BlackBox Nigeria

My boyfriend and I have been dating for 14months now, and we have even made plans for our wedding.

This afternoon my friend called me and told me that my boyfriend just did his traditional marriage yesterday. I didn't believe until she showed me pictures.
He initially told me that he was going to the village to see his uncle.

I am typing this in tears. How can someone be this wicked
I am actually contemplating suicide right now.

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

Ahead of the forthcoming Nigerian elections, MTV Base and STV have teamed up to produce a special pre-election programme with President Goodluck Jonathan and a few young Nigerian voters to discuss the some burning issues facing youth in Nigeria.
 
The programme, "Choose or Lose: President Goodluck Jonathan" was recorded at the Presidential villa, Aso Rock, Abuja. It premieres on Friday February 13, 2015 at 6pm on MTV Base and STV with Oreka Godis as host.

The panelists are a Barrister, Anu Hundeyin, a Student, Yagana Bukar, TV Producer/Director, Jackleen Nnely and HR Consultant, Aniekan Nya-Etok. Others are Lawyer, Jake Okechukwu Effoduh and Healthcare Professional, Fadekemi Akinfaderin Agarau, all of who engaged the President on matters including Education, Power, Leadership, Healthcare, Security and Popular Culture.
  
The programme is part of MTV Base's "Choose or Lose" campaign which encourages youth to be politically active. Personalities like Ben Murray-Bruce, 2Face, Banky W, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Sound Sultan, Omojuwa, Yemi Alade, Stanley Azuakola and a few others have in the past lent their voices to the campaign. 

@blackboxupdate

Chris Ramsey is set to be appointed QPR manager until the end of the season, Goal understands.

Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood - who worked with Ramsey and QPR director of football Les Ferdinand at White Hart Lane last
season - was initially the favourite to succeed Harry Redknapp at Loftus Road.

On Tuesday Goal reported that the 46-year-old had agreed a deal to become the club's new manager , but talks between Sherwood and
QPR chairman Tony Fernandes subsequently broke down.

The Malaysian entrepreneur then caused mass intrigue by tweeting: Think I have got my dream manager. Not what anyone thinks. Take a while. Still a bit to go but I'm very happy. Press all wrong.

Michael Laudrup was immediately installed as the new front-runner for the post but quickly ruled himself out as a candidate, insisting he
has no intention of leaving Qatari club Lekhwiya in the near future.

Fernandes now believes Ramsey is the right man to guide QPR to Premier League safety after he oversaw the club's first away victory of the season against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday.

That result moved QPR out of the relegation zone on goal difference and they now lie 17th, having garnered 22 points from 25 games.

Yemme_blaq

@blackboxupdate

Stoke City and Super Eagles forward Victor Moses has been ranked as a better player than Manchester City midfielder Frank Lampard and Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil by the English Premier League.

On the official website of the Barclays Premier League, the three players were ranked among midfielders, with Moses, who had an overall index score of 181, 1003 minutes playing time in 13 appearances, was ranked 77th.

Lampard had 179 index score, 410 minutes playing time in 18 appearances and was ranked 80th while Ozil, who had 174 index score and 737 minutes in nine appearance, was ranked 81st.

In the overall players ranking Moses, Lampard, and Ozil ranked 176th, 179th, and 181st respectively.

Chelsea's Eden Hazard has remained the best midfielder and best player in the EPL with 627 index score. His teammate Cesc Fabregas (fourth overall), Arsenal's Santiago Carzola (seventh overall), Liverpool's Raheem Sterling (ninth overall), and Tottenham Hotspurs' Christian Eriksen (10th overall), makes up the list of top five midfielders.

Africa's best player, Yaya Toure of Cote d'Ivoire and Manchester City, is the ninth best midfielder and 16th best player in the EPL, while Nigeria and Chelsea's midfielder, Obi Mikel, is the 131st midfielder and 331st player in the league.

The forwards among the top 10 players in the EPL are Chelsea's Diego Costa who was ranked second, Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez third, Manchester City's Sergio Aguero fifth, Queens Park Rangers' Charlie Austin sixth, and Tottenham Hotspurs' Harry Kane eighth.

The current rankings for both Moses and Mikel represent a decline from their last month's positions, when they were ranked 155th and 312th best players in the league respectively.

Among Nigerian forwards in the EPL, Newcastle's Sammy Ameobi has the best ranking. He is the 29th best forward in the EPL and is 143rd in the overall ranking.

Sone Aluko of Hull City is 270th player and 50th among forwards; Brown Ideye of West Bromich Albion is 290th (56th forward); his teammate, Victor Anichebe is 320th (60th forward); Arsenal's Chuba Akpom is 409th (75th forward); while Peter Odewingie, who is still out on injury is 424th (79th forward).

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), on Thursday in Abuja willingly accepted a Bible from a group of Northern Christians who declared their support for him.

The Christians under the aegis of Northern Christian Leaders Eagle-Eye Forum were led by Pastor Habu Aminchi.‎

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965
BY MOSES ADEYEMI

Zinedine Zidane has revealed he never thought he'd become a coach and only recently realised his desire to learn the ropes in the dug-out.

The France legend spent last season as Carlo Ancelotti's assistant at Real Madrid and has since taken charge of the club's 'B' team this
season.

Prior to that, Zidane had assumed the role of sporting director at the Santiago Bernabeu but stepped down during Jose Mourinho's reign
after realising the role wasn't for him.

But with many now tipping the 42-year-old to eventually become Madrid's head coach - the club's former midfielder Michel recently claimed he was being groomed as Ancelotti's successor - he admits he has now mapped out his future.

He told L'Equipe : "There are people who obsess about becoming a coach but back in 2006 I really didn't want to be a coach.

"After I finished playing I tried several different experiences, as sporting director at Madrid, but I still couldn't find out what it was I really wanted to do.

But in the end I realised, I wanted to coach.
Zidane was then asked why he had opted to take charge of Madrid's Castilla side rather than take the reins of the first team at another club
and said his choice was purely down to his need to learn the coaching craft.

I'm in the same situation as when I started playing football. I'm learning. I need to learn. Many experts have asked me why, but I don't
listen to anyone else, I do what I feel.
Yemme_blaq

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

Contrary to news in circulation that the former president of the federal republic of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo has endorsed and given his support to the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Party, General muhammed Buhari to be the next president of the country, the former president has denied this claim stating clearly that It was just a conclusion or a misquote to his speech.

Obasanjo, while addressing news men said,
"I will not go into argument about that. I did not unendorse him or endorse him as such. A question was asked and I said I will determine, based on the track record of those candidates who are contesting and who ask me for support, and when I do that, based on my own assessment, I will support the candidate that I believe has the best track record. And I am still in the process of that."

@blackboxupdate

Add BBN on 2BAFB965‎

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that he would simply pass the baton if he fails to secure enough votes to be declared winner of postponed Presidential polls. He said this during a live edition of Presidential Media Chat from State House, Abuja stating that his major interest was to ensure the conduct of a free and fair election and he is prepared to hand over to a new government if he loses in a free, fair and credible presidential election in March.

The President said, just like in 2011 when he expressed similar sentiment, he would gladly go home if he fails to secure the mandate of the people for a second tenure, saying that no politician's ambition was more important than the interest of the country.

According to him, if he was ready to hand over in 2011 even if he was not voted into power, he would do the same in 2015 if he is not re-elected.

"If in 2011 I said I will conduct free and fair elections and if I lose, I will happily go home; it should be recorded that as at that time, no African sitting president had lost an election, but within this period, a number of African sitting presidents have lost election.

"I wanted to create history of being the first African sitting president that lost election, but let the world know that it was free and fair. Then, I just concluded the late president's term, I was the president for about a year, acting for some months, but I said I would be happy to go, that this nation is more important than any human being.

"Anybody who wants to hold this office of the president or any office at all and feels that he is more important than the nation, that is not quite right.

"So, if as at that time I insisted that I was ready to conduct free and fair election and that if I lose I will go, not to talk about now that Nigerians have given me the opportunity to be here for four full years.

"So, if the elections are conducted and I lose, of course, we will inaugurate a new government. There is no way I will say if I lose, I will not hand over." Jonathan said.‎

@blackboxupdate

BY MOSES ADEYEMI

Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos yesterday matriculated 3,143 fresh students ahead of the new academic session. This is as Faculty of Management Sciences got the larger share with 717 students.
 
Speaking at the annual ceremony, the vice chancellor Prof. John Obafunwa urged parents and other well-meaning Nigerians to support the university in its quest to excellence by donating towards boosting the image of the institution as one of the best in the world.

The V.C in his address said that despite the reduction of the school fees, the state was still working on so many infrastructural development and he promised the students that the institution will soon turn to a world class university.

"The institution would thankfully accept donations of buildings and equipment from parents, guardians and well-meaning Nigerians, as part of efforts to make LASU one of the best in the world,'' he said.

Proffessor Obafunwa begged for the co-operation of parents and guardians in joining the LASU Parents' Forum to participate in moulding the character of the students to become responsible fellows in the future.

The vice chancellor also implored Parents and guardians to join hands with the university in nurturing the minds of these freshmen for a
brilliant, better and rewarding future.

Obafunwa clearly further stated that the Lagos State Ministry of Sports will be embarking on sports related activities at the institution's Sport center. He also thanked the Governor of Lagos, Barr. Babatunde FASHOLA for his excellent work and determination to provide quality education in the state.

He concluded by sounding a note of
warning to the new intakes to stay clear of cult related activities, as the penalty for cultism was expulsion from the university.

BREAK DOWN OF NEW STUDENTS ACCORDING TO THIER FACULTY:

@blackboxupdate

The APC presidential candidate, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, has identified misappropriation of funds provided by government for the fight against Boko Haram as the reason for the military's inability to defeat the insurgents.

Speaking yesterday in an interview with CNN network, he said: "The National Assembly attempted to do a hearing by getting the budgets approved by the National Assembly over three years, and inviting the service chiefs on why the weapons were not procured and sent to the soldiers under competent leadership, and that hearing was scuttled.

"In short, the misappropriation of funds provided by the government for the military was why the military was unable to defeat Boko Haram.''

Buhari remarked that the Nigerian military had an international reputation for its effectiveness, and added that it was a great embarrassment to the military that it had not been able to secure the Nigerian territory.

"We know how Boko Haram started, and certainly Nigerian military has reputation internationally for its effectiveness. It is a great embarrassment to them and to Nigeria as a country that they have not been able to secure the Nigerian territory in 14 local governments out of 774 local governments.

"I believe this problem will not be too difficult for APC government because we know that Nigeria military is competent, but it is a matter of making sure that money for the cause of fighting Boko Haram is properly utilized.''

Commenting on the postponement of elections date, he expressed disappointment as INEC had declared its readiness for the exercise and the date they fixed a year ago.

"For INEC to be forced virtually by the military that they cannot guarantee the safety of their workers, they have to concede to the demand of the military of additional six weeks.

Reacting over his recent endorsement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, he said: ''It will certainly bring more supporters to us, and for those sitting on the fence, because Gen Obasanjo is highly respected personality in Nigeria, and as far as Nigerian nation, there is no serious issue that can be discussed without people seeking his opinion and listening to it."

On corruption, he said: "Corruption is a serious case; unless Nigeria kills corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria, and that was illustrated by another hearing by the National Assembly on pension funds, the power sector (electricity), and then corruption in the petroleum industry on which the country depends for over 90 per cent of its revenue.

"The National Assembly conducted the hearing in Abuja and in the six geo-political zones in the country, took the recommendations to the executive and it has been there for the past 18 months,'' he added.

@blackboxupdate

The plot to remove the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, has thickened as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council (PDPPCO) yesterday finally alleged that he is working with the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the forthcoming election.

Director of media of the PDPPCO, Femi Fani-Kayode, who made the allegation during a press conference, further alleged that Jega met with some leaders of the APC in Dubai.

However, when asked to provide evidence of these allegations, Fani-Kayode declined, noting that he was aware that the allegations were weighty and would expect Jega to react.

He threatened to pass a vote of no confidence on Jega if he fails to respond to the allegations of partisanship and live up to his responsibilities as an independent electoral umpire.

This is coming against the background of alleged moves to either force the INEC chairman to resign or make him proceed on terminal leave from March 1, in anticipation of the end of his tenure in office on June 30.

However, the spokesman of the PDPPCO stated that Jega deliberately refused to tell Nigerians the whole truth about the postponement, "thus providing the APC a questionable platform to accuse us of complicity in the decision to postpone the elections".

He added that the statistics of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection for states and geo-political zones before the postponement of the elections buttressed "Jega's contrived grand conspiratorial alliance with the APC to fraudulently secure victory in the elections".

He continued, "We must state here and again that the decision to postpone the elections was INEC's since it is constitutionally saddled with that responsibility.

"The commission has done just that and it had at the press conference hinted that it was having challenges with the distribution and collection of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). The commission had claimed substantial readiness for the general elections despite that as at 5th February, 2015, the total number of PVCs collected was 45, 829, 808, representing 66.58% of the total number of registered voters.

"We had immediately commended the INEC on the grounds that the postponement would enable the 23 million eligible voters who had not collected their PVCs to do so before the new dates announced for the elections.

"But we have now realised how Professor Jega had disingenuously presented the reasons for the postponement of the elections at the press conference, making it look as if the problem was mainly security. We would like to say that the major issue that informed INEC's decision was the deliberate attempt by the commission to disenfranchise over 23 million eligible voters who are yet to collect their PVCs.

"The matter is that INEC has failed in its responsibility to produce and distribute PVCs to about 34 per cent of registered voters who would require the cards to vote in the elections. "We express our concerns today that Jega may have decided to aid the APC to rig the forthcoming elections through the manipulation of the production, distribution and collection of PVCs such that emerging trends have consistently shown calculated attempts to deprive parts of the country that would traditionally vote for President Jonathan of their PVCs whilst the parts of the country that would traditionally vote for the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, are already armed with their PVCs.

 

@blackboxupdate

A policeman with the Kano Police Command has shot dead an infant.

The policeman was also said to have shot at a woman and a lady at a place called 'Kwani Mani', a well known police checkpoints in Bichi local government area of the state.

Malam Inusa Imamu Mainasara, the father of the girl, told newsmen that his 10-year-old daughter accompanied relatives on a visit in a small village called Yana' last Sunday when the incident occurred.

Mainasara said he only saw his daughter, Amira Imamu, yesterday at the Murtala Muhammad Hospital, Kano, with her intestines spewing out while medical personnel at the hospital were trying to recupperate her.

According to him his daughter was unlucky to be the victim of the heinous act committed by the policeman.

Mainasara could not hide his tears and grief over the incident.

Our reporter saw the woman and a girl who were shot on their hospital beds. The girl has had her surgery while the woman was about to have hers at the time our reporter visited the hospital.

Our reporter could not reach the police spokesman on phone for comments.

@blackboxupdate

A detachment of the Nigerian military has stormed the dangerous and dreaded Sambisa Forest in Borno State to dislodge members of the violent sect, Boko Haram, who are believed to have used the forest as their stronghold, from where they unleash their terrorist activities.

Sambisa Forest was once believed to be the most feared hideout of the militants, where over 200 schoolgirls, who were abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, 2014, were held captive.

The source did not, however, specify how many of the militants had been captured, but said the "insurgents will be flushed out soon."

BBN promises to give you the information as news unfolds.‎

@blackboxupdate

Nigeria Football Federation has recommended a renewal of contract for Stephen Keshi as the senior national team head coach. The committee led by Emeka Anyansi- Agwu concluded their meeting and tabled their recommendation to the executive board of NFF in due course.

Anyansi, who disclosed this to media at the headquarters of NFF, stated that the delay in the contract renewal was to enable the
committee do a thorough job in a bid to get the best option.

He also explained that the committee has been in contact with the coach contrary to media reports where Keshi was quoted to have denied any approach by the committee.

According to Anyansi, "If anyone is saying that he has not been paid for about two months that he handled the team without contract, that
cannot be true. Keshi is my personal friend and we don't hold anything against him."

Keshi, who has been out of contract since the end of the Super Eagles' 2014 World Cup campaign,failed to qualify Nigeria for the
2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea two years after he led the team to win the 2013 title.

Even though he has come under intense criticism by figures like former coach Amodu Shaibu and ex-player Jonathan Akpoborie
among many others, Keshi has been able to get a new contract due to the influence of President Goodluck Jonathan who asked the NFF to keep him on after he was sacked late in 2014.
Yemme_blaq

@blackboxupdate

Former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has gone to court to seek redress over a case of defamation of character by online newspapers Sahara Reporters and Premium Times. Joined in the suit are Punch Newspapers Ltd., Omoyele Sowore, Publisher of Sahara Reporters and Festus Owete, General Editor at Premium Times.

The defendants had published an audio recording of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, purportedly in a conversation with other individuals to rig the Ekiti State gubernatorial elections, an allegation Senator Obanikoro and the others have since disclaimed.

In a suit filed at the Lagos State High Court Ikeja on Tuesday, 10th February 2015, Senator Obanikoro is suing the defendants for damages to the tune of N1 billion. According to the suit filed on his behalf by Dr. Yemi Oke of MJS Partners, Senator Obanikoro is seeking "1.) An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from publishing or causing to be published either directly or indirectly, defamatory, damaging, offensive or degrading statements, articles and/or materials against the claimant, 2.) An order directing the defendant to jointly or severally pay to the claimant the sum of N1 billion being damages for harm caused to his political, professional, business, social and institutional reputation as a result of the defamation by willful and scandalous publication of false statements by the defendants, 3.) An order directing the defendants to retract the false and damaging publication by a letter of apology directed to claimant and published on the same media through which the defamatory publication was circulated and 4.) An order of court for the cost of this suit against the defendants."

Meanwhile, in a similar development, Senator Obanikoro has hired Tacopina & Seigel one of New York's top law firms reputed for their groundbreaking defense of celebrity baseball player, Alex Rodriguez in his case against the 211-game doping suspension slammed on him by Major League Baseball (MLB). Tacopina & Seigel is handling Senator Obanikoro's case against Sahara Reporters in New York, United States of America.

The defendants have 42 days to prepare their defense and make an appearance in court to defend themselves in the Lagos suit.

@blackboxupdate