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Monday, December 13, 2010

LOVE WAR: Lebanese, Briton battle over Nigerian lady


I’m only assisting her, he couldn’t pay kids’ school fees -Wood
A battleline has been drawn between a Lebanese and a Briton resident in Nigeria. Their quarrel is over a Nigerian lady, Juliet and her two children, who the Lebanese is laying claims to. The Romeos are really at war with each other over Juliet. The angry Lebanese, Walid Yatim, is alleging that the Briton, Mike Wood, snatched his wife and took custody of his two children.
He has even threatened a showdown, with the ‘intruder’ if he fails to hands off and let his family be. According to Yatim, he married Juliet on March 24, 2005, at Apapa Marriage Registry, Lagos. The marriage is said to have been blessed with two girls, Serina, four, and Sonia, two.
The aggrieved Lebanese said he was ready to call it quits with the marriage but vowed not to allow another man to adopt or claim his children while he is still alive. He narrated how his estranged wife, on two occasions, attempted to use scissors and razor blade to kill him.
“I was sleeping one day and woke up to see her holding a razor blade, which she wanted to use to attack me. I managed to collect it from her. She used a plank to hit me on the head. Another problem I had with her was as a result of the children. She was not taking care of them. One day, she told me how people were making jest of her, saying she married a white man and had nothing to show for it. So, I gave her N50, 000 to buy things for herself.
“That was when she was pregnant of my first daughter. I had to rent a flat for them. I even assisted her brothers and sisters, when they needed some money. She fought me everyday and threatened to kill me. But I must say that I had both good and bad times with her.
“Our problem began when Juliet failed to treat me as her husband. Strange visitors, both men and women, usually filled her room. “I go to work at 1 pm and returned at about 4 am. I tried to stop them from visiting her but she told them not to listen to me, saying I was a stupid man. I took her to Lebanon and we spent about N1.5 million. I need my children. She made the children to bear another surname. They can bear Walid or Yatim but not Vincent. Vincent is my wife’s surname. I don’ t understand the meaning of that,” Yatim fumed.
The marriage certificate with registration number 103262 made available to Daily Sun showed that it was actually contracted at Apapa Local Government, Apapa, Lagos on March 24, 2005. Juliet, who is playing the cupid, has, however, debunked the allegation of attempted murder against her. Daily Sun also went to Apapa police station to inquire if Yatim reported any case of attempted murder or threat to his life against Juliet. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Mr. Mohammed Ali, a Chief Superintendent, who identified the couple, explained that it took him time to make peace between the couple.
Narrating what transpired between them, Juliet told Daily Sun on phone that Yatim abandoned her and the children and travelled to Lebanon where he stayed for about two years. According to her, during that period, he never cared to know whether the children were feeding or going to school. But Yatim denied the allegation, saying he was always giving her a monthly allowance of $700, which he claimed to have sent through the Western Union Money Transfer.
But when she was asked how she spent the money. Juliet screamed: “Yeeeh! Jesus Christ o! Which dollars? It’s a lie (laughs). Why did he treat me like that? Is it because I’m a Nigerian woman that made him think he could do anything and go scot-free?”
She continued: “When people come to Nigeria, they treat our women the way they like. I’ve not even seen him (Yatim) for four months now. Any way, if God says I will marry Mike Wood, why not? I will go ahead and marry him, he’s a good man.”
Meanwhile, Yatim has written a petition through his lawyer, George Ohioma Chambers, Apapa, to the office of the Special Adviser, Ministry of Youths, Sports and Social Development, Ikeja, dated November 26, 2010.
The letter, entitled: “Act capable of moral destruction of minor”, signed by the principal counsel of the chambers, George Ohioma, reads in parts:
“Our client informed us that the marriage which is blessed with two (2) children, namely, Serina and Sonia that has hitherto, been blissful suddenly got dramatic turn, when Mrs. Juliet Walid began to have extra –marital affairs with Mike Wood. Our client verily informed us that against his advice and or counsel, Mrs. Juliet Walid with other young girls, she termed sisters and or relations…smoking cigarette …doing other things and or act (s) in the presence of these minor is beginning to affect them negatively.”
When Daily Sun approached Mike Wood, a fleet manager in a company located on Wharf Road, Apapa, Lagos, he claimed that Juliet and her kids were abandoned by Yatim, when he travelled to Lebanon. He berated Yatim for allegedly abandoning his wife and two children. According to him, he only assisted Juliet and her children and prevented them from further sufferings. He claimed to have paid the children’s school fees, fed them and their mother, as well as provided a comfortable house for them to live in.
The Briton also disclosed that he bought one Honda CRV for Juliet. “I’ve been working here for the past 17 years. It’s very sad that he is making such allegation against me. We even discussed him at home. I’ve not even met him. The woman is very nice. She’s faithful and truthful to me. I’ve rented a house for her and the children. I ’m a good person.
They were married before and lived together but the man abandoned her and stayed in his country, Lebanon, without caring for his wife and children. The woman has found someone else. I did not know her until they parted ways for close to two years now. The woman has been taking good care of the children as far as I’m concerned. I’m helping her. I will continue to assist her. I love her. We will get married after she must have divorced the Lebanese.
The most important thing for the children is to get good education. That man couldn’t even pay their school fees. I’m a divorcee. I married in England. I’ve three children, two females and a male. They are all happily married,” he said. The Lebanese claimed to have arrived Nigeria six months ago, only to hear what he described as ‘rubbish’. And he said it was as a result of that, that he stopped giving his wife money. He has, however, vowed not to allow anybody claim his children in form of adoption as he has enough money to send them to school and feed them.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Edo First Lady, Clara Oshimole Is Dead


we can disclose that Mrs. Clara Oshiomole,(Nee Akharagbon), first lady of Edo state is dead. She passed away after a protracted battle with cancer. Our checks reveal that 54 years old mother of five, died at 10.53 pm, Tuesday, at a clinic located in Maitama Abuja.


She is survived by her husband, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomole and five children (Cyril, Winnie, Jane, Steve and Adams Jnr).


In the words of a family source, “Clara and Adams had a unique union, he was the head, but she was his neck”.


“she was a solid pillar behind her husband, through his days as a frontline labour activist and through the struggle to reclaim his mandate freely given to him by the good people of Edo State,"


Until her demise, she ran a pet project, the Health Foundation for Maternal and Child Care, which provided quality healthcare for pregnant women and the girl-child.



The Edo state government has opened a condolence registers at the Government House, Benin City; the State Secretariat, Benin City; Edo House, Abuja and Edo State Liaison office, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Naija Man becomes First polish black MP ! Polish parliament welcomes first black Lawmaker


ohn Godson, who represents the governing Civic Platform party, will take up his seat in the Polish lower house of parliament following the resignation of a party colleague.

The 40-year-old university lecturer said he wants to "ensure Poland had found a place in Africa" and that he hopes to promote race relations in a country that is overwhelmingly white and monocultural.

Mr Godson moved to Poland in the early 1990s from his native Nigeria, and but since taking citizenship in 2000 he has put down roots in the central city of Lodz, marrying a local girl and serving on the city council for a number of years.

"I am from Lodz, I will live here, I want to die here and I want to be buried here," he said in a newspaper interview. ...

His arrival in the Polish parliament is remarkable given that Poland only has a tiny number of ethnic minorities, with the country's 2002 census putting the number of people of a non-European origin at little more than a couple of thousand.

Although racism still occurs in Poland, and occasionally blights football matches involving coloured players, it has dropped significantly since the early 1990s when far-right groups flourished in the years following the collapse of communism.

Mr Godson will also become one of just a handful of black politicians in central Europe.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Chelsea Name Michael Emenalo As Wilkins' Successor As Assistant Coach


Michael Emenalo has been appointed Chelsea's assistant first-team coach following the departure of Ray Wilkins last week. Emenalo had been working as head opposition scout for the club since October 2007 but will now make the transition to coaching.

Chelsea confirmed the move on their official website: "Chelsea Football Club are pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Emenalo to the position of assistant first-team coach. He moves up from his previous position of head opposition scout.

"Michael has been an important part of the first-team management structure since he arrived in October 2007, and his promotion to assistant first-team coach is recognition of his efforts to date.

"Michael will continue to oversee the first-team scouting operation as he makes the transition to coaching. He will split the initial period between assisting first-team coach Carlo Ancelotti and updating his coaching qualifications as he takes on this bigger and more influential role."

Emenalo, a former Nigeria international, was brought to the club by the former manager Avram Grant and, along with the first-team coach Paul Clement, was among the favourites to replace Wilkins as Chelsea looked to appoint from within.

"Michael Emenalo is doing a fantastic job as head opposition scout and he is already working very close to me," Ancelotti said.

Emenalo, 42, was a defender during his playing days and became known to Grant during their time at Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 1986 he moved to the US, where he graduated from Boston University three years later with a degree in international relations with political sciences, having also played college soccer.

He also played in Belgium and Germany before winning the Anglo-Italian Cup with Notts County. He won 14 caps for Nigeria and played in the 1994 World Cup in the US.

Chelsea are still waiting to learn when John Terry will be available again. The captain is understood to have seen a chiropractor in Italy yesterday to try to solve a troublesome nerve problem in his right leg.

Terry has been left in agony by the injury, which has been managed during the season with a series of injections. The club hope he might be fit for the game with Newcastle on November 28.

Chelsea are relatively unconcerned by Alex's selection as a substitute for Brazil against Argentina last night. The defender, who is likely to be out for up to eight weeks with a knee injury, did not play.

Alex missed Chelsea's games against Fulham and Sunderland due to his injury but joined his national side for the game in Qatar. He was due to return to the club's training ground at Cobham today for more treatment. It is likely he will undergo further investigation via arthroscopic surgery

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Black and white twins celebrate 4th birthday


THEY look like friends who met at nursery school but Kaydon and Layton Richardson are in fact twin brothers with different-coloured skin.

The twins’ mother, 32-year-old Kerry, is of English-Nigerian heritage.

The boys celebrated their fourth birthday in the same week Nigerian couple, Ben and Angela Ihegboro, revealed their white daughter Nmachi to the world.

The genetic quirks make the children “two-in-a-million” rarities that have fascinated doctors.

After hearing of the Ihegboro family’s incredible baby news, Kaydon and Layton’s mother, Kerry, said skin colour had been on her mind when giving birth to daughter Tiyannah recently.

“I thought it was crazy. As much as it happened to me, the twins’ dad is white, so for it to happen to a black couple seems even stranger,” she said.

“When I was carrying Tiyannah I was wondering what colour she was going to be.

“Before the twins I would have expected that any child of mine would have my colour in them.

“But after Layton I wasn’t sure what she was going to look like.

“When she was born she looked as though she was going to go dark but at about two weeks old it was clear she was white.

“I was a little surprised as I thought Layton was a one-off.

“Doctors can tell you what sex your baby is going to be but they can’t tell you what colour!’

Kerry also fears the twins will stand out when they start primary school in September.

She said: “It’s never been an issue up to now but I know that Layton notices the difference in their colour.

“I’ve tried to explain it to them in the past but last year we were in an airport in America when Layton shouted, “Mum, am I white like my dad and Kaydon’s black like you?”.

‘That was the first time he had said that but everyone thought it was very funny.

“I hope it’s not going to be a problem when they start school but kids can be cruel.”

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Dangote Moves To Buy 16% Stake In Arsenal


Multi-billionaire industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, is considering buying 16 per cent stake in English Premier League club, Arsenal.

The stake is said to be worth £96 million (about N25 billion) as the battle for the takeover of the elite football club appears set for a grand finale.

Dangote confirmed to THISDAY last night that he was “seriously considering” investing in the club. He has already registered his interest with Blackstone, the American finance house contracted by Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, Arsenal’s fourth-largest shareholder who wants to sell her stake worth about £96 million.She expects the sale will fetch her around £160 million.

Dangote told THISDAY that his interest had been in the making “for a while”, while his relationship and support for Arsenal dates back “a long time”. “It started in 1980 when I forged a relationship with Mr David Dein, former vice-chairman of the board of Arsenal,” he said, explaining that Dein sold him his first consignment of sugar at the time.

Dangote began watching Arsenal’s matches as Dein’s guest and remained a firm supporter of the club.
“That is when I developed an interest in Arsenal, and when the opportunity presented itself to acquire a stake in the club, I went for it,” he said.

If Dangote’s bid is successful, he could become a major factor in the cold takeover war between American billionaire, Stan Kroenke, and Uzbek oligarch, Alisher Usmanov – the two biggest investors in the company.
Kroenke currently owns 29.9 per cent of the club while Usmanov owns 26 per cent. Under UK rules, any investor who hits the 29.99 per cent threshold will be obliged to launch a formal takeover bid and buy out the other shareholders

Friday, March 5, 2010

Nine year old Naija Twins set british record


Nigerian-born nine-year-old twins yesterday became the youngest pupils to be admitted to a secondary school in Britain, timesonline.co.uk has reported.
Paula and Peter Imafidon had already broken world records when they passed A/AS-level mathematics papers at the age of 7. Yesterday, the twins joined hundreds of thousands of other families across the country to find out which secondary school they would attend, despite being two years younger than most of their counterparts.


Peter and Paula, from Waltham Forest, northeast London, attend a normal State primary school but have received provisional offers from more than 12 leading secondary schools.


The so-called “wonder twins”, who come from a family of high achievers, set two world records when they passed A/AS-level maths papers. They became the youngest candidates to pass A-level maths and were also the youngest school pupils to do so, as the previous record holders had been taught at home, the website reported.


A year later they took and passed the University of Cambridge’s Advanced Mathematics (FAM) paper, becoming the youngest students to pass the rigorous examinations.


Chris Imafidon, their father, said that the twins would cope well with secondary school despite their age. “We’re delighted with the progress they have made,” he said. “Because they are twins they are always able to help and support each other.”


Peter and Paula’s sister Samantha, 12, passed her maths and statistics GSCEs at the age of 6, as did the twins. Their eldest sister, Anne-Marie, 20, holds the world record for being the youngest girl to pass A-level computing, at 13. She received a government scholarship to study at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.


Another sister, Christiana, 17, was the youngest schoolgirl to study at undergraduate level in any British university, at the age of 11.


Mr Imafidon said that all of the children had taken part in the Excellence in Education programme, which helps disadvantaged families, and their achievements were due to being nurtured rather than natural "genius".


“Every child is a genius. Once you identify the talent of a child and put them in the environment that will nurture that talent then the sky is the limit," he said.


Peter has ambitions to become Prime Minister of UK while his sister wants to be a maths teacher. Mr Imafidon said he was confident that they would achieve their goals

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Nigerian, Adebayo Ogunlesi, 56, acquires London Gatwick Airport



A Nigerian, Adebayo Ogunlesi, has acquired the London Gatwick Airport as the new owner. The Gatwick deal is a £1.455 billion agreement with BAA Airports Limited.


Ogunlesi, 56, is the chairman and managing partner, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), an independent investment fund based in New York City with worldwide stake in infrastructure assets.

According to the report, Ogunlesi, the son of an 86-year old professor of medicine has presided over a great number of sweet deals that made him the envy of his peers abroad even if his forays into the brisk world multi-billion dollars deals are barely talked about in his home country.

GIP will be investing through Ivy Bidco Limited, a limited liability company registered in England, established for the purpose of making the acquisition.

Bidco will pay cash consideration of £1,455 million for the entire share capital of Gatwick Airport Limited on a cash-free, debt-free basis.

Ogunlesi says the acquisition of Gatwick is a landmark deal for GIP and adds another quality asset to his firm's rapidly expanding portfolio.

He said, "we see significant scope to apply both our strong operational focus and our knowledge of the airports sector to make Gatwick an airport of choice."

He began stacking up his big deals profile when he joined the top-shelf New York law firm, Cravath, Swain & Moore. It was at the law firm that he jumped at the chance to advise First Boston (which later acquired Credit Suisse in 1997 to form Credit Suisse First Boston or CSFB) on a hugely lucrative Nigerian gas project.

The success of that deal landed him his first big pay move to First Boston. For First Boston, he worked on project finance, brokering deals in which lenders finance assets like oil refineries and mines and are repaid with revenues generated by those enterprises.

Based in New York City and traveling to emerging markets, he built CSFB's project-finance business into the world's best, in part by encouraging corporations and governments to tap public debt markets in addition to commercial lenders.

His teacher while at King's College, Lagos, J. Namme, said that Bayo, as he is fondly called, loves getting things done. Perhaps, the London Gatwick Airport acquisition best underscores his desire to get things done and in the big way too. The Gatwick deal illustrates his global influence in infrastructure assets deals.

Ogunlesi has lived in New York for 20 years and is active in volunteer work. But he also cultivates his ties to Africa. He informally advises the Nigerian government on privatisation. And last summer Manute Bol, former NBA center, visited Ogunlesi in his Park Avenue office, seeking donations for a charitable foundation in former basketball star Manute Bol's homeland, Sudan.

Ogunlesi walked Bol around the hallways, introducing him to junior staff. It was just another day in the Bayosphere.

Prior to his current role, he was executive vice chairman and chief client officer of Credit Suisse, based in New York. He previously served as a member of Credit Suisse's Executive Board and Management Council and chaired the Chairman's Board. Previously, he was the Global Head of Investment Banking at Credit Suisse. Since joining Credit Suisse in 1983, Ogunlesi has advised clients on strategic transactions and financings in a broad range of industries and has worked on transactions in North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Ogunlesi attended the prestigious King's College, Lagos. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association. He was a lecturer at Harvard Law School and the Yale School.

Ogunlesi, whose father was the first Nigerian-born medical professor, studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford and then earned law and business degrees from Harvard. In the US, he is known as the Nigerian who clerked for late Supreme Court justice, Thurgood Marshall, who they say was unable to pronounce his name and quickly dubbed him Obeedoogee. Colleagues and friends call him Bayo.