Microsoft Releases Office 2013 in Nigeria

Microsoft has announced the availability of Office 2013 in Nigeria, the next iteration of the company’s flagship Office product line for consumers. Office 2013 has been designed to work with both touch and a mouse, and works seamlessly in the cloud giving the user an unmatched on- and offline experience.

According to the Office Division Group Lead for Microsoft West, East and Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, Mr. Marc Israel, Office, 2013 makes the end user more productive in both a work and home environment.

He said, “With Office you can continue working offline, while the integration with cloud technologies allows you to sync your documents seamlessly allowing you to be far more productive.

Cloud technologies are fast becoming part of everyday life, which is why Microsoft’s Office 365 Home Premium makes sense for the African market. Office 365 Home Premium, one of the offerings within Office 2013, is a cloud service designed for busy households and people juggling ever-increasing work and family responsibilities.”
He added that the new offering of Office 2013 includes the latest and most complete set of Office applications which works across up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs and Macs; and comes with extra SkyDrive storage and Skype calling at an affordable rate of rate of N12,800 for an annual subscription.

Speaking at the worldwide launch of Office 365 Home Premium early in the year, the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, Mr. Steve Ballmer, highlighted that it marked the next big step in Microsoft’s transformation to a devices and services business.

Ballmer had said, “This is so much more than just another release of Office. This is Office reinvented as a consumer cloud service with all the full-featured Office applications people know and love, together with impressive new cloud and social benefits.

Microsoft also announced it will now deliver many new features and services to the cloud first, transforming the company’s traditional three-year release cycle. Now, new features and services stream to subscribers as soon as they are ready, keeping subscribers always up to date while eliminating the hassles of upgrading.

Speaking also, Author and Small Business Owner, David Kroenke, stated that customers believe that the new iteration of Microsoft Office allows them to focus on growing their businesses, rather than IT functions.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years of doing this, it’s that no small business knows how to run a server.
 Furthermore, they don’t want to run a server. They want to run a business. With Office 365, you can manage your employees, not your computers.

“It has streamlined communications tremendously. It’s so easy to communicate now. I can turn my computer on and see when China’s online. With just one click, I can ask them a question. Office 365 makes the world more accessible,” he said.

Terrorism: US worried about unending killings in Nigeria

The United States (US) Government has begun expressing anxiety over the unending spate of killings in Nigeria, as it yesterday held a crucial closed-door meeting with key players in the country’s military. The meeting, which was held about 48 hours after the explosion that occurred again in Kano in less than two weeks, was at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence with top military chiefs in attendance at the instance of the Defence minister of State, Olusola Obada. Journalists were barred from the meeting in which the United States’ Ambassador to Nigeria, Terence McCulley, who came with the message from the US government was said to have expressed deep feelings over the continuous bombings, killings, maiming and destruction of property especially in the northern part the country Journalists were earlier invited for the meeting but on arrival, the Ambassador, Mr McCulley had his reservations concerning the arrangement, in view of the sensitivity of the meeting. Conequently, he was led by the Minister to her office in company of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Onyeabo Ihejirika and his Air Force counterpart, Air Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh including the acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Oguche. Daily Sun gathered that the recent continuous terrorists attacks in Kano, Jos and Maiduguri, Gombe amongst other places in the north, which gave serious worries to America, dominated the agenda. A source told Daily Sun that, “the Ambassador told them that his country was displeaed with the continuous killings in Nigeria, with particular reference to the Kano incident where two luxurious buses scheduled to travel to Lagos were bombed which led to the death of about 60 persons, urging the country to take serious actions to tackle terrorists.” Despite entreaties, the Ambassador refused to speak to the press after the meeting as earlier promised. However, the meeting continued with the Service Chiefs before some General Officers Commanding (GOCs), who joined them in the meeting began to come in. A source further disclosed that the Minister made efforts to convince the Ambassador about what the military was doing to contain the Boko Haram Sect, citing the recent successes recorded in the arraignment of one of the Sect’s kingpin, Kabiru Sokoto last week and how the military had been consistently arresting some members of the sect and exposing their hideouts in the country. The service chiefs were said to have cited the military assaults on the Islamic extremists in Mali by the AFISMA as the factor responsible for the upsurge in the terrorist attack and vowed to contain them. Speaking with newsmen later, the Minister, Obada, claimed that the meeting with the Ambassador was a regular one that had to do with the US-Nigeria Bilateral Relations and how to improve upon it especially as it regards the military support and other areas that are of mutual interest to the two. “We have a beautiful meeting with the Ambassador to further deepen the cooperation between Nigeria and the United States and we discussed a lot of issues that are beneficial with both countries. United States of America and Nigeria have come a very long way together in terms of military cooperation, in terms of training and so many other things. We intend to keep our relationship with them to ensure that the two enjoy each other’s confidences. There are other issues that we discussed towards on-going happenings which good explanations have been given.”

LA Times columnist thinks President Jonathan should be impeached

LA Times Columnist, Joel Brinkley (pictured above) wrote that Nigeria is the most corrupt country in the world and feels president Goodluck Jonathan should be impeached. He wrote an article titled Nigeria’s Squandered Opportunity on Friday March 22nd. See it below...

Just outside President Goodluck Jonathan’s office sat 17 ambulances, just in case he or one of his aides fell ill. They were seldom if ever used.

No actual health-care facility nationwide had as many, and in fact a few still have none at all. But as soon as a Nigerian newspaper took a photo of the ambulances and published a story about them, they suddenly disappeared — probably to an underground garage.

Jonathan is president of Nigeria, which should be among the world’s most prosperous nations. After all, it produces an estimated 2.4 million barrels of oil each and every day. With oil now selling at $93.61 a barrel, that’s $224 million in income daily. And yet many hospitals can’t afford to buy an ambulance. The reason, in my view: Nigeria is the most corrupt nation on earth. Sure, Transparency International lists almost three dozen states as more corrupt — Chad, Haiti, Laos, Yemen, Cambodia and the like. But are any of those nations as wealthy as Nigeria — taking in $81 billion annually, just from the sale of oil? No, not even one of them. So Nigeria steals and squanders more money than any other nation, making it the world’s most corrupt, by that measure. Nigerian journalist Musikilu Mojeed finds all this so discouraging.

“With its geopolitical power, economic resources and middle class,” he laments, “no country (with the possible exception of Saudi Arabia and Egypt) has the power to change the course of black/African civilization like Nigeria.” After all, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous state — and large, twice the size of California.

So Nigerians are living an opportunity squandered — particularly now. Egypt is in turmoil. In just the last few days, in fact, many Egyptians have been calling for a military coup — anything to rid the state of its widely despised Muslim Brotherhood government. And a new report by the World Economic Forum ranked Egypt the least safe and secure tourist destination among 140 tourist nations evaluated.

Egypt has lost its place as the Arab/African worlds’ leader, and Saudi Arabia never had it. So for Nigeria, the time is ripe. But its leaders seem interested only in stealing the state’s money to make themselves rich beyond imaging. Think about it: $81 billion a year just from the oil, while most every local government official still tells his people the nation just doesn’t have enough money to fix the roads, schools or hospitals. (Roads are in such terrible shape that government officials generally travel any distance by helicopter.)

And Nigeria’s people — well, they are as mistreated as any on earth. In only nine nations — among them Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia — do more mothers die during childbirth. And in only 10 states, including Chad, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, is the average life expectancy lower. Right now the average Nigerian’s average life span ends at 52. That may be why the median age of Nigerians is just 18.

A few months ago, the Economist Intelligence Unit published an evaluation of the best places for babies to born in 2013, given their probable welfare as children and the chance for a safe, comfortable, prosperous life. Switzerland, Australia and Norway were the top three. The United States came in at 16th, largely because “babies will inherit the large debts of the boomer generation.” Dead last: Nigeria. “It is the worst place for a baby to enter the world in 2013,” the report said.

Even with all that wealth, only just over half the population has access to clean drinking water, and one-third to a toilet, UNICEF says. Two-thirds live below the poverty line. Only one child in four who contracts pneumonia is given antibiotics, and only about half the population is literate.

The CIA also cites endemic “soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution.” All this in a county whose gross domestic product stands at $236 billion a year, in the same league as Denmark, Chile, Israel and the United Arab Emirates — prosperous, successful states to be envied.

Goodluck Jonathan is certainly aware of all of this. After all, taking the oath of office, he swore to “devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria. So help me God.”

Well, just last week he demonstrated who he really is and what he stands for when he pardoned a former state governor who’d been convicted of embezzling state funds and laundering the money. That pardon triggered a broad, angry uproar. Good luck, Mr. Jonathan. It’s time you were impeached. (Joel Brinkley is the Hearst professional in residence at Stanford University and a Pulitzer Prize-winning former correspondent for The New York Times.)

..Prof Chinua Achebe is dead

Professor Chinua Achebe, one of the world’s most celebrated writers, is dead.

Achebe who was based in the United States had been hospitalised in recent days in Boston, Massachussets where he passed away at 82 years.

                                                                  Chinua Achebe
Professor Achebe  was best known for his classical novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ which is the most widely read book in modern African literature.

 He also authored several novels, short stories and poems.

His last book, ‘There was a Country’; A personal history of Biafra, was published last year. He was a professor at Brown University in the United States since 2009. More details later…

APC: ACN replies Jega, says merger plans on course

LAGOS—The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has assured that plans towards the formation of the All Progressives Congress, APC, were still on course irrespective of reservations expressed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC that a change of name would be required.

While assuring that the parties were on course, the party said that it and other parties in the merger plans were fully conscious of the legal processes involved and adhering to same.

The party’s assurance was on the heel of suggestions by INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega at the weekend that the merger parties would be required to adopt a new name upon the fact that the APC acronym had been adopted by another party seeking registration.


Jega had also said that he received the notice of intention of merger from the parties only last week.

Plans by three opposition parties including ACN, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP to collapse into the All Progressives Congress, APC, have lately been challenged by the aspiration of two other political associations seeking registration with the same acronym.


The two other associations are the African Peoples Congress and the All Patriotic Citizens.

ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, however, disagreed, yesterday, with Jega’s claim that the ACN only wrote to INEC of its plans for a merger last week.

Mohammed said that the letter claimed by Jega as a notice of merger was actually a letter inviting the commission to their national convention where the merger process was expected to be ratified.

Asserting that the process was wholly in conformity with the requirements of the law, Mohammed said that there was no reason to doubt the progress of the opposition parties towards their merger.

“So, if you want your application to be considered, go and change your name because it is not possible to register three groups with the same name.”

We have not even reached the stage of registering any group. When we get to that stage, we will take the appropriate decisions,” Jega had said during a radio interview last Saturday. He had also been quoted as saying that a notification to merge only came last week.

Responding yesterday, Mohammed said:

“What he is referring to is the notice of our convention, not notice to merge. We sent him a notice that we are going to convention where we are going to talk about the issue of our merger and invited INEC as the law provides.

“We understand what we are doing and the only time we are supposed to notify INEC is provided for in Section 84 (3) which states that the written request must be accompanied by the resolution of the party at their convention and since we have not gotten there how can we write them a letter.”

“There is no provision in that law that says that  we must notify INEC before that time. The only other section is 84 (2) simply states that the merging parties must notify INEC of their intention at least 90 days before a general election and we have more than two years before that election.”

“If you read the provisions of the law very well you will understand that the only time that we are expected to notify INEC is only after a convention and section 3 is very clear that such written requests shall be addressed to the national chairman of INEC and must be signed by the chairmen, secretaries and treasurers of the merging parties,” Mohammed added.

Mohammed also rejected Jega’s claim that he had written to the parties in the merger plans on the need to seek another name as he said the ACN as at last night was yet to receive such communication.

“That cannot be referring to us as we have received no letter as at today and we are aware that they have written to African Progressive Congress and All Patriotic Congress,” Mohammed said.

Mikel Obi set to wed Delta Soap beauty queen, Sandra Okagbue?

This is according to City People. Below is how they are reporting it:

"The two love birds who have been dating for almost 3 years now have decided to seal the relationship. Their introduction comes up next Sunday March 31 at Sandra's family home in Onitsha. This development will definitely not come as a surprise to most of their friends. This is because their romance has grown stronger by the day that Sandra has been a live-in-lover of the Chelsea midfielder in his UK home".

They met about three years ago during one of Mikel's visit to Nigeria and they've been together ever since. According to family sources, Mikel is so in love with Sandra that he has invested millions to settle her family, most especially the family's residence located at Ajao Estate, which had Mikel's financial blessing

Sandra Okagbue won Miss Delta Soap beauty pageant in 2010 and she's the daughter of the late Obi of Onitsha, Obi Ofala Okagbue.

Sen. David Mark denies buying the Chevy Corvette for 2face & Annie

The card on the car clearly says 'wedding gift from Senator David Mark', but the senate president's senior adviser on media, Kola Ologbondiyan, has released a statement denying it. Ologbondiya said:

Senator Mark did not visit Dubai for Tuface wedding rather he attended the 128th Inter parliamentary Union (IPU) conference currently holding in Quito, Ecuador. He was also not represented at Mr. Idibia's wedding. It is also instructive to state that the President of the Senate, Senator Mark, did not make a car donation of any kind to Tuface before departing Nigeria for Ecuador neither did he purchase nor send any car to Dubai as a wedding gift for the musician or his wife. Who made the donation on behalf of the President of the Senate?

It is therefore a puerile lie for anybody to state that Senator Mark bought a Ferrari car worth N47m for Tuface. The allegation is wicked, ridiculous and irresponsible. Signed: Kola Ologbondiyan Special Adviser, Media & Publicity to the President of the Senate David Mark The Chevy Corvette is worth about N7m and if the Senate president says he didn't buy it, then we should give him the benefit of doubt. I doubt a man of his caliber will buy a wedding gift and then publicly deny buying it. I'm sure 2face Idibia's team will address this when they get back from Dubai.