Distraught Oscar Pistorius could face charge of 'premeditated murder'

Oscar Pistorius "sobbed uncontrollably" at a South African court hearing on Friday morning as prosecutors made clear their intention to claim the track superstar killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in a premeditated murder.
Pistorius wept and shook visibly for much of his appearance in a Pretoria magistrates court, where chief magistrate Desmond Nair postponed until Tuesday the process that will decide what charges the 26-year-old will face.

That means Pistorius will spend the weekend behind bars, although he will be kept – at his own request – at a Brooklyn police station in Pretoria rather than a local prison as would be the norm in murder cases.
On Tuesday, arguments will be heard as to the severity of the murder charge he will face, as well as submissions regarding his application for bail.
The Associated Press reported that Pistorius' family and management released a statement Friday from London that said, "The alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms." The statement went on to say that Pistorius "would like to send his deepest sympathies to the family of Reeva."
Numerous eyewitnesses at the court told how Pistorius was unable to control his emotions even before the proceedings began and he had to be consoled by his father Henke and brother Carl while deliberations took place.
"He broke down several times," South African journalist Barry Bateman said in a report to a Cape Town radio station. "He couldn't control his emotions. Most of the time had his head down. You could see him clench his jaw. He would collapse into his hands sobbing and it was audible, he was gasping. When he fell down his father would lean forward and put his hand on his back."
The shooting of Steenkamp in the early hours of Thursday morning has caused a media frenzy in South Africa, with Friday morning's Beeld newspaper claiming that the aspiring television personality and model had been shot through the bathroom door of Pistorius' luxury home in the Silver Lakes gated complex, and that police and security had been called to the property earlier in the evening following a disturbance.
In the hours immediately following the shooting it was originally reported that a police captain had insisted the shooting was an accident and that Pistorius had mistakenly believed Steenkamp was an intruder.
The runner kept a 9mm pistol, a machine gun, a baseball bat and a cricket bat in his bedroom as a means of personal protection due to South Africa's high crime and violence rates, according to an eyewitness account from British writer Jonathan McEvoy.
Pistorius, known as the Blade Runner and the first double amputee to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympics, enjoyed a popularity in his homeland that bordered on cult status and the story of his career – winning a legal battle against international athletics authorities to be allowed to run against able-bodied opponents – ensured Courtroom C was packed with spectators and media representatives.
Pistorius left Boschkop police station Friday morning in a 10-strong police convoy accompanied by his sister Aimee and his lawyer. Wearing a gray suit, he used a dark charcoal jacket to cover his head as he arrived at the court at 9 a.m. local time but had to wait nearly two hours for his case to be called.
Several companies pulled commercials and advertisements featuring Pistorius. Billboards with his likeness were taken down as this case totally overshadowed coverage of the previous evening's state of the union address by President Jacob Zuma.
Before the case was heard Friday morning, a court official asked members of Pistorius' family to provide money so that the runner could purchase a toasted sandwich.
Once inside the court, though, Pistorius was "clearly traumatized," according to his legal counsel and almost collapsed to his knees when prosecutor Gerrie Nel uttered the phrase "premeditated murder."
Pistorius appeared to take some comfort from the presence of his family, but when they rushed toward him at the conclusion of the hearing he was led away by an official, off to an immediate future that involves a cell and his own thoughts, while speculation on a tragedy that has become a national media circus rages on.

STR8 UP, HIP-HOP delivers 'The love Jones edition' for February

 Love is in the air this February and for the Hip-hop aficionado, all the other stuff going down would at best, be like an Olympic silver medal for Usain Bolt – not quite good enough! But not to worry, the definitive purpose-built vehicle for the true blue Hip-hop head provides succor in the mould of Str8 Up, Hip-hop: The Love Jones Edition.

The Love Jones edition is scheduled to hold on Saturday, 23^rd Feb, 2013 at Koga Studios, Oregun Road, Ikeja and will feature the whole nine: magnificent graffiti art display, breath-taking B-boy and emcee battle sessions, moving spoken word performances by Efe Paul Azino and Toni Payne with superb DJs Humility and OZ on the wheels. There will also be special guest performances by the ruthless vet, Ill Bliss AKA Dat Ibo Boy and Phyno.

Everyone present had a blast at the just concluded re-launch edition of the niche urban monthly networking event for Hip-hop heads and intellectuals which was executive with the theme ‘State of the Union Forum’ and focused critically on the matters arising from the controversial ‘There Was A Country’ by Chinua Achebe.

The "Love Jones Edition" which will be hosted by veteran femcee, Blaise, is a production of Now Muzik En.Core in partnership with Beat 99.9 fm.

Str8 Up Hip-hop! Celebrate the art form, live the culture!

World Consumer Day: Report consumer abuse NOW!

It may be like a month to go but I think it will be advisable to be ready for it. It is World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2013 which will take place on 15 March.
This year’s theme is ‘Consumer Justice Now!, giving Consumers International members a unique opportunity to raise the profile of consumer protection and highlight consumer rights abuses in their country.
According to Helen McCallum, DG, Consumers International, "We also want to share your experiences of poor consumer laws and their impact."
This mean a lot to us in Nigeria where consumers are exploited everyday with no one to fight their cause thereby allowing the perpetrators go scot free or a slap on the wrist.
The exploitation in Nigeria is higher in the mobile phone operators corridor. Virtually every one has had one bad experience or the other with these operators and it ranges from jammed networks to illegal deductions.
In the midst of all these, neither the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) nor the lawmakers are doing anything about it.
Now, you can share your experience with the whole world by sending your stories of consumer abuse by email to vviyer@consint.org or sending a tweet with the hashtag #wcrd2013.
Your stories would be featured on their WCRD map.

Twelve schools make shortlist for 2face's Campus Connect Tour

After weeks of impressive voting expected of a 2face project, 12 higher institutions of learning have emerged top to vie for the four definite slots available for the much talked about Campus Connect : 2face & friends Tour 2013.

Campus Connect, a production of Now Muzik En. Core/Hypertek in partnership with Sound City, was launched at the maiden edition of Playa’s Ball on December 9, 2012 at Auto Lounge to announce the re-connection between 2face and his fan base on campus.

According to Efe Omorogbe of Now Muzik, “The overall objective is to ensure that we bridge the gap, find a solution to all the inherent problems that made it impossible for 2face to tour campus circuits in the last eight years.”

According to 2faceonline.com, the official website of 2face Idibia, the 12 campuses are University of Lagos (Unilag), University of Benin (Uniben), University of Ibadan (UI), University of Calabar (Unical), University of Ilorin (Unilorin), University of Jos (Unijos), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), University of Abuja (Uniabuja), University of Port Harcourt (Uniport), Lagos State University (LASU), Benue State University (BSU) and Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu (IMT).

Voting for the definite four slots, which is on www.2faceonline.com, will close on February 20 by 10pm. There is however, the likelihood of additional dates.

Star acts expected to hop on the ride with Africa's Finest include, but not limited to, Olamide, Dammy Krane, Rocksteady, Sheyi Shay, Durella, Capital FEMI, Harrysong, Sound Sultan, Crystals, Basket Mouth and Timi Dakolo. A few others and will be confirmed in due course. After the close of voting on February 20, the tour time table complete with venues, dates, artiste line up and after-party venues will be released.

The 2face & friends Tour 2013 promises to be a super exciting experience  for fans and the stars on parade.

Grammy, indeed!

Adele didn't exactly rock the red carpet in this frumpy floral-printed frock by Giorgio Armani, which she paired with matching heels.

Now Muzik set to unveil ‘Elevated’ by Crystals at Industry Nite

The much awaited album of the teen pop sensations from Now Muzik management outfit, Crystals, is set for launch at the prestigious Industry Nite on February 20 at Get Arena, Lekki, Lagos.

Aptly titled 'Elevated', the 11 track album is the first from the fun band with the ‘crystal effect’ after formation and winning the 2012 edition of the Nigerian Brewerries Plc organized singing competition, Star Quest.

The young exciting band had whet the appetite of good music lovers with the release of two singles from off the album; 'Gbe Sun Mo Mi' and the melodious afro pop 'Ringtone' which had being receiving massive airplay since last year.

Crystals is a Nigerian boy and girl band, consisting of 6 members; rapper (Romeo), two female lead vocalists (Slimberry, Apholyzty), drummer (Emma Blow), keyboardist (Dammy Keys) and bass guitarist (G Base).

The launch has the support of Star, el Canaral, Beat fm, Trace Urban, Spinlet, My streetz and NM En.Core.

Elevated had the input of seasoned and A-list producers. They worked with Samklef, Del B, Shizzy, Harrysong, George Nathaniel, J. Sleek, Spyke, Phat E and the renowned OJB Jezreel. The album also features upcoming female rapper, Butafly.

Showcasing their creativity, the cool band’s television commercial was way off the usual voice over as the lead rapper, Romeo, rapped to the humming of the female vocalists.

Celebrating with referee!

Postal Worker Retires After 44 Years Without Sick Day

By Susanna Kim | ABC News Blogs
On Jan. 31, Deborah Ford will retire from the U.S. Postal Service after 44 years without using any of her sick days.
Though her colleagues and the local media, including the Detroit Free Press, applaud her level of commitment, Ford, 64, doesn't see what the big deal is.
Born and raised in Detroit, Ford will be retiring from her job in payroll and timekeeping management for the city's main post office.
"I was trying to do the best I could, and that just evolved into working all my scheduled days," Ford said.
Ford said when she was sick, she would simply "shake it off." For appointments, say, with the doctor, she would use vacation days.
"It's going to be tough to replace her - not only her attendance but her knowledge of the years she has done timekeeping," said Tony Carnagie, a financial programs compliance manager, who has worked with Ford for more than 15 years.
Most of Ford's co-workers knew about her track record, when the USPS awarded her for 30 years of service.
Ford said her father, who is 86 years old and never took a sick days in 30 years, also doesn't see what the fuss is about.
"It's just part of our work ethic," she said.
Ford said she is looking forward to retirement but doesn't have any specific plans, besides spending more time with her father.
"I'll rest up and see where life takes me. Do some volunteer work, take some enrichment classes - the usual stuff," she said.
For now, she is training someone to do her job, which she says, she won't particularly miss.
"You don't miss the brick and mortar," she said. "I'll miss the people, the lives you touched and the lives that touched your life."
Not taking a sick day won't be for naught.
Ford has a sick-leave balance of 4,508 hours, which will allow her a 5 percent increase in her pension.

FASHOLA SIGNS MOU ON COMPETITIVENESS PROJECT WITH LBS

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, Dean of Lagos Business School (LBS), Dr Enase Okonedo and Commerce and Industry counterpart, Mrs. Olusola Oworu at the signing of MOU  between Lagos State Government and the Lagos Business School on the Competitiveness Project at the Lagos House, Ikeja on Monday, January 28, 2013.

...and Hip hop took a stand!

The re-launched edition of Str8 Up Hip-hop, a monthly urban networking event for Hip-hop heads and intellectuals, held last week was a success as stakeholders in the industry took a stand.
It focused on a critical breakdown of matters arising from 'There Was A Country' by renowned author, Chinua Achebe.

The panelists, MI Abaga, Obi Asika, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Elajoe and Pamela Braide, discussed, among other things, the challenges of distribution, scarcity and piracy of books, decline in reading culture, importance of ethnic identity to the Nigerian youth and the role of the Hip-hop community in nation building. 

EDI LAWANI: A GUSH OF GREATNESS

It was a long wait. And it wasn’t my first call. I had made repeated attempts to have a face-to-face chat with the “witch doctor” but it was instantly obvious it wasn’t going to come easy. Too many people, too many far more important people made these daily visits to the Mecca and the chances of a small time writer/ producer and minor league talent manager/ label exec were always going to be paper thin.

Eventually I got my chance to meet Edi Lawani – the Edi Lawani. It was a brief meeting. It had to be brief. Industry heavyweights too numerous to mention were waiting to see the go-to guy for all kinds of reasons and I felt a mix grill of relief, excitement and anxiety when the receptionist muttered “Oga will see you next”. Then the process began.

Edi Lawani apologized for the long wait and repeated fruitless visits I have had to endure. I was stunned by his humility. He was Edi Lawani, the industry guru and I was but a small fry with a big dream. This was in ’97 and I was fresh out of Unilag. Everyone I spoke to about my plan to grow a major league label and management outfit directed me to Edi Lawani, at Oremeji.

They all appeared 100% certain he was the one guy that can point me in the right direction. I had heard quite a bit about him and was convinced I was pursuing an aging guru who had come to cut the image of mythical Atlas in my head. It was the first shocker when I first saw him, a good number of visits before I got my 5-minute talk time. He looked way too young for his “showbiz age”. Now here he was, apologizing to me. OK! What’s next? He asked me a couple of random questions, busied himself with some other stuff like he wasn’t quite paying attention and asked me to pick up a form from the receptionist. I did. I was required to fill out the form and pay a registration fee for consultancy services. I filled out the form in a flash but struggled terribly to raise the balance payment for the fee. On one of my knowledge- tapping sessions, I tried to apologize for the delay in the payment. He simply smiled and said “Efe, I didn’t forget there was payment outstanding. I have left an instruction that no one should accept payment from you here. The fee was just something to scare away unserious time wasters because I am of the opinion that the value one places on anything is directly proportional with what one is willing to sacrifice for it”. Poignant, those words and they stuck. I have found a more succinct version and it has stayed a personal mantra – “pursuit is the proof of desire.”

Sixteen years down the road, Edi Lawani remains my ultimate go –to guide for all things showbiz. He is to a lot of us, a role model, mentor and the most dependable of friends. Edi Lawani has taught me so many amazing things by just sticking with ole fashioned principles of hard work, professionalism, integrity and selflessness.

Let me recount just one episode here. A few years ago, I got a production brief from an agency client. The money was good (for my level then) but the notice was short. Worse than that, the production was tricky. I did the natural, call Edi Lawani and he offered to guide me through the drill and gave me an appointment. A while later, I got wind of some pretty disturbing gist. The job was originally Edi’s. The guys at an agency seemed hell bent on pushing him a raw deal. He had offered them first class technical solutions on numerous productions for their major client for years and felt they were acting too greedy. He had insisted on being paid right for the job and their response was to call up another production consultant, me. Once I found out, I pulled out and asked my agency friends to negotiate with the boss.

Eventually he rejected the brief and “ordered” me to do it. Edi Lawani went ahead and gave me the prepping session. He was the last person I spoke before the production and the first once we wrapped. It was my first stage management brief of a nationally televised live show and Edi Lawani practically executed the brief in absentia for “the alternative” stage manager.

Over the years I have leaned on his priceless counsel. He has stayed in the background, guiding, steadying the ship through our pursuits at Now Muzik and my personal forays through Music Business Forum and AM.B-Pro activities unto the birth of COSON and more, never hesitant to lend a hand, to come out of pocket to finance a move, to tell us the TRUTH, however unpleasant in any situation and never demanding or jostling for praise or recognition.

My boss, my mentor Edi Lawani. I have navigated my biggest productions yet with you. I have listened to some of the best music and talked about the most fascinating back stories with you. I have encountered the most thought-provoking books in your library. My flyest pair of sneakers ever, I got from you. I’ve been so blessed to know you and I’m certain there are many like me out there who are in a better place today because they got a little nudge from you at some point. Our commitment to the greater good for industry and country has been inspired and significantly strengthened by you.

As we get ready to celebrate and party with you at Playa’s Ball on January 31, 2013 at Club Rumors, I take a second to reflect and all I can do is smile. It’s amazing how much value a 10K part payment for a quarterly consultancy service has delivered sixteen years down the road. It’s just it is difficult to measure but I have a sneaky feeling that if the Guinness Book of World Records guys can find an empirical way to ascertain it, that may well be the most rewarding 10k investment ever.

 May God bless you and yours abundantly!

This piece was written by Efe Omorogbe, CEO, Now Muzik, ahead of Playa's Ball to celebrate Edi Lawani.

 

Oluseyi drops Bamijo, resumes Art café with Oluseyi.

 

Oluseyi Solagbade

Oluseyi  Solagbade, known for his unique brand of futuristic music, has finally dropped his much awaited album, Bamijo (Dance With Me). The Afro Gospel album, released after his USA tour in December 2012, is a 12 tracker with heavy percussive idioms presented under free style wind and string instrumentation.

According to the leader of the Black Face band, “The new album is a result of God’s intervention in my life. It is simply an invitation for people to come rejoice with me because I was once blind and now can see.”

The inspirational Bamijo is the fourth album from the easy going artiste who believes in originality and creativity. It came after Matuwo, Black face and No King As God.

Oluseyi revealed that he is working diligently on the video for the title track, Bamijo even as had shot some of it in his just concluded USA tour and it would be produced by Seyi Amuwa.

The video of ‘Ire’ and ‘Orin’, produced by Gbenga Salu, is already enjoying airplay especially on cable stations.

Oluseyi on stage during his USA tour.

Oluseyi has, in the past 20 years; succeed in creating a brand of afro inspirational beat that is different from Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

He explains further: “My music is a fusion of different genre of music in Africa. I can conveniently say it is what we call pandiatonism, a combination of chords. So am just using that idea to create new kind of music style. To me, originality is a basic phenomenal; when your music is original your art will definitely be a futuristic one.”

In the same vein, his monthly gig, ‘Art Café with Oluseyi’, is billed to resume very soon in collaboration the French Cultural Centre.

The inspirational groove that will serve as ‘hypnotherapy’ to everyone is a platform to promote authentic music in all artistic forms.

“My fans should expect Afro Gospel instead of Afro Palongo that they are used to. I am stepping up with another trend of music so as to get across to everyone especially the youth,” Oluseyi explained.

 

Str8 Up, Hip-Hop to host State of the Union Forum

Str8 Up, Hip-Hop a niche urban monthly networking event for hip hop heads and intellectuals is back with a new edition tagged ‘State of the Union Forum: A critical Breakdown of Issues Arising from Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country’.
The forum is scheduled to hold on January 23rd, 2013 at Pop on Saka Tinubu Street from 7 PM and boasts of industry big wigs such as Obi Asika, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Kwame and MI as panelists. Other panelists are Elajoe and femcee Blaise. Andre Blaze will hold down the Mic as host.
Str8 Up, Hip-Hop is an event property of Now Muzik En.Core (an event affiliate of Now Muzik) in partnership with Beat 99.9 FM and Pop with Support from thenetng.com and Mrshustle.com.
According to Efe Omorogbe of Now Muzik, ” Attendees of the event are guaranteed an exciting and insightful time. He continues: The Hip-hop community cannot afford to stand aloof. These issues are real and the consequences of doing nothing to promote constructive and open dialogue can be dire. Our hustle, concerts, parties and bull all depend on the existence of a conducive social and economic backdrop so we have a responsibility to engage one another, take a stand and contribute our quota to nation building as a group – the Hip-hop community. And I can’t ask for a better way to relaunch Str& Up, Hip-hop.”
The first edition, Grand Hustle, was a celebration of the iconic Hip-hop entrepreneur Ayo Animashaun for his contribution to the growth of the Hip-hop movement  in Nigeria. There was a second edition- Love Lockdown: The Valentine edition and a third one tagged Vote or Vote: Election edition which was designed to support a campaign for youths to get involved, get registered,  go out and vote for the right candidate during the election. The fourth edition was Know-the-ledge – a Hip-hop revue for the promotion and celebration of conventional and street knowledge.

Your Ringtone

I don't want to believe you have not listened to the melodious afro pop song, Ringtone from the sensational Crystals group.  It is the second single after Gbe Sun Mo Mi and is off their forth coming debut album titled ‘Elevated’.
The group has been described as fun, cool and exciting.
This is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_AMFz_LyvQ

Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson has given a dramatic account of how his administration grew a paltry N4,451 it inherited from his predecessor in February 2012, to over N16 billion. The Governor also spoke of the challenge posed by the N50 billion Bond secured by his predecessor, which he said was set to hit N104 billion in 2017.

http://www.africanexaminer.com/bayelsa0109Bayelsa Shocker: I inherited just N4,451 from Sylva -Gov. Dickson

Can olive oil prevent skin aging? | Yahoo! Health

Can olive oil prevent skin aging? | Yahoo! Health

D'beat band @ NMVA 2012 nomination party.

Jigawa Governor's Son Arrested For Money Laundering At Kano Airport | Sahara Reporters

http://saharareporters.com

Jigawa Governor's Son Arrested For Money Laundering At Kano Airport | Sahara Reporters

NOW MUZIK SET TO PREMIERE ‘RINGTONE’ BY CRYSTALS BAND

On Wednesday, 12^th of December 2012, Nigeria’s foremost entertainment company, Now Muzik will premiere the audio and video of Ringtone, the much anticipated single by Crystals band.

The single which is of the afro pop genre was produced by Harrysong and the video was directed by Clarence Peters.

Ringtone will be the second single after Gbe Sun Mo Mi by the band since winning the 2012 Star Quest competition. It will be available on radio and television stations across the country and will also be made available for download online.

NOW MUZIK SET TO PREMIERE ‘RINGTONE’ BY CRYSTALS BAND

On Wednesday, 12^th of December 2012, Nigeria’s foremost entertainment company, Now Muzik will premiere the audio and video of Ringtone, the much anticipated single by Crystals band.

The single which is of the afro pop genre was produced by Harrysong and the video was directed by Clarence Peters.

Ringtone will be the second single after Gbe Sun Mo Mi by the band since winning the 2012 Star Quest competition. It will be available on radio and television stations across the country and will also be made available for download online.

Nigerian, Folorunsho Alakija, is worlds richest woman

Nigerian, Folorunsho Alakija, is worlds richest woman

Who says good thing cannot come out of Nigeria? It is happening every time but the bad apples in our society are really trying to spoil the whole bunch. They will not succeed.

Folorunsho Alakija is a woman and 61 years old and a NIGERIAN. She has pushed Oprah Winfrey down on the list of rich people.
The founder and owner of Famfa Oil, fashion designer and philanthropist is worth roughly $600million. Her company owns a 60 per cent interest in OML 127, an offshore oil field that produces roughly 200,000 barrels of oil per day and is worth an estimated $6.44 billion.
Folorunsho is married and has four grown sons, as well as one grandchild. She owns at least $100 million in real estate and $46 million private jet.
She started out as a secretary in the mid 1970s at the now defunct International Merchant Bank of Nigeria. She later left for London to study fashion design. She later returned to Nigeria and launched her fashion line, Supreme Stitches, which caters to upscale, high-society women.
While she was building her name as a fashion designer, Alakija in 1993 applied for an Oil Prospecting License -- an expensive permit that allows for oil exploration in a specified area.
The Nigerian government granted her request and allocated a 617,000-acre block of land to Alakija for oil exploration -- but she knew nothing about finding and extracting oil.
So in September of 1996, she appointed Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited -- a subsidiary of Texaco -- to act as a technical adviser for her business.
In 2000, Star Deep Petroleum determined that Alakija's land contained an excess of one billion barrels of oil. When this was discovered, the Nigerian government tried to re-acquire half of the oil-rich block it had sold to Alakija.
The Nigerian government was successful and Alakija lost control of all but 10 percent of her oil company until 2012, when Nigeria's highest court reversed the government's actions.
With Alakija now back in control of 60 percent of the oil company, her net worth has shot up to $3.2 billion, an estimate that Ventures Africa calls extremely conservative.
Alakija's sons now run Famfa Oil and her husband, Modupe Alakija, is the chairman of the company.
She recently purchased a $102 million property at One Hyde Park in London, as well as a Bombardier Global Express 6000 jet, which she bought earlier this year for $46 million.
Her charity, Rose of Sharon Foundation, gives out small grants to widows and orphans.

Pamper your skin with honey

www.benefits-of-honey.com

I have heard so much about people spending thousands of Naira to buy different types of cream (concoctions?) for face, neck and body all in a bid to look younger than their age. However, some are doing it just to maintain their skin complexion.

I have tried my hands on some of these things but, I can tell you, there is nothing like going natural. After all, many of the beauty products also have traces of natural ingredients in them.

I am going the honey way, first. Honey has the ability to absorb and retain moisture. It has natural antioxidant and anti microbial properties. Honey absorbs impurities from the pores on the skin, making it an ideal cleansing agent.

Before you decide to use honey on your skin, you must be sure it is pure and not adulterated honey. A simple way of testing is to observe how liquid honey comes down into a glass of water. Pure honey does not immediately dissolve in water; you will notice that it takes a bit of effort to stir it in the water to dissolve the lumpy bits, whereas adulterated one tends to dissolve easily as you drop them into the water.

Here we go with some DIY recipes to pamper your skin.

1. Cucumber-Honey Toner:

Puree 1 cucumber in a blender, drain and collect the juice. Add 2 teaspoons of honey into the juice and mix. Pour the mixture into a bottle. Apply on the face and neck area with a cotton pad in the morning and at night. Air dry it and rinse clean. Store the bottle covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

2. Honey-Apple Toner:

In a blender or food processor, combine 1 peeled, cored apple with a tablespoon of honey and pulse until smooth. Apply mixture to face and allow it to stay for 15 minutes, then rinse.

3. Honey-Oats Face Scrub:

Combine 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon finely-ground almonds, 2 tablespoons dry oatmeal, and some lemon juice or yogurt to a luxurious and exfoliating facial scrub. Massage mixture gently onto face, then rinse with warm water. This blend gives a deeply emollient cleansing to the pores of your face. Almonds and oats are superb softening exfoliants.

4. Gentle Honey Cleanser:

Mix 1⁄4 cup honey, 1 tablespoon liquid soap and 1⁄2 cup glycerin (found in drug stores). Apply gently on to face using a face sponge. Rinse with warm water and pat face dry.

5. Hot Honey Bath:

Perhaps the easiest natural skin care recipe using honey -- Add 1/4 cup of honey to your hot bath water for silky and luscious skin. This is especially good for dry skin.

Labour minister’s company fingered in alleged N2.7bn fuel subsidy fraud

Labour minister’s company fingered in alleged N2.7bn fuel subsidy fraud

Nigerian woman gets bench appointment in California

Bunmi Awoniyi

A Nigerian woman, Bunmi Awoniyi, has been appointed to the Sacramento County Superior Court in California, United States, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

According to local media reports monitored on Sunday by the North America correspondent of NAN, Awoniyi, 48, and Steven Gevercer’s appointments were announced by Governor Edmund Brown Jr. of California.

Awoniyi has served as a principal attorney with a family law firm since 1994 as well as an adjunct professor at the University of Northern California, Lorenzo Patino School of Law from 1997 to 1998.

She is an associate attorney at the Law Office of Steven L. Wessels from 1993 to 1994 and an associate attorney at the Law Office of Brady and Kent from 1992 to 1993.

Also, Awoniyi was a law clerk at the Law Office of D. Kapp Nees in 1991 and a crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service in London from 1989 to 1990.

She earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the Inns of Court School of Law, a Masters of Law degree from the University of Leicester School of Law, and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Essex.

Awoniyi is a certified family law specialist. She fills the vacancy created by the conversion of a court commissioner position on Dec. 3, 2011.

“I could not be more delighted or excited. It has been a whirlwind 24 hours the fruit of a yearlong arduous interview and screening process and an application that took me the better part of a year to complete.

“Through all of the many lost hours on the weekends and evenings devoted to this process, to see it come to manifestation is truly marvelous.

“I am humbled and God is so good! It is a new season,” Awoniyi a Democrat said on her appointment.

Her website states that she “completed all of her education in England. She attended the University of Essex and completed her Bachelor of Law with Honors in 1986.

“She thereafter obtained a Masters of Law from the University of Leicester which was conferred in 1988. Her thesis The Detection and Investigation of Child Abuse was published. She attended the Inns of Court School of Law in London, England and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in November of 1988 as a Barrister at Law.

“She is a member of the Honorable Society of Lincoln’s Inn and Inner Temple in England and Wales and remains in good standing. Ms. Awoniyi was admitted as an Attorney and Counselor at Law in the State of California in 1991.”

It adds that Awoniyi began practicing Family Law in 1992 and ”is an active member of both her State and Local Bar Associations. She has served in a number of leadership positions.