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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

EVERYONE NEEDS TO START GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS AND START DOING THEIR JOB WITHOUT REGARD TO PARTY AFFILIATIONS. GET UNAFFILIATED AND GET AMERICAN

The above statement was made by an American, Jessica Ann Wise, in response to the campaign by Obama to get the American Congress to support some of his government policies.

In Nigeria we have seen the grandstanding in the National Assembly when it comes to issues that affect our national life. People tend to align themselves to their tribes and party at the expense of good governance.

The NASS, expecially the members of the House of Representatives should stop being childish and show maturity in handling national issues. We expect them to take a cue from their Senate counterparts and stop all these their grandstanding and assist in moving the country forward.

GREEN TEA ENHANCES COGNITIVE ABILITY, MEMORY, OTHERS



A research team from China publishing the results of a study on the journal, Molecular Nutrition & Food Research report that an antioxidant rich cup of green tea helps benefit memory, cognitive abilities and spatial awareness.

Regarding green tea consumption, there has been plenty of scientific attention on its use in helping prevent cardiovascular diseases, but now there is emerging evidence that its chemical properties may impact cellular mechanisms in the brain.

Students may want to take note, as performance on exams may be enhanced with a cup or two of green tea beforehand. Green tea catechins promote neurogenesis to enhance memory and learning capabilities.

Researchers concentrated the active polyphenol known as EGCG (epigallocatechin-3 gallate), an organic chemical and main ingredient in green tea known to exhibit brain-protective properties in prior studies. 

Lead researcher, Dr. Yun Bai noted that, EGCG can improve cognitive function by impacting the generation of neuron cells, a process known as neurogenesis. He and his team found that EGCG promotes the development of neural progenitor cells that contribute to memory retention and enhanced thought capabilities.

Studies involving the brain frequently use a mouse model due to similarities with humans.
Mice were split into two groups: the first group was supplemented with an EGCG enhanced drink and the second control group consumed only water. After training for three to seven days on various skills to determine memory and retention, researchers found that the EGCG supplemented mice demonstrated significantly improved memory and learning by helping them to perform advanced skills while improving their spatial memory.

Dr. Bai concluded “We have shown that organic chemical EGCG acts directly to increase the production of neural progenitor cells….this helps us to understand the potential for EGCG, and green tea which contains it, to help combat degenerative diseases and memory loss.” This study provides evidence that green tea catechins (from supplements or three to five fresh brewed cups each day) directly promote neurogenesis, enabling enhanced memory recall and retention to improve cognition and spatial awareness.

Friday, September 13, 2013

AL-MUSTAPHA, DOKUBO, UWAZURUIKE MEET



Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, Mujahid Asari Dokubo, Dr. Fredrick Fasheun, Mohammed Abacha and Chief Ralph Uwazuruike are gathering in Owerri, Imo State for a meeting which organisers say would pave way for the unity of youths in the country.

The gathering of these personalities yesterday surprised political observers because they are coming from differing backgrounds and tendencies.

Major Al-Mustapha, who was just freed of murder charges after standing trial for 15 years, was the former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State General Sani Abacha.
 
Mujahid Asari Dokubo was, until the introduction of government’s amnesty progamme four years ago, leading the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF) in an insurrection against the Federal Government. He has recently been threatened violence should President Goodluck Jonathan lose the 2015 election.

Dr. Fredrick Fasheun is founder of the Odua People’s Congress (OPC), which is engaged in a campaign for fiscal federalism. A faction of the group is known to have violent tendencies, and was blamed for the killing of many Northerners in the Southwest years ago.

Their host, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, is currently leading the separatist Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) to break away the southeast out of Nigeria. Such attempt by the late Odumegwu Ojukwu led to a three-year civil war that was crushed by federal troops in 1970.

However, some of members of the delegation for the Owerri meeting dismissed suggestion the programme is related to the politics of 2015 or that they are being promoted by the Presidency.
 
Al-Mustapha, who led the delegation to Owerri, while speaking at the palace of Eze Nri, Eze Obidiegwu Onyesoh of  Nri Kingdom, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, stressed need to create a bridge for the younger generation to crisscross Nigeria in peace, unity and harmony.

He said for the people to understand how to prosper, it must be through the spirit of brotherhood and building of a bridge of peace. He said the country must work out modalities for greater interactions, unity and understanding.

“We are leaders of youths in North West, North Central, North East and South-South and delegation from South West led by Fasheun and of course others who are with us,” Al-Mustapha said.

“We decided to pay you a courtesy call and to bring to you our desire to bridge the gaps in this country so that peace, unity and development will envelop the entire nation.”
 
Al-Mustapha said they came together as the sons of all the six zones, leaders of associations, youth bodies and movements, to chart a course that will promote peace and harmony. Earlier in his speech, the monarch commended Al-Mustapha and other members of the delegation for their work toward peace and unity in the country.

He advised them to employ dialogue and non-violence in pursuit of their objective.
At Okwe in Onuimo Local Government Area of Imo state, the home of Biafran warlord Ojukwu, Al-Mustapha was received with a 21-gun salute. He called for forgiveness and tolerance among all ethnic groups in the country.

Earlier on arrival at the airport in Owerri, Al-Mustapha and the delegation were received by the MASSOB leader as well as the head of the Voice of the People Foundation, Chief Steve Orji.
 
It was reported that there was a large turnout of Igbo leaders and members of MASSOB who were on hand, to receive the visitors.

In a brief chat with newsmen at the airport, Mujahid Asari Dokubo said they were in the state to discuss issues bordering on security and other challenges facing the country with a view to proffering solutions.

A town hall meeting is holding today at the home of the MASSOB leader after which a communiqué would be issued.

Speaking to Daily Trust from Owerri by telephone, Al-Mustapha’s brother, Nasiru G.N. Hamza, said the coming together of these leaders from different parts of the country was spontaneous and had no political undertone.

“As far as I know there is no 2015 consideration in this gathering. It is purely about youths and how to bring them together for the purpose of engendering peace and unity in Nigeria,” he said.
 
He said the youths were the ones that feature prominently in any crisis and that it was important to bring them on board in the quest for peace in the country.

He said all the leaders that have come together are known to Al-Mustapha and that they stood by him during his trial, adding that they have now come together to work for the cause of peace and unity of the country.

ASUU STRIKE : NANS BERATE ASUU



THE PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF NANS, COMRADE YINKA GBADEBO ON 11TH SEPTEMER, 2013 IN LAGOS.

All Protocols duly observed.

It owes me a pleasure to welcome you all to this all important press conference aimed at addressing salient issues confronting the Education sector vis-à-vis lingering issues between the Academics Staff Union of Universities ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria as it affects us as Nigerian Students and its attendant consequence on our Nation at large.

It should be noted that it is a globally acceptable fact that Education remains the key ingredient to the development of any society as this cannot be divorced from the success stories of nations that have developed across the world.

For over two months, Nigeria Universities have remained closed owned to an indefinite strike declared by ASUU on the basis of the disagreement of the implementation of a previous agreement entered into between the Union and the Federal Government in 2009.

We wish to categorically state here that it has become imperative for the Government and ASUU to understand the significant position of Nigerian Students in the tripod that constitutes the University community i.e Management, Teachers and Students.

It is our intention today to bring to public knowledge those facts that have remains hidden from us as far as the contents and conditions that have continued to the responsible for the Federal Government and Federal imbroglio are concerned.

It is an acceptable that the Educational sectors had largely suffered in the hands of successive Government and this is not peculiar to the Universities and it is on that basis that we want to state our traditional demand that Government must be made to commit at least 26% of our annual budget to the education sector as the minimum recommendation by the UNESCO.

Having taken an holistic review of the details inherent in the agreement as signed by the Federal Government and ASUU, it has become germane for us to call on ASUU to reconsider its present adamant stand on the continued closure of our Universities.

We must as Nigerians accept that the problem with our Universities have developed over decade and would therefore unimaginable that ASUU with its present stand want it totally resolved within a spate of four years that this agreement was signed.

Objectively, ASUU is expected to expect that the demand for an unproved standard of education in Nigeria shall continue as long as our quest for development as a Nation remains on our investment in the Education sector.

We hereby disagree with ASUU on the notion that a release of N400 billion per annum as been demanded will face out the mirage of problems confronting the education sector in Nigeria today. While not celebrating the Government in an unprecedented manner had shown responsibility and concern by releasing N100 billion for infrastructural development in our Universities including State owned.

While we may not want to go deep into other details of the Federal Government and ASUU agreement which are hitherto considered by us as frivolous and self-serving to the interest of ASUU alone, it is expected that ASUU must at this point bring to the fore the interest of Nigerian Students whom they have been claiming to be fighting for by engaging the Federal Government in further dialogue while returning to class without hesitation.

The NANS is no longer comfortable with the attendant consequence of the incessant strike on the lives of Nigerian Students and social implication on the society at large. If cumulatively in the last 10years we have lost 30months to strikes by ASUU which is enough to produce a graduate in our Universities, then the question is what have been the gains and the potency of strikes as q weapon when Students are always at the receiving end.

We are now calling on every well meaning Nigerians to prevail on ASUU to resume negotiations with the Federal Government and reopen the Universities without any further delay. We can no longer continue to tolerate this situation which has perpetually made us irrelevant at the point of arriving at these conclusions by ASUU and the Federal Government.

The NANS will continue to encourage the Federal Government not to close its doors to further productive negotiations and once again use this medium to appeal strongly and very passionately on behalf of every Nigerian Students to ASUU to please in the interest of building intellectual capacity for National development which is sacrosanct to the future of our country reopen negotiation with Government and reopen the classrooms without further delay.

Aluta Continua, Victoria Ascerta

Comrade Yinka Gbadebo
NANS President

Thursday, September 12, 2013

THE WORLD’S UGLIEST ANIMAL





The blobfish has been voted world’s ugliest animal, according to the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, which announced the results Thursday at the British Science Festival.

“We’ve needed an ugly face for endangered animals for a long time and I’ve been amazed by the public’s reaction,” said Simon Watt, biologist and president of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society. “For too long the cute and fluffy animals have taken the limelight, but now the blobfish will be a voice for the [ugly creatures] who always get forgotten.”

Thousands of people from around the world cast their votes online, said the society.

The blobfish live at depths of between 600 and 1,200 meters and can grow up to 12 inches in length. It suffers a significant threat from fishing trawlers – although it is inedible itself, it gets caught up in the nets. It feeds off crabs and lobsters living at the same depth.

Runners up in the contest include the Kakapo, an endangered parrot, the Axolotl, a type of salamander and the Titicaca water frog.

According to its website, the Ugly Animal Preservation Society is “dedicated to raising the profile of some of Mother Nature’s more aesthetically challenged children.” - VOA

EGBESU MIGHTIER STRIKE FORCE GIVES 7 DAYS ULTIMATUM TO MUSLIM TO LEAVE NIGER DELTA



A militant group in the Niger Delta code name “Egbesu Mightier Strike Force” has given seven days ultimatum to the Muslim community in the area to leave or else there would be massive attack on them.
In an email message by the Joint Revolutionary Council to 247ureports.com, it said they are being compelled by the present Boko Haram merciless bombing in the country without verifiable developmental agitation and the Northern oligarchy to unseat a serving President in the country.

According to the message, the tsunami of Boko Haram will not, in its sweep, skip the homes and interests of it promoters, active or passive, stressing that,  Boko Haram has been leaving bombs around churches and other places with clusters of the innocent souls.

“Even now there is killing going on in the North. The continuous killings of Christians in the North should be stop forthwith. If peace is pronounced a war, why can’t we go our separate ways by amicable agreement?  Boko Haram may have its origins from wherever it likes. None of the core Northerners, eg. General Buhari, General Ibrahim Babangida, Atiku Abubakar, Junaidu Mohammed, Adamu Ciroma, Ango Abdullahi, self acclaim chief servant, Babangida Aliyu etc. could not have condemned the barbaric act of killing with Its wild excesses are essentially a reaction to the Presidential ascendancy of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. It has its sponsors and financiers in the North and outside Nigeria. If we are actually one Nigeria, why won’t we allow other geo-political zone to rule the country?” Commander Okiki Kene lamented.

The statement added that, Saudi Arabia is the centre of the Islamic faith, yet, there was never a single killing of Christian faithful in that country. Why all these killing in reaction to Goodluck Jonathan’s Presidential victory? With this trend, we can’t leave together. Leave Niger Delta now!!! Your failure to leave at the expiration of this message, will lead to the killing of any Muslim we see in the Niger Delta Region.

No section of this country is an embodiment of killing others. Muslims can’t live in our land freely (Niger Delta) while Boko Haram will be killing our people in their land. This is our message, if you like stay and test our ultimatum then stay and see what will happen. We are fully ready to kill if you test us.

They further said the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Ameachi should have rethink on his stand against President Goodluck Jonathan within the seven days and warned the state commissioner of Information, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari  to respect the office of the President as regard her defense to her Boss, saying that they will visit them within the period. “What we are going to spear them is to re-track all statement made against the Presidency, and then we have talk,” Commander Okiki warned.

“We have tested blood war during the days of our agitation for equal right. These Boko Haram live among you and praying in the same mosque is well known to them. So they can’t claim that they don’t know where the Boko Haram is in the North.

The emergence of the notorious Boko Haram was premeditated and designed to blackmail and undermines the authority of President Goodluck Jonathan. It is a political weapon used only when a section of politicians feels that they are losing grip of the government in their manipulative tendencies”.

“The truth is that no dispensation will ever be good in Nigeria except from Muslim North. The release of BokoHaram Co-founder, Alhaji Ali Tishau by the Police on the request by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and later vanished from detention is clear demonstration that the North is out to fight the President with the Islamic Sect.

Enough is enough with this Sect to worry Mr. President. Go your home and leave our land now within the stipulated period. We the Egbesu Mightier Strike Force have given you our word. We have killed and we will not care to kill again if you dare us”, Commander Okiki vibrated. -  247Ureports