections, which must be conducted by
impartial, independent and unbiased umpire.
Mohammed told our correspondent in an interview on Friday that he was not opposed to the two
bodies, provided their goal was achieved in a democratic manner.
"Not everybody who speaks on behalf of the North is actually speaking the heart of the North.
When you check the credentials of these people, who are they to speak for the North? How many
times have they won any form of election?" he asked.
He criticised the military regimes of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar,
which, according to him, added no value to the North despite being their origin.
He warned that power should not be handed over to those who would not add value to the
region when it eventually returned.
He said, "Of what use was IBB's tenure as Head of State? What benefit did be bring to the North,
I want know? Tell me what he did for the North. If these are the kind of people the North wants
to bring to government, they should forget about me. They should excommunicate me and say
I'm not a northerner.
"I only want people who are fair, honest and patriotic; who will treat everybody fairly, not
because they are northerners. I have seen some honourable governors and I have seen some very
horrible governors."
While faulting the zoning formula of the Poeples Democratic Party, which was adopted during
the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mohammed said it would be
undemocratic to restrict public offices to zones in the country.
He said, "Neither Obasanjo nor all those clamouring for return of power to the North are speaking
for the North. Those who are saying power must go to the North (in 2015) are not democrats.
Anybody who insists that power must go to somewhere by circumventing the principle of free
and fair election is not a democrat."
Mohammed further said it was wrong for those who were not part of the meeting in which
President Goodluck Jonathan allegedly signed a one-term pact with the North to deny the deal.
He said the meeting had Jonathan, governors (some of whom are in their second term) in
attendance.
"I was neither the president nor a governor; that shows that I was not present at the meeting. Dr.
Edwin Clark and some people who were not governors at that point in time were not at the
meeting but they were the ones denying the pact.
"The President has not come out to say no, there was no such thing. But, the governors said
there is an agreement. Most of those talking were not part of the meeting and no amount of
noise making by anybody will settle the issue," Mohammed said.
Six northern organisations - Arewa Consultative Forum and the Northern Elders' Forum, Arewa
Reawakening Forum, Arewa Research and Development Project, Northern Union and the Code
Group - had on July 16, 2013, insisted that the North must produce the nation's President in
2015.
At a joint news conference in Kaduna, the NEF spokesman and former Adviser on Food Security
to Obasanjo, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, who spoke for the groups, insisted that an existing
agreement that the Presidency should return to the region must be strictly followed.

YOU CAN'T BURY PDP, PRESIDENCY FIRES BACK

The Presidency, yesterday, dismissed as empty boast the threat by five Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, governors to bury the party, if they are unable to resolve the crisis in the party.
The five Northern governors - Sule Lamido, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Aliyu Wamakko, Mua'zu
Babangida Aliyu and Murtala Nyako - who have been meeting with political stakeholders in the
country, had threatened on Monday to help bury the PDP if their efforts to solve its problems
flopped.
Although Nyako was not present at the meeting with Generals Ibrahim Babangida and
Abdulsalami Abubakar, he immediately released a statement aligning position with the four other
governors, saying that it was time something was done to salvage the party or bury it.
The governor, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Sajoh Ahmed, noted: "We have held
consultations with former heads of state on the need for them and other major stakeholders to
save the party from dying.
"We will continue to make our efforts to save the party. But if our efforts do not work, we have no
alternative than to fold our arms, and see PDP die and help in burying it."
But firing back at the governors, Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political
Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, said the five governors were incapable of bringing down the PDP.
Gulak, who also accused the governors of trying to force out President Jonathan, said, however,
that they would fail, as their agenda was not in the interest of the generality of Nigerians.
The Presidential aide also said that all those working with the five governors would also fail in
their selfish bid to unseat Jonathan because Nigerians were wiser than all of them.
The political adviser said: "They (the governors) cannot bury PDP, as the party is above them.
"Their agenda is not to bury PDP but to get President Goodluck Jonathan out but they will
certainly fail. I can assure you that all those in that group and sharing their agenda will also fail
woefully, as Nigerians are wiser," the Presidential adviser said.
The governors, who had earlier met with Governor Rotimi Amaechi in Port Harcourt last week,
during which they narrowly escaped being injured by irate political demonstrators, later moved
to the country home of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and had a
lengthy discussion with him.
Although their meeting with Obasanjo coincided with that of President Jonathan, who came out
to say that he visited the former leader as part of his condolence visit to his media aide, Reuben
Abati, over the demise of his mother, the details of what the four governors discussed with
Obasanjo have not been made public barely a week after.

WE'LL BURY PDP - NORTHERN GOVERNORS

The five Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governors of Adamawa, Sokoto, Jigawa, Niger and
Sokoto currently consulting with former heads of state with aims to save the party and polity
have threatened to bury the party if their consultations end in failure.
At the end of the latest consultation, yesterday, the five governors were hailed by former
president, General Ibrahim Babangida as real patriots, who have taken it upon themselves to
address real threats to the polity.
Four of the five governors - Babangida Aliyu of Niger, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto, Sule Lamido of
Jigawa and Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano met with Babangida and another former Head of State,
General Abdulsalami Abubakar, during which they relayed their fears and apprehensions on the
polity.
Nyako was the only one of the five northern governors, who commenced the consultations with
the country's elder-statesmen, that was absent at the consultation with Babangida and
Abubakar. His absence, the other governors said, was due to a previously scheduled commitment
with officials across the border in Cameroon.
Nyako, nevertheless, said yesterday that ongoing consultations by the governors were meant to
help save the PDP from complete collapse, but in the event of their failure they would help bury
the party.
The Adamawa State governor said he had given the nod for his supporters to decamp to the All
Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, though he said he would remain in the PDP.

ASUU STRIKE WORSENS AS FG DECLARE IT CANNOT HONOUR 2009 AGREEMENT

Any hope of an early resolution of the crisis between university lecturers and the
federal government dimmed on Tuesday as the government hinted that it could not
implement the agreement it had with the lecturers in 2009.
The Federal Government said it is re-negotiating the 2009 Agreement it reached with the
lecturers- members of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, ASUU, with a view to
successfully implementing it.
The Minister of Labour, Emeka Wogu, who disclosed this to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday after
briefing the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on his stewardship in the
last two years, defended the government's position.
Mr. Wogu said the Agreement predated the current administration of President Goodluck
Jonathan. Mr. Jonathan was the vice president in 2009 when the government, then headed by
President Umaru Yar'Adua, negotiated the agreement with the lecturers.
Mr. Wogu said there were some areas of the Agreement that needed to be renegotiated if it was
to be satisfactorily implemented.
When asked categorically if his statements meant the government would not implement the
agreement as it is, the minister claimed the contrary.
He refused to categorically state that the agreement was impracticable, saying its Terms of
Reference "created problems." He added that it was the reason why government requested that
the parties that signed the document looked at it again. He also refused to disclose the part of
the agreement the government would not implement.
The minister disclosed that already there was a government team headed by the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, which had series of discussion with the union,
insisting that "the right thing to do is to come back to the table."
He also said that the National Assembly had joined in the discussion with ASUU, adding that
government could only make headway on the issue if it had the full picture of all that was
involved before the Agreement was drafted and signed.
"We have made offer to ASUU. It is as complex as presented. Negotiation is ongoing. National
Assembly is equally involved. We believe they will soon call off the strike. I personally and
passionately appeal to them to call off the strike.
"It will not affect the negotiation if they call off the strike. It is better for them to be inside than
outside. Students have equally appealed to them."
Mr. Wogu's declaration on Tuesday confirmed the fear of hundreds of thousands of university
students, who are made to stay away from learning, that the strike may be prolonged.
ASUU in the past has gone on some strikes that lasted several months. The ongoing strike has
been on for three weeks.
The lecturers, through their leadership have repeatedly insisted that they would accept nothing
but 100 per cent implementation of the agreement. The lecturers restated this at their last
meeting last week with federal lawmakers and the relevant government officials.
The lecturers, who said they would not call off their strike until their demands are met, have
however said they would continue to talk with the government. ASUU's national president, Nasir
Fagge, said on Tuesday that his union was waiting for the government to call for another
meeting.
"We shall continue to wait for them until they are ready to put in place a lasting solution to the
current issue, so that our children and the lecturers alike can go back to school," he said.
Mr. Fagge added that "… until government starts looking at agreement as a product of collective
bargaining, we shall keep having problems."
Official unemployment figure now 23.9%.
Mr. Wogu also put the unemployment figure in Nigeria at 23.9 per cent.
He, however, noted that the figure could be wrong because of the unfolding events every day.
He also said that only the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, could give the accurate figure of
the rate of employment and unemployment in the country.
Mr. Wogu praised the Goodluck Jonathan's government for creating employment since its
inception, noting that SURE-P, SMEDAN, ITF, Maritime, Railway and Tourism sectors had done
well in this regard.
He said the ministry was at the stage of putting in place a Social Security Policy, SPP, that
would reflect the nation's needs and level of economic development, taking into consideration
the traditional as well as the modern socio-cultural values and norms.
"To this end, the ministry participated in a meeting of a Task Force by ECOWAS Commission in
2012 to finalise the Document on the ILO Convention No. 102," he said.
"It is hoped that Nigeria will commence the process of ratification of the Convention in phases in
view of its wide range."
On industrial relations, Mr. Wogu said a total number of 398 trade disputes were experienced in
the last two years out of which 83 per cent were resolved as at May this year.
According to him, in the interest of sustainable industrial peace, the ministry had advocated a
paradigm shift in industrial relations practice from adversarial Trade Union Management
Relationship to Developmental Orientation.
The orientation, he stressed, was proactive and built to reduce to the barest minimum
incidences of industrial crisis in the national industrial relations system.

7 INTERNATIONAL CELEBS WHO ARE UNBELIEVABLY NIGERIANS

1) Hugo Weaving- Do you remember Agent Smith in Matrix? Yes! Neo's arch-rival is Nigerian.
How? Well the 53 year old actor was born in Nigeria at the University College Hospital in Ibadan.
This makes him Nigerian by birth. His parents moved back to England a year after. Hugo Weaving
has acted in several blockbusters such as V For Vendetta, The Matrix Trilogy and Lord of The
Rings Trilogy, Transformers Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy and Captain America. Who said Ibadan
boys don't go far?
2) Taio Cruz- The 25 year old British singer is of Nigerian heritage. He was born to a Nigerian
father and Brazilian mother. Taio Cruz who started penning songs at 12, began writing
professionally 7 years later. He released his debut album Departure in 2008. The following year
he released his sophomore Rokstarr which featured the hit song 'Dynamite' . He dropped his 3rd
album TY.O three years ago. Taio Cruz has won several awards including the BRIT Awards,
Billboard Music Awards, ASCAP Awards and American Music Awards.
3) Tyler the Creator- Yes, do not be shocked. The 'Black Eminem' is Nigerian. Tyler the Creator 's
actual names are Tyler Okonma. His father is Igbo. The leader of the music collective ' Odd Future
Wolf Gang Kill Them All ' claims he never met his father. Maybe that is why he is not too fond of
him. In 2009 Tyler released his first album Bastard. His buzz started growing from then on mainly
backed by his offensive, homophobic and disgusting lyrics. He released his second album Goblin
two years later and became a national sensation without the backing of any major record label in
America. He released his third album Wolf this year.
4) Dizzie Rascal- Dizzie (Dylan Kwabena Mills ) is one of the most respected rappers in the UK
and also happens to be Nigerian. His Nigerian father died when he was young and he was raised
by his Ghanaian mum. He had a rebellious childhood and that's how he got the name Rascal. He
was a friend of Nigerian footballer Danny Shittu when he was a kid. At 16 he produced his first
single 'I Luv U' and in 2002 formed the collective Roll Deep Crew. Dizzie Rascal has released 5
solo albums till date making him one of the biggest rappers in the UK. He performed at the
opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London and won the Best International Act at the BET
Awards in 2010.
5) Richard Ayoade- This is another Brit-Nigerian. Richard Ayoade was born to a Nigerian father
and Norwegian mother. The 36 year old comedian, actor and writer has written several awards
winning stage plays in the UK. He is also a known face on British TV having starred in the highly
popular The IT Crowd. He made his Hollywood debut in 2012 after starring in the comedy The
Watch alongside Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill.
6) Donald Adeosun Faison: Fans of the popular television Comedy-drama "Scrubs" would know
this one. Not only is he one of our favorite character, you probably didn't know this American
actor's middle name is Yoruba.
7) Lemar: Lemar Obika (born 4 April 1978), professionally known simply as Lemar , is an English
R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. His Nigerian fans probably didn't know that the UK
singer who was born in Tottenham, England is son to Nigerian parents of Enugu State, South
Eastern Nigeria.

MAN DEMANDS REFUND OF BRIDE PRICE

Kaduna -  A husband, Zaiyanu Muhammad of Ibadan Street in Kaduna, has urged the Magajin
Gari Sharia Court to recover the N80,000 bride and other expenses he paid in Saliha
Abdulsalam as wife.
He told the court that the request became necessary because Saliha left the matrimonial home
two days after marrying him.
“I married Saliha on January 13 but she came to my house on January 27.
According to him, when he married Saliha, her parents pleaded with him to give them time to
prepare dowry for her before moving into the matrimonial home.
“But in spite of the N80,000 I gave her, she came to my house with nothing,’’ said the
Mohammed.
Muhammad added that he had not seen Saliha since then until they met in the court on July
22.
“Since she is not interested in the marriage, she should return my bride price. I used every
possible means to see her back but to no avail.’’
Saliha, however, denied the allegation.
She told the court that two days into their marriage, Muhammad told her mother that he was
not interested in the marriage.
“He asked me to leave his house, which I did and left for Giwa Local Government Area in
Kaduna state and later to Abuja’’, she said.
According to Saliha, she is ready to go back to his house “because I still love him.’’
The Khadi, Ibrahim Mohammed, said they should go and settle their differences since Saliha
had agreed to return to the complainant’s house.
Mohammed adjourned the case to August 1 for report of settlement or continuation of hearing.
(NAN)

FINIDI GETS MALLORCA APPOINTMENT

Former Nigerian international, Finidi George, has been appointed the Youth Team coach of
Spanish La Liga side, Mallorca.
The former Sharks winger, who made his Super Eagles debut in the 7-1 whitewash of Burkina
Faso at the main bowl of the national stadium in Lagos in a Nations Cup qualifier, had played
for Real Betis in Spain.
Finidi also played for Ajax Amsterdam, where he won the UEFA Champions League alongside
Nwankwo Kanu. He also played in England with Ipswich Town.
Finidi also achieved a bit of world wide fame with his celebration at the 1994 FIFA World Cup,
when he went an all fours like a dog urinating after scoring against Greece.
Finidi had taken time out to serve as an intern coach at Dutch side, FC Zwolle on the way to
earning a coaching badge.

PRINCE WILLIAM'S WIFE DELIVERS BABY BOY

Prince William’s wife Kate on Monday gave birth to a baby boy who will one day be heir to the
British throne, Kensington Palace said in a statement.
“Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4:24pm
(1524GMT),” said the statement. “The baby weighs 8lbs 6oz. (3.8 kilos).”
The baby will be third in line to the throne and in the direct line of succession after head of
state Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son and heir Prince Charles, and then his eldest son William.
“The baby weighs 8lbs 6oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.”
The boy’s name was not revealed, but he will be known as Prince of Cambridge.
The former Kate Middleton was admitted to the private Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital,
Paddington, central London, at around 6:00 am in the midst of a summer thunderstorm.
The birth was later officially announced to great cheers on a golden easel placed in the
forecourt of Buckingham Palace.
US President Barack Obama’s spokesman had earlier said that he and the first family were
“waiting with anticipation” for the birth and “wish the family and all of Great Britain well on
this pending momentous occasion.”
William, at his wife’s bedside, has been on annual leave and will take two weeks’ paternity
leave from his military job as a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot.
Both mother and son were “doing well” and will remain in hospital overnight while the queen
was “delighted with the news”, according to the palace.
The birth came later than widely expected, adding to the sense of anticipation that has built
up ever since William, whose mother Diana died in a Paris car crash in 1997, and the former
Kate Middleton married with huge fanfare in April 2011.
Bookmakers had largely backed a girl baby, after Kate had said they did not know its sex.
The fact that it is a boy relieves the need to rush through new succession laws across the 16
Commonwealth realms, which would mean that a girl could no longer be overtaken by any
future younger brothers.
The royal couple used a back entrance to the hospital when they arrived at 6:00 am (0500
GMT), missing the ranks of international media who have camped outside the hospital for
three weeks.
The prince was born in the same hospital wing and media from across the globe are hoping for
a repeat of the scene in 1982 when Charles and his first wife Diana brought out the baby to
show him off to the world.
Royal fanatics gathering outside the hospital also took their excitement to a new level.
“I’m so excited. Like in a washing machine. Never been so high!” said John Loughrey, who has
slept outside the hospital for seven nights, wrapped in a British flag.
The new arrival is Queen Elizabeth’s third great-grandchild, and a first grandchild for Charles.
It ensures that there are three generations of heirs to the crown of the United Kingdom of
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — a nuclear-armed UN Security Council
permanent member and the world’s sixth biggest economy.
The queen was seen arriving back at Buckingham Palace from Windsor Castle, just outside the
capital, in mid-afternoon but other royals went about their usual business.
Charles, the current heir, was visiting York in northern England, where members of the public
shouted “Congratulations!”.
Smiling, he replied: “Do you know something I don’t?”
Charles, who turns 65 in November, joked: “I’m very grateful indeed for the kind wishes for my
rather slowly-approaching grandfatherhood.”
Prime Minister David Cameron sent his best wishes to the couple and the “whole country is
excited.”
The pregnancy was announced in December when Kate was admitted to hospital with severe
morning sickness.
At the Lindo Wing, a standard room and normal delivery — which Kate is hoping for — costs
£4,965 ($7,600, 5,800 euros) for the first 24 hours, plus consultants’ fees which can reach
around £6,000.
The duchess is being tended by a top medical team led by the queen’s gynaecologist Alan
Farthing and his predecessor Marcus Setchell.
On the pavement opposite the hospital entrance, around 30 presenters lined up in a row
delivering live broadcasts and clips, with photographers and journalists filling out the scene.
There has been a betting frenzy on the name of the royal newborn with bookmakers favouring
a George and James for the top boys’ names.