Social Media explodes with comments over 9ice's Political ambition

Singer Abolore Akande (9ice) intention to venture into politics may have died even before it's birth. The "gongo aso" crooner has indicated interest to run for the federal house of representatives seat in hugs state and as it is,many factors are working strongly against his ambition. Firstly, the seat he is eyeing is presently being occupied by Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola a PDP stalwart in Oyo who is seeking re election to the House come 2015. The general impression is that, it would be difficult for a green horn like Abolore Akande (9ice) to dislodge Hon Akande the platform he (9ice) choses to contest from not withstanding.

Secondly, quite a number of his  fans have accused him of lacking the attitude to manage a political office since he has shown what he is capable of doing by remaining separated from his legally married wife and mother of his first child, Tony Payne. Since his declaration days back, the social media have been awash with comments, some advising him to concentrate on his dwindling musical career and others urging him to go ahead and pursue his dream. One comment went like this,  "9ice? Who can't manage his marriage, this guy ambition is dead on delivery."  Another one went on to say , "That is always our problem in Nigeria! We want change and we keep condemning our own generation! We want women in power. Yet we the women will never vote a woman that stands for election because she's unknown or in a wrong party. We want youths, yet we can't support a youth that stands election because he's unknown or have a character. Those old recycled crooks are worse and We know their terrible and reckless handling of the country's affairs yet we go all out to Retain them in power and groan for 4yrs. Why can't 9ice stand elections? What are his sins that can't be encouraged. As youth, we should partake in the polity and encourage those that are bold enough to do so. 9ice! Nice move. I wish you luck. The voice of  Agboola Odunfa' 

Another voice said , Gbemi Saraki was not married for 4years she was in house of reps and 8years in senate. Dimeji Bankole single when he won his seat and got married while he was in house of rep. And he rose to be speaker. What has marriage got to do with it. What you need is political clout and backing. Please let's remove our personal feeling from obvious facts." Tolu. "9ice was the only artiste that performed at Madiba Mandela's birthday. That alone, is an outstanding achievement. 9ice was the first artiste to collect the highest 'show fee'. In short, 9ice's achievements in the music industry can not be swept under the carpet. He is an achiever and record breaker. Judging him by his marriage ordeal is nothing but 'Sheer Hatred'.... Akanni Ola Balogun' "Take it away from marriage, what is 9ice educational qualifications and what is the quality of thoughts he would put forward, All you supporting him because he is a great musician makes me laugh, if an Eldee wants to be house of Reps member I would vote him because of the quality of thought that comes from him, please take a minute to Google 9ice and search for him and see what you will see, Nigeria surely deserves more than that from the house of Reps member." "The Nigerian constitution does not include been married as a condition for qualification for election. If you want to introduce this condition because 9ice is contesting you are free to go and sponsor a bill to amend the constitution. For now, 9ice is absolutely qualified according to the laws irrespective of our feelings about the man." Tolu. 

In recent times,top entertainers have shown interest in politics some realised their dreams while others just tried their luck and went back to their primary calling. Whatever happens, we feel his courage should be appreciated. If we have tried the old ones since 1999 and we are still where we are in the areas of power, security, jobs creation, roads, corruption etc then it will not be out of place if the young ones are encouraged. Julius Agu is coming in as well, I think this young ones deserve our encouragement.

21 Suspected Cases Of Ebola Reported In Enugu According to the Federal government of Nigeria

Why am I not surprised at this report. In truth, without being forward, I thought very much about this with regards to my brothers and sisters from the east . I don't know of any Nigeria tribe that is more represented around the world in the area of business and trade like those from the east. The report I once got from a friend who traveled to Liberia a long time ago was that ,there are more than enough easterners from Nigeria in Liberia. It's the same around the world. The Igbos believe more in business than saying sir to any one. With the outbreak of Ebola, my heart went out to this ones.  I hope it does not get really serious in that region.....

After a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, told reporters that one of the nurses, who had contact with the index patient, late Patrick Sawyer, had traveled to Enugu State contrary to instructions and had had contact with the 21 persons.According to Mr Maku, 198 Nigerians have been traced to have contacted the virus. While 177 are in Lagos, 21 persons in Enugu are being watched.The FEC devoted this week’s meeting to the efforts being made to combat the Ebola Virus which entered Nigeria some 23 days ago and had been declared a National Emergency.At the meeting, the Minister of Health, Dr Onyebuchi Chukwu, told the council that Nigerians had been on the alert even before late Sawyer entered Lagos with the virus.He told reporters that he was in touch with all the Commissioners for Health and that the Governors of the 36 states and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory had been called for a meeting with the President, an indication that the government was taking the case serious.He said a committee had been set up to handle the claims by many Nigerians that they have a cure for the ailment and called on Nigerians not to panic, as the government was in touch with the rest of the world on the possible cure for the disease.The Nigerian government had requested for an untested drug, Zmapp, believed to be efficient in the treatment of Ebola virus from the United States but had not gotten any concrete response.On Tuesday, the World Health Organization supported the use of untested drugs for the treatment of the disease, which the Nigerian government said its outbreak was a National Emergency.As part of efforts to contain the disease, which had claimed three lives in Lagos State, President Goodluck Jonathan had set up an intervention plan with 1.9 billion Naira approved for the control of the disease.The Federal Government had urged those who had primary contact with the index patient to report themselves so that they could be quarantined.Source Channels Tv

UN-It's ok to use Ebola untested drugs in West Africa

One can any one say, it's better than not trying since the disease is a death sentence any way. To do something even if it kills you in the end is better than doing nothing. To do nothing is to give up but to do something is to fight on. Many will argue negatively about this but who cares?

MADRID (AP) — The World Health Organization declared it's ethical to use untested drugs and vaccines in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa, although the tiny supply of one experimental treatment has been depleted and it could be many months until more is available.

The last of the drug is on its way to Liberia for two stricken doctors, according to a U.K.-based public relations firm representing Liberia. The U.S. company that makes it said the supply is now "exhausted." Later Tuesday, Canada said it would provide some of its experimental Ebola vaccine for use in West Africa.

A Spanish missionary priest who died Tuesday in Madrid was the third person to receive the experimental treatment called ZMapp. Two U.S. aid workers who received it in recent weeks are said to be improving.

The outbreak, the biggest in history, has killed more than 1,000 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. There is no proven treatment or vaccine for Ebola; several are in early stages of development. ZMapp, made by Mapp Pharmaceuticals, is so new that it has never been tested in humans, although an early version worked in some monkeys infected with Ebola. It's aimed at boosting the immune system's efforts to fight off Ebola.

"If there are drugs that can save lives — as animal studies have suggested — shouldn't we use them to save lives?" Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, an assistant director-general at WHO, told a Geneva press conference Tuesday.

But it is "very important to not give false hope to anybody that Ebola can be treated now. This is absolutely not the case," she added. ZMapp is made in tobacco plants, and U.S. officials have estimated that only a modest amount could be produced in two or three months, unless some way to speed up production is found.

The U.N. health agency says 1,013 people have died so far in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa of the 1,848 suspected or confirmed cases recorded by authorities. The killer virus is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids like blood, diarrhea and vomit.

Canada announced it would donate 800 to 1,000 doses of its experimental Ebola vaccine developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada. A small supply will be kept in Canada in case any is needed there. The vaccine has not been tested in humans, but has shown promise in animals.

"The trouble is, of course, with this very, very limited number of vaccines, who would you give that to?" said Dr. Gregory Taylor, deputy head of the agency. He said the agency has been advised that it makes the most sense to give the vaccine to health care workers in Africa. They are among the most vulnerable because of their close contact with Ebola patients. Several doctors and nurses have died in the outbreak.

The same vaccine was actually used once in 2009. It was rushed to a German lab worker who pricked her gloved finger with a needle that had contained Ebola. She survived, though it wasn't known if she was ever really infected with Ebola and if the vaccine worked.

Some experts aren't convinced, though, that any novel drugs or vaccines would make a difference in ending the current outbreak. Once they're put to the test, most experimental drugs that seemed promising in animal studies "don't turn out to benefit people," said Dr. Jesse Goodman, former chief scientist for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, now at Georgetown University Medical Center.

He said some drugs prove harmful. "Unless we can ascertain that carefully, how do we really help people in the long run?" After the two Americans received the experimental drug ZMapp, officials in Liberia requested it. Officials in Sierra Leone and Guinea have expressed interest in getting experimental treatments but haven't yet asked.

"The Liberians can count on their government, but Guineans can only count on God in the face of Ebola," said Assiatou Diallo, a nurse in Conakry, Guinea's capital. The Spanish missionary, 75-year-old Miguel Pajares, died in Madrid's Carlos III Hospital, the hospital and his order said. A doctor who was part of the team treating the priest confirmed he had received the experimental drug. The doctor, an infectious diseases specialist, spoke on condition of anonymity, not being authorized to discuss the treatment.

Pajares' body will be cremated Wednesday to avoid any public health risks, the hospital said. He had worked for the San Juan de Dios hospital order, a Catholic group, helping to treat people with Ebola in Liberia when he became ill and was evacuated.

The son of the U.S. missionary aid worker being treated for Ebola at an Atlanta hospital said his mother is doing well. Jeremy Writebol told NBC's "Today" show in an interview broadcast Tuesday that Nancy Writebol's eyes are getting brighter and she's even joking a little.

Jeremy Writebol said he had been concerned his mother might not make it when she was taken out of an ambulance at Emory University's hospital last week after being flown from Liberia. A second American, Dr. Kent Brantly, had been able to walk from the ambulance into the hospital.

Writebol said doctors have said they expect her to recover, though they haven't elaborated. WHO said the size of the outbreak — the first in West Africa — made the experimental use of drugs ethical even though there is no evidence they work and it is possible they could be dangerous. The agency convened an expert panel of ethicists, infectious disease experts and patient representatives to discuss the issue on Monday.

"We don't have enough people to rely on the traditional methods if we want to stop the outbreak as soon as possible," Kieny said. WHO said it was OK to use unproven treatments or vaccines if patients give their informed consent and are guaranteed confidentiality and freedom of choice.

There was no specific advice on who should get them; the panel only said more analysis and discussion was needed. "I don't think there could be any fair distribution of something available in such small quantities," Kieny noted.

She said some companies were speeding up trials of their new Ebola vaccines and there might be some preliminary safety data by the end of the year. WHO also said the world had "a moral duty" to collect evidence about the safety and effectiveness of Ebola treatments in scientific trials.

Canada's Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. is developing a drug that targets Ebola's genetic material. The FDA had halted a small safety study with questions about a reaction in healthy volunteers. Last week, Tekmira announced that the FDA had modified its restriction, clearing a roadblock to possible experimental use in patients, and said it was "carefully evaluating options."

West African nations are struggling to control both the deadly outbreak and the fear it has created. Some airlines flying in and out of the region have suspended flights. The Ivory Coast, which shares borders with Liberia and Guinea, banned direct flights from those countries and said it would increase health inspections at its borders. Guinea-Bissau also announced it was temporarily closing its border with Guinea because of the Ebola outbreak.

On Tuesday, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf suspended all travel by executive branch officials for one month. She also ordered those already abroad to return home within a week "or be considered as abandoning their jobs," according to a statement.

Cheng reported from London. Jonathan Paye-Layleh in Monrovia, Liberia; Clarence Roy-Macaulay in Freetown, Sierra Leone; Jorge Sainz in Madrid, AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard in Washington, Rob Gillies in Toronto, Lassana Cassama in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau and Boubacar Diallo in Conakry, Guinea, contributed to this report.

How To Embrace Failure In Order To Become Successful

Perhaps one of the most practical article you will ever read on the subject. Those who fear failure truly run away from success....joseph Ogundare

“If you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein said that. He was considered a failure from an early age, not speaking until he was nearly 4 years old, and not fluently until he was 12. His teachers thought he wouldn’t amount to much.However, Einstein didn’t prove them wrong overnight. It was a long journey that took dedication, perseverance and a willingness to fail — repeatedly. In fact, those failures were what made it possible for him to achieve what he did and become the genius he’s known as today. Why? Because he learned from all of them.I’m no stranger to failure myself. I flunked out the fourth quarter of my senior year in high school, was thrown out of the Marines, fired from several jobs, divorced, and have experienced countless other mistakes and hiccups throughout my life. However, I managed to learn a few things from those failures — extremely important things; things that propelled me to the successes I’m enjoying today.The only person you can control is yourself.
You might manage employees, but you certainly can’t control them. If you’re micro-managing them, you’re doing it wrong. Hire the best and the most brilliant then get out of their way and let them do their job. For controlling CEOs, this can be tough. But the sooner you get this one, the better off you and your company will be.Some view failure as the ultimate loss of control. It isn’t. You can’t control the stock market, market forces, the weather or the dismal response your last marketing campaign received. What you can control is your reaction to it. Instead of blowing a fuse or assigning blame, you can choose to take responsibility, learn from your mistakes and make corrections going forward.The only person who can help you is yourself.
That’s right. Anyone else in your life will let you down at some point – that’s just human nature. You are the only person you can count on 100 percent of the time. Once you realize you are the only one in control of your destiny, you can begin to make a significant change. But it won’t be easy.
You’re going to need grit. Namely:

• “G” is for guts, that secret super power that allows us to overcome adversity and steer a course over, under, around or straight through life’s many obstacles and challenges. Having guts is about living in the moment and doing things you’re afraid of right now — not tomorrow, not five years from now. It’s about being confident in your opinion, voicing that opinion, and not being afraid to disagree with people.

• “R” is for resilience, which allows us to bounce back from life’s many defeats to enjoy the fruits of our labor and eventual success. Perseverance is a major part of that. The journey that got me to where I am today gave me this insatiable drive, this compulsion to create change — to be change. It also taught me to genuinely care about people, to care about the community around me and to care about the impact I have on the future. Don’t limit yourself to what’s immediately doable. Instead ask, “What’s possible?”

• “I” is for initiative, that entrepreneurial spirit that inspires us to act on our biggest ideas and build a life and career for ourselves. With initiative comes the risk of failure — which is why doing so is well worth it. Either it takes you forward into a new direction, or you fail and those failures take you in a new direction.

• “T” is for tenacity, which ultimately determines how hard we fight for our dreams. Tenacity can be summed up as, “improvise, overcome, adapt,” regardless of the odds. You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. A tenacious person never has to say “would have,” “could have,” and “should have.” Don’t think too long about things, just go for it.

To begin making real progress, you need to learn where you’re most comfortable, most skilled and most proficient. Then move on and find a place where you feel most uncomfortable, most uncertain, and the most unsure of yourself. That’s the first step.Einstein forged ahead with his theories, fearlessness and grit. We would all do well to emulate him. Remember, each defeat becomes an eventual victory.Scott Petinga is Chairman and CEO of The Scott Petinga Group, a pioneer in turning data into profits, and was recently a semi-finalist for Entrepreneur Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year.  

Culled from forbes.

My Simple fear For Diego Costa.

In the world of football, coaches have always made huge differences and I strongly opine that the game would never have been the same without them. It becomes therefore important to state here that, most times, the winning or otherwise of any game is based on the performance or otherwise of the coach. 

Based on the above, to be able to make any meaningful impact in any game, the coach will always go for those players who can deliver for him. This is never dependent on the acceptability of the fans as the coach will always go ahead whether the fans like it or not. However you look at it, it is the result that matters. Since one cannot question the decision of the coach, we can however advice or put forward our opinion. My issue rest with the Chelsea front man Diego Costa. I feel strongly that Mourinho has a a lot to do with regards to his temper. I strongly believe that Mourinho signed Costa because he is tall, strong and very physical. That is in addition to his being very skillful and sharp. However, being a points man, Diego gets really frustrated when in a game he has not found the net. This makes him commit off the ball fouls and we know very well what this results to. One needs to watch because he may carry out such acts in games which Chelsea may need the most. Temper expression is one thing that is not acceptable in football and Mourinho must work on this with Costa. 

Another factor Mourinho needs to look at if the season must go well is specially train Costa on how to escape legs and wicked tackles. I did play football, even though not at the top level. I know one of the things coaches tell players. It's straight- take out that guy and we are good. Based on this, defenders some times go with the worst tackles. The onion is on the striker to watch his back. Haven seen Costa play in the Laliga,i strongly feel that he will need to be extra careful coming to the EPL. He will receive very hard tackles. Knowing his pedigree, defenders in the Epl will be after him. The coach must therefore spend time reteaching him again and purely inducting him on how to watch his moves, study a defenders approach amongst other things. 

Chelsea suffered a great deal last season because the strikers did not deliver. It was worse because the coach did not hide his annoyance as he expressed it openly. This season, the whole job is on Costa not minding the presence of Torres. If Costa must deliver, Mourinho must put back on his psychology cap. Tell Costa the same thing he told Drogba in those days which made him a goal scoring machine. Score the goals but avoid injuries which could put you away even before the beginning of the season. The Epl trophy is that of Chelsea to lose this season as they are better positioned to win it. 

The Ebola Spread-Does Nigeria have a ministry of health?

I sincerely don't know about most Nigerians, but I can tell you that prior to Patrick Sawyers case and the whole media expansion on the knowledge  of EBOLA, I knew nothing and I mean absolutely nothing about Ebola.  I heard the argument which claimed that this infection started as far back as 1976 and I say I have my reason to doubt it. The argument also claimed that it's been in Liberia since the 80's and I asked, so what happened to all the Nigerians who went to Liberia for peace keeping? What about those Nigerians, who prior to the Patrick Sawyers case had or still have businesses in Liberia so travel in and out of Nigeria as they please. Are you saying a whole Nigeria ministry of health did not know this existed? If they don't, then what do they know? Nigerians cannot at all be blamed for the spread of this, The federal ministry of health should take the blame. Yet you wonder that year in, year out, we have budgets for health and research and awareness vote is included in that budget. What are they doing with the money because we are only grateful to God that Blackberry came to Nigeria and with it, So many broadcast even though many of the broadcast are unsolicited, they safe lives. But I wonder if a ministry of health exist in Nigeria. Read this newspaper report below

EXCLUSIVE: How Liberian Govt Cleared Patrick Sawyer to Travel to Nigeria while under observation for Ebola !The Liberian Government was aware that Patrick Sawyer, its citizen who brought the Ebola virus into Nigeria, had possibly contracted the virus from his late sister, yet cleared him to travel to Nigeria for a conference organised by the Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS], PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report today.Documents obtained by this newspaper showed that Mr. Sawyer’s employers, ArcelorMittal, an iron mining company, suspended him from work and isolated him after it became aware that he had contact with his sister who died of the virus on July 8.The company also issued an internal memo to staff of the company informing them that Mr. Sawyer had been referred to the Liberian Health ministry for testing and close observation.“A family member of an ArcelorMittal Liberia employee died on Tuesday, July 8th, in Monrovia due to a confirmed case of the Ebola virus,” the July 11 edition of Satellite, an internal newsletter of ArcelorMittal Liberia, said. “The employee had minimal contact with the victim, at the state where the virus was infectious.“Doctors say the risk of potential transfer to any member of the ArcelorMittal staff or contractors is very low. The employee has submitted to the Ministry of Health for a medical examination for possible Ebola infection, and has also requested the Ministry of Health to make the result available to ArcelorMittal Liberia and its close affiliates.“There is no evidence to suggest that the employee has been infected. Under the Ministry of Health guidelines, the employee is being monitored on a daily basis and will continue to do so for a period of 21 days. During this time the employee will be absent from work.”The July 25 edition of the Satellite, which announced Mr. Sawyer’s death, reads:“Patrick was last at the Buchanan site (of AncelorMittal) on 9th July when he informed us about the death of his sister. Having informed us of this news, Patrick was submitted to the Ministry of Health for a medical observation and isolation and requested not to return to work until he had passed through the incubation period. He has not been at the Buchanan site or in any ArcelorMittal office since that time.”But despite being under isolation and observation for the deadly disease, the Liberian Government, through its Deputy Finance Minister For Fiscal Affairs, Sebastian Muah, cleared Mr. Sawyer to travel to Nigeria for an ECOWAS convention in Calabar.The deputy minister personally admitted approving the trip in an online discussion forum, where some Liberian citizens raised questions about his action and competence.Mr. Muah could not be reached for comments on Monday. His mobile telephone was switched off the numerous times PREMIUM TIMES called.But the Liberian Minister of Information, Lewis Brown, admitted to this newspaper that his government knew Mr. Sawyer was possibly infected by the virus before he travelled to Nigeria.“I can confirm to you that he was advised by the Chief Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health not to leave the country because he was under observation,” Mr. Brown said by telephone from Monrovia, the Liberian capital. “It was regrettable that he left the country while being observed.“We felt he had a duty to his colleagues to tell them that he was under observation for the disease. We also felt he had a duty to our country and yours (Nigeria) not to leave Liberia so as not to endanger the lives of others.”Asked why a Liberian government official approved Mr. Sawyer’s trip to Nigeria even when the administration was watching him for Ebola, Mr. Brown said he had no information that the Deputy Minister, Mr. Muah, okayed the journey.He however explained that such an administrative slip was possible at the time Mr. Sawyer left Liberia for Nigeria because at that time, inter-agency cooperation among government departments was low.“It’s possible the health ministry was monitoring him (Mr. Sawyer) but the finance ministry did not know,” Mr. Brown said. “It was a slip and we have learned from it regrettably.”He said the Patrick Sawyer incidence had now compelled Liberia to rework its procedures.“Now the practice is to share the names of everyone under observation with all other agencies, including the airport, so they cannot leave the country,” the minister said.“Before the Patrick Sawyer incidence, we did not have that kind of cooperation. We were not locking people under observation down. We were only bringing them to the isolation centre after they showed signs of the disease.”Liberian newspaper, The New Dawn, which saw the CCTV footage recorded at the James Spriggs Payne’s Airport, Monrovia, moments before Mr. Sawyer boarded an Asky Airline plane to Lagos on July 20, reported that he looked “terribly ill” and wore a “sad countenance“ like someone in severe pain.Apparently overtaken by “excruciating pain,” he, at a point, laid flat on his stomach on the floor in the corridor of the airport.The paper also reported the footage as capturing Mr. Sawyer sitting alone and avoiding bodily contacts with other passengers who came close to him at the boarding gate of the airport as he awaited his flight to Lagos.Mr. Sawyer became severely ill on the plane and was taken to First Consultant Hospital, Obalende, from the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos.Reports of events before he travelled to Nigeria and soon after his death have now shown that top Liberian government officials were aware of his trip to Nigeria and appeared to have done nothing to stop him.The reports have also shown that Mr. Sawyer did not escape from where he was quarantined as reported by some newspapers.In fact, the actions of some Liberian officials suggested that they were more concerned with getting Mr. Sawyer to the convention venue in Calabar and cared very little about the health risk he posed.After he died, First Consultant Hospital issued a statement saying it resisted immense pressure from Liberian officials to discharge Mr. Sawyer from the hospital to enable him to attend the convention in Calabar, with diplomats saying he had a key role to play at the convention.Nigeria was free of Ebola until July 20 when Mr. Sawyer arrived.He became terribly ill on his flight and was rushed to the First Consultant Hospital Obalende, Lagos, where he died on July 24.Nigeria’s Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, said on Monday that although the Liberian government has apologized for the incidence, it was pertinent to note that Nigeria was free of Ebola Virus until its importation by the Liberian-American.Mr. Sawyer’s action, he said, has placed unnecessary stress on Nigeria’s health system.REVEALED: How Lagos nursing mother contracted Ebola virusA medical doctor has revealed how a nursing mother contracted the deadly Ebola virus at a Lagos hospital.It was learnt that the woman was the patient who visited the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation staff clinic on Muri Okunola Street in the Victoria Island area of Lagos.
NNPC had issued a press statement on Friday, saying that the clinic would be shut due to a suspected case of Ebola reported in the clinic.Our correspondent gathered from the source, who had a first-hand information of the incident, that the nursing mother had first visited the First Consultant Medical Centre, Obalende.He said, “The lady attended ante-natal at First Consultant prior to the arrival of the Liberian, Mr. Patrick Sawyer. She was delivered of her baby at the hospital after which she was discharged.“A few weeks later, Mr. Sawyer came around and was attended to by health workers. He was first treated for malaria, then typhoid, before there was high index of suspicion. He tested positive for Ebola and died.“Then the woman, who gave birth at the hospital came back to the hospital for her baby’s immunisation. The nurses who attended to Sawyer also attended to her.“When she visited the place again last week, she discovered the place had been shut down for proper fumigation as a means of control against Ebola.”He said the nursing mother decided to visit a neighbouring clinic which was the NNPC clinic.He said it was there she began her treatment after she fell ill.“She was first treated for Malaria. However, after some medical tests, there was a high suspicion of Ebola haemorrhagic fever.“On Friday, the Lagos State’s emergency response team on Ebola virus came around and took her to the Infectious Diseases Hospital,” he added.Our correspondent learnt that the yet-to-be-identified mother and her baby, who were taken away from the hospital on Friday, had been quarantined.Confirming the report, the Medical Officer of Health, Iru-Victoria Island Local Council Development Area, Dr. Wale Akeredolu, said the patient tested positive to the Ebola virus after a second test was conducted on her.He confirmed the incident at a sensitisation programme organised for residents of the Eti-Osa Local Government Area by the council on Monday.He added, “The baby has also been quarantined to see if after the incubation period of two to 21 days, she would manifest the symptoms of Ebola.”The council boss, Abayomi Daramola, appealed to residents not to shirk their responsibilities on the pretext of running away from the virus.He said, “This is a trying time in Nigeria. But the presence of Ebola does not mean people should run away from their responsibilities. The public apprehension is what can even spread the disease faster. So, people should just follow personal hygiene, use sanitisers and wash their hands regularly.” 

Sterling bank-Cheque Confirmation With Ease

Have you ever visited certain banks with a cheque that you want to cash on the counter? Some times you feel really irritated expecially because the bank may want to confirm from the account owner if the cheque should be paid or not . This in turn makes you wait and some times you get really irritated waiting.  Well, with Sterling bank,  that is to be a thing of the past, as the one issuing the cheque can confirm and authorize payment online even before you get to the bank. Those who deal with cheque will indeed appreciate this service expecially knowing that it's coming from the one customer bank, sterling bank. 

10 Ebola Cases recorded, this is no longer child's play-Questions bugging me

According to the reports coming from the dailies , we have recorded ten confirmed cases of Ebola in Nigeria. And trust me, this are only known cases. I know my country men and women , they will rather die at home, hiding the ailment instead of being used as public spectacle. On the day Patrick Sawyer came to Nigeria, some people sat close to him in that plane. He shook the hand of the a Nigeria Airports attendants am sure , may be he did it with his sweat. He was rushed to the hospital, taken in a vehicle, nurses plus hospital attendants attended to him. This same people went back to their homes, stayed with their family, who in turn related with friends . The mortuary attendants touched him, went back home, shook friends, related with families . With the type of health system we have, Nigeria, there is trouble. Without raising any alarm, there exist enough evidence to he extra careful and above all prayerful. See the report below

10 Ebola cases now in Nigeria As Newly-married Nigerian nurse contracts Ebola !newly-wedded Nigerian nurse has been infected with the deadly Ebola virus.This brings to 10 the number of persons infected with the killer disease in the country, including the late Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, who imported the disease. Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday.Fielding questions from journalists, the minister spoke on the possibility the nurse might have infected her husband with the killer virus.He said: “That is why the husband is at present under surveillance.” Chukwu also said that the couple was newly-married and that they lived alone.He also explained how medical team responded to those suspected to have contact with persons tested positive to the disease, including the index case in the country. “Yes, that is the problem.But all the people are placed under surveillance, using WHO protocol, are in their houses. But when we quarantine you, you move out of your house. When we isolate you, then it is a different sub-group. So, we have surveillance, quarantine and we have isolation.They mean different things. “Now, the people who are on surveillance don’t have any symptom at all. We are visiting them on daily basis. That somebody is in her husband’s house doesn’t mean the person is not under surveillance,” he added.He stressed that other persons that tested positive to the disease were being treated in Lagos State and that only one Nigerian nurse had died of the disease with the Liberian Sawyer brought the virus into the country 23 days ago.The minister confirmed media reports that the late Liberian sneaked out from his country while under surveillance to attend an ECOWAS-sponsored programme in Calabar, Cross River State.He, however, debunked insinuations that Sawyer brought the disease into the country as a deliberate act to inflict pains on the Nigerians. Chukwu, had on Friday told journalists in Lagos that 139 persons were under surveillance over the disease.The newly-wed nurse was confirmed by medical officials to have been tested positive to the disease, the minister said.He also said that President Goodluck Jonathan had approved the National Ebola Virus Disease Emergency Containment Plan with the immediate cash backing of N1.9bn.“The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies, works very closely with the World Health Organisation, WHO, UNICEF, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, local authorities and other international partners to further deepen and broaden these containment efforts,” he added.“It has been 22 days since EVD first landed in Nigeria. As at today, 177 primary and secondary contacts of the index case have been placed under surveillance or isolation.“Of this figure, nine developed EVD, bringing the total number of cases in Nigeria to 10. Of these 10, two have died (the Liberian- American and the Nigerian nurse) while eight are alive and currently on treatment.“The Liberian government has expressed its deepest sympathies and regrets that Sawyer had even embarked on this tragic journey, which has brought needless sufferings, death and has placed an unnecessary stress on our health system.“In the same spirit, we share in solidarity, the grief of the governments and people of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone as we confront this challenge together,” the minister said.In Bayelsa State, Governor Seriake Dickson has inaugurated an 18-member committee, just as 103 surveillance centres have been set up in all the local government areas.This, the governor said, was part of preventive measures to checkmate any outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in the state.He, however, added that government would continue to create awareness and sensitise the people of the state to imbibe the culture of personal hygiene.Dickson also said that the state had not recorded any reported case of the virus, stressing that in the event of any outbreak, the state government had the capacity to deal with it.According to the governor, in view of the high fatality rate associated with the scourge, there is need to treat it as a national security issue and government will provide all the support that the committee requires to function optimally.Dickson, who called on the people, particularly community and opinion leaders, to be watchful for suspected patients with the Ebola symptoms, commended President Jonathan for the urgent steps taken to check the spread of the dreaded disease.He, however, advised the people against ingesting any unorthodox substances like drinking and bathing with salt water, saying two people had already died and others hospitalised from such practices.The Chairman of the 18-member Committee on Bayelsa State Task Force on Ebola Virus, Dr. Ayebatonye Owei, highlighted measures taken to include mass sensitisation of the people, public enlightenment campaign in the rural areas, Federal Medical Centre and the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital designated as centres with isolation wards prepared for the management of the disease. In addition, helplines that are toll free have been introduced.The lines are (09033107050), (09033148929), (08117168685) and (07010008755) arrangement has also being made for the procurement of tents and protective equipment for health personnel.Also, the committee intends to map out a programme to train medical personnel on the management of Ebola, produce materials to be distributed to crowded places, including marketplaces and churches as well as direct private health institutions on the need to have isolated wards for the disease.NSA warned health ministry before Sawyer’s visitIndications have emerged that the Office of the National Security Adviser warned the Office of the Minister of Health of the grave implications of the Ebola virus to national security and the need for steps to be taken 10 days before the infamous visit of the Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, to Lagos.The NSA office in a letter dated July 10, 2014 alerted to the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, to the need to follow a guideline against the Ebola virus, which according to the letter, was at the ‘doorstep of the country.’It was stated in the letter with ref. no. NSA/A/208/C, signed by a senior officer in the NSA’s office, Brig. Gen. TT Waya (retd.), that the guideline was meant to provide a working plan to guide the health ministry to take proactive steps to combat any possible outbreak of the disease in Nigeria.Waya stated further in the letter that the guideline was to further aid the minister to give necessary warnings and information to the citizenry as regards the Ebola threat.It was also learnt that the ministry, the NSA’s office and the Presidential Communication, Command and Control at the State House were to hold joint briefings on the Ebola issue.However, investigations revealed that the Plan of Action was yet to be followed 10 days before the sick Sawyer visited the country and infected health workers and others with the deadly virus.The guidelines, presented in a summary form under the topic ‘Crisis Management Guidelines for Pandemics- Ebola’, attached as Annex ‘A’ to the letter, included three major areas: General Information, Communication and Looking Ahead.Items listed under General Information include Introduction, History of Ebola, The West African Pandemic, Contingency Planning, Risk Analysis, Being Better Prepared, The Response Plans, Reinforcing the Crisis Response, Management of Information and Creation of Joint Communication Centre.The guidelines also include the national response, communications with stakeholders, the role of the social media and local and international media.The letter alerted the minister of the outbreak of the deadly virus and its high fatality figure in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. It said 367 persons out of a total of 600 infected died as at June 26, 2014, according to World Health Organisation reports.It was observed further that a reported case of Ebola in Ghana called for steps to be taken in the event of an incident in the country.The NSA latter read in part, “Last week, there was an isolated case reported in Ghana. With this development, Ebola disease could be said to be on Nigeria’s doorstep.“An outbreak of the disease in Nigeria would obviously have security implications. Consequently, I am directed to forward to you the crisis Management Guidelines for your Ministry’s preparedness and response to an eventual outbreak of the disease.“The guidelines will assist the Hon. Minister in preparing a working plan to deal with the outbreak as well as to warn and inform the public among others.” 

Robin William dead at 63-Bio updated.

Robin Williams

Actor

Robin McLaurin Williams was an American actor, voice actor, and stand-up comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork & Mindy, Williams went on to establish a successful career in...wikipedia.org

• Born: July 21, 1951, Chicago, Illinois, USA
• Died: August 11, 2014, Tiburon, California, USA
• Nationality: American
• Height: 5' 7" (1.70m)
• Spouse: Susan Schneider (m. 2011-2014), Marsha Garces (m. 1989-2010), Valerie Velardi (m. 1978-1988)
• Parents: Laura McLaurin, Robert Fitzgerald Williams
• Children: Zelda Rae Williams, Cody Alan Williams, Zachary Pym Williams

Madness or Likeness-Woman spends $30k just to look like Kim Kardashian

Truthfully, wonders will never end. Obsession will be very little a word to use very soon for acts people carry out just to walk the path of their idol. Imagine some one spending $30'000 just to look like Kim K.... This is madness

Fan Claire Leeson is trying to look like Kim Kardashian seen here attending Paris Fashion Week in July 2014 in Pari

Woman reportedly spends $30K to look like Kim Kardashian

Claire Leeson recently appeared on the United Kingdom's ITV program "This Morning" to discuss how she has spent almost $30,000 to look like Kim Kardashian. Us Weekly reports that Leeson became obsessed with looking like the reality star after watching E!'s "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" in 2009. When I get my Kimmy on I feel like I'm unstoppable," the Essex, England, resident reportedly said. Leeson said she had been bullied in the past and called the 'ugliest thing alive.' "When I left school, friends would tell me that I had a resemblance to Kim," she said. "I watched ('Keeping Up with the Kardashians') and realized I had the same amount of siblings and that we have the same kind of arguments and things going on. I thought she was so beautiful and I really wanted to be like her." Leeson's Instagram account features plenty of evidence of all that goes into her looking like a Kardashian including breast augmentation, spray tanning and hair extensions. The price of such upkeep has also been more than monetary, however. According to ITV's website, "Now Claire gets regular work as a Kim lookalike, and even though her obsession has got her into £6000 debt, and destroyed a relationship, she doesn't intend to give up her lookalike career!"

Check her Instagram page- claireleeson_x

This story is original to CNN

Manchester City Signs Eliaquim Mangala-May be UEFA can go to hell

Manchester City has always shown that they are the current big spenders in the Epl. Once again, they just told UEFA go to hell, Money speaks. May be yesterday's loss to Arsenal Fc in the community Shiekd became a wake up call for the Manager...

Eliaquim Mangala signs for Manchester City from Porto

Manchester City just can't stop spending money as the English Premier League champions have forked out a reported $53 million to sign France international defender Eliaquim Mangala from Portuguese club Porto.Mangala's transfer, confirmed Monday, comes just three months after City was heavily sanctioned by European football body UEFA for breaching new rules on Financial Fair Play.Whatever the deal's financial implications, City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes the 23-year-old Mangala has "all of the mental, physical, technical and tactical attributes to become one of Europe's very best defenders."Pellegrini added on the City website: "Eliaquim is a player I believe will make an immediate impact in the Premier League, thanks to his physicality, his reading of the game and quality on the ball."Mangala, who began his professional career at Belgian club Standard Liege, was part of France's 2014 World Cup squad but did not play in any games."For me, it was an important step to leave Porto and join Manchester City in order to continue my progress. I want to win titles and I believe I can do this. I am ambitious and this is why I am here," Mangala told the City website.In May, the English champions accepted a UEFA fine of €60 million ($82 million), a restriction on transfer spending and a reduction in the club's squad size for the European Champions League.Mangala is City's fifth permanent signing since last season, following his former Porto teammate Fernando -- who cost $20 million -- to England.Argentine goalkeeper Willy Caballero joined for a reported $10 million from Pellegrini's former club Malaga, while compatriot Bruno Zuculini was acquired for $5 million from Racing Club.Mangala's fellow France World Cup teammate Bacary Sagna moved from Arsenal on a free transfer, while veteran midfielder Frank Lampard will play on loan from City's American feeder club New York City FC.City's only sale since last season has been midfielder Jack Rodwell's $16.7 million departure to Sunderland, while veteran midfielder Gareth Barry joined Everton on a free transfer.

From CNN

Living with Ebola: Three rules on how to survive the deadly virus

As West African nations try to stop the deadly Ebola virus from spreading, people living in the affected countries are nervous. In Sierra Leone, communities are keeping a close eye on the exact locations where the disease has emerged.

The posters are crudely drawn and graphic. There’s one pasted to the wall of the squat, concrete community centre in Kroo Bay, a slum in the centre of the capital Freetown, the kind of place where you can imagine disease spreading fast.

The houses are built of breeze block and have battered, rusting roofs. The spaces between them are piled with garbage, small children with no shoes tote yellow plastic jerry cans of water through the narrow lanes.

A pig lolls in the mud while her offspring snuffle in the filth.

Many Sierra Leoneans can’t read, so public information is often presented on large posters.

People in Freetown are nervous. They are desperate to keep the virus at bay, to keep it out in the provinces. They keep track of the numbers in the way they keep track of football scores.

I’ve been making radio programmes there, and a couple of weeks ago we recorded one in Port Loko, a province north of Freetown.

“Ah, Port Loko,” said someone when I got back. “Four cases.”

I’d know from my colleagues immediately if they were talking about Ebola. It was in the tone of voice, the roll of the eyes, the uneasy laughter.

Then they would tell me that so and so had died and I would feel that rush of adrenaline triggered by sudden fear. One of my colleagues spent the whole day last week wearing a pair of blue rubber gloves.

People are frightened for two reasons. First and most importantly, because there’s no known vaccine, no cure; second, because of the ghastly physical reality of the disease, as portrayed in those lurid posters.

Yet these are people inured to disease. Consider, for example, their attitude to malaria, which kills thousands in Sierra Leone every year.

Not infrequently in the last few weeks I’ve encountered people complaining of a headache or a night of intense sweating.

They slide off to the hospital and reappear a day or two later with a bag full of drugs. They laugh it off.

“Oh yeah, there are so many mosquitoes at this time of year,” they say.

“But you sleep under a net, right?” Well, actually no, they don’t, even though sleeping under a treated net is the single most effective way to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito and being infected with malaria.

They see malaria as an occupational hazard but they see Ebola as a death sentence.

I spent an instructive couple of hours at the weekend with a woman from Finland. Eeva was once a midwife, but she’s just finished a five-week stint with a Red Cross team that has been going door to door in Kailahun province, the border region where Ebola first arrived in Sierra Leone.

She was on what’s known as a sensitisation mission, explaining to people exactly how the virus spreads and how to avoid it.

There are three simple rules, she told me.

Rule one: If you’ve got a headache or a fever, go to the health centre for a test. You can recover from Ebola if the infection is spotted early enough.

Rule two: If someone dies, don’t touch the body. It’s highly infectious. Don’t wipe the mouth, don’t close the eyes.

Rule three: Don’t eat bushmeat, the meat of wild animals.

The underlying message was this – Ebola is manageable. It’s deadly and frightening but if you follow the three rules and use a lot of soap and water, you probably won’t get sick. And if you do, even though the death rate is high, there are survivors.

I told Eeva she was a brave woman, but she shrugged the compliment off.

She said she’d had the opportunity to take two different jobs – one in Sierra Leone, the other in South Sudan, where there’s continuing fighting. “I told myself, I’m not going to South Sudan – I’ve got a family,” she said.

As I left Freetown on Sunday morning there was a last reminder of the Ebola spectre. Outside the airport building was a table and a couple of buckets. We all had to wash our hands in water that carried a strong whiff of chlorine.

My friend in the blue rubber gloves had jokingly asked me if I might have space for him in my suitcase.

I sympathise with his powerlessness; I had a plane ticket; he can only sit and wait. I hope the message that Ebola is both manageable and survivable gets through.

 

Culled from the BBC