N Korea congress: Kim Jong-un praises nuclear tests

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has opened a rare party congress by praising his country's nuclear achievements.

Appearing before thousands of delegates, he said: "Unprecedented results have been accomplished."

This year saw the country announced its fourth nuclear weapon test and that it sent a rocket into space.

The showpiece congress, the first in 36 years, is a chance for the North Korean leader to cement his power.

More than 100 foreign journalists were invited but were barred from the April 25 House of Culture, where the party congress is being held.

They were instead taken on a tour round a wire-making factory.

News of Mr Kim's comments came via state television, which showed him on stage speaking to a packed venue.

Five reasons why buildings collapse

After a building collapsed in Kenya last week, killing at least 33 people, experts look at some reasons why such incidents occur in Africa.

The six-storey residence in Kenya's capital Nairobi came down in heavy rain, with more than 80 people still missing.

While investigations are still underway into the cause of this collapse, we look at some common problems.
1. The foundations are too weak

Adequate foundations can be costly.

They can cost up to half the price of a building, observes professor of civil engineering Anthony Ede at Covenant University in Ota, Nigeria.

He says two things should be considered when you are building the foundations - the solidity of the soil and the heaviness of the building and its contents.

In the commercial capital of his country, Lagos, the swampy ground requires strong foundations. Far stronger than solid ground.

But he says developers save money that should be spent on foundations when building on the city's swampy ground and many buildings have collapsed in Lagos as a result.

Even on solid ground, foundations need to be strong enough for the load.

Inadequate foundations for a four-storey building was one of three reasons given by investigators for a building collapsing in northern Rwanda in 2013 and killing six people.

2. The building materials aren't strong enough

Materials that just aren't strong enough to withhold the load are used, says Hermogene Nsengimana from the African Organization for Standardisation, whose organisation met last month in Nairobi to discuss why so many African buildings collapse.

He suggests there is a market for counterfeit materials - going as far as to say that sometimes scrap metal is used instead of steel.
When a six-storey building in Uganda's capital Kampala collapsed in April, the director of the city authority suggested it had been constructed with counterfeit materials, reports Ugo news site.

Mr Nsengimana says there are even cases of counterfeiters faking authentification certificates.

But he suggests contractors also knowingly use the incorrect materials to cut costs.

So they may use concrete intended to bear the load of a one-storey building in a four-storey building.

Mr Ede adds that this is something regulators are not policing.

3. Workers make mistakes

Even when workers are given the right materials to make the concrete, they mix them incorrectly, says Mr Ede.

This results in concrete which is not of the sufficient strength to hold the load.

He accuses developers of cutting costs by employing unskilled workers who are cheaper than trained builders.

This is one of the reasons put forward by civil engineers Henry Mwanaki Alinaitwe and Stephen Ekolu why a building in Uganda collapsed in 2004.

Their research shows that the workers misunderstood the mixing ratios of the concrete.

It suggested that people used wheelbarrows instead of measuring gauges to measure cement.

The five-storey BBJ new hotel collapsed in construction and 11 people died.

"You find bricklayers and even technicians calling themselves engineers," cautions the president of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers Oreoluwa Fadayomi in Nigeria's The Punch news site.

To those who want to save money on professionals, he advises: "One should not be penny wise and pound foolish".

4. The load is heavier than expected

Mr Ede says a building collapses when the load is beyond the strength of the building.

He gives the example of asking a baby to carry a heavy box: "The baby will not be able to withhold the strain."
Even if the foundations and the materials are strong enough for what they were originally built for, that purpose may change.

So, Mr Ede says, if a building was designed to be a home and is then turned into a library where boxes and boxes of books are piled up, the building may strain under the weight.

He says another reason why the load is often heavier than the original design is because extra storeys are added.

In March an upmarket apartment block which had more storeys than planned collapsed in Lagos, killing 34 people the Guardian reported.

This came two years after a church accommodation for the famous preacher TB Joshua collapsed, also, authorities said, because it had more floors than it could hold. In that case more than 100 people lost their lives.

5. The strength isn't tested

At all points of construction the strength of the building should be tested, says Mr Ede.

"You have to be strict," he says, about policing building.

"The law says you must test. It's the enforcement of the law which is the problem," he says.

That's a big problem, he says, when at every stage of construction there is someone with a strong motivation to save money or take money.

There are many physical reasons a building can collapse but only one driving motivation for that to happen, says Mr Ede. That's money.

And for him this is the real reason buildings collapse - corruption.

Katy Perry on 'decades' of bad female body messaging

Katy Perry believes women have suffered "decades of bad messaging" about body shape and are only now being encouraged to think positively about their appearance.

The singer claims changes in society have led people to become more conscious of how individuals are represented in the media.

"There have been decades of bad messaging and we are rewiring now," Katy told Mashable.com. "Gone are the days where you are not socially aware.

"You can't unsee all that crazy stuff and not try to do something to change it."
Katy discusses her own "curvy" body, but is apprehensive about labelling others with what are widely considered positive body-related descriptions.

"I think owning the terms is on an individual basis. It's about what you want to call yourself. We don't see ourselves in the same way. I know for me, I'm curvy, I'm not sample size, but I represent a lot of people out there.

"I want to be relatable. That's really important to me, while not losing my mind in this weird human experiment I'm going through."

Katy did the interview wearing an outfit she admitted she was struggling to fit into. "This cup doesn't fit in and my boobs are down to here," she said.

She was speaking at the launch of a new cosmetics range, where she also hinted that new music was some way off, as fans wait for a follow-up to her multi-platinum 2013 release, Prism.

"I think when I come back and have more to say and want to tell certain stories, I want to be all out," she added. "I think it's time to take a break, there's a thing called being super overexposed.

"You want people to miss you."

Nigerians wake up to high blood pressure

What is High Blood Pressure? High blood pressure is a common condition in which the force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease.

Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.
You can have high blood pressure (hypertension) for years without any symptoms. Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke.

High blood pressure typically develops over many years, and it affects nearly everyone eventually. Fortunately, high blood pressure can be easily detected. And once you know you have high blood pressure, you can work with your doctor to control it. www.enjoyqualityfreedom.com/hyper.html

We have, Primary (essential) hypertension
This type of high blood pressure, called essential hypertension or primary hypertension, tends to develop gradually over many years.
Secondary hypertension
This type of high blood pressure, called secondary hypertension, tends to appear suddenly and cause higher blood pressure than does primary hypertension. Various conditions and medications can lead to secondary hypertension, including:
Kidney problems
Adrenal gland tumors
Certain defects in blood vessels you're born with (congenital)
Certain medications, such as birth control pills, cold remedies, decongestants, over-the-counter pain relievers and some prescription drugs
Illegal drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines

To know more click: www.enjoyqualityfreedom.com/hyper.html

Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels.
Although a few people with early-stage high blood pressure may have dull headaches, dizzy spells or a few more nosebleeds than normal, these signs and symptoms typically don't occur until high blood pressure has reached a severe — even life-threatening — stage.

The truth is that this product is not only for hypertension patients, if you are up to 38 years old, you need this all natural product. It is better to prevent a problem than to manage it. You must not wait until the Doctor tells you that you have a problem before you can take a preventive measure. We don't have a Health Care system; we have a Sick Care system – a Disease Management system.

Listen, Doctors are well-intentioned and hard-working people, and everyone in the system is doing their job efficiently, we just designed the jobs wrongly.
We pay doctors for how many patients they manage to see and for the quantity of Medical care provided to each patient (dispensing more drugs, more tests, more Labs, more procedures), but not for succeeding in healing people or keeping them healthy. www.enjoyqualityfreedom.com/hyper.html

The rate of high blood pressure is becoming alarming more especially among the young people, something is missing somewhere see this link http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/91/4/13-020413/en/ we need to go natural way. Even if you are you are not convinced on our products, you can research on our individual products. The bottom line is that we need to give our arteries and hearts proper diet to function well.

Complications
The excessive pressure on your artery walls caused by high blood pressure can damage your blood vessels, as well as organs in your body. The higher your blood pressure and the longer it goes uncontrolled, the greater the damage.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to:

• Heart attack or stroke. High blood pressure can cause hardening and thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which can lead to a heart attack, stroke or other complications.

• Aneurysm. Increased blood pressure can cause your blood vessels to weaken and bulge, forming an aneurysm. If an aneurysm ruptures, it can be life-threatening.

• Heart failure. To pump blood against the higher pressure in your vessels, your heart muscle thickens. Eventually, the thickened muscle may have a hard time pumping enough blood to meet your body's needs, which can lead to heart failure.

• Weakened and narrowed blood vessels in your kidneys. This can prevent these organs from functioning normally.

• Thickened, narrowed or torn blood vessels in the eyes. This can result in vision loss.

• Metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is a cluster of disorders of your body's metabolism — including increased waist circumference, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high insulin levels. If you have high blood pressure, you're more likely to have other components of metabolic syndrome. The more components you have, the greater your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease or stroke.

• Trouble with memory or understanding. Uncontrolled high blood pressure may also affect your ability to think, remember and learn. Trouble with memory or understanding concepts is more common in people who have high blood pressure.

Tests and diagnosis

Blood pressure is measured with an inflatable arm cuff and a pressure-measuring gauge. A blood pressure reading, given in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), has two numbers. The first, or upper, number measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats (systolic pressure). The second, or lower, number measures the pressure in your arteries between beats (diastolic pressure).

Blood pressure measurements fall into four general categories:
Normal blood pressure. Your blood pressure is normal if it's below 120/80 mmHg.However, some doctors recommend 115/75 mm Hg as a better goal. Once blood pressure rises above 115/75 mm Hg, the risk of cardiovascular disease begins to increase.
Prehypertension. Prehypertension is a systolic pressure ranging from 120 to 139 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure ranging from 80 to 89 mm Hg. Prehypertension tends to get worse over time.
Stage 1 hypertension. Stage 1 hypertension is a systolic pressure ranging from 140 to 159 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure ranging from 90 to 99 mm Hg.
Stage 2 hypertension. More severe hypertension, stage 2 hypertension is a systolic pressure of 160 mm Hg or higher or a diastolic pressure of 100 mm Hg or higher.


Like said before, the truth is that this product is not only for hypertensive patients, if you are up to 40 years old, you need this all natural product. It is better to prevent a problem than to manage it. You must not wait until the Doctor tells you that you have a problem before you can take a preventive measure. Our all natural products are 100% natural supplement with no side effects.

Our all natural supplements normalize blood pressure with no single side effect unlike drugs that have many side effects. The side effects are listed in our website; you can confirm it if you are on those drugs. It is better to go natural in solving our problems. Don’t want to bore you with write up, click here: www.enjoyqualityfreedom.com/hyper.html to know how to reverse High Blood Pressure or prevent it.

See Teebillz pathology report

Two days ago, I told you guys that Teebillz was taken for a drug test where his friends claimed he tested negative. Here's the result from Clina Lancet laboratories where the test was done. Teebillz tested negative for the use of Cocaine, Cannabis, Ecstasy, Oxycodone & every other form of hard drugs

See how frustration almost drove me out of my marriage before my husband found a solution to his bedroom woes

This is a sponsored post. Read below...
You are about the read the dirtiest thought of an unsatisfied wife, http://www.bit.ly/linda-2
So before you read on, be prepared to understand what your wife goes through when you are not 100% of the man you should be for her.
My name is Adaobi and I am married to a caring husband by the name of Frederick Babatunde.
Even though Frederick is a man of any woman’s dream, He lacked one thing that is most important to us women even though we find it hard to publicly accept.

Frederick couldn’t observe his manly duties, I don’t mean the material things…Because Frederick is 100% with that. But the Manly duties that makes a woman moan in ecstasy.
And I’m sharing with you my side of the story before I let Frederick take over and tell you his ordeal, the problem and how he found the solution that has long eluded him.

It’s very easy for us women to say everything is alright in our bedroom when we are at the verge of losing our mind.
And I am no exclusion because I was at the verge of doing what I never thought I could ever do; Cheat on my Frederick.
If not for the sworn covenant of “For Better For Worse”, I would probably have slept with another man due to frustration of not getting what I need in the bedroom from my husband.

For so many years, I was dying in silence, the feeling of dissatisfaction was driving me insane and I didn’t know what to do.
Then finally the idea of cheating on my husband started playing in my head,
At first when it comes to mind, I quickly kick it out but every time Frederick leaves me unsatisfied with his small Johnson and spilling his thick milk in less than 1 minute.

My mind start playing games on me by bringing the thought of getting what Frederick was lacking from another guy.
Sometimes I fantasies about meeting a guy that will give me to me hard without any string attached
I needed to be satisfied so bad that it started affecting my closeness with Frederick.
If not for the fear of God and the saving grace that Frederick accepted that he was not 100% when it comes to satisfying me, I would have probably lost my way or become a shadow of myself.
Also because we could talk about it without any of us cursing on each other.

The fact is, we women are human, we want to be satisfy sexually and if don’t get it, the worse ideas comes to our mind.
So your wife is no exception to this rule if you don’t do something about it quickly before it gets out of hand.But I was lucky because as much as we discussed about it, Frederick didn’t stop looking for a solution to his twin problem of small Johnson and 1 minute maness (if there is a word like that)

Frederick tried everything the doctors recommended but couldn’t get one that will totally fix the situation.Some recommendations were harmful or had side effects.
After years of trying different things that didn’t work for my husband, Few months ago, we found a heaven sent natural solution that worked like magic.
In fact just few days after discovering this solution, Frederick drove me to cloud 9 and back after many years. My joy knew no bounds that day.
Not only because Frederick now has a Johnson big enough to fill my honey pot or because he can now go on and on for 30 minutes till I beg him to come.

You can hear from him here http://www.bit.ly/linda-2
But because I can finally clear off the thoughts of cheating on my caring and loving husband from my mind.

Will you like to discover exactly what Frederick found that helped me get rid of his 1 minute maness and small Johnson?
As for me, I am the luckiest and happiest Wife I can be to my Husband because he didn’t neglect my emotions and feeling,
But he went all the way without giving up till he found the secret solution that eluded him for years.
And its your own turn to do the same for your wife, fiancé or girlfriend.

Iranian artist and activist who was forced to undergo a virginity test has been freed - Amnesty

Iranian artist and activist Atena Farghadani who was forced to undergo a "virginity test" has been freed. She was released yesterday, May 5 after an appeal court in Tehran dramatically reduced her original 12-years and nine months sentence to 18 months, most of which she had already served.


"The release of Iranian artist and activist Atena Farghadani yesterday is a long-overdue step towards righting the injustice against her and must be followed by the immediate and unconditional release of other peaceful artists and activists who remain behind bars, Amnesty International said today.
"Atena Farghadani’s release represents a legal and moral victory for her and encourages the efforts of activists worldwide to campaign for the release of other prisoners of conscience in Iran, as well as for reforms to the unjust laws used to put them behind bars in the first place," said Magdalena Mughrabi, interim Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.
"While this is a time for celebration, it is vital that the world doesn’t forget that Atena Farghadani should never have been imprisoned in the first place and that many others like her continue to languish in cells or have the threat of prison hanging over their head for peacefully exercising their rights."
Atena Farghadani’s release came after an appeal court in Tehran dramatically reduced her original 12-years and nine months sentence to 18 months, most of which she had already served. The court, however, suspended a three-year prison sentence imposed for “insulting the Iranian Supreme Leader” for four years meaning that the threat of imprisonment will hang over Atena Farghadani during that period. The Iranian authorities often resort to suspended sentences to create a climate of fear, coercing activists, journalists and others into silence or self-censorship.

Atena Farghadani was sentenced on 1 June 2015 after a Revolutionary Court convicted her, following a grossly unfair trial, of charges including “gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security”, “spreading propaganda against the system”, “insulting the Iranian Supreme Leader”, and “insulting members of parliament through paintings”.

All the charges stemmed from her peaceful activities including meeting with families of political prisoners, criticising the authorities on social media and through her artwork, which included a cartoon that satirized members of Iran’s parliament for considering bills that restrict access to voluntary contraception and family planning services.

In August 2015, Atena Farghadani said in a note, smuggled out of prison, that the authorities had subjected her to a forced ‘virginity test’. Earlier in 2016, the authorities confirmed her subjection to these tests. “Virginity testing” is highly discriminatory, compromises women’s dignity and rights to physical and mental integrity, and has been recognised as a violation of the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment.

Earlier in December 2014, when she was out on bail, Atena Farghadani released a video message describing how female prison guards at Evin prison had beaten her, verbally abused her and forced her to strip naked for a body search.
“The Iranian authorities have 18 months of appalling injustice to make up for and they should start by investigating Atena Farghadani’s torture and other ill-treatment including forced ‘virginity testing’. They should also ensure that her conviction and suspended sentence are quashed,” said Magdalena Mughrabi.
Atena Farghadani’s release comes at a time when scores of others face harsh prison sentences imposed for their peaceful human rights activism. They include Atena Daemi, Omid Alishenas, Saeed Hosseinzadeh, and Asou Rostami, all of whom were arrested at around the same time and have been sentenced to harsh prison terms following grossly unfair trials on similar charges to Atena Farghadani.
“The conviction and sentences of all these young activists must be immediately quashed and the Iranian authorities must stop using the threat of incarceration to stifle Iran’s young generation of activists,” said Magdalena Mughrabi.
“Of course, a prisoner release is only a first step – the Iranian authorities must also reform the country’s repressive laws, which for too long have been used to clamp down on dissent. As long as these laws remain on the books, human rights defenders and activists will remain at risk of being jailed simply for expressing their opinions.
In its April 2016 ruling, the Appeal Court in Tehran upheld Atena Farghadani’s 18 months prison term imposed for the charge of “spreading propaganda against the system” but acquitted her from the charge of “gathering and colluding against national security”. It commuted the nine-month imprisonment sentence for “insulting members of parliament through paintings”, “insulting the President” and “insulting prison officials” to a cash fine.

Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, adopted in May 2013, maintains vaguely worded “crimes” such as “spreading propaganda against the system”, “creating unease in the public mind”, “insulting Islamic sanctities” and “membership of an illegal group”. These “offences” are frequently used to curb the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Such laws and practices violate Iran’s international obligations, including those under Articles 19, 21 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

Source: Amnesty

Photos: Family of woman killed by soldier on daughter's wedding day seeks justice as C.O offers N200k as compensation.

The family of Mrs Alice Akparobi Orobogha who was shot dead by a soldier in Delta State has demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice. The Commanding Officer of the 3 Battalion Effurun Division, Major Azanku, has offered N200,000 as compensation to the family to avoid a legal battle. But the family turned down the offer.


The middle aged level twelve judicial officer with Oleh High Court, was on her way to her daughter's wedding when she was killed by one of the soldiers deployed to enforce the no-movement restriction during environmental sanitation at Jakpa Junction, Uvwie council area of Delta State on April 30, 2016.

According to Sahara Reporters, the son of the deceased, Shedrack Aktarobi, appealed to the State and federal governments to immediately intervene in the matter and ensure that the culprits are held accountable for their actions.

The deceased reportedly boarded a commercial tricycle to a relative’s home near the venue of the wedding in order to make it on time, due to the restriction of movement. The soldiers were said to have flagged down the tricyclist claiming it was not yet 10 a.m. When the driver refused to stop, one of the soldiers fired a at the tricycle, as the rider was apparently not going to stop, killing the woman.

A human rights activist, Rockson Igelige, has lent his voice to the demand for the prosecution of the officer involved in the heinous act by the appropriate security agencies. Mr. Igelige warned that shielding the perpetrator from justice would encourage more killings as their actions would go unpunished.

Source: Sahara Reporters

See PDP's reaction to Buhari signing the 2016 budget into law

President Buhari signed the 2016 budget into law today.

North West and her cousins have fun during Cuba vacation (Photos)

kanye West and Kim Kardashian's daughter North West, 2, had so much fun when she alongside her cousins Penelope, three, and Mason, six were taken to an amusement park in Havana, Cuba by their parents Kim and Kourtney. More photos after the cut.

Photos: President Buhari signs the 2016 Budget

President Buhari signed the 2016 budget into law at the Presidential Villa today, Friday 6th of May. Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Bukola Saraki & Speaker Yakubu Dogara were present at the signing. More photos after the cut...

Messi floors Ronaldo Again

Nissan have teamed up with Loughborough University to find out what makes football so exciting for fans Ronaldo and Messi British men find watching Lionel Messi more exciting than any other players in the Uefa Champions League, according to a survey by Nissan as part of their Excitement Index. 
   64% of Brits stated they found Messi exciting to watch with Barcelona team-mate 
Luis Suarez (47%) coming second and Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo (25%) coming third. British fans are also looking forward to Leicester City’s imminent debut season in next season’s Uefa Champions League. 
22% of Brits claimed they find Leicester exciting to watch, ranking them above the last two season’s beaten finalists, Atletico Madrid and Juventus! Moving away from the pitch slightly, British men get more excited about watching football than having sex. 
56% of men in Britain stated watching their favourite team provides them with more excitement than getting intimate with their loved ones. When asked to rate the two aspects of their lives they found most exciting, nearly one in three (30%) chose their football club, compared to less than one in five (16%) who chose their job.

ROYAL COUPLE STEPS OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME TOGETHER: OONI OF IFE

The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi & his Olori, Wuraola Zynab Otiti stepped out today for the very first time since their Wedding & Thanksgiving ceremony. The Royal Couple attended the first matriculation ceremony of the Kings University, Ode-Omu, Osun state.

A Petition by An Angry Candidate who scored 90 in Jamb

Dear Jamb
My name is Yaniel Yogene, i am came from Nigeria,.
I writed Jamb and scoring 90. That was a big fat lie, I say is a big
serious fat lie because I doing lesson for 1 months and I count my
book very well.
I supposing to getting 95 in Inglich and 90 in Litirachure but you gaven
me 15 in Inglich and 20 in Litirachure.
Did me not didding my CRS very well? Did Jonah not staying in the lion
hole and Elijah sleeping in the shark belle?
Did Daniel not calling down fire with Baal and and Samuel leding Israel
from Egypt?
Did something very fast fast because i can not took that mark. In facts,
I supposing to be scoring 280.
You us faithfoolly
Yaniel Yogene

Minister wants Re-presentation of Gender Equality Bill

Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development, Sen. Aisha Al-Hassan, on Thursday urged the sponsor of the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill to represent it to the Senate. The Bill, sponsored by Senate Minority Whip, Biodun Olujimi, was thrown out by the Senate on Tuesday. Alhassan Al-Hassan spoke on the sidelines of the 60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at UN headquarters in New York. “I received with mixed feelings, news of the rejection of the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill by the Nigerian Senate. “The Bill would have addressed discriminatory practices against women, access to education, female entrepreneurship development, participation in governance, decision making and protection against violence. “We had hoped that with its passage Nigeria would have made a significant leap in the advancement of women, in conformity with UN Conventions, and other related instruments on the rights and development of women. “However, with due respect to religious and cultural sensitivities, we believe that the bill will be re-presented to the Senate, as soon as all contentious areas are addressed”, she said. The minister assured Nigerians that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development will always do its best to promote the protection of Nigerian women against violence and all forms of abuses. She said Nigeria cannot afford to neglect women who constituted half of its population, and that there would be no meaningful development without the involvement of women. “We will continue to urge the Nigerian Senate to reconsider its position to ensure a speedy passage of the Bill,” she said. She said in Nigeria, women represented 49 per cent of the population, yet they occupied less than six per cent of parliamentary seats at the national level. These indicators, she said, negated International, regional and national benchmarks of at least 30 per cent representation for affirmative action. Al-Hassan said with seven women out of 109 Senators and 14 out of the 360 Representatives; women in Nigerian 8th Parliament were clearly outnumbered by their male counterparts. Nationwide, she said, in both Federal and State Legislatures, “there are less than 100 women out of the over one thousand four hundred men in parliament. “Nigeria is yet to be part of the African revolution although it is the largest economy and the most populous black nation. “The low representation of women in parliament has been attributed to cultural, traditional, religious, and financial factors because politics is capital intensive. Others are violence and inhibiting gender roles and capacity in internal party democracies. The minister also said there was urgent need to fast track modalities for increased representation of women in parliament and other decision-making organs.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/minister-wants-re-presentation-gender-equality-bill/

Boko Haram: Sambisa Forest as big as Enugu state- Burutai

ENUGU – The Military High Command, Thursday,explained that the expanse of Sambisa forest, in Borno State where Boko Haram terrorists are hiding is largely responsible for the delay in flushing out the insurgents. This is even as the Army revealed that an investigative panel has been set up to look into the alleged killing of members of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra,MASSOB,and the Indigenous People of Biafra,IPOB,protesting the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu,Radio Biafra Director,in Aba,Abia State. File: Sambisa Forest Chief of. Army Staff, COAS, Tukur Burutai, said during the familiarization tour of  82 Division,Enugu, said, “we are already in Sambisa forest. But Sambisa is as big as Enugu State which needs thorough planning for logistics and other manpower needed. That accounts for the delay. In flushing out the insurgents. The alleged incident of killing of MASSOB, IPOB members by the Army in Aba will be investigated. “Since my appointment,we have set out to build a professionally responsible Army in the discharge of its constitutional role which is the result of what we are seeing today. We have taken steps to ensure that education within the Army is paramount to ensure that troops operate within the rules of engagement.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/boko-haram-sambisa-forest-big-enugu-state-buratai/

How would you react if a lecturer slap you unjustly.

See hilarious captions of people's comments below

Ranking of Obas: Amosun wades into Alake Awujale rows...

#smh our kings are like beggars nowadays

Abeokuta—Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, yesterday, met with the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, and the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, in a bid to broker peace between the two top Yoruba traditional rulers. The two monarchs have been at loggerheads since Alake was alleged to have listed five top traditional rulers which put Awujale at the rear. Alake placed Ooni of Ife as number one, followed by Alaafin of Oyo, Oba of Benin, himself as number four and Awujale last. He had based his grading on the classification provided by the colonial masters based on their remuneration. But Awujale responded at an event in Lagos where he described Alake as a junior traditional ruler in Yorubaland. The governor and the two monarchs emerged from the meeting held at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan at 3:45 pm. The meeting, which was reportedly at the instance of the governor lasted for three hours. The closed door meeting was held by the governor, Awujale and Alake while those who accompanied them were not allowed at the meeting. Vanguard reliably gathered that the meeting was stormy as the Awujale reportedly came with some newspapers which carried the latest Alake’s vituperation to  express his anger. It was further gathered that the Alake also expressed his disappointment over the Awujale’s comment on the ranking and the allegations levelled against him. A top government official told Vanguard that the Awujale brought out a copy of Vanguard newspaper which carried the recent Alake reaction to his comment in Lagos. Fielding questions from newsmen, the governor said the presence of the two monarchs had nothing to do with the current crisis between them. The governor when asked about the outcome of the meeting with the  Obas, said; “I don’t want you to go and write anything out of context. Yes, we are here, our fathers are here to see me. Of course, we deliberated on so many things. I’m sure you want to say what is happening. Indeed nothing is happening. “They came here to see the possibility of how to make sure we have peace  in the state, among so many other things that we discussed. When asked about what transpired at the meeting, he said; “Don’t just sit somewhere and write. But for this matter, there is nothing like ranking of Obas. We know ourselves.” When asked why he was at the governor’s office, Awujale said “I want to say hello to you….there is no problem gentlemen, please. Thank you. There is no crisis between us, thank you.” In his response, Alake said he was at the Government’s House to brief him on the ongoing strike action by the state workers. Our fathers have ways, even before the advent of the colonial masters and  we have ways of living in harmony and I think we will continue to do that. “Don’t forget, and I’m saying this again with all  sense of responsibility, that in the context of we Yorubas, we know our pre-eminence status. ‘’Those of us from Ogun State want to keep up with that tradition. We are not going to fan any ember of disunity. What we are known for in Ogun State is that we are one and we are still one. Indeed, in the comity of the Yorubas, we know what we do, we know what we stand for and we will continue to do that”. Attempt by newsmen to get the governor talking on the crisis failed as he was evasive, denying intervening in the crisis by asking; “Intervene in what?”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/ranking-of-obas-amosun-wades-into-alake-awujale-row/

Candidates rejects UTME scores, and demands for scrapping of Jamb. What went wrong? Is Jamb losing it?

Some candidates who sat for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, organised by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, have rejected their scores to the examination being sent to their phones, saying the results are beyond their expectations. Speaking to Vanguard Learning, some candidates said JAMB is intentionally tampering with and failing candidates. For Anuoluwapo Oni, “I wrote the exam on March 5 but my result was tampered with as another person’s result was sent to me and posted on the JAMB website. Please note that I am not the only one with this problem, and we need a platform to voice our complaints.” For Joy Ezeani, “2016 UTME candidates, especially those that took their exams on 8th to10th of March 2016, are pleading with JAMB officials to stop scoring us too low. The systems we used were not good as they were always tripping off and we would have to wait for the server to come up. That really wasted our time.” In the same vein, Femi Adeoti said “JAMB is intentionally failing candidates and most of my friends and classmates are negatively affected. If you do very well, JAMB will score you 36 or less. I am really pained because I am a distinction student from Yaba College of Technology, so I wonder how I can score 184 in ordinary UTME. Please help us get our messages across.” Calling for the scrapping of JAMB as its objectives have been compromised, 22 years old Umar Ali from Kano State, said this year’s examinations show that JAMB can’t organise credible assessment of students for admission into tertiary institutions. He said: “The CBT mode of examination is a very good development if there is constant electricity, but this year’s exam was conducted at a time when electricity generation is below 1,570 MW. “

In my own opinion, scraping Jamb is not the way forward. I am suggesting they should reverse to PBT. ICT is alien to Nigeria and the country is not ready for it. 

Nigerians no longer happy, drops in Global Happiness Ranking

Abuja – Nigeria has been ranked the 103 happiest nation of the world, and 6th in Africa in the World Happiness Report. The World Happiness Report 2016 update, which ranks 157 countries by their happiness levels, was released in Rome on Wednesday, in advance of UN World Happiness Day, March 20th. As indicated by the report, Nigeria dropped from its 78th position in the World and 2nd in Africa in the 2015 happiness ranking. Denmark emerged the world’s happiest place, while Algeria, standing at 38 at the global level, maintains its position as the happiest place in Africa. Mauritius is now the second happiest country in Africa, followed by Libya, Morocco and Tunisia respectively. According to the report, eight sub-Saharan countries were among the 10 least happy places on earth to live. The bottom 10 were; Madagascar, Tanzania, Liberia, Guinea, Rwanda, Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi. South Africa and Ghana stood at 116 and 124 respectively on the Global happiness ranking. The World Happiness Report, an initiative of the UN, is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness, aimed at influencing government policy. The report reviews the state of happiness in the world and shows how the new science of happiness explains personal and national variations in happiness. It reflects a new worldwide demand for more attention to happiness as criteria for government policy. According to the report, leading experts across fields – economics, psychology, survey analysis, national statistics, health, public policy and more – describe how measurements of well-being can be used effectively to assess the progress of nations. Healthy years of life expectancy, GDP per capital, social support , perceived absence of corruption in government and business, freedom to make life decisions and generosity are some of the factors the report considers. The first world happiness report was published in support of the April 2, 2012 United Nations (UN) high level meeting on happiness and well-being. The report was prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Prof. Jeffrey Sachs is the head of the SDSN and special advisor to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/nigerians-no-longer-happy-drop-in-global-hapiness-ranking/