NIGERIA VOTES!!!!

         Good morning everyone....well the most populous black Nation in the world...NIGERIA voted on Saturday! It was a somewhat calm atmosphere....there was an impressive turn out of voters and violence was at the minimum.
International observers have praised Nigeria's elections, despite technical hitches, protests and reports of violence.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that voting had been "largely peaceful and orderly".
Voting continued for a second day on sunday  in some parts of Nigeria after problems with new electronic card readers.
Well we pray that when results are announced that there wont be issue, violence.
God bless Nigeria!!!

We will accept outcome of “free, fair and credible elections says Goodluck and Buhari

The two leading candidates in Saturday’s presidential election have signed another peace accord in Abuja, promising to accept the outcome of “free, fair and credible elections”.
The accord, initiated by the National Peace Committee, was signed Thursday by President Goodluck Jonathan, the candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and his main challenger, Muhammadu Buhari of the opposition All Progressives Congress. They said in a joint statement released after the agreement signing ceremony that.....
“We call on INEC and all security agencies to ensure strict adherence to their constitutional roles,” . “We also pledge to respect the outcome of free, fair and credible elections.”
The agreement, just like the one they signed on January 14, contained an undertaking by the parties to avoid actions that could promote violence during and after the polls.
”
Now that the campaigns have come to an end, we meet today to renew our pledge for peaceful elections,” the statement said. “We therefore call on all fellow citizens of our dear country, and our supporters, to refrain from violence or any acts that may in any way jeopardise our collective vision of a free, fair and credible election.”
The National Peace Committee is led by a former Military Head of State, Abdusalami Abubakar, under whose supervision Thurday’s pact was signed.
Well that's good. I hope all their fans, supporters hear and abide to this!!!! Everyone should please go out to vote without any form of violence!

Florida teen shot his siblings and kills himself!!!

A 13-year-old boy in Florida fatally shot his 6-year-old brother, wounded his 16-year-old brother and then killed himself on Wednesday during an argument over food, authorities said.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office received a call about the shooting at 6:19 p.m. local time in the city of Hudson, some 45 miles (72 km) north of Tampa, the office said in a statement.

The three brothers were squabbling over dinner, the statement said, when the 13-year-old grabbed a handgun and shot his two brothers before killing himself. The children were home alone at the time.

The older brother was taken to a hospital and his injuries were not considered life-threatening, the statement said. The names of the children were not released by authorities.

"This is a horrific scene," Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco Chris said, according to the Tampa Bay Times newspaper. "This is a nightmare when you hear about the ages of these boys, a 6-year-old that was probably playing in his room, an argument over food and he lost his life."

The Times said that the children's mother was at work and a fourth son, who is 18-years-old, was not at the house.

(culled:yahoo news)
This is so sad! How did he get a gun? Why were they unattended to?

German Airbus A320 plane carrying 150 people crashes in French

A passenger plane flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf has crashed in a remote and mountainous area of southern France

The Airbus A320 making the flight for Lufthansa’s lowcost arm, Germanwings, crashed near the small mountain village of Barcelonette in the southern Alps.
A distress call was made by the aircraft at 10.47am, while the plane was “in an abnormal situation”, the French transport ministry said. The crash happened shortly afterwards, it added.
The aircraft disappeared off the radar at around 11.20am, Le Figaro reported. The plane dropped from 11,500 metres to 2,100 metres (38,000ft to 7,000ft) in nine minutes between 10.31am and 10.40am, air radar services said.
The distress call to air traffic control in Marseilles was “mayday, mayday, mayday” and the pilot requested an emergency descent, meaning all airspace had to be cleared below the route of the aircraft.
At least 142 passengers and six crew members were on board. Spain’s deputy prime minister said 45 passengers were believed to be Spanish nationals. A spokesman for France’s interior ministry said the passenger manifest was being verified.
The plane crashed at 2,700 metres altitude in the Alps, in the commune of Méolans-Revel, an isolated area of small villages and hamlets that are difficult to reach. Debris is scattered over an area of 2 sq km, according to French search and rescue.
The cause of the crash is yet unkown and number of casuality is still unkown though they are feared dead.

President Obama sends a message to Nigeria....

    As the most populous black nation, Nigeria prepares for the March and April elections, the most powerful president in the world...the president of the United States of America has sent a message to Nigerians to use their voting rights wisely...see his message  below.......
“Hello.  Today, I want to speak directly to you—the people of Nigeria.
Nigeria is a great nation and you can be proud of the progress you’ve made.  Together, you won your independence, emerged from military rule, and strengthened democratic institutions.  You’ve strived to overcome division and to turn Nigeria’s diversity into a source of strength.  You’ve worked hard to improve the lives of your families and to build the largest economy in Africa.
Now you have a historic opportunity to help write the next chapter of Nigeria’s progress—by voting in the upcoming elections.  For elections to be credible, they must be free, fair and peaceful.  All Nigerians must be able to cast their votes without intimidation or fear.
So I call on all leaders and candidates to make it clear to their supporters that violence has no place in democratic elections—and that they will not incite, support or engage in any kind of violence—before, during, or after the votes are counted.  I call on all Nigerians to peacefully express your views and to reject the voices of those who call for violence.  And when elections are free and fair, it is the responsibility of all citizens to help keep the peace, no matter who wins.
Successful elections and democratic progress will help Nigeria meet the urgent challenges you face today.  Boko Haram—a brutal terrorist group that kills innocent men, women and children—must be stopped.  Hundreds of kidnapped children deserve to be returned to their families.  Nigerians who have been forced to flee deserve to return to their homes.  Boko Haram wants to destroy Nigeria and all that you have worked to build.  By casting your ballot, you can help secure your nation’s progress.
I’m told that there is a saying in your country: “to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done”. Today, I urge all Nigerians—from all religions, all ethnic groups, and all regions—to come together and keep Nigeria one.  And in this task of advancing the security, prosperity, and human rights of all Nigerians, you will continue to have a friend and partner in the United States of America.
Hmnn....what do you think of this? Well, it is a good message and should be adhered to . We want an election free from violence!!!

Court bars use of the Army in the forthcoming election!

It was reported yesterday that a Federal High Court in Lagos has ruled that the Nigerian Armed Forces have no role in the conduct of elections in the country.
The court relied on a recent Court of Appeal ruling that barred the use of soldiers in the conduct of elections, stating that it was a violation of Section 217(2)(c) of the Constitution and Section 1 of the Armed Forces Act.
The appellate court had also relied on a judgment by a Federal High Court in Sokoto last January also barring the use of armed forces in the conduct of elections.
The latest ruling says the Nigerian government should not deploy soldiers at polling units, a plan that had generated controversy between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC.
What do you think of this new development?I thought with the current state of the country , that the army will help in protecting the citizens during the elections especially in the troubled states.

7 children dies in House fire!!!

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish community shattered by the deaths of seven siblings in a house fire carried out their funerals Sunday, a day after a hot plate left on for the Sabbath is believed to have sparked the fire that killed them.
The tragedy had some neighborhood Jews reconsidering the practice of keeping hot plates on for the Sabbath, a common modern method of obeying tradition prohibiting use of fire on the holy day.The relentless blaze that spread from a malfunctioning hot plate in the family’s first-floor kitchen to the upstairs bedrooms early Saturday morning, killing seven of the Sassoon children and critically injuring their sister and mother.

The bodies of the children from the Sassoon family, ages 5 to 16, were being sent to Israel after the funeral for a prompt burial. Flames engulfed their two-story, brick-and-wood home in Brooklyn's Midwood neighborhood early Saturday, likely after a hot plate left on a kitchen counter set off the fire that trapped the children and badly injured their mother and another sibling, investigators said.

The service at the Shomrei Hadas funeral home began with prayers in Hebrew, accompanied by the wailing voices of mourners. They could be heard through speakers that broadcast the rite to hundreds of people gathered outside on the streets in traditional black robes and flat-brimmed hats.

"They were so pure," Gabriel Sassoon said of his children during a eulogy he delivered through sobs. "My wife, she came out fighting."

Both his surviving wife and a daughter — Gayle Sassoon and 14-year-old Siporah Sassoon — remained in critical condition on respirators.

"My children were unbelievable. They were the best," he said, calling them "angels."

Earlier at the family's fire-gutted home on Bedford Avenue, a police officer stood guard as contractors boarded up windows with plywood.

The blaze killed three girls and four boys — all members of the neighborhood's tightknit community of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Authorities identified the victims as girls Eliane, 16; Rivkah, 11; and Sara, 6; and boys David, 12; Yeshua, 10; Moshe, 8; and Yaakob, 5.

(culled: yahoo news)
This is so sad! May their souls rest in perfect peace...... so hard to comprehend this!!! Lord please protect us all..............

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles emerge African champions

The flying eagles of Nigerian coached by Manu Garuba has emerged winners and have been crowned champions of the 19th Africa Youth Championships as they defeated hosts, Senegal, by a lone goal in a thrilling final match on Sunday night at the 45,000-capacity Leopold Sedar Senghor Stadium.
A stunning goal from Bernard Bulbwa in the first half was all that was required for Nigeria to lift her 7th AYC trophy.
  
 Ghana won the third place game defeating Mali 3-1. The four teams that reached the semi-final – Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, and Mali- will represent Africa at the FIFA U20 World Cup.
Up Nigeria!!!!!!

Don’t be afraid of jail, Buhari’s wife tells Patience‎ Jonathan

 Vs
Aishat Buhari, wife of the All Progressives Congress, APC’s presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, has advised the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, to jettison any fear of being jailed if Mr. Buhari wins the forthcoming election, saying Nigerians are more concerned with changing the way the country is administered.
Mrs. Jonathan has repeatedly spoken at campaign rallies for her husband, President Goodluck Jonathan, about her fear of a Buhari presidency, saying the former military ruler will jail Mr. Jonathan and other leaders of the present government.
In Edo State on Tuesday, the first lady warned women against voting in Mr. Buhari, saying she was not prepared to feed her husband in prison.
But at a rally where she interacted with women in Edo State Thursday, Aishat Buhari said there should be no concerns about going to jail.

Mrs. Buhari also said that the attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to portray her husband as a religious fanatic, is a desperate attempt to hoodwink the people, saying only those who want to loot the treasury are the ones campaigning with religion.
“Each zone of the country has its peculiar problem. For me in this zone, girl-child trafficking should be considered one of our problems, though I know there is unemployment. Unemployment is the major factor that contributes to brain drain and also the girl-child trafficking. General Muhammadu Buhari is a leader who led Nigeria some decades ago and he is coming back now to sanitise the system,” Mrs. Buhari said.
(culled: premium times)
The women are at it now! first he husbands and their advisers.....please women we don't want this oh!!!!

EFCC Arrests House of Reps. Candidate For N142m Scam

A House of Representatives candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Miss Oluwametomi Adetokunbo Adisa, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for allegedly obtaining the sum of N142, 029,000 (One Hundred and Forty- Two Million, Twenty- Nine Thousand Naira only) from one businessman, Alhaji Isa Bello, by false pretence.
The 37- year old politician allegedly obtained building materials worth N142, 029,000( One Hundred and Forty-Two Million, Twenty-Nine Thousand Naira only) from Bello, in the guise of servicing a supply contract she had with a construction company.