Over a year ago, I wrote an article on xenophobia being a dent on the black populace and down the line the pathetic and reckless maiming of lives has continued and reached its crescendo thus triggering a serious backlash from those that have been victimized either directly or indirectly. But what is rather perturbing is the prolonged silence of the government over this matter; why must the government wait for the people to show their frustrations on South-African owned businesses before coming to terms with the reality on ground?

That brings to the fore the competence of our leaders in dealing with this sort of problem and speaking out on behalf of their citizens who are treated with disdain in South Africa. And, while the xenophobic trends in South Africa might have highlighted the maladroitness of the Nigerian government - with her citizens being significantly affected by the attacks - it has to be said that the African Union deserves some sticks too.

It is however of necessity that I start from the home-front, and it is in this stead that I will first like to commend the efforts of Honourable Abike Dabiri who has been quite proactive in her capacity as the Chair of the ‘‘Nigerians in Diaspora Commission‘‘. She has thus far been very vocal in seeking justice for Nigerian citizens who have been killed or adversely affected by the spate of killings in South Africa - and even in some other foreign nations. Beyond her efforts however, the Nigerian government has been passive in its approach towards addressing this issue which has so far left these unfortunate events to fester as we have it today. How does one explain the protracted silence of the government over incidences that has its citizens molested and killed in a foreign land time and again?

he only reason officials from South African commission will implausibly come out to deny that these attacks are targeted at Nigerians - and probably people from other nations - is because of the lacuna and incompetence [on the part of the Nigerian government] in doing what is needful. Since there has been no definitive actions taken by the government, individuals like Thabang Mokhoena (@Teq_Mokhoena), who take pleasure in seeing a fellow human moan to death will not cease to make a mockery of the nation on the pages of social media. It is saddening that numerous lives will be obliterated and the seating government of an acclaimed giant will keep developing cold hands and not be able to grasp the bull by the horn

On its part, the South African government with the country’s law enforcement agency appear to be out depth when it comes to curtailing these incidents…or could it be that they are all in this together? How does one explain the picture of the South African police officer laughing as he watches a foreigner burn to death or the statement attributed to South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Police, Bongani Mkongi who seems to support or fuel the trend? Why should someone like him even hold such a sensitive post as he does if the government is desirous of quelling the fiery menace of xenophobia? Let us call a spade what it truly is; South Africa have half-baked politicians at the helms of affairs - ours cannot be said to be very different, by the way. What has become of diplomacy and the promotion of international politics?

Where is your voice, African Union?

Xenophobia is not a new thing; it has been on for decades now, and it is not just about Nigerians as citizens of other African nations have been involved too. So, how is it that the leaders of different African nations have not found a lasting solution to this very menace that have bedevilled the peaceful co-existence of the black race? We should not be so overwhelmed by the need to institute sound economic and socio-cultural frameworks that we forget that the life of every African citizen [irrespective of his/her geographical location] matter a great deal. The government of South Africa must be called to order and if need be, rendered help to fight xenophobia to a standstill. If xenophobia is to be quelled, it has to be on a united front just as was the commitment to free the then grossly apartheid nation. Africa must unite to deal with this scourge and the onus is on her leaders to take a stand and be counted.

Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) invites application from interested and qualified Primary school pupils for its 2019 POST PRIMARY SCHOLARSHIP AWARD.

See also:NLNG Undergraduate ScholarshipandNLNG Postgraduate Scholarship.

Eligibility Criteria:

Any prospective beneficiary must:

• Be an indigene of NLNG host communities.
• Be a basic 5 or 6 pupil
• Provide his/her Basic Five result
• Must provide an attestation letter signed & stamped by the Head Teacher of his/her school (contact number of the Head Teacher also to be included)
• Provide an indigene confirmation letter signed by the CDC Chairman or Chief in his/her community.
• Provide letter of identification from his/her Local Government Council.
• Not be a child or ward of staff of Nigeria LNG Limited.

Method of Application

Interested persons should follow the link belowto apply.

APPLY HERE ---------- OFFICIAL LINK

Scholarship Application Deadline: May 13, 2019.

Please note that all applicants must:

• All requested documents must be attached to avoid disqualification.
• Applicants must fill in valid contact details as these will be used to communicate status of application.
• Application will be disqualified for non-adherence to criteria for this scheme.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for the selection test.

Source: Scholarships And Aid

Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) invites applications from interested first year undergraduates in Nigerian Universities for its 2019 Under-Graduate Scholarship Award. The Scheme seeks to promote academic excellence by supporting top- grade Nigeria students through tertiary institutions.

This was founded as a critical component of education intervention programme for our host communities in 1998 and later opened up to the rest of Nigeria in 2003.

A total of 2,833 undergraduates from various universities in Nigeria have benefited from the scholarship scheme with a spend of over N600 million. The introduction of online application and use of social media (Facebook) for information dissemination in 2012 made the selection process more efficient and cost effective, and increased awareness. The value of the scholarship has been reviewed upward from N100, 000 to N300, 000 per awardee for an academic year and it runs throughout the duration of the students course.

Eligibility Criteria:

Any prospective beneficiary must:

• Have excellent/very good West Africa School Certificate (WASC) or National Examination Council (NECO) result at ONE sitting
• Have a top score at the Joint Admissions & Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination
• Be a certified Full-Time Year-One student of any Nigerian University at the time of application
• Not be on any other Scholarship Award from other companies or agencies
• Not be a spouse, child, ward or direct relation of staff of Nigeria LNG Limited

Method of Application: Interested persons should follow the link belowto apply. All applications MUST include the following scanned copies as attachments:

• Passport sized photographs
• WASC or NECO result
• JAMB result
• University admission letter
• University student ID card
• LGA Letter of identification

APPLY HERE OFFICIAL LINK

Scholarship Application Deadline:May 13, 2019.

Note

• Applicants must fill in valid contact details as these will be used to communicate status of application
• Application will be disqualified:
  • For incomplete attachments
  • Non-adherence to advertised criteria.

Source: Scholarships And Aid

Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) invites applications from qualified candidates into the NLNG Post-Graduate Scholarship Scheme for Masters Degree Programmes in the United Kingdom in September 2019. The Scheme seeks to grow a pool of high potential Nigerian graduates and professionals with competitive advantage.

This scheme was launched in October 2012 with an annual intake of 15 beneficiaries to study in leading UK universities with an award value ranging between N9 and N11 million, depending on the course of study and course duration.

Eligibility Criteria

• Have provisional admission from any of the underlisted UK institutions to study any of the following disciplines: Engineering, Geosciences, Environmental Sciences, Management Sciences, Information Technology, Law, and Medicine:
  • University of Aberdeen
  • University of Manchester
  • University of Cranfield
• Possess minimum of 2nd Class Upper degree in a relevant field of study
• CompletedNYSCprogramme
• Obtained not less than a 8.0 IELTS score
• Not be no more than 30 years of age as at the time of application
• Be resident in Nigeria
• Provide letter of identification from respective Local Government Councils.
• Provide letter of consent from employer (if in service of any organization)
• Possess international passport valid for travel, at least, one year from September 2019
• Be able to obtain UK Tier-4 student Visa upon being successful
• Provide evidence that they are available to travel in September 2019 if selected
• Not a direct relative to staff of Nigeria LNG Limited

Method of Application

Interested persons should follow the link belowto apply. All applications MUST include scanned copies of the following documents:

• International passport bio-data page
• First Degree certificate
• NYSC certificate
• Provisional admission letter from indicated UK institutions
• IELTS result
• LGA Letter of identification
• Employer consent letter (where applicable)

APPLY HERE OFFICIAL LINK

Scholarship Application Deadline:13th May, 2019..

Note

• To fill in valid contact details as these will be used to communicate status of application
• Only shortlisted applicants shall be invited for the selection interview/test.
• Applicants are advised to check their mailbox regularly for information on status of their application. Application will be disqualified:
  • For incomplete attachments
  • Non-adherence to advertised criteria.
• NLNG is not under obligation to offer any kind of employment to successful candidates upon graduation, neither are candidates bonded to NLNG on account of this scholarship.

Source: Scholarships And Aid

A Sharia Court II, sitting at Magajin Gari, Kaduna on Tuesday sentenced 20-year- old Farida Taofiq and Raihana Abbas to two months in prison each for wearing skimpy dresses.

Taofiq and Abbas, residents of Argungu road in Kaduna, were convicted after they pleaded guilty to constituting public nuisance and indecent dressing.

The two convicts however pleaded for leniency saying they won’t repeat such crime again.

The Judge, Mallam Musa Sa;ad-Goma, however gave the convicts an option to pay N3,000 fine each.

Sa’ad-Goma also ordered them to return to their parents’ homes.

Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Aliyu Ibrahim said that Taofiq and Abbas were arrested on April 16, at a black spot along Sabon Gari road roaming the street in skimpy dresses.

“When they were asked where they were going, they said that they were going to a friend’s house who just put to bed”, the prosecution said.

Ibrahim said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 346 of the Sharia Penal Code of Kaduna state.

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Terms such as runs, wickets, sixes and so on are not the kind of words that the average Nigerian sporting fan is interested. In his world, those words are drowned by familiar ones like goals, throw-in, free-kick, etc., and this is simply down to the bias we have towards football in this part of the world. The love for the round-leather game has thus relegated other sports to the backwaters. As such, Nigeria’s participation in other sports has now dwindled while some have not even taken flight at all. One of such sports that is hardly found on the lips of Nigeria sport lovers is the game of cricket.

The only idea some persons have about the game is probably impacted while watching one of those ODIs or test games shown on Supersports channels. And in some other instances, you might have seen a couple of aspiring lads - whom you might have even tagged ‘day-dreamers' - who were raring to give the sport [of cricket] a try and place Nigeria's name on the world map, competing alongside top-performing nations like India, Australia, West Indies, South Africa, and the likes. Well, that dream seems to be finding its wings at this point. Much of the credit must go to the Nigerian Cricket Federation led by Professor Adams Ukwenyi and of course, the young men who qualified the nation for the next ICC U-19 world cup tourney that will be held in South Africa next year.

Heroics of the U-19 ‘Green Yellow'
Only a few – among those who knew about their participation in the qualifiers – would have given Nigeria a chance to make a significant impact at the qualifying rounds that took place in Namibia. But lo, and behold, the boys went, saw, and conquered all – including Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Namibia – that were thrown their way; coming out of the qualifying series unscathed. Winning all five games means the victory was not a flash in the pan, especially when you consider the fact that some of their opponents are no stranger to the game of cricket.

Despite the odds – talk about the unsupportive ambience at home and suchlike – that were against them, they did rise to ensure that Nigeria qualify for a major cricket tournament for the first time. I perceive self-belief and determination would have played a huge part in their success story. The game of cricket may be relatively unknown in Nigeria, the feat of this U-19 team led by captain Sylvester Okpe could be the ember that is needed to ignite the love for the sport and endear the Nigerian cricket teams [across all age grades] to the heart of Nigerians. By the way, those who have spent time watching or even playing the game know just how exciting the game could be with some zesty runs, deadly wickets and powerful sixes unraveled by participating teams.

Nigerian cricket federation has indeed given so much to the development of cricket in the country, and this victory shows how far they have come. That said, one cannot but expect that the Federation we keep doing its utmost to ensure that the boys [and Nigeria in particular] are not just counted among the number but leave a meaningful mark on the world stage. The Nigerian cricket team is a promising one and one that is worth investing in – here is a call for the intervention of corporate bodies in the development of the sport in Nigeria.

How shall I end this piece without doling out the roll call of the heroes that qualified Nigeria for her first ever international cricket world cup? So, here we have them:

• Sylvester Okpe (captain)

• Mohammed Taiwo

• Isaac Danladi

• Olayinka Olaleye

• Abdulrahman Jimoh

• Shehu Audu

• Sulaimon Runsewe

• Miracle Ikaige

• Rasheed Abolarin

• Ifeanyichukwu Uboh

• Peter Aho

• Emmanuel Boniface

• Samuel Mba

• Akhere Isesele

• Coach: Uthe Ogbimi

County Spreads
How do you like to have your bread served? With jam or mayonnaise spread in-between or with some delicious stew? Well, for those of us who love to indulge in some fatty goodness, any of the following spreads should present a healthy choice. Besides, you might find them useful as intensifier or a fitting condiment for doing your baking.

Blue band: Blue band is certainly not an unfamiliar brand in Nigeria. It is one of the few brands that has so far stood the test of time. This spread which is made from top quality vegetable oil, has low fat content, and it is rich in vitamins A, D and E as well as some essential minerals.
Blue band is good for kids as it promotes growth and development; adults are, of course, not left out from enjoying its tastiness. It is available in 250g, 450g and 900g packs, and it could cost between N600 - N1,400 depending on the size.

Golden penny: Golden penny spread is another nutritious one that is filled with goodness for gourmets. It is a rich source of essential vitamins like vitamins A, B6, B12, D, E, folic acid and niacin. Like Blue band, it is also available in 250g, 450g and 900g pack sizes. The price is between N300 – N1,500. It will make a great complement on your meal whether you just spread it on your toast or use it in some other ways.

Mamador: By producing the ‘Classic spread' through its Mamador brand, PZ Wilmer continues to sustain its commitment towards doling out healthy and tasty edibles – Mamador vegetable cooking oil should definitely ring a bell here. Mamador Classic spread contains vitamins, soy lecithin, sodium and essential fat. It is free from cholesterol and trans fat. The product is only available in 250g and 450g packs; the price for the 250g pack is N350 while the 450g pack is between N650 and N750.

Oldenburger: German dairy product manufacturer, Oldenburger abides by its rule of making quality consumables with this highly nutritious butter. Oldenburger butter will make such a wonderful delicacy that your taste-bud will find too hard to resist. It contains essential fat, protein as well as other vital nutrients. The butter is available in two varieties – the salted and unsalted. The salted 250g Oldenburger butter sells for between N1,200 - N1,500 while the unsalted variety cost about N3,200. The price is on the high-side, no doubt, but I make bold to say that it is the price paid for good taste + appetizing flavour.

Flora: I find it hard to leave this (Flora) butter out of this review…the reason is down to the nutrients and rich buttery taste every scoop delivers. It is made from vegetable oils sourced from Sunflower, linseed and rapeseed, and it is rich in vitamins A and E. It is available in different blends with each having varying mixture of ingredients. By the way, Flora used to be a Unilever brand before it was sold off to KKR. Based on my submission earlier; this is not supposed to make the cut as it is somewhat scarce to come by but for its richness I couldn't just leave it out. So, whenever you come across this buttery delight, you should not hesitate to lay your hand on it and savor the taste. The 500g pack of Flora cost about N3,300.

Summerfield county: To bring this review to a close, I shall take a look at a spread made wholly from plant-based ingredients. Summerfield is cholesterol-free and contains essential fat as well as some beneficial vitamins. The quality put into making the spread is simply top-notch and you will certainly love the taste. It is available in 500g pack which cost between N950 - N1,100.

Re: Re: [Review of Always Ultra](lady care & Diva sanitary Pads)

Stepping out in confidence means a whole lot to a lady. This is why she will always ensure that everything from her hair down to the toe-nail is spot on – not necessary to catch anyone's attention; she just wants to be cool. As such, she is conscious to have the right accoutrements readily available for her use. But it is not always about clothing apparels, pairs of shoes, wrist-watches and other niceties, she does care about that which is hidden from public’s view. This is one of the reasons why she will carefully select a good sanitary pad brand that will not reveal or cause any mess, and is capable of keeping 'secret things’ secret why she’s on the go.

So without further ado, we bring you a review of 5 top sanitary pads that ladies love to use:

Always Ultra Thin: As you might have already known, Always is from the stable of Procter & Gamble, a company known for quality. Why the Always brand has a variety of products, we will like to focus on Always Ultra thin, an hygienic pad that has been designed to make you feel comfortable and collected. With its Leak guard core, you are assured of getting up to 8 hours of protection; staying fresh and Furthermore, the flexing-wings attached to it will give you better coverage without making you feel awkward in any way.

Pros

• Good fit
• Wonderful protection
• Very comfortable
• Absorbs well and leaves no leak

Con
None

Price: N850 per pack of 8 pads

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Angels Secret: Looking for another well-made sanitary pad that gives great comfort and keeps things tidy? Then you may not have to look any further than this piece from JM Ocean Avenue. The unique feature about Angels secret sanitary pad is the negative ion core integrated into it. This helps to balance pH and hormone levels, and reduces inflammation and odor. And what is even more amazing is it anti-leakage design; it has got seven different layers but it is yet very soft. The first layer is made of 100% cotton so you do not have to worry about irritation. It is also claimed that this pad enhances circulation of blood, regulation of menstrual cycle, and also relieves cramps.

Pros

• Breathable
• Efficient Leak-proof design
• Very soft
• Anti-bacterial capability
• Quick absorption

Con
None

Price: N2,300 - N2,500 per pack of 8 pads

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Diva: Diva sanitary pad is another popular one in the market today. This sanitary pad is quite affordable, considerably soft and comfortable. Some persons who have previously tried it have however complained about it being somewhat thick thus bringing about some feeling of discomfort. This may just be an exception as many other customers have shown satisfaction after using the product to keep the flow in check. A pack of 50 Diva Long Slims pads goes for N2,600 while Diva Regular slims cost N1,600 per pack of 10 pads.
Pros

• Very affordable
• Secure fit
• Breathable

Con

• May be somewhat bulky

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Lady care: Lady care is a quality brand of sanitary pad made by Sankin Nigeria Limited. Its range of products entails Lady care Regular and Lady care Premium. The pad is made from cotton material and it is designed for heavy flow. Plus, it is equipped with wings to ensure that it is held in place thus preventing side leakage.

Pros

• Comfortable
• Very soft
• Good quality
• Breathable

Con

• None

Price
Lady care Regular: N450 – N550 per pack of 10
Lady care Premium: N450 - N550 per pack of 8

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Virony: Here is a sanitary pad that is currently enjoying rave review for its efficiency in providing ladies with good protection. Though it is thin, it absorbs really fast, and it is able to take care of heavy flow. Virony sanitary pad is also equipped with extended wings for an appreciable coverage. The pad is scented with menthol which may impact anti-bacterial function and also improve blood circulation.

Pros

• Breathable
• Reasonably priced
• High absorbency
• Good coverage

Con
None

Price: N1,200 - N1,500 per pack of 30.