Drogba life story told in cartoon form

Didier Drogba walked at six months, left home at five and fell in love with the woman who was to become his wife at the tender age of 17.

Those are some of the landmark events covered in an account of the Ivorian footballer’s extraordinary life about to be published in cartoon form in France.

Editions are also planned for Britain, where Drogba is still idolised by supporters of his former club Chelsea; Brazil, where he is due to play in the World Cup later this year, and Turkey, where he currently stars for Galatasaray.

                                     Didier Drogba attends a press conference.

Entitled “From Tito to Drogba”, the album traces the 35-year-old’s journey from modest roots in Abidjan to the summit of world football. The Tito in the title refers to his childhood nickname.

It was first published in 2012 in Ivory Coast, where Drogba is revered both as a lynchpin of the national team, the Elephants, and a symbol of national unity — thanks to his detour into peacemaking diplomacy when the country was teetering on the brink of civil war in 2006.

Born on March 11, 1978, Drogba first moved to France at the age of five to live with his uncle, Michel Goba, a professional footballer, his parents calculating that it would give him a better chance in life.

He has often spoken of how difficult he found his childhood years, the long spells spent apart from his parents and the upheaval of moving around as his uncle regularly changed clubs.

His parents finally joined him in France when he was 13 and the family settled in the Paris suburbs, where Drogba began what was to be an illustrious career at Levallois SC.

- ‘Too perfect? He’s like that’ -

“The book goes into a lot of detail,” Drogba recently told sports daily L’Equipe. “It is a fun way to learn lots of things about me and to show young people that, if they do what I did, they can achieve their objectives.”

“The most important thing is to show you can exceed your dreams. For me football has become my job, my way of making a living, and that in turn has allowed me to meet many famous people, to be a UNICEF ambassador.”

The man responsible for the album is Gabin Bao, a 36-year-old Ivorian who has spent years on the project, finally convincing the player’s advisors it was a good idea.

“I met him several times after we did the deal and he really liked the idea of sending a message to young Africans,” Bao told AFP.

Bao’s script for the book flirts with caricature at times in its emphasis on the role of hard work in Drogba’s ascent.

“Some people say I’ve made him too perfect. But he is like that,” Bao said. “He is very careful about his image because he has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.”

Part of the proceeds from the book sales will go to the Didier Drogba Foundation, which finances health and education projects in Africa.

Source: Vanguard

I made over N50million from MTN callerback tunes for "Mandela song" - Harrysong

Harrysong who is signed to Kcee's Fivestar music and wrote Kcee's limpopo told Punch that these days he charges as much as 1 million naira to write a song..He also said he made over 50M from MTN callerback tunes for his "Mandela song".

“Before now we charged between N100, 000 and N2000, 000 for a song. Today I charge as much as 1million to write a song. Truth is, Nigerian artistes have begun to appreciate songwriters. They pay me my money and appreciate me. I have written a lot of songs but I don’t talk about them because Nigerian artistes don’t like it when the songwriters take credit for composing songs for them.”

 The proceeds from the caller-back tune is actually worth more than N50m. Truth is, I was paid a lot of money;  you know -  when they say money that can change someone’s life. That’s the value of what I received .I can’t reveal the exact amount because we work as a team. So, all the money realised is shared among us. You just want to forget all the years of suffering. It’s not a mere hype because the money is there.

The song is everywhere. You go to South-Africa , the girls are crazy about it."

Yahoo slams webcam hacking by British spy agency

Yahoo Inc. Thursday strongly condemned a reported multiyear effort by American and British spy agencies to snatch webcam images from the Internet giant's user accounts.

A story published by the Guardian, citing documents obtained from whistle-blower Edward Snowden, said the National Security Agency helped the British surveillance agency GCHQ intercept millions of webcam images in a program code-named Optical Nerve, starting in 2008.

At one point that year alone, Optical Nerve accessed more than 1.8 million Yahoo user accounts around the world, many containing sexually explicit images.

In a statement to The Chronicle, the Sunnyvale company blasted the project and said it had no prior knowledge of Optical Nerve.

"We were not aware of nor would we condone this reported activity," Yahoo said. "This report, if true, represents a whole new level of violation of our users' privacy that is completely unacceptable and we strongly call on the world's governments to reform surveillance law consistent with the principles we outlined in December. We are committed to preserving our users' trust and security and continue our efforts to expand encryption across all of our services."

Optical Nerve was designed to help the spy agency identify targets of its investigations using biometric facial recognition techniques. But the project also intercepted webcam images of "large numbers of innocent people" with "similar Yahoo identifiers to known targets," the Guardian report said.

About 3 to 11 percent of the webcam images contained "undesirable nudity," the report said.

"Unfortunately ... it would appear that a surprising number of people use webcam conversations to show intimate parts of their body to the other person," a GCHQ document said. "Also, the fact that the Yahoo software allows more than one person to view a webcam stream without necessarily sending a reciprocal stream means that it appears sometimes to be used for broadcasting pornography."

The GCHQ tried to program pornography detection into its webcam harvesting software, but those triggered "lots of false positives by incorrectly tagging shots of people's faces as pornography," the newspaper said.

Batman? Zorro? Lone Ranger? No, That Masked Man Is LeBron

 

Broken noses are part of the game for NBA players. Elbows fly. Bodies collide. Balls ricochet.
Beaks get bonked.

Many nights you'll see at least one player from across the 30-team league protecting his still sensitive schnoz with a clear plastic mask.

But not the current best player in the game.

A week ago, LeBron James of the Miami Heat broke his nose. Thursday night against the New York Knicks, King James chose a rather menacing look for his return from the injury: An all-black, carbon-fiber mask.

"Heat reserve guard called the James mask 'swag' and Chris Bosh said James 'played like Batman," " .
"I like the look of it. It looked kind of menacing," 

James said he thought the black mask would look better with the team's black uniforms. He says it also weighs a bit less than other masks he's tried.

he could have gone even more radical: "The best player on the planet could have been blindfolded with one hand tied behind his back and he still would have dominated the Knicks."

. James led his team with 31 points.
The mask, meanwhile, has .

By the way, James has worn a mask (the clear type) before. , there's some analysis of his performance during the 2004-2005 season, when James wore one for 16 games.

"Once he put the mask on," that post says, "James played more minutes, scored more points, grabbed more boards and dished out more assists than he did prior to the injury. His overall shooting percentage went up by two percent, although his 3-point and free throw percentages dipped."
So, perhaps the Heat's rivals really should fear the mask.

Kerry Kennedy 'Incredibly Grateful' for Not Guilty Verdict

 

Kerry Kennedy was acquitted today of driving under the influence of Ambien and promptly said she was "incredibly grateful" for the verdict. 

After four days of testimony at a trial in White Plains, N.Y., including Kennedy's own testimony on the stand, the jury returned a verdict on its second full day of deliberations. People in the courtroom clapped when the verdict was announced. 

"I'm incredibly grateful to the jury for working so hard on this case, and to my lawyers and to my family and friends and so many other people who supported me. I'm happy justice was done," she said. 

The daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy and niece of President John F. Kennedy was accused of knowingly taking the sleep medication and then driving while coming under its effects.

Kennedy, 54, was charged after she crashed her Lexus SUV into a truck on a New York highway one morning in July 2013. 

"You have to wonder why this ill-advised prosecution was brought," defense attorney Gerald Lefcourt said after court was adjourned. "Was it because of who the defendant is? They concede it was accidental and nevertheless pursued this case. I find this very depressing." 

Prosecutors said Kennedy was not treated any differently and rejected she was targeted because of her notoriety. 

"We prosecute 2,500 impaired driving cases annually in Westchester County. This case was treated no differently from any of the others," said Lucian Chalfen, spokesman for the Westchester County district attorney. "The jury heard all the evidence in this case and we respect their verdict." 

Kennedy said she had great lawyers, and that most people "don't have access to that."

"We need to take a hard look at our criminal justice system in the United States," she said. 

 

Kennedy, who is also the former wife of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, claims that she accidentally mistook the Ambien instead of her thyroid medication with a light breakfast that morning before heading to the gym, and had no idea she was coming under its effects as she drove. She said she did not remember the crash. 

"Everyone is congratulating us, but it's really about winning a trial that never even should have went to court," defense attorney William Aronwald said after the verdict. 

Kennedy's defense attorneys focused much of their attention on Kennedy's famous family and presidential lineage. When she testified in the case on Wednesday, Kennedy began by explaining that her father, Robert F. Kennedy, was a civil rights leader who was killed while running for president. 

She has been joined by a slew of supporters, including her mother, Ethel, whom she pushed into the courthouse in a wheelchair earlier in the week, her sister Rory, and her daughters.

She faced up to a year in jail if convicted of the misdemeanor charge.

Pharrell Williams responds to backlash for not using a black female on his Album cover(See Cover)

Pharrell Williams came under fire for not including a black female on his "GIRL"album cover..He has been called racist and all..He decided to address the issue on Power 105.1′s The Breakfast Club

What really disappointed me is they jumped the gun, because the one I’m standing closest to is black.She’s a black girl from Wisconsin that I used to date over 10 years ago. Maybe 12 years ago. That just must suck man for people to look at something and to assume they know what’s going on. If they just bothered to listen to my album, they would know that my album was an ode to women, period.And the one thing that’s I’m trying to kill…well I can’t kill anything…but the one thing I was trying to aid in changing the crazy statuesque standard of you gotta be white, waif, and thin for you to be beautiful.
Man, it must suck to be that black woman that’s on my cover right now because she’s black. When they find out that she is black, then what? Then we’re arguing amongst ourselves within color.
Then the argument’s going to be she’s not brown enough. Then my question to you is, are y’all asking me do I have an Indian person on the cover? Why aren’t you asking about a Pakistani person? A Middle Eastern person on the cover. I just…man. What are we talking about? We’re making huge strides here. Let’s unify, dude. ‘Cause honestly, if you know anything about me, if you’ve seen any of my videos, you seen any of the girls I’ve ever dated, you know I like ‘em all.. You would know that.

Notice any black girl?

Nigeria’s amalgamation, a mistake -Afenifere Chieftain

A  Chieftain of Afenifere,  a pan Yoruba socio-political group,  Sir Olaniwun Ajayi  said   the  amalgamation of Southern  and Northern protectorate in 1914  was a mistake contrary  to the submition by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The elder statesman  who is a member of  the national confab representing Ogun state, said  this  shortly  after the state governor,  Senator Ibikunle Amosun inaugurated the delegates from the state  to the national confab.

The governor who had announced  six eminent personalities that  are indigines of the state led by  Senator Biyi Durojaiye, explained that the state would push decentralisation of Police, devolution of power among  others.

America forges ahead with plan to light up Africa

US lawmakers Thursday broke through a logjam on a plan to bring electricity to 50 million Africans, in what Washington hopes will be its next major initiative for the continent.

President Barack Obama, on a visit to Africa in June, announced a US drive to deliver power to the two-thirds of Africans who lack a reliable supply. But legislation in Congress, which is more concrete and ambitious than Obama’s initial statement, has been held up by a dispute on whether to support electrical plants that produce large amounts of carbon blamed for climate change.

The bill, approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee and sent to the full House, sets a goal of installing 20,000 megawatts of power in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020 and reaching at least 50 million people who do not have electricity. The funding would come from the private sector, using government-backed credit guarantees.

                         A toast for Africa: US President Obama with Senegal’s President Macky Sall last June. AFP

Representative Ed Royce, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, hailed the Electrify Africa Act as a way for the United States to contribute to Africa’s development, as lack of power impedes everything from education to health care.

Royce, a Republican who worked on the bill with members of Obama’s Democratic Party, said that the plan would also help American companies tap into a growing consumer market and show US engagement in the face of China’s growing presence in Africa.

The bill enjoyed wide support from both parties but came under fire from Representative Mo Brooks, a conservative Republican from Alabama, who said that the United States was not financially sound enough to be “building power plants and power lines in Africa.”

“I very much appreciate the altruistic motivations that I’ve heard in support of this legislation, but quite frankly I don’t believe America’s financial condition is such that it supports spending money that we don’t have on these projects,” Brooks said.

Royce and other lawmakers from both parties countered that the US-backed financial institutions involved in the initiative — the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, or OPIC, and the Export-Import Bank — do not spend taxpayer money and in fact create US jobs by boosting economic activity.

Representative Gerry Connolly, a Democrat, denounced Brooks’ view as “dangerous” and said of the act: “It’s not just ‘altruism,’ it’s enlightened self-interest.”

“I don’t want to be the person who has to answer the next generation, ‘Why is Africa-Chinese trade the dominant trade in that part of the world and we don’t even have a slice of it?’ And the answer is because somebody, somewhere, 20 years before said we can’t afford it,” Connolly said.

Zambia’s economy now 25 per cent larger, after rebasing

Zambia’s economy is now a quarter larger at $16.7 billion (12.2 billion euros) after the changing of its base year from 1994 to 2010, the statistics office announced Thursday.

“According to the benchmark estimates the GDP (gross domestic product) for 2010 is estimated at 97.2 billion kwacha,” said Central Statistical Office director Goodson Sinyenga.

“The new estimates are 25.2 percentage points higher than the old which were estimated at 77.7 billion kwacha,” Sinyenga said in a statement.

Wholesale and trading accounted for 18.4 percent of the newly-rebased economy in 2010, and contributed most to the bigger size, he added.

The informal sector still accounts for the bulk of GDP at 33.6 percent, while mining, construction and agriculture each contributed roughly a tenth.

The statistics body also now includes information and communications technology (ICT) in its measure of the economy.

Africa’s largest copper producer last year lopped off three zeros of the national currency to address high inflation.

Nigeria is also due to finish rebasing its economy later this year, which is expected to show it has overtaken Africa’s number one economy South Africa.

Rihanna step out without bra (see photos)

Rihanna but why? The singer bared her bare boobs in a sheer black top with nothing on underneath as she attended Balmain's Paris Fashion Week after-show party yesterday night. See the pics after the cut.

South African Immigration deporting Nigerians for flimsy excuses

For a while now the South African immigration have been deporting Nigerians for the flimsiest reasons. Starting from their airport, they deport you for allegedly carrying what they call 'fake' yellow card. Then sometimes they raid local hotels and even pick Nigerians up while they are going about their business. Today Friday Feb. 28th they deported eleven Nigerians for hotel reservation reasons. The ones staying at apartments too were deported because according to South African immigration, their names didn't appear on the apartment lease while clearly they were just guests. S

Why are they doing this? Our government needs to do something about this ASAP.

Man sues Macdonalds for $1.5million for giving him only one napkin

A man is suing Macdonalds for $1.5million for giving him only one napkin and refusing to give him another when he asked for it. Lol. The things you can sue people for in the US.

TMZ reports

McDonalds has made a new golden arch enemy - a California man is suing the company for $1.5million... because he says he only got one napkin with his meal. Webster Lucas claims he was stiffed on napkins at the Mickey D's in Pacoima, CA on January 29th -- after ordering a Quarter Pounder Deluxe - and when he went up to the counter to ask for more, he was rudely rebuffed by the manager ... who insisted he already got some. According to his lawsuit, Lucas, who is black, then retorted, "I should have went to eat at the Jack-in-the-Box because I didn't come here to argue over napkins. I came here to eat."That's when Lucas says things got racist -- claiming the manager (a Mexican-American) mumbled something about "you people."Lucas subsequently emailed the general manager to complain - insisting he couldn't work because of the "undue mental anguish" he was suffering as a result of the napkin debacle -- and says he was insultingly offered free burgers in return. Lucas wants to super size instead - $1.5 million.

I'm trying to get my girl back: Thicke

Robin Thicke and Paula Patton at the 56th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on January 26, 2014. Photo: Danny Moloshok

Robin Thicke dedicated a song to estranged wife Paula Patton at a concert on Thursday.

The 'Blurred Lines' singer and his spouse announced they have split after almost nine years of marriage earlier this week, but he appears to be desperate to win her back and even dedicated his 2007 hit 'Lost Without U' to her during his show in Fairfax, Virginia. 

Speaking to the crowd he said: "For y'all that don't know me and my wife separated, but I'm trying to get my girl back. She's a good woman." 

Thicke - who wore his wedding ring throughout the duration of the gig - told fans that he'd written the song for his wife before launching into an emotional rendition of the track. 

The 36-year-old singer-songwriter's tribute comes after he admitted he's willing to do anything to win the actress - who's the mother to his three-year-old son Julian - back. 

He said previously: "I'm just trying to get her back. You know. [I'm] just trying to figure it out, man." 

It emerged earlier this week that the couple had split following a series of rows about Robin's controversial behaviour, which kicked off with his MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) performance which saw Miley Cyrus Twerking against him whilst wearing a tiny bikini. - Bang Showbiz

Masked James leads Heat past Knicks

New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) talk during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, The Heat won 108-82. AP

Miami’s LeBron James, clad in a face-covering black mask to protect a broken nose, scored 31 points to lead the Heat to a 108-82 blowout win over New York on Thursday.

The Heat maintained a yawning 12-1/2 game lead in the Southeast Division ahead of Washington, which had a triple-overtime road win against Atlantic Division leader Toronto.

James was clearly unencumbered by the mask, hitting 13 of 19 shots and topping 30 points for the fifth consecutive game.

Dwyane Wade added 23, shooting 10 of 13 from the field, for the Heat, which outscored New York 23-3 over the final 7:02 of the third and won its sixth straight game. Miami shot 61 percent, while the Knicks shot 37 percent.

Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points for New York, but none in the final 21:38. The Knicks won only two games in February.

Washington’s Trevor Ariza scored the go-ahead basket on a fast-break layup with 1:20 left in the third overtime to secure a 134-129 win at Toronto.

Marcin Gortat fouled out with 31 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards, who have won five straight.
DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points in 58 minutes for Toronto.

In the day’s other games, league-leading Indiana beat Milwaukee 101-96, with Roy Hibbert scoring 24 points and adding 12 rebounds, while Brooklyn won 112-89 over Denver, to record their first win in Colorado for seven years.

Ukraine: Russia behind airport takeovers

Ukraine's interim government has accused Russia of staging an armed invasion in southeastern Crimea after pro-Kremlin armed men seized two airports and government buildings in the region known to back ousted president Viktor Yanukovich.

Two Crimean airports - the main international airport of Simferapol and a military airfield in Sevastopol - have been taken over by what the Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov claimed to be members of the Russian Federation Fleet, according to a statement he posted on his Facebook account.

"I see what is happening as armed invasion and occupation , in violation of all international treaties and norms. This is a direct provocation of the armed bloodshed on the territory of a sovereign state," Avakov said.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet issued a statement denying the accusation and insisted its forces had not seized or taken any other action at a military airport near Sevastopol, the port on Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula where the fleet is based, Interfax news agency reported.

Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee said that the civilian airport was operating normally.

"Inside the terminal building, passengers are queuing up to go to Moscow and Istanbul and all sorts of places,and that is completely normal, but in the outside, it is entirely abnormal," he said. "Throughout the morning we have seen these large groups of green camouflaged helmeted men, some are masked and others are not, in control and are coming out of the VIP block here and changing shifts." 

He said the presence of the armed men seemed to be a show of strength, though they did not have their magazines loaded.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian parliament, which voted days ago to oust President Yanukovich, has called for a UN Security Council meeting to discuss developments in Crimea, and urged Russia "to stop moves that show signs of undermining national sovereignty and territorial integrity" as well as "reject support for separatism in Ukraine, of any form". 

Mila Kunis is engaged to Ashton Kutcher; check out her diamond ring

They were first friends for almost 15 years, then they began dating in 2012 after Ashton's marriage to Demi Moore ended and now the former That '70s Show co-stars are engaged. E! has confirmed that Mila and Ashton got engaged recently and are planning to make it official soon. Kunis was spotted shopping yesterday in Hollywood wearing that diamond ring on her finger. Congrats to them.

Afrocandy's advice to men...hehe (18+ please)

Lol. This woman eh...! Anyway, men, una hear? :-)

'I can have sex with Ramsey Noah on set' - new Tinsel star, April

Joju Muse popularly known as April is the latest addition to the Tinsel family. She’s playing the role of Sammie – the hostess at Ziggies. To say she’s ready to conquer the world is stating the obvious as April is ready for almost anything even sex with Ramsey Nouah on set. Yeah, you read that right, sex on set with Mr Noah. Unfortunately he's married...so...:-)

In an interview with iCampusNG, the 26 year old Public Admin graduate from Olabisi Onabanjo University and daughter of a former senator, said she gets horny watching John Dumelo and Ramsey Noah in movies. Excerpt from the interview below...

Which Nigerian actor would you not mind kissing on set?

There are actually two of them; Ramsey Nuoah and John Dumelo. I’m so in love with both of them. Their movies hit the right spot.

Right spot? They make you horny?

Everything join together. [laughs]

So you don’t mind a sex scene with Ramsey Nuoah?

A sex scene with Ramsey? Mehn, we are doing it for real. No acting, we will do it.

Rita Dominic becomes face of a product of Keystone Bank

Actress Rita Dominic has landed another endorsement deal. From telecoms now to banking. The award winning actress and movie producer will be unveiled in the coming weeks as the face of a new initiative Keystone Bank will be launching soon to empower women called Pink Account or something like that. She signed a one year deal in January for millions of Naira and has already shot ads for the campaign. Congrats to her!

Lupita who? Dencia says she doesn't know Lupita Nyongo'o......

Lupita may be Hollywood's It" girl but Dencia has no idea of who she is..Dencia narrated her experience with an interviewer and says she doesn't care about what they are winning or not winning..
However, she will be at the Oscars just to hug George Clooney...
More tweets below

Posted by Emeh A

Man dies during sex with prostitute in Aba

A man, identified as Ogadinma Chukwu, has lost his life while having sex with a commercial sex worker at a popular brothel located on St. Michael’s Road, Aba, Abia State.

Sources said the deceased, whom they alleged to be a regular visitor to the brothel, died while romping the prostitute.It was gathered that immediately Chukwu slumped and died, the prostitute contacted her colleagues and the manager of the brothel who moved his corpse to a sanitary lane at the back of the brothel.
As a result of the development, shop owners around the area quickly closed business for fear of police arrest.



Those who spoke anonymously to our reporter disclosed that some staff of the brothel at about 5 p.m. brought out the corpse through their back door, dropped it at the sanitary lane and disappeared.

When our correspondent visited the area, the brothel was deserted as people were gathering at the adjoining St. Michael’s Road by York Street junction and Hospital Road.A cross section of sympathisers said the deceased might have died of a cardiac arrest or exhaustion as white foam gushed out of his mouth.
Policemen from the Aba Central Police Station, who conducted a search at the scene, recovered an ATM card, a cheque book, cash of over N200,000 and a Man O’ War Association of Nigeria identity card, bearing the name, Ogadinma Chukwu.

Contacted, the Commander, Man O’ War Association, Aba, Uche Egbuziem, identified Ogadinma Chukwu as a former member of the association, stressing that the deceased and some other members of the group still use their old identity cards.
Vanguard

Africa will remain grateful to Nigeria-says President Yahyah of Gambia

 

PRESIDENT Yahyah Jammeh of The Gambia has said that Africa will remain grateful to Nigeria for its leadership role in the continent.

Jammeh made the statement at Nigeria’s Centenary International Summit on “Human Security, Peace and Development: An Agenda for Africa”.

According to him, Nigeria has continued to spend its scarce resources in promoting peace, development and democracy in Africa.

``Africa and the civilised world will remain grateful to this country (Nigeria) as an indispensable giant in the advancement of our African civilisation,’’ he said.

Jammeh urged Nigerians to resolve their differences and move the country forward as Africans looked on Nigeria as a role model

He called on the dominant religious groups in Nigeria to always shun acts capable of causing social unrest.
‘‘We appeal to all Nigerians to reconcile their differences peacefully and maintain Nigeria as a strong and unified power house of black Africa.

’’There is no country in the world that is comprised of one region, one religion and one ethnic group.
‘‘The beauty of Nigeria and any country for that matter lies in her cultural, religious and regional diversities.
‘‘Our diversities should be a source of strength, unity and pride and not division, weakness and violence,’’ Jammeh said.

He urged all Africans to continue to nurture the culture of peaceful co-existence and embark on industrialisation of the continent to ensure peace and development.

He said poverty could only be eradicated in an atmosphere of peace and secured environment.
In his goodwill message, President Ernest Koroma of Sierra Leone, urged Nigeria not to let Africa down, saying that ‘’Africa’s hope is in Nigeria’’.

 He said that Nigeria’s strength was in its unity, adding that ‘’no Nigerian is bigger than Nigeria.’’  (NAN)