Photos: Pres. Jonathan launches new national e-ID card in Abuja

President Jonathan today August 28th launched the new national e-ID card at the Villa in Abuja. The new e-ID card which is powered by MasterCard is a multi-purpose card for identification, electronic signatures, and can be used for depositing money, withdrawing and making payments. So it's both an ID card and ATM.

The first phase of the project will see 13million Nigerians issued the card while the next phase will target 100million Nigerians. The project is a partnership with MasterCard, the Nigerian National Identity Management Commission and Access bank.

See more photos after the cut...

Photos: Pres. Jonathan launches new national e-ID card in Abuja

President Jonathan today August 28th launched the new national e-ID card at the Villa in Abuja. The new e-ID card which is powered by MasterCard is a multi-purpose card for identification, electronic signatures, and can be used for depositing money, withdrawing and making payments. So it's both an ID card and ATM.

The first phase of the project will see 13million Nigerians issued the card while the next phase will target 100million Nigerians. The project is a partnership with MasterCard, the Nigerian National Identity Management Commission and Access bank.

See more photos after the cut...

Joan Rivers stops breathing during surgery, said to be in critical condition

Comedian and E! Fashion Police star Joan Rivers was rushed to the hospital in New York City this afternoon after she stopped breathing during a surgery on her throat

Rivers, 81, was undergoing a throat procedure in a clinic when she stopped breathing. She was rushed to Mount Sinai hospital in New York where authorities said she's in critical condition.

After her heart stopped breathing during surgery, an emergency call was placed to 911 and the caller said, "We have somebody in either cardiac or respiratory arrest."

TMZ said it's not clear if doctors were able to restart her heart.

I Can Sleep With Producers For Movie Roles—Nollywood Actress, Tessy Oragwa

Nolywood actress, Tessy Oragwa, has lend her voice on the issue of affairs before roles in Nollywood between producers and actresses stating that it is a personal decision and is not open to criticism.
According to her, the issues of affair is in all sector but more pronounced in the entertainment industry because celebrities are in the eyes of many.

Tessy pointed that as far as a woman is concerned, she will always be approached by guys and it will be left for her to make a choice of what to do since she has the mind of her own.

“There is no discrimination about that, but don’t make it look like you are being harassed or forced to do what you do not want to do. You have a mind of your own and you are mature enough to take decisions,” she adviced.

Speaking on her experience, the actress denied ever having such experience but admitted that if she is being approached and the guy is good, she does not mind making her decision to have her fun. “No, I don’t think anybody would want to do such a thing to me. When you approach me and you are good, I might decide to take a decision and have my fun.”

Five Secrets of Mercy Johnson

Mercy Johnson Okojie is one of the most controversial and popular Nigerian actresses. Her personality always surrounded with different rumors. Due to her birthday, which is on 28 of August, we decided to present you some interesting facts about her.

Mercy is the fifth richest actress in Nigeria

1. Childhood
Father of Mercy Johnson was a military person. When she was two he left her mother and the girl spent vast of her childhood with him. During her young years she was rather a tomboy than a fairy princess. Mercy was a fourth kid in a family of seven children. She has 3 elder sisters and 3 younger brothers, who were her best friends when she was little girl.

2. Teen years
Due to difficult situation with money Mercy Johnson had to drop the school and even worked as a maid for some time just to earn herself for a living. She even started to act just because she failed exams to the university.

Singer, Flavour Nabania Expecting A Child With His Girlfriend?

There are reports making rounds that Popular Nigerian singer Flavour N’abania is set to become father.

Flavour Nabania and alleged girlfriend, Sandra Okagbue

According to the NET, the High-life singer is likely to join Nigerian music stars with baby mamas and he is allegedly expecting a child with his beautiful girlfriend, Sandra Okagbue.

Sources told NET the model who was the face of Delta Soap for 2010, is already in the United States of America where she is expected to deliver the singer’s baby.

Meanwhile, an insider in Flavour’s camp insists the ‘Ada’ singer is not aware of any pregnancy.

Flavour’s alleged baby mama, Sandra Okagbue, is a Nigerian model who was crowned Miss Delta 2010.
She was said to have dated Super Eagles and Chelsea FC midfielder Mikel Obi which the football star tried to keep out of the public space at all cost until they fell out sometime ago.

HEALTH: Stress Causes Infertility in Men

The increasing rate of infertility among men could partly be as a result of stress in jobs and other spheres of life engaged in by the men, a new health research report has shown.

In Nigeria, for example, there are no adequate statistics of men suffering from infertility, but experts have constantly raised concerns about a growing rate of the challenge in the country.

These concerns have resulted in the proliferation of herbal remedies in the form of drugs and other aphrodisiacs advertised and sold locally along streets in the country.

The new study shows that stress, apart from resulting in health problems, including heart disease, asthma, obesity and depression, can also reduce sperm and semen quality, thus affecting the male fertility.

In the study carried out by researchers from the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, and Rutgers School of Public Health in Piscataway, New Jersey, and published in the journal of Fertility and Sterility, they discovered that 'stressful life events' including a level of unemployment can cause infertility in men.

The researchers, who studied 193 men between the ages of 38 to 49, said their finding, after filling a form and providing semen samples, showed that two or more stressful life events in the past year had lower sperm quality than men who did not experience any stressful life events.

Davido gushes about getting a new Nigerian passport

The singer took to his instagram page to gush about his new passport.

"I can never talk to Fathia again" - Saidi Balogun deflates reconciliation remours

In an interview with Encomium magazine, Nollywood actor, Saidi Balogun  deflated reports that he has reconciled with his ex wife, actress Fathia Balogun. According to him, a reconciliation between the former Nollywood couple can never happen, adding that they've havent spoken to each other since 2006. By my calculation that's 8 years! isn't that a long time not to speak with the mother of your kids? What do I know? Find what he said below:

“People don’t understand what’s really going on between us. I believe that’s why they are peddling the rumour. There is no logic in it at all. I think it’s because they saw us in Mercy Aigbe’s new movie, Life After Marriage, that’s why they imagined we’re back in love. The marketer of the movie only used Fathia and myself to promote the movie. And so far people saw the two of us in the movie, they started peddling the rumour that the movie was meant to reconcile us.

“The funniest thing is that we didn’t act together on the set of the movie. We didn’t even see each other for once. I acted my role separately, she also did hers separately. Our paths didn’t cross at all on the set of Life After Marriage till the production ended. So, I don’t know how people arrived at the conclusion that we have reconciled. After how many years? That’s a big joke.” Continue...

Ebola Outbreak Will Worsen, Says Health Expert

The director of the Centers for Disease Control Tom Frieden says the Ebola epidemic currently ravaging West Africa will worsen before it gets better.

The US top officials insisted that in order to handle the ongoing outbreak of the tropical virus first recognized in 1976, the “unprecedented” response would be required, BBC reports.

West African ministers are to meet in Ghana today, August 28, to discuss the ways of dealing with the situation as the death toll caused by Ebola is gradually approaching 1,500, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

In a meeting with the Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, whose country got mostly affected by the crisis, Frieden said:

“The cases are increasing. I wish I did not have to say this, but it is going to get worse before it gets better. The world has never seen an outbreak of Ebola like this. Consequently, not only are the numbers large, but we know there are many more cases than has been diagnosed and reported.”

The expert stressed the importance of taking “urgent action” and insisted on eliminating the spread of misconceptions connected with Ebola issue.

Cameroonian Army Kills 27 Boko Haram In Clashes

Cameroonian army has killed 27 members of  the Boko Haram terrorist sect near a northern town in Nigeria, state radio said on Wednesday, 27 August, 2014.

It would be recalled that the Boko Haram fighters were reported to have crossed Nigeria’s border into Cameroon on Monday after attacking a military base and police station in Borno, north east Nigeria.
It was reported that some 480 Nigerian troops absconded into Cameroon as a result of the heavy fighting with the terrorists.

“Cameroon soldiers have killed 27 Boko Haram elements during an attack in a locality near Fotokol in the far-north’’, state radio/CRTV said.

According to the report, the deaths occurred on Monday and Tuesday but there was no word on any Cameroonian casualties.

Ebola Death Recorded in Portharcourt

Nigerian’s health minister Onyebuchi Chukwu has today confirmed the first recorded death from Ebola in Port Harcourt.


Poster: Signs and Symptoms of Ebola

It would be recalled that yesterday it was unofficially reported that the doctor whose name is yet to be provided died August 22 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from the deadly tropical virus.

The top Nigerian health official confirmed August 28 the information:

“This primary contact of Mr. Sawyer’s evaded our surveillance team in the last week of July 2014 and travelled out of Lagos to Port Harcourt where, as we now understand, he consulted with a doctor and was apparently treated for some symptoms.”

Gunmen attack army camp in Bauchi, Commander killed

Unknown gunmen at about 5.20 this morning August 28th attacked an Army camp manned by six armed soldiers at Wunti -Dada, a suburb of Bauchi state, killing the commander of the camp and a soldier.

According to reports by The Nation, the unknown gunmen arrived the camp in two motorcycles immediately after the early morning Muslim prayers and opened fire, killing the commander and the soldier.

Wunti-Dada has been one of the known security challenge points within the state capital with a lot of unusual incidents. Both the Bauchi state Police Public relations officer and the the 33 Artillery Brigade spokesman have refused to comment on the development.

Ebola: Pres. Jonathan Condemns Discrimination Against Nigerians

Abuja (NAN) – President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday condemned the stigmatisation of Nigerians by some countries over recent cases of Ebola virus in the country.

Jonathan made this known at a meeting with David Navarro, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Ebola, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati.

The president, according to the statement, decried discriminatory actions by some countries against Nigeria, including the incident which forced Nigeria’s team to the Youth Olympics in China to abandon its participation.

Enugu state gets new deputy Governor

48 hours after Sunday Onyebuchi was impeached as the deputy governor of Enugu state for rearing chickens in his official quarters, members of the Enugu state house of Assembly today Aug. 28th, confirmed clergy man and politician, Ralph Nwoye (pictured above) as the new deputy governor of the state.

Mr Ralph Nwoye, a pastor of the Christ Ascension Church in Enugu, is said to be a former Local government chairman. He is expected to be sworn-in as deputy governor soon.