President Buhari to leave for Egypt on Friday

President Buhari will depart Abuja on Friday February 18th for Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt to participate in the Business for Africa, Egypt and the World Forum.

A statement by the Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, states that the forum, which opens in the Egyptian resort town on Saturday, February 20, 2016, is being organized by the Egyptian government under the auspices of the African Union Commission..

According to the statement,
"the forum's objective is to accelerate private sector engagement and investment within Africa and promote the development of African ties and partnerships". President Buhari, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt and the Presidents of Togo, Sudan, Kenya, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia are among confirmed speakers at the forum. Other confirmed speakers include the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and the President/CEO of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote. President Buhari will be accompanied on the trip by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelama. He will return to Abuja at the conclusion of the forum.
Source: Linda Ikeji

Okay, so who can solve this?

The latest puzzle dividing the Internet is a seemingly straight-forward math problem, featuring apples, bananas and coconuts.

But due a bit of visual trickery, those sharing the viral image on Facebook are having trouble arriving at a clear-cut answer.

Source: Mashable

Cute!!!

Sooo Kylie secretly signed Puma deal without Kanye knowing

Just last week Kanye West declared on twitter that there will never be a Kylie Puma anything, not knowing that Kylie had already signed a deal with Puma. The 38 year old rapper revealed he wasn't consulted about Kylie Jenner's new partnership with Puma, and he was pissed off about it.

Kanye revealed to TMZ on Wednesday as he was making his way into the terminal at LAX that he had no idea that his sister in law blindsided him by secretly signing with his athletic wear competitor Puma: ''She had already signed and I was mad for a little bit... but I'm really happy for her though.'



He also shed a bit more light on his financial situation:
"I spent 53 million over the past 13 years chasing my dreams and I wanted to make sure all entrepreneurs that it's possible to go under and still make it out.
You know with my shoes I know I'm going to make it better but there's times it was definitely hard, there was times it was a struggle, there were times it was frustrating because it felt like if you make the Yeezys maybe someone will come out and support you.
It felt like if you are a dope artist then maybe someone will support you, but that didn't happen. The only company that ever supported me was Adidas, without Adidas I wouldn't have had his fashion show at Madison Square Garden or even been inspired for my new album The Life Of Pablo."

It was announced earlier this week that the Kylie Jenner signed a deal with Puma and has even wrapped shooting her first campaign with them.

Source: TMZ, Linda Ikeji

Sierra Leone Is Losing Over One Hundred Million Dollars From Its Fishing Industry

Sierra Leone local fishermen

Every year the government of Sierra Leone loses over one hundred million dollars in revenue from the country’s vastly rich fishing sector, because of poor governance, weak surveillance and monitoring systems, poor procurement arrangements and corruption.

Foreign fishing companies are depriving the country of an estimated £100 million in fees and duties, by exploiting the country’s vast territorial waters as well as the high level corruption taking place on the corridors of the fisheries ministry.

Local Sierra Leonean owned fishing companies do not have the capacity and finance to compete with their foreign counterparts, nor do they have the support of the government to grow and strengthen their business.

It is understood that a report submitted to president Koroma this week, has criticised government officials for failing to observe and implement basic public procurement regulations, and is calling for action.

Former Sierra Leone captain Ibrahim Kargbo denies Dutch match-fixing

Former Sierra Leone captain Ibrahim Kargbo has denied being involved in match-fixing when he was playing for Dutch club Willem II in August 2009. The Dutch Football association say they have uncovered evidence he tried to fix a match against Utrecht and that they will continue their investigations. Willem lost the match 1-0, but convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal apparently refused to pay as the deal was for a loss by more than 1 goal. Kargbo is currently suspended along with 11 others by the Sierra Leone Football Association. That sanction was handed out in 2014 as they looked into whether a match against South Africa in 2008 was fixed. Kargbo has also denied those allegations. Catching up with Kargbo, BBC's Nick Cavell asked him whether the Dutch authorities had contacted him.

Source:BBC
Listen Here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03jnkjy

2016 Grammy Winners

Record of the Year: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk"

Album of the Year: Taylor Swift, 1989

Best New Artist: Meghan Trainor

Best Rock Performance: Alabama Shakes, "Don't Wanna Fight"

Best Musical Theater Album: Hamilton

Song of the Year: Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud"

Best Country Album: Chris Stapleton, Traveller

Best Rap Album: Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk"

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: Kendrick Lamar feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat, "These Walls"

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern

Best Pop Solo Performance: Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud"

Best Rap Song: Kendrick Lamar, "Alright"

Best Alternative Music Album: Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color

Best Rock Album: Muse, Drones

Best Rap Performance: Kendrick Lamar, "Alright"

Best Rock Song: Alabama Shakes, "Don't Wanna Fight"

Best R&B Album: D'Angelo and the Vanguard, Black Messiah

Best Urban Contemporary Album: The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness

Best R&B Performance: The Weeknd, "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)"

Best R&B Song: D'Angelo and The Vanguard, "Really Love"

Best Traditional R&B Performance: Lalah Hathaway, "Little Ghetto Boy"

Best Dance/Electronic Album: Skrillex and Diplo, Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü

Best Dance Recording: Skrillex and Diplo With Justin Bieber, "Where Are Ü Now"

Best Music Video: Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar, "Bad Blood"

Best Country Duo/Group Performance: Little Big Town, "Girl Crush"

Best Country Song: Little Big Town, "Girl Crush"

Best Music Film: Amy Winehouse, Amy

Best Rap/Song Collaboration: Common & John Legend, "Glory"

Best Pop Vocal Album: Taylor Swift, 1989

Best Country Solo Performance: Chris Stapleton, "Traveller"

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: Tobymac, This Is Not a Test

Best Roots Gospel Album: The Fairfield Four, Still Rockin' My Soul

Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album: Pitbull, Dale

Best Latin Pop Album: Ricky Martin, A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition)

Best Comedy Album: Louis C.K., Live at Madison Square Garden

Best Spoken Word Album: Jimmy Carter, A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety

Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: Birdman

Best Gospel Album: Israel & Newbreed, Covered: Alive Is Asia [Live] (Deluxe)

Best Gospel Performance/Song: Kirk Franklin, "Wanna Be Happy?"

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song: Francesca Battistelli, "Holy Spirit"

Best Contemporary Classical Composition: Stephen Paulus, Paulus: Prayers & Remembrances

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album: Joyce DiDonato and Antonio Pappano, Joyce & Tony - Live From Wigmore Hall

Best Classical Instrumental Solo: Augustin Hadelich, "Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L'Arbre Des Songes"

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: Eighth Blackbird, "Filament"

Best Choral Performance: Charles Bruffy, "Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil"

Best Opera Recording: Saito Kinen Orchestra; SKF Matsumoto Chorus & SKF Matsumoto Children's Chorus, "Ravel: L'Enfant Et Les Sortilèges; Shéhérazade"

Producer of the Year, Classical: Judith Sherman

Best New Age Album: Paul Avgerinos, Grace

Best Surround Sound Album: Roger Waters, Amused to Death

Best Orchestral Performance: Boston Symphony Orchestra, "Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow - Symphony No. 10"

Best Classical Compendium: Giancarlo Guerrero, Paulus: Three Places of Enlightenment; Veil of Tears & Grand Concerto

Best Regional Roots Music Album: Jon Cleary, Go Go Juice

Best Folk Album: Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn

Best Blues Album: Buddy Guy, Born to Play Guitar

Best Bluegrass Album: The Steeldrivers, The Muscle Shoals Recordings

Best Americana Album: Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free

Best American Roots Song: Jason Isbell, "24 Frames"

Best American Roots Performance: Mavis Staples, "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean"

Best Tropical Latin Album: Rubén Blades With Roberto Delgado & Orchestra, Son De Panamá

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano): Los Tigres Del Norte, Realidades - Deluxe Edition

Best Children's Album: Tim Kubart, Home

Best World Album: Angélique Kidjo, Sings

Best Reggae Album: Morgan Heritage, Strictly Roots

Best Latin Jazz Album: Eliane Elias, Made in Brazil

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Maria Schneider, The Thompson Fields

Best Jazz Instrumental Album: John Scofield, Past Present

Best Jazz Vocal Album: Cécile McLorin Salvant, For One to Love

Best Surround Sound Album: James Guthrie and Joel Plante, Amused To Death

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk (Dave Audé Remix)"

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color

Best Historical Album: Various artists; The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: Various Artists, The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume Two (1928-32)

Best Album Notes: Joni Mitchell, Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced

Best Recording Package: Sarah Dodds, Shauna Dodds & Dick Reeves; Asleep at the Wheel, Still the King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals: Maria Schneider, "Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)"

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella: Avi Kaplin, Kirstin Taylor, Kevin K.O. Olusola; "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy"

Best Instrumental Composition: Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, "The Afro Latin Jazz Suite"

MusiCares Person of the Year: Lionel Richie

Source:E! Online

See Why Nigeria Is Broke #Opinion

Ebele Ogbuanu the Hunter goes into the bush, kills a very big Antelope and sells it to Mama Ngozi who sells peppersoup. He sold the game for N1,000. He told mama Ngozi to make sure the peppersoup is well made because he is coming along with his friends in the evening to enjoy themselves. When they got there that evening, they ordered for plates of peppersoup. Ebele bought the head for N500, he bought the four legs for four of his friends at N500 each, another person ate the intestines as assorted, he paid N500 for it, three other people also ate N500 worth of peppersoup each. The hunter ended up spending N4,500 to buy what he sold to Mama Ngozi for N1,000. Mama Ngozi made a cool N3,500 profit just by cooking (processing) the meat and selling it back to where she bought it from. That is 350% profit and yet she still had excess remaining to sell to other customers. So who is wise and who is foolish here?

Let us relate this story to our dear country Nigeria. We sell crude oil to UK at $110 per barrel and we are very happy; so happy that we spend the money lavishly, and then go back immediately to UK to buy the processed crude oil in the form of Kerosene, PMS, AGO, Tar, petroleum jelly, wax, petrochemicals etc. At the end of the day we end up buying these products at 12 times the cost of what we sold them. How is it possible Nigeria is not broke. Nigeria sure has been broke since 53 years ago.

Culled

Ayeni Ekundayo
(Inbound Marketer |Google Certified AdWords Fundamentals, Search Advertising, Display Adverts)
https://ng.linkedin.com/in/dayoayeni

Ten facts about Zidane and the Champions League

Source: http://giphy.com/

1. Zidane won his first five games in the competition without conceding.

2. Zidane's competition debut came against Manchester United on 11 September 1996, a 1-0 victory for Juventus. Sir Alex Ferguson's team were his most common opponent with eight meetings. He recorded four wins and a draw but perhaps one of the defeats is most famous – when Ronaldo scored a hat-trick at Old Trafford to complete an aggregate triumph for Real Madrid in the 2002/03 quarter-finals.


3. Zidane was sent off twice – in each of his last two UEFA Champions League appearances for Juventus. He was booked only five times in 79 outings in the competition proper.

4. Zidane's first UEFA Champions League match as a Madrid player was against the same opposition that he will open his coaching account against: Roma. The Spanish side came from behind to draw the encounter in October 2001.



5. Zidane reached finals against German opponents in his first season at both Juventus and Madrid.


6. Zidane registered 13 goals in 79 games, none more celebrated than his stunning volley in the 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen. Only once did he score more than one in a match: hitting two in a 3-3 draw at AEK Athens in 2002.



7. As a Juventus player, Zidane lost the 1998 final to Real Madrid and he never got the better of Juve as a Madrid player either. The Bianconeri knocked them out in the 2002/03 semi-finals and the last 16 in 2004/05 despite the Merengues carrying a home win into the second leg each time.

8. Zidane reached at least the semis in five of his nine UEFA Champions League campaigns. He fell at the quarter-final hurdle once, the last 16 twice and on just one occasion did his team fail to advance beyond the group stage: Juventus in 2000/01.


9. Zidane was a substitute only three times in nine seasons of UEFA Champions League football, and just two of his 79 appearances came off the bench.

10. Zidane's final UEFA Champions League game (like the first) came against English opposition, a goalless draw with Arsenal. He ended with a record of 39 wins, 24 draws, 16 losses, 13 goals and one title
Source: http://www.uefa.com/

My Thoughts on the Naira right now

This is me every time i think of the naira

Talented Nigerian boy's Amazing Craft

A photo-realism pencil artist, Chiamonwu Ifeyinwa Joy shared this photo on Instagram. "I was just passing on the street when I met this super-talented; young promising boy with his incredible craft," she wrote. "I couldn't help but to ask him for a shot of this. Seeing young kids trying to explore their God-given talent as well as trying to know their true identity; brings tears to my eyes and a sense of satisfaction."
Source:  Linda Ikeji.

Naira Falls To N370 Per Dollar

The fall in the value of the naira is yet to abate as the local currency exchanged for N370 to a dollar yesterday at the parallel market.
It was observed that the fresh pressure on the naira since last week Thursday has seen the currency fell further from N318 to N370 to a dollar, an additional N52 margin.

While the Bankers Committee meeting held in Abuja last week Thursday was considering the inclusion of medical tourism and school fees payment abroad in the prohibition list, TheCable colloquium in Lagos, had some of its participants supporting the policy, as well as opposing devaluation.

Meanwhile, the foreign exchange reserves have fallen to $27.81 billion from $28.95 billion in barely six weeks, representing a decline of $1.14 billion. The Director of Corporate Communications, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Alhaji Ibrahim Mu’azu, said the reserves would have decreased to about $20 billion, but for measures adopted.

President Muhammadu Buhari, while in London, said that his government decided to stop the sale of foreign exchange to bureau de change operators because of fraudulent acts perpetrated by some top officers of the CBN. According to him, some directors of CBN own bureau de change and when foreign exchange comes, they take it to their companies and give government the change.

But the Acting President of the Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, told The Guardian that there is high-level leakages in the system, causing the pressure, adding that devaluation is not totally the answer.

He said government should put mechanism in place to ensure that whatever item everyone demands the dollar for, is actually imported and that quantity declared, alleging that some importers are also involved in the round-tripping.

According to Mu’azu, the renewed pressure in the market could be attributable to announcement effect and CBN is very much aware of the market development and has been responding accordingly, raising hope that as much as foreign exchange earnings improve, market interventions would also increase.

Source: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/

Naira on a Free Fall: US $ now ₦385 in Black Market

The Nigerian Naira is on a free fall in the parallel market, while official interbank rates remain stable.

According to Vanguard, the demand for dollars to pay for Chinese goods is part of the reason for the latest decline.

According to a BDC operator who spoke on condition of anonymity, “You know China had been on its one month annual holidays. But they resumed work on Monday, and people have to complete payment for goods ordered before the holidays.

They had made 30% down payment to order the goods and they now have to pay the 70% balance otherwise they will lose the 30%.

That is why they are desperate and ready to buy dollars at any rate. Meanwhile supply is scarce and those who have dollars are not willing to sell because they might also need the currency soon”.

The newspaper traces the beginning of the rapid fall of the Nigerian Naira to when the Central Bank of Nigeria stopped the weekly sale to Bureau de Changes with dollars on January 12th, 2016.

The USD rate was 265 Naira then. Now it’s ₦385, 60 Naira down from ₦325 last week, and ₦505 to the British Pound, 65 Naira down from ₦440 last week.

The interbank rates remain the same at ₦199.34 for Dollars.

With school fees and medical bills suspended from the list of official forex last week, the demand on the dollars and pounds in the parallel market is undoubtedly set to increase.

Source: Bella Naija, VanguardNG

These Are The Nigerians Benefiting From The Fall Of The Naira

The Naira has plunged more than 70% in the black market when compared to the parallel market since the Central Bank adopted its “managed float” exchange rate system that saw it introduce quasi capital controls as well as restricting the purchase and sale of forex at its official window. The widening premium between the parallel market rates and the official/interbank rates have increased the activities of speculators and round tripping further worsening the currency situation.

It’s however not just speculators who have benefited the most from the misfortunes of the naira. Several other market participants are also benefiting every single day the naira plummets against the dollar at the parallel market. We take a look at some of them;

Diaspora Nigerians

This is perhaps the best time to live and work outside Nigeria especially if your income is in dollars. Dami, a Nigerian who lives abroad reveals that she and her husband thought rather than wait till summer, they decide to visit Nigeria now that the exchange rate favours them. Sensing blood, many of them exchange their dollars in little tranches believing that today’s rate will always be cheaper than tomorrows. Some believe this is the best opportunity to buy land and houses as the value of the dollar has now risen by about 70% against the Naira while property prices have been somewhat depressed.

Commercial banks

Banks have been under pressure since the price of oil began its devastating fall in July 2014. With huge exposures to the oil and gas sector they have seen their loans increasingly become risky with borrowers missing out on their obligations. However, they have also posted massive gains from forex as can be seen in their income statements at the end of financial year 2014 and the first 9 months of 2015. Most people who purchase items online have also confirmed that banks charge them as much as N290 to the dollar even thought the CBN pegs the rate at around N199.

BDC Operators

These are perhaps the biggest benefactors of Nigeria’s forex woes. The CBN in January banned sale of forex to BDC operators accusing them of buying forex from the CBN at N199 and then selling at the black market. The CBN also noted that the BDC’s buy dollars from the CBN at N197 only to sell to their customers at N250. According to the CBN it’s no wonder that BDC have risen “from a mere 74 in 2005 to 2,786 BDCs today. In addition, the CBN receives close to 150 new applications for BDC licenses every month.”

Exporters

Businesses engaged in exports are also huge benefactors of the declining exchange rate. Revenues from their exports officially should route through the CBN as export proceeds however it is understood that some of them move a chunk of that to the black market. With gains as high as 50% most of them find it hard to resist the lure of selling their hoard at the black markets rather than at the official window.

Friends and associates of the CBN

Reports also suggest that people close to the management of the CBN or indeed the government are also befitting from the fall of the Naira. They get preferential treatment from the CBN by buying at official rates rather than at the black market rates where a lot of Nigerians go to. The CBN has also expressed its desire to sell forex to businesses it perceived are creating jobs at home rather than to cater for “irresponsible demand” which the CBN opines are what other importers of “non essential” goods and services engage in.

Source: http://nairametrics.com/

Black Women are the Least Selective and Desired Race in Online Dating

I have never, been a huge fan of online dating, too scary and way too many freaks out there. There are times though when i have heard of some success stories from friends, and even been invited to some weddings were the couple met online.

Recently, a survey on racial preferences on online dating was done by buzz feed.The findings were interesting and cause for thought; black women were found to be the least selective when choosing partners and least desired by same and other racial groups, whilst white women are not the most desired but they are way more selective than black women.

There are other interesting details, like middle eastern women are most desired.

Makes for an interesting watch and perspective,watch and tell me what you think.

Video Credit: BuzzFeed

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