Photo: IK Ogbonna & Colombian girlfriend Sonia loved up in a pool

That's somebody's property, comot ya eyes from there! Lol. Actor and model IK Ogbonna and his Colombian girlfriend Sonia Moralez pictured having a great time in a pool

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FG declares October 6th and 7th public holiday

The Federal government has declared Monday October 6th and Tuesday October 7th as public holidays to mark the Islamic celebration, Id-El-Kabir

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'Dead' woman heard screaming from inside coffin after being buried alive

Cemetery workers raced to a newly-dug grave after they heard banging and muffled shouting an hour after a 45-year-old woman was buried.

As they grabbed tools and anything they could find, they rushed to dig the grave up again after the woman woke up to find herself buried alive in a coffin.

But tragically, the un-named woman died before her would-be rescuers could reach her inside the plot at a cemetery near Greece’s Thessaloniki.

Now police are probing why the woman was pronounced dead by doctors treating her for cancer, only to be found alive.


Her grieving family arranged her funeral at the graveyard in Peraia, a small town 16 miles south of Thessaloniki, Greece’s main city in the north.

Shortly after the last relatives left the cemetery on Thursday, residents and a group of children playing outside reportedly heard a female voice shouting for help from inside the grave.

They called the police, and began digging up the grave to save her but she had suffocated to death inside the coffin, it was reported.

However, a doctor who was at the scene and examined the woman’s body, said she had been dead for hours and could not have been revived.

Dr Chrissi Matsikoudi told Greek TV channel MEGA: "I just don’t believe it. We did several tests including one for heart failure on the body. It would have been impossible for someone in a state of rigor mortis to have been shouting and hitting the coffin like that.”

A coroner is expected to examine the body.

Meanwhile, relatives of the dead woman say they are considering filing a complaint against the doctors responsible for her treatment at the cancer clinic.

Source: UK Mirror

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EFCC Arraign Two for $91,000 Internet Fraud

 

Find the EFCC press release below...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, September 26, 2014arraigned Dandeson Ebosele Ibhonitie, 26, (a.k.a Dandy James, Connor Mead and Barrister Louis Harpoch and Ohiwerei Charity, 31, before Justice E. F. Ikponmwen of Edo State High Court, Benin-City on a 3- count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.

Ibhonitie and Charity allegedly belong to the group of fraudsters using the internet to defraud unsuspecting victims.

Ibhonitie allegedly defrauded one Mrs. Weidman Andrea Sabrie, a German, of the sum of $ 91,000 (Ninety-One Thousand United States Dollars) by pretending to be an American working in Nigeria for a road construction company.

To access the proceeds of the fraud, Ibhonitie allegedly opened a domiciliary account in the name of one Mr. Steven. He entered into an agreement with Charity, the account officer that opened the account for him, on how the proceeds from the crime will be shared. By the arrangement, Charity was to keep 3 percent of every inflow to herself while 7 percent will go to Ibhonitie. The remaining 90 percent, by the arrangement, went to Steven. However, investigations showed that Ibhonitie was the same as Steven.

When the charges were read to them, they pleaded not guilty.

One of the counts read:
"Dandeson Ebosele Ibhonitie (a.k.a Dandy James, Connor Mead, Barrister Louis Harpoch, Brett Francis Steven (still at large) and Ohiwerei Charity on or about the 2nd day of April, 2014 at Benin within the Benin judicial division, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of USD 45,000.00(Forty Five Thousand United State Dollars) from Mrs. Weidman Andrea Sabrie, a German national through Skye Bank of Nigeria Limited Account No: 2520346555 in the name of Dandy James by falsely pretending to her that the said sum of money represented legal fee for Barrister Louis Harpoch for your defense which pretence you knew to be false".

In view of their pleas, prosecuting counsel, Ayokunle Fayanju, prayed the court for a trial date. He also opposed the bail applications of the defendants.

Justice Ikponmwen adjourned the matter till August, 30, 2014 for hearing of bail applications and ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison custody.

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Meet the two children saved by Clay & Lamboginny Living Project

14 year-old Aminu Alhaji and nine year-old Dorcas Oladuni are the first beneficiaries of the Clay-Lamboginny Living Project, which is aimed at facilitating surgeries for under privilege kids across Nigeria.

Since a tragic accident on his way to purchase pure water for hawking in order to survive, Aminu Alhaji has been unable to pass urine with his private organs and has been at a ward of the General hospital Lagos for the pass two years.

At a tender age, his life has been a challenging one with the loss of his parents and separation from his siblings during the Kaduna crisis.

Aminu has been diagnosed with Urethral Lateralization Structure as the accident initially robbed him of his ability to excrete both feces and urine but due to the kindness of the hospital several operations had been carried out which restored his ability to pass feces but he currently has to carry a urine bag about as he cannot urinate and would need to undergo another urethral Structure Repair but has no one to foot his bills.

The above picture of Dorcas Odunlami is really a sight for sorry eyes. She has her large intestines, which are bagged and taped, to her stomach. Her inability to pass feces through the right channel is as a result of Hirschproy disease. She has undergone several surgeries (colostomy, pull through surgery) and currently her mother is unable to afford any more medical procedure, which left her at the hospital since January 2014.

These kids are two out of thousands of Nigerian Kids whose lives are rolling by before their eyes due to medical issues that can be easily paid for and carried out successfully in Nigeria.

The Clay-Lamboginny Living Project will not only cover their medical bills, but the duo of Aminu and Dorcas have become the fortunate beneficiaries of the Clay-Lamboginny Scholarship award for two under-privileged kids.

At 14, Aminu’s highest level of education was stopped at Primary 4 while Dorcas was in Primary 2 before her condition halted her schooling. With the support of the Welfare Department of the General Hospital, Lagos, Aminu will be placed at an orphanage and both kids will be given an opportunity after their surgeries to continue their education up to to the tertiary level.

For Dorcas and Aminu the light of hope has come to shine on them, through the living Project. There is so much more that can be done, as investing in a child’s life is an investment into the future. Listen and download exclusively on LIB the new theme song below titled "Living by Clayy & Lamboginny"

#Living is produced by Don Adah. @clayy @lamboginny

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No contravention notice was served on our building before it collapsed - Synagogue

The Synagogue Church this evening denied online reports that the collapsed 6-storey building was at one time sealed by the Lagos state government and a contravention notice served on the church. Below is a statement they posted on their Facebook page...

This is an official communication from The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations regarding some stories currently being reported in the media about the recent incident that happened in The SCOAN.

Our attention has been drawn to a publication in the Vanguard Newspaper of 26th September 2014 titled, ‘Synagogue: We Sealed Off Building Before Collapse – LSBCA’.

In the article, the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, Mrs Abimbola Animashahun Odunayo was quoted as saying that the agency had sealed off the building before it collapsed and that the church ignored the warnings of the agency to stop construction. The story was initially published by online media portal News24.

We deem it necessary to state that the above publication is not true in that:
1. No contravention notice was served on the church before the collapse because there was no reason for the issuance of such notices.
2. The building had never been sealed off for any reason whatsoever before the collapse of 12th September, 2014.
3. At no time was any stop-work notice or directive served on the church or pasted on the building prior to 12th September, 2014.

We however wish to state that the letters that were written to the church by LSBCA were written after the collapse of 12/09/14 in the following order:

1. A letter dated 16/09/2014 Ref No. LASBCA/AL/PCA/DH/01 requesting for the submission of a development permit and approval of structures within the church complex, four days after the building collapsed.
2. A contravention notice dated 17/09/2014 Ref No. AL/LASBCA/DH/PCA/CN 06 alleging certain contraventions, five days after the building collapsed.
3. A letter dated 17/09/14 Ref No. AL/LASBCA/DH/PCA/CN 06 requesting for non-destructive tests for structural stability, five days after the building collapsed.

It must be noted that no sealing or quit notice has been served as the building never called for such.

In the above circumstances, we would like to believe that LSBCA has been quoted out of context with the motive of destroying the ongoing investigation into the case as well as casting doubt on the position of the church that the collapse was due to an attack.

Our attention was also drawn to a publication in Nigeria’s Guardian Newspaper of Friday 26th September 2014 titled, ‘Early Probe Report Indicates Compromise In Synagogue Building.’

The article quoted the Honourable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Lagos State, Mr Toyin Ayinde, as saying that one of the columns or pillars of the collapsed building in the church measured 2 feet by 2 feet and that the reinforcement used for the same was 16mm.

This publication is also misleading and untrue. There is no doubt that it was calculated to give the impression that the collapse was due to structural defects as against the position of the church to the contrary.

We hereby request all the involved parties to take the necessary steps towards correcting such dangerous misinformation so as not to mislead the entire country and the international community.

We also urge the media to take necessary steps towards avoiding the publication of unconfirmed stories in future.

We should not pre-empt and interfere with the ongoing investigation.

The SCOAN

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Plateau State Reportedly Budgets N442 Million for Plates, Spoons & Curtains

The Plateau government is said to have sent a supplementary budget of N23.4 billion to the state House of Assembly for review and approval – barely six months to the end of the administration.

Included in the budget, is N442, 289, 600 allocated for the purchase of customized cutlery, the supply and fixing of curtains, and other items for the new government house,

Other items included in the budget are:

• Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle for the Chief Judge of Plateau State: N25, 625, 675. 68


• Toyota Corolla for the Chief Registrar, Plateau State Judiciary: N7, 545, 398, 68


• The completion of road projects, the office of the SSG at the new Government House and provision of infrastructure and office equipment at the new office of the Board of Internal revenue: N13 billion


• State water board: N 1.5 billion

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Victoria Beckham Appointed Goodwill Ambassador of UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) on Friday, annouced the appointment of  leading fashion designer, Victoria Beckham as its International Goodwill Ambassador.

Bechkam’s appointment was made by the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibe while briefing journalists at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Sidibe said: “I dream of a generation free of HIV and I know that Beckham’s support will help us to achieve this shared goal.

“In her role as an ambassador for UNAIDS, Beckham will work towards ensuring that all children are born free from HIV and that women who are living with and infected by HIV, have access to medicare.

“Her creativity, innovation and outreach will amplify our efforts and bring us one important step closer towards ending the AIDS epidemic.”

Responding, Beckham said: “This is the beginning of an important journey for me. As a woman and mother, I have a responsibility to support other women.

“I am proud and honoured to be working with UNAIDS in this new role to help raise resources and awareness to support and empower women and children affected by HIV.

“Babies should not be born with HIV.”

UNAIDS is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV and AIDS epidemic.

The mission of UNAIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an expanded response to HIV and AIDS that includes preventing transmission of HIV, providing care and support to those already living with the virus, reducing the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV and alleviating the impact of the epidemic.

UNAIDS seeks to prevent the HIV/AIDS epidemic from becoming a severe pandemic.

It has five goals namely: Leadership and advocacy for effective action on the epidemic; strategic information and technical support to guide efforts against AIDS worldwide  and tracking, monitoring and evaluation of the epidemic and of responses to it.

Others are civil society engagement and the development of strategic partnerships and mobilization of resources to support an effective response.

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Shocking Details Behind Couple’s Jordin Sparks & Jason Derulo Split

A source claims the ‘Wiggle’ singer had stable ‘side’ chick he constantly lied to about his relationship with Jordin

Reports have confirmed that after three years of dating, Jordin Sparks and Jason Derulo ultimately called it quits. Apparently there are no “hard feelings” between the two ex-lovers, but did the “Marry Me” crooner actually cheat on his Battlefield muse?

[caption id="attachment_3834" align="aligncenter" width="244"] Carmen Ortega, Jason Derulo’s alleged side chick[/caption]

Derulo was rumoredly “hooking-up” with aspiring model Carmen Ortega behind Sparks’ back, according to MediaTakeOut.com.

A close source tells the site the 25-year-old “Wiggle” superstar kept Ortega as his go-to side-chick for several months but the brunette bombshell finally broke things off because she wanted something more serious:

“Carmen didn’t even know about Jordin, and when she found out how serious she and Jason were, she broke it off… Jason would lie to her and say that his relationship with Jordin was just for Hollywood.”… Ouch!!!

The source added that after Ortega realized Derulo was just a player, she dumped him: “Jason was texting her, and calling her like crazy. He was obsessed. I feel so sorry for Jordin.”

Sparks supposedly knew about Derulo’s deceitful ways, but stayed with him anyway. The source claims that “Jason was her first, he took her virginity. She didn’t want to let him go.”

Looks like Jason was wiggling his way into tomany female hearts!!!

 

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SCOAN Blasts Nigerian Media Over Incorrect Reports

[caption id="attachment_3823" align="aligncenter" width="644"] The collapsed building, Prophet T.B. Joshua[/caption]

Since the six-storey guest house inside the church’s premises collapsed as additional floors were added to the original 2 storey building, the Nigerian news media has been agog with various reports concerning the unfortunate incident.

The Nigerian news media in a bid to do its work has fed fat on this incident, shedding more light into what really went wrong. First, a journalist, Nicholas Ibekwe, came out with a recorded voice-note proof claiming that the the overseer of the SCOAN mission, Prophet T. B. Joshua offered journalists N50,000 bribe in which he turned down.

Another was that the building was sealed off by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LSBCA) a body that which regulates and also concerned with buildings and structures in Lagos state, before the unfortunate incident. The list of updates on this incident is endless.

[caption id="attachment_3824" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Church members, witnesses at the scene of the tragedy[/caption]

READ ALSO: T.B. Joshua Makes Another Statement On SCOAN CollapseHowever, the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) has taken to Facebook some minutes ago to show contempt at a few stories that has gone round recently. The post which carefully did not talk about the N5o,000 bribery allegations sadly made an attempt to correct some of the stories that was published in two different popular Nigerian media outfits.

Below is the content of the write-up:

This is an official communication from The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations regarding some stories currently being reported in the media about the recent incident that happened in The SCOAN.

Our attention has been drawn to a publication in the Vanguard Newspaper of 26th September 2014 titled, ‘Synagogue: We Sealed Off Building Before Collapse – LSBCA’.

In the article, the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, Mrs Abimbola Animashahun Odunayo was quoted as saying that the agency had sealed off the building before it collapsed and that the church ignored the warnings of the agency to stop construction. The story was initially published by online media portal News24.

We deem it necessary to state that the above publication is not true in that:
1. No contravention notice was served on the church before the collapse because there was no reason for the issuance of such notices.
2. The building had never been sealed off for any reason whatsoever before the collapse of 12th September, 2014.
3. At no time was any stop-work notice or directive served on the church or pasted on the building prior to 12th September, 2014.

We however wish to state that the letters that were written to the church by LSBCA were written after the collapse of 12/09/14 in the following order:

1. A letter dated 16/09/2014 Ref No. LASBCA/AL/PCA/DH/01 requesting for the submission of a development permit and approval of structures within the church complex, four days after the building collapsed.
2. A contravention notice dated 17/09/2014 Ref No. AL/LASBCA/DH/PCA/CN 06 alleging certain contraventions, five days after the building collapsed.
3. A letter dated 17/09/14 Ref No. AL/LASBCA/DH/PCA/CN 06 requesting for non-destructive tests for structural stability, five days after the building collapsed.

It must be noted that no sealing or quit notice has been served as the building never called for such.

In the above circumstances, we would like to believe that LSBCA has been quoted out of context with the motive of destroying the ongoing investigation into the case as well as casting doubt on the position of the church that the collapse was due to an attack.

Our attention was also drawn to a publication in Nigeria’s Guardian Newspaper of Friday 26th September 2014 titled, ‘Early Probe Report Indicates Compromise In Synagogue Building.’

The article quoted the Honourable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Lagos State, Mr Toyin Ayinde, as saying that one of the columns or pillars of the collapsed building in the church measured 2 feet by 2 feet and that the reinforcement used for the same was 16mm.

This publication is also misleading and untrue. There is no doubt that it was calculated to give the impression that the collapse was due to structural defects as against the position of the church to the contrary.

We hereby request all the involved parties to take the necessary steps towards correcting such dangerous misinformation so as not to mislead the entire country and the international community.

We also urge the media to take necessary steps towards avoiding the publication of unconfirmed stories in future.

We should not pre-empt and interfere with the ongoing investigation.

The SCOAN

It would be recalled that just recently, following the tragedy, two South Africans, Thanduxolo Doro and Mpho Molebatsi, who lost relatives in the incidence have revealed plans to sue Prophet TB Joshua.

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A stripper is claiming Chris Brown is the father of her 3 year old son

A popular Atlanta dancer/stripper named Reign is claiming Chris Brown is the father of her 3 year old son.

The 32 year old woman, who used to work at popular club Doa, filed paperwork at Fulton County Court in Atlanta this week against Chris asking a judge to mandate him to take a paternity test. Chris has so far not reacted to the allegation...

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Timaya's babymama says she can never love another man...

Never say never boo...but it's a good thing she feels that way about the father of her child. When Timaya, who is currently on tour in Holland shared the pic above of himself shopping for his baby mama, Barbara, an excited Barbara went on to the comment section to pledge her unending love for him, saying 'Trust me, I can never love another man.'  Go get your ring girl. See that after the cut

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Photo: EFCC declares NGO coordinator wanted over N76m DUD cheques

The EFCC has declared one Chief Hope Rexlawson (pictured above) wanted for issuing two DUD cheques totaling N76million for the purchase of 46 vehicles. Find the EFCC press statement below

The public is hereby notified that Chief Hope Rexlawson, whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in connection with a case of Issuance of Dud Cheque.

RexLawson in his capacity as the National Coordinator of Rebuild Nigeria Initiative NGO, allegedly issued several EcoBank and Zenith Bank cheques to Goshen Motors Limited as payment for 46 Vehicles.

The cheques totalling N73, 600, 000.00 (Seventy Three Million Six Hundred Thousand Naira) were returned unpaid upon presentation at the Bank due to insufficient funds in the account.

Dark complexioned Rexlawson is 41 years old and of medium height. He is an indigene of Buguma in Asari Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

His last known residential address was No. 9B Constitution Avenue, Gaduwa Estate, Gudu, Abuja.

Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should contact the Commission in its Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt and Abuja offices or through these numbers 09-9044751-3, 08093322644, 08183322644, 070-26350721-3,070-6350724-5; its e-mail address: info@efccnigeria.org or the nearest Police Station and other security agencies.

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Another Journalist comes for Nicholas Ibekwe...says N50k was a honorarium not bribe

Read journalist Femi Owolabi's incisive and different argument below...

Sometime in February, at an interactive session– in Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort– with Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti State, one of the participants– as many raised-hands jostled—was picked by the moderator to ask the governor his question. Nicholas Ibekwe, he would announce as his name. With an aura of confidence, he added, “I work with Premium Times.” His voice carried so much energy and his question[s] was punchy.  Nicholas appeared as the pugnacious type. You would notice this immediately he began to talk, gesturing more frankly.  Where I sat, a close distance to his seat, I nodded in admiration. This guy should replace one of those journalists who babysit Goodluck Jonathan during the presidential media chats. It is not certain if Goodluck will survive Nicholas.

There was something I was going to ask Nicholas after the session.

A month earlier, Nicholas’ Premium Times published an investigative report, Inside Nigeria’s Ruthless Human Trafficking Mafia. It was a report that overwhelmed one with sadness. A few days later, however, critical observers began to expose the faults in the story everybody had bought. The most vocal of these observers was the literary critic, Ikhide Ikheloa. “This story is a faabu,” Ikhide, on his Twitter and Facebook timelines, screamed morning, day, and night.  He would eventually produce an article, Tobore Ovuorie’s story: Fact or fiction? The critical pieces of evidence Ikheloa provided in that piece to suggest the story a fiction, are too weighty to be discarded. He ended with the line; ‘There are many reasons to confront this story, its veracity being the least, but still a crucial reason to deal with it. The credibility of a nation is pretty much gone, but once our journalists lose their credibility, it is all over.’

Day in, day out, Ikheloa would not relent. In every of his Facebook post, he pulled out the Managing Editors of Premium Times– Dapo Olorunyomi and Musikilu Mojeed– by the nape of their neck, to apologize to Nigerians for publishing what he called a fake story.

Later that evening in Ikogosi, as participants trooped to the poolside, where we go to lounge, I hastened my movement to meet Ibekwe who was ahead.

“Someone is discrediting an investigative report by Tobore Ovuore, one of your reporters at Premium Times,” I opened the conversation with Nicholas after we had exchanged handshakes. “He calls your bosses out every day in his Facebook mentions to whip them. I don’t like the way Ikhide is going about; rubbishing your newspaper which had become a household name, being a reliable news source.”

I needed a point from Nicholas (the man I had seen as a no-nonsense journalist from Premium Times), which I intended to use in a Facebook post to rebut Ikheloa’s criticism.

Nicholas looked at me, almost dismissively. He, however, managed to tell me that he knew nothing about all that. We couldn’t talk further as I left his side. That was the first and only time I had seen Nicholas Ibekwe.

If you do not know Nicholas Ibekwe, he is currently the most talked about Premium Times journalist who ‘exposed’ the bribery deal between popular Nigerian pastor, T.B Joshua and the journalists who went to his Synagogue Church of All Nation, where a collapsed building killed many. I have followed Nicholas’ tweets as they were consistently retweeted into my Twitter timeline. He is angry about many things; that Lagos Governor Fashola met with Joshua behind closed doors, and after the meeting, dodged reporters, and perhaps his most prioritized anger; how Joshua offered N50,000 bribe to each journalist at the press conference of September 14. He soon released a recording of the bribery deal he had alleged. And then, on the 23rd of September [yesterday], he eventually came out with his story: “Why I exposed T.B. Joshua for bribing journalists.”

So, why did Nicholas publish the audio? “…when I woke up last Saturday morning and saw the picture of President Goodluck Jonathan shaking hands with a grinning TB Joshua with headlines like ‘Jonathan consoles TB Joshua,’ I said damn it! I couldn’t stomach this blatant impunity.”

“Journalists shouldn’t be seen or heard telling the prime suspect they would write ‘just like you said’ after he offered to buy their consciences with N50, 000,” he also said.

I hadn’t listened to the audio. But in Nicholas’ story published in Premium Times, the audio was reproduced. I reached for my earpiece and gave that audio a rapt attention. Four minutes or there about. Perhaps I didn’t get the real thing, I played it again. And then, again. Time wouldn’t allow me, I would have transcribed here. Only first-class thinkers would agree with me. That audio I listened to has nothing to do with a bribery deal. Wait, you can call for my head later. Go back to that audio and listen again! In the audio, we hear Joshua announcing some 750k; to be shared, 50k each to journalists, to fuel their car. Some ask questions about the issue at hand, and Joshua– in a tone that depicts sobriety– answers them. And, as they round off, Joshua asks, ‘So, what are you going to write?’ and they all laugh at what seem a sarcastic remark from Joshua. I laughed, too.

In his story, however, Nicholas argued, “He clearly meant for the money to influence the reporting of the event, ‘So what are you going to write?’” he had asked. That makes it a bribe. Simple.’

Your head is in the air. Such is the problem when you are highly opinionated. By what logical conclusion do we pronounce that bribery?

Let me quickly state that it is wrong for Governor Fashola and President Jonathan to be seen patting Joshua’s shoulder over the collapsed building that was largely his fault. And of course, this is not an attempt to write in defence of Joshua. If you care to know, I may soon renounce my membership of the Pentecostal movement, following many atrocities within this Movement that do not stand well with me.

We are only stupid to assume 750k is money enough a bribe from T.B Joshua to hush journalists. The story was already in the mainstream media. I have watched NEMA PRO on Channels TV lamenting the difficulties they were having with T.B Joshua’s church authority. All had become clearer that there was illegal addition of storeys to the building which eventually resulted in the collapse. And even Joshua himself knows that the ‘hovering craft’ tale is not buyable. So, why exactly would he bribe journalists with 750k?

What is my point? That 50k is appropriately called honorarium. If after the announcement of that 50k for journalists to fuel their car and that Nicholas had rejected, he was then called back to further negotiate an increase, then it becomes a bribe! They are desperate about hiding something! Oxford dictionary helps us with the definition of an honorarium: ‘A payment given for professional services that are rendered nominally without charge.’ T.B. Joshua is no fool to think 750k is okay to bribe journalists so the story is not exposed. That is simply honorarium, and it follows the tradition of the church.

On the other hand, Oxford dictionary says this about bribe: ‘A sum of money or other inducement offered or given to bribe someone.’ Is Nicholas insinuating that 50k to fuel his car poses a bribery threat? Is it that Nicholas couldn’t have accepted that 50k and still go ahead to publish his investigative findings? When such honorariums are doled out, no journalist is held by any obligatory terms to accept. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the story, I, as a [freelance] journalist may accept or reject such honorarium. It would take the next lifetime to have me bribed so I won’t expose a story. If you decide to force the ‘honorarium’ on me, I will take it. I have a network of friends whose stomachs are an empty tank of beer. They will beer with that money and that story you are desperate in hiding from the public would have a smooth ride to the press.

Many people are aware of my affiliation with the APC, and admiration for Kayode Fayemi. The report I did for The Scoop after the Ekiti governorship election did not, in a single sentence, favour APC and the party’s flag-bearer, Fayemi. My editor was worried. He wanted a balanced feel in the report. “Do you mean you couldn’t find anybody who spoke well of the APC candidate?” he asked me before pushing the report for publishing. I knew I could not write it with the bias I have for the APC.

In the May 1994 edition of the American Journalism Review, Alicia C. Shepard writes; ‘Critics say that taking money from groups falling under a reporter’s purview raises all sorts of potential conflicts of interest or, at least, the appearance of one. The money also raises questions about a reporter’s objectivity.’ So, like Nicholas, if I were at the meeting with T.B Joshua, I would have rejected the honorarium offer. But, I will not refer to it as bribe.

The globally recognized Associated Press, AP, recognises this honorarium thing. On its website, under the heading, AP News Values & Principles, we read this: ‘Associated Press offices and staffers are often sent or offered gifts of other items—some of them substantial, some of them modest, some of them perishable—by sources, public relations agencies, corporations and others.’

‘Sometimes these are designed to encourage or influence AP news coverage or business, sometimes they are just ‘perks’ for journalists covering a particular event. Whatever the intent, we cannot accept such items; an exception is made for trinkets like caps or mugs that have nominal value, approximately $25 or less. Otherwise, gifts should be politely refused and returned, or if that is impracticable, they should be given to charity.’

End of discussion? I know some would say this is an attempt to euphemistically rebrand bribe as honorarium. If you are of this thought, I borrow the words of Nicholas and I throw them at you, ‘I can’t help you if you can’t decipher that. I am a reporter not a brain surgeon.’

Well, bribery is a criminal offense. And if Nicholas insists this is a bribe deal, he shouldn’t hesitate in writing the lawyer, Femi Falana, on the need to take this case up.

It is no news, that journalists in Nigeria are underpaid. Nicholas, in his story, admits this. According towww.payscale.com, a [USA] journalist earns an average salary of $36,834 per year. According to me, a Nigerian journalist’s pay in a year is around $6,000. It is not totally a bad pay. What is bad is the delay and irregularities in the payment. While I was covering Osun election, I interviewed an academic, Babatunde Bakare, at the Bowen University. I didn’t know him from anywhere. After the interview, he asked me how I was surviving as a journalist. I told him I have other things that I do that pay my bills. Even though I wasn’t seriously investigating any story, I was just seeking the opinion of an academic on the election, Babatunde felt obliged to give me something to support my transport and logistics. He would later tell me that until his recent appointment as an academic, he was a senior producer/scriptwriter for one of Africa’s largest TVs, AIT. And he wasn’t paid salary in the last ten months he had worked with AIT.

I also stopped taking Sam Nda-Isaiah’s presidential ambition seriously the day I heard he owed his reporters at Leadership Newspaper, four month salary. It took a Twitter/Facebook protest to get Sam to bow to his employees’ demands. These delays, irregularities, underpayment, are not justifiable reasons to accept bribe. No, they are not. These reasons, however, justify the collection of an honorarium, such type that does not mean you should report a black story as white.

Nicholas, then, advises journalists to ‘explore other related and legitimate means of making money like researching, writing, and editing reports for NGO…’ This is the silliest of all advices. Journalism is a professional job. The burden of researching, investigating a story, is already time consuming. News are time bound, and Nicholas risks his job with Premium Times if he fails to beat deadlines for the kind of ‘pending stories’ he mentions in his piece. I make money as a private academic researcher. The months I have more than two research jobs, I suspend my journalistic activities. And the day I become a full time journalist, I should resign as a researcher. Journalistic work is enough work to get enough pay if things were right.

As I conclude, I should raise an issue. After the three day media/blogger interactive forum in Ekiti in February, participants were each offered 50k honorarium by the organizers. My name is Femi Owolabi. I received the N50,000 (of course it never influenced my subsequent criticisms. Many who also accepted the money had asked Governor Kayode Fayemi harsher questions during the forum and even wrote critically about his policies after we had left). However, Stanley Azuakola, the editor of The Scoop and Chinedu Ekeke, the editor of Ekekeee in their separate critical reports, revealed that they politely rejected the N50,000. Out of about thirty participants, Nicholas Ibekwe inclusive, I am yet to read of any other apart from Stanley, Chinedu and Stanley Achonu (the Operations Lead of BudgIT), who didn’t take that N50,000 honorarium. It is, therefore, logical to believe that Nicholas Ibekwe, who now accuses his fellow journalists of bribery when it was honorarium, received such in February in Ekiti.

If he didn’t receive that money, here is my apology in advance.

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Photos: Would you rock Kim K's plunging black outfit?

Kim K wore this gravity-defying, eye-popping Lanvin skirt with feather detail and a plunging black top without a bra to the Lanvin show at the Paris Fashion week yesterday. Would you wear this? See more hot pics after the cut...

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Omotola says she has mixed feelings about her national award nom

Star actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde is one of the 305 people who will receive national awards from the federal government on September 29th in Abuja. When asked about it on twitter this evening, Omotola said she has mixed feelings about it.

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Man Gets 6 Months Imprisonment Over 46 Eggs

A resident of Mabushi in Abuja, Musa Abdullahi, has been asked to spend the next six months in prison for stealing 46 pieces of eggs.

This is according to a sentence delivered on Friday, 27 September, 2014  by Senior Magistrate Grace Adebayo-Eisapeat at the Wuse Zone 2 Senior Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

The magistrate handed down the judgment after the convict had pleaded guilty to committing the crime, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

It was gathered that Adebayo-Eisape, who told the convict that the judgment was to serve as a lesson to others who might want to commit the same crime, also gave  Abdullahi an option of N30, 000 fine.

The accused, a sales representative to one Salisu Datti of Wuse Market, Abuja was said to have been carrying out this crime for a long time before he was caught on 21 September.

The Prosecutor, Cpl. Umar Ango, told the court that the case was reported at Wuse Police Station by one Paul Ezeugwu, one of the security guard in Wuse Market.

According to Ango, the convict confessed at the police station that he has been committing this crime for a long time.

The value for the 46 pieces of eggs is N1, 380, Ango informed.

He also stated that the offence committed by Abdullahi contradicts Section 287 of the Penal Code.

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Cow Born With 2 Extra Legs Shock Farmers in China

The six-legged calf has been born in Shandong, China, leaving its owner in a slight state of shock.

[caption id="attachment_3777" align="aligncenter" width="615"] The cow has two extra limbs growing from her neck[/caption]

Besides four normal legs the cow has two extra limbs growing from the neck. According to the owner of the unusual creature, the extra legs don’t bother or hurt the animal but the cow can’t move them or use them. Local veterinary surgeons are ready to remove the unnecessary limbs that are not attached to major nerves or blood vessels.

Related: See Baby Goat Born With 8 Legs And Both Sex Organs

As the owner of the cow are still thinking whether to sell the cow to animal parks or to keep it, the farm is fully jammed with curious journalists who claim that the anomaly is a genetic mutation caused by pollution. However, vets in the country have another view on the situation, saying that extra limbs appeared due to an absorption of a twin in the womb.

[caption id="attachment_3778" align="aligncenter" width="615"] There were claims that the anomaly is a genetic mutation caused by heavy pollution in China[/caption]

The farmer said: “I’ve raised the mother for five years and seen her through four births and I’ve never seen anything like this before. Everyone seems to want to see her though since a friend put some pictures of her on the internet. I get crowds of people here every day and all kinds of camera crews from TV stations.”

Actually, it is not the first time farm animals have been born with extra organs in China. Several months ago a piglet was born with 8 legs and one more pig was born with two heads instead of one.

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