PDP denies of manipulating document from Cambridge University concerning Buhari`s certificate

The PDP Presidential Campaign
Organisation has denied
manipulating a document from
Cambridge University to justify
claims that Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari’s West African School
Certificate statement of result was
forged.
Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Director
of Media and Publicity of the
organisation made the denial in a
statement signed by his Special
Assistant, Mr Sufuyan Ojeifo, in
Abuja on Tuesday.
The statement said the allegation
by the All Progressives Congress
(APC) was indicative of its
desperation for power.
The APC had alleged that Fani-
Kayode manipulated the alleged
certificate of Gen. Mohammad
Buhari, its presidential candidate.
The certificate emerged in the
media following series of
controversies surrounding it and
Buhari`s eligibility to contest the
presidential election on Feb. 14.
“Fani-Kayode never issued a
statement in his capacity as
spokesperson for the PDP
Presidential Campaign.
“Neither did he address a press
conference nor briefing where he
referred to the Cambridge
document in question.
“He also did not validate the
content of the said document on
any occasion’’, the statement said.
It added that as far as Fani-
Kayode was concerned, he did not
know of the existence of the said
Cambridge e-mail document and
what the content was all about.
It maintained that the director of
media and publicity never
commented on the content of the
document.
According to the statement, Fani-
Kayode has not been in touch with
Cambridge to request for any
information in respect of the issue
in question.
“What he has done, especially
during his last press conference on
Gen. Buhari’s published statement
of result, was to make assertions
to the effect that the statement of
result was forged.
“He added that the result was
illegally procured’’, the statement
said.
It added that Fani-Kayode had
also called on the police to track
down the masterminds of the
forgery at the press briefing.
“The allegation of manipulation
against Chief Fani-Kayode is,
therefore, indicative of desperation
by the opposition who should have
spoken on the issue of whether or
not Buhari has a certificate or
not.’’

King Olamide Chilling Out With Obafemi Martins.

The king of the west, Olamide spent some of his time yesterday with the super eagles star, Obafemi Martins…The two look cute together.

God has told me who will win 2015 naija election.

Matthew Ashimolowo is the Senior
Pastor of Kingsway
International Christian Centre
(KICC) in London. He
talked to Sunday Sun about the
state of the nation, his life
as regards touching the lives of
the less privileged, his
vision for widows and lots more.
We are in the New Year. Nigerians
would like to know
what God is saying to us as a
country. Do you have a mes­
sage for Nigerians?
Very interesting. I believe that
globally, there is going to
be a shaking of the world. There
will be earthquakes in
some places. There might be
famine in places they never
knew famine, and flooding in
places they didn’t expect.
For Nigeria, the Lord showed me,
who will win the
election. I will not mention his
name, because I have to
be politically neutral. But when the
president’s name is
announced, 20 percent of a certain
part of the nation will
not agree. Eventually, after
negotiation they will. We will
agree that we’re one. Wales is only
400,000 people or
about a million people. They call
them a nation, and they
call Yorubas who are 27 million a
tribe, the Igbo who are
18 million you call them a tribe.
For us to have many
nations that make up Nigeria, it
was God that made it
happen. And that prophetic
mandate still remains on
Nigeria. Anyone who incites people
to divide this nation
will lose his chance. Nigeria will
remain one. After all the
noise, you will be amazed that also
some politicians will
be shocked, nobody will be ready
to die for them. There
will be peace in Nigeria after the
election. I see a man
who will one day rise, but I don’t
know when, I don’t
think it’s up to 10 years though .
He will turn the
fortunes of Nigeria round. Nigeria
will look like one of
these advancing nations like
United Arab Emirates ,
India, and China. That is how
Nigeria will be.
You said there will be peace, what
about Boko Haram
insurgency?
Boko Haram is a snake with many
heads. We are cutting
one head, which is why the other
head shows up. If you
know the hydras in the story of
Hercules, every time the
head of that snake was cut, two
heads grew there. We
need a robust approach. Boko
Haram will still be around
but we need a robust approach.
We need to deal with
fifth columnists in the system who
are empowering them.
I am 62 years old. I was born in
the barracks and I know
when Nigeria fought the civil war.
My father fought the
war too. In fact, he died in Biafra.
He died by the Asaba
bridge. But I can tell you, in
Nigeria, there were only five
battalions when Nigeria fought the
three-year civil war
and yet the war came to an end. It
was massive. How
can you fight a bunch of riff-raffs
with the army and
they hold you to ransom? Fifth
columnists are selling
Nigeria to them, giving them
petrol, money and
ammunition. As my mother used to
say, when a child
keeps throwing stones and he’s
not exhausted, there is a
supplier in the corner. But our
prayer should be that our
government will be bold enough to
indict the fifth
columnists, either inside the
system or outside the system
and the process they are funding
the wrong people.

Man Utd sign Valdes as No 2 goalkeeper.

^{Former Barcelona goalkeeper joins
on free transfer with 18-month
deal to back up De Gea
Manchester United have announced
the signing of goalkeeper Victor
Valdes on a free transfer.}
The former Barcelona player, who
was a free agent, has signed an
18-month contract with the option
to extend for a further year. The
32-year-old came through the
ranks of the Barcelona youth
system, making his senior debut in
2002 and went on to win 21 major
trophies with the side.
"From my short time here I
can already see this is a very
special club"
Victor Valdes
Valdes has 20 caps with Spain and
was part of the squad who won the
2010 FIFA World Cup and Euro
2012. Valdes suffered a knee injury
suffered last season with
Barcelona but proved his fitness
training with United to become the
No.2 goalkeeper behind his
compatriot, David De Gea, at Old
Trafford.
"It is a real honour to sign for
Manchester United," Valdes told
manutd.com . "I would like to thank
Louis van Gaal and the club for
allowing me to do my
rehabilitation and to train with the
team at the Aon Training Complex.
"From my short time here I can
already see this is a very special
club. I worked with Louis van Gaal
during my time at FC Barcelona
and to have the opportunity to
work with him here at Manchester
United is a dream come true."
Van Gaal expressed his delight at
the capture of the goalkeeper.
"Victor is a very experienced
goalkeeper and his record speaks
for itself," the manager said. "I
have said on many occasions that
Manchester United will always be
interested in the best players.
"Victor has remained very
professional throughout his
rehabilitation from injury and has
been very impressive during his
training sessions with the first
team over the past weeks. He joins
the club as the No 2 goalkeeper
and is a great addition to the first
team."

I will take up more challenges in 2015, Mercy Johnson tells fans.

^{JUST as every country is expected
to read their budgets at the
beginning of the year,
entertainment stars too are
expected by their fans to say what
they have to offer in a new year.
For Nollywood super star and
mother of two, Mercy Johnson, she
began her New Year with a
message to her teeming fans and
told them she would be taking up
more challenging roles.
“One of the best feelings one can
have is the feeling that some
people who have never met you in
person have your back. I have
experienced love from
unimaginable people; Ghana,
Liberia, Paris, UK, USA, Seychelles
and all over the world” she began,
in her New Year message to her
fans.}

Continuing in the same vein, she
thanked her fans for being there
for her and husband, who,
according to her, was very
supportive of her career
“I want to also say a very big
thank you to my husband for
giving me room to fly. Some men
out there would probably have
clipped my wings but Odi is not
some kind of man. I want to say
thank you for being so supportive
and understanding” she said.
“I plan and hope that 2015 will be
different from previous years. The
jobs I will do will be slightly
different from that of the past. I
will take up more challenges. I will
also have to balance things out
because I still have to play the role
of a wife and mother, but all in all,
there should be a new Mercy
Johnson of sort” she added.

Gen. Buhari takes campaign to Jonathan’s home base.

All
Progressives Congress, APC,
Presidential candidate, General
Muhammadu Buhari (retd),
yesterday, took his campaign to
the home base of President
Goodluck Jonathan in Bayelsa and
Rivers States with a promise to
frontally address environmental
concerns and degraded
infrastructure, if elected.
Buhari’s promise to implement the
United Nations Environmental
Programme, UNEP, report on
Ogoniland was elatedly received by
Ogoni traditional rulers who
through the president, Supreme
Council of Ogoni Traditional
Rulers, King Godwin Biniwa,
handed him a sword to wipe out
their tears when he emerges
president.
General Buhari and his entourage,
following the stop at Ogoniland,
followed up with campaigns in
Yenogoa, Bayelsa State the home
base of the president and his main
rival for the presidency.
Meanwhile, his running mate, Prof.
Yemi Osinbajo, in Benin City, Edo
State, said the country would be
unrecognisable in one year of an
APC government.
His position came as Governor
Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State
regretted that President Goodluck
Jonathan was blaming his
predecessors in office when his six
years in office has only brought
agony and poverty to Nigerians.
At an interactive session with
students, traditional rulers, market
women and professionals in Benin
City, yesterday, Osinbajo said an
APC government would within one
year solve the power problem, free
health care and free food for
school children.
He added that though the nation
was rich, “we lack the leadership
to harness our resources,” just as
he noted that insurgency and
corruption had thrived because
President Jonathan lacks the
political will to fight them.
Buhari urges Ogonis to vote APC
Speaking in Saakpenwa,
headquarters of Tai Local
Government Area during a meeting
with Ogoni people, Buhari
appealed to the people to vote for
the APC and urged them to get
their Permanent Voters Cards,
PVCs.
Flaying the neglect of the region,
Buhari put the blame squarely on
President Jonathan saying: “The
decision of the Federal Government
to abandon the Bodo-Bonny road
project is a clear case of
incompetence and social injustice.
It amounts to neglect at the
highest level.
A lot is taken from Ogoniland and
relatively little is brought back in
return. I assure you that an APC-
led Federal Government will fulfil
all its promises in Ogoniland.”
Senator Magnus Abe, who hails
from the area, was absent during
the visit. In a statement read on
his behalf, he lamented the pains
the Ogoni had suffered in the
nation.
Magnus, who represents the Rivers
South-East senatorial district in
the National Assembly, further
appealed to the people to vote the
APC.
He said: “Our position as a people
concerning resumption of oil
exploration in Ogoni is that, there
should be adequate consultation
with and participation of the
Ogonis in the process leading to
their eventual operation.
“As a deprived people, we have
consistently placed in the domains
of all governments, the Ogoni Bill
of Rights (OBR) that seeks for
equal representation of Ogonis in
the affairs of the nation. These
demands include appointment of
Ogoni sons and daughters in
government, provision of live
sustainable infrastructures, such
as good roads, water and
development institutions.”
On his part, Director General,
Buhari Presidential Campaign
Organisation, Governor Chibuike
Amaechi of Rivers State, urged the
people to vote for the APC, saying
the Ogoni had suffered neglect in
the country.
President, Supreme Council of
Ogoni Traditional Rulers, King
Godwin Biniwa, later handed a
copy of the UNEP report and a
sword to Buhari, urging him to
wipe out their tears when he
emerges president.
Buhari identifies bane of nation’s
march to greatness
Buhari repeated the same vow of
dealing with environmental
problems in Bayelsa where he was
received by thousands of
supporters who had defied the
scorching sun and long delay to
receive him at the Samson Siasia
Stadium.
The stadium was filled to capacity
as at 3 p.m. five hours after his
scheduled arrival as party
supporters busied themselves with
entertainments provided by dance
troupes and other entertainers.
Speaking at the event, Buhari
identified corruption, insecurity and
incompetent leadership as bane of
the nation’s march to greatness
even as he promised to tackle
environmental pollution ravaging
the Niger Delta region.
He also promised to revive
agriculture and fishing in the
region to boost food production
and reduce the rate of
unemployment in the country.
He lamented that the PDP
neglected agriculture with the
result that the nation is dependent
on imports to feed her population.
He also noted with sadness that
the people of the Niger Delta can
no longer fish in their troubled
water due to pollution and
promised to work with the United
Nations to remediate the
environment if voted into office.
Also speaking, Governor Amaechi
in his speech at the occasion
assured that the party would
create jobs, tackle poverty,
unemployment and insecurity in
the country of voted into power.
A bad brother is not as good as a
good friend— Sylva
Earlier, the immediate past
governor of the state, Chief Timipre
Sylva, urged Bayelsans to vote out
Jonathan, saying: “A bad brother
is not as good as a good friend.”
He said: “Vote APC and welcome
prosperity, good governance into
your homes. I have gone to the
West, East, North and South, I
have one assurance that Buhari
has won the 2015 poll.”
Highlight of the occasion was the
presentation of flags to the party
senatorial candidates in the
forthcoming National Assembly
polls. They include, Chief Timipre
Sylva for Bayelsa East, Eddie
Julius, Bayelsa West and Preye
Aganaba, Bayelsa Central.

Alexis Sanchez and Costa clinch EA SPORTS FPL Half-time Awards.

Arsenal midfielder Alexis Sanchez
and Chelsea forward Diego Costa
are among five winners to have
been honoured for their
exceptional Fantasy Premier
League performances during the
first half of the Barclays Premier
League campaign in the 2014/15
EA SPORTS FPL Half-time Awards.

Highest Points Scorer – Alexis
Sanchez (ARS)

Alexis Sanchez has claimed the
award for being Highest Points
Scorer after hitting the ground
running in his first season in the
English top flight with an
impressive 120 points from 19 BPL
appearances. The Chile
international, who was signed from
Barcelona in the summer, has
represented Arsenal's, and many
FPL managers', main attacking
threat this season, scoring 10
goals, providing six assists and
amassing 19 Bonus Points (BP)
through his tireless work-rate and
productivity. The 26-year-old's
displays have lifted his value by
£0.9 million to £11.4m over the
course of the first half of the
season, persuading 41% of FPL
managers to take advantage of his
status as a midfielder by procuring
his services.

January wildcard
Available after GW20
Closes end of GW23 (7 Feb,
11:30am)

Fans' favourite – Diego Costa
(CHE)

Sanchez's free-scoring ways have
not made him the most popular
player in FPL, however. That
honour belongs to Diego Costa,
who, like Sanchez, has also made
light of his first season in the
Barclays Premier League, by
racking up 13 BPL goals at the
midway stage of the season. The
Chelsea No 9's eye for goal has
made him the player to have been
bought by the most FPL managers,
with 59.4% boasting the Spain
forward in their squads, despite his
value increasing from £10.5m to
£11.2m over the first 19
Gameweeks.

Most saves by a goalkeeper –
Robert Green (QPR)

Queens Park Rangers may be
battling the threat of relegation
but were it not for their goalkeeper
they might well have found
themselves further embroiled at
the foot of the BPL table. As it is,
though, Robert Green has helped
his side steer clear of the bottom
three with a glut of saves. The 34-
year-old, whose value remains the
£4.5 million it was at the start of
the season, leads the way after 19
Gameweeks with 67 saves, earning
him 63 FPL points at the halfway
point in the campaign.
Stats for the EA SPORTS FPL Half-
time Award Winners
Player
Team
Pts
Goals
Assists
Clean sheets
Bonus pts
Value
Sanchez
ARS
120
10
6
4
19
+0.9m
Costa
CHE
91
13
1
8
11
+0.7m
Sterling
LIV
86
4
5
5
12
-0.2m
Clyne
SOU
86
2
1
8
9
+0.9m
Player
Team
Pts
Saves
Assists
Clean sheets
Bonus pts
Value
Green
QPR
63
67
0
4
5
+0.0m

Best Under-21 player – Raheem
Sterling (LIV)

The 2014/15 edition has had a
number of rising stars emerge,
including Saido Berahino, James
Ward-Prowse and, most recently,
Harry Kane, but the winner of the
EA SPORTS FPL Half-time Award
for Best Under-21 player is
Liverpool's Raheem Sterling, who
accumulated 86 points after 19
Gameweeks. The 32.2% of FPL
managers who own the England
international have benefited from
the deployment of the attacking
midfielder in a more advanced
striking position as Liverpool
manager Brendan Rodgers sought
to address the Reds' injury
problems. Curiously, however,
Sterling's value has decreased by
£0.2m since the start of the
season, perhaps as a consequence
of Liverpool's diminished
goalscoring returns compared with
last.

Biggest price increase – Nathaniel
Clyne (SOU)

One player whose stock has not
lessened since the start of the
season is Nathaniel Clyne, who
wins the award for the Biggest
Price Increase over the first 19
Gameweeks. The right-back's
displays for a Southampton side
sitting in fourth place in the
Barclays Premier League and
boasting the best defensive record
in the top flight, have been
reflected in his value rocketing
from £5 million to £5.9 million by
the halfway point. Clyne, who has
also broken into the England first
team over recent months, was not
the only player to boast a £0.9
million price increase. Sanchez
and Stewart Downing, the West
Ham United midfielder (£5.5m-
£6.4m), also did so but the Saints
full-back shaded the award on the
tie-breaker criterion of having
managed the highest percentage
increase based on his original
price.

Yaya Toure won 2014 Glo-CAF African Footballer of the Year.

Ivory Coast and Manchester City of
England play maker, Yaya Toure
has claimed the 2014 Glo-CAF
African Footballer of the Year
award, thus winning it for the
fourth straight time, since 2011.
The Ivorian midfielder who is 1.88
meters tall was born in Bouake in
May, 1983.
He has over 85 caps for Ivory
Coast with 16 goals while his
appearance for Manchester City is
above
140 with over 39 goals.
The Ivorian captain defeated his
nearest rival, Nigeria captain and
first choice goalkeeper, Vincent
Enyeama and Gabon international,
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Toure was voted African Footballer
of The Year for 2011, 2012 and
2013 respectively.
While in Bacelona, his club side
won six trophies in 2009 alone. He
was nominated for The Personality
of The Year Award at the MTV
Africa Music Awards in July 2014.
He was also nominated for the
Prize in Entertainment category at
the 2014 edition of The Future
Africa Awards.
With this towering profile, the
Ivorian captain was clearly, the
pundits’ favourite to cart home the
prestigious award.
OTHER WINNERS
•National Team of the Year –
Algeria
Women National Team of the Year
– Nigeria
Club of the Year – ES Setif
(Algeria)
Most Promising Talent – Yacine
Braimih – Algeria
Best Youth Player of the Year –
Asisat Oshoala – Nigeria
Woman Footballer of the Year –
Asisat Oshoala
Coach of the Year – Kheeireddine
Madoui (ES Setif) of Algeria.

Boko Haram abducts 40 boys, men in Borno village

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen
have kidnapped 40 boys and
young men in a remote village in
Borno state on New Year’s Eve,
residents who fled the isolated
settlement said on Saturday.
Scores of Boko Haram militants
stormed the Malari village and
whisked away the males, aged
between 10 and 23, into the
nearby Sambisa forest, believed to
be one of the Islamists’ major
bases.
The news of the abductions came
out only days later, when residents
who fled the village arrived in the
state capital Maiduguri late on
Friday.
“They came in pick-up trucks
armed with guns and gathered all
the men in the village outside the
home of the village chief where
they preached to us before singling
out 40 of our boys and taking
them away,” Bulama Muhammad
told AFP
Malari village lies 20 kilometres
(12.5 miles) from the Sambisa
forest and close to the town of
Gwoza, which the militants
captured last June declaring it
part of their caliphate.
“My two sons and three nephews
were among those taken away by
the Boko Haram gunmen and we
believe they are going to use them
as conscripts,” Muhammad said.
“When we heard of the kidnap of
40 boys in Malari by Boko Haram
we decided to leave because we
could be the next target,” said
Alaramma Babagoni, who fled from
the nearby village of Mulgwi.
There was no immediate comment
on the incident from the military in
Maiduguri.
Boko Haram is still holding in
captivity more than 200
schoolgirls it abducted from their
school in Chibok in Borno state
last April.
The Islamists are believed to
control large swathes of territory in
Borno as well as several towns and
villages in two other northeastern
states, Adamawa and Yobe.
Boko Haram’s five-year uprising in
Nigeria has claimed more than
13,000 lives and has seen dozens
of people, including women and
children, kidnapped by the
Islamists.

Woman making Prince Andrew sex claims vows not to be silenced

The woman who named Britain’s
Prince Andrew in a US court filing
claiming that she was kept as an
underage “sex slave” by a Wall
Street financier said Saturday she
would not be silenced.
The plaintiff, identified only as
“Jane Doe #3″ in court papers,
told the Guardian newspaper that
she refuses to be “unjustly
victimised again” after robust
denials from Buckingham Palace
and another man named in the
suit.
The story made headline news in
Britain’s newspapers on Saturday.
According to the motion filed in a
Florida court on Monday, the
woman alleges she was “forced to
have sexual relations” with
Andrew, the Duke of York, in
London, New York and the
Caribbean at the behest of Jeffrey
Epstein.
Epstein, a known friend of the 54-
year-old prince, was convicted in
2008 of soliciting an underage girl
for prostitution and served a
prison term.
No dates for the purported sexual
encounters were given, but the
woman claimed she was Epstein’s
sex slave from 1999 through 2002.
In a strongly worded response on
Friday, Buckingham Palace said
that “any suggestion of
impropriety with underage minors
is categorically untrue”.
Another man named in the court
papers also robustly protested his
innocence.
Alan Dershowitz, one of Epstein’s
defence lawyers with whom “Jane
Doe #3″ was allegedly forced to
have sex with on several
occasions, told AFP the story was
“made up”.
He accused “Jane Doe #3″ of
“filing a false and malicious legal
proceeding” in an attempt to extort
money from his former client.
In a statement issued to the
Guardian through her lawyers, the
woman said: “These types of
aggressive attacks on me are
exactly the reason why sexual
abuse victims typically remain
silent and the reason why I did for
a long time.
“That trend should change. I’m not
going to be bullied back into
silence.”
Andrew is the second son of Queen
Elizabeth II and fifth in line to the
British throne.
He was Britain’s Special
Representative for International
Trade and Investment for 10 years
until 2011.
The motion in which he is named
is to be included in an ongoing
civil case that accuses federal
prosecutors of cutting a plea-
bargain deal with Epstein without
consulting his victims, in violation
of the US Crime Victims Rights’
Act.
In 2008, Epstein was sentenced to
18 months in prison after pleading
guilty to a single Florida state
charge of soliciting prostitution.
He remains a registered sex
offender.

Cleric urges Nigerians to seek God’s intervention against Boko Haram.

Most Reverend Samuel Abidoye,
Chairman and Spiritual Head,
Cherubim and Seraphim Movement
Church (CSMC) Worldwide, has
called Nigerians to seek God’s
intervention to curb insurgency in
the country.
Abidoye’s call is contained in a
New Year massage made on Friday
in Bauchi.
He emphasised that Nigerians
should embrace love as well as
seek God’s intervention towards
surmounting the current security
challenges and other socio-
economic problems confronting the
country.
Abidoye observed that Nigeria was
suffering from lack of love and
harmony among her people.
He opined that the dearth of love
among Nigerians had given birth
to distrust, intolerance, hatred and
unwarranted violence among the
citizens of this country.
“The only solution to the problem
is for each citizen to begin to see
the next person as his or her
brother or sister.
“This will make the essence of
humanity to be experienced by all
in the country, because the value
of life would be appreciated by all
as a result,” Abidoye added.
He pointed out that the activities
of Boko Haram in the North East
region was due to lost of humanity
by Nigerians where they have
sacrificed their humanity for
avarice and self-centredness.
The cleric noted that “our
existence as a nation would be
meaningless if we cannot apply the
significance of the teachings of
Jesus Christ and Prophet
Muhammad to our peculiar
environment and circumstances.
“It is expected that the noble
characteristics of Jesus Christ and
Prophet Muhammad who lived
peaceful lives.
“It beats imagination the way
Nigerians behaves, especially the
level of intolerance, corruption and
hatred being displayed in the
country,” he said.
“According to him, the people in
government continue to act as if
the matter is just a minor one and
they continue to spend our money
like water while their fellow citizens
are being slaughtered in sickening
manner.
“The younger generation are too
money conscious, they are ready
to do anything to make money. No
more restraint in their conducts,
they lack patience, and just want
to get rich as quickly as possible,
making them very, very desperate.
“We should be careful that we did
not provoke God to be angry with
this country because the level of
bloodshed is just too much, I am
sure our situation is not too bad
for redemption,” the statement
read in part.
He urged politicians to remember
the suffering populace, saying
disappointing these set of people
will cause God to be angry with the
country.
“That is why many of them may
not be returned to office, no matter
how much they tried to come back
because there is a God that fights
for the poor and helpless.”

Two brothers arrested over rape of student in India.

Indian police have arrested two
brothers accused of repeatedly
raping a 22-year-old Japanese
tourist over three weeks near Bodh
Gaya, Buddhism’s holiest site, an
official said Saturday.
The tourist had been held hostage
at gunpoint in a secluded
underground room close to a
pilgrimage site, according to a
preliminary investigation.
“When her health condition
deteriorated due to repeated rape
and poor living conditions, she was
brought to Gaya (district
headquarters) for medical
treatment on December 20,” a
police officer who is part of the
investigation told AFP on
condition of anonymity.
But she managed to escape and
reached Varanasi where she met
some Japanese tourists who
helped her contact the Japanese
consulate in the nearby city of
Kolkata, the officer added.
Sajid Khan, 32, and his 25-year-
old brother Jawed Khan, both
tourist guides, were arrested in the
case on Friday, police deputy
superintendent Alok Kumar Singh
said.
“We have arrested the duo for
confining and raping the Japanese
student,” Singh told AFP by
telephone from Bodh Gaya.
The Bodh Gaya complex, 110
kilometres (68 miles) south of
Bihar state capital Patna, is home
to one of the earliest Buddhist
temples still standing in India and
attracts visitors from all over the
world.
The Japanese woman, a university
student, had come to Gaya from
Kolkata where she had checked
into a hotel in November.
India has faced intense scrutiny
over its efforts to curb violence
against women following the fatal
gang rape of a medical student in
New Delhi in 2012 which sparked
global outcry.
Since then, several attacks on
foreign women have also been
reported, leading to a dip in tourist
numbers to the country.
Last January, a 51-year-old
Danish tourist was robbed and
gang raped at knife-point in Delhi.
In 2013, a Swiss cyclist holidaying
in central Indian state of Madhya
Pradesh was robbed and gang
raped by five men, all of whom
were later sentenced to life terms.

Bauchi Christian pilgrims to Israel return home on friday.

The first batch of Bauchi State
Christian pilgrims to Israel
returned on Friday, its leader, Mr
Abdon Gin, has announced.
Gin, who is also the state’s Head
of Service, said in Bauchi on
Saturday that the exercise was a
success.
He commended the pilgrims for
their good behaviours while in
Israel, saying their conduct was a
testimony of the moral reform and
spiritual rebirth that the exercise
aimed to achieve in their lives.
“This was the third time I led the
state contingent on pilgrimage to
Israel. I must tell you that I am
highly impressed by their conduct.
“They were patient, attentive and
adhered to every instructions given
to them without complain.
“ And today, I am proud to tell you
that I led 298 Christians from
Bauchi State to Israel and returned
with all of them back to Nigeria
safe and sound.
“While in the holy land, we visited
as many holy sites as we can.
“We prayed for our governor,
Malam Isa Yuguda, Bauchi State,
our leaders and above all, prayed
for the sustainability of our dear
country.
“It was such a wonderful
experience and I am convinced it
has mark a turning point in our
lives; a new beginning with a
renewed faith and strong spirit,’’
Gin said.
He thanked the officials of the
state’s Christian Pilgrims Welfare
Board for making the trip
interesting and spiritually fulfilling.
Similarly, the Director-General of
the board, Pastor Zakka Magaji,
described the 2014 pilgrimage as
the most successful so far.
“As far as I am concern, the 2014
exercise is the most successful
pilgrimage so far.
“Almost all the people we went
with are first timers, but they
conducted themselves so well that
you will think they have been there
before.
“Their conduct, behaviour,
cooperation and the mutual
understanding among the pilgrims
made our work so easy.
“They obey every instruction given
to them and we walk as a family,
believe me, we really had a nice
time with God.
“We prayed together, confronts our
challenges together, I am confident
that our prayers of agreement will
bring the desired change and
peace in our nation,’’ Magaji said.
One of the pilgrims, Mrs Mero Sule,
said that the exercise had really
changed her life for good.
Sule thanked God for making the
pilgrimage possible to visit the
holy land to pray for herself, family
and for peace and security in
Nigeria.
“As a Christian it has uplift me
spiritually; it has changed my life
completely,’’ Sule said.
She said, in fact, she returned
home a better person.

Jonathan talks tough about zero tolerance in 2015 polls.

As political parties
kicked off campaigns for next
month’s general elections in the
country, President Goodluck
Jonathan talked tough yesterday,
saying his administration will not
tolerate the kind of orgy of
violence that trailed the 2011
elections in the forth-coming
elections.

In a new year message to
Nigerians, President Jonathan said
his administration was resolutely
committed to a free and fair
election.
Jonathan said: “Decisive action
will be taken against any
individuals or groups who attempt
to disrupt the public peace before,
during or after the 2015 elections.
“The elections are very important
for us as a country. Their
successful conclusion will further
strengthen our democratic
institutions and place our beloved
country even more firmly in the
comity of truly democratic nations.
“Given the challenges that have
characterised some previous
electoral contests in our country,
the eyes of the world will certainly
be on the conduct and outcome of
our fifth post-military rule general
elections.

“I reassure all Nigerians and the
international community of our
firm commitment to free, fair and
credible elections. My commitment
to free elections and one man, one
vote remains unwavering.
“Our administration has worked
hard in previous elections to
prepare all key stakeholders,
including the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC,
security agencies and the
electorate optimally, to ensure a
progressively improved electoral
process in the country under my
watch. We will continue to do so
for the coming elections.
Adequate funding for INEC
“We will continue to provide
adequate funding to INEC and
maintain the commission’s
independence and isolate it from
any form of interference or
meddling in its day-to-day affairs.
This shall continue to guarantee
its impartiality and ability to
conduct more credible and
acceptable elections.
“National security agencies will
also be given all necessary support
to enhance their ability to ensure
that the elections are peaceful and
violence-free.

“I am optimistic that with the
cooperation of all law-abiding
citizens of the country, our
commitment to have a peaceful
and violence-free election will be
actualised.
Let us not promote sectionalism
“I will like to say this, once again,
to my fellow politicians and
political leaders. None of our
political ambitions is worth the
blood of any of our countrymen,
women and children.
“The improvement of their lives
and living conditions ought to be
our primary motive and the driving
force of our quest for political
power and leadership positions.

“Let us not promote sectionalism,
disunity, intolerance, hate,
falsehood or the malicious abuse
of political opponents.
“Whatever we feel or seek, we must
have a nation and a people before
we can dream of political
ambitions. Let us put the nation
and the people first.
“Let us all conduct our electoral
campaigns with the highest
possible decorum and civility
towards political opponents. Let
us give INEC the fullest possible
support and cooperation it
requires to conduct credible and
violence-free elections in 2015.
Electoral violence

“After the 2011 general elections,
some unpatriotic elements
embarked on an orgy of violence,
resulting in the destruction of lives
and property. That will not be
allowed to happen this time
around.
“This government will act
decisively against anyone who
disrupts the public peace, before,
during or after the 2015 general
elections.
“All Nigerians, of voting age, are
free to vote based on their
convictions. It is our duty to
defend and protect that basic right,
and let no one be in doubt, we
will.”
I’ll remain focused
He said the 2015 general elections
will not distract his administration
from its ongoing effort to
significantly improve their living
conditions.
He said his involvement in the
campaigns and election as the
presidential candidate of the
Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP,
notwithstanding, he will remain
fully focused on providing good
governance and delivering better
public services to Nigerians.
“By the special Grace of God, the
Federal Government, under my
leadership, has continued, in the
past four years to lead our country
forward, even under the most
trying circumstances. The progress
we have made in priority areas
bears us testimony.
On the economy
“Our national economy maintained
a steady growth rate of close to
seven per cent in the past four
years and millions of fresh
employment opportunities were
created for our people as a direct
consequence.
“Being very conscious of the
inherent perils of our over-reliance
on income from crude oil exports
for national development, we have
focused on accelerating the
diversification of our economy.
“The non-oil sector, which has
grown by an average of 8 per cent
in the last few years, is now a
major driver of growth in our
economy.
“The 2015 national budget, which
is now before the National
Assembly, is targeted at deepening
our efforts at becoming a non-oil
economy.
“The budget also includes
measures to ensure that the
downturn in the price of oil does
not affect our development plans
and our national economy too
adversely. We are adjusting our
financial processes to safeguard
our economy. We are also taking
steps to ensure that the poor and
the low and medium income
earners do not bear the brunt.
Stability of Naira in 2015
“In 2015, this administration will
continue to lay the foundation for
a vibrant economy that attracts
significant Foreign Direct
Investment and promotes policies
that ensure economic stability.
“We will ensure stability in the
value of the Naira by striving to
take away speculative behaviours
that cause market exchange
pressures.
“We will continue to build and
maintain a healthy external
reserves position and strengthen
fiscal buffers. We will ensure the
Naira remains strong, and gives
foreign investors the clarity and
certainty that they need, to guide
future investment decisions.
“We will continue to improve our
payment systems and strengthen
risk-based supervision mechanism
for Nigerian banks to ensure
overall health and stability of the
banking system.”
Assures on free, fair polls
The President reassured Nigerians
and the global community of his
administration’s resolute
commitment to free, fair, credible
and acceptable elections.
Wishing Nigerians a happy and
prosperous 2015, the President
urged them to enter the new year
with renewed hope, patriotism and
zeal to serve their fatherland.
He said: “As I have always
maintained, none of the challenges
before us is insurmountable. We
must come together as a people
and work with single-minded unity
of purpose to overcome them.
“As we go into this new year, I
salute the indomitable and
resilient spirit of our people in
Nigeria and wherever they are in
the world. Our spirit of enterprise
and the doggedness to succeed
among all odds has been our
strength.
“Let us continue our march to the
future, towards the attainment of
our collective vision of a strong,
united, prosperous and
harmonious nation – a secure
nation for us and for our coming
generations.”
On terrorism
He praised the gallant officers,
men and women of the armed
forces and other security agencies
who have been in the forefront of
the war against terrorism and
violent extremism in Nigeria.
He noted: “I want to assure you
that the terrorists will not get
away with their atrocities: they will
not win; they will be routed.”

Maheeda wants to be that sex symbol in people’s bedrooms.

Nigeria Good Girl Gone Bad (Caroline Sam) known as Maheeda
in the entertainment industry may
be the bad girl most parents
wouldn’t want within a yard of
their wards, but the former
prostitute turned musician has an
ace up her sleeve.

In a riveting interview with
Potpourri in the year, the pretty
mother of one gave reasons why
she is using sex and nudity to sell
her music, first gospel, before
really going secular.
According to her, she is treading
the path most Nigerian
entertainers wouldn’t dare because
of their inhibitions.
“I had this vision of what’s
happening right now. Like I’m very
bad, like I’m the baddest girl in
Nigeria which is not true. So, my
vision is actually to see my
posters in people’s bedrooms and
stuff like that. I want to be that
sex symbol one can fantasize
about” she boasted.
Giving her reason for wanting her
nude and sex posters to adorn
people’s bedroom, the Lasgidi
Chick and Naija Bad Girl crooner
explained it is a sort of brand she
is trying to build.
“Because it works abroad, it could
work here too. I had my
challenges. They are still there but
there’s no stopping me because I
know that for anything new you
have to fight for it. I am leveraging
on being a sex symbol because
sex sells. I want to make money
and also, I want to make my name.
It’s the only space in the Nigerian
music industry that is just there,
everybody is scared to tread on
such a path, so I’m daring it” she
said.

NLC threatens strike over unpaid december salaries

The national leadership of the
Nigeria Labour Congress has said
that 11 state governments have
not paid the December salaries to
their workers.
The organised labour called on its
chapters in Benue, Plateau and
Osun states to serve their
respective governments an
ultimatum within which to pay the
workers’ salary arrears of between
three and eight months or risk a
strike.
The President of the NLC, Mr.
Abdulwaheed Omar, who made the
comment in an ‘End of Year
Message,’ called on the workers to
vote against any politician who
failed to pay their salaries in the
2015 elections.
He said that any governor who was
not able to pay the salaries of
workers in his state had no
justification to receive his own
salaries too.
Omar said that some employees of
the Federal Government in the
Ministry of Labour and Productivity
were being owed between one to
three months’ salary areas.
He said, “Collated reports from our
state councils indicate that a
number of state governments and
some Federal MDAs have not paid
their workers for December as the
year comes to an end.
“Of the 30 states reporting as of
the 30th of December, 11 subjected
their workers to a Christmas/New
Year celebration without the
December salary.
“Three of these states, Benue,
Plateau and Osun, owed their
workers arrears of salaries ranging
from three to eight months. Some
Federal Government employees in
the ministries of Education, Labour
and Productivity, among others,
are owed arrears of salaries
ranging from one to three months.
“We condemn this insensitivity to
the welfare of workers. Any state
governor, who cannot pay workers
their salaries, as at when due, has
no moral justification for taking
his own salary and allowances.
“We call on workers to massively
reject these anti-worker politicians
in the 2015 elections. Meanwhile,
we direct our state NLC councils in
the three states mentioned above
to serve appropriate ultimatums on
their government to pay the
arrears of salaries or face
disruption of services.”
Omar warned the Federal
Government against imposition of
general austerity measures on the
citizenry, which he said could
further aggravate the suffering of
the ordinary worker.
He said that the most tenable way
to manage the current budget
under austerity was a drastic
reduction in the cost of governance
in the country.
He called for a cut in the
Presidential fleet, the cost of
running the State House, a
reduction in the number of aides
who add no value to governance
and political office holders in the
country.
Omar, who supported the decision
of the Federal Government to tax
the rich, advised against any move
to sack workers.
He added, “While we appreciate
the difficulties brought by the
collapse in oil prices, we caution
against the imposition of
unselective austerity measures.
Already, workers continue to bear
the brunt of the savage
devaluation of the Naira with a
possibility of collateral
consequences.
“We also strongly advise against
any consideration for
rationalisation of workforce. We
support the government initiative
to tax the rich through luxury
taxes. More importantly, we are
convinced that the surest way to
manage the budget under austerity
is to reduce the cost of
governance.
“Bloated prerequisites of political
office holders must be cut. The
prerequisites and comfort of
politicians need to reflect the
reality of the times. Mr. President
and the State House must lead in
this regard. The size of the
Presidential fleet, the cost of
running the State House and the
retinue of political jobbers can all
be reasonably cut without reducing
the effectiveness of the
Presidency.”
He also condemned what he
described as the imposition of
exploitative electricity tariff on the
citizenry, saying such a move
could culminate in an unpleasant
situation as indicated by the
protest against the move in some
of the cities across the country
such as Benin, Enugu,Oyo, Lagos and
Kano.

Girl Shares A Selfie Featuring Her Blood Stained Menstrual Pad

This Girl Chose to share her selfies
but she did not notice that her
pads were bloody.

What Can You Say About This?

The journey of 2014 ends soon.

The journey of the year 2014 is
'best measured in friends,
rather than miles'.
Which of your friends made
this year memorable for you?
Drop their names here with a
comment and a special thank
you note!

Meet Romeo And Juliet.

Can you tell what the two are upto? Saw this picture online recently and decide to share it with you guys.
ARE YOU THINK WHAT AM THINKING?

Horrible:- Mother had sex infront of her child

Sometimes I can't stop wondering
what this world is turning into.
Just be thankful your mom isn't as bad as these are. #3 is HORRIBLE
bit.ly/1zcNxfN pic.twitter.com/uElWkNR6eZ